Reliability Indicators Research Articles

Psychometric Properties of the HEXACO ‎Personality Inventory-Revised in a Jordanian ‎Context

Abstract: This study aimed to standardize the revised Six ‎Factors of Personality Scale (HEXACO-PI-R) self-report ‎version in the Jordanian context. Also, it aimed to find its ‎psychometric properties. The descriptive methodology was ‎used to achieve the aims of the study. The scale was translated ‎from English to Arabic and administered to 703 university ‎students (265 males and 438 females).They were selected using ‎the available sample method from six public universities in the ‎regions (North, Center, and South).The results of the study ‎showed the presence of 25 factors in the Jordanian context. ‎Additionally, six primary factors were found based on the ‎principal components analysis results. The results showed that ‎the scale has good validity and reliability indicators, as the ‎values of the reliability coefficients by Cronbach's alpha ranged ‎between (0.67-0.78) at the level of the six main factors and ‎‎(0.52-0.88) at the level of the twenty-five sub-factors. Also, the ‎scale criteria were extracted from mean and standard deviations ‎from the responses of the study sample members.‎ ‎(Keywords: Standardization Scale, Revised Six-Factor Scale of ‎Personality, Psychometric Characteristics, Principle Component ‎Analysis)‎

Algorithm for Calculating Reliability of Single Linear Section of Steel Underground Pipeline

One of the most widespread technical systems in the world is underground steel pipeline communications (heat pipelines, main and distribution oil and gas pipelines, etc.). Accordingly, reliability assessment of such technical systems and their components is of great theoretical and practical interest. At the modern level of development, reliability calculation has become a mandatory stage in the design and diagnostics (during operation) of any technical systems in ge-neral, and in particular pipeline systems. A reliable calculation, either explicitly or implicitly, is always based on the model of the object being calculated. It is the adequacy of the model to the real physical relations and processes inside the technical object that determines the accuracy and practical value of calculation methods. It is proposed to consider a single linear section of an underground steel pipeline as a complex technical system of unequal elements from the point of view of reliability – the main element (steel pipe) and auxiliary protective elements combined into subsystems (blocks). The algorithm for calculating the reliability of the object is based on the method of block diagrams, taking into account the influence of the aftereffect of the failure of an auxiliary element (elements) on the reliability parameters of the main element, which more adequately reflects the specific features of the design and operation of steel pipelines compared with the applied static models. The variants of structural design of a steel underground gas pipeline with a protective insulation coating and with complex corrosion protection (insulation and electrochemical protection) are considered, for which refined formulas are obtained for calculating the main reliability (failure-free) indicators.

Feeder Capacity Planning and Reliability Evaluation Model of Distribution Network Based on Support Vector Machine

Capacity planning and reliability evaluation models of the traditional distribution network feeder mainly use multi-option balance constraints for multi-objective solutions, which are prone to capacity constraints, resulting in lower reliability indicators for planning and evaluation. Therefore, a brand-new distribution network feeder capacity planning and reliability evaluation model based on a support vector machine is designed. By using support vector machines to design the reliability evaluation process of distribution network feeder capacity planning, we establish an optimization model for reliability evaluation of distribution network feeder capacity planning. The experimental results show that the designed feeder capacity planning and reliability evaluation model based on a support vector machine has good evaluation results, high-reliability indicators for planning and evaluation, reliability, and certain application values.

Operation Simulation for a Check Valve Used in High-Performance Systems

This research aims to increase the reliability and safety of pipeline systems by creating an improved model range of Butterfly Check Valves (BCV). Pipes through which working fluids are transported, parts related to shut-off and control valves, control measuring instruments, fasteners, anticorrosion elements, and other structural components are the main elements that make up pipelines. Fittings can be of different types; BCV refers to protective ones. These devices protect pipelines by disconnecting the working line in the event of a sudden change in the transported fluid parameters (pressure, flow direction), resulting in the failure of the entire system. Based on an analysis of the key requirements for valves, namely reliability, tightness of a closed system, ensuring safe operation, and analysis of existing BCVs, the design of the presented valve was created. Improved overall dimensions and tightness, both in the open and closed states, as opposed to the existing analogs, are distinctive features of the developed design of butterfly check valves. To confirm the results, the authors, using the finite element method, calculated the stress–strain state of the structure under normal conditions and with regard to the maximum temperatures of the working fluid. The reliability indicators of the developed elements were also calculated to confirm their operability. As a result, it was concluded that after the developed valves have passed acceptance tests, the research findings will make it possible to increase the reliability and safety of the valve itself and the entire pipeline system by introducing these structures into enterprises. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-12-017 Full Text: PDF

