Total Correlation Research Articles

The self-management instrument for breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant therapy: Development and psychometric testing using the COSMIN methodology

ObjectiveThis study aims to develop and test the self-management instrument for breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant therapy (SMAT-B). MethodsAfter a qualitative interview with 29 patients and two rounds of Delphi expert consultation with 15 experts, 49 items were initially generated. Before item reduction, another structured interview was conducted for content validity. Item analysis and exploratory factor analysis (n ​= ​377) were used for item reduction. After that, internal consistency, split-half reliability, test-retest reliability (n ​= ​30), measurement error, construct validity, and structural validity (n ​= ​342) were preliminarily evaluated using the COnsesus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurements INstruments guidelines. ResultsThe final version of SMAT-B includes 7 dimensions and 31 items after item reduction. The testing results suggested that SMAT-B had good internal consistency (Total Cronbach's α ​= ​0.952), good split-half reliability (Spearman-Brown coefficient ​= ​0.904), good stability (Total intraclass correlation coefficient = ​0.797), acceptable measurement error (SEM ​= ​5.28), and acceptable construct validity (Standardized root mean square residual ​= ​0.055). The hypotheses of construct validity were all verified to a certain extent (r ​> ​0.20, P ​< ​0.01). ConclusionsThe 31-item SMAT-B, developed in interviews with patients and consultation with experts, demonstrated good psychometric properties and can be recommended for researchers and clinicians for further validity testing and evaluation of the self-management ability of breast cancer patients. Trial registrationChiCTR2100052868.

Psychometric Properties of The Indonesian Version of Hypertension Self Care Profile

Introduction: Uncontrolled hypertension is a leading cause of death worldwide and self-care is one of the essential management strategies. However, data regarding the psychometric properties of self-care instruments in the Indonesian context is lacking. This study aims to validate the Hypertension Self-care Profile (HBP SCP) instrument in the Indonesia version. Methods: A forward-backward translation technique was used for the Hypertension (HBP SCP) questionnaire. This questionnaire had three domains namely motivation, self-efficacy, and behavior. It was completed by a total of 191 respondents and the survey was conducted from September to December 2021 in the Health Primary Care Bandung West Java, Indonesia. The Cronbach’s alpha was used to test the reliability scale, the content validity index was assessed by five experts, and item inter-correlation was analyzed to test the total items. Results: The results showed that the content validity index was in the excellent category with a value of 0.89. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.875, indicating satisfactory internal consistency. Furthermore, the total items correlation had a significance value of 0.05 (df = N-2) for the three scales namely 0.353-0.742, 0.302- 0.642, and 0.237-0.649 for motivation, self-efficacy, and behavior, respectively. Conclusion: The Indonesian version of the Hypertension HBP SCP instrument is valid and reliable.

Experience of introducing electronic health records station in an objective structured clinical examination to evaluate medical students' communication skills in Canada: a descriptive study.

There is limited literature related to the assessment of electronic medical record (EMR)-related competencies. To address this gap, this study aims to explore the feasibility of EMR objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) station to evaluate the medical students' communication skills by psychometric study and standardized patients' (SPs) perspectives on EMR use in OSCE. An OSCE station that incorporated the use of an EMR was developed and pilot-tested in March 2022. Students' communication skills were assessed by SPs and physician examiners. Student's score in EMR station was compared with that of other 9 stations. Psychometric analysis, including item total correlation was done. SPs participated in a post-OSCE focus group to discuss their perception of EMRs' effect on communication. Ninety-nine 3rd year medical students participated in a 10-station OSCE that included the use of the EMR station. The EMR station had an acceptable item total correlation (0.217). Students who leveraged graphical displays in counseling received higher OSCE station scores from the SPs (P -value). Thematic analysis of the SP perception of students' EMR use from the focus group revealed the following domains of themes: technology, communication, case design, ownership of health information, and timing of EMR usage. This study demonstrated the feasibility of incorporating EMR in assessing learner communication skills in an OSCE. The EMR station had acceptable psychometric characteristics. Some medical students were able to efficiently use the EMRs as an aide in patient counseling. Teaching students how to be patient-centred even in the presence of technology may help with engagement.

