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This paper presents a multinomial choice model with social interactions in an incomplete network. Individuals form heterogenous rational expectations about the behavior of peers by taking into account their characteristics and the strength of their ties. We show the network conditions under which the endogenous and exogenous effects can be separately identified even in the presence of correlated effects at the group level. Conditions for unique equilibrium are established. We apply our empirical model to occupational choice in nineteenth century London. Thanks to a newly constructed dataset, we use ecclesiastical parish boundaries as proxies for social groups and geographic distances between individuals as measures of the strength of their ties. Our results show that endogenous network effects were important above and beyond correlated and exogenous effects. We uncover distinct impact by occupation type: peers in professional and industrial occupations have a positive impact on the likelihood of following a similar occupation while commercial have a negative one.

Evaluating outcome in osteoarthritis (OA) clinical research and practice requires reliable, valid and responsive patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and functional tests that reflect important problems experienced by people with OA. The goal of this work is to provide information to start to guide the reader in selecting measures for people with OA. In this narrative review, we begin by providing an overview of measurement properties that can help clinicians and researchers in making decisions about whether a measure might be appropriate for use in their research or clinical context. We then report evidence supporting the use of measures of pain (e.g., Pain Visual Analogue (VAS), Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain, PROMIS Pain Interference, and, for screening in research, the painDETECT and the Self-report Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs) and fatigue (e.g., PROMIS-Fatigue) at a group level in clinical research. Several multi-dimensional joint-specific measures (e.g., Western Ontario McMaster Universities' Osteoarthritis Outcomes Scale, Knee/Hip Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Oxford Hip/Knee Scale) also have evidence for group-level use. Functional tests (e.g., timed walk tests, 30 Second Chair Stand, Timed Up and Go, etc.) have measurement properties supporting their use at the group level in clinical research and at the individual patient level as do the pain VAS and NPRS. Other generic and disease-specific PROMs have been used in or could be used in OA studies but their measurement properties require further evaluation in people with OA.

Weaned dairy heifers are often housed in environments with few appropriate outlets for grooming or oral manipulation. Our objective was to characterize brush use by naive heifers, including patterns over time. In phase 1, groups of 4 heifers (n = 13 groups, 146.4 ± 9.1 d old, mean ± standard deviation; SD) were introduced to a bedded pack pen with 4 wall-mounted brushes (25.4 × 6.0 cm with 3.8-cm-long bristles). On d 1, 2, and 6 of exposure, continuous video recordings were used to observe 2 focal heifers per group for brush use (oral manipulation, grooming, and the sum of total brush use; all averaged at the group level). Latency to use a brush upon entering the pen was 3.4 ± 4.9 min (mean ± SD; range: 0.1 to 17.8 min among individuals). Heifers used the brushes for oral manipulation (39.7 ± 17.5% of brush use, mean ± SD) and grooming (60.3 ± 17.5%), primarily of their heads (89.9 ± 5.4% of grooming). In phase 2, heifers were moved in pairs (n = 13 pairs/treatment) to freestall pens either with (brush treatment) or without (control) brushes mounted inside the stalls for the first 5 d of phase 2 (d 8-12 of the study); on the last day (d 13 of the study), brushes were provided in both treatments. On d 8 (brush treatment) and 13 (both treatments), one focal heifer/pen was recorded for the same behaviors as in phase 1. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate brush use patterns across days (phase 1: d 1, 2, and 6; phase 2 brush treatment: d 8 vs. 13) and between treatments on d 13. In phase 1, brush use was greatest on d 1 [45.9 min; 95% confidence interval (CI): 33.2-63.3 min, back-transformed from natural-log values], decreased on d 2 (25.0 min, 95% CI: 18.4-34.0 min), but then remained steady until d 6 (21.0 min, 95% CI: 15.4-28.5 min); the initial reduction in total brush use was due to changes in grooming, but oral manipulation remained relatively static. In phase 2, heifers in the brush treatment showed similar usage on d 8 versus d 13 (3.8 vs. 3.7 min, 95% CI: 1.9-6.8 vs. 1.9-6.5 min). Compared with heifers with continuous brush access on d 8-12, those in the control treatment showed more brush use on d 13, both for oral manipulation (6.6 vs. 2.5 min, 95% CI: 3.8-11.1 vs. 1.3-4.5 min) and grooming (3.5 vs. 1.2 min, 95% CI: 1.9-5.7 vs. 0.5-2.3 min). Our study is the first to characterize stationary brush use in weaned dairy heifers. We conclude that, despite lacking previous experience, heifers use brushes for both grooming and oral manipulation.

