Validation of the Action Research Arm Test using item response theory in patients after stroke

Objective: To validate the unidimensionality of the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) using Mokken analysis and to examine whether scores of the ARAT can be transformed into interval scores using Rasch analysis. Subjects and methods: A total of 351 patients with stroke were recruited from 5 rehabilitation departments located in 4 regions of Taiwan. The 19-item ARAT was administered to all the subjects by a physical therapist. The data were analysed using item response theory by non-parametric Mokken analysis followed by Rasch analysis. Results: The results supported a unidimensional scale of the 19-item ARAT by Mokken analysis, with the scalability coefficient H = 0.95. Except for the item pinch ball bearing 3rd finger and thumb'', the remaining 18 items have a consistently hierarchical order along the upper extremity function's continuum. In contrast, the Rasch analysis, with a stepwise deletion of misfit items, showed that only 4 items (grasp ball'', grasp block 5 cm(3)'', grasp block 2.5 cm(3)'', and grip tube 1 cm(3)'') fit the Rasch rating scale model's expectations. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that the 19-item ARAT constituted a unidimensional construct measuring upper extremity function in stroke patients. However, the results did not support the premise that the raw sum scores of the ARAT can be transformed into interval Rasch scores. Thus, the raw sum scores of the ARAT can provide information only about order of patients on their upper extremity functional abilities, but not represent each patient's exact functioning

Psychometric validation of the Persian nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale – Short Form: Does gender and hours spent online gaming affect the interpretations of item descriptions?

The nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale – Short Form (IGDS-SF9) is brief and effective to evaluate Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) severity. Although its scores show promising psychometric properties, less is known about whether different groups of gamers interpret the items similarly. This study aimed to verify the construct validity of the Persian IGDS-SF9 and examine the scores in relation to gender and hours spent online gaming among 2,363 Iranian adolescents. Methods Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch analysis were used to examine the construct validity of the IGDS-SF9. The effects of gender and time spent online gaming per week were investigated by multigroup CFA and Rasch differential item functioning (DIF). Results The unidimensionality of the IGDS-SF9 was supported in both CFA and Rasch. However, Item 4 (fail to control or cease gaming activities) displayed DIF (DIF contrast = 0.55) slightly over the recommended cutoff in Rasch but was invariant in multigroup CFA across gender. Items 4 (DIF contrast = −0.67) and 9 (jeopardize or lose an important thing because of gaming activity; DIF contrast = 0.61) displayed DIF in Rasch and were non-invariant in multigroup CFA across time spent online gaming. Conclusions Given the Persian IGDS-SF9 was unidimensional, it is concluded that the instrument can be used to assess IGD severity. However, users of the instrument are cautioned concerning the comparisons of the sum scores of the IGDS-SF9 across gender and across adolescents spending different amounts of time online gaming

GPER-induced signaling is essential for the survival of breast cancer stem cells.

G protein-coupled estrogen receptor-1 (GPER), a member of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily, mediates estrogen-induced proliferation of normal and malignant breast epithelial cells. However, its role in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) remains unclear. Here we showed greater expression of GPER in BCSCs than non-BCSCs of three patient-derived xenografts of ER- /PR+ breast cancers. GPER silencing reduced stemness features of BCSCs as reflected by reduced mammosphere forming capacity in vitro, and tumor growth in vivo with decreased BCSC populations. Comparative phosphoproteomics revealed greater GPER-mediated PKA/BAD signaling in BCSCs. Activation of GPER by its ligands, including tamoxifen (TMX), induced phosphorylation of PKA and BAD-Ser118 to sustain BCSC characteristics. Transfection with a dominant-negative mutant BAD (Ser118Ala) led to reduced cell survival. Taken together, GPER and its downstream signaling play a key role in maintaining the stemness of BCSCs, suggesting that GPER is a potential therapeutic target for eradicating BCSCs

