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The apps for drawing are present in our children's life. Nevertheless, little is known about the impact of mobile technology on the freehand drawing educational activity. There are few works which are contextualised within short periods of time, with teachers who are not theirs and, in some cases, outside the children's classroom. In this paper, we are focussed on the use of technology on freehand drawing activity. Thus, we have compared the graphics produced by 4- and 5-year-old children with paper&crayon in comparison with those with tablet-finger. Children made the drawings during a planned free-drawing activity, in their ordinary classrooms, with their teachers and during five sessions. Assessment of drawings has evidenced tablet feasibility for making graphics. Nevertheless, with the passing of time, quality of graphics (tablet-finger vs paper&crayons), are nearly matched, demonstrating the low impact level technology has on this activity. In addition, if drawings are analysed specifically according to ages, results have shown that both groups have to develop adaptation strategies of visual perceptual skills and fine motor skills for the touch screen in order to obtain the same quality in the drawings made on both support types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appropriate paper-based technology (APT) is used to provide postural support for children with cerebral palsy (CP) in low-resourced settings. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the impact of APT on the children's and families' lives. A convenience sample of children with CP and their families participated. Inclusion was based on the Gross Motor Function Classification System levels IV and V. APT seating or standing frames were provided for six months. A mixed methods impact of APT devices on the children and families included the Family Impact Assistive Technology Scale for Adaptive Seating (FIATS-AS); the Child Engagement in Daily Life (CEDL) questionnaire; and a qualitative assessment from diary/log and semi-structured interviews. Ten children (median 3 years, range 9 months to 7 years). Baseline to follow-up median (IQR) FIATS-AS were: 22.7 (9.3) and 30.3 (10.2), respectively (p=.002). Similarly mean (SD) CEDL scores for "frequency" changed from 30.5 (13.2) to 42.08 (5.96) (p=.021) and children's enjoyment scores from 2.23 (0.93) to 2.91 (0.79) (p=.019). CEDL questionnaire for self-care was not discriminatory; seven families scored zero at both baseline and 6 months. Qualitative interviews revealed three key findings; that APT improved functional ability, involvement/interaction in daily-life situations, and a reduced family burden of care. APT devices used in Kenyan children with non-ambulant CP had a meaningful positive effect on both the children's and their families' lives. Assistive devices are often unobtainable for children with cerebral palsy (CP) in low-income countries. APT is a low cost and sustainable solution to make seating and standing devices for disabled children in Kenya. The regular use of a postural support device enhanced the children's motor skills, ability to function and participate in everyday activities, reduced the burden of care for the families and promoted the children's social interaction. The postural support devices were highly valued and utilised by the children and families in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Users' experiences in mental health assessment are multifaceted, including their emotional experiences. Yet, studies of mobile apps for psychiatric assessment have centered on diagnostic accuracy and perceived usability, with little consideration of the impact of user emotional experiences. In this study, we focused on users' perceived usability and emotions and compared the user experience of a paper-and-pencil and an app-based collection of mental health screening questionnaires: EarlyDetect. The System Usability Scale (SUS) and modality-directed emotion questionnaires were administered using paper-and-pencil or iPad. Modality was assigned pseudo-randomly on patients' first visit at a referral-based mental health clinic. We found that patients assigned to the iPad app reported a significantly higher SUS score than patients assigned to paper-and-pencil, qualified by a modality-by-gender interaction where modality effects were significant for men but not for women. Moreover, enjoyment was positively linked to perceived usability, whereas boredom, frustration, and anxiety were negatively linked to usability. Our findings illustrate the added value of studying user experience applied to psychiatric assessments, where both emotions and gender-specific user experience should be taken into consideration. We further discuss the implications for psychiatric assessments via app versus traditional data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-clinic follow-up to assess completion of medical abortion is no longer a requirement according to World Health Organization guidance, provided adequate counselling is given. However, timely recognition of ongoing pregnancy, complications or incomplete abortion, which require treatment, is important. As part of a larger trial, this study aimed to establish whether women having a medical abortion could self-assess whether their abortion was complete using an automated, interactive questionnaire on their mobile phones. All 469 participants received standard abortion care and all returnees filled in a self-assessment on paper at clinic follow-up 2–3 weeks later. The 234 women allocated to receive the phone messages were also asked to do a mobile phone assessment at home ten days post-misoprostol. Completion of the mobile assessment was tracked by computer and all completed assessments, paper and mobile, were compared to providers’ assessments at clinic follow-up. Of the 226 women able to access the mobile phone assessment, 176 (78%) completed it; 161 of them (93%) reported it was easy to do so. Neither mobile nor paper self-assessments predicted all cases needing additional treatment at follow-up. Prediction of complete procedures was good; 71% of mobile assessments and 91% of paper assessments were accurate. We conclude that an interactive questionnaire assessing completion of medical abortion on mobile phones is feasible in the South African setting; however, it should be done later than day 10 and combined with an appropriate pregnancy test to accurately detect incomplete procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: The results indicate that electrogustometry and the filter paper disc method are reliable methods to measure taste with a high degree of reproducibility. Objectives: To thoroughly evaluate the reliability of electrogustometry and the filter paper disc method for taste assessments. Methods: Thirty-nine healthy test persons without any history of chronic middle ear disease, aged between 27 and 62 years, were recruited. In all, 772 electrogustometry and 30 filter paper disc assessments were made. A nerve decay test was performed, with measures taken before and after eating sweet, sour, bitter, salt, a mild or spicy meal, after smoking, and after taking Swedish tobacco snuff (''snus''), as well as before and after local anesthesia of the tongue. Measurements were performed on 5 consecutive days and repeatedly during 1 day. The correlation between electrogustometry and the filter paper disc method was also studied. Results: The results indicate that electrogustometry and the filter paper disc method are reliable methods to measure taste with a high degree of reproducibility. The only actions causing significant changes in the electrogustometry readings were eating bitter a substance and having local anesthesia of the tongue. The correlation between the methods was statistically significant except for the bitter flavor, where the correlation was just below the level of significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the preferred viewing distance and character size for an electronic paper display for three age groups. Proofreading speed and accuracy ratio were measured during Chinese proofreading tests using the preferred character size and minimum acceptable character size. Data analysis showed that the mean preferred viewing distance for young, middle-aged and older groups was 503, 455 and 444 mm, respectively. The mean preferred character size determined by young, middle-aged and older groups was 42.0, 50.0 and 55.2 min arc, respectively. The proofreading test results indicated that the older group proofread significantly more slowly (1.25word/sec) than the young (1.76 word/sec) and middle-aged groups (1.74 word/sec). Further, the participants proofread more correctly with their preferred character size (73.3%) than with their minimum acceptable character size (65.4%). This study provides valuable information for the design of Chinese text presentations for various agegroups. Statement of Relevance: This study confirmed the preferred viewing distance and character size for E-paper display were influenced by age. The preferred Chinese character size for young, middle-aged and older people was 42, 50 and 55 min arc, respectively. Therefore, the age factor should be considered for E-paper displays design and video display terminal (VDT) guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool is a common patient reported outcome used to assess those with Chronic Ankle Instability. However, paper versions of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool have only been assessed for reliability purposes. The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement and reliability of a digital version of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool-Digital. Sixty-eight participants with a history of ankle sprain(s) were recruited to participate in this study. Participants completed a paper version of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool and a digital version then returned one week later and completed them again. