objectives the aim of this study was to perform a histopathological and bacteriological evaluation of gastric lesions based on h. pylori and helicobacter-like organisms (hlos) in cats. materials and methods the present study was carried out on 28 cat’s (13 male and 15 female cases) gastric mucosae, which were tested by bacteriological and histopathological methods. biochemical tests such as cat...

Objective—Evaluation of known group validity, ecological validity, and test-retest reliability of four domain instruments from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement System (PROMIS) in osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Methods—Recruitment of an osteoarthritis sample and a comparison general population (GP) through an Internet survey panel. Pain intensity, pain interference, physical functioning,...

Recently-developed testing theories and current technology make possible a fast and easy generation of computerized adaptive tests (CATs), which emulate the intelligent behaviour of human evaluators. In fact, they dynamically select and administer the most appropriate items depending on the previous responses given by the examinees. However, to choose the proper item from the bank, the CAT algo...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to evaluate three psychophysical tests for the measurement of contrast sensitivity (CS) and disability glare (DG) at different luminance levels. METHODS In 60 eyes of 60 individuals (group 1: 20 healthy eyes of young individuals; group 2: 20 healthy eyes of elderly subjects; group 3: 20 eyes with nuclear cataract), CS with best correction was measured twi...

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the repeatability of quantitative sensory tests (QSTs) in a group of healthy untrained cats (n = 14) and to compare the results with those from cats with osteoarthritis (n = 7). Methods Peak vertical force (PVF) and vertical impulse were measured on a pressure plate system. Thermal sensitivity was assessed using a temperature-controlled plate at ...

Item response theory (IRT) has most often been used in research on computerized adaptive testing (CAT). Depending on the model used, IRT requires between 200 and 1,000 examinees for estimating item parameters. Thus, it is not practical for instructional designers to develop their own CAT based on the IRT model. Frick improved Wald" s sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) by combining it with...

Recently, adaptive test approaches have become a viable alternative to traditional fixed-item tests. The main advantage of tests is that they reach desired measurement precision with fewer items. However, items mean each item has more significant effect on ability estimation and therefore those are open consequential results from any flaw in an item. So, indicating differential functioning (DIF...

BACKGROUND Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is a relevant variable in the evaluation of health outcomes. Questionnaires based on Classical Test Theory typically require a large number of items to evaluate HRQoL. Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) can be used to reduce tests length while maintaining and, in some cases, improving accuracy. This study aimed at validating a CAT based on Item Res...

OBJECTIVES The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) is a universally applicable set of instruments, including item banks, short forms and computer adaptive tests (CATs), measuring patient-reported health across different patient populations. PROMIS CATs are highly efficient and the use in practice is considered feasible with little administration time, offering stan...

OBJECTIVE To develop a comprehensive, psychometrically sound, and conceptually grounded patient reported outcomes (PRO) measurement system for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS Individual interviews (n=44) and focus groups (n=65 individuals with SCI and n=42 SCI clinicians) were used to select key domains for inclusion and to develop PRO items. Verbatim items from other cutti...