Absolute Fitness Research Articles

Validation of the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care Scale (ARTIC).

The purpose of the current study is to validate the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care Scale (ARTIC; Baker et al., 2016), a measure of trauma-informed care (TIC) attitudes for human service/health providers and educators. The current study with 1,395 human services/health providers and educators from 17 settings examined the factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of the ARTIC. The 7-factor structure of the ARTIC-45 and the 5-factor structure of the ARTIC-35 were replicated with regard to the absolute fit indices though they failed to meet the cutoff for the incremental fit indices, likely due to the complexity of the measure. Internal consistencies ranged from acceptable to excellent across the instrument's forms, subscales, and versions. Providing support for construct validity, ARTIC scores were predictably related to familiarity with and knowledge about TIC, compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress, with effect sizes typically in the medium range. However, predicted relationships between ARTIC scores and training in TIC and trauma-sensitive school elements were not evident. The ARTIC is a direct, efficient, and cost-effective measure of attitudes related to TIC. This study further demonstrates the reliability of the ARTIC and provides some support for its validity. Evaluating the favorability of staff attitudes about TIC plays a key role in ensuring readiness for, effectiveness of, and sustainability of TIC in systems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Real Time Control Application of the Robotic Arm Using Neural Network Based Inverse Kinematics Solution

Robotic arms are widely used in many industrial applications at present. The control of robotic arms involves position coordination Cartesian space by a forward/inverse kinematics solution method. The inverse kinematics is difficult for real-time control applications, computational requirements are intensive and the run-time is high. The traditional solution methods used geometric, algebraic, and numerical iterative techniques are inadequate and slow in the inverse kinematics solution. Recently, alternative solution methods based on artificial intelligence techniques have been developed to solve the inverse kinematics problem. In this study, a multi-layered feed-forward Artificial Neural Network model was developed to solve the inverse kinematics of the 5 degrees of freedom robotic arm. Using the Proportional-Integral control algorithm combined with this Artificial Neural Network model, the real-time position control of the robotic arm was accomplished. The obtained results were compared with the PI control supported by an analytical inverse kinematics solution in real-time. The results showed that the PI control combined with Artificial Neural Network has superior tracking ability, smaller control error, and better absolute fit to the reference.

사회복지사의 윤리경영인식이 조직몰입을 매개로 조직시민행동에 미치는 영향

This study analyzed the ethical management awareness of social workers in welfare facilities for the disabled with a structural equation model, parameterizing organizational commitment to understanding the effect on organizational citizenship behavior. A survey was conducted on 622 social workers from March 19 to April 15, 2018. The descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, T-test, correlation, ANOVA, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation models were validated with AMOS 18.0 and SPSS 22.0 programs. The results of this study are as follows: firstly, the incremental fit index and the absolute fit index of the hypothetical model are appropriate. Secondly, the ethical management perception of social workers is found to have a certain influence on organizational citizenship behavior. Thirdly, the ethical management perception of social workers has an indirect and significant effect on the behavior of organizational citizenship behavior through organizational commitment and a relationship has also been shown as a partial mediation factor. Based on the results of this research, the change in ethical management awareness is expected to be the measure to improve the level of organizational trust and attitudes of workers, and it could contribute to effective organizational management of welfare facilities for the disabled in the future.

Psychometric evaluation of the Reward Probability Index in emerging adult drinkers.

Diminished access to environmental rewards is an established risk factor for addiction and a focus of many effective treatment approaches. Nevertheless, there is inconsistency in measurement approaches and a need for a psychometrically sound measure. The Reward Probability Index (RPI; Carvalho, Behavior Therapy, 42, 2011, pp. 249-262) is a 20-item self-report rating scale that measures access to and ability to experience psychosocial reward. The current studies sought to evaluate the psychometric properties of the RPI in 2 samples of emerging adult heavy drinkers. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis in a sample of 393 college student drinkers supported a 2-factor model of the RPI (Reward Probability and Environmental Suppressors) after removal of redundant items, and corresponding subscales demonstrated good internal consistency. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis with 602 emerging adult drinkers recruited from the community supported the 2-factor model as best fitting after removal of one poor indicator, although absolute fit was only adequate. This 2-factor model demonstrated configural, metric, and scalar invariance across non-college and college subgroups as well as Black and White subgroups. Study 2 also demonstrated that the revised RPI subscales showed significant associations with measures of substance-free activity participation and enjoyment, anhedonia, and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the study revealed the RPI Environmental Suppressors subscale predicted alcohol-related problems (β = .25, p < .001) beyond demographic covariates, weekly drinking, and depressive symptoms. These studies provide evidence for the validity of the RPI as an efficient measure of access to reward among emerging adult heavy drinkers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Coevolutionary Arms Races and the Conditions for the Maintenance of Mutualism.

