Development and equivalence of new faces for inclusion in the Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) response scale

Background Accurate symptom monitoring is vital when managing pediatric asthma, providing an opportunity to improve control and relieve associated burden. The CHILDHOOD ASTHMA CONTROL TEST (C-ACT) has been validated for asthma control assessment in children; however, there are concerns that response option images used in the C-ACT are not culturally universal and could be misinterpreted. This cross-sectional, qualitative study developed and evaluated alternative response option images using interviews with children with asthma aged 4–11 years (and their parents/caregivers) in the United States, Spain, Poland, and Argentina. Interviews were conducted in two stages (with expert input) to evaluate the appropriateness, understanding and qualitative equivalence of the alternative images (both on paper and electronically). This included comparing the new images with the original C-ACT response scale, to provide context for equivalence results. Results Alternative response option images included scale A (simple faces), scale B (circles of decreasing size), and scale C (squares of decreasing quantity). In Stage 1, most children logically ranked images using scales A, B and C (66.7%, 79.0% and 70.6%, respectively). However, some children ranked the images in scales B (26.7%) and C (58.3%) in reverse order. Slightly more children could interpret the images within the context of their asthma in scale B (68.4%) than A (55.6%) and C (47.5%). Based on Stage 1 results, experts recommended scales A (with slight modifications) and B be investigated further. In Stage 2, similar proportions of children logically ranked the images used in modified scales A (69.7%) and B (75.7%). However, a majority of children ranked the images in scale B in the reverse order (60.0%). Slightly more children were able to interpret the images in the context of their asthma using scale B (57.6%) than modified scale A (48.5%). Children and parents/caregivers preferred modified scale A over scale B (78.8% and 90.9%, respectively). Compared with the original C-ACT, most children selected the same response option on items using both scales, supporting equivalency. Following review of Stage 2 results, all five experts agreed modified scale A was the optimal response scale. Conclusions This study developed alternative response option images for use in the C-ACT and provides qualitative evidence of the equivalency of these response options to the originals.

Developing Reverse Order Law for the Moore–Penrose Inverse with the Product of Three Linear Operators

In this paper, we study the reverse order law for the Moore–Penrose inverse of the product of three bounded linear operators in Hilbert spaces. We first present some equivalent conditions for the existence of the reverse order law A B C † = C † B † A † . Moreover, several equivalent statements of ℛ A A ∗ A B C = ℛ A B C and ℛ C ∗ C A B C ∗ = ℛ A B C ∗ are also deducted by the theory of operators.

In Reverse Order—The Third Pandemic First

This chapter reviews the history of the human disease popularly known as plague, which has caused three major pandemics in the past two millennia, focusing on the most recent pandemic and the discovery of the insect that transmitted the disease. It begins with the Third Pandemic started in 1855, which began in Yunnan Province in southwestern China, an area rich in geological and biological diversity. Infections increased as the disease slowly spread to Hong Kong, where it reached epidemic levels in 1894. From there, maritime trade on steamships carried the plague to India, Australia, and then worldwide, to Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The chapter describes how, while the pandemic raged, scientists investigated the cause of the disease, learning that bacteria carried by Oriental rat fleas and rats were responsible. This pandemic killed at least 15 million people, mostly in India, and continued for nearly a century.

