leave-one-out cross validation: Topics by WorldWideScience.org

Sample records for leave-one-out cross validation

Ensemble Kalman filter regularization using leave-one-out data cross-validation

KAUST Repository

Rayo Schiappacasse, Lautaro Jeró nimo; Hoteit, Ibrahim

2012-01-01

In this work, the classical leave-one-out cross-validation method for selecting a regularization parameter for the Tikhonov problem is implemented within the EnKF framework. Following the original concept, the regularization parameter is selected
Bayesian leave-one-out cross-validation approximations for Gaussian latent variable models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vehtari, Aki; Mononen, Tommi; Tolvanen, Ville

2016-01-01

The future predictive performance of a Bayesian model can be estimated using Bayesian cross-validation. In this article, we consider Gaussian latent variable models where the integration over the latent values is approximated using the Laplace method or expectation propagation (EP). We study...... the properties of several Bayesian leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validation approximations that in most cases can be computed with a small additional cost after forming the posterior approximation given the full data. Our main objective is to assess the accuracy of the approximative LOO cross-validation estimators...
Ensemble Kalman filter regularization using leave-one-out data cross-validation

KAUST Repository

Rayo Schiappacasse, Lautaro Jerónimo

2012-09-19

In this work, the classical leave-one-out cross-validation method for selecting a regularization parameter for the Tikhonov problem is implemented within the EnKF framework. Following the original concept, the regularization parameter is selected such that it minimizes the predictive error. Some ideas about the implementation, suitability and conceptual interest of the method are discussed. Finally, what will be called the data cross-validation regularized EnKF (dCVr-EnKF) is implemented in a 2D 2-phase synthetic oil reservoir experiment and the results analyzed.
Asymptotic optimality and efficient computation of the leave-subject-out cross-validation

KAUST Repository

Xu, Ganggang

2012-12-01

Although the leave-subject-out cross-validation (CV) has been widely used in practice for tuning parameter selection for various nonparametric and semiparametric models of longitudinal data, its theoretical property is unknown and solving the associated optimization problem is computationally expensive, especially when there are multiple tuning parameters. In this paper, by focusing on the penalized spline method, we show that the leave-subject-out CV is optimal in the sense that it is asymptotically equivalent to the empirical squared error loss function minimization. An efficient Newton-type algorithm is developed to compute the penalty parameters that optimize the CV criterion. Simulated and real data are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the leave-subject-out CV in selecting both the penalty parameters and the working correlation matrix. © 2012 Institute of Mathematical Statistics.
Asymptotic optimality and efficient computation of the leave-subject-out cross-validation

KAUST Repository

Xu, Ganggang; Huang, Jianhua Z.

2012-01-01

Although the leave-subject-out cross-validation (CV) has been widely used in practice for tuning parameter selection for various nonparametric and semiparametric models of longitudinal data, its theoretical property is unknown and solving the associated optimization problem is computationally expensive, especially when there are multiple tuning parameters. In this paper, by focusing on the penalized spline method, we show that the leave-subject-out CV is optimal in the sense that it is asymptotically equivalent to the empirical squared error loss function minimization. An efficient Newton-type algorithm is developed to compute the penalty parameters that optimize the CV criterion. Simulated and real data are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the leave-subject-out CV in selecting both the penalty parameters and the working correlation matrix. © 2012 Institute of Mathematical Statistics.
Estimation of influential points in any data set from coefficient of determination and its leave-one-out cross-validated counterpart.

Science.gov (United States)

Tóth, Gergely; Bodai, Zsolt; Héberger, Károly

2013-10-01

Coefficient of determination (R (2)) and its leave-one-out cross-validated analogue (denoted by Q (2) or R cv (2) ) are the most frequantly published values to characterize the predictive performance of models. In this article we use R (2) and Q (2) in a reversed aspect to determine uncommon points, i.e. influential points in any data sets. The term (1 - Q (2))/(1 - R (2)) corresponds to the ratio of predictive residual sum of squares and the residual sum of squares. The ratio correlates to the number of influential points in experimental and random data sets. We propose an (approximate) F test on (1 - Q (2))/(1 - R (2)) term to quickly pre-estimate the presence of influential points in training sets of models. The test is founded upon the routinely calculated Q (2) and R (2) values and warns the model builders to verify the training set, to perform influence analysis or even to change to robust modeling.
Efficient approximate k-fold and leave-one-out cross-validation for ridge regression

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meijer, R.J.; Goeman, J.J.

2013-01-01

In model building and model evaluation, cross-validation is a frequently used resampling method. Unfortunately, this method can be quite time consuming. In this article, we discuss an approximation method that is much faster and can be used in generalized linear models and Cox' proportional hazards
Linear Unlearning for Cross-Validation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Lars Kai; Larsen, Jan

1996-01-01

The leave-one-out cross-validation scheme for generalization assessment of neural network models is computationally expensive due to replicated training sessions. In this paper we suggest linear unlearning of examples as an approach to approximative cross-validation. Further, we discuss...... time series prediction benchmark demonstrate the potential of the linear unlearning technique...
Cross validation in LULOO

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Paul Haase; Nørgård, Peter Magnus; Hansen, Lars Kai

1996-01-01

The leave-one-out cross-validation scheme for generalization assessment of neural network models is computationally expensive due to replicated training sessions. Linear unlearning of examples has recently been suggested as an approach to approximative cross-validation. Here we briefly review...... the linear unlearning scheme, dubbed LULOO, and we illustrate it on a systemidentification example. Further, we address the possibility of extracting confidence information (error bars) from the LULOO ensemble....
SU-E-J-85: Leave-One-Out Perturbation (LOOP) Fitting Algorithm for Absolute Dose Film Calibration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, A; Ahmad, M; Chen, Z; Nath, R; Feng, W

2014-01-01

Purpose: To introduce an outliers-recognition fitting routine for film dosimetry. It cannot only be flexible with any linear and non-linear regression but also can provide information for the minimal number of sampling points, critical sampling distributions and evaluating analytical functions for absolute film-dose calibration. Methods: The technique, leave-one-out (LOO) cross validation, is often used for statistical analyses on model performance. We used LOO analyses with perturbed bootstrap fitting called leave-one-out perturbation (LOOP) for film-dose calibration . Given a threshold, the LOO process detects unfit points (“outliers”) compared to other cohorts, and a bootstrap fitting process follows to seek any possibilities of using perturbations for further improvement. After that outliers were reconfirmed by a traditional t-test statistics and eliminated, then another LOOP feedback resulted in the final. An over-sampled film-dose- calibration dataset was collected as a reference (dose range: 0-800cGy), and various simulated conditions for outliers and sampling distributions were derived from the reference. Comparisons over the various conditions were made, and the performance of fitting functions, polynomial and rational functions, were evaluated. Results: (1) LOOP can prove its sensitive outlier-recognition by its statistical correlation to an exceptional better goodness-of-fit as outliers being left-out. (2) With sufficient statistical information, the LOOP can correct outliers under some low-sampling conditions that other “robust fits”, e.g. Least Absolute Residuals, cannot. (3) Complete cross-validated analyses of LOOP indicate that the function of rational type demonstrates a much superior performance compared to the polynomial. Even with 5 data points including one outlier, using LOOP with rational function can restore more than a 95% value back to its reference values, while the polynomial fitting completely failed under the same conditions
SU-E-J-85: Leave-One-Out Perturbation (LOOP) Fitting Algorithm for Absolute Dose Film Calibration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, A; Ahmad, M; Chen, Z; Nath, R [Yale New Haven Hospital/School of Medicine Yale University, New Haven, CT (United States); Feng, W [New York Presbyterian Hospital, Tenafly, NJ (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: To introduce an outliers-recognition fitting routine for film dosimetry. It cannot only be flexible with any linear and non-linear regression but also can provide information for the minimal number of sampling points, critical sampling distributions and evaluating analytical functions for absolute film-dose calibration. Methods: The technique, leave-one-out (LOO) cross validation, is often used for statistical analyses on model performance. We used LOO analyses with perturbed bootstrap fitting called leave-one-out perturbation (LOOP) for film-dose calibration . Given a threshold, the LOO process detects unfit points (“outliers”) compared to other cohorts, and a bootstrap fitting process follows to seek any possibilities of using perturbations for further improvement. After that outliers were reconfirmed by a traditional t-test statistics and eliminated, then another LOOP feedback resulted in the final. An over-sampled film-dose- calibration dataset was collected as a reference (dose range: 0-800cGy), and various simulated conditions for outliers and sampling distributions were derived from the reference. Comparisons over the various conditions were made, and the performance of fitting functions, polynomial and rational functions, were evaluated. Results: (1) LOOP can prove its sensitive outlier-recognition by its statistical correlation to an exceptional better goodness-of-fit as outliers being left-out. (2) With sufficient statistical information, the LOOP can correct outliers under some low-sampling conditions that other “robust fits”, e.g. Least Absolute Residuals, cannot. (3) Complete cross-validated analyses of LOOP indicate that the function of rational type demonstrates a much superior performance compared to the polynomial. Even with 5 data points including one outlier, using LOOP with rational function can restore more than a 95% value back to its reference values, while the polynomial fitting completely failed under the same conditions
CVTresh: R Package for Level-Dependent Cross-Validation Thresholding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donghoh Kim

2006-04-01

Full Text Available The core of the wavelet approach to nonparametric regression is thresholding of wavelet coefficients. This paper reviews a cross-validation method for the selection of the thresholding value in wavelet shrinkage of Oh, Kim, and Lee (2006, and introduces the R package CVThresh implementing details of the calculations for the procedures. This procedure is implemented by coupling a conventional cross-validation with a fast imputation method, so that it overcomes a limitation of data length, a power of 2. It can be easily applied to the classical leave-one-out cross-validation and K-fold cross-validation. Since the procedure is computationally fast, a level-dependent cross-validation can be developed for wavelet shrinkage of data with various sparseness according to levels.
CVTresh: R Package for Level-Dependent Cross-Validation Thresholding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donghoh Kim

2006-04-01

Full Text Available The core of the wavelet approach to nonparametric regression is thresholding of wavelet coefficients. This paper reviews a cross-validation method for the selection of the thresholding value in wavelet shrinkage of Oh, Kim, and Lee (2006, and introduces the R package CVThresh implementing details of the calculations for the procedures.This procedure is implemented by coupling a conventional cross-validation with a fast imputation method, so that it overcomes a limitation of data length, a power of 2. It can be easily applied to the classical leave-one-out cross-validation and K-fold cross-validation. Since the procedure is computationally fast, a level-dependent cross-validation can be developed for wavelet shrinkage of data with various sparseness according to levels.
Raman fiber-optical method for colon cancer detection: Cross-validation and outlier identification approach

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, D.; Naveed, P.; Ragheb, A.; Niedieker, D.; El-Mashtoly, S. F.; Brechmann, T.; Kötting, C.; Schmiegel, W. H.; Freier, E.; Pox, C.; Gerwert, K.

2017-06-01

Endoscopy plays a major role in early recognition of cancer which is not externally accessible and therewith in increasing the survival rate. Raman spectroscopic fiber-optical approaches can help to decrease the impact on the patient, increase objectivity in tissue characterization, reduce expenses and provide a significant time advantage in endoscopy. In gastroenterology an early recognition of malign and precursor lesions is relevant. Instantaneous and precise differentiation between adenomas as precursor lesions for cancer and hyperplastic polyps on the one hand and between high and low-risk alterations on the other hand is important. Raman fiber-optical measurements of colon biopsy samples taken during colonoscopy were carried out during a clinical study, and samples of adenocarcinoma (22), tubular adenomas (141), hyperplastic polyps (79) and normal tissue (101) from 151 patients were analyzed. This allows us to focus on the bioinformatic analysis and to set stage for Raman endoscopic measurements. Since spectral differences between normal and cancerous biopsy samples are small, special care has to be taken in data analysis. Using a leave-one-patient-out cross-validation scheme, three different outlier identification methods were investigated to decrease the influence of systematic errors, like a residual risk in misplacement of the sample and spectral dilution of marker bands (esp. cancerous tissue) and therewith optimize the experimental design. Furthermore other validations methods like leave-one-sample-out and leave-one-spectrum-out cross-validation schemes were compared with leave-one-patient-out cross-validation. High-risk lesions were differentiated from low-risk lesions with a sensitivity of 79%, specificity of 74% and an accuracy of 77%, cancer and normal tissue with a sensitivity of 79%, specificity of 83% and an accuracy of 81%. Additionally applied outlier identification enabled us to improve the recognition of neoplastic biopsy samples.
Raman fiber-optical method for colon cancer detection: Cross-validation and outlier identification approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, D; Naveed, P; Ragheb, A; Niedieker, D; El-Mashtoly, S F; Brechmann, T; Kötting, C; Schmiegel, W H; Freier, E; Pox, C; Gerwert, K

2017-06-15

Endoscopy plays a major role in early recognition of cancer which is not externally accessible and therewith in increasing the survival rate. Raman spectroscopic fiber-optical approaches can help to decrease the impact on the patient, increase objectivity in tissue characterization, reduce expenses and provide a significant time advantage in endoscopy. In gastroenterology an early recognition of malign and precursor lesions is relevant. Instantaneous and precise differentiation between adenomas as precursor lesions for cancer and hyperplastic polyps on the one hand and between high and low-risk alterations on the other hand is important. Raman fiber-optical measurements of colon biopsy samples taken during colonoscopy were carried out during a clinical study, and samples of adenocarcinoma (22), tubular adenomas (141), hyperplastic polyps (79) and normal tissue (101) from 151 patients were analyzed. This allows us to focus on the bioinformatic analysis and to set stage for Raman endoscopic measurements. Since spectral differences between normal and cancerous biopsy samples are small, special care has to be taken in data analysis. Using a leave-one-patient-out cross-validation scheme, three different outlier identification methods were investigated to decrease the influence of systematic errors, like a residual risk in misplacement of the sample and spectral dilution of marker bands (esp. cancerous tissue) and therewith optimize the experimental design. Furthermore other validations methods like leave-one-sample-out and leave-one-spectrum-out cross-validation schemes were compared with leave-one-patient-out cross-validation. High-risk lesions were differentiated from low-risk lesions with a sensitivity of 79%, specificity of 74% and an accuracy of 77%, cancer and normal tissue with a sensitivity of 79%, specificity of 83% and an accuracy of 81%. Additionally applied outlier identification enabled us to improve the recognition of neoplastic biopsy samples. Copyright �
Accuracy assessment of high resolution satellite imagery orientation by leave-one-out method

Science.gov (United States)

Brovelli, Maria Antonia; Crespi, Mattia; Fratarcangeli, Francesca; Giannone, Francesca; Realini, Eugenio

Interest in high-resolution satellite imagery (HRSI) is spreading in several application fields, at both scientific and commercial levels. Fundamental and critical goals for the geometric use of this kind of imagery are their orientation and orthorectification, processes able to georeference the imagery and correct the geometric deformations they undergo during acquisition. In order to exploit the actual potentialities of orthorectified imagery in Geomatics applications, the definition of a methodology to assess the spatial accuracy achievable from oriented imagery is a crucial topic. In this paper we want to propose a new method for accuracy assessment based on the Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation (LOOCV), a model validation method already applied in different fields such as machine learning, bioinformatics and generally in any other field requiring an evaluation of the performance of a learning algorithm (e.g. in geostatistics), but never applied to HRSI orientation accuracy assessment. The proposed method exhibits interesting features which are able to overcome the most remarkable drawbacks involved by the commonly used method (Hold-Out Validation — HOV), based on the partitioning of the known ground points in two sets: the first is used in the orientation-orthorectification model (GCPs — Ground Control Points) and the second is used to validate the model itself (CPs — Check Points). In fact the HOV is generally not reliable and it is not applicable when a low number of ground points is available. To test the proposed method we implemented a new routine that performs the LOOCV in the software SISAR, developed by the Geodesy and Geomatics Team at the Sapienza University of Rome to perform the rigorous orientation of HRSI; this routine was tested on some EROS-A and QuickBird images. Moreover, these images were also oriented using the world recognized commercial software OrthoEngine v. 10 (included in the Geomatica suite by PCI), manually performing the LOOCV
Classification in hyperspectral images by independent component analysis, segmented cross-validation and uncertainty estimates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatriz Galindo-Prieto

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Independent component analysis combined with various strategies for cross-validation, uncertainty estimates by jack-knifing and critical Hotelling’s T2 limits estimation, proposed in this paper, is used for classification purposes in hyperspectral images. To the best of our knowledge, the combined approach of methods used in this paper has not been previously applied to hyperspectral imaging analysis for interpretation and classification in the literature. The data analysis performed here aims to distinguish between four different types of plastics, some of them containing brominated flame retardants, from their near infrared hyperspectral images. The results showed that the method approach used here can be successfully used for unsupervised classification. A comparison of validation approaches, especially leave-one-out cross-validation and regions of interest scheme validation is also evaluated.
Serum protein profiling using an aptamer array predicts clinical outcomes of stage IIA colon cancer: A leave-one-out crossvalidation

Science.gov (United States)

Huh, Jung Wook; Kim, Sung Chun; Sohn, Insuk; Jung, Sin-Ho; Kim, Hee Cheol

2016-01-01

Background In this study, we established and validated a model for predicting prognosis of stage IIA colon cancer patients based on expression profiles of aptamers in serum. Methods Bloods samples were collected from 227 consecutive patients with pathologic T3N0M0 (stage IIA) colon cancer. We incubated 1,149 serum molecule-binding aptamer pools of clinical significance with serum from patients to obtain aptamers bound to serum molecules, which were then amplified and marked. Oligonucleotide arrays were constructed with the base sequences of the 1,149 aptamers, and the marked products identified above were reacted with one another to produce profiles of the aptamers bound to serum molecules. These profiles were organized into low- and high-risk groups of colon cancer patients based on clinical information for the serum samples. Cox proportional hazards model and leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) were used to evaluate predictive performance. Results During a median follow-up period of 5 years, 29 of the 227 patients (11.9%) experienced recurrence. There were 212 patients (93.4%) in the low-risk group and 15 patients (6.6%) in the high-risk group in our aptamer prognosis model. Postoperative recurrence significantly correlated with age and aptamer risk stratification (p = 0.046 and p = 0.001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, aptamer risk stratification (p recurrence. Disease-free survival curves calculated according to aptamer risk level predicted through a LOOCV procedure and age showed significant differences (p < 0.001 from permutations). Conclusion Aptamer risk stratification can be a valuable prognostic factor in stage II colon cancer patients. PMID:26908450
Nine Different Chemical Species and Action Mechanisms of Pancreatic Lipase Ligands Screened Out from Forsythia suspensa Leaves All at One Time.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tinggui; Li, Yayun; Zhang, Liwei

2017-05-12

It is difficult to screen out as many active components as possible from natural plants all at one time. In this study, subfractions of Forsythia suspensa leaves were firstly prepared; then, their inhibitive abilities on pancreatic lipase were tested; finally, the highest inhibiting subfraction was screened by self-made immobilized pancreatic lipase. Results showed that nine ligands, including eight inhibitors and one promotor, were screened out all at one time. They were three flavonoids (rutin, IC 50 : 149 ± 6.0 μmol/L; hesperidin, 52.4 μmol/L; kaempferol-3- O -rutinoside, isolated from F. suspensa leaves for the first time, IC 50 notably reached 2.9 ± 0.5 μmol/L), two polyphenols (chlorogenic acid, 3150 ± 120 μmol/L; caffeic acid, 1394 ± 52 μmol/L), two lignans (phillyrin, promoter; arctigenin, 2129 ± 10.5 μmol/L), and two phenethyl alcohol (forsythiaside A, 2155 ± 8.5 μmol/L; its isomer). Their action mechanisms included competitive inhibition, competitive promotion, noncompetitive inhibition, and uncompetitive inhibition. In sum, using the appropriate methods, more active ingredients can be simply and quickly screened out all at one time from a complex natural product system. In addition, F. suspensa leaves contain numerous inhibitors of pancreatic lipase.
Sick Leave and Factors Influencing Sick Leave in Adult Patients with Atopic Dermatitis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Science.gov (United States)

van Os-Medendorp, Harmieke; Appelman-Noordermeer, Simone; Bruijnzeel-Koomen, Carla; de Bruin-Weller, Marjolein

2015-03-27

Little is known about the prevalence of sick leave due to atopic dermatitis (AD). The current literature on factors influencing sick leave is mostly derived from other chronic inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sick leave due to AD and to identify influencing factors. A cross-sectional study was carried out in adult patients with AD. sick leave during the two-week and one-year periods, socio-demographic characteristics, disease severity, quality of life and socio-occupational factors. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine influencing factors on sick leave over the two-week period. In total, 253 patients were included; 12% of the patients had to take sick leave in the last two weeks due to AD and 42% in the past year. A higher level of symptom interference (OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.13-1.40) or perfectionism/diligence (OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.83-0.96) may respectively increase or decrease the number of sick leave days. Sick leave in patients with AD is a common problem and symptom interference and perfectionism/diligence appeared to influence it. Novel approaches are needed to deal with symptoms at work or school to reduce the amount of sick leave due to AD.

Comparison of the Effects of Cross-validation Methods on Determining Performances of Classifiers Used in Diagnosing Congestive Heart Failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isler Yalcin

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Congestive heart failure (CHF occurs when the heart is unable to provide sufficient pump action to maintain blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Early diagnosis is important since the mortality rate of the patients with CHF is very high. There are different validation methods to measure performances of classifier algorithms designed for this purpose. In this study, k-fold and leave-one-out cross-validation methods were tested for performance measures of five distinct classifiers in the diagnosis of the patients with CHF. Each algorithm was run 100 times and the average and the standard deviation of classifier performances were recorded. As a result, it was observed that average performance was enhanced and the variability of performances was decreased when the number of data sections used in the cross-validation method was increased.
Sick Leave and Factors Influencing Sick Leave in Adult Patients with Atopic Dermatitis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harmieke van Os-Medendorp

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Little is known about the prevalence of sick leave due to atopic dermatitis (AD. The current literature on factors influencing sick leave is mostly derived from other chronic inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sick leave due to AD and to identify influencing factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in adult patients with AD. Outcome measures: sick leave during the two-week and one-year periods, socio-demographic characteristics, disease severity, quality of life and socio-occupational factors. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine influencing factors on sick leave over the two-week period. Results: In total, 253 patients were included; 12% of the patients had to take sick leave in the last two weeks due to AD and 42% in the past year. A higher level of symptom interference (OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.13–1.40 or perfectionism/diligence (OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.83–0.96 may respectively increase or decrease the number of sick leave days. Conclusion: Sick leave in patients with AD is a common problem and symptom interference and perfectionism/diligence appeared to influence it. Novel approaches are needed to deal with symptoms at work or school to reduce the amount of sick leave due to AD.
Cross-Validation of a Glucose-Insulin-Glucagon Pharmacodynamics Model for Simulation using Data from Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wendt, Sabrina Lyngbye; Ranjan, Ajenthen; Møller, Jan Kloppenborg

2017-01-01

three PD model test fits in each of the seven subjects. Thus, we successfully validated the PD model by leave-one-out cross-validation in seven out of eight T1D patients. Conclusions: The PD model accurately simulates glucose excursions based on plasma insulin and glucagon concentrations. The reported...... for concentrations of glucagon, insulin, and glucose. We fitted pharmacokinetic (PK) models to insulin and glucagon data using maximum likelihood and maximum a posteriori estimation methods. Similarly, we fitted a pharmacodynamic (PD) model to glucose data. The PD model included multiplicative effects of insulin...... and glucagon on EGP. Bias and precision of PD model test fits were assessed by mean predictive error (MPE) and mean absolute predictive error (MAPE). Results: Assuming constant variables in a subject across nonoutlier visits and using thresholds of ±15% MPE and 20% MAPE, we accepted at least one and at most...
Leave-two-out stability of ontology learning algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Jianzhang; Yu, Xiao; Zhu, Linli; Gao, Wei

2016-01-01

Ontology is a semantic analysis and calculation model, which has been applied to many subjects. Ontology similarity calculation and ontology mapping are employed as machine learning approaches. The purpose of this paper is to study the leave-two-out stability of ontology learning algorithm. Several leave-two-out stabilities are defined in ontology learning setting and the relationship among these stabilities are presented. Furthermore, the results manifested reveal that leave-two-out stability is a sufficient and necessary condition for ontology learning algorithm.
Validation of sick leave measures: self-reported sick leave and sickness benefit data from a Danish national register compared to multiple workplace-registered sick leave spells in a Danish municipality.

Science.gov (United States)

Stapelfeldt, Christina Malmose; Jensen, Chris; Andersen, Niels Trolle; Fleten, Nils; Nielsen, Claus Vinther

2012-08-15

Previous validation studies of sick leave measures have focused on self-reports. Register-based sick leave data are considered to be valid; however methodological problems may be associated with such data. A Danish national register on sickness benefit (DREAM) has been widely used in sick leave research. On the basis of sick leave records from 3,554 and 2,311 eldercare workers in 14 different workplaces, the aim of this study was to: 1) validate registered sickness benefit data from DREAM against workplace-registered sick leave spells of at least 15 days; 2) validate self-reported sick leave days during one year against workplace-registered sick leave. Agreement between workplace-registered sick leave and DREAM-registered sickness benefit was reported as sensitivities, specificities and positive predictive values. A receiver-operating characteristic curve and a Bland-Altman plot were used to study the concordance with sick leave duration of the first spell. By means of an analysis of agreement between self-reported and workplace-registered sick leave sensitivity and specificity was calculated. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals (95% CI) were used. The probability that registered DREAM data on sickness benefit agrees with workplace-registered sick leave of at least 15 days was 96.7% (95% CI: 95.6-97.6). Specificity was close to 100% (95% CI: 98.3-100). The registered DREAM data on sickness benefit overestimated the duration of sick leave spells by an average of 1.4 (SD: 3.9) weeks. Separate analysis on pregnancy-related sick leave revealed a maximum sensitivity of 20% (95% CI: 4.3-48.1).The sensitivity of self-reporting at least one or at least 56 sick leave day/s was 94.5 (95% CI: 93.4 - 95.5) % and 58.5 (95% CI: 51.1 - 65.6) % respectively. The corresponding specificities were 85.3 (95% CI: 81.4 - 88.6) % and 98.9 (95% CI: 98.3 - 99.3) %. The DREAM register offered valid measures of sick leave spells of at least 15 days among eldercare employees. Pregnancy
Validation of sick leave measures: self-reported sick leave and sickness benefit data from a Danish national register compared to multiple workplace-registered sick leave spells in a Danish municipality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stapelfeldt Christina Malmose

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Previous validation studies of sick leave measures have focused on self-reports. Register-based sick leave data are considered to be valid; however methodological problems may be associated with such data. A Danish national register on sickness benefit (DREAM has been widely used in sick leave research. On the basis of sick leave records from 3,554 and 2,311 eldercare workers in 14 different workplaces, the aim of this study was to: 1 validate registered sickness benefit data from DREAM against workplace-registered sick leave spells of at least 15 days; 2 validate self-reported sick leave days during one year against workplace-registered sick leave. Methods Agreement between workplace-registered sick leave and DREAM-registered sickness benefit was reported as sensitivities, specificities and positive predictive values. A receiver-operating characteristic curve and a Bland-Altman plot were used to study the concordance with sick leave duration of the first spell. By means of an analysis of agreement between self-reported and workplace-registered sick leave sensitivity and specificity was calculated. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals (95% CI were used. Results The probability that registered DREAM data on sickness benefit agrees with workplace-registered sick leave of at least 15 days was 96.7% (95% CI: 95.6-97.6. Specificity was close to 100% (95% CI: 98.3-100. The registered DREAM data on sickness benefit overestimated the duration of sick leave spells by an average of 1.4 (SD: 3.9 weeks. Separate analysis on pregnancy-related sick leave revealed a maximum sensitivity of 20% (95% CI: 4.3-48.1. The sensitivity of self-reporting at least one or at least 56 sick leave day/s was 94.5 (95% CI: 93.4 – 95.5 % and 58.5 (95% CI: 51.1 – 65.6 % respectively. The corresponding specificities were 85.3 (95% CI: 81.4 – 88.6 % and 98.9 (95% CI: 98.3 – 99.3 %. Conclusions The DREAM register offered valid measures of sick
Watch out for the leaves!

CERN Multimedia

HSE Unit

2013-01-01

Now that autumn is here, dead leaves falling from the trees form a colourful carpet that is pleasing to the eye. However, the reality is less pleasant for pedestrians, since these leaves increase the risk of slipping and falling, especially when the ground is wet. These conditions are also hazardous for two- and four-wheeled vehicles, whose grip on the ground can be severely reduced, thereby increasing the risk of them skidding out of control. Cyclists are among the most vulnerable road users when faced with these hazards. It is therefore essential to be alert to the dangers, which can be lessened by taking a few simple precautions such as moderating your speed and wearing suitable shoes. We also invite you to notify the Service Desk if you notice a road or pavement where there is a high concentration of dead leaves. The CERN Roads and Drainage Service will then ensure that the leaves are cleared in order to reduce the risk of accidents in the area.
Exact Cross-Validation for kNN and applications to passive and active learning in classification

OpenAIRE

Célisse, Alain; Mary-Huard, Tristan

2011-01-01

In the binary classification framework, a closed form expression of the cross-validation Leave-p-Out (LpO) risk estimator for the k Nearest Neighbor algorithm (kNN) is derived. It is first used to study the LpO risk minimization strategy for choosing k in the passive learning setting. The impact of p on the choice of k and the LpO estimation of the risk are inferred. In the active learning setting, a procedure is proposed that selects new examples using a LpO committee of kNN classifiers. The...
Mean-Variance-Validation Technique for Sequential Kriging Metamodels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Tae Hee; Kim, Ho Sung

2010-01-01

The rigorous validation of the accuracy of metamodels is an important topic in research on metamodel techniques. Although a leave-k-out cross-validation technique involves a considerably high computational cost, it cannot be used to measure the fidelity of metamodels. Recently, the mean 0 validation technique has been proposed to quantitatively determine the accuracy of metamodels. However, the use of mean 0 validation criterion may lead to premature termination of a sampling process even if the kriging model is inaccurate. In this study, we propose a new validation technique based on the mean and variance of the response evaluated when sequential sampling method, such as maximum entropy sampling, is used. The proposed validation technique is more efficient and accurate than the leave-k-out cross-validation technique, because instead of performing numerical integration, the kriging model is explicitly integrated to accurately evaluate the mean and variance of the response evaluated. The error in the proposed validation technique resembles a root mean squared error, thus it can be used to determine a stop criterion for sequential sampling of metamodels
Prediction of cognitive and motor development in preterm children using exhaustive feature selection and cross-validation of near-term white matter microstructure.

Science.gov (United States)

Schadl, Kornél; Vassar, Rachel; Cahill-Rowley, Katelyn; Yeom, Kristin W; Stevenson, David K; Rose, Jessica

2018-01-01

Advanced neuroimaging and computational methods offer opportunities for more accurate prognosis. We hypothesized that near-term regional white matter (WM) microstructure, assessed on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), using exhaustive feature selection with cross-validation would predict neurodevelopment in preterm children. Near-term MRI and DTI obtained at 36.6 ± 1.8 weeks postmenstrual age in 66 very-low-birth-weight preterm neonates were assessed. 60/66 had follow-up neurodevelopmental evaluation with Bayley Scales of Infant-Toddler Development, 3rd-edition (BSID-III) at 18-22 months. Linear models with exhaustive feature selection and leave-one-out cross-validation computed based on DTI identified sets of three brain regions most predictive of cognitive and motor function; logistic regression models were computed to classify high-risk infants scoring one standard deviation below mean. Cognitive impairment was predicted (100% sensitivity, 100% specificity; AUC = 1) by near-term right middle-temporal gyrus MD, right cingulate-cingulum MD, left caudate MD. Motor impairment was predicted (90% sensitivity, 86% specificity; AUC = 0.912) by left precuneus FA, right superior occipital gyrus MD, right hippocampus FA. Cognitive score variance was explained (29.6%, cross-validated Rˆ2 = 0.296) by left posterior-limb-of-internal-capsule MD, Genu RD, right fusiform gyrus AD. Motor score variance was explained (31.7%, cross-validated Rˆ2 = 0.317) by left posterior-limb-of-internal-capsule MD, right parahippocampal gyrus AD, right middle-temporal gyrus AD. Search in large DTI feature space more accurately identified neonatal neuroimaging correlates of neurodevelopment.
Modeling Anti-HIV Activity of HEPT Derivatives Revisited. Multiregression Models Are Not Inferior Ones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basic, Ivan; Nadramija, Damir; Flajslik, Mario; Amic, Dragan; Lucic, Bono

2007-01-01

Several quantitative structure-activity studies for this data set containing 107 HEPT derivatives have been performed since 1997, using the same set of molecules by (more or less) different classes of molecular descriptors. Multivariate Regression (MR) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models were developed and in each study the authors concluded that ANN models are superior to MR ones. We re-calculated multivariate regression models for this set of molecules using the same set of descriptors, and compared our results with the previous ones. Two main reasons for overestimation of the quality of the ANN models in previous studies comparing with MR models are: (1) wrong calculation of leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validated (CV) correlation coefficient for MR models in Luco et al., J. Chem. Inf. Comput. Sci. 37 392-401 (1997), and (2) incorrect estimation/interpretation of leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validated and predictive performance and power of ANN models. More precise and fairer comparison of fit and LOO CV statistical parameters shows that MR models are more stable. In addition, MR models are much simpler than ANN ones. For real testing the predictive performance of both classes of models we need more HEPT derivatives, because all ANN models that presented results for external set of molecules used experimental values in optimization of modeling procedure and model parameters
Biased binomial assessment of cross-validated estimation of classification accuracies illustrated in diagnosis predictions.

Science.gov (United States)

Noirhomme, Quentin; Lesenfants, Damien; Gomez, Francisco; Soddu, Andrea; Schrouff, Jessica; Garraux, Gaëtan; Luxen, André; Phillips, Christophe; Laureys, Steven

2014-01-01

Multivariate classification is used in neuroimaging studies to infer brain activation or in medical applications to infer diagnosis. Their results are often assessed through either a binomial or a permutation test. Here, we simulated classification results of generated random data to assess the influence of the cross-validation scheme on the significance of results. Distributions built from classification of random data with cross-validation did not follow the binomial distribution. The binomial test is therefore not adapted. On the contrary, the permutation test was unaffected by the cross-validation scheme. The influence of the cross-validation was further illustrated on real-data from a brain-computer interface experiment in patients with disorders of consciousness and from an fMRI study on patients with Parkinson disease. Three out of 16 patients with disorders of consciousness had significant accuracy on binomial testing, but only one showed significant accuracy using permutation testing. In the fMRI experiment, the mental imagery of gait could discriminate significantly between idiopathic Parkinson's disease patients and healthy subjects according to the permutation test but not according to the binomial test. Hence, binomial testing could lead to biased estimation of significance and false positive or negative results. In our view, permutation testing is thus recommended for clinical application of classification with cross-validation.
Validation of evaluated neutron standard cross sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badikov, S.; Golashvili, T.

2008-01-01

Some steps of the validation and verification of the new version of the evaluated neutron standard cross sections were carried out. In particular: -) the evaluated covariance data was checked for physical consistency, -) energy-dependent evaluated cross-sections were tested in most important neutron benchmark field - 252 Cf spontaneous fission neutron field, -) a procedure of folding differential standard neutron data in group representation for preparation of specialized libraries of the neutron standards was verified. The results of the validation and verification of the neutron standards can be summarized as follows: a) the covariance data of the evaluated neutron standards is physically consistent since all the covariance matrices of the evaluated cross sections are positive definite, b) the 252 Cf spectrum averaged standard cross-sections are in agreement with the evaluated integral data (except for 197 Au(n,γ) reaction), c) a procedure of folding differential standard neutron data in group representation was tested, as a result a specialized library of neutron standards in the ABBN 28-group structure was prepared for use in reactor applications. (authors)
Biased binomial assessment of cross-validated estimation of classification accuracies illustrated in diagnosis predictions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quentin Noirhomme

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Multivariate classification is used in neuroimaging studies to infer brain activation or in medical applications to infer diagnosis. Their results are often assessed through either a binomial or a permutation test. Here, we simulated classification results of generated random data to assess the influence of the cross-validation scheme on the significance of results. Distributions built from classification of random data with cross-validation did not follow the binomial distribution. The binomial test is therefore not adapted. On the contrary, the permutation test was unaffected by the cross-validation scheme. The influence of the cross-validation was further illustrated on real-data from a brain–computer interface experiment in patients with disorders of consciousness and from an fMRI study on patients with Parkinson disease. Three out of 16 patients with disorders of consciousness had significant accuracy on binomial testing, but only one showed significant accuracy using permutation testing. In the fMRI experiment, the mental imagery of gait could discriminate significantly between idiopathic Parkinson's disease patients and healthy subjects according to the permutation test but not according to the binomial test. Hence, binomial testing could lead to biased estimation of significance and false positive or negative results. In our view, permutation testing is thus recommended for clinical application of classification with cross-validation.
PREDICTING THE BOILING POINT OF PCDD/Fs BY THE QSPR METHOD BASED ON THE MOLECULAR DISTANCE-EDGE VECTOR INDEX

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Long Jiao

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The quantitative structure property relationship (QSPR for the boiling point (Tb of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs was investigated. The molecular distance-edge vector (MDEV index was used as the structural descriptor. The quantitative relationship between the MDEV index and Tb was modeled by using multivariate linear regression (MLR and artificial neural network (ANN, respectively. Leave-one-out cross validation and external validation were carried out to assess the prediction performance of the models developed. For the MLR method, the prediction root mean square relative error (RMSRE of leave-one-out cross validation and external validation was 1.77 and 1.23, respectively. For the ANN method, the prediction RMSRE of leave-one-out cross validation and external validation was 1.65 and 1.16, respectively. A quantitative relationship between the MDEV index and Tb of PCDD/Fs was demonstrated. Both MLR and ANN are practicable for modeling this relationship. The MLR model and ANN model developed can be used to predict the Tb of PCDD/Fs. Thus, the Tb of each PCDD/F was predicted by the developed models.
Cross validation for the classical model of structured expert judgment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colson, Abigail R.; Cooke, Roger M.

2017-01-01

We update the 2008 TU Delft structured expert judgment database with data from 33 professionally contracted Classical Model studies conducted between 2006 and March 2015 to evaluate its performance relative to other expert aggregation models. We briefly review alternative mathematical aggregation schemes, including harmonic weighting, before focusing on linear pooling of expert judgments with equal weights and performance-based weights. Performance weighting outperforms equal weighting in all but 1 of the 33 studies in-sample. True out-of-sample validation is rarely possible for Classical Model studies, and cross validation techniques that split calibration questions into a training and test set are used instead. Performance weighting incurs an “out-of-sample penalty” and its statistical accuracy out-of-sample is lower than that of equal weighting. However, as a function of training set size, the statistical accuracy of performance-based combinations reaches 75% of the equal weight value when the training set includes 80% of calibration variables. At this point the training set is sufficiently powerful to resolve differences in individual expert performance. The information of performance-based combinations is double that of equal weighting when the training set is at least 50% of the set of calibration variables. Previous out-of-sample validation work used a Total Out-of-Sample Validity Index based on all splits of the calibration questions into training and test subsets, which is expensive to compute and includes small training sets of dubious value. As an alternative, we propose an Out-of-Sample Validity Index based on averaging the product of statistical accuracy and information over all training sets sized at 80% of the calibration set. Performance weighting outperforms equal weighting on this Out-of-Sample Validity Index in 26 of the 33 post-2006 studies; the probability of 26 or more successes on 33 trials if there were no difference between performance
Genome-Wide Association Studies and Comparison of Models and Cross-Validation Strategies for Genomic Prediction of Quality Traits in Advanced Winter Wheat Breeding Lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter S. Kristensen

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of the this study was to identify SNP markers associated with five important wheat quality traits (grain protein content, Zeleny sedimentation, test weight, thousand-kernel weight, and falling number, and to investigate the predictive abilities of GBLUP and Bayesian Power Lasso models for genomic prediction of these traits. In total, 635 winter wheat lines from two breeding cycles in the Danish plant breeding company Nordic Seed A/S were phenotyped for the quality traits and genotyped for 10,802 SNPs. GWAS were performed using single marker regression and Bayesian Power Lasso models. SNPs with large effects on Zeleny sedimentation were found on chromosome 1B, 1D, and 5D. However, GWAS failed to identify single SNPs with significant effects on the other traits, indicating that these traits were controlled by many QTL with small effects. The predictive abilities of the models for genomic prediction were studied using different cross-validation strategies. Leave-One-Out cross-validations resulted in correlations between observed phenotypes corrected for fixed effects and genomic estimated breeding values of 0.50 for grain protein content, 0.66 for thousand-kernel weight, 0.70 for falling number, 0.71 for test weight, and 0.79 for Zeleny sedimentation. Alternative cross-validations showed that the genetic relationship between lines in training and validation sets had a bigger impact on predictive abilities than the number of lines included in the training set. Using Bayesian Power Lasso instead of GBLUP models, gave similar or slightly higher predictive abilities. Genomic prediction based on all SNPs was more effective than prediction based on few associated SNPs.
[Cross-cultural validation of the Oswestry disability index in French].

Science.gov (United States)

Vogler, D; Paillex, R; Norberg, M; de Goumoëns, P; Cabri, J

2008-06-01

The aim of this study was to interpret and validate a French version of the Oswestry disability index (ODI), using a cross-cultural validation method. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was assessed in order to ensure the psychometric characteristics. The cross-cultural validation was carried out according to Beaton's methodology. The study was conducted with 41 patients suffering from low back pain. The correlation between the ODI and the Roland-Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ), the medical outcome survey short form-36 (MOS SF-36) and a pain visual analogical scale (VAS) was assessed. The validity of the Oswestry questionnaire was studied using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient calculation: 0.87 (n=36). The significant correlation between the ODI and RMDQ was 0.8 (P<0.001, n=41) and 0.71 (P<0.001, n=36) for the pain VAS. The correlation between the ODI and certain subscales (physical functioning 0.7 (P<0.001, n=41), physical role 0.49 et bodily pain 0.73 (P<0.001, n=41)) of the MOS SF-36 were equally significant. The reproducibility of the ODI was calculated using the Wilcoxon matched pairs test: there was no significant difference for eight out of ten sections or for the final score. This French translation of the ODI should be considered as valid and reliable. It should be used for any future clinical studies carried out using French language patients. Complimentary studies must be completed in order to assess its sensitivity to change in the event of any modifications in the patients functional capacity.
Cross-Cultural Detection of Depression from Nonverbal Behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Alghowinem, Sharifa; Goecke, Roland; Cohn, Jeffrey F; Wagner, Michael; Parker, Gordon; Breakspear, Michael

2015-05-01

Millions of people worldwide suffer from depression. Do commonalities exist in their nonverbal behavior that would enable cross-culturally viable screening and assessment of severity? We investigated the generalisability of an approach to detect depression severity cross-culturally using video-recorded clinical interviews from Australia, the USA and Germany. The material varied in type of interview, subtypes of depression and inclusion healthy control subjects, cultural background, and recording environment. The analysis focussed on temporal features of participants' eye gaze and head pose. Several approaches to training and testing within and between datasets were evaluated. The strongest results were found for training across all datasets and testing across datasets using leave-one-subject-out cross-validation. In contrast, generalisability was attenuated when training on only one or two of the three datasets and testing on subjects from the dataset(s) not used in training. These findings highlight the importance of using training data exhibiting the expected range of variability.
DMFC performance and methanol cross-over: Experimental analysis and model validation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Casalegno, A.; Marchesi, R. [Dipartimento di Energia, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (Italy)

2008-10-15

A combined experimental and modelling approach is proposed to analyze methanol cross-over and its effect on DMFC performance. The experimental analysis is performed in order to allow an accurate investigation of methanol cross-over influence on DMFC performance, hence measurements were characterized in terms of uncertainty and reproducibility. The findings suggest that methanol cross-over is mainly determined by diffusion transport and affects cell performance partly via methanol electro-oxidation at the cathode. The modelling analysis is carried out to further investigate methanol cross-over phenomenon. A simple model evaluates the effectiveness of two proposed interpretations regarding methanol cross-over and its effects. The model is validated using the experimental data gathered. Both the experimental analysis and the proposed and validated model allow a substantial step forward in the understanding of the main phenomena associated with methanol cross-over. The findings confirm the possibility to reduce methanol cross-over by optimizing anode feeding. (author)

Validation of King's transaction process for healthcare provider-patient communication in pharmaceutical context: One cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dan; Liu, Chenxi; Zhang, Zinan; Ye, Liping; Zhang, Xinping

2018-03-27

With the impressive advantages of patient-pharmacist communication being advocated and poor pharmacist-patient communication in different settings, it is of great significance and urgency to explore the mechanism of the pharmacist-patient communicative relationship. The King's theory of goal attainment is proposed as one of the most promising models to be applied, because it takes into consideration both improving the patient-pharmacist relationship and attaining patients' health outcomes. This study aimed to validate the King's transaction process and build the linkage between the transaction process and patient satisfaction in a pharmaceutical context. A cross-sectional study was conducted in four tertiary hospitals in two provincial cities (Wuhan and Shanghai) in central and east China in July 2017. Patients over 18 were investigated in the pharmacies of the hospitals. The instrument for the transaction process was revised and tested. Path analysis was conducted for the King's transaction process and its relationship with patient satisfaction. Five hundred eighty-nine participants were investigated for main study. Prior to the addition of covariates, the hypothesised model of the King's transaction process was validated, in which all paths of the transaction process were statistically significant (p process had direct effects on patient satisfaction (p process was established as one valid theoretical framework of healthcare provider-patient communication in a pharmaceutical context. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Development and External Validation of Prognostic Model for 2-Year Survival of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated With Chemoradiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dehing-Oberije, Cary; Yu Shipeng; De Ruysscher, Dirk; Meersschout, Sabine; Van Beek, Karen; Lievens, Yolande; Van Meerbeeck, Jan; De Neve, Wilfried; Rao, Bharat Ph.D.; Weide, Hiska van der; Lambin, Philippe

2009-01-01

Purpose: Radiotherapy, combined with chemotherapy, is the treatment of choice for a large group of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Recent developments in the treatment of these patients have led to improved survival. However, the clinical TNM stage is highly inaccurate for the prediction of survival, and alternatives are lacking. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a prediction model for survival of NSCLC patients, treated with chemoradiotherapy. Patients and Methods: The clinical data from 377 consecutive inoperable NSCLC patients, Stage I-IIIB, treated radically with chemoradiotherapy were collected. A prognostic model for 2-year survival was developed, using 2-norm support vector machines. The performance of the model was expressed as the area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic and assessed using leave-one-out cross-validation, as well as two external data sets. Results: The final multivariate model consisted of gender, World Health Organization performance status, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, number of positive lymph node stations, and gross tumor volume. The area under the curve, assessed by leave-one-out cross-validation, was 0.74, and application of the model to the external data sets yielded an area under the curve of 0.75 and 0.76. A high- and low-risk group could be clearly identified using a risk score based on the model. Conclusion: The multivariate model performed very well and was able to accurately predict the 2-year survival of NSCLC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy. The model could support clinicians in the treatment decision-making process.
Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22: Translation, Cross-cultural Adaptation, and Validation in Hebrew-Speaking Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Shapira Galitz, Yael; Halperin, Doron; Bavnik, Yosef; Warman, Meir

2016-05-01

To perform the translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) questionnaire to the Hebrew language. A single-center prospective cross-sectional study. Seventy-three chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients and 73 patients without sinonasal disease filled the Hebrew version of the SNOT-22 questionnaire. Fifty-one CRS patients underwent endoscopic sinus surgery, out of which 28 filled a postoperative questionnaire. Seventy-three healthy volunteers without sinonasal disease also answered the questionnaire. Internal consistency, test-retest reproducibility, validity, and responsiveness of the questionnaire were evaluated. Questionnaire reliability was excellent, with a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient, 0.91-0.936) and test-retest reproducibility (Spearman's coefficient, 0.962). Mean scores for the preoperative, postoperative, and control groups were 50.44, 29.64, and 13.15, respectively (P < .0001 for CRS vs controls, P < .001 for preoperative vs postoperative), showing validity and responsiveness of the questionnaire. The Hebrew version of SNOT-22 questionnaire is a valid outcome measure for patients with CRS with or without nasal polyps. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2016.
Preclinical validation of antinociceptive, antiinflammatory, and antipyretic activities of Cordia martinicensis leave decoction

OpenAIRE

Martínez Hormaza, Ioanna; Victoria Amador, María del Carmen; Brito Álvarez, Gisselle; Morón Rodríguez, Francisco; López Barreiro, Marisol; García Hernández, Ana Ibis; Duménigo González, Abel; Morejón Rodríguez, Zulema; Bacallao Elguea, Yunier; Nossin, Emmanuel

2014-01-01

Introduction: leave decoction of Cordia martinicensis (Jacq.) Roem. & Schult. is commonly used in Dominica, Martinique and St. Lucia to relieve thoracic pain and fever. Objectives: to validate the antiinflammatory, antinociceptive (analgesic), and antipyretic ethnobotanical uses of Cordia martinicensis in experimental animal models. Methods: 30 % aqueous extract of Cordia martinicensis dry leaves was prepared just before use. Analgesic activity was assayed by writhing and tail flick, and anti...
A theory of cross-validation error

OpenAIRE

Turney, Peter D.

1994-01-01

This paper presents a theory of error in cross-validation testing of algorithms for predicting real-valued attributes. The theory justifies the claim that predicting real-valued attributes requires balancing the conflicting demands of simplicity and accuracy. Furthermore, the theory indicates precisely how these conflicting demands must be balanced, in order to minimize cross-validation error. A general theory is presented, then it is developed in detail for linear regression and instance-bas...
SU-E-T-231: Cross-Validation of 3D Gamma Comparison Tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, KM; Jechel, C; Pinter, C; Lasso, A; Fichtinger, G; Salomons, G; Schreiner, LJ

2015-01-01

Purpose: Moving the computational analysis for 3D gel dosimetry into the 3D Slicer (www.slicer.org) environment has made gel dosimetry more clinically accessible. To ensure accuracy, we cross-validate the 3D gamma comparison module in 3D Slicer with an independently developed algorithm using simulated and measured dose distributions. Methods: Two reference dose distributions were generated using the Varian Eclipse treatment planning system. The first distribution consisted of a four-field box irradiation delivered to a plastic water phantom and the second, a VMAT plan delivered to a gel dosimeter phantom. The first reference distribution was modified within Eclipse to create an evaluated dose distribution by spatially shifting one field by 3mm, increasing the monitor units of the second field, applying a dynamic wedge for the third field, and leaving the fourth field unchanged. The VMAT plan was delivered to a gel dosimeter and the evaluated dose in the gel was calculated from optical CT measurements. Results from the gamma comparison tool built into the SlicerRT toolbox were compared to results from our in-house gamma algorithm implemented in Matlab (via MatlabBridge in 3D Slicer). The effects of noise, resolution and the exchange of reference and evaluated designations on the gamma comparison were also examined. Results: Perfect agreement was found between the gamma results obtained using the SlicerRT tool and our Matlab implementation for both the four-field box and gel datasets. The behaviour of the SlicerRT comparison with respect to changes in noise, resolution and the role of the reference and evaluated dose distributions was consistent with previous findings. Conclusion: Two independently developed gamma comparison tools have been cross-validated and found to be identical. As we transition our gel dosimetry analysis from Matlab to 3D Slicer, this validation serves as an important test towards ensuring the consistency of dose comparisons using the 3D Slicer
Criterion validity and reliability of a smartphone delivered sub-maximal fitness test for people with type 2 diabetes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brinklov, Cecilie Fau; Thorsen, Ida Kær; Karstoft, Kristian

2016-01-01

Background: Prevention of multi-morbidities following non-communicable diseases requires a systematic registration of adverse modifiable risk factors, including low physical fitness. The aim of the study was to establish criterion validity and reliability of a smartphone app (InterWalk) delivered....... The algorithm was validated using leave-one-out cross validation. Test-retest reliability was tested in a subset of participants (N = 10). Results: The overall VO2peak prediction of the algorithm (R2) was 0.60 and 0.45 when the smartphone was placed in the pockets of the pants and jacket, respectively (p ... calorimetry and the acceleration (vector magnitude) from the smartphone was obtained. The vector magnitude was used to predict VO2peak along with the co-variates weight, height and sex. The validity of the algorithm was tested when the smartphone was placed in the right pocket of the pants or jacket...
Diurnal changes of net photosynthetic rate (NPR) in leaves of Lonicera japonica Thunb. and the responding mathematical model of NPR to photosynthetic valid radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Dafu; Zhang Shengli; Li Dongfang

2009-01-01

[Objective] The study provided theoretical basis for production practice . [Method] With Lonicera japonica Thunb .as material, diurnal changes of net photosynthetic rate (NPR) in leaves of the plant and the responding mathematical model of NPR to photosynthetic valid radiation were studied using portable photosynthetic determinator system. [Result] Like most of C3 plants, the diurnal changes curve of NPR of Lonicera japonica Thunb .showed double peaks, but there were time difference in reaching the peak value between the study and previous ones . The responding mathematical model of NPR to photosynthetic valid radiation could be described by three mathematic functions, such as logarithm, linearity and binomial, but binomial function was more precise than the others. Light saturation point of Lonicera japonica Thunb. was figured out by binomial equation deduced in the study , and light saturation point was 1 086 .3 μmol/ (m2•s) . [Conclusion] The diurnal changes curve of NPR of Lonicera japonica Thunb .showed double peaks, and the responding mathematical model of NPR to photosynthetic valid radiation could be described by binomial functions
Experimental validation of lead cross sections for scale and MCNP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henrikson, D.J.

1995-01-01

Moving spent nuclear fuel between facilities often requires the use of lead-shielded casks. Criticality safety that is based upon calculations requires experimental validation of the fuel matrix and lead cross section libraries. A series of critical experiments using a high-enriched uranium-aluminum fuel element with a variety of reflectors, including lead, has been identified. Twenty-one configurations were evaluated in this study. The fuel element was modelled for KENO V.a and MCNP 4a using various cross section sets. The experiments addressed in this report can be used to validate lead-reflected calculations. Factors influencing calculated k eff which require further study include diameters of styrofoam inserts and homogenization
A cross-validation package driving Netica with python

Science.gov (United States)

Fienen, Michael N.; Plant, Nathaniel G.

2014-01-01

Bayesian networks (BNs) are powerful tools for probabilistically simulating natural systems and emulating process models. Cross validation is a technique to avoid overfitting resulting from overly complex BNs. Overfitting reduces predictive skill. Cross-validation for BNs is known but rarely implemented due partly to a lack of software tools designed to work with available BN packages. CVNetica is open-source, written in Python, and extends the Netica software package to perform cross-validation and read, rebuild, and learn BNs from data. Insights gained from cross-validation and implications on prediction versus description are illustrated with: a data-driven oceanographic application; and a model-emulation application. These examples show that overfitting occurs when BNs become more complex than allowed by supporting data and overfitting incurs computational costs as well as causing a reduction in prediction skill. CVNetica evaluates overfitting using several complexity metrics (we used level of discretization) and its impact on performance metrics (we used skill).
Cross-validation pitfalls when selecting and assessing regression and classification models.

Science.gov (United States)

Krstajic, Damjan; Buturovic, Ljubomir J; Leahy, David E; Thomas, Simon

2014-03-29

We address the problem of selecting and assessing classification and regression models using cross-validation. Current state-of-the-art methods can yield models with high variance, rendering them unsuitable for a number of practical applications including QSAR. In this paper we describe and evaluate best practices which improve reliability and increase confidence in selected models. A key operational component of the proposed methods is cloud computing which enables routine use of previously infeasible approaches. We describe in detail an algorithm for repeated grid-search V-fold cross-validation for parameter tuning in classification and regression, and we define a repeated nested cross-validation algorithm for model assessment. As regards variable selection and parameter tuning we define two algorithms (repeated grid-search cross-validation and double cross-validation), and provide arguments for using the repeated grid-search in the general case. We show results of our algorithms on seven QSAR datasets. The variation of the prediction performance, which is the result of choosing different splits of the dataset in V-fold cross-validation, needs to be taken into account when selecting and assessing classification and regression models. We demonstrate the importance of repeating cross-validation when selecting an optimal model, as well as the importance of repeating nested cross-validation when assessing a prediction error.
From job stress to intention to leave among hospital nurses: A structural equation modelling approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Lo, Wen-Yen; Chien, Li-Yin; Hwang, Fang-Ming; Huang, Nicole; Chiou, Shu-Ti

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to examine the structural relationships linking job stress to leaving intentions through job satisfaction, depressed mood and stress adaptation among hospital nurses. High turnover among nurses is a global concern. Structural relationships linking job stress to leaving intentions have not been thoroughly examined. Two nationwide cross-sectional surveys of full-time hospital staff in 2011 and 2014. The study participants were 26,945 and 19,386 full-time clinical nurses in 2011 and 2014 respectively. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the interrelationships among the study variables based on the hypothesized model. We used cross-validation procedures to ensure the stability and validity of the model in the two samples. There were five main paths from job stress to intention to leave the hospital. In addition to the direct path, job stress directly affected job satisfaction and depressed mood, which in turn affected intention to leave the hospital. Stress adaptation mitigated the effects of job stress on job satisfaction and depressed mood, which led to intention to leave the hospital. Intention to leave the hospital preceded intention to leave the profession. Those variables explained about 55% of the variance in intention to leave the profession in both years. The model fit was good for both samples, suggesting validity of the model. Strategies to decrease turnover intentions among nurses could focus on creating a less stressful work environment, increasing job satisfaction and stress adaptation and decreasing depressed mood. Hospitals should cooperate in this issue to decrease nurse turnover. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Antecedents of hospital nurses' intention to leave the organization: A cross sectional survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Bobbio, Andrea; Manganelli, Anna Maria

2015-07-01

Leadership and perceived organizational support inspire trust in the leader and in the organization. Consequently, these aspects may contribute to a reduction in job burnout among nurses and, in the end, of the intention on their part to leave the hospital. It is crucial to develop models in order to simultaneously test the correlations between these relevant psychosocial variables, so that complexity of the nursing work environment may be better understood. We expected to give support to and to further corroborate results in the literature linking perceived leadership style – and particularly servant leadership – perceived organizational support, trust in the leader and in the organization, job burnout among nurses and their subsequent intention to leave the hospital. Cross-sectional study. Two Italian large size public hospitals. Two samples including both graduates and non-graduates members of the nursing staff. Overall mean age was equal to 42.06 years while the general mean for tenure was 12.99 years. Data were collected in 2012. A regression model with latent variables was tested via structural equation modeling using LISREL. The multi-sample procedure was also applied in order to test invariance of results between the two samples. Servant leadership was positively associated with trust in the leader and perceived organizational support was positively associated with trust in the organization. Trust in the leader and trust in the organization displayed a negative correlation with the emotional exhaustion and cynicism factors of job burnout, and a positive correlation with the professional efficacy factor. Furthermore, trust scores mediated the effects of servant leadership and perceived organizational support on job burnout factors. The cynicism factor was negatively associated with intention to leave the organization and it also mediated the effects of both trust in the leader and servant leadership on intention to leave. On the other hand, trust in the
Validation of cross sections for Monte Carlo simulation of the photoelectric effect

CERN Document Server

Han, Min Cheol; Pia, Maria Grazia; Basaglia, Tullio; Batic, Matej; Hoff, Gabriela; Kim, Chan Hyeong; Saracco, Paolo

2016-01-01

Several total and partial photoionization cross section calculations, based on both theoretical and empirical approaches, are quantitatively evaluated with statistical analyses using a large collection of experimental data retrieved from the literature to identify the state of the art for modeling the photoelectric effect in Monte Carlo particle transport. Some of the examined cross section models are available in general purpose Monte Carlo systems, while others have been implemented and subjected to validation tests for the first time to estimate whether they could improve the accuracy of particle transport codes. The validation process identifies Scofield's 1973 non-relativistic calculations, tabulated in the Evaluated Photon Data Library(EPDL), as the one best reproducing experimental measurements of total cross sections. Specialized total cross section models, some of which derive from more recent calculations, do not provide significant improvements. Scofield's non-relativistic calculations are not surp...
Service Approaches to Young People with Complex Needs Leaving Out-of-Home Care

Science.gov (United States)

Malvaso, Catia; Delfabbro, Paul; Hackett, Louisa; Mills, Hayley

2016-01-01

Although leaving statutory out-of-home care can be a challenging time for many young people, it is recognised that young people who have multiple or complex needs find this transition particularly difficult. This study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by care leavers who have complex needs, as well as to identify some of…
Seizure Onset Detection based on one sEMG channel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Conradsen, Isa; Beniczky, Sandor; Hoppe, Karsten

2011-01-01

with a Butterworth filter with a cut-off frequency of 150 Hz. The number of zero-crossings with a hysteresis of ±50μV is the only feature extracted. The number of counts in a window of 1 second and the number of windows to make a detection is tested with a leave-one-out method. On 6 patients the method performs...
Cross-cultural validation of the Persian version of the Functional Independence Measure for patients with stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Naghdi, Soofia; Ansari, Noureddin Nakhostin; Raji, Parvin; Shamili, Aryan; Amini, Malek; Hasson, Scott

2016-01-01

To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) into the Persian language and to test the reliability and validity of the Persian FIM (PFIM) in patients with stroke. In this cross-sectional study carried out in an outpatient stroke rehabilitation center, 40 patients with stroke (mean age 60 years) were participated. A standard forward-backward translation method and expert panel validation was followed to develop the PFIM. Two experienced occupational therapists (OTs) assessed the patients independently in all items of the PFIM in a single session for inter-rater reliability. One of the OTs reassessed the patients after 1 week for intra-rater reliability. There were no floor or ceiling effects for the PFIM. Excellent inter-rater and intra-rater reliability was noted for the PFIM total score, motor and cognitive subscales (ICC(agreement)0.88-0.98). According to the Bland-Altman agreement analysis, there was no systematic bias between raters and within raters. The internal consistency of the PFIM was with Cronbach's alpha from 0.70 to 0.96. The principal component analysis with varimax rotation indicated a three-factor structure: (1) self-care and mobility; (2) sphincter control and (3) cognitive that jointly accounted for 74.8% of the total variance. Construct validity was supported by a significant Pearson correlation between the PFIM and the Persian Barthel Index (r = 0.95; p Persian patients with stroke. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is an outcome measure for disability based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The FIM was cross-culturally adapted and validated into Persian language. The Persian version of the FIM (PFIM) is reliable and valid for assessing functional status of patients with stroke. The PFIM can be used in Persian speaking countries to assess the limitations in activities of daily living of patients with stroke.
[Practical aspects for minimizing errors in the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of quality of life questionnaires].

Science.gov (United States)

Lauffer, A; Solé, L; Bernstein, S; Lopes, M H; Francisconi, C F

2013-01-01

The development and validation of questionnaires for evaluating quality of life (QoL) has become an important area of research. However, there is a proliferation of non-validated measuring instruments in the health setting that do not contribute to advances in scientific knowledge. To present, through the analysis of available validated questionnaires, a checklist of the practical aspects of how to carry out the cross-cultural adaptation of QoL questionnaires (generic, or disease-specific) so that no step is overlooked in the evaluation process, and thus help prevent the elaboration of insufficient or incomplete validations. We have consulted basic textbooks and Pubmed databases using the following keywords quality of life, questionnaires, and gastroenterology, confined to «validation studies» in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and with no time limit, for the purpose of analyzing the translation and validation of the questionnaires available through the Mapi Institute and PROQOLID websites. A checklist is presented to aid in the planning and carrying out of the cross-cultural adaptation of QoL questionnaires, in conjunction with a glossary of key terms in the area of knowledge. The acronym DSTAC was used, which refers to each of the 5 stages involved in the recommended procedure. In addition, we provide a table of the QoL instruments that have been validated into Spanish. This article provides information on how to adapt QoL questionnaires from a cross-cultural perspective, as well as to minimize common errors. Copyright © 2012 Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología. Published by Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.
Cross-cultural validation of the positivity-scale in five European countries

OpenAIRE

Heikamp, Tobias; Alessandri, Guido; Laguna, Mariola; Petrovic, Vesna; Caprara, Maria Giovanna; Trommsdorff, Gisela

2014-01-01

The aim of the present paper was to test the cross-cultural validity of the Positivity-Scale (P-Scale), a new nquestionnaire designed for the measurement of positivity (i.e., general tendency to evaluate self, life, and future in a positive way). Participants (N = 3544) from Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland, and Serbia answered eight items of the P-Scale and responded to items from other well-validated measures. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the assumed one-factor structure of the P-Sca...
Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Diabetes Empowerment Scale – Short Form

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernanda Figueredo Chaves

Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To translate, cross-culturally adapt and validate the Diabetes Empowerment Scale – Short Form for assessment of psychosocial self-efficacy in diabetes care within the Brazilian cultural context. METHODS Assessment of the instrument’s conceptual equivalence, as well as its translation and cross-cultural adaptation were performed following international standards. The Expert Committee’s assessment of the translated version was conducted through a web questionnaire developed and applied via the web tool e-Surv. The cross-culturally adapted version was used for the pre-test, which was carried out via phone call in a group of eleven health care service users diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The pre-test results were examined by a group of experts, composed by health care consultants, applied linguists and statisticians, aiming at an adequate version of the instrument, which was subsequently used for test and retest in a sample of 100 users diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus via phone call, their answers being recorded by the web tool e-Surv. Internal consistency and reproducibility of analysis were carried out within the statistical programming environment R. RESULTS Face and content validity were attained and the Brazilian Portuguese version, entitled Escala de Autoeficácia em Diabetes – Versão Curta, was established. The scale had acceptable internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.634 (95%CI 0.494– 0.737, while the correlation of the total score in the two periods was considered moderate (0.47. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.50. CONCLUSIONS The translated and cross-culturally adapted version of the instrument to spoken Brazilian Portuguese was considered valid and reliable to be used for assessment within the Brazilian population diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The use of a web tool (e-Surv for recording the Expert Committee responses as well as the responses in the

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of SNOT-20 in Portuguese

Science.gov (United States)

Bezerra, Thiago Freire Pinto; Piccirillo, Jay F.; Fornazieri, Marco Aurélio; Pilan, Renata R. de M.; Abdo, Tatiana Regina Teles; Pinna, Fabio de Rezende; Padua, Francini Grecco de Melo; Voegels, Richard Louis

2011-01-01

Introduction. Chronic rhinosinusitis is a highly prevalent disease, so it is necessary to create valid instruments to assess the quality of life of these patients. The SNOT-20 questionnaire was developed for this purpose as a specific test to evaluate the quality of life related to chronic rhinosinusitis. It was validated in the English language, and it has been used in most studies on this subject. Currently, there is no validated instrument for assessing this disease in Portuguese. Objective. Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of SNOT-20 in Portuguese. Patients and Methods. The SNOT-20 questionnaire underwent a meticulous process of cross-cultural adaptation and was evaluated by assessing its sensitivity, reliability, and validity. Results. The process resulted in an intelligible version of the questionnaire, the SNOT-20p. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91, P cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the SNOT-20 questionnaire into Portuguese. PMID:21799671
Cross-cultural validity of the thyroid-specific quality-of-life patient-reported outcome measure, ThyPRO

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Watt, Torquil; Barbesino, Giuseppe; Bjørner, Jakob

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Thyroid diseases are common and often affect quality of life (QoL). No cross-culturally validated patient-reported outcome measuring thyroid-related QoL is available. The purpose of the present study was to test the cross-cultural validity of the newly developed thyroid......-related patient-reported outcome ThyPRO, using tests for differential item functioning (DIF) according to language version. METHODS: The ThyPRO consists of 85 items summarized in 13 multi-item scales and one single item. Scales cover physical and mental symptoms, well-being and function as well as social...... scale scores, most of which could be explained by sample differences not controlled for. CONCLUSION: The ThyPRO has good cross-cultural validity with only minor cross-cultural invariance and is recommended for use in international multicenter studies....
On a calculation of nucleon knock-out cross sections in a collision of relativistic nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goryachev, B.I.; Lin'kova, N.V.

