Search

Introduction The purpose of this study was to identify the relation of daily prosthesis usage time (DPUT) of individuals with amputation with quality of life (QoL) questionnaires. Methods The research was carried out on 125 individuals with amputation. Prosthetic-related parameters were searched, as well as demographic data. A generic (Nottingham Health Profile [NHP]) questionnaire and a questionnaire specific to individuals with amputation (Trinity Amputation and Prosthesis Experience Scales [TAPES]) QoL measurements were used. Results Ninety-one males and 28 females with a mean age of 42.4 ± 14.7 years participated in the study. The average DPUT was 11.1 ± 4.4 hrs/d. Study results showed that there was significant correlation between both of the QoL questionnaires (NHP and TAPES) and DPUT. High correlation was determined between DPUT and NHP total score and NHP-Pain, and very high correlation was found between DPUT and NHP-Physical Activity subscale. A moderate negative correlation was found between DPUT and NHP-Energy Level, NHP-Emotional Reaction, NHP-Social Isolation, and NHP-Sleep. A moderate negative correlation was found between DPUT and TAPES-Activity Restriction. A high correlation was found between DPUT and residual limb pain, prosthetic satisfaction, time interval after amputation, and number of prosthetic fittings. A moderate correlation was found between DPUT and walking aids, whereas a poor relationship was shown between phantom pain and DPUT. Conclusions This study showed that "the average DPUT"may be used in terms of short assessment of QoL of individuals with amputation. The outcomes of this study pointed out that especially prosthetic-related parameters affected the QoL in individuals with amputation. In problems resulting from routine assessment and questionnaires having so many items, a single-item question, "the average DPUT,"may be used effectively in a shorter period and is helpful for organizing a rehabilitation program. Clinical Relevance A single-item question, "The average daily prosthesis usage time (DPUT),"be used effectively in a shorter assessment of quality of life of individuals with amputation and is helpful for organizing a rehabilitation program. © Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Purpose The primary objective was to determine the feasibility of implementing the TrueNTH SHAReClinic as a pan-Canadian sexual health and rehabilitation intervention for patients treated for localized prostate cancer. Methods The feasibility study was designed to evaluate the accessibility and acceptability of the intervention. Participants from five institutions across Canada were enrolled to attend one pre-treatment and five follow-up online clinic visits over 1 year following their prostate cancer (PC) treatment. Results Sixty-five patients were enrolled in the intervention. Website analytics revealed that 71% completed the intervention in its entirety, including the educational modules, with an additional 10% completing more than half of the intervention. Five thousand eighty-three views of the educational modules were made along with 654 views of the health library items. Over 1500 messages were exchanged between participants and their sexual health coaches. At 12 months, the intervention received an overall average participant rating of 4.1 out of 5 on a single item satisfaction measure. Conclusion Results support the TrueNTH SHAReClinic as highly acceptable to participants as defined by intervention adherence and engagement. The TrueNTH SHAReClinic demonstrated promise for being a feasible and potentially resource-efficient approach to effectively improving the sexual well-being of patients after PC treatment.

Behavioral economics has shown that single-item demand indicators are promising for capturing crucial aspects of nicotine reinforcement. It is suggested that brief breakpoint measures perform comparably to full-length demand indices in characterizing nicotine dependence; however, there have been no thorough assessments of their validity in clinical settings. This study aimed to assess the validity and accuracy of a single-item breakpoint in informing on tobacco demand. The sample consisted of 88 treatment-seeking smokers (% males = 70.5%) enrolled in substance use treatment. Participants provided data on smoking characteristics and completed the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence, a single-item breakpoint measure and a 14-item cigarette purchase task (CPT). Hierarchical regressions were performed to compare the predictive capability of a single-item breakpoint and full-length tobacco demand indicators in determining nicotine addiction severity. The single-item breakpoint was significantly correlated with all indices stemmed from the CPT and both latent factors (all r values = .250–.368). Neither the brief breakpoint nor the full-length breakpoint significantly predicted nicotine dependence. After controlling for sex and smoking variables, factor 2 [β = .565, p

Background Prevalence of electronic health records (EHRs) has significantly increased, and EHRs are a known contributor to clinician burnout. However, it is unknown whether the use of multifunctional EHRs is associated with nurse practitioner (NP) burnout in primary care practices. This is a major gap in the literature because 69% of practicing NPs deliver primary care services to patients. Purpose This study aimed to investigate whether the use of multifunctional EHRs is associated with primary care NP burnout. Method This study is a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data collected from NPs in two states (Pennsylvania and New Jersey). Nurse practitioners completed surveys measuring burnout, use of multifunctional EHRs, demographics, and characteristics of their practice. Use of multifunctional EHRs was operationalized using two items-computerized capabilities and electronic reminder systems. Burnout was measured using a validated, single item asking NPs to self-report their feelings of burnout. A multilevel cox regression model was built to test for associations between the use of multifunctional EHRs and NP burnout. Results Of 396 NPs included, 25.3% reported burnout. The use of multifunctional EHRs did not increase primary care NP burnout (risk ratio = 0.30, 95% confidence interval = 0.13-0.71, p = .01). Implications for practice With 25.3% of NPs burned out, it is imperative to reduce NP burnout. However, computerized capabilities and electronic reminder systems did not contribute to feelings of NP burnout. Future research examining other EHR components is needed to understand which features of the EHR contribute to NP burnout.

Conditional multi‐item promotions are a prevalent marketing tactic whereby consumers have to buy a certain number of products to get a discount. This paper examines how framing a multi‐item promotion in terms of savings on multiple items versus a single item (e.g., “buy two, get X% off on both” vs. “buy two, get 2X% off on the cheaper item”) affects consumers’ decision‐making and product choices. Two laboratory studies and a field study at a boutique clothing store demonstrate that the “2X% on cheaper” framing makes consumers more likely to select similarly priced primary and secondary items. This strategy is driven by increased focus on promotional savings under the “2X% on cheaper” framing, which leads consumers to spend more on their secondary items. Overall, this research shows how a subtle change in the framing of multi‐item promotions changes consumers’ product selection strategies and shopping basket composition.

