Objective Measures Research Articles

Factors for improving productivity in the New Zealand residential construction sector

Purpose The New Zealand (NZ) construction industry significantly impacts the country's economy and is one of the largest sectors in terms of total employment. However, a persistent and pressing need for improvement exists. Meeting the ongoing demand for housing and urban development requires enhancing residential construction productivity. The purpose of this paper is to determine what factors improve construction productivity in the NZ residential construction sector. Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained from construction industry bodies using a semi-structured online questionnaire survey. From 305 online questionnaires administered, 106 samples were completed by residential industry construction professionals across NZ. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics to establish the importance of empirical factors for improving construction productivity in the NZ residential construction sector. Findings The Garrett ranking technique revealed this study's top five factors for enhancing construction productivity: adequate design, communication, quality management (QM), supervision and organizational training. Other factors, such as unskilled workers, skilled workers, reworks and employee motivation, ranked less important. Research limitations/implications While providing a valuable exploration of factors that can positively impact residential construction productivity in NZ, this study contains certain limitations. The study's focus on a specific geographic location and a small sample size (n = 106) may restrict the generalizability of its findings to other regions or countries. Furthermore, the reliance on self-reported data from industry professionals introduces the possibility of bias or inaccuracies in the results. In addition, this study did not investigate the potential influence of external factors, such as economic conditions or regulatory changes, on residential construction productivity. Despite these limitations, this study presents a foundation for future research on this topic. Future research could address these limitations by conducting multi-country studies and using objective productivity measures to provide a broader context. In addition, open-ended questions could be used to collect more detailed qualitative data, enhancing this study's dependability. This methodological constraint could have omitted important experiential nuances, which could be explored in future research to provide more comprehensive and rigorous findings. Practical implications Research studies indicate that several construction productivity factors have remained unchanged for over three decades (Arditi and Mochtar, 1996; Hasan et al., 2018). The implications of this study are significant for the residential sector in NZ. By identifying the key factors that can improve productivity in the sector, such as complete design and specifications, effective communication, quality management, adequate supervision, training, skilled labour and employee motivation, this study provides valuable insights for industry practitioners and policymakers. It expands the existing productivity literature around factors for improving NZ residential construction productivity. One important implication of this study is the link between QM and improved productivity, highlighting the significance of strategic organizational investments in QM and the added opportunity presented to policymakers concerning industry-wide improvements. Moreover, the findings suggest that investing in worker training is essential. Ensuring workers possess the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their tasks efficiently can enhance productivity and project outcomes. In conclusion, this study's findings emphasize the factors that can improve construction productivity in residential projects in NZ, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for all stakeholders. Originality/value This research offers a unique perspective on improving residential construction productivity in NZ by identifying and analysing specific factors that can enhance efficiency across the sector. It provides novel findings and valuable insight into possible organizational improvement strategies yet considered in the NZ residential sector.

Effect of acceptance and commitment therapy on fear of falling and physical activity in Parkinson’s disease: a randomised controlled trial

IntroductionThis study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in reducing the fear of falling (FOF) and promoting physical activity in individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease...

The polychromatism of postmortem cerebrospinal fluid.

Based on the assumption that postmortem cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is contaminated depending on the chosen sampling technique in the forensic setting resulting in bloody or at least hemolytic CSF samples, we systematically documented a total of 183 postmortem CSF samples. These samples were all assessed for their quality and color, regardless of the cause of death or the postmortem interval. The investigations were carried out through subjective assessment of color and turbidity, as well as objective measurements of the optical density (OD) of the CSF supernatants after centrifugation of each sample, with standardized photographic documentation. The observations revealed that in 28 cases the CSF was absolutely (crystal-) clear and transparent. Most of our samples showed color changes ranging from xanthrochromic to rose. Intensive staining of the supernatants was only found in a small proportion of the examined collective. We found that postmortem CSF has no uniform appearance but rather a diverse range of color spectra, and the color, as well as the OD of the CSF, correlates significantly with the postmortem interval (p < 0.001) when sampled using the proposed standard procedure.

The Development and Execution of An Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Surgical Skills Assessment.

