Search

Introduction: Theory papers have been the most commonly employed method to assess learning outcomes in medical education. In these papers, both recall abilities and higher‑order cognitive functions need to be assessed giving proper weightage as per relevance. Hence it becomes necessary that valid assessment methods are employed to evaluate the required objectives/competencies. The objective of the study was to develop a method for analyzing postgraduate question papers of various specialties. Methodology: A rubric matrix was created with three broad objective criteria to assess framing and layout of the questions in each paper, analysis of different sets for same examination, and finally an overall assessment of all the papers for each subject. Results: A total of 28 specialty papers were available. A total number of papers analysed = 340. The overall mean score out of total 60 marks was 38.64 ± 4.5. It was seen that the majority (60%) of the departments have been graded as fair on analysis of the theory papers. None of the departments were graded as very good, while 7% of them were graded as good. Although a very minuscule percentage of the papers had grammatical errors and duplication of questions in the sets, only 57% of the departments had done a proper moderation and 21% had used higher domains of learning for assessment. Conclusion: Analysis of postgraduate question papers showed that the questions asked for postgraduates are more recall‑based instead of higher taxonomy of cognitive domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Written examinations are integral component of students' assessments at formative and summative level. There is no blueprint of question paper available for the new curriculum in Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) Physiology curriculum which may lead to variations in question paper setting. This lack of consistency in question papers affects the preparedness and performance of students. Aim: To prepare the blueprint of MBBS Physiology Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum and to do content validity by comparing with Preliminary Examination (PE) and University Examination (UE). Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study conducted over a period of six months from July 2020 till December 2020. The study was conducted in Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. There are 15 topics and 140 outcomes for Physiology MBBS course as per new CBME curriculum is divided into paper I and II according to Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) syllabus. The main topics in each paper were further subdivided into subtopics for preparing learning objectives. Marks were allotted to each system taking into consideration optimum marks 97 for subjective with included options and 20 marks Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). The papers of UE and PE conducted with new format were analysed for content validity. Results: The blueprint of paper I (subjective) shows marks allotted for General Physiology 12, Haematology 13, Respiratory System (RS) 15, Cardiovascular (CVS) 17, Exercise 05, Renal system 15, Gastrointestinal System (GIT) 12, Lifestyle Aging and Meditation 03 and Attitude, Ethics and Communication. (AETCOM) 05 marks. The blueprint of paper II (subjective) shows marks for the Nerve-Muscle 16, Central Nervous System (CNS) 25, Special senses 14, endocrine system are 18, reproductive system 15, and temperature 09. MCQs were also allotted proportionate marks for each topic. Content analysis of papers showed exercise Physiology and body temperature regulation were not assessed in UE. Conclusion: There was disproportionate representation of topics in formative and summative examinations in absence of blueprint. The blueprint should be an integral part of assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Expressive vocabulary plays a vital role in child language development, and its assessment can be one of the essential indicators to identify language developmental delay, especially in children with Down syndrome. We developed a list of expressive vocabulary and compared the size and class of expressive vocabularies between typically developing and Down syndrome children. Materials and Methods: Expressive vocabulary of 150 children was examined in this study. A total of 120 typically developing Farsi-speaking children (in four age Groups, with a 6-month interval) and 30 children with Down syndrome (aged 24-48 months) participated in this study. The parents of the children filled out the form that included 636 words from different vocabulary classes. These classes were based on studies that investigated language development in Farsi-speaking children. Results: The expressive vocabulary size in Farsi-speaking children was significantly higher than in Down syndrome children (P≤0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls regarding expressive vocabulary size in two Groups of children. The size of nouns in all age Groups is more than other classes, and the size of conjunctions in all age Groups is less than the other ones. A direct correlation was found between age and the size of expressive vocabulary. Conclusion: According to the study findings, the list of expressive vocabulary can detect delays in developing expressive vocabulary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN), the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN), and the American College of Professional Neuropsychology (ACPN) collaborated to publish an update to their original position statements, confirming the organizations' opposition to third party observer (TPO). Method A review of literature addressing TPO effects, ethical standards, professional organization position statements, test publisher policies and new telemedicine developments was completed to obtain consensus on relevant issues in TPO and recording of neuropsychological evaluations. Results TPO has been shown to impact the cognitive functions most often assessed in forensic or medicolegal settings. Third party observation, whether in person, recorded or electronic, remains a potential threat to the validity and reliability of evaluation results, and violates test security guidelines, ethical principles and standards of conduct in the field. Demands for TPO in the context of medicolegal or forensic settings have become a tactic designed to limit the ability of the consulting neuropsychologist to perform assessment and provide information to the trier of fact. Conclusion The field of neuropsychology opposes the presence of TPO in the setting of medicolegal or forensic neuropsychological evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Developing children's skills in producing oral narratives can reflect their linguistic and cognitive abilities. However, to evaluate these abilities appropriately, it is necessary to find and apply an efficient narrative assessment tool. This study primarily aimed to assess the reliability and validity of a picture story, as a narrative eliciting tool, based on Persianspeaking children's narratives. This assessment is going to be done at the microstructure and macrostructure levels. Furthermore, to evaluate the power of the assessment tool, we explored the effect of age and gender variables on using different narrative elements at the microstructure and macrostructure levels. Materials and Methods: We used a picture story, "Frog, where are you?" to elicit oral narratives in 48 subjects, including 7-, 9-, and 11-year-old boys and girls. The reliability and validity of the tool were respectively assessed by test-retest and factor analysis. Results: The findings indicated a significantly high correlation between the evaluated features based on test-retest. Besides, factor analysis revealed four categories: sentence structures, references, conjunctions, measures of story length. They were valid indicators for assessing Persian-speaking children's narratives. The results also showed a statistically significant difference among different age groups, but an insignificant effect of gender on using discursive features in the tales. Conclusion: The picture story "Frog, where are you?" can be used as a reliable and valid narrative eliciting tool for Persian data at the microstructure and macrostructure levels. Also, the age factor, but not the gender one, affects the stories recited by Persian children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the process of creating the assessment instruments for the Final Year Project (FYP) by education faculty based on the opinions of the lecturers. Qualitative methodology was used, with a case study design and the in-depth interview as a data collection technique. Four lecturers participated as relevant informants. The results show that: (a) the faculty decided to create the instruments due to the lack of clear assessment criteria among the lecturers in the first years (2009-2015); (b) work was carried out on three assessment instruments over two years (2015-2017): a tutor's report (without grade), a document rubric (80% of the mark), and an oral presentation rubric (20% of the mark). It is concluded that the assessment instruments were created through the necessity of the faculty to achieve a more objective and effective FYP assessment. The creation of the instruments followed some steps to encompass the degree competencies and the objectives, types, and criteria of the FYP. The paper presents the process of creating assessment instruments and the advantages of their use, specifically the treatment of rubrics as the main assessment instrument. It seems necessary to carry out further research on assessment instruments for dissertations and theses, given their proven relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is generally recognized that firms face both internal and external pressures to improve their environmental performance. However, few empirical studies have attempted to delineate the importance of those various sources of pressure as managers themselves perceive them. In this study, we show that managers in the Canadian pulp and paper industry perceive the government and the public, but not financial and consumer markets, as the most important sources of pressure. We also show that involvement of the firm''s higher level management and environmental education of employees are important determinants of environmental performance. While the paper provides a better understanding of the key determinants of environmental performance, it reasserts the crucial role of strong government regulatory intervention. