Behavioral Indicators Research Articles

A novel crimped composite spline joint for pultruded FRP tubes: Conceptual design and tensile properties

Creating an effective composite joint between fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) and metallic profiles poses a significant challenge for heavy-loaded and lightweight emergency truss bridges. A novel crimped composite spline joint (CCSJ) was developed to achieve satisfactory engineering performance. Comparative tensile tests were conducted to evaluate the tensile properties and load-carrying mechanism of the CCSJ in comparison to those of joints without splines. Finite element (FE) analysis considering the crimping process and tensile loading was simultaneously executed and calibrated by experiments. Parametric simulation was supplemented to explore the key factors influencing the ultimate bearing capacity. The results indicated that the novel CCSJ features a simple preparation process, high connection efficiency, and large bearing capacity. A 60×6 mm hybrid FRP tube can withstand a maximum tensile load of 804 kN, achieving a connection efficiency of 61.3 % without the need for any secondary processing of the FRP tube. The CCSJ demonstrates a significantly higher connection efficiency of approximately 20 % compared to joints without splines. The ability of the CCSJ to effectively transfer significant axial loads through the interfacial friction effect is attributed to the increase in the interfacial contact area and preloading radial pressure resulting from the incorporation of pre-crimping splines. A typical failure mode involves interfacial slippage, resulting in satisfactory ductile behavior. The ultimate bearing capacity of the CCSJ is positively correlated with the crimping variables, friction coefficient, spline length, and number of splines. The FE model demonstrates sufficient accuracy in predicting the key behavioral indicators of the composite joint.

Leader humility and follower prosocial behaviours: Integrating three theoretical perspectives

AbstractIntegrating social cognitive perspective, social exchange perspective, and social identity perspective, we developed a research model examining how leader humility affects follower prosocial behaviours via three psychological mechanisms (i.e., self‐efficacy, affective trust, and perceived insider status). We used two field survey studies to examine our research model. Using a three‐wave lagged design, Study 1 (N = 221) found that leader humility had positive indirect effects on employee knowledge exchange, an information‐based indicator of prosocial behaviours, through all three mechanisms. To constructively replicate and extend our findings, Study 2 (N = 230) used a multi‐source and three‐wave lagged design and incorporated two additional indicators of prosocial behaviours: helping behaviour and voice behaviour. The results showed that affective trust mediated the positive effects of leader humility on all indicators of prosocial behaviours, indicating that social exchange is a powerful theoretical lens in explaining the implications of leader humility. Self‐efficacy mediated the positive effect of leader humility on knowledge exchange and helping behaviour. However, perceived insider status did not exhibit any significant mediating effect. We discussed the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for leadership.

How does a bacterial infection affect an individual’s foraging and risk management over time?

Abstract The effects of host-parasite interactions can be measured in ecologically relevant ways through behavioural indicators based on foraging theory. These include, assessing how parasites alter foraging aptitudes, harvest rates, and risk management of foragers. Consequences of infection can be measured from individuals to ecosystems. At the individual level, sick animals need to trade-off finding food with remaining safe from predators, while potentially facing debilitating effects from infection. This potentially results in reduced foraging efficiencies, compromised risk awareness, and increased apprehension. To investigate this, we assessed how a Mycoplasma bacterial infection impacted individual Allenby’s gerbils’ foraging aptitudes, resource harvest rates, and anti-predator responses. We monitored individuals through three stages, from uninfected, to acutely (newly) and finally chronically (long term) infected. We identified three distinct responses. While acutely infected, some individuals increased their foraging effort in patches and spent less time vigilant. This may reflect increased future value of food for these individuals. Some individuals immediately reduced their foraging effort and displayed increased apprehension while acutely infected. This likely reflects a lethargy, where sick individuals are compromised in their ability to harvest seeds efficiently while also remaining vigilant. As all individuals became progressively sicker with a chronic infection, their foraging declined and apprehension levels increased. Two individuals employed a ‘grab and go’ foraging strategy to minimize time spent in patches. Foraging costs of long-term infection increase dramatically over time. These findings point to some behavioural plasticity in response to initial infection, yet the consequences of long-term infection are similar for all individuals.