Background OPTION5 is a scale used to evaluate shared decision making (SDM) in health care from an observer’s perspective; however, to date, there is no simplified Chinese version of this scale. Objectives This study aims to produce a simplified Chinese version of the OPTION5 scale and to test its psychometric properties. Methods One rater observed and audio-recorded consultations between general practitioners (GPs) and chronically ill patients in a Beijing community health service center (CHSC) from May to June 2019. Meanwhile, demographic data of the patients and GPs were collected via information forms. Two raters assessed inter- and intra-rater reliability by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and weighted Cohen’s Kappa values. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s α value. Concurrent was calculated by Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results A total of 209 consultations were recorded and evaluated. As concerns inter-rater reliability, the ICC of the OPTION5 was 0.859 on the total score level, with Cohen’s weighted k ranging from 0.376 (item 5) to 0.649 (item 2) on the single item level. With regard to intra-rater reliability, the ICC was 0.945 on the total score level, with Cohen’s weighted k ranging from 0.469 (item 5) to 0.883 (item1) on the single item level. Cronbach’s α value of all 5 items amounted to 0.746. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient between OPTION5 and OPTION12 for Chinese versions was 0.660. Conclusions The simplified Chinese version of the OPTION5 scale, developed using stringent translation procedures, demonstrated satisfactory psychometric characteristics. Specifically, inter- and intra-rater reliabilities were excellent, while criterion validity was moderate. The simplified Chinese version of the OPTION5 scale can be implemented in clinical settings to evaluate SDM of treatment during consultations between GPs and chronically ill patients.

Aim The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of two single-item self-report (SR) questions to assess physical inactivity in patients with heart failure (HF). Methods and results This is a cross-sectional study using data from 106 patients with HF equipped with accelerometers for 1 week each. Two SR items relating to physical activity were also collected. Correlations between accelerometer activity counts and the SR items were analysed. Patients were classified as physically active or inactive on the basis of accelerometer counts, and the SR items were used to try to predict that classification. Finally, patients were classified as having high self-reported physical activity or low self-reported physical activity, on the basis of the SR items, and the resulting groups were analysed for differences in actual physical activity. There were significant but weak correlations between the SR items and accelerometer counts: rho = 0.24, P = 0.016 for SR1 and rho = 0.21, P = 0.033 for SR2. Using SR items to predict whether a patient was physically active or inactive produced an area under the curve of 0.62 for SR1, with a specificity of 92% and a sensitivity of 30%. When dividing patients into groups on the basis of SR1, there was a significant difference of 1583 steps per day, or 49% more steps in the high self-reported physical activity group (P < 0.001). Conclusions There might be utility in the single SR question for high-specificity screening of large populations to identify physically inactive patients in order to assign therapeutic interventions efficiently where resources are limited. Funding Agencies|Swedish National Science Council [K2013-69X-22302-01-3, 2016-01390]; Swedish National Science Council/Swedish research council for health, working life and welfare, VR-FORTE [2014-4100]; Swedish Heart and Lung AssociationSwedish Heart-Lung Foundation [E085/12]; Swedish Heart and Lung FoundationSwedish Heart-Lung Foundation [20130340, 20160439]; Vardal Foundation [2014-0018]; Medical Research Council of Southeast Sweden [FORSS 474681]

Introduction The primary objective of this study was to identify the single question on the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educator Survey (MBI-ES) that correlated with high emotional exhaustion (EE) among pharmacy practice faculty. Methods We analyzed data collected from the electronic administration of the MBI-ES to faculty at United States (US) colleges and schools of pharmacy in 2014. For our primary outcome, we used Spearman's rho correlation (rs) to identify a single question on the MBI-ES that was highly correlated with high EE (one of three subscales of MBI-ES). We calculated likelihood ratio statistics for each level of the item with the largest rs with total EE, then converted those to adjusted predicted probabilities of high EE. De-identified data were collected via Qualtrics version 60949 (Provo, Utah) and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 22.0 (Armonk, NY). Results The single item, “I feel emotionally drained from my work” (rs = 0.833, p = 0.01), was most correlated with high EE score on the MBI-ES. Faculty who reported “I feel emotionally drained from my work” once per week and few times per week had 62.8% and 93% chance of having high EE, respectively. Conclusion The single item that was most highly correlated with EE may be used for further evaluation of faculty who may be at risk for burnout. Interventions for reducing burnout among pharmacy practice faculty are critically needed for sustaining our pool of faculty.

Tractors play a crucial role within the mechanization of Indian agriculture. The farm power and machinery jointly represent the most important single item of expenditure constituting about 60% of the overall investment on a farm. Tractor industries play a very important role because the agriculture sector contains a major contribution to India’s GDP. This study was concerned with a view to gathering information regarding status and tractor utilization pattern implement wise, at the farmers' level. The study was confined to the Pusa block of the Samastipur district of Bihar state. By personal interview employing a structured questionnaire, 34 respondents were selected from the 17 villages. the maximum intensity of tractors was in village Bishanpur Dimangra (8.46%) followed by Narayanpur Khairi (5.46 %), and Madhopur Khairi (4.46%). Among the available 30-35hp tractors, the maximum tractor 26.82% were owned by Marginal farmer followed by 14.63% Small farmer and 14.63% Semi medium farmer each. within the 36-40hp group of tractors, the maximum percent of owners were Semi medium farmer (21.95%) and followed Small farmer (9.75%). the foremost popular tractor power range was 30-35hp with (51.21%) followed by 36-40hp with (43.9%) and not popular greater than 40 hp tractor within the study area. Maximum use of cultivator found among different categories of farmers was marginal farmers which were (36.1.%) whereas the minimum use by medium farmers (16.6%). The study reveals that the tractor is principally used for seedbed preparation by all categories of farmers followed by transportation and threshing.

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the responsiveness of the single item measure (SIM) to detect change in PA when compared to hip-worn accelerometry. A secondary aim was to provide further data on validity of the measure at a single time point.MethodsValidity of the SIM to determine the number of days of ≥30 minutes of accelerometer-derived moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was assessed in 120 participants (78% female, 19% male, 3% other; age: 46 ± 11 years). Analysis of change was based on change in the number of days that participants completed ≥30 minutes of MVPA determined by the SIM and accelerometry over two 7-day periods in 90 participants (age: 47±11 years). Accelerometer data were analysed as total minutes of MVPA per day (MVPA-total) and as sustained bouts of 10 minutes or more of MVPA (MVPA-bouts). Validity of the SIM to detect change in MVPA, using accelerometer data as the reference measurement, was examined through Spearman's correlation and agreement in classification of change between SIM and accelerometry. Responsiveness to change was assessed by standardised response means and Cohen's d.ResultsStandardised response means for PA change were moderate for the SIM (0.77), MVPA-total (0.57) and MVPA-bouts (0.79). The correlation for change in number of days ≥30 minutes MVPA between the SIM and accelerometry were small to moderate (MVPA-total: r = 0.36 and MVP-bouts: r = 0.40). The SIM displayed moderate accuracy (60%-63%), using accelerometer data as the reference measurement, in detecting increases in days ≥30 minutes of MVPA.ConclusionThe SIM is a potentially useful assessment tool for evaluating change in MVPA, particularly when device-based measures or longer self-report measures are not feasible.