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Kappa coefficients were used to determine the agreement between the paper and digital versions as well as test-retest reliability between the two time periods. The digital version showed excellent reliability (ICC = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.89–0.96) with the paper version. The test-retest reliability between testing sessions was considered good (ICC = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.77–0.92). A majority of individual items on the digital version demonstrated substantial agreement (κ = 0.60–0.81) with the paper version. A digital version of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool demonstrated good to excellent psychometric properties. Clinicians who utilize a digital version as part of an electronic medical record system can utilize them confidently to accurately assess patients with Chronic Ankle Instability. Future studies may want to consider assessing a digital version with expanded clinical and research populations. The digital version of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool demonstrated adequate psychometric properties. The digital version of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool can be considered a reliable instrument for the assessment of Chronic Ankle Instability. A digital version of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool can provide automated scoring and quick administration for clinicians in a rehabilitation setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilingual language development is different from monolingual language development. The lack of appropriate assessment tools geared to the bilingual population has led to inaccurate over-diagnosis of bilingual children with typical language development (TLD) as children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and under-diagnosis of bilingual children with DLD. The present paper addresses this challenge by focusing on Hebrew as a second language (L2) of bilingual preschool children whose first language (L1) is either English or Russian, taking into consideration both chronological age (CA) and age of onset of bilingualism (AOB). This study aimed to generate bilingual standards for a monolingual screening test, Goralnik Screening Test for Hebrewby arriving at appropriate bilingual typical development cut-off points. A total of 443 bilingual Hebrew speaking children (397 with TLD and 46 with DLD), ages 61–78 months (M = 70; SD = 4), 199 with L1 English and 244 with L1 Russian, took part in the study. The results demonstrate low diagnostic accuracy when a monolingual test with monolingual norms is used for bilingual children, in contrast with increased diagnostic accuracy when bilingual standards are used for bilingual children. The paper concludes by showing the importance of bilingual standards when assessing clinical populations with varying ages of acquisition, and in particular, for those who were exposed to their second language after the age of four. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health conditions are a significant global health concern. To address this concern, sport settings are increasingly being viewed as environments in which to support individual mental health and wellbeing. Not all sports settings are, however, conducive to supporting mental health. Efforts to improve mental health in sport settings are likely to be less effective if the club culture, policy, and environment do not promote behaviors known to support mental health. Understanding the extent to which sport clubs offer environments conducive to mental health and wellbeing is important for mental health initiatives targeting sport clubs. Currently and to our knowledge, there is no known instrument that captures member/participant perceptions of how supportive the sport setting is regarding mental health and wellbeing. This study explored the content validity, internal construct validity and external construct validity of the Supporting Mental Health in Sport Instrument (SMHSI) intended to measure the extent to which sport clubs provided a supportive environment for mental health promotion. A process of reliability analysis, principal component analysis and Rasch analysis was conducted confirming the psychometric fit of the items to the overall construct. The instrument could distinguish between two sport club environments providing different levels of mental health support, demonstrating external construct validity. The instrument can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the sport club context to support mental health, to identify suitable club targets for mental health programs, to better determine training needs, or to better understand the impact of mental health programs on wider club contexts. Lay summary: Mental health promotion in sport clubs is becoming increasingly popular. The effectiveness of these promotion efforts may be compromised by the contexts in which they are delivered. This paper describes the properties of the Supporting Mental Health in Sport Instrument designed to measure the contextual support for the promotion of mental health in sport clubs. This instrument can be used by sport organizations and researchers to measure the extent to which sport club environments are supportive of the mental wellbeing of members and identify suitable targets for mental health programs. Mental health organizations looking to use sport club settings to deliver mental health interventions can use the instrument to tailor their mental health programs and resources as well as better understand the context in which their intervention is being delivered. Organizations and researchers looking to promote mental health in sport club settings can use the instrument to determine the impact of programs on the wider sporting context. Organizations and researchers can direct scarce funding and resources toward supporting sport clubs that demonstrate greatest need in relation to improving their culture and environment to better support mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether U.S./Mexico border residence in California is related to the prevalence of DSM-5 alcohol use disorder (AUD) among Whites and Hispanics. Household survey data were obtained from 1,209 adults (59.7% female) 18 to 39 years of age resident in four counties in California: Imperial on the U.S./Mexico border; and Kern, Tulare, and Madera in California's Central Valley. Households were selected using a list assisted sample, with data collected on the phone or online. Results show that AUD rates were not different between border and non-border location and between Whites and Hispanics. AUD was negatively associated with higher income ($20,000 to $60,000: AOR=.38; 95%CI=.17–.86; p<.01—more than $60,000: AOR=.27; 95%CI:.09–.81; p<.01) and poor risk perception (AOR=.86; 95%CI=.78–.94; p<.01). AUD was positively associated with continued volume of drinking (AOR = 1.05; 95%CI = 1.01–1.09; p<.01), drinking in Mexico (AOR = 4.28; 95%CI = 1.61–11.36; p<.01), marijuana use (AOR = 4.11; 95%CI = 1.73–9.77; p<.01), and impulsivity (AOR = 1.55; 95%CI = 1.23–1.94). Efforts to prevent AUD in the population in California, and especially among those who live close to the border with Mexico, should take into consideration factors such as impulsivity, marijuana use, border crossing to drink in Mexico, all of which increased risk of AUD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore alcohol consumption among older Norwegian adults with symptoms of cognitive decline, assess the agreement between the reports of older adults and their next of kin regarding a person's alcohol consumption, and explore clinical and sociodemographic variables associated with agreement. Alcohol consumption was measured among 3608 older adults consulting specialist health care for symptoms of cognitive decline. Agreement between the participant and their next of kin regarding the participant's alcohol consumption was assessed with a weighted kappa (κ). A logistic regression analysis for hierarchical data was used to explore variables associated with agreement. Both the participants and their next of kin reported that more than 20% of the participants consumed alcohol 1–3 times a week, and that approximately 10% consumed alcohol four or more times a week. The agreement between the participant's and their next of kin's report regarding the participant's alcohol consumption was high (κ =.852), and variables associated with agreement were no cognitive decline, not drinking alcohol during the last year or ever as reported by the participant, and low agitation scores on a psychiatric assessment. This paper found alcohol consumption among older adults with symptoms of cognitive decline that was above the national average in Norway. This is also the first paper to demonstrate that a next of kin can be a reliable source of information regarding older adults' alcohol consumption. Health personnel should consider these findings when performing medical assessments or developing interventions for older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assistive technologies have allowed people with disabilities to perform daily tasks with greater independence and autonomy, especially for visually impaired people. Using smart home solutions allows these users to control their homes with less cognitive and physical demand. However, making such applications accessible to meet the needs of visually impaired users, especially in developing countries, remains a challenge. This paper investigates the perceptions of these users about home automation technologies through semi-structured interviews. A total of 20 visually impaired people participated in the interviews. A thematic analysis revealed results concerning the following themes: (1) how people go about their lives at home and around, how people interact with current appliances, objects and environments, (3) how people perceive their attitude to technologies, (4) the Brazilian context of smart homes, (5) what people think smart homes should do and (6) envisaging ways of interacting with smart home systems. The results obtained provide significant insight into the needs of visually-impaired people in Brazil, with analysis of issues that are common with previous studies in more developed countries and specific issues that have important particularities and implications in Brazil and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

