Algal-bacterial shortcut nitrogen removal model with seasonal light variations.

The algal-bacterial shortcut nitrogen removal (ABSNR) process can be used to treat high ammonia strength wastewaters without external aeration. However, prior algal-bacterial SNR studies have been conducted under fixed light/dark periods that were not representative of natural light conditions. In this study, laboratory-scale photo-sequencing batch reactors (PSBRs) were used to treat anaerobic digester sidestream under varying light intensities that mimicked summer and winter conditions in Tampa, FL, USA. A dynamic mathematical model was developed for the ABSNR process, which was calibrated and validated using data sets from the laboratory PSBRs. The model elucidated the dynamics of algal and bacterial biomass growth under natural illumination conditions as well as transformation processes for nitrogen species, oxygen, organic and inorganic carbon. A full-scale PSBR with a 1.2 m depth, a 6-day hydraulic retention time (HRT) and a 10-day solids retention time (SRT) was simulated for treatment of anaerobic digester sidestream. The full-scale PSBR could achieve >90% ammonia removal, significantly reducing the nitrogen load to the mainstream wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The dynamic simulation showed that ABSNR process can help wastewater treatment facilities meet stringent nitrogen removal standards with low energy inputs.

"Three-in-One" Multi-Scale Structural Design of Carbon Fiber-Based Composites for Personal Electromagnetic Protection and Thermal Management.

Wearable devices with efficient thermal management and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding are highly desirable for improving human comfort and safety. Herein, a multifunctional wearable carbon fibers (CF) @ polyaniline (PANI) / silver nanowires (Ag NWs) composites with a "branch-trunk" interlocked micro/nanostructure were achieved through "three-in-one" multi-scale design. The reasonable assembly of the three kinds of one-dimensional (1D) materials can fully exert their excellent properties i.e., the superior flexibility of CF, the robustness of PANI, and the splendid conductivity of AgNWs. Consequently, the constructed flexible composite demonstrates enhanced mechanical properties with a tensile stress of 1.2 MPa, which was almost 6 times that of the original material. This is mainly attributed to the fact that the PNAI (branch) was firmly attached to the CF (trunk) through polydopamine (PDA), forming a robust interlocked structure. Meanwhile, the composite possesses excellent thermal insulation and heat preservation capacity owing to the synergistically low thermal conductivity and emissivity. More importantly, the conductive path of the composite established by the three 1D materials greatly improved its EMI shielding property and Joule heating performance at low applied voltage. This work paves the way for rational utilization of the intrinsic properties of 1D materials, as well as provides a promising strategy for designing wearable electromagnetic protection and thermal energy management devices.

Development and Validation of the Nurses' Spiritual Sensitivity Scale in Southeastern Iran.

Spiritual sensitivity refers to awareness and perception of the attitudes and feelings of others and helps nurses to recognize and take responsibility for the spiritual values and needs of patients. The dimensions of spiritual sensitivity remain unknown as there is no comprehensive and standardized scale for assessing nurses' spiritual sensitivity; therefore, the current research aimed to design and validate the nurses' spiritual sensitivity scale. We conducted this exploratory sequential study using eight stages suggested by DeVellis (2016) when developing the scale. We conducted this study among Iranian nurses from March 2021 to October 2022. Results suggested a 20-item scale with two components (nurses' professional spiritual sensitivity and nurses' internal spiritual sensitivity) that explained 57.62% of the total variance extracted. We were able to confirm convergent validity based on an acceptable correlation between the nurses' spiritual sensitivity scale and the King's spiritual intelligence scale (r = 0.66), which showed good stability (cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.927, omega coefficient = 0.923, and icc = 0.937). Spiritual sensitivity in nurses is difficult to evaluate. Considering the acceptability of the psychometric properties of the "Nurses' spiritual sensitivity" scale, this scale can be used in clinical environments to evaluate nurses' spiritual sensitivity. Therefore, it is suggested that managers and policy makers should consider developing related guidelines to help nurses to become more spiritually sensitive and also to meet the spiritual needs of patients. We suggest further studies to confirm the study results in the nursing community.

Evaluating the response effort and data quality of established political solidarity measures: a pre-registered experimental test in an online survey of the German adult resident population in 2021.