Assessment of orthopaedic surgery trainees is traditionally based on subjective evaluation by faculty. The recent push for value-based health care has placed a premium on improving patient outcomes. As a result, surgical training evaluations for orthopaedic trainees are evolving to include more objective measures to evaluate competency. To develop and subsequently demonstrate the efficacy of a novel surgical skills assessment for orthopaedic sports medicine fellows. Case series; Level of evidence, 4. A team of 14 fellowship-trained orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons developed objective scoring rubrics for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and rotator cuff repair (RCR) using a modified Delphi process. Rubrics were designed based on 10 surgical steps with a grading scale (1-5) based on core competencies with a maximum summative score of 50. Fourteen orthopaedic fellows across a regionally diverse group of sports medicine-accredited fellowship programs were invited to complete both an ACLR and RCR in a surgical skills laboratory at the beginning and end of their fellowship year. Individual surgical steps, overall performance, and total procedure time were evaluated by a single sports medicine surgeon for both sessions. Thirteen of 14 fellows completed both pre- and post-fellowship assessments. For the ACLR procedure, the pre-fellowship mean summative score was 25.4 (SD, 4.4) and the post-fellowship mean summative score was 38.6 (SD, 4.1), which was a statistically significant improvement (P < .001). For the RCR procedure, the pre-fellowship mean summative score was 26.6 (SD, 5.4) and the post-fellowship mean summative score was 38.8 (SD, 4.3), which was also a statistically significant improvement (P < .001). The mean time to completion for the ACLR procedure was 82.3 minutes (SD, 4.3 minutes) pre-fellowship, which improved to 69.7 minutes (SD, 11.6 minutes) post-fellowship (P = .002). The mean time to completion for the RCR procedure was 85.5 minutes (SD, 5.0 minutes) pre-fellowship, which improved to 76.4 minutes (SD, 7.0 minutes) post-fellowship (P < .001). This surgical skills program represents the first standardized and reproducible instrument for the evaluation of 2 arthroscopic sports medicine procedures in the United States. Orthopaedic sports medicine fellows improved significantly in aggregate over their fellowship year with regard to the ACLR and RCR. The described program has the potential to serve as both a training tool and formal orthopaedic sports medicine fellow assessment.

Negative global metacognitive biases are associated with depressive and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and improve with targeted or game-based cognitive training.

Metacognition is disrupted in several clinical populations. One aspect of metacognition, global metacognitive bias (difference between objective and self-reported abilities), has shown to be particularly relevant to clinical functioning. However, previous studies of global metacognitive biases in populations with elevated depressive/posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have not measured objective and self-reported abilities relative to normative samples, limiting the quantification of biases. Additionally, few studies have examined whether cognitive interventions can improve metacognitive biases or how this relates to depressive/PTSD symptom severity. A total of 84 participants with mild traumatic brain injury (77% veterans) performed PTSD and depression assessments along with self-reported and objective measures of global cognition. Age-adjusted norm-based z scores were used for self-reported and objective cognition, and bias was calculated by subtracting objective minus self-report scores. Participants then received 13 weeks of targeted cognitive training or entertainment games training (both providing performance feedback). Participants were assessed at baseline, immediately posttraining, and 3 months posttraining. We found large negative metacognitive biases in those with clinically significant severity of depressive symptoms (z score difference = -1.77), PTSD symptoms (-1.47), and depressive + PTSD symptoms (-2.29). Metacognitive biases improved after both targeted and entertainment training and was associated with reductions in depressive/PTSD symptom severity (r = -.41/-.42, respectively), led by the entertainment training group (r = -.54/-.46, respectively). These findings show that clinically significant severity of depressive/PTSD symptoms is associated with substantial negative global metacognitive biases and preliminarily suggests that cognitive training may improve these biases and depressive/PTSD symptom severity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Modelling the long-term health impact of COVID-19 using Graphical Chain Models

