Systematic Disagreement Research Articles

Making Sense of Racial Membership

AbstractWhich individuals belong to a racial group, and what determines membership? I argue that questions about membership are importantly different from questions regarding the ontology of racial categories and invite a distinctive line of inquiry. But there's a formidable challenge to providing determinate and consistent answers to membership questions: Many phenomena documented in sociology and psychology generate reasonable and systematic disagreement about membership that cannot be adjudicated by an influential variety of social constructionism. While the puzzle of racial identity remains, we emerge with a new appreciation for how racial membership is a distinctive part of it.

Validation of a digital food frequency questionnaire for the Northern Sweden Diet Database

BackgroundDietary habits strongly influence health, with poor diets contributing to numerous deaths annually. Addressing this requires improved dietary habits and consistent monitoring thereof. In northern Sweden, a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) has been used for decades, but trends show that its ability to accurately measure intake has diminished. With changing eating habits and food supply, updating the FFQ was crucial, leading to the development of FFQ2020. This study assessed FFQ2020’s relative validity using 24-hour recalls and evaluated its reproducibility.MethodsParticipants were recruited from one of the northern-Sweden population-based health screenings and by advertising. Food intake was registered in an electronic food frequency questionnaire (FFQ2020) (test instrument) and reference data were obtained by six repeated electronic 24-hour dietary recalls (24HDR). Intakes of single foods were aggregated into food groups and healthy diet index scores, and daily energy and nutrient intakes were estimated. Results from the two methods were described and tested in univariate analyses and correlation tests, Bland Altman plots, cross-classification validity, and intra-class correlation analyses.ResultsTotally, 628 adults were invited to participate in the study. Of these, 320 joined, and 244 completed at least four 24HDRs. The median intakes in food groups, as well as the mean index scores and estimated nutrient intakes, were largely similar between the FFQ2020 and 24HDR recordings. The correlation coefficients between the two assessments ranged from 0.253 to 0.693 for food groups, 0.520 to 0.614 for diet indices, and 0.340 to 0.629 for energy and nutrients. Intra-class correlation coefficients indicated at least good reproducibility for intakes of food groups, diet index scores, and nutrients. Generally, Bland-Altman plots did not reveal any gross systematic disagreement between the two methods for any of the assessments. However, there were single observations located outside the upper or lower 95% confidence interval (CI) limits for the difference between FFQ2020 and the 24HDR recordings.ConclusionIn concert, the results suggest that the relative validity and reproducibility of FFQ2020 are acceptable for trend analyses and group comparisons in large-scale studies but also that extended reference periods would improve the precision of less frequently consumed foods.

Evaluation of the Oral Hygiene Ability Instrument (OHAI): Test of reliability.

To evaluate the reliability of the new Oral Hygiene Ability Instrument (OHAI) developed to assess the cause of any inability for older adults to manage oral hygiene self-care. Oral hygiene is an important part of oral health. The inability to manage oral hygiene, combined with other risk factors, often results in poor oral health and impaired quality of life. A reliable OHAI could benefit preventive oral health care. The preliminary OHAI uses 33 items in three parts: (I) interview, (II) clinical examination and (III) observation of oral hygiene activities. A total of 37 older adults participated in a test-retest study of Part I. Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 65 years, have at least one tooth and be able to oral hygiene self-care. The intra- and inter-rater reliability of parts II and III used films and photographs of OHAI assessments of 15 different individuals. These films/photographs were assessed twice by four dental professionals who had participated in the OHAI data collection. For statistical analyses of the reliability, per cent agreement, Krippendorff's alpha and E. Svensson's method were used. The test-retest for Part I items showed acceptable-to-good agreement and no systematic disagreement. In Part II, two items showed somewhat limited reliability. Part III showed good intra- and inter-rater reliability. The OHAI items seem stable and reliable for the intended sample, and the instrument may be a valuable tool to identify older adults at risk of impaired oral health. However, two items may need to be reformulated.