Experimental team games provide valuable data to help understand behavior in intergroup conflict. Past research employing team games suggests that individual participation in conflict is driven mostly by parochial cooperation, rather than outgroup spite. We argue that motives in conflict depend on whether conflict is framed and perceived at the group or individual level. In a controlled laboratory experiment, we manipulate perception of the conflict level by varying the framing of the conflict, keeping the objective strategic aspects of conflict fixed. While parochial cooperation is the main motivation under an individual frame (replicating prior results), outgroup spite emerges as an important motivation when conflict is perceived at the group level. Furthermore, under an individual frame intragroup communication and chronic prosociality are related only to parochial cooperation, but are similarly related to both parochial cooperation and outgroup spite under a group frame. We conclude that perceptions of conflict are crucial for understanding the motivations that guide individual behavior in intergroup conflict. While experimental team games naturally focus on the strategic aspects of conflict, it is possible to extend the experimental paradigm to incorporate the perception of conflict. We discuss how these insights shed new light on past results, and how they may inform future work.

Task‐fMRI researchers have great flexibility as to how they analyze their data, with multiple methodological options to choose from at each stage of the analysis workflow. While the development of tools and techniques has broadened our horizons for comprehending the complexities of the human brain, a growing body of research has highlighted the pitfalls of such methodological plurality. In a recent study, we found that the choice of software package used to run the analysis pipeline can have a considerable impact on the final group‐level results of a task‐fMRI investigation (Bowring et al., 2019, BMN). Here we revisit our work, seeking to identify the stages of the pipeline where the greatest variation between analysis software is induced. We carry out further analyses on the three datasets evaluated in BMN, employing a common processing strategy across parts of the analysis workflow and then utilizing procedures from three software packages (AFNI, FSL, and SPM) across the remaining steps of the pipeline. We use quantitative methods to compare the statistical maps and isolate the main stages of the workflow where the three packages diverge. Across all datasets, we find that variation between the packages' results is largely attributable to a handful of individual analysis stages, and that these sources of variability were heterogeneous across the datasets (e.g., choice of first‐level signal model had the most impact for the balloon analog risk task dataset, while first‐level noise model and group‐level model were more influential for the false belief and antisaccade task datasets, respectively). We also observe areas of the analysis workflow where changing the software package causes minimal differences in the final results, finding that the group‐level results were largely unaffected by which software package was used to model the low‐frequency fMRI drifts., In this article, we seek to identify the stages of the pipeline where the greatest variation between analysis software is induced. We carry out further analyses on the three datasets evaluated in Bowring, Maumet, and Nichols, 2019, employing a common processing strategy across parts of the analysis workflow and then utilizing procedures from AFNI, FSL, and SPM across the remaining steps of the pipeline. Across all datasets, we find that variation between the packages' results is largely attributable to a handful of individual analysis stages, and that these sources of variability were heterogeneous across the datasets.

This work was supported by Harvard University. Indirect wildlife population surveying largely depends upon counts of artifacts of behavior (e.g., nests or dung). Likelihood to encounter these artifacts is derived from both artifact production and decay, and variability in production behavior is considered to contribute minimally to inaccuracy in wildlife estimation. Here, we demonstrate how ignoring behavioral variability leads to significant population misestimation, using an example of an endangered ape, the bonobo (Pan paniscus). Until now, a single estimate of nest construction rate has been used to extrapolate bonobo densities, assumed to be broadly representative of bonobo sign production behavior. We estimated nest construction rates across seasons and social groups at the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and find nest construction rates in bonobos to be highly variable across populations as well as seasonal within populations. Failure to account for this variability led to degradation in the accuracy of bonobo population density estimates, accounting for a likely overestimation of bonobo numbers by 34%, and at worst as high as 80%. With this example, we demonstrate that failure to account for inter- and intrapopulation behavioral variation compromises the ability to estimate both relative and absolute wildlife abundances. We argue that variation in sign production is but one of the several potential ways that behavioral variability can affect conservation monitoring, should be measured across contexts whenever possible, and must be considered in population estimation confidence intervals. With increasing attention to behavioral variability as a potential tool for conservation, conservationists must also account for the impact that behavioral variability can have upon wildlife population estimation. Our results underline the importance of observational research to wildlife monitoring schemes as a critical component of conservation management. We discuss the avenues through which behavioral variability is likely to impact wildlife monitoring accuracy and precision and propose potential approaches for accounting for behavioral variability in wildlife monitoring. Publisher PDF

This mixed-methods study focuses on the effect of Study Abroad (SA) on the mental well-being of 33 Anglophone students who spent between four and twelve months in Francophone countries. It investigates the relationship between well-being and personality traits. Statistical analyses revealed no significant change in well-being between the start, the middle and the end of the SA. A closer look at individual patterns showed large fluctuations, with half of participants scoring higher and the other half scoring lower between the start and the middle of the SA. The narratives of three participants whose well-being scores increased most were not very different from the three participants whose well-being scores decreased most, and only (lower) Emotional Stability was linked with the increase in well-being. At the group level, well-being was not significantly linked to personality traits. The apparent stability of well-being during SA seems to be the result of upward and downward patterns cancelling each other out.

