Validity Of Criterion Research Articles

Evaluation of the reliability and validity of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) questionnaire translated into Malagasy

The Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) was developed to assess the impact of oral health conditions on the quality of life of preschool children and theirs families. The ECOHIS was originally developed in English language, translated and validated in several countries but no validated transcultural version of this questionnaire is currently available in Madagascar. The objectives of this cross-cultural study were to translate, validate and analyse the psychometric properties of the Malagasy version of ECOHIS.MethodThe translation followed the forward-backward translation process. The Malagasy version obtained was pre-tested on ten mothers. Then, the questionnaire was administered by interview to 150 parents/guardians of children aged 3 to 5 years old frequenting two nursery schools in the town of Mahajanga to evaluate the reliability and validity of its psychometric characteristics. Reliability was assessed by the test-retest procedure with an interval of 15 days by using the intra-class correlation (ICC). Internal consistency was tested by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The validity of construct, discriminant and criterion were evaluated. Construct validity was evaluated by Spearman rank correlation and tested using exploratory factor analysis and partial confirmatory factor analysis. Discriminant validity was tested between groups of children presenting consequences of untreated decayed teeth. Clinical examination was performed using the decayed, missing, filled teeth (dmft) and the pulpal involvement, ulceration, fistula, abscess (pufa) indices for assessing dental caries and consequences of untreated decayed teeth.ResultsThe cultural adaptation showed that the respondents understood the questions. The intraclass correlation coefficient for test retest was 0.91. The internal consistency demonstrated a good reliability of the Malagasy-ECOHIS version with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.88. The convergent validity evaluated by Pearson correlation coefficients provided positive and significant correlation values between all the items ranging from 0.26 to 0.72. Significant associations between the ECOHIS scores and the global rating of oral health supported the validity of the construct. Convergent and discriminant validity were obtained by testing the association of ECOHIS scores on the child and family sections with poor parental ratings of their child’s oral health, high caries experience and untreated decayed teeth consequences which were to be statistically significant.ConclusionThe results showed that this Malagasy version of ECOHIS questionnaire has shown good psychometric properties and could be used on Malagasy parents of preschool children to measure the impact of oral health status on the child and family quality of life.

The capability of selection tools to predict future academic performance of medical students

The strong competition allows medical schools to be highly selective in their admissions, with the aim of selecting only those students who are most likely to complete their medical education and presumably become good doctors; it also minimizes the number of poor performers or ‘strugglers’, who were reported in one study to account for academic. The validity of an admission criterion is defined as the degree to which it predicts an applicant’s performance during and after his or her undergraduate medical training, and reliability is defined as the reproducibility of the results obtained when a measurement is repeated on the same study sample. Several studies also show that several non-cognitive factors have a significant influence on academic success at university, additional to the influence of prior academic attainment. The purpose of this research is to assess the correlation between the selection tools and medical student’s academic performance through their Grade Points Average (GPA) over a four-year period. Pre-admission data were matched from students who entered Bandung Islamic University, Faculty of Medicine at the year 2012 – 2016 with their GPA. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 74 selected students who had completed the specific admission test. The variables examined were high school grades, Multiple Mini Interview (MMI), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) test and a total of admission test score. The statistical was used SPSS and Spearman correlation test analysis. The result shows there were significant correlation and a weak relationship between MMI with 1st year GPA, 2nd year GPA, and 3rd year GPA. There was also a significant correlation and a moderate relationship between the total of admission test score with 2nd year GPA and 3rd year GPA. The conclusion is MMI was found to be steady predictor of Grade Point Average (GPA) yet the predictability of academic success is weak and increase for the early years and drops towards the end of the medical under graduated program. Total of admission test score was weak predictor for academic performance especially in the second and third year medical students.