Stochastic Models and Processing Probabilistic Data for Solving the Problem of Improving the Electric Freight Transport Reliability

Improving the productivity and reliability of mining infrastructure is an important task contributing to the mining performance enhancement of any enterprise. Open-pit dump trucks that move rock masses from the mining site to unloading points are an important part of the infrastructure of coal mines, and they are the main transport unit used in the technological cycle during open-pit mining. The failure of any of the mining truck systems causes unscheduled downtime and leads to significant economic losses, which are associated with the need to immediately restore the working state and lost profits due to decreased site productivity and a disruption of the production cycle. Therefore, minimizing the number and duration of unscheduled repairs is a necessity. The most time-consuming operations are the replacement of the diesel engine, traction generator, and traction motors, which requires additional disassembly of the dump truck equipment; therefore, special reliability requirements are imposed on these units. In this article, a mathematical model intended for processing the statistical data was developed to determine the reliability indicators of the brush collector assembly and the residual life of brushes of electric motors, which, unlike existing models, allow the determination of the refined life of the brushes based on the limiting height of their wear. A method to predict the residual life of an electric brush of a DC electric motor is presented, containing a list of controlled reliability indicators that are part of the mathematical model. Using the proposed mathematical model, the reliability of the brush-collector assembly, the minimum height of the brush during operation, and the average rate of its wear were studied and calculated.

Social Appearance Anxiety Scale: a psychometric investigation and evaluation of the influence of individual characteristics on social appearance anxiety in Brazilian adults who practice physical exercise.

Evaluating signs of anxiety related to body appearance is becoming increasingly important in contemporary society and, in this sense, the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) seems an interesting alternative of measurement. To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the SAAS when applied to Brazilian adults who practice physical exercise and verify the influence of individual characteristics on participants' social appearance anxiety. This was a cross-sectional study conducted online. The participants completed the SAAS and a demographic questionnaire. The psychometric properties of the SAAS one-factor model were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. A structural model was built for men and women to verify the influence of individual characteristics of the participants on social appearance anxiety. 1,495 individuals participated in the study (70.8% women; mean age = 29.5, SD = 8.9 years). The data obtained with the SAAS presented good indicators of validity and reliability for both genders (CFI > 0.97, TLI > 0.97, SRMR = 0.04, α > 0.97, ω > 0.85). For both men and women, greater levels of social appearance anxiety were observed among younger participants, who had a higher body mass index, self-reported an eating disorder, and perceived a change in their body after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For women specifically, higher income and having started physical exercise more recently were associated with greater levels of social appearance anxiety. The findings supported the validity and reliability of the data obtained with the SAAS and revealed that when investigating social appearance anxiety in future research and clinical protocols, specific individual characteristics should be considered.

Distribution network reconfiguration using improved colonial competition optimization algorithm

The implementation of a distribution network is generally aimed at increasing system efficiency, increasing the level of optimal operation, increasing the stability of the power grid, reducing blackouts, and increasing reliability. By providing general definitions of networks and the principles of optimal operation and reliability indicators and loss reduction in power systems, the general principles of network control and optimal operation are presented and finally, practical ideas for the optimal operation of power networks with The approach of increasing system reliability and maximum productivity of distributed production resources is presented. In the presence of a distribution network and by using appropriate control algorithms, it is possible to optimize the power network in different working conditions; After the occurrence of a disturbance in the network, the power system is exposed to instability. The network can restore the stability of the system by communicating critical conditions to the subscribers as well as rearranging the network structure and shut down the least number of subscribers. Implementation of a distribution network in general with the aim of increasing system efficiency, increasing the level of optimal exploitation, increasing the stability of the power grid, reducing outages and increasing reliability.

