Inference Test Research Articles

Exploring the multiverse: the impact of researchers' analytic decisions on relationships between depression and inflammatory markers.

In recent years, a replication crisis in psychiatry has led to a growing focus on the impact of researchers' analytic decisions on the results from studies. Multiverse analyses involve examining results across a wide array of possible analytic decisions (e.g., log-transforming variables, number of covariates, or treatment of outliers) and identifying if study results are robust to researchers' analytic decisions. Studies have begun to use multiverse analysis for well-studied relationships that have some heterogeneity in results/conclusions across studies.We examine the well-studied relationship between peripheral inflammatory markers (PIMs; e.g., white blood cell count (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP)) and depression severity in the large NHANES dataset (n = 25,962). Specification curve analyses tested the impact of 9 common analytic decisions (comprising of 58,000+ possible combinations) on the association of PIMs and depression severity. Relationships of PIMs and total depression severity are robust to analytic decisions (based on tests of inference jointly examining effect sizes and p-values). However, moderate/large differences are noted in effect sizes based on analytic decisions and the majority of analyses do not result in significant findings, with the percentage of analyses with statistically significant results being 46.1% for WBC and 43.8% for CRP. For associations of PIMs with specific symptoms of depression, some associations (e.g., sleep, appetite) in males (but not females) were robust to analytic decisions. We discuss how multiverse analyses can be used to guide research and also the need for authors, reviewers, and editors to incorporate multiverse analyses to enhance replicability of research findings.

Biomarkers of response to first-line nivolumab therapy in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) enrolled in the HCRN GU16-260 trial.

4549 Background: The HCRN GU16-260 study showed that nivolumab (nivo) monotherapy is active in treatment-naïve patients (pts) with RCC. Although efficacy correlated with tumor cell (TC) PD-L1 expression, more clinically relevant biomarkers are needed. We previously showed that levels of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) expressing PD-1 but not TIM-3 and LAG-3 (CD8+ PD1+ TIM3- LAG3-) were associated with response to nivo in previously treated clear cell RCC (ccRCC) pts (Pignon, 2019; Ficial, 2021). Here, we sought to validate these findings in the first-line setting. Methods: Primary tumor tissues from pts with ccRCC (n= 67) and non-ccRCC (n= 13) were analyzed by multiparametric immunofluorescence (IF), and the density of CD8+PD-1+TIM-3-LAG-3- TIL was quantified by image analysis. The correlation of the log-transformed biomarkers with objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS) was assessed in the ccRCC cohort and the combined (ccRCC + non-ccRCC) cohort (n=80) using Cox or logistic regression analysis, or Chi-square/Fisher’s exact test (as appropriate) for statistical inference – alpha level was set at 5% (1-sided). Results: In both the ccRCC and the combined cohort, density of CD8+PD-1+TIM-3-LAG-3- TIL (IF biomarker) measured as continuous variable was associated with ORR (ccRCC: OR = 1.54, p = 0.017; combined: OR = 1.35, p = 0.040) and PFS (ccRCC: HR = 0.79, p = 0.015; combined: HR = 0.85, p = 0.016). At a cutoff optimized for maximum sensitivity for ORR, ccRCC patients with a high (61/67) vs low (6/67) IF biomarker had higher ORR (44.3% vs. 0% p = 0.039) and longer median PFS (10.9 months vs. 4.2 months, p = 0.016). Of note, when combined with the IF biomarker, TC PD-L1 expression (≥1%) further separated the clinical outcomes of ccRCC pts. Conclusions: High levels of CD8+ PD1+ TIM-3-LAG-3- TILs were associated with response to first-line nivo in pts with advanced RCC and the combination with TC PD-L1 status further separated the outcomes of pts with ccRCC, validating our previous findings. Further investigations into the role of myeloid inflammation as determinant of clinical outcome to nivo therapy are ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT03117309 . [Table: see text]

First in human phase Ⅰ study of BMS-986299 as monotherapy and combined with nivolumab and ipilimumab in advanced solid tumors.

