Factor Variance Research Articles

The distribution of parent-reported attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and subclinical autistic traits in children with and without an ADHD diagnosis.

Autistic traits are often reported to be elevated in children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the distribution of subclinical autistic traits in children with ADHD has not yet been established; knowing this may have important implications for diagnostic and intervention processes. The present study proposes a preliminary model of the distribution of parent-reported ADHD and subclinical autistic traits in two independent samples of Australian children with and without an ADHD diagnosis. Factor mixture modelling was applied to Autism Quotient and Conners' Parent Rating Scale - Revised responses from parents of Australian children aged 6-15years who participated in one of two independent studies. A 2-factor, 2-class factor mixture model with class varying factor variances and intercepts demonstrated the best fit to the data in both discovery and replication samples. The factors corresponded to the latent constructs of 'autism' and 'ADHD', respectively. Class 1 was characterised by low levels of both ADHD and autistic traits. Class 2 was characterised by high levels of ADHD traits and low-to-moderate levels of autistic traits. The classes were largely separated along diagnostic boundaries. The largest effect size for differences between classes on the Autism Quotient was on the Social Communication subscale. Our findings support the conceptualisation of ADHD as a continuum, whilst confirming the utility of current categorical diagnostic criteria. Results suggest that subclinical autistic traits, particularly in the social communication domain, are unevenly distributed across children with clinically significant levels of ADHD traits. These traits might be profitably screened for in assessments of children with high ADHD symptoms and may also represent useful targets for intervention.

Modality matters: Three auditory conflict tasks to measure individual differences in attention control.

Early work on selective attention used auditory-based tasks, such as dichotic listening, to shed light on capacity limitations and individual differences in these limitations. Today, there is great interest in individual differences in attentional abilities, but the field has shifted towards visual-modality tasks. Furthermore, most conflict-based tests of attention control lack reliability due to low signal-to-noise ratios and the use of difference scores. Critically, it is unclear to what extent attention control generalizes across sensory modalities, and without reliable auditory-based tests, an answer to this question will remain elusive. To this end, we developed three auditory-based tests of attention control that use an adaptive response deadline (DL) to account for speed-accuracy trade-offs: Auditory Simon DL, Auditory Flanker DL, and Auditory Stroop DL. In a large sample (N = 316), we investigated the psychometric properties of the three auditory conflict tasks, tested whether attention control is better modeled as a unitary factor or modality-specific factors, and estimated the extent to which unique variance in modality-specific factors contributed incrementally to the prediction of dichotic listening and multitasking performance. Our analyses indicated that the auditory conflict tasks have strong psychometric properties and demonstrate convergent validity with visual tests of attention control. Auditory and visual attention control factors were highly correlated (r = .81)-even after controlling for perceptual processing speed (r = .75). Modality-specific attention control factors accounted for unique variance in modality-matched criterion measures, but the majority of the explained variance was modality-general. The results suggest an interplay between modality-general attention control and modality-specific processing.

A new modified biased estimator for Zero inflated Poisson regression model

Zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) model is widely used for counting data with excessive zeroes. The multicollinearity is the common factor in the explanatory variables of the count data. In this context, typically, maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) generates unsatisfactory results due to inflation of mean square error (MSE). In the solution of this problem usually, ridge parameters are used. In this study, we proposed a new modified zero-inflated Poisson ridge regression model to reduce the problem of multicollinearity. We experimented within the context of a specified simulation strategy and recorded the behavior of proposed estimators. We also apply our proposed estimator to the real-life data set and explore how our proposed estimators perform well in the presence of multicollinearity with the help of ZIP model for count data.

The Mean and Variance of the Reciprocal Merit Factor of Four Classes of Binary Sequences

The Mean and Variance of the Reciprocal Merit Factor of Four Classes of Binary Sequences

Brief report: caregivers' well-being in families with neurodevelopmental disorders members during COVID-19: implications for family therapy.