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: One of the most challenging decisions is to assess the preterm infant's transition from tube feeding to oral feeding. Thus, we require a reliable tool for determining the time to start oral feeding. This study aimed to measure the interrater and intrarater reliability of the Preterm Infant Oral Feeding Readiness Assessment scale (PIOFRA). Materials and Methods: This study was an observational, cross-sectional study. The study participants were preterm infants who had been hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Shariati Hospital affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences, between December 2017 and February 2018. The inclusion criteria were absence of neurological and gastrointestinal disorders or major congenital anomalies, Apgar score 3 or more in the first 1 minute, and 5 or more in the first 5 minutes. The exclusion criteria included family's unwillingness to participate in the study, infant's death, or a sudden change that affects neonates' nutritional status, like cerebral hemorrhage or intestinal problems. Results: The interrater and intrarater reliability of the total PIOFRA scale was good Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC˃0.75). The interrater and intrarater reliability of most items were good and excellent, with weighted kappa more than 0.50, with the exception of lip posture and especially stress sign, with weighted kappa less than 0.40. Conclusion: Generally, most items of the PIOFRA scale had acceptable interrater and intrarater reliability. Also, the interrater and intrarater reliabilities of the total POFRAs score was good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Pediatric Psychosocial Preventative Health Model (PPPHM) is a three-tier model of family psychosocial risk used to guide intervention approaches in pediatric healthcare settings. Screening all families to determine levels of risk supports equitable care. We review evidence from papers using the Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT), a brief caregiver-report measure of family psychosocial risk with scores that map to the PPPHM, to characterize the distribution of risk. We predict that across study samples the distribution of risk on the PPPHM will be approximately 60% universal (low), 30% targeted (moderate), and 10% clinical (high). Method: We conducted a scoping review searching PubMed, MEDLINE, Emcare, and PsycInfo for articles that reported PPPHM data using the PAT. Results: Forty-seven samples from 43 papers were included, reporting on patients with 17 conditions. PPPHM scores were highly consistent with median percentages of 55% universal, 34% targeted, and 11% clinical. There is evidence of higher levels of risk for samples using the Spanish version of the PAT, from weight management programs and with families who have children with autism spectrum disorder. Conclusions: The data demonstrate consistent patterns of psychosocial risk distributions on the PPPHM and support implementation of universal family psychosocial risk screening, followed by delivery of personalized care based on level of risk. Screening all families promotes health equity in pediatric health care settings by normalizing the importance of understanding psychosocial risk and resiliencies and assuring family input in the delivery of integrated psychosocial care. Public Significance Statement: When inclusive of all families, family psychosocial risk assessment promotes health equity and highlights the range of risk, supporting universal, preventative psychosocial care matched to specific risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The American Medical Association Current Procedural Panel developed a new billing code making behavioral health screening a reimbursable healthcare service. The use of computerized testing as a means for cognitive screening and brief cognitive testing is increasing at a rapid rate. The purpose of this education paper is to provide information to clinicians, healthcare administrators, and policy developers about the purpose, strengths, and limitations of cognitive screening tests versus comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations. Screening tests are generally brief and narrow in scope, they can be administered during a routine clinical visit, and they can be helpful for identifying individuals in need of more comprehensive assessment. Some screening tests can also be helpful for monitoring treatment outcomes. Comprehensive neuropsychological assessments are multidimensional in nature and used for purposes such as identifying primary and secondary diagnoses, determining the nature and severity of a person's cognitive difficulties, determining functional limitations, and planning treatment and rehabilitation. Cognitive screening tests are expected to play an increasingly important role in identifying individuals with cognitive impairment and in determining which individuals should be referred for further neuropsychological assessment. However, limitations of existing cognitive screening tests are present and cognitive screening tests should not be used as a replacement for comprehensive neuropsychological testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) mainly affects older people: the median age at diagnosis is>70 years. Elderly patients with CLL are heterogeneous with regard both to the biology of their disease and aging. Following the diagnosis of CLL in an elderly individual, careful risk assessment is essential when treatment options are evaluated. This includes not only clinical staging and evaluation of disease-specific prognostic biomarkers such as 17p deletion and TP53 mutation, but also of comorbidities, physical capacity, nutritional status, cognitive capacity, ability to perform activities of daily living and social support. Comorbidity scoring and geriatric assessment tools are helpful in achieving such multidimensional evaluation in a systematic manner. The introduction of new drugs including novel monoclonal antibodies and kinase inhibitors offers enhanced opportunities for the treatment of elderly patients with CLL. This position paper of a Task Force of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) reviews currently available evidence relevant to such patients. All types of elderly patient (i.e. chronological age>65-70 years) are considered, from robust (fit) to vulnerable (unfit) to the terminally ill. Among the topics covered are the following: (i) the relationship between chronological age, prognosis and survival, (ii) assessment of biological aging, (iii) biological age as a determinant of treatment feasibility and tolerance and (iv) tailoring of both first and further-line treatment to the circumstances of the individual patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a cornerstone in healthcare assessment. As a potential tool for providing learner-centred feedback on a large scale, the use of tablet devices has been proposed for the recording of OSCE marks, moving away from the traditional, paper-based checklist. Methods Examiner-recorded comments were collated from successive first year formative and summative OSCE examinations, with paper-based checklists used in 2012 and iPad-based checklists used in 2013. A total of 558 and 498 examiner-candidate interactions took place in the January OSCE examinations, and 1402 and 1344 for the May OSCE examination for 2012 and 2013 respectively. Examiner comments were analyzed for quantity and quality. A tool was developed and validated to assess the quality of the comments left by examiners for use as feedback (Kappa = 0.625). Results A direct comparison of paper-based checklists and iPad-recorded examinations showed an increase in the quantity of comments left from 41 to 51 % (+ 10 %). Furthermore, there was an increase in the number of comments left for students deemed 'borderline': + 22 %. In terms of the quality of the comments for feedback, there was a significant improvement (p < 0.001) between comments left in written-recorded and iPad-recorded examinations. Conclusions iPad-marked examinations resulted in a greater quantity and quality of examiner comment for use as feedback, particularly for students performing less well, enabling tutors to direct further learning for these students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has demonstrated children in out-of-home care have experienced trauma and a significant proportion are in need of behavioral health services (e.g. Casaneuva et al., NSCAW II baseline report: Child well-being, US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, 2011). Accessing services requires interagency coordination between child welfare and behavioral health professionals; however, challenges to coordination and collaboration may result in lack of service utilization for many youth (Hanson et al. 2016). Utilizing a mixed methodological approach, this paper describes the results of a study conducted five years after full state-wide implementation of processes designed to promote the use of evidence-based practices to inform decision-making for youth dually served by the child welfare and behavioral health systems. Outcomes from the study were used to develop strategies to address programmatic concerns and reinforce implementation supports. Study findings may aid organizations seeking to reinforce data-informed practices and employ strategies for addressing barriers at the worker and agency level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional point cloud evaluation is used in photogrammetry to validate and assess the accuracy of data acquisition in order to generate various three-dimensional products. This paper determines the optimal accuracy and correctness of a 3D point cloud produced by a low-cost spherical camera in comparison to the 3D point cloud produced by laser scanner. The fisheye images were captured from a chessboard using a spherical camera, which was calibrated using the commercial Agisoft Metashape software (version 2.1). For this purpose, the results of different calibration methods are compared. In order to achieve data acquisition, multiple images were captured from the inside area of our case study structure (an underpass in Wiesbaden, Germany) in different configurations with the aim of optimal network design for camera location and orientation. The relative orientation was generated from multiple images obtained by removing the point cloud noise. For assessment purposes, the same scene was captured with a laser scanner to generate a metric comparison