7 CFR 1218.104 - Subagents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BLUEBERRY PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Procedure for the Conduct of Referenda in Connection with the Blueberry Promotion, Research...

7 CFR 1218.104 - Subagents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BLUEBERRY PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Procedure for the Conduct of Referenda in Connection with the Blueberry Promotion, Research...

7 CFR 1218.104 - Subagents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BLUEBERRY PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Procedure for the Conduct of Referenda in Connection with the Blueberry Promotion, Research...

7 CFR 1218.104 - Subagents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BLUEBERRY PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Procedure for the Conduct of Referenda in Connection with the Blueberry Promotion, Research...

7 CFR 1209.304 - Subagents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Procedure for the Conduct of Referenda in Connection With the Mushroom Promotion...

7 CFR 1209.304 - Subagents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Procedure for the Conduct of Referenda in Connection With the Mushroom Promotion...

7 CFR 1209.304 - Subagents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Procedure for the Conduct of Referenda in Connection With the Mushroom Promotion...

7 CFR 1209.304 - Subagents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Procedure for the Conduct of Referenda in Connection With the Mushroom Promotion...

7 CFR 1209.304 - Subagents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUSHROOM PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER Procedure for the Conduct of Referenda in Connection With the Mushroom Promotion...

7 CFR 1216.104 - Subagents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PEANUT PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Procedure for the Conduct of Referenda in Connection With the Peanut Promotion, Research...

7 CFR 1216.104 - Subagents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PEANUT PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION ORDER Procedure for the Conduct of Referenda in Connection With the Peanut Promotion, Research...

29 CFR 100.602 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern... more Federal agencies or a unit or sub-agency thereof. Debtor means an individual, organization, group...

76 FR 36079 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-21

... Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation against the Department of Commerce. OMB Control Number: 0690-0024... sexual orientation by the Department of Commerce or one of its sub-agencies, must submit a signed...

Place preference and vocal learning rely on distinct reinforcers in songbirds.

PubMed

Murdoch, Don; Chen, Ruidong; Goldberg, Jesse H

2018-04-30

In reinforcement learning (RL) agents are typically tasked with maximizing a single objective function such as reward. But it remains poorly understood how agents might pursue distinct objectives at once. In machines, multiobjective RL can be achieved by dividing a single agent into multiple sub-agents, each of which is shaped by agent-specific reinforcement, but it remains unknown if animals adopt this strategy. Here we use songbirds to test if navigation and singing, two behaviors with distinct objectives, can be differentially reinforced. We demonstrate that strobe flashes aversively condition place preference but not song syllables. Brief noise bursts aversively condition song syllables but positively reinforce place preference. Thus distinct behavior-generating systems, or agencies, within a single animal can be shaped by correspondingly distinct reinforcement signals. Our findings suggest that spatially segregated vocal circuits can solve a credit assignment problem associated with multiobjective learning.

A subagging regression method for estimating the qualitative and quantitative state of groundwater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, J.; Park, E.; Choi, J.; Han, W. S.; Yun, S. T.

2016-12-01

A subagging regression (SBR) method for the analysis of groundwater data pertaining to the estimation of trend and the associated uncertainty is proposed. The SBR method is validated against synthetic data competitively with other conventional robust and non-robust methods. From the results, it is verified that the estimation accuracies of the SBR method are consistent and superior to those of the other methods and the uncertainties are reasonably estimated where the others have no uncertainty analysis option. To validate further, real quantitative and qualitative data are employed and analyzed comparatively with Gaussian process regression (GPR). For all cases, the trend and the associated uncertainties are reasonably estimated by SBR, whereas the GPR has limitations in representing the variability of non-Gaussian skewed data. From the implementations, it is determined that the SBR method has potential to be further developed as an effective tool of anomaly detection or outlier identification in groundwater state data.

7 CFR 1206.105 - Ballots.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Ballots. 1206.105 Section 1206.105 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS... INFORMATION Referendum Procedures. § 1206.105 Ballots. The referendum agent and subagents shall accept all...

7 CFR 1210.605 - Ballots.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Ballots. 1210.605 Section 1210.605 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS..., the agent or subagent shall endorse above their signature, on the ballot, a statement to the effect...

7 CFR 1218.105 - Ballots.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Ballots. 1218.105 Section 1218.105 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS... agent or subagent shall endorse above their signature, on the ballot, a statement to the effect that...

78 FR 20244 - Product Valuation

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-04

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Office of Natural Resources Revenue 30 CFR Part 1206 Product Valuation CFR Correction In FR Doc. 2013-07512, appearing on page 19100, in the Federal Register of Friday, March 29, 2013, the subagency heading ``Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement'' is corrected to...

29 CFR 42.20 - Regional Farm Labor Coordinated Enforcement Committee.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Labor Coordinated Enforcement Committee. (a) Under the leadership of the ESA Regional Administrator... subagencies; (3) Develop a written coordinated enforcement strategy specifying for the region all information... annual coordination plan. This strategy shall include at a minimum all information called for by § 42.8...

75 FR 63379 - Technical Amendment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-15

... previously resided with the Employment Standards Administration (ESA), which has now been dissolved. DATES... both programs to OWCP, one of ESA's sub-agencies. On November 8, 2009, the Secretary dissolved ESA into...-dissolved ESA and to clarify the Secretary's delegation of authority for the administration of the LHWCA and...

7 CFR 3.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Definitions. 3.3 Section 3.3 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT General § 3.3 Definitions. For the purpose of this part, except as where otherwise specifically provided, the term or terms: Agency means a subagency, office, or...

7 CFR 3.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Definitions. 3.3 Section 3.3 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT General § 3.3 Definitions. For the purpose of this part, except as where otherwise specifically provided, the term or terms: Agency means a subagency, office, or...

7 CFR 3.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Definitions. 3.3 Section 3.3 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT General § 3.3 Definitions. For the purpose of this part, except as where otherwise specifically provided, the term or terms: Agency means a subagency, office, or...

7 CFR 3.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Definitions. 3.3 Section 3.3 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT General § 3.3 Definitions. For the purpose of this part, except as where otherwise specifically provided, the term or terms: Agency means a subagency, office, or...

76 FR 15939 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Complaint of Discrimination Based on Sexual...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-22

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Office of the Secretary Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Complaint of Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation Against the U.S. Department of Commerce AGENCY... discriminatory treatment based on sexual orientation by the Department of Commerce or one of its subagencies...

46 CFR Sec. 2 - Authority for launch hire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., only under the following circumstances: (a) When incurred by the Master of an NSA vessel, or by an agent of NSA or by his sub-agent, for the purpose of properly conducting the owners' activities and business of NSA vessels; (b) When incurred in transporting liberty parties to or from an NSA vessel with...

46 CFR Sec. 2 - Authority for launch hire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., only under the following circumstances: (a) When incurred by the Master of an NSA vessel, or by an agent of NSA or by his sub-agent, for the purpose of properly conducting the owners' activities and business of NSA vessels; (b) When incurred in transporting liberty parties to or from an NSA vessel with...

46 CFR Sec. 2 - Authority for launch hire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., only under the following circumstances: (a) When incurred by the Master of an NSA vessel, or by an agent of NSA or by his sub-agent, for the purpose of properly conducting the owners' activities and business of NSA vessels; (b) When incurred in transporting liberty parties to or from an NSA vessel with...

46 CFR Sec. 2 - Authority for launch hire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., only under the following circumstances: (a) When incurred by the Master of an NSA vessel, or by an agent of NSA or by his sub-agent, for the purpose of properly conducting the owners' activities and business of NSA vessels; (b) When incurred in transporting liberty parties to or from an NSA vessel with...

46 CFR Sec. 2 - Authority for launch hire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., only under the following circumstances: (a) When incurred by the Master of an NSA vessel, or by an agent of NSA or by his sub-agent, for the purpose of properly conducting the owners' activities and business of NSA vessels; (b) When incurred in transporting liberty parties to or from an NSA vessel with...

41 CFR 102-33.60 - What methods may we use to acquire Government aircraft?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... from one internal bureau or subagency to another within your agency; (h) Forfeiture (you must have specific authority to seize aircraft); (i) Insurance replacement (i.e., receiving a replacement aircraft); (j) Lease or lease-purchase; (k) Rent or charter; (l) Contract for full services (i.e., aircraft plus...

41 CFR 102-33.60 - What methods may we use to acquire Government aircraft?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... from one internal bureau or subagency to another within your agency; (h) Forfeiture (you must have specific authority to seize aircraft); (i) Insurance replacement (i.e., receiving a replacement aircraft); (j) Lease or lease-purchase; (k) Rent or charter; (l) Contract for full services (i.e., aircraft plus...

41 CFR 102-33.60 - What methods may we use to acquire Government aircraft?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... from one internal bureau or subagency to another within your agency; (h) Forfeiture (you must have specific authority to seize aircraft); (i) Insurance replacement (i.e., receiving a replacement aircraft); (j) Lease or lease-purchase; (k) Rent or charter; (l) Contract for full services (i.e., aircraft plus...

A subagging regression method for estimating the qualitative and quantitative state of groundwater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Jina; Park, Eungyu; Han, Weon Shik; Kim, Kue-Young

2017-08-01

A subsample aggregating (subagging) regression (SBR) method for the analysis of groundwater data pertaining to trend-estimation-associated uncertainty is proposed. The SBR method is validated against synthetic data competitively with other conventional robust and non-robust methods. From the results, it is verified that the estimation accuracies of the SBR method are consistent and superior to those of other methods, and the uncertainties are reasonably estimated; the others have no uncertainty analysis option. To validate further, actual groundwater data are employed and analyzed comparatively with Gaussian process regression (GPR). For all cases, the trend and the associated uncertainties are reasonably estimated by both SBR and GPR regardless of Gaussian or non-Gaussian skewed data. However, it is expected that GPR has a limitation in applications to severely corrupted data by outliers owing to its non-robustness. From the implementations, it is determined that the SBR method has the potential to be further developed as an effective tool of anomaly detection or outlier identification in groundwater state data such as the groundwater level and contaminant concentration.

Evolution of natural agents: preservation, advance, and emergence of functional information.

PubMed

Sharov, Alexei A

2016-04-01

Biological evolution is often viewed narrowly as a change of morphology or allele frequency in a sequence of generations. Here I pursue an alternative informational concept of evolution, as preservation, advance, and emergence of functional information in natural agents. Functional information is a network of signs (e.g., memory, transient messengers, and external signs) that are used by agents to preserve and regulate their functions. Functional information is preserved in evolution via complex interplay of copying and construction processes: the digital components are copied, whereas interpreting subagents together with scaffolds, tools, and resources, are constructed. Some of these processes are simple and invariant, whereas others are complex and contextual. Advance of functional information includes improvement and modification of already existing functions. Although the genome information may change passively and randomly, the interpretation is active and guided by the logic of agent behavior and embryonic development. Emergence of new functions is based on the reinterpretation of already existing information, when old tools, resources, and control algorithms are adopted for novel functions. Evolution of functional information progressed from protosemiosis, where signs correspond directly to actions, to eusemiosis, where agents associate signs with objects. Language is the most advanced form of eusemiosis, where the knowledge of objects and models is communicated between agents.

Evolution of natural agents: preservation, advance, and emergence of functional information

PubMed Central

Sharov, Alexei A.

2016-01-01

Biological evolution is often viewed narrowly as a change of morphology or allele frequency in a sequence of generations. Here I pursue an alternative informational concept of evolution, as preservation, advance, and emergence of functional information in natural agents. Functional information is a network of signs (e.g., memory, transient messengers, and external signs) that are used by agents to preserve and regulate their functions. Functional information is preserved in evolution via complex interplay of copying and construction processes: the digital components are copied, whereas interpreting subagents together with scaffolds, tools, and resources, are constructed. Some of these processes are simple and invariant, whereas others are complex and contextual. Advance of functional information includes improvement and modification of already existing functions. Although the genome information may change passively and randomly, the interpretation is active and guided by the logic of agent behavior and embryonic development. Emergence of new functions is based on the reinterpretation of already existing information, when old tools, resources, and control algorithms are adopted for novel functions. Evolution of functional information progressed from protosemiosis, where signs correspond directly to actions, to eusemiosis, where agents associate signs with objects. Language is the most advanced form of eusemiosis, where the knowledge of objects and models is communicated between agents. PMID:27525048

[Comparison of arterial stiffness in non-hypertensive and hypertensive population of various age groups].

PubMed

Zhang, Y J; Wu, S L; Li, H Y; Zhao, Q H; Ning, C H; Zhang, R Y; Yu, J X; Li, W; Chen, S H; Gao, J S

2018-01-24

Objective: To investigate the impact of blood pressure and age on arterial stiffness in general population. Methods: Participants who took part in 2010, 2012 and 2014 Kailuan health examination were included. Data of brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) examination were analyzed. According to the WHO criteria of age, participants were divided into 3 age groups: 18-44 years group ( n= 11 608), 45-59 years group ( n= 12 757), above 60 years group ( n= 5 002). Participants were further divided into hypertension group and non-hypertension group according to the diagnostic criteria for hypertension (2010 Chinese guidelines for the managemengt of hypertension). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the association between systolic blood pressure (SBP) with baPWV in the total participants and then stratified by age groups. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the influence of blood pressure on arterial stiffness (baPWV≥1 400 cm/s) of various groups. Results: (1)The baseline characteristics of all participants: 35 350 participants completed 2010, 2012 and 2014 Kailuan examinations and took part in baPWV examination. 2 237 participants without blood pressure measurement values were excluded, 1 569 participants with history of peripheral artery disease were excluded, we also excluded 1 016 participants with history of cardiac-cerebral vascular disease. Data from 29 367 participants were analyzed. The age was (48.0±12.4) years old, 21 305 were males (72.5%). (2) Distribution of baPWV in various age groups: baPWV increased with aging. In non-hypertension population, baPWV in 18-44 years group, 45-59 years group, above 60 years group were as follows: 1 299.3, 1 428.7 and 1 704.6 cm/s, respectively. For hypertension participants, the respective values of baPWV were: 1 498.4, 1 640.7 and 1 921.4 cm/s. BaPWV was significantly higher in hypertension group than non-hypertension group of respective age groups ( P< 0.05). (3) Multiple linear regression analysis defined risk factors of baPWV: Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that baPWV was positively correlated with SBP( t= 39.30, P< 0.001), and same results were found in the sub-age groups ( t -value was 37.72, 27.30, 9.15, all P< 0.001, respectively) after adjustment for other confounding factors, including age, sex, pulse pressure(PP), body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), smoking, drinking, physical exercise, antihypertensive medications, lipid-lowering medication. (4) Multivariate logistic regression analysis of baPWV-related factors: After adjustment for other confounding factors, including age, sex, PP, BMI, FBG, TC, smoking, drinking, physical exercise, antihypertensive medication, lipid-lowering medication, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that risks for increased arterial stiffness in hypertension group were higher than those in non-hypertension group, the OR in participants with hypertension was 2.54 (2.35-2.74) in the total participants, and same results were also found in sub-age groups, the OR s were 3.22(2.86-3.63), 2.48(2.23-2.76), and 1.91(1.42-2.56), respectively, in each sub-age group. Conclusion: SBP is positively related to arterial stiffness in different age groups, and hypertension is a risk factor for increased arterial stiffness in different age groups. Clinical Trial Registry Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-TNC-11001489.

A smart room for hospitalised elderly people: essay of modelling and first steps of an experiment.

PubMed

Rialle, V; Lauvernay, N; Franco, A; Piquard, J F; Couturier, P

1999-01-01

We present a study of modelling and the first steps of an experiment of a smart room for hospitalised elderly people. The system aims at detecting falls and sicknesses, and implements four main functions: perception of patient and environment through sensors, reasoning from perceived events and patient clinical findings, action by way of alarm triggering and message passing to medical staff, and adaptation to various patient profiles, sensor layouts, house fixtures and architecture. It includes a physical multisensory device located in the patient's room, and a multi-agent system for fall detection and alarm triggering. This system encompasses a perception agent, and a reasoning agent. The latter has two complementary capacities implemented by sub-agents: deduction of type of alarm from incoming events, and knowledge induction from recorded events. The system has been tested with a few patients in real clinical situation, and the first experiment provides encouraging results which are described in a precise manner.

Leadership for Public Health 3.0: A Preliminary Assessment of Competencies for Local Health Department Leaders.

PubMed

Jadhav, Emmanuel D; Holsinger, James W; Anderson, Billie W; Homant, Nicholas

2017-01-01

The foundational public health services model V1.0, developed in response to the Institute of Medicine report For the Public's Health: Investing in a Healthier Future identified important capabilities for leading local health departments (LHDs). The recommended capabilities include the organizational competencies of leadership and governance, which are described as consensus building among internal and external stakeholders. Leadership through consensus building is the main characteristic of Democratic Leadership . This style of leadership works best within the context of a competent team. Not much is known about the competency structure of LHD leadership teams. The objectives of this study characterize the competency structure of leadership teams in LHDs and identify the relevance of existing competencies for the practice of leadership in public health. The study used a cross-sectional study design. Utilizing the workforce taxonomy six management and leadership occupation titles were used as job categories. The competencies were selected from the leadership and management domain of public health competencies for the Tier -3, leadership level. Study participants were asked to rank on a Likert scale of 1-10 the relevance of each competency to their current job category, with a rank of 1 being least important and a rank of 10 being most important. The instrument was administered in person. Data were collected in 2016 from 50 public health professionals serving in leadership and management positions in a convenience sample of three LHDS. The competency of most relevance to the highest executive function category was that of "interaction with interrelated systems." For sub-agency level officers the competency of most relevance was "advocating for the role of public health." The competency of most relevance to Program Directors/Managers or Administrators was "ensuring continuous quality improvement." The variation between competencies by job category suggests there are distinct underlying relationships between the competencies by job category.

Psychometric Testing of Two Chinese-Version Scales on Attitudes Toward and Caregiving Behaviors for End-of-Life Patients and Families.

PubMed

Yang, Luke; Liu, Yung-Fang; Sun, Huey-Fang; Chiang, Hsien-Hsien; Tsai, Yu-Lun; Liaw, Jen-Jiuan

2017-03-01

The study purpose was to examine the validities and reliabilities of the Chinese-versions Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying Scale (Attitudes Scale) and Caregiving Behaviors Scale for End-of-Life Patients and Families (Behaviors Scale). The scales were tested in a convenience sample of 318 nurses with ≥6 months work experience at three hospitals. Cronbach's alphas of the Attitudes and Behaviors Scales were .90 and .96, respectively. Each scale had Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin index >.85 and Bartlett's test of sphericity >4000 ( p < .001). Attitudes Scale loaded on three factors: respecting and caring for dying patients and families, avoiding care of the dying, and involving patients and families in end-of-life care. The Behaviors Scale loaded on two factors: supporting dying patients and families, and helping families cope with grief. Factor loadings for both scales were ≥.49. Both Attitudes and Behaviors Scales are reliable and valid for evaluating nurses' attitudes and caregiving behaviors for the dying.

Detection of crossover time scales in multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Erjia; Leung, Yee

2013-04-01

Fractal is employed in this paper as a scale-based method for the identification of the scaling behavior of time series. Many spatial and temporal processes exhibiting complex multi(mono)-scaling behaviors are fractals. One of the important concepts in fractals is crossover time scale(s) that separates distinct regimes having different fractal scaling behaviors. A common method is multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA). The detection of crossover time scale(s) is, however, relatively subjective since it has been made without rigorous statistical procedures and has generally been determined by eye balling or subjective observation. Crossover time scales such determined may be spurious and problematic. It may not reflect the genuine underlying scaling behavior of a time series. The purpose of this paper is to propose a statistical procedure to model complex fractal scaling behaviors and reliably identify the crossover time scales under MF-DFA. The scaling-identification regression model, grounded on a solid statistical foundation, is first proposed to describe multi-scaling behaviors of fractals. Through the regression analysis and statistical inference, we can (1) identify the crossover time scales that cannot be detected by eye-balling observation, (2) determine the number and locations of the genuine crossover time scales, (3) give confidence intervals for the crossover time scales, and (4) establish the statistically significant regression model depicting the underlying scaling behavior of a time series. To substantive our argument, the regression model is applied to analyze the multi-scaling behaviors of avian-influenza outbreaks, water consumption, daily mean temperature, and rainfall of Hong Kong. Through the proposed model, we can have a deeper understanding of fractals in general and a statistical approach to identify multi-scaling behavior under MF-DFA in particular.

Laplacian scale-space behavior of planar curve corners.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaohong; Qu, Ying; Yang, Dan; Wang, Hongxing; Kymer, Jeff

2015-11-01

Scale-space behavior of corners is important for developing an efficient corner detection algorithm. In this paper, we analyze the scale-space behavior with the Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG) operator on a planar curve which constructs Laplacian Scale Space (LSS). The analytical expression of a Laplacian Scale-Space map (LSS map) is obtained, demonstrating the Laplacian Scale-Space behavior of the planar curve corners, based on a newly defined unified corner model. With this formula, some Laplacian Scale-Space behavior is summarized. Although LSS demonstrates some similarities to Curvature Scale Space (CSS), there are still some differences. First, no new extreme points are generated in the LSS. Second, the behavior of different cases of a corner model is consistent and simple. This makes it easy to trace the corner in a scale space. At last, the behavior of LSS is verified in an experiment on a digital curve.

Scaling of prosocial behavior in cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arbesman, Samuel; Christakis, Nicholas A.

2011-06-01

Previous research has examined how various behaviors scale in cities in relation to their population sizes. Behavior related to innovation and productivity has been found to increase per capita as the size of the city increases, a phenomenon known as superlinear scaling. Criminal behavior has also been found to scale superlinearly. Here we examine a variety of prosocial behaviors (e.g., voting and organ donation), which also would be presumed to be categorized into a single class of scaling with population. We find that, unlike productivity and innovation, prosocial behaviors do not scale in a unified manner. We argue how this might be due to the nature of interactions that are distinct for different prosocial behaviors.

Generalizability of Scaling Gradients on Direct Behavior Ratings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chafouleas, Sandra M.; Christ, Theodore J.; Riley-Tillman, T. Chris

2009-01-01

Generalizability theory is used to examine the impact of scaling gradients on a single-item Direct Behavior Rating (DBR). A DBR refers to a type of rating scale used to efficiently record target behavior(s) following an observation occasion. Variance components associated with scale gradients are estimated using a random effects design for persons…

How Do Observational Scales Correlate the Ratings of Children's Behavior during Pediatric Procedural Sedation?

PubMed Central

Moura, Larissa da Silva

2016-01-01

Background. There is little information regarding the ability of observational scales to properly assess children's behavior during procedural sedation. Aim. To evaluate the characteristics of the Houpt scales, the Ohio State University Behavioral Rating Scale (OSUBRS) and the Venham Behavior Rating Scale when applied to preschool children undergoing conscious dental sedation. Design. This study included 27 children, 4–6 years old with early childhood caries that participated in a clinical trial (NCT02284204) that investigated two sedative regimes using oral midazolam/ketamine. Dental appointments were video-recorded; five calibrated observers assessed 1,209 minutes of video recording to score the children's behavior, following the instructions of the investigated scales. Data were analyzed by descriptive analysis and Spearman correlation tests (P < 0.05). Results. The Houpt overall behavior and the Venham scale were highly correlated (rho = −0.87; P < 0.001). OSUBRS scores were better correlated with Houpt overall behavior and Venham ratings, when compared to Houpt scores in the categories for movement and crying. Conclusions. The Houpt overall behavior and the Venham scores are global scales that properly measure children's behavior during dental sedation. Continuous assessment with OSUBRS through videos has a chance to give more precise data, while the Houpt categories can easily demonstrate children's behavior during procedures. PMID:28116299

Neuronal long-range temporal correlations and avalanche dynamics are correlated with behavioral scaling laws

PubMed Central

Palva, J. Matias; Zhigalov, Alexander; Hirvonen, Jonni; Korhonen, Onerva; Linkenkaer-Hansen, Klaus; Palva, Satu

2013-01-01

Scale-free fluctuations are ubiquitous in behavioral performance and neuronal activity. In time scales from seconds to hundreds of seconds, psychophysical dynamics and the amplitude fluctuations of neuronal oscillations are governed by power-law-form long-range temporal correlations (LRTCs). In millisecond time scales, neuronal activity comprises cascade-like neuronal avalanches that exhibit power-law size and lifetime distributions. However, it remains unknown whether these neuronal scaling laws are correlated with those characterizing behavioral performance or whether neuronal LRTCs and avalanches are related. Here, we show that the neuronal scaling laws are strongly correlated both with each other and with behavioral scaling laws. We used source reconstructed magneto- and electroencephalographic recordings to characterize the dynamics of ongoing cortical activity. We found robust power-law scaling in neuronal LRTCs and avalanches in resting-state data and during the performance of audiovisual threshold stimulus detection tasks. The LRTC scaling exponents of the behavioral performance fluctuations were correlated with those of concurrent neuronal avalanches and LRTCs in anatomically identified brain systems. The behavioral exponents also were correlated with neuronal scaling laws derived from a resting-state condition and with a similar anatomical topography. Finally, despite the difference in time scales, the scaling exponents of neuronal LRTCs and avalanches were strongly correlated during both rest and task performance. Thus, long and short time-scale neuronal dynamics are related and functionally significant at the behavioral level. These data suggest that the temporal structures of human cognitive fluctuations and behavioral variability stem from the scaling laws of individual and intrinsic brain dynamics. PMID:23401536

Same Constructs, Different Results: Examining the Consistency of Two Behavior-Rating Scales with Referred Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Carl L.; Bour, Jennifer L.; Sidebottom, Kristina J.; Murphy, Sara B.; Hakman, Melissa

2010-01-01

Broad-band or multidimensional behavior-rating scales are common tools for evaluating children. Two popular behavior-rating scales, the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000), have undergone downward extensions so that…

[Knowledge of Emotion Regulation Strategies, Problem Behavior, and Prosocial Behavior in Preschool Age].

PubMed

Gust, Nicole; Koglin, Ute; Petermann, Franz

2015-01-01

The present study examines the relation between knowledge of emotion regulation strategies and social behavior in preschoolers. Knowledge of emotion regulation strategies of 210 children (mean age 55 months) was assessed. Teachers rated children's social behavior with SDQ. Linear regression analysis examined how knowledge of emotion regulation strategies influenced social behavior of children. Significant effects of gender on SDQ scales "prosocial behavior", "hyperactivity", "behavior problems", and SDQ total problem scale were identified. Age was a significant predictor of SDQ scales "prosocial behavior", "hyperactivity", "problems with peers" and SDQ total problem scale. Knowledge of emotion regulation strategies predicted SDQ total problem scores. Results suggest that deficits in knowledge of emotion regulation strategies are linked with increased problem behavior.

Factor Structure of Child Behavior Scale Scores in Peruvian Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Erin L.; Schaefer, Barbara A.; Soto, Cesar Merino; Simmons, Crystal S.; Anguiano, Rebecca; Brett, Jeremy; Holman, Alea; Martin, Justin F.; Hata, Heidi K.; Roberts, Kimberly J.; Mello, Zena R.; Worrell, Frank C.

2011-01-01

Behavior rating scales aid in the identification of problem behaviors, as well as the development of interventions to reduce such behavior. Although scores on many behavior rating scales have been validated in the United States, there have been few such studies in other cultural contexts. In this study, the structural validity of scores on a…

Generalizability and Dependability of a Multi-Item Direct Behavior Rating Scale in a Kindergarten Classroom Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wickerd, Garry; Hulac, David

2017-01-01

Accurate and rapid identification of students displaying behavioral problems requires instrumentation that is user friendly and reliable. The purpose of the study was to evaluate a multi-item direct behavior rating scale called the Direct Behavior Rating-Multiple Item Scale (DBR-MIS) for disruptive behavior to determine the number of…

Linking the Grain Scale to Experimental Measurements and Other Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogler, Tracy

2017-06-01

A number of physical processes occur at the scale of grains that can have a profound influence on the behavior of materials under shock loading. Examples include inelastic deformation, pore collapse, fracture, friction, and internal wave reflections. In some cases such as the initiation of energetics and brittle fracture, these processes can have first order effects on the behavior of materials: the emergent behavior from the grain scale is the dominant one. In other cases, many aspects of the bulk behavior can be described by a continuum description, but some details of the behavior are missed by continuum descriptions. The multi-scale model paradigm envisions flow of information from smaller scales (atomic, dislocation, etc.) to the grain or mesoscale and the up to the continuum scale. A significant challenge in this approach is the need to validate each step. For the grain scale, diagnosing behavior is challenging because of the small spatial and temporal scales involved. Spatially resolved diagnostics have begun to shed light on these processes, and, more recently, advanced light sources have started to be used to probe behavior at the grain scale. In this talk, I will discuss some interesting phenomena that occur at the grain scale in shock loading, experimental approaches to probe the grain scale, and efforts to link the grain scale to smaller and larger scales. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE.

The Health Behavior Checklist: Factor structure in community samples and validity of a revised good health practices scale.

PubMed

Hampson, Sarah E; Edmonds, Grant W; Goldberg, Lewis R

2017-01-01

This study examined the factor structure and predictive validity of the commonly used multidimensional Health Behavior Checklist. A three-factor structure was found in two community samples that included men and women. The new 16-item Good Health Practices scale and the original Wellness Maintenance scale were the only Health Behavior Checklist scales to be related to cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors. While the other Health Behavior Checklist scales require further validation, the Good Health Practices scale could be used where more objective or longer measures are not feasible.

Convergent Validity with the BERS-2 Teacher Rating Scale and the Achenbach Teacher's Report Form: A Replication and Extension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benner, Gregory J.; Beaudoin, Kathleen; Mooney, Paul; Uhing, Brad M.; Pierce, Corey D.

2008-01-01

In the present study, we sought to extend instrument validation research for a strength-based emotional and behavior rating scale, the "Teacher Rating Scale of the Behavior and Emotional Rating Scale-Second Edition" (BERS-2; Epstein, M. H. (2004). "Behavioral and emotional rating scale" (2nd ed.). Austin, TX: PRO-ED) through…

Development process of an assessment tool for disruptive behavior problems in cross-cultural settings: the Disruptive Behavior International Scale – Nepal version (DBIS-N)

PubMed Central

Burkey, Matthew D.; Ghimire, Lajina; Adhikari, Ramesh P.; Kohrt, Brandon A.; Jordans, Mark J. D.; Haroz, Emily; Wissow, Lawrence

2017-01-01

Systematic processes are needed to develop valid measurement instruments for disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) in cross-cultural settings. We employed a four-step process in Nepal to identify and select items for a culturally valid assessment instrument: 1) We extracted items from validated scales and local free-list interviews. 2) Parents, teachers, and peers (n=30) rated the perceived relevance and importance of behavior problems. 3) Highly rated items were piloted with children (n=60) in Nepal. 4) We evaluated internal consistency of the final scale. We identified 49 symptoms from 11 scales, and 39 behavior problems from free-list interviews (n=72). After dropping items for low ratings of relevance and severity and for poor item-test correlation, low frequency, and/or poor acceptability in pilot testing, 16 items remained for the Disruptive Behavior International Scale—Nepali version (DBIS-N). The final scale had good internal consistency (α=0.86). A 4-step systematic approach to scale development including local participation yielded an internally consistent scale that included culturally relevant behavior problems. PMID:28093575

A scale-free systems theory of motivation and addiction.

PubMed

Chambers, R Andrew; Bickel, Warren K; Potenza, Marc N

2007-01-01

Scale-free organizations, characterized by uneven distributions of linkages between nodal elements, describe the structure and function of many life-based complex systems developing under evolutionary pressures. We explore motivated behavior as a scale-free map toward a comprehensive translational theory of addiction. Motivational and behavioral repertoires are reframed as link and nodal element sets, respectively, comprising a scale-free structure. These sets are generated by semi-independent information-processing streams within cortical-striatal circuits that cooperatively provide decision-making and sequential processing functions necessary for traversing maps of motivational links connecting behavioral nodes. Dopamine modulation of cortical-striatal plasticity serves a central-hierarchical mechanism for survival-adaptive sculpting and development of motivational-behavioral repertoires by guiding a scale-free design. Drug-induced dopamine activity promotes drug taking as a highly connected behavioral hub at the expense of natural-adaptive motivational links and behavioral nodes. Conceptualizing addiction as pathological alteration of scale-free motivational-behavioral repertoires unifies neurobiological, neurocomputational and behavioral research while addressing addiction vulnerability in adolescence and psychiatric illness. This model may inform integrative research in defining more effective prevention and treatment strategies for addiction.

A Scale-Free Systems Theory of Motivation and Addiction

PubMed Central

Bickel, Warren K.; Potenza, Marc N.

2007-01-01

Scale-free organizations, characterized by uneven distributions of linkages between nodal elements, describe the structure and function of many life-based complex systems developing under evolutionary pressures. We explore motivated behavior as a scale-free map toward a comprehensive translational theory of addiction. Motivational and behavioral repertoires are reframed as link and nodal element sets, respectively, comprising a scale-free structure. These sets are generated by semi-independent information-processing streams within cortical-striatal circuits that cooperatively provide decision-making and sequential processing functions necessary for traversing maps of motivational links connecting behavioral nodes. Dopamine modulation of cortical-striatal plasticity serves a central-hierarchical mechanism for survival-adaptive sculpting and development of motivational-behavioral repertoires by guiding a scale-free design. Drug-induced dopamine activity promotes drug-taking as a highly connected behavioral hub at the expense of natural-adaptive motivational links and behavioral nodes. Conceptualizing addiction as pathological alteration of scale-free motivational-behavioral repertoires unifies neurobiological, neurocomputational and behavioral research while addressing addiction vulnerability in adolescence and psychiatric illness. This model may inform integrative research in defining more effective prevention and treatment strategies for addiction. PMID:17574673

Implementation of the Agitated Behavior Scale in the Electronic Health Record.

PubMed

Wilson, Helen John; Dasgupta, Kritis; Michael, Kathleen

The purpose of the study was to implement an Agitated Behavior Scale through an electronic health record and to evaluate the usability of the scale in a brain injury unit at a rehabilitation hospital. A quality improvement project was conducted in the brain injury unit at a large rehabilitation hospital with registered nurses as participants using convenience sampling. The project consisted of three phases and included education, implementation of the scale in the electronic health record, and administration of the survey questionnaire, which utilized the system usability scale. The Agitated Behavior Scale was found to be usable, and there was 92.2% compliance with the use of the electronic Electronic Agitated Behavior Scale. The Agitated Behavior Scale was effectively implemented in the electronic health record and was found to be usable in the assessment of agitation. Utilization of the scale through the electronic health record on a daily basis will allow for an early identification of agitation in patients with traumatic brain injury and enable prompt interventions to manage agitation.

Using Rasch Rating Scale Methodology to Examine a Behavioral Screener for Preschoolers at Risk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiStefano, Christine; Greer, Fred W.; Kamphaus, R. W.; Brown, William H.

2014-01-01

A screening instrument used to identify young children at risk for behavioral and emotional difficulties, the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System Teacher Rating Scale-Preschool was examined. The Rasch Rating Scale Method was used to provide additional information about psychometric properties of items, respondents, and the response scale.…

Perceived Coach Attitudes and Behaviors Scale: Development and Validation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Üzüm, Hanifi; Karli, Ünal; Yildiz, Nuh Osman

2018-01-01

The purpose of the study was to develop a scale, which will serve to determine how attitudes and behaviors of the coaches are perceived by the athletes. The scale, named as "Perceived Coach Attitudes and Behaviors Scale" (PCABS) was developed through various processes including exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Following the…

Acquisition of Lateralized Predation Behavior Associated with Development of Mouth Asymmetry in a Lake Tanganyika Scale-Eating Cichlid Fish

PubMed Central

Takeuchi, Yuichi; Hori, Michio; Tada, Shinya; Oda, Yoichi

2016-01-01

The scale-eating cichlid Perissodus microlepis with asymmetric mouth is an attractive model of behavioral laterality: each adult tears off scales from prey fishes’ left or right flanks according to the direction in which its mouth is skewed. To investigate the development of behavioral laterality and mouth asymmetry, we analyzed stomach contents and lower jaw-bone asymmetry of various-sized P. microlepis (22≤SL<115mm) sampled in Lake Tanganyika. The shapes of the pored scales found in each specimen’s stomach indicated its attack side preference. Early-juvenile specimens (SL<45mm) feeding mainly on zooplankton exhibited slight but significant mouth asymmetry. As the fish acquired scale-eating (45mm≤SL), attack side preference was gradually strengthened, as was mouth asymmetry. Among size-matched individuals, those with more skewed mouths ate more scales. These findings show that behavioral laterality in scale-eating P. microlepis is established in association with development of mouth asymmetry which precedes the behavioral acquisition, and that this synergistic interaction between physical and behavioral literalities may contribute to efficient scale-eating. PMID:26808293

Comparison between objective measures and parental behavioral rating scales of memory and attention in pediatric endocrinology patients.

PubMed

Limbers, Christine; Young, Danielle; Jernigan, Stephanie; Bryant, William; Stephen, Matt

2017-01-01

Behavioral rating scales represent one potential method for screening of cognitive functioning in routine clinical care. It is not yet known if objective performance based measures and behavioral rating scales of cognitive functioning completed by parents yield similar information in pediatric endocrinology patients. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the associations between performance-based measures and behavioral rating scales of memory and attention/concentration completed by parents of pediatric patients with Type 1 Diabetes or obesity. The sample consisted of 73 pediatric patients with Type 1 Diabetes or obesity (BMI > 95th percentile) ages 6-16 years (mean age = 12.29 years) referred to an outpatient pediatric endocrinology clinic. Youth were administered the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML-2). Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale. Pearson's Product Moment Correlations were examined among the performance-based measures and behavioral rating scales. All intercorrelations between the performance-based measures and behavioral rating scales completed by parents were in the small range. The only statistically significant (P < 0.05) and approaching medium correlation was between the PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale and WRAML-2 Verbal Memory Index (r = 0.28). On behavioral rating scales and performance-based measures of visual memory and attention/concentration, our sample exhibited greater difficulties than healthy youth from previously published data (P < 0.05). One possible explanation for our findings is that behavioral rating scales of attention/concentration and memory completed by parents measure different aspects of cognitive functioning than performance based measures in pediatric patients with Type 1 Diabetes or obesity.

Definition of fractal topography to essential understanding of scale-invariance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yi; Wu, Ying; Li, Hui; Zhao, Mengyu; Pan, Jienan

2017-04-01

Fractal behavior is scale-invariant and widely characterized by fractal dimension. However, the cor-respondence between them is that fractal behavior uniquely determines a fractal dimension while a fractal dimension can be related to many possible fractal behaviors. Therefore, fractal behavior is independent of the fractal generator and its geometries, spatial pattern, and statistical properties in addition to scale. To mathematically describe fractal behavior, we propose a novel concept of fractal topography defined by two scale-invariant parameters, scaling lacunarity (P) and scaling coverage (F). The scaling lacunarity is defined as the scale ratio between two successive fractal generators, whereas the scaling coverage is defined as the number ratio between them. Consequently, a strictly scale-invariant definition for self-similar fractals can be derived as D = log F /log P. To reflect the direction-dependence of fractal behaviors, we introduce another parameter Hxy, a general Hurst exponent, which is analytically expressed by Hxy = log Px/log Py where Px and Py are the scaling lacunarities in the x and y directions, respectively. Thus, a unified definition of fractal dimension is proposed for arbitrary self-similar and self-affine fractals by averaging the fractal dimensions of all directions in a d-dimensional space, which . Our definitions provide a theoretical, mechanistic basis for understanding the essentials of the scale-invariant property that reduces the complexity of modeling fractals.

Value-Eroding Teacher Behaviors Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arseven, Zeynep; Kiliç, Abdurrahman; Sahin, Seyma

2016-01-01

In the present study, it is aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale for determining value-eroding behaviors of teachers, hence their values of judgment. The items of the "Value-eroding Teacher Behaviors Scale" were designed in the form of 5-point likert type rating scale. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to…

Multiscaling behavior of atomic-scale friction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jannesar, M.; Jamali, T.; Sadeghi, A.; Movahed, S. M. S.; Fesler, G.; Meyer, E.; Khoshnevisan, B.; Jafari, G. R.

2017-06-01

The scaling behavior of friction between rough surfaces is a well-known phenomenon. It might be asked whether such a scaling feature also exists for friction at an atomic scale despite the absence of roughness on atomically flat surfaces. Indeed, other types of fluctuations, e.g., thermal and instrumental fluctuations, become appreciable at this length scale and can lead to scaling behavior of the measured atomic-scale friction. We investigate this using the lateral force exerted on the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) when the tip is dragged over the clean NaCl (001) surface in ultra-high vacuum at room temperature. Here the focus is on the fluctuations of the lateral force profile rather than its saw-tooth trend; we first eliminate the trend using the singular value decomposition technique and then explore the scaling behavior of the detrended data, which contains only fluctuations, using the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis. The results demonstrate a scaling behavior for the friction data ranging from 0.2 to 2 nm with the Hurst exponent H =0.61 ±0.02 at a 1 σ confidence interval. Moreover, the dependence of the generalized Hurst exponent, h (q ) , on the index variable q confirms the multifractal or multiscaling behavior of the nanofriction data. These results prove that fluctuation of nanofriction empirical data has a multifractal behavior which deviates from white noise.

Scale-dependent behavior of scale equations.

PubMed

Kim, Pilwon

2009-09-01

We propose a new mathematical framework to formulate scale structures of general systems. Stack equations characterize a system in terms of accumulative scales. Their behavior at each scale level is determined independently without referring to other levels. Most standard geometries in mathematics can be reformulated in such stack equations. By involving interaction between scales, we generalize stack equations into scale equations. Scale equations are capable to accommodate various behaviors at different scale levels into one integrated solution. On contrary to standard geometries, such solutions often reveal eccentric scale-dependent figures, providing a clue to understand multiscale nature of the real world. Especially, it is suggested that the Gaussian noise stems from nonlinear scale interactions.

Interrater Agreement of the Individualized Behavior Rating Scale Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iovannone, Rose; Greenbaum, Paul E.; Wang, Wei; Dunlap, Glen; Kincaid, Don

2014-01-01

Data assessment is critical for determining student behavior change in response to individualized behavior interventions in schools. This study examined the interrater agreement of the Individualized Behavior Rating Scale Tool (IBRST), a perceptual direct behavior rating tool that was used by typical school personnel to record behavior occurrence…

Bridging the Gap: Direct Behavior Rating-Single Item Scales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Faith G.; Crovello, Nicholas; Swenson, Nicole

2017-01-01

Direct Behavior Ratings (DBRs) are behavioral assessment methods that combine the benefits of systematic direct observation and behavior rating scales. That is, DBRs involve the observation of operationally defined target behaviors during a prespecified observation period and the evaluation of those behaviors via brief ratings. In this way, DBR is…

Developing the Cyber Victimization Experiences and Cyberbullying Behaviors Scales.

PubMed

Betts, Lucy R; Spenser, Karin A

2017-01-01

The reported prevalence rates of cyber victimization experiences and cyberbullying behaviors vary. Part of this variation is likely due to the diverse definitions and operationalizations of the constructs adopted in previous research and the lack of psychometrically robust measures. Through 2 studies, the authors developed (Study 1) and evaluated (Study 2) the cyber victimization experiences and cyberbullying behaviors scales. Participants in Study 1 were 393 (122 boys, 171 girls) and in Study 2 were 345 (153 boys, 192 girls) 11-15-year-olds who completed measures of cyber victimization experiences, cyberbullying behaviors, face-to-face victimization experiences, face-to-face bullying behaviors, and social desirability. The 3-factor cyber victimization experiences scale comprised threat, shared images, and personal attack. The 3-factor cyberbullying behaviors scale comprised sharing images, gossip, and personal attack. Both scales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and convergent validity.

Validity and reliability analysis of the planned behavior theory scale related to the testicular self-examination in a Turkish context.

PubMed

Iyigun, Emine; Tastan, Sevinc; Ayhan, Hatice; Kose, Gulsah; Acikel, Cengizhan

2016-06-01

This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability levels of the Planned Behavior Theory Scale as related to a testicular self-examination. The study was carried out in a health-profession higher-education school in Ankara, Turkey, from April to June 2012. The study participants comprised 215 male students. Study data were collected by using a questionnaire, a planned behavior theory scale related to testicular self-examination, and Champion's Health Belief Model Scale (CHBMS). The sub-dimensions of the planned behavior theory scale, namely those of intention, attitude, subjective norms and self-efficacy, were found to have Cronbach's alpha values of between 0.81 and 0.89. Exploratory factor analysis showed that items of the scale had five factors that accounted for 75% of the variance. Of these, the sub-dimension of intention was found to have the highest level of contribution. A significant correlation was found between the sub-dimensions of the testicular self-examination planned behavior theory scale and those of CHBMS (p < 0.05). The findings suggest that the Turkish version of the testicular self-examination Planned Behavior Theory Scale is a valid and reliable measurement for Turkish society.

Science and Mathematics Teacher Candidates' Environmental Knowledge, Awareness, Behavior and Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yumusak, Ahmet; Sargin, Seyid Ahmet; Baltaci, Furkan; Kelani, Raphael R.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to measure science and mathematics teacher candidates' environmental knowledge level, awareness, behavior and environmental attitudes. Four instruments comprising Environmental Sensitivity Scale, environmental Behavior Scale, Environmental Attitudes Scale and Environmental Knowledge Test were administered to a total…

Impact of aggregation on scaling behavior of Internet backbone traffic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhi-Li; Ribeiro, Vinay J.; Moon, Sue B.; Diot, Christophe

2002-07-01

We study the impact of aggregation on the scaling behavior of Internet backbone tra ffic, based on traces collected from OC3 and OC12 links in a tier-1 ISP. We make two striking observations regarding the sub-second small time scaling behaviors of Internet backbone traffic: 1) for a majority of these traces, the Hurst parameters at small time scales (1ms - 100ms) are fairly close to 0.5. Hence the traffic at these time scales are nearly uncorrelated; 2) the scaling behaviors at small time scales are link-dependent, and stay fairly invariant over changing utilization and time. To understand the scaling behavior of network traffic, we develop analytical models and employ them to demonstrate how traffic composition -- aggregation of traffic with different characteristics -- affects the small-time scalings of network traffic. The degree of aggregation and burst correlation structure are two major factors in traffic composition. Our trace-based data analysis confirms this. Furthermore, we discover that traffic composition on a backbone link stays fairly consistent over time and changing utilization, which we believe is the cause for the invariant small-time scalings we observe in the traces.

The Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Sport Scale.

PubMed

Kavussanu, Maria; Boardley, Ian D

2009-02-01

This research aimed to (a) develop a measure of prosocial and antisocial behavior in sport, (b) examine its invariance across sex and sport, and (c) provide evidence for its discriminant and concurrent validity. We conducted two studies. In study 1, team sport athletes (N=1,213) recruited from 103 teams completed questionnaires assessing demographics and prosocial and antisocial behaviors in sport. Factor analyses revealed two factors representing prosocial behavior and two factors representing antisocial behavior. The model had a very good fit to the data and showed configural, metric, and scalar invariance across sex and sport. The final scale consisted of 20 items. In Study 2, team-sport athletes (N=106) completed the scale and measures of empathy and goal orientation. Analyses provided support for the discriminant and concurrent validity of the scale. In conclusion, the new scale can be used to measure prosocial and antisocial behaviors in team sport.

The Child Play Behavior and Activity Questionnaire: A Parent-Report Measure of Childhood Gender-Related Behavior in China

PubMed Central

Winter, Sam; Xie, Dong

2008-01-01

Boys and girls establish relatively stable gender stereotyped behavior patterns by middle childhood. Parent-report questionnaires measuring children’s gender-related behavior enable researchers to conduct large-scale screenings of community samples of children. For school-aged children, two parent-report instruments, the Child Game Participation Questionnaire (CGPQ) and the Child Behavior and Attitude Questionnaire (CBAQ), have long been used for measuring children’s sex-dimorphic behaviors in Western societies, but few studies have been conducted using these measures for Chinese populations. The current study aimed to empirically examine and modify the two instruments for their applications to Chinese society. Parents of 486 Chinese boys and 417 Chinese girls (6–12 years old) completed a questionnaire comprising items from the CGPQ and CBAQ, and an additional 14 items specifically related to Chinese gender-specific games. Items revealing gender differences in a Chinese sample were identified and used to construct a Child Play Behavior and Activity Questionnaire (CPBAQ). Four new scales were generated through factor analysis: a Gender Scale, a Girl Typicality Scale, a Boy Typicality Scale, and a Cross-Gender Scale (CGS). These scales had satisfactory internal reliabilities and large effect sizes for gender. The CPBAQ is believed to be a promising instrument for measuring children’s gender-related behavior in China. PMID:18719986

Scaling Climate Change Communication for Behavior Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, V. C.; Lappé, M.; Flora, J. A.; Ardoin, N. M.; Robinson, T. N.

2014-12-01

Ultimately, effective climate change communication results in a change in behavior, whether the change is individual, household or collective actions within communities. We describe two efforts to promote climate-friendly behavior via climate communication and behavior change theory. Importantly these efforts are designed to scale climate communication principles focused on behavior change rather than soley emphasizing climate knowledge or attitudes. Both cases are embedded in rigorous evaluations (randomized controlled trial and quasi-experimental) of primary and secondary outcomes as well as supplementary analyses that have implications for program refinement and program scaling. In the first case, the Girl Scouts "Girls Learning Environment and Energy" (GLEE) trial is scaling the program via a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for Troop Leaders to teach the effective home electricity and food and transportation energy reduction programs. The second case, the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) Assembly Program, is advancing the already-scaled assembly program by using communication principles to further engage youth and their families and communities (school and local communities) in individual and collective actions. Scaling of each program uses online learning platforms, social media and "behavior practice" videos, mastery practice exercises, virtual feedback and virtual social engagement to advance climate-friendly behavior change. All of these communication practices aim to simulate and advance in-person train-the-trainers technologies.As part of this presentation we outline scaling principles derived from these two climate change communication and behavior change programs.

Predicting risk behaviors: development and validation of a diagnostic scale.

PubMed

Witte, K; Cameron, K A; McKeon, J K; Berkowitz, J M

1996-01-01

The goal of this study was to develop and validate the Risk Behavior Diagnosis (RBD) Scale for use by health care providers and practitioners interested in promoting healthy behaviors. Theoretically guided by the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM; a fear appeal theory), the RBD scale was designed to work in conjunction with an easy-to-use formula to determine which types of health risk messages would be most appropriate for a given individual or audience. Because some health risk messages promote behavior change and others backfire, this type of scale offers guidance to practitioners on how to develop the best persuasive message possible to motivate healthy behaviors. The results of the study demonstrate the RBD scale to have a high degree of content, construct, and predictive validity. Specific examples and practical suggestions are offered to facilitate use of the scale for health practitioners.

Scaling behavior of online human activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zhi-Dan; Cai, Shi-Min; Huang, Junming; Fu, Yan; Zhou, Tao

2012-11-01

The rapid development of the Internet technology enables humans to explore the web and record the traces of online activities. From the analysis of these large-scale data sets (i.e., traces), we can get insights about the dynamic behavior of human activity. In this letter, the scaling behavior and complexity of human activity in the e-commerce, such as music, books, and movies rating, are comprehensively investigated by using the detrended fluctuation analysis technique and the multiscale entropy method. Firstly, the interevent time series of rating behaviors of these three types of media show similar scaling properties with exponents ranging from 0.53 to 0.58, which implies that the collective behaviors of rating media follow a process embodying self-similarity and long-range correlation. Meanwhile, by dividing the users into three groups based on their activities (i.e., rating per unit time), we find that the scaling exponents of the interevent time series in the three groups are different. Hence, these results suggest that a stronger long-range correlations exist in these collective behaviors. Furthermore, their information complexities vary in the three groups. To explain the differences of the collective behaviors restricted to the three groups, we study the dynamic behavior of human activity at the individual level, and find that the dynamic behaviors of a few users have extremely small scaling exponents associated with long-range anticorrelations. By comparing the interevent time distributions of four representative users, we can find that the bimodal distributions may bring forth the extraordinary scaling behaviors. These results of the analysis of the online human activity in the e-commerce may not only provide insight into its dynamic behaviors but may also be applied to acquire potential economic interest.

Reliability and Validity of "Parents' Evaluation of Responsible Behaviors of 5-6 Year Old Children" Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polat, Ozgul; Dagal, Asude B.

2013-01-01

This study is aimed at developing a scale (Parents' Evaluation of Responsible Behaviors of 5-6 Year Old Children) for measuring parents' evaluation of their 5-6 year-old children's responsible behaviors. The construct validity of the scale was tested by Factor Analysis. Factor analysis determined that the scale can be clustered under 10 factors.…

Development of Survey Scales for Measuring Exposure and Behavioral Responses to Disruptive Intraoperative Behavior.

PubMed

Villafranca, Alexander; Hamlin, Colin; Rodebaugh, Thomas L; Robinson, Sandra; Jacobsohn, Eric

2017-09-10

Disruptive intraoperative behavior has detrimental effects to clinicians, institutions, and patients. How clinicians respond to this behavior can either exacerbate or attenuate its effects. Previous investigations of disruptive behavior have used survey scales with significant limitations. The study objective was to develop appropriate scales to measure exposure and responses to disruptive behavior. We obtained ethics approval. The scales were developed in a sequence of steps. They were pretested using expert reviews, computational linguistic analysis, and cognitive interviews. The scales were then piloted on Canadian operating room clinicians. Factor analysis was applied to half of the data set for question reduction and grouping. Item response analysis and theoretical reviews ensured that important questions were not eliminated. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach α. Model fit was examined on the second half of the data set using confirmatory factor analysis. Content validity of the final scales was re-evaluated. Consistency between observed relationships and theoretical predictions was assessed. Temporal stability was evaluated on a subsample of 38 respondents. A total of 1433 and 746 clinicians completed the exposure and response scales, respectively. Content validity indices were excellent (exposure = 0.96, responses = 1.0). Internal consistency was good (exposure = 0.93, responses = 0.87). Correlations between the exposure scale and secondary measures were consistent with expectations based on theory. Temporal stability was acceptable (exposure = 0.77, responses = 0.73). We have developed scales measuring exposure and responses to disruptive behavior. They generate valid and reliable scores when surveying operating room clinicians, and they overcome the limitations of previous tools. These survey scales are freely available.

