Good Indicator Research Articles

“Can you ban the bees from the honey?”: exploring an integrated labour law and geographical indications approach for protecting the rights of forest-dwelling communities over non-timber forest produce

ABSTRACT In this article, we study the fragmented approach of two Indian statutes, namely, the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 (“FRA 2006”) and the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999 (“GIA 1999”). The article critically examines the labour law approach under the FRA 2006 and intellectual property ownership under the GIA 1999 with a specific focus on the production and commercialization of non-timber forest produce. The analysis leads to an argument for an integrated approach that starts with recognizing the agency of the communities, followed by guaranteeing protections under the labour rights approach and integrated protection through GIs. The integrated approach would facilitate cooperative experiments that go beyond strict private and public law distinctions. This can offer sustainable livelihood opportunities for forest-dwelling communities.

Educational Experiences of the B’laan Tribe: Identifying Culturally Responsive and Contextual Factors in Learning

The study sought to determine the current learning experiences and conditions of B’laan tribe and identify factors associated with human capital development for B’laan tribe. Qualitative approaches were utilized in the first phase of the study. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KII) were conducted to selected participants coming from the B’laan tribal chieftain (Fulong), representative from Barangay Council, representative from the Non-Government Organizations, and ordinary B’laan people from the community. Moreover, quantitative approaches were also used in this study in order to determine the factors derived from the qualitative data. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to establish the factors. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using latent curve analysis of structural equation modeling was also utilized to confirm the validity of these dimensions as determinants of human capital development framework for B’laan tribe. The analysis uncovered a robust framework for human capital development for the B’laan tribe in education, noted with good fit indices. Further, model trimming exposed that two significant factors persist, hence appreciating that certain types of education like contextualized education and eco-based education are quite critical, yet not all that the B’laan desire. Results revealed themes centering on the current learning experiences and conditions of B’laan tribe through the curriculum implemented by the Department of Education is not culture sensitive. Peace and security were one of the factors that impeded education. The EFA revealed dimensions linked to human capital development framework for B’laan tribe which included free education, community resource- based education, contextualize-based education, human security-based education, right-based education, voice-based education, culture-based education, indigenous knowledge-based education, eco-based education, and sustainable education. All these factors were confirmed by CFA to constitute a valid framework of human capital development for B’laan tribe in the context of education.

A good index surgery for congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia minimizes complications following surgery.

Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia (CPT) has traditionally been a difficult condition to treat, with high complication rates, including nonunion, refractures, malalignment, and leg length discrepancy. Surgical approaches to treatment of CPT include intramedullary rodding, external fixation, combined intramedullary rodding and external fixation, vascularized fibular graft, and most recently cross-union. The current study aims to compare the outcomes and complication rates of cross-union versus other surgical approaches as an index surgery for the management of CPT. Our hypothesis was that a good index surgery for CPT achieves union and minimizes complications such as refractures and limb length discrepancy. A multicentre study was conducted involving two institutions in Singapore and China. All patients with CPT who were surgically managed between January 2009 and December 2021 were included. The patients were divided based on their index surgery. Group 1 included patients who underwent excision of hamartoma, cross-union of the tibia and fibula, autogenic iliac bone grafting, and internal fixation for their index surgery. Group 2 included patients who underwent all other surgical procedures for their index surgery, including excision of hamartoma, intramedullary rodding, and/or external fixation, without cross-union of the tibia and fibula. Comparisons of the rates of union, refracture, limb length discrepancy, reoperations, and other complications were performed between the two groups. A total of 36 patients were included in the study. Group 1 comprised 13 patients, while Group 2 comprised 23 patients. The mean age at index surgery was four years (1 to 13). The mean duration of follow-up was 4.85 years (1.75 to 14). All patients in Group 1 achieved bony union at a mean of three months (1.5 to 4), but ten of 23 patients in Group 2 had nonunion of the pseudarthrosis (p = 0.006). None of the patients in Group 1 had a refracture, while seven of 13 patients who achieved bony union in Group 2 suffered a refracture (p = 0.005). None of the patients in Group 1 had a limb length discrepancy of more than 2 cm, while ten of 23 patients in Group 2 have a limb length discrepancy of more than 2 cm (p = 0.006). In Group 1, four of 13 patients had a complication, while 16 of 23 patients in Group 2 had a complication (p = 0.004). Excluding removal of implants, four of 13 patients in Group 1 had to undergo additional surgery, while 18 of 23 patients in Group 2 had to undergo additional surgery following the index surgery (p = 0.011). A good index surgery of excision of hamartoma, cross-union of the tibia and fibula, autogenic iliac bone grafting, and internal fixation for CPT achieves union and minimizes complications such as refractures, limb length discrepancy, and need for additional surgeries.

