Inter-rater Reliability Analysis Research Articles

THE OCCURRENCES OF WTC AMONG MALAYSIAN PRE-UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN AN ESL ONLINE CLASSROOM

The English language is regarded as an important mode of communication in Malaysia, particularly in higher education institutions and the workplace. The perception that graduates lack English communication skills renders them unemployable upon graduation. Therefore, a great deal of effort has been expended to produce students who can communicate effectively in a variety of social and professional settings. The Ministry of Education has taken numerous steps to improve the English proficiency of students. This study examines pre-university students' willingness to communicate (WTC) in a digital setting at a local university. This study employed a qualitative methodology and included 12 classroom observations. The classroom observation data was subjected to an inter-rater reliability analysis, and the results revealed that the mood and role of the English Language Instructors (ELIs) significantly influenced the occurrences of WTC in English among pre-university students. The findings of this study are intended to provide stakeholders, curriculum developers, and ELIs with a better understanding of the teaching and learning factors that must be considered in order to ensure students' WTC in English.

The Functional Movement Screen: Exploring Interrater Reliability between Raters in the Updated Version.

The Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS™) was updated by adding the ankle clearing test and modifying the rotary stability movement pattern and scoring criteria. This updated FMS™ may be used to support clinical decisions for the well-being of athletes and active adults. The purpose of this study was to determine if the updated FMS™ has acceptable interrater reliability, so that various practitioners can utilize it with their patients. Observational Laboratory Study. Two licensed Physical Therapists (PTs) conducted the testing for the study. No warmup was allowed for the participants. Each participant underwent one FMS™ session while being recorded on video lasting approximately 15 minutes. Participants were allowed three attempts to complete each movement pattern with the best score recorded. The participants, 45 healthy active PT students, were taken through the FMS™ by a licensed PT and videotaped. The raters were four second-year PT students that observed and scored the FMS independently after videotaping was completed. SPSS was used for the interrater reliability analysis. ICC was calculated using a 2-way mixed model looking for absolute agreement. The interrater reliability was highest for the rotary stability test (ICC 0.96) while the deep squat was the least reliable (ICC 0.78). The total scores showed excellent reliability among the four student raters with an ICC of 0.95. The updated FMS™ produced good to excellent interrater reliability. The updated FMS™ has acceptable interrater reliability between minimally, but adequately trained individuals. The updated FMS™ may be reliably used to assess risk for future injury. 3.

Intensive training programme improves handwriting in a community cohort of people with Parkinson’s disease

BackgroundPeople with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) often report problems with their handwriting before they receive a formal diagnosis. Many PwP suffer from deteriorating handwriting throughout their illness, which has detrimental effects on many aspects of their quality of life.AimsTo assess a 6-week online training programme aimed at improving handwriting of PwP.MethodsHandwriting samples from a community-based cohort of PwP (n = 48) were analysed using systematic detection of writing problems (SOS-PD) by two independent raters, before and after a 6-week remotely monitored physiotherapy-led training programme. Inter-rater variability on multiple measures of handwriting quality was analysed. The handwriting data was analysed using pre-/post-design in the same individuals. Multiple aspects of the handwriting samples were assessed, including writing fluency, transitions between letters, regularity in letter size, word spacing, and straightness of lines.ResultsAnalysis of inter-rater reliability showed high agreement for total handwriting scores and letter size, as well as speed and legibility scores, whereas there were mixed levels of inter-rater reliability for other handwriting measures. Overall handwriting quality (p = 0.001) and legibility (p = 0.009) significantly improved, while letter size (p = 0.012), fluency (p = 0.001), regularity of letter size (p = 0.009), and straightness of lines (p = 0.036) were also enhanced.ConclusionsThe results of this study show that this 6-week intensive remotely-monitored physiotherapy-led handwriting programme improved handwriting in PwP. This is the first study of its kind to use this tool remotely, and it demonstrated that the SOS-PD is reliable for measuring handwriting in PwP.

