No abstract

This study examined whether the number of options in the Likert scale influences the psychological distance between categories. The most important assumption when using the Likert scale is that the psychological distance between options is equal. The authors proposed a new algorithm for calculating the scale values of options by applying item response theory and the ideas of Wakita to reveal the influence of the number of categories. Three types of questionnaires that were composed of the same items, but used different numbers of options to assess these items (specifically, 4-, 5-, and 7-point scales), were completed by 722 undergraduate students. The results indicated that the number of options influenced the psychological distance between options, particularly for the 7-point scale. This influence was revealed only by the authors’ algorithm; descriptive statistics and coefficients of reliability did not show that the number of options had a prominent influence. The importance of the number of options and the new algorithm are discussed.

The microwave tissue coagulator has been applied clinically with satisfactory results. In our system, 2,450‐MHz microwaves for medical use are generated and transmitted to a monopolar‐type needle electrode. This electrode is thrust directly into the liver tissue and this is repeated along the line where incision is anticipated. Between July 1980, and May 1983, this device was used in 60 patients having major hepatic resections for a variety of conditions. The average amounts of blood loss and blood transfusion were 860 ml and 416 ml, respectively. Seventeen patients did not need blood transfusions, and all cases were free from postoperative bleeding from the resected liver stump. Besides the complications similar to those occurring with other major operations, pyrexia and abdominal pain developed in some cases 2–3 weeks after this surgical procedure. These symptoms were thought to be ascribed to the microwave surgery. However, they remitted soon and the subsequent course was uneventful. All patients with benign or inflammatory diseases had a satisfactory postoperative course, and are well. Of the patients subjected to liver resection for malignant diseases, 4 (6.7%) died within a month after the operation. These findings led us to conclude that this new operative technique can be utilized safely, surely, and easily in the field of hepatic surgery.

In the era of laparoscopic surgery, the resection of a Meckel's diverticulum is a good indication for a laparoscopic procedure. In this paper, the relationship between the distribution of gastric heterotopia (GH) and the external appearance of the diverticulum was studied for the proper choice of the laparoscopic procedure. Symptomatic diverticula containing GH in eight patients were analyzed with regard to the distribution of gastric mucosa and the external appearance. While the long diverticula had the GH at the distal end, in the short diverticula it occurred in almost any area. For long diverticula, simple transverse resection with a stapling device is recommended. However, in short diverticula ileal resection with end-to-end anastomosis or wedge resection after exteriorization is recommended.

Personality scales based on the five-factor model, especially the big-five scale of personality trait adjectives (Wada, 1996), are commonly used in Japan. In this study a short form of the Big-Five Scale was constructed. To avoid changes in the capacity dimension caused by the decrease in the number of items, item selection was conducted after item response theory (IRT) scales were constructed for all the items. In study 1 data was collected from 2099 participants. A generalized partial credit model was applied to the IRT model, and items were selected using the slope and location parameters for each item. Cronbach's alpha showed that the short form, as well as the five sub-scales, had sufficient reliability as a personality test. In study 2, we determined correlations with the NEO-FFI and tested the concurrent validity of the short form. The results indicate that the short form of big-five scale demonstrates sufficient reliability and validity despite the reduced number of items.