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This study investigated the readability level of second-grade secondary school scientific stream Chemistry and Physics textbooks in Jordan, determining the effect of gender on the degree of readability, in addition to knowing the order of the textbooks according to the degree of their readability in both books. The current study was conducted to determine the readability level of chemistry and physics textbooks by involving 300 second-grade secondary school students of the public schools affiliated with the Directorate of Education, Jordan. Four Cloze tests were prepared from different topics of both textbooks to measure their readability. The test included four texts with 20 words omitted from each text, and the texts were presented in the same format as in the textbooks, with clear instructions provided for the students. A pilot sample outside the study sample was administered with the test-retest method to confirm the reliability of the four tests for both textbooks. The findings revealed that physics textbooks had a higher level of readability than chemistry textbooks. A significant difference (p≤0.05) was observed based on the type of textbook in the readability of chemistry and physics textbooks. The scientific texts in the chemistry textbook were ordered in light of their readability level. In contrast, the scientific texts in the physics textbook were not ordered in light of their readability level. The study concluded that the readability level of Jordanian Chemistry and Physics textbooks of the second grade of the scientific stream differed significantly (p≤0.05). The study recommends that the Jordan Ministry of Education should appoint a panel of experts to review the textbooks and make the necessary changes to improve their readability level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Text Summarization models facilitate biomedical clinicians and researchers in acquiring informative data from enormous domain-specific literature within less time and effort. Evaluating and selecting the most informative sentences from biomedical articles is always challenging. This study aims to develop a dual-mode biomedical text summarization model to achieve enhanced coverage and information. The research also includes checking the fitment of appropriate graph ranking techniques for improved performance of the summarization model. The input biomedical text is mapped as a graph where meaningful sentences are evaluated as the central node and the critical associations between them. The proposed framework utilizes the top k similarity technique in a combination of UMLS and a sampled probability-based clustering method which aids in unearthing relevant meanings of the biomedical domain-specific word vectors and finding the best possible associations between crucial sentences. The quality of the framework is assessed via different parameters like information retention, coverage, readability, cohesion, and ROUGE scores in clustering and non-clustering modes. The significant benefits of the suggested technique are capturing crucial biomedical information with increased coverage and reasonable memory consumption. The configurable settings of combined parameters reduce execution time, enhance memory utilization, and extract relevant information outperforming other biomedical baseline models. An improvement of 17% is achieved when the proposed model is checked against similar biomedical text summarizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online reviews significantly influence decision-making in many aspects of society. The integrity of internet evaluations is crucial for both consumers and vendors. This concern necessitates the development of effective fake review detection techniques. The goal of this study is to identify fraudulent text reviews. A comparison is made on shill reviews vs. genuine reviews over sentiment and readability features using semi-supervised language processing methods with a labeled and balanced Deceptive Opinion dataset. We analyze textual features accessible in internet reviews by merging sentiment mining approaches with readability. Overall, the research improves fake review screening by using various transformer models such as Bidirectional Encoder Representation from Transformers (BERT), Robustly Optimized BERT (Roberta), XLNET (Transformer-XL) and XLM-Roberta (Cross-lingual Language model-Roberta). This proposed research extracts and classifies features from product reviews to increase the effectiveness of review filtering. As evidenced by the investigation, the application of transformer models improves the performance of spam review filtering when related to existing machine learning and deep learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is well-known, but perhaps not well documented, that after the first democratic elections in 1994, South African education was declared standard. However, poverty is widespread in rural-based schools, which negatively impacts the development of quality education for learners. This is attributed to the unique challenges that learners in rural-based schools face that affect their quality of education. Apart from inadequate state funding, insufficient resources, and underqualified teachers, learners are faced with poor reading and writing in foreign languages such as English. Furthermore, teaching language incorporating music as a supportive tool has been neglected. Music can be a powerful tool for language teaching for several reasons. This has become a significant contributor and barrier to effective education. Objective: Therefore, from this background, this article aims to discuss the effectiveness of music education in developing and fostering reading and writing in rural-based schools. Method: A qualitative research method was used embedded within content analysis of existing scholarly writings. Results: Framed within music learning theory, the findings of this article reveal that music education plays an essential role in improving the readability of learners, especially in ruralbased schools. Conclusion: This article concludes by affirming that music education is essential in developing and fostering the reading and writing of languages such as English in rural-based schools. However, this calls for the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to provide a proper music infrastructure in rural-based schools. Contribution: This article provides new insight about the role of music education in improving reading and writing for learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Language differences and health literacy limit former refugees' access to health education messages and thus their success in achieving improvements in health behaviours. Method: A suite of simple oral health education resources consisting of dual Arabic/English language pamphlets suited to the needs of Syrian former refugees were co-developed, and feedback was provided by nine focus groups of former refugees. Results: Thirty-nine former refugees resettled in Dunedin, New Zealand provided their