The Scale of Learning Strategies for Distance Education Students: The Study of Adaptation to Turkish

The aim of this study is to conduct a validity and reliability study for adaptation of the scale of learning strategies to Turkish, which was developed by Pintrich, Smith, Garcia and McKeachie (1991) and adapted by Meijs et al. (2019) for distance education students. The Scale of Learning Strategies for Distance Education Students is a scale consisting of 25 items and 5 factors (management of time and effort, complex cognitive strategies use, simple cognitive strategies use, communication with others, and academic thinking). After testing equivalance of Turkish form, the validity and reliability studies of the Scale of Learning Strategies for Distance Education Students were conducted with participation of 411 students studying in different departments of Kocaeli University in the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) method was used for the adaptation of the scale, the significance of the differences between item average scores of the groups over and below 27% were examined with Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficients, corrected item-total correlations, and t-test in order to determine the relabilities. As a result of normality test and first CFA, the 2nd and 6th items in the time and effort management sub-dimension were excluded from the scale in accordance with expert opinions due to fact that their standardized regression coefficients were not significant. When the fit indices were examined as a result of the analysis, the findings were as follows χ2 /sd =2.594, RMSEA= 0.064, SRMR= 0.0616, GFI= 0.894, NFI= 0.879, TLI= 0.908, CFI= 0.921 and IFI=0,922. The corrected total correlations of the scale items ranged between 0.37 and 0.68. The results of t-test applied to the scores of the groups over and below 27% were found to be significant for all items. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the reliability of the overall scale was calculated as 0.915. A significant correlation was determined between the sub-dimensions of the scale and between the sub-dimensions and the total. According to these findings, adaption of the scale to Turkish is valid and reliable.

Wideband tripolarized circular patch antenna for fifth-generation access point applications

In this article, a wideband tripolarized antenna for fifth-generation access point applications is proposed. The proposed antenna consists of a circular patch and a square reflector. The antenna is excited by three ports that are separated by 120°. Each port is surrounded by a circular hook shaped slot to increase the bandwidth and isolation of the antenna. Further, the bandwidth is improved by using a shorting pin and a defective ground reflector. The proposed antenna design is examined in terms of the S-parameter, diversity gain, total active reflection coefficient (TARC), front-to-back ratio, radiation pattern and envelope correlation coefficient. The measured impedance bandwidth of the antenna is 46.9 % (3.1 GHz–5 GHz) and the peak isolation is −26 dB. The proposed antenna has a low envelope correlation coefficient of <0.01, a high diversity gain of >9.9 dB and a total active reflection coefficient TARC of −10 dB in the entire wideband range of operation, and a front-to-back ratio of greater than 34 dB. Additionally, the proposed antenna has a peak gain of 7.6 dBi.

Relationship between Autocratic Leadership Style and Teachers’ Job Performance in Secondary Schools of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

This study was intended to investigate the ‘Relationship between Autocratic Leadership Style and Teachers’ Job Performance’. The main objective of the study was, ‘To find out the relationship between autocratic leadership style and teachers’ job performance’. All secondary school teachers (SSTs) of the three chosen districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, i.e. Kohat, Peshawar and Buner were included in the target population of this research. Sample of this survey was selected from secondary schools of the three mentioned districts. The total number of secondary school teachers of the selected districts was 1092. Two closed ended research tools, Leadership Styles Questionnaire and Teachers’ Job Performance Questionnaire were developed. Reliability of total item correlation of the two questionnaires were found out using Cronbach’s Alpha which were 0.817 for Leadership Styles Questionnaire (LSQ) while 0.916 for Teachers’ Job Performance Questionnaire (TJPQ). On the basis of data analysis, the null hypothesis was rejected. Based on the findings of the study, secondary school heads (Headmasters and Principals) are recommended to help the teachers in classroom management, for improving their teaching skills, management skills, discipline, regularity and interpersonal skills. It is also recommended that special workshops, seminars and trainings on capacity building of the teachers may be arranged for enhancing their capabilities and overall improvement of the institutions.

