High Reliability Scores Research Articles

Determinants, Reliability, and Usefulness of a Bench Press Repeated Power Ability Test in Young Basketball Players

The aim of the present study was to analyze the main determinants of an upper-body repeated power ability (RPA) test and to examine its reliability and usefulness. Forty-five highly trained, male, young basketball players performed the RPA test (5 sets of 5 repetitions with 30 seconds of passive recovery within sets) on 2 sessions separated by 5-7 days. Power output was registered using a linear encoder attached to the barbell. Results showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) between each set in both sessions and trivial (<0.2) effect sizes in all the analyzed variables. For every set, intraclass correlation coefficient was very high (0.96-0.98) and coefficient of variation was low (3.3%-4.3%). Because the typical error of measurement values were lower or similar than the smallest worthwhile change (SWC0.2 = 0.2 × between-subject SD), the usefulness of most variables was rated as "good" or "OK" considering that small changes would be detected by this test. The percentage of power decrement could only be used to detect large effects (>1.2 × between-subject SD). An almost perfect correlation (r = 0.99; 90% confidence interval, 0.98-0.99) was found between the average power in set 1 (APbest) and the average power over 5 sets (APmean). In conclusion, the main determinant of RPA test is APbest, and because of the high reliability scores obtained, this protocol may be used to assess upper-body RPA in relatively experienced young athletes.

Test–retest reliability of a 3-min isokinetic all-out test using two different cadences

To investigate the test-retest reliability of mechanical parameters derived from a 3-min isokinetic all-out test, performed at 60 and 100 rpm. Reliability and validity of the peak oxygen uptake derived from 3-min isokinetic all-out test were also tested. 14 healthy male subjects completed an incremental ramp testing and four randomized 3-min isokinetic all-out test (two at 60 rpm and two at 100 rpm). The absolute and relative reliability of the following parameters were analyzed: peak power, mean power, end power, fatigue index, work performed above end power and peak oxygen uptake. No difference was found between each two sets of data, although there were between-cadence differences for peak power, mean power, end power, and fatigue index. Higher intra-class correlation (ICC) and lower coefficient of variation (CV) were found for end power (ICC = 0.91 and 0.95; CV = 5.6 and 5.7%) and mean power (ICC = 0.97 and 0.98; CV = 2.4 and 3.1%), than for peak power (ICC = 0.81 and 0.84; CV = 8.7 and 10%) and work performed above end power (ICC = 0.79 and 0.84; CV = 7.9 and 10.6%; values reported for 60 rpm and 100 rpm, respectively). High reliability scores were also observed for peak oxygen uptake at both cadences (60 rpm, CV = 3.2%; 100 rpm, CV = 2.3%,) with no difference with the incremental ramp testing peak oxygen uptake. The power profile and peak oxygen uptake of a 3-min isokinetic all-out test are both highly reliable, whether the test is performed at 60 or 100 rpm. Besides, peak oxygen uptake and work performed above end power were not affected by the change in cadence while peak power, mean power, end power, and fatigue index were.

The Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Integrative Self-knowledge Scale

The aim of this research is to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Integrative self -knowledge Scale (ISKS; Ghorbani, Watson, & Hargis, 2008). Participants were 396 university students (277 were female and 119 were male) from Sakarya University. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the three dimensional model was well fitted and Chi-Square value (x2=108. 38, df=49, p=0. 00) which was calculated for the adaptation of the model was found to be significant. The goodness of fit index values of the model were RMSEA=.055, NFI=.97, CFI=.98, IFI=.98, RFI=.96, GFI=.96, and SRMR=.041. The internal consistency coefficients of three subscales were .74, .77, and .83, respectively. The overall internal consistency coefficient of the scale was .86. The corrected item-total correlations of ISKS ranged from .37 to .67. Overall findings demonstrated that this scale had high validity and reliability scores and that it may be used as a valid and reliable instrument in order to assess self-knowledge levels of individuals.

The Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Perception of False Self Scale

The aim of this research is to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Perception of False Self Scale (POFSS; Weir & Jose, 2010). Participants were 391 high school students (169 were female and 222 were male). The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the two dimensional model (False Self, Social Concern) was well fitted and Chi- Square value (x2=188. 66, df=101, p=0. 00) which was calculated for the adaptation of the model was found to be significant. The goodness of fit index values of the model were RMSEA=. 047, CFI=. 94, IFI=. 94, GFI=. 94, and SRMR=. 051. The overall internal consistency coefficient of the scale was .75. The corrected item-total correlations of POFSS ranged from .18 to .49. Overall findings demonstrated that this scale had high validity and reliability scores and that it may be used as a valid and reliable instrument in order to assess false self perceptions levels of adolescents.

Improved Seasonal Precipitation Forecasts for the Asian Monsoon Using 16 Atmosphere–Ocean Coupled Models. Part II: Anomaly

Abstract This is the second part of a paper on the improved seasonal precipitation forecasts for the Asian monsoon using 16 atmosphere–ocean coupled models. This study utilizes a large suite of coupled atmosphere–ocean models; this second part largely addresses the skill of rainfall anomaly forecasts. These include both deterministic and probabilistic skill measures such as the RMS errors, anomaly correlations, equitable threat scores, and the Brier skill score. It was possible to improve the skills of rainfall climatology from the use of a downscaled multimodel superensemble to very high levels, and it is of interest to ask how far this methodology would go toward improving the skills of seasonal rainfall anomaly forecasts. It is possible to go through a sequence of multimodel post processing to improve upon these skills by using a dense rain gauge network over Asia, downscaling forecasts for each member model, and constructing a multimodel superensemble that benefits from the persistence of errors of the member models. This paper addresses the spinup issues of the downscaling and the superensemble results where the number of years of model data needed for training phase, for the downscaling, and for the construction of the superensemble, is addressed. In the context of cross validation, the training phase includes 14 seasons of monsoon data. The forecast phase is only one season; it is this season that was not included in the training phase each time. The relationship between data length and the number of models needed for enhanced skills is another issue that is addressed. Seasonal climate forecasts over the larger monsoon Asia domain and over the regional belts are evaluated. The superensemble forecasts invariably have the highest skill compared to the member models globally and regionally. This is largely due to the presence of large systematic errors in models that carry low seasonal prediction skills. Such models carry persistent signatures of systematic errors, and their errors are recognized by the multimodel superensemble. The probabilistic skills show that the superensemble-based forecasts carry a much higher reliability score compared to the member models. This implies that the superensemble-based forecasts are the most reliable among all the member models. It is possible to examine the performance of models and of the superensemble during periods of heavy monsoon rainfall versus those for deficient monsoon rainfall seasons. One of the conclusions of this study is that given the uncertainties in current modeling for seasonal rainfall forecasts, post processing of multimodel forecasts, using the superensemble methodology, seems to provide the most promising results for the rainfall anomaly forecasts. These results are confirmed by an additional skill metric where the RMS errors and the correlations of forecast skills are evaluated using a normalized precipitation anomaly for the forecasts and the observed estimates.

Developing Scales to Assess Parental Instrumental Social Support and Influence on Provision of Social Support for Physical Activity in Children

An important influence on youth physical activity (PA) is the provision of instrumental social support (ISS) by parents and other adults. Limited research exists about factors that influence parental provision of ISS for youth PA. Following a theory-based conceptual model, a measure for assessing ISS for PA was developed from elicitation survey results. The purpose of this paper is to describe elicitation methodology and ISS instrument development. Parents (N = 37) of children (5-14 years) responded to open-ended questions assessing modal beliefs about their provision of ISS for PA regarding a) positive/negative beliefs, b) normative beliefs, c) self-efficacy (SE), and d) ISS for PA. Data were analyzed qualitatively. ISS behaviors reported by parents include enroll/sign-up youth for structured PA, paying expenses for participation in structured/unstructured PA, and providing transportation for unstructured/structured PA. Child health and fitness (benefits), and time/scheduling conflicts (barriers) were most frequently reported behavioral beliefs. Family members were most frequently identified as specific referents for normative beliefs. Final instrument scales yielded moderately high internal consistency reliability scores. When developing scales not previously assessed in a population, eliciting modal beliefs about a behavior is an important formative step in instrument development.