between the correspondence point cloud and the spherical one. The geometric features of both point clouds were analyzed for a complete geometric quality assessment. In conclusion, this study highlights the promising capabilities of low-cost spherical cameras for capturing and generating high-quality 3D point clouds by conducting a thorough analysis of the geometric features and accuracy assessments of the absolute and relative orientations of the generated clouds. This research demonstrated the applicability of spherical camera-based photogrammetry to challenging structures, such as underpasses with limited space for data acquisition, and achieved a 0.34 RMS re-projection error in the relative orientation step and a ground control point accuracy of nearly 1 mm. Compared to the laser scanner point cloud, the spherical point cloud reached an average distance of 0.05 m and acceptable geometric consistency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Technological advancements in functional neuroimaging and motion capture have led to the development of novel methods that facilitate the diagnosis and rehabilitation of motor deficits. These advancements allow for the synchronous acquisition and analysis of complex signal streams of neurophysiological data (e.g., EEG, fNIRS) and behavioral data (e.g., motion capture). The fusion of those data streams has the potential to provide new insights into cortical mechanisms during movement, guide the development of rehabilitation practices, and become a tool for assessment and therapy in neurorehabilitation. Research objective: This paper aims to review the existing literature on the combined use of motion capture and functional neuroimaging in motor rehabilitation. The objective is to understand the diversity and maturity of technological solutions employed and explore the clinical advantages of this multimodal approach. Methods: This paper reviews literature related to the combined use of functional neuroimaging and motion capture for motor rehabilitation following the PRISMA guidelines. Besides study and participant characteristics, technological aspects of the used systems, signal processing methods, and the nature of multimodal feature synchronization and fusion were extracted. Results: Out of 908 publications, 19 were included in the final review. Basic or translation studies were mainly represented and based predominantly on healthy participants or stroke patients. EEG and mechanical motion capture technologies were most used for biomechanical data acquisition, and their subsequent processing is based mainly on traditional methods. The system synchronization techniques at large were underreported. The fusion of multimodal features mainly supported the identification of movement-related cortical activity, and statistical methods were occasionally employed to examine cortico-kinematic relationships. Conclusion: The fusion of motion capture and functional neuroimaging might offer advantages for motor rehabilitation in the future. Besides facilitating the assessment of cognitive processes in real-world settings, it could also improve rehabilitative devices' usability in clinical environments. Further, by better understanding cortico-peripheral coupling, new neuro-rehabilitation methods can be developed, such as personalized proprioceptive training. However, further research is needed to advance our knowledge of cortical-peripheral coupling, evaluate the validity and reliability of multimodal parameters, and enhance user-friendly technologies for clinical adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychosomatic obstetrics and gynecology (POG) encompasses a wide variety of topics. While specialists in this field agree that it is important for practicing clinicians to be familiar with psychosomatic issues related to women's health, there is no consensus about the best practices for teaching and assessing this knowledge, or even which are the topics that should be included. By examining existing literature on educational methodology, this paper aims to suggest best practices that are proven useful in teaching issues related to POG. The paper considers learning objectives for what should be taught, recommendations as to best practices for curriculum delivery, and suggestions for how to assess learners' ability to meet the objectives. Establishing guidelines for teaching POG may be useful for learners at different levels and in various settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the present school-based study, a convenience sample of 237 adolescents in grade 6-9 and second year in high school (age 12-18 years) was recruited from a city and a smaller town. The aim of the study was to compare information on the prevalence and various characteristics of headaches not related to disease in a retrospect questionnaire and prospective daily recordings of headaches in a standard paper diary during a 3-week period. Methods: Besides headache severity, number of headache days, intensity levels and duration of headache episodes were estimated with both assessment methods. Most of the school children suffered from tension-type headaches and a smaller portion of migraine attacks. Results: The overall results showed that school children significantly (p < 0.001) overestimated headache intensity in questionnaires as compared to diary recordings, whereas they underestimated frequency (p < 0.001) and duration (p < 0.001) of headaches. While the correlations on headache severity, frequency and duration between retrospect information in questionnaires and prospective diary recordings were low, the agreement varied with levels of headache characteristics. Conclusions: Our findings concur well with results from a few similar community studies on headache complaints in school-aged children. We recommend that prospective recordings in diaries should be systematically used in clinical practice but also in epidemiological surveys to increase the validity and reliability in estimates of point prevalence of headache complaints in children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Early Clinical Exposure (ECE) was incorporated into the Competency-based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum in 2019. ECE in a classroom setting is conducted through Clinical Case Discussion (CCD) using paper-based clinical case scenarios. The assessment pattern of CBME and Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) includes clinical case-based questions. Therefore, assessing and developing clinical reasoning skills and critical thinking has become the need of the hour. Aim: To measure the effectiveness of the modified One-minute Preceptor (OMP) model as a teaching-learning tool for CCD to enhance the knowledge and reasoning skills of Phase I Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students and to assess the perception of students and faculty towards the modified OMP model. Materials and Methods: This prospective interventional study was conducted in the Department of Biochemistry at Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India from February 2020 to May 2020. Out of 250 Phase I MBBS students, 180 who had given consent and participated in all the sessions were included. Eight faculty members voluntarily participated in the study. The faculty involved in CCD for the control and study groups were different and selected through randomisation. After a didactic lecture, a pretest was administered, and then students were divided into Control group A (n=90) and Study group B (n=90). For CCD, the modified OMP model was used for the study group and the traditional unstructured method for the control group. A post-test was given after CCD, and feedback was collected from faculty and students. Quantitative analysis of the feedback was done using a 5-point Likert scale, and open-ended questions were qualitatively assessed. Pretest and post-test scores were analysed using an unpaired t-test. Learning gain was measured, and program evaluation was conducted using Kirkpatrick's model. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the post-test scores obtained by the control group and study group (p-value <0.001). A higher normalised learning gain (0.83) was observed in the study group. The modified OMP model was perceived as an effective, interactive teaching-learning tool for CCD by both students and faculty. Conclusion: CCD using the modified OMP model significantly improved knowledge, critical thinking, and reasoning skills of students. Even after modifications to the original OMP model, the effectiveness of this model for preclinical subjects remains unaffected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies' green competitive advantages result from the high coordination of economic, ecological, social and corporate subsystems. Thus, it is important to investigate the influence and coupling coordination degree (CCD) of the relevant components of green competitiveness. This paper justifies the relationship between green competitiveness and the coupling degree of its components. It hypothesizes that the increasing integrated index of companies' green competitiveness was determined by levels of coordination and communication between its components. The study applies the CCD model and correlation analysis to test the hypothesis. The objects of analysis were enterprises represented by three economic sectors: agro-industrial, mechanical engineering and food. The findings show that the highest coupling coordination degree among all components is represented by the companies with the highest green competitive index. These companies are characterized by the dominance of corporate components, which can increase the general level of green competitive advantages in various combinations with other determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the component of the Integrated Interlocking System which forms the central logical and functional unit implementing all logical and computational functions necessary for railway traffic control in the Railway 4.0 concept. The main principle is that this approach centralizes the technology of station interlocking system, track line interlocking systems, level crossing interlocking systems and the functions of train interlocking system - the line part of ETCS L2/3 radio block control panel (RBC). The operation control is centralised to the controlling dispatcher centres. The paper discusses the concept of integrated interlocking system including safety issues addressed from the perspective of the requirements of CENELEC standards EN 50126, EN 50128 and