Exploring the behavioral indicators of resilience in professional academy youth soccer

The capacity to demonstrate resilience is important for performance and development outcomes in youth soccer. A key feature of resilience is the demonstration of positive behavioral responses to pressures or setbacks, yet little research exists on the specific behaviors that characterize resilience in the youth soccer literature. This study aimed to explore the behavioral indicators of resilience through focus groups and interviews with 60 participants from six professional soccer academies and one National Soccer Governing Body. The data was collected in two phases, the first involved a discussion of the observable behaviors associated with resilience in youth soccer. In the second phase, participants reflected on examples of resilience behaviors alongside video clips. These acted as a stimulus to contextualize the behaviors arising from the first phase. Content analysis was used to analyze the data and 36 behaviors were identified across six themes: (a) teammate support-focused (e.g., verbal support following mistakes), (b) emotion-focused (e.g., displaying emotional regulation), (c) effort-focused (e.g., physical efforts to overcome challenge), (d) rebound (e.g., positive reactions to a mistake), (e) robust (e.g., showing composure when under pressure), and (f) learning-focused (e.g., willingness to accept feedback). The results offer an insight into a multifaceted range of resilience behaviors in the context of youth soccer. With this knowledge, practitioners can make informed decisions around player development by assessing specific behavioral metrics related to resilience, players can engage in structured self-reflection practices pertaining to resilience development, and researchers can work toward the development of validated observational tools for resilience assessment.

Unconscious Perception of Vernier Offsets.

The comparison between conscious and unconscious perception is a cornerstone of consciousness science. However, most studies reporting above-chance discrimination of unseen stimuli do not control for criterion biases when assessing awareness. We tested whether observers can discriminate subjectively invisible offsets of Vernier stimuli when visibility is probed using a bias-free task. To reduce visibility, stimuli were either backward masked or presented for very brief durations (1-3 milliseconds) using a modern-day Tachistoscope. We found some behavioral indicators of perception without awareness, and yet, no conclusive evidence thereof. To seek more decisive proof, we simulated a series of Bayesian observer models, including some that produce visibility judgements alongside type-1 judgements. Our data are best accounted for by observers with slightly suboptimal conscious access to sensory evidence. Overall, the stimuli and visibility manipulations employed here induced mild instances of blindsight-like behavior, making them attractive candidates for future investigation of this phenomenon.

Saiga antelope horn suppresses febrile seizures in rats by regulating neurotransmitters and the arachidonic acid pathway

BackgroundSaiga antelope horn (SAH) is a traditional Chinese medicine for treating febrile seizure (FS) with precise efficacy, but its mechanism of action and functional substances are still unclear. Given the need for further research on SAH, our group conducted studies to elucidate its mechanisms and active substances.MethodsAn FS rat pup model was constructed through intraperitoneal injection of LPS and hyperthermia induction. Behavioural indicators of seizures, hippocampal histopathological alterations, serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and hippocampal levels of neurotransmitters were observed and measured to investigate the effects of SAH on FS model rats. Hippocampal metabolomics and network pharmacology analyses were conducted to reveal the differential metabolites, key peptides and pathways involved in the suppression of FS by SAH.ResultsSAH suppressed FS, decreased the inflammatory response and regulated the Glu-GABA balance. Metabolomic analysis revealed 13 biomarkers of FS, of which SAH improved the levels of 8 differential metabolites. Combined with network pharmacology, a “biomarker-core target-key peptide” network was constructed. The peptides of SAH, such as YGQL and LTGGF, could exert therapeutic effects via the arachidonic acid pathway. Molecular docking and ELISA results indicated that functional peptides of SAH could bind to PTGS2 target, inhibiting the generation of AA and its metabolites in hippocampal samples.ConclusionIn summary, the functional peptides contained in SAH are the main material basis for the treatment of FS, potentially acting through neurotransmitter regulation and the arachidonic acid pathway.Graphical abstract

The digital era of pediatric urological clinical care: telemedicine for management of lower urinary tract symptoms and nocturnal enuresis - a comprehensive tertiary center insight.

