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A Bayesian-Inspired Item Response Theory-Based Framework to Produce Very Short Versions of MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories

Chai JH, Lo CH, Mayor J

J Speech Lang Hear Res, 2020 10 16;63(10):3488-3500.
PMID: 32897770 DOI: 10.1044/2020_JSLHR-20-00361

Purpose This study introduces a framework to produce very short versions of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs) by combining the Bayesian-inspired approach introduced by Mayor and Mani (2019) with an item response theory-based computerized adaptive testing that adapts to the ability of each child, in line with Makransky et al. (2016). Method We evaluated the performance of our approach-dynamically selecting maximally informative words from the CDI and combining parental response with prior vocabulary data-by conducting real-data simulations using four CDI versions having varying sample sizes on Wordbank-the online repository of digitalized CDIs: American English (a very large data set), Danish (a large data set), Beijing Mandarin (a medium-sized data set), and Italian (a small data set). Results Real-data simulations revealed that correlations exceeding .95 with full CDI administrations were reached with as few as 15 test items, with high levels of reliability, even when languages (e.g., Italian) possessed few digitalized administrations on Wordbank. Conclusions The current approach establishes a generic framework that produces very short (less than 20 items) adaptive early vocabulary assessments-hence considerably reducing their administration time. This approach appears to be robust even when CDIs have smaller samples in online repositories, for example, with around 50 samples per month-age.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Fulltext Vicarious Traumatization Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties Using Rasch Model and Structural Equation Modeling

Norhayati MN, Mofreh SAM, Azman YM

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 May 06;18(9).
PMID: 34066534 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18094949

Frontline healthcare providers are exposed to indirect trauma through dealing with traumatized patients. This puts them at risk of vicarious traumatization. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this study seeks to establish the psychometric properties of the Malay version of the Vicarious Traumatization Questionnaire among healthcare providers. A cross-sectional study was conducted. The translated Malay version of the Vicarious Traumatization Questionnaire was completed by 352 healthcare providers in Kelantan, Malaysia. The data was entered using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA, 2019), and descriptive analysis was performed. The psychometric properties of the scale were assessed in two phases. The Rasch model to assess the validity and reliability was performed using Winsteps version 3.72.3. The confirmatory factor analysis using the structural equation modeling was performed using AMOS version 23.0. The Rasch analysis showed that the 38 items, in two constructs, had high item reliability and item separation at 0.97 and item separation at 5.36, respectively, while good person reliability and person separation were at 0.95 and 4.58, respectively. The correlations of all persons and items are greater than 0.20. There are no misfitting or overfitting items in the outfit MNSQ. There are four items that are challenging in answering the scale. The final model of the confirmatory factor analysis shows two constructs with 38 items demonstrating acceptable factor loadings, domain to domain correlation, and best fit (Chi-squared/degree of freedom = 4.73; Tucker-Lewis index = 0.94; comparative fit index = 0.94; and root mean square error of approximation = 0.10). Composite reliability and average variance extracted of the domains were higher than 0.7 and 0.5, respectively. The Vicarious Traumatization Questionnaire tested among healthcare providers has been shown to valid and reliable to assess vicarious traumatization.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Fulltext Directionally-Enhanced Binary Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimisation for Load Balancing in Software Defined Networks

