Used Scales (used + scale)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


EFFECTIVENESS OF CATEGORY AND LINE SCALES TO CHARACTERIZE CONSUMER PERCEPTION OF FRUITY FERMENTED FLAVOR IN PEANUTS

JOURNAL OF SENSORY STUDIES, Issue 2 2006
J.L. GREENE
ABSTRACT Fruity fermented (FF) flavor is a common off-flavor in peanuts resulting from high-temperature curing. The 9-point hedonic scale is the most widely used scale to determine consumer acceptance; however, research has indicated that line scales may provide equal reliability and greater sensitivity. The objectives of this study were to characterize consumer perception of FF flavor in peanuts and to compare the effectiveness of the two scale types. Consumers (n = 208) evaluated control (no FF), low-intensity (1.0) FF and high-intensity (3.0) FF peanut pastes for the strength/intensity of roasted peanut flavor (RPF), sweet taste (ST), fresh peanut flavor (FPF) and overall liking (OV) using randomly assigned ballots. Sensitivity in defining consumer perception of off-flavor in peanuts was greater with use of line scales than with the hedonic scale. The line scale indicated that FF flavor in peanuts, even at low intensity, negatively impacted OV and further identified significantly lower RPF and FPF perception by consumers. The hedonic scale identified only a difference in FPF and was not sensitive enough to show a difference in OV. [source]


ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The relationship between patients' perception of the effects of neurofibromatosis type 2 and the domains of the Short Form-36

CLINICAL OTOLARYNGOLOGY, Issue 4 2010
W.J. Neary
Clin. Otolaryngol. 2010, 35, 291,299 Objectives:, To investigate the relationship between those issues concerning quality of life in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) as identified by the closed set NF2 questionnaire and the eight norm-based measures and the physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores of the Short Form-36 (SF-36) Questionnaire. Design:, Postal questionnaire study. Setting:, Questionnaires sent to subjects' home addresses. Participants:, Eighty-seven adult subjects under the care of the Manchester Multidisciplinary NF2 Clinic were invited to participate. Main outcome measures:, Sixty-two (71%) completed sets of closed set NF2 questionnaires and SF-36 questionnaires were returned. Results:, Subjects with NF2 scored less than the norm of 50 on both the physical component summary and mental component summary scores and the eight individual norm-based measures of the Short Form-36 questionnaire. Correlations (using Kendall's tau) were examined between patients' perceptions of their severity of difficulty with the following activities and the eight norm-based measures and the physical component summary and mental component summary scores of the Short Form-36 questionnaire: Communicating with spouse/significant other (N = 61). The correlation coefficients were significant at the 0.01 level for the mental component summary score, together with three of the norm-based scores [vitality (VT), social functioning and role emotional]. Social communication (N = 62). All 10 correlations were significant at the 0.01 or 0.001 level. Balance (N = 59). All 10 correlations were highly significant at the P < 0.001 level. Hearing difficulties (N = 61). All correlations were significant at either the 0.01 level or less apart from the mental component summary score and three of the norm-based scores (role physical, VT and mental health). Mood change (N = 61). All correlations were significant at the 0.01 level or less, apart from one norm-based score (role physical). Conclusions:, The Short Form-36 questionnaire has allowed us to relate patients' perceptions of their difficulties, as identified by the closed set NF2 questionnaire, to the physical and mental domains measured by this validated and widely used scale, and has provided further insight into areas of functioning affected by NF2. [source]


Confirmatory factor analysis and the factor structure of expagg in context: A reply to forrest et al., 2002

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 2 2004
Steven Muncer
It has been suggested that confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) can be used to investigate the construct validity of psychometric scales and Forrest et al. [2000] specifically query the factor structure of Expagg using this technique. In this paper we report unsuccessful attempts to confirm the factor structure of three widely used scales using CFA criteria. In the fourth study, a two-factor model of Expagg, which has been derived from previous studies, is tested for fit on new data. The results suggest that from a CFA point of view, Expagg is best considered as two scales measuring expressivity and instrumentality with five items on each scale. This model satisfies four of the five fit criteria (CFI = 90, GFI = .94, RMSEA = .08, ECVI = .44), failing only on the chi square test, a benchmark that has attracted criticism from statisticians. Other concerns are raised about the meaning of CFA results and their importance. Aggr. Behav. 30:146,157, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease: Tools for diagnosis and assessment,,

MOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 8 2009
Jaime Kulisevsky MD
Abstract Cognitive impairment (CI) and dementia are frequent and debilitating features associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). Formal neuropsychological examination is required to ascertain the degree and pattern of CI over the course of the disease. The use of different tools may explain heterogeneous data obtained from studies to date. Normative data for extensively used scales [Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (MDRS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)] is incomplete in PD populations. According to sample characteristics, statistical analyses, and methodological quality, 33 studies using scales not specific to PD (MDRS, MMSE, Cambridge Cognitive Assessment, FAB) or PD-specific scales (Mini-Mental Parkinson, Scales for Outcomes of Parkinson's disease,Cognition, Parkinson's Disease,Cognitive Rating Scale, and Parkinson Neuropsychometric Dementia Assessment) were eligible for the critical analysis of their appropriateness to assess cognition in PD. Of the four scales specifically designed for PD, the SCOPA-COG and the PD-CRS have undergone extensive and rigorous validation processes. While the SCOPA-COG mainly assesses "frontal-subcortical" cognitive defects, the PD-CRS also assesses "instrumental-cortical" functions, allowing better characterization of the different patterns of CI that may be present in PD from the earliest stages. The MMP and PANDA scales were designed as brief screening tests for CI and have not yet been subjected to extensive clinimetric evaluations. Further research on PD-specific tools seems mandatory to help establish accurate cut-off scores for the diagnosis of mild PDD, detect cognitive profiles more prone to the future development of dementia, and allow comparisons between different descriptive or interventional studies. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society [source]


The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS): Status and recommendations

MOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 7 2003
Article first published online: 18 MAR 200
Abstract The Movement Disorder Society Task Force for Rating Scales for Parkinson's Disease prepared a critique of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Strengths of the UPDRS include its wide utilization, its application across the clinical spectrum of PD, its nearly comprehensive coverage of motor symptoms, and its clinimetric properties, including reliability and validity. Weaknesses include several ambiguities in the written text, inadequate instructions for raters, some metric flaws, and the absence of screening questions on several important non-motor aspects of PD. The Task Force recommends that the MDS sponsor the development of a new version of the UPDRS and encourage efforts to establish its clinimetric properties, especially addressing the need to define a Minimal Clinically Relevant Difference and a Minimal Clinically Relevant Incremental Difference, as well as testing its correlation with the current UPDRS. If developed, the new scale should be culturally unbiased and be tested in different racial, gender, and age-groups. Future goals should include the definition of UPDRS scores with confidence intervals that correlate with clinically pertinent designations, "minimal," "mild," "moderate," and "severe" PD. Whereas the presence of non-motor components of PD can be identified with screening questions, a new version of the UPDRS should include an official appendix that includes other, more detailed, and optionally used scales to determine severity of these impairments. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society [source]


Clinical assessment and management of spasticity: a review

ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2010
T. Rekand
Rekand T. Clinical assessment and management of spasticity: a review. Acta Neurol Scand: 2010: 122 (Suppl. 190): 62,66. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Spasticity is a sign of upper motor neurone lesion, which can be located in the cerebrum or the spinal cord, and be caused by stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, brain injury, cerebral paresis, or other neurological conditions. Management is dependent on clinical assessment. Positive and negative effects of spasticity should be considered. Ashworth score and the modified Ashworth score are the most used scales for assessment of spasticity. These and other spasticity scales are based on assessment of resistance during passive movement. The main goal of management is functional improvement. A novel 100-point score to assess disability, function related to spasticity (Rekand disability and spasticity score) is proposed. Management of spasticity should be multimodal and should always include physiotherapy or exercise. Oral medications such as baclofen and tizanidine have limited efficacy and considerable side effects, but are easiest to use. Botulinum toxin combined with physiotherapy and/or orthopaedic surgery is effective treatment of localized spasticity. Treatment with intrathecal baclofen via programmable implanted pump is effective in generalized spasticity, particularly in the lower extremities. Neurosurgical and orthopaedic procedures may be considered in intractable cases. [source]