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and nocturnal enuresis (NE) are complex conditions requiring a long-term follow-up. Telemedicine is an emerging technological tool in the surgical field, and its availability exponentially grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding its application fields, optimizing technical aspects, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality standards. This work describes our experience with telemedicine in a Division of Pediatric Urology for the follow-up of enuresis and LUTS. A retrospective analysis of our telemedicine preliminary experience was conducted at Regina Margherita Children's Hospital in Turin, Italy. This study included all the patients aged <18 years who were monitored for enuresis and LUTS through telemedicine between September 1, 2021 and July 31, 2023. Clinical data and outcomes were analyzed, and patients and families were asked to voluntary fill an evaluation questionnaire on their satisfaction. Additionally, we focused on the post COVID-19 period, between September 2022 and July 2023, analyzing the data of two different patients' populations: the first one (G1) of patients choosing telemedicine outpatients visits (TOVs) and the second one (G2) of those choosing a face-to-face visit. One hundred five patients were enrolled. One hundred sixty-two TOVs were performed. The median age at first visit was 9.7±0.66 years (range 7-16 years). Diagnosis were: 77/105 (67%) NE and 28/105 (33%) LUTS. The average referred distance between the patients' residence and the hospital was 46.35±129.37 km (range 2-1300 kilometers) and the time taken to overcome it was 44.21±77.29 minutes (range 10-780 minutes). In 64/105 cases (61%) the follow-up was interrupted for total healing or symptoms resumption. Only two cases (2%) required the conversion to an in-person ambulatory consult, due to a social-linguistic barrier. 146/162 families (90%) filled the survey questionnaire at the end of each TOV, reporting in 94% of cases a high satisfaction level. In the comparative statistical analysis of the two patient groups, G1 (52 telemedicine office visits, [TOVs]) vs. G2 (25 face-to-face visits), the average referred distance was 17.78±7.98 km (range: 5-35 km) for G1, contrasting with 7.04±3.35 km (range: 2.5-14 km) for G2 (P=0.00001). Additionally, the waiting time before the visit was 3.96±2.90 minutes (range: 0-10 minutes) for G1, in contrast to 26.52±11.22 minutes (range: 5-44 minutes) for G2 (P=0.00001). Furthermore, a higher compliance with behavioral or pharmacological indications was observed in the G1 group, exhibiting lower adherence in only 12 out of 52 cases compared to 14 out of 25 cases in G2 (P=0.0091). Telemedicine is a proper solution and an effective tool to manage the therapeutic follow-up of NE and LUTS, ensuring suitable quality standards and reducing social costs, such as the loss of working days and transport costs. The implementation and complete integration of its use into the healthcare system should be the goals to pursue in order to take full advantage of all its potentials.

Applying behavioral economics to understand changes in alcohol outcomes during the transition to adulthood: Longitudinal relations and differences by sex and race.

Population drinking trends show clear developmental periodicity, with steep increases in harmful alcohol use from ages 18 to 22 followed by a gradual decline across the 20s, albeit with persistent problematic use in a subgroup of individuals. Cross-sectional studies implicate behavioral economic indicators of alcohol overvaluation (high alcohol demand) and lack of alternative substance-free reinforcers (high proportionate alcohol-related reinforcement) as potential predictors of change during this developmental window, but longitudinal evidence is sparse. Using a sample of emerging adults (N = 497, Mage = 22.61 years, 62% female, 48.69% White, 40.44% Black), this study examined prospective, bidirectional relations between both past-week heavy drinking days (HDD) and alcohol problems and proportionate alcohol-related reinforcement (reinforcement ratio), alcohol demand intensity (consumption at zero price), alcohol demand Omax (maximum expenditure), and change in demand elasticity (rate of change in consumption across escalating price) over five assessments (every 4 months) using random intercept cross-lagged panel models. Alcohol problems and HDD decreased across assessments. Significant between-person effects indicated that each behavioral economic variable was associated with increased drinking risk. Change in reinforcement ratio was positively associated with decreases in alcohol problems. Multigroup invariance modeling revealed distinct risk pathways in that change in demand intensity and Omax predicted change in alcohol problems for male participants and change in intensity predicted change in alcohol problems for non-White participants. The study provides consistent support for proportionate alcohol-related reinforcement and mixed support for demand as within-person predictors of reductions in drinking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Predicting changes in task difficulty perception based on visual behavior in mobile health information search

