Reproducibility of Results

Background:The body adiposity index (BAI), uses anthropometry to estimate percent body fat (%F). However, previous studies have shown that the BAI has limited accuracy for children and adolescents. We propose to develop and validate an adjusted BAI for use in male children and adolescents from seven to 17 years of age. The sample consisted of 141 physically active male children and adolescents (age: 12.5 ± 2.14). The %F was determined by X-ray dual energy absorptometry equipment (DXA) as the standard method and by BAI, using an equation that uses height and hip circumference. Arithmetic modeling was used to adjust the structure of the BAI mathematical model. : The BAI arithmetic adjustment was successful, resulting in the mathematical model named in the present study of adjusted body adiposity index (BAIADJ). BAI and BAIADJ correlated with DXA (r≤0.70, p <0.001). Regression analyzes indicate that, BAI (CI 95% β: [1.35; 1.90], p<0.0001) and BAIADJ (CI 95% β: [1.40; 1.90], p <0.0001) have the potential to estimate% F. BAI pointed out a difference in relation to DXA (p = 0.04). While there was no difference between BAIADJ and DXA (p = 0.1). There was a proportion bias of 13.2%for BAI (p <0.05), but not for BAIADJ (p> 0.05). The adjusted model of the body adiposity index proves to be an effective tool for the analysis of the fat percentage in young males. In addition, it demonstrated significant degrees of agreement and validity in relation to DXA.

RATIONALE: Recent retrospective research associated early life acid suppressive medication with food allergies. We sought to prospectively evaluate the association between acid suppressive medication in infancy and development of IgE-mediated food allergy in early childhood. METHODS: The Gastrointestinal Microbiome and Allergic Proctocolitis (GMAP) Study is an ongoing prospective observational cohort study of 1003 healthy newborn infants designed to evaluate the development of food allergies in their first 3 years of life. IgE-mediated food allergy was determined by independent agreement of two allergist reviewers based on clinical reactivity and documented IgE sensitivity. RESULTS: 797 infants were analyzed (46% female, 89% term, 31% delivered via caesarian-section, 8% neonatal antibiotics) with a current median age of 36 [19, 54] months. 153 (19%) were exposed to acid suppressive medication, 45 (5%) were exposed to a proton pump inhibitor and 115 (13%) were exposed to a histamine-2 receptor antagonist, in their first six months of life. To date, 51 (6%) of children have developed a confirmed or probable IgE-mediated food allergy, most commonly to egg, peanut, tree nuts, and milk. Use of acid suppressive medication in the first six months of life was not associated with development of IgE-mediated food allergy in early childhood (OR 0.77 [0.31, 1.71], p50.59). CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to a recent retrospective report, early exposure to acid suppressive medication is not prospectively associated with development of IgE-mediated food allergy by age 3 in this cohort.

Objective: There is evidence that indicates that the Walked Distance (WD) in the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) would be sensitive to the type of track and encouragement. The aim of study was compared the impact of track type and verbal encouragement provided in the 6MWT on WD, physiological cost, perceived exertion, and gait efficiency in healthy young adults unfamiliar with the test. Method: WD, heart rate, subjective sensation of dyspnea (SSD), and fatigue (SSF) were measured in four 6MWT protocols: i) 30 m linear track and protocolized encouragement (LT + PE), ii) 30 m linear track and constant encouragement (LT + CE), iii) 81 m elliptical track and protocolized encouragement (ET + PE), and iv) 81 m elliptical track and constant encouragement (ET + CE). In addition, the Gait Efficiency Index (GIE) associated with physiological cost, dyspnea and fatigue was calculated and compared between the different protocols. Results: The WD was significantly higher in the ET + CE protocol. The percentage of the heart rate reserve used (%HRRu) at minute 6 was higher in the ET + CE protocol. The SSD and SSD had difference in startup time between the protocols. The GEI was higher in %HRRu, SSD, and SSF for the ET + CE protocol. The ET + CE protocol showed a significant increase in WD during the 6MWT in healthy young adults. Although it obtained the highest physiological cost, it did not present perceptual differences when entering cardiopulmonary assessment windows relevant to a more efficient test for the participant. It is advisable to discuss, based on the findings, the fundamental objective of the 6MWT and national and international recommendations to achieve a result as close as possible to the real maximal effort.

Charge-balanced direct current (CBDC) nerve block can be used to block nerve conduction in peripheral nerves. Previous work demonstrated that the CBDC waveform could be used to achieve a 10% duty cycle of block to non-block repeatedly for at least two hours. We demonstrate that the duty cycle of this approach can be significantly increased by utilizing multiple electrode contacts and cycling the CBDC waveform between each contact in a &quot;carousel&quot; configuration. Using this approach, we demonstrated in an acute rat sciatic nerve preparation, that a 30% duty cycle complete block can be achieved with two contacts; and a 100% duty cycle block (&gt;95% complete block) can be achieved with four contacts. This latter configuration utilized a 4-s block plateau, with 3 s between successive plateaus at each contact and a recharge phase amplitude that was 34% of the block amplitude. Further optimization of the carousel approach can be achieved to improve block effectiveness and minimiz...

Background: In previous work, we described the development of an 81-item video-animated tool for assessing mobility. In response to criticism levied during a pilot study of this tool, we sought to develop a new version built upon a flexible framework for designing and administering the instrument. Results: Rather than constructing a self-contained software application with a hard-coded instrument, we designed an XML schema capable of describing a variety of psychometric instruments. The new version of our video-animated assessment tool was then defined fully within the context of a compliant XML document. Two software applications-one built in Java, the other in Objective-C for the Apple iPad-were then built that could present the instrument described in the XML document and collect participants' responses. Separating the instrument's definition from the software application implementing it allowed for rapid iteration and easy, reliable definition of variations. Conclusions: Defining instruments in a software-independent XML document simplifies the process of defining instruments and variations and allows a single instrument to be deployed on as many platforms as there are software applications capable of interpreting the instrument, thereby broadening the potential target audience for the instrument. Continued work will be done to further specify and refine this type of instrument specification with a focus on spurring adoption by researchers in gerontology and geriatric medicine.