Development and Validation of Children's Responsible Environmental Behavior Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdogan, Mehmet; Ok, Ahmet; Marcinkowski, Thomas Joseph

2012-01-01

Though environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) has been a focus of many studies in the field of environmental education, very few scales have been developed to assess children's ERB. In this regard, this article focuses on the development and validation of Children's Responsible Environmental Behavior Scale (CREBS) and also reports the…

Examination of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory Discrepancy Hypothesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Ashley M.; Brestan, Elizabeth V.; Eyberg, Sheila M.

2008-01-01

This study examined the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) "discrepancy hypothesis", which asserts that a discrepancy in score elevations on the ECBI Intensity and Problem Scales is related to problematic parenting styles. The Intensity Scale measures the frequency of child disruptive behavior, and the Problem Scale measures parent…

Impact of Self-concept on Preschoolers’ Dental Anxiety and Behavior

PubMed Central

Erfanparast, Leila; Vafaei, Ali; Sohrabi, Azin; Ranjkesh, Bahram; Bahadori, Zahra; Pourkazemi, Maryam; Dadashi, Shabnam; Shirazi, Sajjad

2015-01-01

Background and aims. Different factors affect children’s behavior during dental treatment, including psychological and behavioral characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation of self-concept on child’s anxiety and behavior during dental treatment in 4 to 6-year-old children. Materials and methods. A total of 235 preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years were included in this descriptive analytic study. Total self-concept score for each child was assessed according to Primary Self-concept Scale before dental treatment. Child’s anxiety and child’s behavior were assessed, during the restoration of mandibular primary molar, using clinical anxiety rating scale and Frankl Scale, respectively. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between the total self-concept score with the results of clinical anxiety rating scale and Frankl Scale. Results. There was a moderate inverse correlation between the self-concept and clinical anxiety rating scale scores (r = -0.545, P < 0.001), and a moderate correlation between the self-concept and child’s behavior scores (r = 0.491, P < 0.001). A strong inverse relation was also found between the anxiety and behavior scores (r = -0.91, P < 0.001). Conclusion. Children with higher self-concept had lower anxiety level and better behavioral feedback during dental treatment. PMID:26697152

Fine Scale Baleen Whale Behavior Observed Via Tagging Over Daily Time Scales

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

1 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Fine Scale Baleen Whale Behavior Observed Via Tagging...followed over time scales of days from an oceanographic vessel so that environmental sampling can be conducted in proximity to the tagged whale ...characterize the relationship between diel variability in the foraging behavior of baleen whales (North Atlantic right whales and sei whales ) and the

A novel artificial fish swarm algorithm for solving large-scale reliability-redundancy application problem.

PubMed

He, Qiang; Hu, Xiangtao; Ren, Hong; Zhang, Hongqi

2015-11-01

A novel artificial fish swarm algorithm (NAFSA) is proposed for solving large-scale reliability-redundancy allocation problem (RAP). In NAFSA, the social behaviors of fish swarm are classified in three ways: foraging behavior, reproductive behavior, and random behavior. The foraging behavior designs two position-updating strategies. And, the selection and crossover operators are applied to define the reproductive ability of an artificial fish. For the random behavior, which is essentially a mutation strategy, the basic cloud generator is used as the mutation operator. Finally, numerical results of four benchmark problems and a large-scale RAP are reported and compared. NAFSA shows good performance in terms of computational accuracy and computational efficiency for large scale RAP. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reliability and Validity of the Vietnamese Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales with Preschool-Age Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldberg, Michael R.; Dill, Charles A.; Shin, Jin Y.; Nhan, Nguyen Viet

2009-01-01

This study was conducted to examine an adaptation of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS) [Sparrow, S. S., Balla, D. A., & Cicchetti, D. V. (1984). "The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales." Circle Pines, MN: America Guidance Service; Sparrow, S. S., Balla, D. A., & Cicchetti, D. V. (2005). "Vineland Adaptive Behavior…

The Learning Behaviors Scale: National Standardization in Trinidad and Tobago

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chao, Jessica L.; McDermott, Paul A.; Watkins, Marley W.; Drogalis, Anna Rhoad; Worrell, Frank C.; Hall, Tracey E.

2018-01-01

This study reports on the national standardization and validation of the Learning Behaviors Scale (LBS) for use in Trinidad and Tobago. The LBS is a teacher rating scale centering on observable behaviors relevant to identifying childhood approaches to classroom learning. Teachers observed a stratified sample of 900 students across the islands'…

Factor Structure of the Behavior Flexibility Rating Scale (BFRS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pituch, Keenan A.; Green, Vanessa A.; Sigafoos, Jeff; Itchon, Jonathan; O'Reilly, Mark; Lancioni, Giulio E.; Didden, Robert

2007-01-01

The Behavior Flexibility Rating Scale (BFRS) is designed to assess insistence on sameness or lack of behavioral flexibility, which is often associated with autism and other developmental disabilities. This study was designed to assess the factor structure of this scale for a sample of 968 individuals with autism, Asperger's syndrome, and Down…

Children's Assertive Behavior: The Reliability and Validity of Three Self-Report Measures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scanlon, Elizabeth M.; Ollendick, Thomas H.

1985-01-01

The internal consistency and validity of three new scales for measuring assertiveness in children were tested. Two of the scales were able to "unbind" aggressive from assertive behavior, while the third was able to "unbind" submissive from assertive behavior. At present, a combination of the three scales is recommended. (KH)

Factor Analysis of the Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale for Children in Head Start Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cress, Cynthia; Lambert, Matthew C.; Epstein, Michael H.

2016-01-01

Strength-based assessment of behaviors in preschool children provides evidence of emotional and behavioral skills in children, rather than focusing primarily on weaknesses identified by deficit-based assessments. The Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scales (PreBERS) is a normative assessment of emotional and behavioral strengths in…

Local constitutive behavior of paper determined by an inverse method

Treesearch

John M. Considine; C. Tim Scott; Roland Gleisner; Junyong Zhu

2006-01-01

The macroscopic behavior of paper is governed by small-scale behavior. Intuitively, we know that a small-scale defect with a paper sheet effectively determines the global behavior of the sheet. In this work, we describe a method to evaluate the local constitutive behavior of paper by using an inverse method.

A scale for measuring hygiene behavior: development, reliability and validity.

PubMed

Stevenson, Richard J; Case, Trevor I; Hodgson, Deborah; Porzig-Drummond, Renata; Barouei, Javad; Oaten, Megan J

2009-09-01

There is currently no general self-report measure for assessing hygiene behavior. This article details the development and testing of such a measure. In studies 1 to 4, a total of 855 participants were used for scale and subscale development and for reliability and validity testing. The latter involved establishing the relationships between self-reported hygiene behavior and existing measures, hand hygiene behavior, illness rates, and a physiological marker of immune function. In study 5, a total of 507 participants were used to assess the psychometric properties of the final revised version of the scale. The final 23-item scale comprised 5 subscales: general, household, food-related, handwashing technique, and personal hygiene. Studies 1 to 4 confirmed the scale's reliability and validity, and study 5 confirmed the scale's 5-factor structure. The scale is potentially suitable for multiple uses, in various settings, and for experimental and correlational approaches.

Prospective evaluation of behavioral scales in the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia.

PubMed

Boutoleau-Bretonnière, Claire; Lebouvier, Thibaud; Volteau, Christelle; Jaulin, Philippe; Lacomblez, Lucette; Damier, Philippe; Thomas-Anterion, Catherine; Vercelletto, Martine

2012-01-01

The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and the Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI) are widely used in patients with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Yet, few data are available on the long-term relevance of these scales. Based on a bvFTD population that participated in the Memantine Clinical Trial (NCT00200538), we studied the evolution and correlation between scores obtained on behavioral scales (NPI and FBI), cognitive scales [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (MDRS)] and a burden scale [Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI)]. The assessments were performed at 1 year in 41 patients and at 2 years in 23 patients who agreed to participate in this open-label study. The 2-year scores obtained on the FBI were significantly higher than the scores at inclusion while those obtained on the NPI did not change. There were significant correlations between the FBI, and the MDRS and MMSE, especially regarding the negative items. The ZBI correlated with behavioral scales at all stages for positive items. This study based on a large population shows that the FBI is a better tool than the NPI for the long-term assessment of bvFTD patients. Moreover, the FBI allows a distinction to be made between behavioral disturbances that involve cognitive functions from those which have an important impact on caregiver burden. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A model of return intervals between earthquake events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yu; Chechkin, Aleksei; Sokolov, Igor M.; Kantz, Holger

2016-06-01

Application of the diffusion entropy analysis and the standard deviation analysis to the time sequence of the southern California earthquake events from 1976 to 2002 uncovered scaling behavior typical for anomalous diffusion. However, the origin of such behavior is still under debate. Some studies attribute the scaling behavior to the correlations in the return intervals, or waiting times, between aftershocks or mainshocks. To elucidate a nature of the scaling, we applied specific reshulffling techniques to eliminate correlations between different types of events and then examined how it affects the scaling behavior. We demonstrate that the origin of the scaling behavior observed is the interplay between mainshock waiting time distribution and the structure of clusters of aftershocks, but not correlations in waiting times between the mainshocks and aftershocks themselves. Our findings are corroborated by numerical simulations of a simple model showing a very similar behavior. The mainshocks are modeled by a renewal process with a power-law waiting time distribution between events, and aftershocks follow a nonhomogeneous Poisson process with the rate governed by Omori's law.

Family and peer support matter for precoital and coital behaviors among adolescents in Lima

PubMed Central

Bayer, Angela M.; Cabrera, Lilia Z.; Gilman, Robert H.; Hindin, Michelle J.; Tsui, Amy O.

2015-01-01

We analyzed the association between sub-scales developed with adolescents and the outcomes of precoital behaviors and vaginal sex in Lima, Peru. Adolescent participants in key informant sessions operationalized concepts identified during qualitative concept mapping into several sub-scales. Face and content validity testing and pilot application with respondent debriefing were used to refine the sub-scales. Three hundred 15–17 year olds were surveyed about the sub-scales, socio-demographics and sexual behaviors. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed six sub-scales, self-image, goals and decision-making, family education, parental rules/control, school support and peer support, which we regressed on the outcomes. Twice as many males as females reported more than three precoital behaviors and vaginal sex. Higher peer support reduced the likelihood of vaginal sex and precoital behaviors and higher family education reduced precoital behaviors. Results affirm the importance of including adolescents in the entire research process and of sex education with family- and peer-based strategies. PMID:25305443

Localized Scale Coupling and New Educational Paradigms in Multiscale Mathematics and Science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ingber, Marc; Vorobieff, Peter

2014-03-14

We have experimentally demonstrated how microscale phenomena affect suspended particle behavior on the mesoscale, and how particle group behavior on the mesoscale influences the macroscale suspension behavior. Semi-analytical and numerical methods to treat flows on different scales have been developed, and a framework to combine these scale-dependent treatment has been described.

Scaling analysis of the non-Abelian quasiparticle tunneling in Z}}_k FQH states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qi; Jiang, Na; Wan, Xin; Hu, Zi-Xiang

2018-06-01

Quasiparticle tunneling between two counter propagating edges through point contacts could provide information on its statistics. Previous study of the short distance tunneling displays a scaling behavior, especially in the conformal limit with zero tunneling distance. The scaling exponents for the non-Abelian quasiparticle tunneling exhibit some non-trivial behaviors. In this work, we revisit the quasiparticle tunneling amplitudes and their scaling behavior in a full range of the tunneling distance by putting the electrons on the surface of a cylinder. The edge–edge distance can be smoothly tuned by varying the aspect ratio for a finite size cylinder. We analyze the scaling behavior of the quasiparticles for the Read–Rezayi states for and 4 both in the short and long tunneling distance region. The finite size scaling analysis automatically gives us a critical length scale where the anomalous correction appears. We demonstrate this length scale is related to the size of the quasiparticle at which the backscattering between two counter propagating edges starts to be significant.

Characterizing multi-scale self-similar behavior and non-statistical properties of fluctuations in financial time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Sayantan; Manimaran, P.; Panigrahi, Prasanta K.

2011-11-01

We make use of wavelet transform to study the multi-scale, self-similar behavior and deviations thereof, in the stock prices of large companies, belonging to different economic sectors. The stock market returns exhibit multi-fractal characteristics, with some of the companies showing deviations at small and large scales. The fact that, the wavelets belonging to the Daubechies’ (Db) basis enables one to isolate local polynomial trends of different degrees, plays the key role in isolating fluctuations at different scales. One of the primary motivations of this work is to study the emergence of the k-3 behavior [X. Gabaix, P. Gopikrishnan, V. Plerou, H. Stanley, A theory of power law distributions in financial market fluctuations, Nature 423 (2003) 267-270] of the fluctuations starting with high frequency fluctuations. We make use of Db4 and Db6 basis sets to respectively isolate local linear and quadratic trends at different scales in order to study the statistical characteristics of these financial time series. The fluctuations reveal fat tail non-Gaussian behavior, unstable periodic modulations, at finer scales, from which the characteristic k-3 power law behavior emerges at sufficiently large scales. We further identify stable periodic behavior through the continuous Morlet wavelet.

Research and development of methods and tools for achieving and maintaining consensus processes in the face of change within and among government oversite agencies: First annual performance report: Research status, October 1988--September 1989

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kurstedt, H.A. Jr.

1989-01-01

In contrast to the autonomy of authoritarian rule implemented through edict and backed by force, the key defining feature of the organizations responsible for making American government work today is ''polyonomy'' a term we've invented to signify that responsibility and power are lodged not with any one agency but are apportioned among many agencies and subagencies. Polyonomy requires consensus backed by negotiation and persuasion. Government Oversight Agencies (GOA's) -- those bodies at all levels of government (federal, state, and local) charged with implementing laws made by the Congress and by state legislatures -- face the monumental but essential task ofmore » coordinating their overlapping roles and responsibilities. And that's not all. They must learn to cooperate within an environment which engenders and rewards adversariality, and they must further learn to maintain the ability to cooperate over long periods of time, to coordinate necessary adaptation to inevitable change. The need is urgent for longitudinal, real-world research on mechanisms to create and maintain processes for helping GOA's achieve quality consensus decisions. We hypothesize that consensus evolves and recycles through four phases -- Planning, Building/Maintaining, Implementing, and Post-Implementation -- within an external environment determined by four elements -- Compulsions (Drivers), Information Gathering, Communications, and Reward Systems. 5 figs.« less

Applying an Ensemble Classification Tree Approach to the Prediction of Completion of a 12-Step Facilitation Intervention with Stimulant Abusers

PubMed Central

Doyle, Suzanne R.; Donovan, Dennis M.

2014-01-01

Aims The purpose of this study was to explore the selection of predictor variables in the evaluation of drug treatment completion using an ensemble approach with classification trees. The basic methodology is reviewed and the subagging procedure of random subsampling is applied. Methods Among 234 individuals with stimulant use disorders randomized to a 12-Step facilitative intervention shown to increase stimulant use abstinence, 67.52% were classified as treatment completers. A total of 122 baseline variables were used to identify factors associated with completion. Findings The number of types of self-help activity involvement prior to treatment was the predominant predictor. Other effective predictors included better coping self-efficacy for substance use in high-risk situations, more days of prior meeting attendance, greater acceptance of the Disease model, higher confidence for not resuming use following discharge, lower ASI Drug and Alcohol composite scores, negative urine screens for cocaine or marijuana, and fewer employment problems. Conclusions The application of an ensemble subsampling regression tree method utilizes the fact that classification trees are unstable but, on average, produce an improved prediction of the completion of drug abuse treatment. The results support the notion there are early indicators of treatment completion that may allow for modification of approaches more tailored to fitting the needs of individuals and potentially provide more successful treatment engagement and improved outcomes. PMID:25134038

Parent Behavior Importance Questionnaire-Revised: Scale Development and Psychometric Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mowder, Barbara A.; Shamah, Renee

2011-01-01

This paper reports the scale development and psychometric characteristics of the Parent Behavior Importance Questionnaire-Revised (PBIQ-R). To develop this measure, 502 subject matter experts (SMEs) evaluated 91 parenting behaviors in terms of parenting behavior specificity (e.g., bonding, discipline), importance level, and appropriateness for…

Expectancy Theory Predictions and Behaviorally Anchored Scales of Motivation: An Empirical Test of Engineers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivancevich, John M.

1976-01-01

A behaviorally specific motivational effort rating scale was developed and tested. The organizational specific scale results were examined and compared to those generated from the Landy and Guion scale. It was found that the organizationally specific and engineer relevant scale is a better predictor of two types of expectancies. (Author)

Validity and Reliability of the "Behavior Problems Inventory," the "Aberrant Behavior Checklist," and the "Repetitive Behavior Scale--Revised" among Infants and Toddlers at Risk for Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities: A Multi-Method Assessment Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojahn, Johannes; Schroeder, Stephen R.; Mayo-Ortega, Liliana; Oyama-Ganiko, Rosao; LeBlanc, Judith; Marquis, Janet; Berke, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

Reliable and valid assessment of aberrant behaviors is essential in empirically verifying prevention and intervention for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Few instruments exist which assess behavior problems in infants. The current longitudinal study examined the performance of three behavior-rating scales for…

Social Desirability and Behavior Rating Scales: An Exploratory Study with the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merydith, Scott P.; Prout, H. Thompson; Blaha, John

2003-01-01

This study investigated the relationship between the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18 (CBCL/4-18) and two modified measures of social desirability, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale and the Edwards Social Desirability Scale with a sample of 65 parents of normal children from grades K-7. Results from correlational and multiple regression…

Alcoholism, Psychopathology and Sensation-Seeking: Differences Between Male Dui First Offenders and Recidivists

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-01-01

scales from the Drug Use Screening Inventory: Behavior Pattern Domain and Psychiatric Disorder Domain. The following scales from the Zuckerman ...1992). Validation of the adolescent Drug Use Screening Inventory: Preliminary findings. -Py hogyof Addictive Behaviors.6(4), 233-36. Tennen, H... Drug Use Screening Inventory - Revised (Behavior and Psychiatry Scales) ..................................... 58 Measures of Sensation-seeking and

A Teacher-Report Measure of Children's Task-Avoidant Behavior: A Validation Study of the Behavioral Strategy Rating Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Xiao; Nurmi, Jari-Erik; Kiuru, Noona; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Aunola, Kaisa

2011-01-01

This study aims to validate a teacher-report measure of children's task-avoidant behavior, namely the Behavioral Strategy Rating Scale (BSRS), in a sample of 352 Finnish children. In each of the four waves from Kindergarten to Grade 2, teachers rated children's task-avoidant behavior using the BSRS, children completed reading and mathematics…

Impact of Test-Taking Behaviors on Full-Scale IQ Scores from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV Spanish Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oakland, Thomas; Harris, Josette G.

2009-01-01

Research on children's counterproductive test behavior supports a three-factor model for behaviors: inattentiveness, avoidance, and uncooperative mood. In this study, test behaviors measured by the Guide to the Assessment of Test Session Behaviors (GATSB) are rated on a sample of 110 Hispanic Spanish-speaking children included in the Wechsler…

Modifying patch-scale connectivity to initiate landscape change: An experimental approach to link scale

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nonlinear interactions and feedbacks across spatial and temporal scales are common features of biological and physical systems. These emergent behaviors often result in surprises that challenge the ability of scientists to understand and predict system behavior at one scale based on information at f...

Use of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and Child Behavior Checklist in Ugandan Children with HIV or a History of Severe Malaria.

PubMed

Familiar, Itziar; Ruisenor-Escudero, Horacio; Giordani, Bruno; Bangirana, Paul; Nakasujja, Noeline; Opoka, Robert; Boivin, Michael

2015-05-01

To assess the structural overlap between the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) among children in Uganda. Caregiver ratings for the BRIEF and CBCL were obtained for 2 independent samples of school-aged children: 106 children (5-12 years old, 50% males) with a history of severe malaria and on 144 HIV-infected children (5-12 years old, 58% males) in Uganda. Exploratory factor analysis was used to evaluate the factor structure of the 8 subscales for the BRIEF and the 8 scales of the CBCL to determine correlation. Overall, children in the severe malaria group had higher (increased symptom) BRIEF and CBCL scores than those in the HIV-infected group. Three factors that provided a reasonable fit to the data and could be characterized as 3 specific domains were identified: (1) Metacognition, which consisted of the scales in the BRIEF Metacognition domain, (2) Behavioral Adjustment, which comprised of the scales in the BRIEF Behavioral Regulation domain and the Externalizing Symptoms scales in the CBCL, and (3) Emotional Adjustment, which mainly consisted of the Internalizing Symptoms scales in the CBCL. The BRIEF Behavior Regulation and CBCL Externalizing Symptoms scales, however, did overlap in terms of assessing similar behavior symptoms. These findings were consistent across the severe malaria and HIV-infected samples of children. The BRIEF and CBCL instruments offer distinct, yet complementary, assessments of behavior in clinical pediatric populations in the Ugandan context, supporting the use of these measures for similar research settings.

Patterns of Adaptive Behavior in Very Young Children with Autism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Wendy L.; Ousley, Opal Y.; Hepburn, Susan L.; Hogan, Kerry L.; Brown, Christia S.

1999-01-01

A study used the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales to investigate patterns of adaptive behavior in 30 children with autism who were under 3 years. Relative to controls, participants demonstrated weaker socialization and communication skills and greater discrepancies between adaptive behavior and mental age. The utility of the scales is discussed.…

Factors Related to Social-Emotional Problem Behavior in Nursing Homes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fergus, Esther O.; And Others

Data on demographics, physical capability and social-emotional behavioral variables for 134 residents between the ages of 50 and 96 were collected in four nursing homes to examine the dimensions related to problem behaviors. Social-emotional behaviors related on six scales of reliabilities ranging from .90 to .74. The scales included depression,…

Optimal Scaling of HIV-Related Sexual Risk Behaviors in Ethnically Diverse Homosexually Active Men.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cochran, Susan D.; And Others

1995-01-01

Used homogeneity analysis and latent class analysis to analyze sexual behavior patterns in two samples of homosexually active men. Results support the existence of a single, nonlinear, latent dimension underlying male homosexual behaviors consistent with HIV-related risk taking, providing an efficient means to scale sexual behavior patterns. (RJM)

An International Assessment of the Emotional and Behavioral Strengths of Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lappalainen, Kristiina; Savolainen, Hannu; Kuorelahti, Matti; Epstein, Michael H.

2009-01-01

The assessment of emotional and behavioral strengths has been identified as an important part of the assessment process for children referred for specialized services. The Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-2 (BERS-2; Epstein, Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale: a strength-based approach to assessment. PRO-Ed, Austin, TX, 2004) was developed…

An exploration of the structure of mentors' behavior in nursing education using exploratory factor analysis and Mokken scale analysis.

PubMed

Chen, Yanhua; Watson, Roger; Hilton, Andrea

2016-05-01

To understand nursing students' expectation from their mentors and assess mentors' performance, a scale of mentors' behavior was developed based on literature review and focus group in China. This study aims to explore the structure of mentors' behavior. A cross-sectional survey. Data were collected from nursing students in three hospitals in southwest China in 2014. A total of 669 pre-registered nursing students in their final year clinical learning participated in this study. Exploratory factor analysis and Mokken scale analysis was employed to explore the structure and hierarchical property of mentors' behavior. Three dimensions (professional development, facilitating learning and psychosocial support) were identified by factor analysis and confirmed by Mokken scaling analysis. The three sub-scales showed internal consistency reliability from 87% to 91%, and moderate to strong precision in ordering students' expectation about mentors' behavior and a small Mokken scale showing hierarchy was identified. Some insight into the structure of mentoring in nursing education has been obtained and a scale which could be used in the study of mentoring and in the preparation of mentors has been developed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF BEHAVIOR DIMENSIONS FOR EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED CHILDREN--A STUDY OF RELEVANT INDICATORS FOR CLASSROOM TECHNIQUES, THERAPIES METHODS, AND PROGNOSIS. INTERIM REPORT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CROMWELL, RUE L.

FOUR INSTRUMENTS WERE DEVELOPED AND STANDARDIZED TO MEASURE EARLY EXPERIENCE, CURRENT BEHAVIOR, TREATMENT APPROACHES, AND PROGNOSIS OF EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED CHILDREN--THE RATING/RANKING SCALE OF CHILD BEHAVIOR (R/R SCALE), THE PARENT PRACTICES INVENTORY (PPI), THE SCALE ON PROCEDURES IN DEALING WITH CHILDREN (PDC), AND THE CHILD HISTORY CODE…

Development of a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale for Leadership

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-01

Research Product 2018-06 Development of a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale for Leadership Tatiana H. Toumbeva Krista L...anchored Rating Scale for Leadership 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W5J9CQ-11-D-0004 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 62278 6...observer- based behavioral measure to help instructors more reliably and accurately evaluate the development of leadership attributes and competencies

Test Review: Michael H. Epstein and Lori Synhorst "Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale" Austin, TX--PRO-ED, 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drevon, Daniel D.

2011-01-01

This article presents a review of the "Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale" (PreBERS), a 42-item family member--or school personnel--completed rating scale designed to measure the behavioral and emotional strengths of preschool children ages 3-0 to 5-11. According to the manual, results can be used to identify preschoolers with limited…

Adaptation of the ABS-S:2 for Use in Spain with Children with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia Alonso, Isabel; De La Fuente Anuncibay, Raquel; Fernandez Hawrylak, Maria

2010-01-01

As there is a dearth of Spanish-language standardized scales that assess adaptive behavior in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID), the authors adapted one of the most widely used and studied scales of adaptive behavior in the U.S., the ABS-S:2 (Adaptive Behavior Scale-School, 2nd Edition), and validated it for use in…

The Influence of Alternative Scale Formats on the Generalizability of Data Obtained from Direct Behavior Rating Single-Item Scales (DBR-SIS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Briesch, Amy M.; Kilgus, Stephen P.; Chafouleas, Sandra M.; Riley-Tillman, T. Chris; Christ, Theodore J.

2013-01-01

The current study served to extend previous research on scaling construction of Direct Behavior Rating (DBR) in order to explore the potential flexibility of DBR to fit various intervention contexts. One hundred ninety-eight undergraduate students viewed the same classroom footage but rated student behavior using one of eight randomly assigned…

Development of the Observation Scale for Aggressive Behavior (OSAB) for Dutch forensic psychiatric inpatients with an antisocial personality disorder.

PubMed

Hornsveld, Ruud H J; Nijman, Henk L I; Hollin, Clive R; Kraaimaat, Floor W

2007-01-01

The Observation Scale for Aggressive Behavior (OSAB) has been developed to evaluate inpatient treatment programs designed to reduce aggressive behavior in Dutch forensic psychiatric patients with an antisocial personality disorder, who are "placed at the disposal of the government". The scale should have the sensitivity to measure changes in the possible determinants of aggressive behavior, such as limited control of displayed negative emotions (irritation, anger or rage) and a general deficiency of social skills. In developing the OSAB 40 items were selected from a pool of 82 and distributed among the following a priori scales: Irritation/anger, Anxiety/gloominess, Aggressive behavior, Antecedent (to aggressive behavior), Sanction (for aggressive behavior) and Social behavior. The internal consistency of these subscales was good, the inter-rater reliability was moderate to good, and the test-retest reliability over a two to three week period was moderate to good. The correlation between the subscales Irritation/anger, Anxiety/gloominess, Aggressive behavior, Antecedent, Sanction was substantial and significant, but the anticipated negative correlation between these subscales and the Social behavior subscale could not be shown. Relationships between the corresponding subscales of the OSAB and the FIOS, used to calculate concurrent validity, yielded relatively high correlations. The validity of the various OSAB subscales could be further supported by significant correlations with the PCL-R and by significant but weak correlations with corresponding subscales of the self-report questionnaires. The Observation Scale for Aggressive Behavior (OSAB) seems to measure aggressive behavior in Dutch forensic psychiatric inpatients with an antisocial personality disorder reliably and validly. Contrary to expectations, a negative relationship was not found between aggressive and social behavior in either the OSAB or FIOS, which were used for calculating concurrent validity.

Identifying Dental Anxiety in Children's Drawings and correlating It with Frankl's Behavior Rating Scale.

PubMed

Mathur, Jyoti; Diwanji, Amish; Sarvaiya, Bhumi; Sharma, Dipal

2017-01-01

To develop a simple method to assess the level of anxiety by using children's drawings and correlating them with Frankl's behavior rating scale. A total of 178 patients aged of 3 to 14 years were handed out two-page forms which contained three sections on coloring and drawing, along with general information, and Frankl's behavior rating scale for the visit. The three types of drawing exercises given to the patients were geometric copy drawings, coloring a nonthreatening figure, and an empty sheet for freehand drawing. Out of 178 patients, 60 showed definitely positive behavior, 73 exhibited positive behavior, 37 showed negative behavior, and 8 were definitely negative on Frankl's behavior rating scale; 133 children had none or, 1 stress marker and 45 exhibited 2 or 3 stress markers in their drawings. Chi-square (χ 2 ) analysis was done with a 2 × 2 contingency table. Observed χ 2 value was 46.166, which at 1 degree of freedom was much greater than that at 0.995 percentile. Therefore, the result was highly significant. Children requiring specialized behavioral techniques can be identified by the presence of stress markers in their drawings. This nonverbal activity by itself can have an overall positive effect on the behavior displayed in the dental clinic. Mathur J, Diwanji A, Sarvaiya B, Sharma D. Identifying Dental Anxiety in Children's Drawings and correlating It with Frankl's Behavior Rating Scale. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(1):24-28.

Work-related measures of physical and behavioral health function: Test-retest reliability.

PubMed

Marino, Molly Elizabeth; Meterko, Mark; Marfeo, Elizabeth E; McDonough, Christine M; Jette, Alan M; Ni, Pengsheng; Bogusz, Kara; Rasch, Elizabeth K; Brandt, Diane E; Chan, Leighton

2015-10-01

The Work Disability Functional Assessment Battery (WD-FAB), developed for potential use by the US Social Security Administration to assess work-related function, currently consists of five multi-item scales assessing physical function and four multi-item scales assessing behavioral health function; the WD-FAB scales are administered as Computerized Adaptive Tests (CATs). The goal of this study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability of the WD-FAB Physical Function and Behavioral Health CATs. We administered the WD-FAB scales twice, 7-10 days apart, to a sample of 376 working age adults and 316 adults with work-disability. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to measure the consistency of the scores between the two administrations. Standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change (MDC90) were also calculated to measure the scales precision and sensitivity. For the Physical Function CAT scales, the ICCs ranged from 0.76 to 0.89 in the working age adult sample, and 0.77-0.86 in the sample of adults with work-disability. ICCs for the Behavioral Health CAT scales ranged from 0.66 to 0.70 in the working age adult sample, and 0.77-0.80 in the adults with work-disability. The SEM ranged from 3.25 to 4.55 for the Physical Function scales and 5.27-6.97 for the Behavioral Health function scales. For all scales in both samples, the MDC90 ranged from 7.58 to 16.27. Both the Physical Function and Behavioral Health CATs of the WD-FAB demonstrated good test-retest reliability in adults with work-disability and general adult samples, a critical requirement for assessing work related functioning in disability applicants and in other contexts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Work-related measures of Physical and Behavioral Health Function: Test-Retest Reliability

PubMed Central

Marino, Molly Elizabeth; Meterko, Mark; Marfeo, Elizabeth E.; McDonough, Christine M.; Jette, Alan M.; Ni, Pengsheng; Bogusz, Kara; Rasch, Elizabeth K.; Brandt, Diane E.; Chan, Leighton

2015-01-01

Background The Work Disability Functional Assessment Battery (WD-FAB), developed for potential use by the US Social Security Administration to assess work-related function, currently consists of five multi-item scales assessing physical function and four multi-item scales assessing behavioral health function; the WD-FAB scales are administered as Computerized Adaptive Tests (CATs). Objective The goal of this study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability of the WD-FAB Physical Function and Behavioral Health CATs. Methods We administered the WD-FAB scales twice, 7–10 days apart, to a sample of 376 working age adults and 316 adults with work-disability. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to measure the consistency of the scores between the two administrations. Standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change (MDC90) were also calculated to measure the scales precision and sensitivity. Results For the Physical Function CAT scales, the ICCs ranged from 0.76–0.89 in the working age adult sample, and 0.77–0.86 in the sample of adults with work-disability. ICCs for the Behavioral Health CAT scales ranged from 0.66–0.70 in the working age adult sample, and 0.77–0.80 in the adults with work-disability. The SEM ranged from 3.25–4.55 for the Physical Function scales and 5.27–6.97 for the Behavioral Health function scales. For all scales in both samples, the MDC90 ranged from 7.58–16.27. Conclusion Both the Physical Function and Behavioral Health CATs of the WD-FAB demonstrated good test-retest reliability in adults with work-disability and general adult samples, a critical requirement for assessing work related functioning in disability applicants and in other contexts. PMID:25991419

[The relationships among self-identity, self-esteem and attitude towards sexual behavior in university students].

PubMed

Kuno, Takako; Tachi, Etsuko; Ogasawara, Akihiko; Shimokata, Hiroshi; Yamaguchi, Yoko

2002-10-01

It has been reported that the young people of today tend to engage in sexual behavior at an early age and the abortion rate is high. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of post-adolescents with regard to sexual behaviors and the relationship to self-identity and self-esteem. The subjects were 234 males (mean +/- SD 20.2 +/- 1.1 years) and 460 females (mean +/- SD 19.5 +/- 1.1 years) 4-year university students aged 18 to 23 years in Aichi Prefecture. An anonymous, self-report questionnaire was used to survey the subjects with regard to self-identity ("Establishment of Self" scale), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), and sexual attitude and behavior. The scores on both scales and subscales of the "Establishment of Self" scale, "Foundation of Identity (Foundation)" and "Establishment of Identity (Establishment)", were calculated and intercompared, along with sexual attitude and behavior, controlled for age and school type. The mean total score of the "Establishment of Self" scale for males was 55.3 (SD9.2) and for females 52.2 (SD9.3), while those for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were 27.2 (SD5.5) and 25.7 (SD5.2), respectively. There was significant positive correlation all scales in both sexes. Both male and female students had positive attitude towards sex and a negative view of "traditional gender roles" particularly females. Of the subjects, 82.4% of males and 69.5% of females were thinking of accepting a request for sexual intercourse from their partners. Many students understood the "need for contraception", that is a component of contraceptive behavior. Most of them, however, didn't acquire the other components. A total of 68.3% of males and 48.2% of females had experienced sexual intercourse during the last year. Of these, 50.6% of males and 58.2% of females consistently used contraception. The score on the "Establishment of Self" scale was higher among both the male and female students who responded positively to having "communication ability," "learning ability," and "acquisition ability." Significant differences were found in total and "Establishment" scales among males, and all scales among females. The score on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was significantly higher with "learning ability" among males, and with "communication ability" and "learning ability" among females. However, no significant relationship was found between actual contraceptive behavior and any of the scales. In dealing with contraception, a gap exists between university students' attitudes and actual behavior. The scores on the "Establishment of Self" scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were found to be significantly higher for those who exhibited higher values for components of contraceptive behavior.

Cultural adaptation of patient and observational outcome measures: a methodological example using the COMFORT behavioral rating scale.

PubMed

Andersen, Randi Dovland; Jylli, Leena; Ambuel, Bruce

2014-06-01

There is little empirical evidence regarding the translation and cultural adaptation of self-report and observational outcome measures. Studies that evaluate and further develop existing practices are needed. This study explores the use of cognitive interviews in the translation and cultural adaptation of observational measures, using the COMFORT behavioral scale as an example, and demonstrates a structured approach to the analysis of data from cognitive interviews. The COMFORT behavioral scale is developed for assessment of distress and pain in a pediatric intensive care setting. Qualitative, descriptive methodological study. One general public hospital trust in southern Norway. N=12. Eight nurses, three physicians and one nurse assistant, from different wards and with experience caring for children. We translated the COMFORT behavior scale into Norwegian before conducting individual cognitive interviews. Participants first read and then used the translated version of the COMFORT behavioral scale to assess pain based on a 3-min film vignette depicting an infant in pain/distress. Two cognitive interview techniques were applied: Thinking Aloud (TA) during the assessment and Verbal Probing (VP) afterwards. In TA the participant verbalized his/her thought process while completing the COMFORT behavioral scale. During VP the participant responded to specific questions related to understanding of the measure, information recall and the decision process. We audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed interviews using a structured qualitative method (cross-case analysis based on predefined categories and development of a results matrix). Our analysis revealed two categories of problems: (1) Scale problems, warranting a change in the wording of the scale, including (a) translation errors, (b) content not understood as intended, and (c) differences between the original COMFORT scale and the revised COMFORT behavioral scale; and (2) Rater-context problems caused by (a) unfamiliarity with the scale, (b) lack of knowledge and experience, and (c) assessments based on a film vignette. Cognitive interviews revealed problems with both the translated and the original versions of the scale and suggested solutions that enhanced the validity of both versions. Cognitive interviews might be seen as a complement to current published best practices for translation and cultural adaptation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scaling analysis of the non-Abelian quasiparticle tunneling in [Formula: see text] FQH states.

PubMed

Li, Qi; Jiang, Na; Wan, Xin; Hu, Zi-Xiang

2018-06-27

Quasiparticle tunneling between two counter propagating edges through point contacts could provide information on its statistics. Previous study of the short distance tunneling displays a scaling behavior, especially in the conformal limit with zero tunneling distance. The scaling exponents for the non-Abelian quasiparticle tunneling exhibit some non-trivial behaviors. In this work, we revisit the quasiparticle tunneling amplitudes and their scaling behavior in a full range of the tunneling distance by putting the electrons on the surface of a cylinder. The edge-edge distance can be smoothly tuned by varying the aspect ratio for a finite size cylinder. We analyze the scaling behavior of the quasiparticles for the Read-Rezayi [Formula: see text] states for [Formula: see text] and 4 both in the short and long tunneling distance region. The finite size scaling analysis automatically gives us a critical length scale where the anomalous correction appears. We demonstrate this length scale is related to the size of the quasiparticle at which the backscattering between two counter propagating edges starts to be significant.

Extreme value statistics and finite-size scaling at the ecological extinction/laminar-turbulence transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shih, Hong-Yan; Goldenfeld, Nigel

Experiments on transitional turbulence in pipe flow seem to show that turbulence is a transient metastable state since the measured mean lifetime of turbulence puffs does not diverge asymptotically at a critical Reynolds number. Yet measurements reveal that the lifetime scales with Reynolds number in a super-exponential way reminiscent of extreme value statistics, and simulations and experiments in Couette and channel flow exhibit directed percolation type scaling phenomena near a well-defined transition. This universality class arises from the interplay between small-scale turbulence and a large-scale collective zonal flow, which exhibit predator-prey behavior. Why is asymptotically divergent behavior not observed? Using directed percolation and a stochastic individual level model of predator-prey dynamics related to transitional turbulence, we investigate the relation between extreme value statistics and power law critical behavior, and show that the paradox is resolved by carefully defining what is measured in the experiments. We theoretically derive the super-exponential scaling law, and using finite-size scaling, show how the same data can give both super-exponential behavior and power-law critical scaling.

Crossover from antipersistent to persistent behavior in time series possessing the generalyzed dynamic scaling law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balankin, Alexander S.; Morales Matamoros, Oswaldo; Gálvez M., Ernesto; Pérez A., Alfonso

2004-03-01

The behavior of crude oil price volatility is analyzed within a conceptual framework of kinetic roughening of growing interfaces. We find that the persistent long-horizon volatilities satisfy the Family-Viscek dynamic scaling ansatz, whereas the mean-reverting in time short horizon volatilities obey the generalized scaling law with continuously varying scaling exponents. Furthermore we find that the crossover from antipersistent to persistent behavior is accompanied by a change in the type of volatility distribution. These phenomena are attributed to the complex avalanche dynamics of crude oil markets and so a similar behavior may be observed in a wide variety of physical systems governed by avalanche dynamics.

COMPULSIVE BUYING TENDENCIES.

PubMed

Spinella, Marcello; Lester, David; Yang, Bijou

2015-12-01

Compulsive buying behavior is typically viewed as pathological, but recent research has shown that compulsive buying tendencies are associated with attitudes toward money, personal financial behavior, and having materialistic values, suggesting that compulsive buyers are manifesting an extreme form of habits shown by people in general. In a study of 240 community residents, scores on the Compulsive Buying Scale were associated positively with scores on the Material Values Scale and the Canadian Problem Gambling Index, and negatively with scores on the Executive Personal Finance Scale and Ardelt's wisdom scale. These results suggest that, as is the case for many abnormal behaviors, tendencies toward compulsive buying may not be pathological, but are associated with attitudes toward money in general, financial management behavior, and materialistic values.

Effectiveness of symptom validity measures in identifying cognitive and behavioral symptom exaggeration in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Marshall, Paul; Schroeder, Ryan; O'Brien, Jeffrey; Fischer, Rebecca; Ries, Adam; Blesi, Brita; Barker, Jessica

2010-10-01

This study examines the effectiveness of symptom validity measures to detect suspect effort in cognitive testing and invalid completion of ADHD behavior rating scales in 268 adults referred for ADHD assessment. Patients were diagnosed with ADHD based on cognitive testing, behavior rating scales, and clinical interview. Suspect effort was diagnosed by at least two of the following: failure on embedded and free-standing SVT measures, a score > 2 SD below the ADD population average on tests, failure on an ADHD behavior rating scale validity scale, or a major discrepancy between reported and observed ADHD behaviors. A total of 22% of patients engaged in symptom exaggeration. The Word Memory test immediate recall and consistency score (both 64%), TOVA omission errors (63%) and reaction time variability (54%), CAT-A infrequency scale (58%), and b Test (47%) had good sensitivity as well as at least 90% specificity. Clearly, such measures should be used to help avoid making false positive diagnoses of ADHD.

Cultural and Ethnic Bias in Teacher Ratings of Behavior: A Criterion-Focused Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, Benjamin A.; Gunersel, Adalet Baris; Ney, Emilie A.

2014-01-01

Behavior rating scales are indirect measures of emotional and social functioning used for assessment purposes. Rater bias is systematic error that may compromise the validity of behavior rating scale scores. Teacher bias in ratings of behavior has been investigated in multiple studies, but not yet assessed in a research synthesis that focuses on…

Real-time assessment of perioperative behaviors in children and parents: development and validation of the perioperative adult child behavioral interaction scale.

PubMed

Sadhasivam, Senthilkumar; Cohen, Lindsey L; Hosu, Liana; Gorman, Kristin L; Wang, Yu; Nick, Todd G; Jou, Jing Fang; Samol, Nancy; Szabova, Alexandra; Hagerman, Nancy; Hein, Elizabeth; Boat, Anne; Varughese, Anna; Kurth, Charles Dean; Willging, J Paul; Gunter, Joel B

2010-04-01

Behavior in response to distressful events during outpatient pediatric surgery can contribute to postoperative maladaptive behaviors, such as temper tantrums, nightmares, bed-wetting, and attention seeking. Currently available perioperative behavioral assessment tools have limited utility in guiding interventions to ameliorate maladaptive behaviors because they cannot be used in real time, are only intended to be used during 1 phase of the experience (e.g., perioperative), or provide only a static assessment of the child (e.g., level of anxiety). A simple, reliable, real-time tool is needed to appropriately identify children and parents whose behaviors in response to distressful events at any point in the perioperative continuum could benefit from timely behavioral intervention. Our specific aims were to (1) refine the Perioperative Adult Child Behavioral Interaction Scale (PACBIS) to improve its reliability in identifying perioperative behaviors and (2) validate the refined PACBIS against several established instruments. The PACBIS was used to assess the perioperative behaviors of 89 children aged 3 to 12 years presenting for adenotonsillectomy and their parents. Assessments using the PACBIS were made during perioperative events likely to prove distressing to children and/or parents (perioperative measurement of blood pressure, induction of anesthesia, and removal of the IV catheter before discharge). Static measurements of perioperative anxiety and behavioral compliance during anesthetic induction were made using the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale and the Induction Compliance Checklist (ICC). Each event was videotaped for later scoring using the Child-Adult Medical Procedure Interaction Scale-Short Form (CAMPIS-SF) and Observational Scale of Behavioral Distress (OSBD). Interrater reliability using linear weighted kappa (kappa(w)) and multiple validations using Spearman correlation coefficients were analyzed. The PACBIS demonstrated good to excellent interrater reliability, with kappa(w) ranging from 0.62 to 0.94. The Child Coping and Child Distress subscores of the PACBIS demonstrated strong concurrent correlations with the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale, ICC, CAMPIS-SF, and OSBD. The Parent Positive subscore of the PACBIS correlated strongly with the CAMPIS-SF and OSBD, whereas the Parent Negative subscore showed significant correlation with the ICC. The PACBIS has strong construct and predictive validities. The PACBIS is a simple, easy to use, real-time instrument to evaluate perioperative behaviors of both children and parents. It has good to excellent interrater reliability and strong concurrent validity against currently accepted scales. The PACBIS offers a means to identify maladaptive child or parental behaviors in real time, making it possible to intervene to modify such behaviors in a timely fashion.

Validity and reliability of the Behavior Problems Inventory, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, and the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised among infants and toddlers at risk for intellectual or developmental disabilities: a multi-method assessment approach.

PubMed

Rojahn, Johannes; Schroeder, Stephen R; Mayo-Ortega, Liliana; Oyama-Ganiko, Rosao; LeBlanc, Judith; Marquis, Janet; Berke, Elizabeth

2013-05-01

Reliable and valid assessment of aberrant behaviors is essential in empirically verifying prevention and intervention for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Few instruments exist which assess behavior problems in infants. The current longitudinal study examined the performance of three behavior-rating scales for individuals with IDD that have been proven psychometrically sound in older populations: the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), the Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI-01), and the Repetitive Behavior Scale - Revised (RBS-R). Data were analyzed for 180 between six and 36 months old children at risk for IDD. Internal consistency (Cronbach's α) across the subscales of the three instruments was variable. Test-retest reliability of the three BPI-01 subscales ranged from .68 to .77 for frequency ratings and from .65 to .80 for severity ratings (intraclass correlation coefficients). Using a multitrait-multimethod matrix approach high levels of convergent and discriminant validity across the three instruments was found. As anticipated, there was considerable overlap in the information produced by the three instruments; however, each behavior-rating instrument also contributed unique information. Our findings support using all three scales in conjunction if possible. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adventure Behavior Seeking Scale

PubMed Central

Próchniak, Piotr

2017-01-01

This article presents a new tool—the Adventure Behavior Seeking Scale (ABSS). The Adventure Behavior Seeking Scale was developed to assess individuals’ highly stimulating behaviors in natural environments. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted with 466 participants and resulted in one factor. The internal consistency was 0.80. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed using another sample of 406 participants, and results verified the one-factor structure. The findings indicate that people with a lot of experience in outdoor adventure have a higher score on the ABSS scale than control groups without such experience. The results also suggest that the 8-item ABSS scores were highly related to sensation seeking. The author discusses findings in regard to the ABSS as an instrument to measure outdoor adventure. However, further studies need to be carried out in other sample groups to further validate the scale. PMID:28555018

Use of the BRIEF and CBCL in Ugandan Children with HIV or a History of Severe Malaria

PubMed Central

Itziar, Familiar; Horacio, Ruisenor-Escudero; Bruno, Giordani; Paul, Bangirana; Noeline, Nakasujja; Robert, Opoka; Michael, Boivin

2015-01-01

Objective To assess the structural overlap between the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and Achenbach Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) among children in Uganda. Methods Caregiver ratings for the BRIEF and CBCL were obtained for two independent samples of school-aged children: 106 children (5-12 years old, 50% males) with a history of severe malaria, and on 144 HIV-infected children (5-12 years old, 58% males) in Uganda. Exploratory factor analysis was used to evaluate the factor structure of the 8 sub-scales for the BRIEF and the 8 scales of the CBCL to determine correlation. Results Overall, children in the severe malaria group had higher (increased symptom) BRIEF and CBCL scores than children in the HIV-infected group. We identified 3 factors that provided a reasonable fit to the data and could be characterized as 3 specific domains: 1) Metacognition, which consisted of the scales in the BRIEF Metacognition domain; 2) Behavioral Adjustment, which was comprised of the scales in the BRIEF Behavioral Regulation domain and the Externalizing Symptoms scales in the CBCL; and 3) Emotional Adjustment, which mainly consisted of the Internalizing Symptoms scales in the CBCL. The BRIEF Behavior Regulation and CBCL Externalizing Symptoms scales, however, did overlap in terms of assessing similar behavior symptoms. These findings were consistent across the severe malaria and HIV-infected samples of children. Conclusion The BRIEF and CBCL instruments offer distinct, yet complementary, assessments of behavior in clinical pediatric populations in the Ugandan context, supporting the use of these measures for similar research settings. PMID:25738440

Psychometric properties of the Children's Scale of Hostility and Aggression: Reactive/Proactive (C-SHARP).

PubMed

Farmer, Cristan A; Aman, Michael G

2010-01-01

Although often lacking "malice", aggression is fairly common in children with intellectual or developmental disability (I/DD). Despite this, there are no scales available that are appropriate for an in-depth analysis of aggressive behavior in this population. Such scales are needed for the study of aggressive behavior, which is a common target symptom in clinical trials. We assessed the reliability and validity of the Children's Scale of Hostility and Aggression: Reactive/Proactive (C-SHARP), a new aggression scale created for children with I/DD. Data are presented from a survey of 365 children with I/DD aged 3-21 years. Interrater reliability was very high for the Problem Scale, which characterizes type of aggression. Reliability was lower but largely acceptable for the Provocation Scale, which assesses motivation. Validity of the Problem Scale was supported by expected differences in children with autism, Down syndrome, comorbid disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) and ADHD. The Provocation Scale, which categorizes behavior as proactive or reactive, showed expected differences in children with DBD, but was less effective in those with ADHD. The C-SHARP appears to have fundamentally sound psychometric characteristics, although more research is needed.

A model of Beijing drivers' scrambling behaviors.

PubMed

Shi, Jing; Bai, Yun; Tao, Li; Atchley, Paul

2011-07-01

A major, but unstudied, cause of crashes in China is drivers that "scramble" to gain the right of way in violation of traffic regulations. The motivation of this study is to explore the features of drivers' scrambling behaviors and the attitudes and driving skills that influence them. In this study, we established a scrambling behavior scale, and developed a driving attitude scale and a driving skill scale using factor analysis of an Internet survey of 486 drivers in Beijing. A structural equation model of scrambling behavior toward cars and pedestrians/cyclists was developed with attitudes and skills as predictors of behavior. Skills and attitudes of approval toward violations of traffic rules did not predict scrambling behaviors, while the motivation for safety and attitudes against violating traffic rules led to reduced scrambling behaviors. The current work highlights this peculiar aspect of Chinese roads and suggests methods to reduce the behavior. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparison of repetitive behaviors in Aspergers Disorder and high functioning autism.

PubMed

Cuccaro, Michael L; Nations, Laura; Brinkley, Jason; Abramson, Ruth K; Wright, Harry H; Hall, Alicia; Gilbert, John; Pericak-Vance, Margaret A

2007-04-01

In this study we compared 33 IQ and age matched pairs of individuals with Aspergers Disorder (ASP) and high functioning autism (HFA) on measures of repetitive behavior. On the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R), the ASP and HFA groups showed no differences in RBS-R Intensity score (severity) score or Frequency score (number of problems present). This suggests that the two groups are similar with respect to the intensity or severity of repetitive behaviors and the presence of repetitive behaviors. At the item level there were no differences on scales typically associated with autism (Stereotyped Behavior) and ASP (Restricted Interests). Similarly, there were no differences between the groups on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist Stereotypy scale. These findings add to the body of literature showing that HFA and ASP fail to differ with respect to repetitive behaviors. The implications of the findings for neurobiologic and genetic studies are discussed.

Disruptive behavior scale for adolescents (DISBA): development and psychometric properties.

PubMed

Karimy, Mahmood; Fakhri, Ahmad; Vali, Esmaeel; Vali, Farzaneh; Veiga, Feliciano H; Stein, L A R; Araban, Marzieh

2018-01-01

Growing evidence indicates that if disruptive behavior is left unidentified and untreated, a significant proportion of these problems will persist and may develop into problems linked with delinquency, substance abuse, and violence. Research is needed to develop valid and reliable measures of disruptive behavior to assist recognition and impact of treatments on disruptive behavior. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a scale for disruptive behavior in adolescents. Six hundred high school students (50% girls), ages ranged 15-18 years old, selected through multi stage random sampling. Psychometrics of the disruptive behavior scale for adolescents (DISBA) (Persian version) was assessed through content validity, explanatory factor analysis (EFA) using Varimax rotation and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability of this scale was assessed via internal consistency and test-retest reliability. EFA revealed four factors accounting for 59% of observed variance. The final 29-item scale contained four factors: (1) aggressive school behavior, (2) classroom defiant behavior, (3) unimportance of school, and (4) defiance to school authorities. Furthermore, CFA produced a sufficient Goodness of Fit Index > 0.90. Test-retest and internal consistency reliabilities were acceptable at 0.85 and 0.89, respectively. The findings from this study suggest that the Iranian version of DISBA questionnaire has content validity. Further studies are needed to evaluate stronger psychometric properties for DISBA.

