Safeguards uses of confirmatory measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coulter, C.A.

1985-01-01

An analysis is made of the role of shipper and receiver measurements in safeguarding special nuclear materials (SNM) transferred from one facility to another, with emphasis on the case where the receiver requires an analytical accounting measurement of the transferred SNM and does not need the material for process purposes at the time of receipt. Seven possible diversion periods are considered, ranging from the interval between the shipper's final accounting measurement on the material and the time it is placed in the shipper's vault, through the actual transport of the material between facilities, to the time the material is removed from the receiver's vault and placed in the process. The detection power of various combinations of six possible shipper/receiver measurements for these diversion opportunities is then evaluated; the measurements considered include the shipper's and receiver's accounting measurements, the latter at two possible times, and various nondestructive assay (NDA) confirmatory measurements. It is concluded that all safeguards measurement objectives can be met by a combination of a shipper's accounting measurement at the time the material is removed from the process, an appropriate shipper's NDA confirmatory measurement either immediately after canning or immediately before shipping, an equivalent receiver's NDA confirmatory measurement immediately after the material is received, and a receiver's accounting measurement when the material is placed in the process. Furthermore, it is found that a receiver's analytical accounting measurement immediately after receipt when the material is not yet required for process has dubious safeguards value

Multiple Family Group Therapy: An Interpersonal/Postmodern Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Thorngren, Jill M.; Kleist, David M.

2002-01-01

Multiple Family Group Therapy has been identified as a viable treatment model for a variety of client populations. A combination of family systems theories and therapeutic group factors provide the opportunity to explore multiple levels of intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships between families. This article depicts a Multiple Family Group…

Experience with confirmatory measurements at the Savannah River Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deason, P.T.; Cadieux, J.R.; Denard, C.D.

1985-01-01

Confirmatory measurements are performed on all category I and II plutonium shipments to the Savannah River Plant (SRP). The primary technique employed has been neutron coincidence counting using three instruments; two slab counters, and a well counter. These measurements have provided the required safeguards features to support the physical security measures already in place for inter-site shipments of special nuclear material (SNM). Similar confirmatory measurements have also been performed on a variety of scrap mixed-oxide materials stored at SRP for later processing. The data handling and results for several categories of material will be examined in addition to planned uses of the Rocky Flats Plant (RFP)/SRP Confirmatory Measurements Counter (CMC). 2 refs., 4 figs

Different meaning of the p-value in exploratory and confirmatory hypothesis testing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gerke, Oke; Høilund-Carlsen, Poul Flemming; Vach, Werner

2011-01-01

The outcome of clinical studies is often reduced to the statistical significance of results by indicating a p-value below the 5% significance level. Hypothesis testing and, through that, the p-value is commonly used, but their meaning is frequently misinterpreted in clinical research. The concept...... of hypothesis testing is explained and some pitfalls including those of multiple testing are given. The conceptual difference between exploratory and confirmatory hypothesis testing is discussed, and a better use of p-values, which includes presenting p-values with two or three decimals, is suggested....

A comparison of confirmatory factor analysis methods : Oblique multiple group method versus confirmatory common factor method

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stuive, Ilse

2007-01-01

Confirmatieve Factor Analyse (CFA) is een vaak gebruikte methode wanneer onderzoekers een bepaalde veronderstelling hebben over de indeling van items in één of meerdere subtests en willen onderzoeken of deze indeling ook wordt ondersteund door verzamelde onderzoeksgegevens. De meest gebruikte

75 FR 57532 - In the Matter of: Stone & Webster Construction, Inc.; Confirmatory Order (Effective Immediately)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-21

... Any person adversely affected by this Confirmatory Order, other than Shaw, may request a hearing... Safety Conscious Work Environment (SCWE) and Safety Culture: At the parent company, The Shaw Group Inc... performance evaluations; Periodic independent culture surveys. For nuclear maintenance sites: A SCWE Procedure...

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Structure of Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farahman Farrokhi

2011-06-01

Full Text Available "nObjective: The aim of this study is to explore the confirmatory factor analysis results of the Persian adaptation of Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS, proposed by Hopko, Mahadevan, Bare & Hunt. "nMethod: The validity and reliability assessments of the scale were performed on 298 college students chosen randomly from Tabriz University in Iran. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA was carried out to determine the factor structures of the Persian version of AMAS. "nResults: As expected, the two-factor solution provided a better fit to the data than a single factor. Moreover, multi-group analyses showed that this two-factor structure was invariant across sex. Hence, AMAS provides an equally valid measure for use among college students. "nConclusions:  Brief AMAS demonstrates adequate reliability and validity. The AMAS scores can be used to compare symptoms of math anxiety between male and female students. The study both expands and adds support to the existing body of math anxiety literature.

The Multiple In-group Identity Framework

OpenAIRE

Lock, Daniel; Funk, D.C.

2016-01-01

The effects of team identification on sport consumer behaviour are well established. Recent research, however, has moved beyond this perspective to examine how groups within and beyond the team identity influence consumption. Assimilating previous research findings, we advance a Multiple In-group Identity Framework (MIIF), which consists of three levels: (1) superordinate (e.g., team identity), (2) subgroup (e.g., specific stadium area), and (3) relational group (e.g., friends or family). In ...

Sustainable Manufacturing Practices in Malaysian Automotive Industry: Confirmatory Factor Analysis

OpenAIRE

Habidin, Nurul Fadly; Zubir, Anis Fadzlin Mohd; Fuz, Nursyazwani Mohd; Latip, Nor Azrin Md; Azman, Mohamed Nor Azhari

2015-01-01

Sustainable manufacturing practices (SMPs) have received enormous attention in current years as an effective solution to support the continuous growth and expansion of the automotive manufacturing industry. This reported study was conducted to examine confirmatory factor analysis for SMP such as manufacturing process, supply chain management, social responsibility, and environmental management based on automotive manufacturing industry. The results of confirmatory factor analysis show that fo...

Effects of Informative and Confirmatory Feedback on Brain Activation During Negative Feedback Processing

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Yeon-Kyoung eWoo

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The current study compared the effects of informative and confirmatory feedback on brain activation during negative feedback processing. For confirmatory feedback trials, participants were informed that they had failed the task, whereas informative feedback trials presented task relevant information along with the notification of their failure. Fourteen male undergraduates performed a series of spatial-perceptual tasks and received feedback while their brain activity was recorded. During confirmatory feedback trials, greater activations in the amygdala, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and the thalamus (including the habenular were observed in response to incorrect responses. These results suggest that confirmatory feedback induces negative emotional reactions to failure. In contrast, informative feedback trials elicited greater activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC when participants experienced failure. Further psychophysiological interaction (PPI analysis revealed a negative coupling between the DLPFC and the amygdala during informative feedback relative to confirmatory feedback trials. These findings suggest that providing task-relevant information could facilitate implicit down-regulation of negative emotions following failure.

NRC Confirmatory Testing Program for SBWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, J.T.; Bessette, D.E.; Shotkin, L.M.

1994-01-01

The objective of the NRC Confirmatory Testing Program for SBWR is to provide integral data for code assessment, which reasonably reproduce the important phenomena and processes expected in the SBWR under various loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) and transient conditions. To achieve this objective, the Program consists of four coupled elements: (1) to design and construct an integral, carefully-scaled SBWR test facility at Purdue Univ., (2) to provide pre-construction RELAP5/CONTAIN predictions of the facility design, (3) to provide confirmatory data for code assessment, and (4) to assess the RELAP5/CONTAIN code with data. A description of the open-quotes preliminary designclose quotes of the Purdue test facility and test matrix is presented. The facility is scheduled to be built by December 1994. Approximately 50 tests will be performed from April 1995 through April 1996 and documented by interim data reports. A final and complete data report is scheduled to be published by July 31, 1996

Confirmatory factor analysis reveals a latent cognitive structure common to bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and normal controls.

Science.gov (United States)

Schretlen, David J; Peña, Javier; Aretouli, Eleni; Orue, Izaskun; Cascella, Nicola G; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Ojeda, Natalia

2013-06-01

We sought to determine whether a single hypothesized latent factor structure would characterize cognitive functioning in three distinct groups. We assessed 576 adults (340 community controls, 126 adults with bipolar disorder, and 110 adults with schizophrenia) using 15 measures derived from nine cognitive tests. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to examine the fit of a hypothesized six-factor model. The hypothesized factors included attention, psychomotor speed, verbal memory, visual memory, ideational fluency, and executive functioning. The six-factor model provided an excellent fit for all three groups [for community controls, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) schizophrenia, RMSEA = 0.06 and CFI = 0.98]. Alternate models that combined fluency with processing speed or verbal and visual memory reduced the goodness of fit. Multi-group CFA results supported factor invariance across the three groups. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a single six-factor structure of cognitive functioning among patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and community controls. While the three groups clearly differ in level of performance, they share a common underlying architecture of information processing abilities. These cognitive factors could provide useful targets for clinical trials of treatments that aim to enhance information processing in persons with neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Multivariate sparse group lasso for the multivariate multiple linear regression with an arbitrary group structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yanming; Nan, Bin; Zhu, Ji

2015-06-01

We propose a multivariate sparse group lasso variable selection and estimation method for data with high-dimensional predictors as well as high-dimensional response variables. The method is carried out through a penalized multivariate multiple linear regression model with an arbitrary group structure for the regression coefficient matrix. It suits many biology studies well in detecting associations between multiple traits and multiple predictors, with each trait and each predictor embedded in some biological functional groups such as genes, pathways or brain regions. The method is able to effectively remove unimportant groups as well as unimportant individual coefficients within important groups, particularly for large p small n problems, and is flexible in handling various complex group structures such as overlapping or nested or multilevel hierarchical structures. The method is evaluated through extensive simulations with comparisons to the conventional lasso and group lasso methods, and is applied to an eQTL association study. © 2015, The International Biometric Society.

Teacher regulation of multiple computer-supported collaborating groups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Leeuwen, Anouschka; Janssen, Jeroen; Erkens, Gijsbert; Brekelmans, Mieke

2015-01-01

Teachers regulating groups of students during computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) face the challenge of orchestrating their guidance at student, group, and class level. During CSCL, teachers can monitor all student activity and interact with multiple groups at the same time. Not much is

The structure of assertiveness : a confirmatory approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ARRINDELL, WA; SANDERMAN, R; VANDERMOLEN, H; VANDERENDE, J; MERSCH, PP

1988-01-01

By using confirmatory factor analysis, distress and performance factors of assertion identified previously in a sample of predomi- nantly agoraphobic club members (N = 703) employing the Scale for Interpersonal Behavior (SlB) - the factors being (I) Display of negative feelings; (II) Expression of

Can Confirmatory Biopsy be Omitted in Prostate Cancer Active Surveillance Patients with Favorable Diagnostic Features?

Science.gov (United States)

Satasivam, Prassannah; Poon, Bing Ying; Ehdaie, Behfar; Vickers, Andrew J.; Eastham, James A.

2016-01-01

Purpose We evaluated whether initial diagnostic parameters could predict the confirmatory biopsy result in patients initiating active surveillance for prostate cancer, to determine whether some men at low risk of reclassification could be spared unnecessary biopsy. Materials and Methods The cohort included 392 men with Gleason 6 prostate cancer on initial biopsy undergoing confirmatory biopsy. We used univariate and multivariable logistic regression to assess if high-grade cancer (Gleason ≥ 7) on confirmatory biopsy could be predicted from initial diagnostic parameters (prostate-specific antigen density, magnetic resonance imaging result, percent positive cores, percent cancer in positive cores, and total tumor length). Results Median age was 62 years (IQR 56–66) and 47% of patients were found to have a dominant or focal lesion on magnetic resonance imaging. Of the 392 patients, 44 (11%) were found to have high-grade cancer on confirmatory biopsy, among whom 39 had 3+4, 1 had 4+3, 3 had Gleason 8, and 1 patient had Gleason 9 disease. All predictors were significantly associated with high-grade cancer at confirmatory biopsy on univariate analysis. However, in the multivariable model only prostate-specific antigen density and total tumor length were significantly associated (AUC of 0.85). Using this model to select patients for confirmatory biopsy would generally provide a higher net benefit than performing confirmatory biopsy in all patients, across a wide range of threshold probabilities. Conclusion If externally validated, a model based on initial diagnostic criteria could be used to avoid confirmatory biopsy in many patients initiating active surveillance. PMID:26192258

Next-generation confirmatory disease diagnostics

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Robert; Gerver, Rachel; Karns, Kelly; Apori, Akwasi A.; Denisin, Aleksandra K.; Herr, Amy E.

2014-06-01

Microfluidic tools are advancing capabilities in screening diagnostics for use in near-patient settings. Here, we review three case studies to illustrate the flexibility and analytical power offered by microanalytical tools. We first overview a near-patient tool for detection of protein markers found in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), as a means to identify the presence of cerebrospinal fluid in nasal mucous - an indication that CSF is leaking into the nasal cavity. Microfluidic design allowed integration of several up-stream preparatory steps and rapid, specific completion of the human CSF protein assay. Second, we overview a tear fluid based assay for lactoferrin, a protein produced in the lacrimal gland, then secreted into tear fluid. Tear Lf is a putative biomarker for primary SS. A critical contribution of this and related work being measurement of Lf, even in light of well-known and significant matrix interactions and losses during the tear fluid collection and preparation. Lastly, we review a microfluidic barcode platform that enables rapid measurement of multiple infectious disease biomarkers in human sera. The assay presents a new approach to multiplexed biomarker detection, yet in a simple straight microchannel - thus providing a streamlined, simplified microanalytical platform, as is relevant to robust operation in diagnostic settings. We view microfluidic design and analytical chemistry as the basis for emerging, sophisticated assays that will advance not just screening diagnostic technology, but confirmatory assays, sample preparation and handling, and thus introduction and utilization of new biomarkers and assay formats.

Weyl Group Multiple Dirichlet Series Type A Combinatorial Theory (AM-175)

CERN Document Server

Brubaker, Ben; Friedberg, Solomon

2011-01-01

Weyl group multiple Dirichlet series are generalizations of the Riemann zeta function. Like the Riemann zeta function, they are Dirichlet series with analytic continuation and functional equations, having applications to analytic number theory. By contrast, these Weyl group multiple Dirichlet series may be functions of several complex variables and their groups of functional equations may be arbitrary finite Weyl groups. Furthermore, their coefficients are multiplicative up to roots of unity, generalizing the notion of Euler products. This book proves foundational results about these series an

Group Positive Psychotherapy and Depression of Females Affected by Multiple Sclerosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tayebeh Khayatan

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Multiple Sclerosis is one of the most important and prevalent central nervous system diseases, causing disorders such as depression among affected patients. Positive psychotherapy is also a new approach that can be effective in reducing the depression of these people. This study aims to investigate the efficiency of group positive psychotherapy for decreasing the depression among females affected by Multiple Sclerosis. Methods: A samples of 30 females affected by Multiple Sclerosis with mild to moderate depression were participated, and were divided into two groups, intervention and control. Both groups completed Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II at the beginning, he intervention group received six sessions of positive psychotherapy. After the intervention both group completed the questionnaire again. Data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Results: The result demonstrated that, the decline of depression was more in the intervention group than the control group. Moreover in the intervention group than control group, there was obtained significant reduction in both sub-scales of Beck Depression Inventory II. Discussion: Results of this study indicated that group positive psychotherapy is effective in reducing the depression of females affected by Multiple Sclerosis. This treatment can be widely used in the caring centers for treatment of people affected by Multiple Sclerosis and this can be justified because of its low cost and good efficiency.

Can Confirmatory Biopsy be Omitted in Patients with Prostate Cancer Favorable Diagnostic Features on Active Surveillance?

Science.gov (United States)

Satasivam, Prassannah; Poon, Bing Ying; Ehdaie, Behfar; Vickers, Andrew J; Eastham, James A

2016-01-01

We evaluated whether initial diagnostic parameters could predict the confirmatory biopsy result in patients initiating active surveillance for prostate cancer, to determine whether some men at low risk for disease reclassification could be spared unnecessary biopsy. The cohort included 392 men with Gleason 6 prostate cancer on initial biopsy undergoing confirmatory biopsy. We used univariate and multivariable logistic regression to assess if high grade cancer (Gleason 7 or greater) on confirmatory biopsy could be predicted from initial diagnostic parameters (prostate specific antigen density, magnetic resonance imaging result, percent positive cores, percent cancer in positive cores and total tumor length). Median patient age was 62 years (IQR 56-66) and 47% of patients had a dominant or focal lesion on magnetic resonance imaging. Of the 392 patients 44 (11%) had high grade cancer on confirmatory biopsy, of whom 39 had Gleason 3+4, 1 had 4+3, 3 had Gleason 8 and 1 had Gleason 9 disease. All predictors were significantly associated with high grade cancer at confirmatory biopsy on univariate analysis. However, in the multivariable model only prostate specific antigen density and total tumor length were significantly associated (AUC 0.85). Using this model to select patients for confirmatory biopsy would generally provide a higher net benefit than performing confirmatory biopsy in all patients, across a wide range of threshold probabilities. If externally validated, a model based on initial diagnostic criteria could be used to avoid confirmatory biopsy in many patients initiating active surveillance. Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Multiple Linear Regression of the Neck Disability Index: Assessment If Subscales Are Equally Relevant in Whiplash and Nonspecific Neck Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Croft, Arthur C; Milam, Bryce; Meylor, Jade; Manning, Richard

2016-06-01

Because of previously published recommendations to modify the Neck Disability Index (NDI), we evaluated the responsiveness and dimensionality of the NDI within a population of adult whiplash-injured subjects. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the responsiveness and dimensionality of the NDI within a population of adult whiplash-injured subjects. Subjects who had sustained whiplash injuries of grade 2 or higher completed an NDI questionnaire. There were 123 subjects (55% female, of which 36% had recovered and 64% had chronic symptoms. NDI subscales were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, considering only the subscales and, secondly, using sex as an 11th variable. The subscales were also tested with multiple linear regression modeling using the total score as a target variable. When considering only the 10 NDI subscales, only a single factor emerged, with an eigenvalue of 5.4, explaining 53.7% of the total variance. Strong correlation (> .55) (P factor model of the NDI is not justified based on our results, and in this population of whiplash subjects, the NDI was unidimensional, demonstrating high internal consistency and supporting the original validation study of Vernon and Mior.

Confirmatory research on the assessment of murderers.

Science.gov (United States)

Piotrowski, C

1997-12-01

Prior research, from the psychodynamically oriented literature, characterizes homicidal offenders as impulsive, vulnerable to stress, with difficulties in emotional control, particularly anger. In 1995 Coram reported Rorschach data from a sample of murderers which tentatively support earlier findings. This paper argues that confirmatory data from measures which objectively assess emotional states and behaviors could elucidate this issue.

Confirmatory factory analysis of the Neck Disability Index in a general problematic neck population indicates a one-factor model.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabel, Charles Philip; Cuesta-Vargas, Antonio I; Osborne, Jason W; Burkett, Brendan; Melloh, Markus

2014-08-01

The Neck Disability Index frequently is used to measure outcomes of the neck. The statistical rigor of the Neck Disability Index has been assessed with conflicting outcomes. To date, Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Neck Disability Index has not been reported for a suitably large population study. Because the Neck Disability Index is not a condition-specific measure of neck function, initial Confirmatory Factor Analysis should consider problematic neck patients as a homogenous group. We sought to analyze the factor structure of the Neck Disability Index through Confirmatory Factor Analysis in a symptomatic, homogeneous, neck population, with respect to pooled populations and gender subgroups. This was a secondary analysis of pooled data. A total of 1,278 symptomatic neck patients (67.5% female, median age 41 years), 803 nonspecific and 475 with whiplash-associated disorder. The Neck Disability Index was used to measure outcomes. We analyzed pooled baseline data from six independent studies of patients with neck problems who completed Neck Disability Index questionnaires at baseline. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis was considered in three scenarios: the full sample and separate sexes. Models were compared empirically for best fit. Two-factor models have good psychometric properties across both the pooled and sex subgroups. However, according to these analyses, the one-factor solution is preferable from both a statistical perspective and parsimony. The two-factor model was close to significant for the male subgroup (pfactor structure when analyzed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis in a pooled, homogenous sample of neck problem patients. However, a two-factor model did approach significance for male subjects where questions separated into constructs of mental and physical function. Further investigations in different conditions, subgroup and sex-specific populations are warranted. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multiple-Group Analysis Using the sem Package in the R System

Science.gov (United States)

Evermann, Joerg

2010-01-01

Multiple-group analysis in covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) is an important technique to ensure the invariance of latent construct measurements and the validity of theoretical models across different subpopulations. However, not all SEM software packages provide multiple-group analysis capabilities. The sem package for the R…

Confirmatory factor analysis of the neck disability index in a whiplash population indicates a one-factor model is viable

OpenAIRE

Gabel, Charles P.; Cuesta-Vargas, Antonio I.; Barr, Sebastian; Winkeljohn Black, Stephanie; Osborne, Jason W.; Melloh, Markus

2016-01-01

Purpose The neck disability index (NDI) as a 10-item patient reported outcome (PRO) measure is the most commonly used whiplash associated disorders (WAD) assessment tool. However, statistical rigor and factor structure are not definitive. To date, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) has not examined whether the factor structure generalizes across different groups (e.g., WAD versus non-WAD). This study aimed to determine the psychometric properties of the NDI in these population groups.

Multiple groups confirmatory factor analysis of the motivational influencing individuals’ decisions about participating in intramural sports

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Rickel

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Intramural programs provide competition and recreation during the academic year for the diverse college populations of faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students and their spouses/partners who do not participate in other organized sports on campus. Sport psychologists, physical activity leaders, and others have shown an increased interest in the psychological factors that motivate college students to consume sport and physical activity (Rickel, Stoll, &Beller, 2005, 2006; Harkema, Dieser, Lankford, & Scholl, 2006; Yue-de, Wen-hao, & Ying-chun, 2009. Little research has been done with regard to the motivational factors affecting individuals’ decisions about participating specifically in intramural sports such as flag football, basketball, and soccer, etc. The purpose of this study was to independently test the measurement model of the Participant Motivations Questionnaire (PMQ assumed to underlie the motivational factors of the intramural sport participation by male and female college students. In addition, this study also examined whether or not PMQ was valid for the intramural sport participants in a northwestern university of the USA. Based on the results of the CFA, the one-factor model does fit both male and female college students. However, the factor loadings are not equivalent across the two groups. In summary, it is noted that the regenerated 24-item PMQ for the intramural sport participants is unequally valid for the current subjects of male and female college students.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Bases of Leader Power: First-Order Factor Model and Its Invariance Across Groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahim, M A; Magner, N R

1996-10-01

Confirmatory factor analyses of data (from five samples: N = 308 accountants and finance professionals, N = 578 management and non-management employees, and N = 588 employed management students in the U.S.; N = 728 management and non-management employees in S. Korea, N = 250 management and non-management bank employees in Bangladesh) on the 29 items of the Rahim Leader Power Inventory were performed with LISREL 7. The results provided support for the convergent and discriminant validities of the subscales measuring the five bases of leader power (coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, and referent), and the invariance of factor pattern and factor loadings across organizational levels and the three American samples. Additional analysis indicated that leader power profiles differed across the three national cultures represented in the study.

Beyond Group: Multiple Person Tracking via Minimal Topology-Energy-Variation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Shan; Ye, Qixiang; Xing, Junliang; Kuijper, Arjan; Han, Zhenjun; Jiao, Jianbin; Ji, Xiangyang

2017-12-01

Tracking multiple persons is a challenging task when persons move in groups and occlude each other. Existing group-based methods have extensively investigated how to make group division more accurately in a tracking-by-detection framework; however, few of them quantify the group dynamics from the perspective of targets' spatial topology or consider the group in a dynamic view. Inspired by the sociological properties of pedestrians, we propose a novel socio-topology model with a topology-energy function to factor the group dynamics of moving persons and groups. In this model, minimizing the topology-energy-variance in a two-level energy form is expected to produce smooth topology transitions, stable group tracking, and accurate target association. To search for the strong minimum in energy variation, we design the discrete group-tracklet jump moves embedded in the gradient descent method, which ensures that the moves reduce the energy variation of group and trajectory alternately in the varying topology dimension. Experimental results on both RGB and RGB-D data sets show the superiority of our proposed model for multiple person tracking in crowd scenes.

Experiences of patients with multiple sclerosis from group counseling

OpenAIRE

Mazaheri, Mina; Fanian, Nasrin; Zargham-Boroujeni, Ali

2011-01-01

BACKGROUND: Group counseling is one of the most important methods in somatic and psychological rehabilitation of the multiple sclerosis (M.S.) patients. Knowing these patients? experiences, feelings, believes and emotion based on learning in group is necessary to indicate the importance of group discussion on quality of life of the patients. This study was done to achieve experiences of M.S. patients from group training. METHODS: This was a qualitative study using phenomenological method. The...

Self-regulation and selective exposure: the impact of depleted self-regulation resources on confirmatory information processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Peter; Greitemeyer, Tobias; Frey, Dieter

2008-03-01

In the present research, the authors investigated the impact of self-regulation resources on confirmatory information processing, that is, the tendency of individuals to systematically prefer standpoint-consistent information to standpoint-inconsistent information in information evaluation and search. In 4 studies with political and economic decision-making scenarios, it was consistently found that individuals with depleted self-regulation resources exhibited a stronger tendency for confirmatory information processing than did individuals with nondepleted self-regulation resources. Alternative explanations based on processes of ego threat, cognitive load, and mood were ruled out. Mediational analyses suggested that individuals with depleted self-regulation resources experienced increased levels of commitment to their own standpoint, which resulted in increased confirmatory information processing. In sum, the impact of ego depletion on confirmatory information search seems to be more motivational than cognitive in nature.

The value of confirmatory testing in early infant HIV diagnosis programmes in South Africa: A cost-effectiveness analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunning, Lorna; Francke, Jordan A; Mallampati, Divya; MacLean, Rachel L; Penazzato, Martina; Hou, Taige; Myer, Landon; Abrams, Elaine J; Walensky, Rochelle P; Leroy, Valériane; Freedberg, Kenneth A; Ciaranello, Andrea

2017-11-01

The specificity of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) used for early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV infection is model, we simulated EID testing at age 6 weeks for HIV-exposed infants without and with confirmatory testing. We assumed a NAAT cost of US$25, NAAT specificity of 99.6%, NAAT sensitivity of 100% for infants infected in pregnancy or at least 4 weeks prior to testing, and a mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) rate at 12 months of 4.9%; we simulated guideline-concordant rates of testing uptake, result return, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation (100%). After diagnosis, infants were linked to and retained in care for 10 years (false-positive) or lifelong (true-positive). All parameters were varied widely in sensitivity analyses. Outcomes included number of infants with false-positive diagnoses linked to ART per 1,000 ART initiations, life expectancy (LE, in years) and per-person lifetime HIV-related healthcare costs. Both without and with confirmatory testing, LE was 26.2 years for HIV-infected infants and 61.4 years for all HIV-exposed infants; clinical outcomes for truly infected infants did not differ by strategy. Without confirmatory testing, 128/1,000 ART initiations were false-positive diagnoses; with confirmatory testing, 1/1,000 ART initiations were false-positive diagnoses. Because confirmatory testing averted costly HIV care and ART in truly HIV-uninfected infants, it was cost-saving: total cost US$1,790/infant tested, compared to US$1,830/infant tested without confirmatory testing. Confirmatory testing remained cost-saving unless NAAT cost exceeded US$400 or the HIV-uninfected status of infants incorrectly identified as infected was ascertained and ART stopped within 3 months of starting. Limitations include uncertainty in the data used in the model, which we examined with sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. We also excluded clinical harms to HIV-uninfected infants incorrectly treated with ART after false-positive diagnosis (e

Measuring group climate in prison

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Peer van der Helm PhD; P.H. van der Laan; G.J.J.M. Stams

2011-01-01

The present study examines the construct validity and reliability of the Prison Group Climate Instrument (PGCI) in a sample of 77 adolescents placed in a Dutch youth prison and 49 adult prisoners living in a Dutch psychiatric prison with a therapeutic living group structure. Confirmatory factor

Multiplicity: discussion points from the Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry multiplicity expert group.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Alan; Fletcher, Chrissie; Atkinson, Gary; Channon, Eddie; Douiri, Abdel; Jaki, Thomas; Maca, Jeff; Morgan, David; Roger, James Henry; Terrill, Paul

2013-01-01

In May 2012, the Committee of Health and Medicinal Products issued a concept paper on the need to review the points to consider document on multiplicity issues in clinical trials. In preparation for the release of the updated guidance document, Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry held a one-day expert group meeting in January 2013. Topics debated included multiplicity and the drug development process, the usefulness and limitations of newly developed strategies to deal with multiplicity, multiplicity issues arising from interim decisions and multiregional development, and the need for simultaneous confidence intervals (CIs) corresponding to multiple test procedures. A clear message from the meeting was that multiplicity adjustments need to be considered when the intention is to make a formal statement about efficacy or safety based on hypothesis tests. Statisticians have a key role when designing studies to assess what adjustment really means in the context of the research being conducted. More thought during the planning phase needs to be given to multiplicity adjustments for secondary endpoints given these are increasing in importance in differentiating products in the market place. No consensus was reached on the role of simultaneous CIs in the context of superiority trials. It was argued that unadjusted intervals should be employed as the primary purpose of the intervals is estimation, while the purpose of hypothesis testing is to formally establish an effect. The opposing view was that CIs should correspond to the test decision whenever possible. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Experiences of patients with multiple sclerosis from group counseling.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazaheri, Mina; Fanian, Nasrin; Zargham-Boroujeni, Ali

2011-01-01

Group counseling is one of the most important methods in somatic and psychological rehabilitation of the multiple sclerosis (M.S.) patients. Knowing these patients' experiences, feelings, believes and emotion based on learning in group is necessary to indicate the importance of group discussion on quality of life of the patients. This study was done to achieve experiences of M.S. patients from group training. This was a qualitative study using phenomenological method. The samples were selected using purposeful sampling. Ten patients from M.S. society who had passed group training were included in the study. The group training was done through seven sessions weekly and voluntarily. The participants were interviewed using in-depth interview. The average time of each interview was between 30-50 minutes which has been recorded digitally and moved to a compact disc to transcribe and analysis. The data analyzed using 7-step Colaizzi method. The data were transformed into 158 codes, 12 sub-concepts and 4 main concepts including emotional consequences, communication, quality of life and needs. M.S can lead to multiple problems in patients such as somatic, behavioral, emotional and social disorders. Group psychotherapy is one of the methods which can decrease these problems and improve rehabilitation of the patients. Group discussion helps patients to overcome adverse feelings, behaviors and thoughts and guides them to move in a meaningful life. It also can improve quality of life and mental health of the patients.

Exploring change in a group-based psychological intervention for multiple sclerosis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Borghi, Martina; Bonino, Silvia; Graziano, Federica; Calandri, Emanuela

2018-07-01

The study is focused on a group-based cognitive behavioral intervention aimed at promoting the quality of life and psychological well-being of multiple sclerosis patients. The study investigates how the group intervention promoted change among participants and fostered their adjustment to the illness. The intervention involved six groups of patients (a total of 41 patients) and included four consecutive sessions and a 6-month follow-up. To explore change, verbatim transcripts of the intervention sessions were analyzed using a mixed-methods content analysis with qualitative data combined with descriptive statistics. The categories of resistance and openness to change were used to describe the process of change. Resistance and openness to change coexisted during the intervention. Only in the first session did resistance prevail over openness to change; thereafter, openness to change gradually increased and stabilized over time, and openness to change was then always stronger than resistance. The study builds on previous research on the effectiveness of group-based psychological interventions for multiple sclerosis patients and gives methodological and clinical suggestions to health care professionals working with multiple sclerosis patients. Implications for rehabilitation The study suggests that a group-based cognitive behavioral intervention for multiple sclerosis patients focused on the promotion of identity redefinition, a sense of coherence and self-efficacy in dealing with multiple sclerosis fosters the process of change and may be effective in promoting patients' adjustment to their illness. Health care professionals leading group-based psychological interventions for multiple sclerosis patients should be aware that resistance and openness to change coexist in the process of change. The study suggests that the duration of the intervention is a crucial factor: a minimum of three sessions appears to be necessary for group participants to develop greater openness

Selective exposure to information: how different modes of decision making affect subsequent confirmatory information processing.

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Fischer, Peter; Fischer, Julia; Weisweiler, Silke; Frey, Dieter

2010-12-01

We investigated whether different modes of decision making (deliberate, intuitive, distracted) affect subsequent confirmatory processing of decision-consistent and inconsistent information. Participants showed higher levels of confirmatory information processing when they made a deliberate or an intuitive decision versus a decision under distraction (Studies 1 and 2). As soon as participants have a cognitive (i.e., deliberate cognitive analysis) or affective (i.e., intuitive and gut feeling) reason for their decision, the subjective confidence in the validity of their decision increases, which results in increased levels of confirmatory information processing (Study 2). In contrast, when participants are distracted during decision making, they are less certain about the validity of their decision and thus are subsequently more balanced in the processing of decision-relevant information.

Structural invariance of multiple intelligences, based on the level of execution.

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Almeida, Leandro S; Prieto, María Dolores; Ferreira, Arístides; Ferrando, Mercedes; Ferrandiz, Carmen; Bermejo, Rosario; Hernández, Daniel

2011-11-01

The independence of multiple intelligences (MI) of Gardner's theory has been debated since its conception. This article examines whether the one- factor structure of the MI theory tested in previous studies is invariant for low and high ability students. Two hundred ninety-four children (aged 5 to 7) participated in this study. A set of Gardner's Multiple Intelligence assessment tasks based on the Spectrum Project was used. To analyze the invariance of a general dimension of intelligence, the different models of behaviours were studied in samples of participants with different performance on the Spectrum Project tasks with Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA). Results suggest an absence of structural invariance in Gardner's tasks. Exploratory analyses suggest a three-factor structure for individuals with higher performance levels and a two-factor structure for individuals with lower performance levels.

Confirmatory factor analysis using Microsoft Excel.

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Miles, Jeremy N V

2005-11-01

This article presents a method for using Microsoft (MS) Excel for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). CFA is often seen as an impenetrable technique, and thus, when it is taught, there is frequently little explanation of the mechanisms or underlying calculations. The aim of this article is to demonstrate that this is not the case; it is relatively straightforward to produce a spreadsheet in MS Excel that can carry out simple CFA. It is possible, with few or no programming skills, to effectively program a CFA analysis and, thus, to gain insight into the workings of the procedure.

The value of confirmatory testing in early infant HIV diagnosis programmes in South Africa: A cost-effectiveness analysis.

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Lorna Dunning

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The specificity of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs used for early infant diagnosis (EID of HIV infection is <100%, leading some HIV-uninfected infants to be incorrectly identified as HIV-infected. The World Health Organization recommends that infants undergo a second NAAT to confirm any positive test result, but implementation is limited. Our objective was to determine the impact and cost-effectiveness of confirmatory HIV testing for EID programmes in South Africa.Using the Cost-effectiveness of Preventing AIDS Complications (CEPAC-Pediatric model, we simulated EID testing at age 6 weeks for HIV-exposed infants without and with confirmatory testing. We assumed a NAAT cost of US$25, NAAT specificity of 99.6%, NAAT sensitivity of 100% for infants infected in pregnancy or at least 4 weeks prior to testing, and a mother-to-child transmission (MTCT rate at 12 months of 4.9%; we simulated guideline-concordant rates of testing uptake, result return, and antiretroviral therapy (ART initiation (100%. After diagnosis, infants were linked to and retained in care for 10 years (false-positive or lifelong (true-positive. All parameters were varied widely in sensitivity analyses. Outcomes included number of infants with false-positive diagnoses linked to ART per 1,000 ART initiations, life expectancy (LE, in years and per-person lifetime HIV-related healthcare costs. Both without and with confirmatory testing, LE was 26.2 years for HIV-infected infants and 61.4 years for all HIV-exposed infants; clinical outcomes for truly infected infants did not differ by strategy. Without confirmatory testing, 128/1,000 ART initiations were false-positive diagnoses; with confirmatory testing, 1/1,000 ART initiations were false-positive diagnoses. Because confirmatory testing averted costly HIV care and ART in truly HIV-uninfected infants, it was cost-saving: total cost US$1,790/infant tested, compared to US$1,830/infant tested without confirmatory testing

Dangers of "confirmatory" cancer trials that fail to actually test the original hypothesis.

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Markman, Maurie

2014-04-01

The concept of "confirmatory" studies is a standard and important component of the overall clinical trials strategy in oncology. However, it is critical that such studies are similar enough in basic design and how they are conducted that they actually have the realistic potential to confirm, or refute, objectively the findings of the original study. In this commentary, two examples of clinical studies in the gynecologic oncology arena suggested by some to serve as "confirmatory" trials for the original reports demonstrate both the dangers and potential inappropriateness of such conclusions.

75 FR 77675 - AREVA NP, Inc.; Confirmatory Order (Effective Immediately)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-13

... cause. VI Any person adversely affected by this Confirmatory Order, other than AREVA, may request a..., appropriate notification of regulatory authorities, safety culture and safety conscious work environment...., outside the global AREVA organization), safety culture assessment in accordance with an accepted nuclear...

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Reilly's Role Overload Scale

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Thiagarajan, Palaniappan; Chakrabarty, Subhra; Taylor, Ronald D.

2006-01-01

In 1982, Reilly developed a 13-item scale to measure role overload. This scale has been widely used, but most studies did not assess the unidimensionality of the scale. Given the significance of unidimensionality in scale development, the current study reports a confirmatory factor analysis of the 13-item scale in two samples. Based on the…

Competing failure analysis in phased-mission systems with multiple functional dependence groups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Chaonan; Xing, Liudong; Peng, Rui; Pan, Zhusheng

2017-01-01

A phased-mission system (PMS) involves multiple, consecutive, non-overlapping phases of operation. The system structure function and component failure behavior in a PMS can change from phase to phase, posing big challenges to the system reliability analysis. Further complicating the problem is the functional dependence (FDEP) behavior where the failure of certain component(s) causes other component(s) to become unusable or inaccessible or isolated. Previous studies have shown that FDEP can cause competitions between failure propagation and failure isolation in the time domain. While such competing failure effects have been well addressed in single-phase systems, only little work has focused on PMSs with a restrictive assumption that a single FDEP group exists in one phase of the mission. Many practical systems (e.g., computer systems and networks), however may involve multiple FDEP groups during the mission. Moreover, different FDEP groups can be dependent due to sharing some common components; they may appear in a single phase or multiple phases. This paper makes new contributions by modeling and analyzing reliability of PMSs subject to multiple FDEP groups through a Markov chain-based methodology. Propagated failures with both global and selective effects are considered. Four case studies are presented to demonstrate application of the proposed method. - Highlights: • Reliability of phased-mission systems subject to competing failure propagation and isolation effects is modeled. • Multiple independent or dependent functional dependence groups are considered. • Propagated failures with global effects and selective effects are studied. • Four case studies demonstrate generality and application of the proposed Markov-based method.

Renormalization group equations with multiple coupling constants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghika, G.; Visinescu, M.

1975-01-01

The main purpose of this paper is to study the renormalization group equations of a renormalizable field theory with multiple coupling constants. A method for the investigation of the asymptotic stability is presented. This method is applied to a gauge theory with Yukawa and self-quartic couplings of scalar mesons in order to find the domains of asymptotic freedom. An asymptotic expansion for the solutions which tend to the origin of the coupling constants is given

A multi-group confirmatory factor analyses of the LupusPRO between southern California and Filipino samples of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Science.gov (United States)

Azizoddin, D R; Olmstead, R; Cost, C; Jolly, M; Ayeroff, J; Racaza, G; Sumner, L A; Ormseth, S; Weisman, M; Nicassio, P M

2017-08-01

Introduction Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) leads to a range of biopsychosocial health outcomes through an unpredictable and complex disease path. The LupusPRO is a comprehensive, self-report measure developed specifically for populations with SLE, which assesses both health-related quality of life and non-health related quality of life. Given its increasingly widespread use, additional research is needed to evaluate the psychometric integrity of the LupusPRO across diverse populations. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance of the LupusPRO in two divergent patient samples and the model fit between both samples. Methods Two diverse samples with SLE included 136 patients from an ethnically-diverse, urban region in southern California and 100 from an ethnically-homogenous, rural region in Manila, Philippines. All patients met the ACR classification criteria for SLE. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFAs) were conducted in each sample separately and combined to provide evidence of the factorial integrity of the 12 subscales in the LupusPRO. Results Demographic analyses indicated significant differences in age, disease activity and duration, education, income, insurance, and medication use between groups. Results of the separate CFAs indicated moderate fit to the data for the hypothesized 12-factor model for both the Manila and southern California groups, respectively [χ 2 (794) = 1283.32, p < 0.001, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.793; χ 2 (794) =1398.44, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.858]. When the factor structures of the LupusPRO in the southern California and Manila groups were constrained to be equal between the two groups, findings revealed that the factor structures of measured variables fit the two groups reasonably well [χ 2  (1697) = 2950.413, df = 1697, p < 0.000; CFI = 0.811]. After removing seven constraints and eight correlations suggested by the Lagrange multiplier test, the model fit improved

Group Therapy Goals: A Comparison of Group Therapy Providers and Male Inmates

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Morgan, Robert D.; Garland, J. Travis; Rozycki, Alicia T.; Reich, Darcy A.; Wilson, Scott

2005-01-01

This study was designed to identify important process and content goals from the perspective of inmates and compare these goals to the goals identified by group therapists in a previous study conducted by Winterowd, Morgan, and Ferrell (2001). Utilizing survey data from 156 incarcerated adult males, an initial confirmatory factor analysis…

Bridges or Barriers? Conceptualization of the Role of Multiple Identity Gateway Groups in Intergroup Relations

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Aharon Levy

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The modern era of globalization has been accompanied by a massive growth in interconnections between groups, and has led to the sharing of multiple identities by individuals and groups. Following these developments, research has focused on the issue of multiple identities, and has shed important light on how individuals who hold these complex forms of identity feel and behave, and on the reactions they elicit from members of other groups. However, the potential of groups with such multiple identities (e.g., biracials, immigrants, etc. to affect the intergroup relations between the groups that represent the respective sources of the different identities (e.g., Blacks and Whites, country of origin and country of residence, etc. has not been examined to date. Accordingly, in this paper, we first systematically explore the potential of groups in which people identify with multiple social categories, or groups that are perceived as such by others, to play a role in intergroup dynamics. Next, we offer a theoretical framework outlining what functions groups of people with shared multiple identities may serve (as bridges or barriers by proposing how their presence may facilitate or deteriorate intergroup relations. Finally, we present recent empirical research examining how groups of people with shared multiple identities can act as gateways and bridge the cleft between two separate groups that represent the respective sources of their different identities, and discuss the theoretical and practical implications for the field of intergroup relations.

40 CFR 86.1847-01 - Manufacturer in-use verification and in-use confirmatory testing; submittal of information and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... laboratory equipment calibrations and verifications as prescribed by subpart B of this part or by good... in-use confirmatory testing; submittal of information and maintenance of records. 86.1847-01 Section... confirmatory testing; submittal of information and maintenance of records. (a) The manufacturer who conducts or...

Group-Sequential Strategies in Clinical Trials with Multiple Co-Primary Outcomes

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Hamasaki, Toshimitsu; Asakura, Koko; Evans, Scott R; Sugimoto, Tomoyuki; Sozu, Takashi

2015-01-01

We discuss the decision-making frameworks for clinical trials with multiple co-primary endpoints in a group-sequential setting. The decision-making frameworks can account for flexibilities such as a varying number of analyses, equally or unequally spaced increments of information and fixed or adaptive Type I error allocation among endpoints. The frameworks can provide efficiency, i.e., potentially fewer trial participants, than the fixed sample size designs. We investigate the operating characteristics of the decision-making frameworks and provide guidance on constructing efficient group-sequential strategies in clinical trials with multiple co-primary endpoints. PMID:25844122

Covariance among multiple health risk behaviors in adolescents.

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Kayla de la Haye

Full Text Available In a diverse group of early adolescents, this study explores the co-occurrence of a broad range of health risk behaviors: alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use; physical inactivity; sedentary computing/gaming; and the consumption of low-nutrient energy-dense food. We tested differences in the associations of unhealthy behaviors over time, and by gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.Participants were 8360 students from 16 middle schools in California (50% female; 52% Hispanic, 17% Asian, 16% White, and 15% Black/multiethnic/other. Behaviors were measured with surveys in Spring 2010 and Spring 2011. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess if an underlying factor accounted for the covariance of multiple behaviors, and composite reliability methods were used to determine the degree to which behaviors were related.The measured behaviors were explained by two moderately correlated factors: a 'substance use risk factor' and an 'unhealthy eating and sedentary factor'. Physical inactivity did not reflect the latent factors as expected. There were few differences in the associations among these behaviors over time or by demographic characteristics.Two distinct, yet related groups of health compromising behaviors were identified that could be jointly targeted in multiple health behavior change interventions among early adolescents of diverse backgrounds.

Threat and Selective Exposure: The Moderating Role of Threat and Decision Context on Confirmatory Information Search after Decisions

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Fischer, Peter; Kastenmuller, Andreas; Greitemeyer, Tobias; Fischer, Julia; Frey, Dieter; Crelley, David

2011-01-01

Previous studies on the impact of perceived threat on confirmatory information search (selective exposure) in the context of decision making have yielded mixed results. Some studies have suggested that confirmatory information search is reduced, yet others have found contradictory effects. The present series of 5 studies consistently found that…

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Model of Servant Leader of School Director Under the Office of the Vocational Education Commission in Thailand

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Boonchan Sisan

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This research aims to develop and examine the Goodness-of-Fit Index of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA in servant leader of school director under the Office of the Vocational Education Commission (OVEC. The result is based on the empirical data. The sample group consisted of 247 school directors under the OVEC. The samples were taken using Multi - Stage Sampling randomized technique. Research instrument was questionnaire which had 0.80 - 1.00 for item objective congruence, discriminative power with 0.46 - .80 , and reliability of .95. The data analysed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA. The study shows the servant leader of school director under the OVEC consists of six factors: Appreciating of Others, Developing Others, Developing Community, moral Expressions, Supporting Leadership, and Using Leadership Together. The results of examination of the Goodness-of-Fit Index of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA found the model fit indexes based on the empirical data were =280.89; df=252; P-value=0.10204; Relative =1.11; RMSEA=0.022; NFI=0.98; RMR=0.016; SRMR=0.041; GFI=0.92; AGFI=0.89; NIF=0.98; IFI=1.00; CFI=1.00; CN=252.56. The factor loadings of six factors were from 0.73 – 0.94 and factor loadings of indicators were from -0.39 – 0.57.

Repeat confirmatory testing for persons with discordant whole blood and oral fluid rapid HIV test results: findings from post marketing surveillance.

Science.gov (United States)

Wesolowski, Laura G; Mackellar, Duncan A; Ethridge, Steven F; Zhu, Julia H; Owen, S Michele; Sullivan, Patrick S

2008-02-06

Reactive oral fluid and whole blood rapid HIV tests must be followed with a confirmatory test (Western blot (WB), immunofluorescent assay (IFA) or approved nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT)). When the confirmatory result is negative or indeterminate (i.e. discordant with rapid result), repeat confirmatory testing should be conducted using a follow-up specimen. Previous reports have not described whether repeat testing adequately resolves the HIV-infection status of persons with discordant results. Post-marketing surveillance was conducted in 368 testing sites affiliated with 14 state and 2 city health departments from August 11, 2004 to June 30, 2005 and one health department through December 31, 2005. For persons with discordant results, data were collected on demographics, risk behaviors, HIV test results and specimen types. Persons with repeat confirmatory results were classified as HIV-infected or uninfected. Regression models were created to assess risk factors for not having repeat testing. Of 167,371 rapid tests conducted, 2589 (1.6%) were reactive: of these, 2417 (93%) had positive WB/IFA, 172 (7%) had negative or indeterminate WB/IFA. Of 89/172 (52%) persons with a repeat confirmatory test: 17 (19%) were HIV-infected, including 3 with indeterminate WB and positive NAAT; 72 (81%) were uninfected, including 12 with repeat indeterminate WB. Factors associated with HIV-infection included having an initial indeterminate WB/IFA (vs. negative) (ptest [adjusted OR 2.6, 95% CI (1.3, 4.9)]. Though only half of persons with discordant results had repeat confirmatory testing, of those who did, nearly one in five were HIV-infected. These findings underscore the need for rapid HIV testing programs to increase repeat confirmatory testing for persons with discordant results. Because of the lower sensitivity of oral fluid WBs, confirmatory testing following a reactive rapid test should be conducted using serum or plasma, when possible.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Delirium Rating Scale Revised-98 (DRS-R98).

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Thurber, Steven; Kishi, Yasuhiro; Trzepacz, Paula T; Franco, Jose G; Meagher, David J; Lee, Yanghyun; Kim, Jeong-Lan; Furlanetto, Leticia M; Negreiros, Daniel; Huang, Ming-Chyi; Chen, Chun-Hsin; Kean, Jacob; Leonard, Maeve

2015-01-01

Principal components analysis applied to the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 contributes to understanding the delirium construct. Using a multisite pooled international delirium database, the authors applied confirmatory factor analysis to Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 scores from 859 adult patients evaluated by delirium experts (delirium, N=516; nondelirium, N=343). Confirmatory factor analysis found all diagnostic features and core symptoms (cognitive, language, thought process, sleep-wake cycle, motor retardation), except motor agitation, loaded onto factor 1. Motor agitation loaded onto factor 2 with noncore symptoms (delusions, affective lability, and perceptual disturbances). Factor 1 loading supports delirium as a single construct, but when accompanied by psychosis, motor agitation's role may not be solely as a circadian activity indicator.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Sport Emotion Questionnaire in organisational environments.

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Arnold, Rachel; Fletcher, David

2015-01-01

The Sport Emotion Questionnaire (SEQ) (Jones, M. V., Lane, A. M., Bray, S. R., Uphill, M., & Catlin, J. (2005). Development and validation of the SEQ. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 27, 407-431) was developed and initially validated to assess sport performers' pre-competitive emotions. The purpose of this study was to test the factor structure of the SEQ in a different environment (viz. organisational) and at a different time point (viz. the past month). A further aim was to examine if the SEQ was invariant across different groups of sport performers. A diverse sample of athletes (n = 1277) completed the questionnaire. Fit indices from confirmatory factor analyses provided partial support for the hypothesised measurement model, with equal or better fit demonstrated than evident in initial validation. The comparative fit index values were above acceptable guidelines for all factors at subscale level. Evidence was also found for the invariance of the SEQ across different groups. Overall, the findings support the reliability and validity of the SEQ as a measure of the emotions experienced by sport performers in an organisational environment during the past month.

A Semiparametric Bayesian Approach for Analyzing Longitudinal Data from Multiple Related Groups.

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Das, Kiranmoy; Afriyie, Prince; Spirko, Lauren

2015-11-01

Often the biological and/or clinical experiments result in longitudinal data from multiple related groups. The analysis of such data is quite challenging due to the fact that groups might have shared information on the mean and/or covariance functions. In this article, we consider a Bayesian semiparametric approach of modeling the mean trajectories for longitudinal response coming from multiple related groups. We consider matrix stick-breaking process priors on the group mean parameters which allows information sharing on the mean trajectories across the groups. Simulation studies are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach compared to the more traditional approaches. We analyze data from a one-year follow-up of nutrition education for hypercholesterolemic children with three different treatments where the children are from different age-groups. Our analysis provides more clinically useful information than the previous analysis of the same dataset. The proposed approach will be a very powerful tool for analyzing data from clinical trials and other medical experiments.

Impact of a confirmatory RhD test on the correct serologic typing of blood donors

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Luciana Cayres Schmidt

2015-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The RHD gene is highly polymorphic, which results in a large number of RhD variant phenotypes. Discrepancies in RhD typing are still a problem in blood banks and increase the risk of alloimmunization. In this study, the RhD typing strategy at a blood bank in Brazil was evaluated.METHODS: One-hundred and fifty-two samples typed as RhD negative and C or E positive by routine tests (automated system and indirect antiglobulin test using the tube technique were reevaluated for RhD status by three methods. The method with the best performance was implemented and evaluated for a period of one year (n = 4897 samples. Samples that were D positive exclusively in the confirmatory test were submitted to molecular analysis.RESULTS: The gel test for indirect antiglobulin testing with anti-D immunoglobulin G (clone ESD1 presented the best results. Seventy samples (1.43% previously typed as RhD negative showed reactivity in the gel test for indirect antiglobulin testing and were reclassified as D positive. D variants that may cause alloimmunization, such as weak D type 2 and partial DVI, were detected.CONCLUSION: The confirmatory RhD test using the gel test for indirect antiglobulin testing represents a breakthrough in transfusion safety in this blood center. Our results emphasize the importance of assessing the blood group typing strategy in blood banks.

Development Instruments Through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA in Appropriate Intensity Assessment

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Ari Saptono

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The research aims to develop the valid and reliable measurement instruments of entrepreneurship intention in vocational secondary school students. Multi stage random sampling was used as the technique to determine sample (300 respondents. The research method used research and development with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA. Result of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA at the second order with robust maximum likelihood method shows that valid and reliable instrument with the acquisition value of loading factor is more than 0.5 (> 0,5 and a significance value of t is more than 1,96 (> 1,96. Reliability test results shows that the value of the combined construct reliability (CR of 0.97and a variance value extract (VE to 0.52 is greater than the limit of acceptance CR ≥ 0.70 and VE ≥ 0.50. The conclusion of the measurement instruments of entrepreneurship intention with three dimensions and 31 items met the standards of validity and reliability in accordance with the instrument development process.

Hesitant Probabilistic Multiplicative Preference Relations in Group Decision Making

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Zia Bashir

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The preference of one alternative over another is a useful way to express the opinion of the decision-maker. In the process of group decision-making, preference relations are used in preference modeling of the alternatives under given criteria. The probability is an important tool to deal with uncertainty and, in many scenarios of decision-making problems, the probabilities of different events affect the decision-making process directly. In order to deal with this issue, the hesitant probabilistic multiplicative preference relation (HPMPR is defined in this paper. Furthermore, consistency of the HPMPR and consensus among decision makers are studied here. In this respect, many algorithms are developed to achieve consistency of HPMPRs, reasonable consensus between decision-makers and a final algorithm is proposed comprehending all other algorithms, presenting a complete decision support model for group decision-making. Lastly, we present a case study with complete illustration of the proposed model and discuss the effects of probabilities on decision-making validating the importance of the introduction of probability in hesitant multiplicative preference relations.

Promotion of Self-Transcendence in a Multiple Sclerosis Peer Support Groups

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Tahereh Ashktorab

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Self-transcendence can organize the challenges of multiple sclerosis patients to achieve and maintain a constant state of well-being and sense of integrity in the disease process. As a research based on self-transcendence didn't done in Iran, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of peer groups on promoting selftranscendence level in multiple sclerosis (MS patients. Materials and Methods: This study is a before and after quasi-experimental study that was conducted on 33 patients with confirmed MS participated in three peer support groups: 10 men in male group, 11 women in female group and 12 men and women in mixed group. Eight weekly sessions and each session was 2 hours were held. Data collection tool was Self-Transcendence Scale (STS with 15 item and Cronbach's coefficient was 0.68 that after modifying, it increased to 0.81. Patients completed self administered questionnaires pre- and post of sessions. Results: Results showed that peer support groups promote the self-transcendence (p=0.001 with increases in mean self-transcendence scores in all 3 groups (men group: 0.008, women group 0.005 and mixed group: 0.003. Comparing scores before and after intervention demonstrated that self-transcendence increased equally in all groups. Conclusion: The results showed an improving in self-transcendence in peer support group participants at the end of the intervention. The results can be used in areas of nursing education and management. It is proposed that the self-transcendence assessment to be done in other chronic disease in order to evaluate its efficiency.

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of Delirium Symptoms in a Sample of Nursing Home Residents.

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Moyo, Patience; Huang, Ting-Ying; Simoni-Wastila, Linda; Harrington, Donna

2018-02-01

This study examined the latent constructs of delirium symptoms among nursing home (NH) residents in the United States. Cross-sectional NH assessment data (Minimum Data Set 2.0) from the 2009 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey were used. Data from two independent, randomly selected subsamples of residents ≥65 years were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). There were 367 and 366 individuals in the EFA and CFA, respectively. Assessment of multiple model fit statistics in CFA indicated that the two-factor structure provided better fit for the data than a one-factor solution. The two factors represented cognitive and behavioral latent constructs as suggested by the related literature. A correlation of .72 between these constructs suggested moderate discriminant validity. This finding emphasizes the importance of health care providers to be attentive to both cognitive and behavioral symptoms when diagnosing, treating, and managing delirium.

Regulatory issues with multiplicity in drug approval: Principles and controversies in a changing landscape.

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Benda, Norbert; Brandt, Andreas

2018-01-01

Recently, new draft guidelines on multiplicity issues in clinical trials have been issued by European Medicine Agency (EMA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), respectively. Multiplicity is an issue in clinical trials, if the probability of a false-positive decision is increased by insufficiently accounting for testing multiple hypotheses. We outline the regulatory principles related to multiplicity issues in confirmatory clinical trials intended to support a marketing authorization application in the EU, describe the reasons for an increasing complexity regarding multiple hypotheses testing and discuss the specific multiplicity issues emerging within the regulatory context and being relevant for drug approval.

49 CFR 192.931 - How may Confirmatory Direct Assessment (CDA) be used?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...) PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) PIPELINE SAFETY TRANSPORTATION OF NATURAL AND OTHER GAS BY PIPELINE: MINIMUM FEDERAL SAFETY STANDARDS Gas Transmission Pipeline Integrity Management § 192.931 How may Confirmatory Direct Assessment (CDA) be used? An...

A versatile method for confirmatory evaluation of the effects of a covariate in multiple models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pipper, Christian Bressen; Ritz, Christian; Bisgaard, Hans

2012-01-01

to provide a fine-tuned control of the overall type I error in a wide range of epidemiological experiments where in reality no other useful alternative exists. The methodology proposed is applied to a multiple-end-point study of the effect of neonatal bacterial colonization on development of childhood asthma.......Modern epidemiology often requires testing of the effect of a covariate on multiple end points from the same study. However, popular state of the art methods for multiple testing require the tests to be evaluated within the framework of a single model unifying all end points. This severely limits...

Confirmatory Survey Report for the Quehanna Decommissioning Project, Karthaus, PA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

W. C. Adams

2007-01-01

The survey activities consisted of visual inspections and radiological surveys including beta and gamma surface scans and surface beta activity measurements. The objectives of the confirmatory survey were to provide independent field data reviews and to generate independent radiological data for use by the NRC in evaluating the adequacy and accuracy of the licensee's procedures and FSS data. Additionally, this review provided assurance that the licensee adequately designed the FSS and fulfilled the commitments contained in the DP. ORISE has reviewed ESL's revised DP and revised FSSP for adequacy and appropriateness taking into account commitments contained in these documents that were approved by the NRC (ESL 2006a and b). These documents contain the release criteria for the site, along with the documentation on the derivation of the release criteria. The final survey data for the survey units (SU) to be evaluated were reviewed by ORISE prior to mobilization to the site and while at the site during confirmatory survey activities. ORISE reviewed and evaluated the radiological data, in accordance with the ORISE survey plan and other referenced documents, to ensure that FSS procedures and results adequately met site DP and FSSP commitments

Confirmatory factor analysis of the female sexual function index.