Background. Performance-based and self-report instruments of physical function are frequently used and provide complementary information. Identifying older adults with a mismatch between actual and perceived function has utility in clinical settings and in the design of interventions. Using novel, video-animated technology, the objective of this study was to develop a self-report measure that parallels the domains of objective physical function assessed by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)-the virtual SPPB (vSPPB). Methods. The SPPB, vSPPB, the self-report Pepper Assessment Tool for Disability, the Mobility Assessment Tool-short form, and a 400-m walk test were administered to 110 older adults (mean age = 80.6 ± 5.2 years). One-week test-retest reliability of the vSPPB was examined in 30 participants. Results. The total SPPB (mean [±SD] = 7.7 ± 2.8) and vSPPB (7.7 ± 3.2) scores were virtually identical, yet moderately correlated (r = .601, p < .05). The component scores of the SPPB and vSPPB were also moderately correlated (all p values <.01). The vSPPB (intraclass correlation = .963, p < .05) was reliable; however, individuals with the lowest function overestimated their overall lower extremity function while participants of all functional levels overestimated their ability on chair stands, but accurately perceived their usual gait speed. In spite of the similarity between the SPPB and vSPPB, the moderate strength of the association between the two suggests that they offer unique perspectives on an older adult's physical function.

Performance-based and self-report instruments of physical function are frequently used and provide complementary information. Identifying older adults with a mismatch between actual and perceived function has utility in clinical settings and in the design of interventions. Using novel, video-animated technology, the objective of this study was to develop a self-report measure that parallels the domains of objective physical function assessed by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)-the virtual SPPB (vSPPB). The SPPB, vSPPB, the self-report Pepper Assessment Tool for Disability, the Mobility Assessment Tool-short form, and a 400-m walk test were administered to 110 older adults (mean age = 80.6±5.2 years). One-week test-retest reliability of the vSPPB was examined in 30 participants. The total SPPB (mean [±SD] = 7.7±2.8) and vSPPB (7.7±3.2) scores were virtually identical, yet moderately correlated (r = .601, p &lt; .05). The component scores of the SPPB and vSPPB were also m...

Adenocarcinoma in situ, minimally invasive adenocarcinoma, lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma and invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma are relatively new classification entities which replace the now retired term, bronchoalveolar carcinoma (BAC). The radiographic appearance of these lesions ranges from pure, ground glass nodules to large, solid masses. A thorough understanding of the new classification is essential to radiologists who work with MDT colleagues to provide accurate staging and treatment. A 2-year review was performed of all surgically resected cases of adenocarcinoma in situ, minimally invasive adenocarcinoma and lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma in our institution. Cases are broken down by age, gender, tumour type and tumour location. A pictorial review is presented to illustrate the radiologic and pathologic features of each entity.

Radon is considered to be the main contributor to the worldwide population exposure to natural sources of radiation and so a lot of efforts have been made in most countries to assess indoor radon concentrations. Radon exhales from the earth's surface and is part of the radioactive decay series of uranium, which is also present in building materials. In this work, measurements of radon exhalation rates in building materials commonly used in the Iberian Peninsula have been carried out by using two different methods: active and passive techniques. In the first technique, the radon exhalation rate was measured following the radon activity growth as a function of time, by using a continuous radon monitor. The second technique is based on integrated measurements by using solid-state nuclear track detectors and a Spark Counter reading equipment. The results obtained by both measuring methods were found to be consistent.

Background To investigate the reporting of prognostic prediction model studies in obstetric care through a cross-sectional survey design. Methods PubMed was searched to identify prognostic prediction model studies in obstetric care published from January 2011 to December 2020. The quality of reporting was assessed by the TRIPOD checklist. The overall adherence by study and the adherence by item were calculated separately, and linear regression analysis was conducted to explore the association between overall adherence and prespecified study characteristics. Results A total of 121 studies were included, while no study completely adhered to the TRIPOD. The results showed that the overall adherence was poor (median 46.4%), and no significant improvement was observed after the release of the TRIPOD (43.9 to 46.7%). Studies including both model development and external validation had higher reporting quality versus those including model development only (68.1% vs. 44.8%). Among the 37 it...

A domain decomposition method is used to solve a Gaussian curvature driven flow to denoise digital images. The algorithm is embarrassingly parallel and is ideal for parallel computers. We use the scheme of Lee-Keun [Noise removal based on nonlinear diffusion with Gauss curvature conductance, 2003, Preprint] in which the diffusion coefficient contains a term involving the Gaussian curvature. This minimizes the occurrence of patches and tips of cones are not flattened.

Sampling of salivary cortisol and salivary amylase is non-invasive and important for the evaluation of the hypothalamic-pituitar-adrenal axis funciton and stress levels. This study aims to compare the values of the cortisol and salivary amylase measured by using three diffeent analytical methods and discuss the comparison of stress levels of samples.Young adults (n =23) saliva samples were collected between 08.00 and 09.00 am, noon at 12.00 (before exam) and 14.00-15.00 (after unaware exam) during the rst 48 hours, no freezing / thawing was done. Salivary cortisol and salivary amylase levels in subjects were measured by three different analytical methods (ELISA, Chemiluminescence and Biosensor).Comparison of method between ELISA and biosensor in determining salivary kortizol levels showed a good correlation y= 2.971+0.748x (R 2 =0.839). Salivary amylase concentrations were found only by ELISA method.The detection/information effectiveness as compared with conventional determination method ELISA, considering the low cost, fast results and speci city characteristics biosensor can be offered as an alternative method. Saliva is an easy and non-invasive alternative body uid which will represent health status as blood samples, however method comparisons are necessary to speculate on the accuracy of worked biochemical parameters. Biosensor methods could be a point of care tests, easy and cheap, related with the logic of biosensor methods, strip tests for saliva might be developed. The relevancy to saliva samples increases, besides routine biochemical parameters as we are working on liquid biopsy, cell free DNA sampling for speci c diseases will improve scienti c rationale and explain mechanisms of diseases. Saliva can work as a diagnostic tool.