Validity of NPV Rule and IRR Criterion for Capital Budgeting and CBA

The validity of the NPV rule and the criticisms against IRR are evaluated using a capital amortization approach (CA) and the results presented. Negative or zero or no IRR is consistent with the net cash flow (NCF) when the sum of NCF is either zero or negative. Reinvestment, with non-normal NCF, causes spurious NPV and multiple IRR. These problems are resolved by eliminating reinvestment. With normal NCF, reinvestment affects NPV, in some cases, but not the IRR. Finally, IRR can rank mutually exclusive projects and can be estimated either as a return on the total or balance of the capital. The NPV can be used with normal NCF investment and the result will be consistent with the IRR. The question is whether the investors are interested to base their decision on the return as a percentage (IRR) or as an absolute money value (NPV) or as per dollar of investment (BCR or PI). The caution is that even with normal NCF, the NPV does involve reinvestment (at low discount rates) but not the IRR. Also, while ranking mutually exclusive investments with normal NCFs, the ranking by NPV changes with discount rates but ranking by IRR is consistently unique. With non-normal NCFs, the NPV is spurious and IRR not unique. The CA approach discussed in this paper resolves this problem by eliminating reinvestment. The NPV rule, therefore, needs revisiting.

Factorial Analysis and Invariance Testing for Age and Gender of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ).

Reactive aggression is characterized by high emotional activation, impulsivity, and hostility, while proactive aggression presents a cold, instrumental, and planned strategy. The aim was to perform a psychometric analysis of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire [RPQ]. A non-probability sample of 502 people between 18 and 40 years old was formed, grouped by sex (n=297, 59.2% women and n=205, 40.8% men) and age (n = 224, 44.62% under 25 years old and n=278, 55.38% over 25 years old). The instruments were the RPQ, the Anger Rumination Scale (ARS), and an affective scale (PANAS) in printed format. In this instrumental psychometric study, we found that the RPQ fits better in a model of two factors interrelated with residual covariances (CFI = .928, RMSEA = .044), presenting significant correlations with negative affect and anger rumination, as evidence of validity of concurrent criterion, especially with reactive aggression (anger rumination r = .542, and negative affect r = .359). Also, the test was not invariant between sexes and ages, given that the best fit was in the male sex and those under 25 years of age (∆CFI < 0.01, ∆RMSEA < 0.015). We concluded that women and adults over the age of 25 have a different aggressive response profile. These findings represent new directions of research around the measurement of aggressive behavior and the development of gender differentiated interventions for adolescents and young adults.

A strategy for designing stable nanocrystalline alloys by thermo-kinetic synergy

Aiming to design stable nanocrystalline (NC) materials, so far, it has been proposed to construct nanostructure stability maps in terms of thermodynamic parameters, while kinetic stabilization has seldom been considered, despite the synergy of thermodynamics and kinetics. Consequently, the thermodynamically stabilized NC materials may be easily subjected to grain growth at high temperatures due to the weakly kinetic stabilization. Starting from the thermo-kinetic synergy, a stabilization criterion is proposed as a function of intrinsic solute parameters (e.g. the activation energy for bulk diffusion and the segregation enthalpy), intrinsic solvent parameters (e.g. the intrinsic activation energy for GB migration and the GB energy) and processing parameters (e.g. the grain size, the temperature and the solute concentration). Using first-principles calculations for a series of combinations between fifty-one substitutional alloying atoms as solute atoms and Fe atom as fixed solvent atom, it is shown that the thermal stability neither simply increases with increasing the segregation enthalpy as expected by thermodynamic stabilization, nor monotonically increases with increasing the activation energy for bulk diffusion as described by kinetic stabilization. By combination of thermodynamic and kinetic contributions, the current stabilization criterion evaluates quantitatively the thermal stability, thus permitting convenient comparisons among NC materials involved by various combinations of the solute atoms, the solvent atoms, or the processing conditions. Validity of this thermo-kinetic stabilization criterion has been tested by current experiment results of Fe-Y alloy and previously published data of Fe-Ni, Fe-Cr, Fe-Zr and Fe-Ag alloys, etc., which opens a new window for designing NC materials with sufficiently high thermal stability and sufficiently small grain size.