Inter-rater Reliability and Cost in Pricing for Creating Dataset Focused on Mediolateral Oblique View in Mammography

The purpose of this study was to assess inter-rater reliability and workload for creating accurate training data in the clinical evaluation of mammographic positioning for deep learning. A total of 107 mammographic images without lesions were labeled by two certified radiologic technologists in seven items: six clinical image evaluation criteria in positioning and breast tissue density. The kappa coefficient was calculated as an indicator of interrater reliability. Furthermore, the labeling cost per image was calculated based on labeling time and salary for the technologists. The kappa coefficients were 0.71 for inframammary fold, 0.43 for nipple in profile, 0.45 for great pectoral muscle, 0.10 for symmetrical images, and 0.61 for retromammary fat. No significant difference was found in the coefficients of spread of breast tissue. The cost per image was calculated at 11.0 yen. The inter-rater reliability for the inframammary fold, nipple in profile, great pectoral muscle, and retromammary fat ranged from "moderate" to "substantial." The reliability for symmetrical images was "slight," indicating the need for a consensus among evaluators during labeling. The labeling cost was equivalent to or higher than that of existing services.

Performance indicators to characterize the water supply to meet the demands of the Lurin River Basin

Abstract Water scarcity and the planning of socioeconomic activities are challenges in the management of water resources. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use reliability indicators (RI) to simulate management scenarios in the Lurin River Basin. First, flow rates for the period 1969–2019 were calculated using the EvalHid HBV hydrological model and SIMGES, both from the AQUATOOL decision support system, to simulate demands. The estimation of agricultural demand IRs was made under three conditions: that the deficits for one, two, and 10 years should not exceed 20–40, 40–60, and 80–100% of the annual demand. The goodness-of-fit indices obtained for flow calibration were 0.716, 0.89, and 0.901 for Nash index (NSE), Nash natural logarithm (Ln NSE), and Pearson's correlation coefficient (R), representing the values of satisfactory, very good, and good, respectively. Agricultural demands present annual deficits of 59–96, 92–138, and 333–688% for one, two, and 10 years, so a 50 m3 reservoir is proposed to meet the IR. Thus, the information generated could be used to improve water resource management in the Lurin Basin.

Application of structural methods to assess the reliability of ship’s mechanical systems

At present, reliability indicators are of great importance at the design stages, during operation and in cases of extending the technical life. This is one of the reasons for choosing the research topic on the application of structural methods for evaluating the reliability of ship mechanical systems. The operational stage of the life cycle of ship’s mechanical systems is considered in the paper. Durability criteria such as service life, operating time, frequency of repairs are chosen as reliability indicators. In turn, work on the repair, maintenance or replacement of ship’s mechanical systems elements is carried out in accordance with the assigned regulations or in the case of an unforeseen failure. The comparison of event models of changes in the operating conditions of ship’s mechanical systems is carried out. To estimate the remaining resource in the form of graphs, events are shown by service life and operating hours, distributed by years. In order to improve the existing methods for assessing reliability, a set of elements of the average values of the residual resource and residual output is considered. The approach proposed by the authors for assessing both element by element and the entire ship mechanical system as a whole allows us to consider the residual resource from the moment of monitoring its technical condition to the transition to the limit state, to plan technical measures and prevent possible malfunctions. Three different time slices models corresponding to planned repairs and maintenance of systems, replacement of system elements and unforeseen accidents are considered in the study. The difference in the amplitudes of the calculated indicators of the ship’s mechanical systems reliability has shown that the closer the options between the maximum and minimum values are to the average, the more accurately the statistical indicators characterize this pattern. However, amplitude deviations can be used to apply fault risk assessment. This line of research seems to be important for ships in the Arctic navigation area, which are characterized by increased requirements for ship survivability.

A study of mixer-feeder equipment operational reliability

Modern livestock development trends in the agricultural production structure include the use of feed mixers and distribution equipment. However, a stream of malfunctions and failures is reported for mixer-feeders due to factors that are specific to agricultural enterprises in Ukraine, which reduce the operational reliability of feed mixers and distributors. The study aims to evaluate the quantitative indicators of the in-service reliability of mixer-feeders and develop methods to improve them. The reliability test plan [NMT] was used, which implies a certain number of research objects (N), objects undergoing repair in case of performance loss (M), and tests terminated when the operating time (T) is reached. Initial information was collected and processed, and empirical data on the time between failures of KUHN PROFILE 12.2 DS and PROFILE 14.2 DS mixer-feeders in Ukraine were analysed. The analysis established that the faulty condition of mixers-feeders in the initial operation period is caused by the second complexity group failures. Failures related to the loss of the grinding and mixing mechanism, which limits the average time between failures of the feed mixture and distribution equipment, were identified among the second complexity malfunction group. A statistical analysis of the mixer-feeder failure occurrence was carried out. The failure probability of the grinding-mixing mechanism of the feed mixer was determined to be within the normal distribution law. The main parameters of the given theoretical distribution law were determined by calculation results. The calculations determined that the average time between failures is 3152.0 motor-hours; the standard deviation is 902.6 motor-hours; and the coefficient of variation is 0.40. An average time between failures of the study objects was proved to be consistent with the normal distribution law following Kolmogorov’s agreement criterion. Calculations determined that the average reliability index value, according to the normal distribution law, is within the confidence intervals: 1964.2 motor-hours – lower confidence limit; 4339.8 motor-hours – upper confidence limit. The obtained results may be used to improve the mixer-feeder operational reliability

Development and Psychometric Properties of Work Information Anxiety Questionnaire.