The objective of this study was to assess the variability of readings made using the Tonovet rebound tonometer for measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) in the peripheral cornea and in angulated positions on the canine corneal surface. Forty-six client-owned dogs admitted for ophthalmic evaluation at the Queen&#39;s Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge were included in the study. IOP readings were taken at a variety of locations and using the tonometer at a number of different angles to the cornea: 1) Perpendicularly at center of the cornea (CC); 2) At the center of the cornea but with the tonometer positioned at four angles, and 3) At four different points on the peripheral cornea. All values were compared with the values recorded at the recommended CC position. IOP values were significantly underestimated in seven positions, with median and interquartile range from 12.1 ± 4 mmHg (nasal on periphery) to 15 ± 5 mmHg (laterally angled at center), varying between 0 ...

Background: Diagnosis of fruit sensitisation by skin prick test (SPT) is fast and easy to perform. Nevertheless, some fruit is not available throughout the year. Freezing aliquots of these fresh fruits to be defrosted would be a good solution to perform SPT at any time. Objective: To compare the reproducibility of SPT with Rosaceae and Cucurbitaceae frozen fruit with fresh and commercial fruit extracts. Methods: SPT with the following fruit were performed: apricot, cherry, strawberry, nectarine, Japanese medlar, peach, (peel and pulp), yellow and red plum, melon and watermelon. We compared fresh fruit, commercial extract and fruit which had been frozen at -18°C. Results were read by planimetry (Inmunotek prick-filmTM) after 15 minutes. The study group comprised 48 patients (9 males, 39 females) with a mean age of 31, 6 ± 2,0 years. Concordance of positive and negative results was extremely high and significant in all cases. Correlation between frozen fruit and commercial extract, frozen fruit and fresh and commercial extract and fresh fruit was statistically significant in all cases except for strawberry. Conclusions: The use of frozen fruit is a valid method, as the performance of the SPT is similar to that of fresh fruit. This enables diagnostic procedures with seasonal fruit at any time of the year.

Approximately 20% of melanoma patients harbor metastases in non-sentinel nodes (NSNs) after a positive sentinel node biopsy (SNB), and recent evidence questions the therapeutic benefit of completion lymph node dissection (CLND). We built a nomogram for prediction of NSN status in melanoma patients with positive SNB. Data on anthropometric and clinicopathological features of patients with cutaneous melanoma who underwent CLND after a positive SNB were collected from nine Italian centers. Multivariate logistic regression was utilized to identify predictors of NSN status in a training set, while model efficiency was validated in a validation set. Data were available for 1220 patients treated from 2000 through 2016. In the training set (n = 810), the risk of NSN involvement was higher when (1) the primary melanoma is thicker or (2) sited in the trunk/head and neck; (3) fewer nodes are excised and (4) more nodes are involved; and (5) the lymph node metastasis is larger or (6) is deeply l...

A previously well 71-year-old woman with no prior history of malignant skin cancer was referred to our dermatology clinic because of a large, pedunculated, vegetating lesion in her intergluteal region. The lesion had been present for about 30 years and had been "flat." However, in recent years it had grown slowly and steadily and, in the few months before presentation, had rapidly increased in size. It was not painful, but there was a slight serosanguineous secretion. The lesion was dome-shaped, with a polypoid appearance, was 4 × 3.5 cm in diameter and was raised 2 cm (Fig. ). It had a macular smooth surface and greyish-blue colour and was of a tenso-elastic consistency. There were areas of ulceration (up to 1 cm in diameter) and a hemorrhagic fundus with raised margins. The woman had no lymphadenopathy. Because of her age, the lesion's erosions and its recent evolution, a polypoid melanoma was considered, and the lesion was excised deeply with 2-cm margins. Histopathological examination showed fascicles of spindle and epithelioid cells intermingled with dendritic melanocytes and numerous melanophages consistent with a diagnosis of cellular blue nevus (Fig. ). The postoperative course was uncomplicated, and the patient was well and disease free at 1 year follow-up.

Plasma calcium exists in three forms: ionized, protein bound, and complexed with anions. Although all the forms are in equilibrium with each other, only the plasma ionized calcium has been reported to be physiologically active. Thus it is the preferred constituent for use in patient care. Despite this fact, the use of plasma total calcium concentration continues to be the predominant test for patient care in most hospitals mainly because of availability and ease of measurement. It has been documented that the use of total calcium is unreliable in cases where there is a change in the protein-calcium binding characteristics as in patients with hypergammaglobulinemia or a decrease/increase in pH. In an attempt to enhance the diagnostic accuracy of total calcium for these cases, several formulae have been developed for estimating “corrected” plasma total calcium. Although these formulae work reasonably well in normal healthy populations, they have been inadequate when applied for critic...

Purpose: Prior to cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), orthodontic competence included radiological interpretation. Nevertheless, maxillary impacted canines (MICs), because of their position and adjacent complex anatomy, have been challenging to interpret, particularly with regard to root resorption. Although CBCT crosssectional reconstructions of MICs yielded clearer insights into its diagnosis and treatment planning, the value of simultaneously using 2 different cross-sectional or multiplanar reconstructions of the CBCT datasets -orthogonal and curved/panoramic multiplanar reconstructions -has hitherto not been considered. Materials and Methods: Both orthogonal and curved/panoramic multiplanar reconstruction series of 5 screenshots were each reconstructed from the 5 cm × 5 cm CBCT datasets of 15 separate MICs. Fifteen credentialled and experienced orthodontist volunteers reviewed 2 separate PowerPoints of 15 randomized series each, 1 week apart. Their review considered 6 factors that could affect treatment: the position and level of the MIC, the presence or absence of root resorption, ankylosis, cysts, and dilaceration. Results: All 15 orthodontists were statistically similar regarding overall years of experience and of CBCT use. Although either reconstruction alone allowed the orthodontists to determine whether ankylosis and, to a lesser extent, most of the other features were present or absent in the MIC, reviewing both reconstructions together was necessary to determine whether root resorption was present or absent in the adjacent tooth. Conclusion: Reviewing both orthogonal and curved/panoramic multiplanar reconstructions was necessary to evaluate the presence or absence of root resorption in the teeth adjacent to MICs and that of many other features. (Imaging Sci Dent 20220211