On an energy-based criterion for defining slope failure considering spatially varying soil properties

The definition of slope failure is a critical issue for strength reduction method-based slope stability analysis. Conventional slope failure criteria, which rely heavily on the distributions of stress, strain and displacement throughout the slope, are relatively complicated and create ambiguity in practical applications. Recognizing such shortcomings, a new energy-based criterion for defining slope failure was recently developed in the literature. In this work, further analyses are performed to investigate the validity of this energy-based criterion for slope stability analysis in which spatially varying soil properties are considered. With the slope being modeled by the finite difference method, random field theory is adopted to generate cross-correlated soil strength properties for the slope. Then, the slope system is solved and analyzed with a consecutive series of strength reduction factors (SRFs). In particular, various forms of energy in the slope system are calculated with different SRFs, and the characteristics of the energy distribution and evolution with increasing SRFs are analyzed. The results indicate that the slope system exhibits a significant energy change when the SRF increases to a critical value, which is a good indicator of slope failure. The areas in the slope characterized by considerable energy dissipation present a profile that is very close to the profile of the critical slip surface of the slope. These findings regarding the characteristics of the energy distribution and energy evolution could be further utilized to develop more efficient approaches to determine factors of safety and critical slip surfaces.

Stand-alone renal SLICC criterion with full house glomerular deposits: is it enough for childhood lupus nephritis?

The objective of this study is to assess the usefulness of the stand-alone renal SLICC criterion in patients with childhood systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) and report their disease course, treatment response, and outcome. This study included children who were followed regularly in our lupus clinic with proved full house glomerular immune deposits nephritis and antinuclear (ANA), or anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). They were compared with patients who diagnosed with cSLE with and without biopsy proven nephritis, based on Systemic Lupus International Collaborating (SLICC). The comparative group selected by systematic sampling from our cSLE database; the first patient was chosen randomly, and the subsequent patients chosen at intervals of three. The two groups were compared in respect to demographic data, clinical and laboratory findings, and disease course including response to treatment and outcome using urine protein/creatinine ratio, eGFR, and urine sediments. A total of 37 patients were assessed, six patients met the stand-alone renal SLICC criterion, 18 patients had cSLE with biopsy proven nephritis, and 13 cSLE patients without biopsy proven nephritis. Age of onset and time to diagnosis were comparable. However, patients with stand-alone renal criterion had significantly higher baseline serum creatinine, urine protein/creatinine ratio, and lower ANA titer (p < 0.05). Furthermore, none of the patients had other lupus manifestations. Four patients showed partial response to treatment. Two patients had renal impairment and one patient developed end-stage renal disease. Patients with full house glomerular immune deposits nephritis and ANA, or anti-dsDNA reflect a different disease spectrum with severe renal manifestations and worse outcome. Further large prospective study is required to revisit the validity of the stand-alone renal SLICC criterion in cSLE. KEY POINTS : • There is no definite diagnostic tool for SLE. Furthermore, to date there are no specific classification criteria for cSLE. • It seems that patients who met the stand-alone renal SLICC criterion might represent a distinct disease spectrum with severe renal involvement.

Large-Signal Stability Analysis of the Undersea Direct Current Power System for Scientific Cabled Seafloor Observatories

A large number of power electronic converters and long-distance submarine cables are an important part of the undersea direct current (DC) power system of the scientific cabled seafloor observatories (CSOs). However, the constant power load (CPL) characteristics of the converters and the distributed parameter characteristics of long-distance submarine cables greatly affect the stability of the CSO DC power system. This paper analyzes the large-signal stability of the CSO DC power system, and the equivalent circuits of long-distance submarine cables are established by theoretical analysis and computer simulation. A simplified computer simulation model and an equivalent experimental prototype model of a single-node CSO DC power system was built in the laboratory to study this issue. The mixed potential function method is used to analyze the large-signal stability of the CSO DC power system, and the large-signal stability criterion is obtained theoretically. The validity of the large-signal stability criterion is proved by simulations and experiments. The conclusion is that reducing the inductance of the submarine cable, increasing the capacitance of the submarine cable, increasing the output voltage of the shore station power feeding equipment (PFE) or reducing the power consumption of the undersea station, are beneficial to improve the large-signal stability of the CSO DC power system.

