External Consistency Research Articles

An architecture for coupled digital twins with semantic lifting

AbstractTo enable the reuse of Digital Twins, in the form of simulation units or other forms of behavioral models, of single physical components, one must be able to connect and couple them. Current platform and architectures consider mostly monolithic digital twins and offer little support for coupling and checking the consistency of the coupling. The coupling must be internally consistent—satisfy constraints related to their co-simulation—and externally consistent—mirror the structure of the composed physical system. In this paper, we propose an extension to a behavior-extended Digital Twin architecture for individual Digital Twins to include co-simulation scenarios for coupled systems lifted from configuration files, which can be implemented along with a Digital-Twin-as-a-Service platform to make assets reusable in time. To monitor and query these connections, we introduce a semantic lifting service, which interprets the coupled Digital Twins as Knowledge Graphs and enables the use of queries to express internal and external consistency constraints. Two representative case studies for systems with coupled behavior are used for the demonstration of this approach and show that it indeed enables reusability of components and services between different Digital Twins.

Creation and Validation of the Facial Diplegia Scale for Assessment of Bilateral Facial Palsy.

Objectives: House-Brackmann (HB) classification and the Sunnybrook Facial Grading System (SFGS), both reference tools for the assessment of facial palsy, are not suitable for bilateral facial palsy. The aim of this study was to develop, standardize, and validate the Facial Diplegia Scale (FDS). Methods: The FDS was standardized in a healthy population (n = 111) and validated in 40 patients with diplegia. Correlations with the SFGS were sought to prove its criterion validity. The comparison between healthy subjects and patients with diplegia was used to test the construct validity. The diagnostic performance of the FDS was verified using an ROC curve based on the HB classification. Internal and external consistency were investigated. Results: The FDS and the SFGS were significantly correlated for the right hemiface [F(39) = 51.51, p < 0.0001, R2 = 0.575] as well as for the left one [F(39) = 95.10, p < 0.0001, R2 = 0.714]. A significant difference between control subjects and patients with diplegia was found [t(149) = -9.95, p < 0.0001]. Good specificity and sensitivity were confirmed. Finally, internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest reliability were largely proven. Conclusions: The FDS has been standardized and validated for the subjective assessment of facial diplegia in adults to improve comprehensive assessment.

Development and validation of the sarcopenia disease risk perception scale for older adults

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

Development and evaluation of the simplified Chinese versions of motion sickness susceptibility questionnaire

Objective: To develop and evaluate the simplified Chinese versions of motion sickness susceptibility questionnaire (MSSQ)-long (MSSQ-L) and MSSQ-short (MSSQ-S). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2023 among 3 426 university students at North China University of Science and Technology. The Chinese versions of MSSQ-L and MSSQ-S were distributed, and item selection for Simplified Chinese versions of MSSQ-L and MSSQ-S was performed based on item response rates, item-total correlations, Cronbach's alpha coefficients, and standard deviations. Forty-five male and forty-five female participants were recruited from the initial survey population to complete Coriolis acceleration endurance testing and fill out the simplified Chinese versions of MSSQ-L and MSSQ-S, and Graybiel symptom severity score questionnaire. Internal consistency, external consistency, criterion validity, discriminant validity, and predictive accuracy for motion sickness severity were assessed. Results: A total of 3 111 valid responses were received for the Chinese versions of MSSQ, yielding an effective response rate of 90.8% (3 111/3 426). Among the 3 111 students surveyed, there were 965 males and 2 146 females, with a mean age of (19.5±1.4) years. The highest usage rates for item were observed for cars (98.9%, 3 077/3 111) and buses (98.8%, 3 073/3 111). The simplified Chinese versions of MSSQ-L and MSSQ-S consisted of four and eight items, respectively. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.900 and 0.953 for the simplified Chinese versions of MSSQ-S and MSSQ-L, respectively, with test-retest reliabilities of 0.895 and 0.908. Criterion validity coefficients were 0.814 and 0.765 for the simplified Chinese versions of MSSQ-S and MSSQ-L, respectively. In terms of discriminant validity, significant differences were observed between mild and moderate susceptibility groups [0(0, 3) vs 6(2, 10), P=0.006] and between moderate and severe susceptibility groups [6(2, 10) vs 9(6, 13), P=0.030] for the simplified Chinese version of MSSQ-S. Significant differences were also observed between mild and moderate susceptibility groups [5(0, 3) vs 7(3, 10), P=0.001], but not between moderate and severe susceptibility groups [7(3, 10) vs 7(3, 10), P=0.081] for simplified Chinese version of MSSQ-L. The overall predictive accuracy for motion sickness severity improved from 55.6% (50/90) to 62.2% (56/90) for the simplified Chinese version of MSSQ-S and from 54.4% (49/90) to 58.9% (53/90) for the simplified Chinese version of MSSQ-L, but with no statistically significant differences (both P>0.05). Conclusions: The simplified Chinese versions of MSSQ-L and MSSQ-S demonstrates good reliability and validity. The simplified Chinese version of MSSQ-S exhibits satisfactory discriminant validity, and can serve as a simple and efficient tool for assessing motion sickness susceptibility.