Development and validation of a questionnaire on radiation protection knowledge, attitudes, and practices among Moroccan dentists.

This study aimed to develop and evaluate the validity and reliability of dentists' radiation protection knowledge, attitudes, and practices (DRP-KAPs) questionnaire. This study was conducted using a stepwise approach. In the first step, items were generated to determine the relevant content and domains after a thorough literature review. In the second step, the content validity of the questionnaire was assessed by seven experts using face and content validity. The content validity index for relevance and clarity (I-CVI, S-CVI/Av, and S-CVI/UA) and the content validity ratio (CVR) were performed. Then, the questionnaire was pre-tested with 10 dentists for face validation. In the third step, reliability was assessed using internal consistency (Kuder-Richardson-20 (KR-20) and Cronbach's alpha) and test-retest (Kappa and intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]) methods by filling out the questionnaire by 100 dentists practicing in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, in Morocco. The finalized DRP-KAPs questionnaire contains 41 items covering knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs). The I-CVIs, S-CVI/UA and S-CVI/AV and CVR values of the 41 items were ≥0.86 for each item, ≥0.82, ≥0.97, and ≥0.71, respectively. With regard to internal consistency reliability, the KR-20 coefficients for the knowledge and practice domains were 0.70 and 0.68, respectively, and the Cronbach alpha for the attitude domain was 0.73. The DRP-KAPs questionnaire has good reliability with the ICC coefficients for attitude items ranging from 0.57 to 0.95 and Kappa coefficients for knowledge and practice items ranging from 0.64 to 1 and 0.77 to 1, respectively. The developed DRP-KAPs questionnaire was found to be a noteworthy tool for assessing radiation protection among dentists, with acceptable internal consistency, good ICC and Kappa coefficients, and good content validity indices.

Uncovering the therapeutic potential of green pea waste in breast cancer: a multi-target approach utilizing LC-MS/MS metabolomics, molecular networking, and network pharmacology

Background Pisum sativum(PS) is a universal legume plant utilized for both human and animal consumption, particularly its seeds, known as green peas. The processing of PS in food industries and households produces a significant amount of waste that needs to be valorized.MethodsIn this study, the metabolite profiles of the 70% ethanolic extracts of PS wastes, namely peels (PSP) and a combination of leaves and stems (PSLS), were investigated by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) followed by molecular networking.ResultsDifferent classes of metabolites were identified, being flavonoids and their derivatives, along with phenolic acids, the most abundant categories. Additionally, a comprehensive network pharmacology strategy was applied to elucidate potentially active metabolites, key targets, and the pathways involved in cytotoxic activity against breast cancer. This cytotoxic activity was investigated in MCF-7 and MCF-10a cell lines. Results revealed that PSLS extract exhibited a potent cytotoxic activity with a good selectivity index (IC50 = 17.67 and selectivity index of 3.51), compared to the reference drug doxorubicin (IC50 = 2.69 µg/mL and selectivity index of 5.28). Whereas PSP extract appeared to be less potent and selective (IC50 = 32.92 µg/mL and selectivity index of 1.62). A similar performance was also observed for several polyphenolics isolated from the PSLS extract, including methyl cis p-coumarate, trans p-coumaric acid, and liquiritigenin/ 7-methyl liquiritigenin mixture. Methyl cis p-coumarate showed the most potent cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 cell line and the highest selectivity (IC50 = 1.18 µg/mL (6.91 µM) and selectivity index of 27.42). The network pharmacology study revealed that the isolated compounds could interact with several breast cancer-associated protein targets including carbonic anhydrases 1, 2, 4, 9, and 12, as well as aldo-keto reductase family 1 member B1, adenosine A3 receptor, protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 1, and estrogen receptor 2.ConclusionThe uncovered therapeutic potential of PSLS and its metabolite constituents pave the way for an efficient and mindful PS waste valorization, calling for further in-vitro and in-vivo research.Graphical

Validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the Substance Use Stigma Mechanism Scale.

