Concurrent Validity of the ABC Dementia Scale with Other Standard Scales: A New Comprehensive Instrument for Assessing Dementia in Japan

<b><i>Background/Aims:</i></b> The ABC Dementia Scale (ABC-DS), a new tool for evaluating dementia, was developed in Japan. The ABC-DS is a comprehensive instrument that can simultaneously evaluate activities of daily living (ADLs), behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), and cognitive function. The ABC-DS can be administered easily and quickly and can clarify the severity of dementia and its changes over time. While the ABC-DS has been reported to be useful in Alzheimer disease (AD)-type dementia, it has not yet been studied in other types of dementia. The purpose of this study was to reevaluate the standard validity of ABC-DS separately for various dementia types and severities. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We evaluated the ABC-DS in outpatients at 1 hospital in Nagasaki Prefecture and patients who use the facility. Domain A, corresponding to ADLs, correlated with Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD); domain B, corresponding to BPSD, correlated with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI); domain C, corresponding to cognitive functions, correlated with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); and the total score of the ABC-DS correlated with the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). <b><i>Results:</i></b> 102 patients, comprising 38 males and 64 females with an average age of 80.7 ± 8.6 years, were enrolled. AD-type dementia was present in 38 cases, vascular dementia (VaD) in 23, mixed dementia in 23, dementia with Lewy bodies in 6, argyrophilic grain dementia in 9, and mild cognitive impairment in 3. A strong correlation was found between ABC-DS domain scores and their respective reference neuropsychological instruments (domain A and the DAD, domain B and the NPI, domain C and the MMSE, and total score and CDR). The correlation of each ABC-DS domain score with the corresponding standard scale depended on the type and severity of dementia, and we observed moderate or high correlations in AD and VaD patients with moderate and severe dementia. <b><i>Discussion:</i></b> Although the ABC-DS targets AD, it can be used in VaD based on the results of this study. In other types of dementia, the results differed depending on the domain; in some conditions, the ABC-DS may not show sufficient concurrent validity with other standard scales. Also, the ABC-DS is more beneficial for moderate-to-severe dementia, as reported in previous studies. It is highly useful in clinical practice in Japan since there more than half of all patients have moderate-to-severe dementia.

A-230 Symptom Validity and MMPI-2-RF Somatic/Cognitive Scales

Objective In addition to the standard validity scales, the MMPI-2-RF Somatic/Cognitive Scales (SCS) are associated with symptom validity in veteran and epilepsy samples. The Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) is a self-report questionnaire with an embedded symptom validity index (Validity-10) developed by examining endorsement on atypical neurological items. The current study examined relationships among symptom validity and SCS in a physical medicine and rehabilitation sample. Method Participants underwent outpatient evaluation with the MMPI-2-RF and NSI among other measures. Cases with invalid MMPI-2-RF (TRIN or VRIN&gt;79; Cannot Say&gt;14) were excluded (n = 5). The sample (N = 120) was 43% female and 96% white with average age and education of 41 (SD = 13) and 14 (SD = 2) years, respectively. A linear regression model was examined with Valdity-10 as outcome and SCS as predictors. Participants were grouped by Validity-10 cutoff (&gt;18). SCS were examined with receiver operating characteristic analysis and compared to the MMPI-2-RF Symptom Validity Scale (FBS). Results A regression model predicting Validity-10 was significant (p &lt; .001; R-squared = .51). Gastrointestinal complaints and neurologic complaints (NUC) scales made independent contributions with standardized beta-weights of .18 and .43, respectively. Twenty-seven percent of participants scored above cutoff on the Validity-10. NUC showed area under the curve (AUC) of .78 predicting Validity-10 status, which was not significantly different from the FBS AUC of .81. A NUC cutoff of 91 or higher showed 34% sensitivity and 93% specificity. Conclusion MMPI-2-RF SCS are associated with symptom validity as determined by the NSI Validity-10. In this rehabilitation sample, NUC was comparable to FBS in classifying participants grouped by symptom validity.