The mechanism and solution of the anomalous commutation failure of multi-infeed HVDC transmission systems

Commutation failure, which occurs frequently in HVDC systems, may lead to the instability of HVDC system. This paper proposes the anomalous commutation failure of multi-infeed HVDC transmission systems based on a thorough analysis. Two types of distortion models are put forward to explain the phenomenon of anomalous commutation failure on the level of theory. The distortion caused by DC component and low-order harmonic components is shown to be the cause of anomalous commutation failure. The impact of total waveform distortion on commutation failure is given based on the commutation failure mechanism and grid parameters. The total distortion reference is proposed to assess the risk of commutation failure. Two types of multi-infeed system models are simulated, and the validity of the total distortion reference criterion is verified. It is also found that the decrease of coupling impedance can weaken the anomalous commutation failure. Finally, a fault division strategy based on fault current limiter is proposed and proved to be an effective way to solve the problem of anomalous commutation failure.

Translation and validation of the Tibetan confusion assessment method for the intensive care unit.

Background:At present, there is no available delirium translated assessment method for 3.3 million Tibetans. This study aimed to provide a method for delirium assessment for Tibetan patients speaking this language by validating a translation of the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU).Methods:The study was conducted between July 2018 and November 2018. Patients were screened for delirium by a neurologist using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV). Patients were subsequently screened by two nurses using Tibetan translations of the CAM-ICU. With DSM-IV criterion as the reference standard, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated to assess the validity of the CAM-ICU criterion. Interrater reliability was determined by comparing the CAM-ICU ratings of nurse 1 vs. nurse 2 using the κ coefficient.Results:Ninety-six patients were assessed independently by two nurses and one neurologist. According to DSM-IV standard, 42 out of 96 (43.8%) patients developed delirium. The sensitivities of Tibetan CAM-ICU were 90.5% for nurse 1 and 92.9% for nurse 2, respectively. Their specificities were 85.2% and 90.7%, respectively. The PPV were 82.6% for nurse 1 and 88.6% for nurse 2. Their NPV were 92.0% and 94.2%, respectively. The Tibetan CAM-ICU was done with good interrater reliability between nurse 1 and nurse 2 (κ = 0.91, P < 0.001).Conclusion:The Tibetan CAM-ICU shows good validity and might be incorporated into clinical practice in Tibetan Intensive Care Units.Clinical Trail Registry:www.chictr.org.cn (No. ChiCTR1800018231)

On the validity of strain energy density criterion for mixed mode I/II fracture analysis of notched shape memory alloy components

This paper investigates the fracture behavior of notched polycrystalline shape memory alloy components utilizing the strain energy density (SED) approach and considering combined tensile/shear loading for the first time. The SED approach has been widely used to explore fracture paths and the onset of fracture in notched components made of conventional ductile metals (e.g., aluminum) as well as brittle and quasi-brittle materials, but its application to shape memory alloys has heretofore not been addressed. For a notched polycrystalline shape memory alloy component subjected to thermomechanical loading, the effects of different material parameters including maximum transformation strain, Young’s modulus, and temperature on the SED distribution around notch tip and the fracture angle are explored and discussed. The validity of the theoretical formulations deployed for estimation of the transformation zones and strain fields are examined by comparing closed-form solutions with the results obtained from comparable finite element calculations. It is shown that the efficiency of the SED approach is limited as the ratio of the normalized maximum transformation strain to the normalized effective notch stress intensity factor exceeds a critical value; such conditions have not been previously reported for non-transforming metals. Finally, the effects of the notch tip radius on the fracture angle and SED distribution around the notch tip are evaluated.

Do adding attachment, oppression, cumulative and proliferation trauma dynamics to PTSD Criterion “a” improve its predictive validity: Toward a paradigm shift?