Stigma against people who have alcohol and drug problems severely affects their health and well-being. An instrument based on stigma theory assessing individual-level stigma is essential for a comprehensive understanding of their stigma. We evaluated the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the Substance Use Stigma Mechanism Scale (SU-SMS-J) among a population who had alcohol or drug use problems. Adults with experience in substance use disorders from psychiatry outpatient departments and rehabilitation facilities participated in the self-administered questionnaire survey. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the structural validity of the 5-factor model proposed in other language versions, and factor loadings and correlation between the subscales were confirmed. The correlations between the SU-SMS-J and psychometric properties related to substance use (e.g., severity of substance use, motivation to change) were investigated to assess concurrent validity. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Data from 126 participants were analyzed. The 5-factor model was acceptable with good or reasonable model fit indices. The correlations between subscales were weak to moderate, and this result suggested the SU-SMS-J assessed different but related components of stigma: enacted, anticipated, and internalized stigma from different stigma sources (family and healthcare workers). The SU-SMS-J and subscales showed moderate concurrent validity. Internal consistency was mostly sufficient, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.86 for all items and 0.66-0.93 for subscales. The SU-SMS-J is valid and reliable for use among populations with substance use problems in various settings in Japan.

Feasibility of e-encyclopedia plantae results of postnatal plant inventory of the malay tribe

Learning media can help clarify the meaning of the message to be conveyed so that learning objectives can be achieved. Learning media can be presented in non-print or electronic form and can be developed from the results of research such as an inventory of medicinal plants. This research aims to determine the feasibility of e-encyclopedia media as a result of postnatal medicinal plant inventory of the Malay tribe of Bentunai Village. This research uses the R&D (Reseach & Development) research method, but it is only carried out until the design revision stage. The media feasibility test was carried out by validation by five validators and analyzed using Aiken V validity and ICC (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient) reliability. The aspects assessed are content, writing, convenience and appearance. The results of the e-encyclopedia validator analysis showed that the Aiken validity value in the content aspect in the very high category, the writing aspect in the very high category, the convenience aspect in the very high category and the appearance aspect was in the very high category. The average validity of these four aspects is in the very high category. The results of the ICC reliability analysis show a reliability and agreement between validators is at a good criteria index. So, it can be concluded that the e-encyclopedia developed as a result of the inventory of postnatal medicinal plants from the Malay tribe of Bentunai Village is suitable for use as a learning medium.

Validity and reliability of a physical literacy knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and behaviors questionnaire for early childhood educators (PLKASB-ECE): An exploratory factor analysis.

Nurturing physical literacy in young children offers a unique opportunity to address global physical inactivity trend. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) environments, with their extensive reach into this age group, and early childhood educators, through their daily interactions with children, are strategically positioned to influence children's physical literacy development. However, enhancing educators' ability to foster physical literacy requires valid and reliable assessment tools to measure holistic physical literacy constructs (i.e., cognitive, affective, behavioral) to assess the impact of physical literacy educational interventions. The purpose of this study was to develop a holistic digital tool to measure physical literacy knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behaviors of early childhood educators (PLKASB-ECE) for both their professional teaching context as well as the educator's own personal physical literacy behaviours. This study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved item generation and content validation. Phase 2 employed a cross-sectional validation study design to assess the psychometric properties of the PLKASB-ECE tool. Based on a literature review an initial 19-item instrument was developed that subsequently underwent three rounds of expert content validation. Six additional items were added, resulting in a final 25-item self-report measure with a readability score equivalent to an 8th grade reading level (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 8.7). This included 1 global rating item, 2 qualitative response items, 7 knowledge items, and 15 items addressing physical literacy attitudes, self-efficacy and behaviors using a 7-point Likert response scale. The PLKASB-ECE tool was administered to 470 educators in Alberta, Canada between 2019 to 2022. The 15 items were subjected to exploratory factor analysis and resulted in a five-factor scale with one item not loading. The five-factor scale held with the final 14 items with loadings ranging from 0.481 to 0.886, Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.70 to 0.82, with ordinal omega ranging from 0.72 to 0.82. Usability, as assessed by completion time, was 8.15 minutes. These findings demonstrate good indices of reliability and validity for the PLKASB-ECE tool. This tool will be valuable as a research outcome measure for assessing educational interventions aimed at enhancing educators' understanding, confidence, and strategies for fostering holistic concepts of physical literacy in young children within ECECs.