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the Work Information Anxiety Questionnaire (WIAQ), and to report on the psychometric properties of the WIAQ. Based on the Approach-Avoidance Conflict theory, and combining previous literature reviews and open-ended interviews, initial scale items for the Work Information Anxiety Questionnaire were developed. Using 324 full-time corporate employees as subjects (Sample 1), an exploratory structural examination of work information anxiety was conducted, including item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and network analysis. An additional 210 corporate employees were selected for formal testing (Sample 2), and the obtained data underwent structural validation, including confirmatory factor analysis, validity testing, and reliability testing. The WIAQ (9 items) exhibited a two-factor structure of reception anxiety and missing out anxiety, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 67.56%. The confirmatory factor model showed good model fit, with cross-group and cross-measurement stability. The Cronbach's α of the WIAQ was 0.899, and the McDonald's ω of the two factors were 0.906 and 0.831 respectively. The WIAQ demonstrated good criterion-related validity with the SAS and DASS. The factor structure of the WIAQ is clear, and its reliability and validity indicators meet psychometric requirements. It can serve as an effective tool for measuring work information anxiety.

Risk assessment in case of process disturbances at oil and gas complex enterprises

In the conditions of oil and gas complex enterprises, the main issues in the discussion of development strategies are reliable and high-quality power supply to the most critical consumers in a market economy. This is facilitated by the constant challenges that individual companies encounter when they face issues of improving the energy efficiency of specific production processes, developing and implementing measures aimed at reducing costs while maintaining the volume of products, reducing the downtime of individual equipment, finding and eliminating the root causes of process disturbances. At this stage, the specialists responsible for reliability need to have not only modern competencies, but also the ability to justify and make decisions in a limited time. Thus, the analysis and monitoring of the occurrence of process disturbances at enterprises of the oil and gas complex with subsequent risk assessment becomes particularly important and relevant, and the role of specialists with such competencies increases many times, as problems arise with the hierarchy and classification of risks corresponding to real operating conditions. This article provides an overview of methods for investigating process disturbances, provides the main results of assessing the risks of process disturbances for power grids of different voltage levels, provides a quantitative assessment of risks depending on the identified root causes. Recommendations are given on the identified problems, including the analysis of individual indicators of reliability of power supply to industrial enterprises. The proposed solutions for the application of a matrix approach to assessing the risks of process disturbances in the power supply system of oil and gas complex enterprises will reduce the existing accident rate by analyzing the main causes of process disturbances and, as a result, increase the energy intensity of the manufactured product. Additionally, the adaptation of this method within the framework of the operation of such enterprises will allow managing the reliability of power supply systems.

Theoretical provisions on operation and maintenance for determining the reliability of ship electric drives

The results of the performed studies have confirmed that at present the most common type of drive of ship mechanisms is an electric drive. Electric drives are the main recipients of electric energy, including the ship energy. The number of electric motors installed on ships is, as a rule, hundreds of units. It is proposed, based on the classification developed earlier, to conventionally refer the majority of ship electric drives, despite their wide variety, to three main groups, differing in operating modes and operating conditions determined by their functional purpose: close to typical modes S1 and S6 — the first group; S2 — the second group; S3, S4, S5, S7, S8, the third group. The specific conditions and operating modes of ship electric drives, which differ significantly from land-based ones and are determined by higher climatic and mechanical loads, lead to a decrease in their reliability, the need for increased attention to maintenance and repairs of electric drives, their components and elements. The basic principles of the approach to working with statistical data necessary for calculating the reliability indicators of marine electric drives are formulated. To analyze the past record of operation and maintenance of ship electric drives, a method based on the collection and processing of statistical information in operational conditions was used, which is the most effective, allowing to take into account the complex impact on the reliability of electric drives of all operational factors that are difficult to reproduce during testing, and does not require the cost of creating test benches and performing tests. Judging by the number of failures, the regulated ship electric drives of approximate mode S2 (windlasses, capstans, etc.) and modes S3, S4, S5, S7 and S8 (hoist winches and cranes) are less reliable in comparison with others.