AbstractEmpirical evidence suggests that coevolutionary arms races between flowering plants and their pollinators can occur in wild populations. In extreme cases, trait escalation may result in evolutionary switching from mutualism to parasitism. However, theoretical approaches to studying coevolution typically assume fixed types of ecological interactions and ignore the evolution of absolute fitness. Here, we introduce a novel approach to track the evolution of absolute fitness as a framework to determine when escalatory coevolution results in a switch from mutualism to parasitism. We apply our approach to two previously studied mechanisms mediating selection as a function of phenotype. Our results demonstrate that interactions mediated by a "bigger-is-better" mechanism evolve toward parasitism. In contrast, generalizing the classical trait-matching mechanism so that the fitness of each species is optimized when trait values mismatch by a particular amount, we find theoretical support for indefinite trait exaggeration that preserves mutualistic interactions. Building on our results, we discuss the consequences of coevolutionary arms races for the maintenance of cheating. Moving beyond pairwise interactions, we consider the ramifications of coevolution in a South African pollination network for the evolution of parasitism. Future work extending our approach beyond pairwise interactions can lead to a framework for understanding the evolution of parasitism in mutualistic networks and further insights into the structure and dynamic nature of ecological communities in general.

Spatial Dynamics Modeling of Small-Scale Fishing Fleets With a Random Walk Approach

The understanding of fishing effort allocation has been recognized as a key feature within the spatial management planning of fisheries. In small-scale fisheries this assessment is challenging because of their multi-specific context. This has resulted in management regulations that do not fulfill their objectives. Therefore, the analysis of vessels movement is needed for the better assessment and management of small-scale fisheries. Thus, we used a Random Walk (RW) modeling approach to characterize the fishing trips of small-scale multi-gear vessels targeting multiple species. We analyzed activities of three different gears (hand net, handline, longline) and two fishing methods (diving, “gareteo”) recorded with a GPS from 156 fishing trips along three fishing seasons (2018–2020) by the small-scale fleet of Yucatan, Mexico. We fitted seven RW models for the movement data and compared their relative and absolute fit through a delta Akaike test and G-Tests respectively. A total of 143 trajectories showed conclusive evidence to establish a CCRW-type movement; the remaining 13 trajectories fit three models (CCRW, TRW and CRW). The Random Walk models were useful for modeling a multi-gear, small-scale fleet operating in southeast Mexico. According to our results, the Composite Correlated Model was the most suitable RW for this fleet. For future studies, we suggest increasing the number of fishing trips and conducting specific studies by gear and fishing method. Also, the application of relative and absolute fit tests to compare the performance of RW models is highly recommended.

Magnitude of Change in Middle Cerebral Artery Cross‐Sectional Area is Associated with Cardiorespiratory Fitness

Cardiorespiratory fitness has beneficial effects on the systemic vasculature; however, its influence on the function of the large cerebral vessels is unclear. Recent studies using high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggest that the middle cerebral artery (MCA) may vasodilate during a vasoactive stimulus such as hypercapnia, but the influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on MCA dilation is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and MCA cross-sectional area (CSA) before and during hypercapnia. We hypothesized that cardiorespiratory fitness would be positively associated with the percent change in MCA CSA from baseline to hypercapnia. A total of 16 healthy, physically-active adults (age = 54 ± 17 y, men = 8, women = 8) participated in this pilot study. Left MCA CSA was assessed with a 4D flow MRI scan on a 3T MRI scanner at baseline and during hypercapnia (6% CO2). End-tidal carbon dioxide and mean arterial pressure were continuously monitored with an anesthesia monitor. CSA analysis was performed offline. On a separate study visit, cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by a VO2max test on a cycle ergometer. The average absolute VO2max was 2.5 ± 0.9 L/min, the average relative VO2max was 37 ± 8 ml/kg/min and the average maximal workload attained during the VO2max test was 231 ± 77 watts. The MCA CSA was 0.068 ± 0.011 cm2 at baseline and 0.069 ± 0.013 cm2 during hypercapnia. The average percent change in the MCA CSA from baseline to hypercapnia was 2 ± 4 %. The percent change in MCA CSA was positively associated with absolute VO2max (r = 0.52, p = 0.04) and maximal workload (r = 0.58, p = 0.02), but not significantly associated with relative VO2max (r = 0.32, p = 0.22). Because age and body size may impact these results, we also investigated the associations between MCA CSA percent change and cardiorespiratory fitness or workload when adjusted for age and body surface area. With these adjustments, these associations were no longer significant (absolute VO2max: r = 0.16, p = 0.58; workload: r = 0.33, p = 0.25). The results were similar when delta MCA CSA was assessed. In conclusion, absolute cardiorespiratory fitness levels and maximal workload were positively associated with change in MCA CSA during hypercapnia; however, these associations were no longer significant after adjusting for age and body surface area. These results suggest that cardiorespiratory fitness may influence the vasoreactivity of large intracranial vessels in response to vasoactive stimuli. In addition, age and body size may also need to be considered.

