Measuring older adults' wellbeing when transitioning into assisted living facilities: a confirmatory factor analysis of the Mueller assessment of transition (MAT).

Objectives: Older adults' wellbeing during the transition into an assisted living facility (ALF) is not well understood and may influence their wellbeing. The Mueller Assessment of Transition (MAT) was created to measure the impact of transition on older adults' wellbeing. Early developmental testing of the MAT revealed a hypothesized model with two constructs (adjustment strategies and constraints to wellbeing).

Modification Indices for Diagnostic Classification Models.

Diagnostic classification models (DCMs) are psychometric models for evaluating a student's mastery of the essential skills in a content domain based upon their responses to a set of test items. Currently, diagnostic model and/or Q-matrix misspecification is a known problem with limited avenues for remediation. To address this problem, this paper defines a one-sided score statistic that is a computationally efficient method for detecting under-specification at the item level of both the Q-matrix and the model parameters of the particular DCM chosen in an analysis.

Comparing the Two- and Three-Parameter Logistic Models via Likelihood Ratio Tests: A Commonly Misunderstood Problem.

Selection of an appropriate item response model is critical in the measurement of latent examinee ability. The one-, two-, and three-parameter logistic (1PL, 2PL, and 3PL) models are nested, and as such can be compared using likelihood ratio (LR) tests. The null hypothesis in the LR test for selection among the 2PL and 3PL models sets the guessing parameters to their lower bound of 0.

Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease associated with chronic bronchitis with inhaled fluticasone propionate/salmeterol (ADVAIR DISKUS) 250/50: results of a patient experience trial.

Context: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is recognized as a major healthcare problem in the United States and around the world.

Objective: This survey regarding initial experience in patients with COPD collected feedback about newly initiated therapy with fluticasone propionate/salmeterol (FSC; ADVAIR DISKUS).

Design: Three telephone surveys were conducted; Survey 1 prior to initiating therapy with FSC 250/50, and Surveys 2 and 3 at 2 weeks and 30 days after initiating therapy with FSC 250/50, respectively.

The efficacy and safety of inhaled fluticasone propionate/salmeterol and ipratropium/albuterol for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: an eight-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group study.

Background: The pathology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes both obstructive and inflammatory components.

Objective: The aim of this study was to confirm the findings of a previous study that compared the efficacy of a combination of 2 short-acting bronchodilators with the use of an inhaled corticosteroid and a long-acting beta-agonist in the treatment of COPD.

Methods: We conducted an 8-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group study of subjects with moderate to severe COPD to compare fluticasone propionate/salmeterol 250/50 microg BID (FSC) with ipratropium/albuterol 36/206 microg QID (IB/ALB).