BackgroundLong-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, namely long COVID syndrome, affect about 10% of severe COVID-19 survivors. This condition includes several physical symptoms and objective measures of organ dysfunction resulting from a complex interaction between individual predisposing factors and the acute manifestation of disease. We aimed at describing the complexity of the relationship between long COVID symptoms and their predictors in a population of survivors of hospitalization for severe COVID-19-related pneumonia using a Graphical Chain Model (GCM).Methods96 patients with severe COVID-19 hospitalized in a non-intensive ward at the “Santa Maria” University Hospital, Terni, Italy, were followed up at 3–6 months. Data regarding present and previous clinical status, drug treatment, findings recorded during the in-hospital phase, presence of symptoms and signs of organ damage at follow-up were collected. Static and dynamic cardiac and respiratory parameters were evaluated by resting pulmonary function test, echocardiography, high-resolution chest tomography (HRCT) and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET).ResultsTwelve clinically most relevant factors were identified and partitioned into four ordered blocks in the GCM: block 1 - gender, smoking, age and body mass index (BMI); block 2 - admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and length of follow-up in days; block 3 - peak oxygen consumption (VO2), forced expiratory volume at first second (FEV1), D-dimer levels, depression score and presence of fatigue; block 4 - HRCT pathological findings. Higher BMI and smoking had a significant impact on the probability of a patient’s admission to ICU. VO2 showed dependency on length of follow-up. FEV1 was related to the self-assessed indicator of fatigue, and, in turn, fatigue was significantly associated with the depression score. Notably, neither fatigue nor depression depended on variables in block 2, including length of follow-up.ConclusionsThe biological plausibility of the relationships between variables demonstrated by the GCM validates the efficacy of this approach as a valuable statistical tool for elucidating structural features, such as conditional dependencies and associations. This promising method holds potential for exploring the long-term health repercussions of COVID-19 by identifying predictive factors and establishing suitable therapeutic strategies.

Subjective career success among new graduates and the role of personal factors

PurposeFlatter organisational structures and nonlinear career trajectories mean intrinsic value and subjective career success are increasingly important for motivating, guiding and rewarding contemporary workers. While objective measures of career success have been well explored, more research is needed to understand the dimensions of subjective career success, their relative importance to graduates and potential variations by personal factors. This is critical for supporting graduates’ transition into work and for organisations to attract and retain graduates amid global talent shortages.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on assertions of the power to understand how what one seeks in a career affects career achievement, this study investigated the importance and achievement of subjective career success among 324 recent graduates from two Australian universities.FindingsResults include a notable emphasis on financial security and work-life balance, particularly among mature individuals, underscoring the value of adaptable work arrangements. Results suggest shifting priorities, with reduced importance placed on opportunities for innovation and assisting others, potentially indicating a move from collective to more individualised goals. Distinct graduate profiles emerged, showcasing diverse priorities and achievements in subjective career success, spanning from “humanistic” to “self-made” success.Originality/valueResults underscore the significance of higher education embedding program-wide career development plans across the curriculum, including value-based assessments, labour market analyses and career planning and review processes. Comprehensively supporting students in career development will empower them to explore, understand and actively pursue their career goals in alignment with their values and motivations, enhancing their person-organisation fit, career satisfaction and organisational commitment.

Time-related underemployment in Indian agro-based industry during Covid-19.

COVID-19 has adversely affected the different aspects of work and society. Due to the decline in economic activity globally, employees were exposed to conditions in which they were forced to work for reduced working hours leading to an increase in time-related underemployment. The goal of the present study was to determine the extent of time-related underemployment and the rate of unutilized labor resource in the Agro-based Industry. This study was conducted with 500 middle-level and lower-level executives working in the Textile Industry and Food and Beverage Industry. Time-related underemployment is defined as a situation in which employees worked for less than 48 hours per week and were available and willing to work for additional hours. It was measured with both objective and subjective measures. Data was analyzed through percentages, mean, t-test, independent t-test, and chi-square. Results showed that Time-related underemployment in the Food and Beverage Industry was 5.00% as compared to the Textile Industry with 3.08%. The majority of employees were moderately underemployed both in the Textile Industry and Food and Beverage Industry. The rate of unutilized labor resource was more in Textile Industry (9.9%) as compared to Food and Beverage Industry (9.2%). However, the difference in both the industries was found to be insignificant (p > 0.05). COVID-19 has exposed many workers to the disadvantageous position of working fewer hours than the pre-determined threshold hours for full-time work. Therefore, proper strategies need to be adopted to properly use the labor resource of the economy.