EN 50129. These requirements are addressed from the perspective of the authors of the paper, who also work as independent assessors of the safety of railway control and command systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) is a common and debilitating sequela of lower limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT). There is significant heterogeneity in reported PTS incidence due to lack of standardised diagnostic criteria. This review aimed to develop diagnostic criteria for PTS and subsequently refine the reported incidence and severity. Methods: PRISMA principles were followed; however, the review was not registered. The Cochrane CENTRAL database, MEDLINE, Embase, the NHS NICE Healthcare Databases Advanced Search interface, and trial registers including isrctn.com and clinicaltrials.gov were searched for studies addressing areas of interest (PTS definition, epidemiology, assessment). An experienced Clinical Librarian undertook the systematic searches, and two independent reviewers agreed on the relevance of the papers. Conflicts were resolved through panel review. Evidence quality was assessed using a modified Coleman scoring system and weighted according to their relevance to the aforementioned areas of interest. Results: A total of 339 abstracts were retrieved. A total of 33 full-text papers were included in this review. Following qualitative analysis, four criteria were proposed to define PTS: (1) a proven thrombotic event on radiological assessment; (2) a minimum 24-month follow-up period after an index DVT; (3) assessment with a validated score; and (4) evidence of progression of venous insufficiency from baseline. Four papers conformed to our PTS definition criteria, and the incidence of mild to moderate PTS ranged from 7 to 36%. On reviewing the studies which utilised the recommended Villalta scale, PTS incidence narrowed further to 23–36%. Incidence and severity reached a plateau at 24 months. Conclusions: Four diagnostic criteria were developed from qualitative synthesis. When these criteria were applied to the literature, the range of reported PTS incidence narrowed. These four criteria may standardise PTS diagnosis in future studies, facilitating the pooling of data for meta-analysis and synthesis of higher levels of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the effect on assessment of ‘translating’ paper and pencil test items into their computer equivalents. Computer versions of a set of mathematics questions derived from the paper-based end of key stage 2 and 3 assessments in England were administered to age appropriate pupil samples, and the outcomes compared. Although in most cases the change to the different medium seems to make little difference, for some items the affordances of the computer profoundly affect how the question is attempted, and therefore what is being assessed when the item is used in a test. These differences are considered in terms of validity and legitimacy, that is whether the means used to answer a question in a particular medium are appropriate to the assessment intention. The conclusion is not only that translating paper and pencil items into the computer format sometimes undermines their validity as assessments, it is also that some paper and pencil items are less valid as assessments than their computer equivalents would be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An Electronic Portable Information Collection audio device (EPIC-Vox) has been developed to deliver questionnaires in spoken word format via headphones. Patients respond by pressing buttons on the device. The aims of this study were to determine limits of agreement between, and test-retest reliability of audio (A) and paper (P) versions of the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI). Two hundred sixty outpatients (204 male, mean age 55.7 years) attending a sleep disorders clinic were allocated to four groups using block randomization. All completed the BFI twice, separated by a one-minute distracter task. Half the patients completed paper and audio versions, then an evaluation questionnaire. The remainder completed either paper or audio versions to compare test-retest reliability. BFI global scores were analyzed using Bland-Altman methodology. Agreement between categorical fatigue severity scores was determined using Cohen''s kappa. The mean (SD) difference between paper and audio scores was −0.04 (0.48). The limits of agreement (mean difference±2SD) were −0.93 to +1.00. Test-retest reliability of the paper BFI showed a mean (SD) difference of 0.17 (0.32) between first and second presentations (limits −0.46 to +0.81). For audio, the mean (SD) difference was 0.17 (0.48) (limits −0.79 to +1.14). For agreement between categorical scores, Cohen''s kappa=0.73 for P and A, 0.67 (P at test and retest) and 0.87 (A at test and retest). Evaluation preferences (n =128): 36.7% audio; 18.0% paper; and 45.3% no preference. A total of 99.2% found EPIC-Vox “easy to use.” These data demonstrate that the English audio version of the BFI provides an acceptable alternative to the paper questionnaire. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the present school-based study, a convenience sample of 477 students in grades 6-9 and second year in high school from a city and a smaller town recorded daily occurrence and intensity of headaches in a standard paper diary during a 3-week period. Total headache activity (headache sum), number of headache days, intensity level and duration for weekly headaches were estimated. Approximately 85% of the adolescents had experienced headache of any intensity level during the 3-week recording period. On the average, they reported 2.5 headache days per week and a mean intensity level for headache episodes of 1.7. Our estimates for headache of any intensity level (1-5) occurring at least once a week was surprisingly high (73.8%). For the highest intensity level across the whole 3-week period, almost identical proportions of mild and moderate headaches were reported by students (22.3-22.5%), while about twice as many (40.7%) had experienced severe headaches. Girls consistently reported more headaches than boys, in particular of the moderate and severe intensity types. Students in the city also reported more frequent and intense headaches than those in the town. Peak headache activity was observed at noon and in the afternoon and in the days from the middle of the week until weekend. The use of prospective recordings in diaries will further advance our knowledge on the prevalence and characteristics of recurrent headaches among children and adolescents in community samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although several studies have described dual-tasking ability in normal aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's disease, no normative data for dual-task performance exist. Dual-tasking ability of 436 healthy individuals, aged 16–88 years, was assessed using a new paper-and-pencil dual-task paradigm. In this study, no age effect was detected, providing strong evidence that age does not affect dual-tasking abilities. Psychometric data for this new assessment are presented, which may enable clinicians and researchers to use this paradigm as a means of examining attentional control in dual-tasking. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In a national survey, 82% of U.S. neuropsychologists who offered services to Hispanics self-reported inadequate preparation to work with this population (Echemendia, Harris, Congett, Diaz, & Puente, 1997). The purpose of this paper is to improve the quality and accessibility of neuropsychological services for Hispanic people living in the United States by giving guidance for service delivery, training, and organizational policy. General guidance towards this end comes from professional ethics for psychologists and interpreters/translators, federal civil rights law, the International Test Commission, and the Office of Minority Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, among others. This guidance is specifically applied here to cover professional cultural and linguistic competence of neuropsychologists, psychometrists, interpreters, translators, and consultants; languages of evaluation; use of interpreters; evaluation of acculturation; test translation, adaptation, and interpretation; application of test norms; intervention issues; reimbursement; and organizational issues. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The administration of A/B exams usually involves the use of items. Issues arise when the pre-establishment of a question bank is necessary and the inconsistency in the knowledge points to be tested (in the two exams) reduces the exams 'fairness'. These are critical for a large multi-teacher course wherein the teachers are changed such that the course and examination content are altered every few years. However, a fair test with randomly participating students should still be a guaranteed subject with no item pool. Through data-driven decision-making, this study collected data related to a term test for a compulsory general course for empirical assessments, pre-processed the data and used item response theory to statistically estimate the difficulty, discrimination and lower asymptotic for each item in the two exam papers. Binary goal programing was finally used to analyze and balance the fairness of A/B exams without an item pool. As a result, pairs of associated questions in the two exam papers were optimized in terms of their overall balance in three dimensions (as the goals) through the paired exchanges of items. These exam papers guarantee their consistency (in the tested knowledge points) and also ensure the fairness of the term test (a key psychological factor that motivates continued studies). Such an application is novel as the teacher(s) did not have a pre-set question bank and could formulate the fairest strategy for the A/B exam papers. The model can be employed to address similar teaching practice issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A special interest group of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine [ACRM; Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee. (1993). Definition of mild traumatic brain injury. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 8 (3), 86–87.] was the first organized interdisciplinary group to advocate four specific criteria for the diagnosis of a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). More recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborative Center Task Force on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury [Carroll, L. J., Cassidy, J. D., Holm, L., Kraus, J., & Coronado, V. G. (2004). Methodological issues and research recommendations for mild traumatic brain injury: the WHO Collaborating Centre Task Force on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, (Suppl. 