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Revised Version (revised + version)
Selected AbstractsResponse Evaluation Criteria in Cancer of the Liver (RECICL) proposed by the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan (2009 Revised Version)HEPATOLOGY RESEARCH, Issue 7 2010Masatoshi Kudo The World Health Organization (WHO) criteria and Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) are inappropriate to assess the direct effects of treatment on the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by locoreginal therapies such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Therefore, establishment of response evaluation criteria solely devoted for HCC is needed urgently in the clinical practice as well as in the clinical trials of HCC treatment, such as molecular targeted therapies, which cause necrosis of the tumor. Response Evaluation Criteria in Cancer of the Liver (RECICL) was revised in 2009 by Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan based on the 2004 version of RECICL, which was commonly used in Japan. Major revised points of the RECICL 2009 is to provide TE4a (Complete response with enough ablative margin) and TE4b (complete response without enough ablative margin) for local ablation therapy. Second revised point is that setting the timing at which the overall treatment effects are assessed. Third point is that emergence of new lesion in the liver is regarded as progressive disease, different from 2004 version. Finally, 3 tumor markers including alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and AFP-L3 and des-gamma-carboxy protein (DCP) were also added for the overall treatment response. We hope this new treatment response criteria, RECICL, proposed by Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan will benefit the HCC treatment response evaluation in the setting of the daily clinical practice and clinical trials as well not only in Japan, but also internationally. [source] A double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of quetiapine for depressed adolescents with bipolar disorderBIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 5 2009Melissa P DelBello Objective:, To conduct a pilot study comparing the effects of quetiapine and placebo for the treatment of depressive episodes in adolescents with bipolar I disorder. Method:, Thirty-two adolescents (ages 12,18 years) with a depressive episode associated with bipolar I disorder were randomized to eight weeks of double-blind treatment with quetiapine, 300,600 mg/day, or placebo. This two-site study was conducted from March 2006 through August 2007. The primary efficacy measure was change in Children's Depression Rating Scale,Revised Version (CDRS-R) scores from baseline to endpoint. Secondary efficacy measures included change in CDRS-R scores over the eight-week study period (PROC MIXED), changes from baseline to endpoint in Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and Clinical Global Impression,Bipolar Version Severity (CGI-BP-S) scores, as well as response and remission rates. Safety and tolerability were assessed weekly. Results:, There was no statistically significant treatment group difference in change in CDRS-R scores from baseline to endpoint (p = 0.89, effect size =,0.05, 95% confidence interval: ,0.77,0.68), nor in the average rate of change over the eight weeks of the study (p = 0.95). Additionally, there were no statistically significant differences in response (placebo =67% versus quetiapine = 71%) or remission (placebo = 40% versus quetiapine = 35%) rates, or change in HAM-A, YMRS, or CGI-BP-S scores (all p > 0.7) between treatment groups. Dizziness was more commonly reported in the quetiapine (41%) than in the placebo (7%) group (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.04). Conclusions:, The results suggest that quetiapine monotherapy is no more effective than placebo for the treatment of depression in adolescents with bipolar disorder. However, limitations of the study, including the high placebo response rate, may have contributed to our findings and should be considered in the design of future investigations of pharmacological interventions for this population. [source] Measuring aggression with the staff observation aggression scale , revisedACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2002H. Nijman Objective:, The staff observation aggression scale (SOAS; Palmstierna & Wistedt, 1987) was developed to measure nature, number, as well as severity of aggressive incidents. In 1999, a revised version of the SOAS (i.e. the SOAS-R), with a more fine-grained severity scoring system, was presented. In the current paper, the development and testing of the revised severity scores of the SOAS-R are addressed. Method: In two consecutive studies, staff members recorded inpatient aggression on SOAS-R forms, but also expressed their opinion about the severity of incidents on 100 mm visual analogue scales (VASs). Correlations were calculated between SOAS and SOAS-R severity scores, on the one hand, and clinical judgements of severity, on the other. Results:, In both studies, revised SOAS severity scores were more closely related to clinical judgements of aggression severity than the original ones. Conclusion: The SOAS-R is a promising tool for research on the prevalence, severity and determinants of inpatient aggression. [source] Young