With the proliferation of online health resources, mobile health information search has become the new norm, in which the task difficulty perception in search affects the user's search experience. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between visual behavior that reflects users' cognitive processing and changes in perceived task difficulty, thereby predicting such changes.This study was conducted through a controlled experiment. 46 participants were recruited to complete four tasks. Visual behavior data were collected through eye-tracking technology, and changes in task difficulty perception were measured through pre-task and post-task questionnaires. The mobile health information search process is divided into three search activities: querying, browsing, and viewing activities. Predictors were inspected from the overall session and individual search activity levels using the Mann-Whitney U test, and then K-Nearest Neighbor, Extreme-Trees, Naive Bayesian, Support Vector Machine, Logistic Regression algorithms were used to predict and evaluate prediction effects.The results showed significant differences in participants' fixation and saccade behaviors between increases and decreases in task difficulty, both at the overall session and individual search activity level. The logistic regression algorithm demonstrated the highest predictive performance, Furthermore, visual behavioral indicators for the browsing activity proved to perform better relative to the other search activities.This study highlights the importance of visual behavioral indicators as reliable predictors of changes in users' perceived task difficulty in mobile health information search. It can help health information providers and administrators to provide timely and targeted assistance and implement effective guidance strategies.

Impact of information accessibility and diagnosticity on eye movements of children searching for information

PurposeThis study aims to explore the eye movement behavior of preadolescent children accessing and diagnosing information.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers tracked the eye movements of 30 children with an eye-tracking apparatus. Using the kit of factor-referenced cognitive tests to measure perceptual speed and associative memory, they measured information-searching behavior with screen recordings, the data of which were analyzed by IBM SPSS Statistics 26.FindingsRegarding information accessibility, there was a correlation between the child’s age, associative memory and the number of round-trip choices, and there were differences in the total fixation area among children of different age groups. Regarding diagnosticity, perceptual speed was positively correlated with the total fixation area, and the number of round-trip choices was negatively correlated with fixation duration.Originality/valueEmpirical evidence suggests that during information encoding, perceptual speed is the most important influencing factor. Extensive research indicates that children predominantly rely on recall and familiarity when searching for new information, both of which play roles in associative memory. Through an examination of the psychological and behavioral indicators of children, the study elucidated the cognitive processes involved in information processing and how children engage with information at both visual and cognitive levels.

Association of Age with Dual-Task Objective Cognitive Indicators and Gait Parameters in Older Adults.

Early recognition of dementia like Alzheimer's disease is crucial for disease diagnosis and treatment, and existing objective tools for early screening of cognitive impairment are limited. To investigate age-related behavioral indicators of dual-task cognitive performance and gait parameters and to explore potential objective markers of early cognitive decline. The community-based cognitive screening data was analyzed. Hierarchical cluster analysis and Pearson correlation analysis were performed on the 9-item subjective cognitive decline (SCD-9) scores, walking-cognitive dual-task performance, walking speed, and gait parameters of 152 participants. The significant differences of indicators that may related to cognitive decline were statistically analyzed across six age groups. A mathematical model with age as the independent variable and motor cognition composite score as the dependent variable was established to observe the trend of motor cognition dual-task performance with age. Strong correlation was found between motor cognitive scores and SCD and age. Gait parameters like the mean value of ankle angle, the left-right difference rate of ankle angle and knee angle and the coefficient of variation of gait cycle showed an excellent correlation with age. Motor cognition scores showed a decreasing trend with age. The slope of motor cognition scores with age after 50 years (k = -1.06) was six times higher than that before 50 years (k = -0.18). Cognitive performance and gait parameters in the walking-cognitive dual-task state are promising objective markers that could characterize age-related cognitive decline.

Prevalence and determinants of massage therapy use in the U.S.: Findings from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey

BackgroundThis study presents findings on the prevalence and determinants of past-year massage therapy use among U.S. adults from the 2022 round of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (total available N = 27,651), an annual national population survey. MethodsThe NHIS uses face-to-face interviews on a representative sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population drawn using a systematic, stratified, single-stage probability design. The analyses consist of logistically modeling the determinants of three outcome (dependent) measures: past year utilization of a practitioner of massage, past year utilization of massage for pain, and past-year utilization of massage to restore overall health. Exposure (independent) variables include numerous sociodemographic, health services, health-related, mental health and well-being, and behavioral indicators. ResultsThe past-year prevalence rate for visiting a massage therapist in the U.S. is 11.1 %. The past-year rate for massage visits for pain is 6.0 %, and for restoring overall health is 8.5 %. Significantly higher rates are found among females and socioeconomically advantaged individuals, among other categories, and the strongest net determinant of massage therapy utilization is use of complementary or integrative practitioners. ConclusionIt is apparent that massage therapy is a commonly utilized therapeutic modality in the U.S. While use of complementary or integrative therapies is a significant determinant of massage utilization, it may not be fitting to consider massage therapy itself as an “alternative” therapy, but rather a widely used and increasingly mainstream therapeutic modality meriting wider integration into the community of healthcare professions.

Revolutionizing Identity Verification and Recognition

The innovative integration of real-time human detection improves both security and user experience in identity authentication. This approach improves authentication processes by analysing physiological and behavioural indicators such as face movements and eye movements, hence reducing fraud risks. Its deployment across sectors promises to enhance security in finance, healthcare, e-commerce, and law enforcement. Despite the hurdles, the benefits of this human-centered approach are enormous, indicating a more secure digital future. Keywords— Identity verification, live human detection, digital security, biometric authentication, user experience, fraud prevention, computer vision, physiological and behavioural cues, facial and vocal patterns, finance, healthcare, e-commerce, law enforcement.

From Extreme Ideas to Violent and Nonviolent Outcomes: An In-Depth Analysis of Probation Files on Terrorist Suspects in the Netherlands

ABSTRACT How do individuals who commit violent terrorist crimes differ from those who commit nonviolent terrorist crimes? In this study, we compare characteristics and pathways of violent (VTS) and nonviolent (NVTS) individuals prior to being suspected or convicted of crimes with terrorist intent (e.g. planning an attack, financing terrorism) in the Netherlands through an analysis of probation files. Departing from a social control and life-course perspective, we examine possible signs and triggers leading up to the terrorist suspicion, various life domains (socio-demographic characteristics, social network, and personality related variables), mental health, criminal histories, and online activities. Findings demonstrate primarily resemblances between both groups. Nonetheless, compared to NVTS, VTS showed more indications of signs of acting in accordance with extreme ideological beliefs and feelings of injustice, had a more disadvantaged socioeconomic background, were more often involved with other radicals (e.g. in groups and/or online), had more substance abuse problems, and were more active online in relation to their terrorist suspicion. NVTS, on the other hand, had more regularly a turbulent youth, more commonly ever showed indications of aggressive behavior, had more often mental health problems, and, consequently, received more social care compared to VTS. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.

In Absentia—Can a Lack of Behaviour Be a Useful Welfare Indicator? An Application to the Captive Management of Livingstone’s Fruit Bats, Pteropus livingstonii

Non-invasive behavioural indicators of welfare can be particularly useful for managing captive breeding populations of endangered species; these allow individual welfare to be monitored and reproductive success maximised without the need for capture and restraint methods. However, most studies focus on the behaviours whose presence or frequency can predict welfare issues; the absence of a behaviour is less frequently considered an indicator of welfare. Here, we investigate potential behavioural correlates with welfare-related health states in captive Livingstone’s fruit bats (Pteropus livingstonii), a critically endangered species that can become obese due to restricted space and reduced activity rates compared with wild populations. In this study, behavioural data were collected on males (which are particularly prone to obesity). Hurdle models were used to separately determine the factors predicting the presence or absence of behaviour and the frequency of observed behaviours. Whilst significantly lower levels of vigilance were observed in males with a larger body mass, those with diagnosed health issues were significantly more likely to show an absence of locomotion and foraging behaviour. Males with a lower body mass were also more likely to show an absence of foraging behaviour. Our study demonstrates how the absence of a behaviour can be informative as to an individual’s welfare state. This study has identified behavioural profiles that can be used to flag at-risk individuals, reducing the need for potentially stressful handling and improving our ability to safeguard the welfare of individuals within a large captive group.

