achieving comparable performance: Topics by WorldWideScience.org

Sample records for achieving comparable performance

Medicare Accountable Care Organizations of Diverse Structures Achieve Comparable Quality and Cost Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Comfort, Leeann N; Shortell, Stephen M; Rodriguez, Hector P; Colla, Carrie H

2018-01-31

To examine whether an empirically derived taxonomy of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) is associated with quality and spending performance among patients of ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). Three waves of the National Survey of ACOs and corresponding publicly available Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services performance data for NSACO respondents participating in the MSSP (N = 204); SK&A Office Based Physicians Database from QuintilesIMS. We compare the performance of three ACO types (physician-led, integrated, and hybrid) for three domains: quality, spending, and likelihood of achieving savings. Sources of performance variation within and between ACO types are compared for each performance measure. There is greater heterogeneity within ACO types than between ACO types. There were no consistent differences in quality by ACO type, nor were there differences in likelihood of achieving savings or overall spending per-person-year. There was evidence for higher spending on physician services for physician-led ACOs. ACOs of diverse structures perform comparably on core MSSP quality and spending measures. CMS should maintain its flexibility and continue to support participation of diverse ACOs. Future research to identify modifiable organizational factors that account for performance variation within ACO types may provide insight as to how best to improve ACO performance based on organizational structure and ownership. © Health Research and Educational Trust.
Comparing standardized measures of diligence and achievement with dental student academic performance.

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Jedrychowski, Joseph; Lindemann, Robert

2005-04-01

Utilizing a reliable and valid instrument to measure a student's application of energy and effort towards a goal (diligence) or the ability to reach goals (achievement) would enable dental educators to anticipate academic performance. This knowledge could be used to better distribute faculty and educational resources, as additional tutors could be provided for students who score low on diligence and achievement instruments. In this study, fourth-year dental students completed the Diligence Inventory and the NachNaff Scale (which measures desire to achieve) immediately prior to graduation. The scores from both inventories were correlated with nine measures of academic performance. For males, the NachNaff Scale positively correlated (pDiligence mean positively correlated with EPR and National Board Parts I and II scores. For females, the Total Diligence mean positively correlated with EPR and a predental biology-chemistry-physics grade composite. Given the simplicity of the Diligence Inventory and its significant correlations with academic performance demonstrated in this study, it appears to be a useful tool to gain insight into students' diligence in striving to obtain goals.
Student Achievement in Ohio Charter Schools: A Comparative and Longitudinal Study

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Kotler, Ruth M.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate fifth-grade student achievement in Ohio public charter schools as compared to student achievement in traditional public schools, and to determine whether the performance of charter schools changed over time. Research questions asked 1) how does student achievement in Ohio's public charters compare to…
Achievement goals, self-handicapping, and performance: a 2 x 2 achievement goal perspective.

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Ntoumanis, Nikos; Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Cecilie; Smith, Alison L

2009-11-01

Elliot and colleagues (2006) examined the effects of experimentally induced achievement goals, proposed by the trichotomous model, on self-handicapping and performance in physical education. Our study replicated and extended the work of Elliot et al. by experimentally promoting all four goals proposed by the 2 x 2 model (Elliot & McGregor, 2001), measuring the participants' own situational achievement goals, using a relatively novel task, and testing the participants in a group setting. We used a randomized experimental design with four conditions that aimed to induce one of the four goals advanced by the 2 x 2 model. The participants (n = 138) were undergraduates who engaged in a dart-throwing task. The results pertaining to self-handicapping partly replicated Elliot and colleagues' findings by showing that experimentally promoted performance-avoidance goals resulted in less practice. In contrast, the promotion of mastery-avoidance goals did not result in less practice compared with either of the approach goals. Dart-throwing performance did not differ among the four goal conditions. Personal achievement goals did not moderate the effects of experimentally induced goals on self-handicapping and performance. The extent to which mastery-avoidance goals are maladaptive is discussed, as well as the interplay between personal and experimentally induced goals.
Teaching Business Simulation Games: Comparing Achievements Frontal Teaching vs. eLearning

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Bregman, David; Keinan, Gila; Korman, Arik; Raanan, Yossi

This paper addresses the issue of comparing results achieved by students taught the same course but in two drastically different - a regular, frontal method and an eLearning method. The subject taught required intensive communications among the students, thus making the eLearning students, a priori, less likely to do well in it. The research, comparing the achievements of students in a business simulation game over three semesters, shows that the use of eLearning method did not result in any differences in performance, grades or cooperation, thus strengthening the case for using eLearning in this type of course.
A Comparison of Low Performing Students' Achievements in Factoring Cubic Polynomials Using Three Different Strategies

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Ogbonnaya, Ugorji I.; Mogari, David L.; Machisi, Eric

2013-01-01

In this study, repeated measures design was employed to compare low performing students' achievements in factoring cubic polynomials using three strategies. Twenty-five low-performing Grade 12 students from a secondary school in Limpopo province took part in the study. Data was collected using achievement test and was analysed using repeated…
Striving for Excellence Sometimes Hinders High Achievers: Performance-Approach Goals Deplete Arithmetical Performance in Students with High Working Memory Capacity

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Crouzevialle, Marie; Smeding, Annique; Butera, Fabrizio

2015-01-01

We tested whether the goal to attain normative superiority over other students, referred to as performance-approach goals, is particularly distractive for high-Working Memory Capacity (WMC) students—that is, those who are used to being high achievers. Indeed, WMC is positively related to high-order cognitive performance and academic success, a record of success that confers benefits on high-WMC as compared to low-WMC students. We tested whether such benefits may turn out to be a burden under performance-approach goal pursuit. Indeed, for high achievers, aiming to rise above others may represent an opportunity to reaffirm their positive status—a stake susceptible to trigger disruptive outcome concerns that interfere with task processing. Results revealed that with performance-approach goals—as compared to goals with no emphasis on social comparison—the higher the students’ WMC, the lower their performance at a complex arithmetic task (Experiment 1). Crucially, this pattern appeared to be driven by uncertainty regarding the chances to outclass others (Experiment 2). Moreover, an accessibility measure suggested the mediational role played by status-related concerns in the observed disruption of performance. We discuss why high-stake situations can paradoxically lead high-achievers to sub-optimally perform when high-order cognitive performance is at play. PMID:26407097
Comparative Analysis of Rote Learning on High and Low Achievers in Graduate and Undergraduate Programs

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Ambreen Ahmed

2017-06-01

Full Text Available A survey was conducted to study the preferred learning strategies; that is, surface learning or deep learning of undergraduate and graduate male and female students and the impact of the preferred strategy on their academic performance. Both learning strategies help university students to get good scores in their examinations to meet the demands of industry in workforce. Quantitative research method was used to determine the impact of learning strategy on academic achievements. The R-SPQ2F questionnaire was sent to 103 students through Google forms and hard copies through snowball sampling technique. The results show that rote learning and academic performance are inversely related to each other. In high achievers, deep learning is significant as compared to low achievers. Furthermore, comparative analysis of learning styles on males and females showed that both preferred deep learning strategy equally. Learning strategy is not related to education level of students because there is no difference among preferred learning strategies of graduate and undergraduate students.
Comparative Associations Between Achieved Bicultural Identity, Achieved Ego Identity, and Achieved Religious Identity and Adaptation Among Australian Adolescent Muslims.

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Abu-Rayya, Hisham M; Abu-Rayya, Maram H; White, Fiona A; Walker, Richard

2018-04-01

This study examined the comparative roles of biculturalism, ego identity, and religious identity in the adaptation of Australian adolescent Muslims. A total of 504 high school Muslim students studying at high schools in metropolitan Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, took part in this study which required them to complete a self-report questionnaire. Analyses indicated that adolescent Muslims' achieved religious identity seems to play a more important role in shaping their psychological and socio-cultural adaptation compared to adolescents' achieved bicultural identity. Adolescents' achieved ego identity tended also to play a greater role in their psychological and socio-cultural adaptation than achieved bicultural identity. The relationships between the three identities and negative indicators of psychological adaptation were consistently indifferent. Based on these findings, we propose that the three identity-based forces-bicultural identity development, religious identity attainment, and ego identity formation-be amalgamated into one framework in order for researchers to more accurately examine the adaptation of Australian adolescent Muslims.
Performance-approach and performance-avoidance classroom goals and the adoption of personal achievement goals.

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Schwinger, Malte; Stiensmeier-Pelster, Joachim

2011-12-01

Students' perceptions of classroom goals influence their adoption of personal goals. To assess different forms of classroom goals, recent studies have favoured an overall measure of performance classroom goals, compared to a two-dimensional assessment of performance-approach and performance-avoidance classroom goals (PAVCG). This paper considered the relationship between students' perceptions of classroom goals and their endorsement of personal achievement goals. We proposed that three (instead of only two) classroom goals need to be distinguished. We aimed to provide evidence for this hypothesis by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and also by divergent associations between the respective classroom goal and students' personal goal endorsement. A total of 871 (474 female) 10th grade students from several German high schools participated in this study. Students responded to items assessing their perception of mastery, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goals in the classroom. Additionally, the students reported how much they personally pursue mastery, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goals. All items referred to German as a specific school subject. RESULTS.A CFA yielded empirical support for the proposed distinction of three (instead of only two) different kinds of classroom goals. Moreover, in hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) analyses all three classroom goals showed unique associations with students' personal goal adoption. The findings emphasized the need to distinguish performance-approach and PAVCG. Furthermore, our results suggest that multiple classroom goals have interactive effects on students' personal achievement strivings. ©2010 The British Psychological Society.
Comparing the achievement goal orientation of mathematics ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Comparing the achievement goal orientation of mathematics learners with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. ... in recognising methods to direct learners' goals for better engagement with and improved results in mathematics, which could support learners to develop to their full potential in the subject.
Achievement Goals and Achievement Emotions: Testing a Model of Their Joint Relations with Academic Performance

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Pekrun, Reinhard; Elliot, Andrew J.; Maier, Markus A.

2009-01-01

The authors propose a theoretical model linking achievement goals and achievement emotions to academic performance. This model was tested in a prospective study with undergraduates (N = 213), using exam-specific assessments of both goals and emotions as predictors of exam performance in an introductory-level psychology course. The findings were…
Classroom Environment, Achievement Goals and Maths Performance: Gender Differences

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Gherasim, Loredana Ruxandra; Butnaru, Simona; Mairean, Cornelia

2013-01-01

This study investigated how gender shapes the relationships between classroom environment, achievement goals and maths performance. Seventh-grade students ("N"?=?498) from five urban secondary schools filled in achievement goal orientations and classroom environment scales at the beginning of the second semester. Maths performance was…
A Comparative Study of Students' Achievement in Botany and Zoology

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Tamir, P.

1974-01-01

A comparative study of student achievement in botany and zoology based on data of 10 studies conducted in 20 countries. Up to age 14, students achieve better in zoology; after age 14, students achieve better in botany. Based on the findings, recommendations are suggested regarding curriculum planning, laboratory work and the need for specific…
Know thyself: misperceptions of actual performance undermine achievement motivation, future performance, and subjective well-being.

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Kim, Young-Hoon; Chiu, Chi-Yue; Zou, Zhimin

2010-09-01

Contrary to the popular assumption that self-enhancement improves task motivation and future performance, the authors propose that both inflated and deflated self-assessments of performance are linked to an increased likelihood of practicing self-handicapping and having relatively poor performance in future tasks. Consistent with this proposal, we found that irrespective of the level of actual performance, compared with accurate self-assessment, both inflated and deflated self-assessments of task performance are associated with a greater tendency to (a) practice self-handicapping (Study 1: prefer to work under distraction; Study 2: withhold preparatory effort), (b) perform relatively poorly in a subsequent task (Study 3), (c) have relatively low academic achievement (Study 4), and (d) report a relatively low level of subjective well-being (Study 5). The authors discuss these results in terms of their educational implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).
Performance on large-scale science tests: Item attributes that may impact achievement scores

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Gordon, Janet Victoria

Significant differences in achievement among ethnic groups persist on the eighth-grade science Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). The WASL measures academic performance in science using both scenario and stand-alone question types. Previous research suggests that presenting target items connected to an authentic context, like scenario question types, can increase science achievement scores especially in underrepresented groups and thus help to close the achievement gap. The purpose of this study was to identify significant differences in performance between gender and ethnic subgroups by question type on the 2005 eighth-grade science WASL. MANOVA and ANOVA were used to examine relationships between gender and ethnic subgroups as independent variables with achievement scores on scenario and stand-alone question types as dependent variables. MANOVA revealed no significant effects for gender, suggesting that the 2005 eighth-grade science WASL was gender neutral. However, there were significant effects for ethnicity. ANOVA revealed significant effects for ethnicity and ethnicity by gender interaction in both question types. Effect sizes were negligible for the ethnicity by gender interaction. Large effect sizes between ethnicities on scenario question types became moderate to small effect sizes on stand-alone question types. This indicates the score advantage the higher performing subgroups had over the lower performing subgroups was not as large on stand-alone question types compared to scenario question types. A further comparison examined performance on multiple-choice items only within both question types. Similar achievement patterns between ethnicities emerged; however, achievement patterns between genders changed in boys' favor. Scenario question types appeared to register differences between ethnic groups to a greater degree than stand-alone question types. These differences may be attributable to individual differences in cognition
A meta-analysis of self-reported achievement goals and nonself-report performance across three achievement domains (work, sports, and education.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nico W Van Yperen

Full Text Available During the past three decades, the achievement goal approach to achievement motivation has emerged as an influential area of research, and is dedicated to understanding the reasons behind the individual's drive to achieve competence and performance. However, the current literature on achievement goals is segmented rather than integrated. That is, citations across the three major and distinct achievement domains (work, education, and sports are more the exception than the rule and similarities and differences between findings for the different achievement domains have yet to be tested. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships between self-reported achievement goals and nonself-report performance through meta-analysis, and the moderating potential of achievement domain. Identifying achievement domain as moderator improves our understanding to which contexts we can (not generalize conclusions to, it helps to understand seemingly inconsistent findings, and opens avenues for future research on the underlying processes. Because the achievement goal (AG measure used in a study is partially confounded with achievement domain, we examined the moderating role of this variable as well. Our findings suggest that - overall - approach goals (either mastery or performance were associated positively with performance attainment, whereas avoidance goals (either mastery or performance were associated negatively with performance attainment. These relationships were moderated by achievement domain. For example, relative to the education or work domain, in the sports domain, we did not observe negative correlations between avoidance goals and performance. The absence of statistical moderation due to AG measure suggests that the observed moderation of achievement domain cannot be explained by the AG measure utilized. We suggest further steps to integrate the achievement goal literature, and accordingly, to broaden and deepen understanding of
A meta-analysis of self-reported achievement goals and nonself-report performance across three achievement domains (work, sports, and education).

Science.gov (United States)

Van Yperen, Nico W; Blaga, Monica; Postmes, Tom

2014-01-01

During the past three decades, the achievement goal approach to achievement motivation has emerged as an influential area of research, and is dedicated to understanding the reasons behind the individual's drive to achieve competence and performance. However, the current literature on achievement goals is segmented rather than integrated. That is, citations across the three major and distinct achievement domains (work, education, and sports) are more the exception than the rule and similarities and differences between findings for the different achievement domains have yet to be tested. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships between self-reported achievement goals and nonself-report performance through meta-analysis, and the moderating potential of achievement domain. Identifying achievement domain as moderator improves our understanding to which contexts we can (not) generalize conclusions to, it helps to understand seemingly inconsistent findings, and opens avenues for future research on the underlying processes. Because the achievement goal (AG) measure used in a study is partially confounded with achievement domain, we examined the moderating role of this variable as well. Our findings suggest that - overall - approach goals (either mastery or performance) were associated positively with performance attainment, whereas avoidance goals (either mastery or performance) were associated negatively with performance attainment. These relationships were moderated by achievement domain. For example, relative to the education or work domain, in the sports domain, we did not observe negative correlations between avoidance goals and performance. The absence of statistical moderation due to AG measure suggests that the observed moderation of achievement domain cannot be explained by the AG measure utilized. We suggest further steps to integrate the achievement goal literature, and accordingly, to broaden and deepen understanding of performance
Daily online testing in large classes: boosting college performance while reducing achievement gaps.

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James W Pennebaker

Full Text Available An in-class computer-based system, that included daily online testing, was introduced to two large university classes. We examined subsequent improvements in academic performance and reductions in the achievement gaps between lower- and upper-middle class students in academic performance. Students (N = 901 brought laptop computers to classes and took daily quizzes that provided immediate and personalized feedback. Student performance was compared with the same data for traditional classes taught previously by the same instructors (N = 935. Exam performance was approximately half a letter grade above previous semesters, based on comparisons of identical questions asked from earlier years. Students in the experimental classes performed better in other classes, both in the semester they took the course and in subsequent semester classes. The new system resulted in a 50% reduction in the achievement gap as measured by grades among students of different social classes. These findings suggest that frequent consequential quizzing should be used routinely in large lecture courses to improve performance in class and in other concurrent and subsequent courses.
Correlates of Achieving the Guidelines of Four Forms of Physical Activity, and the Relationship between Guidelines Achievement and Academic Performance: Undergraduate Students in Finland.

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El Ansari, Walid; Suominen, Sakari; Draper, Steve

2017-06-01

We surveyed and compared, by gender, the levels and correlates of achieving the international guidelines of four forms of physical activity (PA): moderate PA (MPA), vigorous PA (VPA), moderate or vigorous PA (MVPA), and muscle strengthening PA (MSPA). The study assessed the associations between achieving the guidelines of the four PA forms and a range of socio-demographic, health and academic performance variables. Data was collected across the seven faculties of the University of Turku (2013-2014 from a representative sample of 1,189 undergraduates). An English language online self-administered questionnaire assessed frequency and duration of PA/week for each form of PA. We employed cut-offs for the guidelines in accordance with the American Heart Association. Chi-square statistic tested the differences in PA, socio-demographic variables and academic performance between males and females. Binary logistic regression examined the factors associated with achieving the four PA guidelines and linear regression examined the association between the frequency of PA and academic performance. Achievement of PA guidelines was relatively low across the sample. Female students were less likely to achieve the VPA or MSPA guidelines, but were more health conscious and in generally exhibited better academic performace than males. High health awareness and excellent/very good self-rated health were the strongest predictors of achieving all forms of PA. Parents' education level was positively related to likelihood of achieving the VPA, MVPA and MSPA guidelines. Achieving the MPA guidelines (but not VPA or MSPA) was positively associated with subjective perceptions of better academic performance. Achievement of PA guidelines was generally low for this sample of Finnish students, and was associated with positive health status and high health awareness. Universities need a holistic approach to improve awareness of health and promote PA in students' lifestyles. Copyright© by the

Relationship of Mathematics Olympiad Performance of Gifted Students with IQ and Mathematics Achievement

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Ali İhsan BORAN

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to investigate relationship of mathematics Olympiad (analysis-algebra and geometry scores of gifted students with IQ scores (verbal, performance and general and mathematics achievement scores of the gifted students. Study group of the study included 64 gifted students (27 girls and 37 boys who took courses from one Science and Art Center. Data of study involved scores of the participants on mathematics Olympiad exam, WISC-R test and school mathematics achievement. For analysis of the data Pearson correlation analysis, Spearman correlation analysis, independent groups’ t-test and Mann Whitney U test were utilized. The findings showed that there was no significant relationship between the Olympiad scores on analysis-algebra and geometry and IQ scores (general, performance and verbal. But the Olympiad scores on analysis-algebra and geometry factors were significantly related to school mathematics achievement. Comparing IQ scores of highest and lowest scorer groups on the Olympiad scores showed that there were no significant differences between IQ scores (general, performance and verbal of the groups. However school mathematics scores of the participants significantly differed in terms of groups determined based on analysis-algebra and geometry scores.
A Model of Statistics Performance Based on Achievement Goal Theory.

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Bandalos, Deborah L.; Finney, Sara J.; Geske, Jenenne A.

2003-01-01

Tests a model of statistics performance based on achievement goal theory. Both learning and performance goals affected achievement indirectly through study strategies, self-efficacy, and test anxiety. Implications of these findings for teaching and learning statistics are discussed. (Contains 47 references, 3 tables, 3 figures, and 1 appendix.)…
Corporate Governance as a Crucial Factor in Achieving Sustainable Corporate Performance

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Julija Bistrova

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In the developed stock markets the corporate governance aspect is crucial in the stock portfolio selection process for investor seeking to achieve shareholder value sustainability. In the emerging markets the importance of the corporate governance role just starts to be realized by the investors and by the corporate managers. The present research, looking at the stock performance leaders and laggards, analyzes whether the corporate governance system matters to achieve long-term shareholder value within the Central and Eastern European stock markets universe. Corporate governance quality was assessed and compared among the out- and underperformers. The financial results plausibility and the ownership structure were considered as well. Additionally, the authors analyzed whether the quality of corporate governance influences the economic performance of the company. The obtained results provide the proof that the corporate governance does matter as the market outperformers have above average corporate governance quality and provide trustworthy financial results more often than the underperforming companies. Besides, well-governed companies are also able to deliver more attractive financial results.
A Comparative Study of Hawaii Middle School Science Student Academic Achievement

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Askew Cain, Peggy

The problem was middle-grade students with specific learning disabilities (SWDs) in reading comprehension perform less well than their peers on standardized assessments. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to examine the effect of electronic concept maps on reading comprehension of eighth grade students with SWD reading comprehension in a Hawaii middle school Grade 8 science class on the island of Oahu. The target population consisted of Grade 8 science students for school year 2015-2016. The sampling method was a purposeful sampling with a final sample size of 338 grade 8 science students. De-identified archival records of grade 8 Hawaii standardized science test scores were analyzed using a one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS. The finding for hypothesis 1 indicated a significant difference in student achievement between SWDs and SWODs as measured by Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) in science scores (p reading comprehension. Recommendations for practice were for educational leadership and noted: (a) teachers should practice using concept maps with SWDs as a specific reading strategy to support reading comprehension in science classes, (b) involve a strong focus on vocabulary building and concept building during concept map construction because the construction of concept maps sometimes requires frontloading of vocabulary, and (c) model for teachers how concept maps are created and to explain their educational purpose as a tool for learning. Recommendations for future research were to conduct (a) a quantitative comparative study between groups for academic achievement of subtests mean scores of SWDs and SWODs in physical science, earth science, and space science, and (b) a quantitative correlation study to examine relationships and predictive values for academic achievement of SWDs and concept map integration on standardized science assessments.
Extending hierarchical achievement motivation models: the role of motivational needs for achievement goals and academic performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bipp, T.; Dam, van K.

2014-01-01

In the current study, we investigated the role of three basic motivational needs (need for power, affiliation, achievement) as antecedents of goals within the 2 × 2 achievement goal framework, and examined their combined predictive validity with regard to academic performance in a sample of 120
Componential Analysis of Analogical-Reasoning Performance of High and Low Achievers.

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Armour-Thomas, Eleanor; Allen, Brenda A.

1990-01-01

Assessed analogical reasoning in high- and low-achieving students at the high school level and determined whether analogical reasoning was related to academic achievement in ninth grade students (N=54). Results indicated that high achievers performed better than low achievers on all types of analogical-reasoning processes. (Author/ABL)
Comparatives Korean and Mongolian Achievement In Higher Education

OpenAIRE

Uranchimeg Julia Agvaantseren; Park Sae Hoon

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the transition of Korean higher education reform and to study of Korean and Mongolian experience and achievement in contemporary higher education. And also paper provides a description of the higher education in Mongolia in an effort to identify important financial issues and concern while comparing with Korean high education experience and tries to attract attention of policy makers for better alternative...
Identifying Achievement Goals and Their Relationship to Academic Achievement in Undergraduate Pharmacy Students

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Sainsbury, Erica; Rose, Grenville; Smith, Lorraine

2014-01-01

Objectives. To compare the achievement goal orientations of first-year with those of third-year undergraduate Australian pharmacy students and to examine the relationship of goal orientations to academic achievement. Methods. The Achievement Goal Questionnaire was administered to first-year and third-year students during class time. Students’ grades were obtained from course coordinators. Results. More first-year students adopted performance-approach and mastery-approach goals than did third-year students. Performance-approach goals were positively correlated with academic achievement in the first year. Chinese Australian students scored the highest in adopting performance-approach goals. Vietnamese Australian students adopted mastery-avoidance goals more than other ethnicities. First-year students were more strongly performance approach goal-oriented than third-year students. Conclusion. Adopting performance-approach goals was positively correlated with academic achievement, while adopting avoidance goals was not. Ethnicity has an effect on the adoption of achievement goals and academic achievement. PMID:25258438
COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES OF STUDY STRATEGIES AMONG HIGH AND LOW ACHIEVERS DISTANCE LEARNING STUDENTS

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Muhammad Imran YOUSUF

2009-07-01

Full Text Available The main aim of this research is to better understand and draw perceptions of low and high achiever distance learners about their study patterns. The study indicates the areas where significant difference is found among low and high achievers of Allama Iqbal Open University, Pakistan through a self developed questionnaire covering their preferred study location, study times, number of hours spent on study, the difficulties affecting their study patterns and the organization of study strategies in comparative perspective. Greater difficulties were being faced by low achievers in their study. Increased difficulties were encountered by low achievers with study material, volume of study, self-motivation and other factors. There was no significant difference between low and high achievers for their study strategies of studying materials without taking notes and reading aloud. Greater low achievers attempted easy portions of their study material first and took notes simultaneously as compared to high achievers.
Metrics help rural hospitals achieve world-class performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodspeed, Scott W

2006-01-01

This article describes the emerging trend of using metrics in rural hospitals to achieve world-class performance. This trend is a response to the fact that rural hospitals have small patient volumes yet must maintain a profit margin in order to fulfill their mission to the community. The conceptual idea for this article is based largely on Robert Kaplan and David Norton's Balanced Scorecard articles in the Harvard Business Review. The ideas also come from the experiences of the 60-plus rural hospitals that are using the Balanced Scorecard and their implementation of metrics to influence performance and behavior. It is indeed possible for rural hospitals to meet and exceed the unique needs of patients and physicians (customers), to achieve healthy profit margins, and to be the rural hospital of choice that employees are proud to work for.
Achieving equal pay for comparable worth through arbitration.