Neurodevelopmental disorders affect the lifespan of diagnosed individuals and their families. COVID-19 challenged these families with daily routine unpredictability requiring rapid adaptations. Moreover, associations and schools were closed, leaving these families without regular social support. Here, we investigate which individual and family factors can predict the caregiver's depressive state and overall burden. An online study took place between 2021 and 2022. A total of 32 caregivers (30 women; 48 ± 8.22 years old; range 26 to 63 years old) reported having a family member with a neurodevelopmental disorder, the majority diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Caregivers responded to a protocol to assess the burden, resilience, depressive, anxious, and stress symptomatology, as well as the behavior of the diagnosed individual. Hierarchical multiple regressions were performed to identify protective and risk factors for the caregivers' well-being. Caregivers' depressive state was explained by 29.3% of the variance of the family cohesion factor, indicating that high levels of balanced family cohesion represent a crucial protective factor for reducing the caregiver's depressive state. Additionally, overall caregiver burden was explained by 17.8% of the variance due to self-perception and 26.4% due to family cohesion, with the caregiver's self-perception playing an important protective role in the overall perception of burden. The proportion of male and female respondents seems to corroborate the significant role of women in caregiving. These results emphasize the importance of considering both individual and family factors of caregivers during interventions, which have implications for family therapy with families of members diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically with autism.

Dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviors among French elite athletes: the impact of psychological characteristics and the sporting calendar.

Research on sport psychology suggests that athletes are at risk of developing dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviors (DEAB), however the origins of these behaviors remain largely unexplored. The present study aims to identify factors (i.e., personality traits, anxiety levels, eating attitudes and behaviors, the internalization of sport thinness norms, and resilience) associated with the development of DEAB among female endurance athletes, in training and competition. A longitudinal follow-up study was conducted among 14 elite female athletes who were tested daily, weekly, and quarterly over 12 months in 2022, for a total of 545 measures. Participants completed questionnaires assessing personality traits, anxiety levels, eating attitudes and behaviors, the internalization of sport thinness norms, and resilience. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all study data, and odds ratios were conducted to compare the variance of psychological factors and sporting factors depending on the level of DEAB and the sport period. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Overall, 28% of our sample of athletes were identified with DEAB. Among those with DEAB, scores for agreeableness, anxiety, and competitive anxiety were significantly higher, while scores for resilience were significantly lower than those without DEAB. During the competitive season, scores for self-regulatory eating attitudes and the internalization of thinness norms were significantly higher than during the training period. Our results suggest a greater probability of DEAB among athletes who exhibit the trait of agreeableness, experience anxiety during competition, and lack resilience. The competitive season was also identified as a period conducive for developing DEAB compared with the training period. Based on these results our study suggests preventive measures that can be implemented with athletes displaying these traits, with a particular emphasis during the competitive phase.

Exploring the Impact of the New Crown Epidemic on Tourism in Qiannan, Guizhou Using Principal Component Analysis Methods

Abstract Principal component analysis is usually a linear combination of all variables, which is very detrimental to the interpretation of the results. Therefore, this paper proposes sparse principal component analysis for analyzing the impact of the Xinguang epidemic on tourism, which can find linear combinations containing only a few input variables, effectively filter out sparse principal components, and achieve the purpose of explaining a high percentage of changes with sparse linear combinations. By observing the trend of accommodation, food and beverage, and tourism turnover data in Guizhou Qiannan region before and after the epidemic from 2015 to 2021, it was confirmed that the data of 2020 was mainly used as the dataset. For sparse principal component analysis, four data sets were selected, each with 14 indicators and 32 samples. The findings revealed that the tourism topics of interest during the epidemic were more spread out and had a lower concentration of links among each other. In the accommodation industry, the 1st principal component is turnover, which has a common factor variance of 0.995 and an eigenvalue of 13.408. In the catering industry, the 2 principal components can be interpreted as the major category of operating costs and the major category of turnover, with component matrix values of (0.997, -0.073) and (0.996, 0.064), respectively.

