The effect of socially desirable responding (SDR) on the consensual validity of personality traits was studied. SDR was operationalized as the sum of items weighted by their respective social desirability values (Social Desirability Index, SDI), which could be computed for both selfand peer-reports. In addition, the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) was used as a measure of SDR....

OBJECTIVE The Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index (SDI) is a validated instrument for assessing organ damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Trained physicians must complete it, thus limiting utility where this is impossible. METHODS We developed and pilot tested a self-assessed organ damage instrument, the Lupus Damage Index...

Therapy (MUSIC study). Abstract Aims: Strain delay index (SDI) allows quantification of the wasted contraction or gain of myocardial contractility expected after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The present multicenter prospective study aimed to assess the accuracy of the SDI in predicting responses to CRT in real life patients that include wide and narrow (<130ms) QRS complexes. Method...

Assessments of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) strategies are rather scarce. When evaluations do occur, they usually cover only one aspect of a certain initiative or infrastructure, without taking into account all the other impacts it might have. Moreover, similar methods, such as the Cost-Benefit Analysis, are used in most situations. However, these techniques are only suited for very specif...

BACKGROUND Disease progression and heart failure development in Ebstein's Anomaly (EA) of the tricuspid valve is characterized by both right and left ventricular (LV) deterioration. The mechanisms underlying LV dysfunction and their role in heart failure development are incompletely understood. We hypothesized that LV dyssynchrony and impaired torsion and recoil mechanics induced by paradoxical...

One of the biggest obstacles to the widespread adoption of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) on the High Plains of Texas is the high cost of initial installation. In some cases, SDI costs can be reduced if systems are designed using lower irrigation uniformity standards. The question becomes “what is the cost in terms of cotton lint yield of lowering the uniformity standards for SDI design?” A S...

AIMS Strain delay index (SDI) allows quantification of the wasted contraction or gain of myocardial contractility expected after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The present multicentre prospective study aimed to assess the accuracy of the SDI in predicting responses to CRT in real-life patients with wide and narrow (<130 ms) QRS complexes. METHODS AND RESULTS Implantation of a CRT de...

Transitional economies with large geographical areas (such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China) represent both a challenge and an opportunity for the creation of spatial data infrastructures (SDI). Setting up an SDI in transitional economies is critically dependent on the diffusion of geographical information systems technology in public and private institutions. We use Rogers’ diffusion of inn...