Series Of Principal Component Analyses Research Articles

Composition and Bioactivity of Chlorogenic Acids in Vegetable and Conventional Sweet Potato Vine Tips.

Sweet potato vine tips are abundant in chlorogenic acid (CGA). In this study, CGA was extracted from vegetable and conventional sweet potato vine tips using ethanol, followed by subsequent purification of the extract through a series of sequential steps. Over 4 g of the purified product was obtained from 100 g of sweet potato vine tip powder, producing more than 85% of purified CGA. The LC-MS analysis of all samples indicated that 4-CQA was the predominant isomer in both sweet potato cultivars. Significant variations of p-coumaroyl quinic acids, feruloyl quinic acids, dicaffeoyl quinic acids, and tricaffeoyl quinic acid were identified, whereas the mono-caffeoyl quinic acids did not vary when the two sweet potato varieties were compared. Compared to conventional sweet potatoes, vegetable sweet potatoes exhibit a high negative correlation between 4-CQA and 5-pCoQA, while showing a high positive correlation between 3,5-CQA and 3-pCoQA. A series of principal component analyses (PCA) using CGA isomers enables a clear differentiation between vine tips derived from vegetable and conventional sweet potatoes. The model of linear discriminant analysis, based on the characteristic CGA, achieved a 100% accuracy rate in distinguishing between vegetable and conventional sweet potatoes. The high purity of sweet potato CGA (SCGA) exhibited potent anti-breast cancer activity. The results demonstrated that SCGA significantly suppressed the clonogenicity of MB231 and MCF7 cells, and impeded the migratory, invasive, and lung metastatic potential of MB231 cells.

Bilingual acoustic voice variation: the case of Sorani Kurdish-Persian speakers

Many individuals around the world speak two or more than two languages. This phenomenon adds a fascinating dimension of variability to speech, both in perception and production. But do bilinguals change their voice when they switch from one language to the other? It is typically assumed that while some aspects of the speech signal vary for linguistic reasons, some indexical features remain unchanged across languages. Yet little is known about the influence of language on within- and between-speaker vocal variability. The present study investigated how acoustic parameters of voice quality are structured in two languages of a bilingual speaker and to what extent such features may vary between bilingual speakers. For this purpose, speech samples of 10 simultaneous Sorani Kurdish-Persian bilingual speakers were acoustically analyzed. Following a psychoacoustic model proposed by Kreiman (2014) and using a series of principal component analyses, we found that Sorani Kurdish-Persian bilingual speakers followed a similar acoustic pattern in their two different languages, suggesting that each speaker has a unique voice but uses the same voice parameters when switching from one language to the other.

The ecological diversification and evolution of Teleosauroidea (Crocodylomorpha, Thalattosuchia), with insights into their mandibular biomechanics.

Throughout the Jurassic, a plethora of marine reptiles dominated ocean waters, including ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs. These Jurassic ecosystems were characterized by high niche partitioning and spatial variation in dietary ecology. However, while the ecological diversity of many marine reptile lineages is well known, the overall ecological diversification of Teleosauroidea (one of the two major groups within thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs) has never been explored. Teleosauroids were previously deemed to have a morphologically conservative body plan; however, they were in actuality morphofunctionally more diverse than previously thought. Here we investigate the ecology and feeding specializations of teleosauroids, using morphological and functional cranio-dental characteristics. We assembled the most comprehensive dataset to date of teleosauroid taxa (approximately 20 species) and ran a series of principal component analyses (PC) to categorize them into various feeding ecomorphotypes based on 17 dental characteristics (38 specimens) and 16 functionally significant mandibular characters (18 specimens). The results were examined in conjunction with a comprehensive thalattosuchian phylogeny (153 taxa and 502 characters) to evaluate macroevolutionary patterns and significant ecological shifts. Machimosaurids display a well-developed ecological shift from: (1) slender, pointed tooth apices and an elongate gracile mandible; to (2) more robust, pointed teeth with a slightly deeper mandible; and finally, (3) rounded teeth and a deep-set, shortened mandible with enlarged musculature. Overall, there is limited mandibular functional variability in teleosaurids and machimosaurids, despite differing cranial morphologies and habitat preferences in certain taxa. This suggests a narrow feeding ecological divide between teleosaurids and machimosaurids. Resource partitioning was primarily related to snout and skull length as well as habitat; only twice did teleosauroids manage to make a major evolutionary leap to feed distinctly differently, with only the derived machimosaurines successfully radiating into new feeding ecologies.