Predicting the popularity of web contents in online social networks is essential for many applications. However, existing works are usually under non-incremental settings. In other words, they have to rebuild models from scratch when new data occurs, which are inefficient in big data environments. It leads to an urgent need for incremental prediction, which can update previous results with new data and conduct prediction incrementally. Moreover, the promising direction of group-level popularity prediction has not been well treated, which explores fine-grained information while keeping a low cost. To this end, we identify the problem of incremental group-level popularity prediction, and propose a novel model IGPP to address it. We first predict the group-level popularity incrementally by exploiting the incremental CANDECOMP/PARAFCAC (CP) tensor decomposition algorithm. Then, to reduce the cumulative error by incremental prediction, we propose three strategies to restart the CP decomposition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that identifies and solves the problem of incremental group-level popularity prediction. Extensive experimental results show significant improvements of the IGPP method over other works both in the prediction accuracy and the efficiency.

Background: Early Onset Ataxia (EOA) and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) share several phenotypical characteristics, which can be clinically hard to distinguish. Aim: To combine quantified movement information from three tests obtained from inertial measure-ments units (IMUs), to improve the classification of EOA and DCD patients and healthy controls compared to using a single test. Methods: Using IMUs attached to the upper limbs, we collected data from EOA, DCD and healthy control children while they performed the three upper limb tests (finger to nose, finger chasing and fast alter -nating movements) from the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) test. The most relevant features for classification were extracted. A random forest classifier with 300 trees was used for classification. The area under the receiver operating curve (ROC-AUC) and precision-recall plots were used for classification performance assessment. Results: The most relevant discerning features concerned smoothness and velocity of movements. Classification accuracy on group level was 85.6% for EOA, 63.5% for DCD and 91.2% for healthy control children. In comparison, using only the finger to nose test for classification 73.7% of EOA and 53.4% of DCD patients and 87.2% of healthy controls were accurately classified. For the ROC/precision recall plots the AUC was 0.96/0.89 for EOA, 0.92/0.81 for DCD and 0.97/0.94 for healthy control children. Discussion: Using quantified movement information from all three SARA-kinetic upper limb tests improved the classification of all diagnostic groups, and in particular of the DCD group compared to using only the finger to nose test. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of European Paediatric Neurology Society. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

As a social determinant of health, work influences the health and well-being of workers. Interventions to change the conditions of work are an important complement to individually-focused wellness ...

The shared mood or affect of a work group can exert a powerful influence on the group’s social dynamics and effectiveness. However, the mood of others can be difficult to read, leading to divergent perceptions of group affect among members. What happens when individuals perceive the group’s affect differently? We answer this question by investigating how divergence in perceptions of group affect influences individuals’ social integration and the group’s performance. In doing so, we examine the implications of divergence in perceived group affect for individuals and the group as a whole. In a field study of 1419 individuals in 107 work groups, we found that divergence in perceptions of the group’s positive affect was negatively associated with individuals’ commitment to the team and undermined the positive impact of group affect on group performance. We discuss the implications of our findings for refining theory on group affect, the value of strongly shared affect, and how leaders can foster a stronger sense of shared affect within groups.

Introduction. Neuropsychologists play an important role on multidisciplinary teams with physicians from multiple specialties. The extent of residency training on the use of neuropsychological services is unclear. We surveyed medical residents across multiple specialties throughout the United States to assess resident education, training, and understanding of neuropsychological services, along with their likelihood to consult neuropsychologists in the future. Methods. A survey was sent to residents in accredited psychiatry, neurology, family medicine, and internal medicine programs. After data were collected, chi-square group level analyses with post-hoc pairwise comparisons were used to analyze the data. Results. 434 residents took the survey. The proportion of residents exposed to neuropsychology during residency varied significantly according to specialty χ2 (3, N=419) = 51.4, p < .001, with more psychiatry and neurology residents reporting exposure than residents in family medicine or internal medicine. Similarly, the proportion of psychiatry and neurology residents who ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that they understand the nature of neuropsychological services differed significantly from family medicine and internal medicine residents χ2 (3, N=415) = 40.4, p < .001. The majority of residents across all specialties (85.7%) reported they are likely to consult/order neuropsychological services in future practice. Conclusions. The majority of residents in all specialties reported exposure to neuropsychological services in some manner, but forms of exposure varied. Results indicate a need for increased education and training in neuropsychological services, especially within family medicine and internal medicine programs. The majority of residents agreed that they would utilize neuropsychology services in future practice.

This study investigates the Rejection-Identification Model (RIM) by examining impacts of group-level and personal experiences with discrimination on different measures of ethnic identity and cultural importance among Hispanic immigrants. The RIM is used to describe associations between discrimination and increased ethnic identity and the mediating role of ethnicity on negative outcomes of discrimination. Growing empirical support for the RIM has prompted inquiry into its application among different populations, including immigrants who face numerous types of discrimination. Using the Latino Immigrant National Election Survey, the study found that the perception of group-level discrimination was associated with a higher likelihood of reporting Hispanic identity importance, however, personal experiences with discrimination were not. Further, results showed that neither type of discrimination impacted cultural or Spanish language maintenance importance. This paper discusses the implications of these findings and how the protective factors presented by the RIM may vary among populations and when considering personal and group-level discrimination.