adults' achievement and attributional strategies in the transition from school to work: antecedents and consequencesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 4 2002Sami Määttä This study focused on investigating the extent to which the achievement and attributional strategies individuals deploy influence their success in dealing with the transition from school to work, and whether their success or failure in this particular would have consequences for the kinds of strategy they deployed later in life. Two hundred and fifty young adults filled in the Cartoon-Attribution-Strategy Inventory, a revised version of Beck's Depression Inventory, and a work status questionnaire at the beginning of the last spring term of their curriculum, four months after their graduation, and a year and a half after it. The results showed that the deployment of maladaptive strategies, such as passive avoidance, led to problems in dealing with the transition from school to work. In turn, young adults' problems in dealing with this transition decreased their use of self-serving causal attributions, which was also found to lead to increased depressive symptomatology. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Brane tilings and their applicationsFORTSCHRITTE DER PHYSIK/PROGRESS OF PHYSICS, Issue 6 2008M. Yamazaki Abstract We review recent developments in the theory of brane tilings and four-dimensional ,, = 1 supersymmetric quiver gauge theories. This review consists of two parts. In part I, we describe foundations of brane tilings, emphasizing the physical interpretation of brane tilings as fivebrane systems. In part II, we discuss application of brane tilings to AdS/CFT correspondence and homological mirror symmetry. More topics, such as orientifold of brane tilings, phenomenological model building, similarities with BPS solitons in supersymmetric gauge theories, are also briefly discussed. This paper is a revised version of the author's master's thesis submitted to Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, the University of Tokyo on January 2008, and is based on his several papers and some works in progress [1,7]. [source] Brief screening tool for mild cognitive impairment in older Japanese: Validation of the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive AssessmentGERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2010Yoshinori Fujiwara Aim: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), developed by Dr Nasreddine (Nasreddine et al. 2005), is a brief cognitive screening tool for detecting older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We examined the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the MoCA (MoCA-J) in older Japanese subjects. Methods: Subjects were recruited from the outpatient memory clinic of Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital or community-based medical health check-ups in 2008. The MoCA-J, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the revised version of Hasegawa's Dementia Scale (HDS-R), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale, and routine neuropsychological batteries were conducted on 96 older subjects. Mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) was found in 30 subjects and MCI in 30, with 36 normal controls. Results: The Cronbach's alpha of MoCA-J as an index of internal consistency was 0.74. The test,retest reliability of MoCA, using intraclass correlation coefficient between the scores at baseline survey and follow-up survey 8 weeks later was 0.88 (P < 0.001). MoCA-J score was highly correlated with MMSE (r = 0.83, P < 0.001), HDS-R (r = 0.79, P < 0.001) and CDR (r = ,0.79, P < 0.001) scores. The areas under receiver,operator curves (AUC) for predicting MCI and AD groups by the MoCA-J were 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.90,1.00) and 0.99 (95% CI = 0.00,1.00), respectively. The corresponding values for MMSE and HDS-R were 0.85 (95% CI = 0.75,0.95) and 0.97 (95% CI = 0.00,1.00), and 0.86 (95% CI = 0.76,0.95) and 0.97 (95% CI = 0.00,1.00), respectively. Using a cut-off point of 25/26, the MoCA-J demonstrated a sensitivity of 93.0% and a specificity of 87.0% in screening MCI. Conclusion: The MoCA-J could be a useful cognitive test for screening MCI, and could be recommended in a primary clinical setting and for geriatric health screening in the community. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2010; 10: 225,232. [source] Simulated and observed fluxes of sensible and latent heat and CO2 at the WLEF-TV tower using SiB2.5GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 9 2003Ian Baker Abstract Three years of meteorological data collected at the WLEF-TV tower were used to drive a revised version of the Simple Biosphere (SiB 2.5) Model. Physiological properties and vegetation phenology were specified from satellite imagery. Simulated fluxes of heat, moisture, and carbon were compared to eddy covariance measurements taken onsite as a means of evaluating model performance on diurnal, synoptic, seasonal, and interannual time scales. The model was very successful in simulating variations of latent heat flux when compared to observations, slightly less so in the simulation of sensible heat flux. The model overestimated peak values of sensible heat flux on both monthly and diurnal scales. There was evidence that the differences between observed and simulated