User decision-making concerning critical operations is very important to nuclear power plant (NPP) safety. The NPP interface is the main information source that guides decision-making; thus, a good interface design is essential. Among the interface design factors such as interface complexity, layout and colour, interface complexity (the amount of information in the interface) has the greatest impact on NPP operator decision-making. This paper used the event-related potential (ERP) to evaluate the impact of interface complexity on user decision-making and found interface complexity has a specific range suitable for decision-making. Based on this important finding, a fast and economical method of evaluating NPP interfaces in all design phases was proposed. This method compensates for the shortcomings of traditional methods, such as heuristic evaluation and experimental evaluation, which are inconvenient for evaluating interfaces in initial design phase; it can also be applied to interfaces with similar features in other industrial fields. Practitioner summary: Evaluation of the impact of NPP interface complexity on user decision-making through an ERP experiment revealed a specific range of interface complexity that facilitates user decision-making. Based on this finding, a new, fast and inexpensive interface evaluation method was proposed. Abbreviations: NPP: nuclear power plant, it is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor; ERP: event-related potential, it is the measured brain response that is the direct result of a specific cognitive, or motor event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity of the Swedish versions of PROMIS-29 and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Dyspnea (FACIT-Dyspnea) instruments in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). In a cross-sectional study, consecutive SSc patients completed a paper-based survey. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Test–retest reliability was tested employing weighted Kappa (Kw) and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Construct validity was evaluated by hypotheses testing using RAND-36, MRC Dyspnea score, Scleroderma Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ) and clinical measurements. Forty-nine patients (86% female; 73% limited cutaneous SSc) completed the survey. The mean disease duration was 11 years and mean SHAQ was 0.5. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were good with the exception of PROMIS-29 anxiety. PROMIS-29, FACIT-Dyspnea, and Functional limitation showed strong correlations to corresponding RAND-36 domains (|rs|=0.67 to −0.85). Relevant PROMIS-29 domains, FACIT-Dyspnea and Functional limitation correlated strongly to SHAQ and VAS overall disease severity (|rs|=0.60 to −0.75). Ceiling effects (>15%) were found in six PROMIS-29 domains and in both FACIT-Dyspnea and Functional limitations. Four (4/5) hypotheses were confirmed. PROMIS-29 and FACIT-Dyspnea meet the requirements for reliability and have adequate construct validity in Swedish patients with SSc. PROMIS-29v2 and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Dyspnea (FACIT-Dyspnea) Index are patient outcome measures that gain increasing interest for the evaluation of patient with rheumatologic diseases. PROMIS-29v2 and FACIT-Dyspnea Index meet the requirements for reliability and have adequate construct validity compared to legacy measures in Swedish patients with systemic sclerosis. Translation and validation of PROMs is important for studies of rare diseases in multi-center collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the digitalization process of an originally school-based educational programme to an online version and confirms its efficacy on teaching young children as well as their parents about stroke symptoms and the necessary actions needed to be taken in the event of a stroke. Forty children (20 children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and 20 without NDDs), aged 4–9 years, as well as 35 of these children's parents (30–50 years old) participated in the study in Greece. All individuals watched 5 educational videos, designed and produced by the Super Grand League Team. Each video had a mean duration of 15 minutes. Most children had no prior knowledge neither in stroke symptoms nor to the appropriate actions after a stroke. Children's knowledge of stroke symptoms (except the symptom of speech disturbance) and the appropriate actions following stroke improved significantly immediately post training (p < 0.05). Children with NDDs demonstrated no significant differences when compared to their peers without NDDs in regards to the knowledge gains. In the same line, parents showed a significant increase in their knowledge as regards the stroke symptoms (p < 0.001). Only 2 parents (5.7%) knew the correct emergency number before participating in the online programme, while all of them (100%) responded correctly after the programme. The current work using multimodal remote education demonstrates significant improvement in learning about stroke symptomatology and the necessary steps that need to follow. Future work should evaluate the impact of digital interventions in respect of onset-to-door times and stroke outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents key aspects that designers and Human–Computer Interaction practitioners might encounter when designing multimodal interaction for older adults, focusing on the trade-offs that might occur as part of the design process. The paper gathers literature on multimodal interaction and assistive technology, and describes a set of design challenges specific for older users. Building on these main design challenges, four trade-offs in the design of multimodal technology for this target group are presented and discussed. To highlight the relevance of the trade-offs in the design process of multimodal technology for older adults, two of the four reported trade-offs are illustrated with two user studies that investigate mid-air and speech-based interaction with a tablet device. The first study explores the design trade-offs related to redundant multimodal commands in older, middle-aged and younger adults, whereas the second one investigates the design choices related to the definition of a set of mid-air one-hand gestures and voice input commands for older adults. Further reflections highlight the design trade-offs that such considerations bring in the process, providing an overview of the design choices involved and of their potential consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance use and depressive psychiatric symptoms have been associated with migration and mobility. The Mexico-Guatemala border is a key transit point for internal, regional, and international migration flows. However, there is limited knowledge of the role of substance use, migration, and mobility on mental health among migrants at this border. Our paper explores the association of migration and mobility patterns with possible major depressive symptoms among migrants at this key geographic region. We recruited 392 substance-using migrants using modified time-location sampling. Crude and adjusted logistic regression models were developed. We found that 12% of the sample had possible major depressive symptoms. After adjusting for relevant covariates, including gender, income, and perceived homelessness, we found that recent rural-urban and short-term migrants had higher odds of possible major depressive symptoms, whereas international migrants had lower odds. Findings of this paper suggest that although migrants experience hardship and uncertainty, they may respond with complex and nuanced forms of coping and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to estimate risk factors for type 2 diabetes in women. A case–control study included 99 newly diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes and 198 controls. Descriptive statistics were used, and conditional univariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine differences between cases and controls. According to multivariate analysis-independent risk factors for T2DM were as follows: oral contraceptives (OR = 2.57; 95% CI = 0.99–6.62), and their longer duration of use (OR = 3.55; 95% CI = 1.79–6.99); greater quantity of coffee consumed (OR = 1.89; 95% CI = 1.06–3.39), occupation (odds ratio – OR = 3.17; 95% confidence interval – CI = 1.57–6.41); never been pregnant (OR = 5.88; 95% CI = 2.23–15.49); family history