feedback. The majority of participants thought these were useful, easy to read, and worthwhile. Major themes included novelty and usefulness, clarity (language/readability) and cultural appropriateness, layout, graphics and format, alternative methods, and venues for distribution. The research confirmed the value of tailoring information to be targeted to specific populations. When treating resettled former refugees, health care providers should deliver information in a way that considers culture, language, education, and background of their clients. Conclusion: Although the participants considered the resources developed in this study to be appropriate and helpful, further research must investigate whether a change in behaviour will result from their utilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although proponents of extensive reading (ER) have recommended easy reading material, book difficulty has been poorly defined and operationalized in previous studies. The present study argues for the use of perceived text difficulty for operationalizing book difficulty based on empirical findings (Holster et al., 2017), reading purposes in ER, and the importance of readers' perspectives. A total of 162 Japanese English-as-a-foreign-language university students rated the difficulty of 15 texts excerpted from graded readers (GRs). The data were analyzed by conducting a many-facet Rasch analysis (Linacre, 1989; Rasch, 1960/1980), where a rating scale model (Andrich, 1978) was tested with persons, texts, and graded readers' levels as the facets of measurement. The results revealed that perceived text difficulty could not replicate the stated difficulty level provided by the GR publisher, reinforcing the necessity of examining perceived text difficulty in ER research and practice in the second and foreign language classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Auditory processing disorder (APD) is due to the deficits in perceptual processing of acoustic information in the auditory system, characterized by poor speech perception of noise, regardless of normal hearing. The variability in speech function of APD children can be partly explained by changes in the encoding of spectro-temporal modulations (STMs) which have been overlooked, despite their significance. Given that enhancing STM sensitivity and its processing can be an appropriate way to improve the listener's ability to retrieve and integrate speech segments covered by noise, we decided to evaluate the effects of STM-based auditory training on speech perception in noise and the reliability of this training in children with APD. Methods: Thirty-five children with APD (8-12 years old) were randomly divided into the training (n=17) and control groups (n=18) to evaluate the effectiveness and reliability of STM training on speech in noise perception. The intervention group was trained to detect STM by 120 trials every day for ten days. The STM detection thresholds and speech perception in noise were evaluated before and immediately after the finalization of formal training sessions in both groups. To address the training reliability, the tests were repeated one month after practice in the training group. Results: Following the completion of STM auditory training, the trained APD children improved notably in STM detection tasks and speech in noise tests (P<0.05). The posttraining progress of STM detection thresholds and consonant-vowel in the noise test was preserved for one month after training (P>0.05), but the word in the noise test, especially in the right ear, was not retained (P<0.05). Discussion: Auditory spectro-temporal modulation training can lead to better processing of STM modulation. Its effects can be generalized to higher-order processing, such as speech perception in noise. Auditory training based on STM processing enhancement can play an essential role in improving speech comprehension in the noise abilities of children with APD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online patient education materials (OPEMs) are an increasingly popular resource for women seeking information about breast cancer. The AMA recommends written patient material to be at or below a 6th grade level to meet the general public's health literacy. Metrics such as quality, understandability, and actionability also heavily influence the usability of health information, and thus should be evaluated alongside readability. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to determine: 1) Average readability scores and reporting methodologies of breast cancer readability studies; and 2) Inclusion frequency of additional health literacy-associated metrics. A registered systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase.com , CENTRAL via Ovid, and ClinicalTrials.gov in June 2022 in adherence with the PRISMA 2020 statement. Eligible studies performed readability analyses on English-language breast cancer-related OPEMs. Study characteristics, readability data, and reporting of non-readability health literacy metrics were extracted. Meta-analysis estimates were derived from generalized linear mixed modeling. The meta-analysis included 30 studies yielding 4462 OPEMs. Overall, average readability was 11.81 (95% CI [11.14, 12.49]), with a significant difference (p < 0.001) when grouped by OPEM categories. Commercial organizations had the highest average readability at 12.2 [11.3,13.0]; non-profit organizations had one of the lowest at 11.3 [10.6,12.0]. Readability also varied by index, with New Fog, Lexile, and FORCAST having the lowest average scores (9.4 [8.6, 10.3], 10.4 [10.0, 10.8], and 10.7 [10.2, 11.1], respectively). Only 57% of studies calculated average readability with more than two indices. Only 60% of studies assessed other OPEM metrics associated with health literacy. Average readability of breast cancer OPEMs is nearly double the AMA's recommended 6th grade level. Readability and other health literacy-associated metrics are inconsistently reported in the current literature. Standardization of future readability studies, with a focus on holistic evaluation of patient materials, may aid shared decision-making and be critical to increased screening rates and breast cancer awareness. • Average readability was 11.81, twice the recommended AMA 6th grade reading level. • Readability studies measure and report readability with variable methodologies. • Many readability studies (40%) do not measure additional health literacy metrics. • Standardizing readability studies may improve evaluation and usability of OPEMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the readability, understandability, and actionability of online patient education materials (OPEM) related to breast cancer risk assessment. We queried seven English-language search terms related to breast cancer risk assessment: breast cancer high-risk, breast cancer risk factors, breast cancer family history, BRCA, breast cancer risk assessment, Tyrer-Cuzick, and Gail model. Websites were categorized as: academic/hospital-based, commercial, government, non-profit or academic based on the organization hosting the site. Grade-level readability of qualifying websites and categories was determined using readability metrics and generalized estimating equations based on written content only. Readability scores were compared to the recommended parameters set by the American Medical Association (AMA). Understandability and actionability of OPEM related to breast cancer high-risk were evaluated using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) and compared to criteria set at ≥70%. Descriptive statistics and inter-rater reliability analysis were utilized. 