Moderate consistency in smooth newt behaviour

AbstractBehavioural consistency (i.e., personality) is a novel field of research in amphibians. Current published studies often address only one or two aspects of personality and therefore cannot assess more complex relationships and behavioural syndromes. This is the first study focusing on all relevant behavioural traits and their relationships in urodele amphibians. Based on the three trials of the experiment, we examined the consistency of activity (time spent moving), boldness (latency of the first movement and time spent escaping) and exploration (number of visited segments of testing arena) of 42 smooth newts (Lissotriton vulgaris). Individual consistency, calculated through the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), was low in newt activity (ICC = 0.192) and moderate in boldness (0.476) and exploration (0.403). Activity was moderately consistent for each trial (0.425), indicating a possible habituation, supported by a decrease of mean activity throughout the trials. Correlation of the behavioural traits studied suggests the presence of a behavioural syndrome, which potentially shaped the traits together. Our findings suggest the need for a complex approach to the study of amphibian personality and the need for standardized methodology, which would solve the current difficulties in comparing published results.

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Repeatable glucocorticoid expression is associated with behavioural syndromes in males but not females in a wild primate

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.190256 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (9) ◽

pp. 190256 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

P. J. Tkaczynski ◽

C. Ross ◽

J. Lehmann ◽

M. Mouna ◽

B. Majolo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Individual Variation ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

The State ◽

Behavioural Syndrome ◽

Behavioural Plasticity ◽

Macaca Sylvanus ◽

Behavioural Syndromes ◽

State Dependent ◽

Endocrine Stress Response ◽

Individual Consistency

Behavioural syndromes are a well-established phenomenon in human and non-human animal behavioural ecology. However, the mechanisms that lead to correlations among behaviours and individual consistency in their expression at the apparent expense of behavioural plasticity remain unclear. The ‘state-dependent' hypothesis posits that inter-individual variation in behaviour arises from inter-individual variation in state and that the relative stability of these states within an individual leads to consistency of behaviour. The endocrine stress response, in part mediated by glucocorticoids (GCs), is a proposed behavioural syndrome-associated state as GC levels are linked to an individual's behavioural responses to stressors. In this study, in wild Barbary macaques ( Macaca sylvanus ), consistent inter-individual differences were observed in both sexes for GC activity (faecal glucocorticoid, fGC concentrations), but not GC variation (coefficient of variation in fGC concentrations). The expression of the behavioural syndrome ‘Excitability' (characterized by the frequencies of brief affiliation or aggressive interactions) was related to GC activity in males but not in females; more ‘excitable' males had lower GC activity. There was no relationship in females between any of the behavioural syndromes and GC activity, nor in either sex with GC variation. The negative relationship between GC activity and Excitability in males provides some support for GC expression as a behavioural syndrome-generating state under the state-dependent framework. The absence of this relationship in females highlights that state-behavioural syndrome associations may not be generalizable within a species and that broader sex differences in state need to be considered for understanding the emergence and maintenance of behavioural syndromes.

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Estimating Intraclass Correlation Coefficient and Identifying Influential Observations Under One-Way Random Effects Model

Communications in Statistics - Simulation and Computation ◽

10.1080/03610918.2012.752834 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 43 (10) ◽

pp. 2374-2389

Author(s):

Angel Dávalos ◽

Naijun Sha

Keyword(s):

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Intraclass Correlation Coefficient ◽

Random Effects ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Random Effects Model ◽

Influential Observations

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Biomechanical Measurement of Rabbit Cornea by a Modified Scheimpflug Device

Journal of Ophthalmology ◽

10.1155/2016/8271762 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Bo Zhang ◽

Jianjun Gu ◽

Xiaoxiao Zhang ◽

Bin Yang ◽

Zheng Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bulk Modulus ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Intraclass Correlation Coefficient ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Anterior Segment ◽

Intraobserver Reliability ◽

Rabbit Cornea ◽

Deformation Response ◽

Biomechanical Measurements ◽

Biomechanical Measurement

Purpose. To explore the probability and variation in biomechanical measurements of rabbit cornea by a modified Scheimpflug device.Methods. A modified Scheimpflug device was developed by imaging anterior segment of the model imitating the intact eye at various posterior pressures. The eight isolated rabbit corneas were mounted on the Barron artificial chamber and images of the anterior segment were taken at posterior pressures of 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 mmHg by the device. The repeatability and reliability of the parameters including CCT, ACD, ACV, and CV were evaluated at each posterior pressure. All the variations of the parameters at the different posterior pressures were calculated.Results. All parameters showed good intraobserver reliability (Cronbach’s alpha; intraclass correlation coefficient,α, ICC > 0.96) and repeatability in the modified Scheimpflug device. With the increase of posterior pressures, the ratio of CCT decreased linearly and the bulk modulus gradually reduced to a platform. The increase of ACD was almost linear with the posterior pressures elevated.Conclusions. The modified Scheimpflug device was a valuable tool to investigate the biomechanics of the cornea. The posterior pressure 15–75 mmHg range produced small viscoelastic deformations and nearly linear pressure-deformation response in the rabbit cornea.