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Wisniewski, S C

1982-01-01

Traditional "women's jobs" often pay relatively low wages because of the effects of institutionalized stereotypes concerning women and their role in the work place. One way of dealing with sex discrimination that results in job segregation is to narrow the existing wage differential between "men's jobs" and "women's jobs." Where the jobs are dissimilar on their face, this narrowing of pay differences involves implementing the concept of "equal pay for jobs of comparable worth." Some time in the future, far-reaching, perhaps even industrywide, reductions in male-female pay differentials may be achieved by pursuing legal remedies based on equal pay for comparable worth. However, as the author demonstrates, immediate, albeit more limited, relief for sex-based pay inequities found in specific work places can be obtained by implementing equal pay for jobs of comparable worth through the collective bargaining and arbitration processes.
A Meta-Analysis of Self-Reported Achievement Goals and Nonself-Report Performance across Three Achievement Domains (Work, Sports, and Education)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Yperen, Nico W.; Blaga, Monica; Postmes, Tom

2014-01-01

During the past three decades, the achievement goal approach to achievement motivation has emerged as an influential area of research, and is dedicated to understanding the reasons behind the individual's drive to achieve competence and performance. However, the current literature on achievement
SMEs’ Organizational Performance: Comparative Study between Cooperated and Uncooperated Companies

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Ana Karla de Lucena Justino Gomes

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Faced with the need for survival and competitiveness, here called micro and small enterprises (MPE, they seek to develop competitive differentials, such as the insertion of the company into a cooperation network. Several researches seek to identify the benefits of cooperative strategies, but few studies seek to compare the organizational performance of cooperating companies with that of uncooperated companies. Thus, the present study has as general objective to verify if the MPE, when inserted in cooperation networks, present organizational performance superior to those that are not inserted in that context. The present research is of the survey type and involves 67 companies inserted in cooperation networks and 154 companies that do not participate in cooperation networks. To achieve the objective, the organizational performance was analyzed based on the managers' perception regarding aspects associated to the following performance measures: customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, company growth, company profitability and overall performance. The results indicate that the companies included in cooperation networks presented superior performance when compared to the companies not included in cooperation networks
Holistic Performance Measurement to Achieve Sustainable Competitive Advantage

OpenAIRE

Keni Keni

2013-01-01

In the past, companies used balanced scorecard to measure its performance. Now, balanced scorecard as a performance measurement tool is no longer sufficient because business has been affected by changes to the natural environment and developing social expectations. In order to achieve sustainable competitive advantage, companies are beginning to address the risks and opportunities associated with these changes in their longer-term business planning. To turn risks into opportunities, companies...
Multi-Objective Optimization for Energy Performance Improvement of Residential Buildings: A Comparative Study

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Kangji Li

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Numerous conflicting criteria exist in building design optimization, such as energy consumption, greenhouse gas emission and indoor thermal performance. Different simulation-based optimization strategies and various optimization algorithms have been developed. A few of them are analyzed and compared in solving building design problems. This paper presents an efficient optimization framework to facilitate optimization designs with the aid of commercial simulation software and MATLAB. The performances of three optimization strategies, including the proposed approach, GenOpt method and artificial neural network (ANN method, are investigated using a case study of a simple building energy model. Results show that the proposed optimization framework has competitive performances compared with the GenOpt method. Further, in another practical case, four popular multi-objective algorithms, e.g., the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II, multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO, the multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA and multi-objective differential evolution (MODE, are realized using the propose optimization framework and compared with three criteria. Results indicate that MODE achieves close-to-optimal solutions with the best diversity and execution time. An uncompetitive result is achieved by the MOPSO in this case study.
The Relationship Between Children's Academic Performance and Achievement Accountability

Science.gov (United States)

Clifford, Margaret M.; Cleary, T. Anne

1972-01-01

Purpose of the study is to examine relationships between internality and achievement-related variables in a performance situation where students determine the difficulty level at which they desire to work. (Authors)
The Role of Achievement Goals in the Development of Interest: Reciprocal Relations between Achievement Goals, Interest, and Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Harackiewicz, Judith M.; Durik, Amanda M.; Barron, Kenneth E.; Linnenbrink-Garcia, Lisa; Tauer, John M.

2008-01-01

The dynamics of individual and situational interest and academic performance were examined in the college classroom and 7 semesters later in conjunction with achievement goals. At the beginning of an introductory psychology course, participants reported their initial interest in psychology, achievement goals, and situational interest in course…
Quantitative Guidance for Stove Usage and Performance to Achieve Health and Environmental Targets.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Michael A; Chiang, Ranyee A

2015-08-01

Displacing the use of polluting and inefficient cookstoves in developing countries is necessary to achieve the potential health and environmental benefits sought through clean cooking solutions. Yet little quantitative context has been provided on how much displacement of traditional technologies is needed to achieve targets for household air pollutant concentrations or fuel savings. This paper provides instructive guidance on the usage of cooking technologies required to achieve health and environmental improvements. We evaluated different scenarios of displacement of traditional stoves with use of higher performing technologies. The air quality and fuel consumption impacts were estimated for these scenarios using a single-zone box model of indoor air quality and ratios of thermal efficiency. Stove performance and usage should be considered together, as lower performing stoves can result in similar or greater benefits than a higher performing stove if the lower performing stove has considerably higher displacement of the baseline stove. Based on the indoor air quality model, there are multiple performance-usage scenarios for achieving modest indoor air quality improvements. To meet World Health Organization guidance levels, however, three-stone fire and basic charcoal stove usage must be nearly eliminated to achieve the particulate matter target (< 1-3 hr/week), and substantially limited to meet the carbon monoxide guideline (< 7-9 hr/week). Moderate health gains may be achieved with various performance-usage scenarios. The greatest benefits are estimated to be achieved by near-complete displacement of traditional stoves with clean technologies, emphasizing the need to shift in the long term to near exclusive use of clean fuels and stoves. The performance-usage scenarios are also provided as a tool to guide technology selection and prioritize behavior change opportunities to maximize impact.
Leadership Style and Organizational Performance: a Comparative Description of Two Companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrícia Amélia Tomei

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This work analyzed leadership styles and organizational performance comparing two small Brazilian family-owned companies using a mixed-method quantitative and qualitative approach. Qualitative data were collected by means of interviews conducted with the respective company leaders about the history of the organization, the role of founders, and company mission, vision, values and organizational strategies. Quantitative data were collected by means of questionnaires applied to subordinates to identify the leadership style prevalent in the companies and business performance. Results showed that both leaders posssess transactional leadership characteristics, but only the leader of company B has some transformational leadership characteristics. Company A's performance stood out only with respect to marketing and financial results, revealing an unsatisfactory organizational climate, while company B showed satisfactory results with respect to all measures of performance. The comparative study of the two cases revealed that transactional leadership influences organizational efficiency while transformational leadership favors effectiveness and the achievement of tangible and intangible returns for the company.
Hypothetical model of factors determining performance and sports achievement in team sports

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Trninić Marko

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is formation of a comprehensive hypothetical dynamic interactional process model structured by assumed constructs, i.e. processes or mechanisms that obtain real features and influences on athlete's performance and athletic achievement. Thus there are formed and assumed reciprocal relations between high training and competition - based stress as the input variable, cognitive appraisal and interpretation as the mediator, and mood state as the moderator based on the development of the dynamic systems theory. Also, proposed model uses basic assumptions of the Action-Theory approach and it is in accordance with the contemporary socialcognitive view of team functioning in sports. Within the process model, the output variables are measures of efficacy evident through athlete's individual and team performance and athletic achievement. The situation, the team and athlete attributes, the performance and the athletic achievement are joined variables, and the individual and the collective efficacy are the consequence of their reciprocal interaction. Therefore, there are complex and reciprocal interactive processes in real sports and explorative situations amongst the attributes of athlete and team and the behaviour and situation that determine performance and athletic achievement. This is probably the result of an integrated network of reciprocal multi-causal activity of a set of stated assumed constructs from different theories. Thus the hypothetical model is an effort to describe elaborate correlations and/or interdependencies between internal and external determinants which presumably affect athlete's performance and athletic achievement.

Test Anxiety and Academic Performance among Undergraduates: The Moderating Role of Achievement Motivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Balogun, Anthony Gbenro; Balogun, Shyngle Kolawole; Onyencho, Chidi Victor

2017-02-13

This study investigated the moderating role of achievement motivation in the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance. Three hundred and ninety three participants (192 males and 201 females) selected from a public university in Ondo State, Nigeria using a purposive sampling technique, participated in the study. They responded to measures of test anxiety and achievement motivation. Three hypotheses were tested using moderated hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results showed that test anxiety had a negative impact on academic performance (β = -.23; p motivation had a positive impact on academic performance (β = .38; p motivation significantly moderated the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance (β = .10; p students' achievement motivation.
Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification achieved by an innovative internal-loop airlift MBR: comparative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Y Z; He, Y L; Ohandja, D G; Ji, J; Li, J F; Zhou, T

2008-09-01

This study assessed the performance of different single-stage continuous aerated submerged membrane bioreactors (MBR) for nitrogen removal. Almost complete nitrification was achieved in each MBR irrespective of operating mode and biomass system. Denitrification was found to be the rate-limiting step for total nitrogen (T-N) removal. The MBR with internal-loop airlift reactor (ALR) configuration performed better as regards T-N removal compared with continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR). It was demonstrated that simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) is the mechanism leading to nitrogen removal and the contribution of microenvironment on SND is more remarkable for the MBRs with hybrid biomass. Macroenvironment analyses showed that gradient distribution of dissolved oxygen (DO) level in airlift MBRs imposed a significant effect on SND. Higher mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) concentration led to the improvement in T-N removal by enhancing anoxic microenvironment. Apparent nitrite accumulation coupled with higher nitrogen reduction was accomplished at MLSS concentration exceeded 12.6 g/L.
Dynamic Effects of Performance-Avoidance Goal Orientation on Student Achievement in Language and Mathematics.

Science.gov (United States)

Stamovlasis, Dimitrios; Gonida, Sofia-Eleftheria N

2018-07-01

The present study used achievement goal theory (AGT) as a theoretical framework and examined the role of mastery and performance goals, both performance-approach and performance-avoidance, on school achieve-ment within the nonlinear dynamical systems (NDS) perspective. A series of cusp catastrophe models were applied on students' achievement in a number of school subjects, such as mathematics and language for elementary school and algebra, geometry, ancient and modern Greek language for high school, using achievement goal orientations as control variables. The participants (N=224) were students attending fifth and eighth grade (aged 11 and 14, respectively) in public schools located in northern Greece. Cusp analysis based on the probability density function was carried out by two procedures, the maximum likelihood and the least squares. The results showed that performance-approach goals had no linear effect on achievement, while the cusp models implementing mastery goals as the asymmetry factor and performance-avoidance as the bifurcation, proved superior to their linear alternatives. The results of the study based on NDS support the multiple goal perspective within AGT. Theoretical issues, educational implications and future directions are discussed.
The impact of the achievement motive on athletic performance in adolescent football players.

Science.gov (United States)

Zuber, Claudia; Conzelmann, Achim

2014-01-01

Researchers largely agree that there is a positive relationship between achievement motivation and athletic performance, which is why the achievement motive is viewed as a potential criterion for talent. However, the underlying mechanism behind this relationship remains unclear. In talent and performance models, main effect, mediator and moderator models have been suggested. A longitudinal study was carried out among 140 13-year-old football talents, using structural equation modelling to determine which model best explains how hope for success (HS) and fear of failure (FF), which are the aspects of the achievement motive, motor skills and abilities that affect performance. Over a period of half a year, HS can to some extent explain athletic performance, but this relationship is not mediated by the volume of training, sport-specific skills or abilities, nor is the achievement motive a moderating variable. Contrary to expectations, FF does not explain any part of performance. Aside from HS, however, motor abilities and in particular skills also predict a significant part of performance. The study confirms the widespread assumption that the development of athletic performance in football depends on multiple factors, and in particular that HS is worth watching in the medium term as a predictor of talent.
Comparative performance of precommercial cellulases hydrolyzing pretreated corn stover

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Cellulases and related hydrolytic enzymes represent a key cost factor for biochemical conversion of cellulosic biomass feedstocks to sugars for biofuels and chemicals production. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is cost sharing projects to decrease the cost of enzymes for biomass saccharification. The performance of benchmark cellulase preparations produced by Danisco, DSM, Novozymes and Verenium to convert pretreated corn stover (PCS) cellulose to glucose was evaluated under common experimental conditions and is reported here in a non-attributed manner. Results Two hydrolysis modes were examined, enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) of PCS whole slurry or washed PCS solids at pH 5 and 50°C, and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of washed PCS solids at pH 5 and 38°C. Enzymes were dosed on a total protein mass basis, with protein quantified using both the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay and the Bradford assay. Substantial differences were observed in absolute cellulose to glucose conversion performance levels under the conditions tested. Higher cellulose conversion yields were obtained using washed solids compared to whole slurry, and estimated enzyme protein dosages required to achieve a particular cellulose conversion to glucose yield were extremely dependent on the protein assay used. All four enzyme systems achieved glucose yields of 90% of theoretical or higher in SSF mode. Glucose yields were reduced in EH mode, with all enzymes achieving glucose yields of at least 85% of theoretical on washed PCS solids and 75% in PCS whole slurry. One of the enzyme systems ('enzyme B') exhibited the best overall performance. However in attaining high conversion yields at lower total enzyme protein loadings, the relative and rank ordered performance of the enzyme systems varied significantly depending upon which hydrolysis mode and protein assay were used as the basis for comparison. Conclusions This study provides extensive information about the
Comparative performance of precommercial cellulases hydrolyzing pretreated corn stover

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohagheghi Ali

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cellulases and related hydrolytic enzymes represent a key cost factor for biochemical conversion of cellulosic biomass feedstocks to sugars for biofuels and chemicals production. The US Department of Energy (DOE is cost sharing projects to decrease the cost of enzymes for biomass saccharification. The performance of benchmark cellulase preparations produced by Danisco, DSM, Novozymes and Verenium to convert pretreated corn stover (PCS cellulose to glucose was evaluated under common experimental conditions and is reported here in a non-attributed manner. Results Two hydrolysis modes were examined, enzymatic hydrolysis (EH of PCS whole slurry or washed PCS solids at pH 5 and 50°C, and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF of washed PCS solids at pH 5 and 38°C. Enzymes were dosed on a total protein mass basis, with protein quantified using both the bicinchoninic acid (BCA assay and the Bradford assay. Substantial differences were observed in absolute cellulose to glucose conversion performance levels under the conditions tested. Higher cellulose conversion yields were obtained using washed solids compared to whole slurry, and estimated enzyme protein dosages required to achieve a particular cellulose conversion to glucose yield were extremely dependent on the protein assay used. All four enzyme systems achieved glucose yields of 90% of theoretical or higher in SSF mode. Glucose yields were reduced in EH mode, with all enzymes achieving glucose yields of at least 85% of theoretical on washed PCS solids and 75% in PCS whole slurry. One of the enzyme systems ('enzyme B' exhibited the best overall performance. However in attaining high conversion yields at lower total enzyme protein loadings, the relative and rank ordered performance of the enzyme systems varied significantly depending upon which hydrolysis mode and protein assay were used as the basis for comparison. Conclusions This study provides extensive
Comparing contracting performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindholst, Andrej Christian

. Hypotheses are suggested for the role of culture, competition, contracts, capabilities and collaboration for contracting performance between and across the countries. Arguments are tested against data from on four comparable national surveys of private delivery of park and road maintenance services in local...
The Effect of Teacher Performance in Implementation of The 2013 Curriculum Toward Chemistry Learning Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Dewi, L. P.; Djohar, A.

2018-04-01

This research is a study about implementation of the 2013 Curriculum on Chemistry subject. This study aims to determine the effect of teacher performance toward chemistry learning achievement. The research design involves the independent variable, namely the performance of Chemistry teacher, and the dependent variable that is Chemistry learning achievement which includes the achievement in knowledge and skill domain. The subject of this research are Chemistry teachers and High School students in Bandung City. The research data is obtained from questionnaire about teacher performance assessed by student and Chemistry learning achievement from the students’ report. Data were analyzed by using MANOVA test. The result of multivariate significance test shows that there is a significant effect of teacher performance toward Chemistry learning achievement in knowledge and skill domain with medium effect size.
The Problem: Low-Achieving Districts and Low-Performing Boards

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David E. Lee

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Effective school districts maintain superintendent and school board collegiality which can foster success and connectedness among members. Delagardelle and Alsbury (2008 found that superintendents and board members are not consistent in their perceptions about the work the board does, and Glass (2007 found that states do not require boards to undergo evaluation for effectiveness. In the current study, 115 board meetings were observed using the School Board Video Project (SBVP survey, which was created in 2012 by researchers to uncover school board meetings’ effectiveness. MANOVA, Univariate ANOVA, and Pearson Chi-Square test results revealed significant differences between low-, medium-, and high-performing districts’ school board meetings. Evidence indicated that low-performing districts’ board meetings were: less orderly; had less time spent on student achievement; lacked respectful and attentive engagement across speakers; had board meeting members who seemed to advance their own agenda; had less effective working relationships among the governance team; had fewer board members who relied on the superintendent for advice and input; had one member, other than the board president, stand out for taking excessive time during meetings; and did not focus on policy items as much as high- and medium-performing school districts. The research concluded that more school board members from low-performing districts needed training to improve their effectiveness. Furthermore, highly refined and target-enhanced school board training programs might lead to lasting governance success and more effective teaming that could improve district, and ultimately, student achievement.
Social jetlag, academic achievement and cognitive performance: Understanding gender/sex differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Díaz-Morales, Juan F; Escribano, Cristina

2015-01-01

Adolescents in high school suffer from circadian misalignment, undersleeping on weekdays and oversleeping on weekends. Since high schools usually impose early schedules, adolescents suffer from permanent social jetlag (SJL) and thus are a suitable population to study the effects of SJL on both academic and cognitive performance. In this study, 796 adolescents aged 12-16 years reported information about their sleep habits, morningness-eveningness (M-E), cognitive abilities and grade point average (GPA). Time in bed on both weekdays and weekends was not related to cognitive abilities, and only time in bed on weekdays was related to academic achievement. SJL was negatively related to academic achievement, cognitive abilities (except for vocabulary and verbal fluency abilities) and general cognitive ability (g), whereas M-E was slightly positively related to academic achievement and marginally negatively related to inductive reasoning. Results separated by sex/gender indicated that SJL may be more detrimental to girls' performance, as it was negatively related to a greater number of cognitive abilities and GPA.
Comparing the Effects of Instructional and Transformational Leadership on Student Achievement: Implications for Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Shatzer, Ryan H.; Caldarella, Paul; Hallam, Pamela R.; Brown, Bruce L.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare transformational and instructional leadership theories, examine the unique impact that school leaders have on student achievement, and determine which specific leadership practices are associated with increased student achievement. The sample for this study consisted of 590 teachers in 37 elementary schools…
Renewable Energy Certificate and Perform, Achieve, Trade mechanisms to enhance the energy security for India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Rajesh; Agarwala, Arun

2013-01-01

The Renewable Energy Certificate and Perform Achieve Trade mechanisms in India are designed to target energy generation and saving, respectively, in line with Clean Development Mechanism implemented by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Renewable Energy Certificate System is a voluntary regulation in India for renewable energy generators and is designed for effective implementation of inter-state transactions by introducing the Renewable Purchase Obligation regulation for consumers and a flexible trading platform for transactions across the country. Another initiative, the Perform Achieve Trade scheme, is an enhanced energy efficiency trading mechanism based on consumption targets that require large energy user sectors to improve efficiency by 1–2% per year. The Perform Achieve Trade programme has introduced mechanisms for the identification of industry sector, designated customer, specific energy consumption and target setting. The Perform Achieve Trade design issues are in test phase in the first cycle of the scheme which will run from 2012 to 2015. This paper discusses key design issues about boundary and target setting for Renewable Energy Certificate and Perform Achieve Trade energy saving certificate (ESCert) A data sharing and trading mechanism for Perform Achieve Trade is also proposed for review and coordination among regulator, designated consumers and traders in the market. - Highlights: ► Renewable Energy Certificate’ and ‘Perform Achieve Trade’ are energy certification programmes. ► REC and PAT programme implementation and the institutional network work are presented. ► The trading and communication network propose for possible linkage between REC, PAT and CDM. ► Independent associations in parallel with CERC and BEE are redefined for two tier review of scheme
Configurational Paths to Social Performance in SMEs: The Interplay of Innovation, Sustainability, Resources and Achievement Motivation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sascha Kraus

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In today’s world of increasing ecological, social and economic issues, the question as to how businesses can become a vehicle towards more sustainable development has become more relevant than ever. Crucial to a more sustainable economy is the successful implementation of sustainable practices through entrepreneurial activities. Although there are attempts to describe how sustainable entrepreneurs differentiate themselves, the question of how some entrepreneurs manage to successfully create a sustainable enterprise, while others do not, remains unanswered. The aim of this research is to find causal patterns that explain the success of sustainable entrepreneurs, using their social performance as a measure. Using a configuration approach-based fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA of 598 Austrian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs, we could identify four different combinations of the interconnected variables of innovation orientation, environmental sustainability, resource leveraging and achievement motivation, which all lead to social performance depending on the respective networking intensity of the firms. The only variable that is included in all combinations is environmental sustainability, thus indicating it may be either crucial to or a prerequisite for achieving social performance in SMEs.
Prediction of intrinsic motivation and sports performance using 2 x 2 achievement goal framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chiung-Huang; Chi, Likang; Yeh, Suh-Ruu; Guo, Kwei-Bin; Ou, Cheng-Tsung; Kao, Chun-Chieh

2011-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of 2 x 2 achievement goals on intrinsic motivation and performance in handball. Participants were 164 high school athletes. All completed the 2 x 2 Achievement Goals Questionnaire for Sport and the Intrinsic Motivation subscale of the Sport Motivation Scale; the coach for each team rated his athletes' overall sports performance. Using simultaneous-regression analyses, mastery-approach goals positively predicted both intrinsic motivation and performance in sports, whereas performance-avoidance goals negatively predicted sports performance. These results suggest that athletes who pursue task mastery and improvement of their competence perform well and enjoy their participation. In contrast, those who focus on avoiding normative incompetence perform poorly.
Expressing International Educational Achievement in Terms of U.S. Performance Standards: Linking NAEP Achievement Levels to TIMSS

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Gary W.

2007-01-01

Educators, researchers, and policymakers have considerable interest in how the American educational system compares to those in other countries. One major index for comparison is student academic achievement. This paper links the scale of the "National Assessment of Educational Progress" ("NAEP") to the scale of the "Third International…
Comparative performance evaluation of full-scale anaerobic and aerobic wastewater treatment processes in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

von Sperling, M; Oliveira, S C

2009-01-01

This article evaluates and compares the actual behavior of 166 full-scale anaerobic and aerobic wastewater treatment plants in operation in Brazil, providing information on the performance of the processes in terms of the quality of the generated effluent and the removal efficiency achieved. The observed results of effluent concentrations and removal efficiencies of the constituents BOD, COD, TSS (total suspended solids), TN (total nitrogen), TP (total phosphorus) and FC (faecal or thermotolerant coliforms) have been compared with the typical expected performance reported in the literature. The treatment technologies selected for study were: (a) predominantly anaerobic: (i) septic tank + anaerobic filter (ST + AF), (ii) UASB reactor without post-treatment (UASB) and (iii) UASB reactor followed by several post-treatment processes (UASB + POST); (b) predominantly aerobic: (iv) facultative pond (FP), (v) anaerobic pond followed by facultative pond (AP + FP) and (vi) activated sludge (AS). The results, confirmed by statistical tests, showed that, in general, the best performance was achieved by AS, but closely followed by UASB reactor, when operating with any kind of post-treatment. The effluent quality of the anaerobic processes ST + AF and UASB reactor without post-treatment was very similar to the one presented by facultative pond, a simpler aerobic process, regarding organic matter.
Predicting subjective vitality and performance in sports: the role of passion and achievement goals.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chiung-Huang

2010-06-01

The major purpose of this study was to test the hypothesized paths from dualistic passions through achievement goals to subjective vitality and performance in sports. 645 high school athletes participated. The proposed structural equation model, with relationships between dualistic passions and subjective vitality and sports performance mediated by achievement goals, fit the data well, especially for mastery-approach and performance-approach goals. Harmonious and obsessive passions may lead athletes to high performance via the adoption of mastery-approach goals. However, these passions seem to have two paths influencing personal functioning: direct effects make players feel energetic, and indirect effects on subjective vitality through adoption of mastery-approach and performance-approach goals.
Motivation and performance within a collaborative computer-based modeling task: Relations between students' achievement goal orientation, self-efficacy, cognitive processing and achievement

OpenAIRE

Sins, P.H.M.; van Joolingen, W.R.; Savelsbergh, E.R.; van Hout-Wolters, B.H.A.M.