A Study Of The Psychometric Properties And The Standardization Of HEXACO Personality Inventory

Aim: The purpose of the study was two-fold: first, to compare the NEO-PI and HEXACO personality inventories and to determine the major dimensions of personality, and next, to explore for any sex differences on the personality dimensions. Method: Using a stratified random sampling procedure, 613 students (270 males and 343 females) out of a total of 12221 university students ranging in age from 18 to 25 years were recruited for the study. The short forms of the NEO-PI (60 items) and the HEXACO (100 items) were administered. The data obtained were analyzed using factor analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multivariate analyses of variance. Results: Findings revealed high reliability scores for all the subscales of both instruments. Significant positive correlations between the extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness scales of the two inventories were obtained (p<0.05). The emotionality and altruism subscales of the HEXACO correlated significantly with the neuroticism and agreeableness subscales of the NEO-PI, respectively (p<0.05). maximum likelihood analysis with varimax rotation and Kaiser normalization confirmed a five factor solution: extroversion, conscientiousness, openness, emotional instability (neuroticism and emotionality), and agreeableness-altruism. An examination of gender differences revealed that women scored higher than men on conscientiousness, emotional instability and altruism (p<.05). Honesty failed to emerge as an independent factor and loaded on agreeableness-altruism and conscientiousness. Conclusions: The five dimensions of personality as measured by both the NEO-PI and the HEXACO is confirmed while the honesty–humility factor suggested by the HEXACO failed to emerge as an independent dimension and was found to merge with the dimensions of agreeableness and conscientiousness.

Computational identification of the post-translational modification sites and the functional family prediction reveals possible moonlighting role of rotaviral proteins

Rotavirus (RV) diarrhoea causes huge number deaths in children less than 5 years of age. In spite of available vaccines, it has been difficult to combat RV due to large number of antigenically distinct genotypes, high mutation rates, generation of reassortant viruses due to segmented genome. RV is an eukaryotic virus which utilizes host cell machinery for its propagation. Since RV only encodes 12 proteins, post-translational modification (PTM) is important mechanism for modification, which consequently alters their function. A single protein exhibiting different functions in different locations or in different subcellular sites, are known to be 'moonlighting'. So there is a possibility that viral proteins moonlight in separate location and in different time to exhibit diverse cellular effects. Based on the primary sequence, the putative behaviour of proteins in cellular environment can be predicted, which helps to classify them into different functional families with high reliability score. In this study, sites for phosphorylation, glycosylation and SUMOylation of the six RV structural proteins (VP1, VP2, VP3, VP4, VP6 & VP7) & five non-structural proteins (NSP1, NSP2,NSP3,NSP4 & NSP5) and the functional families were predicted. As NSP6 is a very small protein and not required for virus growth & replication, it was not included in the study. Classification of RV proteins revealed multiple putative functions of each structural protein and varied number of PTM sites, indicating that RV proteins may also moonlight depending on requirements during viral life cycle. Targeting the crucial PTM sites on RV structural proteins may have implications in developing future anti-rotaviral strategies.

Assessment of Family Doctors in Oman: getting the questions right Preliminary findings of a performance analysis of multiple choice questions