Beliefs about Volunteerism, Volunteering Intention, Volunteering Behavior, and Purpose in Life among Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Law, Ben M. F.; Shek, Daniel T. L.

2009-01-01

The relationships among beliefs about volunteerism, volunteering intention, volunteering behavior, and purpose in life were examined in this study. A total of 5,946 participants completed a series of scales, including the Revised Personal Functions of Volunteerism Scale, Volunteering Intention Scale, and Purpose in Life Scale. The results showed that participants whose purpose in life had different levels also had varied prosocial beliefs about volunteerism, volunteering intention, and volunteering behavior. Purpose in life was associated more strongly with prosocial value function than with other types of beliefs (except understanding function). When different beliefs are grouped, the correlation between purpose in life and other-serving beliefs was higher than that between purpose in life and self-serving beliefs. Purpose in life was also associated with volunteering intention and behavior. Path analyses showed that purpose in life predicted volunteering behavior via beliefs and intention. While other-serving beliefs predicted volunteering behavior directly, self-serving beliefs did not have such direct effect. PMID:19734959

Beliefs about volunteerism, volunteering intention, volunteering behavior, and purpose in life among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Law, Ben M F; Shek, Daniel T L

2009-09-01

The relationships among beliefs about volunteerism, volunteering intention, volunteering behavior, and purpose in life were examined in this study. A total of 5,946 participants completed a series of scales, including the Revised Personal Functions of Volunteerism Scale, Volunteering Intention Scale, and Purpose in Life Scale. The results showed that participants whose purpose in life had different levels also had varied prosocial beliefs about volunteerism, volunteering intention, and volunteering behavior. Purpose in life was associated more strongly with prosocial value function than with other types of beliefs (except understanding function). When different beliefs are grouped, the correlation between purpose in life and other-serving beliefs was higher than that between purpose in life and self-serving beliefs. Purpose in life was also associated with volunteering intention and behavior. Path analyses showed that purpose in life predicted volunteering behavior via beliefs and intention. While other-serving beliefs predicted volunteering behavior directly, self-serving beliefs did not have such direct effect.

Development and validation of the Pediatric Anesthesia Behavior score--an objective measure of behavior during induction of anesthesia.

PubMed

Beringer, Richard M; Greenwood, Rosemary; Kilpatrick, Nicky

2014-02-01

Measuring perioperative behavior changes requires validated objective rating scales. We developed a simple score for children's behavior during induction of anesthesia (Pediatric Anesthesia Behavior score) and assessed its reliability, concurrent validity, and predictive validity. Data were collected as part of a wider observational study of perioperative behavior changes in children undergoing general anesthesia for elective dental extractions. One-hundred and two healthy children aged 2-12 were recruited. Previously validated behavioral scales were used as follows: the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (m-YPAS); the induction compliance checklist (ICC); the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale (PAED); and the Post-Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ). Pediatric Anesthesia Behavior (PAB) score was independently measured by two investigators, to allow assessment of interobserver reliability. Concurrent validity was assessed by examining the correlation between the PAB score, the m-YPAS, and the ICC. Predictive validity was assessed by examining the association between the PAB score, the PAED scale, and the PHBQ. The PAB score correlated strongly with both the m-YPAS (P < 0.001) and the ICC (P < 0.001). PAB score was significantly associated with the PAED score (P = 0.031) and with the PHBQ (P = 0.034). Two independent investigators recorded identical PAB scores for 94% of children and overall, there was close agreement between scores (Kappa coefficient of 0.886 [P < 0.001]). The PAB score is simple to use and may predict which children are at increased risk of developing postoperative behavioral disturbance. This study provides evidence for its reliability and validity. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Non-stationary dynamics in the bouncing ball: A wavelet perspective

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Behera, Abhinna K., E-mail: abhinna@iiserkol.ac.in; Panigrahi, Prasanta K., E-mail: pprasanta@iiserkol.ac.in; Sekar Iyengar, A. N., E-mail: ansekar.iyengar@saha.ac.in

2014-12-01

The non-stationary dynamics of a bouncing ball, comprising both periodic as well as chaotic behavior, is studied through wavelet transform. The multi-scale characterization of the time series displays clear signatures of self-similarity, complex scaling behavior, and periodicity. Self-similar behavior is quantified by the generalized Hurst exponent, obtained through both wavelet based multi-fractal detrended fluctuation analysis and Fourier methods. The scale dependent variable window size of the wavelets aptly captures both the transients and non-stationary periodic behavior, including the phase synchronization of different modes. The optimal time-frequency localization of the continuous Morlet wavelet is found to delineate the scales corresponding tomore » neutral turbulence, viscous dissipation regions, and different time varying periodic modulations.« less

TRANSITION FROM KINETIC TO MHD BEHAVIOR IN A COLLISIONLESS PLASMA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parashar, Tulasi N.; Matthaeus, William H.; Shay, Michael A.

The study of kinetic effects in heliospheric plasmas requires representation of dynamics at sub-proton scales, but in most cases the system is driven by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) activity at larger scales. The latter requirement challenges available computational resources, which raises the question of how large such a system must be to exhibit MHD traits at large scales while kinetic behavior is accurately represented at small scales. Here we study this implied transition from kinetic to MHD-like behavior using particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, initialized using an Orszag–Tang Vortex. The PIC code treats protons, as well as electrons, kinetically, and we address the questionmore » of interest by examining several different indicators of MHD-like behavior.« less

Adolescents' smoking behavior and its relationships with psychological constructs based on transtheoretical model: a cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Kim, Young-Ho

2006-05-01

Korean adolescents' smoking is currently being considered as a crucial factor determining the health status of adolescents and an important public health and social issue. The purpose of the study was to test the applicability of the Transtheoretical model to gain an understanding of smoking behavior change. A total of 706 adolescents who participated in the smoking cessation programs administered by the Korea Quit Smoking Association or Korean Association of Smoking & Health in 2003 were recruited. Four Korean-version questionnaires were used to identify the stages of smoking behavior and psychological attributes: Stage of Smoking Behavior Change Scale, Processes of Change Scale for Smoking, Decision Balance Scale for Smoking, and Self-efficacy Scale to avoid smoking. Korean adolescents' smoking behavior was differed according to gender. In addition, the findings revealed that behavioral and cognitive processes of change, self-efficacy, and positives differed across the stages of smoking behavior, and that psychological constructs of the transtheoretical model had a statistically significant impact on smoking behavior change. This research could spawn the development of theory-based and empirically supported smoking cessation intervention strategies and programs directed toward adolescents in the health care and nursing areas.

Psychometric evaluation of the Forensic Inpatient Observation Scale (FIOS) in youngsters with a judicial measure

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background In this article, the psychometric properties of the Forensic Inpatient Observation Scale (FIOS) were examined. This instrument was developed to observe behavioral functioning of forensic psychiatric patients. Up till now, it has only been used among adult forensic psychiatric patients and this is the first study in which the FIOS is used with youngsters. Methods Data were gathered of 133 patients. The FIOS was routinely used to assess the psychiatric condition of youngsters at fixed intervals with a three-month time period between each measurement. Ward staff working in close contact with the patient conducted the assessments. Of these 133 patients, an YSR/ASR questionnaire was available for 96 of them and a TRF for 110 of the 133 patients. For the descriptive, reliability and validity analyses, SPSS version 16.0 was used. Factor analyses were performed by means of Mplus Version 5.2. Results A series of confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses revealed a five-factor structure for the FIOS. The five-factor structure consisted of the following scales: self-care, social behavior, oppositional behavior, verbal skills and distress. The insight scale of the original factor structure could not be replicated in the youth sample. Cronbach's alpha's of the five scales ranged from .70 to .85. The self-care, verbal skills and oppositional behavior scales of the FIOS showed no relation with emotional and behavior problems reported by the patients themselves or their teachers. The distress scale of the FIOS did show a relation with the emotional problems reported by patients themselves and the social behavior scale with behavioral problems as reported by teachers. Conclusions The internal consistency of the FIOS was sufficient and the factor structure in the present sample of youngsters was in general comparable to the original factor structure in an adult sample. Its value lies in the focus on behavioral functioning of youngsters with judicial measures. What remains to be seen is whether this instrument is sensitive enough to register all aspects of behavioral changes, whether the interrater reliability is sufficient, and whether it has predictive validity to relapse and recidivism. PMID:21951650

Flourishing-at-Work: The Role of Positive Organizational Practices.

PubMed

Redelinghuys, Kleinjan; Rothmann, Sebastiaan; Botha, Elrie

2018-01-01

The first aim of the study was to investigate the effects of flourishing at work (as measured by the Flourishing-at-Work Scale-Short Form) on intention to leave, performance, and organizational citizenship behavior. The second aim was to determine the prevalence of workplace flourishing and to examine differences in the perceived flourishing levels of teachers based on the positive practices they experience in their organization. A sample of 258 secondary school educators in the Gauteng province of South Africa was used in the cross-sectional design. The Flourishing-at-Work Scale-Short Form, Turnover Intention Scale, In-Role Behavior Scale, Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale, and the Positive Practices Questionnaire were administered. The results showed acceptable psychometric properties for the short scale which measures flourishing. Workplace flourishing negatively predicted intention to leave, while positively predicting in-role performance and organizational citizenship behavior. A total of 44.19% of the population flourished, while 49.22% were moderately mentally healthy and 6.59% languished. Positive organizational practices were associated with flourishing at work.

The association of Internet addiction symptoms with impulsiveness, loneliness, novelty seeking and behavioral inhibition system among adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

PubMed

Li, Wendi; Zhang, Wei; Xiao, Lin; Nie, Jia

2016-09-30

The aims of this study were to test the associations of the Internet addiction symptoms with impulsiveness, loneliness, novelty seeking and behavioral inhibition systems among adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and adults with non-ADHD. A total of 146 adults aged between 19 and 33 years involved in this study. Participants were assessed with the Chinese version of the adult ADHD Self-report scale (ASRS), the Revised Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS-R), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11 (BIS-11), the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ), the UCLA loneliness scale, and the Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Activation System Scale (BIS/BAS Scale). The results of hierarchical regression analysis indicated that impulsiveness, loneliness, and behavioral inhibition system were significant predictors of Internet addition among adults with ADHD. Higher loneliness was significantly associated with more severe Internet addition symptoms among the non-ADHD group. Adults with high impulsiveness, loneliness, and BIS should be treated with caution for preventing Internet addiction. In addition, adults with and without ADHD should be provided with different preventative strategies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trading leads to scale-free self-organization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebert, M.; Paul, W.

2012-12-01

Financial markets display scale-free behavior in many different aspects. The power-law behavior of part of the distribution of individual wealth has been recognized by Pareto as early as the nineteenth century. Heavy-tailed and scale-free behavior of the distribution of returns of different financial assets have been confirmed in a series of works. The existence of a Pareto-like distribution of the wealth of market participants has been connected with the scale-free distribution of trading volumes and price-returns. The origin of the Pareto-like wealth distribution, however, remained obscure. Here we show that in a market where the imbalance of supply and demand determines the direction of prize changes, it is the process of trading itself that spontaneously leads to a self-organization of the market with a Pareto-like wealth distribution for the market participants and at the same time to a scale-free behavior of return fluctuations and trading volume distributions.

The Children’s Behavior Questionnaire very short scale: Psychometric properties and development of a one-item temperament scale

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Little research has been conducted on the psychometrics of the very short scale (36 items) of the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire, and no one-item temperament scale has been tested for use in applied work. In this study, 237 United States caregivers completed a survey to define their child’s behav...

An Evaluation of and a Detail-Profile for the Vineland Social Maturity Scale.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pedrini, D. T.; Pedrini, Bonnie C.

The Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS) is a good measure of adaptive behavior for the pre-school child or the retardate of pre-school ability. It is an excellent clinical technqiue. It is more than a questionnaire and more than a rating scale. We recommend it as an interview and behavior-observation scale. We recommend it for treatment…

Adaptation of Teachers' Conceptions and Practices of Formative Assessment Scale into Turkish Culture and a Structural Equation Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karaman, Pinar; Sahin, Çavus

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to adapt Teachers' Conceptions and Practices of Formative Assessment Scale (TCPFS) based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) into Turkish culture and apply the TPB to examine teachers' intentions and behaviors regarding formative assessment. After examining linguistic validity of the scale, Turkish scale was…

Developing a Saudi Version of the New Four Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakheit, Salah Edin Farah Attallah

2015-01-01

The scales for rating the behavioral characteristics of superior students (SRBCSS), which were developed by Renzulli and his colleagues, are considered the most widespread and the most important scales used in the identification of gifted and superior students. Recently, four new scales were added. The aim of this research was to examine the…

School Social Behavior Scales: an adaptation study of the Portuguese version of the social competence scale from SSBS-2.

PubMed

Raimundo, Raquel; Carapito, Elsa; Pereira, Ana Isabel; Marques Pinto, Alexandra; Lima, Maria Luísa; Ribeiro, Maria Teresa

2012-11-01

This study analyses the psychometric proprieties of a Portuguese version of the social competence scale from the School Social Behavior Scales (SSBS-2, Merrell, 2002). It is a rating instrument of children and adolescents behavior, to be used by teachers and other school personnel. This scale includes 3 subscales: self-management/compliance, peer relations and academic behavior. In our first sample, 175 teachers rated 344 students from grade 1 through 12. On the second sample 13 teachers rated 251 3rd and 4th grades students. The results from the Portuguese adaptation support the multidimensional structure of the social competence scale from the SSBS-2, although an alternative model demonstrated a better fit to the data than the model originally proposed by the author. The scale showed good internal consistency and good intercorrelations between subscales, as well as between subscales and the total scale. The final model was well replicated in the second sample. These results encourage us to pursue the SSBS-2 Portuguese adaptation, in order to provide a useful and validated instrument for the assessment of social competence and for educational interventions.

The executive personal finance scale: item analyses.

PubMed

Lester, David; Spinella, Marcello

2007-12-01

A scale devised to measure executive personal money management was examined for its factorial structure using 138 college students. On the whole, the factor analysis confirmed the subscale structure of the scale, but the Planning subscale appeared to consist of two distinct components, investment behavior and saving behavior.

Prevalence and correlates of suicidal thought and self-destructive behavior among an elderly hospital population in Iran.

PubMed

Ekramzadeh, Sahra; Javadpour, Ali; Draper, Brian; Mani, Arash; Withall, Adrienne; Sahraian, Ali

2012-09-01

Few studies have examined suicidal ideation and behavior in hospitalized physically ill elderly patients, a group potentially at high risk. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for suicide ideation, and direct and indirect self-destructive behaviors among a sample of elderly inpatients. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2009; 650 inpatients aged 60 years and over were screened from various medical services in teaching hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Suicidal ideation and behavior were measured with the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSSI) and the Harmful Behavior Scale (HBS). Depression was measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), medical burden with the geriatric version of the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS-G), life events with the Paykel Life Event Scale, and social support with the Perceived Social Support Scale. Of the 650 patients screened with a mean age of 70.5 years (SD ± 7.5), 570 met inclusion criteria and of these 123 (21.6%) reported suicidal ideation on the BSSI and 80 (14.4%) had at least one self-destructive behavior included in the HBS. There was a significant correlation between suicide ideation and harmful behaviors (r = 0.503, p = 0.001). In a regression analysis, depressive symptoms, increased burden of medical conditions, marital status, history of substance use, history of traumatic life events, lack of perceived social support, and poor education were associated with both suicide ideation and harmful behavior. From demographic variables, living without a spouse and unemployment were predictors of suicidal ideation and behavior. Hospitalized, physically ill elderly patients have high rates of suicidal ideation and self-destructive behavior and these vary according to psychosocial and clinical factors. The general hospital is therefore a potential site for the recognition of suicidal individuals and implementation of proximal suicide prevention strategies.

The Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support Network: Describing Our Scale-Up

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Runge, Timothy J.; Longwill, Douglas A.; Staszkiewicz, Mark J.; Palmiero, James; Lawson, Tina M.

2016-01-01

Pennsylvania began scaling up high-fidelity implementation of SchoolWide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) in 2006-2007 due to converging regulatory, legal, ethical, and practical influences. The Pennsylvania Community of Practice on School-Based Behavioral Health adopted Algozzine et al.'s (2010) blueprint to describe and…

Item-Based Psychometrics of the Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cress, Cynthia J.; Lambert, Matthew C.; Epstein, Michael H.

2014-01-01

The Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (PreBERS) is an assessment of emotional and behavioral strengths in preschoolers with well-established reliability and validity for educational and clinical application in children with and without disabilities. The present study provides further evidence of psychometric rigor for items and…

Testing the Classroom Citizenship Behaviors Scale: Exploring the Association of Classroom Citizenship Behaviors and Student Traits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katt, James; Miller, Ann Neville; Brown, Tim

2017-01-01

This study investigated the reliability and validity of Myers and colleagues' Classroom Citizenship Behavior scale, as well as the relationship between student personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and communication apprehension) and CCBs. Two hundred and thirteen students completed…

Tools to study and manage grazing behavior at multiple scales to enhance the sustainability of livestock

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Free-ranging animal behavior is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon within rangeland ecology that must be understood and ultimately managed. Improving behavioral studies requires tools appropriate for use at the landscape scale. Though tools alone do not assure research will generate accurate in...

Psychosocial Factors and AIDS-Related Behavior of Homosexual Men: Measurement and Associations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zapka, Jane G.; And Others

1990-01-01

Measurement and data-reduction procedures were conducted for psychosocial scales used in behavioral research on the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Associations of the scales for other personal and health services/information factors with one selected AIDS protective behavior among 281 asymptomatic homosexual/bisexual men were…

The Self-Efficacy Scale: A Construct Validity Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherer, Mark; Adams, Carol

Self-efficacy is defined as the belief that one can successfully perform a behavior. Self-efficacy theory asserts that self-efficacy expectancies exert powerful influence on behavior and behavior change. The Self-efficacy Scale, which was developed to assess generalized self-efficacy expectations, consists of two subscales: general self-efficacy…

[Addiction and personality traits: sensation seeking, anhedonia, impulsivity].

PubMed

Sarramon, C; Verdoux, H; Schmitt, L; Bourgeois, M

1999-01-01

This study presents the evaluation of three dimensional traits of personality (Sensation Seeking, Anhedonia, Impulsivity) among 65 patients admitted in a psychiatric ward, with or without addictive behaviors. Our objective is to establish that these personality traits are commun to all addictive behaviors and to test the hypothesis that high scores on the three scales are linked to a greater probability of presenting with addictive behaviors. The two most frequent types of addiction were alcoholism and drug abuse. The subjects presenting with one or several addictive behaviors had higher average scores on the three scales. Our results printed in the same direction for the subjects having shown an addictive behavior in their past history. The risk to present with an addictive behavior increased with the total scores of these self-report questionnaires. There was a significant relationship between 3 sub-dimensions on the Sensation Seeking Scale and addictive behavior. Each time sub-scores of boredom susceptibility, disinhibition and thrill and adventure rise by one, the risk to present with an addictive behavior is multiplied by 1.4 for the first two and by 1.3 for the third one. Subjects with high scores on the anhedonia and impulsivity scales respectively show a risk multiplied by 1.6 and 3.3 of developing an addictive behavior. These results of this transverse study confirm the link between addiction behavior and these three personality traits.

Development and Standardization of the Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale: Application of Item Response Theory to the Assessment of Adaptive Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tassé, Marc J.; Schalock, Robert L.; Thissen, David; Balboni, Giulia; Bersani, Henry, Jr.; Borthwick-Duffy, Sharon A.; Spreat, Scott; Widaman, Keith F.; Zhang, Dalun; Navas, Patricia

2016-01-01

The Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale (DABS) was developed using item response theory (IRT) methods and was constructed to provide the most precise and valid adaptive behavior information at or near the cutoff point of making a decision regarding a diagnosis of intellectual disability. The DABS initial item pool consisted of 260 items. Using IRT…

The Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale: Initial Validity and Internal Consistency Findings From Three Multisite Studies With Adolescents and Adults

PubMed Central

Posner, Kelly; Brown, Gregory K.; Stanley, Barbara; Brent, David A.; Yershova, Kseniya V.; Oquendo, Maria A.; Currier, Glenn W.; Melvin, Glenn A.; Greenhill, Laurence; Shen, Sa; Mann, J. John

2013-01-01

Objective Research on suicide prevention and interventions requires a standard method for assessing both suicidal ideation and behavior to identify those at risk and to track treatment response. The Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) was designed to quantify the severity of suicidal ideation and behavior. The authors examined the psychometric properties of the scale. Method The C-SSRS’s validity relative to other measures of suicidal ideation and behavior and the internal consistency of its intensity of ideation subscale were analyzed in three multisite studies: a treatment study of adolescent suicide attempters (N=124); a medication efficacy trial with depressed adolescents (N=312); and a study of adults presenting to an emergency department for psychiatric reasons (N=237). Results The C-SSRS demonstrated good convergent and divergent validity with other multi-informant suicidal ideation and behavior scales and had high sensitivity and specificity for suicidal behavior classifications compared with another behavior scale and an independent suicide evaluation board. Both the ideation and behavior subscales were sensitive to change over time. The intensity of ideation subscale demonstrated moderate to strong internal consistency. In the adolescent suicide attempters study, worst-point lifetime suicidal ideation on the C-SSRS predicted suicide attempts during the study, whereas the Scale for Suicide Ideation did not. Participants with the two highest levels of ideation severity (intent or intent with plan) at baseline had higher odds for attempting suicide during the study. Conclusions These findings suggest that the C-SSRS is suitable for assessment of suicidal ideation and behavior in clinical and research settings. PMID:22193671

A Survey of School Psychologists' Practices for Identifying Mentally Retarded Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wodrich, David L.; Barry, Christine T.

1991-01-01

Surveyed school psychologists regarding identification of mentally retarded students. The Wechsler scales were the most frequently used tests for deriving intelligence quotient scores, which together with adaptive behavior scale scores were rated as most influential in identification-placement decisions. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales were…

The Clinical Utility of the MMPI-2-RF Suicidal/Death Ideation Scale

PubMed Central

Gottfried, Emily; Bodell, Lindsay; Carbonell, Joyce; Joiner, Thomas

2014-01-01

Suicide is a major public health concern with over 100 individuals dying by suicide per day in the United States alone. Therefore, suicide risk assessment is an essential aspect of mental health care. The MMPI-2-RF has a Suicidal/Death Ideation (SUI) scale consisting of 5 items that describe recent suicidal ideation or behaviors. Although this scale has clear face validity, few studies have examined the clinical utility of this scale. The purpose of the current study was to examine associations between the SUI scale and other established measures of suicidal ideation and behavior, including the Depressive Symptom Inventory Suicidality Subscale (DSI-SS), Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS), self-report of lifetime suicide attempts, and clinician ratings of suicide risk. Participants were 998 therapy- and assessment-seeking outpatients. Analyses indicated that the SUI scale was positively associated with other self-reported measures of suicidal ideation and behavior. Significant differences in SUI scale scores also emerged among the clinician rating categories of suicide risk. The SUI scale was able to predict previous suicide attempts over and above age, gender, and other MMPI-2-RF scales related to depression. Finally, relative risk ratios for suicide attempts indicate increased risk of suicidality with higher T-scores on the SUI scale. Overall, findings suggest that the MMPI-2-RF SUI scale may be a useful tool for identifying individuals at risk for suicidal ideation and behavior in clinical settings. PMID:25068910

Scaling sexual behavior or "sexual risk propensity" among men at risk for HIV in Kisumu, Kenya.

PubMed

Mattson, C L; Campbell, Richard T; Karabatsos, George; Agot, Kawango; Ndinya-Achola, J O; Moses, Stephen; Bailey, Robert C

2010-02-01

We present a scale to measure sexual risk behavior or "sexual risk propensity" to evaluate risk compensation among men engaged in a randomized clinical trial of male circumcision. This statistical approach can be used to represent each respondent's level of sexual risk behavior as the sum of his responses on multiple dichotomous and rating scale (i.e. ordinal) items. This summary "score" can be used to summarize information on many sexual behaviors or to evaluate changes in sexual behavior with respect to an intervention. Our 18 item scale demonstrated very good reliability (Cronbach's alpha of 0.87) and produced a logical, unidimensional continuum to represent sexual risk behavior. We found no evidence of differential item function at different time points (except for reporting a concurrent partners when comparing 6 and 12 month follow-up visits) or with respect to the language with which the instrument was administered. Further, we established criterion validity by demonstrating a statistically significant association between the risk scale and the acquisition of incident sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at the 6 month follow-up and HIV at the 12 month follow-up visits. This method has broad applicability to evaluate sexual risk behavior in the context of other HIV and STI prevention interventions (e.g. microbicide or vaccine trials), or in response to treatment provision (e.g., anti-retroviral therapy).

Translation and cultural adaptation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Behavioral Pain Scale.

PubMed

Morete, Márcia Carla; Mofatto, Sarah Camargo; Pereira, Camila Alves; Silva, Ana Paula; Odierna, Maria Tereza

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the Behavioral Pain Scale to Brazilian Portuguese and to evaluate the psychometric properties of this scale. This study was conducted in two phases: the Behavioral Pain Scale was translated and culturally adapted to Brazilian Portuguese and the psychometric properties of this scale were subsequently assessed (reliability and clinical utility). The study sample consisted of 100 patients who were older than 18 years of age, admitted to an intensive care unit, intubated, mechanically ventilated, and subjected or not to sedation and analgesia from July 2012 to December 2012. Pediatric and non-intubated patients were excluded. The study was conducted at a large private hospital that was situated in the city of São Paulo (SP). Regarding reproducibility, the results revealed that the observed agreement between the two evaluators was 92.08% for the pain descriptor "adaptation to mechanical ventilation", 88.1% for "upper limbs", and 90.1% for "facial expression". The kappa coefficient of agreement for "adaptation to mechanical ventilation" assumed a value of 0.740. Good agreement was observed between the evaluators with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.807 (95% confidence interval: 0.727-0.866). The Behavioral Pain Scale was easy to administer and reproduce. Additionally, this scale had adequate internal consistency. The Behavioral Pain Scale was satisfactorily adapted to Brazilian Portuguese for the assessment of pain in critically ill patients.

The Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form for individuals with intellectual disabilities: part I: development and provisional clinical reference data.

PubMed

Rojahn, J; Rowe, E W; Sharber, A C; Hastings, R; Matson, J L; Didden, R; Kroes, D B H; Dumont, E L M

2012-05-01

The Behavior Problems Inventory-01 (BPI-01) is an informant-based behaviour rating instrument that was designed to assess maladaptive behaviours in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). Its items fall into one of three sub-scales: Self-injurious Behavior (14 items), Stereotyped Behavior (24 items), and Aggressive/Destructive Behavior (11 items). Each item is rated on a frequency scale (0 = never to 4 = hourly), and a severity scale (0 = no problem to 3 = severe problem). The BPI-01 has been successfully used in several studies and has shown acceptable to very good psychometric properties. One concern raised by some investigators was the large number of items on the BPI-01, which has reduced its user friendliness for certain applications. Furthermore, researchers and clinicians were often uncertain how to interpret their BPI-01 data without norms or a frame of reference. The Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form (BPI-S) was empirically developed, based on an aggregated archival data set of BPI-01 data from individuals with ID from nine locations in the USA, Wales, England, the Netherlands, and Romania (n = 1122). The BPI-S uses the same rating system and the same three sub-scales as the BPI-01, but has fewer items: Self-injurious Behavior (8 items), Stereotyped Behavior (12 items), and Aggressive/Destructive Behavior (10 items). Rating anchors for the severity scales of the Self-injurious Behavior and the Aggressive/Destructive Behavior sub-scales were added in an effort to enhance the objectivity of the ratings. The sensitivity of the BPI-S compared with the BPI-01 was high (0.92 to 0.99), and so were the correlations between the analogous BPI-01 and the BPI-S sub-scales (0.96 to 0.99). Means and standard deviations were generated for both BPI versions in a Sex-by-age matrix, and in a Sex-by-ID Level matrix. Combined sex ranges are also provided by age and level of ID. In summary, the BPI-S is a very useful alternative to the BPI-01, especially for research and evaluation purposes involving groups of individuals. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Telescoping Mechanics: A New Paradigm for Composite Behavior Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, C. C.; Murthy, P. L. N.; Gotsis, P. K.; Mital. S. K.

2004-01-01

This report reviews the application of telescoping mechanics to composites using recursive laminate theory. The elemental scale is the fiber-matrix slice, the behavior of which propagates to laminate. The results from using applications for typical, hybrid, and smart composites and composite-enhanced reinforced concrete structures illustrate the versatility and generality of telescoping scale mechanics. Comparisons with approximate, single-cell, and two- and three-dimensional finite-element methods demonstrate the accuracy and computational effectiveness of telescoping scale mechanics for predicting complex composite behavior.

An Investigation of the Generalizability and Dependability of Direct Behavior Rating Single Item Scales (DBR-SIS) to Measure Academic Engagement and Disruptive Behavior of Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chafouleas, Sandra M.; Briesch, Amy M.; Riley-Tillman, T. Chris; Christ, Theodore J.; Black, Anne C.; Kilgus, Stephen P.

2010-01-01

A total of 4 raters, including 2 teachers and 2 research assistants, used Direct Behavior Rating Single Item Scales (DBR-SIS) to measure the academic engagement and disruptive behavior of 7 middle school students across multiple occasions. Generalizability study results for the full model revealed modest to large magnitudes of variance associated…

School-wide PBIS: An Example of Applied Behavior Analysis Implemented at a Scale of Social Importance.

PubMed

Horner, Robert H; Sugai, George

2015-05-01

School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an example of applied behavior analysis implemented at a scale of social importance. In this paper, PBIS is defined and the contributions of behavior analysis in shaping both the content and implementation of PBIS are reviewed. Specific lessons learned from implementation of PBIS over the past 20 years are summarized.

The Convergent Validity of the Questions about Behavioral Function Scale and Functional Analysis for Problem Behavior Displayed by Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, Nicholas; Rapp, John T.

2013-01-01

Only a few studies have compared the convergent validity of the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) scale to the results of functional analyses (FA). In the current study, six participants who emitted problem behaviors participated in either a brief, or a no-interaction-series FA, while each participant's parent completed the QABF. The…

Development and Validation of a Behavioral Screener for Preschool-Age Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiStefano, Christine A.; Kamphaus, Randy W.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to document the development of a short behavioral scale that could be used to assess preschoolers' behavior while still retaining adequate scale coverage, reliability, and validity. Factor analysis and item analysis techniques were applied to data from a nationally representative, normative database to create a…

Technical Adequacy of the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale-2nd Edition--Self-Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erford, Bradley T.; Miller, Emily M.; Isbister, Katherine

2015-01-01

This study provides preliminary analysis of the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale-2nd Edition--Self-Report, which was designed to screen individuals aged 10 years and older for anxiety and behavior symptoms. Score reliability and internal and external facets of validity were good for a screening-level test.

Leadership styles of elite Dixie youth baseball coaches.

PubMed

Bennett, G; Maneval, M

1998-12-01

Chelladurai and Saleh's Leadership Scale for Sports was administered to 52 elite Dixie Youth baseball coaches. Analyses indicated that subjects scored high in positive feedback, training and instruction, and social support, moderate in democratic behavior, and low in autocratic behavior. These results seem to support the validity of using the scale to compare coaching behavior.

Alternate Forms Reliability of the Behavioral Relaxation Scale: Preliminary Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundervold, Duane A.; Dunlap, Angel L.

2006-01-01

Alternate forms reliability of the Behavioral Relaxation Scale (BRS; Poppen,1998), a direct observation measure of relaxed behavior, was examined. A single BRS score, based on long duration observation (5-minute), has been found to be a valid measure of relaxation and is correlated with self-report and some physiological measures. Recently,…

Examining the Validity of Behavioral Self-Regulation Tools in Predicting Preschoolers' Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmitt, Sara A.; Pratt, Megan E.; McClelland, Megan M.

2014-01-01

The current study investigated the predictive utility among teacher-rated, observed, and directly assessed behavioral self-regulation skills to academic achievement in preschoolers. Specifically, this study compared how a teacher report, the Child Behavior Rating Scale, an observer report, the Observed Child Engagement Scale, and a direct…

Examining the Validity of Behavioral Self-Regulation Tools in Predicting Preschoolers' Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmitt, Sara A.; Pratt, Megan E.; McClelland, Megan M.

2014-01-01

Research Findings: The current study investigated the predictive utility of teacher-rated, observed, and directly assessed behavioral self-regulation skills to academic achievement in preschoolers. Specifically, this study compared how a teacher report (the Child Behavior Rating Scale), an observer report (the Observed Child Engagement Scale), and…

Support Needs of Individuals with Mild and Moderate Intellectual Disabilities and Challenging Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamoureux-Hebert, Melanie; Morin, Diane; Crocker, Anne

2010-01-01

This exploratory study examined relationships between support needs assessed with the French version of the Supports Intensity Scale (SIS; Thompson et al., 2004) and challenging behaviors as assessed with the Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (Bruininks, Woodcock, Weatherman, & Hill, 1996). The Sample included 191 persons between 16 and…

Evaluation of the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale-Teacher Report Form for Assessing Behavior in a Sample of Urban Adolescents.

PubMed

Farrell, Albert D; Goncy, Elizabeth A; Sullivan, Terri N; Thompson, Erin L

2018-02-01

This study evaluated the structure and validity of the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale-Teacher Report Form (PBFS-TR) for assessing students' frequency of specific forms of aggression and victimization, and positive behavior. Analyses were conducted on two waves of data from 727 students from two urban middle schools (Sample 1) who were rated by their teachers on the PBFS-TR and the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS), and on data collected from 1,740 students from three urban middle schools (Sample 2) for whom data on both the teacher and student report version of the PBFS were obtained. Confirmatory factor analyses supported first-order factors representing 3 forms of aggression (physical, verbal, and relational), 3 forms of victimization (physical, verbal and relational), and 2 forms of positive behavior (prosocial behavior and effective nonviolent behavior), and higher-order factors representing aggression, victimization, and positive behavior. Strong measurement invariance was established over gender, grade, intervention condition, and time. Support for convergent validity was found based on correlations between corresponding scales on the PBFS-TR and teacher ratings on the SSIS in Sample 1. Significant correlations were also found between teacher ratings on the PBFS-TR and student ratings of their behavior on the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale-Adolescent Report (PBFS-AR) and a measure of nonviolent behavioral intentions in Sample 2. Overall the findings provided support for the PBFS-TR and suggested that teachers can provide useful data on students' aggressive and prosocial behavior and victimization experiences within the school setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Validation of the preschool and primary school form of a questionnaire assessing parents' childrearing behavior.

PubMed

Meunier, Jean-Christophe; Roskam, Isabelle

2009-01-01

This study presents a validation of a scale that assesses parents' childrearing behavior toward young children. The scale was validated on 565 parents of 2- to 7-year-old children. The current results replicated the factor solution of the original scale designed for parents of school-aged children. The scale demonstrated good psychometric properties: moderate to high internal consistency, the expected relations with criterion variables (parental self-efficacy beliefs, child's behavior and personality), and discriminative properties according to the parents' gender and educational level, the child's age and gender, and the difference between referred and nonreferred children.

Behavioral therapy for treatment of stereotypic movements in nonautistic children.

PubMed

Miller, Jonathan M; Singer, Harvey S; Bridges, Dana D; Waranch, H Richard

2006-02-01

Although typically described in autistic, mentally retarded, and sensory-deprived individuals, motor stereotypies also occur in normal children. In this preliminary report, the behavior modification techniques of habit reversal and differential reinforcement of other behavior were evaluated as a therapeutic modality for the suppression of stereotypic movements in nonautistic subjects. Twelve children, ages 6 to 14 years, with physiologic stereotypies were treated using a standardized treatment protocol. Clinical outcomes were based on differences between assessments obtained at baseline and on telephone follow-up. Evaluation scales included measures of the frequency, intensity, interference, and number of stereotypies (Stereotypy Severity Scale motor portion and Stereotypy Linear Analog Scale) and assessment of global function (Child Global Assessment Scale and Stereotypy Severity Scale global portion). The results were correlated with the child's level of motivation and the number of treatment sessions. After a mean follow-up of 12.1 months, motor stereotypies showed significant improvement on the Stereotypy Linear Analog Scale and Stereotypy Severity Scale total score, P = .009 and P = .046, respectively. Both scales showed a relationship between the number of treatment sessions attended and a reduction in movements. The Child Global Assessment Scale also improved with therapy, but there was no correlation with the number of treatment sessions. Highly motivated patients had greater improvement on the Stereotypy Linear Analog Scale and Stereotypy Severity Scale scales compared with less motivated patients, but motivation had no impact on the Child Global Assessment Scale. The combined use of habit reversal and differential reinforcement of other behavior is beneficial in reducing motor stereotypies in nonautistic children.

Preliminary design, analysis, and costing of a dynamic scale model of the NASA space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gronet, M. J.; Pinson, E. D.; Voqui, H. L.; Crawley, E. F.; Everman, M. R.

1987-01-01

The difficulty of testing the next generation of large flexible space structures on the ground places an emphasis on other means for validating predicted on-orbit dynamic behavior. Scale model technology represents one way of verifying analytical predictions with ground test data. This study investigates the preliminary design, scaling and cost trades for a Space Station dynamic scale model. The scaling of nonlinear joint behavior is studied from theoretical and practical points of view. Suspension system interaction trades are conducted for the ISS Dual Keel Configuration and Build-Up Stages suspended in the proposed NASA/LaRC Large Spacecraft Laboratory. Key issues addressed are scaling laws, replication vs. simulation of components, manufacturing, suspension interactions, joint behavior, damping, articulation capability, and cost. These issues are the subject of parametric trades versus the scale model factor. The results of these detailed analyses are used to recommend scale factors for four different scale model options, each with varying degrees of replication. Potential problems in constructing and testing the scale model are identified, and recommendations for further study are outlined.

Correlation between physical anomaly and behavioral abnormalities in Down syndrome

PubMed Central

Bhattacharyya, Ranjan; Sanyal, Debasish; Roy, Krishna; Bhattacharyya, Sumita

2010-01-01

Objective: The minor physical anomaly (MPA) is believed to reflect abnormal development of the CNS. The aim is to find incidence of MPA and its behavioral correlates in Down syndrome and to compare these findings with the other causes of intellectual disability and normal population. Materials and Methods: One-hundred and forty intellectually disabled people attending a tertiary care set-up and from various NGOs are included in the study. The age-matched group from normal population was also studied for comparison. MPA are assessed by using Modified Waldrop scale and behavioral abnormality by Diagnostic assessment scale for severely handicapped (DASH II scale). Results: The Down syndrome group had significantly more MPA than other two groups and most of the MPA is situated in the global head region. There is strong correlation (P < 0.001) between the various grouped items of Modified Waldrop scale. Depression subscale is correlated with anomalies in the hands (P < 0.001), feet and Waldrop total items (P < 0.005). Mania item of DASH II scale is related with anomalies around the eyes (P < 0.001). Self-injurious behavior and total Waldrop score is negatively correlated with global head. Conclusion: Down syndrome group has significantly more MPA and a pattern of correlation between MPA and behavioral abnormalities exists which necessitates a large-scale study. PMID:21559153

Test Review: Autism Spectrum Rating Scales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simek, Amber N.; Wahlberg, Andrea C.

2011-01-01

This article reviews Autism Spectrum Rating Scales (ASRS) which are designed to measure behaviors in children between the ages of 2 and 18 that are associated with disorders on the autism spectrum as rated by parents/caregivers and/or teachers. The rating scales include items related to behaviors associated with Autism, Asperger's Disorder, and…

Development and Validation of Two Scales to Measure Elaboration and Behaviors Associated with Stewardship in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vezeau, Susan Lynn; Powell, Robert B.; Stern, Marc J.; Moore, D. DeWayne; Wright, Brett A.

2017-01-01

This investigation examines the development of two scales that measure elaboration and behaviors associated with stewardship in children. The scales were developed using confirmatory factor analysis to investigate their construct validity, reliability, and psychometric properties. Results suggest that a second-order factor model structure provides…

A Systematic Review and Psychometric Evaluation of Adaptive Behavior Scales and Recommendations for Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Floyd, Randy G.; Shands, Elizabeth I.; Alfonso, Vincent C.; Phillips, Jessica F.; Autry, Beth K.; Mosteller, Jessica A.; Skinner, Mary; Irby, Sarah

2015-01-01

Adaptive behavior scales are vital in assessing children and adolescents who experience a range of disabling conditions in school settings. This article presents the results of an evaluation of the design characteristics, norming, scale characteristics, reliability and validity evidence, and bias identification studies supporting 14…

Development of a gambling addictive behavior scale for adolescents in Korea.

PubMed

Park, Hyun Sook; Jung, Sun Young

2012-12-01

This study was conducted to develop a gambling addictive behavior scale for adolescents. The process involved construction of a conceptual framework, initial item search, verification of content validity, selection of secondary items, and extraction of final items. The participants were 299 adolescents from two middle schools and four high schools. Item analysis, factor analysis, criterion validity, internal consistency, and ROC curve were used to analyze the data. For the final scale, 25 items were selected, and categorized into 4 factors which accounted for 54.9% of the total variance. The factors were labeled as loss of control, life dysfunction from gambling addiction, gambling experience, and social dysfunction from problem gambling. The scores for the scale were significantly correlated with addictive personality, irrational gambling belief, and adolescent's gambling addictive behavior. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the 25 items was .94. Scale scores identified adolescents as being in a problem gambling group, a non-problem gambling group, and a non-gambling group by the ROC curve. The above findings indicate that the gambling addictive behavior scale has good validity and reliability and can be used with adolescents in Korea.

Finite-size scaling and integer-spin Heisenberg chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonner, Jill C.; Müller, Gerhard

1984-03-01

Finite-size scaling (phenomenological renormalization) techniques are trusted and widely applied in low-dimensional magnetism and, particularly, in lattice gauge field theory. Recently, investigations have begun which subject the theoretical basis to systematic and intensive scrutiny to determine the validity of finite-size scaling in a variety of situations. The 2D ANNNI model is an example of a situation where finite-size scaling methods encounter difficulty, related to the occurrence of a disorder line (one-dimensional line). A second example concerns the behavior of the spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic XXZ model where the T=0 critical behavior is exactly known and features an essential singularity at the isotropic Heisenberg point. Standard finite-size scaling techniques do not convincingly reproduce the exact phase behavior and this is attributable to the essential singularity. The point is relevant in connection with a finite-size scaling analysis of a spin-one antiferromagnetic XXZ model, which claims to support a conjecture by Haldane that the T=0 phase behavior of integer-spin Heisenberg chains is significantly different from that of half-integer-spin Heisenberg chains.

Development of a Screening Scale for High-Functioning Pervasive Developmental Disorders Using the Tokyo Child Development Schedule and Tokyo Autistic Behavior Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suzuki, Mayo; Tachimori, Hisateru; Saito, Mari; Koyama, Tomonori; Kurita, Hiroshi

2011-01-01

This study aimed to compile a screening scale for high-functioning pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), using the Tokyo Child Development Schedule (TCDS) and Tokyo Autistic Behavior Scale (TABS). The 72 participants (IQ greater than or equal to 70) were divided into 3 groups after IQ matching depending on their diagnoses: i.e., PDD,…

Functional Outcome Trajectories After Out-of-Hospital Pediatric Cardiac Arrest.

PubMed

Silverstein, Faye S; Slomine, Beth S; Christensen, James; Holubkov, Richard; Page, Kent; Dean, J Michael; Moler, Frank W

2016-12-01

To analyze functional performance measures collected prospectively during the conduct of a clinical trial that enrolled children (up to age 18 yr old), resuscitated after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, who were at high risk of poor outcomes. Children with Glasgow Motor Scale score less than 5, within 6 hours of resuscitation, were enrolled in a clinical trial that compared two targeted temperature management interventions (THAPCA-OH, NCT00878644). The primary outcome, 12-month survival with Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, second edition, score greater or equal to 70, did not differ between groups. Thirty-eight North American PICUs. Two hundred ninety-five children were enrolled; 270 of 295 had baseline Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, second edition, scores greater or equal to 70; 87 of 270 survived 1 year. Targeted temperatures were 33.0°C and 36.8°C for hypothermia and normothermia groups. Baseline measures included Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, second edition, Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category, and Pediatric Overall Performance Category. Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category and Pediatric Overall Performance Category were rescored at hospital discharges; all three were scored at 3 and 12 months. In survivors with baseline Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, second edition scores greater or equal to 70, we evaluated relationships of hospital discharge Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category with 3- and 12-month scores and between 3- and 12-month Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, second edition, scores. Hospital discharge Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category scores strongly predicted 3- and 12-month Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category (r = 0.82 and 0.79; p < 0.0001) and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, second edition, scores (r = -0.81 and -0.77; p < 0.0001). Three-month Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, second edition, scores strongly predicted 12-month performance (r = 0.95; p < 0.0001). Hypothermia treatment did not alter these relationships. In comatose children, with Glasgow Motor Scale score less than 5 in the initial hours after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest resuscitation, function scores at hospital discharge and at 3 months predicted 12-month performance well in the majority of survivors.

Behavior of Holographic Ricci Dark Energy in Scalar Gauss-Bonnet Gravity for Different Choices of the Scale Factor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasqua, Antonio; Chattopadhyay, Surajit; Khurshudyan, Martiros; Aly, Ayman A.

2014-09-01

In this paper, we studied the cosmological application of the interacting Ricci Dark Energy (RDE) model in the framework of the scalar Gauss-Bonnet modified gravity model. We studied the properties of the reconstructed potential , the Strong Energy Condition (SEC), the Weak Energy Condition (WEC) and the deceleration parameter q for three different models of scale factor, i.e. the emergent, the intermediate and the logamediate one. We obtained that , for the emergent scenario, has a decreasing behavior, while, for the logamediate scenario, the potential start with an increasing behavior then, for later times, it shows a slowly decreasing behavior. Finally, for the intermediate scenario, the potential has an initial increasing behavior, then for a time of t≈1.2, it starts to decrease. We also found that both SEC and WEC are violated for all the three scale factors considered. Finally, studying the plots of q, we derived that an accelerated universe can be achieved for the three models of scale factor considered.

Effects of organizational safety on employees' proactivity safety behaviors and occupational health and safety management systems in Chinese high-risk small-scale enterprises.

PubMed

Mei, Qiang; Wang, Qiwei; Liu, Suxia; Zhou, Qiaomei; Zhang, Jingjing

2018-06-07

Based on the characteristics of small-scale enterprises, the improvement of occupational health and safety management systems (OHS MS) needs an effective intervention. This study proposed a structural equation model and examined the relationships of perceived organization support for safety (POSS), person-organization safety fit (POSF) and proactivity safety behaviors with safety management, safety procedures and safety hazards identification. Data were collected from 503 employees of 105 Chinese high-risk small-scale enterprises over 6 months. The results showed that both POSS and POSF were positively related to improvement in safety management, safety procedures and safety hazards identification through proactivity safety behaviors. Our findings provide a new perspective on organizational safety for improving OHS MS for small-scale enterprises and extend the application of proactivity safety behaviors.

Overlap Between Autism Spectrum Disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Searching for Distinctive/Common Clinical Features.

PubMed

Craig, Francesco; Lamanna, Anna Linda; Margari, Francesco; Matera, Emilia; Simone, Marta; Margari, Lucia

2015-06-01

Recent studies support several overlapping traits between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), assuming the existence of a combined phenotype. The aim of our study was to evaluate the common or distinctive clinical features between ASD and ADHD in order to identify possible different phenotypes that could have a clinical value. We enrolled 181 subjects divided into four diagnostic groups: ADHD group, ASD group, ASD+ADHD group (that met diagnostic criteria for both ASD and ADHD), and control group. Intelligent quotient (IQ), emotional and behavior problems, ADHD symptoms, ASD symptoms, and adaptive behaviors were investigated through the following test: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence or Leiter International Performances Scale Revised, Child Behavior Checklist, Conners' Rating Scales-Revised, SNAP-IV Rating Scale, the Social Communication Questionnaire, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. The ASD+ADHD group differs from ADHD or ASD in some domains such as lower IQ mean level and a higher autistic symptoms severity. However, the ASD+ADHD group shares inattention and hyperactivity deficit and some emotional and behavior problems with the ADHD group, while it shares adaptive behavior impairment with ASD group. These findings provide a new understanding of clinical manifestation of ASD+ADHD phenotype, they may also inform a novel treatment target. © 2015 The Authors Autism Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Autism Research.

Disruptive behaviors in the classroom: initial standardization data on a new teacher rating scale.

PubMed

Burns, G L; Owen, S M

1990-10-01

This study presents initial standardization data on the Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory (SESBI), a teacher-completed measure of disruptive classroom behaviors. SESBIs were completed on 1116 children in kingergarten through fifth grade in a rural eastern Washington school district. Various analyses (Cronbach's alpha, corrected item-total correlations, average interitem correlations, principal components analyses) indicated that the SESBI provides a homogeneous measure of disruptive behaviors. Support was also found for three factors within the scale (e.g., overt aggression, oppositional behavior, and attentional difficulties). While the child's age did not have a significant effect on the SESBI, the child's gender did have a significant effect on scale scores as well as on most of the items, with males being rated more problematic than females. The SESBI was also able to discriminate between children in treatment for behavioral problems or learning disabilities and children not in treatment.

Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale (Sheehan-STS)

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Objective: Accurate and prospective assessments of treatment-emergent suicidal thoughts and behaviors are essential to both clinical care and randomized clinical trials. The Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale is a prospective, patient self-report or clinician-administered rating scale that tracks both treatment-emergent suicidal ideation and behaviors. The Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale was incorporated into a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and active comparator study examining the efficacy of an experimental corticotropin-releasing factor antagonist (BMS-562086) for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Method: The Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale was administered to subjects at baseline, Week 2, Week 4, and Week 8 or early termination. Subjects completed theSheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale by self report. The Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale was designated as an exploratory outcome measure in the study protocol, and post-hoc analyses were performed to examine the performance of the Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale. Results: A total of 82 subjects completed the Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale during the course of the study. Altogether, these subjects provided 297 completed Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale ratings across the study time points. Sixty-one subjects (n=25 placebo, n=24 BMS-562086, and n=12 escitalopram) had a baseline and at least one post-baseline Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale measurement. The mean change from baseline at Week 8 in the Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale total score was -0.10, -0.02, and -0.06 for escitalopram, placebo, and BMS-562086 groups, respectively. The sensitivity of the Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale and HAM-D Item #3 (suicide) for identifying subjects with suicidal thoughts or behaviors was 100 percent and 63 percent, respectively. Conclusions: The Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale may be a sensitive psychometric tool to prospectively assess for treatment-emergent suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Despite the small sample size and low occurrence of suicidal ideation during the course of this clinical trial, the self-reported Sheehan Suicidality Tracking Scale demonstrated increased sensitivity over the rater administered HAM-D Item #3 in identifying suicide related ideations and behaviors. Further research in larger study samples as well as in other psychiatric disorders are needed. PMID:19724740

Scale Refinement and Initial Evaluation of a Behavioral Health Function Measurement Tool for Work Disability Evaluation

PubMed Central

Marfeo, Elizabeth E.; Ni, Pengsheng; Bogusz, Kara; Meterko, Mark; McDonough, Christine M.; Chan, Leighton; Rasch, Elizabeth K.; Brandt, Diane E.; Jette, Alan M.

2014-01-01

Objectives To use item response theory (IRT) data simulations to construct and perform initial psychometric testing of a newly developed instrument, the Social Security Administration Behavioral Health Function (SSA-BH) instrument, that aims to assess behavioral health functioning relevant to the context of work. Design Cross-sectional survey followed by item response theory (IRT) calibration data simulations Setting Community Participants A sample of individuals applying for SSA disability benefits, claimants (N=1015), and a normative comparative sample of US adults (N=1000) Interventions None. Main Outcome Measure Social Security Administration Behavioral Health Function (SSA-BH) measurement instrument Results Item response theory analyses supported the unidimensionality of four SSA-BH scales: Mood and Emotions (35 items), Self-Efficacy (23 items), Social Interactions (6 items), and Behavioral Control (15 items). All SSA-BH scales demonstrated strong psychometric properties including reliability, accuracy, and breadth of coverage. High correlations of the simulated 5- or 10- item CATs with the full item bank indicated robust ability of the CAT approach to comprehensively characterize behavioral health function along four distinct dimensions. Conclusions Initial testing and evaluation of the SSA-BH instrument demonstrated good accuracy, reliability, and content coverage along all four scales. Behavioral function profiles of SSA claimants were generated and compared to age and sex matched norms along four scales: Mood and Emotions, Behavioral Control, Social Interactions, and Self-Efficacy. Utilizing the CAT based approach offers the ability to collect standardized, comprehensive functional information about claimants in an efficient way, which may prove useful in the context of the SSA’s work disability programs. PMID:23542404

Classification of Animal Movement Behavior through Residence in Space and Time.