Science.gov (United States)

Opperman, Emily A; Benson, Lindsay E; Milhausen, Robin R

2013-01-01

The Female Sexual Functioning Index (Rosen et al., 2000 ) was designed to assess the key dimensions of female sexual functioning using six domains: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. A full-scale score was proposed to represent women's overall sexual function. The fifth revision to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) is currently underway and includes a proposal to combine desire and arousal problems. The objective of this article was to evaluate and compare four models of the Female Sexual Functioning Index: (a) single-factor model, (b) six-factor model, (c) second-order factor model, and (4) five-factor model combining the desire and arousal subscales. Cross-sectional and observational data from 85 women were used to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis on the Female Sexual Functioning Index. Local and global goodness-of-fit measures, the chi-square test of differences, squared multiple correlations, and regression weights were used. The single-factor model fit was not acceptable. The original six-factor model was confirmed, and good model fit was found for the second-order and five-factor models. Delta chi-square tests of differences supported best fit for the six-factor model validating usage of the six domains. However, when revisions are made to the DSM-5, the Female Sexual Functioning Index can adapt to reflect these changes and remain a valid assessment tool for women's sexual functioning, as the five-factor structure was also supported.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the WISC-III with Child Psychiatric Inpatients.

Science.gov (United States)

Tupa, David J.; Wright, Margaret O'Dougherty; Fristad, Mary A.

1997-01-01

Factor models of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) for one, two, three, and four factors were tested using confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of 177 child psychiatric inpatients. The four-factor model proposed in the WISC-III manual provided the best fit to the data. (SLD)

Confirmatory Survey Results for the Reactor Building Dome Upper Structural Surfaces, Rancho Saco Nuclear Generating Station, Herald, California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wade C. Adams

2006-01-01

Results from a confirmatory survey of the upper structural surfaces of the Reactor Building Dome at the Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station (RSNGS) performed by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the NRC. Also includes results of interlaboratory comparison analyses on several archived soil samples that would be provided by RSNGS personnel. The confirmatory surveys were performed on June 7 and 8, 2006

Historical perspective on confirmatory data gathering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budge, D.R.

1982-01-01

Confirmatory earth science investigation in the nuclear power area began with the development of NRC siting standards. They arose from controversies stemming from nuclear power plant siting. The standards were intended to provide means for assessing the magnitude of a given hazard for earth scientists, and as a means to determine compliance for a regulator. They were developed for use in a quasi-legal format where technical disputes could be debated and resolved, and licensing actions brought to a conclusion satisfactory to industry, environmental groups, and professional scientists and engineers. Regulations (requirements mandated by law), regulatory guides (recommended procedures), and staff positions (statements of staff opinion) are the three basic types of NRC standards. As inherent quality of NRC's earth science standards is the recognition that an evaluation of the mutual relationships between descriptive observational data and the interpretive geologic assessment must take place; and that due to the nature of the earth science information base quantification and codification of data and conclusions are often impossible. Accordingly, siting assessment conclusions made in what is a rapidly evolving technology must frequently be reassessed and reconfirmed. In short, earth scientists and regulators dealing with the siting of nuclear facilities are working with living systems. Four major problem areas have existed in the nuclear power program. These areas deal with the development of an expanded sense of posterity, the need to more adequately scope the exact nature of a given problem, the adequacy of an existing design to envelop unforeseen concerns, and politics. These problem areas and those of the descriptive-interpretive aspects are directly transferable to waste disposal siting

Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Teacher My Class Inventory-Short Form

Science.gov (United States)

Villares, Elizabeth; Mariani, Melissa; Sink, Christopher A.; Colvin, Kimberly

2016-01-01

Researchers analyzed data from elementary teachers (N = 233) to further establish the psychometric soundness of the Teacher My Class Inventory-Short Form. Supporting previous psychometric research, confirmatory factor analyses findings supported the factorial validity of the hypothesized five-factor solution. Internal reliability estimates were…

A Markov Chain Monte Carlo Approach to Confirmatory Item Factor Analysis

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Edwards, Michael C.

2010-01-01

Item factor analysis has a rich tradition in both the structural equation modeling and item response theory frameworks. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate a novel combination of various Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimation routines to estimate parameters of a wide variety of confirmatory item factor analysis models. Further, I show…

Distributed Model Predictive Control over Multiple Groups of Vehicles in Highway Intelligent Space for Large Scale System

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Tang Xiaofeng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the three time warning distances for solving the large scale system of multiple groups of vehicles safety driving characteristics towards highway tunnel environment based on distributed model prediction control approach. Generally speaking, the system includes two parts. First, multiple vehicles are divided into multiple groups. Meanwhile, the distributed model predictive control approach is proposed to calculate the information framework of each group. Each group of optimization performance considers the local optimization and the neighboring subgroup of optimization characteristics, which could ensure the global optimization performance. Second, the three time warning distances are studied based on the basic principles used for highway intelligent space (HIS and the information framework concept is proposed according to the multiple groups of vehicles. The math model is built to avoid the chain avoidance of vehicles. The results demonstrate that the proposed highway intelligent space method could effectively ensure driving safety of multiple groups of vehicles under the environment of fog, rain, or snow.

Parallel point-multiplication architecture using combined group operations for high-speed cryptographic applications.

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Md Selim Hossain

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a novel parallel architecture for fast hardware implementation of elliptic curve point multiplication (ECPM, which is the key operation of an elliptic curve cryptography processor. The point multiplication over binary fields is synthesized on both FPGA and ASIC technology by designing fast elliptic curve group operations in Jacobian projective coordinates. A novel combined point doubling and point addition (PDPA architecture is proposed for group operations to achieve high speed and low hardware requirements for ECPM. It has been implemented over the binary field which is recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST. The proposed ECPM supports two Koblitz and random curves for the key sizes 233 and 163 bits. For group operations, a finite-field arithmetic operation, e.g. multiplication, is designed on a polynomial basis. The delay of a 233-bit point multiplication is only 3.05 and 3.56 μs, in a Xilinx Virtex-7 FPGA, for Koblitz and random curves, respectively, and 0.81 μs in an ASIC 65-nm technology, which are the fastest hardware implementation results reported in the literature to date. In addition, a 163-bit point multiplication is also implemented in FPGA and ASIC for fair comparison which takes around 0.33 and 0.46 μs, respectively. The area-time product of the proposed point multiplication is very low compared to similar designs. The performance ([Formula: see text] and Area × Time × Energy (ATE product of the proposed design are far better than the most significant studies found in the literature.

Accounting for group differences in appraisals of social inequality: differential injustice standards.

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Miron, Anca M; Warner, Ruth H; Branscombe, Nyla R

2011-06-01

We tested whether differential appraisals of inequality are a function of the injustice standards used by different groups. A confirmatory standard of injustice is defined as the amount of evidence needed to arrive at the conclusion that injustice has occurred. Consistent with a motivational shifting of standards view, we found that advantaged and disadvantaged group members set different standards of injustice when judging the magnitude of gender (Study 1) and racial (Study 2) wage inequality. In addition, because advantaged and disadvantaged group members formed - based on their differential standards - divergent appraisals of wage inequality, they experienced differential desire to restore inter-group justice. We discuss the implications of promoting low confirmatory standards for changing perceptions of social reality and for motivating justice-restorative behaviour. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Balancing multiple roles among a group of urban midlife American Indian working women.

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Napholz, L

2000-06-01

Presented are the results of a secondary analysis of group data from a study of a six-week role conflict reduction intervention among a group of urban American Indian women (n = 8). The specific aim of this researcher was to understand the process of balancing multiple roles as expressed in the participants' daily lived experiences as mothers, wives, and workers. A construction of the process of balancing multiple roles was accomplished through the use of narratives. Balancing multiple roles represented a major current attempt on the part of the participants to integrate and balance traditional and contemporary feminine strengths in a positive, culturally consistent manner. The study themes included: traditional sex role expectation conflicts, family guilt, guilt management, transitioning inner conflict and stress, breaking the silence-learning to say no, and healing the spirit to reclaim the self. Further support for retraditionalization of roles for this group of Indian women was maintained as an effective means of balancing roles and achieving Indian self-determination.

A CONFIRMATORY APPROACH TO MEASURING RISKS IN SUPPLY CHAINS

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Constangioara Alexandru

2014-07-01

Our proposed research methodology reveals the advantages of a confirmatory factor analysis over an exploratory principal component analysis in the context of risks management in supply chains. Moreover, as Sodhi and Tang (2012 reveals, more than half of papers in existing SCRM literature are either conceptual or qualitative empirical (case studies. Our proposed quantitative methodology contributes to reducing the above mentioned gap, providing results that can be used for statistical inferences and for enhancing the efficiency of the managerial decisional process.

Repeat confirmatory testing for persons with discordant whole blood and oral fluid rapid HIV test results: findings from post marketing surveillance.

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Laura G Wesolowski

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Reactive oral fluid and whole blood rapid HIV tests must be followed with a confirmatory test (Western blot (WB, immunofluorescent assay (IFA or approved nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT. When the confirmatory result is negative or indeterminate (i.e. discordant with rapid result, repeat confirmatory testing should be conducted using a follow-up specimen. Previous reports have not described whether repeat testing adequately resolves the HIV-infection status of persons with discordant results. METHODOLOGY: Post-marketing surveillance was conducted in 368 testing sites affiliated with 14 state and 2 city health departments from August 11, 2004 to June 30, 2005 and one health department through December 31, 2005. For persons with discordant results, data were collected on demographics, risk behaviors, HIV test results and specimen types. Persons with repeat confirmatory results were classified as HIV-infected or uninfected. Regression models were created to assess risk factors for not having repeat testing. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Of 167,371 rapid tests conducted, 2589 (1.6% were reactive: of these, 2417 (93% had positive WB/IFA, 172 (7% had negative or indeterminate WB/IFA. Of 89/172 (52% persons with a repeat confirmatory test: 17 (19% were HIV-infected, including 3 with indeterminate WB and positive NAAT; 72 (81% were uninfected, including 12 with repeat indeterminate WB. Factors associated with HIV-infection included having an initial indeterminate WB/IFA (vs. negative (p<0.001 and having an initial oral fluid WB (vs. serum (p<0.001. Persons who had male-female sex (vs. male-male sex were at increased risk for not having a repeat test [adjusted OR 2.6, 95% CI (1.3, 4.9]. CONCLUSIONS: Though only half of persons with discordant results had repeat confirmatory testing, of those who did, nearly one in five were HIV-infected. These findings underscore the need for rapid HIV testing programs to increase repeat confirmatory testing for

Psychometric Evaluation of the Student Authorship Questionnaire: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Ballantine, Joan; Guo, Xin; Larres, Patricia

2015-01-01

This research provides new insights into the measurement of students' authorial identity and its potential for minimising the incidence of unintentional plagiarism by providing evidence about the psychometric properties of the Student Authorship Questionnaire (SAQ). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA) are employed to…

Having a Lot of a Good Thing: Multiple Important Group Memberships as a Source of Self-Esteem

Science.gov (United States)

Jetten, Jolanda; Branscombe, Nyla R.; Haslam, S. Alexander; Haslam, Catherine; Cruwys, Tegan; Jones, Janelle M.; Cui, Lijuan; Dingle, Genevieve; Liu, James; Murphy, Sean; Thai, Anh; Walter, Zoe; Zhang, Airong

2015-01-01

Membership in important social groups can promote a positive identity. We propose and test an identity resource model in which personal self-esteem is boosted by membership in additional important social groups. Belonging to multiple important group memberships predicts personal self-esteem in children (Study 1a), older adults (Study 1b), and former residents of a homeless shelter (Study 1c). Study 2 shows that the effects of multiple important group memberships on personal self-esteem are not reducible to number of interpersonal ties. Studies 3a and 3b provide longitudinal evidence that multiple important group memberships predict personal self-esteem over time. Studies 4 and 5 show that collective self-esteem mediates this effect, suggesting that membership in multiple important groups boosts personal self-esteem because people take pride in, and derive meaning from, important group memberships. Discussion focuses on when and why important group memberships act as a social resource that fuels personal self-esteem. PMID:26017554

Having a lot of a good thing: multiple important group memberships as a source of self-esteem.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jolanda Jetten

Full Text Available Membership in important social groups can promote a positive identity. We propose and test an identity resource model in which personal self-esteem is boosted by membership in additional important social groups. Belonging to multiple important group memberships predicts personal self-esteem in children (Study 1a, older adults (Study 1b, and former residents of a homeless shelter (Study 1c. Study 2 shows that the effects of multiple important group memberships on personal self-esteem are not reducible to number of interpersonal ties. Studies 3a and 3b provide longitudinal evidence that multiple important group memberships predict personal self-esteem over time. Studies 4 and 5 show that collective self-esteem mediates this effect, suggesting that membership in multiple important groups boosts personal self-esteem because people take pride in, and derive meaning from, important group memberships. Discussion focuses on when and why important group memberships act as a social resource that fuels personal self-esteem.

Multiple regression and beyond an introduction to multiple regression and structural equation modeling

CERN Document Server

Keith, Timothy Z

2014-01-01

Multiple Regression and Beyond offers a conceptually oriented introduction to multiple regression (MR) analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM), along with analyses that flow naturally from those methods. By focusing on the concepts and purposes of MR and related methods, rather than the derivation and calculation of formulae, this book introduces material to students more clearly, and in a less threatening way. In addition to illuminating content necessary for coursework, the accessibility of this approach means students are more likely to be able to conduct research using MR or SEM--and more likely to use the methods wisely. Covers both MR and SEM, while explaining their relevance to one another Also includes path analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and latent growth modeling Figures and tables throughout provide examples and illustrate key concepts and techniques For additional resources, please visit: http://tzkeith.com/.

The structure of PTSD symptoms: a test of alternative models using confirmatory factor analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Elklit, Ask; Shevlin, Mark

2007-09-01

This study aimed to examine the structure of self-reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Based on previous factor analytic findings and the DSM-IV formulation, six confirmatory factor models were specified and estimated that reflected different symptom clusters. The analyses were based on responses from 1116 participants who had suffered whiplash injuries and screened for full or subclinical PTSD using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. A correlated four-factor model with re-experiencing, avoidance, dysphoria and arousal factors fitted the data very well. Correlations with criteria measures showed that these factors were associated with other trauma related variables in a theoretically predictable way and showed evidence of unique predictive utility. These results concur with previous research findings using different trauma populations but do not reflect the current DSM-IV symptom groupings.

Automatic feature-based grouping during multiple object tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Erlikhman, Gennady; Keane, Brian P; Mettler, Everett; Horowitz, Todd S; Kellman, Philip J

2013-12-01

Contour interpolation automatically binds targets with distractors to impair multiple object tracking (Keane, Mettler, Tsoi, & Kellman, 2011). Is interpolation special in this regard or can other features produce the same effect? To address this question, we examined the influence of eight features on tracking: color, contrast polarity, orientation, size, shape, depth, interpolation, and a combination (shape, color, size). In each case, subjects tracked 4 of 8 objects that began as undifferentiated shapes, changed features as motion began (to enable grouping), and returned to their undifferentiated states before halting. We found that intertarget grouping improved performance for all feature types except orientation and interpolation (Experiment 1 and Experiment 2). Most importantly, target-distractor grouping impaired performance for color, size, shape, combination, and interpolation. The impairments were, at times, large (>15% decrement in accuracy) and occurred relative to a homogeneous condition in which all objects had the same features at each moment of a trial (Experiment 2), and relative to a "diversity" condition in which targets and distractors had different features at each moment (Experiment 3). We conclude that feature-based grouping occurs for a variety of features besides interpolation, even when irrelevant to task instructions and contrary to the task demands, suggesting that interpolation is not unique in promoting automatic grouping in tracking tasks. Our results also imply that various kinds of features are encoded automatically and in parallel during tracking.

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Smoking and Weight Eating Episodes Test (SWEET).

Science.gov (United States)

Farris, Samantha G; DiBello, Angelo M; Bloom, Erika Litvin; Abrantes, Ana M

2018-03-20

The Smoking and Weight Eating Episodes Test (SWEET; Adams et al. 2011) is a self-report measure designed to assess multiple reasons why and when smokers use cigarettes for appetite, weight, and shape management, that was initially developed and validated in young female smokers. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the factor structure and psychometric properties of the SWEET measure among both male and female daily cigarette smokers. Participants (n = 577; M age  = 44.42; SD = 13.80; 52.7% female) were daily smokers recruited through Qualtrics Online Sample for an anonymous study on smoking and health. On average, participants reported smoking for 25.7 years (SD = 14.35), smoked 17.0 cigarettes per day (SD = 8.38), and had moderate levels of tobacco dependence. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the initial factor structure found in the original SWEET measure suggesting a four-factor structure fit the data well, but not a one-factor structure. Factors included using cigarettes for appetite suppression, using cigarettes to prevent overeating, smoking to cope with body dissatisfaction, and using cigarettes to cope with appetite-related withdrawal symptoms. Tests of measurement invariance revealed no significant differences when evaluating SWEET scores by participant sex. The SWEET factor scores evidenced internal consistency, known groups validity, convergent validity with related constructs (compensatory eating behaviors, tobacco dependence) and cessation-relevant variables (smoking abstinence expectancies, prior withdrawal symptoms), and discriminant validity with physical activity and sedentary behavior. The present study provides evidence in support of the validity and reliability of scores on the SWEET as a multidimensional measure of smoking for appetite, weight, and body-related concerns in male and female daily cigarette smokers.

Comparison of four techniques for the confirmatory identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, P.F.

1980-01-01

The authors have compared four assay techniques for the confirmatory identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. On of these is a radiometric assay, based on the measurement of liberated radiolabelled CO 2 from metabolized carbohydrates which have been tagged with 14 C. The assay uses glucose, maltose and fructose as its differentiating sugars, plus the ONPG reaction, and can be read in three hours. (Auth.)

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the WISC-IV in a Hospital Referral Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Devena, Sarah E.; Gay, Catherine E.; Watkins, Marley W.

2013-01-01

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) scores of 297 children referred to a children's hospital in the Southwestern United States. Results support previous findings that indicate the WISC-IV is best represented by a direct hierarchical…

Subgroup analyses in confirmatory clinical trials: time to be specific about their purposes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tanniou, J.; Tweel, I. van der; Teerenstra, S.; Roes, K.C.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: It is well recognized that treatment effects may not be homogeneous across the study population. Subgroup analyses constitute a fundamental step in the assessment of evidence from confirmatory (Phase III) clinical trials, where conclusions for the overall study population might not hold.

Confirmatory factor analysis and recommendations for improvement of the Autonomy-Preference-Index (API).

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, Daniela; Kriston, Levente; Loh, Andreas; Spies, Claudia; Scheibler, Fueloep; Wills, Celia; Härter, Martin

2010-09-01

Validation of the German version of the Autonomy-Preference-Index (API), a measure of patients' preferences for decision making and information seeking. Stepwise confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on a sample of patients (n = 1592) treated in primary care for depression (n = 186), surgical and internal medicine inpatients (n = 811) and patients with minor trauma treated in an emergency department (n = 595). An initial test of the model was done on calculation and validation halves of the sample. Both local and global indexes-of-fit suggested modifications to the scale. The scale was modified and re-tested in the calculation sample and confirmed in the validation sample. Subgroup analyses for age, gender and type of treatment setting were also performed. The confirmatory analysis led to a modified version of the API with better local and global indexes-of-fit for samples of German-speaking patients. Two items of the sub-scale, 'preference for decision-making', and one item of the sub-scale, 'preference for information seeking', showed very low reliability scores and were deleted. Thus, several global indexes-of-fit clearly improved significantly. The modified scale was confirmed on the validation sample with acceptable to good indices of fit. Results of subgroup analyses indicated that no adaptations were necessary. This first confirmatory analysis for a German-speaking population showed that the API was improved by the removal of several items. There were theoretically plausible explanations for this improvement suggesting that the modifications might also be appropriate in English and other language versions.

Connection-based and object-based grouping in multiple-object tracking: A developmental study.

Science.gov (United States)

Van der Hallen, Ruth; Reusens, Julie; Evers, Kris; de-Wit, Lee; Wagemans, Johan

2018-03-30

Developmental research on Gestalt laws has previously revealed that, even as young as infancy, we are bound to group visual elements into unitary structures in accordance with a variety of organizational principles. Here, we focus on the developmental trajectory of both connection-based and object-based grouping, and investigate their impact on object formation in participants, aged 9-21 years old (N = 113), using a multiple-object tracking paradigm. Results reveal a main effect of both age and grouping type, indicating that 9- to 21-year-olds are sensitive to both connection-based and object-based grouping interference, and tracking ability increases with age. In addition to its importance for typical development, these results provide an informative baseline to understand clinical aberrations in this regard. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? The origin of the Gestalt principles is still an ongoing debate: Are they innate, learned over time, or both? Developmental research has revealed how each Gestalt principle has its own trajectory and unique relationship to visual experience. Both connectedness and object-based grouping play an important role in object formation during childhood. What does this study add? The study identifies how sensitivity to connectedness and object-based grouping evolves in individuals, aged 9-21 years old. Using multiple-object tracking, results reveal that the ability to track multiple objects increases with age. These results provide an informative baseline to understand clinical aberrations in different types of grouping. © 2018 The Authors. British Journal of Developmental Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the WISC-IV with Gifted Students

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, Ellen W.; Dandridge, Jessica; Pawlush, Alexandra; Thompson, Dawna F.; Ferrier, David E.

2014-01-01

These 2 studies investigated the factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-4th edition (WISC-IV; Wechsler, 2003a) with exploratory factor analysis (EFA; Study 1) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; Study 2) among 2 independent samples of gifted students. The EFA sample consisted of 225 children who were referred for a…

The Nursing Performance Instrument: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses in Registered Nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Sagherian, Knar; Steege, Linsey M; Geiger-Brown, Jeanne; Harrington, Donna

2018-04-01

The optimal performance of nurses in healthcare settings plays a critical role in care quality and patient safety. Despite this importance, few measures are provided in the literature that evaluate nursing performance as an independent construct from competencies. The nine-item Nursing Performance Instrument (NPI) was developed to fill this gap. The aim of this study was to examine and confirm the underlying factor structure of the NPI in registered nurses. The design was cross-sectional, using secondary data collected between February 2008 and April 2009 for the "Fatigue in Nursing Survey" (N = 797). The sample was predominantly dayshift female nurses working in acute care settings. Using Mplus software, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to the NPI data, which were divided into two equal subsamples. Multiple fit indices were used to evaluate the fit of the alternative models. The three-factor model was determined to fit the data adequately. The factors that were labeled as "physical/mental decrements," "consistent practice," and "behavioral change" were moderately to strongly intercorrelated, indicating good convergent validity. The reliability coefficients for the subscales were acceptable. The NPI consists of three latent constructs. This instrument has the potentialto be used as a self-monitoring instrument that addressesnurses' perceptions of performance while providing patient care.

Additivity of Feature-based and Symmetry-based Grouping Effects in Multiple Object Tracking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chundi eWang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Multiple object tracking (MOT is an attentional process wherein people track several moving targets among several distractors. Symmetry, an important indicator of regularity, is a general spatial pattern observed in natural and artificial scenes. According to the laws of perceptual organization proposed by Gestalt psychologists, regularity is a principle of perceptual grouping, such as similarity and closure. A great deal of research reported that feature-based similarity grouping (e.g., grouping based on color, size, or shape among targets in MOT tasks can improve tracking performance. However, no additive feature-based grouping effects have been reported where the tracking objects had two or more features. Additive effect refers to a greater grouping effect produced by grouping based on multiple cues instead of one cue. Can spatial symmetry produce a similar grouping effect similar to that of feature similarity in MOT tasks? Are the grouping effects based on symmetry and feature similarity additive? This study includes four experiments to address these questions. The results of Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated the automatic symmetry-based grouping effects. More importantly, an additive grouping effect of symmetry and feature similarity was observed in Experiments 3 and 4. Our findings indicate that symmetry can produce an enhanced grouping effect in MOT and facilitate the grouping effect based on color or shape similarity. The where and what pathways might have played an important role in the additive grouping effect.

Testing Measurement Invariance across Groups of Children with and without Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder: Applications for Word Recognition and Spelling Tasks.

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Lúcio, Patrícia S; Salum, Giovanni; Swardfager, Walter; Mari, Jair de Jesus; Pan, Pedro M; Bressan, Rodrigo A; Gadelha, Ary; Rohde, Luis A; Cogo-Moreira, Hugo

2017-01-01

Although studies have consistently demonstrated that children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) perform significantly lower than controls on word recognition and spelling tests, such studies rely on the assumption that those groups are comparable in these measures. This study investigates comparability of word recognition and spelling tests based on diagnostic status for ADHD through measurement invariance methods. The participants ( n = 1,935; 47% female; 11% ADHD) were children aged 6-15 with normal IQ (≥70). Measurement invariance was investigated through Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes models. Measurement invariance was attested in both methods, demonstrating the direct comparability of the groups. Children with ADHD were 0.51 SD lower in word recognition and 0.33 SD lower in spelling tests than controls. Results suggest that differences in performance on word recognition and spelling tests are related to true mean differences based on ADHD diagnostic status. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.

The independence of schizotypy from affective temperaments--a combined confirmatory factor analysis of SPQ and the short TEMPS-A.

Science.gov (United States)

Preti, Antonio; Corrias, Irene; Gabbrielli, Mersia; Lai, Veronica; Muratore, Tamara; Pintus, Elisa; Pintus, Mirra; Sanna, Sara; Scanu, Rosanna; Tronci, Debora; Vellante, Marcello; Siddi, Sara; Petretto, Donatella Rita; Carta, Mauro Giovanni

2015-01-30

Sparse evidence of a co-aggregation of the risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder provides support for a shared but nonspecific genetic etiology of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Temperaments are conceptualized as trait sub-syndromic conditions of major pathologies. This study set out to test the hypothesis of a continuum between schizotypy and affective temperaments versus the alternative hypothesis of their independence based on a cross-sectional, survey design involving 649 (males: 47%) college students. The short 39-item TEMPS-A and the SPQ were used as measures of the affective temperaments and of schizotypy, respectively. Confirmatory factor analyses were applied to a unidimensional model, to a standard correlate traits model, to second-order representations of a common latent structure, and to a bifactor model. Confirmatory bifactor modeling provided evidence against a complete independence of the dimensions subsumed by the affective and the schizotypal traits. The best solution distinguished between two sub-domains grouping positive symptoms and negative symptoms as measured by the SPQ subscales, and a sub-domain related to the affective temperaments as measured by the TEMPS-A. Limitations due to the use of subscales from two different tools should be taken into account. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Forward-secure Grouping-proof Protocol for Multiple RFID Tags

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Ya-li

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Designing secure and robust grouping-proof protocols based on RFID characteristics becomes a hotspot in the research of security in Internet of Things (IOT. The proposed grouping-proof protocols recently have security and/or privacy omission and these schemes afford order-dependence by relaying message among tags through an RFID reader. In consequence, aiming at enhancing the robustness, improving scalability, reducing the computation costs on resource-constrained devices, and meanwhile combing Computational Intelligence (CI with Secure Multi-party Communication (SMC, a Forward-Secure Grouping-Proof Protocol (FSGP for multiple RFID tags based on Shamir's (, secret sharing is proposed. In comparison with the previous grouping-proof protocols, FSGP has the characteristics of forward-security and order-independence addressing the scalability issue by avoiding relaying message. Our protocol provides security enhancement, performance improvement, and meanwhile controls the computation cost, which equilibrates both security and low cost requirements for RFID tags.

Confirmatory factor analysis of teaching and learning guiding principles instrument among teacher educators in higher education institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Masuwai, Azwani; Tajudin, Nor'ain Mohd; Saad, Noor Shah

2017-05-01

The purpose of this study is to develop and establish the validity and reliability of an instrument to generate teaching and learning guiding principles using Teaching and Learning Guiding Principles Instrument (TLGPI). Participants consisted of 171 Malaysian teacher educators. It is an essential instrument to reflect in generating the teaching and learning guiding principles in higher education level in Malaysia. Confirmatory Factor Analysis has validated all 19 items of TLGPI whereby all items indicated high reliability and internal consistency. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis also confirmed that a single factor model was used to generate teaching and learning guiding principles.

Comparison of Multispot EIA with Western blot for confirmatory serodiagnosis of HIV.

Science.gov (United States)

Torian, Lucia V; Forgione, Lisa A; Punsalang, Amado E; Pirillo, Robert E; Oleszko, William R

2011-12-01

Recent improvements in the sensitivity of immunoassays (IA) used for HIV screening, coupled with increasing recognition of the importance of rapid point-of-care testing, have led to proposals to adjust the algorithm for serodiagnosis of HIV so that screening and confirmation can be performed using a dual or triple IA sequence that does not require Western blotting for confirmation. One IA that has been proposed as a second or confirmatory test is the Bio-Rad Multispot(®) Rapid HIV-1/HIV-2 Test. This test would have the added advantage of differentiating between HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies. To compare the sensitivity and type-specificity of an algorithm combining a 3rd generation enzyme immunoassay (EIA) followed by a confirmatory Multispot with the conventional algorithm that combines a 3rd generation EIA (Bio-Rad GS HIV-1/HIV-2 Plus O EIA) followed by confirmatory Western blot (Bio-Rad GS HIV-1 WB). 8760 serum specimens submitted for HIV testing to the New York City Public Health Laboratory between May 22, 2007, and April 30, 2010, tested repeatedly positive on 3rd generation HIV-1-2+O EIA screening and received parallel confirmatory testing by WB and Multispot (MS). 8678/8760 (99.1%) specimens tested WB-positive; 82 (0.9%) tested WB-negative or indeterminate (IND). 8690/8760 specimens (99.2%) tested MS-positive, of which 14 (17.1%) had been classified as negative or IND by WB. Among the HIV-1 WB-positive specimens, MS classified 26 (0.29%) as HIV-2. Among the HIV-1 WB negative and IND, MS detected 12 HIV-2. MS detected an additional 14 HIV-1 infections among WB negative or IND specimens, differentiated 26 HIV-1 WB positives as HIV-2, and detected 12 additional HIV-2 infections among WB negative/IND. A dual 3rd generation EIA algorithm incorporating MS had equivalent HIV-1 sensitivity to the 3rd generation EIA-WB algorithm and had the added advantage of detecting 12 HIV-2 specimens that were not HIV-1 WB cross-reactors. In this series an algorithm using EIA

Altered expression patterns of group I and II metabotropic glutamate receptors in multiple sclerosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geurts, J. J. G.; Wolswijk, G.; Bö, L.; van der Valk, P.; Polman, C. H.; Troost, D.; Aronica, E.

2003-01-01

Recent evidence supports a role for glutamate receptors in the pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis. In the present study, we have focused specifically on the expression of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in multiple sclerosis brain tissue. The expression of group I (mGluR1alpha and

Transmission of multiple traditions within and between chimpanzee groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Whiten, Andrew; Spiteri, Antoine; Horner, Victoria; Bonnie, Kristin E; Lambeth, Susan P; Schapiro, Steven J; de Waal, Frans B M

2007-06-19

Field reports provide increasing evidence for local behavioral traditions among fish, birds, and mammals. These findings are significant for evolutionary biology because social learning affords faster adaptation than genetic change and has generated new (cultural) forms of evolution. Orangutan and chimpanzee field studies suggest that like humans, these apes are distinctive among animals in each exhibiting over 30 local traditions. However, direct evidence is lacking in apes and, with the exception of vocal dialects, in animals generally for the intergroup transmission that would allow innovations to spread widely and become evolutionarily significant phenomena. Here, we provide robust experimental evidence that alternative foraging techniques seeded in different groups of chimpanzees spread differentially not only within groups but serially across two further groups with substantial fidelity. Combining these results with those from recent social-diffusion studies in two larger groups offers the first experimental evidence that a nonhuman species can sustain unique local cultures, each constituted by multiple traditions. The convergence of these results with those from the wild implies a richness in chimpanzees' capacity for culture, a richness that parsimony suggests was shared with our common ancestor.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Structure of Statistics Anxiety Measure: An Examination of Four Alternative Models

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Hossein Bevrani, PhD

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the confirmatory factor analysis results of the Persian adaptation of Statistics Anxiety Measure (SAM, proposed by Earp.Method: The validity and reliability assessments of the scale were performed on 298 college students chosen randomly from Tabriz University in Iran. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA was carried out to determine the factor structures of the Persian adaptation of SAM.Results: As expected, the second order model provided a better fit to the data than the three alternative models. Conclusions: Hence, SAM provides an equally valid measure for use among college students. The study both expands and adds support to the existing body of math anxiety literature.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Persian Adaptation of Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS)

Science.gov (United States)

Hatami, Gissou; Motamed, Niloofar; Ashrafzadeh, Mahshid

2010-01-01

Validity and reliability of Persian adaptation of MSLSS in the 12-18 years, middle and high school students (430 students in grades 6-12 in Bushehr port, Iran) using confirmatory factor analysis by means of LISREL statistical package were checked. Internal consistency reliability estimates (Cronbach's coefficient [alpha]) were all above the…

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Academic Motivation Scale with Black College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Cokley, Kevin

2015-01-01

The factor structure of the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) was examined with a sample of 578 Black college students. A confirmatory factor analysis of the AMS was conducted. Results indicated that the hypothesized seven-factor model did not fit the data. Implications for future research with the AMS are discussed.

Confirmatory simulation of safety and operational transients in LMFBR systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guppy, J.G.; Agrawal, A.K.

1978-01-01

Operational and safety transients that may originate anywhere in an LMFBR system must be adequately simulated to assist in safety evaluation and plant design efforts. This paper describes an advanced thermohydraulic transient code, the Super System Code (SSC), that may be used for confirmatory safety evaluations of plant wide events, such as assurance of adequate decay heat removal capability under natural circulation conditions, and presents results obtained with SSC illustrating the degree of modelling detail present in the code as well as the computing efficiency. (author)

Generalized statistical criterion for distinguishing random optical groupings from physical multiple systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anosova, Z.P.

1988-01-01

A statistical criterion is proposed for distinguishing between random and physical groupings of stars and galaxies. The criterion is applied to nearby wide multiple stars, triplets of galaxies in the list of Karachentsev, Karachentseva, and Shcherbanovskii, and double galaxies in the list of Dahari, in which the principal components are Seyfert galaxies. Systems that are almost certainly physical, probably physical, probably optical, and almost certainly optical are identified. The limiting difference between the radial velocities of the components of physical multiple galaxies is estimated

Confirmatory factorial analysis of TEOSQp / Análise factorial confirmatória do TEOSQp

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Helder M. Fernandes

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The present research assessed the reliability, factorial validity and measurement invariance (by gender of the Portuguese version of TEOSQ –Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (Fonseca & Biddle, 2001. Data were collected from 1010 physical education students with a mean age of 15.42 ( SD=1.91. Factorial and invariance measurements were tested via confirmatory factorial analysis. Results supported internal consistency for the two proposed subscales (task and ego. Based on modification indices and theoretical justification the TEOSQ p was reduced to 12 items with better goodness-of-fit indices for the oblique model. The results of gender invariance did not provide full empirical support to the multi-group equivalence assumption, being suggested that TEOSQ p does not measure in the same way goal orientations for boys (orthogonal model and girls (oblique model. In light of these results, conceptual, empirical and practical issues were discussed.

Test of Gross Motor Development: expert validity, confirmatory validity and internal consistence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadia Cristina Valentini

2008-01-01

The Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2 is an instrument used to evaluate children’s level of motor development. The objective of this study was to translate and verify the clarity and pertinence of the TGMD-2 items by experts and the confirmatory factorial validity and the internal consistence by means of test-retest of the Portuguese TGMD-2. A cross-cultural translation was used to construct the Portuguese version. The participants of this study were 7 professionals and 587 children, from 27 schools (kindergarten and elementary from 3 to 10 years old (51.1% boys and 48.9% girls. Each child was videotaped performing the test twice. The videotaped tests were then scored. The results indicated that the Portuguese version of the TGMD-2 contains clear and pertinent motor items; demonstrated satisfactory indices of confirmatory factorial validity (÷2/gl = 3.38; Goodness-of-fit Index = 0.95; Adjusted Goodness-of-fit index = 0.92 and Tucker and Lewis’s Index of Fit = 0.83 and test-retest internal consistency (locomotion r = 0.82; control of object: r = 0.88. The Portuguese TGMD-2 demonstrated validity and reliability for the sample investigated.

Confirmatory Tests for the Diagnosis of Primary Aldosteronism: A Prospective Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Ying; Yang, Shumin; He, Wenwen; Hu, Jinbo; Cheng, Qingfeng; Wang, Yue; Luo, Ting; Ma, Linqiang; Zhen, Qianna; Zhang, Suhua; Mei, Mei; Wang, Zhihong; Qing, Hua; Bruemmer, Dennis; Peng, Bin; Li, Qifu

2018-01-01

The diagnosis of primary aldosteronism typically requires at least one confirmatory test. The fludrocortisone suppression test is generally accepted as a reliable confirmatory test, but it is cumbersome. Evidence from accuracy studies of the saline infusion test (SIT) and the captopril challenge test (CCT) has provided conflicting results. This prospective study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the SIT and CCT using fludrocortisone suppression test as the reference standard. One hundred thirty-five patients diagnosed with primary aldosteronism and 101 patients diagnosed with essential hypertension who completed the 3 confirmatory tests were included for the diagnostic accuracy analysis. The areas under the receiver-operator characteristics curves of the CCT and SIT were 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92-0.98) and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.92-0.98), respectively, using post-test plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) for diagnosis. However, the areas under the receiver-operator characteristics curves of the CCT decreased to 0.71 (95% CI, 0.65-0.77) when the PAC suppression percentage was used to diagnose primary aldosteronism. The optimal cutoff of PAC post-CCT was set at 11 ng/dL, resulting in a sensitivity of 0.90 (95% CI, 0.84-0.95) and a specificity of 0.90 (95% CI, 0.83-0.95), which were not significantly different from those of SIT (with PAC post-SIT set at 8 ng/dL, sensitivity: 0.85 [95% CI, 0.78-0.91], P =0.192; specificity: 0.92 [95% CI, 0.85-0.97], P =0.551). In conclusion, both CCT and SIT are accurate alternatives to the more complex fludrocortisone suppression test. Because CCT is safe and much easier to perform, it may serve as a more feasible alternative. When interpreting the results of CCT, PAC post-CCT is highly recommended. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Final Report - Independent Confirmatory Survey Summary and Results for the Hematite Decommissioning Project, Festus, Missouri

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, E.N.

2009-01-01

The objectives of the confirmatory surveys were to provide independent contractor field data reviews and to generate independent radiological data for use by the NRC in evaluating the adequacy and accuracy of the licensee's procedures and survey results.

SOCIAL COMPETENCE FORMATION AMONG TEENAGERS FROM HUMANIST TREND MULTIPLE-AGED GROUPS

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Larisa A. Krapivina

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The paper studies the problems of social development of adolescents in multiple-aged groups (MAG.Methods. The methods involve socio-personal approach, consideration of the subject in a certain ideological humanistic orientation, comparative analysis, and comparison of historical facts, the study of social phenomena of different ages, long-term scientific observations, reflections, a retrospective analysis of personal experience.Results. The author describes objective conditions for the uprise of extremist, subcultural youth of multiple-aged groups, and the reasons whence they begin to perform distinctive functions that are specific for teenagers. Options for models of MAG humanistic educational systems formed in Russian and foreign social and pedagogical practice are listed. A complex of pedagogical conditions provided for the formation of social competence of adolescents in multiple-aged associations of humanistic orientation is considered. It has been found that this type of system is characterized by the following features: the principle of voluntary association of people, independence of subjects, rapid adaptation to changing socio-cultural situation, a variety of activities by interests, alternating change of activities, conflict resolution within the team, a high level of team spirit, selfmanagement, the creative nature of educational process, upbringing, socialization and self-realization. A brief description of conditions for development of fundamental human values among adolescents and formation of new specific complicated humanistic human and personal relations in global world is given.Scientific novelty. The author studies the following concepts: educational system of multiple-aged associations, teenager social competence, ambivalent behavior, emotional and moral compass of personality, invisible assets of the team, emergent effect of multiple-aged groups, inter-age communication. It was found that the specificity of MAG educational

Role of prostate specific antigen and immediate confirmatory biopsy in predicting progression during active surveillance for low risk prostate cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Adamy, Ari; Yee, David S; Matsushita, Kazuhito; Maschino, Alexandra; Cronin, Angel; Vickers, Andrew; Guillonneau, Bertrand; Scardino, Peter T; Eastham, James A

2011-02-01

We evaluated predictors of progression after starting active surveillance, especially the role of prostate specific antigen and immediate confirmatory prostate biopsy. A total of 238 men with prostate cancer met active surveillance eligibility criteria and were analyzed for progression with time. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate predictors of progression. Progression was evaluated using 2 definitions, including no longer meeting 1) full and 2) modified criteria, excluding prostate specific antigen greater than 10 ng/ml as a criterion. Using full criteria 61 patients progressed during followup. The 2 and 5-year progression-free probability was 80% and 60%, respectively. With prostate specific antigen included in progression criteria prostate specific antigen at confirmatory biopsy (HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.14-1.46, p <0.0005) and positive confirmatory biopsy (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.01-3.04, p = 0.047) were independent predictors of progression. Of the 61 cases 34 failed due to increased prostate specific antigen, including only 5 with subsequent progression by biopsy criteria. When prostate specific antigen was excluded from progression criteria, only 32 cases progressed, and 2 and 5-year progression-free probability was 91% and 76%, respectively. Using modified criteria as an end point positive confirmatory biopsy was the only independent predictor of progression (HR 3.16, 95% CI 1.41-7.09, p = 0.005). Active surveillance is feasible in patients with low risk prostate cancer and most patients show little evidence of progression within 5 years. There is no clear justification for treating patients in whom prostate specific antigen increases above 10 ng/ml in the absence of other indications of tumor progression. Patients considering active surveillance should undergo confirmatory biopsy to better assess the risk of progression. Copyright © 2011 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Healthcare professionals' and parents' experiences of the confirmatory testing period: a qualitative study of the UK expanded newborn screening pilot.

Science.gov (United States)

Moody, Louise; Atkinson, Lou; Kehal, Isher; Bonham, James R

2017-05-08

With further expansion of the number of conditions for which newborn screening can be undertaken, it is timely to consider the impact of positive screening results and the confirmatory testing period on the families involved. This study was undertaken as part of a larger programme of work to evaluate the Expanded Newborn Screening (ENBS) programme in the United Kingdom (UK). It was aimed to determine the views and experiences of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and parents on communication and interaction during the period of confirmatory testing following a positive screening result. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with parents of children who had received a positive ENBS result and HCPs who had been involved with the diagnosis and support of parents. Ten parents and 11 healthcare professionals took part in the in-depth interviews. Questions considered the journey from the positive screening result through confirmatory testing to a confirmed diagnosis and the communication and interaction between the parents and HCPs that they had been experienced. Key themes were identified through thematic analysis. The results point to a number of elements within the path through confirmatory testing that are difficult for parents and could be further developed to improve the experience. These include the way in which the results are communicated to parents, rapid turnaround of results, offering a consistent approach, exploring interventions to support family relationships and reviewing the workload and scheduling implications for healthcare professionals. As technology enables newborn screening of a larger number of conditions, there is an increasing need to consider and mediate the potentially negative effects on families. The findings from this study point to a number of elements within the path through confirmatory testing that are difficult for parents and could be further developed to benefit the family experience.

The effect of group cognitive behavioral therapy on stress, anxiety, and depression of women with multiple sclerosis

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Saeid Pahlavanzadeh

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: One of the factors that could influence the quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis, which is usually overlooked, is its psychological aspects. Considering the increasing acceptance of complementary medicine in the health system, this study was designed and conducted to determine the effect of group cognitive therapy on the stress, anxiety, and depression of women suffering from multiple sclerosis. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial was conducted among 70 women suffering from multiple sclerosis who were referred to the health centers of Isfahan. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups of intervention and control, each containing 35 patients. The intervention group received cognitive behavioral therapy as 8 90-minute group sessions (a session per week, and the control group participated in 4 group sessions to express their feelings and experiences. Data were gathered using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-24. Results: There was a significant difference between the mean score of stress (P = 0.03, anxiety (P = 0.02, and depression (P = 0.03 of the intervention and the control group immediately after and 1 month after the intervention. Least squares difference test showed that the mean score of stress (P = 0.02, anxiety (P = 0.02, and depression (P = 0.03 immediately and 1 month after the intervention was significantly lower in the intervention group. Conclusions: According to the results of the present study, cognitive behavioral therapy could decrease stress, anxiety, and depression in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.

Sparse Group Penalized Integrative Analysis of Multiple Cancer Prognosis Datasets

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jin; Huang, Jian; Xie, Yang; Ma, Shuangge

2014-01-01

SUMMARY In cancer research, high-throughput profiling studies have been extensively conducted, searching for markers associated with prognosis. Because of the “large d, small n” characteristic, results generated from the analysis of a single dataset can be unsatisfactory. Recent studies have shown that integrative analysis, which simultaneously analyzes multiple datasets, can be more effective than single-dataset analysis and classic meta-analysis. In most of existing integrative analysis, the homogeneity model has been assumed, which postulates that different datasets share the same set of markers. Several approaches have been designed to reinforce this assumption. In practice, different datasets may differ in terms of patient selection criteria, profiling techniques, and many other aspects. Such differences may make the homogeneity model too restricted. In this study, we assume the heterogeneity model, under which different datasets are allowed to have different sets of markers. With multiple cancer prognosis datasets, we adopt the AFT (accelerated failure time) model to describe survival. This model may have the lowest computational cost among popular semiparametric survival models. For marker selection, we adopt a sparse group MCP (minimax concave penalty) approach. This approach has an intuitive formulation and can be computed using an effective group coordinate descent algorithm. Simulation study shows that it outperforms the existing approaches under both the homogeneity and heterogeneity models. Data analysis further demonstrates the merit of heterogeneity model and proposed approach. PMID:23938111

Psychometric Properties and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Student Engagement in School Success Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Brigman, Greg; Wells, Craig; Webb, Linda; Villares, Elizabeth; Carey, John C.; Harrington, Karen

2015-01-01

This article describes the confirmatory factor analysis of the Student Engagement in School Success Skills (SESSS) instrument. The results of this study confirm that the SESSS has potential to be a useful self-report measure of elementary students' use of strategies and skills associated with enhanced academic learning and achievement.

Efficacy of group cognitive rehabilitation therapy in multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mani, A; Chohedri, E; Ravanfar, P; Mowla, A; Nikseresht, A

2018-06-01

Cognitive impairment occurs in 40%-65% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Several techniques for cognitive rehabilitation (CR) in these patients have been evaluated; however, the results have been controversial. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of group compensatory CR in patients with MS-related cognitive impairment. Thirty-four female patients with diagnosed relapsing-remitting MS and evidence of impaired cognitive function were included and randomized to intervention (n = 17) and control (n = 17) groups. CR intervention consisted of eight 2-hour sessions of comprehensive group CR over a 4-week period that focused on improvement of memory, attention, and executive function. As placebo, the control group received the same number of non-therapeutic group sessions. Assessment of cognitive function was performed before intervention (pretest), at the end of intervention (post-test), and 3 months later (follow-up). The study population included 34 patients with a mean age of 35.5 years. Statistical comparison of memory assessments at 3-month follow-up showed significantly higher scores in the CR group than in the control group (93.33 vs 86.40 for Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination test and 16.58 vs 12.00 for visual memory, 19.32 vs 14.05 for verbal memory, and 51.28 vs 44.41 for general scores on the Memory Functioning Questionnaire test, respectively). Wisconsin card sorting test score comparison showed significantly lower total time consumption in the CR group than in the control group (308.1 vs 340.8 seconds, respectively). Behavior rating inventory of executive function-adult scores in all four subtests were significantly higher in the CR group than in the control group (40.25 vs 55.4 for behavioral regulation index, 51.16 vs 68.6 for metacognition index, and 97.41 vs 124.00 for global executive composite, respectively). Attention was the only domain in which we did not observe any significant variation between groups in terms of post

The Chinese Family Assessment Instrument (C-FAI): Hierarchical Confirmatory Factor Analyses and Factorial Invariance

Science.gov (United States)

Shek, Daniel T. L.; Ma, Cecilia M. S.

2010-01-01

Objective: This paper examines the dimensionality and factorial invariance of the Chinese Family Assessment Instrument (C-FAI) using multigroup confirmatory factor analyses (MCFAs). Method: A total of 3,649 students responded to the C-FAI in a community survey. Results: Results showed that there are five dimensions of the C-FAI (communication,…

A new achiral reagent for the incorporation of multiple amino groups into oligonucleotides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Behrens, Carsten; Petersen, Kenneth H.; Egholm, Michael

1995-01-01

The synthesis of a new functionalized achiral linker reagent (10) for the incorporation of multiple primary amino groups into oligonucleotides is described. The linker reagent is compatible with conventional DNA-synthesis following the phosphoramidite methodology, and the linker can be incorporated...

Confirmatory factor analysis and invariance testing between Blacks and Whites of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale.

Science.gov (United States)

LaNoue, Marianna; Harvey, Abby; Mautner, Dawn; Ku, Bon; Scott, Kevin

2015-07-01

The factor structure of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale remains in question. Additionally, research on health belief differences between Black and White respondents suggests that the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale may not be invariant. We reviewed the literature regarding the latent variable structure of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale, used confirmatory factor analysis to confirm the three-factor structure of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control, and analyzed between-group differences in the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control structure and means across Black and White respondents. Our results indicate differences in means and structure, indicating more research is needed to inform decisions regarding whether and how to deploy the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control appropriately.

A confirmatory measurement technique for highly enriched uranium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sprinkle, J.K. Jr.

1987-07-01

This report describes a confirmatory measurement technique for measuring uranium items in their shipping containers. The measurement consists of a weight verification and the detection of three gamma rays. The weight can be determined very precisely, thus it severely constrains the options of the diverter who might want to imitate the gamma signal with a bogus item. The 185.7-keV gamma ray originates from 235 U, the 1001 keV originates from a daughter of 238 U, and the 2614 keV originates from a daughter of 232 U. These three gamma rays exhibit widely different attenuation properties, they correlate with enrichment and total uranium mass, and they rigorously discriminate against a likely diversion scenario (low-enriched uranium substitution). These four measured quantities, when combined, provide a signature that is very difficult to counterfeit

Test equality between two binary screening tests with a confirmatory procedure restricted on screen positives.

Science.gov (United States)

Lui, Kung-Jong; Chang, Kuang-Chao

2015-01-01

In studies of screening accuracy, we may commonly encounter the data in which a confirmatory procedure is administered to only those subjects with screen positives for ethical concerns. We focus our discussion on simultaneously testing equality of sensitivity and specificity between two binary screening tests when only subjects with screen positives receive the confirmatory procedure. We develop four asymptotic test procedures and one exact test procedure. We derive sample size calculation formula for a desired power of detecting a difference at a given nominal [Formula: see text]-level. We employ Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the performance of these test procedures and the accuracy of the sample size calculation formula developed here in a variety of situations. Finally, we use the data obtained from a study of the prostate-specific-antigen test and digital rectal examination test on 949 Black men to illustrate the practical use of these test procedures and the sample size calculation formula.

Infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy of group I and group II metal complexes with Boc-hydroxylamine.

Science.gov (United States)

Dain, Ryan P; Gresham, Gary; Groenewold, Gary S; Steill, Jeffrey D; Oomens, Jos; Van Stipdonk, Michael J

2013-08-30

Hydroxamates are essential growth factors for some microbes, acting primarily as siderophores that solubilize iron for transport into a cell. Here we determined the intrinsic structure of 1:1 complexes between Boc-protected hydroxylamine and group I ([M(L)](+)) and group II ([M(L-H)](+)) cations, where M and L are the cation and ligand, respectively, which are convenient models for the functional unit of hydroxamate siderphores. The relevant complex ions were generated by electrospray ionization (ESI) and isolated and stored in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. Infrared spectra of the isolated complexes were collected by monitoring (infrared) photodissociation yield as a function of photon energy. Experimental spectra were then compared to those predicted by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectra collected are in good agreement with those predicted to be lowest-energy by DFT. The spectra for the group I complexes contain six resolved absorptions that can be attributed to amide I and II type and hydroxylamine N-OH vibrations. Similar absorptions are observed for the group II cation complexes, with shifts of the amide I and amide II vibrations due to the change in structure with deprotonation of the hydroxylamine group. IRMPD spectroscopy unequivocally shows that the intrinsic binding mode for the group I cations involves the O atoms of the amide carbonyl and hydroxylamine groups of Boc-hydroxylamine. A similar binding mode is preferred for the group II cations, except that in this case the metal ion is coordinated by the O atom of the deprotonated hydroxylamine group. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The role of multiple-group measurement invariance in family psychology research.

Science.gov (United States)

Kern, Justin L; McBride, Brent A; Laxman, Daniel J; Dyer, W Justin; Santos, Rosa M; Jeans, Laurie M

2016-04-01

Measurement invariance (MI) is a property of measurement that is often implicitly assumed, but in many cases, not tested. When the assumption of MI is tested, it generally involves determining if the measurement holds longitudinally or cross-culturally. A growing literature shows that other groupings can, and should, be considered as well. Additionally, it is noted that the standard techniques for investigating MI have been focused almost exclusively on the case of 2 groups, with very little work on the case of more than 2 groups, even though the need for such techniques is apparent in many fields of research. This paper introduces and illustrates a model building technique to investigating MI for more than 2 groups. This technique is an extension of the already-existing hierarchy for testing MI introduced by Meredith (1993). An example using data on father involvement in 5 different groups of families of children with and without developmental disabilities from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort dataset will be given. We show that without considering the possible differential functioning of the measurements on multiple developmental groups, the differences present between the groups in terms of the measurements may be obscured. This could lead to incorrect conclusions. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The Two- and Three-Dimensional Models of the HK-WISC: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, David W.; Lin, Wen-Ying

1996-01-01

Confirmatory analyses on the Hong Kong Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (HK-WISC) provided support for composite score interpretation based on the two- and three-dimensional models across age levels. Test sample was comprised of 1,100 children, ranging in age from 5 to 15 years at all 11 age levels specified by the HK-WISC. (KW)

Collinear Latent Variables in Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis : A Comparison of Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Estimation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Can, Seda; van de Schoot, Rens|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304833207; Hox, Joop|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/073351431

2015-01-01

Because variables may be correlated in the social and behavioral sciences, multicollinearity might be problematic. This study investigates the effect of collinearity manipulated in within and between levels of a two-level confirmatory factor analysis by Monte Carlo simulation. Furthermore, the

Connection-based and object-based grouping in multiple-object tracking: A developmental study

OpenAIRE

Hallen, Ruth; Reusens, J. (Julie); Evers, K. (Kris); de-Wit, Lee; Wagemans, Johan

2018-01-01

textabstractDevelopmental research on Gestalt laws has previously revealed that, even as young as infancy, we are bound to group visual elements into unitary structures in accordance with a variety of organizational principles. Here, we focus on the developmental trajectory of both connection-based and object-based grouping, and investigate their impact on object formation in participants, aged 9-21 years old (N = 113), using a multiple-object tracking paradigm. Results reveal a main effect o...

Multiple Family Groups for Child Behavior Difficulties: Retention Among Child Welfare-Involved Caregivers

Science.gov (United States)

Gopalan, Geetha; Fuss, Ashley; Wisdom, Jennifer P.

2015-01-01

Purpose: The Multiple Family Group (MFG) service delivery model to reduce childhood disruptive behavior disorders has shown promise in engaging child welfare-involved families. This qualitative study examines caregivers' perceptions of factors that influence retention in MFGs among child welfare-involved families. Methods: Twenty-five…

Multiple sclerosis: general features and pharmacologic approach; Esclerosis multiple: aspectos generales y abordaje farmacologico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nielsen Lagumersindez, Denis; Martinez Sanchez, Gregorio [Instituto de Farmacia y Alimentos, Universidad de La Habana, La Habana (Cuba)

2009-07-01

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune, inflammatory and desmyelinization disease central nervous system (CNS) of unknown etiology and critical evolution. There different etiological hypotheses talking of a close interrelation among predisposing genetic factors and dissimilar environmental factors, able to give raise to autoimmune response at central nervous system level. Hypothesis of autoimmune pathogeny is based on study of experimental models, and findings in biopsies of affected patients by disease. Accumulative data report that the oxidative stress plays a main role in pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. Oxygen reactive species generated by macrophages has been involved as mediators of demyelinization and of axon damage, in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and strictly in multiple sclerosis. Disease diagnosis is difficult because of there is not a confirmatory unique test. Management of it covers the treatment of acute relapses, disease modification, and symptoms management. These features require an individualized approach, base on evolution of this affection, and tolerability of treatments. In addition to diet, among non-pharmacologic treatments for multiple sclerosis it is recommended physical therapy. Besides, some clinical assays have been performed in which we used natural extracts, nutrition supplements, and other agents with promising results. Pharmacology allowed neurologists with a broad array of proved effectiveness drugs; however, results of research laboratories in past years make probable that therapeutical possibilities increase notably in future. (Author)

Comparison of Masking Level Difference in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Healthy Control Group

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soghrat Faghihzadeh

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Background and Aim: Multiple sclerosis (MS is a neurological disorder that involves central nervous system. Studies have showed that multiple sclerosis affects behavioral central auditory tests, such as masking release or masking level difference (MLD. The purpose of this study is to compare the masking level difference between multiple sclerosis patients and normal subjects.Methods: This cross sectional and non-interventional study was conducted on 32 multiple sclerosis patients aged between 20-50 years and 32 controls matched for age and gender in Faculty of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. masking level difference test was performed on each subject.Results: The mean masking level difference in the two groups was significantly different (p<0.01 however, gender did not prove to play a role in this difference.Conclusion: As part of the multiple sclerosis diagnosis panel, masking level difference test is an efficient modality for evaluation of hearing impairment and monitoring of rehabilitation progress.

NRC confirmatory safety system testing in support of AP600 design review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhee, G.S.; Bessette, D.E.; Shotkin, L.M.

1994-01-01

Westinghouse Electric Corporation has submitted the Advanced Passive 600 MWe (AP600) nuclear power plant design to the NRC for design certification. The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research is proceeding to conduct confirmatory testing to help the NRC staff evaluate the AP600 safety system design. For confirmatory testing, it was determined that the cost-effective route was to modify an existing full-height, full-pressure test facility rather than build a new one. Thus, all the existing integral effects test facilities, both in the US and abroad, were screened to select the best candidate. As a result, the ROSA-V (Rig of Safety Assessment-V) test facility located in the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) was chosen. However, because of some differences in design between the existing ROSA-V facility and the AP600, the ROSA-V is being modified to conform to the AP600 safety system design. The modification work will be completed by the end of this year. A series of facility characterization tests will then be performed in January 1994 for the modified part of the facility before the main test series is initiated in February 1994. A total of 12 tests will be performed in 1994 under Phase I of this cooperative program with JAERI. Phase II testing is being considered to be conducted in 1995 mainly for beyond-design-basis accident evaluation

The Internal Structure of Positive and Negative Affect: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the PANAS

Science.gov (United States)

Tuccitto, Daniel E.; Giacobbi, Peter R., Jr.; Leite, Walter L.

2010-01-01

This study tested five confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) models of the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to provide validity evidence based on its internal structure. A sample of 223 club sport athletes indicated their emotions during the past week. Results revealed that an orthogonal two-factor CFA model, specifying error…

A Confirmatory Approach to Examining the Factor Structure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Niclasen, Janni; Skovgaard, Anne Mette; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the factor structure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) using a Structural Confirmatory Factor Analytic approach. The Danish translation of the SDQ was distributed to 71,840 parents and teachers of 5-7 and 10-12-year-old boys and girls from ...