e14584 Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) face hurdles in overcoming the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. BMS-986299 is first-in-class, NOD-, LRR-, and pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome agonist enhancing adaptive immune and T cell memory responses. In-vivo studies demonstrated BMS-986299 synergy with ICIs and induction of durable immunological memory. Methods: This multicenter, open-label, phase I [NCT03444753] study assessed safety and tolerability of intra-tumoral (IT) BMS-986299 monotherapy (Part 1A) and in combination (Part 1B) with the programmed death 1 receptor antibody nivolumab (N), and the anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated protein 4 antibody ipilimumab (I) in advanced solid tumors. Eligible patients (pts) regardless of prior ICI with accessible solid tumors (≥ 2 lesions) received IT BMS-986299 administered on day 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 for Cycle 1 (C1) and on days 1, 29 until C2, 8 weeks apart across 7 dose escalation cohorts in Part 1A (75μg-4000μg; Bayesian Logistic Regression Model (BLRM). In Part 1B, BMS-986299 was given across 3 dose escalation cohorts (75μg-2000μg; BLRM Copula) with nivolumab 480 mg q4weeks and ipilimumab 1 mg/kg q8weeks (fixed dosing) from day 1 up to 24 months (m). Cross-over (CS) was allowed from Part 1A to Part 1B. Results: The study was terminated early, unrelated to safety, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and did not complete enrollment. From April 2018 to February 2022, 50 pts were treated (33; Part 1A and 17; Part 1B). Eleven pts crossed over to Part 1B. Median age of pts enrolled was 59 years and with preponderance in female gender (58.0%) and white (80.0%) pt. participation. Forty-two pts (70%) had treatment related adverse events (TRAEs). Grade (G)3/G4 TRAEs included tubulointerstitial nephritis (1; Part 1A), hepatitis (1; CS), colitis, diabetic ketoacidosis, elevated liver enzymes (1 each; Part 1B). No G5 TRAEs or dose limiting toxicities were seen. In Part 1A, 3 pts (melanoma; bladder; anal) achieved stable disease (SD). In CS cohort, 1 triple negative breast cancer (BC) pt had partial response (PR; -60%) for 27.4 m and 3 had SD (breast; cSCC, squamous oropharynx). In Part 1B, 3 pts had PR including 2 pts with hormone positive BC (1 pt with -86%; 3.2m and 1 pt with -39%; 2m) and 1 pt with cutaneous squamous cell cancer (cSCC) (-43%; 1m). Four pts in part 1B had SD (2 breast, 1 lung, 1 chondrosarcoma). All 4 responders received the combination of BMS-986299 with N + I with 3 responders receiving BMS-986299 at 2000μg and one at 300μg. 3 responders (2 breast; 1 cSCC) had prior ICI therapy. Conclusions: BMS-986299 in combination with ICI resulted in modest clinical activity in select tumor types and carried a manageable toxicity profile. However, definitive conclusions could not be drawn as the study was not powered for inference testing. Further exploration is warranted to define the role of this novel agent in the ICI refractory population. Clinical trial information: NCT03444753 .

Social cognition and real-life functioning in patient samples with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome with or without psychosis, compared to a large sample of patients with schizophrenia only and healthy controls.

Patients with the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (DS) show an increased risk of developing a psychotic illness lifetime. 22q11.2DS may represent a reliable model for studying the neurobiological underpinnings of schizophrenia. The study of social inference abilities in a genetic condition at high risk for psychosis, like 22q11.2DS, may shed light on the relationships between neurocognitive processes and patients' daily general functioning. The study sample consisted of 1736 participants, divided into four groups: 22q11.2DS patients with diagnosis of psychotic disorder (DEL SCZ, N = 20); 22q11.2DS subjects with no diagnosis of psychosis (DEL, N = 43); patients diagnosed with schizophrenia without 22q11.2DS (SCZ, N = 893); and healthy controls (HC, N = 780). Social cognition was assessed through The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT) and general functioning through the Specific Levels of Functioning (SLoF) scale. We analysed data through regression analysis. The SCZ and DEL groups had similar levels of global functioning; they both had significantly lower SLoF Total scores than HC (p < .001); the DEL SCZ group showed significantly lower scores compared to the other groups (SCZ, p = .004; DEL, p = .003; HC, p < .001). A significant deficit in social cognition was observed in the three clinical groups. In the DEL SCZ and SCZ groups, TASIT scores significantly predicted global functioning (p < .05). Our findings of social cognition deficit in psychosis-prone patients point to the possible future adoption of rehabilitation programmes, like Social Skills Training and Cognitive Remediation, during premorbid stages of psychosis.