PubMed

Torres, Leigh G; Orben, Rachael A; Tolkova, Irina; Thompson, David R

2017-01-01

Identification and classification of behavior states in animal movement data can be complex, temporally biased, time-intensive, scale-dependent, and unstandardized across studies and taxa. Large movement datasets are increasingly common and there is a need for efficient methods of data exploration that adjust to the individual variability of each track. We present the Residence in Space and Time (RST) method to classify behavior patterns in movement data based on the concept that behavior states can be partitioned by the amount of space and time occupied in an area of constant scale. Using normalized values of Residence Time and Residence Distance within a constant search radius, RST is able to differentiate behavior patterns that are time-intensive (e.g., rest), time & distance-intensive (e.g., area restricted search), and transit (short time and distance). We use grey-headed albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma) GPS tracks to demonstrate RST's ability to classify behavior patterns and adjust to the inherent scale and individuality of each track. Next, we evaluate RST's ability to discriminate between behavior states relative to other classical movement metrics. We then temporally sub-sample albatross track data to illustrate RST's response to less resolved data. Finally, we evaluate RST's performance using datasets from four taxa with diverse ecology, functional scales, ecosystems, and data-types. We conclude that RST is a robust, rapid, and flexible method for detailed exploratory analysis and meta-analyses of behavioral states in animal movement data based on its ability to integrate distance and time measurements into one descriptive metric of behavior groupings. Given the increasing amount of animal movement data collected, it is timely and useful to implement a consistent metric of behavior classification to enable efficient and comparative analyses. Overall, the application of RST to objectively explore and compare behavior patterns in movement data can enhance our fine- and broad- scale understanding of animal movement ecology.

Influencing Health Policy in the Antenatal and Postnatal Periods: The UK Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawthorne, Joanna

2015-01-01

Since 1997, the Brazelton Centre UK has offered courses to a wide range of professionals working with newborn infants and their families. In 2009, the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale was recommended in the Healthy Child Programme by the Department of Health. Both the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale and the Newborn Behavioral Observations…

Predictors of Behavior Factors of High School Students against Recycling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cimen, Osman; Yilmaz, Mehmet

2016-01-01

This study aims to determine the variables that predict high school students' recycling behaviors. The study was designed as survey model. The study's sample consists of 203 students at a high school in Ankara. A recycling behavior scale developed by the researchers was used as a data collection tool. The scale has 3 dimensions: recycling…

Race and Ethnic Differences in Hope and Hopelessness as Moderators of the Association between Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirsch, Jameson K.; Visser, Preston L.; Chang, Edward C.; Jeglic, Elizabeth L.

2012-01-01

Objective: The authors examined trait hope and hopelessness as potential moderators of the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior. Participants: A diverse sample of 372 college students. Methods: Depressive symptoms, hopelessness (Beck Hopelessness Scale), trait hope (Trait Hope Scale), and suicidal behaviors were assessed.…

The Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised: Independent Validation in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lam, Kristen S. L.; Aman, Michael G.

2007-01-01

A key feature of autism is restricted repetitive behavior (RRB). Despite the significance of RRBs, little is known about their phenomenology, assessment, and treatment. The Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R) is a recently-developed questionnaire that captures the breadth of RRB in autism. To validate the RBS-R in an independent sample, we…

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the "Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale" (PreBERS) with Preschool Children with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cress, Cynthia J.; Synhorst, Lori; Epstein, Michael H.; Allen, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

The "Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale" (PreBERS) is a standardized, norm-referenced instrument that assesses emotional and behavioral strengths of preschool children. This study investigated whether the PreBERS four-factor structure (i.e., emotional regulation, school readiness, social confidence, and family involvement)…

Multi-Item Direct Behavior Ratings: Dependability of Two Levels of Assessment Specificity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Volpe, Robert J.; Briesch, Amy M.

2015-01-01

Direct Behavior Rating-Multi-Item Scales (DBR-MIS) have been developed as formative measures of behavioral assessment for use in school-based problem-solving models. Initial research has examined the dependability of composite scores generated by summing all items comprising the scales. However, it has been argued that DBR-MIS may offer assessment…

The Relationship Between Attitudes Toward the Handicapped and Nonverbal Behavior with Educators of Special Needs Students: An Exploratory Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stodden, Robert A.; And Others

Examined were the relationships between attitudes toward the handicapped and nonverbal behavior of 60 special education teachers involved in inservice or preservice coursework. Ss were administered the Attitudes Toward Handicapped Individuals (ATHI) Scale and the Nonverbal Behavior Characteristics Scale (NBCS). Analysis of the data indicated a…

Use of Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II in Children with Autism--An Indian Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manohari, S. M.; Raman, Vijaya; Ashok, M. V.

2013-01-01

The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II Edition 2005 (Vineland-II) is useful in assessing abilities in autism spectrum disorder, where an accurate assessment of intelligence using standardized tools is difficult both due to the unique social and communication difficulties that these children present with and the behavioral issues that occur as…

Technical Analysis of the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale--Second Edition--Teacher Version

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erford, Bradley T.; Clark, Kelly

2011-01-01

The reliability and validity of scores on the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale-second edition-teacher version (DBRS-II-T) was analyzed. The DBRS-II-T was designed to assess teacher observations of students referred for behavioral difficulties. The five-factor model fit the data poorly, but convergent and diagnostic validities were excellent.…

The Diagnostic Utility of Behavioral Checklists in Identifying Children with ADHD and Children with Working Memory Deficits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alloway, Tracy Packiam; Gathercole, Susan E.; Holmes, Joni; Place, Maurice; Elliott, Julian G.; Hilton, Kerry

2009-01-01

The present study investigated whether children with ADHD and those with working memory impairments have a common behavioral profile in the classroom. Three teacher checklists were used: the Conners' teacher rating scale (CTRS), the behavior rating inventory of executive function (BRIEF), and the working memory rating scale. The Conners'…

A cross-etiology comparison of the socio-emotional behavioral profiles associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and specific language impairment

PubMed Central

Ash, Andrea C.

2014-01-01

Cross-etiology comparisons provide important information that can help practitioners establish criteria for differential diagnosis and tailor interventions towards the source of children’s difficulties. This study examined the extent to which parent rating scales of socioemotional behavioral difficulties differentiate cases of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from cases of specific language impairment (SLI), and typical development (TD). Parents of 60 children (7–8 years) completed the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) and the Conners Parent Rating Scale-Revised (Conners, 2004). Significant differences were observed between ratings provided for the children with ADHD and the children with SLI and TD across several scales which assessed behavioral and emotional difficulties. Most of the observed differences between ratings provided for the SLI and TD groups were not significant when nonverbal IQ was treated as a covariate or when syndrome scales were adjusted for the presence of language and academic items. In contrast, these adjustments had little impact on observed differences between the children with ADHD and the other groups. These results highlight important and clinically useful differences between the scope and the scale of socioemotional behavior difficulties associated with ADHD and SLI. PMID:24456478

Integrated Primary Care Readiness and Behaviors Scale: Development and validation in behavioral health professionals.

PubMed

Blaney, Cerissa L; Redding, Colleen A; Paiva, Andrea L; Rossi, Joseph S; Prochaska, James O; Blissmer, Bryan; Burditt, Caitlin T; Nash, Justin M; Bayley, Keri Dotson

2018-03-01

Although integrated primary care (IPC) is growing, several barriers remain. Better understanding of behavioral health professionals' (BHPs') readiness for and engagement in IPC behaviors could improve IPC research and training. This study developed measures of IPC behaviors and stage of change. The sample included 319 licensed, practicing BHPs with a range of interests and experience with IPC. Sequential measurement development procedures, with split-half cross-validation were conducted. Exploratory principal components analyses (N = 152) and confirmatory factor analyses (N = 167) yielded a 12-item scale with 2 factors: consultation/practice management (CPM) and intervention/knowledge (IK). A higher-order Integrated Primary Care Behavior Scale (IPCBS) model showed good fit to the data, and excellent internal consistencies. The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) on the IPCBS demonstrated significant large-sized differences across stage and behavior groups. The IPCBS demonstrated good psychometric properties and external validation, advancing research, education, and training for IPC practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Predicting Risk-Taking Behavior from Prefrontal Resting-State Activity and Personality

PubMed Central

Studer, Bettina; Pedroni, Andreas; Rieskamp, Jörg

2013-01-01

Risk-taking is subject to considerable individual differences. In the current study, we tested whether resting-state activity in the prefrontal cortex and trait sensitivity to reward and punishment can help predict risk-taking behavior. Prefrontal activity at rest was assessed in seventy healthy volunteers using electroencephalography, and compared to their choice behavior on an economic risk-taking task. The Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System scale was used to measure participants’ trait sensitivity to reward and punishment. Our results confirmed both prefrontal resting-state activity and personality traits as sources of individual differences in risk-taking behavior. Right-left asymmetry in prefrontal activity and scores on the Behavioral Inhibition System scale, reflecting trait sensitivity to punishment, were correlated with the level of risk-taking on the task. We further discovered that scores on the Behavioral Inhibition System scale modulated the relationship between asymmetry in prefrontal resting-state activity and risk-taking. The results of this study demonstrate that heterogeneity in risk-taking behavior can be traced back to differences in the basic physiology of decision-makers’ brains, and suggest that baseline prefrontal activity and personality traits might interplay in guiding risk-taking behavior. PMID:24116176

Multiscale Roughness Influencing on Transport Behavior of Passive Solute through a Single Self-affine Fracture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dou, Z.

2017-12-01

In this study, the influence of multi-scale roughness on transport behavior of the passive solute through the self-affine fracture was investigated. The single self-affine fracture was constructed by the successive random additions (SRA) and the fracture roughness was decomposed into two different scales (i.e. large-scale primary roughness and small-scale secondary roughness) by the Wavelet analysis technique. The fluid flow in fractures, which was characterized by the Forchheimer's law, showed the non-linear flow behaviors such as eddies and tortuous streamlines. The results indicated that the small-scale secondary roughness was primarily responsible for the non-linear flow behaviors. The direct simulations of asymptotic passive solute transport represented the Non-Fickian transport characteristics (i.e. early arrivals and long tails) in breakthrough curves (BTCs) and residence time distributions (RTDs) with and without consideration of the secondary roughness. Analysis of multiscale BTCs and RTDs showed that the small-scale secondary roughness played a significant role in enhancing the Non-Fickian transport characteristics. We found that removing small-scale secondary roughness led to the lengthening arrival and shortening tail. The peak concentration in BTCs decreased as the secondary roughness was removed, implying that the secondary could also enhance the solute dilution. The estimated BTCs by the Fickian advection-dispersion equation (ADE) yielded errors which decreased with the small-scale secondary roughness being removed. The mobile-immobile model (MIM) was alternatively implemented to characterize the Non-Fickian transport. We found that the MIM was more capable of estimating Non-Fickian BTCs. The small-scale secondary roughness resulted in the decreasing mobile domain fraction and the increasing mass exchange rate between immobile and mobile domains. The estimated parameters from the MIM could provide insight into the inherent mechanism of roughness-induced Non-Fickian transport behaviors.

[Assessment of the validity and reliability of the processes of change scale based on the transtheoretical model of vegetable consumption behavior in Japanese male workers].

PubMed

Kushida, Osamu; Murayama, Nobuko

2012-12-01

A core construct of the Transtheoretical model is that the processes and stages of change are strongly related to observable behavioral changes. We created the Processes of Change Scale of vegetable consumption behavior and examined the validity and reliability of this scale. In September 2009, a self-administered questionnaire was administered to male Japanese employees, aged 20-59 years, working at 20 worksites in Niigata City in Japan. The stages of change (precontempration, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance stage) were measured using 2 items that assessed participants' current implementation of the target behavior (eating 5 or more servings of vegetables per day) and their readiness to change their habits. The Processes of Change Scale of vegetable consumption behavior comprised 10 items assessing 5 cognitive processes (consciousness raising, emotional arousal, environmental reevaluation, self-reevaluation, and social liberation) and 5 behavioral processes (commitment, rewards, helping relationships, countering, and environment control). Each item was selected from an existing scale. Decisional balance (pros [2 items] and cons [2 items]), and self-efficacy (3 items) were also assessed, because these constructs were considered to be relevant to the processes of change. The internal consistency reliability of the scale was examined using Cronbach's alpha. Its construct validity was examined using a factor analysis of the processes of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy variables, while its criterion-related validity was determined by assessing the association between the scale scores and the stages of change. The data of 527 (out of 600) participants (mean age, 41.1 years) were analyzed. Results indicated that the Processes of Change Scale had sufficient internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha: cognitive processes=0.722, behavioral processes=0.803). The processes of change were divided into 2 factors: "consciousness raising, emotional arousal, environmental reevaluation, self-reevaluation, commitment, rewards, helping relationships, and social liberation" and "countering and environment control" in the factor analysis. Moreover, each construct--the processes of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy--could be classified into different factors. The scores for cognitive processes were higher in the contemplation and preparation stages than in the precontemplation stage (P<0.05). Scores for behavioral processes increased from the precontemplation stage to the preparation stages (P<0.05), and were higher in the action + maintenance stage than in the precontemplation stage (P< 0.05). For male workers, the Processes of Change Scale has sufficient validity and reliability, as demonstrated by the internal fitness and the construct and criterion-related validity of the scale found in this study.

Scaling up School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Experiences of Seven States with Documented Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horner, Robert H.; Kincaid, Donald; Sugai, George; Lewis, Timothy; Eber, Lucille; Barrett, Susan; Dickey, Celeste Rossetto; Richter, Mary; Sullivan, Erin; Boezio, Cyndi; Algozzine, Bob; Reynolds, Heather; Johnson, Nanci

2014-01-01

Scaling of evidence-based practices in education has received extensive discussion but little empirical evaluation. We present here a descriptive summary of the experience from seven states with a history of implementing and scaling School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) over the past decade. Each state has been…

Construct Reliability and Validity of the Shortened Version of the Information-Seeking Behavior Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lerdpornkulrat, Thanita; Poondej, Chanut; Koul, Ravinder

2017-01-01

This study aimed to translate the information-seeking behavior scale from English to Thai, and to ascertain the construct reliability and validity of the scale. Data were collected from 664 undergraduate students in Thailand. The descriptive statistics were explored to see the extent to which various information sources are being used by…

Psychometric Properties of the Children's Scale of Hostility and Aggression: Reactive/Proactive (C-SHARP)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farmer, Cristan A.; Aman, Michael G.

2010-01-01

Although often lacking "malice", aggression is fairly common in children with intellectual or developmental disability (I/DD). Despite this, there are no scales available that are appropriate for an in-depth analysis of aggressive behavior in this population. Such scales are needed for the study of aggressive behavior, which is a common target…

Direct Behavior Rating Instrumentation: Evaluating the Impact of Scale Formats

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Faith G.; Riley-Tillman, T. Chris; Chafouleas, Sandra M.; Schardt, Alyssa A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of two different Direct Behavior Rating--Single Item Scale (DBR-SIS) formats on rating accuracy. A total of 119 undergraduate students participated in one of two study conditions, each utilizing a different DBR-SIS scale format: one that included percentage of time anchors on the DBR-SIS…

A review of the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale for Healthy Behaviors.

PubMed

Cullum, Kristiana G H; Mayo, Ann M

2015-01-01

Assessing an instrument's psychometric properties to determine appropriateness for use can be a challenging process. Dissecting the statistical terminology may be even more perplexing. There are several instruments that evaluate adolescents' perceived social support, but a fairly new instrument related to this construct assesses not only the availability of social support but also support for healthy behaviors in this population. The Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale for Healthy Behaviors, first published in 2013, demonstrates adequate initial reliability and validity. The purpose of this article is to review the psychometric properties of the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale for Healthy Behaviors and potential uses of the instrument.

Eating Behaviors and Obesity in African American and Caucasian Women

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-16

Disorder Diagnostic Scale [23] is a 22-item scale that is useful as a screening tool for Anorexia Nervosa , Bulimia Nervosa , and Binge Eating Disorder...Agreement between eating disorder diagnoses from the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale and those by clinical interview is high: 99% for Anorexia , 96...Diagnostic Scale revealed that only 24% of the total sample met criteria for Bulimia Nervosa or Binge Eating Disordered behavior (sub- or threshold

[Eyberg inventory of child behavior. Standardization of the Spanish version and its usefulness in ambulatory pediatrics].

PubMed

García-Tornel Florensa, S; Calzada, E J; Eyberg, S M; Mas Alguacil, J C; Vilamala Serra, C; Baraza Mendoza, C; Villena Collado, H; González García, M; Calvo Hernández, M; Trinxant Doménech, A

1998-05-01

Taking into account the high prevalence of behavioral problems in the pediatric outpatient clinic, a need for a useful and easy to administer tool for the evaluation of this problem arises. The psychometric characteristics of the Spanish version of the Eyberg Behavioral Child Inventory (EBCI), [in Spanish Inventario de Eyberg para el Comportamiento de Niño (IECN)], a 36-item questionnaire were established. The ECBI inventory/questionnaire was translated into Spanish. The basis of the ECBI is the evaluation of the child's behavior through the parents' answers to the questionnaire. Healthy children between 2 and 12 years of age were included and were taken from pediatric outpatient clinics from urban and suburban areas of Barcelona and from our hospital's own ambulatory clinic. The final sample included 518 subjects. The mean score on the intensity scale was 96.8 and on the problem scale 3.9. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.73 and the test-retest had an r of 0.89 (p < 0.001) for the intensity scale and r = 0.93 (p < 0.001) for the problem scale. Interrater reliability for the intensity scale was r = 0.58 (p < 0.001) and r = 0.32 (p < 0.001) for the problem scale. Concurrent validity between both scales was r = 0.343 (p < 0.001). The IECN is a useful and easy tool to apply in the pediatrician's office as a method for early detection of behavior problems.

Copy of Using Emulation and Simulation to Understand the Large-Scale Behavior of the Internet.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adalsteinsson, Helgi; Armstrong, Robert C.; Chiang, Ken

2008-10-01

We report on the work done in the late-start LDRDUsing Emulation and Simulation toUnderstand the Large-Scale Behavior of the Internet. We describe the creation of a researchplatform that emulates many thousands of machines to be used for the study of large-scale inter-net behavior. We describe a proof-of-concept simple attack we performed in this environment.We describe the successful capture of a Storm bot and, from the study of the bot and furtherliterature search, establish large-scale aspects we seek to understand via emulation of Storm onour research platform in possible follow-on work. Finally, we discuss possible future work.3

[The relationship of empathic-affective responses toward others' positive affect with prosocial behaviors and aggressive behaviors].

PubMed

Sakurai, Shigeo; Hayama, Daichi; Suzuki, Takashi; Kurazumi, Tomoe; Hagiwara, Toshihiko; Suzuki, Miyuki; Ohuchi, Akiko; Chizuko, Oikawa

2011-06-01

The purposes of this study were to develop and validate the Empathic-Affective Response Scale, and to examine the relationship of empathic-affective responses with prosocial behaviors and aggressive behaviors. Undergraduate students (N = 443) participated in a questionnaire study. The results of factor analysis indicated that empathic-affective responses involved three factors: (a) sharing and good feeling toward others' positive affect, (b) sharing of negative affect and (c) sympathy toward others' negative affect. Correlations with other empathy-related scales and internal consistency suggested that this scale has satisfactory validity and reliability. Cluster analysis revealed that participants were clustered into four groups: high-empathic group, low-empathic group, insufficient positive affective response group and insufficient negative affective response group. Additional analysis showed the frequency of prosocial behaviors in high-empathic group was highest in all groups. On the other hand, the frequency of aggressive behaviors in both insufficient positive affective response group and low-empathic group were higher than others' groups. The results indicated that empathic-affective responses toward positive affect are also very important to predict prosocial behaviors and aggressive behaviors.

Complexity, Robustness, and Network Thermodynamics in Large-Scale and Multiagent Systems: A Hybrid Control Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-11

dynamic behavior , wherein a dissipative dynamical system can deliver only a fraction of its energy to its surroundings and can store only a fraction of the...collection of interacting subsystems. The behavior and properties of the aggregate large-scale system can then be deduced from the behaviors of the...uniqueness is established. This state space formalism of thermodynamics shows that the behavior of heat, as described by the conservation equations of

Evaluating process in child and family interventions: aggression prevention as an example.

PubMed

Tolan, Patrick H; Hanish, Laura D; McKay, Mary M; Dickey, Mitchell H

2002-06-01

This article reports on 2 studies designed to develop and validate a set of measures for use in evaluating processes of child and family interventions. In Study 1 responses from 187 families attending an outpatient clinic for child behavior problems were factor analyzed to identify scales, consistent across sources: Alliance (Satisfactory Relationship with Interventionist and Program Satisfaction), Parenting Skill Attainment, Child Cooperation During Session, Child Prosocial Behavior, and Child Aggressive Behavior. Study 2 focused on patterns of scale scores among 78 families taking part in a 22-week preventive intervention designed to affect family relationships, parenting, and child antisocial and prosocial behaviors. The factor structure identified in Study 1 was replicated. Scale construct validity was demonstrated through across-source convergence, sensitivity to intervention change, and ability to discriminate individual differences. Path analysis validated the scales' utility in explaining key aspects of the intervention process. Implications for evaluating processes in family interventions are discussed.

Homogenization analysis of invasion dynamics in heterogeneous landscapes with differential bias and motility.

PubMed

Yurk, Brian P

2018-07-01

Animal movement behaviors vary spatially in response to environmental heterogeneity. An important problem in spatial ecology is to determine how large-scale population growth and dispersal patterns emerge within highly variable landscapes. We apply the method of homogenization to study the large-scale behavior of a reaction-diffusion-advection model of population growth and dispersal. Our model includes small-scale variation in the directed and random components of movement and growth rates, as well as large-scale drift. Using the homogenized model we derive simple approximate formulas for persistence conditions and asymptotic invasion speeds, which are interpreted in terms of residence index. The homogenization results show good agreement with numerical solutions for environments with a high degree of fragmentation, both with and without periodicity at the fast scale. The simplicity of the formulas, and their connection to residence index make them appealing for studying the large-scale effects of a variety of small-scale movement behaviors.

MD Simulation on Collision Behavior Between Nano-Scale TiO₂ Particles During Vacuum Cold Spraying.

PubMed

Yao, Hai-Long; Yang, Guan-Jun; Li, Chang-Jiu

2018-04-01

Particle collision behavior influences significantly inter-nano particle bonding formation during the nano-ceramic coating deposition by vacuum cold spraying (or aerosol deposition method). In order to illuminate the collision behavior between nano-scale ceramic particles, molecular dynamic simulation was applied to explore impact process between nano-scale TiO2 particles through controlling impact velocities. Results show that the recoil efficiency of the nano-scale TiO2 particle is decreased with the increase of the impact velocity. Nano-scale TiO2 particle exhibits localized plastic deformation during collision at low velocities, while it is intensively deformed by collision at high velocities. This intensive deformation promotes the nano-particle adhesion rather than rebounding off. A relationship between the adhesion energy and the rebound energy is established for the bonding formation of the nano-scale TiO2 particle. The adhesion energy required to the bonding formation between nano-scale ceramic particles can be produced by high velocity collision.

[Quantitative research on operation behavior of acupuncture manipulation].

PubMed

Li, Jing; Grierson, Lawrence; Wu, Mary X; Breuer, Ronny; Carnahan, Heather

2014-03-01

To explore a method of quantitative evaluation on operation behavior of acupuncture manipulation and further analyze behavior features of professional acupuncture manipulation. According to acupuncture basic manipulations, Scales for Operation Behavior of Acupuncture Basic Manipulation was made and Delphi method was adopted to test its validity. Two independent estimators utilized this scale to assess operation behavior of acupuncture manipulate among 12 acupuncturists and 12 acupuncture-novices and calculate interrater reliability, also the differences of total score of operation behavior in the two groups as well as single-step score, including sterilization, needle insertion, needle manipulation and needle withdrawal, were compared. The validity of this scale was satisfied. The inter-rater reliability was 0. 768. The total score of operation behavior in acupuncturist group was significantly higher than that in the acupuncture-novice group (13.80 +/- 1.05 vs 11.03 +/- 2.14, P < 0.01). The scores of needle insertion and needle manipulation in the acupuncturist group were significantly higher than those in the acupuncture-novice group (4.28 +/- 0.91 vs 2.54 +/- 1.51, P < 0.01; 2.56 +/- 0.65 vs 1.88 +/- 0.88, P < 0.05); however, the scores of sterilization and needle withdrawal in the acupuncturist group were not different from those in the acupuncture-novice group. This scale is suitable for quantitative evaluation on operation behavior of acupuncture manipulation. The behavior features of professional acupuncture manipulation are mainly presented with needle insertion and needle manipulation which has superior difficulty, high coordination and accuracy.

Combining agreement and frequency rating scales to optimize psychometrics in measuring behavioral health functioning.

PubMed

Marfeo, Elizabeth E; Ni, Pengsheng; Chan, Leighton; Rasch, Elizabeth K; Jette, Alan M

2014-07-01

The goal of this article was to investigate optimal functioning of using frequency vs. agreement rating scales in two subdomains of the newly developed Work Disability Functional Assessment Battery: the Mood & Emotions and Behavioral Control scales. A psychometric study comparing rating scale performance embedded in a cross-sectional survey used for developing a new instrument to measure behavioral health functioning among adults applying for disability benefits in the United States was performed. Within the sample of 1,017 respondents, the range of response category endorsement was similar for both frequency and agreement item types for both scales. There were fewer missing values in the frequency items than the agreement items. Both frequency and agreement items showed acceptable reliability. The frequency items demonstrated optimal effectiveness around the mean ± 1-2 standard deviation score range; the agreement items performed better at the extreme score ranges. Findings suggest an optimal response format requires a mix of both agreement-based and frequency-based items. Frequency items perform better in the normal range of responses, capturing specific behaviors, reactions, or situations that may elicit a specific response. Agreement items do better for those whose scores are more extreme and capture subjective content related to general attitudes, behaviors, or feelings of work-related behavioral health functioning. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fire danger and fire behavior modeling systems in Australia, Europe, and North America

Treesearch

Francis M. Fujioka; A. Malcolm Gill; Domingos X. Viegas; B. Mike Wotton

2009-01-01

Wildland fire occurrence and behavior are complex phenomena involving essentially fuel (vegetation), topography, and weather. Fire managers around the world use a variety of systems to track and predict fire danger and fire behavior, at spatial scales that span from local to global extents, and temporal scales ranging from minutes to seasons. The fire management...

Validity and Reliability Analysis for the Teacher Determination for Democratic Behavior Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yesil, Rustu

2010-01-01

The main aim of this study is to develop a scale to assess the extent to which teachers display democratic behaviors they are supposed to display in in-classroom teaching practices and the level of their determination in displaying such behaviors. The study group of this survey is composed of 446 second grade high school students, 243 girls and…

Psychometric Properties of a Proposed Short Form of the BASC Teacher Rating Scale--Preschool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yanosky, Daniel J.; Schwanenflugel, Paula J.; Kamphaus, Randy W.

2013-01-01

A 25 item short form of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC) Teacher Rating Scale--Preschool (TRS-P) was developed by the BASC authors to serve as an emotional/behavioral indicator for an academic intervention study targeting preschool-aged students. The BASC screener is thought to fulfill a need for an abbreviated behavior rating…

Reliability and Validity of a German Version of the "Questions about Behavioral Function" (QABF) Scale for Self-Injurious Behavior in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bienstein, Pia; Nussbeck, Susanne

2009-01-01

The psychometric properties of a German version of the Questions About Behavioral Function Scale (QABF) (Matson & Vollmer, 1995) were examined in a sample of 522 individuals with intellectual disabilities residing in large facilities participated. The factor structure was first examined by exploratory factor analysis, yielding a…

Concurrent Validity and Sensitivity to Change of Direct Behavior Rating Single-Item Scales (DBR-SIS) within an Elementary Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Rhonda L.; Eklund, Katie; Kilgus, Stephen P.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concurrent validity, sensitivity to change, and teacher acceptability of Direct Behavior Rating single-item scales (DBR-SIS), a brief progress monitoring measure designed to assess student behavioral change in response to intervention. Twenty-four elementary teacher-student dyads implemented a daily…

Validation of the Chinese Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-Symptoms and Normal-Behaviors Questionnaire in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Kelly Y. C.; Leung, Patrick W. L.; Luk, Ernest S. L.; Wong, Ann S. Y.; Law, Lawrence S. C.; Ho, Karen K. Y.

2013-01-01

Objective: Unlike rating scales that focus on the severity of ADHD symptoms, the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-Symptoms and Normal-Behaviors (SWAN) rating scale is phrased in neutral or positive terms for carers to compare the index child's behaviors with that of their peers. This study explores its psychometric properties when applied to…

Analysis of Unbound Aggregate Layer Deformation Behavior from Full Scale Aircraft Gear Loading with Wander

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donovan, Phillip Raymond

2009-01-01

This study focuses on the analysis of the behavior of unbound aggregates to offset wheel loads. Test data from full-scale aircraft gear loading conducted at the National Airport Pavement Test Facility (NAPTF) by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are used to investigate the effects of wander (offset loads) on the deformation behavior of…

TABS Manual for the Temperament and Atypical Behavior Scale: Early Childhood Indicators of Developmental Dysfunction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neisworth, John T.; Bagnato, Stephen J.; Salvia, John; Hunt, Frances M.

This manual describes the rationale, use, and validity of the Temperament and Atypical Behavior Scale (TABS), a norm-referenced measure of dysfunctional behavior appropriately used with infants and young children between the ages of 11 and 71 months. TABS is intended to identify children who are developing atypically or are at risk for atypical…

Creation and Validation of the Cognitive and Behavioral Response to Stress Scale in a Depression Trial

PubMed Central

Miner, Adam S.; Schueller, Stephen M.; Lattie, Emily G.; Mohr, David C.

2015-01-01

The Cognitive and Behavioral Response to Stress Scale (CB-RSS) is a self-report measure of the use and helpfulness of several cognitive and behavioral skills. Unlike other measures that focus on language specific to terms used in therapy, the CB-RSS was intended to tap the strategies in ways that might be understandable to those who had not undergone therapy. The measure was included in a clinical trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression and completed by 325 participants at baseline and end of treatment (18 weeks). Psychometric properties of the scale were assessed through iterative exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. These analyses identified two subscales, cognitive and behavioral skills, each with high reliability. Validity was addressed by investigating relationships with depression symptoms, positive affect, perceived stress, and coping self-efficacy. End of treatment scores predicted changes in all outcomes, with the largest relationships between baseline CB-RSS scales and coping self-efficacy. These findings suggest that the CB-RSS is a useful tool to measure cognitive and behavioral skills both at baseline (prior to treatment) as well as during the course of treatment. Keywords: Development, Validation, Telehealth PMID:26553147

Creation and validation of the Cognitive and Behavioral Response to Stress Scale in a depression trial.

PubMed

Miner, Adam S; Schueller, Stephen M; Lattie, Emily G; Mohr, David C

2015-12-30

The Cognitive and Behavioral Response to Stress Scale (CB-RSS) is a self-report measure of the use and helpfulness of several cognitive and behavioral skills. Unlike other measures that focus on language specific to terms used in therapy, the CB-RSS was intended to tap the strategies in ways that might be understandable to those who had not undergone therapy. The measure was included in a clinical trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression and completed by 325 participants at baseline and end of treatment (18 weeks). Psychometric properties of the scale were assessed through iterative exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. These analyses identified two subscales, cognitive and behavioral skills, each with high reliability. Validity was addressed by investigating relationships with depression symptoms, positive affect, perceived stress, and coping self-efficacy. End of treatment scores predicted changes in all outcomes, with the largest relationships between baseline CB-RSS scales and coping self-efficacy. These findings suggest that the CB-RSS is a useful tool to measure cognitive and behavioral skills both at baseline (prior to treatment) as well as during the course of treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genome-wide Linkage Scan of Antisocial Behavior, Depression and Impulsive Substance Use in the UCSF Family Alcoholism Study

PubMed Central

Gizer, Ian R.; Ehlers, Cindy L.; Vieten, Cassandra; Feiler, Heidi S.; Gilder, David A.; Wilhelmsen, Kirk C.

2012-01-01

OBJECTIVE Epidemiological and clinical studies suggest that rates of antisocial behavior, depression, and impulsive substance use are increased among individuals diagnosed with alcohol dependence relative to those who are not. Thus, the present study conducted genome-wide linkage scans of antisocial behavior, depression, and impulsive substance use in the University of California at San Francisco Family Alcoholism Study. METHODS Antisocial behavior, depressive symptoms, and impulsive substance use were assessed using three scales from the MMPI-2, the Antisocial Practices content scale (ASP), the Depression content scale (DEP), and the revised MacAndrew Alcoholism scale (MAC-R). Linkage analyses were conducted using a variance components approach. RESULTS Suggestive evidence of linkage to three genomic regions independent of alcohol and cannabis dependence diagnostic status was observed: the ASP scale showed evidence of linkage to chromosome 13 at 11 cM, the MAC-R scale showed evidence of linkage to chromosome 15 at 47 cM, and all 3 scales showed evidence of linkage to chromosome 17 at 57–58 cM. CONCLUSIONS Each of these regions has shown prior evidence of linkage and association to substance dependence as well as other psychiatric disorders such as mood and anxiety disorders, ADHD, and schizophrenia thus suggesting potentially broad relations between these regions and psychopathology. PMID:22517380

Etiological contributions to the covariation between children's perceptions of inter-parental conflict and child behavioral problems.

PubMed

Nikolas, Molly; Klump, Kelly L; Burt, S Alexandra

2013-02-01

Prior work has suggested that inter-parental conflict likely plays an etiological role in child behavior problems. However, family-level measurement of inter-parental conflict in most traditional child twin studies has made it difficult to tease apart the specific causal mechanisms underlying this association. The Children's Perception of Inter-parental Conflict scale (CPIC) provides a child-specific measurement tool for examining these questions, as its subscales tap multiple dimensions of conflict assessed from the child's (rather than the parent's) perspective. The current study examined (1) the degree of genetic and environmental influence on each of the CPIC subscales, and (2) etiological contributions to the covariation between the CPIC scales and parental reports of child behavioral problems. The CPIC was completed by 1,200 child twins (aged 6-11 years) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR). Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to assess child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Multivariate models were examined to evaluate the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to both the CPIC scales and to their overlap with child behavioral outcomes. Modeling results indicated no significant moderation of sex or age. Significant environmental overlap emerged between the CPIC conflict properties scale and child internalizing and externalizing problems. By contrast, significant genetic correlations emerged between the CPIC self-blame scale and externalizing problems as well as between the CPIC threat scale and internalizing problems. Overall, findings suggest that the subscales of the CPIC are somewhat etiologically diverse and may provide a useful tool for future investigations of possible gene-environment interplay.

Influences of coupled fire-atmosphere interaction on wildfire behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linn, R.; Winterkamp, J.; Jonko, A. K.; Runde, I.; Canfield, J.; Parsons, R.; Sieg, C.

2017-12-01

Two-way interactions between fire and the environment affect fire behavior at scales ranging from buoyancy-induced mixing and turbulence to fire-scale circulations that retard or increase fire spread. Advances in computing have created new opportunities for the exploration of coupled fire-atmosphere behavior using numerical models that represent interactions between the dominant processes driving wildfire behavior, including convective and radiative heat transfer, aerodynamic drag and buoyant response of the atmosphere to heat released by the fire. Such models are not practical for operational, faster-than-real-time fire prediction due to their computational and data requirements. However, they are valuable tools for exploring influences of fire-atmosphere feedbacks on fire behavior as they explicitly simulate atmospheric motions surrounding fires from meter to kilometer scales. We use the coupled fire-atmosphere model FIRETEC to gain new insights into aspects of fire behavior that have been observed in the field and laboratory, to carry out sensitivity analysis that is impractical through observations and to pose new hypotheses that can be tested experimentally. Specifically, we use FIRETEC to study the following multi-scale coupled fire-atmosphere interactions: 1) 3D fire-atmosphere interaction that dictates multi-scale fire line dynamics; 2) influence of vegetation heterogeneity and variability in wind fields on predictability of fire spread; 3) fundamental impacts of topography on fire spread. These numerical studies support new conceptual models for the dominant roles of multi-scale fluid dynamics in determining fire spread, including the roles of crosswind fire line-intensity variations on heat transfer to unburned fuels and the role of fire line depth expansion in upslope acceleration of fires.

Self-reported impulsivity, but not behavioral approach or inhibition, mediates the relationship between stress and self-control

PubMed Central

Hamilton, Kristen R.; Sinha, Rajita; Potenza, Marc N.

2014-01-01

Stress has been associated with poor self-control. Individual differences in impulsivity and other behavioral tendencies may influence the relationship of stress with self-control, although this possibility has not been examined to date. The present research investigated whether cumulative stress is associated with poor self-control, and whether this relationship is mediated by impulsivity, behavioral approach, and behavioral inhibition in men and women. A community sample of 566 adults (319 women and 247 men) was assessed on the Cumulative Adversity Interview, Brief Self-control Scale, Barratt Impulsivity Scale, and Behavioral Activation System and Behavioral Inhibition System Scale (BIS/BAS). Data were analyzed using regression and bootstrapping techniques. In the total sample, the effects of cumulative stress on self-control were mediated by impulsivity. Neither behavioral inhibition nor behavioral approach mediated the association between cumulative stress and self-control in the total sample. Results were similar when men and women were considered separately, with impulsivity, but not behavioral inhibition or approach, mediating the association between cumulative stress and self-control. Impulsive individuals might benefit preferentially from interventions focusing on stress management and strategies for improving self-control. PMID:24508183

Self-reported impulsivity, but not behavioral approach or inhibition, mediates the relationship between stress and self-control.

PubMed

Hamilton, Kristen R; Sinha, Rajita; Potenza, Marc N

2014-11-01

Stress has been associated with poor self-control. Individual differences in impulsivity and other behavioral tendencies may influence the relationship of stress with self-control, although this possibility has not been examined to date. The present research investigated whether cumulative stress is associated with poor self-control, and whether this relationship is mediated by impulsivity, behavioral approach, and behavioral inhibition in men and women. A community sample of 566 adults (319 women and 247 men) was assessed on the Cumulative Adversity Interview, Brief Self-control Scale, Barratt Impulsivity Scale, and Behavioral Activation System and Behavioral Inhibition System Scale (BIS/BAS). Data were analyzed using regression and bootstrapping techniques. In the total sample, the effects of cumulative stress on self-control were mediated by impulsivity. Neither behavioral inhibition nor behavioral approach mediated the association between cumulative stress and self-control in the total sample. Results were similar when men and women were considered separately, with impulsivity, but not behavioral inhibition or approach, mediating the association between cumulative stress and self-control. Impulsive individuals might benefit preferentially from interventions focusing on stress management and strategies for improving self-control. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Role Behavioral Adjustment Plays in Placing Middle School Students "At Risk" of Academic Failure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn, Timothy M.

The role of behavioral adjustment in placing middle school students at risk academically is examined using 23 middle school teachers' and 378 parents' ratings of 389 children (53 percent blacks and 47 percent whites) on Conner's Parent Rating Scale and Conner's Teacher Rating Scale. The average rating on the scales for both sets of ratings is…

Detecting Parental Deception Using a Behavior Rating Scale during Assessment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: An Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norfolk, Philip A.; Floyd, Randy G.

2016-01-01

It is often assumed that parents completing behavior rating scales during the assessment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can deliberately manipulate the outcomes of the assessment. To detect these actions, items designed to detect over-reporting or under-reporting of results are sometimes embedded in such rating scales. This…

Introduction to Symposium and Intercorrelations, Sex, and Race Differences on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Childers, John S.; And Others

Preliminary findings are presented from a study of the performance of 99 institutionalized retarded children on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS), a revised form of the Vineland Social Maturity Scale (VSMS). No significant sex or race differences were revealed on test performances. Mental age was found to correlate with VABS scores with…

Incipient criticality in ecological communities

PubMed Central

Zillio, Tommaso; Banavar, Jayanth R.; Green, Jessica L.; Harte, John; Maritan, Amos

2008-01-01

In ecology, there have been attempts to establish links between the relative species abundance (RSA), the fraction of species in a community with a given abundance, and a power-law form of the species area relationship (SAR), the dependence of species richness on sampling area. However the SAR and other patterns in ecology often do not exhibit power-law behavior over an appreciable range of scales. This raises the question whether a scaling framework can be applied when the system under analysis does not exhibit power-law behavior. Here, we derive a general finite-size scaling framework applicable to such systems that can be used to identify incipient critical behavior and links the scale dependence of the RSA and the SAR. We confirm the generality of our theory by using data from a serpentine grassland plot, which exhibits a power-law SAR, and the Barro Colorado Island plot in Panama, whose SAR shows deviations from power-law behavior at every scale. Our results demonstrate that scaling provides a model-independent framework for analyzing and unifying ecological data and that, despite the absence of power laws, ecosystems are poised in the vicinity of a critical point. PMID:19033187

A Critique of Carver and White's (1994) Behavioral Inhibition Scale (BIS) for Investigating Lykken's (1995) Theory of Primary Psychopathy

PubMed Central

Poythress, Norman G.; Edens, John F.; Landfield, Kristin; Lilienfeld, Scott O.; Skeem, Jennifer L.; Douglas, Kevin S.

2008-01-01

In a 1995 monograph, Lykken asserted that an innate fearless temperament underpins the development of primary psychopathy as described by Cleckley (1941). To embed this insight in a larger theory of behavior, Lykken embraced constructs from Gray’s (1982) reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST). Specifically, he hypothesized that in primary psychopaths the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) lacks normal sensitivity to cues of conditioned punishment or non-reward. Subsequent researchers have embraced Carver and White’s (1994) BIS scale as the instrument of choice for testing Lykken’s theory of primary psychopathy, a practice that this review calls into question. We note (a) a dearth of research using the BIS scales in offender samples, where more psychopathic individuals are likely to be found and (b) limited BIS scale coverage of the functions attributed to the behavioral inhibition system in RST. In addition, (c) we review literature suggesting that rather than assessing the fear sensitivity function critical to Lykken’s theory, the BIS scale instead functions primarily as an index of negative emotionality. We recommend a moratorium on the use of the BIS scale to test Lykken’s theory of primary psychopathy. PMID:19727321

Effects of polar solvents on the mechanical behavior of fish scales.

PubMed

Murcia, Sandra; Li, Guihua; Yahyazadehfar, Mobin; Sasser, Mikaela; Ossa, Alex; Arola, D

2016-04-01

Fish scales are unique structural materials that serve as a form of natural armor. In this investigation the mechanical behavior of scales from the Cyprinus carpio was evaluated after exposure to a polar solvent. Uniaxial tensile and tear tests were conducted on specimens prepared from the scales of multiple fish extracted from near the head, middle and tail regions, and after exposure to ethanol for periods from 0 to 24h. Submersion in ethanol caused instantaneous changes in the tensile properties regardless of anatomical site, with increases in the elastic modulus, strength and modulus of toughness exceeding 100%. The largest increase in properties overall occurred in the elastic modulus of scales from the tail region and exceeded 200%. Although ethanol treatment had significant effect on the tensile properties, it had limited influence on the tear resistance. The contribution of ethanol to the mechanical behavior appears to be derived from an increase in the degree of interpeptide hydrogen-bonding of the collagen molecules. Spatial variations in the effects of ethanol exposure on the mechanical behavior arise from the differences in degree of mineralization and lower mineral content in scales of the tail region. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The clinical utility of the MMPI-2-RF Suicidal/Death Ideation Scale.

PubMed

Gottfried, Emily; Bodell, Lindsay; Carbonell, Joyce; Joiner, Thomas

2014-12-01

Suicide is a major public health concern, with over 100 individuals dying by suicide per day in the United States alone. Therefore, suicide risk assessment is an essential aspect of mental health care. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008-2011; Tellegen & Ben-Porath, 2008) has a Suicidal/Death Ideation (SUI) scale consisting of 5 items that describe recent suicidal ideation or behaviors. Although this scale has clear face validity, few studies have examined the clinical utility of this scale. The purpose of the current study was to examine associations between the SUI scale and other established measures of suicidal ideation and behavior, including the Depressive Symptom Inventory Suicidality Subscale (DSI-SS; Metalsky & Joiner, 1997), Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS; Beck & Steer, 1991; Beck, Steer, & Ranieri, 1988), self-report of lifetime suicide attempts, and clinician ratings of suicide risk. Participants were 998 therapy- and assessment-seeking outpatients. Analyses indicated that the SUI scale was positively associated with other self-reported measures of suicidal ideation and behavior. Significant differences in SUI scale scores also emerged among the clinician rating categories of suicide risk. The SUI scale was able to predict previous suicide attempts over and above age, gender, and other MMPI-2-RF scales related to depression. Finally, relative risk ratios for suicide attempts indicate increased risk of suicidality, with higher T scores on the SUI scale. Overall, findings suggest that the MMPI-2-RF SUI scale may be a useful tool for identifying individuals at risk for suicidal ideation and behavior in clinical settings. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Siranosian, Antranik Antonio; Schembri, Philip Edward; Luscher, Darby Jon

The Los Alamos National Laboratory's Weapon Systems Engineering division's Advanced Engineering Analysis group employs material constitutive models of composites for use in simulations of components and assemblies of interest. Experimental characterization, modeling and prediction of the macro-scale (i.e. continuum) behaviors of these composite materials is generally difficult because they exhibit nonlinear behaviors on the meso- (e.g. micro-) and macro-scales. Furthermore, it can be difficult to measure and model the mechanical responses of the individual constituents and constituent interactions in the composites of interest. Current efforts to model such composite materials rely on semi-empirical models in which meso-scale properties are inferredmore » from continuum level testing and modeling. The proposed approach involves removing the difficulties of interrogating and characterizing micro-scale behaviors by scaling-up the problem to work with macro-scale composites, with the intention of developing testing and modeling capabilities that will be applicable to the mesoscale. This approach assumes that the physical mechanisms governing the responses of the composites on the meso-scale are reproducible on the macro-scale. Working on the macro-scale simplifies the quantification of composite constituents and constituent interactions so that efforts can be focused on developing material models and the testing techniques needed for calibration and validation. Other benefits to working with macro-scale composites include the ability to engineer and manufacture—potentially using additive manufacturing techniques—composites that will support the application of advanced measurement techniques such as digital volume correlation and three-dimensional computed tomography imaging, which would aid in observing and quantifying complex behaviors that are exhibited in the macro-scale composites of interest. Ultimately, the goal of this new approach is to develop a meso-scale composite modeling framework, applicable to many composite materials, and the corresponding macroscale testing and test data interrogation techniques to support model calibration.« less

Psychometric Properties of the Perceived Wellness Culture and Environment Support Scale.

PubMed

Melnyk, Bernadette Mazurek; Szalacha, Laura A; Amaya, Megan

2018-05-01

This study reports on the psychometric properties of the 11-item Perceived Wellness Culture and Environment Support Scale (PWCESS) and its relationship with employee healthy lifestyle beliefs and behaviors. Faculty and staff (N = 3959) at a large public university in the United States mid-west completed the PWCESS along with healthy lifestyle beliefs and behaviors scales. Data were randomly split into 2 halves to explore the PWCESS' validity and reliability and the second half to confirm findings. Principal components analysis indicated a unidimensional construct. The PWCESS was positively related to healthy lifestyle beliefs and behaviors supporting the scale's validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the unidimensional construct (Cronbach's α = .92). Strong evidence supports the validity and reliability of the PWCESS. Future use of this scale could guide workplace intervention strategies to improve organizational wellness culture and employee health outcomes.

Out-of-equilibrium dynamics driven by localized time-dependent perturbations at quantum phase transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelissetto, Andrea; Rossini, Davide; Vicari, Ettore

2018-03-01

We investigate the quantum dynamics of many-body systems subject to local (i.e., restricted to a limited space region) time-dependent perturbations. If the system crosses a quantum phase transition, an off-equilibrium behavior is observed, even for a very slow driving. We show that, close to the transition, time-dependent quantities obey scaling laws. In first-order transitions, the scaling behavior is universal, and some scaling functions can be computed exactly. For continuous transitions, the scaling laws are controlled by the standard critical exponents and by the renormalization-group dimension of the perturbation at the transition. Our protocol can be implemented in existing relatively small quantum simulators, paving the way for a quantitative probe of the universal off-equilibrium scaling behavior, without the need to manipulate systems close to the thermodynamic limit.

User’s Guide for Tactical Thinking Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

Shafer , J., Ross, K. G., Cox, D. A., & Shadrick, S . B. (2005). A behaviorally anchored assessment tool to measure tactical thinking proficiency. Paper...NUMBER User’s Guide for Tactical Thinking Behaviorally Anchored Rating W74V8H-04-C-0018 Scales 5b. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 622785 6. AUTHOR( S ) 5c...cognition by observing and rating behaviors . Phillips, Shafer , Ross, Cox, and Shadrick (2005) describe the process by which the T- BARS were developed. This

Relation of organizational citizenship behavior and locus of control.

PubMed

Turnipseed, David L; Bacon, Calvin M

2009-12-01

The relation of organizational citizenship behavior and locus of control was assessed in a sample of 286 college students (52% men; M age = 24 yr.) who worked an average of 26 hr. per week. Measures were Spector's Work Locus of Control Scale and Podsakoff, et al.'s Organization Citizenship Behavior scale. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated positive association of scores on work locus of control with scores on each of the four tested dimensions of organizational citizenship, as well as total organizational citizenship behavior.

Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Behavioral Stability and Change in Children 6-36 months of Age Using Louisville Twin Study Data.

PubMed

Davis, Deborah Winders; Finkel, Deborah; Turkheimer, Eric; Dickens, William

2015-11-01

The Infant Behavior Record (IBR) from the Bayley Scales of Infant Development has been used to study behavioral development since the 1960s. Matheny (1983) examined behavioral development at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months from the Louisville Twin Study (LTS). The extracted temperament scales included Task Orientation, Affect-Extraversion, and Activity. He concluded that monozygotic twins were more similar than same-sex dizygotic twins on these dimensions. Since this seminal work was published, a larger LTS sample and more advanced analytical methods are available. In the current analyses, Choleksy decomposition was applied to behavioral data (n = 1231) from twins 6-36 months. Different patterns of genetic continuity vs genetic innovations were identified for each IBR scale. Single common genetic and shared environmental factors explained cross-age twin similarity in the Activity scale. Multiple shared environmental factors and a single genetic factor coming on line at age 18 months contributed to Affect-Extraversion. A single shared environmental factor and multiple genetic factors explained cross-age twin similarity in Task Orientation.

Risperidone for the core symptom domains of autism: results from the study by the autism network of the research units on pediatric psychopharmacology.

PubMed

McDougle, Christopher J; Scahill, Lawrence; Aman, Michael G; McCracken, James T; Tierney, Elaine; Davies, Mark; Arnold, L Eugene; Posey, David J; Martin, Andrès; Ghuman, Jaswinder K; Shah, Bhavik; Chuang, Shirley Z; Swiezy, Naomi B; Gonzalez, Nilda M; Hollway, Jill; Koenig, Kathleen; McGough, James J; Ritz, Louise; Vitiello, Benedetto

2005-06-01

Risperidone has been found efficacious for decreasing severe tantrums, aggression, and self-injurious behavior in children and adolescents with autistic disorder (autism). The authors report on whether risperidone improves the core symptoms of autism, social and communication impairment and repetitive and stereotyped behavior. The database from an 8-week double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (N=101) and 16-week open-label continuation study (N=63) of risperidone for children and adolescents with autism was used to test for drug effects on secondary outcome measures: scores on the Ritvo-Freeman Real Life Rating Scale, the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, and the maladaptive behavior domain of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Compared to placebo, risperidone led to a significantly greater reduction in the overall score on the Ritvo-Freeman Real Life Rating Scale, as well as the scores on the subscales for sensory motor behaviors (subscale I), affectual reactions (subscale III), and sensory responses (subscale IV). No statistically significant difference was observed, however, on the subscale for social relatedness (subscale II) or language (subscale V). Risperidone also resulted in significantly greater reductions in scores on the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and Vineland maladaptive behavior domain. This pattern of treatment response was maintained for 6 months. Risperidone led to significant improvements in the restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities of autistic children but did not significantly change their deficit in social interaction and communication. Further research is necessary to develop effective treatments for the core social and communicative impairments of autism.

A Review of Multidimensional, Multifluid Intermediate-scale Experiments: Flow Behavior, Saturation Imaging, and Tracer Detection and Quantification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oostrom, Mart; Dane, J. H.; Wietsma, Thomas W.

2007-08-01

A review is presented of original multidimensional, intermediate-scale experiments involving non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) flow behavior, imaging, and detection/quantification with solute tracers. In a companion paper (Oostrom, M., J.H. Dane, and T.W. Wietsma. 2006. A review of multidimensional, multifluid intermediate-scale experiments: Nonaqueous phase dissolution and enhanced remediation. Vadose Zone Journal 5:570-598) experiments related to aqueous dissolution and enhanced remediation were discussed. The experiments investigating flow behavior include infiltration and redistribution experiments with both light and dense NAPLs in homogeneous and heterogeneous porous medium systems. The techniques used for NAPL saturation mapping for intermediate-scale experiments include photon-attenuation methods such as gammamore » and X-ray techniques, and photographic methods such as the light reflection, light transmission, and multispectral image analysis techniques. Solute tracer methods used for detection and quantification of NAPL in the subsurface are primarily limited to variations of techniques comparing the behavior of conservative and partitioning tracers. Besides a discussion of the experimental efforts, recommendations for future research at this laboratory scale are provided.« less

Responsiveness of the quality of life in late-stage dementia scale to psychotropic drug treatment in late-stage dementia.

PubMed

Martin-Cook, Kristin; Hynan, Linda S; Rice-Koch, Kathleen; Svetlik, Doris A; Weiner, Myron F

2005-01-01

We report on the responsiveness of a previously validated quality-of-life scale, the Quality of Life in Late-Stage Dementia scale (QUALID), as an outcome measure in a clinical trial of two psychotropic medications. Secondary analyses were conducted comparing outcome measures used in a randomized double-blind trial of two antipsychotics (olanzapine and risperidone) for the treatment of dementia-related behavioral symptoms. The QUALID was completed for 31 of the patients in addition to several measures of behavior-related dementia symptoms including the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, the Withdrawn Behavior subscale of the Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly Subjects, the Mini-Mental State Examination, and the Clinical Global Impression. Measures of safety and adverse effects included the Simpson-Angus Scale and records of specific adverse events. A significant positive relationship was found between QUALID score and improvement in behavioral symptoms, and a negative association was found with adverse medication effects. The QUALID was sensitive to both the treatment effects and the adverse effects of medication in this sample of patients.