fluxes might be linked to wetlands near the WLEF tower, which were not present in the SiB simulation. The model overestimated the magnitude of the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 in both summer and winter. Mid-day maximum assimilation was well represented by the model, but late afternoon simulations showed excessive carbon uptake due to misrepresentation of within-canopy shading in the model. Interannual variability was not well simulated because only a single year of satellite imagery was used to parameterize the model. [source] Health state values for the HUI 2 descriptive system: results from a UK surveyHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2005Christopher McCabe Abstract This paper reports the results of a study to estimate a statistical health state valuation model for a revised version of the Health Utilities Index Mark 2, using Standard Gamble health state preference data. A sample of 51 health states were valued by a sample of the 198 members of the UK general population. Models are estimated for predicting health state valuations for all 8000 states defined by the revised HUI2. The recommended model produces logical and significant coefficients for all levels of all dimensions in the HUI2. These coefficients appear to be robust across model specifications. This model performs well in predicting the observed health state values within the valuation sample and for a separate validation sample of health states. However, there are concerns over large prediction errors for two health states in the valuation sample. These problems must be balanced against concerns over the validity of using the VAS based health state valuation data of the original HUI2 valuation model. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Forgotten faces: regional history and regional portraiture*HISTORICAL RESEARCH, Issue 199 2005Sir Roy Strong This article, a revised version of the fourth Marc Fitch lecture, examines the fate of regional portraits, many of which have been lost over the past century or more. The breaking up of local collections and the widespread demolition of country houses , virtually unremarked until the nineteen-seventies , meant the loss of a valuable source for regional history. While several attempts have been made by enthusiastic individuals or local historians and archivists to catalogue such portraits, a strong case remains for a broader survey of regional portraits. [source] Retracted: The manufacturing enterprise diagnostic instrument: A tool for assessment of enterprise system manufacturers,HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 6 2007Ash Genaidy Small- to medium-size manufacturers constitute the bulk of the U.S. manufacturing sector and are in a dire need of a tool that will help them face the challenges of globalization and increasing costs of manufacturing in the United States. The objectives were to develop and validate a diagnostic tool for manufacturing firms to evaluate their enterprise system performance to eliminate trial-and-error decisions and allow quick and informed actions. A pilot version was developed and tested in a small manufacturer. A revised version was then developed and further tested in another firm. Testing of the tool's pilot version provided invaluable feedback for developing the main tool. When tested in a small manufacturing firm, the results demonstrated management's misalignment and identified the root causes hindering performance. The tool demonstrated a quick and effective way to evaluate the manufacturing system's performance and to develop an aligned improvement action plan to guide the managerial team in devising a winning business strategy. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 17: 521,574, 2007. [source] Personality pathology, depression and HPA axis functioningHUMAN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY: CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL, Issue 4 2001I. Schweitzer Abstract Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis functioning, as measured by the dexamethasone suppression test (DST), has been extensively investigated in major depressive disorder (MDD). Evaluating DST response in MDD patients while simultaneously considering clinically relevant personality disorders may further clarify the contribution of both personality pathology and HPA axis function to depressive symptoms. The present study measured personality pathology by administering the revised version of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-II) in a sample of 25 patients diagnosed with MDD. Analyses revealed that suppressors (n,=,19) scored significantly higher than non-suppressors (n,=,6) on six of the 13 MCMI-II personality disorder scales: Avoidant, Schizoid, Self-Defeating, Passive-Aggressive, Schizotypal and Borderline. Increased personality pathology was associated with normal suppression of cortisol following the DST. This suggests that suppression of the DST may be associated with depressive states linked with personality pathology while the more biologically based depression is associated with abnormal HPA pathophysiology. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Should reciprocity be a part of the UNCITRAL Model Cross-Border Insolvency Law?INTERNATIONAL INSOLVENCY REVIEW, Issue 3 2007Keith D. Yamauchi In 1997, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law adopted a Model Law on Cross Border Insolvency. Since then, many countries have passed it or a revised version of it. In many cases, the adopting country wrestled with the issue of whether to include a reciprocity provision in its version. Some have included such a provision, others have not. The inclusion of a reciprocity provision is not consistent. This article discusses the concept and argues that a reciprocity provision could be detrimental to the operation of the Model Law and prejudicial to the parties; especially those in the country whose legislation includes such a provision. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Assessing competency in nursing: a comparison of nurses prepared through degree and diploma programmesJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 1 2005Michael Clinton MSc Aims and objectives., The present study aimed to investigate the competencies of qualifiers from three-year degree and three-year diploma courses in England at one, two and three years after qualification. Background., The provision of three-year preregistration nursing degrees in the UK has increased in recent years and in many colleges degrees are offered alongside the existing three-year diploma courses. Yet little is known about the relationship between these different education programmes and the competence of qualifiers. Methods., A cross-sectional survey design was employed to make comparisons of both self-reported and line-manager-rated competencies of graduate and diplomate nurses who had qualified up to three years previously. Instruments., A revised version of the Nursing Competencies Questionnaire was used to measure both overall competence and also eight specific nursing competencies. A shortened version of this scale was also used to assess internal consistency across measures. Two additional competencies, research awareness and policy awareness, were also measured. Results., Structural equation modelling found very little difference in the overall competence and specific competencies of graduates and diplomates. Where differences were found in the self-report data, diplomates scored more highly than graduates in the constructs of planning and social participation; however, these differences became non-significant when background variables were controlled for. Limitations., The findings are interpreted with caution due to the size of differences, the size of some of the samples of respondents and the developmental stage of the instrument used. Conclusions., It does not appear that graduates and diplomates in England differ in their level of competence to any great extent as measured by the Nursing Competencies Questionnaire. Areas of further work are discussed in the light of the findings. Relevance to clinical practice., While this may alleviate concerns about clinical disparities between the two groups, it raises questions about the proposed benefits to nursing of three-year preregistration degrees in terms of quality of care during the first three years of qualification. [source] Unemployment and aggression: the moderating role of self-awareness on the effect of unemployment on aggressionAGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 1 2008Peter Fischer Abstract In February 2005, the unemployment rate in Germany surpassed the 10% mark. Derived from the revised version of the frustration,aggression hypothesis [Berkowitz, 1989], the present studies investigated the association between unemployment and aggression, as well as the moderating role of the self in this context. Because previous research on unemployment and aggression has been plagued by the cause-and-effect issue, the present research employed both an experimental and a correlational field approach. Three studies revealed that participants who expected to be unemployed after their degree (Studies 1 and 3), or who were currently unemployed (Study 2), reported stronger aggressive inclinations than participants who expected not to be unemployed or who were not unemployed at the time of data collection. However, this aggression-eliciting effect of expected or real unemployment only occurred for participants with low self-awareness. Participants who could actualize their self prior to reporting on aggression were not differently affected by different expectations or states of unemployment. Aggr. Behav. 34:34,45, 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Global planning on the Mars Exploration Rovers: Software integration and surface testingJOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 4 2009Joseph Carsten In January 2004, NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs), Spirit and Opportunity, began searching the surface of Mars for evidence of past water activity. To localize and approach scientifically interesting targets, the rovers employ an onboard navigation system. Given the latency in sending commands from Earth to the Martian rovers (and in receiving return data), a high level of navigational autonomy is desirable. Autonomous navigation with hazard avoidance (AutoNav) is currently performed using a local path planner called GESTALT (grid-based estimation of surface traversability applied to local terrain) that incorporates terrain and obstacle information generated from stereo cameras. GESTALT works well at guiding the rovers around narrow and isolated hazards; however, it is susceptible to failure when clusters of closely spaced, nontraversable rocks form extended obstacles. In May 2005, a new technology task was initiated at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to address this limitation. Specifically, a version of the Field D* global path planner was integrated into MER flight software, enabling simultaneous local and global planning during AutoNav. A revised version of AutoNav was then uploaded to the rovers during the summer of 2006. In this paper we describe how this integration of global planning into the MER flight software was performed and provide results from both the MER surface system test bed rover and five fully autonomous runs by Opportunity on Mars. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Revisiting print exposure: exploring differential links to vocabulary, comprehension and reading rateJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN READING, Issue 3 2008Sandra Lyn Martin-Chang Undergraduates (N=171) completed a revised version of the Author Recognition Test (Stanovich & West, 1989). The resulting print exposure scores were divided into two dimensions: personal reading experience (primary print knowledge , PPK) and secondary print knowledge (SPK). Both PPK and SPK were correlated with print exposure, but not with each other. PPK correlated more strongly with reading-related variables (vocabulary, comprehension and reading rate) than did SPK. Of particular importance, PPK accounted for variance in all three criterion variables after the effects of SPK had been factored out. Thus, these data support the notion that it is the act of reading over and above memory for reading-related information that furthers the development of linguistic skill. [source] Definition of major bleeding in clinical investigations of antihemostatic medicinal products in non-surgical patientsJOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS, Issue 4 2005S. SCHULMAN Summary., A variety of definitions of major bleeding have been used in published clinical studies, and this diversity adds to the difficulty in comparing data between trials and in performing meta-analyses. In the first step towards unified definitions of bleeding complications, the definition of major bleeding in non-surgical patients was discussed at the Control of Anticoagulation Subcommittee of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis. Arising from that discussion, a definition was developed that should be applicable to studies with all agents that interfere with hemostasis, including anticoagulants, platelet function inhibitors and fibrinolytic drugs. The definition and the text that follows have been reviewed and approved by the cochairs of the subcommittee and the revised version is published here. The intention is to also seek approval of this definition from the regulatory authorities. [source] A screening tool for vulnerability assessment of pesticide leaching to groundwater for the islands of Hawaii, USAPEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 4 2007Fredrik Stenemo Abstract This paper describes an updated version of a screening tool for groundwater vulnerability assessment to evaluate pesticide leaching to groundwater, based on a revised version of the attenuation factor. The tool has been implemented in a geographical information system (GIS) covering the major islands of the state of Hawaii, USA. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture currently uses the tool in their pesticide evaluation process as a first-tier screening tool. The basic soil properties and pesticide properties necessary to compute the index, and estimates of their uncertainty, are included in the GIS. Uncertainties in soil and pesticide properties are accounted for using first-order uncertainty analysis. Classifications of pesticides as ,likely', ,uncertain' or ,unlikely' to leach are made on the basis of the uncertainty and a comparison of the revised attenuation factor with values and uncertainties of two reference chemicals. The reference chemicals represent what are considered to be a ,leachable' and a ,non-leachable' pesticide under Hawaii conditions. It is concluded that the tool is suitable for screening new and already used pesticides for the islands of Hawaii. However, the tool is associated with uncertainties that are not accounted for, so a conservative approach with respect to interpretation of the results and selection of pesticide parameters used in the tool is recommended. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Validation of a new measure of protective footcare behaviour: the Nottingham Assessment of Functional Footcare (NAFF)PRACTICAL DIABETES INTERNATIONAL (INCORPORATING CARDIABETES), Issue 4 2007NB Lincoln PhD Abstract There are no measures available to document footcare practice among people with diabetes and yet such measures are needed as a surrogate marker in studies designed to determine the effectiveness of footcare education. We have therefore developed such a measure, the Nottingham Assessment of Functional Footcare (NAFF), and have assessed its reliability and validity. A pilot questionnaire was distributed to people with diabetes and healthy controls, before being revised and shortened. The revised version was assessed for internal consistency and reliability. The pilot 51-item questionnaire was determined