Implications on star formation rate indicators from H ii regions and diffuse ionized gas in the M101 Group

ABSTRACT We examine the connection between diffuse ionized gas (DIG), H ii regions, and field O and B stars in the nearby spiral M101 and its dwarf companion NGC 5474 using ultra-deep H α narrow-band imaging and archival GALEX UV imaging. We find a strong correlation between DIG H α surface brightness and the incident ionizing flux leaked from the nearby H ii regions, which we reproduce well using simple cloudy simulations. While we also find a strong correlation between H α and co-spatial far-ultraviolet (FUV) surface brightness in DIG, the extinction-corrected integrated UV colours in these regions imply stellar populations too old to produce the necessary ionizing photon flux. Combined, this suggests that H ii region leakage, not field OB stars, is the primary source of DIG in the M101 Group. Corroborating this interpretation, we find systematic disagreement between the H α- and FUV-derived star formation rates (SFRs) in the DIG, with SFRH α <SFRFUV everywhere. Within H ii regions, we find a constant SFR ratio of 0.44 to a limit of ∼10−5 M⊙ yr−1. This result is in tension with other studies of star formation in spiral galaxies, which typically show a declining SFRH α/SFRFUV ratio at low SFR. We reproduce such trends only when considering spatially averaged photometry that mixes H ii regions, DIG, and regions lacking H α entirely, suggesting that the declining trends found in other galaxies may result purely from the relative fraction of diffuse flux, leaky compact H ii regions, and non-ionizing FUV-emitting stellar populations in different regions within the galaxy.

Validation of the Story World Absorption Scale through annotation of online book reviews

In this paper we present our attempt at validating a self-report instrument developed in the field of empirical literary studies to capture absorption experiences, namely the Story World Absorption Scale (SWAS, Kuijpers, et al. 2014). We used the SWAS as the foundation for a tag set, that targets mentions of absorption in online book reviews. Online book reviews posted on social media platforms are a relatively new form of reader testimonials that can be of use to researchers from different disciplines to investigate reading experience and evaluation, as well as social discourse about reading. This paper discusses the annotation tag set, which was developed through an iterative process, presented alongside a series of inter-annotator agreement studies that show the validity of our annotation process. Finally, it will discuss the validation and reconceptualization of the Story World Absorption construct, where we consider instances of systematic disagreement during annotation and discuss new categories that we added to the tag set that indicate areas where absorption theory may need to be refined.

Cardiovascular risk assessment methods yield unequal risk predictions: a large cross-sectional study in psychiatric secondary care outpatients

BackgroundPatients with a mental illness are more likely to develop, and die from, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), necessitating optimal CVD-risk (CVR)-assessment to enable early detection and treatment. Whereas psychiatrists use the metabolic syndrome (MetS)-concept to estimate CVR, GPs use absolute risk-models. Additionally, two PRIMROSE-models have been specifically designed for patients with severe mental illness. We aimed to assess the agreement in risk-outcomes between these CVR-methods.MethodsTo compare risk-outcomes across the various CVR-methods, we used somatic information of psychiatric outpatients from the PHAMOUS-, and MOPHAR-database, aged 40–70 years, free of past or current CVD and diabetes. We investigated: (1) the degree-of-agreement between categorical assessments (i.e. MetS-status vs. binary risk-categories); (2) non-parametric correlations between the number of MetS-criteria and absolute risks; and (3) strength-of-agreement between absolute risks.ResultsSeven thousand twenty-nine measurements of 3509 PHAMOUS-patients, and 748 measurements of 748 MOPHAR-patients, were included. There was systematic disagreement between the categorical CVR-assessments (all p < 0.036). Only MetS-status versus binary Framingham-assessment had a fair strength-of-agreement (κ = 0.23–0.28). The number of MetS-criteria and Framingham-scores, as well as MetS-criteria and PRIMROSE lipid-scores, showed a moderate-strong correlation (τ = 0.25–0.34). Finally, only the continuous PRIMROSE desk and lipid-outcomes showed moderate strength-of-agreement (ρ = 0.91).ConclusionsThe varying methods for CVR-assessment yield unequal risk predictions, and, consequently, carry the risk of significant disparities regarding treatment initiation in psychiatric patients. Considering the significantly increased health-risks in psychiatric patients, CVR-models should be recalibrated to the psychiatric population from adolescence onwards, and uniformly implemented by health care providers.Trial registrationThe MOPHAR research has been prospectively registered with the Netherlands Trial Register on 19th of November 2014 (NL4779).

Validity of ICD codes to identify do-not-resuscitate orders among older adults with heart failure: A single center study.

