The development of a set of guidelines for the revision of psychological tests and the use of revised psychological tests

The psychological testindustry has produced a wide variety of psychological tests that are used by professionals to facilitate measurement and decision-making. Tests are updated and revised periodically in order to remain current, valid and reliable in what is a competitive psychometric industry. Despite the prevalence of test revisions, especially in recent years, a number of authors have commented on the lack of comprehensive guidelines for test revision. Guidelines shouldcover aspects such as what the different types of revision are, when to embark on a revision, whatprocessto followand how test users should use revised tests. Test revision differs from test construction in a number of ways. There are external factors that affect the regularity with which a test should be revised. Test revision also involves more role players than test construction, including the opinions of those test users who may be resistant to any change in the previous test edition. Finally, revised tests sometimes have to contend with requirements from the test publisher who purchased the test or distribution rights from the developer. Test revision is expensive and time consuming, which leaves little scope for experimentation or trial-and-error. The availability of expertise, as well as the human and financial resources required to complete test revisionscan make such projects unaffordable, especiallyforprofessionals indeveloping countries, such as South Africa.It may be more feasible for such professionalsto collaborate with international revision projects. By doing so they cangain experience in test revision, contribute indigenous information that could shapethe revision ofan international test, increase opportunities to engage with international users, and potentially source international funding for research in their own country. The current studydevelopeda comprehensive and practical set of 30 guidelines to assist those involved in test revision. These guidelines were peer-reviewed and refined. Finally, the guidelines were field-tested using a case study of a recently revised ivdevelopmentaltest, the Griffiths III. Professionals from South Africa, including the present researcher,formed part of the international team for the extensive revision of the Griffiths III, which makes this test an ideal case study from both the perspectives of the developed test revision guidelines as well as collaboration of professionals from a developing country in an international test revision. The knowledge gainedfrom the development of guidelines and international collaboration in test revision is reflected on

A system review of higher education admissions testing practices in Israel: implications for South Africa

Internationally, the practice of admissions entry testing in Higher Education (HE) has gained momentum over the past few decades, sparking ongoing research on its effectiveness. On a national level, three factors have signalled a timeous evaluation of admissions practices at HE institutions. Firstly, changes in the school curriculum and the new format of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) have impacted on the admissions criteria of HE institutions. Secondly, with the merging of HE institutions an alignment in admissions practices between the institutions involved were necessitated. Thirdly, South Africa has embarked on the development of National Benchmark Tests (NBTs). The primary aim of this research study was to develop a set of recommendations to guide admissions testing practices in the South African HE context. These recommendations had to place special emphasis on the multicultural and multilingual context of this country. To achieve this aim a systematic review was conducted on HE admissions testing in Israel, as it was identified as a multicultural and multilingual country that had successfully implemented national HE admissions testing. More specifically, a retrospective systematic review was performed on research regarding the national HE admissions test, the Psychometric Entrance Test (PET), used in Israel. The systematic review also contained a narrative overview on the educational landscape in Israel and the specifications of the PET, from which themes were also extracted. Eight broad themes emerged through the systematic review and narrative overview as being of critical importance to an effective national HE admissions test. These were the components of the test, the implementation of the testing programme, the method in which the test results are used to make HE admission decisions, the reliability xi of the test, the validity of the test, bias inherent in the test, other psychometric aspects related to the admissions test, and the effect of coaching or specialized preparation on test results. These themes, together with their sub-components, were used to develop eight recommendations that can guide the development and implementation of the National Benchmark Test (NBTs) in South Africa. Both the themes that emerged during the systematic review and narrative overview as well as the recommendations that were made to guide the development and implementation of a national admission test, represent an important contribution to the field of admission testing and decision-making in South Africa

A systematic review of operationalizations of culture in post traumatic stress

Research which looks at the influence of culture on posttraumatic experience has explored the culture construct through many differing lenses. This is because of the complex nature of culture. Since investigators may delineate culture in any number of ways there are a host of ways in which culture can be operationalised. The presence of differing operationalisations of culture in the literature is not necessarily a hindrance to the furtherance of knowledge. However, researchers may find it beneficial to employ similar operational terms in order for studies to be compared and amalgamated. The present study reviewed literature studies published between 1980 and 2018 that explored Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) in different cultural cohorts. Thirty qualitative and quantitative research reports were assessed and six different operational terms were found. These were namely: geographic location, nationality, race, language, religion and ethnicity. Many articles in the pooled articles employed more than one operational to delineate the target population. The key themes which emerged from the pooled articles were the impact of differences between researcher and study participants, the differences in symptom expression and the stigma of the posttraumatic disorder