1985-01-01

It is shown that in the framework of the two-stage model one can obtain knock-out cross sections of the given number of nucleons from the nucleus-target at a certain number of nucleons knocked out from the nucleus-projectile. The first stage is considered as a fast process of nucleon collisions of interacting nuclei which is completed with knock out of one or several nucleons. The second stage-comparatively slow - is related to de-excitation of nuclei-fragments
The validity of vignettes in cross country health studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pozzoli, Dario; Gupta, Nabanita Datta; Kristensen, Nicolai

Cross-country comparisons of subjective assessments may be ham-pered by sub-population speci.c response style. To correct for this, the use of vignettes has become increasingly popular - notably within cross-country health studies. However, the validity of vignettes as a means to re-scale across ...... that the assumption of RC is not innocous and that our extended model improves the fit and significantly changes the cross-country rankings of health vis-á-vis the standard Chopit model.......Cross-country comparisons of subjective assessments may be ham-pered by sub-population speci.c response style. To correct for this, the use of vignettes has become increasingly popular - notably within cross-country health studies. However, the validity of vignettes as a means to re-scale across...
REMINDER Saved Leave Scheme (SLS) : Transfer of leave to saved leave accounts

CERN Multimedia

HR Division

2002-01-01

Under the provisions of the voluntary saved leave scheme (SLS), a maximum total of 10 days'*) annual and compensatory leave (excluding saved leave accumulated in accordance with the provisions of Administrative Circular No. 22B) can be transferred to the saved leave account at the end of the leave year (30 September). We remind you that, since last year, unused leave of all those taking part in the saved leave scheme at the closure of the leave-year accounts is transferred automatically to the saved leave account on that date. Therefore, staff members have no administrative steps to take. In addition, the transfer, which eliminates the risk of omitting to request leave transfers and rules out calculation errors in transfer requests, will be clearly shown in the list of leave transactions that can be consulted in EDH from October 2002 onwards. Furthermore, this automatic leave transfer optimizes staff members' chances of benefiting from a saved leave bonus provided that they are still participants in the schem...
Cross-Validation of Survival Bump Hunting by Recursive Peeling Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Dazard, Jean-Eudes; Choe, Michael; LeBlanc, Michael; Rao, J Sunil

2014-08-01

We introduce a survival/risk bump hunting framework to build a bump hunting model with a possibly censored time-to-event type of response and to validate model estimates. First, we describe the use of adequate survival peeling criteria to build a survival/risk bump hunting model based on recursive peeling methods. Our method called "Patient Recursive Survival Peeling" is a rule-induction method that makes use of specific peeling criteria such as hazard ratio or log-rank statistics. Second, to validate our model estimates and improve survival prediction accuracy, we describe a resampling-based validation technique specifically designed for the joint task of decision rule making by recursive peeling (i.e. decision-box) and survival estimation. This alternative technique, called "combined" cross-validation is done by combining test samples over the cross-validation loops, a design allowing for bump hunting by recursive peeling in a survival setting. We provide empirical results showing the importance of cross-validation and replication.
Validation of seat-off and seat-on in repeated sit-to-stand movements using a single-body-fixed sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Lummel, R C; Ainsworth, E; Hausdorff, J M; Lindemann, U; Beek, P J; Van Dieën, J H

2012-01-01

The identification of chair rise phases is a prerequisite for quantifying sit-to-stand movements. The aim of this study is to validate seat-off and seat-on detection using a single-body-fixed sensor against detection based on chair switches. A single sensor system with three accelerometers and three gyroscopes was fixed around the waist. Synchronized on–off switches were placed under the chair. Thirteen older adults were recruited from a residential care home and fifteen young adults were recruited among college students. Subjects were asked to complete two sets of five trials each. Six features of the trunk movement during seat-off and seat-on were calculated automatically, and a model was developed to predict the moment of seat-off and seat-on transitions. The predictions were validated with leave-one-out cross-validation. Feature extraction failed in two trials (0.7%). For the optimal combination of seat-off predictors, cross-validation yielded a mean error of 0 ms and a mean absolute error of 51 ms. For the best seat-on predictor, cross-validation yielded a mean error of –3 ms and a mean absolute error of 127 ms. The results of this study demonstrate that seat-off and seat-on in repeated sit-to-stand movements can be detected semi-automatically in young and older adults using a one-body-fixed sensor system with an accuracy of 51 and 127 ms, respectively. The use of the ambulatory instrumentation is feasible for non-technically trained personnel. This is an important step in the development of an automated method for the quantification of sit-to-stand movements in clinical practice. (paper)
Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Spanish Version of the Performance Enhancement Attitude Scale (Petróczi, 2002

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaime Morente-Sánchez

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to cross-culturally adapt and validate the Spanish version of the Performance Enhancement Attitude Scale (PEAS. A cross-sectional multi-sample survey with 17 independent datasets was carried out. Cross-cultural adaptation of the PEAS into Spanish was conducted through forward/backward translations, consensus panels and comparative analyses of known-groups to establish evidence for its reliability and validity. Weighted Kappa coefficients with quadratic weighting were used to assess the reliability of each item, with Cronbach’s internal consistency coefficients for overall scale’s reliability and Spearman’s correlation coefficient for test–retest reliability over a one-week period. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA was performed to assess the scale’s structure. Differences between self-admitted doping users and non-users were analysed to verify the PEAS’ construct validity in 8 datasets. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was also used to assess the relationships between the PEAS and self-esteem, self-efficacy and perceived descriptive norm to establish convergent validity. The scale showed satisfactory levels of internal consistency (α = 0.71–0.85, reliability of each item (Kappa values range 0.34-0.64 and temporal stability (r = 0.818; p < 0.001. CFA showed acceptable fit (RMSEA <0.08, mean RMSEA = 0.055; χ2/df < 3, mean χ2/df = 1.89 for all but one samples. As expected, self-admitted doping users showed more positive attitude toward doping than non-users. Significant and strong negative relationship was found between PEAS and self-efficacy; weak negative correlation with self-esteem and and positive correlation with perceived descriptive norm. The Spanish version of PEAS showed satisfactory psychometric properties. Considerations for application and improvement are outlined.
[Cross-sectional study on the determinants of work stress for nurses and intention of leaving the profession].

Science.gov (United States)

Romano, Marina; Festini, Filippo; Bronner, Leonardo

2015-01-01

Occupational stress is one of the main causes of sick leaves among healthcare professionals and it determines high costs to health systems. Monitoring occupational related stress can be an important tool for policy makers. The Italian nursing research gave little attention to nurses' occupational stress. The aims of this study is to estimate the prevalence of occupational stress and evaluate risks factors among Italian nurses in order to evaluate health promotion intervention. Cross-sectional study on a convenience sample of nurses from three Italian public hospitals was carried out. The Nursing Stress Scale was administrated together with socio-demographic data information(age, occupational age, family structure etc). The Nursing Stress Scale includes 34 items with a score from 0 to 3. Seven areas of job related stress are investigate in the scale: conflict with physicians, inadequate training, lack of support, conflict with other nurses, workload, uncertainty about treatments, death and suffering. Scores were calculated for each item and for each area. Associations between stress scores and socio-demographic data were analyzed. 231 nurses participated to the study. The two stress areas with the highest scores were "workload" (1.58) and "death and suffering" (1.39). Among the 13 items that exceed the overall mean stress score (i.e. 1.07), five belong to the "workload" area. "Watching a suffering patient" is the single item with the highest mean score. Demographic data associated to higher stress scores are, female gender (p=0.03) and working with night shifts (p=0.02). Intention to leave the nursing profession is associated to higher stress scores (p=0.002). Age, occupational age, time to commute to work, number of children, having disabled relatives at home, were not correlated to higher stress scores. Our study provides data regarding nurses' occupational stress that was not available before. This data may be useful for policy makers to plan preventive
Validation of tungsten cross sections in the neutron energy region up to 100 keV

Science.gov (United States)

Pigni, Marco T.; Žerovnik, Gašper; Leal, Luiz. C.; Trkov, Andrej

2017-09-01

Following a series of recent cross section evaluations on tungsten isotopes performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), this paper presents the validation work carried out to test the performance of the evaluated cross sections based on lead-slowing-down (LSD) benchmarks conducted in Grenoble. ORNL completed the resonance parameter evaluation of four tungsten isotopes - 182,183,184,186W - in August 2014 and submitted it as an ENDF-compatible file to be part of the next release of the ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data library. The evaluations were performed with support from the US Nuclear Criticality Safety Program in an effort to provide improved tungsten cross section and covariance data for criticality safety sensitivity analyses. The validation analysis based on the LSD benchmarks showed an improved agreement with the experimental response when the ORNL tungsten evaluations were included in the ENDF/B-VII.1 library. Comparison with the results obtained with the JEFF-3.2 nuclear data library are also discussed.
Validation and results of a questionnaire for functional bowel disease in out-patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Skordilis Panagiotis

2002-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim was to evaluate and validate a bowel disease questionnaire in patients attending an out-patient gastroenterology clinic in Greece. Methods This was a prospective study. Diagnosis was based on detailed clinical and laboratory evaluation. The questionnaire was tested on a pilot group of patients. Interviewer-administration technique was used. One-hundred-and-forty consecutive patients attending the out-patient clinic for the first time and fifty healthy controls selected randomly participated in the study. Reliability (kappa statistics and validity of the questionnaire were tested. We used logistic regression models and binary recursive partitioning for assessing distinguishing ability among irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, functional dyspepsia and organic disease patients. Results Mean time for questionnaire completion was 18 min. In test-retest procedure a good agreement was obtained (kappa statistics 0.82. There were 55 patients diagnosed as having IBS, 18 with functional dyspepsia (Rome I criteria, 38 with organic disease. Location of pain was a significant distinguishing factor, patients with functional dyspepsia having no lower abdominal pain (p Conclusions This questionnaire for functional bowel disease is a valid and reliable instrument that can distinguish satisfactorily between organic and functional disease in an out-patient setting.
Seasonal changes and effect of harvest on glucosinolates in Isatis leaves.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohn, Tobias; Suter, Kathrin; Hamburger, Matthias

2008-04-01

The seasonal fluctuation of glucosinolates in five defined Isatis tinctoria and one Isatis indigotica accessions (first year, rosette stage), grown on field plots under identical conditions, was investigated. Analysis of the intact glucosinolates was carried out with shock frozen, freeze dried leaf samples using a recently developed and validated PLE (pressurized liquid extraction) protocol and ion-pair HPLC coupled with ESI-MS in the negative mode. When comparing the two Isatis species, significant qualitative and quantitative differences in the glucosinolate patterns were observed. Differences among the various Isatis tinctoria accessions were much smaller. We studied the effects of repeated harvesting during the growth season on glucosinolate concentrations and found that repeated harvest did not have a major effect on glucosinolate concentrations of newly grown leaves. Glucosinolates could not be detected in woad leaves submitted to conventional drying.
Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Initial Validation of the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale into the Yoruba Language

Science.gov (United States)

Akinpelu, Aderonke O.; Odetunde, Marufat O.; Odole, Adesola C.

2012-01-01

Stroke-Specific Quality of Life 2.0 (SS-QoL 2.0) scale is used widely and has been cross-culturally adapted to many languages. This study aimed at the cross-cultural adaptation of SS-QoL 2.0 to Yoruba, the indigenous language of south-western Nigeria, and to carry out an initial investigation on its validity. English SS-QoL 2.0 was first adapted…
The Cross-Cultural Validity of the MMPI-2-RF Higher-Order Scales in a Sample of North Korean Female Refugees.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Seong-Hyeon; Goodman, Grace M; Toruno, Joseph A; Sherry, Alissa R; Kim, Hee Kyung

2015-10-01

We investigated the cross-cultural factorial validity of the three Higher-Order (H-O) scales in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) among a sample of North Korean female refugees (N = 2,732). Given the importance of the H-O scales in the overall structure of the MMPI-2-RF scales and in interpretation, we were interested in exploring their cross-cultural validity. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on the nine Restructured Clinical (RC) scale raw scores and fitted and compared one- to three-factor models. The three-factor model, akin to the model in Tellegen and Ben-Porath, demonstrated the best fit to the data. Furthermore, the pattern matrices of loadings across the current sample and the U.S. samples were comparable despite some differences, such as the RC2 scale's salient, negative loading on a factor analogous to the Behavioral/Externalizing Dysfunction scale. We also investigated the unique psychological characteristics of the refugees, possibly resulting from the arduous, perilous journeys out of North Korea taken by this group of female refugees and discussed the results of EFA in light of those singular psychological traits and experiences. Overall, the three H-O scales of the Korean MMPI-2-RF evidenced reasonable cross-cultural factorial validity among the sample of North Korean female refugees. © The Author(s) 2014.
Attempted development and cross-validation of predictive models of individual-level and organizational-level turnover of nuclear power operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasa-Sideris, S.J.

1989-01-01

Nuclear power accounts for 209% of the electric power generated in the U.S. by 107 nuclear plants which employ over 8,700 operators. Operator turnover is significant to utilities from the economic point of view since it costs almost three hundred thousand dollars to train and qualify one operator, and because turnover affects plant operability and therefore plant safety. The study purpose was to develop and cross-validate individual-level and organizational-level models of turnover of nuclear power plant operators. Data were obtained by questionnaires and from published data for 1983 and 1984 on a number of individual, organizational, and environmental predictors. Plants had been in operation for two or more years. Questionnaires were returned by 29 out of 50 plants on over 1600 operators. The objectives were to examine the reliability of the turnover criterion, to determine the classification accuracy of the multivariate predictive models and of categories of predictors (individual, organizational, and environmental) and to determine if a homology existed between the individual-level and organizational-level models. The method was to examine the shrinkage that occurred between foldback design (in which the predictive models were reapplied to the data used to develop them) and cross-validation. Results did not support the hypothesis objectives. Turnover data were accurate but not stable between the two years. No significant differences were detected between the low and high turnover groups at the organization or individual level in cross-validation. Lack of stability in the criterion, restriction of range, and small sample size at the organizational level were serious limitations of this study. The results did support the methods. Considerable shrinkage occurred between foldback and cross-validation of the models
Cross-cultural adaptation and reliability and validity of the Dutch Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE-D).

Science.gov (United States)

van Ark, Mathijs; Zwerver, Johannes; Diercks, Ronald L; van den Akker-Scheek, Inge

2014-08-11

Lateral Epicondylalgia (LE) is a common injury for which no reliable and valid measure exists to determine severity in the Dutch language. The Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) is the first questionnaire specifically designed for LE but in English. The aim of this study was to translate into Dutch and cross-culturally adapt the PRTEE and determine reliability and validity of the PRTEE-D (Dutch version). The PRTEE was cross-culturally adapted according to international guidelines. Participants (n = 122) were asked to fill out the PRTEE-D twice with a one week interval to assess test-retest reliability. Internal consistency of the PRTEE-D was determined by calculating Crohnbach's alphas for the questionnaire and subscales. Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) were calculated for the overall PRTEE-D score, pain and function subscale and individual questions to determine test-retest reliability. Additionally, the Disabilities for the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (DASH) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain scores were obtained from 30 patients to assess construct validity; Spearman's correlation coefficients were calculated between the PRTEE-D (subscales) and DASH and VAS-pain scores. The PRTEE was successfully cross-culturally adapted into Dutch (PRTEE-D). Crohnbach's alpha for the first assessment of the PRTEE-D was 0.98; Crohnbach's alpha was 0.93 for the pain subscale and 0.97 for the function subscale. ICC for the PRTEE-D was 0.98; subscales also showed excellent ICC values (pain scale 0.97 and function scale 0.97). A significant moderate correlation exists between PRTEE-D and DASH (0.65) and PRTEE-D and VAS pain (0.68). The PRTEE was successfully cross-culturally adapted and this study showed that the PRTEE-D is reliable and valid to obtain an indication of severity of LE. An easy-to-use instrument for practitioners is now available and this facilitates comparing Dutch and international research data.
Cultural Orientations Framework (COF) Assessment Questionnaire in Cross-Cultural Coaching: A Cross-Validation with Wave Focus Styles

OpenAIRE

Rojon, C; McDowall, A

2010-01-01

This paper outlines a cross-validation of the Cultural Orientations Framework assessment questionnaire\\ud (COF, Rosinski, 2007; a new tool designed for cross-cultural coaching) with the Saville Consulting\\ud Wave Focus Styles questionnaire (Saville Consulting, 2006; an existing validated measure of\\ud occupational personality), using data from UK and German participants (N = 222). The convergent and\\ud divergent validity of the questionnaire was adequate. Contrary to previous findings which u...
Cross Cultural Validation Of Perceived Workfamily Facilitation Scale ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The work family interface contains four unique factors based on studies from western countries. However, some of these studies have questioned the cross cultural adoption of psychological concept, and called for a re-validation prior to adoption. The main purpose of this study is to re-validate the four factor structure that ...
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Hungarian version of the Core Outcome Measures Index for the back (COMI Back).

Science.gov (United States)

Klemencsics, Istvan; Lazary, Aron; Valasek, Tamas; Szoverfi, Zsolt; Bozsodi, Arpad; Eltes, Peter; Fekete, Tamás Fülöp; Varga, Peter Pal

2016-01-01

The Core Outcome Measure Index (COMI) is a short, multidimensional outcome instrument developed for the evaluation of patients with spinal conditions. The aim of this study was to produce a cross-culturally adapted and validated Hungarian version of the COMI Back questionnaire. A cross-cultural adaptation of the COMI into Hungarian was carried out using established guidelines. Low back pain patients completed a booklet of questionnaires containing the Hungarian versions of COMI, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and WHO Quality of Life-BREF assessment (WHOQOL-BREF). The validation of the COMI included assessment of its construct validity, reliability, and responsiveness. 145 patients participated in the assessment of reliability and 159 surgically treated patients were included in the responsiveness study. Excellent correlation was found between COMI and ODI scores (rho = 0.83, p cross-cultural adaptation of the COMI into the Hungarian language was successful, resulting in a reliable and valid measurement tool with good clinimetric properties.
Validity of the independent-processes approximation for resonance structures in electron-ion scattering cross sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badnell, N.R.; Pindzola, M.S.; Griffin, D.C.

1991-01-01

The total inelastic cross section for electron-ion scattering may be found in the independent-processes approximation by adding the resonant cross section to the nonresonant background cross section. We study the validity of this approximation for electron excitation of multiply charged ions. The resonant-excitation cross section is calculated independently using distorted waves for various Li-like and Na-like ions using (N+1)-electron atomic-structure methods previously developed for the calculation of dielectronic-recombination cross sections. To check the effects of interference between the two scattering processes, we also carry out detailed close-coupling calculations for the same atomic ions using the R-matrix method. For low ionization stages, interference effects manifest themselves sometimes as strong window features in the close-coupling cross section, which are not present in the independent-processes cross section. For higher ionization stages, however, the resonance features found in the independent-processes approximation are found to be in good agreement with the close-coupling results

Screening for postdeployment conditions: development and cross-validation of an embedded validity scale in the neurobehavioral symptom inventory.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderploeg, Rodney D; Cooper, Douglas B; Belanger, Heather G; Donnell, Alison J; Kennedy, Jan E; Hopewell, Clifford A; Scott, Steven G

2014-01-01

To develop and cross-validate internal validity scales for the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI). Four existing data sets were used: (1) outpatient clinical traumatic brain injury (TBI)/neurorehabilitation database from a military site (n = 403), (2) National Department of Veterans Affairs TBI evaluation database (n = 48 175), (3) Florida National Guard nonclinical TBI survey database (n = 3098), and (4) a cross-validation outpatient clinical TBI/neurorehabilitation database combined across 2 military medical centers (n = 206). Secondary analysis of existing cohort data to develop (study 1) and cross-validate (study 2) internal validity scales for the NSI. The NSI, Mild Brain Injury Atypical Symptoms, and Personality Assessment Inventory scores. Study 1: Three NSI validity scales were developed, composed of 5 unusual items (Negative Impression Management [NIM5]), 6 low-frequency items (LOW6), and the combination of 10 nonoverlapping items (Validity-10). Cut scores maximizing sensitivity and specificity on these measures were determined, using a Mild Brain Injury Atypical Symptoms score of 8 or more as the criterion for invalidity. Study 2: The same validity scale cut scores again resulted in the highest classification accuracy and optimal balance between sensitivity and specificity in the cross-validation sample, using a Personality Assessment Inventory Negative Impression Management scale with a T score of 75 or higher as the criterion for invalidity. The NSI is widely used in the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs as a symptom-severity assessment following TBI, but is subject to symptom overreporting or exaggeration. This study developed embedded NSI validity scales to facilitate the detection of invalid response styles. The NSI Validity-10 scale appears to hold considerable promise for validity assessment when the NSI is used as a population-screening tool.
Development and validation of a cross-section interface for PARCS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stalek, Mathias; Demaziere, Christophe

2008-01-01

This paper deals with the development of a cross-section interface for PARCS and its validation. The interface is used to feed PARCS with material constants for Light Water Reactors. These material constants are obtained from a CASMO-4 library file and the SIMULATE-3 code is then used to read this library file. This interface allows a dependency of the material constants on exposure and on instantaneous and history variables. Since the functionalization of the cross-sections in CASMO-4/SIMULATE-3 is different from the one in PARCS, the conversion of the material data from the CASMO-4/SIMULATE-3 formalism to the PARCS formalism is not trivial. As a first check of the proper conversion of the data by the interface, the cross-section files created by the interface were read by PARCS. The data were thereafter edited for all possible burnup, instantaneous and history parameters and compared to the original data used to create the files. After this successful verification, a benchmark between PARCS and plant measured data was carried out. For this benchmark a number of measurement sets from the Swedish Ringhals-3 pressurized water reactor were obtained. These data were measured during different cycles and at different core exposures. The spatial distribution of the instantaneous variables, the history variables and the exposure were calculated by SIMULATE-3 and used by PARCS to retrieve the actual three-dimensional distribution of the material data. The deviation of the effective multiplication factor k eff from criticality was found to be within ±200 pcm. Both the measured axial and radial power profiles were adequately reproduced by the PARCS simulations, although some discrepancies with plant data need to be further investigated
Burned Out Or Just Frustrated? Reasons Why Physical Education Teachers Leave Their Profession

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cieśliński Ryszard

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This work focuses on the reasons why physical education (PE teachers leave their profession. The study included 80 individuals who decided to leave a teaching profession in 2013. A diagnostic poll method with the use of the QWL (Quality of Work Life index was employed in the study. It was observed that there are usually a number of reasons why they give up their job, the most important being financial reasons. Their decision is influenced by the accumulation of professional and personal problems as well as their inability to solve them. The findings showed that teachers‘ departure from the profession is generally associated with the issue of burnout; however, financial reasons are most frequently ones that directly affect this decision.
Symmetry Analysis of Gait between Left and Right Limb Using Cross-Fuzzy Entropy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Xia

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is the investigation of gait symmetry problem by using cross-fuzzy entropy (C-FuzzyEn, which is a recently proposed cross entropy that has many merits as compared to the frequently used cross sample entropy (C-SampleEn. First, we used several simulation signals to test its performance regarding the relative consistency and dependence on data length. Second, the gait time series of the left and right stride interval were used to calculate the C-FuzzyEn values for gait symmetry analysis. Besides the statistical analysis, we also realized a support vector machine (SVM classifier to perform the classification of normal and abnormal gaits. The gait dataset consists of 15 patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD and 16 control (CO subjects. The results show that the C-FuzzyEn values of the PD patients’ gait are significantly higher than that of the CO subjects with a p value of less than 10-5, and the best classification performance evaluated by a leave-one-out (LOO cross-validation method is an accuracy of 96.77%. Such encouraging results imply that the C-FuzzyEn-based gait symmetry measure appears as a suitable tool for analyzing abnormal gaits.
Empirical Performance of Cross-Validation With Oracle Methods in a Genomics Context.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez, Josue G; Carroll, Raymond J; Müller, Samuel; Sampson, Joshua N; Chatterjee, Nilanjan

2011-11-01

When employing model selection methods with oracle properties such as the smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) and the Adaptive Lasso, it is typical to estimate the smoothing parameter by m-fold cross-validation, for example, m = 10. In problems where the true regression function is sparse and the signals large, such cross-validation typically works well. However, in regression modeling of genomic studies involving Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP), the true regression functions, while thought to be sparse, do not have large signals. We demonstrate empirically that in such problems, the number of selected variables using SCAD and the Adaptive Lasso, with 10-fold cross-validation, is a random variable that has considerable and surprising variation. Similar remarks apply to non-oracle methods such as the Lasso. Our study strongly questions the suitability of performing only a single run of m-fold cross-validation with any oracle method, and not just the SCAD and Adaptive Lasso.
Online cross-validation-based ensemble learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Benkeser, David; Ju, Cheng; Lendle, Sam; van der Laan, Mark

2018-01-30

Online estimators update a current estimate with a new incoming batch of data without having to revisit past data thereby providing streaming estimates that are scalable to big data. We develop flexible, ensemble-based online estimators of an infinite-dimensional target parameter, such as a regression function, in the setting where data are generated sequentially by a common conditional data distribution given summary measures of the past. This setting encompasses a wide range of time-series models and, as special case, models for independent and identically distributed data. Our estimator considers a large library of candidate online estimators and uses online cross-validation to identify the algorithm with the best performance. We show that by basing estimates on the cross-validation-selected algorithm, we are asymptotically guaranteed to perform as well as the true, unknown best-performing algorithm. We provide extensions of this approach including online estimation of the optimal ensemble of candidate online estimators. We illustrate excellent performance of our methods using simulations and a real data example where we make streaming predictions of infectious disease incidence using data from a large database. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Validity of one-repetition maximum predictive equations in men with spinal cord injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Ribeiro Neto, F; Guanais, P; Dornelas, E; Coutinho, A C B; Costa, R R G

2017-10-01

Cross-sectional study. The study aimed (a) to test the cross-validation of current one-repetition maximum (1RM) predictive equations in men with spinal cord injury (SCI); (b) to compare the current 1RM predictive equations to a newly developed equation based on the 4- to 12-repetition maximum test (4-12RM). SARAH Rehabilitation Hospital Network, Brasilia, Brazil. Forty-five men aged 28.0 years with SCI between C6 and L2 causing complete motor impairment were enrolled in the study. Volunteers were tested, in a random order, in 1RM test or 4-12RM with 2-3 interval days. Multiple regression analysis was used to generate an equation for predicting 1RM. There were no significant differences between 1RM test and the current predictive equations. ICC values were significant and were classified as excellent for all current predictive equations. The predictive equation of Lombardi presented the best Bland-Altman results (0.5 kg and 12.8 kg for mean difference and interval range around the differences, respectively). The two created equation models for 1RM demonstrated the same and a high adjusted R 2 (0.971, Ppredictive equations are accurate to assess individuals with SCI at the bench press exercise. However, the predictive equation of Lombardi presented the best associated cross-validity results. A specific 1RM prediction equation was also elaborated for individuals with SCI. The created equation should be tested in order to verify whether it presents better accuracy than the current ones.
Employee well-being, intention to leave and perceived employability: A psychological contract approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leoni van der Vaart

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Employability emerged as a “new psychological contract” that may have beneficial effects on both individual and organisational outcomes. The study set out to investigate the relationship between perceived employability and employee well-being on the one hand and perceived employability and employees’ intention to leave on the other. The role of the state of the psychological contract, in terms of retaining employable employees while improving their well-being, was also investigated. Cross-sectional data were obtained from employees representing various organisations (N = 246. Contrary to expectations, structural equation modelling (SEM indicated no significant relationship between perceived employability and well-being. Perceived employability was a significant predictor of employees’ intention to leave the organisation. Results also indicated that the state of the psychological contract does not moderate the relationship between perceived employability and employee well-being and their intention to leave, respectively. The study stresses the importance of fulfilling promises made to employees ensuring that promises are fair and continuing to fulfil promises. The importance of interventions on individual-level, to enhance well-being in the workplace, is also emphasised.
Influence of maternity leave on exclusive breastfeeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Monteiro, Fernanda R; Buccini, Gabriela Dos S; Venâncio, Sônia I; da Costa, Teresa H M

To describe the profile of women with children aged under 4 months living in the Brazilian state capitals and in the Federal District according to their working status and to analyze the influence of maternity leave on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among working women. This was a cross-sectional study with data extracted from the II National Maternal Breastfeeding Prevalence Survey carried out in 2008. Initially, a descriptive analysis of the profile of 12,794 women was performed, according to their working status and maternity leave and the frequency of maternity leave in the Brazilian regions and capitals. The study used a multiple model to identify the influence of maternity leave on EBF interruption, including 3766 women who declared they were working and were on maternity leave at the time of the interview. The outcome assessed in the study was the interruption of the EBF, classified by the WHO. Regarding the working status of the mothers, 63.4% did not work outside of their homes and among those who worked, 69.8% were on maternity leave. The largest prevalence among workers was of women older than 35 years of age, with more than 12 years of schooling, primiparous and from the Southeast and South regions. The lack of maternity leave increased by 23% the chance of EBF interruption. Maternity leave contributed to increase the prevalence of EBF in the Brazilian states capitals, supporting the importance of increasing the maternity leave period from four to six months. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.
Influence of maternity leave on exclusive breastfeeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernanda R. Monteiro

Full Text Available Abstract Objectives: To describe the profile of women with children aged under 4 months living in the Brazilian state capitals and in the Federal District according to their working status and to analyze the influence of maternity leave on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF among working women. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with data extracted from the II National Maternal Breastfeeding Prevalence Survey carried out in 2008. Initially, a descriptive analysis of the profile of 12,794 women was performed, according to their working status and maternity leave and the frequency of maternity leave in the Brazilian regions and capitals. The study used a multiple model to identify the influence of maternity leave on EBF interruption, including 3766 women who declared they were working and were on maternity leave at the time of the interview. The outcome assessed in the study was the interruption of the EBF, classified by the WHO. Results: Regarding the working status of the mothers, 63.4% did not work outside of their homes and among those who worked, 69.8% were on maternity leave. The largest prevalence among workers was of women older than 35 years of age, with more than 12 years of schooling, primiparous and from the Southeast and South regions. The lack of maternity leave increased by 23% the chance of EBF interruption. Conclusion: Maternity leave contributed to increase the prevalence of EBF in the Brazilian states capitals, supporting the importance of increasing the maternity leave period from four to six months.
Excellent cross-cultural validity, intra-test reliability and construct validity of the dutch rivermead mobility index in patients after stroke undergoing rehabilitation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roorda, Leo D.; Green, John; De Kluis, Kiki R. A.; Molenaar, Ivo W.; Bagley, Pam; Smith, Jane; Geurts, Alexander C. H.

2008-01-01

Objective: To investigate the cross-cultural validity of international Dutch-English comparisons when using the Dutch Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI), and the intra-test reliability and construct validity of the Dutch RMI. Methods: Cross-cultural validity was studied in a combined data-set of Dutch
Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale for patients seeking esthetic surgery: cross-cultural validation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos, Tatiana Dalpasquale; Brito, Maria José Azevedo de; Piccolo, Mônica Sarto; Rosella, Maria Fernanda Normanha da Silva Martins; Sabino, Miguel; Ferreira, Lydia Masako

2016-01-01

Rhinoplasty is one of the most sought-after esthetic operations among individuals with body dysmorphic disorder. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt and validate the Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale. Cross-cultural validation study conducted in a plastic surgery outpatient clinic of a public university hospital. Between February 2014 and March 2015, 80 consecutive patients of both sexes seeking rhinoplasty were selected. Thirty of them participated in the phase of cultural adaptation of the instrument. Reproducibility was tested on 20 patients and construct validity was assessed on 50 patients, with correlation against the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for Body Dysmorphic Disorder. The Brazilian version of the instrument showed Cronbach's alpha of 0.805 and excellent inter-rater reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC = 0.873; P Dysmorphic Disorder and the Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.981, thus showing good accuracy for discriminating between presence and absence of symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder. Forty-six percent of the patients had body dysmorphic symptoms and 54% had moderate to severe appearance-related obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The Brazilian version of the Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale is a reproducible instrument that presents face, content and construct validity.
Job satisfaction and leaving intentions of midwives: analysis of a multinational cross-sectional survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Jarosova, Darja; Gurkova, Elena; Palese, Alvisa; Godeas, Gloria; Ziakova, Katarina; Song, Mi Sook; Lee, Jongwon; Cordeiro, Raul; Chan, Sally Wai-Chi; Babiarczyk, Beata; Fras, Malgorzata; Nedvedova, Daniela

2016-01-01

To investigate the relationship between turnover intentions and job satisfaction among hospital midwives from seven countries and to determine how the related variables differ between countries. Studies investigating professional turnover and job satisfaction among midwives are limited in scope. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was used to investigate the intended turnover and job satisfaction relationship among 1190 hospital midwives in European and Asian countries. Data were collected using a set of questionnaires that included questions regarding the leaving intentions of midwives and the McCloskey/Mueller satisfaction scale. Midwives were least satisfied with their extrinsic rewards and professional opportunities and with the balance between family and work. Significant differences were found in all domains of job satisfaction according to midwives' intentions to leave their current workplace in hospital or profession of midwife, and to work abroad. There are some general satisfying and dissatisfying elements for the profession of midwife across different countries. The results highlight the importance of understanding midwives' leaving intentions and related factors across different countries. To prevent midwife turnover, health-care managers should gain greater insight into the early stage of midwives' turnover intention. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Improved validation of IDP ensembles by one-bond Cα–Hα scalar couplings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gapsys, Vytautas [Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Computational Biomolecular Dynamics Group (Germany); Narayanan, Raghavendran L.; Xiang, ShengQi [Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Department for NMR-Based Structural Biology (Germany); Groot, Bert L. de [Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Computational Biomolecular Dynamics Group (Germany); Zweckstetter, Markus, E-mail: markus.zweckstetter@dzne.de [Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Department for NMR-Based Structural Biology (Germany)

2015-11-15

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are best described by ensembles of conformations and a variety of approaches have been developed to determine IDP ensembles. Because of the large number of conformations, however, cross-validation of the determined ensembles by independent experimental data is crucial. The {sup 1}J{sub CαHα} coupling constant is particularly suited for cross-validation, because it has a large magnitude and mostly depends on the often less accessible dihedral angle ψ. Here, we reinvestigated the connection between {sup 1}J{sub CαHα} values and protein backbone dihedral angles. We show that accurate amino-acid specific random coil values of the {sup 1}J{sub CαHα} coupling constant, in combination with a reparameterized empirical Karplus-type equation, allow for reliable cross-validation of molecular ensembles of IDPs.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of Spanish version of The Foot and Ankle Ability Measures (FAAM-Sp).

Science.gov (United States)

Cervera-Garvi, Pablo; Ortega-Avila, Ana Belen; Morales-Asencio, Jose Miguel; Cervera-Marin, Jose Antonio; Martin, Rob Roy; Gijon-Nogueron, Gabriel

2017-01-01

The Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) is a Patient Reported Outcome (PRO) commonly used to determine the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions for patients with foot and ankle pathologies and associated impairments of body function and structure, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt the FAAM into Spanish. Cross-cultural adaptation was performed according to the international guidelines of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. Cronbach's alpha, test re-test reliability, and item-total and inter-item correlations were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out to test construct validity. Pearson correlations were calculated to assess the convergent validity between FAAM and EuroQol-5. Spanish data set comprised 194 patients, with a mean age of 38.45 (16.04) and 130 (67.1%) were female, seeing a podiatrist with a wide variety of foot and ankle related disorders. CFA was carried out to test structure matrix (which has three factors). The test-retest reliability was high with global ICC of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93 to 0.98). A 15 items version of the FAAM-Sp Activities of Daily Living (ADL) obtained the best fit: relative chi-square ( x 2 /df) of 2.46, GFI 0.90 CFI 0.95, NFI 0.93, and RMSEA 0.08 (90% CI 0.04 to 0.09). For exploratory factor analysis for the FAAM-Sp Sport, a one factor solution was obtained, which explained 76.70% of total variance. CFA corroborated this model with an excellent goodness of fit:: relative chi-square ( x 2 /df) of 0.80, GFI 0.99 CFI 1.00, NFI 0.99, and RMSEA 0.00 (90% CI 0.00 to 0.75). This study validated a new 15-item FAAM-Sp ADL and FAAM-Sp Sport subscales, which can be used as a self-reported outcome measure in clinical practice and research for patients resident in Spain whose main language is Spanish.
Comparison of L-curve and LOOCV depth profiles from TAARXPS data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paynter, R.W., E-mail: royston_paynter@emt.inrs.ca

2017-01-15

Highlights: • Regularized profiles were extracted from TAARXPS data. • The L-curve and LOO cross-validation were used to choose the regularization parameter. • The two parameter choice methods were compared. - Abstract: Time and angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (TAARXPS) data, obtained from polystyrene samples exposed to an oxygen/helium plasma, have been interpreted using 1st order Tikhonov regularization to smooth the extracted depth profiles. Two methods for the choice of the regularization parameter, namely the L-curve method and leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV), are compared and contrasted.
DIFFERENTIATION OF AURANTII FRUCTUS IMMATURUS AND FRUCTUS PONICIRI TRIFOLIATAE IMMATURUS BY FLOW-INJECTION WITH ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPIC DETECTION AND PROTON NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE USING PARTIAL LEAST-SQUARES DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Mengliang; Zhao, Yang; Harrington, Peter de B; Chen, Pei

2016-03-01

Two simple fingerprinting methods, flow-injection coupled to ultraviolet spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance, were used for discriminating between Aurantii fructus immaturus and Fructus poniciri trifoliatae immaturus . Both methods were combined with partial least-squares discriminant analysis. In the flow-injection method, four data representations were evaluated: total ultraviolet absorbance chromatograms, averaged ultraviolet spectra, absorbance at 193, 205, 225, and 283 nm, and absorbance at 225 and 283 nm. Prediction rates of 100% were achieved for all data representations by partial least-squares discriminant analysis using leave-one-sample-out cross-validation. The prediction rate for the proton nuclear magnetic resonance data by partial least-squares discriminant analysis with leave-one-sample-out cross-validation was also 100%. A new validation set of data was collected by flow-injection with ultraviolet spectroscopic detection two weeks later and predicted by partial least-squares discriminant analysis models constructed by the initial data representations with no parameter changes. The classification rates were 95% with the total ultraviolet absorbance chromatograms datasets and 100% with the other three datasets. Flow-injection with ultraviolet detection and proton nuclear magnetic resonance are simple, high throughput, and low-cost methods for discrimination studies.
Validity of Hansen-Roach cross sections in low-enriched uranium systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Busch, R.D.; O'Dell, R.D.

1991-01-01

Within the nuclear criticality safety community, the Hansen-Roach 16 group cross section set has been the ''standard'' for use in k eff calculations over the past 30 years. Yet even with its widespread acceptance, there are still questions about its validity and adequacy, about the proper procedure for calculating the potential scattering cross section, σ p , for uranium and plutonium, and about the concept of resonance self shielding and its impact on cross sections. This paper attempts to address these questions. It provides a brief background on the Hansen-Roach cross sections. Next is presented a review of resonances in cross sections, self shielding of these resonances, and the use of σ p to characterize resonance self shielding. Three prescriptions for calculating σ p are given. Finally, results of several calculations of k eff on low-enriched uranium systems are provided to confirm the validity of the Hansen-Roach cross sections when applied to such systems
Validity of Hansen-Roach cross sections in low-enriched uranium systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Busch, R.D.; O'Dell, R.D.

1991-01-01

Within the nuclear criticality safety community, the Hansen-Roach 16 group cross section set has been the standard for use in k eff calculations over the past 30 years. Yet even with its widespread acceptance, there are still questions about its validity and adequacy, about the proper procedure for calculating the potential scattering cross section, σ p , for uranium and plutonium, and about the concept of resonance self shielding and its impact on cross sections. This paper attempts to address these questions. It provides a brief background on the Hansen-Roach cross sections. Next is presented a review of resonances in cross sections, self shielding of these resonances, and the use of σ p to characterize resonance self shielding. Three prescriptions for calculating σ p are given. Finally, results of several calculations of k eff on low-enriched uranium systems are provided to confirm the validity of the Hansen-Roach cross sections when applied to such systems. (Author)
Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge) leave flavonoids attenuate atherosclerosis development in apoE knock-out mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Pengzhi; Pan, Lanlan; Zhang, Xiting; Zhang, Wenwen; Wang, Xue; Jiang, Meixiu; Chen, Yuanli; Duan, Yajun; Wu, Honghua; Xu, Yantong; Zhang, Peng; Zhu, Yan

2017-02-23

Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge) leave have been used to treat cardiovascular diseases in China and Europe. Hawthorn leave flavonoids (HLF) are the main part of extraction. Whether hawthorn leave flavonoids could attenuate the development of atherosclerosis and the possible mechanism remain unknown. High-fat diet (HFD) mixed with HLF at concentrations of 5mg/kg and 20mg/kg were administered to apolipoprotein E (apoE) knock out mice. 16 weeks later, mouse serum was collected to determine the lipid profile while the mouse aorta dissected was prepared to measure the lesion area. Hepatic mRNA of genes involved in lipid metabolism were determined. Peritoneal macrophages were collected to study the impact of HLF on cholesterol efflux, formation of foam cell and the expression of ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1). Besides, in vivo reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) was conducted. HLF attenuated the development of atherosclerosis that the mean atherosclerotic lesion area in en face aortas was reduced by 23.1% (Pflavonoids can slow down the development of atherosclerosis in apoE knockout mice via induced expression of genes involved in antioxidant activities, inhibition of the foam cell formation and promotion of RCT in vivo, which implies the potential use in the prevention of atherosclerosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validation of the WIMSD4M cross-section generation code with benchmark results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deen, J.R.; Woodruff, W.L.; Leal, L.E.

1995-01-01

The WIMSD4 code has been adopted for cross-section generation in support of the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor (RERTR) program at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Subsequently, the code has undergone several updates, and significant improvements have been achieved. The capability of generating group-collapsed micro- or macroscopic cross sections from the ENDF/B-V library and the more recent evaluation, ENDF/B-VI, in the ISOTXS format makes the modified version of the WIMSD4 code, WIMSD4M, very attractive, not only for the RERTR program, but also for the reactor physics community. The intent of the present paper is to validate the WIMSD4M cross-section libraries for reactor modeling of fresh water moderated cores. The results of calculations performed with multigroup cross-section data generated with the WIMSD4M code will be compared against experimental results. These results correspond to calculations carried out with thermal reactor benchmarks of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) unreflected HEU critical spheres, the TRX LEU critical experiments, and calculations of a modified Los Alamos HEU D 2 O moderated benchmark critical system. The benchmark calculations were performed with the discrete-ordinates transport code, TWODANT, using WIMSD4M cross-section data. Transport calculations using the XSDRNPM module of the SCALE code system are also included. In addition to transport calculations, diffusion calculations with the DIF3D code were also carried out, since the DIF3D code is used in the RERTR program for reactor analysis and design. For completeness, Monte Carlo results of calculations performed with the VIM and MCNP codes are also presented
Validation of the WIMSD4M cross-section generation code with benchmark results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deen, J.R.; Woodruff, W.L. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States); Leal, L.E. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

1995-01-01

The WIMSD4 code has been adopted for cross-section generation in support of the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor (RERTR) program at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Subsequently, the code has undergone several updates, and significant improvements have been achieved. The capability of generating group-collapsed micro- or macroscopic cross sections from the ENDF/B-V library and the more recent evaluation, ENDF/B-VI, in the ISOTXS format makes the modified version of the WIMSD4 code, WIMSD4M, very attractive, not only for the RERTR program, but also for the reactor physics community. The intent of the present paper is to validate the WIMSD4M cross-section libraries for reactor modeling of fresh water moderated cores. The results of calculations performed with multigroup cross-section data generated with the WIMSD4M code will be compared against experimental results. These results correspond to calculations carried out with thermal reactor benchmarks of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) unreflected HEU critical spheres, the TRX LEU critical experiments, and calculations of a modified Los Alamos HEU D{sub 2}O moderated benchmark critical system. The benchmark calculations were performed with the discrete-ordinates transport code, TWODANT, using WIMSD4M cross-section data. Transport calculations using the XSDRNPM module of the SCALE code system are also included. In addition to transport calculations, diffusion calculations with the DIF3D code were also carried out, since the DIF3D code is used in the RERTR program for reactor analysis and design. For completeness, Monte Carlo results of calculations performed with the VIM and MCNP codes are also presented.
One size fits all electronics for insole-based activity monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Hegde, Nagaraj; Bries, Matthew; Melanson, Edward; Sazonov, Edward

2017-07-01

Footwear based wearable sensors are becoming prominent in many areas of monitoring health and wellness, such as gait and activity monitoring. In our previous research we introduced an insole based wearable system SmartStep, which is completely integrated in a socially acceptable package. From a manufacturing perspective, SmartStep's electronics had to be custom made for each shoe size, greatly complicating the manufacturing process. In this work we explore the possibility of making a universal electronics platform for SmartStep - SmartStep 3.0, which can be used in the most common insole sizes without modifications. A pilot human subject experiments were run to compare the accuracy between the one-size fits all (SmartStep 3.0) and custom size SmartStep 2.0. A total of ~10 hours of data was collected in the pilot study involving three participants performing different activities of daily living while wearing SmartStep 2.0 and SmartStep 3.0. Leave one out cross validation resulted in a 98.5% average accuracy from SmartStep 2.0, while SmartStep 3.0 resulted in 98.3% accuracy, suggesting that the SmartStep 3.0 can be as accurate as SmartStep 2.0, while fitting most common shoe sizes.
External validation of the use of vignettes in cross-country health studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Datta Gupta, Nabanita; Kristensen, Nicolai; Pozzoli, Dario

2010-01-01

Cross-country comparisons of subjective assessments are rendered difficult if not impossible because of sub-population specific response style. To correct for this, the use of vignettes has become increasingly popular, notably within cross-country health studies. However, the validity of vignette...... and vignettes. Our results indicate that the assumption of RC is not innocuous and that our extended model relaxing this assumption improves the fit and significantly changes the cross-country rankings of health vis-a-vis the standard Chopit model.......Cross-country comparisons of subjective assessments are rendered difficult if not impossible because of sub-population specific response style. To correct for this, the use of vignettes has become increasingly popular, notably within cross-country health studies. However, the validity of vignettes...
External Validation of the Use of Vignettes in Cross-Country Health Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Datta Gupta, Nabanita; Kristensen, Nicolai; Pozzoli, Dario

Cross-country comparisons of subjective assessments are rendered difficult if not impossible because of sub-population specific response style. To correct for this, the use of vignettes has become increasingly popular, notably within cross-country health studies. However, the validity of vignette...... and vignettes. Our results indicate that the assumption of RC is not innocuous and that our extended model relaxing this assumption improves the fit and significantly changes the cross-country rankings of health vis-à-vis the standard Chopit model.......Cross-country comparisons of subjective assessments are rendered difficult if not impossible because of sub-population specific response style. To correct for this, the use of vignettes has become increasingly popular, notably within cross-country health studies. However, the validity of vignettes...
External validation of the use of vignettes in cross-country health studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gupta, Nabanita Datta; Kristensen, Nicolai; Pozzoli, Dario

Cross-country comparisons of subjective assessments are rendered difficult if not impossible because of sub-population specific response style. To correct for this, the use of vignettes has become increasingly popular, notably within cross-country health studies. However, the validity of vignette...... and vignettes. Our results indicate that the assumption of RC is not innocous and that our extended model relaxing this assumption improves the fit and significantly changes the cross-country rankings of health vis-\\'{a}-vis the standard Chopit model.......Cross-country comparisons of subjective assessments are rendered difficult if not impossible because of sub-population specific response style. To correct for this, the use of vignettes has become increasingly popular, notably within cross-country health studies. However, the validity of vignettes...
Benchmarking protein classification algorithms via supervised cross-validation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kertész-Farkas, A.; Dhir, S.; Sonego, P.; Pacurar, M.; Netoteia, S.; Nijveen, H.; Kuzniar, A.; Leunissen, J.A.M.; Kocsor, A.; Pongor, S.

2008-01-01

Development and testing of protein classification algorithms are hampered by the fact that the protein universe is characterized by groups vastly different in the number of members, in average protein size, similarity within group, etc. Datasets based on traditional cross-validation (k-fold,
Cross-Validation of Aerobic Capacity Prediction Models in Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, Ryan Donald; Hannon, James C; Brusseau, Timothy A; Eisenman, Patricia A; Saint-Maurice, Pedro F; Welk, Greg J; Mahar, Matthew T

2015-08-01

Cardiorespiratory endurance is a component of health-related fitness. FITNESSGRAM recommends the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) or One mile Run/Walk (1MRW) to assess cardiorespiratory endurance by estimating VO2 Peak. No research has cross-validated prediction models from both PACER and 1MRW, including the New PACER Model and PACER-Mile Equivalent (PACER-MEQ) using current standards. The purpose of this study was to cross-validate prediction models from PACER and 1MRW against measured VO2 Peak in adolescents. Cardiorespiratory endurance data were collected on 90 adolescents aged 13-16 years (Mean = 14.7 ± 1.3 years; 32 girls, 52 boys) who completed the PACER and 1MRW in addition to a laboratory maximal treadmill test to measure VO2 Peak. Multiple correlations among various models with measured VO2 Peak were considered moderately strong (R = .74-0.78), and prediction error (RMSE) ranged from 5.95 ml·kg⁻¹,min⁻¹ to 8.27 ml·kg⁻¹.min⁻¹. Criterion-referenced agreement into FITNESSGRAM's Healthy Fitness Zones was considered fair-to-good among models (Kappa = 0.31-0.62; Agreement = 75.5-89.9%; F = 0.08-0.65). In conclusion, prediction models demonstrated moderately strong linear relationships with measured VO2 Peak, fair prediction error, and fair-to-good criterion referenced agreement with measured VO2 Peak into FITNESSGRAM's Healthy Fitness Zones.
Test-retest reliability and cross validation of the functioning everyday with a wheelchair instrument.

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Mills, Tamara L; Holm, Margo B; Schmeler, Mark

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to establish the test-retest reliability and content validity of an outcomes tool designed to measure the effectiveness of seating-mobility interventions on the functional performance of individuals who use wheelchairs or scooters as their primary seating-mobility device. The instrument, Functioning Everyday With a Wheelchair (FEW), is a questionnaire designed to measure perceived user function related to wheelchair/scooter use. Using consumer-generated items, FEW Beta Version 1.0 was developed and test-retest reliability was established. Cross-validation of FEW Beta Version 1.0 was then carried out with five samples of seating-mobility users to establish content validity. Based on the content validity study, FEW Version 2.0 was developed and administered to seating-mobility consumers to examine its test-retest reliability. FEW Beta Version 1.0 yielded an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) Model (3,k) of .92, p content validity results revealed that FEW Beta Version 1.0 captured 55% of seating-mobility goals reported by consumers across five samples. FEW Version 2.0 yielded ICC(3,k) = .86, p content validity of FEW Version 2.0 was confirmed. FEW Beta Version 1.0 and FEW Version 2.0 were highly stable in their measurement of participants' seating-mobility goals over a 1-week interval.
Quality of Work Life, Nurses' Intention to Leave the Profession, and Nurses Leaving the Profession: A One-Year Prospective Survey.

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Lee, Ya-Wen; Dai, Yu-Tzu; Chang, Mei Yeh; Chang, Yue-Cune; Yao, Kaiping Grace; Liu, Mei-Chun

2017-07-01

To examine the associations among quality of work life, nurses' intention to leave the profession, and nurses leaving the profession. A prospective study design was used. Participants were 1,283 hospital nurses with a purposive sampling in Taiwan. The self-reported questionnaire consisted of three questionnaires: the Chinese version of the Quality of Nursing Work Life scale, an intention-to-leave profession questionnaire, and a demographic questionnaire. Records of nurses leaving the profession were surveyed 1 year later. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. As many as 720 nurses (56.1%) had tendencies to leave their profession. However, only 31 nurses (2.5%) left their profession 1 year later. Nurses' intention to leave the profession mediated the relationship between the milieu of respect and autonomy, quality of work life, and nurses leaving the profession. The milieu of respect and autonomy describing the quality of work life predicts the nurses' intention to leave the profession, and together these predict nurses leaving the profession. This study illustrates that nurse managers could provide effective interventions to ameliorate the milieu of respect and autonomy aspect of quality of work life to prevent nurses from leaving their profession. © 2017 Sigma Theta Tau International.
Cross-cultural validity of the ABILOCO questionnaire for individuals with stroke, based on Rasch analysis.

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Avelino, Patrick Roberto; Magalhães, Lívia Castro; Faria-Fortini, Iza; Basílio, Marluce Lopes; Menezes, Kênia Kiefer Parreiras; Teixeira-Salmela, Luci Fuscaldi

2018-06-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cross-cultural validity of the Brazilian version of the ABILOCO questionnaire for stroke subjects. Cross-cultural adaptation of the original English version of the ABILOCO to the Brazilian-Portuguese language followed standardized procedures. The adapted version was administered to 136 stroke subjects and its measurement properties were assessed using Rash analysis. Cross-cultural validity was based on cultural invariance analyses. Goodness-of-fit analysis revealed one misfitting item. The principal component analysis of the residuals showed that the first dimension explained 45% of the variance in locomotion ability; however, the eigenvalue was 1.92. The ABILOCO-Brazil divided the sample into two levels of ability and the items into about seven levels of difficulty. The item-person map showed some ceiling effect. Cultural invariance analyses revealed that although there were differences in the item calibrations between the ABILOCO-original and ABILOCO-Brazil, they did not impact the measures of locomotion ability. The ABILOCO-Brazil demonstrated satisfactory measurement properties to be used within both clinical and research contexts in Brazil, as well cross-cultural validity to be used in international/multicentric studies. However, the presence of ceiling effect suggests that it may not be appropriate for the assessment of individuals with high levels of locomotion ability. Implications for rehabilitation Self-report measures of locomotion ability are clinically important, since they describe the abilities of the individuals within real life contexts. The ABILOCO questionnaire, specific for stroke survivors, demonstrated satisfactory measurement properties, but may not be most appropriate to assess individuals with high levels of locomotion ability The results of the cross-cultural validity showed that the ABILOCO-Original and the ABILOCO-Brazil calibrations may be used interchangeable.
Dose-response relation between physical activity and sick leave

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Proper, K.I.; Heuvel, S.G. van den; Vroome, E.M. de; Hildebrandt, V.H.; Beek, A.J. van der

2006-01-01

Objective: To investigate the dose-response relation between moderate and vigorous physical activity and sick leave in a working population. Methods: Data were used from three large Dutch databases: two continuous, cross sectional surveys among a representative sample of the Dutch population and one
Sick Leave and Factors Influencing Sick Leave in Adult Patients with Atopic Dermatitis : A Cross-Sectional Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Os-Medendorp, Harmieke; Appelman-Noordermeer, Simone; Bruijnzeel-Koomen, Carla A.F.M.; de Bruin-Weller, MS

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the prevalence of sick leave due to atopic dermatitis (AD). The current literature on factors influencing sick leave is mostly derived from other chronic inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sick leave due to AD and to identify
Development and testing of a cross-culturally valid instrument: food-related life style

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brunsø, Karen; Grunert, Klaus G.

1995-01-01

-culturaly valid way. To this end we have developed a pool of 202 items, collected data in three countries, and have constructed scales based on cross-culturally stable factor patterns. We have then applie set of scales to a fourth country, in order to further test the cross-cultural validity of the instrument....
Psychosocial impact of Parkinson's disease-associated dysarthria: Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Dysarthria Impact Profile into European Portuguese.

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Cardoso, Rita; Guimarães, Isabel; Santos, Helena; Loureiro, Rita; Domingos, Josefa; Abreu, Daisy; Gonçalves, Nilza; Pinto, Serge; Ferreira, Joaquim J

2018-01-26

The present study sought to make a cross-cultural adaptation of the Dysarthria Impact Profile (DIP) for European Portuguese (EP) and validate it for use in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. The cross-cultural adaptation was carried out in accordance with the guidelines. The EP version of the DIP was administered to 80 people with PD, and 30 sex- and age-matched control participants. Psychometric properties, acceptability, feasibility reliability (internal consistency and intrarater agreement) and validity (construct, convergent and known-groups validity) were assessed using other assessment tools (motor disability and impairment, and voice impact). Overall, the EP-DIP final version has the same conceptual meaning, semantics, idiomatic and score equivalences as the original version. Statistical analyses showed adequate feasibility (missing data psychosocial impact of slight-to-mild dysarthria in people with PD. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; ••: ••-••. © 2018 Japan Geriatrics Society.
Child-OIDP index in Brazil: Cross-cultural adaptation and validation

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Tsakos Georgios

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL measures are being increasingly used to introduce dimensions excluded by normative measures. Consequently, there is a need for an index which evaluates children's OHRQoL validated for Brazilian population, useful for oral health needs assessments and for the evaluation of oral health programs, services and technologies. The aim of this study was to do a cross-cultural adaptation of the Child Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (Child-OIDP index, and assess its reliability and validity for application among Brazilian children between the ages of eleven and fourteen. Methods For cross-cultural adaptation, a translation/back-translation method integrated with expert panel reviews was applied. A total of 342 students from four public schools took part of the study. Results Overall, 80.7% of the sample reported at least one oral impact in the last three months. Cronbach's alpha was 0.63, the weighted kappa 0.76, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 0.79. The index had a significant association with self-reported health measurements (self-rated oral health, satisfaction with oral health, perceived dental treatment needs, self-rated general health; all p Conclusion It was concluded that the Child-OIDP index is a measure of oral health-related quality of life that can be applied to Brazilian children.
Cognitive—Motor Interference in an Ecologically Valid Street Crossing Scenario

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Christin Janouch

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Laboratory-based research revealed that gait involves higher cognitive processes, leading to performance impairments when executed with a concurrent loading task. Deficits are especially pronounced in older adults. Theoretical approaches like the multiple resource model highlight the role of task similarity and associated attention distribution problems. It has been shown that in cases where these distribution problems are perceived relevant to participant's risk of falls, older adults prioritize gait and posture over the concurrent loading task. Here we investigate whether findings on task similarity and task prioritization can be transferred to an ecologically valid scenario. Sixty-three younger adults (20–30 years of age and 61 older adults (65–75 years of age participated in a virtual street crossing simulation. The participants' task was to identify suitable gaps that would allow them to cross a simulated two way street safely. Therefore, participants walked on a manual treadmill that transferred their forward motion to forward displacements in a virtual city. The task was presented as a single task (crossing only and as a multitask. In the multitask condition participants were asked, among others, to type in three digit numbers that were presented either visually or auditorily. We found that for both age groups, street crossing as well as typing performance suffered under multitasking conditions. Impairments were especially pronounced for older adults (e.g., longer crossing initiation phase, more missed opportunities. However, younger and older adults did not differ in the speed and success rate of crossing. Further, deficits were stronger in the visual compared to the auditory task modality for most parameters. Our findings conform to earlier studies that found an age-related decline in multitasking performance in less realistic scenarios. However, task similarity effects were inconsistent and question the validity of the multiple
Cross Validation Through Two-Dimensional Solution Surface for Cost-Sensitive SVM.

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Gu, Bin; Sheng, Victor S; Tay, Keng Yeow; Romano, Walter; Li, Shuo

2017-06-01

Model selection plays an important role in cost-sensitive SVM (CS-SVM). It has been proven that the global minimum cross validation (CV) error can be efficiently computed based on the solution path for one parameter learning problems. However, it is a challenge to obtain the global minimum CV error for CS-SVM based on one-dimensional solution path and traditional grid search, because CS-SVM is with two regularization parameters. In this paper, we propose a solution and error surfaces based CV approach (CV-SES). More specifically, we first compute a two-dimensional solution surface for CS-SVM based on a bi-parameter space partition algorithm, which can fit solutions of CS-SVM for all values of both regularization parameters. Then, we compute a two-dimensional validation error surface for each CV fold, which can fit validation errors of CS-SVM for all values of both regularization parameters. Finally, we obtain the CV error surface by superposing K validation error surfaces, which can find the global minimum CV error of CS-SVM. Experiments are conducted on seven datasets for cost sensitive learning and on four datasets for imbalanced learning. Experimental results not only show that our proposed CV-SES has a better generalization ability than CS-SVM with various hybrids between grid search and solution path methods, and than recent proposed cost-sensitive hinge loss SVM with three-dimensional grid search, but also show that CV-SES uses less running time.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the VISA-A questionnaire for German-speaking achilles tendinopathy patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Lohrer, Heinz; Nauck, Tanja

2009-10-30

Achilles tendinopathy is the predominant overuse injury in runners. To further investigate this overload injury in transverse and longitudinal studies a valid, responsive and reliable outcome measure is demanded. Most questionnaires have been developed for English-speaking populations. This is also true for the VISA-A score, so far representing the only valid, reliable, and disease specific questionnaire for Achilles tendinopathy. To internationally compare research results, to perform multinational studies or to exclude bias originating from subpopulations speaking different languages within one country an equivalent instrument is demanded in different languages. The aim of this study was therefore to cross-cultural adapt and validate the VISA-A questionnaire for German-speaking Achilles tendinopathy patients. According to the "guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures" the VISA-A score was cross-culturally adapted into German (VISA-A-G) using six steps: Translation, synthesis, back translation, expert committee review, pretesting (n = 77), and appraisal of the adaptation process by an advisory committee determining the adequacy of the cross-cultural adaptation. The resulting VISA-A-G was then subjected to an analysis of reliability, validity, and internal consistency in 30 Achilles tendinopathy patients and 79 asymptomatic people. Concurrent validity was tested against a generic tendon grading system (Percy and Conochie) and against a classification system for the effect of pain on athletic performance (Curwin and Stanish). The "advisory committee" determined the VISA-A-G questionnaire as been translated "acceptable". The VISA-A-G questionnaire showed moderate to excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.60 to 0.97). Concurrent validity showed good coherence when correlated with the grading system of Curwin and Stanish (rho = -0.95) and for the Percy and Conochie grade of severity (rho 0.95). Internal consistency (Cronbach
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the VISA-A questionnaire for German-speaking Achilles tendinopathy patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nauck Tanja

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Achilles tendinopathy is the predominant overuse injury in runners. To further investigate this overload injury in transverse and longitudinal studies a valid, responsive and reliable outcome measure is demanded. Most questionnaires have been developed for English-speaking populations. This is also true for the VISA-A score, so far representing the only valid, reliable, and disease specific questionnaire for Achilles tendinopathy. To internationally compare research results, to perform multinational studies or to exclude bias originating from subpopulations speaking different languages within one country an equivalent instrument is demanded in different languages. The aim of this study was therefore to cross-cultural adapt and validate the VISA-A questionnaire for German-speaking Achilles tendinopathy patients. Methods According to the "guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures" the VISA-A score was cross-culturally adapted into German (VISA-A-G using six steps: Translation, synthesis, back translation, expert committee review, pretesting (n = 77, and appraisal of the adaptation process by an advisory committee determining the adequacy of the cross-cultural adaptation. The resulting VISA-A-G was then subjected to an analysis of reliability, validity, and internal consistency in 30 Achilles tendinopathy patients and 79 asymptomatic people. Concurrent validity was tested against a generic tendon grading system (Percy and Conochie and against a classification system for the effect of pain on athletic performance (Curwin and Stanish. Results The "advisory committee" determined the VISA-A-G questionnaire as been translated "acceptable". The VISA-A-G questionnaire showed moderate to excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.60 to 0.97. Concurrent validity showed good coherence when correlated with the grading system of Curwin and Stanish (rho = -0.95 and for the Percy and Conochie grade of

On the use of the observation-wise k-fold operation in PCA cross-validation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Saccenti, E.; Camacho, J.

2015-01-01

Cross-validation (CV) is a common approach for determining the optimal number of components in a principal component analysis model. To guarantee the independence between model testing and calibration, the observationwise k-fold operation is commonly implemented in each cross-validation step. This
Comparative morphology on leaves of Daphniphyllum (Daphniphyllaceae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tang, M.-S.; Yang, Y.-P.; Sheue, C.-R.

2009-01-01

A comparative anatomical study on the leaves of nine out of 29 species of the genus Daphniphyllum was performed to seek support for the present infrageneric classification. Daphniphyllum is composed of two sections, Lunata (with one subsection Lunata) and Daphniphyllum (with two subsections,
Adaptation and obtainment of evidence for the validity of the “Scale of Perceived Sacrifices Associated with Leaving (the organization” in the Brazilian context: a study among teachers of basic, technical, and technological education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata Gomes de Jesus

Full Text Available Abstract The most widely-used model in studies of organizational commitment is the three-dimensional model developed by Meyer and Allen in 1991. This model understands the construct as being composed of instrumental, affective, and normative dimensions. However, it has been criticized by researchers who do not view instrumental commitment as related to the concept of commitment, but instead as a possible organizational link. In order to address the conceptual and empirical problems of the instrument, Powell and Meyer perfected the sub-scale of instrumental commitment and recommended that a new scale, named Perceived Sacrifices Associated with Leaving, be used in future research. This article aims to adapt and obtain evidence of the validity of the new scale, and analyze how teachers perceive the sacrifices associated with leaving a Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology. The scale has undergone cross-cultural adaptation and the adapted version was applied to teachers. Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were applied, displaying evidence of the validity of the construct for the Brazilian version. The results revealed that teachers agree on the high intensity level of the sacrifices associated with leaving, and that teachers who occupy management positions perceive it to a higher degree than others. The proposed changes in the scale should be evaluated in future research, and other studies are important to confirm the results found.
Cross-validation of an employee safety climate model in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bahari, Siti Fatimah; Clarke, Sharon

2013-06-01

Whilst substantial research has investigated the nature of safety climate, and its importance as a leading indicator of organisational safety, much of this research has been conducted with Western industrial samples. The current study focuses on the cross-validation of a safety climate model in the non-Western industrial context of Malaysian manufacturing. The first-order factorial validity of Cheyne et al.'s (1998) [Cheyne, A., Cox, S., Oliver, A., Tomas, J.M., 1998. Modelling safety climate in the prediction of levels of safety activity. Work and Stress, 12(3), 255-271] model was tested, using confirmatory factor analysis, in a Malaysian sample. Results showed that the model fit indices were below accepted levels, indicating that the original Cheyne et al. (1998) safety climate model was not supported. An alternative three-factor model was developed using exploratory factor analysis. Although these findings are not consistent with previously reported cross-validation studies, we argue that previous studies have focused on validation across Western samples, and that the current study demonstrates the need to take account of cultural factors in the development of safety climate models intended for use in non-Western contexts. The results have important implications for the transferability of existing safety climate models across cultures (for example, in global organisations) and highlight the need for future research to examine cross-cultural issues in relation to safety climate. Copyright © 2013 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Medical leave granted to psychiatric inpatients--a one-year retrospective review.

