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Abstract This article reports new methodology for cross-cultural exploration of psychometric properties of a four-dimensional hierarchical love scale. We collected data from 2831 participants from nine regional locations from six countries and assessed their responses to the love scale as well as several other love feelings. We applied a new methodological approach using recently advanced statistical methods to the comparison of forty love attitudes underscoring four distinct latent attitudes associated with love to another person in romantic relationships across these samples. The results demonstrate the importance of measurement invariance tests for cross-cultural comparison of scores on love scales. To properly assess measurement invariance, we suggest five statistical procedures, which we investigated in this study: (1) making corrections for acquiescence and extreme response biases; (2) taking into consideration cultural uniqueness in how participants respond to the measures, which may contribute to poor model fit; (3) accounting for such cultural uniqueness to make cross-cultural comparisons more valid; (4) removing items, which substantially contribute to poor model fit; and (5) shortening the subscales when scoring and analyzing the data. The results of the studies propose two shortened versions (33 and 30 items) of the love scale as two cross-culturally valid and invariant alternatives to the original 40-item scale.

Liquid perfluorocarbon nanodroplets (NDs) are an attractive alternative to microbubbles (MBs) for ultrasound-mediated therapeutic and diagnostic applications. ND size and size distribution have a strong influence on their behaviour in vivo, including extravasation efficiency, circulation time, and response to ultrasound stimulation. Thus, it is desirable to identify ways to tailor the ND size and size distribution during manufacturing. In this study phospholipid-coated NDs, comprising a perfluoro-n-pentane (PFP) core stabilised by a DSPC/PEG40s (1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and polyoxyethylene(40)stearate, 9:1 molar ratio) shell, were produced in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) by sonication. The effect of the following production-related parameters on ND size was investigated: PFP concentration, power and duration of sonication, and incorporation of a lipophilic fluorescent dye. ND stability was also assessed at both 4 °C and 37 °C. When a sonication pulse of 6 s and 15% duty cycle was employed, increasing the volumetric concentration of PFP from 5% to 15% v/v in PBS resulted in an increase in ND diameter from 215.8 ± 16.8 nm to 408.9 ± 171.2 nm. An increase in the intensity of sonication from 48 to 72 W (with 10% PFP v/v in PBS) led to a decrease in ND size from 354.6 ± 127.2 nm to 315.0 ± 100.5 nm. Increasing the sonication time from 20 s to 40 s (using a pulsed sonication with 30% duty cycle) did not result in a significant change in ND size (in the range 278–314 nm); however, when it was increased to 60 s, the average ND diameter reduced to 249.7 ± 9.7 nm, which also presented a significantly lower standard deviation compared to the other experimental conditions investigated (i.e., 9.7 nm vs. > 49.4 nm). The addition of the fluorescent dye DiI at different molar ratios did not affect the ND size distribution. NDs were stable at 4 °C for up to 6 days and at 37 °C for up to 110 min; however, some evidence of ND-to-MB phase transition was observed after 40 min at 37 °C. Finally, phase transition of NDs into MBs was demonstrated using a tissue-mimicking flow phantom under therapeutic ultrasound exposure conditions (ultrasound frequency: 0.5 MHz, acoustic pressure: 2–4 MPa, and pulse repetition frequency: 100 Hz).

This article comprehensively reviews the major components and dimensions of love that researchers operationalized in psychometric scales throughout recent decades. The Quadrangular Love Theory (QLT) synthesizes the achievements of psychometrics of love and demonstrates – theoretically and empirically - that they are grouped in four umbrella love dimensions: Compassion and Affection, which characterize the feelings toward a partner, and Closeness and Commitment, which characterize the feelings regarding a relationship. To test this theory, the authors developed the Quadrangular Love Scale (QLS) and explored its construct validity and psychometric properties in two studies utilizing various samples. Study 1 (N = 592) generally supported convergent and discriminant validities and internal reliability of the four dimensions. Study 2 (N = 584) provided additional support to the discriminant validity of QLS in terms of personality traits as predictors of major love feelings and love attitudes as typological differences of experiencing these feelings.

People use numerous metaphors to describe God. God is seen as a bearded man, light, and love. Based on metaphor theories, the metaphors people use to refer to God reflect how people think about God and could, in turn, reflect their worldview. However, little work has explored the common metaphors for God. This was the purpose of the current investigation. Four trained raters coded open-ended responses from predominantly Christian U.S. undergraduates (N = 2,923) describing God for the presence or absence of numerous metaphoric categories. We then assessed the frequency of each of the metaphor categories. We identified 16 metaphor categories that were present in more than 1% of the responses. The top categories were "GOD IS POWER," "GOD IS HUMAN," and "GOD IS MALE." These findings were similar across religious affiliations. We attempted to support our coding analysis using top-down and bottom-up automated language analysis. Results from these analyses provided added confidence to our conclusions. We discuss the implications of our findings and the potential for future studies investigating important psychological and behavioral outcomes of using different metaphors for God.