While the gold standard for the diagnosis of mental disorders remains the structured clinical interview, self-report measures continue to play an important role in screening and measuring progress, ...as well as being frequently employed in research studies. Two widely-used self-report measures in the area of depression and anxiety are Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). However, considerable confusion exists in their application, with clinical cut-offs often applied incorrectly. This study re-examines the credentials of the Zung scales by comparing them with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) in terms of their ability to predict clinical diagnoses of anxiety and depression made using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ).
A total sample of 376 adults, of whom 87 reported being in receipt of psychological treatment, completed the two-page version of the PHQ relating to depression and anxiety, together with the SDS, the SAS and the DASS.
Overall, although the respective DASS scales emerged as marginally stronger predictors of PHQ diagnoses of anxiety and depression, the Zung indices performed more than acceptably in comparison. The DASS also had an advantage in discriminative ability. Using the current recommended cut-offs for all scales, the DASS has the edge on specificity, while the Zung scales are superior in terms of sensitivity. There are grounds to consider making the Zung cut-offs more conservative, and doing this would produce comparable numbers of 'Misses' and 'False Positives' to those obtained with the DASS.
Given these promising results, further research is justified to assess the Zung scales ability against full clinical diagnoses and to further explore optimum cut-off levels.
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Structural properties of multi-octave scales Crowley, Emmet; Gómez-Martín, Francisco
Journal of mathematics and music (Society for Mathematics and Computation in Music),
05/2023, Volume:
17, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Whilst not widely extended, non-octave-repeating scales are present in a variety of musical settings, yet have received scarce attention in the existing literature. This paper provides a brief ...general historical contextualization before focusing on a specific group of two-octave scales based on properties in common with the most widely used scales in Western music. After characterizing them in mathematical terms, an exhaustive list of such scales is provided, being the first exhaustive list of non-octave-repeating scales of any given characteristics. A scale endowed with structural properties attributed to the diatonic collection in the field of diatonic theory - such as well-formed, Myhill property, maximally even or diatonic - is singled out for the first time in this paper.
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BFBNIB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Regeneration is a complex chain of events that restores a tissue to its original size and shape. The tissue-wide coordination of cellular dynamics that is needed for proper morphogenesis is ...challenged by the large dimensions of regenerating body parts. Feedback mechanisms in biochemical pathways can provide effective communication across great distances
, but how they might regulate growth during tissue regeneration is unresolved
. Here we report that rhythmic travelling waves of Erk activity control the growth of bone in time and space in regenerating zebrafish scales, millimetre-sized discs of protective body armour. We find that waves of Erk activity travel across the osteoblast population as expanding concentric rings that are broadcast from a central source, inducing ring-like patterns of tissue growth. Using a combination of theoretical and experimental analyses, we show that Erk activity propagates as excitable trigger waves that are able to traverse the entire scale in approximately two days and that the frequency of wave generation controls the rate of scale regeneration. Furthermore, the periodic induction of synchronous, tissue-wide activation of Erk in place of travelling waves impairs tissue growth, which indicates that wave-distributed Erk activation is key to regeneration. Our findings reveal trigger waves as a regulatory strategy to coordinate cell behaviour and instruct tissue form during regeneration.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ
Introduction
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) provides a structured method for assessment of the level of consciousness. Its derived sum score is applied in research and adopted in intensive care unit ...scoring systems. Controversy exists on the reliability of the GCS. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize evidence on the reliability of the GCS.
Methods
A literature search was undertaken in MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL. Observational studies that assessed the reliability of the GCS, expressed by a statistical measure, were included. Methodological quality was evaluated with the consensus-based standards for the selection of health measurement instruments checklist and its influence on results considered. Reliability estimates were synthesized narratively.
Results
We identified 52 relevant studies that showed significant heterogeneity in the type of reliability estimates used, patients studied, setting and characteristics of observers. Methodological quality was good (
n
= 7), fair (
n
= 18) or poor (
n
= 27). In good quality studies, kappa values were ≥0.6 in 85 %, and all intraclass correlation coefficients indicated excellent reliability. Poor quality studies showed lower reliability estimates. Reliability for the GCS components was higher than for the sum score. Factors that may influence reliability include education and training, the level of consciousness and type of stimuli used.