Determining critical monitoring periods for accurate wearable step counts in patients with degenerative spine disorders

Longitudinal physical activity monitoring is a novel and promising objective outcome measure for patients with degenerative spine disorder (DSD) that currently lacks established standards for data collection and interpretation. Here, we monitored 100 patients with DSD with the Apple Watch to establish the optimal duration and pattern of step count monitoring needed to estimate their weekly physical activity before their elective surgery. Participants were predominantly female (65.3%), had an average age of 61.5 years, and showed consistent step counts between preoperative days, as well as across weekends and weekdays. Intraclass correlations (ICC) analysis showed that a step count average over 2 days achieved an ICC of 0.92 when compared to a 7-day average before surgery, while 4 days were required for a similar agreement of 0.93 with a 14-day average. Sequential linear regression demonstrated that incorporating additional preoperative days improved the model’s ability to predict 7- and 14-days step count averages. We conclude that, while daily preoperative step counts remain relatively stable, longer activity monitoring is necessary to account for the variance in step count over an increasing time frame, and the full extent of data fluctuation may only become apparent with long-term trend analysis.

A Single-Frame and Multi-Frame Cascaded Image Super-Resolution Method.

The objective of image super-resolution is to reconstruct a high-resolution (HR) image with the prior knowledge from one or several low-resolution (LR) images. However, in the real world, due to the limited complementary information, the performance of both single-frame and multi-frame super-resolution reconstruction degrades rapidly as the magnification increases. In this paper, we propose a novel two-step image super resolution method concatenating multi-frame super-resolution (MFSR) with single-frame super-resolution (SFSR), to progressively upsample images to the desired resolution. The proposed method consisting of an L0-norm constrained reconstruction scheme and an enhanced residual back-projection network, integrating the flexibility of the variational model-based method and the feature learning capacity of the deep learning-based method. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, extensive experiments with both simulated and real world sequences were implemented. The experimental results show that the proposed method yields superior performance in both objective and perceptual quality measurements. The average PSNRs of the cascade model in set5 and set14 are 33.413 dB and 29.658 dB respectively, which are 0.76 dB and 0.621 dB more than the baseline method. In addition, the experiment indicates that this cascade model can be robustly applied to different SFSR and MFSR methods.

Neck and shoulder pain and inflammatory biomarkers in plasma among forklift truck operators - A case-control study.

The aim of this study was to investigate a panel of inflammatory biomarkers in plasma from forklift truck operators (FLTOs) and healthy controls, and their relation to neck pain characteristics. From employees in a warehouse, 26 FLTOs were recruited and 24 healthy age- and sex-matched controls (CONs) were recruited via advertisement. The inclusion criterion for FLTOs was that they should operate reach decker and/or counterbalanced tilting mast forklift trucks. All participants were asked to answer a questionnaire covering demographic data, pain intensity numeric rating scale (NRS), anatomical spread, psychological distress, and health aspects. Pain sensitivity was measured using a pressure algometer. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for inflammatory proteins in plasma using a panel of 71 cytokines and chemokines. Multivariate data analysis including orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was performed to identify significant biomarkers. Thirty percent of FLTOs reported NRS > 3 in the neck. Shoulder pain was common in 26% of the FLTOs. Pain and discomfort that most often prevented completion of activities were in the neck (20%), lower back (32%), and hips (27%). The FLTOs reported significantly (p = 0.04) higher levels of anxiety than the CON group and they had significantly lower pressure pain thresholds in the trapezius muscle on both right (p < 0.001) and left sides (p = 0.003). A significant OPLS-DA model could discriminate FLTOs from CON based on nine inflammatory proteins where the expression levels of four proteins were upregulated and five proteins were downregulated in FLTOs compared to CONs. Twenty-nine proteins correlated multivariately with pain intensity. The profile of self-reported health, pain intensity, sensitivity, and plasma biomarkers can discriminate FLTOs with pain from healthy subjects. A combination of both self-reported and objective biomarker measurements can be useful for better understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying work-related neck and shoulder pain.

