OBJECTIVES The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD) scale has been useful in a broad spectrum of health research on patient and population outcomes. A brief version is used when depressive symptoms are not the primary focus. Rasch (item response) analysis previously demonstrated potential problems with positively worded items. We tested the 10-item CESD (CESD-10) scale and conside...

BACKGROUND The impact of strabismus on visual function, self-image, self-esteem, and social interactions decrease health-related quality of life (HRQoL).The purpose of this study was to evaluate and refine the adult strabismus quality of life questionnaire (AS-20) by using Rasch analysis among Chinese adult patients with strabismus. METHODS We evaluated the fitness of the AS-20 with Rasch mod...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the properties of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) from a Rasch paradigm. METHODS A secondary analysis of 235 patients with work-related pain conditions was performed using the Rasch methodology. Unidimensionality, item fit, location independence, differential item functioning, response option structure, and linearity were evaluated for the 13-item PCS score. RESU...

BACKGROUND Our objective was to evaluate the measurement properties of the Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire (PSOCQ) and its four subscales Precontemplation, Contemplation, Action and Maintenance. METHODS A total of 231 patients, median age 42 years, with chronic musculoskeletal pain responded to the 30 items in PSOCQ. Thresholds for item scores, and unidimensionality and invariance of the ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the psychometric properties of the Rivermead Motor Assessment by Rasch analysis and conventional statistics to improve its clinical utility. METHODS A total of 107 patients after stroke were evaluated using the Rivermead Motor Assessment and Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Scaling properties were assessed using Mokken scaling, internal construct validity using ...

A level-set formulation for the motion of faceted interfaces is presented. The evolving surface of a crystal is represented as the zero-level of a phase function. The crystal is identified by its orientation and facet speeds. Accuracy is tested on a single crystal by comparison with the exact evolution. The method is extended to study the evolution of a polycrystal. Numerical examples in two an...

Faceted search enables users to navigate a multi-dimensional information space by combining keyword search with drill-down options in each facets. For example, when searching “computer monitor” in an e-commerce site, users can select brands and monitor types from the the provided facets {“Samsung”, “Dell”, “Acer”, ...} and {“LET-Lit”, “LCD”, “OLED”, ...}. It has been used successfully for many ...