Single-item questions assessing patient satisfaction following total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA) provide immediate and comprehensible information. However, they have limited reliability as satisfaction as a concept is influenced by factors unrelated to surgery. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate variation in pain, function and joint awareness relative to the patients’ satisfaction response following THA/TKA. We analysed absolute and improvement scores on the Oxford Knee or Hip score (OKS or OHS) and the Forgotten Joint Score-12 (FJS-12) across satisfaction groups. Patient-reported outcome measures were assessed prior to surgery and at 12-month follow-up. Postoperative satisfaction was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale single-item question. We analysed data from 434 TKA patients (mean age 70.4 ± 9.2 years; 54.8% female) and 247 THA patients (mean age 67.3 ± 11.8 years; 57.5% female). Satisfied or very satisfied patients showed higher absolute scores and better improvement in function, pain and joint awareness at 12 months (both, p

In spine surgery single item patient-reported outcome assessment has been used for many years. Items 1 and 2 of SF-36 are used for assessment of general health. We used these items to explore single item, self-rated, general health assessment after spine surgery. Patients operated for lumbar disc herniation or lumbar spinal stenosis between 2007 and 2017, were recruited from the national Swedish spine register. A total of 16,910 procedures were eligible for analysis. The responsiveness of the SF-36 general health assessment items to surgical treatment was evaluated with the standardized response mean (SRM). Improvement in self-rated general health was used to dichotomize SF-36 profiles and EQ VAS distributions. For disc herniation, 5852 (83%) patients reported improvement in general health 1 year after surgery. For spinal stenosis, the corresponding numbers were 6,482 (66%). The additional improvement after year 1 was small. The responsiveness of the SF-36 item 2 (the health transition item) to surgical treatment of disc herniation or spinal stenosis was substantial. There was a clear association between improvement in SF-36 item 2 and improvements in all domains of SF-36. Surgery for disc herniation or spinal stenosis improve patients’ perception of general health 1 year after surgery. The improvement in general health after year 1 is limited. The SF-36 item 2 is a responsive measure of self-rated general health that may be used for dichotomization of SF-36 and EQ VAS data when evaluating surgical outcome in spine surgery.

Months after healing, a number of COVID-19 syndrome survivors are affected by both psychological and physical limitations. They are mainly troubled with long-term fatigue, which is a crucial aspect of Long Covid syndrome. This paper aims to investigate the level and persistency of fatigue among COVID-19 survivors from the first wave of the pandemic in Western Liguria and to elucidate the role of gender, age, and lifestyle. It also provides data to the scientific community to help drawing a consistent picture of Long Covid syndrome. The patients were requested to fill a Fatigue Assessment Questionnaire twice: (i) a few weeks after discharge from hospital or home confinement and (ii) a few months later. Statistical analysis was carried out on the global scores and on the score for every single item of the questionnaire. The outcome of the two questionnaires were analyzed separately and compared. Females are more affected by fatigue than males. This results holds for both physical and mental fatigue. All the males’ fatigue scores were reduced at the second control, while 40% of females worsened it. Home-confined patients showed a higher fatigue score at the first check. In the initial stages of the recovery, patients are more affected by physical, rather than mental, fatigue. This is worth of further investigation as well as the reasons leading to a higher initial fatigue score for home cared patients.

Burnout is an important occupational hazard and early detection is paramount in preventing negative sequelae in physicians, patients, and healthcare systems. Several screening tools have been developed to replace lengthy diagnostic tools for large-scale screening, however, comprehensive head–to–head evaluation for performance and accuracy are lacking. The primary objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of five burnout screening tools, including a novel rapid burnout screening tool (RBST). This was a cross-sectional study involving 493 hospital staff (anaesthesiology and intensive care doctors, nurses, and ancillary staff) at the COVID-19 frontline across four hospitals in Singapore between December 2020 and April 2021. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) was used as the reference standard. Five burnout screening tools, the single-item MBI measure of burnout (SI-MBI), dual-item MBI (DI-MBI), abbreviated MBI (aMBI), Single Item Burnout Question (SIBOQ), and the RBST, were administered via a 36-item online survey. Tools were administered simultaneously and responses were anonymised. Burnout prevalence was 19.9%. The RBST and the SI-MBI had the two highest accuracies (87.8% and 81.9% respectively) and AUROC scores (0.86, 95% CI: 0.83–0.89 and 0.86, 95% CI: 0.82–0.89 respectively). However, the accuracy of the RBST was significantly higher than the SI-MBI (p &lt, 0.0001), and it had the highest positive likelihood ratio (+LR = 7.59, 95% CI 5.65–10.21). Brief screening tools detect burnout albeit with a wide range of accuracy. This can strain support services and resources. The RBST is a free screening tool that can detect burnout with a high degree of accuracy.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:Measurement of SUI is often accomplished through use of a single item: Do you leak urine with coughing, sneezing, laughing or physical activity? Response to this item may...

Objectives To determine the feasibility of eliciting utilities with a standard gamble self-completion questionnaire that uses a single-item approach in melanoma patients. Methods 150 patients with low-risk melanoma completed a paper standard gamble questionnaire. Six scenarios described the adjuvant treatment of high-risk melanoma with interferon alfa-2b with varied side effects. Patients were asked to directly state the maximum death risk they would accept to prevent these health states. Methods were the same as in a study by Kilbridge et al. (J Clin Oncol 19(3):812–823, 2021. 10.1200/JCO.2001.19.3.812), except that they used computerised interviews and an iterative risk variation (Ping–Pong method) to elicit utilities. Results The rate of missing values in the standard gamble was 1.0%. The percentage of patients who misordered scenarios was very similar to the reference study (11.3% vs. 11.2%). Mean utilities were also similar with a maximum difference of 0.02 points, but median utilities were not (between 0.21 points below and 0.05 points above the reference study). Conclusions One-item utility elicitation with questionnaires might be a feasible alternative to computerised face-to-face interviews to conduct a standard gamble in melanoma patients.

Single-item scales are widely used in the field of user experience to report the emotions. However, they are strongly criticized and discouraged by the scientific community. While they have several practical advantages, single-item scales are mainly criticized for their psychometric weakness. Our research explores to what extent single-item scales reflect what a user has experienced during his or her interaction with technology, overall, but also at specific moments such as first and last impressions. This research also explores the sensitivity of these measures across different contexts of use brought by the presence or absence of certain interface features. We conducted a correlational study with 40 users while interacting with financial institution websites. We used two methods to evaluate the experience: lived and measured implicitly using psychophysiological instruments on one hand and self-perceived and measured using single-item scales, on the other hand. Overall, our results suggest limited correlations and in most cases contradictory between lived and perceived experience. We conclude by highlighting the limits to be taken into account when professionals are led to use single-item scales.