Observational research on the advance care planning (ACP) process is limited by a lack of easily accessible ACP variables in many large datasets. The objective of this study was to determine whether International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes for do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders are valid proxies for the presence of a DNR recorded in the electronic medical record (EMR). We studied 5,016 patients over the age of 65 who were admitted to a large, mid-Atlantic medical center with a primary diagnosis of heart failure. DNR orders were identified in billing records from ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes. DNR orders were also identified in the EMR by a manual search of physician notes. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated as well as measures of agreement and disagreement. In addition, estimates of associations with mortality and costs were calculated using the DNR documented in EMR and the DNR proxy identified in ICD codes. Relative to the gold standard of the EMR, DNR orders identified in ICD codes had an estimated sensitivity of 84.6%, specificity of 96.6%, positive predictive value of 90.5%, and negative predictive value of 94.3%. The estimated kappa statistic was 0.83, although McNemar's test suggested there was some systematic disagreement between the DNR from ICD codes and the EMR. ICD codes appear to provide a reasonable proxy for DNR orders among hospitalized older adults with heart failure. Further research is necessary to determine if billing codes can identify DNR orders in other populations.

Point-of-care self-testing for measuring total white blood cells and C-reactive protein – a pilot study for future home-monitoring of patients during antibiotic treatment at home

Background During home treatment with antibiotics, patients’ laboratory results of total white blood cell count (WBC) with neutrophil counts and C-reactive protein (CRP) are drawn and monitored at the hospital. The aim of the study was to examine the feasibility and analytical accuracy of hospitalized patients 18 years or older self-testing using two point-of-care tests (POCT). Methods The pilot study included 41 hospitalized patients. A subjective judgment of the patients’ ability to conduct the self-testing was made along with a comparison of the POCT measurements of WBC, neutrophil counts and CRP with standard laboratory measurements. Correlation between the POCTs and laboratorial values was assessed by coefficient of determination and the level of agreement between the means was assessed by Bland Altman test. Results Of the 38 patients conducting self-testing, 78% were men and the mean age was 61.8 years. 28 patients (73.7%) successfully performed self-testing on the first try while, 10 (26.3%) ‘HemoCue WBC DIFF’ measurements showed an error code. All the patients successfully performed the ‘QuickRead go CRP’ self-test. Comparison of the ‘HemoCue WBC DIFF’ results with the laboratory results of WBC and neutrophil counts showed good agreement. On the other hand, ‘QuickRead go CRP’ results showed a small but significant systematic disagreement compared to the laboratory results. Conclusion Our results showed that the POCTs can be used by some patients and factors influencing the patient participation included psychological and physical limitations. Both POCTs appeared to have an acceptable clinical level of accuracy.

Intra- and inter-rater reliability of the Italian Fugl-Meyer assessment of upper and lower extremity

Purpose To assess the intra- and inter-rater reliability motor and sensory functioning, balance, joint range of motion and joint pain subscales of the Italian Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) and Lower Extremity (FMA-LE) at the item- subtotal- and total-level in patients with sub-acute stroke. Materials and methods The FMA was administered to 60 patients with sub-acute stroke (mean age ± SD = 75.4 ± 10.7 years; 58.3% men) and independently rated by two physiotherapists on two consecutive days. Intra- and inter-reliability was studied by a rank-based statistical method for paired ordinal data to detect any systematic or random disagreement. Results The item-level intra- and inter-rater reliability was satisfactory (>70%). Reliability level >70% was achieved at subscale and total score level when one- or two-points difference was considered. Systematic disagreements were reported for five items of the FMA-UE, but not for FMA-LE. Conclusions The Italian version of the FMA showed to be a reliable instrument that can therefore be recommended for clinical and research purposes. Implications for rehabilitation The FMA is the gold standard for assessing stroke patients’ sensorimotor impairment worldwide. The Italian Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) and Lower Extremity (FMA-LE) is substantially reliable within and between two raters at the item, subtotal, and total score level in patients with sub-acute stroke. The use of FMA in the Italian context will provide an opportunity for international comparisons and research collaborations.