2008-01-01

Purpose of the present study was to test a conceptual model of relations among achievement goal orientation, self-efficacy, cognitive processing, and achievement of students working within a particular collaborative task context. The task involved a collaborative computer-based modeling task. In order to test the model, group measures of mastery-approach goal orientation, performance-avoidance goal orientation, self-efficacy, and achievement were employed. Students’ cognitive processing was a...
Achieving high milk production performance at grass with minimal concentrate supplementation with spring-calving dairy cows: actual performance compared to simulated performance

OpenAIRE

O'Donovan, M.; Ruelle, Elodie; Coughlan, F.; Delaby, Luc

2015-01-01

The aim of high-profitability grazing systems is to produce milk efficiency from grazed pasture. There is very limited information available on the milk production capacity of dairy cows offered a grass-only diet for the main part of her lactation. In this study, spring-calving dairy cows were managed to achieve high milk production levels throughout the grazing season without supplementation. The calving date of the herd was 12 April; the herd had access to grass as they calved a...
Predicting Examination Performance Using an Expanded Integrated Hierarchical Model of Test Emotions and Achievement Goals

Science.gov (United States)

Putwain, Dave; Deveney, Carolyn

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine an expanded integrative hierarchical model of test emotions and achievement goal orientations in predicting the examination performance of undergraduate students. Achievement goals were theorised as mediating the relationship between test emotions and performance. 120 undergraduate students completed…

Animation-assisted CPRII program as a reminder tool in achieving effective one-person-CPR performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Choa, Minhong; Cho, Junho; Choi, Young Hwan; Kim, Seungho; Sung, Ji Min; Chung, Hyun Soo

2009-06-01

The objective of this study is to compare the skill retention of two groups of lay persons, six months after their last CPR training. The intervention group was provided with animation-assisted CPRII (AA-CPRII) instruction on their cellular phones, and the control group had nothing but what they learned from their previous training. This study was a single blind randomized controlled trial. The participants' last CPR trainings were held at least six months ago. We revised our CPR animation for on-site CPR instruction content emphasizing importance of chest compression. Participants were randomized into two groups, the AA-CPRII group (n=42) and the control group (n=38). Both groups performed three cycles of CPR and their performances were video recorded. These video clips were assessed by three evaluators using a checklist. The psychomotor skills were evaluated using the ResusciAnne SkillReporter. Using the 30-point scoring checklist, the AA-CPRII group had a significantly better score compared to the control group (pCPR could be used as a reminder tool in achieving effective one-person-CPR performance. By installing the CPR instruction on cellular phones and having taught them CPR with it during the training enabled participants to perform better CPR.
HVS scheme for DICOM image compression: Design and comparative performance evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prabhakar, B. [Biomedical and Engineering Division, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, Tamil Nadu (India)]. E-mail: prabhakarb@iitm.ac.in; Reddy, M. Ramasubba [Biomedical and Engineering Division, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, Tamil Nadu (India)

2007-07-15

Advanced digital imaging technology in medical domain demands efficient and effective DICOM image compression for progressive image transmission and picture archival. Here a compression system, which incorporates sensitivities of HVS coded with SPIHT quantization, is discussed. The weighting factors derived from luminance CSF are used to transform the wavelet subband coefficients to reflect characteristics of HVS in best possible manner. Mannos et al. and Daly HVS models have been used and results are compared. To evaluate the performance, Eskicioglu chart metric is considered. Experiment is done on both Monochrome and Color Dicom images of MRI, CT, OT, and CR, natural and benchmark images. Reconstructed image through our technique showed improvement in visual quality and Eskicioglu chart metric at same compression ratios. Also the Daly HVS model based compression shows better performance perceptually and quantitatively when compared to Mannos et el. model. Further 'bior4.4' wavelet filter provides better results than 'db9' filter for this compression system. Results give strong evidence that under common boundary conditions; our technique achieves competitive visual quality, compression ratio and coding/decoding time, when compared with jpeg2000 (kakadu)
ACHIEVING MATURITY (AND MEASURING PERFORMANCE THROUGH MODEL-BASED PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose Marcelo Almeida Prado Cestari

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the approach adopted by a software development unit in order to achieve the maturity level 3 of CMMI-DEV and therefore obtaining better performance. Through historical research and secondary data analysis of the organization, the paper intends to answer the following research question: "Could the adoption of maturity/best practices models bring better performance results to small and medium organizations?" Data and analysis conducted show that, besides the creation of indicator’s based management, there are some quantitative performance improvements in indicators such as: Schedule Deviation Rate, Effort Deviation Rate, Percent Late Delivery, Productivity Deviation and Internal Rework Rate
The Spelling Achievement of Third Culture Children Compared to United States Norms

Science.gov (United States)

Cuidon, Lauren Jayne Berry

2009-01-01

Spelling is a critical component to literacy development. Teachers of American children living overseas as well as adult "Third Culture Kids" (TCKs) have reported that spelling is especially challenging for the TCK population. This study investigated whether a difference existed in TCK spelling achievement compared to U.S. norms, as well…
Cognitive performance and academic achievement: How do family and school converge?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Filipa Alves

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Children enter the school system with different educational experiences, leaving also with different levels of learning and school results. In this study, we intend to understand the impact of family and school on children's cognitive performance and academic achievement during elementary education. The sample consists of 406 Portuguese children, from preschool and the 1st cycle of Basic Education, aged from 4 to 10 years old. Through full structural equation model, it was observed that the latent variable family (parents’ schooling and socioeconomic level and the latent variable school (community and type of school have a significant impact on academic achievement. However, only family presents a significant impact on cognitive performance. These data suggest that the impact of school on intelligence quotient is not expressive in early academic years, where family present higher explanation of the variance.
Countries compared on public performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jedid-Jah Jonker

2012-01-01

How well is the public sector performing? Are citizens being well served? This report compares the performance of nine public services in 28 developed countries over the period 1995-2009. Four sectors - education, health care, social safety and housing - are studied in some detail, while the
Strategies to optimize lithium-ion supercapacitors achieving high-performance: Cathode configurations, lithium loadings on anode, and types of separator

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Wanjun; Li, Yangxing; Fitch, Brian; Shih, Jonathan; Doung, Tien; Zheng, Jim

2014-12-01

The Li-ion capacitor (LIC) is composed of a lithium-doped carbon anode and an activated carbon cathode, which is a half Li-ion battery (LIB) and a half electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC). LICs can achieve much more energy density than EDLC without sacrificing the high power performance advantage of capacitors over batteries. LIC pouch cells were assembled using activated carbon (AC) cathode and hard carbon (HC) + stabilized lithium metal power (SLMP®) anode. Different cathode configurations, various SLMP loadings on HC anode, and two types of separators were investigated to achieve the optimal electrochemical performance of the LIC. Firstly, the cathode binders study suggests that the PTFE binder offers improved energy and power performances for LIC in comparison to PVDF. Secondly, the mass ratio of SLMP to HC is at 1:7 to obtain the optimized electrochemical performance for LIC among all the various studied mass ratios between lithium loading amounts and active anode material. Finally, compared to the separator Celgard PP 3501, cellulose based TF40-30 is proven to be a preferred separator for LIC.
Comparative performance of five Mexican plancha-type cookstoves using water boiling tests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo Medina

Full Text Available While plancha-type cookstoves are very popular and widely disseminated in Latin America, few peer review articles exist documenting their detailed technical performance. In this paper we use the standard Water Boiling Tests (WBT to assess the energy and emission performance of five plancha-type cookstoves disseminated in about 450 thousand Mexican rural homes compared to the traditional 3-stone fire (TSF. In the high-power phase, average modified combustion efficiencies (MCE for plancha-type stoves were 97±1% which was higher than TSF 93±4%, and reductions in CO and PM2.5 total emissions were on average 44%. Time to boil and specific fuel consumption, however, were increased in plancha-type stoves compared to the open fire as a result of the reduced overall thermal efficiency of the plancha during WBT. In the simmering phase, plancha-type stoves showed much more consistent performance reductions compared to the TSF. MCE for plancha stoves were on average 98±1% and 95±3% for the TSF, while reductions in CO and PM2.5 total emissions were on average 55%. In this phase 27% average savings in fuel use are achieved by plancha-type stoves. Removal of the plancha rings resulted in savings of specific fuel consumption (SFC, thermal efficiency (TE, and time to boil; however, CO and PM2.5 emissions increased significantly as flue air is drawn through the comal surface rather than through the combustion zone, resulting in suboptimal combustion conditions.International Workshop Agreement (IWA energy performance Tiers for plancha-type stoves ranged from 0 to 1. However, these results contrast sharply with the well documented reductions in fuel consumption during daily cooking activities achieved by these stoves. IWA indoor emissions Tiers are 4 for both PM2.5 and CO using locally measured values for fugitive emissions. Optimization of combustion chamber design on these stoves in Mexico is desirable to further reduce indoor emissions and to reduce the
How to Achieve Quality Business Performance in an Organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Merima Bekri ć

2013-02-01

Full Text Available RQ: The research question is the influence of quality management on quality business performance.Purpose: Determine which top management approaches are essential for business excellence and leadership approaches that achieve quality business.Method: Analysis of articles from the Journal Organization from the last 5 years and one article from the Journal of Universal Excellent to obtain data.Results: Characteristics of managers and individual employees influence the quality of an organization's performance and business excellence. This is rudimentary for an organization to perform successfully. The results show the weaknesses that an organization can improve in.Organization: The research study facilitates in improving long-term success of an organization. The results can assist in further decision-making and timely responses to changes in its internal and external environment.Society: Better business performance contributes to the wider environment, as this also ensures stability of an organization.Originality: A different approach in viewing management issuesand searching for improvements. There are not many review articles on this topic.Limitations: The analysis was conducted with only ten articles.
How to achieve and prove performance improvement - 15 years of experience in German wastewater benchmarking.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertzbach, F; Franz, T; Möller, K

2012-01-01

This paper shows the results of performance improvement, which have been achieved in benchmarking projects in the wastewater industry in Germany over the last 15 years. A huge number of changes in operational practice and also in achieved annual savings can be shown, induced in particular by benchmarking at process level. Investigation of this question produces some general findings for the inclusion of performance improvement in a benchmarking project and for the communication of its results. Thus, we elaborate on the concept of benchmarking at both utility and process level, which is still a necessary distinction for the integration of performance improvement into our benchmarking approach. To achieve performance improvement via benchmarking it should be made quite clear that this outcome depends, on one hand, on a well conducted benchmarking programme and, on the other, on the individual situation within each participating utility.
Comparative jet wake structure and swimming performance of salps.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutherland, Kelly R; Madin, Laurence P

2010-09-01

Salps are barrel-shaped marine invertebrates that swim by jet propulsion. Morphological variations among species and life-cycle stages are accompanied by differences in swimming mode. The goal of this investigation was to compare propulsive jet wakes and swimming performance variables among morphologically distinct salp species (Pegea confoederata, Weelia (Salpa) cylindrica, Cyclosalpa sp.) and relate swimming patterns to ecological function. Using a combination of in situ dye visualization and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements, we describe properties of the jet wake and swimming performance variables including thrust, drag and propulsive efficiency. Locomotion by all species investigated was achieved via vortex ring propulsion. The slow-swimming P. confoederata produced the highest weight-specific thrust (T=53 N kg(-1)) and swam with the highest whole-cycle propulsive efficiency (eta(wc)=55%). The fast-swimming W. cylindrica had the most streamlined body shape but produced an intermediate weight-specific thrust (T=30 N kg(-1)) and swam with an intermediate whole-cycle propulsive efficiency (eta(wc)=52%). Weak swimming performance variables in the slow-swimming C. affinis, including the lowest weight-specific thrust (T=25 N kg(-1)) and lowest whole-cycle propulsive efficiency (eta(wc)=47%), may be compensated by low energetic requirements. Swimming performance variables are considered in the context of ecological roles and evolutionary relationships.
Comparing Three Models of Achievement Goals: Goal Orientations, Goal Standards, and Goal Complexes

Science.gov (United States)

Senko, Corwin; Tropiano, Katie L.

2016-01-01

Achievement goal theory (Dweck, 1986) initially characterized mastery goals and performance goals as opposites in a good-bad dualism of student motivation. A later revision (Harackiewicz, Barron, & Elliot, 1998) contended that both goals can provide benefits and be pursued together. Perhaps both frameworks are correct: Their contrasting views…
Achieving the optimal performance of the CMS ECAL in Run II

CERN Document Server

Sun, Menglei

2016-01-01

Many physics analyses using the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at the LHC require accurate, high resolution electron and photon energy measurements. Particularly important are decays of the Higgs boson resulting in electromagnetic particles in the final state. Di-photon events in CMS are also a very important channel in the search for Higgs boson production in association with other particles or in the search for possible new resonances of higher mass. The requirement for high performance electromagnetic calorimetry therefore remains high during LHC Run II. Following the excellent performance achieved in Run~I at a center of mass energy of 7 and 8 TeV, the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) started operating at the LHC in Spring 2015 with proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV center-of-mass energy. The instantaneous luminosity delivered by the LHC during Run~II is expected to exceed the levels achieved in Run I, using 25 ns bunch spacing. The average number of concurrent proton-proton collisions per bu...
Performance-based alternative assessments as a means of eliminating gender achievement differences on science tests

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Norman Merrill

1998-09-01

Historically, researchers have reported an achievement difference between females and males on standardized science tests. These differences have been reported to be based upon science knowledge, abstract reasoning skills, mathematical abilities, and cultural and social phenomena. This research was designed to determine how mastery of specific science content from public school curricula might be evaluated with performance-based assessment models, without producing gender achievement differences. The assessment instruments used were Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement's GOALSsp°ler: A Performance-Based Measure of Achievement and the performance-based portion of the Stanford Achievement Testspcopyright, Ninth Edition. The identified independent variables were test, gender, ethnicity, and grade level. A 2 x 2 x 6 x 12 (test x gender x ethnicity x grade) factorial experimental design was used to organize the data. A stratified random sample (N = 2400) was selected from a national pool of norming data: N = 1200 from the GOALSsp°ler group and N = 1200 from the SAT9spcopyright group. The ANOVA analysis yielded mixed results. The factors of test, gender, ethnicity by grade, gender by grade, and gender by grade by ethnicity failed to produce significant results (alpha = 0.05). The factors yielding significant results were ethnicity, grade, and ethnicity by grade. Therefore, no significant differences were found between female and male achievement on these performance-based assessments.
Boredom in Achievement Settings: Exploring Control-Value Antecedents and Performance Outcomes of a Neglected Emotion

Science.gov (United States)

Pekrun, Reinhard; Goetz, Thomas; Daniels, Lia M.; Stupnisky, Robert H.; Perry, Raymond P.

2010-01-01

The linkages of achievement-related boredom with students' appraisals and performance outcomes were examined in a series of 5 exploratory, cross-sectional, and predictive investigations. Studies 1 and 2 assessed students' boredom in a single achievement episode (i.e., state achievement boredom); Studies 3, 4, and 5 focused on their habitual…
The Achievement Gap: Factors That Influenced the Achievement of Successful Black Students

Science.gov (United States)

Morton, Kwame R., Sr.

2011-01-01

The academic underperformance of Black students when compared to their White peers has confounded educators nationwide. This discrepancy in academic performance commonly referred to as the achievement gap has become a national crisis which has led to one of the most significant educational reforms undertaken in the United States of America in the…
Comparative Performance of Surrogate-Assisted MOEAs for Geometrical Design of Pin-Fin Heat Sinks

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Siwadol Kanyakam

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the comparative performance of several surrogate-assisted multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs for geometrical design of a pin-fin heat sink (PFHS. The surrogate-assisted MOEAs are achieved by integrating multiobjective population-based incremental learning (PBIL with a quadratic response surface model (QRS, a radial-basis function (RBF interpolation technique, and a Kriging (KRG or Gaussian process model. The mixed integer/continuous multiobjective design problem of PFHS with the objective to minimise junction temperature and fan pumping power simultaneously is posed. The optimum results obtained from using the original multiobjective PBIL and the three versions of hybrid PBIL are compared. It is shown that the hybrid PBIL using KRG is the best performer. The hybrid PBILs require less number of function evaluations to surpass the original PBIL.
Secondary Students' Writing Achievement Goals: Assessing the Mediating Effects of Mastery and Performance Goals on Writing Self-Efficacy, Affect, and Writing Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Yilmaz Soylu, Meryem; Zeleny, Mary G.; Zhao, Ruomeng; Bruning, Roger H.; Dempsey, Michael S.; Kauffman, Douglas F.

2017-01-01

The two studies reported here explored the factor structure of the newly constructed Writing Achievement Goal Scale (WAGS), and examined relationships among secondary students' writing achievement goals, writing self-efficacy, affect for writing, and writing achievement. In the first study, 697 middle school students completed the WAGS. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good fit for this data with a three-factor model that corresponds with mastery, performance approach, and performance avoidance goals. The results of Study 1 were an indication for the researchers to move forward with Study 2, which included 563 high school students. The secondary students completed the WAGS, as well as the Self-efficacy for Writing Scale, and the Liking Writing Scale. Students also self-reported grades for writing and for language arts courses. Approximately 6 weeks later, students completed a statewide writing assessment. We tested a theoretical model representing relationships among Study 2 variables using structural equation modeling including students' responses to the study scales and students' scores on the statewide assessment. Results from Study 2 revealed a good fit between a model depicting proposed relationships among the constructs and the data. Findings are discussed relative to achievement goal theory and writing. PMID:28878707
Energy thrift and improved performance achieved through novel railway brake discs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tirovic, Marko

2009-01-01

A disc with radial vanes and circumferential pillars proves to be successful in operation and achieves energy efficiency improvements compared with those of traditional design. Cooling characteristics of this novel design are practically identical to the disc with tangential vanes but the equivalent aerodynamic (air pumping) losses are approximately 50% less. It is shown that these reductions in pumping losses can lead to substantial energy savings in train operations. When developing new designs and/or comparing different railway disc designs, the proposed disc cooling to aerodynamic efficiency ratio (η v ) was found to be a very useful parameter to assess. This 'efficiency ratio' - a ratio of convective power dissipation to aerodynamic power losses can help in achieving adequate balance of cooling efficiency and aerodynamic losses to suit particular application. The use of CFD is of enormous benefit in generating discs that fulfil these demanding requirements, with the spin rig being exceptionally useful for experimental work
Comparing Faculty and Students Perceptions on Clinical Competency Achievement in Rehabilitation Programs

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Foroozan Shokooh

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Clinical competencies are learning outcomes the student should display by the end of the program and competency based instruction measures what participants have learned as opposed to what instructors think they have thought. Objective of this study was to compare student and faculty perceptions of the importance and achievement of clinical competencies in rehabilitation programs. Methods: The survey instrument was a dual-response 5-point Likert-type questionnaire consisting of 29 competencies based on content and skill areas in the management of patient with chronic illnesses. The instrument was administered to all faculty members and final year undergraduate students of three rehabilitation programs including Speech therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy at the University of Rehabilitation and Social Welfare in Iran. Results: 45 students and 19 faculty members participated in the study. Overall, most of the students (81% rated themselves as moderately competent (mean between 2 to 4. Perceived self-efficacy of male students was significantly higher than female students. (P=0.014 Differences between perceived importance and perceived achievement were statistically significant in each subject group. (P=0.000. Discussion: Faculty members and students shared very similar perceptions on the importance & achievement of competencies. Difference between importance and achievement of competencies may suggest a failure in consideration of required competencies or successful implementation of them in the current curriculum.

Energy performance of building fabric - Comparing two types of vernacular residential houses

Science.gov (United States)

Draganova, Vanya Y.; Matsumoto, Hiroshi; Tsuzuki, Kazuyo

2017-10-01

Notwithstanding apparent differences, Japanese and Bulgarian traditional residential houses share a lot of common features - building materials, building techniques, even layout design. Despite the similarities, these two types of houses have not been compared so far. The study initiates such comparison. The focus is on houses in areas with similar climate in both countries. Current legislation requirements are compared, as well as the criteria for thermal comfort of people. Achieving high energy performance results from a dynamic system of 4 main key factors - thermal comfort range, heating/cooling source, building envelope and climatic conditions. A change in any single one of them can affect the final energy performance. However, it can be expected that a combination of changes in more than one factor usually occurs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the correlation between the thermal performance of building envelope designed under current regulations and a traditional one, having in mind the different thermal comfort range in the two countries. A sample building model is calculated in Scenario 1 - Japanese traditional building fabric, Scenario 2 - Bulgarian traditional building fabric and Scenario 3 - meeting the requirements of the more demanding current regulations. The energy modelling is conducted using EnergyPlus through OpenStudio cross-platform of software tools. The 3D geometry for the simulation is created using OpenStudio SketchUp Plug-in. Equal number of inhabitants, electricity consumption and natural ventilation is assumed. The results show that overall low energy consumption can be achieved using traditional building fabric as well, when paired with a wider thermal comfort range. Under these conditions traditional building design is still viable today. This knowledge can reestablish the use of traditional building fabric in contemporary design, stimulate preservation of local culture, building traditions and community identity.
The Effects of the Classroom Performance System on Student Participation, Attendance, and Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Termos, Mohamad Hani

2013-01-01

The Classroom Performance System (CPS) is an instructional technology that increases student performance and promotes active learning. This study assessed the effect of the CPS on student participation, attendance, and achievement in multicultural college-level anatomy and physiology classes, where students' first spoken language is not English.…
A Comparative Study of Parental Involvement and Its Effect on African-American Male and Overall Student Achievement at Single Gender and Coeducational Middle Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Nellums, Michael W.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if Parental Involvement influenced academic performance at single gender and co-educational schools. This study also compared African American male academic achievement with all students enrolled in two single gender, and one coeducational, middle school programs. Although all three schools reflected a…
Secondary Students' Writing Achievement Goals: Assessing the Mediating Effects of Mastery and Performance Goals on Writing Self-Efficacy, Affect, and Writing Achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meryem Yilmaz Soylu

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The two studies reported here explored the factor structure of the newly constructed Writing Achievement Goal Scale (WAGS, and examined relationships among secondary students' writing achievement goals, writing self-efficacy, affect for writing, and writing achievement. In the first study, 697 middle school students completed the WAGS. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good fit for this data with a three-factor model that corresponds with mastery, performance approach, and performance avoidance goals. The results of Study 1 were an indication for the researchers to move forward with Study 2, which included 563 high school students. The secondary students completed the WAGS, as well as the Self-efficacy for Writing Scale, and the Liking Writing Scale. Students also self-reported grades for writing and for language arts courses. Approximately 6 weeks later, students completed a statewide writing assessment. We tested a theoretical model representing relationships among Study 2 variables using structural equation modeling including students' responses to the study scales and students' scores on the statewide assessment. Results from Study 2 revealed a good fit between a model depicting proposed relationships among the constructs and the data. Findings are discussed relative to achievement goal theory and writing.
The Best Achievable ℋ2 Tracking Performances for SIMO Feedback Control Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shinji Hara

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This paper is concerned with the inherent ℋ2 tracking performance limitation of single-input and multiple-output (SIMO linear time-invariant (LTI feedback control systems. The performance is measured by the tracking error between a step reference input and the plant output with additional penalty on control input. We employ the plant augmentation strategy, which enables us to derive analytical closed-form expressions of the best achievable performance not only for discrete-time system, but also for continuous-time system by exploiting the delta domain version of the expressions.
Public Integrity and Performance of Governance. A Comparative Study for South-Eastern Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucica Matei

2009-07-01

Full Text Available The studies concerning the impact of corruption on the effectiveness of governance are numerous, valorising profound approaches, based on criteria and standards related to good governance, organizational behaviour.The concepts and mechanisms specific for econometrics and statistics provide the quantitative support for qualitative analyses, substantiating public policies, in view to assure effectiveness in performance measurement.For all South-Eastern European countries, the level of development and social organization determines specific ethical behaviours. In this context, the current paper aims a comparative economic and social evaluation of the correlations between corruption, performance and economic freedom in South-Eastern European countries, including Romania.The working hypotheses turn into consideration the following issues:- corruption holds national specific character and the statistic, econometric or sociologic analyses reveal that it is stable during the time;- an effective governance leads to increasing the citizens’ welfare;- if a country is poor and the economic freedom is reduced than the bureaucratic and political system tends to be more corrupted;- the perspective of accession into the EU has led to the perception concerning the reduction of the corruption level.The above hypotheses will be completed and we shall achieve comparative analyses, relevant for the group of South-Eastern European countries. The above quantitative analyses will use both own results of the researches carried out by the authors and public results of World Bank, Transparency International and Heritage Foundation, as well as results of authorities responsible for national statistics. The comparative research is achieved on a 10 years period, comprising also the moment of accession into the European Union for some states.
Commissioning of Japanese x-ray free electron laser, SACLA and achieved laser performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Hitoshi; Amselem, Arnaud; Aoyagi, Hideki

2012-01-01

After 8 months of beam commissioning of SPring-8 Angstrom Compact free electron LAser, SACLA reached the primary target performance, i.e., a shortest laser wavelength of ∼0.6 Angstrom and a laser pulse energy value of sub-mJ at a wavelength of 1.2 Angstrom. This success was due to the following four factors; (1) performance estimation of each component of SACLA required for the target laser performance and its achievement, (2) elaboration of beam diagnostics and control systems enabling precise accelerator and undulator tuning, (3) a rational and strategic commissioning plan, (4) most adequate response to various accidental events during the beam commissioning period. This article, in order to light up the above four factors leading us to the success, starts with the features of SACLA and critical tolerance for the sub-system components, and then, explains our approach to achieve the target laser performance and how the beam commissioning of SACLA proceeded. At last, the article summarizes the present laser and operational status. (author)
Aligning Science Achievement and STEM Expectations for College Success: A Comparative Study of Curricular Standardization

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Siqi Han

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Lack of preparation in science leads to high rates of attrition among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM majors, even among students who are highly oriented toward STEM. Using data for twenty-seven countries from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment, we compare the United States with other industrialized countries in terms of fifteen-year-olds’ science achievement and their expectations to focus on STEM in the future. The United States trails most countries in the mean science achievement of the general student population and among students expecting to pursue STEM majors or careers. Lack of curricular standardization in the United States is related to this lower science achievement. Countries with higher curricular standardization exhibit higher average science achievement scores; science achievement and students’ future orientation toward science are also better aligned in these countries. We discuss the implications of these findings for American colleges and universities as they seek to reduce student attrition in STEM fields.
Comparative values of medical school assessments in the prediction of internship performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ming; Vermillion, Michelle

2018-02-01

Multiple undergraduate achievements have been used for graduate admission consideration. Their relative values in the prediction of residency performance are not clear. This study compared the contributions of major undergraduate assessments to the prediction of internship performance. Internship performance ratings of the graduates of a medical school were collected from 2012 to 2015. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to examine the predictive values of undergraduate measures assessing basic and clinical sciences knowledge and clinical performances, after controlling for differences in the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Four hundred eighty (75%) graduates' archived data were used in the study. Analyses revealed that clinical competencies, assessed by the USMLE Step 2 CK, NBME medicine exam, and an eight-station objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), were strong predictors of internship performance. Neither the USMLE Step 1 nor the inpatient internal medicine clerkship evaluation predicted internship performance. The undergraduate assessments as a whole showed a significant collective relationship with internship performance (ΔR 2 = 0.12, p < 0.001). The study supports the use of clinical competency assessments, instead of pre-clinical measures, in graduate admission consideration. It also provides validity evidence for OSCE scores in the prediction of workplace performance.
Comparing the achievement goal orientation of mathematics ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A quantitative, exploratory research design was used. ... Goals affect how learners approach mathematics learning activities, which could ... research on academic success and ADHD has focused on reading ... from the data analysis process. ... Achievement goal orientation is based on a ...... Research design: Qualitative,.
School Achievement and Performance in Chilean High Schools: The Mediating Role of Subjective Wellbeing in School-Related Evaluations

Science.gov (United States)

López, Verónica; Oyanedel, Juan C.; Bilbao, Marian; Torres, Javier; Oyarzún, Denise; Morales, Macarena; Ascorra, Paula; Carrasco, Claudia

2017-01-01

School achievement gaps and school failure are problematic issues in Latin America, and are mainly explained by the socio-economic status (SES) of the students. What schools can do to improve school achievement and reduce school failure is a critical issue, both for school management and teacher training. In this study, we present the association of individual and school-related socio-emotional variables with school achievement and performance, controlling for the effects of SES. A probabilistic sample of 4,964 students, drawn from 191 schools enrolled in year 10 in urban areas of Chile, answered questionnaires assessing subjective wellbeing, social wellbeing in school, school climate, school social wellbeing and students’ perceptions of teachers’ wellbeing. Using structural equation modeling, and controlling for SES, we modeled subjective wellbeing as a mediator of the relationship between school-related variables, such as school climate and perception of teacher’s wellbeing, and (a) school achievement, and (b) school performance. School achievement was computed as a product of (a) the probability of passing the school year, and (b) the percentage of yearly attendance at school. Data on school achievement was drawn from administrative registries from the Chilean Ministry of Education. School performance was computed as the estimated grade point average (GPA) at the end of the school year, based on the students’ previous 5-year GPAs, and was also obtained through administrative data of the last 5 years. Findings reveal the mediating role of subjective wellbeing in the relationship between school-related evaluations (students’ social wellbeing at school, their perception of teachers’ wellbeing and school climate) and school achievement. For school achievement, two variables were mediated (students’ social wellbeing at school and school climate). However, for school performance, no significant mediations were found. We conclude that, on the one hand
School Achievement and Performance in Chilean High Schools: The Mediating Role of Subjective Wellbeing in School-Related Evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

López, Verónica; Oyanedel, Juan C; Bilbao, Marian; Torres, Javier; Oyarzún, Denise; Morales, Macarena; Ascorra, Paula; Carrasco, Claudia

2017-01-01

School achievement gaps and school failure are problematic issues in Latin America, and are mainly explained by the socio-economic status (SES) of the students. What schools can do to improve school achievement and reduce school failure is a critical issue, both for school management and teacher training. In this study, we present the association of individual and school-related socio-emotional variables with school achievement and performance, controlling for the effects of SES. A probabilistic sample of 4,964 students, drawn from 191 schools enrolled in year 10 in urban areas of Chile, answered questionnaires assessing subjective wellbeing, social wellbeing in school, school climate, school social wellbeing and students' perceptions of teachers' wellbeing. Using structural equation modeling, and controlling for SES, we modeled subjective wellbeing as a mediator of the relationship between school-related variables, such as school climate and perception of teacher's wellbeing, and (a) school achievement, and (b) school performance. School achievement was computed as a product of (a) the probability of passing the school year, and (b) the percentage of yearly attendance at school. Data on school achievement was drawn from administrative registries from the Chilean Ministry of Education. School performance was computed as the estimated grade point average (GPA) at the end of the school year, based on the students' previous 5-year GPAs, and was also obtained through administrative data of the last 5 years. Findings reveal the mediating role of subjective wellbeing in the relationship between school-related evaluations (students' social wellbeing at school, their perception of teachers' wellbeing and school climate) and school achievement. For school achievement, two variables were mediated (students' social wellbeing at school and school climate). However, for school performance, no significant mediations were found. We conclude that, on the one hand, after
The effect of authentic leadership, organizational justice, and achievement motivation on teachers' performance in vocational high school seventeen Temanggung

Science.gov (United States)

Sugi, Slamet, Achmad; Martono, S.