We develop a demand postponement mechanism to improve the performance of a single item, periodic review inventory system with advance demand. The focus in the literature has been on how to stimulate customers towards advance demand. Predicting how demand will shift can be problematic, however, and backorders may still occur. We focus on how a firm can address backorders under a given advance demand pattern by a mechanism of compensation from which both the firm and the customers will benefit: the firm may offer a discount to customers for accepting later deliveries at a promised delivery date. Delivery postponement offers are made selectively, i.e. in some periods and to some customers only when there is a benefit for the firm to do so. Customers may decline the offer, but then face the probability of a backorder. In each period, the firm has to decide whether to make delivery postponement offers and for how long, and whether to order from its supplier and how much. We formulate the problem as a Markov Decision Process and solve it by backward induction. Numerical examples illustrate the properties of the state-dependent policies obtained for both uncapacitated and capacitated inventory systems. The postponement mechanism in capacitated systems leads to policies that differ from the threshold policy identified as optimal in the literature. Overall, the approach shows promise to improve system performance more efficiently compared to strategies aiming to increase advance demand in the system.

There is an increased need for efficient, low-cost methods to collect information on a range of widely prevalent mental health outcomes in the general population that can be administered outside of clinical settings. We evaluate the validity of a single-item Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for assessing the presence and severity of depression and compare its performance with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) depression scale using a large non-clinical sample (N = 1816) of college students from Switzerland. The VAS scale is strongly correlated with the PHQ-9 total score (0.61) and its 9 individual items (ranging from 0.19 to 0.67). ROC analysis shows that the VAS scale has high accuracy for detecting the presence and different levels (mild to severe) of depression corresponding to PHQ-9 cutoffs. The VAS depression scale represents a simple, easily implementable instrument that is suitable for mental health research in common settings and larger population-based studies.

Aims: To (1) examine differences in self-rated health (SRH) between a group of women with myofascial temporomandibular disorders (mTMD) and controls; (2) determine the extent to which pain, mental health, and physical function mediate these differences; and (3) explore specific mTMD symptoms and impairments explaining SRH among mTMD cases. Methods: An existing dataset of a sample of women with mTMD (n = 125) and a group of demographically similar controls (n = 49) was used. SRH was measured via a single item with 5 answer options ranging from poor (SRH = 1) to excellent (SRH = 5). Bodily pain, mental health, and physical function were measured with the Short-Form Health Survey. Regression analyses with SRH as the outcome were conducted. Results: mTMD cases reported poorer SRH compared to controls, and bodily pain score fully mediated these lower scores. Physical function partially mediated the association between mTMD and SRH, while mental health did not explain much of the variance in SRH. This pattern held in case-only analyses. The association was not explained by mTMD-specific symptoms or by localized mTMD pain severity, although mTMD disability was independently associated with lower SRH. Conclusion: SRH is a simple and useful tool to consider in mTMD research, as it discriminates between cases and controls based on pain and physical function and is associated with mTMD disability.

Objective.The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Worker Productivity Group continues efforts to assess psychometric properties of measures of presenteeism.Methods.Psychometric properties of single-item and dual answer multiitem scales were assessed, as well as methods to evaluate thresholds of meaning.Results.Test-retest reliability and construct validity of single item global measures was moderate to good. The value of measuring both degree of difficulty and amount of time with difficulty in multiitems questionnaires was confirmed. Thresholds of meaning vary depending on methods and external anchors applied.Conclusion.We have advanced our understanding of the performance of presenteeism measures and have developed approaches to describing thresholds of meaning.

Background Day-to-day functioning is impaired in major depressive disorder. Yet there are no guidelines to systematically assess these functional changes. This report evaluates prognostic utility of changes in activity impairment to inform clinical decision-making at an individual level. Methods Mixed model analyses tested changes in activity impairment (sixth item of Work and Activity Impairment scale, rated 0–10) at mid-point (week 6) and end of step 1 (weeks 12–14) in the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) trial (n = 2697) after controlling for depression severity [Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-Report (QIDS-SR)]. Interactive calculators for end of step 1 remission (QIDS-SR ≤5) and no meaningful benefit (

Die modellbasierte Prozessüberwachung für die Einzelteilfertigung scheitert häufig an Prozessphasen, welche Beschleunigungsanteile enthalten. Der Beitrag widmet sich der Kompensation von Beschleunigungs- und Reibanteilen im Messsignal durch kennfeldbasierte Ansätze sowie Methoden des maschinellen Lernens. Für die anschließende Modellierung des Gesamtsignals zur Prozessüberwachung werden Regressionsansätze mit Methoden des maschinellen Lernens verglichen, welche sich als besonders geeignet zeigen. Model-based process monitoring often fails to adequately assess process segments that exhibit acceleration. This work evaluates different compensation approaches for non-process-specific parts of the measured signals. For a subsequent modelling of the complete input signal enabling the monitoring of single item processes, conventional regression models are compared to machine learning methods. The latter prove to be very well suited for these requirements.

Background: A single-item self-rated diet measure (SRD) may provide a quick, low-burden screener. However, assessment of its validity is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the association of an SRD construct with measured diet quality among adults in Puerto Rico (PR).Methodology: Participants (30–75 years old; n = 247) of the PR Assessment of Diet, Lifestyle, and Diseases (PRADLAD) cross-sectional study reported SRD with a single question (“How would you describe your current dietary habits and diet quality?”) with a five-point scale: excellent to poor. More complete diet quality was calculated using the Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI), with 11 food and nutrient components assessed by the food frequency questionnaire. Multivariable general linear models were used to test associations between SRD with AHEI and its components. Associations were also tested between recall SRD in youth and current AHEI.Results: Most participants (35.2%) self-rated diet as “good,” 13.8% as “excellent,” and 4.1% as “poor,” with the remainder split between middle scale points. SRD was not significantly associated with AHEI, although participants with “excellent” vs. “poor” SRD had marginally higher AHEI (P = 0.07). SRD was significantly associated with higher fruit intake (P = 0.02) and marginally associated with intakes of vegetables (P = 0.07) and long-chain fatty acids (P = 0.07). Unexpectedly, AHEI was significantly higher among those reporting “poor” SRD in young adulthood (P = 0.01) or childhood (P = 0.05).Conclusions: SRD may capture current diet quality at extreme intakes. Larger studies should confirm these findings and replicate them in other underrepresented populations. Further research should clarify the inverse associations between adult AHEI and earlier reported SRD.

The current feasibility analysis of specific courses, expert analysis or single item analysis is usually used, and the results are relatively one-sided, so it is difficult to achieve a comprehensive feasibility analysis. Therefore, this paper designs the feasibility analysis model of Wushu Sanda course in universities based on deep learning. First of all, the relationship between curriculum system and training objectives is analyzed, and the relationship matrix between curriculum and objectives is established. Then according to the relationship between training objectives, the importance of the course is analyzed. After that, the training objective factors in the course are analyzed to realize the course process data. At last, use deep learning technology to analyze the marginal characteristics of data, and get the feasibility results of the course. The experiment is designed to analyze the feasibility of Wushu Sanda course in a university. The experimental results show that the model can analyze the feasibility of the course, and get the data for reference to meet the design requirements.