This study explores how different team configurations based on members’ experiential learning styles impacted group level variables including team learning behavior, stages of team development, potency, psychological safety, and satisfaction in an undergraduate class. Groups with homogeneous learning styles experienced higher levels of friendship and lower levels of conflict, which were associated with greater satisfaction and more rapid progress through the stages of group development. Most significantly, satisfaction was more strongly correlated to team learning behavior than psychological safety, suggesting that student groups in higher education settings may rely on other factors to progress through the stages of group development.

The purpose of this study was to determine the implementation of subsidized fertilizer distribution in the Natambang Roncitan Village, Arse District. This type of research uses qualitative research with descriptive methods. Research informants include the Secretary, Head of Facilities and Infrastructure at the Agriculture Office, Distributors, Retailers, BPP, PPL, and farmer/farmer groups. Data collection techniques using interviews, documentation studies, and data retrieval techniques. The results showed that the implementation of subsidized fertilizer distribution in Natambang Roncitan Village, Arse District was still not optimal due to lack of supervision. Some problems that can still be addressed by the Regional Agriculture Office of South Tapanuli Regency include prices at the farmer/farmer group level that do not match the Highest Retail Price (HET), kiosks that sell to farmers outside their scope of the area, and bureaucracy that is too long in distributing subsidized fertilizers.

Group-level metacognitive scaffolding is critical for productive knowledge building. However, previous research mainly focuses on the individual-level metacognitive scaffoldings in helping learners improve knowledge building, and little effort has been made to develop group-level metacognitive scaffolding (GMS) for knowledge building. This research designed three group-level metacognitive scaffoldings of general, task-oriented, and idea-oriented scaffoldings to facilitate in-service teachers’ knowledge building in small groups. A mixed method is used to examine the effects of the GMSs on groups’ knowledge building processes, performances, and perceptions. Results indicate a complication of the effects of GMSs on knowledge building. The idea-oriented scaffolding has potential to facilitate question-asking and perspective-proposing inquiry through peer interactions; the general scaffolding does not necessarily lessen teachers’ idea-centered explanation and elaboration on the individual level; the task-oriented scaffolding has the worst effect. Pedagogical and research implications are discussed to foster knowledge building with the support of GMSs.

Decades of research has argued that social information processing can improve belief accuracy as measured at both the group level and the individual level. However, we show both theoretically and e...

Few studies have examined parent-child discrepancies on self-report measures of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) symptomatology and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The aim of this study was to investigate parent-child reporting discrepancies between a pediatric sample of diagnosed patients with ME/CFS and controls to better understand the role of children and adolescent reporting. Data for this study were drawn from a community-based epidemiological study of pediatric ME/CFS in the Chicagoland area. A total of 147 parent-child dyads (75 pairs with ME/CFS and 72 control pairs) completed measures assessing HRQOL and ME/CFS symptomatology. At the individual level, agreement was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) scores. Agreement was measured at the group level by a comparison of means using paired-sample t-tests. Intra-class correlations revealed varied agreement in both parent-child pairs of children who met at least one case definition of ME/CFS and in parent-child pairs in the control group. The current study provides support for the existence of discrepancies between parent-child reports of ME/CFS symptomatology and HRQOL measures. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Functional and anatomical hemispheric asymmetries abound in the neural language system, yet the relationship between them remains elusive. One attractive proposal is that structural interhemispheric differences reflect or even drive functional language laterality. However, studies on structure-function couplings either find that left and right language dominant individuals display similar leftward structural asymmetry or yield inconsistent results. The current study aimed to replicate and extend prior work by comparing structural asymmetries between neurologically healthy left-handers with right hemispheric language dominance (N = 24) and typically lateralized left-handed controls (N = 39). Based on structural MRI data, anatomical measures of six 'language-related' perisylvian structures were derived, including the surface area of five gray matter regions with known language functions and the FDC (combined fiber density and fiber-bundle cross-sectional area) of the arcuate fasciculus. Only the surface area of the pars triangularis and the anterior insula differed significantly between participant groups, being on average leftward asymmetric in those with typical dominance, but right lateralized in volunteers with atypical language specialization. However, these findings did not survive multiple testing correction and the asymmetry of these structures demonstrated much inter-individual variability in either subgroup. By integrating our findings with those reported previously we conclude that while some perisylvian anatomical asymmetries may differ subtly between typical and atypical speech dominants at the group level, they serve as poor participant-specific predictors of hemispheric language specialization.