THE EFFECT OF STEM ACTIVITIES ON THE SCIENTIFIC CREATIVITY AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF STUDENTS

The purpose of this study is to identify the effect of Lego based STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics) activities on the scientific creativity and academic success of middle-school 6th grade students. In the study, the semi experimental research method which is one of the experimental research methods was used. The study was carried out at a state middle-school in the spring semester of the 2017-2018 academic year. At the school in which the study was carried out, the students were applied the Scientific Creativity Scale (SCS) and the Academic Success Tests. A total of 85 students participated in the study. In the study group, 29 students were separated as the control group, 28 students as experimental group-1 and 28 students as experimental group-2 by the researcher. The application lasted for 7 weeks. In the experiment groups, the physical sciences lessons were taught together with the Lego based STEM activities. In the study, scientific creativity scale and Force and Motion Academic Success Test (FMAST), Properties of Matter Academic Success Test (CMAST), Animals Academic Success Test (AAST) and Sound Academic Success Test (SAST) were used. Whether the pretest-posttest difference related to the groups displayed normal distribution was checked with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. In scales and tests in which it was not possible to achieve normalcy assumption, the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test and in those in which it was possible toachieve normalcy assumption, the Paired Samples T test was done. In the comparison of the groups’ posttests, the Single Factor Variance Analysis (ANOVA) was carried out. As a result of the study, a significance difference was found in favor of experiment group-1 in the originality dimensions related to SCS. In the analysis of the academic success tests, a significant difference was not found only in the posttest scores related to CMAST. In the posttest results of FMAST, AAST and SAST, a significant difference was found in favor of experiment group 1. In addition, in the analysis in which the posttest scores of the groups related AASTwere compared, a significant difference was found in favor of the experiment groups. As a result of the study, it was determined that the scientific creativity of the students in the experiment groups in which Lego based STEM activities were carried out developed and their academic success increased.

Affective response difference to the viewing of different styles of solid wood furniture based on Kansei engineering

Homogeneity of products is a serious problem in China’s solid wood furniture market, especially reflected in the fact that the furniture form cannot meet the individualized demand of consumers. To explore the differences of consumers’ affective response for different styles of solid wood furniture, this study used Kansei engineering to perform perceptual semantic experiments on Ming-style, Qing-style, and modern Chinese-style furniture. The perceptual images of three styles of solid wood chairs were compared by single factor variance. Additionally, it deconstructed the morphological elements of solid wood seats using morphological analysis and established a mapping model between morphological elements and affective response by quantification theory type-I and multivariable linear regression model. The results show that there are differences in affective response between Ming-style, Qing-style, and modern Chinese style solid wood furniture. Qing-style solid wood furniture tends to be “ornate” and “personalized”. Modern Chinese-style solid wood furniture tends to be “modern” and “streamlined”, Ming-style solid wood furniture is in between the two styles. This study can provide furniture designers with a way to compare the differences in affective responses of different products, and the resulting relationship between affective responses and morphological elements can assist in designing products.

The assessment of the halo-effect in a questionnaire rating dimensions of coaches’ competence

ABSTRACTThe halo-effect describes the phenomenon that an individual’s general impression of a person influences how other attributes of the same person are evaluated. This phenomenon might be reflected in the finding that in a questionnaire assessing different competence dimensions of coaches, a bi-factor model (i.e., including an additional global factor besides the three competence dimensions) showed the best model fit (Strauch et al. [2023]. Erfassung der Handlungskompetenzen von Übungsleitenden. Entwicklung und Analyse der Reliabilität und Validität eines Fragebogens [Assessment of the competencies of coaches. Development and analysis of the reliability and validity of a questionnaire]. Zeitschrift für Sportpsychologie. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1026/1612-5010/a000376). Based on the stereotype content model, the purpose of the present study was to assess whether the two universal dimensions warmth and general competence may explain a significant part of this additional global factor. To this end, 222 participants (72 female; Mage = 27.38) took part in this cross-sectional study. They completed a coach competence questionnaire with the three subscales motivational, adaptive, and organisational competence. Moreover, they completed the two subscales affect and professional respect of the Leader-Member Exchange Scale to measure the universal dimensions of warmth and general competence. The results showed that a bi-factor model had the best model fit compared to (a) when the items loaded only on their corresponding factor, and (b) when all items loaded only on a global factor. Moreover, the results showed that warmth and general competence could explain more than half of the variance in this additional global factor. In summary, the results support the existence of an underlying global factor in questionnaires assessing specific dimensions of coaches’ competence, with also providing preliminary evidence that the two universal dimensions, warmth and general competence, can partly explain this factor.