SORCE and TSIS‐1 SIM Comparison: Absolute Irradiance Scale Reconciliation

AbstractThe Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) and Total and Spectral Irradiance Sensor (TSIS‐1) conducted an intercomparison for the two Spectral Irradiance Monitors (SIM) spanning 704 days from 23 March 2018 to 25 February 2020 and permitted 554 time‐matched pairs of observations. This comparison was conducted during the extremely quiescent Solar Cycle 24 minimum, so all observed differences and drifts between the two sensors are instrumental in nature. The TSIS‐1 SIM benefitted from advanced calibration capabilities based on SI standards that were not available during the preflight calibration time period of SORCE. For this reason, a revision of the SORCE SIM absolute scale is appropriate. As expected, wavelength dependent differences in absolute agreement are a function of detector sensitivity and local changes in spectral slope. At the time of the comparison SORCE SIM has been on‐orbit for 17 years while TSIS‐1 observations commenced immediately after a 100‐day outgassing and commissioning period. Peak‐to‐peak absolute scale differences are about 12% with a mean fractional difference of 0.7% ± 2.9%. The greatest scale differences occur at the change‐over between the UV and visible photodiodes in the 310 nm region, and a systematic disagreement is present in the 850–1,600 nm range. A multiplicative scale correction factor has been developed to reconcile the TSIS‐1 and SORCE difference with a wavelength dependent error on the mean typically less than 0.01% derived from every matched pair of observations.

Cross-cultural translation and adaptation of the Danish version of the Fugl-Meyer assessment for post stroke sensorimotor function

Purpose The Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) is the most widely used and recommended clinical assessment scale for evaluating sensorimotor impairments in stroke patients, but an official Danish version has not been available. This study aimed to perform a standardized translation and cross-cultural adaptation (TCCA) of the FMA into Danish. Methods First, a comprehensive eight-step TCCA procedure including forward and backward translation and step-wise reviewing by proof-reader and bilingual physiotherapists, to ensure conceptual and semantic equivalence was applied to develop a Danish version of the FMA. Second, inter-rater reliability of the Danish FMA was assessed in 10 subacute stroke patients. Svensson’s statistical method designed for rank-based paired ordinal data to identify items showing non-systematic or systematic disagreements in relative position or concentration was used to make further improvements on translation. Results A Danish FMA version was successfully made by the step-wise TCCA procedure. The clinical validation revealed satisfactory to excellent inter-tester reliability across all items (70–100%). Significant systematic disagreement either in position or concentration or both were observed in about 20% of the items. Conclusions The Danish version of the FMA was translated and adapted allowing for a wider standardized use of the FMA in stroke rehabilitation in Denmark. Implications for rehabilitation The Fugl–Meyer assessment (FMA) is the most used and recommended clinical assessment scale for evaluating sensorimotor impairments in stroke patients. The translated and adapted Danish version of the FMA is now available for use in research and clinical practice in Denmark. This allows for a standardized and unified description of stroke motor recovery and severity in neurorehabilitation nationwide as well as the possibility to compare and conduct trials using FMA internationally.

Psychometric properties of the TEMPA for the assessment of arm motor activity capacity in hemiparetic Japanese patients after stroke

Purpose To investigate the psychometric properties of the Test d’Evaluation des Membres Suprieurs de Personnes Agres (TEMPA) for the affected upper extremity in a population of Japanese patients with stroke. Materials and methods A prospective, cross-sectional, single-center study involving 30 patients with stroke was conducted. The inter-rater reliability, the validity, and the internal consistency were assessed. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), the Motor Activity Log, and the Box-and-Block Test were employed for assessing the validity. Results The English TEMPA instructions were successfully translated in accordance with the accepted principles of translation. The weighted Kappa coefficients for the functional rating scores were 0.87, 0.93, and 0.91 for combined total score, unilateral total score, and bilateral total scores. No statistically significant systematic disagreement was seen in the combined scores. The Spearman’s rho values were higher than 0.70 regarding the gold standard tools (the FMA-UE motor domain and the ARAT). The Cronbach’s alpha was 0.940 in the functional rating scale and 0.998 in the task analysis scale. Conclusions The most aspects of the Japanese TEMPA showed acceptable levels of inter-rater reliability and validity in patients with affected upper extremities after stroke. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION The TEMPA is reliable and valid in measuring activity capacity of upper extremity in patients with stroke. The functional rating score of the TEMPA is recommended to assess activities related to daily living, especially when users need to focus on bimanual activities. The TEMPA may help guide intervention that improve bimanual activity as well as the affected arm activity.