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Koh, K G; Ang, A W

2000-09-01

Of the 676 patients warded in 1998 at the National University Hospital (NUH) Department of Psychological Medicine, over a third (n = 268) required certification of absence from work. Duration of inpatient stay and immediate post-discharge medical leave were examined for this group. These durations were correlated against the patients' diagnoses and their demographic variables. The mental health morbidity of teachers was specifically studied. In this retrospective study, we used medical certificate counterfoils to determine the lengths of admission and post-discharge medical leave duration. ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests of the SPSS computer package were used for statistical analysis. The sex and marital status of these patients did not affect either duration significantly. However, those 45 years and older were granted longer outpatient medical leave. Patients diagnosed with mood and psychotic disorders required longer inpatient stay and were granted longer outpatient medical leave, as compared with other diagnostic groups. It was found that the teachers admitted were largely 45 years and older, had a diagnosis of depression and required extended periods of outpatient medical leave compared to other occupational groups. The mean number of days of inpatient stay and outpatient medical leave may serve as a helpful guideline of current practice. As introduced in this paper, the use of medical certificate counterfoils is a simple yet effective way of measuring days off-work. With the inclusion of those psychiatric patients not working and the medical leave granted long after discharge, calculations of the economic costs of specific mental disorders to Singapore can then be attempted.
The cross-cultural validity of posttraumatic stress disorder: implications for DSM-5.

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Hinton, Devon E; Lewis-Fernández, Roberto

2011-09-01

There is considerable debate about the cross-cultural applicability of the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) category as currently specified. Concerns include the possible status of PTSD as a Western culture-bound disorder and the validity of individual items and criteria thresholds. This review examines various types of cross-cultural validity of the PTSD criteria as defined in DSM-IV-TR, and presents options and preliminary recommendations to be considered for DSM-5. Searches were conducted of the mental health literature, particularly since 1994, regarding cultural-, race-, or ethnicity-related factors that might limit the universal applicability of the diagnostic criteria of PTSD in DSM-IV-TR and the possible criteria for DSM-5. Substantial evidence of the cross-cultural validity of PTSD was found. However, evidence of cross-cultural variability in certain areas suggests the need for further research: the relative salience of avoidance/numbing symptoms, the role of the interpretation of trauma-caused symptoms in shaping symptomatology, and the prevalence of somatic symptoms. This review also indicates the need to modify certain criteria, such as the items on distressing dreams and on foreshortened future, to increase their cross-cultural applicability. Text additions are suggested to increase the applicability of the manual across cultural contexts: specifying that cultural syndromes-such as those indicated in the DSM-IV-TR Glossary-may be a prominent part of the trauma response in certain cultures, and that those syndromes may influence PTSD symptom salience and comorbidity. The DSM-IV-TR PTSD category demonstrates various types of validity. Criteria modification and textual clarifications are suggested to further improve its cross-cultural applicability. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Development and validation of a prognostic model using blood biomarker information for prediction of survival of non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with combined chemotherapy and radiation or radiotherapy alone (NCT00181519, NCT00573040, and NCT00572325).

Science.gov (United States)

Dehing-Oberije, Cary; Aerts, Hugo; Yu, Shipeng; De Ruysscher, Dirk; Menheere, Paul; Hilvo, Mika; van der Weide, Hiska; Rao, Bharat; Lambin, Philippe

2011-10-01

Currently, prediction of survival for non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with (chemo)radiotherapy is mainly based on clinical factors. The hypothesis of this prospective study was that blood biomarkers related to hypoxia, inflammation, and tumor load would have an added prognostic value for predicting survival. Clinical data and blood samples were collected prospectively (NCT00181519, NCT00573040, and NCT00572325) from 106 inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer patients (Stages I-IIIB), treated with curative intent with radiotherapy alone or combined with chemotherapy. Blood biomarkers, including lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein, osteopontin, carbonic anhydrase IX, interleukin (IL) 6, IL-8, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and cytokeratin fragment 21-1, were measured. A multivariate model, built on a large patient population (N = 322) and externally validated, was used as a baseline model. An extended model was created by selecting additional biomarkers. The model's performance was expressed as the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic and assessed by use of leave-one-out cross validation as well as a validation cohort (n = 52). The baseline model consisted of gender, World Health Organization performance status, forced expiratory volume, number of positive lymph node stations, and gross tumor volume and yielded an AUC of 0.72. The extended model included two additional blood biomarkers (CEA and IL-6) and resulted in a leave-one-out AUC of 0.81. The performance of the extended model was significantly better than the clinical model (p = 0.004). The AUC on the validation cohort was 0.66 and 0.76, respectively. The performance of the prognostic model for survival improved markedly by adding two blood biomarkers: CEA and IL-6. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of Persian Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score.

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Ansari, Noureddin Nakhostin; Naghdi, Soofia; Hasanvand, Sahar; Fakhari, Zahra; Kordi, Ramin; Nilsson-Helander, Katarina

2016-04-01

To cross-culturally adapt the Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS) to Persian language and to preliminary evaluate the reliability and validity of a Persian ATRS. A cross-sectional and prospective cohort study was conducted to translate and cross-culturally adapt the ATRS to Persian language (ATRS-Persian) following steps described in guidelines. Thirty patients with total Achilles tendon rupture and 30 healthy subjects participated in this study. Psychometric properties of floor/ceiling effects (responsiveness), internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, standard error of measurement (SEM), smallest detectable change (SDC), construct validity, and discriminant validity were tested. Factor analysis was performed to determine the ATRS-Persian structure. There were no floor or ceiling effects that indicate the content and responsiveness of ATRS-Persian. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's α 0.95). Item-total correlations exceeded acceptable standard of 0.3 for the all items (0.58-0.95). The test-retest reliability was excellent [(ICC)agreement 0.98]. SEM and SDC were 3.57 and 9.9, respectively. Construct validity was supported by a significant correlation between the ATRS-Persian total score and the Persian Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (PFAOS) total score and PFAOS subscales (r = 0.55-0.83). The ATRS-Persian significantly discriminated between patients and healthy subjects. Explanatory factor analysis revealed 1 component. The ATRS was cross-culturally adapted to Persian and demonstrated to be a reliable and valid instrument to measure functional outcomes in Persian patients with Achilles tendon rupture. II.
Cross-validated detection of crack initiation in aerospace materials

Science.gov (United States)

Vanniamparambil, Prashanth A.; Cuadra, Jefferson; Guclu, Utku; Bartoli, Ivan; Kontsos, Antonios

2014-03-01

A cross-validated nondestructive evaluation approach was employed to in situ detect the onset of damage in an Aluminum alloy compact tension specimen. The approach consisted of the coordinated use primarily the acoustic emission, combined with the infrared thermography and digital image correlation methods. Both tensile loads were applied and the specimen was continuously monitored using the nondestructive approach. Crack initiation was witnessed visually and was confirmed by the characteristic load drop accompanying the ductile fracture process. The full field deformation map provided by the nondestructive approach validated the formation of a pronounced plasticity zone near the crack tip. At the time of crack initiation, a burst in the temperature field ahead of the crack tip as well as a sudden increase of the acoustic recordings were observed. Although such experiments have been attempted and reported before in the literature, the presented approach provides for the first time a cross-validated nondestructive dataset that can be used for quantitative analyses of the crack initiation information content. It further allows future development of automated procedures for real-time identification of damage precursors including the rarely explored crack incubation stage in fatigue conditions.
Cross-cultural validity of the thyroid-specific quality-of-life patient-reported outcome measure, ThyPRO.

Science.gov (United States)

Watt, Torquil; Barbesino, Giuseppe; Bjorner, Jakob Bue; Bonnema, Steen Joop; Bukvic, Branka; Drummond, Russell; Groenvold, Mogens; Hegedüs, Laszlo; Kantzer, Valeska; Lasch, Kathryn E; Marcocci, Claudio; Mishra, Anjali; Netea-Maier, Romana; Ekker, Merel; Paunovic, Ivan; Quinn, Terence J; Rasmussen, Åse Krogh; Russell, Audrey; Sabaretnam, Mayilvaganan; Smit, Johannes; Törring, Ove; Zivaljevic, Vladan; Feldt-Rasmussen, Ulla

2015-03-01

Thyroid diseases are common and often affect quality of life (QoL). No cross-culturally validated patient-reported outcome measuring thyroid-related QoL is available. The purpose of the present study was to test the cross-cultural validity of the newly developed thyroid-related patient-reported outcome ThyPRO, using tests for differential item functioning (DIF) according to language version. The ThyPRO consists of 85 items summarized in 13 multi-item scales and one single item. Scales cover physical and mental symptoms, well-being and function as well as social and daily function and cosmetic concerns. Translation applied standard forward-backward methodology with subsequent cognitive interviews and reviews. Responses (N = 1,810) to the ThyPRO were collected in seven countries: UK (n = 166), The Netherlands (n = 147), Serbia (n = 150), Italy (n = 110), India (n = 148), Denmark (n = 902) and Sweden (n = 187). Translated versions were compared pairwise to the English version by examining uniform and nonuniform DIF, i.e., whether patients from different countries respond differently to a particular item, although they have identical level of the concept measured by the item. Analyses were controlled for thyroid diagnosis. DIF was investigated by ordinal logistic regression, testing for both statistical significance and magnitude (ΔR (2) > 0.02). Scale level was estimated by the sum score, after purification. For twelve of the 84 tested items, DIF was identified in more than one language. Eight of these were small, but four were indicative of possible low translatability. Twenty-one instances of DIF in single languages were identified, indicating potential problems with the particular translation. However, only seven were of a magnitude which could affect scale scores, most of which could be explained by sample differences not controlled for. The ThyPRO has good cross-cultural validity with only minor cross-cultural invariance and is recommended for use in
A cross-validation Delphi method approach to the diagnosis and treatment of personality disorders in older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosowsky, Erlene; Young, Alexander S; Malloy, Mary C; van Alphen, S P J; Ellison, James M

2018-03-01

The Delphi method is a consensus-building technique using expert opinion to formulate a shared framework for understanding a topic with limited empirical support. This cross-validation study replicates one completed in the Netherlands and Belgium, and explores US experts' views on the diagnosis and treatment of older adults with personality disorders (PD). Twenty-one geriatric PD experts participated in a Delphi survey addressing diagnosis and treatment of older adults with PD. The European survey was translated and administered electronically. First-round consensus was reached for 16 out of 18 items relevant to diagnosis and specific mental health programs for personality disorders in older adults. Experts agreed on the usefulness of establishing criteria for specific types of treatments. The majority of psychologists did not initially agree on the usefulness of pharmacotherapy. Expert consensus was reached following two subsequent rounds after clarification addressing medication use. Study results suggest consensus among regarding psychosocial treatments. Limited acceptance amongst US psychologists about the suitability of pharmacotherapy for late-life PDs contrasted with the views expressed by experts surveyed in Netherlands and Belgium studies.
A cross-validation study of the TGMD-2: The case of an adolescent population.

Science.gov (United States)

Issartel, Johann; McGrane, Bronagh; Fletcher, Richard; O'Brien, Wesley; Powell, Danielle; Belton, Sarahjane

2017-05-01

This study proposes an extension of a widely used test evaluating fundamental movement skills proficiency to an adolescent population, with a specific emphasis on validity and reliability for this older age group. Cross-sectional observational study. A total of 844 participants (n=456 male, 12.03±0.49) participated in this study. The 12 fundamental movement skills of the TGMD-2 were assessed. Inter-rater reliability was examined to ensure a minimum of 95% consistency between coders. Confirmatory factor analysis was undertaken with a one-factor model (all 12 skills) and two-factor model (6 locomotor skills and 6 object-control skills) as proposed by Ulrich et al. (2000). The model fit was examined using χ 2 , TLI, CFI and RMSEA. Test-retest reliability was carried out with a subsample of 35 participants. The test-retest reliability reached Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of 0.78 (locomotor), 0.76 (object related) and 0.91 (gross motor skill proficiency). The confirmatory factor analysis did not display a good fit for either the one-factor or two-factor model due to a really low contribution of several skills. A reduction in the number of skills to just seven (run, gallop, hop, horizontal jump, bounce, kick and roll) revealed an overall good fit by TLI, CFI and RMSEA measures. The proposed new model offers the possibility of longitudinal studies to track the maturation of fundamental movement skills across the child and adolescent spectrum, while also giving researchers a valid assessment to tool to evaluate adolescent fundamental movement skills proficiency level. Copyright © 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. All rights reserved.
Cross-validating a bidimensional mathematics anxiety scale.

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Haiyan Bai

2011-03-01

The psychometric properties of a 14-item bidimensional Mathematics Anxiety Scale-Revised (MAS-R) were empirically cross-validated with two independent samples consisting of 647 secondary school students. An exploratory factor analysis on the scale yielded strong construct validity with a clear two-factor structure. The results from a confirmatory factor analysis indicated an excellent model-fit (χ(2) = 98.32, df = 62; normed fit index = .92, comparative fit index = .97; root mean square error of approximation = .04). The internal consistency (.85), test-retest reliability (.71), interfactor correlation (.26, p anxiety. Math anxiety, as measured by MAS-R, correlated negatively with student achievement scores (r = -.38), suggesting that MAS-R may be a useful tool for classroom teachers and other educational personnel tasked with identifying students at risk of reduced math achievement because of anxiety.
Self-Stigma and Coming Out about One's Mental Illness

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Corrigan, Patrick W.; Morris, Scott; Larson, Jon; Rafacz, Jennifer; Wassel, Abigail; Michaels, Patrick; Wilkniss, Sandra; Batia, Karen; Rusch, Nicolas

2010-01-01

Self-stigma can undermine self-esteem and self-efficacy of people with serious mental illness. Coming out may be one way of handling self-stigma and it was expected that coming out would mediate the effects of self-stigma on quality of life. This study compares coming out to other approaches of controlling self-stigma. Eighty-five people with…
Cross-Cultural Validation of TEMAS, a Minority Projective Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Costantino, Giuseppe; And Others

The theoretical framework and cross-cultural validation of Tell-Me-A-Story (TEMAS), a projective test developed to measure personality development in ethnic minority children, is presented. The TEMAS test consists of 23 chromatic pictures which incorporate the following characteristics: (1) representation of antithetical concepts which the…
COPD Exacerbation Biomarkers Validated Using Multiple Reaction Monitoring Mass Spectrometry.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janice M Leung

Full Text Available Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD result in considerable morbidity and mortality. However, there are no objective biomarkers to diagnose AECOPD.We used multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry to quantify 129 distinct proteins in plasma samples from patients with COPD. This analytical approach was first performed in a biomarker cohort of patients hospitalized with AECOPD (Cohort A, n = 72. Proteins differentially expressed between AECOPD and convalescent states were chosen using a false discovery rate 1.2. Protein selection and classifier building were performed using an elastic net logistic regression model. The performance of the biomarker panel was then tested in two independent AECOPD cohorts (Cohort B, n = 37, and Cohort C, n = 109 using leave-pair-out cross-validation methods.Five proteins were identified distinguishing AECOPD and convalescent states in Cohort A. Biomarker scores derived from this model were significantly higher during AECOPD than in the convalescent state in the discovery cohort (p<0.001. The receiver operating characteristic cross-validation area under the curve (CV-AUC statistic was 0.73 in Cohort A, while in the replication cohorts the CV-AUC was 0.77 for Cohort B and 0.79 for Cohort C.A panel of five biomarkers shows promise in distinguishing AECOPD from convalescence and may provide the basis for a clinical blood test to diagnose AECOPD. Further validation in larger cohorts is necessary for future clinical translation.
One new diphenylmethane glycoside from the leaves of Psidium guajava L.

Science.gov (United States)

Shu, Ji-Cheng; Chou, Gui-Xin; Wang, Zheng-Tao

2012-11-01

To investigate the chemical constituents of Psidium guajava L, the EtOH/H(2)O extract of the fresh leaves was subjected to various chromatography. One diphenylmethane, one benzophenone, and eight flavonoids were isolated and elucidated as 2,6-dihydroxy-3-formaldehyde-5-methyl-4-O-(6″-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-diphenylmethane (1), 2,6-dihydroxy-3,5-dimethyl-4-O-(6″-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-benzophenone (2), kaempferol (3), quercetin (4), quercitrin (5), isoquercitrin (6), guaijaverin (7), avicularin (8), hyperoside (9), reynoutrin (10) by spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D NMR and HR-ESI-MS spectrometry as well as by comparison with published data. Compounds 5 and 10 are obtained from P. guajava for the first time, and compound 1 is a new diphenylmethane compound.
SIMBIOS Normalized Water-Leaving Radiance Calibration and Validation: Sensor Response, Atmospheric Corrections, Stray Light and Sun Glint. Chapter 14

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, James L.

2001-01-01

This Sensor Intercomparison and Merger for Biological and Interdisciplinary Oceanic Studies (SIMBIOS) contract supports acquisition of match up radiometric and bio-optical data for validation of Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and other ocean color satellites, and evaluation of uncertainty budgets and protocols for in situ measurements of normalized water leaving radiances.
REMINDER: Saved Leave Scheme (SLS)

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

Transfer of leave to saved leave accounts Under the provisions of the voluntary saved leave scheme (SLS), a maximum total of 10 days'* annual and compensatory leave (excluding saved leave accumulated in accordance with the provisions of Administrative Circular No 22B) can be transferred to the saved leave account at the end of the leave year (30 September). We remind you that unused leave of all those taking part in the saved leave scheme at the closure of the leave year accounts is transferred automatically to the saved leave account on that date. Therefore, staff members have no administrative steps to take. In addition, the transfer, which eliminates the risk of omitting to request leave transfers and rules out calculation errors in transfer requests, will be clearly shown in the list of leave transactions that can be consulted in EDH from October 2003 onwards. Furthermore, this automatic leave transfer optimizes staff members' chances of benefiting from a saved leave bonus provided that they ar...
Shell-crossing in quasi-one-dimensional flow

Science.gov (United States)

Rampf, Cornelius; Frisch, Uriel

2017-10-01

Blow-up of solutions for the cosmological fluid equations, often dubbed shell-crossing or orbit crossing, denotes the breakdown of the single-stream regime of the cold-dark-matter fluid. At this instant, the velocity becomes multi-valued and the density singular. Shell-crossing is well understood in one dimension (1D), but not in higher dimensions. This paper is about quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) flow that depends on all three coordinates but differs only slightly from a strictly 1D flow, thereby allowing a perturbative treatment of shell-crossing using the Euler-Poisson equations written in Lagrangian coordinates. The signature of shell-crossing is then just the vanishing of the Jacobian of the Lagrangian map, a regular perturbation problem. In essence, the problem of the first shell-crossing, which is highly singular in Eulerian coordinates, has been desingularized by switching to Lagrangian coordinates, and can then be handled by perturbation theory. Here, all-order recursion relations are obtained for the time-Taylor coefficients of the displacement field, and it is shown that the Taylor series has an infinite radius of convergence. This allows the determination of the time and location of the first shell-crossing, which is generically shown to be taking place earlier than for the unperturbed 1D flow. The time variable used for these statements is not the cosmic time t but the linear growth time τ ˜ t2/3. For simplicity, calculations are restricted to an Einstein-de Sitter universe in the Newtonian approximation, and tailored initial data are used. However it is straightforward to relax these limitations, if needed.

'Filling one's days': managing sick leave legitimacy in an online forum.

Science.gov (United States)

Flinkfeldt, Marie

2011-07-01

An inherent part of the general understanding of illness is that it is incapacitating, making those who are ill unable to do things that they would normally do. Staying at home from work is a common consequence, and what `ill' people do while at home then becomes accountable. This article explores online discourse about the kinds of activities people engage in when on sick leave. It employs a discursive psychological framework for analysis, drawing heavily on conversation analysis. A Swedish internet forum thread on sick leave is examined, focusing on how the participants describe and account for the things they do when staying home from work due to illness. The analysis suggests that the participants' accounts of their activities delicately manage the legitimacy of their sick leave. In examining how this is done in practice, the analysis makes visible the balancing act between being ill enough to stay home from work and well enough for other activities. In the context of recent debates in Sweden and elsewhere about the legitimacy of sick leave in different situations, the analysis of how legitimacy is actually negotiated is an important concern, making visible the moral work of being on sick leave. © 2011 The Author. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2011 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Sinus and Nasal Quality of Life Survey (SN-5 into Brazilian Portuguese

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Priscila Regina Candido Espinola Uchoa

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction: The concept of quality of life is subjective and variable definition, which depends on the individual's perception of their state of health. Quality of life questionnaires are instruments designed to measure quality of life, but most are developed in a language other than Portuguese. Questionnaires can identify the most important symptoms, focus on consultation, and assist in defining the goals of treatment. Some of these have been validated for the Portuguese language, but none in children. Objective: To validate the translation with cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Sinus and Nasal Quality of Life Survey (SN-5 into Portuguese. Methods: Prospective study of children aged 2-12 years with sinonasal symptoms of over 30 days. The study comprised two stages: (I translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the SN-5 into Portuguese (SN-5p; and (II validation of the SN5-p. Statistical analysis was performed to assess internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and sensitivity, as well as construct and discriminant validity and standardization. Results: The SN-5 was translated and adapted into Portuguese (SN-5p and the author of the original version approved the process. Validation was carried out by administration of the SN-5p to 51 pediatric patients with sinonasal complaints (mean age, 5.8 ± 2.5 years; range, 2-12 years. The questionnaire exhibited adequate construct validity (0.62, p < 0.01, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.73, and discriminant validity (p < 0.01, as well as good test-retest reproducibility (Goodman-Kruskal gamma = 0.957, p < 0.001, good correlation with a visual analog scale (r = 0.62, p < 0.01, and sensitivity to change. Conclusion: This study reports the successful translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the SN-5 instrument into Brazilian Portuguese. The translated version exhibited adequate psychometric properties for assessment of disease-specific quality of life in
Displacement of carbon-14 labelled amino acids from leaves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schiller, R.

1973-01-01

The displacement of amino acids from nature leaves was investigated. The amino acids (Ala, Asn, Asp, Glu, Gln, Val, Leu, Lys, Ser, Pro) were applied on the leaves in L-form, uniformly labelled with 14 C, and the type and direction of displacement have been observed. Most of the studies have been carried out on bush beans aged 3 to 4 weeks. The experiments were carried out in climatic chambers; in one case, barley plants just reaching maturity were used. In order to find out whether the applied amino acids were also displaced in their original form, freeze-dried plants were extracted and the 14 C activity of the various fraction was determined. The radioactivity of some free amino acids was determined after two-dimensional separation by thin film chromatography. (orig./HK) [de
Validation of the one pass measure for motivational interviewing competence.

Science.gov (United States)

McMaster, Fiona; Resnicow, Ken

2015-04-01

This paper examines the psychometric properties of the OnePass coding system: a new, user-friendly tool for evaluating practitioner competence in motivational interviewing (MI). We provide data on reliability and validity with the current gold-standard: Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity tool (MITI). We compared scores from 27 videotaped MI sessions performed by student counselors trained in MI and simulated patients using both OnePass and MITI, with three different raters for each tool. Reliability was estimated using intra-class coefficients (ICCs), and validity was assessed using Pearson's r. OnePass had high levels of inter-rater reliability with 19/23 items found from substantial to almost perfect agreement. Taking the pair of scores with the highest inter-rater reliability on the MITI, the concurrent validity between the two measures ranged from moderate to high. Validity was highest for evocation, autonomy, direction and empathy. OnePass appears to have good inter-rater reliability while capturing similar dimensions of MI as the MITI. Despite the moderate concurrent validity with the MITI, the OnePass shows promise in evaluating both traditional and novel interpretations of MI. OnePass may be a useful tool for developing and improving practitioner competence in MI where access to MITI coders is limited. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Exhaled Breath Metabolomics for the Diagnosis of Pneumonia in Intubated and Mechanically-Ventilated Intensive Care Unit (ICU-Patients

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Pouline M. P. van Oort

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The diagnosis of hospital-acquired pneumonia remains challenging. We hypothesized that analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs in exhaled breath could be used to diagnose pneumonia or the presence of pathogens in the respiratory tract in intubated and mechanically-ventilated intensive care unit patients. In this prospective, single-centre, cross-sectional cohort study breath from mechanically ventilated patients was analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Potentially relevant VOCs were selected with a p-value < 0.05 and an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC above 0.7. These VOCs were used for principal component analysis and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA. AUROC was used as a measure of accuracy. Ninety-three patients were included in the study. Twelve of 145 identified VOCs were significantly altered in patients with pneumonia compared to controls. In colonized patients, 52 VOCs were significantly different. Partial least square discriminant analysis classified patients with modest accuracy (AUROC: 0.73 (95% confidence interval (CI: 0.57–0.88 after leave-one-out cross-validation. For determining the colonization status of patients, the model had an AUROC of 0.69 (95% CI: 0.57–0.82 after leave-one-out cross-validation. To conclude, exhaled breath analysis can be used to discriminate pneumonia from controls with a modest to good accuracy. Furthermore breath profiling could be used to predict the presence and absence of pathogens in the respiratory tract. These findings need to be validated externally.
Fathers’ Leave and Fathers’ Involvement: Evidence from Four OECD Countries

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Huerta, Maria C.; Adema, Willem; Baxter, Jennifer; Han, Wen-Jui; Lausten, Mette; Lee, RaeHyuck; Waldfogel, Jane

2016-01-01

In recent years, several OECD countries have taken steps to promote policies encouraging fathers to spend more time caring for young children, thereby promoting a more gender equal division of care work. Evidence, mainly for the United States and United Kingdom, has shown fathers taking some time off work around childbirth are more likely to be involved in childcare related activities than fathers who do not take time off. This paper conducts a first cross-national analysis on the association between fathers’ leave taking and fathers’ involvement when children are young. It uses birth cohort data of children born around 2000 from four OECD countries: Australia, Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States. Results show that the majority of fathers take time off around childbirth independent of the leave policies in place. In all countries, except Denmark, important socio-economic differences between fathers who take leave and those who do not are observed. In addition, fathers who take leave, especially those taking two weeks or more, are more likely to carry out childcare related activities when children are young. This study adds to the evidence that suggests that parental leave for fathers is positively associated with subsequent paternal involvement. PMID:28479865
Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale for patients seeking esthetic surgery: cross-cultural validation study

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Tatiana Dalpasquale Ramos

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Rhinoplasty is one of the most sought-after esthetic operations among individuals with body dysmorphic disorder. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt and validate the Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-cultural validation study conducted in a plastic surgery outpatient clinic of a public university hospital. METHODS: Between February 2014 and March 2015, 80 consecutive patients of both sexes seeking rhinoplasty were selected. Thirty of them participated in the phase of cultural adaptation of the instrument. Reproducibility was tested on 20 patients and construct validity was assessed on 50 patients, with correlation against the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for Body Dysmorphic Disorder. RESULTS: The Brazilian version of the instrument showed Cronbach's alpha of 0.805 and excellent inter-rater reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC = 0.873; P < 0.001 and intra-rater reproducibility (ICC = 0.939; P < 0.001. Significant differences in total scores were found between patients with and without symptoms (P < 0.001. A strong correlation (r = 0.841; P < 0.001 was observed between the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for Body Dysmorphic Disorder and the Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.981, thus showing good accuracy for discriminating between presence and absence of symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder. Forty-six percent of the patients had body dysmorphic symptoms and 54% had moderate to severe appearance-related obsessive-compulsive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The Brazilian version of the Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale is a reproducible instrument that presents face, content and construct validity.
Refining Time-Activity Classification of Human Subjects Using the Global Positioning System.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Maogui; Li, Wei; Li, Lianfa; Houston, Douglas; Wu, Jun

2016-01-01

Detailed spatial location information is important in accurately estimating personal exposure to air pollution. Global Position System (GPS) has been widely used in tracking personal paths and activities. Previous researchers have developed time-activity classification models based on GPS data, most of them were developed for specific regions. An adaptive model for time-location classification can be widely applied to air pollution studies that use GPS to track individual level time-activity patterns. Time-activity data were collected for seven days using GPS loggers and accelerometers from thirteen adult participants from Southern California under free living conditions. We developed an automated model based on random forests to classify major time-activity patterns (i.e. indoor, outdoor-static, outdoor-walking, and in-vehicle travel). Sensitivity analysis was conducted to examine the contribution of the accelerometer data and the supplemental spatial data (i.e. roadway and tax parcel data) to the accuracy of time-activity classification. Our model was evaluated using both leave-one-fold-out and leave-one-subject-out methods. Maximum speeds in averaging time intervals of 7 and 5 minutes, and distance to primary highways with limited access were found to be the three most important variables in the classification model. Leave-one-fold-out cross-validation showed an overall accuracy of 99.71%. Sensitivities varied from 84.62% (outdoor walking) to 99.90% (indoor). Specificities varied from 96.33% (indoor) to 99.98% (outdoor static). The exclusion of accelerometer and ambient light sensor variables caused a slight loss in sensitivity for outdoor walking, but little loss in overall accuracy. However, leave-one-subject-out cross-validation showed considerable loss in sensitivity for outdoor static and outdoor walking conditions. The random forests classification model can achieve high accuracy for the four major time-activity categories. The model also performed well
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of a Brazilian version of an instrument to assess impairments related to oral functioning of people with Down syndrome

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Bonanato Karina

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background An instrument was developed in Canada to assess impairments related to oral functioning of individuals with four years of age or older with Down syndrome (DS. The present study attempted to carry out the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the instrument for the Brazilian Portuguese language and to test its reliability and validity. Findings After translation and cross-cultural adaptation, the instrument was tested on caregivers of people with DS. Clinical examination for malocclusion was carried out in people with DS by two calibrated examiners. Inter and Intra examiner agreement was assessed by Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC and ranged from 0.92 to 0.97 respectively. Total of 157 people with DS and their caregivers were able to compose the sample. They were selected from eight institutions for people with DS in five cities of southeastern Brazil. The mean age of people with DS was 20.7 [±13.1] and for caregivers was 53.1 [±13.7]. The mean instrument score was 18.6 [±9.0]. Internal reliability ranged from 0.49 to 0.80 and external reliability ranged from 0.78 to 0.88. Construct validity was verified by significant correlations identified between malocclusion and the total instrument; and caregivers’ educational level and the instrument (p Conclusions Initial validity tests indicated that the instrument related to the oral health for people with DS may be a valid instrument to this segment of the population in Brazil.
Cross-cultural validity of the thyroid-specific quality-of-life patient-reported outcome measure, ThyPRO

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Watt, T.; Barbesino, G.; Bjorner, J.B.; Bonnema, S.J.; Bukvic, B.; Drummond, R.; Groenvold, M.; Hegedus, L.; Kantzer, V.; Lasch, K.E.; Marcocci, C.; Mishra, A.; Netea-Maier, R.T.; Ekker, M.; Paunovic, I.; Quinn, T.J.; Rasmussen, A.K.; Russell, A.; Sabaretnam, M.; Smit, J.W.; Torring, O.; Zivaljevic, V.; Feldt-Rasmussen, U.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Thyroid diseases are common and often affect quality of life (QoL). No cross-culturally validated patient-reported outcome measuring thyroid-related QoL is available. The purpose of the present study was to test the cross-cultural validity of the newly developed
Nurses' intention to leave: critically analyse the theory of reasoned action and organizational commitment model.

Science.gov (United States)

Liou, Shwu-Ru

2009-01-01

To systematically analyse the Organizational Commitment model and Theory of Reasoned Action and determine concepts that can better explain nurses' intention to leave their job. The Organizational Commitment model and Theory of Reasoned Action have been proposed and applied to understand intention to leave and turnover behaviour, which are major contributors to nursing shortage. However, the appropriateness of applying these two models in nursing was not analysed. Three main criteria of a useful model were used for the analysis: consistency in the use of concepts, testability and predictability. Both theories use concepts consistently. Concepts in the Theory of Reasoned Action are defined broadly whereas they are operationally defined in the Organizational Commitment model. Predictability of the Theory of Reasoned Action is questionable whereas the Organizational Commitment model can be applied to predict intention to leave. A model was proposed based on this analysis. Organizational commitment, intention to leave, work experiences, job characteristics and personal characteristics can be concepts for predicting nurses' intention to leave. Nursing managers may consider nurses' personal characteristics and experiences to increase their organizational commitment and enhance their intention to stay. Empirical studies are needed to test and cross-validate the re-synthesized model for nurses' intention to leave their job.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Sinus and Nasal Quality of Life Survey (SN-5) into Brazilian Portuguese.

Science.gov (United States)

Uchoa, Priscila Regina Candido Espinola; Bezerra, Thiago Freire Pinto; Lima, Élcio Duarte; Fornazieri, Marco Aurélio; Pinna, Fabio de Rezende; Sperandio, Fabiana de Araújo; Voegels, Richard Louis

The concept of quality of life is subjective and variable definition, which depends on the individual's perception of their state of health. Quality of life questionnaires are instruments designed to measure quality of life, but most are developed in a language other than Portuguese. Questionnaires can identify the most important symptoms, focus on consultation, and assist in defining the goals of treatment. Some of these have been validated for the Portuguese language, but none in children. To validate the translation with cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Sinus and Nasal Quality of Life Survey (SN-5) into Portuguese. Prospective study of children aged 2-12 years with sinonasal symptoms of over 30 days. The study comprised two stages: (I) translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the SN-5 into Portuguese (SN-5p); and (II) validation of the SN5-p. Statistical analysis was performed to assess internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and sensitivity, as well as construct and discriminant validity and standardization. The SN-5 was translated and adapted into Portuguese (SN-5p) and the author of the original version approved the process. Validation was carried out by administration of the SN-5p to 51 pediatric patients with sinonasal complaints (mean age, 5.8±2.5 years; range, 2-12 years). The questionnaire exhibited adequate construct validity (0.62, pPortuguese. The translated version exhibited adequate psychometric properties for assessment of disease-specific quality of life in pediatric patients with sinonasal complaints. Copyright © 2016 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.
Properties of leaves particleboard for sheathing application

Science.gov (United States)

Nuryawan, Arif; Rahmawaty

2018-03-01

Manufacturing particleboard (PB) made of leaves was carried out to make non-structural building components, such as insulation, partition, wall, and sheathing. Raw materials used dry leaves originated from plantation (palm oil leaves) and forest plantation (magahony leaves). The adhesive used was interior type thermosetting commercial resins, namely 10% urea-formaldehyde (UF) based on oven dry leaves. Hardener used for UF resin was 1% and 3% ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) 20% (w/w), respectively. Technically, the target density of PB was 0.8 g/cm3 with the dimension’s size of (250 x 250 x 10) mm3. The pressure, temperature, and time of pressing of the hot press were 25 kgf/cm2, 120C, and 10 minutes, respectively. After conditioning for one week, the PB then was evaluated their physical and mechanical properties according to Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) A 5908 (2003). Results of this work showed: 1) Both types of PB (palm oil and mahagony leaves) were feasible to be produced for non-structural applications; 2) Addition of hardener enhanced the physical and mechanical properties of PB; 3) It was recommended to enhance the performance of the PB by manipulation of the raw materials and the design.
Temperature dependence of knocking-out cross sections of a bound atom from the lattice site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhdanov, S.K.; Pletnev, V.V.

1981-01-01

The total cross section of atom knocking-out from the lattice site is calculated with the atom binding in the lattice site taken into account. The intermediate case of atom being preads over the bottom of a spherical potential well is considered (the case of intermediate temperatures). Thus the target temperature parameter enters the equation for the total cross section of atom knocking-out
Cross-Cultural Validation of the Patient Perception of Integrated Care Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Tietschert, Maike V; Angeli, Federica; van Raak, Arno J A; Ruwaard, Dirk; Singer, Sara J

2017-07-20

To test the cross-cultural validity of the U.S. Patient Perception of Integrated Care (PPIC) Survey in a Dutch sample using a standardized procedure. Primary data collected from patients of five primary care centers in the south of the Netherlands, through survey research from 2014 to 2015. Cross-sectional data collected from patients who saw multiple health care providers during 6 months preceding data collection. The PPIC survey includes 59 questions that measure patient perceived care integration across providers, settings, and time. Data analysis followed a standardized procedure guiding data preparation, psychometric analysis, and included invariance testing with the U.S. dataset. Latent scale structures of the Dutch and U.S. survey were highly comparable. Factor "Integration with specialist" had lower reliability scores and noninvariance. For the remaining factors, internal consistency and invariance estimates were strong. The standardized cross-cultural validation procedure produced strong support for comparable psychometric characteristics of the Dutch and U.S. surveys. Future research should examine the usability of the proposed procedure for contexts with greater cultural differences. © Health Research and Educational Trust.
[Teacher sick leave: Prevalence, duration, reasons and covariates].

Science.gov (United States)

Vercambre-Jacquot, M-N; Gilbert, F; Billaudeau, N

2018-02-01

Absences from work have considerable social and economic impact. In the education sector, the phenomenon is particularly worrying since teacher sick leave has an impact on the overall performance of the education system. Yet, available data are scarce. In April-June 2013, 2653 teachers responded to a population-based postal survey on their quality of life (enquête Qualité de vie des enseignants, MGEN Foundation/Ministry of education, response rate 53 %). Besides questions on work environment and health, teachers were asked to describe their eventual sick leave(s) since the beginning of the school year: duration, type and medical reasons. Self-reported information was reinforced by administrative data from ministerial databases and weighted to be extrapolated to all French teachers. Tobit models adjusted for individual factors of a private nature were used to investigate different occupational risk factors of teacher sick leave, taking into account both the estimated effect on the probability of sick leave and the length of it. More than one in three teachers (36 %) reported having had at least one day of sick leave since the beginning of the school year. Respiratory/ENT diseases were the leading reason for sick leave (37 %). However, and because sick leave duration depended on the underlying health problem, such diseases came in third place among justifications of sick leave days (14 %), far behind musculoskeletal problems (27 %) and neurological and psychological disorders (25 %). Tobit models suggested that some occupational factors significantly associated with the risk of sick leave may represent promising preventive targets, including high psychological demand, workplace violence and unfavorable socio-environmental context. Our study provides objective evidence about the issue of sick leave among French teachers, highlighting the usefulness of implementing actions to minimize its weight. To this end, the study findings point-out the importance of
Diversity shrinkage: Cross-validating pareto-optimal weights to enhance diversity via hiring practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Q Chelsea; Wee, Serena; Newman, Daniel A

2017-12-01

To reduce adverse impact potential and improve diversity outcomes from personnel selection, one promising technique is De Corte, Lievens, and Sackett's (2007) Pareto-optimal weighting strategy. De Corte et al.'s strategy has been demonstrated on (a) a composite of cognitive and noncognitive (e.g., personality) tests (De Corte, Lievens, & Sackett, 2008) and (b) a composite of specific cognitive ability subtests (Wee, Newman, & Joseph, 2014). Both studies illustrated how Pareto-weighting (in contrast to unit weighting) could lead to substantial improvement in diversity outcomes (i.e., diversity improvement), sometimes more than doubling the number of job offers for minority applicants. The current work addresses a key limitation of the technique-the possibility of shrinkage, especially diversity shrinkage, in the Pareto-optimal solutions. Using Monte Carlo simulations, sample size and predictor combinations were varied and cross-validated Pareto-optimal solutions were obtained. Although diversity shrinkage was sizable for a composite of cognitive and noncognitive predictors when sample size was at or below 500, diversity shrinkage was typically negligible for a composite of specific cognitive subtest predictors when sample size was at least 100. Diversity shrinkage was larger when the Pareto-optimal solution suggested substantial diversity improvement. When sample size was at least 100, cross-validated Pareto-optimal weights typically outperformed unit weights-suggesting that diversity improvement is often possible, despite diversity shrinkage. Implications for Pareto-optimal weighting, adverse impact, sample size of validation studies, and optimizing the diversity-job performance tradeoff are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).
Influence of thermodynamic parameter in Lanosterol 14alpha-demethylase inhibitory activity as antifungal agents: a QSAR approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasanthanathan, Poongavanam; Lakshmi, Manickavasagam; Arockia Babu, Marianesan; Kaskhedikar, Sathish Gopalrao

2006-06-01

A quantitative structure activity relationship, Hansch approach was applied on twenty compounds of chromene derivatives as Lanosterol 14alpha-demethylase inhibitory activity against eight fungal organisms. Various physicochemical descriptors and reported minimum inhibitory concentration values of different fungal organisms were used as independent variables and dependent variable respectively. The best models for eight different fungal organisms were first validated by leave-one-out cross validation procedure. It was revealed that thermodynamic parameters were found to have overall significant correlationship with anti fungal activity and these studies provide an insight to design new molecules.
Competence classification of cumulus and granulosa cell transcriptome in embryos matched by morphology and female age

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borup, Rehannah; Thuesen, Lea Langhoff; Andersen, Claus Yding

2016-01-01

compartments. DESIGN: A case-control study. SETTING: University based facilities for clinical services and research. PATIENTS: MGC and CC samples from 60 women undergoing IVF treatment following the long GnRH-agonist protocol were collected. Samples from 16 oocytes where live birth was achieved and 16 age...... prediction analysis using machine learning algorithms (support vector machines) with performance estimation by leave-one-out cross validation and independent validation on an external data set. RESULTS: We defined a signature of 30 genes expressed in CC predictive of live birth. This live birth prediction...
Multivariate Quantification of the Solid State Phase Composition of Co-Amorphous Naproxen-Indomethacin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beyer, Andreas; Grohganz, Holger; Löbmann, Korbinian

2015-01-01

To benefit from the optimized dissolution properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients in their amorphous forms, co-amorphisation as a viable tool to stabilize these amorphous phases is of both academic and industrial interest. Reports dealing with the physical stability and recrystallization...... components was prepared and analyzed by XRPD. In order to test the model performances, leave-one-out cross validation was performed and revealed root mean square errors of validation between 3.11% and 3.45% for the crystalline molar fractions and 5.57% for the co-amorphous molar fraction. In summary, even...

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index into Spanish.

Science.gov (United States)

Gijon-Nogueron, Gabriel; Ndosi, Mwidimi; Luque-Suarez, Alejandro; Alcacer-Pitarch, Begonya; Munuera, Pedro Vicente; Garrow, Adam; Redmond, Anthony C

2014-03-01

The Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index (MFPDI) is a self-assessment 19-item questionnaire developed in the UK to measure foot pain and disability. This study aimed at conducting cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the MFPDI for use in Spain. Principles of good practice for the translation and cultural adaptation process for patient-reported outcomes measures were followed in the MFPDI adaptation into Spanish. The cross-cultural validation involved Rasch analysis of pooled data sets from Spain and the UK. Spanish data set comprised 338 patients, five used in the adaptation phase and 333 in the cross-cultural validation phase, mean age (SD) = 55.2 (16.7) and 248 (74.5 %) were female. A UK data set (n = 682) added in the cross-cultural validation phase; mean age (SD) = 51.6 (15.2 %) and 416 (61.0 %) were female. A preliminary analysis of the 17-item MFPDI revealed significant local dependency of items causing significant deviation from the Rasch model. Grouping all items into testlets and re-analysing the MFPDI as a 3-testlet scale resulted in an adequate fit to the Rasch model, χ (2) (df) = 15.945 (12), p = 0.194, excellent reliability and unidimensionality. Lack of cross-cultural invariance was evident on the functional and personal appearance testlets. Splitting the affected testlets discounted the cross-cultural bias and satisfied requirements of the Rasch model. Subsequently, the MFPDI was calibrated into interval-level scales, fully adjusted to allow parametric analyses and cross-cultural data comparisons when required. Rasch analysis has confirmed that the MFPDI is a robust 3-subscale measure of foot pain, function and appearance in both its English and Spanish versions.
Simple shoulder test and Oxford Shoulder Score: Persian translation and cross-cultural validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Naghdi, Soofia; Nakhostin Ansari, Noureddin; Rustaie, Nilufar; Akbari, Mohammad; Ebadi, Safoora; Senobari, Maryam; Hasson, Scott

2015-12-01

To translate, culturally adapt, and validate the simple shoulder test (SST) and Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) into Persian language using a cross-sectional and prospective cohort design. A standard forward and backward translation was followed to culturally adapt the SST and the OSS into Persian language. Psychometric properties of floor and ceiling effects, construct convergent validity, discriminant validity, internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, standard error of the measurement (SEM), smallest detectable change (SDC), and factor structure were determined. One hundred patients with shoulder disorders and 50 healthy subjects participated in the study. The PSST and the POSS showed no missing responses. No floor or ceiling effects were observed. Both the PSST and POSS detected differences between patients and healthy subjects supporting their discriminant validity. Construct convergent validity was confirmed by a very good correlation between the PSST and POSS (r = 0.68). There was high internal consistency for both the PSST (α = 0.73) and the POSS (α = 0.91 and 0.92). Test-retest reliability with 1-week interval was excellent (ICCagreement = 0.94 for PSST and 0.90 for POSS). Factor analyses demonstrated a three-factor solution for the PSST (49.7 % of variance) and a two-factor solution for the POSS (61.6 % of variance). The SEM/SDC was satisfactory for PSST (5.5/15.3) and POSS (6.8/18.8). The PSST and POSS are valid and reliable outcome measures for assessing functional limitations in Persian-speaking patients with shoulder disorders.
Identifying food-related life style segments by a cross-culturally valid scaling device

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brunsø, Karen; Grunert, Klaus G.

1994-01-01

-related life style in a cross-culturally valid way. To this end, we have col-lected a pool of 202 items, collected data in three countries, and have con-structed scales based on cross-culturally stable patterns. These scales have then been subjected to a number of tests of reliability and vali-dity. We have...... then applied the set of scales to a fourth country, Germany, based on a representative sample of 1000 respondents. The scales had, with a fe exceptions, moderately good reliabilities. A cluster ana-ly-sis led to the identification of 5 segments, which differed on all 23 scales....
Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity of the Persian version of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Hadadi, Mohammad; Ebrahimi Takamjani, Ismail; Ebrahim Mosavi, Mohammad; Aminian, Gholamreza; Fardipour, Shima; Abbasi, Faeze

2017-08-01

The purpose of the present study was to translate and to cross-culturally adapt the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) into Persian language and to evaluate its psychometric properties. The International Quality of Life Assessment process was pursued to translate CAIT into Persian. Two groups of Persian-speaking individuals, 105 participants with a history of ankle sprain and 30 participants with no history of ankle sprain, were asked to fill out Persian version of CAIT (CAIT-P), Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Data obtained from the first administration of CAIT were used to evaluate floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency, dimensionality, and criterion validity. To determine the test-retest reliability, 45 individuals re-filled CAIT 5-7 days after the first session. Cronbach's alpha was over the cutoff point of 0.70 for both ankles and in both groups. The intra-class correlation coefficient was high for right (0.95) and left (0.91) ankles. There was a strong correlation between each item and the total score of the CAIT-P. Although the CAIT-P had strong correlation with VAS, its correlation with both subscales of FAAM was moderate. The CAIT-P has good validity and reliability and it can be used by clinicians and researchers for identification and investigation of functional ankle instability. Implications for Rehabilitation Chronic ankle instability is one of the most common consequences of acute ankle sprain. Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool is an acceptable measure to determine functional ankle instability and its severity. The Persian version of Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool is a valid and reliable tool for clinical and research purpose in Persian-speaking individuals.
Estimation of leaf area in coffee leaves (Coffea arabica L. of the Castillo® variety

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Carlos Andrés Unigarro-Muñoz

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Allometric models based on measurements of single leaf dimensions or a combination there are useful tools for determining individual leaf area (LA because they are non-destructive, precise, simple and economical methods. The present study was carried out at the Central Station Naranjal of Cenicafé, located in the Department of Caldas (Colombia, four models were defined using the variables length (L and/or width (W to estimate LA in coffee leaves of the Castillo® variety (Coffea arabica L.. Estimation of regression coefficients was performed using information recorded from 6,441 leaves (group 1, and their validation was performed using records from another 992 leaves (group 2. Leaves were collected from all strata of the canopy and ranged from 0.76 to 140 cm2 in LA. In addition to exhibiting coefficients of variation differing from zero based on t-tests at 1%, the evaluated models possess coefficients of determination between 0.93 and 0.99. Four expressions have developed and adjusted to estimate leaf area in individual leaves, based on the measurement of simple variables and non-destructive.
Geostatistical validation and cross-validation of magnetometric measurements of soil pollution with Potentially Toxic Elements in problematic areas

Science.gov (United States)

Fabijańczyk, Piotr; Zawadzki, Jarosław

2016-04-01

Field magnetometry is fast method that was previously effectively used to assess the potential soil pollution. One of the most popular devices that are used to measure the soil magnetic susceptibility on the soil surface is a MS2D Bartington. Single reading using MS2D device of soil magnetic susceptibility is low time-consuming but often characterized by considerable errors related to the instrument or environmental and lithogenic factors. In this connection, measured values of soil magnetic susceptibility have to be usually validated using more precise, but also much more expensive, chemical measurements. The goal of this study was to analyze validation methods of magnetometric measurements using chemical analyses of a concentration of elements in soil. Additionally, validation of surface measurements of soil magnetic susceptibility was performed using selected parameters of a distribution of magnetic susceptibility in a soil profile. Validation was performed using selected geostatistical measures of cross-correlation. The geostatistical approach was compared with validation performed using the classic statistics. Measurements were performed at selected areas located in the Upper Silesian Industrial Area in Poland, and in the selected parts of Norway. In these areas soil magnetic susceptibility was measured on the soil surface using a MS2D Bartington device and in the soil profile using MS2C Bartington device. Additionally, soil samples were taken in order to perform chemical measurements. Acknowledgment The research leading to these results has received funding from the Polish-Norwegian Research Programme operated by the National Centre for Research and Development under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009-2014 in the frame of Project IMPACT - Contract No Pol-Nor/199338/45/2013.
Nonmarital romantic relationship commitment and leave behavior: the mediating role of dissolution consideration.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderdrift, Laura E; Agnew, Christopher R; Wilson, Juan E

2009-09-01

Two studies investigated the process by which individuals in nonmarital romantic relationships characterized by low commitment move toward enacting leave behaviors. Predictions based on the behavioral, goal, and implementation intention literatures were tested using a measure of dissolution consideration developed for this research. Dissolution consideration assesses how salient relationship termination is for an individual while one's relationship is intact. Study 1 developed and validated a measure of dissolution consideration and Study 2 was a longitudinal test of the utility of dissolution consideration in predicting the enactment of leave behaviors. Results indicated that dissolution consideration mediates the association between commitment and enacting leave behaviors, is associated with taking more immediate action, and provides unique explanatory power in leave behavior beyond the effect of commitment alone. Collectively, the findings suggest that dissolution consideration is an intermediate step between commitment and stay/leave behavior in close relationships.
Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines Predict Relapse-Free Survival after One Month of Interferon-α but Not Observation in Intermediate Risk Melanoma Patients.

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Ahmad A Tarhini

Full Text Available E1697 was a phase III trial of adjuvant interferon (IFN-α2b for one month (Arm B versus observation (Arm A in patients with resected melanoma at intermediate risk. We evaluated the levels of candidate serum cytokines, the HLA genotype, polymorphisms of CTLA4 and FOXP3 genes and the development of autoantibodies for their association with relapse free survival (RFS in Arm A and Arm B among 268 patients with banked biospecimens.ELISA was used to test 5 autoantibodies. Luminex/One Lambda LABTypeRSSO was used for HLA Genotyping. Selected CTLA4 and FOXP3 Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs and microsatellites were tested for by polymerase chain reaction (PCR. Sixteen serum cytokines were tested at baseline and one month by Luminex xMAP multiplex technology. Cox Proportional Hazards model was applied and the Wald test was used to test the marginal association of each individual marker and RFS. We used the Lasso approach to select the markers to be included in a multi-marker Cox Proportional Hazards model. The ability of the resulting models to predict one year RFS was evaluated by the time-dependent ROC curve. The leave-one-out method of cross validation (LOOCV was used to avoid over-fitting of the data.In the multi-marker modeling analysis conducted in Arm B, one month serum IL2Rα, IL-12p40 and IFNα levels predicted one year RFS with LOOCV AUC = 82%. Among the three markers selected, IL2Rα and IFNα were the most stable (selected in all the cross validation cycles. The risk score (linear combination of the 3 markers separated the RFS curves of low and high risk groups well (p = 0.05. This model did not hold for Arm A, indicating a differential marker profile in Arm B linked to the intervention (adjuvant therapy.Early on-treatment proinflammatory serum markers (IL2Rα, IL-12p40, IFNα significantly predict RFS in our cohort of patients treated with adjuvant IFN-α2b and warrant further study.
The cross-cultural generalizability and validity of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leone, Luigi; Van der Zee, K.I.; van Oudenhoven, Jan Pieter; Perugini, Marco; Ercolani, Anna Paola

The present study examined the validity of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), an instrument designed to measure five personality dimensions linked to multicultural orientation and adaptation. First, the cross-cultural generalizability of the scales was investigated across Italian (N
Validation of the Read Out Electronics for the CMS Muon Drift Chambers at Tests Beam in CERN/GIF

CERN Document Server

Fernández, C; Fouz-Iglesias, M C; Marin, J; Oller, J C; Willmott, C

2002-01-01

Part of the readout system for the CMS muon drift chambers has been tested in test beams at CERN/GIF. Read Out Board (ROB) and HPTD have been validated with signals from a real muon beam, with an structure and flux similar to LHC operating conditions and using one of the chambers produced in CIEMAT already located in the test beam area under normal gas and voltage conditions. (Author) 5 refs.
Concussion classification via deep learning using whole-brain white matter fiber strains

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Yunliang; Wu, Shaoju; Zhao, Wei; Li, Zhigang; Wu, Zheyang

2018-01-01

Developing an accurate and reliable injury predictor is central to the biomechanical studies of traumatic brain injury. State-of-the-art efforts continue to rely on empirical, scalar metrics based on kinematics or model-estimated tissue responses explicitly pre-defined in a specific brain region of interest. They could suffer from loss of information. A single training dataset has also been used to evaluate performance but without cross-validation. In this study, we developed a deep learning approach for concussion classification using implicit features of the entire voxel-wise white matter fiber strains. Using reconstructed American National Football League (NFL) injury cases, leave-one-out cross-validation was employed to objectively compare injury prediction performances against two baseline machine learning classifiers (support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF)) and four scalar metrics via univariate logistic regression (Brain Injury Criterion (BrIC), cumulative strain damage measure of the whole brain (CSDM-WB) and the corpus callosum (CSDM-CC), and peak fiber strain in the CC). Feature-based machine learning classifiers including deep learning, SVM, and RF consistently outperformed all scalar injury metrics across all performance categories (e.g., leave-one-out accuracy of 0.828–0.862 vs. 0.690–0.776, and .632+ error of 0.148–0.176 vs. 0.207–0.292). Further, deep learning achieved the best cross-validation accuracy, sensitivity, AUC, and .632+ error. These findings demonstrate the superior performances of deep learning in concussion prediction and suggest its promise for future applications in biomechanical investigations of traumatic brain injury. PMID:29795640
Concussion classification via deep learning using whole-brain white matter fiber strains.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Yunliang; Wu, Shaoju; Zhao, Wei; Li, Zhigang; Wu, Zheyang; Ji, Songbai

2018-01-01

Developing an accurate and reliable injury predictor is central to the biomechanical studies of traumatic brain injury. State-of-the-art efforts continue to rely on empirical, scalar metrics based on kinematics or model-estimated tissue responses explicitly pre-defined in a specific brain region of interest. They could suffer from loss of information. A single training dataset has also been used to evaluate performance but without cross-validation. In this study, we developed a deep learning approach for concussion classification using implicit features of the entire voxel-wise white matter fiber strains. Using reconstructed American National Football League (NFL) injury cases, leave-one-out cross-validation was employed to objectively compare injury prediction performances against two baseline machine learning classifiers (support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF)) and four scalar metrics via univariate logistic regression (Brain Injury Criterion (BrIC), cumulative strain damage measure of the whole brain (CSDM-WB) and the corpus callosum (CSDM-CC), and peak fiber strain in the CC). Feature-based machine learning classifiers including deep learning, SVM, and RF consistently outperformed all scalar injury metrics across all performance categories (e.g., leave-one-out accuracy of 0.828-0.862 vs. 0.690-0.776, and .632+ error of 0.148-0.176 vs. 0.207-0.292). Further, deep learning achieved the best cross-validation accuracy, sensitivity, AUC, and .632+ error. These findings demonstrate the superior performances of deep learning in concussion prediction and suggest its promise for future applications in biomechanical investigations of traumatic brain injury.
Prenatal Psychosocial Profile: translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation to its use in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Weissheimer, Anne Marie; Mamede, Marli Villela

2015-12-01

To translate the Prenatal Psychosocial Profile (PPP) to be used in Brazil; to perform its cross-cultural adaptation; and to evaluate its reliability and validity. Methodological study. The study was conducted in 10 prenatal care clinics at the city of Porto Alegre/Brazil. 241 women pregnant women. The adaptation process consisted in: translation; first version synthesis; expert committee evaluation; back translation; pre-test of the PPP version in Portuguese (PPP-VP); validation; the data with the participants was collected in 2007, by trained student nurses that approached the women while they were waiting for prenatal consultation. The mean scores for all subscales were similar to the ones found by the original authors; internal consistency was verified through Cronbach׳s alpha, with values of 0.71 for the stress subscale; 0.96 for support from the partner; 0.96 for support from others; and 0.79 for self-esteem; validity was supported through factorial analysis; construct and criterion validities were also established. PPP-VP should be used as a tool to obtain a psychosocial profile which can lead to nursing interventions that will reduce health risk behaviours during pregnancy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Development of a German version of the Oswestry Disability Index. Part 1: cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity.

Science.gov (United States)

Mannion, A F; Junge, A; Fairbank, J C T; Dvorak, J; Grob, D

2006-01-01

Patient-orientated assessment methods are of paramount importance in the evaluation of treatment outcome. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is one of the condition-specific questionnaires recommended for use with back pain patients. To date, no German version has been published in the peer-reviewed literature. A cross-cultural adaptation of the ODI for the German language was carried out, according to established guidelines. One hundred patients with chronic low-back pain (35 conservative, 65 surgical) completed a questionnaire booklet containing the newly translated ODI, along with a 0-10 pain visual analogue scale (VAS), the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, and Likert scales for disability, medication intake and pain frequency [to assess ODI's construct (convergent) validity]. Thirty-nine of these patients completed a second questionnaire within 2 weeks (to assess test-retest reliability). The intraclass correlation coefficient for the test-retest reliability of the questionnaire was 0.96. In test-retest, 74% of the individual questions were answered identically, and 21% just one grade higher or lower. The standard error of measurement (SEM) was 3.4, giving a "minimum detectable change" (MDC(95%)) for the ODI of approximately 9 points, i.e. the minimum change in an individual's score required to be considered "real change" (with 95% confidence) over and above measurement error. The ODI scores correlated with VAS pain intensity (r = 0.78, P disability, medication use and pain frequency (in each case P Oswestry questionnaire is reliable and valid, and shows psychometric characteristics as good as, if not better than, the original English version. It should represent a valuable tool for use in future patient-orientated outcome studies in German-speaking lands.
Negative leave balances

CERN Multimedia

Human Resources Department

2005-01-01

Members of the personnel entitled to annual leave and, where appropriate, saved leave and/or compensatory leave are requested to take note of the new arrangements described below, which were recommended by the Standing Concertation Committee (SCC) at its meeting on 1Â September 2005 and subsequently approved by the Director-General. The changes do not apply to members of the personnel participating in the Progressive Retirement Programme (PRP) or the Part-time Work as a pre-retirement measure, for whom the specific provisions communicated at the time of joining will continue to apply. Â Negative balances in annual leave, saved leave and/or compensatory leave accounts at the end of the leave year (30th September) and on the date on which bonuses are credited to the saved leave account (31st December): Where members of the personnel have a leave account with a negative balance on 30Â September and/or 31Â December, leave will automatically be transferred from one account to another on the relevant dates i...
Negative leave balances

CERN Multimedia

Human Resources Department

2005-01-01

Members of the personnel entitled to annual leave and, where appropriate, saved leave and/or compensatory leave are requested to take note of the new arrangements described below, which were recommended by the Standing Concertation Committee (SCC) at its meeting on 1 September 2005 and subsequently approved by the Director-General. The changes do not apply to members of the personnel participating in the Progressive Retirement Programme (PRP) or the Part-time Work as a pre-retirement measure, for whom the specific provisions communicated at the time of joining will continue to apply. Negative balances in annual leave, saved leave and/or compensatory leave accounts at the end of the leave year (30th September) and on the date on which bonuses are credited to the saved leave account (31st December): Where members of the personnel have a leave account with a negative balance on 30 September and/or 31 December, leave will automatically be transferred from one account to another on the relevant dates in or...
Evaluation of reversible contraceptive potential of Cordia dichotoma leaves extract

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Plaban Bhattacharya

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Considering the safety-risk ratio of steroidal contraceptives, the present work was carried out to evaluate ethno-contraceptive use of Cordia dichotoma G. Forst., Boraginaceae, leaves (LCD. Preliminary pharmacological screening was performed on post-coital female albino rats. The leaves extract (LD50 5.50 g/kg bw showed 100% anti-implantation activity (n=10 at 800 mg/kg dose level. (2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (BCD was used as bioavailability enhancer to form LCD-BCD complex, characterized by DLS, SEM and XRD analyses. The LCD-BCD complex (1:1, w/w exhibited 100% pregnancy interception (n=20 at the dose level of 250 mg/kg and also showed strong estrogenic potential with a luteal phase defect. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analyses were carried out. The LCD extract was standardized by a validated HPTLC method and two contraceptive phytoconstituents, apigenin and luteolin were isolated. A detailed pharmacological analyses followed by chronic toxicity study were performed to predict the reversible nature of the developed phytopharmaceutical. The histological and biochemical estimations detected the reversible contraceptive potential after withdrawal. The observations suggested that the developed phyto-pharmaceutical has potential antifertility activity with safety aspects.
Evaluation of reversible contraceptive potential of Cordia dichotoma leaves extract

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Plaban Bhattacharya

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Considering the safety-risk ratio of steroidal contraceptives, the present work was carried out to evaluate ethno-contraceptive use of Cordia dichotoma G. Forst., Boraginaceae, leaves (LCD. Preliminary pharmacological screening was performed on post-coital female albino rats. The leaves extract (LD50 5.50 g/kg bw showed 100% anti-implantation activity (n=10 at 800 mg/kg dose level. (2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (BCD was used as bioavailability enhancer to form LCD-BCD complex, characterized by DLS, SEM and XRD analyses. The LCD-BCD complex (1:1, w/w exhibited 100% pregnancy interception (n=20 at the dose level of 250 mg/kg and also showed strong estrogenic potential with a luteal phase defect. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analyses were carried out. The LCD extract was standardized by a validated HPTLC method and two contraceptive phytoconstituents, apigenin and luteolin were isolated. A detailed pharmacological analyses followed by chronic toxicity study were performed to predict the reversible nature of the developed phytopharmaceutical. The histological and biochemical estimations detected the reversible contraceptive potential after withdrawal. The observations suggested that the developed phyto-pharmaceutical has potential antifertility activity with safety aspects.
Brazilian Portuguese version of the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR-Br): cross-cultural validation, reliability, and construct and structural validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lupi, Jaqueline Basilio; Carvalho de Abreu, Daniela Cristina; Ferreira, Mariana Candido; Oliveira, Renê Donizeti Ribeiro de; Chaves, Thais Cristina

2017-08-01

This study aimed to culturally adapt and validate the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) to Brazilian Portuguese, by the use of analysis of internal consistency, reliability, and construct and structural validity. A total of 100 female patients with fibromyalgia participated in the validation process of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the FIQR (FIQR-Br).The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used for statistical analysis of reliability (test-retest), Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency, Pearson's rank correlation for construct validity, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for structural validity. It was verified excellent levels of reliability, with ICC greater than 0.75 for all questions and domains of the FIQR-Br. For internal consistency, alpha values greater than 0.70 for the items and domains of the questionnaire were observed. Moderate (0.40 0.70) correlations were observed for the scores of domains and total score between the FIQR-Br and FIQ-Br. The structure of the three domains of the FIQR-Br was confirmed by CFA. The results of this study suggest that that the FIQR-Br is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing fibromyalgia-related impact, and supports its use in clinical settings and research. The structure of the three domains of the FIQR-Br was also confirmed. Implications for Rehabilitation Fibromyalgia is a chronic musculoskeletal disorder characterized by widespread and diffuse pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and depression. The disease significantly impairs patients' quality of life and can be highly disabling. To be used in multicenter research efforts, the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) must be cross-culturally validated and psychometrically tested. This paper will make available a new version of the FIQR-Br since another version already exists, but there are concerns about its measurement properties. The availability of an instrument adapted to and validated for Brazilian
Accelerating cross-validation with total variation and its application to super-resolution imaging.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomoyuki Obuchi

Full Text Available We develop an approximation formula for the cross-validation error (CVE of a sparse linear regression penalized by ℓ1-norm and total variation terms, which is based on a perturbative expansion utilizing the largeness of both the data dimensionality and the model. The developed formula allows us to reduce the necessary computational cost of the CVE evaluation significantly. The practicality of the formula is tested through application to simulated black-hole image reconstruction on the event-horizon scale with super resolution. The results demonstrate that our approximation reproduces the CVE values obtained via literally conducted cross-validation with reasonably good precision.

Length bias correction in one-day cross-sectional assessments - The nutritionDay study.

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Frantal, Sophie; Pernicka, Elisabeth; Hiesmayr, Michael; Schindler, Karin; Bauer, Peter

2016-04-01

A major problem occurring in cross-sectional studies is sampling bias. Length of hospital stay (LOS) differs strongly between patients and causes a length bias as patients with longer LOS are more likely to be included and are therefore overrepresented in this type of study. To adjust for the length bias higher weights are allocated to patients with shorter LOS. We determined the effect of length-bias adjustment in two independent populations. Length-bias correction is applied to the data of the nutritionDay project, a one-day multinational cross-sectional audit capturing data on disease and nutrition of patients admitted to hospital wards with right-censoring after 30 days follow-up. We applied the weighting method for estimating the distribution function of patient baseline variables based on the method of non-parametric maximum likelihood. Results are validated using data from all patients admitted to the General Hospital of Vienna between 2005 and 2009, where the distribution of LOS can be assumed to be known. Additionally, a simplified calculation scheme for estimating the adjusted distribution function of LOS is demonstrated on a small patient example. The crude median (lower quartile; upper quartile) LOS in the cross-sectional sample was 14 (8; 24) and decreased to 7 (4; 12) when adjusted. Hence, adjustment for length bias in cross-sectional studies is essential to get appropriate estimates. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.
Spanish translation and cross-language validation of a sleep habits questionnaire for use in clinical and research settings.

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Baldwin, Carol M; Choi, Myunghan; McClain, Darya Bonds; Celaya, Alma; Quan, Stuart F

2012-04-15

To translate, back-translate and cross-language validate (English/Spanish) the Sleep Heart Health Study Sleep Habits Questionnaire for use with Spanish-speakers in clinical and research settings. Following rigorous translation and back-translation, this cross-sectional cross-language validation study recruited bilingual participants from academic, clinic, and community-based settings (N = 50; 52% women; mean age 38.8 ± 12 years; 90% of Mexican heritage). Participants completed English and Spanish versions of the Sleep Habits Questionnaire, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans II one week apart in randomized order. Psychometric properties were assessed, including internal consistency, convergent validity, scale equivalence, language version intercorrelations, and exploratory factor analysis using PASW (Version18) software. Grade level readability of the sleep measure was evaluated. All sleep categories (duration, snoring, apnea, insomnia symptoms, other sleep symptoms, sleep disruptors, restless legs syndrome) showed Cronbach α, Spearman-Brown coefficients and intercorrelations ≥ 0.700, suggesting robust internal consistency, correlation, and agreement between language versions. The Epworth correlated significantly with snoring, apnea, sleep symptoms, restless legs, and sleep disruptors) on both versions, supporting convergent validity. Items loaded on 4 factors accounted for 68% and 67% of the variance on the English and Spanish versions, respectively. The Spanish-language Sleep Habits Questionnaire demonstrates conceptual and content equivalency. It has appropriate measurement properties and should be useful for assessing sleep health in community-based clinics and intervention studies among Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans. Both language versions showed readability at the fifth grade level. Further testing is needed with larger samples.
Leading people positively: cross-cultural validation of the Servant Leadership Survey (SLS).