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Alternative: Free, Accessible CBID Software.

Science.gov (United States)

Bott, Marjorie; Karanevich, Alex G; Garrard, Lili; Price, Larry R; Mudaranthakam, Dinesh Pal; Gajewski, Byron

2018-02-01

New software that performs Classical and Bayesian Instrument Development (CBID) is reported that seamlessly integrates expert (content validity) and participant data (construct validity) to produce entire reliability estimates with smaller sample requirements. The free CBID software can be accessed through a website and used by clinical investigators in new instrument development. Demonstrations are presented of the three approaches using the CBID software: (a) traditional confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), (b) Bayesian CFA using flat uninformative prior, and (c) Bayesian CFA using content expert data (informative prior). Outcomes of usability testing demonstrate the need to make the user-friendly, free CBID software available to interdisciplinary researchers. CBID has the potential to be a new and expeditious method for instrument development, adding to our current measurement toolbox. This allows for the development of new instruments for measuring determinants of health in smaller diverse populations or populations of rare diseases.

Preliminary Hazard Classification for the Remediation of the 100-B/C Area Remaining Sites (Confirmatory Sampling Effort)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Routt, T.M.

2000-01-01

This document provides the preliminary hazard classification for the sampling and characterization activities to be conducted at the 100-B/C confirmatory sampling effort sites in support of remedial design and eventual remediation of these sites

VIKOR Method for Interval Neutrosophic Multiple Attribute Group Decision-Making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Han Huang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we will extend the VIKOR (VIsekriterijumska optimizacija i KOmpromisno Resenje method to multiple attribute group decision-making (MAGDM with interval neutrosophic numbers (INNs. Firstly, the basic concepts of INNs are briefly presented. The method first aggregates all individual decision-makers’ assessment information based on an interval neutrosophic weighted averaging (INWA operator, and then employs the extended classical VIKOR method to solve MAGDM problems with INNs. The validity and stability of this method are verified by example analysis and sensitivity analysis, and its superiority is illustrated by a comparison with the existing methods.

Group Targets Tracking Using Multiple Models GGIW-CPHD Based on Best-Fitting Gaussian Approximation and Strong Tracking Filter

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Yun Wang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Gamma Gaussian inverse Wishart cardinalized probability hypothesis density (GGIW-CPHD algorithm was always used to track group targets in the presence of cluttered measurements and missing detections. A multiple models GGIW-CPHD algorithm based on best-fitting Gaussian approximation method (BFG and strong tracking filter (STF is proposed aiming at the defect that the tracking error of GGIW-CPHD algorithm will increase when the group targets are maneuvering. The best-fitting Gaussian approximation method is proposed to implement the fusion of multiple models using the strong tracking filter to correct the predicted covariance matrix of the GGIW component. The corresponding likelihood functions are deduced to update the probability of multiple tracking models. From the simulation results we can see that the proposed tracking algorithm MM-GGIW-CPHD can effectively deal with the combination/spawning of groups and the tracking error of group targets in the maneuvering stage is decreased.

Confirmatory evidence for a multidimensional model of racial-ethnic socialization for transracially adoptive families.

Science.gov (United States)

Langrehr, Kimberly J; Thomas, Anita Jones; Morgan, Sydney K

2016-07-01

The purpose of the current study is to test a recently established model of racial-ethnic socialization (Langrehr, 2014) among 2 samples of White transracially adoptive parents and to assess whether the proposed model functions similarly after accounting for adopted child race. Based on a modified version of the Racial Bias Preparation Scale (Fisher, Wallace, & Fenton, 2000), confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the 3-factor model (i.e., Prejudice Awareness, Racial-Ethnic Pride, and Egalitarianism) among 172 White transracially adoptive parents with Asian children (Mage = 45.72) and 140 White transracially adoptive parents with Black children (Mage = 42.62). In addition, multigroup invariance testing was used to assess whether the proposed model functioned similarly across the 2 groups of parents. Results indicate that the proposed 3-factor model demonstrated partial measurement invariance such that the subconstruct of Egalitarianism functioned similarly across groups, whereas Racial-Ethnic Pride and Prejudice Awareness were deemed noninvariant. Findings are intended to help expand the concept of racial-ethnic socialization for transracially adoptive families and address the degree to which current research on racial-ethnic socialization can be applied to different transracially adoptive families. Results are intended to highlight ways that various social-cultural dimensions of family can culminate into different socialization experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Improving the Reading Ability of Science Students through Study Groups and Multiple Intelligences

Science.gov (United States)

Owolabi, Tunde; Okebukola, Foluso

2009-01-01

This study explored the effects of appropriate pedagogical skills (study groups and multiple intelligences) on students' efficiencies in reading skills. It employed a factorial design using three variables. A sample of 90 science students choosing from three intact classes were involved in the study. Data analyses were carried out using mean,…

Stepwise Analysis of Differential Item Functioning Based on Multiple-Group Partial Credit Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Muraki, Eiji

1999-01-01

Extended an Item Response Theory (IRT) method for detection of differential item functioning to the partial credit model and applied the method to simulated data using a stepwise procedure. Then applied the stepwise DIF analysis based on the multiple-group partial credit model to writing trend data from the National Assessment of Educational…

A confirmatory factor analysis of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students in a Chinese sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Lina; Jin, Yi

2017-02-01

Educational institutions play an important role in encouraging students' engagement with course work. Educators are finding instruments to measure students' engagement in order to develop strategies to improve it. Little is known about the factor structure of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students among Chinese nursing students. The aim of this research was to examine the factor structure of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students via confirmatory factor analysis. The study used a cross-sectional design. A sample of 480 students from a nursing school in one Chinese university completed the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students. Factor analysis was used to analyze the resulting data. The overall results of internal consistency reliability and confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence supporting the reliability and three-factor structure of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students. The total internal consistency reliability coefficients were 0.91. Model comparison tests indicated that an oblique factors model that permitted correlations between pairs of error terms fitted the data better than other first-order models. In addition, due to the three strongly intercorrelated factors, a second-order model was found to fit the data well, providing support for the factorial structure of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students. The findings of confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence supporting the reliability and three-factor structure of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students when evaluated with a Chinese nursing student sample in this study. Thus, it is appropriate to use The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students in for assessing the engagement among Chinese nursing students. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Group-level self-definition and self-investment: a hierarchical (multicomponent) model of in-group identification.

Science.gov (United States)

Leach, Colin Wayne; van Zomeren, Martijn; Zebel, Sven; Vliek, Michael L W; Pennekamp, Sjoerd F; Doosje, Bertjan; Ouwerkerk, Jaap W; Spears, Russell

2008-07-01

Recent research shows individuals' identification with in-groups to be psychologically important and socially consequential. However, there is little agreement about how identification should be conceptualized or measured. On the basis of previous work, the authors identified 5 specific components of in-group identification and offered a hierarchical 2-dimensional model within which these components are organized. Studies 1 and 2 used confirmatory factor analysis to validate the proposed model of self-definition (individual self-stereotyping, in-group homogeneity) and self-investment (solidarity, satisfaction, and centrality) dimensions, across 3 different group identities. Studies 3 and 4 demonstrated the construct validity of the 5 components by examining their (concurrent) correlations with established measures of in-group identification. Studies 5-7 demonstrated the predictive and discriminant validity of the 5 components by examining their (prospective) prediction of individuals' orientation to, and emotions about, real intergroup relations. Together, these studies illustrate the conceptual and empirical value of a hierarchical multicomponent model of in-group identification.

Applying voting theory in natural resource management: a case of multiple-criteria group decision support.

Science.gov (United States)

Laukkanen, Sanna; Kangas, Annika; Kangas, Jyrki

2002-02-01

Voting theory has a lot in common with utility theory, and especially with group decision-making. An expected-utility-maximising strategy exists in voting situations, as well as in decision-making situations. Therefore, it is natural to utilise the achievements of voting theory also in group decision-making. Most voting systems are based on a single criterion or holistic preference information on decision alternatives. However, a voting scheme called multicriteria approval is specially developed for decision-making situations with multiple criteria. This study considers the voting theory from the group decision support point of view and compares it with some other methods applied to similar purposes in natural resource management. A case study is presented, where the approval voting approach is introduced to natural resources planning and tested in a forestry group decision-making process. Applying multicriteria approval method was found to be a potential approach for handling some challenges typical for forestry group decision support. These challenges include (i) utilising ordinal information in the evaluation of decision alternatives, (ii) being readily understandable for and treating equally all the stakeholders in possession of different levels of knowledge on the subject considered, (iii) fast and cheap acquisition of preference information from several stakeholders, and (iv) dealing with multiple criteria.

To Make Good Decision: A Group DSS for Multiple Criteria Alternative Rank and Selection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen-Shu Wang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Decision making is a recursive process and usually involves multiple decision criteria. However, such multiple criteria decision making may have a problem in which partial decision criteria may conflict with each other. An information technology, such as the decision support system (DSS and group DSS (GDSS, emerges to assist decision maker for decision-making process. Both the DSS and GDSS should integrate with a symmetrical approach to assist decision maker to take all decision criteria into consideration simultaneously. This study proposes a GDSS architecture named hybrid decision-making support model (HDMSM and integrated four decision approaches (Delphi, DEMATEL, ANP, and MDS to help decision maker to rank and select appropriate alternatives. The HDMSM consists of five steps, namely, criteria identification, criteria correlation calculation, criteria evaluation, critical criteria selection, and alternative rank and comparison. Finally, to validate the proposed feasibility of the proposed model, this study also conducts a case study to find out the important indexes of corporate social responsibility (CSR from multiple perspectives. As the case study demonstrates the proposed HDMSM enables a group of decision makers to implement the MCDM effectively and help them to analyze the relation and degree of mutual influence among different evaluation factors.

Evaluation of the Frequency for Gas Sampling for the High Burnup Confirmatory Data Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stockman, Christine T. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Alsaed, Halim A. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Bryan, Charles R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Marschman, Steven C. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Scaglione, John M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2015-05-01

This report provides a technically based gas sampling frequency strategy for the High Burnup (HBU) Confirmatory Data Project. The evaluation of: 1) the types and magnitudes of gases that could be present in the project cask and, 2) the degradation mechanisms that could change gas compositions culminates in an adaptive gas sampling frequency strategy. This adaptive strategy is compared against the sampling frequency that has been developed based on operational considerations.

Consensus definitions and application guidelines for control groups in cerebrospinal fluid biomarker studies in multiple sclerosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Teunissen, Charlotte; Menge, Til; Altintas, Ayse

2013-01-01

The choice of appropriate control group(s) is critical in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker research in multiple sclerosis (MS). There is a lack of definitions and nomenclature of different control groups and a rationalized application of different control groups. We here propose consensus......). Furthermore, we discuss the application of these control groups in specific study designs, such as for diagnostic biomarker studies, prognostic biomarker studies and therapeutic response studies. Application of these uniform definitions will lead to better comparability of biomarker studies and optimal use...

Emotional Intelligence and Nurse Recruitment: Rasch and confirmatory factor analysis of the trait emotional intelligence questionnaire short form.

Science.gov (United States)

Snowden, Austyn; Watson, Roger; Stenhouse, Rosie; Hale, Claire

2015-12-01

To examine the construct validity of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form. Emotional intelligence involves the identification and regulation of our own emotions and the emotions of others. It is therefore a potentially useful construct in the investigation of recruitment and retention in nursing and many questionnaires have been constructed to measure it. Secondary analysis of existing dataset of responses to Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form using concurrent application of Rasch analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. First year undergraduate nursing and computing students completed Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form in September 2013. Responses were analysed by synthesising results of Rasch analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Participants (N = 938) completed Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form. Rasch analysis showed the majority of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form items made a unique contribution to the latent trait of emotional intelligence. Five items did not fit the model and differential item functioning (gender) accounted for this misfit. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure consisting of: self-confidence, empathy, uncertainty and social connection. All five misfitting items from the Rasch analysis belonged to the 'social connection' factor. The concurrent use of Rasch and factor analysis allowed for novel interpretation of Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form. Much of the response variation in Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form can be accounted for by the social connection factor. Implications for practice are discussed. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

76 FR 55711 - Confirmatory Order Modifying License No. SNM-2001 for the Shallow Land Disposal Area, Parks...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-08

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 40-8907; NRC-2011-0193] Confirmatory Order Modifying License No. SNM-2001 for the Shallow Land Disposal Area, Parks Township, Armstrong County, PA; Notice of... (SNM), pursuant to the terms and conditions of the aforementioned License, at the Shallow Land Disposal...

Confirmatory versus explorative endpoint analysis: Decision-making on the basis of evidence available from market authorization and early benefit assessment for oncology drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Niehaus, Ines; Dintsios, Charalabos-Markos

2018-03-26

The early benefit assessment of pharmaceuticals in Germany and their preceding market authorization pursue different objectives. This is reflected by the inclusion of varying confirmatory endpoints within the evaluation of oncology drugs in early benefit assessment versus market authorization, with both relying on the same evidence. Data from assessments up to July 2015 are used to estimate the impact of explorative in comparison to confirmatory endpoints on market authorization and early benefit assessment by contrasting the benefit-risk ratio of EMA and the benefit-harm balance of the HTA jurisdiction. Agreement between market authorization and early benefit assessment is examined by Cohen's kappa (k). 21 of 41 assessments were considered in the analysis. Market authorization is more confirmatory than early benefit assessment because it includes a higher proportion of primary endpoints. The latter implies a primary endpoint to be relevant for the benefit-harm balance in only 67% of cases (0.078). Explorative mortality endpoints reached the highest agreement regarding the mutual consideration for the risk-benefit ratio and the benefit-harm balance (0.000). For explorative morbidity endpoints (-0.600), quality of life (-0.600) and side effects (-0.949) no agreement is ascertainable. To warrant a broader confirmatory basis for decisions supported by HTA, closer inter-institutional cooperation of approval authorities and HTA jurisdictions by means of reliable joint advice for manufacturers regarding endpoint definition would be favorable. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measuring child maltreatment using multi-informant survey data: a higher-order confirmatory factor analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Salum, Giovanni A; DeSousa, Diogo Araújo; Manfro, Gisele Gus; Pan, Pedro Mario; Gadelha, Ary; Brietzke, Elisa; Miguel, Eurípedes Constantino; Mari, Jair J; do Rosário, Maria Conceição; Grassi-Oliveira, Rodrigo

2016-01-01

To investigate the validity and reliability of a multi-informant approach to measuring child maltreatment (CM) comprising seven questions assessing CM administered to children and their parents in a large community sample. Our sample comprised 2,512 children aged 6 to 12 years and their parents. Child maltreatment (CM) was assessed with three questions answered by the children and four answered by their parents, covering physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse and sexual abuse. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to compare the fit indices of different models. Convergent and divergent validity were tested using parent-report and teacher-report scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Discriminant validity was investigated using the Development and Well-Being Assessment to divide subjects into five diagnostic groups: typically developing controls (n = 1,880), fear disorders (n = 108), distress disorders (n = 76), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (n = 143) and oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (n = 56). A higher-order model with one higher-order factor (child maltreatment) encompassing two lower-order factors (child report and parent report) exhibited the best fit to the data and this model's reliability results were acceptable. As expected, child maltreatment was positively associated with measures of psychopathology and negatively associated with prosocial measures. All diagnostic category groups had higher levels of overall child maltreatment than typically developing children. We found evidence for the validity and reliability of this brief measure of child maltreatment using data from a large survey combining information from parents and their children.

A New Achiral Linker Reagent for the Incorporation of Multiple Amino Groups Into Oligonucleotides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

1997-01-01

The present invention relates to a new functionalized achiral linker reagent for incorporating multiple primary amino groups or reporter groups into oligonucleotides following the phosphoramidite methodology. It is possible to substitute any ribodeoxynucleotide, deoxynucleotide, or nucleotide......-oxyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine), TEMPO (N-oxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine), dinitrophenyl, texas red, tetramethyl rhodamine, 7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1-diazole (NBD), or pyrene. The present invention also relates to a solid phase support, e.g. a Controlled Pore Glass (CPG), immobilized linker reagent...

A confirmatory factor analysis of the metabolic syndrome in adolescents: an examination of sex and racial/ethnic differences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gurka Matthew J

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objective The metabolic syndrome (MetS is a cluster of clinical indices that signals increased risk for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. The diagnosis of MetS is typically based on cut-off points for various components, e.g. waist circumference and blood pressure. Because current MetS criteria result in racial/ethnic discrepancies, our goal was to use confirmatory factor analysis to delineate differential contributions to MetS by sub-group. Research Design and Methods Using 1999–2010 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis of a single MetS factor that allowed differential loadings across sex and race/ethnicity, resulting in a continuous MetS risk score that is sex and race/ethnicity-specific. Results Loadings to the MetS score differed by racial/ethnic and gender subgroup with respect to triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol. ROC-curve analysis revealed high area-under-the-curve concordance with MetS by traditional criteria (0.96, and with elevations in MetS-associated risk markers, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (0.71, uric acid (0.75 and fasting insulin (0.82. Using a cut off for this score derived from ROC-curve analysis, the MetS risk score exhibited increased sensitivity for predicting elevations in ≥2 of these risk markers as compared with traditional pediatric MetS criteria. Conclusions The equations from this sex- and race/ethnicity-specific analysis provide a clinically-accessible and interpretable continuous measure of MetS that can be used to identify children at higher risk for developing adult diseases related to MetS, who could then be targeted for intervention. These equations also provide a powerful new outcome for use in childhood obesity and MetS research.

Detecting and accounting for multiple sources of positional variance in peak list registration analysis and spin system grouping.

Science.gov (United States)

Smelter, Andrey; Rouchka, Eric C; Moseley, Hunter N B

2017-08-01

Peak lists derived from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra are commonly used as input data for a variety of computer assisted and automated analyses. These include automated protein resonance assignment and protein structure calculation software tools. Prior to these analyses, peak lists must be aligned to each other and sets of related peaks must be grouped based on common chemical shift dimensions. Even when programs can perform peak grouping, they require the user to provide uniform match tolerances or use default values. However, peak grouping is further complicated by multiple sources of variance in peak position limiting the effectiveness of grouping methods that utilize uniform match tolerances. In addition, no method currently exists for deriving peak positional variances from single peak lists for grouping peaks into spin systems, i.e. spin system grouping within a single peak list. Therefore, we developed a complementary pair of peak list registration analysis and spin system grouping algorithms designed to overcome these limitations. We have implemented these algorithms into an approach that can identify multiple dimension-specific positional variances that exist in a single peak list and group peaks from a single peak list into spin systems. The resulting software tools generate a variety of useful statistics on both a single peak list and pairwise peak list alignment, especially for quality assessment of peak list datasets. We used a range of low and high quality experimental solution NMR and solid-state NMR peak lists to assess performance of our registration analysis and grouping algorithms. Analyses show that an algorithm using a single iteration and uniform match tolerances approach is only able to recover from 50 to 80% of the spin systems due to the presence of multiple sources of variance. Our algorithm recovers additional spin systems by reevaluating match tolerances in multiple iterations. To facilitate evaluation of the

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronald D. Yockey

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The relative fit of one- and two-factor models of the Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (PASS was investigated using confirmatory factor analysis on an ethnically diverse sample of 345 participants. The results indicated that although the two-factor model provided better fit to the data than the one-factor model, neither model provided optimal fit. However, a two-factor model which accounted for common item theme pairs used by Solomon and Rothblum in the creation of the scale provided good fit to the data. In addition, a significant difference by ethnicity was also found on the fear of failure subscale of the PASS, with Whites having significantly lower scores than Asian Americans or Latino/as. Implications of the results are discussed and recommendations made for future work with the scale.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Dutch Version of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV-NL)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bouman, Z.; Hendriks, M.P.; Kerkmeer, M.C.; Kessels, R.P.C.; Aldenkamp, A.P.

2015-01-01

The latent factor structure of the Dutch version of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV-NL) was examined with a series of confirmatory factor analyses. As part of the Dutch standardization, 1,188 healthy participants completed the WMS-IV-NL. Four models were tested for the Adult Battery

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition in an Australian Clinical Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Cockshott, Felicity C.; Marsh, Nigel V.; Hine, Donald W.

2006-01-01

A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III; D. Wechsler, 1991) with a sample of 579 Australian children referred for assessment because of academic difficulties in the classroom. The children were administered the WISC-III as part of the initial eligibility determination…

Are there distinct cognitive and motivational sub-groups of children with ADHD?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lambek, Rikke; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund; Tannock, Rosemary

2017-01-01

of scores on EF and DA tests were contrasted using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). LPA was carried out based on factor scores from the CFA and sub-groups were compared in terms of odor identification and behavior. A model with one DA and two EF factors best fit the data. LPA resulted in four sub...

The impact of self-transcendence on physical health status promotion in multiple sclerosis patients attending peer support groups.

Science.gov (United States)

JadidMilani, Maryam; Ashktorab, Tahereh; AbedSaeedi, Zhila; AlaviMajd, Hamid

2015-12-01

This study aimed to investigate the effect of self-transcendence on the physical health of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients attending peer support groups. This study was a quasi-experimental before-and-after design including 33 MS patients in three groups: 10 men in the men-only group, 11 women in the women-only group, and 12 men and women in the mixed group. Participants were required to attend eight weekly sessions of 2 h each. Instruments included the physical health section of the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Inventory and Reed's Self-Transcendence Scale. Peer support group attendance was found to have a significant positive effect on the physical health and self-transcendence of MS patients when comparing average scores before and after attendance. Regression analysis showed that improvement in self-transcendence predicted improvement in physical health. Results show the positive effects of peer support groups on self-transcendence and physical health in MS patients, and suggest that improvement in well-being can be gained by promoting self-transcendence and physical health. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Multiplicative surrogate standard deviation: a group metric for the glycemic variability of individual hospitalized patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Braithwaite, Susan S; Umpierrez, Guillermo E; Chase, J Geoffrey

2013-09-01

Group metrics are described to quantify blood glucose (BG) variability of hospitalized patients. The "multiplicative surrogate standard deviation" (MSSD) is the reverse-transformed group mean of the standard deviations (SDs) of the logarithmically transformed BG data set of each patient. The "geometric group mean" (GGM) is the reverse-transformed group mean of the means of the logarithmically transformed BG data set of each patient. Before reverse transformation is performed, the mean of means and mean of SDs each has its own SD, which becomes a multiplicative standard deviation (MSD) after reverse transformation. Statistical predictions and comparisons of parametric or nonparametric tests remain valid after reverse transformation. A subset of a previously published BG data set of 20 critically ill patients from the first 72 h of treatment under the SPRINT protocol was transformed logarithmically. After rank ordering according to the SD of the logarithmically transformed BG data of each patient, the cohort was divided into two equal groups, those having lower or higher variability. For the entire cohort, the GGM was 106 (÷/× 1.07) mg/dl, and MSSD was 1.24 (÷/× 1.07). For the subgroups having lower and higher variability, respectively, the GGM did not differ, 104 (÷/× 1.07) versus 109 (÷/× 1.07) mg/dl, but the MSSD differed, 1.17 (÷/× 1.03) versus 1.31 (÷/× 1.05), p = .00004. By using the MSSD with its MSD, groups can be characterized and compared according to glycemic variability of individual patient members. © 2013 Diabetes Technology Society.

Self-help group and the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis - Pilot study

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Anna Eliášová

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Aim: The goal of the pilot study was to compare the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis in the Presov region with or without the support of a self-help group. Design: The character of this pilot study on patients with MS was related to the use of self-help groups and their impact on the assessment of the quality of life of the respondents, with the help of a questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF. Methods: The research was carried out in the Prešov region with the help of the standardized WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Ninety-one patients with MS participated in the pilot study (46 respondents attended a self-help group and 35 did not. Results: The groups, when compared, aided by the statistically evaluated WHOQOL-BREF domains, were found to show significant differences in their evaluation of quality of life in three domains: domain one: physical health; domain two: surviving; domain three: social relations. Better scores were achieved in these domains by those who attended a group. In the physical sphere, we noticed significant differences in sleep quality, and sexual satisfaction (p < 0.001, while in social and economic areas, there were significant differences in satisfaction with personal relationships (p < 0.001, and economic circumstances (p < 0.01, self-contentment (p < 0.01, and coping with negative feelings (p < 0.05. Conclusion: Patients with multiple sclerosis can live normal lives provided they are supported by their families, friends, health care professionals, and self-help groups.

Argumentation in the Chemistry Laboratory: Inquiry and Confirmatory Experiments

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Katchevich, Dvora; Hofstein, Avi; Mamlok-Naaman, Rachel

2013-02-01

One of the goals of science education is to provide students with the ability to construct arguments—reasoning and thinking critically in a scientific context. Over the years, many studies have been conducted on constructing arguments in science teaching, but only few of them have dealt with studying argumentation in the laboratory. Our research focuses on the process in which students construct arguments in the chemistry laboratory while conducting various types of experiments. It was found that inquiry experiments have the potential to serve as an effective platform for formulating arguments, owing to the features of this learning environment. The discourse during inquiry-type experiments was found to be rich in arguments, whereas that during confirmatory-type experiments was found to be sparse in arguments. The arguments, which were developed during the discourse of an open inquiry experiment, focus on the hypothesis-building stage, analysis of the results, and drawing appropriate conclusions.

Matrix-type multiple reciprocity boundary element method for solving three-dimensional two-group neutron diffusion equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itagaki, Masafumi; Sahashi, Naoki.

1997-01-01

The multiple reciprocity boundary element method has been applied to three-dimensional two-group neutron diffusion problems. A matrix-type boundary integral equation has been derived to solve the first and the second group neutron diffusion equations simultaneously. The matrix-type fundamental solutions used here satisfy the equation which has a point source term and is adjoint to the neutron diffusion equations. A multiple reciprocity method has been employed to transform the matrix-type domain integral related to the fission source into an equivalent boundary one. The higher order fundamental solutions required for this formulation are composed of a series of two types of analytic functions. The eigenvalue itself is also calculated using only boundary integrals. Three-dimensional test calculations indicate that the present method provides stable and accurate solutions for criticality problems. (author)

Multiple sclerosis: general features and pharmacologic approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nielsen Lagumersindez, Denis; Martinez Sanchez, Gregorio

2009-01-01

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune, inflammatory and desmyelinization disease central nervous system (CNS) of unknown etiology and critical evolution. There different etiological hypotheses talking of a close interrelation among predisposing genetic factors and dissimilar environmental factors, able to give raise to autoimmune response at central nervous system level. Hypothesis of autoimmune pathogeny is based on study of experimental models, and findings in biopsies of affected patients by disease. Accumulative data report that the oxidative stress plays a main role in pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. Oxygen reactive species generated by macrophages has been involved as mediators of demyelinization and of axon damage, in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and strictly in multiple sclerosis. Disease diagnosis is difficult because of there is not a confirmatory unique test. Management of it covers the treatment of acute relapses, disease modification, and symptoms management. These features require an individualized approach, base on evolution of this affection, and tolerability of treatments. In addition to diet, among non-pharmacologic treatments for multiple sclerosis it is recommended physical therapy. Besides, some clinical assays have been performed in which we used natural extracts, nutrition supplements, and other agents with promising results. Pharmacology allowed neurologists with a broad array of proved effectiveness drugs; however, results of research laboratories in past years make probable that therapeutical possibilities increase notably in future. (Author)

A Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 among English- and Spanish-speaking Latinas

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Merz, Erin L.; Malcarne, Vanessa L.; Roesch, Scott C.; Riley, Natasha; Sadler, Georgia Robins

2014-01-01

Depression is a significant problem for ethnic minorities that remains understudied partly due to a lack of strong measures with established psychometric properties. One screening tool, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), which was developed for use in primary care has also gained popularity in research settings. The reliability and validity of the PHQ-9 has been well established among predominantly Caucasian samples, in addition to many minority groups. However, there is little evidence regarding its utility among Hispanic Americans, a large and growing cultural group in the United States. In this study, we investigated the reliability and structural validity of the PHQ-9 in Hispanic American women. A community sample of 479 Latina women from southern California completed the PHQ-9 in their preferred language of English or Spanish. Cronbach’s alphas suggested that there was good internal consistency for both the English- and Spanish-language versions. Structural validity was investigated using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results support a similar one-factor structure with equivalent response patterns and variances among English- and Spanish-speaking Latinas. These results suggest that the PHQ-9 can be used with confidence in both English and Spanish versions to screen Latinas for depression. PMID:21787063

Development of LC-MS/MS confirmatory method for the determination of testosterone in bovine serum

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Woźniak Barbara

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: In the European Union the use of steroid growth promoters is prohibited under Council Directive 96/22/EC. For effective control of illegal use of natural steroids, highly sensitive analytical methods are required, because sex hormones can be present in very low concentrations in biological samples. The aim of the study was to develop a confirmatory method for the detection of testosterone in bovine serum at ppt level.

Measuring child maltreatment using multi-informant survey data: a higher-order confirmatory factor analysis

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Giovanni A. Salum

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Objective To investigate the validity and reliability of a multi-informant approach to measuring child maltreatment (CM comprising seven questions assessing CM administered to children and their parents in a large community sample. Methods Our sample comprised 2,512 children aged 6 to 12 years and their parents. Child maltreatment (CM was assessed with three questions answered by the children and four answered by their parents, covering physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse and sexual abuse. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to compare the fit indices of different models. Convergent and divergent validity were tested using parent-report and teacher-report scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Discriminant validity was investigated using the Development and Well-Being Assessment to divide subjects into five diagnostic groups: typically developing controls (n = 1,880, fear disorders (n = 108, distress disorders (n = 76, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (n = 143 and oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (n = 56. Results A higher-order model with one higher-order factor (child maltreatment encompassing two lower-order factors (child report and parent report exhibited the best fit to the data and this model's reliability results were acceptable. As expected, child maltreatment was positively associated with measures of psychopathology and negatively associated with prosocial measures. All diagnostic category groups had higher levels of overall child maltreatment than typically developing children. Conclusions We found evidence for the validity and reliability of this brief measure of child maltreatment using data from a large survey combining information from parents and their children.

Pen Branch fault: Confirmatory drilling results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stieve, A.; Coruh, C.; Costain, J.K.

1994-01-01

The Confirmatory Drilling Project is the final investigation under the Pen Branch Fault Program initiated to determine the capability of the Pen Branch fault (PBF) to release seismic energy. This investigation focused on a small zone over the fault where previously collected seismic reflection data had indicated the fault deforms the subsurface at 150 msec (with reference to an 80 m reference datum). Eighteen drill holes, 2 to basement and the others to 300 ft, were arranged in a scatter pattern over the fault. To adequately define configuration of the layers deformed by the fault boreholes were spaced over a zone of 800 ft, north to south. The closely spaced data were to confirm or refute the existence of flat lying reflectors observed in seismic reflection data and to enable the authors to identify and correlate lithologic layers with seismic reflection data. Results suggest that deformation by the fault in sediments 300 ft deep ad shallower is subtle. Corroboration of the geologic interpretation with the seismic reflection profile is ongoing but preliminary results indicate that specific reflectors can be assigned to lithologic layers. A large amplitude package of reflections below a flat lying continuous reflection at 40 msec can be correlated with a lithology that corresponds to carbonate sediments in geologic cross-section. Further, data also show that a geologic layer as shallow as 30 ft can be traced on these seismic data over the same subsurface distance where geologic cross-section shows corresponding continuity. The subsurface structure is thus corroborated by both methods at this study site

A CONFIRMATORY STUDY OF SUPPLY CHAIN PERFORMANCE AND COMPETITIVENESS OF INDIAN MANUFACTURING ORGANIZATIONS

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Amit Kumar Marwah

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents finding of a study on Indian manufacturing organizations. A conceptual model is proposed based on a rigorous literature review. The model so developed undergoes through a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM approach. The paper highlights various factors responsible for supply chain performance (SCP, subsequently leading to competitiveness. The survey involves 361 manufacturing organizations across India and the data is gathered using 5-point Likert scale. The study a ttempts to integrate various factors contributing to SCP in a single study. It is proposed to further test the model using exploratory factor analysis (EFA.

MULTIPLE CRITERA METHODS WITH FOCUS ON ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS AND GROUP DECISION MAKING

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Lidija Zadnik-Stirn

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Managing natural resources is a group multiple criteria decision making problem. In this paper the analytic hierarchy process is the chosen method for handling the natural resource problems. The one decision maker problem is discussed and, three methods: the eigenvector method, data envelopment analysis method, and logarithmic least squares method are presented for the derivation of the priority vector. Further, the group analytic hierarchy process is discussed and six methods for the aggregation of individual judgments or priorities: weighted arithmetic mean method, weighted geometric mean method, and four methods based on data envelopment analysis are compared. The case study on land use in Slovenia is applied. The conclusions review consistency, sensitivity analyses, and some future directions of research.

Does the Assessment of Recovery Capital scale reflect a single or multiple domains?

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Arndt, Stephan; Sahker, Ethan; Hedden, Suzy

2017-01-01

The goal of this study was to determine whether the 50-item Assessment of Recovery Capital scale represents a single general measure or whether multiple domains might be psychometrically useful for research or clinical applications. Data are from a cross-sectional de-identified existing program evaluation information data set with 1,138 clients entering substance use disorder treatment. Principal components and iterated factor analysis were used on the domain scores. Multiple group factor analysis provided a quasi-confirmatory factor analysis. The solution accounted for 75.24% of the total variance, suggesting that 10 factors provide a reasonably good fit. However, Tucker's congruence coefficients between the factor structure and defining weights (0.41-0.52) suggested a poor fit to the hypothesized 10-domain structure. Principal components of the 10-domain scores yielded one factor whose eigenvalue was greater than one (5.93), accounting for 75.8% of the common variance. A few domains had perceptible but small unique variance components suggesting that a few of the domains may warrant enrichment. Our findings suggest that there is one general factor, with a caveat. Using the 10 measures inflates the chance for Type I errors. Using one general measure avoids this issue, is simple to interpret, and could reduce the number of items. However, those seeking to maximally predict later recovery success may need to use the full instrument and all 10 domains.

DISC Predictive Scales (DPS): Factor structure and uniform differential item functioning across gender and three racial/ethnic groups for ADHD, conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms.

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Wiesner, Margit; Windle, Michael; Kanouse, David E; Elliott, Marc N; Schuster, Mark A

2015-12-01

The factor structure and potential uniform differential item functioning (DIF) among gender and three racial/ethnic groups of adolescents (African American, Latino, White) were evaluated for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptom scores of the DISC Predictive Scales (DPS; Leung et al., 2005; Lucas et al., 2001). Primary caregivers reported on DSM-IV ADHD, CD, and ODD symptoms for a probability sample of 4,491 children from three geographical regions who took part in the Healthy Passages study (mean age = 12.60 years, SD = 0.66). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the expected 3-factor structure was tenable for the data. Multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) modeling revealed uniform DIF for three ADHD and 9 ODD item scores, but not for any of the CD item scores. Uniform DIF was observed predominantly as a function of child race/ethnicity, but minimally as a function of child gender. On the positive side, uniform DIF had little impact on latent mean differences of ADHD, CD, and ODD symptomatology among gender and racial/ethnic groups. Implications of the findings for researchers and practitioners are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Trinity Inventory of Precursors to Suicide (TIPS) and Its Relationship to Hopelessness and Depression

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Smyth, Caroline L.; MacLachlan, Malcolm

2005-01-01

Numerous existing measures assess attitudes toward suicide yet fail to account for contextual factors. The Trinity Inventory of Precursors to Suicide (TIPS) is presented as an alternative, with implications for the development of prevention programs. Having previously reported exploratory analysis of the TIPS; confirmatory factor analysis and…

The rationale and cost-effectiveness of a confirmatory mapping tool for lymphatic filariasis: Examples from Ethiopia and Tanzania.

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Gass, Katherine M; Sime, Heven; Mwingira, Upendo J; Nshala, Andreas; Chikawe, Maria; Pelletreau, Sonia; Barbre, Kira A; Deming, Michael S; Rebollo, Maria P

2017-10-01

Endemicity mapping is required to determining whether a district requires mass drug administration (MDA). Current guidelines for mapping LF require that two sites be selected per district and within each site a convenience sample of 100 adults be tested for antigenemia or microfilaremia. One or more confirmed positive tests in either site is interpreted as an indicator of potential transmission, prompting MDA at the district-level. While this mapping strategy has worked well in high-prevalence settings, imperfect diagnostics and the transmission potential of a single positive adult have raised concerns about the strategy's use in low-prevalence settings. In response to these limitations, a statistically rigorous confirmatory mapping strategy was designed as a complement to the current strategy when LF endemicity is uncertain. Under the new strategy, schools are selected by either systematic or cluster sampling, depending on population size, and within each selected school, children 9-14 years are sampled systematically. All selected children are tested and the number of positive results is compared against a critical value to determine, with known probabilities of error, whether the average prevalence of LF infection is likely below a threshold of 2%. This confirmatory mapping strategy was applied to 45 districts in Ethiopia and 10 in Tanzania, where initial mapping results were considered uncertain. In 42 Ethiopian districts, and all 10 of the Tanzanian districts, the number of antigenemic children was below the critical cutoff, suggesting that these districts do not require MDA. Only three Ethiopian districts exceeded the critical cutoff of positive results. Whereas the current World Health Organization guidelines would have recommended MDA in all 55 districts, the present results suggest that only three of these districts requires MDA. By avoiding unnecessary MDA in 52 districts, the confirmatory mapping strategy is estimated to have saved a total of $9,293,219.

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Student Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (S-EBPQ) in an Australian sample.

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Beccaria, Lisa; Beccaria, Gavin; McCosker, Catherine

2018-03-01

It is crucial that nursing students develop skills and confidence in using Evidence-Based Practice principles early in their education. This should be assessed with valid tools however, to date, few measures have been developed and applied to the student population. To examine the structural validity of the Student Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (S-EBPQ), with an Australian online nursing student cohort. A cross-sectional study for constructing validity. Three hundred and forty-five undergraduate nursing students from an Australian regional university were recruited across two semesters. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to examine the structural validity. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was applied which resulted in a good fitting model, based on a revised 20-item tool. The S-EBPQ tool remains a psychometrically robust measure of evidence-based practice use, attitudes, and knowledge and skills and can be applied in an online Australian student context. The findings of this study provided further evidence of the reliability and four factor structure of the S-EBPQ. Opportunities for further refinement of the tool may result in improvements in structural validity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Confirmatory simulation of safety and operational transients in LMFBR systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guppy, J.G.; Agrawal, A.K.

1978-01-01

Operational and safety transients (anticipated, unlikely, or extremely unlikely) that may originate anywhere in a liquid-metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) system must be adequately simulated to assist in safety evaluation and plant design efforts. An advanced thermohydraulic transient code, the Super System Code (SSC), is described that may be used for confirmatory safety evaluations of plant-wide events, such as assurance of adequate decay heat removal capability under natural circulation conditions. Results obtained with SSC illustrating the degree of modeling detail present in the code as well as the computing efficiency are presented. A version of the SSC code, SSC-L, applicable to any loop-type LMFBR design, has been developed at Brookhaven. The scope of SSC-L is to enable the simulation of all plant-wide transients covered by Plant Protection System (PPS) action, including sodium pipe rupture and coastdown to natural circulation conditions. The computations are stopped when loss of core integrity (i.e., clad melting temperature exceeded) is indicated

Eating in groups: Do multiple social influences affect intake in a fast-food restaurant?

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Brindal, Emily; Wilson, Carlene; Mohr, Philip; Wittert, Gary

2015-05-01

This study investigated multiple social influences to determine whether they affect amount eaten at a fast-food environment. Using observational methods, data on meal duration, foods eaten and personal characteristics were collected for 157 McDonald's patrons. Analysis of covariance revealed that female diners ate less kilojoules when eating in mixed- versus same-sex groups (adjusted difference = 967 kJ, p < .05), while male diners eating in mixed-sex company ate more in groups compared to pairs (adjusted difference = 1067 kJ, p = .019). Influences to increase and restrict the amount eaten can operate simultaneously in an eating environment with gender a critical factor for consideration. © The Author(s) 2015.

Are medical treatments for individuals and groups like single-play and multiple-play gambles?

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Michael L. DeKay

2006-11-01

Full Text Available People are often more likely to accept risky monetary gambles with positive expected values when the gambles will be played more than once. We investigated whether this distinction between single-play and multiple-play gambles extends to medical treatments for individual patients and groups of patients. Resident physicians and medical students (extit{n} = 69 and undergraduates (extit{n} = 99 ranked 9 different flu shots and a no-flu-shot option in 1 of 4 combinations of perspective (individual patient vs. group of 1000 patients and uncertainty frame (probability vs. frequency. The rank of the no-flu-shot option (a measure of preference for treatment vs. no treatment was not significantly related to perspective or participant population. The main effect of uncertainty frame and the interaction between perspective and uncertainty frame approached significance (0.1 {extgreater} extit{p} {extgreater} 0.05, with the no-flu-shot option faring particularly poorly (treatment faring particularly well when decisions about many patients were based on frequency information. Undergraduate participants believed that the no-flu-shot option would be less attractive (treatment would be more attractive in decisions about many patients, but these intuitions were inconsistent with the actual ranks. These results and those of other studies suggest that medical treatments for individuals and groups are not analogous to single-play and multiple-play monetary gambles, perhaps because many people are unwilling to aggregate treatment outcomes over patients in the same way that they would compute net gains or losses over monetary gambles.

Aggregation operators of neutrosophic linguistic numbers for multiple attribute group decision making.

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Ye, Jun

2016-01-01

Based on the concept of neutrosophic linguistic numbers (NLNs) in symbolic neutrosophic theory presented by Smarandache in 2015, the paper firstly proposes basic operational laws of NLNs and the expected value of a NLN to rank NLNs. Then, we propose the NLN weighted arithmetic average (NLNWAA) and NLN weighted geometric average (NLNWGA) operators and discuss their properties. Further, we establish a multiple attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) method by using the NLNWAA and NLNWGA operators under NLN environment. Finally, an illustrative example on a decision-making problem of manufacturing alternatives in the flexible manufacturing system is given to show the application of the proposed MAGDM method.

Confirmatory factor analysis of posttraumatic stress symptoms in sexually harassed women.

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Palmieri, Patrick A; Fitzgerald, Louise F

2005-12-01

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) factor analytic research to date has not provided a clear consensus on the structure of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Seven hypothesized factor structures were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, a paper-and-pencil measure of posttraumatic stress symptom severity, in a sample of 1,218 women who experienced a broad range of workplace sexual harassment. The model specifying correlated re-experiencing, effortful avoidance, emotional numbing, and hyperarousal factors provided the best fit to the data. Virtually no support was obtained for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) three-factor model of re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal factors. Different patterns of correlations with external variables were found for the avoidance and emotional numbing factors, providing further validation of the supported model.

Validation of the Arabic Version of the Group Personality Projective Test among university students in Bahrain.

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Al-Musawi, Nu'man M

2003-04-01

Using confirmatory factor analytic techniques on data generated from 200 students enrolled at the University of Bahrain, we obtained some construct validity and reliability data for the Arabic Version of the 1961 Group Personality Projective Test by Cassel and Khan. In contrast to the 5-factor model proposed for the Group Personality Projective Test, a 6-factor solution appeared justified for the Arabic Version of this test, suggesting some variance between the cultural groups in the United States and in Bahrain.

Social Identity Mapping: A procedure for visual representation and assessment of subjective multiple group memberships.

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Cruwys, Tegan; Steffens, Niklas K; Haslam, S Alexander; Haslam, Catherine; Jetten, Jolanda; Dingle, Genevieve A

2016-12-01

In this research, we introduce Social Identity Mapping (SIM) as a method for visually representing and assessing a person's subjective network of group memberships. To provide evidence of its utility, we report validating data from three studies (two longitudinal), involving student, community, and clinical samples, together comprising over 400 participants. Results indicate that SIM is easy to use, internally consistent, with good convergent and discriminant validity. Each study also illustrates the ways that SIM can be used to address a range of novel research questions. Study 1 shows that multiple positive group memberships are a particularly powerful predictor of well-being. Study 2 shows that social support is primarily given and received within social groups and that only in-group support is beneficial for well-being. Study 3 shows that improved mental health following a social group intervention is attributable to an increase in group compatibility. In this way, the studies demonstrate the capacity for SIM to make a contribution both to the development of social-psychological theory and to its practical application. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Malay version comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire tested among mothers of primary school children in Malaysia.

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Shohaimi, Shamarina; Wei, Wong Yoke; Shariff, Zalilah Mohd

2014-01-01

Comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire (CFPQ) is an instrument specifically developed to evaluate parental feeding practices. It has been confirmed among children in America and applied to populations in France, Norway, and New Zealand. In order to extend the application of CFPQ, we conducted a factor structure validation of the translated version of CFPQ (CFPQ-M) using confirmatory factor analysis among mothers of primary school children (N = 397) in Malaysia. Several items were modified for cultural adaptation. Of 49 items, 39 items with loading factors >0.40 were retained in the final model. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the final model (twelve-factor model with 39 items and 2 error covariances) displayed the best fit for our sample (Chi-square = 1147; df = 634; P Malaysia. The present study extends the usability of the CFPQ and enables researchers and parents to better understand the relationships between parental feeding practices and related problems such as childhood obesity.

Confirmatory factors analysis of science teacher leadership in the Thailand world-class standard schools

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Thawinkarn, Dawruwan

2018-01-01

This research aims to analyze factors of science teacher leadership in the Thailand World-Class Standard Schools. The research instrument was a five scale rating questionnaire with reliability 0.986. The sample group included 500 science teachers from World-Class Standard Schools who had been selected by using the stratified random sampling technique. Factor analysis of science teacher leadership in the Thailand World-Class Standard Schools was conducted by using M plus for Windows. The results are as follows: The results of confirmatory factor analysis on science teacher leadership in the Thailand World-Class Standard Schools revealed that the model significantly correlated with the empirical data. The consistency index value was x2 = 105.655, df = 88, P-Value = 0.086, TLI = 0.997, CFI = 0.999, RMSEA = 0.022, and SRMR = 0.019. The value of factor loading of science teacher leadership was positive, with statistical significance at the level of 0.01. The value of six factors was between 0.880-0.996. The highest factor loading was the professional learning community, followed by child-centered instruction, participation in development, the role model in teaching, transformational leaders, and self-development with factor loading at 0.996, 0.928, 0.911, 0.907, 0.901, and 0.871, respectively. The reliability of each factor was 99.1%, 86.0%, 83.0%, 82.2%, 81.0%, and 75.8%, respectively.

A Rasch and confirmatory factor analysis of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ - 12

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Velikova Galina

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ - 12 was designed as a short questionnaire to assess psychiatric morbidity. Despite the fact that studies have suggested a number of competing multidimensional factor structures, it continues to be largely used as a unidimensional instrument. This may have an impact on the identification of psychiatric morbidity in target populations. The aim of this study was to explore the dimensionality of the GHQ-12 and to evaluate a number of alternative models for the instrument. Methods The data were drawn from a large heterogeneous sample of cancer patients. The Partial Credit Model (Rasch was applied to the 12-item GHQ. Item misfit (infit mean square ≥ 1.3 was identified, misfitting items removed and unidimensionality and differential item functioning (age, gender, and treatment aims were assessed. The factor structures of the various alternative models proposed in the literature were explored and optimum model fit evaluated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Results The Rasch analysis of the 12-item GHQ identified six misfitting items. Removal of these items produced a six-item instrument which was not unidimensional. The Rasch analysis of an 8-item GHQ demonstrated two unidimensional structures corresponding to Anxiety/Depression and Social Dysfunction. No significant differential item functioning was observed by age, gender and treatment aims for the six- and eight-item GHQ. Two models competed for best fit from the confirmatory factor analysis, namely the GHQ-8 and Hankin's (2008 unidimensional model, however, the GHQ-8 produced the best overall fit statistics. Conclusions The results are consistent with the evidence that the GHQ-12 is a multi-dimensional instrument. Use of the summated scores for the GHQ-12 could potentially lead to an incorrect assessment of patients' psychiatric morbidity. Further evaluation of the GHQ-12 with different target populations is warranted.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the "World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire--Brief Version" for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

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Miller, Susan M.; Chan, Fong; Ferrin, James M.; Lin, Chen-Ping; Chan, Jacob Y. C.

2008-01-01

This study examined the factorial structure of the "World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire--Brief Version" in a community sample of Canadians with spinal cord injuries. A confirmatory factor analysis provides evidence that the instrument is a multidimensional measure of quality of life. Additionally, the questionnaire is…

Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis in a Social Work Sample

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Karen Rice

2010-10-01

Full Text Available This study examined the psychometric properties of the Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (EBPQ. The 24-item EBPQ was developed to measure health professionals’ attitudes toward, knowledge of, and use of evidence-based practice (EBP. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the EBPQ given to a random sample of National Association of Social Work members (N = 167. The coefficient alpha of the EBPQ was .93. The study supported a 23-item 3-factor model with acceptable model fit indices (χ² = 469.04; RMSEA = .081; SRMR = .068; CFI = .900. This study suggests a slightly modified EBPQ may be a useful tool to assess social workers’ attitudes toward, knowledge of, and use of EBP.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Infant Feeding Styles Questionnaire in Latino families.

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Wood, Charles T; Perreira, Krista M; Perrin, Eliana M; Yin, H Shonna; Rothman, Russell L; Sanders, Lee M; Delamater, Alan M; Bentley, Margaret E; Bronaugh, Andrea B; Thompson, Amanda L

2016-05-01

Parent feeding practices affect risk of obesity in children. Latino children are at higher risk of obesity than the general population, yet valid measure of feeding practices, one of which is the Infant Feeding Styles Questionnaire (IFSQ), have not been formally validated in Spanish. To validate the IFSQ among Latino families, we conducted confirmatory factor analysis of pressuring, restrictive, and responsive feeding constructs from the IFSQ. The IFSQ was administered at the 12-month visit in the Greenlight study, a multi-center cluster randomized trial to prevent obesity. Parents were included if they were of Latino origin (n = 303) and completed an English or Spanish language modified IFSQ (without the indulgence construct). Scores from nine sub-constructs of the IFSQ were compared between English and Spanish language versions. We tested reliability with Cronbach's alpha coefficients and performed confirmatory factor analysis to examine factor loadings and goodness of fit characteristics, modifying constructs to achieve best fit. Of 303 parents completing the IFSQ, 84% were born outside the US, and 74% completed the IFSQ in Spanish. Reliability coefficients ranged from 0.28 to 0.61 for the laissez-faire sub-constructs and from 0.58 to 0.83 for the pressuring, restrictive, and responsive sub-constructs. Results for all coefficients were similar between participants responding to an English and Spanish version of the IFSQ. Goodness of fit indices ranged from CFI 0.82-1 and RMSEA 0.00-0.31, and the model performed best in pressuring-soothing (CFI 1.0, RMSEA 0.00) and restrictive-amount (CFI 0.98, RMSEA 0.1) sub-constructs. In a sample of Latino families, pressuring, restrictive, and responsive constructs performed well. The modified IFSQ in both English and Spanish-speaking Latino families may be used to assess parenting behaviors related to early obesity risk in this at-risk population. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Psychometric evaluation of the Overexcitability Questionnaire-Two applying Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling (BSEM and multiple-group BSEM-based alignment with approximate measurement invariance

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Niki eDe Bondt

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The Overexcitability Questionnaire-Two (OEQ-II measures the degree and nature of overexcitability, which assists in determining the developmental potential of an individual according to Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration. Previous validation studies using frequentist confirmatory factor analysis, which postulates exact parameter constraints, led to model rejection and a long series of model modifications. Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM allows the application of zero-mean, small-variance priors for cross-loadings, residual covariances, and differences in measurement parameters across groups, better reflecting substantive theory and leading to better model fit and less overestimation of factor correlations. Our BSEM analysis with a sample of 516 students in higher education yields positive results regarding the factorial validity of the OEQ-II. Likewise, applying BSEM-based alignment with approximate measurement invariance, the absence of non-invariant factor loadings and intercepts across gender is supportive of the psychometric quality of the OEQ-II. Compared to males, females scored significantly higher on emotional and sensual overexcitability, and significantly lower on psychomotor overexcitability.

Evaluation of a modified 16-item Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS): Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Tzu-Chieh; Jowsey, Tanisha; Henning, Marcus

2018-04-18

The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was developed to assess undergraduate readiness for engaging in interprofessional education (IPE). It has become an accepted and commonly used instrument. To determine utility of a modified 16-item RIPLS instrument, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Data used were collected from a pre- and post-intervention study involving 360 New Zealand undergraduate students from one university. Just over half of the participants were enrolled in medicine (51%) while the remainder were in pharmacy (27%) and nursing (22%). The intervention was a two-day simulation-based IPE course focused on managing unplanned acute medical problems in hospital wards ("ward calls"). Immediately prior to the course, 288 RIPLS were collected and immediately afterwards, 322 (response rates 80% and 89%, respectively). Exploratory factor analysis involving principal axis factoring with an oblique rotation method was conducted using pre-course data. The scree plot suggested a three-factor solution over two- and four-factor solutions. Subsequent confirmatory factor analysis performed using post-course data demonstrated partial goodness-of-fit for this suggested three-factor model. Based on these findings, further robust psychometric testing of the RIPLS or modified versions of it is recommended before embarking on its use in evaluative research in various healthcare education settings.

"CONFIRMATORY SURVEY RESULTS FOR THE ABB COMBUSTION ENGINEERING SITE WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT DCN 5158-SR-02-2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ADAMS, WADE C

2013-03-25

The objectives of the confirmatory activities were to provide independent contractor field data reviews and to generate independent radiological data for use by the NRC in evaluating the adequacy and accuracy of the contractor's procedures and FSS results. ORAU reviewed ABB CE's decommissioning plan, final status survey plan, and the applicable soil DCGLs, which were developed based on an NRC-approved radiation dose assessment. The surveys include gamma surface scans, gamma direct measurements, and soil sampling.

Absence of Multiple Sclerosis and Demyelinating Diseases among Lacandonians, a Pure Amerindian Ethnic Group in Mexico

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Jose Flores

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Multiple Sclerosis (MS is a highly polymorphic disease characterized by different neurologic signs and symptoms. In MS, racial and genetic factors may play an important role in the geographic distribution of this disease. Studies have reported the presence of several protective alleles against the development of autoimmune disorders. In the case of MS, however, they help define MS as a complex disease, and confirm the importance of environmental agents as an independent variable not associated with ethnicity. We carried out an on-site epidemiological study to confirm the absence of MS or NMO among Lacandonians, a pure Amerindian ethnic group in Mexico. We administered a structured interview to 5,372 Lacandonians to assess by family background any clinical data consistent with the presence of a prior demyelinating event. Every participating subject underwent a comprehensive neurological examination by a group of three members of the research team with experience in the diagnosis and treatment of demyelinating disorders to detect clinical signs compatible with a demyelinating disease. We did not find any clinical signs compatible with multiple sclerosis among study participants.

Phobic anxiety in 11 nations - Part I : Dimensional constancy of the five-factor model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arrindell, WA; Eisemann, M; Richter, J; Oei, TPS; Caballo, VE; van der Ende, J; Sanavio, E; Bages, N; Feldman, L; Torres, B; Sica, C; Iwawaki, S; Edelmann, RJ; Crozier, WR; Furnham, A; Hudson, BL

The Fear Survey Schedule-III (FSS-III) was administered to a total of 5491 students in Australia, East Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden, and Venezuela, and submitted to the multiple group method of confirmatory analysis (MGM) in order to determine the

The semantic category-based grouping in the Multiple Identity Tracking task.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Liuqing; Zhang, Xuemin; Li, Zhen; Liu, Jingyao

2018-01-01

In the Multiple Identity Tracking (MIT) task, categorical distinctions between targets and distractors have been found to facilitate tracking (Wei, Zhang, Lyu, & Li in Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 589, 2016). The purpose of this study was to further investigate the reasons for the facilitation effect, through six experiments. The results of Experiments 1-3 excluded the potential explanations of visual distinctiveness, attentional distribution strategy, and a working memory mechanism, respectively. When objects' visual information was preserved and categorical information was removed, the facilitation effect disappeared, suggesting that the visual distinctiveness between targets and distractors was not the main reason for the facilitation effect. Moreover, the facilitation effect was not the result of strategically shifting the attentional distribution, because the targets received more attention than the distractors in all conditions. Additionally, the facilitation effect did not come about because the identities of targets were encoded and stored in visual working memory to assist in the recovery from tracking errors; when working memory was disturbed by the object identities changing during tracking, the facilitation effect still existed. Experiments 4 and 5 showed that observers grouped targets together and segregated them from distractors on the basis of their categorical information. By doing this, observers could largely avoid distractor interference with tracking and improve tracking performance. Finally, Experiment 6 indicated that category-based grouping is not an automatic, but a goal-directed and effortful, strategy. In summary, the present findings show that a semantic category-based target-grouping mechanism exists in the MIT task, which is likely to be the major reason for the tracking facilitation effect.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2.

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, A M; Sewell, D F; Terry, P C; Bartram, D; Nesti, M S

1999-06-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the factor structure of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) using confirmatory factor analysis. Volunteer participants (n = 1213) completed the CSAI-2 approximately 1 h before competition and the data were analysed in two samples. The hypothesized model showed poor fit indices in both samples independently (Robust Comparative Fit Index: sample A = 0.82, sample B = 0.84) and simultaneously (Comparative Fit Index = 0.83), suggesting that the factor structure proposed by Martens et al. is flawed. Our findings suggest that a limitation of the Cognitive Anxiety scale derives from phrasing items around the word 'concerned' rather than 'worried'. We suggest that being concerned about an impending performance does not necessarily mean that an athlete is experiencing negative thoughts, but that the athlete is acknowledging the importance and difficulty of the challenge and is attempting to mobilize resources to cope. The present results question the use of the CSAI-2 as a valid measure of competitive state anxiety.

Workplace Innovation: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis for Construct Validation

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Wipulanusat Warit

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Workplace innovation enables the development and improvement of products, processes and services leading simultaneously to improvement in organisational performance. This study has the purpose of examining the factor structure of workplace innovation. Survey data, extracted from the 2014 APS employee census, comprising 3,125 engineering professionals in the Commonwealth of Australia’s departments were analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA. EFA returned a two-factor structure explaining 69.1% of the variance of the construct. CFA revealed that a two-factor structure was indicated as a validated model (GFI = 0.98, AGFI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.08, RMR = 0.02, IFI = 0.98, NFI = 0.98, CFI = 0.98, and TLI = 0.96. Both factors showed good reliability of the scale (Individual creativity: α = 0.83, CR = 0.86, and AVE = 0.62; Team Innovation: α = 0.82, CR = 0.88, and AVE = 0.61. These results confirm that the two factors extracted for characterising workplace innovation included individual creativity and team innovation.

Confirmatory analysis method for zeranol, its metabolites and related mycotoxins in urine by liquid chromatography-negative ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennekom, E.O. van; Brouwer, L.; Laurant, E.H.M.; Hooijerink, H.; Nielen, M.W.F.