2018-03-01

Teachers' performance in Temanggung in 2016 did not show maximal result. It was shown from many indicators. The low score of UN, UKG and PKB result. Individual performance was different. Achievement motivation could be seen through their attitude and behavior performances. The purpose of this research is to know the effect of authentic leadership, organizational justice, and achievement motivation on teachers' performance. The objects of this research are authentic leadership, organizational justice, achievement motivation and teachers' performance in Vocational High School Seventeen in Temanggung. The research method used is quantitative. Data collection was done by questioners. Then, the data were analyzed by using Path SPSS 16. The result of this research showed that authentic leadership, organizational justice, achievement motivation had significant effect on teachers' performance in Vocational High School Seventeen in Temanggung.
Comparative Gender Performance in Business Statistics.

Science.gov (United States)

Mogull, Robert G.

1989-01-01

Comparative performance of male and female students in introductory and intermediate statistics classes was examined for over 16 years at a state university. Gender means from 97 classes and 1,609 males and 1,085 females revealed a probabilistic--although statistically insignificant--superior performance by female students that appeared to…
Information exchange examined : an interpersonal account of achievement goals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poortvliet, P.M.

2008-01-01

In this thesis it is argued and demonstrated, that the achievement goals that individuals pursue in achievement situations may crucially influence how they perceive and act in information exchange situations. Notably, whether people are striving to improve their own performance, as compared with
The effects of training and competition on achievement goals, motivational responses, and performance in a golf-putting task

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pol, P.K.C. van de; Kavussanu, M.; Ring, C.

2012-01-01

This study examined whether (a) training and competition influence achievement goals, effort, enjoyment, tension, and performance; (b) achievement goals mediate the effects of training and competition on effort, enjoyment, tension, and performance; and (c) the context influences the relationships
Association between scores in high school, aptitude and achievement exams and early performance in health science college

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al-Alwan Ibrahim

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This retrospective study was carried out to assess the correlation between admi-ssion criteria to health science colleges, namely, final high school grade and Saudi National Apti-tude and Achievement exams, and early academic performance in these colleges. The study inclu-ded 91 male students studying in the two-year pre-professional program at the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Records of these students were used to extract relevant information and their academic performance (based on the grade point average achieved at the end of the first semester of the pre-professional program, which were analytically studied. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess the associa-tions between the different scores. SPSS statistical program (version 12.0 was used for data ana-lyses. We found a strong correlation between the academic performance and the Achievement Exam, Aptitude Exam and high school final grade, with Pearson Correlation Coefficients of 0.96, 0.93, 0.87, respectively. The Saudi National Achievement Exam showed the most significant correla-tion. Our results indicate that academic performance showed good correlation with the admission criteria used, namely final high school grade, Saudi National Aptitude and Achievement Exams.
To master or perform? Exploring relations between achievement goals and conceptual change learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Ranellucci, John; Muis, Krista R; Duffy, Melissa; Wang, Xihui; Sampasivam, Lavanya; Franco, Gina M

2013-09-01

Research is needed to explore conceptual change in relation to achievement goal orientations and depth of processing. To address this need, we examined relations between achievement goals, use of deep versus shallow processing strategies, and conceptual change learning using a think-aloud protocol. Seventy-three undergraduate students were assessed on their prior knowledge and misconceptions about Newtonian mechanics, and then reported their achievement goals and participated in think-aloud protocols while reading Newtonian physics texts. A mastery-approach goal orientation positively predicted deep processing strategies, shallow processing strategies, and conceptual change. In contrast, a performance-approach goal orientation did not predict either of the processing strategies, but negatively predicted conceptual change. A performance-avoidance goal orientation negatively predicted deep processing strategies and conceptual change. Moreover, deep and shallow processing strategies positively predicted conceptual change as well as recall. Finally, both deep and shallow processing strategies mediated relations between mastery-approach goals and conceptual change. Results provide some support for Dole and Sinatra's (1998) Cognitive Reconstruction of Knowledge Model of conceptual change but also challenge specific facets with regard to the role of depth of processing in conceptual change. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.
Achieving optimum diffraction based overlay performance

Science.gov (United States)

Leray, Philippe; Laidler, David; Cheng, Shaunee; Coogans, Martyn; Fuchs, Andreas; Ponomarenko, Mariya; van der Schaar, Maurits; Vanoppen, Peter

2010-03-01

Diffraction Based Overlay (DBO) metrology has been shown to have significantly reduced Total Measurement Uncertainty (TMU) compared to Image Based Overlay (IBO), primarily due to having no measurable Tool Induced Shift (TIS). However, the advantages of having no measurable TIS can be outweighed by increased susceptibility to WIS (Wafer Induced Shift) caused by target damage, process non-uniformities and variations. The path to optimum DBO performance lies in having well characterized metrology targets, which are insensitive to process non-uniformities and variations, in combination with optimized recipes which take advantage of advanced DBO designs. In this work we examine the impact of different degrees of process non-uniformity and target damage on DBO measurement gratings and study their impact on overlay measurement accuracy and precision. Multiple wavelength and dual polarization scatterometry are used to characterize the DBO design performance over the range of process variation. In conclusion, we describe the robustness of DBO metrology to target damage and show how to exploit the measurement capability of a multiple wavelength, dual polarization scatterometry tool to ensure the required measurement accuracy for current and future technology nodes.
School Achievement and Performance in Chilean High Schools: The Mediating Role of Subjective Wellbeing in School-Related Evaluations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Verónica López

2017-07-01

Full Text Available School achievement gaps and school failure are problematic issues in Latin America, and are mainly explained by the socio-economic status (SES of the students. What schools can do to improve school achievement and reduce school failure is a critical issue, both for school management and teacher training. In this study, we present the association of individual and school-related socio-emotional variables with school achievement and performance, controlling for the effects of SES. A probabilistic sample of 4,964 students, drawn from 191 schools enrolled in year 10 in urban areas of Chile, answered questionnaires assessing subjective wellbeing, social wellbeing in school, school climate, school social wellbeing and students’ perceptions of teachers’ wellbeing. Using structural equation modeling, and controlling for SES, we modeled subjective wellbeing as a mediator of the relationship between school-related variables, such as school climate and perception of teacher’s wellbeing, and (a school achievement, and (b school performance. School achievement was computed as a product of (a the probability of passing the school year, and (b the percentage of yearly attendance at school. Data on school achievement was drawn from administrative registries from the Chilean Ministry of Education. School performance was computed as the estimated grade point average (GPA at the end of the school year, based on the students’ previous 5-year GPAs, and was also obtained through administrative data of the last 5 years. Findings reveal the mediating role of subjective wellbeing in the relationship between school-related evaluations (students’ social wellbeing at school, their perception of teachers’ wellbeing and school climate and school achievement. For school achievement, two variables were mediated (students’ social wellbeing at school and school climate. However, for school performance, no significant mediations were found. We conclude that, on the

Comparative Assessment of Health Workers Performance and The ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Comparative Assessment of Health Workers Performance and The Performance ... had very high significant effect on performance of health workers which was independent of ... Keywords: Health Worker Performance Factors Hospitals Nigeria ...
Can achievement emotions be used to better understand motivation, learning, and performance in medical education?

Science.gov (United States)

Artino, Anthony R; Holmboe, Eric S; Durning, Steven J

2012-01-01

In this article, we consider an emergent theory of human emotion. The overarching purpose of the article is to introduce medical education researchers to the notion of achievement emotions and provide a brief overview of how this work can inform the theory, research, and practice of medical education. First, we define achievement emotions and describe one of the leading contemporary theories of achievement emotions, control-value theory (Pekrun R. 2006. The control-value theory of achievement emotions: Assumptions, corollaries, and implications for educational research and practice. Educ Psychol Rev 18:315-341.). Next, we distinguish between different types of achievement emotions, their proximal causes, and their consequences for motivation, learning, and performance, and we discuss several implications for educational practice. Finally, we end with a call for more research on achievement emotions in medical education to facilitate our understanding of emotions and their impact on important educational outcomes.
Comparative growth performance of different Australian ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Comparative growth performance of different Australian provenances and local land ... and Ubiri in the West Usambara Mountains (WUM), North East Tanzania. ... with local land races for subsequent management as seed production stands.
Educational standardization and gender differences in mathematics achievement: A comparative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayalon, Hanna; Livneh, Idit

2013-03-01

We argue that between-country variations in the gender gap in mathematics are related to the level of educational system standardization. In countries with standardized educational systems both genders are exposed to similar knowledge and are motivated to invest in studying mathematics, which leads to similar achievements. We hypothesize that national examinations and between-teacher uniformity in covering major mathematics topics are associated with a smaller gender gap in a country. Based on Trends of International Mathematical and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003, we use multilevel regression models to compare the link of these two factors to the gender gap in 32 countries, controlling for various country characteristics. The use of national examinations and less between-teacher instructional variation prove major factors in reducing the advantage of boys over girls in mathematics scores and in the odds of excelling. Factors representing gender stratification, often analyzed in comparative gender-gap research in mathematics, are at most marginal in respect of the gap. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A Structural Model of Algebra Achievement: Computational Fluency and Spatial Visualisation as Mediators of the Effect of Working Memory on Algebra Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Tolar, Tammy Daun; Lederberg, Amy R.; Fletcher, Jack M.

2009-01-01

The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate a structural model of the relations among cognitive abilities and arithmetic skills and college students' algebra achievement. The model of algebra achievement was compared to a model of performance on the Scholastic Assessment in Mathematics (SAT-M) to determine whether the pattern of relations…
Achievement goals and interpersonal behaviour: How mastery and performance goals shape information exchange

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poortvliet, P.M.; Janssen, O.; Van Yperen, N.W.; Van de Vliert, E.

2007-01-01

The present research examines the impact of achievement goals on task-related information exchange. Studies 1 and 2 reveal that relative to those with mastery goals or no goal, individuals pursuing performance goals were less open in their information giving to exchange partners. Study 2 further
Making Employee Recognition a Tool for Achieving Improved Performance: Implication for Ghanaian Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Amoatemaa, Abena Serwaa; Kyeremeh, Dorcas Darkoah

2016-01-01

Many organisations are increasingly making use of employee recognition to motivate employees to achieve high performance and productivity. Research has shown that effective recognition occurs in organisations that have strong supportive culture, understand the psychology of praising employees for their good work, and apply the principles of…
Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in Botswana’s Public Service: Achievements and Challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorothy Mpabanga

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The paper aims to explore the implementation of performance monitoring and evaluation tools used in Botswana’s public service. The paper also identifies achievements and challenges of implementing performance monitoring and evaluation system and suggests ways for improvement. This paper uses secondary data sources. The paper reveals lack of performance monitoring and evaluation skills, poor supervision, poor conditions of service and a poor work ethic as some of the factors contributing to ineffective use of performance monitoring and evaluation tools in the service. Leadership commitment and support, benchmarking reforms, training and education, developed administrative and governance structures as well as well-defined public policy and program formulation and implementation processes are some of the success factors to enhanced performance management and evaluation systems in Botswana. The paper argues for adoption of a developmental-led model in order to enhance existing performance monitoring and evaluation system that would improve implementation of government policies and programs. Botswana has been striving to excel in service delivery through performance monitoring and evaluation oriented reforms.
Performance Evaluation of Methods for Estimating Achievable Throughput on Cellular Connections

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Lars Møller; Højholt, Nikolaj Bove; Madsen, Tatiana Kozlova

2015-01-01

The continuous increase in always connected devices and the advance in capabilities of networks and services offered via the network is evident. The target group of most of these devices and services is users, so how users perceive the network performance is of great importance. Estimating achiev...... AT, due to its much reduced resource consumption. Based on real-life measurements of the two methods we conclude that TOPP is a good candidate to estimate AT, based on similarity in results with BTC....
A comparative study of student-teacher cognitive abilities and skills on evaluation of academic achievement practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shirindokht habibzadeh

2013-06-01

Full Text Available During the past few years, there have been some changes on traditional training methodologies in the world, specially, in elementary schools. Many schools have decided to perform their assessments in elementary schools based on qualitative methods compared with traditional quantitative techniques. This paper performs an empirical investigation to find out whether the new evaluation technique has been able to improve student teacher’s cognitive abilities and skills on evaluation of academic achievement practices. These student-teacher people taught at elementary schools while they also were studying at university. There are two types of questionnaires: The first one measures cognitive capabilities in four categories including levels of learning and educational objectives, designing paper and pencil test, functional test design and analysis and interpretation of results. The second test is associated with measuring functional skills in the evaluation of academic progress. The information were analyzed based on t-student test as well as two-way analysis of variance. The result of t-statistics was significant only for the last item, analysis and interpretation. In addition, the results of ANOVA test have indicated that there were some differences on cognitive capabilities between two methods of assessments but gender did not make any meaningful difference on functional skills.
Comparing Computer Game and Traditional Lecture Using Experience Ratings from High and Low Achieving Students

Science.gov (United States)

Grimley, Michael; Green, Richard; Nilsen, Trond; Thompson, David

2012-01-01

Computer games are purported to be effective instructional tools that enhance motivation and improve engagement. The aim of this study was to investigate how tertiary student experiences change when instruction was computer game based compared to lecture based, and whether experiences differed between high and low achieving students. Participants…
Comparative performance of high-fidelity training models for flexible ureteroscopy: Are all models effective?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shashikant Mishra

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: We performed a comparative study of high-fidelity training models for flexible ureteroscopy (URS. Our objective was to determine whether high-fidelity non-virtual reality (VR models are as effective as the VR model in teaching flexible URS skills. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one trained urologists without clinical experience of flexible URS underwent dry lab simulation practice. After a warm-up period of 2 h, tasks were performed on a high-fidelity non-VR (Uro-scopic Trainer TM ; Endo-Urologie-Modell TM and a high-fidelity VR model (URO Mentor TM . The participants were divided equally into three batches with rotation on each of the three stations for 30 min. Performance of the trainees was evaluated by an expert ureteroscopist using pass rating and global rating score (GRS. The participants rated a face validity questionnaire at the end of each session. Results: The GRS improved statistically at evaluation performed after second rotation (P<0.001 for batches 1, 2 and 3. Pass ratings also improved significantly for all training models when the third and first rotations were compared (P<0.05. The batch that was trained on the VR-based model had more improvement on pass ratings on second rotation but could not achieve statistical significance. Most of the realistic domains were higher for a VR model as compared with the non-VR model, except the realism of the flexible endoscope. Conclusions: All the models used for training flexible URS were effective in increasing the GRS and pass ratings irrespective of the VR status.
Achieving performance breakthroughs in an HMO business process through quality planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanan, K B

1993-01-01

Kaiser Permanente's Georgia Region commissioned a quality planning team to design a new process to improve payments to its suppliers and vendors. The result of the team's effort was a 73 percent reduction in cycle time. This team's experiences point to the advantages of process redesign as a quality planning model, as well as some general guidelines for its most effective use in teams. If quality planning project teams are carefully configured, sufficiently expert in the existing process, and properly supported by management, organizations can achieve potentially dramatic improvements in process performance using this approach.
The effects of chronic achievement motivation and achievement primes on the activation of achievement and fun goals.

Science.gov (United States)

Hart, William; Albarracín, Dolores

2009-12-01

This research examined the hypothesis that situational achievement cues can elicit achievement or fun goals depending on chronic differences in achievement motivation. In 4 studies, chronic differences in achievement motivation were measured, and achievement-denoting words were used to influence behavior. The effects of these variables were assessed on self-report inventories, task performance, task resumption following an interruption, and the pursuit of means relevant to achieving or having fun. Findings indicated that achievement priming (vs. control priming) activated a goal to achieve and inhibited a goal to have fun in individuals with chronically high-achievement motivation but activated a goal to have fun and inhibited a goal to achieve in individuals with chronically low-achievement motivation.
Achievement Emotions and Academic Performance: Longitudinal Models of Reciprocal Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Pekrun, Reinhard; Lichtenfeld, Stephanie; Marsh, Herbert W; Murayama, Kou; Goetz, Thomas

2017-09-01

A reciprocal effects model linking emotion and achievement over time is proposed. The model was tested using five annual waves of the Project for the Analysis of Learning and Achievement in Mathematics (PALMA) longitudinal study, which investigated adolescents' development in mathematics (Grades 5-9; N = 3,425 German students; mean starting age = 11.7 years; representative sample). Structural equation modeling showed that positive emotions (enjoyment, pride) positively predicted subsequent achievement (math end-of-the-year grades and test scores), and that achievement positively predicted these emotions, controlling for students' gender, intelligence, and family socioeconomic status. Negative emotions (anger, anxiety, shame, boredom, hopelessness) negatively predicted achievement, and achievement negatively predicted these emotions. The findings were robust across waves, achievement indicators, and school tracks, highlighting the importance of emotions for students' achievement and of achievement for the development of emotions. © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.
Distinguishing the desire to learn from the desire to perform: The social value of achievement goals.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Joanna; Darnon, Céline; Mollaret, Patrick

2017-01-01

We sought to distinguish mastery goals (i.e., desire to learn) from performance goals (i.e., desire to achieve more positive evaluations than others) in the light of social judgment research. In a pilot study, we made a conceptual distinction between three types of traits (agency, competence, and effort) that are often undifferentiated. We then tested the relevance of this distinction for understanding how people pursuing either mastery or performance goals are judged. On self-perception, results revealed that effort was predicted by the adoption of mastery goals and agency by performance goals (Study 1). On judgments, results showed that (a) the target pursuing mastery goals was perceived as oriented toward effort, and (b) the target pursuing performance goals was oriented toward agency (Study 2). Finally, these links were shown again by participants who inferred a target's goals from his traits (Study 3). Results are discussed in terms of the social value of achievement goals at school.
On the achievable performance using variable geometry active secondary suspension systems in commercial vehicles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Evers, W.J.; Besselink, I.G.M.; Teerhuis, A.P.; Nijmeijer, H.

2011-01-01

There is a need to further improve driver comfort in commercial vehicles. The variable geometry active suspension offers an interesting option to achieve this in an energy efficient way. However, the optimal control strategy and the overal performance potential remains unclear. The aim of this paper
Achieving numerical accuracy and high performance using recursive tile LU factorization with partial pivoting

KAUST Repository

Dongarra, Jack

2013-09-18

The LU factorization is an important numerical algorithm for solving systems of linear equations in science and engineering and is a characteristic of many dense linear algebra computations. For example, it has become the de facto numerical algorithm implemented within the LINPACK benchmark to rank the most powerful supercomputers in the world, collected by the TOP500 website. Multicore processors continue to present challenges to the development of fast and robust numerical software due to the increasing levels of hardware parallelism and widening gap between core and memory speeds. In this context, the difficulty in developing new algorithms for the scientific community resides in the combination of two goals: achieving high performance while maintaining the accuracy of the numerical algorithm. This paper proposes a new approach for computing the LU factorization in parallel on multicore architectures, which not only improves the overall performance but also sustains the numerical quality of the standard LU factorization algorithm with partial pivoting. While the update of the trailing submatrix is computationally intensive and highly parallel, the inherently problematic portion of the LU factorization is the panel factorization due to its memory-bound characteristic as well as the atomicity of selecting the appropriate pivots. Our approach uses a parallel fine-grained recursive formulation of the panel factorization step and implements the update of the trailing submatrix with the tile algorithm. Based on conflict-free partitioning of the data and lockless synchronization mechanisms, our implementation lets the overall computation flow naturally without contention. The dynamic runtime system called QUARK is then able to schedule tasks with heterogeneous granularities and to transparently introduce algorithmic lookahead. The performance results of our implementation are competitive compared to the currently available software packages and libraries. For example
Achieving numerical accuracy and high performance using recursive tile LU factorization with partial pivoting

KAUST Repository

Dongarra, Jack; Faverge, Mathieu; Ltaief, Hatem; Luszczek, Piotr R.

2013-01-01

The LU factorization is an important numerical algorithm for solving systems of linear equations in science and engineering and is a characteristic of many dense linear algebra computations. For example, it has become the de facto numerical algorithm implemented within the LINPACK benchmark to rank the most powerful supercomputers in the world, collected by the TOP500 website. Multicore processors continue to present challenges to the development of fast and robust numerical software due to the increasing levels of hardware parallelism and widening gap between core and memory speeds. In this context, the difficulty in developing new algorithms for the scientific community resides in the combination of two goals: achieving high performance while maintaining the accuracy of the numerical algorithm. This paper proposes a new approach for computing the LU factorization in parallel on multicore architectures, which not only improves the overall performance but also sustains the numerical quality of the standard LU factorization algorithm with partial pivoting. While the update of the trailing submatrix is computationally intensive and highly parallel, the inherently problematic portion of the LU factorization is the panel factorization due to its memory-bound characteristic as well as the atomicity of selecting the appropriate pivots. Our approach uses a parallel fine-grained recursive formulation of the panel factorization step and implements the update of the trailing submatrix with the tile algorithm. Based on conflict-free partitioning of the data and lockless synchronization mechanisms, our implementation lets the overall computation flow naturally without contention. The dynamic runtime system called QUARK is then able to schedule tasks with heterogeneous granularities and to transparently introduce algorithmic lookahead. The performance results of our implementation are competitive compared to the currently available software packages and libraries. For example
Academic Self-Concept, Achievement Goals, and Achievement: Is Their Relation the Same for Academic Achievers and Underachievers?

Science.gov (United States)

Preckel, Franzis; Brunner, Martin

2015-01-01

This longitudinal study investigated the contribution of achievement goals and academic self-concept for the prediction of unexpected academic achievement (i.e., achievement that is higher or lower than expected with respect to students' cognitive ability) in general and when comparing groups of extreme over- and underachievers. Our sample…

Comparisons of Student Achievement Levels by District Performance and Poverty. ACT Research Report Series 2016-11

Science.gov (United States)

Dougherty, Chrys; Shaw, Teresa

2016-01-01

This report looks at student achievement levels in Arkansas school districts disaggregated by district poverty and by the district's performance relative to other districts. We estimated district performance statistics by subject and grade level (4, 8, and 11-12) for longitudinal student cohorts, using statistical models that adjusted for district…
A meta-analysis of the impact of situationally induced achievement goals on task performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Yperen, Nico W.; Blaga, Monica; Postmes, Thomas

2015-01-01

The purpose of this research was to meta-analyze studies which experimentally induced an achieve- ment goal state to examine its causal effect on the individual’s performance at the task at hand, and to investigate the moderator effects of feedback anticipation and time pressure. The data set
Predicting race performance in triathlon: the role of perfectionism, achievement goals, and personal goal setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoeber, Joachim; Uphill, Mark A; Hotham, Sarah

2009-04-01

The question of how perfectionism affects performance is highly debated. Because empirical studies examining perfectionism and competitive sport performance are missing, the present research investigated how perfectionism affected race performance and what role athletes' goals played in this relationship in two prospective studies with competitive triathletes (Study 1: N = 112; Study 2: N = 321). Regression analyses showed that perfectionistic personal standards, high performance-approach goals, low performance-avoidance goals, and high personal goals predicted race performance beyond athletes' performance level. Moreover, the contrast between performance-avoidance and performance-approach goals mediated the relationship between perfectionistic personal standards and performance, whereas personal goal setting mediated the relationship between performance-approach goals and performance. The findings indicate that perfectionistic personal standards do not undermine competitive performance, but are associated with goals that help athletes achieve their best possible performance.
Assuming measurement invariance of background indicators in international comparative educational achievement studies: a challenge for the interpretation of achievement differences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heike Wendt

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Large-scale cross-national studies designed to measure student achievement use different social, cultural, economic and other background variables to explain observed differences in that achievement. Prior to their inclusion into a prediction model, these variables are commonly scaled into latent background indices. To allow cross-national comparisons of the latent indices, measurement invariance is assumed. However, it is unclear whether the assumption of measurement invariance has some influence on the results of the prediction model, thus challenging the reliability and validity of cross-national comparisons of predicted results. Methods To establish the effect size attributed to different degrees of measurement invariance, we rescaled the ‘home resource for learning index’ (HRL for the 37 countries ( $$n=166,709$$ n = 166 , 709 students that participated in the IEA’s combined ‘Progress in International Reading Literacy Study’ (PIRLS and ‘Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study’ (TIMSS assessments of 2011. We used (a two different measurement models [one-parameter model (1PL and two-parameter model (2PL] with (b two different degrees of measurement invariance, resulting in four different models. We introduced the different HRL indices as predictors in a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM with mathematics achievement as the dependent variable. We then compared three outcomes across countries and by scaling model: (1 the differing fit-values of the measurement models, (2 the estimated discrimination parameters, and (3 the estimated regression coefficients. Results The least restrictive measurement model fitted the data best, and the degree of assumed measurement invariance of the HRL indices influenced the random effects of the GLMM in all but one country. For one-third of the countries, the fixed effects of the GLMM also related to the degree of assumed measurement invariance. Conclusion The
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for Research and Technology Development Program: Achievements of 2006 to 2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nik Arlina Nik Ali; Fairuz Faisal

2016-01-01

Conducting research and development (R&D) is one of the four main functions of Malaysian Nuclear Agency as stated in the Federal Government Gazette (No.2) 2013 (PU (A) 184) under the Ministerial Functions Act 1969 (Act 2), gazetted in the Warta Kerajaan dated 26 June 2013.The achievement of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for Research and Technological Development Program (PPT) indicates the role of Nuclear Malaysia as a research institution . This paper discusses the achievements of the project, fundsand research outputfrom 2005 to 2015. (author)
Measurement of Perceived Parental Success Standards in Sport and Relations with Athletes’ Self-Esteem, Performance Anxiety, and Achievement Goal Orientation: Comparing Parental and Coach Influences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank J. Schwebel

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The Perceived Parent Success Standards Scale (PPSSS, adapted from the Perception of Success Questionnaire constructed by Roberts et al. (1998 to measure athletes’ achievement goal orientation, provides a measure of athletes’ perceptions of mastery- and ego-oriented parental success criteria, a central component of parental motivational climate. This study focused on 543 young athletes (ages 9–16 on 82 teams in recreational basketball leagues. The PPSSS exhibited strong factorial validity, construct validity, and orthogonality between ego and mastery factors that allow for different combinations of these factors to be tested. We also compared the impact of the motivational climates created by coaches and success standards conveyed by parents on postseason athlete outcome measures of anxiety, self-esteem, and achievement goal orientation. Correlational and multilevel regression analyses revealed that both coach and parent variables were significantly related to the athlete variables. However, mediational analyses indicated that parental success standards mediated relations between coach-initiated climate and all of the outcome variables, reflecting the power of parental socialization processes. We discuss potential reasons for the greater parental influence shown in this and a previous study, and we suggest directions for further research as well as possible interventions that can help both coaches and parents create a more positive athletic environment for young athletes.
The honeymoon effect in job performance - Temporal increases in the predictive power of achievement motivation

Science.gov (United States)

Helmreich, Robert L.; Sawin, Linda L.; Carsrud, Alan L.