Assessing Social Cognition Across Dementia Subtypes (P6-6.004)

<h3>Objective:</h3> In this study, we aim to determine the clinical utility of bedside social cognition assessments in the diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). We hypothesized that patients with FTD would score lower compared to patients with other neuropsychiatric disorders and healthy controls. <h3>Background:</h3> Although social cognition is selectively impaired in FTD, it is not routinely assessed in clinical evaluations, leading to frequent misdiagnoses such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and primary psychiatric disorders (PPD). <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> We created a battery of social cognition assessments that provide a comprehensive measurement of each patient’s social cognition, including degree of empathy, ability to identify emotions in others, and capacity to interpret social cues. The battery includes the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), the Mini-Social Cognition and Emotional Assessment (mini-SEA), and The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT-S). The battery was administered to 60 patients, including patients with FTD (n=11), AD (n=18), vascular dementia (VD) (n=9), Lewy Body Dementia (DLB) (n=3), PPD (n=9), and 10 healthy controls (HC). We then calculated the averages in assessment scores for comparison across subgroups (FTD, AD, VD, DLB, PPD, and HC). <h3>Results:</h3> Patients with FTD had lower scores across all assessments. On the IRI, the average score for FTD patients was 49.3 ±6.80 compared to AD (67.8), VD (57.2), DLB (58.7), PPD (62.1), and HC (69.6). The average score on the Mini-SEA was 25.2 ±2.98 for FTD patients compared to AD (30.3), VD (30.3), DLB (30.0), PPD (30.4), and HC (33.5). The average total score on the TASIT-S for FTD patients was 24.2 ±1.93 compared to AD (26.0), VD (24.2), DLB (24.2), PPD (26.8), and HC (29.5). <h3>Conclusions:</h3> The FTD subgroup consistently scored lower on all assessments in the social cognition battery, demonstrating the potential for bedside social cognition assessments for early diagnosis of FTD. <b>Disclosure:</b> Miss Lorino has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Tulane University. The institution of Miss Lorino has received research support from National Institutes of Health. Ms. Yang has nothing to disclose. Ms. Covaciu has nothing to disclose. The institution of Dr. Seibert has received research support from Retirement Research Foundation. The institution of Dr. Seibert has received research support from Center for Healthcare Delivery Science and Innovation.

The interaction of the oxytocin receptor gene and child abuse subtypes on social cognition in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder type I.

Most studies on cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder have neglected the role of early stress, despite the high frequency of childhood maltreatment in this clinical group. The aim of this study was to establish a connection between a history of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse in childhood and social cognition (SC) in patients with bipolar disorder type I (BD-I) in euthymia, and to test a possible moderating effect of the single nucleotide polymorphism rs53576 in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR). One hundred and one participants were included in this study. History of child abuse was evaluated using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form. Cognitive functioning was appraised using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (social cognition). The interaction effect between the independent variables OXTR rs53576 (AA/AG and GG) and the absence or presence of any one type of child maltreatment or a combination of types was analyzed using a generalized linear model regression. BD-I patients who had been victims of physical and emotional abuse in childhood and were carriers of the GG genotype at OXTR rs53576 displayed greater SC alterations, specifically in emotion recognition. This gene-environment interaction finding suggests a differential susceptibility model of a genetic variants that can be plausibly associated with SC functioning and might help to identify at-risk clinical subgroups within a diagnostic category. Future research aimed at testing the interlevel impact of early stress constitutes an ethical-clinical duty given the high rates of childhood maltreatment reported in BD-I patients.