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Structured Reporting of Rectal Cancer Staging and Restaging: A Consensus Proposal

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13092135 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 2135

Author(s):

Vincenza Granata ◽

Damiano Caruso ◽

Roberto Grassi ◽

Salvatore Cappabianca ◽

Alfonso Reginelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rectal Cancer ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Clinical Decision Making ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Clinical Decision ◽

Cancer Staging ◽

Structured Reporting ◽

Quality Analysis ◽

Promising Tool ◽

Structured Reports

Background: Structured reporting (SR) in oncologic imaging is becoming necessary and has recently been recognized by major scientific societies. The aim of this study was to build MRI-based structured reports for rectal cancer (RC) staging and restaging in order to provide clinicians all critical tumor information. Materials and Methods: A panel of radiologist experts in abdominal imaging, called the members of the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology, was established. The modified Delphi process was used to build the SR and to assess the level of agreement in all sections. The Cronbach’s alpha (Cα) correlation coefficient was used to assess the internal consistency of each section and to measure the quality analysis according to the average inter-item correlation. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was also evaluated. Results: After the second Delphi round of the SR RC staging, the panelists’ single scores and sum of scores were 3.8 (range 2–4) and 169, and the SR RC restaging panelists’ single scores and sum of scores were 3.7 (range 2–4) and 148, respectively. The Cα correlation coefficient was 0.79 for SR staging and 0.81 for SR restaging. The ICCs for the SR RC staging and restaging were 0.78 (p < 0.01) and 0.82 (p < 0.01), respectively. The final SR version was built and included 53 items for RC staging and 50 items for RC restaging. Conclusions: The final version of the structured reports of MRI-based RC staging and restaging should be a helpful and promising tool for clinicians in managing cancer patients properly. Structured reports collect all Patient Clinical Data, Clinical Evaluations and relevant key findings of Rectal Cancer, both in staging and restaging, and can facilitate clinical decision-making.

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Development and validation of a questionnaire measuring knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) to healthy eating and activity patterns in school children (HEAPS)

Nutrition and Health ◽

10.1177/0260106020982356 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 026010602098235 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Panchali Moitra ◽

Preeti Verma ◽

Jagmeet Madan

Keyword(s):

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Healthy Eating ◽

School Children ◽

Content Validity ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Validity And Reliability ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Item Content ◽

Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

Background: Development of culturally appropriate and psychometrically sound instruments that measure knowledge and health behaviors of children will help to inform appropriate interventions. Aim: To develop and test the validity and reliability of a questionnaire measuring knowledge, attitudes, and practices to healthy eating and activity patterns in school children in India. Methods: Review of literature, focus-group discussions, and theoretical constructs of the Health Belief Model guided the development of an item pool. Face and content validity were assessed by children and a panel of experts and the item content validity, item difficulty, and discrimination indices were calculated. Construct validity was determined using the principal axis method of exploratory factor analysis among a cross-sectional sample of children ( n=252). Internal consistency (Cronbach α values >0.7) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient values >0.75) were estimated. Results: Item content validity index for clarity and relevance were satisfactory (>0.80) and internal consistency for knowledge (Kuder-Richardson 20 = 0.832), attitude (Cronbach’s α = 0.912), and practice items (Cronbach’s α = 0.769) were good. Four factors (children’s eating habits, family dietary practices, and consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods) and two factors (moderate to vigorous activities and sedentary activities) explained 67.7% and 48.2% of the total variance in practice items. Intraclass correlation coefficient estimates ranged from good to excellent (0.72–0.99). Conclusions: The results of the validity and reliability of the 84-item knowledge, attitudes, and practices to healthy eating and activity patterns in schoolchildren questionnaire were promising. The detailed description of the methodology employed may prove useful to researchers conducting similar studies in children.

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Development and Relative Validity of a Semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire to Estimate Dietary Intake among a Multi-Ethnic Population in the Malaysian Cohort Project

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13041163 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1163

Author(s):

Suzana Shahar ◽

Mohd Razif Shahril ◽

Noraidatulakma Abdullah ◽

Boekhtiar Borhanuddin ◽

Mohd Arman Kamaruddin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin C ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Food Frequency Questionnaire ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Weighted Kappa ◽

Dietary Intakes ◽

Food Frequency ◽

Relative Validity ◽

Spearman’S Correlation

Measuring dietary intakes in a multi-ethnic and multicultural setting, such as Malaysia, remains a challenge due to its diversity. This study aims to develop and evaluate the relative validity of an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in assessing the habitual dietary exposure of The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) participants. We developed a nutrient database (with 203 items) based on various food consumption tables, and 803 participants were involved in this study. The output of the FFQ was then validated against three-day 24-h dietary recalls (n = 64). We assessed the relative validity and its agreement using various methods, such as Spearman’s correlation, weighed Kappa, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and Bland–Altman analysis. Spearman’s correlation coefficient ranged from 0.24 (vitamin C) to 0.46 (carbohydrate), and almost all nutrients had correlation coefficients above 0.3, except for vitamin C and sodium. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from −0.01 (calcium) to 0.59 (carbohydrates), and weighted Kappa exceeded 0.4 for 50% of nutrients. In short, TMC’s FFQ appears to have good relative validity for the assessment of nutrient intake among its participants, as compared to the three-day 24-h dietary recalls. However, estimates for iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C should be interpreted with caution.