Penyelesaian Perkara Pidana Medik Bagi Tenaga Medis dalam Hukum Kesehatan: Studi Perbandingan Hukum di Indonesia, Belanda dan Britania Raya

The realization of a country's national development goals is a measure of a country's success, namely through law enforcement and a good health index of its citizens in that country. This research specifically discusses the enforcement of health law where it is not only looked at from the perspective of the laws that apply in Indonesia, but a comparison is made of the resolution of problems in health law that arise as a result of actions carried out by medical personnel that are related to their competence (unprofessionalism: medical errors in the form of omission, negligence, and/or intentional) which resulted in lawsuits and lawsuits based on legal provisions in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The research method used is prescriptive analysis and qualitative approach data analysis. The research results show that the settlement of lawsuits, especially the settlement of medical cases in Indonesia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, is currently still within the jurisdiction of the general courts; in Indonesia it is regulated in Law Number 2 of 1986 concerning General Courts along with amendments to the two Laws in Law Number 49 of 2009; in the Netherlands it is regulated in the Judicial Organization Act, the Judicial Sector (Funding) Decree of 2005, and the Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 2002; whereas in the United Kingdom it is based on the Criminal Procedure Rules 2020 and Criminal Practice Directions 2023

Design Science in the Context of the Tourism Sector: A Scoping Review

ABSTRACT Design Science emerges from a focus on solving real-world problems, resulting in the improvement or creation of an artifact or the prescription of recommendations. While this approach is already relevant in Information Systems, Engineering, Medicine, Management, and Organizations studies, research based on Design Science in tourism and hospitality is scarce compared to other fields. Therefore, the objective was to map articles in the context of the Tourism Sector that use Design Science as a methodological foundation, understanding the current scenario and the themes that are beginning to explore this paradigm. A Scoping Review was conducted in 5 stages, with a total of four databases serving as sources of collection, considering only peer-reviewed articles, resulting in 44 articles deemed eligible. Results highlight the good indexing of published journals, a concentration of articles between 2020–2021, and 5 clusters of sub-themes investigated in the articles.

Validation of the CRAVE-C scale in Chinese adults: a four-study examination of competing motivations for physical activity versus rest.

The study aimed to validate the Cravings for Rest and Volitional Energy Expenditure (CRAVE) scale among Chinese adults with different health conditions (healthy control, chronic illnesses, and psychiatric disorders) and skill levels (athletes vs. non-athletes). In Study 1, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using the Maximum Likelihood Method (MLM) was performed on a Chinese sample of emerging adults (N = 481) to evaluate the structural validity of the Cravings for Rest and Volitional Energy Expenditure-Chinese version (CRAVE-C). In Study 2, differences in "Move" and "Rest" desires were examined among patients with psychiatric disorders, patients with chronic illnesses, and healthy controls. In study 3, investigated the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and exercise motivation using the CRAVE-C (N = 83). In Study 4, the changes in "Move" desire from baseline to post-training were compared between athletes and non-athletes. Results from Study 1 indicated that the 10-item CRAVE-C showed good fit indices ( Chi2 (34) = 118.769, CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.934, SRMR = 0.053, RMSEA = 0.072). "Move" positively correlated with various factors of the Affective Exercise Experiences Questionnaire-Chinese and the Physical Effort Scale-Chinese, while "Rest" correlated negatively. In Study 2, Patients with psychiatric disorders had a significantly higher "Move" desire than healthy controls. Patients with chronic illnesses had a significantly higher "Rest" desire than healthy controls. In Study 3, higher cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with a slight increase in "Move" desire (3.26% ± 37.35%) and a decrease in "Rest" desire (18.94% ± 66.99%). Lower fitness was linked to a significant decline in "Move" desire (-54.61% ± 111.33%) and an increase in "Rest" desire (43.62% ± 63.64%). In Study 4, the athlete group demonstrated a significant increase in "Move" desire from baseline to post-training, whereas the non-athlete group reported a significant decrease in "Move" desire from baseline to post-training. The 10-item CRAVE-C has good reliability and validity in the Chinese cultural context and can be used among Chinese adults with different health conditions and skill levels.