0321 Manually scoring actigraphy in the absence of a sleep diary: Reliability analysis in Gulf War veterans

Abstract Introduction Sleep disturbance and chronic health conditions are common in military and veteran populations. These individuals may have difficulty accurately and consistently completing sleep diaries, which traditionally have been used as a prominent data input in scoring actigraphy. While actigraphy is considered an objective sleep measure, the process of manually scoring actigraphy data can be subjective, particularly in military/veteran and clinical populations. Few studies utilize and report clear actigraphy scoring guidelines. To promote internal consistency and replicability in actigraphy scoring procedures, this study developed a detailed actigraphy scoring protocol for cases without sleep diary data and performed an inter-rater reliability analysis using a sample of veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI). Methods One hundred fifty-nine nights of actigraphy (Phillips Respironics) data from a random subsample of 25 veterans with GWI were independently, manually scored using the protocol. Mean values for the start and end of rest intervals and derived sleep parameters—time in bed (TIB), total sleep time (TST), and sleep efficiency (SE)—and mean differences were calculated. Inter-rater reliability was evaluated using intra-class correlation (ICC). Results No significant differences were observed between manual scorers for mean values for the end of manually scored rest intervals and derived sleep parameters (TIB, TST, and SE). There were significant differences in the start of a rest interval, though the magnitude of the difference (0:06 ± 28) was less than the clinically important 15-minute difference noted in the literature. ICC demonstrated excellent agreement between manual scorers for rest interval start (0.98) and end times (0.99), TIB (0.94), TST (0.98), and SE (0.97). Conclusion This protocol may serve as a reproducible set of guidelines for researchers manually scoring actigraphy and enhance internal consistency for studies using this actigraphy scoring software, especially for those working with military populations and clinical populations with significant sleep disturbance and related difficulties yielding quality sleep diary data. Support (if any) Veterans Affairs, Office of Research and Development, Clinical Science Research and Development under Merit Review Grant #SPLD-013-13S.

A Systematic Review of Gamification and Its Assessment in EFL Teaching

The aim of this study is to examine the satisfaction of EFL teachers with gamification platforms as well as to investigate how EFL teachers perceive gamification and its effects on pupils' motivation and learning outcomes. Five major databases (ERIC, Scopus, WoS, EBSCO, ProQuest) and Google Scholar were used to search for relevant studies. The study followed the PRISMA guidelines and the PICO framework. Inter-rater reliability analyses were performed for both study selection and study quality assessment. Eleven relevant quantitative or mixed studies were identified. The findings indicate that EFL teachers perceived a positive effect of gamification on pupils' motivation and are satisfied with the applicability of gamification platforms. The findings revealed that internet and technology issues and a lack of teachers' skills are the most prominent negative factors when implementing gamification. Further experimental research is needed to provide evidence of the EFL teacher-perceived effectiveness of gamification on learning outcomes.

Systematic comparisons of different quality control approaches applied to three large pediatric neuroimaging datasets

IntroductionPoor quality T1-weighted brain scans systematically affect the calculation of brain measures. Removing the influence of such scans requires identifying and excluding scans with noise and artefacts through a quality control (QC) procedure. While QC is critical for brain imaging analyses, it is not yet clear whether different QC approaches lead to the exclusion of the same participants. Further, the removal of poor-quality scans may unintentionally introduce a sampling bias by excluding the subset of participants who are younger and/or feature greater clinical impairment. This study had two aims: (1) examine whether different QC approaches applied to T1-weighted scans would exclude the same participants, and (2) examine how exclusion of poor-quality scans impacts specific demographic, clinical and brain measure characteristics between excluded and included participants in three large pediatric neuroimaging samples. MethodsWe used T1-weighted, resting-state fMRI, demographic and clinical data from the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Disorders network (Aim 1: n = 553, Aim 2: n = 465), the Healthy Brain Network (Aim 1: n = 1051, Aim 2: n = 558), and the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (Aim 1: n = 1087; Aim 2: n = 619). Four different QC approaches were applied to T1-weighted MRI (visual QC, metric QC, automated QC, fMRI-derived QC). We used tetrachoric correlation and inter-rater reliability analyses to examine whether different QC approaches excluded the same participants. We examined differences in age, mental health symptoms, everyday/adaptive functioning, IQ and structural MRI-derived brain indices between participants that were included versus excluded following each QC approach. ResultsDataset-specific findings revealed mixed results with respect to overlap of QC exclusion. However, in POND and HBN, we found a moderate level of overlap between visual and automated QC approaches (rtet=0.52–0.59). Implementation of QC excluded younger participants, and tended to exclude those with lower IQ, and lower everyday/adaptive functioning scores across several approaches in a dataset-specific manner. Across nearly all datasets and QC approaches examined, excluded participants had lower estimates of cortical thickness and subcortical volume, but this effect did not differ by QC approach. ConclusionThe results of this study provide insight into the influence of QC decisions on structural pediatric imaging analyses. While different QC approaches exclude different subsets of participants, the variation of influence of different QC approaches on clinical and brain metrics is minimal in large datasets. Overall, implementation of QC tends to exclude participants who are younger, and those who have more cognitive and functional impairment. Given that automated QC is standardized and can reduce between-study differences, the results of this study support the potential to use automated QC for large pediatric neuroimaging datasets.