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Rodríguez-Carvajal, Raquel; de Rivas, Sara; Herrero, Marta; Moreno-Jiménez, Bernardo; van Dierendonck, Dirk

2014-10-24

Servant Leadership emphasizes employee's development and growth within a context of moral and social concern. Nowadays, this management change towards workers´ wellbeing is highlighted as an important issue. The aims of this paper are to adapt to Spanish speakers the Servant Leadership Survey (SLS) by van Dierendonck and Nuijten (2011), and to analyze its factorial validity through confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance in three countries. A sample of 638 working people from three Spanish-speaking countries (Spain, Argentina and Mexico) participated in the study. In all three countries, confirmatory factor analyses corroborate the eight factor structure (empowerment, accountability, standing back, humility, authenticity, courage, forgiveness and stewardship) with one second order factor (servant leadership) (in all three samples, CFI, IFI > .92, TLI > .91, RMSEA < .70). Also, factor loadings, reliability and convergent validity were acceptable across samples. Furthermore, through measurement invariance analysis, we detected model equivalence in all three countries including structural residual invariance (ΔCFI = .001). Finally, cultural differences in some dimensions were found and discussed, opening the way for future cross-cultural studies.
CROSS-CULTURAL ADAPTATION AND VALIDATION OF THE KOREAN VERSION OF THE CUMBERLAND ANKLE INSTABILITY TOOL.

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Ko, Jupil; Rosen, Adam B; Brown, Cathleen N

2015-12-01

The Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) is a valid and reliable patient reported outcome used to assess the presence and severity of chronic ankle instability (CAI). The CAIT has been cross-culturally adapted into other languages for use in non-English speaking populations. However, there are no valid questionnaires to assess CAI in individuals who speak Korean. The purpose of this study was to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the CAIT, for use in a Korean-speaking population with CAI. Cross-cultural reliability study. The CAIT was cross-culturally adapted into Korean according to accepted guidelines and renamed the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool-Korean (CAIT-K). Twenty-three participants (12 males, 11 females) who were bilingual in English and Korean were recruited and completed the original and adapted versions to assess agreement between versions. An additional 168 national level Korean athletes (106 male, 62 females; age = 20.3 ± 1.1 yrs), who participated in ≥ 90 minutes of physical activity per week, completed the final version of the CAIT-K twice within 14 days. Their completed questionnaires were assessed for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, criterion validity, and construct validity. For bilingual participants, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC2,1) between the CAIT and the CAIT-K for test-retest reliability were 0.95 (SEM=1.83) and 0.96 (SEM=1.50) in right and left limbs, respectively. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.92 and 0.90 for the CAIT-K in right and left limbs, respectively. For native Korean speakers, the CAIT-K had high internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.89) and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC2,1 = 0.94, SEM=1.72), correlation with the physical component score (rho=0.70, p = 0.001) of the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin score was 0.87. The original CAIT was translated, cross-culturally adapted, and validated from English to Korean
Derivation and Cross-Validation of Cutoff Scores for Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders on WAIS-IV Digit Span-Based Performance Validity Measures.

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Glassmire, David M; Toofanian Ross, Parnian; Kinney, Dominique I; Nitch, Stephen R

2016-06-01

Two studies were conducted to identify and cross-validate cutoff scores on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition Digit Span-based embedded performance validity (PV) measures for individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. In Study 1, normative scores were identified on Digit Span-embedded PV measures among a sample of patients (n = 84) with schizophrenia spectrum diagnoses who had no known incentive to perform poorly and who put forth valid effort on external PV tests. Previously identified cutoff scores resulted in unacceptable false positive rates and lower cutoff scores were adopted to maintain specificity levels ≥90%. In Study 2, the revised cutoff scores were cross-validated within a sample of schizophrenia spectrum patients (n = 96) committed as incompetent to stand trial. Performance on Digit Span PV measures was significantly related to Full Scale IQ in both studies, indicating the need to consider the intellectual functioning of examinees with psychotic spectrum disorders when interpreting scores on Digit Span PV measures. © The Author(s) 2015.
Musculoskeletal disorders among preschool teachers: analyzing the relationships among relational demands, work meaning, and intention to leave the job.

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Converso, Daniela; Viotti, Sara; Sottimano, Ilaria; Cascio, Vincenza; Guidetti, Gloria

2018-05-22

Based on the conservation of resource (COR) theory by Hobfoll, the aim of the present study was to test whether the relationships among relational demands, work meaning, and intention to leave vary as a function of the presence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The study was cross-sectional and non-randomized. Analyses were carried out on a dataset consisting of 429 preschool teachers, who filled out a self-report questionnaire. Of them, 238 reported a MSD diagnosis and 191 were free form MSDs. As expected, among those who reported MSDs, relational demands were significantly associated to intention to leave, and this relationship was mediated by work meaning; moreover, among those free from MSDs, no significant paths among the three variables were found. In general, results showed that suffering from MSDs impairs workers' ability to face to relational demands, thus activating a spiral that encompasses diminished work meaning and intention to leave. Practical implications of results will be discussed in the paper.
Cross-Cultural adaption, validity and reliability of a Hindi version of the Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale.

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Jain, Meena; Tandon, Shourya; Sharma, Ankur; Jain, Vishal; Rani Yadav, Nisha

2018-01-01

Background: An appropriate scale to assess the dental anxiety of Hindi speaking population is lacking. This study, therefore, aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of Hindi version of one of the oldest dental anxiety scale, Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS) in Hindi speaking Indian adults. Methods: A total of 348 subjects from the outpatient department of a dental hospital in India participated in this cross-sectional study. The scale was cross-culturally adapted by forward and backward translation, committee review and pretesting method. The construct validity of the translated scale was explored with exploratory factor analysis. The correlation of the Hindi version of CDAS with visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to measure the convergent validity. Reliability was assessed through calculations of Cronbach's alpha and intra class correlation 48 forms were completed for test-retest. Results: Prevalence of dental anxiety in the sample within the age range of 18-80 years was 85.63% [95% CI: 0.815-0.891]. The response rate was 100 %. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test value was 0.776. After factor analysis, a single factor (dental anxiety) was obtained with 4 items.The single factor model explained 61% variance. Pearson correlation coefficient between CDASand VAS was 0.494. Test-retest showed the Cronbach's alpha value of 0.814. The test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient of the total CDAS score was 0.881 [95% CI: 0.318-0.554]. Conclusion: Hindi version of CDAS is a valid and reliable scale to assess dental anxiety in Hindi speaking population. Convergent validity is well recognized but discriminant validity is limited and requires further study.
Propensity to Leave versus Probability of Leaving: The Relationship between Intrinsic and Extrinsic Satisfaction in the Voluntary Leaving Behavior of IT Professionals

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King, Christopher S.

2013-01-01

This dissertation presents a quantitative analysis of the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction and the voluntary leaving behavior of IT professionals. In addition, the study adds to the validity and reliability of the Udechukwu and Mujtaba Mathematical Turnover Model. Surveyed within the study for their intrinsic and…
Applying the Innov8 approach for reviewing national health programmes to leave no one behind: lessons learnt from Indonesia

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Saint, Victoria; Floranita, Rustini; Koemara Sakti, Gita Maya; Pambudi, Imran; Hermawan, Lukas; Villar, Eugenio; Magar, Veronica

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT The World Health Organization’s Innov8 Approach for Reviewing National Health Programmes to Leave No One Behind is an eight-step process that supports the operationalization of the Sustainable Development Goals’ commitment to ‘leave no one behind’. In 2014–2015, Innov8 was adapted and applied in Indonesia to review how the national neonatal and maternal health action plans could become more equity-oriented, rights-based and gender-responsive, and better address critical social determinants of health. The process was led by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, with the support of WHO. It involved a wide range of actors and aligned with/fed into the drafting of the maternal newborn health action plan and the implementation planning of the newborn action plan. Key activities included a sensitization meeting, diagnostic checklist, review workshop and in-country work by the review teams. This ‘methods forum’ article describes this adaptation and application process, the outcomes and lessons learnt. In conjunction with other sources, Innov8 findings and recommendations informed national and sub-national maternal and neonatal action plans and programming to strengthen a ‘leave no one behind’ approach. As follow-up during 2015–2017, components of the Innov8 methodology were integrated into district-level planning processes for maternal and newborn health, and Innov8 helped generate demand for health inequality monitoring and its use in planning. In Indonesia, Innov8 enhanced national capacity for equity-oriented, rights-based and gender-responsive approaches and addressing critical social determinants of health. Adaptation for the national planning context (e.g. decentralized structure) and linking with health inequality monitoring capacity building were important lessons learnt. The pilot of Innov8 in Indonesia suggests that this approach can help operationalize the SDGs’ commitment to leave no one behind, in particular in relation to
Blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in a cross flow at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Wang, Qiang

2015-07-22

The blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in cross flows were studied, especially concerning the effect of ambient pressure, by conducting experiments at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures. The combined effects of air flow and pressure were investigated by a series of experiments conducted in an especially built wind tunnel in Lhasa, a city on the Tibetan plateau where the altitude is 3650 m and the atmospheric pressure condition is naturally low (64 kPa). These results were compared with results obtained from a wind tunnel at standard atmospheric pressure (100 kPa) in Hefei city (altitude 50 m). The size of the fuel nozzles used in the experiments ranged from 3 to 8 mm in diameter and propane was used as the fuel. It was found that the blow-out limit of the air speed of the cross flow first increased (“cross flow dominant” regime) and then decreased (“fuel jet dominant” regime) as the fuel jet velocity increased in both pressures; however, the blow-out limit of the air speed of the cross flow was much lower at sub-atmospheric pressure than that at standard atmospheric pressure whereas the domain of the blow-out limit curve (in a plot of the air speed of the cross flow versus the fuel jet velocity) shrank as the pressure decreased. A theoretical model was developed to characterize the blow-out limit of nonpremixed jet flames in a cross flow based on a Damköhler number, defined as the ratio between the mixing time and the characteristic reaction time. A satisfactory correlation was obtained at relative strong cross flow conditions (“cross flow dominant” regime) that included the effects of the air speed of the cross flow, fuel jet velocity, nozzle diameter and pressure.
Cross-Cultural Validation of the Basic Psychological Needs in Physical Education Scale between Portugal and Brazil Samples.

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Cid, Luis; Lettnin, Carla; Stobäus, Claus; Monteiro, Diogo; Davoglio, Tárcia; Moutão, João

2016-02-19

The main propose of this study is the cross-cultural validation of the Basic Psychological Needs in Physical Education Scale among Portugal and Brazil samples, through the study of measurement model invariance. Participated in this study, two independent samples, one with 616 Portuguese students, of the 2nd and 3rd basic grade of public school, aged between 9 and 18 years old and another with 450 Brazilian students, from 1st, 2nd and 3rd middle grade of public and private school, aged between 14 and 18 years old. The results support the suitability of the model (three factors, each one with four items), showing an adequate fit to the data in each sample (Portugal: χ2 = 203.8, p = .001, df = 51, SRMR = .062, NNFI = .926, CFI = .943, RMSEA = .070, RMSEA 90% IC = .060-.080; Brazil: χ2 = 173.7, p = .001, df = 51, SRMR = .052, NNFI = .940, CFI = .954, RMSEA = .073, RMSEA 90% IC = .061-.085), as well valid cross-cultural invariance among Portuguese e Brazilian samples (∆CFI ≤ .01). Those findings allow us to conclude that scale can be used to measure the basic psychological needs in physical education in Portugal and in Brazil.
Spanish version of the Kidney Disease Knowledge Survey (KiKS) in Peru: cross-cultural adaptation and validation.

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Mota-Anaya, Evelin; Yumpo-Cárdenas, Daniel; Alva-Bravo, Edmundo; Wright-Nunes, Julie; Mayta-Tristán, Percy

2016-08-08

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 50 million people globally. Several studies show the importance of implementing interventions that enhance patients knowledge about their disease. In 2011 the Kidney Disease Knowledge Survey (KiKS) was developed: a questionnaire that assesses the specific knowledge about chronic kidney disease in pre-dialysis patients. To translate to Spanish, culturally adapt and validate the Kidney Disease Knowledge Survey questionnaire in a population of patients with pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease. We carried out a Spanish translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Kidney Disease Knowledge Survey questionnaire. Subsequently, we determined its validity and reliability. We determined the validity through construct validity; and reliability by evaluating its internal consistency and its intra-observer reliability (test-retest). We found a good internal consistency (Kuder-Richardson = 0.85). The intra-observer reliability was measured by the intra-class correlation coefficient that yielded a value of 0.78 (95% CI: 0.5-1.0). This value indicated a good reproducibility; also, the mean difference of -1.1 test-retest SD 6.0 (p = 0.369) confirms this finding. The translated Spanish version of the Kidney Disease Knowledge Survey is acceptable and equivalent to the original version; it also has a good reliability, validity and reproducibility. Therefore, it can be used in a population of patients with pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease.
Translation, cross-culturally adaptation and validation of the Danish version of Oxford Hip Score (OHS)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paulsen, Aksel

there was no properly translated, adapted and validated Danish language version available, a translation to Danish, cross-culturally adaptation and validation of the Danish Oxford Hip Score was warranted. Material and Methods: We translated and cross-culturally adapted the Oxford Hip Score into Danish, in accordance......Objective: The Oxford Hip Score is a patient reported outcome questionnaire designed to assess pain and function in patients undergoing total hip arthroplaty (THA). The Oxford Hip Score is valid, reliable and consistent, and different language versions have been developed. Since.......9 % ceiling effect on this cohort of postoperative patients. Only in 1.2 % of the patients no sum score could be calculated, due to missing items. In relation to construct validity 80 % of predefined hypothesis were confirmed. The different items had an intraclass correlation in the range of 0...
Cross-cultural validation and psychometric testing of the Norwegian version of the TeamSTEPPS® teamwork perceptions questionnaire.

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Ballangrud, Randi; Husebø, Sissel Eikeland; Hall-Lord, Marie Louise

2017-12-02

Teamwork is an integrated part of today's specialized and complex healthcare and essential to patient safety, and is considered as a core competency to improve twenty-first century healthcare. Teamwork measurements and evaluations show promising results to promote good team performance, and are recommended for identifying areas for improvement. The validated TeamSTEPPS® Teamwork Perception Questionnaire (T-TPQ) was found suitable for cross-cultural validation and testing in a Norwegian context. T-TPQ is a self-report survey that examines five dimensions of perception of teamwork within healthcare settings. The aim of the study was to translate and cross-validate the T-TPQ into Norwegian, and test the questionnaire for psychometric properties among healthcare personnel. The T-TPQ was translated and adapted to a Norwegian context according to a model of a back-translation process. A total of 247 healthcare personnel representing different professionals and hospital settings responded to the questionnaire. A confirmatory factor analysis was carried out to test the factor structure. Cronbach's alpha was used to establish internal consistency, and an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient was used to assess the test - retest reliability. A confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable fitting model (χ 2 (df) 969.46 (546), p teamwork dimension clearly represents that specific construct. The Cronbach's alpha demonstrated acceptable values on the five subscales (0.786-0.844), and test-retest showed a reliability parameter, with Intraclass Correlation Coefficient scores from 0.672 to 0.852. The Norwegian version of T-TPQ was considered to be acceptable regarding the validity and reliability for measuring Norwegian individual healthcare personnel's perception of group level teamwork within their unit. However, it needs to be further tested, preferably in a larger sample and in different clinical settings.
The prevalence of sick leave

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Backhausen, Mette; Damm, Peter; Bendix, Jane

2018-01-01

of long-term sick leave. Method Data from 508 employed pregnant women seeking antenatal care was collected by questionnaires from August 2015 to March 2016. The questionnaires, which were filled in at 20 and 32 weeks of gestation, provided information on maternal characteristics, the number of days spent...... on sick leave and the associated reasons. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were applied. Results The prevalence of sick leave was 56% of employed pregnant women in the first 32 weeks of gestation and more than one in four reported long-term sick leave (>20 days, continuous...... was a negative predictor. Conclusions The prevalence of sick leave was 56% in the first 32 weeks of gestation and more than one in four women reported long-term sick leave. The majority of reasons for sick leave were pregnancy-related and low back pain was the most frequently given reason....
Cross-diagnostic validity of the Nottingham health profile index of distress (NHPD

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Klevsgård Rosemarie

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Nottingham Health Profile index of Distress (NHPD has been proposed as a generic undimensional 24-item measure of illness-related distress that is embedded in the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP. Data indicate that the NHPD may have psychometric advantages to the 6-dimensional NHP profile scores. Detailed psychometric evaluations are, however, lacking. Furthermore, to support the validity of the generic property of outcome measures evidence that scores can be interpreted in the same manner in different diagnostic groups are needed. It is currently unknown if NHPD scores have the same meaning across patient populations. This study evaluated the measurement properties and cross-diagnostic validity of the NHPD as a survey instrument among people with Parkinson's disease (PD and peripheral arterial disease (PAD. Methods Data from 215 (PD and 258 (PAD people were Rasch analyzed regarding model fit, reliability, differential item functioning (DIF, unidimensionality and targeting. In cases of cross-diagnostic DIF this was adjusted for and the impact of DIF on the total score and person measures was assessed. Results The NHPD was found to have good overall and individual item fit in both disorders as well as in the pooled sample, but seven items displayed signs of cross-diagnostic DIF. Following adjustment for DIF some aspects of model fit were slightly compromised, whereas others improved somewhat. DIF did not impact total NHPD scores or resulting person measures, but the unadjusted scale displayed minor signs of multidimensionality. Reliability was > 0.8 in all within- and cross-diagnostic analyses. Items tended to represent more distress (mean, 0 logits than that experienced by the sample (mean, -1.6 logits. Conclusion This study supports the within- and cross-diagnostic validity of the NHPD as a survey tool among people with PD and PAD. We encourage others to reassess available NHP data within the NHPD framework to further
Cross-cultural validity and measurement invariance of the Organizational Stressor Indicator for Sport Performers (OSI-SP) across three countries.

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Arnold, R; Ponnusamy, V; Zhang, C-Q; Gucciardi, D F

2017-08-01

Organizational stressors are a universal phenomenon which can be particularly prevalent and problematic for sport performers. In view of their global existence, it is surprising that no studies have examined cross-cultural differences in organizational stressors. One explanation for this is that the Organizational Stressor Indicator for Sport Performers (OSI-SP; Arnold, Fletcher, & Daniels, 2013), which can comprehensively measure the organizational pressures that sport performers have encountered, has not yet been translated from English into any other languages nor scrutinized cross-culturally. The first purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine the cross-cultural validity of the OSI-SP. In addition, the study aimed to test the equivalence of the OSI-SP's factor structure across cultures. British (n = 379), Chinese (n = 335), and Malaysian (n = 444) sport performers completed the OSI-SP. Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the cross-cultural validity of the factorial model for the British and Malaysian samples; however, the overall model fit for the Chinese data did not meet all guideline values. Support was provided for the equality of factor loadings, variances, and covariances on the OSI-SP across the British and Malaysian cultures. These findings advance knowledge and understanding on the cross-cultural existence, conceptualization, and operationalization of organizational stressors. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Development and Cross-Validation of the Short Form of the Cultural Competence Scale for Nurses

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Duckhee Chae, PhD, RN

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To develop and validate the short form of the Korean adaptation of the Cultural Competence Scale for Nurses. Methods: To shorten the 33-item Cultural Competence Scale for Nurses, an expert panel (N = 6 evaluated its content validity. The revised items were pilot tested using a sample of nine nurses, and clarity was assessed through cognitive interviews with respondents. The original instrument was shortened and validated through item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, convergent validity, and reliability using data from 277 hospital nurses. The 14-item final version was cross-validated through confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity, discriminant validity, known-group comparisons, and reliability using data from 365 nurses belonging to 19 hospitals. Results: A 4-factor, 14-item model demonstrated satisfactory fit with significant factor loadings. The convergent validity between the developed tool and transcultural self-efficacy was significant (r = .55, p < .001. The convergent validity evaluated using the Average Variance Extracted and discriminant validity were acceptable. Known-group comparisons revealed significant differences in the mean scores of the groups who spent more than one month abroad (p = .002 were able to communicate in a foreign language (p < .001 and had education to care for foreign patients (p = .039. Cronbach's α was .89, and the reliability of the subscales ranged from .74 to .91. Conclusion: The Cultural Competence Scale for Nurses-Short Form demonstrated good reliability and validity. It is a short and appropriate instrument for use in clinical and research settings to assess nurses' cultural competence. Keywords: cultural competence, psychometric properties, nurse
Tackling Complex Inequalities and Ecuador's Buen Vivir: Leaving No-one Behind and equality in diversity

OpenAIRE

Radcliffe, Sarah Anne

2017-01-01

Ecuador's postneoliberal policy of Buen Vivir seeks to reduce social inequality and tackle complex disadvantages associated with gender, location, race-ethnicity and other social differences. The paper analyses governmental Buen Vivir policy thinking and institutional arrangements to explore how Buen Vivir frameworks approach the constitutional commitment to equality in diversity, in light of the global Sustainable Development Goal of "Leaving No-one Behind" (LNOB). In many respects Ecuador ...
Constraining the cross section of 82Se(n, γ)83Se to validate the β-Oslo method

Science.gov (United States)

Childers, K.; Liddick, S. N.; Crider, B. P.; Dombos, A. C.; Lewis, R.; Spyrou, A.; Couture, A.; Mosby, S.; Prokop, C. J.; Naqvi, F.; Larsen, A. C.; Guttormsen, M.; Campo, L. C.; Renstrom, T.; Siem, S.; Bleuel, D. L.; Perdikakis, G.; Quinn, S.

2017-09-01

Neutron capture cross sections of short-lived nuclei are important for a variety of basic and applied nuclear science problems. However, because of the short half-lives of the nuclei involved and the nonexistence of a neutron target, indirect measurement methods are required. One such method is the β-Oslo method. The nuclear level density and γ strength function of a nucleus are extracted after β-decay and used in a statistical reaction model to constrain the neutron capture cross section. This method has been used previously, but must be validated against a directly measured neutron capture cross section. The neutron capture cross section of 82Se has been measured previously, and 83Se can be accessed by the β-decay of 83As. The β-decay of 83As to 83Se was studied using the SuN detector at the NSCL and the β-Oslo method was utilized to constrain the neutron capture cross section of 82Se, which is compared to the directly measured value.

Cross-cultural and construct validity of the Animated Activity Questionnaire

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peter, Wilfred F; Cw de Vet, Henrika; Boers, Maarten

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The Animated Activity Questionnaire (AAQ) assesses activity limitations in patients with hip/knee osteoarthritis (HKOA), and consisting video animations of which patients choose the animation that best matches their own performance. The AAQ has shown good validity and reliability......, and a Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) and performance-based tests. RESULTS: Data of 1239 patients were available. Compared to Dutch (n=279), none of the 17 items showed DIF in English (n=202), French (n=193), 1 item showed uniform DIF in Spanish (n=99) and Norwegian (n=62), and 2 items showed uniform...... with the cross-cultural validity between these countries. With regard to construct validity, the correlations with PROM (0.74) and performance-based tests (0.36-0.68) were partly as expected (> 0.60). CONCLUSION: The AAQ, an innovative tool to measure activity limitations that can be placed on the continuum...
Validation of Malay Version of Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale: Comparison between Depressed Patients and Healthy Subjects at an Out-Patient Clinic in Malaysia

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NG, Chong Guan; CHIN, Soo Cheng; YEE, Anne Hway Ann; LOH, Huai Seng; SULAIMAN, Ahmad Hatim; Sherianne Sook Kuan, WONG; HABIL, Mohamed Hussain

2014-01-01

Background: The Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) is a self-assessment scale designed to evaluate anhedonia in various psychiatric disorders. In order to facilitate its use in Malaysian settings, our current study aimed to examine the validity of a Malay-translated version of the SHAPS (SHAPS-M). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 44 depressed patients and 82 healthy subjects were recruited from a university out-patient clinic. All participants were given both the Malay and English versions of the SHAPS, Fawcett-Clark Pleasure Scale (FCPS), General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to assess their hedonic state, general mental health condition and levels of depression. Results: The results showed that the SHAPS-M has impressive internal consistency (α = 0.96), concurrent validity and good parallel-form reliability (intraclass coefficient, ICC = 0.65). Conclusion: In addition to demonstrating good psychometric properties, the SHAPS-M is easy to administer. Therefore, it is a valid, reliable, and suitable questionnaire for assessing anhedonia among depressed patients in Malaysia. PMID:25246837
Validation of Malay Version of Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale: Comparison between Depressed Patients and Healthy Subjects at an Out-Patient Clinic in Malaysia.

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Ng, Chong Guan; Chin, Soo Cheng; Yee, Anne Hway Ann; Loh, Huai Seng; Sulaiman, Ahmad Hatim; Sherianne Sook Kuan, Wong; Habil, Mohamed Hussain

2014-05-01

The Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) is a self-assessment scale designed to evaluate anhedonia in various psychiatric disorders. In order to facilitate its use in Malaysian settings, our current study aimed to examine the validity of a Malay-translated version of the SHAPS (SHAPS-M). In this cross-sectional study, a total of 44 depressed patients and 82 healthy subjects were recruited from a university out-patient clinic. All participants were given both the Malay and English versions of the SHAPS, Fawcett-Clark Pleasure Scale (FCPS), General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to assess their hedonic state, general mental health condition and levels of depression. The results showed that the SHAPS-M has impressive internal consistency (α = 0.96), concurrent validity and good parallel-form reliability (intraclass coefficient, ICC = 0.65). In addition to demonstrating good psychometric properties, the SHAPS-M is easy to administer. Therefore, it is a valid, reliable, and suitable questionnaire for assessing anhedonia among depressed patients in Malaysia.
The relationship between intention to leave the hospital and coping methods of emergency nurses after workplace violence.

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Jeong, In-Young; Kim, Ji-Soo

2018-04-01

To identify the relationship between emergency nurses' intention to leave the hospital and their coping methods following workplace violence. Emergency departments report a high prevalence of workplace violence, with nurses being at particular risk of violence from patients and patients' relatives. Violence negatively influences nurses' personal and professional lives and increases their turnover. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive survey study. Participants were nurses (n = 214) with over one year of experience of working in an emergency department. We measured workplace violence, coping after workplace violence experiences and job satisfaction using scales validated through a preliminary survey. Questionnaires were distributed to all nurses who signed informed consent forms. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify the relationships between nurses' intention to leave the hospital and their coping methods after workplace violence. Verbal abuse was the most frequent violence experience and more often originated from patients' relatives than from patients. Of the nurses who experienced violence, 61.0% considered leaving the hospital. As for coping, nurses who employed problem-focused coping most frequently sought to identify the problems that cause violence, while nurses who employed emotion-focused coping primarily attempted to endure the situation. The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that female sex, emotion-focused coping and job satisfaction were significantly related to emergency nurses' intention to leave. Emotion-focused coping seems to have a stronger effect on intention to leave after experiencing violence than does job satisfaction. Nurse managers should begin providing emergency nurses with useful information to guide their management of violence experiences. Nurse managers should also encourage nurses to report violent experiences to the administrative department rather than resorting to emotion-focused coping
Antihyperglycemic activities of leaves of three edible fruit plants (Averrhoa carambola, Ficus hispida and Syzygium samarangense) of Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahreen, Shejuty; Banik, Joyanta; Hafiz, Abdul; Rahman, Shahnaz; Zaman, Anahita Tanzia; Shoyeb, Md Abu; Chowdhury, Majeedul H; Rahmatullah, Mohammed

2012-01-01

Averrhoa carambola L. (Oxalidaceae), Ficus hispida L.f. (Moraceae), and Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merr. & L.M. Perry (Myrtaceae) are three common plants in Bangladesh, the fruits of which are edible. The leaves and fruits of A. carambola and F. hispida are used by folk medicinal practitioners for treatment of diabetes, while the leaves of S. samarangense are used for treatment of cold, itches, and waist pain. Since scientific studies are absent on the antihyperglycemic effects of the leaves of the three plants, it was the objective of the present study to evaluate the antihyperglycemic potential of methanolic extract of leaves of the plants in oral glucose tolerance tests carried out with glucose-loaded mice. The extracts at different doses were administered one hour prior to glucose administration and blood glucose level was measured after two hours of glucose administration (p.o.) using glucose oxidase method. Significant oral hypoglycemic activity was found with the extracts of leaves of all three plants tested. The fall in serum glucose levels were dose-dependent for every individual plant, being highest at the highest dose tested of 400 mg extract per kg body weight. At this dose, the extracts of A. carambola, F. hispida, and S. samarangense caused, respectively, 34.1, 22.7, and 59.3% reductions in serum glucose levels when compared to control animals. The standard antihyperglycemic drug, glibenclamide, caused a 57.3% reduction in serum glucose levels versus control. Among the three plants evaluated, the methanolic extract of leaves of S. samarangense proved to be the most potent in demonstrating antihyperglycemic effects. The result validates the folk medicinal uses of A. carambola and F. hispida in the treatment of diabetes, and indicates that the leaves of S. samarangense can also possibly be used for amelioration of diabetes-induced hyperglycemia.
Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of an HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudinal instrument.

Science.gov (United States)

Zometa, Carlos S; Dedrick, Robert; Knox, Michael D; Westhoff, Wayne; Siri, Rodrigo Simán; Debaldo, Ann

2007-06-01

An instrument developed in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess HIV/AIDS knowledge and four attitudinal dimensions (Peer Pressure, Abstinence, Drug Use, and Threat of HIV Infection) and an instrument developed by Basen-Engquist et al. (1999) to measure abstinence and condom use were translated, cross-culturally adapted, and validated for use with Spanish-speaking high school students in El Salvador. A back-translation of the English version was cross-culturally adapted using two different review panels and pilot-tested with Salvadorian students. An expert panel established content validity, and confirmatory factor analysis provided support for construct validity. Results indicated that the methodology was successful in cross-culturally adapting the instrument developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the instrument developed by Basen-Engquist et al. The psychometric properties of the knowledge section were acceptable and there was partial support for the four-factor attitudinal model underlying the CDC instrument and the two-factor model underlying the Basen-Engquist et al. instrument. Additional studies with Spanish-speaking populations (either in the United States or Latin America) are needed to evaluate the generalizability of the present results.
Recent validation experience with multigroup cross-section libraries and scale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowman, S.M.; Wright, R.Q.; DeHart, M.D.; Parks, C.V.; Petrie, L.M.

1995-01-01

This paper will discuss the results obtained and lessons learned from an extensive validation of new ENDF/B-V and ENDF/B-VI multigroup cross-section libraries using analyses of critical experiments. The KENO V. a Monte Carlo code in version 4.3 of the SCALE computer code system was used to perform the critical benchmark calculations via the automated SCALE sequence CSAS25. The cross-section data were processed by the SCALE automated problem-dependent resonance-processing procedure included in this sequence. Prior to calling KENO V.a, CSAS25 accesses BONAMI to perform resonance self-shielding for nuclides with Bondarenko factors and NITAWL-II to process nuclides with resonance parameter data via the Nordheim Integral Treatment
Application of Monte Carlo cross-validation to identify pathway cross-talk in neonatal sepsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuxia; Liu, Cui; Wang, Jingna; Li, Xingxia

2018-03-01

To explore genetic pathway cross-talk in neonates with sepsis, an integrated approach was used in this paper. To explore the potential relationships between differently expressed genes between normal uninfected neonates and neonates with sepsis and pathways, genetic profiling and biologic signaling pathway were first integrated. For different pathways, the score was obtained based upon the genetic expression by quantitatively analyzing the pathway cross-talk. The paired pathways with high cross-talk were identified by random forest classification. The purpose of the work was to find the best pairs of pathways able to discriminate sepsis samples versus normal samples. The results found 10 pairs of pathways, which were probably able to discriminate neonates with sepsis versus normal uninfected neonates. Among them, the best two paired pathways were identified according to analysis of extensive literature. Impact statement To find the best pairs of pathways able to discriminate sepsis samples versus normal samples, an RF classifier, the DS obtained by DEGs of paired pathways significantly associated, and Monte Carlo cross-validation were applied in this paper. Ten pairs of pathways were probably able to discriminate neonates with sepsis versus normal uninfected neonates. Among them, the best two paired pathways ((7) IL-6 Signaling and Phospholipase C Signaling (PLC); (8) Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR) Signaling and Dendritic Cell Maturation) were identified according to analysis of extensive literature.
Cross-Cultural Validation of the Five-Factor Structure of Social Goals: A Filipino Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

King, Ronnel B.; Watkins, David A.

2012-01-01

The aim of the present study was to test the cross-cultural validity of the five-factor structure of social goals that Dowson and McInerney proposed. Using both between-network and within-network approaches to construct validation, 1,147 Filipino high school students participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the…
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the teamwork climate scale

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Mariana Charantola Silva

2016-01-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To adapt and validate the Team Climate Inventory scale, of teamwork climate measurement, for the Portuguese language, in the context of primary health care in Brazil. METHODS Methodological study with quantitative approach of cross-cultural adaptation (translation, back-translation, synthesis, expert committee, and pretest and validation with 497 employees from 72 teams of the Family Health Strategy in the city of Campinas, SP, Southeastern Brazil. We verified reliability by the Cronbach’s alpha, construct validity by the confirmatory factor analysis with SmartPLS software, and correlation by the job satisfaction scale. RESULTS We problematized the overlap of items 9, 11, and 12 of the “participation in the team” factor and the “team goals” factor regarding its definition. The validation showed no overlapping of items and the reliability ranged from 0.92 to 0.93. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated suitability of the proposed model with distribution of the 38 items in the four factors. The correlation between teamwork climate and job satisfaction was significant. CONCLUSIONS The version of the scale in Brazilian Portuguese was validated and can be used in the context of primary health care in the Country, constituting an adequate tool for the assessment and diagnosis of teamwork.
Spanish translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Questionnaire for Diabetes-Related Foot Disease (Q-DFD)

OpenAIRE

Castillo, Wilson; Flores-Fortty,; Feraud,Lourdes; Tettamanti,

2013-01-01

Wilson Castillo-Tandazo, Adolfo Flores-Fortty, Lourdes Feraud, Daniel TettamantiSchool of Medicine, Universidad Espíritu Santo – Ecuador, Samborondón, Guayas, EcuadorPurpose: To translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the Questionnaire for Diabetes-Related Foot Disease (Q-DFD), originally created and validated in Australia, for its use in Spanish-speaking patients with diabetes mellitus.Patients and methods: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation...
Can we throw information out of visual working memory and does this leave informational residue in long-term memory?

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Ashleigh Monette Maxcey

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Can we entirely erase a temporary memory representation from mind? This question has been addressed in several recent studies that tested the specific hypothesis that a representation can be erased from visual working memory based on a cue that indicated that the representation was no longer necessary for the task. In addition to behavioral results that are consistent with the idea that we can throw information out of visual working memory, recent neurophysiological recordings support this proposal. However, given the infinite capacity of long-term memory, it is unclear whether throwing a representation out of visual working memory really removes its effects on memory entirely. In this paper we advocate for an approach that examines our ability to erase memory representations from working memory, as well as possible traces that those erased representations leave in long-term memory.
A Cross-Validation Study of Police Recruit Performance as Predicted by the IPI and MMPI.

Science.gov (United States)

Shusman, Elizabeth J.; And Others

Validation and cross-validation studies were conducted using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI) to predict job performance for 698 urban male police officers who completed a six-month training academy. Job performance criteria evaluated included absence, lateness, derelictions, negative…
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of a Bengali version of the modified fibromyalgia impact questionnaire

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Muquith, Mohammed A.; Islam, Nazrul; Haq, Syed A.; ten Klooster, Peter M.; Rasker, Johannes J.; Yunus, Muhammad B.

2012-01-01

Background Currently, no validated instruments are available to measure the health status of Bangladeshi patients with fibromyalgia (FM). The aims of this study were to cross-culturally adapt the modified Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) into Bengali (B-FIQ) and to test its validity and
A Comparison Study of Classifier Algorithms for Cross-Person Physical Activity Recognition

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Yago Saez

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Physical activity is widely known to be one of the key elements of a healthy life. The many benefits of physical activity described in the medical literature include weight loss and reductions in the risk factors for chronic diseases. With the recent advances in wearable devices, such as smartwatches or physical activity wristbands, motion tracking sensors are becoming pervasive, which has led to an impressive growth in the amount of physical activity data available and an increasing interest in recognizing which specific activity a user is performing. Moreover, big data and machine learning are now cross-fertilizing each other in an approach called “deep learning”, which consists of massive artificial neural networks able to detect complicated patterns from enormous amounts of input data to learn classification models. This work compares various state-of-the-art classification techniques for automatic cross-person activity recognition under different scenarios that vary widely in how much information is available for analysis. We have incorporated deep learning by using Google’s TensorFlow framework. The data used in this study were acquired from PAMAP2 (Physical Activity Monitoring in the Ageing Population, a publicly available dataset containing physical activity data. To perform cross-person prediction, we used the leave-one-subject-out (LOSO cross-validation technique. When working with large training sets, the best classifiers obtain very high average accuracies (e.g., 96% using extra randomized trees. However, when the data volume is drastically reduced (where available data are only 0.001% of the continuous data, deep neural networks performed the best, achieving 60% in overall prediction accuracy. We found that even when working with only approximately 22.67% of the full dataset, we can statistically obtain the same results as when working with the full dataset. This finding enables the design of more energy-efficient devices and
A Comparison Study of Classifier Algorithms for Cross-Person Physical Activity Recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Saez, Yago; Baldominos, Alejandro; Isasi, Pedro

2016-12-30

Physical activity is widely known to be one of the key elements of a healthy life. The many benefits of physical activity described in the medical literature include weight loss and reductions in the risk factors for chronic diseases. With the recent advances in wearable devices, such as smartwatches or physical activity wristbands, motion tracking sensors are becoming pervasive, which has led to an impressive growth in the amount of physical activity data available and an increasing interest in recognizing which specific activity a user is performing. Moreover, big data and machine learning are now cross-fertilizing each other in an approach called "deep learning", which consists of massive artificial neural networks able to detect complicated patterns from enormous amounts of input data to learn classification models. This work compares various state-of-the-art classification techniques for automatic cross-person activity recognition under different scenarios that vary widely in how much information is available for analysis. We have incorporated deep learning by using Google's TensorFlow framework. The data used in this study were acquired from PAMAP2 (Physical Activity Monitoring in the Ageing Population), a publicly available dataset containing physical activity data. To perform cross-person prediction, we used the leave-one-subject-out (LOSO) cross-validation technique. When working with large training sets, the best classifiers obtain very high average accuracies (e.g., 96% using extra randomized trees). However, when the data volume is drastically reduced (where available data are only 0.001% of the continuous data), deep neural networks performed the best, achieving 60% in overall prediction accuracy. We found that even when working with only approximately 22.67% of the full dataset, we can statistically obtain the same results as when working with the full dataset. This finding enables the design of more energy-efficient devices and facilitates cold
Examining the Experiences of Young People Transitioning from Out-of-Home Care in Rural Victoria

Science.gov (United States)

Mendes, Philip

2012-01-01

Young people leaving state out-of-home care are arguably one of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society. Many have been found to experience significant health, social and educational deficits. In recent years, most Australian States and Territories have introduced specialist leaving care and after care programs and supports, but…
"Cross-Cultural Adaptation Of The Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29 For Iranian MS Patients, Evaluation Of Reliability And Validity "

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P. Ayatollahi

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Background and Aim: Measuring the outcome of chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis is an important factor in assessment of disease impact on different dimensions of quality of life and in evaluation of therapeutic interventions. The aim of this study was to perform the cross-cultural adaptation of the MSIS-29 which is a MS-specific outcome measure for Iranian patients. Materials and Methods: The Iranian adaptation process of the MSIS-29 included 5 steps. To evaluate psychometric properties of the translated version, the questionnaire was administered to a consecutive sample of 96 patients with clinically definite MS referred to our out-patient clinic. Test-retest reliability was assessed in a sub-sample consisted of 30 patients. These patients completed the questionnaire on two occasions separated by a 7-day interval. The Iranian version of the SF-36 was also administered to this sub-sample in order to evaluate the validity of translated MSIS-29. Results: Statistical analysis indicated that the Persian version of the MSIS-29 had high internal consistency (cronbach’s alpha coefficients > 0.70 and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficients >0.70 and a good validity. Conclusion: The Persian version of the MSIS-29 is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring MS outcome in Iranian patients. It can be used in clinical trials and cross-sectional studies.
New statement of leave format

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2009-01-01

Following the communication of the Standing Concertation Committee published in Weekly Bulletin No. 18-19 of 27 April 2009, the current statement of leave on monthly pay slips has been replaced with the EDH Leave Transactions report that displays the up-to-date situation of individual leave balances at all times. The report is available on EDH. Additionally, the layout of the pay slip has been modernised. The new version of the pay slip will be send out from September 2009 onwards. Finance and Purchasing Department, Personnel Accounting Human Resources Department, Organisation and Procedures General Infrastructure Services Department, Administrative Information Services
Methodology to carry out a sensitivity and uncertainty analysis for cross sections using a coupled model Trace-Parcs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reyes F, M. C.; Del Valle G, E.; Gomez T, A. M.; Sanchez E, V.

2015-09-01

A methodology was implemented to carry out a sensitivity and uncertainty analysis for cross sections used in a coupled model for Trace/Parcs in a transient of control rod fall of a BWR-5. A model of the reactor core for the neutronic code Parcs was used, in which the assemblies located in the core are described. Thermo-hydraulic model in Trace was a simple model, where only a component type Chan was designed to represent all the core assemblies, which it was within a single vessel and boundary conditions were established. The thermo-hydraulic part was coupled with the neutron part, first for the steady state and then a transient of control rod fall was carried out for the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. To carry out the analysis of cross sections used in the coupled model Trace/Parcs during the transient, the Probability Density Functions for 22 parameters selected from the total of neutronic parameters that use Parcs were generated, obtaining 100 different cases for the coupled model Trace/Parcs, each one with a database of different cross sections. All these cases were executed with the coupled model, obtaining in consequence 100 different output files for the transient of control rod fall doing emphasis in the nominal power, for which an uncertainty analysis was realized at the same time generate the band of uncertainty. With this analysis is possible to observe the ranges of results of the elected responses varying the selected uncertainty parameters. The sensitivity analysis complements the uncertainty analysis, identifying the parameter or parameters with more influence on the results and thus focuses on these parameters in order to better understand their effects. Beyond the obtained results, because is not a model with real operation data, the importance of this work is to know the application of the methodology to carry out the sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. (Author)

Cross-Cultural adaption, validity and reliability of a Hindi version of the Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale

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Meena Jain

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Background: An appropriate scale to assess the dental anxiety of Hindi speaking population is lacking. This study, therefore, aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of Hindi version of one of the oldest dental anxiety scale, Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS in Hindi speaking Indian adults.Methods: A total of 348 subjects from the outpatient department of a dental hospital in Indiaparticipated in this cross-sectional study. The scale was cross-culturally adapted by forward and backward translation, committee review and pretesting method. The construct validity of the translated scale was explored with exploratory factor analysis. The correlation of the Hindi version of CDAS with visual analogue scale (VAS was used to measure the convergent validity.Reliability was assessed through calculations of Cronbach’s alpha and intra class correlation 48 forms were completed for test-retest.Results: Prevalence of dental anxiety in the sample within the age range of 18-80 years was 85.63% [95% CI: 0.815-0.891]. The response rate was 100 %. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO test value was 0.776. After factor analysis, a single factor (dental anxiety was obtained with 4 items.The single factor model explained 61% variance. Pearson correlation coefficient between CDASand VAS was 0.494. Test-retest showed the Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.814. The test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient of the total CDAS score was 0.881 [95% CI: 0.318-0.554].Conclusion: Hindi version of CDAS is a valid and reliable scale to assess dental anxiety in Hindi speaking population. Convergent validity is well recognized but discriminant validity is limited and requires further study.
Cross-Cultural adaption, validity and reliability of a Hindi version of the Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Meena; Tandon, Shourya; Sharma, Ankur; Jain, Vishal; Rani Yadav, Nisha

2018-01-01

Background: An appropriate scale to assess the dental anxiety of Hindi speaking population is lacking. This study, therefore, aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of Hindi version of one of the oldest dental anxiety scale, Corah’s Dental Anxiety Scale (CDAS) in Hindi speaking Indian adults. Methods: A total of 348 subjects from the outpatient department of a dental hospital in India participated in this cross-sectional study. The scale was cross-culturally adapted by forward and backward translation, committee review and pretesting method. The construct validity of the translated scale was explored with exploratory factor analysis. The correlation of the Hindi version of CDAS with visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to measure the convergent validity. Reliability was assessed through calculations of Cronbach’s alpha and intra class correlation 48 forms were completed for test-retest. Results: Prevalence of dental anxiety in the sample within the age range of 18-80 years was 85.63% [95% CI: 0.815-0.891]. The response rate was 100 %. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test value was 0.776. After factor analysis, a single factor (dental anxiety) was obtained with 4 items.The single factor model explained 61% variance. Pearson correlation coefficient between CDASand VAS was 0.494. Test-retest showed the Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.814. The test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient of the total CDAS score was 0.881 [95% CI: 0.318-0.554]. Conclusion: Hindi version of CDAS is a valid and reliable scale to assess dental anxiety in Hindi speaking population. Convergent validity is well recognized but discriminant validity is limited and requires further study. PMID:29744307
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the South African Pain Catastrophizing Scale (SA-PCS among patients with fibromyalgia

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Morris Linzette D

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Pain catastrophization has recently been recognized as a barrier to the healthy development of physical functioning among chronic pain patients. Levels of pain catastrophization in chronic pain patients are commonly measured using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS. Objective To cross-culturally adapt and validate the South African PCS (SA-PCS among English-, Afrikaans- and Xhosa-speaking patients with fibromyalgia living in the Cape Metropole area, Western Cape, South Africa. Methods The original PCS was cross-culturally adapted in accordance with international standards to develop an English, Afrikaans and Xhosa version of the SA-PCS using a repeated measures study design. Psychometric testing included face/content validity, internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha-α, test-retest reliability (intraclass coefficient correlations-ICC, sensitivity-to-change and cross-sectional convergent validity (by comparing the adapted SA-PCS to related constructs. Results The cross-culturally adapted English, Afrikaans and Xhosa SA-PCS showed good face and content validity, excellent internal consistency (with Chronbach’s α = 0.98, 0.98 and 0.97 for the English, Afrikaans and Xhosa SA-PCS, as a whole, respectively, excellent test-retest reliability (with ICC’s of 0.90, 0.91 and 0.89 for the English, Afrikaans and Xhosa SA-PCS, respectively; as well as satisfactory sensitivity-to-change (with a minimum detectable change of 8.8, 9.0 and 9.3 for the English, Afrikaans and Xhosa SA-PCS, respectively and cross-sectional convergent validity (when compared to pain severity as well as South African versions of the Tampa scale for Kinesiophobia and the revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire. Conclusion The SA-PCS can therefore be recommended as simple, efficient, valid and reliable tool which shows satisfactory sensitivity-to-change and cross-sectional convergent validity, for use among English, Afrikaans and Xhosa-speaking patients with
Leaves of Absence. School Law Summary.

Science.gov (United States)

National Education Association, Washington, DC. Research Div.

This report contains State-by-State statutory summaries on three types of leaves of absence relating to teachers -- sick leave, maternity leave, and sabbatical leave. Only State laws that have specific reference to one of these three types of leaves of absence are included. Not included are those statutes granting boards of education the general…
Reducing sick leave of Dutch vocational school students: adaptation of a sick leave protocol using the intervention mapping process.

Science.gov (United States)

de Kroon, Marlou L A; Bulthuis, Jozien; Mulder, Wico; Schaafsma, Frederieke G; Anema, Johannes R

2016-12-01

Since the extent of sick leave and the problems of vocational school students are relatively large, we aimed to tailor a sick leave protocol at Dutch lower secondary education schools to the particular context of vocational schools. Four steps of the iterative process of Intervention Mapping (IM) to adapt this protocol were carried out: (1) performing a needs assessment and defining a program objective, (2) determining the performance and change objectives, (3) identifying theory-based methods and practical strategies and (4) developing a program plan. Interviews with students using structured questionnaires, in-depth interviews with relevant stakeholders, a literature research and, finally, a pilot implementation were carried out. A sick leave protocol was developed that was feasible and acceptable for all stakeholders. The main barriers for widespread implementation are time constraints in both monitoring and acting upon sick leave by school and youth health care. The iterative process of IM has shown its merits in the adaptation of the manual 'A quick return to school is much better' to a sick leave protocol for vocational school students.
Person-environment fit, flourishing and intention to leave in universities of technology in South Africa

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Christine Janse van Rensburg

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Retaining staff is vital to ensure that universities accomplish their missions. To optimise the potential of staff members and retain staff, it is necessary to study their flourishing and fit in their jobs and organisations. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between person-environment fit, flourishing at work and intention to leave. Motivation for the study: Research is needed to validate a measure of flourishing at work. Outcome variables such as intention to leave have not been studied in relation to flourishing at work. Moreover, it is necessary to study antecedents of flourishing at work, such as person-environment fit. Research approach, design and method: A cross-sectional survey design was used with a convenience sample of 339 academic employees from three universities of technology in South Africa. Three perceived fit scales, the Flourishing-at-Work Scale (FAWS and the Turnover Intention Scale were administered. Main findings: Findings supported a three-factor model of flourishing at work, consisting of emotional, psychological and social well-being. The highest mean frequencies on flourishing dimensions were obtained for competence and emotional engagement. The lowest mean frequencies were obtained for relatedness and social well-being. Person-environment fit predicted intention to leave, both directly and indirectly, via flourishing. The findings support the internal consistency and validity of the FAWS. Practical/managerial implications: Managers and human resource practitioners should consider the use of a multidimensional measure to assess flourishing at work. Considering certain dimensions of well-being at work (e.g. work engagement and competence of employees without considering other dimensions (e.g. job satisfaction, affect balance and meaning at work will not be sufficient to assess and promote the subjective well-being of employees. Contribution/value-add: This study
Development and Cross-Validation of Equation for Estimating Percent Body Fat of Korean Adults According to Body Mass Index

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Hoyong Sung

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background : Using BMI as an independent variable is the easiest way to estimate percent body fat. Thus far, few studies have investigated the development and cross-validation of an equation for estimating the percent body fat of Korean adults according to the BMI. The goals of this study were the development and cross-validation of an equation for estimating the percent fat of representative Korean adults using the BMI. Methods : Samples were obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2008 and 2011. The samples from 2008-2009 and 2010-2011 were labeled as the validation group (n=10,624 and the cross-validation group (n=8,291, respectively. The percent fat was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and the body mass index, gender, and age were included as independent variables to estimate the measured percent fat. The coefficient of determination (R², standard error of estimation (SEE, and total error (TE were calculated to examine the accuracy of the developed equation. Results : The cross-validated R² was 0.731 for Model 1 and 0.735 for Model 2. The SEE was 3.978 for Model 1 and 3.951 for Model 2. The equations developed in this study are more accurate for estimating percent fat of the cross-validation group than those previously published by other researchers. Conclusion : The newly developed equations are comparatively accurate for the estimation of the percent fat of Korean adults.
A Hold-out method to correct PCA variance inflation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garcia-Moreno, Pablo; Artes-Rodriguez, Antonio; Hansen, Lars Kai

2012-01-01

In this paper we analyze the problem of variance inflation experienced by the PCA algorithm when working in an ill-posed scenario where the dimensionality of the training set is larger than its sample size. In an earlier article a correction method based on a Leave-One-Out (LOO) procedure...
Influence of yellow rust infextion on 32P transport in detached barley leaves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schubert, J.

1982-01-01

Several barley cultivars (Hordeum vulgare L.) differing in their resistance to yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis West.) were tested for relationships between changes of 32 P transport in detached leaves and resistance to yellow rust disease. Investigation carried out with detached second leaves from plants infected at their first leaf revealed a matter transport in these leaves changed by the infection. Transport was also influenced by inoculation with yellow rust uredospores. In that case rust infection influenced the basipetal transport less strongly in resistent plants than in susceptible ones. Connected with the findings the influence of fungal substances on transport processes is discussed in general. (author)
Crystal macropattern development in Prunus serotina (Rosaceae, Prunoideae) leaves.

Science.gov (United States)

Lersten, Nels R; Horner, Harry T

2006-05-01

Prunus, subgenus Padus, exhibits two completely different calcium oxalate crystal macropatterns in mature leaves. Foliar macropattern development has been described previously in P. virginiana, representing one version. Prunus serotina, in the group exhibiting the second macropattern, is described here. The goal was to describe developmental details for comparison with P. virginiana, and to extend the sparse current knowledge of crystal macropatterns. Leaves at various developmental stages were removed from local trees and from herbarium specimens. Early leaf stages and freehand leaf and stem sections were mounted directly in aqueous glycerine; larger leaves were processed whole or in representative pieces in household bleach, dehydrated in alcohol/xylol, and mounted in Permount. Crystals were detected microscopically between crossed polarizers. Bud scales have a dense druse population. Druses appear first at the stipule tip and proliferate basipetally but soon stop forming; growing stipules therefore have a declining density of druses. Druses appear at the tip of leaves virginiana, and shows that two closely related species can develop radically different modes of crystallization. The few detailed macropattern studies to date reveal striking variations that indicate a new level of organization that must be integrated with the anatomical, physiological and molecular approaches that have been dominant so far.
Intra-Generational Mobility and Repeated Cross-Sections: A Three Country Validation Exercise

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cruces, G.; Lanjouw, P.F.; Lucchetti, L.; Perova, E.; Vakis, R.; Viollaz, M.

2015-01-01

This paper validates a recently proposed method to estimate intra-generational poverty transitions through repeated cross-sectional surveys. The technique allows the creation of a “synthetic panel” – done by predicting future or past household income or consumption using a set of simple modeling and
The assessment of water resources in ungauged catchments in Rwanda

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O.P. Abimbola

2017-10-01

New hydrological insights for the region: Results of this study show that climate, physiography and land cover strongly influence the hydrology of catchments in Rwanda. Using leave-one-out cross-validation, the log-transformed models were found to predict the flow parameters more suitably. These models can be used for estimating the flow parameters in ungauged catchments in Rwanda and the methodology can be applied in any other region, as long as sufficient and good quality streamflow data is available.
The development and cross-validation of an MMPI typology of murderers.

Science.gov (United States)

Holcomb, W R; Adams, N A; Ponder, H M

1985-06-01

A sample of 80 male offenders charged with premeditated murder were divided into five personality types using MMPI scores. A hierarchical clustering procedure was used with a subsequent internal cross-validation analysis using a second sample of 80 premeditated murderers. A Discriminant Analysis resulted in a 96.25% correct classification of subjects from the second sample into the five types. Clinical data from a mental status interview schedule supported the external validity of these types. There were significant differences among the five types in hallucinations, disorientation, hostility, depression, and paranoid thinking. Both similarities and differences of the present typology with prior research was discussed. Additional research questions were suggested.
WaLIDD score, a new tool to diagnose dysmenorrhea and predict medical leave in university students

Science.gov (United States)

Teherán, Aníbal A; Piñeros, Luis Gabriel; Pulido, Fabián; Mejía Guatibonza, María Camila

2018-01-01

Background Dysmenorrhea is a frequent and misdiagnosed symptom affecting the quality of life in young women. A working ability, location, intensity, days of pain, dysmenorrhea (WaLIDD) score was designed to diagnose dysmenorrhea and to predict medical leave. Methods This cross-sectional design included young medical students, who completed a self-administered questionnaire that contained the verbal rating score (VRS; pain and drug subscales) and WaLIDD scales. The correlation between scales was established through Spearman test. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio (LR +/−) were evaluated to diagnose students availing medical leave due to dysmenorrhea; moreover, to predict medical leave in students with dysmenorrhea, a binary logistic regression was performed. Results In all, 585 students, with a mean age of 21 years and menarche at 12 years, participated. Most of them had regular cycles, 5 days of menstrual blood flow and 1–2 days of lower abdominal pain. The WaLIDD scale presented an adequate internal consistency and strong correlation with VRS subscales. With a cutoff of >6 for WaLIDD and 2 for VRS subscales (drug subscale and pain subscale) to identify students with dysmenorrhea, these scales presented an area under the curve (AUC) ROC of 0.82, 0.62, and 0.67, respectively. To identify students taking medical leave due to dysmenorrhea, WaLIDD (cutoff >9) and VRS subscales (cutoff >2) presented an AUC ROC of 0.97, 0.68, and 0.81; moreover, the WaLIDD scale showed a good LR +14.2 (95% CI, 13.5–14.9), LR −0.00 (95% CI, undefined), and predictive risk (OR 5.38; 95% CI, 1.78–16.2). Conclusion This research allowed a comparison between two multidimensional scales regarding their capabilities, one previously validated and a new one, to discriminate among the general population of medical students, among those with dysmenorrhea or those availing medical leave secondary to dysmenorrhea
Influence of chemical treatment on dimensional stability of narrow-leaved ash - part one: Tangential swelling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popović Jasmina

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Dimensional change in wood occurs with the change in hygroscopic moisture content, as a consequence of available hydroxyl groups in wood constituents, allowing for the hydrogen bonding with water molecules. Various pretreatments of wood material are being frequently applied in the wood processing industry. One of the main effects of such processes is the hydrolysis of hemicelluloses, which is the main carrier of the free hydroxyl groups in wood material. Hence, the influence of water treatment and the acetic acid treatment on dimensional stability of narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl. ssp. Pannonica Soó & Simon were examined in this paper. Duration of treatments was 1h, 2h, 3h and 4h for both solvents. In addition the acetic acid was separately used in concentrations of 3% and 6%. Dimensional stability of the control (referent and treated sample groups were tested on oven dried samples which were consequently submerged in the distilled water during 32 days. The increase of dimensional stability of narrow-leaved ash was achieved with all of the three treatments (one treatment with water and the two with acetic acid solutions. Simultaneously, it was noticed that the results of water uptake and tangential swelling were not significantly affected by the duration (length of the treatments. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TP-031041
Different Diagnosis, Shared Vulnerabilities: The Value of Cross Disorder Validation of Capacity to Consent.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, Allyson; Weitlauf, Julie C

2015-01-01

A screening measure of capacity to consent can provide an efficient method of determining the appropriateness of including individuals from vulnerable patient populations in research, particularly in circumstances in which no caregiver is available to provide surrogate consent. Seaman et al. (2015) cross-validate a measure of capacity to consent to research developed by Jeste et al. (2007). They provide data on controls, caregivers, and patients with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. The study demonstrates the importance of validating measures across disorders with different domains of incapacity, as well as the need for timely and appropriate follow-up with potential participants who yield positive screens. Ultimately clinical measures need to adapt to the dimensional diagnostic approaches put forward in DSM 5. Integrative models of constructs, such as capacity to consent, will make this process more efficient by avoiding the need to test measures in each disorder. Until then, cross-validation studies, such as the work by Seaman et al. (2015) are critical.
The Temporary Leave Dilemma -

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Amilon, Anna

2010-01-01

Lone mothers have to take care of a sick child with little or no help from the child’s other parent and have to carry all costs connected to leave-taking. This paper empirically tests whether lone mothers take more temporary parental leave to care for sick children than partnered mothers...... and whether parental leave is associated with a signaling cost. The results from this study of Swedish mothers show that lone mothers use more temporary parental leave than partnered mothers. Further, within the group of lone mothers, those with higher socioeconomic status take less temporary parental leave...... than those with lower socioeconomic status, whereas no such differences are found within the group of partnered mothers. One possible interpretation is that signaling costs negatively influence the utilization of temporary parental leave for lone mothers....
RECRUITMENT FINANCED BY SAVED LEAVE (RSL PROGRAMME)

CERN Multimedia

Division du Personnel; Tel. 73903

1999-01-01

Transfer to the saved leave account and saved leave bonusStaff members participating in the RSL programme may opt to transfer up to 10 days of unused annual leave or unused compensatory leave into their saved leave account, at the end of the leave year, i.e. 30 September (as set out in the implementation procedure dated 27 August 1997).A leave transfer request form, which you should complete, sign and return, if you wish to use this possibility, has been addressed you. To allow the necessary time for the processing of your request, you should return it without delay.As foreseen in the implementation procedure, an additional day of saved leave will be granted for each full period of 20 days remaining in the saved leave account on 31 December 1999, for any staff member participating in the RSL programme until that date.For part-time staff members participating in the RSL programme, the above-mentioned days of leave (annual, compensatory and saved) are adjusted proportionally to their contractual working week as...
Online version of the food allergy quality of life questionnaire-adult form: validity, feasibility and cross-cultural comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Goossens, N J; Flokstra-de Blok, B M J; Vlieg-Boerstra, B J; Duiverman, E J; Weiss, C C; Furlong, T J; Dubois, A E J

2011-04-01

Food-allergic reactions occur in 3-4% of the adult population in Western countries. It has been shown that food allergy may impair health-related quality of life (HRQL). Food allergy quality of life questionnaires (FAQLQs) have been developed and validated, including an adult form (FAQLQ-AF). These questionnaires may be particularly useful for cross-cultural comparisons. The aims of this study were to translate the FAQLQ-AF from Dutch into English and validate an online version in the United States. Additionally, HRQL of American and Dutch food-allergic adults was compared. The Dutch FAQLQ-AF was translated into English as set out by the World Health Organization and converted to an electronic online format. Participants (food allergic American adults) were recruited through the 'Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network' website and completed the questionnaire online. Construct validity, internal consistency, discriminative ability and feasibility were analysed. A cross-cultural comparison was made using the Dutch FAQLQ-AF scores. Data from 180 American participants were analysed. The online FAQLQ-AF had a good construct validity (correlation with FAIM: ρ=0.72; P<0.001), internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.95) and was discriminative for 'anaphylaxis' vs. 'no anaphylaxis' and 'number of food allergies'. The most striking finding was a significantly greater impairment in HRQL in the American participants, as compared with their Dutch counterparts (the total FAQLQ-AF scores were 4.3 vs. 3.5, respectively; P<0.001, where 1 signifies no impairment and 7 signifies extreme impairment in HRQL). The online American FAQLQ-AF is a valid instrument to measure HRQL in food-allergic patients in the United States. Additionally, HRQL of American food-allergic adults may be more impaired than Dutch food-allergic adults. The FAQLQ-AF can now be used to determine the HRQL in American food-allergic adults and can assist clinicians in optimizing management strategies for food
One Size Fits All? The Validity of a Composite Poverty Index Across Urban and Rural Households in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinert, Janina Isabel; Cluver, Lucie Dale; Melendez-Torres, G J; Vollmer, Sebastian

2018-01-01

Composite indices have been prominently used in poverty research. However, validity of these indices remains subject to debate. This paper examines the validity of a common type of composite poverty indices using data from a cross-sectional survey of 2477 households in urban and rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Multiple-group comparisons in structural equation modelling were employed for testing differences in the measurement model across urban and rural groups. The analysis revealed substantial variations between urban and rural respondents both in the conceptualisation of poverty as well as in the weights and importance assigned to individual poverty indicators. The validity of a 'one size fits all' measurement model can therefore not be confirmed. In consequence, it becomes virtually impossible to determine a household's poverty level relative to the full sample. Findings from our analysis have important practical implications in nuancing how we can sensitively use composite poverty indices to identify poor people.

Cross-cultural validation of Cancer Communication Assessment Tool in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Dong Wook; Shin, Jooyeon; Kim, So Young; Park, Boram; Yang, Hyung-Kook; Cho, Juhee; Lee, Eun Sook; Kim, Jong Heun; Park, Jong-Hyock

2015-02-01

Communication between cancer patients and caregivers is often suboptimal. The Cancer Communication Assessment Tool for Patient and Families (CCAT-PF) is a unique tool developed to measure congruence in patient-family caregiver communication employing a dyadic approach. We aimed to examine the cross-cultural applicability of the CCAT in the Korean healthcare setting. Linguistic validation of the CCAT-PF was performed through a standard forward-backward translation process. Psychometric validation was performed with 990 patient-caregiver dyads recruited from 10 cancer centers. Mean scores of CCAT-P and CCAT-F were similar at 44.8 for both scales. Mean CCAT-PF score was 23.7 (8.66). Concordance of each items between patients and caregivers was low (weighted kappa values communication congruence between cancer patient and family caregivers. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Diabetes Empowerment Scale - Short Form.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaves, Fernanda Figueredo; Reis, Ilka Afonso; Pagano, Adriana Silvina; Torres, Heloísa de Carvalho

2017-03-23

To translate, cross-culturally adapt and validate the Diabetes Empowerment Scale - Short Form for assessment of psychosocial self-efficacy in diabetes care within the Brazilian cultural context. Assessment of the instrument's conceptual equivalence, as well as its translation and cross-cultural adaptation were performed following international standards. The Expert Committee's assessment of the translated version was conducted through a web questionnaire developed and applied via the web tool e-Surv. The cross-culturally adapted version was used for the pre-test, which was carried out via phone call in a group of eleven health care service users diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The pre-test results were examined by a group of experts, composed by health care consultants, applied linguists and statisticians, aiming at an adequate version of the instrument, which was subsequently used for test and retest in a sample of 100 users diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus via phone call, their answers being recorded by the web tool e-Surv. Internal consistency and reproducibility of analysis were carried out within the statistical programming environment R. Face and content validity were attained and the Brazilian Portuguese version, entitled Escala de Autoeficácia em Diabetes - Versão Curta, was established. The scale had acceptable internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha of 0.634 (95%CI 0.494- 0.737), while the correlation of the total score in the two periods was considered moderate (0.47). The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.50. The translated and cross-culturally adapted version of the instrument to spoken Brazilian Portuguese was considered valid and reliable to be used for assessment within the Brazilian population diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The use of a web tool (e-Surv) for recording the Expert Committee responses as well as the responses in the validation tests proved to be a reliable, safe and innovative method. Traduzir
Fission fragment angular distributions and fission cross section validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leong, Lou Sai

2013-01-01

sphere was surrounded by enriched uranium 235 U so as to approach criticality with fast neutrons. The simulation predicts a multiplication factor k eff in better agreement with the experiment (the deviation of 750 pcm is reduced to 250 pcm) when we replace the ENDF/B- VII.0 evaluation of the 237 Np fission cross section by the n-TOF data. We also explore the hypothesis of deficiencies of the inelastic cross section in 235 U which has been invoked by some authors to explain the deviation of 750 pcm. The large distortion that should be applied to the inelastic cross sections in order to reconcile the critical experiment with its simulation is incompatible with existing measurements. Also we show that the ν-bar of 237 Np can hardly be incriminated because of the high accuracy of the existing data. Fission rate ratios or averaged fission cross sections measured in several fast neutron fields seem to give contradictory results on the validation of the 237 Np cross section but at least one of the benchmark experiments, where the active deposits have been well calibrated for the number of atoms, favors the n-TOF data set. These outcomes support the hypothesis of a higher fission cross section of 237 Np. (author)
Cross-cultural adaptation and initial validation of the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale into the Yoruba language.