Background Properly constructed multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in high stakes examinations are expected to have high validity and reliability scores. However, several reports show that teacher-generated high stakes examinations do not always achieve the required high level of quality if item constructors are not trained in item writing, or if they are not proficient in the principles of assessment. AimThis evaluation aimed to assess the validity, reliability and quality of a 150 item multiple choice question test in the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners International Examination in Oman. Design of the studyComputer-based test-item analysis according to a set of pre-validated quality criteria. Participants and settingTwenty doctors who underwent Family Medicine Residency Programme of the Oman Medical Speciality Board, or its equivalent, and were eligible to sit the test. Method The test-item analysis included item difficulty, item discrimination level and quality of distractors. Results Across 150 A-type items, 69% were of applied format. KuderRichardson 20 was 0.81. The mean test score was 86.3% and standard error of measurement was ± 5.0. The mean difficulty index of the 150 items was 43%. Of all items, 50.7 % were at the level of moderate or better discrimination. Only 20% of items had more than two distractors functioning according to a quality criterion. Conclusion Distractor performance was found to be less than optimal and, if the time spent on test-item construction can be made more effective, that would be of great practical significance to teaching faculty. Despite the limitations of the study by low numbers of examinees, which impacts upon its validity, it is still the belief of the authors, that the analysis and suggestions made are useful as a guide to item writers, providing some answers as to how to improve the overall quality of MCQs in the future. To further improve this study it is now the intention to collect data from a larger number of subsequent examinations to increase the validity of the item analysis.

Validation of the Visual Disability Questionnaire (VDQ) in India

To validate visual disability questionnaire (VDQ) in patients with low vision in India, and explore whether the two latent traits "importance" and "difficulty" associated with performance of daily activities are valid and independent constructs. The VDQ consisting of 25 items was administered verbally to 137 subjects with low vision aged 16 to 89 years. Responses for each item were rated for importance and difficulty using a 5-category Likert scale. Rasch analysis was used to estimate interval measures of response ratings. Subjects could discriminate only three response categories for importance and difficulty. Content validity was demonstrated by good separation indices for importance (4.24 and 2.59 for the item and person parameters, respectively) and difficulty ratings (7.64 and 3.33, respectively). High reliability scores were recorded for importance (0.95 and 0.87) and difficulty ratings (0.98 and 0.92). The most important items were "grooming" (1.15 logits) and "reading newspaper" (0.97 logits). Although "threading a needle" was the least important item (-2.79 logits), it was the most difficult task (3.13 logits). The least difficult item was moving around in familiar places (-2.51 logits). A poor correlation was observed between the item measures (r = -0.19, p = 0.34) and also between person measures (r = 0.18, p = 0.03) of importance and difficulty. The VDQ is a valid questionnaire with importance and difficulty ratings found to be independent constructs. This questionnaire could be used to prioritize the goals for rehabilitation intervention in patients with low vision.

TOPCONS: consensus prediction of membrane protein topology

TOPCONS (http://topcons.net/) is a web server for consensus prediction of membrane protein topology. The underlying algorithm combines an arbitrary number of topology predictions into one consensus prediction and quantifies the reliability of the prediction based on the level of agreement between the underlying methods, both on the protein level and on the level of individual TM regions. Benchmarking the method shows that overall performance levels match the best available topology prediction methods, and for sequences with high reliability scores, performance is increased by ∼10 percentage points. The web interface allows for constraining parts of the sequence to a known inside/outside location, and detailed results are displayed both graphically and in text format.

Test- retest reliability of IPAQ environmental- module in an African population

BackgroundThere is overwhelming evidence of the benefits of physical activity and the physical environment is increasingly recognized as a promising determinant of physical activity participation. The influence of the environment on physical activity has not been evaluated among black Africans and no specific measure exists for assessing environmental factors related to physical activity in an African environment. The IPAQ E- module was designed to assess environmental factors for physical activity participation and was considered to be relevant to all countries regardless of the stage of economic development. The objective of this study was to assess the test- retest reliability of IPAQ E- module in an African population.MethodsOne hundred and three clinical students of a University in Nigeria were invited to participate in the reliability testing of IPAQ E- module. Sixteen of the 17- items on the environmental measure were assessed for test- retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with 95% Confidence interval (CI) overall and by gender. The measure addressed items regarding residential density, access to destinations, neighborhood infrastructures, aesthetic qualities, social environment, street connectivity and neighborhood safety.ResultsOf the total respondents, 51.5% were males and 48.5% were females. Overall, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.43 to 0.91. The item regarding many interesting things to look at (aesthetic) produced the overall highest reliability score (ICC = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.86 – 0.94), while the item regarding safety from crime during the day (neighborhood safety) produced the lowest overall score (ICC = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.26 – 0.57). Reliability of items on neighborhood infrastructures ranged between substantial agreement to almost perfect agreement overall (ICC = 0.66 – 0.88) and by gender (male- ICC = 0.68 – 0.90 and female- ICC = 0.63 – 0.86). The access to destination items (ICC = 0.49 – 0.74), social environment (ICC = 0.62) and street connectivity (ICC = 0.78) all had acceptable reliability overall. Meaningful differences were found between males and females on two items on neighborhood safety and one item on access to destinations.ConclusionThe test- retest of IPAQ E- module resulted in moderate to almost perfect agreement for most of the items with few meaningful differences by gender. Environmental items of physical activity in an African population exhibited reliability similar to that in other environments. These results suggest that IPAQ E- module may be a useful measure for assessing environmental correlates of physical activity among population in Africa.