Aim of the study: To analyse the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) based on morphologic and enhancement patterns of mass lesions in dense breast using different protocols: CESM without delayed image and CESM with delayed image. Material and methods: A total of 151 informed women with suspicious for malignancy mass lesions in dense breast were included in this study. All of them underwent CESM using 2 protocols. A total of 155 lesions were pathomorphologically verified. We analysed morphologic patterns on low-energy (LE) images and recombined images (RI) by defining the shape, margin, and dynamic patterns based on delayed images. Results: The comparative analysis revealed that the shape and margins on RI were more significant than those on LE images. The dynamic indicators of CESM were found to be highly significant in dense breasts. The correlation between kinetic curve and histological results demonstrated that a persistent type of curve was common for benign lesions, accounting for 15/22 (68.1%); plateau and washout -for malignant lesions, accounting for 24/89 (26.9%) and 61/89 (68.5%), respectively. Delayed image leads to an increase of specificity up to 12.4%, which is statistically significant. The area under the curve (AUC) in CESM with delayed image is larger than that in CESM without delayed image (p < 0.01). Conclusions: CESM is sensitive for the differential diagnosis of breast lesions. CESM with delayed image has higher specificity than CESM without delayed image. Delayed images with plateau and washout are typical for malignancy.

Background: Prenatal estimation of birth-weight is of utmost importance to predict the mode of delivery. This is also an important parameter of antenatal care. This study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of estimated fetal weight by ultrasound, compared with actual birth weight. Methods: This was a prospective and comparative study comprising 110 pregnant women at term. Patients who had their sonography done within 7 days from date of delivery were included. Fetal weight was estimated by Hadlock 2 formula, the software of which was preinstalled in ultrasound-machine. The estimated fetal weight was compared to the post-delivery birth-weight. The Pearson's correlation coefficient was used and the accuracy of sonographic fetal weight estimation was evaluated using mean error, mean absolute error, mean percentage error, mean absolute percentage error and proportion of estimates within 10% of actual birth weight. Results: Mean estimated and actual birth weights were 3120.8±349.4 gm and 3088.2±404.5 g respectively. There was strong positive correlation between estimated fetal weight and actual birth weight (r = 0.58, p<0.001). The mean percentage error and mean absolute percentage error of ultrasound fetal weight estimations were 1.96±11.8% and 8.7±8.2% respectively. The percentage of estimates within ±10% of the actual birth weight was found to be 67.3%. In 23% of the cases, ultrasound overestimated the birth weight. In 13% of the cases, ultrasound underestimated the birth weight. Conclusions: There was strong positive correlation between actual and sonographically estimated fetal weight. So, ultrasonography can be considered as useful tool for estimating the fetal weight for improving the perinatal outcome.

Three types of solid-phase chemical exposure sampling media: cellulose, polyurethane foam, and XAD-2, were analyzed for 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and the amine salts of 2,4-D. Individual samples were extracted into acidified methanol, and the extracts were analyzed via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using electrospray ionization and a C8 reversedphase LC column. 13C 2,4-D and a labeled benzoic acid (13C or ds) were employed as the surrogate and internal standard, respectively. Over a three-year study of pesticide exposure among agricultural workers involving a high volume of analyses, values of average % recovery for t3C 2,4-D on personal exposure samples ranged from 87 to 98 with a % relative standard deviation ranging from 7 to 12. The performance of the method compares favorably with that of the current National Institute for Occupational Safety and Healthrecommended approach for the analysis of 2,4-D on these types of exposure sampling matrices.

This symposium features three papers that bring together two leading advances of assessment science and explore their joint application. The Great 8 Competencies (Kurz & Bartram, 2002), which emerged from personality and ability scale validation research since 1984, provide a credible counterpart for the Big 5 in the performance criterion space. A decade later, the Periodic Table of Personality (Woods & Anderson, 2016) emerged that can be used to map personality scales to 45 categories.

The 'Great 8 Competencies' emerged out of a series of validation studies (Robertson & Kinder, 1993; Bartram, 2005) relating verbal and numerical reasoning tests as well as personality scales to competencies. The model added Need for Achievement, Need for Power, and Evaluation (Need for Cognition) as explanatory constructs to the Big 5 to account for validity patterns for existing predictor-criterion relationships. Since publication, corresponding of the Great 8 measures of personality and competency were developed by multiple authors.  Academic applications include the development of a Great 8 Performance Dictionary (Speer, 2019). 

The Periodic Table of Personality (PToP) developed by Woods & Anderson (2016) is a landmark development in personality assessment building on decades of co-validation research. Prompted by the academic debate surrounding an article by Anderson & Ones (2003), Woods (2009) conducted a co-validation study with seven personality questionnaires. Woods & Hardy (2012) showed how in Big 5 solutions across work personality questionnaires Extraversion morphs into Ascendancy and Agreeableness into Affiliation.

The original research on the PToP utilized the Trait Descriptive Adjectives (TDA) measure (Goldberg, 1992) to produce orthogonal Big 5 scores. When Kurz & Woods (2015) replicated the analysis of Woods & Hardy (2012) with the 16PF Intelligence scale added back in, a Great 8 compatible solution emerged. Groenewald & Kurz (2020) applied the methodology to the Hogan Insight series (HPI, HDS & MVPI).

This Symposium outlines the efforts to develop the Great 8 from ‘Competencies’ into ‘Success Factors’ that are conceptualized at the interface of personality and competency assessment with purpose-built predictor and criterion scales that are structurally aligned. The papers use the data on 466 professionals and managers in the development study who completed 758 items designed to cover personality, competency, emotional intelligence, leadership, derailment and learning agility comprehensively.

The first paper explores the factor structure of the Personality Factors (PF48) assessment to chart the personality scale positions on the Periodic Table of Personality (PToP). PCA across 48 facets produced rotated solutions compatible with Big 5 and Great 8 models. Traditional Big 5 scales loaded highly on the expected orthogonal rotated component. Need for Power scales straddled across Extraversion and Openness whereas Need for Achievement and Evaluation scales straddled across Emotional Stability and Openness.