2002-01-01

The determination of the banned anabolic substance zeranol and the metabolites taleranol and zearalanone in bovine urine is complicated by the occurrence of the structurally-related mycotoxin zearalenone and the corresponding α- and β-zearalenol metabolites which possess similar estrogenic properties. A liquid chromatography-negative ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometric method is presented for the confirmatory analysis of all six resorcylic acid lactones ('zeranols') in urine samples using deuterium-labelled internal standards. The method was validated as a confirmatory method for bovine urine samples according to new draft EU guidelines and showed good precision and linearity, and CCα and CCβ values of 0.02-0.30 and -1 , respectively. The applicability was demonstrated by comparing the results of an incurred sample with previous results on the same sample obtained by gas chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry. Preliminary data show that following a simple matrix solid phase dispersion clean-up, liver samples from poultry will be amenable to this method as well

The Multiplicative Group Generated by the Lehmer Numbers

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Luca, F.; Porubský, Štefan

2003-01-01

Roč. 41, - (2003), s. 122-132 ISSN 0015-0517 Institutional research plan: AV0Z1030915 Keywords : Lehmer numbers * primitive prime divisor * multiplicative subgroup Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.180, year: 2003

Sixteen-item Anxiety Sensitivity Index: Confirmatory factor analytic evidence, internal consistency, and construct validity in a young adult sample from the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vujanovic, Anka A.; Arrindell, Willem A.; Bernstein, Amit; Norton, Peter J.; Zvolensky, Michael J.

The present investigation examined the factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity of the 16-item Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI; Reiss Peterson, Gursky, & McNally 1986) in a young adult sample (n = 420)from the Netherlands. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to comparatively

Validity of a four-factor modelunderlying the physical fitness in adults with intellectual disabilities a confirmatory factor analysis

OpenAIRE

Cuesta-Vargas, Antonio; Solera Martinez, M; Rodriguez Moya, Alejandro; Perez, Y; Martinez Vizcaino, V

2011-01-01

Purpose: To use confirmatory factor analysis to test whether a four factor might explain the clustering of the components of the physical fitness in adults with intellectual disabilities (FID). Relevance: Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are significantly weaker than individuals without ID at all stages of life. These subjects might be particularly susceptible to loss of basic function because of poor physical fitness. Participants: We studied 267 adults with intellectual...

Latent structure of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test: a confirmatory factor analytic study.

Science.gov (United States)

Greve, Kevin W; Stickle, Timothy R; Love, Jeffrey M; Bianchini, Kevin J; Stanford, Matthew S

2005-05-01

The present study represents the first large scale confirmatory factor analysis of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The results generally support the three factor solutions reported in the exploratory factor analysis literature. However, only the first factor, which reflects general executive functioning, is statistically sound. The secondary factors, while likely reflecting meaningful cognitive abilities, are less stable except when all subjects complete all 128 cards. It is likely that having two discontinuation rules for the WCST has contributed to the varied factor analytic solutions reported in the literature and early discontinuation may result in some loss of useful information. Continued multivariate research will be necessary to better clarify the processes underlying WCST performance and their relationships to one another.

Physics Metacognition Inventory Part II: Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Taasoobshirazi, Gita; Bailey, MarLynn; Farley, John

2015-11-01

The Physics Metacognition Inventory was developed to measure physics students' metacognition for problem solving. In one of our earlier studies, an exploratory factor analysis provided evidence of preliminary construct validity, revealing six components of students' metacognition when solving physics problems including knowledge of cognition, planning, monitoring, evaluation, debugging, and information management. The college students' scores on the inventory were found to be reliable and related to students' physics motivation and physics grade. However, the results of the exploratory factor analysis indicated that the questionnaire could be revised to improve its construct validity. The goal of this study was to revise the questionnaire and establish its construct validity through a confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, a Rasch analysis was applied to the data to better understand the psychometric properties of the inventory and to further evaluate the construct validity. Results indicated that the final, revised inventory is a valid, reliable, and efficient tool for assessing student metacognition for physics problem solving.

Effects of Multiple Cleaning and Disinfection Interventions on Infectious Diseases in Children: A Group Randomized Trial in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Ban, Hai Qun; Li, Tao; Shen, Jin; Li, Jin; Peng, Pin Zhang; Ye, Heng Ping; Zhang, Liu Bo

2015-11-01

To assess the effectiveness of multiple cleaning and disinfection interventions in the homes and kindergartens, in reducing gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses of children. From October 2010 to September 2011, we performed a prospective, controlled study in China. 408 children under 5 years old were recruited and group randomized into intervention and control groups. Families and kindergartens in the intervention group were provided with antibacterial products for hand hygiene and surface cleaning or disinfection for one year. Each child's illness symptoms and sick leave were recorded every day. A total of 393 children completed the study, with similar baseline demographics in each of the 2 groups. Except for abdominal pain, the odds of symptoms (fever, cough and expectoration, runny nose and nasal congestion, diarrhea), illness (acute respiratory illness and gastrointestinal illness), and sick leave per person each month were significantly reduced by interventions. The rates of fever, diarrhea, acute respiratory illness, gastrointestinal illness and sick leave per person per year were significantly decreased as well. Not only the acute respiratory and gastrointestinal illness but the sick leave rate in children were significantly reduced by multiple interventions. Copyright © 2015 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Malay Version Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire Tested among Mothers of Primary School Children in Malaysia

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Shamarina Shohaimi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire (CFPQ is an instrument specifically developed to evaluate parental feeding practices. It has been confirmed among children in America and applied to populations in France, Norway, and New Zealand. In order to extend the application of CFPQ, we conducted a factor structure validation of the translated version of CFPQ (CFPQ-M using confirmatory factor analysis among mothers of primary school children (N = 397 in Malaysia. Several items were modified for cultural adaptation. Of 49 items, 39 items with loading factors >0.40 were retained in the final model. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the final model (twelve-factor model with 39 items and 2 error covariances displayed the best fit for our sample (Chi-square = 1147; df = 634; P<0.05; CFI = 0.900; RMSEA = 0.045; SRMR = 0.0058. The instrument with some modifications was confirmed among mothers of school children in Malaysia. The present study extends the usability of the CFPQ and enables researchers and parents to better understand the relationships between parental feeding practices and related problems such as childhood obesity.

Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Multiple Sclerosis-Related Symptom Checklist.

Science.gov (United States)

Tülek, Zeliha; Polat, Cansu; Kürtüncü, Murat; Eraksoy, Mefkure

2017-12-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that causes different symptoms in each attack and has an individual-specific course. Detailed questioning and recording of MS symptoms is important for developing a management plan for individual-specific symptoms. The present study was planned to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of "Multiple Sclerosis-Related Symptom Checklist" (MS-RS), which has been developed for patients to personally follow-up the symptoms they experience. The study was conducted in the outpatient MS clinic of the Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine between January and October 2013 and included a sample group of 148 patients who were aged >18 years, could easily communicate, had a definite diagnosis of MS, and had no other medical problems besides MS. The data were collected using patient information forms, including sociodemographic and MS-RS forms. To assess the linguistic validity, the Likert-type scale with 26 items was first applied to a group of 30 patients. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the construct validity. Furthermore, the correlation of the scale with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Mini-Mental Status Evaluation (MMSE) scale, and Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Scale-54 (MSQL-54) was evaluated. The scale comprised five factors with factor loading values between 0.39 and 0.86. The item-total correlation coefficients revealed values of 0.27-0.88. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient for the whole scale was determined to be 0.89 and for the subscales to be 0.60-0.85. The test-retest analysis revealed no difference between the scale and its subscales in terms of invariance with time (p>0.05). Moreover, MS-RS was significantly correlated with EDSS, HADS, MMSE, and MSQL-54. The Turkish version of MS-RS is a valid and reliable scale that can be used in the Turkish population.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the ISB - Burnout Syndrome Inventory

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Ana Maria T. Benevides-Pereira

2017-05-01

Full Text Available AimBurnout is a dysfunctional reaction to chronic occupational stress. The present study analysis the psychometric qualities of the Burnout Syndrome Inventory (ISB through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA.MethodEmpirical study in a multi-centre and multi-occupational sample (n = 701 using the ISB. The Part I assesses antecedent factors: Positive Organizational Conditions (PC and Negative Organizational Conditions (NC. The Part II assesses the syndrome: Emotional Exhaustion (EE, Dehumanization (DE, Emotional Distancing (ED and Personal Accomplishment (PA.ResultsThe highest means occurred in the positive scales CP (M = 23.29, SD = 5.89 and PA (M = 14.84, SD = 4.71. Negative conditions showed the greatest variability (SD = 6.03. Reliability indexes were reasonable, with the lowest rate at .77 for DE and the highest rate .91 for PA. The CFA revealed RMSEA = .057 and CFI = .90 with all scales regressions showing significant values (β = .73 until β = .92.ConclusionThe ISB showed a plausible instrument to evaluate burnout. The two sectors maintained the initial model and confirmed the theoretical presupposition. This instrument makes possible a more comprehensive idea of the labour context, and one or another part may be used separately according to the needs and the aims of the assessor.

INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATORY SURVEY SUMMARY AND RESULTS FOR THE FORD NUCLEAR REACTOR, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ALTIC, NICK A

2013-07-25

At the NRC's request, ORAU conducted confirmatory surveys of the FNR during the period of December 4 through 6, 2012. The survey activities included visual inspections and measurement and sampling activities. Confirmatory activities also included the review and assessment of UM's project documentation and methodologies. Surface scans identified elevated activity in two areas. The first area was on a wall outside of Room 3103 and the second area was in the southwest section on the first floor. The first area was remediated to background levels. However, the second area was due to gamma shine from a neighboring source storage area. A retrospective analysis of UM's FSS data shows that for the SUs investigated by the ORAU survey team, UM met the survey requirements set forth in the FSSP. The total mean surface activity values were directly compared with the mean total surface activity reported by UM. Mean surface activity values determined by UM were within two standard deviations of the mean determined by ORAU. Additionally, all surface activity values were less than the corresponding gross beta DCGLW. Laboratory analysis of the soil showed that COC concentrations were less than the respective DCGLW values. For the inter-lab comparison, the DER was above 3 for only one sample. However, since the sum of fractions for each of the soil samples was below 1, thus none of the samples would fail to meet release guidelines. Based on the findings of the side-by-side direct measurements, and after discussion with the NRC and ORAU, UM decided to use a more appropriate source efficiency in their direct measurement calculations and changed their source efficiency from 0.37 to 0.25.

Local Action Groups and Rural Sustainable Development. A spatial multiple criteria approach for efficient territorial planning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Palmisano, Giovanni Ottomano; Govindan, M.E., PhD.,, Kannan; Boggia, Antonio

2016-01-01

Local Action Groups in order to promote the objectives of Rural Sustainable Development within rural municipalities. Each Local Action Group applies the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis in order to identify for its own rural municipalities the strategic elements to which...... and a Weakness factors and decision alternatives, as well as impossibility of ranking the decision alternatives. Thus, this research aims to overcome the drawbacks of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis and to support Local Action Group partnerships in the sustainability evaluation...... of their rural municipalities, and therefore to aid the identification of a common Rural Sustainable Development strategy to allocate the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development budget. This decision problem was tackled by applying a Multiple Criteria Spatial Decision Support System that integrates...

Self-Efficacy of Prospective Austrian and German Primary School Teachers Regarding the Implementation of Inclusive Education

Science.gov (United States)

Schwab, Susanne; Hellmich, Frank; Görel, Gamze

2017-01-01

This study examined the psychometric properties of the German version of the Teacher Inclusive Education Self-Efficacy Scale (TIESES). Five hundred and nineteen teacher education students from Austria and 765 teacher education students from Germany participated in the study. Results of a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (for the two…

A confirmatory factor analytic study of a self-leadership measure in South Africa

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Bright Mahembe

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Self-leadership is considered to be essential for effective individual functioning in occupational and academic contexts. The revised self-leadership questionnaire (RSLQ is widely utilised for measuring self-leadership, but its psychometric properties have not been established on a South African sample. By implication, important questions also exist about the theoretical structure of self-leadership in the South African context. Research purpose: The research aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and factorial validity of the revised self-leadership questionnaire on a South African sample. In doing so, the results of the research would also provide valuable insights into the latent factor structure of the self-leadership construct. Motivation for the study: On a practical level, the research sought internal validity evidence for the use of the RSLQ in the South African context. On a theoretical level, questions remain about the best conceptual representation of self-leadership as a construct. Research design, approach and method: The revised self-leadership questionnaire was administered to a non-probability sample of 375 South African young adults. The first and second-order factor structure underlying contemporary models of self-leadership using confirmatory factor analytic techniques was tested. Main findings: Results showed that the RSLQ measured self-leadership with suitable reliability and internal validity. All eight subscales had high internal consistency coefficients. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA of the first and second-order models conclusively demonstrated good factorial validity. Practical/managerial implications: The study found that the RSLQ has good measurement properties for a South African context. Academics, practitioners and managers are urged to use the measure in its present form for applications such as leadership development and promoting self-management. Contribution/value-addition: The

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of IT-based Competency Questionnaire in Information Science & Knowledge Studies, Based on Job Market Analysis

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Rahim Shahbazi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The main purpose of the present research is to evaluate the validity of an IT-based competency questionnaire in Information Science & Knowledge Studies. The Survey method has been used in the present research. A data collection tool has been a researcher-made questionnaire. Statistic samples, which are 315 people, have been chosen purposefully from among Iranian faculty members, Ph.D. students, and information center employees. The findings showed that by eliminating 17 items from the whole questionnaire and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the rest and rotating findings using the Varimax method, 8 Factors were revealed. The resulting components and also the items which had a high load factor with these components were considerably consistent with the classifications in the questionnaire and partly consistent with the findings of other researchers. 76 competency indicators (knowledge, skills, and attitudes were validated and grouped under 8 main categories: 1. “Computer Basics” 2. “Database Operating, Collection Development of Digital Resources, & Digital Library Management” 3. “Basics of Computer Networking” 4. “Basics of Programming & Database Designing” 5. “Web Designing & Web Content Analysis” 6. “Library Software & Computerized Organizing” 7. Archive of Digital Resources and 8. Attitudes.

The effect of multiple sclerosis on the professional life of a group of Brazilian patients

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Yára Dadalti Fragoso

2010-12-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS on the professional life of Brazilian patients. METHOD: One hundred MS patients were randomly selected from the database of the Brazilian Multiple Sclerosis Association (ABEM. An individual interview was carried out by telephone by a member of ABEM, who collected data on the patients' clinical status, educational level and professional lives. RESULTS: Complete data were obtained from 96 patients (27 males and 69 females aged 55.0±14.1 years, with average disease duration of 4.6±4.0 years. Eighty percent had eleven or more years of schooling. Among the whole group, 66% did not present limitations on walking. The longer the disease duration and the older the patient were, the higher the chances were that the patient was retired or receiving workers' compensation benefits. However, even among patients with MS for less than five years, the rate of non-participation in the workforce was 47.7%. Fatigue, paresthesia, cognitive dysfunction and pain were often cited as the motives for not working. CONCLUSION: MS patients presented high levels of unemployment, retirement and receipt of workers' compensation benefits, despite their high schooling levels. Age, disease duration and disability influenced these results for the whole group. However, even among younger patients with shorter disease duration and low disability, this finding remained.

"Just like EKGs!" Should EEGs undergo a confirmatory interpretation by a clinical neurophysiologist?

Science.gov (United States)

Benbadis, Selim R

2013-01-01

The misdiagnosis of epilepsy is common and has serious consequences. A major contributor to the misdiagnosis of epilepsy is the tendency to overread normal EEGs as abnormal. In fact, the wrong diagnosis of seizures is sometimes based solely on the "abnormal" EEG. Reasons for the common overinterpretation of normal EEGs are mostly related to the lack of standards or mandatory training in EEG, and the erroneous assumption that all neurologists are trained to read EEGs. The most common overread pattern consists of benign, nonspecific, sharply contoured temporal transients. In particular, there is a common misconception that "phase reversals" are indicative of abnormality. Potential solutions include defining and ensuring EEG competency of neurologists who read EEGs, and perhaps providing a confirmatory reading by an electroencephalographer, as is done for EKGs.

Dyadic confirmatory factor analysis of the inflammatory bowel disease family responsibility questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenley, Rachel Neff; Reed-Knight, Bonney; Blount, Ronald L; Wilson, Helen W

2013-09-01

Evaluate the factor structure of youth and maternal involvement ratings on the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Family Responsibility Questionnaire, a measure of family allocation of condition management responsibilities in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. Participants included 251 youth aged 11-18 years with inflammatory bowel disease and their mothers. Item-level descriptive analyses, subscale internal consistency estimates, and confirmatory factor analyses of youth and maternal involvement were conducted using a dyadic data-analytic approach. Results supported the validity of 4 conceptually derived subscales including general health maintenance, social aspects, condition management tasks, and nutrition domains. Additionally, results indicated adequate support for the factor structure of a 21-item youth involvement measure and strong support for a 16-item maternal involvement measure. Additional empirical support for the validity of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Family Responsibility Questionnaire was provided. Future research to replicate current findings and to examine the measure's clinical utility is warranted.

Well-Being at Work Scale: Exploratory and Confirmatory Validation in the USA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gisela Demo

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Given the lack of instruments to measure both affective and cognitive elements of well-being at work, the objective of this study is to look for evidence of validity in the US regarding the well-being at work scale, which was first validated in Brazil to measure employee well-being perceptions. Two studies using two different American samples of 809 participants in total were conducted for the exploratory and confirmatory validation of the scale. Construct validity was determined using convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity, which was assessed using a structural equation model to determine a correlation between well-being at work and human resources management practices. This research provides a comprehensive and operationally valid measure of well-being in work settings. The three-factor model can be used as a diagnostic tool for managers who wish to identify and improve the well-being of their work teams.

Comparing Multiple-Group Multinomial Log-Linear Models for Multidimensional Skill Distributions in the General Diagnostic Model. Research Report. ETS RR-08-35

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xueli; von Davier, Matthias

2008-01-01

The general diagnostic model (GDM) utilizes located latent classes for modeling a multidimensional proficiency variable. In this paper, the GDM is extended by employing a log-linear model for multiple populations that assumes constraints on parameters across multiple groups. This constrained model is compared to log-linear models that assume…

Quality of life, treatment adherence, and locus of control: multiple family groups for chronic medical illnesses.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Larrosa, Silvia

2013-12-01

The Multiple Family Groups (MFGs) approach for patients with a chronic medical illness and their families is a structured psychoeducational program that unfolds in six weekly 90-minute sessions. In the MFGs, patients and family members explore new ways to balance illness and nonillness priorities in family life (Steinglass, 1998; Steinglass, 2000 Cuadernos de Terapia Familiar, 44-45, 11; Steinglass, Ostroff, & Steinglass, 2011 Family Process, 50, 393). © FPI, Inc.

Confirmatory analysis method for zeranol, its metabolites and related mycotoxins in urine by liquid chromatography-negative ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bennekom, E.O. van; Brouwer, L.; Laurant, E.H.M.; Hooijerink, H.; Nielen, M.W.F

2002-11-25

The determination of the banned anabolic substance zeranol and the metabolites taleranol and zearalanone in bovine urine is complicated by the occurrence of the structurally-related mycotoxin zearalenone and the corresponding {alpha}- and {beta}-zearalenol metabolites which possess similar estrogenic properties. A liquid chromatography-negative ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometric method is presented for the confirmatory analysis of all six resorcylic acid lactones ('zeranols') in urine samples using deuterium-labelled internal standards. The method was validated as a confirmatory method for bovine urine samples according to new draft EU guidelines and showed good precision and linearity, and CC{alpha} and CC{beta} values of 0.02-0.30 and <1.0 ng ml{sup -1}, respectively. The applicability was demonstrated by comparing the results of an incurred sample with previous results on the same sample obtained by gas chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry. Preliminary data show that following a simple matrix solid phase dispersion clean-up, liver samples from poultry will be amenable to this method as well.

Usefulness of FC-TRIPLEX Chagas/Leish IgG1 as confirmatory assay for non-negative results in blood bank screening of Chagas disease.

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Campos, Fernanda Magalhães Freire; Repoles, Laura Cotta; de Araújo, Fernanda Fortes; Peruhype-Magalhães, Vanessa; Xavier, Marcelo Antônio Pascoal; Sabino, Ester Cerdeira; de Freitas Carneiro Proietti, Anna Bárbara; Andrade, Mariléia Chaves; Teixeira-Carvalho, Andréa; Martins-Filho, Olindo Assis; Gontijo, Célia Maria Ferreira

2018-04-01

A relevant issue in Chagas disease serological diagnosis regards the requirement of using several confirmatory methods to elucidate the status of non-negative results from blood bank screening. The development of a single reliable method may potentially contribute to distinguish true and false positive results. Our aim was to evaluate the performance of the multiplexed flow-cytometry anti-T. cruzi/Leishmania IgG1 serology/(FC-TRIPLEX Chagas/Leish IgG1) with three conventional confirmatory criteria (ELISA-EIA, Immunofluorescence assay-IIF and EIA/IIF consensus criterion) to define the final status of samples with actual/previous non-negative results during anti-T. cruzi ELISA-screening in blood banks. Apart from inconclusive results, the FC-TRIPLEX presented a weak agreement index with EIA, while a strong agreement was observed when either IIF or EIA/IIF consensus criteria were applied. Discriminant analysis and Spearman's correlation further corroborates the agreement scores. ROC curve analysis showed that FC-TRIPLEX performance indexes were higher when IIF and EIA/IIF consensus were used as a confirmatory criterion. Logistic regression analysis further demonstrated that the probability of FC-TRIPLEX to yield positive results was higher for inconclusive results from IIF and EIA/IIF consensus. Machine learning tools illustrated the high level of categorical agreement between FC-TRIPLEX versus IIF or EIA/IIF consensus. Together, these findings demonstrated the usefulness of FC-TRIPLEX as a tool to elucidate the status of non-negative results in blood bank screening of Chagas disease. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Measuring Women's Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Demographic and Health Surveys

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Ibitola O. Asaolu

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Women's status and empowerment influence health, nutrition, and socioeconomic status of women and their children. Despite its benefits, however, research on women's empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA is limited in scope and geography. Empowerment is variably defined and data for comparison across regions is often limited. The objective of the current study was to identify domains of empowerment from a widely available data source, Demographic and Health Surveys, across multiple regions in SSA.Methods: Demographic and Health Surveys from nineteen countries representing four African regions were used for the analysis. A total of 26 indicators across different dimensions (economic, socio-cultural, education, and health were used to characterize women's empowerment. Pooled data from all countries were randomly divided into two datasets—one for exploratory factor analysis (EFA and the other for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA—to verify the factor structure hypothesized during EFA.Results: Four factors including attitudes toward violence, labor force participation, education, and access to healthcare were found to define women's empowerment in Central, Southern, and West Africa. However, in East Africa, only three factors were relevant: attitudes toward violence, access to healthcare ranking, and labor force participation. There was limited evidence to support household decision-making, life course, or legal status domains as components of women's empowerment.Conclusion: This foremost study advances scholarship on women's empowerment by providing a validated measure of women's empowerment for researchers and other stakeholders in health and development.

A Cross-National Validation of the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory with Chinese and Korean High School Students

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Zhang, Xiaozhou; Tze, Virginia M. C.; Buhr, Erin; Klassen, Robert M.; Daniels, Lia M.

2016-01-01

The current study provided evidence for the factor structure of the Academic Expectation Stress Inventory (AESI) in a sample of 213 Mainland Chinese and 184 South Korean high school students. We examined cross-national invariance of the AESI using multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis across two Asian cultural samples. Results suggested a…

Structural validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition: Confirmatory factor analyses with the 16 primary and secondary subtests.

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Canivez, Gary L; Watkins, Marley W; Dombrowski, Stefan C

2017-04-01

The factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V; Wechsler, 2014a) standardization sample (N = 2,200) was examined using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) with maximum likelihood estimation for all reported models from the WISC-V Technical and Interpretation Manual (Wechsler, 2014b). Additionally, alternative bifactor models were examined and variance estimates and model-based reliability estimates (ω coefficients) were provided. Results from analyses of the 16 primary and secondary WISC-V subtests found that all higher-order CFA models with 5 group factors (VC, VS, FR, WM, and PS) produced model specification errors where the Fluid Reasoning factor produced negative variance and were thus judged inadequate. Of the 16 models tested, the bifactor model containing 4 group factors (VC, PR, WM, and PS) produced the best fit. Results from analyses of the 10 primary WISC-V subtests also found the bifactor model with 4 group factors (VC, PR, WM, and PS) produced the best fit. Variance estimates from both 16 and 10 subtest based bifactor models found dominance of general intelligence (g) in accounting for subtest variance (except for PS subtests) and large ω-hierarchical coefficients supporting general intelligence interpretation. The small portions of variance uniquely captured by the 4 group factors and low ω-hierarchical subscale coefficients likely render the group factors of questionable interpretive value independent of g (except perhaps for PS). Present CFA results confirm the EFA results reported by Canivez, Watkins, and Dombrowski (2015); Dombrowski, Canivez, Watkins, and Beaujean (2015); and Canivez, Dombrowski, and Watkins (2015). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

A critical assessment of the performance criteria in confirmatory analysis for veterinary drug residue analysis using mass spectrometric detection in selected reaction monitoring mode

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Berendsen, Bjorn J.A.; Meijer, Thijs; Wegh, Robin; Mol, Hans G.J.; Smyth, Wesley G.; Armstrong Hewitt, S.; Ginkel, van Leen; Nielen, Michel W.F.

2016-01-01

Besides the identification point system to assure adequate set-up of instrumentation, European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC includes performance criteria regarding relative ion abundances in mass spectrometry and chromatographic retention time. In confirmatory analysis, the relative abundance

Analyzing Mathematics Beliefs of Pre-Service Teachers Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis

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Mazlini Adnan

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Mathematics beliefs play an important role in enhancing the quality and the effectiveness of teaching and learning. This study analyzes the mathematics beliefs of 317 pre-service teachers from six Higher Education Institutions (HEIs (Government Public Universities who were randomly selected to participate in this study. Questionnaires consisting of twenty three items were given to the respondents during the data collection process. The validation of the items was done by using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA. In order to obtain a model fit for the measurement model of mathematics beliefs, several fit index tests such as CMINDF, GFI, AGFI, IFI, NFI, CFI, TLI and RMSEA were used. Constructivist beliefs and traditional beliefs were identified as the contributing factors in the model. The analysis also revealed that mathematics beliefs consist of structures of two hidden variables. The correlation between the two variables (constructivist beliefs and traditional beliefs is at a moderate level. Hence, pre-service teachers should be able to recognize their type of mathematics beliefs in order to become effective mathematics teachers.

CT findings as confirmatory criteria of brain death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiogai, Toshiyuki; Takeuchi, Kazuo

1983-01-01

The absence of cerebral circulation and electrocerebral silence have served as an accurate index of irreversible brain death. It is proposed that computed tomography (CT) findings be evaluated as confirmatory criteria of brain death. To this end, CT evaluation of 14 patients satisfying the conventional criteria of brain death was performed. A CT finding of severe compression or dissappearance of the ventricular system, or so called ''brain tamponade'', was seen in 7 (50 %) of the 14 patients. Enhanced contrast CT, especially dynamic CT, usually distinctly reveals the cerebral vessels whenever the cerebral blood flow is preserved; conversely, the lack of enhanced brain structures, even comparing attenuation values, indicates the absence of cerebral blood flow. In 7 (70 %) of 10 patients, however, there was enhanced contrast of vascular brain structures, especially the circle of Willis, major cerebral arteries, choroid plexuses, and venous sinuses. It is suggested that this result is due to the improvement of demonstrability by CT. The usefulness of CT in the confirmation of brain death lies in visualization of the pathological changes associated with a dead brain, such as ''brain tamponade'', and the lack of enhanced contrast indicating the absence of cerebral blood flow. The latter point is still problematic as angiography revealed an extremely low cerebral blood flow in a few cases of ''dead brain'' patients. It is recommended that cerebral blood flow in brain death be evaluated by dynamic CT scanning and correlated with other methods of cerebral blood flow determination (e.g., intravenous digital subtraction angiography). (Author)

CT findings as confirmatory criteria of brain death

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Shiogai, Toshiyuki; Takeuchi, Kazuo (Kyorin Univ., Mitaka, Tokyo (Japan). School of Medicine)

1983-12-01

The absence of cerebral circulation and electrocerebral silence have served as an accurate index of irreversible brain death. It is proposed that computed tomography (CT) findings be evaluated as confirmatory criteria of brain death. To this end, CT evaluation of 14 patients satisfying the conventional criteria of brain death was performed. A CT finding of severe compression or dissappearance of the ventricular system, or so called ''brain tamponade'', was seen in 7 (50 %) of the 14 patients. Enhanced contrast CT, especially dynamic CT, usually distinctly reveals the cerebral vessels whenever the cerebral blood flow is preserved; conversely, the lack of enhanced brain structures, even comparing attenuation values, indicates the absence of cerebral blood flow. In 7 (70 %) of 10 patients, however, there was enhanced contrast of vascular brain structures, especially the circle of Willis, major cerebral arteries, choroid plexuses, and venous sinuses. It is suggested that this result is due to the improvement of demonstrability by CT. The usefulness of CT in the confirmation of brain death lies in visualization of the pathological changes associated with a dead brain, such as ''brain tamponade'', and the lack of enhanced contrast indicating the absence of cerebral blood flow. The latter point is still problematic as angiography revealed an extremely low cerebral blood flow in a few cases of ''dead brain'' patients. It is recommended that cerebral blood flow in brain death be evaluated by dynamic CT scanning and correlated with other methods of cerebral blood flow determination (e.g., intravenous digital subtraction angiography).

The impact of conservation management on the community composition of multiple organism groups in eutrophic interconnected man-made ponds

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Lemmens, P.; Mergeay, J.; Van Wichelen, J.; De Meester, Luc; Declerck, S.A.J.

2015-01-01

Ponds throughout the world are subjected to a variety of management measures for purposes of biodiversity conservation. Current conservation efforts typically comprise a combination of multiple measures that directly and indirectly impact a wide range of organism groups. Knowledge of the relative

Factor structure and measurement invariance across various demographic groups and over time for the PHQ-9 in primary care patients in Spain.

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César González-Blanch

Full Text Available The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9 is a widely-used screening tool for depression in primary care settings. The purpose of the present study is to identify the factor structure of the PHQ-9 and to examine the measurement invariance of this instrument across different sociodemographic groups and over time in a sample of primary care patients in Spain. Data came from 836 primary care patients enrolled in a randomized controlled trial (PsicAP study and a subsample of 218 patients who participated in a follow-up assessment at 3 months. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA was used to test one- and two-factor structures identified in previous studies. Analyses of multiple-group invariance were conducted to determine the extent to which the factor structure is comparable across various demographic groups (i.e., gender, age, marital status, level of education, and employment situation and over time. Both one-factor and two-factor re-specified models met all the pre-established fit criteria. However, because the factors identified in the two-factor model were highly correlated (r = .86, the one-factor model was preferred for its parsimony. Multi-group CFA indicated measurement invariance across different demographic groups and across time. The present findings suggest that physicians in Spain can use the PHQ-9 to obtain a global score for depression severity in different demographic groups and to reliably monitor changes over time in the primary care setting.

Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Monitoring My Multiple Sclerosis Scale.

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Polat, Cansu; Tülek, Zeliha; Kürtüncü, Murat; Eraksoy, Mefkure

2017-06-01

This research was conducted to adapt the Monitoring My Multiple Sclerosis (MMMS) scale, which is a scale used for self-evaluation by multiple sclerosis (MS) patients of their own health and quality of life, to Turkish and to determine the psychometric properties of the scale. The methodological research was conducted in the outpatient MS clinic of a university hospital between January and September 2013. The sample in this study consisted of 140 patients aged above 18 who had a diagnosis of definite MS. Patients who experienced attacks in the previous month or had any serious medical problems other than MS were not included in the group. The linguistic validity of MMMS was tested by a backward-forward translation method and an expert panel. Reliability analysis was performed using test-retest correlations, item-total correlations, and internal consistency analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis and concurrent validity were used to determine the construct validity. The Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54 instrument was used to determine concurrent validity and the Expanded Disability Status Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Mini Mental State Examination were used for further determination of the construct validity. We determined that the scale consisted of four factors with loadings ranging from 0.49 to 0.79. The correlation coefficients of the scale were determined to be between 0.47 and 0.76 for item-total score and between 0.60 and 0.81 for items and subscale scores. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was determined to be 0.94 for the entire scale and between 0.64 and 0.89 for the subscales. Test-retest correlations were significant. Correlations between MMMS and other scales were also found to be significant. The Turkish MMMS provides adequate validity and reliability for assessing the impact of MS on quality of life and health status in patients.

The structure of service quality perceptions for multiple-encounter services.

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Andaleeb, Syed Saad; Kara, Ali

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine a complex service environment-hospitals-to suggest how service quality could be reframed and measured for multiple-encounter service situations more effectively. In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 371 patients completed the survey instrument. Service quality measures were guided by the literature but allowed to flow from the respondents at the preliminary stage. Confirmatory factor analysis, along with structural equation modeling, was used to test the hypothesized relationships among key actors' performance metrics (KAPMs). Patient satisfaction is significantly influenced by perceived service quality based on KAPMs. For multiple-encounter services, service quality dimensions and measures ought to be tied to KAPMs. Primary actors-ie, doctors-need knowledge and skills about patient psychology, negotiation, handling difficult patients, and, importantly, "putting the customer first." Sensitivity training on such matters should be provided. The secondary actors are the nurses who have more frequent contact with the patients. Nurses need to be perceived as "patient advocates." Effective advocacy begins with prompt and caring services to build trust. The tertiary actors in their support role also ought to be integrated into becoming vital part of the service provided.

Confirmatory factor analysis and sample invariance of the Chinese version of Somatosensory Amplification Scale (ChSAS) among Chinese adolescents

OpenAIRE

Tam, B. K.; Wong, W. S.

2011-01-01

Objective: This paper aimed to evaluate the factor structure of the Chinese version of Somatosensory Amplification Scale (ChSAS) in a sample of Chinese adolescents across different grade levels using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Methods: A total of 1991 Chinese adolescents completed the ChSAS. CFA assessed the fit of the one-factor model to the entire sample. Factorial invariance of the ChSAS was also examined across grade levels using multigroup CFA. Results: Results of CFA confirmed ...

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Combined Social Phobia Scale and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale: Support for a Bifactor Model

OpenAIRE

Gomez, Rapson; Watson, Shaun D.

2017-01-01

For the Social Phobia Scale (SPS) and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) together, this study examined support for a bifactor model, and also the internal consistency reliability and external validity of the factors in this model. Participants (N = 526) were adults from the general community who completed the SPS and SIAS. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of their ratings indicated good support for the bifactor model. For this model, the loadings for all but six items were higher o...

Students' motivation to study dentistry in Malaysia: an analysis using confirmatory factor analysis.

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Musa, Muhd Firdaus Che; Bernabé, Eduardo; Gallagher, Jennifer E

2015-06-12

Malaysia has experienced a significant expansion of dental schools over the past decade. Research into students' motivation may inform recruitment and retention of the future dental workforce. The objectives of this study were to explore students' motivation to study dentistry and whether that motivation varied by students' and school characteristics. All 530 final-year students in 11 dental schools (6 public and 5 private) in Malaysia were invited to participate at the end of 2013. The self-administered questionnaire, developed at King's College London, collected information on students' motivation to study dentistry and demographic background. Responses on students' motivation were collected using five-point ordinal scales. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate the underlying structure of students' motivation to study dentistry. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to compare factor scores for overall motivation and sub-domains by students' and school characteristics. Three hundred and fifty-six final-year students in eight schools (all public and two private) participated in the survey, representing an 83% response rate for these schools and 67% of all final-year students nationally. The majority of participants were 24 years old (47%), female (70%), Malay (56%) and from middle-income families (41%) and public schools (78%). CFA supported a model with five first-order factors (professional job, healthcare and people, academic, careers advising and family and friends) which were linked to a single second-order factor representing overall students' motivation. Academic factors and healthcare and people had the highest standardized factor loadings (0.90 and 0.71, respectively), suggesting they were the main motivation to study dentistry. MANOVA showed that students from private schools had higher scores for healthcare and people than those in public schools whereas Malay students had lower scores for family and friends than those

Wellness and multiple sclerosis: The National MS Society establishes a Wellness Research Working Group and research priorities.

Science.gov (United States)

Motl, Robert W; Mowry, Ellen M; Ehde, Dawn M; LaRocca, Nicholas G; Smith, Kathy E; Costello, Kathleen; Shinto, Lynne; Ng, Alexander V; Sullivan, Amy B; Giesser, Barbara; McCully, Kevin K; Fernhall, Bo; Bishop, Malachy; Plow, Matthew; Casaccia, Patrizia; Chiaravalloti, Nancy D

2018-03-01

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have identified "wellness" and associated behaviors as a high priority based on "social media listening" undertaken by the National MS Society (i.e. the Society). The Society recently convened a group that consisted of researchers with experience in MS and wellness-related research, Society staff members, and an individual with MS for developing recommendations regarding a wellness research agenda. The members of the group engaged in focal reviews and discussions involving the state of science within three approaches for promoting wellness in MS, namely diet, exercise, and emotional wellness. That process informed a group-mediated activity for developing and prioritizing research goals for wellness in MS. This served as a background for articulating the mission and objectives of the Society's Wellness Research Working Group. The primary mission of the Wellness Research Working Group is the provision of scientific evidence supporting the application of lifestyle, behavioral, and psychosocial approaches for promoting optimal health of mind, body, and spirit (i.e. wellness) in people with MS as well as managing the disease and its consequences.

Subgroup analyses in confirmatory clinical trials: time to be specific about their purposes

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Julien Tanniou

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background It is well recognized that treatment effects may not be homogeneous across the study population. Subgroup analyses constitute a fundamental step in the assessment of evidence from confirmatory (Phase III clinical trials, where conclusions for the overall study population might not hold. Subgroup analyses can have different and distinct purposes, requiring specific design and analysis solutions. It is relevant to evaluate methodological developments in subgroup analyses against these purposes to guide health care professionals and regulators as well as to identify gaps in current methodology. Methods We defined four purposes for subgroup analyses: (1 Investigate the consistency of treatment effects across subgroups of clinical importance, (2 Explore the treatment effect across different subgroups within an overall non-significant trial, (3 Evaluate safety profiles limited to one or a few subgroup(s, (4 Establish efficacy in the targeted subgroup when included in a confirmatory testing strategy of a single trial. We reviewed the methodology in line with this “purpose-based” framework. The review covered papers published between January 2005 and April 2015 and aimed to classify them in none, one or more of the aforementioned purposes. Results In total 1857 potentially eligible papers were identified. Forty-eight papers were selected and 20 additional relevant papers were identified from their references, leading to 68 papers in total. Nineteen were dedicated to purpose 1, 16 to purpose 4, one to purpose 2 and none to purpose 3. Seven papers were dedicated to more than one purpose, the 25 remaining could not be classified unambiguously. Purposes of the methods were often not specifically indicated, methods for subgroup analysis for safety purposes were almost absent and a multitude of diverse methods were developed for purpose (1. Conclusions It is important that researchers developing methodology for subgroup analysis

Worry About Caregiving Performance: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis

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Ruijie Li

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Recent studies on the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI support the existence of a unique factor, worry about caregiving performance (WaP, beyond role and personal strain. Our current study aims to confirm the existence of WaP within the multidimensionality of ZBI and to determine if predictors of WaP differ from the role and personal strain. We performed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA on 466 caregiver-patient dyads to compare between one-factor (total score, two-factor (role/personal strain, three-factor (role/personal strain and WaP, and four-factor models (role strain split into two factors. We conducted linear regression analyses to explore the relationships between different ZBI factors with socio-demographic and disease characteristics, and investigated the stage-dependent differences between WaP with role and personal strain by dyadic relationship. The four-factor structure that incorporated WaP and split role strain into two factors yielded the best fit. Linear regression analyses reveal that different variables significantly predict WaP (adult child caregiver and Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q severity from role/personal strain (adult child caregiver, instrumental activities of daily living, and NPI-Q distress. Unlike other factors, WaP was significantly endorsed in early cognitive impairment. Among spouses, WaP remained low across Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR stages until a sharp rise in CDR 3; adult child and sibling caregivers experience a gradual rise throughout the stages. Our results affirm the existence of WaP as a unique factor. Future research should explore the potential of WaP as a possible intervention target to improve self-efficacy in the milder stages of burden.

Development of a Body Image Concern Scale using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses in Chinese university students

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He W

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Wenxin He, Qiming Zheng, Yutian Ji, Chanchan Shen, Qisha Zhu, Wei Wang Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, School of Public Health, Zhejiang University College of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China Background: The body dysmorphic disorder is prevalent in general population and in psychiatric, dermatological, and plastic-surgery patients, but there lacks a structure-validated, comprehensive self-report measure of body image concerns, which is established through both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Methods: We have composed a 34-item matrix targeting the body image concerns and trialed it in 328 male and 365 female Chinese university students. Answers to the matrix dealt with treatments including exploratory factor analyses, reserve of qualified items, and confirmatory factor analyses of latent structures. Results: Six latent factors, namely the Social Avoidance, Appearance Dissatisfaction, Preoccupation with Reassurance, Perceived Distress/Discrimination, Defect Hiding, and Embarrassment in Public, were identified. The factors and their respective items have composed a 24-item questionnaire named as the Body Image Concern Scale. Each factor earned a satisfactory internal reliability, and the intercorrelations between these factors were in a median level. Women scored significantly higher than men did on the Appearance Dissatisfaction, Preoccupation with Reassurance, and Defect Hiding. Conclusion: The Body Image Concern Scale has displayed its structure validation and gender preponderance in Chinese university students. Keywords: body dysmorphic disorder, body image, factor analysis, questionnaire development

Low prevalence of hypopituitarism after subarachnoid haemorrhage using confirmatory testing and with BMI-specific GH cut-off levels.

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Gardner, Chris J; Javadpour, Mohsen; Stoneley, Catherine; Purthuran, Mani; Biswas, Shubhabrata; Daousi, Christina; MacFarlane, Ian A; Cuthbertson, Daniel J

2013-04-01

Hypopituitarism following subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) has been reported to be a frequent occurrence. However, there is considerable heterogeneity between studies with differing patient populations and treatment modalities and most importantly employing differing endocrine protocols and (normal) reference ranges of GH. We aimed to examine prospectively a cohort of SAH survivors for development of hypopituitarism post-SAH using rigorous endocrine testing and compare GH response to glucagon stimulation with a cohort of healthy controls of a similar BMI. Sixty-four patients were investigated for evidence of hypopituitarism 3 months post-SAH with 50 patients tested again at 12 months. Glucagon stimulation testing (GST), with confirmation of deficiencies by GHRH/arginine testing for GH deficiency (GHD) and short synacthen testing for ACTH deficiency, was used. Basal testing of other hormonal axes was undertaken. Mean age of patients was 53±11.7 years and mean BMI was 27.5±5.7 kg/m(2). After confirmatory testing, the prevalence of hypopituitarism was 12% (GHD 10%, asymptomatic hypocortisolaemia 2%). There was no association between hypopituitarism and post-SAH vasospasm, presence of cerebral infarction, Fisher grade, or clinical grading at presentation. There was a significant correlation between BMI and peak GH to glucagon stimulation in both patients and controls. Identification of 'true' GHD after SAH requires confirmatory testing with an alternative stimulation test and application of BMI-specific cut-offs. Using such stringent criteria, we found a prevalence of hypopituitarism of 12% in our population.

Confirmatory factor analysis applied to the Force Concept Inventory

Science.gov (United States)

Eaton, Philip; Willoughby, Shannon D.

2018-06-01

In 1995, Huffman and Heller used exploratory factor analysis to draw into question the factors of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). Since then several papers have been published examining the factors of the FCI on larger sets of student responses and understandable factors were extracted as a result. However, none of these proposed factor models have been verified to not be unique to their original sample through the use of independent sets of data. This paper seeks to confirm the factor models proposed by Scott et al. in 2012, and Hestenes et al. in 1992, as well as another expert model proposed within this study through the use of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and a sample of 20 822 postinstruction student responses to the FCI. Upon application of CFA using the full sample, all three models were found to fit the data with acceptable global fit statistics. However, when CFA was performed using these models on smaller sample sizes the models proposed by Scott et al. and Eaton and Willoughby were found to be far more stable than the model proposed by Hestenes et al. The goodness of fit of these models to the data suggests that the FCI can be scored on factors that are not unique to a single class. These scores could then be used to comment on how instruction methods effect the performance of students along a single factor and more in-depth analyses of curriculum changes may be possible as a result.

Historical events, groups and mentors: on agents of politicization and multiple ways of entering politics in Argentina

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Mariana Gené

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes the processes of politicization of the elites of the Interior Ministry in Argentina. Supported by in-depth interviews, archival material, journalistic records, and specific bibliography, the paper seeks to shed light on the centrality of historical events, militancy groups, and mentors in such paths. Firstly, we reflect on the role of political events understood as milestones of politicization, which then fuel a dispute over their interpretation and appropriation. Then we refer to the multiple character of the militancy groups and the theoretical and practical knowledge there harvested. Finally, we focus on the role played by mentors in facilitating experiences and contacts, fundamental rudiments for the political profession.

Comparison of Methods for Adjusting Incorrect Assignments of Items to Subtests Oblique Multiple Group Method Versus Confirmatory Common Factor Method

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stuive, Ilse; Kiers, Henk A.L.; Timmerman, Marieke E.

2009-01-01

A common question in test evaluation is whether an a priori assignment of items to subtests is supported by empirical data. If the analysis results indicate the assignment of items to subtests under study is not supported by data, the assignment is often adjusted. In this study the authors compare

Confirmatory Analysis of Simultaneous, Sequential, and Achievement Factors on the K-ABC at 11 Age Levels Ranging from 2 1/2 to 12 1/2 years.

Science.gov (United States)

Willson, Victor L.; And Others

1985-01-01

Presents results of confirmatory factor analysis of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for children which is based on the underlying theoretical model of sequential, simultaneous, and achievement factors. Found support for the two-factor, simultaneous and sequential processing model. (MCF)

Male Role Norms Inventory-Short Form (MRNI-SF): development, confirmatory factor analytic investigation of structure, and measurement invariance across gender.

Science.gov (United States)

Levant, Ronald F; Hall, Rosalie J; Rankin, Thomas J

2013-04-01

The current study reports the development from the Male Role Norms Inventory-Revised (MRNI-R; Levant, Rankin, Williams, Hasan, & Smalley, 2010) of the 21-item MRNI-Short Form (MRNI-SF). Confirmatory factor analysis of MRNI-SF responses from a sample of 1,017 undergraduate participants (549 men, 468 women) indicated that the best fitting "bifactor" model incorporated the hypothesized 7-factor structure while explicitly modeling an additional, general traditional masculinity ideology factor. Specifically, each item-level indicator loaded on 2 factors: a general traditional masculinity ideology factor and a specific factor corresponding to 1 of the 7 hypothesized traditional masculinity ideology norms. The bifactor model was assessed for measurement invariance across gender groups, with findings of full configural invariance and partial metric invariance, such that factor loadings were equivalent across the gender groups for the 7 specific factors but not for the general traditional masculinity ideology factor. Theoretical explanations for this latter result include the potential that men's sense of self or identity may be engaged when responding to questions asking to what extent they agree or disagree with normative statements about their behavior, a possibility that could be investigated in future research by examining the associations of the general and specific factors with measures of masculine identity. Additional exploratory invariance analyses demonstrated latent mean differences between men and women on 4 of the 8 factors, and equivocal results for invariance of item intercepts, item uniquenesses, and factor variances-covariances.

The impact of an online Facebook support group for people with multiple sclerosis on non-active users.

Science.gov (United States)

Steadman, Jacqui; Pretorius, Chrisma

2014-01-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating disease and there is little research on support networks for people with MS (PwMS). More specifically, most studies on online support groups focus on those who actively participate in the group, whereas the majority of those who utilise online support groups do so in a passive way. This study therefore aimed to explore the experiences of non-active users of an online Facebook support group for PwMS. Emphasis was placed on the facilitators and the barriers that were associated with membership to this group. An exploratory qualitative research design was implemented, whereby thematic analysis was utilised to examine the ten semi-structured interviews that were conducted. Several facilitators were acquired through the online support group; namely emotional support (constant source of support, exposure to negative aspects of the disease), informational support (group as a source of knowledge, quality of information) and social companionship (place of belonging). Some barriers were also identified; namely emotional support (emotions lost online, response to messages, exposure to negative aspects of the disease), informational support (information posted on the group, misuse of group) and social companionship (non-active status). These findings demonstrate that the non-active members of the online support group for PwMS have valid reasons for their non-active membership status. More important, the findings suggest that the online Facebook support group provided the group members with an important support network in the form of emotional support, informational support and social companionship, despite their non-active membership status or the barriers that have been identified.

Confirmatory spirometry for adults hospitalized with a diagnosis of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Objective measurement of airflow obstruction by spirometry is an essential part of the diagnosis of asthma or COPD. During exacerbations, the feasibility and utility of spirometry to confirm the diagnosis of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are unclear. Addressing these gaps in knowledge may help define the need for confirmatory testing in clinical care and quality improvement efforts. This study was designed to determine the feasibility of spirometry and to determine its utility to confirm the diagnosis in patients hospitalized with a physician diagnosis of asthma or COPD exacerbation. Methods Multi-center study of four academic healthcare institutions. Spirometry was performed in 113 adults admitted to general medicine wards with a physician diagnosis of asthma or COPD exacerbation. Two board-certified pulmonologists evaluated the spirometry tracings to determine the proportion of patients able to produce adequate quality spirometry data. Findings were interpreted to evaluate the utility of spirometry to confirm the presence of obstructive lung disease, according to the 2005 European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society recommendations. Results There was an almost perfect agreement for acceptability (κ = 0.92) and reproducibility (κ =0.93) of spirometry tracings. Three-quarters (73%) of the tests were interpreted by both pulmonologists as being of adequate quality. Of these adequate quality tests, 22% did not present objective evidence of obstructive lung disease. Obese patients (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) were more likely to produce spirometry tracings with no evidence of obstructive lung disease, compared to non-obese patients (33% vs. 8%, p = 0.007). Conclusions Adequate quality spirometry can be obtained in most hospitalized adults with a physician diagnosis of asthma or COPD exacerbation. Confirmatory spirometry could be a useful tool to help reduce overdiagnosis of obstructive lung disease, especially among obese

"INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATORY SURVEY SUMMARY AND RESULTS FOR THE FORD NUCLEAR REACTOR, REVISION 1, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ALTIC, NICK A

2013-08-01

At the NRC's request, ORAU conducted confirmatory surveys of the FNR during the period of December 4 through 6, 2012. The survey activities included visual inspections and measurement and sampling activities. Confirmatory activities also included the review and assessment of UM's project documentation and methodologies. Surface scans identified elevated activity in two areas. The first area was on a wall outside of Room 3103 and the second area was in the southwest section on the first floor. The first area was remediated to background levels. However, the second area was due to gamma shine from a neighboring source storage area. A retrospective analysis of UM's FSS data shows that for the SUs investigated by the ORAU survey team, UM met the survey requirements set forth in the FSSP. The total mean surface activity values were directly compared with the mean total surface activity reported by UM. Mean surface activity values determined by UM were within two standard deviations of the mean determined by ORAU. Additionally, all surface activity values were less than the corresponding gross beta DCGL{sub W}. Laboratory analysis of the soil showed that COC concentrations were less than the respective DCGL{sub W} values. For the inter-lab comparison, the DER was above 3 for only one sample. However, since the sum of fractions for each of the soil samples was below 1, thus none of the samples would fail to meet release guidelines. Based on the findings of the side-by-side direct measurements, and after discussion with the NRC and ORAU, UM decided to use a more appropriate source efficiency in their direct measurement calculations and changed their source efficiency from 0.37 to 0.25.

Mechanisms of multiple production processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dremin, I.M.

1977-01-01

Theoretical approaches to multiple production processes are discussed. A large number of models proceeds from the notion about common excited system produced by colliding hadrons. This class of models includes the hydrodynamical, statistical, thermodynamical and statistical bootstrap models. Sometimes the production process is due to excitation and decay of two colliding particles. The fragmentation bremsstrahlung and inelastic diffraction models belong to this group. The largest group of models describes the multiple production process as a result of formation of many excited centers. The typical example is the multiperipheral model. An interesting direction is given by the attempts to interrelate the mechanism of multiple production with internal structure of particles that is with their constituents (C-group)'-quarks, gluons, etc. Besides the models there are phenomenological (p group) attempts to connect different features of multiple production. Experimental data indicate the existence of leading and pionization particles thus giving an evidence for applications of different models. The data about increase of total and inclusive cross sections, the behaviour of the mean multiplicity and correlations at high energies provide a clue for further development of multiple production theory

A confirmatory investigation of a job demands-resources model using a categorical estimator.

Science.gov (United States)

de Beer, Leon; Rothmann, Sebastiaan; Pienaar, Jaco

2012-10-01

A confirmatory investigation of a job demands-resources model was conducted with alternative methods, in a sample of 15,633 working adults aggregated from various economic sectors. The proposed model is in line with job demands-resources theory and assumes two psychological processes at work which are collectively coined "the dual process." The first process, the energetic, presents that job demands lead to ill-health outcomes due to burnout. The second process, the motivational, indicates that job resources lead to organizational commitment due to work engagement. Structural equation modelling analyses were implemented with a categorical estimator. Mediation analyses of each of the processes included bootstrapped indirect effects and kappa-squared values to apply qualitative labels to effect sizes. The relationship between job resources and organizational commitment was mediated by engagement with a large effect. The relationship between job demands and ill-health was mediated by burnout with a medium effect. The implications of the results for theory and practice were discussed.

IDENTIFICATION OF MEASUREMENT ITEMS OF DESIGN REQUIREMENTS FOR LEAN AND AGILE SUPPLY CHAIN-CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS

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D.Venkata Ramana

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This study examines the consistency approaches by confirmatory factor analysis that determines the construct validity, convergent validity, construct reliability and internal consistency of the items of strategic design requirements. The design requirements includes use of information technology, sourcing procedures, new product development, flexible manufacturing functions and demand management supply chain net work design, management, commitment and inventory management policies among manufacturers of volatile and unforeseeable products in Andhraadesh, India. This study suggested that the seven factor model with 20 items of the leagile supply chain design requirements had a good fit. Further, the study showed a val id and reliable measurement to identify critical items among the design requirements of leagile supply chains.

Grupos sanguíneos ABO, RhD y esclerosis múltiple ABO and RhD blood groups in multiple sclerosis

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Leslie Pérez-Ruiz

2011-06-01

Full Text Available La fisiopatología de la esclerosis múltiple es incierta; la hipótesis más fundada es la existencia de un proceso autoinmune en el que existe predisposición genética. El sistema de grupos sanguíneos está compuesto por antígenos fácilmente detectables, por lo que constituye excelente marcador genético. Para determinar frecuencia de distribución de los grupos sanguíneos en pacientes con esclerosis múltiple, se estudiaron 70 enfermos, de quienes se obtuvieron datos demográficos, clínicos y de escalas evolutivas. Se seleccionaron 180 controles al azar simple mediante muestreo multietápico del universo integrado por 4 747 donantes de sangre. Se determinaron los grupo sanguíneos ABO y RhD. Se calculó X² con precisión del 95 % e intervalo de confianza de las diferencias porcentuales. En ambos grupos fue más frecuente el RhD+ (85,7 % casos y 90 % controles. El grupo sanguíneo A estuvo en el 60 % de los pacientes y el grupo O predominó en los donantes (55 %, con diferencia significativa p=0,003 y OR=2,85. De acuerdo con este estudio, existe una asociación entre el grupo sanguíneo A con la esclerosis múltiple.The physiopathology of multiple sclerosis is uncertain. The best founded hypothesis is the existence of an autoimmune process in which genetic predisposition plays a role. The system of blood groups consists of easily detectable antigens; therefore, it is an excellent genetic marker. To determine the distribution frequency of blood groups in patients with multiple sclerosis, 70 ill persons were studied, about whom demographic, clinical and evolutionary scale data were obtained. 180 controls were selected by simple random multistage sampling of a universe of 4 747 blood donors. Blood groups ABO and RhD were determined. X² was calculated with a 95% accuracy and confidence interval of percent differences. RhD+ was more frequent in both groups (85.7 % cases and 90% controls. Blood group A was found in 60 % patients, whereas

Dancing multiplicity states supported by a carboxylated group in dicopper structures bonded to O2

KAUST Repository

Poater, Albert

2013-01-29

The present study pretends to assign the correct multiplicity state to dinuclear copper complexes when interacting with free molecular oxygen. Recently, the formation of a bridge butterfly μ-η2: η2-peroxo dicopper core structure stabilized by the direct interaction of the counterion, a carboxylate group that allows the double bridge linking both metal-centre atoms, was characterized by crystallography. This system was assigned as a diradical singlet with Ms = 0. However, after new calculations it has turned out to be triplet (Ms = 1) despite the stabilization for this latter multiplicity state is not high. Here, the factors that contribute to make this structure display a multiplicity different with respect to the previously expected diradical singlet are described. In the present theoretical study, the roles of the αSp ligand constraints and the counterion are unravelled. On the other hand, the relative stability between the butterfly μ-η2: η2-peroxo structure and the isomeric bis(μ-oxo) species is also on discussion. Despite the relative stabilities of all these either structural or electronic isomeric species are supposed to depend on the computational method, which is a difficulty to reach a definite conclusion about the nature of the active species, all DFT methods using either pure or not pure DFT functionals here reach the same conclusion, favoring the triplet as the ground state for the butterfly μ-η2: η2-peroxo dicopper core structure, and the bis(μ-oxo) species when removing the benzoate counterion. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.

IgG western blot for confirmatory diagnosis of equivocal cases of toxoplasmosis by EIA-IgG and fluorescent antibody test.

Science.gov (United States)

Khammari, Imen; Saghrouni, Fatma; Yaacoub, Alia; Gaied Meksi, Sondoss; Ach, Hinda; Garma, Lamia; Fathallah, Akila; Ben Saïd, Moncef

2013-08-01

The performance values of available techniques used in serodiagnosis of toxoplasmosis are satisfactory but they raise problems of equivocal and discordant results for very low IgG titers. Recently marketed, LDBio-Toxo II IgG Western blot (IB) showed an excellent correlation with the dye test. We estimated the proportion of equivocal and discordant results between the enzyme immunoassay Platelia Toxo IgG (EIA-IgG) and fluorescent antibody test (FAT) and assessed the usefulness of the IB as a confirmatory test. Out of 2,136 sera collected from pregnant women, 1,644 (77.0%) tested unequivocally positive and 407 (19.0%) were negative in both EIA-IgG and FAT. The remaining 85 (4%) sera showed equivocal or discordant results. Among them, 73 (85.9%) were positive and 12 (14.1%) were negative in IB. Forty-one (89.1%) equivocal sera in EIA-IgG and 46 (86.8%) equivocal sera in FAT were positive in IB. Reducing the cut-off values of both screening techniques improved significantly their sensitivity in detecting very low IgG titers at the expense of their specificity. In conclusion, equivocal results in routine-used techniques and their discordance in determination of the immune status in pregnancy women were not uncommon. IB test appeard to be highly useful in these situations as a confirmatory technique.

Factorial validity of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) across occupational groups in Norway.

Science.gov (United States)

Nerstad, Christina G L; Richardsen, Astrid M; Martinussen, Monica

2010-08-01

The present study investigated the factorial validity of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) among 1266 participants from ten different occupational groups. Confirmatory factor analyses of the total sample, as well as multi-group analyses and analyses of each of the ten occupational groups separately, indicated that a three-dimensional model of both the UWES-17 and the short version, UWES-9, provided a better fit to the data than a one- and two-dimensional model. The results of multi-group analyses and analyses of each of the groups separately, indicated that with a few exceptions, the three-factor model of work engagement provided the best fit. Results indicated factorial invariance and the internal consistencies were acceptable. The fit of the UWES-9 was slightly better than the UWES-17. It is concluded that the Norwegian short version may be recommended over the UWES-17.