The study investigated the predictive validity of Criterion A for PTSD and evaluated a new development-based trauma dynamic non-linear system paradigm that considers global trauma dynamics of accumulation and trauma proliferation. We conducted secondary analyses of two combined samples (clinical sample N = 1048, and non-clinical sample N = 1706) that used measures for trauma and PTSD. We performed a hierarchical regression to test the incremental predictive validity of adding additional stress and trauma types. To test the non-linear dynamics of cumulative trauma and trauma types, we conducted curve estimation regression. We performed path analysis and PROCESS macro to examine the potential mediating roles of these factors in predicting PTSD. We also examined possible gender differences in the path models. Results of the study indicated that adding the non-criterion A traumas of attachment and collective identity trauma types (a non-criterion A stressors) resulted in the increased incremental predictive validity of criterion A over six-fold and fully mediated the effects of Criterion A on PTSD. The non-linear models of the relationship between trauma and PTSD explained over three times the variance explained by the linear model. The path models were found to be strongly invariant across genders. We concluded that adopting a development-based trauma paradigm, and expanding Criterion A in a formula that includes such stressor/ trauma types and their dynamics, should increase its predictive validity and advance our understanding of PTSD etiology and its non-linear dynamics and improve on current prevention and intervention strategies.

Cracking behaviour of fine-grained soils: from laboratory testing to numerical modelling

Many experimental evidences suggest that desiccation cracks in clay initiate as a result of the mobilization of soil tensile strength. However this mechanical approach disregards the cohesionless and effective stress-dependent behaviour of fine-grained soil. On the other hand recent findings in the literature suggest that effective stress-dependent shear failure criteria would be appropriate to explain the mechanisms of desiccation cracking for tensile total stress states. This work aims at assessing the validity of a shear failure criterion to predict the onset of cracking in clay forms exposed to air drying. Clay forms of various geometries were experimentally subjected to non-uniform hydraulic and mechanical boundary conditions. Time and location for crack initiation are monitored using a digital camera. Cracking experiments are then modelled in a hydro-mechanical framework using an effective-stress shear failure criterion. The comparison of simulations with experimental results for both the time and the location of cracking allows assuming that cracking occurs due to failure in shearing.

Computational analysis of thermal and structural failure criteria of a multi-storey steel frame exposed to fire

Structural fire design, until recently, has only assumed uniform fires inside the compartment, and the assessment of structural failure has been often based on a critical temperature criterion. While this criterion, to some extent, may be able to indicate the temperature at which the structural element is near to failure, it is based on standard fire tests and, therefore, its validity is limited to individual members exposed to uniform temperatures. It is unclear how representative a critical temperature criterion is of structural failure in the case of multi-story structures, particularly in the case of non-uniform fires such as travelling fires. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the validity of the critical temperature criterion for structures exposed to non-uniform fires and compare it to uniform fires. A generic 10-storey steel framed building is modelled using the finite element software LS-DYNA. In total, 117 different scenarios are investigated to cover a wide range of conditions of interest for design of modern steel buildings, varying the fire exposure (travelling fires, Eurocode parametric fires, ISO-834 standard fire, and SFPE standard), floor where the fire is burning, beam section size, and applied fire protection to the beams. For the different fire exposures considered, the analysis predicts structural failure at different times, in different locations and floors, and different failure mechanisms. Moreover, it is shown that there is no single worst case fire scenario: different fires can lead to failure in different structural ways. The comparison of the various structural and thermal failure criteria (ultimate strain, utilization, mid-span deflection, and critical temperature) show that there is no consistency between them, revealing a far more complex problem than reported in the literature. Lastly, this work has illustrated that the critical temperature criterion does not predict accurately the structural failure in time, space or failure mode of steel structures subjected to both uniform and non-uniform fires. Structural failure can only be predicted by advanced structural analysis, and, therefore, heat transfer analysis alone is not sufficient for design. Nevertheless, it was shown that the use of the critical temperature leads to conservative results for simple steel structures. For the sake of comprehensive design, a range of different fire scenarios, including both uniform and non-uniform, should be part of the analysis such that all likely structural responses and failure modes can be considered.