Exploratory analysis of the potential disconnect between objective inflammatory response and clinical response following certolizumab pegol treatment in patients with active axial spondyloarthritis

IntroductionThis post hoc analysis evaluated the relationship between objective measures of inflammation and clinical outcomes following 12 weeks of certolizumab pegol (CZP) treatment in patients with active axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).MethodsWe...

A Scoping Review on the Intersection Between Voice and Swallowing Measures in Healthy and Disordered Populations.

Voice and swallowing are distinct functions that share anatomical and physiological properties; however, research investigating their intersection is limited. The purpose of this scoping review was to explore the literature surrounding the relationship between voice and swallowing measures in healthy adults and those with non-degenerative disorders. Specifically, we aimed to elucidate whether objective voice measures could be used as correlates of swallowing function. We systematically searched four databases (Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science) for relevant literature using a combination of key words and controlled vocabulary generated from the Yale Mesh Analyzer. The inclusion criteria consisted of peer-reviewed studies in the English language that reported on healthy adults and/or patients with non-degenerative neurological disorders and pulmonary diseases and contained instrumental and/or objective voice and swallowing measures. Two raters completed the abstract screening process followed by independent full-text reviews. Case studies, review studies, gray literature, or abstract-only studies were excluded. Among 5,485 screened studies, 182 were fully reviewed, with only 11 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Eight studies found an association between voice and swallowing objective measures, whereas the other three did not. Significant voice measures that were related to swallowing safety and/or physiology included maximum fundamental frequency (F0), F0 range, maximum phonation time, biomechanics of effortful pitch glides, and voice onset time. Although there was heterogeneity in the measures used, specific objective voice measures showed promise in clinical practice as a screening tool for dysphagia. Further investigations are needed to validate the clinical utility of these measures across diverse patient populations.

Hoffa's fat pad resection during total knee arthroplasty does not affect functioning and gait: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.

Hoffa's fat pad is considered a source of anterior knee pain and may limit prosthetic knee function. Resection of Hoffa's fat pad in total knee arthroplasty (TKA), however, is controversial, and little is known about the functional outcomes including gait quality. This double-blind randomized controlled trial (i) compared functional recovery between TKAs where Hoffa was resected or preserved, and (ii) compared recovery of self-reported function with objective (gait-related) outcomes. Eighty-five patients (age 66.4 ± 8.0 years, 47% women) scheduled to undergo TKA for primary osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to either fat pad resection or preservation. Subjective measures of functioning were assessed at baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 12 months postoperatively and included the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Kujala, and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain. Objective measures of functioning were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 12 months postoperatively and included instrumented range-of-motion and gait analysis. Longitudinal analyses (generalized estimating equations) were used to compare recovery between groups, and chi-square tests compared attainment of minimal clinical important difference (MCID) and patient acceptable symptom state (PASS). Finally, correlation analyses explored associations between subjective and objective recovery in function. Resection patients showed poorer improvement in KOOS quality of life in the first 6 weeks (B=-10.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) [-18.91, -1.12], p = .027), but stronger improvement in knee extension after 3 months (B = 3.02, 95%CI [0.45, 5.60], p = .021) compared to preservation patients. Regarding MCID or PASS, no differences were noted between groups at 3 and 12 months (all p > .05). Subjective function substantially improved in the first 3 months, while objective outcomes improved only between 3 and 12 months. Moderate to strong correlations were identified between changes in knee flexion and gait with Kujala and KOOS in the resection but not in the preservation group. Similar functional outcomes were achieved after TKA with or without resection of Hoffa's fat pad. Hence, removing the fat pad to promote surgical exposure will not affect functional outcomes including gait quality. Functional recovery of objective outcomes was not always consistent with subjective recovery, suggesting that both self-reported as well as objective, gait-related outcomes may provide meaningful information on functional recovery following TKA. This clinical trial was prospectively registered under the Netherlands Trial Registry (# NL3638). This registry has recently been replaced by the Dutch Trial Registry where this study can be accessed via https://onderzoekmetmensen.nl/en/trial/20994 .

Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) power and sustainability-based compensation for climate change disclosure and carbon performance: is it different for developed and developing nations?

