[Material] A proposal and basic examination of adaptive options when using the Likert method

The Likert method presents certain problems, such as the distribution bias caused by phenomena related to social desirability, central tendency, etc. One conceivable solution to this is to correct the distribution by changing the expression of the option\u27s anchor. In this study, we propose "adaptive options when using the Likert method" designed to change the option set according to the respondent\u27s latent level. We compare two sets of options. In terms of the anchor expression, we used one expression involving a symmetric option (ver. A) and another that increases the number of options in the positive expression (ver. B). As a result, ver. B showed that the distribution of the scale score was corrected to a closed, normal distribution. Furthermore, we also obtained a reasonable result in terms of the psychological distance of options. These results suggest the possibility of manipulating the distribution of the scale score by manipulating the anchor expression, while the possibility of the practical use of "adaptive options" was also demonstrated.本研究では、Likert法における社会的望ましさなどの影響による回答分布の偏りを解決する方法として、回答選択肢の評定尺度表現を変化させる適応型選択肢の考え方を提案した。また、その実現に向けて、同じ尺度に対して異なる2種類の評定尺度表現を用いることで回答分布等がどのように変化するかを検討した。その結果、評定尺度表現を変化させることにより、回答分布が変わることが確認された。本研究はJSPS科研費17K13926の助成を受けたものである

Report on 2023 Jamaica Online Volunteer Activity: As a Training for Primary School Teachers, Coordinated by Naruto University of Education and Ministry of Education, Youth and Information

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An attempt to shorten the Social Desirability Scale using a voluntary panel Web survey data

This study attempted to reduce the number of items of the Japanese version of the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR-J: Tani,2008). After screening the data collected from 1307 participants through a web survey, this study applied the Generalized Partial Credit Model (Muraki,1992) to the Item Response Theory Model. It selected items using the slope and location parameters for each item to construct short forms of the BIDR-J. McDonald\u27s Omega and the test information function showed that the short forms had good reliability despite reducing the number of items. This study then determined their correlation with the BIDR-J to test their validity. The results indicated that the short forms of the BIDR-J demonstrate sufficient validity.本研究ではバランス型社会的望ましさ反応尺度日本語版(谷,2008)の短縮化を試みた。公募型Web調査で年齢が大学生以上である1307名のデータを収集し，データのスクリーニング後に947名のデータに部分得点モデル(Muraki,1992)を適用してslopeパラメタとlocationパラメタを推定した。そして，推定したパラメタを参考に，広い特性値に対応した短縮版と特定の特性値に対応した短縮版を作成し，McDonaldのω係数およびテスト情報関数を用いて信頼性を検討したところ，項目数を減らしたにも関わらず十分な信頼性が認められた。また，妥当性を検討するためにBIDR短縮版とMCSDSの相関係数を算出したところ，両者に相関が認められ，BIDR短縮版の妥当性が示された

Multiple phosphorus chemical sites in heavily phosphorus-doped diamond

We have performed high-resolution core level photoemission spectroscopy on a heavily phosphorus (P)-doped diamond film in order to elucidate the chemical sites of doped-phosphorus atoms in diamond. P 2p core level study shows two bulk components, providing spectroscopic evidence for multiple chemical sites of doped-phosphorus atoms. This indicates that only a part of doped-phosphorus atoms contribute to the formation of carriers. From a comparison with band calculations, possible origins for the chemical sites are discussed

Ce 4f electronic states of CeO1-xFxBiS2 studied by soft x-ray photoemission spectroscopy

We use soft x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (SXPES) to investigate Ce 4f electronic states of a new BiS2 layered superconductor CeO1-xFxBiS2, for polycrystalline and single-crystal samples. The Ce 3d spectrum of the single crystal of nominal composition x = 0.7 has no f(0) component and the spectral shape closely resembles the ones observed for Ce trivalent insulating compounds, strongly implying that the CeO layer is still in an insulating state even after the F doping. The Ce 3d-4f resonant SXPES for both polycrystalline and single-crystal samples shows that the prominent peak is located around 1 eV below the Fermi level (E-F) with negligible spectral intensity at EF. The F-concentration dependence of the valence band spectra for single crystals shows the increases of the degeneracy in energy levels and of the interaction between Ce 4f and S 3p states. These results give insight into the nature of the CeO1-xFx layer and the microscopic coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity in CeO1-xFxBiS2