Advanced monitoring and numerical modelling of the stability, safety and reliability indicators of the earthen dam of Songloulou (Cameroon).

For the determination of global stability after long term advanced monitoring, artificial intelligence have been used for the data analysis of water level and displacements of Songloulou earth dam at Cameroon. Measurements of safety and reliability indicators follow changes set by piezometric and pendulums measurements. The results obtained from the artificial intelligence on the base of many years recording data have confirmed the relevance and robustness of this model. The ANFIS model combining the concept of neural network and fuzzy logic was used to simulate the behaviour of piezometers and pendulums in the dam. This model has provided satisfactory results, given in the large amount of data to be processed. The water level evolution is modelled using the ANFIS function integrated in the MATLAB software and the result is compared to that obtained by the HST method. Afterwards, the state of stress on the structure and stability of the slope at shear have been assessed based on the hydro mechanical behaviour using the GEOSTUDIO Finite Element computation software. The input parameters are: the head of water recorded in the piezometers and geotechnical parameters of the dam. The modelling results in terms of displacement are accurately consistent with the displacement measurements. The horizontal displacement of pendulums obtained by GEOSTUDIO is 80 mm and those measured directly of the pendulums have 70 mm of average value. The safety factor for slope stability according to 530 m water level is 1.5.

Development of a vaccine hesitancy scale for childhood immunization in China

ObjectiveVaccine hesitancy is a primary factor that influences vaccine uptake; however, no specific measurement tool to accurately assess vaccine hesitancy is available in China. This study aimed to develop a general vaccine hesitancy scale for childhood immunization. MethodsWe adopted a three-phase process with nine steps to develop and finalize our scale. The scale framework and initial item pool were determined by a literature review. Expert consultation and cognitive interviews with parents were conducted to evaluate content validity. Questionnaire surveys involving parents of children aged <6 years were conducted to select items. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were employed to identify and validate the scale factor structure. The scale’s reliability and validity were assessed using multiple indicators. ResultsOf the initial 38 items, 21 were retained after expert consultation and cognitive interviews. In survey 1, the number of scale items decreased to 16 following item analysis and EFA. In survey 2, four items were added and EFA identified four factors. In survey 3, CFA confirmed the four-factor structure and the reliability indicators were satisfactory for the total scale. The level of vaccine hesitancy assessed by our scale was positively associated with vaccination refusal behavior and the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale score. The final scale comprised four dimensions (confidence, complacency, convenience, and calculation) with 17 items. ConclusionsWe developed a validated and reliable measurement to assess vaccine hesitancy among parents of children, which promises to be suitable for wide use in China.

RELIABILITY OF HYDROPNEUMODRIVES FOR METAL CUTTING EQUIPMENT

The reliability of hydropneumodrives largely determines the safety of machine tools, metal cutting equipment, the movement of transport vehicles, and the flight of modern passenger aircraft, and their failures can in some cases lead to accidents. The design stage is crucial in ensuring reliability. The main tasks of reliability research and calculation at this stage can be divided into three groups. First, it is a justification of reliability requirements for the main elements of the hydraulic pneumatic actuator (the task of reliability norming). This task is solved at an early stage of design and involves the preliminary development of the unit structure and justification of design principles. Secondly, it is to ensure the reliability of the elements and the unit as a whole. This group of tasks includes research and quantitative assessment of the efficiency of possible ways to ensure reliability; selection of basic design characteristics, statistical reserves of durability and longevity, stability reserves and other indicators; comparative analysis of options and selection of optimal designs. Thirdly, these are control calculations of the unit's reliability according to the design documentation. Algorithms for the distribution of normalised reliability indices at the design stage for hydropneumodrives implemented by the standard positional structure method and the minimisation method are obtained. Algorithms allow already at the early stages of hydropneumodrive design to normalise reliability indices, which makes it possible to obtain optimal solutions of reliability issues at the subsequent stages of development of the drive life cycle. The methods of calculation and determination of design relations for finding quantitative characteristics of failure-free indices of designed hydropneumodrives, implemented by the method of standard positional structure and the method of minimisation, are selected, which allows designing highly reliable hydropneumodrives for new metal cutting equipment. Evaluation of reliability indicators of hydropneumodrives at the stage of preliminary design allows to make a rational choice of structural scheme and parameters, to select appropriate materials and elements of scheme realisations.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of sliding redundancy of radioelectronic facilities