Albowarab MH, Zakaria NA, Zainal Abidin Z

Sensors (Basel), 2021 May 12;21(10).
PMID: 34065920 DOI: 10.3390/s21103356

Various aspects of task execution load balancing of Internet of Things (IoTs) networks can be optimised using intelligent algorithms provided by software-defined networking (SDN). These load balancing aspects include makespan, energy consumption, and execution cost. While past studies have evaluated load balancing from one or two aspects, none has explored the possibility of simultaneously optimising all aspects, namely, reliability, energy, cost, and execution time. For the purposes of load balancing, implementing multi-objective optimisation (MOO) based on meta-heuristic searching algorithms requires assurances that the solution space will be thoroughly explored. Optimising load balancing provides not only decision makers with optimised solutions but a rich set of candidate solutions to choose from. Therefore, the purposes of this study were (1) to propose a joint mathematical formulation to solve load balancing challenges in cloud computing and (2) to propose two multi-objective particle swarm optimisation (MP) models; distance angle multi-objective particle swarm optimization (DAMP) and angle multi-objective particle swarm optimization (AMP). Unlike existing models that only use crowding distance as a criterion for solution selection, our MP models probabilistically combine both crowding distance and crowding angle. More specifically, we only selected solutions that had more than a 0.5 probability of higher crowding distance and higher angular distribution. In addition, binary variants of the approaches were generated based on transfer function, and they were denoted by binary DAMP (BDAMP) and binary AMP (BAMP). After using MOO mathematical functions to compare our models, BDAMP and BAMP, with state of the standard models, BMP, BDMP and BPSO, they were tested using the proposed load balancing model. Both tests proved that our DAMP and AMP models were far superior to the state of the art standard models, MP, crowding distance multi-objective particle swarm optimisation (DMP), and PSO. Therefore, this study enables the incorporation of meta-heuristic in the management layer of cloud networks.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Predicting the sorption efficiency of heavy metal based on the biochar characteristics, metal sources, and environmental conditions using various novel hybrid machine learning models

Ke B, Nguyen H, Bui XN, Bui HB, Choi Y, Zhou J, et al.

Chemosphere, 2021 Aug;276:130204.
PMID: 34088091 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130204

Heavy metals in water and wastewater are taken into account as one of the most hazardous environmental issues that significantly impact human health. The use of biochar systems with different materials helped significantly remove heavy metals in the water, especially wastewater treatment systems. Nevertheless, heavy metal's sorption efficiency on the biochar systems is highly dependent on the biochar characteristics, metal sources, and environmental conditions. Therefore, this study implicates the feasibility of biochar systems in the heavy metal sorption in water/wastewater and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) models in investigating efficiency sorption of heavy metal on biochar. Accordingly, this work investigated and proposed 20 artificial intelligent models for forecasting the sorption efficiency of heavy metal onto biochar based on five machine learning algorithms and bagging technique (BA). Accordingly, support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), artificial neural network (ANN), M5Tree, and Gaussian process (GP) algorithms were used as the key algorithms for the aim of this study. Subsequently, the individual models were bagged with each other to generate new ensemble models. Finally, 20 intelligent models were developed and evaluated, including SVM, RF, M5Tree, GP, ANN, BA-SVM, BA-RF, BA-M5Tree, BA-GP, BA-ANN, SVM-RF, SVM-M5Tree, SVM-GP, SVM-ANN, RF-M5Tree, RF-GP, RF-ANN, M5Tree-GP, M5Tree-ANN, GP-ANN. Of those, the hybrid models (i.e., BA-SVM, BA-RF, BA-M5Tree, BA-GP, BA-ANN, SVM-RF, SVM-M5Tree, SVM-GP, SVM-ANN, RF-M5Tree, RF-GP, RF-ANN, M5Tree-GP, M5Tree-ANN, GP-ANN) are introduced as the novelty of this study for estimating the heavy metal's sorption efficiency on the biochar systems. Also, the biochar characteristics, metal sources, and environmental conditions were comprehensively assessed and used, and they are considered as a novelty of the study as well. For this aim, a dataset of sorption efficiency of heavy metal was collected and processed with 353 experimental tests. Various performance indexes were applied to evaluate the models, such as RMSE, R2, MAE, color intensity, Taylor diagram, box and whiskers plots. This study's findings revealed that AI models could predict heavy metal's sorption efficiency onto biochar with high reliability, and the efficiency of the ensemble models is higher than those of individual models. The results also reported that the SVM-ANN ensemble model is the most superior model among 20 developed models. The predictive model proposed that heavy metal's efficiency sorption on biochar can be accurately forecasted and early warning for the water pollution by heavy metal.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Fulltext Comparison of two different optical coherence tomography angiography devices in detecting healthy versus glaucomatous eyes - an observational cross-sectional study

Kee AR, Yip VCH, Tay ELT, Lim CW, Cheng J, Teo HY, et al.