The second paper explores the factor structure of the draft Competency Factors (CF48) self-assessment to chart the item positions on the PToP alongside established Great 8 competencies. PCA across 48 facets produced rotated solutions compatible with the Big 5 and Great 8 models. Scale loadings on the Personality Factors (PF48) PToP largely mirrored the pattern found for personality variables. However, the results suggested facet reordering to reflect the transition from Great 8 ‘Competencies’ to ‘Success Factors’, and refinements to several factor items would improve alignment to the personality counterparts. General (X.1.X), Professional (X.2.X) and Executive (X.3.X) modules were designated with the facets most central to a factor allocated to the General module and facets reflecting ‘factor blends’ (e.g. many constructs inspired by Emotional Intelligence competencies) allocated to the Executive module. 

The third paper evaluates the measurement properties of NEO IPIP, a public domain tool with 10 items per facet, and charts its scale positions on the PF48 PToP. The average Cronbach’s Alpha internal consistency reliability of the 30 NEO IPIP constructs was .79 but dropped to .60 for Liberalism and .62 for Activity Level. Domain and facet scores loaded on the PF48 PToP as expected for Extraversion and Conscientiousness. Self-Consciousness and Modesty loaded more strongly on E- than Neuroticism and Agreeableness respectively. Emotionality loaded much higher on Agreeableness than on Openness.

The symposium brings together Cybernetic Big 5 Theory of DeYoung (2015) with advances in work psychology assessments over the last four decades with the discussant highlighting selected issues.

T2 information and delayed gadolinium‐enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) are both used to characterize articular cartilage. They are currently obtained in separate studies because Gd‐DTPA2− (which is needed for dGEMRIC) affects the inherent T2 information. In this study, T2 was simulated and then measured at 8.45 T in 20 sections from two human osteochondral samples equilibrated with and without Gd‐DTPA2−. Both the simulations and data demonstrated that Gd‐DTPA2− provides a non‐negligible mechanism for relaxation, especially with higher (1 mM) equilibrating Gd‐DTPA2− concentrations, and in areas of tissue with high T2 (due to weak inherent T2 mechanisms) and high tissue Gd‐DTPA2− (due to a low glycosaminoglycan concentration). Nonetheless, T2‐weighted images of cartilage equilibrated in 1 mM Gd‐DTPA2− showed similar T2 contrast with and without Gd‐DTPA2−, demonstrating that the impact on T2 was not great enough to affect identification of T2 lesions. However, T2 maps of the same sa...

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and T2 mapping are emerging clinical imaging technologies with potential to detect subsurface changes in cartilage retaining a macroscopically intact articular surface. This study tests the hypothesis that OCT correlates with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2 values, and that OCT signal is sensitive to cartilage matrix degeneration. Forty-five osteochondral cores were harvested from five human tibial plateau explants after MRI T2 mapping. Cores underwent OCT imaging and were graded as follows: A, obvious birefringence; B, no birefringence; C, subsurface voids and/or irregular surface. Extracellular matrix content was determined and cores underwent histologic and polarized light microscopy (PLM) evaluation. Grade B and C cores had 25% higher superficial T2 values (p = 0.047) and 50% higher deep T2 values (p = 0.012) than grade A cores. Grade B and C cores had 36% higher glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content compared to grade A cores (p = 0.009). Histology and PLM demonstrated increased surface irregularity and structural disorganization with increasing OCT grade. OCT grade and T2 value increased with increasing collagen disorganization, suggesting that MRI T2 mapping and OCT are sensitive to changes in collagen structure. Our results demonstrate the ability of OCT and T2 mapping to detect early cartilage degeneration in clinically normal appearing cartilage. Keywords cartilage; osteoarthritis; optical coherence tomography (OCT); magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); collagen Osteoarthritis is reaching epidemic proportions in the United States. 1 It is estimated that 67 million American adults will have arthritis by 2030, 2 and nearly half of Americans will develop osteoarthritis of the knee. As the number of individuals with osteoarthritis continues to rise, improved methods for early detection and treatment are increasingly vital to reduce or delay the onset of osteoarthritis.

Several technologies for characterizing genes and proteins from humans and other organisms use yeast growth or color development as read outs. The yeast two-hybrid assay, for example, detects protein-protein interactions by measuring the growth of yeast on a specific solid medium, or the ability of the yeast to change color when grown on a medium containing a chromogenic substrate. Current systems for analyzing the results of these types of assays rely on subjective and inefficient scoring of growth or color by human experts. Here an image analysis system is described for scoring yeast growth and color development in high throughput biological assays. The goal is to locate the spots and score them in color images of two types of plates named "X-Gal" and "growth assay" plates, with uniformly placed spots (cell areas) on each plate (both plates in one image). The scoring system relies on color for the X-Gal spots, and texture properties for the growth assay spots. A maximum likelihood projection-based segmentation is developed to automatically locate spots of yeast on each plate. Then color histogram and wavelet texture features are extracted for scoring using an optimal linear transformation. Finally an artificial neural network is used to score the X-Gal and growth assay spots using the extracted features. The performance of the system is evaluated using spots of 60 images. After training the networks using training and validation sets, the system was assessed on the test set. The overall accuracies of 95.4% and 88.2% are achieved respectively for scoring the X-Gal and growth assay spots.

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues are routinely stored by most pathology departments and are a widely available resource for discovery of clinically useful biomarkers. We describe our method for optimizing quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) for expression analysis using frozen and archival tissue. Commonly used reference genes were evaluated for stability of expression in normal kidney and clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Optimal reference genes for calculating normalization factors for RT-PCR were ACTB, RPL13A, GUS, RPLP0, HPRT1, and SDHA when using FFPE RCC. The optimal reference genes when using frozen RCC were ACTB, RPL13A, and GUS, confirming that use of multiple reference genes improves accuracy when intact RNA from frozen renal tumors are used. Expression of 16 markers previously reported to have prognostic significance in RCC was determined in 23 matching frozen and FFPE renal tumors, representing a range of tumor grades and stages; correlati...

Significance of the Study Magnesium is a key cation in plasma. Controversial results have been reported about the relation between magnesium levels and cerebral stroke. This study supports that low serum magnesium level may be associated with increased mortality in patients with cerebral infarct. Presence of hypomagnesemia in the ICU patients may be a preliminary finding for other organ damage such as brain.