Preoperative cross-sectional area of psoas muscle correlates with short-term functional outcomes after posterior lumbar surgery.

To determine the optimal level for the measurement of psoas cross-sectional area and examine the correlation with short-term functional outcomes of posterior lumbar surgery. Patients who underwent minimally invasive posterior lumbar surgery were included in this study. The cross-sectional area of psoas muscle was measured at each intervertebral level on T2-weighted axial images of preoperative MRI. Normalized total psoas area (NTPA) (mm2/m2) was calculated as total psoas area normalized to patient height. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was calculated for the analysis of inter-rater reliability. Patient reported outcome measures including Oswestry disability index (ODI), visual analog scale (VAS), short form health survey (SF-12) and patient-reported outcomes measurement information system were collected. A multivariate analysis was performed to elucidate independent predictors associated with failure to reach minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in each functional outcome at 6months. The total of 212 patients were included in this study. ICC was highest at L3/4 [0.992 (95% CI: 0.987-0.994)] compared to the other levels [L1/2 0.983 (0.973-0.989), L2/3 0.991 (0.986-0.994), L4/5 0.928 (0.893-0.952)]. Postoperative PROMs were significantly worse in patients with low NTPA. Low NTPA was an independent predictor of failure to reach MCID in ODI (OR = 2.68; 95% CI: 1.26-5.67; p = 0.010) and VAS leg (OR = 2.43; 95% CI: 1.13-5.20; p = 0.022). Decreased psoas cross-sectional area on preoperative MRI correlated with functional outcomes after posterior lumbar surgery. NTPA was highly reliable, especially at L3/4.

Feasibility, Validity, and Reliability of Lower Limb Tactile and Body Awareness Assessments in Children With Upper Motor Neuron Lesions

ObjectiveTo investigate the feasibility, discriminative and convergent validity, and inter-rater reliability of a lower limb tactile function and 2 body awareness assessments in children with upper motor neuron (UMN) lesions. DesignCross-sectional psychometric study. SettingPediatric rehabilitation center. ParticipantsForty individuals with UMN lesions (mean age 11.7 years, SD 3.4 years; 27 girls) and 40 neurotypically developing children of the same age participated (N=80). InterventionsNot applicable. Main Outcome MeasuresWe assessed the tactile threshold (TT) with monofilaments and body awareness with tactile localization tasks (TLTs) for structural (TLTaction) and spatial (TLTperception) body representation at the foot sole. We compared the test outcomes between children with UMN lesions and neurotypically developing children with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Furthermore, we quantified the relations between the 3 tests with Spearman correlations (rs) and the interrater reliability with quadratic weighted kappa (κQW). ResultsAbout 80% of the children with UMN lesions perceived the tests easy to perform. The children with UMN lesions had significantly reduced somatosensory function compared with the neurotypically developing children. For the more affected leg, we found good relations between the TT and the TLTaction (rs=0.71; P<.001) and between the 2 TLTs (rs=0.66; P<.001), and a fair relation between the TT and the TLTperception (rs=0.31; P=.06). The inter-rater reliability analyses for the sum scores showed almost perfect agreement for the TT (κQW more affected leg 0.86; less affected leg 0.81), substantial agreement for TLTaction (κQW more affected leg 0.76; less affected leg 0.63), and almost perfect agreement for TLTperception (κQW more affected leg 0.88; less affected leg 0.74). ConclusionThe 3 tests are feasible to assess lower limb somatosensory function in children with UMN lesions. Discriminative and convergent validity and reliability of the 3 tests were confirmed. Further studies should investigate responsiveness and association with motor function of these outcome measures.