Surrogate models in evolutionary single-objective optimization: A new taxonomy and experimental study

Surrogate-assisted evolutionary algorithms (SAEAs), which use efficient surrogate models or meta-models to approximate the fitness function in evolutionary algorithms (EAs), are effective and popular methods for solving computationally expensive optimization problems. During the past decades, a number of SAEAs have been proposed by combining different surrogate models and EAs. This paper dedicates to providing a more systematical review and comprehensive empirical study of surrogate models used in single-objective SAEAs. A new taxonomy of surrogate models in SAEAs for single-objective optimization is introduced in this paper. Surrogate models are classified into two major categories: absolute fitness models, which directly approximate the fitness function values of candidate solutions, and relative fitness models, which estimates the relative rank or preference of candidates rather than their fitness values. Then, the characteristics of different models are analyzed and compared by conducting a series of experiments in terms of time complexity (execution time), model accuracy, parameter influence, and the overall performance when used in EAs. The empirical results are helpful for researchers to select suitable surrogate models when designing SAEAs. Open research questions and future work are discussed at the end of the paper.

The Complexity of Comparative Judgments in Assessing Argumentative Writing: An Eye Tracking Study

Comparative judgment (CJ) has been recently introduced in the educational field as a means of assessing competences. In this judgement process, assessors are presented with two pieces of student work and are asked to choose which one is better in relation to the competencies being assessed. However, since student work is heterogeneous and highly information loaded, it raises the question as to whether this type of assessment is too complex for assessors to use. Previous research on the topic has operationalized experienced complexity by employing self-report measures, which have been criticized for common problems associated with their use. In our study, we used eye tracking to study 23 high school teachers when they made 10 comparative judgments, and their pupil diameter was used as an indicator of the experienced complexity. This study builds on previous research that integrated Campbell’s theory on task complexity (1988) into CJ. Based on this framework, three hypotheses regarding the role of decision accuracy were formulated and empirically tested. Hypothesis one assumes that the distance between two pieces of student work on the rank-order (rank-order distance) is negatively related to experienced complexity, irrespective of decision accuracy. Hypothesis two assumes that decision accuracy moderates the relationship between rank-order distance and experienced complexity. Hypothesis three builds on hypothesis two by adding a negative relationship between experience and experienced complexity. In all three hypotheses, the average experienced complexity is assumed to vary between assessors, as is the strength of the expected relationships. An information-theoretic approach was used to test the holding of all three hypotheses. All hypotheses were translated into statistical models, and their relative and absolute fit were assessed. Results provided strong evidence for hypothesis three: both the moderating role of decision accuracy on the relationship between rank-order distance and experienced complexity, and the relationship between experience and experienced complexity, were confirmed.

The Authenticity Scale: Validation in Russian Culture.