Do owners recognise abnormal equine behaviour when tacking‐up and mounting? A comparison between responses to a questionnaire and real‐time observations

SummaryBackgroundCauses of abnormal behaviour during tacking‐up or mounting are multifactorial, but may be associated with an ill‐fitting saddle, a rider sitting on the caudal third of the saddle, or lameness.ObjectivesTo determine whether: (1) owners believed their horse showed abnormal behaviour when tacked‐up or mounted; (2) this agreed with observations by a veterinarian.Study designCross‐sectional study; convenience sample.MethodsHorses were undergoing prepurchase examinations, investigation of poor performance, or were recruited by invitation. Owners were asked if their horse showed abnormal behaviour when tacked‐up or mounted and subsequently whether they showed specific behaviours (yes/no) during bridling, saddling, girthing and mounting. Each horse was observed during tacking‐up and mounting by one veterinarian who recorded the occurrence of each behaviour. Agreement between the owners and the veterinarian was evaluated using intraclass correlation (ICC) coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsOverall 34.2% (66/193) of owners reported that their horse showed behavioural abnormalities during tacking‐up or mounting. There was poor to good agreement between the owners and veterinarian for horses putting their head up to avoid bridling (ICC 0.53, CI 0.37, 0.64) and being reluctant to open their mouth for the bit (ICC 0.52, CI 0.36, 0.64). There was poor to fair agreement for evading noseband tightening (ICC 0.41, CI 0.21, 0.56), elevating the head (ICC 0.24, CI 0.00, 0.43) and teeth grinding (ICC 0.23, CI 0.00, 0.42). For attempts to bite, there was fair to excellent agreement during saddling (ICC 0.67, CI 0.56, 0.75) and good to excellent agreement during girthing (ICC 0.73, CI 0.64, 0.79). Results for some behaviours suggested potential systematic disagreement between the veterinarian and owners.Main limitationsPotential bias of volunteers recruited by invitation. Day‐to‐day variation of behaviours is unknown.ConclusionsThe majority of owners were unaware that their horses showed behavioural abnormalities during tacking‐up or mounting.

Intra- and inter-rater reliability of Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity early after stroke

BackgroundThe Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity (FMA-LE) is a widely used and recommended scale for evaluation of post-stroke motor impairment. However, the reliability of the scale has only been established by using parametric statistical methods, which ignores the ordinal properties of the scale. ObjectiveTo determined intra- and inter-rater reliability of the FMA-LE at item and summed score level early after stroke. MethodsSixty patients (mean age 65.9 years, median FMA-LE 29 points) admitted to the hospital due to stroke were included. The FMA-LE was simultaneously, but independently, scored by three experienced and trained physical therapists randomly assigned into pairs, on two consecutive days, between 4 to 9 days post stroke. A rank-based statistical method for paired ordinal data was used to assess the level of agreement and systematic and random disagreements. ResultsThe item-level reliability was high (percentage of agreement [PA] ≥75%). Two items (ankle dorsiflexion during flexor synergy and normal reflex activity) showed some systematic disagreement in intrarater analysis. A satisfactory intrarater reliability (PA ≥70%) was reached for all summed scores when a 1- or 2-point difference was accepted between ratings. ConclusionThe FMA-LE is a reliable tool for assessment of motor impairment both within and between raters early after stroke. The scale can be recommended not only for use in Spanish speaking countries, but also internationally. A unified international use of FMA-LE would allow comparison of stroke recovery outcomes worldwide and thereby potentially improve the quality of stroke rehabilitation.

Comparison of DIVIMP and EDGE2D-EIRENE tungsten transport predictions in JET edge plasmas

