Predicting recidivism with the Psychopathy Checklist: Are factor score composites really necessary?

In two previous studies on general and violent recidivism (Walters & Heilbrun, 2010; Walters, Knight, Grann, & Dahle, 2008), the summed composite antisocial facet of the Psychopathy Checklist displayed incremental validity relative to the other 3 facets (interpersonal, affective, lifestyle), whereas the other 3 facets generally failed to demonstrate incremental validity relative to the antisocial facet. Because summed composite scores do not account for ordinal item distributions, the 6 Walters et al. (2008) samples were reanalyzed with factor score composites derived from a 4-factor confirmatory factor analysis. The results, however, showed little change from what had been obtained earlier with summed composite scores. Two additional samples not previously included in any incremental validity analyses of the Psychopathy Checklist evidenced a 3-factor structure, with the lifestyle and antisocial facets merged into a single factor. This single factor displayed incremental validity relative to the interpersonal and affective facets, but the reverse was not true regardless of whether summed composite scores or factor score composites were used. A comparison of zero-order correlations from all 8 samples revealed that the antisocial summed composite score predicted significantly better than the summed composite scores for the other 3 facets and that a superordinate factor failed to improve on the performance of either the antisocial summed composite score or the antisocial factor score composite. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adaptive transform skipping for improved coding of motion compensated residuals

New generations of video compression algorithms, such as those included in the under development High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard, provide substantially higher compression compared to their ancestors. The gain is achieved by improved prediction of pixels, both within a frame and between frames. Novel coding tools that contribute to the gain provide highly uncorrelated prediction residuals for which classical frequency decomposition methods, such as the discrete cosine transform, may not be able to supply a compact representation with few significant coefficients. To further increase the compression gains, this paper proposes transform skip modes which allow skipping one or both 1-D constituent transforms (i.e., vertical and horizontal), which is more suitable for sparse residuals. The proposed transform skip mode is tested in the HEVC codec and is able to provide bitrate reductions of up to 10% at the same objective quality when compared with the application of 2-D block transforms only. Moreover, the proposed transform skip mode outperforms the full transform skip currently investigated for possible adoption in the HEVC standard.     

Comparing the relative fit of categorical and dimensional latent variable models using consistency tests.

A number of recent studies have used Meehl’s (1995) taxometric method to determine empirically whether one should model assessment-related constructs as categories or dimensions. The taxometric method includes multiple data-analytic procedures designed to check the consistency of results. The goal is to differentiate between strong evidence of categorical structure, strong evidence of dimensional structure, and ambiguous evidence that suggests withholding judgment. Many taxometric consistency tests have been proposed, but their use has not been operationalized and studied rigorously. What tests should be performed, how should results be combined, and what thresholds should be applied? We present an approach to consistency testing that builds on prior work demonstrating that parallel analyses of categorical and dimensional comparison data provide an accurate index of the relative fit of competing structural models. Using a large simulation study spanning a wide range of data conditions, we examine many critical elements of this approach. The results provide empirical support for what marks the first rigorous operationalization of consistency testing. We discuss and empirically illustrate guidelines for implementing this approach and suggest avenues for future research to extend the practice of consistency testing to other techniques for modeling latent variables in the realm of psychological assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A rapid interview protocol supporting patient-centered quality improvement: hearing the parent's voice in a pediatric cancer unit

BACKGROUND: The Institute of Medicine's 2001 report on quality delimits six dimensions of optimal care: safety, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, patient centeredness, and equity. In fall 2001 parents of pediatric cancer patients were interviewed to determine how well they thought these dimensions were addressed with respect to medication administration. Immediate goals were to identify system weaknesses and devise strategies to prevent future errors. A higher-order goal was to develop and demonstrate a model protocol for rapid-cycle interview assessments. METHODS: Hematology/oncology directors worked with a research expert to develop a semistructured interview protocol. After training, which included directed reading, oral instruction, and role-playing, a convenience sample of 20 English- and Spanish-speaking parents of inpatients was recruited. Parents were asked to characterize current medication administration practices and to describe problems that they had experienced or witnessed. Rapid content analysis techniques were used to identify issues of importance to the parents. FINDINGS: Parents' medication concerns centered on their children's comfort. Parents called for communication improvements, standardization of all nursing procedures and techniques, and a guide or an outline providing a clear understanding of what to expect when and from whom. Viewing these concerns in relation to the Institute of Medicine's quality domains allowed the department to frame an improvement action plan aligned with organizational and national priorities. IMPLICATIONS: With good supervision and limited focused training, inexperienced staff can successfully administer semistructured qualitative interviews and help analyze findings for rapid cycle improvement purposes. The protocol can be adapted for use in organizations interested in rapid qualitative assessments of patient and parent preferences.     

Depression history and coping with chronic pain: A daily process analysis.

This study examined how a previous episode of depression is related to daily pain and reactions to pain among individuals with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome. Seventy-one women with fibromyalgia (including 30 who were previously depressed) rated their pain and mood 3 times daily for 30 days. Each night, participants rated the extent to which they responded to pain by catastrophizing, how much control they had over that day's pain, their ways of coping with pain that day, and the effectiveness of their coping efforts. Multivariate multilevel regression models revealed that after controlling for neuroticism and current depressive symptoms, formerly depressed and never-depressed individuals differed in how they coped with increased pain and in how they appraised the efficacy of their coping efforts. Formerly depressed participants who also reported more current depressive symptoms showed a greater decline in pleasant mood on more painful days than did formerly depressed participants who were experiencing fewer current depressive symptoms. These findings illustrate how a history of depression can be captured in the dynamics of daily life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Paper and plastic in daily diary research: Comment on Green, Rafaeli, Bolger, Shrout, and Reis (2006).

