Verbal and Cross-Modal Ratings of Music: Validation and Application of an Icon-Based Rating Scale.

Can music be rated consistently using nonverbal descriptors such as colours and temperatures? 144 participants rated 6 experimenter-selected and 2 self-selected pieces of music along 15 bipolar icon (graphic) scales intended to portray emotions, and sensory experiences consisting of colour, temperature, shape, speed, texture, and weight. Participants also rated the same pieces using bipolar verbal scales which aimed to encompass the concepts represented by the icons (e.g., the word "red" for the colour red). Furthermore, the icons themselves were subjected to open-ended verbal labelling to validate the icon scale. Colour icons spontaneously evoked a cross-modal association on 67% of occasions: blue being cool, and red/orange being warm or hot, and the icon scale had overall good face validity. Music regularly and consistently evoked multisensory associations (using the icon scale) including shapes, colours, weight, and temperatures, in addition to emotions. Cross-modal perception is indicative of music's character rather than the enjoyment of the music. The icon scale provides new insights into music perception and for applications where language skill may limit participant expression.

The Italian version of the Functional Disability Index of the Health Assessment Questionnaire. A reliable instrument for multicenter studies on rheumatoid arthritis.

A working group of ten rheumatology institutes (UNIREUM) was formed in Italy to promote multicenter therapeutic studies on rheumatoid arthritis. The Functional Disability Index (FDI) of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) was chosen as a measure of disability. This paper reports the results of a multicenter study to validate an Italian translation of the instrument and to assess its reliability and validity. Two questions were modified to achieve cross-cultural equivalence. Back-translation into English showed agreement with the American instrument. Reproducibility was high: the test-retest correlation coefficient was 0.989 and ranged from 0.81 to 0.99 for the centers taken separately. Validity was confirmed by a correlation coefficient of 0.95 between the patient self-attributed and the physician-attributed FDI scores. We conclude that our Italian version of the HAQ FDI is a reliable and valid self-administered instrument.

[Viral hepatitis type A. Seroepidemiological study in Padova and its district]. / Epatite virale tipo A. Indagine sieroepidemiologica in Padova e provincia.

In order to ascertain the real frequency of HAV infection in North-East of Italy a seroepidemiologic survey was carried out on the population of Padova and its district. The serum samples obtained from 1812 subjects (approximately the 2% of registered people) subdivided according to sex and age (5 to 5 year groups), were tested for anti-HA by radioimmunoassay. The mean prevalence of anti-HA was 69.2%. Positive subjects' frequency of 50% was reached in 15-20 year-old group, whereas more than 90% of people over 35 years of age were positive. No significant differences were observed between the sexes or between town and country populations, while the increase of the anti-HA prevalence curve was delayed in the higher socioeconomic level group. These findings testify the relevant socioeconomic and public health levels improvement in the last decades, while, on the other hand, point out the increasing risk of adulthood HAV infection.