Translation and Validation of Social Media Addiction Scale for Students

The focus of the current study was to translate and Validate Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS) into Urdu. Study was based to establish the psychometric properties of SMAS in Pakistani Culture. Translation and Adoption were accomplished with forward and backward translation method for SMAS. After that it was scientifically pre-tested to validate its constructs and it was found significant. In pre- testing, minimum rating for the equivalence of both English and Urdu version of SMAS with Mean 84.8 and standard deviation 12.617. In the next step, adapted Urdu version was administered on the sample of large population of 516 students with age between 15 to 22 years using purposive sampling technique (M = 81.70 and SD = 15.666). Cronbach’s alpha, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were computed by using SPSS software (version .25) and AMOS software (version .21). Results showed that Cronbach’s Alpha ₌ 0.87. The item total correlation of Urdu SMAS was greater than 0.3. Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis done to check the number of factors in SMAS. The EFA extracted four factors for SMAS Urdu version. After testing the four-factor model in CFA, the analysis showed good fitness indexes (comparative fit index = 0.95; goodness of fit index = 0.97). SAAS Urdu version has high internal consistency and reliability and can be used for research and evaluation objectives in clinical settings in Pakistani society.

Development of artificial neural network models for indirect evaporative coolers in multi-climate regions based on field measurement

Data-driven artificial neural networks (ANN) based on data drivers with their powerful self-learning capability and high adaptability are gaining increasing attention for the application in modeling indirect evaporative coolers (IEC). However, most ANN models of IEC in existing studies are either limited to a specific climate region or conventional IEC configurations. In this paper, a multi-region back-propagation (BP) neural network model for predicting the performance of advanced dew-point IECs is developed. Operational data for ANN model development were collected through field measurements in IEC projects in three typical climate zone cities in China (Dunhuang, Yulin, and Fuzhou), covering arid, moderately wet, and humid regions. A comparative study of three single-region neural network models was conducted in terms of both convergence characteristics and statistical performance metrics. Each model contains two input variables (inlet air temperature, inlet air humidity) and one output variable (wet-bulb efficiency). The results show that the model fits best in Yulin, followed by Dunhuang and Fuzhou, with total correlation coefficients of 0.9918, 0.9477, and 0.8946, respectively. The predicted values of wet-bulb efficiency are in good agreement with the actual operating data, and the deviation of almost all predicted values is within ±10%. Practical application The application values of IEC ANN models are as follows. First, the IEC-ANN model can predict IEC performance adaptively based on dynamic operational data. Therefore, it can provide the best operating strategy and design parameters for different situations. In addition, it can provide a fast response to guide the system operation when auxiliary control is required. Most importantly, this new approach requires only a limited number of tests rather than exhaustive experimental studies or dealing with complex mathematical models, and future manufacturers can use neural network technology to evaluate the performance of dew-point indirect evaporative coolers, thus saving engineering budget and time.

Psychometric Testing of the Caregiver Attitudes on Substance Use in Pregnancy Instrument