Uncovering the hierarchical structure of self-reported hostility.

Hostility and other related terms like anger and aggression are often used interchangeably to describe antagonistic affect, cognition, and behavior. Psychometric studies suggest that hostility consists of multiple separate factors, but consensus is currently lacking. In the present study we examined the hierarchical structure of hostility. The hierarchical structure of hostility was examined in N = 376 people (i.e., a mixed community and highly hostile sample), using both specific and broad hostility self-report measures. A series of Principal Components Analyses revealed the structure of hostility at five levels of specificity. At intermediate levels, hostility can consistently be expressed in affective, cognitive, and behavioral components. At the most specific level, hostility can be expressed in terms of Angry Affect; Hostile Intent; and Verbal, Relational, and Physical Aggression. The pattern of associations showed significant convergence, and some divergence with broad and more specific hostility measures. The present findings stress the need for novel instruments that capture each hostility facet separately to reduce conceptual confounding.

Acoustic voice variation within and between speakers.

Little is known about the nature or extent of everyday variability in voice quality. This paper describes a series of principal component analyses to explore within- and between-talker acoustic variation and the extent to which they conform to expectations derived from current models of voice perception. Based on studies of faces and cognitive models of speaker recognition, the authors hypothesized that a few measures would be important across speakers, but that much of within-speaker variability would be idiosyncratic. Analyses used multiple sentence productions from 50 female and 50 male speakers of English, recorded over three days. Twenty-six acoustic variables from a psychoacoustic model of voice quality were measured every 5 ms on vowels and approximants. Across speakers the balance between higher harmonic amplitudes and inharmonic energy in the voice accounted for the most variance (females = 20%, males = 22%). Formant frequencies and their variability accounted for an additional 12% of variance across speakers. Remaining variance appeared largely idiosyncratic, suggesting that the speaker-specific voice space is different for different people. Results further showed that voice spaces for individuals and for the population of talkers have very similar acoustic structures. Implications for prototype models of voice perception and recognition are discussed.

The Role of Data Type and Recipient in Individuals' Perspectives on Sharing Passively Collected Smartphone Data for Mental Health: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.

BackgroundThe growing field of personal sensing harnesses sensor data collected from individuals’ smartphones to understand their behaviors and experiences. Such data could be a powerful tool within mental health care. However, it is important to note that the nature of these data differs from the information usually available to, or discussed with, health care professionals. To design digital mental health tools that are acceptable to users, understanding how personal sensing data can be used and shared is critical.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate individuals’ perspectives about sharing different types of sensor data beyond the research context, specifically with doctors, electronic health record (EHR) systems, and family members.MethodsA questionnaire assessed participants’ comfort with sharing six types of sensed data: physical activity, mood, sleep, communication logs, location, and social activity. Participants were asked about their comfort with sharing these data with three different recipients: doctors, EHR systems, and family members. A series of principal component analyses (one for each data recipient) was performed to identify clusters of sensor data types according to participants’ comfort with sharing them. Relationships between recipients and sensor clusters were then explored using generalized estimating equation logistic regression models.ResultsA total of 211 participants completed the questionnaire. The majority were female (171/211, 81.0%), and the mean age was 38 years (SD 10.32). Principal component analyses consistently identified two clusters of sensed data across the three data recipients: “health information,” including sleep, mood, and physical activity, and “personal data,” including communication logs, location, and social activity. Overall, participants were significantly more comfortable sharing any type of sensed data with their doctor than with the EHR system or family members (P<.001) and more comfortable sharing “health information” than “personal data” (P<.001). Participant characteristics such as age or presence of depression or anxiety did not influence participants’ comfort with sharing sensed data.ConclusionsThe comfort level in sharing sensed data was dependent on both data type and recipient, but not individual characteristics. Given the identified differences in comfort with sensed data sharing, contextual factors of data type and recipient appear to be critically important as we design systems that harness sensor data for mental health treatment and support.