343 websites were identified, of which 162 met study inclusion criteria. The average grade readability score was 12.1 across all websites (range 10.8–13.4). No website met the AMA recommendation. Commercial websites demonstrated the highest overall average readability of 13.1. Of the 26 websites related to the search term breast cancer high-risk, the average understandability and actionability scores were 62% and 34% respectively, both below criteria. OPEM on breast cancer risk assessment available to the general public do not meet criteria for readability, understandability, or actionability. To ensure patient comprehension of medical information online, future information should be published in simpler, more appropriate terms. • The average grade readability score of breast cancer risk assessment online education materials was 12.1 • No website met the AMA recommendation of a sixth-grade reading level. • To ensure patient comprehension, future information should be published in simpler, more appropriate terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood otitis media with effusion (OME) is a frequent disease often misunderstood by parents. Information on the Internet is of variable quality and readability. The aim of this study was to measure the quality and readability of French websites related to OME. An advanced Google search was conducted using the terms "Otite séro-muqueuse OR Otite séreuse". Quality was assessed on DISCERN criteria. Readability was assessed using Flesch Reading Ease Scoring (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) and a Fry graph. Medians and standard deviations were calculated. Correlation between quality and readability was assessed on Spearman r coefficient. The first ten websites meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were evaluated. One had been updated during the last 12 months. Median DISCERN score was 49 ± 13.7/80. Median FRES score was 46 ± 9.5/100. Median USA grade-level estimated by FKGL and SMOG respectively was 11 ± 1.7 and 12 ± 1.5. Six websites had Fry score > 12. One website showed high quality. One had a readability score in the target range (below 9th grade reading level (age 14–15)) according to FRES and FKGL. A suggestive correlation was found between lower SMOG readability and higher quality: r = 0.72 (P = 0.024). Three websites followed the most recent scientific guidelines. Online information about OME was of variable quality and readability. Good quality information tended to be less easily understandable by parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this pilot study, we developed and assessed acceptability of a brochure for women with dense breasts. We measured Flesch-Kincaid Readability of 22 existing breast density educational materials. We then developed a brochure and tested it in two populations of women: 44 safety net hospital patients and 13 Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium stakeholders. Average grade score of existing materials was 10.0 (range: 5.5–12.7). Our brochure had a grade score of 5.9, and patients reported it was easy to understand. Our plain language brochure could improve patient understanding following mandatory dense breast notification. • Readability of 22 existing breast density educational materials was assessed. • Guided by patient advocates, we developed a print breast density educational brochure. • Brochure acceptability was assessed in focus groups and an online discussion group. • Existing educational materials had low readability. • Our brochure had high readability and can be used to support women with dense breasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics)-based biotechnology module equipped with flash animation for learning biology in high school. This research was conducted in a high school, involving 32 students of Year XII. The research design was the design model for development of R2D2 with one group pretestposttest design as effectiveness tests. This study utilized a learning design, biotechnology modules equipped with flash animation, instrument testing, validation sheet and questionnaire as research instruments. Data validation and the questionnaire results were then converted into qualitative data into a category. The effectiveness test data were analyzed using the N gain. The results of the validation material, media and users indicated that the module was valid with the final score of 89.85. Students' responses to the module in terms of readability, clarity of presentation, the attractiveness and usefulness of the results were in very good category (81.2%). The effectiveness test showed that result of post-test greater than pre-test and the value of N gain were in the high category (0.72). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perceived quality of a document is affected by various factors, including grammaticality, readability, stylistics, and expertise depth, making the task of document quality assessment a complex one. In this paper, we explore this task in the context of assessing the quality of Wikipedia articles and academic papers. Observing that the visual rendering of a document can capture implicit quality indicators that are not present in the document text -- such as images, font choices, and visual layout -- we propose a joint model that combines the text content with a visual rendering of the document for document quality assessment. Our joint model achieves state-of-the-art results over five datasets in two domains (Wikipedia and academic papers), which demonstrates the complementarity of textual and visual features, and the general applicability of our model. To examine what kinds of features our model has learned, we further train our model in a multi-task learning setting, where document quality assessment is the primary task and feature learning is an auxiliary task. Experimental results show that visual embeddings are better at learning structural features while textual embeddings are better at learning readability scores, which further verifies the complementarity of visual and textual features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers insights on writing clinical trial summaries in plain language. Topics discussed include the presentation of clinical research through the patients' view, the employment of simple writing and more words to translate medical terms into everyday language, and patient education communication which has a different set of techniques. Also noted are samples of medical jargon and their suggested plain-language translation.

