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Alpha Values (alpha + value)
Kinds of Alpha Values Selected AbstractsInteractive shadowing for 2D AnimeCOMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 2-3 2009Eiji Sugisaki Abstract In this paper, we propose an instant shadow generation technique for 2D animation, especially Japanese Anime. In traditional 2D Anime production, the entire animation including shadows is drawn by hand so that it takes long time to complete. Shadows play an important role in the creation of symbolic visual effects. However shadows are not always drawn due to time constraints and lack of animators especially when the production schedule is tight. To solve this problem, we develop an easy shadowing approach that enables animators to easily create a layer of shadow and its animation based on the character's shapes. Our approach is both instant and intuitive. The only inputs required are character or object shapes in input animation sequence with alpha value generally used in the Anime production pipeline. First, shadows are automatically rendered on a virtual plane by using a Shadow Map1 based on these inputs. Then the rendered shadows can be edited by simple operations and simplified by the Gaussian Filter. Several special effects such as blurring can be applied to the rendered shadow at the same time. Compared to existing approaches, ours is more efficient and effective to handle automatic shadowing in real-time. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Norwegian version of the American pain society patient outcome questionnaire: reliability and validity of three subscalesJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 15 2008Alfhild Dihle MSc Aims and objectives., To examine some psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the American Pain Society's Patient Outcome Questionnaire (APS-POQ-N). Background., This study is part of an investigation of Norwegian orthopaedic surgical patients, where the overall aim is to evaluate the quality of postoperative pain management. Therefore, an adequate questionnaire on the quality of postoperative pain management was needed. Methods., The sample included 114 orthopaedic postoperative patients. The instrument consists of three main subscales, namely the modified Brief Pain Inventory (modified BPI subscale), the subscale on satisfaction with pain management (Satisfaction subscale) and the subscale on beliefs about pain management (Beliefs subscale), together with six single items about pain management. The reliability of these three main subscales was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficients and the construct validity was evaluated using principal-axis factor analysis with oblimin rotation. Results., Face and content validity of the APS-POQ-N were satisfactory, while the modified BPI and the Beliefs subscales showed acceptable internal consistency but the Satisfaction subscale did not. Factor analyses yielded a three-factor solution for the modified BPI, a one-factor solution for the Satisfaction subscale and a two-factor solution for the Beliefs subscale. Conclusions., The APS-POQ-N appears, in general, to be an acceptable method of evaluating postoperative pain management in orthopaedic postoperative patients. However, the alpha value of the Satisfaction subscale was low, and thus the subscale is not recommended for this purpose. Relevance to clinical practice., Reliable and valid instruments are important when performing clinical research. This instrument is applicable as an indicator of quality of postoperative pain management in clinical practice and research. [source] Reliability and validity of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) among urological patients: A Malaysian studyPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 5 2001Kia Fatt Quek MPHIL Abstract This present study was undertaken to validate the English version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) in urological patients. Validity and reliability were studied in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and patients without LUTS. Reliability was evaluated using the test,retest method and internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Sensitivity to change was expressed as the effect size in the pre-intervention versus post-intervention score in additional patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Internal consistency was excellent. A high degree of internal consistency was observed for each of the 12 items with Cronbach's alpha value of 0.37,0.79, while total scores was 0.79 in the population study. Test,retest correlation coefficient for the 12 items score were highly significant. Intraclass correlation coefficient was high (0.35,0.79). It showed a high degree of sensitivity and specificity to the effects of treatment. A high degree of significant level between baseline and post-treatment scores were observed across all 12 items in the treatment cohort but not in the control group. The GHQ-12 is suitable, reliable, valid and sensitive to clinical change in urological disorders. [source] A novel scale for measuring mixed states in bipolar disorderCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 6 2009Jonathan Cavanagh Abstract Objectives: Conventional descriptions of bipolar disorder tend to treat the mixed state as something of an afterthought. There is no scale that specifically measures the phenomena of the mixed state. This study aimed to test a novel scale for mixed state in a clinical and community population of bipolar patients. Methods: The scale included clinically relevant symptoms of both mania and depression in a bivariate scale. Recovered respondents were asked to recall their last manic episode. The scale allowed endorsement of one or more of the manic and depressive symptoms. Internal consistency analyses were carried out using Cronbach alpha. Factor analysis was carried out using a standard Principal Components Analysis followed by Varimax Rotation. A confirmatory factor analytic method was used to validate the scale structure in a representative clinical sample. Results: The reliability analysis gave a Cronbach alpha value of 0.950, with a range of corrected-item-total-scale correlations from 0.546 (weight change) to 0.830 (mood). The factor analysis revealed a two-factor solution for the manic and depressed items which accounted for 61.2% of the variance in the data. Factor 1 represented physical activity, verbal activity, thought processes and mood. Factor 2 represented eating habits, weight change, passage of time and pain sensitivity. Conclusions: This novel scale appears to capture the key features of mixed states. The two-factor solution fits well with previous models of bipolar disorder and concurs with the view that mixed states may be more than the sum of their parts. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message: There is no clinical scale that specifically measures the phenomena of the bipolar mixed state. This new scale includes clinically relevant symptoms of both mania and depression in a bivariate scale. The scale appears to capture key features of the mixed state and endorses the view that mixed states may be more than the sum of their parts. [source] Validation of the Mayo Dysphagia QuestionnaireDISEASES OF THE ESOPHAGUS, Issue 3 2007A. B. M. Grudell SUMMARY., While multiple instruments characterize upper gastrointestinal symptoms, a validated instrument devoted to the measurement of a spectrum of esophageal dysphagia attributes is not available. Therefore, we constructed and validated the Mayo Dysphagia Questionnaire (MDQ). The 27 items of the MDQ underwent content validity, feasibility, concurrent validity, reproducibility, internal consistency, and construct validity testing. To assess content validity, five esophageal subspecialty gastroenterologists reviewed the items to ensure inclusion of pertinent domains. Feasibility testing was done with eight outpatients who refined problematic items. To assess concurrent validity, 70 patient responses on the MDQ were compared to responses gathered in a structured patient-physician interview. A separate group of 70 outpatients completed the MDQ twice to assess the reproducibility of each item. A total of 148 patients participated in the validation process (78 [53%] men; mean age 62). On average, the MDQ took 6 minutes to complete. A single item (odynophagia) tested poorly with a kappa value of < 0.4. Otherwise, the majority of concurrent validity kappa values were in the good to excellent range with a mean of 0.63 (95% CI 0.22,0.89). The majority of reproducibility kappa values were also in the good to excellent range with a median kappa value of 0.76 (interquartile range: 0.67,0.81). Cronbach's alpha values were excellent in the range of 0.86,0.88. Spearman rank correlation coefficients to assess construct validity were also excellent in the range of 0.87,0.98. Thus, the MDQ is a concise instrument that demonstrates overall excellent concurrent validity, reproducibility, internal consistency, and construct validity for the features of esophageal dysphagia. [source] Translation and validation of a Chinese language version of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS)INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 6 2009GILLIAN H. M. LEE Objective., This study aimed to adapt the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) for pre-school children in a Chinese speaking community and to investigate its psychometric properties (validity and reliability). Methods., A Chinese language version of the ECOHIS was derived through a forward,backward translation and tested for face and content validity among a focus group. A convenient sample of pre-school children (n = 111) was recruited (including a sub-sample with early childhood caries and caries-free children). Parents of the children self-completed the derived Chinese-ECOHIS measure. Validity of the measure was assessed by investigating the relationship between dental caries status and Chinese-ECOHIS scores (construct and criterion validity). A sub-sample of the parents repeated the ratings of the measure to enable reliability assessments. Both internal and test,retest reliability were determined. Results., A Chinese version of ECOHIS was derived with minor modification to