Search results for "uci"
showing 10 items of 5317 documents
Validation of a food frequency questionnaire for use in Italian adults living in Sicily.
2015
The objective of this study was to validate two interviewer-led food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) of very different lengths: a medium-length FFQ (medium-FFQ) of 36 items and a short-length FFQ (short-FFQ) of 18 items, intending to measure levels of intakes in a local population. Both FFQs were validated against intakes derived from a 3-day dietary record (3-day DR). Sixty-five non-diabetic adults with no known cardiovascular, renal or other systemic diseases were included. High correlation coefficients between the FFQ and the 3-day DR (0.45-0.73) were observed for energy intake, carbohydrates and lipid and protein intake. Bland-Altman plots showed good agreement between the methods. Low …
Comparing indirect methods of digit ratio (2D:4D) measurement.
2008
The ratio of the lengths of the second and fourth finger (2D:4D) has been proposed to index prenatal exposure to androgens. Different methods have been utilized to measure digit ratio, however, their measurement precision and economy have not been systematically compared yet. Using different indirect methods (plastic ruler, caliper, computer software), three independent raters measured finger lengths of 60 participants. Generally, measurement precision (intraclass correlation coefficient, technical error of measurement, and relative technical error of measurement) was acceptable for each method. However, precision estimates were highest for the computer software, indicating excellent measur…
Comparison of Urinary On-Site Immunoassay Screening and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Results of 111 Patients With Suspected Poisoning Present…
2007
On-site tests based on immunoassay techniques are widely used for toxicologic screening analysis in patients with suspected poisoning. However, such assays usually have been validated using urine samples with known concentrations of the investigated substances. In the present investigation, on-site screening results were evaluated in a clinical setting. This was a retrospective study of patients with suspected poisoning from January to December 2003 in the emergency department of a tertiary urban hospital. Urine samples were analyzed using the Triage 8 panel and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 111 patients were included (54 female, 57 male; average age 37.8 +/- 19.7…
Two novel mutations at exon 8 of the Sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) gene in an Italian series of patients affected by Paget's disease of bone (PDB).
2003
PDB is genetically heterogeneous. Mutations of the sequestosome1 gene have been reported in sporadic and familial forms of Paget's in patients of French Canadian and British descent. Mutational analyses in different ethnic groups are needed to accurately investigate hereditary diseases. We describe two novel mutations of sequestosome1 in 62 Italian sporadic patients, confirming the role of the encoded protein in this disorder. Introduction: Paget's disease of bone (PDB) is a relatively common disease of bone metabolism reported to affect up to 3% of whites over 55 years of age. The disorder is genetically heterogeneous, and at present, there is scientific evidence that at least eight differ…
Testing the validity of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safety culture model
2012
This paper takes the first steps to empirically validate the widely used model of safety culture of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), composed of five dimensions, further specified by 37 attributes. To do so, three independent and complementary studies are presented. First, 290 students serve to collect evidence about the face validity of the model. Second, 48 experts in organizational behavior judge its content validity. And third, 468 workers in a Spanish nuclear power plant help to reveal how closely the theoretical five-dimensional model can be replicated. Our findings suggest that several attributes of the model may not be related to their corresponding dimensions. Accordi…
Development and validation of the Spanish Hazard Perception Test.
2014
The aim of the current study is to develop and obtain valid evidence for a hazard perception test suitable for the Spanish driving population. To obtain valid evidence to support the use of the test, the effect of hazardous and quasi-hazardous situations on the participants' hazard prediction is analyzed and the pattern of results for drivers with different driving experience--that is, learner, novice, and expert drivers and reoffender vs. nonoffender drivers--is compared. Potentially hazardous situations are those that develop without involving any real hazard (i.e., the driver did not actually have to decelerate or make any evasive maneuver to avoid a potential collision). The current stu…
Can We Study Autonomous Driving Comfort in Moving-Base Driving Simulators? A Validation Study.
2016
Objective: To lay the basis of studying autonomous driving comfort using driving simulators, we assessed the behavioral validity of two moving-base simulator configurations by contrasting them with a test-track setting. Background: With increasing level of automation, driving comfort becomes increasingly important. Simulators provide a safe environment to study perceived comfort in autonomous driving. To date, however, no studies were conducted in relation to comfort in autonomous driving to determine the extent to which results from simulator studies can be transferred to on-road driving conditions. Method: Participants ( N = 72) experienced six differently parameterized lane-change and de…
Design and validation of a neuroprosthesis for the treatment of upper limb tremor.
2013
Pathological tremor is the most prevalent movement disorder. In spite of the existence of various treatments for it, tremor poses a functional problem to a large proportion of patients. This paper presents the design and implementation of a novel neuroprosthesis for tremor management. The paper starts by reviewing a series of design criteria that were established after analyzing users needs and the expected functionality of the system. Then, it summarizes the design of the neuroprosthesis, which was built to meet the criteria defined previously. Experimental results with a representative group of 12 patients show that the neuroprosthesis provided significant (p <; 0.001) and systematic trem…
The widening of the gaze cone in patients with social anxiety disorder and its normalization after CBT
2013
Gaze plays a crucial role in social interactions. Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), which is associated with severe impairment of social interactions, is thus likely to exhibit disturbances of gaze perception. We conducted two experiments with SAD-patients and healthy control participants using a virtual head whose gaze could be interactively manipulated. We determined the subjective area of mutual gaze, the so-called gaze cone, and measured it prior to and after a psychotherapeutic intervention (Exp. 1). Patients exhibited larger gaze cones than control subjects. Exp. 2 varied the emotional expression of the virtual head. These data were validated using a real person (professional actor) as s…
The 9-item Bergen Burnout Inventory: Factorial Validity Across Organizations and Measurements of Longitudinal Data
2013
The present study tested the factorial validity of the 9-item Bergen Burnout Inventory (BBI-9) 1) . The BBI-9 is comprised of three core dimensions: (1) exhaustion at work; (2) cynicism toward the meaning of work; and (3) sense of inadequacy at work. The study further investigated whether the three-factor structure of the BBI-9 remains the same across different organizations (group invariance) and measurement time points (time invariance). The factorial group invariance was tested using a cross-sectional design with data pertaining to managers (n=742), and employees working in a bank (n=162), an engineering office (n=236), a public sector organization divided into three service areas: admin…