Editors of English are typically met with expectations to make a quick fix of documents that need more radical changes than authors think. As editors, we should convey how we work to improve readability, and either adjust or gain acceptance for our approach. Next steps are to identify and discuss illogical, ambiguous content, check grammatical issues in the writer's first language that are different in English, and anything that deviates from clear, concise, consistent, well-formed prose, focused on the research question. A good way of communicating effectively with authors is to give reasons for suggested changes, and ideally, to name the problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior to this project, no patient lay summary (PLS) had ever been developed locally in Japan. In order to create a PLS that is more tailored to local patients, we attempted to develop one in and for Japanese. Such PLS was drafted based on the disclosed summary of the clinical study report. We took a composite approach in refining the PLS by researching on lay language and patientfriendly designs. At the same time, we ensured scientific accuracy through consultation with experts such as physicians and statisticians, practised diligence on regulatory and legal aspects, and incorporated patient's voice by consulting a local patient advocacy group. We successfully created a PLS in the Japanese language for the first time, which was more patient centric than those translated from another language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading assessment should cover reading micro skills as well as the students' order of thinking. The development of reading test that describes quality of reading performance, in large scale assessment is well established. However, less attention has been directed towards the development of reading test using multiple choice which ranges from lower to higher order of thinking levels. This paper reports on a recent project to define the construct of reading test which accommodate the order of thinking levels. The authors discuss how the processes of theoretical construct definition, together with empirical analysis of test taker performance are used to underpin the development of the test. Methodologies utilized in the project included expert judgment, text readability analysis, and item analysis. Based on the results, the findings can inform decisions about how best to account the reading micro skills of the students' performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea that education in America is deteriorating is emotionally charged and controversial. While there is no disputing that education levels in the United States continue to rise, there is also a pervasive notion that this was accomplished by gradually reducing the readability level and general difficulty of textbooks. One tool often employed in the defense of education is the employment of readability indices in the evaluation of textbooks. There are a variety of these readability indices that serve the purpose of indicating a grade level for a particular piece of writing (Kinkaid, et. al., 1975). It’s relatively easy to find dozens of sites where a teacher or interested person can submit text or a URL with the purpose of finding out the reading level expressed as a grade level for a particular piece of text. Most sites report on five different indices: Automated Readability Index, Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kinkaid Score, Gunning-Fogg Index, and SMOG Index (Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook). This paper addresses these indices, their applications, and the drawbacks of their use.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Optometry is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: How caregivers contribute to positive or negative outcomes for left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patients remains unclear. Our primary study objectives were to (1) identify caregiver support attributes through a retrospective chart review of social workers' psychosocial assessments for LVAD patients and (2) determine how these attributes associated with patients' post-LVAD placement mortality and Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support-defined morbidity events.Methods and Results: We retrospectively reviewed and recorded social workers' clinical assessments of adult patients implanted with durable continuous-flow LVADs as bridge to transplant, destination therapy, or bridge to decision from January 2010 to December 2014. Associations between caregiver characteristics and patient mortality and morbidity events were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards regression. Patient follow-up time was calculated as the time from hospital discharge until the earliest among death with LVAD, transplant, or the last day of the study (December 31, 2015). Patients were censored for death with LVAD at the time of transplant or the last day of the study. A total of 96 LVAD recipients were included in this study. Having a caregiver who understands the severity of the illness and options available to the patient (as determined and documented by the social worker; P=0.01), a caregiver who has identified a backup plan (P=0.02), and a caregiver who is able to provide logistical support (P=0.04) significantly mitigated risk of death. The risk of death for an LVAD patient was also significantly lower among those who have at least 1 adult child who lives within 50 miles (P=0.03) and those who have an extended family who can care for the patient (P=0.03). The risk of death was 3.1× more likely among patients who live alone compared with those who do not live alone (P=0.04). No caregiver characteristics were significantly associated with morbidity.Conclusions: This exploratory, hypothesis-generating study suggests that mortality after LVAD placement is impacted by caregiver understanding of patient severity of illness and caregiver presence. This study provides initial evidence to support further work in understanding the associations between caregivers and LVAD patients, as well as interventions that may improve patient outcomes.Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02248974. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As of 2021, 89% of the Australian population are active internet users. Although the internet is widely used, there are concerns about the quality, accuracy, and credibility of health-related websites. A 2015 systematic assessment of infant feeding websites and apps available in Australia found that 61% of websites were of poor quality and readability, with minimal coverage of infant feeding topics and lack of author credibility.Objective: We aimed to systematically assess the quality, interactivity, readability, and comprehensibility of information targeting infant health behaviors on websites globally and provide an update of the 2015 systematic assessment.Methods: Keywords related to infant milk feeding behaviors, solid feeding behaviors, active play, screen time, and sleep were used to identify websites targeting infant health behaviors on the Google search engine on Safari. The websites were assessed by a subset of the authors using predetermined criteria between July 2021 and February 2022 and assessed for information content based on the Australian Infant Feeding Guidelines and National Physical Activity Recommendations. The Suitability Assessment of Materials, Quality Component Scoring System, the Health-Related Website Evaluation Form, and the adherence to the Health on the Net code were used to evaluate the suitability and quality of information. Readability was assessed using 3 web-based readability tools.Results: Of the 450 websites screened, 66 were included based on the selection criteria and evaluated. Overall, the quality of websites was mostly adequate. Media-related sources, nongovernmental organizations, hospitals, and privately owned websites had the highest median quality scores, whereas university websites received the lowest median score (35%). The information covered within the websites was predominantly poor: 91% (60/66) of the websites received an overall score of ≤74% (mean 53%, SD 18%). The suitability of health information was mostly rated adequate for literacy demand, layout, and learning and motivation of readers. The median readability score for the websites was grade 8.5, which is higher than the government recommendations (Conclusions: Quality, content, readability, and interactivity of websites promoting health behaviors during infancy ranged between poor and adequate. Since the 2015 systematic assessment, there was a slight improvement in the quality of websites but no difference in the Suitability Assessment of Materials rating and readability of information. There is a need for researchers and health care providers to leverage innovative web-based platforms to provide culturally competent evidence-based information based on government guidelines that are accessible to those with limited English proficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects millions of people worldwide, and a core component of management of the condition is self-management. The internet is an important source of health information for many people. However, the content of websites regarding treatment recommendations for PAD has not been fully evaluated.Objective: This study aimed to assess the credibility, accuracy, and comprehensiveness of websites found via a common search engine, by comparing the content to current guidelines for treatment and management of PAD and intermittent claudication (IC).Methods: A review of websites from hospitals, universities, governments, consumer organizations, and professional associations in the United States and the United Kingdom was conducted. Website recommendations for the treatment of PAD and IC were coded in accordance with the guidelines of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the American Heart Association (AHA). Primary outcomes were website credibility (4-item Journal of the American Medical Association benchmark), website accuracy (in terms of the percentage of accurate recommendations), and comprehensiveness of website recommendations (in terms of the percentage of guideline recommendations that were appropriately covered). Secondary outcomes were readability (Flesch-Kincaid grade level) and website quality (Health On the Net Foundation's code of conduct).Results: After screening, 62 websites were included in this analysis. Only 45% (28/62) of websites met the credibility requirement by stating they were updated after the NICE guidelines were published. Declaration of authorship and funding and the presence of reference lists were less commonly reported. Regarding accuracy, 81% (556/685) of website recommendations were deemed accurate on following NICE's and the AHA's recommendations. Comprehensiveness was low, with an average of 40% (25/62) of guideline treatment recommendations being appropriately covered by websites. In most cases, readability scores revealed that the websites were too complex for web-based consumer health information.Conclusions: Web-based information from reputable sources about the treatment and management of PAD and IC are generally accurate but have low comprehensiveness, credibility, and readability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the deficiencies of readability formulae as reliable tools for measuring text readability in educational settings, this study aims to offer a new measure to improve the current methods of testing the readability levels of texts through the incorporation of the newly-developed concept of emotioncy. To this end, a group of 221 students were selected from the 2nd to 4th grades of an elementary school. They were given a passage from a 5th grade textbook whose readability was measured by Flesch and Fog indices. The students were asked to fill out an 8-item emotioncy scale along with a difficulty-finding item. One-way ANOVA and correlational analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings indicated that learners' comprehension increases as a result of an increase in their emotioncy levels. In the end, the results were discussed and some suggestions were made to employ emotioncy in measuring readability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses a moving windows self-paced reading task to assess text comprehension of beginning and intermediate-level simplified texts and authentic texts by L2 learners engaged in a text-retelling task. Linear mixed effects (LME) models revealed statistically significant main effects for reading proficiency and text level on the number of text-based propositions recalled: More proficient readers recalled more propositions. However, text level was a stronger predictor of propositional recall than reading proficiency. LME models also revealed main effects for language proficiency and text level on the number of extra-textual propositions produced. Text level, however, emerged as a stronger predictor than language proficiency. Post-hoc analyses indicated that there were more irrelevant elaborations for authentic texts and intermediate and authentic texts led to a greater number of relevant elaborations compared to beginning texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the trend of declining readability of biomedical research articles. Topics include the importance of open access to readable manuscripts for lay public and scientific specialists, ways to improve readability of biomedical journals through better teaching of writing skills and better supervision of postgraduate students, and formulas and online tools to help physicians, researchers, and writers.

Copyright of Ilkogretim Online is the property of Ilkogretim Online and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Authors are urged to write clearly, concisely and convincingly, but this can be difficult to achieve if they are unaware that they are using longwinded phrases, convoluted language and excessive hedging, also called "dead wood". In this article, I provide some examples of how dead wood can be removed to improve readability. I also provide a sample exercise that readers can use to practice removing dead wood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents tips for writings on how to write address. It states the need to consider the street name in the form of abbreviations. It notes writing the name of the district or major post office and state name. It mentions that readability and memorability are ensured if writers use one or two addresses.