Does strict invariance matter? Valid group mean comparisons with ordered-categorical items

Measurement invariance (MI) of a psychometric scale is a prerequisite for valid group comparisons of the measured construct. While the invariance of loadings and intercepts (i.e., scalar invariance) supports comparisons of factor means and observed means with continuous items, a general belief is that the same holds with ordered-categorical (i.e., ordered-polytomous and dichotomous) items. However, as this paper shows, this belief is only partially true—factor mean comparison is permissible in the correctly specified scalar invariance model with ordered-polytomous items but not with dichotomous items. Furthermore, rather than scalar invariance, full strict invariance—invariance of loadings, thresholds, intercepts, and unique factor variances in all items—is needed when comparing observed means with both ordered-polytomous and dichotomous items. In a Monte Carlo simulation study, we found that unique factor noninvariance led to biased estimations and inferences (e.g., with inflated type I error rates of 19.52%) of (a) the observed mean difference for both ordered-polytomous and dichotomous items and (b) the factor mean difference for dichotomous items in the scalar invariance model. We provide a tutorial on invariance testing with ordered-categorical items as well as suggestions on mean comparisons when strict invariance is violated. In general, we recommend testing strict invariance prior to comparing observed means with ordered-categorical items and adjusting for partial invariance to compare factor means if strict invariance fails.

Evaluating real-patient learning in medical education - Hungarian validation of the Manchester Clinical Placement Index.

The Manchester Clinical Placement Index (MCPI) is an instrument to measure medical undergraduates' real-patient learning in communities of practice both in hospital and in GP placements. Its suitability to evaluate the quality of placement learning environments has been validated in an English-language context; however, there is a lack of evidence for its applicability in other languages. Our aim was to thoroughly explore the factor structure and the key psychometric properties of the Hungarian language version. MCPI is an 8-item, mixed-method instrument which evaluates the quality of clinical placements as represented by the leadership, reception, supportiveness, facilities and organization of the placement (learning environment) as well as instruction, observation and feedback (training) on 7-point Likert scales with options for free-text comments on the strengths and weaknesses of the given placement on any of the items. We collected data online from medical students in their preclinical (1st, 2nd) as well as clinical years (4th, 5th) in a cross-sectional design in the academic years 2019-2020 and 2021-2022, by the end of their clinical placements. Our sample comprises data from 748 medical students. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed, and higher-order factors were tested. Although a bifactor model gave the best model fit (RMSEA = 0.024, CFI = 0.999, and TLI = 0.998), a high explained common variance (ECV = 0.82) and reliability coefficients (ωH = 0.87) for the general factor suggested that the Hungarian version of the MCPI could be considered unidimensional. Individual application of either of the subscales was not supported statistically due to their low reliabilities. The Hungarian language version of MCPI proved to be a valid unidimensional instrument to measure the quality of undergraduate medical placements. The previously reported subscales were not robust enough, in the Hungarian context, to distinguish, statistically, the quality of learning environments from the training provided within those environments. This does not, however, preclude formative use of the subscales for quality improvement purposes.

An Assessment of the Internal Structure of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Using Two Samples of High-Risk Adolescents

The purpose of this study is to test the internal structure of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment, a widely used assessment of behavioral health difficulties among youth. The dimensionality and internal consistency of the CANS was examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Cronbach’s coefficients. Data were drawn from two separate samples of adolescents (ages 11–17) who completed the CANS as part of a community-based intervention program. The use of two separate samples facilitated assessments of measurement invariance (Sample 1, n = 120; Sample 2, n = 170). Results did not provide strong support for the internal structure of the CANS. Item performance (i.e., standardized factor loadings), explained factor variance (R2), and internal reliability estimates (α) were inconsistent across CANS domains and samples. The implications of these findings for continued use of the CANS domains in jurisdictions across the country are discussed and key areas for future research are outlined.