The reliability of a Biometrics device as a tool for assessing hand grip and pinch strength, in a Polish cohort-A prospective observational study.

The aim of the study was to assess the external and internal compatibility of the Biometrics E-LINK EP9 evaluation system device in the area of hand grip and pinch strength in the Polish population. The testing of hand grip and pinch strength was carried out among 122 healthy students. Two examiners performed hand grip and pinch strength measurements with a Biometrics E-LINK EP9 evaluation system device. Measurements were made for the right and left hands. The same people were tested again two weeks later, under the same conditions. The scores of one rater on the first and second tests were compared for reproducibility, and the scores of the two raters were compared to assess the reliability of the instrument. The measurements were found to be highly consistent both between the investigators and between the tests in the hand grip dynamometer test. The findings show high values of the Pearson's correlation coefficient equal or close to 1, as well as the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) >0.9. Analysis of pinch strength measurements performed using the pinchmeter also found high values of the Pearson's correlation coefficient close to 1, as well as the interclass correlation coefficient >0.9; this reflects high agreement between the measurements performed by two investigators as well as assessments performed by one investigator at time intervals. These findings were confirmed by analyses performed using Bland-Altman plots. The measurements made with the Biometrics E-link EP9 evaluation system show high internal and external consistency in hand grip and pinch strength assessment. Biometrics E-link EP9 can be recommended for daily clinical practice.

Human resource management systems – The social and environmental performance of some of Morocco’s largest corporations

This study, which is founded on the configurational approach’s principles, aims to determine how well-coordinated human resources management systems that are tailored to the company’s business plan perform in terms of society and the environment. In this study, a collection of standard human resource practices serves as the framework for the human resource management system. Through „social commitment” and the „existence of an environmental strategy” social and environmental performance is assessed. To find the simultaneous relationships between HRM systems, business strategies, and the two measures of performance, we carried out a confirmatory quantitative survey on a sample of 107 major Moroccan enterprises. The primary findings demonstrated that the internal consistency of HRM systems and their external consistency with corporate strategy can serve as significant levers for enhancing social and environmental performance.

Quality Evaluation of Triples in Knowledge Graph by Incorporating Internal With External Consistency.

The evaluation of knowledge quality (KQ) in multisource knowledge graphs (KGs) is an essential step for many applications, such as fragmented knowledge fusion and knowledge base construction. Many existing quality evaluation methods for multisource knowledge are based on validation from high-quality knowledge bases or statistical analysis of knowledge related to a specific fact from multiple sources, named external consistency (EC)-based methods. However, high-quality KGs are difficult to obtain, and there might exist incorrect knowledge in multisource KGs interfering with KQ evaluation. To address the issue, this article refers to the internal structure of a KG to evaluate the degree to which the contained triples conform to the overall semantic pattern of the KG, such as KG embedding and logic inference-based approaches, defined as internal consistency (IC) evaluation. The IC is integrated with the EC to identify possible incorrect triples and reduce their influences on the KQ evaluation, thus alleviating the interference of incorrect knowledge. The proposed method is verified with multiple datasets, and the results demonstrate that the proposed method could significantly reduce wrong evaluations caused by incorrect knowledge and effectively improve the quality evaluation of triples.

