Unidimensional Measurement Research Articles

Leader identification in a research collaborative network

There is considerable empirical evidence on the advantages of interorganizational research collaborative networks across societies and research institutes such as research and development (R&D) centers and universities. Identifying a leader in this contexts is important both theoretically for doing leadership studies, and practically for effective governmental funding allocation and private investments. Inconsistent definitions and non-homogeneous attributes with unidimensional measurement approaches such as subjective measuring of power or considering a central company as the leader made the previous efforts inefficient for identifying leaders in an interorganizational setting. This research aims to identify a leading organization among a set of homogenous R&D centers in a research collaborative network context through implementing the main leader’s attributes in different dimensions. The article presents a multidimensional common weight model based on the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach in a parallel system with several operational dimensions each of which consumes a set of inputs (budget, lecturers, and students) to produce a set of outputs (scientific meetings and conferences, national and international papers). Centrality and visibility are two main leaders’ attributes combined with efficiency influence the contributions and outcomes of each collaborative network partner. It is demonstrated how the proposed model performs its high-efficiency score in the most influential R&D center named the “leader” among 47 R&D centers in medical universities in Iran. The comparative analysis of managerial results showed that reputation has a greater impact on leader identification than centrality. The results based on mathematical calculations showed a robust discriminating power for efficiency measurement of the proposed model.

Development and Validation of the Yonsei Lifestyle Profile-Satisfaction (YLP-S) Using the Rasch Measurement Model.

Lifestyle plays an important role in determining health and vitality among older adults. However, there is limited evidence regarding lifestyle assessment. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Yonsei Lifestyle Profile-Satisfaction (YLP-S). The participants in the study included 156 older adults. Rasch analysis was used to test unidimensionality, fit statistics, and the precision of the YLP-S. The YLP-S demonstrated a unidimensional measurement construct, and 18 items fit the Rasch model. The YLP-S illustrated reasonable precision (person strata = 5.37). Only 4 items showed differential item functioning by sex or age groups. The findings indicate that the YLP-S demonstrated sound internal validity and can be used by health professionals to measure the multifaceted lifestyle of older adults.

CT-based whole-body tumor volumetry versus RECIST 1.1: Feasibility and implications for inter-reader variability

PurposeTo investigate whether volumetric measurements of the whole-body tumor volume (WBTV) are feasible and whether they improve inter-reader variability in patients in whom conventional RECIST 1.1 assessment yielded discordant results. Methods50 patients (29 male, 21 female, mean age 60.9 ± 12.3 years) with metastases of solid tumors in whom three readers had selected different sets of target lesions and subsequently reached different results for response assessment (progressive vs. non-progressive disease) when using RECIST 1.1 were included. In a second read, all readers performed volumetric measurements of the WBTV on neck/chest/abdomen/pelvis CTs and measured the time needed for these measurements. Cohen’s kappa and Fleiss kappa statistics were used to compare the intra- and inter-reader agreement for response assessment. ResultsIn 8/50 patients (16 %), the WBTV was too extensive for volumetric measurements and these patients were therefore excluded. In the remaining 42 patients, WBTV measurements required a mean time of 18 min and 9 s. Readers assigned the same response categorizations based on unidimensional RECIST measurements and WBTV measurements in 15/42 patients (33 %), 24/42 patients (57 %) and 30/42 patients (71 %) for reader 1,2 and 3 respectively. When performing response assessment based on WBTV measurements, the three readers agreed in 40/42 patients (95 %) regarding the distinction progressive vs. non-progressive disease, resulting in a near-perfect agreement on a patient-based level (Fleiss’ κ = 0.921, 0.95-CI:0.746–1.095). ConclusionsWBTV measurements yielded an almost perfect inter-reader agreement in a cohort of patients, in which three readers reached discordant response assessment results when following conventional RECIST 1.1 guidelines. This supports the hypothesis, that a limited subset of metastases may not be sufficient to accurately assess response-to-treatment.