Objectives. The increased reliability of radioelectronic facilities can be achieved by the application of structural and load redundancy. Structural redundancy is achieved taking into account multiplicity of redundancy and the intensity of failures of elements of radioelectronic facilities, while load redundancy involves an easing of electrical, thermal, and mechanical operating modes of the elements. The choice of a redundancy method is determined according to reliability indicator requirements, which may often be contradictory. Therefore, the problem of how to effectively combine structural redundancy and load redundancy methods is very topical. In long-life radioelectronic facilities, for example, in satellite communication repeater systems, sliding redundancy is applied when limiting mass-dimensional parameters and consequently consumed energy. The aim of the work is to evaluate the efficiency of sliding redundancy according to various reliability indicators when altering redundancy multiplicity, reserve operating mode, element failure intensity, and switching device type.Methods. To describe the structure of a complex sliding redundancy system, a logical-probabilistic method is used, in which the dependence of the system reliability indicators on the reliability indicators of the elements is formulated as a logical function of operability. Graph-analytical methods are used to compare different variants of reliability logic schemes.Results. Mathematical models have been obtained to evaluate the effectiveness of sliding reservation. A comparative analysis of the efficiency of sliding redundancy with a loaded and unloaded reserve was carried out in terms failure-free operation probability, as well as gamma-percentage resource, failure rate when changing the fractional multiplicity of the redundancy, and element failure rate. The influence of the reliability of the switching device on the efficiency of the sliding redundancy is considered.Conclusions. Practical recommendations on the selection of the redundancy mode are presented according to different reliability indices and constructed mathematical models of the sliding redundancy efficiency coefficients. The correlation between the reliability indices of elements and the switching device whose reliability can be discounted, is determined. To increase the efficiency of sliding redundancy of radioelectronic facilities, it is necessary to combine multiplicity of redundancy and the operating mode of the reserve with approaches aimed at reducing the intensity of failure of elements.

Differences in Cognitive Avoidance, Anger Rumination, and The General Anxiety in Light of The Gender and Emotional Regulation Disturbance Among Undergraduate Students

The current study aimed to determine the differences in cognitive avoidance, anger rumination, and general anxiety in response to the gender and the emotional regulation disturbance variables. The sample was (418) university students who were asked to answer on study tools of cognitive avoidance, anger rumination, general anxiety, and emotional regulation disturbance. The factor analysis revealed that the study tools coincide with the original factorial structures of these tools. In addition, the current finding showed appropriate indicators of validity and reliability in the Egyptian students. Moreover, the results revealed that the gender differences possessed no significant differences in cognitive avoidance, generalized anxiety, and anger rumination. Furthermore, the students with high difficulties in emotion regulation revealed significantly higher cognitive avoidance and anger rumination (92.298 ± 1.126; 45.114 ± 0.764) than those with low difficulties in emotional regulation (82.842 ± 1.927; 41.354 ± 1.307). However, these significant effects were absent on generalized anxiety. The cognitive avoidance, anger rumination, general anxiety, and emotional regulation disturbance scales showed good validity and reliability fit on the Egyptian student sample. Moreover, there were no gender differences in cognitive avoidance, anger rumination, and generalized anxiety. In comparison, the individuals who showed high emotional regulation disturbance had high cognitive avoidance and anger rumination.

Rasch Rating Scale Modelling of the Arabic Version of the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale

Abstract: The tendency to think critically is the motivation of an individual for using critical thinking when faced with a problem that requires a solution, making a decision or evaluating an idea. This study used the Rasch Rating Scale Model (RSM) analysis to examine a set of psychometric properties of an Arabic version of the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale (EMI): items fit, unidimensionality, local independence, equal-item-discriminations, gender differential item functioning, reliability and separation indicators and scale calibra-tion. The findings indicated that EMI showed good compatibility with the RSM as all the items matched the model except for item 11. In addition, the assumptions of the Rasch model which were unidimensionality, local independence, and equal-item-discriminations were realized. The scale had excellent reliability for persons and good reliability for items. The scale showed good separation indicators for items, and excellent separation indicators for persons. The items did not show differential gender performance. The distances be-tween the response categories were appropriate, and the category measurements showed a consistent in-crease.