The Relationship between Motor Symptoms, Signs, and Parkinsonism with Facial Emotion Recognition Deficits in Individuals with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome at High Genetic Risk for Psychosis

Background. The 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a genetic condition at high risk of developing both psychosis and motor disorders. Social Cognition (SC) deficits have been associated not only with schizophrenia but also with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The present study assessed SC deficits in 22q11.2DS and investigated the interaction between motor symptoms and deficits in Facial Emotion Expressions (FEE) recognition and in Theory of Mind (ToM) tasks in people with 22q11.2DS. Methods. We recruited 38 individuals with 22q11.2DS without psychosis ( N = 38 , DEL) and 18 with 22q11.2DS and psychosis ( N = 18 , DEL_SCZ). The Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Ekman’s 60 Faces Test (EK-60F), the Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT EmRec), and the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III (UPDRS III) were administered. Correlations were sought between UPDRS III and both TASIT EmRec and EK-60F scores. Analyses were conducted separately for each psychopathological subgroup. Results. Higher UPDRS III ( p = 0.04 ) and lower EK-60F ( p = 0.025 ) scores were observed in the DEL_SCZ group. We found inverse correlations between UPDRS III and both TASIT EmRec ( r = − 0.289 , p = 0.031 ) and EK-60F ( r = − 0.387 , p = 0.006 ) scores in the whole sample. Correlations were no longer significant in the DEL_SCZ group (UPDRS III-TASIT EmRec p = 0.629 ; UPDRS III-EK60F p = 0.933 ) whilst being stronger in the DEL group (TASIT EmRec, r = − 0.560 , p &lt; 0.001 ; EK60F, r = − 0.542 , p &lt; 0.001 ). Analyses were adjusted for CPZ Eq and IQ. Conclusions. A modulation between FEE recognition deficits and motor symptoms and signs was observed in the 22q11.2DS group, likely affecting patients’ quality of life.

Forecasting constraints on the mean free path of ionizing photons at z ≥ 5.4 from the Lyman-α forest flux autocorrelation function

ABSTRACT Fluctuations in Lyman-α (Ly α) forest transmission towards high-z quasars are partially sourced from spatial fluctuations in the ultraviolet background, the level of which are set by the mean free path of ionizing photons (λmfp). The autocorrelation function of Ly α forest flux characterizes the strength and scale of transmission fluctuations and, as we show, is thus sensitive to λmfp. Recent measurements at z ∼ 6 suggest a rapid evolution of λmfp at z &amp;gt; 5.0 which would leave a signature in the evolution of the autocorrelation function. For this forecast, we model mock Ly α forest data with properties similar to the XQR-30 extended data set at 5.4 ≤ z ≤ 6.0. At each z, we investigate 100 mock data sets and an ideal case where mock data matches model values of the autocorrelation function. For ideal data with λmfp = 9.0 cMpc at z = 6.0, we recover $\lambda _{\text{mfp}}=12^{+6}_{-3}$ cMpc. This precision is comparable to direct measurements of λmfp from the stacking of quasar spectra beyond the Lyman limit. Hypothetical high-resolution data leads to a $\sim 40~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ reduction in the error bars over all z. The distribution of mock values of the autocorrelation function in this work is highly non-Gaussian for high-z, which should caution work with other statistics of the high-z Ly α forest against making this assumption. We use a rigorous statistical method to pass an inference test, however future work on non-Gaussian methods will enable higher precision measurements.

How SES May Affect Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary in Language Minority Bilingual and Monolingual Children

We investigated the role of socioeconomic status (SES) in the unfolding of vocabulary and text-comprehension skills in language minority bilingual children, who are educated exclusively in their L2. For comparison, a monolingual control group was also tested, consisting of children of the same age and schooling. We administered a synonyms task to measure vocabulary and an inference test to measure reading comprehension. Socioeconomic status scores were obtained through the Hollingshead Four Factor Index questionnaire. Our results showed that being bilingual did not influence vocabulary and text-comprehension skills in the age group being tested (9-11 years). Whereas, SES played a significant role in relation to age and schooling. Interestingly, two different mediation analyses demonstrated that vocabulary knowledge accounted for a significant portion of the causal relationship between SES and reading comprehension, and that reading comprehension itself can explain part of the relationship between SES and vocabulary. The social and educational implications of the findings are discussed.