BMC Ophthalmol, 2020 Nov 10;20(1):440.
PMID: 33167902 DOI: 10.1186/s12886-020-01701-9

BACKGROUND: To understand the differences between two different optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) devices in detecting glaucomatous from healthy eyes by comparing their vascular parameters, diagnostic accuracy and test-retest reliability.
METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was performed on healthy and glaucoma subjects, on whom two sets of OCTA images of optic disc and macula were acquired using both AngioVue (Optovue, USA) and Swept Source (Topcon, Japan) OCTA devices during one visit. A novel in-house software was used to calculate the vessel densities. Diagnostic accuracy of the machines in differentiating healthy versus glaucomatous eyes was determined using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and test-retest repeatability of the machines was also evaluated.
RESULTS: A total of 80 healthy and 38 glaucomatous eyes were evaluated. Glaucomatous eyes had reduced mean vessel density compared to healthy controls in all segmented layers of the optic disc and macula using AngioVue (p ≤ 0.001). However, glaucomatous eyes had higher mean vessel density on optic disc scans using Swept Source, with lack of statistically significant difference between healthy and glaucomatous eyes. The AUROC showed better diagnostic accuracy of AngioVue (0.761-1.000) compared to Swept Source (0.113-0.644). The test-retest reliability indices were generally better using AngioVue than Swept Source.
CONCLUSIONS: AngioVue showed better diagnostic capability and test-retest reliability compared to Swept Source. Further studies need to be undertaken to evaluate if there is any significant difference between the various machines in diagnosing and monitoring glaucoma.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Robust PPG motion artifact detection using a 1-D convolution neural network

Goh CH, Tan LK, Lovell NH, Ng SC, Tan MP, Lim E

Comput Methods Programs Biomed, 2020 Nov;196:105596.
PMID: 32580054 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2020.105596

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Continuous monitoring of physiological parameters such as photoplethysmography (PPG) has attracted increased interest due to advances in wearable sensors. However, PPG recordings are susceptible to various artifacts, and thus reducing the reliability of PPG-driven parameters, such as oxygen saturation, heart rate, blood pressure and respiration. This paper proposes a one-dimensional convolution neural network (1-D-CNN) to classify five-second PPG segments into clean or artifact-affected segments, avoiding data-dependent pulse segmentation techniques and heavy manual feature engineering.
METHODS: Continuous raw PPG waveforms were blindly allocated into segments with an equal length (5s) without leveraging any pulse location information and were normalized with Z-score normalization methods. A 1-D-CNN was designed to automatically learn the intrinsic features of the PPG waveform, and perform the required classification. Several training hyperparameters (initial learning rate and gradient threshold) were varied to investigate the effect of these parameters on the performance of the network. Subsequently, this proposed network was trained and validated with 30 subjects, and then tested with eight subjects, with our local dataset. Moreover, two independent datasets downloaded from the PhysioNet MIMIC II database were used to evaluate the robustness of the proposed network.
RESULTS: A 13 layer 1-D-CNN model was designed. Within our local study dataset evaluation, the proposed network achieved a testing accuracy of 94.9%. The classification accuracy of two independent datasets also achieved satisfactory accuracy of 93.8% and 86.7% respectively. Our model achieved a comparable performance with most reported works, with the potential to show good generalization as the proposed network was evaluated with multiple cohorts (overall accuracy of 94.5%).
CONCLUSION: This paper demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of applying blind signal processing and deep learning techniques to PPG motion artifact detection, whereby manual feature thresholding was avoided and yet a high generalization ability was achieved.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Fulltext Anatomy Education Environment Measurement Inventory (AEEMI): a cross-validation study in Malaysian medical schools

Hadie SNH, Yusoff MSB, Arifin WN, Kasim F, Ismail ZIM, Asari MA, et al.