Validation of the RUDAS in Patients With a Middle-Level Education in Lima, Peru

Objectives: To assess the psychometric properties of the Peruvian version of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS-PE) to discriminate controls from patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early dementia (ED) in a population with a mid-level education. Methods: A total of 133 patients from a memory clinic were administered the RUDAS-PE, INECO Frontal Screening, Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination, and Mini-Mental State Examination. Results were compared against a neuropsychological evaluation (gold standard). Validity measures, internal consistency, and concurrent validity were calculated. Results: Cronbach’s α was 0.68; Pearson’s ratio was 0.79 ( P < .01). The area under the receiver–operating characteristics curve of the RUDAS to discriminate between ED and MCI was 89.0% (optimal cutoff at <21), whereas between MCI and controls, it was 99.0% (optimal cutoff at <24). Conclusions: The RUDAS-PE has acceptable psychometric properties performing well in its ability to discriminate controls from patients with MCI and ED.

Validity Threats in Quantitative Data Collection With Games: A Narrative Survey

Background. Games are increasingly used to collect scientific data. Some suggest that game features like high cognitive load may limit the inferences we can draw from such data, yet no systematic overview exists of potential validity threats of game-based methods. Aim. We present a narrative survey of documented and potential threats to validity in using games for quantitative data collection. Method. We combined an unsystematic bottom-up literature review with a systematic top-down application of standard validity threat typologies to games to arrive at a systematisation of game-characteristic validity threats. Results. We identify three game characteristics that potentially impact validity: Games are complex systems, impeding the predictable control and isolation of treatments. They are rich in unwanted variance and diversity. And their social framing can differ from and interact with the framing of research studies or non-game situations they are supposed to represent. The diversity of gamers and their differences to general populations bring further complications. Discussion and Conclusions. The wealth of potential validity threats in game-based research is met by a dearth of systematic methodological studies, leading us to outline several future research directions.

Evaluasi kesesuaian standar ukuran vertikal slot breket ortodonti The evaluation of the standard validity of vertical orthodontic bracket slot size

On orthodontic treatment, accuracy of orthodontic brackets slot size is essential for maximum interaction between thewire and brackets, so as to distribute the optimal force for tooth movement. The purpose of this study was to determinethe accuracy of orthodontic brackets slot size to 0.018 inch standard sizes that are available in the market. The samplewas selected by using a random sampling system, which consists of 15 types of brackets of 8 bracket manufacturerswith a total sample of 300 samples. Measurements performed on 4 sides of slot bracket, namely the outer and innersides of the brackets slot, on mesial and distal sides, using a profile projector (Mitutoyo Type PJ250). The results werestatistically tested using t-test one side. All brackets have a slot size significantly larger than the standard size. Theaverage percentage of magnification ranged from 5.18-24.29%. So, it was concluded that the size of the slot bracketsavailable in the Indonesian market greater than their standard.

Intensional logic and two-sorted type theory

Among the symbolic languages used most frequently in the indirect interpretation of natural language are Montague's Intensional Logic IL [5, 384ff.] and its extensional counterpart, the language Ty2 of two-sorted type theory. The question of which of these two formal languages is to be preferred has been obscured by lack of knowledge about the exact relation between them. The present paper is an attempt to clarify the situation by showing that, modulo a small, decidable class of formulas irrelevant to these applications, IL and Ty2 are equivalent in the strong sense that there exists a reversible translation between the terms of either language.In [3, 6Iff.] Gallin has shown that there exists a simple and natural translation * of IL into Ty2. Following Gallin's translation procedure, it is even possible to conceive of IL as a highly restricted sublanguage of Ty2, viz. as that part which only contains expressions of certain intensional types plus one variable of the basic type of indices or worlds. In an obvious sense, this sublanguage has less expressive power than the whole of Ty2, where it is possible to express conditions on entities that do not even exist in IL's ontology. However, by a certain amount of coding, one can translate Ty2 into IL [3, 105]. Conditions on nonintensional entities then become conditions on corresponding intensional objects; and these paraphrases preserve (standard) validity and entailment. On the other hand, this retranslation of Ty2 into IL is not an inversion of *, as can be seen from a simple example.