Co-Occurring Autism Spectrum and Borderline Personality Disorder: An Emerging Clinical Challenge Seeking Informed Interventions.

Co-Occurring Autism Spectrum and Borderline Personality Disorder: An Emerging Clinical Challenge Seeking Informed Interventions.

Disruption of early visual processing in amyloid-positive healthy individuals and mild cognitive impairment

BackgroundAmyloid deposition is a primary predictor of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related neurodegenerative disorders. Retinal changes involving the structure and function of the ganglion cell layer are increasingly documented in both established and prodromal AD. Visual event-related potentials (vERP) are sensitive to dysfunction in the magno- and parvocellular visual systems, which originate within the retinal ganglion cell layer. The present study evaluates vERP as a function of amyloid deposition in aging, and in mild cognitive impairment (MCI).MethodsvERP to stimulus-onset, motion-onset, and alpha-frequency steady-state (ssVEP) stimuli were obtained from 16 amyloid-positive and 41 amyloid-negative healthy elders and 15 MCI individuals and analyzed using time–frequency approaches. Social cognition was assessed in a subset of individuals using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT).ResultsNeurocognitively intact but amyloid-positive participants and MCI individuals showed significant deficits in stimulus-onset (theta) and motion-onset (delta) vERP generation relative to amyloid-negative participants (all p < .01). Across healthy elders, a composite index of these measures correlated highly (r = − .52, p < .001) with amyloid standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR) and TASIT performance. A composite index composed of vERP measures significant differentiated amyloid-positive and amyloid-negative groups with an overall classification accuracy of > 70%.DiscussionvERP may assist in the early detection of amyloid deposition among older individuals without observable neurocognitive impairments and in linking previously documented retinal deficits in both prodromal AD and MCI to behavioral impairments in social cognition.

Enabling Online Search and Fault Inference for Batteries Based on Knowledge Graph

The safety of batteries has become a major obstacle to the promotion and application of electric vehicles, and the use of cloud-based vehicle practical big data to summarize the fault knowledge of batteries to improve product quality and reduce maintenance costs has attracted widespread attention from academia and industrial communities. In this paper, a method is proposed to construct the battery fault knowledge graph which supports online knowledge query and fault inference. Reliability models for battery undervoltage, inconsistency, and capacity loss are built based on cloud data, and are deployed and continuously updated in the cloud platform to accommodate the migration of the models to different battery products. A bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) neural network was established for knowledge extraction of fault logs, and the results were imported into Neo4j to form a battery fault knowledge graph. Finally, a fault knowledge online query front-end interface was built to conduct inference tests on battery faults of a manufacturer, which proves the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Is there an Association between Vitamin D Status and Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction

Background and aim: Some recent studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency was a common finding in patients with cardiovascular disease. Because of the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease and vitamin D deficiency in Iranian population, we examined the correlation between vitamin D blood levels and patients with heart failure (HF). Material and Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was performed using a randomized sampling technique. One hundred forty-five patients who were admitted to hospitals in Tehran from November 2021 to April 2022 participated in this study. Descriptive analysis and inference tests, including chi-square and t-test were used. Logistic regression tests were also used to find the correlations between variables. A P value less than 0.05 was considered for statistical significance. Results: In aggregate, 145 patients with an average age of 59.91 ± 10.75 years were studied. The average amount of vitamin D was 13.3 ± 12.8 ng/ml. This average was 15.0 ±14.2 ng/ml in patients with normal ejection fraction (EF), 14.6 ± 12.9 ng/ml in patients with mild severity EF, 14.1 ± 11.8 ng/ml and 8.7 ± 5.6 ng/ml in moderate and severe severity EF respectively. (p=0.51) Discussion: Although, in our studies, low levels of serum vitamin D and diabetes were not significantly associated with EF, but preventing them is essential in mitigating risk factors in HF.

Causal Inference and Conditional Independence Testing with RCoT

Causal Inference and Conditional Independence Testing with RCoT

Does social cognition change? Evidence after 4years from the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses.