1986-01-01

Correlations between a job performance criterion and personality measures reflecting achievement motivation and an interpersonal orientation were examined at three points in time after completion of job training for a sample of airline reservations agents. Although correlations between the personality predictors and performance were small and nonsignificant for the 3-month period after beginning the job, by the end of six and eight months a number of significant relationships had emerged. Implications for the utility of personality measures in selection and performance prediction are discussed.
Relationships of cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies to mathematics achievement in four high-performing East Asian education systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Areepattamannil, Shaljan; Caleon, Imelda S

2013-01-01

The authors examined the relationships of cognitive (i.e., memorization and elaboration) and metacognitive learning strategies (i.e., control strategies) to mathematics achievement among 15-year-old students in 4 high-performing East Asian education systems: Shanghai-China, Hong Kong-China, Korea, and Singapore. In all 4 East Asian education systems, memorization strategies were negatively associated with mathematics achievement, whereas control strategies were positively associated with mathematics achievement. However, the association between elaboration strategies and mathematics achievement was a mixed bag. In Shanghai-China and Korea, elaboration strategies were not associated with mathematics achievement. In Hong Kong-China and Singapore, on the other hand, elaboration strategies were negatively associated with mathematics achievement. Implications of these findings are briefly discussed.
The Classroom Performance System (CPS): Effects on student participation, attendance, and achievement in multicultural anatomy and physiology classes at South Texas College

Science.gov (United States)

Termos, Mohamad Hani

2011-12-01

The Classroom Performance System (CPS) is an instructional technology tool that increases student performance and addresses different learning styles. Instructional technologies are used to promote active learning; however, student embarrassment issue in a multicultural setting is not addressed. This study assessed the effect of the CPS on student participation, attendance, and achievement in multicultural college-level anatomy and physiology classes at South Texas College, where the first spoken language is not English. Quantitative method and quasi-experimental design were employed and comparative statistic methods and pre-post tests were used to collect the data. Participants were college students and sections of study were selected by convenient sampling. Participation was 100% during most of the lectures held and participation rate did not strike above 68% in control group. Attendance was significantly higher in CPS sections than the control group as shown by t-tests. Experimental sections had a higher increase in the pre-post test scores and student averages on lecture exams increased at a higher rate as compared to the control group. Therefore, the CPS increased student participation, attendance, and achievement in multicultural anatomy and physiology classes. The CPS can be studied in other settings where the first spoken language is English or in other programs, such as special education programs. Additionally, other variables can be studied and other methodologies can be employed.
Achieving excellence in human performance through leadership, education, and training in nuclear power industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, C.R.; Kazennov, A.; Kossilov, A.; Mazour, T.; Yoder, J.

2004-01-01

Full text: In order to achieve and maintain high levels of safety and productivity, nuclear power plants are required to be staffed with an adequate number of highly qualified and experienced personnel who are duly aware of the technical and administrative requirements for safety and are motivated to adopt a positive attitude to safety, as an element of safety culture. To establish and maintain a high level of human performance, appropriate education and training programmes should be in place and kept under constant review to ensure their relevance. As the nuclear power industry continues to be challenged by increasing safety requirements, a high level of competition and decreasing budgets, it becomes more important than ever to maintain excellence in human performance and ensure that NPP personnel training provides a value to the organization. Nuclear industry managers and supervisors bear the primary responsibility to assure that people perform their jobs safely and effectively. Training personnel must be responsive to the needs of the organization, working hand-in-hand with line managers and supervisors to ensure that human performance improvement needs are properly analyzed, and that training as well as other appropriate interventions are developed and implemented in the most effective and efficient way possible. The International Atomic Energy Agency together with its Member States has provided for coordinated information exchange and developed guidance on methods and practices to identify and improve the effectiveness NPP personnel training. This has resulted in: plant performance improvements, improved human performance, meeting goals and objectives of the business (quality, safety, productivity), and more effective training programs. This article describes the IAEA activities and achievements in the subject area for systematically understanding and improving human performance in nuclear power industry. The article also describes cooperation programmes
Relationship between attainment of recommended physical activity guidelines and academic achievement: undergraduate students in Egypt.

Science.gov (United States)

El Ansari, Walid; Stock, Christiane

2014-07-14

We assessed and compared by gender, students' achievement of recommended guidelines of four PA forms, and the association between guideline achievement of each of the four PA forms and students' academic performance. Data (2009-2010) comprised 3,271 students (11 faculties) at Assiut University, Egypt. A self-administered questionnaire measured: moderate PA (MPA), vigorous PA (VPA), moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), muscle-strengthening PA; five socio-demographic variables (gender, age, year of study, father's education, living arrangements during semester); self-rated health; and, academic performance. We compared the levels of four PA forms, socio-demographic variables, and academic performance by gender. Binary logistic regression examined the factors associated with achieving the guidelines of the four PA forms. Linear regression examined the association between frequency of four PA forms and level of academic performance. Nearly equal proportions of males and females (37%, 36%) achieved the MPA guidelines. Significantly more males achieved the VPA, MVPA, and muscle strengthening PA guidelines. Father's education was positively associated with achieving all four PA guidelines (with each increasing educational achievement of the father, student's odds of achieving PA guidelines increased by 7-9%). Students living with their parents or room mates off campus were more likely to achieve the VPA and MVPA guidelines. Students who achieved VPA and MVPA guidelines were more likely to report better academic performance. For all PA forms (except MPA), increasing academic achievement was positively associated with increasing frequency of PA, but standardised Beta (0.05-0.07) suggested a modest correlation between academic achievement and PA frequency. The linear association between frequency of PA and academic achievement, and the finding that the proportions of students who achieved the recommended levels of several forms of PA were below half of the sample call for higher
A mediation analysis of achievement motives, goals, learning strategies, and academic achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Diseth, Age; Kobbeltvedt, Therese

2010-12-01

Previous research is inconclusive regarding antecedents and consequences of achievement goals, and there is a need for more research in order to examine the joint effects of different types of motives and learning strategies as predictors of academic achievement. To investigate the relationship between achievement motives, achievement goals, learning strategies (deep, surface, and strategic), and academic achievement in a hierarchical model. Participants were 229 undergraduate students (mean age: 21.2 years) of psychology and economics at the University of Bergen, Norway. Variables were measured by means of items from the Achievement Motives Scale (AMS), the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students, and an achievement goal scale. Correlation analysis showed that academic achievement (examination grade) was positively correlated with performance-approach goal, mastery goal, and strategic learning strategies, and negatively correlated with performance-avoidance goal and surface learning strategy. A path analysis (structural equation model) showed that achievement goals were mediators between achievement motives and learning strategies, and that strategic learning strategies mediated the relationship between achievement goals and academic achievement. This study integrated previous findings from several studies and provided new evidence on the direct and indirect effects of different types of motives and learning strategies as predictors of academic achievement.
Comparative Validation of Building Simulation Software

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kalyanova, Olena; Heiselberg, Per

The scope of this subtask is to perform a comparative validation of the building simulation software for the buildings with the double skin façade. The outline of the results in the comparative validation identifies the areas where is no correspondence achieved, i.e. calculation of the air flow r...... is that the comparative validation can be regarded as the main argument to continue the validation of the building simulation software for the buildings with the double skin façade with the empirical validation test cases.......The scope of this subtask is to perform a comparative validation of the building simulation software for the buildings with the double skin façade. The outline of the results in the comparative validation identifies the areas where is no correspondence achieved, i.e. calculation of the air flow...
Modeling relationships of achievement motivation and physical fitness with academic performance in Japanese schoolchildren: Moderation by gender.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishihara, Toru; Morita, Noriteru; Nakajima, Toshihiro; Okita, Koichi; Sagawa, Masato; Yamatsu, Koji

2018-04-25

The aim of this study was to determine, using structural equation modeling, the comprehensive relationships of achievement motivation (self-fulfillment achievement motivation [SFAM] and competitive achievement motivation [CAM]), daily behaviors (exercise habits, screen time, and learning duration), body mass index [BMI], and cardiorespiratory fitness [CRF]) with academic performance among schoolchildren. Three hundred twenty-five schoolchildren (172 males and 153 females; 12-13 years old) were recruited. Academic performance was assessed using the total grade points in 8 academic subjects (GP8); CRF using the 20-m shuttle run; and achievement motivation, daily behaviors, and socioeconomic status using questionnaires. Socioeconomic status was included as a control variable. In males, two cascade associations of achievement motivation to GP8 were detected: (1) SFAM → screen time/learning duration → GP8, and (2) CAM → exercise habit → CRF → GP8 (χ 2  = 8.72, p = .19, AGFI = .92). In females, two cascade associations were also detected: (1) SFAM → screen time/learning habit → GP8, and (2) exercise habit → BMI 2  → GP8 (χ 2  = 6.17, p = .41, AGFI = .93). Our results suggest that greater achievement motivation is associated with academic success via various physiological/behavioral factors, and that these associations differ by gender. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Comprehensive MR Urography Protocol: Equally Good Diagnostic Performance and Enhanced Visibility of the Upper Urinary Tract Compared to Triple-Phase CT Urography.

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Mazen Sudah

Full Text Available To prospectively compare the diagnostic performance and the visualization of the upper urinary tract (UUT using a comprehensive 3.0T- magnetic resonance urography (MRU protocol versus triple-phase computed tomography urography (CTU.During the study period (January-2014 through December-2015, all consecutive patients in our tertiary university hospital scheduled by a urologist for CTU to exclude UUT malignancy were invited to participate. Diagnostic performance and visualization scores of 3.0T-MRU were compared to CTU using Wilcoxon matched-pairs test.Twenty patients (39 UUT excreting units were evaluated. 3.0T-MRU and CTU achieved equal diagnostic performances. The benign etiology of seven UUT obstructions was clarified equally with both methods. Another two urinary tract malignant tumors and one benign extraurinary tumor were detected and confirmed. Diagnostic visualization was slightly better in the intrarenal cavity areas with CTU but worsened towards distal ureter. MRU showed consistently slightly better visualization of the ureter. In the comparison, full 100% visualizations were detected in all areas in 93.6% (with 3.0T-MRU and 87.2% (with CTU and >75% visualization in 100% (3.0T-MRU and 93.6% (CTU. Mean CTU effective radiation dose was 9.2 mSv.Comprehensive 3.0T-MRU is an accurate imaging modality achieving comparable performance with CTU; since it does not entail exposure to radiation, it has the potential to become the primary investigation technique in selected patients.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02606513.
Metacognition, achievement goals, study strategies and academic achievement: pathways to achievement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vrugt, A.; Oort, F.J.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this research was to develop and test a model of effective selfregulated learning. Based on effort expenditure we discerned effective self-regulators and less effective self-regulators. The model comprised achievement goals (mastery, performance-approach and -avoidance goals),
On the Achievable Rate of Hardware-Impaired Transceiver Systems

KAUST Repository

Javed, Sidrah

2018-01-15

In this paper, we accurately model the transceiver hardware impairments (HWIs) of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems considering different HWI stages at transmitter and receiver. The proposed novel statistical model shows that transceiver HWIs transform the transmitted symmetric signal to asymmetric one. Moreover, it shows that the aggregate self-interference has asymmetric characteristics. Therefore, we propose improper Gaussian signaling (IGS) for transmission in order to improve the achievable rate performance. IGS is considered as a general signaling scheme which includes the proper Gaussian signaling (PGS) as a special case. Thus, IGS has additional design parameters which enable it to mitigate the HWI self-interference. As a case study, we analyze the achievable rate performance of single-input multiple-output systems with linear and selection combiner. Furthermore, we optimize the IGS statistical characteristics for interference alignment. This improves the achievable rate performance as compared to the PGS, which is validated through numerical results.
On the Achievable Rate of Hardware-Impaired Transceiver Systems

KAUST Repository

Javed, Sidrah; Amin, Osama; Ikki, Salama S.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2018-01-01

In this paper, we accurately model the transceiver hardware impairments (HWIs) of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems considering different HWI stages at transmitter and receiver. The proposed novel statistical model shows that transceiver HWIs transform the transmitted symmetric signal to asymmetric one. Moreover, it shows that the aggregate self-interference has asymmetric characteristics. Therefore, we propose improper Gaussian signaling (IGS) for transmission in order to improve the achievable rate performance. IGS is considered as a general signaling scheme which includes the proper Gaussian signaling (PGS) as a special case. Thus, IGS has additional design parameters which enable it to mitigate the HWI self-interference. As a case study, we analyze the achievable rate performance of single-input multiple-output systems with linear and selection combiner. Furthermore, we optimize the IGS statistical characteristics for interference alignment. This improves the achievable rate performance as compared to the PGS, which is validated through numerical results.
Achieving high performance in intermediate temperature direct carbon fuel cells with renewable carbon as a fuel source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, Wenbin; He, Xiaojin; Mi, Yongli

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Bamboo fiber and waste paper were pyrolyzed to generate bamboo carbon and waste paper carbon as anode fuels of IT-DCFC. • Superior cell performance was achieved with the waste paper carbon. • The results suggested the high performance was due to the highest thermal reactivity and the catalytic inherent impurities. • Calcite and kaolinite as inherent impurities favored the thermal decomposition and the electrooxidation of carbon. - Abstract: Three kinds of carbon sources obtained from carbon black, bamboo fiber and waste paper were investigated as anode fuels in an intermediate temperature direct carbon fuel cell. The carbon sources were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, etc. The results indicated that the waste paper carbon was more abundant in calcite and kaolinite, and showed higher thermal reactivity in the intermediate temperature range compared with the other two carbon sources. The cell performance was tested at 650 °C in a hybrid single cell, using Sm 0.20 Ce 0.80 O 2−x as the electrolyte. As a result, the cell fed with waste paper carbon showed the highest performance among the three carbon sources, with a peak power density of 225 mW cm −2 . The results indicated that its inherent impurities, such as calcite and kaolinite, might favor the thermal gasification of renewable carbon sources, which resulted in the enhanced performance of the intermediate temperature direct carbon fuel cell
A Comprehensive Review of the Literature on the Effects of Breakfast on Mental Performance and Scholastic Achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Purnell, James P.

A review of the literature on the effects of breakfast on mental performance and scholastic achievement reveals a dichotomy between the theoretical and the empirical literature. Whereas theoretical considerations maintain that breakfast makes a significant difference in mental performance in the late morning hours, empirical evidence can be…

Predictors of Immigrant Children's School Achievement: A Comparative Study

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, Sung Seek; Kang, Suk-Young; An, Soonok

2009-01-01

This paper examines the predictors and indicators of immigrant children's school achievement, using the two of the most predominant groups of American immigrants (103 Koreans and 100 Mexicans). Regression analyses were conducted to determine which independent variables (acculturation, parenting school involvement, parenting style, parent…
The Influence of the Antecedent Variable on the Teachers' Performance through Achievement Motivation in Senior High School

Science.gov (United States)

Dewi, Erni R.; Bundu, Patta; Tahmir, Suradi

2016-01-01

This study aims at analysing whether the antecedent variable directly affects the performance of the high school teachers or not. In addition, this research strives to find out whether the antecedent variable indirectly affects the teachers' performance through the achievement motivation of the high school teachers. It was a quantitative research…
Cost/Performance Ratio Achieved by Using a Commodity-Based Cluster

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Isaac

2001-01-01

Researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center acquired a commodity cluster based on Intel Corporation processors to compare its performance with a traditional UNIX cluster in the execution of aeropropulsion applications. Since the cost differential of the clusters was significant, a cost/performance ratio was calculated. After executing a propulsion application on both clusters, the researchers demonstrated a 9.4 cost/performance ratio in favor of the Intel-based cluster. These researchers utilize the Aeroshark cluster as one of the primary testbeds for developing NPSS parallel application codes and system software. The Aero-shark cluster provides 64 Intel Pentium II 400-MHz processors, housed in 32 nodes. Recently, APNASA - a code developed by a Government/industry team for the design and analysis of turbomachinery systems was used for a simulation on Glenn's Aeroshark cluster.
Achieving quality improvement in the nursing home: influence of nursing leadership on communication and teamwork.

Science.gov (United States)

Vogelsmeier, Amy; Scott-Cawiezell, Jill

2011-01-01

Leadership, communication, and teamwork are essential elements of organizational capacity and are linked to organizational performance. How those organizations actually achieve improved performance, however, is not clearly understood. In this comparative case study, nursing leadership who facilitated open communication and teamwork achieved improvement while nursing leadership who impeded open communication and teamwork did not.
Achievement goals affect metacognitive judgments

Science.gov (United States)

Ikeda, Kenji; Yue, Carole L.; Murayama, Kou; Castel, Alan D.

2017-01-01

The present study examined the effect of achievement goals on metacognitive judgments, such as judgments of learning (JOLs) and metacomprehension judgments, and actual recall performance. We conducted five experiments manipulating the instruction of achievement goals. In each experiment, participants were instructed to adopt mastery-approach goals (i.e., develop their own mental ability through a memory task) or performance-approach goals (i.e., demonstrate their strong memory ability through getting a high score on a memory task). The results of Experiments 1 and 2 showed that JOLs of word pairs in the performance-approach goal condition tended to be higher than those in the mastery-approach goal condition. In contrast, cued recall performance did not differ between the two goal conditions. Experiment 3 also demonstrated that metacomprehension judgments of text passages were higher in the performance-approach goal condition than in the mastery-approach goals condition, whereas test performance did not differ between conditions. These findings suggest that achievement motivation affects metacognitive judgments during learning, even when achievement motivation does not influence actual performance. PMID:28983496
How many trials are needed to achieve performance stability of the Timed Up & Go test in patients with hip fracture?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Morten T; Ekdahl, Charlotte; Kehlet, Henrik

2010-01-01

To examine the number of trials needed to achieve performance stability of the Timed Up & Go (TUG) test using a standardized walking aid in patients with hip fracture who are allowed full weight bearing (FWB).......To examine the number of trials needed to achieve performance stability of the Timed Up & Go (TUG) test using a standardized walking aid in patients with hip fracture who are allowed full weight bearing (FWB)....
Relationship between Motivation to Achieve and Professional Competence in the Performance of Elementary School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Sumantri, Mohamad Syarif; Whardani, Prayuningtyas Angger

2017-01-01

This study aims to determine the relationship between achievement motivation and professional competence with regard to the performance of teachers in public elementary schools in Central Java. The quantitative method is used in this study. The results of this study indicate that (1) there is a significant positive relationship between achievement…
Perceived ability and social support as mediators of achievement motivation and performance anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

Abrahamsen, F E; Roberts, G C; Pensgaard, A M; Ronglan, L T

2008-12-01

The present study is founded on achievement goal theory (AGT) and examines the relationship between motivation, social support and performance anxiety with team handball players (n=143) from 10 elite teams. Based on these theories and previous findings, the study has three purposes. First, it was predicted that the female athletes (n=69) would report more performance worries and more social support use than males (n=74). The findings support the hypothesis for anxiety, but not for social support use. However, females report that they felt social support was more available than males. Second, we predicted and found a positive relationship between the interaction of ego orientation and perceptions of a performance climate on performance anxiety, but only for females. As predicted, perceived ability mediated this relationship. Finally, we predicted that perceptions of a performance climate were related to the view that social support was less available especially for the male athletes. Simple correlation supports this prediction, but the regression analyses did not reach significance. Thus, we could not test for mediation of social support between motivational variables and anxiety. The results illustrate that fostering a mastery climate helps elite athletes tackle competitive pressure.
Linking TIMSS and NAEP Assessments to Evaluate International Trends in Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Hwanggyu; Sireci, Stephen G.

2017-01-01

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) makes it possible to compare the performance of students in the US in Mathematics and Science to the performance of students in other countries. TIMSS uses four international benchmarks for describing student achievement: Low, Intermediate, High, and Advanced. In this study, we…
Four Language Skills Performance, Academic Achievement, and Learning Strategy Use in Preservice Teacher Training Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Shawer, Saad Fathy

2016-01-01

This article examines the differences in language learning strategies (LLS) use between preservice teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) and Arabic as a second language (ASL). It also examines the relationship between LLS use and language performance (academic achievement and four language skills) among ASL students. The study made use…
Pilot study: EatFit impacts sixth graders' academic performance on achievement of mathematics and english education standards.

Science.gov (United States)

Shilts, Mical Kay; Lamp, Cathi; Horowitz, Marcel; Townsend, Marilyn S

2009-01-01

Investigate the impact of a nutrition education program on student academic performance as measured by achievement of education standards. Quasi-experimental crossover-controlled study. California Central Valley suburban elementary school (58% qualified for free or reduced-priced lunch). All sixth-grade students (n = 84) in the elementary school clustered in 3 classrooms. 9-lesson intervention with an emphasis on guided goal setting and driven by the Social Cognitive Theory. Multiple-choice survey assessing 5 education standards for sixth-grade mathematics and English at 3 time points: baseline (T1), 5 weeks (T2), and 10 weeks (T3). Repeated measures, paired t test, and analysis of covariance. Changes in total scores were statistically different (P academic performance measured by achievement of specific mathematics and English education standards. Nutrition educators can show school administrators and wellness committee members that this program can positively impact academic performance, concomitant to its primary objective of promoting healthful eating and physical activity.
Study strategies and beliefs about learning as a function of academic achievement and achievement goals.

Science.gov (United States)

Geller, Jason; Toftness, Alexander R; Armstrong, Patrick I; Carpenter, Shana K; Manz, Carly L; Coffman, Clark R; Lamm, Monica H

2018-05-01

Prior research by Hartwig and Dunlosky [(2012). Study strategies of college students: Are self-testing and scheduling related to achievement? Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 19(1), 126-134] has demonstrated that beliefs about learning and study strategies endorsed by students are related to academic achievement: higher performing students tend to choose more effective study strategies and are more aware of the benefits of self-testing. We examined whether students' achievement goals, independent of academic achievement, predicted beliefs about learning and endorsement of study strategies. We administered Hartwig and Dunlosky's survey, along with the Achievement Goals Questionnaire [Elliot, A. J., & McGregor, H. A. (2001). A 2 × 2 achievement goal framework. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 80, 501-519] to a large undergraduate biology course. Similar to results by Hartwig and Dunlosky, we found that high-performing students (relative to low-performing students) were more likely to endorse self-testing, less likely to cram, and more likely to plan a study schedule ahead of time. Independent of achievement, however, achievement goals were stronger predictors of certain study behaviours. In particular, avoidance goals (e.g., fear of failure) coincided with increased use of cramming and the tendency to be driven by impending deadlines. Results suggest that individual differences in student achievement, as well as the underlying reasons for achievement, are important predictors of students' approaches to studying.
Achieving palliative care research efficiency through defining and benchmarking performance metrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Lodato, Jordan E; Aziz, Noreen; Bennett, Rachael E; Abernethy, Amy P; Kutner, Jean S

2012-12-01

Research efficiency is gaining increasing attention in the research enterprise, including palliative care research. The importance of generating meaningful findings and translating these scientific advances to improved patient care creates urgency in the field to address well documented system inefficiencies. The Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group (PCRC) provides useful examples for ensuring research efficiency in palliative care. Literature on maximizing research efficiency focuses on the importance of clearly delineated process maps, working instructions, and standard operating procedures in creating synchronicity in expectations across research sites. Examples from the PCRC support these objectives and suggest that early creation and employment of performance metrics aligned with these processes are essential to generate clear expectations and identify benchmarks. These benchmarks are critical in effective monitoring and ultimately the generation of high-quality findings that are translatable to clinical populations. Prioritization of measurable goals and tasks to ensure that activities align with programmatic aims is critical. Examples from the PCRC affirm and expand the existing literature on research efficiency, providing a palliative care focus. Operating procedures, performance metrics, prioritization, and monitoring for success should all be informed by and inform the process map to achieve maximum research efficiency.
Performance measures for improving the prevention of venous thromboembolism: achievement in clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Kenneth C; Merli, Geno J

2011-10-01

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication during and after hospitalization for acute medical illness or surgery. Despite the existence of evidence-based guidelines for VTE prevention, real-world prescribing practices are frequently suboptimal. Specific performance measures relating to VTE prevention and treatment have been developed by US health care organizations to increase adherence with best-practice recommendations and ultimately reduce the number of preventable VTE events. Two measures developed by the Surgical Care Improvement Project have been endorsed by the National Quality Forum (NQF) and focus on VTE prevention. In addition, six measures have been developed recently by The Joint Commission in collaboration with the NQF; three measures relate to VTE prevention and three focus on treatment. To attain widespread achievement of these performance goals, it is essential to raise awareness of their existence and specifications. It is also imperative that hospitals develop and implement effective VTE protocols. The use of multiple, active strategies, such as computer decision support systems with regular audit and feedback, may be particularly valuable approaches to improve current practices within an integrated quality improvement program. During practical implementation of VTE protocols at Norton Healthcare (Kentucky's largest healthcare system), strong leadership, physician engagement, and caregiver accountability were identified as key factors influencing the process. As such, more hospitals may be able to increase adherence with guidelines, improve achievement of quality goals, and help to reduce the substantial burden associated with avoidable VTE.
INFORMATION SYSTEM DESIGN OF PERFORMANCE ACHIEVEMENTS MONITORING IN THE UNIVERSITY: A CASE STUDY IN BINUS UNIVERSITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irma Irawati Ibrahim

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Dashboard is a computer interface that displays a variety of charts, graphs, tables, which are selected reports from various data that are considered important to display rapidly, with an attractive appearance, dynamic, and relevant so that it can immediately be seen quickly to analyze a condition. Dashboard information system is widely used in various companies as a support system for decision-making where Dashboard usually displays data business trends of the company or the achievement of KPI (Key Performance Indicator of a company. The method used is descriptive analysis by means of collecting information that areimportant for universities to be considered asthe Key Success Factors (KSF of the university, and then, the design of the dashboard is made in accordance with these important factors.The result of this study is a grand design of information systems for the university performance monitoring, starting from the reception of students, faculty performance, student academic achievement, effectiveness and efficiency of services, including graduates. It is expected that by the time the system has been fully implemented, the university can take action quickly and accurately with respect to the required conditions.Keywords: Information System Dashboard; Dashboard; Academic Dashboard; University Dashboard
Comparing Self-Regulatory and Early Academic Skills as Predictors of Later Math, Reading, and Science Elementary School Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Murrah, William M., III

The achievement score gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged children at school entry is a major problem in education today. Identifying the skills critical for school readiness is an important step in developing interventions aimed at addressing these score gaps. The purpose of this study is to compare a number of school readiness skills with an eye toward finding out which are the best predictors of later academic achievement in math, reading, and science. The predictors were early reading, math, general knowledge, socioemotional skills, and motor skills. Data were obtained from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of 1998 (NCES, 1998) database. While controlling for an extensive set of family characteristics, predictions were made across five years - from the end of kindergarten to the end of fifth grade. Consistent with current findings, reading and math skills predicted later achievement. Interestingly, general knowledge, attention, and fine motor skills also proved to be important predictors of later academic achievement, but socioemotional skills were not. The findings were interpreted from a neurobiological perspective involving the development of self-regulation. These school entry skills are used to predict later achievement in reading, math, and science. I argued that in addition to acquiring early academic knowledge, children need to regulate the use of this knowledge to meet academic goals.
High school achievement as a predictor for university performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meshkani Z

2004-07-01

Full Text Available Background: The high-school grade point average ( GPA-H and university entrance examination can predict the university achievement and Purpose. To examine the predictive value of GPA-H for GPA-U Methods: In this cross sectional study, the subjects were 240 medical students at basic science phase of their medical education. Data were collected by a questionnaire, consisting of questions measuring factual background variable and 10 Llikert-type questions measuring attitude. The multiple regression analysis was used. Results: The analysis showed that student GPA were a better predictor for educational achievement of medical students than rank on university entrance exam and students with high GPA have not been on probation at all. Also parent's education and occupation influence the students' attitudes toward their medical study. Conclusion: High-school GPA is a predictor for university GPA .This may warrant further investigation into criteria of medical university entrance exam. Keywords: UNIVERSITY ACHIEVEMENT, HIGH-SCHOOL GPA, UNIVERSITY SUCCESS, PREDICTOR
Enriching the hierarchical model of achievement motivation: autonomous and controlling reasons underlying achievement goals.