43), 113–125.] conducted a comprehensive review of the definitions utilized in evidence-based studies with mild TBI patients. Based on this review, the WHO task force maintained the same four criteria but offered two modifications. The similarities and differences between these two definitions are discussed. The authors of the ACRM and the WHO definitions do not provide guidelines or specific recommendations for diagnosing the four criteria. Thus, we provide recommendations for assessing loss of consciousness, retrograde and post-traumatic amnesia, disorientation and confusion as well as clarification of the neurologic signs that can be indicative of a diagnosis of mild TBI. Finally, confounding factors mentioned in both definitions that should exclude a mild TBI diagnosis are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background. In the sports field, soccer included, performance is often influenced by a number of factors, such as visual abilities and also agility. Aims. The paper aims to investigate and determine the relationship between the indices of visual reaction and agility in 12-13-year-old soccer players. Methods. The subjects of the research were 26 soccer players aged 12-13 years, from the Otopeni Sports Club. The visual reaction at the lower limbs level was determined using the OptoJump Next Platform. Measured indices: TReac. (reaction time) of left and right foot (sec). For agility - Witty SEM system with smart semaphores. Measured indices (sec): Lap L1-10, mean Laps and Time. Results. Analysis of visual reaction indices revealed a better performance in the right foot compared with the left one. Agility assessment highlights a mean of Laps of 4.82 sec, with significant differences of minimum and maximum values between Laps, indicating diverse levels of agility development in young soccer players. Correlation analysis of the indices of visual reaction and agility shows weak and non-existent connections between them, except for strong correlations at some distinct points. The need for specific training to improve both abilities in 12-13-year-old soccer players is thus demonstrated. Conclusions. The results of the study show that soccer players aged 12-13 years have differences in their visual performance and feet agility, with a faster visual reaction of the right foot. The various levels of agility development highlight the necessity to organize specific training for both abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in increasing motivational factors within the domain of psychology. Among these factors, Grit, Mindset, Self-Efficacy, and Well-Being (Flourishing) have been suggested to play an important role in individuals' performance and Well-Being. Thus, cultivating these factors in the general population is important. Previous interventions have displayed substantial effects in certain areas. However, these interventions have primarily been Mindset oriented. This paper presents a novel intervention approach by also emphasizing the importance of brain development; the importance of stimuli for building a network in the brain; the importance of repetition for strengthening the network; and the importance of perseverance and deliberate practice for achievement. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of a 35–40 min online intervention to increase the beliefs of 'I CAN' for 38 university students in Norway. The mean age of the 38 participants was 22.55 (SD = 1.59) and they completed a pre-test assessment of the Grit-S Scale, Theories of Intelligence Scale (Mindset), General Self-Efficacy Scale, and Flourishing Scale (Well-Being). This was followed up by the novel intervention and finally a post-test of the scales eight weeks later. The results showed an increase in Grit, Self-Efficacy, and Well-Being. However, only Grit displayed a significant increase. We aimed at creating an intervention where the participants would "turn on the switch", meaning that they develop stronger beliefs. These promising results warrant a further development of the intervention, and studies with a larger group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the current state of the social impact measurement (SIM) field to better understand common practices in measuring the post-intervention social impact of a program or project and to identify strategies to improve measurement in practice. This study employed a systematic literature review. Articles were manually coded deductively and inductively in NVivo to complete a descriptive and thematic analysis of the literature. The thematic analysis provided an in-depth understanding of the SIM field. We found that similarities existed across the definitions of social impact (e.g., environmental impact is part of social impact). Additionally, social return on investment (SROI) is the most common measurement model and theory of change was identified as a core concept across SIM literature. Strategies are presented for practitioners to consider when measuring social impact, including: (i) engage stakeholders throughout the process, (ii) mobilize existing operational data, (iii) increase measurement capacity, and (iv) use both qualitative and quantitative data. This study reveals the nuances of SIM based on academic literature published across the globe over the span of a decade. It places emphasis on the post-intervention stage and identifies strategies to improve the application of measurement models in practice. Lastly, it outlines future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of Ultra High Risk (UHR) state for psychosis has been increasingly acknowledged to such an extent that Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome (APS) is being considered as a new diagnostic category in the DSM-5. The suggested criteria for attenuated psychosis syndrome presuppose the presence of at least one of three attenuated positive psychotic symptoms (disorganized speech, delusions and/or hallucinations) with a frequency of at least once weekly in the past month. These symptoms would exacerbate in the past year, cause disability, distress or help-seeking behavior, and could not be explained by another mental disorder. The paper aimed to present the assessment of attenuated psychosis syndrome in a male adolescent aged 17 and its implications in diagnosis and management. Apart from clinical examination, the assessment was performed using the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS version 2006) and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS). Structured assessment of Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome, especially in adolescence, represents a delicate task for mental health professionals. It gives an opportunity to identify high-risk individuals for psychosis, provide early intervention targeting the present symptoms, reduce stress, improve functioning and at least delay the progression to the clinical picture of full-blown psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The values obtained give us a series of information related to the factors present in the soil, factors that affect or limit the fertility and quality of these soils, such as: humus content, reaction, degree of settlement, etc. whose knowledge is particularly important because a series of improvement or limitation measures can be taken in time allowing the practice of sustainable agriculture. In the current context of climate change, both soils and crops are particularly vulnerable to a series of changes and environmental factors. In this context, the sustainable use of soils aims at improving soil quality and obtaining higher and qualitatively significant productions. This can only be achieved by knowing soil physical, physical-mechanical and chemical properties. This paper shows a series of soil properties, such as texture, densities, porosities, pH, humus content, total nitrogen content (%), mobile phosphorus (ppm), mobile potassium (ppm) content and soil settlement degree (%) in the seven types of soil identified within the studied perimeter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) is a debilitating neuropsychological syndrome that often follows brain injury, in particular a stroke affecting the right hemisphere. In current clinical practice, the assessment of neglect is based on old-fashioned paper-and-pencil and behavioral tasks, and sometimes relies on the examiner's subjective judgment. Therefore, there is a need for more exhaustive, objective and ecological assessments of USN. Methods: In this paper, we present two tasks in immersive virtual reality to assess peripersonal and extrapersonal USN. The tasks are designed with several levels of difficulty to increase sensitivity of the assessment. We then validate the feasibility of both assessments in a group of healthy adult participants. Results: We report data from a study with a group of neurologically unimpaired participants (N = 39). The results yield positive feedback on comfort, usability and design of the tasks. We propose new objective scores based on participant's performance captured by head gaze and hand position information, including, for instance, time of exploration, moving time towards left/right and time-to-reach, which could be used for the evaluation of the attentional spatial bias with neurological patients. Together with the number of omissions, the new proposed parameters can result in lateralized index ratios as a measure of asymmetry in space exploration. Conclusions: We presented two innovative assessments for USN based on immersive virtual reality, evaluating the far and the near space, using ecological tasks in multimodal, realistic environments. The proposed protocols and objective scores can help distinguish neurological patients with and without USN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a set of educational initiatives in Religious Education (RE). The paper addresses RE as an academic learning area and reserved for Kindergarten to Year 10 classrooms in Catholic schools. The initiatives described in the paper are evidence-based; they are guided by research and student achievement data addressing contemporary assessment reforms within the Australian educational context and considering the implications that the reforms have on the quality of student learning