Deficits in social cognition (SC) are significantly related to community functioning in schizophrenia (SZ). Few studies investigated longitudinal changes in SC and its impact on recovery. In the present study, we aimed: (a) to estimate the magnitude and clinical significance of SC change in outpatients with stable SZ who were assessed at baseline and after 4years, (b) to identify predictors of reliable and clinically significant change (RCSC), and (c) to determine whether changes in SC over 4years predicted patient recovery at follow-up. The reliable change index was used to estimate the proportion of true change in SC, not attributable to measurement error. Stepwise multiple logistic regression models were used to identify the predictors of RCSC in a SC domain (The Awareness of Social Inference Test [TASIT]) and the effect of change in TASIT on recovery at follow-up. In 548 participants, statistically significant improvements were found for the simple and paradoxical sarcasm of TASIT scale, and for the total score of section 2. The reliable change index was 9.8. A cut-off of 45 identified patients showing clinically significant change. Reliable change was achieved by 12.6% and RCSC by 8% of participants. Lower baseline TASIT sect. 2 score predicted reliable improvement on TASIT sect. 2. Improvement in TASIT sect. 2 scores predicted functional recovery, with a 10-point change predicting 40% increase in the probability of recovery. The RCSC index provides a conservative way to assess the improvement in the ability to grasp sarcasm in SZ, and is associated with recovery.

Monoküler Derinlik Tahmini ve Yakın Nesnelerin Tespiti

The image obtained from the cameras is 2D, so we cannot know how far the object is on the image. In order to detect objects only at a certain distance in a camera system, we need to convert the 2D image into 3D. Depth estimation is used to estimate distances to objects. It is the perception of the 2D image as 3D. Although different methods are used to implement this, the method to be applied in this experiment is to detect depth perception with a single camera. After obtaining the depth map, the obtained image will be filtered by objects in the near distance, the distant image will be closed, a new image will be run with the object detection model and object detection will be performed. The desired result in this experiment is, for projects with a low budget, instead of using dual camera or LIDAR methods, it is to ensure that a robot can detect obstacles that will come in front of it with only one camera. As a result, 8 FPS was obtained by running two models on the embedded device, and the loss value was obtained as 0.342 in the inference test performed on the new image, where only close objects were taken after the depth estimation.

The Effect of Epidural Analgesia on Quality of Recovery (QoR) after Radical Prostatectomy.

No studies are currently regarding the quality of recovery (QoR) after open radical prostatectomy (ORP) and epidural morphine analgesia. This was a randomized, prospective, and controlled study that explored QoR on the first postoperative day after ORP. Sixty-one men were randomized into two groups. The first (epidural) group received general anesthesia combined with epidural anesthesia and postoperative epidural analgesia with morphine and ropivacaine. The second (control) group received general anesthesia and continuous postoperative intravenous analgesia with tramadol. Both groups received multimodal analgesia with metamizole. The primary outcome measure was the total QoR-40 score. Secondary outcome measures were: QoR-15, QoR-VAS and the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, anxiety and nausea. The median difference in the total QoR-40 score after 24 postoperative hours between the two groups of patients was 2 (95% CI: -3 to 8), p = 0.35. The global multivariate inference test for secondary outcomes between groups was not significant p &gt; 0.05). QoR-VAS was correlated with QoR-40 (r = 0.69, p ≤ 0.001) and with QoR-15 (r = 0.65, p ≤ 0.001). The total QoR-40 and QoR-15 alpha coefficient with 95% CI was 0.88 (0.83-0.92) and 0.83 (0.77-0.89), respectively. There was no difference in the QoR between the epidural and the control group after ORP. The QoR-40 and QoR-15 showed good convergent validity and adequate reliability.

Exploring neuropsychological underpinnings of poor communication after traumatic brain injury: The role of apathy, disinhibition and social cognition.