Incorporating Er:YAP Microcrystals Into Tellurite Fiber Using Volumetric Interface Doping

AbstractIn this semi‐quantitative study, laser crystal microparticles which are potentially capable of generating mid‐infrared (MIR) light are incorporated into MIR transmitting optical fibers using a volumetric interface doping technique that combines interface doping with volumetric doping. Using confocal microscopy with a refractive index matching fluid, the Er:YAP microcrystals (MCs) inside the tellurite glass fiber are observed based on the detection of the green upconversion fluorescence emission of Er3+ ions, produced under excitation at 976 nm and localized at the central region within the fiber. The key outcome from this proof‐of‐concept study is that MC particles that are fused with the glass during the fiber drawing process survived heat treatment because the MC particles are exposed for a short time to a glass fluid with high viscosity of ≈105 Pa.s, which prevented the glass from exerting a dissolution effect. The survival of the MCs demonstrated the viability of the doping technique for fabricating fibers with exotic crystal‐glass combinations for applications including good refractive index matching across the pump and lasing bands of rare earth ions. This latter parameter provides significant particle size flexibility whilst minimizing additional loss from scattering especially at MIR wavelengths where the MC diameter‐to‐wavelength ratio becomes smaller.

“Validation of three scales for enhanced suicide prevention in Spanish-speaking populations: Suicidal ideation, stigma, and literacy”

BackgroundEscalating suicide rates in Spain and Latin America underscore the critical need for accurate assessment and prevention tools tailored to these populations. This study aimed to culturally adapt and validate three essential scales: the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS), the Suicide Stigma Scale - Short Form (SOSS-SF), and the Suicide Literacy Scale - Short Form (LOSS-SF). MethodA total of 678 participants (including 150 with suicidal ideation) completed an online survey. The scales underwent rigorous back-translation and adaptation by native speakers from Spain and Latin America. SIDAS and SOSS-SF were validated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), with criteria including fit indices (e.g., RMSEA, CFI). LOSS-SF underwent validation through Item Response Theory (IRT). Additionally, gender invariance was assessed across all scales. ResultsCFA confirmed the original factor structures of SIDAS and SOSS-SF, demonstrating good fit indices and internal consistency. The analysis of LOSS-SF required excluding two items, resulting in a final Spanish version with 10 items and an unifactorial structure. Gender invariance was established across all scales. ConclusionsThe culturally adapted and validated scales in this study demonstrate robust reliability and validity for assessing suicidal ideation, suicide stigma, and suicide literacy among Spanish-speaking populations. These validated tools have the potential to enhance clinical assessment, inform personalized interventions, monitor public health initiatives, educate communities about suicide, and advance research in suicide prevention and treatment.

Romanian Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of the Behavioral Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (BERQ-RO)

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to adapt the Behavioral Emotion Regulation Questionnaire to the Romanian population and assess its psychometric proprieties. Participants included 399 adults, aged between 18 and 67 years old (M = 25.30, SD = 9.20; 83% females). Related to reliability and construct validity, results showed good indices. Additionally, results replicated the original five-factor structure, including seeking distraction, withdrawal, actively approaching, seeking social support and ignoring. These subscales showed good criterion validity, having significant associations with cognitive emotion regulation strategies, stress, anxiety and depression, and positive and negative affectivity. Furthermore, in terms of predictive validity, seeking distraction and actively approaching negatively predicted six months later symptoms of depression, withdrawal positively predicted six months later symptoms of depression and anxiety, while actively approaching negatively predicted six months later stress. These findings highlight that the Romanian version of the BERQ could be a helpful tool to assess emotion regulation strategies among adults.