Effect of transportation distance and lairage time on selected behaviors and carcass parameters in zebu cattle-a study using the animal focal sampling method.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the transport distance and lairage time on behavioral indicators of zebu beef cattle in the resting pen of a slaughterhouse using the focal animal technique. Eight lots of male zebu cattle, Nelore, aged approximately 4 years old, weighing on average 500 ± 28.5 kg-1, from different municipalities, transported by land, were evaluated. The lots were grouped into two categories: short distance (> 500 km) and long distance (> 500 km). Five focal animals per evaluated lot were used in each cycle of behavior observation, randomly chosen, and visually identified. The animal focal sampling method was used, with instantaneous recording, every 5 min per animal/h. A video camera was used and placed at a fixed point in the corral. After slaughtering, bruises and carcass pH were evaluated. The respiratory rate (RR) was measured in two moments, 30 min after unloading (RR_I) and 1 h before slaughtering (RR_F); behavioral data were divided into four lairage periods (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th) equally and evaluated as repeated measures over time. The lairage time lowered the behaviors of headbutting (NCHBs), pushing (PsH), mounting (MT), and chasing away (CA), (p = 0.0001), and these behaviors were more evident in animals transported for short distances in the initial resting times, decreasing as they remained in the resting pen. There was effect of distance on the initial and final pH of the carcass, being greater in the short distance (p = 0.047). There was no effect of distance or lairage time on initial or final RR (p > 0.05). In addition, animals transported over long distances showed less carcass injuries, which were observed during post mortem inspection. It is concluded that animals transported over short distances present a greater number of agonistic behaviors, such as NCHBs, MT, PsH, and CA, predisposing to higher rates of bruising during lairage and more accentuated changes in the final pH of the meat.

Spiking activity in the visual thalamus is coupled to pupil dynamics across temporal scales.

The processing of sensory information, even at early stages, is influenced by the internal state of the animal. Internal states, such as arousal, are often characterized by relating neural activity to a single "level" of arousal, defined by a behavioral indicator such as pupil size. In this study, we expand the understanding of arousal-related modulations in sensory systems by uncovering multiple timescales of pupil dynamics and their relationship to neural activity. Specifically, we observed a robust coupling between spiking activity in the mouse dorsolateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of the thalamus and pupil dynamics across timescales spanning a few seconds to several minutes. Throughout all these timescales, 2 distinct spiking modes-individual tonic spikes and tightly clustered bursts of spikes-preferred opposite phases of pupil dynamics. This multi-scale coupling reveals modulations distinct from those captured by pupil size per se, locomotion, and eye movements. Furthermore, coupling persisted even during viewing of a naturalistic movie, where it contributed to differences in the encoding of visual information. We conclude that dLGN spiking activity is under the simultaneous influence of multiple arousal-related processes associated with pupil dynamics occurring over a broad range of timescales.

Implementation of the International Classification of Diseases 11th revision behavioural indicators for disorders of intellectual development with co-occurring autism spectrum disorder.

The classification of mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders in the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases 11th revision (ICD-11) includes a comprehensive set of behavioural indicators (BIs) within the neurodevelopmental disorders grouping. BIs can be used to assess the severity of disorders of intellectual development in situations in which standardised measures of intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviours are not available or feasible. This international study examines the implementation characteristics of the BIs and compares them to standardised measures for assessing the severity of intellectual impairment and adaptive behaviours in disorders of intellectual development and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The clinical utility of the ICD-11 and the fidelity of its application in international clinical settings were also assessed. A total of 116 children and adolescents (5-18years old) with a suspected or established diagnosis of disorders of intellectual development were included across four sites [Italy (n=18), Sri Lanka (n=19) and two sites in India (n=79)]. A principal component analysis was conducted to evaluate the application of the ICD-11 guidance for combining severity levels. Assessment using the BIs showed a higher proportion of individuals classified with mild severity, whereas the standardised measures indicated a higher proportion of severe ratings. Additionally, individuals with co-occurring ASD tended to have more severe impairments compared with those without ASD, as indicated by both BIs and standardised measures. Overall, the BIs were considered clinically useful, although more time and consideration were required when applying the guidelines for individuals with a co-occurring disorder of intellectual development and ASD. The principal component analysis revealed one principal component representing overall disorders of intellectual development severity levels. The ICD-11 BIs can be implemented as intended in international clinical settings for a broad range of presentations of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. Use of the BIs results in similar severity diagnoses to those made using standardised measures. The BIs are expected to improve the reliability of severity assessments in settings where appropriate standardised measures for intellectual and adaptive behaviours are not available or feasible.