Intra-Rater and Inter-Rater Reliability Analysis of Muscle-Tone Evaluation Using a Myotonometer for Children with Developmental Disabilities.

Assessing muscle tone is an essential component of the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment planning of developmental disabilities (DD) in children and is of great help in developing clinical diagnosis patterns. The purpose of this study was to investigate intra-rater and inter-rater reliability using the myotonometer, which is an assessment tool to measure muscle tone in children with DD. This study included 26 children diagnosed with DD. Two physical therapists measured the children's muscle tone using a myotonometer. For all the muscles measured, reliability was determined using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), the standard measurement error (SEM), and the minimal detectable change (MDC). The intra-rater reliability for all muscles was excellent (ICC = 0.75~0.78), except for the biceps brachii (ICC = 0.68). The inter-rater reliability was also excellent for all muscles (ICC = 0.75~0.95), and the SEM and MDC showed small measurement errors. Therefore, the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of measurements by the myotonometer was found to be good or excellent. This suggests that the myotonometer is a tool that can objectively assess muscle tone, and it can be utilized in clinical practice to quickly and conveniently measure muscle tone in children with DD.

Impact of Structured Reporting of Skeletal Survey in Skeletal Dysplasia: A Single Institution Experience.

Background Structured reporting has the advantages of reducing ambiguity in written radiology reports with greater uniformity and comparability of reports amongst different institutes. It has multiple facets: structured format, structured content, and standardized language. While structured reporting initiative has been used in various radiology subspecialties such as oncology, cardiothoracic, abdominal and interventional radiology; skeletal dysplasia is a domain that remains largely untouched by this concept. Purpose To evaluate the impact of structured reporting in skeletal dysplasia. Methods and Materials This was an ethically approved pragmatic clinical trial. A defined number (75) of clinically diagnosed and/or genetically confirmed skeletal dysplasia radiographs were evaluated by two radiologists (reader A and reader B) with 5-and 7-years' experience in general radiology, respectively. A pre-defined structured reporting format for skeletal dysplasia was used as an interventional tool. Both the readers interpreted the radiographs before and after the training session. In addition to diagnosis, diagnostic confidence was noted using a semiquantitative scale. Improvement in diagnostic accuracy and diagnostic confidence after training were assessed. McNemar's test was used to assess the statistical significance of difference in proportion of correct diagnoses in pre- and post-education phases. An interrater reliability analysis using the Kappa statistic was performed to determine interobserver agreement between readers both in pre- and post-education phases. Results In the post-education phase, the proportion of accurate diagnosis improved from 48% (36/75) to 64% (48/75) for reader A, and from 44% (33/75) to 60% (45/75) for reader B as compared with the pre-education phase. Amongst the cases with a correct radiologic diagnosis, an increase in diagnostic confidence was noted in 18 cases for reader A, and 15 cases for reader B. In none of the cases, there was a reduction in diagnostic confidence after training. A McNemar's test determined that there was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of correct diagnoses in pre- and post-education phases, p < 0.001. The interobserver agreement between the readers was found to increase from Kappa = 0.33 ( p = 0.004) using non-structured reporting in pre-education phase to Kappa = 0.46 ( p < 0.001) using structured reporting in the post-education phase. Conclusion A structured reporting of skeletal survey can improve accuracy and confidence in diagnosing skeletal dysplasia.

Inter-rater reliability of retrograde urethrograms.