A latent variable mixed-effects location scale model that also considers between-person differences in the autocorrelation.

In public health research an increasing number of studies is conducted in which intensive longitudinal data is collected in an experience sampling or a daily diary design. Typically, the resulting data is analyzed with a mixed-effects model or mixed-effects location scale model because they allow one to examine a host of interesting longitudinal research questions. Here, we introduce an extension of the mixed-effects location scale model in which measurement error of the observed variables is considered by a latent factor model and in which-in addition to the mean-or location-related effects-the residual variance of the latent factor and the parameters of the autoregressive process of this latent factor can differ between persons. We show how to estimate the parameters of the model with a maximum likelihood approach, whose performance is also compared with a Bayesian approach in a small simulation study. We illustrate the models using a real data example and end with a discussion in which we suggest questions for future research.

Matching-Adjusted Indirect Comparison (MAIC) of Efficacy and Safety of Lisocabtagene Maraleucel (liso-cel) and Mosunetuzumab for the Treatment (Tx) of Third Line or Later (3L+) Relapsed or Refractory (R/R) Follicular Lymphoma (FL)

Background:The tx landscape of R/R FL is evolving with the availability of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies and CD20xCD3 bispecific T-cell-engaging monoclonal antibodies (mAb). Liso-cel is an autologous, CD19-directed, 4-1BB CAR T cell therapy which recently reported a positive benefit-risk tx profile for the 3L+ tx of patients with R/R FL (Morschhauser F, et al. ICML 2023; LBA4). Mosunetuzumab, a CD20xCD3 bispecific T-cell-engaging mAb, is approved for the tx of R/R FL after 2 or more lines of therapy (LOT). In the absence of head-to-head data, we conducted an unanchored MAIC to compare the efficacy and safety of liso-cel and mosunetuzumab for the 3L+ tx of patients with R/R FL. Methods: Unanchored MAICs were used to estimate population-adjusted relative tx effects between individual patient-level data from TRANSCEND FL (NCT04245839; data as of January 27, 2023; median follow-up of 19.3 months) and aggregate data from GO29781 (NCT02500407; data as of August 27, 2021; median follow-up of 18.3 months; N = 90). For TRANSCEND FL, the leukapheresed (intention to treat [ITT]) set (N = 114) was used for primary comparisons of efficacy endpoints: Progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate, and complete response rate (all per independent review committee assessment). Overall survival was not analyzed due to the low rate of events. The treated efficacy set (n = 101) was used for a sensitivity analysis of efficacy comparisons. The treated set (n = 107) was used for comparisons of safety endpoints: cytokine release syndrome (CRS), neurological events (NEs), serious infections, and use of corticosteroids or tocilizumab for CRS. Baseline characteristics and outcome measures in TRANSCEND FL were redefined to align with those reported in GO29781. Data from TRANSCEND FL were weighted using a method-of-moments propensity score model to match the marginal distribution (ie, mean, variance) of clinical factors among patients from GO29781. A panel of expert clinicians selected and ranked tx effect modifiers separately for efficacy and safety endpoints. For efficacy, factors adjusted for included number of prior systemic LOTs, progression of disease ≤ 24 months from initiation of immunochemotherapy, bulky disease at screening, FL International Prognostic Index risk factor, refractory to last therapy, double refractory to an anti-CD20 antibody and alkylating agent, ECOG PS at screening, sex, and prior autologous HSCT. For safety, factors adjusted for included age, bulky disease at screening, refractory to last therapy, number of prior systemic LOTs, ECOG PS at screening, Ann Arbor stage, and sex. Hazard ratios (HR) were used to compare PFS, and odds ratios (OR) were used for response rates and safety outcomes. Results: After adjusting for all available factors, when compared with mosunetuzumab, liso-cel was associated with higher objective response rate (OR, 3.78 [95% CI, 1.48‒9.67]), and complete response rate (OR, 6.46 [2.85‒14.65]), and improved PFS (HR, 0.28 [0.16‒0.49]) based on an effective sample size (ESS) of 71.4 (Figure). Results were consistent across all scenario analyses, including unadjusted comparisons and sensitivity analyses using the treated efficacy set for TRANSCEND FL. Although liso-cel was associated with higher incidence of any-grade CRS (OR, 1.86 [1.01‒3.43]) and any-grade NEs (OR, 2.16 [0.72‒6.44]), it demonstrated a lower incidence of grade ≥ 3 CRS (OR, 0.45 [0.04‒5.13]) and grade 3-4 serious infections (OR, 0.35 [0.12‒1.03]) based on an ESS of 81.9 compared with mosunetuzumab. Furthermore, liso-cel was associated with reduced use of corticosteroids for CRS management (OR, 0.14 [0.03‒0.65]), while the use of tocilizumab was higher in patients treated with liso-cel (OR, 2.27 [0.86‒5.99]). Conclusions: In this MAIC, liso-cel was associated with improved efficacy compared with mosunetuzumab. Liso-cel had a lower incidence of grade ≥ 3 CRS, grade 3-4 serious infections, and steroid use for management of CRS; however, liso-cel exhibited higher incidence of any-grade CRS, any-grade NEs, and tocilizumab use for CRS management. Safety comparisons were confounded by preventative use of corticosteroids in all patients in GO29781 and definition differences, most notably for NEs. These findings highlight a potential positive benefit-risk profile of liso-cel over mosunetuzumab as a 3L+ tx option for R/R FL.