Mothers’ perceptions of the effects of the babies in mind programme on maternal mental health and mother-infant attachment: a South African narrative study

The focus of this study is on mothers, motherhood and the Babies in Mind programme as an early intervention strategy for mothers in South Africa. The rate of maternal mental ill health in our country is alarming. Research consistently confirms that maternal mental health directly affects infant and child mental health. One of the major determinants of mental health is mother-infant attachment. Studies have indicated the range of deleterious effects that maternal mental ill-health and mother-infant attachment issues have on offspring from infancy to adulthood. This has implications for the mental health of future generations and society at large. Researchers have called for evidence-based interventions that address maternal mental health and mother-infant attachment, especially in developing countries. South Africa has no national prevention or treatment programme to address these needs. This study investigated the Babies in Mind programme as an early intervention option to address the gap in promoting maternal mental health and mother-infant attachment. A social constructionist, narrative study was employed to meet the objectives of the study. The aim was to explore mothers’ perceptions of the impact of the Babies in Mind programme, with particular reference to their mental health and their relationships to their infants. Focus was placed on understanding the social constructions of motherhood at the community level and how these constructions were reconstructed through the programme. Purposive sampling was employed and focus groups were conducted to collect the relevant data. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings indicated that mothers’ experiences of the Babies in Mind programme were positive and there were improvements in their mental health and relationships to their infants. A relationship model for mothers was developed based on the themes that emerged from the data analysis. A platform for continued support and discussion was organised via a social media (Whatsapp) support group. Twelve 7guidelines were suggested for the implementation of intervention programmes such as the Babies in Mind programme at the community level

A Unique 16U CubeSat Architecture for 1.5m GSD Commercial Earth Observation

Satellite operators frequently use 3U and 6U CubeSats for Earth Observation (EO) applications. These nanosatellites do have a few challenges when addressing the needs of the commercial EO sector: ✔the demand for more spatial, spectral and radiometric detail ✔the long term reliability of the satellite bus, and ✔accuracy of the satellite imagery. This poster introduces a 16U CubeSat architecture to address these challenges by optimizing the imaging payload to fit in a 12U volume and the satellite bus within a 4U volume

The association between preoperative anemia and postoperative morbidity in pediatric surgical patients : a secondary analysis of a prospective observational cohort study

BACKGROUND : The prevalence of anemia in the South African pediatric surgical population is unknown. Anemia may be associated with increased postoperative complications. We are unaware of studies documenting these findings in patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). AIM : The primary aim of this study was to describe the association between preoperative anemia and 26 defined postoperative complications, in noncardiac pediatric surgical patients. Secondary aims included describing the prevalence of anemia and risk factors for intraoperative blood transfusion. METHOD : This was a secondary analysis of the South African Paediatric Surgical Outcomes Study, a prospective, observational surgical outcomes study. Inclusion criteria were all consecutive patients aged between 6 months and <16 years, presenting to participating centers during the study period who underwent elective and nonelective noncardiac surgery and had a preoperative hemoglobin recorded. Exclusion criteria were patients aged <6 months, undergoing cardiac surgery, or without a preoperative Hb recorded. To determine whether an independent association existed between preoperative anemia and postoperative complications, a hierarchical stepwise logistic regression was conducted. RESULTS : There were 1094 eligible patients. In children in whom a preoperative Hb was recorded 46.2% had preoperative anemia. Preoperative anemia was independently associated with an increased risk of any postoperative complication (odds ratio 2.0, 95% confidence interval: 1.3-3.1, P = .002). Preoperative anemia (odds ratio 3.6, 95% confidence interval: 1.8-7.1, P < .001) was an independent predictor of intraoperative blood transfusion. CONCLUSION : Preoperative anemia had a high prevalence in a LMIC and was associated with increased postoperative complications. The main limitation of our study is the ability to generalize the results to the wider pediatric surgical population, as these findings only relate to children in whom a preoperative Hb was recorded. Prospective studies are required to determine whether correction of preoperative anemia reduces morbidity and mortality in children undergoing noncardiac surgery.http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/panhj2021Anaesthesiolog

An evaluation of severe anesthetic-related critical incidents and risks from the South African paediatric surgical outcomes study : a 14-day prospective, observational cohort study of pediatric surgical patients