The authors applaud A. S. Green, E. Rafaeli, N. Bolger, P. E. Shrout, and H. T. Reis's (2006) response to one-sided comparisons of paper versus electronic (plastic) diary methods (see record 2006-03820-006) and hope that it will stimulate more balanced considerations of the issues involved. The authors begin by highlighting areas of agreement and disagreement with Green et al. The authors review briefly the broader literature that has compared paper and plastic diaries, noting how recent comparisons have relied on study designs and methods that favor investigators' allegiances. The authors note some sorely needed data for the evaluation of the implications of paper versus plastic for the internal and external validity of research. To facilitate evaluation of the existing literature and assist in the design of future studies, the authors offer a balanced comparison of paper and electronic diary methods across a range of applications. Finally, the authors propose 2 study designs that offer fair comparisons of paper and plastic diary methods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evapotranspiration on western U.S. rivers estimated using the Enhanced Vegetation Index from MODIS and data from eddy covariance and Bowen ratio flux towers

We combined remote sensing and in-situ measurements to estimate evapotranspiration (ET) from riparian vegetation over large reaches of western U.S. rivers and ET by individual plant types. ET measured from nine flux towers (eddy covariance and Bowen ratio) established in plant communities dominated by five major plant types on the Middle Rio Grande, Upper San Pedro River, and Lower Colorado River was strongly correlated with Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) values from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) sensor on the NASA Terra satellite. The inclusion of maximum daily air temperatures (T_a) measured at the tower sites further improved this relationship. Sixteen-day composite values of EVI and T_a were combined to predict ET across species and tower sites (r² = 0.74); the regression equation was used to scale ET for 2000-2004 over large river reaches with T_a from meteorological stations. Measured and estimated ET values for these river segments were moderate when compared to historical, and often indirect, estimates and ranged from 851-874 mm yr^− 1. ET of individual plant communities ranged more widely. Cottonwood (Populus spp.) and willow (Salix spp.) stands generally had the highest annual ET rates (1100-1300 mm yr^− 1), while mesquite (Prosopis velutina) (400-1100 mm yr^− 1) and saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) (300-1300 mm yr^− 1) were intermediate, and giant sacaton (Sporobolus wrightii) (500-800 mm yr^− 1) and arrowweed (Pluchea sericea) (300-700 mm yr^− 1) were the lowest. ET rates estimated from the flux towers and by remote sensing in this study were much lower than values estimated for riparian water budgets using crop coefficient methods for the Middle Rio Grande and Lower Colorado River.     

Interpreting computer code in a computer‐based learning system for novice programmers

Although the principles of writing compilers and interpreters are well known, we have found that the ideas needed to develop an interpreter for the express purpose of allowing direct interaction with the running code do not yet appear to have been published in an academic context. We describe a programming method that can be used for the production of an interpreter for common object‐oriented languages such as C++, Java and C#. The main purpose of the interpreter is to parse short, relatively simple programs and allow direct interaction between the user and the running code. Such a system is useful for projects such as OGRE, which is an educational tool allowing students to visualize in three‐dimensional graphics the state of a program as it runs. The interpreter works by first parsing the source code and building up a data structure capable of representing the program's source code in a form that can be used to both run the program and extract detailed information from the running program. This extraction allows for novel uses of the interpreter, such as forming the basis for a visualization system that must display and provide such information to the user as they watch their executing program. This paper considers the construction of such an interpreter specifically for C++, but the principles should be the same for other similar languages such as Java and C#. We cover the main tasks required of the programmer to create and use the data structure, highlighting areas such as its design, initial construction during parsing, and techniques required to use it for interpretation. These include the ability for the data structure to intelligently clone subsets of itself when multiple copies of one of its elements are required by the running program, how it handles C++'s complicated function overloading and overriding rules, and how inheritance and polymorphism can be supported. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Near infrared spectroscopic analysis of forage samples digested in situ (nylon bag)

The objective was to investigate the feasibility of using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy to determine the composition of samples generated in situ. Five alfalfa and five orchardgrass hays of differing maturities were incubated for 0, 6, 24, 48, and 72 h (Experiment 1) or for 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, and 96 h (Experiment 2) in rumen-fistulated, lactating cows, using nylon bags. After washing to remove rumen contents, samples were analyzed using a nonrotating circular cell in a scanning monochromator. All samples then were dried at 55 degrees C and analyzed for CP and ADF by wet chemistry and rescanned in the dry state. The degree of DM digestion of the original sample was calculated from duplicate bags. Results for spectral analysis of dried samples (Experiment 1), with one-half the samples for validation, were typical of results found for dry forages. The results for scanning wet samples were less accurate than for dry ones. Analysis of samples from Experiment 2 by equations developed in Experiment 1 often resulted in extremely large biases, but these were corrected by including six samples of each forage from Experiment 2 in the calibration set (from Experiment 1) and redeveloping the equations. Although it is possible to use near infrared reflectance spectroscopy to determine the composition of wet samples generated in situ, results are more accurate if the samples are scanned after drying.