Concurrent Validity of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (BSID-II) Motor Scale and the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale II (PDMS-2) in 12-Month-Old Infants

This study was designed to examine concurrent validity of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale II (PDMS-2) and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (BSID-II) Motor Scale. The PDMS-2 and the BSID-II Motor Scale were administered to fifteen 12-month-old infants who were developing typically. PDMS-2 raw scores were converted to the Gross Motor Quotient (GMQ), the Fine Motor Quotient (FMQ), and the Total Motor Quotient (TMQ). BSID-II raw scores were converted to the Psychomotor Development Index (PDI). Age equivalent scores were obtained for all PDMS-2 Gross and Fine Motor Subscales and for the BSID-II Motor Scale and compared using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient. Low correlations were found between the PDMS-2 FMQ, GMQ, TMQ, and the PDI of the BSID-II. Low correlations were found between age equivalent scores of the PDMS-2 subtests for grasp, stationary, and Visual Motor Integration and the BSID-II Motor Scale. A low negative correlation was found between age equivalent scores of the PMDS-2 subtest for Object Manipulation and the BSID-II Motor Scale. A high correlation (r = 0.71, P < 0.05) was found between age equivalent scores of the PDMS-2 subtest for locomotion and the BSID-II Motor Scale. There is a lack of concurrent validity between the PDMS-2 standard scores and standard scores of the BSID-II Motor Scale and a lack of agreement between age equivalent scores of the BSID-II Motor Scale and the PDMS-2 subtests except for Locomotion. The investigators caution about using only one standard score or age equivalent score for decisions about the need for early intervention for children at 12 months of age when using the BSID-II or the PDMS-2.

Scaling laws for folding native protein structures

We propose a nucleation hypothesis for protein folding. Based on this hypothesis, we have designed a new nearest-neighbor method for the prediction of protein secondary structures, in which the reliability of each prediction is estimated based on sequence conservation and clustering in the databases of known structures. We have found that predictions with higher reliability scores were indeed correlated with a higher predictive accuracy. We also found that by selecting the top 20% of residues based on reliability scores as nucleation residues, a clear pattern emerged where hydrophobic amino acids were largely buried and hydrophilic amino acids were more exposed. This was consistent with the widely accepted HP-model for protein folding. These results were true for several databases, such as PDBSELECT (<25% sequence homology), SCOP-ASTRAL (<25% sequence homology), and SCOP-ASTRAL unique fold classes, with 1300, 3956, and 762 proteins, respectively. Therefore, it is conceivable that the nucleation residues function not only as initiation sites for folding, but also as the core residues playing a primary role in determining the protein (thermodynamic) stability. The occurrence of these two functions on one set of amino acid residues in a protein is perhaps from the result of biological evolution. Finally, we have found power law behaviors in our results, whose scaling properties were modeled using polymer physics and critical phenomena. It is concluded that proteins behave like a real chain. A new physical picture for protein folding derived from our nucleation hypothesis has been described, in which there are two continuous phase transitions corresponding to the two stages of protein folding: one is nucleation and the other collapse. By determining the critical exponents of these two-phase transitions, it has been found that the nucleation process has a spatial dimension of d=3 while the collapse process of d=2.

