Development and Psychometric Properties of A Screening Tool for Assessing Developmental Coordination Disorder in Adults

Background: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting motor coordination. Evidence suggests this disorder persists into adulthood and may be associated with biomechanical dysfunction and pain. We report on the development and initial validation of a questionnaire to assess for DCD in adults. Methods: An initial item pool (13 items) was derived from the American Psychiatric Association criteria and World Health Organisation definition for DCD. An expert panel assessed face and content validity which led to a 9-item Functional Difficulties Questionnaire (FDQ-9) with possible scores ranging from 9-36 (higher scores indicating greater functional difficulties). The FDQ-9 was piloted on individuals recruited from convenience samples. The underlying factor structure and aspects of reliability, validity and accuracy were tested. The Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve was employed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the test using self-reported dyspraxia as the reference standard. Results: Principal Axis Factoring yielded a two factor solution relating to gross and fine motor skills; for conceptual parsimony these were combined. Internal reliability was high (0.81), the mean inter-item correlation was 0.51 and preliminary findings suggested satisfactory construct validity. The Area under the Curve was 0.918 [95% CI 0.84-1.00] indicating a diagnostic test with high accuracy. A cut-off score was established with a sensitivity and specificity of 86% [95% CI 78%-89%] and 81% [95 % CI 73%-89%] respectively. Test-retest reliability was good (ICC 0.96 [95% CI 0.92 to 0.98]. Conclusion: The psychometric properties of the FDQ-9 appear promising. Work is required to conduct further psychometric evaluations on new samples and apply the scale to clinical practice

Pure extravagance

Mark 14:1-9

The shape of New zealand's regimental system : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Defence and Strategic Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Unit cohesion has been identified as a strong factor in the way soldiers overcome their fear of death in battle. Imperial Roman soldiers felt loyalty to the legion and its standard was more than a signal to rally towards in battle; British soldiers show similar loyalty to their regiment and Colours. Historians of a strong military background often write of the British regimental system as particularly effective in maintaining ethos and fighting spirit. Yet, reading any one of their descriptions of the regimental system offers only a vague insight of the structures and character of a uniquely military organisation. Identifying a regimental system is a particularly difficult task, even for those who are part of one. Although New Zealand has inherited the idea of regimental system from the British, it is a much smaller nation with a correspondingly smaller all-volunteer armed force and a more egalitarian society. The size of the New Zealand Army, with fewer regiments, seems to suggest that it has escaped both the benefits of regimental cohesion and the damaging effects of aggressive tribalism between its units. This thesis will challenge that assumption by showing that the New Zealand Army has a strong cultural history with definite characteristics of a regimental system. It will be seen that the New Zealand Army's regimental system adapts its values according to its own particular cultural pressures and legacies

Paul and the Law

Reviewed Book: Räis̈nen, Heikki. Paul and the Law. Tubingen: J C B Mohr (Paul Siebeck), 1983

The messiah: developments in earliest Judaism and Christianity

Reviewed Book: Charlesworth, James H. The messiah: developments in earliest Judaism and Christianity. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992

Comfort one another: reconstructing the rhetoric and audience of 1 Thessalonians

Reviewed Book: Smith, Abraham. Comfort one another: reconstructing the rhetoric and audience of 1 Thessalonians. Louisville, Ky: Westminster/John Knox Pr, 1995. Literary currents in biblical interpretation

The lectionary: toward a more balanced selection of texts

Stories of women

Rowland Clark and Dan Holdeman Site Human Skeletal Remains

The Rowland Clark site was occupied by Caddoan Indian groups from approximately A.D. 1300-1600+. Twenty one of the 39 burials recovered during the Museum of the Red River excavations were assigned to the earliest McCurtain phase occupation (ca. A.D. 1300-1450); 14 burials were ascribed to a later McCurtain occupation between ca. A.D. 1450 and 1600; four burials belonged to the final McCurtain occupation (ca. A.D. 1600+) of the site. Since infants and children were buried under house floors rather than in the cemetery area associated with each time period, their interment does not necessarily follow the assigned time period. Due to poor preservation and small sample sizes all burials were evaluated as a single Caddoan population. The burials from the Dan Holdeman site were found in a mound and three cemetery areas located on a terrace adjacent to the Red River. Skeletons of 26 individuals were recovered. The remains of an additional 15 individuals could not be retrieved due to their poor preservation. The acidity of the soil at the site contributed to considerable disintegration of the bones, leaving all burials in fragmentary condition. Three time periods are represented in the burials from the Dan Holdeman site. Burials 22, 23, and 25 were associated with a Formative Caddoan occupation (that Perino designated the Spiro Focus) dating about A.D. 1000. Interments corresponding with the Middle Caddoan Sanders Focus, dated about A.D. 1200, include Burials 1-20 and 24. One subadult, Burial 21, dates to the latter portion of the McCurtain phase (ca. A.D. 1650). The skeletal material that could not be retrieved represented individuals living during the Formative and Middle Caddoan occupations. Since much of the data on the osteoarcheology of the Clark and Holdeman sites has been presented in Loveland, specifically stature estimates, skeletal anomalies, and caries rates, it is the purpose of this appendix to summarize other aspects of the skeletal biology of the prehistoric inhabitants of the two sites. However, the poor condition of the skeletons recovered from the sites precludes accurately assessing the biological condition and adaptive efficiency of the people who lived at the site. However, the analyses presented here, and in Loveland, present data that provides a fairly complete picture of Caddoan adaptive efficiency on the Red River in Northeast Texas

The five gospels: the search for the authentic words of Jesus: a new translation and commentary

Reviewed Book: Funk, Robert W. (Robert Walter). The five gospels: the search for the authentic words of Jesus: a new translation and commentary. [S.l.]: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997