The new version of the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence in Spanish children: Evidence of validity and reliability. [La nueva versión de la escala pictográfica de Percepción de Competencia de Habilidades Motrices in niños y niñas españoles: Evidencias de validez y fiabilidad].

The purpose of this study was to i) examine reliability and construct validity of the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence (PMSC) aligned to the third version of the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3) in a sample of Spanish children; and to ii) analyse the validity of the PMSC and children’s perceived motor competence (MC) according to gender. A convenience sample of 361 children (55.7% boys) between 4 and 11 years-old participated. The pictorial scale of PMSC (19 items) was administered (a random subsample repeated the PMSC twice). Test-retest reliability using Intraclass Correlation Coefficients and construct validity using a Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling approach were conducted in each subscale and the total PMSC. High to excellent reliability was found. The two-factor model with non-informative cross-loadings and informative cross-loadings were both adequate fitting models. Boys reported a higher perception in ball skills, locomotion and the total PMSC than girls (p < .05). These findings provide evidence of the construct validity and reliability of the two-factor PMSC aligned with the TGMD-3 in locomotion and ball skills. The Spanish version of the pictorial scale of PMSC would be useful for assessing perceived MC in Spanish children, something in particular interest for Physical Education teachers. Resumen El objetivo de este estudio fue i) analizar la fiabilidad y validez de constructo de la escala pictográfica de Percepción de la Competencia Motriz (PMSC) alineada con la tercera versión del Test de Competencia Motriz Gruesa (TGMD) en una muestra de niños y niñas españoles y ii) analizar la validez de la PMSC y la percepción de competencia motriz (CM) de esos niños y niñas en función del género. Participó una muestra por conveniencia de 361 niños y niñas (55,7% niños) de entre 4 y 11 años de edad. Se administró la escala pictográfica PMSC (19 ítems) y una muestra aleatoria la realizó dos veces. En cada subescala y la escala PMSC total se analizó la fiabilidad test-retest y la validez de constructo utilizando el coeficiente de Correlación Intraclase y Modelos de Ecuaciones Estructurales de Bayes. Los resultados de la fiabilidad fueron entre altos y excelentes. Los modelos de dos factores con cargas cruzadas, informativas, y no informativas, mostraron buenos ajustes. Según el género, los niños puntuaron más alto en percepción de habilidades de balón, de locomoción y la PMSC total que las niñas (p < ,05). Estos resultados ofrecen evidencias de validez de constructo y fiabilidad de los dos factores de la PMSC alineados con el TGMD-3 en habilidades de locomoción y balón. La versión en castellano de la escala pictográfica PMSC parece ser útil para estudiar la percepción de CM en niños y niñas españolas, cuestión interesante para los docentes de Educación Física

Effects of study design and allocation on participant behaviour-ESDA: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: What study participants think about the nature of a study has been hypothesised to affect subsequent behaviour and to potentially bias study findings. In this trial we examine the impact of awareness of study design and allocation on participant drinking behaviour. Methods/Design: A three-arm parallel group randomised controlled trial design will be used. All recruitment, screening, randomisation, and follow-up will be conducted on-line among university students. Participants who indicate a hazardous level of alcohol consumption will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. Group A will be informed their drinking will be assessed at baseline and again in one month (as in a cohort study design). Group B will be told the study is an intervention trial and they are in the control group. Group C will be told the study is an intervention trial and they are in the intervention group. All will receive exactly the same brief educational material to read. After one month, alcohol intake for the past 4 weeks will be assessed. Discussion: The experimental manipulations address subtle and previously unexplored ways in which participant behaviour may be unwittingly influenced by standard practice in trials. Given the necessity of relying on self-reported outcome, it will not be possible to distinguish true behaviour change from reporting artefact. This does not matter in the present study, as any effects of awareness of study design or allocation involve bias that is not well understood. There has been little research on awareness effects, and our outcomes will provide an indication of the possible value of further studies of this type and inform hypothesis generation

Web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention for Māori and non-Māori: the New Zealand e-SBINZ trials

BACKGROUND: Hazardous alcohol consumption is a leading modifiable cause of mortality and morbidity among young people. Screening and brief intervention (SBI) is a key strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm in the community, and web-based approaches (e-SBI) have advantages over practitioner-delivered approaches, being cheaper, more acceptable, administrable remotely and infinitely scalable. An efficacy trial in a university population showed a 10-minute intervention could reduce drinking by 11% for 6 months or more among 17-24 year-old undergraduate hazardous drinkers. The e-SBINZ study is designed to examine the effectiveness of e-SBI across a range of universities and among Māori and non-Māori students in New Zealand. METHODS/DESIGN: The e-SBINZ study comprises two parallel, double blind, multi-site, individually randomised controlled trials. This paper outlines the background and design of the trial, which is recruiting 17-24 year-old students from seven of New Zealand's eight universities. Māori and non-Māori students are being sampled separately and are invited by e-mail to complete a web questionnaire including the AUDIT-C. Those who score >4 will be randomly allocated to no further contact until follow-up (control) or to assessment and personalised feedback (intervention) via computer. Follow-up assessment will occur 5 months later in second semester. Recruitment, consent, randomisation, intervention and follow-up are all online. Primary outcomes are (i) total alcohol consumption, (ii) frequency of drinking, (iii) amount consumed per typical drinking occasion, (iv) the proportions exceeding medical guidelines for acute and chronic harm, and (v) scores on an academic problems scale. DISCUSSION: The trial will provide information on the effectiveness of e-SBI in reducing hazardous alcohol consumption across diverse university student populations with separate effect estimates for Māori and non-Māori students. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12610000279022