Reliability of pre-operative testing is important for adequate surgical planning. For urethral stricture disease, preoperative planning frequently includes retrograde urethrogram (RUG). The radiographic interpretation of RUGs is often done by urologists themselves. We aimed to evaluate the reliability of RUG interpretation by urologists at our institution. We examined the RUGs of 193 patients. These were deidentified and interpreted by three urologists, two general urologists and one reconstructive urologist. These interpretations were compared in 2 ways. Each of the general urologists was compared to the "gold standard" reconstructive urologist interpretation, and the general urologists were additionally compared to each other. We used intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for numerical variables and Fleiss' Kappa or Cohen's Kappa statistic (κ) for categorical variables to rate inter-interpreter reliability and agreement among interpretations with regards to the quantitative variables of stricture length and caliber. Level of agreement ranged from poor to moderate across all variables interpreted. Comparing general urologists to the gold standard yielded no better than moderate agreement, with the majority being poor to fair. Similarly, agreement amongst the general urologists did not reach above moderate, with the majority being poor to slight. To our knowledge, this is the first analysis of inter-rater reliability of RUGs among practicing urologists. Our analysis showed clinically unacceptable reliability with regards to stricture length, location, caliber, and indicated procedures. This study suggests a need for standardized interpretation of RUGs and poses an opportunity for actionable improvement in management of strictures.

Green Products Purchase Intention in Chilean Consumers: Comparing Three Models Using Structural Equations

The objective of this study was to compare three models: the theory of reasoned action (tra), the theory of planned behavior (tpb), and its extended form (etpb), to predict the intention of Chilean consumers for purchasing green products. Five hundred people were surveyed, establishing an inter-rater reliability analysis, and a discriminant, convergent and construct validity using three structural equation models (sem). The results showed that the etpb model is useful to explain the consumption behavior intention for green products based on a triple bottom line, whose main contribution is the indirect effect of environmental concern (ec) on the model. The study found that of the three variables, perceived behavioral control (pbc) was the strongest predictor of purchase intention (pi), followed by attitude (att). In conclusion, both the etpb model and the green products purchase intention instrument contribute to broaden the studies about consumer behavior in sustainable marketing in Chile.

Clustering and switching analysis of verb fluency in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease

To investigate verb fluency performance in individuals with Alzheimer's disease compared with healthy older adults by analyzing total correct responses, number of clusters, average cluster size, and number of switches. This is a case-control study of 39 healthy older adults and 29 older adults with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Verb fluency performance was analyzed in terms of total number of correct verbs retrieved, number of clusters, average cluster size, and number of switches. To obtain the study outcomes, we previously conducted a procedure for categorization of the verbs that would compose the clusters. The classification of verbs was adapted for this study, including assessment by raters and analysis of inter-rater reliability. Individuals with Alzheimer's disease showed significantly poorer performance than healthy controls in the number of switches and total number of correct verbs retrieved. The two groups did not differ significantly in the other measures. In this study, individuals with Alzheimer's disease showed impaired verb fluency, characterized by a reduced number of verbs retrieved and fewer transitions between verb categories. The findings suggest that, in Alzheimer's disease, verb fluency is more sensitive to cognitive deficits resulting from executive dysfunction than from semantic disruption.

Análise de clustering e switching da fluência de verbos em indivíduos com doença de Alzheimer

ABSTRACT Purpose To investigate verb fluency performance in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease compared with healthy older adults by analyzing total correct responses, number of clusters, average cluster size, and number of switches. Methods This is a case-control study of 39 healthy older adults and 29 older adults with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Verb fluency performance was analyzed in terms of total number of correct verbs retrieved, number of clusters, average cluster size, and number of switches. To obtain the study outcomes, we previously conducted a procedure for categorization of the verbs that would compose the clusters. The classification of verbs was adapted for this study, including assessment by raters and analysis of inter-rater reliability. Results Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease showed significantly poorer performance than healthy controls in the number of switches and total number of correct verbs retrieved. The two groups did not differ significantly in the other measures. Conclusion In this study, individuals with Alzheimer’s disease showed impaired verb fluency, characterized by a reduced number of verbs retrieved and fewer transitions between verb categories. The findings suggest that, in Alzheimer’s disease, verb fluency is more sensitive to cognitive deficits resulting from executive dysfunction than from semantic disruption.