Enhanced Detection of Treatment Effects on Metastatic Colorectal Cancer with Volumetric CT Measurements for Tumor Burden Growth Rate Evaluation.

Mathematical models combined with new imaging technologies could improve clinical oncology studies. To improve detection of therapeutic effect in patients with cancer, we assessed volumetric measurement of target lesions to estimate the rates of exponential tumor growth and regression as treatment is administered. Two completed phase III trials were studied (988 patients) of aflibercept or panitumumab added to standard chemotherapy for advanced colorectal cancer. Retrospectively, radiologists performed semiautomated measurements of all metastatic lesions on CT images. Using exponential growth modeling, tumor regression (d) and growth (g) rates were estimated for each patient's unidimensional and volumetric measurements. Exponential growth modeling of volumetric measurements detected different empiric mechanisms of effect for each drug: panitumumab marginally augmented the decay rate [tumor half-life; d [IQR]: 36.5 days (56.3, 29.0)] of chemotherapy [d: 44.5 days (67.2, 32.1), two-sided Wilcoxon P = 0.016], whereas aflibercept more significantly slowed the growth rate [doubling time; g = 300.8 days (154.0, 572.3)] compared with chemotherapy alone [g = 155.9 days (82.2, 347.0), P ≤ 0.0001]. An association of g with overall survival (OS) was observed. Simulating clinical trials using volumetric or unidimensional tumor measurements, fewer patients were required to detect a treatment effect using a volumetric measurement-based strategy (32-60 patients) than for unidimensional measurement-based strategies (124-184 patients). Combined tumor volume measurement and estimation of tumor regression and growth rate has potential to enhance assessment of treatment effects in clinical studies of colorectal cancer that would not be achieved with conventional, RECIST-based unidimensional measurements.

The different development trajectory of noncognitive abilities of urban and rural children: evidence from China family panel studies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the temporal development of noncognitive abilities of children and the development trajectory of rural and urban children's noncognitive abilities in China.Design/methodology/approachLexis diagram is used as the research framework to depict the development trajectory of rural and urban children's noncognitive abilities in China. By employing the nationally representative longitudinal survey data, China Family Panel Studies (2010–2016), the difference of rural and urban children's noncognitive abilities is disentangled into temporal, age and cohort effects.FindingsThere is a significant temporal rural–urban difference in children's noncognitive abilities, but the rural–urban gap would expand, narrow or show more complex development trends under different measurements. The results of age and cohort comparison are similar to those of temporal comparison, that is, there are divergent trajectories of rural–urban gap due to the different measurements and different ages and/or cohorts. Specifically, urban children perform better in self-esteem, but rural children always have a higher social responsibility, such a contrast between urban children's weak social responsibility under the advantageous condition and rural children's strong social responsibility in the relatively disadvantageous environment.Originality/valueChildren's noncognitive ability is not innate but is a gradually acquired characteristic through training and cultivation. The rural–urban difference of children's noncognitive abilities implies educational issues concerning educational principles in the urban environment and the educational resources' allocation in the rural society in China. Besides, as the unidimensional measurement of children's noncognitive ability is insufficient, the systematic measurement composed of multidimensional indicators utilizing cohort data or longitudinal data would be needed.

Recil 2017 Criteria Demonstrated Similar Prognostic Value and Detected a Comparable Treatment Difference between Obinutuzumab- and Rituximab-Chemotherapy Compared with Cheson 2007 and Lugano 2014 Criteria in Patients with Previously Untreated Advanced-Stage Follicular Lymphoma

Recil 2017 Criteria Demonstrated Similar Prognostic Value and Detected a Comparable Treatment Difference between Obinutuzumab- and Rituximab-Chemotherapy Compared with Cheson 2007 and Lugano 2014 Criteria in Patients with Previously Untreated Advanced-Stage Follicular Lymphoma

Comparison of the International Workshop Criteria and the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors for indolent B-cell lymphoma