in 100 out-patients with diabetes and 61 healthy controls. The internal consistency was 0.46 in people with diabetes and 0.39 in healthy volunteers. Twenty-eight items showed significant differences between those with and without diabetes. The internal consistency and test,retest reliability of a revised version were determined in people with diabetes. The measure was further refined to a 29-item version, which had an internal consistency of 0.53. There was a significant correlation (rs 0.83; p<0.001) and no significant difference (p = 0.85) between scores in the test,retest study. Respondents with neuropathy scored significantly higher than those without (p<0.01). We conclude that the NAFF could act as an outcome measure in the prospective trials which are needed to establish the place of education programmes in clinical practice. The measure could also be used in routine care to identify those whose usual foot care might put their feet at risk of future ulceration. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons. [source] Effect of aromatherapy on patients with Alzheimer's diseasePSYCHOGERIATRICS, Issue 4 2009Daiki JIMBO Abstract Objective:, Recently, the importance of non-pharmacological therapies for dementia has come to the fore. In the present study, we examined the curative effects of aromatherpay in dementia in 28 elderly people, 17 of whom had Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods:, After a control period of 28 days, aromatherapy was performed over the following 28 days, with a wash out period of another 28 days. Aromatherapy consisted of the use of rosemary and lemon essential oils in the morning, and lavender and orange in the evening. To determine the effects of aromatherpay, patients were evaluated using the Japanese version of the Gottfries, Brane, Steen scale (GBSS-J), Functional Assessment Staging of Alzheimer's disease (FAST), a revised version of Hasegawa's Dementia Scale (HDS-R), and the Touch Panel-type Dementia Assessment Scale (TDAS) four times: before the control period, after the control period, after aromatherpay, and after the washout period. Results:, All patients showed significant improvement in personal orientation related to cognitive function on both the GBSS-J and TDAS after therapy. In particular, patients with AD showed significant improvement in total TDAS scores. Result of routine laboratory tests showed no significant changes, suggesting that there were no side-effects associated with the use of aromatherapy. Results from Zarit's score showed no significant changes, suggesting that caregivers had no effect on the improved patient scores seen in the other tests. Conclusions:, In conclusion, we found aromatherapy an efficacious non-pharmacological therapy for dementia. Aromatherapy may have some potential for improving cognitive function, especially in AD patients. [source] ORIGINAL RESEARCH,OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT: Validation of the Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised for Assessing Distress in Women with Hypoactive Sexual Desire DisorderTHE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2008Leonard DeRogatis PhD ABSTRACT Introduction., The concept of sexually related personal distress is currently central to the diagnosis of all female sexual dysfunctions (FSD). In the current study, we have focused on validating a slightly revised version of the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS), the FSDS-Revised (FSDS-R), to enhance the sensitivity of the instrument with patients suffering from hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). In addition, we have attempted to extend the validation generalizability of the scale by demonstrating that both instruments possess reliability and discriminative validity in premenopausal women with HSDD. Aim., To assess the validity of the revised version of the FSDS, the FSDS-R, for measuring sexual distress in women with HSDD. Methods., A prospective methodological study carried out at 27 centers in North America enrolled 296 women aged 18,50 years with HSDD, another female sexual dysfunction (FSD), or no FSD. The subjects completed the FSDS-R at baseline, day 7, and day 28, with a 30-day recall at baseline and with a 7-day recall on days 7 and 28. Main Outcome Measures., Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses of FSDS, FSDS-R, and FSDS-R item 13 were used for the differentiation of HSDD from no FSD, while intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to estimate test,retest reliability. Cronbach's coefficient alpha was used to measure the internal consistency of the FSDS-R and Pearson's correlation coefficient to assess FSDS, FSDS-R, and FSDS-R item 13 with different recall periods (7 and 30 days). Results., Mean total FSDS, FSDS-R, and FSDS-R item 13 scores with either recall period were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in women with FSD or HSDD than in women with no FSD, showing both tests had discriminant validity. ROC analysis confirmed these findings, while an ICC of >0.74 showed the test,retest reliability of both scales, including FSDS-R item 13 alone, and Cronbach's coefficient alpha of >0.86 confirmed the internal consistency of both tests. Conclusions., Consistent with the FSDS, the FSDS-R demonstrated good discriminant validity, high test,retest reliability, and a high degree