Autopsy findings in cases of fatal COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis.

COVID-19 vaccines have been linked to myocarditis, which, in some circumstances, can be fatal. This systematic review aims to investigate potential causal links between COVID-19 vaccines and death from myocarditis using post-mortem analysis. We performed a systematic review of all published autopsy reports involving COVID-19 vaccination-induced myocarditis through 3 July 2023. All autopsy studies that include COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis as a possible cause of death were included. Causality in each case was assessed by three independent physicians with cardiac pathology experience and expertise. We initially identified 1691 studies and, after screening for our inclusion criteria, included 14 papers that contained 28 autopsy cases. The cardiovascular system was the only organ system affected in 26 cases. In two cases, myocarditis was characterized as a consequence from multisystem inflammatory syndrome. The mean age of death was 44.4years old. The mean and median number of days from last COVID-19 vaccination until death were 6.2 and 3days, respectively. We established that all 28 deaths were most likely causally linked to COVID-19 vaccination by independent review of the clinical information presented in each paper. The temporal relationship, internal and external consistency seen among cases in this review with known COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis, its pathobiological mechanisms, and related excess death, complemented with autopsy confirmation, independent adjudication, and application of the Bradford Hill criteria to the overall epidemiology of vaccine myocarditis, suggests that there is a high likelihood of a causal link between COVID-19 vaccines and death from myocarditis.

Role of Personas in Political Marketing in Canada

Many political party strategists draw on Big Data to target specific groups of voters. This predominantly quantitative approach is useful for mobilising support, yet there are alternatives that help bring these voter segments to life. Pioneered in Australia (1996) and perfected in Canada (2006 to 2008), the use of personas in political marketing and communications holds several notable advantages. By personifying the segments – using names like “Phil and Jenny” or “Dougie” – strategists foster both internal cohesion and external consistency around their messaging. The technique is also useful for policy development. Grounded in an extensive review of campaigns and in-depth interviews, this article analyses the use of personas by the Conservative Party of Canada, pointing to the strengths and shortcomings of the approach.

Assessing psychometric of the perceived stress scale and identifying stress-associated factors in a sample of Ukrainian female refugees in the Czech Republic

IntroductionThe full-scale Russian war has caused refugees to experience many stressful events, which may have a long-term adverse impact on their physical and mental health. Understanding the factors associated with increasing/decreasing stress is essential for the psychosocial support services for refugees. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is a popular tool for assessing life stress perception through self-reporting. The purposes of the study were: 1) to examine the psychometric qualities of the Ukrainian versions of the PSS-14 and PSS-10; 2) to determine the level of perceived stress; 3) to reveal factors associated with perceived stress in the sample of Ukrainian female refugees in the Czech Republic (N = 919). MethodsPerceived stress was measured by the Ukrainian versions of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14 and PSS-10) which were validated by applying exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Linear regressions were run to understand associations between self-reported physical health conditions, the barriers to adaptation in the host country, the determinants of social health and perceived stress. ResultsBoth PSS-14 and PSS-10 scales had a high level of internal consistency. Two factors (involving positive and negative items) were extracted based on exploratory factor analysis. The external consistency was confirmed by analysing correlations of the PSS-14/PSS-10 and coping strategies as well as self-reported physical and mental health. Ukrainian female refugees in the Czech Republic experienced moderate to high levels of perceived stress. The study found that on the one hand, a decrease in self-reported physical and mental health statuses, worsening health due to the war, low housing quality, financial disadvantages, experience of cultural differences issues and discrimination, healthcare access inequalities, lack of Czech language skills, failure to integrate into social activities within Ukrainian community, lack of social support, and applying an avoidant coping strategy are factors associated with forced migration that could increase perceived stress in the sample of Ukrainian female refugees. On the contrary, the level of perceived stress of participants could decrease with increasing social support, including such factors as regular communication with relatives and friends who are staying in Ukraine, and having good relations with loved ones, friends, and locals. ConclusionsThe Ukrainian version of PSS-10 has good psychometric properties and can be relied upon to measure perceived stress. The study revealed factors associated with the perceived stress in the sample of Ukrainian female refugees in the Czech Republic and emphasised the necessity of psychosocial support services and developing interventions to help cope with stress among Ukrainian female refugees in the host country.