Perceived visual ability for functional vision performance among persons with low vision in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

To determine the distribution of perceived visual ability for functional vision performance among persons with low vision in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. As part of a population-based epidemiologic study, the Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study (APEDS), a 16-item visual function questionnaire was designed and applied to 7363 persons older than 15 years, to record the levels of difficulty perceived by the subjects. Of these, 123 persons were found to have low vision. Rasch analysis was used to convert the ordinal difficulty ratings of these 123 persons into interval measures of perceived visual ability for functional vision. Content validity of the questionnaire was demonstrated by good separation indices (3.17 and 5.44) and high reliability scores (0.91 and 0.97) for person and item parameters. Construct validity was shown with model fit statistics. Criterion validity of the questionnaire was shown by good discrimination among the general vision ratings. The functional situation that required the least visual ability was "reaching an object farther or closer than you thought"; the situation requiring the most visual ability was "recognizing small objects." Bivariate regression analysis determined that for every unit of logMAR visual acuity, perceived visual ability for functional vision decreased by 2.9 logit, which could explain 32% of the variability in the person measure. The described assessment, across a range of visual problems, is a valid way to measure perceived ability for functional vision in persons with low vision. Perceived visual ability varies with every unit of logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity.

Gene expression microarray analysis and genome databases facilitate the characterization of a chromosome 22 derived homogeneously staining region.

Karyotype and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses previously identified a homogeneously staining region (HSR) derived from chromosome 22 in OV90, an epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cell line. Affymetrix expression microarrays in combination with the UniGene and Human Genome Browser databases were used to identify the candidate genes comprising the amplicon of the HSR, based on comparison of expression profiles of OV90, EOC cell lines lacking HSRs and primary cultures of normal ovarian surface epithelial (NOSE) cells. A group of probe sets displaying a minimum 3-fold overexpression with a high reliability score (P-call) in OV90 were identified which represented genes that mapped within a 1-2 Mb interval on chromosome 22. A large number of probe sets, some of which represent the same genes, displayed no evidence of overexpression and/or low reliability scores (A-call). An investigation of the probe set sequences with the Affymetrix and Sanger Institute Chromosome 22 Group databases revealed that some of the probe sets displaying discordant results for the same gene were complementary to intronic sequences and/or the antisense strand. Microarray results were validated by RT-PCR. Genomic analysis suggests that the HSR was derived from the amplification of a 1.1 Mb interval defined by the chromosomal map positions of ZNF74 and Hs.372662, at 22q11.21. The deduced amplicon is derived from a complex region of chromosome 22 that harbors low-copy repeats (LCRs). The amplicon contains 18 genes as likely targets for gene amplification. This study illustrates that large-scale expression microarray analysis in combination with genome databases is sufficient for deducing target genes associated with amplicons and stresses the importance of investigating probe set design before engaging in validation studies.

The development of the LV Prasad-Functional Vision Questionnaire: a measure of functional vision performance of visually impaired children.

To develop a reliable and valid questionnaire (the LV Prasad-Functional Vision Questionnaire, LVP-FVQ) to assess self-reported functional vision problems of visually impaired school children. The LVP-FVQ consisting of 19 items was administered verbally to 78 visually impaired Indian school children aged 8 to 18 years. Responses for each item were rated on a 5-point scale. A Rasch analysis of the ordinal difficulty ratings was used to estimate interval measures of perceived visual ability for functional vision performance. Content validity of the LVP-FVQ was shown by the good separation index (3.75) and high reliability scores (0.93) for the item parameters. Construct validity was shown with good model fit statistics. Criterion validity of the LVP-FVQ was shown by good discrimination among subjects who answered "seeing much worse" versus "as well as"; "seeing much worse" versus "as well as/a little worse" and "seeing much worse" versus "a little worse," compared with their normal-sighted friends. The task that required the least visual ability was "walking alone in the corridor at school"; the task that required the most was "reading a textbook at arm's length." The estimated person measures of visual ability were linear with logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) acuity and the binocular high contrast distance visual acuity accounted for 32.6% of the variability in the person measure. The LVP-FVQ is a reliable, valid, and simple questionnaire that can be used to measure functional vision in visually impaired children in developing countries such as India.