The Multicultural Identity Integration Scale (MULTIIS): Developing a comprehensive measure for configuring one's multiple cultural identities within the self.

Science.gov (United States)

Yampolsky, Maya A; Amiot, Catherine E; de la Sablonnière, Roxane

2016-04-01

The research investigating how one's multiple cultural identities are configured within the self has yet to account for existing cultural identity configurations aside from integration, and for identifying with more than 2 cultural groups at once. The current research addresses these issues by constructing the Multicultural Identity Integration Scale (MULTIIS) to examine 3 different multicultural identity configurations, and their relationship to well-being based on Amiot and colleagues' (2007) cognitive-developmental model of social identity integration (CDSMII). Diverse samples of multicultural individuals completed the MULTIIS along with identity and well-being measures. (Study 1A: N = 407; 1B: N = 310; 2A = 338 and 2A = 254) RESULTS: Reliability and confirmatory factorial analyses (Studies 1A and 2A) all supported the factorial structure of the MULTIIS. Regression analyses (Studies 1B and 2B) confirmed that the integration subscale of the MULTIIS positively predicted well-being, whereas compartmentalization negatively predicted well-being. Categorization was inconsistently related to well-being. These findings support the CDSMII and the usefulness of the MULTIIS measure, and suggest that each identity configuration is uniquely related to well-being outcomes. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Validation of an instrument to measure tutor performance in promoting self-directed learning by using confirmatory factor analysis

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Genoveva Amador Fierros

Full Text Available Objective.This work sought to validate and propose an instrument to measure the performance of tutors in promoting self-directed learning in students involved in processes of problem-based learning. Methods. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA was applied to validate the instrument composed of 60 items and six factors (self-assessment of learning gaps within the United Nations specific context: self-assessment, reflexion, critical thinking, administration of information, group skills, using a sample of 207 students from a total of 279, which comprise the student population of the Faculty of Nursing at Universidad de Colima in Mexico. (2007. Results. The CFA results demonstrated that the instrument is acceptable to measure performance of tutors in promoting self-directed learning, given that all the indicators, variances, covariances, and thresholds are statistically significant. Conclusion. The instrument permits obtaining students' opinions on how much professors contribute for them to develop each of the 60 skills described in the scale. Lastly, the results could report if professors are placing more emphasis in some areas than in other areas they should address during the problem-based learning (PBL process, or if definitely their actions are removed from the premises of PBL, information that will be useful for school management in decision making on the direction of teaching as a whole.

Polyakov-Wiegmann formula and multiplicative gerbes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gawedzki, Krzysztof; Waldorf, Konrad

2009-01-01

An unambiguous definition of Feynman amplitudes in the Wess-Zumino-Witten sigma model and the Chern-Simon gauge theory with a general Lie group is determined by a certain geometric structure on the group. For the WZW amplitudes, this is a (bundle) gerbe with connection of an appropriate curvature whereas for the CS amplitudes, the gerbe has to be additionally equipped with a multiplicative structure assuring its compatibility with the group multiplication. We show that for simple compact Lie groups the obstruction to the existence of a multiplicative structure is provided by a 2-cocycle of phases that appears in the Polyakov-Wiegmann formula relating the Wess-Zumino action functional of the product of group-valued fields to the sum of the individual contributions. These phases were computed long time ago for all compact simple Lie groups. If they are trivial, then the multiplicative structure exists and is unique up to isomorphism.

The relationships of multiple factors to menopausal symptoms in different racial/ethnic groups of midlife women: the structural equation modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Im, Eun-Ok; Chang, Sun Ju; Chee, Eunice; Chee, Wonshik

2018-04-09

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships of multiple factors to menopausal symptoms in different racial/ethnic groups of midlife women. This secondary analysis was conducted with the data from 980 midlife women that were collected from 2005 to 2013 using the Midlife Women's Symptom Index. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The model had the highest fit indices for Non-Hispanic (NH) White midlife women, and prominent racial/ethnic differences were observed in the relationships of multiple factors to menopausal symptoms. In all racial/ethnic groups (except in Hispanic women), perceived health status was significantly associated positively with menopausal symptoms (β = -0.149 for NH African American; β = -0.207 for NH Asians; β = -0.162 for NH Whites). Body mass index was significantly positively associated with menopausal symptoms only in NH Asians (β = 0.118) and Hispanics (β = 0.210). The racial/ethnic differences in the relationships of multiple factors to menopausal symptoms could have resulted from the different cultural contexts in which women undergo during their menopausal transitions. Further cultural studies on the associations of racial/ethnic-specific factors with menopausal symptoms would help in understanding possible causes for racial/ethnic differences in the factors significantly associated with menopausal symptoms.

The Number of Positive Pelvic Lymph Nodes and Multiple Groups of Pelvic Lymph Node Metastasis Influence Prognosis in Stage IA-IIB Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma

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Yu Liu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Pelvic lymph node metastasis (LNM is an important prognostic factor in cervical cancer. Cervical squamous cell carcinoma accounts for approximately 75-80% of all cervical cancers. Analyses of the effects of the number of positive lymph nodes (LNs, unilateral versus bilateral pelvic LNM and a single group versus multiple groups of pelvic LNM on survival and recurrence of cervical squamous cell carcinoma are still lacking. The study aimed to analyze the effects of the number of positive pelvic LNs and a single group versus multiple groups of pelvic LNM on survival and recurrence. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 296 patients diagnosed with Stage IA-IIB cervical squamous cell carcinoma who received extensive/sub-extensive hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy/pelvic LN sampling at Peking University People′s Hospital from November 2004 to July 2013. Ten clinicopathological variables were evaluated as risk factors for pelvic LNM: Age at diagnosis, gravidity, clinical stage, histological grade, tumor diameter, lymph-vascular space involvement (LVSI, depth of cervical stromal invasion, uterine invasion, parametrial invasion, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Results: The incidence of pelvic LNM was 20.27% (60/296 cases. Pelvic LNM (P = 0.00 was significantly correlated with recurrence. Pelvic LNM (P = 0.00, the number of positive pelvic LNs (P = 0.04 and a single group versus multiple groups of pelvic LNM (P = 0.03 had a significant influence on survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that LVSI (P = 0.00, depth of cervical stromal invasion (P = 0.00 and parametrial invasion (P = 0.03 were independently associated with pelvic LNM. Conclusions: Patients with pelvic LNM had a higher recurrence rate and poor survival outcomes. Furthermore, more than 2 positive pelvic LNs and multiple groups of pelvic LNM appeared to identify patients with worse survival outcomes in node-positive IA-IIB cervical squamous cell carcinoma. LVSI

Ready, set, go: a cross-sectional survey to understand priorities and preferences for multiple health behaviour change in a highly disadvantaged group.

Science.gov (United States)

Noble, Natasha; Paul, Christine; Sanson-Fisher, Robert; Turon, Heidi; Turner, Nicole; Conigrave, Katherine

2016-09-13

Socially disadvantaged groups, such as Aboriginal Australians, tend to have a high prevalence of multiple lifestyle risk factors, increasing the risk of disease and underscoring the need for services to address multiple health behaviours. The aims of this study were to explore, among a socially disadvantaged group of people attending an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS): a) readiness to change health behaviours; b) acceptability of addressing multiple risk factors sequentially or simultaneously; and c) preferred types of support services. People attending an ACCHS in regional New South Wales (NSW) completed a touchscreen survey while waiting for their appointment. The survey assessed participant health risk status, which health risks they would like to change, whether they preferred multiple health changes to be made together or separately, and the types of support they would use. Of the 211 participants who completed the survey, 94 % reported multiple (two or more) health risks. There was a high willingness to change, with 69 % of current smokers wanting to cut down or quit, 51 % of overweight or obese participants wanting to lose weight and 44 % of those using drugs in the last 12 months wanting to stop or cut down. Of participants who wanted to make more than one health change, over half would be willing to make simultaneous or over-lapping health changes. The most popular types of support were help from a doctor or Health Worker and seeing a specialist, with less than a quarter of participants preferring telephone or electronic (internet or smart phone) forms of assistance. The importance of involving family members was also identified. Strategies addressing multiple health behaviour changes are likely to be acceptable for people attending an ACCHS, but may need to allow flexibility in the choice of initial target behaviour, timing of changes, and the format of support provided.

Multiple drug resistance patterns in various phylogenetic groups of uropathogenic E.coli isolated from Faisalabad region of Pakistan

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Saira Bashir

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was the phylogenetic characterization of local clinical isolates of uropathogenic E. coli with respect to drug resistance. A total of 59 uropathogenic E. coli responsible for community acquired urinary tract infections were included in this study. A triplex PCR was employed to segregate each isolate into four different phylogenetic groups (A, B1, B2 and D. Drug resistance was evaluated by disc diffusion method. The drugs used were ampicillin, aztreonam, cefixime, cefoperazone, ceftriaxone, cephradine among β-lactam group; amikacin, gentamicin, and streptomycin among aminoglycosides; nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin from quinolones; trimethoprim-sulfomethoxazole, and tetracycline. Among 59 uropathogenic E. coli isolates majority belonged to phylogenetic group B2 (50% where as 19% each belonged to groups A and B1, and 12% to group D. All the isolates were multiple drug resistant (MDR. Most effective drugs against Group A, B1, and B2 were gentamicin, amikacin and cefixime; ceftriaxone and quinolones; and ceftriaxone and amikacin, respectively. Group D isolates were found to be highly resistant to all drugs. Our results have shown emergence of MDR isolates among uropathogenic E. coli with dominance of phylogenetic group B2. However, it was found that group D isolates were though less frequent, more drug resistant as compared with group B2. Groups A and B1 were relatively uncommon. Amikacin, ceftriaxone and gentamicin were the most effective drugs in general.

Structural validity of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in Chinese undergraduate students: A confirmatory factor analysis

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Suran Guo

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the structural validity of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI in Chinese undergraduate students. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey with 631 Chinese undergraduate students was conducted, and the questionnaire package included a measure of demographic characteristics, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI, Chinese editions of Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression, State- Trait Anxiety Inventory, Rumination Response Scale, and Perceived Social Support Scale. Results showed that the item use of sleep medicine was not suitable for use with this population, that a two-factor model provided the best fit to the data as assessed through confirmatory factor analysis, and that other indices were consistently correlated with the sleep quality but not the sleep efficiency factor.

Portfolio Optimization for Multiple Group Credit Unions

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Willis, John

1999-01-01

...) to diversify, credit unions now have the opportunity to market their services to specific employee groups or industries which can reduce the overall risk to the credit unions' health or solvency...

Test of Gross Motor Development : Expert Validity, confirmatory validity and internal consistence

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Nadia Cristina Valentini

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2 is an instrument used to evaluate children’s level of motordevelopment. The objective of this study was to translate and verify the clarity and pertinence of the TGMD-2 items by expertsand the confirmatory factorial validity and the internal consistence by means of test-retest of the Portuguese TGMD-2. Across-cultural translation was used to construct the Portuguese version. The participants of this study were 7 professionalsand 587 children, from 27 schools (kindergarten and elementary from 3 to 10 years old (51.1% boys and 48.9% girls.Each child was videotaped performing the test twice. The videotaped tests were then scored. The results indicated thatthe Portuguese version of the TGMD-2 contains clear and pertinent motor items; demonstrated satisfactory indices ofconfirmatory factorial validity (χ2/gl = 3.38; Goodness-of-fit Index = 0.95; Adjusted Goodness-of-fit index = 0.92 and Tuckerand Lewis’s Index of Fit = 0.83 and test-retest internal consistency (locomotion r = 0.82; control of object: r = 0.88. ThePortuguese TGMD-2 demonstrated validity and reliability for the sample investigated.

More than a memory: Confirmatory visual search is not caused by remembering a visual feature.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajsic, Jason; Pratt, Jay

2017-10-01

Previous research has demonstrated a preference for positive over negative information in visual search; asking whether a target object is green biases search towards green objects, even when this entails more perceptual processing than searching non-green objects. The present study investigated whether this confirmatory search bias is due to the presence of one particular (e.g., green) color in memory during search. Across two experiments, we show that this is not the critical factor in generating a confirmation bias in search. Search slowed proportionally to the number of stimuli whose color matched the color held in memory only when the color was remembered as part of the search instructions. These results suggest that biased search for information is due to a particular attentional selection strategy, and not to memory-driven attentional biases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cross-sector surveys assessing perceptions of key stakeholders towards barriers, concerns and facilitators to the appropriate use of adaptive designs in confirmatory trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Dimairo, Munyaradzi; Julious, Steven A; Todd, Susan; Nicholl, Jonathan P; Boote, Jonathan

2015-12-23

Appropriately conducted adaptive designs (ADs) offer many potential advantages over conventional trials. They make better use of accruing data, potentially saving time, trial participants, and limited resources compared to conventional, fixed sample size designs. However, one can argue that ADs are not implemented as often as they should be, particularly in publicly funded confirmatory trials. This study explored barriers, concerns, and potential facilitators to the appropriate use of ADs in confirmatory trials among key stakeholders. We conducted three cross-sectional, online parallel surveys between November 2014 and January 2015. The surveys were based upon findings drawn from in-depth interviews of key research stakeholders, predominantly in the UK, and targeted Clinical Trials Units (CTUs), public funders, and private sector organisations. Response rates were as follows: 30(55 %) UK CTUs, 17(68 %) private sector, and 86(41 %) public funders. A Rating Scale Model was used to rank barriers and concerns in order of perceived importance for prioritisation. Top-ranked barriers included the lack of bridge funding accessible to UK CTUs to support the design of ADs, limited practical implementation knowledge, preference for traditional mainstream designs, difficulties in marketing ADs to key stakeholders, time constraints to support ADs relative to competing priorities, lack of applied training, and insufficient access to case studies of undertaken ADs to facilitate practical learning and successful implementation. Associated practical complexities and inadequate data management infrastructure to support ADs were reported as more pronounced in the private sector. For funders of public research, the inadequate description of the rationale, scope, and decision-making criteria to guide the planned AD in grant proposals by researchers were all viewed as major obstacles. There are still persistent and important perceptions of individual and organisational obstacles

Haemoglobins with multiple reactive sulfhydryl groups: reactions of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The pH dependence profile of kapp for the slow phase resembles the titration curve of a monoprotic acid. Quantitative analysis indicates that the sulfhydryl group to which this phase may be attributed is linked to a single ionizable group with a pKa of 6.1 0.2. Examination of the structure of guinea pig haemoglobin near the ...

Haemoglobins with multiple reactive sulfhydryl groups: reactions of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The pH dependence profile of kapp, the apparent second-order rate constant, for the fast phase resembles the titration curve of a diprotic acid. Quantitative analysis indicates that the reactivity of the sulfhydryl group to which this phase may be attributed is linked to two ionizable groups with pKas of 6.4 0.1 and 7.8 0.2.

Does the Assessment of Recovery Capital scale reflect a single or multiple domains?

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Arndt S

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Stephan Arndt,1–3 Ethan Sahker,1,4 Suzy Hedden1 1Iowa Consortium for Substance Abuse Research and Evaluation, 2Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, 3Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, 4Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, Counseling Psychology Program College of Education, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA Objective: The goal of this study was to determine whether the 50-item Assessment of Recovery Capital scale represents a single general measure or whether multiple domains might be psychometrically useful for research or clinical applications. Methods: Data are from a cross-sectional de-identified existing program evaluation information data set with 1,138 clients entering substance use disorder treatment. Principal components and iterated factor analysis were used on the domain scores. Multiple group factor analysis provided a quasi-confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The solution accounted for 75.24% of the total variance, suggesting that 10 factors provide a reasonably good fit. However, Tucker’s congruence coefficients between the factor structure and defining weights (0.41–0.52 suggested a poor fit to the hypothesized 10-domain structure. Principal components of the 10-domain scores yielded one factor whose eigenvalue was greater than one (5.93, accounting for 75.8% of the common variance. A few domains had perceptible but small unique variance components suggesting that a few of the domains may warrant enrichment. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that there is one general factor, with a caveat. Using the 10 measures inflates the chance for Type I errors. Using one general measure avoids this issue, is simple to interpret, and could reduce the number of items. However, those seeking to maximally predict later recovery success may need to use the full instrument and all 10 domains. Keywords: social support, psychometrics, quality of life

Three-dimensional multiple reciprocity boundary element method for one-group neutron diffusion eigenvalue computations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itagaki, Masafumi; Sahashi, Naoki.

1996-01-01

The multiple reciprocity method (MRM) in conjunction with the boundary element method has been employed to solve one-group eigenvalue problems described by the three-dimensional (3-D) neutron diffusion equation. The domain integral related to the fission source is transformed into a series of boundary-only integrals, with the aid of the higher order fundamental solutions based on the spherical and the modified spherical Bessel functions. Since each degree of the higher order fundamental solutions in the 3-D cases has a singularity of order (1/r), the above series of boundary integrals requires additional terms which do not appear in the 2-D MRM formulation. The critical eigenvalue itself can be also described using only boundary integrals. Test calculations show that Wielandt's spectral shift technique guarantees rapid and stable convergence of 3-D MRM computations. (author)

Human Resources Management Policies and Practices Scale (HRMPPS: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

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Gisela Demo

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Given the strategic relevance of Human Resources Management (HRM in organizations and the lack of scientific instruments to measure employees’ perceptions about policies and practices of HRM, this study aimed to validate the Human Resources Management Policies and Practices Scale (HRMPPS through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis using the maximum likelihood method. The study has a quantitative design, but also included qualitative analysis required for the development of a scale. Employees from various organizations composed a sample of 632 people. Scale reliability was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha and Jöreskog’s rho. A sixfactor model was generated showing high-reliability and good fit. Construct validity was provided through convergent and discriminant analyses. The factors were consistent with the literature review and explained about 58% of the construct’s total variance. This study contributes to the scientific production in the area of Human Resources Management since HRMPPS can be used not only in relational studies but also as an evaluation instrument by managers who wish to improve their employees’ well-being as well as organizational outcomes.

Internal validity of an anxiety disorder screening instrument across five ethnic groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Ritsher, Jennifer Boyd; Struening, Elmer L; Hellman, Fred; Guardino, Mary

2002-08-30

We tested the factor structure of the National Anxiety Disorder Screening Day instrument (n=14860) within five ethnic groups (White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American). Conducted yearly across the US, the screening is meant to detect five common anxiety syndromes. Factor analyses often fail to confirm the validity of assessment tools' structures, and this is especially likely for minority ethnic groups. If symptoms cluster differently across ethnic groups, criteria for conventional DSM-IV disorders are less likely to be met, leaving significant distress unlabeled and under-detected in minority groups. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses established that the items clustered into the six expected factors (one for each disorder plus agoraphobia). This six-factor model fit the data very well for Whites and not significantly worse for each other group. However, small areas of the model did not appear to fit as well for some groups. After taking these areas into account, the data still clearly suggest more prevalent PTSD symptoms in the Black, Hispanic and Native American groups in our sample. Additional studies are warranted to examine the model's external validity, generalizability to more culturally distinct groups, and overlap with other culture-specific syndromes.

Management of relapsed multiple myeloma: recommendations of the International Myeloma Working Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Laubach, J; Garderet, L; Mahindra, A; Gahrton, G; Caers, J; Sezer, O; Voorhees, P; Leleu, X; Johnsen, H E; Streetly, M; Jurczyszyn, A; Ludwig, H; Mellqvist, U-H; Chng, W-J; Pilarski, L; Einsele, H; Hou, J; Turesson, I; Zamagni, E; Chim, C S; Mazumder, A; Westin, J; Lu, J; Reiman, T; Kristinsson, S; Joshua, D; Roussel, M; O'Gorman, P; Terpos, E; McCarthy, P; Dimopoulos, M; Moreau, P; Orlowski, R Z; Miguel, J S; Anderson, K C; Palumbo, A; Kumar, S; Rajkumar, V; Durie, B; Richardson, P G

2016-05-01

The prognosis for patients multiple myeloma (MM) has improved substantially over the past decade with the development of new, more effective chemotherapeutic agents and regimens that possess a high level of anti-tumor activity. In spite of this important progress, however, nearly all MM patients ultimately relapse, even those who experience a complete response to initial therapy. Management of relapsed MM thus represents a vital aspect of the overall care for patients with MM and a critical area of ongoing scientific and clinical research. This comprehensive manuscript from the International Myeloma Working Group provides detailed recommendations on management of relapsed disease, with sections dedicated to diagnostic evaluation, determinants of therapy, and general approach to patients with specific disease characteristics. In addition, the manuscript provides a summary of evidence from clinical trials that have significantly impacted the field, including those evaluating conventional dose therapies, as well as both autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Specific recommendations are offered for management of first and second relapse, relapsed and refractory disease, and both autologous and allogeneic transplant. Finally, perspective is provided regarding new agents and promising directions in management of relapsed MM.

The Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III and the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-Short Form: a confirmatory factor analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vambheim, Sara M.; Lyby, Peter Solvoll; Aslaksen, Per M.

2017-01-01

.Aims and methods: The purpose of the study was to investigate the model fit, reliability and validity of the FPQ-III and the FPQ-SF in a Norwegian nonclinical sample, using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The second aim was to explore the model fit of the two scales in male and female subgroups separately...... the questionnaires, the model fit, validity and reliability were compared across sex using CFA.Results: The results revealed that both models' original factor structures had poor fit. However, the FPQ-SF had a better fit overall, compared to the FPQ-III. The model fit of the two models differed across sex...

Decomposing Multi‐Level Ethnic Segregation in Auckland, New Zealand, 2001–2013 : Segregation Intensity for Multiple Groups at Multiple Scales

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Manley, D.J.; Johnston, Ron; Jones, Kelvyn

2018-01-01

There has been a growing appreciation that the processes generating urban residential segregation operate at multiple scales, stimulating innovations into the measurement of their outcomes. This paper applies a multi‐level modelling approach to that issue to the situation in Auckland, where multiple

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the School-Based Assessment Evaluation Scale Among Teachers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nor Hasnida Che Md. Ghazali

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The school-based assessment (SBA system is a holistic assessment system that is conducted in schools by subject teachers in assessing the students cognitive (intellect, affective (emotional and spiritual and psychomotor (physical aspects. It is in line with the National Philosophy of Education and the Standards-based School Curriculum in Malaysia. In order to evaluate the implementation of SBA, a measurement scale was validated. Questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. 776 primary and secondary school teachers were selected as respondents using stratified random sampling. The data was analyzed with SPSS and AMOS version 18. The aim of this paper was to explore different factor structures of the SBA evaluation scale by using the second-order Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Results indicated that the SBA evaluation model was a valid and reliable scale. The input measurement model was validated with two factors (personnel qualifications and physical infrastructure, process measurement model was validated with six factors (‘attitude’, ‘understanding’, ‘skills’, ‘challenges’, ‘moderation’ and ‘monitoring’ and product measurement model was validated with two factors (‘students’ attitude’ and ‘students’ motivation’. This study provides support for using a valid instrument in evaluating the implementation of SBA in schools. Furthermore, the CFA procedures used supported the conceptual framework set out earlier. Thus, it presents clearly the importance of the evaluation process of any education system to follow all the dimensions outlined in the evaluation model proposed by Daniel Stufflebeam.       Sistem Penilaian Berbasis Sekolah (SBA adalah sistem penilaian holistik yang dilakukan di sekolah-sekolah oleh guru mata pelajaran dalam menilai kognitif (kecerdasan, afektif (emosional dan spiritual dan psikomotorik (fisik siswa. Hal ini sejalan dengan Filsafat Pendidikan Nasional dan Kurikulum

Analisis Hubungan antara Berbagai Model Gabungan Proksi Investment Opportunity Set dan Real Growth dengan Menggunakan Pendekatan Confirmatory Factor Analysis”

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Muhammad Yusuf

2016-02-01

Full Text Available This study develops and makes composite observed variables from individual Investment Opportunity Set (IOS proxies into one latent variable using structural equation models with a confirmatory factor analysis approach. Six composite investment opportunity set proxies are then created based on some individual proxies, namely price related IOS and investment related IOS. These composite IOS proxies are correlated with the real growth to prove that the model has consistency and ability to predict the real growth. A confirmatory factor analysis results in all observed variables that make latent variables for each model show different result in every model. At model 1, the CFA result show   that every price related IOS proxies at model 1 have significant measurement model fit. At model 2, the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA result show that every price related IOS proxies at model 2 have significant measurement model fit, except for one proxies named Rasio Capital Expenditure to Total Book Asset (RACTE. At model 3, the CFA result show that every price related IOS proxies at model 2 have significant measurement model fit, except for one proxies named Book Value of Property, Plant and Equipment to Book Value of Asset(BVPPEBVA. At model 4, the CFA result show   that every price related IOS proxies at model 1 have significant measurement model fit. At model 5, the CFA result show   that every price related IOS proxies at model 1 have significant measurement model fit. At model 6, the CFA result show that there is no significant measurement model fit for every investment related IOS proxies. Correlation test for all models show almost different result in every models. At model 1, the correlation test show that there is a weak, not significant-positive correlation between price related IOS proxies as latent variable, and real growth proxies. At model 2, the correlation test shows that there is a weak, significant negative correlation between price

Multiple Family Group Service Model for Children With Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Child Outcomes at Post-Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Chacko, Anil; Gopalan, Geetha; Franco, Lydia; Dean-Assael, Kara; Jackson, Jerrold; Marcus, Sue; Hoagwood, Kimberly; McKay, Mary

2015-06-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the benefits of a multiple family group (MFG) service delivery model compared with services as usual (SAU) in improving the functioning of youth with oppositional defiant/conduct disorder in families residing in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Participants included 320 youth aged 7 to 11 and their families who were referred to participating outpatient clinics. Participants were assigned to the MFG or the SAU condition, with parent report of child oppositional behavior, social competence, and level of youth impairment as primary outcomes at post-treatment. Family engagement to MFG was measured by attendance to each group session. Caregivers of youth in the MFG service delivery model condition reported significant improvement in youth oppositional behavior and social competence compared with youth in the SAU condition. Impairment improved over time for both groups with no difference between treatment conditions. The MFG led to greater percentage of youth with clinically significant improvements in oppositional behavior. Attendance to the MFG was high, given the high-risk nature of the study population. The MFG service delivery model offers an efficient and engaging format to implement evidence-based approaches to improving functioning of youth with oppositional defiant and/or conduct disorder in families from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.

Neutron-multiplication measurement instrument

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nixon, K.V.; Dowdy, E.J.; France, S.W.; Millegan, D.R.; Robba, A.A.

1982-01-01

The Advanced Nuclear Technology Group of the Los Alamos National Laboratory is now using intelligent data-acquisition and analysis instrumentation for determining the multiplication of nuclear material. Earlier instrumentation, such as the large NIM-crate systems, depended on house power and required additional computation to determine multiplication or to estimate error. The portable, battery-powered multiplication measurement unit, with advanced computational power, acquires data, calculates multiplication, and completes error analysis automatically. Thus, the multiplication is determined easily and an available error estimate enables the user to judge the significance of results.

Neutron multiplication measurement instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nixon, K.V.; Dowdy, E.J.; France, S.W.; Millegan, D.R.; Robba, A.A.

1983-01-01

The Advanced Nuclear Technology Group of the Los Alamos National Laboratory is now using intelligent data-acquisition and analysis instrumentation for determining the multiplication of nuclear material. Earlier instrumentation, such as the large NIM-crate systems, depended on house power and required additional computation to determine multiplication or to estimate error. The portable, battery-powered multiplication measurement unit, with advanced computational power, acquires data, calculates multiplication, and completes error analysis automatically. Thus, the multiplication is determined easily and an available error estimate enables the user to judge the significance of results

Neutron-multiplication measurement instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nixon, K.V.; Dowdy, E.J.; France, S.W.; Millegan, D.R.; Robba, A.A.

1982-01-01

The Advanced Nuclear Technology Group of the Los Alamos National Laboratory is now using intelligent data-acquisition and analysis instrumentation for determining the multiplication of nuclear material. Earlier instrumentation, such as the large NIM-crate systems, depended on house power and required additional computation to determine multiplication or to estimate error. The portable, battery-powered multiplication measurement unit, with advanced computational power, acquires data, calculates multiplication, and completes error analysis automatically. Thus, the multiplication is determined easily and an available error estimate enables the user to judge the significance of results

Draft evaluation of the frequency for gas sampling for the high burnup confirmatory data project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stockman, Christine T. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Alsaed, Halim A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bryan, Charles R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-03-26

This report fulfills the M3 milestone M3FT-15SN0802041, “Draft Evaluation of the Frequency for Gas Sampling for the High Burn-up Storage Demonstration Project” under Work Package FT-15SN080204, “ST Field Demonstration Support – SNL”. This report provides a technically based gas sampling frequency strategy for the High Burnup (HBU) Confirmatory Data Project. The evaluation of: 1) the types and magnitudes of gases that could be present in the project cask and, 2) the degradation mechanisms that could change gas compositions culminates in an adaptive gas sampling frequency strategy. This adaptive strategy is compared against the sampling frequency that has been developed based on operational considerations. Gas sampling will provide information on the presence of residual water (and byproducts associated with its reactions and decomposition) and breach of cladding, which could inform the decision of when to open the project cask.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the French Version of the Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joséphine Chaix

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS, a measure specifically designed to assess hedonic capacity for social and interpersonal pleasure, was used to evaluate the presence of social anhedonia in patients as well as the general population. The first goal of this study was to validate the structure of the French version of the ACIPS. The second objective was to verify whether a one, two or three factor solution is most appropriate for the ACIPS scale. The French version of the ACIPS was tested on 263 French-speaking pre-graduate students or professional volunteers. For the confirmatory factor analysis, data were treated as categorical ordinal and all the models were estimated using a robust weighted least squares estimator with adjustments for the mean and variance. Three models were estimated. A one-factor model representing a general undifferentiated “pleasure” latent construct was first tested on the 17 ACIPS items. A two-factor model distinguishing anticipatory-pleasure and consummatory-pleasure was tested next. Finally, a three-factor model including subdomains of intimate social interactions, group social interactions, and social bonding was tested. The one and two-factor models showed a somewhat poor fit to the data. However, the goodness of fit of the three factor model was adequate. These results suggest that individuals who enjoyed interaction in one of these three subdomains were more likely to enjoy doing so in the two other domains. However, on the basis of the comparison between the one and three factor models, these three types of interactions may not be considered as indistinguishable. Rather, they represent distinct and theoretically meaningful dimensions. These results show the French version of the ACIPS is a useful and valid scale to measure the capacity of savoring different kinds of social relationships.

Evaluating WAIS-IV structure through a different psychometric lens: structural causal model discovery as an alternative to confirmatory factor analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

van Dijk, Marjolein J A M; Claassen, Tom; Suwartono, Christiany; van der Veld, William M; van der Heijden, Paul T; Hendriks, Marc P H

Since the publication of the WAIS-IV in the U.S. in 2008, efforts have been made to explore the structural validity by applying factor analysis to various samples. This study aims to achieve a more fine-grained understanding of the structure of the Dutch language version of the WAIS-IV (WAIS-IV-NL) by applying an alternative analysis based on causal modeling in addition to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The Bayesian Constraint-based Causal Discovery (BCCD) algorithm learns underlying network structures directly from data and assesses more complex structures than is possible with factor analysis. WAIS-IV-NL profiles of two clinical samples of 202 patients (i.e. patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and a mixed psychiatric outpatient group) were analyzed and contrasted with a matched control group (N = 202) selected from the Dutch standardization sample of the WAIS-IV-NL to investigate internal structure by means of CFA and BCCD. With CFA, the four-factor structure as proposed by Wechsler demonstrates acceptable fit in all three subsamples. However, BCCD revealed three consistent clusters (verbal comprehension, visual processing, and processing speed) in all three subsamples. The combination of Arithmetic and Digit Span as a coherent working memory factor could not be verified, and Matrix Reasoning appeared to be isolated. With BCCD, some discrepancies from the proposed four-factor structure are exemplified. Furthermore, these results fit CHC theory of intelligence more clearly. Consistent clustering patterns indicate these results are robust. The structural causal discovery approach may be helpful in better interpreting existing tests, the development of new tests, and aid in diagnostic instruments.

Is the concept of quality of life relevant for multiple sclerosis patients with cognitive impairment? Preliminary results of a cross-sectional study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karine Baumstarck

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment occurs in about 50% of multiple sclerosis (MS patients, and the use of self-reported outcomes for evaluating treatment and managing care among subjects with cognitive dysfunction has been questioned. The aim of this study was to provide new evidence about the suitability of self-reported outcomes for use in this specific population by exploring the internal structure, reliability and external validity of a specific quality of life (QoL instrument, the Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life questionnaire (MusiQoL. METHODS: DESIGN: cross-sectional study. INCLUSION CRITERIA: MS patients of any disease subtype. DATA COLLECTION: sociodemographic (age, gender, marital status, education level, and occupational activity and clinical data (MS subtype, Expanded Disability Status Scale, disease duration; QoL (MusiQoL and SF36; and neuropsychological performance (Stroop color-word test. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: confirmatory factor analysis, item-dimension correlations, Cronbach's alpha coefficients, Rasch statistics, relationships between MusiQoL dimensions and other parameters. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: One hundred and twenty-four consecutive patients were enrolled. QoL scores did not differ between the 69 cognitively non-impaired patients and the 55 cognitively impaired patients, except for the symptoms dimension. The confirmatory factor analysis performed among the impaired subjects showed that the structure of the questionnaire matched with the initial structure of the MusiQoL. The unidimensionality of the MusiQoL dimensions was preserved, and the internal validity indices were satisfactory and close to those of the reference population. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our study suggests that executive dysfunction did not compromise the reliability and the validity of the self-reported QoL questionnaires.

Medication withdrawal may be an option for a select group of patients in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guilherme Sciascia do Olival

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This article describes the clinical and radiological evolution of a stable group of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis that had their disease-modifying therapy (DMT withdrawn. Forty patients, which had made continuous use of one immunomodulator and had remained free of disease for at least 5 years, had their DMT withdrawn and were observed from 13 to 86 months. Out of the followed patients, 4 (10% patients presented with new attacks. In addition to these patients, 2 (5% patients had new lesions revealed by magnetic resonance imaging that did not correspond to clinical attacks. Despite these results, the difficult decision to withdraw medication requires careful analysis. Withdrawal, however, should not be viewed as simply the suspension of treatment because these patients should be evaluated periodically, and the immunomodulators should be readily reintroduced if new attacks occur. Nonetheless, medication withdrawal is an option for a select group of patients.

Pythagorean Fuzzy Muirhead Mean Operators and Their Application in Multiple-Criteria Group Decision-Making

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Jianghong Zhu

2018-06-01

Full Text Available As a generalization of the intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS, a Pythagorean fuzzy set has more flexibility than IFS in expressing uncertainty and fuzziness in the process of multiple criteria group decision-making (MCGDM. Meanwhile, the prominent advantage of the Muirhead mean (MM operator is that it can reflect the relationships among the various input arguments through changing a parameter vector. Motivated by these primary characters, in this study, we introduced the MM operator into the Pythagorean fuzzy context to expand its applied fields. To do so, we presented the Pythagorean fuzzy MM (PFMM operators and Pythagorean fuzzy dual MM (PFDMM operator to fuse the Pythagorean fuzzy information. Then, we investigated their some properties and gave some special cases related to the parameter vector. In addition, based on the developed operators, two MCGDM methods under the Pythagorean fuzzy environment are proposed. An example is given to verify the validity and feasibility of our proposed methods, and a comparative analysis is provided to show their advantages.

Revised-Confirmatory Survey Report for Portions of the Auxiliary Building Structural Surfaces and Turbine Building Embedded Piping, Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station, Herald, California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

W. C. Adams

2007-01-01

During the period of October 15 and 18, 2007, ORISE performed confirmatory radiological survey activities which included beta and gamma structural surface scans and beta activity direct measurements within the Auxiliary Building, beta or gamma scans within Turbine Building embedded piping, beta activity determinations within Turbine Building Drain 3-1-27, and gamma scans and the collection of a soil sample from the clay soils adjacent to the Lower Mixing Box

The 7-item generalized anxiety disorder scale as a tool for measuring generalized anxiety in multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Terrill, Alexandra L; Hartoonian, Narineh; Beier, Meghan; Salem, Rana; Alschuler, Kevin

2015-01-01

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) but understudied. Reliable and valid measures are needed to advance clinical care and expand research in this area. The objectives of this study were to examine the psychometric properties of the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) in individuals with MS and to analyze correlates of GAD. Participants (N = 513) completed the anxiety module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (GAD-7). To evaluate psychometric properties of the GAD-7, the sample was randomly split to conduct exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Based on the exploratory factor analysis, a one-factor structure was specified for the confirmatory factor analysis, which showed excellent global fit to the data (χ(2) 12 = 15.17, P = .23, comparative fit index = 0.99, root mean square error of approximation = 0.03, standardized root mean square residual = 0.03). The Cronbach alpha (0.75) indicated acceptable internal consistency for the scale. Furthermore, the GAD-7 was highly correlated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety (r = 0.70). Age and duration of MS were both negatively associated with GAD. Higher GAD-7 scores were observed in women and individuals with secondary progressive MS. Individuals with higher GAD-7 scores also endorsed more depressive symptoms. These findings support the reliability and internal validity of the GAD-7 for use in MS. Correlational analyses revealed important relationships with demographics, disease course, and depressive symptoms, which suggest the need for further anxiety research.

Incidence of Neonatal Hyperphenylalaninemia Based on High-performance Liquid Chromatography Confirmatory Technique in Mazandaran Province, Northern Iran (2007–2015

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Abbaskhanian

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Classic phenylketonuria (PKU is a metabolic disorder. The purpose of this study was to assess epidemiological factors of PKU phenotypes in a neonatal screening program for Mazandaran, Iran. Methods: In this descriptive-retrospective study from 2007 to 2015, neonates PKU level was conducted by phenylalanine level based on a biochemical technique by ELISA and then by confirmatory methods high performance liquid chromatography. Results: Of the 407,244 screened newborns (48.7% girls and 51.3% boys, 14 girls and 13 boys were diagnosed definitely from 465 suspicious cases of PKU. The incidence of PKU was 0.66 in 10,000, which was noted in different severity (severe PKU - 1:67,874, mild PKU - 1:45,249, and HPA - 1:33,937. In addition, we did not detect any cases of nonclassic PKU. Conclusions: Although the consanguineous marriage pattern is a major cause of hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA particularly in Iranian, there was no significant difference between groups in this study. Now, screening should be executed for all of the family that they have the familial history of PKU in Iran. According to varies actual of prevalence and incidence rate of PKU reported a real patient and taking PKU with mild PKU and HPA, it is recommended, the will provide the PKU reports based on the severity of the disease.

Incidence of Neonatal Hyperphenylalaninemia Based on High-performance Liquid Chromatography Confirmatory Technique in Mazandaran Province, Northern Iran (2007–2015)

Science.gov (United States)

Abbaskhanian, Ali; Zamanfar, Daniel; Afshar, Parvaneh; Asadpoor, Einollah; Rouhanizadeh, Hamed; Jafarnia, Ali; Shokzadeh, Mohammad

2017-01-01

Background: Classic phenylketonuria (PKU) is a metabolic disorder. The purpose of this study was to assess epidemiological factors of PKU phenotypes in a neonatal screening program for Mazandaran, Iran. Methods: In this descriptive-retrospective study from 2007 to 2015, neonates PKU level was conducted by phenylalanine level based on a biochemical technique by ELISA and then by confirmatory methods high performance liquid chromatography. Results: Of the 407,244 screened newborns (48.7% girls and 51.3% boys), 14 girls and 13 boys were diagnosed definitely from 465 suspicious cases of PKU. The incidence of PKU was 0.66 in 10,000, which was noted in different severity (severe PKU - 1:67,874, mild PKU - 1:45,249, and HPA - 1:33,937). In addition, we did not detect any cases of nonclassic PKU. Conclusions: Although the consanguineous marriage pattern is a major cause of hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) particularly in Iranian, there was no significant difference between groups in this study. Now, screening should be executed for all of the family that they have the familial history of PKU in Iran. According to varies actual of prevalence and incidence rate of PKU reported a real patient and taking PKU with mild PKU and HPA, it is recommended, the will provide the PKU reports based on the severity of the disease. PMID:29184644

A confirmatory research approach to the measurement of EMI/RFI in commercial nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kercel, S.W. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

1995-04-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is conducting confirmatory research on the measurement of electromagnetic/radio frequency interference (EMI/RFI) in nuclear power plants. While it makes a good beginning, the currently available research data are not sufficient to characterize the EMI/RFI environment of the typical nuclear plant. Data collected over several weeks at each of several observation points are required to meet this need. To collect the required data, several approaches are examined, the most promising of which is the relatively new technology of application specific spectral receivers. While several spectral receiver designs have been described in the literature, none is well suited for nuclear power plant EMI/RFI surveys. This paper describes the development of two receivers specifically designed for nuclear power plant EMI/RFI surveys. One receiver surveys electric fields between 5 MHz and 8 GHz, while the other surveys magnetic fields between 305 Hz and 5 MHz. The results of field tests at TVA`s Bull Run Fossil Plant are reported.

A confirmatory research approach to the measurement of EMI/RFI in commercial nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kercel, S.W.

1995-01-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is conducting confirmatory research on the measurement of electromagnetic/radio frequency interference (EMI/RFI) in nuclear power plants while it makes a good beginning, the currently available research data are not sufficient to characterize the EMI/RFI environment of the typical nuclear plant. Data collected over several weeks at each of several observation points are required to meet this need. To collect the required data, several approaches are examined, the most promising of which is the relatively new technology of application specific spectral receivers. While several spectral receiver designs have been described in the literature, none is well suited for nuclear power plant EMI/RFI surveys. This paper describes the development of two receivers specifically designed for nuclear power plant EMI/RFI surveys. One receiver surveys electric fields between 5 MHz and 8 GHz, while the other surveys magnetic fields between 305 Hz and 5 MHz. The results of field tests at TVA's Bull Run Fossil Plant are reported

Multiple attachments and group psychotherapy: implications for college counseling centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Marmarosh, Cheri L

2009-10-01

A large body of literature has supported the application of attachment theory to the understanding of college student development and the process of individual psychotherapy. Despite group treatment being one of the major methods of intervention in college counseling centers, there has been very little research guided by attachment theory that has been applied to the area of group psychotherapy. Many current assessment instruments used in college counseling centers can be supported with attachment theory, and many group therapy interventions are aimed at facilitating secure working models of self, other, and groups. This paper explores the importance of personal and group attachments in group psychotherapy and specifically addresses implications for clinical training and research in university counseling centers.

Personality in general and clinical samples: Measurement invariance of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Eigenhuis, Annemarie; Kamphuis, Jan H; Noordhof, Arjen

2017-09-01

A growing body of research suggests that the same general dimensions can describe normal and pathological personality, but most of the supporting evidence is exploratory. We aim to determine in a confirmatory framework the extent to which responses on the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) are identical across general and clinical samples. We tested the Dutch brief form of the MPQ (MPQ-BF-NL) for measurement invariance across a general population subsample (N = 365) and a clinical sample (N = 365), using Multiple Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA) and Multiple Group Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (MGESEM). As an omnibus personality test, the MPQ-BF-NL revealed strict invariance, indicating absence of bias. Unidimensional per scale tests for measurement invariance revealed that 10% of items appeared to contain bias across samples. Item bias only affected the scale interpretation of Achievement, with individuals from the clinical sample more readily admitting to put high demands on themselves than individuals from the general sample, regardless of trait level. This formal test of equivalence provides strong evidence for the common structure of normal and pathological personality and lends further support to the clinical utility of the MPQ. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Varicella Zoster Virus and Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

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Julio Sotelo

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Multiple sclerosis (MS is an immune-mediated disorder; however, little is known about the triggering factors of the abnormal immune response. Different viruses from the herpes family have been mentioned as potential participants. Here, we review the evidences that support the association of varicella zoster virus (VZV with MS. Epidemiological studies from geographical areas, where incidence of MS has increased in recent decades, pointed out a high frequency of varicella and zoster in the clinical antecedents of MS patients, and also laboratory investigations have found large quantities of DNA from VZV in leucocytes and cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients restricted to the ephemeral period of MS relapse, followed by disappearance of the virus during remission. The above observations and the peculiar features of VZV, mainly characterized by its neurotropism and long periods of latency followed by viral reactivation, support the idea on the participation of VZV in the etiology of MS. However, as with reports from studies with other viruses, particularly Epstein Barr virus, conflicting results on confirmatory studies about the presence of viral gene products in brain tissue indicate the need for further research on the potential participation of VZV in the etiology of MS.

Varicella Zoster Virus and Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

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Sotelo, Julio; Corona, Teresa

2011-01-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disorder; however, little is known about the triggering factors of the abnormal immune response. Different viruses from the herpes family have been mentioned as potential participants. Here, we review the evidences that support the association of varicella zoster virus (VZV) with MS. Epidemiological studies from geographical areas, where incidence of MS has increased in recent decades, pointed out a high frequency of varicella and zoster in the clinical antecedents of MS patients, and also laboratory investigations have found large quantities of DNA from VZV in leucocytes and cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients restricted to the ephemeral period of MS relapse, followed by disappearance of the virus during remission. The above observations and the peculiar features of VZV, mainly characterized by its neurotropism and long periods of latency followed by viral reactivation, support the idea on the participation of VZV in the etiology of MS. However, as with reports from studies with other viruses, particularly Epstein Barr virus, conflicting results on confirmatory studies about the presence of viral gene products in brain tissue indicate the need for further research on the potential participation of VZV in the etiology of MS. PMID:22096629

Collaboration between a human group and artificial intelligence can improve prediction of multiple sclerosis course: a proof-of-principle study.

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Tacchella, Andrea; Romano, Silvia; Ferraldeschi, Michela; Salvetti, Marco; Zaccaria, Andrea; Crisanti, Andrea; Grassi, Francesca

2017-01-01

Background: Multiple sclerosis has an extremely variable natural course. In most patients, disease starts with a relapsing-remitting (RR) phase, which proceeds to a secondary progressive (SP) form. The duration of the RR phase is hard to predict, and to date predictions on the rate of disease progression remain suboptimal. This limits the opportunity to tailor therapy on an individual patient's prognosis, in spite of the choice of several therapeutic options. Approaches to improve clinical decisions, such as collective intelligence of human groups and machine learning algorithms are widely investigated. Methods: Medical students and a machine learning algorithm predicted the course of disease on the basis of randomly chosen clinical records of patients that attended at the Multiple Sclerosis service of Sant'Andrea hospital in Rome. Results: A significant improvement of predictive ability was obtained when predictions were combined with a weight that depends on the consistence of human (or algorithm) forecasts on a given clinical record. Conclusions: In this work we present proof-of-principle that human-machine hybrid predictions yield better prognoses than machine learning algorithms or groups of humans alone. To strengthen this preliminary result, we propose a crowdsourcing initiative to collect prognoses by physicians on an expanded set of patients.

Efficient traffic grooming with dynamic ONU grouping for multiple-OLT-based access network

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Zhang, Shizong; Gu, Rentao; Ji, Yuefeng; Wang, Hongxiang

2015-12-01

Fast bandwidth growth urges large-scale high-density access scenarios, where the multiple Passive Optical Networking (PON) system clustered deployment can be adopted as an appropriate solution to fulfill the huge bandwidth demands, especially for a future 5G mobile network. However, the lack of interaction between different optical line terminals (OLTs) results in part of the bandwidth resources waste. To increase the bandwidth efficiency, as well as reduce bandwidth pressure at the edge of a network, we propose a centralized flexible PON architecture based on Time- and Wavelength-Division Multiplexing PON (TWDM PON). It can provide flexible affiliation for optical network units (ONUs) and different OLTs to support access network traffic localization. Specifically, a dynamic ONU grouping algorithm (DGA) is provided to obtain the minimal OLT outbound traffic. Simulation results show that DGA obtains an average 25.23% traffic gain increment under different OLT numbers within a small ONU number situation, and the traffic gain will increase dramatically with the increment of the ONU number. As the DGA can be deployed easily as an application running above the centralized control plane, the proposed architecture can be helpful to improve the network efficiency for future traffic-intensive access scenarios.

Assessing an organizational culture instrument based on the Competing Values Framework: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses

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Helfrich, Christian D; Li, Yu-Fang; Mohr, David C; Meterko, Mark; Sales, Anne E

2007-01-01

Background The Competing Values Framework (CVF) has been widely used in health services research to assess organizational culture as a predictor of quality improvement implementation, employee and patient satisfaction, and team functioning, among other outcomes. CVF instruments generally are presented as well-validated with reliable aggregated subscales. However, only one study in the health sector has been conducted for the express purpose of validation, and that study population was limited to hospital managers from a single geographic locale. Methods We used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to examine the underlying structure of data from a CVF instrument. We analyzed cross-sectional data from a work environment survey conducted in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The study population comprised all staff in non-supervisory positions. The survey included 14 items adapted from a popular CVF instrument, which measures organizational culture according to four subscales: hierarchical, entrepreneurial, team, and rational. Results Data from 71,776 non-supervisory employees (approximate response rate 51%) from 168 VHA facilities were used in this analysis. Internal consistency of the subscales was moderate to strong (α = 0.68 to 0.85). However, the entrepreneurial, team, and rational subscales had higher correlations across subscales than within, indicating poor divergent properties. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors, comprising the ten items from the entrepreneurial, team, and rational subscales loading on the first factor, and two items from the hierarchical subscale loading on the second factor, along with one item from the rational subscale that cross-loaded on both factors. Results from confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the two-subscale solution provides a more parsimonious fit to the data as compared to the original four-subscale model. Conclusion This study suggests that there may be problems applying conventional

[Association between Emotional Labor, Emotional Dissonance, Burnout and Turnover Intention in Clinical Nurses: A Multiple-Group Path Analysis across Job Satisfaction].

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Back, Chi Yun; Hyun, Dae Sung; Chang, Sei Jin

2017-12-01

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of emotional labor, emotional dissonance, and burnout on nurse's turnover intention and examine the effect of job satisfaction on the relationships among emotional labor, emotional dissonance, burnout, and turnover intention. The sample consisted of 350 nurses recruited from 6 general hospitals in 2 cities in Korea. A multiple-group analysis was utilized. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistics 23 and AMOS 20. In the path analysis, turnover intention was directly related to burnout in clinical nurses who had a high job satisfaction (β=.24, p=.003), while it was indirectly related to emotional dissonance (β=.13, p=.002). In the multiple-group path analysis, turnover intention was directly related to emotional dissonance (β=.18, p=.033) and burnout (β=.26, p=.002) for nurses with low job satisfaction. These results indicate that manuals and guidelines to alleviate the negative effects of emotional labor, emotional dissonance, and burnout, and to increase job satisfaction are strongly required to reduce turnover intention in nurses at the organizational level as well as at the individual level. © 2017 Korean Society of Nursing Science

Topological K-Kolmogorov groups

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Abd El-Sattar, A. Dabbour.

1987-07-01

The idea of the K-groups was used to define K-Kolmogorov homology and cohomology (over pairs of coefficient groups) which are descriptions of certain modifications of the Kolmogorov groups. The present work is devoted to the study of the topological properties of the K-Kolmogorov groups which lie at the root of the group duality based essentially upon Pontrjagin's concept of group multiplication. 14 refs

Psychometric properties of the revised Malay version Medical Outcome Study Social Support Survey using confirmatory factor analysis among postpartum mothers.

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Norhayati, Mohd Noor; Aniza, Abd Aziz; Nik Hazlina, Nik Hussain; Azman, Mohd Yacob

2015-12-01

Social support is an essential component for the physical and emotional well-being of postpartum mothers. The objective of this study is to determine the psychometric properties of the revised Malay version Medical Outcome Study (MOS) Social Support Survey using a confirmatory validity approach. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 144 postpartum mothers attending Obstetric and Gynecology Clinic, Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital. Construct validity and internal consistency assessment was performed after the translation, content validity and face validity process. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) and AMOS 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). The original questionnaire consists of four domains (emotional/informational support, tangible support, affectionate support and positive social interaction) and 19 items. Affectionate support domain with three items only was treated as a separate construct and was not included in the factor analysis. The final confirmatory model with three constructs and 13 items demonstrated acceptable factor loadings, domain to domain correlation and best fit; (χ2[df]=1.665 [61]; P-value=0.001; Tucker-Lewis Index=0.944; comparative fit index=0.956; root mean square error of approximation=0.068). Composite reliability, average variance extracted and Cronbach's α of the domains ranged from 0.649 to 0.903; 0.390 to 0.699; 0.616 to 0.902, respectively. The study suggested that the four-factor model with 16 items (including one separate factor of affectionate) of the revised Malay version MOS Social Support Survey was acceptable to be used to measure social support after childbirth because it is valid, reliable and simple. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Chromosomal radiosensitivity in patients with multiple sclerosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milenkova, Maria; Milanov, Ivan; Kmetska, Ksenia; Deleva, Sofia; Popova, Ljubomira; Hadjidekova, Valeria; Groudeva, Violeta; Hadjidekova, Savina; Domínguez, Inmaculada

2013-01-01

Highlights: • We studied radiosensitivity to in vitro γ-irradiated lymphocytes from MS patients. • Immunotherapy in RRMS patients reduced the yield of radiation induced MN. • The group of treated RRMS accounts for the low radiosensitivity in MS patients. • Spontaneous yield of MN was similar in treated and untreated RRMS patients. - Abstract: Multiple sclerosis is a clinically heterogeneous autoimmune disease leading to severe neurological disability. Although during the last years many disease-modifying agents as treatment options for multiple sclerosis have been made available, their mechanisms of action are still not fully determined. In the present study radiosensitivity in lymphocytes of patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis, secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and healthy controls was investigated. Whole blood cultures from multiple sclerosis patients and healthy controls were used to analyze the spontaneous and radiation-induced micronuclei in binucleated lymphocytes. A subgroup of patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis was treated with immunomodulatory agents, interferon β or glatiramer acetate. The secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients group was not receiving any treatment. Our results reveal that the basal DNA damage was not different between relapsing–remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients, and healthy controls. No differences between gamma-irradiation induced micronuclei frequencies in binucleated cells from relapsing–remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients, and healthy controls were found either. Nevertheless, when we compared the radiation induced DNA damage in binucleated cells from healthy individuals with the whole group of patients, a reduction in the frequency of micronuclei was obtained in the patients group. Induced micronuclei yield was significantly lower in the irradiated samples from treated relapsing–remitting multiple

Chromosomal radiosensitivity in patients with multiple sclerosis

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Milenkova, Maria; Milanov, Ivan; Kmetska, Ksenia [III Neurological Clinic, University Hospital Saint Naum, Sofia (Bulgaria); Deleva, Sofia; Popova, Ljubomira; Hadjidekova, Valeria [Laboratory of Radiation Genetics, NCRRP, Sofia (Bulgaria); Groudeva, Violeta [Department of Diagnostic Imaging, University Hospital St. Ekaterina, Sofia (Bulgaria); Hadjidekova, Savina [Department of Medical Genetics, Medical University, Sofia (Bulgaria); Domínguez, Inmaculada, E-mail: idomin@us.es [Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Avda. Reina Mercedes 6, 41012 (Spain)

2013-09-15

Highlights: • We studied radiosensitivity to in vitro γ-irradiated lymphocytes from MS patients. • Immunotherapy in RRMS patients reduced the yield of radiation induced MN. • The group of treated RRMS accounts for the low radiosensitivity in MS patients. • Spontaneous yield of MN was similar in treated and untreated RRMS patients. - Abstract: Multiple sclerosis is a clinically heterogeneous autoimmune disease leading to severe neurological disability. Although during the last years many disease-modifying agents as treatment options for multiple sclerosis have been made available, their mechanisms of action are still not fully determined. In the present study radiosensitivity in lymphocytes of patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis, secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and healthy controls was investigated. Whole blood cultures from multiple sclerosis patients and healthy controls were used to analyze the spontaneous and radiation-induced micronuclei in binucleated lymphocytes. A subgroup of patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis was treated with immunomodulatory agents, interferon β or glatiramer acetate. The secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients group was not receiving any treatment. Our results reveal that the basal DNA damage was not different between relapsing–remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients, and healthy controls. No differences between gamma-irradiation induced micronuclei frequencies in binucleated cells from relapsing–remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients, and healthy controls were found either. Nevertheless, when we compared the radiation induced DNA damage in binucleated cells from healthy individuals with the whole group of patients, a reduction in the frequency of micronuclei was obtained in the patients group. Induced micronuclei yield was significantly lower in the irradiated samples from treated relapsing–remitting multiple

Construct Validity of the Korean Dental Licensing Examination using Confirmatory Factor Analysis

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Mi Kyoung Yim

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Confirmatory factor analysis based on a measurement model of a structural equation model was used to test the construct validity of 13 subjects in the Korean Dental Licensing Examination (KDLE. The results of 1,086 examinees who wrote the KDLE in 2004 were analyzed. The thirteen subjects were classified into 62 major categories and 122 intermediate categories. There were 364 items. A hierarchical model was constructed, including major and intermediate categories. The impact of the variables was determined by the standardized regression coefficient that related latent and measured variables in the measurement model. The KDLE showed a high goodness-of-fit with a root mean square error of approximation of 0.030 and a non-normed fit index of 0.998. When the latent variables for the major and intermediate categories were analyzed, the standardized regression coefficients of all of the subjects, with the exception of Health and Medical Legislation, were significant. From the result, we concluded that the 13 subjects showed constructive validity. In addition, the study model and data were very compatible. The subject Health and Medical Legislation had a low explanatory impact with respect to testing the ability of dentists to perform their jobs. This study suggests that similar psychometric studies are needed before integrating or deleting subjects on the KDLE, and to improve item development.

Gruppenleistungen beim Review von Multiple-Choice-Fragen - Ein Vergleich von face-to-face und virtuellen Gruppen mit und ohne Moderation [Review of multiple-choice-questions and group performance - A comparison of face-to-face and virtual groups with and without facilitation

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Schüttpelz-Brauns, Katrin

2010-11-01

Full Text Available [english] Background: Multiple choice questions (MCQs are often used in exams of medical education and need careful quality management for example by the application of review committees. This study investigates whether groups communicating virtually by email are similar to face-to-face groups concerning their review process performance and whether a facilitator has positive effects.Methods: 16 small groups of students were examined, which had to evaluate and correct MCQs under four different conditions. In the second part of the investigation the changed questions were given to a new random sample for the judgement of the item quality.Results: There was no significant influence of the variables “form of review committee” and “facilitation”. However, face-to-face and virtual groups clearly differed in the required treatment times. The test condition “face to face without facilitation” was generally valued most positively concerning taking over responsibility, approach to work, sense of well-being, motivation and concentration on the task.Discussion: Face-to-face and virtual groups are equally effective in the review of MCQs but differ concerning their efficiency. The application of electronic review seems to be possible but is hardly recommendable because of the long process time and technical problems.[german] Einleitung: Multiple-Choice-Fragen (MCF werden in vielen Prüfungen der medizinischen Ausbildung verwendet und bedürfen aus diesem Grund einer sorgfältigen Qualitätssicherung, beispielsweise durch den Einsatz von Review-Komitees. Anhand der vorliegenden empirischen Studie soll erforscht werden, ob virtuell per E-Mail kommunizierende Review-Komitees vergleichbar sind mit face-to-face Review-Komitees hinsichtlich ihrer Leistung beim Review-Prozess und ob sich Moderation positiv auswirkt.Methodik: 16 Kleingruppen von Psychologie-Studenten hatten die Aufgabe unter vier verschiedenen Versuchsbedingungen MCF zu bewerten und zu

Teaching Group Processes through Multiple Group Leadership Opportunities in a Masters Level Counselor Education Program

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Bourgeois, Marc B.; Winters, Ryan C.; Esters, Irvin E.