The Polish adaptation of the blood donation fears inventory

Background and objectivesGiven the decline in the number of voluntary blood donors in Poland and the lack of psychological research on blood donors and the donation system in the country, there is a need to develop a tool to measure barriers to recruiting new donors and retaining active donors. One significant barrier is the presence of specific fears associated with the blood donation process. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to perform the Polish adaptation of the Blood Donation Fears Inventory (the BDFI). Materials and methodsThe Polish adaptation of the BDFI was developed and tested on a sample of 409 individuals, consisting of 194 (47.5%) voluntary blood donors and 214 (52.5%) non-donors. The original tool comprises an 18-item scale that measures four different types of fears related to the blood donation process: (1) Fear of Syncopal Symptoms, (2) Fear of Blood and Needles, (3) Fear of Social Evaluation, and (4) Fear of Health Screen Results. ResultsTo determine the psychometric properties of the scale, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (RMSEA =.098; CFI =.958; TLI =.935; SRMR =.035), second-order factor analysis (RMSEA =.097; CFI =.958; TLI =.936; SRMR =.036; NNFI =.936; NFI =.938), and bifactor analysis (RMSEA =.093; CFI =.969; TLI =.942; SRMR =.036; NNFI =.942; NFI =.952) were conducted. The reliability of the tool was assessed using Cronbach's Alpha and McDonald's Omega, resulting in high coefficients (ranging from.92 to.97) for each scale. Internal consistency was examined using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), while external consistency was examined using the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) and the Self-esteem Scale (SES). ConclusionSatisfactory results were obtained, establishing the Polish adaptation of the BDFI. This tool represents a novel contribution to the research on the blood donation system in Poland

Digital capabilities of health workers to use electronic medical records: Digital maturity self-assessment in Indonesian hospitals

Digital skills influence the successful implementation of information systems and electronic medical records (EMR) in health care facilities. The Ministry of Health measures digital maturity levels to identify gaps in improving digital transformation, including the digital skill of health workers in hospitals in 2022. The digital maturity in all hospitals in Indonesia was measured quantitatively based on the 7 components of Hospital Information Systems Maturity Model (HISMM). The low response rate was anticipated with a number of efforts such as outreach, capacity building and a circular letter from the Ministry of Health. Internal and external consistency was conducted to ensure the quality of the self-assessment. Specifically, the level of digital skills was analysed by calculating the average score of one components of digital maturity, namely Human Resources, Skills and Use of Hospital Information Systems. There are 11 parameters for assessing the level of digital literacy, perceived usefulness and encouragement to use RME in hospitals. All parameters were assessed using a 5-point scale and were analysed quantitatively. The response rate was 31.9% (973 out of 3,052 hospitals) where overall average of digital maturity level was 2.6. Hospital type A, higher accreditation status and located in Jawa-Bali has relatively high maturity level compare to others. The digital skills of health workers in hospitals are relatively high, with the majority already using the hospital information system. This was align with the perception of the ease of use and usefulness of using a hospital information system. Even though there have been several digital health champions in the hospital, health workers have not been fully involved in the process of developing information systems in hospitals and not many hospitals have utilized HIS to assess the performance of health workers. It is clearly that health workers in hospitals are capable and quite aware of the use of digital technology. However, their role needs to be increased to support the development of appropriate digital technology.

Evaluation of Reliability of the Luna EMG Rehabilitation Robot to Assess Proprioception in the Upper Limbs in 102 Healthy Young Adults.