Age, dimensions and classification – a multi‐causal absence of three‐aisled longhouses from aerial photographs of western Jutland, Denmark

AbstractThis article focuses on a significant parameter associated with the interpretation of cropmarks of three‐aisled longhouses on aerial photographs of western Jutland, Denmark. Between 2008 and 2013, during the first part of the project ‘An aerial view of the past – aerial archaeology in Denmark’, 672 three‐aisled longhouses were discovered. These longhouses have been dated typologically, identifying only four houses from the Early Bronze Age (ca 1700–1100 bc) and showing no recorded examples from the Late Bronze Age (1100–500 bc). The remaining longhouses fall primarily within the period from the Early Iron Age to the Viking Age (ca 500 bc–ad 1050). The absence of longhouses from the Bronze Age is presently explained as a consequence of age and dimensions. Two factors that revolve around the possibilities of cropmark occurrence. In this article, it is suggested that the method of classification used to interpret longhouses on aerial photographs is of crucial significance with respect to the virtual absence of Bronze Age examples. The typological problems associated with visual classification are outlined, after which the possible latent presence of Bronze Age longhouses in the aerial photograph database is investigated. The problems are addressed via a series of principal component analyses (PCAs), employed as a classification tool. The PCA classification of the longhouses is based exclusively on the arrangement of the internal roof‐bearing posts. The analysis uses data from 203 excavated longhouses, which are compared with 120 longhouses recorded on aerial photographs. The analysis identified 14 longhouses that could potentially be from the Late Bronze Age, both with respect to internal roof‐bearing construction and visual appearance on aerial photographs. This leads on to a discussion of the typological problems associated with identifying longhouses from the Late Bronze Age and Early Pre‐Roman Iron Age, together with a weighting of the factors: age, dimensions and classification.

On the dimensionality of crystallized intelligence: A smartphone-based assessment

Crystallized intelligence (gc) is a prominent factor in consensual theories on the structure of intelligence. Although declarative knowledge is arguably a core aspect of gc, little is known about the dimensionality of knowledge in adults; the proposed dimensional models vary broadly from unidimensionality, to three-dimensional models (science, humanities, and civics), to a six-dimensional model with an overarching g-factor. While previous studies were mostly based on narrow item samples once administered to a specific sample within a restricted time frame, we used a smartphone-based approach to investigate the dimensionality of knowledge based on a large set of items administered to a heterogeneous sample. More specifically, questions were randomly drawn from a pool of 4050 items from 34 subject domains such as chemistry, arts, and politics and administered to an age- and ability-heterogeneous sample of 1117 participants. We calculated Weighted Likelihood Estimates separately for each domain and then estimated a series of principal component analyses with increasing number of factors. The component solution at different levels match models reported in previous studies on the dimensionality of knowledge. We conclude that the dimensionality of declarative knowledge highly depends on the item and person sample. Finally, we discuss different approaches to model gc, give advice on the measurement of gc in general and discuss weaknesses and strengths of mobile assessments.