BMC Med Educ, 2021 Jan 14;21(1):50.
PMID: 33446203 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-020-02467-w

BACKGROUND: The Anatomy Education Environment Measurement Inventory (AEEMI) evaluates the perception of medical students of educational climates with regard to teaching and learning anatomy. The study aimed to cross-validate the AEEMI, which was previously studied in a public medical school, and proposed a valid universal model of AEEMI across public and private medical schools in Malaysia.
METHODS: The initial 11-factor and 132-item AEEMI was distributed to 1930 pre-clinical and clinical year medical students from 11 medical schools in Malaysia. The study examined the construct validity of the AEEMI using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.
RESULTS: The best-fit model of AEEMI was achieved using 5 factors and 26 items (χ 2 = 3300.71 (df = 1680), P

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Translation and validation of body image instruments: An addendum to Swami and Barron (2019) in the form of frequently asked questions

Swami V, Todd J, Barron D

Body Image, 2021 Jun;37:214-224.
PMID: 33725653 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.03.002

Test adaptation - the translation and validation of source instruments for use in new social identity groups - plays a vital role in body image research. Previously, Swami and Barron (2019) developed a set of good practice recommendations and reporting guidelines for the test adaptation of body image instruments. However, a number of issues in that article were not covered in depth and new issues have emerged as a result of developments in theory and practice. Here, we offer an addendum to Swami and Barron in the form of frequently asked questions. Issues discussed in this article include various methods for achieving good translations, the appropriateness of revising instrument components prior to empirical analyses, determining the number of factors to extract in exploratory factor analyses (EFA), and the usefulness of EFA versus confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) in determining factorial validity. We also cover methods of analyses that have been infrequently utilised by body image scholars, including exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM), bifactor model analyses, and various methods for establish measurement invariance. When read as an addendum to Swami and Barron, we hope this article helps to clarify issues of importance for body image researchers interested in conducting test adaptation work.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Validation of Pictorial Mood Assessment with Ottawa Mood Scales and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Young Adults

Wong MY, Croarkin PE, Lee CK, Lee PF

Community Ment Health J, 2021 04;57(3):529-539.
PMID: 32661820 DOI: 10.1007/s10597-020-00679-4

Pictorial mood assessments reduce the barriers of age, culture, gender and language fluency in the course of psychiatric assessments. This study sought to validate the Ottawa Mood Scales, a pictorial form of mood assessment questionnaire among non-native English speaking young adults in Malaysia. Since the Ottawa Mood Scales has not been previously validated, the convergent validity of the Ottawa Mood Scales was measured against the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), an established mood assessment instrument. A total of 129 young adults (aged 18-34) were recruited and completed an online survey with the Ottawa Mood Scales and PANAS questionnaires. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the Ottawa Mood Scales has a one-dimensional structure and that a four-item model demonstrated higher reliability than the original 5-item model. Scores on the Ottawa Mood Scales items positively and significantly correlated with scores on the negative PANAS subscale, which supports the validity of the Ottawa Mood Scales in measuring the negative effect. The Cronbach's α was .793 for the four-item model of the Ottawa Mood Scales indicating acceptable reliability in this Malaysian young adult sample. It was concluded that the Ottawa Mood Scales could have utility in assessing mood disorder symptoms in young adults.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Fulltext Reliability and technical error of calf circumference and mid-half arm span measurements for nutritional status assessment of elderly Persons in Malaysia

Jamaiyah H, Geeta A, Safiza MN, Wong NF, Kee CC, Ahmad AZ, et al.

