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The present study introduces the concept of validating data quality indicators through re-classification. We use the term re-classification to mean the evaluation of how well an indicator detects the quality of different versions of a survey question for which the quality is known a priori. We illustrate its application with two examples. In both, we make use of 12 questions from prior experiments that manipulated text features of questions to create 'low' and 'high' quality versions of each question. In the first example, we coded each question version in SQP 2.1 to obtain indicators of validity, reliability, and quality. We compared these indicators between the two versions of each question to assess whether the SQP outcomes were sensitive to text features. In the second example, we used a pretest survey to obtain three indicators of survey quality: response latencies, item nonresponse, and consistency over time. Again, we compared these indicators between question versions to assess whether the indicators were sensitive to text features. We give recommendations for applying re-classification and an outlook for future research opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To determine the reliability and agreement of manual and automated morphological measurements, and agreement in morphological diagnoses. METHODS: Thirty pelvic radiographs were randomly selected from the World COACH consortium. Manual and automated measurements of acetabular depth-width ratio (ADR), modified acetabular index (mAI), alpha angle (AA), Wiberg center edge angle (WCEA), lateral center edge angle (LCEA), extrusion index (EI), neck-shaft angle (NSA), and triangular index ratio (TIR) were performed. Bland-Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to test reliability. Agreement in diagnosing acetabular dysplasia, pincer and cam morphology by manual and automated measurements was assessed using percentage agreement. Visualizations of all measurements were scored by a radiologist. RESULTS: The Bland-Altman plots showed no to small mean differences between automated and manual measurements for all measurements except for ADR. Intraobserver ICCs of manual measurements ranged from 0.26 (95%-CI 0-0.57) for TIR to 0.95 (95%-CI 0.87-0.98) for LCEA. Interobserver ICCs of manual measurements ranged from 0.43 (95%-CI 0.10-0.68) for AA to 0.95 (95%-CI 0.86-0.98) for LCEA. Intermethod ICCs ranged from 0.46 (95%-CI 0.12-0.70) for AA to 0.89 (95%-CI 0.78-0.94) for LCEA. Radiographic diagnostic agreement ranged from 47% to 100% for the manual observers and 63%-96% for the automated method as assessed by the radiologist. CONCLUSION: The automated algorithm performed equally well compared to manual measurement by trained observers, attesting to its reliability and efficiency in rapidly computing morphological measurements. This validated method can aid clinical practice and accelerate hip osteoarthritis research.

The adoption of simulation models as Digital Twins (DTs) has been standing out in recent years and represents a revolution in decision-making. In this context, we note increasingly faster and more efficient decisions by mirroring the behaviour of physical systems. On the other hand, we highlight the challenges to ensure the simulation models validity over time since traditional validation approaches have limitations when we consider the periodic update of the model. Thus, the present work proposes an approach based on the constant assessment of these models through Machine Learning and control charts. To this end, we suggest a monitoring tool using the K-Nearest Neighbors (K-NN) classifier, combined with a p-control chart, to periodically assess the validity of DT simulation models. The proposed approach was tested in several theoretical cases and also implemented in a real case study. The findings suggest that the proposed tool can monitor the DT functioning and identify possible special causes that could compromise its results. Finally, we highlight the wide applicability of the proposed tool, which can be used in different DT models, including near/real-time models with different characteristics regarding connection, integration, and complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to develop and assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Life Skills Scale for Physical Education (P-LSSPE). Method: During Study 1, which included four translators, eight physical education experts, and 45 physical education students, the LSSPE was translated and adapted into Persian, and its content validity was assessed. Study 2 assessed evidence for the factorial validity and reliability of the scale with a sample of 1,004 students. Study 3, which included 462 students, assessed nomological validity evidence. Results: In Study 1, the content validity analyses indicated that the P-LSSPE items and their dimensions were clear in language, practical in application, and represented the life skills in question. In Study 2, a bifactor confirmatory factor analysis model was the best representation of the data and provided evidence for the construct validity of the scale. In Study 3, evidence for the nomological validity of the P-LSSPE was provided, with the correlation coefficients indicating that teacher autonomy support was associated with students' development of all eight life skills and total life skills. Discussion/Conclusion: Overall, the findings of this research suggest that the P-LSSPE can be used to accurately measure the life skills development of Iranian physical education students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the initial stage of their federally funded research project, the authors detail how they developed and validated a set of assessment tools aimed at measuring undergraduate students' academic engagement and their own definition of academic success. To ensure the tools were measuring what they were intended to, and that they were reliable, the authors enlisted content experts, including a librarian with academic engagement expertise, three educational psychologists with specialization in college students' engagement, self-regulation, and related fields, and two psychometricians with knowledge of psychological measurement. The authors also reflect on the lessons they learned from the process of developing and validating the assessment tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In January 2020, a workshop was held at EMBL-EBI (Hinxton, UK) to discuss data requirements for the deposition and validation of cryoEM structures, with a focus on single-particle analysis. The meeting was attended by 47 experts in data processing, model building and refinement, validation, and archiving of such structures. This report describes the workshop's motivation and history, the topics discussed, and the resulting consensus recommendations. Some challenges for future methods-development efforts in this area are also highlighted, as is the implementation to date of some of the recommendations.

Comparative analysis of (meta)genomes necessitates aggregation, integration, and synthesis of well-annotated data using standards. The Genomic Standards Consortium (GSC) collaborates with the research community to develop and maintain the Minimum Information about any (x) Sequence (MIxS) reporting standard for genomic data. To facilitate the use of the GSC's MIxS reporting standard, we provide a description of the structure and terminology, how to navigate ontologies for required terms in MIxS, and demonstrate practical usage through a soil metagenome example.