International audience; Many studies have investigated the perception of tactile pleasantness over a range of stroking velocities. On average, pleasantness is low at slow (e.g. 0.3 cm/s) and fast (e.g. 30 cm/s) stroking velocities, but is rated highest at velocities between 1-10 cm/s. On a group level, this results in an inverted-U shape pleasantness ratings curve, which is described statistically by a negative quadratic equation. We reanalyzed the data from 5 earlier studies to investigate whether the inverted-U shape pleasantness curve at the group level is also present at the level of the individual-a precondition for using tactile pleasantness perception as a diagnostic marker. We pooled the data from five studies with a total of 127 participants. Each study included a 'standard condition' of stroking on the dorsal forearm over different velocities (0.3, 1, 3, 10, 30 cm/s) and participants rated the pleasantness. Factors other than stroking velocity were also varied in these studies. On the whole-group level and in each study, pleasantness ratings produced a significant negative quadratic pleasantness curve over the stroking velocities. In individual participants, ratings varied greatly and only 42% of the participants showed a significant negative quadratic curve. The steepness of the inverted-U correlated only moderately across other experimental conditions, showing that the experimental circumstances can influence pleasantness ratings. Our findings have important implications for future work, where differences in the tactile pleasantness curve should not be used to predict or diagnose issues at an individual level. Highlights • We conducted a reanalysis of 5 studies into variability of pleasant touch perception from stroking over the skin. • We asked whether the inverted-U shape pleasantness curve over slow to fast stroking existed at the level of the individual. • We pooled the data from 127 healthy participants who rated pleasantness of slow to fast stroking. • Group data clearly exhibited the inverted-U shaped pleasantness curve, but this was not found in individuals. • High inter-individual variability exists in tactile pleasantness and this should not be used diagnostically in individuals.

Introduction Hip fractures are a global health burden, with an incidence that is projected to increase from 66,000/year currently in the United Kingdom to 100,000/year by 2033. The classification of intertrochanteric fractures is key to the treatment algorithms advising on their surgical management. The AO/OTA classification is the most commonly used system, initially published in 1990 and subsequently shown to have poor inter- and intra-observer reliability, it was revised in 2018 with the main aim of re-classifying and further defining the 31-A2 group. Methods 150 plain film anteroposterior and lateral plain film radiographs of intertrochanteric fractures from three hospitals were classified using the 2018 AO/OTA classification of intertrochanteric fractures by six Orthopaedic Surgeons (2 Consultants, 4 Trainees), all were blinded to the definitive surgical treatment for patients. Radiographs were re-classified after a minimum of 3-months, Cohen's Kappa for inter-observer reliability was calculated from first round classifications and intra-observer reliability from first and second classifications. Results Mean Kappa for inter-observer reliability for AO group classification (e.g. 31-A1) was 0.479 (0.220 - 0.771, for sub-group classification (e.g. 31-A1.1) reliability reduced to 0.376 (0.276 - 0.613). Intra-observer reliability was comparable for both group and sub-group classifications, 0.661 and 0.587 respectively. Conclusions The revised 2018 AO/OTA classification aimed to simply the classification of intertrochanteric fractures, however it remains unreliable with only a “moderate” inter-observer reliability at group level with this falling to “fair” when sub-group classifications are made. Identification of stable and unstable injuries using the new AO/OTA system remains fraught with difficulties and appears difficult to apply with consistent accuracy.

Patient-reported experience is associated with improved patient safety and clinical outcomes. Quality improvement programs rely on validated patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) to design projects. This descriptive study compares the experience of cancer patients treated with radiation as recorded through the Ambulatory Oncology Patient Satisfaction Survey (AOPSS) or as recorded through Your Voice Matters (YVM) between February and August 2019. Six questions were compared (“overall experience with care”, “discussion of worries”, “involvement in decisions”, “trusting providers with confidential information”, “providing family with information”, and “knowing who to contact”). Positive experience scores were calculated by cohort and by tumor groups. Multivariable logistic regression models evaluated factors associated with positive experience. Two cohorts (220 and 200 patients) met the eligibility criteria for the AOPSS and YVM, respectively. Positive experience was reported similarly between the two PREMs for “overall experience with care”, “discussion of worries”, and “trusting providers with confidential information” with a score difference of 1–4% at the cohort level. Positive experience score difference ranged from 5% to 44% across questions at the tumor group level. Different experience gaps were identified with the two measures, mainly at the tumor group level. Programs interested in using these PREMS might consider this when designing projects.

Objective Studies of the effect of valproate (VPA) on the background EEG have shown varying results. Therefore, we compared the effect of VPA and levetiracetam (LEV) on the EEG alpha peak frequency (APF). Methods We retrospectively examined the APF in resting-state EEG of patients undergoing inpatient video-EEG monitoring (VEM) during withdrawal of VPA or LEV. We assessed APF trends by computing linear fits across individual patients’ APF as a function of consecutive days, and correlated the APF and daily antiseizure medication (ASM) doses on a single-patient and group level. Results The APF in the VPA-group significantly increased over days with falling VPA doses (p = 0.005, n = 13), but did not change significantly in the LEV-group (p = 0.47, n = 18). APF correlated negatively with daily ASM doses in the VPA-group (average of r = −0.74 ± 0.12 across patients, p = 0.0039), but not in the LEV-group (average of r = −0.17 ± 0.18 across patients, p = 0.4072). Conclusions Our results suggest that VPA treatment slows the APF. This APF reduction correlates with the daily dose of VPA and is not present in LEV treatment. Significance Our study identifies a VPA-related slowing of the APF even in patients without electroencephalographic or overt clinical signs of encephalopathy.

