Accurate and reliable information on the spatial distribution of mangrove species is needed for a wide variety of applications, including sustainable management of mangrove forests, conservation and reserve planning, ecological and biogeographical studies, and invasive species management. Remotely sensed data have been used for such purposes with mixed results. Our study employed an objectorien...

Instrument content validity is often established through qualitative expert reviews, yet quantitative analysis of reviewer agreements is also advocated in the literature. Two quantitative approaches to content validity estimations were compared and contrasted using a newly developed instrument called the Osteoporosis Risk Assessment Tool (ORAT). Data obtained from a panel of eight expert judges...

The purpose of this pilot study was to assess whether orthodontic treatment planning is reproducible when carried out using digital records compared with clinical examinations or using standard records. The study also assessed patients' opinion of face-to-face consultations and potential use of teleorthodontics. The study was designed as a prospective observational cross-sectional pilot study a...

OBJECTIVE To present the cross-cultural adaptation of the Diabetes Knowledge Scale and Attitudes Questionnaires targeted to evaluate Brazilian Diabetes Mellitus patients. METHODS These questionnaires underwent the following steps: presentation, translation, back translation, semantic and idiomatic assessments, cultural and conceptual similarities and a pilot test. They were administered in tw...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate BD MGITTM TBc® technique for identifying the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex using isolates obtained in liquid and solid media. METHODS A descriptive study was conducted in which 117 isolates were analyzed by the immune-chromatography technique obtained from solid and liquid cultures to identify the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The kappa coefficient was calcul...

Cohen's kappa coefficient, which was introduced in 1960, serves as the most widely employed coefficient to assess inter-observer agreement for categorical outcomes. However, the original kappa can only be applied to cross-sectional binary measurements and, therefore, cannot be applied in the practical situation when the observers evaluate the same subjects at repeated time intervals. This study...

Introduction: The aim of this study was to design a standard questionnaire facilitating the evaluation of the knowledge and attitude of medical students regarding radiation protection. Methods: At first, a 30-item questionnaire was prepared. The scale construction procedure was performed using content validity assessment. Considering objectives, some items were...

objective: tooth decay is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. after pit and fissures, enamel of proximal surface is the second region prone to rot. bitewing images are one of the most important diagnostic tools for the detection of caries . given the importance of accurate and timely detection of decay , the current study was aimed to evaluate the ability and skill of the fina...

PURPOSE To introduce a new convenient and accurate method to measure the angle kappa using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and corneal topography. METHODS Data from 42 eyes (13 males and 29 females) were analyzed in this study. The angle kappa was measured using Orbscan II and calculated with UBM and corneal topography. The angle kappa of the dominant eye was compared with measurements by Orbs...

Ecotones are zones of gradual changes from an ecological system to another.Ecotones monitoring could be important to find out the reason for changes and limits. Inthis research satellite data were used to analyze the ecotone boundary in Fars steppicrangelands using IRS LISS III and Pan data of year 2006. The real vegetation map andecotones prepared through Geo-eye images from Google earth softw...