A model for the in vivo degradation of magnetic nanoparticles has been followed to gain insight on the changes of the magnetic properties of iron oxides during their degradation. The degradation kinetics is affected by the particle coating, in our case being the phosphonoacetic acid-coated particles degraded faster than the citric acid-coated ones.

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This article proposes a new test (called the EQEBI) for the measurement of epistemological beliefs, integrating and extending the Epistemological Questionnaire (EQ) and the Epistemic Beliefs Inventory (EBI). In Study 1, the two tests were translated and applied to a Spanish-speaking sample. A detailed dimensionality exploration, by means of the monotone homogeneity model and confirmatory factor analysis, provides unexpected dimensionality results. Therefore, a new test is proposed, and the dimensionality and psychometric properties of the test's scores are determined. The new test retains four of the five original dimensions. The EQEBI has 27 items, and its score reliability is higher than that of the original EQ and EBI. In Study 2, the EQEBI was applied to another sample to verify the psychometric properties of the obtained scores. The expected four unidimensional scales are confirmed. The scales are calibrated with the graded response model. Recommendations are offered for using the scales for epistemological beliefs assessment.

This study is aimed at analyzing the reliability of 2 field-based cardiorespiratory fitness tests when applied to a sample specifically made up of preschool-aged children. A total of 97 preschoolers (mean age: 4.36 ± 0.4 years; 50.5% girls) performed Course-Navette and Mini-Cooper tests 3 times (familiarization test and retest). The scores obtained were compared with the results provided by the 3-minute shuttle run test, which is considered to be a reliable field-based test for preschoolers. The Mini-Cooper test showed a high reliability for children aged 4 (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]: 0.942; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.903-0.965) and 5 years old (ICC: 0.946; 95% CI: 0.893-0.973). The reliability of Course-Navette was also high for both 4-year-old (ICC: 0.909; 95% CI: 0.849-0.945) and 5-year-old children (ICC: 0.889; 95% CI: 0.780-0.944). The mean scores of the 3-minute shuttle run test did not show a significant correlation with the mean scores obtained in the Mini-Cooper test and in the Course-Navette test in the 4-year-old children. The results of this study suggest that Course-Navette and Mini-Cooper tests are reliable measures of cardiorespiratory fitness that can be used to assess health-related fitness in preschool children. Nevertheless, some considerations must be taken into account before administering them.

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