Objective: The Columbia– Suicide Severity Rating Scale has become the gold standard for the assessment of suicidal ideation and behavior in clinical trials. Criticism of the instrument has been mounting. We examine whether the instrument meets widely accepted psychometric standards and maps to the United States Food and Drug Administration’s most recent 2012 algorithm for assessment of suicidal phenomena. Our goal is to determine if the Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale should be retained as the preferred instrument for assessment of suicidal ideation and behavior. Method: Standard psychometric criteria dictate that categorizations to avoid type I and type II errors should be comprehensive and address the full spectrum (i.e., all dimensions) of a phenomenon. The criteria should also be well defined and consistent, and the wording throughout should be unambiguous. We examine the Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale in terms of these criteria. Results: The Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale does not address the full spectrum of suicidal ideation or behavior. As a result, it has the potential to miss many combinations of suicidal ideation and behavior that present to clinicians in practice (type II error). Potential misclassifications (type I and II errors) are compounded by flawed navigation instructions; mismatches in category titles, definitions, and probes; and wording that is susceptible to multiple interpretations. Further, the Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale in its current form does not map to the 2012 Food and Drug Administration’s draft classification algorithm for suicidal ideation and behavior. Conclusion: The evidence suggests that the Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale is conceptually and psychometrically flawed and does not map to the Food and Drug Administration’s new standards. A new gold standard for assessment of suicidality may be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Text readability refers to the ability of the reader to understand and comprehend a given text. In this research, we present our approach to develop an automatic readability index for the Arabic language: Automatic Arabic Readability Index (AARI), using factor analysis. Our results are based on more than 1196 Arabic texts extracted from the Jordanian curriculum in the subjects of: Arabic language, Islamic religion, natural sciences, and national and social education for the elementary classes (first grade through tenth grade). We conduct a comparison study to support our model using cluster analysis and Support Vector Machines (SVM). In order to facilitate the usage of our Arabic readability index, we developed two applications to compute the Arabic text readability: A standalone application and an add-on for Microsoft Word text processer. Through our presented research results and developed tools, we aim to improve the overall readability of Arabic texts, especially those targeted towards the younger generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of clarity in contract documents can lead to disputes between contracting parties. Standard form contracts have evolved due to construction business becoming increasingly complex and the difficulty in drafting bespoke conditions of contract for each project. Numerous advantages have been identified in using standard forms of contract. However, clients often modify some clauses in order to include specific requirements for a project. While the consequences of ill-modifications to standard forms have been researched, no study has been done on the impact of these modifications on the clarity and readability of the document. Using 281 modified clauses from large infrastructure projects implemented in Sri Lanka, this study found that on balance modifications generally make the document more difficult to read; 60% of the sample clauses were more difficult to read compared to 40% becoming easier. More than 50% of the original and modified clauses were still at the 'very difficult' level of readability, which requires the equivalent of post-graduate level to understand. The study contends that modifications have not resulted in improved readability. The study highlights the necessity of clear and plain language when modifying contract documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plain language summaries (PLSs) are intended to provide readers with a clear, nontechnical, and easily understandable overview of medical and scientific literature; however, audience preferences for specific PLS formats have yet to be fully explored.Objective: This study aims to evaluate the preferred readability level and format for PLSs of medical research articles of different disease states via a web-based survey of audiences of different age groups.Methods: Articles describing phase III clinical trials published in top-level, peer-reviewed journals between May 2016 and May 2018 were identified for 3 chronic disease states representing a range of adult patient age groups: (1) psoriasis, a skin disease representative of younger patients; (2) multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurological disease representative of middle-aged patients; and (3) rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a painful joint disease representative of older patients. Four PLSs were developed for each research article, of which 3 were text-only summaries (written with high, medium, and low complexity) and 1 was an infographic. To evaluate each of the 4 PLS formats, a 20-question open survey (specific to one of the 3 diseases) was sent to a representative sample selected via UK-based patient association websites, Twitter, and Facebook patient groups. A weighted-average calculation was applied to respondents' ranked preferences for each PLS format.Results: For all 3 articles, the weighted-average preference scores showed that infographic (psoriasis 2.91, MS 2.71, and RA 2.78) and medium-complexity text-based PLS (reading age 14-17 years, US Grade 9-11; psoriasis 2.90; MS 2.47; RA 2.77) were the two most preferred PLS formats.Conclusions: Audience preferences should be accounted for when preparing PLSs to accompany peer-reviewed original research articles. Oversimplified text can be viewed negatively, and graphical summaries or medium-complexity text-based summaries appear to be the most popular.Plain Language Summary: Patients and caregivers should have the chance to read about medical research in a format they can understand. However, we do not know much about the formats that people with different illnesses or ages prefer. Researchers wanted to find out more about this. They selected 3 medical articles about illnesses that affect different age groups: psoriasis (younger patients), multiple sclerosis (middle-aged patients), and rheumatoid arthritis (older patients). They created 4 summaries of each article. One was a graphical summary, and the other 3 were words-only summaries of high, medium, and low complexity. Then, the researchers posted surveys on UK patient group websites and Facebook patient groups to ask people what they thought of the summaries. The surveys were taken by 167 people. These people were patients with psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, or rheumatoid arthritis, or their caregivers. Most were women, and about half had a university degree. For each illness, most people preferred the graphical summary. Among the word-only summaries, most people preferred the medium-complexity wording written for a reading age of 14 to 17 years. People felt that the graphical and medium-complexity summaries were clear and concise, while the others used jargon or were too simple. Authors of medical articles should remember these results when writing summaries for patients. More research is needed about the preferences of other people, such as those with other illnesses. (See Multimedia Appendix 1 for the graphical summary of the plain language summary.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is a highly proatherogenic lipid fraction that is a clinically significant risk modifier. Patients wanting to learn more about Lp(a) are likely to use online patient educational materials (OPEMs). However, the readability of OPEMs may exceed the health literacy of the public.Objective: This study aims to assess the readability of OPEMs related to Lp(a). We hypothesized that the readability of these online materials would exceed the sixth grade level recommended by the American Medical Association.Methods: Using an online search engine, we queried the top 20 search results from 10 commonly used Lp(a)-related search terms to identify a total of 200 websites. We excluded duplicate websites, advertised results, research journal articles, or non-patient-directed materials, such as those intended only for health professionals or researchers. Grade level readability was calculated using 5 standard readability metrics (automated readability index, SMOG index, Coleman-Liau index, Gunning Fog score, Flesch-Kincaid score) to produce robust point (mean) and interval (CI) estimates of readability. Generalized estimating equations were used to model grade level readability by each search term, with the 5 readability scores nested within each OPEM.Results: A total of 27 unique websites were identified for analysis. The average readability score for the aggregated results was a 12.2 (95% CI 10.9798-13.3978) grade level. OPEMs were grouped into 6 categories by primary source: industry, lay press, research foundation and nonprofit organizations, university or government, clinic, and other. The most readable category was OPEMs published by universities or government agencies (9.0, 95% CI 6.8-11.3). The least readable OPEMs on average were the ones published by the lay press (13.0, 95% CI 11.2-14.8). All categories exceeded the sixth grade reading level recommended by the American Medical Association.Conclusions: Lack of access to readable OPEMs may disproportionately affect patients with low health literacy. Ensuring that online content is understandable by broad audiences is a necessary component of increasing the impact of novel therapeutics and recommendations regarding Lp(a). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the language exploitation for the children story books and provides systemic strategies to improve language exposition quality for better quality of its readability. The study uses thirty children story books which are distinguished as narratives. The study reveals that all the stories have the three obligatory discourse units including complication, orientation, and resolution.

