There is a need to develop tools for mastitis management in goats and to measure the effects of milking machines on teats. Infrared thermography (IRT), as shown in cows, was a good candidate for early mastitis detection and focusing on milking equipment and settings implicated in potential problems. The aim of this study was to test IRT to detect udder inflammation and the effects of mechanical milking on teats in relation to inflammation status, udder balance, and teat shape in Alpine goats. IRT spectra were compared before and after milking in 551 goats from three commercial herds compared to their individual SCC (somatic cell count). We found no regression or trend between logSCC and IRT measurement or response to milking, even in highly inflamed goat udders. The effect of milking was significant (p < 0.05) with global temperature reduction after milking, but differences were seen between teat parts and unbalanced half udders. The highest reduction in skin temperature was observed at the teat orifice (-1.06 ± 0.05) and the lowest at the teat barrel (-0.37 ± 0.05). The teats with long barrels showed more IRT reactions, which clearly indicates poor adaptation to the liners used. In conclusion, the IRT was not able to detect mastitis, but it is a good tool to diagnose the effects of the milking machine in order to adapt milking equipment and settings to the goats and improve their welfare.

BACKGROUND: To improve the engagement and effectiveness of traditional health programs, it is necessary to explore alternative models of health education including video-assisted lectures and peer education.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a combination of video-assisted lectures and peer education on health literacy related to infectious diseases among students.
METHODS: Third-grade classes from 11 pilot schools in Longgang District of Shenzhen, China, were randomized to the intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, a video-assisted interactive health education program was conducted twice over a time span of 5 months. Each of the 2 sessions included a 40-minute lecture on COVID-19 and other common infectious diseases in schools and a 5-minute science video. In addition, 5 \"little health supervisors\" at the end of the first session were elected in each class, who were responsible for helping class members to learn health knowledge and develop good hygiene habits. Students answered the same quiz before the first and after the second session. Models based on item response theory (IRT) were constructed to score the students\' knowledge of infectious diseases based on the quiz.
RESULTS: In total, 52 classes and 2526 students (intervention group: n=1311; control group: n=1215) were enrolled. Responses of the baseline survey were available for 2177 (86.2%; intervention group: n=1306; control group: n=871) students and those of the postintervention survey were available for 1862 (73.7%; intervention group: n=1187; control group: n=675). There were significant cross-group differences in the rates of correctly answering questions about influenza symptoms, transmission, and preventive measures; chicken pox symptoms; norovirus diarrhea symptoms; mumps symptoms; and COVID-19 symptoms. Average IRT scores of questions related to infectious diseases in the intervention and control groups were, respectively, -0.0375 (SD 0.7784) and 0.0477 (SD 0.7481) before the intervention (P=.01), suggesting better baseline knowledge in the control group. After the intervention, the average scores of the intervention and control groups were 0.0543 (SD 0.7569) and -0.1115 (SD 0.7307), respectively (P<.001), suggesting not only significantly better scores but also greater improvement in the intervention group.
CONCLUSIONS: After the health education project, the correct answer rate of infectious disease questions in the intervention group was higher than that of the control group, which indicates significant effects of the combination of video-assisted lectures and peer education for the promotion of health literacy. In addition, the intervention effect of the first session persisted for at least 4 months up to the second session. As such, the proposed program was effective in improving the health literacy of school children in relation to infectious diseases and should be considered for massive health promotion campaigns during pandemics.
BACKGROUND: ISRCTN ISRCTN49297995; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN49297995.

Measuring cognition in an aging populabtion is a public health priority. A move towards survey measurement via the web (as opposed to phone or in-person) is cost-effective but challenging as it may induce bias in cognitive measures. We examine this possibility using an experiment embedded in the 2018 wave of data collection for the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS).
We utilize techniques from multiple group item response theory to assess the effect of survey mode on performance on the HRS cognitive measure. We also study the problem of attrition by attempting to predict dropout and via approaches meant to minimize bias in subsequent inferences due to attrition.
We find evidence of an increase in scores for HRS respondents who are randomly assigned to the web-based mode of data collection in 2018. Web-based respondents score higher in 2018 than experimentally matched phone-based respondents, and they show much larger gains relative to 2016 performance and subsequently larger declines in 2020. The differential in favor of web-based responding is observed across all items, but is most pronounced for the Serial 7 task and numeracy items. Due to the relative ease of the web-based mode, we suggest a cutscore of 12 being used to indicate CIND (cognitively impaired but not demented) status when using the web-based version rather than 11.
The difference in mode may be nonignorable for many uses of the HRS cognitive measure. In particular, it may require reconsideration of some cutscore-based approaches to identify impairment.

The Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Parent Form (FAQLQ-PF) is a commonly used patient-reported outcome measure in food allergy (FA) research. It was developed before FA treatment clinical trials were commonplace and is used as a secondary outcome measure in pivotal FA treatment trials. We examined the psychometric properties of the FAQLQ-PF and its relevance to children with peanut allergy engaged in an epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT) clinical trial.
Analysis was performed on 26 universally answered items of the FAQLQ-PF, from assessments undertaken during the phase 3 PEPITES study (baseline, Month 12), which examined the safety and efficacy of EPIT for children with peanut allergy aged 4-11 years. Item response theory (IRT) was used to assess psychometric parameters of the FAQLQ-PF (i.e., discrimination, difficulty, and information). Confirmatory factor analysis was also employed; reliability was assessed using McDonald\'s omega (ω) and Cronbach\'s alpha (α).
A total of 23 of 26 items presented very high discrimination levels (>1.7), and all 26 fell within the recommended difficulty threshold (between -1.5 and 1.5). The items contributed a reasonable information level for their respective factors/subdomains. The measure also presented a marginally acceptable model fit for the 3-factor structure (e.g., comparative fit index = 0.88, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.87) and good reliability levels across time points (ω and α > 0.90).
Herein, we present a novel reanalysis of the FAQLQ-PF items using IRT. The longitudinal performance of individual items and subscales was corroborated, and items with the highest discrimination were identified, showing that the tool is suitable for longitudinal measurements in FA treatment trials.

BACKGROUND: Both imagery rescripting and imaginal exposure have been proven to be effective in the treatment of chronic nightmares when compared to a waitlist condition. Little is known about their comparative efficacy and their efficacy compared to an active control.
OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to compare the two treatments to one another and to positive imagery as an active control, and to explore covariates of the treatment effect.
METHODS: In this single-blinded randomized controlled trial, 96 patients with nightmare disorder (idiopathic nightmares) from an outpatient clinic were randomly assigned to a single individual treatment session of rescripting, exposure, or positive imagery and 4 weeks of practice at home. The primary outcome was nightmare distress, and the secondary outcomes were nightmare frequency, nightmare effects, self-efficacy, and general psychopathology.
RESULTS: Nightmare distress was reduced in all groups (imagery rescripting: Cohen\'s d = -1.04, imaginal exposure: d = -0.68, positive imagery: d = -0.57), as were nightmare frequency, nightmare effects, and psychopathology. Self-efficacy was enhanced. No differential treatment effects were found on any primary or secondary measure. Treatment gains were not associated with demographic or disorder characteristics, baseline values, treatment credibility, or the number of practice sessions.
CONCLUSIONS: Even short nightmare treatments are effective regardless of personal characteristics, and different interventions produce similar results. Future research should aim to clarify the mechanisms of action. Health care should make more use of these powerful and easy-to-administer nightmare treatments.

To assess complex social recognition in mice, we previously developed the SocioBox paradigm. Unexpectedly, 4 weeks after performing in the SocioBox, mice displayed robust social avoidance during Y-maze sociability testing. This unique \"sociophobia\" acquisition could be documented in independent cohorts. We therefore employed infrared thermography as a non-invasive method of stress-monitoring during SocioBox testing (presentation of five other mice) versus empty box. A higher Centralization Index (body/tail temperature) in the SocioBox correlated negatively with social recognition memory and, after 4 weeks, with social preference in the Y-maze. Assuming that social stimuli might be associated with characteristic thermo-responses, we exposed healthy men (N = 103) with a comparably high intelligence level to a standardized test session including two cognitive tests with or without social component (face versus pattern recognition). In some analogy to the Centralization Index (within-subject measure) used in mice, the Reference Index (ratio nose/malar cheek temperature) was introduced to determine the autonomic facial response/flushing during social recognition testing. Whereas cognitive performance and salivary cortisol were comparable across human subjects and tests, the Face Recognition Test was associated with a characteristic Reference Index profile. Infrared thermography may have potential for discriminating disturbed social behaviors.

The Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE) is one of the most widely used measures of functional limitations after traumatic brain injury (TBI), and is the primary outcome measure used in clinical trials of acute TBI treatment. However, the GOSE appears insensitive to the full spectrum of TBI-related functional limitations, which may limit its potential to capture treatment effects or correlate with other variables that impact outcome. The Functional Status Examination (FSE) was designed to improve on the assessment of injury-related functional limitations using a standardized assessment and wider possible score range. The aim of this pilot study was to employ item response theory (IRT) to test the hypothesis that the FSE yields more precise estimation of functional outcome than the GOSE. Traumatically injured patients (n = 100, 77 TBI, 23 orthopedic injuries) were interviewed at 3 months post-injury using both the GOSE and FSE structured interviews. IRT was used to quantify and compare the tests\' information functions, which reflect the degree to which each instrument precisely measures functional limitations across the severity spectrum. Findings were consistent with predictions: the FSE yielded stronger measurement of functional limitations (i.e., higher test information) across a wider range of severity than the GOSE, whether scoring the GOSE from all interview items or using the traditional GOSE overall score. Although the FSE appears to be a promising alternative measure to the GOSE, further research is needed to cross-validate these findings in a larger sample and understand how to best deploy it in clinical and translational research.

To facilitate future outcome studies, we aimed to develop a robust and replicable method for estimating a categorical and dimensional measure of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70).
Following a data mining framework, we mapped DSM-5 ADHD symptoms to age 10 BCS70 data (N = 11,426) and derived a 16-item scale (α = 0.85). Mapping was validated by an expert panel. A categorical subgroup was derived (n = 594, 5.2%), and a zero-inflated item response theory (IRT) mixture model fitted to estimate a dimensional measure.
Subgroup composition was comparable with other ADHD samples. Relative risk ratios (ADHD/not ADHD) included boys = 1.38, unemployed fathers = 2.07, below average reading = 2.58, and depressed parent = 3.73. Our estimated measures correlated with two derived reference scales: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire hyperactivity (r = 0.74) and a Rutter/Conners-based scale (r = 0.81), supporting construct validity. IRT model items (symptoms) had moderate to high discrimination (0.90-2.81) and provided maximum information at average to moderate theta levels of ADHD (0.5-1.75).
We extended previous work to identify ADHD in BCS70, derived scales from existing data, modeled ADHD items with IRT, and adjusted for a zero-inflated distribution. Psychometric properties were promising, and this work will enable future studies of causal mechanisms in ADHD.

The 15-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) is a self-report screening instrument widely used. The current study aimed at providing evidence of the measurement precision of the GDS-15 applying Item Response Theory (IRT). The relative contribution of each item and the reliability of the whole scale in measuring the trait level around the cutoffs were investigated employing data collected from a sample consisting of 1344 old people (M=76.44years, SD=5.13; 58.7% women) involved in a large gerontological research project. The unidimensional two-parameter (2PL) logistic model was employed to item estimate location and slope parameters as well as the Test Information Function (TIF). Nine out of fifteen items were located around the cutoffs and the slopes showed that the majority of the items had substantial discrimination ability. The TIF peaked in correspondence of the cutoffs attesting the good local reliability of the scale. These findings support to the utility of the GDS-15 in detecting depression among older people.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the scaling properties of the Subjective Index of Physical and Social Outcome (SIPSO) after stroke in survivors to hospital discharge, unselected by age.
METHODS: Factor, Mokken, and Rasch analyses of the SIPSO using data from a prospective observational cohort study.
METHODS: Three acute care hospitals.
METHODS: Consecutive admissions (N=312) with acute stroke, unselected by age.
METHODS: Not applicable.
METHODS: Patient- or proxy-reported SIPSO, collected by postal survey 6 months after stroke.
RESULTS: Complete SIPSO questionnaires were returned by 166 of 268 survivors (median age, 72y; interquartile range, 66-81y). Factor and Mokken analyses supported both 1- and 2-factor solutions. Fit to the Rasch model for the 10-item scale was poor (χ(2) test for item-trait interaction, χ(2)=69.6; P<.001). Differential item functioning by sex and age was demonstrated for the physical subscore and was dealt with through the creation of 2 super items, resulting in a good fit to the Rasch model (χ(2)=2.35; P=.67), ordered thresholds, good targeting to the latent trait, and reasonable separation reliability (Person-Separation Index, 0.8). For the social subscore, no differential item functioning was demonstrated by age or sex. Local dependence was dealt with through the creation of 2 super items. Thereafter, fit to the Rasch model (χ(2)=5.21; P=.27) and targeting to the latent trait were good, and thresholds ordered. Separation reliability was poor (Person-Separation Index, .67).
CONCLUSIONS: The 10-item SIPSO is a valid ordinal scale in a population including older stroke survivors. A physical and social subscale structure is also supported. Subscales can be manipulated to fit the Rasch model, and a conversion table for conversion to an interval scale is provided. The social subscore has poor separation reliability, limiting its use in older stroke survivors.