2016-01-01

Utilizing an experiential component in group work training is a prominent feature in Counselor Education programs. Although numerous models have been proposed, the vast majority offer limited explanations of incorporating the number of hours of group participation and observation recommended by the Professional Standards for the Training of Group…

Adolescents' multiple versus single primary attachment figures, reorganization of attachment hierarchy, and adjustments: the important people interview approach.

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Umemura, Tomotaka; Lacinová, Lenka; Kraus, Jakub; Horská, Eliška; Pivodová, Lenka

2018-04-20

Using 212 adolescents from a central-European country (mean age = 14.02, SD = 2.05, ranged from 11 to 18 years; females = 54%) and a multi-informant method to measure adolescents' behavioral and emotional adjustments, the present study explored three aspects regarding the attachment hierarchy. (1) The three types of behavioral systems of Rosenthal and Kobak's important people interview (IPI) were initially validated using an exploratory factor analysis with a US sample. Using a confirmatory factor analysis with a Czech sample, we replicated these three behavioral systems: attachment bond, support seeking, and affiliation. (2) We found that adolescents who developed attachment bond to multiple primary attachment figures were likely to score lower on both teacher-rated and parent-rated internalizing problems compared to those who had a single primary attachment figure. These multiple primary attachment figures tended to be family members (not peers). (3) Early adolescents who placed parents low in their attachment hierarchy scored higher on self-reported negative affect and lower on self-reported positive affect compared to early adolescents who placed parents high. The present study highlights multiple (vs. single) primary attachment figures as a protective factor and the premature reorganization of attachment hierarchy as a risk factor for adolescents' emotional and affective adjustments.

Quinn’s Leadership Roles: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Study in Portuguese Health Services

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Pedro Parreira

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To assess the psychometric properties of Quinn’s leadership questionnaire (CFV questionnaire; 1988 in Portuguese health services. Design: Cross-sectional study, using Quinn’s leadership questionnaire, administered to registered nurses and physicians in Portuguese health services (N = 687. Method: Self-administered survey applied to two samples. In the first sample (convenience; N = 249 Portuguese health professionals, exploratory factor and reliability analyses were performed to the CFV questionnaire. In the second sample (stratified; N = 50 surgical units of 33 Portuguese hospitals, confirmatory factor analyses were performed using LISREL 8.80. Findings: In the first sample, an eight-factor solution emerged accounting for 65.46% of the total variance, in an interpretable factor structure (loadings> .50, with Cronbach’s α greater than .79. This factor structure, replicated in the second sample, showed reasonable goodness-of-fit of the model to each of the leadership roles, that is, to the eight quadrants and global model. Overall, the models showed nomological validity, with scores between good and acceptable (.235 < x2/df < 2.055 and .00 < RMSEA < .077. Conclusions: Quinn’s leadership questionnaire showed good reliability and validity for the eight leadership roles, proving to be suitable for use in health care/hospital settings.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of a Questionnaire Measure of Managerial Stigma Towards Employee Depression.

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Martin, Angela J; Giallo, Rebecca

2016-12-01

Managers' attitudes play a key role in how organizations respond to employees with depression. We examine the measurement properties of a questionnaire designed to assess managerial stigma towards employees with depression. Using data from a sample of 469 Australian managers representing a wide range of industries and work settings, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to assess three proposed subscales representing affective, cognitive and behavioural forms of stigma. Results were equivocal indicating acceptable fit for two-factor (affective and cognitive + behavioural), three-factor (affective, cognitive and behavioural) and higher order models. Failure to demonstrate the discriminant validity of the cognitive and behavioural dimensions, even though they are theoretically distinct, suggests that further work on the scale is warranted. These results provide an extension to the psychometric profile of this measure (exploratory factor analysis; Martin, ). Development of strategies to operationalize this construct will benefit occupational health research and practice, particularly in interventions that aim to reduce the stigma of mental health issues in the workplace or where managers' attitudes are a key mechanism in intervention efficacy. We encourage future research on this measure pertaining in particular to further enhancing all aspects of its construct validity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Memory, Multiplication and Mnemonics: A Study into the Recall of Basic Multiplication Facts

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Brewer, Robert A.

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine what effects the mnemonic devices of pictures and stories have on the memorization and recall of multiplication facts. This study was conducted on a fourth grade classroom in which the students were divided into three groups. The first group was given standard flashcards, the second group was given a set of…

Fracture-related infection: A consensus on definition from an international expert group.

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Metsemakers, W J; Morgenstern, M; McNally, M A; Moriarty, T F; McFadyen, I; Scarborough, M; Athanasou, N A; Ochsner, P E; Kuehl, R; Raschke, M; Borens, O; Xie, Z; Velkes, S; Hungerer, S; Kates, S L; Zalavras, C; Giannoudis, P V; Richards, R G; Verhofstad, M H J

2018-03-01

Fracture-related infection (FRI) is a common and serious complication in trauma surgery. Accurately estimating the impact of this complication has been hampered by the lack of a clear definition. The absence of a working definition of FRI renders existing studies difficult to evaluate or compare. In order to address this issue, an expert group comprised of a number of scientific and medical organizations has been convened, with the support of the AO Foundation, in order to develop a consensus definition. The process that led to this proposed definition started with a systematic literature review, which revealed that the majority of randomized controlled trials in fracture care do not use a standardized definition of FRI. In response to this conclusion, an international survey on the need for and key components of a definition of FRI was distributed amongst all registered AOTrauma users. Approximately 90% of the more than 2000 surgeons who responded suggested that a definition of FRI is required. As a final step, a consensus meeting was held with an expert panel. The outcome of this process led to a consensus definition of FRI. Two levels of certainty around diagnostic features were defined. Criteria could be confirmatory (infection definitely present) or suggestive. Four confirmatory criteria were defined: Fistula, sinus or wound breakdown; Purulent drainage from the wound or presence of pus during surgery; Phenotypically indistinguishable pathogens identified by culture from at least two separate deep tissue/implant specimens; Presence of microorganisms in deep tissue taken during an operative intervention, as confirmed by histopathological examination. Furthermore, a list of suggestive criteria was defined. These require further investigations in order to look for confirmatory criteria. In the current paper, an overview is provided of the proposed definition and a rationale for each component and decision. The intention of establishing this definition of FRI was

Confirmatory factor analysis of the career decision-making self-efficacy scale among South African university students

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MB Watson

2001-12-01

Full Text Available There is a need for South African researchers to explore the potential utility of career decision-making self-efficacy in understanding the career behaviour of tertiary students. Given the lack of standardised measures for this construct, the responses of 364 South African university students to the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale : Short Form (CDMSE-SF were analysed using item statistics, Cronbachs alpha and confirmatory factor analysis to determine whether items supported the theorized subscales. Opsomming Dit is noodsaaklik vir Suid-Afrikaanse navorsers om die potensiele bruikbaarheid van loopbaanbesluitnemmgself-doeltreffendheid ("career decision-making self-efficacy" te ondersoek in n poging om die tersiere studente beter te begryp. Gegewe die gebrek aan gestandaardiseerde meetinstrumente vir hierdie konstruk, is response van 364 Suid-Afrikaanse universiteitstudente op die Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale: Short Form (CDMSE-SF met behulp van itemontleding, Cronbach se alpha en bevestigende faktorontleding ontleed, om te bepaal of die vraelys-items die teoretiese subskale ondersteun.

An Enhanced Genetic Approach to Composing Cooperative Learning Groups for Multiple Grouping Criteria

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Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Yin, Peng-Yeng; Hwang, Chi-Wei; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2008-01-01

Cooperative learning is known to be an effective educational strategy in enhancing the learning performance of students. The goal of a cooperative learning group is to maximize all members' learning efficacy. This is accomplished via promoting each other's success, through assisting, sharing, mentoring, explaining, and encouragement. To achieve…

Analysis of body fluids for forensic purposes: from laboratory testing to non-destructive rapid confirmatory identification at a crime scene.

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Virkler, Kelly; Lednev, Igor K

2009-07-01

Body fluid traces recovered at crime scenes are among the most important types of evidence to forensic investigators. They contain valuable DNA evidence which can identify a suspect or victim as well as exonerate an innocent individual. The first step of identifying a particular body fluid is highly important since the nature of the fluid is itself very informative to the investigation, and the destructive nature of a screening test must be considered when only a small amount of material is available. The ability to characterize an unknown stain at the scene of the crime without having to wait for results from a laboratory is another very critical step in the development of forensic body fluid analysis. Driven by the importance for forensic applications, body fluid identification methods have been extensively developed in recent years. The systematic analysis of these new developments is vital for forensic investigators to be continuously educated on possible superior techniques. Significant advances in laser technology and the development of novel light detectors have dramatically improved spectroscopic methods for molecular characterization over the last decade. The application of this novel biospectroscopy for forensic purposes opens new and exciting opportunities for the development of on-field, non-destructive, confirmatory methods for body fluid identification at a crime scene. In addition, the biospectroscopy methods are universally applicable to all body fluids unlike the majority of current techniques which are valid for individual fluids only. This article analyzes the current methods being used to identify body fluid stains including blood, semen, saliva, vaginal fluid, urine, and sweat, and also focuses on new techniques that have been developed in the last 5-6 years. In addition, the potential of new biospectroscopic techniques based on Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy is evaluated for rapid, confirmatory, non-destructive identification of a body

Study of the outcome of suicide attempts: characteristics of hospitalization in a psychiatric ward group, critical care center group, and non-hospitalized group

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Kemuyama Nobuo

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The allocation of outcome of suicide attempters is extremely important in emergency situations. Following categorization of suicidal attempters who visited the emergency room by outcome, we aimed to identify the characteristics and potential needs of each group. Methods The outcomes of 1348 individuals who attempted suicide and visited the critical care center or the psychiatry emergency department of the hospital were categorized into 3 groups, "hospitalization in the critical care center (HICCC", "hospitalization in the psychiatry ward (HIPW", or "non-hospitalization (NH", and the physical, mental, and social characteristics of these groups were compared. In addition, multiple logistic analysis was used to extract factors related to outcome. Results The male-to-female ratio was 1:2. The hospitalized groups, particularly the HICCC group, were found to have biopsychosocially serious findings with regard to disturbance of consciousness (JCS, general health performance (GAS, psychiatric symptoms (BPRS, and life events (LCU, while most subjects in the NH group were women who tended to repeat suicide-related behaviors induced by relatively light stress. The HIPW group had the highest number of cases, and their symptoms were psychologically serious but physically mild. On multiple logistic analysis, outcome was found to be closely correlated with physical severity, risk factor of suicide, assessment of emergent medical intervention, and overall care. Conclusion There are different potential needs for each group. The HICCC group needs psychiatrists on a full-time basis and also social workers and clinical psychotherapists to immediately initiate comprehensive care by a medical team composed of multiple professionals. The HIPW group needs psychological education to prevent repetition of suicide attempts, and high-quality physical treatment and management skill of the staff in the psychiatric ward. The NH group subjects need a

The multiple sclerosis work difficulties questionnaire: translation and cross-cultural adaptation to Turkish and assessment of validity and reliability.

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Kahraman, Turhan; Özdoğar, Asiye Tuba; Honan, Cynthia Alison; Ertekin, Özge; Özakbaş, Serkan

2018-05-09

To linguistically and culturally adapt the Multiple Sclerosis Work Difficulties Questionnaire-23 (MSWDQ-23) for use in Turkey, and to examine its reliability and validity. Following standard forward-back translation of the MSWDQ-23, it was administered to 124 people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Validity was evaluated using related outcome measures including those related to employment status and expectations, disability level, fatigue, walking, and quality of life. Randomly selected participants were asked to complete the MSWDQ-23 again to assess test-retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis on the MSWDQ-23 demonstrated a good fit for the data, and the internal consistency of each subscale was excellent. The test-retest reliability for the total score, psychological/cognitive barriers, physical barriers, and external barriers subscales were high. The MSWDQ-23 and its subscales were positively correlated with the employment, disability level, walking, and fatigue outcome measures. This study suggests that the Turkish version of MSWDQ-23 has high reliability and adequate validity, and it can be used to determine the difficulties faced by people with multiple sclerosis in workplace. Moreover, the study provides evidence about the test-retest reliability of the questionnaire. Implications for rehabilitation Multiple sclerosis affects young people of working age. Understanding work-related problems is crucial to enhance people with multiple sclerosis likelihood of maintaining their job. The Multiple Sclerosis Work Difficulties Questionnaire-23 (MSWDQ-23) is a valid and reliable measure of perceived workplace difficulties in people with multiple sclerosis: we presented its validation to Turkish. Professionals working in the field of vocational rehabilitation may benefit from using the MSWDQ-23 to predict the current work outcomes and future employment expectations.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis in the study of the Structure and Stability of Assessment Instruments: An example with the Self-Esteem Questionnaire (CA-14

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Juan Herrero

2010-12-01

Full Text Available This research presents a study of the factor structure and temporal stability of the Self-Esteem Questionnaire (CA-14 using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA techniques. The paper pretends to offer a potential guide to researchers, paying special attention to data requirements, estimation methods suggested in the literature, recommended fit indices and other circumstances that need to be taken into account when estimating CFA models. Also, various methodological strategies are shown during the implementation of CFA models: correlated errors, use of parameter constraints, multigroup analysis, etc.

A Monte Carlo study comparing PIV, ULS and DWLS in the estimation of dichotomous confirmatory factor analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nestler, Steffen

2013-02-01

We conducted a Monte Carlo study to investigate the performance of the polychoric instrumental variable estimator (PIV) in comparison to unweighted least squares (ULS) and diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) in the estimation of a confirmatory factor analysis model with dichotomous indicators. The simulation involved 144 conditions (1,000 replications per condition) that were defined by a combination of (a) two types of latent factor models, (b) four sample sizes (100, 250, 500, 1,000), (c) three factor loadings (low, moderate, strong), (d) three levels of non-normality (normal, moderately, and extremely non-normal), and (e) whether the factor model was correctly specified or misspecified. The results showed that when the model was correctly specified, PIV produced estimates that were as accurate as ULS and DWLS. Furthermore, the simulation showed that PIV was more robust to structural misspecifications than ULS and DWLS. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

Integrating Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles on Solving Problems, Achievement in, and Attitudes towards Math in Six Graders with Learning Disabilities in Cooperative Groups

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Eissa, Mourad Ali; Mostafa, Amaal Ahmed

2013-01-01

This study investigated the effect of using differentiated instruction by integrating multiple intelligences and learning styles on solving problems, achievement in, and attitudes towards math in six graders with learning disabilities in cooperative groups. A total of 60 students identified with LD were invited to participate. The sample was…

Web-conferencing as a viable method for group decision research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Handgraaf, M.J.J.; Milch, K.F.; Appelt, K.C.; Schuette, P.; Yoskowitz, N.A.; Weber, E.U.

2012-01-01

Studying group decision-making is challenging for multiple reasons. An important logistic difficulty is studying a sufficiently large number of groups, each with multiple participants. Assembling groups online could make this process easier and also provide access to group members more

How do wild baboons (Papio ursinus) plan their routes? Travel among multiple high-quality food sources with inter-group competition.

Science.gov (United States)

Noser, Rahel; Byrne, Richard W

2010-01-01

How do humans and animals travel between multiple destinations on a given foraging trip? This question is of theoretical and practical interest, yet few empirical data exist to date. We examined how a group of wild chacma baboons travelled among multiple, simultaneously fruiting mountain fig trees (Ficus glumosa). In the course of a 16-month study, this highly preferred fruit was available during a 3-week period, from relatively few sites, which were also utilized by four larger baboon groups. We used directness of route and travel speed of 13 days of observation, and approach rates of 31 days of observation to differentiate between purposeful and opportunistic encounters with 50 fig trees. The study group visited a total of 30 fig trees overall, but only 8 trees per day on average. Each morning, they travelled along a highly repetitive route on all days of observation, thereby visiting 2-4 fig trees. They approached these trees rapidly along highly directed paths without intermittently exploiting other food sources that were available in large quantities. Then, they abruptly changed behaviour, switching to lower travel speed and less directed routes as they foraged on a variety of foods. They approached additional fig trees later in the day, but approach rates were similar to those at times of year when fruit of this fig species was unavailable; this suggested that encounters with trees after the behavioural switch were not planned. Comparing visits to purposefully and opportunistically encountered trees, we found no difference in the average time spent feeding or frequency of feeding supplants, suggesting that purposefully and opportunistically visited trees had similar values. We conclude that when foraging for mountain fig fruit the baboons' cognitive maps either contain information on relatively few trees or of only a single route along which several trees are situated, leading to very limited planning abilities.

Análise factorial confirmatória do TEOSQp Confirmatory factorial analysis of TEOSQp

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Helder M. Fernandes

2010-04-01

Full Text Available O propósito do presente estudo foi avaliar a confiabilidade, a validade factorial e a invariância (por sexo da versão portuguesa do TEOSQ (Fonseca & Biddle, 2001. Integraram a amostra 1010 estudantes com uma média de idade de 15,42 anos. A análise factorial e da invariância foi avaliada através da análise factorial confirmatória. Os resultados corroboram a proposta de uma estrutura de duas subescalas (tarefa e ego. Com base nos índices de modificação e justificação teórica, o TEOSQ p foi reduzido a 12-itens, com melhores índices de adequação para o modelo oblíquo. Os resultados relativos à invariância por sexo não apresentaram apoio empírico total para a assumpção de equivalência multi-grupo, sugerindo que o TEOSQ p não parece avaliar as orientações cognitivas do mesmo modo, para os indivíduos do sexo masculino (modelo ortogonal e feminino (modelo oblíquo. Face aos resultados obtidos, foram discutidas as implicações conceptuais, empíricas, assim como os aspectos de carácter aplicado.The present research assessed the reliability, factorial validity and measurement invariance (by gender of the Portuguese version of TEOSQ -Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (Fonseca & Biddle, 2001. Data were collected from 1010 physical education students with a mean age of 15.42 ( SD=1.91. Factorial and invariance measurements were tested via confirmatory factorial analysis. Results supported internal consistency for the two proposed subscales (task and ego. Based on modification indices and theoretical justification the TEOSQ p was reduced to 12 items with better goodness-of-fit indices for the oblique model. The results of gender invariance did not provide full empirical support to the multi-group equivalence assumption, being suggested that TEOSQ p does not measure in the same way goal orientations for boys (orthogonal model and girls (oblique model. In light of these results, conceptual, empirical and practical

Anticedents to entrepreneurial intentions: Testing for measurement invariance for cultural values, attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs across ethnic groups

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Boris Urban

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Building on previous research on antecedents of entrepreneurial intentions, various measures were tested across different ethnic groups in South Africa. Factorial homogeneity is an important attribute for any scale intended for use in multicultural research, and since tests of equivalency are not routinely applied, this article hypothesised measurement invariance across ethnic groups. Theoretical discussions on Hofstede’s (2001 value survey module (VSM 94, attitudes towards and beliefs about entrepreneurial intentions, general self-efficacy (GSE, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE preceded the use of statistical analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis based on 210 respondents indicated that equivalence for the underlying factors across the different ethnic groups could not be established, and that the three groups demonstrated different underlying structures. In conclusion, stereotypic declarations of an integrated South African culture were not supported by this research in terms of entrepreneurial intentions and their antecedents.

The Activity Support Scale for Multiple Groups (ACTS-MG): Child-reported Physical Activity Parenting in African American and Non-Hispanic White Families.

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Lampard, Amy M; Nishi, Akihiro; Baskin, Monica L; Carson, Tiffany L; Davison, Kirsten K

2016-01-01

This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of a child-report, multidimensional measure of physical activity (PA) parenting, the Activity Support Scale for Multiple Groups (ACTS-MG), in African American and non-Hispanic white families. The ACTS-MG was administered to children aged 5 to 12 years. A three factor model of PA parenting (Modeling of PA, Logistic Support, and Restricting Access to Screen-based Activities) was tested separately for mother's and fathers' PA parenting. The proposed three-factor structure was supported in both racial groups for mothers' PA parenting and in the African American sample for fathers' PA parenting. Factorial invariance between racial groups was demonstrated for mother's PA parenting. Building on a previous study examining the ACTS-MG parent-report, this study supports the use of the ACTS-MG child-report for mothers' PA parenting. However, further research is required to investigate the measurement of fathers' PA parenting across racial groups.

Quantum Heisenberg groups and Sklyanin algebras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andruskiewitsch, N.; Devoto, J.; Tiraboschi, A.

1993-05-01

We define new quantizations of the Heisenberg group by introducing new quantizations in the universal enveloping algebra of its Lie algebra. Matrix coefficients of the Stone-von Neumann representation are preserved by these new multiplications on the algebra of functions on the Heisenberg group. Some of the new quantizations provide also a new multiplication in the algebra of theta functions; we obtain in this way Sklyanin algebras. (author). 23 refs

Multiple Genes Cause Postmating Prezygotic Reproductive Isolation in the Drosophila virilis Group.

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Ahmed-Braimah, Yasir H

2016-12-07

Understanding the genetic basis of speciation is a central problem in evolutionary biology. Studies of reproductive isolation have provided several insights into the genetic causes of speciation, especially in taxa that lend themselves to detailed genetic scrutiny. Reproductive barriers have usually been divided into those that occur before zygote formation (prezygotic) and after (postzygotic), with the latter receiving a great deal of attention over several decades. Reproductive barriers that occur after mating but before zygote formation [postmating prezygotic (PMPZ)] are especially understudied at the genetic level. Here, I present a phenotypic and genetic analysis of a PMPZ reproductive barrier between two species of the Drosophila virilis group: D. americana and D. virilis This species pair shows strong PMPZ isolation, especially when D. americana males mate with D. virilis females: ∼99% of eggs laid after these heterospecific copulations are not fertilized. Previous work has shown that the paternal loci contributing to this incompatibility reside on two chromosomes, one of which (chromosome 5) likely carries multiple factors. The other (chromosome 2) is fixed for a paracentric inversion that encompasses nearly half the chromosome. Here, I present two results. First, I show that PMPZ in this species cross is largely due to defective sperm storage in heterospecific copulations. Second, using advanced intercross and backcross mapping approaches, I identify genomic regions that carry genes capable of rescuing heterospecific fertilization. I conclude that paternal incompatibility between D. americana males and D. virilis females is underlain by four or more genes on chromosomes 2 and 5. Copyright © 2016 Ahmed-Braimah.

Seizure Self-Efficacy Scale for Children with Epilepsy: Confirmatory and Exploratory Factor Analysis

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Şerife Tutar Güven

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Aim: In the past few years, the concept of self-efficacy in children with epilepsy has become increasingly important. This study aimed to analyze the psychometric aspects of the Turkish version of the Seizure Self-Efficacy Scale for Children. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey. The study data were collected using the Seizure Self-Efficacy Scale for Children and Child Introduction Form. The study sample included 166 children who were between 9 and 17 years of age. The authors assessed the reliability and construct validity of the study data using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA. Results: The original model was not confirmed by the CFA. The analysis tool included 15 items in two factors. Reliability analysis showed that the two factors were acceptable and valid. The tool was valid and reliable for measuring the self-efficacy of epileptic children. The factor structure was derived from and confirmed by the original tool. It was found that the Turkish version of the modified Seizure Self-Efficacy Scale for Children had excellent satisfactory psychometric aspects for a Turkish population. Conclusion: Health professionals can present a more effective drug process and nursing care by identifying and assessing seizure self-efficacy levels in children with epilepsy, and they can make a positive contribution to disease management and the way the child deals with the disease.

Effects of Music during Multiple Cesarean Section Delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Handan, Eren; Sahiner, Nejla Canbulat; Bal, Meltem Demirgoz; Dissiz, Melike

2018-03-01

This experimental study was conducted to determine the level of anxiety in women undergoing multiple cesarean section. Sixty multiple cesarean section referrals were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control groups. Data was collected at the Karaman Public Health Hospital in Turkey, from June 2015 to June 2016. Songs chosen earlier by the patients were played during the cesarean section procedure for the experimental group. The control group was studied without music. Data was collected using a questionnaire form, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to determine the anxiety levels. The t-test and chi-square test were used to analyse statistically significant differences between the groups. The VAS scores before and during the procedure showed significantly lower scores for the experimental group, compared to the control group (p<0.05). Music therapy reduces the physiological and cognitive responses of anxiety in patients undergoing multiple cesarean section, and can be used in the clinical practice.

Infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy of group I and group II metal complexes with Boc-hydroxylamine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dain, R.P.; Gresham, G.; Groenewold, G.S.; Steill, J.D.; Oomens, J.; van Stipdonk, M.J.

2013-01-01

RATIONALE: Hydroxamates are essential growth factors for some microbes, acting primarily as siderophores that solubilize iron for transport into a cell. Here we determined the intrinsic structure of 1:1 complexes between Boc-protected hydroxylamine and group I ([M(L)](+)) and group II ([M(L-H)](+))

Multiplicity dependence of matrix-induced frequency shifts for atomic transitions of the group 12 metals in rare gas solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laursen, S.L.; Cartland, H.E.

1991-01-01

Atomic resonances of the group 12 metal atoms, Hg, Cd, and Zn, undergo frequency shifts from the gas phase atomic line when trapped in rare gas matrices of Ar, Kr, and Xe at 12 K. As expected, the shifts are approximately linear in polarizability of the rare gas, but the slope of this line depends on whether the transition in question is 1 P 1 left-arrow 1 S 0 or 3 P 1 left-arrow 1 S 0 . Thus the matrix-induced frequency shift is dependent on the singlet or triplet nature of the excited state as well as on the matrix material. This dependence on multiplicity is discussed in terms of interactions between the excited-state atomic orbitals and the matrix. The results are compared to matrix studies of other metals and to related gas-phase work on diatomic van der Waals complexes of group 12 metals with rare gases

A novel QC-LDPC code based on the finite field multiplicative group for optical communications

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Jian-guo; Xu, Liang; Tong, Qing-zhen

2013-09-01

A novel construction method of quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check (QC-LDPC) code is proposed based on the finite field multiplicative group, which has easier construction, more flexible code-length code-rate adjustment and lower encoding/decoding complexity. Moreover, a regular QC-LDPC(5334,4962) code is constructed. The simulation results show that the constructed QC-LDPC(5334,4962) code can gain better error correction performance under the condition of the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel with iterative decoding sum-product algorithm (SPA). At the bit error rate (BER) of 10-6, the net coding gain (NCG) of the constructed QC-LDPC(5334,4962) code is 1.8 dB, 0.9 dB and 0.2 dB more than that of the classic RS(255,239) code in ITU-T G.975, the LDPC(32640,30592) code in ITU-T G.975.1 and the SCG-LDPC(3969,3720) code constructed by the random method, respectively. So it is more suitable for optical communication systems.

Examination of the factor structure of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire among British and Trinidadian adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Barron, David; Swami, Viren; Towell, Tony; Hutchinson, Gerard; Morgan, Kevin D

2015-01-01

Much debate in schizotypal research has centred on the factor structure of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), with research variously showing higher-order dimensionality consisting of two to seven dimensions. In addition, cross-cultural support for the stability of those factors remains limited. Here, we examined the factor structure of the SPQ among British and Trinidadian adults. Participants from a White British subsample (n = 351) resident in the UK and from an African Caribbean subsample (n = 284) resident in Trinidad completed the SPQ. The higher-order factor structure of the SPQ was analysed through confirmatory factor analysis, followed by multiple-group analysis for the model of best fit. Between-group differences for sex and ethnicity were investigated using multivariate analysis of variance in relation to the higher-order domains. The model of best-fit was the four-factor structure, which demonstrated measurement invariance across groups. Additionally, these data had an adequate fit for two alternative models: (a) 3-factor and (b) modified 4-factor model. The British subsample had significantly higher scores across all domains than the Trinidadian group, and men scored significantly higher on the disorganised domain than women. The four-factor structure received confirmatory support and, importantly, support for use with populations varying in ethnicity and culture.

Defining hotspots of characteristic species for multiple taxonomic groups in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouten, M.A.; Barendregt, A.; Verweij, P.A.; Kalkman, V.J.; Kleukers, R.J.M.C.; Lenders, H.J.R.; Siebel, H.N.

2010-01-01

Biogeographical zonation based on single taxa poses major limitations on planning for nature conservation. This paper identifies biogeographical patterns of multiple taxa in the Netherlands, where no endemics are present at species level, on the basis of characteristic species. We used occurrence

Multiple Response Regression for Gaussian Mixture Models with Known Labels.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Wonyul; Du, Ying; Sun, Wei; Hayes, D Neil; Liu, Yufeng

2012-12-01

Multiple response regression is a useful regression technique to model multiple response variables using the same set of predictor variables. Most existing methods for multiple response regression are designed for modeling homogeneous data. In many applications, however, one may have heterogeneous data where the samples are divided into multiple groups. Our motivating example is a cancer dataset where the samples belong to multiple cancer subtypes. In this paper, we consider modeling the data coming from a mixture of several Gaussian distributions with known group labels. A naive approach is to split the data into several groups according to the labels and model each group separately. Although it is simple, this approach ignores potential common structures across different groups. We propose new penalized methods to model all groups jointly in which the common and unique structures can be identified. The proposed methods estimate the regression coefficient matrix, as well as the conditional inverse covariance matrix of response variables. Asymptotic properties of the proposed methods are explored. Through numerical examples, we demonstrate that both estimation and prediction can be improved by modeling all groups jointly using the proposed methods. An application to a glioblastoma cancer dataset reveals some interesting common and unique gene relationships across different cancer subtypes.

Magnetic resonance appearance of monoclonal gammopathies of unknown significance and multiple myeloma. The GRI Study Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellaïche, L; Laredo, J D; Lioté, F; Koeger, A C; Hamze, B; Ziza, J M; Pertuiset, E; Bardin, T; Tubiana, J M

1997-11-01

A prospective multicenter study. To evaluate the use of magnetic resonance imaging, in the differentiation between monoclonal gammopathies of unknown significance and multiple myeloma. Although multiple myeloma has been studied extensively with magnetic resonance imaging, to the authors' knowledge, no study has evaluated the clinical interest of magnetic resonance imaging in the differentiation between monoclonal gammopathies of unknown significance and multiple myeloma. The magnetic resonance examinations of the thoracolumbar spine in 24 patients with newly diagnosed monoclonal gammopathies of unknown significance were compared with those performed in 44 patients with newly diagnosed nontreated multiple myeloma. All findings on magnetic resonance examination performed in patients with monoclonal gammopathies of unknown significance were normal, whereas findings on 38 (86%) of the 44 magnetic resonance examinations performed in patients with multiple myeloma were abnormal. Magnetic resonance imaging can be considered as an additional diagnostic tool in differentiating between monoclonal gammopathies of unknown significance and multiple myeloma, which may be helpful when routine criteria are not sufficient. An abnormal finding on magnetic resonance examination in a patient with monoclonal gammopathies of unknown significance should suggest the diagnosis of multiple myeloma after other causes of marrow signal abnormalities are excluded. Magnetic resonance imaging also may be proposed in the long-term follow-up of monoclonal gammopathies of unknown significance when a new biologic or clinical event suggests the diagnosis of malignant monoclonal gammopathy.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Universiti Sains Malaysia Emotional Quotient Inventory Among Medical Students in Malaysia

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Wan Nor Arifin

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The Universiti Sains Malaysia Emotional Quotient Inventory (USMEQ-i is a Malay-language emotional intelligence (EI inventory that was based on a mixed-model approach of EI. It was specifically developed and validated for use among medical course applicants. However, evidence to support its use among medical students is inadequate. This study aims to provide further construct validity evidence for the USMEQ-i among medical students through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA. A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 479 medical students in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM. After a preliminary analysis, data from only 317 respondents were found suitable for inclusion in CFA. CFA was performed using the maximum likelihood estimation method with bootstrapping due to the nonnormality of items at the multivariate level. The results of the analysis support the two-factor model of the EI component and the one-factor model of the faking component. However, the USMEQ-i should be administered with caution until further cross-validation studies are conducted among students in other medical schools in Malaysia.

Modeling Group Perceptions Using Stochastic Simulation: Scaling Issues in the Multiplicative AHP

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barfod, Michael Bruhn; van den Honert, Robin; Salling, Kim Bang

2016-01-01

This paper proposes a new decision support approach for applying stochastic simulation to the multiplicative analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in order to deal with issues concerning the scale parameter. The paper suggests a new approach that captures the influence from the scale parameter by maki...

Analytical group decision making in natural resources: methodology and application

Science.gov (United States)

Daniel L. Schmoldt; David L. Peterson

2000-01-01

Group decision making is becoming increasingly important in natural resource management and associated scientific applications, because multiple values are treated coincidentally in time and space, multiple resource specialists are needed, and multiple stakeholders must be included in the decision process. Decades of social science research on decision making in groups...

Absence of Doppler signal in transcranial color-coded ultrasonography may be confirmatory for brain death: A case report

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Mehmet Akif Topçuoğlu

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD is a valuable tool for demonstrating cerebral circulatory arrest (CCA in the setting of brain death. Complete reversal of diastolic flow (to-and-fro flow and systolic spikes in bilateral terminal internal carotid arteries and vertebrobasilar circulation are considered as specific sonogram configurations supporting the diagnosis of CCA. Because of the possibility of sonic bone window impermeability, absence of any waveform in TCD is not confirmatory for CCA unless there is documentation of disappearance of a previously well detected signal by the same recording settings. Transcranial color-coded sonography (TCCS with B-mode imaging can reliably detect adequacy of bone windows with clarity contralateral skull and ipsilateral planum temporale visualization. Therefore, absence of detectable intracranial Doppler signal along with available ultrasound window in TCCS can confirm clinical diagnosis of brain death. We herein discuss this entity from the frame of a representative case.

Hoarding symptoms among psychiatric outpatients: confirmatory factor analysis and psychometric properties of the Saving Inventory – Revised (SI-R

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Siau Pheng Lee

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The growing interest in problematic hoarding as an independent clinical condition has led to the development of the Saving Inventory-Revised (SI-R to assess hoarding phenomenology. The SI-R is one of the most widely used instruments to measure hoarding symptoms; however, it lacks validation in non-Western samples. Methods The current study examined the construct, convergent, and discriminant validity of the SI-R among 500 outpatients at a psychiatric hospital in Singapore. The three-factor structure solution of the SI-R was fitted in a confirmatory factor analysis. Results The final model achieved mediocre fit (χ2 = 1026.02, df = 186; RMSEA = 0.095, SRMR = 0.06; CFI = 0.86; NNFI = 0.85. Two reverse-coded items (items 2 and 4 were removed due to insufficient factor loadings, resulting in the modified 21-item SI-R (SIR-21. Our findings indicate the need to further examine the construct validity of the SI-R, particularly in non-Western samples. Nonetheless, correlations with other hoarding-related constructs, such as anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II, supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the SIR-21 in our sample. Conclusions Findings in our current majority Chinese sample were consistent with previous observations from other Chinese samples. Implications were discussed from a cross-cultural perspective, such as cultural emphasis on saving for future use and overlap between the concepts of discarding and acquiring in Chinese samples. Future studies should also examine differences among other ethnic groups (e.g., Malay, Indian.

Intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of cancer perception: a confirmatory factor analysis of the cancer experience and efficacy scale (CEES).

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Hou, Wai Kai

2010-05-01

Sociocultural factors influence psychological adjustment to cancer in Asian patients in two major ways: prioritization of relationships over individual orientations and belief in the efficacy of interpersonal cooperation. We derived and validated among Chinese colorectal cancer (CRC) patients an instrument assessing cancer perceptions to enable the study of the sociocultural processes. Qualitative interviews (n = 16) derived 15 items addressing interpersonal experience in Chinese CRC patients' adjustment. These 15 items and 18 corresponding self-referent items were administered to 166 Chinese CRC survivors and subjected to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to establish the initial scale structure and reliability. The final 29 items, together with other psychometric measures, were administered to a second cohort of 215 CRC patients and subjected to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). EFA (63.35% of the total variance) extracted six factors: personal strain, socioeconomic strain, emotional strain, personal efficacy, collective efficacy, and proxy efficacy. CFA confirmed the psychometric structure [chi (2)(df) = 702.91(368); Comparative Fit Index = 0.95; Nonnormed Fit Index = 0.94; Incremental Fit Index = 0.95; standardized root mean square residual = 0.08] of the six factors by using a model with two latent factors: experience and efficacy. All subscales were reliable (alpha = 0.76-0.92). Appropriate correlations with adjustment outcomes (symptom distress, psychological morbidity, and subjective well-being), optimistic personalities, and social relational quality indicated its convergent and divergent validity. Known group comparisons (i.e., age, active treatment, and colostomy) showed its clinical utility. The cancer experience and efficacy scale is a valid multidimensional instrument for assessing intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of cancer experience in Asian patients, potentiating existing patient-reported outcome measures.

Study on the multiple cancer in A-bomb survivors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wakabayashi, Toshiro; Yamamoto, Tsutomu.

1984-01-01

Autopsy data from cohort studies performed on A-bomb victims revealed that the incidence rate of multiple cancer was 7.8% (193 of 2,472 cancer A-bomb victims), being higher than that (5.8%) found from the tumor registry in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Multiple cancer occurred more frequently in women than in men in both Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The incidence of multiple cancer was 1.5 times higher in the victims exposed to more than 100 rad (Vsub(+) group) than in those exposed to less than one rad (V 0 group), suggesting that there might be dose-response relationship, although this was not statistically significant between the exposed groups. According to the organs, relative risk ratio of developing cancer in the Vsub(+) group to that in the V 0 group was high in the colon and rectum, bladder, lungs, and testes in men; in the thyroid gland, lungs, colon and rectum, bladder, and breast in women, although no statistically significant differences were observed between the groups. This was suggestive of cancer that arises frequently in the lungs of men in the Vsub(+) group. Occult cancer of the thyroid gland and testes was also discussed in relation to the incidence of multiple cancer. (Namekawa, K.)

Multiple plastic biliary stent placement in the management of large and multiple choledochal stones: single center experience and review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Bektaş, Hasan; Gürbulak, Bünyamin; Şahin, Zeynep Deniz; Düzköylü, Yiğit; Çolak, Şükrü; Gürbulak, Esin Kabul; Güneş, Mehmet Emin; Çakar, Ekrem

2017-09-01

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with sphincterotomy is the first step treatment modality of choledocholithiasis. In spite of an extended sphincterotomy, 10-15% of complex choledochal stones (larger than 15 mm and/or more than 3 stones) cannot be removed and recurrent ERCP procedures may be needed. To evaluate the role and efficiency of multiple biliary stent application in the treatment of large and multiple choledochal stones. Patients with complex choledochal stones and patients with inadequate choledochal clearance during ERCP were included in the study. The study group was divided into 2 groups as the placement of single (n = 27 patients) or multiple stents (n = 58 patients). After a mean time interval of 21 days (10-28), the ERCP procedure was tried for the second time and a stent was placed in case of recurrence. Successful biliary drainage was provided in both groups. The decrease in the longitudinal or transverse size of the stones after stent placement was found to be statistically significant in both groups (p = 0.001). Cholestatic enzymes (alkaline phosphatase (ALP), γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT)) and bilirubin levels decreased significantly in both groups following stenting (p = 0.001). Additionally, multiple stents functioned as a bridge starting from the first ERCP to full clearance in patients with large and multiple stones which could not be removed at once and saved them from the possible morbidities of an invasive operation. Endoscopic multiple biliary stent placement should be preferred in the treatment of patients with complex choledochal stones and high rates of co-morbidity, as a safe alternative to surgery.

Multiple Comparison of Age Groups in Bone Mineral Density under Heteroscedasticity

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Ahmet Sezer

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Osteoporosis is a silent disease because individuals may not know that they have osteoporosis until their bones become so fragile. Bone mineral density (BMD test helps to detect osteoporosis and determine the risk fractures. This study covers bone measurement data from total body dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scans for 28,454 persons who participated in the 1996–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in USA Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA method is known as the primary method for detecting osteoporosis because of its high precision and accuracy. Testing the equality of the means of normal populations when the variances are unknown and unequal is a fundamental problem in clinical trials and biomedical research. In this study we compare age groups based upon BMD in case of unequal variance being present among the groups. First we test equality of variances among the age groups by the Hartley test. And then Scott-Smith test is used to test equality of BMD means for the age groups. Finally, Tukey-Cramer confidence intervals are constructed to detect which groups start to differ from the reference group in which BMD reaches the peak level.

Group Projects in Social Work Education: The Influence of Group Characteristics and Moderators on Undergraduate Student Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Postlethwait, Ariana E.

2016-01-01

This study examined the impact of group size, group formation, group conflict, and division of labor on student outcomes in a group project for a sample of 112 BSW research seminar students at a large university in the Midwest. Students completed surveys on their experiences with the group project at the end of the semester. Multiple regression…

A confirmatory factor analytical study of a servant leadership measure in South Africa

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Bright Mahembe

2013-09-01

Research purpose: The goal of the study was to validate the Servant Leadership Questionnaire(SLQ, which Barbuto and Wheeler developed, on a South African sample. Motivation for the study: The literature is replete with evidence of the role of follower focused leadership practices in improving team effectiveness, employee engagement and organisational success. We need to complement these efforts with psychometrically sound measuring instruments. Research design, approach and method: The authors drew a convenience sample of 288 school teachers from schools in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. They used the SLQ that Barbuto and Wheeler developed to measure servant leadership. Main findings: The authors found high levels of reliability for the sub-scales of the latent variables. They found good fit with the data for the measurement model of the five latent servant leadership dimensions (altruistic calling, persuasive mapping, emotional healing, wisdom and organisational stewardship through confirmatory factor analyses (CFA. They obtained reasonable fit for the first- and second-order servant leadership CFA. The authors concluded that the SLQ shows reasonable fit. Practical/managerial implications: The SLQ showed evidence of reliability and construct validity. It can contribute to the scientific selection and development of education leaders in South African schools. Contribution/value add: Servant leadership incorporates a service ethic that fosters participatory management, teacher development and team building. The department of education should increase team effectiveness in schools by selecting and developing servant leadership.

The structure of social exchange in self-help support groups: development of a measure.

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Brown, Louis D; Tang, Xiaohui; Hollman, Ruth L

2014-03-01

Self-help support groups are indigenous community resources designed to help people manage a variety of personal challenges, from alcohol abuse to xeroderma pigmentosum. The social exchanges that occur during group meetings are central to understanding how people benefit from participation. This paper examines the different types of social exchange behaviors that occur during meetings, using two studies to develop empirically distinct scales that reliably measure theoretically important types of exchange. Resource theory informed the initial measurement development efforts. Exploratory factor analyses from the first study led to revisions in the factor structure of the social exchange scales. The revised measure captured the exchange of emotional support, experiential information, humor, unwanted behaviors, and exchanges outside meetings. Confirmatory factor analyses from a follow-up study with a different sample of self-help support groups provided good model fit, suggesting the revised structure accurately represented the data. Further, the scales demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity with related constructs. Future research can use the scales to identify aspects of social exchange that are most important in improving health outcomes among self-help support group participants. Groups can use the scales in practice to celebrate strengths and address weaknesses in their social exchange dynamics.

The Cannabis Abuse Screening Test and the DSM-5 in the general population: Optimal thresholds and underlying common structure using multiple factor analysis.

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Legleye, Stéphane

2017-11-10

The Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) aims at screening the problematic use of cannabis. It has never been validated against the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 and its relationships with this latter have never been studied. We used a probabilistic telephone survey collected in 2014 (1351 past-year cannabis users aged 15-64) implementing the CAST and a DSM-5 adaptation of the Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview assessing cannabis use disorders. Data were weighted, and CAST items were considered categorical. Factorial structures were assessed with confirmatory factor analyses; the relationships between the instruments were studied with multiple factor analysis (MFA). One factor for the DSM-5 and two correlated factors for the CAST were the best confirmatory factor analyses solutions. The CAST thresholds for screening moderate/severe and severe cannabis use disorders were 5 (sensitivity = 78.2% and specificity = 79.6%) and 8 (sensitivity = 86.0% and specificity = 86.7%), respectively. The MFA identified two orthogonal dimensions: The first was equally shared by both instruments; the second was the second CAST dimension (extreme frequencies of use before midday and alone, memory problems, and reproaches from friends/family). The CAST structure and screening properties were confirmed. The MFA explains its screening performances by its first dimension and identified the problematic patterns (the second dimension) that are not captured by the DSM-5. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Multiplicity: An Explorative Interview Study on Personal Experiences of People with Multiple Selves.

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Ribáry, Gergő; Lajtai, László; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Maraz, Aniko

2017-01-01

Background and aims: Personality psychology research relies on the notion that humans have a single self that is the result of the individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that can be reliably described (i.e., through traits). People who identify themselves as "multiple" have a system of multiple or alternative, selves, that share the same physical body. This is the first study to explore the phenomenon of multiplicity by assessing the experiences of people who identify themselves as "multiple." Methods: First, an Internet forum search was performed using the terms "multiplicity" and "multiple system." Based on that search, people who identified themselves as multiple were contacted. Interviews were conducted by a consultant psychiatrist, which produced six case vignettes. Results: Multiplicity is discussed on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ and several other personal websites, blogs, and forums maintained by multiples. According to the study's estimates, there are 200-300 individuals who participate in these forums and believe they are multiple. Based on the six interviews, it appears that multiples have several selves who are relatively independent of each other and constitute the personality's system. Each "resident person" or self, has their own unique behavioral pattern, which is triggered by different situations. However, multiples are a heterogeneous group in terms of their system organization, memory functions, and control over switching between selves. Conclusions: Multiplicity can be placed along a continuum between identity disturbance and dissociative identity disorder (DID), although most systems function relatively well in everyday life. Further research is needed to explore this phenomenon, especially in terms of the extent to which multiplicity can be regarded as a healthy way of coping.

The measurement invariance of job diagnostic survey (JDS) across three university student groups

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Martinez-Gomez, M.; Marin-Garcia, J.A.; Girado Omeara, M.

2016-07-01

The main purpose of this study is to apply a multigroup confirmatory analysis to examine the measurement invariance (MI) of the adapted version of the Job Diagnosis Survey (JDS) as a measurement tool that analyses the relationship between the features of teaching methodologies with university students’ motivation and satisfaction across data collected on different degrees and academic years. Design/methodology/approach: Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out using a multigroup structural equation model, using the program EQS 6.1 to test the invariance of the adapted version of JDS in a sample constituted by 535 student of a Spanish public university. The assessment of invariance included the levels of configural, metric, scalar, covariance and latent variables invariance. Several goodness-of-fit measures were assessed... (Author)

QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube as a Confirmatory Test for Tuberculin Skin Test in Tuberculosis Contact Tracing: A Noninferiority Clinical Trial.

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Muñoz, Laura; Santin, Miguel; Alcaide, Fernando; Ruíz-Serrano, Maria Jesús; Gijón, Paloma; Bermúdez, Elena; Domínguez-Castellano, Angel; Navarro, María Dolores; Ramírez, Encarnación; Pérez-Escolano, Elvira; López-Prieto, María Dolores; Gutiérrez-Rodriguez, José; Anibarro, Luis; Calviño, Laura; Trigo, Matilde; Cifuentes, Carmen; García-Gasalla, Mercedes; Payeras, Antoni; Gasch, Oriol; Espasa, Mateu; Agüero, Ramon; Ferrer, Diego; Casas, Xavier; González-Cuevas, Araceli; García-Zamalloa, Alberto; Bikuña, Edurne; Lecuona, María; Galindo, Rosa; Ramírez-Lapausa, Marta; Carrillo, Raquel

2018-01-18

Screening strategies based on interferon-γ release assays in tuberculosis contact tracing may reduce the need for preventive therapy without increasing subsequent active disease. We conducted an open-label, randomized trial to test the noninferiority of a 2-step strategy with the tuberculin skin test (TST) followed by QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) as a confirmatory test (the TST/QFT arm) to the standard TST-alone strategy (TST arm) for targeting preventive therapy in household contacts of patients with tuberculosis. Participants were followed for 24 months after randomization. The primary endpoint was the development of tuberculosis, with a noninferiority margin of 1.5 percentage points. A total of 871 contacts were randomized. Four contacts in the TST arm and 2 in the TST/QFT arm developed tuberculosis. In the modified intention-to-treat analysis, this accounted for 0.99% in the TST arm and 0.51% in the TST/QFT arm (-0.48% difference; 97.5% confidence interval [CI], -1.86% to 0.90%); in the per-protocol analysis, the corresponding rates were 1.67% and 0.82% in the TST and TST/QFT arms, respectively (-0.85% difference; 97.5% CI, -3.14% to 1.43%). Of the 792 contacts analyzed, 65.3% in the TST arm and 42.2% in the TST/QFT arm were diagnosed with tuberculosis infection (23.1% difference; 95% CI, 16.4% to 30.0%). In low-incidence settings, screening household contacts with the TST and using QFT-GIT as a confirmatory test is not inferior to TST-alone for preventing active tuberculosis, allowing a safe reduction of preventive treatments. NCT01223534. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

CoDuSe group exercise programme improves balance and reduces falls in people with multiple sclerosis: A multi-centre, randomized, controlled pilot study.

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Carling, Anna; Forsberg, Anette; Gunnarsson, Martin; Nilsagård, Ylva

2017-09-01

Imbalance leading to falls is common in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). To evaluate the effects of a balance group exercise programme (CoDuSe) on balance and walking in PwMS (Expanded Disability Status Scale, 4.0-7.5). A multi-centre, randomized, controlled single-blinded pilot study with random allocation to early or late start of exercise, with the latter group serving as control group for the physical function measures. In total, 14 supervised 60-minute exercise sessions were delivered over 7 weeks. Pretest-posttest analyses were conducted for self-reported near falls and falls in the group starting late. Primary outcome was Berg Balance Scale (BBS). A total of 51 participants were initially enrolled; three were lost to follow-up. Post-intervention, the exercise group showed statistically significant improvement ( p = 0.015) in BBS and borderline significant improvement in MS Walking Scale ( p = 0.051), both with large effect sizes (3.66; -2.89). No other significant differences were found between groups. In the group starting late, numbers of falls and near falls were statistically significantly reduced after exercise compared to before ( p balance and reduced perceived walking limitations, compared to no exercise. The intervention reduced falls and near falls frequency.

German version of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire - Appearance Scales (MBSRQ-AS): confirmatory factor analysis and validation.

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Vossbeck-Elsebusch, Anna N; Waldorf, Manuel; Legenbauer, Tanja; Bauer, Anika; Cordes, Martin; Vocks, Silja

2014-06-01

The Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) is a widely used questionnaire that measures body image as a multidimensional construct. The Appearance Scales (AS) of the MBSRQ (Appearance Evaluation, Appearance Orientation, Body Areas Satisfaction, Overweight Preoccupation and Self-Classified Weight) are subscales which facilitate a parsimonious assessment of appearance-related aspects of body image. The current study tested the psychometric properties and factor structure of a German translation of the MBSRQ-AS. Participants were n=230 female patients with the SCID diagnosis of an eating disorder and n=293 female healthy controls. In a confirmatory factor analysis, convincing goodness-of-fit indices emerged. The subscales of the questionnaire yielded good reliability and convergent and discriminant validity coefficients, with most items showing excellent characteristics. Like the English version, the German adaptation of the questionnaire can be recommended for a multidimensional assessment of appearance-related aspects of body image in both research and clinical practice. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing cross-cultural differences through use of multiple-group invariance analyses.

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Stein, Judith A; Lee, Jerry W; Jones, Patricia S

2006-12-01

The use of structural equation modeling in cross-cultural personality research has become a popular method for testing measurement invariance. In this report, we present an example of testing measurement invariance using the Sense of Coherence Scale of Antonovsky (1993) in 3 ethnic groups: Chinese, Japanese, and Whites. In a series of increasingly restrictive constraints on the measurement models of the 3 groups, we demonstrate how to assess differences among the groups. We also provide an example of construct validation.

A confirmatory test of the underlying factor structure of scores on the collective self-esteem scale in two independent samples of Black Americans.

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Utsey, Shawn O; Constantine, Madonna G

2006-04-01

In this study, we examined the factor structure of the Collective Self-Esteem Scale (CSES; Luhtanen & Crocker, 1992) across 2 separate samples of Black Americans. The CSES was administered to a sample of Black American adolescents (n = 538) and a community sample of Black American adults (n = 313). Results of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), however, did not support the original 4-factor model identified by Luhtanen and Crocker (1992) as providing an adequate fit to the data for these samples. Furthermore, an exploratory CFA procedure failed to find a CSES factor structure that could be replicated across the 2 samples of Black Americans. We present and discuss implications of the findings.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Autonomy over Tobacco Scale (AUTOS) in adults.

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Wellman, Robert J; DiFranza, Joseph R; O'Loughlin, Jennifer

2015-11-01

The Autonomy over Tobacco Scale (AUTOS), a 12-item self-administered questionnaire, was designed to measure autonomy in three correlated lower-order symptom domains: withdrawal, psychological dependence, and cue-induced craving. The factor structure of the AUTOS remains an open question; confirmatory analyses in adolescents supported the hierarchical structure, while exploratory analyses in adolescents and adults yield single-factor solutions. Here we seek to determine whether the hypothesized hierarchical structure is valid in adult smokers. The AUTOS was administered to two independent convenience samples of adult current smokers: a calibration sample recruited in the US for online studies, and a confirmation sample drawn from the prospective Nicotine Dependence in Teens study in Montreal. We tested competing hierarchical and single-factor models using the robust weighted least-squares (WLSMV) estimation method. A single-factor model that allowed correlated error variances between theoretically related items fit well in the calibration sample (n = 434), χ(2)SB(52) = 165.71; χ(2)/df = 3.19; SRMR = 0.03; CFI = 0.96; NNFI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.07 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.08). Reliability of the single factor was high (ωB = 0.92) and construct validity was adequate. In the confirmation sample (n = 335), a similar model fit well:χ(2)SB(53) = 126.94; χ(2)/df = 2.44; SRMR = 0.04; CFI = 0.95; NNFI = 0.93; RMSEA = 0.07 (95% CI: 0.05, 0.08). Reliability of the single factor was again high (ωB = 0.92) and construct validity was adequate. The AUTOS is unidimensional in adult smokers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis on the Attitude Scale of Constructivist Approach for Science Teachers

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E. Evrekli

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Underlining the importance of teachers for the constructivist approach, the present study attempts to develop “Attitude Scale of Construc¬tivist Approach for Science Teachers (ASCAST”. The pre-applications of the scale were administered to a total of 210 science teachers; however, the data obtained from 5 teachers were excluded from the analysis. As a result of the analysis of the data obtained from the pre-applications, it was found that the scale could have a single factor structure, which was tested using the confir¬matory factor analysis. As a result of the initial confirmatory factor analysis, the values of fit were examined and found to be low. Subsequently, by exam¬ining the modification indices, error covariance was added between items 23 and 24 and the model was tested once again. The added error covariance led to a significant improvement in the model, producing values of fit suitable for limit values. Thus, it was concluded that the scale could be employed with a single factor. The explained variance value for the scale developed with a sin¬gle factor structure was calculated to be 50.43% and its reliability was found to be .93. The results obtained suggest that the scale possesses reliable-valid characteristics and could be used in further studies.

Carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone for relapsed multiple myeloma.

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Stewart, A Keith; Rajkumar, S Vincent; Dimopoulos, Meletios A; Masszi, Tamás; Špička, Ivan; Oriol, Albert; Hájek, Roman; Rosiñol, Laura; Siegel, David S; Mihaylov, Georgi G; Goranova-Marinova, Vesselina; Rajnics, Péter; Suvorov, Aleksandr; Niesvizky, Ruben; Jakubowiak, Andrzej J; San-Miguel, Jesus F; Ludwig, Heinz; Wang, Michael; Maisnar, Vladimír; Minarik, Jiri; Bensinger, William I; Mateos, Maria-Victoria; Ben-Yehuda, Dina; Kukreti, Vishal; Zojwalla, Naseem; Tonda, Margaret E; Yang, Xinqun; Xing, Biao; Moreau, Philippe; Palumbo, Antonio

2015-01-08

Lenalidomide plus dexamethasone is a reference treatment for relapsed multiple myeloma. The combination of the proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib with lenalidomide and dexamethasone has shown efficacy in a phase 1 and 2 study in relapsed multiple myeloma. We randomly assigned 792 patients with relapsed multiple myeloma to carfilzomib with lenalidomide and dexamethasone (carfilzomib group) or lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone (control group). The primary end point was progression-free survival. Progression-free survival was significantly improved with carfilzomib (median, 26.3 months, vs. 17.6 months in the control group; hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57 to 0.83; P=0.0001). The median overall survival was not reached in either group at the interim analysis. The Kaplan-Meier 24-month overall survival rates were 73.3% and 65.0% in the carfilzomib and control groups, respectively (hazard ratio for death, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.63 to 0.99; P=0.04). The rates of overall response (partial response or better) were 87.1% and 66.7% in the carfilzomib and control groups, respectively (P<0.001; 31.8% and 9.3% of patients in the respective groups had a complete response or better; 14.1% and 4.3% had a stringent complete response). Adverse events of grade 3 or higher were reported in 83.7% and 80.7% of patients in the carfilzomib and control groups, respectively; 15.3% and 17.7% of patients discontinued treatment owing to adverse events. Patients in the carfilzomib group reported superior health-related quality of life. In patients with relapsed multiple myeloma, the addition of carfilzomib to lenalidomide and dexamethasone resulted in significantly improved progression-free survival at the interim analysis and had a favorable risk-benefit profile. (Funded by Onyx Pharmaceuticals; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01080391.).

Network formation under heterogeneous costs: The multiple group model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kamphorst, J.J.A.; van der Laan, G.

2007-01-01

It is widely recognized that the shape of networks influences both individual and aggregate behavior. This raises the question which types of networks are likely to arise. In this paper we investigate a model of network formation, where players are divided into groups and the costs of a link between

Psychometric properties of the Children’s Revised Impact of Events Scale (CRIES with Bangladeshi children and adolescents

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Farah Deeba

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Identification of possible cases suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD is important, especially in developing countries where traumatic events are typically prevalent. The Children’s Revised Impact of Events Scale is a reliable and valid measure that has two brief versions (13 items and 8 items to assess reactions to traumatic events among young people. The current study evaluated the psychometric properties of both versions of the CRIES in a sample of 1,342 children and adolescents aged 9–17 years (M = 12.3 years, SD = 2.12 recruited from six districts of Bangladesh. A sub-group of 120 children from four schools was re-tested on the measures within 3.5 weeks. Confirmatory factor analysis supported factor structures similar to those found in other studies for both versions of the CRIES. Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis showed gender and age-group differences within the sample, supporting established age and gender differences in prevalence of PTSD symptoms. Analyses also indicated moderate to excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability and clear discriminant and convergent validity. These data support use of both the CRIES-13 and CRIES-8 to provide quick and psychometrically sound assessment of symptoms of PTSD among children and adolescents from Bangla-speaking communities.

Portuguese version of the PTSD Checklist-Military Version (PCL-M)-I: Confirmatory Factor Analysis and reliability.