Behavioral Profiles of Children with Epilepsy: Parent and Teacher Reports of Emotional, Behavioral, and Educational Concerns on the BASC-2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Titus, Jeffrey B.; Kanive, Rebecca; Sanders, Sarah J.; Blackburn, Lynn Bennett

2008-01-01

The Behavior Assessment Scale for Children-Second Edition (BASC-2) was administered to 108 parents and 37 teachers of children with epilepsy (mean age of 10.6 years; 51% female, 49% male). Results demonstrated high mean scores on the Atypicality, Attention Problems, Withdrawal, and Adaptive Skills scales and a high percentage of At-Risk or…

Suggestive Linkage of the Child Behavior Checklist Juvenile Bipolar Disorder Phenotype to 1p21, 6p21, and 8q21

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doyle, Alysa E.; Biederman, Joseph; Ferreira, Manuel A. R.; Wong, Patricia; Smoller, Jordan W.; Faraone, Stephen V.

2010-01-01

Objective: Several studies have documented a profile of elevated scores on the Attention Problems, Aggressive Behavior and Anxious/Depressed scales of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in youth with bipolar disorder. The sum of these scales, referred to as the CBCL Juvenile Bipolar Disorder (JBD) phenotype, has modest diagnostic utility, and…

Progress Monitoring the Effects of Daily Report Cards across Elementary and Secondary Settings Using Direct Behavior Rating: Single Item Scales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Faith G.; Crovello, Nicholas J.; Chafouleas, Sandra M.

2017-01-01

Direct Behavior Rating-Single Item Scales (DBR-SIS) have been advanced as a promising, systematic, behavioral, progress-monitoring method that is flexible, efficient, and defensible. This study aimed to extend existing literature on the use of DBR-SIS in elementary and secondary settings, and to examine methods of monitoring student progress in…

Training Family Day Care Providers to Use Behavior Modification Procedures: A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Michael D.

Effects of brief time out on the biting behavior of a 21- month-old boy enrolled in a day care setting was examined. The Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS; Durand, 1983) was used to determine the function of the child's biting. A parent report survey, the MAS assesses disruptive behavior using a Likert-type scale and discriminates the function of a…

Dependability and Treatment Sensitivity of Multi-Item Direct Behavior Rating Scales for Interpersonal Peer Conflict

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniels, Brian; Volpe, Robert J.; Briesch, Amy M.; Gadow, Kenneth D.

2017-01-01

Direct behavior rating (DBR) represents a feasible method for monitoring student behavior in the classroom; however, limited work to date has focused on the use of multi-item scales. The purposes of the study were to examine the (a) dependability of data obtained from a multi-item DBR designed to assess peer conflict and (b) treatment sensitivity…

Assessing Social Competence and Behavior Problems in a Sample of Italian Preschoolers Using the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sette, Stefania; Baumgartner, Emma; MacKinnon, David P.

2015-01-01

Research Findings: The main goals of this study were to examine the factor validity of the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation (SCBE-30) scale using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis and to test factor invariance across gender in a sample of Italian preschool-age children (241 boys, 252 girls). The concurrent…

The development of the Nurse Workplace Scale: self-advocating behaviors and beliefs in the professional workplace.

PubMed

DeMarco, Rosanna; Roberts, Susan Jo; Norris, Anne; McCurry, Mary K

2008-01-01

This project developed and tested the Nurse Workplace Scale (NWS) using data from a random sample of registered nurses in Massachusetts (n = 904). The NWS was adapted from an earlier checklist that measured group behaviors and beliefs in the workplace of a variety of nurses. Nurses have been thought to display non-self-advocating behaviors and beliefs that have contributed to disempowering their contribution in health care systems, but no tool has been available to assist nurse managers or clinical nurse leaders to test outcomes that measure progress toward changing these behaviors. A cross-validation procedure was used to establish the reliability and validity of the NWS to measure behaviors in nurses that are counterproductive in the workplace. Two components, "internalized sexism" and "minimization of self" behaviors, were established. Scores on the scales were shown to vary with the age and practice settings of the nurses. The NWS can be used in professional development settings and nurse workplace intervention studies to measure outcomes congruent with nurse empowerment.

[Research and application: scale of knowledge, attitude, and behavior of lifestyle intervention in a diabetes high-risk population].

PubMed

Wang, W J

2016-07-06

There is a large population at high risk for diabetes in China, and there has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of diabetes in the country over the past 30 years. Interventions targeting the individual risk factors of diabetes can effectively prevent diabetes; these include factors such as an unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, overweight, and obesity, among others. Evaluation of related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors before and after intervention using appropriate scales can measure population demands and the effectiveness of interventions. Scientificity and practicability are basic requirements of scale development. The theoretical basis and measuring items of a scale should be consistent with the theory of behavior change and should measure the content of interventions in a standardized and detailed manner to produce good validity, reliability, and acceptability. The scale of knowledge, attitude, and behavior of lifestyle intervention in a diabetes high-risk population is a tool for demand evaluation and effect evaluation of lifestyle intervention that has good validity and reliability. Established by the National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention, its use can help to decrease the Chinese population at high risk for diabetes through targeted and scientifically sound lifestyle interventions. Future development of intervention evaluation scales for useing in high-risk populations should consider new factors and characteristics of the different populations, to develop new scales and modify or simplify existing ones, as well as to extend the measurement dimensions to barriers and supporting environment for behaviors change.

Multi-scale modeling in cell biology

PubMed Central

Meier-Schellersheim, Martin; Fraser, Iain D. C.; Klauschen, Frederick

2009-01-01

Biomedical research frequently involves performing experiments and developing hypotheses that link different scales of biological systems such as, for instance, the scales of intracellular molecular interactions to the scale of cellular behavior and beyond to the behavior of cell populations. Computational modeling efforts that aim at exploring such multi-scale systems quantitatively with the help of simulations have to incorporate several different simulation techniques due to the different time and space scales involved. Here, we provide a non-technical overview of how different scales of experimental research can be combined with the appropriate computational modeling techniques. We also show that current modeling software permits building and simulating multi-scale models without having to become involved with the underlying technical details of computational modeling. PMID:20448808

The diagnostic utility of behavioral checklists in identifying children with ADHD and children with working memory deficits.

PubMed

Alloway, Tracy Packiam; Gathercole, Susan E; Holmes, Joni; Place, Maurice; Elliott, Julian G; Hilton, Kerry

2009-09-01

The present study investigated whether children with ADHD and those with working memory impairments have a common behavioral profile in the classroom. Three teacher checklists were used: the Conners' teacher rating scale (CTRS), the behavior rating inventory of executive function (BRIEF), and the working memory rating scale. The Conners' continuous performance test (CPT) was also included to determine whether there is a correspondence between performance on this widely used cognitive measure of attention deficits and teacher ratings of classroom behavior. All three behavior scales, but not the CPT, were able to successfully discriminate children with ADHD and those with working memory deficits from typically-developing children. Both the CTRS and the BRIEF discriminated a significant proportion of the children with ADHD from those with working memory deficits, indicating that while both groups exhibit behavioral problems in the classroom, they are characterized by differential attention profiles. The children with ADHD were identified on the basis of oppositional and hyperactive behavior, while those with working memory deficits were more inattentive.

The joint effect of personality traits and perceived stress on pedestrian behavior in a Chinese sample

PubMed Central

Zheng, Tingting; Ge, Yan; Sun, Xianghong; Zhang, Kan

2017-01-01

While improper pedestrian behavior has become an important factor related to road traffic fatalities, especially in developing countries, the effects of personality traits and/or stress on pedestrian behavior have been rarely reported. The current study explored the joint effects of five personality traits (i.e., extraversion, openness, neuroticism, normlessness and altruism) and global perceived stress (measured with the Perceived Stress Scale-10) on pedestrian behavior (measured with the Pedestrian Behavior Scale) in 311 Chinese individuals. Results showed that altruism, neuroticism and openness significantly affected different pedestrian behavior dimensions, while global perceived stress also significantly and positively predicted positive behavior. Moreover, the effect of neuroticism on positive behavior was fully mediated by stress. Some explanations and implications are provided in the discussion section. PMID:29190750

Zonal Articular Cartilage Possesses Complex Mechanical Behavior Spanning Multiple Length Scales: Dependence on Chemical Heterogeneity, Anisotropy, and Microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahlquist, Joseph A.

This work focused on characterizing the mechanical behavior of biological material in physiologically relevant conditions and at sub millimeter length scales. Elucidating the time, length scale, and directionally dependent mechanical behavior of cartilage and other biological materials is critical to adequately recapitulate native mechanosensory cues for cells, create computational models that mimic native tissue behavior, and assess disease progression. This work focused on three broad aspects of characterizing the mechanical behavior of articular cartilage. First, we sought to reveal the causes of time-dependent deformation and variation of mechanical properties with distance from the articular surface. Second, we investigated size dependence of mechanical properties. Finally, we examined material anisotropy of both the calcified and uncalcified tissues of the osteochondral interface. This research provides insight into how articular cartilage serves to support physiologic loads and simultaneously sustain chondrocyte viability.

The Influence of Social Support on the Prosocial Behavior of College Students: The Mediating Effect Based on Interpersonal Trust

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guo, Yuan

2017-01-01

A sample of 720 college students from 10 different universities at the Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center are investigated using the Social Support Scale, the Prosocial Behavior Scale, and the Interpersonal Trust Scale. Data are analyzed using SPSS20.0 and Amos7.0. Results show that the subjective support and support utilization of college…

Construction of the perceived parental acculturation behaviors scale.

PubMed

Henry, Hani M; Biran, Mia W; Stiles, William B

2006-03-01

This article reports preliminary development of the Perceived Parental Acculturation Behaviors Scale (PPABS) based on a sample of 44 college students whose parents immigrated to America from Arab countries. The PPABS proposes two independent scales, whose contents characterize the respondents' perceptions of how much their parents evidence (a) openness to the American culture and (b) preservation of Arab culture. Copyright (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Pre-Speech Assessment Scale: A Rating Scale for the Measurement of Pre-Speech Behaviors from Birth through Two Years. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Suzanne Evans

The manual contains the Pre-Speech Assessment Scale (PSAS) intended for use with cerebral palsied and other handicapped children to evaluate behaviors at the birth through 2-year age level. Introductory information covers the development of the PSAS, concepts underlying the PSAS, evaluation procedures, scoring the PSAS, and graphing procedures.…

Temporal scaling behavior of forest and urban fires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J.; Song, W.; Zheng, H.; Telesca, L.

2009-04-01

It has been found that many natural systems are characterized by scaling behavior. In such systems natural factors dominate the event dynamics. Forest fires in different countries have been found to exhibit frequency-size power law over many orders of magnitude and with similar value of parameters. But in countries with high population density such as China and Japan, more than 95% of the forest fire disasters are caused by human activities. Furthermore, with the development of society, the wildland-urban interface (WUI) area is becoming more and more populated, and the forest fire is much connected with urban fire. Therefore exploring the scaling behavior of fires dominated by human-related factors is very challenging. The present paper explores the temporal scaling behavior of forest fires and urban fires in Japan with mathematical methods. Two factors, Allan factor (AF) and Fano factor (FF) are used to investigate time-scaling of fire systems. It is found that the FF for both forest fires and urban fires increases linearly in log-log scales, and this indicates that it behaves as a power-law for all the investigated timescales. From the AF plot a 7 days cycle is found, which indicates a weekly cycle. This may be caused by human activities which has a weekly periodicity because on weekends people usually have more outdoor activities, which may cause more hidden trouble of fire disasters. Our findings point out that although the human factors are the main cause, both the forest fires and urban fires exhibit time-scaling behavior. At the same time, the scaling exponents for urban fires are larger than forest fires, signifying a more intense clustering. The reason may be that fires are affected not only by weather condition, but also by human activities, which play a more important role for urban fires than forest fires and have a power law distribution and scaling behavior. Then some work is done to the relative humidity. Similar distribution law characterizes the relative humidity. The AF plot and FF plot of relative humidity validate the existence of a strong link between weather and fires, and it is very likely that the daily humidity cycle determines the daily fire periodicity.

Environmental correlates to behavioral health outcomes in Alzheimer's special care units.

PubMed

Zeisel, John; Silverstein, Nina M; Hyde, Joan; Levkoff, Sue; Lawton, M Powell; Holmes, William

2003-10-01

We systematically measured the associations between environmental design features of nursing home special care units and the incidence of aggression, agitation, social withdrawal, depression, and psychotic problems among persons living there who have Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder. We developed and tested a model of critical health-related environmental design features in settings for people with Alzheimer's disease. We used hierarchical linear modeling statistical techniques to assess associations between seven environmental design features and behavioral health measures for 427 residents in 15 special care units. Behavioral health measures included the Cohen-Mansfield physical agitation, verbal agitation, and aggressive behavior scales, the Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly Subjects depression and social withdrawal scales, and BEHAVE-AD (psychotic symptom list) misidentification and paranoid delusions scales. Statistical controls were included for the influence of, among others, cognitive status, need for assistance with activities of daily living, prescription drug use, amount of Alzheimer's staff training, and staff-to-resident ratio. Although hierarchical linear modeling minimizes the risk of Type II-false positive-error, this exploratory study also pays special attention to avoiding Type I error-the failure to recognize possible relationships between behavioral health characteristics and independent variables. We found associations between each behavioral health measure and particular environmental design features, as well as between behavioral health measures and both resident and nonenvironmental facility variables. This research demonstrates the potential that environment has for contributing to the improvement of Alzheimer's symptoms. A balanced combination of pharmacologic, behavioral, and environmental approaches is likely to be most effective in improving the health, behavior, and quality of life of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Development and Standardization of the Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale: Application of Item Response Theory to the Assessment of Adaptive Behavior.

PubMed

Tassé, Marc J; Schalock, Robert L; Thissen, David; Balboni, Giulia; Bersani, Henry Hank; Borthwick-Duffy, Sharon A; Spreat, Scott; Widaman, Keith F; Zhang, Dalun; Navas, Patricia

2016-03-01

The Diagnostic Adaptive Behavior Scale (DABS) was developed using item response theory (IRT) methods and was constructed to provide the most precise and valid adaptive behavior information at or near the cutoff point of making a decision regarding a diagnosis of intellectual disability. The DABS initial item pool consisted of 260 items. Using IRT modeling and a nationally representative standardization sample, the item set was reduced to 75 items that provide the most precise adaptive behavior information at the cutoff area determining the presence or not of significant adaptive behavior deficits across conceptual, social, and practical skills. The standardization of the DABS is described and discussed.

Measurement of alienation among adolescents: construct validity of three scales on powerlessness, meaninglessness and social isolation.

PubMed

Rayce, Signe Boe; Kreiner, Svend; Damsgaard, Mogens Trab; Nielsen, Tine; Holstein, Bjørn Evald

2017-01-01

Psychological alienation is an important concept in the study of adolescents' health and behavior but no gold standard for measuring alienation among adolescents exists. There is a need for new scales with high validity for use in adolescent health and social research. The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate alienation scales in accordance with Seeman's conceptualization of alienation focusing on three independent variants specifically relevant in adolescent health research: powerlessness, meaninglessness and social isolation. Cross-sectional data from 3083 adolescents aged 13 to 15 years from the Danish contribution to the cross-national study Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) were used. We identified and developed items, addressed content and face validity through interviews, and examined the criterion-related construct validity of the scales using graphical loglinear Rasch models (GLLRM). The three scales each comprised three to five face valid items. The powerlessness scale reflected the adolescent's expectancy as to whether his/her behavior can determine the outcome or reinforcement he/she seeks. The meaninglessness scale reflected the expectancy as to whether satisfactory predictions regarding the effects of one's behavior are possible. Finally, the social isolation scale reflected whether the adolescent had a low expectancy for inclusion and social acceptance. All scales contained some uniform local dependency and differential item functioning. However, only to a limited degree, which could be accounted for using GLLRM. Thus the scales fitted GLLRMs and can therefore be considered to be essentially construct valid and essentially objective. The three alienation scales appear to be content and face valid and fulfill the psychometric properties of a good construct valid reflective scale. This suggests that the scales may be appropriate in future large-scale surveys to examine the relation between alienation and a range of adolescent health outcomes such as health, behavior and wellbeing.

Critical branching neural networks.

PubMed

Kello, Christopher T

2013-01-01

It is now well-established that intrinsic variations in human neural and behavioral activity tend to exhibit scaling laws in their fluctuations and distributions. The meaning of these scaling laws is an ongoing matter of debate between isolable causes versus pervasive causes. A spiking neural network model is presented that self-tunes to critical branching and, in doing so, simulates observed scaling laws as pervasive to neural and behavioral activity. These scaling laws are related to neural and cognitive functions, in that critical branching is shown to yield spiking activity with maximal memory and encoding capacities when analyzed using reservoir computing techniques. The model is also shown to account for findings of pervasive 1/f scaling in speech and cued response behaviors that are difficult to explain by isolable causes. Issues and questions raised by the model and its results are discussed from the perspectives of physics, neuroscience, computer and information sciences, and psychological and cognitive sciences.

The impact of failing to identify suspect effort in patients undergoing adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment.

PubMed

Marshall, Paul S; Hoelzle, James B; Heyerdahl, Danielle; Nelson, Nathaniel W

2016-10-01

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 28(10) of Psychological Assessment (see record 2016-22725-001). In the article, the penultimate sentence of the abstract should read “These results suggest that a significant percentage of those making a suspect effort will be diagnosed with ADHD using the most commonly employed assessment methods: an interview alone (71%); an interview and ADHD behavior rating scales combined (65%); and an interview, behavior rating scales, and most continuous performance tests combined (62%).” All versions of this article have been corrected.] This retrospective study examines how many adult patients would plausibly receive a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) if performance and symptom validity measures were not administered during neuropsychological evaluations. Five hundred fifty-four patients were extracted from an archival clinical dataset. A total of 102 were diagnosed with ADHD based on cognitive testing, behavior rating scales, effort testing, and clinical interview; 115 were identified as putting forth suspect effort in accordance with the Slick, Sherman, and Iverson (1999) criteria. From a clinical decision-making perspective, suspect effort and ADHD groups were nearly indistinguishable on ADHD behavior, executive function, and functional impairment rating scales, as well as on cognitive testing and key clinical interview questions. These results suggest that a significant percentage of those making a suspect effort will be diagnosed with ADHD using the most commonly employed assessment methods: an interview alone (71%); an interview and ADHD behavior rating scales combined (65%); and an interview, behavior rating scales, and most continuous performance tests combined (62%) [corrected]. This research makes clear that it is essential to evaluate task engagement and possible symptom amplification during clinical evaluations. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved

Etiological Contributions to the Covariation Between Children’s Perceptions of Inter-parental Conflict and Child Behavioral Problems

PubMed Central

Nikolas, Molly; Klump, Kelly L.; Burt, S. Alexandra

2012-01-01

Prior work has suggested that inter-parental conflict likely plays an etiological role in child behavior problems. However, family-level measurement of inter-parental conflict in most traditional child twin studies has made it difficult to tease apart the specific causal mechanisms underlying this association. The Children’s Perception of Inter-parental Conflict scale (CPIC) provides a child-specific measurement tool for examining these questions, as its subscales tap multiple dimensions of conflict assessed from the child’s (rather than the parent’s) perspective. The current study examined (1) the degree of genetic and environmental influence on each of the CPIC subscales, and (2) etiological contributions to the covariation between the CPIC scales and parental reports of child behavioral problems. The CPIC was completed by 1,200 child twins (aged 6-11 years) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR). Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to assess child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Multivariate models were examined to evaluate the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to both the CPIC scales and to their overlap with child behavioral outcomes. Modeling results indicated no significant moderation of sex or age. Significant environmental overlap emerged between the CPIC conflict properties scale and child internalizing and externalizing problems. By contrast, significant genetic correlations emerged between the CPIC self-blame scale and externalizing problems as well as between the CPIC threat scale and internalizing problems. Overall, findings suggest that the subscales of the CPIC are somewhat etiologically diverse and may provide a useful tool for future investigations of possible gene-environment interplay. PMID:22996155

Factorial and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis of the Adaptive Behavior Scales (Part I & II) in a Population of Older People (50 Years +) with Severe Intellectual Impairment (Mental Handicap).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moss, S. C.; Hogg, J.

1990-01-01

Principal components analysis was employed on the Adaptive Behavior Scales with scores of 122 older (mean age 63.5) individuals with severe intellectual impairment living in England. The study found the structure of adaptive skills and interpersonal maladaptive behaviors similar to that found for younger retarded adults. Two factors, personal…

Association between just world beliefs and perceptions of counterproductive workplace behaviors.

PubMed

Stieger, Stefan; Kastner, Cornelia K; Voracek, Martin; Furnham, Adrian

2011-04-01

320 adults rated 48 counterproductive workplace behaviors (CWBs) on a 9-point scale, from petty to serious offense, and also completed the Just World Beliefs scale. Ratings of the seriousness of the CWBs indicated considerable variability in perceptions, with theft and physical violence rated most strongly. A factor analysis yielded five interpretable factors. Older participants were more likely to rate as more serious all counterproductive workplace behaviors.

Scale dependent behavioral responses to human development by a large predator, the puma.

PubMed

Wilmers, Christopher C; Wang, Yiwei; Nickel, Barry; Houghtaling, Paul; Shakeri, Yasaman; Allen, Maximilian L; Kermish-Wells, Joe; Yovovich, Veronica; Williams, Terrie

2013-01-01

The spatial scale at which organisms respond to human activity can affect both ecological function and conservation planning. Yet little is known regarding the spatial scale at which distinct behaviors related to reproduction and survival are impacted by human interference. Here we provide a novel approach to estimating the spatial scale at which a top predator, the puma (Puma concolor), responds to human development when it is moving, feeding, communicating, and denning. We find that reproductive behaviors (communication and denning) require at least a 4× larger buffer from human development than non-reproductive behaviors (movement and feeding). In addition, pumas give a wider berth to types of human development that provide a more consistent source of human interference (neighborhoods) than they do to those in which human presence is more intermittent (arterial roads with speeds >35 mph). Neighborhoods were a deterrent to pumas regardless of behavior, while arterial roads only deterred pumas when they were communicating and denning. Female pumas were less deterred by human development than males, but they showed larger variation in their responses overall. Our behaviorally explicit approach to modeling animal response to human activity can be used as a novel tool to assess habitat quality, identify wildlife corridors, and mitigate human-wildlife conflict.

Impact of pictorial story on pain perception, situational anxiety and behavior in children: a cognitive-behavioral schema.

PubMed

Aminabadi, N A; Vafaei, A; Erfanparast, L; Oskouei, S G; Jamali, Z

2011-01-01

The present study evaluated the effect of listening to a pictorial story about going to the dentist on pain perception, situational anxiety and behavioral feedback during dental treatment in pediatric dental patients. Eighty, 6-7-year-old children were included The childhood anxiety-related disorders using Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) Parent Version scale and intelligence quotient using Raven's Progressive Matrices were evaluated The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups, listening to a pictorial story about going to a dentist (test), or listening to a pictorial story about going to a barbershop (control). A dental treatment was performed on each subject, during which, behavior was assessed using Sound, Eye, and Motor Scale. Pain perception and situational anxiety were then assessed using Wong-Baker Fasces Pain Rating Scale and Faces version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale, respectively. There was a significant decrease in pain perception (P=0.02) and situational anxiety (P<0.001) in the test group. In addition, the test intervention significantly improved children behavioral feedback during dental treatment (P<0.001). Preparation of children with pictorial story can be effective in decreasing pain perception and situational anxiety as well as improving behavior during dental treatment.

International comparisons of behavioral and emotional problems in preschool children: parents' reports from 24 societies.

PubMed

Rescorla, Leslie A; Achenbach, Thomas M; Ivanova, Masha Y; Harder, Valerie S; Otten, Laura; Bilenberg, Niels; Bjarnadottir, Gudrun; Capron, Christiane; De Pauw, Sarah S W; Dias, Pedro; Dobrean, Anca; Döpfner, Manfred; Duyme, Michel; Eapen, Valsamma; Erol, Nese; Esmaeili, Elaheh Mohammad; Ezpeleta, Lourdes; Frigerio, Alessandra; Fung, Daniel S S; Gonçalves, Miguel; Guðmundsson, Halldór; Jeng, Suh-Fang; Jusiené, Roma; Ah Kim, Young; Kristensen, Solvejg; Liu, Jianghong; Lecannelier, Felipe; Leung, Patrick W L; Machado, Bárbara César; Montirosso, Rosario; Ja Oh, Kyung; Ooi, Yoon Phaik; Plück, Julia; Pomalima, Rolando; Pranvera, Jetishi; Schmeck, Klaus; Shahini, Mimoza; Silva, Jaime R; Simsek, Zeynep; Sourander, Andre; Valverde, José; van der Ende, Jan; Van Leeuwen, Karla G; Wu, Yen-Tzu; Yurdusen, Sema; Zubrick, Stephen R; Verhulst, Frank C

2011-01-01

International comparisons were conducted of preschool children's behavioral and emotional problems as reported on the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1½-5 by parents in 24 societies (N = 19,850). Item ratings were aggregated into scores on syndromes; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-oriented scales; a Stress Problems scale; and Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problems scales. Effect sizes for scale score differences among the 24 societies ranged from small to medium (3-12%). Although societies differed greatly in language, culture, and other characteristics, Total Problems scores for 18 of the 24 societies were within 7.1 points of the omnicultural mean of 33.3 (on a scale of 0-198). Gender and age differences, as well as gender and age interactions with society, were all very small (effect sizes < 1%). Across all pairs of societies, correlations between mean item ratings averaged .78, and correlations between internal consistency alphas for the scales averaged .92, indicating that the rank orders of mean item ratings and internal consistencies of scales were very similar across diverse societies.

International Comparisons of Behavioral and Emotional Problems in Preschool Children: Parents’ Reports From 24 Societies

PubMed Central

Rescorla, Leslie A.; Achenbach, Thomas M.; Ivanova, Masha Y.; Harder, Valerie S.; Otten, Laura; Bilenberg, Niels; Bjarnadottir, Gudrun; Capron, Christiane; De Pauw, Sarah S. W.; Dias, Pedro; Dobrean, Anca; Döpfner, Manfred; Duyme, Michel; Eapen, Valsamma; Erol, Nese; Esmaeili, Elaheh Mohammad; Ezpeleta, Lourdes; Frigerio, Alessandra; Fung, Daniel S. S.; Gonçalves, Miguel; Guđmundsson, Halldór; Jeng, Suh-Fang; Jusiené, Roma; Kim, Young Ah; Kristensen, Solvejg; Liu, Jianghong; Lecannelier, Felipe; Leung, Patrick W. L.; Machado, Bárbara César; Montirosso, Rosario; Oh, Kyung Ja; Ooi, Yoon Phaik; Plück, Julia; Pomalima, Rolando; Pranvera, Jetishi; Schmeck, Klaus; Shahini, Mimoza; Silva, Jaime R.; Simsek, Zeynep; Sourander, Andre; Valverde, José; van der Ende, Jan; Van Leeuwen, Karla G.; Wu, Yen-Tzu; Yurdusen, Sema; Zubrick, Stephen R.; Verhulst, Frank C.

2014-01-01

International comparisons were conducted of preschool children’s behavioral and emotional problems as reported on the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1½–5 by parents in 24 societies (N =19,850). Item ratings were aggregated into scores on syndromes; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–oriented scales; a Stress Problems scale; and Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problems scales. Effect sizes for scale score differences among the 24 societies ranged from small to medium (3–12%). Although societies differed greatly in language, culture, and other characteristics, Total Problems scores for 18 of the 24 societies were within 7.1 points of the omnicultural mean of 33.3 (on a scale of 0–198). Gender and age differences, as well as gender and age interactions with society, were all very small (effect sizes <1%). Across all pairs of societies, correlations between mean item ratings averaged .78, and correlations between internal consistency alphas for the scales averaged .92, indicating that the rank orders of mean item ratings and internal consistencies of scales were very similar across diverse societies. PMID:21534056

Statistical scaling of pore-scale Lagrangian velocities in natural porous media.

PubMed

Siena, M; Guadagnini, A; Riva, M; Bijeljic, B; Pereira Nunes, J P; Blunt, M J

2014-08-01

We investigate the scaling behavior of sample statistics of pore-scale Lagrangian velocities in two different rock samples, Bentheimer sandstone and Estaillades limestone. The samples are imaged using x-ray computer tomography with micron-scale resolution. The scaling analysis relies on the study of the way qth-order sample structure functions (statistical moments of order q of absolute increments) of Lagrangian velocities depend on separation distances, or lags, traveled along the mean flow direction. In the sandstone block, sample structure functions of all orders exhibit a power-law scaling within a clearly identifiable intermediate range of lags. Sample structure functions associated with the limestone block display two diverse power-law regimes, which we infer to be related to two overlapping spatially correlated structures. In both rocks and for all orders q, we observe linear relationships between logarithmic structure functions of successive orders at all lags (a phenomenon that is typically known as extended power scaling, or extended self-similarity). The scaling behavior of Lagrangian velocities is compared with the one exhibited by porosity and specific surface area, which constitute two key pore-scale geometric observables. The statistical scaling of the local velocity field reflects the behavior of these geometric observables, with the occurrence of power-law-scaling regimes within the same range of lags for sample structure functions of Lagrangian velocity, porosity, and specific surface area.

The influence of interpersonal relationships on nurse managers' work engagement and proactive work behavior.

PubMed

Warshawsky, Nora E; Havens, Donna S; Knafl, George

2012-09-01

This study tested the effects of interpersonal relationships on nurse managers' work engagement and proactive work behavior. An engaged workforce may help healthcare organizations improve performance. In healthcare, nurse managers are responsible for creating motivating work environments. They also need to be engaged, yet little is known about what influences nurse managers' performance. A self-administered electronic survey was used to collect data from 323 nurse managers working in acute care hospitals. Instruments included the Relational Coordination Scale, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and Proactive Work Behavior Scale. Interpersonal relationships with nurse administrators were most predictive of nurse managers' work engagement. Interpersonal relationships with physicians were most predictive of nurse managers' proactive work behavior. Organizational cultures that foster quality interpersonal relationships will support the job performance of nurse managers.

Prevalence of dental fear and its causes using three measurement scales among children in New Delhi.

PubMed

Rajwar, Anju Singh; Goswami, Mridula

2017-01-01

There is a great need for identifying fearful children, who often present problems in patient management, thus affecting the quality of dental care rendered to them. This study is unique in the way that dental fear was assessed through three fear scales as research has suggested the use of more than one scale because each scale has its own restrictions and is open to criticism. The aim of this study was to evaluate dental fear and anxiety (DFA) among children aged 3-14 years using three fear measurement scales. The study was conducted on children (3-14 years) who visited the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry at Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi. The DFA levels were measured using three fear measurement scales, i.e., facial image scale (FIS), dental fear scale (DFS), and children's fear survey schedule-dental subscale (CFSS-DS). The dental behavior was estimated using the Frankl's behavior rating scale (FBRS). The prevalence of dental fear according to FIS was 14.3%, according to DFS was 22.6%, and according to CFSS-DS was 7.4%. In assessment of the behavior of children in the clinics through FBRS, it was observed that he maximum number of respondents (69.8%) showed Frankl's Rating 3 i.e. positive. In the DFS and CFSS-DS, the factor which caused most fear was "feeling the needle injected" and "injections," respectively. Assessment of dental fear is an extremely useful tool for the dental practitioner, who can use it to customize the behavioral treatment and management for child patients.

Measuring the Cognitions, Emotions, and Motivation Associated With Avoidance Behaviors in the Context of Pain: Preliminary Development of the Negative Responsivity to Pain Scales.

PubMed

Jensen, Mark P; Ward, L Charles; Thorn, Beverly E; Ehde, Dawn M; Day, Melissa A

2017-04-01

We recently proposed a Behavioral Inhibition System-Behavioral Activation System (BIS-BAS) model to help explain the effects of pain treatments. In this model, treatments are hypothesized to operate primarily through their effects on the domains within 2 distinct neurophysiological systems that underlie approach (BAS) and avoidance (BIS) behaviors. Measures of the model's domains are needed to evaluate and modify the model. An item pool of negative responses to pain (NRP; hypothesized to be BIS related) and positive responses (PR; hypothesized to be BAS related) were administered to 395 undergraduates, 325 of whom endorsed recurrent pain. The items were administered to 176 of these individuals again 1 week later. Analyses were conducted to develop and validate scales assessing NRP and PR domains. Three NRP scales (Despondent Response to Pain, Fear of Pain, and Avoidant Response to Pain) and 2 PR scales (Happy/Hopeful Responses and Approach Response) emerged. Consistent with the model, the scales formed 2 relatively independent overarching domains. The scales also demonstrated excellent internal consistency, and associations with criterion variables supported their validity. However, whereas the NRP scales evidenced adequate test-retest stability, the 2 PR scales were not adequately stable. The study yielded 3 brief scales assessing NRP, which may be used to further evaluate the BIS-BAS model and to advance research elucidating the mechanisms of psychosocial pain treatments. The findings also provide general support for the BIS-BAS model, while also suggesting that some minor modifications in the model are warranted.

Ideal Teacher Behaviors: Student Motivation and Self-Efficacy Predict Preferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Komarraju, Meera

2013-01-01

Differences in students' academic self-efficacy and motivation were examined in predicting preferred teacher traits. Undergraduates (261) completed the Teaching Behavior Checklist, Academic Self-Concept scale, and Academic Motivation scale. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that academic self-efficacy and extrinsic motivation explained…

Attributes and Behaviors of Performance-Centered Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gery, Gloria

1995-01-01

Examines attributes, characteristics, and behaviors of performance-centered software packages that are emerging in the consumer software marketplace and compares them with large-scale systems software being designed by internal information systems staffs and vendors of large-scale software designed for financial, manufacturing, processing, and…

Violence-Related Attitudes and Beliefs: Scale Construction and Psychometrics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brand, Pamela A.; Anastasio, Phyllis A.

2006-01-01

The 50-item Violence-Related Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (V-RABS) includes three subscales measuring possible causes of violent behavior (environmental influences, biological influences, and mental illness) and four subscales assessing possible controls of violent behavior (death penalty, punishment, prevention, and catharsis). Each subscale…

THE HUMAN BEHAVIOR RATING SCALE-BRIEF: A TOOL TO MEASURE 21ST CENTURY SKILLS OF K-12 LEARNERS.

PubMed

Woods-Groves, Suzanne

2015-06-01

Currently there is a call for brief concise measurements to appraise relevant 21st century college readiness skills in K-12 learners. This study employed K-12 teachers' ratings for over 3,000 students for an existing 91-item rating scale, the Human Behavior Rating Scale, that measured the 21st century skills of persistence, curiosity, externalizing affect, internalizing affect, and cognition. Teachers' ratings for K-12 learners were used to develop a brief, concise, and manageable 30-item tool, the Human Behavior Rating Scale-Brief. Results yielded high internal consistency coefficients and inter-item correlations. The items were not biased with regard to student sex or race, and were supported through confirmatory factor analyses. In addition, when teachers' ratings were compared with students' academic and behavioral performance data, moderate to strong relationships were revealed. This study provided an essential first step in the development of a psychometrically sound, manageable, and brief tool to appraise 21st century skills in K-12 learners.

Geometric scaling behavior of the scattering amplitude for DIS with nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kormilitzin, Andrey; Levin, Eugene; Tapia, Sebastian

2011-12-01

The main question, that we answer in this paper, is whether the initial condition can influence on the geometric scaling behavior of the amplitude for DIS at high energy. We re-write the non-linear Balitsky-Kovchegov equation in the form which is useful for treating the interaction with nuclei. Using the simplified BFKL kernel, we find the analytical solution to this equation with the initial condition given by the McLerran-Venugopalan formula. This solution does not show the geometric scaling behavior of the amplitude deeply in the saturation region. On the other hand, the BFKL Pomeron calculus with the initial condition at x=1/mR given by the solution to Balitsky-Kovchegov equation, leads to the geometric scaling behavior. The McLerran-Venugopalan formula is the natural initial condition for the Color Glass Condensate (CGC) approach. Therefore, our result gives a possibility to check experimentally which approach: CGC or BFKL Pomeron calculus, is more satisfactory.

The Assessment of Psychopathology and Behavioral Problems in Children: A Review of Scales Suitable for Epidemiological and Clinical Research (1967-1979). Mental Health Service System Reports, Series AN: Epidemiology, No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orvaschel, Helen; And Others

Forty-four scales are described that access psychopathology and/or behavior problems in children (under 18 years of age). Excluded are tests of intelligence, intellectual functioning, brain development, cognitive development, perception, and projective tests. Scales included in this review are suitable for clinical and epidemiological research,…

The Concurrent Validity of the Hong Kong Versions of the Penn Interactive Peer Play and the Preschool Play Behavior Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leung, Chi-hung

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the Penn Interactive Peer Play (PIPPS-HK) and the Preschool Play Behavior Scale (PPBS-HK) to establish concurrent validity of both scales. A total of 1,622 children age 3 to 6 and 152 teachers in 10 kindergartens (about 160 students and 15 teachers randomly selected from each…

The reliability and validity of the Tokyo Autistic Behaviour Scale.

PubMed

Kurita, H; Miyake, Y

1990-03-01

The Tokyo Autistic Behavior Scale (TABS) consisting of 39 items provisionally grouped in four areas--interpersonal-social relationship, language-communication, habit-mannerism and others--is an instrument used by a child's caretaker to rate the child's autistic behaviors on a 3-point scale. Test-retest reliability was satisfactory (i.e., an r for a total score was .94). Among six DSM-III diagnostic groups, infantile autism showed a significantly higher total TABS score than the other five groups, and a taxonomic validity coefficient was .54. An r between total scores of the TABS and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale--Tokyo Version was .59. The area scores showed a lower validity than the total score. The TABS appears to be a useful instrument to assess autistic behavior.

Granular chaos and mixing: Whirled in a grain of sand.

PubMed

Shinbrot, Troy

2015-09-01

In this paper, we overview examples of chaos in granular flows. We begin by reviewing several remarkable behaviors that have intrigued researchers over the past few decades, and we then focus on three areas in which chaos plays an intrinsic role in granular behavior. First, we discuss pattern formation in vibrated beds, which we show is a direct result of chaotic scattering combined with dynamical dissipation. Next, we consider stick-slip motion, which involves chaotic scattering on the micro-scale, and which results in complex and as yet unexplained peculiarities on the macro-scale. Finally, we examine granular mixing, which we show combines micro-scale chaotic scattering and macro-scale stick-slip motion into behaviors that are well described by dynamical systems tools, such as iterative mappings.

Granular chaos and mixing: Whirled in a grain of sand

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shinbrot, Troy, E-mail: shinbrot@rutgers.edu

2015-09-15

In this paper, we overview examples of chaos in granular flows. We begin by reviewing several remarkable behaviors that have intrigued researchers over the past few decades, and we then focus on three areas in which chaos plays an intrinsic role in granular behavior. First, we discuss pattern formation in vibrated beds, which we show is a direct result of chaotic scattering combined with dynamical dissipation. Next, we consider stick-slip motion, which involves chaotic scattering on the micro-scale, and which results in complex and as yet unexplained peculiarities on the macro-scale. Finally, we examine granular mixing, which we show combinesmore » micro-scale chaotic scattering and macro-scale stick-slip motion into behaviors that are well described by dynamical systems tools, such as iterative mappings.« less

Self reported behavioral and emotional difficulties in relation to dentition status among school going children of Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad, India.

PubMed

Srilatha, Adepu; Doshi, Dolar; Reddy, Madupu Padma; Kulkarni, Suhas; Reddy, Bandari Srikanth

2016-01-01

Oral health has strong biological, psychological, and social projections, which influence the quality of life. Thus, developing a common vision and a comprehensive approach to address children's social, emotional, and behavioral health needs is an integral part of the child and adolescent's overall health. To assess and compare the behavior and emotional difficulties among 15-year-olds and to correlate it with their dentition status based on gender. Study Settings and Design: A cross-sectional questionnaire study among 15-year-old schoolgoing children in six private schools in Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad, India. The behavior and emotional difficulties were assessed using self-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The dentition status was recorded by the criteria given by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Basic Oral Health Survey Assessment Form (1997). Independent Student's t-test was used for comparison among the variables. Correlation between scales of SDQ and dentition status was done using Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient method. Girls reported more emotional problems and good prosocial behavior and males had more conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, and total difficulty problems. Total decayed-missing-filled teeth (DMFT) and decayed component were significantly and positively correlated with total difficulty, emotional symptom, and conduct problems scale while missing component was correlated with the hyperactivity scale and filled component with prosocial behavior. DMFT and its components showed an association with all scales of SDQ except for peer problem scale. Thus, the oral health of children was significantly influenced by behavioral and emotional difficulties; so, changes in the mental health status will affect the oral health of children.

Scale refinement and initial evaluation of a behavioral health function measurement tool for work disability evaluation.

PubMed

Marfeo, Elizabeth E; Ni, Pengsheng; Haley, Stephen M; Bogusz, Kara; Meterko, Mark; McDonough, Christine M; Chan, Leighton; Rasch, Elizabeth K; Brandt, Diane E; Jette, Alan M

2013-09-01

To use item response theory (IRT) data simulations to construct and perform initial psychometric testing of a newly developed instrument, the Social Security Administration Behavioral Health Function (SSA-BH) instrument, that aims to assess behavioral health functioning relevant to the context of work. Cross-sectional survey followed by IRT calibration data simulations. Community. Sample of individuals applying for Social Security Administration disability benefits: claimants (n=1015) and a normative comparative sample of U.S. adults (n=1000). None. SSA-BH measurement instrument. IRT analyses supported the unidimensionality of 4 SSA-BH scales: mood and emotions (35 items), self-efficacy (23 items), social interactions (6 items), and behavioral control (15 items). All SSA-BH scales demonstrated strong psychometric properties including reliability, accuracy, and breadth of coverage. High correlations of the simulated 5- or 10-item computer adaptive tests with the full item bank indicated robust ability of the computer adaptive testing approach to comprehensively characterize behavioral health function along 4 distinct dimensions. Initial testing and evaluation of the SSA-BH instrument demonstrated good accuracy, reliability, and content coverage along all 4 scales. Behavioral function profiles of Social Security Administration claimants were generated and compared with age- and sex-matched norms along 4 scales: mood and emotions, behavioral control, social interactions, and self-efficacy. Using the computer adaptive test-based approach offers the ability to collect standardized, comprehensive functional information about claimants in an efficient way, which may prove useful in the context of the Social Security Administration's work disability programs. Copyright © 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A wavelet analysis of scaling laws and long-memory in stock market volatility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vuorenmaa, Tommi A.

2005-05-01

This paper studies the time-varying behavior of scaling laws and long-memory. This is motivated by the earlier finding that in the FX markets a single scaling factor might not always be sufficient across all relevant timescales: a different region may exist for intradaily time-scales and for larger time-scales. In specific, this paper investigates (i) if different scaling regions appear in stock market as well, (ii) if the scaling factor systematically differs from the Brownian, (iii) if the scaling factor is constant in time, and (iv) if the behavior can be explained by the heterogenuity of the players in the market and/or by intraday volatility periodicity. Wavelet method is used because it delivers a multiresolution decomposition and has excellent local adaptiviness properties. As a consequence, a wavelet-based OLS method allows for consistent estimation of long-memory. Thus issues (i)-(iv) shed light on the magnitude and behavior of a long-memory parameter, as well. The data are the 5-minute volatility series of Nokia Oyj at the Helsinki Stock Exchange around the burst of the IT-bubble. Period one represents the era of "irrational exuberance" and another the time after it. The results show that different scaling regions (i.e. multiscaling) may appear in the stock markets and not only in the FX markets, the scaling factor and the long-memory parameter are systematically different from the Brownian and they do not have to be constant in time, and that the behavior can be explained for a significant part by an intraday volatility periodicity called the New York effect. This effect was magnified by the frenzy trading of short-term speculators in the bubble period. The found stronger long-memory is also attributable to irrational exuberance.

Development and Validation of the Transgender Inclusive Behavior Scale (TIBS).

PubMed

Kattari, Shanna K; O'Connor, Ashley A; Kattari, Leonardo

2018-01-01

Transgender-inclusive behaviors are actions and communication supporting transgender individuals. Examples include using language not reinforcing the gender binary, asking for and using correct pronouns, creation of spaces that welcome members of the transgender community, and acknowledging cisgender (non-transgender) privilege. A survey was developed measuring this behavior in individuals to examine the impact of transgender-inclusive behavior and the potential effect of interventions on promoting inclusive behavior. Data were collected utilizing an online survey (N = 1,051). The sample was split in half to run two sets of cases in a principal components analysis. Analysis of the full sample showed Cronbach's alpha to be .93 (n = 918). Findings suggest that the Transgender Inclusive Behavior Scale (TIBS) may be a useful instrument for identifying behaviors related to being inclusive of transgender individuals, groups, and communities. It may also be used to measure behavior change before and after transgender-specific educational and behavioral interventions.

Type A behavior pattern, accident optimism and fatalism: an investigation into non-compliance with safety work behaviors among hospital nurses.

PubMed

Ugwu, Fabian O; Onyishi, Ike E; Ugwu, Chidi; Onyishi, Charity N

2015-01-01

Safety work behavior has continued to attract the interest of organizational researchers and practitioners especially in the health sector. The goal of the study was to investigate whether personality type A, accident optimism and fatalism could predict non-compliance with safety work behaviors among hospital nurses. One hundred and fifty-nine nursing staff sampled from three government-owned hospitals in a state in southeast Nigeria, participated in the study. Data were collected through Type A Behavior Scale (TABS), Accident Optimism, Fatalism and Compliance with Safety Behavior (CSB) Scales. Our results showed that personality type A, accident optimism and fatalism were all related to non-compliance with safety work behaviors. Personality type A individuals tend to comply less with safety work behaviors than personality type B individuals. In addition, optimistic and fatalistic views about accidents and existing safety rules also have implications for compliance with safety work behaviors.

Universal scaling law in human behavioral organization.

PubMed

Nakamura, Toru; Kiyono, Ken; Yoshiuchi, Kazuhiro; Nakahara, Rika; Struzik, Zbigniew R; Yamamoto, Yoshiharu

2007-09-28

We describe the nature of human behavioral organization, specifically how resting and active periods are interwoven throughout daily life. Active period durations with physical activity count successively above a predefined threshold, when rescaled with individual means, follow a universal stretched exponential (gamma-type) cumulative distribution with characteristic time, both in healthy individuals and in patients with major depressive disorder. On the other hand, resting period durations below the threshold for both groups obey a scale-free power-law cumulative distribution over two decades, with significantly lower scaling exponents in the patients. We thus find universal distribution laws governing human behavioral organization, with a parameter altered in depression.

Universal Scaling Law in Human Behavioral Organization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Toru; Kiyono, Ken; Yoshiuchi, Kazuhiro; Nakahara, Rika; Struzik, Zbigniew R.; Yamamoto, Yoshiharu

2007-09-01

We describe the nature of human behavioral organization, specifically how resting and active periods are interwoven throughout daily life. Active period durations with physical activity count successively above a predefined threshold, when rescaled with individual means, follow a universal stretched exponential (gamma-type) cumulative distribution with characteristic time, both in healthy individuals and in patients with major depressive disorder. On the other hand, resting period durations below the threshold for both groups obey a scale-free power-law cumulative distribution over two decades, with significantly lower scaling exponents in the patients. We thus find universal distribution laws governing human behavioral organization, with a parameter altered in depression.

Development and Construct Validity of the Classroom Strategies Scale-Observer Form

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reddy, Linda A.; Fabiano, Gregory; Dudek, Christopher M.; Hsu, Louis

2013-01-01

Research on progress monitoring has almost exclusively focused on student behavior and not on teacher practices. This article presents the development and validation of a new teacher observational assessment (Classroom Strategies Scale) of classroom instructional and behavioral management practices. The theoretical underpinnings and empirical…

An Analysis of Methods Used to Examine Gender Differences in Computer-Related Behavior.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kay, Robin

1992-01-01

Review of research investigating gender differences in computer-related behavior examines statistical and methodological flaws. Issues addressed include sample selection, sample size, scale development, scale quality, the use of univariate and multivariate analyses, regressional analysis, construct definition, construct testing, and the…

The effect of music distraction on pain, anxiety and behavior in pediatric dental patients.

PubMed

Aitken, Jennifer Creem; Wilson, Stephen; Coury, Daniel; Moursi, Amr M

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if audio distraction could decrease patient anxiety, pain and disruptive behavior during pediatric dental procedures. Forty-five children between the ages of 4 to 6 years had two visits each involving restorative dentistry with local anesthesia in a mandibular quadrant. Visit #1 was a baseline session for all patients. During visit #2, the children were assigned to either an upbeat music group, a relaxing music group or a no music group. Variables measured were: (1) parent-reported anxiety via the Modified Corah Anxiety Scale, (2) self-reported anxiety via the Venham picture scale, (3) heart rate, (4) behavior via the North Carolina Behavior Rating Scale and (5) pain via a visual analogue scale. No significant differences were found among the three groups during experimental visit #2 across any variables. A majority of patients (90%) stated that they enjoyed the music and would like to listen to it during their next visit. Audio distraction was not an effective means of reducing anxiety, pain or uncooperative behavior during pediatric restorative dental procedures. However, patients did enjoy listening to the music during their visits.

The development and validation of the Perceived Health Competence Scale.

PubMed

Smith, M S; Wallston, K A; Smith, C A

1995-03-01

A sense of competence or self-efficacy is associated with many positive outcomes, particularly in the area of health behavior. A measure of a sense of competence in the domain of health behavior has not been developed. Most measures are either general measures of a general sense of self-efficacy or are very specific to a particular health behavior. The Perceived Health Competence Scale (PHCS), a domain-specific measure of the degree to which an individual feels capable of effectively managing his or her health outcomes, was developed to provide a measure of perceived competence at an intermediate level of specificity. Five studies using three different types of samples (students, adults and persons with a chronic illness) provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the PHCS. The eight items of the PHCS combine both outcome and behavioral expectancies. Results from the five studies indicate that the scale has good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The construct validity of the scale is demonstrated through the support obtained for substantive hypotheses regarding the correlates of perceived health competence, such as health behavior intentions, general sense of competence and health locus of control.

Psychometric assessment of HIV/STI sexual risk scale among MSM: a Rasch model approach.

PubMed

Li, Jian; Liu, Hongjie; Liu, Hui; Feng, Tiejian; Cai, Yumao

2011-10-05

Little research has assessed the degree of severity and ordering of different types of sexual behaviors for HIV/STI infection in a measurement scale. The purpose of this study was to apply the Rasch model on psychometric assessment of an HIV/STI sexual risk scale among men who have sex with men (MSM). A cross-sectional study using respondent driven sampling was conducted among 351 MSM in Shenzhen, China. The Rasch model was used to examine the psychometric properties of an HIV/STI sexual risk scale including nine types of sexual behaviors. The Rasch analysis of the nine items met the unidimensionality and local independence assumption. Although the person reliability was low at 0.35, the item reliability was high at 0.99. The fit statistics provided acceptable infit and outfit values. Item difficulty invariance analysis showed that the item estimates of the risk behavior items were invariant (within error). The findings suggest that the Rasch model can be utilized for measuring the level of sexual risk for HIV/STI infection as a single latent construct and for establishing the relative degree of severity of each type of sexual behavior in HIV/STI transmission and acquisition among MSM. The measurement scale provides a useful measurement tool to inform, design and evaluate behavioral interventions for HIV/STI infection among MSM.

Sex differences and gender-invariance of mother-reported childhood problem behavior.

PubMed

van der Sluis, Sophie; Polderman, Tinca J C; Neale, Michael C; Verhulst, Frank C; Posthuma, Danielle; Dieleman, Gwen C

2017-09-01

Prevalence and severity of childhood behavioral problems differ between boys and girls, and in psychiatry, testing for gender differences is common practice. Population-based studies show that many psychopathology scales are (partially) Measurement Invariance (MI) with respect to gender, i.e. are unbiased. It is, however, unclear whether these studies generalize towards clinical samples. In a psychiatric outpatient sample, we tested whether the Child Behavior Checklist 6-18 (CBCL) is unbiased with respect to gender. We compared mean scores across gender of all syndrome scales of the CBCL in 3271 patients (63.3% boys) aged 6-18. Second, we tested for MI on both the syndrome scale and the item-level using a stepwise modeling procedure. Six of the eight CBCL syndrome scales included one or more gender-biased items (12.6% of all items), resulting in slight over- or under-estimation of the absolute gender difference in mean scores. Two scales, Somatic Complaints and Rule-breaking Behavior, contained no biased items. The CBCL is a valid instrument to measure gender differences in problem behavior in children and adolescents from a clinical sample; while various gender-biased items were identified, the resulting bias was generally clinically irrelevant, and sufficient items per subscale remained after exclusion of biased items. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form for individuals with intellectual disabilities: part II: reliability and validity.