[18F] fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography is incorporated in response criteria currently used for lymphoma; however, the primary endpoint in earlier phase study is an overall response, which includes the partial response of 50% shrinkage in two dimensions. Therefore, the measurement of target lesions is still prerequisite to determine the destiny of new, promising agents. Since required is calculating the sum of the product of bidimensional diameters of maximal six target lesions, the International Workshop Criteria (IWC) used as response evaluation in lymphoma is more time-consuming than the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). This study aimed to examine whether the RECIST could replace the IWC using data from a phase II/III study of R-CHOP-21 versus R-CHOP-14 for advanced-stage indolent B-cell lymphoma, JCOG0203. To evaluate the degree of agreement between them, the Kappa coefficient (KC) was calculated. Excluding patients without target lesions for the RECIST following central pathological review, 269 patients were evaluable. We determined which criterion was more predictive for progression-free survival. The criterion showing the lower point estimate of the hazard ratio (HR) of a complete response (CR) vs. a non-CR was defined as more useful. The KC between them was 0.34 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.26-0.42); namely, indicating poor agreement. The HR of the IWC (0.47: 95% CI 0.33-0.68, log-rank test p < 0.001) was lower than that of the RECIST (0.64: 95% CI 0.45-0.89, p = 0.0075). We conclude that unidimensional measurements cannot be substituted for the bidimensional ones for indolent lymphoma.

740P Response assessment in advanced renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients (pts) treated by Nivolumab (N) + Ipilimumab (I): CT volumetric measurement versus RECIST 1.1 response criteria

N+I improved Overall survival and overall response rate in intermediate/poor-risk pts with a clear cell aRCC. However, 20 % of pts didn’t respond to immunotherapy. Identification of early progression is crucial to initiate rapidly a new therapy. We aimed to compare two radiological volumetric methods versus RECIST 1.1 gold standard unidimensional measurement in clear cell aRCC treated by N+I.

Psychometric Evaluation of the ACHIEVE Assessment.

Objective: There has been a significant change within clinical practice in childhood disability from “treating” at the level of body function to ecological approaches that address the child's involvement in everyday life. Clinical assessment, and robust tools to support this, are of key importance. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the ACHIEVE Assessment in a clinical dataset. The ACHIEVE assessment is a parent and teacher report of participation in home, school and community settings, important contributory factors for participation, and environmental factors.Design: ACHIEVE scores of children were collected from parents and teachers. The Rasch Rating Scale Model produced model estimates with WINSTEPS software.Setting: Clinical rehabilitation settings in Scotland (United Kingdom).Subjects: 401 parents and 335 teachers of 402 children participated resulting in a final sample of 736 responses. Children (78% male) were 4–17 years old (mean 7.91 years SD 2.61). Children had a range of disabilities including Developmental Coordination Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.Results: The study includes a large clinical sample of children with disabilities. The results demonstrate that the ACHIEVE Assessment can provide unidimensional measurements of children's participation and important contributory factors for participation. Differential item functioning analysis indicated majority of items were comparable between parent and teacher report.Conclusions: The results confirm evidence of appropriate psychometric properties of the ACHIEVE Assessment. ACHIEVE is a comprehensive tool that enables identification of patterns and issues around participation for clinical and research purposes.

Validation of Yonsei-Bilateral Activity Test (Y-BAT)-Bilateral Upper Extremity Inventory Using Rasch Analysis.

There is little assessment to provide specific information about quality of bilateral upper extremity movement specifically. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Yonsei-Bilateral Activity Test (Y-BAT). An observational cross-sectional design was used with 100 stroke survivors. Unidimensionality was examined using factor analyses, and Rasch analysis was used to test rating scale structure, fit statistics, and precision of the Y-BAT. The Y-BAT demonstrated a unidimensional measurement construct, and 19 of the 27 items fit the Rasch model. The instrument demonstrated good precision, including person reliability and person strata. The Y-BAT estimated person measures within a wide range of theta values with a reliability of .9 with good precision. Our results indicate that a revised, 19-item version of the Y-BAT demonstrates sound internal validity and may be a useful instrument for clinicians to measure upper extremity function with good precision following stroke.