This study aims to statistically compare two methods for determining 210Pb in tobacco: the molecular recognition sorbent method (AnaLig Sr01) and the extraction chromatography sorbent method (Sr Resin). The TriCarb 3100 TR liquid scintillation spectrometer was used to measure and determine 210Pb activity in the tobacco solution. Statistical analysis confirmed the accuracy and precision of the 210Pb measurements, with high detection efficiencies of 82% for both AnaLig Sr01 and Sr Resin. The linear model demonstrated that the residuals followed the Gaussian model, without any autocorrelation or trend. Paired t tests showed consistent results across all methods, and all solid-phase extraction methods proved efficient for 210Pb separations in tobacco samples. These findings provide support for the suitability of both methods and lay a foundation for future articles on tobacco and cigarette samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To improve national drowning surveillance efforts, we developed and evaluated a definition for unintentional drowning for use in the National Syndromic Surveillance Program's ESSENCE platform (Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-Based Epidemics) and described drowning-related emergency department (ED) visits from 2019 through 2022 using the new definition. Methods: We adapted an unintentional drowning definition from a previous version, which included all drowning-related ED visits regardless of intent (including drowning related to assault and suicide, as well as unintentional drowning). We reviewed a random sample of 1000 visits captured by the new definition of unintentional drowning and categorized visits as likely, possibly, and unlikely to be related to unintentional drowning. We compared monthly drowning-related ED visits from 2020, 2021, and 2022 with monthly drowning ED visits from 2019, overall and by sex and age group. Results: A total of 35 431 ED visits related to unintentional drowning (10.71 per 100 000 ED visits) occurred from 2019 through 2022. Most visits (86%) captured by the new definition and manually reviewed were likely related to unintentional drowning. Rates were highest among males (14.04 per 100 000 ED visits) and children aged <1 to 4 years (65.61 per 100 000 ED visits). The number of drowning-related ED visits was higher in May and August 2020, May and June 2021, and May 2022 as compared with the same months in 2019 among people aged 18 to 44 years. Conclusions: The definition for unintentional drowning is available in the National Syndromic Surveillance Program's ESSENCE platform for state and local jurisdictions to use to monitor unintentional drowning-related ED visits in near-real time to inform prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed to detect tonabersat in lipid-based formulations. • The developed method is highly sensitive and selective for tonabersat. • Good resolution was observed between Tonabersat and its degradation products. • The method was validated as per ICH guidelines. • This is the first published stability-indicating HPLC method for detection of tonabersat. A stability-indicating reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed to assay tonabersat and assess its stability in pharmaceutical formulations. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a Kinetex® C18 column (2.6 µm, 150 x 3 mm, 100 Å) at 50 °C, with a 20 µL injection volume. A linear gradient of acetonitrile in water (5 – 33.5 %) was applied for 1 min, followed by a gradual increase to 100 % over 26 min at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. Tonabersat and its degradation products were detected at 275 nm and 210 nm, respectively. The optimized method was used to evaluate the stability of tonabersat in lipid-based pharmaceutical formulations at 5 ± 3 °C, 25 ± 2°C/60 ± 5 % RH, and 40 ± 2 °C/75 ± 5 % RH over 3 months. The method was validated as per ICH guidelines and demonstrated linearity in the range of 5 – 200 µg/mL (R2 = 0.99994) with good accuracy (98.25 – 101.58 % recovery) and precision (% RSD < 2.5 %). The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.8 µg/mL and 5 µg/mL, respectively. Forced degradation studies showed significant degradation on exposure to alkaline (90.33 ± 0.80 %), acidic (70.60 ± 1.57 %), and oxidative stress (33.95 ± 0.69 %) at 70 °C, but no degradation was observed on exposure to thermal or photolytic stress. No chemical degradation was observed in either formulation on storage. Thus, the method was sensitive, specific, and suitable for stability testing of tonabersat in pharmaceutical formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The evidence on complication rates after gynecological surgery is based on multiple types of studies, and the level of evidence is generally low. We aimed to validate the registration of complications in the Swedish National Quality Register of Gynecological Surgery (GynOp), by cross‐linkage to multiple national registers. Material and Methods: A national register‐based study using prospectively collected data was conducted, including women who had surgery on the uterus or adnexa for benign indications from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2020. In Sweden, complications after gynecological surgery are registered in GynOp, and if the complication has rendered any interaction with healthcare, it is also in national health registers. The GynOp register, the National Patient Register, the Prescribed Drugs Register, and the Cause of Death Register were cross‐linked. Complications in GynOp and complications according to ICD10 were analyzed, as well as the cause of death if occurring within 3 months of surgery and prescription of antibiotics ≤30 days. Comparisons between the registries were descriptive. Results: During the study period 32 537 surgeries were performed, of which 26 214 (80.6%) were minimally invasive. Complications were reported in GynOp for 569 women (1.7%) at surgery, 1045 (3.2%) while admitted, and 3868 (13.7%) from discharge to 3 months after surgery. In comparison, according to the Patient Register, 2254 women (6.9%) had postoperative complications within 3 months of discharge (difference of 6.8 percentage points [95% confidence interval 6.2–7.2]). Furthermore, 4117 individuals (12.7%) had a prescription of antibiotics ≤30 days which could indicate a postoperative infection. The rates of hemorrhage, wound dehiscence, and thrombosis were comparable between GynOp and the Patient Register while diagnoses not leading to contact with specialized care had higher rates in the quality register. The coverage of complications was 79.1% in GynOp and 46.1% in the Patient Register, using the total number of complications from both registers as the denominator. Conclusions: A higher frequency of complications is captured in GynOp than in the National Patient Register. Patient‐reported outcomes assessed by a physician are beneficial in identifying complications indicating the importance of structured pre‐defined follow‐up over a set period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although studies have shown that digital measures of speech detected ALS speech impairment and correlated with the ALSFRS-R speech item, no study has yet compared their performance in detecting speech changes. In this study, we compared the performances of the ALSFRS-R speech item and an algorithmic speech measure in detecting clinically important changes in speech. Importantly, the study was part of a FDA submission which received the breakthrough device designation for monitoring ALS; we provide this paper as a roadmap for validating other speech measures for monitoring disease progression. Methods: We obtained ALSFRS-R speech subscores and speech samples from participants with ALS. We computed the minimum detectable change (MDC) of both measures; using clinician-reported listener effort and a perceptual ratings of severity, we calculated the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of each measure with respect to both sets of clinical ratings. Results: For articulatory precision, the MDC (.85) was lower than both MCID measures (2.74 and 2.28), and for the ALSFRS-R speech item, MDC (.86) was greater than both MCID measures (.82 and.72), indicating that while the articulatory precision measure detected minimal clinically important differences in speech, the ALSFRS-R speech item did not. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that the digital measure of articulatory precision effectively detects clinically important differences in speech ratings, outperforming the ALSFRS-R speech item. Taken together, the results herein suggest that this speech outcome is a clinically meaningful measure of speech change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PowerPlex® 35GY System (Promega, USA) is an advanced eight-dye multiplex STR kit, incorporating twenty-three autosomal STR loci, eleven Y chromosome STR loci, one sex determining marker Amelogenin, and two quality indicators. This multiplex system includes 20 CODIS loci and up to 15 mini-STR loci with sizing values less than 250 bases. In this study, validation for PowerPlex® 35GY System was conducted following the guidelines of SWGDAM, encompassing sensitivity, precision, accuracy, concordance, species specificity, stutter, mixture, stability, and degraded DNA. The results from experiments demonstrated that the PowerPlex® 35GY System could effectively amplify DNA samples, with complete allele detection achieved at 125 pg. Moreover, over 90% of alleles from minor contributors were detected at a mixed ratio of 1:4. Additionally, the system was found to yield full profiles even in the presence of hematin, humic acid, and indigo. The PowerPlex® 35GY System demonstrated superior performance in the sensitivity and degraded DNA studies compared to a six-dye STR kit. Hence, it is evident that the PowerPlex® 35GY System is well-suited for forensic practice, whether in casework or for database samples. These findings provide strong support for the efficacy and reliability of the PowerPlex® 35GY System in forensic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although substantial research indicates that considerations about status can lead to anxiety and other negative outcomes, a valid measure of the importance individuals attribute to status is lacking. This paper introduces the Status Importance Scale (SIS), a mono‐factorial 10‐item self‐report questionnaire that quantifies how important a person deems status to be. Five studies validate the scale showing that it has excellent internal reliability and acceptable test–retest reliability, it correlates with several related measures (supporting convergent validity), it shows little correlation with theoretically unrelated constructs (supporting discriminant validity), it is the best predictor of conspicuous consumption compared with other potential candidates (supporting concurrent validity), and it can help predicting which activities one gives importance to (further supporting concurrent validity). Finally, as hypothesized by previous literature, the last study reveals that the SIS can predict status anxiety. The SIS can contribute to research regarding important phenomena such as the detrimental psychological effects of income inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of telehealth assessments for toddlers at increased likelihood of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) began prior to the global COVID-19 pandemic; however, the value of telehealth assessments as an alternative to in-person assessment (IPA) became clearer during the pandemic. The Naturalistic Observation Diagnosis Assessment (NODA™), previously demonstrated as a valid and reliable tool to evaluate asynchronous behaviors for early diagnosis, was enhanced to add synchronous collection of behaviors to assist clinicians in making a differential diagnosis of ASD. This study was conducted to validate the information gathered through NODA-Enhanced (NODA-E™) as compared to a gold standard IPA. Forty-nine toddlers aged 16.0–32.1 months of age, recruited through community pediatric offices and a tertiary ASD clinic, participated in both NODA-E and IPA assessments. There was high agreement between the two assessment protocols for overall diagnosis (46 of 49 cases; 93.6%; κ =.878), specific diagnostic criteria for social communication and social interaction (SCI; range 95.9–98%; κ =.918—.959), and for two of four criteria specified for restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB; range 87.8–98%; κ =.755 and.959). There was lower agreement for two subcategories of RRBs (range 65.3–67.3%; κ =.306 and.347). NODA-E is a tool that can assist clinicians in making reliable and valid early ASD diagnoses using both asynchronous and synchronous information gathered via telehealth and offers an additional tool within a clinician's assessment toolbox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Medication Practical Barriers to Adherence Questionnaire (MPRAQ-TR). Methods: This is a validation study conducted between August 2022 and March 2023 in the ambulatory services of a secondary care private hospital located in Istanbul, Türkiye, among patients (18 years of age and older) with chronic diseases. After the Turkish translation and cultural adaptation of the MPRAQ, and a pilot think-aloud study, the following psychometric properties were assessed: internal consistency by calculating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient, 2-week test-retest reliability, convergent validity by calculating Spearman's rank correlation between the MPRAQ-TR and the Turkish version of Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS), and predictive validity by evaluating the association between the MPRAQ-TR score and nonadherence to medications. Results: Among the 380 patients (response rate = 89.6%), 72.1% were nonadherent to their medications. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.99 for MPRAQ-TR scores (95% CI, 0.98–0.99; p < 0.001). The Cronbach's alpha of the MPRAQ-TR was 0.853. There was a moderate negative correlation between the scores on the MARS and the MPRAQ-TR (Spearman's rho = − 0.525; p < 0.01), supporting the convergent validity of the MPRAQ-TR. In the univariate analysis, the total score of MPRAQ-TR was associated with increased odds of nonadherence to medications (p < 0.01). Conclusion: MPRAQ-TR shows good psychometric properties and can be used to evaluate the practical adherence barriers of patients with chronic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new design of spallation target has been installed and operated at the first target station of the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source (ISIS TS-1), as part of the recently completed "TS-1 Project". Detailed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations were used to guide the design process and predict target performance. Since the TS-1 Project target began operation in November 2022, operating data has been collected and used to validate the target simulation approach. Measured temperatures of 9 out of 10 target plates showed good agreement with FEA simulations of both steady-state and transient behaviour. However, the front target plate temperature was elevated compared to predictions. Because the installed target was now too radioactive to permit hands-on inspection, FEA simulations became an indispensable tool to understand the possible causes and safety implications of this anomalous behaviour. The anomalous elevated temperature appears to be highly localised; a combination of simulations and experiments indicates the mostly likely cause is poor thermal contact between the thermocouple and the bulk of the target plate. In all other respects the target is operating as predicted, and is running reliably at up to 120 kW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim of the project was to evaluate the technical and clinical validity of plasma Lumipulse p-tau, Aβ42 and Aβ40 species and their correlation with CSF core Alzheimer's Disease (AD) markers; a method comparison with SIMOA was also performed. One-hundred-thirthy-three participants, namely 55 A+T+N+ AD, 28 Neurodegenerative disorders (NDD) and 50 controls were enrolled for the study. Lumipulse technical validity showed high stability for p-tau181, Aβ42, and Aβ40, with higher stability of p-tau to repeated freezing thaw cycles. p-tau181 levels detected by both techniques were higher in AD compared to both NDD/controls and exhibited a similar correlation with CSF p-tau levels, whereas Aβ42 levels were slightly lower in AD with both methods. In the comparison between SIMOA and Lumipulse plasma markers, both techniques exhibited similar diagnostic accuracy for AD for p-tau181 (0.87; 95 %CI 0.81–0.94, vs 0.85; 95 %CI 0.78–0.93), whereas the best performance was reached by p-tau181/ Aβ42 Lumipulse ratio (ROC AUC 0.915, 95 %CI 0.86–0.97). The study thus confirmed the construct validity of both Lumipulse and SIMOA techniques for the identification of CSF AD pattern in clinical settings. • Lumipulse technical validity showed high stability for p-tau181, Aβ42, and Aβ40 species. • Lumipulse and SIMOA AD-related markers showed a fair correlation in plasma. • Plasma and CSF p-tau181 and amyloid markers are correlated. • Both techniques showed consistently increased plasma p-tau181 levels in AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A