PubMed

Rojahn, J; Rowe, E W; Sharber, A C; Hastings, R; Matson, J L; Didden, R; Kroes, D B H; Dumont, E L M

2012-05-01

The Behavior Problems Inventory-01 (BPI-01) is an informant-based behaviour rating instrument for intellectual disabilities (ID) with 49 items and three sub-scales: Self-injurious Behavior, Stereotyped Behavior and Aggressive/Destructive Behavior. The Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form (BPI-S) is a BPI-01 spin-off with 30 items. The psychometric properties of these two versions of the scale were computed using aggregated archival data from nine different sites in the USA, Wales, England, the Netherlands and Romania with a total of 1122 cases with a BPI-01 total score >0. The internal consistency of the BPI-01 and the BPI-S ranged from fair to excellent with the BPI-01 showing slightly stronger reliability. Construct validity (confirmatory and discriminant) was computed by comparing BPI sub-scale scores with the scores of four other behaviour rating scales (the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped-II, the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form and the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning). Strong evidence for confirmatory and discriminant validity was found for both the BPI-01 and the BPI-S. Confirmatory fit indices for the BPI and the BPI-S were comparable and suggesting that the factor structures fit the data well. In summary, both BPI versions were found to be equally sound psychometrically and can be endorsed for future use. However, independent future studies are needed to replicate the psychometrics of the BPI-S with new data. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Not all group hypnotic suggestibility scales are created equal: individual differences in behavioral and subjective responses.

PubMed

Barnes, Sean M; Lynn, Steven Jay; Pekala, Ronald J

2009-03-01

To examine the influence of hypnotic suggestibility testing as a source of individual differences in hypnotic responsiveness, we compared behavioral and subjective responses on three scales of hypnotic suggestibility: The Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A (HGSHS: A; Shor, R. E., Orne, E. C. (1962). Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility. Berlin: Consulting Psychologists Press); the Carleton University Responsiveness to Suggestion Scale (CURSS; Spanos, N. P., Radtke, H. L., Hodgins, D. C., Stam, H. J., Bertrand, L. D. (1983b). The Carleton University Responsiveness to Suggestion Scale: Normative data and psychometric properties. Psychological Reports, 53, 523-535); and the Group Scale of Hypnotic Ability (GSHA; Hawkins, R., Wenzel, L. (1999). The Group Scale of Hypnotic Ability and response booklet. Australian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 27, 20-31). Behavioral and subjective responses to the CURSS were significantly different than those on the HGSHS: A and GSHA. More participants were classified as "low suggestible" on the CURSS and they reported subjective experiences more similar to everyday mentation. Attitudes and expectancies of participants who received the GSHA were less predictive of responding, but rates of responding and subjective experiences were similar on the GSHA and the HGSHS: A. Discussion focuses on implications for the use of group hypnotic suggestibility scales.

Assessing implementation mechanisms for an international agreement on research and development for health products

PubMed Central

Røttingen, John-Arne

2012-01-01

Abstract The Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) are currently debating the substance and form of an international agreement to improve the financing and coordination of research and development (R&D) for health products that meet the needs of developing countries. In addition to considering the content of any possible legal or political agreement, Member States may find it helpful to reflect on the full range of implementation mechanisms available to bring any agreement into effect. These include mechanisms for states to make commitments, administer activities, manage financial contributions, make subsequent decisions, monitor each other’s performance and promote compliance. States can make binding or non-binding commitments through conventions, contracts, declarations or institutional reforms. States can administer activities to implement their agreements through international organizations, sub-agencies, joint ventures or self-organizing processes. Finances can be managed through specialized multilateral funds, financial institutions, membership organizations or coordinated self-management. Decisions can be made through unanimity, consensus, equal voting, modified voting or delegation. Oversight can be provided by peer review, expert review, self-reports or civil society. Together, states should select their preferred options across categories of implementation mechanisms, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. The challenge lies in choosing the most effective combinations of mechanisms for supporting an international agreement (or set of agreements) that achieves collective aspirations in a way and at a cost that are both sustainable and acceptable to those involved. In making these decisions, WHO’s Member States can benefit from years of experience with these different mechanisms in health and its related sectors. PMID:23226898

Assessing implementation mechanisms for an international agreement on research and development for health products.

PubMed

Hoffman, Steven J; Røttingen, John-Arne

2012-11-01

The Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) are currently debating the substance and form of an international agreement to improve the financing and coordination of research and development (R&D) for health products that meet the needs of developing countries. In addition to considering the content of any possible legal or political agreement, Member States may find it helpful to reflect on the full range of implementation mechanisms available to bring any agreement into effect. These include mechanisms for states to make commitments, administer activities, manage financial contributions, make subsequent decisions, monitor each other's performance and promote compliance. States can make binding or non-binding commitments through conventions, contracts, declarations or institutional reforms. States can administer activities to implement their agreements through international organizations, sub-agencies, joint ventures or self-organizing processes. Finances can be managed through specialized multilateral funds, financial institutions, membership organizations or coordinated self-management. Decisions can be made through unanimity, consensus, equal voting, modified voting or delegation. Oversight can be provided by peer review, expert review, self-reports or civil society. Together, states should select their preferred options across categories of implementation mechanisms, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. The challenge lies in choosing the most effective combinations of mechanisms for supporting an international agreement (or set of agreements) that achieves collective aspirations in a way and at a cost that are both sustainable and acceptable to those involved. In making these decisions, WHO's Member States can benefit from years of experience with these different mechanisms in health and its related sectors.

Validation of the Classroom Behavior Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blunden, Dale; And Others

1974-01-01

Factor-analytic methods were used toassess contruct validity of the Classroom Behavior Inventory, a scale for rating behaviors associated with hyperactivity. The Classroom Behavior Inventory measures three dimensions of behavior: Hyperactivity, Hostility, and Sociability. Significant concurrent validity was obtained for only one Classroom Behavior…

Adaptive Behavior and Problem Behavior in Young Children with Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hahn, Laura J.; Fidler, Deborah J.; Hepburn, Susan L.

2014-01-01

The present study compares the adaptive behavior profile of 18 young children with Williams syndrome (WS) and a developmentally matched group of 19 children with developmental disabilities and examines the relationship between adaptive behavior and problem behaviors in WS. Parents completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavioral Scales--Interview…

Multiple regression and inverse moments improve the characterization of the spatial scaling behavior of daily streamflows in the Southeast United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farmer, William H.; Over, Thomas M.; Vogel, Richard M.

2015-01-01

Understanding the spatial structure of daily streamflow is essential for managing freshwater resources, especially in poorly-gaged regions. Spatial scaling assumptions are common in flood frequency prediction (e.g., index-flood method) and the prediction of continuous streamflow at ungaged sites (e.g. drainage-area ratio), with simple scaling by drainage area being the most common assumption. In this study, scaling analyses of daily streamflow from 173 streamgages in the southeastern US resulted in three important findings. First, the use of only positive integer moment orders, as has been done in most previous studies, captures only the probabilistic and spatial scaling behavior of flows above an exceedance probability near the median; negative moment orders (inverse moments) are needed for lower streamflows. Second, assessing scaling by using drainage area alone is shown to result in a high degree of omitted-variable bias, masking the true spatial scaling behavior. Multiple regression is shown to mitigate this bias, controlling for regional heterogeneity of basin attributes, especially those correlated with drainage area. Previous univariate scaling analyses have neglected the scaling of low-flow events and may have produced biased estimates of the spatial scaling exponent. Third, the multiple regression results show that mean flows scale with an exponent of one, low flows scale with spatial scaling exponents greater than one, and high flows scale with exponents less than one. The relationship between scaling exponents and exceedance probabilities may be a fundamental signature of regional streamflow. This signature may improve our understanding of the physical processes generating streamflow at different exceedance probabilities. 

The Compensatory ADHD Behaviors Scale (CABS): Development and Initial Validation.

PubMed

Castagna, Peter J; Roye, Scott; Calamia, Matthew

2018-05-01

Several measures are available that assess inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and executive functioning deficits. Treatments for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and skill-based academic interventions focus on improving compensatory strategies to ameliorate functional impairment; however, no measure exists that examines the compensatory behaviors adults utilize to compensate for the functional deficits associated with inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. The current study aimed to determine the psychometric properties of the Compensatory ADHD Behaviors Scale (CABS). Five-hundred participants ( M age = 36.83, SD = 11.57) completed measures of ADHD symptomatology, executive functioning, functional impairment, mood disorder symptoms, and the CABS. Analyses revealed that scales assessing both use and effectiveness of compensatory behaviors subscales had similar factor structures, reflecting present- and future-oriented behaviors. The present-, but not future-oriented, behaviors significantly related to ADHD symptomatology, executive dysfunction, and functional impairment; effectiveness of present-oriented compensatory behaviors demonstrated incremental validity in predicting impairment. Compensatory strategies may be a useful variable to measure when examining functional impairment associated with inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. The current study provides preliminary evidence of the ability of CABS to validly measure various strategies associated with (clinical and subclinical) ADHD symptomatology, executive functioning, and overall impairment.

Using the Personality Assessment Inventory Antisocial and Borderline Features Scales to Predict Behavior Change.

PubMed

Penson, Brittany N; Ruchensky, Jared R; Morey, Leslie C; Edens, John F

2016-11-01

A substantial amount of research has examined the developmental trajectory of antisocial behavior and, in particular, the relationship between antisocial behavior and maladaptive personality traits. However, research typically has not controlled for previous behavior (e.g., past violence) when examining the utility of personality measures, such as self-report scales of antisocial and borderline traits, in predicting future behavior (e.g., subsequent violence). Examination of the potential interactive effects of measures of both antisocial and borderline traits also is relatively rare in longitudinal research predicting adverse outcomes. The current study utilizes a large sample of youthful offenders ( N = 1,354) from the Pathways to Desistance project to examine the separate effects of the Personality Assessment Inventory Antisocial Features (ANT) and Borderline Features (BOR) scales in predicting future offending behavior as well as trends in other negative outcomes (e.g., substance abuse, violence, employment difficulties) over a 1-year follow-up period. In addition, an ANT × BOR interaction term was created to explore the predictive effects of secondary psychopathy. ANT and BOR both explained unique variance in the prediction of various negative outcomes even after controlling for past indicators of those same behaviors during the preceding year.

On the Scaling Behavior of Reliability-Resilience-Vulnerability Indices in Agricultural Watersheds

EPA Science Inventory

Risk indices such as reliability-resilience-vulnerability (R-R-V) have been proposed to assess watershed health. In this study, the spatial scaling behavior of R-R-V indices has been explored for five agricultural watersheds in the midwestern United States. The study was conduc...

Neurodevelopmental Status and Adaptive Behaviors in Preschool Children with Chronic Kidney Disease

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duquette, Peter J.; Hooper, Stephen R.; Icard, Phil F.; Hower, Sarah J.; Mamak, Eva G.; Wetherington, Crista E.; Gipson, Debbie S.

2009-01-01

This study examines the early neurodevelopmental function of infants and preschool children who have chronic kidney disease (CKD). Fifteen patients with CKD are compared to a healthy control group using the "Mullen Scales of Early Learning" (MSEL) and the "Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale" (VABS). Multivariate analysis reveals…

Towards a better understanding of the cracking behavior in soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Understanding and modeling shrinkage-induced cracks helps bridge the gap between flow problem in the laboratory and at the field. Modeling flow at the field scale with Darcian fluxes developed at the laboratory scales is challenged with preferential flows attributed to the cracking behavior of soils...

Assessing Adolescents' Prosocial Behavior: The Family Helping Inventory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Midlarsky, Elizabeth; And Others

1995-01-01

Studied the structure and psychometric properties of a self-report measure of adolescents' helping behavior within the family. Factor analyses yielded four internally consistent subscales for the Sibling Helping Scale and five for the Parent Helping Scale, all of which were conceptually related to inventories reflecting family support among…

Evaluation of the Bess TRS-CA Using the Rasch Rating Scale Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiStefano, Christine; Morgan, Grant B.

2010-01-01

This study examined the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System Teacher Rating System for Children and Adolescents (BESS TRS-CA; Kamphaus & Reynolds, 2007) screener using Rasch Rating Scale model (RSM) methodology to provide additional information about psychometric properties of items. Data from the Behavioral Assessment System for Children…

Construct Validation of the Behavior and Instructional Management Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Nancy K.; Sass, Daniel A.

2010-01-01

Beliefs related to classroom management vary among teachers and play an important role in classrooms. Despite the importance of this construct, valid measures have proven difficult to develop. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Behavior and Instructional Management Scale (BIMS), a short but valid measure of teachers'…

Broadband Behavior Rating Scales as Screeners for Autism?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Carl L.; Gross, Amber D.; McReynolds, Brandy M.

2014-01-01

In order to start providing important early intervention services to preschoolers and toddlers with autism, those children first need to be identified. Despite the availability of specialized autism assessment instruments, there is a need for effective screeners at the early childhood level. Three broadband behavior rating scales were evaluated in…

Schaefer Behavior Inventory. Teacher's Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaefer, Earl S.; And Others

This 15-item teacher rating scale measures three behavior traits: task orientation (how a child attends to and stays with classroom activities), extraversion (how readily a child interacts with other people), and hostility (how a child responds to some of the adjustments and conflict problems encountered in group activities). The scale is based…

A Comparison of Intellectual and Behavioral Functioning in Older Persons.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Michael C.; Kramer, Nanette A.

In order to ascertain the extent to which older persons' levels of behavioral functioning parallel their levels of intellectual functioning, 42 female patients, aged 61-99, of an outpatient comprehensive care geriatric clinic, completed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL), the…

FAPRS Manual: Manual for the Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Rating Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callaghan, Glenn M.; Follette, William C.

2008-01-01

The Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Rating Scale (FAPRS) is behavioral coding system designed to capture those essential client and therapist behaviors that occur during Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP). The FAPRS manual presents the purpose and rules for documenting essential aspects of FAP. The FAPRS codes are exclusive and exhaustive…

Scaling Relative Incentive Value in Anticipatory Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pellegrini, Santiago; Papini, Mauricio R.

2007-01-01

Papini and Pellegrini (Papini, M. R., & Pellegrini, S. "Scaling relative incentive value in consummatory behavior." "Learning and Motivation", in press) observed that, within limits, the level of consummatory responding of rats exposed to incentive downshifts in the concentration of sucrose solutions was similar when the ratio of test/training…

The Relationship Between Hypersexual Behavior, Sexual Excitation, Sexual Inhibition, and Personality Traits.

PubMed

Rettenberger, Martin; Klein, Verena; Briken, Peer

2016-01-01

The term hypersexuality was introduced to describe excessive sexual behavior associated with a person's inability to control his or her sexual behavior. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of different personality traits on the degree of hypersexual behavior as measured by the Hypersexual Behavior Inventory (HBI). A further aim was to evaluate the association between sexual inhibition and excitation [as described in the Dual Control Model (DCM)] and hypersexual behavior. A sample of 1,749 participants completed an internet-based survey comprised the HBI, the short form of the Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scales (SIS/SES-SF) as well as more general personality measures: the Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System-scales (BIS/BAS-scales) and a short version of the Big Five Inventory (BFI-10). Using the recommended HBI cut-off, 6.0 % (n = 105) of the present sample could be categorized as hypersexual, which is comparable to the results of previous studies about the prevalence of hypersexual behavior in the general population. The results provided strong support for the components of the DCM-sexual excitation and inhibition-to explain hypersexual behavior, irrespective of gender and sexual orientation. Some of the general personality traits also showed significant relationships with hypersexual behavior. Taken together, the results of the present study provide further support for the relevance of research about the relationships between sexual problems and disorders, the DCM, and personality variables.

[Validity, reliability, and acceptability of the brief version of the self-management knowledge, attitude, and behavior assessment scale for diabetes patients].

PubMed

Wu, Y Z; Wang, W J; Feng, N P; Chen, B; Li, G C; Liu, J W; Liu, H L; Yang, Y Y

2016-07-06

To evaluate the validity, reliability, and acceptability of the brief version of the self-management knowledge, attitude, and behavior (KAB) assessment scale for diabetes patients. Diabetes patients who were managed at the Xinkaipu Community Health Service Center of Tianxin in Changsha, Hunan Province were selected for survey by cluster sampling. A total of 350 diabetes patients were surveyed using the brief scale to collect data on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of self-management. Content validity was evaluated by Pearson correlation coefficient between the brief scale and subscales of knowledge, attitude, and behavior. Structure validity was evaluated by factor analysis, and discrimination validity was evaluated by an independent sample t-test between the high-score and low-score groups. Reliability was tested by internal consistency reliability and split-half reliability. The evaluation indexes of internal consistency reliability were Cronbach's α coefficients, θ coefficient, and Ω coefficient. Acceptability was evaluated by valid response rate and completion time of the brief scale. A total of 346(98.9%) valid questionnaires were returned, with average survey time of (11.43±3.4) minutes. Average score of the brief scale was 78.85 ± 11.22; scores of the knowledge, attitude, and behavior subscales were 16.45 ± 4.42, 21.33 ± 2.03, and 41.07 ± 8.34, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficients between the brief scale and the knowledge, attitude, and behavior subscales were 0.92, 0.42, and 0.60, respectively; P-values were all less than 0.01, indicating that the face validity and content validity of the brief scale were achieved to a good level. The common factor cumulative variance contribution rate of the brief scale and three subscales was from 53.66% to 61.75%, which achieved more than 50% of the approved standard. There were 11 common factors; 41 of the total 42 items had factor loadings above 0.40 in their relevant common factor, indicating that the brief scale and three subscales had good construct validity. Patients were divided into a high-score group and a low-score group, then scores of the brief scale and three subscales were compared between the groups using a t-test. The results were all significant, indicating that the brief scale and three subscales had good discriminate validity. Mean scores of the brief scale and three subscales of the high-score group were 91.55±6.81, 19.51±2.17, 22.74±1.88, and 49.30±6.20, respectively; these were higher than the low-score group (65.89±5.79, 12.29±4.76, 20.22±1.88, and 33.39±6.17, respectively) with t-values 27.76, 13.31, 9.20, and 17.56 (P-values were less than 0.001). The Cronbach's α coefficient, θ coefficient, Ω coefficient, and split-half reliability of the brief scale were 0.83, 0.87, 0.96, and 0.84, respectively. These values for the three subscales were all above 0.70, except for the θ coefficient of the attitude subscale with 0.64, indicating that the brief scale and three subscales had acceptable internal consistency reliability. The brief version of the diabetes self-management knowledge, attitude, and behavior assessment scale showed good acceptability, validity, and reliability, to responsibly evaluate self-management KAB among patients with diabetes.

Regulatory focus as a mediator of the influence of initiating structure and servant leadership on employee behavior.

PubMed

Neubert, Mitchell J; Kacmar, K Michele; Carlson, Dawn S; Chonko, Lawrence B; Roberts, James A

2008-11-01

In this research, the authors test a model in which the regulatory focus of employees at work mediates the influence of leadership on employee behavior. In a nationally representative sample of 250 workers who responded over 2 time periods, prevention focus mediated the relationship of initiating structure to in-role performance and deviant behavior, whereas promotion focus mediated the relationship of servant leadership to helping and creative behavior. The results indicate that even though initiating structure and servant leadership share some variance in explaining other variables, each leadership style incrementally predicts disparate outcomes after controlling for the other style and dispositional tendencies. A new regulatory focus scale, the Work Regulatory Focus (WRF) Scale, also was developed and initially validated for this study. Implications for the results and the WRF Scale are discussed.

Decoupling processes and scales of shoreline morphodynamics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hapke, Cheryl J.; Plant, Nathaniel G.; Henderson, Rachel E.; Schwab, William C.; Nelson, Timothy R.

2016-01-01

Behavior of coastal systems on time scales ranging from single storm events to years and decades is controlled by both small-scale sediment transport processes and large-scale geologic, oceanographic, and morphologic processes. Improved understanding of coastal behavior at multiple time scales is required for refining models that predict potential erosion hazards and for coastal management planning and decision-making. Here we investigate the primary controls on shoreline response along a geologically-variable barrier island on time scales resolving extreme storms and decadal variations over a period of nearly one century. An empirical orthogonal function analysis is applied to a time series of shoreline positions at Fire Island, NY to identify patterns of shoreline variance along the length of the island. We establish that there are separable patterns of shoreline behavior that represent response to oceanographic forcing as well as patterns that are not explained by this forcing. The dominant shoreline behavior occurs over large length scales in the form of alternating episodes of shoreline retreat and advance, presumably in response to storms cycles. Two secondary responses include long-term response that is correlated to known geologic variations of the island and the other reflects geomorphic patterns with medium length scale. Our study also includes the response to Hurricane Sandy and a period of post-storm recovery. It was expected that the impacts from Hurricane Sandy would disrupt long-term trends and spatial patterns. We found that the response to Sandy at Fire Island is not notable or distinguishable from several other large storms of the prior decade.

Adapting the McMaster-Ottawa scale and developing behavioral anchors for assessing performance in an interprofessional Team Observed Structured Clinical Encounter.

PubMed

Lie, Désirée; May, Win; Richter-Lagha, Regina; Forest, Christopher; Banzali, Yvonne; Lohenry, Kevin

2015-01-01

Current scales for interprofessional team performance do not provide adequate behavioral anchors for performance evaluation. The Team Observed Structured Clinical Encounter (TOSCE) provides an opportunity to adapt and develop an existing scale for this purpose. We aimed to test the feasibility of using a retooled scale to rate performance in a standardized patient encounter and to assess faculty ability to accurately rate both individual students and teams. The 9-point McMaster-Ottawa Scale developed for a TOSCE was converted to a 3-point scale with behavioral anchors. Students from four professions were trained a priori to perform in teams of four at three different levels as individuals and teams. Blinded faculty raters were trained to use the scale to evaluate individual and team performances. G-theory was used to analyze ability of faculty to accurately rate individual students and teams using the retooled scale. Sixteen faculty, in groups of four, rated four student teams, each participating in the same TOSCE station. Faculty expressed comfort rating up to four students in a team within a 35-min timeframe. Accuracy of faculty raters varied (38-81% individuals, 50-100% teams), with errors in the direction of over-rating individual, but not team performance. There was no consistent pattern of error for raters. The TOSCE can be administered as an evaluation method for interprofessional teams. However, faculty demonstrate a 'leniency error' in rating students, even with prior training using behavioral anchors. To improve consistency, we recommend two trained faculty raters per station.

Fluctuation scaling, Taylor's law, and crime.

PubMed

Hanley, Quentin S; Khatun, Suniya; Yosef, Amal; Dyer, Rachel-May

2014-01-01

Fluctuation scaling relationships have been observed in a wide range of processes ranging from internet router traffic to measles cases. Taylor's law is one such scaling relationship and has been widely applied in ecology to understand communities including trees, birds, human populations, and insects. We show that monthly crime reports in the UK show complex fluctuation scaling which can be approximated by Taylor's law relationships corresponding to local policing neighborhoods and larger regional and countrywide scales. Regression models applied to local scale data from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire found that different categories of crime exhibited different scaling exponents with no significant difference between the two regions. On this scale, violence reports were close to a Poisson distribution (α = 1.057 ± 0.026) while burglary exhibited a greater exponent (α = 1.292 ± 0.029) indicative of temporal clustering. These two regions exhibited significantly different pre-exponential factors for the categories of anti-social behavior and burglary indicating that local variations in crime reports can be assessed using fluctuation scaling methods. At regional and countrywide scales, all categories exhibited scaling behavior indicative of temporal clustering evidenced by Taylor's law exponents from 1.43 ± 0.12 (Drugs) to 2.094 ± 0081 (Other Crimes). Investigating crime behavior via fluctuation scaling gives insight beyond that of raw numbers and is unique in reporting on all processes contributing to the observed variance and is either robust to or exhibits signs of many types of data manipulation.

Fluctuation Scaling, Taylor’s Law, and Crime

PubMed Central

Hanley, Quentin S.; Khatun, Suniya; Yosef, Amal; Dyer, Rachel-May

2014-01-01

Fluctuation scaling relationships have been observed in a wide range of processes ranging from internet router traffic to measles cases. Taylor’s law is one such scaling relationship and has been widely applied in ecology to understand communities including trees, birds, human populations, and insects. We show that monthly crime reports in the UK show complex fluctuation scaling which can be approximated by Taylor’s law relationships corresponding to local policing neighborhoods and larger regional and countrywide scales. Regression models applied to local scale data from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire found that different categories of crime exhibited different scaling exponents with no significant difference between the two regions. On this scale, violence reports were close to a Poisson distribution (α = 1.057±0.026) while burglary exhibited a greater exponent (α = 1.292±0.029) indicative of temporal clustering. These two regions exhibited significantly different pre-exponential factors for the categories of anti-social behavior and burglary indicating that local variations in crime reports can be assessed using fluctuation scaling methods. At regional and countrywide scales, all categories exhibited scaling behavior indicative of temporal clustering evidenced by Taylor’s law exponents from 1.43±0.12 (Drugs) to 2.094±0081 (Other Crimes). Investigating crime behavior via fluctuation scaling gives insight beyond that of raw numbers and is unique in reporting on all processes contributing to the observed variance and is either robust to or exhibits signs of many types of data manipulation. PMID:25271781

Dynamical gauge effects in an open quantum network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jianshi; Price, Craig; Liu, Qi; Gemelke, Nathan

2016-05-01

We describe new experimental techniques for simulation of high-energy field theories based on an analogy between open thermodynamic systems and effective dynamical gauge-fields following SU(2) × U(1) Yang-Mills models. By coupling near-resonant laser-modes to atoms moving in a disordered optical environment, we create an open system which exhibits a non-equilibrium phase transition between two steady-state behaviors, exhibiting scale-invariant behavior near the transition. By measuring transport of atoms through the disordered network, we observe two distinct scaling behaviors, corresponding to the classical and quantum limits for the dynamical gauge field. This behavior is loosely analogous to dynamical gauge effects in quantum chromodynamics, and can mapped onto generalized open problems in theoretical understanding of quantized non-Abelian gauge theories. Additional, the scaling behavior can be understood from the geometric structure of the gauge potential and linked to the measure of information in the local disordered potential, reflecting an underlying holographic principle. We acknowledge support from NSF Award No.1068570, and the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation.

Validation of a motivation-based typology of angry aggression among antisocial youths in Norway.

PubMed

Bjørnebekk, Gunnar; Howard, Rick

2012-01-01

This article describes the validation of the Angry Aggression Scales (AAS), the Behavior Inhibition System and the Behavior Activation System (BIS/BAS) scales, the reactive aggression and proactive power scales in relation to a Norwegian sample of 101 antisocial youths with conduct problems (64 boys, 37 girls, mean age 15 ± 1.3 years) and 101 prosocial controls matched on age, gender, education, ethnicity, and school district. Maximum likelihood exploratory factor analyses with oblique rotation were performed on AAS, BIS/BAS, reactive aggression and proactive power scales as well as computation of Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega. Tests for normality and homogeneity of variance were acceptable. Factor analyses of AAS and the proactive/reactive aggression scales suggested a hierarchical structure comprising a single higher-order angry aggression (AA) factor and four and two lower-order factors, respectively. Moreover, results suggested one BIS factor and a single higher-order BAS factor with three lower-order factors related to drive, fun-seeking and reward responsiveness. To compare scores of antisocial youths with controls, t-tests on the mean scale scores were computed. Results confirmed that antisocial youths were different from controls on the above-mentioned scales. Consistent with the idea that anger is associated with approach motivation, AAS scores correlated with behavioral activation, but only explosive/reactive and vengeful/ruminative AA correlated with behavioral inhibition. Results generally validated the quadruple typology of aggression and violence proposed by Howard (2009). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Assessment of Protective Behavioral Strategies: Comparing the Absolute Frequency and Contingent Frequency Response Scales

PubMed Central

Kite, Benjamin A.; Pearson, Matthew R.; Henson, James M.

2016-01-01

The purpose of the present studies was to examine the effects of response scale on the observed relationships between protective behavioral strategies (PBS) measures and alcohol-related outcomes. We reasoned that an ‘absolute frequency’ scale (stem: “how many times…”; response scale: 0 times to 11+ times) conflates the frequency of using PBS with the frequency of consuming alcohol; thus, we hypothesized that the use of an absolute frequency response scale would result in positive relationships between types of PBS and alcohol-related outcomes. Alternatively, a ‘contingent frequency’ scale (stem: “When drinking…how often…”; response scale: never to always) does not conflate frequency of alcohol use with use of PBS; therefore, we hypothesized that use of a contingent frequency scale would result in negative relationships between use of PBS and alcohol-related outcomes. Two published measures of PBS were used across studies: the Protective Behavioral Strategies Survey (PBSS) and the Strategy Questionnaire (SQ). Across three studies, we demonstrate that when measured using a contingent frequency response scale, PBS measures relate negatively to alcohol-related outcomes in a theoretically consistent manner; however, when PBS measures were measured on an absolute frequency response scale, they were non-significantly or positively related to alcohol-related outcomes. We discuss the implications of these findings for the assessment of PBS. PMID:23438243

Parental self-efficacy in childhood overweight: validation of the Lifestyle Behavior Checklist in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Gerards, Sanne M P L; Hummel, Karin; Dagnelie, Pieter C; de Vries, Nanne K; Kremers, Stef P J

2013-01-18

Evaluating whether parental challenges and self-efficacy toward managing children's lifestyle behaviors are successfully addressed by interventions requires valid instruments. The Lifestyle Behavior Checklist (LBC) has recently been developed in the Australian context. It consists of two subscales: the Problem scale, which measures parental perceptions of children's behavioral problems related to overweight and obesity, and the Confidence scale, measuring parental self-efficacy in dealing with these problems. The aim of the current study was to systematically translate the questionnaire into Dutch and to evaluate its internal consistency, construct validity and test-retest reliability. The LBC was systematically translated by four experts at Maastricht University. In total, 392 parents of 3-to13-year-old children were invited to fill out two successive online questionnaires with a two-week interval. Of these, 273 parents responded to the first questionnaire (test, response rate = 69.6%), and of the 202 who could be invited for the second questionnaire (retest), 100 responded (response rate = 49.5%). We assessed the questionnaire's internal consistency (Cronbach's α), construct validity (Spearman's Rho correlation tests, using the criterion measures: restrictiveness, nurturance, and psychological control), and test-retest reliability (Spearman's Rho correlation tests). Both scales had high internal consistency (Cronbach's α ≥ 0.90). Spearman correlation coefficients indicated acceptable test-retest reliability for both the Problem scale (rs = 0.74) and the Confidence scale (rs = 0.70). The LBC Problem scale was significantly correlated to all criterion scales (nurturance, restrictiveness, psychological control) in the hypothesized direction, and the LBC Confidence scale was significantly correlated with nurturance and psychological control in the hypothesized direction, but not with restrictiveness. The Dutch translation of the LBC was found to be a reliable and reasonably valid questionnaire to measure parental perceptions of children's weight-related problem behavior and the extent to which parents feel confident to manage these problems.

Mapping the structure of animal behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berman, Gordon; Choi, Daniel; Bialek, William; Shaevitz, Joshua

2014-03-01

Most animals possess the ability to actuate a vast diversity of movements, ostensibly constrained only by morphology and physics. In practice, however, a frequent assumption in behavioral science is that most of an animal's activities can be described in terms of a small set of stereotyped motifs. Here we introduce a method for mapping the behavioral space of organisms, relying only upon the underlying structure of postural movement data to organize and classify behaviors. Applying our method to movies of size closely-related species of freely-behaving fruit flies, we find a wide variety of non-stereotyped and stereo-typed behaviors, spanning a wide range of time scales. We observe subtle behavioral differences between these species, identifying the some of the effects of phylogenic history on behavior. Moreover, we find that the transitions between the observed behaviors display a hierarchical syntax, with similar behaviors likely to transition between each other, but with a long time scale of memory. These results suggest potential mechanisms for the evolution of behavior and for the neural control of movements.

Effects of spatial variability and scale on areal -average evapotranspiration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Famiglietti, J. S.; Wood, Eric F.

1993-01-01

This paper explores the effect of spatial variability and scale on areally-averaged evapotranspiration. A spatially-distributed water and energy balance model is employed to determine the effect of explicit patterns of model parameters and atmospheric forcing on modeled areally-averaged evapotranspiration over a range of increasing spatial scales. The analysis is performed from the local scale to the catchment scale. The study area is King's Creek catchment, an 11.7 sq km watershed located on the native tallgrass prairie of Kansas. The dominant controls on the scaling behavior of catchment-average evapotranspiration are investigated by simulation, as is the existence of a threshold scale for evapotranspiration modeling, with implications for explicit versus statistical representation of important process controls. It appears that some of our findings are fairly general, and will therefore provide a framework for understanding the scaling behavior of areally-averaged evapotranspiration at the catchment and larger scales.

Superhydrophobic ceramic coating: Fabrication by solution precursor plasma spray and investigation of wetting behavior.

PubMed

Xu, Pengyun; Coyle, Thomas W; Pershin, Larry; Mostaghimi, Javad

2018-08-01

Superhydrophobic surfaces are often created by fabricating suitable surface structures from low-surface-energy organic materials using processes that are not suitable for large-scale fabrication. Rare earth oxides (REO) exhibit hydrophobic behavior that is unusual among oxides. Solution precursor plasma spray (SPPS) deposition is a rapid, one-step process that can produce ceramic coatings with fine scale columnar structures. Manipulation of the structure of REO coatings through variation in deposition conditions may allow the wetting behavior to be controlled. Yb 2 O 3 coatings were fabricated via SPPS. Coating structure was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, digital optical microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The static water contact angle and roll-off angle were measured, and the dynamic impact of water droplets on the coating surface recorded. Superhydrophobic behavior was observed; the best coating exhibited a water contact angle of ∼163°, a roll-off angle of ∼6°, and complete droplet rebound behavior. All coatings were crystalline Yb 2 O 3 , with a nano-scale roughness superimposed on a micron-scale columnar structure. The wetting behaviors of coatings deposited at different standoff distances were correlated with the coating microstructures and surface topographies. The self-cleaning, water flushing and water jetting tests were conducted and further demonstrated the excellent and durable hydrophobicity of the coatings. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multi-scale Modeling of Chromosomal DNA in Living Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spakowitz, Andrew

The organization and dynamics of chromosomal DNA play a pivotal role in a range of biological processes, including gene regulation, homologous recombination, replication, and segregation. Establishing a quantitative theoretical model of DNA organization and dynamics would be valuable in bridging the gap between the molecular-level packaging of DNA and genome-scale chromosomal processes. Our research group utilizes analytical theory and computational modeling to establish a predictive theoretical model of chromosomal organization and dynamics. In this talk, I will discuss our efforts to develop multi-scale polymer models of chromosomal DNA that are both sufficiently detailed to address specific protein-DNA interactions while capturing experimentally relevant time and length scales. I will demonstrate how these modeling efforts are capable of quantitatively capturing aspects of behavior of chromosomal DNA in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. This talk will illustrate that capturing dynamical behavior of chromosomal DNA at various length scales necessitates a range of theoretical treatments that accommodate the critical physical contributions that are relevant to in vivo behavior at these disparate length and time scales. National Science Foundation, Physics of Living Systems Program (PHY-1305516).

Self-affinity in the dengue fever time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azevedo, S. M.; Saba, H.; Miranda, J. G. V.; Filho, A. S. Nascimento; Moret, M. A.

2016-06-01

Dengue is a complex public health problem that is common in tropical and subtropical regions. This disease has risen substantially in the last three decades, and the physical symptoms depict the self-affine behavior of the occurrences of reported dengue cases in Bahia, Brazil. This study uses detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) to verify the scale behavior in a time series of dengue cases and to evaluate the long-range correlations that are characterized by the power law α exponent for different cities in Bahia, Brazil. The scaling exponent (α) presents different long-range correlations, i.e. uncorrelated, anti-persistent, persistent and diffusive behaviors. The long-range correlations highlight the complex behavior of the time series of this disease. The findings show that there are two distinct types of scale behavior. In the first behavior, the time series presents a persistent α exponent for a one-month period. For large periods, the time series signal approaches subdiffusive behavior. The hypothesis of the long-range correlations in the time series of the occurrences of reported dengue cases was validated. The observed self-affinity is useful as a forecasting tool for future periods through extrapolation of the α exponent behavior. This complex system has a higher predictability in a relatively short time (approximately one month), and it suggests a new tool in epidemiological control strategies. However, predictions for large periods using DFA are hidden by the subdiffusive behavior.

A Brief Scale to Measure Problematic Sexually Explicit Media Consumption: Psychometric Properties of the Compulsive Pornography Consumption (CPC) Scale among Men who have Sex with Men

PubMed Central

Noor, Syed WB; Simon Rosser, B. R.; Erickson, Darin J.

2015-01-01

Although the phenomenon of hypersexuality has been described in the literature, and scales of compulsive sexual behavior have been published, the existing measures do not assess compulsive sexually explicit media (SEM) consumption. This study tested the psychometric properties of a new scale, the Compulsive Pornography Consumption (CPC). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses results showed good psychometric performance of a five item two factor preoccupation-compulsivity solution. As hypothesized, the scale correlates positively with compulsive sexual behavior, internalized homonegativity, and negatively with sexual self-esteem. The scale will enable researchers to investigate the etiologic factors of compulsive SEM use, and enable clinicians to assess problematic consumption. PMID:25838755

Extending the Direct Behavior Rating: An Examination of Schoolwide Behavior Ratings and Academic Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruhn, Allison; Barron, Sheila; Fernando, Josephine; Balint-Langel, Kinga

2018-01-01

Direct behavior ratings have been identified as a practical and feasible alternative to direct observation of behavior for monitoring behavioral progress. Despite the evidence of usability, there have been calls for further examination of direct behavior ratings using different behaviors and scales. To this end, we examined the ratings of…

Effect of Particle Size and Impact Velocity on Collision Behaviors Between Nano-Scale TiN Particles: MD Simulation.

PubMed

Yao, Hai-Long; Hu, Xiao-Zhen; Yang, Guan-Jun

2018-06-01

Inter-particle bonding formation which determines qualities of nano-scale ceramic coatings is influenced by particle collision behaviors during high velocity collision processes. In this study, collision behaviors between nano-scale TiN particles with different diameters were illuminated by using Molecular Dynamics simulation through controlling impact velocities. Results show that nano-scale TiN particles exhibit three states depending on particle sizes and impact velocities, i.e., bonding, bonding with localized fracturing, and rebounding. These TiN particles states are summarized into a parameter selection map providing an overview of the conditions in terms of particle sizes and velocities. Microstructure results show that localized atoms displacement and partial fracture around the impact region are main reasons for bonding formation of nano-scale ceramic particles, which shows differences from conventional particles refining and amorphization. A relationship between the adhesion energy and the rebound energy is established to understand bonding formation mechanism for nano-scale TiN particle collision. Results show that the energy relationship is depended on the particle sizes and impact velocities, and nano-scale ceramic particles can be bonded together as the adhesion energy being higher than the rebound energy.

Attitude May Be Everything, But Is Everything an Attitude? Cognitive Distortions May Not Be Evaluations of Rape.

PubMed

Nunes, Kevin L; Hermann, Chantal A; White, Kristen; Pettersen, Cathrine; Bumby, Kurt

2018-02-01

Cognitive distortions are often referred to as attitudes toward rape in theory, research, and clinical practice pertaining to sexual aggression. In the social-psychological literature, however, attitudes are typically defined as evaluations; thus, in this context, attitudes toward rape are considered evaluations of rape (e.g., rape is negative vs. positive). The purpose of the current study was to explore whether a widely used measure of cognitive distortions (RAPE Scale; Bumby, 1996) assesses evaluation of rape, and, if not, whether evaluation of rape and the cognitions assessed by the RAPE Scale are independently associated with sexually aggressive behavior. Participants (660 male undergraduate students) completed the RAPE Scale as well as measures of evaluation of rape and sexually aggressive behavior. An exploratory factor analysis revealed that the RAPE Scale items formed a correlated but distinct factor from the Evaluation of Rape Scale items. Regression analyses indicated that the Evaluation of Rape Scale and the RAPE Scale had small to moderate independent associations with self-report measures of sexually aggressive behavior. Our results suggest that evaluation of rape may be distinct from cognitive distortions regarding rape, and both evaluation and cognitive distortions may be relevant for understanding sexual violence.

Development of an Instrument to Measure Behavioral Health Function for Work Disability: Item Pool Construction and Factor Analysis

PubMed Central

Marfeo, Elizabeth E.; Ni, Pengsheng; Haley, Stephen M.; Jette, Alan M.; Bogusz, Kara; Meterko, Mark; McDonough, Christine M.; Chan, Leighton; Brandt, Diane E.; Rasch, Elizabeth K.

2014-01-01

Objectives To develop a broad set of claimant-reported items to assess behavioral health functioning relevant to the Social Security disability determination processes, and to evaluate the underlying structure of behavioral health functioning for use in development of a new functional assessment instrument. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Community. Participants Item pools of behavioral health functioning were developed, refined, and field-tested in a sample of persons applying for Social Security disability benefits (N=1015) who reported difficulties working due to mental or both mental and physical conditions. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measure Social Security Administration Behavioral Health (SSA-BH) measurement instrument Results Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) specified that a 4-factor model (self-efficacy, mood and emotions, behavioral control, and social interactions) had the optimal fit with the data and was also consistent with our hypothesized conceptual framework for characterizing behavioral health functioning. When the items within each of the four scales were tested in CFA, the fit statistics indicated adequate support for characterizing behavioral health as a unidimensional construct along these four distinct scales of function. Conclusion This work represents a significant advance both conceptually and psychometrically in assessment methodologies for work related behavioral health. The measurement of behavioral health functioning relevant to the context of work requires the assessment of multiple dimensions of behavioral health functioning. Specifically, we identified a 4-factor model solution that represented key domains of work related behavioral health functioning. These results guided the development and scale formation of a new SSA-BH instrument. PMID:23548542

Development of an instrument to measure behavioral health function for work disability: item pool construction and factor analysis.

PubMed

Marfeo, Elizabeth E; Ni, Pengsheng; Haley, Stephen M; Jette, Alan M; Bogusz, Kara; Meterko, Mark; McDonough, Christine M; Chan, Leighton; Brandt, Diane E; Rasch, Elizabeth K

2013-09-01

To develop a broad set of claimant-reported items to assess behavioral health functioning relevant to the Social Security disability determination processes, and to evaluate the underlying structure of behavioral health functioning for use in development of a new functional assessment instrument. Cross-sectional. Community. Item pools of behavioral health functioning were developed, refined, and field tested in a sample of persons applying for Social Security disability benefits (N=1015) who reported difficulties working because of mental or both mental and physical conditions. None. Social Security Administration Behavioral Health (SSA-BH) measurement instrument. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) specified that a 4-factor model (self-efficacy, mood and emotions, behavioral control, social interactions) had the optimal fit with the data and was also consistent with our hypothesized conceptual framework for characterizing behavioral health functioning. When the items within each of the 4 scales were tested in CFA, the fit statistics indicated adequate support for characterizing behavioral health as a unidimensional construct along these 4 distinct scales of function. This work represents a significant advance both conceptually and psychometrically in assessment methodologies for work-related behavioral health. The measurement of behavioral health functioning relevant to the context of work requires the assessment of multiple dimensions of behavioral health functioning. Specifically, we identified a 4-factor model solution that represented key domains of work-related behavioral health functioning. These results guided the development and scale formation of a new SSA-BH instrument. Copyright © 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Distinguishing advective and powered motion in self-propelled colloids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byun, Young-Moo; Lammert, Paul E.; Hong, Yiying; Sen, Ayusman; Crespi, Vincent H.

2017-11-01

Self-powered motion in catalytic colloidal particles provides a compelling example of active matter, i.e. systems that engage in single-particle and collective behavior far from equilibrium. The long-time, long-distance behavior of such systems is of particular interest, since it connects their individual micro-scale behavior to macro-scale phenomena. In such analyses, it is important to distinguish motion due to subtle advective effects—which also has long time scales and length scales—from long-timescale phenomena that derive from intrinsically powered motion. Here, we develop a methodology to analyze the statistical properties of the translational and rotational motions of powered colloids to distinguish, for example, active chemotaxis from passive advection by bulk flow.

Structural Similitude and Scaling Laws for Plates and Shells: A Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simitses, G. J.; Starnes, J. H., Jr.; Rezaeepazhand, J.

2000-01-01

This paper deals with the development and use of scaled-down models in order to predict the structural behavior of large prototypes. The concept is fully described and examples are presented which demonstrate its applicability to beam-plates, plates and cylindrical shells of laminated construction. The concept is based on the use of field equations, which govern the response behavior of both the small model as well as the large prototype. The conditions under which the experimental data of a small model can be used to predict the behavior of a large prototype are called scaling laws or similarity conditions and the term that best describes the process is structural similitude. Moreover, since the term scaling is used to describe the effect of size on strength characteristics of materials, a discussion is included which should clarify the difference between "scaling law" and "size effect". Finally, a historical review of all published work in the broad area of structural similitude is presented for completeness.

Validation of the XDP-MDSP rating scale for the evaluation of patients with X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism.

PubMed

Pasco, Paul Matthew D; Jamora, Roland Dominic G; Rosales, Raymond L; Diesta, Cid Czarina E; Ng, Arlene R; Teleg, Rosalia A; Go, Criscely L; Lee, Lillian; Fernandez, Hubert H

2017-01-01

X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism(XDP) is a neurodegenerative disorder endemic to the Philippines. A rating scale was developed by the authors under the guidance of the Movement Disorder Society of the Philippines (MDSP) to assess XDP severity and progression, functional impact, and response to treatment in future clinical trials. Our main objective was to validate our new scale, the XDP-MDSP scale. The initial validation process included pragmatic testing to XDP patients followed by a modified Delphi procedure with an international advisory panel of dystonia, parkinsonism and scale development experts. Pearson correlation was used to assess construct validity of our new scale versus the assess construct validity of our new scale versus standard dystonia, parkinsonism, non-motor and functional scales; and also to assess divergent validity against behavioral and cognitive scales. The 37-item XDP-MDSP scale has five parts: I-dystonia, II-parkinsonism, III-non-motor features, IV-ADL, and V-global impression. After initial validation, the scale was administered to 204 XDP patients. Inter-domain correlation for the first four parts was acceptable. The correlation between these domains and the global rating was slightly lower. Correlations between Parts I, II, III, and IV versus standard dystonia, parkinsonism, non-motor and functional scales were acceptable with values ranging from 0.323 to 0.428. For divergent validity, a significant correlation was seen with behavioral scales. No significant correlation was noted with the cognitive scale. The proposed XDP-MDSP scale is internally valid but the global rating subscale may need to be modified or eliminated. While there is convergent validity, divergent validation was successful only on cognitive and not behavioral scales. The frequent co-occurrence of anxiety and depression, and its effect on the motor and functional state, may explain this finding.

Psychometric data of a questionnaire to measure cyberbullying bystander behavior and its behavioral determinants among adolescents.

PubMed

DeSmet, A; Bastiaensens, S; Van Cleemput, K; Poels, K; Vandebosch, H; Deboutte, G; Herrewijn, L; Malliet, S; Pabian, S; Van Broeckhoven, F; De Troyer, O; Deglorie, G; Van Hoecke, S; Samyn, K; De Bourdeaudhuij, I

2018-06-01

.This paper describes the items, scale validity and scale reliability of a self-report questionnaire that measures bystander behavior in cyberbullying incidents among adolescents, and its behavioral determinants. Determinants included behavioral intention, behavioral attitudes, moral disengagement attitudes, outcome expectations, self-efficacy, subjective norm and social skills. Questions also assessed (cyber-)bullying involvement. Validity and reliability information is based on a sample of 238 adolescents (M age=13.52 years, SD=0.57). Construct validity was assessed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) or Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) in Mplus7 software. Reliability (Cronbach Alpha, α) was assessed in SPSS, version 22. Data and questionnaire are included in this article. Further information can be found in DeSmet et al. (2018) [1].

Measurement artifacts in the assessment of counterproductive work behavior and organizational citizenship behavior: do we know what we think we know?

PubMed

Spector, Paul E; Bauer, Jeremy A; Fox, Suzy

2010-07-01

An experiment investigated whether measurement features affected observed relationships between counterproductive work behavior (CWB) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and their relationships with other variables. As expected, correlations between CWB and OCB were significantly higher with ratings of agreement rather than frequency of behavior, when OCB scale content overlapped with CWB than when it did not, and with supervisor rather than self-ratings. Relationships with job satisfaction and job stressors were inconsistent across conditions. We concluded that CWB and OCB are likely unrelated and not necessarily oppositely related to other variables. Researchers should avoid overlapping content in CWB and OCB scales and should use frequency formats to assess how often individuals engage in each form of behavior.

Rasch Analysis of a New Hierarchical Scoring System for Evaluating Hand Function on the Motor Assessment Scale for Stroke

PubMed Central

Sabari, Joyce S.; Woodbury, Michelle; Velozo, Craig A.

2014-01-01

Objectives. (1) To develop two independent measurement scales for use as items assessing hand movements and hand activities within the Motor Assessment Scale (MAS), an existing instrument used for clinical assessment of motor performance in stroke survivors; (2) To examine the psychometric properties of these new measurement scales. Design. Scale development, followed by a multicenter observational study. Setting. Inpatient and outpatient occupational therapy programs in eight hospital and rehabilitation facilities in the United States and Canada. Participants. Patients (N = 332) receiving stroke rehabilitation following left (52%) or right (48%) cerebrovascular accident; mean age 64.2 years (sd 15); median 1 month since stroke onset. Intervention. Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures. Data were tested for unidimensionality and reliability, and behavioral criteria were ordered according to difficulty level with Rasch analysis. Results. The new scales assessing hand movements and hand activities met Rasch expectations of unidimensionality and reliability. Conclusion. Following a multistep process of test development, analysis, and refinement, we have redesigned the two scales that comprise the hand function items on the MAS. The hand movement scale contains an empirically validated 10-behavior hierarchy and the hand activities item contains an empirically validated 8-behavior hierarchy. PMID:25177513

Effect of chemical composition and microstructure on the mechanical behavior of fish scales from Megalops Atlanticus.

PubMed

Gil-Duran, S; Arola, D; Ossa, E A

2016-03-01

This paper presents an experimental study of the composition, microstructure and mechanical behavior of scales from the Megalops Atlanticus (Atlantic tarpon). The microstructure and composition were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and RAMAN spectroscopy, respectively. The mechanical properties were evaluated in uniaxial tension as a function of position along the length of the fish (head, mid-length and tail). Results showed that the scales are composed of collagen and hydroxyapatite, and these constituents are distributed within three well-defined layers from the bottom to the top of the scale. The proportion of these layers with respect to the total scale thickness varies radially. The collagen fibers are arranged in plies with different orientations and with preferred orientation in the longitudinal direction of the fish. Results from the tensile tests showed that scales from Megalops Atlanticus exhibit variations in the elastic modulus as a function of body position. Additional testing performed with and without the highly mineralized top layers of the scale revealed that the mechanical behavior is anisotropic and that the highest strength was exhibited along the fish length. Furthermore, removing the top mineralized layers resulted in an increase in the tensile strength of the scale. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving measurement of injection drug risk behavior using item response theory.

PubMed

Janulis, Patrick

2014-03-01

Recent research highlights the multiple steps to preparing and injecting drugs and the resultant viral threats faced by drug users. This research suggests that more sensitive measurement of injection drug HIV risk behavior is required. In addition, growing evidence suggests there are gender differences in injection risk behavior. However, the potential for differential item functioning between genders has not been explored. To explore item response theory as an improved measurement modeling technique that provides empirically justified scaling of injection risk behavior and to examine for potential gender-based differential item functioning. Data is used from three studies in the National Institute on Drug Abuse's Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies. A two-parameter item response theory model was used to scale injection risk behavior and logistic regression was used to examine for differential item functioning. Item fit statistics suggest that item response theory can be used to scale injection risk behavior and these models can provide more sensitive estimates of risk behavior. Additionally, gender-based differential item functioning is present in the current data. Improved measurement of injection risk behavior using item response theory should be encouraged as these models provide increased congruence between construct measurement and the complexity of injection-related HIV risk. Suggestions are made to further improve injection risk behavior measurement. Furthermore, results suggest direct comparisons of composite scores between males and females may be misleading and future work should account for differential item functioning before comparing levels of injection risk behavior.

Turbulent pipe flow at extreme Reynolds numbers.

PubMed

Hultmark, M; Vallikivi, M; Bailey, S C C; Smits, A J

2012-03-02

Both the inherent intractability and complex beauty of turbulence reside in its large range of physical and temporal scales. This range of scales is captured by the Reynolds number, which in nature and in many engineering applications can be as large as 10(5)-10(6). Here, we report turbulence measurements over an unprecedented range of Reynolds numbers using a unique combination of a high-pressure air facility and a new nanoscale anemometry probe. The results reveal previously unknown universal scaling behavior for the turbulent velocity fluctuations, which is remarkably similar to the well-known scaling behavior of the mean velocity distribution.

Cross Validity of the Behavior Style Questionnaire and Child Personality Scale in Nursery School Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simonds, John F.; Simonds, M. Patricia

1982-01-01

Mothers of 182 nursery school children completed the Behavior Style Questionnaire (BSQ) and the Child Personality Scale (CPS). Intercorrelational analyses showed many significantly correlated items. Scores of the five CPS factors clearly distinguished between subjects in easy and difficult BSQ clusters. Found boys significantly more introverted…

An Exploratory Investigation of the Counseling Competencies Scale: A Measure of Counseling Skills, Dispositions, and Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swank, Jacqueline M.; Lambie, Glenn W.; Witta, E. Lea

2012-01-01

The authors examined the psychometric properties of the Counseling Competencies Scale (CCS; University of Central Florida Counselor Education Faculty, 2009), an instrument designed to assess trainee competencies as measured in their counseling skills, dispositions, and behaviors. There was strong internal consistency for the 4-factor model for…

Evaluating Change in Behavioral Preferences: Multidimensional Scaling Single-Ideal Point Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ding, Cody

2016-01-01

The purpose of the article is to propose a multidimensional scaling single-ideal point model as a method to evaluate changes in individuals' preferences under the explicit methodological framework of behavioral preference assessment. One example is used to illustrate the approach for a clear idea of what this approach can accomplish.

The Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale: Dimensionality and External Validity in Head Start

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDermott, Paul A.; Rikoon, Samuel H.; Waterman, Clare; Fantuzzo, John W.

2012-01-01

Given the importance of accurately gauging early childhood approaches to learning, this study reports evidence for the dimensionality and utility of the Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale for use with disadvantaged preschool children. Data from a large (N = 1,666) sample representative of urban Head Start classrooms revealed three reliable…

Developmental Plan Handbook for Community Skills Training (TACL, Training Adults for Community Living).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roth, Martin R.; Hermus, Gary P.

Based on behavioral principles, the handbook is designed as both an assessment tool and curriculum guide for training community living skills to mentally retarded and developmentally disabled individuals. Behavioral Programing Scales are provided to record baseline data, where the client receives no assistance. These scales cover all program…

Applying the Mixed Rasch Model to the Runco Ideational Behavior Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sen, Sedat

2016-01-01

Previous research using creativity assessments has used latent class models and identified multiple classes (a 3-class solution) associated with various domains. This study explored the latent class structure of the Runco Ideational Behavior Scale, which was designed to quantify ideational capacity. A robust state-of the-art technique called the…

Adapting Scale for Children: A Practical Model for Researchers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydin, Selami; Harputlu, Leyla; Çelik, Seyda Savran; Ustuk, Özgehan; Güzel, Serhat; Genç, Deniz

2016-01-01

Measurement of children's behaviors in an educational and research context is a problematic and complex area. It is also evident that adapting scales to measure children's behaviors in an educational and research context is a complex process due to several reasons. First, cultural elements constitute a considerable problem. Second, it is difficult…

Teacher Report versus Adaptive Behavior Scale in Assessment of Mental Retardation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Ansari, Ahmed

1993-01-01

This study assessed the degree of agreement between teacher report and an adapted Adaptive Behavior Scale in the identification of mental retardation and associated learning difficulties in 257 young Bahraini school children. Findings indicated that the instrument is sensitive in identification of children with mental retardation and exhibits high…

Self-organization and complexity in historical landscape patterns

Treesearch

Janine Bolliger; Julien C. Sprott; David J. Mladenoff

2003-01-01

Self-organization describes the evolution process of complex structures where systems emerge spontaneously, driven internally by variations of the system itself. Self-organization to the critical state is manifested by scale-free behavior across many orders of magnitude (Bak et al. 1987, Bak 1996, Sole et a1. 1999). Spatial scale-free behavior implies fractal...

Internal Consistency and Cross-Informant Agreement of the Lithuanian-Translated Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sointu, Erkko T.; Geležiniene, Renata; Lambert, Matthew C.; Nordness, Philip D.

2015-01-01

Educational professionals need assessments that yield psychometrically sound scores to assess students' behavioral and emotional functioning in order to guide data-driven decision-making processes. Rating scales have been found to be effective and economical, and often multiple informant perspectives can be obtained. The agreement between multiple…

Student Identification of Academic Cheating Typology and the Link to Shoplifting Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shanahan, Kevin J.; Hopkins, Christopher D.; Carlson, Les; Raymond, Mary Anne

2013-01-01

Employing and testing shoplifting-based constructs, we develop and validate a new multifaceted cheating behavior scale that allows educators to segment cheating behavior into what students perceive as trivial versus serious cheating. Results confirm that shoplifting-based scales perform well as predictors of cheating and also suggest that from…

Factorial Validity and Reliability of the Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, William M.; Bernstein, Sydna M.

1982-01-01

The factorial validity and internal consistency reliability of the Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale were examined with a random sample of elementary school children. Given the problem of multicollinearity that was shown to exist among subscales, the authors suggest caution in the interpretation of Devereux subscales as discrete…

Social Approach and Autistic Behavior in Children with Fragile X Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Jane E.; Weisenfeld, Leigh Anne H.; Hatton, Deborah D.; Heath, Morgan; Kaufmann, Walter E.

2007-01-01

Social avoidance is a core phenotypic characteristic of fragile X syndrome (FXS) that has critical cognitive and social consequences. However, no study has examined modulation of multiple social avoidant behaviors in children with FXS. In the current study, we introduce the "Social Approach Scale" (SAS), an observation scale that includes physical…

Behavioral and Emotional Symptoms of Children and Adolescents with Prader-Willi Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reddy, Linda A.; Pfeiffer, Steven I.

2007-01-01

To examine the behavioral and emotional difficulties of 73 children and adolescents with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), mental retardation-only, and dual diagnosis (i.e., mental retardation and psychiatrically disordered) on the Devereux Scales of Mental Disorders (DSMD: Naglieri, LeBuffe, & Pfeiffer, "Devereux Scales of Mental Disorders" (DSMD) San…

Scale-Up of Safe & Civil Schools' Model for School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smolkowski, Keith; Strycker, Lisa; Ward, Bryce

2016-01-01

This study evaluated the scale-up of a Safe & Civil Schools "Foundations: Establishing Positive Discipline Policies" positive behavioral interventions and supports initiative through 4 years of "real-world" implementation in a large urban school district. The study extends results from a previous randomized controlled trial…

Efficient and accurate two-scale FE-FFT-based prediction of the effective material behavior of elasto-viscoplastic polycrystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochmann, Julian; Wulfinghoff, Stephan; Ehle, Lisa; Mayer, Joachim; Svendsen, Bob; Reese, Stefanie

2018-06-01

Recently, two-scale FE-FFT-based methods (e.g., Spahn et al. in Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng 268:871-883, 2014; Kochmann et al. in Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng 305:89-110, 2016) have been proposed to predict the microscopic and overall mechanical behavior of heterogeneous materials. The purpose of this work is the extension to elasto-viscoplastic polycrystals, efficient and robust Fourier solvers and the prediction of micromechanical fields during macroscopic deformation processes. Assuming scale separation, the macroscopic problem is solved using the finite element method. The solution of the microscopic problem, which is embedded as a periodic unit cell (UC) in each macroscopic integration point, is found by employing fast Fourier transforms, fixed-point and Newton-Krylov methods. The overall material behavior is defined by the mean UC response. In order to ensure spatially converged micromechanical fields as well as feasible overall CPU times, an efficient but simple solution strategy for two-scale simulations is proposed. As an example, the constitutive behavior of 42CrMo4 steel is predicted during macroscopic three-point bending tests.

College students with Internet addiction decrease fewer Behavior Inhibition Scale and Behavior Approach Scale when getting online.

PubMed

Ko, Chih-Hung; Wang, Peng-Wei; Liu, Tai-Ling; Yen, Cheng-Fang; Chen, Cheng-Sheng; Yen, Ju-Yu

2015-09-01

The aim of the study is to compare the reinforcement sensitivity between online and offline interaction. The effect of gender, Internet addiction, depression, and online gaming on the difference of reinforcement sensitivity between online and offline were also evaluated. The subjects were 2,258 college students (1,066 men and 1,192 women). They completed the Behavior Inhibition Scale and Behavior Approach Scale (BIS/BAS) according to their experience online or offline. Internet addiction, depression, and Internet activity type were evaluated simultaneously. The results showed that reinforcement sensitivity was lower when interacting online than when interacting offline. College students with Internet addiction decrease fewer score on BIS and BAS after getting online than did others. The higher reward and aversion sensitivity are associated with the risk of Internet addiction. The fun seeking online might contribute to the maintenance of Internet addiction. This suggests that reinforcement sensitivity would change after getting online and would contribute to the risk and maintenance of Internet addiction. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Efficient and accurate two-scale FE-FFT-based prediction of the effective material behavior of elasto-viscoplastic polycrystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochmann, Julian; Wulfinghoff, Stephan; Ehle, Lisa; Mayer, Joachim; Svendsen, Bob; Reese, Stefanie

2017-09-01

Recently, two-scale FE-FFT-based methods (e.g., Spahn et al. in Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng 268:871-883, 2014; Kochmann et al. in Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng 305:89-110, 2016) have been proposed to predict the microscopic and overall mechanical behavior of heterogeneous materials. The purpose of this work is the extension to elasto-viscoplastic polycrystals, efficient and robust Fourier solvers and the prediction of micromechanical fields during macroscopic deformation processes. Assuming scale separation, the macroscopic problem is solved using the finite element method. The solution of the microscopic problem, which is embedded as a periodic unit cell (UC) in each macroscopic integration point, is found by employing fast Fourier transforms, fixed-point and Newton-Krylov methods. The overall material behavior is defined by the mean UC response. In order to ensure spatially converged micromechanical fields as well as feasible overall CPU times, an efficient but simple solution strategy for two-scale simulations is proposed. As an example, the constitutive behavior of 42CrMo4 steel is predicted during macroscopic three-point bending tests.

Multiscale Modeling of Cell Interaction in Angiogenesis: From the Micro- to Macro-scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pillay, Samara; Maini, Philip; Byrne, Helen

Solid tumors require a supply of nutrients to grow in size. To this end, tumors induce the growth of new blood vessels from existing vasculature through the process of angiogenesis. In this work, we use a discrete agent-based approach to model the behavior of individual endothelial cells during angiogenesis. We incorporate crowding effects through volume exclusion, motility of cells through biased random walks, and include birth and death processes. We use the transition probabilities associated with the discrete models to determine collective cell behavior, in terms of partial differential equations, using a Markov chain and master equation framework. We find that the cell-level dynamics gives rise to a migrating cell front in the form of a traveling wave on the macro-scale. The behavior of this front depends on the cell interactions that are included and the extent to which volume exclusion is taken into account in the discrete micro-scale model. We also find that well-established continuum models of angiogenesis cannot distinguish between certain types of cell behavior on the micro-scale. This may impact drug development strategies based on these models.

Cross-cultural differences in demented geropsychiatric inpatients with behavioral disturbances.

PubMed

Akpaffiong, M; Kunik, M E; Hale, D; Molinari, V; Orengo, C

1999-10-01

Cross-cultural differences in treatment and diagnosis exist in several psychiatric disorders. This study examines phenomenological and treatment differences between Caucasian and African-American patients presenting to a geropsychiatric unit for treatment of behavioral disturbances associated with dementia. One hundred and forty-one Caucasian patients were compared to 56 African-American patients consecutively admitted to a VA geropsychiatric inpatient unit. At admission, differences in behavior disturbances between the two groups were examined using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia (PANSS). Differences in treatment were assessed by comparing medication types and doses between the two groups. Results showed that Caucasian and African-American patients with dementia and behavioral disturbances presented and responded similarly to like treatment on an inpatient geropsychiatric unit. The similarity between the two groups may be explained by the multi-ethnic make-up of the interdisciplinary treatment team and by the use of standardized scales to measure symptomatology and response. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Critical behavior of the order-disorder phase transition in β -brass investigated by x-ray scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madsen, A.; Als-Nielsen, J.; Hallmann, J.; Roth, T.; Lu, W.

2016-07-01

β -brass exhibits an archetypical example of an order-disorder transition with a critical behavior that was previously investigated by neutron scattering. The data were well described by the three-dimensional (3d) Ising model but the relatively crude experimental resolution prevented an in-depth examination of the single-length scaling hypothesis, a cornerstone in the theory of critical phenomena. With the development of synchrotron x-ray experiments, high-resolution data could be recorded and surprisingly it was found that the single-length scaling did not hold in most critical systems, possibly due to strain originating from surface defects and/or impurities. In this paper we demonstrate single-length critical behavior using high-resolution x-ray scattering in β -brass. The investigations confirm that β -brass behaves like a 3d Ising system over a wide range of length scales comprising correlated clusters of millions of atoms. To vary the surface sensitivity, experiments have been performed both in Bragg reflection and Laue transmission geometries but without any substantial differences observed in the scaling and critical behavior.

Superconducting fluctuations in molybdenum nitride thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baskaran, R.; Thanikai Arasu, A. V.; Amaladass, E. P.; Vaidhyanathan, L. S.; Baisnab, D. K.

2018-02-01

MoN thin films have been deposited using reactive sputtering. The change in resistance near superconducting transition temperature at various magnetic fields has been analyzed based on superconducting fluctuations in the system. The Aslamazov and Larkin scaling theory has been utilized to analyze the conductance change. The results indicate that most of the measurements show two dimensional (2D) nature and exhibit scaling behavior at lower magnetic fields (<7T), while a cross over to three dimensional (3D) nature has been clearly observed in measurements at higher fields (>7T). We have also analyzed our data based on the model in which there is no explicit dependence of Tc. These analyses also substantiate a crossover from a 2D nature to a 3D at larger fields. Analysis using lowest Landau level scaling theory for a 2D system exhibit scaling behavior and substantiate our observations. The broadening at low resistance part has been explained based on thermally activated flux flow model and show universal behavior. The dependence of Uo on magnetic field indicates both single and collective vortex behavior.

Performance Under Stress Conditions During Multidisciplinary Team Immersive Pediatric Simulations.

PubMed

Ghazali, Daniel Aiham; Darmian-Rafei, Ivan; Ragot, Stéphanie; Oriot, Denis

2018-06-01

The primary objective was to determine whether technical and nontechnical performances were in some way correlated during immersive simulation. Performance was measured among French Emergency Medical Service workers at an individual and a team level. Secondary objectives were to assess stress response through collection of physiologic markers (salivary cortisol, heart rate, the proportion derived by dividing the number of interval differences of successive normal-to-normal intervals > 50 ms by the total number of normal-to-normal intervals [pNN50], low- and high-frequency ratio) and affective data (self-reported stress, confidence, and dissatisfaction), and to correlate them to performance scores. Prospective observational study performed as part of a larger randomized controlled trial. Medical simulation laboratory. Forty-eight participants distributed among 12 Emergency Medical System teams. Individual and team performance measures and individual stress response were assessed during a high-fidelity simulation. Technical performance was assessed by the intraosseous access performance scale and the Team Average Performance Assessment Scale; nontechnical performance by the Behavioral Assessment Tool for leaders, and the Clinical Teamwork Scale. Stress markers (salivary cortisol, heart rate, pNN50, low- and high-frequency ratio) were measured both before (T1) and after the session (T2). Participants self-reported stress before and during the simulation, self-confidence, and perception of dissatisfaction with team performance, rated on a scale from 0 to 10. Scores (out of 100 total points, mean ± SD) were intraosseous equals to 65.6 ± 14.4, Team Average Performance Assessment Scale equals to 44.6 ± 18.1, Behavioral Assessment Tool equals to 49.5 ± 22.0, Clinical Teamwork Scale equals to 50.3 ± 18.5. There was a strong correlation between Behavioral Assessment Tool and Clinical Teamwork Scale (Rho = 0.97; p = 0.001), and Behavioral Assessment Tool and Team Average Performance Assessment Scale (Rho = 0.73; p = 0.02). From T1 to T2, all stress markers (salivary cortisol, heart rate, pNN50, and low- and high-frequency ratio) displayed an increase in stress level (p < 0.001 for all). Self-confidence was positively correlated with performance (Clinical Teamwork Scale: Rho = 0.47; p = 0.001, Team Average Performance Assessment Scale: Rho = 0.46; p = 0.001). Dissatisfaction was negatively correlated with performance (Rho = -0.49; p = 0.0008 with Behavioral Assessment Tool, Rho = -0.47; p = 0.001 with Clinical Teamwork Scale, Rho = -0.51; p = 0.0004 with Team Average Performance Assessment Scale). No correlation between stress response and performance was found. There was a positive correlation between leader (Behavioral Assessment Tool) and team (Clinical Teamwork Scale and Team Average Performance Assessment Scale) performances. These performance scores were positively correlated with self-confidence and negatively correlated with dissatisfaction.

The Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Down Syndrome (BPSD-DS) Scale: Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathology in Down Syndrome.

PubMed

Dekker, Alain D; Sacco, Silvia; Carfi, Angelo; Benejam, Bessy; Vermeiren, Yannick; Beugelsdijk, Gonny; Schippers, Mieke; Hassefras, Lyanne; Eleveld, José; Grefelman, Sharina; Fopma, Roelie; Bomer-Veenboer, Monique; Boti, Mariángeles; Oosterling, G Danielle E; Scholten, Esther; Tollenaere, Marleen; Checkley, Laura; Strydom, André; Van Goethem, Gert; Onder, Graziano; Blesa, Rafael; Zu Eulenburg, Christine; Coppus, Antonia M W; Rebillat, Anne-Sophie; Fortea, Juan; De Deyn, Peter P

2018-01-01

People with Down syndrome (DS) are prone to develop Alzheimer's disease (AD). Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are core features, but have not been comprehensively evaluated in DS. In a European multidisciplinary study, the novel Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Down Syndrome (BPSD-DS) scale was developed to identify frequency and severity of behavioral changes taking account of life-long characteristic behavior. 83 behavioral items in 12 clinically defined sections were evaluated. The central aim was to identify items that change in relation to the dementia status, and thus may differentiate between diagnostic groups. Structured interviews were conducted with informants of persons with DS without dementia (DS, n = 149), with questionable dementia (DS+Q, n = 65), and with diagnosed dementia (DS+AD, n = 67). First exploratory data suggest promising interrater, test-retest, and internal consistency reliability measures. Concerning item relevance, group comparisons revealed pronounced increases in frequency and severity in items of anxiety, sleep disturbances, agitation & stereotypical behavior, aggression, apathy, depressive symptoms, and eating/drinking behavior. The proportion of individuals presenting an increase was highest in DS+AD, intermediate in DS+Q, and lowest in DS. Interestingly, among DS+Q individuals, a substantial proportion already presented increased anxiety, sleep disturbances, apathy, and depressive symptoms, suggesting that these changes occur early in the course of AD. Future efforts should optimize the scale based on current results and clinical experiences, and further study applicability, reliability, and validity. Future application of the scale in daily care may aid caregivers to understand changes, and contribute to timely interventions and adaptation of caregiving.

The Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Down Syndrome (BPSD-DS) Scale: Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathology in Down Syndrome

PubMed Central

Dekker, Alain D.; Sacco, Silvia; Carfi, Angelo; Benejam, Bessy; Vermeiren, Yannick; Beugelsdijk, Gonny; Schippers, Mieke; Hassefras, Lyanne; Eleveld, José; Grefelman, Sharina; Fopma, Roelie; Bomer-Veenboer, Monique; Boti, Mariángeles; Oosterling, G. Danielle E.; Scholten, Esther; Tollenaere, Marleen; Checkley, Laura; Strydom, André; Van Goethem, Gert; Onder, Graziano; Blesa, Rafael; zu Eulenburg, Christine; Coppus, Antonia M.W.; Rebillat, Anne-Sophie; Fortea, Juan; De Deyn, Peter P.

2018-01-01

People with Down syndrome (DS) are prone to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are core features, but have not been comprehensively evaluated in DS. In a European multidisciplinary study, the novel Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Down Syndrome (BPSD-DS) scale was developed to identify frequency and severity of behavioral changes taking account of life-long characteristic behavior. 83 behavioral items in 12 clinically defined sections were evaluated. The central aim was to identify items that change in relation to the dementia status, and thus may differentiate between diagnostic groups. Structured interviews were conducted with informants of persons with DS without dementia (DS, n = 149), with questionable dementia (DS+Q, n = 65), and with diagnosed dementia (DS+AD, n = 67). First exploratory data suggest promising interrater, test-retest, and internal consistency reliability measures. Concerning item relevance, group comparisons revealed pronounced increases in frequency and severity in items of anxiety, sleep disturbances, agitation & stereotypical behavior, aggression, apathy, depressive symptoms, and eating/drinking behavior. The proportion of individuals presenting an increase was highest in DS+AD, intermediate in DS+Q, and lowest in DS. Interestingly, among DS+Q individuals, a substantial proportion already presented increased anxiety, sleep disturbances, apathy, and depressive symptoms, suggesting that these changes occur early in the course of AD. Future efforts should optimize the scale based on current results and clinical experiences, and further study applicability, reliability, and validity. Future application of the scale in daily care may aid caregivers to understand changes, and contribute to timely interventions and adaptation of caregiving. PMID:29689719

Can birth order affect temperament, anxiety and behavior in 5 to 7-year-old children in the dental setting?

PubMed

Aminabadi, Naser Asl; Sohrabi, Azin; Erfanparast, Leila K; Oskouei, Sina Ghertasi; Ajami, Behjat Almolook

2011-07-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between birth order and child's temperament, anxiety and behavior in the dental setting. A total of 200 healthy children aged 5 to 7 years, were included in this double-blind randomized controlled trial. The study consisted of two sessions. In the initial appointment, parents were provided with instructions and asked to complete children's behavior questionnaire (CBQ). In the second appointment, identical dental treatments were rendered to all subjects. During treatment, Frankl scale for child's behavior, facial Image scale (FIS) for situational anxiety, and clinical anxiety rating scale for clinical anxiety were utilized. Analysis of data was done using U Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Only children had higher clinical (p = 0.041) and situational (p < 0.001) anxiety, and more negative behavior (p = 0.013) compared to children with siblings. In children with siblings, first-born child was in increased risk of developing negative behavior (p = 0.008), clinical anxiety (p < 0.001) and situational anxiety (p = 0.006). With an exception (sadness, p < 0.001), no significant differences in temperament scale were observed among children with different birth orders. According to the results, only children and laterborns are at higher risk of developing worse outcomes in the dental setting. The role of birth order has been ignored as a possible factor of behavior during routine dental treatment and these findings may shed light on our understanding of behavior management strategies in the dental setting. Considering the increasing pattern of family with an only child both in modern and developing countries, this is more likely that the dental team will face children with negative outcome during dental treatment.

The Nonlinear Magnetosphere: Expressions in MHD and in Kinetic Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hesse, Michael; Birn, Joachim

2011-01-01

Like most plasma systems, the magnetosphere of the Earth is governed by nonlinear dynamic evolution equations. The impact of nonlinearities ranges from large scales, where overall dynamics features are exhibiting nonlinear behavior, to small scale, kinetic, processes, where nonlinear behavior governs, among others, energy conversion and dissipation. In this talk we present a select set of examples of such behavior, with a specific emphasis on how nonlinear effects manifest themselves in MHD and in kinetic models of magnetospheric plasma dynamics.

Stress-induced modification of the boson peak scaling behavior.

PubMed

Corezzi, Silvia; Caponi, Silvia; Rossi, Flavio; Fioretto, Daniele

2013-11-21

The scaling behavior of the so-called boson peak in glass-formers and its relation to the elastic properties of the system remains a source of controversy. Here the boson peak in a binary reactive mixture is measured by Raman scattering (i) on cooling the unreacted mixture well below its glass-transition temperature and (ii) after quenching to very low temperature the mixture at different times during isothermal polymerization. We find that the scaling behavior of the boson peak with the properties of the elastic medium - as measured by the Debye frequency - holds for states in which the elastic moduli follow a generalized Cauchy-like relationship, and breaks down in coincidence with the departure from this relation. A possible explanation is given in terms of the development of long-range stresses in glasses. The present study provides new insight into the boson peak behavior and is able to reconcile the apparently conflicting results presented in literature.

Agreement on reporting acts of aggression in couples in a community sample.

PubMed

Cuenca Montesino, María L; Graña Gómez, José L

2018-05-01

Agreement about acts of aggression in couples on the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS-2) was evaluated. We conducted a quota sampling method to recruit a community sample of 590 heterosexual adult couples from the Region of Madrid (Spain). Prevalence rates based on the maximum dyadic report identified more aggressive behaviors than did individual reports of perpetration and victimization in men and women. Partner agreement about physical and psychological aggression was significant and moderate. However, partners agreed that Negotiation of Conflicts and Positive Behaviors assessed with the Dyadic Adjustment Scale were higher than the behaviors of the Physical Assault Scale. Correction factors are provided to estimate the prevalence of aggressive behavior and injuries when we only had individual reports of aggression. Partner agreement reveals the existence of variables at the individual level that significantly influence the assessment of aggression in the couple.

Ising Criticality of the Clock Model from Density of States Obtained by the Replica Exchange-Wang-Landau Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cadilhe, Antonio

2018-04-01

We performed extensive simulations, using the Replica Exchange-Wang-Landau method, of the clock model for orders 3 and 4 on a square lattice, where critical behaviors are expected to belong to the Ising universality class. Though order 2 represents the Ising model, thus, being exactly solvable in two-dimensions, we still provide such results for comparison to the other two orders. Results for various energy related quantities such as the mean energy per spin, specific heat, as well as logarithm scaling of the peak of the specific heat are presented and shown to follow Ising behavior. Additionally, we also present results related to magnetic quantities, such as the magnetization, magnetic susceptibility, and corresponding scaling behavior of the peak of the magnetic susceptibility. Again, our results show scaling in conformity to Ising critical behavior.

Caregiver Cognition and Behavior in Day-Care Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holloway, Susan D.

A study examined the relationship between change in daycare children's classroom behavior and the teacher's socialization behavior. Various behaviors of 69 children in 24 classrooms were observed and coded in the fall and spring of the school year. Observers coded teacher behavior according to the Caregiver Interaction Scale, which assesses…

Sending Nudes: Sex, Self-Rated Mate Value, and Trait Machiavellianism Predict Sending Unsolicited Explicit Images

PubMed Central

March, Evita; Wagstaff, Danielle L.

2017-01-01

Modern dating platforms have given rise to new dating and sexual behaviors. In the current study, we examine predictors of sending unsolicited explicit images, a particularly underexplored online sexual behavior. The aim of the current study was to explore the utility of dark personality traits (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism) and self-rated mate value in predicting attitudes toward and behavior of sending unsolicited explicit images. Two hundred and forty participants (72% female; Mage = 25.96, SD = 9.79) completed an online questionnaire which included a measure of self-rated mate value, a measure of dark personality traits, and questions regarding sending unsolicited explicit images (operationalized as the explicit image scale). Men, compared to women, were found to have higher explicit image scale scores, and both self-rated mate value and trait Machiavellianism were positive predictors of explicit image scale scores. Interestingly, there were no significant interactions between sex and these variables. Further, Machiavellianism mediated all relationships between other dark traits and explicit image scale scores, indicating this behavior is best explained by the personality trait associated with behavioral strategies. In sum, these results provide support for the premise that sending unsolicited explicit images may be a tactic of a short-term mating strategy; however, future research should further explore this claim. PMID:29326632

Simplified behaviors from increased heterogeneity: II. 3-D uranium transport at the decimeter scale and intertank comparisons.

PubMed

Miller, Andrew W; Rodriguez, Derrick R; Honeyman, Bruce D

2013-05-01

Upscaling from bench scale systems to field scale systems incorporates physical and chemical heterogeneities from atomistic up to field scales. Heterogeneities of intermediate scale (~10(-1) m) are impossible to incorporate in a bench scale experiment. To transcend these scale discrepancies, this second in a pair of papers presents results from an intermediate scale, 3-D tank experiment completed using five different particle sizes of uranium contaminated sediment from a former uranium mill field site. The external dimensions of the tank were 2.44 m×0.61 m×0.61 m (L×H×W). The five particle sizes were packed in a heterogeneous manner using roughly 11 cm cubes. Small groundwater wells were installed for spatial characterization of chemical gradients and flow parameters. An approximately six month long bromide tracer test was used for flow field characterization. Within the flow domain, local uranium breakthrough curves exhibited a wide range of behaviors. However, the global effluent breakthrough curve was smooth, and not unlike breakthrough curves observed in column scale experiments. This paper concludes with an inter-tank comparison of all three experimental systems presented in this pair of papers. Although there is a wide range of chemical and physical variability between the three tanks, major chemical constituent behaviors are often quite similar or even identical. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Development and Psychometric Properties of the Immigration Law Concerns Scale (ILCS) for HIV Testing.

PubMed

Lechuga, Julia; Galletly, Carol L; Broaddus, Michelle R; Dickson-Gomez, Julia B; Glasman, Laura R; McAuliffe, Timothy L; Vega, Miriam Y; LeGrand, Sarah; Mena, Carla A; Barlow, Morgan L; Valera, Erik; Montenegro, Judith I

2017-11-08

To develop, pilot test, and conduct psychometric analyses of an innovative scale measuring the influence of perceived immigration laws on Latino migrants' HIV-testing behavior. The Immigration Law Concerns Scale (ILCS) was developed in three phases: Phase 1 involved a review of law and literature, generation of scale items, consultation with project advisors, and subsequent revision of the scale. Phase 2 involved systematic translation- back translation and consensus-based editorial processes conducted by members of a bilingual and multi-national study team. In Phase 3, 339 sexually active, HIV-negative Spanish-speaking, non-citizen Latino migrant adults (both documented and undocumented) completed the scale via audio computer-assisted self-interview. The psychometric properties of the scale were tested with exploratory factor analysis and estimates of reliability coefficients were generated. Bivariate correlations were conducted to test the discriminant and predictive validity of identified factors. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor, 17-item scale. subscale reliability ranged from 0.72 to 0.79. There were significant associations between the ILCS and the HIV-testing behaviors of participants. Results of the pilot test and psychometric analysis of the ILCS are promising. The scale is reliable and significantly associated with the HIV-testing behaviors of participants. Subscales related to unwanted government attention and concerns about meeting moral character requirements should be refined.

[Evaluation on the validity and reliability of the Diabetes Self-management Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior Assessment Scale (DSKAB)].

PubMed

Liu, Xiaoli; Dai, Long; Chen, Bo; Feng, Nongping; Wu, Qianhui; Lin, Yonghai; Zhang, Lan; Tan, Dong; Zhang, Jinhua; Tu, Huijuan; Li, Changfeng; Wang, Wenjuan

2016-01-01

To evaluate the validity and reliability of Diabetes Self-management Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior Assessment Scale (DSKAB). We selected 460 patients with diabetes in the community, used the scale which was after two rounds of the Delphi method and pilot study. Investigators surveyed the patients by the way of face to face. by draw lots, we selected 25 community diabetes randomly for repeating investigations after one week. The validity analyses included face validity, content validity, construct validity and discriminant validity. The reliability analyses included Cronbach's α coefficient, θ coefficient, Ω coefficient, split-half reliability and test-retest reliability. This study distributed a total of 460 questionnaires, reclaimed 442, qualified 432. The score of the scale was 254.59 ± 28.90, the scores of the knowledge, attitude, behavior sub-scales were 82.44 ± 11.24, 63.53 ± 5.77 and 108.61 ± 17.55, respectively. It had excellent face validity and content validity. The correlation coefficient was from 0.71 to 0.91 among three sub-scales and the scale, P<0.001. The common factor cumulative variance contribution rate of the scale and three sub-scales was from 57.28% to 67.19%, which achieved more than 50% of the approved standard, there was 25 common factors, 91 items of the total 98 items held factor loading ≥0.40 in its relevant common factor, it had good construct validity. The scores of high group and low group in three sub-scales were: knowledge (91.12 ± 3.62) and (69.96 ± 11.20), attitude (68.75 ± 4.51) and (58.79 ± 4.87), behavior (129.38 ± 8.53) and (89.65 ± 11.34),mean scores of three sub-scales were apparently different, which compared between high score group and low score group, the t value were - 19.45, -16.24 and -30.29, respectively, P<0.001, and it had good discriminant validity. The Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale and three sub-scales was from 0.79 to 0.93, the θ coefficient was from 0.86 to 0.95, the Ω coefficient was from 0.90 to 0.98, split-half reliability was from 0.89 to 0.95.Test-retest reliability of the scale was 0.51;the three sub-scales was from 0.46 to 0.52, P<0.05. The validity and reliability of the Diabetes Self-management Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior Assessment Scale are excellent, which is a suitable instrument to evaluate the self-management for patients with diabetes.

Effects of perinatal exposure to PCBs and dioxins on play behavior in Dutch children at school age.

PubMed

Vreugdenhil, Hestien J I; Slijper, Froukje M E; Mulder, Paul G H; Weisglas-Kuperus, Nynke

2002-10-01

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins are known as neurotoxic compounds that may modulate sex steroid hormones. Steroid hormones play a mediating role in brain development and may influence behaviors that show sex differences, such as childhood play behavior. In this study we evaluated the effects of perinatal exposure to environmental levels of PCBs and dioxins on childhood play behavior and whether the effects showed sex differences. As part of the follow-up to the Dutch PCB/dioxin study at school age, we used the Pre-School Activity Inventory (PSAI) to assess play behavior in the Rotterdam cohort (n = 207). The PSAI assesses masculine or feminine play behavior scored on three subscales: masculine, feminine, and composite. Prenatal exposure to PCBs was defined as the sum of PCB 118, 138, 153, and 180 in maternal and cord plasma and breast milk. For breast milk we measured additional PCBs as well as 17 dioxins. Respondents returned 160 questionnaires (age 7.5 years +/- 0.4). Effects of prenatal exposure to PCBs, measured in maternal and cord plasma, on the masculine and composite scales were different for boys and girls (p <.05). In boys, higher prenatal PCB levels were related with less masculinized play, assessed by the masculine scale (p(maternal) =.042; p(cord) =.001) and composite scale (p(cord) =.011), whereas in girls higher PCB levels were associated with more masculinized play, assessed by the composite scale (p(PCBmilk) =.028). Higher prenatal dioxin levels were associated with more feminized play in boys as well as girls, assessed by the feminine scale (p =.048). These effects suggest prenatal steroid hormone imbalances caused by prenatal exposure to environmental levels of PCBs, dioxins, and other related organochlorine compounds.

Temperament and behavior in toddlers of mothers with bipolar disorder: a preliminary investigation of a population at high familial risk for psychopathology.

PubMed

Simeonova, Diana I; Attalla, Ashraf M; Nguyen, Theresa; Stagnaro, Emily; Knight, Bettina T; Craighead, W Edward; Stowe, Zachary N; Newport, D Jeffrey

2014-12-01

There are no published studies examining concurrent associations between temperament and behavior during toddlerhood in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (OBD), a population at high familial risk for psychopathology. Better understanding of early determinants contributing to well-being or mental illness in this high-risk population has the potential to aid in the identification of problem domains to be targeted clinically, and facilitate the development of early intervention and prevention initiatives for an appropriate subgroup of children at the youngest possible age. A total of 30 offspring of mothers with BD (mean age=25.4±4.9 months) participated in this study at Emory University. The mothers completed the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The results of the correlational analyses indicated that the broad temperament dimension Negative Affectivity and the individual ECBQ scales Sadness and Shyness were positively associated with the broad CBCL dimension Internalizing Problems, whereas Sociability was negatively associated with Internalizing Problems. In addition, the temperament scales Soothability and Frustration were negatively and positively associated with Internalizing Problems, respectively. All ECBQ scales included in the broad temperament dimension Effortful Control, except for Cuddliness, were significantly negatively associated with the broad CBCL dimension Externalizing Problems. A significant sex difference was found for the ECBQ scale Positive Anticipation and the CBCL scale Sleep Problems, with a higher mean rank score for girls than for boys. This is the first systematic investigation of temperament and behavior and concurrent associations between these two domains in toddlers of mothers with BD. The present findings provide a platform for future investigations of the contribution of temperament and early behavior to potential well-being or mental illness in OBD.

Effects of the stages of change model-based education and motivational interview on exercise behavior in diabetic women.

PubMed

Sekerci, Yasemin Gümüs; Kitis, Yeter

2018-05-08

In this study, we examined the effects of exercise education and a motivational interview program, based on the stages of change model (SCM), on stage of change, using cognitive and behavioral methods, perceived benefits and barriers and self-confidence in Turkish women with diabetes. This intervention study was carried out in 2015 on 55 women selected from a family health centers' population. An exercise guide was prepared based on the SCM for the intervention group. The intervention group was followed seven times at 1-month intervals via home visits, and exercise education and the motivational interview program were conducted to identify changes in behavior. The control group received no intervention. Data were collected from both groups using a personal description form, Exercise Stages of Change Scale, Exercise Processes of Change Scale, Exercise Decisional Balance Scale, and Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale. After the exercise program, each group was re-subjected to the same scales. We used a chi-square test and independent and paired sample t-tests to analyze the data. The stages of change, using cognitive and behavioral methods, perceived benefits and self-confidence for exercise in the intervention group significantly improved compared with that in the control group (p < .05). In the intervention group, 81.5% of the participants started exercising. The exercise education and motivational interview program based on SCM positively affected stages of change, using cognitive and behavioral methods, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and self-confidence for exercise behavior in women with diabetes. We conclude that the education and motivational interview program based on SCM are effective in promoting exercise habit.

Coping behavior and loneliness among obese patients.

PubMed

Hörchner, Rogier; Tuinebreijer, Wim E; Kelder, Hans; van Urk, Elly

2002-12-01

Morbid obesity can be accompanied by physical and social problems that may influence interpersonal relationships and the recruitment of social support. The problems can be tackled with a variety of coping strategies. 104 patients with a body mass index (BMI) 32-64 kg/m2 and mean age 36 yr were presented with the Utrecht Coping List (UCL) and the Loneliness Scale. Of these patients, 94 were female, and this cohort was analyzed more extensively. Patients exhibited elevated values on the Loneliness Scale and in the UCL sub-scales palliative response, avoidance / wait-and-see, passive / depressive response pattern and expression of emotions / anger. The active approach UCL sub-scale scored lower than in a control group. Obese female patients displayed avoidance, wait-and-see and passive response pattern as coping behavior, experiencing their intimate relationships as relatively unreliable and not very intimate. More research is needed to determine the effect of coping behavior on therapeutic effect.

A behavioral-level HDL description of SFQ logic circuits for quantitative performance analysis of large-scale SFQ digital systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuzaki, F.; Yoshikawa, N.; Tanaka, M.; Fujimaki, A.; Takai, Y.

2003-10-01

Recently many single flux quantum (SFQ) logic circuits containing several thousands of Josephson junctions have been designed successfully by using digital domain simulation based on the hard ware description language (HDL). In the present HDL-based design of SFQ circuits, a structure-level HDL description has been used, where circuits are made up of basic gate cells. However, in order to analyze large-scale SFQ digital systems, such as a microprocessor, more higher-level circuit abstraction is necessary to reduce the circuit simulation time. In this paper we have investigated the way to describe functionality of the large-scale SFQ digital circuits by a behavior-level HDL description. In this method, the functionality and the timing of the circuit block is defined directly by describing their behavior by the HDL. Using this method, we can dramatically reduce the simulation time of large-scale SFQ digital circuits.

Scaling analysis on Indian foreign exchange market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, A.; Barat, P.

2006-05-01

In this paper, we investigate the scaling behavior of the average daily exchange rate returns of the Indian Rupee against four foreign currencies: namely, US Dollar, Euro, Great Britain Pound and Japanese Yen. The average daily exchange rate return of the Indian Rupee against US Dollar is found to exhibit a persistent scaling behavior and follow Levy stable distribution. On the contrary, the average daily exchange rate returns of the other three foreign currencies do not show persistency or antipersistency and follow Gaussian distribution.

Development and validation of the Stirling Eating Disorder Scales.

PubMed

Williams, G J; Power, K G; Miller, H R; Freeman, C P; Yellowlees, A; Dowds, T; Walker, M; Parry-Jones, W L

1994-07-01

The development and reliability/validity check of an 80-item, 8-scale measure for use with eating disorder patients is presented. The Stirling Eating Disorder Scales (SEDS) assess anorexic dietary behavior, anorexic dietary cognitions, bulimic dietary behavior, bulimic dietary cognitions, high perceived external control, low assertiveness, low self-esteem, and self-directed hostility. The SEDS were administered to 82 eating disorder patients and 85 controls. Results indicate that the SEDS are acceptable in terms of internal consistency, reliability, group validity, and concurrent validity.

Resolution-dependent behavior of subgrid-scale vertical transport in the Zhang-McFarlane convection parameterization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xiao, Heng; Gustafson, Jr., William I.; Hagos, Samson M.

2015-04-18

With this study, to better understand the behavior of quasi-equilibrium-based convection parameterizations at higher resolution, we use a diagnostic framework to examine the resolution-dependence of subgrid-scale vertical transport of moist static energy as parameterized by the Zhang-McFarlane convection parameterization (ZM). Grid-scale input to ZM is supplied by coarsening output from cloud-resolving model (CRM) simulations onto subdomains ranging in size from 8 × 8 to 256 × 256 km 2s.

Negative relationship behavior is more important than positive: Correlates of outcomes during stressful life events.

PubMed

Rivers, Alannah Shelby; Sanford, Keith

2018-04-01

When people who are married or cohabiting face stressful life situations, their ability to cope may be associated with two separate dimensions of interpersonal behavior: positive and negative. These behaviors can be assessed with the Couple Resilience Inventory (CRI). It was expected that scales on this instrument would correlate with outcome variables regarding life well-being, stress, and relationship satisfaction. It was also expected that effects for negative behavior would be larger than effects for positive and that the effects might be curvilinear. Study 1 included 325 married or cohabiting people currently experiencing nonmedical major life stressors and Study 2 included 154 married or cohabiting people with current, serious medical conditions. All participants completed an online questionnaire including the CRI along with an alternate measure of couple behavior (to confirm scale validity), a measure of general coping style (to serve as a covariate), and measures of outcome variables regarding well-being, quality of life, perceived stress, and relationship satisfaction. The effects for negative behavior were larger than effects for positive in predicting most outcomes, and many effects were curvilinear. Notably, results remained significant after controlling for general coping style, and scales measuring positive and negative behavior demonstrated comparable levels of validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Scaling behaviors of precipitation over China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Lei; Li, Nana; Zhao, Xia

2017-04-01

Scaling behaviors in the precipitation time series derived from 1951 to 2009 over China are investigated by detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) method. The results show that there exists long-term memory for the precipitation time series in some stations, where the values of the scaling exponent α are less than 0.62, implying weak persistence characteristics. The values of scaling exponent in other stations indicate random behaviors. In addition, the scaling exponent α in precipitation records varies from station to station over China. A numerical test is made to verify the significance in DFA exponents by shuffling the data records many times. We think it is significant when the values of scaling exponent before shuffled precipitation records are larger than the interval threshold for 95 % confidence level after shuffling precipitation records many times. By comparison, the daily precipitation records exhibit weak positively long-range correlation in a power law fashion mainly at the stations taking on zonal distributions in south China, upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River, northern part of northeast China. This may be related to the subtropical high. Furthermore, the values of scaling exponent which cannot pass the significance test do not show a clear distribution pattern. It seems that the stations are mainly distributed in coastal areas, southwest China, and southern part of north China. In fact, many complicated factors may affect the scaling behaviors of precipitation such as the system of the east and south Asian monsoon, the interaction between sea and land, and the big landform of the Tibetan Plateau. These results may provide a better prerequisite to long-term predictor of precipitation time series for different regions over China.

From proactive personality to organizational citizenship behavior: mediating role of harmony.

PubMed

Gan, Yiqun; Cheung, Fanny M

2010-06-01

The objective of the present study was to examine the moderating role of interpersonal harmony in the relation of proactive personality with organizational citizenship behavior. 158 employees in Chinese state-owned companies completed the Proactive Personality Scale (Bateman & Crant, 1993), Harmony scale, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Questionnaire. Proactive personality had insignificant correlation with job dedication. The correlation between interpersonal facilitation and proactive personality was significant but quite low. Results of the hierarchical regression analyses indicated that when demographic variables were controlled, Harmony had significant moderating effects on the relations of proactive behavior and job dedication/interpersonal facilitation. In the high Harmony group, the correlation between proactive personality and organizational citizenship behavior was significant; whereas in the low Harmony group, this correlation was not significant.

Valuation of Child Behavioral Problems from the Perspective of US Adults

PubMed Central

Craig, Benjamin M.; Brown, Derek S.; Reeve, Bryce B.

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE To assess preferences between child behavioral problems and estimate their value on a quality-adjusted life year (QALYs) scale. METHODS Respondents, age 18 or older, drawn from a nationally representative panel between August 2012 and February 2013 completed a series of paired comparisons, each involving a choice between 2 different behavioral problems described using the Behavioral Problems Index (BPI), a 28-item instrument with 6 domains (Anxious/Depressed, Headstrong, Hyperactive, Immature Dependency, Anti-social, and Peer Conflict/Social Withdrawal). Each behavioral problem lasted 1 or 2 years for an unnamed child, age 7 or 10 years, with no suggested relationship to the respondent. Generalized linear model analyses estimated the value of each problem on a QALY scale, considering its duration and child’s age. RESULTS Among 5207 eligible respondents, 4155 (80%) completed all questions. Across the 6 domains, problems relating to antisocial behavior were the least preferred, particularly the items related to cheating, lying, bullying, and cruelty to others. CONCLUSIONS The findings are the first to produce a preference-based summary measure of child behavioral problems on a QALY scale. The results may inform both clinical practice and resource allocation decisions by enhancing our understanding of difficult tradeoffs in how adults view child behavioral problems. Understanding US values also promotes national health surveillance by complementing conventional measures of surveillance, survival, and diagnoses. PMID:26209476

Valuation of Child Behavioral Problems from the Perspective of US Adults.

PubMed

Craig, Benjamin M; Brown, Derek S; Reeve, Bryce B

2016-02-01

To assess preferences between child behavioral problems and estimate their value on a quality-adjusted life year (QALY) scale. Respondents, age 18 or older, drawn from a nationally representative panel between August 2012 and February 2013 completed a series of paired comparisons, each involving a choice between 2 different behavioral problems described using the Behavioral Problems Index (BPI), a 28-item instrument with 6 domains (Anxious/Depressed, Headstrong, Hyperactive, Immature Dependency, Anti-social, and Peer Conflict/Social Withdrawal). Each behavioral problem lasted 1 or 2 years for an unnamed child, age 7 or 10 years, with no suggested relationship to the respondent. Generalized linear model analyses estimated the value of each problem on a QALY scale, considering its duration and the child's age. Among 5207 eligible respondents, 4155 (80%) completed all questions. Across the 6 domains, problems relating to antisocial behavior were the least preferred, particularly the items related to cheating, lying, bullying, and cruelty to others. The findings are the first to produce a preference-based summary measure of child behavioral problems on a QALY scale. The results may inform both clinical practice and resource allocation decisions by enhancing our understanding of difficult tradeoffs in how adults view child behavioral problems. Understanding US values also promotes national health surveillance by complementing conventional measures of surveillance, survival, and diagnoses. © The Author(s) 2015.

Determination of physical health status and healthy lifestyle behaviors of individuals with mental illness.

PubMed

Erginer, Derya Kayar; Günüşen, Neslihan Partlak

2018-02-23

The aim of this study is to determine the physical health status and healthy lifestyle behaviors of individuals with mental illness. A descriptive research design was used. The sample of the study consisted of 115 individuals with mental illness. The Health Lifestyle Behaviors Scale II was used to assess the healthy lifestyle behaviors of the participants. Of the individuals, 49.6% were found to have metabolic syndrome. Individuals with mental illness obtained the lowest score from the physical activity dimension of the scale. Individuals with mental illness need to receive education and support, especially in terms of nutrition and exercise. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Relations of Machiavellian behavior with sales performance of stockbrokers.

PubMed

Aziz, Abdul; May, Kim; Crotts, John C

2002-04-01

The hypothesis of a relationship between Machiavellian behavior and sales performance of Christie and Geis was tested with a sample of 110 stockbrokers. Scores on a measure called the Machiavellian Behavior scale were positively and significantly correlated with two self-reported measures of sales performance of the stock-brokers. Present results together with those of two earlier studies supported the hypothesis that salespeople with a Machiavellian orientation are likely to be more sucessful. Analysis of the data also indicated predictive validity and acceptable internal consistency of the Machiavellian Behavior scale. Limitations of the present study and a need for further research are discussed.

Individual consistency in the behaviors of newly-settled reef fish

PubMed Central

Meekan, Mark G.; McCormick, Mark I.

2015-01-01

Flexibility in behavior is advantageous for organisms that transition between stages of a complex life history. However, various constraints can set limits on plasticity, giving rise to the existence of personalities that have associated costs and benefits. Here, we document a field and laboratory experiment that examines the consistency of measures of boldness, activity, and aggressive behavior in the young of a tropical reef fish, Pomacentrus amboinensis (Pomacentridae) immediately following their transition between pelagic larval and benthic juvenile habitats. Newly-settled fish were observed in aquaria and in the field on replicated patches of natural habitat cleared of resident fishes. Seven behavioral traits representing aspects of boldness, activity and aggression were monitored directly and via video camera over short (minutes), medium (hours), and long (3 days) time scales. With the exception of aggression, these behaviors were found to be moderately or highly consistent over all time scales in both laboratory and field settings, implying that these fish show stable personalities within various settings. Our study is the first to examine the temporal constancy of behaviors in both field and laboratory settings in over various time scales at a critically important phase during the life cycle of a reef fish. PMID:26020013

Individual consistency in the behaviors of newly-settled reef fish.

PubMed

White, James R; Meekan, Mark G; McCormick, Mark I

2015-01-01

Flexibility in behavior is advantageous for organisms that transition between stages of a complex life history. However, various constraints can set limits on plasticity, giving rise to the existence of personalities that have associated costs and benefits. Here, we document a field and laboratory experiment that examines the consistency of measures of boldness, activity, and aggressive behavior in the young of a tropical reef fish, Pomacentrus amboinensis (Pomacentridae) immediately following their transition between pelagic larval and benthic juvenile habitats. Newly-settled fish were observed in aquaria and in the field on replicated patches of natural habitat cleared of resident fishes. Seven behavioral traits representing aspects of boldness, activity and aggression were monitored directly and via video camera over short (minutes), medium (hours), and long (3 days) time scales. With the exception of aggression, these behaviors were found to be moderately or highly consistent over all time scales in both laboratory and field settings, implying that these fish show stable personalities within various settings. Our study is the first to examine the temporal constancy of behaviors in both field and laboratory settings in over various time scales at a critically important phase during the life cycle of a reef fish.

Differential Hedonic Experience and Behavioral Activation in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

PubMed Central

Tso, Ivy F.; Grove, Tyler B.; Taylor, Stephan F.

2014-01-01

The Kraepelinian distinction between schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BP) emphasizes affective and volitional impairment in the former, but data directly comparing the two disorders for hedonic experience are scarce. This study examined whether hedonic experience and behavioral activation may be useful phenotypes distinguishing SZ and BP. Participants were 39 SZ and 24 BP patients without current mood episode matched for demographics and negative affect, along with 36 healthy controls (HC). They completed the Chapman Physical and Social Anhedonia Scales, Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS), and Behavioral Activation Scale (BAS). SZ and BP showed equally elevated levels of self-report negative affect and trait anhedonia compared to HC. However, SZ reported significantly lower pleasure experience (TEPS) and behavioral activation (BAS) than BP, who did not differ from HC. SZ and BP showed differential patterns of relationships between the hedonic experience and behavioral activation measures. Overall, the results suggest that reduced hedonic experience and behavioral activation may be effective phenotypes distinguishing SZ from BP even when affective symptoms are minimal. However, hedonic experience differences between SZ and BP are sensitive to measurement strategy, calling for further research on the nature of anhedonia and its relation to motivation in these disorders. PMID:24999173

Reliability and validity of the Student Perceptions of School Cohesion Scale in a sample of Salvadoran secondary school students

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background Despite a growing body of research from the United States and other industrialized countries on the inverse association between supportive social relationships in the school and youth risk behavior engagement, research on the measurement of supportive school social relationships in Central America is limited. We examined the psychometric properties of the Student Perceptions of School Cohesion (SPSC) scale, a 10-item scale that asks students to rate with a 5-point Likert-type response scale their perceptions of the school social environment, in a sample of public secondary school students (mean age = 15 years) living in central El Salvador. Methods Students (n = 982) completed a self-administered questionnaire that included the SPSC scale along with measures of youth health risk behaviors based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess the factor structure of the scale, and two internal consistency estimates of reliability were computed. Construct validity was assessed by examining whether students who reported low school cohesion were significantly more likely to report physical fighting and illicit drug use. Results Results indicated that the SPSC scale has three latent factors, which explained 61.6% of the variance: supportive school relationships, student-school connectedness, and student-teacher connectedness. The full scale and three subscales had good internal consistency (rs = .87 and α = .84 for the full scale; rs and α between .71 and .75 for the three subscales). Significant associations were found between the full scale and all three subscales with physical fighting (p ≤ .001) and illicit drug use (p < .05). Conclusion Findings provide evidence of reliability and validity of the SPSC for the measurement of supportive school relationships in Latino adolescents living in El Salvador. These findings provide a foundation for further research on school cohesion and health risk behavior in Latino adolescents living in the U.S. and other Latin American countries. PMID:19939259

Randomized Trial of Behavior Therapy for Adults with Tourette’s Disorder

PubMed Central

Wilhelm, Sabine; Peterson, Alan L.; Piacentini, John; Woods, Douglas W.; Deckersbach, Thilo; Sukhodolsky, Denis G.; Chang, Susanna; Liu, Haibei; Dziura, James; Walkup, John T.; Scahill, Lawrence

2013-01-01

Context Tics in Tourette syndrome begin in childhood, peak in early adolescence, and often decline by early adulthood. However, some adult patients continue to have impairing tics. Medications for tics are often effective but can cause adverse effects. Behavior therapy may offer an alternative but has not been examined in a large-scale controlled trial in adults. Objective To test the efficacy of a comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics in adults with Tourette syndrome of at least moderate severity. Design A randomized, controlled trial with posttreatment evaluations at 3 and 6 months for positive responders. Setting Three outpatient research clinics. Subjects Subjects (N = 122; 78 males, age 16 to 69 years) with Tourette syndrome or chronic tic disorder. Interventions Eight sessions of Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics or 8 sessions of supportive treatment delivered over 10 weeks. Subjects showing a positive response were given 3 monthly booster sessions. Main Outcome Measures Total Tic score of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale and the Improvement scale of the Clinical Global Impression rated by a clinician blind to treatment assignment. Results Behavior therapy was associated with a significantly greater decrease on the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (24.0 ± 6.47 to 17.8 ± 7.32) from baseline to endpoint compared to the control treatment (21.8 ± 6.59 to 19.3 ± 7.40) (P < .001; effect size = 0.57). Twenty-four of 63 subjects (38.1%) in CBIT were rated as Much Improved or Very Much Improved on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale compared to 6.8% (4 of 63) in the control group (P < .0001). Attrition was 13.9% with no difference across groups. Subjects in behavior therapy available for assessment at 6 months posttreatment showed continued benefit. Conclusions Comprehensive behavior therapy is a safe and effective intervention for adults with Tourette syndrome. PMID:22868933

Substance use is a risk factor for violent behavior in male patients with bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Alnıak, İzgi; Erkıran, Murat; Mutlu, Elif

2016-03-15

To determine the factors involved in violent behavior in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and to investigate the relationship between violence and substance use disorder (SUD). A sample of 100 male inpatients diagnosed with BD type I who were experiencing a current mood episode participated in the study. Violent behavior was defined as physical aggression against others. All patients were evaluated using the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale-positive subscale (PANSS-p), Barratt Impulsivity Scale-11 (BIS-11), Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) and Overt Aggression Scale (OAS). Lifetime SUD and current use of substances were evaluated. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to predict violent behavior. Current substance use (CSU) rather than lifetime SUD was found to be related to violent behavior in patients with BD, and CSU was associated with a threefold increase in the risk of violence. The rate of lifetime SUD in our sample was 59%, and the rate of CSU was 39%. The most commonly abused substances were cannabis and alcohol, followed by synthetic cannabinoids, in both groups of patients with lifetime SUD and CSU. Individuals abusing any substance were more likely to have a criminal record and history of incarceration than other patients. One of the most significant risk factors for violence was a previous history of violent behavior. The sample was limited to male patients. Data on some participants' recent substance use from standard urine analysis was not obtained. The data on the use of synthetic cannabinoids was obtained from patients and their families owing to the lack of equipment for detecting synthetic cannabinoids using laboratory analysis. CSU appears to be a significant predictive factor in violent behavior in male patients. Further investigation of co-occurrence of violence with CSU and improvement in treatment strategies might reduce or prevent violence in patients with BD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Personal hygiene among military personnel: developing and testing a self-administered scale.