Comparison of clinical, laboratory and radiological characteristics between COVID-19 and Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia: a multicenter retrospective study

Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia (CPP) exhibits similar characteristics as of COVID-19 with respect to clustering outbreaks and onset symptoms. This study is aimed at exploring the different clinical manifestations of both pneumonias to establish a simple nomogram to distinguish them. This multicenter, retrospective, case–control study compared two independent cohorts of patients with CPP or COVID-19. The risk factors of CPP were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression, which was used to establish the nomogram. Both patients with CPP and COVID-19 exhibited similar clinical symptoms. As compared to patients with COVID-19, a higher proportion of patients with CPP had nervous system symptoms. Patients with CPP had higher inflammatory indicators, creatine kinase, and lower lymphocyte and albumin. They also had lower proportions of ground-glass opacity and bilateral lung involvement than COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, patients with CPP had higher 30 day mortality as well as higher rates of severe pneumonia, septic shock, and ICU admission. Multivariate logistic regression showed that nervous system symptoms, lymphocytes, creatine kinase, bilateral lung lesions, and ground-glass opacity were risk factors for CPP. Incorporating these five factors, the nomogram achieved good concordance index of 0.989 in differentiating CPP from COVID-19, and had well-fitted calibration curves. Despite similar clinical characteristics, nervous system symptoms, lymphocyte, creatine kinase, lesions in bilateral lungs, and ground-glass opacity may help in differentiating the pneumonias. These were combined into a clinically useful nomogram for rapid and early identification of CPP to avoid misdiagnosis and help in the decision-making process.

Evaluation of a Brief Three-Item Insomnia Severity Index (ISI-3) Among Healthcare Workers

ABSTRACT Objectives Sleep disorder is a growing public health concern that requires attentive assessment and treatment. However, the length of assessment tools for sleep disorders, including insomnia, hinders their use in both research and clinical settings. Brief assessment measures expedite assessment time, reducing respondent burden, and save resources, especially in resource-limited settings. Methods This study investigated the validity and reliability of a short three-item insomnia scale, the Insomnia Severity Index-3 (ISI-3) and established two cutoff scores in a sample of 238 healthcare providers in Oman (45.8% physicians and 54.2% nurses). Results The ISI-3 demonstrated good convergent and divergent validity. The receiver operator characteristic recommended two cutoff scores of > 4 (a sensitivity of 0.87.3 and a specificity of 0.96.4) and > 6 (a sensitivity of 0.96.9 and a specificity of 0.97.1). Conclusions The ISI-3 is a good assessment index of insomnia, especially when the utilization of the full insomnia index is unfeasible.

Validation of the Japanese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4-J) to screen for depression and anxiety

ObjectiveWe aimed to validate the Japanese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4-J). People in Japan, especially healthcare workers (HCWs) suffer from high rates of mental health symptoms. The PHQ-4 is an established ultra-brief mental health measure used in various settings, populations and languages. The Japanese version of the PHQ-4 has not been validated.MethodsTwo hundred eighty people in Japan (142 HCWs and 138 from the general public) responded to the PHQ-4-J. Internal consistency, and factorial validity were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) models.ResultsInternal consistency was high (α = 0.70–0.86). CFA yielded very good fit indices for a two-factor solution (RMSEA = 0.04, 95% CI 0.00–0.17) and MIMIC models indicated the performance differed between HCWs and the general population.ConclusionsThe PHQ-4-J is a reliable ultra-brief scale for depression and anxiety in Japanese, which can be used to meet current needs in mental health research and practice in Japan. Disaster research and gerontology research can benefit from this scale, enabling mental health assessment with little participant burden. In practice, early detection and personalised care can be facilitated by using the scale. Future research should target specific populations in Japan during a non-emergency time.