ObjectiveTo modify an existing instrument used to measure the attitudes of perinatal nursing caregivers about pregnant women with substance use disorder (SUD) and to psychometrically test the new instrument: Caregiver Attitudes on Substance Use in Pregnancy (CASUD-OB). DesignInstrument modification and psychometric testing of results from a modified instrument. SettingMulti-hospital health care system in the midwestern United States. ParticipantsA total of 147 perinatal nursing caregivers (perinatal nurses: n = 131; unlicensed assistive personnel: n = 16) who worked on obstetric and neonatal nursing units. MethodsWe modified the existing instrument, and 12 experts in perinatal nursing (1 who also had expertise in SUD in the perinatal period) evaluated the items for content validity. We administered the CASUD-OB via online survey between November 2019 and December 2019. We used item reduction, calculated item–total correlations, and conducted exploratory factor analysis to modify the instrument and assessed its internal consistency. ResultsAfter psychometric testing, we reduced the number of items from 26 to 16. Through item reduction and exploratory factor analysis, we identified three subscales (Caregiver Bias, Caregiver Self-Awareness, and Caregiver Perception of Parental Fitness). The Cronbach’s alpha for the overall instrument was .92. ConclusionThis study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that the CASUD-OB may be a valid and reliable instrument for measuring nurses’ attitudes toward pregnant women with SUD. Through additional testing, this instrument has the potential to become a valuable resource to evaluate quality improvement initiatives, staff education programs, and other interventions designed to transform the attitudes of nursing caregivers toward pregnant women with SUD.

The effect of intrinsic decoherence on the dynamics of an Ξ-type qutrit system interacting with a coherent field

This paper solves milburn’s intrinsic noise (IN) model for a 3-level atom of an Ξ-type interacting with a coherent cavity field via multiphoton transitions. Therefore, the effects of the intrinsic noise and the multi-photon interactions are investigated for some quantum phenomena, such as total correlation, entanglement, and atomic inversion. In general, we found that the collapse-revival phenomenon occurs during the oscillatory behaviour of atomic population dynamics. In addition, the birth-death phenomenon is observed in the negativity dynamics. Entropy, negativity, and mutual information have various dynamics. It is found that, as the entropy increases, the negativity and mutual information diminish to stationary levels. When intrinsic noise is considered, all the phenomena of atomic inversion, entropies, negativity and mutual information exhibit high sensitivity to high intrinsic noise values, except the mutual information dynamics, which is more resistant than that of the other quantifiers.

Development and Validation Process of the Intensive Care Unit Omitted Nursing Care (ICU-ONC) Instrument Among French Canadian Nurses.

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this article is to document the development and validation process of an instrument adapted for French-speaking nurses and to measure the occurrence of omitted nursing care (ONC) in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: An electronic Delphi panel, involving ICU nursing experts from the province of Quebec (Canada), was used to develop the intensive care unit omitted nursing care (ICU-ONC) instrument. For the validation process, an electronic cross-sectional survey was conducted. Results: A total of 564 nurses participated in the validation study. Exploratory factor analysis performed on 478 complete observations supports the presence of a single-factor structure for the 22-item ICU-ONC instrument. Coefficient alpha for the scale was .93, 95% confidence interval (CI) was [0.92, 0.94], item-partial total correlations ranged from .49 and .68, and the mean/median interitem correlations were .38 and .37, respectively. Moderate negative correlations were found between the ICU-ONC instrument overall score and two related constructs: nurses' perception of the quality as well as the safety of care. Conclusions: Our current understanding of ONC in the ICU is based on the results drawn from the administration of generic instruments to ICU nurses. The novel 22-item ICU-ONC instrument can help better estimate the occurrence of the phenomena in the ICU.

Turkish version of the 5-item Compassion Measurement Tool: A validity and reliability study

The aim of this methodological study with a cross-sectional design study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish form of the 5-item Compassion Measurement Tool. The sample was 402 patients in a university hospital. The Content Validity Index was 0.96. Total item correlation values were between 0.559 and 0.685. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.83. The scale could be used as five items, under a single factor as in the original version. A high correlation was found between patients' compassion perception and nursing care satisfaction scores. Turkish version of the 5-item Compassion Measurement Tool is a valid and reliable tool.

MP2-Based Correction Scheme to Approach the Limit of a Complete Pair Natural Orbitals Space in DLPNO-CCSD(T) Calculations.