Crack tip opening angle during unstable ductile crack propagation of a high-pressure gas pipeline

A full gas burst test was conducted to clarify the CTOA history during ductile crack propagation in a high-pressure pipeline. The measurement results obtained by high-speed camera observation and image processing showed that the CTOA value remains constant during crack propagation despite the large changes in the crack velocity. The numerical results of a series of finite element analyses supported the intrinsic implications of the experimental results. Consequently, the validity of the constant CTOA criterion, which has the potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of numerical simulations of unstable ductile crack propagation in a high-pressure pipeline, was verified.

The Importance of an Early and Accurate MEN1 Diagnosis.

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is a rare autosomal dominant inherited condition, causing significant morbidity, and a reduction of life expectancy. A timely and accurate diagnosis of MEN1 is paramount to improve disease outcomes. This enables early identification of tumor manifestations allowing timely treatment for reducing morbidity and improving survival. Current management of MEN1 poses two challenges regarding the MEN1 diagnosis: diagnostic delay and the issue of phenocopies. A delay in diagnosis can be caused by a delay in identifying the index case, and by a delay in identifying affected family members of an index case. At present, lag time between diagnosis of MEN1 in index cases and genetic testing of family members was estimated to be 3.5 years. A subsequent delay in diagnosing affected family members was demonstrated to cause potential harm. Non-index cases have been found to develop clinically relevant tumor manifestations during the lag times. Centralized care, monitoring of patients outcomes on a national level and thereby improving awareness of physicians treating MEN1 patients, will contribute to improved care. The second challenge relates to “phenocopies.” Phenocopies refers to the 5–25% of clinically diagnosed patients with MEN1in whom no mutation can be found. Up to now, the clinical diagnosis of MEN1 is defined as the simultaneous presence of at least two of the three characteristic tumors (pituitary, parathyroids, or pancreatic islets). These clinically diagnosed patients undergo intensive follow up. Recent insights, however, challenge the validity of this clinical criterion. The most common mutation-negative MEN1 phenotype is the combination of primary hyperparathyroidism and a pituitary adenoma. This phenotype might also be caused by mutations in the CDKN1B gene, causing the recently described MEN4 syndrome. Moreover, primary hyperparathyroidism and pituitary adenoma are relatively common in the general population. Limiting follow-up in patients with a sporadic co-occurrence of pHPT and PIT could reduce exposure to radiation from imaging, healthcare costs and anxiety.

Resistance to coaching in forced‐choice testing

SummaryIn forced‐choice tests (FCTs), examinees are typically presented with questions with two equally plausible answer alternatives, of which only one is correct. The rationale underlying this test is that guilty examinees tend to avoid relevant crime information, producing a nonrandom response pattern. The validity of FCTs is reduced when examinees are informed about this underlying rationale, with coached guilty examinees refraining from avoiding the correct information but trying to provide a random mix of correct and incorrect answers. To detect such intentional randomization, a “runs” test—looking at the distribution of the number of alternations between correct and incorrect answers—has been suggested but with limited success. We designed a runs test based on distinguishing between patterns that look random and patterns that are random. Specifically, we alternated the horizontal presentation (i.e., presentation left or right on the screen) of the correct answer alternative between each trial. As a consequence, guilty examinees were faced with having to choose to randomize either between correct and incorrect answers—leading to chance performance—or between answers presented on the left or right, producing a pattern that “looks” random. As innocent examinees are unaware of the correct answers, they can only randomize between horizontal positions. Results showed that the number of correct items selected distinguished guilty from innocent examinees only when they were not informed about the underlying rationale. In contrast, alternations between correct and incorrect answers did distinguish informed guilty from innocent examinees. Incremental validity of the alternation criterion and theoretical implications are discussed.