Aim of the study: To evaluate the intersession reliability of a posturo-stabilometric examination. Methods: Single blind clinical trial conducted in two sessions over two weeks. 44 healthy volunteers free from postural and temporomandibular disorders. All the subjects complied with the criteria for completing the study. All the subjects underwent two sessions of posturo-stabilometric examinations in different visual and mandibular conditions. Sway area, sway length and the coordinates of the center of pressure were evaluated and statistically analyzed using the Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: All the posturo-stabilometric parameters seemed to have an excellent reproducibility with overall ICCs higher than 70% and good confidence intervals except for the sway area (ICC 0.422 with CI 0.283-0.560 with open eyes and ICC 0.554 with CI 0.424-0.683 with closed eyes). Conclusions: The posturo-stabilometric examination carried out using a force platform has a good intrasession and intersession reliability, especially considering sway velocity, COP X and COP Y parameters. The force platform usefulness in analyzing static posture is confirmed in any medical field.

Lithium is a first line drug used to treat bipolar affective disorder requiring frequent monitoring due to its narrow therapeutic index. Flame photometry is a reliable quick and cost-effective method of serum lithium estimation. We aimed to validate a flame photometry method for serum lithium estimation to compare the results with a different model flame photometer and an ionselective electrode. Sherwood 410 flame photometer was used for the analysis. Serum samples were diluted 1:2 using a lithium blank solution containing sodium and potassium. Aqueous lithium standards were prepared using the same blank. The method was validated for the concentration range 0.2-1.5mmol/l. Linearity, recovery, accuracy, precision and stability were determined by standard lithium serum samples representing the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) 0.2mmol/l, median level of quantification (MLOQ) 0.8mmol/l and the upper limit of quantification (ULOQ) 1.5mmol/l. Five replicates of serum and aqueous lithium samples were used to determine linearity in the range between LLOQ and ULOQ using the coefficient of determination (R2). Five standard serum replicates were used for recovery, accuracy and precision studies. Precision was determined by the coefficient of variation (CV%) on three different days. Results of the flame photometric method were compared with those of a different flame photometric method and an ion-selective electrode method. The R2 for the aqueous samples and the serum samples was >0.995 demonstrating linearity. The matrix effect ranged between 92.5% and 105% for the LLOQ, MLOQ and ULOQ. The accuracy and precision for LLOQ, MLOQ of and ULOQ were below 15%. Similar results were obtained for the QC samples with the different model flame photometer and ion-selective electrode method. The flame photometric method used in our laboratory is suitable and reliable for determining serum lithium concentrations for use in therapeutic drug monitoring.

This study was designed to assess the feasibility and practicability of the employment of endoscopic methods for the diagnosis of dental caries and to compare the diagnostic performance, in posterior teeth, of visual endoscopic caries diagnosis (with and without the benefit of differential fluorescence) with that of conventional visual diagnosis, bite-wing radiography, and conventional transillumination. The two endoscopic methods were found to be clinically practicable, to be able to demonstrate the presence of small carious lesions, and to have both advantages and disadvantages compared to conventional methods. When all tooth sites were compared, the results indicated that the endoscopic methods may detect a greater number of carious lesions than do conventional visual, radiographic, or fiber-optic transilluminational methods of caries diagnosis. Further investigations involving histologic validation of diagnoses as well as larger numbers of patients and multiple examiners are ind...

Spatiotemporal regulation of enzyme-substrate interactions governs the decision-making steps in biological systems. Enzymes, being functional units of every living cell, contribute to the macromolecular stability of cell survival, proliferation and hence are vital windows to unraveling the biological complexity. Experimental measurements capturing this dynamics of enzymesubstrate interactions in real time add value to this understanding. Furthermore these measurements, upon validation in realistic biological specimens such as clinical biopsies -can further improve our capability in disease diagnostics and treatment monitoring. Towards this direction, we describe here a novel, high-sensitive measurement system for measuring diffusionlimited enzyme-substrate kinetics in real time. Using catalase (enzyme) and hydrogen peroxide (substrate) as the example pair, we demonstrate that this system is capable of direct measurement of catalase activity in vitro and the measured kinetics follows the classical Michaelis-Menten reaction kinetics. We further demonstrate the system performance by measuring catalase activity in living cells and in very small amounts of liver biopsies (down to 1μg total protein). Catalasespecific enzyme activity is demonstrated by genetic and pharamacological tools. Finally we show the clinically-relevant diagnostic capability of our system by comparing the catalase activities in liver biopsies from young and old mouse (liver and serum) samples. We discuss the potential applicability of this system in clinical diagnostics as well as in intraoperative surgical settings.

In this study, we examined whether or not the strenuous exercise in the evening change nocturnal heart rate variability (HRV) and recovers. Subjects were 8 healthy men belonging to the mature futsal team (age: 35± 3 years) and Futsal was held from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. Pulse waves during sleeping were measured at home on exercise day and on control day. The mean pulse interval (MPI), standard deviation pulse interval (SDPI), low frequency component (LF, 0.04-0.15 Hz) , high frequency component (HF, 0.15-0.45 Hz) and the ratio of LF to HF (LF/HF) were calculated from pulse interval time series every 30 min. As a result, MPI, SDPI, LF, HF of exercise day were significantly lower than control day (P< 0.0001). LF/HF of exercise day was significantly higher than control day (P< 0.05). Regarding change of HRV for every 30 min, MPI (P< 0.05), SDPI (P= 0.0003), LF (P= 0.0038), HF (P< 0.05) were observed significant changes. MPI and HF before wake-up did not reach the level of control day. It is thought that strenuous exercise in the evening promotes sympathetic nervous activity during night sleep and suggesting that pulse rate and HRV have not recovered by the wake-up time.

Non-Gaussianity index (λ) is a new index of heart rate variability (HRV) that characterizes increased probability of the large heart rate deviations from its trend. A previous study has reported that increased λ is an independent mortality predictor among patients with chronic heart failure. The present study examined predictive value of λ in patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Among 670 post-AMI patients, we performed 24-h Holter monitoring to assess λ and other HRV predictors, including SD of normal-to-normal interval, very-low frequency power, scaling exponent α(1) of detrended fluctuation analysis, deceleration capacity, and heart rate turbulence (HRT). At baseline, λ was not correlated substantially with other HRV indices (|r| &lt; 0.4 with either indices) and was decreased in patients taking β-blockers (P = 0.04). During a median follow-up period of 25 months, 45 (6.7%) patients died (32 cardiac and 13 non-cardiac) and 39 recurrent non-fatal AMI occurred among su...