• Monte Carlo DIVIMP and multi-fluid EDGE2D-EIRENE treatment of tungsten were compared. • Tungsten density predictions by DIVIMP and EDGE2D-EIRENE agree within a factor of 2. • DIVIMP predicts consistently 50% more tungsten than EDGE2D-EIRENE in attached plasmas. • The discrepancy is due to the bundling of tungsten charge states to 6 fluid species. • Using 22 tungsten species yields accurate tungsten charge but causes numerical errors. The average tungsten concentrations in the pedestal region (c W ) predicted by the Monte Carlo code DIVIMP and the coupled multi-fluid plasma/kinetic neutral code EDGE2D-EIRENE are found to agree within a factor of 2 for a range of JET-ILW L-mode and H-mode plasma conditions. Under attached divertor conditions with c W exceeding 10 −6 , the c W predicted by DIVIMP is consistently ~ 50% higher than by EDGE2D-EIRENE. In colder plasma scenarios with c W < 10 - 6 , stochastic variations exceed the systematic disagreement between the two codes. The average tungsten charge predicted by EDGE2D-EIRENE in the upstream scrape-off layer is lower by 40–50% due to the bundling of the 74 tungsten ion charge states into 6 fluid species, which explains the reduced tungsten accumulation in the main plasma compared to the DIVIMP predictions.

Evaluation of ophthalmology residents' self-assessments and peer assessments in simulated surgery

ObjectiveTo evaluate the accuracy of ophthalmology residents’ self-assessment and peer assessment of surgical skills in a simulation setting. DesignSimulation laboratory assessment. ParticipantsOphthalmology residents novice to cataract surgery. MethodsA modified International Council of Ophthalmology's Ophthalmology Surgical Competency Assessment Rubric: Phacoemulsification structured assessment tool for simulated cataract surgery was established by conventional Delphi method. Residents completed 10 independent simulated surgeries that were video-recorded. Two experts graded the videos using the assessment tool. Participants performed self-assessment of their own 10 videos, and peer assessment of 10 of their peers’ videos. ResultsNine cataract surgery experts provided feedback and modifications for the assessment tool. Agreement for the first round of the Delphi method ranged from 55.56% to 100%. Second round agreement was 80% or greater for all answers. The final assessment tool comprised (i) 4 procedural items scored from 0 (not performed) to 7 (competent), and (ii) a global rating scale (GRS) requiring yes/no answers to 4 performance-related questions. Eight residents participated in the study. There was excellent expert inter-rater reliability intraclass correlation ((ICC) = 0.844, 0.875, 0.809, 0.844) and fair to excellent inter-rater reliability between expert and peer scores (ICC = 0.702, 0.831, 0.521, 0.423), but systematic disagreement (ICC = −0.428, −0.038) or poor inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.298, 0.362) between expert and self-scores. There was poor agreement for all GRS questions (κ statistic < 0.40) except 2 comparisons. ConclusionsIn the simulation setting, experts were able to reliably assess trainees’ performance using the assessment tool. Participants demonstrated inconsistency in assessing their own skills; however, they were adequate at assessing their peers’ overall performance.

Source multiplication measurements and neutron correlation analyses for a highly enriched uranium subcritical core driven by an inherent source in Kyoto University Critical Assembly

ABSTRACT For a highly enriched uranium subcritical core driven by an inherent or an external Am-Be source in Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA), a series of the source multiplication measurements, the Feynman-α and the Rossi-α neutron correlation analyses was carried out to demonstrate quantitatively that the use of the former inherent source had some advantages over that of the latter external source. Under a reactor drive by the external source, the subcriticality obtained by the neutron source multiplication method (NSM) significantly depended on neutron counter position and was consequently in very poor agreement with that calculated by the continuous-energy Monte Carlo code MVP (version 3) with the nuclear data library JENDL-4.0. In contrast to the above drive, the other drive by the inherent source spectacularly reduced the counter-position dependence and lead to a good agreement with the calculation by the MVP. The prompt-neutron decay constant determined from the Feynman-α analysis under the external source was also significantly dependent on the counter position. The Rossi-α analysis had a relatively slight counter-position dependence of the decay constant to the Feynman-α analysis but had a very low S/N ratio, which indicated an inferior applicability of the Rossi-α analysis to the reactor drive and enlarged a statistical uncertainty of the decay constant. On the other hand, the reactor drive by the inherent source considerably reduced the counter-position dependence of the Feynman-α analysis and spectacularly enhanced the S/N ratio of the Rossi-α analysis. An effective strength of the inherent source could be also determined from the S/N ratio. When the prompt-neutron decay constant obtained under this reactor drive was transformed into each subcriticality by the Simmons and King method, where a subcritical dependence of the generation time and the effective delayed-neutron fraction was neglected, the subcriticality transformed seemed to agree well with that calculated by the MVP. When the decay constant was transformed by the inhour method, where the subcritical dependence of these kinetic parameters was considered, a systematic disagreement between the transformed and the calculated subcriticality appeared.