Gravity induced fluid fragmentation in an asymmetric microfluidic Y junction

HypothesisIn this study, the spontaneous and forced imbibition of an asymmetric Y junction by a completely wetting fluid submitted to the action of gravity is investigated. The considered junction is made of three capillaries of close but different dimensions. This system is used as a simple model to study gravity induced fluid fragmentation in microfluidic junctions and porous media. Using simple calculations, analytical results predict a fragmentation criterion, two dynamics leading to fluid fragmentation and asymptotically drop lengths and spacings. ExperimentsBoth spontaneous and forced imbibitions of three microfluidic Y junctions were undertaken, varying the capillary and Bond numbers. Results show the validity of the fragmentation criterion, the derived junction imbibition dynamics and confirm qualitatively the analytical description of the fragmentation process. FindingsThe dynamics prior to fragmentation does not depend on whether the imbibition is forced or spontaneous. However, it depends on the position with respect to gravity of the junction branch of lowest Laplace pressure. Finally, gravity induced fragmentation happens in the squeezing regime described in the Drop-On-Demand (DOD) literature at the junction and is locally controlled by viscosity rather than gravity.

Assessment of the frequency criterion for the diagnosis of non-suicidal self-injury disorder in female adolescents with conduct disorder

Recent studies suggest a higher threshold number of self-injuries during the past year than the one proposed in the DSM-5 criteria for non-suicidal self-injury disorder (NSSID). Therefore, we aimed to test a validity of the frequency criterion in girls with conduct disorder (CD) based on psychopathology and the level of functioning. Mixture modelling analysis revealed that the frequency of at least 8 self-harm behaviours in the previous year differentiated adolescents with CD. Thus, we divided adolescents into three subgroups: group 1: at least 8 self-harm acts; group 2: 1–7 self-harm behaviours and group 3: those who did not injure themselves during the last 12 months. Individuals from group 1 were significantly younger and had earlier age of self-harm onset. There were significant differences between groups 1 and 3 in terms of anxiety and depressive symptoms, self-esteem, aggression and the global functioning level. The group 1 scored significantly higher on depressive symptoms compared to the group 2. The group 2 scored significantly higher than the group 3 on the level of hostility. Our results provide further evidence supporting the need for modification of the NSSID frequency criterion.

Calculation of strained BaTiO3 with different exchange correlation functionals examined with criterion by Ginzburg-Landau theory, uncovering expressions by crystallographic parameters

In the calculations of tetragonal BaTiO3, some exchange-correlation (XC) energy functionals such as local density approximation (LDA) have shown good agreement with experiments at room temperature (RT), e.g., spontaneous polarization (P S), and superiority compared with other XC functionals. This is due to the error compensation of the RT effect and, hence, will be ineffective in the heavily strained case such as domain boundaries. Here, ferroelectrics under large strain at RT are approximated as those at 0 K because the strain effect surpasses the RT effects. To find effective XC energy functionals for strained BaTiO3, we propose a new comparison, i.e., a criterion. This criterion is the properties at 0 K given by the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory because GL theory is a thermodynamic description of experiments working under the same symmetry-constraints as ab initio calculations. With this criterion, we examine LDA, generalized gradient approximations (GGA), meta-GGA, meta-GGA + local correlation potential (U), and hybrid functionals, which reveals the high accuracy of some XC functionals superior to XC functionals that have been regarded as accurate. This result is examined directly by the calculations of homogenously strained tetragonal BaTiO3, confirming the validity of the new criterion. In addition, the data points of theoretical P S vs. certain crystallographic parameters calculated with different XC functionals are found to lie on a single curve, despite their wide variations. Regarding these theoretical data points as corresponding to the experimental results, analytical expressions of the local P S using crystallographic parameters are uncovered. These expressions show the primary origin of BaTiO3 ferroelectricity as oxygen displacements. Elastic compliance and electrostrictive coefficients are estimated. For the comparison of strained results, we show that the effective critical temperature T C under strain <-0.01 is >1000 K from an approximate method combining ab initio results with GL theory. In addition, in a definite manner, the present results show much more enhanced ferroelectricity at large strain than the previous reports.