This experimental study aims to check and improve the quality of 16 established survey measures of political solidarities and related concepts, such as redistribution and social trust. Political solidarities are defined as one's willingness to share the costs that result from public redistribution that favours people other than oneself and thus constitute a subset of welfare state attitudes. The pre-registered study plan included suggestions for the development of improved rating scales, which we defined as five-point, end verbalized rating scales without non-substantive answer options. The overall results from an experimental online survey in Germany indicate differences in response effort in terms of response times but almost no differences in data quality in terms of criterion validity. Thus, the 16 survey measures show solid instrument validity as well as minor improvements in respondents' response times. Indeed, the measures are (at least) in the online survey world of Germany of high-quality and warrant inclusion in future surveys with small efficiency gains still attainable.

Workplace Assessment Scale: Pilot Validation Study.

First responders, such as police officers, paramedics, and firefighters are at an increased risk of experiencing negative mental health outcomes compared to the general population. This predisposition can partially be attributed to common occupational stressors, which may provoke strong feelings of betrayal and humiliation. The Workplace Assessment Scale (WAS) was developed as there is currently no appropriate measure to assess such feelings in the first responder population. Initial development of the WAS included a Betrayal Subscale and the Humiliation Subscale, each comprised of 5 Likert scale questions which ask participants to report the frequency at which they experience specific feelings associated with their workplace. This pilot validation study was conducted to determine if there is preliminary evidence to support a large-scale validation study. To determine this, we assessed the internal structure and the convergent, concurrent, and predictive validity of the WAS. Based on 21/22 (95%) participant responses, a factor analysis did not support the two-factor model we anticipated, with only one factor and seven items retained from the original version of the scale. However, the internal consistency of the remaining items was strong. The validity analysis found moderate convergent validity and weak predictive validity based on correlations between the WAS and other psychometric scales. Minimal concurrent validity was noted. Additional research is needed for further analysis and validation of the WAS.

Developing cellulosic functional materials from multi-scale strategy and applications in flexible bioelectronic devices.

With the forthcoming of the post-COVID-19 and the ageing era, the novel biomaterials and bioelectronic devices are attracting more and more attention and favor. Cellulose as one of the most globe-abundant natural macromolecules has multiple merits of biocompatibility, processability, carbon neutral feature and mechanical designability. Due to its progressive advancement of multi-scale design from macro to micro followed by new cognitions, cellulose shows a promising application prospect in developing bio-functional materials. In this review, we briefly discuss the role of cellulose from the "top-down" perspective of macro-scale fibers, micro-scale nanofibers, and molecular-scale macromolecular chains for the design of advanced cellulose-based functional materials. The focus then turns to the construction and development of emerging cellulose-based flexible bioelectronic devices including biosensors, biomimetic electronic skins, and biological detection devices. Finally, the dilemma and challenge of cellulose-based bioelectronic materials and their application prospects in basic biology and medical care have been prospected.

Understanding the ramifications of quantitative ordinal scales on accuracy of estimates of disease severity and data analysis in plant pathology.

The severity of plant diseases, traditionally defined as the proportion of the plant tissue exhibiting symptoms, is a key quantitative variable to know for many diseases but is prone to error. Plant pathologists face many situations in which the measurement by nearest percent estimates (NPEs) of disease severity is time-consuming or impractical. Moreover, rater NPEs of disease severity are notoriously variable. Therefore, NPEs of disease may be of questionable value if severity cannot be determined accurately and reliably. In such situations, researchers have often used a quantitative ordinal scale of measurement-often alleging the time saved, and the ease with which the scale can be learned. Because quantitative ordinal disease scales lack the resolution of the 0 to 100% scale, they are inherently less accurate. We contend that scale design and structure have ramifications for the resulting analysis of data from the ordinal scale data. To minimize inaccuracy and ensure that there is equivalent statistical power when using quantitative ordinal scale data, design of the scales can be optimized for use in the discipline of plant pathology. In this review, we focus on the nature of quantitative ordinal scales used in plant disease assessment. Subsequently, their application and effects will be discussed. Finally, we will review how to optimize quantitative ordinal scales design to allow sufficient accuracy of estimation while maximizing power for hypothesis testing.

Measurement properties of completely and end labeled unipolar and bipolar scales in Likert-type questions on income (in)equality.