Background: A number of theoretical accounts have been put forward to explain the ability to simultaneously track multiple visually indistinguishable objects over a period of time. Serial processing models of visual tracking focus on the maintenance of the spatial locations of every single item over time. A more recent mechanism describes multiple object tracking as the ability to maintain a higher order representation of an abstract spatial configuration built by the illusory connection of the tracked items through their transition. Objective: The current study investigates the correspondence between these serial and parallel tracking accounts and the right hemispheric specialization for the space-based vs. left hemispheric for object-based attentional processing. Methods: Electrophysiological brain responses were recorded in two groups of patients with right- and left hemispheric lesions while performing in a multiple object tracking task. Results: The results suggest a failure to distinguish single item information for the right hemispheric patients accompanied by the absence of a known electrophysiological marker associated with single item tracking. Importantly, left hemispheric patients showed a graded behavioral and electrophysiological response to probe stimuli as a function of the congruence of the probe with the relevant target stimuli. Conclusions: The current data suggest that the differential contribution of serial and parallel tracking mechanisms during object tracking can partly be explained by the different functional contributions of the right and left brain hemispheres.

BackgroundTreatment burden is the effort required of patients to look after their health, and the impact this has on their wellbeing. Quantitative data on treatment burden for patients with multimorbidity are sparse, and no single-item treatment burden measure exists.AimTo determine the extent of, and associations with, high treatment burden among older adults with multimorbidity, and to explore the performance of a novel single-item treatment burden measure.Design and settingCross-sectional postal survey via general practices in Dorset, UK.MethodPatients ≥55 years, living at home, with three or more long-term conditions (LTCs) were identified by practices. Treatment burden was measured using the Multimorbidity Treatment Burden Questionnaire. Data collected were sociodemographics, LTCs, medications, and characteristics including health literacy and financial resource. Associations with high treatment burden were investigated via logistic regression. Performance of a novel single-item measure of treatment burden was also evaluated.ResultsA total of 835 responses were received (response rate 42%) across eight practices. Patients’ mean age was 75 years, 55% were female (n = 453), and 99% were white (n = 822). Notably, 39% of patients self-reported fewer than three LTCs (n = 325). Almost one-fifth (18%) of responders reported high treatment burden (n = 150); making lifestyle changes and arranging appointments were particular sources of difficulty. After adjustment, limited health literacy and financial difficulty displayed strong associations with high treatment burden; more LTCs and more prescribed regular medications were also independently associated. The single-item measure discriminated moderately between high and non-high burden with a sensitivity of 89%, but a specificity of 58%.ConclusionHigh treatment burden was relatively common, underlining the importance of minimising avoidable burden. More vulnerable patients, with less capacity to manage, are at greater risk of being overburdened. Further development of a single-item treatment burden measure is required.

The international Space Station (ISS) to date is the most expensive single item ever built.

The number of older adults is increasing worldwide, including in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, there is a paucity of data on the overall health status of older adults living in SSA. To assess the prevalence and factors associated with poor Self-Rated Health (SRH) among community-dwelling older adults in Lomé, Togo, we conducted a cross-sectional study from January to June 2019 in Lomé among community-dwelling older adults aged 50 years and older. A 30- minute questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic characteristics, medical history, patterns of medication use and use of herbal products and dietary supplements during a face-to-face interview. SRH was assessed using a single item: Overall, you would say that your health is… (1) excellent, (2) very good, (3) good, (4) fair and (5) poor with response fair or poor defining poor SRH. A total of 344 respondents with median age 63 years, (IQR: 55-72) were enrolled in the study. Women represented 57.6% of the sample. Overall prevalence of poor SRH was 56.4% (95%CI: 51.0-61.9) and was the highest among females (62.6% vs 47.9%; P=0.007) and participants >60 years (61.5% vs 51.1%; P=0.021). Female sex, aged ≥60 years, osteoarthritis, hospitalization within the 12 months preceding the survey, polypharmacy, and the use of herbal products were factors associated with poor SRH (P

Societal pressures for greater sustainability can encourage firms to target part of their innovation activities at ecological initiatives (i.e., eco-innovation). Yet, depending on their value function, firms can respond differently to such pressures and exhibit variance in their eco-innovation activities. In this paper, we investigate the idea that a firm's ownership structure may play a significant role in determining its engagement in eco-innovation. Specifically, we propose that ownership by family blockholders increases the value attached to the company's reputation and that this, in turn, stimulates higher levels of eco-innovation. In other words, we model the company reputation motive as a key mediator in the relationship between family ownership and firm-level eco-innovation. To account for family firm heterogeneity, we also model the moderating role of owners' intention to pass the business on to the next family generation (transgenerational intentions) and of the extent to which these owners reside in the firm's local community (local embeddedness). As theoretical backdrop, our study builds on institutional theory and the mixed gamble logic. To test our hypotheses, we use a large sample of German firms and nonlinear moderated mediation regression analysis. Results reveal that family ownership is positively related to the introduction of eco-innovations by firms, in part because of the stronger emphasis being placed on the company's reputation. We find that this effect is strongest when the owning-family has transgenerational intentions. As such, this study advances our understanding of firm-level drivers of eco-innovation. In view of the prevalence of family-owned firms and the mounting importance of ecological sustainability, it is valuable to extend knowledge on the contingent and indirect effect of family ownership on eco-innovation.

The aim of this study was to verify the association between sociodemographic, general health, and oral health data with self-rated general health (SRGH) and self-rated oral health (SROH) in independent-living older Brazilians. This cross-sectional study was part of a larger study with older individuals living independently in the city of Campinas, Brazil – the “Rede FIBRA” Study (the Frailty in Brazilian Elderly Study). A random sample of 688 older individuals responded the SRGH and 673, the SROH. SRHG and SROH were both assessed using a single item. The questionnaire included sociodemographic, general, and oral health data. The mean age was 72.28 ± 5.4 years. The adjusted analysis revealed that the probability of rating general health as bad was higher for illiterate participants (PR: 1.77, 95%CI: 1.13–2.77) or with low educational level (PR: 1.76, 95%CI: 1.17–2.65), those with depressive symptoms (PR: 1.45, 95%CI:1.21–1.74), participants that self-reported food limitation due to problems with denture or lack of it (PR: 1.29, 95%CI: 1.05–1.56), and those with xerostomia (PR 1.40, 95%CI: 1.17–1.67). The probability of rating general health as bad was lower for participants that presented 0-2 chronic diseases (PR: 0.64, 95%CI: 0.53–0.78) and were pre-frail (PR: 0.76, 95%CI: 0.61-0.96). With regard to SROH, the probability of rating oral health as bad was higher for participants with natural teeth (PR:1.61, 95%CI: 1.24–2.08), that reported xerostomia (PR: 1.44, 95%CI: 1.13–1.84), and food limitation due to problems with denture or lack of it (PR: 1.43, 95%CI: 1.07–1,91), and lower for participants that reported having enough money to cover daily expenses (PR: 0.78, 95%CI: 0.61–0.99). Oral health data and income seem to be related to self-perceptions of general and oral health.