Interobserver Variability of Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment Using MRI in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

To evaluate the interobserver variability associated with quantitative and qualitative MRI assessments of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Patients with MPM who underwent uniform-protocol preoperative MRI between 2009 and 2014 were included. The MRI-derived tumor volume was estimated. Unidimensional measurements of maximal pleural thickness (P max) and average pleural thickness (P avg) on axial MR images; maximal fissural thickness (F max); maximal diaphragmatic thickness (D max); and average diaphragmatic thickness (D avg) on sagittal reconstructed images were acquired. Interobserver agreement regarding the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) tumor stage at each criterion level was assessed by using Cohen κ statistics. Agreement between quantitative measurements was assessed by using Bland-Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). The study cohort included 349 patients (median age, 68 years [age range, 30-90 years), 273 (78%) of whom were men and 203 (58%) of whom had epithelioid-subtype tumors. Qualitative assessment performed by using the AJCC staging criteria (eighth edition) was concordant in 31% of cases and yielded considerable disagreement (κ = 0.177). Inspection of the Bland-Altman plots led to decisive agreement between the two reviewers regarding MRI-derived tumor volume (ICC, 0.979). There was also a good degree of agreement between the two reviewers regarding unidimensional measurements of D max (ICC, 0.807), D avg (ICC, 0.823), P max (ICC, 0.787), P avg (ICC, 0.787), and F max (ICC, 0.659). Quantitative assessment can enhance the clinical staging of MPM. Compared with qualitative assessment, quantitative assessment has low interobserver variability and could yield a tumor size criterion that is currently lacking in the AJCC clinical staging of MPM.Supplemental material is available for this article.© RSNA, 2020.

Integration of Cloud Technologies in Teaching Foreign Languages in Higher Education Institutions

This study was aimed at summarizing theoretical knowledge of students studying Economics, enhancing the educational process and training skills of independent long-term professional upgrade of students (sustainability training) through the use of an English-taught training program implemented through the use of MS Office 365 cloud services. The variational traits studied were identified: educational motivation, self-confidence, cognitive and creative skills. The study used methods that are recommended for quantitative research, namely: Rasch’s models for measuring academic motivation, methods for determining the level of academic confidence; methods of diagnosis of cognitive reflection and decision making, and a questionnaire to determine the level of creativity of thinking. The results of the diagnostic tests on academic motivation were processed using the Rasch Unidimensional Measurement Model (RUMM-2010) software, and the results of other tests were processed using SPSS 10.0.5., Statistica v. 5.5 A., MathCAD 2000 Pro. It has been found that the problem of integrating cloud technologies into the teaching foreign languages has been of interest of scholars, as the former are gradually becoming a full-fledged educational tool, allowing all institutions to create their own online spaces. In terms of language teaching methods, the used in this study teaching approach proved to create the learning environment helping to deal with the students’ communication and interaction barriers, reluctance to being engaged resulted in the enhanced students’ learning activity, their motivation for learning. This approach addressed the students’ needs in developed logical (critical) thinking and creative tactic to problem-solving, student memory (cognitive component). The integration of cloud (education) services in general proved to increase the efficiency of the learning process. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.2.4

Qualimetric monitoring of professional competences of a teacher in the conditions of digitalization of education: problems and solutions

This article is supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No. 19-013-00163 А &amp;ldquo;Methodology and Technology of Socio-Pedagogical Research of Family as a Subject of Creation of Individual Educational Trajectory of a Child&amp;rdquo;). The author examines the problem of monitoring of professional competences of a teacher in the conditions of digital environment. The authors propose a new technique for development of a method for assessing professional competences of a teacher based on latent variables theory, where private criteria manifest as integral with regards to indexes and indicators of professional competencies of a teacher. Qualimetric monitoring of professional competences contributes to the growth of personal growth of a teacher and improvement of the quality of his work in digital environment. The authors outline the scientific basis for qualimetric monitoring of professional competences of a teacher using the RUUM 2020 software (Rasch Unidimensional Measurement Models). The suggested approach proves that in the school digital environment can be resolved the issue of accessibility and automation of assessing professional competences of a teachers, apply Qualimetric monitoring for motivation of personal growth and self-improvement of a teacher. The new approach allows presenting the qualitative indicators in quantitative dimension. Such solution of the problem corresponds to the current level of requirements of digital environment for monitoring and scientific organization aimed at improvement of teacher&amp;rsquo;s competences.