Science.gov (United States)

Akinpelu, Aderonke O; Odetunde, Marufat O; Odole, Adesola C

2012-12-01

Stroke-Specific Quality of Life 2.0 (SS-QoL 2.0) scale is used widely and has been cross-culturally adapted to many languages. This study aimed at the cross-cultural adaptation of SS-QoL 2.0 to Yoruba, the indigenous language of south-western Nigeria, and to carry out an initial investigation on its validity. English SS-QoL 2.0 was first adapted to Yoruba language by including Yoruba culture-specific examples in items SC4, UE2 and UE6. The adapted English version (AEV) was independently translated into Yoruba by two language experts who later agreed on a consensus translation, which was then back translated, subjected to an expert committee review and pretested; a cognitive debriefing interview was also carried out to generate the Yoruba translated version (YTV). Thirty-five stroke survivors completed the AEV and Yoruba version (YV) in English and Yoruba. The order of administration was randomized. Data were analysed using Spearman's rank order correlation and Wilcoxon's signed-rank test at a P value less than 0.05. The mean age of the participants (23 men, 12 women) was 58.5±11.3 years. The domain scores of the participants on AEV and YV did not differ significantly, except in the work/productivity domain. In both versions, the mean domain score of the participants was the highest in the language domain [22.6±3.8 (AEV) and 22.7±3.4 (YV)] and the lowest in the work domain [9.0±3.7 (AEV) and 8.0±3.3 (YTV)]. Domain scores on both versions correlated significantly (P<0.05). Participants' ratings of their current state and prestroke state correlated significantly (P<0.01) in all the general areas, except energy and mood. The YTV of SS-QoL 2.0 fulfilled the initial criteria for validity.
[Career perspectives of hospital health workers after maternity and paternity leave: survey and observational study in Germany].

Science.gov (United States)

Engelmann, C; Grote, G; Miemietz, B; Vaske, B; Geyer, S

2015-02-01

A term of maternity and paternity (parental) leave becomes frequent on the career paths of medical personnel. Hospitals are highly competitive environments. The question employees universally face is how such a leave will alter their personal work situation and prospects upon return. We questioned 709 leave-takers and 88 department heads of a German university hospital (2009-12; full data sets: n = 406 and n = 63) about their experiences. This data was validated by epidemiology data extraction and expert interviews, also in a Swiss and in a Norwegian institution. Parental leave elicited high emotionality (score: 4.0 +/- 2 out of 5). Superiors' appraisal of employees' parental leave was more positive than negative (p leave takers doubled to 39 %; 51 % of leave-takers experienced significant task profile changes. 58 % of doctors thought about changing their employer and 17 % of leave-taking executives lost status after return. Employees' "power" and "influence" dropped significantly (p leave. The Swiss and Norwegian comparators appeared to have more liberal substitution and part-time schemes than the German institution. A competitive hospital environment can effectively demote leave-taking medical employees in their jobs. Despite sufficient financial arrangements high-commitment staff will only take parental leave of adequate length when an institutional framework protects their status. Data support four requirements: 1. Formal recognition of the leave taker's status pre-leave. 2. Establishment of a written ("claimable") return policy. 3. Substitution scheme for each individual, preferably by a locum. 4. Redirection of funds to facilitate part-time work schemes temporarily after return. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
Cross-Cultural Validation of the Korean Version of the Chalder Fatigue Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Hyeju; Jeong, Donghee; Hahm, Bong-Jin; Shim, Eun-Jung

2018-06-01

University students are vulnerable to fatigue. If not adequately dealt with, fatigue might develop into various health problems and negatively affect quality of life (QOL). The present study examined psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Chalder Fatigue Scale (K-CFQ) in university students. Data were obtained from two samples of undergraduate students in Korea. The first dataset (N = 557) was collected in a cross-sectional survey in 2015 and the second dataset (N = 338) from a longitudinal survey with three time points over a semester period in 2016. Participants completed measures of fatigue, QOL, depression, anxiety, and sleep quality. Three-factor model (physical fatigue, low energy, and mental fatigue) rather than the original two-factor model (physical and mental fatigue) provided a better goodness of fit indices to the data. Internal consistency of the K-CFQ was satisfactory, with Cronbach's α value of 0.88 for the total scale and those of subscales ranging from 0.73 to 0.87. Its convergent validity was supported by its significant association with anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and QOL. Significant association between T1 K-CFQ with physical QOL at T2 and T3 supported its predictive validity. Its known-group validity was proven with higher K-CFQ scores observed in the participants with depression and those with poor sleep quality. Current results suggest that K-CFQ is a valid and reliable measure of fatigue, and a better model fit of the three-factor structure of the K-CFQ implies potential cross-cultural differences in the dimensionality of fatigue.
Nuclear Data Uncertainty Propagation in Depletion Calculations Using Cross Section Uncertainties in One-group or Multi-group

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Díez, C.J., E-mail: cj.diez@upm.es [Dpto. de Ingeníera Nuclear, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Cabellos, O. [Dpto. de Ingeníera Nuclear, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Instituto de Fusión Nuclear, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Martínez, J.S. [Dpto. de Ingeníera Nuclear, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28006 Madrid (Spain)

2015-01-15

Several approaches have been developed in last decades to tackle nuclear data uncertainty propagation problems of burn-up calculations. One approach proposed was the Hybrid Method, where uncertainties in nuclear data are propagated only on the depletion part of a burn-up problem. Because only depletion is addressed, only one-group cross sections are necessary, and hence, their collapsed one-group uncertainties. This approach has been applied successfully in several advanced reactor systems like EFIT (ADS-like reactor) or ESFR (Sodium fast reactor) to assess uncertainties on the isotopic composition. However, a comparison with using multi-group energy structures was not carried out, and has to be performed in order to analyse the limitations of using one-group uncertainties.
Nuclear Data Uncertainty Propagation in Depletion Calculations Using Cross Section Uncertainties in One-group or Multi-group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Díez, C.J.; Cabellos, O.; Martínez, J.S.

2015-01-01

Several approaches have been developed in last decades to tackle nuclear data uncertainty propagation problems of burn-up calculations. One approach proposed was the Hybrid Method, where uncertainties in nuclear data are propagated only on the depletion part of a burn-up problem. Because only depletion is addressed, only one-group cross sections are necessary, and hence, their collapsed one-group uncertainties. This approach has been applied successfully in several advanced reactor systems like EFIT (ADS-like reactor) or ESFR (Sodium fast reactor) to assess uncertainties on the isotopic composition. However, a comparison with using multi-group energy structures was not carried out, and has to be performed in order to analyse the limitations of using one-group uncertainties
Nuclear Data Uncertainty Propagation in Depletion Calculations Using Cross Section Uncertainties in One-group or Multi-group

Science.gov (United States)

Díez, C. J.; Cabellos, O.; Martínez, J. S.

2015-01-01

Several approaches have been developed in last decades to tackle nuclear data uncertainty propagation problems of burn-up calculations. One approach proposed was the Hybrid Method, where uncertainties in nuclear data are propagated only on the depletion part of a burn-up problem. Because only depletion is addressed, only one-group cross sections are necessary, and hence, their collapsed one-group uncertainties. This approach has been applied successfully in several advanced reactor systems like EFIT (ADS-like reactor) or ESFR (Sodium fast reactor) to assess uncertainties on the isotopic composition. However, a comparison with using multi-group energy structures was not carried out, and has to be performed in order to analyse the limitations of using one-group uncertainties.
Principles of Proper Validation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Esbensen, Kim; Geladi, Paul

2010-01-01

to suffer from the same deficiencies. The PPV are universal and can be applied to all situations in which the assessment of performance is desired: prediction-, classification-, time series forecasting-, modeling validation. The key element of PPV is the Theory of Sampling (TOS), which allow insight......) is critically necessary for the inclusion of the sampling errors incurred in all 'future' situations in which the validated model must perform. Logically, therefore, all one data set re-sampling approaches for validation, especially cross-validation and leverage-corrected validation, should be terminated...
Out-of-plane vibrations of inhomogeneous curved bars having varying cross-sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Katsuyoshi; Kosawada, Tadashi

1987-01-01

An exact method using power series expansions is presented for solving out-of-plane free vibrations of inhomogeneous curved bars with varying curvatures and cross-sections. Equations of motion and boundary conditions are derived from the stationary conditions of the Lagrangian of curved bars. Natural frequencies and mode shapes are presented for elliptical and circular arc bars having both ends clamped and clamped-free ends. (author)
Influence of yellow rust infection on /sup 32/P transport in detached barley leaves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schubert, J. (Akademie der Landwirtschaftswissenschaften der DDR, Aschersleben. Inst. fuer Phytopathologie)

1982-01-01

Several barley cultivars (Hordeum vulgare L.) differing in their resistance to yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis West.) were tested for relationships between changes of /sup 32/P transport in detached leaves and resistance to yellow rust disease. Investigation carried out with detached second leaves from plants infected at their first leaf revealed a matter transport in these leaves changed by the infection. Transport was also influenced by inoculation with yellow rust uredospores. In that case rust infection influenced the basipetal transport less strongly in resistent plants than in susceptible ones. Connected with the findings the influence of fungal substances on transport processes is discussed in general.
Estimation of daily energy expenditure in pregnant and non-pregnant women using a wrist-worn tri-axial accelerometer.

Science.gov (United States)

van Hees, Vincent T; Renström, Frida; Wright, Antony; Gradmark, Anna; Catt, Michael; Chen, Kong Y; Löf, Marie; Bluck, Les; Pomeroy, Jeremy; Wareham, Nicholas J; Ekelund, Ulf; Brage, Søren; Franks, Paul W

2011-01-01

Few studies have compared the validity of objective measures of physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) in pregnant and non-pregnant women. PAEE is commonly estimated with accelerometers attached to the hip or waist, but little is known about the validity and participant acceptability of wrist attachment. The objectives of the current study were to assess the validity of a simple summary measure derived from a wrist-worn accelerometer (GENEA, Unilever Discover, UK) to estimate PAEE in pregnant and non-pregnant women, and to evaluate participant acceptability. Non-pregnant (N = 73) and pregnant (N = 35) Swedish women (aged 20-35 yrs) wore the accelerometer on their wrist for 10 days during which total energy expenditure (TEE) was assessed using doubly-labelled water. PAEE was calculated as 0.9×TEE-REE. British participants (N = 99; aged 22-65 yrs) wore accelerometers on their non-dominant wrist and hip for seven days and were asked to score the acceptability of monitor placement (scored 1 [least] through 10 [most] acceptable). There was no significant correlation between body weight and PAEE. In non-pregnant women, acceleration explained 24% of the variation in PAEE, which decreased to 19% in leave-one-out cross-validation. In pregnant women, acceleration explained 11% of the variation in PAEE, which was not significant in leave-one-out cross-validation. Median (IQR) acceptability of wrist and hip placement was 9(8-10) and 9(7-10), respectively; there was a within-individual difference of 0.47 (p<.001). A simple summary measure derived from a wrist-worn tri-axial accelerometer adds significantly to the prediction of energy expenditure in non-pregnant women and is scored acceptable by participants.
Estimation of daily energy expenditure in pregnant and non-pregnant women using a wrist-worn tri-axial accelerometer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent T van Hees

Full Text Available Few studies have compared the validity of objective measures of physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE in pregnant and non-pregnant women. PAEE is commonly estimated with accelerometers attached to the hip or waist, but little is known about the validity and participant acceptability of wrist attachment. The objectives of the current study were to assess the validity of a simple summary measure derived from a wrist-worn accelerometer (GENEA, Unilever Discover, UK to estimate PAEE in pregnant and non-pregnant women, and to evaluate participant acceptability.Non-pregnant (N = 73 and pregnant (N = 35 Swedish women (aged 20-35 yrs wore the accelerometer on their wrist for 10 days during which total energy expenditure (TEE was assessed using doubly-labelled water. PAEE was calculated as 0.9×TEE-REE. British participants (N = 99; aged 22-65 yrs wore accelerometers on their non-dominant wrist and hip for seven days and were asked to score the acceptability of monitor placement (scored 1 [least] through 10 [most] acceptable.There was no significant correlation between body weight and PAEE. In non-pregnant women, acceleration explained 24% of the variation in PAEE, which decreased to 19% in leave-one-out cross-validation. In pregnant women, acceleration explained 11% of the variation in PAEE, which was not significant in leave-one-out cross-validation. Median (IQR acceptability of wrist and hip placement was 9(8-10 and 9(7-10, respectively; there was a within-individual difference of 0.47 (p<.001.A simple summary measure derived from a wrist-worn tri-axial accelerometer adds significantly to the prediction of energy expenditure in non-pregnant women and is scored acceptable by participants.
The cross-cultural validity of the Caregiving Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ) among Danish mothers with preschool children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Røhder, Katrine; George, Carol; Brennan, Jessica

2018-01-01

The present study explored the Danish cross-cultural validity of the Caregiving Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ), a new measure of caregiving representations in parent-child relationships. Low-risk Danish mothers (N = 159) with children aged 1.5–5 years completed the CEQ and predictive validity...
Selectivity criterion for pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyrid[az]ine derivatives as GSK-3 inhibitors: CoMFA and molecular docking studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Dhilon S; Bharatam, Prasad V

2008-05-01

In the development of drugs targeted for GSK-3, its selective inhibition is an important requirement owing to the possibility of side effects arising from other kinases for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. A three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship study (3D-QSAR) has been carried out on a set of pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyrid[az]ine derivatives, which includes non-selective and selective GSK-3 inhibitors. The CoMFA models were derived from a training set of 59 molecules. A test set containing 14 molecules (not used in model generation) was used to validate the CoMFA models. The best CoMFA model generated by applying leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validation study gave cross-validation r(cv)(2) and conventional r(conv)(2) values of 0.60 and 0.97, respectively, and r(pred)(2) value of 0.55, which provide the predictive ability of model. The developed models well explain (i) the observed variance in the activity and (ii) structural difference between the selective and non-selective GSK-3 inhibitors. Validation based on the molecular docking has also been carried out to explain the structural differences between the selective and non-selective molecules in the given series of molecules.
Job control, work-family balance and nurses' intention to leave their profession and organization: A comparative cross-sectional survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaguchi, Yoshiko; Inoue, Takahiro; Harada, Hiroko; Oike, Miyako

2016-12-01

The shortage of nurses is a problem in many countries. In Japan, the distribution of nurses across different care settings is uneven: the shortage of nurses in home healthcare and nursing homes is more serious than in hospitals. Earlier research has identified numerous factors affecting nurses' intention to leave work (e.g., job control, family-related variables, work-family conflict); however, these factors' levels and effect size may vary between nurses in hospitals, home healthcare, and nursing homes. This study measured job control, family-related variables, and work-family conflict among nurses in hospitals, home healthcare, and nursing homes, and compared these variables' levels and effect size on nurses' intention to leave their organization or profession between these care settings. The research design was cross-sectional. Participating nurses from hospitals, home healthcare facilities, and nursing homes self-administered an anonymous questionnaire survey; nurses were recruited from the Kyushu district of Japan. Nurses from nine hospitals, 86 home healthcare offices, and 107 nursing homes participated. We measured nurses' intention to leave nursing or their organization, perceived job control, family variables and work-family conflict. We analyzed 1461 participants (response rate: 81.7%). The level of job control, family variables, and work-family conflict affecting nurses varied between hospitals, home healthcare, and nursing homes; additionally, these variables' effect on nurses' intention to leave their organization or profession varied between these care settings. Work-family conflict, family variables, and job control most strongly predicted nurses' intention to leave their organization or profession in hospitals, home healthcare, and nursing homes, respectively. Interventions aiming to increase nurse retention should distinguish between care settings. Regarding hospitals, reducing nurses' work-family conflict will increase nurse retention. Regarding
Derivation of the extended elastic stiffness formula of the holddown spring assembly comprised of several leaves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Kee Nam; Kang, H. S.; Yoon, K. H.

1999-01-01

Based on the Euler beam theory and the elastic strain energy method, the elastic stiffness formula of the holddown spring assembly consisting of several leaves was previously derived. Even though the previous formula was known to be useful to estimate the elastic stiffness of the holddown spring assembly, recently it was reported that the elastic stiffness from the previous formula deviated greatly from the test results as the number of leaves was increased. The objective of this study is to extend the previous formula in order to resolve such an increasing deviation when increasing the number of leaves. Additionally, considering the friction forces acting on the interfaces between the leaves, we obtained an extended elastic stiffness formula. The characteristic test and the elastic stiffness analysis on the various kinds of specimens of the holddown spring assembly have been carried out; the validity of the extended formula has been verified by the comparison of their results. As a result of comparisons, it is found that the extended formula is able to evaluate the elastic stiffness of the holddown spring assembly within the maximum error range of +12%, irrespective of the number of the leaves. (author). 9 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab
QSAR study of HCV NS5B polymerase inhibitors using the genetic algorithm-multiple linear regression (GA-MLR).

Science.gov (United States)

Rafiei, Hamid; Khanzadeh, Marziyeh; Mozaffari, Shahla; Bostanifar, Mohammad Hassan; Avval, Zhila Mohajeri; Aalizadeh, Reza; Pourbasheer, Eslam

2016-01-01

Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) study has been employed for predicting the inhibitory activities of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B polymerase inhibitors . A data set consisted of 72 compounds was selected, and then different types of molecular descriptors were calculated. The whole data set was split into a training set (80 % of the dataset) and a test set (20 % of the dataset) using principle component analysis. The stepwise (SW) and the genetic algorithm (GA) techniques were used as variable selection tools. Multiple linear regression method was then used to linearly correlate the selected descriptors with inhibitory activities. Several validation technique including leave-one-out and leave-group-out cross-validation, Y-randomization method were used to evaluate the internal capability of the derived models. The external prediction ability of the derived models was further analyzed using modified r(2), concordance correlation coefficient values and Golbraikh and Tropsha acceptable model criteria's. Based on the derived results (GA-MLR), some new insights toward molecular structural requirements for obtaining better inhibitory activity were obtained.
Employer Provisions for Parental Leave.

Science.gov (United States)

Meisenheimer, Joseph R., II

1989-01-01

Slightly more than one-third of full-time employees in medium and large firms in private industry were covered by maternity- or paternity-leave policies; days off were usually leave without pay. (Author)

Psychometrically and qualitatively validating a cross-national cumulative measure of fear-based xenophobia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Veer, C.G.; Ommundsen, R.; Yakushko, O.; Higler, L.E.A.; Woelders, S.; Hagen, K.A.

2013-01-01

The article reports the results of a Mokken Scale Procedure (MSP) developing a hierarchical cross-national scale to measure xenophobia, and a qualitative validation of this scale. A pool of 30 xenophobic scale items were collected from several sources and edited according to established
[Computer evaluation of hidden potential of phytochemicals of medicinal plants of the traditional Indian ayurvedic medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Lagunin, A A; Druzhilovsky, D S; Rudik, A V; Filimonov, D A; Gawande, D; Suresh, K; Goel, R; Poroikov, V V

2015-01-01

Applicability of our computer programs PASS and PharmaExpert to prediction of biological activity spectra of rather complex and structurally diverse phytocomponents of medicinal plants, both separately and in combinations has been evaluated. The web-resource on phytochemicals of 50 medicinal plants used in Ayurveda was created for the study of hidden therapeutic potential of Traditional Indian Medicine (TIM) (http://ayurveda.pharmaexpert.ru). It contains information on 50 medicinal plants, their using in TIM and their pharmacology activities, also as 1906 phytocomponents. PASS training set was updated by addition of information about 946 natural compounds; then the training procedure and validation were performed, to estimate the quality of PASS prediction. It was shown that the difference between the average accuracy of prediction obtained in leave-5%-out cross-validation (94,467%) and in leave-one-out cross-validation (94,605%) is very small. These results showed high predictive ability of the program. Results of biological activity spectra prediction for all phytocomponents included in our database are in good correspondence with the experimental data. Additional kinds of biological activity predicted with high probability provide the information about most promising directions of further studies. The analysis of prediction results of sets of phytocomponents in each of 50 medicinal plants was made by PharmaExpert software. Based on this analysis, we found that the combination of phytocomponents from Passiflora incarnata may exhibit nootropic, anticonvulsant and antidepressant effects. Experiments carried out in mice models confirmed the predicted effects of Passiflora incarnata extracts.
Relation between sick leave and selected exposure variables among women semiconductor workers in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Chee, H; Rampal, K

2003-01-01

Aims: To determine the relation between sick leave and selected exposure variables among women semiconductor workers. Methods: This was a cross sectional survey of production workers from 18 semiconductor factories. Those selected had to be women, direct production operators up to the level of line leader, and Malaysian citizens. Sick leave and exposure to physical and chemical hazards were determined by self reporting. Three sick leave variables were used; number of sick leave days taken in the past year was the variable of interest in logistic regression models where the effects of age, marital status, work task, work schedule, work section, and duration of work in factory and work section were also explored. Results: Marital status was strongly linked to the taking of sick leave. Age, work schedule, and duration of work in the factory were significant confounders only in certain cases. After adjusting for these confounders, chemical and physical exposures, with the exception of poor ventilation and smelling chemicals, showed no significant relation to the taking of sick leave within the past year. Work section was a good predictor for taking sick leave, as wafer polishing workers faced higher odds of taking sick leave for each of the three cut off points of seven days, three days, and not at all, while parts assembly workers also faced significantly higher odds of taking sick leave. Conclusion: In Malaysia, the wafer fabrication factories only carry out a limited portion of the work processes, in particular, wafer polishing and the processes immediately prior to and following it. This study, in showing higher illness rates for workers in wafer polishing compared to semiconductor assembly, has implications for the governmental policy of encouraging the setting up of wafer fabrication plants with the full range of work processes. PMID:12660374
Ballistic One-Dimensional InAs Nanowire Cross-Junction Interconnects.

Science.gov (United States)

Gooth, Johannes; Borg, Mattias; Schmid, Heinz; Schaller, Vanessa; Wirths, Stephan; Moselund, Kirsten; Luisier, Mathieu; Karg, Siegfried; Riel, Heike

2017-04-12

Coherent interconnection of quantum bits remains an ongoing challenge in quantum information technology. Envisioned hardware to achieve this goal is based on semiconductor nanowire (NW) circuits, comprising individual NW devices that are linked through ballistic interconnects. However, maintaining the sensitive ballistic conduction and confinement conditions across NW intersections is a nontrivial problem. Here, we go beyond the characterization of a single NW device and demonstrate ballistic one-dimensional (1D) quantum transport in InAs NW cross-junctions, monolithically integrated on Si. Characteristic 1D conductance plateaus are resolved in field-effect measurements across up to four NW-junctions in series. The 1D ballistic transport and sub-band splitting is preserved for both crossing-directions. We show that the 1D modes of a single injection terminal can be distributed into multiple NW branches. We believe that NW cross-junctions are well-suited as cross-directional communication links for the reliable transfer of quantum information as required for quantum computational systems.
Pharmacognostic Investigation of the Leaves and Stems of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: Some pharmacognostical investigations were carried out on the leaves and stems of Viburnum erubescens Wall.ex DC to record parameters for identifying and differentiating various species of Viburnum. Methods: The research specimens were authenticated and preserved both in fresh and dry forms. The leaves ...
ANALGETIC ACTIVITY OF CEP-CEPAN (Saurauia cauliflora DC. LEAVES EXTRACT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emil Salim

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. The people who live in Karo use several types of plants to relieve pain, one of which is cep-cepan (Saurauia cauliflora DC. The leaves of this plant traditionally used to treat gastrointestinal disorders. There is no scientific evidence about analgetic effect of the leaves. Thus, this study aimed to determine the potential effect of the ethanolic extract of cep-cepan leaves as an analgesic. Fresh Cep-cepan leaves were dried in a drying cabinet at 40°C. Furthermore, the water content of the powdered dried leaves was determined using azeotropic distillation method. Phytochemical screening was carried out to determine chemical groups contained in the dried leaves. Plant extraction was done by maceration method using ethanol 96%. Analgesic effect of the extract was evaluated by observing respon time of mices to infrared as pain inducer. Mices were grouped into six categories, they were: vehicle, antalgin 65 mg/kgBW, and extracts at the dose of 500 mg/kgBW, 250 mg/kgBW, 125 mg/kgBW, 62,5 mg/kgBW, all were administered orally. The data were analayzed using ANOVA followed by LSD. Results showed that the dried leaves contained flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, anthraquinone glycosides and steroids/triterpenoids. The water contain of the dried leaves was 5,3%. The analgesic test results showed the extract at the dose of 250 mg/kgBW had strong analgesic effect similar to that of 500 mg/kgBW and antalgin 65 mg/kgBW.
Prognostic Factors of Returning to Work after Sick Leave due to Work-Related Common Mental Disorders: A One- and Three-Year Follow-Up Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Netterstrøm, Bo; Eller, Nanna Hurwitz; Borritz, Marianne

2015-01-01

The aim of this paper was to assess the prognostic factors of return to work (RTW) after one and three years among people on sick leave due to occupational stress. Methods. The study population comprised 223 completers on sick leave, who participated in a stress treatment program. Self-reported psychosocial work environment, life events during the past year, severity of the condition, occupational position, employment sector, marital status, and medication were assessed at baseline. RTW was assessed with data from a national compensation database (DREAM). Results. Self-reported high demands, low decision authority, low reward, low support from leaders and colleagues, bullying, high global symptom index, length of sick leave at baseline, and stressful negative life events during the year before baseline were associated with no RTW after one year. Low work ability and full-time sick leave at inclusion were predictors after three years too. Being single was associated with no RTW after three years. The type of treatment, occupational position, gender, age, and degree of depression were not associated with RTW after one or three years. Conclusion. The impact of the psychosocial work environment as predictor for RTW disappeared over time and only the severity of the condition was a predictor for RTW in the long run.
A validated HPLC-UV method for the analysis of galloylquinic acid derivatives and flavonoids in Copaifera langsdorffii leaves.

Science.gov (United States)

Motta, Erick Vicente da Silva; da Costa, Juliana de Carvalho; Bastos, Jairo Kenupp

2017-09-01

Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. (Fabaceae, Caesalpinioideae), popularly known as "copaiba" or "pau d'óleo", is a species of tree that is found throughout Brazil. The leaves of this tree are used in folk medicine to treat kidney stones. Galloylquinic acid derivatives and flavonoids are the main secondary metabolites found in C. langsdorffii leaves and are likely to be responsible for the effectiveness of this treatment. As an attempt to produce a phytotherapic, we have developed a reliable HPLC-UV method for the quality control of C. langsdorffii leaves. Phenolic compounds were extracted from C. langsdorffii leaves using 70% aqueous ethanol as the extraction solvent. HPLC-UV analyses were carried out on a Synergi Polar-RP column (100×3.0mm, 2.5μm), and the mobile phase was made up of formic acid-water (0.1:99.9, solvent A), and isopropanol-methanol-acetonitrile (5:40:60, solvent B). The elution gradient was A:B (90:10 to 85:15) in 8.0min, followed by A:B (85:15 to 64:36) up to 30.0min, using a flow rate of 0.7mL/min, and UV detection at 280nm. This method was used to quantify nine galloylquinic acid derivatives and two flavonoids, which gave a good detection response and linearity in the range of 1.88-110.0μg/mL. Furthermore, the detection and quantification limits ranged from 0.070 to 0.752μg/mL, and 0.211-2.278μg/mL respectively, with a maximum RSD of 4.18%. The method is reliable for the quality control of C. langsdorffii raw material, its hydroethanolic extract, and could potentially be used to quantify these compounds in other Copaifera species. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Comparison of atlas-based techniques for whole-body bone segmentation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arabi, Hossein; Zaidi, Habib

2017-01-01

out in terms of estimating bone extraction accuracy from whole-body MRI using standard metrics, such as Dice similarity (DSC) and relative volume difference (RVD) considering bony structures obtained from intensity thresholding of the reference CT images as the ground truth. Considering the Dice....../MRI. To this end, a variety of atlas-based segmentation strategies commonly used in medical image segmentation and pseudo-CT generation were implemented and evaluated in terms of whole-body bone segmentation accuracy. Bone segmentation was performed on 23 whole-body CT/MR image pairs via leave-one-out cross...... validation procedure. The evaluated segmentation techniques include: (i) intensity averaging (IA), (ii) majority voting (MV), (iii) global and (iv) local (voxel-wise) weighting atlas fusion frameworks implemented utilizing normalized mutual information (NMI), normalized cross-correlation (NCC) and mean...
Development and validation of a logistic regression model to distinguish transition zone cancers from benign prostatic hyperplasia on multi-parametric prostate MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iyama, Yuji [Kumamoto Chuo Hospital, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kumamoto, Kumamoto (Japan); Kumamoto University, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto, Kumamoto (Japan); Nakaura, Takeshi; Nagayama, Yasunori; Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Yamashita, Yasuyuki [Kumamoto University, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto, Kumamoto (Japan); Katahira, Kazuhiro; Oda, Seitaro [Kumamoto Chuo Hospital, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kumamoto, Kumamoto (Japan); Iyama, Ayumi [National Hospital Organization Kumamoto Medical Center, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kumamoto, Kumamoto (Japan)

2017-09-15

To develop a prediction model to distinguish between transition zone (TZ) cancers and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) on multi-parametric prostate magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI). This retrospective study enrolled 60 patients with either BPH or TZ cancer, who had undergone 3 T-MRI. We generated ten parameters for T2-weighted images (T2WI), diffusion-weighted images (DWI) and dynamic MRI. Using a t-test and multivariate logistic regression (LR) analysis to evaluate the parameters' accuracy, we developed LR models. We calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) of LR models by a leave-one-out cross-validation procedure, and the LR model's performance was compared with radiologists' performance with their opinion and with the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (Pi-RADS v2) score. Multivariate LR analysis showed that only standardized T2WI signal and mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maintained their independent values (P < 0.001). The validation analysis showed that the AUC of the final LR model was comparable to that of board-certified radiologists, and superior to that of Pi-RADS scores. A standardized T2WI and mean ADC were independent factors for distinguishing between BPH and TZ cancer. The performance of the LR model was comparable to that of experienced radiologists. (orig.)
Fathers' Leave, Fathers' Involvement and Child Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

del Carmen Huerta, Maria; Lausten, Mette; Baxter, Jennifer

involved’ perform better during the early years than their peers with less involved fathers. This paper analyses data of four OECD countries — Australia; Denmark; United Kingdom; United States — to describe how leave policies may influence father’s behaviours when children are young and whether...... their involvement translates into positive child cognitive and behavioural outcomes. This analysis shows that fathers’ leave, father’s involvement and child development are related. Fathers who take leave, especially those taking two weeks or more, are more likely to carry out childcare related activities when...
A pilot study combining a GC-sensor device with a statistical model for the identification of bladder cancer from urine headspace.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanzeela Khalid

Full Text Available There is a need to reduce the number of cystoscopies on patients with haematuria. Presently there are no reliable biomarkers to screen for bladder cancer. In this paper, we evaluate a new simple in-house fabricated, GC-sensor device in the diagnosis of bladder cancer based on volatiles. Sensor outputs from 98 urine samples were used to build and test diagnostic models. Samples were taken from 24 patients with transitional (urothelial cell carcinoma (age 27-91 years, median 71 years and 74 controls presenting with urological symptoms, but without a urological malignancy (age 29-86 years, median 64 years; results were analysed using two statistical approaches to assess the robustness of the methodology. A two-group linear discriminant analysis method using a total of 9 time points (which equates to 9 biomarkers correctly assigned 24/24 (100% of cancer cases and 70/74 (94.6% controls. Under leave-one-out cross-validation 23/24 (95.8% of cancer cases were correctly predicted with 69/74 (93.2% of controls. For partial least squares discriminant analysis, the correct leave-one-out cross-validation prediction values were 95.8% (cancer cases and 94.6% (controls. These data are an improvement on those reported by other groups studying headspace gases and also superior to current clinical techniques. This new device shows potential for the diagnosis of bladder cancer, but the data must be reproduced in a larger study.
38 CFR 21.342 - Leave accounting policy.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Leave accounting policy. 21.342 Section 21.342 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.... Chapter 31 Leaves of Absence § 21.342 Leave accounting policy. (a) Amount of leave. A veteran pursuing one...
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Arabic version of the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly among community-dwelling older adults in Saudi Arabia.

Science.gov (United States)

Alqarni, Ayidh M; Vennu, Vishal; Alshammari, Sulaiman A; Bindawas, Saad M

2018-01-01

Older adults are the fastest growing population group worldwide. Regular physical activity (PA) is reported to reduce the risk of health conditions and improve personal well-being. Few validated instruments can be used to measure the PA levels among older adults in Saudi Arabia. The Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) is used worldwide for evaluating the PA levels of the elderly in epidemiological studies. However, this scale has not been translated into Arabic. This study aimed to cross-culturally adapt the PASE into Arabic language and evaluate its reliability and validity among community-dwelling older adults in Saudi Arabia. This study was a cross-sectional one following Beaton guidelines to translate and perform cultural adaptation, as well as test the reliability and validity of the PASE Arabic version (PASE-A). Elderly (N=74) people from both genders, who lived in a community dwelling in Riyadh city, were selected from several primary health care centers. The study used Cronbach's alpha coefficient to assess the internal consistency reliability, while intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 2,1 ) was used for test-retest reliability and the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient ( r ) was used to evaluate the correlation among PASE-A and grip strength, Timed Up and Go test, body mass index, and fat percentage. Out of 74 older adults, 59 (79.7%) completed the PASE-A questionnaire twice. The internal consistency of the PASE-A components was good (Cronbach's alpha 0.70-0.75), and the reliability of the components was excellent (ICC 2,1 0.90-0.98). A higher PASE-A score was associated with higher grip strength ( r =0.28, p =0.05) and with shorter Timed Up and Go test times ( r =-0.45, p =0.01). The PASE-A version was easy, understandable, and relevant for Saudi older adults' culture. This scale was a reliable and valid tool for evaluating and assessing the PA level among community-dwelling older adults in Saudi Arabia.
Are environmental characteristics in the municipal eldercare, more closely associated with frequent short sick leave spells among employees than with total sick leave: a cross-sectional study

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background It has been suggested that frequent-, short-term sick leave is associated with work environment factors, whereas long-term sick leave is associated mainly with health factors. However, studies of the hypothesis of an association between a poor working environment and frequent short spells of sick leave are few and results are inconsistent. Therefore, we aimed to explore associations between self-reported psychosocial work factors and workplace-registered frequency and length of sick leave in the eldercare sector. Methods Employees from the municipal eldercare in Aarhus (N = 2,534) were included. In 2005, they responded to a work environment questionnaire. Sick leave records from 2005 were dichotomised into total sick leave days (0–14 and above 14 days) and into spell patterns (0–2 short, 3–9 short, and mixed spells and 1–3 long spells). Logistic regression models were used to analyse associations; adjusted for age, gender, occupation, and number of spells or sick leave length. Results The response rate was 76%; 96% of the respondents were women. Unfavourable mean scores in work pace, demands for hiding emotions, poor quality of leadership and bullying were best indicated by more than 14 sick leave days compared with 0–14 sick leave days. For work pace, the best indicator was a long-term sick leave pattern compared with a non-frequent short-term pattern. A frequent short-term sick leave pattern was a better indicator of emotional demands (1.62; 95% CI: 1.1-2.5) and role conflict (1.50; 95% CI: 1.2-1.9) than a short-term non-frequent pattern. Age (= 40 years) statistically significantly modified the association between the 1–3 long-term sick leave spell pattern and commitment to the workplace compared with the 3–9 frequent short-term pattern. Conclusions Total sick leave length and a long-term sick leave spell pattern were just as good or even better indicators of unfavourable work factor scores than a frequent short-term sick leave
Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validity, and Reliability of the Persian Version of the Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Shafeei, Asrin; Mokhtarinia, Hamid Reza; Maleki-Ghahfarokhi, Azam; Piri, Leila

2017-08-01

Observational study. To cross-culturally translate the Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (OMPQ) into Persian and then evaluate its psychometric properties (reliability, validity, ceiling, and flooring effects). To the authors' knowledge, prior to this study there has been no validated instrument to screen the risk of chronicity in Persian-speaking patients with low back pain (LBP) in Iran. The OMPQ was specifically developed as a self-administered screening tool for assessing the risk of LBP chronicity. The forward-backward translation method was used for the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the original questionnaire. In total, 202 patients with subacute LBP completed the OMPQ and the pain disability questionnaire (PDQ), which was used to assess convergent validity. 62 patients completed the OMPQ a week later as a retest. Slight changes were made to the OMPQ during the translation/cultural adaptation process; face validity of the Persian version was obtained. The Persian OMPQ showed excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.89). Its internal consistency was 0.71, and its convergent validity was confirmed by good correlation coefficient between the OMPQ and PDQ total scores ( r =0.72, p validity, construct validity, reliability, and consistency. It is therefore considered a useful instrument for screening Iranian patients with LBP.
Cross-cultural equivalence of the patient- and parent-reported quality of life in short stature youth (QoLISSY) questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Bullinger, Monika; Quitmann, Julia; Silva, Neuza; Rohenkohl, Anja; Chaplin, John E; DeBusk, Kendra; Mimoun, Emmanuelle; Feigerlova, Eva; Herdman, Michael; Sanz, Dolores; Wollmann, Hartmut; Pleil, Andreas; Power, Michael

2014-01-01

Testing cross-cultural equivalence of patient-reported outcomes requires sufficiently large samples per country, which is difficult to achieve in rare endocrine paediatric conditions. We describe a novel approach to cross-cultural testing of the Quality of Life in Short Stature Youth (QoLISSY) questionnaire in five countries by sequentially taking one country out (TOCO) from the total sample and iteratively comparing the resulting psychometric performance. Development of the QoLISSY proceeded from focus group discussions through pilot testing to field testing in 268 short-statured patients and their parents. To explore cross-cultural equivalence, the iterative TOCO technique was used to examine and compare the validity, reliability, and convergence of patient and parent responses on QoLISSY in the field test dataset, and to predict QoLISSY scores from clinical, socio-demographic and psychosocial variables. Validity and reliability indicators were satisfactory for each sample after iteratively omitting one country. Comparisons with the total sample revealed cross-cultural equivalence in internal consistency and construct validity for patients and parents, high inter-rater agreement and a substantial proportion of QoLISSY variance explained by predictors. The TOCO technique is a powerful method to overcome problems of country-specific testing of patient-reported outcome instruments. It provides an empirical support to QoLISSY's cross-cultural equivalence and is recommended for future research.
Dynamic radar cross section measurements of a full-scale aircraft for RCS modelling validation

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van Schalkwyk, Richard F

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper the process followed in generating a high fidelity reference data set for radar cross section (RCS) modelling validation for a full-scale aircraft, is presented. An overview of two dynamic RCS measurement campaigns, involving both...
Translation, Cross-cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of the Korean-Language Cardiac Rehabilitation Barriers Scale (CRBS-K).

Science.gov (United States)

Baek, Sora; Park, Hee-Won; Lee, Yookyung; Grace, Sherry L; Kim, Won-Seok

2017-10-01

To perform a translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Barriers Scale (CRBS) for use in Korea, followed by psychometric validation. The CRBS was developed to assess patients' perception of the degree to which patient, provider and health system-level barriers affect their cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participation. The CRBS consists of 21 items (barriers to adherence) rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The first phase was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the CRBS to the Korean language. After back-translation, both versions were reviewed by a committee. The face validity was assessed in a sample of Korean patients (n=53) with history of acute myocardial infarction that did not participate in CR through semi-structured interviews. The second phase was to assess the construct and criterion validity of the Korean translation as well as internal reliability, through administration of the translated version in 104 patients, principle component analysis with varimax rotation and cross-referencing against CR use, respectively. The length, readability, and clarity of the questionnaire were rated well, demonstrating face validity. Analysis revealed a six-factor solution, demonstrating construct validity. Cronbach's alpha was greater than 0.65. Barriers rated highest included not knowing about CR and not being contacted by a program. The mean CRBS score was significantly higher among non-attendees (2.71±0.26) than CR attendees (2.51±0.18) (pKorea.
Development of a French-Canadian version of the Oswestry Disability Index: cross-cultural adaptation and validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Denis, Isabelle; Fortin, Luc

2012-04-01

Cross-cultural translation and psychometric testing. To translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) version 2.0 for the French-Canadian population. Many authors have recommended the administration of standardized instruments, rather than the creation of new scales, and advocate the adaptation of validated questionnaires in other languages. The application of these scales in different countries and by cultural groups necessitates cross-cultural adaptation. Many scales evaluate the functional incapacity resulting from low back pain. The ODI is among the most commonly used for this purpose. The French-Canadian ODI (ODI-FC) was developed by cross-cultural adaptation following internationally recommended methodology: forward translation, back translation, expert committee revision, and clinical evaluation of the prefinal version. Psychometric testing was performed on 72 patients with chronic low back pain. The subjects were recruited from a physiatry department in a university hospital and from a private practice physiatry clinic. They came from the Montreal area. The psychometric testing included internal consistency (Cronbach α), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient) with a time interval set at 48 hours, and construct validity, comparing the ODI-FC with the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (Pearson correlation coefficient). In 44.4% of the subjects, the average duration of low-back pain varied between 1 and 5 years. Average score for the ODI-FC was 29.2. Good internal consistency was found (Cronbach α = 0.88). Reliability was excellent, with intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.92 (95% confidence interval, 0.87-0.95). Construct validity results revealed excellent correlations between the ODI and the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (r = 0.90) and between the ODI and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (r = 0.84). Cross-cultural translation and

Validation of annual growth rings in freshwater mussel shells using cross dating .Can

Science.gov (United States)

Andrew L. Rypel; Wendell R. Haag; Robert H. Findlay

2009-01-01

We examined the usefulness of dendrochronological cross-dating methods for studying long-term, interannual growth patterns in freshwater mussels, including validation of annual shell ring formation. Using 13 species from three rivers, we measured increment widths between putative annual rings on shell thin sections and then removed age-related variation by...
Construct Validity of the Nepalese School Leaving English Reading Test

Science.gov (United States)

Dawadi, Saraswati; Shrestha, Prithvi N.

2018-01-01

There has been a steady interest in investigating the validity of language tests in the last decades. Despite numerous studies on construct validity in language testing, there are not many studies examining the construct validity of a reading test. This paper reports on a study that explored the construct validity of the English reading test in…
One bipolar transistor selector - One resistive random access memory device for cross bar memory array

Science.gov (United States)

Aluguri, R.; Kumar, D.; Simanjuntak, F. M.; Tseng, T.-Y.

2017-09-01

A bipolar transistor selector was connected in series with a resistive switching memory device to study its memory characteristics for its application in cross bar array memory. The metal oxide based p-n-p bipolar transistor selector indicated good selectivity of about 104 with high retention and long endurance showing its usefulness in cross bar RRAM devices. Zener tunneling is found to be the main conduction phenomena for obtaining high selectivity. 1BT-1R device demonstrated good memory characteristics with non-linearity of 2 orders, selectivity of about 2 orders and long retention characteristics of more than 105 sec. One bit-line pull-up scheme shows that a 650 kb cross bar array made with this 1BT1R devices works well with more than 10 % read margin proving its ability in future memory technology application.
Validation of work pressure and associated factors influencing hospital nurse turnover: a cross-sectional investigation in Shaanxi Province, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Huiyun; Lv, Jingwen; Zhou, Xi; Liu, Huitong; Mi, Baibing

2017-02-03

Nurses' turnover is a major contributor to nursing shortages, strongly influenced by nurses' intentions to leave. Several factors influencing the turnover intention have been well identified in Western countries and large cities in China. However, whether these factors also contribute to nurses' work stress in Midwest China are still unclear. The main purpose of this study was to examine the work pressure and associated factors influencing the nurses' intent to leave. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey with multistage sampling was conducted by recruiting 800 employed registered nurses with >1 year of work experience. Chi-square test and multi-factor logistic regression were applied to attain the relative comparisons. Sub-group analysis was conducted to explore the different turnover intention patterns in different age groups. The turnover intention was classified as strong/very-strong (19%), weak (62%), and very-weak (19%). Among the factors influencing the nurses' desire to leave the profession, work pressure was the most prominent. The predominantly associated factors contributing the work stress were age, experience, and workload. However, the scale of income did not affect the intent to leave decision. Pediatrics was identified to be the highest tormented department with a significant (P stress, age, job duty, and career commitment in Shaanxi Province. The intent to leave is dynamically multifactorial, and effective managements and supportive strategies are needed to reduce the nurses work stress accordingly.
Down-regulation of microRNAs controlling tumourigenic factors in follicular thyroid carcinoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rossing, Maria; Helweg-Larsen, Rehannah Borup; Henao Giraldo, Ricardo

2012-01-01

pattern in distinguishing malignant from benign nodules we employed a supervised learning algorithm and leave-one-out-cross-validation. By this procedure, FA and FC were identified with a negative predicted value (NPV) of 83% (data generated by microarray platform) and of 92% (data generated by q......RT-PCR platform). We conclude that follicular neoplasia is associated by major changes in miRNA expression that may promote malignant transformation by increasing the expression of transcripts encoding tumourigenic factors. Moreover, miRNA profiling may facilitate the diagnosis of carcinoma vs. adenoma....
Optimization of an NLEO-based algorithm for automated detection of spontaneous activity transients in early preterm EEG

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmu, Kirsi; Vanhatalo, Sampsa; Stevenson, Nathan; Wikström, Sverre; Hellström-Westas, Lena; Palva, J Matias

2010-01-01

We propose here a simple algorithm for automated detection of spontaneous activity transients (SATs) in early preterm electroencephalography (EEG). The parameters of the algorithm were optimized by supervised learning using a gold standard created from visual classification data obtained from three human raters. The generalization performance of the algorithm was estimated by leave-one-out cross-validation. The mean sensitivity of the optimized algorithm was 97% (range 91–100%) and specificity 95% (76–100%). The optimized algorithm makes it possible to systematically study brain state fluctuations of preterm infants. (note)
Capturing the musical brain with Lasso

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toiviainen, Petri; Alluri, Vinoo; Brattico, Elvira

2014-01-01

accuracy using a leave-one-out cross-validation scheme. The method was applied to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data that were collected using a naturalistic paradigm, in which participants' brain responses were recorded while they were continuously listening to pieces of real music...... to be consistent with areas of significant activation observed in previous research using a naturalistic paradigm with fMRI. Of the six musical features considered, five could be significantly predicted for the majority of participants. The areas significantly contributing to the optimal decoding models agreed...
From Conception Through Delivery: Developing a Just and Equitable Faculty Maternity Leave Policy

Science.gov (United States)

Untener, Joseph

2008-01-01

While much has been written on the need for faculty maternity leave policies in institutions of higher learning, the development of such policies is difficult given inherent administrative complexities and multiple approval processes. As a result, many institutions have either no policy or one that is inadequate or out of compliance with…
Chemical composition on cacao leaves infected by viruses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mustafa, M.; Delilah, M.; Syafrul, L.; Suryadi.

1980-01-01

Chemical analysis on cacao leaves that have chlorosis spots caused by cocoa swollen shoot viruses were carried out. It can be shown that leaves with chlorosis spots contain less chlorophyl and lipides than those without, but both do not show any significant difference in the concentration of water, glucose, saccharides, amino acid and proteins. It can be concluded that transport systems in the infected leaves are good so that the water and saccharides distribution in them are not disturbed. (author tr.)
Assessing behavioural changes in ALS: cross-validation of ALS-specific measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinto-Grau, Marta; Costello, Emmet; O'Connor, Sarah; Elamin, Marwa; Burke, Tom; Heverin, Mark; Pender, Niall; Hardiman, Orla

2017-07-01

The Beaumont Behavioural Inventory (BBI) is a behavioural proxy report for the assessment of behavioural changes in ALS. This tool has been validated against the FrSBe, a non-ALS-specific behavioural assessment, and further comparison of the BBI against a disease-specific tool was considered. This study cross-validates the BBI against the ALS-FTD-Q. Sixty ALS patients, 8% also meeting criteria for FTD, were recruited. All patients were evaluated using the BBI and the ALS-FTD-Q, completed by a carer. Correlational analysis was performed to assess construct validity. Precision, sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of the BBI when compared to the ALS-FTD-Q, were obtained. The mean score of the whole sample on the BBI was 11.45 ± 13.06. ALS-FTD patients scored significantly higher than non-demented ALS patients (31.6 ± 14.64, 9.62 ± 11.38; p ALS-FTD-Q was observed (r = 0.807, p ALS-FTD-Q. Good construct validity has been further confirmed when the BBI is compared to an ALS-specific tool. Furthermore, the BBI is a more comprehensive behavioural assessment for ALS, as it measures the whole behavioural spectrum in this condition.
Spanish translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Questionnaire for Diabetes-Related Foot Disease (Q-DFD).

Science.gov (United States)

Castillo-Tandazo, Wilson; Flores-Fortty, Adolfo; Feraud, Lourdes; Tettamanti, Daniel

2013-01-01

To translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the Questionnaire for Diabetes-Related Foot Disease (Q-DFD), originally created and validated in Australia, for its use in Spanish-speaking patients with diabetes mellitus. The translation and cross-cultural adaptation were based on international guidelines. The Spanish version of the survey was applied to a community-based (sample A) and a hospital clinic-based sample (samples B and C). Samples A and B were used to determine criterion and construct validity comparing the survey findings with clinical evaluation and medical records, respectively; while sample C was used to determine intra- and inter-rater reliability. After completing the rigorous translation process, only four items were considered problematic and required a new translation. In total, 127 patients were included in the validation study: 76 to determine criterion and construct validity and 41 to establish intra- and inter-rater reliability. For an overall diagnosis of diabetes-related foot disease, a substantial level of agreement was obtained when we compared the Q-DFD with the clinical assessment (kappa 0.77, sensitivity 80.4%, specificity 91.5%, positive likelihood ratio [LR+] 9.46, negative likelihood ratio [LR-] 0.21); while an almost perfect level of agreement was obtained when it was compared with medical records (kappa 0.88, sensitivity 87%, specificity 97%, LR+ 29.0, LR- 0.13). Survey reliability showed substantial levels of agreement, with kappa scores of 0.63 and 0.73 for intra- and inter-rater reliability, respectively. The translated and cross-culturally adapted Q-DFD showed good psychometric properties (validity, reproducibility, and reliability) that allow its use in Spanish-speaking diabetic populations.
CFD Analysis for Predicting Flow Resistance of the Cross Flow Gap in Prismatic VHTR Core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jeong Hun; Yoon, Su Jong; Park, Goon Cherl; Park, Jong Woon

2011-01-01

The core of Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) consists of assemblies of hexagonal graphite blocks and its height and across-flats width are 800 mm and 360 mm respectively. They are equipped with 108 coolant holes 16 mm in diameter. Up to ten fuel blocks arranged in vertical order form a fuel element column and the neutron flux varies over the cross section of the core. It makes different axial shrinkage of fuel element and this leads to make wedge-shaped gaps between the base and top surfaces of stacked blocks. The cross flow is defined as the core flow that passes through this cross gaps. The cross flow complicates the flow distribution of reactor core. Moreover, the cross flow could lead to uneven coolant distribution and consequently to superheating of individual fuel element zones with increased fission product release. Since the core cross flow has a negative impact on safety and efficiency of VHTR, core cross flow phenomena have to be investigated to improve the core thermal margin of VHTR. In particular, to predict amount of flow at the cross flow gap obtaining accurate flow loss coefficient is important. Nevertheless, there has not been much effort in domestic. The experiment of cross flow was carried out by H. G. Groehn in 1981 Germany. For the study of cross flow the applicability of CFD code should be validated. In this paper a commercial CFD code CFX-12 validation will be carried out with this cross flow experiment. Validated data can be used for validation of other thermal-hydraulic analysis codes
Synchronous front-face fluorescence spectroscopy for authentication of the adulteration of edible vegetable oil with refined used frying oil.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Jin; Li, Rong; Jiang, Zi-Tao; Tang, Shu-Hua; Wang, Ying; Shi, Meng; Xiao, Yi-Qian; Jia, Bin; Lu, Tian-Xiang; Wang, Hao

2017-02-15

Synchronous front-face fluorescence spectroscopy has been developed for the discrimination of used frying oil (UFO) from edible vegetable oil (EVO), the estimation of the using time of UFO, and the determination of the adulteration of EVO with UFO. Both the heating time of laboratory prepared UFO and the adulteration of EVO with UFO could be determined by partial least squares regression (PLSR). To simulate the EVO adulteration with UFO, for each kind of oil, fifty adulterated samples at the adulterant amounts range of 1-50% were prepared. PLSR was then adopted to build the model and both full (leave-one-out) cross-validation and external validation were performed to evaluate the predictive ability. Under the optimum condition, the plots of observed versus predicted values exhibited high linearity (R(2)>0.96). The root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) were both lower than 3%. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
THE EFFECT OF HARVESTING TIME AND DEGREE OF LEAVES MATURATION ON VITEKSIKARPIN LEVEL IN LEGUNDI LEAVES (Vitex trifolia L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yosi Bayu Murti

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Legundi (Vitex trifolia L. is one of Indonesia’s traditional crops that have not been studied and developed into fitofarmaka. Legundi leaves can be used for therapy in asthmatics with optimum level. Therefore it is necessary for optimization of harvesting Legundi leaves which includes time and degree of maturation of the leaves. Harvesting time optimization by means of harvesting the leaves at the different times i.e. morning, noon, and evening, while the leaf maturation level optimization by way of harvesting leaves numbered one through five of the youngest end, then the time of harvesting and leaves that provide optimum levels of viteksikarpin were assigned. Measurements of viteksikarpin assigned using TLCdensitometry then analyzed using Wincats software and Microsoft Office Excel 2007. The highest viteksikarpin levels in Legundi leaves harvested in the afternoon, then during the day, and the lowest in the morning. The highest viteksikarpin levels of Legundi leaves were on second leaf, first leaf, third leaf, fourth leaf, and the lowest on fifth leaf. Optimum levels of viteksikarpin in Legundi leaves was harvested in the afternoon by picking the first until the third leaf.
Tools and approaches to operationalize the commitment to equity, gender and human rights: towards leaving no one behind in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Science.gov (United States)

Zamora, Gerardo; Koller, Theadora Swift; Thomas, Rebekah; Manandhar, Mary; Lustigova, Eva; Diop, Adama; Magar, Veronica

2018-01-01

The objective of this article is to present specific resources developed by the World Health Organization on equity, gender and human rights in order to support Member States in operationalizing their commitment to leave no one behind in the health Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and other health-related goals and targets. The resources cover: (i) health inequality monitoring; (ii) barrier analysis using mixed methods; (iii) human rights monitoring; (iv) leaving no one behind in national and subnational health sector planning; and (v) equity, gender and human rights in national health programme reviews. Examples of the application of the tools in a range of country contexts are provided for each resource.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Italian Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ).

Science.gov (United States)

Bucci, Rosaria; Rongo, Roberto; Zito, Eugenio; Galeotti, Angela; Valletta, Rosa; D'Antò, Vincenzo

2015-03-01

To validate and cross-culturally adapt the Italian version of the Psychological Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ) among Italian young adults. After translation, back translation, and cross-cultural adaptation of the English PIDAQ, a first version of the Italian questionnaire was pretested. The final Italian PIDAQ was administered to 598 subjects aged 18-30 years, along with two other instruments: the aesthetic component of the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN-AC) and the perception of occlusion scale (POS), which identified the self-reporting grade of malocclusion. Structural validity was assessed by means of factorial analysis, internal consistency was measured with Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α), convergent validity was assessed by means of Spearman correlation, and test-retest reliability was calculated with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard measurement error. Criterion validity was evaluated by multivariate and univariate analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc tests. The α of the Italian PIDAQ domains ranged between 0.79 and 0.92. The ICC was between 0.81 and 0.90. The mean scores of each PIDAQ domain showed a statistically significant difference when analysed according to the IOTN-AC and POS scores. The satisfactory psychometric properties make PIDAQ a usable tool for future studies on oral health-related quality of life among Italian young adults.
Validation and Comparison of One-Dimensional Ground Motion Methodologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

B. Darragh; W. Silva; N. Gregor

2006-01-01

Both point- and finite-source stochastic one-dimensional ground motion models, coupled to vertically propagating equivalent-linear shear-wave site response models are validated using an extensive set of strong motion data as part of the Yucca Mountain Project. The validation and comparison exercises are presented entirely in terms of 5% damped pseudo absolute response spectra. The study consists of a quantitative analyses involving modeling nineteen well-recorded earthquakes, M 5.6 to 7.4 at over 600 sites. The sites range in distance from about 1 to about 200 km in the western US (460 km for central-eastern US). In general, this validation demonstrates that the stochastic point- and finite-source models produce accurate predictions of strong ground motions over the range of 0 to 100 km and for magnitudes M 5.0 to 7.4. The stochastic finite-source model appears to be broadband, producing near zero bias from about 0.3 Hz (low frequency limit of the analyses) to the high frequency limit of the data (100 and 25 Hz for response and Fourier amplitude spectra, respectively)
Validation and Comparison of One-Dimensional Graound Motion Methodologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

B. Darragh; W. Silva; N. Gregor

2006-06-28

Both point- and finite-source stochastic one-dimensional ground motion models, coupled to vertically propagating equivalent-linear shear-wave site response models are validated using an extensive set of strong motion data as part of the Yucca Mountain Project. The validation and comparison exercises are presented entirely in terms of 5% damped pseudo absolute response spectra. The study consists of a quantitative analyses involving modeling nineteen well-recorded earthquakes, M 5.6 to 7.4 at over 600 sites. The sites range in distance from about 1 to about 200 km in the western US (460 km for central-eastern US). In general, this validation demonstrates that the stochastic point- and finite-source models produce accurate predictions of strong ground motions over the range of 0 to 100 km and for magnitudes M 5.0 to 7.4. The stochastic finite-source model appears to be broadband, producing near zero bias from about 0.3 Hz (low frequency limit of the analyses) to the high frequency limit of the data (100 and 25 Hz for response and Fourier amplitude spectra, respectively).
The DUNDRUM Quartet: validation of structured professional judgement instruments DUNDRUM-3 assessment of programme completion and DUNDRUM-4 assessment of recovery in forensic mental health services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McDonnell Kim

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Moving a forensic mental health patient from one level of therapeutic security to a lower level or to the community is influenced by more than risk assessment and risk management. We set out to construct and validate structured professional judgement instruments for consistency and transparency in decision making Methods Two instruments were developed, the seven-item DUNDRUM-3 programme completion instrument and the six item DUNDRUM-4 recovery instrument. These were assessed for all 95 forensic patients at Ireland's only forensic mental health hospital. Results The two instruments had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.911 and 0.887. Scores distinguished those allowed no leave or accompanied leave from those with unaccompanied leave (ANOVA F = 38.1 and 50.3 respectively, p Conclusions The DUNDRUM-3 programme completion items distinguished significantly between levels of therapeutic security while the DUNDRUM-4 recovery items consistently distinguished those given unaccompanied leave outside the hospital and those in the lowest levels of therapeutic security. This data forms the basis for a prospective study of outcomes now underway.
Transferability of Skills: Convergent, Postdictive, Criterion-Related, and Construct Validation of Cross-Job Retraining Time Estimates

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kavanagh, Michael

1997-01-01

... (job learning difficulty and cross-AFS differences in aptitude requirements), (b) XJRThs exhibited some postdictive validity when evaluated against Airman Retraining Program Survey retraining ease criteria, (c...

Cross-cultural validation of Lupus Impact Tracker in five European clinical practice settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Matthias; Mosca, Marta; Pego-Reigosa, José-Maria; Gunnarsson, Iva; Maurel, Frédérique; Garofano, Anna; Perna, Alessandra; Porcasi, Rolando; Devilliers, Hervé

2017-05-01

The aim was to evaluate the cross-cultural validity of the Lupus Impact Tracker (LIT) in five European countries and to assess its acceptability and feasibility from the patient and physician perspectives. A prospective, observational, cross-sectional and multicentre validation study was conducted in clinical settings. Before the visit, patients completed LIT, Short Form 36 (SF-36) and care satisfaction questionnaires. During the visit, physicians assessed disease activity [Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment (SELENA)-SLEDAI], organ damage [SLICC/ACR damage index (SDI)] and flare occurrence. Cross-cultural validity was assessed using the Differential Item Functioning method. Five hundred and sixty-nine SLE patients were included by 25 specialists; 91.7% were outpatients and 89.9% female, with mean age 43.5 (13.0) years. Disease profile was as follows: 18.3% experienced flares; mean SELENA-SLEDAI score 3.4 (4.5); mean SDI score 0.8 (1.4); and SF-36 mean physical and mental component summary scores: physical component summary 42.8 (10.8) and mental component summary 43.0 (12.3). Mean LIT score was 34.2 (22.3) (median: 32.5), indicating that lupus moderately impacted patients' daily life. A cultural Differential Item Functioning of negligible magnitude was detected across countries (pseudo- R 2 difference of 0.01-0.04). Differences were observed between LIT scores and Physician Global Assessment, SELENA-SLEDAI, SDI scores = 0 (P cultural invariability across countries. They suggest that LIT can be used in routine clinical practice to evaluate and follow patient-reported outcomes in order to improve patient-physician interaction. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
Oxford Shoulder Score: A Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation Study of the Persian Version in Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Ebrahimzadeh, Mohammad H; Birjandinejad, Ali; Razi, Shiva; Mardani-Kivi, Mohsen; Reza Kachooei, Amir

2015-09-01

Oxford shoulder score is a specific 12-item patient-reported tool for evaluation of patients with inflammatory and degenerative disorders of the shoulder. Since its introduction, it has been translated and culturally adapted in some Western and Eastern countries. The aim of this study was to translate the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) in Persian and to test its validity and reliability in Persian speaking population in Iran. One hundred patients with degenerative or inflammatory shoulder problem participated in the survey in 2012. All patients completed the Persian version of OSS, Persian DASH and the SF-36 for testing validity. Randomly, 37 patients filled out the Persian OSS again three days after the initial visit to assess the reliability of the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.93. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.93. In terms of validity, there was a significant correlation between the Persian OSS and DASH and SF-36 scores (P Persian version of the OSS proved to be a valid, reliable, and reproducible tool as demonstrated by high Cronbach's alpha and Pearson's correlation coefficients. The Persian transcript of OSS is administrable to Persian speaking patients with shoulder condition and it is understandable by them.
Cross-Cultural Validation of Stages of Exercise Change Scale among Chinese College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Keating, Xiaofen D.; Guan, Jianmin; Huang, Yong; Deng, Mingying; Wu, Yifeng; Qu, Shuhua

2005-01-01

The purpose of the study was to test the cross-cultural concurrent validity of the stages of exercise change scale (SECS) in Chinese college students. The original SECS was translated into Chinese (C-SECS). Students from four Chinese universities (N = 1843) participated in the study. The leisure-time exercise (LTE) questionnaire was used to…
Validation of drying models and rehydration characteristics of betel (Piper betel L.) leaves.

Science.gov (United States)

Balasubramanian, S; Sharma, R; Gupta, R K; Patil, R T

2011-12-01

Effect of temperature on drying behaviour of betel leaves at drying air temperatures of 50, 60 and 70°C was investigated in tunnel as well as cabinet dryer. The L* and b* values increased whereas, a* values decreased, as the drying air temperature increased from 50 to 70°C in both the dryers, but the colour values remained higher for cabinet dryer than tunnel dryer in all cases. Eleven different drying models were compared according to their coefficients of determination (R(2)), root mean square error (RMSE) and chi square (χ (2)) to estimate drying curves. The results indicated that, logarithmic model and modified Page model could satisfactorily describe the drying curve of betel leaves for tunnel drying and cabinet dryer, respectively. In terms of colour quality, drying of betel leaves at 60°C in tunnel dryer and at 50°C in cabinet dryer was found optimum whereas, rehydration at 40°C produced the best acceptable product.
Adding support to cross-cultural emotional assessment: Validation of the International Affective Picture System in a Chilean sample

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rocío Mayol Troncoso

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed to obtain a valid set of images of the International Affective Picture System (Lang, Bradley, & Cuthbert, 2005 –a widely used instrumentation in emotion research- in a Chilean sample, as well as to compare these results with those obtained from the US study in order to contribute to its cross-cultural validation. A sample of 135 college students assessed 188 pictures according to standard instructions in valence and arousal dimensions. The results showed the expected organization of affectivity, with main variations between sex in valence judgments, and differences between countries in the arousal dimension. It is concluded that the Chilean adaptation of the IAPS is consistent with previous evidence, adding support to it cross-cultural validity.
Sound quality indicators for urban places in Paris cross-validated by Milan data.

Science.gov (United States)

Ricciardi, Paola; Delaitre, Pauline; Lavandier, Catherine; Torchia, Francesca; Aumond, Pierre

2015-10-01

A specific smartphone application was developed to collect perceptive and acoustic data in Paris. About 3400 questionnaires were analyzed, regarding the global sound environment characterization, the perceived loudness of some emergent sources and the presence time ratio of sources that do not emerge from the background. Sound pressure level was recorded each second from the mobile phone's microphone during a 10-min period. The aim of this study is to propose indicators of urban sound quality based on linear regressions with perceptive variables. A cross validation of the quality models extracted from Paris data was carried out by conducting the same survey in Milan. The proposed sound quality general model is correlated with the real perceived sound quality (72%). Another model without visual amenity and familiarity is 58% correlated with perceived sound quality. In order to improve the sound quality indicator, a site classification was performed by Kohonen's Artificial Neural Network algorithm, and seven specific class models were developed. These specific models attribute more importance on source events and are slightly closer to the individual data than the global model. In general, the Parisian models underestimate the sound quality of Milan environments assessed by Italian people.
Identification, validation and cross-species transferability of novel Lavandula EST-SSRs.

Science.gov (United States)

Adal, Ayelign M; Demissie, Zerihun A; Mahmoud, Soheil S

2015-04-01

We identified and characterized EST-SSRs with strong discrimination power against Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula x intermedia . The markers also showed considerable cross-species transferability rate into six related Lavandula species. Lavenders (Lavandula) are important economical crops grown around the globe for essential oil production. In an attempt to develop genetic markers for these plants, we analyzed over 13,000 unigenes developed from L. angustifolia and L. x intermedia EST databases, and identified 3,459 simple sequence repeats (SSR), which were dominated by trinucleotides (41.2 %) and dinucleotides (31.45 %). Approximately, 19 % of the unigenes contained at least one SSR marker, over 60 % of which were localized in the UTRs. Only 252 EST-SSRs were 18 bp or longer from which 31 loci were validated, and 24 amplified discrete fragments with 85 % polymorphism in L. x intermedia and L. angustifolia. The average number of alleles in L. x intermedia and L. angustifolia were 3.42 and 3.71 per marker with average PIC values of 0.47 and 0.52, respectively. These values suggest a moderate to strong level of informativeness for the markers, with some loci producing unique fingerprints. The cross-species transferability rate of the markers ranges 50-100 % across eight species. The utility of these markers was assessed in eight Lavandula species and 15 L. angustifolia and L. x intermedia cultivars, and the dendrogram deduced from their similarity indexes successfully delineated the species into their respective sections and the cultivars into their respective species. These markers have potential for application in fingerprinting, diversity studies and marker-assisted breeding of Lavandula.
Law, ethics and pandemic preparedness: the importance of cross-jurisdictional and cross-cultural perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Belinda; Carney, Terry

2010-04-01

To explore social equity, health planning, regulatory and ethical dilemmas in responding to a pandemic influenza (H5N1) outbreak, and the adequacy of protocols and standards such as the International Health Regulations (2005). This paper analyses the role of legal and ethical considerations for pandemic preparedness, including an exploration of the relevance of cross-jurisdictional and cross-cultural perspectives in assessing the validity of goals for harmonisation of laws and policies both within and between nations. Australian and international experience is reviewed in various areas, including distribution of vaccines during a pandemic, the distribution of authority between national and local levels of government, and global and regional equity issues for poorer countries. This paper finds that questions such as those of distributional justice (resource allocation) and regulatory frameworks raise important issues about the cultural and ethical acceptability of planning measures. Serious doubt is cast on a 'one size fits all' approach to international planning for managing a pandemic. It is concluded that a more nuanced approach than that contained in international guidelines may be required if an effective response is to be constructed internationally. The paper commends the wisdom of reliance on 'soft law', international guidance that leaves plenty of room for each nation to construct its response in conformity with its own cultural and value requirements. © 2010 The Authors. Journal Compilation © 2010 Public Health Association of Australia.
The modified patient enablement instrument: a Portuguese cross-cultural adaptation, validity and reliability study.