the original version. Chinese-ECOHIS scores were associated with children's caries experience (dmft) (r = 0.66, P < 0.05) supporting convergent validity. In addition, variations in ECOHIS scores were apparent with respect to caries and caries-free groups (P < 0.001), supporting the ability to distinguish between patient groups. Cronbach's alpha values (internal reliability) for total ECOHIS score were 0.91 and intraclass correlation coefficient value (test,retest reliability) was 0.64. Conclusions., A Chinese version of the ECOHIS was developed and demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability. These findings can enable assessments of pre-school child oral health-related quality of life in Chinese speaking communities. [source] PROFESSION AND SOCIETY: Recovered Medical Error InventoryJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 3 2010DNSc, Patricia C. Dykes RN Abstract Purpose: To describe the development and psychometric testing of the Recovered Medical Error Inventory (RMEI). Design and Methods: Content analysis of structured interviews with expert critical care registered nurses (CCRNs) was used to empirically derive a 25-item RMEI. The RMEI was pilot tested with 345 CCRNs. The data set was randomly divided to use the first half for reliability testing and the second half for validation. A principal components analysis with Varimax rotation was conducted. Cronbach's alpha values were examined. A t test and Pearson correlation were used to compare scores of the two samples. Findings: The RMEI consists of 25 items and two subscales. Evidence for initial reliability includes a total scale alpha of .9 and subscale alpha coefficients of .88 (mistake) and .75 (poor judgment). Conclusions: The RMEI subscales have satisfactory internal consistency reliability and evidence for construct validity. Additional testing is warranted. Clinical Relevance: A tool to measure CCRNs' experiences with recovering medical errors allows quantification of nurse surveillance in promoting safe care and preventing unreimbursed hospital costs for treating nosocomial events. [source] Validation of the Professional Practice Environment Scale in Australian General PracticeJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 2 2010BN(Hons), Elizabeth J. Halcomb RN, FRCNA Abstract Purpose: To validate the Professional Practice Environment Scale (PPE) in Australian general practice. Methods: The PPE was modified slightly for appropriateness for the practice setting and administered to a sample of 342 Australian general practice nurses via an online survey tool. The factor structure of the 38-item PPE was examined using principal components analysis with Varimax rotation. Findings: An eight-factor solution accounted for 71.6% of the variance. Low factor loading (<0.3) or cross-component loadings were detected in eight items. A comparison of Cronbach's alpha values demonstrated little change in the deletion of eight items from four of the eight related components. Conclusions: Findings demonstrated that a 30-item version of the PPE was reliable and valid for use to assess the professional practice environment of nurses working in Australian general practice. Clinical Relevance: A tool to measure the professional practice environment in general practice is important as it will assist in monitoring the impact of the work environment on the recruitment, retention, and satisfaction of nurses in this setting. [source] Validation of a questionnaire for assessment of asthma patient knowledge and behaviourALLERGY, Issue 1 2009F. Trebuchon Background:, For several years, educational programmes have been highlighted because care success depends on patient's knowledge and patient's asthma management. However, no tool is available to assess change in patient knowledge and behaviour before and after completing an educational programme. Objective:, To validate a questionnaire measuring the knowledge and behaviour of asthmatics participating in an educational programme and to gauge the benefit of such a programme. Methods:, The Asthma Behaviour Change (ABC) questionnaire was generated from literature, patient surveys and clinical situations. It was organized in eight dimensions assessing patient behaviour in seven different clinical situations and two assessing patient (pathophysiology and therapeutic) knowledge. A total of 139 asthmatics filled out the questionnaire before, during and after the educational programme. Results:, The principal component analysis confirmed the structure empirically made by clinical situations. Internal consistency analysis yielded high Cronbach's alpha values. Different dimensions and the two global scores were able to discriminate patients according to asthma severity. Finally, the effect size of difference before and after educational programme was at least 0.47, and was larger than 0.74 for both global behaviour and knowledge scores. The difference between visit 1 and 3 for global behaviour and knowledge scores reached 18.84 ± 20.83 (P < 0.001, 95% CI: 13.18,24.43) and 11.06 ± 14.98 (P < 0.001, 95% CI: 7.10,15.03), respectively. Conclusion:, ABC questionnaire is a valid tool to assess