Toward a protein profile of Escherichia coli: comparison to its transcription profile.

High-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to obtain a protein profile of Escherichia coli strain MG1655 grown in minimal medium with glycerol as the carbon source. By using cell lysate from only 3 x 108 cells, at least four different tryptic peptides were detected for each of 404 proteins in a short 4-h experiment. At least one peptide with a high reliability score was detected for 986 proteins. Because membrane proteins were underrepresented, a second experiment was performed with a preparation enriched in membranes. An additional 161 proteins were detected, of which from half to two-thirds were membrane proteins. Overall, 1,147 different E. coli proteins were identified, almost 4 times as many as had been identified previously by using other tools. The protein list was compared with the transcription profile obtained on Affymetrix GeneChips. Expression of 1,113 (97%) of the genes whose protein products were found was detected at the mRNA level. The arithmetic mean mRNA signal intensity for these genes was 3-fold higher than that for all 4,300 protein-coding genes of E. coli. Thus, GeneChip data confirmed the high reliability of the protein list, which contains about one-fourth of the proteins of E. coli. Detection of even those membrane proteins and proteins of undefined function that are encoded by the same operons (transcriptional units) encoding proteins on the list remained low.

Cross-Cultural Validation of Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Children in the United Arab Emirates

Harterâs Self-Perception Profile for children (SPPC) is a self-reporting inventory for ascertaining childrenâs perception of themselves in various specific domains of their life, as well as their sense of global selfworth. A few studies have examined the psychometric properties of this instrument in the Western setting, but none have investigated this in an Arabic culture. Psychometric properties of the SPPC were examined, using a sample of 100 schoolchildren aged 8 to 16 years in the United Arab Emirates. The internal consistency reliability was found to be excellent with Chronbachâs alpha, ranging from 0.86 to 0.92. Significant age and gender differences were found with the internal consistency reliability scores, being higher in children aged 13 to 16 years (0.88 to 0.93) when compared to younger children, especially boys aged 8 to 12 years (0.54 to 0.66), suggesting a need to exercise caution while using this scale in young boys in this culture. Behavioral conduct subscale was found to have the highest reliability score and the strongest correlation to global self-worth (r=0.54) for both younger and older children in our sample. This is in contrast to findings from similar studies carried out on American and Dutch samples, where this subscale was found to have the lowest reliability score and the weakest correlation with oneâs global self-worth. The findings indicate that the SPPC is a reliable and internally valid instrument for use in the Arab culture.

Percepção de suporte organizacional: desenvolvimento e validação de um questionário

A literatura especializada em comportamento organizacional tem considerado o conceito de suporte organizacional muito importante na compreensão do desempenho no trabalho, do comprometimento, da cidadania e da rotatividade, mas as pesquisas nessa área carecem de medidas confiáveis de percepção de suporte. Este trabalho relata a experiência de construção de um questionário brasileiro de suporte, baseada na proposta teórica de Eisenberger et al. (1986) e em aspectos levantados numa amostra de trabalhadores de empresas privadas e órgãos públicos. Os itens, após análise qualitativa e validação semântica, foram transformados em questionário aplicado em uma amostra de 1384 trabalhadores. As respostas a esse questionário, submetidas a análises fatoriais (PAF) com rotação oblíqua, produziram dois tipos de estruturas empíricas: uma unifatorial - percepção de suporte organizacional, e outra com quatro subescalas - gestão de desempenho, carga de trabalho, suporte material ao desempenho e ascensão, promoção e salários. Todas têm altos índices de confiabilidade (alfas de Cronbach). São discutidas as aplicações desse questionário nas pesquisas sobre comportamento organizacional e sugeridos mais estudos que garantam maior generalidade aos resultados.