Malays J Nutr, 2008 Sep;14(2):137-50.
PMID: 22691771 MyJurnal

This study sought to examine the reliability of two measurements; Calf Circumference (CC) and Mid-half Arm Span (MHAS). A sample of 130 elderly persons aged 60 years and above seen consecutively in the Kuala Lumpur Hospital outpatient clinic during the period of December 2005 to January 2006, upon consent, were recruited to the study. There was a high degree of reliability for both inter- and intra-examiner (r close to 1). For inter-examiner, on average the CC measurements taken by the first examiner were 0.3 cm lower than that of the second examiner. The upper and lower limit of the differences were +0.4 to -0.9 cm respectively. Inter-examiner MHAS measurements on average by the first examiner were 0.2 cm lower than that of the second examiner. The limits were +1.7 to -2.1 cm. By comparison, the inter-examiner CC measurements were more reliable than the MHAS measurements. For intra-examiner, on average the CC measurements at Time 1 were consistent with Time 2 (mean difference=0) with limits of the difference at + 0.5 cm. MHAS measurements at Time 1 were on average 0.1 cm less than at Time 2 with limits at +1.7 and -1.8 cm. The technical error of measurement (TEM) and coefficient of variation of CC and MHAS for both interexaminer and intra-examiner measurements were within acceptable limits with the exception of MHAS TEM. This study suggests that CC and MHAS measured in elderly persons 60 years and above, using Seca Circumference Tape ® 206, Germany (0.05 cm) are reliable and can be used in a community survey.

Study site: Outpatient clinic, Hospital Kuala Lumpur

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Development and validation of novel scales to determine pharmacist's care for herbal and dietary supplement users

Wahab MSA, Sakthong P, Winit-Watjana W

Res Social Adm Pharm, 2020 04;16(4):475-487.
PMID: 31255476 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.06.014

BACKGROUND: The factors associated with the provision of pharmacist's care (PCare) for herbal and dietary supplement (HDS) users are multidimensional. These factors should be investigated to assess the needs for community pharmacists (CPs) to provide the service. However, at present, there are no validated and reliable theory-based instruments to measure the factors.
OBJECTIVES: The study aims to develop and validate scales (direct and indirect) based on a modified Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to measure factors associated with the provision of PCare for HDS users by Thai CPs.
METHOD: Item generation for the scales was based on the theoretical constructs of the modified TPB framework, literature review, and authors' previous qualitative study. Draft items were then subjected to content validity and face validity. Psychometric testing was carried out among CPs in Bangkok, Thailand. Refinement of the scales utilized factor analysis and validity was assessed using factor analysis and Rasch analysis. Internal consistency reliability and construct reliability were used to assess the scales' reliability.
RESULTS: Initially, the direct and indirect scales contained 15 and 28 items, respectively and were reduced to 12 and 16 items, after experts' review. Factor analysis further reduced the number of items of the indirect scale to 13. For both scales, confirmatory factor analysis showed model-data fit. Each construct of the direct scale was significant predictors of intention. Moreover, each construct of the direct scale correlated positively and significantly with the respective construct of the indirect scale, signifying concurrent validity. No misfit item was identified in the Rasch analysis and the majority of items were invariant across gender. Internal consistency reliability and construct reliability of the scales were acceptable.
CONCLUSION: This study presents the development and validation of theoretically-grounded scales to measure the factors associated with the provision of PCare for HDS users by Thai CPs.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Fulltext A Review of Gelatin Source Authentication Methods

Hameed AM, Asiyanbi-H T, Idris M, Fadzillah N, Mirghani MES

Trop Life Sci Res, 2018 Jul;29(2):213-227.
PMID: 30112151 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/tlsr2018.29.2.15

Gelatin is a very popular pharmaceutical and food ingredient and the most studied ingredient in Halal researches. Interest in source gelatin authentication is based on religious and cultural beliefs, food fraud prevention and health issues. Seven gelatin authentication methods that have been developed include: nucleic acid based, immunochemical, electrophoretic analysis, spectroscopic, mass-spectrometric, chromatographic-chemometric and chemisorption methods. These methods are time consuming, and require capital intensive equipment with huge running cost. Reliability of gelatin authentication methods is challenged mostly by transformation of gelatin during processing and close similarities among gelatin structures. This review concisely presents findings and challenges in this research area and suggests needs for more researches on development of rapid authentication method and process-transformed gelatins.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Fulltext Reliability of the pressure indicating film for occlusal force analysis: a pilot study

Idris R.I, Tasri, N,I, Yusof, S.F., Lim, T.W., Shoji, Y.