Although content is obviously important for effective documents, the look of a document is also important. If you want someone to read a document, it should be pleasant to look at, and if you want the document to be used, the information should be easy to find. This can be accomplished by following the principles of 'writing visually'. These principles include making pages open and inviting to the reader, using clear text styles, and employing lists, tables, and illustrations to explain complicated processes and relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pharmacy Practice (1886-3655) is the property of Centro de Investigaciones y Publicaciones Farmaceuticas S.L. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Pharmacy Practice (1886-3655) is the property of Centro de Investigaciones y Publicaciones Farmaceuticas S.L. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In view of the constant complaints of teachers of communicative skills (English for academic purposes) in Ghanaian universities about the unreadable nature of the essays of first year students of Ghanaian universities, an analyses of the readability of the essays of first year students of Ghanaian universities was conducted using University of Cape Coast as a case study. Two hundred and eighty students were selected across four (4) programmes of study namely Business, Arts, Science and Education. The selected students were made to write an easy on the topic, "Ways of Conserving Electric Energy in the Various Halls of residence of the University of Cape Coast". Electronic forms of the essays were collected and fed to a computer. Using Microsoft word (2007) version, A FleschKincaid Reading Ease analyses of the essays were run. With the aid of SPSS (version 16) frequencies and percentages of the Flesch-Kincaid readability scores were obtained. Other statistical tools like levene's test of equality of variance, a One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and t-test were used. The study revealed that essays of first year level hundred students of Ghanaian universities are largely difficult to comprehend. Also gender and programmes of study do not significantly influence the readability of essays of first year Ghanaian university students. Several recommendations were made to improve the readability of first year students' essay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the suitability and readability of printed educational materials for patients with hypertension in Korea. Methods: A total of 33 written educational materials related to hypertension were collected from public health centers, hospitals, and internet web site. Among them, we analyzed 19 materials which fit the inclusion criteria: leaflets (n=9), booklets (n=3), and guide book (n=7). Two trained nurses evaluate the materials using suitability assessment tool (SAM; Doak, Doak, & Root, 1996) and graded lexical items for teaching Korean (Kim, 2003). Results: Overall, 14 (73.7%) of 19 materials scored adequate, and 5 (26.3%) scored inadequate. On the average, the education materials contained 36.1% to 50.5% of 1st grade reading level words and 12.9% to 21.6% of 4th grade level and over. Conclusion: The reading level of the materials was higher than a 6th grade reading level. It is proposed that the written educational materials should be developed by health professionals according to suitability and quality by taking the target group's literacy capacity into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Texts are routinely simplified for language learners with authors relying on a variety of approaches and materials to assist them in making the texts more comprehensible. Readability measures are one such tool that authors can use when evaluating text comprehensibility. This study compares the Coh-Metrix Second Language (L2) Reading Index, a readability formula based on psycholinguistic and cognitive models of reading, to traditional readability formulas on a large corpus of texts intuitively simplified for language learners. The goal of this study is to determine which formula best classifies text level (advanced, intermediate, beginner) with the prediction that text classification relates to the formulas' capacity to measure text comprehensibility. The results demonstrate that the Coh-Metrix L2 Reading Index performs significantly better than traditional readability formulas, suggesting that the variables used in this index are more closely aligned to the intuitive text processing employed by authors when simplifying texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the application of social informatics principles in the field of information science to develop a collaborative evidence based approach grounded in shared workplace. It is stated that a rationale for the library leadership approach is depicted in layers to increase readability and are aimed at encouraging creativity and collectivity to foster a robust learning environment. The leadership model is based on the belief that active learning environments are based in systems thinking of which advances understanding of organisational parts and their interrelations.

The article discusses the linguistics of newspaper advertising in Nigeria. Topics discussed include the history of newspaper advertising in Africa, characteristics of language that contribute to successful advertising including attention value, readability and memorability, and linguistic devices being used in newspaper advertising which include alliteration, ideophones and acronyms. Other linguistic devices in advertising include deixis, personification and orthographic modification.