Turkish validity and reliability of the level of sitting scale in children with cerebral palsy.

The Level of Sitting Scale (LSS) is a valid and reliable classification index that categorizes sitting ability. The aim of this study is to establish the Turkish validity and reliability of the LSS in children with cerebral palsy (CP). In total, 165 children (75 girls and 90 boys) between the ages of 4 and 18 years who were diagnosed with CP were included in the study. All children were evaluated by two independent physiotherapists for the interrater reliability analysis of the LSS and were reevaluated 1 week later by the same physiotherapist for the intrarater reliability analysis. The Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) was used for validity analysis. The intrarater reliability analyses of the LSS showed an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.999 (ICC 95% CI [0.999-1]),and the interrater reliability analyses showed an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.998 (ICC 95% CI [0.998-0.999]). A statistically significant, negative, and strong correlation was found between the GMFCS and the LSS (p < 0.001, r = -0.770). The Turkish version of the LSS in children with CP is a valid and reliable scale. The Turkish LSS can be used by researchersand clinicians in research and to determine the sitting level of children with CP.

Interrater reliability of modified visual mrı rating scale assessing atrophy and white matter changes.

<p>Cortical atrophy and white matter changes are common findings on magnetic resonance imaging among elderly. Several visual scales have been proposed to evaluate these changes using neuroimaging. We have recently proposed a scale (Modified Visual Magnetic Resonance Rating Scale) recently which allows us to evaluate atrophy, white matter hyperintensities, basal ganglia and infratentorial infarcts together. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the interrater reliability of magnetic resonance visual assessment using this scale between two neurologists and a radiologist.&nbsp;</p>. <p>Randomly selected 30 patients in different ages who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging between January 2014 and March 2015 were included. Axial T1, coronal T2, and axial FLAIR sequences were visually scored by two neurologists and one radiologist separately. Sulcal, ventricular and medial temporal lobe atrophy, periventricular and subcortical white matter hyperintensities, basal ganglia and infratentorial infarcts were graded according to our scale. The interrater reliability and internal consistency analysis were evaluated by using intraclass correlation coefficient and Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha tests.&nbsp;</p>. <p>The interrater agreements vary between good to excellent. The interrater correlations are moderate to excellent. Interrater correlations were excellent between two neurologists, especially on ventricular atrophy, medial temporal atrophy, basal ganglia infarcts, infratentorial infarcts. When assessing ventricular atrophy, interrater correlations between individual raters were higher than sulcal atrophy. We found good correlations between neurologists and radiologist, and excellent correlations between the two neurologists for medial temporal atrophy. We found excellent interrater correlations between neurologists and radiologist for white matter hyperintensities.</p>. <p>Our scale is a reliable tool assessing both atrophy and white matter hyperintensities with a good interrater reliability. Ventricular atrophy seems to be a more reliable marker than sulcal atrophy when assessing the atrophy on neuroimaging of a patient with memory decline. We think that the total score of the scale will also guide us in clinical practice.</p>.

Microsoft Reading Progress as Capt Tool

The paper explores the accuracy of feedback provided to non-native learners of English by a pronunciation module included in Microsoft Reading Progress. We compared pronunciation assessment offered by Reading Progress against two university pronunciation teachers. Recordings from students of English who aim for native-like pronunciation were assessed independently by Reading Progress and the human raters. The output was standardized as negative binary feedback assigned to orthographic words, which matches the Microsoft format. Our results indicate that Reading Progress is not yet ready to be used as a CAPT tool. Inter-rater reliability analysis showed a moderate level of agreement for all raters and a good level of agreement upon eliminating feedback from Reading Progress. Meanwhile, the qualitative analysis revealed certain problems, notably false positives, i.e., words pronounced within the boundaries of academic pronunciation standards, but still marked as incorrect by the digital rater. We recommend that EFL teachers and researchers approach the current version of Reading Progress with caution, especially as regards automated feedback. However, its design may still be useful for manual feedback. Given Microsoft declarations that Reading Progress would be developed to include more accents, it has the potential to evolve into a fully-functional CAPT tool for EFL pedagogy and research.