BACKGROUND Proprioception, the body's ability to perceive its own position and movement, is fundamental for motor control and coordination. Reliable assessment tools are essential, particularly for conditions affecting proprioceptive function. This study aimed to evaluate the external and internal compliance of the Luna EMG -multifunction robotic device in assessing proprioception. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study involved 102 healthy students (31 men and 71 women; mean age 22.2±1.46 years), assessing proprioception using the Luna EMG for the upper limbs. Two investigators conducted measurements, which were repeated after 2 weeks under identical conditions. RESULTS Based on the identified values of the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (ICC=0.969-0.997), which is a key measure of agreement between 2 assessments, the study shows a high agreement of measurements both between investigators (for right hand: P=0.3484 [Exam 1]; P=1.0000 [Exam 2]; for left hand: P=0.1092 [Exam 1]; P=0.7706 [Exam 2]) and between the examinations (for right hand: 0.1127 [Investigator 1]; 0.2113 [Investigator 2]; for left hand: P=0.0087 [Investigator 1]; P=0.1466 [Investigator 2]). The Bland-Altman analysis showed very small inter-rater deviations, approximately 0.05° in the first examination for the left side and 0.04° for the right side. The highest deviation between the examinations, amounting to 0.08°, was identified for the left side. CONCLUSIONS The study shows that the Luna EMG multifunction robotic device enables a reliable evaluation of upper limb proprioception. Measurements performed using this device show high internal and external consistency in the assessment of the proprioceptive senses of the upper limb in 102 healthy young adults.

National routine data for low birthweight and preterm births: Systematic data quality assessment for United Nations member states (2000-2020).

Low birthweight (<2500 g) and preterm birth (<37 weeks) are markers of newborn vulnerability. To facilitate informed decisions about investments in prevention and care, it is imperative to enhance data quality and use. Hence, the objective of this study is to systematically assess the quality of data concerning low birthweight and preterm births within routine administrative data sources. Systematic data quality assessment by adopting the WHO Data Quality Framework. National routine data system from UN member states. Livebirths. National routine administrative data on low birthweight and preterm births for 195 countries from 2000 to 2020 were systematically collated, totalling >700 million live births. The WHO data quality framework was adapted to undertake standardised data quality assessments. Availability, reporting quality, internal and external consistency of low birthweight and preterm data. Most United States Member States (64%: 124/195) had national data on low birthweight and (40%: 82/195) had data on preterm birth. Routine data system reporting was highest in North America, Australasia and Europe, where more than 95% live births had data on low birthweight and over 75% had data preterm births. In contrast,data reporting was lowest in sub-Saharan Africa (13% for low birthweight, 8% for preterm births) and Southern Asia (16% for low birthweight, 5% for preterm births). Most countries collect individual-level data; but, aggregate data reporting from hospital-based systems remain common in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. While data quality was generally high in North America, Australasia and Europe, gaps remain in the availability of gestational age metadata. Consistency between low birthweight and preterm rates were poor in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa regions across time. There was high external consistency between low birthweight rates obtained from routine administrative data compared with low birthweight rates obtained from survey data for countries with highdata quality. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia countries have data gaps but also opportunities for rapid progress. Most births occure in facilities, electronic health information systems already include low birthweight, and adding accurate gestational age including with ultrasound assessment is becoming increasingly attainable. Moving toward the collection of individual level data would enable monitoring of quality of care and longer-term outcomes. This is crucial for every child and family and essential for measuring progress towards relevant sustainable development goals. The assessment will inform countries' actions for data quality improvement at national level and use of data for impact.

Transculturation and validation of a Questionnaire Factors Influencing Organ Donation

There are validated questionnaires in Spanish that evaluate the factors that influence organ donation, but they are not designed for the open population or do not delve into various aspects such as the one proposed. Validate an instrument to evaluate the factors that influence organ donation in Mexico. Phase 1: Development of the instrument. Translation into Spanish of the questionnaire "Factors Inffluencing Organ Donation in Qatar", adapted by experts in donation and clinimetry. Simultaneously, the definitive version of the questionnaire "Factors that Influence Organ Donation" (FIDO) and the questionnaire "International Donor Collaborative Project" were applied to patients, relatives and staff of a tertiary hospital in Puebla, Mexico. Mind a week after 200 respondents. Cronbach's Alpha (AC) (internal consistency), Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) (external consistency), and Phi (Phi) and Chi square Coefficient (concurrent validity in intention to donate) were obtained. AC and ICC by domain: Knowledge 0.625 and 0.372; Attitudes 0.776 and 0.761; Beliefs 0.649 and 0.633; Intentions 0.126 and 0.123; Phi: 0.976, Chi square: 2.358 (p = 0.125). The FIDO questionnaire is valid and consistent to assess knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and intentions in organ donation in the general Mexican population.