Conclusions
Only 13 % of studies were of good quality and inconsistency in reported reliability estimates was found. Although the reliability was adequate in good quality studies, further improvement is desirable. From a methodological perspective, the quality of reliability studies needs to be improved. From a clinical perspective, a renewed focus on training/education and standardization of assessment is required.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Questionnaires are a widely used research method in human resource management (HRM), and multi‐item psychometric scales are the most widely used measures in questionnaires. These scales each have ...multiple items to measure a construct in a reliable and valid manner. However, using this method effectively involves complex procedures that are frequently misunderstood or unknown. Although there are existing methodological texts addressing this topic, few are exhaustive and they often omit essential practical information. The current article therefore aims to provide a detailed and comprehensive guide to the use of multi‐item psychometric scales for HRM research and practice, including their structure, development, use, administration, and data preparation.
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Psychological tests typically include a response scale whose purpose it is to organize and constrain the options available to respondents and facilitate scoring. One such response scale is the Likert ...scale, which initially was introduced to have a specific 5-point form. In practice, such scales have varied considerably in the nature and number of response options. However, relatively little consensus exists regarding several questions that have emerged regarding the use of Likert-type items. First, is there a "psychometrically optimal" number of response options? Second, is it better to include an even or odd number of response options? Finally, do visual analog items offer any advantages over Likert-type items? We studied these questions in a sample of 1,358 undergraduates who were randomly assigned to groups to complete a common personality measure using response scales ranging from 2 to 11 options, and a visual analog condition. Results revealed attenuated psychometric precision for response scales with 2 to 5 response options; interestingly, however, the criterion validity results did not follow this pattern. Also, no psychometric advantages were revealed for any response scales beyond 6 options, including visual analogs. These results have important implications for psychological scale development.
Public Significance Statement
We studied several aspects of questionnaire response scales and their impact on the reliability and validity of a personality measure. We found that smaller numbers of response options have a negative impact on the measurement precision of a scale, which has important implications how psychological measures should be developed and used in practice.
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CEKLJ, FFLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PEFLJ, UPUK
Every year brings new research studies that aim to describe early childhood development. Despite this boom in research, there has been little useful translation of these studies into clear ...recommendations for educators and mental health practitioners. This book shows experienced educators and mental health practitioners who work with young children (2-5 years of age) how to implement programs and interventions based on the latest scientific research in day care centers, preschools, special education settings, and kindergartens. Chapters in this volume offer guidelines on child assessment across five key areas of development -- cognitive, language, behavioral and social-emotional functioning, adaptive behavior, and motor skills. Contributors describe interventions to help children meet age-appropriate expectations regarding cognitive and emotional maturity, and other key developmental tasks including numerical understanding, early literacy programs; and play. Other chapters discuss broad policies and legal issues impacting early education. Special attention is given to interventions for preschoolers with developmental disabilities, and the unique needs of children who are culturally and linguistically diverse. Psychologists, speech-language pathologists, social workers, and teachers will find a wealth of information in this comprehensive, practical volume.
How much income would a woman living alone require to attain the same standard of living that she would have if she were married? What percentage of a married couple's expenditures are controlled by ...the husband? How much money does a couple save on consumption goods by living together versus living apart? We propose and estimate a collective model of household behaviour that permits identification and estimation of concepts such as these. We model households in terms of the utility functions of its members, a bargaining or social welfare function, and a consumption technology function. We demonstrate generic non-parametric identification of the model, and hence of a version of adult equivalence scales that we call "indifference scales", as well as consumption economies of scale, the household's resource sharing rule or members' bargaining power, and other related concepts.
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BFBNIB, INZLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NMLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK, ZRSKP
The ancient science of harmonics investigates the arrangements of pitched sounds which form the basis of musical melody, and the principles which govern them. It was the most important branch of ...Greek musical theory, studied by philosophers, mathematicians and astronomers as well as by musical specialists. This 2007 book examines its development during the period when its central ideas and rival schools of thought were established, laying the foundations for the speculations of later antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It concentrates particularly on the theorists' methods and purposes and the controversies that their various approaches to the subject provoked. It also seeks to locate the discipline within the broader cultural environment of the period; and it investigates, sometimes with surprising results, the ways in which the theorists' work draws on and in some cases influences that of philosophers and other intellectuals.
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