of diabetes (OR = 18.52; 95% CI = 7.25–47.62); overweight and obesity (OR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.39–4.53); stress (OR = 4.42; 95% CI = 2.19–8.26), and the greater number of stressful life event (OR = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.22–2.23). The present study emphasizes the role of oral contraceptive use, a greater quantity of coffee consumed, occupation, never been pregnant, overweight and obesity, major stressful life events, and family history of diabetes in the development of type 2 diabetes. What is already known about this topic (1) It is well known that lifestyle factors and genetics are involved in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its complications. (2) Gender differences in T2DM are explained by differences in sex chromosomes, sex hormones, possible hormonal disbalance, lifestyle habits in nutrition, and physical activity. (3) The global prevalence of diabetes will increase to 366 million by 2030, even if the prevalence of obesity remains constant. (4) The vast majority of patients with diabetes have T2DM. (5) Knowledge of modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for T2DM is important for the prevention of this disease. (6) Many factors have been investigated for their relation to T2DM, but data on the association between some of them and the risk for diabetes are not consistent. What this paper adds (1) Independent predictive factors for T2DM in women are oral contraceptive use and quantity of coffee consumption. (2) Other independent predictive factors for T2DM include occupation, never been pregnant, overweight and obesity, major stressful life events, and family history of T2DM. (3) A greater number of children was significantly negatively related to T2DM. (4) In this study, oral contraceptive use and especially their use for 5 years and more were significantly positively associated with T2DM after adjustment for potential confounding factors. (5) This study highlights, in particular, the need to target overweight and obese women who use oral contraceptives, have never been pregnant, and consume a greater quantity of coffee, with major stressful life events and a family history of diabetes. These groups are more vulnerable to T2DM; thus, prevention should focus on these groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During the past two decades of cannabis legalization, the prevalence of medical cannabis (MC) use has increased and there has also been an upward trend in alcohol consumption. As less restricted cannabis laws generate more adult cannabis users, there is concern that more individuals may be simultaneously using medical cannabis with alcohol. A few studies have examined simultaneous use of medical cannabis with alcohol, but none of those studies also assessed patients' current or previous non-medical cannabis use. This paper explores simultaneous alcohol and medical cannabis use among medical cannabis patients with a specific focus on previous history of cannabis use and current non-medical cannabis use. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of MC patients (N = 319) from four dispensaries located in New York. Bivariate chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression are used to estimate the extent to which sociodemographic and other factors were associated with simultaneous use. Results: Approximately 29% of the sample engaged in simultaneous use and a large share of these users report previous (44%) or current (66%) use of cannabis for non-medical purposes. MC patients who either previously or currently use cannabis non-medicinally, men, and patients using MC to treat a pain-related condition, were significantly more likely to report simultaneous alcohol/MC use. Conclusions: Findings indicate that there may be differential risks related to alcohol/MC use, which should be considered by cannabis regulatory policies and prevention/treatment programs. If patients are using cannabis and/or alcohol to manage pain, clinicians should screen for both alcohol and cannabis use risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In this paper, the first virtual reality (VR) photography application that incorporates elements on panoramic images to assess short-term spatial memory is presented. It also allows the interaction with these elements. A study was conducted (N = 50) to compare participants' performance outcomes and subjective experience when using a VR application with and without panoramic photography. The results show that both applications are effective in assessing short-term spatial memory. The results with panoramic photography include: 1) It was effective for short-term recall since, after using the application, the participants were able to verbally recall the objects and place them without significant differences with respect to the objects correctly placed; 2) The performance outcomes were independent of age and gender; 3) The perceived level of presence was directly related to experiencing less cybersickness when using the application; 4) The level of satisfaction was directly related to perceived enjoyment, concentration, usability, competence, calmness, and expertise; 5) The more the familiarity with VR applications, the less the perceived cybersickness. Finally, the application offers two main advantages: 1) The evaluators can customize the environment by adding as many elements as desired to the panoramic photograph; 2) It could be especially suitable for groups with reduced mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the process and outcomes from a five-year, community-based participatory research (CBPR) study of a community building initiative to strengthen two neighborhoods in a mid-size, Mid-Atlantic city. In addition to supporting over 50 resident-led projects during the five-year initiative, outcomes included positive changes in resident perceptions about some aspects of neighborhood safety, cleanliness, greening, and vibrancy, and in both neighborhoods respondents who were most involved with the lead community-based organizations (CBOs) reported significantly higher social capital compared to those least involved. Nevertheless, analysis of the evaluation process revealed certain data were more meaningful to stakeholders during and at the end of the initiative, and other data were less worth the effort and cost to collect. This study offers insights for how foundations and nonprofit organizations can best use their evaluation resources in small-scale community-building efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traditionally, classical test theory (CTT) has been used for instrument development and various methods have since been proposed for reducing outcome measures to shorter versions. These reduction methods have not previously been compared in mental or physical health. Aim: To identify and compare the various methods used to develop brief versions of outcome measures from existing measures in mental health. Method: A systematic review of the literature in Embase, Medline, PsychInfo and from a grey literature was done. Search strategies were developed in each database to identify all relevant literature based on the inclusion criteria. Each paper identified was briefly described and then assessed using a bespoke assessment checklist developed by the authors. Methods for reducing outcome measures found across all studies were compared. Results: Ten papers were identified. Five methods were used for scale reduction: Rasch analysis (RA), exploratory factor analysis (EFA), graded response models (GRMs), all-subset regression, and regression. RA was the most widely used process. Conclusion: The Rasch model (RM) is the only model where "'specific objectivity"' is a defining property of the model. This property is necessary for constructing scales in line with the fundamental principles of measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consistency of word production contributes to carers' ability to understand children's speech. Reports of the proportion of words produced consistently by typically developing preschool children, however, vary widely from 17% to 87%. This paper examines the quantitative (consistency count) and qualitative (e.g. phonemic analysis) characteristics of word consistency in 96 children aged 36–60 months. Children named 15 pictures twice, in separate trials, in the same assessment session. The mean consistency of the production for the whole group was 82%. Older children were more consistent than younger children. Girls were more consistent than boys. Words produced correctly in one trial and in error in another may indicate resolving error patterns. Words produced in error in two different ways provided useful evidence about the nature of inconsistent word production in typically developing children. The clinical and theoretical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the nature of copula omission in Cypriot Greek individuals with Down Syndrome (DS). Previous studies on DS have attributed high rates of copula omission to an overall grammatical/inflectional impairment without offering further analysis. In order to identify relevant conditioning factors, we examined copula productions and omissions from spontaneous and elicited experimental tasks under five levels of analysis: categorial type of the predicate (nominal vs. adjectival), aspectual interpretation of the predicate (permanent vs. temporary), and a combination of these first two, as well as subject status (overt vs. covert) and experimental design (spontaneous vs. elicited). Results showed that adults with DS had significantly higher rates of copula omission than TD children. We