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL 1 : The South African Paediatric Surgical Outcomes Study (SAPSOS): A 14-day prospective, observational cohort study of paediatric surgical patients.SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL 2 : South African Paediatric Surgical Outcomes Study (SAPSOS) : Operating Room case record form.SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL 3 : Supplemental Tables and Figures.BACKGROUND : Severe anesthetic-related critical incident (SARCI) monitoring is an essential component of safe, quality anesthetic care. Predominantly retrospective data from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) report higher incidence but similar types of SARCI compared to high-income countries (HIC). The aim of our study was to describe the baseline incidence of SARCI in a middle-income country (MIC) and to identify associated risk for SARCI. We hypothesized a higher incidence but similar types of SARCI and risks compared to HICs. METHODS : We performed a 14-day, prospective multicenter observational cohort study of pediatric patients (aged <16 years) undergoing surgery in government-funded hospitals in South Africa, a MIC, to determine perioperative outcomes. This analysis described the incidence and types of SARCI and associated perioperative cardiac arrests (POCAs). We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify risk factors independently associated with SARCI, including 7 a priori variables and additional candidate variables based on their univariable performance. RESULTS : Two thousand and twenty-four patients were recruited from May 22 to August 22, 2017, at 43 hospitals. The mean age was 5.9 years (±standard deviation 4.2). A majority of patients during this 14-day period were American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I (66.4%) or presenting for minor surgery (54.9%). A specialist anesthesiologist managed 59% of cases. These patients were found to be significantly younger (P < .001) and had higher ASA physical status (P < .001). A total of 426 SARCI was documented in 322 of 2024 patients, an overall incidence of 15.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.4–17.6). The most common event was respiratory (214 of 426; 50.2%) with an incidence of 8.5% (95% CI, 7.4–9.8). Six children (0.3%; 95% CI, 0.1–0.6) had a POCA, of whom 4 died in hospital. Risks independently associated with a SARCI were age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.95; CI, 0.92–0.98; P = .004), increasing ASA physical status (aOR = 1.85, 1,74, and 2.73 for ASA II, ASA III, and ASA IV–V physical status, respectively), urgent/emergent surgery (aOR = 1.35, 95% CI, 1.02–1.78; P = .036), preoperative respiratory infection (aOR = 2.47, 95% CI, 1.64–3.73; P < .001), chronic respiratory comorbidity (aOR = 1.75, 95% CI, 1.10–2.79; P = .018), severity of surgery (intermediate surgery aOR = 1.84, 95% CI, 1.39–2.45; P < .001), and level of hospital (first-level hospitals aOR = 2.81, 95% CI, 1.60–4.93; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS : The incidence of SARCI in South Africa was 3 times greater than in HICs, and an associated POCA was 10 times more common. The risk factors associated with SARCI may assist with targeted interventions to improve safety and to triage children to the optimal level of care.The Jan Pretorius Research Fund, South African Society of Anaesthesiologists; Discipline of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Groote Schuur Hospital and University of Cape Town; Department of Anaesthesia, University of the Witwatersrand; and Paediatric Anaesthesia Community of South Africa.https://journals.lww.com/anesthesia-analgesia/pages/default.aspxhj2023Anaesthesiolog

Antioxidants Protect Keratinocytes against M. ulcerans Mycolactone Cytotoxicity

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of necrotizing skin ulcerations in distinctive geographical areas. M. ulcerans produces a macrolide toxin, mycolactone, which has been identified as an important virulence factor in ulcer formation. Mycolactone is cytotoxic to fibroblasts and adipocytes in vitro and has modulating activity on immune cell functions. The effect of mycolactone on keratinocytes has not been reported previously and the mechanism of mycolactone toxicity is presently unknown. Many other macrolide substances have cytotoxic and immunosuppressive activities and mediate some of their effects via production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We have studied the effect of mycolactone in vitro on human keratinocytes--key cells in wound healing--and tested the hypothesis that the cytotoxic effect of mycolactone is mediated by ROS. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The effect of mycolactone on primary skin keratinocyte growth and cell numbers was investigated in serum free growth medium in the presence of different antioxidants. A concentration and time dependent reduction in keratinocyte cell numbers was observed after exposure to mycolactone. Several different antioxidants inhibited this effect partly. The ROS inhibiting substance deferoxamine, which acts via chelation of Fe(2+), completely prevented mycolactone mediated cytotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrates that mycolactone mediated cytotoxicity can be inhibited by deferoxamine, suggesting a role of iron and ROS in mycolactone induced cytotoxicity of keratinocytes. The data provide a basis for the understanding of Buruli ulcer pathology and the development of improved therapies for this disease