Compendium of Oral Science, 2019;6(1):9-14.
MyJurnal

Objective: : The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of the pressure indicating film in measuring pressure exerted on it with and without Polyethylene (PE) sleeve as infection control purposes, and to analyze the pressure produced with its software for occlusal force study. Materials and Methods: The optimization of the pressure indicating film for occlusal force analysis commenced with the design and calibration of this sheet. The film was designed into horseshoe shape to suit the shape of maxillary and mandibular arches. The calibration was initiated with 5 different types of pressure which were 15 MPa, 25 MPa, 30 MPa, 35 MPa and 45 MPa exerted on two groups of the film: (i) with PE sleeve and (ii) without PE sleeve. Three readings were recorded for each group and mean value was documented. Then, the films were calibrated by its software for pressure analysis. Results: There was no significance difference found between the film with and without PE sleeve during the calibration stage (P>0.05). In all groups of pressure, there was no significant difference documented between pressure exerted and read out value. Conclusion: The results suggested that the film can be used for occlusal force analysis and improvement of the film with addition of PE sleeve for hygienic purpose is suitable to form the basis of clinical occlusal forces study.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
A comparison of different standard-setting methods for professional qualifying dental examination

Abd-Rahman ANA, Baharuddin IH, Abu-Hassan MI, Davies SJ

J Dent Educ, 2021 Jul;85(7):1210-1216.
PMID: 33792052 DOI: 10.1002/jdd.12600

BACKGROUND: The outcome of assessments is determined by the standard-setting method used. Standard setting is the process of deciding what is good enough. A cutoff score of 50% was commonly used in dental schools in Malaysia. This study aims to compare the conventional, norm-referenced, and modified-Angoff standard-setting methods.
METHODS: The norm-referenced method of standard setting was applied to the real scores of 40 final-year dental students on a multiple-choice question (MCQ), a short answer question (SAQ), and an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). A panel of 10 judges set the standard using the modified-Angoff method for the same paper in one sitting. One judge set the passing score of 10 OSCE questions after 2 weeks. A comparison of the grades and pass/fail rates derived from the absolute standard, norm-referenced, and modified-Angoff methods was made. The intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities of the modified-Angoff method were assessed.
RESULTS: The passing rate for the absolute standard was 100% (40/40), for the norm-referenced method it was 62.5% (25/40), and for the modified-Angoff method it was 80% (32/40). The modified-Angoff method had good inter-rater reliability of 0.876 and excellent test-retest reliability of 0.941.
CONCLUSION: There were significant differences in the outcomes of these three standard-setting methods, as shown by the difference in the proportion of candidates who passed and failed the assessment. The modified-Angoff method was found to have good reliability for use with a professional qualifying dental examination.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Development and Validation of the Asia-Pacific Proximal Colon Neoplasia Risk Score

Wong MCS, Rerknimitr R, Lee Goh K, Matsuda T, Kim HS, Wu DC, et al.

Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2021 01;19(1):119-127.e1.
PMID: 31923642 DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2019.12.031

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients found to be at high risk of advanced proximal neoplasia (APN) after flexible sigmoidoscopy screening should be considered for colonoscopy examination. We developed and validated a scoring system to identify persons at risk for APN.
METHODS: We collected data from 7954 asymptomatic subjects (age, 50-75 y) who received screening colonoscopy examinations at 14 sites in Asia. We randomly assigned 5303 subjects to the derivation cohort and the remaining 2651 to the validation cohort. We collected data from the derivation cohort on age, sex, family history of colorectal cancer, smoking, drinking, body mass index, medical conditions, and use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or aspirin. Associations between the colonoscopic findings of APN and each risk factor were examined using the Pearson χ2 test, and we assigned each participant a risk score (0-15), with scores of 0 to 3 as average risk and scores of 4 or higher as high risk. The scoring system was tested in the validation cohort. We used the Cochran-Armitage test of trend to compare the prevalence of APN among subjects in each group.
RESULTS: In the validation cohort, 79.5% of patients were classified as average risk and 20.5% were classified as high risk. The prevalence of APN in the average-risk group was 1.9% and in the high-risk group was 9.4% (adjusted relative risk, 5.08; 95% CI, 3.38-7.62; P < .001). The score included age (61-70 y, 3; ≥70 y, 4), smoking habits (current/past, 2), family history of colorectal cancer (present in a first-degree relative, 2), and the presence of neoplasia in the distal colorectum (nonadvanced adenoma 5-9 mm, 2; advanced neoplasia, 7). The c-statistic of the score was 0.74 (95% CI, 0.68-0.79), and for distal findings alone was 0.67 (95% CI, 0.60-0.74). The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test statistic was greater than 0.05, indicating the reliability of the validation set. The number needed to refer was 11 (95% CI, 10-13), and the number needed to screen was 15 (95% CI, 12-17).
CONCLUSIONS: We developed and validated a scoring system to identify persons at risk for APN. Screening participants who undergo flexible sigmoidoscopy screening with a score of 4 points or higher should undergo colonoscopy evaluation.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Validation of a 'Work Readiness Scale' for health professional (HP) graduates