asthmatics' knowledge and behaviour. Furthermore, this study confirmed that educational programmes lead to better awareness of asthma by patients. [source] Pentoxifylline improves haemoglobin and interleukin-6 levels in chronic kidney diseaseNEPHROLOGY, Issue 3 2010PAOLO FERRARI ABSTRACT Aim: To assess whether pentoxifylline improves anaemia of chronic kidney disease (CKD) via suppression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and improved iron mobilization. Background: CKD patients may have elevated IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor alpha levels. These cytokines can increase hepcidin production, which in turn reduces iron release from macrophages resulting in reduced availability of iron for erythropoiesis. In experimental models, pentoxifylline was shown to reduce IL-6 expression. Methods: We studied 14 patients with stages 4,5 CKD (glomerular filtration rate <30mL/min per 1.73 m2) due to non-inflammatory renal diseases. None of the patients had received immunosuppressive or erythropoietin-stimulating agents or parenteral iron. Patients had weekly blood tests for iron studies and cytokines during a control run-in period of 3 weeks and during 4 weeks of pentoxifylline treatment. Results: Ten patients (eGFR 23 ± 6 mL/min) completed the study. At the end of the run-in period average haemoglobin was 111 ± 5 g/L, ferritin 92 ± 26 µg/L, transferrin saturation 15 ± 3% and circulating IL-6 10.6 ± 3.8 pg/mL. Tumour necrosis factor alpha values were below threshold for detection. Treatment with pentoxifylline reduced circulating IL-6 (6.6 ± 1.6 pg/mL, P < 0.01), increased transferrin saturation (20 ± 5%, P < 0.003) and decreased serum ferritin (81 ± 25 µg/L, P = NS). Haemoglobin increased after the second week of pentoxifylline, reaching 123 ± 6 g/L by week 4 (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Pentoxifylline reduces circulating IL-6 and improves haemoglobin in non-inflammatory moderate to severe CKD. These changes are associated with changes in circulating transferrin saturation and ferritin, suggesting improved iron release. It is hypothesized that pentoxifylline improves iron disposition possibly through modulation of hepcidin. [source] Development of a Japanese Version of the Care Planning Assessment ToolAUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL ON AGEING, Issue 1 2010Sumiko Kanegae Aim:, To develop a Japanese version of the Care Planning Assessment Tool (J-CPAT), originally developed in Australia as a comprehensive assessment of people with dementia. Methods:, The process of adapting the CPAT into Japanese included translation into Japanese, assessment of item comprehension, and a validity and reliability study. The J-CPAT is composed of eight domains: Communication, physical problems, self-help skills, confusion, behaviour, social interaction, psychiatric observations and carer dependency. The participants were 199 aged care clients. Measures were the J-CPAT, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Care Levels used in the Long-term Care Insurance scheme. Results:, Cronbach's alpha values in each J-CPAT domain were 0.74,0.95. The correlation coefficient between the score of Confusion and MMSE was ,0.90, and those between physical problems, self-help skills, carer dependency in the J-CPAT, and care level were 0.70, 0.75 and 0.67. Conclusions:, The J-CPAT appears to be a reliable and valid tool for care planning in Japan. [source] Measuring psychological, social, and environmental influences on leisure-time physical activity among adultsAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 1 2007Nicola W. Burton Many of the self-administered scales for measuring physical activity (PA) influences were originally developed for vigorous-intensity exercise, focus on only one domain of influence, and have not been evaluated for both reliability and validity using population-based samples. Objective: This study describes the factorial validity and internal reliability of scales for measuring individual-level psychological, social, and environmental influences on leisure-time PA among adults in the general population. Method: Constructs were identified from a literature review and formative research with a socio-economically diverse sample. Items were generated using previously developed scales and interview data. New items were pre-tested using reliability and principal components analyses, with data collected from a mail survey sent to a randomly selected population-based sample. Qualitative feedback was obtained from a convenience sample and expert panel. A second mail survey provided data for principal components and reliability analyses. Results: Twenty-eight scales were factorially derived and 24 had acceptable or marginally acceptable levels of internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.65 to 0.91. Conclusions and Implications: The 24 scales are suitable for researchers and practitioners interested in measuring individual-level influences on PA that are consistent with Social Cognitive Theory. More research is required to assess predictive validity, sensitivity to change and test/re-test reliability. [source] | ||||||||||