Factor Structures of the Sport Character in Korean Athletes

Purpose: This study developed a measure of sport character based on the model of moral action. Methods: Participants were 332 Korean athletes (Mage=19.86 years, SD=2.28) enrolled in a variety of sports. Using SPSS Package, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, reliability analysis, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were conducted to analyze the data. The main criteria used to identify the correct number of factors were a Parallel Analysis (PA) and theoretical interpretability. Results: First, a series of principal component analysis (PCA) with an oblimin rotation extracted four factors with 27 items. Second, a series of principal axis factoring (PAF) utilizing a direct oblimin rotation extracted five factors with 27 items. Third, the two models were compared in order to determine the most parsimonious and theoretically strong factor structure for the Sport Character Scale (SCS). Consequently, EFA suggested that a five-factor, 27-item model best fits the data. The factors included compassion, fairness, sportspersonship, antisocial attitude, and integrity. Conclusions: The newly developed SCS appeared to reflect unique characteristics of sport character in Korean athletes.

Development of a Questionnaire to Assess Nursing Competencies for the Care of People with Psychiatric Disabilities in a Hospital Environment.

The recovery of people with psychiatric disabilities requires high-quality nursing care. However, the existing research on the nursing competencies needed for caring for people with psychiatric disabilities have been based on a narrow competency framework. By adopting a broader competency framework, this study aimed to find the competencies needed for the nursing care of people with psychiatric disabilities in a hospital environment. Accordingly, a questionnaire will be developed to measure these competences. First, a literature review and interviews with psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, and people with psychiatric disabilities were conducted to develop the pool of competency items. Second, a pilot study was conducted to review the initial pool of items. Finally, a survey of 581 psychiatric nurses was used to conduct a series of principal component analyses to explore the structure of the questionnaire. The 17-item questionnaire included 5 factors, which accounted for 68.60% of the total variance: sense of responsibility, vocational identification, agreeableness, cooperation capacity, and carefulness; the Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.85, 0.85, 0.74, 0.80, and 0.77, respectively. Most of the competencies belonged to attitudes, values, and traits, which were overlooked in previous studies. The questionnaire has satisfactory internal reliability and structural validity, and could contribute some to the selection of the psychiatric workforce.

Evaluating non-technical skills and mission essential competencies of pilots in military aviation environments

To develop and validate a classification of non-technical skills (NTS) in military aviation, a study was conducted, using data from real operations of F16 aircraft formations. Phase 1 developed a NTS classification based on the literature review (e.g. NOTECHS) and a workshop with pilots. The Non-TEChnical-MILitary-Skills (NOTEMILS) scheme was tested in Phase 2 in a series of Principal Component Analysis with data from After-Action-Review sessions (i.e. 900 records from a wide range of operations). The NTS were found to make a good prediction of Mission Essential Components (R2 > 0.80) above the effect of experience. Phase 3 undertook a reliability analysis where three raters assessed the NOTEMILS scheme with good results (i.e. all rwg > 0.80). To look into the consistency of classifications, another test indicated that, at least, two out of three raters were in agreement in over 70% of the assessed flight segments.Practitioner Summary: A classification scheme of Non-Technical Skills (NTS) was developed and tested for reliability in military aviation operations. The NTS scheme is a valuable tool for assessing individual and team skills of F-16 pilots in combat. It is noteworthy that the tool had a good capability of predicting Mission Essential Competencies.

Revising the Body Esteem Scale with a U.S. College Student Sample: Evaluation, Validation, and Uses for the BES-R

The Body Esteem Scale (BES; Franzoi and Shields 1984) has been a primary research tool for over 30 years, yet its factor structure has not been fully assessed since its creation, so a two-study design examined whether the BES needed revision. In Study 1, a series of principal components analyses (PCAs) was conducted using the BES responses of 798 undergraduate students, with results indicating that changes were necessary to improve the scale’s accuracy. In Study 2, 1237 undergraduate students evaluated each BES item, along with a select set of new body items, while also rating each item’s importance to their own body esteem. Body items meeting minimum importance criteria were then utilized in a series of PCAs to develop a revised scale that has strong internal consistency and good convergent and discriminant validity. As with the original BES, the revised BES (BES-R) conceives of body esteem as both gender-specific and multidimensional. Given that the accurate assessment of body esteem is essential in better understanding the link between this construct and mental health, the BES-R can now be used in research to illuminate this link, as well as in prevention and treatment programs for body-image issues. Further implications are discussed.