The correlational study is aimed at validating the Authenticity Scale in Russian culture. Authenticity is considered a trait responsible for a person’s ability to be oneself. It helps people resist environment pressure and prevent self-alienation, which contributes to maintaining psychological wellbeing. The original Authenticity Scale includes three subscales: Authentic Living, Accepting External Influence, and Self-Alienation. In total, 2,188 respondents (Mage = 26.30, SDage = 13.81; 78.1% female) participated in the survey. The dimensionality of the Authenticity Scale and its measurement invariance across sex, age, and depression rate subgroups was examined with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses; the original tripartite structure was kept. Convergent validity was tested through correlation analyses with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Short-Form, the Centre of Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. According to the CFA results, the structure of the Russian version differs from the original one slightly (item 1 was moved from the subscale Authentic Living to the subscale Accepting External Influence and item 4 was excluded); however, the modified factor model showed the best absolute and comparative fit statistics [CFI = 0.961, TLI = 0.949, RMSEA = 0.050 (90% CI [0.40; 0.60]) and SRMR = 0.037]. The reliability (McDonald’s Omega) of the Authenticity Scale subscales was satisfactory and ranged from 0.78 to 0.84. It was revealed that youth are more likely to have high scores on Accepting External Influence and Self-Alienation than adults. Men and women did not significantly differ on the sub-scores of Authenticity Scale. Multigroup CFA also showed that Authenticity Scale scores may be biased in people with high levels of clinical depression, in terms of the item intercepts. Authentic Living is positively connected with mental wellbeing, self-esteem, positive affect, satisfaction with life, and negatively with depressive symptoms and negative affect; reverse trends were found for Accepting External Influence and Self-Alienation subscales. The Russian version of the Authenticity Scale is a valid, reliable tool that may be recommended for use in various areas of non-clinical practice.

The National Standard of Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace: A Psychometric and Descriptive Study of the Nursing Workforce in British Columbia Hospitals.

In 2013, the Mental Health Commission of Canada created a National Standard that includes 13 workplace factors associated with employee mental health. This study (a) examined the psychometric properties of Guarding Minds at Work (GMW), the instrument used to measure the Standard's 13 workplace factors and (b) assessed BC nurses' workplace risk factors. A province-wide survey study of 3,077 direct care nurses working in acute care settings was conducted. Subscale internal consistencies were acceptable. For most items, the original alphas were greater than the alpha-if-item-deleted. All corrected item-subtotal correlations were moderate to high. The 13-factor structure showed an adequate model fit based on absolute fit indices (SRMR = 0.057 and RMSEA = 0.054) but the relative fit indices were lower than the recommended cutoff (CFI = 0.827 and TLI = 0.815). Nurses identified nine of the 13 GMW factors as serious or significant concern in their workplace. The findings were consistent with a plethora of evidence pointing to shortcomings in nurses' work environments. This was the first study partially supporting the reliability and validity of the GMW. More work is required to refine the GMW and gain a better understanding of its psychometric properties.

Patterns of traumatic events and its relations with posttraumatic growth and religiosity in Iranian college students

BACKGROUND:Traumatic events and psychological damage are common. Identifying different types of traumatic events contributes to the development of psychopathology and can be very helpful in macroeducational and treatment planners. The current study extracted the patterns (overlap) of different traumatic events that Iranian college students commonly experience, with the aim of understanding their association with posttraumatic growth (PTG) and religiosity.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Four hundred and sixty-six students from Kerman universities completed a cross-sectional survey about religion, and questions about PTG and traumatic events have experienced in the past 5 years. The latent class analysis (LCA) was used for extracting patterns of traumatic events, and the one-way ANOVA test was used to compare PTG and religiosity across these classes in Iranian college students.RESULTS:The LCA revealed that a three-class solution had an adequate relative and absolute fit. The three classes were labeled and characterized as multiple-traumatic events (2.9%), intermediate-traumatic events (31.1%), and low-traumatic events (66.0%). In ANOVA results for PTG and Duke University Religion Index (DUREL) domains across classes, individuals in the multiple-traumatic classes had the lowest score of PTG and DUREL domains.CONCLUSION:Although the current study showed the relative frequency of multiple-traumatic events in Iranian students is low, individuals categorized in this class had the lowest PTG, and these findings reveal the necessitation of planning and interventions for PTG.

Prediction of dam horizontal displacement based on CNN-LSTM and attention mechanism

Aiming at the characteristics of dam safety monitoring data sequence with few samples, short sequence and nonlinearity, a dam horizontal displacement prediction method based on attention mechanism, convolutional neural network (CNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM) is proposed. This method can reduce the loss of historical information and improve the prediction accuracy. First, the missing values are supplemented by linear interpolation to improve the integrity of the data. Then the abstract feature data extracted by CNN is mapped to the predicted value of LSTM, and then optimized through attention mechanism. Finally, the model is trained and verified with the monitoring data of a concrete gravity dam in Chongqing as a sample. Experimental results show that the root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and fit (R2) of the CNN-LSTM hybrid model based on attention mechanism are 0.3882, 0.7121% and 0.9543, respectively. The prediction accuracy of the new model is better than the CNN-LSTM model and the LSTM neural network model.