Use of radiomics for the prediction of local control of brain metastases after stereotactic radiosurgery.

Local response prediction for brain metastases (BM) after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is challenging, particularly for smaller BM, as existing criteria are based solely on unidimensional measurements. This investigation sought to determine whether radiomic features provide additional value to routinely available clinical and dosimetric variables to predict local recurrence following SRS. Analyzed were 408 BM in 87 patients treated with SRS. A total of 440 radiomic features were extracted from the tumor core and the peritumoral regions, using the baseline pretreatment volumetric post-contrast T1 (T1c) and volumetric T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MRI sequences. Local tumor progression was determined based on Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology‒BM criteria, with a maximum axial diameter growth of >20% on the follow-up T1c indicating local failure. The top radiomic features were determined based on resampled random forest (RF) feature importance. An RF classifier was trained using each set of features and evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The addition of any one of the top 10 radiomic features to the set of clinical features resulted in a statistically significant (P < 0.001) increase in the AUC. An optimized combination of radiomic and clinical features resulted in a 19% higher resampled AUC (mean = 0.793; 95% CI = 0.792-0.795) than clinical features alone (0.669, 0.668-0.671). The increase in AUC of the RF classifier, after incorporating radiomic features, suggests that quantitative characterization of tumor appearance on pretreatment T1c and FLAIR adds value to known clinical and dosimetric variables for predicting local failure.

The Relationship between Technostress Creators and Counterproductive Work Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study of Nigerian Banks

The use of technologies by organizations has brought about increased multitasking, increased workload, work-family conflict, and has created a knowledge gap. Organizational researchers have argued that the use of technologies can result in technostress. Previous research on technostress has shown that technostress affects job satisfaction, productivity, performance, and commitment. However, the relationship between technostress and counterproductive work behavior (CWB) has been neglected. Hence, the main objective of the current study is to explore the relationship between technostress and CWB. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a purposive sampling method with a sample of 227 employees working in Nigerian commercial banks. Additionally, multidimensional analysis technostress creators and CWB were made to ascertain which of the technostress creating conditions has a stronger effect on CWB. The findings of the current study show a significant positive relationship between unidimensional measurement technostress creators and CWB. The results show a significant positive relationship between techno-overload and CWB, a weak significant positive relationship between techno-invasion and CWB. There is no significant relationship between techno-complexity and CWB. This study provides new insight into the research of technostress by introducing counterproductive work behavior (CWB) as a behavioral outcome of technostress. Future study may explore other behavioral effects of technostress.

Why Unidimensional Pain Measurement Prevails in the Pediatric Acute Pain Context and What Multidimensional Self-Report Methods Can Offer.

Although pain is widely recognized to be a multidimensional experience and defined as such, unidimensional pain measurement focusing on pain intensity prevails in the pediatric acute pain context. Unidimensional assessments fail to provide a comprehensive picture of a child’s pain experience and commonly do little to shape clinical interventions. The current review paper overviews the theoretical and empirical literature supporting the multidimensional nature of pediatric acute pain. Literature reporting concordance data for children’s self-reported sensory, affective and evaluative pain scores in the acute pain context has been reviewed and supports the distinct nature of these dimensions. Multidimensional acute pain measurement holds particular promise for identifying predictive markers of chronicity and may provide the basis for tailoring clinical management. The current paper has described key reasons contributing to the widespread use of unidimensional, rather than multidimensional, acute pediatric pain assessment protocols. Implications for clinical practice, education and future research are considered.