PubMed

Saffari, Mohsen; Koenig, Harold G; Pakpour, Amir H; Sanaeinasab, Hormoz; Jahan, Hojat Rshidi; Sehlo, Mohammad Gamal

2014-03-01

Good personal hygiene (PH) behavior is recommended to prevent contagious diseases, and members of military forces may be at high risk for contracting contagious diseases. The aim of this study was to develop and test a new questionnaire on PH for soldiers. Participants were all male and from different military settings throughout Iran. Using a five-stage guideline, a panel of experts in the Persian language (Farsi) developed a 21-item self-administered questionnaire. Face and content validity of the first-draft items were assessed. The questionnaire was then translated and subsequently back-translated into English, and both the Farsi and English versions were tested in pilot studies. The consistency and stability of the questionnaire were tested using Cronbach's alpha and the test-retest strategy. The final scale was administered to a sample of 502 military personnel. Explanatory and confirmatory factor analyses evaluated the structure of the scale. Both the convergent and discriminative validity of the scale were also determined. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were >0.85. Principal component analysis demonstrated a uni-dimensional structure that explained 59 % of the variance in PH behaviors. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit (goodness-of-fit index = 0.902; comparative fitness index = 0.923; root mean square error of approximation = 0.0085). The results show that this new PH scale has solid psychometric properties for testing PH behaviors among an Iranian sample of military personnel. We conclude that this scale can be a useful tool for assessing PH behaviors in military personnel. Further research is needed to determine the scale's value in other countries and cultures.

Behavioral self-organization underlies the resilience of a coastal ecosystem.

PubMed

de Paoli, Hélène; van der Heide, Tjisse; van den Berg, Aniek; Silliman, Brian R; Herman, Peter M J; van de Koppel, Johan

2017-07-25

Self-organized spatial patterns occur in many terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. Theoretical models and observational studies suggest self-organization, the formation of patterns due to ecological interactions, is critical for enhanced ecosystem resilience. However, experimental tests of this cross-ecosystem theory are lacking. In this study, we experimentally test the hypothesis that self-organized pattern formation improves the persistence of mussel beds ( Mytilus edulis ) on intertidal flats. In natural beds, mussels generate self-organized patterns at two different spatial scales: regularly spaced clusters of mussels at centimeter scale driven by behavioral aggregation and large-scale, regularly spaced bands at meter scale driven by ecological feedback mechanisms. To test for the relative importance of these two spatial scales of self-organization on mussel bed persistence, we conducted field manipulations in which we factorially constructed small-scale and/or large-scale patterns. Our results revealed that both forms of self-organization enhanced the persistence of the constructed mussel beds in comparison to nonorganized beds. Small-scale, behaviorally driven cluster patterns were found to be crucial for persistence, and thus resistance to wave disturbance, whereas large-scale, self-organized patterns facilitated reformation of small-scale patterns if mussels were dislodged. This study provides experimental evidence that self-organization can be paramount to enhancing ecosystem persistence. We conclude that ecosystems with self-organized spatial patterns are likely to benefit greatly from conservation and restoration actions that use the emergent effects of self-organization to increase ecosystem resistance to disturbance.

Behavioral self-organization underlies the resilience of a coastal ecosystem

PubMed Central

de Paoli, Hélène; van der Heide, Tjisse; van den Berg, Aniek; Silliman, Brian R.; Herman, Peter M. J.

2017-01-01

Self-organized spatial patterns occur in many terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. Theoretical models and observational studies suggest self-organization, the formation of patterns due to ecological interactions, is critical for enhanced ecosystem resilience. However, experimental tests of this cross-ecosystem theory are lacking. In this study, we experimentally test the hypothesis that self-organized pattern formation improves the persistence of mussel beds (Mytilus edulis) on intertidal flats. In natural beds, mussels generate self-organized patterns at two different spatial scales: regularly spaced clusters of mussels at centimeter scale driven by behavioral aggregation and large-scale, regularly spaced bands at meter scale driven by ecological feedback mechanisms. To test for the relative importance of these two spatial scales of self-organization on mussel bed persistence, we conducted field manipulations in which we factorially constructed small-scale and/or large-scale patterns. Our results revealed that both forms of self-organization enhanced the persistence of the constructed mussel beds in comparison to nonorganized beds. Small-scale, behaviorally driven cluster patterns were found to be crucial for persistence, and thus resistance to wave disturbance, whereas large-scale, self-organized patterns facilitated reformation of small-scale patterns if mussels were dislodged. This study provides experimental evidence that self-organization can be paramount to enhancing ecosystem persistence. We conclude that ecosystems with self-organized spatial patterns are likely to benefit greatly from conservation and restoration actions that use the emergent effects of self-organization to increase ecosystem resistance to disturbance. PMID:28696313

Construction of a Computerized Adaptive Testing Version of the Quebec Adaptive Behavior Scale.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tasse, Marc J.; And Others

Multilog (Thissen, 1991) was used to estimate parameters of 225 items from the Quebec Adaptive Behavior Scale (QABS). A database containing actual data from 2,439 subjects was used for the parameterization procedures. The two-parameter-logistic model was used in estimating item parameters and in the testing strategy. MicroCAT (Assessment Systems…

Using simulated 3D surface fuelbeds and terrestrial laser scan data to develop inputs to fire behavior models

Treesearch

Eric Rowell; E. Louise Loudermilk; Carl Seielstad; Joseph O' Brien

2016-01-01

Understanding fine-scale variability in understory fuels is increasingly important as physics-based fire behavior modelsdrive needs for higher-resolution data. Describing fuelbeds 3Dly is critical in determining vertical and horizontal distributions offuel elements and the mass, especially in frequently burned pine ecosystems where fine-scale...

Classroom Contexts as the Framework for Assessing Social-Emotional Adjustment: A National Study in Trinidad and Tobago

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mcdermott, Paul A.; Watkins, Marley W.; Drogalis, Anna Rhoad; Chao, Jessica L.; Worrell, Frank C.; Hall, Tracey E.

2016-01-01

Contextually based assessments reveal the circumstances accompanying maladjustment (the when, where, and with whom) and supply clues to the motivations underpinning problem behaviors. The Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA) is a teacher rating scale composed of indicators describing behavior in 24 classroom situational contexts.…

Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Health-Related Behaviors among Male and Female First Year College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowery, Sarah E.; Kurpius, Sharon E. Robinson; Befort, Christie; Blanks, Elva Hull; Sollenberger, Sonja; Nicpon, Megan Foley; Huser, Laura

2005-01-01

This study examined the relationships among self-esteem, body image, and health-related behaviors of 267 female and 156 male first-year college students. Data were collected in 23 classrooms. Instruments included a demographic sheet, the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale, the Weight and Appearance Visual Analogue Scales, the Contour Drawing…

Psychometric Comparison of the Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS) and the Questions about Behavioral Function (QABF)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koritsas, S.; Iacono, T.

2013-01-01

Background: The Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS) and the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) are frequently used to assess the learned function of challenging behaviour in people with intellectual disability (ID). The aim was to explore and compare the psychometric properties of the MAS and the QABF. Method: Seventy adults with ID and…

The Virtues of Taiwanese Internet-Using Adolescents: The Development and Validation of the Cyber Virtues Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chih-Ming; Hung, Min-Ling; Lu, Jui-Lien; Chou, Chien

2018-01-01

Given the importance of cultivating users' positive behaviors in cyberspace, this study presents a comprehensive vision of how to address important virtues that might foster Taiwanese adolescents' positive behaviors in cyberspace. In this study, we constructed an instrument--the Cyber Virtues Scale (CVS)--for measuring the underlying dimensions of…

Behavioral and Emotional Strength-Based Assessment of Finnish Elementary Students: Psychometrics of the BERS-2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sointu, Erkko Tapio; Savolainen, Hannu; Lambert, Matthew C.; Lappalainen, Kristiina; Epstein, Michael H.

2014-01-01

When rating scales are used in different countries, thorough investigation of the psychometric properties is needed. We examined the internal structure of the Finnish translated Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-2 (BERS-2) using Rasch and confirmatory factor analysis approaches with a sample of youth, parents, and teachers. The results…

Exploring Methods for Developing Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales for Evaluating Structured Interview Performance. Research Report. ETS RR-17-28

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kell, Harrison J.; Martin-Raugh, Michelle P.; Carney, Lauren M.; Inglese, Patricia A.; Chen, Lei; Feng, Gary

2017-01-01

Behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) are an essential component of structured interviews. Use of BARS to evaluate interviewees' performance is associated with greater predictive validity and reliability and less bias. BARS are time-consuming and expensive to construct, however. This report explores the feasibility of gathering participants'…

Predicting Success in Teacher Certification Testing: The Role of Academic Help Seeking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Marie C.

2011-01-01

This study was designed to identify the help seeking behaviors of preservice teachers who are at risk for failure of state certification examinations through use of a scale adapted to the arena of teacher education, the Preservice Teacher Help Seeking Scales (PTHSS). In the past, self-report measures of help seeking behavior patterns have been…

Validating the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mirenda, Pat; Smith, Isabel M.; Vaillancourt, Tracy; Georgiades, Stelios; Duku, Eric; Szatmari, Peter; Bryson, Susan; Fombonne, Eric; Roberts, Wendy; Volden, Joanne; Waddell, Charlotte; Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie

2010-01-01

This study examined the factor structure of the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R) in a sample of 287 preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine six competing structural models. Spearman's rank order correlations were calculated to examine the associations between factor…

Measuring Bystander Attitudes and Behavior to Prevent Sexual Violence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMahon, Sarah; Allen, Christopher T.; Postmus, Judy L.; McMahon, Sheila M.; Peterson, N. Andrew; Lowe Hoffman, Melanie

2014-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study is to further investigate the factor structure and strength of the Bystander Attitude Scale-Revised and Bystander Behavior Scale-Revised (BAS-R and BBS-R). Participants: First-year students (N = 4,054) at a large public university in the Northeast completed a survey in 2010 as part of a larger longitudinal…

Weighing and Body Monitoring among College Women: The Scale Number as an Emotional Barometer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mintz, Laurie B.; Awad, Germine H.; Stinson, Rebecca D.; Bledman, Rashanta A.; Coker, Angela D.; Kashubeck-West, Susan; Connelly, Kathleen

2013-01-01

This study investigated weighing and body-monitoring behaviors, as well as psychological and behavioral reactions to weighing, among female college students. Weighing and body monitoring were engaged in by the majority of participants. Participants changed food intake and exercise based on weight. About 63% reported that the scale number impacts…

BASIC Computer Scoring Program for the Leadership Scale for Sports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garland, Daniel J.

This paper describes a computer scoring program, written in Commodore BASIC, that offers an efficient approach to the scoring of the Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS). The LSS measures: (1) the preferences of athletes for specific leader behaviors from the coach; (2) the perception of athletes regarding the actual leader behavior of their coach;…

The Psychometric Properties of the Difficult Behavior Self-Efficacy Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oh, Hyun-Kyoung; Kozub, Francis M.

2010-01-01

The study was designed to estimate the psychometric properties of Hastings and Brown's (2002a) Difficult Behavior Self-efficacy Scale. Participants were two samples of physical educators teaching in Korea (n = 229) and the United States (U.S.; n = 139). An initial translation of the questionnaire to Korean and pilot study were conducted along with…

Multidimensionality of Teachers' Graded Responses for Preschoolers' Stylistic Learning Behavior: The Learning-to-Learn Scales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDermott, Paul A.; Fantuzzo, John W.; Warley, Heather P.; Waterman, Clare; Angelo, Lauren E.; Gadsden, Vivian L.; Sekino, Yumiko

2011-01-01

Assessment of preschool learning behavior has become very popular as a mechanism to inform cognitive development and promote successful interventions. The most widely used measures offer sound predictions but distinguish only a few types of stylistic learning and lack sensitive growth detection. The Learning-to-Learn Scales was designed to…

Dimensionality of the Measure of Ingratiatory Behaviors in Organizational Settings (MIBOS) Scale.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kacmar, K. Michele; Valle, Matthew

1997-01-01

The dimensionality of the Measure of Ingratiatory Behaviors in Organizational Settings (MIBOS) (K. Kumar and M. Beyerlein, 1991) was studied with data from 203 state government employees. Results do not confirm the factor solution proposed by the measure's creators. Suggestions are offered to improve the psychometric properties of the MIBOS scale.…

Desire for Thinness among High School Cheerleaders: Relationship to Disordered Eating and Weight Control Behaviors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundholm, Jean K.; Littrell, John M.

1986-01-01

Examined cheerleaders' desire for thinness in relationship to disordered eating and weight control behaviors. A Desire for Thinness Scale and selected scales from three eating disorder instruments were administered to 751 high school cheerleaders. Cheerleaders who expressed a strong desire for thinness had significantly higher scores on seven of…

Measuring fire behavior with photography

Treesearch

Hubert B. Clements; Darold E. Ward; Carl W. Adkins

1983-01-01

Photography is practical for recording and measuring some aspects of forest fire behavior if the scale and perspective can be determined. This paper describes a photogrammetric method for measuring flame height and rate of spread for fires on flat terrain. The flames are photographed at known times with a camera in front of the advancing fire. Scale and perspective of...

Air Oxidation Behavior of Two Ti-Base Alloys Synthesized by HIP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, S.; Guo, Q. Q.; Liu, L. L.; Xu, L.; Liu, Y. Y.

2016-04-01

The oxidation behavior of Ti-5Al-2.5Sn and Ti-6Al-4V produced by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) has been studied at 650-850°C in air for 24 h. The oxidation kinetics of both alloys followed the parabolic law with good approximation, except for Ti-5Al-2.5Sn oxidized at 850°C. Multi-layered scales formed on both alloys at 750°C and 850°C. Ternary additions of Sn and V accounted for the different morphology of the scales formed on these two alloys. In addition, the oxidation behavior of HIP alloys is compared with that of the corresponding cast alloys and the scaling mechanism is discussed.

Observation of the Quantum Anomalous Hall Insulator to Anderson Insulator Quantum Phase Transition and its Scaling Behavior.

PubMed

Chang, Cui-Zu; Zhao, Weiwei; Li, Jian; Jain, J K; Liu, Chaoxing; Moodera, Jagadeesh S; Chan, Moses H W

2016-09-16

Fundamental insight into the nature of the quantum phase transition from a superconductor to an insulator in two dimensions, or from one plateau to the next or to an insulator in the quantum Hall effect, has been revealed through the study of its scaling behavior. Here, we report on the experimental observation of a quantum phase transition from a quantum-anomalous-Hall insulator to an Anderson insulator in a magnetic topological insulator by tuning the chemical potential. Our experiment demonstrates the existence of scaling behavior from which we extract the critical exponent for this quantum phase transition. We expect that our work will motivate much further investigation of many properties of quantum phase transition in this new context.

Numerical and Experimental Studies of Particle Settling in Real Fracture Geometries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roy, Pratanu; Du Frane, Wyatt L.; Kanarska, Yuliya

In this study, proppant is a vital component of hydraulic stimulation operations, improving conductivity by maintaining fracture aperture. While correct placement is a necessary part of ensuring that proppant performs efficiently, the transport behavior of proppant in natural rock fractures is poorly understood. In particular, as companies pursue new propping strategies involving new types of proppant, more accurate models of proppant behavior are needed to help guide their deployment. A major difficulty with simulating reservoir-scale proppant behavior is that continuum models traditionally used to represent large-scale slurry behavior loose applicability in fracture geometries. Particle transport models are often based onmore » representative volumes that are at the same scale or larger than fractures found in hydraulic fracturing operations, making them inappropriate for modeling these types of flows. In the absence of a first-principles approach, empirical closure relations are needed. However, even such empirical closure relationships are difficult to derive without an accurate understanding of proppant behavior on the particle level. Thus, there is a need for experiments and simulations capable of probing phenomena at the sub-fracture scale. In this paper, we present results from experimental and numerical studies investigating proppant behavior at the sub-fracture level, in particular, the role of particle dispersion during proppant settling. In the experimental study, three-dimensional printing techniques are used to accurately reproduce the topology of a fractured Marcellus shale sample inside a particle-flow cell.« less

Numerical and Experimental Studies of Particle Settling in Real Fracture Geometries

DOE PAGES

Roy, Pratanu; Du Frane, Wyatt L.; Kanarska, Yuliya; ...

2016-09-30

In this study, proppant is a vital component of hydraulic stimulation operations, improving conductivity by maintaining fracture aperture. While correct placement is a necessary part of ensuring that proppant performs efficiently, the transport behavior of proppant in natural rock fractures is poorly understood. In particular, as companies pursue new propping strategies involving new types of proppant, more accurate models of proppant behavior are needed to help guide their deployment. A major difficulty with simulating reservoir-scale proppant behavior is that continuum models traditionally used to represent large-scale slurry behavior loose applicability in fracture geometries. Particle transport models are often based onmore » representative volumes that are at the same scale or larger than fractures found in hydraulic fracturing operations, making them inappropriate for modeling these types of flows. In the absence of a first-principles approach, empirical closure relations are needed. However, even such empirical closure relationships are difficult to derive without an accurate understanding of proppant behavior on the particle level. Thus, there is a need for experiments and simulations capable of probing phenomena at the sub-fracture scale. In this paper, we present results from experimental and numerical studies investigating proppant behavior at the sub-fracture level, in particular, the role of particle dispersion during proppant settling. In the experimental study, three-dimensional printing techniques are used to accurately reproduce the topology of a fractured Marcellus shale sample inside a particle-flow cell.« less

Predictive Validity of the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale for Short-Term Suicidal Behavior: A Danish Study of Adolescents at a High Risk of Suicide.

PubMed

Conway, Paul Maurice; Erlangsen, Annette; Teasdale, Thomas William; Jakobsen, Ida Skytte; Larsen, Kim Juul

2017-07-03

Using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), we examined the predictive and incremental predictive validity of past-month suicidal behavior and ideation for short-term suicidal behavior among adolescents at high risk of suicide. The study was conducted in 2014 on a sample of 85 adolescents (90.6% females) who participated at follow-up (85.9%) out of the 99 (49.7%) baseline respondents. All adolescents were recruited from a specialized suicide-prevention clinic in Denmark. Through multivariate logistic regression analyses, we examined whether baseline suicidal behavior predicted subsequent suicidal behavior (actual attempts and suicidal behavior of any type, including preparatory acts, aborted, interrupted and actual attempts; mean follow-up of 80.8 days, SD = 52.4). Furthermore, we examined whether suicidal ideation severity and intensity incrementally predicted suicidal behavior at follow-up over and above suicidal behavior at baseline. Actual suicide attempts at baseline strongly predicted suicide attempts at follow-up. Baseline suicidal ideation severity and intensity did not significantly predict future actual attempts over and above baseline attempts. The suicidal ideation intensity items deterrents and duration were significant predictors of subsequent actual attempts after adjustment for baseline suicide attempts and suicidal behavior of any type, respectively. Suicidal ideation severity and intensity, and the intensity items frequency, duration and deterrents, all significantly predicted any type of suicidal behavior at follow-up, also after adjusting for baseline suicidal behavior. The present study points to an incremental predictive validity of the C-SSRS suicidal ideation scales for short-term suicidal behavior of any type among high-risk adolescents.

A Reply to the Commentaries on "School-wide PBIS: An Example of Applied Behavior Analysis Implemented at a Scale of Social Importance" by Horner and Sugai (2015): PBIS is Function over Form: The Clear Behavioral Roots and Opportunities the PBIS Framework presents to the Field of Behavior Analysis Moving Forward.

PubMed

Putnam, Robert F; Knoster, Tim

2016-03-01

In the previous issue of Behavior Analysis in Practice (May 2015), a special section of the journal was devoted to positive behavior intervention and support (PBIS). Horner and Sugai (2015) published a manuscript providing an overview of school-wide PBIS describing how PBIS is an example of applied behavior analysis at a scale of social importance. A number of manuscripts providing commentary on the Horner and Sugai manuscript were also published in this special section of the journal. This paper will review this PBIS manuscript along with the associated commentaries published in the May 2015 special section.

Treatment of phobic postural vertigo. A controlled study of cognitive-behavioral therapy and self-controlled desensitization.

PubMed

Holmberg, J; Karlberg, M; Harlacher, U; Rivano-Fischer, M; Magnusson, M

2006-04-01

In balance clinic practice, phobic postural vertigo is a term used to define a population with dizziness and avoidance behavior often as a consequence of a vestibular disorder. It has been described as the most common form of dizziness in middle aged patients in dizziness units. Anxiety disorders are common among patients with vestibular disorders. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders, and vestibular rehabilitation exercises are effective for vestibular disorders. This study compared the effect of additional cognitive-behavioral therapy for a population with phobic postural vertigo with the effect of self-administered vestibular rehabilitation exercises. 39 patients were recruited from a population referred for otoneurological investigation. Treatment effects were evaluated with the Dizziness Handicap Inventory, Vertigo Symptom Scale, Vertigo Handicap Questionnaire, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. All patients had a self treatment intervention based on education about the condition and recommendation of self exposure by vestibular rehabilitation exercises. Every second patient included was offered additional cognitive behavioral therapy. Fifteen patients with self treatment and 16 patients with cognitive- behavioral treatment completed the study. There was significantly larger effect in the group who received cognitive behavioral therapy than in the self treatment group in Vertigo Handicap Questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale and its subscales. Cognitive-behavioral therapy has an additional effect as treatment for a population with phobic postural vertigo. A multidisciplinary approach including medical treatment, cognitive-behavioral therapy and physiotherapy is suggested.

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the School Bullying Scales: A Rasch Measurement Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Ying-Yao; Chen, Li-Ming; Liu, Kun-Shia; Chen, Yi-Ling

2011-01-01

The study aims to develop three school bullying scales--the Bully Scale, the Victim Scale, and the Witness Scale--to assess secondary school students' bullying behaviors, including physical bullying, verbal bullying, relational bullying, and cyber bullying. The items of the three scales were developed from viewpoints of bullies, victims, and…

Validation of a Six Item Questionnaire for Assessing Type A Behavior.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perlman, Baron; And Others

Type A behavior is an aggregate of behaviors associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. Two self-administered questionnaires used to determine the presence of Type A behavior, the Jenkins Activity Survey and Framingham Type A Behavior Pattern Scale, were administered to 150 undergraduate students at a midwestern university, along…

The Relationship between Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Group Cohesiveness and Workplace Deviance Behavior of Turkish Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Apaydin, Çigdem; Sirin, Hüseyin

2016-01-01

This study aims to develop a structural model for organizational citizenship behavior, group cohesiveness and workplace deviance behavior. The study group consists of 639 Turkish teachers working in primary and secondary public schools. In the study, the "Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale" and the "Group Cohesiveness…

Sex Differences in Neonatal Stress Reactivity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Maryann; Emory, Eugene

1995-01-01

Examined the sex differences in physiological and behavioral stress reactivity among 36 healthy, full-term neonates after a mildly stressful behavioral assessment procedure. Salivary cortisol, heart rate change, Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale (NBAS) cluster scores, and behavioral states after the NBAS provided 100% discrimination between male…

Laminar-specific Scaling Down of Balanced Excitation and Inhibition in Auditory Cortex by Active Behavioral States

PubMed Central

Zhou, Mu; Liang, Feixue; Xiong, Xiaorui R.; Li, Lu; Li, Haifu; Xiao, Zhongju; Tao, Huizhong W.; Zhang, Li I.

2014-01-01

Cortical sensory processing is modulated by behavioral and cognitive states. How the modulation is achieved through impacting synaptic circuits remains largely unknown. In awake mouse auditory cortex, we reported that sensory-evoked spike responses of layer 2/3 (L2/3) excitatory cells were scaled down with preserved sensory tuning when animals transitioned from quiescence to active behaviors, while L4 and thalamic responses were unchanged. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings further revealed that tone-evoked synaptic excitation and inhibition exhibited a robust functional balance. Changes of behavioral state caused scaling down of excitation and inhibition at an approximately equal level in L2/3 cells, but no synaptic changes in L4 cells. This laminar-specific gain control could be attributed to an enhancement of L1–mediated inhibitory tone, with L2/3 parvalbumin inhibitory neurons suppressed as well. Thus, L2/3 circuits can adjust the salience of output in accordance with momentary behavioral demands while maintaining the sensitivity and quality of sensory processing. PMID:24747575

Universality in the Self Organized Critical behavior of a cellular model of superconducting vortex dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yudong; Vadakkan, Tegy; Bassler, Kevin

2007-03-01

We study the universality and robustness of variants of the simple model of superconducting vortex dynamics first introduced by Bassler and Paczuski in Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 3761 (1998). The model is a coarse-grained model that captures the essential features of the plastic vortex motion. It accounts for the repulsive interaction between vortices, the pining of vortices at quenched disordered locations in the material, and the over-damped dynamics of the vortices that leads to tearing of the flux line lattice. We report the results of extensive simulations of the critical ``Bean state" dynamics of the model. We find a phase diagram containing four distinct phases of dynamical behavior, including two phases with distinct Self Organized Critical (SOC) behavior. Exponents describing the avalanche scaling behavior in the two SOC phases are determined using finite-size scaling. The exponents are found to be robust within each phase and for different variants of the model. The difference of the scaling behavior in the two phases is also observed in the morphology of the avalanches.

Cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce overt aggression behavior in Chinese young male violent offenders.

PubMed

Chen, Chen; Li, Chun; Wang, Hong; Ou, Jian-Jun; Zhou, Jian-Song; Wang, Xiao-Ping

2014-01-01

This 9-week study was designed to determine whether a commercial cognitive-behavioral training program could effectively reduce overt aggression behavior in Chinese young male violent offenders. Sixty-six participants were randomly assigned to receive routine intervention alone (control group) or routine intervention plus Williams LifeSkills Training (WLST group) in a 1:1 ratio. The primary outcome was change scores on the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) from baseline to one week following end of training. Secondary outcomes were change scores on the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11) and Cook-Medley Hostility Scale (CMHS). There were significant between-group differences in change of MOAS total score (P < .001) and all sub-scores (Ps < .01) except aggression against property. Between-group differences were also observed in change of BIS-11 and CMHS total score (Ps < 0.05). All results favored the WLST group. These findings suggest WLST has the potential to be an effective intervention to reduce overt aggressive behavior in young male violent offenders. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Pathological gambling, gender, and risk-taking behaviors.

PubMed

Martins, Silvia Saboia; Tavares, Hermano; da Silva Lobo, Daniela Sabbatini; Galetti, Ana Maria; Gentil, Valentim

2004-08-01

Seventy-eight female and 78 male pathological gamblers admitted to an outpatient treatment program were compared regarding a profile of risk-taking behaviors (suicide attempts, illegal activities meant to finance gambling, sexual risky behavior, and alcohol abuse). The Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11 (BIS-11), and an adaptation of the HIV Risk Behavior Scale were used. Females attempted more suicide than males. Men had more sexual risky behavior and alcohol abuse than women. Younger age and depression were risk factors for suicide attempts, younger age and impulsivity were risk factors for illegal activities. Younger age was a risk factor for sexual risky behavior, and no risk factor other than male gender was found for alcohol abuse. Future investigation of risk behaviors among gamblers must take into account the differences in gender and age. Both impulsivity and emotional distress are related to risk-taking in gamblers, and young gamblers who early in life display other potentially harmful behaviors require special attention.

Measuring teacher self-report on classroom practices: Construct validity and reliability of the Classroom Strategies Scale-Teacher Form.

PubMed

Reddy, Linda A; Dudek, Christopher M; Fabiano, Gregory A; Peters, Stephanie

2015-12-01

This article presents information about the construct validity and reliability of a new teacher self-report measure of classroom instructional and behavioral practices (the Classroom Strategies Scales-Teacher Form; CSS-T). The theoretical underpinnings and empirical basis for the instructional and behavioral management scales are presented. Information is provided about the construct validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and freedom from item-bias of the scales. Given previous investigations with the CSS Observer Form, it was hypothesized that internal consistency would be adequate and that confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) of CSS-T data from 293 classrooms would offer empirical support for the CSS-T's Total, Composite and subscales, and yield a similar factor structure to that of the CSS Observer Form. Goodness-of-fit indices of χ2/df, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation, Goodness of Fit Index, and Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index suggested satisfactory fit of proposed CFA models whereas the Comparative Fit Index did not. Internal consistency estimates of .93 and .94 were obtained for the Instructional Strategies and Behavioral Strategies Total scales respectively. Adequate test-retest reliability was found for instructional and behavioral total scales (r = .79, r = .84, percent agreement 93% and 93%). The CSS-T evidences freedom from item bias on important teacher demographics (age, educational degree, and years of teaching experience). Implications of results are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Modeling High Temperature Deformation Behavior of Large-Scaled Mg-Al-Zn Magnesium Alloy Fabricated by Semi-continuous Casting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jianping; Xia, Xiangsheng

2015-09-01

In order to improve the understanding of the hot deformation and dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behaviors of large-scaled AZ80 magnesium alloy fabricated by semi-continuous casting, compression tests were carried out in the temperature range from 250 to 400 °C and strain rate range from 0.001 to 0.1 s-1 on a Gleeble 1500 thermo-mechanical machine. The effects of the temperature and strain rate on the hot deformation behavior have been expressed by means of the conventional hyperbolic sine equation, and the influence of the strain has been incorporated in the equation by considering its effect on different material constants for large-scaled AZ80 magnesium alloy. In addition, the DRX behavior has been discussed. The result shows that the deformation temperature and strain rate exerted remarkable influences on the flow stress. The constitutive equation of large-scaled AZ80 magnesium alloy for hot deformation at steady-state stage (ɛ = 0.5) was The true stress-true strain curves predicted by the extracted model were in good agreement with the experimental results, thereby confirming the validity of the developed constitutive relation. The DRX kinetic model of large-scaled AZ80 magnesium alloy was established as X d = 1 - exp[-0.95((ɛ - ɛc)/ɛ*)2.4904]. The rate of DRX increases with increasing deformation temperature, and high temperature is beneficial for achieving complete DRX in the large-scaled AZ80 magnesium alloy.

Size-dependent elastic/inelastic behavior of enamel over millimeter and nanometer length scales.

PubMed

Ang, Siang Fung; Bortel, Emely L; Swain, Michael V; Klocke, Arndt; Schneider, Gerold A

2010-03-01

The microstructure of enamel like most biological tissues has a hierarchical structure which determines their mechanical behavior. However, current studies of the mechanical behavior of enamel lack a systematic investigation of these hierarchical length scales. In this study, we performed macroscopic uni-axial compression tests and the spherical indentation with different indenter radii to probe enamel's elastic/inelastic transition over four hierarchical length scales, namely: 'bulk enamel' (mm), 'multiple-rod' (10's microm), 'intra-rod' (100's nm with multiple crystallites) and finally 'single-crystallite' (10's nm with an area of approximately one hydroxyapatite crystallite). The enamel's elastic/inelastic transitions were observed at 0.4-17 GPa depending on the length scale and were compared with the values of synthetic hydroxyapatite crystallites. The elastic limit of a material is important as it provides insights into the deformability of the material before fracture. At the smallest investigated length scale (contact radius approximately 20 nm), elastic limit is followed by plastic deformation. At the largest investigated length scale (contact size approximately 2 mm), only elastic then micro-crack induced response was observed. A map of elastic/inelastic regions of enamel from millimeter to nanometer length scale is presented. Possible underlying mechanisms are also discussed. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Data series embedding and scale invariant statistics.

PubMed

Michieli, I; Medved, B; Ristov, S

2010-06-01

Data sequences acquired from bio-systems such as human gait data, heart rate interbeat data, or DNA sequences exhibit complex dynamics that is frequently described by a long-memory or power-law decay of autocorrelation function. One way of characterizing that dynamics is through scale invariant statistics or "fractal-like" behavior. For quantifying scale invariant parameters of physiological signals several methods have been proposed. Among them the most common are detrended fluctuation analysis, sample mean variance analyses, power spectral density analysis, R/S analysis, and recently in the realm of the multifractal approach, wavelet analysis. In this paper it is demonstrated that embedding the time series data in the high-dimensional pseudo-phase space reveals scale invariant statistics in the simple fashion. The procedure is applied on different stride interval data sets from human gait measurements time series (Physio-Bank data library). Results show that introduced mapping adequately separates long-memory from random behavior. Smaller gait data sets were analyzed and scale-free trends for limited scale intervals were successfully detected. The method was verified on artificially produced time series with known scaling behavior and with the varying content of noise. The possibility for the method to falsely detect long-range dependence in the artificially generated short range dependence series was investigated. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Towards a critical transition theory under different temporal scales and noise strengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Jifan; Li, Tiejun; Chen, Luonan

2016-03-01

The mechanism of critical phenomena or critical transitions has been recently studied from various aspects, in particular considering slow parameter change and small noise. In this article, we systematically classify critical transitions into three types based on temporal scales and noise strengths of dynamical systems. Specifically, the classification is made by comparing three important time scales τλ, τtran, and τergo, where τλ is the time scale of parameter change (e.g., the change of environment), τtran is the time scale when a particle or state transits from a metastable state into another, and τergo is the time scale when the system becomes ergodic. According to the time scales, we classify the critical transition behaviors as three types, i.e., state transition, basin transition, and distribution transition. Moreover, for each type of transition, there are two cases, i.e., single-trajectory transition and multitrajectory ensemble transition, which correspond to the transition of individual behavior and population behavior, respectively. We also define the critical point for each type of critical transition, derive several properties, and further propose the indicators for predicting critical transitions with numerical simulations. In addition, we show that the noise-to-signal ratio is effective to make the classification of critical transitions for real systems.

Reconstruction scenario in modified Horava-Lifshitz F( R) gravity with well-known scale factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jawad, Abdul; Rani, Shamaila

2015-05-01

In this paper, we analyze the behavior of pilgrim dark energy with G-O cutoff scale in modified Horava-Lifshitz F( R) gravity through correspondence scenario. We consider three well-known scale factors in which one scale factor describes the unification of matter dominated and accelerated phases and others are intermediate and bouncing forms. We obtain the models for these scale factors and obtain increasing behavior with the passage of time. We also extract equation of state parameter corresponding to these models. We observe that this parameter shows transition from phantom towards quintessence by crossing the phantom divide line in all cases. We also give comparison of our results of equation of state parameter with observational constraints.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Multiscale Field-Aligned Currents: Characteristics, Controlling Parameters, and Relationships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGranaghan, Ryan M.; Mannucci, Anthony J.; Forsyth, Colin

2017-12-01

We explore the characteristics, controlling parameters, and relationships of multiscale field-aligned currents (FACs) using a rigorous, comprehensive, and cross-platform analysis. Our unique approach combines FAC data from the Swarm satellites and the Advanced Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment (AMPERE) to create a database of small-scale (˜10-150 km, <1° latitudinal width), mesoscale (˜150-250 km, 1-2° latitudinal width), and large-scale (>250 km) FACs. We examine these data for the repeatable behavior of FACs across scales (i.e., the characteristics), the dependence on the interplanetary magnetic field orientation, and the degree to which each scale "departs" from nominal large-scale specification. We retrieve new information by utilizing magnetic latitude and local time dependence, correlation analyses, and quantification of the departure of smaller from larger scales. We find that (1) FACs characteristics and dependence on controlling parameters do not map between scales in a straight forward manner, (2) relationships between FAC scales exhibit local time dependence, and (3) the dayside high-latitude region is characterized by remarkably distinct FAC behavior when analyzed at different scales, and the locations of distinction correspond to "anomalous" ionosphere-thermosphere behavior. Comparing with nominal large-scale FACs, we find that differences are characterized by a horseshoe shape, maximizing across dayside local times, and that difference magnitudes increase when smaller-scale observed FACs are considered. We suggest that both new physics and increased resolution of models are required to address the multiscale complexities. We include a summary table of our findings to provide a quick reference for differences between multiscale FACs.

Effects of coarse-graining on the scaling behavior of long-range correlated and anti-correlated signals.

PubMed

Xu, Yinlin; Ma, Qianli D Y; Schmitt, Daniel T; Bernaola-Galván, Pedro; Ivanov, Plamen Ch

2011-11-01

We investigate how various coarse-graining (signal quantization) methods affect the scaling properties of long-range power-law correlated and anti-correlated signals, quantified by the detrended fluctuation analysis. Specifically, for coarse-graining in the magnitude of a signal, we consider (i) the Floor, (ii) the Symmetry and (iii) the Centro-Symmetry coarse-graining methods. We find that for anti-correlated signals coarse-graining in the magnitude leads to a crossover to random behavior at large scales, and that with increasing the width of the coarse-graining partition interval Δ, this crossover moves to intermediate and small scales. In contrast, the scaling of positively correlated signals is less affected by the coarse-graining, with no observable changes when Δ < 1, while for Δ > 1 a crossover appears at small scales and moves to intermediate and large scales with increasing Δ. For very rough coarse-graining (Δ > 3) based on the Floor and Symmetry methods, the position of the crossover stabilizes, in contrast to the Centro-Symmetry method where the crossover continuously moves across scales and leads to a random behavior at all scales; thus indicating a much stronger effect of the Centro-Symmetry compared to the Floor and the Symmetry method. For coarse-graining in time, where data points are averaged in non-overlapping time windows, we find that the scaling for both anti-correlated and positively correlated signals is practically preserved. The results of our simulations are useful for the correct interpretation of the correlation and scaling properties of symbolic sequences.

Effects of coarse-graining on the scaling behavior of long-range correlated and anti-correlated signals

PubMed Central

Xu, Yinlin; Ma, Qianli D.Y.; Schmitt, Daniel T.; Bernaola-Galván, Pedro; Ivanov, Plamen Ch.

2014-01-01

We investigate how various coarse-graining (signal quantization) methods affect the scaling properties of long-range power-law correlated and anti-correlated signals, quantified by the detrended fluctuation analysis. Specifically, for coarse-graining in the magnitude of a signal, we consider (i) the Floor, (ii) the Symmetry and (iii) the Centro-Symmetry coarse-graining methods. We find that for anti-correlated signals coarse-graining in the magnitude leads to a crossover to random behavior at large scales, and that with increasing the width of the coarse-graining partition interval Δ, this crossover moves to intermediate and small scales. In contrast, the scaling of positively correlated signals is less affected by the coarse-graining, with no observable changes when Δ < 1, while for Δ > 1 a crossover appears at small scales and moves to intermediate and large scales with increasing Δ. For very rough coarse-graining (Δ > 3) based on the Floor and Symmetry methods, the position of the crossover stabilizes, in contrast to the Centro-Symmetry method where the crossover continuously moves across scales and leads to a random behavior at all scales; thus indicating a much stronger effect of the Centro-Symmetry compared to the Floor and the Symmetry method. For coarse-graining in time, where data points are averaged in non-overlapping time windows, we find that the scaling for both anti-correlated and positively correlated signals is practically preserved. The results of our simulations are useful for the correct interpretation of the correlation and scaling properties of symbolic sequences. PMID:25392599

Evaluation of scale invariance in physiological signals by means of balanced estimation of diffusion entropy.

PubMed

Zhang, Wenqing; Qiu, Lu; Xiao, Qin; Yang, Huijie; Zhang, Qingjun; Wang, Jianyong

2012-11-01

By means of the concept of the balanced estimation of diffusion entropy, we evaluate the reliable scale invariance embedded in different sleep stages and stride records. Segments corresponding to waking, light sleep, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and deep sleep stages are extracted from long-term electroencephalogram signals. For each stage the scaling exponent value is distributed over a considerably wide range, which tell us that the scaling behavior is subject and sleep cycle dependent. The average of the scaling exponent values for waking segments is almost the same as that for REM segments (∼0.8). The waking and REM stages have a significantly higher value of the average scaling exponent than that for light sleep stages (∼0.7). For the stride series, the original diffusion entropy (DE) and the balanced estimation of diffusion entropy (BEDE) give almost the same results for detrended series. The evolutions of local scaling invariance show that the physiological states change abruptly, although in the experiments great efforts have been made to keep conditions unchanged. The global behavior of a single physiological signal may lose rich information on physiological states. Methodologically, the BEDE can evaluate with considerable precision the scale invariance in very short time series (∼10^{2}), while the original DE method sometimes may underestimate scale-invariance exponents or even fail in detecting scale-invariant behavior. The BEDE method is sensitive to trends in time series. The existence of trends may lead to an unreasonably high value of the scaling exponent and consequent mistaken conclusions.

Evaluation of scale invariance in physiological signals by means of balanced estimation of diffusion entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wenqing; Qiu, Lu; Xiao, Qin; Yang, Huijie; Zhang, Qingjun; Wang, Jianyong

2012-11-01

By means of the concept of the balanced estimation of diffusion entropy, we evaluate the reliable scale invariance embedded in different sleep stages and stride records. Segments corresponding to waking, light sleep, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and deep sleep stages are extracted from long-term electroencephalogram signals. For each stage the scaling exponent value is distributed over a considerably wide range, which tell us that the scaling behavior is subject and sleep cycle dependent. The average of the scaling exponent values for waking segments is almost the same as that for REM segments (˜0.8). The waking and REM stages have a significantly higher value of the average scaling exponent than that for light sleep stages (˜0.7). For the stride series, the original diffusion entropy (DE) and the balanced estimation of diffusion entropy (BEDE) give almost the same results for detrended series. The evolutions of local scaling invariance show that the physiological states change abruptly, although in the experiments great efforts have been made to keep conditions unchanged. The global behavior of a single physiological signal may lose rich information on physiological states. Methodologically, the BEDE can evaluate with considerable precision the scale invariance in very short time series (˜102), while the original DE method sometimes may underestimate scale-invariance exponents or even fail in detecting scale-invariant behavior. The BEDE method is sensitive to trends in time series. The existence of trends may lead to an unreasonably high value of the scaling exponent and consequent mistaken conclusions.

Two Scales for the Measurement of Mexican-American Identity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teske, Raymond, Jr.; Nelson, Bardin H.

The development of scales to measure Mexican American identification with their population is discussed in this paper. The scales measure (1) identification with the Mexican American population using attitudinal items (Identity Scale) and (2) interaction behavior with the Mexican American population (Interaction Scale). The sample consisted of all…

Spatiotemporal property and predictability of large-scale human mobility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hai-Tao; Zhu, Tao; Fu, Dongfei; Xu, Bowen; Han, Xiao-Pu; Chen, Duxin

2018-04-01

Spatiotemporal characteristics of human mobility emerging from complexity on individual scale have been extensively studied due to the application potential on human behavior prediction and recommendation, and control of epidemic spreading. We collect and investigate a comprehensive data set of human activities on large geographical scales, including both websites browse and mobile towers visit. Numerical results show that the degree of activity decays as a power law, indicating that human behaviors are reminiscent of scale-free random walks known as Lévy flight. More significantly, this study suggests that human activities on large geographical scales have specific non-Markovian characteristics, such as a two-segment power-law distribution of dwelling time and a high possibility for prediction. Furthermore, a scale-free featured mobility model with two essential ingredients, i.e., preferential return and exploration, and a Gaussian distribution assumption on the exploration tendency parameter is proposed, which outperforms existing human mobility models under scenarios of large geographical scales.

On the Scaling Behavior of Reliability-Resilience-Vulnerability ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Risk indices such as reliability-resilience-vulnerability (R-R-V) have been proposed to assess watershed health. In this study, the spatial scaling behavior of R-R-V indices has been explored for five agricultural watersheds in the midwestern United States. The study was conducted using two different measures of spatial scale: (i) the ratio of contributing upland area to area required for channel initiation (FA), and (ii) Strahler stream order. It was found that R-R-V indices do change with spatial scale, but a representative watershed-specific threshold FA value exists for these indices to achieve stable values. Scaling with Strahler stream order is feasible if the watershed possesses a tree-like stream network. As an example of anthropogenic influences, this study also examined the role of BMPs placed within an agricultural watershed via a cost-effective optimization scheme on the evolution of R-R-V values with scale. While the placement of BMPs acheived reductions in concentrations and/or loads of constituents, they may not significantly change watershed risk measures, but are likely to cause significant reduction in vulnerability. If primarily upland BMPs are placed in a diffuse manner throughout the watershed, there might not be a significant change in the scaling behavior of R-R-V values. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the effect of spatial scale on risk-based watershed health assessment. A related objective is to examine wh

Fetal Cardiac Responding: A Correlate of Birth Weight and Neonatal Behavior.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emory, Eugene K.; Noonan, John R.

1984-01-01

Explores whether an empirical classification of healthy fetuses as fetal heart rate accelerators or decelerators would predict birth weight and neonatal behavior scored with the Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale. (Author/RH)

Examining the association between implementation and outcomes : state-wide scale-up of school-wide positive behavior intervention and supports.

PubMed

Pas, Elise T; Bradshaw, Catherine P

2012-10-01

Although there is an established literature supporting the efficacy of a variety of prevention programs, there has been less empirical work on the translation of such research to everyday practice or when scaled-up state-wide. There is a considerable need for more research on factors that enhance implementation of programs and optimize outcomes, particularly in school settings. The current paper examines how the implementation fidelity of an increasingly popular and widely disseminated prevention model called, School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS), relates to student outcomes within the context of a state-wide scale-up effort. Data come from a scale-up effort of SW-PBIS in Maryland; the sample included 421 elementary and middle schools trained in SW-PBIS. SW-PBIS fidelity, as measured by one of three fidelity measures, was found to be associated with higher math achievement, higher reading achievement, and lower truancy. School contextual factors were related to implementation levels and outcomes. Implications for scale-up efforts of behavioral and mental health interventions and measurement considerations are discussed.

Childhood Sexual Abuse, Attachments in Childhood and Adulthood, and Coercive Sexual Behaviors in Community Males.

PubMed

Langton, Calvin M; Murad, Zuwaina; Humbert, Bianca

2017-04-01

Associations between self-reported coercive sexual behavior against adult females, childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and child-parent attachment styles, as well as attachment with adult romantic partners, were examined among 176 adult community males. Attachment style with each parent and with romantic partners was also investigated as a potential moderator. Using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, avoidant attachment with mothers in childhood (and also with fathers, in a second model) accounted for a significant amount of the variance in coercive sexual behavior controlling for scores on anxious ambivalent and disorganized/disoriented attachment scales, as predicted. Similarly, in a third model, avoidance attachment in adulthood was a significant predictor of coercive sexual behavior controlling for scores on the anxiety attachment in adulthood scale. These main effects for avoidant and avoidance attachment were not statistically significant when CSA and control variables (other types of childhood adversity, aggression, antisociality, and response bias) were added in each of the models. But the interaction between scales for CSA and avoidance attachment in adulthood was significant, demonstrating incremental validity in a final step, consistent with a hypothesized moderating function for attachment in adulthood. The correlation between CSA and coercive sexual behavior was .60 for those with the highest third of avoidance attachment scores (i.e., the most insecurely attached on this scale), .24 for those with scores in the middle range on the scale, and .01 for those with the lowest third of avoidance attachment scores (i.e., the most securely attached). Implications for study design and theory were discussed.

Assessing the relationship between quality of life and behavioral activation using the Japanese Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale-Short Form.

PubMed

Shudo, Yusuke; Yamamoto, Tatsuya

2017-01-01

Quality of life (QOL) is an important health-related concept. Identifying factors that affect QOL can help develop and improve health-promotion interventions. Previous studies suggest that behavioral activation fosters subjective QOL, including well-being. However, the mechanism by which behavioral activation improves QOL is not clear. Considering that QOL improves when depressive symptoms improve post-treatment and that behavioral activation is an effective treatment for depression, it is possible that behavioral activation affects QOL indirectly rather than directly. To clarify the mechanism of the influence of behavioral activation on QOL, it is necessary to examine the relationships between factors related to behavioral activation, depressive symptoms, and QOL. Therefore, we attempted to examine the relationship between these factors. Participants comprised 221 Japanese undergraduate students who completed questionnaires on behavioral activation, QOL, and depressive symptoms: the Japanese versions of the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale-Short Form (BADS-SF), WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-26), and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The BADS-SF comprises two subscales, Activation and Avoidance, and the WHOQOL-26 measures overall QOL and four domains, Physical Health, Psychological Health, Social Relationships, and Environment. Mediation analyses were conducted with BADS-SF activation and avoidance as independent variables, CES-D as a mediator variable, and each WHO-QOL as an outcome variable. Results indicated that depression completely mediated the relationship between Avoidance and QOL, and partially mediated the relationship between Activation and QOL. In addition, analyses of each domain of QOL showed that Activation positively affected all aspects of QOL directly and indirectly, but Avoidance had a negative influence on only part of QOL mainly through depression. The present study provides behavioral activation strategies aimed at QOL enhancement.

Depression and suicidal behavior in adolescent inpatients with obsessive compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Apter, Alan; Horesh, Netta; Gothelf, Doron; Zalsman, Gil; Erlich, Zippy; Soreni, Noam; Weizman, Abraham

2003-07-01

To investigate the prevalence and correlations of suicidal behavior in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) among adolescent psychiatric inpatients. A total of 348 adolescents, representing consecutive admissions to an adolescent inpatient unit, were assessed. Of these, 40 patients had OCD, 118 had schizophrenia, 59 had an affective disorder, 81 had a conduct disorder and 50 had an eating disorder. In addition, 87 normal community controls were assessed. All subjects were assessed for suicidal behavior by the Childhood Suicide Potential Scale (CSPS), for depression by the Beck Depression Inventory, for impulsiveness by the Impulse Control Scale, for anxiety by the State-Trait Anxiety Scale and for aggression by the Yudowsky Overt Aggression Scale. All the psychiatrically ill subjects, including those with OCD, had high levels of depression, anxiety and impulsiveness, which were far higher than those of the controls. The rate of attempted suicide was, however, much lower in the OCD subjects. In addition, there was a significant inverse correlation between suicidal behavior levels on the CSPS and depression in the OCD subjects, while all other subjects showed the expected significant positive correlation between level of suicidal behavior and depression. This study looked at a referred population and generalization to outpatient and community samples cannot be made. Distinguishing between the primary and the comorbid diagnosis is difficult and some findings are based on small sample size and therefore may be vulnerable to type I error. Although suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms are common in OCD adolescent inpatients, they seem to be protected against suicide attempts. The inverse relationship between suicidal behavior and depression may mean that suicidal behavior is, in some ways, qualitatively different from that seen in other psychiatrically ill adolescents.

Adaptive Behavior in Toddlers under Two with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paul, Rhea; Loomis, Rebecca; Chawarska, Katarzyna

2014-01-01

The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale was administered to 54 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) before age 2, and a matching group of 18 toddlers with developmental delay (DD). The group with ASD was more impaired on all scales of the Vineland than DD peers. When 18 ASD/DD pairs very closely matched on age, verbal and nonverbal…

Social Skills Intervention Planning for Preschoolers: Using the SSiS-Rating Scales to Identify Target Behaviors Valued by Parents and Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frey, Jennifer R.; Elliott, Stephen N.; Kaiser, Ann P.

2014-01-01

Teachers' and parents' importance ratings of social behaviors for 95 preschoolers were examined using the "Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales" (Gresham & Elliott, 2008). Multivariate analyses were used to examine parents' and teachers' importance ratings at the item and subscale levels. Overall,…

Initial Evidence for the Reliability and Validity of the Student Risk Screening Scale for Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors at the Elementary Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Kathleen Lynne; Oakes, Wendy P.; Harris, Pamela J.; Menzies, Holly Mariah; Cox, Meredith; Lambert, Warren

2012-01-01

We report findings of an exploratory validation study of a revised instrument: the Student Risk Screening Scale-Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE). The SRSS-IE was modified to include seven additional items reflecting characteristics of internalizing behaviors, with proposed items generated from the current literature base, review of…