Assessing the Significance of Model Selection in Ecology

Model Selection is a key part of many ecological studies, with Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) being by far the most commonly used technique for this purpose. Typically, a number of candidate models are defined a priori and ranked according to their expected out-of-sample performance. Model selection, however, only assesses the relative performance of the models and, as pointed out in a recent paper, a large proportion of ecology papers that use model selection do not assess the absolute fit of the ‘best’ model. In this paper, it is argued that assessing the absolute fit of the ‘best’ model alone does not go far enough. This is because a model that appears to perform well under model selection is also likely to appear to perform well under measures of absolute fit, even when there is no predictive value. A model selection permutation test is proposed that assesses the probability that the model selection statistic of the ‘best’ model could have occurred by chance alone, whilst taking account of dependencies between the models. It is argued that this test should always be performed as a part of formal model selection. The test is demonstrated on two real population modelling examples of ibex in northern Italy and wild reindeer in Norway.

Intention to Implement 5S Management Among Students in Higher Education Institutions

The aim of this research paper is to analyze intention for implementing 5S management among students in higher education institutions. The quality management method using 5S approach is function to standardized process to properly implemented creates and maintains an organized, safe, clean and efficient workplace. In this study. The 5S method was implemented to create conducive and efficient place for student activities related to academic. This study implemented quantitative method using survey development with application Technology Acceptance Model, in analyzing student intention of implementing quality management for study workspace and living space. The sampling procedure using stratified random sampling method for students that have intention and experience in implementing quality management in their daily life. The number of respondents is 120 students that studying in higher education institutions. This study developed confirmatory factor analysis for measurement model. The absolute fit index, incremental fit index and parsimonious fit index is meet the requirement level to prove measurement model is robust, reliable and represented the actual data. The structural model in this study analyzed using maximum likelihood estimator. This study indicates all of the exogenous variable have significant and positive effect to the endogenous latent construct. The Perceived Usefulness (PU) has positive and significant direct effect on the Intention (I) to implement 5S quality management. The beta value is positive 0.507 with probability value is less than 0.001. Next, the Perceived Ease of Use (PE) has positive and significant direct effect on the Intention (I) to implement 5S quality management. The beta value is positive 0.433 with probability value is less than 0. 001. Then, the Religiosity (R) has positive and significant direct effect on the Intention (I) to implement 5S quality management. The beta value is positive 0.348 with probability value is less than 0.001. The finding of this study contributes to the body of knowledge in 5S quality management and it helps policy makers in university to develop conducive environment for students.

X-ray microtomographic evaluation of the absolute marginal fit of fixed prostheses made from soft Co-Cr and zirconia

Statement of problemThe absolute marginal fit of CAD-CAM presintered fixed partial dentures has been poorly documented. PurposeThe purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the marginal fit of presintered cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) and zirconia 3-unit fixed partial dentures by using X-ray microcomputed tomography (μCT). Material and methodsA metal model was prepared from a typodont to receive fixed partial dentures (N=12). The maxillary first premolar and first molar were prepared with a circumferential 1.2-mm chamfer and 2-mm occlusal reduction. The dies were scanned and assigned to 1 of 2 groups to receive the prostheses made of presintered Co-Cr or presintered zirconia (n=6). Each framework was seated on its model without load application. The abutments were scanned by using μCT. A circle with 10 diameters, with a step of 18 degrees, was projected at the center of the obtained image. Absolute marginal discrepancy and marginal gap mean values were measured, and overextended and underextended margins determined. The data were analyzed by using the Levene t test and ANOVA (α=.05). ResultsNo statistically significant difference was found in the marginal fit between the materials tested (P=.939). The mean values were 66 ±14 μm for Co-Cr and 61 ±12 μm for zirconia. The absolute marginal discrepancy mean value for the premolar was 69 ±12 μm and 41 ±9 μm for the molar (P<.001). Overextension was predominant for both materials tested, with a higher percentage reported for the zirconia group. ConclusionsPresintered alloys presented clinically acceptable adaptation with a predominance of marginal overextensions.