We reveal unexpected origins of age induced departure from 1 -type temporal scaling in healthy human heart rate. Contrary to the widely established view, we provide evidence that age induced dynamical imbalance in the autonomic control is not due to the emergent functional dominance of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), but due to emerging (age dependent) relative dynamic dominance of the parasympathetic nervous system function. In particular, we demonstrate that the age induced alterations of healthy heart rate dynamics asymptotically resemble those in so-called primary autonomic failure with neurogenic SNS dysfunction and in other neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's disease even without known autonomic abnormalities. Based upon this, we propose a novel picture of "autonomic aging," characterized by an insufficiency of the SNS function to cope dynamically with various environmental stimuli.

To examine whether heart rate variability (HRV) during daily life shows power law behavior independently of age and interindividual difference in the total power, log-log scaled coarse-graining spectra of the nonharmonic component of 24-h HRV were studied in 62 healthy men (age 21–79 yr). The spectra declined with increasing frequency in all subjects, but they appeared as broken lines slightly bending downward, particularly in young subjects with a large total power. Regression of the spectrum by a broken line with a single break point revealed that the spectral exponent (β) was greater in the region below than above the break point (1.63 ± 0.23 vs. 0.96 ± 0.21, P &lt; 0.001). The break point frequency increased with age ( r = 0.51, P &lt; 0.001) and β correlated with age negatively below the break point ( r = 0.39) and positively above the break point ( r = 0.70). The contribution to interindividual difference in total power was greater from the differences in the power spectral de...

The aim of this study was to analyze published studies focusing on quality of life (QoL) in patients with non-healing wounds, with particular focus on assessment tools. Design: Type of studyliterature review. Methods: Articles focusing on QoL in patients with non-healing wounds were searched for in various electronic databases using relevant terms. The search was limited to articles in English issued between January 2014 and April 2019, in the electronic databases Scopus, PubMed, and CINAHL. Results: In total, 24 studies were found which met the established criteria. Conclusion: Non-healing wounds significantly affect patients' QoL. Research is leading towards the creation of a standardized QoL tool in patients with chronic wounds, which could be included in the wound care standard care protocol. There are many generic and specific tools for evaluating QoL in patients with non-healing wounds, differing in length and complexity. The Wound-QoL was created by comparing and simplifying proven tools, and the follow-up research has proven it to be internally consistent, valid and reliable, and, due to its ease of use, suitable for re-measuring QoL.

Bullying is one of behaviors which occur in various forms at workplaces. These types of behaviors are associated with diverse range of behaviors and other variables. Considering the lack of instrument to assess supervisor's bullying in workplaces of Iran, this research was carried out to constructing and studying reliability and validity of supervisor's bullying questionnaire at workplace. Statistical population of this research was all of Isfahan oil refinery's staff that 402 participants was chosen as participant by simple random sampling mehod. The tools included perceived organizational justice questionnaire, organizational citizenship behaviors questionnaire and deviant behaviors questionnaire which used for studying convergent and divergent validity of researcher-made questionnaire of supervisor's bullying. Data were analyzed by using confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis, canonical correlation coefficient (for studying convergent and divergent validity) and reliability coefficient (Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability). Results showed that supervisor's bullying questionnaire has five factor structures which named: supervisors' threat, insult and scorn by supervisor, anger and revengefulness of supervisor, ignorance and unconventional work pressure of supervisor, supervisors' boring and cheap. Cronbach's alpha for the five factors was equal to 0.87, 0.84, 0.82, 0.81, 0.81, and test-retest reliability for those five factors was equal to 0.81, 0.59, 0.58, 0.83, and 0.77. The results of this study revealed that supervisor's bullying questionnaire has suitable validity and reliability for assessment the level of supervisor's bullying at workplaces.

Bullying is one of behaviors which occur in various forms at workplaces. These types of behaviors are associated with diverse range of behaviors and other variables. Considering the lack of instrument to assess supervisor's bullying in workplaces of Iran, this research was carried out to constructing and studying reliability and validity of supervisor's bullying questionnaire at workplace. Statistical population of this research was all of Isfahan oil refinery's staff that 402 participants was chosen as participant by simple random sampling mehod. The tools included perceived organizational justice questionnaire, organizational citizenship behaviors questionnaire and deviant behaviors questionnaire which used for studying convergent and divergent validity of researcher-made questionnaire of supervisor's bullying. Data were analyzed by using confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis, canonical correlation coefficient (for studying convergent and divergent validity) and reliability coefficient (Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability). Results showed that supervisor's bullying questionnaire has five factor structures which named: supervisors' threat, insult and scorn by supervisor, anger and revengefulness of supervisor, ignorance and unconventional work pressure of supervisor, supervisors' boring and cheap. Cronbach's alpha for the five factors was equal to 0.87, 0.84, 0.82, 0.81, 0.81, and test-retest reliability for those five factors was equal to 0.81, 0.59, 0.58, 0.83, and 0.77. The results of this study revealed that supervisor's bullying questionnaire has suitable validity and reliability for assessment the level of supervisor's bullying at workplaces.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical behavior of anterior inferior tibiofibularis ligament (AITFL) deficient human ankle under axial loading of ankle at stance phase of gait. In order to investigate the contribution of AITFL to ankle stability, an in vitro sequential experimental setup was simulated. The measurement of posterior displacement of distal tibia and anterior displacement of the foot, in neutral position, secondary to axial compression, was performed by two non-contact video extensometers. Eight freshly frozen, anatomically intact, cadaveric human ankle specimens were included and tested. An axial compression test machine was utilized from 0 to 800 Newtonswith a loading speed of 5 mm/min in order to simulate the axial weight-bearing sequence of the ankle at stance phase of human gait. There was a statistically significant difference between anteroposterior displacement values for AITFL-Intact and AITFL-Dissected specimens (p≤0.05). Mean AITFL-Intact and mean AITFL-Dissected ankle anteroposterior displacement was 1.28±0.47 mm and 2.06±0.7 mm, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study determined some numerical and quantitative data about the biomechanical properties of AITFL in neutral foot position. In the emergency department, diagnosis and treatment of AITFL injury, due to ankle distortion, is important. In AITFL injuries, ankle biomechanics is affected, and ankle instability occurs.

