The *validation of an instrument for the assessment of study behaviors of high school students

The purpose of this study is to validate the Study Behavior Inventory-High School, an instrument designed to measure study behaviors of high school students and to determine the stability of its scores across populations and across grades. Numerous studies have shown the relationship between the level of students' use of appropriate study behaviors and their levels of academic achievement and this is particularly relevant at a time of increasing demands for school and teacher accountability for their students' academic achievement. ^ The instrument was administered to 3,336 students in grades 9 through 12 in four high schools in diverse parts of the United States. Factor analysis yielded a four factor structure for the instrument and evidence for its construct validity was obtained using convergent and discriminant methods. The four factors include academic self-perception and feelings of low self-efficacy, academic preparation behaviors, time management, and the social nature of taking tests and studying. Internal consistency reliability for the scores on each of the four factors was calculated and found to range between .68 and .87. Finally, confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable levels of fit between the factor structure obtained in this study and an earlier one obtained during a pilot study using 800 participants. ^ The SBI-HS appears to be a valid and reliable instrument for the measure of study behaviors in high school students. ^

Social determinants of fruit and vegetable intake and validation of Pro-Children Eating Habits Questionnaire for 3rd and 5th grade children

BACKGROUND: The Pro Children Eating Habits Questionnaire has been evaluated as a valid and reliable tool in Europe to measure determinants of fruit and vegetable intake for children; however, it has not been validation for United States populations. The purpose of this study was to (1) assess the reliability and discrimination validity of fruit and vegetable correlates for the Pro Children Eating Habits Questionnaire; (2) investigate the predictive validity of determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption for multi-ethnic elementary school children; and, (3) to assess the association of social determinants with fruit and vegetable consumption. METHODS: One hundred and thirty elementary school students from the 3rd and 5th grades completed this cross-sectional study. RESULTS: Fruit and vegetable determinants, had satisfactory internal consistencies. No differences were found between the test and the retest for the individual questions with the exception of the question for mean perceived vegetable intake. The discriminatory validity indicated the questionnaire could show differences across grade and gender levels for barriers of fruit and vegetables but not for other factors. Grade together with gender explained barriers to eating fruit and vegetables. Greater availability of fruit in the home and school was associated with higher frequency of consumption. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate the Pro-Children Eating Habits Questionnaire may be a reliable and valid tool for assessing fruit and vegetable consumption of children in the United States.

Validation of an Analytical Method for the Identification of SmartWater CSI Forensic Marking Technology

SmartWater is a chemical taggant used as a crime deterrent. The chemical taggant is a colorless liquid that fluoresces yellow under ultra-violet (UV) light and contains distinctive, identifiable and traceable elemental composition. For instance, upon a break and entry scenario, the burglar is sprayed with a solution that has an elemental signature custom-made to a specific location. The residues of this taggant persist on skin and other objects and can be easily recovered for further analysis. The product has been effectively used in Europe as a crime deterrent and has been recently introduced in South Florida. In 2014, Fourt Lauderdale Police Department reported the use of SmartWater products with a reduction in burglaries of 14% [1]. The International Forensic Research Institute (IFRI) at FIU validated the scientific foundation of the methods of recovery and analysis of these chemical tagging systems using LA-ICP-MS. Analytical figures of merit of the method such as precision, accuracy, limits of detection, linearity and selectivity are reported in this study. Moreover, blind samples were analyzed by LA-ICP-MS to compare the chemical signatures to the company’s database and evaluate error rates and the accuracy of the method. This study demonstrated that LA-ICP-MS could be used to effectively detect these traceable taggants to assist law enforcement agencies in the United States with cases involving transfer of these forensic coding systems.