biomarker is a factor objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biological and pathogenic processes or pharmacological responses to a therapeutic intervention. It is often measured in blood, urine, or tissue samples. Measurement and interpretation of biomarkers are not always reliable and appropriate. Their application in practice must be refined to avoid measurement errors. In response to the growing need to address the quality and suitability of biomarkers, marker qualification and validation have been developed. Aim: To trace the biomarker validation process. Material and methods: A retrospective study of normative acts regulating activities for the period 2010-2024 and an analysis of literary sources in scientific databases: PubMed, Google Scholar by key words: biomarkers, validation, regulatory requirements was made. Results: Biomarker validation refers to the validation of analytical procedures, that is, the assessment of performance characteristics: precision, accuracy, limit of detection, and robustness. Their validation process is important to confirm their accuracy, reliability, and clinical relevance. Biomarker qualification, on the other hand, provides evidence of the likelihood that that biomarker is associated with a particular biological process and clinical endpoint. Conclusion: To have a high level of reliability, biomarkers go through a process of validation and classification EMA and FDA are synchronizing their requirements to speed up and ease the procedures for the standardization of biomarkers and their incorporation into practice [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of parental support in youth sport has been well studied, however, the measurement of the construct is not as advanced. Existing sport parenting literature has relied on study-designed instruments and/or psychometric instruments not developed or validated for use in the sport-specific context. The present multi-study research programme sought to develop and validate a theory-informed measure of parental support in youth sport. In study one, athletes' perceptions of parental support were explored to gain an in-depth qualitative understanding of parental support. The findings from study one were subsequently utilised to inform the generation of initial scale items (70 items) which reflected parental support in study two. Content validity was then established during study two, through an expert panel of judges (n = 5) and members of the target population (n = 7). During study three, retained items (33 items) were administered to a sample of youth athletes (n = 318) for further item reduction and to explore the factor structure of the instrument, utilising exploratory factor analysis (EFA). In study four, a 19-item measure was administered to a second independent sample of youth athletes (n = 319), to confirm the factor structure of the instrument utilising confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Following minor ad-hoc modifications, the final four-factor, 18-item YSPS-Q (autonomy; emotional; instrumental; informational support) demonstrated excellent model fit. Moreover, the 18-item YSPS-Q demonstrated good reliability, alongside convergent, and divergent validity. The YSPS-Q will enable researchers to effectively evaluate future parent-support programmes, and assist researchers in understanding what factors moderate its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yogurt, a milk-derived product, is susceptible to mycotoxin contamination. While various methods have been developed for the analysis of dairy products, only a few have been specifically validated for yogurt. In addition, these methods are primarily focus on detecting aflatoxins and zearalenone. This study aimed to conduct a preliminary investigation into the presence of regulated, emerging, and modified mycotoxins in natural and oat yogurts available in the Spanish market. For this, a QuEChERS-based extraction method was optimized and then validated to detect and quantify 32 mycotoxins using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The method was in-house validated for the analysis of natural and oat yogurt in terms of linearity, matrix effect, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision. Satisfactory performance characteristics were achieved; for most of the analytes, LOQs were lower than 2 ng/g, and recoveries ranged from 60 to 110% with a precision, expressed as the relative standard deviation of the recovery, lower than 15%. Subsequently, the validated method was applied to analyze commercial yogurt samples, revealing a notable incidence of beauvericin and enniatins, with some analogues found in up to 100% of the samples. Alternariol methyl ether was also frequently found, appearing in 50% of the samples. Additionally, the study identified regulated toxins such as fumonisins, ochratoxin A , and HT-2 toxin. These results provide new incidence data in yogurt, raising concerns about potential health risks for consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bengali is the official language of Bangladesh and is widely used in Bangladesh and West Bengal in India. Due to the growing accessibility of the internet and smart devices, the use of digital text material and documents in Bengali is growing with time. An automated Bengali Sentence Validation System is proposed in this study to effectively determine the correctness of sentences in such extensively available Bengali content. As far as we know, no substantial work has been done in the field of Bengali Sentence Validation utilizing deep learning approaches. Due to the lack of linguistic resources, sophisticated Natural Language Processing tools, and benchmark datasets, developing an automated Sentence Validation System for a limited-resource language like Bengali is challenging. Additionally, Bengali Sentences come in two morphological varieties (Sadhu-bhasha and Cholito-bhasha), making the validation process more challenging. The proposed automated Bengali Sentence Validation system contains the CNN-BiLSTM hybrid classifier model. As of now, there is no standard dataset for Bengali sentence validation. Due to the lack of a standard dataset, we collected Bengali sentences from different sources in Bangladesh and developed a Bengali Sentence Validation (BSV) Dataset with around 5000 labelled sentences arranged into two categories such as correct and incorrect. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system outperformed other classifier models and existing approaches for Bengali Sentence Validation and is able to categorize a wide range of Bengali sentences based on their correctness. The system’s F1 score for the Bengali Sentence Validation is 98%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Somatoform pain poses major challenges in medicine. There is a lack of quantitative instruments that systematically assess psychosocial aspects of somatoform pain. A better knowledge of such aspects could contribute (1) to gaining further insight into the relationship between psychodynamic and psychosocial components of pain, and (2) to facilitating the development and monitoring of improved interventions targeting psychodynamic and psychosocial mechanisms of pain. An item pool on biopsychosocial aspects of pain was developed and completed by 200 patients with somatoform pain disorder. In addition, anxiety (STAI), depression (BDI II), somatization (SOMS-2), and quality of life (SF-36) were assessed. As compared to norm data, patients reported higher scores for anxiety (STAI), depression (BDI-II) somatization (SMOS-2), and lower quality of life (SF-36). Applying item and factor analyses, a new questionnaire (QSP-31) was developed to identify psychodynamic and psychosocial aspects of pain. There was evidence for the construct validity of the six scales through confirmatory factor analysis: Relationships between pain and negative emotions, Negative attitudes towards help-seeking, Negative pain-related childhood experiences, Negative attitudes towards own body, Negative aspects of the doctor-patient relationship, and Perceived pain control. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for these scales lay within the range of .81-.92. Regarding criterion validity, moderate correlations in expected directions were found between all scales and anxiety, depression, somatic symptom severity, and quality of life, except for the scale Perceived pain control. The QSP-31 appears promising for the identification of relevant psychosocial aspects associated with the experience of pain and might be a useful instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Our attention is constantly drawn by messages that propose to us what should (not) be done in a specific place. According to the Evaluative Model of Normative Appeals (EMNA), we perceive them through a process (normative appraisal) that is structured in three dimensions, and assesses the degree to which the proposal (a) comes from an institution that ensures compliance, (b) avoids physical or psychological damage, and (c) affords the performance of the main intended action. We review the theoretical underpinnings related to these three dimensions, create a scale to measure them (Normative Appraisal Scale, NAS), and validate it in two studies. Specifically, 2376 citizens in eight countries completed the NAS regarding the norms of paying taxes and not drinking on the street (Study 1), and 1544 subway users completed it regarding two transport norms (Study 2). The analyses supported the three‐dimensional structure of the NAS. Furthermore, the NAS increased the prediction when included along with other predictors: sociological variables; social axioms and values (Study 1); and descriptive norm, injunctive norm, personal control, and formal sanction (Study 2). We suggest that the NAS is useful to assess the actual perception of specific normative appeals and anticipate their effectiveness in influencing peoples’ decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objectives Patients and Methods Results Conclusion Development of a prediction model using machine learning (ML) method for tumor progression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients would provide risk estimation for individual patient outcomes.This predictive modeling study was conducted of 1163 patients with OSCC from Hospital of Stomatology, SYSU and SYSU Cancer Center from March 2009 to October 2021. Clinical, pathological, and hematological features of the patients were collected. Six ML algorithms were explored, and model performance was assessed by accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, f1 score, and AUC. SHAP values were used to identify the variables with the greatest contribution to the model.Among the 1163 patients (mean [SD] age, 55.36 [12.91] years), 563 are from development cohort and 600 are from validation cohort. The Logistic Regression algorithm outperformed all other models, with a sensitivity of 94.7% (68.2%), a specificity of 55.3% (63.7%), and the AUC of 0.76 ± 0.09 (0.723) in the development (validation) cohort. The most predictive feature was neutrophil count.This study demonstrated ML models can improve clinical prediction of oral squamous cell carcinoma progression through basic information of patients. These tools could be used to provide individual risk estimation and may help direct intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental health encompasses more than just the absence of mental disorders. Thus, a Mental Health Surveillance (MHS) and reporting system for Germany should monitor mental well-being in addition to psychopathology to capture a more complete picture of population mental health. The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) is an internationally established inventory for the integrated assessment of different aspects of mental well-being (i.e., hedonic and eudaimonic) in population samples that has not yet been validated for Germany. Methods: Using data from a cross-sectional online survey of a convenience sample of N = 1.048 adults aged 18–79 years (51% female) living in Germany, the factorial structure, measurement invariance (age, sex) and psychometric properties of the WEMWBS in its long (14 items) and short (7 items) versions were analyzed. Additionally, correlations to relevant factors (e.g., health-related quality of life, psychological distress) were investigated as indicators of criterion validity. Results: Means of model fit indices did not confirm a unidimensional factor structure for either version. The three-factor-correlative models showed moderate to good fit while the bifactor model with one general mental well-being factor and three grouping factors fitted the data best. The full range of possible responses was used for all items, and the distribution of both scales was approximately normal. Moreover, the results revealed measurement invariance across sex and age groups. Initial evidence of criterion validity was obtained. Internal consistencies were α = 0.95 and α = 0.89, respectively. Average mental well-being was comparable to that of other European countries at 3.74 for the long version and 3.84 for the short version. While there were no differences by sex, comparisons between age groups revealed higher mental well-being among the older age groups. Conclusions: Both versions of the WEMWBS showed sound psychometric characteristics in the present German sample. The findings indicate that the instrument is suitable for measuring mental well-being at the population level due to its distributional properties. These results are promising, suggesting that the scale is suitable for use in a national MHS that aims to capture positive mental health in the population as a foundation for prevention and promotion efforts within public mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, there is mounting evidence about the importance of father involvement for improving child and family wellbeing. However, there are limited measurement tools available for assessing father involvement in low-resource settings globally. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a scale for measuring fathers' engagement in caregiving activities for young children and families in rural Kenya. Methods: We used baseline data collected in February–March 2023 from a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a parenting intervention aimed at improving early child development in Nyamira and Vihiga counties in Western Kenya. The analytic sample comprised 460 primary caregivers of children under 18 months of age (91.3% mothers) who were in a relationship with a male caregiver of the young child (i.e., father). The primary caregiver reported on the 25-item father involvement scale. We conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to determine the dimensionality of the measure and estimated latent variable regression models to assess construct and predictive validity in terms of associations with sociodemographic factors, other paternal and maternal psychosocial measures, and early child development outcomes. Results: The scale had a four-factor structure representing father involvement in (1) childcare activities, (2) play and affection, (3) household chores, and (4) early learning activities. Each factor showed good internal consistency reliability and evidence of multiple forms of validity. The four factors were associated with child and household sociodemographic characteristics and more positive paternal and maternal psychosocial outcomes. Father involvement across all four domains was associated with higher early child cognitive, language, motor, and socioemotional development scores. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the multidimensional nature of fathers' caregiving roles in the lives of young children and their families. We establish a valid tool for assessing father involvement in rural Western Kenya that has potential for use in other similar contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mycoplasma bovis is a global pathogen of cattle but was detected for the first time in New Zealand in 2017, triggering a response under their Biosecurity Act as an "unwanted organism". Following a lengthy eradication campaign, the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) now requires all bovine semen destined for export to New Zealand to be screened with an M. bovis-specific real-time PCR (rtPCR) compliant with amended import health standard (IHS) test requirements aimed at preventing the accidental importation of M. bovis. The standard stipulates that semen samples cannot be centrifuged prior to DNA extraction. To comply with these strict requirements, one of the listed tests was validated together with different DNA preparation steps and compared with existing in-house procedures. DNA was extracted from semen straws using the current in-house semi-automated platform procedures for processing culture, tissue and body fluid sample submissions and was compared with the stipulated test requirements. DNA from centrifuged and unspun semen samples spiked with M. bovis was also compared. Results: The rtPCR had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% (95% confidence interval = 79–100% and 74–100%, respectively) when testing DNA from other Mycoplasma species or bovine semen spiked with the latter, with a high level of repeatability for within- and between- run replicates. The consistent limit of detection was 0.001 pg/µl M. bovis DNA and between 5.3 × 102 and 7.5 × 102 CFU/ml M. bovis when artificially spiked in semen. DNA extracted using the KingFisher Flex was detected with lower Cq values than the Maxwell 16, but the comparable improvements in sensitivity were mainly associated with non-centrifuged samples (p < 0.001). None of the procedures tested impeded the detection sensitivity of M. bovis in the presence of competitor organisms Acholeplasma laidlawii, Mycoplasma bovigenitalium and Ureaplasma diversum, confirming M. bovis specificity of the polC target. Conclusions: Under the experimental conditions applied, this rtPCR test efficiently detected M. bovis in extended bovine semen straw samples from DNA extracted using both semi-automated extraction platforms, irrespective of prior centrifugation of extended semen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Objective Methods Results Conclusion The MDS‐UPDRS has been available in English since 2008, showing satisfactory clinimetric results and being proposed as the new official benchmark scale for Parkinson's disease (PD), being cited as a core instrument for PD in the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Common Data Elements program. For this reason, the MDS created guidelines for development of MDS‐UPDRS official, clinimetrically validated translations.This study presents the formal process used to obtain the officially approved Portuguese version of the MDS‐UPDRS.The study consisted of three phases: (1) Independent translation by Portuguese and Brazilian teams followed by a challenging consensus process that this article particularly emphasizes; (2) Cognitive pretest involving raters and patients from both Portugal and Brazil; (3) Validation test with a sample of 367 native Portuguese‐speaking PD patients.The overall factor structure of the Portuguese version was consistent with the English version based on a comparative fit index ≥0.96 for all four parts of the MDS‐UPDRS.This version can be designated as the official Portuguese version of the MDS‐UPDRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIn the framework of deterministic safety analysis, best estimate plus uncertainty methodologies can provide a more informative detailed analysis of transients than conservative approaches. However, one important step in the application of such methodologies is derivation of uncertainty of the physical models. Probability density functions of the physical model parameters are obtained by applying inverse uncertainty quantification (IUQ) methods to experimental data. The present work deals with evaluation of the experimental database and assessment of the simulation model, which are required steps prior to the application of IUQ methods. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission system code RELAP5 has been applied for simulation of three experimental databases on choked/critical flow: Sozzi-Sutherland, Super MobyDick, and Marviken Critical Flow Tests. First, the adequacy of the experimental data to the specific target domain is carried out, to then proceed to calibration of the input model parameters by combining the use of Gaussian Process metamodels and optimization schemes. The assessment of the simulation models is performed by evaluating independently accuracy, precision, and consistency through four statistical indicators, including a novel indicator to evaluate the consistency of the results. The final results indicate that the model is capable of reproducing the selected experimental database and overall average accuracy, precision, and consistency below the 10% threshold and can be used for application of IUQ methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Credibility and expectancy are important aspects of therapy/treatment processes. We aimed to perform cross-cultural validation and examine the psychometric properties of the Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ). Ninety-one patients with opioid use disorder from Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drug Addiction Treatment Program were included in the study. Sociodemographic data form, CEQ, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Professional Help Scale-Short Form (ATSPPHS-SF) were filled out by participants. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that CEQ has two factors in our sample, similar to the original version. Reliability analyses showed that CEQ has a high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Regarding convergent validity results, CEQ was correlated with ATSPPHS-SF. No significant correlation was found between CEQ and BDI and STAI regarding discriminant validity results. In conclusion, the Turkish version of CEQ is a valid, reliable scale and could be used in patients with opioid use disorder. In patients with opioid use disorder, we contributed to the addiction literature by adapting a short and effective survey that measures trust and expectation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Fear of progression (FOP) is a significant psychological concern among cancer patients. The Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FOPQ-SF) is one of the significant and reliable tools to evaluate FOP. This study aims to validate the psychometric features of the Persian version of FOPQ-SF in Iranian cancer patients. Methods: The translation of the FOPQ-SF was developed using a "forward–backward" approach. This cross-sectional study included 120 cancer patients who completed the questionnaires. The validity and reliability of the FOPQ-SF were evaluated, and the factor structure was examined using both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: The FOPQ-SF demonstrated high test–retest and internal reliability, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.84. EFA revealed a one-factor structure consisting of 12 items. The FOPQ-SF exhibited high convergent validity, as indicated by significant correlations with anxiety, depression, the total score of HADS, and symptoms. It also demonstrated moderate divergent validity, with negative correlations observed between function and global health. Furthermore, FOP significantly differed among pre-defined groups based on cancer stages. Discussion: The results indicate that the Persian version of the FOPQ-SF is a reliable and valid questionnaire for assessing FOP in 20–60 Iranian cancer patients ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: SARC-F questionnaire is a simple and convenient tool for sarcopenia screening, and SARC-CalF is a modified version of it. The developments of their Chinese versions are warranted for the clinical use for Chinese population. This study aimed to culturally adapt the SARC-F questionnaire into Chinese using standardized methods, validate the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of the Chinese version SARC-F and SARC-CalF against five sarcopenia diagnosis criteria, and determine optimal cut-off values for clinical practice in Chinese population. Methods: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of SARC-F into Chinese were conducted following the methodological report from European Union Geriatric Medicine Society Sarcopenia Special Interest Group. The Chinese version of SARC-F was validated through a diagnostic test, using diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia recommended by the revised 2019 European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) consensus, Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS2019) consensus, the International Working Group on Sarcopenia (IWGS), the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Biomarkers Consortium and the Sarcopenia Definition and Outcomes Consortium (SDOC). Additional analysis was done against the criteria of severe sarcopenia according to the revised EWGSOP2 and AWGS2019. Results: The Chinese version of SARC-F was well translated and demonstrated good reliability and acceptability. The diagnostic test included 1859 community-dwelling older individuals from two medical centers. Against five different definitions of sarcopenia, the Chinese version of SARC-F showed reasonable diagnostic accuracy for sarcopenia screening (AUC 0.614–0.821), and was demonstrated low sensitivity (13.7–37.9%) but high specificity (94.8–97.7%) with a cut-off value of ≥ 4. SARC-CalF significantly enhanced the diagnostic accuracy of SARC-F when using definitions of EWGSOP2, AWGS2019 and IWGS (all P ≤ 0.001). A score of ≥ 2 for SARC-F and ≥ 7 for SARC-CalF were established as optimal cut-off points for identifying older individuals as at risk of sarcopenia in Chinese population. Conclusions: The Chinese version SARC-F is of reasonable reliability and validity for sarcopenia screening. Despite its low sensitivity, it proves to be a useful tool to identify severe cases in community taking advantage of its simplicity. SARC-CalF appears to be a more suitable screening tool for clinical use in detecting sarcopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sarcopenia represents a constant threat to the health of older adults, and accurate risk perception is essential for disease prevention and control. However, current methodologies lack rigorously validated instruments to assess the perceived risk of sarcopenia among this group. Thus, this study aimed to develop and validate a sarcopenia disease risk perception scale for older adults. Design: The study was conducted in two phases: development of the initial scale and its psychometric evaluation. A STROBE checklist was employed. Methods: Based on the two-factor model of risk perception theory and the health belief model, the initial draft of the scale was created through literature review, expert consultations, and a preliminary survey with a small sample. Then, we used a cross-sectional study methodology to conveniently select 438 Chinese older adults. Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to refine and validate the scale items. Internal consistency and external consistency were assessed to confirm the scale's reliability. Results: These evaluations established the scale's framework: content validity, item analysis, and EFA. The two factors extracted from the initial analysis explained 62.250% of the observation variance. The CFA confirmed a good fit for the model, demonstrating the scale's robust reliability and validity. The finalized scale includes 15 items and two dimensions: perceived susceptibility (eight items) and perceived severity (seven items). Conclusion: The Sarcopenia Disease Risk Perception Scale for Older Adults is reliable and valid, making it appropriate for assessing the risk perception level in the target population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the article is to describe the validation process of a research tool used to measure the intensity and direction of medical personnel’s attitudes towards immigrant patients. Design: An instrument validation design with a cross-sectional survey was conducted. The validation process was carried out in two phases. In phase 1, the content validity of the tool was analyzed. The competent judges method was used. The reliability of the judges was verified in terms of the consistency of evaluations (the I-CVI index was calculated). In phase 2, the questionnaire was tested among 340 healthcare professionals who have professional contact with immigrants, in terms of its factorial validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis), internal consistency (reliability measured by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient) and absolute stability (measured by the test-retest method). Results: The research results indicate satisfactory content validity of the tool (I-CVI>0.8). The reliability of the tool measured by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was high (0.86). The reliability study based on the test - retest method (after 3 weeks) showed high consistency of measurements (0.75). Exploratory factor analysis allowed extracting 1 factor, which explains 55.7% of the variance. The validity of the one-factor solution was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. Satisfactory goodness of fit indices were obtained (RMSEA = 0.038; PCLOSE = 0.624; AGFI = 0.966; GFI = 0.990; CFI = 0.996). Conclusion: The presented tool has satisfactory psychometric properties. The AHPI is a tool that can be used for quick assessment of the intensity and direction of attitudes of medical students and healthcare professionals towards immigrant patients, which can help shape educational and training processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individuals exhibit varying degrees of flexibility depending on different characteristics, conditions, and diagnoses. The Flexibility Scale is a comprehensive informant-report measure used to assess multiple aspects of flexibility in autistic and non-autistic children and youth, with an emphasis on cognitive aspects. This tool has not been adapted nor validated for use in Spain. Methods: In this paper we aim to provide a culturally adapted and validated version of the Flexibility Scale for Spain. We detail the procedure followed by our research team to obtain a cultural adaptation of the scale for Spain, including forward and back translations, cognitive interviews, feedback from experts, and preliminary validation. Our participants in the validation process were 75 autistic and 39 typically developing children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 17. Results: We reached a culturally adapted and preliminary validated version of the Flexibility Scale for Spain (Escala de Flexibilidad). Conclusions: We make the scale available to researchers and practitioners working in Spain. This contributes to laying the groundwork for further testing and adaptations in Spanish-speaking countries and communities worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The recent advances of large language models (LLMs) have opened a wide range of opportunities, but at the same time, they pose numerous challenges and questions that research needs to answer. One of the main challenges are the quality and correctness of the output of LLMs as well as the overreliance of students on the output without critically reflecting on it. This poses the question of the quality of the output of LLMs in educational tasks and what students and teachers need to consider when using LLMs for creating educational items. In this work, we focus on the quality and characteristics of conceptual items developed using ChatGPT without user-generated improvements. Introduction: The recent advances of large language models (LLMs) have opened a wide range of opportunities, but at the same time, they pose numerous challenges and questions that research needs to answer. One of the main challenges are the quality and correctness of the output of LLMs as well as the overreliance of students on the output without critically reflecting on it. This poses the question of the quality of the output of LLMs in educational tasks and what students and teachers need to consider when using LLMs for creating educational items. In this work, we focus on the quality and characteristics of conceptual items developed using ChatGPT without user-generated improvements. Results and discussion: In this way, after careful prompt engineering, thorough analysis and selection of fully automatically generated items by ChatGPT, we were able to create concept items that had only a slightly lower quality than carefully human-generated concept items. The procedures to create and select such a high-quality set of items that is fully automatically generated require large efforts and point towards cognitive demands of teachers when using LLMs to create items. Moreover, the results demonstrate that human oversight or student interviews are necessary when creating one-dimensional assessments and distractors that are closely aligned with students' difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University