Science.gov (United States)

Michou, Aikaterini; Vansteenkiste, Maarten; Mouratidis, Athanasios; Lens, Willy

2014-12-01

The hierarchical model of achievement motivation presumes that achievement goals channel the achievement motives of need for achievement and fear of failure towards motivational outcomes. Yet, less is known whether autonomous and controlling reasons underlying the pursuit of achievement goals can serve as additional pathways between achievement motives and outcomes. We tested whether mastery approach, performance approach, and performance avoidance goals and their underlying autonomous and controlling reasons would jointly explain the relation between achievement motives (i.e., fear of failure and need for achievement) and learning strategies (Study 1). Additionally, we examined whether the autonomous and controlling reasons underlying learners' dominant achievement goal would account for the link between achievement motives and the educational outcomes of learning strategies and cheating (Study 2). Six hundred and six Greek adolescent students (Mage = 15.05, SD = 1.43) and 435 university students (Mage M = 20.51, SD = 2.80) participated in studies 1 and 2, respectively. In both studies, a correlational design was used and the hypotheses were tested via path modelling. Autonomous and controlling reasons underlying the pursuit of achievement goals mediated, respectively, the relation of need for achievement and fear of failure to aspects of learning outcomes. Autonomous and controlling reasons underlying achievement goals could further explain learners' functioning in achievement settings. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.
When nursing takes ownership of financial outcomes: achieving exceptional financial performance through leadership, strategy, and execution.

Science.gov (United States)

Goetz, Kristopher; Janney, Michelle; Ramsey, Kristin

2011-01-01

With nurses and unlicensed supportive personnel composing the greatest percentage of the workforce at any hospital, it is not surprising nursing leadership plays an increasing role in the attainment of financial goals. The nursing leadership team at one academic medical center reduced costs by more than $10 million over 4 years while outperforming national benchmarks on nurse-sensitive quality indicators. The most critical success factor in attaining exceptional financial performance is a personal and collective accountability to achieving outcomes. Whether it is financial improvement, advancing patient safety, or ensuring a highly engaged workforce, success will not be attained without thoughtful, focused leadership. The accountability model ensures there is a culture built around financial performance where nurses and leaders think and act, on a daily basis, in a manner necessary to understand opportunities, find answers, and overcome obstacles. While structures, processes, and tools may serve as the means to achieve a target, it is leadership's responsibility to set the right goal and motivate others.
A comparative study of performance measurement standards of railway operator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pongjirawut Siripong

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The European standard (EN 13816, is one of the widely accepted standards for measuring the quality of public passenger transport (PPT service. EN 13816 indicates 8 measurement criteria, 29 sub-criteria and 193 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs to be used to measure the performance of railway operators. Nowadays, there are other addition criteria beyond EN13816, developed by various organisations. This research firstly aims to explore the service performance measurement of railway operators used by actual railway operators at international level and in Thailand. After an intensive review of performance measurement standards, 9 standards are compiled and compared in terms of criteria, sub-criteria and KPIs using a cluster analysis methodology. The result found additional performance measurement aspects at 2 sub-criteria and 91 KPIs in addition to EN 13816. This research summarized and compared different performance measurement standards to measure service quality of metro rail line.

Contextualizing Performances: Comparing Performances during TOEFL iBT™ and Real-Life Academic Speaking Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Lindsay; Swain, Merrill

2014-01-01

In this study we compare test takers' performance on the Speaking section of the TOEFL iBT™and their performances during their real-life academic studies. Thirty international graduate students from mixed language backgrounds in two different disciplines (Sciences and Social Sciences) responded to two independent and four integrated speaking tasks…
Achievement goals and perfectionism of high school students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milojević Milica

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This research has been investigating one of the most contemporary approaches of achievement motivation - Achievement Goal Theory, which uses the construct of achievement goals. The construct of achievement goals involves three types of achievement goals: mastery goals, performance approach goals and performance avoidance goals. The main goal of the research was to examine correlation between perfectionism and its aspects with particular types of achievement goals. Also, the goal was to investigate the difference concerning gender regarding the achievement goals. The sample consisted of 200 senior year high school participants. The following instruments were used: Multi-dimensional scale of perfectionism (MSP and Test of achievement goals (TCP. The research results indicate that there is significant positive correlation between: perfectionism with performance approach goals and performance avoidance goals, concern over mistakes and parental expectations with performance approach goals and performance avoidance goals, personal standards and organization with mastery goals and performance approach goals, parental criticism and doubts about action with performance avoidance goals. Significant negative correlation was found between parental criticism and mastery goals. The results concerning the second goal indicates the female subjects have higher average scores in mastery goals.
comparative performance between whole blood and dried blood

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the performance characteristics ... In 2007, 33% of pregnant women in low and middle-income countries were ..... Health (MDH) HIV and AIDS care and treatment program supported this work.
Experimental assessment of oral hygiene achieved by children wearing rapid palatal expanders, comparing manual and electric toothbrushes.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzoleni, S; Bonaldo, G; Pontarolo, E; Zuccon, A; De Francesco, M; Stellini, E

2014-08-01

The aim was to compare the efficacy of the electric versus the manual toothbrush in terms of the oral hygiene achieved by patients wearing rapid palatal expanders (RPEs). Forty patients were randomly divided into two groups; one equipped with a manual toothbrush (Group A), the other with an electric toothbrush (Group B). Each child's plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) were calculated at banded molar level at times T0 (before banding), T1 (a month later), T2 (3 months later) and T3 (when the expander was removed). At each appointment, the PI and GI were recorded and the patient was remotivated. The level of oral hygiene achieved by the group using an electric toothbrush produced a greater improvement in the two indexes than in the group using the manual toothbrush that showed no statistically significant improvement (PI T0-T3: P = 0.309; GI T0-T3: P = 0.141). Both indexes dropped considerably in both groups from T0 to T2, but more so in the group B. From T2 to T3, although the electric toothbrush continued to be substantially more effective, Group B showed a statistically significant deterioration in the oral hygiene (PI +20%; GI +33%). Other assessments conducted on particular areas of the tooth showed improvements in the PI (-33%) for the vestibular region, and for the GI (-57%) in the palatal region among the patients in Group B, while there were no significant changes in these indexes in Group A. Our findings show that the electric toothbrush is statistically more efficient in performing an adequate level of oral hygiene in children wearing RPE. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Behavioral Performance and Neural Areas Associated with Memory Processes Contribute to Math and Reading Achievement in 6-year-old Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Blankenship, Tashauna L; Keith, Kayla; Calkins, Susan D; Bell, Martha Ann

2018-01-01

Associations between working memory and academic achievement (math and reading) are well documented. Surprisingly, little is known of the contributions of episodic memory, segmented into temporal memory (recollection proxy) and item recognition (familiarity proxy), to academic achievement. This is the first study to observe these associations in typically developing 6-year old children. Overlap in neural correlates exists between working memory, episodic memory, and math and reading achievement. We attempted to tease apart the neural contributions of working memory, temporal memory, and item recognition to math and reading achievement. Results suggest that working memory and temporal memory, but not item recognition, are important contributors to both math and reading achievement, and that EEG power during a working memory task contributes to performance on tests of academic achievement.
Achievement Emotions and Academic Performance: Longitudinal Models of Reciprocal Effects

Science.gov (United States)

Pekrun, Reinhard; Lichtenfeld, Stephanie; Marsh, Herbert W.; Murayama, Kou; Goetz, Thomas

2017-01-01

A reciprocal effects model linking emotion and achievement over time is proposed. The model was tested using five annual waves of the Project for the Analysis of Learning and Achievement in Mathematics (PALMA) longitudinal study, which investigated adolescents' development in mathematics (Grades 5-9; N = 3,425 German students; mean starting…
High-Performance and Omnidirectional Thin-Film Amorphous Silicon Solar Cell Modules Achieved by 3D Geometry Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Dongliang; Yin, Min; Lu, Linfeng; Zhang, Hanzhong; Chen, Xiaoyuan; Zhu, Xufei; Che, Jianfei; Li, Dongdong

2015-11-01

High-performance thin-film hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells are achieved by combining macroscale 3D tubular substrates and nanoscaled 3D cone-like antireflective films. The tubular geometry delivers a series of advantages for large-scale deployment of photovoltaics, such as omnidirectional performance, easier encapsulation, decreased wind resistance, and easy integration with a second device inside the glass tube. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Comparative Study of the academic performance between different curricula in Agricultural Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Vazquez, J. L.; Serrano, A.; Caniego, J.

2012-04-01

Due to the introduction of new degrees on the College of Agricultural Engineering of the Technical University of Madrid adapted to the European Space for Higher Education (Bologna), we have made a comparative study of academic achievement obtained by the students during their first year at the Centre according to different curricula. We used data from 2 curricula leading to the degree in Agricultural Engineering, Curriculumn 74 (6 years and annual structure) and Curriculum 96 modified in 2006 (5 years with quarterly structure) and the new curriculum in grades (4 years semi-structured). It has been used as a data source, the qualifications of new students during the last three years prior to the extinction of the curriculum.The study shows that current rates of academic success or failure and dropout during the first year of college are very similar to those happening 12 years ago, when it was assumed that the preparation of students from high school was much higher than today. Keywords: Academic performance, curricula, Bologna.
Approximate Arithmetic Training Improves Informal Math Performance in Low Achieving Preschoolers

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Emily Szkudlarek

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Recent studies suggest that practice with approximate and non-symbolic arithmetic problems improves the math performance of adults, school aged children, and preschoolers. However, the relative effectiveness of approximate arithmetic training compared to available educational games, and the type of math skills that approximate arithmetic targets are unknown. The present study was designed to (1 compare the effectiveness of approximate arithmetic training to two commercially available numeral and letter identification tablet applications and (2 to examine the specific type of math skills that benefit from approximate arithmetic training. Preschool children (n = 158 were pseudo-randomly assigned to one of three conditions: approximate arithmetic, letter identification, or numeral identification. All children were trained for 10 short sessions and given pre and post tests of informal and formal math, executive function, short term memory, vocabulary, alphabet knowledge, and number word knowledge. We found a significant interaction between initial math performance and training condition, such that children with low pretest math performance benefited from approximate arithmetic training, and children with high pretest math performance benefited from symbol identification training. This effect was restricted to informal, and not formal, math problems. There were also effects of gender, socio-economic status, and age on post-test informal math score after intervention. A median split on pretest math ability indicated that children in the low half of math scores in the approximate arithmetic training condition performed significantly better than children in the letter identification training condition on post-test informal math problems when controlling for pretest, age, gender, and socio-economic status. Our results support the conclusion that approximate arithmetic training may be especially effective for children with low math skills, and that
Approximate Arithmetic Training Improves Informal Math Performance in Low Achieving Preschoolers.

Science.gov (United States)

Szkudlarek, Emily; Brannon, Elizabeth M

2018-01-01

Recent studies suggest that practice with approximate and non-symbolic arithmetic problems improves the math performance of adults, school aged children, and preschoolers. However, the relative effectiveness of approximate arithmetic training compared to available educational games, and the type of math skills that approximate arithmetic targets are unknown. The present study was designed to (1) compare the effectiveness of approximate arithmetic training to two commercially available numeral and letter identification tablet applications and (2) to examine the specific type of math skills that benefit from approximate arithmetic training. Preschool children ( n = 158) were pseudo-randomly assigned to one of three conditions: approximate arithmetic, letter identification, or numeral identification. All children were trained for 10 short sessions and given pre and post tests of informal and formal math, executive function, short term memory, vocabulary, alphabet knowledge, and number word knowledge. We found a significant interaction between initial math performance and training condition, such that children with low pretest math performance benefited from approximate arithmetic training, and children with high pretest math performance benefited from symbol identification training. This effect was restricted to informal, and not formal, math problems. There were also effects of gender, socio-economic status, and age on post-test informal math score after intervention. A median split on pretest math ability indicated that children in the low half of math scores in the approximate arithmetic training condition performed significantly better than children in the letter identification training condition on post-test informal math problems when controlling for pretest, age, gender, and socio-economic status. Our results support the conclusion that approximate arithmetic training may be especially effective for children with low math skills, and that approximate arithmetic
Electricity consumers under the state and the private sector: comparing the price performance of the French and UK electricity industries 1990-2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Percebois, Jacques; Wright, Philip

2001-01-01

Particularly because a preoccupation with process has tended to dominate the debate about electricity privatisation and liberalisation, this paper focuses on price outcomes by comparing the relative price performance of the French and UK electricity industries between 1990 and 2000. The main conclusion is that in 1990 the state-owned French electricity industry was performing better for most consumers than the state-owned UK industry, and a decade later it was still doing so with respect to the privately-owned UK industry. While this conclusion could be qualified by saying that, heavily prompted or assisted by the Regulator, the UK privately-owned industry has shown itself capable of achieving faster reductions in prices to close the gap between itself and the French, this achievement has been concentrated in the industrial market and even there the very significant gains were mainly restricted to the very largest consumers. In the context of the European Union the UK is shown to have performed relatively poorly for the smallest domestic consumers and, while both countries did much better in the rankings of industrial prices, they were still a long way behind the top performers. (Author)
Comparative health system performance in six middle-income countries: cross-sectional analysis using World Health Organization study of global ageing and health.

Science.gov (United States)

Alshamsan, Riyadh; Lee, John Tayu; Rana, Sangeeta; Areabi, Hasan; Millett, Christopher

2017-09-01

Objective To assess and compare health system performance across six middle-income countries that are strengthening their health systems in pursuit of universal health coverage. Design Cross-sectional analysis from the World Health Organization Study on global AGEing and adult health, collected between 2007 and 2010. Setting Six middle-income countries: China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa. Participants Nationally representative sample of adults aged 50 years and older. Main outcome measures We present achievement against key indicators of health system performance across effectiveness, cost, access, patient-centredness and equity domains. Results We found areas of poor performance in prevention and management of chronic conditions, such as hypertension control and cancer screening coverage. We also found that cost remains a barrier to healthcare access in spite of insurance schemes. Finally, we found evidence of disparities across many indicators, particularly in the effectiveness and patient centredness domains. Conclusions These findings identify important focus areas for action and shared learning as these countries move towards achieving universal health coverage.
A comparative performance evaluation of intrusion detection techniques for hierarchical wireless sensor networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H.H. Soliman

2012-11-01

Full Text Available An explosive growth in the field of wireless sensor networks (WSNs has been achieved in the past few years. Due to its important wide range of applications especially military applications, environments monitoring, health care application, home automation, etc., they are exposed to security threats. Intrusion detection system (IDS is one of the major and efficient defensive methods against attacks in WSN. Therefore, developing IDS for WSN have attracted much attention recently and thus, there are many publications proposing new IDS techniques or enhancement to the existing ones. This paper evaluates and compares the most prominent anomaly-based IDS systems for hierarchical WSNs and identifying their strengths and weaknesses. For each IDS, the architecture and the related functionality are briefly introduced, discussed, and compared, focusing on both the operational strengths and weakness. In addition, a comparison of the studied IDSs is carried out using a set of critical evaluation metrics that are divided into two groups; the first one related to performance and the second related to security. Finally based on the carried evaluation and comparison, a set of design principles are concluded, which have to be addressed and satisfied in future research of designing and implementing IDS for WSNs.
Can children identify and achieve goals for intervention? A randomized trial comparing two goal-setting approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Vroland-Nordstrand, Kristina; Eliasson, Ann-Christin; Jacobsson, Helén; Johansson, Ulla; Krumlinde-Sundholm, Lena

2016-06-01

The efficacy of two different goal-setting approaches (children's self-identified goals and goals identified by parents) were compared on a goal-directed, task-oriented intervention. In this assessor-blinded parallel randomized trial, 34 children with disabilities (13 males, 21 females; mean age 9y, SD 1y 4mo) were randomized using concealed allocation to one of two 8-week, goal-directed, task-oriented intervention groups with different goal-setting approaches: (1) children's self-identified goals (n=18) using the Perceived Efficacy and Goal-Setting System, or (2) goals identified by parents (n=16) using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Participants were recruited through eight paediatric rehabilitation centres and randomized between October 2011 and May 2013. The primary outcome measure was the Goal Attainment Scaling and the secondary measure, the COPM performance scale (COPM-P). Data were collected pre- and post-intervention and at the 5-month follow-up. There was no evidence of a difference in mean characteristics at baseline between groups. There was evidence of an increase in mean goal attainment (mean T score) in both groups after intervention (child-goal group: estimated mean difference [EMD] 27.84, 95% CI 22.93-32.76; parent-goal group: EMD 21.42, 95% CI 16.16-26.67). There was no evidence of a difference in the mean T scores post-intervention between the two groups (EMD 6.42, 95% CI -0.80 to 13.65). These results were sustained at the 5-month follow-up. Children's self-identified goals are achievable to the same extent as parent-identified goals and remain stable over time. Thus children can be trusted to identify their own goals for intervention, thereby influencing their involvement in their intervention programmes. © 2015 Mac Keith Press.
What factors determine academic achievement in high achieving undergraduate medical students? A qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdulghani, Hamza M; Al-Drees, Abdulmajeed A; Khalil, Mahmood S; Ahmad, Farah; Ponnamperuma, Gominda G; Amin, Zubair

2014-04-01

Medical students' academic achievement is affected by many factors such as motivational beliefs and emotions. Although students with high intellectual capacity are selected to study medicine, their academic performance varies widely. The aim of this study is to explore the high achieving students' perceptions of factors contributing to academic achievement. Focus group discussions (FGD) were carried out with 10 male and 9 female high achieving (scores more than 85% in all tests) students, from the second, third, fourth and fifth academic years. During the FGDs, the students were encouraged to reflect on their learning strategies and activities. The discussion was audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed qualitatively. Factors influencing high academic achievement include: attendance to lectures, early revision, prioritization of learning needs, deep learning, learning in small groups, mind mapping, learning in skills lab, learning with patients, learning from mistakes, time management, and family support. Internal motivation and expected examination results are important drivers of high academic performance. Management of non-academic issues like sleep deprivation, homesickness, language barriers, and stress is also important for academic success. Addressing these factors, which might be unique for a given student community, in a systematic manner would be helpful to improve students' performance.
An Examination of Secondary School Students' Academic Achievement in Science Course and Achievement Scores in Performance Assignments with Regard to Different Variables: A Boarding School Example

Science.gov (United States)

Bozdogan, Aykut Emre; Günaydin, Esra; Okur, Alperen

2014-01-01

The aim of the study is to explore the academic achievement and performance tasks of students studying in a regional primary boarding school in science course with regard to different variables. The study was carried out via survey method and total 96 students, 57 of them boarding students and 39 of them non-boarding students studying in the 5th,…
The Impacts of Student-, Teacher- and School-Level Factors on Mathematics Achievement: An Exploratory Comparative Investigation of Singaporean Students and the USA Students

Science.gov (United States)

Ker, H. W.

2016-01-01

Reports from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) consistently show that there is a substantial gap in average mathematics achievement between Singapore and the USA. This study conducts an exploratory comparative investigation on the multilevel factors influencing the mathematics achievement of students from these two…
A comparative study of the effect of student and instructor cognitive mapping on student achievement and attitudes in introductory college biology for nonmajors

Science.gov (United States)

Dardis, Deborah J. Athas

Within a single research design, this investigation compared the effects of student and instructor cognitive mapping on student achievement and attitudes in introductory college biology for nonmajors. Subjects self-selected into either a Control Group that experienced no cognitive mapping, an Experimental Group 1 that experienced instructor cognitive mapping, or an Experimental Group 2 in which students constructed cognitive maps. Data were collected by a Students' Opinions of Teaching Poll and instructor prepared tests that included objective questions representing all levels of the cognitive domain. An ANCOVA revealed no significant differences in the academic achievement of students in the control and experimental groups. The academic performance of males and females was similar among all three groups of students and data confirmed a lack of interaction between gender and instructional strategy. This investigation confirmed that cognitive mapping will not disrupt a gender-neutral classroom environment. Students' opinions of teaching were overwhelmingly positive. A Kruskal Wallis analysis, followed by a nonparametric Tukey-type multiple comparison, revealed that students who experienced no mapping consistently rated the instructor with higher scores than did students who experienced instructor mapping. Students who cooperatively constructed cognitive maps reported the lowest scores on the opinion polls.
The effects of single-sex compared with coeducational schooling on students' performance and attitudes: a meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Pahlke, Erin; Hyde, Janet Shibley; Allison, Carlie M

2014-07-01

Proponents of single-sex (SS) education believe that separating boys and girls, by classrooms or schools, increases students' achievement and academic interest. In this article, we use meta-analysis to analyze studies that have tested the effects on students of SS compared with coeducational (CE) schooling. We meta-analyzed data from 184 studies, representing the testing of 1.6 million students in Grades K-12 from 21 nations, for multiple outcomes (e.g., mathematics performance, mathematics attitudes, science performance, educational aspirations, self-concept, gender stereotyping). To address concerns about the quality of research designs, we categorized studies as uncontrolled (no controls for selection effects, no random assignment) or controlled (random assignment or controls for selection effects). Based on mixed-effects analyses, uncontrolled studies showed some modest advantages for single-sex schooling, for both girls and boys, for outcomes such as mathematics performance but not for science performance. Controlled studies, however, showed only trivial differences between students in SS versus CE, for mathematics performance (g = 0.10 for girls, 0.06 for boys) and science performance (g = 0.06 for girls, 0.04 for boys), and in some cases showed small differences favoring CE schooling (e.g., for girls' educational aspirations, g = -0.26). Separate analyses of U.S. studies yielded similar findings (e.g., for mathematics performance g = 0.14 for girls and 0.14 for boys). Results from the highest quality studies, then, do not support the view that SS schooling provides benefits compared with CE schooling. Claims that SS schooling is particularly effective for U.S. ethnic minority boys could not be tested due to the lack of controlled studies on this question. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.
Self-concept mediates the relation between achievement and emotions in mathematics.

Science.gov (United States)

Van der Beek, Jojanneke P J; Van der Ven, Sanne H G; Kroesbergen, Evelyn H; Leseman, Paul P M

2017-09-01

Mathematics achievement is related to positive and negative emotions. Pekrun's control-value theory of achievement emotions suggests that students' self-concept (i.e., self-appraisal of ability) may be an important mediator of the relation between mathematics achievement and emotions. The aims were (1) to investigate the mediating role of mathematical self-concept in the relation between mathematics achievement and the achievement emotions of enjoyment and anxiety in a comprehensive model, and (2) to test possible differences in this mediating role between low-, average-, and high-achieving students. Participants were ninth-grade students (n = 1,014) from eight secondary schools in the Netherlands. Through an online survey including mathematical problems, students were asked to indicate their levels of mathematics enjoyment, anxiety, and self-concept. Structural equation modelling was used to test the mediating role of self-concept in the relation between mathematics achievement and emotions. Multigroup analyses were performed to compare these relations across the three achievement groups. Results confirmed full mediation of the relation between mathematics achievement and emotions by mathematical self-concept. Furthermore, we found higher self-concepts, more enjoyment and less math anxiety in high-achieving students compared to their average and low-achieving peers. No differences across these achievement groups were found in the relations in the mediational model. Mathematical self-concept plays a pivotal role in students' appraisal of mathematics. Mathematics achievement is only one factor explaining students' self-concept. Likely also classroom instruction and teachers' feedback strategies help to shape students' self-concept. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

A University Engagement Model for Achieving Technology Adoption and Performance Improvement Impacts in Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Government

Science.gov (United States)

McKinnis, David R.; Sloan, Mary Anne; Snow, L. David; Garimella, Suresh V.

2014-01-01

The Purdue Technical Assistance Program (TAP) offers a model of university engagement and service that is achieving technology adoption and performance improvement impacts in healthcare, manufacturing, government, and other sectors. The TAP model focuses on understanding and meeting the changing and challenging needs of those served, always…
Tracking the Market Performance of Companies That Integrate a Culture of Health and Safety: An Assessment of Corporate Health Achievement Award Applicants.

Science.gov (United States)

Fabius, Raymond; Loeppke, Ronald R; Hohn, Todd; Fabius, Dan; Eisenberg, Barry; Konicki, Doris L; Larson, Paul

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the hypothesis that stock market performance of companies achieving high scores on either health or safety in the Corporate Health Achievement Award (CHAA) process will be superior to average index performance. The stock market performance of portfolios of CHAA winners was examined under six different scenarios using simulation and past market performance in tests of association framed to inform the investor community. CHAA portfolios out-performed the S&P average on all tests. This study adds to the growing evidence that a healthy and safe workforce correlates with a company's performance and its ability to provide positive returns to shareholders. It advances the idea that a proven set of health and safety metrics based on the CHAA evaluation process merits inclusion with existing measures for market valuation.
Gender Differences in Achievement Goals and Performances in English Language and Mathematics of Senior Secondary Schools Students in Borno State, Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Musa, Alice K. J.; Dauda, Bala; Umar, Mohammad A.

2016-01-01

The paper investigated gender difference in achievement goals and performance in English Language and Mathematics of senior secondary schools students in Borno State, Nigeria. The study specifically sought to determine gender differences in students' academic performances in English Language, Mathematics and overall academic performance as well as…
Video game performances are preserved in ADHD children compared with controls.

Science.gov (United States)

Bioulac, Stéphanie; Lallemand, Stéphanie; Fabrigoule, Colette; Thoumy, Anne-Laure; Philip, Pierre; Bouvard, Manuel Pierre

2014-08-01

Although ADHD and excessive video game playing have received some attention, few studies have explored the performances of ADHD children when playing video games. The authors hypothesized that performances of ADHD children would be as good as those of control children in motivating video games tasks but not in the Continuous Performance Test II (CPT II). The sample consisted of 26 ADHD children and 16 control children. Performances of ADHD and control children were compared on three commercially available games, on the repetition of every game, and on the CPT II. ADHD children had lower performances on the CPT II than did controls, but they exhibited equivalent performances to controls when playing video games at both sessions and on all three games. When playing video games, ADHD children present no difference in inhibitory performances compared with control children. This demonstrates that cognitive difficulties in ADHD are task dependent. © 2012 SAGE Publications.
Modelling and Comparative Performance Analysis of a Time-Reversed UWB System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popovski K

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The effects of multipath propagation lead to a significant decrease in system performance in most of the proposed ultra-wideband communication systems. A time-reversed system utilises the multipath channel impulse response to decrease receiver complexity, through a prefiltering at the transmitter. This paper discusses the modelling and comparative performance of a UWB system utilising time-reversed communications. System equations are presented, together with a semianalytical formulation on the level of intersymbol interference and multiuser interference. The standardised IEEE 802.15.3a channel model is applied, and the estimated error performance is compared through simulation with the performance of both time-hopped time-reversed and RAKE-based UWB systems.
Achievement Motivation and Academic Motivation among Students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2013

OpenAIRE

Firoozeh Khamoushi; Arash Parsa Moghaddam; Mahtab Sadeghi; Ali Akbar Parvizifard; Akram Ahmadzadeh

2016-01-01

Introduction: Students are often similar in terms of learning ability and talent. However, there are remarkable differences in their academic performance during their schooling, which can be due to the differences in their academic motivation and achievement motivation. The current study was carried out to compare achievement motivation and academic achievement among the students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS) in 2013. Methods: In this descriptive Analytical cross-sec...
Achievement motivation and memory: achievement goals differentially influence immediate and delayed remember-know recognition memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Murayama, Kou; Elliot, Andrew J

2011-10-01

Little research has been conducted on achievement motivation and memory and, more specifically, on achievement goals and memory. In the present research, the authors conducted two experiments designed to examine the influence of mastery-approach and performance-approach goals on immediate and delayed remember-know recognition memory. The experiments revealed differential effects for achievement goals over time: Performance-approach goals showed higher correct remember responding on an immediate recognition test, whereas mastery-approach goals showed higher correct remember responding on a delayed recognition test. Achievement goals had no influence on overall recognition memory and no consistent influence on know responding across experiments. These findings indicate that it is important to consider quality, not just quantity, in both motivation and memory, when studying relations between these constructs.
Achievement goal profiles and developments in effort and achievement in upper elementary school.