Does Product Type Affect Electronic Word-of-Mouth Richness Effectiveness? Influences of Message Valence and Consumer Knowledge

Drawing on the information richness theory, this study attempts to address how valence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), product type and consumer knowledge will yield different levels of eWOM richness. The results based on an experimental study suggest that negative eWOM has a stronger effect in producing eWOM information richness than does positive eWOM, and such effect is more pronounced for a leisure farm tour (experience goods) than for digital camera (search goods). The tendency that negative eWOM will provide richer information for the leisure farm tour is more evident for high-knowledge consumers than for low-knowledge consumers. The study’s results caution against the aggravated harm of negative eWOM incurred from the dissatisfactory experience of a leisure farm tour

The F-Symbols for Transparent Haagerup-Izumi Categories with G = Z_(2n+1)

The notion of a transparent fusion category is defined. For the Haagerup-Izumi fusion rings with G=Z_(2n+1) (the Z_3 case is the Haagerup H_3 fusion ring), the transparent property reduces the number of independent F-symbols from order O(n6) to O(n^2), rendering the pentagon identity practically solvable. Transparent fusion categories are constructed up to Z_(15), and the explicit F-symbols are compactly presented. The potential construction of categories for new families of fusion rings is discussed

Further Empirical Examination of an Improved Sales Comparison Approach

Despite the significant advances in applying regression analysis into property valuation, the main features of the sales comparison approach lack thorough research. A series of works have endeavoured to retain the essence of the sales comparison approach, while at the same time take advantage of regressions to derive not only the implicit values of property attributes, but also the degree of similarity between properties. Despite these improvements, the determination of the best regression forms and the piecemeal-type of price adjustment remain vexing problems. The nearest neighbours method assumes that the effects of all attribute differences between the subject and comparable properties are captured by the Mahalanobis distance. The indicated market value of the subject property is simply a weighted average of the actual selling prices of the comparable properties. This method sidesteps the above vexing difficulties and seems worth employing. The present study extends the application of the nearest neighbours method to high-density residential properties, which have not previously been examined. In terms of both the average and coefficient of variations for prediction errors, neither the conventional regression nor the nearest neighbours method outperforms the other. Nevertheless, the distribution of the accumulated prediction errors suggests that the nearest neighbours method is superior over the regression analysis approach. Our empirical findings are, therefore, in favour of further pursuit along the small sample (comparables) methods

The F-Symbols for Transparent Haagerup-Izumi Categories with G = Z_(2n+1)

The notion of a transparent fusion category is defined. For the Haagerup-Izumi fusion rings with G=Z_(2n+1) (the Z_3 case is the Haagerup H_3 fusion ring), the transparent property reduces the number of independent F-symbols from order O(n6) to O(n^2), rendering the pentagon identity practically solvable. Transparent fusion categories are constructed up to Z_(15), and the explicit F-symbols are compactly presented. The potential construction of categories for new families of fusion rings is discussed

Topological Field Theory with Haagerup Symmetry

We construct a (1+1)$d$ topological field theory (TFT) whose topological defect lines (TDLs) realize the transparent Haagerup $\mathcal{H}_3$ fusion category. This TFT has six vacua, and each of the three non-invertible simple TDLs hosts three defect operators, giving rise to a total of 15 point-like operators. The TFT data, including the three-point coefficients and lasso diagrams, are determined by solving all the sphere four-point crossing equations and torus one-point modular invariance equations. We further verify that the Cardy states furnish a non-negative integer matrix representation under TDL fusion. While many of the constraints we derive are not limited to the this particular TFT with six vacua, we leave open the construction of TFTs with two or four vacua. Finally, TFTs realizing the Haagerup $\mathcal{H}_1$ and $\mathcal{H}_2$ fusion categories can be obtained by gauging algebra objects. This note makes a modest offering in our pursuit of exotica and the quest for their eventual conformity.Comment: 41+11 pages, 1 figure, 3 tables; v2: corrected statements about the literature, revised Appendix