of internal consistency in measuring sexually related personal distress in women with HSDD. FSDS-R item 13 alone also demonstrated good discriminant validity and test,retest reliability. DeRogatis L, Clayton A, Lewis-D'Agostino D, Wunderlich G, and Fu Y. Validation of the female sexual distress scale revised for assessing distress in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. J Sex Med 2008;5:357,364. [source] Toward a consistent reanalysis of the upper stratosphere based on radiance measurements from SSU and AMSU-ATHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 645 2009Shinya Kobayashi Abstract Radiance measurements from the Stratospheric Sounding Unit (SSU) and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-A) are the primary source of information for stratospheric temperature in reanalyses of the satellite era. To improve the time consistency of the reanalyses, radiance biases need to be properly understood and accounted for in the assimilation system. The investigation of intersatellite differences between SSU and AMSU-A radiance observations shows that these differences are not accurately reproduced by the operational version of the radiative transfer model for the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (RTTOV-8). We found that this deficiency in RTTOV was mainly due to the treatment of the Zeeman effect (splitting of the oxygen absorption lines at 60 GHz) and to changes in the spectral response function of the SSU instrument that are not represented in RTTOV. On this basis we present a revised version of RTTOV that can reproduce SSU and AMSU-A intersatellite radiance differences more accurately. Assimilation experiments performed with the revised version of RTTOV in a four-dimensional variational analysis system (4D-Var) show some improvements in the stratospheric temperature analysis. However, significant jumps in the stratospheric temperature analysis still occur when switching satellites, which is due to the fact that systematic errors in the forecast model are only partially constrained by observations. Using a one-dimensional retrieval equation, we show that both the extent and vertical structure of the partial bias corrections must inevitably change when the nature of the radiance measurement changes with the transition from SSU to AMSU-A. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Does ,modified gravity', not dark matter, explain galaxy motion?ASTRONOMY & GEOPHYSICS, Issue 6 2007Article first published online: 14 NOV 200 New observations of the Bullet Cluster suggest that a revised version of Newton's gravitational theory can account for the patterns seen, just as well as the conventional explanation of dark matter affecting the mass distribution. [source] Erläuterungen und Beispiele zur Lastnorm DIN 1055 neuBAUTECHNIK, Issue 8 2007Heinrich Schroeter Dr.-Ing. In diesem Aufsatz wird die Gruppe der neu gefassten Normen über Lastannahmen aus der Sicht des Anwenders kritisch betrachtet. Es werden die wesentlichen nderungen gegenüber den alten Fassungen herausgestellt und auch auf die dadurch häufig vorkommenden Fehlinterpretationen der neuen Normen hingewiesen. Da der Verfasser nicht an der Neufassung mitgearbeitet hat, werden auch keine Auslegungen gegeben. Aus Platzgründen werden die Teile7, 8 und 10 nicht näher behandelt, da diese Teil e nicht bauaufsichtlich eingeführt wurden. Explanations and examples for the new load standard DIN 1055. In this paper the group of the new standards for load assumptions from the view of the user is regarded critically. The substantial changes are put out in relation to the old versions and also to the misinterpretations of the new standards frequently occurring thereby refer. Since the author did not cooperate in the revised version, no interpretations are given. From space reasons, the parts of 7, 8 and 10, are not more nearly treated since these parts were not certified by construction supervision. [source] Diurnal and seasonal variations in stomatal conductance of rice at elevated atmospheric CO2 under fully open-air conditionsPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 3 2010HIROYUKI SHIMONO ABSTRACT Understanding of leaf stomatal responses to the atmospheric CO2 concentration, [CO2], is essential for accurate prediction of plant water use under future climates. However, limited information is available for the diurnal and seasonal changes in stomatal conductance (gs) under elevated [CO2]. We examined the factors responsible for variations in gs under elevated [CO2] with three rice cultivars grown in an open-field environment under flooded conditions during two growing seasons (a total of 2140 individual measurements). Conductance of all cultivars was generally higher in the morning and around noon than in the afternoon, and elevated [CO2] decreased gs by up to 64% over the 2 years (significantly on 26 out of 38 measurement days), with a mean gs decrease of 23%. We plotted the gs variations against three parameters from the Ball-Berry model and two revised versions of the model, and all parameters explained the gs variations well at each [CO2] in the morning and around noon (R2 > 0.68), but could not explain these variations in the afternoon (R2 < 0.33). The present results provide an important basis for modelling future water use in rice production. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||