Feasibility and acceptability of measuring positivity resonance in nurse-patient telehealth videoconferencing visits: A mixed-methods observational study.

To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of the training process, procedures, measures and recruitment strategies necessary for a future investigation to test the reliability and validity of using positivity resonance measures in health care encounters. Although the measurement of positivity resonance is promising, and non-participant observation is considered effective, their approaches to studying nurse-patient relationships have not been fully explored. A mixed-methods observational study. Video recordings of 30 nurse-patient dyads completing telehealth video visit encounters were edited and coded using behavioural indicators of positivity resonance. A post-visit survey gathered data on the participants' perceptions of positivity resonance and the study procedures. The research team completed memos and procedural logs to provide narrative data on the study's training, coding, recruitment and operational procedures. The study included 33 persons with cancer and 13 oncology nurses engaging in telehealth video visit encounters at an academic oncology ambulatory care center located in the southeastern United States. Study procedures were found to be feasible and acceptable to participants. An adequate sample of participants (N = 46) were enrolled and retained in the study. Interrater reliability, as evidenced by Cohen's weighted kappa, ranged from .575 to .752 and interclass correlation coefficients >.8 were attainable within a reasonable amount of time and with adequate training. Behavioural indicators of positivity resonance were observed in all telehealth visits and reported by the participants in the perceived positivity resonance survey. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist guided reporting. Designing research around the concept of positivity resonance is an innovative and feasible approach to exploring how rapport is cultivated within nurse-patient relationships. Measuring positivity resonance may hold promise for exploring patient and nurse outcomes including trust, responsiveness, health-related behaviours, well-being, resilience and satisfaction. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist guided the reporting of results to ensure that adequate details of the study were provided to ensure an accurate and complete report. Planning of the research design and study procedures was done in consultation with nurse clinicians with experience with telehealth and managers responsible within the practice setting where the study was conducted. This ensured the study procedures were ethical, safe, secure and did not create unnecessary burden to the study participants. The study included collecting data from nurse and patient participants about the acceptability of the study procedures.

Effectiveness assessment of sulfur-containing amino acids in rats with experimental “alcohol withdrawal syndrome” with modified zoosocial interaction methods

The aim of the work was to compare the effects of ademethionine, acetylcysteine and taurine on the zoosocial behavior of rats in a post-intoxicated state after an acute ethanol poisoning.Materials and methods. The study was conducted on male rats of the Wistar line. The post-intoxication state was modeled by a single injection of ethanol (3 g/kg, intraperitoneally). 30 min after awakening, the animals were injected with a physiological solution, acetylcysteine (1 g/kg), ademetionine (100 mg/kg) or taurine (40 mg/kg). A zoosocial interaction test was performed 30 min after the administration.Results. Among the behavioral indicators investigated, the following were validated: the number of acts of freezing, their duration, the number of acts of sniffing in front, the number of acts of avoidance and the number of vertical stances without support (p &lt;0.05 between the values of the negative and positive control groups in all cases). The administration of acetylcysteine, ademetionine and taurine reduced the number of freezing acts by 53.64, 7.27 and 24.51%, respectively (p &lt;0.05 when compared with the indicator index in the animals from the positive control group in all cases). The administration of acetylcysteine and taurine reduced the number of avoidance acts by 50 and 10%, respectively (p &lt;0.05 when compared to that of the animals from the positive control group in both cases). All amino acids normalized the communicative performance, although it did not differ from that of the animals from the positive control group (p &gt;0.05). Alcoholization reduced the number of vertical stances by 65% (p &lt;0.001 when compared with that in the animals from the negative control group), and when followed by the administration of ademetionine and taurine, the reduction was 38 and 36%, respectively (p &lt;0.05 when compared to that in the animals from the negative control group).Conclusion. According to the data obtained, sulfur-containing amino acids, primarily those that had central effects, normalized neuronal functions, positively influencing a complex behavior of rats. Taking into account the results of the previous studies, it was possible to conclude that the therapeutic effect of ademetionine and taurine in the context of a post-intoxication state is mediated by their central effects, which are not so pronounced in comparison with acetylcysteine.