We consider the sale of a single item to multiple buyers by a revenue-maximizing seller. Recent work of Akbarpour and Li formalizes \emph{credibility} as an auction desideratum, and prove that the only optimal, credible, strategyproof auction is the ascending price auction with reserves (Akbarpour and Li, 2019). In contrast, when buyers' valuations are MHR, we show that the mild additional assumption of a cryptographically secure commitment scheme suffices for a simple \emph{two-round} auction which is optimal, strategyproof, and credible (even when the number of bidders is only known by the auctioneer). We extend our analysis to the case when buyer valuations are $\alpha$-strongly regular for any $\alpha > 0$, up to arbitrary $\varepsilon$ in credibility. Interestingly, we also prove that this construction cannot be extended to regular distributions, nor can the $\varepsilon$ be removed with multiple bidders.

We evaluated a single-item Patient Global Impression-Severity (PGI-S) scale for assessing insomnia severity during the clinical development programme for suvorexant. The analyses used data from two randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-month, Phase III clinical trials of suvorexant in patients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV criteria insomnia. Patients assessed insomnia severity during the previous week using the PGI-S, a one-item questionnaire containing six response options ranging from 0 (none) to 5 (very severe), at baseline and at Week 2, and Months 1, 2, and 3 after randomisation. The seven-item Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and other subjective and objective assessments were also completed by patients. PGI-S responses were compared primarily with the ISI using descriptive statistics and correlations. The PGI-S demonstrated favourable measurement characteristics (validity, reliability, responsiveness and sensitivity). PGI-S scores decreased from baseline to Month 3 in a similar pattern to the ISI total score, and the Spearman correlation coefficient between PGI-S and the ISI was .73. An improvement of ≥2 points on the PGI-S defined a treatment responder, based on comparison to the ISI definition of a responder (improvement of ≥6 points). Our present findings suggest that the PGI-S is a simple but valid, reliable, responsive, sensitive, and meaningful patient-reported assessment of insomnia severity. The PGI-S may be particularly useful as a companion outcome to sleep monitoring using wearable sleep devices or smartphones in at-home settings.

The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) is in widespread use for the evaluation of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We assessed whether the CAT items carry additional information beyond the sum score regarding COPD characteristics including emphysema. Patients of GOLD grades 1 to 4 from the COPD cohort COSYCONET (German COPD and Systemic Consequences - Comorbidities Network) with complete CAT data were included (n = 2270), of whom 493 had chest CT evaluated for the presence of emphysema. Comorbidities and lung function were assessed following standardised procedures. Cross-sectional data analysis was based on multiple regression analysis of the single CAT items against a panel of comorbidities, lung function, or CT characteristics (qualitative score, 15th percentile of mean lung density), with age, BMI and gender as covariates. This was supported by exploratory factor analysis. Regarding the relationship to comorbidities and emphysema, there were marked differences between CAT items, especially items 1 and 2 versus 3 to 8. This grouping was basically confirmed by factor analysis. Items 4 and 5, and to a lower degree 1, 2 and 6, appeared to be informative regarding the presence of emphysema, whereas the total score was not or less informative. Regarding comorbidities, similar findings as for the total CAT score were obtained for the modified Medical Research Council scale (mMRC) which was also informative regarding emphysema. Our findings suggest that the usefulness of the CAT can be increased if evaluated on the basis of single items which may be indicating the presence of comorbidities and emphysema.

Objective.To evaluate agreement of the updated European League Against Rheumatism and European Scleroderma Trials and Research group (EUSTAR) recommendations for treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc) among international experts. In addition, to determine factors that might influence agreement.Methods.Level of agreement (10-point scale: 0 = not at all, 10 = completely agree) and local drug availability (yes/no) were assessed using an online survey. The Web link to the survey was shared with 481 unique e-mail addresses and SSc networks (Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium, Australian Scleroderma Interest Group, International Systemic Sclerosis Inception Cohort). Level of agreement was compared between subgroups stratified for participant characteristics.Results.In total, 263 experts participated, of whom n = 209 (79%) completed each single item. The majority were rheumatologists (n = 200, 76%) working in Europe (n = 185; 71%); 59% (n = 156) were EUSTAR members; and 57% (n = 151) had > 10 years of clinical experience. Overall level of agreement was high (mean 8.0, SD 2.5). The 3 highest mean agreements included (1) angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors for scleroderma renal crisis (9.2, SD 2.1); (2) blood pressure control in SSc-patients treated with corticosteroids (9.0, SD 2.2); (3) proton pump inhibitors to prevent reflux complications (9.0, SD 2.2). The 3 lowest mean agreements included (1) fluoxetine for Raynaud phenomenon (RP; 4.6, SD 2.8); (2) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for severe SSc (7.1, SD 2.9); (3) phosphodiesterase inhibitors 5 for RP (7.3, SD 2.7). Agreement differed between Europe and non-Europe for the use of iloprost, bosentan, methotrexate, HSCT, and cyclophosphamide. Treatment availability could partially explain differential agreement for iloprost, bosentan, and HSCT.Conclusion.In general, worldwide expert agreement on updated recommendations for treatment of SSc is high, supporting their value. Differences in agreement are partially explained by geographical area and treatment availability.

