186 research outputs found
Rasch analysis of the illness management and recovery scale-clinician version
Rationale, aims and objectives
The illness management and recovery scale-clinician version (IMRS-C) is a measure of outcomes thought to be important indicators of progress for consumers participating in illness management and recovery (IMR). Prior research has examined the psychometric properties of the IMRS-C; extant research supports certain aspects of the scale's reliability (test–retest) and validity (sensitivity to interventions). Analyses based on Rasch provide certain advantages and have not been applied to the IMRS-C.
Method
This study used an archival IMRS database including responses regarding 697 participants with severe mental illness from a variety of community-based settings. Rasch analyses were utilized to determine item functioning and utility of the IMRS-C.
Results
Results of Rasch analyses using the IMRS-C as one unidimensional scale were problematic. Analyses grouping items into three separate scales measuring recovery, management and biological vulnerability were more promising, but the third scale had other limitations.
Conclusions
Results suggest that the items included in the IMRS-C can form two screeners, one for recovery and one for management; items regarding biological vulnerability were inadequate. The assessment could be supplemented by more refined measures of coping/self-management and recovery constructs
Relativistic nature of a magnetoelectric modulus of Cr_2O_3-crystals: a new 4-dimensional pseudoscalar and its measurement
Earlier, the magnetoelectric effect of chromium sesquioxide Cr_2O_3 has been
determined experimentally as a function of temperature. One measures the
electric field-induced magnetization on Cr_2O_3 crystals or the magnetic
field-induced polarization. From the magnetoelectric moduli of Cr_2O_3 we
extract a 4-dimensional relativistic invariant pseudoscalar
. It is temperature dependent and of the order of
10^{-4}/Z_0, with Z_0 as vacuum impedance. We show that the new pseudoscalar is
odd under parity transformation and odd under time inversion. Moreover,
is for Cr_2O_3 what Tellegen's gyrator is for two port
theory, the axion field for axion electrodynamics, and the PEMC (perfect
electromagnetic conductor) for electrical engineering.Comment: Revtex, 36 pages, 9 figures (submitted in low resolution, better
quality figures are available from the authors
Dark Matter Candidates: A Ten-Point Test
An extraordinarily rich zoo of non-baryonic Dark Matter candidates has been
proposed over the last three decades. Here we present a 10-point test that a
new particle has to pass, in order to be considered a viable DM candidate: I.)
Does it match the appropriate relic density? II.) Is it {\it cold}? III.) Is it
neutral? IV.) Is it consistent with BBN? V.) Does it leave stellar evolution
unchanged? VI.) Is it compatible with constraints on self-interactions? VII.)
Is it consistent with {\it direct} DM searches? VIII.) Is it compatible with
gamma-ray constraints? IX.) Is it compatible with other astrophysical bounds?
X.) Can it be probed experimentally?Comment: 29 pages, 12 figure
Rethinking Measures of Democracy and Welfare State Universalism: Lessons from Subnational Research
Democracy and the welfare state are two of the most extensively studied concepts and themes in the field of comparative politics. Debate about how to best measure the two concepts has failed to contemplate the extent to which political and social rights are uniformly present across distinct regions of the national territory, despite the presence of substantial subnational research that underscores wide variation inside countries. We argue that this omission hampers our understanding of the two phenomena and we propose a new measure of democracy and healthcare unversalism, which we call the Adjusted Measures of Democracy and Welfare Universalism. The new measures integrate territorial inequality into existing national-level indicators, providing a more accurate picture of country performance and opening the door to new, multi-level theory building
Macrophages Facilitate Resistance to Anti-VEGF Therapy by Altered VEGFR Expression
Abstract
Purpose: VEGF-targeted therapies have modest efficacy in cancerpatients, butacquiredresistance iscommon. Themechanisms underlying such resistance are poorly understood. Experimental Design: To evaluate the potential role of immune cells in the development of resistance to VEGF blockade, we first established a preclinical model of adaptive resistance to anti-VEGF therapy. Additional in vitro and in vivo studies were carried out to characterize the role of macrophages in such resistance. Results: Using murine cancer models of adaptive resistance to anti-VEGF antibody (AVA), we found a previously unrecognized roleofmacrophagesinsuchresistance.Macrophageswereactively recruited to the tumor microenvironment and were responsible
for the emergence of AVA resistance. Depletion of macrophages following emergence of resistance halted tumor growth and prolonged survival of tumor-bearing mice. In a macrophagedeficient mouse model, resistance to AVA failed to develop, but could be induced by injection of macrophages. Downregulation of macrophage VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-3 expression accompanied upregulation of alternative angiogenic pathways, facilitating escape from anti-VEGF therapy. Conclusions: These findings provide a new understanding of the mechanisms underlying the modest efficacy of current antiangiogenesis therapies and identify new opportunities for combinationapproachesforovarianandothercancers. ClinCancerRes; 23(22); 7034–46. �2017 AACR
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Gender Differences in Immune Reconstitution: A Multicentric Cohort Analysis in Sub-Saharan Africa
In sub-Saharan Africa, men living with HIV often start ART at more advanced stages of disease and have higher early mortality than women. We investigated gender difference in long-term immune reconstitution
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