Science.gov (United States)

Remelhe, Mafalda; Teixeira, Pedro M; Lopes, Irene; Silva, Luís; Correia de Sousa, Jaime

2017-01-12

Enabling patients with asthma to obtain the knowledge, confidence and skills they need in order to assume a major role in the management of their disease is cost effective. It should be an integral part of any plan for long-term control of asthma. The modified Patient Enablement Instrument (mPEI) is an easily administered questionnaire that was adapted in the United Kingdom to measure patient enablement in asthma, but its applicability in Portugal is not known. Validity and reliability of questionnaires should be tested before use in settings different from those of the original version. The purpose of this study was to test the applicability of the mPEI to Portuguese asthma patients after translation and cross-cultural adaptation, and to verify the structural validity, internal consistency and reproducibility of the instrument. The mPEI was translated to Portuguese and back translated to English. Its content validity was assessed by a debriefing interview with 10 asthma patients. The translated instrument was then administered to a random sample of 142 patients with persistent asthma. Structural validity and internal consistency were assessed. For reproducibility analysis, 86 patients completed the instrument again 7 days later. Item-scale correlations and exploratory factor analysis were used to assess structural validity. Cronbach's alpha was used to test internal consistency, and the intra-class correlation coefficient was used for the analysis of reproducibility. All items of the Portuguese version of the mPEI were found to be equivalent to the original English version. There were strong item-scale correlations that confirmed construct validity, with a one component structure and good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha >0.8) as well as high test-retest reliability (ICC=0.85). The mPEI showed sound psychometric properties for the evaluation of enablement in patients with asthma making it a reliable instrument for use in research and clinical practice in
The maternal health outcomes of paid maternity leave: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Aitken, Zoe; Garrett, Cameryn C; Hewitt, Belinda; Keogh, Louise; Hocking, Jane S; Kavanagh, Anne M

2015-04-01

Paid maternity leave has become a standard benefit in many countries throughout the world. Although maternal health has been central to the rationale for paid maternity leave, no review has specifically examined the effect of paid maternity leave on maternal health. The aim of this paper is to provide a systematic review of studies that examine the association between paid maternity leave and maternal health. We conducted a comprehensive search of electronic databases (Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Sociological Abstracts) and Google Scholar. We searched websites of relevant organisations, reference lists of key papers and journals, and citation indices for additional studies including those not in refereed journals. There were no language restrictions. Studies were included if they compared paid maternity leave versus no paid maternity leave, or different lengths of paid leave. Data were extracted and an assessment of bias was performed independently by authors. Seven studies were identified, with participants from Australia, Sweden, Norway, USA, Canada, and Lebanon. All studies used quantitative methodologies, including cohort, cross-sectional, and repeated cross-sectional designs. Outcomes included mental health and wellbeing, general health, physical wellbeing, and intimate partner violence. The four studies that examined leave at an individual level showed evidence of maternal health benefits, whereas the three studies conducting policy-level comparisons reported either no association or evidence of a negative association. The synthesis of the results suggested that paid maternity leave provided maternal health benefits, although this varied depending on the length of leave. This has important implications for public health and social policy. However, all studies were subject to confounding bias and many to reverse causation. Given the small number of studies and the methodological limitations of the evidence, longitudinal studies are
Compact fitting formulas for electron-impact cross sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Y.K.

1992-01-01

Compact fitting formulas, which contain four fitting constants, are presented for electron-impact excitation and ionization cross sections of atoms and ions. These formulas can fit experimental and theoretical cross sections remarkably well, when resonant structures are smoothed out, from threshold to high incident electron energies (<10 keV), beyond which relativistic formulas are more appropriate. Examples of fitted cross sections for some atoms and ions are presented. The basic form of the formula is valid for both atoms and molecules
Developing a validation for environmental sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Adewale, Bamgbade Jibril; Mohammed, Kamaruddeen Ahmed; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Aziz, Zulkifli

2016-08-01

One of the agendas for addressing environmental protection in construction is to reduce impacts and make the construction activities more sustainable. This important consideration has generated several research interests within the construction industry, especially considering the construction damaging effects on the ecosystem, such as various forms of environmental pollution, resource depletion and biodiversity loss on a global scale. Using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling technique, this study validates environmental sustainability (ES) construct in the context of large construction firms in Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey was carried out where data was collected from Malaysian large construction firms using a structured questionnaire. Results of this study revealed that business innovativeness and new technology are important in determining environmental sustainability (ES) of the Malaysian construction firms. It also established an adequate level of internal consistency reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity for each of this study's constructs. And based on this result, it could be suggested that the indicators for organisational innovativeness dimensions (business innovativeness and new technology) are useful to measure these constructs in order to study construction firms' tendency to adopt environmental sustainability (ES) in their project execution.
Assessing predictors of intention to prescribe sick leave among primary care physicians using the theory of planned behaviour.

Science.gov (United States)

Swarna Nantha, Yogarabindranath; Wee, Lei Hum; Chan, Caryn Mei-Hsien

2018-01-16

Providing sickness certification is a decision that primary care physicians make on a daily basis. The majority of sickness certification studies in the literature involve a general assessment of physician or patient behaviour without the use of a robust psychological framework to guide research accuracy. To address this deficiency, this study utilized the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to specifically gauge the intention and other salient predictors related to sickness certification prescribing behaviour amongst primary care physicians. A cross-sectional study was conducted among N = 271 primary care physicians from 86 primary care practices throughout two states in Malaysia. Questionnaires used were specifically developed based on the TPB, consisting of both direct and indirect measures related to the provision of sickness leave. Questionnaire validity was established through factor analysis and the determination of internal consistency between theoretically related constructs. The temporal stability of the indirect measures was determined via the test-retest correlation analysis. Structural equation modelling was conducted to determine the strength of predictors related to intentions. The mean scores for intention to provide patients with sickness was low. The Cronbach α value for the direct measures was good: overall physician intent to provide sick leave (0.77), physician attitude towards prescribing sick leave for patients (0.77) and physician attitude in trusting the intention of patients seeking sick leave (0.83). The temporal stability of the indirect measures of the questionnaire was satisfactory with significant correlation between constructs separated by an interval of two weeks (p sick leave to patients. An integrated behavioural model utilizing the TPB could help fully explain the complex act of providing sickness leave to patients. Findings from this study could assist relevant agencies to facilitate the creation of policies that may help
Validating a Spanish Version of the PIMRS: Application in National and Cross-National Research on Instructional Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

Fromm, Germán; Hallinger, Philip; Volante, Paulo; Wang, Wen Chung

2017-01-01

The purposes of this study were to report on a systematic approach to validating a Spanish version of the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale and then to apply the scale in a cross-national comparison of principal instructional leadership. The study yielded a validated Spanish language version of the PIMRS Teacher Form and offers a…
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Italian version of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic Shoulder and Elbow score.

Science.gov (United States)

Merolla, Giovanni; Corona, Katia; Zanoli, Gustavo; Cerciello, Simone; Giannotti, Stefano; Porcellini, Giuseppe

2017-12-01

The Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC) Shoulder and Elbow score is a reliable and sensitive tool to measure the performance of overhead athletes. The purpose of this study was to carry out a cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the KJOC questionnaire in Italian and to assess its reliability, validity, and responsiveness. Ninety professional athletes with a painful shoulder were included in this study and were assigned to the "injury group" (n = 32) or the "overuse group" (n = 58); 65 were managed conservatively and 25 were treated by arthroscopic surgery. To assess the reliability of the KJOC score, patients were asked to fill in the questionnaire at baseline and after 2 weeks. To test the construct validity, KJOC scores were compared to those obtained with the Italian version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scale, and with the DASH sports/performing arts module. To test KJOC score responsiveness, the follow-up KJOC scores of the participants treated conservatively were compared to those of the patients treated by arthroscopic surgery. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the KJOC questionnaire is reliable in terms of the single items and the overall score (ICC 0.95-0.99); that it has high construct validity (r s = -0.697; p differences in shoulder function (p < 0.0001). The Italian version of the KJOC Shoulder and Elbow score performed in a similar way to the English version and demonstrated good validity, reliability, and responsiveness after conservative and surgical treatment. II.
Potato Sprout Inhibition and Tuber Quality after Post-Harvest Treatment with Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis L.) Leaves and Branches

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Talei, Daryush; Bina, Fatemeh; Valdiani, Alireza

2017-01-01

Storage of potatoes is one of the most important concerns in maintaining freshness and nutritional quality in the storage process. To achieve this, an experiment was carried out with five different storage conditions at various temperatures using fresh rosemary leaves and branches with three...... replicates. The results revealed that storage of potatoes at 25°C with rosemary leaves and branches resulted in the lowest sprout development and weight loss after 10 weeks. This was significantly different from either 4°C or 30°C. The findings indicated the potential of rosemary fresh leaves and branches...
Saved Leave Scheme (SLS) : Simplified procedure for the transfer of leave to saved leave accounts

CERN Multimedia

HR Division

2001-01-01

As part of the process of streamlining procedures, the HR and AS Divisions have jointly developed a system whereby annual and compensatory leave will henceforth be automatically transferred1) to saved leave accounts. Under the provisions of the voluntary saved leave scheme (SLS), a maximum total of 10 days'2) annual and compensatory leave (excluding saved leave accumulated in accordance with the provisions of Administrative Circular No. 22 B) can be transferred to the saved leave account at the end of the leave year (30 September). Previously, every person taking part in the scheme has been individually issued with a form for the purposes of requesting the transfer of leave to the leave account and the transfer has then had to be done manually by HR Division. To streamline the procedure, unused leave of all those taking part in the saved leave scheme at the closure of of the leave-year accounts will henceforth be transferred automatically to the saved leave account on that date. This simplification is in the ...
Cross-border regional innovation systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Makkonen, Teemu; Rohde, Stephan

2016-01-01

. This paper discusses the reasons behind this mismatch which means that the concept still rests upon and draws policy suggestions based on a thin evidence base. Directions for further research are pointed out by underlining the need for holistic empirical validations of the concept together with the need......The concept of cross-border regional innovation systems (CBRIS) surfaced in the literature on economic geography through discourses that highlighted the need of broadening innovation systems to cross-border contexts. Since these early discussions, the theoretical backgrounds of CBRIS have been...
A validity assessment of the Progress out of Poverty Index (PPI)™.

Science.gov (United States)

Desiere, Sam; Vellema, Wytse; D'Haese, Marijke

2015-04-01

Development organisations need easy-to-use and quick-to-implement indicators to quantify poverty when requested to measure program impact. In this paper we assess the validity of the Progress out of Poverty Index (PPI)™, a country-specific indicator based on ten closed questions on directly observable household characteristics, by its compliance to the SMART criteria. Each response receives a pre-determined score, such that the sum of these scores can be converted into the likelihood the household is living below the poverty line. We focus on the PPI scorecard for Rwanda, which was validated using two national household surveys conducted in 2005/06 and 2010/11. The PPI is Specific, Measurable, Available cost effectively, and Timely available. Yet, its Relevance depends on the way it is used. Although it accurately distinguishes poor from non-poor households, making it a useful reporting tool, its limited sensitivity to changes in poverty status restricts its usefulness for evaluating the impact of development projects. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Paid Family Leave, Fathers' Leave-Taking, and Leave-Sharing in Dual-Earner Households.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartel, Anne P; Rossin-Slater, Maya; Ruhm, Christopher J; Stearns, Jenna; Waldfogel, Jane

Using difference-in-difference and difference-in-difference-in-difference designs, we study California's Paid Family Leave (CA-PFL) program, the first source of government-provided paid parental leave available to fathers in the Unites States. Relative to the pre-treatment mean, fathers of infants in California are 46 percent more likely to be on leave when CA-PFL is available. In households where both parents work, we find suggestive evidence that CA-PFL increases both father-only leave-taking (i.e., father on leave while mother is at work) and joint leave-taking (i.e., both parents on leave at the same time). Effects are larger for fathers of first-born children than for fathers of later-born children.

The In-Out dispositional affective style questionnaire (IN-OUT DASQ: an exploratory factorial analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viridiana eMazzola

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The issue of individual differences has always been an important area of research in psychology and, more recently, neuroimaging. A major source of interindividual variability stems from differences in basic affective dispositions. In order to make a contribution to this field of research, we have developed a new type of assessment - the In-Out Dispositional Affective Style Questionnaire (IN-OUT DASQ - to measure the proneness between two different ways of feeling situated: a predominantly body-bound one in the case of the inward tendency and an externally anchored one in the case of the outward tendency (Arciero and Bondolfi, 2009. The IN-OUT DASQ contains 2 scales of 7 items each, Self-centric engagement (SCE and Other-centric engagement (OCE, as a disposition index for inwardness and outwardness respectively. The exploratory factor analysis in sample 1 (n= 292 confirmed a two-factor solution. Confirmatory factor analysis in sample 2 (n= 300 showed the good fit of this two-factor model. Next, we examined construct validity also investigating the correlations between the IN-OUT DASQ, the Big Five Questionnaire and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule in sample 3 (n=153. The SCE and OCE scales had robust internal consistency and reliability, and therefore the capacity to discriminate higher inward and outward participants was stronger in SCE. Although further validation research is required, the present study suggests the IN-OUT DASQ has the potential to be a measurement tool for detecting individual differences in social behavior and social affective neuroscience.
Validation of KENO V.a. and two cross-section libraries for criticality calculations of low-enriched uranium systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Easter, M.E.

1985-07-01

The SCALE code system, utilizing the Monte Carlo computer code KENO V.a, was employed to calculate 37 critical experiments. The critical assemblies had 235 U enrichments of 5% or less and cover a variety of geometries and materials. Values of k/sub eff/ were calculated using two different results using either of the cross-section libraries. The 16-energy-group Hansen-Roach and the 27-energy-group ENDF/B-IV cross-section libraries, available in SCALE, were used in this validation study, and both give good results for the experiments considered. It is concluded that the code and cross sections are adequate for low-enriched uranium systems and that reliable criticality safety calculations can be made for such systems provided the limits of validated applicability are not exceeded
Developing the Polish Educational Needs Assessment Tool (Pol-ENAT) in rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis: a cross-cultural validation study using Rasch analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sierakowska, Matylda; Sierakowski, Stanisław; Sierakowska, Justyna; Horton, Mike; Ndosi, Mwidimi

2015-03-01

To undertake cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the educational needs assessment tool (ENAT) for use with people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) in Poland. The study involved two main phases: (1) cross-cultural adaptation of the ENAT from English into Polish and (2) Cross-cultural validation of Polish Educational Needs Assessment Tool (Pol-ENAT). The first phase followed an established process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. The second phase involved completion of the Pol-ENAT by patients and subjecting the data to Rasch analysis to assess the construct validity, unidimensionality, internal consistency and cross-cultural invariance. An adequate conceptual equivalence was achieved following the adaptation process. The dataset for validation comprised a total of 278 patients, 237 (85.3 %) of which were female. In each disease group (145, RA and 133, SSc), the 7 domains of the Pol-ENAT were found to fit the Rasch model, X (2)(df) = 16.953(14), p = 0.259 and 8.132(14), p = 0.882 for RA and SSc, respectively. Internal consistency of the Pol-ENAT was high (patient separation index = 0.85 and 0.89 for SSc and RA, respectively), and unidimensionality was confirmed. Cross-cultural differential item functioning (DIF) was detected in some subscales, and DIF-adjusted conversion tables were calibrated to enable cross-cultural comparison of data between Poland and the UK. Using a standard process in cross-cultural adaptation, conceptual equivalence was achieved between the original (UK) ENAT and the adapted Pol-ENAT. Fit to the Rasch model, confirmed that the construct validity, unidimensionality and internal consistency of the ENAT have been preserved.
Validity and Utilization of the Out-Pile Testing Facilities at HANARO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choo, Kee-Nam; Cho, Man-Soon; Yang, Sung-Woo; Shin, Yoon-Taek; Park, Seng-Jae; Jun, Byung-Hyuk; Kim, Myong-Seop [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

Various neutron irradiation facilities such as rabbit irradiation facilities, loop facilities and the capsule irradiation facilities for irradiation tests of nuclear materials, fuels and radioisotope products have been developed at HANARO. Among these irradiation facilities, the capsule is the most useful device for coping with the various test requirements at HANARO. To support the national research and development programs on nuclear reactors and the nuclear fuel cycle technology in Korea, new irradiation capsules have been developed and actively utilized for the irradiation tests requested by numerous users. The environmental conditions for these reactors are generally beyond present day reactor technology, especially regarding the higher neutron fluence and higher operating temperature. To effectively support the national R and Ds relevant to the future nuclear systems, the development of advanced irradiation technologies concerning higher neutron fluence and irradiation temperature are being preferentially developed at HANARO. The utilization of the out-pile testing facilities to satisfy the criteria of safety evaluation for a new device installed in the core of HANARO was summarized. In addition, the validity of the out-pile testing facilities was evaluated and proved to be effective for verifying the integrity of irradiation capsule.
Validity and Utilization of the Out-Pile Testing Facilities at HANARO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choo, Kee-Nam; Cho, Man-Soon; Yang, Sung-Woo; Shin, Yoon-Taek; Park, Seng-Jae; Jun, Byung-Hyuk; Kim, Myong-Seop

2016-01-01

Various neutron irradiation facilities such as rabbit irradiation facilities, loop facilities and the capsule irradiation facilities for irradiation tests of nuclear materials, fuels and radioisotope products have been developed at HANARO. Among these irradiation facilities, the capsule is the most useful device for coping with the various test requirements at HANARO. To support the national research and development programs on nuclear reactors and the nuclear fuel cycle technology in Korea, new irradiation capsules have been developed and actively utilized for the irradiation tests requested by numerous users. The environmental conditions for these reactors are generally beyond present day reactor technology, especially regarding the higher neutron fluence and higher operating temperature. To effectively support the national R and Ds relevant to the future nuclear systems, the development of advanced irradiation technologies concerning higher neutron fluence and irradiation temperature are being preferentially developed at HANARO. The utilization of the out-pile testing facilities to satisfy the criteria of safety evaluation for a new device installed in the core of HANARO was summarized. In addition, the validity of the out-pile testing facilities was evaluated and proved to be effective for verifying the integrity of irradiation capsule
Paid Family Leave, Fathers' Leave-Taking, and Leave-Sharing in Dual-Earner Households

OpenAIRE

Bartel, Ann P.; Rossin-Slater, Maya; Ruhm, Christopher J.; Stearns, Jenna; Waldfogel, Jane

2015-01-01

This paper provides quasi-experimental evidence on the impact of paid leave legislation on fathers' leave-taking, as well as on the division of leave between mothers and fathers in dual-earner households. Using difference-in-difference and difference-in-difference-in-difference designs, we study California's Paid Family Leave (CA-PFL) program, which is the first source of government-provided paid parental leave available to fathers in the United States. Our results show that fathers in Califo...
Quantification of the antiplasmodial alkaloid carpaine in papaya (Carica papaya) leaves.

Science.gov (United States)

Julianti, Tasqiah; Oufir, Mouhssin; Hamburger, Matthias

2014-08-01

Daily consumption of papaya (Carica papaya) leaves as greens and an herbal infusion is common in some parts of Indonesia as a means for preventing malaria. Antiplasmodial activity of the leaf extracts and of the main alkaloid carpaine were recently confirmed. A quantitative assay for determination of carpaine in papaya leaves was developed and validated. The assay involved pressurized liquid extraction and quantification with the aid of ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy. Extraction conditions were optimized with respect to solvent, temperature, and number of extraction cycles. The ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy assay was validated over a range of 20-5000 ng/mL (R(2) of 0.9908). A total of 29 papaya leaf samples were analyzed, and carpaine concentration in dry leaves was found to range from 0.02 to 0.31%. No obvious dependence on geographic origin and leaf maturity was observed. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
[Maternity leave and experience of working mothers in Lebanon].

Science.gov (United States)

Saadé, N; Barbour, B; Salameh, P

2010-09-01

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 802 Lebanese mothers to evaluate effect of rapid return to work on their health and that of their child. Breastfeeding practices were also assessed. The duration of maternity leave was insufficient for 72.8% of the women. Rapid return to work could cause physical and psychological problems depending on the type of work. The average length of breastfeeding was 4.7 months and while the average desired length was 10.9 months. Breastfeeding depended on the duration of the maternity leave, the possibility of breaks for breastfeeding and the presence of nurseries at work. Urgent interventions are necessary to prolong maternity leave and promote breastfeeding among working women.
Psychometric properties of the Intentions to Leave the Organization Scale (ILOS): a cross-cultural study

OpenAIRE

Nisipeanu, Damar Sandbrand

2015-01-01

The focus of the present study is to introduce into organizational researches a new psychometric scale that identifies the intention of an employee to leave the company he works for, based only on external and internal aspects to the organization (e.g. payroll, work and life balance); aspects that could stimulate a person to leave or remain in his/her current job. The Intention to Leave the Organization Scale (ILOS) was built with 31 items, using the Likert Scale model, ranging from 1 – Total...
Detection of Colletotrichum acutatum Latent Infections in Strawberry Petioles and Leaves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nataša Duduk

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Colletotrichum acutatum is the most significant agent of anthracnose strawberry fruit rot. Besides being a necrotrophic pest, it can spend a part of its life cycle as an epiphyte, in a form of latent infection. The presence of the fungi on symptomless plant tissue is considered one of the main ways of distribution of this economically harmful pathogen in the world. Investigation of latent C. acutatum infection was carried out on artificially inoculated strawberries. The initiation of fungi sporulation on symptomless petioles and leaves was carried out by exposing them to the herbicide paraquat (0.25% and low temperatures, which caused plant tissue decay in different ways. Surface sterilization with 0.5% NaOCl precedes the exposure of plant material to paraquat. The freezing procedure was carried out by exposure of plant material to the temperature of -20°C for 2h. After the freezing, one group was rinsed in Tween 20 (18 μl/l, and another group underwent surface sterilization in 0.0525% NaOCl with an addition of Tween 20 (18 μl/l. After 6 days of incubation, the appearance of acervuli and conidia was detected in 93.33 to 100% plant parts exposed to paraquat treatment and freezing procedure. In inoculated parts which were not exposed to herbicides or low temperatures, the presence of acervuli was detected in 3.33% tested petioles and 6.67% leaves.
[Cross-cultural validated adaptation of dysfunctional voiding symptom score (DVSS) to Japanese language and cognitive linguistics in questionnaire for pediatric patients].

Science.gov (United States)

Imamura, Masaaki; Usui, Tomoko; Johnin, Kazuyoshi; Yoshimura, Koji; Farhat, Walid; Kanematsu, Akihiro; Ogawa, Osamu

2014-07-01

Validated questionnaire for evaluation of pediatric lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is of a great need. We performed cross-cultural validated adaptation of Dysfunctional Voiding Symptom Score (DVSS) to Japanese language, and assessed whether children understand and respond to questionnaire correctly, using cognitive linguistic approach. We translated DVSS into two Japanese versions according to a standard validation methodology: translation, synthesis, back-translation, expert review, and pre-testing. One version was written in adult language for parents, and the other was written in child language for children. Pre-testing was done with 5 to 15-year-old patients visiting us, having normal intelligence. A specialist in cognitive linguistics observed the response by children and parents to DVSS as an interviewer. When a child could not understand a question without adding or paraphrasing the question by the parents, it was defined as 'misidentification'. We performed pretesting with 2 trial versions of DVSS before having the final version. The pre-testing for the first trial version was done for 32 patients (male to female ratio was 19 : 13). The pre-testing for the second trial version was done for 11 patients (male to female ratio was 8 : 3). In DVSS in child language, misidentification was consistently observed for representation of time or frequency. We completed the formal validated translation by amending the problems raised in the pre-testing. The cross-cultural validated adaptation of DVSS to child and adult Japanese was completed. Since temporal perception is not fully developed in children, caution should be taken for using the terms related with time or frequency in the questionnaires for children.
Paid maternity and paternity leave: rights and choices.

Science.gov (United States)

Jordan, Claire

2007-01-01

From April 2007 onwards, maternity leave will be raised to nine months Paid maternity leave is associated with significant health benefits for babies, including reduced infant mortality The Government proposes to increase paid maternity leave to one year and introduce additional paternity leave by around 2009 The U.K's provision for maternity leave and child care is more generous than the U.S.A. or Australia but less than in the Scandinavian countries
Loving and Leaving Public Health: Predictors of Intentions to Quit Among State Health Agency Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Liss-Levinson, Rivka; Bharthapudi, Kiran; Leider, Jonathon P; Sellers, Katie

2015-01-01

State health agencies play a critical role in protecting and promoting the health and well-being of the people they serve. To be effective, they must maintain a highly skilled, diverse workforce of sufficient size and with proper training. The goal of this study was to examine demographics, job and workplace environment characteristics, job satisfaction, and reasons for initially joining the public health workforce as predictors of an employee's intentions to leave an organization within the next year. This study used a cross-sectional design. Respondents were selected on the basis of a stratified sampling approach, with 5 geographic (paired Health and Human Services [HHS] regions) as the primary strata. Balanced repeated replication was used as a resampling method for variance estimation. A logistic regression model was used to examine the correlates of intentions to leave one's organization within the next year. The independent variables included several measures of satisfaction, perceptions about the workplace environment, initial reasons for joining public health, gender, age, education, salary, supervisory status, program area, and paired HHS region. The sample for this study consisted of 10,246 permanently employed state health agency central office employees who responded to the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS). Considering leaving one's organization within the next year. Being a person of color, living in the West (HHS regions 9 and 10), and shorter tenure in one's current position were all associated with higher odds of intentions to leave an organization within the next year. Conversely, greater employee engagement, organizational support, job satisfaction, organization satisfaction, and pay satisfaction were all significant predictors of lower intentions to leave one's organization within the next year. Results from this study suggest several variables related to demographics, job characteristics, workplace environment, and
Validating self-reported food expenditures against food store and eating-out receipts.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, W; Aggarwal, A; Liu, Z; Acheson, M; Rehm, C D; Moudon, A V; Drewnowski, A

2016-03-01

To compare objective food store and eating-out receipts with self-reported household food expenditures. The Seattle Obesity Study II was based on a representative sample of King County adults, Washington, USA. Self-reported household food expenditures were modeled on the Flexible Consumer Behavior Survey (FCBS) Module from 2007 to 2009 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Objective food expenditure data were collected using receipts. Self-reported food expenditures for 447 participants were compared with receipts using paired t-tests, Bland-Altman plots and κ-statistics. Bias by sociodemographics was also examined. Self-reported expenditures closely matched with objective receipt data. Paired t-tests showed no significant differences between receipts and self-reported data on total food expenditures, expenditures at food stores or eating out. However, the highest-income strata showed weaker agreement. Bland-Altman plots confirmed no significant bias across both methods-mean difference: 6.4; agreement limits: -123.5 to 143.4 for total food expenditures, mean difference 5.7 for food stores and mean difference 1.7 for eating out. The κ-statistics showed good agreement for each (κ 0.51, 0.41 and 0.49 respectively. Households with higher education and income had significantly more number of receipts and higher food expenditures. Self-reported food expenditures using NHANES questions, both for food stores and eating out, serve as a decent proxy for objective household food expenditures from receipts. This method should be used with caution among high-income populations, or with high food expenditures. This is the first validation of the FCBS food expenditures question using food store and eating-out receipts.
Prediction of the GC-MS Retention Indices for a Diverse Set of Terpenes as Constituent Components of Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia (HBK Mc Vaugh Volatile Oil, Using Particle Swarm Optimization-Multiple Linear Regression (PSO-MLR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Majid Mohammadhosseini

2014-05-01

Full Text Available A reliable quantitative structure retention relationship (QSRR study has been evaluated to predict the retention indices (RIs of a broad spectrum of compounds, namely 118 non-linear, cyclic and heterocyclic terpenoids (both saturated and unsaturated, on an HP-5MS fused silica column. A principal component analysis showed that seven compounds lay outside of the main cluster. After elimination of the outliers, the data set was divided into training and test sets involving 80 and 28 compounds. The method was tested by application of the particle swarm optimization (PSO method to find the most effective molecular descriptors, followed by multiple linear regressions (MLR. The PSO-MLR model was further confirmed through “leave one out cross validation” (LOO-CV and “leave group out cross validation” (LGO-CV, as well as external validations. The promising statistical figures of merit associated with the proposed model (R2train=0.936, Q2LOO=0.928, Q2LGO=0.921, F=376.4 confirm its high ability to predict RIs with negligible relative errors of predictions (REP train=4.8%, REP test=6.0%.
Gene expression-based molecular diagnostic system for malignant gliomas is superior to histological diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Shirahata, Mitsuaki; Iwao-Koizumi, Kyoko; Saito, Sakae; Ueno, Noriko; Oda, Masashi; Hashimoto, Nobuo; Takahashi, Jun A; Kato, Kikuya

2007-12-15

Current morphology-based glioma classification methods do not adequately reflect the complex biology of gliomas, thus limiting their prognostic ability. In this study, we focused on anaplastic oligodendroglioma and glioblastoma, which typically follow distinct clinical courses. Our goal was to construct a clinically useful molecular diagnostic system based on gene expression profiling. The expression of 3,456 genes in 32 patients, 12 and 20 of whom had prognostically distinct anaplastic oligodendroglioma and glioblastoma, respectively, was measured by PCR array. Next to unsupervised methods, we did supervised analysis using a weighted voting algorithm to construct a diagnostic system discriminating anaplastic oligodendroglioma from glioblastoma. The diagnostic accuracy of this system was evaluated by leave-one-out cross-validation. The clinical utility was tested on a microarray-based data set of 50 malignant gliomas from a previous study. Unsupervised analysis showed divergent global gene expression patterns between the two tumor classes. A supervised binary classification model showed 100% (95% confidence interval, 89.4-100%) diagnostic accuracy by leave-one-out cross-validation using 168 diagnostic genes. Applied to a gene expression data set from a previous study, our model correlated better with outcome than histologic diagnosis, and also displayed 96.6% (28 of 29) consistency with the molecular classification scheme used for these histologically controversial gliomas in the original article. Furthermore, we observed that histologically diagnosed glioblastoma samples that shared anaplastic oligodendroglioma molecular characteristics tended to be associated with longer survival. Our molecular diagnostic system showed reproducible clinical utility and prognostic ability superior to traditional histopathologic diagnosis for malignant glioma.
RNs and LPNs: emotional exhaustion and intention to leave.

Science.gov (United States)

Havaei, Farinaz; MacPhee, Maura; Dahinten, V Susan

2016-04-01

To describe and compare registered nurse (RN) and licensed practical nurse (LPN) emotional exhaustion, intention to leave and reasons for leaving. Different skill mix/care delivery models are being used to address nurse shortages and rising health-care costs. Skill mix may include RNs and LPNs. More LPNs are being employed in areas, such as acute care, that have been previously staffed by all RNs. Little is known about nurse outcomes since the introduction of LPNs to acute care settings. This study was a cross-sectional correlational design. A stratified, random sample of acute care nurses completed surveys via Fluidsurveys. The survey was modelled after the RN4CAST nursing workforce survey. For both groups of nurses higher levels of emotional exhaustion were associated with intention to leave and workload was the most frequent reason cited for intention to leave. More RNs than LPNs cited career advancement as a reason to leave, and more LPNs than RNs identified poor salary as a reason to leave. Emotional exhaustion is linked to intention to leave health care. Nurse managers should address work environment factors associated with turnover intentions, such as professional development opportunities and shared decision-making. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Carotenoids retention in processed curry leaves (Murraya koenigii L. Spreng).

Science.gov (United States)

Shivanna, Varnashree Boraiah; Subban, Nagarajan

2013-02-01

Lutein content and β-carotene content of dried curry leaves (Murraya koenigii L. Spreng) by various methods [microwave, combo, infrared (IR), hot air oven, freeze drying, cross flow tray drying, sun and shade drying] have been evaluated. The dried leaves were treated with ice-cold acetone to get the extracts (0.69-3.64% w/w) on dry weight basis. Lutein content and β-carotene content of all these extracts were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography using an established method and found in the range of 8.2-99.5 mg/100 g and 2.9-19.2 mg/100 g, respectively. The results indicated that the microwave processed leaves contain higher levels of lutein (99.4 mg/100 g) and β-carotene (19.2 mg/100 g) compared with other drying methods. The cross flow dried (8.2 mg/100 g and 3.5 mg/100 g) and IR dried samples (23 mg/100 g and 2.9 mg/100 g) retained minimum amount of lutein and β-carotene, respectively.
Validation of new cross section data for the Loviisa reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuusisto, J.

1995-01-01

The cross section data used with HEXBU-3D/MOD 5 core simulator code in the reload design calculations of the Loviisa reactors is revised. The new data was calculated with CASMO-HEX code using library based mainly on ENDF/B-IV. The new data is tested against measurements representing both current type low leakage reduced cores and original type full size cores with out-in-in loading patterns. Reactivity coefficients, boron concentration as a function of cycle burnup and assemblywise power distributions are compared to measurements. Slight adjustments are made so that good results are obtained for current type low leakage cores. When the data is applied to initial cores with out-in-in loading pattern some deviations are observed. (orig.) (4 refs., 18 figs.)
Cross-cultural validation of the Italian version of the Cumulated Ambulation Score

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grana, Elisa; Verzellotti, Simone; Grassi, Federico A

2016-01-01

-cultural adapt, and validate the CAS in the Italian language (CAS-I). The translation was carried out according to recommended guidelines. The final version of the CAS-I was administered to 80 geriatric patients with hip fracture admitted to a Traumatology Unit, and allowed full weight-bearing after treatment...

Sensitivity Analysis of Nuclide Importance to One-Group Neutron Cross Sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekimoto, Hiroshi; Nemoto, Atsushi; Yoshimura, Yoshikane

2001-01-01

The importance of nuclides is useful when investigating nuclide characteristics in a given neutron spectrum. However, it is derived using one-group microscopic cross sections, which may contain large errors or uncertainties. The sensitivity coefficient shows the effect of these errors or uncertainties on the importance.The equations for calculating sensitivity coefficients of importance to one-group nuclear constants are derived using the perturbation method. Numerical values are also evaluated for some important cases for fast and thermal reactor systems.Many characteristics of the sensitivity coefficients are derived from the derived equations and numerical results. The matrix of sensitivity coefficients seems diagonally dominant. However, it is not always satisfied in a detailed structure. The detailed structure of the matrix and the characteristics of coefficients are given.By using the obtained sensitivity coefficients, some demonstration calculations have been performed. The effects of error and uncertainty of nuclear data and of the change of one-group cross-section input caused by fuel design changes through the neutron spectrum are investigated. These calculations show that the sensitivity coefficient is useful when evaluating error or uncertainty of nuclide importance caused by the cross-section data error or uncertainty and when checking effectiveness of fuel cell or core design change for improving neutron economy
Building and Solving Odd-One-Out Classification Problems: A Systematic Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz, Philippe E.

2011-01-01

Classification problems ("find the odd-one-out") are frequently used as tests of inductive reasoning to evaluate human or animal intelligence. This paper introduces a systematic method for building the set of all possible classification problems, followed by a simple algorithm for solving the problems of the R-ASCM, a psychometric test derived…
Taking Leave?

CERN Multimedia

2000-01-01

Planning a holiday? Then if you're a member of the personnel, you'll need to use the Laboratory's new leave system that will be put in place on 1 October. Leave allocations don't change - you are entitled to just as much holiday as before - but instead of being credited annually, your leave will be credited on a monthly basis, and this information will be communicated on your salary slip. The reason for the change is that with the various new leave schemes such as Recruitment by Saved Leave (RSL) and the Progressive Retirement Programme (PRP), a streamlined procedure was required for dealing with all kinds of leave. In the new system, each member of the personnel will have leave accounts to which leave will be credited monthly from the payroll and debited each time an absence is registered in the CERN Electronic Document Handling system (EDH). Leave balances will appear on monthly pay slips, and full details of leave transactions and balances will be available through EDH at all times. As the leave will be c...
Cross-cultural adaptation, validity, and reliability of the Persian version of the spine functional index.

Science.gov (United States)

Mokhtarinia, Hamid Reza; Hosseini, Azadeh; Maleki-Ghahfarokhi, Azam; Gabel, Charles Philip; Zohrabi, Majid

2018-05-15

There are various instruments and methods to evaluate spinal health and functional status. Whole-spine patient reported outcome (PRO) measures, such as the Spine Functional Index (SFI), assess the spine from the cervical to lumbo-sacral sections as a single kinetic chain. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt the SFI for Persian speaking patients (SFI-Pr) and determine the psychometric properties of reliability and validity (convergent and construct) in a Persian patient population. The SFI (English) PRO was translated into Persian according to published guidelines. Consecutive symptomatic spine patients (104 female and 120 male aged between 18 and 60) were recruited from three Iranian physiotherapy centers. Test-retest reliability was performed in a sub-sample (n = 31) at baseline and repeated between days 3-7. Convergent validity was determined by calculating the Pearson's r correlation coefficient between the SFI-Pr and the Persian Roland Morris Questionnaire (RMQ) for back pain patients and the Neck Disability Index (NDI) for neck patients. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's α. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) used Maximum Likelihood Extraction followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). High levels of internal consistency (α = 0.81, item range = 0.78-0.82) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.96, item range = 0.83-0.98) were obtained. Convergent validity was very good between the SFI and RMQ (r = 0.69) and good between the SFI and NDI (r = 0.57). The EFA from the perspective of parsimony suggests a one-factor solution that explained 26.5% of total variance. The CFA was inconclusive of the one factor structure as the sample size was inadequate. There were no floor or ceiling effects. The SFI-Pr PRO can be applied as a specific whole-spine status assessment instrument for clinical and research studies in Persian language populations.
Genotoxicity of Nicotiana tabacum leaves on Helix aspersa.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Fernanda R; Erdtmann, Bernardo; Dalpiaz, Tiago; Nunes, Emilene; Ferraz, Alexandre; Martins, Tales L C; Dias, Johny F; da Rosa, Darlan P; Porawskie, Marilene; Bona, Silvia; da Silva, Juliana

2013-07-01

Tobacco farmers are routinely exposed to complex mixtures of inorganic and organic chemicals present in tobacco leaves. In this study, we examined the genotoxicity of tobacco leaves in the snail Helix aspersa as a measure of the risk to human health. DNA damage was evaluated using the micronucleus test and the Comet assay and the concentration of cytochrome P450 enzymes was estimated. Two groups of snails were studied: one fed on tobacco leaves and one fed on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L) leaves (control group). All of the snails received leaves (tobacco and lettuce leaves were the only food provided) and water ad libitum. Hemolymph cells were collected after 0, 24, 48 and 72 h. The Comet assay and micronucleus test showed that exposure to tobacco leaves for different periods of time caused significant DNA damage. Inhibition of cytochrome P450 enzymes occurred only in the tobacco group. Chemical analysis indicated the presence of the alkaloid nicotine, coumarins, saponins, flavonoids and various metals. These results show that tobacco leaves are genotoxic in H. aspersa and inhibit cytochrome P450 activity, probably through the action of the complex chemical mixture present in the plant.
Genotoxicity of Nicotiana tabacum leaves on Helix aspersa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernanda R. da Silva

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Tobacco farmers are routinely exposed to complex mixtures of inorganic and organic chemicals present in tobacco leaves. In this study, we examined the genotoxicity of tobacco leaves in the snail Helix aspersa as a measure of the risk to human health. DNA damage was evaluated using the micronucleus test and the Comet assay and the concentration of cytochrome P450 enzymes was estimated. Two groups of snails were studied: one fed on tobacco leaves and one fed on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L leaves (control group. All of the snails received leaves (tobacco and lettuce leaves were the only food provided and water ad libitum. Hemolymph cells were collected after 0, 24, 48 and 72 h. The Comet assay and micronucleus test showed that exposure to tobacco leaves for different periods of time caused significant DNA damage. Inhibition of cytochrome P450 enzymes occurred only in the tobacco group. Chemical analysis indicated the presence of the alkaloid nicotine, coumarins, saponins, flavonoids and various metals. These results show that tobacco leaves are genotoxic in H. aspersa and inhibit cytochrome P450 activity, probably through the action of the complex chemical mixture present in the plant.
Validating the cross-cultural factor structure and invariance property of the Insomnia Severity Index: evidence based on ordinal EFA and CFA.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Po-Yi; Yang, Chien-Ming; Morin, Charles M

2015-05-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the factor structure of the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) across samples recruited from different countries. We tried to identify the most appropriate factor model for the ISI and further examined the measurement invariance property of the ISI across samples from different countries. Our analyses included one data set collected from a Taiwanese sample and two data sets obtained from samples in Hong Kong and Canada. The data set collected in Taiwan was analyzed with ordinal exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to obtain the appropriate factor model for the ISI. After that, we conducted a series of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), which is a special case of the structural equation model (SEM) that concerns the parameters in the measurement model, to the statistics collected in Canada and Hong Kong. The purposes of these CFA were to cross-validate the result obtained from EFA and further examine the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the ISI. The three-factor model outperforms other models in terms of global fit indices in Taiwan's population. Its external validity is also supported by confirmatory factor analyses. Furthermore, the measurement invariance analyses show that the strong invariance property between the samples from different cultures holds, providing evidence that the ISI results obtained in different cultures are comparable. The factorial validity of the ISI is stable in different populations. More importantly, its invariance property across cultures suggests that the ISI is a valid measure of the insomnia severity construct across countries. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Cross-cultural validation of health literacy measurement tools in Italian oncology patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Zotti, Paola; Cocchi, Simone; Polesel, Jerry; Cipolat Mis, Chiara; Bragatto, Donato; Cavuto, Silvio; Conficconi, Alice; Costanzo, Carla; De Giorgi, Melissa; Drace, Christina A; Fiorini, Federica; Gangeri, Laura; Lisi, Andrea; Martino, Rosalba; Mosconi, Paola; Paradiso, Angelo; Ravaioli, Valentina; Truccolo, Ivana; De Paoli, Paolo

2017-06-19

The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric characteristics of four Health Literacy (HL) measurement tools, viz. Newest Vital Sign (NVS), Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (STOFHLA), Single Item Literacy Screener (SILS) and Single question on Self-rated Reading Ability (SrRA) among Italian oncology patients. The original version of the tools were translated from the English language into Italian using a standard forward-backward procedure and according to internationally recognized good practices. Their internal consistency (reliability) and validity (construct, convergent and discriminative) were tested in a sample of 245 consecutive cancer patients recruited from seven Italian health care centers. The internal consistency of the STOFHLA-I was Chronbach's α=0.96 and that of NVS-I was α=0.74. The STOFHLA-I, NVS-I, SILS-I and SrRA-I scores were in a good relative correlation and in all tools the discriminative known-group validity was confirmed. The reliability and validity values were similar to those obtained from other cultural context studies. The psychometric characteristics of the Italian version of NVS, STHOFLA, SILS and SrRA were found to be good, with satisfactory reliability and validity. This indicates that they could be used as a screening tool in Italian patients. Moreover, the use of the same cross-cultural tools, validated in different languages, is essential for implementing multicenter studies to measure and compare the functional HL levels across countries.
Validation of hindi translation of DSM-5 level 1 cross-cutting symptom measure.

Science.gov (United States)

Goel, Ankit; Kataria, Dinesh

2018-04-01

The DSM-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure is a self- or informant-rated measure that assesses mental health domains which are important across psychiatric diagnoses. The absence of this self- or informant-administered instrument in Hindi, which is a major language in India, is an important limitation in using this scale. To translate the English version of the DSM-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure to Hindi and evaluate its psychometric properties. The study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Delhi. The DSM-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure was translated into Hindi using the World Health Organization's translation methodology. Mean and standard deviation were evaluated for continuous variables while for categorical variables frequency and percentages were calculated. The translated version was evaluated for cross-language equivalence, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and split half reliability. Hindi version was found to have good cross-language equivalence and test-retest reliability at the level of items and domains. Twenty two of the 23 items and all the 23 items had a significant correlation (ρ Cutting Symptom Measure as translated in this study is a valid instrument. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Is part-time sick leave helping the unemployed?

OpenAIRE

Andrén, Daniela

2011-01-01

Using a discrete choice one-factor model, we estimate mean treatment parameters and distributional treatment parameters to analyze the effects of degree of sick leave on the probability of full recovery of lost work capacity for employed and unemployed individuals, respectively. Our results indicate that one year after the sick leave spell started, the average potential impact of part-time sick listing on an individual randomly chosen from the population on sick leave was positive for both gr...
Twenty-One at TREC-7: ad-hoc and cross-language track

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hiemstra, Djoerd; Kraaij, Wessel; Voorhees, E.M; Harman, D.K.

1999-01-01

This paper describes the official runs of the Twenty-One group for TREC-7. The Twenty-One group participated in the ad-hoc and the cross-language track and made the following accomplishments: We developed a new weighting algorithm, which outperforms the popular Cornell version of BM25 on the ad-hoc
Spanish translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Questionnaire for Diabetes-Related Foot Disease (Q-DFD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Castillo-Tandazo W

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Wilson Castillo-Tandazo, Adolfo Flores-Fortty, Lourdes Feraud, Daniel TettamantiSchool of Medicine, Universidad Espíritu Santo – Ecuador, Samborondón, Guayas, EcuadorPurpose: To translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the Questionnaire for Diabetes-Related Foot Disease (Q-DFD, originally created and validated in Australia, for its use in Spanish-speaking patients with diabetes mellitus.Patients and methods: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation were based on international guidelines. The Spanish version of the survey was applied to a community-based (sample A and a hospital clinic-based sample (samples B and C. Samples A and B were used to determine criterion and construct validity comparing the survey findings with clinical evaluation and medical records, respectively; while sample C was used to determine intra- and inter-rater reliability.Results: After completing the rigorous translation process, only four items were considered problematic and required a new translation. In total, 127 patients were included in the validation study: 76 to determine criterion and construct validity and 41 to establish intra- and inter-rater reliability. For an overall diagnosis of diabetes-related foot disease, a substantial level of agreement was obtained when we compared the Q-DFD with the clinical assessment (kappa 0.77, sensitivity 80.4%, specificity 91.5%, positive likelihood ratio [LR+] 9.46, negative likelihood ratio [LR-] 0.21; while an almost perfect level of agreement was obtained when it was compared with medical records (kappa 0.88, sensitivity 87%, specificity 97%, LR+ 29.0, LR- 0.13. Survey reliability showed substantial levels of agreement, with kappa scores of 0.63 and 0.73 for intra- and inter-rater reliability, respectively.Conclusion: The translated and cross-culturally adapted Q-DFD showed good psychometric properties (validity, reproducibility, and reliability that allow its use in Spanish-speaking diabetic populations
FVCOM one-way and two-way nesting using ESMF: Development and validation

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Jianhua; Chen, Changsheng; Beardsley, Robert C.

2018-04-01

Built on the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF), the one-way and two-way nesting methods were implemented into the unstructured-grid Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM). These methods help utilize the unstructured-grid multi-domain nesting of FVCOM with an aim at resolving the multi-scale physical and ecosystem processes. A detail of procedures on implementing FVCOM into ESMF was described. The experiments were made to validate and evaluate the performance of the nested-grid FVCOM system. The first was made for a wave-current interaction case with a two-domain nesting with an emphasis on qualifying a critical need of nesting to resolve a high-resolution feature near the coast and harbor with little loss in computational efficiency. The second was conducted for the pseudo river plume cases to examine the differences in the model-simulated salinity between one-way and two-way nesting approaches and evaluate the performance of mass conservative two-way nesting method. The third was carried out for the river plume case in the realistic geometric domain in Mass Bay, supporting the importance for having the two-way nesting for coastal-estuarine integrated modeling. The nesting method described in this paper has been used in the Northeast Coastal Ocean Forecast System (NECOFS)-a global-regional-coastal nesting FVCOM system that has been placed into the end-to-end forecast and hindcast operations since 2007.
Cross-validation and Peeling Strategies for Survival Bump Hunting using Recursive Peeling Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Dazard, Jean-Eudes; Choe, Michael; LeBlanc, Michael; Rao, J. Sunil

2015-01-01

We introduce a framework to build a survival/risk bump hunting model with a censored time-to-event response. Our Survival Bump Hunting (SBH) method is based on a recursive peeling procedure that uses a specific survival peeling criterion derived from non/semi-parametric statistics such as the hazards-ratio, the log-rank test or the Nelson--Aalen estimator. To optimize the tuning parameter of the model and validate it, we introduce an objective function based on survival or prediction-error statistics, such as the log-rank test and the concordance error rate. We also describe two alternative cross-validation techniques adapted to the joint task of decision-rule making by recursive peeling and survival estimation. Numerical analyses show the importance of replicated cross-validation and the differences between criteria and techniques in both low and high-dimensional settings. Although several non-parametric survival models exist, none addresses the problem of directly identifying local extrema. We show how SBH efficiently estimates extreme survival/risk subgroups unlike other models. This provides an insight into the behavior of commonly used models and suggests alternatives to be adopted in practice. Finally, our SBH framework was applied to a clinical dataset. In it, we identified subsets of patients characterized by clinical and demographic covariates with a distinct extreme survival outcome, for which tailored medical interventions could be made. An R package PRIMsrc (Patient Rule Induction Method in Survival, Regression and Classification settings) is available on CRAN (Comprehensive R Archive Network) and GitHub. PMID:27034730
Online identification of chlorogenic acids, sesquiterpene lactones, and flavonoids in the Brazilian arnica Lychnophora ericoides Mart. (Asteraceae) leaves by HPLC-DAD-MS and HPLC-DAD-MS/MS and a validated HPLC-DAD method for their simultaneous analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Gobbo-Neto, Leonardo; Lopes, Norberto P

2008-02-27

Lychnophora ericoides Mart. (Asteraceae, Vernonieae) is a plant, endemic to Brazil, with occurrence restricted to the "cerrado" biome. Traditional medicine employs alcoholic and aqueous-alcoholic preparations of leaves from this species for the treatment of wounds, inflammation, and pain. Furthermore, leaves of L. ericoides are also widely used as flavorings for the Brazilian traditional spirit "cachaça". A method has been developed for the extraction and HPLC-DAD analysis of the secondary metabolites of L. ericoides leaves. This analytical method was validated with 11 secondary metabolites chosen to represent the different classes and polarities of secondary metabolites occurring in L. ericoides leaves, and good responses were obtained for each validation parameter analyzed. The same HPLC analytical method was also employed for online secondary metabolite identification by HPLC-DAD-MS and HPLC-DAD-MS/MS, leading to the identification of di- C-glucosylflavones, coumaroylglucosylflavonols, flavone, flavanones, flavonols, chalcones, goyazensolide, and eremantholide-type sesquiterpene lactones and positional isomeric series of chlorogenic acids possessing caffeic and/or ferulic moieties. Among the 52 chromatographic peaks observed, 36 were fully identified and 8 were attributed to compounds belonging to series of caffeoylferuloylquinic and diferuloylquinic acids that could not be individualized from each other.
STUDY OF ORGANIC ACIDS IN ALMOND LEAVES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lenchyk L.V.

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Almond (Amygdalus communis is a stone fruit, from the Rosaceae family, closest to the peach. It is spread throughout the entire Mediterranean region and afterwards to the Southwestern USA, Northern Africa, Turkey, Iran, Australia and South Africa. It is sensitive to wet conditions, and therefore is not grown in wet climates. Iran is located in the semi-arid region of the world. Because of its special tolerance to water stress, almond is one of the main agricultural products in rainfed condition in Iran. Almond leaves have been investigated for their phenolic content and antioxidant activity. It was found that total antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds exhibited variations according to season, plant organ (leaf and stem and variety. Analysis of previous research on almonds focused on investigating compounds mostly in seeds and phenolic compounds in leaves, but organic acids in leaves have not been studied. Aim of this study was investigation of organic acids in leaves of almond variety which is distributed in Razavi Khorasan province of Iran. Materials and Methods. In August 2012 almond leaves were collected in Iran, dried and grinded. The study of qualitative composition and quantitative determination of carboxylic acids in almond leaves was carried out by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. For determination organic acids content, to 50 mg of dried plant material in 2 ml vial internal standard (50 μg of tridecane in hexane was added and filled up with 1.0 ml of methylating agent (14 % BCl3 in methanol, Supelco 3-3033. The mixture was kept in a sealed vial during 8 hours at 65 °C. At this time fatty oil was fully extracted, and hydrolyzed into its constituent fatty acids and their methylation was done. At the same time free organic and phenolcarbonic acids were methylated too. The reaction mixture was poured from the plant material sediment and was diluted with 1 ml of distilled water. To extract methyl
5 CFR 630.1204 - Intermittent leave or reduced leave schedule.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... insurance, health benefits, retirement coverage, and leave accrual). (e) The agency shall determine the... REGULATIONS ABSENCE AND LEAVE Family and Medical Leave § 630.1204 Intermittent leave or reduced leave schedule... reduced leave schedule unless the employee and the agency agree to do so. (b) Leave under § 630.1203(a) (3...
Evaluation of nutrient contents of Gmelina arborea leaves as animal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

An evaluation of chemical and mineral composition different forms of Gmelina arborea (GA) leaves was investigated. Experiment 1 involve the determination of the chemical composition, mineral and anti-nutrient of green, yellow and brown leaves of GA. In experiment 2, a free choice intake study was carried out using fifteen ...
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Arabic version of the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly among community-dwelling older adults in Saudi Arabia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alqarni AM

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Ayidh M Alqarni,1,2 Vishal Vennu,1 Sulaiman A Alshammari,3 Saad M Bindawas1 1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Physical Therapy, King Abdullah Hospital, Bisha, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Purpose: Older adults are the fastest growing population group worldwide. Regular physical activity (PA is reported to reduce the risk of health conditions and improve personal well-being. Few validated instruments can be used to measure the PA levels among older adults in Saudi Arabia. The Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE is used worldwide for evaluating the PA levels of the elderly in epidemiological studies. However, this scale has not been translated into Arabic. This study aimed to cross-culturally adapt the PASE into Arabic language and evaluate its reliability and validity among community-dwelling older adults in Saudi Arabia. Patients and methods: This study was a cross-sectional one following Beaton guidelines to translate and perform cultural adaptation, as well as test the reliability and validity of the PASE Arabic version (PASE-A. Elderly (N=74 people from both genders, who lived in a community dwelling in Riyadh city, were selected from several primary health care centers. The study used Cronbach’s alpha coefficient to assess the internal consistency reliability, while intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1 was used for test–retest reliability and the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (r was used to evaluate the correlation among PASE-A and grip strength, Timed Up and Go test, body mass index, and fat percentage. Results: Out of 74 older adults, 59 (79.7% completed the PASE-A questionnaire twice. The internal consistency of the PASE-A components was good (Cronbach’s alpha 0.70–0.75, and the reliability of the components
Cross-validation and hypothesis testing in neuroimaging: An irenic comment on the exchange between Friston and Lindquist et al.

Science.gov (United States)

Reiss, Philip T

2015-08-01

The "ten ironic rules for statistical reviewers" presented by Friston (2012) prompted a rebuttal by Lindquist et al. (2013), which was followed by a rejoinder by Friston (2013). A key issue left unresolved in this discussion is the use of cross-validation to test the significance of predictive analyses. This note discusses the role that cross-validation-based and related hypothesis tests have come to play in modern data analyses, in neuroimaging and other fields. It is shown that such tests need not be suboptimal and can fill otherwise-unmet inferential needs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The influence of specimen size on creep crack growth rate in cross-weld CT specimens cut out from a welded component

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Peder; Segle, Peter; Samuelson, Lars Aa.

1999-04-01

A 3D finite element study of creep crack growth in cross-weld CT specimens with material properties of 2.25Cr1Mo at 550 deg C is carried out, where large strain and displacement theory is used. The creep crack growth rate is calculated using a creep ductility based damage model, in which the creep strain rate perpendicular to the crack plane ahead of the crack tip is integrated, considering the multiaxial stress state. The influence of specimen size on creep crack growth rate under constant load is given special attention, but the possibility to transfer results from cross-weld CT specimens to welded high temperature components is also investigated. The creep crack growth rate of a crack in a circumferentially welded pipe is compared with the creep crack growth rate of cross-weld CT specimens of three different sizes, cut out from the pipe. Although the constraint ahead of the crack tip is higher for a larger CT specimen, the creep crack growth rate is higher for a smaller specimen than for a larger one if they are loaded to attain the same stress intensity factor. If the specimens are loaded to the same C* value, however, a more complicated pattern occurs; depending on the material properties of the weldment constituents, the CT specimen with the intermediate size will either yield the highest or the lowest creep crack growth rate
Causes and Consequences of a Father's Child Leave: Evidence from a Reform of Leave Schemes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Helena Skyt

are the most progressive when it comes to family-friendly policies. An extensive reform of child leave schemes in Denmark affected couples differently depending on whether the parents where employed in the same or in different parts of the public sector. Based on a difference-in-differences strategy, I find...... that economic incentives are very important for intra-household leave-sharing. Increasing the couples' after tax income by $9 per day of leave which is transferred from the mother to the father is found to lead to a one day transfer. This corresponds to a supply elasticity close to unity....
Reliability and validity of logotest among Nigerian population ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In facilitating cross-cultural study in the field of psychology and Logotherapy, the reliability and validity of the logotest which measures inner meaning fulfillment was carried out among 885 University of Ibadan students, 439 males and 434 females, aged between 15 and 60 years old with mean X age of 6.0. Data analyses ...
Comparison of a new expert elicitation model with the Classical Model, equal weights and single experts, using a cross-validation technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flandoli, F. [Dip.to di Matematica Applicata, Universita di Pisa, Pisa (Italy); Giorgi, E. [Dip.to di Matematica Applicata, Universita di Pisa, Pisa (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Pisa, via della Faggiola 32, 56126 Pisa (Italy); Aspinall, W.P. [Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, and Aspinall and Associates, Tisbury (United Kingdom); Neri, A., E-mail: neri@pi.ingv.it [Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Pisa, via della Faggiola 32, 56126 Pisa (Italy)

2011-10-15

The problem of ranking and weighting experts' performances when quantitative judgments are being elicited for decision support is considered. A new scoring model, the Expected Relative Frequency model, is presented, based on the closeness between central values provided by the expert and known values used for calibration. Using responses from experts in five different elicitation datasets, a cross-validation technique is used to compare this new approach with the Cooke Classical Model, the Equal Weights model, and individual experts. The analysis is performed using alternative reward schemes designed to capture proficiency either in quantifying uncertainty, or in estimating true central values. Results show that although there is only a limited probability that one approach is consistently better than another, the Cooke Classical Model is generally the most suitable for assessing uncertainties, whereas the new ERF model should be preferred if the goal is central value estimation accuracy. - Highlights: > A new expert elicitation model, named Expected Relative Frequency (ERF), is presented. > A cross-validation approach to evaluate the performance of different elicitation models is applied. > The new ERF model shows the best performance with respect to the point-wise estimates.
Time-resolved spectral studies of blue-green fluorescence of artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L. Var. Scolymus) leaves: identification of chlorogenic acid as one of the major fluorophores and age-mediated changes.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Fermín; Cartelat, Aurélie; Alvarez-Fernández, Ana; Moya, Ismael; Cerovic, Zoran G

2005-12-14

Synchrotron radiation and the time-correlated single-photon counting technique were used to investigate the spectral and time-resolved characteristics of blue-green fluorescence (BGF) of artichoke leaves. Leaves emitted BGF under ultraviolet (UV) excitation; the abaxial side was much more fluorescent than the adaxial side, and in both cases, the youngest leaves were much more fluorescent than the oldest ones. The BGF of artichoke leaves was dominated by the presence of hydroxycinnamic acids. A decrease in the percentage of BGF attributable to the very short kinetic component (from 42 to 20%), in the shape of the BGF excitation spectra, and chlorogenic acid concentrations indicate that there is a loss of hydroxycinnamic acid with leaf age. Studies on excitation, emission, and synchronized fluorescence spectra of leaves and trichomes and chlorogenic acid contents indicate that chlorogenic acid is one of the main blue-green fluorophores in artichoke leaves. Results of the present study indicate that 20-42% (i.e., the very short kinetic component) of the overall BGF is emitted by chlorogenic acid. Time-resolved BGF measurements could be a means to extract information on chlorogenic acid fluorescence from the overall leaf BGF.
Does paternity leave affect mothers’ sickness absence

OpenAIRE

Bratberg, Espen; Naz, Ghazala

2009-01-01

Female labour force participation is high in Norway but sickness absence rates are higher for women than for men. This may be partly a result of unequal sharing of childcare in the family. In this paper, we consider the effect of paternity leave on sickness absence among women who have recently given birth. We draw on a six-year panel taken from full population data from administrative sources. We find that in the 6% of families where fathers take out leave more than the standard quota (gende...
Theoretical analysis of knock-out release of fission products from nuclear fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamagishi, S.

1975-01-01

The knock-out release of fission products is studied theoretically. The general equations of knock-out release are derived, assuming that a fission fragment passing through the surface of nuclear fuels knocks out a local region of the surface with an effective thickness and an effective cross-sectional area. Using these equations, the knock-out release of fission gases is calculated for various cases. The conditions under which the knock-out coefficients (the average number of uranium atoms knocked out by one fission fragment) is obtainable are clarified by experiments on the knock-out release of fission gases. A method of determining the effective thickness and the effective cross-sectional area of a knock-out region is proposed. (Auth.)
Validation of elastic cross section models for space radiation applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Werneth, C.M., E-mail: charles.m.werneth@nasa.gov [NASA Langley Research Center (United States); Xu, X. [National Institute of Aerospace (United States); Norman, R.B. [NASA Langley Research Center (United States); Ford, W.P. [The University of Tennessee (United States); Maung, K.M. [The University of Southern Mississippi (United States)

2017-02-01

The space radiation field is composed of energetic particles that pose both acute and long-term risks for astronauts in low earth orbit and beyond. In order to estimate radiation risk to crew members, the fluence of particles and biological response to the radiation must be known at tissue sites. Given that the spectral fluence at the boundary of the shielding material is characterized, radiation transport algorithms may be used to find the fluence of particles inside the shield and body, and the radio-biological response is estimated from experiments and models. The fidelity of the radiation spectrum inside the shield and body depends on radiation transport algorithms and the accuracy of the nuclear cross sections. In a recent study, self-consistent nuclear models based on multiple scattering theory that include the option to study relativistic kinematics were developed for the prediction of nuclear cross sections for space radiation applications. The aim of the current work is to use uncertainty quantification to ascertain the validity of the models as compared to a nuclear reaction database and to identify components of the models that can be improved in future efforts.
Spatiotemporal estimation of historical PM2.5 concentrations using PM10, meteorological variables, and spatial effect

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lianfa; Wu, Anna H.; Cheng, Iona; Chen, Jiu-Chiuan; Wu, Jun

2017-10-01

Monitoring of fine particulate matter with diameter health outcomes such as cancer. In this study, we aimed to design a flexible approach to reliably estimate historical PM2.5 concentrations by incorporating spatial effect and the measurements of existing co-pollutants such as particulate matter with diameter additive non-linear model. The spatiotemporal model was evaluated, using leaving-one-site-month-out cross validation. Our final daily model had an R2 of 0.81, with PM10, meteorological variables, and spatial autocorrelation, explaining 55%, 10%, and 10% of the variance in PM2.5 concentrations, respectively. The model had a cross-validation R2 of 0.83 for monthly PM2.5 concentrations (N = 8170) and 0.79 for daily PM2.5 concentrations (N = 51,421) with few extreme values in prediction. Further, the incorporation of spatial effects reduced bias in predictions. Our approach achieved a cross validation R2 of 0.61 for the daily model when PM10 was replaced by total suspended particulate. Our model can robustly estimate historical PM2.5 concentrations in California when PM2.5 measurements were not available.
Ethnobotanical uses of neem (Azadirachta indica A.Juss.; Meliaceae) leaves in Bali (Indonesia) and the Indian subcontinent in relation with historical background and phytochemical properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Sujarwo, Wawan; Keim, Ary P; Caneva, Giulia; Toniolo, Chiara; Nicoletti, Marcello

2016-08-02

Neem (Azadirachta indica; Meliaceae) is widely known for its cold pressed seed oil, mainly used as insecticide, but also for cosmetic, medicinal and agricultural uses. The seed oil is widely employed in the Indian subcontinent, and the leaves seem to have a lower relevance, but the ethnobotanical information of Bali (Indonesia) considers the utilisation of leaves for medicinal properties. We report ethnopharmacological information about current uses of neem, in particular of the leaves, besides the insecticidal one, we discuss on the historical background of their uses. Ethnobotanical data were collected using both literature and scientific references and semi-structured interviews with 50 informants (ages ranged between 14 and 76 years old) through the snowball method in thirteen aga (indigenous Balinese) villages, following Ethic code procedures. The informants were asked to specify: which part of the plant was used, and how that plant part was used. Plant specimens were collected, identified and made into herbarium voucher. In consideration of the high variability and complex chemical constituent of neem, a HPTLC analysis of neem leaves coming from both the Indonesian island of Bali and the Indian subcontinent was carried out. The data on the medical use of traditional preparations from leaves of neem display a wide spectrum of applications. In the Indian subcontinent, neem leaves are used to treat dental and gastrointestinal disorders, malaria fevers, skin diseases, and as insects repellent, while the Balinese used neem leaves as a diuretic and for diabetes, headache, heartburn, and stimulating the appetite. Differences in utilisation cannot be related to chemical differences and other constituents besides limonoids must be investigated and related to the multipurpose activity of neem. This study revealed that neem leaves are believed to treat diabetes in both Balinese and Indian communities. Limonoids can not be considered the only responsible of digestive
An intercomparison of a large ensemble of statistical downscaling methods for Europe: Overall results from the VALUE perfect predictor cross-validation experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Gutiérrez, Jose Manuel; Maraun, Douglas; Widmann, Martin; Huth, Radan; Hertig, Elke; Benestad, Rasmus; Roessler, Ole; Wibig, Joanna; Wilcke, Renate; Kotlarski, Sven

2016-04-01

VALUE is an open European network to validate and compare downscaling methods for climate change research (http://www.value-cost.eu). A key deliverable of VALUE is the development of a systematic validation framework to enable the assessment and comparison of both dynamical and statistical downscaling methods. This framework is based on a user-focused validation tree, guiding the selection of relevant validation indices and performance measures for different aspects of the validation (marginal, temporal, spatial, multi-variable). Moreover, several experiments have been designed to isolate specific points in the downscaling procedure where problems may occur (assessment of intrinsic performance, effect of errors inherited from the global models, effect of non-stationarity, etc.). The list of downscaling experiments includes 1) cross-validation with perfect predictors, 2) GCM predictors -aligned with EURO-CORDEX experiment- and 3) pseudo reality predictors (see Maraun et al. 2015, Earth's Future, 3, doi:10.1002/2014EF000259, for more details). The results of these experiments are gathered, validated and publicly distributed through the VALUE validation portal, allowing for a comprehensive community-open downscaling intercomparison study. In this contribution we describe the overall results from Experiment 1), consisting of a European wide 5-fold cross-validation (with consecutive 6-year periods from 1979 to 2008) using predictors from ERA-Interim to downscale precipitation and temperatures (minimum and maximum) over a set of 86 ECA&D stations representative of the main geographical and climatic regions in Europe. As a result of the open call for contribution to this experiment (closed in Dec. 2015), over 40 methods representative of the main approaches (MOS and Perfect Prognosis, PP) and techniques (linear scaling, quantile mapping, analogs, weather typing, linear and generalized regression, weather generators, etc.) were submitted, including information both data
SDG and qualitative trend based model multiple scale validation

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Dong; Xu, Xin; Yin, Jianjin; Zhang, Hongyu; Zhang, Beike

2017-09-01

Verification, Validation and Accreditation (VV&A) is key technology of simulation and modelling. For the traditional model validation methods, the completeness is weak; it is carried out in one scale; it depends on human experience. The SDG (Signed Directed Graph) and qualitative trend based multiple scale validation is proposed. First the SDG model is built and qualitative trends are added to the model. And then complete testing scenarios are produced by positive inference. The multiple scale validation is carried out by comparing the testing scenarios with outputs of simulation model in different scales. Finally, the effectiveness is proved by carrying out validation for a reactor model.
Design for validation: An approach to systems validation

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, William C.; Dunham, Janet R.; Laprie, Jean-Claude; Williams, Thomas; Howden, William; Smith, Brian; Lewis, Carl M. (Editor)

1989-01-01

Every complex system built is validated in some manner. Computer validation begins with review of the system design. As systems became too complicated for one person to review, validation began to rely on the application of adhoc methods by many individuals. As the cost of the changes mounted and the expense of failure increased, more organized procedures became essential. Attempts at devising and carrying out those procedures showed that validation is indeed a difficult technical problem. The successful transformation of the validation process into a systematic series of formally sound, integrated steps is necessary if the liability inherent in the future digita-system-based avionic and space systems is to be minimized. A suggested framework and timetable for the transformtion are presented. Basic working definitions of two pivotal ideas (validation and system life-cyle) are provided and show how the two concepts interact. Many examples are given of past and present validation activities by NASA and others. A conceptual framework is presented for the validation process. Finally, important areas are listed for ongoing development of the validation process at NASA Langley Research Center.
A Cross-Validation Study of the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory in Three Research and Development Organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Robert T.; Holland, Winford E.