Variance in heat tolerance in bumble bees correlates with species geographic range and is associated with several environmental and biological factors.

Globally, insects have been impacted by climate change, with bumble bees in particular showing range shifts and declining species diversity with global warming. This suggests heat tolerance is a likely factor limiting the distribution and success of these bees. Studies have shown high intraspecific variance in bumble bee thermal tolerance, suggesting biological and environmental factors may be impacting heat resilience. Understanding these factors is important for assessing vulnerability and finding environmental solutions to mitigate effects of climate change. In this study, we assess whether geographic range variation in bumble bees in the eastern United States is associated with heat tolerance and further dissect which other biological and environmental factors explain variation in heat sensitivity in these bees. We examine heat tolerance by caste, sex, and rearing condition (wild/lab) across six eastern US bumble bee species, and assess the role of age, reproductive status, body size, and interactive effects of humidity and temperature on thermal tolerance in Bombus impatiens. We found marked differences in heat tolerance by species that correlate with each species' latitudinal range, habitat, and climatic niche, and we found significant variation in thermal sensitivity by caste and sex. Queens had considerably lower heat tolerance than workers and males, with greater tolerance when queens would first be leaving their natal nest, and lower tolerance after ovary activation. Wild bees tended to have higher heat tolerance than lab reared bees, and body size was associated with heat tolerance only in wild-caught foragers. Humidity showed a strong interaction with heat effects, pointing to the need to regulate relative humidity in thermal assays and consider its role in nature. Altogether, we found most tested biological conditions impact thermal tolerance and highlight the stages of these bees that will be most sensitive to future climate change.

Sentence recognition with modulation-filtered speech segments for younger and older adults: Effects of hearing impairment and cognition.

This study investigated word recognition for sentences temporally filtered within and across acoustic-phonetic segments providing primarily vocalic or consonantal cues. Amplitude modulation was filtered at syllabic (0-8 Hz) or slow phonemic (8-16 Hz) rates. Sentence-level modulation properties were also varied by amplifying or attenuating segments. Participants were older adults with normal or impaired hearing. Older adult speech recognition was compared to groups of younger normal-hearing adults who heard speech unmodified or spectrally shaped with and without threshold matching noise that matched audibility to hearing-impaired thresholds. Participants also completed cognitive and speech recognition measures. Overall, results confirm the primary contribution of syllabic speech modulations to recognition and demonstrate the importance of these modulations across vowel and consonant segments. Group differences demonstrated a hearing loss-related impairment in processing modulation-filtered speech, particularly at 8-16 Hz. This impairment could not be fully explained by age or poorer audibility. Principal components analysis identified a single factor score that summarized speech recognition across modulation-filtered conditions; analysis of individual differences explained 81% of the variance in this summary factor among the older adults with hearing loss. These results suggest that a combination of cognitive abilities and speech glimpsing abilities contribute to speech recognition in this group.