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A preliminary study of intensivist-performed DVT ultrasound screening in trauma ICU patients (APSIT Study)

Annals of Intensive Care ◽

10.1186/s13613-020-00739-8 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lloyd Roberts ◽

Tom Rozen ◽

Deirdre Murphy ◽

Adam Lawler ◽

Mark Fitzgerald ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care ◽

Deep Vein Thrombosis ◽

High Risk ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Intraclass Correlation Coefficient ◽

Major Trauma ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Trauma Patients ◽

Vein Thrombosis ◽

Deep Vein

Abstract Background Multiple screening Duplex ultrasound scans (DUS) are performed in trauma patients at high risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the intensive care unit (ICU). Intensive care physician performed compression ultrasound (IP-CUS) has shown promise as a diagnostic test for DVT in a non-trauma setting. Whether IP-CUS can be used as a screening test in trauma patients is unknown. Our study aimed to assess the agreement between IP-CUS and vascular sonographer performed DUS for proximal lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (PLEDVT) screening in high-risk trauma patients in ICU. Methods A prospective observational study was conducted at the ICU of Alfred Hospital, a major trauma center in Melbourne, Australia, between Feb and Nov 2015. All adult major trauma patients admitted with high risk for DVT were eligible for inclusion. IP-CUS was performed immediately before or after DUS for PLEDVT screening. The paired studies were repeated twice weekly until the DVT diagnosis, death or ICU discharge. Written informed consent from the patient, or person responsible, or procedural authorisation, was obtained. The individuals performing the scans were blinded to the others’ results. The agreement analysis was performed using Cohen’s Kappa statistics and intraclass correlation coefficient for repeated binary measurements. Results During the study period, 117 patients had 193 pairs of scans, and 45 (39%) patients had more than one pair of scans. The median age (IQR) was 47 (28–68) years with 77% males, mean (SD) injury severity score 27.5 (9.53), and a median (IQR) ICU length of stay 7 (3.2–11.6) days. There were 16 cases (13.6%) of PLEDVT with an incidence rate of 2.6 (1.6–4.2) cases per 100 patient-days in ICU. The overall agreement was 96.7% (95% CI 94.15–99.33). The Cohen’s Kappa between the IP-CUS and DUS was 0.77 (95% CI 0.59–0.95), and the intraclass correlation coefficient for repeated binary measures was 0.75 (95% CI 0.67–0.81). Conclusions There is a substantial agreement between IP-CUS and DUS for PLEDVT screening in trauma patients in ICU with high risk for DVT. Large multicentre studies are needed to confirm this finding.

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Test-Retest-Reliability of Computer-Based Metamorphopsia Measurement in Macular Diseases

Klinische Monatsblätter für Augenheilkunde ◽

10.1055/a-1252-2910 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Daniela Claessens ◽

Alexander K. Schuster ◽

Ronald V. Krüger ◽

Marian Liegl ◽

Laila Singh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Macular Edema ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Intraclass Correlation Coefficient ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Measuring Method ◽

Repeated Measurements ◽

Retest Reliability ◽

Macular Diseases ◽

Computer Based ◽

Test Retest Reliability

AbstractIn this study, the test-retest-reliability as one aspect of reliability of metamorphopsia measurements using a computer-based measuring method was determined in patients with macular diseases. Metamorphopsia amplitude, position, and area were quantified using AMD – A Metamorphopsia Detector software (app4eyes GmbH & Co. KG, Germany) in patients with diabetic, myopic, or uveitic macular edema, intermediate or neovascular age-associated macular degeneration, epiretinal membrane, vitelliform maculopathy, Irvine-Gass syndrome, or macular edema due to venous retinal occlusion. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated in order to determine the repeatability of two repeated measurements and was used as an indicator of the reliability of the measurements. In this study, metamorphopsia measurements were conducted on 36 eyes with macular diseases. Metamorphopsia measurements made using AMD – A Metamorphopsia Detector software were highly reliable and repeatable in patients with maculopathies. The intraclass correlation coefficient of all indices was excellent (0.95 – 0.97). For diseases of the vitreoretinal interface or macular diseases with intra- or subretinal edema, this metamorphopsia measurement represents a supplement for visual function testing in the clinic, as well as in clinical studies.

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