1979-01-01

A cross-validation study of the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI) was conducted with 256 professional employees from three applied research and development organizations. The KAI correlated well with both direct and indirect measures of innovativeness in all three organizations. (Author/MH)
Leaving School and Its Outcomes on Health-related Fitness Among Drop-out Algerian High School Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Zerf

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Schools are ideal venues for the implementation of healthy behaviors allied to the levels of physical activities as the physical and mental health correlate to psychosocial well-being of scholars. Whereas, this advantage is not reliable with dropout students. Support through psychological studies via time structure unconnected to self-efficacy relative to self-physical activity motivation among this social class, especially with the economic crisis as challenges imposed for Algerian society, concerning the high unemployment rates in line with high school dropouts. Method. This controlled study tested 104 high-school Male adolescent students aged around 17 years for academic years 2015–2016 and those under 18 years for academic years 2016–2017. Built on the ALPHA-Fitness test battery accompanied by questionnaire relevant to their physical and social time for both years. Results. Based on the design, the tests practised and the statistical processes applied within the search limitation, the results support, on one hand, the benefits of school venue as an ideal implementation of health and levels of physical activities and well-being among our scholars, and on the other, we confirmed the leaving school as a negative time trend via dropout students, poorly correlate with times physically and socially inactive. This study inspected that inactive lifestyle relate to body image disorders and disturbances concomitant to energy-expending relative to missing recreational time and sporting endeavours. Conclusions. Leaving school in the Algerian communities is a stress-related biological pathway that links physical disorders and depression virtual to social time structure proceeded to manage the relevant tasks, goals and objectives. Indicated in similar as best when individuals are clear about what it is they are expected to achieve.
Factors related to work ability and well-being among women on sick leave due to long-term pain in the neck/shoulders and/or back: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rashid, Mamunur; Kristofferzon, Marja-Leena; Heiden, Marina; Nilsson, Annika

2018-05-30

Musculoskeletal pain is one of the leading causes of sick leave, especially among women, in Western countries. The aim of the present study was to identify factors associated with work ability and well-being, respectively, among women on sick leave due to long-term pain in the neck/shoulders and/or back. A cross-sectional study with a correlational design was conducted on women who were sick-listed due to long-term pain in the neck/shoulders and/or back. A total of 208 participants responded to a survey comprising eight instruments: Multidimensional Pain Inventory scale, General Self-Efficacy scale, Sense of Coherence scale, Coping Strategies Questionnaire, Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Work Ability Index and Life Satisfaction questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with work ability and well-being, respectively. Women who more strongly believed they would return to the same work had greater work ability (β = 0.39, p women with higher pain intensity (β = - 0.30, p job strain (β = - 0.12, p Women with higher self-efficacy rated greater well-being (β = 0.14, p women's scores for depression increased, their well-being decreased by 48%, which was statistically significant (p job strain are predictive of work ability. Moreover, the factors self-efficacy and depression seem to be predictive of well-being. The findings highlight factors that should be considered by health care professionals and policy-makers to guide attempts to reduce sick leave.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the French version of the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) in knee osteoarthritis patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ornetti, P; Parratte, S; Gossec, L

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To adapt the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) into French and to evaluate the psychometric properties of this new version. METHODS: The French version of the KOOS was developed according to cross-cultural guidelines by using the "translation-back translation" method...... to ensure content validity. KOOS data were then obtained in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). The translated questionnaire was evaluated in two knee OA population groups, one with no indication for joint replacement (medicine), and the other waiting for joint replacement (surgery......). The psychometric properties evaluated were feasibility: percentage of responses, floor and ceiling effects; construct validity: internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha, correlations with osteoarthritis knee and hip quality of life domains using Spearman's rank test, and known group comparison between medicine...
Validation and upgrading of the recommended cross-section data of charged particle reactions: Gamma emitter radioisotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takacs, S.; Tarkanyi, F.; Hermanne, A.

2005-01-01

An upgrade and validation test of the recommended cross-section database for production of gamma emitter radioisotopes by charged particle induced reactions, published by the IAEA in 2001, was performed. Experimental microscopic cross-section data published earlier or measured recently and not yet included in the evaluation work were collected and added to the primary database in order to improve the quality of the recommended data. The newly compiled experimental data in general supported the previous recommended data, but in a few cases they influenced the decision and resulted in different selected cross-section data sets. A Spline fitting method was used to calculate the recommended data from the selected data sets. Integral thick target yields were deduced from the newly calculated recommended cross-sections and were critically compared with the available experimental yield data
[Precautionary maternity leave in Tirol].

Science.gov (United States)

Ludescher, K; Baumgartner, E; Roner, A; Brezinka, C

1998-01-01

Under Austrian law, precautionary maternity leave is a decree issued by the district public health physician. It forbids a pregnant woman to work and mandates immediate maternity leave. Regular maternity leave for all women employed in all jobs begins at 32 weeks of gestation. Women who work in workplaces deemed dangerous and women with a history of obstetric problems such as premature or growth-retarded babies from previous pregnancies are regularly 'sent' into precautionary maternity leave. The public health physicians of Tirol's nine administrative districts were interviewed and supplied data on precautionary maternity leave from their districts. In 100 women who attended the clinic for pregnancies at risk of the Obstetrics/Gynecology Department of Innsbruck University Hospital and who had already obtained precautionary maternity leave, the medical/administrative procedure was studied in each case and correlated with pregnancy outcome. The town district of Innsbruck and the district that comprises the suburbs of the provincial capital had the highest rates of precautionary maternity leave. The town district of Innsbruck had a rate of 24.3% of all pregnant women (employed and not employed) in precautionary maternity leave in 1997, whereas the whole province of Tirol had 13.4%. More than 80% of decrees for precautionary maternity leave are issued by district public health physicians on the basis of written recommendations from gynecologists. One third of women who are sent into precautionary maternity leave are issued the decree prior to 12 weeks of gestation - mostly cases of multiple pregnancies and women with previous miscarriages. The present system of precautionary maternity leave appears to work in the sense that most working pregnant women with risk factors are correctly identified - with most errors on the side of caution. As the system also helps employers - the employee's pay is paid from the federal family support fund and state insurance once she is in
Identification and Severity Determination of Wheat Stripe Rust and Wheat Leaf Rust Based on Hyperspectral Data Acquired Using a Black-Paper-Based Measuring Method

Science.gov (United States)

Ruan, Liu; Wang, Rui; Liu, Qi; Ma, Zhanhong; Li, Xiaolong; Cheng, Pei; Wang, Haiguang

2016-01-01

It is important to implement detection and assessment of plant diseases based on remotely sensed data for disease monitoring and control. Hyperspectral data of healthy leaves, leaves in incubation period and leaves in diseased period of wheat stripe rust and wheat leaf rust were collected under in-field conditions using a black-paper-based measuring method developed in this study. After data preprocessing, the models to identify the diseases were built using distinguished partial least squares (DPLS) and support vector machine (SVM), and the disease severity inversion models of stripe rust and the disease severity inversion models of leaf rust were built using quantitative partial least squares (QPLS) and support vector regression (SVR). All the models were validated by using leave-one-out cross validation and external validation. The diseases could be discriminated using both distinguished partial least squares and support vector machine with the accuracies of more than 99%. For each wheat rust, disease severity levels were accurately retrieved using both the optimal QPLS models and the optimal SVR models with the coefficients of determination (R2) of more than 0.90 and the root mean square errors (RMSE) of less than 0.15. The results demonstrated that identification and severity evaluation of stripe rust and leaf rust at the leaf level could be implemented based on the hyperspectral data acquired using the developed method. A scientific basis was provided for implementing disease monitoring by using aerial and space remote sensing technologies. PMID:27128464

Identification and Severity Determination of Wheat Stripe Rust and Wheat Leaf Rust Based on Hyperspectral Data Acquired Using a Black-Paper-Based Measuring Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hui; Qin, Feng; Ruan, Liu; Wang, Rui; Liu, Qi; Ma, Zhanhong; Li, Xiaolong; Cheng, Pei; Wang, Haiguang

2016-01-01

It is important to implement detection and assessment of plant diseases based on remotely sensed data for disease monitoring and control. Hyperspectral data of healthy leaves, leaves in incubation period and leaves in diseased period of wheat stripe rust and wheat leaf rust were collected under in-field conditions using a black-paper-based measuring method developed in this study. After data preprocessing, the models to identify the diseases were built using distinguished partial least squares (DPLS) and support vector machine (SVM), and the disease severity inversion models of stripe rust and the disease severity inversion models of leaf rust were built using quantitative partial least squares (QPLS) and support vector regression (SVR). All the models were validated by using leave-one-out cross validation and external validation. The diseases could be discriminated using both distinguished partial least squares and support vector machine with the accuracies of more than 99%. For each wheat rust, disease severity levels were accurately retrieved using both the optimal QPLS models and the optimal SVR models with the coefficients of determination (R2) of more than 0.90 and the root mean square errors (RMSE) of less than 0.15. The results demonstrated that identification and severity evaluation of stripe rust and leaf rust at the leaf level could be implemented based on the hyperspectral data acquired using the developed method. A scientific basis was provided for implementing disease monitoring by using aerial and space remote sensing technologies.
Patient safety culture in out-of-hours primary care services in the Netherlands: a cross-sectional survey.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smits, M.; Keizer, E.; Giesen, P.; Deilkas, E.C.T.; Hofoss, D.; Bondevik, G.T

2018-01-01

Objective: To examine patient safety culture in Dutch out-of-hours primary care using the safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ) which includes five factors: teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, perceptions of management and communication openness. Design: Cross-sectional observational
Cross-cultural Adaptation, Reliability, and Validity of the Yoruba Version of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Mbada, Chidozie Emmanuel; Idowu, Opeyemi Ayodiipo; Ogunjimi, Olawale Richard; Ayanniyi, Olusola; Orimolade, Elkanah Ayodele; Oladiran, Ajibola Babatunde; Johnson, Olubusola Esther; Akinsulore, Adesanmi; Oni, Temitope Olawale

2017-04-01

A translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and psychometric analysis. The aim of this study was to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the Yoruba version of the RMDQ. The Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) is a valid outcome tool for low back pain (LBP) in clinical and research settings. There seems to be no valid and reliable version of the RMDQ in the Nigerian languages. Following the Guillemin criteria, the English version of the RMDQ was forward and back translated. Two Yoruba translated versions of the RMDQ were assessed for clarity, common language usage, and conceptual equivalence. Consequently, a harmonized Yoruba version was produced and was pilot-tested among 20 patients with nonspecific long-term LBP (NSLBP) for cognitive debriefing. The final version of the Yoruba RMDQ was tested for its construct validity and re-retest reliability among 120 and 87 patients with NSLBP, respectively. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient (r) of 0.82 was obtained for reliability of the Yoruba version of the RMDQ. The test-retest reliability of the Yoruba RMDQ yielded Cronbach alpha 0.932, while the intraclass correlation (ICC) ranged between 0.896 and 0.956. The analysis of the global scores of both the English and Yoruba versions of the RMDQ yielded ICC value of between 0.995 (95% confidence interval 0.996-0.997), with the item-by-item Kappa agreement ranging between 0.824 and 1.000. The external validity of RMDQ using Quadruple Visual Analogue Scale was r = -0.596 (P = 0.001). The Yoruba version of the RMDQ had no floor/ceiling effects, as no patient achieved either of the maximum or the minimum possible scores. The Yoruba version of the RMDQ has excellent reliability and validity and may be an appropriate outcome tool for clinical and research purposes among Yoruba-speaking patients with LBP. 3.
Cross-Validation of the Spanish HP-Version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy Confirmed with Some Cross-Cultural Differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcorta-Garza, Adelina; San-Martín, Montserrat; Delgado-Bolton, Roberto; Soler-González, Jorge; Roig, Helena; Vivanco, Luis

2016-01-01

Medical educators agree that empathy is essential for physicians' professionalism. The Health Professional Version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE-HP) was developed in response to a need for a psychometrically sound instrument to measure empathy in the context of patient care. Although extensive support for its validity and reliability is available, the authors recognize the necessity to examine psychometrics of the JSE-HP in different socio-cultural contexts to assure the psychometric soundness of this instrument. The first aim of this study was to confirm its psychometric properties in the cross-cultural context of Spain and Latin American countries. The second aim was to measure the influence of social and cultural factors on the development of medical empathy in health practitioners. The original English version of the JSE-HP was translated into International Spanish using back-translation procedures. The Spanish version of the JSE-HP was administered to 896 physicians from Spain and 13 Latin American countries. Data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) with oblique rotation (promax) to allow for correlation among the resulting factors, followed by a second analysis, using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Two theoretical models, one based on the English JSE-HP and another on the first Spanish student version of the JSE (JSE-S), were tested. Demographic variables were compared using group comparisons. A total of 715 (80%) surveys were returned fully completed. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the JSE for the entire sample was 0.84. The psychometric properties of the Spanish JSE-HP matched those of the original English JSE-HP. However, the Spanish JSE-S model proved more appropriate than the original English model for the sample in this study. Group comparisons among physicians classified by gender, medical specialties, cultural and cross-cultural backgrounds yielded statistically significant differences
Cross sectional study of performance indicators for English Primary Care Trusts: testing construct validity and identifying explanatory variables

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lilford Richard

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The performance of Primary Care Trusts in England is assessed and published using a number of different performance indicators. Our study has two broad purposes. Firstly, to find out whether pairs of indicators that purport to measure similar aspects of quality are correlated (as would be expected if they are both valid measures of the same construct. Secondly, we wanted to find out whether broad (global indicators correlated with any particular features of Primary Care Trusts, such as expenditure per capita. Methods Cross sectional quantitative analysis using data from six 2004/05 PCT performance indicators for 303 English Primary Care Trusts from four sources in the public domain: Star Rating, aggregated Quality and Outcomes Framework scores, Dr Foster mortality index, Dr Foster equity index (heart by-pass and hip replacements, NHS Litigation Authority Risk Management standards and Patient Satisfaction scores from the Star Ratings. Forward stepwise multiple regression analysis to determine the effect of Primary Care Trust characteristics on performance. Results Star Rating and Quality and Outcomes Framework total, both summary measures of global quality, were not correlated with each other (F = 0.66, p = 0.57. There were however positive correlations between Quality and Outcomes Framework total and patient satisfaction (r = 0.61, p Conclusion Performance assessment in healthcare remains on the Government's agenda, with new core and developmental standards set to replace the Star Ratings in 2006. Yet the results of this analysis provide little evidence that the current indicators have sufficient construct validity to measure the underlying concept of quality, except when the specific area of screening is considered.
Simplified description of out-of-plane waves in thin annular elastic plates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zadeh, Maziyar Nesari; Sorokin, Sergey

2013-01-01

Dispersion relations are derived for the out-of-plane wave propagation in planar elastic plates with constant curvature using the classical Kirchhoff thin plate theory. The dispersion diagrams and the mode shapes are compared with their counterparts for a straight plate strip and the role...... of curvature is assessed for plates with unconstrained edges. Elementary Bernoulli–Euler theory for a beam of rectangular cross-section with the circular shape of its axis is also employed to analyze the wave guide properties of this structure in its out-of-plane deformation. The applicability range...... of the elementary beam theory is validated. The wave finite element method in the formulation of the three-dimensional elasticity theory is used to ensure that the comparison of dispersion diagrams is performed in the frequency range, where the classical thin plate theory is valid. Thus, the paper summarizes...
An Evaluation of the Cross-Cultural Validity of Holland's Theory: Career Choices by Workers in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Leong, Frederick T. L.; Austin, James T.; Sekaran, Uma; Komarraju, Meera

1998-01-01

Natives of India (n=172) completed Holland's Vocational Preference Inventory and job satisfaction measures. The inventory did not exhibit high external validity with this population. Congruence, consistency, and differentiation did not predict job or occupational satisfaction, suggesting cross-cultural limits on Holland's theory. (SK)
Cross sections of electron excitation out of metastable helium levels with a fast metastable target product produced via charge exchange

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lagus, M.E.; Boffard, J.B.; Anderson, L.W.; Lin, C.C.

1996-01-01

Absolute direct cross sections for electron excitation out of the 2 3 S level and into the 3 3 D, 4 3 D, and 3 3 S levels of the helium atom from threshold to 500 eV and into the 3 3 P level over a more limited energy range have been measured using a fast metastable atomic beam target. We produce the metastable atoms via near-resonant charge exchange between a 1.6-keV He + ion beam and Cs vapor. Because this reaction is highly nonresonant with the ground state of helium, the charge-transfer process yields a primarily metastable beam. We use a thermal detector which we calibrate with ions to measure absolutely the neutral beam flux. The atomic beam is crossed by an electron beam, and we collect the resulting fluorescence at right angles to both the electron and atomic beams. We obtain the cross sections for excitation out of the 2 3 S level into the various excited levels by monitoring the emission out of the excited level of interest. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society
Conversion efficiency in the shrimp, Metapenaeus monoceros (Fabricius), fed on decomposed mangrove leaves

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Sumitra-Vijayaraghavan; Ramadhas, V.

Feeding experiments were carried out with Metapenaeus monoceros using mangrove leaves at different stages of decomposition, in combination with rice bran. Maximum conversion efficiency was found in shrimps fed completely decomposed mangrove leaves...
Effect of toe-spread-out exercise on hallux valgus angle and cross-sectional area of abductor hallucis muscle in subjects with hallux valgus.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Moon-Hwan; Yi, Chung-Hwi; Weon, Jong-Hyuck; Cynn, Heon-Seock; Jung, Do-Young; Kwon, Oh-Yun

2015-04-01

[Purpose] This study investigated whether the toe-spread-out exercise affects the hallux valgus angle, the cross-sectional area of the abductor hallucis muscle, and the hallux valgus angle during active abduction. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-four subjects with hallux valgus were randomly assigned to orthosis and orthosis plus toe-spread-out exercise groups. The orthosis group wore the orthosis for 8 weeks, while the orthosis plus toe-spread-out group also performed the toe-spread-out exercise. The hallux valgus angle, the cross-sectional area of the abductor hallucis muscle, and the hallux valgus angle during active abduction were measured initially and after 8 weeks by radiography and ultrasonography. [Results] While there were no significant changes in the three parameters in the orthosis group, there were significant differences in the orthosis plus toe-spread-out exercise group after 8 weeks. In addition there were significant differences in the three measures between the two groups. [Conclusion] The toe-spread-out exercise reduces the hallux valgus angle and hallux valgus angle during active abduction, and increases the cross-sectional area of the abductor hallucis muscle. The toe-spread-out exercise is recommended for patients with mild to moderate hallux valgus.
Associations between contractual status, part-time work, and intent to leave among professional caregivers for older people: results of a national cross-sectional survey in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Kachi, Yuko; Inoue, Kazuo; Toyokawa, Satoshi

2010-08-01

Despite a growing number of studies on leaving the organization or long-term care among professional caregivers for older people, little is known about the impact of types of employment on leaving. To examine the association between the type of employment and intent to leave among Japanese professional caregivers. Secondary analysis of data from the 2006 Working Conditions Survey in Long-term Care, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey done in Japan. 10,107 professional caregivers aged 18 years and older. Predictor of intent to leave was type of employment (full-time permanent, full-time precarious, and part-time precarious). Precarious work was defined as employment that failed to meet the standard of full-time permanent employment, including fixed-term, temporary agency, and part-time work. Covariates included demographics, home or facility care, tenure in the profession, national qualification for caregivers, having other jobs, overtime work, and night shift work. We used multinomial logit models to estimate the strength of the association between the type of employment and intent to leave and to explore the possible mechanisms explaining this association. In the unadjusted model, when compared to part-time precarious workers, full-time permanent workers (OR=2.37; 95% CI=2.06, 2.72) and full-time precarious workers (OR=2.41; 95% CI=2.01, 2.88) were more likely to report intent to leave. After adjustment for covariates, these odds ratios were attenuated, but nevertheless remained significant. Overtime work greatly attenuated these odds ratios in both full-time precarious and full-time permanent workers, and having national qualification for caregivers only did in the case of full-time permanent workers. In contrast to people in other professions, full-time caregivers are more likely to have intent to leave than part-time caregivers. This study highlights the importance of policy strategies for retaining full-time workers by reducing their overtime
Rapid and simultaneous determination of lycopene and beta-carotene contents in tomato juice by infrared spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

De Nardo, Thais; Shiroma-Kian, Cecilia; Halim, Yuwana; Francis, David; Rodriguez-Saona, Luis E

2009-02-25

The rapid quantification of lycopene and beta-carotene in tomato juices by attenuated total reflectance (ATR) infrared spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis was evaluated. Two sample preparation methods were compared: a direct measurement of the tomato paste and an extraction method using hexane to isolate carotenoids. HPLC was used as the reference method. Cross-validated (leave-one-out) partial least-squares regression (PLSR) was used to create calibration models to predict these phytonutrient concentrations in blind test samples. The infrared spectra showed unique marker bands at 957 and 968 cm(-1) for lycopene and beta-carotene, respectively. Multivariate analysis of the infrared spectral data gave correlation coefficients (r values) of >0.9 between the ATR-IR predicted and HPLC reference values, and standard errors of cross-validation (SECV) of 0.5 and 0.04 mg/100 g of juice for lycopene and beta-carotene, respectively. ATR-IR could provide the tomato industry with a simple, rapid, and high-throughput technique for the determination of tomato quality.
REMINDER Saved Leave Scheme (SLS) : Simplified procedure for the transfer of leave to saved leave accounts

CERN Multimedia

HR Division

2001-01-01

As part of the process of streamlining procedures, the HR and AS Divisions have jointly developed a system whereby annual and compensatory leave will henceforth be automatically transferred1) to saved leave accounts. Under the provisions of the voluntary saved leave scheme (SLS), a maximum total of 10 days'2)Previously, every person taking part in the scheme has been individually issued with a form for the purposes of requesting the transfer of leave to the leave account and the transfer has then had to be done manually by HR Division. To streamline the procedure, unused leave of all those taking part in the saved leave scheme at the closure of the leave-year accounts will henceforth be transferred automatically to the saved leave account on that date. This simplification is in the interest of all parties concerned. This automatic transfer procedure has a number of advantages for participants in the SLS scheme. First, staff members will no longer have to take any administrative steps. Secondly, the new proced...
Parental leave: the impact of recent legislation on parents' leave taking.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Wen-Jui; Waldfogel, Jane

2003-02-01

We use data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine the impact of leave entitlements on unpaid leave usage by men and women after the birth of a child from 1991 to 1999. The results indicate that legislation providing the right to unpaid leave has not affected men's leave usage. The results for women are mixed: in some specifications, leave entitlements are associated with increased leave taking or longer leaves, but the results depend on how we define leave coverage. Our results point to the limited impact of unpaid leave policies and the potential importance of paid-leave policies.
Latent structure and reliability analysis of the measure of body apperception: cross-validation for head and neck cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Jean-Pierre, Pascal; Fundakowski, Christopher; Perez, Enrique; Jean-Pierre, Shadae E; Jean-Pierre, Ashley R; Melillo, Angelica B; Libby, Rachel; Sargi, Zoukaa

2013-02-01

Cancer and its treatments are associated with psychological distress that can negatively impact self-perception, psychosocial functioning, and quality of life. Patients with head and neck cancers (HNC) are particularly susceptible to psychological distress. This study involved a cross-validation of the Measure of Body Apperception (MBA) for HNC patients. One hundred and twenty-two English-fluent HNC patients between 20 and 88 years of age completed the MBA on a Likert scale ranging from "1 = disagree" to "4 = agree." We assessed the latent structure and internal consistency reliability of the MBA using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Cronbach's coefficient alpha (α), respectively. We determined convergent and divergent validities of the MBA using correlations with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), observer disfigurement rating, and patients' clinical and demographic variables. The PCA revealed a coherent set of items that explained 38 % of the variance. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was 0.73 and the Bartlett's test of sphericity was statistically significant (χ (2) (28) = 253.64; p 0.05). The MBA is a valid and reliable screening measure of body apperception for HNC patients.
Validation of Nuclear Criticality Safety Software and 27 energy group ENDF/B-IV cross sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, B.L. Jr.

1994-08-01

The validation documented in this report is based on calculations that were executed during June through August 1992, and was completed in June 1993. The statistical analyses in Appendix C and Appendix D were completed in October 1993. This validation gives Portsmouth NCS personnel a basis for performing computerized KENO V.a calculations using the Martin Marietta Nuclear Criticality Safety Software. The first portion of the document outlines basic information in regard to validation of NCSS using ENDF/B-IV 27-group cross sections on the IBM 3090 at ORNL. A basic discussion of the NCSS system is provided, some discussion on the validation database and validation in general. Then follows a detailed description of the statistical analysis which was applied. The results of this validation indicate that the NCSS software may be used with confidence for criticality calculations at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. When the validation results are treated as a single group, there is 95% confidence that 99.9% of future calculations of similar critical systems will have a calculated K eff > 0.9616. Based on this result the Portsmouth Nuclear Criticality Safety Department has adopted the calculational acceptance criteria that a k eff + 2σ ≤ 0.95 is safety subcritical. The validation of NCSS on the IBM 3090 at ORNL was extended to include NCSS on the IBM 3090 at K-25
Automated pathologies detection in retina digital images based on complex continuous wavelet transform phase angles.

Science.gov (United States)

Lahmiri, Salim; Gargour, Christian S; Gabrea, Marcel

2014-10-01

An automated diagnosis system that uses complex continuous wavelet transform (CWT) to process retina digital images and support vector machines (SVMs) for classification purposes is presented. In particular, each retina image is transformed into two one-dimensional signals by concatenating image rows and columns separately. The mathematical norm of phase angles found in each one-dimensional signal at each level of CWT decomposition are relied on to characterise the texture of normal images against abnormal images affected by exudates, drusen and microaneurysms. The leave-one-out cross-validation method was adopted to conduct experiments and the results from the SVM show that the proposed approach gives better results than those obtained by other methods based on the correct classification rate, sensitivity and specificity.
Meaningful Work and Secondary School Teachers' Intention to Leave

Science.gov (United States)

Janik, M.; Rothmann, S.

2015-01-01

The study investigates the relations between secondary school teachers' work-role fit, job enrichment, supervisor relationships, co-worker relationships, psychological meaningfulness of work and intention to leave. A cross-sectional survey was used. The participants were 502 secondary school teachers in Namibia. The following measuring instruments…
How do line managers experience and handle the return to work of employees on sick leave due to work-related stress? A one-year follow-up study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ladegaard, Yun; Skakon, Janne; Elrond, Andreas Friis; Netterstrøm, Bo

2017-08-28

To examine how line managers experience and manage the return to work process of employees on sick leave due to work-related stress and to identify supportive and inhibiting factors. Semi-structured interviews with 15 line managers who have had employees on sick leave due to work-related stress. The grounded theory approach was employed. Even though managers may accept the overall concept of work-related stress, they focus on personality and individual circumstances when an employee is sick-listed due to work-related stress. The lack of a common understanding of stress creates room for this focus. Line managers experience cross-pressure, discrepancies between strategic and human-relationship perspectives and a lack of organizational support in the return to work process. Organizations should aim to provide support for line managers. Research-based knowledge and guidelines on work-related stress and return to work process are essential, as is the involvement of coworkers. A commonly accepted definition of stress and a systematic risk assessment is also important. Cross-pressure on line managers should be minimized and room for adequate preventive actions should be provided as such an approach could support both the return to work process and the implementation of important interventions in the work environment. Implication for rehabilitation Organizations should aim to provide support for line managers handling the return to work process. Cross-pressure on line managers should be minimized and adequate preventive actions should be provided in relation to the return to work process. Research-based knowledge and guidelines on work-related stress and return to work are essential. A common and formal definition of stress should be emphasized in the workplace.
Do perceived high performance work systems influence the relationship between emotional labour, burnout and intention to leave? A study of Australian nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartram, Timothy; Casimir, Gian; Djurkovic, Nick; Leggat, Sandra G; Stanton, Pauline

2012-07-01

The purpose of this article was to explore the relationships between perceived high performance work systems, emotional labour, burnout and intention to leave among nurses in Australia. Previous studies show that emotional labour and burnout are associated with an increase in intention to leave of nurses. There is evidence that high performance work systems are in association with a decrease in turnover. There are no previous studies that examine the relationship between high performance work systems and emotional labour. A cross-sectional, correlational survey. The study was conducted in Australia in 2008 with 183 nurses. Three hypotheses were tested with validated measures of emotional labour, burnout, intention to leave, and perceived high performance work systems. Principal component analysis was used to examine the structure of the measures. The mediation hypothesis was tested using Baron and Kenny's procedure and the moderation hypothesis was tested using hierarchical regression and the product-term. Emotional labour is positively associated with both burnout and intention to leave. Burnout mediates the relationship between emotional labour and intention to leave. Perceived high performance work systems negatively moderates the relationship between emotional labour and burnout. Perceived high performance work systems not only reduces the strength of the negative effect of emotional labour on burnout but also has a unique negative effect on intention to leave. Ensuring effective human resource management practice through the implementation of high performance work systems may reduce the burnout associated with emotional labour. This may assist healthcare organizations to reduce nurse turnover. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Genetic control of the angular leaf spot reaction in common bean leaves and pods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jerônimo Constantino Borel

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Information about genetic control of plant reaction to pathogens is essential in plant breeding programs focusing resistance. This study aimed to obtain information about genetic control of the angular leaf spot reaction in leaves and pods from common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. line ESAL 686. This line was crossed with cultivars Jalo EEP 558 (resistant, Cornell 49-242 (resistant and Carioca MG (susceptible. Generations F1, F2 and backcrosses (BC11 and BC21 were obtained. In the dry season (2009, parents and respective populations were evaluated for angular leaf spot reaction under field conditions. Disease severity was evaluated on leaves and pods using diagrammatic scales. Severity scores were obtained and mean and variance genetic components were estimated for both. Segregation of F2 generation was analyzed for some crosses. Different genes control angular leaf spot reaction in leaves and pods. Mean and variance components showed predominance of additive effects. Heritability was high, however, was greater on pods than on leaves which indicated that leaf reaction is more influenced by the environment.
Oxford Knee Score: cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Turkish version in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuğay, Baki Umut; Tuğay, Nazan; Güney, Hande; Kınıklı, Gizem İrem; Yüksel, İnci; Atilla, Bülent

2016-01-01

The Oxford Knee Score (OKS) is a valid, short, self-administered, and site- specific outcome measure specifically developed for patients with knee arthroplasty. This study aimed to cross-culturally adapt and validate the OKS to be used in Turkish-speaking patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. The OKS was translated and culturally adapted according to the guidelines in the literature. Ninety-one patients (mean age: 55.89±7.85 years) with knee osteoarthritis participated in the study. Patients completed the Turkish version of the Oxford Knee Score (OKS-TR), Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index (WOMAC) questionnaires. Internal consistency was tested using Cronbach's α coefficient. Patients completed the OKS-TR questionnaire twice in 7 days to determine the reproducibility. Correlation between the total results of both tests was determined by Spearman's correlation coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Validity was assessed by calculating Spearman's correlation coefficient between the OKS, WOMAC, and SF-36 scores. Floor and ceiling effects were analyzed. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's α: 0.90). The reproducibility tested by 2 different methods showed no significant difference (p>0.05). The construct validity analyses showed a significant correlation between the OKS and the other scores (p<0.05). There was no floor or ceiling effect in total OKS score. The OKS-TR is a reliable and valid measure for the self-assessment of pain and function in Turkish-speaking patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.
Development and internal validation of a side-specific, multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging-based nomogram for the prediction of extracapsular extension of prostate cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Martini, Alberto; Gupta, Akriti; Lewis, Sara C; Cumarasamy, Shivaram; Haines, Kenneth G; Briganti, Alberto; Montorsi, Francesco; Tewari, Ashutosh K

2018-04-19

To develop a nomogram for predicting side-specific extracapsular extension (ECE) for planning nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy. We retrospectively analysed data from 561 patients who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy between February 2014 and October 2015. To develop a side-specific predictive model, we considered the prostatic lobes separately. Four variables were included: prostate-specific antigen; highest ipsilateral biopsy Gleason grade; highest ipsilateral percentage core involvement; and ECE on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI). A multivariable logistic regression analysis was fitted to predict side-specific ECE. A nomogram was built based on the coefficients of the logit function. Internal validation was performed using 'leave-one-out' cross-validation. Calibration was graphically investigated. The decision curve analysis was used to evaluate the net clinical benefit. The study population consisted of 829 side-specific cases, after excluding negative biopsy observations (n = 293). ECE was reported on mpMRI and final pathology in 115 (14%) and 142 (17.1%) cases, respectively. Among these, mpMRI was able to predict ECE correctly in 57 (40.1%) cases. All variables in the model except highest percentage core involvement were predictors of ECE (all P ≤ 0.006). All variables were considered for inclusion in the nomogram. After internal validation, the area under the curve was 82.11%. The model demonstrated excellent calibration and improved clinical risk prediction, especially when compared with relying on mpMRI prediction of ECE alone. When retrospectively applying the nomogram-derived probability, using a 20% threshold for performing nerve-sparing, nine out of 14 positive surgical margins (PSMs) at the site of ECE resulted above the threshold. We developed an easy-to-use model for the prediction of side-specific ECE, and hope it serves as a tool for planning nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy and in the reduction of PSM in
Part-Time Sick Leave as a Treatment Method?

OpenAIRE

Andrén D; Andrén T

2009-01-01

This paper analyzes the effects of being on part-time sick leave compared to full-time sick leave on the probability of recovering (i.e., returning to work with full recovery of lost work capacity). Using a discrete choice one-factor model, we estimate mean treatment parameters and distributional treatment parameters from a common set of structural parameters. Our results show that part-time sick leave increases the likelihood of recovering and dominates full-time sick leave for sickness spel...
Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the Activity Rating Scale for Disorders of the Knee

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Flosadottir, Vala; Roos, Ewa M; Ageberg, Eva

2017-01-01

and cross-culturally adapt the ARS into Swedish and to assess measurement properties of the Swedish version of the ARS. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: The COSMIN guidelines were followed. Participants (N = 100 [55 women]; mean age, 27 years) who were undergoing...... rehabilitation for a knee injury completed the ARS twice for test-retest reliability. The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Tegner Activity Scale (TAS), and modernized Saltin-Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale (SGPALS) were administered at baseline to validate the ARS. Construct validity...
Family leave after childbirth and the mental health of new mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterji, Pinka; Markowitz, Sara

2012-06-01

leave may improve the health of new mothers. Our findings suggest that longer leave after childbirth may benefit families. However, one potential drawback of using cross-sectional variation in state policies and community characteristics for identification is that these measures may be correlated with other unmeasured factors that directly influence family leave and maternal health. The mother's mental and physical health can be an important route through which infants are affected by parents' employment decisions. Our findings suggest that post-partum health services that target mothers' mental and physical health, and its effects on infants, may be useful. Our findings suggest that policies that support longer family leave may benefit maternal mental health. Future research should examine how workplace and public policies related to maternal employment can be used to improve families' health outcomes.
Heavy metal pollution affects consumption and reproduction of the landsnail Cepaea Nemoralis fed on naturally polluted Urtica dioica leaves.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Notten, M.J.M.; Oosthoek, A.; Rozema, J.; Aerts, R.

2006-01-01

This study is one of the very first that investigates the effects of heavy metal pollution on food consumption and reproduction of terrestrial snails under semi-realistic field conditions. Two experiments were carried out using snails (Cepaea nemoralis) and food (Urtica dioica leaves) from different
Development and Validation of a HPLC-UV Method for Extraction Optimization and Biological Evaluation of Hot-Water and Ethanolic Extracts of Dendropanax morbifera Leaves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyung-Jae Choi

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Dendropanax morbifera Leveille (Araliaceae has been used in traditional oriental remedies for cancer, inflammation, diabetes, and thrombosis. However, a validated analytical method, standardization, and optimization of extraction conditions with respect to biological activity have not been reported. In this study, a simple and validated HPLC method for identifying and quantifying active substances in D. morbifera was developed. Hot water and ethanolic D. morbifera leaf extracts from different production regions were prepared and evaluated with regard to their chemical compositions and biological activities. The contents of active compounds such as rutin and chlorogenic acid were determined in four samples collected from different regions. The 80% ethanolic extract showed the best antioxidant activity, phenolic content, reducing power, and xanthine oxidase (XO inhibitory activity. The validated HPLC method confirmed the presence of chlorogenic acid and rutin in D. morbifera leaf extracts. The antioxidant and XO inhibitory activity of D. morbifera extract could be attributed to the marker compounds. Collectively, these results suggest that D. morbifera leaves could be beneficial for the treatment or prevention of hyperuricemia-related disease, and the validated HPLC method could be a useful tool for the quality control of food or drug formulations containing D. morbifera.
Analytical method for the evaluation of the outdoor air contamination by emerging pollutants using tree leaves as bioindicators.

Science.gov (United States)

Barroso, Pedro José; Martín, Julia; Santos, Juan Luis; Aparicio, Irene; Alonso, Esteban

2018-01-01

In this work, an analytical method, based on sonication-assisted extraction, clean-up by dispersive solid-phase extraction and determination by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 15 emerging pollutants in leaves from four ornamental tree species. Target compounds include perfluorinated organic compounds, plasticizers, surfactants, brominated flame retardant, and preservatives. The method was optimized using Box-Behnken statistical experimental design with response surface methodology and validated in terms of recovery, accuracy, precision, and method detection and quantification limits. Quantification of target compounds was carried out using matrix-matched calibration curves. The highest recoveries were achieved for the perfluorinated organic compounds (mean values up to 87%) and preservatives (up to 88%). The lowest recoveries were achieved for plasticizers (51%) and brominated flame retardant (63%). Method detection and quantification limits were in the ranges 0.01-0.09 ng/g dry matter (dm) and 0.02-0.30 ng/g dm, respectively, for most of the target compounds. The method was successfully applied to the determination of the target compounds on leaves from four tree species used as urban ornamental trees (Citrus aurantium, Celtis australis, Platanus hispanica, and Jacaranda mimosifolia). Graphical abstract Analytical method for the biomonitorization of emerging pollutants in outdoor air.
Validation of Yoon's Critical Thinking Disposition Instrument.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Hyunsook; Park, Chang Gi; Kim, Hyojin

2015-12-01

The lack of reliable and valid evaluation tools targeting Korean nursing students' critical thinking (CT) abilities has been reported as one of the barriers to instructing and evaluating students in undergraduate programs. Yoon's Critical Thinking Disposition (YCTD) instrument was developed for Korean nursing students, but few studies have assessed its validity. This study aimed to validate the YCTD. Specifically, the YCTD was assessed to identify its cross-sectional and longitudinal measurement invariance. This was a validation study in which a cross-sectional and longitudinal (prenursing and postnursing practicum) survey was used to validate the YCTD using 345 nursing students at three universities in Seoul, Korea. The participants' CT abilities were assessed using the YCTD before and after completing an established pediatric nursing practicum. The validity of the YCTD was estimated and then group invariance test using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was performed to confirm the measurement compatibility of multigroups. A test of the seven-factor model showed that the YCTD demonstrated good construct validity. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis findings for the measurement invariance suggested that this model structure demonstrated strong invariance between groups (i.e., configural, factor loading, and intercept combined) but weak invariance within a group (i.e., configural and factor loading combined). In general, traditional methods for assessing instrument validity have been less than thorough. In this study, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis using cross-sectional and longitudinal measurement data allowed validation of the YCTD. This study concluded that the YCTD can be used for evaluating Korean nursing students' CT abilities. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.
CANDU radiotoxicity inventories estimation: A calculated experiment cross-check for data verification and validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavelescu, Alexandru Octavian; Cepraga, Dan Gabriel

2007-01-01

This paper is related to the Clearance Potential Index, Ingestion and Inhalation Hazard Factors of the nuclear spent fuel and radioactive wastes. This study required a complex activity that consisted of various phases such us: the acquisition, setting up, validation and application of procedures, codes and libraries. The paper reflects the validation phase of this study. Its objective was to compare the measured inventories of selected actinide and fission products radionuclides in an element from a Pickering CANDU reactor with inventories predicted using a recent version of the ORIGEN-ARP from SCALE 5 coupled with the time dependent cross sections library, CANDU 28.lib, produced by the sequence SAS2H of SCALE 4.4a. In this way, the procedures, codes and libraries for the characterization of radioactive material in terms of radioactive inventories, clearance, and biological hazard factors are being qualified and validated, in support for the safety management of the radioactive wastes. (authors)
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the episodic autobiographic memory interview for Brazilian Portuguese

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guilherme R. Rodrigues

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Episodic memory enables the storage of personal events with specific temporal and spatial details, and their retrieval through a sensory experience, usually visual, which is called autonoetic consciousness. While, in Brazil, several scales for the evaluation of anterograde episodic memory have been validated, there is not yet an instrument to assess the episodic autobiographical memory. The aim of this study is thus to make a cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Episodic Autobiographic Memory Interview (EAMI for Brazilian Portuguese. Altogether, 11 patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD and 10 healthy controls (CTs were evaluated. EAMI scores for AD patients were lower than those of CTs, and these scores also correlated positively with the Remember-Know coefficient. The intraclass correlation coefficient indicated a good inter-rater reliability. The Portuguese version of EAMI showed a good reliability and validity, which suggests that it is a useful tool for evaluation of autobiographical memory in Brazilian patients.
Accuracy of Automated Flow Cytometry-Based Leukocyte Counts To Rule Out Urinary Tract Infection in Febrile Children: a Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

Science.gov (United States)

Duong, Hong Phuoc; Wissing, Karl Martin; Tram, Nathalie; Mascart, Georges; Lepage, Philippe

2016-01-01

Automated flow cytometry of urine remains an incompletely validated method to rule out urinary tract infection (UTI) in children. This cross-sectional analytical study was performed to compare the predictive values of flow cytometry and a dipstick test as initial diagnostic tests for UTI in febrile children and prospectively included 1,106 children (1,247 episodes). Urine culture was used as the gold standard test for diagnosing UTI. The performance of screening tests to diagnose UTI were established using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Among these 1,247 febrile episodes, 221 UTIs were diagnosed (17.7% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 15.6 to 19.8%]). The area under the ROC curve for flow cytometry white blood cell (WBC) counts (0.99 [95% CI, 0.98 to 0.99]) was significantly superior to that for red blood cell (0.74 [95% CI, 0.70 to 0.78]) and bacterial counts (0.89 [95% CI, 0.87 to 0.92]) (P UTI in febrile children. PMID:27682127
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Behcet's Disease Current Activity Form in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hyo Jin; Seo, Mi Ryoung; Ryu, Hee Jung; Baek, Han Joo

2015-09-01

This study was undertaken to perform a cross-cultural adaptation of the Behcet's Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF, version 2006) questionnaire to the Korean language and to evaluate its reliability and validity in a population of Korean patients with Behcet's disease (BD). A cross-cultural study was conducted among patients with BD who attended our rheumatology clinic between November 2012 and March 2013. There were 11 males and 35 females in the group. The mean age of the participants was 48.5 years and the mean disease duration was 6.4 years. The first BDCAF questionnaire was completed on arrival and the second assessment was performed 20 minutes later by a different physician. The test-retest reliability was analyzed by computing κ statistics. Kappa scores of > 0.6 indicated a good agreement. To assess the validity, we compared the total BDCAF score with the patient's/clinician's perception of disease activity and the Korean version of the Behcet's Disease Quality of Life (BDQOL). For the test-retest reliability, good agreements were achieved on items such as headache, oral/genital ulceration, erythema, skin pustules, arthralgia, nausea/vomiting/abdominal pain, and diarrhea with altered/frank blood per rectum. Moderate agreement was observed for eye and nervous system involvement. We achieved a fair agreement for arthritis and major vessel involvement. Significant correlations were obtained between the total BDCAF score with the BDQOL and the patient's/clinician's perception of disease activity p < 0.05). The Korean version of the BDCAF is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring current disease activity in Korean BD patients.
Removal of fluoride by thermally activated carbon prepared from neem (Azadirachta indica) and kikar (Acacia arabica) leaves.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Sunil; Gupta, Asha; Yadav, J P

2008-03-01

The present investigation deals with fluoride removal from aqueous solution by thermally activated neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves carbon (ANC) and thermally activated kikar (Acacia arabica) leaves carbon (AKC) adsorbents. In this study neem leaves carbon and kikar leaves carbon prepared by heating the leaves at 400 degrees C in electric furnace was found to be useful for the removal of fluoride. The adsorbents of 0.3 mm and 1.0 mm sizes of neem and kikar leaves carbon was prepared by standard sieve. Batch experiments done to see the fluoride removal properties from synthetic solution of 5 ppm to study the influence of pH, adsorbent dose and contact time on adsorption efficiency The optimum pH was found to be 6 for both adsorbents. The optimum dose was found to be 0.5g/100 ml forANC (activated neem leaves carbon) and 0.7g/100 ml forAKC (activated kikar leaves carbon). The optimum time was found to be one hour for both the adsorbent. It was also found that adsorbent size of 0.3 mm was more efficient than the 1.0 mm size. The adsorption process obeyed Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The straight line of log (qe-q) vs time at ambient temperature indicated the validity of langergren equation consequently first order nature of the process involved in the present study. Results indicate that besides intraparticle diffusion there maybe other processes controlling the rate which may be operating simultaneously. All optimized conditions were applied for removal of fluoride from four natural water samples.
29 CFR 825.202 - Intermittent leave or reduced leave schedule.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... leave schedule is a leave schedule that reduces an employee's usual number of working hours per workweek, or hours per workday. A reduced leave schedule is a change in the employee's schedule for a period of... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Intermittent leave or reduced leave schedule. 825.202...
Challenges Experienced by One Academic Mother Transitioning from Maternity Leave Back to Academia

Science.gov (United States)

Craft, Christy Moran; Maseberg-Tomlinson, Jo

2015-01-01

While many scholars have written about the experience of academic motherhood in higher education, with their research revealing a number of challenges faced by academic mothers, none have presented an in-depth view of the transition of returning to work after maternity leave. For this reason, the authors used a narrative inquiry approach to…
Blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in a cross flow at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Wang, Qiang; Hu, Longhua; Yoon, Sung Hwan; Lu, Shouxiang; Delichatsios, Michael; Chung, Suk-Ho

2015-01-01

The blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in cross flows were studied, especially concerning the effect of ambient pressure, by conducting experiments at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures. The combined effects of air flow
Influence of maternity leave on exclusive breastfeeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernanda R. Monteiro

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To describe the profile of women with children aged under 4 months living in the Brazilian state capitals and in the Federal District according to their working status and to analyze the influence of maternity leave on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF among working women. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with data extracted from the II National Maternal Breastfeeding Prevalence Survey carried out in 2008. Initially, a descriptive analysis of the profile of 12,794 women was performed, according to their working status and maternity leave and the frequency of maternity leave in the Brazilian regions and capitals. The study used a multiple model to identify the influence of maternity leave on EBF interruption, including 3766 women who declared they were working and were on maternity leave at the time of the interview. The outcome assessed in the study was the interruption of the EBF, classified by the WHO. Results: Regarding the working status of the mothers, 63.4% did not work outside of their homes and among those who worked, 69.8% were on maternity leave. The largest prevalence among workers was of women older than 35 years of age, with more than 12 years of schooling, primiparous and from the Southeast and South regions. The lack of maternity leave increased by 23% the chance of EBF interruption. Conclusion: Maternity leave contributed to increase the prevalence of EBF in the Brazilian states capitals, supporting the importance of increasing the maternity leave period from four to six months. Resumo: Objetivos: Descrever perfil das mulheres com filhos menores de 4 meses residentes nas capitais brasileiras e no Distrito Federal segundo situação de trabalho e analisar a influência da licença-maternidade sobre o aleitamento materno exclusivo entre as mulheres trabalhadoras. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo transversal com dados extraídos da II Pesquisa Nacional de Prevalência do Aleitamento Materno realizada em 2008
Validation of new 240Pu cross section and covariance data via criticality calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Do Heon; Gil, Choong-Sup; Kim, Hyeong Il; Lee, Young-Ouk; Leal, Luiz C.; Dunn, Michael E.

2011-01-01

Recent collaboration between KAERI and ORNL has completed an evaluation for 240 Pu neutron cross section with covariance data. The new 240 Pu cross section data has been validated through 28 criticality safety benchmark problems taken from the ICSBEP and/or CSEWG specifications with MCNP calculations. The calculation results based on the new evaluation have been compared with those based on recent evaluations such as ENDF/B-VII.0, JEFF-3.1.1, and JENDL-4.0. In addition, the new 240 Pu covariance data has been tested for some criticality benchmarks via the DANTSYS/SUSD3D-based nuclear data sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of k eff . The k eff uncertainty estimates by the new covariance data has been compared with those by JENDL-4.0, JENDL-3.3, and Low-Fidelity covariance data. (author)

Differential cross sections for the one electron two center symmetric systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maidagan, J.M.; Piacentini, R.D.; Rivarola, R.D.; Universidad Autonoma de Madrid

1982-01-01

We use the two-state atomic expansion with variable nuclear charge to study charge-exchange differential cross sections for symmetrical one-electron systems at intermediate energy. The nonclassical small angle diffraction scattering is discussed. Our results are compared with data for H + -H collisions. (orig.)
Differential cross sections for the one electron two center symmetric systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maidagan, J.M.; Piacentini, R.D. (Universidad Nacional de Rosario (Argentina). Dept. de Fisica); Rivarola, R.D. (Bordeaux-1 Univ., 33 - Talence (France). Lab. d' Astrophysique; Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain). Dept. de Quimica Fisica y Quimica Cuantica)

1982-03-01

We use the two-state atomic expansion with variable nuclear charge to study charge-exchange differential cross sections for symmetrical one-electron systems at intermediate energy. The nonclassical small angle diffraction scattering is discussed. Our results are compared with data for H/sup +/-H collisions.
Validation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of a Chinese Version of the Emotional and Social Dysfunction Questionnaire in Stroke Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Hui-Chuan; Shyu, Meei-Ling; Lin, Mei-Feng; Hu, Chaur-Jong; Chang, Chien-Hung; Lee, Hsin-Chien; Chi, Nai-Fang; Chang, Hsiu-Ju

2017-12-01

The objectives of this study were to develop a cross-cultural Chinese version of the Emotional and Social Dysfunction Questionnaire (ESDQ-C) and test its validity and reliability among Chinese-speaking stroke patients. Various methods were used to develop the ESDQ-C. A cross-sectional study was used to examine the validity and reliability of the developed questionnaire, which consists of 28 items belonging to six factors, anger, helplessness, emotional dyscontrol, indifference, inertia and fatigue, and euphoria. Satisfactory convergence and known-group validities were confirmed by significant correlations of the ESDQ-C with the Profile of Mood States-Short Form ( p < .05) and with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ( p < .05). The internal consistency was represented by Cronbach's alpha, which was .96 and .79 to .92 for the entire scale and subscales, respectively. Appropriate application of the ESDQ-C will be helpful to identify critical adjustment-related types of distress and patients who experience difficulty coping with such distress.
PENGENALAN POLA SIDIK JARI RIDGE ENDING DAN BIFURCATION POINT DENGAN EKSTRAKSI MINUSI METODE CROSSING NUMBER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Putu Dody Lesmana

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract: Biometric is a development of basic method of identification using human natural characteristics as its basic. One of the biometric system that is often used is fingerprint. Fingerprint matching system can be obtained by extraction of minutiae information. Information from minutiae extraction generated ridge ending and bifurcation. The technique coffered in this paper is based on the extraction of minutiae from fingerprint image using crossing number (CN method to get ridge ending and bifurcation point by scanning each of ridges point. False identification of minutiae structure may be introduced into the fingerprint image due to hole and spur structure. It is necessary to test the validity of each minutiae point to eliminate false minutiae. Experiments are firstly conducted to assess how well the crossing number method is able to extract the minutiae point. The minutiae validation algorithm is then evaluated to see how effective the algorithm is in detecting the false minutiae. From experiments result using crossing number method, it can be deduced that all ridge points corresponding to ridge ending and bifurcation point have been detected successfully. However, there are a few cases where the extracted minutiae do not correspond to true minutiae points due to hole and spur structure. Applying minutiae validation algorithm is able to cancel out the false ridge endings created by the spur structure and bifurcations created by the hole structures.
Validation of the U-238 inelastic scattering neutron cross section through the EXCALIBUR dedicated experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leconte Pierre

2017-01-01

Full Text Available EXCALIBUR is an integral transmission experiment based on the fast neutron source produced by the bare highly enriched fast burst reactor CALIBAN, located in CEA/DAM Valduc (France. Two experimental campaigns have been performed, one using a sphere of diameter 17 cm and one using two cylinders of 17 cm diameter 9 cm height, both made of metallic Uranium 238. A set of 15 different dosimeters with specific threshold energies have been employed to provide information on the neutron flux attenuation as a function of incident energy. Measurements uncertainties are typically in the range of 0.5–3% (1σ. The analysis of these experiments is performed with the TRIPOLI4 continuous energy Monte Carlo code. A calculation benchmark with validated simplifications is defined in order to improve the statistical convergence under 2%. Various 238U evaluations have been tested: JEFF-3.1.1, ENDF/B-VII.1 and the IB36 evaluation from IAEA. A sensitivity analysis is presented to identify the contribution of each reaction cross section to the integral transmission rate. This feedback may be of interest for the international effort on 238U, through the CIELO project.
Validation of the U-238 inelastic scattering neutron cross section through the EXCALIBUR dedicated experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Leconte, Pierre; Bernard, David

2017-09-01

EXCALIBUR is an integral transmission experiment based on the fast neutron source produced by the bare highly enriched fast burst reactor CALIBAN, located in CEA/DAM Valduc (France). Two experimental campaigns have been performed, one using a sphere of diameter 17 cm and one using two cylinders of 17 cm diameter 9 cm height, both made of metallic Uranium 238. A set of 15 different dosimeters with specific threshold energies have been employed to provide information on the neutron flux attenuation as a function of incident energy. Measurements uncertainties are typically in the range of 0.5-3% (1σ). The analysis of these experiments is performed with the TRIPOLI4 continuous energy Monte Carlo code. A calculation benchmark with validated simplifications is defined in order to improve the statistical convergence under 2%. Various 238U evaluations have been tested: JEFF-3.1.1, ENDF/B-VII.1 and the IB36 evaluation from IAEA. A sensitivity analysis is presented to identify the contribution of each reaction cross section to the integral transmission rate. This feedback may be of interest for the international effort on 238U, through the CIELO project.
Non-Invasive Methodology to Estimate Polyphenol Content in Extra Virgin Olive Oil Based on Stepwise Multilinear Regression.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez Gila, Diego Manuel; Cano Marchal, Pablo; Gómez Ortega, Juan; Gámez García, Javier

2018-03-25

Normally the olive oil quality is assessed by chemical analysis according to international standards. These norms define chemical and organoleptic markers, and depending on the markers, the olive oil can be labelled as lampante, virgin, or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), the last being an indicator of top quality. The polyphenol content is related to EVOO organoleptic features, and different scientific works have studied the positive influence that these compounds have on human health. The works carried out in this paper are focused on studying relations between the polyphenol content in olive oil samples and its spectral response in the near infrared spectra. In this context, several acquisition parameters have been assessed to optimize the measurement process within the virgin olive oil production process. The best regression model reached a mean error value of 156.14 mg/kg in leave one out cross validation, and the higher regression coefficient was 0.81 through holdout validation.
Multisensor system for toxic gases detection generated on indoor environments

Science.gov (United States)

Durán, C. M.; Monsalve, P. A. G.; Mosquera, C. J.

2016-11-01

This work describes a wireless multisensory system for different toxic gases detection generated on indoor environments (i.e., Underground coal mines, etc.). The artificial multisensory system proposed in this study was developed through a set of six chemical gas sensors (MQ) of low cost with overlapping sensitivities to detect hazardous gases in the air. A statistical parameter was implemented to the data set and two pattern recognition methods such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) were used for feature selection. The toxic gases categories were classified with a Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) in order to validate the results previously obtained. The tests were carried out to verify feasibility of the application through a wireless communication model which allowed to monitor and store the information of the sensor signals for the appropriate analysis. The success rate in the measures discrimination was 100%, using an artificial neural network where leave-one-out was used as cross validation method.
Non-Invasive Methodology to Estimate Polyphenol Content in Extra Virgin Olive Oil Based on Stepwise Multilinear Regression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diego Manuel Martínez Gila

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Normally the olive oil quality is assessed by chemical analysis according to international standards. These norms define chemical and organoleptic markers, and depending on the markers, the olive oil can be labelled as lampante, virgin, or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO, the last being an indicator of top quality. The polyphenol content is related to EVOO organoleptic features, and different scientific works have studied the positive influence that these compounds have on human health. The works carried out in this paper are focused on studying relations between the polyphenol content in olive oil samples and its spectral response in the near infrared spectra. In this context, several acquisition parameters have been assessed to optimize the measurement process within the virgin olive oil production process. The best regression model reached a mean error value of 156.14 mg/kg in leave one out cross validation, and the higher regression coefficient was 0.81 through holdout validation.
The quantitative structure-insecticidal activity relationships from plant derived compounds against chikungunya and zika Aedes aegypti (Diptera:Culicidae) vector.

Science.gov (United States)

Saavedra, Laura M; Romanelli, Gustavo P; Rozo, Ciro E; Duchowicz, Pablo R

2018-01-01

The insecticidal activity of a series of 62 plant derived molecules against the chikungunya, dengue and zika vector, the Aedes aegypti (Diptera:Culicidae) mosquito, is subjected to a Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSAR) analysis. The Replacement Method (RM) variable subset selection technique based on Multivariable Linear Regression (MLR) proves to be successful for exploring 4885 molecular descriptors calculated with Dragon 6. The predictive capability of the obtained models is confirmed through an external test set of compounds, Leave-One-Out (LOO) cross-validation and Y-Randomization. The present study constitutes a first necessary computational step for designing less toxic insecticides. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Optical diagnosis of dengue virus infection in human blood serum using Raman spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saleem, M; Bilal, M; Anwar, S; Rehman, A; Ahmed, M

2013-01-01

We present the optical diagnosis of dengue virus infection in human blood serum using Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectra were acquired from 18 blood serum samples using a laser at 532 nm as the excitation source. A multivariate regression model based on partial least-squares regression is developed that uses Raman spectra to predict dengue infection with leave-one-sample-out cross validation. The prediction of dengue infection by our model yields correlation coefficient r 2 values of 0.9998 between the predicted and reference clinical results. The model was tested for six unknown human blood sera and found to be 100% accurate in accordance with the clinical results. (letter)
QSPR using MOLGEN-QSPR: the challenge of fluoroalkane boiling points.

Science.gov (United States)

Rücker, Christoph; Meringer, Markus; Kerber, Adalbert

2005-01-01

By means of the new software MOLGEN-QSPR, a multilinear regression model for the boiling points of lower fluoroalkanes is established. The model is based exclusively on simple descriptors derived directly from molecular structure and nevertheless describes a broader set of data more precisely than previous attempts that used either more demanding (quantum chemical) descriptors or more demanding (nonlinear) statistical methods such as neural networks. The model's internal consistency was confirmed by leave-one-out cross-validation. The model was used to predict all unknown boiling points of fluorobutanes, and the quality of predictions was estimated by means of comparison with boiling point predictions for fluoropentanes.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation Questionnaire on lateral elbow tendinopathy for French-speaking patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaux, Jean-François; Delvaux, François; Schaus, Jean; Demoulin, Christophe; Locquet, Médéa; Buckinx, Fanny; Beaudart, Charlotte; Dardenne, Nadia; Van Beveren, Julien; Croisier, Jean-Louis; Forthomme, Bénédicte; Bruyère, Olivier

Translation and validation of algo-functional questionnaire. The lateral elbow tendinopathy is a common injury in tennis players and physical workers. The Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) Questionnaire was specifically designed to measure pain and functional limitations in patients with lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow). First developed in English, this questionnaire has since been translated into several languages. The aims of the study were to translate and cross-culturally adapt the PRTEE questionnaire into French and to evaluate the reliability and validity of this translated version of the questionnaire (PRTEE-F). The PRTEE was translated and cross-culturally adapted into French according to international guidelines. To assess the reliability and validity of the PRTEE-F, 115 participants were asked twice to fill in the PRTEE-F, and once the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (DASH) and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Internal consistency (using Cronbach's alpha), test-retest reliability (using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change), and convergent and divergent validity (using the Spearman's correlation coefficients respectively with the DASH and with some subscales of the SF-36) were assessed. The PRTEE was translated into French without any problems. PRTEE-F showed a good test-retest reliability for the overall score (ICC 0.86) and for each item (ICC 0.8-0.96) and a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.98). The correlation analyses revealed high correlation coefficients between PRTEE-F and DASH (convergent validity) and, as expected, a low or moderate correlation with the divergent subscales of the SF-36 (discriminant validity). There was no floor or ceiling effect. The PRTEE questionnaire was successfully cross-culturally adapted into French. The PRTEE-F is reliable and valid for evaluating French-speaking patients with lateral elbow
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Danish version of the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment Questionnaire (SMFA)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindahl, Marianne Pia; Andersen, Signe; Jørgensen, Annette

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment (SMFA) into Danish (SMFA-DK) and assess the psychometric properties. METHODS: SMFA was translated and cross-culturally adapted according to a standardized procedure. Minor changes......, content validity as coding according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), floor/ceiling effects, construct validity as factor analysis, correlations between SMFA-DK and Short Form 36 and also known group method. Responsiveness and effect size were calculated...
Cross-cultural and factorial validity of PTSD check list-military version (PCL-M) in Sinhalese language.

Science.gov (United States)

Semage, Saveen N; Sivayogan, Sivagurunadan; Forbes, David; O'Donnell, Meaghan; Monaragala, Roshan M M; Lockwood, Emma; Dunt, David

2013-01-01

There are currently no validated instruments to assess the burden of combat-related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Sinhalese-the main spoken language in Sri Lanka. The purpose of this research was to establish the cross-cultural and structural validity of the PTSD Check List-Military Version (PCL-M) translated into Sinhalese. Expert committee consensus generation as well as translation-back translation approaches were used to establish the semantic, conceptual, and content equivalence of the Sinhalese and English versions of the PCL-M. Four translations of each item were made. In the absence of any "gold standard" psychometric instrument in Sinhalese to establish the criterion validity for the PCL-M (SIN), the study utilized more informal checks for assessment of validity and Sri Lankan cutoffs for caseness for PTSD to establish the psychometric strength of the translated instrument along with standard reliability analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on PCL-M scoring of a random sample of 1,586 soldiers to examine construct validity. Thirteen of the 17 items were selected by popular vote, and the remaining 4 through discussion and consensus. Reliability measured by Cronbach's-α was 0.944 for the total scale and 0.812, 0.869, and 0.895 for the three DSM-IV sub-scales (re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal), respectively. The desired cutoff point for the translated instrument was determined to be 44. The five-factor model by Elhai et al. and the four-factor model by King et al. fitted best, demonstrating good fit to all three fit indices, while the four-factor model and the DSM-IV three-factor model by Simms et al. only had acceptable levels of fit for root mean squared error of approximation. χ(2) difference test comparing the two better-fitting models suggests that the five-factor model by Elhai et al. has the better fit. The PCL-M (SIN) version is suitable for use in the study of PTSD in the Sri Lankan military forces, as
Caregivers' Agreement and Validity of Indirect Functional Analysis: A Cross Cultural Evaluation across Multiple Problem Behavior Topographies

Science.gov (United States)

Virues-Ortega, Javier; Segui-Duran, David; Descalzo-Quero, Alberto; Carnerero, Jose Julio; Martin, Neil

2011-01-01

The Motivation Assessment Scale is an aid for hypothesis-driven functional analysis. This study presents its Spanish cross-cultural validation while examining psychometric attributes not yet explored. The study sample comprised 80 primary caregivers of children with autism. Acceptability, scaling assumptions, internal consistency, factor…
Determination of multi element levels in leaves and herbal teas from ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

, Sr and Zn) contained in 18 herbal tea samples that had been bought from local markets where different parts of plants (leaves or flowers) are consumed especially for medical purposes in Turkey by ICP-OES. The validity of the analytical ...
Labour Supply Responses to Paid Parental Leave

OpenAIRE

Karimi, Arizo; Lindahl, Erica; Skogman Thoursie, Peter

2012-01-01

Women account for the majority of parental leave take-up, which is likely one of the major reasons for the gender gap in income and wages. Consequently, many countries exert effort to promote a more gender equal division of parental leave. Indeed, the last decades have seen an increase in fathers' take-up of parental leave benefits, but the gender earnings gap has remained fairly constant. In this paper we re-evaluate the labour supply responses of both mothers and fathers to three major refo...
High performance thin layer chromatography fingerprint analysis of guava (Psidium guajava) leaves

Science.gov (United States)

Astuti, M.; Darusman, L. K.; Rafi, M.

2017-05-01

High-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprint analysis is commonly used for quality control of medicinal plants in term of identification and authentication. In this study, we have been developed HPTLC fingerprint analysis for identification of guava (Psidium guajava) leaves raw material. A mixture of chloroform, acetone, and formic acid in the ratio 10:2:1 was used as the optimum mobile phase in HPTLC silica plate and with 13 bands were detected. As reference marker we chose gallic acid (Rf = 0.21) and catechin (Rf = 0.11). The two compound were detected as pale black bands at 366 nm after derivatization with sulfuric acid 10% v/v (in methanol) reagent. Validation of the method was met within validation criteria, so the developed method could be used for quality control of guava leaves.
Meaningful work and secondary school teachers' intention to leave

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Janik

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The study investigates the relations between secondary school teachers' work-role fit, job enrichment, supervisor relationships, co-worker relationships, psychological meaningfulness of work and intention to leave. A cross-sectional survey was used. The participants were 502 secondary school teachers in Namibia. The following measuring instruments were used: Work-role Fit Scale, Job Enrichment Scale, Co-worker and Supervisor Relationships Scales, Psychological Meaningfulness Scale and Turnover Intention Scale. Work-role fit and job enrichment both had direct positive effect on experiences of psychological meaningfulness at work, while poor work-role fit and low psychological meaningfulness both had a direct effect on teachers' intentions to leave. An analysis of the indirect effects showed that poor work-role fit and poor job enrichment affected intention to leave due to the concomitant experience of low psychological meaningfulness. These findings have implications for the retention of teachers in secondary schools.