Contains fulltext : 248841.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) BACKGROUND: Family mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) for child attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) targets child self-control, parenting and parental mental health, but its effectiveness is still unclear. METHODS: MindChamp is a pre-registered randomised controlled trial comparing an 8-week family MBI (called 'MYmind') in addition to care-as-usual (CAU) (n = 55) with CAU-only (n = 48). Children aged 8-16 years with remaining ADHD symptoms after CAU were enrolled together with a parent. Primary outcome was post-treatment parent-rated child self-control deficits (BRIEF); post hoc, Reliable Change Indexes were explored. Secondary child outcomes included ADHD symptoms (parent/teacher-rated Conners' and SWAN; teacher-rated BRIEF), other psychological symptoms (parent/teacher-rated), well-being (parent-rated) and mindfulness (self-rated). Secondary parent outcomes included self-ratings of ADHD symptoms, other psychological symptoms, well-being, self-compassion and mindful parenting. Assessments were conducted at post-treatment, 2- and 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Relative to CAU-only, MBI+CAU resulted in a small, statistically non-significant post-treatment improvement on the BRIEF (intention-to-treat: d = 0.27, p = .18; per protocol: d = 0.33, p = .11). Significantly more children showed reliable post-treatment improvement following MBI+CAU versus CAU-only (32% versus 11%, p

Purpose To identify football-specific factors associated with ACL injuries that can be targeted for sport-specific injury prevention. Methods A study-specific questionnaire was developed to study the characteristics of ACL injuries in football including intrinsic, extrinsic, and injury specific factors. The questionnaire was available at the Swedish national knee ligament registry’s website for the football players to voluntarily fill out. Data are presented on group level for all football players in total and for females and males separate to examine gender-specific differences. The results are based on answers collected over a 3-year period from 2875 football players, 1762 (61%) males and 1113 (39%) females. Results ACL were more frequently sustained during games 66% than during practices 25%. The injury mechanism was non-contact in 59% and contact in 41%. For the contact injuries during games, no action was taken by the referee in 63% of the situation and a red card was shown in 0.5%. The risk of ACL injury was highest early in the football game with 47% sustained during the first 30 min and 24% in the first 15 min. Players changing to a higher level of play 15% had a higher rate of ACL injuries than players changing to a lower level 8%. This difference was especially seen in female football players with 20% of ACL injuries being sustained by players going to a higher division compared to 7% for those going to a lower division. 15% of the male and 21% of the female ACL injuries occurred in teams with a coach change during the season. Knee control exercises to warm up was used by 31% of the female players and 16% of the males. 40% of the players reported that they did not plan on returning to football. Conclusion Neuromuscular training programs have proven to reduce ACL injuries, but greater adherence to these remains a challenge as only 1 in 5 of the ACL-injured football players report using them. Teams changing coach and players going to a higher division appear to have an increased risk of ACL injury warranting attention and further investigations. Level of evidence IV.

Rapid changes in the healthcare environment necessitate improvements in employee performance. We examined the relationship between nurse managers' transformational leadership and nurses' job performance, and the key mediating role of psychological safety in this relationship. Personnel at six private regional teaching hospitals in Central Taiwan participated in this study, comprising 73 nurse managers and 719 nurses. The results show that when the intergroup heterogeneity of job performance was statistically significant, a positive correlation existed between transformational leadership and job performance at the group level. Next, we performed an analysis using psychological safety as a mediating variable. The results show there was a significant correlation between transformational leadership and perception of psychological safety. This model exhibited lower variance and a better fit than the other examined models. Thus, emphasizing transformational leadership and psychological safety in operations and management could effectively improve nurses' job performance; this recommendation could serve as a standard for nurse managers in their duties.

Study objective The measurement of emergency department (ED) throughput as a patient-centered quality measure is ubiquitous; however, marked heterogeneity exists between EDs, complicating comparisons for payment purposes. We evaluate 4 scoring methodologies for accommodating differences in ED visit volume and heterogeneity among ED groups that staff multiple EDs to improve the validity and “fairness” of ED throughput quality measurement in a national registry, with the goal of developing a volume-adjusted throughput measure that balances variation at the ED group level. Methods We conducted an ED group-level analysis using the 2017 American College of Emergency Physicians Clinical Emergency Data Registry data set, which included 548 ED groups inclusive of 889 unique EDs. We calculated ED throughput performance scores for each ED group by using 4 scoring approaches: plurality, simple average, weighted average, and a weighted standardized score. For comparison, ED groups (ie, taxpayer identification numbers) were grouped into 3 types: taxpayer identification numbers with only 1 ED; those with multiple EDs, but no ED with greater than 60,000 visits; and those with multiple EDs and at least 1 ED with greater than 60,000 visits. Results We found marked differences in the classification of ED throughput performance between scoring approaches. The weighted standardized score (z score) approach resulted in the least skewed and most uniform distribution across the majority of ED types, with a kurtosis of 12.91 for taxpayer identification numbers composed of 1 ED, 2.58 for those with multiple EDs without any supercenter, and 3.56 for those with multiple EDs with at least 1 supercenter, all lower than comparable scoring methods. The plurality and simple average scoring approaches appeared to disproportionally penalize ED groups that staff a single ED or multiple large-volume EDs. Conclusion Application of a weighted standardized (z score) approach to ED throughput measurement resulted in a more balanced variation between different ED group types and reduced distortions in the length-of-stay measurement among ED groups staffing high-volume EDs. This approach may be a more accurate and acceptable method of profiling ED group throughput pay-for-performance programs.