Predicting Atrial Fibrillation from Automated Measurements of Left Atrial Volume Using Routine Chest CT Examination: Overlooked and Underrecognized Risk Factors.

Predicting Atrial Fibrillation from Automated Measurements of Left Atrial Volume Using Routine Chest CT Examination: Overlooked and Underrecognized Risk Factors.

Complete Response Status According to RECIL 2017 Criteria Shows High Concordance with Lugano 2014 Criteria and Is Highly Prognostic for Outcome in Previously Untreated Patients with CD20-Positive Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)

Complete Response Status According to RECIL 2017 Criteria Shows High Concordance with Lugano 2014 Criteria and Is Highly Prognostic for Outcome in Previously Untreated Patients with CD20-Positive Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)

Validation of a unidimensional and probabilistic measurement scale for pro-environmental behaviour by travellers

In the current debate, ecological themes have become a key element that can influence public policy, as recent events involving green activist groups have shown. Public policies targeted to education, along with focused advertising, can strongly influence people’s beliefs and their emotional reactions. Understanding individual behavioural responses is therefore of the utmost importance for policy makers wishing to encourage more sustainable mobility. They could be greatly assisted by an effective measure of ecological behaviour giving them a better understanding of the determinants of travel behaviour, enabling them to analyse the impact of adopted policies. Ideally, such a measure should be simple to use, and it should be usable across different cultural and geographical contexts so as to allow comparisons between different countries. This paper seeks to determine whether the General Ecological Behaviour (GEB) questionnaire—as a dichotomous multi-items Rasch scale for ecological behaviour measurement—is valid for use in a different cultural context. We refer to the relevant literature, and we describe our approach in detail so that it may easily be adopted by interested practitioners. The research was done in the metropolitan area of Torino (Italy), where a multimodal real-time smartphone application to assist travellers and encourage them towards more sustainable mobility was being developed and trialled. Within this framework, an investigation was done into the pro-environmental behaviour of the participants in the app trial. Our aim was to determine whether a general pro-environmental attitude can legitimately be assessed using Item Response Theory and, notably, the Rasch model. Results suggest that, using an Item Response Theory model, GEB is a questionnaire that is able to effectively measure pro-environmental behaviour by travellers. There are no discrepancies between pro-social behaviour (a trait that is known to correlate with environmentally friendly attitudes and that the GEB questionnaire seeks to measure) and actual environmentally friendly behaviour; one-dimensionality, item reliability, and the absence of simple differential item functioning are all good indicators of a model that functions well. GEB has shown its potential in providing an understanding of people’s attitudes towards environmental issues and of how this information might be used to better tailor public policies in a number of sectors, in particular transport.

CT Volumetry and Basic Texture Analysis as Surrogate Markers in Advanced Non–small-cell Lung Cancer

IntroductionWe evaluated volumetric tumor measurements and computed tomography texture analysis as prognostic indicators in patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer when compared with the unidimensional tumor size measurements used in Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). Patients and MethodsIn a retrospective review, computed tomography examinations in 77 patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer were evaluated before and after 2 cycles of chemotherapy. Baseline and changes in tumor diameter, volume, and texture were analyzed. Survival was analyzed with Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival statistics. ResultsCox regression analysis demonstrated that only change in tumor volume (exp(B) = 1.006; P = .02) and the initial sum of the largest target lesion diameters predicted survival (exp(B) = 1.013; P = .02). Kaplan-Meier statistics demonstrated that patients with an initial sum of the largest target lesion diameters less than 88 mm had median survival time of 587 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 269-905 days), compared with the survival of those with larger tumor burden of 407 days (95% CI, 235-579 days). Patients in whom tumor volume decreased by more than 29% had a median survival time of 622 days (95% CI, 448-796 days), compared with 305 days for those with less decrease (95% CI, 34-240 days). ConclusionThis study demonstrates that change in lung tumor volume is a better marker of patient survival than change of unidimensional diameter measurements in our cohort. If confirmed in larger studies, this suggests that volumetry might improve clinical decision-making for individual patients and allow for faster assessment of new treatments.