The development of a scale of the Guttman Type for the assessment of mobility disability in multiple sclerosis

Objective: The aim of the study was to develop a valid and reliable unidimensional scale of the Guttman type for the assessment of mobility disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). Subjects: Sixty-eight subjects with a definite diagnosis of MS participated.They were attending as outpatients at a MS unit at a District General Hospital. Thirty had the primary progressive pattern of disease, and 38 had the relapsing-remitting pattern. Methods: Formal assessments used for neurological disability were inspected, and 14 test items of gross motor function were extracted and ordered according to two criteria. These were that actions progressed from lying, to sitting, to standing and walking tasks, and that they progressed from broader to narrower bases of support. All subjects carried out all test items which were scored as ‘pass’ or ‘fail’. Analysis: Data were tested for internal consistency, reliability, inter item correlation, reproducibility and scalability. On the basis of the results, the items were re-ordered in rank, and reduced to eleven tests. The eleven item scale was re-analysed. Results: Results showed that the scale had an internal consistency of 0.88 (alpha coefficient) and a coefficient of reproducibility (CR) of 0.95 and above for both MS subject groups. The coefficient of scalability (CS) for items was 0.78 for primary progressive subjects and 0.74 for the relapsing-remitting group. Reliability ranged from good (kappa = 0.49) for one item, to perfect for six items. Conclusion: The scale was demonstrated to be a hierarchical scale of the Guttman type exhibiting homogeneous unidimensionality and good reliability. The high CR indicated that scores may be summed, and the very acceptable levels of CS indicated that the cumulative scores are meaningful within the defined concept of hierarchy used in this study

Luminosity determination in pppp collisions at s=13\sqrt{s}=13 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The luminosity determination for the ATLAS detector at the LHC during Run 2 is presented, with $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV. The absolute luminosity scale is determined using van der Meer beam separation scans during dedicated running periods in each year, and extrapolated to the physics data-taking regime using complementary measurements from several luminosity-sensitive detectors. The total uncertainties in the integrated luminosities for each individual year of data-taking range from 0.9% to 1.1%, and are partially correlated between years. After standard data-quality selections, the full Run 2 $pp$ data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $140.1\pm 1.2$ fb$^{-1}$, i.e. an uncertainty of 0.83%. A dedicated sample of low-pileup data recorded in 2017-18 for precision Standard Model physics measurements is analysed separately, and has an integrated luminosity of $338.1\pm 3.1$ pb$^{-1}$.The luminosity determination for the ATLAS detector at the LHC during Run 2 is presented, with pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV. The absolute luminosity scale is determined using van der Meer beam separation scans during dedicated running periods in each year, and extrapolated to the physics data-taking regime using complementary measurements from several luminosity-sensitive detectors. The total uncertainties in the integrated luminosity for each individual year of data-taking range from 0.9% to 1.1%, and are partially correlated between years. After standard data-quality selections, the full Run 2 pp data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $140.1\pm 1.2$ $\hbox {fb}^{-1}$, i.e. an uncertainty of 0.83%. A dedicated sample of low-pileup data recorded in 2017–2018 for precision Standard Model physics measurements is analysed separately, and has an integrated luminosity of $338.1\pm 3.1$ $\hbox {pb}^{-1}$.The luminosity determination for the ATLAS detector at the LHC during Run 2 is presented, with $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV. The absolute luminosity scale is determined using van der Meer beam separation scans during dedicated running periods in each year, and extrapolated to the physics data-taking regime using complementary measurements from several luminosity-sensitive detectors. The total uncertainties in the integrated luminosities for each individual year of data-taking range from 0.9% to 1.1%, and are partially correlated between years. After standard data-quality selections, the full Run 2 $pp$ data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $140.1\pm 1.2$ fb$^{-1}$, i.e. an uncertainty of 0.83%. A dedicated sample of low-pileup data recorded in 2017-18 for precision Standard Model physics measurements is analysed separately, and has an integrated luminosity of $338.1\pm 3.1$ pb$^{-1}$