This paper examines the debate over whether Acheulean handaxe shape results from the intentional imposition of a priorly held mental template upon the lithic material substrate or, alternatively, whether a knapper's intentions related to shape ‘emerge’ through the engagement (in action) of human agency and material affordances. We suggest that imposition of form and emergence of form are not mutually exclusive, and use Lave and Wenger's concept of ‘communities of practice’ to knit these opposed views together to explain the consolidation of homogenous handaxe shape at Boxgrove, c. 500,000 years ago. Here we propose that the consistency in handaxe shape found at sites like Boxgrove is a consequence of the emergent actions of individual knappers being simultaneously constrained by the imposition of social norms. Social norms are referred to in action and are negotiated, understood, and adhered to at the wider group level. Therefore, we propose that contextualizing Acheulean handaxe manufacture within its wider social context will show that handaxe shape was both imposed and emergent, not one or the other.

We aimed to validate bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS), compared with tracer dilution measurements, for assessing total body water (TBW), intracellular water (ICW), and extracellular water (ECW) in athletes differing in hydration status. A total of 201 athletes participated. Reference TBW and ECW were determined by deuterium and bromide dilution methods, respectively; ICW was calculated as TBW-ECW. Water compartments were estimated by BIS. Urine specific gravity (USG) classified athletes into well-hydrated (WH) (USG 1.023), euhydrated (EH) (USG:1.024-1.026), and dehydrated (DH) (USG1.027). No significant differences were found between BIS and the reference methods for WH, EH, and DH athletes for TBW, ICW nor ECW (p0.05). Concordance of TBW and its compartments by method was significant (p 0.001) with coefficients of determination ranging by hydration classification [EH:52-96%;DH:56-98%;WH:71-96%]. Bland-Altman analyses showed no trend for TBW and its compartments with the exception of ICW in the WH athletes. The 95% confidence BIS intervals for the WH group ranged from -3.08 to 2.68 kg for TBW, -4.28 to 4.14 kg for ICW, and -3.29 to 3.02 kg for ECW. For the EH athletes, the 95% confidence intervals ranged from -2.78 to 2.24 kg for TBW, -4.10 to 3.94 kg for ICW, and -3.44 to 3.06 kg for ECW. In DH group, TBW ranged between -1.99 and 2.01 kg, ICW between -3.78 and 6.34 kg, and ECW between -6.22 and 3.74 kg. These findings show that BIS is useful at a group level in assessing water compartments in athletes differing in hydration status. However, the usefulness of BIS is limited at an individual level, especially in dehydrated athletes.

Global digitization and the emergence of Artificial Intelligence-based technologies pose challenges for all countries. The BRICS and European Union countries are no exception. BRICS as well as the European Union seek to strengthen their positions as leading actors on the world stage. At the present time, an essential means of doing so is for BRICS and the EU to implement smart policy and create suitable conditions for the development of digital technologies, including AI. For this reason, one of the most important tasks for BRICS and the EU is to develop an adequate approach to the regulation of AI-based technologies. This research paper is an analysis of the current approaches to the regulation of AI at the BRICS group level, in each of the BRICS countries, and in the European Union. The analysis is based on the application of comparative and formal juridical analysis of the legislation of the selected countries on AI and other digital technologies. The results of the analysis lead the authors to conclude that it is necessary to design ageneral approach to the regulation of these technologies for the BRICS countries similar to the approach chosen in the EU (the trustworthy approach) and to upgrade this legislation to achieve positive effects from digital transformation. The authors offer several suggestions for optimization of the provisions of the legislation, including designing a model legal act in the sphere of AI.

The sensory response threshold is a fundamental biophysical property of biological systems that underlies many physiological and computational functions, and its systematic study has played a pivotal role in uncovering the principles of neural computation. Here, we show that ant colonies, which perform computational tasks at the group level, have emergent collective sensory response thresholds. Colonies respond collectively to step changes in temperature and evacuate the nest during severe perturbations. This response is characterized by a group-size dependent threshold, and the underlying dynamics are dominated by social feedback between the ants. Using a binary network model, we demonstrate that a balance between short-range excitatory and long-range inhibitory interactions can explain the emergence of the collective response threshold and its size dependency. Our findings illustrate how simple social dynamics allow insect colonies to integrate information about the external environment and their internal state to produce adaptive collective responses.