Determinants of health-related quality of life proxy rating disagreement between caregivers of children with cancer

PurposeProxy reports of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are commonly used in pediatric oncology. However, it is not known if caregivers’ reports differ. This study therefore aims to compare paternal and maternal proxy reports, and explore determinants of couple disagreement (sociodemographic and medical characteristics, and parental QoL and distress).MethodsBoth parents completed the PedsQL generic (child’s HRQoL), Short Form-12 (own QoL) and Distress Thermometer for Parents. To assess agreement in child HRQoL, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated. Differences between fathers/mothers were assessed with paired t tests. Systematic disagreement patterns were visualized with Bland–Altman plots. Characteristics of parental couples with a mean proxy difference in the highest quartile (highest proxy score minus lowest proxy score) were explored with multiple logistic regression analysis.ResultsParents of 120 children with cancer (87% post-treatment, mean age 11.0 ± 5.7 years) participated. No significant differences were found between paternal and maternal proxy scores, and agreement was good on all scales (ICCs 0.65–0.83). Bland–Altman plots revealed no systematic disagreement patterns, but there was a wide range in magnitude of the differences, and differences went in both directions. Couples with a mean proxy difference (irrespective of which direction) in the highest quartile (± 20 points) were more likely to have a child in active treatment, with retinoblastoma or relapsed disease, and to diverge in their own QoL.ConclusionsIf proxy reports of only one parent are available, clinicians may reasonably assume that paternal and maternal reports are interchangeable. However, if in doubt, respondent’s sex is not of major importance, but clinicians should be aware of patient’s and family’s characteristics.

The Work Stress Questionnaire (WSQ) \u2013 reliability and face validity among male workers

BackgroundThe Work Stress Questionnaire (WSQ) was developed as a self-administered questionnaire with the purpose of early identification of individuals at risk of being sick-listed due to work-related stress. It has previously been tested for reliability and face validity among women with satisfying results. The aim of the study was to test reliability and face validity of the Work Stress Questionnaire (WSQ) among male workers.MethodFor testing reliability, a test-retest study was performed where 41 male workers filled out the questionnaire on two occasions at 2 weeks intervals. For evaluating face validity, seven male workers filled out the questionnaire and gave their opinions on the questions, scale steps and how the items corresponded to their perception of stress at work.ResultsThe WSQ was, for all but one item, found to be stable over time. The item Supervisor considers one’s views showed a systematic disagreement, i.e. there was a change common to the group for this item. Face validity was confirmed by the male pilot group.ConclusionReliability and face validity of the WSQ was found to be satisfying when used on a male population. This indicates that the questionnaire can be used also for a male target group.

Nonlinear shear of entangled polymers from nonequilibrium molecular dynamics

ABSTRACTThis study aims to use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of Kremer–Grest (KG) chains to inform future developments of models of entangled polymer dynamics. We perform nonequilibrium MD simulations, under shear flow, for well‐entangled KG chains. We study chains of 512 and 1000 KG beads, corresponding to 8 and 15 entanglements, respectively. We compute the linear rheological properties from equilibrium simulations of the stress autocorrelation and obtain from these data the tube model parameters. Under nonlinear shear flow, we compute the shear viscosity, the first and second normal stress differences, and chain contour length. For chains of 512 monomers, we obtain agreement with the results of Cao and Likhtman (ACS Macro. Lett. 2015, 4, 1376). We also compare our nonlinear results with the Graham, Likhtman and Milner‐McLeish (GLaMM) model. We identify some systematic disagreement that becomes larger for the longer chains. We made a comparison of the transient shear stress maximum from our simulations, two nonlinear models and experiments on a wide range of melts and solutions, including polystyrene (PS), polybutadiene, and styrene–butadiene rubber. This comparison establishes that the PS melt data show markedly different behavior to all other melts and solutions and KG simulations reproduce the PS data more closely than either the GLaMM or Xie and Schweizer models. We discuss the performance of these models against the data and simulations. Finally, by imposing a rapid reversing flow, we produce a method to extract the recoverable strain from MD simulations, valid for sufficiently entangled monodisperse polymers. We explore how the resulting data can probe the melt state just before the reversing flow. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019, 57, 1692–1704