Objective To determine prevalence of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) [prodromal Lewy body disease] in Sun City, Arizona. Patients and methods We attempted, by telephone and mail, a survey using the RBD single item question for probable RBD (pRBD) and the Innsbruck RBD Inventory. Individuals answering “yes” to 4/5 Inventory questions were considered to have high likelihood RBD (HL-RBD.) Results Response rate was 484/3000 individuals contacted (16%), mean age 78; 48 (9.9%) endorsed pRBD by RBD1Q; 16 (3.3%) had HL-pRBD. Prevalence of idiopathic cases (without neurodegenerative disease) was 8.8% pRBD and 2.8% HL-RBD. Conclusion Our estimated definite RBD prevalence of 1.7% (61.3% of HL-RBD) was similar to previous community-based studies., Clinical research; Nervous system; Neurology; Neuroscience; Pathology; Parkinson disease; Dementia with lewy bodies; REM sleep behavior disorder; Lewy body dementia

STUDY OBJECTIVES: A single-item sleep quality scale (SQS) was developed as a simple and practical sleep quality assessment and psychometrically evaluated. METHODS: SQS measurement characteristics were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and morning questionnaire-insomnia (MQI) according to prespecified analysis plans in separate clinical studies of patients with insomnia and depression. Patients with insomnia (n = 70) received 4 weeks' usual care with an FDA-approved hypnotic agent; patients with depression (n = 651) received 8 weeks' active or experimental therapy. RESULTS: Concurrent criterion validity (correlation with measures of a similar construct) was demonstrated by strong (inverse) correlations between the SQS and MQI (week 1 Pearson correlation −.76) and PSQI (week 8 Goodman-Kruskal correlation −.92) sleep quality items in populations with insomnia and depression, respectively. In patients with depression, stronger correlations between the SQS and PSQI core sleep quality components versus other items supported convergent/divergent construct validity (similarity/dissimilarity to related/unrelated measures). Known-groups validity was evidenced by decreasing mean SQS scores across those who sleep normally, those borderline to having sleep problems, and those with problems sleeping. Test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient) was .62 during a 4-week period of sleep stability in patients with insomnia and .74 in stable patients with depression (1 week). Effect sizes (standardized response means) for change from baseline were 1.32 (week 1) and .67 (week 8) in populations with insomnia and depression, respectively. Mean SQS changes from baseline to week 8 convergently decreased across groups of patients with depression categorized by level of PSQI sleep quality improvement. CONCLUSIONS: The SQS possesses favorable measurement characteristics relative to lengthier or more frequently administered sleep questionnaires in patients with insomnia and depression. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry: ClincalTrials.gov, Title: Treatment of Patients With Major Depressive Disorder With MK0869, Identifier: NCT00034983, URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00034983 CITATION: Snyder E, Cai B, DeMuro C, Morrison MF, Ball W. A new single-item sleep quality scale: results of psychometric evaluation in patients with chronic primary insomnia and depression. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018;14(11):1849–1857.

Background: Unhealthy drug use is a concern in many settings, including military and veteran populations. In 2013, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical center in Bedford, Massachusetts, started requiring routine screening for unhealthy drug use in outpatient primary care and mental health settings, using a validated single question. Methods: This study used descriptive and multivariable analyses of VHA electronic records for patients eligible for the screening program ( N = 16,118). The study assessed first-year rates and predictors of screening and of positive screens, both for drug use and for unhealthy alcohol use, for which screening was already required. Results: During the first year, 70% of patients were screened for unhealthy drug use and 84% were screened for unhealthy alcohol use. In multivariable analyses, screening for drug use was more likely for patients who had 8 or more days with VHA visits or were aged 40 or over. Patients with a prior drug use disorder diagnosis were much less likely to be screened. Three percent of patients screened for unhealthy drug use had a positive screen, and 14% of those screened for unhealthy alcohol use had a positive screen. Strong predictors of a positive drug use screen included a prior-year diagnosis of drug use disorder, any mental health clinic visits, younger age, or being unmarried. Conclusions: The drug screening initiative was relatively successful in its first-year implementation, having screened 70% of eligible subjects. However, it failed to screen many of those most likely to screen positive, thereby missing many opportunities to address unhealthy drug use. Future refinements should include better training clinicians in how to ask sensitive questions and how to address positive screens.

Mobile apps have the potential to request access to private information. Given the far-reaching negative consequences that misuse of this kind of information can lead to, interventions that may encourage safer app downloading behaviors need to be investigated. Participants were recruited through a crowdsourcing service to participate in two separate experiments designed to determine the impact of presenting safety-related priming material before selecting mobile apps. Participants completed a simulated app selection task where apps were given overall safety or risk rankings. In Experiment 1 participants were assigned to a (1) control, (2) self-relevant priming, or (3) factual priming condition. In the latter conditions participants were presented eight privacy priming items prior to the app selection task, differing in whether they were to rate their disagreement/agreement with privacy statements or to read and demonstrate understanding of eight mobile app permissions. Experiment 2 was similar to Experiment 1 but with only a single priming item presented. The obtained results showed that although the participants relied heavily on user ratings to guide their app selections, both the self-relevant and factual priming items induced the participants to take safety more into account. Further, we showed that priming can be accomplished with a single item, which holds promise for real-world applications.

Purpose New trends are emerging in the brewery sector; but to date beer consumer segmentations are scarce. In this context, the present study addresses the following questions: “Are beer consumers monolithic or are there different segments in the beer market?; and “What are the main characteristics of the beer consumer segments?”. The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential beer consumer segments and to profile them regarding their consumption behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Data from a sample of 592 consumers were analysed through hierarchical cluster analysis; and the validity of the cluster solutions was then examined through a MANOVA analysis. Findings A five-cluster solution emerged, revealing different beer consumption patterns and preferences. These segments are identified as “beer lovers”, “circumspect seniors”, “social drinkers”, “homelike women” and “beer to fuddle consumers”. Originality/value The findings suggest that beer consumers cannot be seen as a homogenous consumer group; and managers and brewers could manage beer as five different products, instead of considering beer as a single item.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between hearing deterioration and several health-related outcomes among home care clients in Ontario. Design: Longitudinal analysis was completed for clients with at least two comprehensive assessments. Hearing status, based on a single item, ranged from zero (no impairment) to three (highly impaired). Hearing deterioration was defined as at least a 1-point decline between subsequent assessments. Results: Seven percent experienced a 1-point deterioration in hearing and roughly 1% had a 2/3-point decline. After adjusting for other covariates, increasing age (odds ratio = 1.94; 95% confidence intervals [CIs] = [1.45, 2.61]) and a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (1.37; CI = [1.04, 1.80]) and other dementias (1.32; CI = [1.07, 1.63]) increased the risk of a 2/3-point deterioration. Conclusion: These findings can assist home care professionals and policy makers in creating and refining interventions to meet the needs of older adults with hearing difficulties.

Objective: To assess the roles of demographic factors, actual and perceived risk factors, and perceived control in the referral to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data related to 312 CABG patients in a hospital of the Western part of Iran, gathered through demographics and actual risk factors’ checklist, open single item of perceived heart risk factors, life stressful events scale, and perceived control questionnaire. Data analyzed by binary logistic regression. Results: The results showed that only 8.3% of CABG patients refer to CR. The facilitators of this referral included official employment (P < 0.05), coronary history (P = 0.016), and hyperlipidemia (P = 0.030) but more distance to the CR center (P = 0.042) and perceived physiological risk factor (P = 0.025) are concerned as the barriers for the referral to CR. Conclusion: Providing appropriate awareness about the benefits of CR for patients with regard to their job status, coronary history, and perception about the illness risk factors can be effective in referral to CR. In addition, the presence of CR centers in towns and facilitated achievement to these centers can play a significant role in patients’ participation.