Storage, Disposal, and Misuse of Unused and Expired Pharmaceuticals in Households amongst Staff Working at Dakshinapaya Ministry Complex, Labuduwa, Galle Region: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study

(1) Background: Although Sri Lanka is a developing country and boasts of having a well-established healthcare system along with good healthcare indices, we are still lagging in certain aspects of healthcare. One such aspect is the deficiencies in guidelines and practices related to the handling of pharmaceutical waste. (2) Methods: This was a qualitative study performed using in-depth interviews with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire conducted among staff who are working at a ministry complex in Galle, Sri Lanka. Data analysis was performed using thematic analysis, (3) Results: There were 40 participants which included 29 (72.5%) females. Three main themes were identified, namely, (I) current knowledge, (II) perceptions, and (III) practices towards storage, disposal, and misuse of pharmaceutical waste. The death of the patient, forgetting, relieving symptoms, and adverse effects were some reasons for the accumulation of unused pharmaceuticals at home. Most of the participants did not believe that the reuse of unused medications can cause various health hazards. Moreover, all participants practiced unsafe methods such as flushing down toilets, pouring into a sink, burning, etc. (4) Conclusions: The incorrect practices and poor knowledge in the handling of pharmaceutical waste and less concern for the environment highlight the need for awareness programs to the general public and establishing proper medication waste management such drug take-back systems.

Understanding the influence of drained cyclic preloading on liquefaction resistance of sands using DEM-clump modeling

The soils in situ are subjected to various types of preloading histories. Extensive work has been devoted to understanding the impact of undrained preloading with different strain histories on the reliquefaction resistance of sands. This study primarily examines the effects of drained cyclic preloading histories on the liquefaction resistance of soils using DEM-clump modeling. The effects of preloading stress path and preloading deviatoric stress amplitude on the drained cyclic behavior and subsequent undrained liquefaction response are discussed. Moreover, the evolution of two microscale descriptors, including coordination number Z and fabric anisotropy degree ac, during the total process is analyzed. The results demonstrate that a smaller preloading stress amplitude and an increasing preloading cycle generally increase the liquefaction resistance of sandy soils. In comparison, a larger preloading stress amplitude significantly reduces the liquefaction resistance. We also reveal that drained cyclic preloading histories induce soil samples with different relative densities and fabrics. The relationship between relative density and liquefaction resistance of soils is not unique. Essentially, Z and ac are good indexes for determining the liquefaction resistance of soils with various drained cyclic preloading histories. The primary objective of this study is to elucidate the micromechanical effects of drained cyclic preloading on the liquefaction resistance of sandy soils.

Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the universal mental health literacy scale for adolescents

PurposeWhile enhancing mental health literacy is a critical component of preventive mental health, there is currently no mental health literacy instrument specific to adolescents in Turkey. This study aimed to adapt the universal mental health literacy scale for adolescents (UMHL-A) to Turkish and determine its validity and reliability. MethodsThis methodological study utilized data collected from 268 adolescents aged 10 to 14 years, between April and June 2024. Data were obtained using a personal information form and the UMHL-A. The construct validity of the scale was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis, and its reliability was assessed with internal consistency and test-retest reliability. ResultsThe scale consists of two parts: the Likert UMHL-A, a five-point scale to determine adolescents' attitudes, and the T/F UMHL-A, a true/false scale to measure their knowledge. In this study, it was shown that the Likert UMHL-A, which includes 8 items and two factors, namely help-seeking and stigma, and the T/F UMHL-A, which consists 9 items and two factors namely mental health knowledge and mental illness knowledge, had good fit indices. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was 0.934 for the Likert UMHL-A, and 0.862 for the T/F UMHL-A. The item-total score correlation coefficients of the Likert UMHL-A ranged between 0.582 and 0.856, whereas those of the T/F UMHL-A varied between 0.483 and 0.804. ConclusionThe Turkish version of the UMHL-A is a valid and reliable tool for assessing adolescents' mental health literacy. Implications for practiceHealth professionals can use this brief and easy-to-apply instrument in clinical practices or educational programs to identify and improve adolescents' mental health literacy.