The measurement of respondents' attitudes is key in social science research and many adjacent research fields. A common method to measure this information is to use Likert-type questions that consist of a statement that is evaluated with a rating scale. As shown by previous research, the scale design of Likert-type questions can have a profound impact on respondents' answer behavior. In this study, we therefore investigate the measurement properties of scales that systematically vary with respect to polarity (i.e., unipolar and bipolar) and labeling (i.e., completely and end). We conducted a survey experiment in a probability-based online panel (N = 4851) and used questions on income (in)equality that were adopted from the European Social Survey (ESS). The results reveal considerable differences between the scales under investigation. They show that end labeled unipolar and bipolar scales accomplish the criteria of equidistance best. Completely labeled bipolar scales, in contrast, only show a poor performance in terms of equidistance. Completely labeled unipolar scales are somewhere in between. Overall, our findings suggest that researchers should be careful when using survey data measured with (slightly) different scales because the results might not be comparable.

Does Benchmarking of Rating Scales Improve Ratings of Search Performance Given by Specialist Search Dog Handlers?

Rating scales are widely used to rate working dog behavior and performance. Whilst behaviour scales have been extensively validated, instruments used to rate ability have usually been designed by training and practitioner organizations, and often little consideration has been given to how seemingly insignificant aspects of the scale design might alter the validity of the results obtained. Here we illustrate how manipulating one aspect of rating scale design, the provision of verbal benchmarks or labels (as opposed to just a numerical scale), can affect the ability of observers to distinguish between differing levels of search dog performance in an operational environment. Previous studies have found evidence for range restriction (using only part of the scale) in raters' use of the scales and variability between raters in their understanding of the traits used to measures performance. As provision of verbal benchmarks has been shown to help raters in a variety of disciplines to select appropriate scale categories (or scores), it may be predicted that inclusion of verbal benchmarks will bring raters' conceptualization of the traits closer together, increasing agreement between raters, as well as improving the ability of observers to distinguish between differing levels of search dog performance and reduce range restriction. To test the value of verbal benchmarking we compared inter-rater reliability, raters' ability to discriminate between different levels of search dog performance, and their use of the whole scale before and after being presented with benchmarked scales for the same traits. Raters scored the performance of two separate types of explosives search dog (High Assurance Search (HAS) and Vehicle Search (VS) dogs), from short (~30 s) video clips, using 11 previously validated traits. Taking each trait in turn, for the first five clips raters were asked to give a score from 1, representing the lowest amount of the trait evident to 5, representing the highest. Raters were given a list of adjective-based benchmarks (e.g., very low, low, intermediate, high, very high) and scored a further five clips for each trait. For certain traits, the reliability of scoring improved when benchmarks were provided (e.g., Motivation and Independence), indicating that their inclusion may potentially reduce ambivalence in scoring, ambiguity of meanings, and cognitive difficulty for raters. However, this effect was not universal, with the ratings of some traits remaining unchanged (e.g., Control), or even reducing in reliability (e.g., Distraction). There were also some differences between VS and HAS (e.g., Confidence reliability increased for VS raters and decreased for HAS raters). There were few improvements in the spread of scores across the range, but some indication of more favorable scoring. This was a small study of operational handlers and trainers utilizing training video footage from realistic operational environments, and there are potential cofounding effects. We discuss possible causal factors, including issues specific to raters and possible deficiencies in the chosen benchmarks, and suggest ways to further improve the effectiveness of rating scales. This study illustrates why it is vitally important to validate all aspects of rating scale design, even if they may seem inconsequential, as relatively small changes to the amount and type of information provided to raters can have both positive and negative impacts on the data obtained.

Good palliative nursing care: Design and validation of the palliative nursing care quality scale (PNCQS).

AIMS: Develop and psychometrically assess the Palliative Nursing Care Quality Scale (PNCQS, escala de Calidad del Cuidado Enfermero Paliativo, CCEP, in Spanish). An interview-based qualitative study (1) was conducted to verify construct validity evidence, with psychometric properties of reliability and validity verified by two quantitative studies (2 & 3). DESIGN: Quantitative instrumental, correlational, and cross-sectional study. METHODS: Study 1 was carried out with 10 key informants. For Study 2, a sample of 103 nursing professionals was obtained and 176 nurses from palliative care resources in Spain participated in Study 3. Data were collected between May 2017 - May 2018. RESULTS: Evidence of adequate reliability (internal consistency) and validity was found. The confirmatory factor model yielded a single latent factor for the 20 items, with adequate goodness-of-fit indices. The convergent validity data showed that the highest correlations were with the Dedication subscale of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the Personal Growth subscale of Psychological Well-being, with values of 0.35 and 0.34, respectively (p < 0.01 in both cases). CONCLUSION: The scale shows good psychometric properties, with high internal consistency and evidence of internal and convergent validity. IMPACT: Proposing a valuable instrument which identifies good nursing in different areas of palliative care while also establishing quality indicators to guide nursing practice entails the recognition of autonomy in care. The resulting work tool can be used to systematize the assessment of nursing care in a process of open and continuous improvement.