The domain-based local pair natural orbital (PNO) coupled-cluster DLPNO-CCSD(T) method has been proven to provide accurate single-point energies at a fraction of the cost of canonical CCSD(T) calculations. However, the desired "chemical accuracy" can only be obtained with a large PNO space and extended basis set. We present a simple yet accurate and efficient correction scheme based on a perturbative approach. Here, in addition to DLPNO-CCSD(T) energy, one calculates DLPNO-MP2 correlation energy with the same settings as in the preceding coupled-cluster calculation. In the next step, the canonical MP2 correlation energy is obtained in the same orbital basis. This can be efficiently performed for essentially all molecule sizes accessible with the DLPNO-CCSD(T) method. By taking the difference between the canonical MP2 and DLPNO-MP2 energies, we obtain a correction term that can be added to the DLPNO-CCSD(T) correlation energy. This way, one can obtain the total correlation energy close to the limit of the complete PNO space (cPNO). The presented approach allows us to significantly increase the accuracy of the DLPNO-CCSD(T) method for both closed- and open-shell systems. The latter are known to be especially challenging for locally correlated methods. Unlike the previously developed PNO extrapolation procedure by Altun, Neese, and Bistoni ( J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2020, 16, 6142-6149), this strategy allows us to get the DLPNO-CCSD(T) correlation energy at the cPNO limit in a cost-efficient way, resulting in a minimal overall increase in calculation time as compared to the uncorrected method.

Kalp Cerrahisi Semptom Envanterinin Türk Dilinde Geçerlik ve Güvenirliği

This study was conducted to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Heart Surgery Symptom Inventory (HSSI) in Turkish language. This methodological study consisted of 312 patients who had CABG surgery in a public and a foundation university hospital between December 2017 and September 2018. Data were collected with the Patient Information Form and the HSSI. Language validity of the HSSI was analyzed by the translation-back translation method. Content validity was evaluated by Davis technique. Cronbach α coefficient, and item total correlation were examined for the reliability of the inventory. Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett's tests were performed to evaluate the sampling adequacy and the suitability of the data for factor analysis. KMO value was 0.867, which indicates suitability for principal component analysis. Bartlett's test was found as x2=22733.809; p=0.000 and this value shows that the data are related to each other and are suitable for factor analysis. Content Validity Index (CVI) of the inventory was found 0.84. Factor loadings of the 35-item HSSI, which was examined as a single sub-dimension, varied between 333 and 858, and explained variance was 44.922%. The total Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.961 and the total item correlations for all items were positive. As a result, the HSSI with single-subscale and 35-item was found to be valid and reliable inventory in Turkish language and could be used for the evaluation of symptoms after heart surgery.

The Turkish Validity and Reliability of The Adolescent Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Scale

Objective: Dysmenorrhea is a common health problem that negatively affects daily life and academic skills when not managed well. This study was conducted to examine the Turkish validity and reliability of the Adolescent Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Scale.&#x0D; Methods: This methodological study was conducted in 7 high schools in Bursa, Turkey. The research was carried out with 1041 high school students who met the participation criteria. The Adolescent Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Scale was adapted to Turkish by using translation-back translation method. The validity of the scale was evaluated with the content validity index, confirmatory factor analysis, similarity and discriminant validity coefficients and reliability, item-total correlation, internal consistency coefficient and test-retest analysis.&#x0D; Results: According to the evaluations of the 10 experts whose opinions were taken for the Content Validity, it is determined that each item scored above 3 (3.52-4.00), and the mean score was 3.92 ± 0.14 and the content validity index was .98. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient was found α = .96. Confirmatory factor analysis fit indexes and similarity and discriminant validity coefficients showed that the scale has sufficient compatibility with the theoretical six-factor structure. Item total correlations of subdimensions were r = .20-.68 and Cronbach's alpha coefficients were .77-.65. Test-retest correlations of the Adolescent Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Scale and its subdimensions were found r = .87-.99.&#x0D; Conclusion: Turkish Adolescent Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Scale is a valid and reliable data collection tool consisting of 40 items and six subdimensions.