A multicenter randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nelfinavir in patients with mild COVID-19

Nelfinavir, an orally administered inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus protease, inhibits the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in vitro. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of nelfinavir in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. We included unvaccinated asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic adult patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection within 3 days before enrollment. The patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive oral nelfinavir (750 mg; thrice daily for 14 days) combined with standard-of-care or standard-of-care alone. The primary endpoint was the time to viral clearance, confirmed using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR by assessors blinded to the assigned treatment. A total of 123 patients (63 in the nelfinavir group and 60 in the control group) were included. The median time to viral clearance was 8.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.0 to 12.0) days in the nelfinavir group and 8.0 (95% CI, 7.0 to 10.0) days in the control group, with no significant difference between the treatment groups (hazard ratio, 0.815; 95% CI, 0.563 to 1.182; P = 0.1870). Adverse events were reported in 47 (74.6%) and 20 (33.3%) patients in the nelfinavir and control groups, respectively. The most common adverse event in the nelfinavir group was diarrhea (49.2%). Nelfinavir did not reduce the time to viral clearance in this setting. Our findings indicate that nelfinavir should not be recommended in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The study is registered with the Japan Registry of Clinical Trials (jRCT2071200023). IMPORTANCE The anti-HIV drug nelfinavir suppresses the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in vitro. However, its efficacy in patients with COVID-19 has not been studied. We conducted a multicenter, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of orally administered nelfinavir in patients with asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic COVID-19. Compared to standard-of-care alone, nelfinavir (750 mg, thrice daily) did not reduce the time to viral clearance, viral load, or the time to resolution of symptoms. More patients had adverse events in the nelfinavir group than in the control group (74.6% [47/63 patients] versus 33.3% [20/60 patients]). Our clinical study provides evidence that nelfinavir, despite its antiviral effects on SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, should not be recommended for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 having no or mild symptoms

Dasatinib cessation after deep molecular response exceeding 2 years and natural killer cell transition during dasatinib consolidation

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) improve the prognosis of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) by inducing substantial deep molecular responses (DMR); some patients have successfully discontinued TKI therapy after maintaining DMR for ≥1 year. In this cessation study, we investigated the optimal conditions for dasatinib discontinuation in patients who maintained DMR for ≥2 years. This study included 54 patients with CML who were enrolled in a D‐STOP multicenter prospective trial, had achieved DMR, and had discontinued dasatinib after 2‐year consolidation. Peripheral lymphocyte profiles were analyzed by flow cytometry. The estimated 12‐month treatment‐free survival (TFS) was 62.9% (95% confidence interval: 48.5%‐74.2%). During dasatinib consolidation, the percentage of total lymphocytes and numbers of CD3⁻ CD56⁺ natural killer (NK) cells, CD16⁺ CD56⁺ NK cells and CD56⁺ CD57⁺ NK‐large granular lymphocytes (LGL) were significantly higher in patients with molecular relapse after discontinuation but remained unchanged in patients without molecular relapse for >7 months. At the end of consolidation, patients whose total lymphocytes comprised <41% CD3⁻ CD56⁺ NK cells, <35% CD16⁺ CD56⁺ NK cells, or <27% CD56⁺ CD57⁺ NK‐LGL cells had higher TFS relative to other patients (77% vs 18%; P < .0008; 76% vs 10%; P < .0001; 84% vs 46%; P = .0059, respectively). The increase in the number of these NK cells occurred only during dasatinib consolidation. In patients with DMR, dasatinib discontinuation after 2‐year consolidation can lead to high TFS. This outcome depends significantly on a smaller increase in NK cells during dasatinib consolidation