Automatic Spectroscopic Data Categorization by Clustering Analysis (ASCLAN): A Data-Driven Approach for Distinguishing Discriminatory Metabolites for Phenotypic Subclasses.

We propose a novel data-driven approach aiming to reliably distinguish discriminatory metabolites from nondiscriminatory metabolites for a given spectroscopic data set containing two biological phenotypic subclasses. The automatic spectroscopic data categorization by clustering analysis (ASCLAN) algorithm aims to categorize spectral variables within a data set into three clusters corresponding to noise, nondiscriminatory and discriminatory metabolites regions. This is achieved by clustering each spectral variable based on the r(2) value representing the loading weight of each spectral variable as extracted from a orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant (OPLS-DA) model of the data set. The variables are ranked according to r(2) values and a series of principal component analysis (PCA) models are then built for subsets of these spectral data corresponding to ranges of r(2) values. The Q(2)X value for each PCA model is extracted. K-means clustering is then applied to the Q(2)X values to generate two clusters based on minimum Euclidean distance criterion. The cluster consisting of lower Q(2)X values is deemed devoid of metabolic information (noise), while the cluster consists of higher Q(2)X values is then further subclustered into two groups based on the r(2) values. We considered the cluster with high Q(2)X but low r(2) values as nondiscriminatory, while the cluster with high Q(2)X and r(2) values as discriminatory variables. The boundaries between these three clusters of spectral variables, on the basis of the r(2) values were considered as the cut off values for defining the noise, nondiscriminatory and discriminatory variables. We evaluated the ASCLAN algorithm using six simulated (1)H NMR spectroscopic data sets representing small, medium and large data sets (N = 50, 500, and 1000 samples per group, respectively), each with a reduced and full resolution set of variables (0.005 and 0.0005 ppm, respectively). ASCLAN correctly identified all discriminatory metabolites and showed zero false positive (100% specificity and positive predictive value) irrespective of the spectral resolution or the sample size in all six simulated data sets. This error rate was found to be superior to existing methods for ascertaining feature significance: univariate t test by Bonferroni correction (up to 10% false positive rate), Benjamini-Hochberg correction (up to 35% false positive rate) and metabolome wide significance level (MWSL, up to 0.4% false positive rate), as well as by various OPLS-DA parameters: variable importance to projection, (up to 15% false positive rate), loading coefficients (up to 35% false positive rate), and regression coefficients (up to 39% false positive rate). The application of ASCLAN was further exemplified using a widely investigated renal toxin, mercury II chloride (HgCl2) in rat model. ASCLAN successfully identified many of the known metabolites related to renal toxicity such as increased excretion of urinary creatinine, and different amino acids. The ASCLAN algorithm provides a framework for reliably differentiating discriminatory metabolites from nondiscriminatory metabolites in a biological data set without the need to set an arbitrary cut off value as applied to some of the conventional methods. This offers significant advantages over existing methods and the possibility for automation of high-throughput screening in "omics" data.

Measuring Perceived Usability: The SUS, UMUX-LITE, and AltUsability

The purpose of this research was to investigate various measurements of perceived usability, in particular, to assess (a) whether a regression formula developed previously to bring Usability Metric for User Experience LITE (UMUX-LITE) scores into correspondence with System Usability Scale (SUS) scores would continue to do so accurately with an independent set of data; (b) whether additional items covering concepts such as findability, reliability, responsiveness, perceived use by others, effectiveness, and visual appeal would be redundant with the construct of perceived usability or would align with other potential constructs; and (c) the dimensionality of the SUS as a function of self-reported frequency of use and expertise. Given the broad use of and emerging interpretative norms for the SUS, it was encouraging that the regression equation for the UMUX-LITE worked well with this independent set of data, although there is still a need to investigate its efficacy with a broader set of products and methods. Results from a series of principal components analyses indicated that most of the additional concepts, such as findability, familiarity, efficiency, control, and visual appeal covered the same statistical ground as the other more standard metrics for perceived usability. Two of the other items (Reliable and Responsive) made up a reliable construct named System Quality. None of the structural analyses of the SUS as a function of frequency of use or self-reported expertise produced the expected components, indicating the need for additional research in this area and a need to be cautious when using the Usable and Learnable components described in previous research.