Confidence limits associated with values of the Earth’s magnetic field used for directional drilling

This paper describes updated uncertainties for use with predicted geomagnetic parameters within magnetic measurement-while-drilling (MWD) survey-tool-error models. These models are used to define positional-error ellipsoids along the wellbore, which assist in hitting geological targets and avoiding collisions with existing wellbores. The declination, dip angle, and total field strength of the Earth’s magnetic field are used with magnetic-survey tools for surveying the wellbore. These values are often obtained from mathematical models such as the British Geological Survey (BGS) global-geomagnetic model (BGGM). As the Earth’s magnetic field is continually varying with time, the BGGM is updated annually to maintain accuracy. However, a global predictive model cannot capture all sources of the Earth’s magnetic field, which results in uncertainties of the predicted parameters. The Industry Steering Committee on Wellbore Surveying Accuracy (ISCWSA) published an MWD-error model in 2000 (Williamson 2000). The geomagnetic-field uncertainties that are part of this model were derived from work conducted by the BGS in the early 1990s. Since then, more-accurate data from magnetic-survey satellites have been introduced into the BGGM, and the uncertainty of the predicted geomagnetic-field parameters has been reduced. The original approach to deriving the uncertainties involved separating the various error sources in the magnetic field and assessing them individually. This paper uses a simpler approach where clean orientated magnetic downhole data are simulated using geomagnetic-observatory data. Spot absolute measurements of the magnetic field made at observatories around the world are adjusted for the crustal magnetic field to make them more representative of hydrocarbon geology. The adjusted observatory data are then compared with the predicted values from the BGGM to assess the uncertainty. The uncertainties do not fit a normal distribution, so they are expressed as limits for various confidence levels. They vary with location and, in their derivation, do not assume any underlying empirical error distribution. While they also vary with time, we provide time-averaged look-up tables which should be valid for as long as there are good-quality satellite data on which to base global magnetic-field models. Options to reduce the uncertainties further using data from local magnetic surveys [in-field referencing (IFR)] and observatories (interpolation IFR) are also described. The use of the revised geomagnetic uncertainty values in the MWD-error model will reduce wellbore-position uncertainty to reflect the increased accuracy from recent improvements in geomagnetic modeling. This is demonstrated using results for the ellipsoids of uncertainty output by an MWD error model for three standard ISCWSA well profiles

Supporting LJMU students from the armed forces and military families - a cross-university approach

The aim of the session is to showcase the intentions, terms of reference and activities planned by the newly formed Cross-University Armed Forces Steering Group, in relation to one of the key aims of the group.&nbsp; An effective delivery model to:&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Support LJMU students who have served, or are going to serve (linked to Student Experience Plan); Support LJMU students who are families of serving armed forces members (linked to Student Experience Plan); Development of marketing, recruitment and outreach for veterans; &nbsp; We are currently exploring how many veterans, current members of the military, or family members of military personnel are undertaking HE courses at LJMU.&nbsp; And developing an effective structure to support the transition into HE.&nbsp; From first hand experience, this can be a difficult transition!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It will highlight the planned activities to support this group of our student population, present some case studies from students and highlight the different professional service and academic input to the development of a coherent approach to support. Supporting LJMU students from the armed forces and military families - a cross-university approach, PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource

Analysing longitudinal changes in health related quality of life: adjusting for longitudinal missing data that are MNAR

Abstract not available

The Economic Burden of Infective Endocarditis due to Injection Drug Use in Australia: A Single Centre Study—University Hospital Geelong, Barwon Health, Victoria

Background. Injection drug use (IDU) is a well-recognized risk factor for infective endocarditis (IE). Associated complications from IDU result in significant morbidity and mortality with substantial cost implications. The aim of this study was to determine the cost burden associated with the management of IE due to IDU (IE-IDU). Methods. We used data collected prospectively on patients with a diagnosis of IE-IDU as part of the international collaboration on endocarditis (ICE). The cost of medical treatment was estimated based on diagnosis-related groups (DRG) and weighted inlier equivalent separation (WIES). Results. There were 23 episodes from 21 patients in 12 years (2002 to 2014). The costing was done for 22 episodes due to data missing on 1 patient. The median age was 39 years. The gender distribution was equal. Heroin (71%) and methamphetamine (33%) were the most frequently used. 74% (17/23) required intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The median ICU length of stay (LOS) was 4 days (IQR (Interquartile range); 2 to 40 days) whilst median total hospital LOS was 40 days (IQR; 1 to 119 days). Twelve patients (52%) underwent valve replacement surgery. Mortality was 13% (3/23). The total medical cost for the 22 episodes is estimated at $1,628,359 Australian dollars (AUD). The median cost per episode was a median cost of$ 61363 AUD (IQR: $2806 to$266,357 AUD). We did not account for lost productivity and collateral costs attributed to concurrent morbidity. Conclusion. Within the limitations of this small retrospective study, we report that the management of infective endocarditis caused by injection drug use can be associated with significant financial cost