An Investigation of the Validity and Reliability of Turkish Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale-Short Form in Individuals with Low Back Pain

The aim of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale-Short Form in individuals with low back pain. A total of 111 volunteer patients aged between 30 and 65 years (mean 48±12 years) and diagnosed with mechanical low back pain were included in the study. Explanatory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied to the data to test the construct validity. Item-total correlations were calculated to test item discrimination and Cronbach-α values were calculated to test reliability. To determine the criterion validity, the Turkish versions of the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), the SF-36, the Fear-Avoiding Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ), and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) as well as the TSK-11, which was translated into Turkish, were administered. There was no difference between the TSK-11 test and retest measurement results (P&gt;0.05). Cronbach α levels for test and retest were calculated as 0.74 and 0.81. The variance of the first factor in the factor analysis was 35.372%, indicating that the Turkish version of the TSK-11 consisted of one dimension. As a result of DFA, the TSK-11 fit index criteria in other fit indices. In the test-retest analyses of the Turkish version of TSK-11, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values ranged from 0.403 to 0.479, while TSK-11 Cronbach's alpha values were 0.727-0.748. There was a positive relationship between TSK-11 and FABQ, RMDQ, and VAS (r=436**, 589**, 589**, respectively), and a moderate negative relationship between TSK-11 and SF-36. In our study, the Turkish version of the TSK-11 was found to be valid and reliable. The TSK-11 can be used in clinical practice and research to evaluate fear of movement in individuals with low back pain in Turkish society.

B - 96 Assessing the Factor Structure of Social Connectedness and its Psychopathological Correlates.

Since COVID-19, social isolation has become increasingly prevalent, impacting neurocognitive, physical, and psychological health. Assessment of psychological functioning involves gauging levels of social dysfunction, particularly ones that capture psychopathological correlates. The current study aimed to explore the factor structure of the Social Connectedness Scale (SCS) as well as the predictive nature of depression and anhedonia on factor loadings of the SCS. Past studies established the SCS as a one-factor scale, however, social disconnection is observed in individuals with various pathologies, suggesting a multifaceted nature to this construct. A university population (N = 383) was given the SCS, the Revised-Social Anhedonia Scale-Short Form (RSAS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). An exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation and maximum likelihood extraction yielded three factors explaining 60% of the variance. Factor 1 (factor loadings between 0.48 and 0.78) reflected overall feelings of disconnection from the world, and 35% of the variance. Factor two (factor loadings between 0.57 and 0.78) contributed 16% of the variance, measuring closeness with friends and family. Factor three (factor loadings between 0.61and 0.69) explained 6% of the variance, measuring stranger adaptability. A hierarchical linear regression show RSAS and BDI predicting more variance for factor 1 (R2 = 0.43) than factor 2 (R2 = 0.31) or factor 3 (R2 = 0.17), all ps < 0.01. These results did not replicate a one-factor structure similar to past studies, supporting a multidimensional and complex nature of social connection. Measurement of social connection dimensions may be particularly relevant to assessment of individuals with mixed neuropsychological and psychopathological features.

Models for quick evaluation of displaced right turn intersection performance

ABSTRACT Alternative intersection designs can provide cost-effective solutions to overcome the proven inadequacy of conventional approaches. Several studies have assessed the performance of alternative designs against a range of traffic volumes and geometric design aspects, each in isolation, but a model which can factor in multiple variables into the analysis is the identified research gap. The displaced left-turn – DLT intersection design was found to be the most versatile, efficient, and transferable to locations elsewhere in the world. In this paper, a displaced right-turn intersection – a variant of DLT, was modelled for a range of traffic flows and design conditions. Regression models were developed for Practical Reserve Capacity and Delay as dependent variables with traffic flow, proportion of right-turning traffic, signal cycle time and length of displaced turn as explanatory variables. These models can provide relatively quick preliminary estimates of the performance indicators before committing to resource-consuming junction remodelling works.