Spanish Version of the Avoidance-Endurance Questionnaire: Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties.

To analyze the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Spanish adaptation of the AEQ, and to validate it by reporting relevant pain-related variables, which were not investigated in the original study. One hundred and fifty Spanish patients diagnosed with chronic back and neck pain were referred by physicians from different pain clinics in Spain; all the patients filled out the questionnaires at their clinic. A series of principal components analyses (PCA) was performed to develop the Spanish version of the AEQ. Reliability and validity were also calculated. The PCAs revealed five fear-avoidance scales (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measures were between .60 and .88, and Bartlett's tests were significant, p .73) and suitable validity (p < .05). New results associated with pain-related cognitive/affective and behavioural responses are discussed. This instrument will probably help clinicians to identify Spanish patients at a high risk of chronicity and to develop treatments tailored to the different profiles in order to improve secondary and tertiary prevention in back and neck pain.

Development of a self-administered questionnaire to assess the psychological competencies for surviving a disaster.

To find the psychological competencies for surviving a disaster and develop a self-report questionnaire to assess them. Interviews with 16 earthquake survivors and 16 fire fighters followed by qualitative analysis were used to find psychological competencies. Formation of the item pool, a pilot study among 20 college teachers and students, a series of principal component analyses for the data from 345 college students, and a confirmatory factor analysis for the data from 307 participants with various occupations were used to develop the Psychological Competencies for Surviving a Disaster Questionnaire (PCSDQ). We found 4 psychological competencies: risk perception of a disaster, disaster knowledge and self-relief skills, low fear in a disaster, and sense of control over a disaster. The 24-item PCSDQ assessed these psychological competencies. The Cronbach alpha of PCSDQ subscales ranged from .75 to .87. The psychological competencies for surviving a disaster were found to be risk perception of a disaster, disaster knowledge and self-relief skills, low fear in a disaster, and sense of control over a disaster. Using the PCSDQ to assess a person's psychological competencies for disaster survival will make it possible to provide that person with an individualized and targeted disaster self-relief education and/or training program.

No effect of user fee exemption on perceived quality of delivery care in Burkina Faso: a case-control study

BackgroundAlthough many developing countries have developed user fee exemption policies to move towards universal health coverage as a priority, very few studies have attempted to measure the quality of care. The present paper aims at assessing whether women’s satisfaction with delivery care is maintained with a total fee exemption in Burkina Faso.MethodsA quasi-experimental design with both intervention and control groups was carried out. Six health centres were selected in rural health districts with limited resources. In the intervention group, delivery care is free of charge at health centres while in the control district women have to pay 900 West African CFA francs (U$2). A total of 870 women who delivered at the health centre were interviewed at home after their visit over a 60-day range. A series of principal component analyses (PCA) were carried out to identify the dimension of patients’ satisfaction.ResultsWomen’s satisfaction loaded satisfactorily on a three-dimension principal component analysis (PCA): 1-provider-patient interaction; 2-nursing care services; 3-environment. Women in both the intervention and control groups were satisfied or very satisfied in 90% of cases (in 31 of 34 items). For each dimension, average satisfaction was similar between the two groups, even after controlling for socio-demographic factors (p = 0.436, p = 0.506, p = 0.310, respectively). The effects of total fee exemption on satisfaction were similar for any women without reinforcing inequalities between very poor and wealthy women (p ≥ 0.05). Although the wealthiest women were more dissatisfied with the delivery environment (p = 0.017), the poorest were more highly satisfied with nursing care services (p = 0.009).ConclusionContrary to our expectations, total fee exemption at the point of service did not seem to have a negative impact on quality of care, and women’s perceptions remained very positive. This paper shows that the policy of completely abolishing user fees with organized implementation is certainly a way for developing countries to engage in universal coverage while maintaining the quality of care.