Probing correlations in two-mode bosonic fields via Gaussian noise channels

Gaussian noise channels arise naturally in many physical situations and play an important role in information transmission involving continuous-variable quantum systems. In this work we employ Gaussian noise channels to probe and characterize correlations in two-mode bosonic fields. Based on the fact that local channels often cause more decoherence for global states than for local states due to correlations, we introduce a notion of conditional coherence relative to a local channel, which is defined as the difference between the global and local decoherence caused by the channel. We discuss its connections with quantum discord and relative quantum Fisher information and propose a class of correlation quantifiers for two-mode bosonic states in terms of conditional coherence relative to local Gaussian noise channels. We prove that any nonproduct state exhibits such correlations and show that these correlation quantifiers are measures of total correlations, which may include both classical and quantum parts. We further illustrate these correlation quantifiers through several typical two-mode bosonic states and make a comparative study between these correlation quantifiers and other known ones such as entanglement and discord.

Arabic version of the intermittent and constant osteoarthritis pain questionnaire (ICOAP-Ar): translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and measurement properties

BackgroundPain is the most incapacitating symptom of knee osteoarthritis (OA), with intermittent and/or continuous nature as described by the patients. Accuracy of pain assessment tools across different cultures is important. This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the Intermittent and Constant OsteoArthritis Pain (ICOAP) measure into Arabic (ICOAP-Ar) and evaluate its psychometric properties in patients with knee OA.MethodsThe ICOAP was cross-culturally adapted following the recommended guidelines from English. Knee OA patients from outpatient clinics were recruited to assess the structural (confirmatory factor analysis) and construct validity (Spearman’s correlation coefficient - rho) to assess the relationship between the ICOAP-Ar and the pain and symptoms subscales of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), in addition to internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha and the corrected item-total correlation). A week later, test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)) was evaluated. Following four weeks of physical therapy treatment, the ICOAP-Ar responsiveness was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curve.ResultsNinety-seven participants were recruited (age = 52.97 ± 9.9). A model with single pain construct showed acceptable fit (Comparative fit index = 0.92). The ICOAP-Ar total and subscales had a strong to moderate negative correlation with the KOOS pain and symptoms domains, respectively. The ICOAP-Ar total and subscales demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.86–0.93). The ICCs were excellent (ICCs = 0.89–0.92) with acceptable corrected item total correlations (rho = 0.53–0.87) for the ICOAP-Ar items. The ICOAP-Ar responsiveness was good with moderate effect size (ES = 0.51–0.65) and large standardized response mean (SRM = 0.86–0.99). A cut-off point of 51.1/100 was determined with moderate accuracy (Area under the curve = 0.81, sensitivity = 85%, specificity = 71%). No floor or ceiling effects were found.ConclusionsThe ICOAP-Ar exhibited good validity, reliability, and responsiveness after physical therapy treatment for knee OA, which renders it reliable for evaluating knee OA pain in clinical and research settings.

Morphometric Indices and Parasitic Incidence of Synodontis nigrita from Lower River Benue, Makurdi, Nigeria