The growing availability of intensive longitudinal data has increased psychological researchers' interest in ideographic-statistical methods that, for example, reveal the contemporaneous or lagged associations between different variables for a specific individual. However, when researchers assess several individuals, the results of such models are difficult to generalize across individuals. Researchers recently suggested an algorithm called GIMME, which allows for the identification of coefficients that exist across all individuals (group-level coefficients) or are specific to one or a subgroup of individuals (individual-level coefficients). In three simulation studies we investigated GIMME's performance in recovering group-level and individual-level coefficients. For the former, we found that GIMME performed well when the magnitude of the parameters was moderate to high and when the number of measurements was sufficiently large. However, GIMME had problems detecting individual-level coefficients or coefficients that occurred for a subset of individuals from the whole sample.

Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs) refer to periods of intense and enduring motivation in quest for a well-defined target goal or vision (Henry, Davydenko, & Dornyei, 2015). This study used a qualitative methodology to examine group-level DMCs among English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners at a university level. To this end, a systematic methodology was used to identify individuals who experienced a DMC-type motivation. This resulted in identifying three groups with group-level DMC experience (N for all groups = 8, 6 female and 2 male). In-depth interviews were conducted with all members of the three groups. The results of qualitative data analysis indicated that the three key features of DMCs (goal-orientedness, salient structure, and positive emotionality) existed in participants’ collective motivation experience. Moreover, the results indicated that characteristics such as high responsibility, unity and coherence, collective efficacy, entitativity, attractiveness, and contagious motivation and emotions propelled energy and motivation in group-level DMCs. The implications of the study for researchers and teachers are presented.

Background To assess physical activity (PA), a comparative measurement – evaluating one’s own PA compared to others – may be an appropriate method. In previous studies, the use of comparative measurements led to an effect known as unrealistic comparative optimism (UCO) – people being unrealistically optimistic about their behavior. Our aim was to use this comparative measurement in university students to quantify the prevalence of UCO at the group level and to draw conclusions on its validity. Methods We used data from the Nutrition and Physical Activity in Adolescence Study (NuPhA), a cross-sectional online survey that included only self-reports (n = 689). To assess PA among students, they were asked to rate their PA level compared to that of their same-aged fellow students. In addition, we used the Godin-Shephard leisure-time PA questionnaire and other questions on PA for comparisons. We used bivariate and cluster-based analyses to identify potential UCO. Results We found that UCO at the group level led to an uneven distribution, with a higher proportion of students who rated themselves as being more physically active than average. However, the individual assessment of PA with a single and simple comparative question seemed to be valid. Discussion A global single comparative question seems useful for studies where PA is measured as a covariate in university students.

Background: To examine the effects of different stages of visual field loss (VFL) from advanced glaucoma on performance in a driving simulator. Methods: Data on performance and safety from a traffic simulator test for 104 participants with withdrawn driver’s licences due to visual field loss from advanced glaucoma were compared with data from 83 individuals without visual deficits in a cross-sectional study. Individuals with glaucoma that regained their driving licences after a successful simulator test were then followed in a national accident database. Results: Glaucoma participants passed the test in 71% (95% confidence interval 61–79%) of the cases. Younger participants were more successful than older. No significant differences on safety or performance measures were detected between glaucoma- and normally sighted participants. Compared with passed glaucoma participants, failed glaucoma participants had more collisions, more critical failed to give way events, longer time headways, and longer reaction times. This group had also a higher extent of central visual field loss. None of the participants with a regained licence were involved in a motor vehicle accident during the 2 to 4 year follow-up after the simulator test. Conclusion: Severity of glaucoma predicts driver safety on a group level. However, even individuals with severe visual field loss from glaucoma might drive safely, which highlights the need for individual assessments for licencing purposes. © 2021 The Authors. Acta Ophthalmologica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation

Associative memory (AM) reflects the ability to remember and retrieve multiple pieces of information bound together thus enabling complex episodic experiences. Despite growing interest in the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for the modulation of AM, there are inconsistent evidence regarding its benefits. An alternative to standard constant tDCS could be the application of frequency-modulated tDCS protocols, that mimic natural function-relevant brain rhythms. Here, we show the effects of anodal tDCS oscillating in theta rhythm (5 Hz; 1.5 ± 0.1 mA) versus constant anodal tDCS and sham over left posterior parietal cortex on cued recall of face-word associations. In a crossover design, each participant completed AM assessment immediately following 20-min theta-oscillatory, constant, and sham tDCS, as well as 1 and 5 days after. Theta oscillatory tDCS increased initial AM performance in comparison to sham, and so did constant tDCS. On the group level, no differences between oscillatory and constant tDCS were observed, but individual-level analysis revealed that some participants responded to theta-oscillatory but not to constant tDCS, and vice versa, which could be attributed to their different physiological modes of action. This study shows the potential of oscillatory tDCS protocols for memory enhancement to produce strong and reliable memory-modulating effects which deserve to be investigated further.