A Dataset and Benchmarks for Segmentation and Recognition of Gestures in Robotic Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmidi, Narges; Tao, Lingling; Sefati, Shahin; Gao, Yixin; Lea, Colin; Haro, Benjamin Bejar; Zappella, Luca; Khudanpur, Sanjeev; Vidal, Rene; Hager, Gregory D

2017-09-01

State-of-the-art techniques for surgical data analysis report promising results for automated skill assessment and action recognition. The contributions of many of these techniques, however, are limited to study-specific data and validation metrics, making assessment of progress across the field extremely challenging. In this paper, we address two major problems for surgical data analysis: First, lack of uniform-shared datasets and benchmarks, and second, lack of consistent validation processes. We address the former by presenting the JHU-ISI Gesture and Skill Assessment Working Set (JIGSAWS), a public dataset that we have created to support comparative research benchmarking. JIGSAWS contains synchronized video and kinematic data from multiple performances of robotic surgical tasks by operators of varying skill. We address the latter by presenting a well-documented evaluation methodology and reporting results for six techniques for automated segmentation and classification of time-series data on JIGSAWS. These techniques comprise four temporal approaches for joint segmentation and classification: hidden Markov model, sparse hidden Markov model (HMM), Markov semi-Markov conditional random field, and skip-chain conditional random field; and two feature-based ones that aim to classify fixed segments: bag of spatiotemporal features and linear dynamical systems. Most methods recognize gesture activities with approximately 80% overall accuracy under both leave-one-super-trial-out and leave-one-user-out cross-validation settings. Current methods show promising results on this shared dataset, but room for significant progress remains, particularly for consistent prediction of gesture activities across different surgeons. The results reported in this paper provide the first systematic and uniform evaluation of surgical activity recognition techniques on the benchmark database.
Energy dependence of the cross section of fast deuteron knock-out from Li, Be, and C by 380 to 665 MeV protons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komarov, V I; Kosarev, G E; Reshetnikov, G P; Savchenko, O V; Tesh, Z

1974-12-31

The high energy parts of the spectra of fast deuterons, which are knocked out from Li, Be and C targets by protons at a 5.5 deg lab. angle with proton energies of 666, 578, 484 and 382 MeV were measured. The cross sections of quasi-elastic deuteron knock-out obtained are compared with the corresponding cross sections of elastic pd-scattering at energies mentioned above. The evaluations of the effective number of two-nucleon clusters are discussed, which have been obtained taking into account (in the Glauber approximation) the incident proton and knocked-out deuteron interactions with nuclear nucleons. The results show the common behavior of the scattering mechanism responsible for elastic pd- and quasi-elastic proton backward scattering with large momentum transfer to two-nucleon clusters. The energy dependence of the deuteron production cross section at the energy kinematically corresponding to the p + N yields d + pi process on tanget nucleons is close to that of the cross section for the p + p yields d + pi /sup +/ process. (auth)
Reliability and validity of the Dutch Recovery Stress Questionnaire for athletes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nederhof, Esther; Brink, Michel S.; Lemmink, Koen A. P. M.

2008-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the cross-cultural validity of the Recovery Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-sport) by analysing reliability and validity of a Dutch translation. Two studies were performed to assess test-retest reliability with a one week interval,
Leaving no one behind: a neglected tropical disease indicator and tracers for the Sustainable Development Goals.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzpatrick, Christopher; Engels, Dirk

2016-03-01

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have emerged as a global pledge to 'leave no one behind'. Under SDG 3, 'Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all', target 3.3 extends the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) beyond HIV, TB and malaria to 'end the epidemic' of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by 2030. Other targets are also relevant to NTDs, especially 3.8 (Universal Health Coverage), 6.1 (water) and 6.2 (sanitation). This commentary summarises the proposed NTD indicator (3.3) and tracers (3.8 and 6.1/6.2). These will help ensure that the world's poorest and most marginalized people are prioritized at every step on the path towards SDG targets. © The author 2016. The World Health Organization has granted Oxford University Press permission for the reproduction of this article..
Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire for screening children and adolescents for plastic surgery: cross-cultural validation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sucupira, Eduardo; Sabino, Miguel; Lima, Edson Luiz de; Dini, Gal Moreira; Brito, Maria José Azevedo de; Ferreira, Lydia Masako

2017-01-01

Patient-reported outcome measurements assessing the emotional state of children and adolescents who seek plastic surgery are important for determining whether the intervention is indicated or not. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt and validate the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (child/adolescent and parent versions) for Brazilian Portuguese, test its psychometric properties and assess the emotional state of children and adolescents who seek plastic surgery. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-cultural validation study conducted in a plastic surgery outpatient clinic at a public university hospital. A total of 124 consecutive patients of both sexes were selected between September 2013 and February 2014. Forty-seven patients participated in the cultural adaptation of the questionnaire. The final version was tested for reliability on 20 patients. Construct validity was tested on 57 patients by correlating the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (child/adolescent and parent versions) with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale. The child/adolescent and parent versions of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire showed Cronbach's alpha of 0.768 and 0.874, respectively, and had good inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC = 0.757 and ICC = 0.853, respectively) and intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.738 and ICC = 0.796, respectively). The Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire is a reproducible instrument with face, content and construct validity.The mood state and feelings among children and adolescents seeking cosmetic surgery were healthy.
Validation of KENO, ANISN and Hansen-Roach cross-section set on plutonium oxide and metal fuel system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumoto, Tadakuni; Yumoto, Ryozo; Nakano, Koh.

1980-01-01

In the previous report, the authors discussed the validity of KENO, ANISN and Hansen-Roach 16 group cross-section set on the critical plutonium nitrate solution systems with various geometries, absorbers and neutron interactions. The purpose of the present report is to examine the validity of the same calculation systems on the homogeneous plutonium oxide and plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuels with various density values. Eleven experiments adopted for validation are summarized. First six experiments were performed at Pacific Northwest Laboratory of Battelle Memorial Institute, and the remaining five at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. The characteristics of core fuel are given, and the isotopic composition of plutonium, the relation between H/(Pu + U) atomic ratio and fuel density as compared with the atomic ratios of PuO 2 and mixed oxides in powder storage and pellet fabrication processes, and critical core dimensions and reflector conditions are shown. The effective multiplication factors were calculated with the KENO code. In case of the metal fuels with simple sphere geometry, additional calculations with the ANISN code were performed. The criticality calculation system composed of KENO, ANISN and Hansen-Roach cross-section set was found to be valid for calculating the criticality on plutonium oxide, plutonium-uranium mixed oxide, plutonium metal and uranium metal fuel systems as well as on plutonium solution systems with various geometries, absorbers and neutron interactions. There seems to remain some problems in the method for evaluating experimental correction. Some discussions foloow. (Wakatsuki, Y.)
The cross-cultural equivalence of participation instruments: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Stevelink, S A M; van Brakel, W H

2013-07-01

Concepts such as health-related quality of life, disability and participation may differ across cultures. Consequently, when assessing such a concept using a measure developed elsewhere, it is important to test its cultural equivalence. Previous research suggested a lack of cultural equivalence testing in several areas of measurement. This paper reviews the process of cross-cultural equivalence testing of instruments to measure participation in society. An existing cultural equivalence framework was adapted and used to assess participation instruments on five categories of equivalence: conceptual, item, semantic, measurement and operational equivalence. For each category, several aspects were rated, resulting in an overall category rating of 'minimal/none', 'partial' or 'extensive'. The best possible overall study rating was five 'extensive' ratings. Articles were included if the instruments focussed explicitly on measuring 'participation' and were theoretically grounded in the ICIDH(-2) or ICF. Cross-validation articles were only included if it concerned an adaptation of an instrument developed in a high or middle-income country to a low-income country or vice versa. Eight cross-cultural validation studies were included in which five participation instruments were tested (Impact on Participation and Autonomy, London Handicap Scale, Perceived Impact and Problem Profile, Craig Handicap Assessment Reporting Technique, Participation Scale). Of these eight studies, only three received at least two 'extensive' ratings for the different categories of equivalence. The majority of the cultural equivalence ratings given were 'partial' and 'minimal/none'. The majority of the 'none/minimal' ratings were given for item and measurement equivalence. The cross-cultural equivalence testing of the participation instruments included leaves much to be desired. A detailed checklist is proposed for designing a cross-validation study. Once a study has been conducted, the checklist can
Flavonoids from leaves of Mauritia flexuosa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Djalma M. de Oliveira

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The chromatographic fractionation of the Mauritia flexuosa L. f., Arecaceae, leaves extract, a plant known by the name of buriti palm tree, resulted in the isolation of six flavonoids: tricin-7-O-rutinoside, apigenin-6-C-arabinoside, 8-C-glucoside (isoschaftoside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (nicotiï¬‚orine, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (rutin, luteolin-8-C-glucoside (orientin and luteolin-6-C-glucoside (isoorientin. The flavonoids were found out and previously reported as constituents of the Arecaceae family plants, but the occurrence of C-glucoside flavonoids, in the species being analyzed, is described for the first time on this study. The structural elucidations of all of the isolated compounds were performed by means of the comparison of their spectral data (¹H and 13C NMR, UV and ESI-MS with those ones of the literature.
[Emergency nursing: "I want to leave my unit... I'm burning"?].

Science.gov (United States)

Ríos Rísquez, M Isabel; Martínez Cano, Fuensanta; Sabuco Tebar, Emiliana; Lozano Alguacil, Ester; Mateo Perea, Ginés

2012-05-01

To determine whether the intent of career mobility is associated with the frequency of job stressors and burnout syndrome experienced by emergency nurses. to assess perceived frequency of job stressors and burnout syndrome prevalence and its possible association with demographic and occupational values of the sample analyzed. We performed a cross-sectional study. We used a survey of sociodemographic and occupational variables, and two validated questionnaires: the "Nursing Stress Scale" validated by Escriba et al. (1999) and the Inventory to assess Burnout Syndrome (MBI-GS, Schaufeli et al., 1996). The total Stress score mean was 32.88 +/- 12.67. There was a Burnout prevalence of 2.34%, while 23.4% of the sample expressed high levels of cynicism/depersonalization. The frequency of job stressors was significantly associated with burnout syndrome dimensions. The frequency of stressors and intention of career mobility were significant predictors of emotional exhaustion and cynicism, while the fixed night shift was associated with lower professional efficacy. This study shows a moderate frequency of job stressors in the unit analyzed, and a low prevalence of Burnout Syndrome. The intention to leave or career mobility is an important predictor of burnout process, so it should be something to take into account by human resource managers, in order to prevent the development of the burnout process in health organizations.
Practicability of Lignocellulosic Waste Composite in Controlling Air Pollution from Leaves Litter through Bioethanol Production

Science.gov (United States)

Tarrsini, Mahadevan; Teoh, Yi Peng; Ng, Qi Hwa; Kunasundari, Balakrishnan; Xian Ooi, Zhong; Siew Shuit, Hoong; Hoo, Peng Yong

2018-03-01

Environmental degradation through greenhouse emission have spurred nation’s interest on feedstock-based fuel. Yet, development of this clean biofuel is obstructed by the expensive feedstock which takes up most of the production cost. Therefore, as an alternative, utilization of widely available lignocellulosic residues with relatively no commercial significance has been considered. This present work emphasizes on mango (Mangifera indica) leaves one of the most abundant lignocellulosic waste in Malaysia. Through implementation of this biomass for bioethanol production, continuous allowance of air pollution with a deleterious impact to the country’s environment could be reduced. The high concentration of sugar (16-18%w/v) in the form of cellulose and hemicellulose is ultimately the reason behind the selection of these leaves as a substrate for bioethanol production. Hence, in this study, a comparison of biomass composition in Harum Manis, Sunshine and Chokanan mango leaves were conducted to detect the most suitable substrate source to produce biofuel. At the end of the biomass evaluation, Harum Manis mango leaves turned out to be the most competitive bioethanol crop as these leaves reported to be made up of 34.71% cellulose and 44.02% hemicellulose which summed up to give highest fermentable sugar source with a lignin content of 19.45%.
Cross-cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Medication Regimen Complexity Index Adapted to Spanish.

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Saez de la Fuente, Javier; Such Diaz, Ana; Cañamares-Orbis, Irene; Ramila, Estela; Izquierdo-Garcia, Elsa; Esteban, Concepcion; Escobar-Rodríguez, Ismael

2016-11-01

The most widely used validated instrument to assess the complexity of medication regimens is the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI). This study aimed to translate, adapt, and validate a reliable version of the MRCI adapted to Spanish (MRCI-E). The cross-cultural adaptation process consisted of an independent translation by 3 clinical pharmacists and a backtranslation by 2 native English speakers. A reliability analysis was conducted on 20 elderly randomly selected patients. Two clinical pharmacists calculated the MRCI-E from discharge treatments and 2 months later. For the validity analysis, the sample was augmented to 60 patients. Convergent validity was assessed by analyzing the correlation between the number of medications; discriminant validity was stratified by gender; and predictive validity was determined by analyzing the ability to predict readmission and mortality at 3 and 6 months. The MRCI-E retained the original structure of 3 sections. The reliability analysis demonstrated an excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.83), and the intraclass correlation coefficient exceeded 0.9 in all cases. The correlation coefficient with the number of medications was 0.883 ( Pdifferences were found when stratified by gender (3.6; 95%CI=-2.9 to 10.2; P=0.27). Patients who were readmitted at 3 months had a higher MRCI-E score (10.7; 95%CI=4.4 to 17.2; P=0.001). The differences remained significant in patients readmitted at 6 months, but differences in mortality were not detected. The MRCI-E retains the reliability and validity of the original index and provides a suitable tool to assess the complexity of medication regimens in Spanish.
Maternity leave policies in academic and private radiology practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spirt, B.A.; Rauth, V.; Price, A.P.F.; Pagani, A.H.

1988-01-01

In 1987, the American Association of Women Radiologists surveyed both academic and private radiology departments regarding pregnancy and maternity leave policies. One hundred academic institutions (70% response), 30 radiotherapy departments (38% response), and 31 private practices responded. Details were obtained regarding maternity leave policy for residents and attending physicians; availability of paternity leave; policies regarding on-call time, fluoroscopy time and intracavitary/interstitial applications during pregnancy; and problems that occurred during resident or attending physician pregnancies. There was a wide range of responses regarding paid leave time, availability of additional time, and the use of vacation time during maternity leave
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Condom Self-Efficacy Scale: application to Brazilian adolescents and young adults

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Carla Suellen Pires de Sousa

2018-01-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: translate and adapt the Condom Self-Efficacy Scale to Portuguese in the Brazilian context. The scale originated in the United States and measures self-efficacy in condom use. Method: methodological study in two phases: translation, cross-cultural adaptation and verification of psychometric properties. The translation and adaptation process involved four translators, one mediator of the synthesis and five health professionals. The content validity was verified using the Content Validation Index, based on 22 experts’ judgments. Forty subjects participated in the pretest, who contributed to the understanding of the scale items. The scale was applied to 209 students between 13 and 26 years of age from a school affiliated with the state-owned educational network. The reliability was analyzed by means of Cronbach’s alpha. Results: the Portuguese version of the scale obtained a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.85 and the total mean score was 68.1 points. A statistically significant relation was found between the total scale and the variables not having children (p= 0.038, condom use (p= 0.008 and condom use with fixed partner (p=0.036. Conclusion: the Brazilian version of the Condom Self-Efficacy Scale is a valid and reliable tool to verify the self-efficacy in condom use among adolescents and young adults.
Content Validation and Semantic Evaluation of a Check-List Elaborated for the Prevention of Gluten Cross-Contamination in Food Services

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Priscila Farage

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Conditions associated to the consumption of gluten have emerged as a major health care concern and the treatment consists on a lifelong gluten-free diet. Providing safe food for these individuals includes adapting to safety procedures within the food chain and preventing gluten cross-contamination in gluten-free food. However, a gluten cross-contamination prevention protocol or check-list has not yet been validated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform the content validation and semantic evaluation of a check-list elaborated for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination in food services. The preliminary version of the check-list was elaborated based on the Brazilian resolution for food safety Collegiate Board Resolution 216 (RDC 216 and Collegiate Board Resolution 275 (RDC 275, the standard 22000 from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 22000 and the Canadian Celiac Association Gluten-Free Certification Program documents. Seven experts with experience in the area participated in the check-list validation and semantic evaluation. The criteria used for the approval of the items, as to their importance for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination and clarity of the wording, was the achievement of a minimal of 80% of agreement between the experts (W-values ≥ 0.8. Moreover, items should have a mean ≥4 in the evaluation of importance (Likert scale from 1 to 5 and clarity (Likert scale from 0 to 5 in order to be maintained in the instrument. The final version of the check-list was composed of 84 items, divided into 12 sections. After being redesigned and re-evaluated, the items were considered important and comprehensive by the experts (both with W-values ≥ 0.89. The check-list developed was validated with respect to content and approved in the semantic evaluation.
Content Validation and Semantic Evaluation of a Check-List Elaborated for the Prevention of Gluten Cross-Contamination in Food Services.

Science.gov (United States)

Farage, Priscila; Puppin Zandonadi, Renata; Cortez Ginani, Verônica; Gandolfi, Lenora; Pratesi, Riccardo; de Medeiros Nóbrega, Yanna Karla

2017-01-06

Conditions associated to the consumption of gluten have emerged as a major health care concern and the treatment consists on a lifelong gluten-free diet. Providing safe food for these individuals includes adapting to safety procedures within the food chain and preventing gluten cross-contamination in gluten-free food. However, a gluten cross-contamination prevention protocol or check-list has not yet been validated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform the content validation and semantic evaluation of a check-list elaborated for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination in food services. The preliminary version of the check-list was elaborated based on the Brazilian resolution for food safety Collegiate Board Resolution 216 (RDC 216) and Collegiate Board Resolution 275 (RDC 275), the standard 22000 from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 22000) and the Canadian Celiac Association Gluten-Free Certification Program documents. Seven experts with experience in the area participated in the check-list validation and semantic evaluation. The criteria used for the approval of the items, as to their importance for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination and clarity of the wording, was the achievement of a minimal of 80% of agreement between the experts (W-values ≥ 0.8). Moreover, items should have a mean ≥4 in the evaluation of importance (Likert scale from 1 to 5) and clarity (Likert scale from 0 to 5) in order to be maintained in the instrument. The final version of the check-list was composed of 84 items, divided into 12 sections. After being redesigned and re-evaluated, the items were considered important and comprehensive by the experts (both with W-values ≥ 0.89). The check-list developed was validated with respect to content and approved in the semantic evaluation.
Development of a Korean version of the Cancer Therapy Satisfaction Questionnaire (CTSQ): cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity.

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Park, So Jeong; An, Soo Min; Kim, Se Hyun

2013-03-01

(1) To translate original English Cancer Therapy Satisfaction Questionnaire (CTSQ) into Korean and perform validation, (2) to compare CTSQ domains of expectations of therapy (ET), feelings about side effects (FSE), and satisfaction with therapy (SWT) by cancer therapy type. Cross-cultural adaptation was performed according to guidelines: translation, back translation, focus-group, and field test. We performed validation with internal consistency by Cronbach's alpha and construct validity by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with varimax rotation method. We compared each CTSQ domain between traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) and integrative cancer therapy (ICT) of combining western and TKM by two-sample t test. Cross-cultural adaptation produced no major modifications in the items and domains. A total of 102 outpatients were participated. Mean age was 51.9 ± 12.4. Most were stage 4 (74.4 %) cancer. Mean scores of ET, FSE, and SWT were 81.2 ± 15.7, 79.5 ± 22.9, and 75.7 ± 14.8, respectively. Cronbach's alpha of ET, FSE, and SWT were 0.86, 0.78, and 0.74, respectively. EFA loaded items on the three domains, which is very close to that of the original CTSQ. ET and SWT was similar, but FSE was significantly higher in TKM than ICT (87.5 ± 19.3 vs. 74.9 ± 23.5; p = 0.0054). Cross-cultural adaptation was successful, and the adapted Korean CTSQ demonstrated good internal consistency and construct validity. Similar expectation and satisfaction was shown between the two types of therapy, but patient's reported feelings about side effects was significantly lower in patients receiving TKM than receiving ICT. Korean version of CTSQ can be used to evaluate Korean cancer patient's experiences receiving various cancer therapy types.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Foot Function Index to Spanish.

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Paez-Moguer, Joaquin; Budiman-Mak, Elly; Cuesta-Vargas, Antonio I

2014-03-01

The purpose of this study was to adapt and validate the Foot Function Index to the Spanish (FFI-Sp) following the guidelines of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. A cross-sectional study 80 participants with some foot pathology. A statistical analysis was made, including a correlation study with other questionnaires (the Foot Health Status Questionnaire, EuroQol 5-D, Visual Analogue Pain Scale, and the Short Form SF-12 Health Survey). Data analysis included reliability, construct and criterion-related validity and factor analyses. The principal components analysis with varimax rotation produced 3 principal factors that explained 80% of the variance. The confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable fit with a comparative fit index of 0.78. The FFI-Sp demonstrated excellent internal consistency on the three subscales: pain 0.95; disability 0.96; and activity limitation 0.69, the subscale that scored lowest. The correlation between the FFI-Sp and the other questionnaires was high to moderate. The Spanish version of the Foot Function Index (FFI-Sp) is a tool that is a valid and reliable tool with a very good internal consistency for use in the assessment of pain, disability and limitation of the function of the foot, for use both in clinic and research. Copyright © 2013 European Foot and Ankle Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cross-validation of the Spanish HP-Version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy confirmed with some cross-cultural differences

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Adelina Alcorta-Garza

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Context: Medical educators agree that empathy is essential for physicians’ professionalism. The Health Professional Version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE-HP was developed in response to a need for a psychometrically sound instrument to measure empathy in the context of patient care. Although extensive support for its validity and reliability is available, the authors recognize the necessity to examine psychometrics of the JSE-HP in different socio-cultural contexts to assure the psychometric soundness of this instrument. The first aim of this study was to confirm its psychometric properties in the cross-cultural context of Spain and Latin American countries. The second aim was to measure the influence of social and cultural factors on the development of medical empathy in health practitioners.Methods: The original English version of the JSE-HP was translated into International Spanish using back-translation procedures. The Spanish version of the JSE-HP was administered to 896 physicians from Spain and thirteen Latin American countries. Data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis with oblique rotation (promax to allow for correlation among the resulting factors, followed by a second analysis, using confirmatory factor analysis. Two theoretical models, one based on the English JSE-HP and another on the first Spanish student version of the JSE (JSE-S, were tested. Demographic variables were compared using group comparisons.Results: A total of 715 (80% surveys were returned fully completed. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the JSE for the entire sample was 0.84. The psychometric properties of the Spanish JSE-HP matched those of the original English JSE-HP. However, the Spanish JSE-S model proved more appropriate than the original English model for the sample in this study. Group comparisons among physicians classified by gender, medical specialties, cultural and cross-cultural backgrounds yielded
Missed nursing care: the impact on intention to leave and turnover.

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Tschannen, Dana; Kalisch, Beatrice J; Lee, Kyung Hee

2010-12-01

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between missed nursing care, nurse turnover, and intention to leave. A cross-sectional study using the MISSCARE Survey was conducted. The sample comprised 110 patient-care units in 10 acute-care hospitals. Staffing data, turnover rates, and unit-level Case Mix Index were collected from the participating hospitals. Higher percentages of females on the unit were associated with lower turnover rates (beta = -.235, p = .010). Units with higher rates of missed care (beta = .302, p reduce intention to leave (and subsequent turnover).
Rasch Validation and Cross-validation of the Health of Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) for Monitoring of Psychiatric Disability in Traumatized Refugees in Western Psychiatric Care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Palic, Sabina; Kappel, Michelle Lind; Makransky, Guido

2016-01-01

group. A revised 10-item HoNOS fit the Rasch model at pre-treatment, and also showed excellent fit within the cross-validation data. Culture, gender, and need for translation did not exert serious bias on the measure’s performance. The results establish good monitoring properties of the 10-item Ho...

Cross-Cultural Validation of Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale in Three Asian Countries: Test of Measurement Invariance

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Ruan, Jiening; Nie, Youyan; Hong, Ji; Monobe, Gumiko; Zheng, Guomin; Kambara, Hitomi; You, Sula

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to validate the widely adopted Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) for the East Asian context. The researchers seek to find out whether TSES holds validity and reliability and is appropriate for use to measure teacher efficacy in China, Korea, and Japan. 489 teachers from the three countries participated in the…
Distributed learning: Developing a predictive model based on data from multiple hospitals without data leaving the hospital - A real life proof of concept.

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Jochems, Arthur; Deist, Timo M; van Soest, Johan; Eble, Michael; Bulens, Paul; Coucke, Philippe; Dries, Wim; Lambin, Philippe; Dekker, Andre

2016-12-01

One of the major hurdles in enabling personalized medicine is obtaining sufficient patient data to feed into predictive models. Combining data originating from multiple hospitals is difficult because of ethical, legal, political, and administrative barriers associated with data sharing. In order to avoid these issues, a distributed learning approach can be used. Distributed learning is defined as learning from data without the data leaving the hospital. Clinical data from 287 lung cancer patients, treated with curative intent with chemoradiation (CRT) or radiotherapy (RT) alone were collected from and stored in 5 different medical institutes (123 patients at MAASTRO (Netherlands, Dutch), 24 at Jessa (Belgium, Dutch), 34 at Liege (Belgium, Dutch and French), 48 at Aachen (Germany, German) and 58 at Eindhoven (Netherlands, Dutch)). A Bayesian network model is adapted for distributed learning (watch the animation: http://youtu.be/nQpqMIuHyOk). The model predicts dyspnea, which is a common side effect after radiotherapy treatment of lung cancer. We show that it is possible to use the distributed learning approach to train a Bayesian network model on patient data originating from multiple hospitals without these data leaving the individual hospital. The AUC of the model is 0.61 (95%CI, 0.51-0.70) on a 5-fold cross-validation and ranges from 0.59 to 0.71 on external validation sets. Distributed learning can allow the learning of predictive models on data originating from multiple hospitals while avoiding many of the data sharing barriers. Furthermore, the distributed learning approach can be used to extract and employ knowledge from routine patient data from multiple hospitals while being compliant to the various national and European privacy laws. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Cross-sample validation provides enhanced proteome coverage in rat vocal fold mucosa.

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Nathan V Welham

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The vocal fold mucosa is a biomechanically unique tissue comprised of a densely cellular epithelium, superficial to an extracellular matrix (ECM-rich lamina propria. Such ECM-rich tissues are challenging to analyze using proteomic assays, primarily due to extensive crosslinking and glycosylation of the majority of high M(r ECM proteins. In this study, we implemented an LC-MS/MS-based strategy to characterize the rat vocal fold mucosa proteome. Our sample preparation protocol successfully solubilized both proteins and certain high M(r glycoconjugates and resulted in the identification of hundreds of mucosal proteins. A straightforward approach to the treatment of protein identifications attributed to single peptide hits allowed the retention of potentially important low abundance identifications (validated by a cross-sample match and de novo interpretation of relevant spectra while still eliminating potentially spurious identifications (global single peptide hits with no cross-sample match. The resulting vocal fold mucosa proteome was characterized by a wide range of cellular and extracellular proteins spanning 12 functional categories.
Nurses' work environment and intent to leave in Lebanese hospitals: implications for policy and practice.

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El-Jardali, Fadi; Alameddine, Mohamad; Dumit, Nuhad; Dimassi, Hani; Jamal, Diana; Maalouf, Salwa

2011-02-01

The dual burden of nursing shortages and poor work environments threatens quality of patient care and places additional pressures on resource-stretched health care systems, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). There is a paucity of research in the EMR examining the quality of nurses' work environment and its association to nurses' intent to leave their jobs/countries. Systematically examine the characteristics of nurses' work environment and their relation to nurses' intent to leave their jobs within the context of Lebanon. A secondary objective is to assess the utility and validity of the NWI-R within the context of the EMR. A cross-sectional survey design was utilized to survey a total of 1793 registered nurses in 69 Lebanese hospitals. The survey instrument included questions on nurses' background, hospital characteristics, intent to leave, and the Revised Nurse Working Index (NWI-R). Data analysis included descriptive statistics for demographic characteristics, t-test and ANOVA to assess differences in agreement scores, and a multinomial logistic regression model to predict intent to leave. Thematic analysis of open-ended questions was utilized to extract themes that fit under issues relating to nurses' work environment in Lebanese hospitals. The NWI-R subscale with the lowest mean score related to control. Younger nurses had lower scores on organizational support and career development. Regression analysis revealed that for every 1 point score decrease on career development there was a 93% increase in likelihood of reporting intent to leave country. Likewise, for every 1 point score decrease on participation there was an observed 51% and 53% increase in likelihood of reporting intent to leave country and hospital, respectively. Findings show that hospital characteristics (size, accreditation status and presence of a recruitment and retention strategy) were significantly associated with NWI-R subscales. Participation, control and career
A fast all-in-one method for automated post-processing of PIV data.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Damien

2011-05-01

Post-processing of PIV (particle image velocimetry) data typically contains three following stages: validation of the raw data, replacement of spurious and missing vectors, and some smoothing. A robust post-processing technique that carries out these steps simultaneously is proposed. The new all-in-one method (DCT-PLS), based on a penalized least squares approach (PLS), combines the use of the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and the generalized cross-validation, thus allowing fast unsupervised smoothing of PIV data. The DCT-PLS was compared with conventional methods, including the normalized median test, for post-processing of simulated and experimental raw PIV velocity fields. The DCT-PLS was shown to be more efficient than the usual methods, especially in the presence of clustered outliers. It was also demonstrated that the DCT-PLS can easily deal with a large amount of missing data. Because the proposed algorithm works in any dimension, the DCT-PLS is also suitable for post-processing of volumetric three-component PIV data.
A fast all-in-one method for automated post-processing of PIV data

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Damien

2013-01-01

Post-processing of PIV (particle image velocimetry) data typically contains three following stages: validation of the raw data, replacement of spurious and missing vectors, and some smoothing. A robust post-processing technique that carries out these steps simultaneously is proposed. The new all-in-one method (DCT-PLS), based on a penalized least squares approach (PLS), combines the use of the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and the generalized cross-validation, thus allowing fast unsupervised smoothing of PIV data. The DCT-PLS was compared with conventional methods, including the normalized median test, for post-processing of simulated and experimental raw PIV velocity fields. The DCT-PLS was shown to be more efficient than the usual methods, especially in the presence of clustered outliers. It was also demonstrated that the DCT-PLS can easily deal with a large amount of missing data. Because the proposed algorithm works in any dimension, the DCT-PLS is also suitable for post-processing of volumetric three-component PIV data. PMID:24795497
Reliability of the one-crossing approximation in describing the Mott transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vildosola, V; Roura-Bas, P; Pourovskii, L V; Manuel, L O

2015-01-01

We assess the reliability of the one-crossing approximation (OCA) approach in a quantitative description of the Mott transition in the framework of the dynamical mean field theory (DMFT). The OCA approach has been applied in conjunction with DMFT to a number of heavy-fermion, actinide, transition metal compounds and nanoscale systems. However, several recent studies in the framework of impurity models pointed out serious deficiencies of OCA and raised questions regarding its reliability. Here we consider a single band Hubbard model on the Bethe lattice at finite temperatures and compare the results of OCA to those of a numerically exact quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method. The temperature-local repulsion U phase diagram for the particle-hole symmetric case obtained by OCA is in good agreement with that of QMC, with the metal–insulator transition captured very well. We find, however, that the insulator to metal transition is shifted to higher values of U and, simultaneously, correlations in the metallic phase are significantly overestimated. This counter-intuitive behaviour is due to simultaneous underestimations of the Kondo scale in the metallic phase and the size of the insulating gap. We trace the underestimation of the insulating gap to that of the second moment of the high-frequency expansion of the impurity spectral density. Calculations of the system away from the particle-hole symmetric case are also presented and discussed. (paper)
Reliability of the one-crossing approximation in describing the Mott transition

Science.gov (United States)

Vildosola, V.; Pourovskii, L. V.; Manuel, L. O.; Roura-Bas, P.

2015-12-01

We assess the reliability of the one-crossing approximation (OCA) approach in a quantitative description of the Mott transition in the framework of the dynamical mean field theory (DMFT). The OCA approach has been applied in conjunction with DMFT to a number of heavy-fermion, actinide, transition metal compounds and nanoscale systems. However, several recent studies in the framework of impurity models pointed out serious deficiencies of OCA and raised questions regarding its reliability. Here we consider a single band Hubbard model on the Bethe lattice at finite temperatures and compare the results of OCA to those of a numerically exact quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method. The temperature-local repulsion U phase diagram for the particle-hole symmetric case obtained by OCA is in good agreement with that of QMC, with the metal-insulator transition captured very well. We find, however, that the insulator to metal transition is shifted to higher values of U and, simultaneously, correlations in the metallic phase are significantly overestimated. This counter-intuitive behaviour is due to simultaneous underestimations of the Kondo scale in the metallic phase and the size of the insulating gap. We trace the underestimation of the insulating gap to that of the second moment of the high-frequency expansion of the impurity spectral density. Calculations of the system away from the particle-hole symmetric case are also presented and discussed.
Consequences of Fathers Parental Leave Use: Evidence from Sweden

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Ann-Zofie Duvander

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Fathers parental leave use is often assumed to affect gender equality both at home and in the labour market. In the home, fathers parental leave is expected to improve father-child contact later on in the childs life. In this study the associations between fathers parental leave use and further adaption to family life and contact with children are investigated. The first research question is whether fathers who have used parental leave are more likely to have shorter working hours during their childrens first years compared to fathers who have not used the leave. The second question is whether the contact between separated fathers and their children is associated with the fathers previous parental leave use. We use a survey carried out in 2003 with a sample of approximately 4000 parents of children born in 1993 and 1999. The findings indicate that fathers parental leave is associated with both shorter working hours later in the childs life and more contact between separated fathers and their children.
Effect of cross-flow direction of coolant on film cooling effectiveness with one inlet and double outlet hole injection

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Guangchao Li

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In order to study the effect of cross-flow directions of an internal coolant on film cooling performance, the discharge coefficients and film cooling effectiveness with one inlet and double outlet hole injections were simulated. The numerical results show that two different cross-flow directions of the coolant cause the same decrease in the discharge coefficients as that in the case of supplying coolant by a plenum. The different proportion of the mass flow out of the two outlets of the film hole results in different values of the film cooling effectiveness for three different cases of coolant supplies. The film cooling effectiveness is the highest for the case of supplying coolant by the plenum. At a lower blowing ratio of 1.0, the film cooling effectiveness with coolant injection from the right entrance of the passage is higher than that from the left entrance of the passage. At a higher blowing ratio of 2.0, the opposite result is found.
Evidence from Maternity Leave Expansions of the Impact of Maternal Care on Early Child Development

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Michael; Milligan, Kevin

2010-01-01

We study the impact of maternal care on early child development using an expansion in Canadian maternity leave entitlements. Following the leave expansion, mothers who took leave spent 48-58 percent more time not working in their children's first year of life. This extra maternal care primarily crowded out home-based care by unlicensed…
An HPLC-DAD method to quantification of main phenolic compounds from leaves of Cecropia species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Costa, Geison M.; Ortmann, Caroline F.; Schenkel, Eloir P.; Reginatto, Flavio H., E-mail: freginatto@hotmail.co [Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianopolis (Brazil). Centro de Ciencias da Saude. Dept. de Ciencias Farmaceuticas

2011-07-01

An efficient and reproducible HPLC-DAD method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of major compounds (chlorogenic acid, isoorientin, orientin and isovitexin) present in the leaves of two Cecropia species, C. glaziovii and C. pachystachya. From the leaves of C. glaziovii and C. pachystachya were isolated the C-glycosylflavones isoorientin and isovitexin and identified on both species chlorogenic acid (3-O-caffeoylquinic acid) and the O-glycosylflavonol isoquercitrin. The C-glycosylflavone orientin was isolated only from C. pachystachya. Chlorogenic acid was the major compound in both species (11.1 mg g{sup -1} of extract of C. glaziovii and 27.2 mg g{sup -1} of extract of C. pachystachya) and for the flavonoids quantified, isovitexin was the main C-glycosylflavonoid for C. glaziovii (4.6 mg g{sup -1} of extract) and isoorientin the main one for C. pachystachya (17.3 mg g{sup -1} of extract). (author)
An HPLC-DAD method to quantification of main phenolic compounds from leaves of Cecropia species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa, Geison M.; Ortmann, Caroline F.; Schenkel, Eloir P.; Reginatto, Flavio H.

2011-01-01

An efficient and reproducible HPLC-DAD method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of major compounds (chlorogenic acid, isoorientin, orientin and isovitexin) present in the leaves of two Cecropia species, C. glaziovii and C. pachystachya. From the leaves of C. glaziovii and C. pachystachya were isolated the C-glycosylflavones isoorientin and isovitexin and identified on both species chlorogenic acid (3-O-caffeoylquinic acid) and the O-glycosylflavonol isoquercitrin. The C-glycosylflavone orientin was isolated only from C. pachystachya. Chlorogenic acid was the major compound in both species (11.1 mg g -1 of extract of C. glaziovii and 27.2 mg g -1 of extract of C. pachystachya) and for the flavonoids quantified, isovitexin was the main C-glycosylflavonoid for C. glaziovii (4.6 mg g -1 of extract) and isoorientin the main one for C. pachystachya (17.3 mg g -1 of extract). (author)
Comparative Characterization of Total Flavonol Glycosides and Terpene Lactones at Different Ages, from Different Cultivation Sources and Genders of Ginkgo biloba Leaves

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Yong Qin

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The extract from Ginkgo biloba leaves has become a very popular plant medicine and herbal supplement for its potential benefit in alleviating symptoms associated with peripheral vascular disease, dementia, asthma and tinnitus. Most research on G. biloba leaves focus on the leaves collected in July and August from four to seven year-old trees, however a large number of leaves from fruit cultivars (trees older than 10 years are ignored and become obsolete after fruit harvest season (November. In this paper, we expand the tree age range (from one to 300 years and first comparatively analyze the total flavonol glycosides and terpene lactones at different ages, from different cultivation sources and genders of G. biloba leaves collected in November by using the validated HPLC-ELSD and HPLC-PDA methods. The results show that the contents of total terpene lactones and flavonol glycosides in the leaves of young ginkgo trees are higher than those in old trees, and they are higher in male trees than in female trees. Geographical factors appear to have a significant influence on the contents as well. These results will provide a good basis for the comprehensive utilization of G. biloba leaves, especially the leaves from fruit cultivars.
A statistical method (cross-validation) for bone loss region detection after spaceflight

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Qian; Li, Wenjun; Li, Caixia; Chu, Philip W.; Kornak, John; Lang, Thomas F.

2010-01-01

Astronauts experience bone loss after the long spaceflight missions. Identifying specific regions that undergo the greatest losses (e.g. the proximal femur) could reveal information about the processes of bone loss in disuse and disease. Methods for detecting such regions, however, remains an open problem. This paper focuses on statistical methods to detect such regions. We perform statistical parametric mapping to get t-maps of changes in images, and propose a new cross-validation method to select an optimum suprathreshold for forming clusters of pixels. Once these candidate clusters are formed, we use permutation testing of longitudinal labels to derive significant changes. PMID:20632144
Problems in cross-cultural use of the hospital anxiety and depression scale: "no butterflies in the desert".

Science.gov (United States)

Maters, Gemma A; Sanderman, Robbert; Kim, Aimee Y; Coyne, James C

2013-01-01

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is widely used to screen for anxiety and depression. A large literature is citable in support of its validity, but difficulties are increasingly being identified, such as inexplicably discrepant optimal cutpoints and inconsistent factor-structures. This article examines whether these problems could be due to the construction of the HADS that poses difficulties for translation and cross-cultural use. Authors' awareness of difficulties translating the HADS were identified by examining 20% of studies using the HADS, obtained by a systematic literature search in Pubmed and PsycINFO in May 2012. Reports of use of translations and validation studies were recorded for papers from non-English speaking countries. Narrative and systematic reviews were examined for how authors dealt with different translations. Of 417 papers from non-English speaking countries, only 45% indicated whether a translation was used. Studies validating translations were cited in 54%. Seventeen reviews, incorporating data from diverse translated versions, were examined. Only seven mentioned issues of language and culture, and none indicated insurmountable problems in integrating results from different translations. Initial decisions concerning item content and response options likely leave the HADS difficult to translate, but we failed to find an acknowledgment of problems in articles involving its translation and cross-cultural use. Investigators' lack of awareness of these issues can lead to anomalous results and difficulties in interpretation and integration of these results. Reviews tend to overlook these issues and most reviews indiscriminately integrate results from studies performed in different countries. Cross-culturally valid, but literally translated versions of the HADS may not be attainable, and specific cutpoints may not be valid across cultures and language. Claims about rates of anxiety and depression based on integrating cross
Validation of Friction Models in MARS-MultiD Module with Two-Phase Cross Flow Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Chi-Jin; Yang, Jin-Hwa; Cho, Hyoung-Kyu; Park, Goon-Cher; Euh, Dong-Jin

2015-01-01

In the downcomer of Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400) which has direct vessel injection (DVI) lines as an emergency core cooling system, multidimensional two-phase flow may occur due to the Loss-of-Coolant-Accident (LOCA). The accurate prediction about that is high relevance to evaluation of the integrity of the reactor core. For this reason, Yang performed an experiment that was to investigate the two-dimensional film flow which simulated the two-phase cross flow in the upper downcomer, and obtained the local liquid film velocity and thickness data. From these data, it could be possible to validate the multidimensional modules of system analysis codes. In this study, MARS-MultiD was used to simulate the Yang's experiment, and obtained the local variables. Then, the friction models used in MARS-MultiD were validated by comparing the two-phase flow experimental results with the calculated local variables. In this study, the two-phase cross flow experiment was modeled by the MARS-MultiD. Compared with the experimental results, the calculated results by the code properly presented mass conservation which could be known from the relation between the liquid film velocity and thickness at the same flow rate. The magnitude and direction of the liquid film, however, did not follow well with experimental results. According to the results of Case-2, wall friction should be increased, and interfacial friction should be decreased in MARS-MultiD. These results show that it is needed to modify the friction models in the MARS-MultiD to simulate the two-phase cross flow
Reduced sick leave in multiple sclerosis after one year of natalizumab treatment. A prospective ad hoc analysis of the TYNERGY trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Wickström, Anne; Dahle, Charlotte; Vrethem, Magnus; Svenningsson, Anders

2014-07-01

In a retrospective study, we have previously shown that work ability was improved after the initiation of natalizumab treatment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In another prospective trial (TYNERGY) the effect on MS-related fatigue was evaluated after 12 months of treatment with natalizumab. A comprehensive Capacity for Work Questionnaire (CWQ) was used to collect data regarding number of working hours and sickness absence. The predefined intention-to-treat analysis regarding work ability did not, however, show significant results. The objective of this paper is to assess the amount of sick leave in RRMS before and after one year of natalizumab treatment and correlate it to fatigue and walking ability. This is a post-hoc analysis of the complete data from the CWQ used in the TYNERGY trial. MS patients receiving sickness benefit before start of treatment reduced their sickness benefit by an absolute change of 33% after one year of natalizumab treatment. Younger age and improvement of walking ability correlated significantly with reduction of sick leave. This ad-hoc analysis of prospectively collected data supported our previous retrospective study and thus indicates a positive relationship between natalizumab treatment and improvement in work ability. © The Author(s) 2013.
Anti-Mycobacterial Evaluation of 7-Chloro-4-Aminoquinolines and Hologram Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship (HQSAR Modeling of Amino–Imino Tautomers

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Marcelle L. F. Bispo

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In an ongoing research program for the development of new anti-tuberculosis drugs, we synthesized three series (A, B, and C of 7-chloro-4-aminoquinolines, which were evaluated in vitro against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB. Now, we report the anti-MTB and cytotoxicity evaluations of a new series, D (D01–D21. Considering the active compounds of series A (A01–A13, B (B01–B13, C (C01–C07, and D (D01–D09, we compose a data set of 42 compounds and carried out hologram quantitative structure–activity relationship (HQSAR analysis. The amino–imino tautomerism of the 4-aminoquinoline moiety was considered using both amino (I and imino (II forms as independent datasets. The best HQSAR model from each dataset was internally validated and both models showed significant statistical indexes. Tautomer I model: leave-one-out (LOO cross-validated correlation coefficient (q2 = 0.80, squared correlation coefficient (r2 = 0.97, standard error (SE = 0.12, cross-validated standard error (SEcv = 0.32. Tautomer II model: q2 = 0.77, r2 = 0.98, SE = 0.10, SEcv = 0.35. Both models were externally validated by predicting the activity values of the corresponding test set, and the tautomer II model, which showed the best external prediction performance, was used to predict the biological activity responses of the compounds that were not evaluated in the anti-MTB trials due to poor solubility, pointing out D21 for further solubility studies to attempt to determine its actual biological activity.
Frequency of Leaving the House and Mortality from Age 70 to 95.

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Jacobs, Jeremy M; Hammerman-Rozenberg, Aliza; Stessman, Jochanan

2018-01-01

To determine the association between frequency of leaving the house and mortality. Prospective follow-up of an age-homogenous, representative, community-dwelling birth cohort (born 1920-21) from the Jerusalem Longitudinal Study (1990-2015). Home. Individuals aged 70 (n = 593), 78 (n = 973), 85 (n = 1164), and 90 (n = 645), examined in 1990, 1998, 2005, and 2010, respectively. Frequency of leaving the house, defined as daily (6-7/week), often (2-5/week), and rarely (≤1/week); geriatric assessment; all-cause mortality (2010-15). Kaplan-Meier survival charts and proportional hazards models adjusted for social (sex, marital status, financial status, loneliness), functional (sex, self-rated health, fatigue, depression, physical activity, activity of daily living difficulty), and medical (sex, chronic pain, visual impairment, hearing impairment, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, chronic kidney disease) covariates. At ages 70, 78, 85, and 90, frequency of going out daily was 87.0%, 80.6%, 65.6%, and 48.4%; often was 6.4%, 9.5%, 17.4%, and 11.3%; and rarely was 6.6%, 10.0%, 17.0%, and 40.3% respectively. Decreasing frequency of going out was associated with negative social, functional, and medical characteristics. Survival rates were lowest among those leaving rarely and highest among those going out daily throughout follow-up. Similarly, compared with rarely leaving the house, unadjusted mortality hazard ratios (HRs) were lowest among subjects leaving daily and remained significant after adjustment for social, functional and medical covariates. Among subjects leaving often, unadjusted HRs showed a similar effect of smaller magnitude, with attenuation of significance after adjustment in certain models. Findings were unchanged after excluding subjects dying within 6 months of follow-up. In community-dwelling elderly adults aged 70 to 90, leaving the house daily was associated with lower mortality risk, independent of social, functional, or

The unintended consequences of maternity leaves: How agency interventions mitigate the negative effects of longer legislated maternity leaves.

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Hideg, Ivona; Krstic, Anja; Trau, Raymond N C; Zarina, Tanya

2018-06-07

To support women in the workplace, longer legislated maternity leaves have been encouraged in Scandinavian countries and recently in Canada. Yet, past research shows that longer legislated maternity leaves (i.e., 1 year and longer) may unintentionally harm women's career progress. To address this issue, we first sought to identify one potential mechanism underlying negative effects of longer legislated maternity leaves: others' lower perceptions of women's agency. Second, we utilize this knowledge to test interventions that boost others' perceptions of women's agency and thus mitigate negative effects of longer legislated maternity leaves. We test our hypotheses in three studies in the context of Canadian maternity leave policies. Specifically, in Study 1, we found that others' lower perceptions of women's agency mediated the negative effects of a longer legislated maternity leave, that is, 1 year (vs. shorter, i.e., 1 month maternity leave) on job commitment. In Study 2, we found that providing information about a woman's agency mitigates the unintended negative effects of a longer legislated maternity leave on job commitment and hireability. In Study 3, we showed that use of a corporate program that enables women to stay in touch with the workplace while on maternity leave (compared to conditions in which no such program was offered; a program was offered but not used by the applicant; and the program was offered, but there was no information about its usage by the applicant) enhances agency perceptions and perceptions of job commitment and hireability. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Validation of multigroup neutron cross sections for the Advanced Neutron Source against the FOEHN critical experimental measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, L.A.; Gehin, J.C.; Worley, B.A.; Renier, J.P.

1994-01-01

The FOEHN critical experiments were analyzed to validate the use of multigroup cross sections in the design of the Advanced Neutron Source. Eleven critical configurations were evaluated using the KENO, DORT, and VENTURE neutronics codes. Eigenvalue and power density profiles were computed and show very good agreement with measured values
Stress-related mental disorders with sick leave: a minimal intervention in general practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakker, I.M.

2007-01-01

1. Introduction As stated in chapter 1, this study is carried out because patients and their care-givers have much to gain by the development and implementation of effective care for patients on sick leave having stress-related mental disorders (SMDs). Most people having SMDs with sick leave consult
Chromatographic profiles of extractives from leaves of Eugenia uniflora

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Isabelle C.F. Bezerra

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Eugenia uniflora L., Myrtaceae, popularly known as “pitanga”, is used in traditional medicine due the properties attributed to its chemical content, these being mainly hydrolysable tannins and flavonoids. This study provides a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of chemical profile from leaves of E. uniflora. The HPLC analysis was carried out on a C18 column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 µm by gradient elution with methanol and water (acidified with trifluoracetic acid; and silica gel Plates 60-F 254 with 10–12 µm and 5–6 µm particles, respectively for TLC and High HPTLC analysis. The chromatographic data obtained from HPLC, TLC and HPTLC presented bands and peaks related to flavonoids (myricitrin and derivatives and tannins (gallic and ellagic acids, which were observed from different samples. The chromatographic similarities enabled the building of a typical fingerprint for the herbal material. The similarity analysis of the sample data by Pearson correlation showed R values >0.9 among peaks (HPLC and bands (HPTLC. In addition, the analytical methodology developed by HPLC enabled the satisfactory quantification of marker substances [ellagic acid = 0.22% and 0.20% (m/m; gallic acid = 0.20% and 0.43%; myricitrin = 0.42 and 1.74% (m/m in herbal drug and crude extract, respectively]. The procedure was also validated in accordance with the assays required by Brazilian legislation. Thus, the HPTLC and HPLC methods developed in this study provide helpful and simple tools for the quality evaluation both qualitatively and quantitatively of raw materials and extractives from leaves of E. uniflora.
Peculiarities of tropane alkaloids determination in Datura Stramonium L. leaves

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Володимир Анатолійович Міщенко

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The questions of the search, pharmacological activity and standardization of natural extracts are appropriate and important for national pharmaceutical science and practice. Since 2000, one of the key points of the Action Plan to ensure the integration of Ukraine into the European Union is development of the State Pharmacopoeia of Ukraine harmonized with the European Pharmacopoeia (PhEur.Aim: A comparative analysis of herbal material according to the methods for tropane group alkaloids determination, as described in the PhEur and in the 11th Edition of USSR Pharmacopoeia Monographs «Stramonium leaf».Methods: Datura leaves samples have been harvested during 2010-2012 in different regions of Ukraine for experimental research. Identification of tropane group alkaloids was carried out by the method of thin-layer chromatography (TLC and by Vitali-Morin colour reaction. According to the PhEur method, firstly Dragendorff reagent and then Sodium nitrite solutions were used for the TLC plates spraying. Alkaloids assay was carried out by alkalimetry method with indicator determination of equivalence point.Results: Datura leaves qualitative features, defined by PhEur and the 11th Edition of USSR Pharmacopoeia Monographs «Stramonium leaf», as well as their rationing have been analyzed. Certain differences concerning regulated quality parameters of herbal material have been determined. A comparative analysis of the natural extracts by described in the given normative documents methods for determination of tropane group alkaloids content has been done. After spraying the TLC plates with Sodium nitrite solution, red-brown zones corresponding Hyoscyamine were determined. Hyoscine zones were characterized by less intense color. As a result of quantitative determination it was determined that the alkaloids content in analyzed Datura leaves samples was within the limits regulated by the PhEur and the 11th Edition of USSR Pharmacopoeia – more than 0
Sick leave analysis among self-employed Dutch farmers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hartman, E.; Oude Vrielink, H.H.E.; Huirne, R.B.M.; Metz, J.H.M.

2003-01-01

Background Agriculture is one of the most physically demanding and risky industries. Aim The objective of this study was to provide baseline data on the diagnoses, occurrence and duration of sick leave of self-employed Dutch farmers. Method A database of 22807 sick leave claims of 12627 farmers
Cross- cultural validation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN): study of the items and internal consistency.

Science.gov (United States)

Osório, Flávia de Lima; Crippa, José Alexandre S; Loureiro, Sonia Regina

2009-03-01

The objective of the present study was to carry out the cross- cultural validation for Brazilian Portuguese of the Social Phobia Inventory, an instrument for the evaluation of fear, avoidance and physiological symptoms associated with social anxiety disorder. The process of translation and adaptation involved four bilingual professionals, appreciation and approval of the back- translation by the authors of the original scale, a pilot study with 30 Brazilian university students, and appreciation by raters who confirmed the face validity of the Portuguese version, which was named ' Inventário de Fobia Social' . As part of the psychometric study of the Social Phobia Inventory, analysis of the items and evaluation of the internal consistency of the instrument were performed in a study conducted on 2314 university students. The results demonstrated that item 11, related to the fear of public speaking, was the most frequently scored item. The correlation of the items with the total score was quite adequate, ranging from 0.44 to 0.71, as was the internal consistency, which ranged from 0.71 to 0.90. The authors conclude that the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Social Phobia Inventory proved to be adequate regarding the psychometric properties initially studied, with qualities quite close to those of the original study. Studies that will evaluate the remaining indicators of validity of the Social Phobia Inventory in clinical and non-clinical samples are considered to be opportune and necessary.
Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire for screening children and adolescents for plastic surgery: cross-cultural validation study

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Eduardo Sucupira

2017-11-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Patient-reported outcome measurements assessing the emotional state of children and adolescents who seek plastic surgery are important for determining whether the intervention is indicated or not. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt and validate the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (child/adolescent and parent versions for Brazilian Portuguese, test its psychometric properties and assess the emotional state of children and adolescents who seek plastic surgery. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-cultural validation study conducted in a plastic surgery outpatient clinic at a public university hospital. METHODS: A total of 124 consecutive patients of both sexes were selected between September 2013 and February 2014. Forty-seven patients participated in the cultural adaptation of the questionnaire. The final version was tested for reliability on 20 patients. Construct validity was tested on 57 patients by correlating the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (child/adolescent and parent versions with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale. RESULTS: The child/adolescent and parent versions of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire showed Cronbach’s alpha of 0.768 and 0.874, respectively, and had good inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC = 0.757 and ICC = 0.853, respectively and intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.738 and ICC = 0.796, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire is a reproducible instrument with face, content and construct validity.The mood state and feelings among children and adolescents seeking cosmetic surgery were healthy.
In/Out Status Monitoring in Mobile Asset Tracking with Wireless Sensor Networks

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Kwangsoo Kim

2010-03-01

Full Text Available A mobile asset with a sensor node in a mobile asset tracking system moves around a monitoring area, leaves it, and then returns to the region repeatedly. The system monitors the in/out status of the mobile asset. Due to the continuous movement of the mobile asset, the system may generate an error for the in/out status of the mobile asset. When the mobile asset is inside the region, the system might determine that it is outside, or vice versa. In this paper, we propose a method to detect and correct the incorrect in/out status of the mobile asset. To solve this problem, our approach uses data about the connection state transition and the battery lifetime of the mobile node attached to the mobile asset. The connection state transition is used to classify the mobile node as normal or abnormal. The battery lifetime is used to predict a valid working period for the mobile node. We evaluate our method using real data generated by a medical asset tracking system. The experimental results show that our method, by using the estimated battery life time or by using the invalid connection state, can detect and correct most cases of incorrect in/out statuses generated by the conventional approach.
In/out status monitoring in mobile asset tracking with wireless sensor networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kwangsoo; Chung, Chin-Wan

2010-01-01

A mobile asset with a sensor node in a mobile asset tracking system moves around a monitoring area, leaves it, and then returns to the region repeatedly. The system monitors the in/out status of the mobile asset. Due to the continuous movement of the mobile asset, the system may generate an error for the in/out status of the mobile asset. When the mobile asset is inside the region, the system might determine that it is outside, or vice versa. In this paper, we propose a method to detect and correct the incorrect in/out status of the mobile asset. To solve this problem, our approach uses data about the connection state transition and the battery lifetime of the mobile node attached to the mobile asset. The connection state transition is used to classify the mobile node as normal or abnormal. The battery lifetime is used to predict a valid working period for the mobile node. We evaluate our method using real data generated by a medical asset tracking system. The experimental results show that our method, by using the estimated battery life time or by using the invalid connection state, can detect and correct most cases of incorrect in/out statuses generated by the conventional approach.
Cross-validation of the factorial structure of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS and its abbreviated form (NEWS-A

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Cerin Ester

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS and its abbreviated form (NEWS-A assess perceived environmental attributes believed to influence physical activity. A multilevel confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA conducted on a sample from Seattle, WA showed that, at the respondent level, the factor-analyzable items of the NEWS and NEWS-A measured 11 and 10 constructs of perceived neighborhood environment, respectively. At the census blockgroup (used by the US Census Bureau as a subunit of census tracts level, the MCFA yielded five factors for both NEWS and NEWS-A. The aim of this study was to cross-validate the individual- and blockgroup-level measurement models of the NEWS and NEWS-A in a geographical location and population different from those used in the original validation study. Methods A sample of 912 adults was recruited from 16 selected neighborhoods (116 census blockgroups in the Baltimore, MD region. Neighborhoods were stratified according to their socio-economic status and transport-related walkability level measured using Geographic Information Systems. Participants self-completed the NEWS. MCFA was used to cross-validate the individual- and blockgroup-level measurement models of the NEWS and NEWS-A. Results The data provided sufficient support for the factorial validity of the original individual-level measurement models, which consisted of 11 (NEWS and 10 (NEWS-A correlated factors. The original blockgroup-level measurement model of the NEWS and NEWS-A showed poor fit to the data and required substantial modifications. These included the combining of aspects of building aesthetics with safety from crime into one factor; the separation of natural aesthetics and building aesthetics into two factors; and for the NEWS-A, the separation of presence of sidewalks/walking routes from other infrastructure for walking. Conclusion This study provided support for the generalizability of the individual
Chemical composition and seasonal variation of the volatile oils from Trembleya phlogiformis leaves

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Sarah R. Fernandes

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Trembleya phlogiformis DC., Melastomataceae, is a shrub whose leaves are used as a dye for dyeing wool and cotton. The present article aimed to carry out the morphological description of the species, to study the chemical composition of volatile oils from the leaves and flowers and the seasonal variability from the leaves during a year. Macroscopic characterization was carried out with the naked eye and with a stereoscopic microscope. Volatile oils were isolated by hydrodistillation in Clevenger apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The major components of the volatile oil of T. phlogiformis flowers were: n-heneicosane (33.5%, phytol (12.3%, n-tricosane (8.4% and linoleic acid (6.1%. It was verified the existence of a large chemical variability of the volatile oils from the leaves of T. phlogiformis over the months, with the majority compound (oleic alcohol, ranging from 5.7 to 26.8% present in all samples. A combination of Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis showed the existence of three main clusters, probably related to the seasons. The results suggested that the volatile oils of T. phlogiformis leaves possess high chemical variability, probably related to variation associated with rainfall and the variation in the behavior of specimens throughout the year. This research provides insights for future studies on the volatile oils obtained from the T. phlogiformis leaves and flowers, mainly related to biological markers of applications monitored in the leaves and flowers of this species.
Validity and reliability of the effort-reward imbalance questionnaire in a sample of 673 Italian teachers.

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Zurlo, Maria Clelia; Pes, Daniela; Siegrist, Johannes

2010-08-01

This study explores the explicative potential of effort-reward imbalance Model to unveil the dimensions involved in teacher stress process and analyses the psychometric characteristics of the Italian version of the ERI Questionnaire (Siegrist, J Occup Health Psychol 1:27-43, 1996) with respect to a homogeneous occupational group: Italian school teachers. The Italian version of the ERI Questionnaire was submitted to 673 teachers randomly drawn from a cross-section of school types. Internal consistency, reliability, discriminative validity, and factorial structure were evaluated. Predictive validity was explored with respect to a measure of perceived strain, the Crown-Crisp Experiential Index. Discriminative validity was explored with respect to age, gender, education, type of school, the presence/absence of physical pains in the last 12 months before the survey, and teachers' intention to leave the profession. Item-total correlations are for all items included between 0.30 and 0.80 (p teachers, which reported to suffer for physical pains. Higher efforts (T = -5.26, p teachers inclined to give up the job. Multiple regression analyses have highlighted that higher efforts, higher overcommitment, and lower rewards are significantly predictive of higher levels of free-floating and somatic anxiety as well as depression and global psychological strain. This preliminary analysis of the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the ERI Questionnaire reveals that it constitutes a useful and reliable measure to analyse work-related stress with respect to the school setting. The validity of the ERI model to describe the dimensions involved in teacher's stress and to highlight those associated to leaving intentions and to several physical and psychological strain outcomes in Italian school teachers has been confirmed.
Antimicrobial and phytochemical analysis of leaves and bark ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

While quarter strength (5 g/ml) concentrations of the bark methanol and ethanol extracts were the MICs against Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus. The phytochemical analysis carried out on B. ferruginea leaves and bark detected the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannin, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinone, ...
Validation of the XLACS code related to contribution of resolved and unresolved resonances and background cross sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anaf, J.; Chalhoub, E.S.

1990-01-01

The procedures for calculating contributions of resolved and unresolved resonances and background cross sections, in XLACS code, were revised. Constant weighting function and zero Kelvin temperature were considered. Discrepancies found were corrected and now the validated XLACS code generates results that are correct and in accordance with its originally established procedures. (author)
Cross-Cultural Validation of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM): Motivation Orientations of Navajo and Anglo Students.

Science.gov (United States)

McInerney, Dennis M.; Yeung, Alexander Seeshing; McInerney, Valentina

2001-01-01

Validated the Motivation Orientation scales of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM) (M. Maher, 1984) across Navajo (n=760) and Anglo (n=1,012) students. Findings show that even though the ISM motivation orientation scales are applicable to students of different cultural backgrounds, meaningful cross-cultural comparisons should use the 30 items…
Translation, cross-cultural adaption and validation of the German version of the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure for patients with chronic ankle instability.

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Nauck, T; Lohrer, H

2011-08-01

The evaluation of health-related quality of life and physical function is important for determining therapeutic strategies following ankle injuries. The Anglo-American Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) is a valid and reliable self-reported measure to detect functional deficits in chronic lateral ankle instability. The purpose of this study was to translate, cross-culturally adapt and validate the FAAM questionnaire for use with German-speaking patients with chronic lateral ankle instability. Preoperative and conservatively treated patients with chronic lateral ankle instability. Sport students and volleyball athletes served as control groups. The FAAM was forward and back translated, cross-culturally adapted and validated. The study population completed the FAAM-G questionnaire twice within 3-5 days. Additionally, the patients were scored with the Good ankle laxity classification system. Test-Retest reliability, construct validity and internal consistency were calculated. Reliability and validity of the FAAM-G were examined in presurgical chronic ankle instability patients (n=24), conservatively treated chronic ankle instability patients (n=17), university sport students (n=31) and volleyballers (n=37). Test-retest reliability revealed fair, good, or excellent reliability (inter-class correlation coefficient (ICC)=0.590-0.998; ρ=0.528-1.000). Construct validity, tested between the FAAM-G subscores and the Good et al ankle laxity classification system demonstrated strong correlations (ρ = -0.819 to -0.861). The original FAAM questionnaire was successfully translated and cross-culturally adapted from English to German. Corresponding to the Anglo-American version, the FAAM-G is a reliable and valid questionnaire for self-reported assessment of pain and disability in German-speaking patients suffering from chronic ankle instability.
A Valid Matérn Class of Cross-Covariance Functions for Multivariate Random Fields With Any Number of Components

KAUST Repository

Apanasovich, Tatiyana V.; Genton, Marc G.; Sun, Ying

2012-01-01

We introduce a valid parametric family of cross-covariance functions for multivariate spatial random fields where each component has a covariance function from a well-celebrated Matérn class. Unlike previous attempts, our model indeed allows
Callus formation of american Persea Mill. cultivar Catalina starting from segments of leaves of in vitro plants

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Marisol Freire Seijo

2004-04-01

Full Text Available The importance of establishing protocols for the regeneration of fruit-trees through out the organogenesis and the somatic embryogenesis is based on the possibility to use them in the propagation of the species or in programs of genetic improvement. Specifically the Catalina cultivar is very coveted in Cuba, however it has not been introduced in vitro. The present work had the objective of forming callus starting from leaves of in vitro plants from avocado tree of the Catalina cultivar. The phase of multiplication of the in vitro plants was carried out in temporary immersion systems in order to favour the expansion of the leaves. Erlenmeyers 1.0l were used In the TIS and immersions every four and eight hours with a minute of duration were carried out. The effect of the Picloram, the 6 BAP and the 2,4-D on leaves of in vitro plants for the formation of callus was studied. The plants with more quality were obtained when immersions every 8 hours were carried out. It was also possible to form callus using sections of leaves of in vitro plants as explants in a culture medium with 0.1 Picloram mgl-1. Key words: in vitro plant leaves, temporary immersion system
Problems in Cross-Cultural Use of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: “No Butterflies in the Desert”

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Maters, Gemma A.; Sanderman, Robbert; Kim, Aimee Y.; Coyne, James C.

2013-01-01

Objective The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is widely used to screen for anxiety and depression. A large literature is citable in support of its validity, but difficulties are increasingly being identified, such as inexplicably discrepant optimal cutpoints and inconsistent factor-structures. This article examines whether these problems could be due to the construction of the HADS that poses difficulties for translation and cross-cultural use. Methods Authors’ awareness of difficulties translating the HADS were identified by examining 20% of studies using the HADS, obtained by a systematic literature search in Pubmed and PsycINFO in May 2012. Reports of use of translations and validation studies were recorded for papers from non-English speaking countries. Narrative and systematic reviews were examined for how authors dealt with different translations. Results Of 417 papers from non-English speaking countries, only 45% indicated whether a translation was used. Studies validating translations were cited in 54%. Seventeen reviews, incorporating data from diverse translated versions, were examined. Only seven mentioned issues of language and culture, and none indicated insurmountable problems in integrating results from different translations. Conclusion Initial decisions concerning item content and response options likely leave the HADS difficult to translate, but we failed to find an acknowledgment of problems in articles involving its translation and cross-cultural use. Investigators’ lack of awareness of these issues can lead to anomalous results and difficulties in interpretation and integration of these results. Reviews tend to overlook these issues and most reviews indiscriminately integrate results from studies performed in different countries. Cross-culturally valid, but literally translated versions of the HADS may not be attainable, and specific cutpoints may not be valid across cultures and language. Claims about rates of anxiety and

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