found subject overtness to be the most reliable predictor of copula omission. A comparison of the two experimental methods of data collection also revealed a significant effect. Following an analysis based on the Unique Checking Constraint, we propose that copula omission is facilitated by the restriction that only one EPP feature (either the one in TP or the one in TopicP) can be checked. We discuss the implications of these results in the context of a distinction across a delayed vs. deviant development of the DS grammar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate determinants of willingness to adopt telerehabilitation, willingness of technology use, core affect regarding using telerehabilitation, and digital competencies in rehabilitation professionals in Austria and Germany before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional paper-based and online survey was conducted before and during COVID-19, respectively, with three cohorts of rehabilitation professionals. Outcomes were the willingness to adopt telerehabilitation evaluated using the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology; willingness of technology use using the short scale for assessing the willingness of technology use; digital competencies and core affect using the Digital Competence Framework and semantic differential, respectively. Multivariate ordinal regression analysis was performed to determine predictors. Included were 603 rehabilitation professionals. Analysis revealed differences between Austria and Germany and before and during the pandemic for most outcomes. German residency, the pandemic, and a higher educational level were most important predictors of higher willingness to adopt telerehabilitation, willingness of technology use, digital competencies, and positive core affect. The pandemic increased most aspects of willingness to adopt telerehabilitation, willingness of technology use, digital competencies, and positive core affect. Results confirm that rehabilitation professionals with higher degrees are more prone to adopt innovations in healthcare.Registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00021464) The willingness to adopt telerehabilitation is associated with external factors increasing the need for alternative rehabilitation delivery, such as COVID-19, and with financial facilitators, such as reimbursement. As the willingness to adopt telerehabilitation is higher among speech and language therapists and dietitians, efforts are necessary to enhance its use in physiotherapists and occupational therapists. As a higher willingness to adopt telerehabilitation was observed in younger rehabilitation professionals and those with higher education, increasing the importance of telerehabilitation in education curricula and further knowledge transfer into practice for those already working in the field seems necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a method for analysing badminton matches based on the concept of perturbations. We transfer this principle to a badminton rally and describe the decisive shot, which turns a balanced situation into an advantage for one team or one player. Our paper proposes an observational system, which models the decisive shots by using four consecutive actions: impulse (the perturbation), follow-up, survival, and convert. To test the objectivity of the operationalization, independent raters analysed six matches in the singles disciplines of the 2022 World Championships. To evaluate rater agreement, Jaccard coefficient and Cohen's kappa were used. Results show an agreement in identifying impulses of J(R1, R2) =.80, while the agreement in classifying the impulse type (positive/negative) reached κ =.70. A comparison of this perturbation-based analysis and last shot analyses shows significantly different results. Direct errors usually occur in the midcourt (56.4%), whereas most negative perturbations originate from the backcourt (40.0%). In contrast to direct winners, mostly originating from a smash (45.5%), most positive perturbations are created by net shots (30.1%). We argue that our method can be complementary to common last shot analyses and provides a possibility to describe players' strengths and weaknesses in more detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether people's responses to official communications about COVID-19 could be "profiled" with respect to socio-economic-demographic and behavioral characteristics. Such profiles could enhance the effectiveness of future crisis management through the use of profile-adapted communications that maximize message comprehension. A representative web panel survey (742 respondents) was conducted across Switzerland in February 2022 to assess the population's reaction to COVID-19 communications during the pandemic. Latent profile analysis was conducted to explore if distinct profiles of reactions to the communications would emerge, and how each of them relate to conspiracy mentality and SED measures. The analyses revealed three latent profiles: "Compliant supporters" (54%), "defiant deniers" (23.6%), and "anxious skeptics" (22.4%). Respondents with high conspiracy mentality were more likely to belong to "defiant deniers" or "anxious skeptics." Each profile was characterized by distinct SED and behavioral features (discussed in the paper). The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that one communication does not work for all people. Our study evidenced three different types of respondent profiles that require profile-adapted communications for more effective crisis control. Our study is the first to profile people's responses to COVID-19 communications in a systematic, person-centered way. The results can be used for more effective future crisis management that delivers to each profile's communicative needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that stress has contributed to employee turnover and retention problems for agencies, and at the individual level, chronic stress has been associated with coronary heart disease, anxiety, depression, and many other negative effects. In the past, the extent of stress one has felt has been measured by subjective paper-and-pencil instruments; however, recent technological advances have improved our ability to obtain accurate biofeedback assessments from wearable instruments. The Kentucky Child Welfare Workforce Wellness Initiative is the first known study to explore physiological stress in a sample (n = 32) of child welfare professionals using biometric technology (Firstbeat Bodyguard 2) and the first to report that data longitudinally over a four-month period. The study revealed that a variable associated with the strength of the Autonomic Nervous System (RMSSD) remained below the norms for a healthy population as participants experienced consistent and prolonged physiological stress. When examined relatively to the agency's lifting of COVID restrictions and returning to face-to-face service delivery, stress levels began to further rise almost to significant levels (p <.10) and the participants' ability to achieve a state of physiological relaxation significantly decreased. Future research employing biometric technology is also suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent suicide has become an increasingly serious social problem in China. Bullying victimization was found to be an influential factor of suicidal tendency, but less attention has been paid to the internal mechanisms of the relationship. This paper examined the relationship between adolescents' bullying victimization and suicidal tendency, and the mediating effects of internalizing problems and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Generalized Structural Equation Model was employed to a sample of 3,575 Chinese secondary school students. Bullying victimization has a direct positive impact on adolescents' suicidal tendency, but also has an indirect impact on suicidal tendency through three paths: the independent mediating role of internalizing problems and NSSI, and the chain mediating role of internalizing problems and NSSI. The results suggested that students who are bullied tend to have a higher risk of suicidal tendency, and internalizing problems and NSSI are usually the prelude to suicidal behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the phonological system of a monolingual Kuwaiti Arabic-speaking 9-year-old girl with Down Syndrome (DS) as part of a special crosslinguistic issue presenting individual profiles of children with protracted phonological development within the framework of constraints-based nonlinear phonology. Her responses to a 100-word speech test were audio-recorded and transcribed narrowly by two native speakers. Analyses showed low accuracy for word shapes (CV sequences), primarily because of expected deletion patterns in initial weak syllables and clusters, but also reflecting inaccuracies in segment length. Vowel match was also relatively low. For consonants, she unexpectedly showed lower accuracy for stops than typically later-developing liquids and fricatives. This case study provides researchers and speech-language pathologists with broader information about expected and unexpected patterns in children with DS and protracted phonological development in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods of uncertainty analysis are being included increasingly in regulatory chemical risk assessment. Although best practices have been established by several safety agencies in Europe and the United States, they exist only in the grey literature – there has been no comprehensive analysis of the scientific, peer-reviewed literature on these