in RE. The reforms include quality assurance measures such as large-scale, standardised assessments (LSAs) and social moderation tools. The purpose of the measures is to establish standards that support the alignment of teaching and assessment practices. Such an alignment in the RE learning area has the potential to strengthen and improve student, as well as teacher, knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Faith Tradition. The paper draws from the Catholic RE school curriculum in Western Australia (WA), assessment principles outlined for schools in WA, an Australian Research Council Linkage project and local research about teacher perceptions of an LSA in RE. The paper supports local and national policy expectations recommending a review of the quality of RE as a learning area. Furthermore, given the prominence of the Catholic Church's mission of evangelisation and the nature and role of RE in Catholic schools as part of that mission, the paper endorses the Church's current stance on thoughtful dialogue and renewed efforts to bring a better understanding about Catholic culture and education to the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary healthcare services have principal responsibility for providing child and youth wellbeing and mental health services, but have lacked appropriate measurement instruments to assess the wellbeing of Indigenous children and youth or to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and services designed to meet their needs. This review assesses the availability and characteristics of measurement instruments that have been applied in primary healthcare services in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States (CANZUS countries) to assess the wellbeing of Indigenous children and youth. Methods: Fifteen databases and 12 websites were searched in December 2017 and again in October 2021. Pre-defined search terms pertained to Indigenous children and youth, CANZUS country names, and wellbeing or mental health measures. PRISMA guidelines were followed, with eligibility criteria guiding screening of titles and abstracts, and selected full-text papers. Results are presented based on the characteristics of documented measurement instruments assessed according to five desirability criteria: development for Indigenous youth populations, adherence to relational strength-based constructs, administration by child and or youth self-report, reliability and validity, and usefulness for identifying wellbeing or risk levels. Results: Twenty-one publications were found that described the development and or use by primary healthcare services of 14 measurement instruments, employed across 30 applications. Four of the 14 measurement instruments were developed specifically for Indigenous youth populations, four focused solely on strength-based wellbeing concepts but none included all Indigenous wellbeing domains. Conclusion: There is a diversity of measurement instruments available, but few fit our desirability criteria. Although it is possible that we missed relevant papers and reports, this review clearly supports the need for further research to develop, refine or adapt instruments cross-culturally to measure the wellbeing of Indigenous children and youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper, the first version of the contemporary psychometrics (ConPsy) checklist for assessing measurement tool quality has been published. This checklist aims to provide guidelines and references to researchers to assess measurement properties for newly developed measurement instruments. The ConPsy checklist recommends appropriate statistical methods for measurement instrument evaluation to guide researchers in instrument development and to support peer review. In this opinion article, I critically review some aspects of the checklist and question the usefulness of certain psychometric analyses in research practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Impairments in social cognition are common after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and may have severe negative consequences for patients and their families. Most tests of social cognition have limited ecological validity due to simplistic and contrived social stimuli with limited relevance to everyday social functioning. There is a need for measures of social cognition that reflect the dynamic, multimodal and contextualized nature of social situations and that predict real-world functioning. Three hundred sixty–degree (360°) Virtual Reality (VR) video can increase ecological validity through enhanced social presence, or a sense of "being there". This paper describes the development and protocol design for validation of a Norwegian VR-version of The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), which is a widely used video-based test of social cognition. Methods: Development of VR TASIT included filming 61 short videos depicting social interactions in both VR and desktop format, using a 360° camera. Software for standardized test administration and collection of performance data was developed in Unity, for administration on both VR and desktop interface. The validation study will test the reliability and validity of VR TASIT in participants with TBI (n = 100) and healthy controls (n = 100). Half of the participants will perform the desktop version, and the other half the VR version. Analyses will include known groups validity, convergent and divergent validity, as well as test–retest reliability of VR TASIT. A comparison of the ability of TASIT VR and desktop versions to predict real-world functioning (ecological validity) will be explored using the Social Skills Questionnaire for TBI and La Trobe Communication Questionnaire. Finally, the levels of perceived social presence of the stimulus materials and prevalence of cybersickness after exposure to the virtual environment will be documented. Discussion: It is expected that VR TASIT will have comparable or better psychometric properties than the desktop version, and that the hypothesized increased level of social presence experienced in a virtual environment will result in improved ecological validity. More broadly, benefits and limitations of using VR video as stimulus material in assessment of social cognition and considerations for future development and clinical validation are discussed. Trial registration: The study protocol was pre-registered in ClinicalTrials (April 4th 2022, NCT05309005). The study was retrospectively registered in Open Science Framework (December 15th 2022, osf.io/2vem8). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decisional capacity assessment is important for older adult participants who have cognitive impairment. This paper reports the implementation of the University of California, San Diego Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent (UBACC) and its potential for practice and research. Nine of the 10 items remained to use except for adapting the last item. Approximately 130 older adults with cognitive impairment completed the UBACC screening. Item-by-item descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), group comparisons of each item, as well as total sum scores of the UBACC were conducted. Results showed that the items that were most often answered correctly included item #10 (participant will be paid), item #4 (study is voluntary), and item #5 (can withdraw at any time). Conversely, the items that were most often answered incorrectly included item #9 (not any benefit potentially), item #7 (potential risk or discomfort), and item #6 (tasks during participation). Respondents with mild cognitive impairment had higher correct answer rates than those with advanced cognitive impairment. The UBACC screening tool has relative utility for older participants with cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental rotation (MR) and perspective taking (PT) are important spatial abilities and predictive of performance in other cognitive domains. Yet, age-appropriate measures to assess these spatial abilities in children are still rare. This study examined psychometric properties of four MR tasks in 6- to 9-year-olds (N = 96). Two were developed specifically for children and two were based on established assessments for adults; one of each was a computerized and one was a paper–pencil task. Furthermore, spatial perspective taking (PT)—a different but closely related ability—was assessed to determine discriminant validity. Factor analyses showed that all MR tasks loaded on one single factor, with PT only loading weakly on the same factor, suggesting high construct validity. The computerized task for adults showed moderate factor loadings, constituted its own (but correlated) factor when a two-factor solution was forced, and showed the lowest reliabilities, suggesting that it was very difficult for children. On average, the new MR tasks had good to excellent reliabilities, differentiated well between age groups, and proved to be well-suited to assess MR in this age range. The PT task also showed good reliability and a steep developmental progression. Relations to verbal skills, gaming experience, and TV consumption are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Eating disorders (EDs) are serious conditions predominantly affecting adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and pose a considerable threat to their health and wellbeing. Much of this increased morbidity and mortality is linked to medical compromise, especially cardiovascular abnormalities. Rates of presentation to both community and inpatient medical settings have increased in all age groups following the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent "lockdowns", with patients presentations being more medically compromised compared to previous years. This has implications for clinicians with regard to the performance of competent cardiovascular assessments and management of findings. Aims: This paper is a practical resource for clinicians working with AYAs in whom EDs may present. It will provide a brief summary of the physiological context in which cardiovascular complications develop, systematically outline these complications and suggest a pragmatic approach to their clinical evaluation. Methods: Relevant literature, guidelines and academic texts were critically reviewed. Conclusions were extracted and verified by a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Adolescent Paediatrician, with suitable expertise in this clinical cohort. Conclusions: The cardiovascular complications in EDs are primarily linked to