The purpose of this work was to determine a segmentation protocol for the treatment of localized non-small-cell lung cancer ͑NSCLC͒ with intensity-modulated radiotherapy ͑IMRT͒ that is as effective as possible while practically simple and hence robust to known practical inaccuracies. This study focused on the stratification of continuous profiles into a discrete number of intensity levels. The selection of the segmentation parameters for the delivery of the fluence profiles using multiple static fields has been considered. Five-field equispaced IMRT treatment plans of five patients with NSCLC were selected. The study comprised nine treatment plans for each patient, starting from a conformal plan, optimizing it for IMRT and then segmenting it utilizing different numbers of segments in each case and optimizing for segment weights separately. A conformal plan, optimized for beam directions, collimator and wedge angles, was also used for comparison with the IMRT plans, so as to consider the best coplanar conformal case. A dose objective for the PTV and the organs-at-risk plus a constraint for the spinal cord were set for all inverse plans. All stages were compared with the aid of dose-volume histograms, dose distributions at the plane of the isocenter, intensity maps for key beams and plots of PTV homogeneity and overall conformality versus complexity. The unsegmented IMRT plans gave the best results but cannot be realized in practice with an MLC. They were best approximated by plans that needed 106 -167 segments to deliver, but did not deteriorate significantly when approximated by plans which required 26 -40 segments in total. All segmented IMRT plans gave a better lung sparing than the conformal plans, indicating that the deterioration of IMRT plans following segmentation is not equivalent to that of unmodulated, conformal plans. However, optimized conformal plans have the potential to approach the lung sparing achieved by segmented IMRT plans. Among the IMRT situations examined, five-field treatment plans for the lung, utilizing a maximum of 40 segments in total, have proven to give a good approximation of the IMRT plans with continuous modulation.

Background Genome assembly is difficult due to repeated sequences within the genome, which create ambiguities and cause the final assembly to be broken up into many separate sequences (contigs). Long range linking information, such as mate-pairs or mapping data, is necessary to help assembly software resolve repeats, thereby leading to a more complete reconstruction of genomes. Prior work has used optical maps for validating assemblies and scaffolding contigs, after an initial assembly has been produced. However, optical maps have not previously been used within the genome assembly process. Here, we use optical map information within the popular de Bruijn graph assembly paradigm to eliminate paths in the de Bruijn graph which are not consistent with the optical map and help determine the correct reconstruction of the genome. Results We developed a new algorithm called AGORA: Assembly Guided by Optical Restriction Alignment. AGORA is the first algorithm to use optical map information...

The authors report a case of 85-year-old male undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), whose intraoperative transesophageal echocardiogram was concerning for ascending aortic dissection. Further imaging, however, delineated this to be an aortic valve tendon and the TAVR was accomplished successfully.

There are validated measures of functioning for disabled children but no recognised scale of complexity. Many disabled children have multi-faceted needs. All need to be addressed to achieve best participation and quality of life. Aim: To develop a scale of complexity that is easy to apply in a range of clinic settings, relevant to individual clinical care and service planning. Method : Data were analysed from a retrospective review of 8392 structured electronic clinic letters from 1999 children accessing the paediatric disability clinics in Sunderland, north-east England, June 2007-May 2012. The numbers of health conditions (C), technology dependencies (T), family- reported issues (F) and need for round the clock care (R) were calculated and compared for those with different conditions. Results : The 699 children with intellectual disabilities (ID) compared to the 1299 without ID had significantly more: Needs overall (mean 5.81, range 1-23 with ID; mean 2.22, range 0-19 without ID) ...

Background Neurotrauma is expected to become the third leading cause of death and disability worldwide. One of these serious injuries is a traumatic brain injury. It is estimated that 10 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury yearly. Aim To assess the effect of selective brain cooling versus core cooling on achieving target temperature among patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Research hypotheses: Patients subjected to selective brain cooling method exhibit a rapid temperature reduction rate than those subjected to the core cooling method. Patients subjected to selective brain cooling method show early improvement in neurological injury severities than those subjected to the core cooling method. Study design A quasi-experimental control and study group design was conducted in this study. Method This study was conducted at Alexandria Main University Hospital namely unit I, unit II, unit III and general ICU at Smouha University Hospital. Subject: A convenience sample...

Recall bias represents a major threat to the internal validity of studies using self-reported data. It arises with the tendency of subjects to report past events in a manner that is different between the two study groups. This pattern of recall errors can lead to differential misclassification of the related variable among study subjects with a subsequent distortion of measure of association in any direction from the null, depending on the magnitude and direction of the bias. Although recall bias has largely been viewed as a common concern in case-control studies, it also has been documented as an issue in some prospective cohort and randomized controlled trial designs. The aim of this paper is to address recall bias in selective studies employing retrospective and prospective designs and present some key methodological strategies to consider in analytic research using reported data in order to avoid or minimize recall bias.

Objective. Poisoning does the most serious damages in pediatrics. In the northeast of Iran (Golestan province), opium is used widely for symptomatic therapy of routine illnesses in young children by parents. In the present study, opium toxicity was assessed in young children referred to pediatric centers in our area. Methods. This survey was done as a prospective cross-sectional study. At first, a pilot study was undertaken to estimate the condition of opium intoxicated children and evaluate the validity of questionnaire. We collected data in collaboration with committee of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) in Golestan Province. All members of ADR committee in pediatric centers were trained to complete questionnaires in referred or admitted children under-5-year. Data was entered into computer and analyzed by Chi-square and Fisher exact test. Results. In this survey, 67 opium-intoxicated children were recruited. Minimum age of the cases was 6 days and maximum 5-year. Uneducated mothers, in most cases, gave opium to the child. Most of them were from the low socio-economic level. Ethnic was disparity was observed. Four deaths occurred. As the results showed, opioids are dangerous in pediatric population, especially under 5-year. Respiratory depression, bradypnea, coma and death are the serious outcomes of opium toxicity in pediatrics. Such a practice of unrestricted use of opium contributes to children mortality and so it is essential to launch educational programs.