methods. We therefore conducted a systematic review of the recent peer-reviewed literature (2007–2013) on uncertainty analysis relevant to chemical risks. The main objective was to determine whether current methods are robust enough for regulatory use, because the methods used to protect public health must meet the most stringent scientific standards. Based on 297 papers, we concluded that the peer-reviewed literature is much more critical about the disadvantages of those methods, compared to the grey literature. Furthermore, uncertainty analyses can be influenced significantly by subjective expert judgment. As a suggested improvement, we developed guidelines for transparent reporting of uncertainty assessment results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This research explores the design, implementation, and evaluation of a prototype augmented reality application that assists operators in performing procedural tasks in control room settings. Our prototype uses a tablet display to supplement an operator's natural view of existing control panel elements with sequences of interactive visual and attention guiding cues. An experiment, conducted using a nuclear power plant simulator, examined university students completing both standard and emergency operating procedures. The augmented reality condition was compared against two other conditions – a paper-based procedure condition using paper manuals and a computer-based procedure condition using digital procedures presented on a desktop display. The results demonstrated that the augmented reality -based procedure system had benefits in terms of reduced mental workload in comparison to the other two conditions. Regarding task completion time, accuracy, and situation awareness, the augmented reality condition had no significant difference when compared against the computer-based procedure condition but performed better than the paper-based procedure condition. It was also found that the augmented reality condition resulted in fewer intra-team inquiry communication exchanges in comparison to both paper-based and computer-based conditions. The augmented reality condition, however, yielded poorer memory retention score when assessed against the other two conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose:The construct validity, test–retest reliability, and measurement error of the Arm Function in Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire (AMSQ) were examined. Additionally, the influence of administration-method on reliability and measurement error was investigated. Method:112 Dutch adult MS-patients from an academic- and a residential care-facility participated. Questionnaires were administered on paper, online or as interview, and patients performed several performance tests. Construct validity was assessed by testing pre-defined hypotheses. Reliability was assessed using Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs), Standard Error of Measurements (SEMs) and Smallest Detectable Changes (SDCs). Results:For construct validity (N = 105) 9 of 13 hypotheses were confirmed (69%). As expected, the AMSQ showed moderate to strong relationships with the instruments measuring similar constructs. The test–retest reliability coefficient was 0.96 (95% Confidence Interval 0.94–0.97); SEM was 6.3 (6.3% of scale range); SDC was 17.5 (on a sale from 0 to 100). Different administration-methods showed good reliability (ICC 0.88–0.94) and small standard errors (SEM 5.6–7.2). Conclusion:The AMSQ shows satisfying results for validity and excellent reliability; allowing for proper use in research. Due to a large SDC value, caution is needed when using the AMSQ in individual patient care. Further research should determine whether the SDC is smaller than the minimal important change.Implications for RehabilitationThe Arm Function in Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire (AMSQ) measures activity limitations due to hand and arm functioning in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).Results of this study confirm adequate validity and reliability of the AMSQ in patient with MS.The equivalence of scores from online, paper or interview administration is supported.A change score of ≥18 points on the scale of the AMSQ (on a scale 0–100) needs to occur to be certain a change beyond measurement error has occurred in an individual patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While educators, curriculum authors and policy makers alike are influenced by assumptions about parents' dis/approval of gender and sexuality diversity, both generally, as well as specifically in relation to this topic's appropriateness for K-12 classrooms, little empirical data is available to support these assumptions. What data does exist suggests that parents generally support the implementation of a comprehensive sexuality curriculum, inclusive of same-sex attraction, and view sexuality education as a school-parent partnership. Surveying a sample of Australian parents of children attending a government (public) school (N = 2093), whose responses were weighted to produce nationally representative estimates, this study sought to expand on previous findings by exploring the complexities of parents' attitudes in relation to gender and sexuality diversity and its place within relationships and sexual health education. This paper provides a descriptive overview of parents' ideas about the purpose of relationships and sexual health education and their views on the importance of including gender and sexuality diversity-inclusive content within related curriculum areas. Notably, over 80% of parents supported the inclusion of gender and sexuality diversity-inclusive relationships and sexual health education topics across primary and secondary government schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel method combining electrolaryngography and acoustic analysis to detect the onset and offset of phonation as well as the beginning and ending of notes within a sung legato phrase, through the application of a peak-picking algorithm, TIMEX. The evaluation of the method applied to a set of singing duo recordings shows an overall performance of 78% within a tolerance window of 50 ms compared with manual annotations performed by three experts. Results seem very promising in light of the state-of-the-art techniques presented at MIREX in 2016 yielding an overall performance of around 60%. The new method was applied to a pilot study with two duets to analyse synchronization between singers during ensemble performances. Results from this investigation demonstrate bidirectional temporal adaptations between performers, and suggest that the precision and consistency of synchronization, and the tendency to precede or lag a co-performer might be affected by visual contact between singers and leader–follower relationships. The outcomes of this paper promise to be beneficial for future investigations of synchronization in singing ensembles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration contributes large increases in railway passenger discomfort during long-term sitting. Discomfort caused by vibration may differ in different operation conditions. This paper conducted field measurements to investigate the interrelationships between the three. Participants completed a 240-min train journey with their whole-body vibration, subjective comfort ratings and train operating parameters being recorded. A large correlation was observed between the estimated vibration dose value and subjective comfort. The relationship that vibration magnitude significantly increases with increasing the train speed and tunnel density was also found and quantified. A vibration exposure limit of 2.08 m/s1.75 corresponding to the boundary between subjective ratings of comfortable and discomfortable was obtained. Based on the exposure limit and the quantified relationship, a vibration comfort prediction method that can calculate the passenger's maximum tolerance time under a given operation condition was proposed and may help in determining the optimal operating speed and tunnels distribution to alleviate vibration discomfort. Practitioner summary: Similar to the guide to effect of vibration on health in current standard, a vibration exposure limit regarding comfort was provided for reference when assessing long-term vibration comfort. Meanwhile, a prediction method was proposed for determining the best train operating speed and tunnels distribution, thereby alleviating railway passengers' vibration discomfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores how paid and unpaid labor history over the life course influence women's cardiovascular disease. U.S. women comprise about 50% of the paid workforce and perform the majority of unpaid labor. However, the influence of women's work on their health is under-researched. Our sample was drawn from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, a cohort of post-menopausal women in the U.S. aged 50–79 at recruitment. Women were categorized into five groups according to paid labor history: worked in paid jobs consistently throughout adult life; left the workforce early; entered the workforce later; discontinuous work history; never worked outside the home. Live birth history (none, at least one, missing) served as a proxy for unpaid labor in prime age. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratio of CVD associated with different paid work histories. We then assessed the effect of unpaid labor on the relation between paid labor and CVD. Paid labor participation was not associated with CVD risk among women without unpaid labor after adjusting for age, education, and birth cohort. Among those with unpaid demands, leaving the workforce early or having discontinuous work history was protective. In this U.S. sample, the association between paid work participation history and CVD risk depends on the presence of unpaid labor. Our results demonstrate the necessity of including work – paid and unpaid – in consideration of women's health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore the performance of past-tense inflection of non-verbs (NVI) in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and in typically developing controls, to investigate its accuracy as a clinical marker for Swedish-speaking children with DLD. Further, we investigate the relationship between NVI, nonword-repetition, and family history. The sample consists of 36 children with DLD (mean age 9;5 years) and 60 controls (mean age 9;2 years). The DLD group performed significantly lower than the controls on the NVI task, with a large effect size of the difference (d = 1.52). Analysis of the clinical accuracy of NVI resulted in 80.6% sensitivity and 76.6% specificity. NVI was significantly and moderately associated with nonword-repetition in the controls, but not in the DLD group. A positive family history, 80.6% in the DLD group and 6.9% in the controls, was associated with lower performance on NVI. When controlling for group (DLD and controls), a non-significant association between family history and performance on the NVI task was found. NVI is a potential clinical marker of DLD in Swedish school-aged children, but the current NVI task does not reach the level of being acceptable. Further development of the NVI task is warranted to improve its accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of graphical user interfaces has been evolving from skeuomorph interfaces – which use elements that mimic the aesthetics and functionality of their real-world counterparts – to minimalist and flat designs. Despite the growing popularity of these new design approaches, they can be challenging for older adults who experience a decline in visual and cognitive abilities. Still, little is known about user performance, aesthetic perception, and preference of older adults, particularly in comparison to younger users and traditional skeuomorph interfaces. In this paper, we examine the performance and aesthetic perception of older (65–77 years old) and younger (20–40) adults with three design approaches: skeuomorph, skeuominimalist, and flat design. Results show flat design is either slower or less accurate than traditional skeuomorph interfaces for older adults across three tasks: visual search, identifying clickable objects, and multiple page navigation. Younger adults were less susceptible to performance differences between design approaches, but still subject to 'click uncertainty' with flat interfaces. Skeuominimalism did not show clear performance benefits over flat design or skeuomorphism, while the latter reduced the performance gap between age groups. Finally, younger adults preferred the simplicity of skeuominimalism, while older adults preferred skeuomorph interfaces because of the perceived usability, beauty, and trustiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the usability and acceptability of the Mental Capacity Assessment Support Toolkit (MCAST) in healthcare settings and whether its use was associated with increased legal compliance and assessor confidence. A mixed methods convergence triangulation model was used. Multidisciplinary professionals used the MCAST during mental capacity assessments for UK hospital patients with diagnoses of stroke or acute or chronic cognitive impairment. Changes in legal compliance were investigated by comparing scores on case note audits before and after implementation of the MCAST. Changes in assessor confidence and professionals' perceptions of the MCAST's usability and acceptability were explored using surveys. Patients' and family members' views on acceptability were determined using semi-structured interviews. Data were integrated using triangulation. Twenty-one professionals, 17 patients and two family members participated. Use of the MCAST was associated with significant increases in legal compliance and assessor confidence. Most professionals found the MCAST easy to use and beneficial to their practice and patients. Patients and family members found the MCAST materials acceptable. The MCAST is the first toolkit to support the needs of individuals with communication disabilities during mental capacity assessments. It enables assessors to deliver high quality, legally compliant and confident practice. Mental capacity assessment practice needs to be improved to maximise patient autonomy, safety and well-being. The MCAST is a paper-based toolkit designed to facilitate and improve mental capacity practice in England and Wales. This study suggests the MCAST would be easy and acceptable to use in healthcare settings and could lead to improvements in assessment quality and assessor confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Differences in health among migrant groups are related to the length of stay in host countries. We examined the health of people reporting Caribbean ethnic origins within and outside of Canada; and the possible associations between length of stay and poorer physical and mental health outcomes. Method: Analyses were conducted on population data collected in Canada (2000/2001, 2003, 2005), Jamaica (2005) and Guyana (2005). Physician-diagnosed and self-rated health measures were used to assess physical and mental health statuses. Results: Rates of chronic conditions were generally higher among people reporting Caribbean ethnic origins in Canada compared to those living in the Caribbean region. Self-rated fair or poor general health rates, however, were higher among participants in the Caribbean region. Higher rates of any mood disorders were also found among Caribbean region participants in comparison to those in Canada. Logistic regression analyses revealed that new Caribbean immigrants (less than 10 years since immigration) in Canada had better physical health than those who were more established. Those who immigrated more than 20 years ago showed consistently better health conditions than those who had immigrated between 11 and 20 years ago. This healthy immigration effect, however, was not present for all chronic conditions among all Caribbean origin migrant groups. Moreover, mood disorders were highest among new immigrants compared to older immigrants. Conclusions: When and where ethnic Caribbeans migrate to and emigrate from matters in health statuses. These results have implications for policies related to health and well-being in support of ethnic Caribbean origin individuals who relocate to Canada. The paper concludes with suggestions for future studies regarding the health of ethnic origin Caribbeans living within and outside their regions of birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relation between affect-driven feedback and engagement on a given task has been largely investigated. This relation can be used to make personalised instructional decisions and/or modify the affect content within the feedback. However, although it is generally assumed that providing encouraging feedback to students should help them adopt a state of flow, there are instances where those messages might result counterproductive. In this paper, we present a case study with 48 secondary school students using an Intelligent Tutoring System for arithmetical word problem solving. This system, which makes some common assumptions on how to relate affective state with performance, takes into account subjective (user's affective state) and objective information (previous problem performance) to decide the upcoming difficulty levels and the type of affective feedback to be delivered. Surprisingly, results revealed that feedback was more effective when no emotional content was included, and lead to the conclusion that purely instructional and concise help messages are more important than the emotional reinforcement contained therein. This finding shows that this is still an open issue. Different settings present different constraints generating related compounding factors that affect obtained results. This research confirms that new approaches are required to determine when, how and where affect-driven feedback is needed. Affect-driven feedback, engagement and their mutual relation have been largely investigated. Student's interactions combined with their emotional state can be used to make personalised instructional decisions and/or modify the affect content within the feedback, aiming to entice engagement on the task. However, although it is generally assumed that providing encouraging feedback to the students should help them adopt a state of flow, there are instances where those encouraging messages might result counterproductive. In this paper, we analyze these issues in terms of a case study with 48 secondary school students using an Intelligent Tutoring System for arithmetical word problem solving. This system, which makes some common assumptions on how to relate affective state with performance, takes into account subjective (user's affective state) and objective (previous problem performance) information to decide the difficulty level of the next exercise and the type of affective feedback to be delivered. Surprisingly, findings revealed that feedback was more effective when no emotional content was included in the messages, and lead to the conclusion that purely instructional and concise help messages are more important than the emotional reinforcement contained therein. This finding, which