Dysarthria, aphasia and executive processes have been examined for their role in producing impaired communicative competence post traumatic brain injury (TBI). Less understood is the role of emotional dysregulation, that is, apathy and disinhibition, and social cognition, that is, reading and interpreting social cues. In this study, we examined 49 adults with moderate to severe TBI and 18 neurologically healthy adults. We hypothesised that apathy and disinhibition would predict communication outcomes as would social cognition. We also predicted that apathy and disinhibition would influence social cognition. Communication outcomes were measured by the La Trobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ) and the Social Skills Questionnaire-TBI (SSQ-TBI). Apathy and disinhibition were measured by the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe). We measured four aspects of social cognition: emotion perception and theory of mind using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT) and the Complex Audio-Visual Evaluation of Affect Test (CAVEAT), empathy using the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) and the Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES), and alexithymia using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire. Consistent with predictions, the LCQ and SSQ-TBI were associated with disinhibition and the LCQ was also associated with apathy. The LCQ was associated with the full range of social cognition constructs although the SSQ-TBI was not. Finally, apathy and disinhibition predicted a number of social cognition measures. These results are discussed in relation to understanding the nature of communication disorders following TBI and how they are measured, as well as the interrelation between emotion dysregulation and social cognition. What is already known on this subject The role of emotional dysregulation and social cognition in producing impaired communicative competence post traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not well understood. Although most adults with severe TBI have minimal or possibly no language impairment, they often struggle with functional communication in everyday situations. Many have been reported to be overtalkative, insensitive, childish and self-centred, displaying an inappropriate level of self-disclosure and making tangential and irrelevant comments. Conversely, some speakers with TBI have been noted to have impoverished communication, producing little language either spontaneously or in response to the speaker's questions and prompts. What this paper adds to existing knowledge We found that both apathy and disinhibition were strongly associated with the Latrobe Communication Questionnaire both empirically and conceptually, despite the LCQ being developed from a different, pragmatic orientation. Disinhibition was also associated with the Social Skills Questionnaire for TBI. We also found that poor social cognition scores predicted communication difficulties. Finally, we found that behavioural dysregulation itself, i.e., both apathy and disinhibition, predicted poor social cognition. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Our findings highlight the central role that apathy and disinhibition play in both communication and social cognition. These insights point to the importance of remediation to target behavioural and autonomic dysregulation as a means to improve everyday social function.

An Empirical Examination of Universities’ Strategies for Supporting Students with Special Learning Disorder in Developing Countries: A Predictive Model Using Mixed-Methods Research

Educational statistics have shown a growing number of students with special educational needs (SEN), such as learning disorders accepted into different university programs; empirical evidence indicates that they still face difficulties in adapting to the learning environment and education process. In contrast, little empirical research in developing countries has tested strategies that universities can adopt to support these students. Nevertheless, our preliminary study revealed that many Egyptian universities remain unprepared to deal with disabled students. This study has taken a further significant step in contributing to both theory and practice and helps address some gaps in the current body of literature through: (a) Providing a deeper understanding of students with SEN, explicitly learning disorder in developing countries. (b) Outlining some supportive strategies needed to be addressed by universities to meet the needs of these students before and during their course study. (c) Developing and validating a mathematical model predicting and examining the perceived effectiveness of these strategies. The current study used mixed methods research (MMR) as a methodological research paradigm for gathering, assessing, and mixing both qualitative and quantitative approaches to enhance the integrity of the research finding and comprehensively understand a research phenomenon. The developed questionnaire was pretested, and feedback from the pretest and the panel of experts was used to revise the survey instrument. The reliability of instruments was assessed and showed high using internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha &gt; 0.8). Multiple regression analysis with its associated statistical inference tests was applied. Based on our findings, the study has made a number of important managerial and academic implications. These findings provide valuable guidance for researchers and practitioners, open areas for future research, and add empirical weight to research addressing developing countries.

Multiblock discriminant correspondence analysis: Exploring group differences with structured categorical data

Psychological research often involves complex datasets that cannot easily be analyzed using traditional statistical methods. Multiblock Discriminant Correspondence Analysis (multiblock dica , also called mudica ) examines group differences in large, structured categorical datasets and identifies blocks of variables that contribute to these differences. Data for this illustration were obtained from a study on mental health literacy ( N = 648) that included 33 questions that were arranged into four blocks: etiology, symptoms, treatment, and general knowledge of psychological disorders. With non-parametric inference tests and results displayed as intuitive maps, mudica revealed differences in performance across groups not readily detectable using standard methods.