Purpose Companies are increasingly appointing a Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) to anchor the need to highlight climate change at the senior management level. This study aims to examine how CSO power and sustainability-based compensation influence climate reporting and carbon performance. Design/methodology/approach Using one of the largest data sets to date, consisting of 18,834 company years through the author’s observations, spanning an 11-year period (2011–2021) in 33 countries. This paper used quantitative methods – specifically, ordinal logistic regression estimation. This paper measures the level of climate change disclosure based on the carbon disclosure leadership methodology. Carbon performance is based on the intensity of carbon emissions (Scope 1, Scope 2), which is a quantitative and relatively more objective measure. Findings The results suggest that climate change disclosure continued to increase and the carbon emissions intensity of the companies in this study gradually decreased over the sample period. This paper finds that the presence of the CSO within the top management team has a positive and significant influence on the level of information on climate change of the companies in the sample. This finding confirms the idea that the managerial capacity of CSOs motivates the disclosure of climate change. The empirical results confirm that there are differences in the role that the CSO and sustainability-based compensation play in influencing the quality of climate information disclosure in developed and developing countries. Originality/value The recourse on a mixed theoretical framework, which highlights upper echelons theory, argues the understanding of the role of CSOs in explaining the relationship between climate change disclosure–carbon performance relationship. The novelty of the study lies in the approaches adopted to describe the quality of climate change disclosure. To control for endogeneity, this paper uses a difference-in-difference analysis by adding a firm to the Morgan Stanley Capital International index as an exogenous shock.

Principal Component Approach and Relationship between Nomination Scale for Identification of Football Talent and Physical Fitness in Young Soccer Players

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the physical capabilities of young soccer players and their performance in game-related variables as assessed through the Nomination Scale for Identifying Football Talent (NSIFT) questionnaire. A total of 80 young soccer players, with an average age of 10.70 ± 1.02 years, participated in the research. Each player underwent a comprehensive assessment session that included the 5-0-5 Change of Direction (COD) test, the Illinois Agility Test, and the Countermovement Jump (CMJ) test. These assessments were selected to evaluate critical physical attributes essential for soccer performance such as agility, explosive strength, and the ability to change direction rapidly. To analyze the data, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), a statistical technique that reduces the dimensionality of large datasets while retaining as much variance as possible, was employed. The PCA results indicated strong sample validity as confirmed by the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) measurement index, which assesses the adequacy of the sample size for factor analysis. The analysis revealed two principal components: development and disposition, which together accounted for 73% of the total variance in the data. The development component encompasses various physical attributes that contribute to a player’s growth and improvement, including strength, speed, and agility. Conversely, the disposition component reflects innate qualities and cognitive skills that predispose players to excel in soccer such as decision making and game awareness. This research highlights the importance of incorporating physical assessments into talent identification processes, providing objective measures that complement subjective evaluations. This study contributed to the literature on talent identification in soccer, emphasizing the need for a multidisciplinary approach to nurture young athletes effectively. Future research should continue to explore the interplay between physical and cognitive skills in soccer to enhance player development and success in competitive environments.

Subjective and objective measures of cognitive function are correlated in persons with Post-COVID-19 Condition: a secondary analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

It remains unclear whether subjective and objective measures of cognitive function in Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC) are correlated. The extent of correlation has mechanistic and clinical implications. This post-hoc analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial contains baseline data of subjective and objective measures of cognition in a rigorously characterized cohort living with PCC. Herein, we evaluated the association between subjective and objective condition function, as measured by the Perceived Deficits Questionnaire, 20-item (PDQ-20) and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) and Trails Making Test (TMT)-A/B, respectively. A total of 152 participants comprised the baseline sample. Due to missing data, our statistical analyses included 150 for self-reported PDQ-20, 147 individuals for combined DSST-measured cognitive function (composite z-score of the Pen/Paper plus Online CogState Version, NcombinedDSST), 71 for in-person DSST-measured cognitive function (Pen/Paper Version), 70 for TMT-A-measured cognitive function, and 70 for TMT-B-measured cognitive function. After adjusting for age, sex, and education, PDQ-20 was significantly correlated with pen-and-paper DSST (β = -0.003, p = 0.002) and TMT-B (β = 0.003, p = 0.008) scores, but not with TMT-A scores (β = -0.001, p = 0.751). Overall, a statistically significant correlation was observed between subjective and objective cognitive functions. Clinicians providing care for individuals with PCC who have subjective cognitive function complaints may consider taking a measurement-based approach to cognition at the point of care that focuses exclusively on patient-reported measures.