malnutrition, and patients presenting with Anorexia Nervosa are most often at greatest risk of structural and functional cardiac abnormalities, including aberrations of heart rate and rhythm, haemodynamic changes and peripheral vascular abnormalities. Other cardiovascular abnormalities are secondary to electrolyte imbalances, as seen in patients with Bulimia Nervosa. More recently defined EDs including Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and Binge Eating Disorder are also likely associated with distinct cardiovascular complications though further research is required to clarify their nature and severity. Most cardiovascular abnormalities are fully reversible with nutritional restoration, and normalisation of eating behaviours, including the cessation of purging, though rare cases are linked to cardiac deaths. A detailed clinical enquiry accompanied by a thorough physical examination is imperative to ensure the medical safety of AYAs with EDs, and should be supported by an electrocardiogram and laboratory investigations. Consideration of cardiovascular issues, along with effective collaboration with acute medical teams allows community clinicians identify those at highest risk and minimise adverse outcomes in this cohort. Plain English summary: Eating disorders (EDs) are serious medical conditions predominantly affecting adolescents and young adults (AYAs). They are often associated with considerable threat to the patient's health and wellbeing, with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) having the second highest mortality rate of all mental disorders. The cardiovascular system, which includes the heart and blood vessels, is vulnerable to damage and may contribute to this. There are significant concerns that rates of EDs have been increasing, especially in adolescents. Following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent "lockdowns", there has been an increase in numbers of people of all ages attending community and acute medical settings. Furthermore, presentations are considered to be more medically unwell, with patients presenting with lower weights than previous years. This means that clinicians who might be assessing this group need to be competent in cardiovascular assessments of this cohort. The aim of this paper is to discuss the ways the cardiovascular system is affected in AYAs with various types of EDs, especially AN. The paper aims to provide advice to clinicians on how to assess and cardiovascular problems in this group. This practical summary should be useful to clinicians working in mental health community care who may be less familiar with treating potentially serious physical health problems. The most common cardiovascular issues in young people with low weight or weight loss include slow heart rates, low blood pressure, and problems with sudden changes in blood pressure which can result in fainting. Usually these problems resolve as the patient gains weight. However sometimes more serious changes in heart structure and function may occur and persist causing severe medical issues, like heart failure, which partly explains the high death-rate in AN. For this reason it is important that clinicians know how to spot cardiovascular problems in young people with AN and other EDs and provide them with the best medical care as soon as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Availability of quality-assured medical abortion medicines plays a crucial role in providing comprehensive abortion care. However, access to these medicines is still restricted for many abortion seekers. Increasing availability of affordable, quality-assured mifepristone and misoprostol is important to improve access to safe medical abortion services. Driven by the outcomes of a global consultation hosted by the World Health Organization and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency in 2018, we decided to holistically examine access to medical abortion medicines from supply to demand. The overarching principle of the national landscape assessments was to generate evidence to support policy dialog and policymaking that is contextual to the needs of the country. This paper aims to describe the framework and methodological approach used in the World Health Organization landscape assessments of medical abortion medicines at country-level. Methods: A country assessment protocol was developed to guide the methodology of the World Health Organization landscape assessments. The assessment protocol included adaptation of an existing availability framework, an online desk review and literature review for existing data available for the country of interest, country-level key informant interviews, and analysis of the data to identify barriers and opportunities to improve medical abortion availability. Conclusion: The availability framework and methodology will allow the identification of key barriers that limit readiness of medical abortion medicines, and the development of opportunities to overcome those barriers. The national landscape assessments will provide directions for future investments and offer guidance for policy and programming on medical abortion care. Plain Language summary: Increasing availability of affordable, safe, and effective medical abortion medicines is necessary to improve access to safe medical abortion services. Driven by the results of a meeting hosted by the World Health Organization and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency in 2018, we decided to examine access to medical abortion medicines from supply to demand in selected countries. The overarching goal of the national landscape assessments was to generate evidence to support advocacy efforts and policymaking that is appropriate to the needs of the country. This paper aims to describe the assessment protocol and the steps taken in the World Health Organization landscape assessments of medical abortion medicines at country-level. The assessment allows for a determination of the enabling environment surrounding the provision of medical abortion services. This in turn allows for the identification of key barriers that limit availability of abortion medicines, and the identification of opportunities to overcome those barriers. The availability framework includes both supply and demand sides of commodity availability, considering factors from product introduction to use. This approach can be used for future national assessments for any health commodity or service. The assessment findings will be informative to policymakers and programme managers in developing plans to safeguard availability of safe and effective medical abortion medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, students are required to improve their speaking skill more than any other language skill. Since, speaking skill is difficult to develop in EFL classes teachers need to use effective strategies to teach and assess this skill. A student's ability to speak is determined by their ability to explain something or express themselves verbally. This paper aims at finding out Kurdish instructors perspectives on their role on assessing EFL students in the classroom and the strategies used for assessing speaking in EFL classes. This paper tries to find out an answer to the following question: What is the Instructor's role in the assessment process? and what are the strategies for assessing speaking in EFL classes from instructors' perspective? Furthermore, The paper has been limited to instructors of Cihan University-Erbil and Salahaddin University-Erbil for the academic year 2022-2023. The population is (21) instructors from College of Languages, Education, and Basic Education. The data have been collected by a questionnaire and the tool adopted for analyzing the data is SPSS. It is concluded that the most common strategies applied by the instructors in the assessment of speaking sessions were direct questions and answers, interviews, and storytelling. Moreover, the data analysis has indicated that the main role that the majority of the instructors gave importance to have been the objective assessment and rubric, taking into consideration the students interest in the topic, and the content of the conversation or discussion in addition to the interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telepractice or teletherapy is defined as the means of service delivery via technology-based platforms that allow long-distance interventions across populations, age spans, and geographical locations. Specifically, telepractice capitalizes on communication technologies such as online modules, videoconferencing, and computerized software programs, in servicing populations with communication challenges. Notably, telepractice has emerged as a potentially effective, low-cost, and promising means of conducting and completing online assessment, diagnosis, and intervention sessions for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Moreover, telepractice allows the inclusion of parents, caregivers, and educators as potential facilitators in supporting treatment delivery in populations with ASD. This thematic review article aims to highlight and acquaint practitioners and other stakeholders with relatively recent information regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the telepractice service delivery model in ASD. Furthermore, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted service delivery in the field of Health Sciences including speech and language pathology (SLP). Consequently, the need to avoid face-to-face therapy sessions, recommended to SLPs as to all health practitioners, resulted in the call for adaptation and adjustment of service telepractice. This paper attempts to answer this call by suggesting supplementing traditional diagnostic and therapy resources with training modules consisting of online materials and use of animated and specially designed programs in SLP intervention with individuals with ASD. Lastly, the paper includes a discussion of research findings in the field, a conclusion, and a take-home message. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personnel selection research has seen an increasing interest in integrity tests. Although these tests have been found to predict a variety of workplace criteria, a long-standing criticism of integrity tests is their criterion-focussed nature. A construct-oriented approach to integrity test development involves identifying important elements of integrity and developing content to reflect those elements. Drawing upon earlier attempts to define integrity, this paper conceptualizes integrity as a behavior, and elaborates on two definitional elements, nature of standards and their referent. Undertaking a content analysis of the high-level codes of conduct of 13 military nations, this paper illustrates the application of an approach to defining integrity for use in the military context. It includes a discussion on the operationalization of integrity for assessment purposes, highlighting considerations that must be given to all aspects of the assessment development process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research studies as well as anecdotal evidence suggest that there are challenges regarding the NHI plan implementation. These include problems such as an increase in illnesses and a shortage of personnel to drive the project in South African public hospitals. This is exacerbated by the existing situation of most government-funded healthcare institutions, which are characterized by bad administration, insufficient budget, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient drug supply, as highlighted in several studies. The hospital under investigation is one such facility, with a history of patients sleeping on the floor and people being turned away owing to a shortage of experts and an overburdened staff. This situation is concerning, given that the government claims to be providing appropriate funds to the institution. The hospital under research is highly regarded by the surrounding community. However, a visit by the Health MEC in 2014 revealed that the facility had insufficient sanitary standards and a high complaint rate. Based on the foregoing, as well as the difficulties that both employees and patients are confronted with at the  selected hospital, the question that emerges is whether the hospital is fit for the implementation of the NHI.Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the preparation for the launch of the national health insurance scheme at a Johannesburg hospital.Setting: The study was conducted at a hospital situated in eastern suburbs of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.Method: The study employed a qualitative method with an explorative, descriptive, qualitative study design. The population consisted of selected hospital employees, such as doctors, dispensary officers, hospital managers, human resources workers, facility managers, and administration record officials who were employed at the selected hospital. Purposive sampling was used to select participants.Sample Size: Category saturation was used to determine the sample size. The participants for the study were chosen using purposeful sampling, with the researcher aiming for those who were familiar with the NHI scheme at the institution. Semi structured interviews and a focus group discussion were used to gather data. The data from the focus group discussion and semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: The investigation found that the hospital was preparing to for the NHI implementation, but that was riddled with lack of resources, poor infrastructure, lack of training, delays in development and poor technological advances.Recommendations: The paper suggests that human resources be increased, infrastructure be upgraded, medicines and equipment be increased, and enough training on NHI implementation be provided.Contribution: The paper adds to the body of knowledge regarding the NHI in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper methods, criteria and models of safety assessment of multimodal transportation systems are investigated. Today, new types of transportation systems are formed – multimodal transportation systems, which may be defined as the result of the synthesis of several transport systems, where different modes of transport are effectively interact. The need for such systems was formed due to the peculiarities of each mode of transport, its technological and technical characteristics, which restrain the ability to compete and promote transport interaction. In this context, the problem of transport safety assess of multimodal freight transportations becomes highly important. An analysis of modern scientific researches on topic of transport safety is conducted. Unfortunately, the considered approaches to transport safety have a set of disadvantages if the complex systems are considered in form of, for example, combined, multimodal or intermodal transportations: the problem of local optimum; the problem of safety management in case of transport company is not the actual infrastructure owner; the problem of unifying estimates for several modes of transport, and so on. The system’s safety depends on its integrity and sustainable development, which is directly dependent on the objective conditions of its formation, development and operation. At the same time, the state of safety is directly dependent on subjective factors, the purpose of which is to ensure security, i.e., to preserve the integrity and maintain sustainable development and optimal functioning of the system. Thus, there is a conditional field of protection of transport system objects, which provides counteraction to a set of existing or perceived threats. In this context, modelling the transport safety assessment of multimodal freight is relevant and requires appropriate scientific developments. In the research, methods of mathematical modelling of transport systems were used in order to develop methodological approach that could be potentially used in improving the multimodal freight transportation safety. A methodical approach to safety assessment on the example of multimodal transportation, which takes into account the drawbacks of existing studies, is proposed. The practical application of developed model was demonstrated on the existing system of multimodal transportation. The developed safety assessment method may be potentially used both to assess the transportation route safety level and as key factor in optimal transportation route designing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, developing language assessment literacy (LAL) has become crucial fo r teachers in enhancing their teaching practices and improving students’ learning outc omes. Empirical research reported that there was a training need for formal educatio n and professional development programs in assessment (Berry et al., 2017; Vogt & T sagari, 2014). Therefore, this paper reports a systematic review of teachers’ language assessment literacy development: training needs, training effective factors, and langu age assessment practice constraints. The purpose of the review is to provide an upda ted overview of the empirical research on language assessment development. I utilize d systematic review for social studies using the following steps: forming research que stions, choosing the appropriate search terms and strategy, starting the literature sea rch, developing inclusion criteria, determining relevant studies, and extracting data (P etticrew & Roberts, 2006). The search was limited to the 12 years’ publications becau se there was an increase attention on developing teacher’s language assessment liter acy in these years. The selected studies were analyzed using the content analysis app roach. The results suggested that teachers needed in-service training in different LAL content areas that varied according to the educational context needs in their countrie s. The results also revealed that teachers' experience and self-reflection needed to be considered in development programs and teachers should be involved in collaborative learning communities. The collaborative learning communities provided the needed p rofessional support and give the chance for teachers to share their experience. Furthe rmore, the reality and constraints needed to be recognized as they influenced teacher s' assessment practices. Finally, research implications and future research directions o n teachers’ language assessment literacy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between self- and informant reports of personality using psychometric instruments is constantly the focus of attention for researchers in the field of clinical assessment in psychology. The research shows weak agreement between clinicians and patients' assessments of personality disorders (PDs). The current study aimed at the convergence of measurement of PDs using the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP-200), the self-report Character Styles Questionnaire-R (CSQ-R) and Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI). Paper-pencil questionnaires were administered to 102 inpatients (88.2% female, aged 18-64, M = 38.4) in a voivodeship hospital and outpatient health care centre. The SWAP-200 allowed us to gather expert (clinician) personality ratings basing on the intensive contact with patients. Results show that only a few SWAP-200 PD scales showed low positive correlations with corresponding self-reported PD scales from the CSQ-R. With the canonical correlation analysis, we identified two functions (borderline and internalising) that described similarities between the SWAP-200 and CSQ-R. SWAP-200 Obsessive-Compulsive PD correlated negatively with BPI scales. Consistent with previous studies, the self-report and the clinical assessment were only marginally convergent. Furthermore, OCPD stands out from other disorders in that it correlates positively with health indicators and negatively with some of the other personality disorders. The highest agreement was observed in the description of Borderline PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Validity is a core topic in educational and psychological assessment. Although there are many available resources describing the concept of validity, sources of validity evidence, and suggestions about how to obtain validity evidence; there is little guidance providing specific instructions for planning and carrying out validation studies. Method: In this paper we describe (a) the fundamental principles underlying test validity, (b) the process of validation, and (c) practical guidance for practitioners to plan and carry out sufficient validity research to support the use of a test for its intended purposes. Results: We first define validity, describe sources of validity evidence, and provide examples where each of these sources are addressed. Then, we describe a validation agenda describing steps and tasks for planning and developing validation studies. Conclusions: Finally, we discuss the importance of addressing validation studies from a comprehensive approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]