Science.gov (United States)

Hornstra, Lisette; Majoor, Marieke; Peetsma, Thea

2017-12-01

The multiple goal perspective posits that certain combinations of achievement goals are more favourable than others in terms of educational outcomes. This study aimed to examine longitudinally whether students' achievement goal profiles and transitions between profiles are associated with developments in self-reported and teacher-rated effort and academic achievement in upper elementary school. Participants were 722 fifth-grade students and their teachers in fifth and sixth grade (N = 68). Students reported on their achievement goals and effort in language and mathematics three times in grade 5 to grade 6. Teachers rated students' general school effort. Achievement scores were obtained from school records. Goal profiles were derived with latent profile and transition analyses. Longitudinal multilevel analyses were conducted. Theoretically favourable goal profiles (high mastery and performance-approach goals, low on performance-avoidance goals), as well as transitions from less to more theoretically favourable goal profiles, were associated with higher levels and more growth in effort for language and mathematics and with stronger language achievement gains. Overall, these results provide support for the multiple goal perspective and show the sustained benefits of favourable goal profiles beyond effects of cognitive ability and background characteristics. © 2017 The Authors. British Journal of Education Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.
A SOFTWARE TOOL TO COMPARE MEASURED AND SIMULATED BUILDING ENERGY PERFORMANCE DATA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maile, Tobias; Bazjanac, Vladimir; O' Donnell, James; Garr, Matthew

2011-11-01

Building energy performance is often inadequate when compared to design goals. To link design goals to actual operation one can compare measured with simulated energy performance data. Our previously developed comparison approach is the Energy Performance Comparison Methodology (EPCM), which enables the identification of performance problems based on a comparison of measured and simulated performance data. In context of this method, we developed a software tool that provides graphing and data processing capabilities of the two performance data sets. The software tool called SEE IT (Stanford Energy Efficiency Information Tool) eliminates the need for manual generation of data plots and data reformatting. SEE IT makes the generation of time series, scatter and carpet plots independent of the source of data (measured or simulated) and provides a valuable tool for comparing measurements with simulation results. SEE IT also allows assigning data points on a predefined building object hierarchy and supports different versions of simulated performance data. This paper briefly introduces the EPCM, describes the SEE IT tool and illustrates its use in the context of a building case study.
STUDENTS’ SELF-ASSESSMENT OF ONE’S ABILITIES FOR THEIR LIFE GOALS ACHIEVEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanislava Stoyanova

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Goal achievement is considered to be related to need satisfaction, motivation, and self-esteem. The self-assessed abilities for goal achievement were operationalized as positive self-talk, perceived self-efficacy, the performance level of doing a task, the aspiration level, the in/congruence between performance and prognosis, and frustration tolerance to pursue one’s goals in spite of some obstacles. In total, 392 students whose mean age was 21 years old were investigated, divided in sub-samples, with the positive self-talk scale from the ASTQS questionnaire, the self-efficacy scale by Schwarzer & Jerusalem, and the AHA computerized test method from Vienna test system. Students’ self-assessment of one’s abilities for goal achievement revealed the most frequent high levels of perceived self-efficacy and good performance in coding tasks. The other self-assessed abilities for goal achievement were expressed more often at a medium level. The gender differences in the performance level of doing a task were compared to some previous results that indicated a variety of trends, because of the age peculiarities and the types of the tasks that were executed. The advance in age was related to more frequent use of positive self-talk and lower aspiration level, besides to lower performance level. The proposed model of the abilities for goal achievement was successfully approbated in this study revealing the strengths in the students’ self-assessment of one’s abilities for goal achievement and some weaknesses that should be the focus of further interventions in order to increase the students’ frustration tolerance ability and the use of positive self-talk.
EURISOL-DS Multi-MW Target Comparative Neutronic Performance of the Baseline Configuration vs. the Hg-Jet Option

CERN Document Server

Herrera-Martínez, A

2006-01-01

This technical report summarises the comparative study between several design options for the Multi-MW target station performed within Task #2 of the European Isotope Separation On-Line Radioactive Ion Beam Facility Design Study (EURISOL DS) [1]. Previous analyses were carried out, using the Monte Carlo code FLUKA [2], to determine optimal values for relevant parameters in the target design [3] and to analyse a preliminary Multi-MW target assembly configuration [4]. The second report showed that the aimed fission rates, i.e. ~1015 fissions/s, could be achieved with such a configuration. Nevertheless, a preliminary study of the target assembly integration [5] suggested reducing some of the dimensions. Moreover, the yields of specific isotopes have yet to be assessed and compared to other target configurations. This note presents a detailed comparison of the baseline configuration and the Hg-jet option, in terms of primary and neutron distribution, power densities and fission product yields. A scaled-down versi...
Comparative assessment of PV plant performance models considering climate effects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tina, Giuseppe; Ventura, Cristina; Sera, Dezso

2017-01-01

. The methodological approach is based on comparative tests of the analyzed models applied to two PV plants installed respectively in north of Denmark (Aalborg) and in the south of Italy (Agrigento). The different ambient, operating and installation conditions allow to understand how these factors impact the precision...... the performance of the studied PV plants with others, the efficiency of the systems has been estimated by both conventional Performance Ratio and Corrected Performance Ratio...
Gender Equity in Mathematics Achievement in East African Primary Schools: Context Counts

OpenAIRE

Tia L. Zuze; Valerie E. Lee

2007-01-01

Although primary school enrollment is gradually on the increase in the developing world, differences in mathematics achievement between girls and boys persist. A complex combination of factors that is related to issues of the home environment, the school context, and national policy influences the performance of female students when compared to their male peers. We focus on three countries in East Africa with a female disadvantage in mathematics achievement and use data from 8,795 primary sch...
Neutronics performances study of silicon carbide as an inert matrix to achieve very high burn-up for light water reactor fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chabert, C.; Coulon-Picard, E.; Pelletier, M.

2007-01-01

In order to extend the actual limits of light water reactors, the Cea has put emphasis on the exploration of major fuel innovations that would allow us to increase the competitiveness, the safety and flexibility, while keeping the standard PWR environment. Different fuel concepts have been chosen and are actually studied to evaluate their advantages and drawbacks. The objectives of these new fuels are to increase the safety performances and to achieve a very high burn-up. One concept is a CERCER fuel with silicon carbide (SiC) as an inert matrix devoted to reduce the fuel temperature at nominal conditions. Besides the investigation of the neutronic performance, analyses on the thermomechanical performances, the fuel fabrication, the fuel reprocessing and economic aspects have been performed. This paper presents particularly neutronic results obtained for the CERCER fuel. The results show that a very high burn-up, a high safety performance and a better competitiveness cannot be achieved with this fuel concept. (authors)
Racial and Social Class Differences in How Parents Respond to Inadequate Achievement: Consequences for Children's Future Achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Keith; Harris, Angel L

2013-12-01

Despite numerous studies on parental involvement in children's academic schooling, there is a dearth of knowledge on how parents respond specifically to inadequate academic performance. This study examines whether 1) racial differences exist in parenting philosophy for addressing inadequate achievement, 2) social class has implications for parenting philosophy, and 3) parents' philosophies are consequential for children's academic achievement. Using data from the Child Development Supplement (N=1041) to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we sort parents into two categories-those whose parenting repertoires for addressing poor achievement include punitive responses and those whose repertoires do not. We then determine whether racial differences exist between these categories and how various responses within the aforementioned categories are related to students' academic achievement. The findings show that white and black parents have markedly different philosophies on how to respond to inadequate performance, and these differences appear to impact children's achievement in dramatically different ways. Educators and policy makers should pay particular attention to how parents respond to inadequate achievement as imploring parents of inadequately performing students to be more involved without providing them with some guidance might exacerbate the problem.
Extending Antecedents of Achievement Goals: The Double-Edged Sword Effect of Social-Oriented Achievement Motive and Gender Differences

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Youyan; Liem, Gregory Arief D.

2013-01-01

Underpinned by the hierarchical model of approach and avoidance motivation, the study examined the differential relations of individual-oriented and social-oriented achievement motives to approach and avoidance achievement goals (mastery-approach, performance-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-avoidance). A total of 570 Chinese high school…
Conductive plastics: comparing alternative nanotechnologies by performance and life cycle release probability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neubauer, Nicole; Wohlleben, Wendel, E-mail: wendel.wohlleben@basf.com [Material Physics, GMC/R, BASF SE (Germany); Tomović, Željko, E-mail: zeljko.tomovic@basf.com [BASF Polyurethanes GmbH, GMP/LS (Germany)

2017-03-15

Nanocomposites can be considered safe during their life cycle as long as the nanofillers remain embedded in the matrix. Therefore, a possible release of nanofillers has to be assessed before commercialization. This report addresses possible life cycle release scenarios for carbon nanotubes (CNT), graphene, and carbon black (CB) from a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) matrix. The content of each nanofiller was adjusted to achieve the same conductivity level. The nanofillers reduced the rate of nanoscale releases during mechanical processing with decreasing release in the order neat TPU, TPU-CNT, TPU-graphene, and TPU-CB. Released fragments were dominated by the polymer matrix with embedded or surface-protruding nanofillers. During electron microscopy analysis, free CB was observed, however, there was no free CNT or graphene. Quantitatively, the presence of free nanofillers remained below the detection limit of <0.01% of generated dust. Further, both the production process and type of mechanical processing showed a significant impact with higher release rates for injection-molded compared to extruded and sanded compared to drilled materials. Due to its optimal performance for further development, extruded TPU-CNT was investigated in a combined, stepwise worst case scenario (mechanical processing after weathering). After weathering by simulated sunlight and rain, CNT were visible at the surface of the nanocomposite; after additional sanding, fragments showed protruding CNT, but free CNT were not detected. In summary, this preliminary exposure assessment showed no indication that recommended occupational exposure limits for carbonaceous nanomaterials can be exceeded during the life cycle of the specific TPU nanocomposites and conditions investigated in this study.
Comparative Analysis of Reward and Employee Performance Based on Gender at Central Bank of Bank Sulut

OpenAIRE

Pandowo, Merinda; Lapian, S.L.H.V Joyce; Oroh, Ryan Vitaly

2014-01-01

Employee are the big asset of organization. Employee Performance are have big effect of organization performance. The best way to attract employee performance is rewarding employee. Reward can be tangible such money, bonuses or called extrinsic reward and intangible reward such promotion, holiday or called intrinsic reward. The purpose of this research are to analyzed significant differences in employee performance based on reward between male and female. To achieve the objectives researcher ...
Coagulation performance and floc characteristics of polytitanium tetrachloride (PTC) compared with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) and ferric chloride (FeCl3) in algal turbid water

KAUST Repository

Chekli, L.; Eripret, C.; Park, S.H.; Tabatabai, S. Assiyeh Alizadeh; Vronska, O.; Tamburic, B.; Kim, J.H.; Shon, H.K.

2016-01-01

Seasonal green algae blooms in freshwaters have raised attention on the need to develop novel effective treatment processes for the removal of algae in water. In the present study, the performance of newly developed polytitanium tetrachloride (PTC) coagulant for the removal of freshwater microalga Chlorella vulgaris has been investigated and compared with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) coagulant and the conventional ferric chloride (FeCl3) coagulant. The main benefit of using titanium-based coagulants is that the sludge produced after flocculation may be recycled into a valuable product: titanium dioxide photocatalyst. Both titanium-based coagulants achieved good flocculation over a broader pH range and coagulant dose compared to conventional FeCl3 coagulant. All three coagulants achieved comparable performance in terms of turbidity removal (i.e. turbidity removal efficiency >97%); although TiCl4 performed slightly better at the lower tested dose (i.e. <9 mg/L). Zeta potential measurements indicated that charge neutralisation may not be the sole mechanism involved in the coagulation of algae for all three coagulants. Analysis of the dynamic floc size variation during floc breakage showed no regrowth after floc breakage for the three coagulants. The flocs formed by both Ti-based coagulants were larger than those formed by FeCl3 and also grew at a faster rate. This study indicates that Ti-based coagulants are effective and promising coagulants for algae removal in water.
Coagulation performance and floc characteristics of polytitanium tetrachloride (PTC) compared with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) and ferric chloride (FeCl3) in algal turbid water

KAUST Repository

Chekli, L.

2016-11-11

Seasonal green algae blooms in freshwaters have raised attention on the need to develop novel effective treatment processes for the removal of algae in water. In the present study, the performance of newly developed polytitanium tetrachloride (PTC) coagulant for the removal of freshwater microalga Chlorella vulgaris has been investigated and compared with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) coagulant and the conventional ferric chloride (FeCl3) coagulant. The main benefit of using titanium-based coagulants is that the sludge produced after flocculation may be recycled into a valuable product: titanium dioxide photocatalyst. Both titanium-based coagulants achieved good flocculation over a broader pH range and coagulant dose compared to conventional FeCl3 coagulant. All three coagulants achieved comparable performance in terms of turbidity removal (i.e. turbidity removal efficiency >97%); although TiCl4 performed slightly better at the lower tested dose (i.e. <9 mg/L). Zeta potential measurements indicated that charge neutralisation may not be the sole mechanism involved in the coagulation of algae for all three coagulants. Analysis of the dynamic floc size variation during floc breakage showed no regrowth after floc breakage for the three coagulants. The flocs formed by both Ti-based coagulants were larger than those formed by FeCl3 and also grew at a faster rate. This study indicates that Ti-based coagulants are effective and promising coagulants for algae removal in water.

Achieving Performance Speed-up in FPGA Based Bit-Parallel Multipliers using Embedded Primitive and Macro support

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Burhan Khurshid

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Modern Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA are fast moving into the consumer market and their domain has expanded from prototype designing to low and medium volume productions. FPGAs are proving to be an attractive replacement for Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC primarily because of the low Non-recurring Engineering (NRE costs associated with FPGA platforms. This has prompted FPGA vendors to improve the capacity and flexibility of the underlying primitive fabric and include specialized macro support and intellectual property (IP cores in their offerings. However, most of the work related to FPGA implementations does not take full advantage of these offerings. This is primarily because designers rely mainly on the technology-independent optimization to enhance the performance of the system and completely neglect the speed-up that is achievable using these embedded primitives and macro support. In this paper, we consider the technology-dependent optimization of fixed-point bit-parallel multipliers by carrying out their implementations using embedded primitives and macro support that are inherent in modern day FPGAs. Our implementation targets three different FPGA families viz. Spartan-6, Virtex-4 and Virtex-5. The implementation results indicate that a considerable speed up in performance is achievable using these embedded FPGA resources.
Comparing Right and Left Brain Dominant Students on Reading Achievement Scores.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Giesen, Angela M.; And Others

1987-01-01

Assesses the differences in reading achievement scores of remedial reading students identified as having differing hemispheric specializations by studying 64 fourth- and fifth-grade students in a remedial reading program. Suggests that no significant difference exists on the comprehension subtest when hemispheric preference was considered,…
STEM after school programming: The effect on student achievement and attitude

Science.gov (United States)

Ashford, Vanessa Dale

Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum has become a major component in to 21st century teaching and learning. STEM skills and STEM careers are in demand globally. Disadvantaged and minority students continue to have an achievement gap in STEM classes. They do not perform well in elementary and middle school and frequently do not pursue STEM-based studies in high school or careers in the field. One innovation in STEM education is after-school programming to increase student interest, attitudes, and achievement. This mixed-methods study examines the Discovery Place After-School STEM Program to compare the achievement levels of participants to non-participants in the program and provides recommendations for STEM after-school programming across the district. As part of the study, teachers were interviewed to examine attitudes and perceptions about the program. This study was conducted at an elementary school in a large urban school district in the southeastern United States which has a unique STEM-based after-school program. Student performance data indicated a significant difference in achievement between participants and non-participants in the program as measured by fifth grade science End-of-Grade test. Data from the seven units of study in the program showed significant achievement for three of the seven units.
Passion, self-esteem, and the role of comparative performance evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Stenseng, Frode; Dalskau, Lina Harvold

2010-12-01

Two studies were conducted to investigate the paradoxical behavior of obsessively passionate individuals: they tend to continue involvement in their passion activity despite reporting the activity as a source of ill-being. We suggested that elevated self-esteem in activity engagement could be one such persistence-promoting factor. In Study 1, we found that obsessively passionate individuals reported lower levels of global self-esteem compared with harmoniously passionate individuals, whereas they reported similar levels of activity-related self-esteem. We suggest that this indicates that obsessively passionate individuals try to compensate for low global self-esteem by utilizing self-esteem contingencies in their passion activity. Study 2 showed that activity-related self-esteem among obsessively passionate individuals was found to be strongly related to comparative performance evaluations, whereas no such relationship was found among harmoniously passionate individuals. We suggest that self-esteem contingencies related to comparative performance criteria represent a persistence-promoting factor among obsessively passionate individuals.
Gender Differences in Achievement in an Inquiry-Based Learning Precalculus Course

OpenAIRE

Thomas E. Cooper; Brad Bailey; Karen S. Briggs

2015-01-01

The authors conducted a two-semester quasi-experimental study in which each author taught a traditional lecture-based section of precalculus and a section using an inquiry-based approach called a Modified Moore Method in which the students worked through and presented the course material. A common final exam was used to compare student achievement. The results were compared for the overall population and by each instructor. Gender proved to be an important variable with the females performing...
The impact of the healthy schools program on reading, mathematics, and science achievement of 5th grade students: A causal-comparative inquiry

Science.gov (United States)

Barrera, Christina Lynn

The obesity rate for children has become a national epidemic in America, resulting in the need to incorporate physical fitness and nutrition into the curriculum in an effort to improve health and academic achievement. The Healthy Schools Program (HSP) is an initiative that assists schools in establishing and sustaining healthy environments, which can be instrumental in making students perform better in school. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine the impact of the HSP on academic achievement. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).
Achieving low latency and energy consumption by 5G TDD mode optimization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lähetkangas, Eeva; Pajukoski, Kari; Vihriälä, Jaakko

2014-01-01

and discussing on the consequent frame length limits. We then provide a description on how the achieved short TDD latency can further be utilized to enable remarkably low energy consumption. A numerical analysis comparing the battery life time of the suggested 5G TDD air interface and LTE is provided, showing......The target for a new 5G radio access technology is to support multi-Gbps and ms latency connectivity simultaneously at noticeably lower energy consumption and cost compared to the existing 4G technologies, such as LTE-Advanced. Extremely short air interface latency is required to achieve...... these requirements in a TDD-based local area network. In this paper, we discuss how the required short TDD latency can be achieved and further utilized in 5G physical air interface. First, we investigate the enablers and limits of TDD latency by analyzing the performance of OFDM in different channel environments...
A Comparative Investigation of South Africa's High-Performing Learners on Selected TIMSS Items Comprising Multiplicative Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Caroline; Wendt, Heike

2017-01-01

South Africa participated in TIMSS from 1995 to 2015. Over these two decades, some positive changes have been reported on the aggregated mathematics performance patterns of South African learners. This paper focuses on the achievement patterns of South Africa's high-performing Grade 9 learners (n = 3378) in comparison with similar subsamples of…
Participation and Performance Reporting for the Alternate Assessment Based on Modified Achievement Standards (AA-MAS). Technical Report 58

Science.gov (United States)

Albus, Deb; Thurlow, Martha L.; Lazarus, Sheryl S.

2011-01-01

This report examines publicly reported participation and performance data for the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). The authors' analysis of these data included all states publicly reporting AA-MAS data, regardless of whether they had received approval to use the results for Title I accountability calculations.…
Improved StrongARM latch comparator: Design, analysis and performance evaluation

KAUST Repository

Almansouri, Abdullah Saud Mohammed

2017-07-13

This paper presents an improved StrongARM latch comparator, designed and simulated in 90nm and 32nm CMOS technologies. The proposed design provides an improvement of 7% in energy efficiency, 14% in speed and an average reduction of 41% in the clock feedthrough, compared to the conventional design. The new architecture also minimizes the area by reducing the required transistors needed for the enhanced performance.
Comparing the Performance of Popular MEG/EEG Artifact Correction Methods in an Evoked-Response Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haumann, Niels Trusbak; Parkkonen, Lauri; Kliuchko, Marina

2016-01-01

We here compared results achieved by applying popular methods for reducing artifacts in magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of the auditory evoked Mismatch Negativity (MMN) responses in healthy adult subjects. We compared the Signal Space Separation (SSS......) and temporal SSS (tSSS) methods for reducing noise from external and nearby sources. Our results showed that tSSS reduces the interference level more reliably than plain SSS, particularly for MEG gradiometers, also for healthy subjects not wearing strongly interfering magnetic material. Therefore, tSSS...... is recommended over SSS. Furthermore, we found that better artifact correction is achieved by applying Independent Component Analysis (ICA) in comparison to Signal Space Projection (SSP). Although SSP reduces the baseline noise level more than ICA, SSP also significantly reduces the signal—slightly more than...
Comparative performance of UASB and anaerobic hybrid reactors for the treatment of complex phenolic wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramakrishnan, Anushuya; Surampalli, Rao Y

2012-11-01

The performance of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and an anaerobic hybrid reactor (AHR) was investigated for the treatment of simulated coal wastewater containing toxic phenolics at different hydraulic retention times (0.75-0.33d). Fast start-up and granulation of biomass could be achieved in an AHR (45d) than UASB (58d) reactor. Reduction of HRT from 1.5 to 0.33d resulted in a decline in phenolics removal efficiency from 99% to 77% in AHR and 95% to 68% in UASB reactor respectively. AHR could withstand 2.5 times the selected phenolics loading compared to UASB reactor that could not withstand even 1.2 times the selected phenolics loading. Residence time distribution (RTD) study revealed a plug flow regime in the AHR and completely mixed regime in UASB reactor respectively. Energy economics of the reactors revealed that 12,159MJd(-1) more energy can be generated using AHR than UASB reactor. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Comparing the fundamental physics and device performance of transparent, conductive nanostructured networks with conventional transparent conducting oxides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barnes, Teresa M.; Reese, Matthew O.; Bergeson, Jeremy D.; Larsen, Brian A.; Blackburn, Jeffrey L.; Beard, Matthew C.; Bult, Justin; Van de Lagemaat, Jao [NREL, 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401 (United States)

2012-03-15

Networks made of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and metallic nanowire networks, graphene, and ultra-thin metal films have all been proposed as replacements for transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) in photovoltaic and other applications. However, only limited comparisons of nanostructured networks and TCOs are available. Several common figures of merit that are often used to compare the electrical and optical performance of the transparent contacts are evaluated here, and the merits of each method of comparison are discussed. Calculating the current loss due to absorption in the TCO is the most useful metric for evaluating new materials for use in solar cells with well-defined sheet resistance requirements and known quantum efficiencies. The 'Haacke' figure of merit, {phi}{sub H}, correlates fairly well with current loss and is a good metric for evaluating electro-optical performance for more general applications. The analyses presented here demonstrate that silver nanowire networks are much closer to achieving optimal electrical and optical properties than carbon-based networks. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
High-Performance All-Polymer Solar Cells Achieved by Fused Perylenediimide-Based Conjugated Polymer Acceptors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Yuli; Yang, Jing; Guo, Fengyun; Zhou, Erjun; Zhao, Liancheng; Zhang, Yong

2018-05-09

We report three n-type polymeric electron acceptors (PFPDI-TT, PFPDI-T, and PFPDI-Se) based on the fused perylene diimide (FPDI) and thieno[3,2- b]thiophene, thiophene, or selenophene units for all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs). These FPDI-based polymer acceptors exhibit strong absorption between 350 and 650 nm with wide optical bandgap of 1.86-1.91 eV, showing good absorption compensation with the narrow bandgap polymer donor. The lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels were located at around -4.11 eV, which are comparable with those of the fullerene derivatives and other small molecular electron acceptors. The conventional all-PSCs based on the three polymer acceptors and PTB7-Th as polymer donor gave remarkable power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of >6%, and the PFPDI-Se-based all-PSC achieved the highest PCE of 6.58% with a short-circuit current density ( J sc ) of 13.96 mA/cm 2 , an open-circuit voltage ( V oc ) of 0.76 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 62.0%. More interestingly, our results indicate that the photovoltaic performances of the FPDI-based polymer acceptors are mainly determined by the FPDI unit with a small effect from the comonomers, which is quite different from the others reported rylenediimide-based polymer acceptors. This intriguing phenomenon is speculated as the huge geometry configuration of the FPDI unit, which minimizes the effect of the comonomer. These results highlight a promising future for the application of the FPDI-based polymer acceptors in the highly efficient all-PSCs.
Cryogenics system: strategy to achieve nominal performance and reliable operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bremer, J.; Brodzinski, K.; Casas, J.; Claudet, S.; Delikaris, D.; Delruelle, N.; Ferlin, G.; Fluder, C.; Perin, A.; Perinic, G.; Pezzetti, M.; Pirotte, O.; Tavian, L.; Wagner, U.

2012-01-01

During the LHC operation in 2010 and 2011, the cryogenic system has achieved an availability level fulfilling the overall requirement. To reach this level, the cryogenic system has profited like many other beam-dependent systems from the reduced beam parameters. Therefore, impacts of some failures occurred during the LHC operation were mitigated by using the over-capacity margin, the existing built-in redundancy in between adjacent sector cryogenic plants and the 'cannibalization' of spares on two idle cryogenic plants. These two first years of operation were also crucial to identify the weaknesses of the present cryogenic maintenance plan and new issues like SEUs. After the LS1, nominal beam parameters are expected and the mitigated measures will be less effective or not applicable at all. Consequently, a consolidation plan to improve the MTBF and the MTTR of the LHC cryogenic system is under definition. Concerning shutdown periods, the present cryogenic sectorization imposes some restrictions in the type of interventions (e.g. cryo-magnet removal) which can be done without affecting the operating conditions of the adjacent sector. This creates additional constrains and possible extra down-time in the schedule of the shutdowns including the hardware commissioning. This presentation focuses on the consolidation plan foreseen during the LS1 to improve the performance of the LHC cryogenic system in terms of availability and sectorization. (authors)
Effects of Gender, Mathematics Anxiety and Achievement Motivation on College Students’ Achievement in Mathematics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ajogbeje Oke James

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The urge to excel or perform maximally in mathematics varies from individual to individual because achievement motivation is often developed or learnt during socialization and learning experiences. The study examined the relationship between College of Education students’ achievement motivation and mathematics achievement, correlation coefficient between mathematics anxiety and college students’ achievement motivation as well as mathematics anxiety and mathematics achievement. The sample, 268 College of Education students offering mathematics as one of their subject combination, was selected using purposive sampling techniques. Three research instruments namely: Mathematics Anxiety Scale (MAS, Achievement Motivation Scale (AMS and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT were used to collect data for the study. Data collected for the study were analyzed using correlational analysis and ANOVA. The results showed that a significantly low negative correlation coefficient existed between mathematics anxiety and mathematics achievement. There is a negative and significant correlation coefficient between mathematics anxiety and achievement motivation. Similarly, a positive and significant correlation coefficient also exists between achievement motivation and mathematics achievement. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that mathematics teachers should adopt activity based strategies and conducive learning environment in order to reduce college students’ anxieties in mathematics learning.
Peroral endoscopic myotomy achieves similar clinical response but incurs lesser charges compared to robotic heller myotomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Khashab, Mouen A; Kumbhari, Vivek; Tieu, Alan H; El Zein, Mohamad H; Ismail, Amr; Ngamruengphong, Saowanee; Singh, Vikesh K; Kalloo, Anthony N; Clarke, John O; Stein, Ellen M

2017-01-01

Several uncontrolled studies comparing peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) and Heller myotomy have demonstrated equivalent short-term efficacy and safety. However, no data exists rergarding the cost of POEM and how it compares to that of robotic Heller myotomy (RHM). The primary aim of this study was to compare the inpatient charges incurred in patients who underwent POEM or RHM for the treatment of achalasia. A retrospective single center review was conducted among 52 consecutive POEM patients (2012-2014) and 52 consecutive RHM patients (2009-2014). All RHM procedures included a Toupet fundoplication and were performed via a transabdominal approach. All POEM procedures were performed by a gastroenterologist in the endoscopy unit. Clinical response was defined by improvement of symptoms and decrease in Eckardt stage to ≤I. All procedural and facility charges were obtained from review of the hospital finance records. There was no difference between POEM and RHM with regards to age, gender, symptom duration, achalasia subtype, manometry findings, or Eckardt symptom stage. There was no significant difference in the rate of adverse events (19.2% vs 9.6%, P = 0.26) or the length of stay (1.9 vs. 2.3, P = 0.18) between both groups. Clinical response rate of patients in the POEM groups was similar to that in the RHM group (94.3% vs. 88.5%, P = 0.48). POEM incurred significantly less total charges compared to LHM ($14481 vs. $17782, P = 0.02). POEM when performed in an endoscopy unit was similar in efficacy and safety to RHM. However, POEM was associated with significant cost savings ($3301/procedure).
Quantifying Faculty Productivity in Japan: Development and Application of the Achievement-Motivated Key Performance Indicator. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.8.16

Science.gov (United States)

Aida, Misako; Watanabe, Satoshi P.