Syed Aznal SS, Nadarajah VDV, Kwa SK, Seow LL, Chong DW, Molugulu N, et al.

Med Teach, 2021 Jul;43(sup1):S33-S38.
PMID: 31854254 DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2019.1697434

BACKGROUND: There is a continuing concern about how graduate work readiness (WR) reflects on the success of universities meeting the requirements of employment. This study is to establish a valid and reliable instrument measuring WR in health professions (HP) graduates of medicine, pharmacy and dentistry.
METHODS: The study from March 2016 to April 2017 was conducted to validate the 'Work Readiness Scale' (WRS; Deakin University) using Principal Component Analysis and Cronbach - α for internal consistency. It was modified to a four-item even-point scale and distributed as an online survey to 335 final year students of the three programs.
RESULTS: A reduction from 64 to 53 items provided good internal consistency in all factors: WC 0.85, OA 0.88, SI 0.88 and PC 0.71. The PC domain had the greatest item reduction from 22 to 6, whilst the SI domain increased in items from 8 to 19. These changes may be associated with difference in understanding or interpretation of the items in the SI domain.
CONCLUSION: The modified WRS can be used to evaluate job readiness in HP graduates. However, it needs further refinement and validation in specific educational and employment contexts.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Dimensionality and psychometric properties of an Italian translation of the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2): An assessment using a bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling framework

Swami V, Maïano C, Todd J, Ghisi M, Cardi V, Bottesi G, et al.

Appetite, 2021 11 01;166:105588.
PMID: 34224761 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105588

The construct of intuitive eating is most often measured using the 23-item Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2), but previous studies have typically relied solely on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to understand IES-2 dimensionality. In contrast, a bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling (B-ESEM) framework offers a more realistic account of IES-2 multidimensionality. Here, we assessed the psychometric properties of a novel Italian translation using a combination of exploratory factor analysis and B-ESEM. A total of 950 adults completed the IES-2 alongside measures of positive body image, disordered eating, and psychological well-being. Results indicated that a 4-factor B-ESEM model had adequate fit to the data and that fit was improved when the correlated uniqueness of seven negatively worded IES-2 items was accounted for. This model of IES-2 scores showed adequate internal consistency and good test-retest reliability up to three weeks. Evidence of construct validity was good in terms of a global IES-2 factor, and broadly supported in terms of its specific-factors. These results highlight the utility of a B-ESEM framework for understanding the dimensionality of IES-2 scores and may help scholars better understand the extent to which the IES-2 adequately operationalises the construct of intuitive eating.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Psychometric properties of the adapted Malay Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire 6.0 (EDE-Q 6.0) among university students in Malaysia

Mohd Taib N, Abdul Khaiyom JH, Fauzaman J

Eat Behav, 2021 08;42:101533.
PMID: 34182294 DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101533

