Validation of the Body Concealment Scale for Scleroderma (BCSS): Replication in the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) Cohort

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd Body concealment is an important component of appearance distress for individuals with disfiguring conditions, including scleroderma. The objective was to replicate the validation study of the Body Concealment Scale for Scleroderma (BCSS) among 897 scleroderma patients. The factor structure of the BCSS was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis and the Multiple-Indicator Multiple-Cause model examined differential item functioning of SWAP items for sex and age. Internal consistency reliability was assessed via Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was assessed by comparing the BCSS with a measure of body image distress and measures of mental health and pain intensity. Results replicated the original validation study, where a bifactor model provided the best fit. The BCSS demonstrated strong internal consistency reliability and construct validity. Findings further support the BCSS as a valid measure of body concealment in scleroderma and provide new evidence that scores can be compared and combined across sexes and ages

Dye sensitization of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide with osmium and ruthenium polypyridine complexes

The goal of this work is to explore the idea of replacing the ruthenium metal center of polypyridine complexes with osmium to increase the overlap between the spectral response of the "Gratzel cell" and the solar spectrum. A series of osmium polypyridine dyes with various ground state reduction potentials has been synthesized, purified, characterized and utilized to sensitize nanoporous titanium dioxide electrodes to solar radiation. The dyes are ML'2(NCS)2, ML'2(CN)2, ML'3^2+ and ML2L'^2+ where M is Os(II) or Ru(II), L is bipyridine and L' is 4,4'-dicarboxy-2,2'-bipyridine. The visible absorption spectra of the Os complexes showed an additional absorption band at longer wavelengths than the Ru complexes. The spectral response and current-voltage properties of electrodes modified with the Os dyes have been compared with their Ru analogs. In general, the Os dye showed a similar maximum external quantum yield, an enhanced response at longer wavelengths, a higher photocurrent density and a similar open-circuit voltage than th Ru analog. The Os complexes thus appear to be promising sensitizers for energy conversion applications. The only discrepancy in this trend was observed for the OsL'2(NCS)2 complex, which showed a much lower maximum external quantum yield, lower photocurrent and lower open-circuit voltage than the Ru analog. Experiments suggest that the regeneration rate of Os(II)L'2(NCS)2 by iodide does not compete effectively with the regeneration rate of the dye by the electron in the TiO2. The ground-state redox potential of Os(II/III)L'2(NCS)2 (+0.42 V vs aq SCE in methanol) may represent a limit on how negative the redox potential of the dye can be to obtain efficient regeneration of the sensitizer by I-/13-. For electrodes with very low dye coverage, the open-circuit voltage was mainly determined by the reduction of I3-, whereas for high dye coverage, the open-circuit voltage also depended on the nature of the complex and on the dye loading level

The correlates of self-stigma among people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders across cultures: A systematic review and meta-analysis

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to examine the cross-cultural correlates of self-stigma among individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Minds@Work

Scoping review and logic model

Virtual Reality within the context of wellbeing of marginalized populations: a scoping review protocol

Scoping review protocol and materials for use of VR among marginalized populations