Modeling stream baseflow nitrate concentration in an agricultural watershed using neural network and bootstrap method

The evaluation of water resource vulnerability to nonpoint source pollution in the presence of uncertainty remains a crucial concern. To enhance the accuracy of the assessment and pinpoint the key factors that affect watershed water quality, the integration of an artificial neural network (ANN) into the evaluation process is imperative. The research involved the collection of streams baseflow samples from thirty-eight sites between 1994 and 1999 in the Tomorrow-Waupaca River Watershed in central Wisconsin, USA, with a focus on examining the relationship between nitrate concentrations and a range of environmental and land use variables extracted from the watershed GIS database. This study utilized ANN methodology, combined with a bootstrap technique that employed a random resampling approach from a single input dataset, to simulate monthly stream baseflow nitrate concentrations. The effectiveness and predictive ability of the ANN model were assessed by comparing it to conventional multivariate regression methods. Through the use of ANN, more precise outcomes can be achieved while taking into account the uncertainty associated with the analysis. The findings demonstrated that the ANN outperformed both the multivariate linear regression and nonlinear quadratic response surface models in explaining the variance of stream nitrate and in external prediction consistency. This study also highlighted several key variables, such as the areal percentage of agricultural land and grassland, stream order, and the average slope of the groundwater flow path, that significantly impacted the stream baseflow nitrate concentrations in this watershed that was dominated by dairy farming and groundwater. Of these variables, the percentage of agricultural land emerged as the most significant factor.

Psychometric Testing of the Turkish Version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool.

The aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool METHODS: The study was carried out with intern nurses receiving education at a Nursing Faculty in Turkey between July 2019 and June 2020. 248 intern nurses participated in PEMAT-P and 223 in PEMAT-A/V in this study. Five audio-visual and five printed materials were used. The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool User's Guide were translated into Turkish and culturally adapted using standard guidelines. Content and construct validity analyses were performed for the validity of the Turkish version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool, and internal consistency, invariability, and external consistency analyses were performed for its reliability. The content validity index was 1.00 for all the scale items. At the conclusion of the factor analyses, the scale has composed a twodimension construct of understandability and actionability. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were observed to be 0.901 of the Turkish version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Printable Materials and 0.897 of the Turkish version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials. The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient (rxy) was high (Turkish version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Printable Materials rxy=0.815, Turkish version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials rxy=0.804). Cohen's kappa coefficients were obtained as 0.736 of the Turkish version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Printable Materials and 0.781 of the Turkish version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials. The Turkish version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool is a valid and reliable measurement tool in the evaluation of both printed and audiovisual patient education materials.

The France PCI registry: Design, methodology and key findings

Obstructive coronary artery disease is the main cause of death worldwide. By tracking events and gaining feedback on patient management, the most relevant information is provided to public health services to further improve prognosis. To create an inclusive and accurate registry of all percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures performed in France, to assess and improve the quality of care and create research incentives. Also, to describe the methodology of this French national registry of interventional cardiology, and present early key findings. The France PCI registry is a multicentre observational registry that includes consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography and/or PCI. The registry was set up to provide online data analysis and structured reports of PCI activity, including process of care measures and assessment of risk-adjusted outcomes in all French PCI centres that are willing to participate. More than 150 baseline data items, describing demographic status, PCI indications and techniques, and in-hospital and 1-year outcomes, are captured into local reporting software by medical doctors and local research technicians, with subsequent encryption and internet transfer to central data servers. Annual activity reports and scoring tools available on the France PCI website enable users to benchmark and improve clinical practices. External validation and consistency assessments are performed, with feedback of data completeness to centres. Between 01 January 2014 and 31 December 2022, participating centres increased from six to 47, and collected 364,770 invasive coronary angiograms and 176,030 PCIs, including 54,049 non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction cases and 31,631 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction cases. Fifteen studies stemming from the France PCI registry have already been published. This fully electronic, daily updated, high-quality, low-cost, national registry is sustainable, and is now expanding. Merging with medicoeconomic databases and nested randomized scientific studies are ongoing steps to expand its scientific potential.