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Carvalho, Teresa; Cunha, Marina; Pinto-Gouveia, José; Duarte, Joana

2015-03-30

The PTSD Checklist-Military Version (PCL-M) is a brief self-report instrument widely used to assess Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology in war Veterans, according to DSM-IV. This study sought out to explore the factor structure and reliability of the Portuguese version of the PCL-M. A sample of 660 Portuguese Colonial War Veterans completed the PCL-M. Several Confirmatory Factor Analyses were conducted to test different structures for PCL-M PTSD symptoms. Although the respecified first-order four-factor model based on King et al.'s model showed the best fit to the data, the respecified first and second-order models based on the DSM-IV symptom clusters also presented an acceptable fit. In addition, the PCL-M showed adequate reliability. The Portuguese version of the PCL-M is thus a valid and reliable measure to assess the severity of PTSD symptoms as described in DSM-IV. Its use with Portuguese Colonial War Veterans may ease screening of possible PTSD cases, promote more suitable treatment planning, and enable monitoring of therapeutic outcomes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[A confirmatory diagnosis of antibodies anti-Trypanosoma cruzi in donors referred by blood banks in Venezuela].

Science.gov (United States)

Díaz-Bello, Zoraida; Zavala-Jaspe, Reinaldo; Díaz-Villalobos, María; Mauriello, Luciano; Maekelt, Alberto; de Noya, Belkisyolé Alarcón

2008-06-01

To establish the confirmatory diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection, at least two immunoserological tests (ELISA, Indirect hamaglutination, IH, Complement Fixation Test, CFT) were carried out in 254 donors, from public and private blood banks of Venezuela, during 48 months between 1997-1998 and 2003-2004, referred to the Immunology Section of the Tropical Medicine Institute in Caracas. Antibodies anti-T. cruzi were detected in 129/254 (50,79%) by ELISA-IgG or IH and CFT. The "artificial xenodiagnosis" was positive in 10/118 persons with positive confirmed serology. Of 129 donors found positive by the serological tests, 68 were living in the capital region and 61 in the interior of the country. Likewise 113 were born in the interior of the country, 8 in Caracas and 8 in Colombia. Of them, 12 individuals serologically confirmed declared to have donated blood in a minimum of 4 occasions before diagnosis. The present study emphasizes the importance of detection of antibodies against T. cruzi in the integral evaluation of blood donors, since many of them with antibodies anti-T. cruzi, have donated blood several times previous to diagnosis.

Multiple Unerupted Teeth with Amelogenesis Imperfecta in Siblings

OpenAIRE

Shruthi Hegde

2012-01-01

Amelogenesis imperfecta encompasses a group of inherited abnormalities that are generally considered to primarily affect the formation and/or calcification of enamel. This case report describes the unusual presentation of amelogenesis imperfecta in siblings as multiple unerupted teeth, multiple pulpal calcifications, and multiple dilacerations of roots along with the defect in the enamel. The intent of our report is to highlight a rare co-occurrence of amelogenesis imperfecta with multiple mo...

On Which Abilities Are Category Fluency and Letter Fluency Grounded A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of 53 Alzheimer's Dementia Patients

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Ilaria Bizzozero

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: In Alzheimer's dementia (AD, letter fluency is less impaired than category fluency. To check whether category fluency and letter fluency depend differently on semantics and attention, 53 mild AD patients were given animal and letter fluency tasks, two semantic tests (the Verbal Semantic Questionnaire and the BORB Association Match test, and two attentional tests (the Stroop Colour-Word Interference test and the Digit Cancellation test. Methods: We conducted a LISREL confirmatory factor analysis to check the extent to which category fluency and letter fluency tasks were related to semantics and attention, viewed as latent variables. Results: Both types of fluency tasks were related to the latent variable Semantics but not to the latent variable Attention. Conclusions: Our findings warn against interpreting the disproportionate impairment of AD patients on category and letter fluency as a contrast between semantics and attention.

Severity of mental illness as a result of multiple childhood adversities: US National Epidemiologic Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Curran, Emma; Adamson, Gary; Stringer, Maurice; Rosato, Michael; Leavey, Gerard

2016-05-01

To examine patterns of childhood adversity, their long-term consequences and the combined effect of different childhood adversity patterns as predictors of subsequent psychopathology. Secondary analysis of data from the US National Epidemiologic Survey on alcohol and related conditions. Using latent class analysis to identify childhood adversity profiles; and using multinomial logistic regression to validate and further explore these profiles with a range of associated demographic and household characteristics. Finally, confirmatory factor analysis substantiated initial latent class analysis findings by investigating a range of mental health diagnoses. Latent class analysis generated a three-class model of childhood adversity in which 60 % of participants were allocated to a low adversity class; 14 % to a global adversities class (reporting exposures for all the derived latent classes); and 26 % to a domestic emotional and physical abuse class (exposed to a range of childhood adversities). Confirmatory Factor analysis defined an internalising-externalising spectrum to represent lifetime reporting patterns of mental health disorders. Using logistic regression, both adversity groups showed specific gender and race/ethnicity differences, related family discord and increased psychopathology. We identified underlying patterns in the exposure to childhood adversity and associated mental health. These findings are informative in their description of the configuration of adversities, rather than focusing solely on the cumulative aspect of experience. Amelioration of longer-term negative consequences requires early identification of psychopathology risk factors that can inform protective and preventive interventions. This study highlights the utility of screening for childhood adversities when individuals present with symptoms of psychiatric disorders.

Multiplicity: An Explorative Interview Study on Personal Experiences of People with Multiple Selves

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Gergő Ribáry

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background and aims: Personality psychology research relies on the notion that humans have a single self that is the result of the individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that can be reliably described (i.e., through traits. People who identify themselves as “multiple” have a system of multiple or alternative, selves, that share the same physical body. This is the first study to explore the phenomenon of multiplicity by assessing the experiences of people who identify themselves as “multiple.”Methods: First, an Internet forum search was performed using the terms “multiplicity” and “multiple system.” Based on that search, people who identified themselves as multiple were contacted. Interviews were conducted by a consultant psychiatrist, which produced six case vignettes.Results: Multiplicity is discussed on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ and several other personal websites, blogs, and forums maintained by multiples. According to the study's estimates, there are 200–300 individuals who participate in these forums and believe they are multiple. Based on the six interviews, it appears that multiples have several selves who are relatively independent of each other and constitute the personality's system. Each “resident person” or self, has their own unique behavioral pattern, which is triggered by different situations. However, multiples are a heterogeneous group in terms of their system organization, memory functions, and control over switching between selves.Conclusions: Multiplicity can be placed along a continuum between identity disturbance and dissociative identity disorder (DID, although most systems function relatively well in everyday life. Further research is needed to explore this phenomenon, especially in terms of the extent to which multiplicity can be regarded as a healthy way of coping.

Bayesian evaluation of constrained hypotheses on variances of multiple independent groups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Böing-Messing, F.; van Assen, M.A.L.M.; Hofman, A.D.; Hoijtink, H.; Mulder, J.

2017-01-01

Research has shown that independent groups often differ not only in their means, but also in their variances. Comparing and testing variances is therefore of crucial importance to understand the effect of a grouping variable on an outcome variable. Researchers may have specific expectations

Habitual caffeine consumption and its relation to memory, attention, planning capacity and psychomotor performance across multiple age groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Hameleers, P. A. H. M; Van Boxtel, M. P. J; Hogervorst, E; Riedel, W. J; Houx, P. J; Buntinx, F; Jolles, J

2000-12-01

The present study evaluated the association between habitual caffeine intake via coffee and tea and cognitive performance. This was done as part of a larger research programme into the determinants of cognitive ageing (the Maastricht Aging Study: MAAS). Possible withdrawal effects that may have explained in part the positive association between performance and intake in an earlier study were controlled for. In addition, all cognitive tests in this study were administered under strict laboratory conditions. A group of 1875 healthy adults, stratified for age (range 24 - 81 years), sex, and general ability, were screened for habitual intake of coffee and tea and took part in extensive cognitive testing. Multiple regression analysis with control for age, sex, socio-demographic variables, and substance use showed that habitual caffeine consumption was significantly related to better long-term memory performance and faster locomotor speed. No relationships were found between habitual caffeine consumption and short-term memory, information processing, planning, and attention as measured with the Stroop Test. Moreover, no difference in sensitivity to caffeine intake between different age groups was found, suggesting that caffeine intake did not counteract age-related cognitive decline. Several recommendations are made to improve the design of future studies in this field. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Multiple Primary Cancer Monograph

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To identify groups of cancer survivors that are at increased risk for multiple primary cancers, investigators led an effort to provide the first comprehensive population-based analysis of the risk of subsequent cancer in the U.S., resulting in a monograph.

The Tripod School Climate Index: An Invariant Measure of School Safety and Relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Sarah Fierberg; Rowley, Jacob F S

2016-03-01

Recently revised standards for social work practice in schools encourage data-informed school climate interventions that implicitly require invariant measures of school climate. Invariant measures have the same meaning, scale, and origin across different groups of respondents. Although noninvariant measures bias statistical analyses and can lead users to erroneous conclusions, most school climate measures have not been tested for invariance. This study examines the invariance of the Tripod School Climate Index. Exploratory, confirmatory, and multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on data collected from 66,531 students across 222 schools. Results indicate that the index is an excellent fit for the data and invariant by student grade level, demographic background, prior achievement, and dropout risk. Results imply that student responses can be validly aggregated to create school-level scores. The index will not bias studies of school climate interventions or bivariate analyses comparing perceptions of school climate across subgroups of students attending the same school. Given the centrality of school climate interventions to social work practice in schools and the consequences of noninvariance, the development of an index with these properties is an important contribution to the field.

University student depression inventory (USDI): confirmatory factor analysis and review of psychometric properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Romaniuk, Madeline; Khawaja, Nigar G

2013-09-25

The 30-item USDI is a self-report measure that assesses depressive symptoms among university students. It consists of three correlated three factors: lethargy, cognitive-emotional and academic motivation. The current research used confirmatory factor analysis to asses construct validity and determine whether the original factor structure would be replicated in a different sample. Psychometric properties were also examined. Participants were 1148 students (mean age 22.84 years, SD=6.85) across all faculties from a large Australian metropolitan university. Students completed a questionnaire comprising of the USDI, the depression anxiety stress scale (DASS) and Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS). The three correlated factor model was shown to be an acceptable fit to the data, indicating sound construct validity. Internal consistency of the scale was also demonstrated to be sound, with high Cronbach alpha values. Temporal stability of the scale was also shown to be strong through test-retest analysis. Finally, concurrent and discriminant validity was examined with correlations between the USDI and DASS subscales as well as the LSS, with sound results further supporting the construct validity of the scale. Cut-off points were also developed to aid total score interpretation. Response rates are unclear. In addition, the representativeness of the sample could be improved potentially through targeted recruitment (i.e. reviewing the online sample statistics during data collection, examining the representativeness trends and addressing particular faculties within the university that were underrepresented). The USDI provides a valid and reliable method of assessing depressive symptoms found among university students. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth Edition in a Group of Children with ADHD.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez, Rapson; Vance, Alasdair; Watson, Shaun D

2016-01-01

This study used confirmatory factor analysis to examine the factor structure for the 10 core WISC-IV subtests in a group of children (N = 812) with ADHD. The study examined oblique four- and five-factor models, higher order models with one general secondary factor and four and five primary factors, and a bifactor model with a general factor and four specific factors. The findings supported all models tested, with the bifactor model being the optimum model. For this model, only the general factor had high explained common variance and omega hierarchical value, and it predicted reading and arithmetic abilities. The findings favor the use of the FSIQ scores of the WISC-IV, but not the subscale index scores.

A novel construction method of QC-LDPC codes based on the subgroup of the finite field multiplicative group for optical transmission systems

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Jian-guo; Zhou, Guang-xiang; Gao, Wen-chun; Wang, Yong; Lin, Jin-zhao; Pang, Yu

2016-01-01

According to the requirements of the increasing development for optical transmission systems, a novel construction method of quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check (QC-LDPC) codes based on the subgroup of the finite field multiplicative group is proposed. Furthermore, this construction method can effectively avoid the girth-4 phenomena and has the advantages such as simpler construction, easier implementation, lower encoding/decoding complexity, better girth properties and more flexible adjustment for the code length and code rate. The simulation results show that the error correction performance of the QC-LDPC(3 780,3 540) code with the code rate of 93.7% constructed by this proposed method is excellent, its net coding gain is respectively 0.3 dB, 0.55 dB, 1.4 dB and 1.98 dB higher than those of the QC-LDPC(5 334,4 962) code constructed by the method based on the inverse element characteristics in the finite field multiplicative group, the SCG-LDPC(3 969,3 720) code constructed by the systematically constructed Gallager (SCG) random construction method, the LDPC(32 640,30 592) code in ITU-T G.975.1 and the classic RS(255,239) code which is widely used in optical transmission systems in ITU-T G.975 at the bit error rate ( BER) of 10-7. Therefore, the constructed QC-LDPC(3 780,3 540) code is more suitable for optical transmission systems.

The Effectiveness of Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Women with Multiple Sclerosis (MS): A randomized double-blind controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Sayyah, Mehdi; Bagheri, Parisa; Karimi, Negar; Ghasemzadeh, Azizreza

2016-04-01

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders and can cause problems for individuals in all aspects of life, including social and personal dimensions. To study the effect of group cognitive-behavioral therapy on the reduction of OCD symptoms in female participants with multiple sclerosis (MS). This double-blind randomized control trial was conducted from May 2012 to December 2014. The participants included 75 patients with MS who suffered from OCD and were referred to the Loghman Hakim and Imam Khomeini hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Thirty participants had been diagnosed through Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms (Y-BOCS). The participants were randomly divided into an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). Eleven sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy were provided for the experimental group. Patients in the control group continued with their normal living. Hypotheses were tested using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). A significant reduction was found in the experimental group's obsessive-compulsive symptoms after cognitive-behavioral therapy (pcognitive-behavioral therapy could considerably reduce OCD symptoms in women with MS. The application of this method by therapists, especially Iranian clinicians, is recommended.

Accounting for multiple births in randomised trials: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Yelland, Lisa Nicole; Sullivan, Thomas Richard; Makrides, Maria

2015-03-01

Multiple births are an important subgroup to consider in trials aimed at reducing preterm birth or its consequences. Including multiples results in a unique mixture of independent and clustered data, which has implications for the design, analysis and reporting of the trial. We aimed to determine how multiple births were taken into account in the design and analysis of recent trials involving preterm infants, and whether key information relevant to multiple births was reported. We conducted a systematic review of multicentre randomised trials involving preterm infants published between 2008 and 2013. Information relevant to multiple births was extracted. Of the 56 trials included in the review, 6 (11%) excluded multiples and 24 (43%) failed to indicate whether multiples were included. Among the 26 trials that reported multiples were included, only one (4%) accounted for clustering in the sample size calculations and eight (31%) took the clustering into account in the analysis of the primary outcome. Of the 20 trials that randomised infants, 12 (60%) failed to report how infants from the same birth were randomised. Information on multiple births is often poorly reported in trials involving preterm infants, and clustering due to multiple births is rarely taken into account. Since ignoring clustering could result in inappropriate recommendations for clinical practice, clustering should be taken into account in the design and analysis of future neonatal and perinatal trials including infants from a multiple birth. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Groups – Additive Notation

OpenAIRE

Coghetto Roland

2015-01-01

We translate the articles covering group theory already available in the Mizar Mathematical Library from multiplicative into additive notation. We adapt the works of Wojciech A. Trybulec [41, 42, 43] and Artur Korniłowicz [25].

Corneal pharmacokinetics of the 2% diacerein eye drops between multiple administration and single administration

OpenAIRE

Ke Yang; Shi-Wei Chen; Xin-Yan Dou; Zhi-Rui Zhang; Xin Jin; Hong-Min Zhang

2018-01-01

AIM: To compare the pharmacokinetic differences of the 2% diacerein eye drops between conjunctival sac multiple administration and single administration in the cornea, and to provide the experimental basis for clinicians to use the conjunctival sac multiple administration.METHODS: Male Kunming mice were randomly divided into the multiple administration group and the single administration group. The multiple administration group were given diacerein eye drop every 2min(3 times in total). The c...

Summary report of the IAEA advisory group meeting on nuclear data for neutron multiplication in fusion-reactor first-wall and blanket materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muir, D.W.; Pashchenko, A.B.

1992-09-01

The present Report contains the Summary of the IAEA Advisory Group Meeting on Nuclear Data for Neutron Multiplication in Fusion-Reactor First-Wall and Blanket Materials, which was hosted by the Southwest Institute of Nuclear physics and Chemistry (SWINPC) at Chengdu, China and held from 19-21 November 1990. This AGM was organized by the IAEA Nuclear Data Section (NDS), with the cooperation and assistance of local organizers at the SWINPC. The papers which the participants prepared for and presented at the meeting will be published as an INDC report. (author)

Investigation of autism and GABA receptor subunit genes in multiple ethnic groups

OpenAIRE

Collins, Ann L.; Ma, Deqiong; Whitehead, Patrice L.; Martin, Eden R.; Wright, Harry H.; Abramson, Ruth K.; Hussman, John P.; Haines, Jonathan L.; Cuccaro, Michael L.; Gilbert, John R.; Pericak-Vance, Margaret A.

2006-01-01

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder of complex genetics, characterized by impairment in social interaction and communication, as well as repetitive behavior. Multiple lines of evidence, including alterations in levels of GABA and GABA receptors in autistic patients, indicate that the GABAergic system, which is responsible for synaptic inhibition in the adult brain, may be involved in autism. Previous studies in our lab indicated association of noncoding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SN...

Comparison of Personality Characteristics and Coping Strategies in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis and Control Group

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammadi

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Background The present study aimed to investigate personality traits and coping strategies in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS who were admitted to Sina hospital compared with healthy individuals. Objectives The aim of the present study was to compare personality characteristics and coping strategies between patients with MS and healthy controls. Materials and Methods The study sample included 55 patients with MS and 57 matched healthy control individuals. The data were gathered via a demographic form, the ways of coping questionnaire, and the NEO five-factor inventory. The data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and logistic regression. Results No significant differences in personality characteristics were observed between patients and healthy controls (all P > 0.05. Only the coping strategy subscale of Distancing was significant between patients and healthy controls (P 0.05. Only the Neuroticism personality trait and the Distancing coping strategy were predictive of group membership (i.e., healthy or patient. Conclusions Our study suggests that the personality traits of patients with MS and healthy individuals are not significantly different. Patients with MS are likely to use the same coping strategies as healthy individuals, except in the subscale of Distancing.

Youth crowds and substance use: The impact of perceived group norm and multiple group identification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verkooijen, K.T.; Vries, de N.K.; Nielsen, G.A.

2007-01-01

The impact of group identity on adolescent tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use was examined through a postal survey. The study included adolescents who identified with 1 subgroup (n = 1425) as well as adolescents who identified with 2 (n = 895) or 3 (n = 339) subgroups. The results showed that

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Appraisal of Self-Care Agency Scale - Revised.

Science.gov (United States)

Stacciarini, Thaís Santos Guerra; Pace, Ana Emilia

2017-01-30

to analyze the factor structure of the Appraisal of Self-Care Agency Scale-Revised (ASAS-R), adapted for Brazil. methodological study conducted with 150 individuals with diabetes mellitus cared for by the Family Health Strategy, most of whom are elderly with low educational levels. The test of the hypothesis concerning the confirmatory factor composition of the ASAS-R was performed using latent variables structural equations. the model's goodness-of-fit indexes were satisfactory (χ2 = 259.19; χ2/g.l = 2.97, p Estrategia Salud de la Familia. El test de hipótesis de la composición factorial confirmatoria de la escala ASAS-R fue realizado por medio del modelo de ecuaciones estructurales para variables latentes. los valores de los índices de ajuste del modelo fueron satisfactorios (χ2 de 259,19; χ2/g.l de 2,97, p < 0,001; GFI = 0,85; RMR = 0,07; RMSEA = 0,09), las cargas factoriales fueron superiores a 0,40, la mayoría de las correlaciones ítem y factor varió de moderada a fuerte magnitud (0,34 la 0,58); valores de alfa total de 0,74 y de los tres factores de 0,69, 0,38 y 0,69, respectivamente. la estructura factorial de la escala obtuvo resultados satisfactorios de validez y de confiabilidad, excepto uno de sus factores. Es deseable que esa escala sea aplicada en muestras de la población general, para fortalecer los análisis de consistencia interna y de dimensionalidad de la estructura factorial; y se espera que este estudio pueda contribuir para avanzar en nuevas investigaciones que vengan a trabajar con el constructo de capacidad de autocuidado y con el desarrollo de la escala ASAS-R.

Psychometric properties of the Dresden Body Image Questionnaire : A multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis across sex and age in a Dutch non-clinical sample

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scheffers, Mia; van Duijn, Marijtje A J; Bosscher, Ruud J; Wiersma, Durk; Schoevers, Robert A; van Busschbach, Jooske T

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Body image has implications for psychosocial functioning and quality of life and its disturbance is reported in a broad range of psychiatric disorders. In view of the lack of instruments in Dutch measuring body image as a broad concept, we set out to make an instrument available that

Final Report-Confirmatory Survey Results for the ABB Combustion Engineering Site, Windsor, Connecticut; Revision 1 (DCN 5158-SR-02-1) (Docket No. 030-03754; RFTA No. 12-003)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ADAMS, WADE C

2013-01-28

The objectives of the confirmatory activities were to provide independent contractor field data reviews and to generate independent radiological data for use by the NRC in evaluating the adequacy and accuracy of the contractor's procedures and FSS results. ORAU reviewed ABB CE's decommissioning plan, final status survey plan, and the applicable soil DCGLs, which were developed based on an NRC-approved radiation dose assessment. The surveys included gamma surface scans, gamma direct measurements, and soil sampling.

Multiple primary cancer risk after therapy for Hodgkins's disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brody, R.S.; Schottenfeld, D.; Reid, A.

1977-01-01

Forty-four antecedent, synchronous, and metachronous multiple primary cancers were identified among 41 patients who constituted 4.0% of 1028 patients initially treated for Hodgkin's disease during the years 1950--1954, 1960--1964, and 1968--1972. At 5 years post-therapy the cumulative probabilities of developing a multiple primary cancer for patients treated in 1950--1954, 1960--1964, and 1968--1972, were 1.14%, 1.48%, and 4.43%, respectively. At 10 years the cumulative probability of a multiple primary cancer was 2.54% for the 1950--1954 treatment group and 6.52% for the 1960--1964 treatment group. Among those patients 16-39 years of age, initially treated during the period 1960--1964, who had survived 6-10 years after receiving radiation plus single agent chemotherapy, we observed a significant 18-fold increase in the number of multiple primary cancers. A significant occurrence of two multiple primary cancers in a relatively small group of patients treated with chemotherapy only during the period 1968--1972 was also noted. Continued surveillance of patients extensively treated with combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy will enable assessment of the oncogenic potential of these modern therapeutic approaches to the management of Hodgkin's disease

The effect of group psycho-education program on the burden of family caregivers with multiple sclerosis patients in Isfahan in 2013-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Pahlavanzadeh, Saeid; Dalvi-Isfahani, Fariba; Alimohammadi, Nasrollah; Chitsaz, Ahmad

2015-01-01

Lack of adequate training and support of primary caregivers of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is the major factor in causing stress, anxiety, and increase of burden. Therefore, the treatment team members such as psychiatric nurses can help these vulnerable people overcome psychiatric pressures effectively not only through their care and referral role but also through their supportive characteristic, which helps the patients improve their clinical status, together with their social, familial, and work adaptation. Therefore, the researcher tried to identify the effect of a group psycho-education program on the burden family caregivers with MS patients. This is a two-group three-stage clinical trial. The researcher referred to the heads of neurology clinics to present the purpose of the study and to start the sampling. The neurology clinics of AL Zahra University Hospital, and also a Private Neurology Clinic were selected to collect the data of the study. The subjects were randomly selected, and then, assigned to two groups of study and control. Independent t-test showed a significant reduction in family caregivers' burden immediately after and 1-month after intervention in the study group, compared to control. Repeated measure ANOVA showed a significant reduction in caregivers' burden mean score in the study group (P family caregivers' burden, it is recommended to develop and design other programs for the family caregivers of the patients with MS.

Dementia knowledge assessment scale (DKAS): confirmatory factor analysis and comparative subscale scores among an international cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Annear, Michael J; Toye, Chris; Elliott, Kate-Ellen J; McInerney, Frances; Eccleston, Claire; Robinson, Andrew

2017-07-31

Dementia is a life-limiting condition that is increasing in global prevalence in line with population ageing. In this context, it is necessary to accurately measure dementia knowledge across a spectrum of health professional and lay populations with the aim of informing targeted educational interventions and improving literacy, care, and support. Building on prior exploratory analysis, which informed the development of the preliminarily valid and reliable version of the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS), a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed to affirm construct validity and proposed subscales to further increase the measure's utility for academics and educators. A large, de novo sample of 3649 volunteer respondents to a dementia-related online course was recruited to evaluate the performance of the DKAS and its proposed subscales. Respondents represented diverse cohorts, including health professionals, students, and members of the general public. Analyses included CFA (using structural equation modelling), measures of internal consistency (α), and non-parametric tests of subscale correlation (Spearman Correlation) and score differences between cohorts (Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance). Findings of the CFA supported a 25-item, four-factor model for the DKAS with two items removed due to poor performance and one item moved between factors. The resultant model exhibited good reliability (α = .85; ω h  = .87; overall scale), with acceptable subscale internal consistency (α ≥ .65; subscales). Subscales showed acceptable correlation without any indication of redundancy. Finally, total and DKAS subscale scores showed good discrimination between cohorts of respondents who would be anticipated to hold different levels of knowledge on the basis of education or experience related to dementia. The DKAS has been confirmed as a reliable and valid measure of dementia knowledge for diverse populations that is capable of elucidating

An Interactive Signed Distance Approach for Multiple Criteria Group Decision-Making Based on Simple Additive Weighting Method with Incomplete Preference Information Defined by Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Sets

OpenAIRE

Ting-Yu Chen

2014-01-01

Interval type-2 fuzzy sets (T2FSs) with interval membership grades are suitable for dealing with imprecision or uncertainties in many real-world problems. In the Interval type-2 fuzzy context, the aim of this paper is to develop an interactive signed distance-based simple additive weighting (SAW) method for solving multiple criteria group decision-making problems with linguistic ratings and incomplete preference information. This paper first formulates a group decision-making problem with unc...

Multiple primary cancer in cases of atomic bomb survivors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Tsuneo; Matsuda, Masahiro; Matsugu, Yasuhiro; Ishimoto, Tatsuro; Nakahara, Hideki; Kagawa, Naoki; Fukuda, Yasuhiko

2006-01-01

Multiple primary cancer was investigated in individual atomic bomb survivors more than 50 years after exposure. During the decade from 1995 to 2004, double cancer was detected in 275 individuals visiting our facility. These 275 patients with multiple primary cancer were divided into an atomic bomb-exposed group and a non-exposed group. In terms of age at the time of definite diagnosis of double cancer and age upon onset of the first cancer, there was no significant difference between the atomic bomb-exposed group and the non-exposed group. In both groups, the percentage of males was higher than that of females. However, the percentage of females was higher in the exposed group than in the non-exposed group. Synchronous double cancer (cases where a second cancer develops within one year after onset of the first cancer) was seen in 32 individuals from the exposed group. Triple cancer was seen in 3 cases. In the exposed group, the site affected by cancer was the stomach in 28% and the colon/rectum in 27% of cases. Thus, cancer affected the stomach or colon/rectum in the majority of cases. The most frequent combination of organs affected by double cancer was the stomach+colon/rectum (20 cases, 25%). In a study of multiple primary cancer patients, the percentage of females was higher in the atomic bomb exposed group compared to the non-exposed group. There was no other difference between the two groups. (author)

The correspondence between interracial births and multiple-race reporting.

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Jennifer D; Madans, Jennifer H

2002-12-01

Race-specific health statistics are routinely reported in scientific publications; most describe health disparities across groups. Census 2000 showed that 2.4% of the US population identifies with more than 1 race group. We examined the hypothesis that multiple-race reporting is associated with interracial births by comparing parental race reported on birth certificates with reported race in a national health survey. US natality data from 1968 through 1998 and National Health Interview Survey data from 1990 through 1998 were compared, by year of birth. Overall multiple-race survey responses correspond to expectations from interracial births. However, there are discrepancies for specific multiple-race combinations. Projected estimates of the multiple-race population can be only partially informed by vital records.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Combined Social Phobia Scale and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale: Support for a Bifactor Model

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez, Rapson; Watson, Shaun D.

2017-01-01

For the Social Phobia Scale (SPS) and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) together, this study examined support for a bifactor model, and also the internal consistency reliability and external validity of the factors in this model. Participants (N = 526) were adults from the general community who completed the SPS and SIAS. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of their ratings indicated good support for the bifactor model. For this model, the loadings for all but six items were higher on the general factor than the specific factors. The three positively worded items had negligible loadings on the general factor. The general factor explained most of the common variance in the SPS and SIAS, and demonstrated good model-based internal consistency reliability (omega hierarchical) and a strong association with fear of negative evaluation and extraversion. The practical implications of the findings for the utilization of the SPS and SIAS, and the theoretical and clinical implications for social anxiety are discussed. PMID:28210232

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Combined Social Phobia Scale and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale: Support for a Bifactor Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez, Rapson; Watson, Shaun D

2017-01-01

For the Social Phobia Scale (SPS) and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) together, this study examined support for a bifactor model, and also the internal consistency reliability and external validity of the factors in this model. Participants ( N = 526) were adults from the general community who completed the SPS and SIAS. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of their ratings indicated good support for the bifactor model. For this model, the loadings for all but six items were higher on the general factor than the specific factors. The three positively worded items had negligible loadings on the general factor. The general factor explained most of the common variance in the SPS and SIAS, and demonstrated good model-based internal consistency reliability (omega hierarchical) and a strong association with fear of negative evaluation and extraversion. The practical implications of the findings for the utilization of the SPS and SIAS, and the theoretical and clinical implications for social anxiety are discussed.

Groups – Additive Notation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Coghetto Roland

2015-06-01

Full Text Available We translate the articles covering group theory already available in the Mizar Mathematical Library from multiplicative into additive notation. We adapt the works of Wojciech A. Trybulec [41, 42, 43] and Artur Korniłowicz [25].

The Loneliness Questionnaire: Establishing Measurement Invariance Across Ethnic Groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Ritchwood, Tiarney D; Ebesutani, Chad K; Chin, Eu Gene; Young, John

2017-09-01

A state of loneliness describes an individual's perception of having dissatisfying social connections to others. Though it is notable across the life span, it may have particularly deleterious effects in childhood and adolescence, leading to increased risk of emotional impairment. The current study evaluates a widely used test of loneliness, the Loneliness Questionnaire, for measurement invariance across ethnic groups in a large, representative sample of youth in the 2nd to 12th grades ( N = 12,344; 41% African American) in Mississippi. Analyses were conducted using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis following a published, sequential method to examine invariance in form, factor loadings, and item intercepts. Overall, our results indicated that the instrument was invariant across ethnicities, suggesting that youth with equivalent manifest scores can be discerned as having comparable levels of latent loneliness. The loneliness scores also corresponded significantly with depression and anxiety scores for most subsamples, with one exception. These findings are discussed in the context of previous results comparing levels of loneliness across ethnicities. Additionally, the broader context of the need to expand invariance studies in instrumentation work is highlighted.

Resolving the double tension: Toward a new approach to measurement modeling in cross-national research

Science.gov (United States)

Medina, Tait Runnfeldt

explicates a link between theoretical conceptions of cross-national comparability and a statistical method. Second, it provides a clear and detailed discussion of model identification in multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis that is missing from the literature. This discussion sets the stage for the introduction of the identification problem within multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis with partial measurement invariance and the alternative approach to model identification employed by the alignment method. Third, it offers the first pedagogical presentation of the alignment method using a sociologically relevant example.

Effects of rooting via out-groups on in-group topology in phylogeny.

Science.gov (United States)

Ackerman, Margareta; Brown, Daniel G; Loker, David

2014-01-01

Users of phylogenetic methods require rooted trees, because the direction of time depends on the placement of the root. While phylogenetic trees are typically rooted by using an out-group, this mechanism is inappropriate when the addition of an out-group changes the in-group topology. We perform a formal analysis of phylogenetic algorithms under the inclusion of distant out-groups. It turns out that linkage-based algorithms (including UPGMA) and a class of bisecting methods do not modify the topology of the in-group when an out-group is included. By contrast, the popular neighbour joining algorithm fails this property in a strong sense: every data set can have its structure destroyed by some arbitrarily distant outlier. Furthermore, including multiple outliers can lead to an arbitrary topology on the in-group. The standard rooting approach that uses out-groups may be fundamentally unsuited for neighbour joining.

Perceptual grouping and attention: not all groupings are equal.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimchi, Ruth; Razpurker-Apfeld, Irene

2004-08-01

We examined grouping under inattention using Driver, Davis, Russell, Turatto, & Freeman's (2001) method. On each trial, two successive displays were briefly presented, each comprising a central target square surrounded by elements. The task was to judge whether the two targets were the same or different. The organization of the background elements stayed the same or changed, independently of the targets. In different conditions, background elements grouped into columns/rows by color similarity, a shape (a triangle/arrow, a square/cross, or a vertical/horizontal line) by color similarity, and a shape with no other elements in the background. We measured the influence of the background on the target same-different judgments. The results imply that background elements grouped into columns/rows by color similarity and into a shape when no segregation from other elements was involved and the shape was relatively "good." In contrast, no background grouping was observed when resolving figure-ground relations for segregated units was required, as in grouping into a shape by color similarity. These results suggest that grouping is a multiplicity of processes that vary in their attentional demands. Regardless of attentional demands, the products of grouping are not available to awareness without attention.

Photodynamic therapy for multiple primary lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konaka, C.; Okunaka, T.; Sakai, H.; Furukawa, K.; Hayata, Y.; Kato, H.

1992-01-01

In recent years, multiple primary lung cancers have been reported with greater frequency. As for the treatment of multiple primary lung cancer, operative excision is usually difficult for all lesions due to problems of pulmonary function. PDT is a good therapeutic modality in the treatment of multiple primary lung cancer, especially central type lung cancer, for preservation of lung function. Since 1980, 50 patients of endoscopically-evaluated early stage lung cancers have been treated with PDT at Tokyo Medical College. Within this group, 16 patients were classified as having multiple primary lung cancers. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of PDT in the treatment of these patients with multiple primary bronchogenic carcinoma. (author). 6 refs., 2 tabs

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dantoft, Thomas Meinertz

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is a chronic disorder characterized by reports of symptoms from various organ systems attributed by the individuals to exposure to common odors and airborne chemicals in doses far below those known to induce toxic effects. There exists a general lack of knowledge......, significantly reduced levels of IL-13 in the MCS group and no group differences in the allergen specific IgE measures. The differences were independent of factors such as sex, age, Body Mass Index, asthma, smoking, depression, anxiety and allergen-specific IgE. In conclusion, the study identified a distinct...

Evaluation of the Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12) in a Dutch sample: Application of item response theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Mokkink, Lidwine Brigitta; Galindo-Garre, Francisca; Uitdehaag, Bernard Mj

2016-12-01

The Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12) measures walking ability from the patients' perspective. We examined the quality of the MSWS-12 using an item response theory model, the graded response model (GRM). A total of 625 unique Dutch multiple sclerosis (MS) patients were included. After testing for unidimensionality, monotonicity, and absence of local dependence, a GRM was fit and item characteristics were assessed. Differential item functioning (DIF) for the variables gender, age, duration of MS, type of MS and severity of MS, reliability, total test information, and standard error of the trait level (θ) were investigated. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a unidimensional structure of the 12 items of the scale, explaining 88% of the variance. Item 2 did not fit into the GRM model. Reliability was 0.93. Items 8 and 9 (of the 11 and 12 item version respectively) showed DIF on the variable severity, based on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). However, the EDSS is strongly related to the content of both items. Our results confirm the good quality of the MSWS-12. The trait level (θ) scores and item parameters of both the 12- and 11-item versions were highly comparable, although we do not suggest to change the content of the MSWS-12. © The Author(s), 2016.

Psychiatric disorders in single and multiple sexual murderers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Andreas; Habermann, Niels; Berner, Wolfgang; Briken, Peer

2007-01-01

Sexual homicides - and particularly offenders with multiple victims - receive much attention in the general public as well as among forensic experts. The aim of this study was to assess psychiatric disorders in a large sample of sexual murderers and to identify disorders related to multiple sexual homicides. Psychiatric court reports from 20 German forensic psychiatrists on 166 men who had committed a sexual homicide were evaluated for psychiatric disorders according to DSM-IV, including standardized instruments for personality disorders (criteria from the Structured Clinical Interview) and psychopathy (Psychopathy Checklist-Revised). Offenders with a single sexual homicide victim (n = 130) were compared to those with multiple victims (n = 36). High lifetime prevalence rates were found for substance abuse or dependence, paraphilias (especially sexual sadism), sexual dysfunctions and personality disorders (especially antisocial, borderline, sadistic and schizoid). In the multiple sexual murderer group sexual sadism, voyeurism, sadistic, antisocial and schizoid personality disorders were more frequent than in the single-victim group; none of the multiple offenders was diagnosed with a mood disorder. Multiple sexual murderers are characterized by disorders in three major psychopathological domains: sexual as well as 'character' sadism, antisociality and schizoid personality. A thorough diagnostic evaluation of Axis I as well as Axis II disorders should be part of risk assessments in sexual homicide perpetrators. Although the study was a retrospective investigation on psychiatric court reports, the size of the sample and consistency with results from previous studies give confidence that the identified group differences are unlikely to be due to methodological limitations.

Integrative analysis of multiple diverse omics datasets by sparse group multitask regression

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Dongdong eLin

2014-10-01

Full Text Available A variety of high throughput genome-wide assays enable the exploration of genetic risk factors underlying complex traits. Although these studies have remarkable impact on identifying susceptible biomarkers, they suffer from issues such as limited sample size and low reproducibility. Combining individual studies of different genetic levels/platforms has the promise to improve the power and consistency of biomarker identification. In this paper, we propose a novel integrative method, namely sparse group multitask regression, for integrating diverse omics datasets, platforms and populations to identify risk genes/factors of complex diseases. This method combines multitask learning with sparse group regularization, which will: 1 treat the biomarker identification in each single study as a task and then combine them by multitask learning; 2 group variables from all studies for identifying significant genes; 3 enforce sparse constraint on groups of variables to overcome the ‘small sample, but large variables’ problem. We introduce two sparse group penalties: sparse group lasso and sparse group ridge in our multitask model, and provide an effective algorithm for each model. In addition, we propose a significance test for the identification of potential risk genes. Two simulation studies are performed to evaluate the performance of our integrative method by comparing it with conventional meta-analysis method. The results show that our sparse group multitask method outperforms meta-analysis method significantly. In an application to our osteoporosis studies, 7 genes are identified as significant genes by our method and are found to have significant effects in other three independent studies for validation. The most significant gene SOD2 has been identified in our previous osteoporosis study involving the same expression dataset. Several other genes such as TREML2, HTR1E and GLO1 are shown to be novel susceptible genes for osteoporosis, as confirmed

Understanding the contamination of food with mineral oil: the need for a confirmatory analytical and procedural approach.

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Spack, Lionel W; Leszczyk, Gabriela; Varela, Jesus; Simian, Hervé; Gude, Thomas; Stadler, Richard H

2017-06-01

The contamination of food by mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOHs) found in packaging is a long-running concern. A main source of MOHs in foods is the migration of mineral oil from recycled board into the packed food products. Consequently, the majority of food manufacturers have taken protective measures, e.g., by using virgin board instead of recycled fibres and, where feasible, introducing functional barriers to mitigate migration. Despite these protective measures, MOHs may still be observed in low amounts in certain food products, albeit due to different entry points across the food supply chain. In this study, we successfully apply gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to demonstrate, through marker compounds and the profile of the hydrocarbon response, the possible source of contamination using mainly chocolate and cereals as food matrices. The conventional liquid chromatography-one-dimensional GC coupled to a flame ionisation detector (LC-GC-FID) is a useful screening method, but in cases of positive samples it must be complemented by a confirmatory method such as, for example, GC-MS, allowing a verification of mineral oil contamination. The procedural approach proposed in this study entails profile analysis, marker identification, and interpretation and final quantification.

Validation of the Spanish version of the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) among males: Confirmatory factor analysis.

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Sepulveda, Ana R; Parks, Melissa; de Pellegrin, Yolanda; Anastasiadou, Dimitra; Blanco, Miriam

2016-04-01

Drive for Muscularity (DM) has been shown to be a relevant construct for measuring and understanding male body image. For this reason, it is important to have reliable and valid instruments with which to measure DM, and to date no such instruments exist in Spain. This study analyzes the psychometric and structural properties of the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) in a sample of Spanish adolescent males (N=212), with the aim of studying the structural validity of the scale by using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), as well as analyzing the internal consistency and construct (convergent and discriminant) and concurrent validity of the instrument. After testing three models, results indicated that the best structure was a two-dimensional model, with the factors of muscularity-oriented body image (MBI) and muscularity behavior (MB). The scale showed good internal consistency (α=.90) and adequate construct validity. Furthermore, significant associations were found between DM and increased difficulties in emotional regulation (rho=.37) and low self-esteem (rho=-.19). Findings suggest that the two-factor structure may be used when assessing drive for muscularity among adolescent males in Spain. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ideal, nonideal, and no-marker variables: The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) marker technique works when it matters.

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Williams, Larry J; O'Boyle, Ernest H

2015-09-01

A persistent concern in the management and applied psychology literature is the effect of common method variance on observed relations among variables. Recent work (i.e., Richardson, Simmering, & Sturman, 2009) evaluated 3 analytical approaches to controlling for common method variance, including the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) marker technique. Their findings indicated significant problems with this technique, especially with nonideal marker variables (those with theoretical relations with substantive variables). Based on their simulation results, Richardson et al. concluded that not correcting for method variance provides more accurate estimates than using the CFA marker technique. We reexamined the effects of using marker variables in a simulation study and found the degree of error in estimates of a substantive factor correlation was relatively small in most cases, and much smaller than error associated with making no correction. Further, in instances in which the error was large, the correlations between the marker and substantive scales were higher than that found in organizational research with marker variables. We conclude that in most practical settings, the CFA marker technique yields parameter estimates close to their true values, and the criticisms made by Richardson et al. are overstated. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Public Transportation Hub Location with Stochastic Demand: An Improved Approach Based on Multiple Attribute Group Decision-Making

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Sen Liu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Urban public transportation hubs are the key nodes of the public transportation system. The location of such hubs is a combinatorial problem. Many factors can affect the decision-making of location, including both quantitative and qualitative factors; however, most current research focuses solely on either the quantitative or the qualitative factors. Little has been done to combine these two approaches. To fulfill this gap in the research, this paper proposes a novel approach to the public transportation hub location problem, which takes both quantitative and qualitative factors into account. In this paper, an improved multiple attribute group decision-making (MAGDM method based on TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution and deviation is proposed to convert the qualitative factors of each hub into quantitative evaluation values. A location model with stochastic passenger flows is then established based on the above evaluation values. Finally, stochastic programming theory is applied to solve the model and to determine the location result. A numerical study shows that this approach is applicable and effective.

The third spatial dimension risk approach for individual risk and group risk in multiple use of space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suddle, Shahid; Ale, Ben

2005-01-01

Buildings above roads and railways are examples of multiple use of space. Safety is one of the critical issues for such projects. Risk analyses can be undertaken to investigate what safety measures that are required to realise these projects. The results of these analyses can also be compared to risk acceptance criteria, if they are applicable. In The Netherlands, there are explicit criteria for acceptability of individual risk and societal risk. Traditionally calculations of individual risk result in contours of equal risk on a map and thus are considered in two-dimensional space only. However, when different functions are layered the third spatial dimension, height, becomes an important parameter. The various activities and structures above and below each other impose mutual risks. There are no explicit norms or policies about how to deal with the individual or group risk approach in the third dimension. This paper proposes an approach for these problems and gives some examples. Finally, the third dimension risk approach is applied in a case study of Bos en Lommer, Amsterdam

[Body image dissatisfaction as a mediator of the association between BMI, self-esteem and mental health in early adolescents: a multiple-group path analysis across gender].

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Jang, Mi Heui; Lee, Gyungjoo

2013-04-01

This study was done to examine not only the relationships between body mass index (BMI), self-esteem, body image dissatisfaction (BID) and mental health, according to gender, but the mediating role of BID on mental health in relation to BMI and self-esteem among early adolescents. Data from 576 (296 boys and 280 girls) elementary school students in grades 5 to 6 were collected. A multiple-group path analysis was utilized to examine the relationships between BMI, self-esteem, BID and mental health by gender. In the path analysis for all students, poor mental health was related directly to BID, while it was indirectly related to BMI and self-esteem. In the multiple-group path analysis of both genders, BID was found to have a significant direct and indirect effect on mental health for girls alone. The findings suggested that BID should be examined early to prevent poor mental health in early adolescent girls. This study helps to elucidate the role of early adolescent BID on mental health and provides insight for further prevention and intervention programs in school and community mental health settings.

Safety and pharmacokinetics of single and multiple intravenous bolus doses of diclofenac sodium compared with oral diclofenac potassium 50 mg: A randomized, parallel-group, single-center study in healthy subjects.

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Munjal, Sagar; Gautam, Anirudh; Okumu, Franklin; McDowell, James; Allenby, Kent

2016-01-01

In a randomized, parallel-group, single-center study in 42 healthy adults, the safety and pharmacokinetic parameters of an intravenous formulation of 18.75 and 37.5 mg diclofenac sodium (DFP-08) following single- and multiple-dose bolus administration were compared with diclofenac potassium 50 mg oral tablets. Mean AUC0-inf values for a 50-mg oral tablet and an 18.75-mg intravenous formulation were similar (1308.9 [393.0]) vs 1232.4 [147.6]). As measured by the AUC, DFP-08 18.75 mg and 37.5 mg demonstrated dose proportionality for extent of exposure. One subject in each of the placebo and DFP-08 18.75-mg groups and 2 subjects in the DFP-08 37.5-mg group reported adverse events that were considered by the investigator to be related to the study drug. All were mild in intensity and did not require treatment. Two subjects in the placebo group and 1 subject in the DFP-08 18.75-mg group reported grade 1 thrombophlebitis; no subjects reported higher than grade 1 thrombophlebitis after receiving a single intravenous dose. The 18.75- and 37.5-mg doses of intravenous diclofenac (single and multiple) were well tolerated for 7 days. Additional efficacy and safety studies are required to fully characterize the product. © 2015, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

Multiple Attribute Group Decision-Making Methods Based on Trapezoidal Fuzzy Two-Dimensional Linguistic Partitioned Bonferroni Mean Aggregation Operators.

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Yin, Kedong; Yang, Benshuo; Li, Xuemei

2018-01-24

In this paper, we investigate multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problems where decision makers represent their evaluation of alternatives by trapezoidal fuzzy two-dimensional uncertain linguistic variable. To begin with, we introduce the definition, properties, expectation, operational laws of trapezoidal fuzzy two-dimensional linguistic information. Then, to improve the accuracy of decision making in some case where there are a sort of interrelationship among the attributes, we analyze partition Bonferroni mean (PBM) operator in trapezoidal fuzzy two-dimensional variable environment and develop two operators: trapezoidal fuzzy two-dimensional linguistic partitioned Bonferroni mean (TF2DLPBM) aggregation operator and trapezoidal fuzzy two-dimensional linguistic weighted partitioned Bonferroni mean (TF2DLWPBM) aggregation operator. Furthermore, we develop a novel method to solve MAGDM problems based on TF2DLWPBM aggregation operator. Finally, a practical example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of this method and analyses the impact of different parameters on the results of decision-making.

Humanizing Outgroups Through Multiple Categorization

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Prati, Francesca; Crisp, Richard J.; Meleady, Rose; Rubini, Monica

2016-01-01

In three studies, we examined the impact of multiple categorization on intergroup dehumanization. Study 1 showed that perceiving members of a rival university along multiple versus simple categorical dimensions enhanced the tendency to attribute human traits to this group. Study 2 showed that multiple versus simple categorization of immigrants increased the attribution of uniquely human emotions to them. This effect was explained by the sequential mediation of increased individuation of the outgroup and reduced outgroup threat. Study 3 replicated this sequential mediation model and introduced a novel way of measuring humanization in which participants generated attributes corresponding to the outgroup in a free response format. Participants generated more uniquely human traits in the multiple versus simple categorization conditions. We discuss the theoretical implications of these findings and consider their role in informing and improving efforts to ameliorate contemporary forms of intergroup discrimination. PMID:26984016

Dietary patterns derived using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis are stable and generalizable across race, region, and gender subgroups in the REGARDS study

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Suzanne E Judd

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Examining diet as a whole using dietary patterns as exposures is a complementary method to using single food or nutrients in studies of diet and disease, but the generalizability of patterns across race, region, and gender in the United States has not been established. Objective: To employ rigorous statistical analysis to empirically derive dietary patterns in a large bi-racial, geographically diverse population and examine whether results are stable across population subgroups.Design: The present analysis utilized data from 21,636 participants in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS study who completed the Block98 food frequency questionnaire. We employed exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses on 56 different food groups iteratively and examined differences by race, region, sex to determine the optimal factor solution in our sample. Results: Five dietary patterns emerged: the Convenience pattern was characterized by mixed dishes; the Plant-based pattern by fruits, vegetables, and fish; the Sweets/Fats pattern by sweet snacks, desserts, and fats and oils; the Southern pattern by fried foods, organ meat, and sweetened beverages; and the Alcohol/Salads pattern by beer, wine, liquor, and salads. Differences were most pronounced in the Southern pattern with black participants, those residing in the Southeast, and participants not completing high school having the highest scores. Conclusions: Five meaningful dietary patterns emerged in the REGARDS study and showed strong congruence across race, sex and region. Future research will examine associations between these patterns and health outcomes to better understand racial disparities in disease and inform prevention efforts.

Deriving a preference-based utility measure for cancer patients from the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer's Quality of Life Questionnaire C30: a confirmatory versus exploratory approach

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Costa DSJ

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Daniel SJ Costa,1 Neil K Aaronson,2 Peter M Fayers,3,4 Peter S Grimison,5,6 Monika Janda,7 Julie F Pallant,8 Donna Rowen,9 Galina Velikova,10 Rosalie Viney,11 Tracey A Young,9 Madeleine T King1On behalf of the MAUCa Consortium1Psycho-oncology Co-operative Research Group, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 2Division of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; 3Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK; 4Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; 5Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, 6Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 7School of Public Health, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 8Rural Health Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, Shepparton, VIC, Australia; 9School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield; 10University of Leeds, St James's Institute of Oncology, Leeds, UK; 11Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaBackground: Multi attribute utility instruments (MAUIs are preference-based measures that comprise a health state classification system (HSCS and a scoring algorithm that assigns a utility value to each health state in the HSCS. When developing a MAUI from a health-related quality of life (HRQOL questionnaire, first a HSCS must be derived. This typically involves selecting a subset of domains and items because HRQOL questionnaires typically have too many items to be amendable to the valuation task required to develop the scoring algorithm for a MAUI. Currently, exploratory factor analysis (EFA followed by Rasch analysis is recommended for deriving a MAUI from a HRQOL measure.Aim: To determine whether confirmatory factor analysis (CFA is more appropriate and efficient than EFA to derive a HSCS

From fused aromatics to graphene-like nanoribbons: The effects of multiple terminal groups, length and symmetric pathways on charge transport

KAUST Repository

Bilić, Ante; Gale, Julian D.; Sanvito, Stefano

2011-01-01

A class of molecular ribbons, with almost-ideal charge transmission, that is weakly dependent on the anchoring structure or electrode crystalline orientation and easy to synthesize has been identified. Charge transport through two sets of aromatic nanoribbons, based on the pyrene and perylene motifs, has been investigated using density functional theory combined with the nonequilibrium Green's function method. The effects of wire length and multiple terminal thiolate groups at the junction with gold leads have been examined. For the oligopyrene series, an exponential drop in the conductance with the increase of the wire length is found. In contrast, the oligoperylene series of nanoribbons, with dual thiolate groups, exhibits no visible length dependence, indicating that the contacts are the principal source of the resistance. Between the Au(001) leads, the transmission spectra of the oligoperylenes display a continuum of highly conducting channels and the resulting conductance is nearly independent of the bias. The predictions are robust against artefacts from the exchange-correlation potential, as evidenced from the self-interaction corrected calculations. Therefore, oligoperylene nanoribbons show the potential to be the almost-ideal wires for molecular circuitry. © 2011 American Physical Society.

From fused aromatics to graphene-like nanoribbons: The effects of multiple terminal groups, length and symmetric pathways on charge transport

KAUST Repository

Bilić, Ante

2011-11-17

A class of molecular ribbons, with almost-ideal charge transmission, that is weakly dependent on the anchoring structure or electrode crystalline orientation and easy to synthesize has been identified. Charge transport through two sets of aromatic nanoribbons, based on the pyrene and perylene motifs, has been investigated using density functional theory combined with the nonequilibrium Green\\'s function method. The effects of wire length and multiple terminal thiolate groups at the junction with gold leads have been examined. For the oligopyrene series, an exponential drop in the conductance with the increase of the wire length is found. In contrast, the oligoperylene series of nanoribbons, with dual thiolate groups, exhibits no visible length dependence, indicating that the contacts are the principal source of the resistance. Between the Au(001) leads, the transmission spectra of the oligoperylenes display a continuum of highly conducting channels and the resulting conductance is nearly independent of the bias. The predictions are robust against artefacts from the exchange-correlation potential, as evidenced from the self-interaction corrected calculations. Therefore, oligoperylene nanoribbons show the potential to be the almost-ideal wires for molecular circuitry. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Validação do Questionário de Ambiente de Grupo (GEQ para a língua portuguesa Validation of the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ for Portuguese language

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José Roberto Andrade do Nascimento Junior

2012-12-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste estudo foi traduzir o Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ para a língua portuguesa e verificar sua validade por meio da análise fatorial confirmatória, consistência interna e fidedignidade teste-reteste. Participaram do estudo sete profissionais (quatro tradutores e três professores doutores em Psicologia do Esporte e 502 atletas de modalidades coletivas do estado do Paraná. A versão na língua portuguesa foi obtida por meio do método de tradução cross-cultural. Para a análise dos dados, utilizaram-se a análise fatorial confirmatória, o alfa de Cronbach e o coeficiente de correlação intraclasses. Os resultados evidenciaram que a versão para a língua portuguesa contém questões claras e pertinentes, apresentando o Coeficiente de Validade de Conteúdo (CVCt > 0,70; apresenta consistência interna satisfatória (r>0,70 e fidedignidade teste-reteste aceitável (r > 0,80. A análise fatorial confirmatória demonstrou que os itens 2 ("Eu estou feliz com a quantidade de tempo que tenho jogado" e 5 ("Alguns dos meus melhores amigos estão nesta equipe" não apresentaram confiabilidade individual aceitável, sendo assim excluídos. O modelo com 16 itens apresentou índices de ajustamento satisfatórios de validade fatorial confirmatória. Concluiu-se que a versão brasileira do GEQ demonstrou boas características psicométricas e se mostrou válida para avaliar a coesão de grupo em equipes esportivas.This study aimed to translate the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ to the Portuguese language and check its validity by validating the items through confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency and test-retest reliability of this version. The subjects were seven professionals (four translators and three doctors in Sport Psychology and 502 athletes of different kinds of collective sports of the state of Paraná. The Portuguese version was obtained from the method of cross-cultural translation. For data analysis

Comparison between Two Assessment Methods; Modified Essay Questions and Multiple Choice Questions

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Assadi S.N.* MD

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Aims Using the best assessment methods is an important factor in educational development of health students. Modified essay questions and multiple choice questions are two prevalent methods of assessing the students. The aim of this study was to compare two methods of modified essay questions and multiple choice questions in occupational health engineering and work laws courses. Materials & Methods This semi-experimental study was performed during 2013 to 2014 on occupational health students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The class of occupational health and work laws course in 2013 was considered as group A and the class of 2014 as group B. Each group had 50 students.The group A students were assessed by modified essay questions method and the group B by multiple choice questions method.Data were analyzed in SPSS 16 software by paired T test and odd’s ratio. Findings The mean grade of occupational health and work laws course was 18.68±0.91 in group A (modified essay questions and was 18.78±0.86 in group B (multiple choice questions which was not significantly different (t=-0.41; p=0.684. The mean grade of chemical chapter (p<0.001 in occupational health engineering and harmful work law (p<0.001 and other (p=0.015 chapters in work laws were significantly different between two groups. Conclusion Modified essay questions and multiple choice questions methods have nearly the same student assessing value for the occupational health engineering and work laws course.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Finnish Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) in 590 Professional Musicians.

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Vastamäki, Heidi; Vastamäki, Martti; Laimi, Katri; Saltychev, Michail

2017-07-01

Poorly functioning work environments may lead to dissatisfaction for the employees and financial loss for the employers. The Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) was designed to measure social and psychological characteristics of work environments. To investigate the factor construct of the Finnish 14-item version of JCQ when applied to professional orchestra musicians. In a cross-sectional survey, the questionnaire was sent by mail to 1550 orchestra musicians and students. 630 responses were received. Full data were available for 590 respondents (response rate 38%).The questionnaire also contained questions on demographics, job satisfaction, health status, health behaviors, and intensity of playing music. Confirmatory factor analysis of the 2-factor model of JCQ was conducted. Of the 5 estimates, JCQ items in the "job demand" construct, the "conflicting demands" (question 5) explained most of the total variance in this construct (79%) demonstrating almost perfect correlation of 0.63. In the construct of "job control," "opinions influential" (question 10) demonstrated a perfect correlation index of 0.84 and the items "little decision freedom" (question 14) and "allows own decisions" (question 6) showed substantial correlations of 0.77 and 0.65. The 2-factor model of the Finnish 14-item version of JCQ proposed in this study fitted well into the observed data. The "conflicting demands," "opinions influential," "little decision freedom," and "allows own decisions" items demonstrated the strongest correlations with latent factors suggesting that in a population similar to the studied one, especially these items should be taken into account when observed in the response of a population.

Saturation flow mathematical model based on multiple combinations of lane groups

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Racila, L.

2016-07-01

The ideal value of the traffic stream that can pass through an intersection is known as the saturation flow rate per hour on vehicle green time. The saturation flow is important in the understanding of the traffic light cycle and from there the understanding the Level of Service. The paper wishes to evaluate through a series of applied mathematical methods the effect of different lane grouping and critical lane group concept on the saturation flow rate. The importance of this method is that it creates a base for a signalized intersections timing plan. (Author)

Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis and structural invariance with age of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)--French version.

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Fournet, Nathalie; Roulin, Jean-Luc; Monnier, Catherine; Atzeni, Thierry; Cosnefroy, Olivier; Le Gall, Didier; Roy, Arnaud

2015-01-01

The parent and teacher forms of the French version of the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) were used to evaluate executive function in everyday life in a large sample of healthy children (N = 951) aged between 5 and 18. Several psychometric methods were applied, with a view to providing clinicians with tools for score interpretation. The parent and teacher forms of the BRIEF were acceptably reliable. Demographic variables (such as age and gender) were found to influence the BRIEF scores. Confirmatory factor analysis was then used to test five competing models of the BRIEF's latent structure. Two of these models (a three-factor model and a two-factor model, both based on a nine-scale structure) had a good fit. However, structural invariance with age was only obtained with the two-factor model. The French version of the BRIEF provides a useful measure of everyday executive function and can be recommended for use in clinical research and practice.

Multiple factor analysis by example using R

CERN Document Server

Pagès, Jérôme

2014-01-01

Multiple factor analysis (MFA) enables users to analyze tables of individuals and variables in which the variables are structured into quantitative, qualitative, or mixed groups. Written by the co-developer of this methodology, Multiple Factor Analysis by Example Using R brings together the theoretical and methodological aspects of MFA. It also includes examples of applications and details of how to implement MFA using an R package (FactoMineR).The first two chapters cover the basic factorial analysis methods of principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). The

The Oswestry Disability Index, confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of 35,263 verifies a one-factor structure but practicality issues remain.