Rod-Scale Design Strategies for Immune-Targeted Delivery System toward Cancer Immunotherapy.

Strengthening the antitumor immune response to surpass the activation energy barrier associated with the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment is an active area of cancer immunotherapy. Emerging evidence suggests that delivery of immunostimulatory molecules with the aid of a carrier system is essential for cancer immunotherapy. However, the size-dependent effect of the delivery system on immune-targeted sites and anticancer immune responses is yet to be comprehensively understood. Herein, to clarify the size-dependent effect of the delivery system on the underlying anticancer immune mechanism, rod-shaped hydroxyapatite (HA) particles with lengths from 100 nm to 10 µm are designed. HA rods stimulate anticancer immunity in a size-dependent manner. Shorter HA rods with lengths ranging from 100 to 500 nm promote antigen cellular uptake, dendritic cell (DC) maturation, and lymph node targeting antigen. In contrast, longer HA rods with lengths ranging from 500 nm to 10 µm prolong antigen retention and increase DC accumulation. Medium-sized HA rods with a length of 500 nm, taking advantage of both short and long rods, show optimized antigen release and uptake, increased DCs accumulation and maturation, highest CD4+ and CD8+ T cell population, and the best anticancer immunity in vivo. The present study provides a rod-scale design strategy for an immune-targeted delivery system toward cancer immunotherapy in the future.

A global assessment of primate responses to landscape structure.

Land-use change modifies the spatial structure of terrestrial landscapes, potentially shaping the distribution, abundance and diversity of remaining species assemblages. Non-human primates can be particularly vulnerable to landscape disturbances, but our understanding of this topic is far from complete. Here we reviewed all available studies on primates' responses to landscape structure. We found 34 studies of 71 primate species (24 genera and 10 families) that used a landscape approach. Most studies (82%) were from Neotropical forests, with howler monkeys being the most frequently studied taxon (56% of studies). All studies but one used a site-landscape or a patch-landscape study design, and frequently (34% of studies) measured landscape variables within a given radius from the edge of focal patches. Altogether, the 34 studies reported 188 responses to 17 landscape-scale metrics. However, the majority of the studies (62%) quantified landscape predictors within a single spatial scale, potentially missing significant primate-landscape responses. To assess such responses accurately, landscape metrics need to be measured at the optimal scale, i.e. the spatial extent at which the primate-landscape relationship is strongest (so-called 'scale of effect'). Only 21% of studies calculated the scale of effect through multiscale approaches. Interestingly, the vast majority of studies that do not assess the scale of effect mainly reported null effects of landscape structure on primates, while most of the studies based on optimal scales found significant responses. These significant responses were primarily to landscape composition variables rather than landscape configuration variables. In particular, primates generally show positive responses to increasing forest cover, landscape quality indices and matrix permeability. By contrast, primates show weak responses to landscape configuration. In addition, half of the studies showing significant responses to landscape configuration metrics did not control for the effect of forest cover. As configuration metrics are often correlated with forest cover, this means that documented configuration effects may simply be driven by landscape-scale forest loss. Our findings suggest that forest loss (not fragmentation) is a major threat to primates, and thus, preventing deforestation (e.g. through creation of reserves) and increasing forest cover through restoration is critically needed to mitigate the impact of land-use change on our closest relatives. Increasing matrix functionality can also be critical, for instance by promoting anthropogenic land covers that are similar to primates' habitat.

SymptoMScreen: A Tool for Rapid Assessment of Symptom Severity in MS Across Multiple Domains.