Pupil old/new effect as an objective measure of recognition memory: a meta-analysis of 17 eye-tracking experiments.

Recognition memory, the ability to recognise previously encountered information, correlates with pupil diameter changes during the recognition period. This physiological response, known as the pupil old/new effect, generally reflects the variation in pupil dilation when encountering previously studied (old) stimuli compared to new stimuli. To develop a more precise understanding of the pupil old/new effect, we conducted a meta-analysis of 17 eye-tracking experiments (across 12 articles spanning from 2008 to 2023) involving 560 healthy adults with a mean age of 22.31 years. Analysis of publication bias showed a rather low risk of bias in the selected articles. The main meta-analysis revealed a significant and large pooled pupil old/new effect (Cohen's dz = 0.73, 95% CI [0.50, 0.95]). Further analysis of moderators showed that the number of participants included in the experiments and the criteria for selecting trials (only correct trials vs. all trials) had a significant impact on the meta-analytic results. In general, the analyses revealed a robust pupil old/new effect across all selected articles. This finding underscores its potential utility as a marker of recognition memory across different stimuli type, and various experimental designs.

Comorbidity of concussion and depression alters brain functional connectivity in collegiate student-athletes

Depression and concussion are highly prevalent neuropsychological disorders that often occur simultaneously. However, due to the high degree of symptom overlap between the two events, including but not limited to headache, sleep disturbances, appetite changes, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating, they may be treated in isolation. Thus, clinical awareness of additive symptom load may be missed. This study measures neuropsychological and electroencephalography (EEG) alpha band coherence differences in collegiate student-athletes with history of comorbid depression and concussion, in comparison to those with a single morbidity and healthy controls (HC). 35 collegiate athletes completed neuropsychological screenings and EEG measures. Participants were grouped by concussion and depression history. Differences in alpha band coherence were calculated using two-way ANOVA with post hoc correction for multiple comparisons. Comorbid participants scored significantly worse on neuropsychological screening, BDI-FS, and PCSS than those with a single morbidity and HC. Two-way ANOVA by group revealed significant main effects of alpha band coherence for concussion, depression, and their interaction term. Post-hoc analysis showed that comorbid participants had more abnormal alpha band coherence than single morbidity, when compared to HC. Comorbidity of concussion and depression increased symptom reporting and revealed more altered alpha band coherence than single morbidity, compared to HC. The abnormalities of the comorbid group exclusively showed decreased alpha band coherence in comparison to healthy controls. The comorbidity of depression and SRC has a compounding effect on depression symptoms, post-concussion symptoms, and brain functional connectivity. This research demonstrates a promising objective measure in comorbid individuals, previously only measured via subjective symptom reporting.

Actigraphy-assessed sleep duration and quality and executive function in a sample of typically developing preschoolers.

Sleep is essential for cognitive development and brain maturation during early childhood. Studies focused on preschool populations using objective measures of sleep are still scarce. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between objective measures of sleep duration and quality with executive functioning in a 133 non-clinical sample of Spanish participants (Mage = 60.33 months, SD = 9.04; ages 41-77 months; 51.1% girls). Sleep was assessed for five weeknights using actigraphy; Shape School task was applied to assess inhibition and cognitive flexibility; and Word Span task was used to assess working memory. The results revealed that relation between sleep and executive functioning was significant for inhibition and working memory. Preschoolers with higher sleep efficiency showed better results in executive functioning tasks after controlling for the effect of age. Additionally, age and sleep duration and quality variables were predictive of inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. These results suggest that the different dimensions of sleep could play an important role in the development of executive functions during preschool age. Therefore, improving sleep could lead to an improvement in children's executive functioning in both clinical and educational contexts.