Reliability of the Garden Alignment Index and Valgus Tilt Measurement for Nondisplaced Femoral Neck Fractures.

Anteroposterior (AP) alignment assessment for nondisplaced femoral neck fractures is important for determining the treatment strategy and predicting postoperative outcomes. AP alignment is generally measured using the Garden alignment index (GAI). However, its reliability remains unknown. We compared the reliability of GAI and a new AP alignment measurement (valgus tilt measurement [VTM]) using preoperative AP radiographs of nondisplaced femoral neck fractures. The study was designed as an intra- and inter-rater reliability analysis. The raters were four trauma surgeons who assessed 50 images twice. The main outcome was the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). To calculate intra- and inter-rater reliability, we used a mixed-effects model considering rater, patient, and time. The overall ICC (95% CI) of GAI and VTM for intra-rater reliability was 0.92 (0.89-0.94) and 0.86 (0.82-0.89), respectively. The overall ICC of GAI and VTM for inter-rater reliability was 0.92 (0.89-0.95), and 0.85 (0.81-0.88), respectively. The intra- and inter-rater reliability of GAI was higher in patients aged &lt;80 years than in patients aged ≥80 years. Our results showed that GAI is a more reliable measurement method than VTM, although both are reliable. Variations in patient age should be considered in GAI measurements.

VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF CIDDIE KIT©, A DIETARY ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

Nutritional status of people with intellectual disability (PWID) is always at risk and developing a dietary assessment tool is important. This study aims to test reliability (inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability) and comparable validity (limit of agreement against a multiple pass 24-hour diet recall recorded by a professional dietitian) of a recently developed dietary assessment kit, CIDDIE Kit©, that specialised for a more dependent group of PWID, focusing on preschool aged children. The CIDDIE Kit© was given to 26 parents or caretakers of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) registered with three selected Community Based Rehabilitation Centre in the Klang Valley area. Each subject was asked to complete two sets of CIDDIE Kit© in a two-week interval session. Meanwhile, a certified dietitian conducted a 24-Hour Diet Recall among the same 26 subjects. The validity and reliability of CIDDIE Kit© were analysed using Bland-Altman method, percentage of correctly classified quartile, Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) value and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. For comparable validity test, the estimated intake from CIDDIE Kit© and Multiple Pass 24-Hour Diet Recall were considerably in agreement to each other. The test-retest reliability analysis showed significant high similarity (p &lt; 0.001) between the estimated intake from both phases of CIDDIE Kit© where the ICC value ranged approximately 0.9 (R = 0.889 - 0.930). The inter-rater reliability analysis was significantly positive (p &lt; 0.001) and strong correlation (indicating internal consistency), r (0.706 – 0.853). The specially designed CIDDIE Kit© can provide a considerably valid and reliable assessment.

Descriptive Norms for 1,082 Chilean-Spanish Idiomatic Expressions

Idioms are formulaic expressions that vary in a number of dimensions or psycholinguistic factors. It is suggested that these factors may modulate the way in which the cognitive system stores, accesses and retrieves these expressions from memory. We obtained the normative data of 1.082 Chilean Spanish idioms. A total of 622 volunteers from 18 to 83 years old participated in this research, who ranked the degree of familiarity, ambiguity, transparency and composition of the idioms. Internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, correlation and ANOVA analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect of age on the scores of each psycholinguistic dimension. Results showed a high internal consistency for the linguistic dimensions of familiarity, ambiguity and compositionality. However, inter-rater reliability scores were low for all groups and dimensions. Correlational analyses showed positive and significant coefficients among all the linguistic dimensions. Finally, significant differences were observed between all age groups in every psycholinguistic dimension. Results are interpreted in terms of its relevance to the study of figurative language processing.