coincides with related work, shows that this is still an open issue. Different settings present different constraints and there are related compounding factors that affect obtained results, such as the message's contents and their target, how to measure the effect of the message on engagement through affective variables considering other issues involved, and to what extent engagement can be manipulated solely in terms of affective feedback. The contribution here is that this research confirms that new approaches are needed to determine when, how and where affect-driven feedback is needed. In particular, based on our previous experience in developing educational recommender systems, we suggest the combination of user-centred design methodologies with data mining methods to yield a more effective feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many people overestimate the health risks associated with nicotine, mistakenly perceiving nicotine as the main carcinogen in cigarettes and a leading cause of smoking-related diseases. Health professionals have been calling for public education programs to correct nicotine misperceptions in the hope that a lower risk perception of nicotine could encourage the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). However, a lower risk perception of nicotine could also lower perceived risk of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). This paper evaluated the necessity of correcting nicotine misperceptions and explored possible intervention strategies to increase use of NRT and decrease use of e-cigarettes. In Study 1, smokers were surveyed about their perceptions of nicotine harm, and attitudes and intention toward using NRT and e-cigarettes. Results showed that overestimation of nicotine harm was associated with e-cigarette attitude and intention, but not with NRT. Informed by the survey results, three correction messages (a nicotine message, an NRT message, and an e-cigarette message) were developed and experimentally tested in Study 2 on both tobacco users and nontobacco users. The nicotine message lowered people's perception of nicotine harm but it did not change attitude and intention toward tobacco product use. The NRT message also failed to influence NRT attitudes and intentions. The e-cigarette message significantly lowered attitudes and intentions to use e-cigarette. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many Q&A sites initially run only in English, and then gradually release their multi-lingual variants to serve users who speak other languages. The launch of such multi-lingual sites always lead to an intense dispute about the pros and cons of multi-lingual sites. Although all arguments and concerns sound reasonable, people can rarely provide solid evidence to convince each other. In this paper, from users' comments about the launch of several non-English Stack Overflow sites, we first identify three major concerns including community split, knowledge needs and interests in other languages, and knowledge fragmentation and duplication. To validate these three concerns, we conduct an evidence-based data analysis and comparison of user characteristics, tag usage and cross-site links between the Russian Stack Overflow and the English Stack Overflow on these three concerns. Our study sheds light on the existence value and risks of multi-lingual Q&A sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present ArmMenu, a command input approach for distant displays. ArmMenu has a circular interface like pie menus and menu selection is performed by proprioception-based lateral arm movements. We implemented ArmMenu with an off-the-shelf body tracking device (Kinect) and conducted two experiments to validate its efficacy. In the first experiment, we explored the design space of ArmMenu by varying the number of menu items, with exposed or hidden menu modes. Users can operate up to 8-item menus with high selection accuracy (>98%). ArmMenu was fast and accurate even with the hidden menu mode. The second experiment compared the performance of ArmMenu and touchless marking menus. While having similar selection accuracy, ArmMenu was faster and more preferable by users. Our studies consequently demonstrate ArmMenu's effectiveness for command input on distant displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pictorial health warnings (PHW) were introduced in Mexico by the end of 2010. Different studies have assessed how PHW influence attitude or desire to renounce smoking, but they have not studied the actual effect on the demand of tobacco products. Our objective in this paper is to analyze the effect of duration of pictorial health warnings on consumption of tobacco in Mexico. We assess the influence of different consecutive rounds of pictorial warnings, taking into account their length and the use of repeated images. We use a Dynamic Least Squares model (DOLS) with quarterly data (1994-2015), to estimate the long run demand of cigarettes in Mexico, as a function of per-capita income, the relative price of tobacco, different regulatory measures and the different rounds of pictograms, its duration, and the use of repeated images. We find evidence indicating that the pictorial health warnings have reduced consumption of cigarettes, that the effect has decreased in the last rounds, and that the most effective duration of the rounds is six months. PHW regulation deters consumption; however, its effectiveness decreases over time, suggesting that consumers tend to adapt to images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper contributes an Australian focus to the growing body of research on trans and gender diverse people's family and romantic relationships. A survey designed by the authors was completed by 160 trans or gender diverse Australians. A negative correlation was found between discrimination from families of origin and perceptions of support, and conversely a positive correlation was found between perceptions of support and emotional closeness. Analysis of open-ended responses suggested that support was primarily constituted by (1) emotional support, (2) utilising correct pronouns and names, and (3) financial support. Discrimination by families of origin was primarily constituted by (1) refusal to use correct pronouns and names, (2) exclusion from family events, and (3) pathologising responses. The findings in regard to romantic relationships suggest that trans women were more likely than trans men or gender diverse people to experience challenges in negotiating romantic relationships. A negative correlation was found between difficulties in negotiating romantic relationships and belief in the likelihood that an “ideal” romantic relationship would occur in the future. Difficulties in negotiating romantic relationships were primarily described in terms of (1) anxiety over potential responses, (2) discrimination from potential partners, and (3) lack of self-acceptance. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Modern speech-language pathology practices (SLPPs) have adopted tablet games in recent years. Research is needed to take advantage of the potential benefits tablets can offer and to explore the factors that influence its introduction. This paper discusses a survey that was conducted to investigate the factors that influence speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs) beliefs and the actual use of tablets in SLPPs. The results of the survey, conducted among Slovenian SLPs, indicated that their most positive beliefs concerning tablets relate to social influence. Specifically, the beliefs relate to children’s interest and practice with tablets and have a significant impact on the decision-making of SLPs concerning introducing tablets in therapy. Conversely, SLPs’ most negative beliefs relate to the conditions for facilitating tablet use, particularly the lack of Slovenian applications. This paper discusses a separate case study that was conducted in which tablet game-supported therapy was introduced to a group of 44 children. The case study results indicated that the children accepted the use of tablet games for therapy purposes and the games had a positive impact on the children’s motivation and satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a standardized, psychoeducational programme developed to empower the public to approach, support and refer individuals in distress by improving course participants' knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to mental ill-health. The present paper aims to synthesize published evaluations of the MHFA programme in a meta-analysis to estimate its effects and potential as a public mental health awareness-increasing strategy. Fifteen relevant papers were identified through a systematic literature search. Standardized effect sizes were calculated for three different outcome measures: change in knowledge, attitudes, and helping behaviours. The results of the meta-analysis for these outcomes yielded a mean effect size of Glass's Δ = 0.56 (95% CI = 0.38 - 0.74; p < 0.001), 0.28 (95% CI = 0.22 - 0.35; p < 0.001) and 0.25 (95% CI = 0.12 - 0.38; p < 0.001), respectively. Results were homogenous, and moderator analyses suggested no systematic bias or differences in results related to study design (with or without control group) or 'publication quality' (journal impact factor). The results demonstrate that MHFA increases participants' knowledge regarding mental health, decreases their negative attitudes, and increases supportive behaviours toward individuals with mental health problems. The MHFA programme appears recommendable for public health action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]