Initial Development and Validation of Multicultural Counseling Competencies Scale for Malaysian School Counselors

Multicultural counseling is an important aspect in counseling. The introduction of the multicultural counseling competencies was a major step to improve counseling services among school counselors. However, there is a lack of valid and reliable instrument to measure multicultural counseling competencies in Malaysian context. This initial study focuses on the development of a local instrument to assess multicultural counseling competencies among Malaysian school counselors. This instrument consists of 42 items and it was administered to 212 secondary school counselors in Negeri Sembilan and Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted in which items within initial dimensions of multicultural counseling competencies were reshuffled and checked for their psychometric properties. After series of principal component analysis (PCA) and analysis from the experts, three dimensions of multicultural counseling competencies with 28 items were formed. This paper also discusses the findings and its implication to the instrument development and the validation process.

The joint structure of normal and pathological personality: Further evidence for a dimensional model

ObjectiveThe literature proposes a joint structure of normal and pathological personality with higher-order factors mainly based on the five-factor model of personality (FFM). The purpose of the present study was to examine the joint structure of the FFM and the DSM-IV personality disorders (PDs) and to discuss this structure with regard to higher-order domains commonly reported in the literature. MethodsWe applied a canonical correlation analysis, a series of principal component analyses with oblique Promax rotation and a bi-factor analysis with Geomin rotation on 511 subjects of the general population of Zurich, Switzerland, using data from the ZInEP Epidemiology Survey. ResultsThe 5 FFM traits and the 10 DSM-IV PD dimensions shared 77% of total variance. Component extraction tests pointed towards a two- and three-component solution. The two-component solution comprised a first component with strong positive loadings on neuroticism and all 10 PD dimensions and a second component with strong negative loadings on extraversion and openness and positive loadings on schizoid and avoidant PDs. The three-component solution added a third component with strong positive loadings on conscientiousness and agreeableness and a negative loading on antisocial PD. The bi-factor model provided evidence for 1 general personality dysfunction factor related to neuroticism and 5 group factors, although the interpretability of the latter was limited. ConclusionsNormal and pathological personality domains are not isomorphic or superposable, although they share a substantial proportion of variance. The two and three higher-order domains extracted in the present study correspond well to equivalent factor-solutions reported in the literature. Moreover, these superordinate factors can consistently be integrated within a hierarchical structure of alternative four- and five-factor models. The top of the hierarchy presumably constitutes a general personality dysfunction factor which is closely related to neuroticism.

Measuring Parental Beliefs about the Developmental Significance of Preschool Children’s Daily Activities: the Children’s Daily Activities-Parental Beliefs Scale

The study presents the Children’s Daily Activities-Parental Beliefs (CDA-PB) scale, a newly developed instrument providing parental assessment of the developmental significance of family-based, preschool children’s daily activities. These activities are considered as primary contexts for understanding children’s learning and development and parental beliefs are critical for both the organization of such activities as well as parents’ participation in them. Study informants were 383 mothers of preschool children attending daycare centres and kindergartens in the greater Athens area in Greece. Mothers completed a self-report questionnaire which included the CDA-PB and two other scales targeting at the report of the frequency of daily activities’ occurrence and mothers’ participation in them. Following a series of principal component analysis with varimax rotation the final form of the CDA-PB scale consisted of 30 items loaded on five components representing the perceived significance for certain types of activities, namely: “Household and self-care activities”, “Recurrent outings”, “Pre-academic activities”, “Play activities”, and “Home entertainment activities”. In addition, inter-correlations were revealed with the other two scales. Overall, the results are compatible with empirical evidence from different cultural settings and provide initial support for the use of this scale. Limitations of the present study and future research priorities are also addressed.