The objective of this study was to describe SymptoMScreen, an in-house developed tool for rapid assessment of MS symptom severity in routine clinical practice, and to validate SymptoMScreen against Performance Scales (PS). MS patients typically experience symptoms in many neurologic domains. A tool that would enable MS patients to efficiently relay their symptom severity across multiple domains to the healthcare providers could lead to improved symptom management. We developed "SymptoMScreen," a battery of 7-point Likert scales for 12 distinct domains commonly affected by MS: mobility, dexterity, body pain, sensation, bladder function, fatigue, vision, dizziness, cognition, depression, and anxiety. We administered SymptoMScreen and PS scales to consecutive MS patients at a specialty MS Care Center. We assessed the criterion and construct validity of SymptoMScreen by calculating Spearmen rank correlations between the SymptoMScreen composite score and PS composite score, and between SymptoMScreen subscale and the respective PS subscale scores, where applicable. A total of 410 patients with MS (age 46.6 ± 12.9 years; 74% female; mean disease duration 12.2 ± 8.7 years) completed the SymptoMScreen and PSs during their clinic visit. Composite SymptoMScreen score correlated strongly with combined PS score (r = 0.88, p < 0.0001). SymptoMScreen sub scores correlated strongly with the criterion measures of the respective PS (r = 0.69-0.87, p < 0.0001). Test-retest reliability of SymptoMScreen and its subscales was excellent (r = 0.71-0.94, p < .0001). SymptoMScreen is a single-page battery of Likert scales that assesses symptom impact in 12 domains commonly affected in MS. It has excellent criterion and construct validity. SymptoMScreen is patient and clinician friendly, takes approximately one minute to complete, and can help better document, understand, and manage patients' symptoms in routine clinical practice. SymptoMScreen is freely available to clinicians and researchers.

A simple and reliable health monitoring system for shoulder health: proposal.

BACKGROUND: The current health care system is complex and inefficient. A simple and reliable health monitoring system that can help patients perform medical self-diagnosis is seldom readily available. Because the medical system is vast and complex, it has hampered or delayed patients in seeking medical advice or treatment in a timely manner, which may potentially affect the patient's chances of recovery, especially those with severe sicknesses such as cancer, and heart disease. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology in designing a simple, low cost, Internet-based health-screening platform. METHODS: This health-screening platform will enable patients to perform medical self-diagnosis over the Internet. Historical data has shown the importance of early detection to ensure patients receive proper treatment and speedy recovery. RESULTS: The platform is designed with special emphasis on the user interface. Standard Web-based user-interface design is adopted so the user feels ease to operate in a familiar Web environment. In addition, graphics such as charts and graphs are used generously to help users visualize and understand the result of the diagnostic. The system is developed using hypertext preprocessor (PHP) programming language. One important feature of this system platform is that it is built to be a stand-alone platform, which tends to have better user privacy security. The prototype system platform was developed by the National Cheng Kung University Ergonomic and Design Laboratory. CONCLUSIONS: The completed prototype of this system platform was submitted to the Taiwan Medical Institute for evaluation. The evaluation of 120 participants showed that this platform system is a highly effective tool in health-screening applications, and has great potential for improving the medical care quality for the general public.

Measuring belief in conspiracy theories: the generic conspiracist beliefs scale.

The psychology of conspiracy theory beliefs is not yet well understood, although research indicates that there are stable individual differences in conspiracist ideation - individuals' general tendency to engage with conspiracy theories. Researchers have created several short self-report measures of conspiracist ideation. These measures largely consist of items referring to an assortment of prominent conspiracy theories regarding specific real-world events. However, these instruments have not been psychometrically validated, and this assessment approach suffers from practical and theoretical limitations. Therefore, we present the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs (GCB) scale: a novel measure of individual differences in generic conspiracist ideation. The scale was developed and validated across four studies. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis of a novel 75-item measure of non-event-based conspiracist beliefs identified five conspiracist facets. The 15-item GCB scale was developed to sample from each of these themes. Studies 2, 3, and 4 examined the structure and validity of the GCB, demonstrating internal reliability, content, criterion-related, convergent and discriminant validity, and good test-retest reliability. In sum, this research indicates that the GCB is a psychometrically sound and practically useful measure of conspiracist ideation, and the findings add to our theoretical understanding of conspiracist ideation as a monological belief system unpinned by a relatively small number of generic assumptions about the typicality of conspiratorial activity in the world.

Practice and thinking of assessment scale design for simulated clinical skills examination / 中华医学教育探索杂志

This article described systematically the design basis,passing standard and influential factor of test score of the assessment scale of simulated clinical skills examination.Through developing and modifying OSCE examination scale design for many years,we have found that the use of 360-degree assessment for designing OSCE assessment rating scale can effectively reduce the impact on the score of examinee owing to the environment,the candidates,raters and question design,which has an important role for scientific development of OSCE assessment scales,as well as improving the reliability and validity for development of a scientific OSCE assessment.