Multiple-True-False questions are one specific type of multiple-choice item that can be used to assess knowledge in written examinations. Within Multiple-True-False items, a number of statements within a single item are given, and each statement has to be marked separately as true or false. Various scoring methods for Multiple-True-False items exist and there is no consensus as to the ideal scoring method. The study aimed to systematically identify available scoring methods for Multiple-True-False items and to assess their usability and statistical parameters (i.e. available information included and expected chance scores from random guessing). Another objective was to examine the relation between examinees’ true knowledge and expected scoring results. Data presented in this manuscript may help educators make informed choices about the scoring method to be selected and corresponding pass marks required for testing a certain level of true knowledge of examinees.

Health literacy is becoming increasingly important in areas such as cancer care, where treatments are relatively difficult to navigate. This study aims to describe the how health literacy is associated with healthcare outcomes and health system usage among patients with lung cancer. Data include retrospective medical record data from 456 patients with lung cancer; half were age 70 and older. Patients were coded as having adequate or limited health literacy based on their response to their Single Item Literacy Screener (SILS). Data were collected from a 12 month period following diagnosis for each patient. One-third of patients had limited health literacy; this was significantly more common among adults age 70 and older. Patients with limited health literacy were more likely to have newly diagnosed lung cancers of stage 3B or higher (59.18% vs. 42.76%, p = 0.0011) compared to those with adequate health literacy. Patients with limited health literacy had higher median levels of depression based on the PHQ-9 questionnaire (4.0 vs. 3.0, p = 0.0082) and a higher median number of emergency department visits (1 vs. 0, p = 0.0156) and unplanned hospitalizations (1 vs. 0, p = 0.0044). Furthermore, patients with limited health literacy were more likely to have an emergency department visit or unplanned hospitalization sooner (p < 0.0001). These data illustrate a lower quality of life and a higher dependency on healthcare services for patients with limited health literacy. Assessment and interventions may be necessary to ensure access to quality healthcare.

Measuring workload accurately is critical for human factors research and applications. However, if the instruments we use to measure workload are burdensome for participants to complete, we may find ourselves in the ironic position of increasing workload simply by measuring it. We present a pair of studies that suggest the NASA-TLX, a widely-used workload metric, increases workload for participants who complete it, and consequently may hurt performance and upwardly bias the estimates it produces. We found that repeated administration of the NASA-TLX increased workload by 18%, and more than doubled the performance decrement on a simple vigilance task. Single-item measures may be a simple way to avoid burdening participants unnecessarily while still obtaining valuable insight into participant cognitive state. In line with the attentional resource theory, we validate a measure that asks participants to ‘think about [their] brain as an engine,’ and to indicate inside a rectangle ‘how much gas [they] h...

Introduction: With increasing survival of high risk babies, children with different developmental disabilities have emerged as a challenge for the baby, family as well as for physicians. With limited awareness and resources, follow-up and interventions for these babies are difficult. The study was carried out to find out the development of high risk babies in different developmental domains at one year of age.Material and Methods: NICU graduates who visited high risk clinic at one year of age were assessed. ASQ-3 was used to screen development. Children with major congenital anomalies and syndromes were excluded from the study.Results: Out of 28 high risk babies, about 29% had global delay. Those babies who had seizure during neonatal period could not score even in single item of ASQ-3. Conclusion: All high risk babies are at risk of developing delay hence should be followed up regularly. Timely early intervention needs to be started to minimize delay.

Indian cosmetics and toiletries market is valued at $950 million. The key growth drivers for the cosmetics and toiletries market in India are rapid urbanization, increase in disposable incomes, and changes in people's tastes. The cosmetics market can be segregated into talcum powder, colour cosmetics (lip, eye, face, and nail care products), deodorants, and perfumes. The cosmetics market has been growing at the rate of 15-20% for the last few years. The sector has witnessed growth mainly from medium and low priced category that accounts for 90% of the cosmetic market. Talcum powders are the largest selling single item among cosmetics, since their application either directly to the body or even as a powder base provides a finishing touch to any make-up process. Talcum powders are intended for use on the body. The modern woman and man believe in concealing undue gloss or shine on the face and body. Talcum powder serves precisely this purpose. The success of this product is mainly concerned with the satisfaction of consumers, but, now-a-days they are facing numerous problems while using it.

Assessment of quality of life is of central importance in palliative care to understand patients' needs and improve their treatment. However, due to the severely compromised state of health of the severely ill or dying patients, the possibility of an adequate assessment with longer questionnaires is limited.Investigation of the criterion-oriented validity of a single item to measure quality of life in palliative care patients.In a cross-sectional study, correlations of the single item with established questionnaires were analyzed.At Malteser Hospital Bonn and Bonn University Hospital, 72 palliative patients, mainly suffering from cancer, were investigated.Clinical symptoms were measured by the Minimal Documentation System (MIDOS) and quality of life was assessed by the single item "How satisfied are you currently with your physical and emotional well-being?" on a 7-point scale as well as by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) and the Palliative Outcome Scale (POS).Seventy-one of 72 patients filled in the single item and the POS, 64 patients the FACT-G. There was a high correlation between the assessment of quality of life by the single item and the FACT-G (r = 0.695, p 0.01) as well as the POS (r = -0.630, p 0.01).The study confirms the criterion-oriented validity of the single item to measure quality of life in palliative care patients. This can be seen as a first step to validate this economic instrument. Future studies should focus on the analysis of further psychometric aspects (e.g., reliability, sensitivity to change) of the single item.

This paper benchmarks B-RISK’s capability to predict item ignition in multiple object compartment fire simulations. A series of fire experiments have been conducted which measured single item ignition times under the furniture calorimeter and in the ISO 9705 room. These experiments used mock-up armchair, TV and cabinetry furniture items created from three common materials found in most households in New Zealand exposed to a 100 kW gas burner flame. B-RISK uses the flux-time product (FTP) method as the criterion to predict ignition of items, based on radiation received using the point source model (PSM). This paper presents an analysis of the B-RISK predictions compared to the experimental measurements. Due to the mathematical formulation of the PSM and FTP method, it is found that the predicted ignition time is sensitive to the distance between the radiative source and the item. Predicted ignition times of armchairs constructed of polyurethane foam were within 14% of the ISO 9705 room experimental results. However, for the furniture calorimeter experiments it is found that to get reasonable predictions of the ignition times for the mock-up armchair and TV items there is a need to account for the burner flame movement by adjusting the radial distance by 10–30 mm. Direct flame contact was required to ignite the mock-up cabinetry items and B-RISK was unable to successfully predict this ignition time.