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Gabel, Charles Philip; Cuesta-Vargas, Antonio; Qian, Meihua; Vengust, Rok; Berlemann, Ulrich; Aghayev, Emin; Melloh, Markus

2017-08-01

To analyze the factor structure of the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) in a large symptomatic low back pain (LBP) population using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Analysis of pooled baseline ODI LBP patient data from the international Spine Tango registry of EUROSPINE, the Spine Society of Europe. The sample, with n = 35,263 (55.2% female; age 15-99, median 59 years), included 76.1% of patients with a degenerative disease, and 23.9% of the patients with various other spinal conditions. The initial EFA provided a hypothetical construct for consideration. Subsequent CFA was considered in three scenarios: the full sample and separate genders. Models were compared empirically for best fit. The EFA indicated a one-factor solution accounting for 54% of the total variance. The CFA analysis based on the full sample confirmed this one-factor structure. Sub-group analyses by gender achieved good model fit for configural and partial metric invariance, but not scalar invariance. A possible two-construct model solution as outlined by previous researchers: dynamic-activities (personal care, lifting, walking, sex and social) and static-activities (pain, sleep, standing, travelling and sitting) was not preferred. The ODI demonstrated a one-factor structure in a large LBP sample. A potential two-factor model was considered, but not found appropriate for constructs of dynamic and static activity. The use of the single summary score for the ODI is psychometrically supported. However, practicality limitations were reported for use in the clinical and research settings. Researchers are encouraged to consider a shift towards newer, more sensitive and robustly developed instruments.

Factorial structure of the 'ToM Storybooks': A test evaluating multiple components of Theory of Mind.

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Bulgarelli, Daniela; Testa, Silvia; Molina, Paola

2015-06-01

This study examined the factorial structure of the Theory of Mind (ToM) Storybooks, a comprehensive 93-item instrument tapping the five components in Wellman's model of ToM (emotion recognition, understanding of desire and beliefs, ability to distinguish between physical and mental entities, and awareness of the link between perception and knowledge). A sample of 681 three- to eight-year-old Italian children was divided into three age groups to assess whether factorial structure varied across different age ranges. Partial credit model analysis was applied to the data, leading to the empirical identification of 23 composite variables aggregating the ToM Storybooks items. Confirmatory factor analysis was then conducted on the composite variables, providing support for the theoretical model. There were partial differences in the specific composite variables making up the dimensions for each of the three age groups. A single test evaluating distinct dimensions of ToM is a valuable resource for clinical practice which may be used to define differential profiles for specific populations. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

Serum total antioxidant capacity in patients with multiple sclerosis

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Almira Hadžović-Džuvo

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Multiple sclerosis (MS is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS. It is characterized by loss of myelin, the fatty tissue that surrounds and protects nerve fibres allowing them to conduct electrical impulses. Recent data indicate that oxidative stress (OS plays a major role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS. The aim of this study was to estimate level of serum total antioxidative capacity in patients with multiple sclerosis. Our cross-sectional study included 33 patients with MS and 24 age and sex matched control subjects. All our patients had a Poser criteria for definite diagnostic categories of multiple sclerosis. Serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC was measured by quantitative colorimetric determination, using Total antioxidant Capacity-QuantiCromAntioxidant Assay Kit (BioAssay systems, USA; DTAC-100. Mean serum TAC in multiple sclerosis group of patients was 119.2 mM Trolox equivalents and was significantly lower (p<0.001 compared to the control group of subjects (167.1 mM Trolox equivalents. Our results showed that oxidative stress plays an important role in pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. This finding, also, suggests the importance of antioxidants in diet and therapy of MS patients.

Teaching Group Interdependence: A Campus Murder Mystery Activity

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Minei, Elizabeth M.; Shearer Dunn, Karen

2017-01-01

Courses: Introduction to Communication; small group; interpersonal. Objectives: This single activity demonstrates: (1) how interdependence can lead to better group outcomes than individual outcomes can; (2) how diversity of knowledge from multiple contributors helps group functioning; and (3) how students can be introduced to members of the…

Psychometric Properties of the Heart Disease Knowledge Scale: Evidence from Item and Confirmatory Factor Analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Bee Chiu; Kueh, Yee Cheng; Arifin, Wan Nor; Ng, Kok Huan

2016-07-01

Heart disease knowledge is an important concept for health education, yet there is lack of evidence on proper validated instruments used to measure levels of heart disease knowledge in the Malaysian context. A cross-sectional, survey design was conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the adapted English version of the Heart Disease Knowledge Questionnaire (HDKQ). Using proportionate cluster sampling, 788 undergraduate students at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, were recruited and completed the HDKQ. Item analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used for the psychometric evaluation. Construct validity of the measurement model was included. Most of the students were Malay (48%), female (71%), and from the field of science (51%). An acceptable range was obtained with respect to both the difficulty and discrimination indices in the item analysis results. The difficulty index ranged from 0.12-0.91 and a discrimination index of ≥ 0.20 were reported for the final retained 23 items. The final CFA model showed an adequate fit to the data, yielding a 23-item, one-factor model [weighted least squares mean and variance adjusted scaled chi-square difference = 1.22, degrees of freedom = 2, P-value = 0.544, the root mean square error of approximation = 0.03 (90% confidence interval = 0.03, 0.04); close-fit P-value = > 0.950]. Adequate psychometric values were obtained for Malaysian undergraduate university students using the 23-item, one-factor model of the adapted HDKQ.

Using confirmatory factor analysis to explore associated factors of intimate partner violence in a sample of Chinese rural women: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Fengsu; Cerulli, Catherine; Wittink, Marsha N; Caine, Eric D; Qiu, Peiyuan

2018-02-02

To estimate the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) among a sample of rural Chinese women and to explore associated factors. Cross-sectional study. Rural areas of Guangyuan City, Sichuan, China. We recruited 1501 women, aged 16 years and older, who had been living locally for at least 2 years and reported being married or in a relationship during the past 12 months. They were among a sample of 1898 potential participants from our larger parent study on the prevalence of depressive-distress symptoms. Participants completed demographic and social economic measures, the Short Form of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale and the Duke Social Support Index. We applied χ 2 test, analysis of variance and confirmatory factor analysis for analysis. The overall prevalence of IPV in the past 12 months was 29.05%; the prevalence of physical, psychological and sexual violence was 7.66%, 26.58% and 3.20%, respectively. The overall prevalence was highest among women aged 16-29 years, and was more common among those without a high school diploma and who saw their family's financial status as very poor or stagnant. Women who were not victims of IPV had higher levels of social support. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the total effects of social support on physical, psychological and sexual violence were -0.12, -0.35 and -0.12, respectively. The indirect effects of objective economic status on physical, psychological and sexual violence were -0.047, -0.014 and -0.047, respectively, but the total effect was not significant. The indirect effect of education on psychological violence was -0.056. IPV is common in rural Guangyuan. Our data are comparable with the findings from north-west of China. Social support is an important protective factor. Future work is needed to develop, test and later disseminate potential IPV interventions, with a focus on building actual and perceived supportive social networks. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise

Inventory of Pedagogy and Practice: Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Multiple Facets of Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Yeung, Alexander S.; Taylor, Peter G.; McWilliam, Erica L.

2013-01-01

Student perceptions of teaching have often been used in tertiary education for evaluation purposes. However, there is a paucity of research on the validity, reliability, and applicability of instruments that cover a wide range of student perceptions of pedagogies and practices in high school settings for descriptive purposes. The study attempts to…

Examining Gender DIF on a Multiple-Choice Test of Mathematics: A Confirmatory Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Katherine E.; Fan, Meichu

1996-01-01

Results for 3,244 female and 3,033 male junior high school students from the Second International Mathematics Study show that applied items in algebra, geometry, and computation were easier for males but arithmetic items were differentially easier for females. Implications of these findings for assessment and instruction are discussed. (SLD)

The multiple reals of workplace learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kerry Harman

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The multiple reals of workplace learning are explored in this paper. Drawing on a Foucauldian conceptualisation of power as distributed, relational and productive, networks that work to produce particular objects and subjects as seemingly natural and real are examined. This approach enables different reals of workplace learning to be traced. Data from a collaborative industry-university research project is used to illustrate the approach, with a focus on the intersecting practices of a group of professional developers and a group of workplace learning researchers. The notion of multiple reals holds promise for research on workplace learning as it moves beyond a view of reality as fixed and singular to a notion of reality as performed in and through a diversity of practices, including the practices of workplace learning researchers.

Development and validation of confirmatory method for analysis of nitrofuran metabolites in milk, honey, poultry meat and fish by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

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Fatih Alkan

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In this study we have devoloped and validated a confirmatory analysis method for nitrofuran metabolites, which is in accordance with European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC requirements. Nitrofuran metabolites in honey, milk, poultry meat and fish samples were acidic hydrolised followed by derivatisation with nitrobenzaldehyde and liquid-liquid extracted with ethylacetate. The quantitative and confirmative determination of nitrofuran metbolites was performed by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS in the positive ion mode. In-house method validation was performed and reported data of validation (specificity, linearity, recovery, CCα and CCβ. The advantage of this method is that it avoids the use of clean-up by Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE. Furthermore, low levels of nitrofuran metabolites are detectable and quantitatively confirmed at a rapid rate in all samples.

Multiple lung abscesses caused by Streptococcus constellatus

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Vanina Rognoni

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Despite numerous descriptions of body abscesses produced by Streptococcus milleri group bacteria, lung abscesses caused by this group remain under-reported and the clinical and laboratory features have yet to be fully characterised. We present the case of a patient admitted with lung multiple abscesses produced by Streptococcus constellatus.

Parents, Peer Groups, and Other Socializing Influences.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandell, Deborah Lowe

2000-01-01

Critically examines three propositions of Harris' group socialization theory (1995, 1998) related to parents' long-term effects on children's psychological characteristics, peer groups' influences, and the nature of dyadic relationships. Maintains that available evidence is more consistent with a model of multiple socialization agents. Proposes a…

Factor Structure, Reliability and Measurement Invariance of the Alberta Context Tool and the Conceptual Research Utilization Scale, for German Residential Long Term Care

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Hoben, Matthias; Estabrooks, Carole A.; Squires, Janet E.; Behrens, Johann

2016-01-01

We translated the Canadian residential long term care versions of the Alberta Context Tool (ACT) and the Conceptual Research Utilization (CRU) Scale into German, to study the association between organizational context factors and research utilization in German nursing homes. The rigorous translation process was based on best practice guidelines for tool translation, and we previously published methods and results of this process in two papers. Both instruments are self-report questionnaires used with care providers working in nursing homes. The aim of this study was to assess the factor structure, reliability, and measurement invariance (MI) between care provider groups responding to these instruments. In a stratified random sample of 38 nursing homes in one German region (Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar), we collected questionnaires from 273 care aides, 196 regulated nurses, 152 allied health providers, 6 quality improvement specialists, 129 clinical leaders, and 65 nursing students. The factor structure was assessed using confirmatory factor models. The first model included all 10 ACT concepts. We also decided a priori to run two separate models for the scale-based and the count-based ACT concepts as suggested by the instrument developers. The fourth model included the five CRU Scale items. Reliability scores were calculated based on the parameters of the best-fitting factor models. Multiple-group confirmatory factor models were used to assess MI between provider groups. Rather than the hypothesized ten-factor structure of the ACT, confirmatory factor models suggested 13 factors. The one-factor solution of the CRU Scale was confirmed. The reliability was acceptable (>0.7 in the entire sample and in all provider groups) for 10 of 13 ACT concepts, and high (0.90–0.96) for the CRU Scale. We could demonstrate partial strong MI for both ACT models and partial strict MI for the CRU Scale. Our results suggest that the scores of the German ACT and the CRU Scale for nursing

Corneal pharmacokinetics of the 2% diacerein eye drops between multiple administration and single administration

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Ke Yang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available AIM: To compare the pharmacokinetic differences of the 2% diacerein eye drops between conjunctival sac multiple administration and single administration in the cornea, and to provide the experimental basis for clinicians to use the conjunctival sac multiple administration.METHODS: Male Kunming mice were randomly divided into the multiple administration group and the single administration group. The multiple administration group were given diacerein eye drop every 2min(3 times in total. The concentrations of the metabolites of diacerein in the cornea were measured by high performance liquid chromatography after given eye drop 5, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 180min. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by pharmacokinetic software(DAS2.1.1. RESULTS: The metabolites of diacerein, rhein, was detected in the cornea at each time point. The concentration of the metabolite of diacerein in the cornea was 318.678±40.88, 210.02±25.66, 188.83±31.74, 112.24±11.70, 90.28±22.01 and 57.67±13.71μg/g after given eye drop 5, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 180min in the multiple administration group. The concentration in the single administration group was 145.17±19.29, 97.95±10.49, 71.18±18.70, 39.11±2.44, 18.10±2.34 and 9.08±2.04μg/g respectively. The concentration of rhein in the cornea was the highest at 5min after the administration in the two groups. The concentration of the multiple administration group was higher than that in the single administration group at 5, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 180min(PCONCLUSION: Compared with the single administration, the conjunctival sac multiple administration has the advantages of high drug concentration and long duration. Therefor the conjunctival sac multiple administration is a more effective method to treat acute infectious corneal diseases.

A computer program for determining multiplicities of powder reflexions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rouse, K.D.; Cooper, M.J.

1977-01-01

A computer program has been written which determines the multiplicity factors for a given set of X-ray or neutron powder diffraction reflexions for crystals of any space group. The value of the multiplicity for each reflexion is determined from a look-up table which is indexed by the symmetry type, determined directly from the space-group number, and the reflexion type, determined from the Miller indices. There are no restrictions on the choice of indices which are used to specify the reflexions. (Auth.)

A Generalized Logistic Regression Procedure to Detect Differential Item Functioning among Multiple Groups

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Magis, David; Raiche, Gilles; Beland, Sebastien; Gerard, Paul

2011-01-01

We present an extension of the logistic regression procedure to identify dichotomous differential item functioning (DIF) in the presence of more than two groups of respondents. Starting from the usual framework of a single focal group, we propose a general approach to estimate the item response functions in each group and to test for the presence…

Statistical Power in Evaluations That Investigate Effects on Multiple Outcomes: A Guide for Researchers

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Porter, Kristin E.

2018-01-01

Researchers are often interested in testing the effectiveness of an intervention on multiple outcomes, for multiple subgroups, at multiple points in time, or across multiple treatment groups. The resulting multiplicity of statistical hypothesis tests can lead to spurious findings of effects. Multiple testing procedures (MTPs) are statistical…

The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanders, E.A.C.M.

1982-01-01

This thesis describes recently developed research methods for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. In Chapter X the use of the CT-scan in the detection of hemispheral or cerebellar lesions is discussed. In chapter XIII the results of the application of all methods to a group of 89 patients with definite, probable or possible multiple sclerosis and to a group of 25 purely optic neuritis patients are presented. With the aid of the CT-scan, hypo- or hyperdense areas in the white matter of the cerebral hemispheres were found in 52% of the 114 patients. Most reports ascribe these lesions to demyelinating cerebral plaques. The CT-scan showed no cerebellar or brainstem lesions. The CT-scan is independent of the duration of, and degree of incapacitation due to, the disease and can be helpful in giving a definite diagnosis in an early stage of the disease. The CT-scan will always play an important role for the differential diagnosis. (Auth.)

Age-Related Differences in Multiple Task Monitoring

OpenAIRE

Todorov, Ivo; Del Missier, Fabio; Mäntylä, Timo

2014-01-01

Coordinating multiple tasks with narrow deadlines is particularly challenging for older adults because of age related decline in cognitive control functions. We tested the hypothesis that multiple task performance reflects age- and gender-related differences in executive functioning and spatial ability. Young and older adults completed a multitasking session with four monitoring tasks as well as separate tasks measuring executive functioning and spatial ability. For both age groups, men excee...

Teaching Group Work with "The Great Debaters"

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Moe, Jeffry; Autry, Linda; Olson, Joann S.; Johnson, Kaprea F.

2014-01-01

An experiential learning activity, based on the film "The Great Debaters" (Washington, D., 2007), was used during a group work class. Description and preliminary evaluation of the activity is provided, including analysis of participant scores on the group leader self-efficacy instrument at multiple points. Implications and future…

Analytical group decision making in natural resources: Methodology and application

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Schmoldt, D.L.; Peterson, D.L.

2000-01-01

Group decision making is becoming increasingly important in natural resource management and associated scientific applications, because multiple values are treated coincidentally in time and space, multiple resource specialists are needed, and multiple stakeholders must be included in the decision process. Decades of social science research on decision making in groups have provided insights into the impediments to effective group processes and on techniques that can be applied in a group context. Nevertheless, little integration and few applications of these results have occurred in resource management decision processes, where formal groups are integral, either directly or indirectly. A group decision-making methodology is introduced as an effective approach for temporary, formal groups (e.g., workshops). It combines the following three components: (1) brainstorming to generate ideas; (2) the analytic hierarchy process to produce judgments, manage conflict, enable consensus, and plan for implementation; and (3) a discussion template (straw document). Resulting numerical assessments of alternative decision priorities can be analyzed statistically to indicate where group member agreement occurs and where priority values are significantly different. An application of this group process to fire research program development in a workshop setting indicates that the process helps focus group deliberations; mitigates groupthink, nondecision, and social loafing pitfalls; encourages individual interaction; identifies irrational judgments; and provides a large amount of useful quantitative information about group preferences. This approach can help facilitate scientific assessments and other decision-making processes in resource management.

Evaluation of pulsing magnetic field effects on paresthesia in multiple sclerosis patients, a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Afshari, Daryoush; Moradian, Nasrin; Khalili, Majid; Razazian, Nazanin; Bostani, Arash; Hoseini, Jamal; Moradian, Mohamad; Ghiasian, Masoud

2016-10-01

Evidence is mounting that magnet therapy could alleviate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study was performed to test the effects of the pulsing magnetic fields on the paresthesia in MS patients. This study has been conducted as a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group clinical trial during the April 2012 to October 2013. The subjects were selected among patients referred to MS clinic of Imam Reza Hospital; affiliated to Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Sixty three patients with MS were included in the study and randomly were divided into two groups, 35 patients were exposed to a magnetic pulsing field of 4mT intensity and 15-Hz frequency sinusoidal wave for 20min per session 2 times per week over a period of 2 months involving 16 sessions and 28 patients was exposed to a magnetically inactive field (placebo) for 20min per session 2 times per week over a period of 2 months involving 16 sessions. The severity of paresthesia was measured by the numerical rating scale (NRS) at 30, 60days. The study primary end point was NRS change between baseline and 60days. The secondary outcome was NRS change between baseline and 30days. Patients exposing to magnetic field showed significant paresthesia improvement compared with the group of patients exposing to placebo. According to our results pulsed magnetic therapy could alleviate paresthesia in MS patients .But trials with more patients and longer duration are mandatory to describe long-term effects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multiplicities of states od equivalent fermion shells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savukinas, A.Yu.; Glembotskij, I.I.

1980-01-01

Classification of states of three or four equivalent fermions has been studied, i.e. possible terms and their multiplicities have been determined. For this purpose either the group theory or evident expressions for the fractional-parentage coefficients have been used. In the first approach the formulas obtained by other authors for the multiplicities of terms through the characters of the transformation matrices of bond moments have been used. This approach happens to be more general as compared with the second one, as expressions for the fractional-parentage coefficients in many cases are not known. The multiplicities of separate terms have been determined. It has been shown that the number of terms of any multiplicity becomes constant when l or j is increased [ru

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Finnish Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ in 590 Professional Musicians

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Heidi Vastamäki

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Poorly functioning work environments may lead to dissatisfaction for the employees and financial loss for the employers. The Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ was designed to measure social and psychological characteristics of work environments. Objective: To investigate the factor construct of the Finnish 14-item version of JCQ when applied to professional orchestra musicians. Methods: In a cross-sectional survey, the questionnaire was sent by mail to 1550 orchestra musicians and students. 630 responses were received. Full data were available for 590 respondents (response rate 38%.The questionnaire also contained questions on demographics, job satisfaction, health status, health behaviors, and intensity of playing music. Confirmatory factor analysis of the 2-factor model of JCQ was conducted. Results: Of the 5 estimates, JCQ items in the “job demand” construct, the “conflicting demands” (question 5 explained most of the total variance in this construct (79% demonstrating almost perfect correlation of 0.63. In the construct of “job control,” “repetitive work” (question 10 demonstrated a perfect correlation index of 0.84 and the items “little decision freedom” (question 14 and “allows own decisions” (question 6 showed substantial correlations of 0.77 and 0.65. Conclusion: The 2-factor model of the Finnish 14-item version of JCQ proposed in this study fitted well into the observed data. The “conflicting demands,” “repetitive work,” “little decision freedom,” and “allows own decisions” items demonstrated the strongest correlations with latent factors suggesting that in a population similar to the studied one, especially these items should be taken into account when observed in the response of a population.

Multiplication: From Thales to Lie1

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Addition. To describe the geometric constructions of addition, as ..... general, we could apply the implicit function theorem of calculus to solve locally the defining ... and whose multiplication and inverse are analytic maps, is called a Lie group.

Neural correlates of alerting and orienting impairment in multiple sclerosis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Vázquez-Marrufo, Manuel; Galvao-Carmona, Alejandro; González-Rosa, Javier J; Hidalgo-Muñoz, Antonio R; Borges, Mónica; Ruiz-Peña, Juan Luis; Izquierdo, Guillermo

2014-01-01

A considerable percentage of multiple sclerosis patients have attentional impairment, but understanding its neurophysiological basis remains a challenge. The Attention Network Test allows 3 attentional networks to be studied. Previous behavioural studies using this test have shown that the alerting network is impaired in multiple sclerosis. The aim of this study was to identify neurophysiological indexes of the attention impairment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients using this test. After general slowing had been removed in patients group to isolate the effects of each condition, some behavioral differences between them were obtained. About Contingent Negative Variation, a statistically significant decrement were found in the amplitude for Central and Spatial Cue Conditions for patient group (pmultiple sclerosis. P1 and N1 delayed latencies are evidence of the demyelination process that causes impairment in the first steps of the visual sensory processing. Lastly, P3 amplitude shows a general decrease for the pathological group probably indexing a more central impairment. These results suggest that the Attention Network Test give evidence of multiple levels of attention impairment, which could help in the assessment and treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients.

Mosasauroid phylogeny under multiple phylogenetic methods provides new insights on the evolution of aquatic adaptations in the group.

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Tiago R Simões

Full Text Available Mosasauroids were a successful lineage of squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes that radiated during the Late Cretaceous (95-66 million years ago. They can be considered one of the few lineages in the evolutionary history of tetrapods to have acquired a fully aquatic lifestyle, similarly to whales, ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. Despite a long history of research on this group, their phylogenetic relationships have only been tested so far using traditional (unweighted maximum parsimony. However, hypotheses of mosasauroid relationships and the recently proposed multiple origins of aquatically adapted pelvic and pedal features in this group can be more thoroughly tested by methods that take into account variation in branch lengths and evolutionary rates. In this study, we present the first mosasauroid phylogenetic analysis performed under different analytical methods, including maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference, and implied weighting maximum parsimony. The results indicate a lack of congruence in the topological position of halisaurines and Dallasaurus. Additionally, the genus Prognathodon is paraphyletic under all hypotheses. Interestingly, a number of traditional mosasauroid clades become weakly supported, or unresolved, under Bayesian analyses. The reduced resolutions in some consensus trees create ambiguities concerning the evolution of fully aquatic pelvic/pedal conditions under many analyses. However, when enough resolution was obtained, reversals of the pelvic/pedal conditions were favoured by parsimony and likelihood ancestral state reconstructions instead of independent origins of aquatic features in mosasauroids. It is concluded that most of the observed discrepancies among the results can be associated with different analytical procedures, but also due to limited postcranial data on halisaurines, yaguarasaurines and Dallasaurus.

Mosasauroid phylogeny under multiple phylogenetic methods provides new insights on the evolution of aquatic adaptations in the group

Science.gov (United States)

Vernygora, Oksana; Paparella, Ilaria; Jimenez-Huidobro, Paulina; Caldwell, Michael W.

2017-01-01

Mosasauroids were a successful lineage of squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes) that radiated during the Late Cretaceous (95–66 million years ago). They can be considered one of the few lineages in the evolutionary history of tetrapods to have acquired a fully aquatic lifestyle, similarly to whales, ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. Despite a long history of research on this group, their phylogenetic relationships have only been tested so far using traditional (unweighted) maximum parsimony. However, hypotheses of mosasauroid relationships and the recently proposed multiple origins of aquatically adapted pelvic and pedal features in this group can be more thoroughly tested by methods that take into account variation in branch lengths and evolutionary rates. In this study, we present the first mosasauroid phylogenetic analysis performed under different analytical methods, including maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference, and implied weighting maximum parsimony. The results indicate a lack of congruence in the topological position of halisaurines and Dallasaurus. Additionally, the genus Prognathodon is paraphyletic under all hypotheses. Interestingly, a number of traditional mosasauroid clades become weakly supported, or unresolved, under Bayesian analyses. The reduced resolutions in some consensus trees create ambiguities concerning the evolution of fully aquatic pelvic/pedal conditions under many analyses. However, when enough resolution was obtained, reversals of the pelvic/pedal conditions were favoured by parsimony and likelihood ancestral state reconstructions instead of independent origins of aquatic features in mosasauroids. It is concluded that most of the observed discrepancies among the results can be associated with different analytical procedures, but also due to limited postcranial data on halisaurines, yaguarasaurines and Dallasaurus. PMID:28467456

Dietary Patterns Derived Using Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis are Stable and Generalizable Across Race, Region, and Gender Subgroups in the REGARDS Study

Science.gov (United States)

Judd, Suzanne E.; Letter, Abraham J.; Shikany, James M.; Roth, David L.; Newby, P. K.

2015-01-01

Background: Examining diet as a whole using dietary patterns as exposures is a complementary method to using single food or nutrients in studies of diet and disease, but the generalizability of intake patterns across race, region, and gender in the United States has not been established. Objective: To employ rigorous statistical analysis to empirically derive dietary patterns in a large bi-racial, geographically diverse population and examine whether results are stable across population subgroups. Design: The present analysis utilized data from 21,636 participants in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study who completed the Block 98 food frequency questionnaire. We employed exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses on 56 different food groups iteratively and examined differences by race, region, and sex to determine the optimal factor solution in our sample. Results: Five dietary patterns emerged: the “Convenience” pattern was characterized by mixed dishes; the “Plant-based” pattern by fruits, vegetables, and fish; the “Sweets/Fats” pattern by sweet snacks, desserts, and fats and oils; the “Southern” pattern by fried foods, organ meat, and sweetened beverages; and the “Alcohol/Salads” pattern by beer, wine, liquor, and salads. Differences were most pronounced in the Southern pattern with black participants, those residing in the Southeast, and participants not completing high school having the highest scores. Conclusion: Five meaningful dietary patterns emerged in the REGARDS study and showed strong congruence across race, sex, and region. Future research will examine associations between these patterns and health outcomes to better understand racial disparities in disease and inform prevention efforts. PMID:25988129

Neural correlates of alerting and orienting impairment in multiple sclerosis patients.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel Vázquez-Marrufo

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: A considerable percentage of multiple sclerosis patients have attentional impairment, but understanding its neurophysiological basis remains a challenge. The Attention Network Test allows 3 attentional networks to be studied. Previous behavioural studies using this test have shown that the alerting network is impaired in multiple sclerosis. The aim of this study was to identify neurophysiological indexes of the attention impairment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients using this test. RESULTS: After general slowing had been removed in patients group to isolate the effects of each condition, some behavioral differences between them were obtained. About Contingent Negative Variation, a statistically significant decrement were found in the amplitude for Central and Spatial Cue Conditions for patient group (p<0.05. ANOVAs showed for the patient group a significant latency delay for P1 and N1 components (p<0.05 and a decrease of P3 amplitude for congruent and incongruent stimuli (p<0.01. With regard to correlation analysis, PASAT-3s and SDMT showed significant correlations with behavioral measures of the Attention Network Test (p<0.01 and an ERP parameter (CNV amplitude. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioral data are highly correlated with the neuropsychological scores and show that the alerting and orienting mechanisms in the patient group were impaired. Reduced amplitude for the Contingent Negative Variation in the patient group suggests that this component could be a physiological marker related to the alerting and orienting impairment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. P1 and N1 delayed latencies are evidence of the demyelination process that causes impairment in the first steps of the visual sensory processing. Lastly, P3 amplitude shows a general decrease for the pathological group probably indexing a more central impairment. These results suggest that the Attention Network Test give evidence of multiple levels of attention

Association of ABO and Rh Blood Groups to Blood-Borne Infections among Blood Donors in Tehran-Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadali, Fatemeh; Pourfathollah, Aliakbar

2014-07-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis infections in blood donors referred to Tehran Blood Transfusion Center (TBTC), and determine any association between blood groups and blood- borne infections between the years of 2005 and 2011. This was a retrospective study conducted at TBTC. All of the donor serum samples were screened for HBV, HCV, HIV and syphilis by using third generation ELISA kits and RPR test. Initial reactive samples were tested in duplicate. Confirmatory tests were performed on all repeatedly reactive donations. Blood group was determined by forward and reverse blood grouping. The results were subjected to chi square analysis for determination of statistical difference between the values among different categories according to SPSS program. Overall, 2031451 donor serum samples were collected in 2005-2011. Totally, 10451 were positive test for HBV, HCV, HIV and syphilis. The overall seroprevalence of HBV, HCV, HIV, and syphilis was 0.39%, 0.11%, 0.005%, and 0.010%, respectively. Hepatitis B and HIV infections were significantly associated with blood group of donors (P blood group "A" and percentage of HBs Ag was lower in donors who had blood group O. There was no significant association between Hepatitis C and syphilis infections with ABO and Rh blood groups (P>0.05). Compared with neighboring countries and the international standards, prevalence of blood-borne infections is relatively low.

Daratumumab, Lenalidomide, and Dexamethasone for Multiple Myeloma.

Science.gov (United States)

Dimopoulos, Meletios A; Oriol, Albert; Nahi, Hareth; San-Miguel, Jesus; Bahlis, Nizar J; Usmani, Saad Z; Rabin, Neil; Orlowski, Robert Z; Komarnicki, Mieczyslaw; Suzuki, Kenshi; Plesner, Torben; Yoon, Sung-Soo; Ben Yehuda, Dina; Richardson, Paul G; Goldschmidt, Hartmut; Reece, Donna; Lisby, Steen; Khokhar, Nushmia Z; O'Rourke, Lisa; Chiu, Christopher; Qin, Xiang; Guckert, Mary; Ahmadi, Tahamtan; Moreau, Philippe

2016-10-06

Daratumumab showed promising efficacy alone and with lenalidomide and dexamethasone in a phase 1-2 study involving patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. In this phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned 569 patients with multiple myeloma who had received one or more previous lines of therapy to receive lenalidomide and dexamethasone either alone (control group) or in combination with daratumumab (daratumumab group). The primary end point was progression-free survival. At a median follow-up of 13.5 months in a protocol-specified interim analysis, 169 events of disease progression or death were observed (in 53 of 286 patients [18.5%] in the daratumumab group vs. 116 of 283 [41.0%] in the control group; hazard ratio, 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27 to 0.52; P<0.001 by stratified log-rank test). The Kaplan-Meier rate of progression-free survival at 12 months was 83.2% (95% CI, 78.3 to 87.2) in the daratumumab group, as compared with 60.1% (95% CI, 54.0 to 65.7) in the control group. A significantly higher rate of overall response was observed in the daratumumab group than in the control group (92.9% vs. 76.4%, P<0.001), as was a higher rate of complete response or better (43.1% vs. 19.2%, P<0.001). In the daratumumab group, 22.4% of the patients had results below the threshold for minimal residual disease (1 tumor cell per 10 5 white cells), as compared with 4.6% of those in the control group (P<0.001); results below the threshold for minimal residual disease were associated with improved outcomes. The most common adverse events of grade 3 or 4 during treatment were neutropenia (in 51.9% of the patients in the daratumumab group vs. 37.0% of those in the control group), thrombocytopenia (in 12.7% vs. 13.5%), and anemia (in 12.4% vs. 19.6%). Daratumumab-associated infusion-related reactions occurred in 47.7% of the patients and were mostly of grade 1 or 2. The addition of daratumumab to lenalidomide and dexamethasone significantly lengthened

Nursing students' attitudes towards information and communication technology: an exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jung Jae; Clarke, Charlotte L

2015-05-01

The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically test a shortened version of the Information Technology Attitude Scales for Health, in the investigation of nursing students with clinical placement experiences. Nurses and nursing students need to develop high levels of competency in information and communication technology. However, they encounter statistically significant barriers in the use of the technology. Although some instruments have been developed to measure factors that influence nurses' attitudes towards technology, the validity is questionable and few studies have been developed to test the attitudes of nursing students, in particular. A cross-sectional survey design was performed. The Information Technology Attitude Scales for Health was used to collect data from October 2012-December 2012. A panel of experts reviewed the content of the instrument and a pilot study was conducted. Following this, a total of 508 nursing students, who were engaged in clinical placements, were recruited from six universities in South Korea. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed and reliability and construct validity were assessed. The resulting instrument consisted of 19 items across four factors. Reliability of the four factors was acceptable and the validity was supported. The instrument was shown to be both valid and reliable for measuring nursing students' attitudes towards technology, thus aiding in the current understandings of this aspect. Through these measurements and understandings, nursing educators and students are able to be more reflexive of their attitudes and can thus seek to develop them positively. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis untuk Mengetahui Pemanfaatan Multimedia Learning pada Perguruan Tinggi Swasta di Kota Semarang

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Achmad Solechan

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Dominant indicator of the use of multimedia in learning needs to be studied using the Confirmatory Factor Analysis. This study aims to determine the most dominant factor affecting the use of multimedia in learning, this study uses the Technology Acceptance Modelling theory. This study uses the technique of Judgment Sampling Area or a sampling technique that is based on the determination of the research area. Determination of the study area are four private universities in Semarang, namely USM, Udinus, STMIK Provisi and Unisbank, so the overall number of respondents as many as 200 students. This study shows that: 1-the greatest contribution value of the Perceived Usefulness latent variable that is multimedia learning increase the effectiveness of learning in the classroom, 2-the greatest contribution value of the Confirmation latent variable, that is Lecturer Services using multimedia learning is preferred, 3-the greatest contribution value of the Perceived Ease of Use latent variable that is teaching materials using multimedia learning is something that is easy for students to understand. This study also shows that : 4-the greatest contribution value of the Satisfaction latent variable that is multimedia learning used by Lecturer in teaching and learning in the classroom is able to provide information in accordance with the information that students need, and 5-the greatest contribution value of the Continued IT Usage Intention latent variable that is students interested in understanding the material, which is taught by Lecturer, if Lecturer teaching using multimedia based than conventional models

Depression, anxiety and loss of resilience after multiple traumas: an illustration of a mediated moderation model of sensitization in a group of children who survived the Nazi Holocaust.

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Fossion, Pierre; Leys, Christophe; Kempenaers, Chantal; Braun, Stephanie; Verbanck, Paul; Linkowski, Paul

2013-12-01

Depressive and anxiety disorders (DAD) have become a major public health problem. Multiple trauma is known to increase the risk of DAD through a sensitization mechanism. We investigate the hypothesis that resilience is a mediator of this mechanism. Former Hidden Children (FHC), the Jewish youths who spent World War II in various hideaway shelters across Nazi-occupied Europe, were compared with a control group. In each group, we measured the presence of multiple traumas, the resilience with the Resilience Scale for Adults, which has a six factors solution, and the DAD with the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist. We test a mediated moderation model with childhood trauma as the predictor; Later trauma as the moderator; Resilience as the mediator; and DAD as the outcome variable. Results are consistent with a sensitization model of DAD mediated by resilience: confrontation with a primary trauma during childhood followed by secondary trauma(s) after childhood damages resilience, which, in turn, results in higher level of DAD. We are unable to differentiate if the sensitization process is a consequence of the nature of the trauma endured by FHC (long-standing exposure to extreme external events) or a consequence of the fact that this first trauma occurred during childhood. Resilience construct is multi-factorial and a limited damaging of some of the factors is sufficient to lead to DAD even if other factors remain unaltered. Resilience can be altered by multiple traumas and, therefore, needs to be bolstered in therapy sessions. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Assessment of patients with multiple sclerosis according to tests of the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite

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Anelise Ineu Figueiredo

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction: The Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC is a scale that evaluates the functional and cognitive aspects of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS. Objective: To compare the performance of individuals with the relapsing-remitting form of MS (RRMS with a group of healthy subjects using the MSFC. Methods: Twenty subjects were investigated in this study, consisting of 10 patients with clinical diagnosis of RRMS and 10 controls with similar gender and age to the group with the disease. The three tests that comprise the MSFC were used for the evaluation of gait, upper limb motor function and cognition (memory and processing speed. Student's t-test was used to assess data with normal distribution and data with skewed distribution were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney test. Results: The results showed that the patients with RRMS took longer to perform the locomotion test (6.91 ± 2.35 compared to the control group (5.16 ± 1.28. The MS group (22.06 ± 5.44 also showed greater difficulty in performing a task with the dominant upper limb compared to the healthy subjects (17.79 ± 2.96. No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in the performance of cognitive tasks (p = .65. Conclusion: The use of the MSFC tests proved valuable for measuring possible motor and cognitive impairments in patients with RRMS. Thus, it is suggested that this scale is adopted in clinical practice, improving therapies for the treatment of MS patients and thereby providing them a better quality of life.

Improvements in cognition, quality of life, and physical performance with clinical Pilates in multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial.

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Küçük, Fadime; Kara, Bilge; Poyraz, Esra Çoşkuner; İdiman, Egemen

2016-03-01

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to determine the effects of clinical Pilates in multiple sclerosis patients. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty multiple sclerosis patients were enrolled in this study. The participants were divided into two groups as the clinical Pilates and control groups. Cognition (Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite), balance (Berg Balance Scale), physical performance (timed performance tests, Timed up and go test), tiredness (Modified Fatigue Impact scale), depression (Beck Depression Inventory), and quality of life (Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life Questionnaire) were measured before and after treatment in all participants. [Results] There were statistically significant differences in balance, timed performance, tiredness and Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite tests between before and after treatment in the clinical Pilates group. We also found significant differences in timed performance tests, the Timed up and go test and the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite between before and after treatment in the control group. According to the difference analyses, there were significant differences in Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite and Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life Questionnaire scores between the two groups in favor of the clinical Pilates group. There were statistically significant clinical differences in favor of the clinical Pilates group in comparison of measurements between the groups. Clinical Pilates improved cognitive functions and quality of life compared with traditional exercise. [Conclusion] In Multiple Sclerosis treatment, clinical Pilates should be used as a holistic approach by physical therapists.

Goiter and Multiple Food Allergies

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Stefanie Leniszewski

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Severe iodine deficiency results in impaired thyroid hormone synthesis and thyroid enlargement. In the United States, adequate iodine intake is a concern for women of childbearing age and pregnant women. Beyond this high risk group iodine deficiency is not considered to be a significant problem. This case report describes a 12-year-old male with severe iodine deficiency disorder (IDD resulting from restricted dietary intake due to multiple food allergies. We describe iodine replacement for this patient and continued monitoring for iodine sufficiency. Children with multiple food allergies, in particular those with restrictions to iodized salt and seafood, should be considered high risk for severe iodine deficiency.

GROUPS DECISION MAKING WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION

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Anca Stan

2008-12-01

Full Text Available In a highly global market, organizations that have the ability to analyze and rapidly respond to the constantly changing marketplace will have the greatest chance of remaining competitive and profitable. Group decision making is the process of arriving at a judgment based upon the feedback of multiple individuals. Due to the importance of the group decision making process, decision making models can be used to establish a systematic means of developing effective group decision making. Once a decision has been made, the members of the group should be willing to accept it and support its implementations.

Multiple myeloma among atomic bomb survivors, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1950 - 76

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichimaru, Michito; Ishimaru, Toranosuke; Mikami, Motoko; Matsunaga, Masako.

1979-10-01

The relationship between atomic bomb exposure and the occurrence of multiple myeloma has been evaluated in a fixed cohort of approximately 100,000 A-bomb survivors and nonexposed controls during the period from October 1950 to December 1976. Analysis of these data revealed the standardized relative risk adjusted for city, sex, and age at the time of the bombs (ATB) to be significantly greater in the group of individuals who received 100 rad or more of radiation than in their controls. An excess risk became apparent in the high dose group about 20 years after exposure. The excess risk of multiple myeloma in those persons aged 20 - 59 ATB is estimated to be approximately 0.24 per million person-years per rad (PYR) in kerma dose and approximately 0.48 per million PYR in bone marrow dose. The interval between radiation exposure and the occurrence of an excess risk for multiple myeloma in the high dose population is considerably longer than that for leukemia. The cases of multiple myeloma observed in the high dose group showed no unusual clinical features. (author)

Multiple groups of endogenous epsilon-like retroviruses conserved across primates.

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Brown, Katherine; Emes, Richard D; Tarlinton, Rachael E

2014-11-01

Several types of cancer in fish are caused by retroviruses, including those responsible for major outbreaks of disease, such as walleye dermal sarcoma virus and salmon swim bladder sarcoma virus. These viruses form a phylogenetic group often described as the epsilonretrovirus genus. Epsilon-like retroviruses have become endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) on several occasions, integrating into germ line cells to become part of the host genome, and sections of fish and amphibian genomes are derived from epsilon-like retroviruses. However, epsilon-like ERVs have been identified in very few mammals. We have developed a pipeline to screen full genomes for ERVs, and using this pipeline, we have located over 800 endogenous epsilon-like ERV fragments in primate genomes. Genomes from 32 species of mammals and birds were screened, and epsilon-like ERV fragments were found in all primate and tree shrew genomes but no others. These viruses appear to have entered the genome of a common ancestor of Old and New World monkeys between 42 million and 65 million years ago. Based on these results, there is an ancient evolutionary relationship between epsilon-like retroviruses and primates. Clearly, these viruses had the potential to infect the ancestors of primates and were at some point a common pathogen in these hosts. Therefore, this result raises questions about the potential of epsilonretroviruses to infect humans and other primates and about the evolutionary history of these retroviruses. Epsilonretroviruses are a group of retroviruses that cause several important diseases in fish. Retroviruses have the ability to become a permanent part of the DNA of their host by entering the germ line as endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), where they lose their infectivity over time but can be recognized as retroviruses for millions of years. Very few mammals are known to have epsilon-like ERVs; however, we have identified over 800 fragments of endogenous epsilon-like ERVs in the genomes of all major

Climate for work group creativity and innovation: Norwegian validation of the team climate inventory (TCI).

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Mathisen, Gro Ellen; Einarsen, Ståle; Jørstad, Kari; Brønnick, Kolbjørn S

2004-11-01

The present study assessed the psychometric properties and the validity of the Norwegian translation of the Team Climate Inventory (TCI). The TCI is a measure of climate for innovation within groups at work and is based on the four-factor theory of climate for innovation (West, 1990). Cronbach's alpha revealed satisfactory reliabilities and exploratory factor analysis successfully extracted the four original factors as well as a fifth factor that has also been reported in other studies (N = 195 teams from a wide range of professions). Results from confirmatory factor analysis, using a different sample (N = 106 teams from the Norwegian public postal service), suggested that the five-factor solution had the most parsimonious fit. Criterion validity was explored by correlating TCI scores from 92 post offices and 395 postal distribution teams with customer satisfaction scores. Significant positive relationships were found between three of four TCI scales and customer satisfaction.

A Hybrid Multiple Criteria Group Decision-Making Approach for Green Supplier Selection in the TFT-LCD Industry

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Che-Wei Tsui

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The awareness of the need for environmental protection is increasing throughout the world. The focuses of green supplier selection are on considering environmental criteria and strengthening the competitiveness of the entire supply chain. The purpose of this study is to develop a green supplier selection procedure for the thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD industry using polarizer suppliers as an example. First, a decision framework for green supplier selection is developed based on literatures and the supplier audit forms provided by an anonymous flat panel display manufacturer in Taiwan. Then, a hybrid multiple criteria group decision-making (MCGDM method is proposed based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP, entropy, elimination and choice expressing the reality III (ELECTRE III, and the linear assignment method to assist the manufacturer in choosing among four polarizer suppliers. The final ranking results for green supplier selection and different opinions from each department are provided. An improvement report is suggested to enhance suppliers’ performance. For the evaluation procedure, most managers emphasize the importance of current capability and the capability of research and development. Furthermore, we found that the subsidiary supplier should improve quality control competence immediately to be considered as the potential candidate of primary supplier.

An Evaluation on Factors Influencing Decision making for Malaysia Disaster Management: The Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach

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Zubir, S. N. A.; Thiruchelvam, S.; Mustapha, K. N. M.; Che Muda, Z.; Ghazali, A.; Hakimie, H.

2017-12-01

For the past few years, natural disaster has been the subject of debate in disaster management especially in flood disaster. Each year, natural disaster results in significant loss of life, destruction of homes and public infrastructure, and economic hardship. Hence, an effective and efficient flood disaster management would assure non-futile efforts for life saving. The aim of this article is to examine the relationship between approach, decision maker, influence factor, result, and ethic to decision making for flood disaster management in Malaysia. The key elements of decision making in the disaster management were studied based on the literature. Questionnaire surveys were administered among lead agencies at East Coast of Malaysia in the state of Kelantan and Pahang. A total of 307 valid responses had been obtained for further analysis. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were carried out to analyse the measurement model involved in the study. The CFA for second-order reflective and first-order reflective measurement model indicates that approach, decision maker, influence factor, result, and ethic have a significant and direct effect on decision making during disaster. The results from this study showed that decision- making during disaster is an important element for disaster management to necessitate a successful collaborative decision making. The measurement model is accepted to proceed with further analysis known as Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and can be assessed for the future research.

Multiple social identifications and adolescents' self-esteem.

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Benish-Weisman, Maya; Daniel, Ella; Schiefer, David; Möllering, Anna; Knafo-Noam, Ariel

2015-10-01

The research examined the relationship between multiple social identifications and self-esteem. Early adolescents (M = 11.4, SD = .95) and mid-adolescents (M = 15.9, SD = 1.18) from Germany and Israel (n = 2337) were studied. Respondents described their social identification as students, family members, and as members of the majority national group and reported self-esteem. A longitudinal, cross-sectional and cross-cultural design revealed, as predicted, multiple social identifications related positively to self-esteem concurrently; they also related positively to self-esteem longitudinally over the course of a year. Moreover, multiple social identifications were found to be antecedent to self-esteem, not vice versa. Finally, multiple social identifications were found to decrease over time. The article discusses the contribution of multiple social identifications to self-esteem at different ages and in various contexts. Copyright © 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Statistical Power in Evaluations That Investigate Effects on Multiple Outcomes: A Guide for Researchers

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Porter, Kristin E.

2016-01-01

In education research and in many other fields, researchers are often interested in testing the effectiveness of an intervention on multiple outcomes, for multiple subgroups, at multiple points in time, or across multiple treatment groups. The resulting multiplicity of statistical hypothesis tests can lead to spurious findings of effects. Multiple…

Influence of multiple antenatal counselling sessions on modern contraceptive uptake in Nigeria.

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Adanikin, Abiodun I; Onwudiegwu, Uche; Loto, Olabisi M

2013-10-01

To determine the influence of multiple contraceptive counselling sessions during antenatal care on use of modern postpartum contraception. A total of 216 eligible pregnant women were randomised into antenatal and postnatal counselling groups. The 'Antenatal group' received one-to-one antenatal contraceptive counselling on several occasions while the 'Postnatal group' received a single one-to-one contraceptive counselling session at the sixth week postnatal check, as is routinely practised. All participants were contacted six months postpartum by telephone or personal visit, and questioned about their contraceptive use, if any. More women who had multiple antenatal contraceptive counselling sessions used modern contraceptive methods than those who had a single postnatal counselling session (57% vs. 35%; p = 0.002). There was also a significantly more frequent use of contraception among previously undecided patients in the Antenatal group (p = 0.014). Multiple antenatal contraceptive counselling sessions improve the use of modern postpartum contraception.

Pharmacodynamic effects of steady-state fingolimod on antibody response in healthy volunteers: a 4-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multiple-dose study.

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Boulton, Craig; Meiser, Karin; David, Olivier J; Schmouder, Robert

2012-12-01

Fingolimod, a first-in-class oral sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor (S1PR) modulator, is approved in many countries for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, at a once-daily 0.5-mg dose. A reduction in peripheral lymphocyte count is an expected consequence of the fingolimod mechanism of S1PR modulation. The authors investigated if this pharmacodynamic effect impacts humoral and cellular immunogenicity. In this double-blind, parallel-group, 4-week study, 72 healthy volunteers were randomized to steady state, fingolimod 0.5 mg, 1.25 mg, or to placebo. The authors compared T-cell dependent and independent responses to the neoantigens, keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), and pneumococcal polysaccharides vaccine (PPV-23), respectively, and additionally recall antigen response (tetanus toxoid [TT]) and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to KLH, TT, and Candida albicans. Fingolimod caused mild to moderate decreases in anti-KLH and anti-PPV-23 IgG and IgM levels versus placebo. Responder rates were identical between placebo and 0.5-mg groups for anti-KLH IgG (both > 90%) and comparable for anti-PPV-23 IgG (55% and 41%, respectively). Fingolimod did not affect anti-TT immunogenicity, and DTH response did not differ between placebo and fingolimod 0.5-mg groups. Expectedly, lymphocyte count reduced substantially in the fingolimod groups versus placebo but reversed by study end. Fingolimod was well tolerated, and the observed safety profile was consistent with previous reports.

A Second-Order Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Moral Distress Scale-Revised for Nurses.

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Sharif Nia, Hamid; Shafipour, Vida; Allen, Kelly-Ann; Heidari, Mohammad Reza; Yazdani-Charati, Jamshid; Zareiyan, Armin

2017-01-01

Moral distress is a growing problem for healthcare professionals that may lead to dissatisfaction, resignation, or occupational burnout if left unattended, and nurses experience different levels of this phenomenon. This study aims to investigate the factor structure of the Persian version of the Moral Distress Scale-Revised in intensive care and general nurses. This methodological research was conducted with 771 nurses from eight hospitals in the Mazandaran Province of Iran in 2017. Participants completed the Moral Distress Scale-Revised, data collected, and factor structure assessed using the construct, convergent, and divergent validity methods. The reliability of the scale was assessed using internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha, Theta, and McDonald's omega coefficients) and construct reliability. Ethical considerations: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. The exploratory factor analysis ( N = 380) showed that the Moral Distress Scale-Revised has five factors: lack of professional competence at work, ignoring ethical issues and patient conditions, futile care, carrying out the physician's orders without question and unsafe care, and providing care under personal and organizational pressures, which explained 56.62% of the overall variance. The confirmatory factor analysis ( N = 391) supported the five-factor solution and the second-order latent factor model. The first-order model did not show a favorable convergent and divergent validity. Ultimately, the Moral Distress Scale-Revised was found to have a favorable internal consistency and construct reliability. The Moral Distress Scale-Revised was found to be a multidimensional construct. The data obtained confirmed the hypothesis of the factor structure model with a latent second-order variable. Since the convergent and divergent validity of the scale were not confirmed in this study, further assessment is necessary in future studies.

Constructing the Japanese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey: Confirmatory factor analysis.

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Tsubakita, Takashi; Shimazaki, Kazuyo

2016-01-01

To examine the factorial validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey, using a sample of 2061 Japanese university students majoring in the medical and natural sciences (67.9% male, 31.8% female; Mage  = 19.6 years, standard deviation = 1.5). The back-translated scale used unreversed items to assess inefficacy. The inventory's descriptive properties and Cronbach's alphas were calculated using SPSS software. The present authors compared fit indices of the null, one factor, and default three factor models via confirmatory factor analysis with maximum-likelihood estimation using AMOS software, version 21.0. Intercorrelations between exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy were relatively higher than in prior studies. Cronbach's alphas were 0.76, 0.85, and 0.78, respectively. Although fit indices of the hypothesized three factor model did not meet the respective criteria, the model demonstrated better fit than did the null and one factor models. The present authors added four paths between error variables within items, but the modified model did not show satisfactory fit. Subsequent analysis revealed that a bi-factor model fit the data better than did the hypothesized or modified three factor models. The Japanese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey needs minor changes to improve the fit of its three factor model, but the scale as a whole can be used to adequately assess overall academic burnout in Japanese university students. Although the scale was back-translated, two items measuring exhaustion whose expressions overlapped should be modified, and all items measuring inefficacy should be reversed in order to statistically clarify the factorial difference between the scale's three factors. © 2015 The Authors. Japan Journal of Nursing Science © 2015 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

Independent Confirmatory Survey Summary and Results for the Plum Brook Reactor Facility Sandusky OH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, E.N.

2008-01-01

In 1941, the War Department acquired approximately 9,000 acres of land near Sandusky, Ohio and constructed a munitions plant. The Plum Brook Ordnance Works Plant produced munitions, such as TNT, until the end of World War II. Following the war, the land remained idle until the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (later known as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA) obtained 500 acres to construct a nuclear research reactor designed to study the effects of radiation on materials used in space flight. The research reactor was put into operation in 1961 and was the first of fifteen test facilities eventually built by NASA at the Plum Brook Station. By 1963, NASA had acquired the remaining land at Plum Brook for these additional test facilities. After successfully completing the objective of landing humans on the Moon and returning them safely to Earth, NASA was faced with budget reductions from Congress in 1973. These budgetary constraints caused NASA to cease operations at several research facilities across the country, including those at Plum Brook Station. The major test facilities at Plum Brook were maintained in a standby mode, capable of being reactivated for future use. The Plum Brook Reactor Facility (PBRF) was shut down January 5, 1973 and all of the nuclear fuel was eventually removed and shipped off site to a U.S. Department of Energy facility in Idaho for disposal or reuse. Decommissioning activities are currently underway at the PBRF (NASA 1999). The objectives of the confirmatory survey activities were to provide independent contractor field data reviews and to generate independent radiological data for use by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in evaluating the adequacy and accuracy of the licensee's procedures and final status survey (FSS) results

Supplementing Accelerated Reading with Classwide Interdependent Group-Oriented Contingencies

Science.gov (United States)

Pappas, Danielle N.; Skinner, Christopher H.; Skinner, Amy L.

2010-01-01

An across-groups (classrooms), multiple-baseline design was used to investigate the effects of an interdependent group-oriented contingency on the Accelerated Reader (AR) performance of fourth-grade students. A total of 32 students in three classes participated. Before the study began, an independent group-oriented reward program was being applied…

Mining gene expression data of multiple sclerosis.

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Pi Guo

Full Text Available Microarray produces a large amount of gene expression data, containing various biological implications. The challenge is to detect a panel of discriminative genes associated with disease. This study proposed a robust classification model for gene selection using gene expression data, and performed an analysis to identify disease-related genes using multiple sclerosis as an example.Gene expression profiles based on the transcriptome of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a total of 44 samples from 26 multiple sclerosis patients and 18 individuals with other neurological diseases (control were analyzed. Feature selection algorithms including Support Vector Machine based on Recursive Feature Elimination, Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve, and Boruta algorithms were jointly performed to select candidate genes associating with multiple sclerosis. Multiple classification models categorized samples into two different groups based on the identified genes. Models' performance was evaluated using cross-validation methods, and an optimal classifier for gene selection was determined.An overlapping feature set was identified consisting of 8 genes that were differentially expressed between the two phenotype groups. The genes were significantly associated with the pathways of apoptosis and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. TNFSF10 was significantly associated with multiple sclerosis. A Support Vector Machine model was established based on the featured genes and gave a practical accuracy of ∼86%. This binary classification model also outperformed the other models in terms of Sensitivity, Specificity and F1 score.The combined analytical framework integrating feature ranking algorithms and Support Vector Machine model could be used for selecting genes for other diseases.

[Multiple gestation epidemiology--15 years survey].

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Carla T; Branco, Miguel R; Ferreira, Isabel D; Nordeste, Ana; Fonseca, Margarida; Taborda, Adelaide; Silva, Isabel S; Almeida, Maria do Céu

2005-01-01

Between January of 1987 and December of 2001 were born 1243 twins related to 609 multiple pregnancies, in Maternidade Bissaya-Barreto. Data were grouped in periods of three years and several parameters were studied. The rate of multiple gestation has increased probably due to the contribution of the assisted conception techniques, and to the increase of the number of multiple fetal pregnancies (two or more) and to the increase of the mother age. These more frequent obstetric problems were preterm birth, gestational hypertension and abnormal sonographic data of fetal growth. The average age of delivery was 34 weeks and the birth weight has decreased. The most important factors for neonatal morbidity were hyaline membranous disease, intraventricular haemorrhage and the twin-twin transfusion syndrome. The neonatal mortality decreased in the last studied period.

Assessing public speaking fear with the short form of the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker scale: confirmatory factor analyses among a French-speaking community sample

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Heeren A

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Alexandre Heeren,1,2 Grazia Ceschi,3 David P Valentiner,4 Vincent Dethier,1 Pierre Philippot11Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; 2National Fund for Scientific Research, Brussels, Belgium; 3Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; 4Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USABackground: The main aim of this study was to assess the reliability and structural validity of the French version of the 12-item version of the Personal Report of Confidence as Speaker (PRCS, one of the most promising measurements of public speaking fear.Methods: A total of 611 French-speaking volunteers were administered the French versions of the short PRCS, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale, as well as the Trait version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory-II, which assess the level of anxious and depressive symptoms, respectively.Results: Regarding its structural validity, confirmatory factor analyses indicated a single-factor solution, as implied by the original version. Good scale reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86 was observed. The item discrimination analysis suggested that all the items contribute to the overall scale score reliability. The French version of the short PRCS showed significant correlations with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (r = 0.522, the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (r = 0.414, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (r = 0.516, and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (r = 0.361.Conclusion: The French version of the short PRCS is a reliable and valid measure for the evaluation of the fear of public speaking among a French-speaking sample. These findings have critical consequences for the measurement of psychological and pharmacological treatment effectiveness in public speaking fear among a French-speaking sample.Keywords: social phobia, public speaking, confirmatory

Are interest groups different in the factors determining landscape preferences?

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Maria Bacher

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In the last decades, rural landscape in Europe has evolved from an agricultural by-product to an important public good. This development creates not only new challenges to farming practices, it also makes participation and public involvement an indispensable tool for sustainable landscape planning. This is especially true for many European mountain regions, where tourism represents an important source of income and conflicts between locals’ and tourists’ interests should be avoided. In our study, we analyze whether discrepancies in the perception of the Alpine landscape can be located between locals and tourists and, if these differences exist, in which aspects these two groups are differing. A model employing three general factors able to describe landscape preferences regardless of the personal background is suggested and validated by confirmatory factor analysis. Our major finding shows that an attractive landscape for tourists does not have to be contradictory to a landscape that supports a high living quality for locals. Compromises in landscape planning between locals’ and tourists’ requirements seem often not to be necessary as they, generally, do not differ in the way they experience and assess the landscape.

Prognostic factors in multiple myeloma: definition of risk groups in 410 previously untreated patients: a Grupo Argentino de Tratamiento de la Leucemia Aguda study.

Science.gov (United States)

Corrado, C; Santarelli, M T; Pavlovsky, S; Pizzolato, M

1989-12-01