Alternative Vaccination Politics

Background The timely implementation of the vaccination campaign and sharp rules for vaccine administration can make a difference. The paper investigates the impact of alternative policies based on scientific vaccination priorities inspired by the extended statistics on Covid-19 fatalities. Methods In the case of Covid-19 vaccination, a principal role is played by promptly adopting a reverse-order of age approach (to target first the elderly) coupled to covering the high priority categories but postponing the low priority ones. We implemented an in silico vaccination simulator capable of comparing what happened in reality with what might have happened if alternative vaccination policies had been adopted. The immunization profile and the death distribution curve allowed measuring the distance between reality and alternative policies and finally quantifying the expected number of saved lives. Results The alternative approach to vaccination was applied to Italy and Lombardy that host 60 and 10 million residents respectively. In about 100 days of vaccination based on (a) a reverse-order of age policy (from 90 + to 80–89 to 70–79 year-olds, etc.), (b) vaccination of priority categories, (c) postponement of non-priority categories and reallocation of such doses to (a) and (b), the saved lives would have been 3969 in Italy (of which 799 in Lombardy). In the same period, Italy suffered 30,911 fatalities (of which 5,613 in Lombardy). Of those fatalities, about 12.8% in Italy and 14.2% in Lombardy might have been avoided if a different approach to vaccination had been applied. Even better results would have been achieved if the elderly vaccination had been anticipated a few days (which started only 53 days after the very beginning of the Italian vaccination campaign) or if the vaccination engine had performed better in terms of daily administered doses while respecting the available delivered doses. Conclusions A different approach to the vaccination politics based on sharp and straight policies based on scientific quantitative data of Covid-19 mortality as a function of age and comorbidities would have accomplished a better quantitative effect on extinguishing the pandemic and containing the fatalities toll.

Alternative Vaccination Politics

Background: The timely implementation of the vaccination campaign and sharp rules for vaccine administration can make a difference. The paper investigates the impact of alternative policies based on scientific vaccination priorities inspired by the extended statistics on Covid-19 fatalities.Methods: In the case of Covid-19 vaccination, a principal role is played by promptly adopting a reverse-order of age approach (to target first the elderly) coupled to covering the high priority categories but postponing the low priority ones. We implemented an in silico vaccination simulator capable of comparing what happened in reality with what might have happened if alternative vaccination policies had been adopted. The immunization profile and the death distribution curve allowed measuring the distance between reality and alternative policies and finally quantifying the expected number of saved lives.Results: The alternative approach to vaccination was applied to Italy and Lombardy that host 60 and 10 million residents respectively. In about 100 days of vaccination based on (a) a reverse-order of age policy (from 90+ to 80-89 to 70-79 year-olds, etc.), (b) vaccination of priority categories, (c) postponement of non-priority categories and reallocation of such doses to (a) and (b), the saved lives would have been 3969 in Italy (of which 799 in Lombardy). In the same period, Italy suffered 30,911 fatalities (of which 5,613 in Lombardy). Of those fatalities, about 12.8% in Italy and 14.2% in Lombardy might have been avoided if a different approach to vaccination had been applied. Even better results would have been achieved if the elderly vaccination had been anticipated a few days (which started only 53 days after the very beginning of the Italian vaccination campaign) or if the vaccination engine had performed better in terms of daily administered doses while respecting the available delivered doses.Conclusions: A different approach to the vaccination politics based on sharp and straight policies based on scientific quantitative data of Covid-19 mortality as a function of age and comorbidities would have accomplished a better quantitative effect on extinguishing the pandemic and containing the fatalities toll.

“That’s the way my Wednesdays always go”: reverse-order instructions insufficient to mitigate schema-consistent errors in alibi generation

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of innocent suspects to produce accurate alibis, as well as to identify procedures police interviewers can use to increase the probability of generating accurate alibis. Design/methodology/approach In Study 1, 54 university students had a lecture (target event) end at either the normal time (schema group) or 25 min early (non-schema group) and then attempted to generate an alibi for the target event after either a short, moderate or long delay. In Study 2, 20 students had a lecture end 25 min early and underwent an interview regarding their whereabouts using a reverse-order interview technique designed to disrupt schema usage. Findings Results from Study 1 suggested that participants relied on schemas to generate their alibis, which led to false alibis for the non-schema group, and this reliance was more pronounced as the delay between event and recall increased. In Study 2, all but one participant produced a false alibi, suggesting reverse order is ineffective in increasing accurate recall in alibi situations. Practical implications Results from the two studies revealed that people can produce false alibis easily in mock police interviews – a finding that appears to result from the reliance on schemas. These findings highlight the relative ease with which innocent individuals can produce false alibis. Further research, specific to the alibi generation process, is needed to give police interviewers the tools to produce more accurate and detailed alibis. Originality/value This research provides additional evidence regarding the role of schemas in alibi generation. Contrary to findings from the eyewitness area, reverse-order instructions failed to disrupt schema reliance and do not appear to be an effective alibi-elicitation technique.