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Social Anxiety Scale for Social Media Users (SAS-SMU).

Objective: Social anxiety refers to an excessive concern or fear about social situations. It seems that social media, which has become one of the most popular and effective tools for communication today, can be one of the contexts of social anxiety. Due to the lack of a Persian instrument to assess social anxiety in the context of social networks, the current study was undertaken to analyze the psychometric criteria of the Iranian version of the Social Anxiety Scale for Social Media Users (SAS-SMU). The SAS-SMU is a 21-item questionnaire designed by Alkis and colleagues (2017) to measure social anxiety emerging from the social media platforms. Method : In this study, a total of 842 participants within the age range of 11 to 82 years old (mean age 33.11 ± 12.134), 59% female) answered the questions in an online survey. The original version of the scale was translated into Persian using the back translation procedure. All participants completed a Demographic Questionnaire, the SAS-SMU, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. In order to analyze the collected data, internal and external consistency, factor analysis, construct validity, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were examined. A significance level of less than 0.05 was considered to determine statistical significance. Results: Four subscales were obtained from the exploratory factor analysis (SCA, PCA, IA, and SEA), which were confirmed by the confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency was found to be 0.931 for the total scale and 0.920, 0.846, 0.901, 0.828 for SCA, PCA, IA, and SEA, respectively. In addition, the test-retest scores of 30 participants (interval: between 2 to 3 weeks) for all four subscales (SCA = 0.641, PCA = 0.773, IA = 0.688, SEA = 0.727) indicated acceptable stability of the questionnaire over time. Conclusion: This study validates the Persian version of the SAS-SMU for use in studies in the field of psychological problems related to social media and online communications.

Validation of the French version of the Non-Arthritic Hip Score (NAHS) in 113 hip arthroscopy procedures

BackgroundThe Non-Arthritic Hip Score (NAHS) used to evaluate the hip in younger patients is a self-administered questionnaire with 20 items in four sections: pain, symptoms, function, and activities. Although used in France, no transcultural version had been validated. The objective of this study was to translate the NAHS into French then assess the validity, reliability, and sensitivity to change of the French-language version (NAHS-Fr) in younger patients with hip conditions other than osteoarthritis. HypothesisThe NAHS-Fr demonstrates good validity and reliability when used in younger French-speaking patients with hip pain. Material and methodsWe conducted a prospective observational study in 105 patients (62 males and 43 females) scheduled for surgery on one or both hips (113 hips in total) to treat cam-type femoro-acetabular impingement or labral lesions. Before and 6 months after surgery, each patient completed the NAHS-Fr and Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Statistical tests were done to evaluate validity, reliability, and sensitivity to change, as recommended by the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN). ResultsThe response rate was 100%, confirming that the NAHS-Fr was easy to use. The NAHS-Fr was both valid and reliable. No ceiling or floor effect was detected for the total NAHS-Fr score. All items had Cronbach alpha coefficients greater than 0.8, indicating good internal consistency. External consistency between the NAHS-Fr and WOMAC was negative (–0.676) due to inversely proportional score indexing. Before surgery, the NAHS-Fr and WOMAC scores were strongly and significantly correlated (p<0.0001). The effect size was greater than 0.8, indicating good sensitivity to the change induced by surgery. DiscussionThese results confirm the study hypothesis: the NAHS-Fr has the same good psychometric characteristics as does the original version and versions in other languages. The NAHS-Fr is useful for evaluating younger patients with non-osteoarthritic hip pain and can be used by French-speaking surgeons in everyday clinical practice. Level of evidenceIV, prospective observational non-comparative cohort study.