The "Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire" (EDE-Q) is a cost-effective eating disorder (ED) screening tool that has a significant relationship with the gold standard "Eating Disorder Examination" (EDE) interview. Though it has been widely used for clinical and research purposes, there is a dearth of effort to establish psychometric properties of the latest EDE-Q 6.0 in the Malaysian sample. The extant study adapted and validated EDE-Q 6.0 on Malaysian university's student population (N = 595) from a public university in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Four factors of Restraint, Shape and Weight Concerns, Eating Concerns, and Shape/Weight Overvaluation were constituted from exploratory factor analysis. Still, they failed to indicate apparent replication of the original English EDE-Q 6.0. Malay EDE-Q 6.0 exhibited high internal consistency reliability (α = 0.93), acceptable test-retest reliability over 14 days, and acceptable equivalence reliability of its items with the original English version items. The Malay EDE-Q 6.0 global and subscales scores attained acceptable validity with the global scores of Malay EAT-26 (another ED scale) as evidence of convergent validity and with quality of life (QoL) scale for divergent validity. Accordingly, the adapted EDE-Q 6.0 Malay version is considered a valid and reliable instrument for assessing eating disorder psychopathology among Malaysian university students.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Fulltext Patient-centered infertility questionnaire for female clients (PCIQ-F): part I: questionnaire development

Webair HH, Ismail TAT, Ismail SB, Khaffaji AJ, Hussain NHN, Kadir AA, et al.

BMC Med Res Methodol, 2021 09 20;21(1):188.
PMID: 34544388 DOI: 10.1186/s12874-021-01376-w

BACKGROUND: Patient-centered care is an essential component of health care quality. To achieve patient-centered care, health care authorities should have a clear definition and an applicable tool to measure the extent of its application. The real concept of patient centeredness should be developed by the patients themselves. We aimed to demonstrate a way to develop a draft Arabic patient-centered infertility care (PCIC) questionnaire for females clients following practical steps that address women with infertility.
METHODS: An iterative process of questionnaire development was undertaken by combining two approaches: the steps proposed by Robert F. DeVellis for scale development and the recommended practices for questionnaire development and testing in the European statistical system. We attempted to develop the draft questionnaire that involved conceptualization and operationalization, generation of an item pool, development of the questionnaire format, review of the initial item pool by experts, and consideration of validation items for inclusion.
RESULTS: We generated an item pool from in-depth interviews with 14 women who sought infertility care within 6 months before the interview time. We then added more items from a literature review. The item pool contained 123 items distributed through 10 domains. Ten women with infertility were included for face validation. Then, experts with backgrounds in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Family Medicine, and Public Health reviewed the item pool using content validation (n = 10 professors and/or specialists). The item pool was finally reduced to 57 items. We developed the draft Arabic patient-centered infertility care questionnaire for female clients (PCIQ-F) with three sections, including 66 items: background variables, PCIC experience variables, and a general question about the quality of infertility care in the health facility. The draft questionnaire was further reviewed and edited last by experts in preparation for part 2, which will test the questionnaire and prepare the final version.
CONCLUSION: The PCIQ-F questionnaire development is a multi-step iterative process started and ended by the target users as experts. Experts' participation in infertility care and in questionnaire format development had a great impact on questionnaire development and conflict resolution. We recommend this transparent and replicable approach for new instrument developers; it is likely to generate a questionnaire that is valid and acceptable to target users. The draft PCIQ-F questionnaire is ready for testing of its psychometric properties before the final version to measure the PCIC level in health facilities.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results
Psychometric Evaluation of the Persian Version of Religious Orientation Scale in Iranian Patients with Cancer

Sharif Nia H, She L, Fomani FK, Kaur H, Sánchez-Teruel D, Froelicher ES, et al.

J Relig Health, 2021 Oct;60(5):3658-3674.
PMID: 34423379 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-021-01384-6

This paper reports on the psychometric properties of the Religious Orientation Scale (ROS) with a sample of 311 Iranian patients who were suffering from cancer between September and December 2020. A cross-sectional study design was used, and convenience sampling was employed. Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, and average inter-item correlation. The exploratory factor analysis showed that the ROS had 15 items and two factors (religious identity and personal identity) that explained 43.2% of the total variance of religious orientation in Iranian patients with cancer. Construct validity was assessed by means of confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency and composite reliability were acceptable. The results indicate that the ROS can produce reliable and valid data on religious orientation in a sample of Iranian patient with cancer.

Matched MeSH terms: Reproducibility of Results

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