COVID-19 Knowledge Test: An Assessment Tool for Health Educators During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: As of August 11, 2020, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected 19,936,210 persons and led to 732,499 deaths worldwide. The impact has been immense, and with no vaccine currently available, the best way to protect our communities is health education. We developed a brief COVID-19 knowledge test for health educators that can be used to assess deficits in clients' understanding of the disease.Methods: COVID-19 Knowledge Test items were developed by the research team and administered to participants. An alternate-choice item format was selected for the knowledge test, and data analysis was based on an American sample of 273 respondents. A detailed analysis of the data was conducted with classical test theory and Rasch analysis.Findings: The final instrument was found to be a unidimensional measure of COVID-19 knowledge. Results provided evidence for absolute model fit and model fit for individual items. All items included on the scale were monotonically increasing and split-half reliability was considered acceptable. Total test information revealed that the test is suitable for individuals with low to average knowledge of COVID-19.Interpretation: Rasch analysis provides support for the COVID-19 Knowledge Test to be used as an assessment tool for health educators. The final version of the test consists of 34 high-quality test items that can be administered in <10 min. Normative data and suggested cutoff scores are also provided.

Validation of the Short Forms of Centrality of Religiosity Scale in Russia

Since the end of the Soviet Union, Christian Orthodoxy has regained importance in Russian society. Considering the religious dynamics in the decades after 1990, scholars working in the field have been debating about a reliable measuring tool for religiosity. The present study provides a validation of two short forms of the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS), the CRS-5, and CRSi-7 in Russia, as well as its corresponding translated items. Therefore, data from two large-scale sociological surveys from 2008 (N = 894) and 2019 (N = 1768) were used. A multigroup confirmatory factor analysis with restrictions on the variance and covariance structure of the model shows good results in terms of absolute, parsimony, and relative model fit for the CRS-5 and CRSi-7. Moreover, the models indicate time-invariance, which is a consistent psychometric characteristic of both short forms. The time-invariance is accompanied by the good internal consistency of the scales: The CRS-5 with α=0.85 and the CRSi-7 with α=0.84. The results of the analysis encourage the use of the CRS-5 and the CRSi-7 for research on religiosity in Russia. While the CRS-5 is especially suitable for the Orthodox-dominated religious landscape, the CRSi-7 should be used if non-monotheistic private religious practice and religious experience are the focus of the scientific investigation.

A Comparison of Limited-Information Test Statistics for a Response Style MIRT Model

An increased use of models for measuring response styles is apparent in recent years with the multidimensional nominal response model (MNRM) as one prominent example. Inclusion of latent constructs representing extreme (ERS) or midpoint response style (MRS) often improves model fit according to information criteria. However, a test of absolute model fit is often not reported even though it could comprise an important piece of validity evidence. Limited information test statistics are candidates for this task, including the full (), ordinal (), and mixed () statistics, which differ in whether additional collapsing of univariate or bivariate contingency tables is conducted. Such collapsing makes sense when item categories are ordinal, which may not hold under the MNRM. More generally, limited information test statistics have gone unevaluated under nominal data and non-ordinal latent trait models. We present a simulation study evaluating the performance of and with the MNRM. Manipulated conditions included sample size, presence and type of response style, and strength of item slopes on substantive and style dimensions. We found that sometimes had inflated Type I error rates, always had little power, and lacked power under some conditions. and may provide complementary and valuable information regarding model fit.

Incidence, characteristics, determinants, and prognostic impact of recurrent syncope.

The aim of this study is to characterize recurrent syncope, including sex-specific aspects, and its impact on death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). We characterized recurrent syncope in a large international multicentre study, enrolling patients ≥40 years presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a syncopal event within the last 12 h. Syncope aetiology was centrally adjudicated by two independent cardiologists using all information becoming available during syncope work-up and long-term follow-up. Overall, 1790 patients were eligible for this analysis. Incidence of recurrent syncope was 20% [95% confidence interval (CI) 18-22%] within the first 24 months. Patients with an adjudicated final diagnosis of cardiac syncope (hazard ratio (HR) 1.50, 95% CI 1.11-2.01) or syncope with an unknown aetiology even after central adjudication (HR 2.11, 95% CI 1.54-2.89) had an increased risk for syncope recurrence. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator regression fit on all patient information available early in the ED identified >3 previous episodes of syncope as the only independent predictor for recurrent syncope (HR 2.13, 95% CI 1.64-2.75). Recurrent syncope carried an increased risk for death (HR 1.87, 95% CI 1.26-2.77) and MACE (HR 2.69, 95% CI 2.02-3.59) over 24 months of follow-up, however, with a time-dependent effect. These findings were confirmed in a sensitivity analysis excluding patients with syncope recurrence or MACE before or during ED evaluation. Recurrence rates of syncope are substantial and vary depending on syncope aetiology. Importantly, recurrent syncope carries a time-dependent increased risk for death and MACE. BAsel Syncope EvaLuation (BASEL IX, ClinicalTrials.gov registry number NCT01548352).