The study was carried out to determine the morphometric indices and parasitic incidence of 160 fresh samples of Synodontis nigrita comprising of 80 samples each of female and male sexes. Fish samples were obtained from the catches of local fishermen along Lower River Benue at Wadata fish landing site of Benue State. Length–weight relationship was analyzed using the equation W=aLb. The condition factor of the fish samples was determined using the equation, K=100W/L3. Samples of Synodontis nigrita were later subjected to parasitological examination using standard parasitological method. The mean total length, body weight, condition factor, regression and correlation coefficients were higher for un-infested female samples of Synodontis nigrita than the infested female. Similarly, the mean total length body weight, condition factor, regression and correlation coefficients of un-infested male samples of Synodontis nigrita were higher than the infested males. A total of three hundred and fifty seven (357) parasites were recovered from 76(47.50%) infested samples. Out of the 357 parasites, 251 were recovered from 49(61.3%) infested female samples, 106 parasites were recovered from 27(33.8%) infested male samples. Among the infested parts of the female samples, the intestine accounted for the highest number/percentage (116/46.4%) parasite load, the least 2(0.8%) was recorded for the skin. Between the external parts (gill and skin) of the female fish samples, while the gill recorded the higher number of parasite load 28(12.8%), skin recorded 2(0.8%). Similarly, among the infested parts of the male samples, the intestine accounted for the highest number/percentage (65/61.3%) parasite load, the least 9(8.5%) was recorded for the gill. Between the external parts (gill and skin), the gill recorded 9(8.5%) number/percentage parasite load, no parasite was recovered from the skin. Prevalence (61.25), number of parasites (251) and intensity (5.10) of parasite infection were higher for female samples compared to the male with the prevalence, and intensity of parasite infection of 33.80, 106 and 3.90, respectively. However, the chi square value showed that there was no significant difference (p&gt;0.05) in the prevalence, number of parasites and intensity of parasite infection between the sexes of Synodontis nigrita. Variation in the prevalence and intensity of parasite infection of female and male Synodontis nigrita based on size groups existed. However, it was generally observed that longer and heavier sized fish of both sexes were more infested with higher number of parasites than the smaller sized samples of both sexes.

Neurocognitive constructs as longitudinal predictors of reading fluency

AbstractReading fluency (RF) involves the automaticity of many distinct reading skills (e.g., pacing, word recognition, phonological awareness) and allows cognitive resources to be allocated to higher‐order reading skills (e.g., comprehension, synthesis). Early identification of students at‐risk for RF deficits is critical, but many screeners require a level of basic proficiency with foundational reading skills. This review examines the longitudinal relationships between neurocognitive precursors of RF with special consideration of cognitive processing demands of measurement tasks. Eighteen articles yielded 80 unique correlations between 6 neurocognitive constructs (phonological processing, rapid automatic naming, working memory, nonverbal reasoning, orthographic processing, and visual‐spatial processing) measured through 35 unique subtests/tasks and 2 primary RF outcomes (word RF and text RF) measured through 11 unique subtests/tasks. Phonological processing was the most frequently assessed neurocognitive predictor (41.3% of total correlations), followed by rapid automatic naming (32.5%). Nearly all correlation coefficients were significant (83.75%); 28.75% of correlations suggested a strong predictive relationship between a neurocognitive predictor and an RF outcome. The strength of correlation largely varied as a function of the task demands as evidenced through the supplemental process analyses, suggesting future consideration should be given to the specificity of task selection to improve ecologically valid conclusions. Evidence from this review supports the need to consider specific neurocognitive functions, specifically rapid automatic naming and orthographic processing, as critical components of dynamic and comprehensive assessments of reading to help identify students at‐risk for future RF challenges.

Wearable sensor-based measures of step-up transfers are supplementary to patient-reported outcome measures following total joint arthroplasty

Purpose This study investigated the longitudinal assessment of step-up performance in patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and correlation with subjective patient reported outcome measures (PROMs). Methods In this sub-analysis of the ADAPT study, PROMs were assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Block step-up (BS) transfers were assessed by wearable-derived measures of time. 76 patients undergoing TJA were included. Subgroups were formed isolating the worst performing quartile (low functioning (LF)) from the high functioning (HF), and outcomes were compared– Results One-year post-surgery, WOMAC function demonstrated strong correlations to WOMAC pain (Pearson’s r = 0.67–0.84) and moderate correlations to BS performance (Pearson’s r = 0.31–0.54). Both WOMAC and BS significantly improved with a larger effect size for the HF subgroup (0.62 vs. 0.43; p < 0.05). Patients designated to the LF subgroup at 3 months had increased odds of representing the LF subgroup at 12 months (WOMAC = 19; BS = 4). WOMAC defined 18 LF patients at 12 months follow-up. BS performance identified 9 additional LF patients. Conclusions WOMAC function scores seem pain dominated. Measures of BS performance allow assessment of otherwise hidden residual functional impairment. Lower functioning 3 months post-surgery is predictive of longer-term impairment.