reputation is the result of the assessments that the stakeholders make of the university, especially the user of the education service, the student. The literature has shown an important impact of reputation on the student's perception of the university, and it has been related to success, competitiveness, sustainability, stakeholder decision-making and the differential of the value offer. Therefore, its evaluation has been the subject of several studies that seek to measure and assess reputation in higher education to understand how to manage it. This article evaluates the psychometric properties of the reputation scale in students at private universities in Colombia. The methodology used included an adaptation of the scale to the Spanish language, content validity analysis, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The results showed the validity and reliability of the scale and, through the analyses carried out, provided evidence of the scale's robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The ability to convey emotions and induce pleasure is one of the most important aspects of the way that music becomes meaningful to humans. Affective responses to music are specific to both cultural and personal preferences, but little is known about the individual variability in adolescence. The Barcelona Music Reward Questionnaire (BMRQ) is a psychometric measure that identifies five factors associated with musical pleasure: Musical Seeking, Emotional Evocation, Mood Regulation, Social Reward, and Sensory‐Motor. With this study, we aimed to validate the BMRQ in Danish teens and to explore the differences in music reward experiences in relation to the amount of musical activity, between genders and over ages. Approximately 30,000 Danish adolescents participated in a mass experiment with a subset (N = 4641, 51.2% girls, age range = 13–19 years old) responding to (1) a Danish adaptation of the BMRQ and (2) the Concurrent Musical Activities (CCM) Questionnaire. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied, and a seven‐factor model of the BMRQ was found to fit the Danish adolescent population. The seven‐factor version of the Danish BMRQ was due to the split of the dimensions “Sensory‐Motor” and “Social Reward” into two further subfactors. The students with a higher amount of musical engagement scored higher across all dimensions. In particular, the higher the musical engagement, the higher scores were found for the facet of musical pleasure related to the sharing of musical activities, especially in the earliest stages of adolescence. Furthermore, we found that sensitivity to music generally tends to increase with age, and that girls reported overall to be more sensitive to music than boys in the dimension related to evocation of emotions. A slightly different model of the BMRQ has to be taken into account when testing the Danish adolescent population. In addition to utilizing the Danish version of the BMRQ on a large sample of adolescents, this study may provide insight into the relationship between changes in the level of musical reward depending on amount of musical engagement and how musical reward unfolds within and between genders and across age groups during this developmental stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Methods Results Conclusion To validate the performance of autonomous diabetic retinopathy (DR) grading by comparing a human grader and a self‐developed deep‐learning (DL) algorithm with gold‐standard evaluation.We included 500, 6‐field retinal images graded by an expert ophthalmologist (gold standard) according to the International Clinical Diabetic Retinopathy Disease Severity Scale as represented with DR levels 0–4 (97, 100, 100, 103, 100, respectively). Weighted kappa was calculated to measure the DR classification agreement for (1) a certified human grader without, and (2) with assistance from a DL algorithm and (3) the DL operating autonomously. Using any DR (level 0 vs. 1–4) as a cutoff, we calculated sensitivity, specificity, as well as positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV). Finally, we assessed lesion discrepancies between Model 3 and the gold standard.As compared to the gold standard, weighted kappa for Models 1–3 was 0.88, 0.89 and 0.72, sensitivities were 95%, 94% and 78% and specificities were 82%, 84% and 81%. Extrapolating to a real‐world DR prevalence of 23.8%, the PPV were 63%, 64% and 57% and the NPV were 98%, 98% and 92%. Discrepancies between the gold standard and Model 3 were mainly incorrect detection of artefacts (n = 49), missed microaneurysms (n = 26) and inconsistencies between the segmentation and classification (n = 51).While the autonomous DL algorithm for DR classification only performed on par with a human grader for some measures in a high‐risk population, extrapolations to a real‐world population demonstrated an excellent 92% NPV, which could make it clinically feasible to use autonomously to identify non‐DR patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increased abdominal wall thickness and size of left lobe of liver affect the ergonomics of bariatric surgery increasing its difficulty and leading to need of special preparations such as extra-long instruments. Computed tomography (CT) abdomen is the gold standard modality in assessment of abdominal wall thickness and size of left lobe of liver, but it has many drawbacks such as radiation and contrast. In this study, we validate ultrasound as an alternative to CT by comparing its results with CT abdomen and operative findings. Results: Abdominal ultrasound examination gives accurate results in assessment of anterior abdominal wall thickness and size of left lobe of liver in morbidly obese patients compared to CT and intra-operative with slight difference between values which is clinically accepted. Accuracy of ultrasound examination was 78.6%, 74.1%, and 100% for midline measurements, midclavicular line measurements and size of lt lobe of liver measurements, respectively. Ultrasound examination has sensitivity of 75%, 66.7% and 63.2% for midline measurements, midclavicular line measurements and size of lt lobe of liver measurements, respectively. Ultrasound examination specificity was 50%, 77.1% and 75.3% for midline measurements, midclavicular line measurements and size of lt lobe of liver measurements, respectively. Conclusion: Abdominal ultrasound examination is a valid method in preoperative assessment of anterior abdominal wall thickness and size of left lobe of liver in morbidly obese patients. It is reliable, easy, and cheap and avoids drawbacks of CT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Allium is a prominent member of the Amaryllidaceae family and encompasses approximately 1,063 species worldwide. These diverse species vary in appearance and flavor but they share biochemical similarities. Underutilized Alliums present a promising alternative to onion and garlic in various Indian regions, given their adaptability, versatile utility, and nutraceutical properties. Their adaptation in the plains of India is a great opportunity to add medicinal and nutraceutical value to Indian cuisine. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the underutilized raw Allium leaves for their sensory perception by hedonic test (n = 60), consumer perceptions and willingness to purchase (n = 180), and the development and validation of value chain model (n = 30) to popularize these species in plains. For the various sensory attributes evaluated, Allium tuberosum Kazakhstan CGN-1587 emerged out to be the most suitable for its advancement into the consumer survey. The consumer perception study recorded 74.44% willingness to purchase of total respondents and a majority preference for consuming it in cooked form (38.30%). A value chain model of Allium tuberosum Kazakhstan CGN-1587 with supply chain agencies was subsequently developed. Validation of this value chain model was done with a panel of different stakeholders. Panelists perceived the value chain as highly valid, particularly in terms of economic feasibility (4.30 ± 0.70) and sustainability (4.20 ± 0.81). Thus, the present study provides valuable insights that can support and promote the use of underutilized Alliums in non-traditional areas of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]