Background: Although the informed consent process is supposed to help potential research participants make informed and voluntary decisions about participating in research, little is known about how participants react to language in the informed consent document and whether their reactions are related to their willingness to enroll in clinical trials. We examined the relationship between patients' reactions to standard informed consent language and their willingness to participate in a hypothetical clinical trial.Methods and Results: We simulated the consent process for a hypothetical cardiology clinical trial with 470 patients in an outpatient cardiovascular medicine clinic at a large academic medical center. We analyzed the spontaneous comments and questions that participants made during the interviews about each section of the informed consent document. Few participants made positive comments. Participants made the most negative comments about the sections on risks, study purpose or protocol, and payment for injury. Having a negative reaction to any section was associated with a lower likelihood of participating in the clinical trial. Using a multivariable model, we found that negative reactions in the patient rights, financial disclosure, and confidentiality sections predicted willingness to participate (P<0.001).Conclusions: Recognizing elements of informed consent that elicit questions and concerns from potential research participants may help investigators design clinical research trials and model language in a way that reduces concerns or increases participant understanding, thereby enhancing informed consent for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Observatorio (OBS*) is the property of OberCom and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Health care organizations are tasked with providing web-based health resources and information. Usability refers to the ease of user experience on a website. In this study, we conducted a usability analysis of academic medical centers in the United States, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been previously carried out.Objective: The primary aims of the study were to the following: (1) adapt a preexisting usability scoring methodology to academic medical centers; (2) apply and test this methodology on a sample set of academic medical center websites; and (3) make recommendations from these results on potential areas of improvements for our sample of academic medical center websites.Methods: All website usability testing took place from June 1, 2020, to December 15, 2020. We replicated a methodology developed in previous literature and applied it to academic medical centers. Our sample included 73 US academic medical centers. Usability was split into four broad categories: accessibility (the ability of those with low levels of computer literacy to access and navigate the hospital's website); marketing (the ability of websites to be found through search engines and the relevance of descriptions to the links provided); content quality (grammar, frequency of information updates, material relevancy, and readability); and technology (download speed, quality of the programming code, and website infrastructure). Using these tools, we scored each website in each category. The composite of key factors in each category contributed to an overall "general usability" score for each website. An overall score was then calculated by applying a weighted percentage across all factors and was used for the final "overall usability" ranking.Results: The category with the highest average score was technology, with a 0.82 (SD 0.068, SE 0.008). The lowest-performing category was content quality, with an average of 0.22 (SD 0.069, SE 0.008). As these numbers reflect weighted percentages as an integer, the higher the score, the greater the overall usability in that category.Conclusions: Our data suggest that technology, on average, was the highest-scored variable among academic medical center websites. Because website functionality is essential to a user's experience, it is justified that academic medical centers invest in optimal website performance. The overall lowest-scored variable was content quality. A potential reason for this may be that academic medical center websites are usually larger in size, making it difficult to monitor the increased quantity of content. An easy way to improve this variable is to conduct more frequent website audits to assess readability, grammar, and relevance. Marketing is another area in which these organizations have potential for improvement. Our recommendation is that organizations utilize search engine optimization techniques to improve their online visibility and discoverability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Checking for readability or simplicity of texts is important for many institutional and individual users. Formulas for approximately measuring text readability have a long tradition. Usually, they exploit surface-oriented indicators like sentence length, word length, word frequency, etc. However, in many cases, this information is not adequate to realistically approximate the cognitive difficulties a person can have to understand a text. Therefore we use deep syntactic and semantic indicators in addition. The syntactic information is represented by a dependency tree, the semantic information by a semantic network. Both representations are automatically generated by a deep syntactico-semantic analysis. A global readability score is determined by applying a nearest neighbor algorithm on 3,000 ratings of 300 test persons. The evaluation showed that the deep syntactic and semantic indicators lead to promising results comparable to the best surface-based indicators. The combination of deep and shallow indicators leads to an improvement over shallow indicators alone. Finally, a graphical user interface was developed which highlights difficult passages, depending on the individual indicator values, and displays a global readability score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We first advocate that the AUML (Agent Unified Modeling Language) notation, even in its new version, is not precise enough to adequately describe protocols. This problem was long identified by Harel and we propose to follow his solution: extend sequence diagrams with a “prechart”, i.e. single out the initiation sequence of the protocol. This new notation keeps readability and intuition, but is also technically adequate and is given a formal semantics. It actually is a form of simple temporal logics, equipped with a game-based semantics, which is appropriate for modeling agent-based systems. We then go on to study its complexity. Unsurprisingly, the version with protocol roles is undecidable. The main interesting problem is to synthesize agents that follow the protocol described. Surprisingly, it is undecidable even if we remove roles, alternatives, loops, asynchronous communication, conditions, constraints, negations (already removed in AUML). The complexity of checking whether a society of agents obeys a protocol given in this trivial notation is also surprisingly high: it is PSPACE-complete, like temporal logic, while we show that this simple language is strongly less expressive than temporal logic. Notations in-between have the expected increase in expressiveness, but no increase in complexity. This justifies the use of a language including alternatives, asynchronous communication and conditions, since it increases expressiveness with no cost in complexity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]