2016-01-01

Universities throughout the world are trending toward more performance based methods to capture their strengths, weaknesses and productivity. Hiroshima University has developed an integrated objective measure for quantifying multifaceted faculty activities, namely the "Achievement-Motivated Key Performance Indicator" (A-KPI), in order to…
Health system frameworks and performance indicators in eight countries: A comparative international analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey Braithwaite

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Performance indicators are a popular mechanism for measuring the quality of healthcare to facilitate both quality improvement and systems management. Few studies make comparative assessments of different countries’ performance indicator frameworks. This study identifies and compares frameworks and performance indicators used in selected Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development health systems to measure and report on the performance of healthcare organisations and local health systems. Countries involved are Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland and the United States. Methods: Identification of comparable international indicators and analyses of their characteristics and of their broader national frameworks and contexts were undertaken. Two dimensions of indicators – that they are nationally consistent (used across the country rather than just regionally and locally relevant (measured and reported publicly at a local level, for example, a health service – were deemed important. Results: The most commonly used domains in performance frameworks were safety, effectiveness and access. The search found 401 indicators that fulfilled the ‘nationally consistent and locally relevant’ criteria. Of these, 45 indicators are reported in more than one country. Cardiovascular, surgery and mental health were the most frequently reported disease groups. Conclusion: These comparative data inform researchers and policymakers internationally when designing health performance frameworks and indicator sets.
Achieving value for money in health: a comparative analysis of OECD countries and regional countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Çelik, Yusuf; Khan, Mahmud; Hikmet, Neşet

2017-10-01

To measure efficiency gains in health sector over the years 1995 to 2013 in OECD, EU, non-member European countries. An output-oriented DEA model with variable return to scale, and residuals estimated by regression equations were used to estimate efficiencies of health systems. Slacks for health care outputs and inputs were calculated by using DEA multistage method of estimating country efficiency scores. Better health outcomes of countries were related with higher efficiency. Japan, France, or Sweden were found to be peer-efficient countries when compared to other developed countries like Germany and United States. Increasing life expectancy beyond a certain high level becomes very difficult to achieve. Despite declining marginal productivity of inputs on health outcomes, some developed countries and developing countries were found to have lowered their inefficiencies in the use of health inputs. Although there was no systematic relationship between political system of countries and health system efficiency, the objectives of countries on social and health policy and the way of achieving these objectives might be a factor increasing the efficiency of health systems. Economic and political stability might be as important as health expenditure in improving health system goals. A better understanding of the value created by health expenditures, especially in developed countries, will require analysis of specific health interventions that can increase value for money in health. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Disaggregation of Rainy Hours: Compared Performance of Various Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Ben Haha, M.; Hingray, B.; Musy, A.

In the urban environment, the response times of catchments are usually short. To de- sign or to diagnose waterworks in that context, it is necessary to describe rainfall events with a good time resolution: a 10mn time step is often necessary. Such in- formation is not always available. Rainfall disaggregation models have thus to be applied to produce from rough rainfall data that short time resolution information. The communication will present the performance obtained with several rainfall dis- aggregation models that allow for the disaggregation of rainy hours into six 10mn rainfall amounts. The ability of the models to reproduce some statistical character- istics of rainfall (mean, variance, overall distribution of 10mn-rainfall amounts; ex- treme values of maximal rainfall amounts over different durations) is evaluated thanks to different graphical and numerical criteria. The performance of simple models pre- sented in some scientific papers or developed in the Hydram laboratory as well as the performance of more sophisticated ones is compared with the performance of the basic constant disaggregation model. The compared models are either deterministic or stochastic; for some of them the disaggregation is based on scaling properties of rainfall. The compared models are in increasing complexity order: constant model, linear model (Ben Haha, 2001), Ormsbee Deterministic model (Ormsbee, 1989), Ar- tificial Neuronal Network based model (Burian et al. 2000), Hydram Stochastic 1 and Hydram Stochastic 2 (Ben Haha, 2001), Multiplicative Cascade based model (Olsson and Berndtsson, 1998), Ormsbee Stochastic model (Ormsbee, 1989). The 625 rainy hours used for that evaluation (with a hourly rainfall amount greater than 5mm) were extracted from the 21 years chronological rainfall series (10mn time step) observed at the Pully meteorological station, Switzerland. The models were also evaluated when applied to different rainfall classes depending on the season first and on the
Working Memory Load and Reminder Effect on Event-Based Prospective Memory of High- and Low-Achieving Students in Math.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Youzhen; Lian, Rong; Yang, Lixian; Liu, Jianrong; Meng, Yingfang

The effects of working memory (WM) demand and reminders on an event-based prospective memory (PM) task were compared between students with low and high achievement in math. WM load (1- and 2-back tasks) was manipulated as a within-subject factor and reminder (with or without reminder) as a between-subject factor. Results showed that high-achieving students outperformed low-achieving students on all PM and n-back tasks. Use of a reminder improved PM performance and thus reduced prospective interference; the performance of ongoing tasks also improved for all students. Both PM and n-back performances in low WM load were better than in high WM load. High WM load had more influence on low-achieving students than on high-achieving students. Results suggest that low-achieving students in math were weak at PM and influenced more by high WM load. Thus, it is important to train these students to set up an obvious reminder for their PM and improve their WM.
Are training and transfer effects of working memory updating training modulated by achievement motivation?

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xin; Xu, Yiwenjie; Fu, Junjun; Maes, Joseph H R

2018-04-01

Previous studies examining effects of working memory (WM) updating training revealed mixed results. One factor that might modulate training gains, and possibly also transfer of those gains to non-trained cognitive tasks, is achievement motivation. In the present Studies 1 and 2, students with either a high (HAM) or low (LAM) achievement motivation completed a 14-day visuospatial WM updating training program. In Study 2, the students also performed a set of tasks measuring other executive functions and fluid intelligence prior to and after training. In both studies, the HAM students displayed a larger training gain than the LAM students. Study 2 revealed that after training, both groups showed better performance on the near-transfer but not far-transfer tasks. Importantly, the differential training gain was not associated with better post-training performance for the HAM compared to the LAM students on any of the transfer tasks. These results are taken to support a modulatory role of achievement motivation on WM training benefits, but not on transfer of those benefits to other tasks. Possible reasons for the general improvement on the near-transfer tasks and the absence of a modulatory role of achievement motivation on transfer-task performance are discussed.
Relationships between Learning Styles and Academic Achievement and Brain Hemispheric Dominance and Academic Performance in Business and Accounting Courses.

Science.gov (United States)

Carthey, Joseph H.

A study determined if relationships exist between learning styles and academic achievement and brain hemispheric dominance and academic performance in the courses of principles of management, business law, intermediate accounting, and principles of economics. All second-year accounting students (64 students) at Northeast Iowa Community College…
A comparative study on electrochemical performances of the electrodes with different nanocarbon conductive additives for lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Taiqiang; Pan, Likun; Liu, Xinjuan; Sun, Zhuo

2013-01-01

Three nanocarbon materials (0 D acetylene black (AB), 1 D carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and 2 D reduced graphene oxide (RGO)) were used as conductive additives (CAs) in the mesocarbon microbead anodes for lithium ion batteries. The electrochemical performances of the electrodes were investigated. The results show that the CAs have a significant impact on the electrode performance because they can influence the electron conduction and lithium ion transportation within the electrode. The electrode with RGO achieves a maximum capacity of 387 mAh g −1 after 50 cycles at a current density of 50 mA g −1 , much higher than those of the electrodes with AB (334 mAh g −1 ) and CNTs (319 mAh g −1 ). The improvement should be mainly ascribed to the “plane-to-point” conducting network formed in the electrode with 2 D RGO which can favor the electron conduction and enhance the lithium ion transportation. - Highlights: • Three carbon materials were used as additives in the electrodes of Li ion battery. • The electrochemical performances of the electrodes were comparatively investigated. • The carbon additives have a significant impact on the electrode performance. • RGO additive acts as a bridge to form a “plane-to-point” conducting network. • The electrode with RGO exhibits better performance than those with other additives
Metrics, Dollars, and Systems Change: Learning from Washington State's Student Achievement Initiative to Design Effective Postsecondary Performance Funding Policies. A State Policy Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Davis; Shulock, Nancy

2013-01-01

The Student Achievement Initiative (SAI), adopted by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges in 2007, is one of a growing number of performance funding programs that have been dubbed "performance funding 2.0." Unlike previous performance funding models, the SAI rewards colleges for students' intermediate…
Impression management and achievement motivation:Investigating substantive links

OpenAIRE

Elliot, Andrew J.; Aldhobaiban, Nawal; Murayama, Kou; Kobeisy, Ahmed; Gocłowska, Małgorzata A.; Khyat, Aber

2018-01-01

In the present research we investigate impression management (IM) as a substantive personality variable by linking it to differentiated achievement motivation constructs, namely achievement motives (workmastery, competitiveness, fear of failure) and achievement goals (mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, performance-avoidance). Study 1 revealed that IM was a positive predictor of workmastery and a negative predictor of competitiveness (with and without self-deceptive enh...
Control-value theory: using achievement emotions to improve understanding of motivation, learning, and performance in medical education: AMEE Guide No. 64.

Science.gov (United States)

Artino, Anthony R; Holmboe, Eric S; Durning, Steven J

2012-01-01

In this AMEE Guide, we consider the emergent theoretical and empirical work on human emotion and how this work can inform the theory, research, and practice of medical education. In the Guide, we define emotion, in general, and achievement emotions, more specifically. We describe one of the leading contemporary theories of achievement emotions, control-value theory (Pekrun 2006), and we distinguish between different types of achievement emotions, their proximal antecedents, and their consequences for motivation, learning, and performance. Next, we review the empirical support for control-value theory from non-medical fields and suggest several important implications for educational practice. In this section, we highlight the importance of designing learning environments that foster a high degree of control and value for students. Finally, we end with a discussion of the need for more research on achievement emotions in medical education, and we propose several key research questions we believe will facilitate our understanding of achievement emotions and their impact on important educational outcomes.
Achieving excellence in training

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mangin, A.M.; Solymossy, J.M.

1983-01-01

Operating a nuclear power plant is a uniquely challenging activity, requiring a high degree of competence from all who are involved. Achieving and maintaining this competence requires excellence in training. But what does excellence mean, and how do we achieve it. Based on the experience gained by INPO in plant training evaluations and accreditation activities, this paper describes some of the actions that can be taken to achieve the quality appropriate for nuclear power plant training. These actions are discussed in relation to the four phases of a performance-based training system: (1) needs analysis, (2) program design and development, (3) implementation, and (4) evaluation and improvement
77 FR 52553 - Standards of Performance for Stationary Gas Turbines; Standards of Performance for Stationary...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-29

... still perform the traditional reconstruction analysis, i.e., the owner/operator would compare the total... blending to achieve the applicable SO 2 standard. Under the proposed language, an owner/operator of an...
Optimized distributed systems achieve significant performance improvement on sorted merging of massive VCF files.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Xiaobo; Gao, Jingjing; Jin, Peng; Eng, Celeste; Burchard, Esteban G; Beaty, Terri H; Ruczinski, Ingo; Mathias, Rasika A; Barnes, Kathleen; Wang, Fusheng; Qin, Zhaohui S

2018-06-01

Sorted merging of genomic data is a common data operation necessary in many sequencing-based studies. It involves sorting and merging genomic data from different subjects by their genomic locations. In particular, merging a large number of variant call format (VCF) files is frequently required in large-scale whole-genome sequencing or whole-exome sequencing projects. Traditional single-machine based methods become increasingly inefficient when processing large numbers of files due to the excessive computation time and Input/Output bottleneck. Distributed systems and more recent cloud-based systems offer an attractive solution. However, carefully designed and optimized workflow patterns and execution plans (schemas) are required to take full advantage of the increased computing power while overcoming bottlenecks to achieve high performance. In this study, we custom-design optimized schemas for three Apache big data platforms, Hadoop (MapReduce), HBase, and Spark, to perform sorted merging of a large number of VCF files. These schemas all adopt the divide-and-conquer strategy to split the merging job into sequential phases/stages consisting of subtasks that are conquered in an ordered, parallel, and bottleneck-free way. In two illustrating examples, we test the performance of our schemas on merging multiple VCF files into either a single TPED or a single VCF file, which are benchmarked with the traditional single/parallel multiway-merge methods, message passing interface (MPI)-based high-performance computing (HPC) implementation, and the popular VCFTools. Our experiments suggest all three schemas either deliver a significant improvement in efficiency or render much better strong and weak scalabilities over traditional methods. Our findings provide generalized scalable schemas for performing sorted merging on genetics and genomics data using these Apache distributed systems.
An international comparison study of pharmacy students' achievement goals and their relationship to assessment type and scores.

Science.gov (United States)

Alrakaf, Saleh; Anderson, Claire; Coulman, Sion A; John, Dai N; Tordoff, June; Sainsbury, Erica; Rose, Grenville; Smith, Lorraine

2015-04-25

To identify pharmacy students' preferred achievement goals in a multi-national undergraduate population, to investigate achievement goal preferences across comparable degree programs, and to identify relationships between achievement goals, academic performance, and assessment type. The Achievement Goal Questionnaire was administered to second year students in 4 universities in Australia, New Zealand, England, and Wales. Academic performance was measured using total scores, multiple-choice questions, and written answers (short essay). Four hundred eighty-six second year students participated. Students showed an overall preference for the mastery-approach goal orientation across all sites. The predicted relationships between goal orientation and multiple-choice questions, and written answers scores, were significant. This study is the first of its kind to examine pharmacy students' achievement goals at a multi-national level and to differentiate between assessment type and measures of achievement motivation. Students adopting a mastery-approach goal are more likely to gain high scores in assessments that measure understanding and depth of knowledge.
An International Comparison Study of Pharmacy Students’ Achievement Goals and their Relationship to Assessment Type and Scores

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Claire; Coulman, Sion A.; John, Dai N.; Tordoff, June; Sainsbury, Erica; Rose, Grenville; Smith, Lorraine

2015-01-01

Objective: To identify pharmacy students’ preferred achievement goals in a multi-national undergraduate population, to investigate achievement goal preferences across comparable degree programs, and to identify relationships between achievement goals, academic performance, and assessment type. Methods: The Achievement Goal Questionnaire was administered to second year students in 4 universities in Australia, New Zealand, England, and Wales. Academic performance was measured using total scores, multiple-choice questions, and written answers (short essay). Results: Four hundred eighty-six second year students participated. Students showed an overall preference for the mastery-approach goal orientation across all sites. The predicted relationships between goal orientation and multiple-choice questions, and written answers scores, were significant. Conclusion: This study is the first of its kind to examine pharmacy students’ achievement goals at a multi-national level and to differentiate between assessment type and measures of achievement motivation. Students adopting a mastery-approach goal are more likely to gain high scores in assessments that measure understanding and depth of knowledge. PMID:25995510
Statistical properties of a utility measure of observer performance compared to area under the ROC curve

Science.gov (United States)

Abbey, Craig K.; Samuelson, Frank W.; Gallas, Brandon D.; Boone, John M.; Niklason, Loren T.

2013-03-01

The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve has become a common tool for evaluating diagnostic imaging technologies, and the primary endpoint of such evaluations is the area under the curve (AUC), which integrates sensitivity over the entire false positive range. An alternative figure of merit for ROC studies is expected utility (EU), which focuses on the relevant region of the ROC curve as defined by disease prevalence and the relative utility of the task. However if this measure is to be used, it must also have desirable statistical properties keep the burden of observer performance studies as low as possible. Here, we evaluate effect size and variability for EU and AUC. We use two observer performance studies recently submitted to the FDA to compare the EU and AUC endpoints. The studies were conducted using the multi-reader multi-case methodology in which all readers score all cases in all modalities. ROC curves from the study were used to generate both the AUC and EU values for each reader and modality. The EU measure was computed assuming an iso-utility slope of 1.03. We find mean effect sizes, the reader averaged difference between modalities, to be roughly 2.0 times as big for EU as AUC. The standard deviation across readers is roughly 1.4 times as large, suggesting better statistical properties for the EU endpoint. In a simple power analysis of paired comparison across readers, the utility measure required 36% fewer readers on average to achieve 80% statistical power compared to AUC.
Uniform and Non-Uniform Optimum Scalar Quantizers Performances: A Comparative Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fendy Santoso

2008-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research is to investigate source coding, the representation of information source output by finite R bits/symbol. The performance of optimum quantisers subject to an entropy constraint has been studied. The definitive work in this area is best summarised by Shannon’s source coding theorem, that is, a source with entropy H can be encoded with arbitrarily small error probability at any rate R (bits/source output as long as R>H. Conversely, If R the error probability will be driven away from zero, independent of the complexity of the encoder and the decoder employed. In this context, the main objective of engineers is however to design the optimum code. Unfortunately, the rate-distortion theorem does not provide the recipe for such a design. The theorem does, however, provide the theoretical limit so that we know how close we are to the optimum. The full understanding of the theorem also helps in setting the direction to achieve such an optimum. In this research, we have investigated the performances of two practical scalar quantisers, i.e., a Lloyd-Max quantiser and the uniformly defined one and also a well-known entropy coding scheme, i.e., Huffman coding against their theoretically attainable optimum performance due to Shannon’s limit R. It has been shown that our uniformly defined quantiser could demonstrate superior performance. The performance improvements, in fact, are more noticeable at higher bit rates.
Breakfast Intake and Composition is Associated with Superior Academic Achievement in Elementary School Children

Science.gov (United States)

Ptomey, Lauren T.; Steger, Felicia L.; Schubert, Matthew M.; Lee, Jaehoon; Willis, Erik A.; Sullivan, Debra K.; Szabo-Reed, Amanda N.; Washburn, Richard A.; Donnelly, Joseph E.

2016-01-01

Objective To determine if breakfast consumption or content affects academic achievement measured by standardized tests. Methods Baseline data was collected in fall of 2011 from 698 students (50.5% female, age=7.5±0.6 yrs.) living in the state of Kansas. Academic achievement was assessed using three components from the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III). Prior to taking the WIAT-III, participants completed a breakfast recall of all the foods and drinks consumed that morning, which was analyzed using NDS-R. WIAT-III scores were compared between breakfast and non-breakfast consumers in a sample (n=162) matched for age, sex, race, education level of both parents, household income, BMI, and cardiovascular fitness, and Pearson correlations were calculated from all breakfast eaters (n=617) between test performance and components of the breakfast. Results When compared to non-breakfast consumers, the breakfast consumers had significantly higher scores in all three WIAT-III components (all pbreakfast consumers, servings of fruit juice were negatively correlated with reading comprehension and fluency standard score and mathematics standard score (both pbreakfast consumption and the content may be associated with improved standardized test performance in elementary school students. PMID:26697955
Staying with the Text: The Contribution of Gender, Achievement Orientations, and Interest to Students' Performance on a Literacy Task

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Jedda; Tisher, Ruth; Ainley, Mary; Kennedy, Gregor

2008-01-01

This study addresses concerns about boys' underperformance on literacy tasks compared to girls, by investigating male and females students' responses to narrative texts. Participants were 142 Grade 9 and 10 students. Achievement orientations, including goals, self-efficacy, and self-handicapping, were measured and approach and avoidance factors…
Achievement motivation, competitiveness and sports performance in a team of sportsmen soccer players between 14 and 24 years old

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejo García-Naveira

2011-05-01

Full Text Available In order to identify to what extent competitiveness trait is related to sport performance in soccer, and to what extent the age and sport category can influence these variables, a descriptive cross-sectional study has been developed. The variables age, sport category, sport performance, achievement motivation (Me, motivation to avoid the failure (Mef and competitiveness trait have been assessed in 151 men soccer players (between 14 and 24 y.o. of a Spanish sport club. The results indicated that the sport performance ascends with age. Consequently, a direct relationship between the sport category and the performance has been observed. Me, Mef and competitiveness trait have been associated with the performance and has varied based on the sport category. No correlation between Me, Mef, competitiveness and age of the sportsmen has been found
Power plant and utility performance: how world-record outages are being achieved in the USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1997-01-01

Two record-breaking refuelling outages at power reactors in the USA are described. The first, at Browns Ferry 3 BWR, was accomplished in 19 days 39 minutes - a shorter time than for an General Electric BWR anywhere in the world hitherto. The management attribute this success to planning, personnel and performance. As well as refuelling, inspections and maintenance, major modifications were carried out. These included the completion of the installation of digital feedwater reactor level control and digital feedwater heater level control. The second outage, at South Texas Project 2 BWR, at 17 days 14 hours and 10 minutes was the fastest yet recorded for any US nuclear unit. This achievement is ascribed to excellent outage preparation and scheduling, the superior condition of the plant equipment and teamwork and safety consciousness on behalf of the plant personnel. Finally, brief consideration is given to the nuclear performance recovery programme of Commonwealth Edison and Ontario Hydro Nuclear. (UK)
Reducing the socio-economic status achievement gap at University by promoting mastery-oriented assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Smeding, Annique; Darnon, Céline; Souchal, Carine; Toczek-Capelle, Marie-Christine; Butera, Fabrizio

2013-01-01

In spite of official intentions to reduce inequalities at University, students' socio-economic status (SES) is still a major determinant of academic success. The literature on the dual function of University suggests that University serves not only an educational function (i.e., to improve students' learning), but also a selection function (i.e., to compare people, and orient them towards different positions in society). Because current assessment practices focus on the selection more than on the educational function, their characteristics fit better with norms and values shared by dominant high-status groups and may favour high-SES students over low-SES students in terms of performances. A focus on the educational function (i.e., mastery goals), instead, may support low-SES students' achievement, but empirical evidence is currently lacking. The present research set out to provide such evidence and tested, in two field studies and a randomised field experiment, the hypothesis that focusing on University's educational function rather than on its selection function may reduce the SES achievement gap. Results showed that a focus on learning, mastery-oriented goals in the assessment process reduced the SES achievement gap at University. For the first time, empirical data support the idea that low-SES students can perform as well as high-SES students if they are led to understand assessment as part of the learning process, a way to reach mastery goals, rather than as a way to compare students to each other and select the best of them, resulting in performance goals. This research thus provides a theoretical framework to understand the differential effects of assessment on the achievement of high and low-SES students, and paves the way toward the implementation of novel, theory-driven interventions to reduce the SES-based achievement gap at University.

Reducing the socio-economic status achievement gap at University by promoting mastery-oriented assessment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annique Smeding

Full Text Available In spite of official intentions to reduce inequalities at University, students' socio-economic status (SES is still a major determinant of academic success. The literature on the dual function of University suggests that University serves not only an educational function (i.e., to improve students' learning, but also a selection function (i.e., to compare people, and orient them towards different positions in society. Because current assessment practices focus on the selection more than on the educational function, their characteristics fit better with norms and values shared by dominant high-status groups and may favour high-SES students over low-SES students in terms of performances. A focus on the educational function (i.e., mastery goals, instead, may support low-SES students' achievement, but empirical evidence is currently lacking. The present research set out to provide such evidence and tested, in two field studies and a randomised field experiment, the hypothesis that focusing on University's educational function rather than on its selection function may reduce the SES achievement gap. Results showed that a focus on learning, mastery-oriented goals in the assessment process reduced the SES achievement gap at University. For the first time, empirical data support the idea that low-SES students can perform as well as high-SES students if they are led to understand assessment as part of the learning process, a way to reach mastery goals, rather than as a way to compare students to each other and select the best of them, resulting in performance goals. This research thus provides a theoretical framework to understand the differential effects of assessment on the achievement of high and low-SES students, and paves the way toward the implementation of novel, theory-driven interventions to reduce the SES-based achievement gap at University.
Social-Emotional Factors Affecting Achievement Outcomes Among Disadvantaged Students: Closing the Achievement Gap.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Bronwyn E; Luthar, Suniya S

2002-01-01

Despite concentrated efforts at improving inferior academic outcomes among disadvantaged students, a substantial achievement gap between the test scores of these students and others remains (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; National Center for Education Statistics, 2000a, 2000b; Valencia & Suzuki, 2000). Existing research used ecological models to document social-emotional factors at multiple levels of influence that undermine academic performance. This article integrates ideas from various perspectives in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary model that will inform policy makers, administrators, and schools about the social-emotional factors that act as both risk and protective factors for disadvantaged students' learning and opportunities for academic success. Four critical social-emotional components that influence achievement performance (academic and school attachment, teacher support, peer values, and mental health) are reviewed.
Breakfast Intake and Composition Is Associated with Superior Academic Achievement in Elementary Schoolchildren.

Science.gov (United States)

Ptomey, Lauren T; Steger, Felicia L; Schubert, Matthew M; Lee, Jaehoon; Willis, Erik A; Sullivan, Debra K; Szabo-Reed, Amanda N; Washburn, Richard A; Donnelly, Joseph E

2016-01-01

To determine whether breakfast consumption or content affects academic achievement measured by standardized tests. Baseline data were collected in fall of 2011 from 698 students (50.5% female, age = 7.5 ± 0.6 years) living in the state of Kansas. Academic achievement was assessed using 3 components from the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III). Prior to taking the WIAT-III, participants completed a breakfast recall of all foods and drinks consumed that morning, which was analyzed using Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R). WIAT-III scores were compared between breakfast and non-breakfast consumers in a sample (n = 162) matched for age, sex, race, education level of both parents, household income, body mass index (BMI), and cardiovascular fitness, and Pearson correlations were calculated from all breakfast eaters (n = 617) between test performance and components of the breakfast. When compared to non-breakfast consumers, the breakfast consumers had significantly higher scores in all 3 WIAT-III components (all p breakfast consumers, servings of fruit juice were negatively correlated with reading comprehension and fluency standard score and mathematics standard score (both p breakfast consumption and the content may be associated with improved standardized test performance in elementary school students.
Transuranics Laboratory, achievements and performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gasco, C.; Anton, M. P.

2004-01-01

The Marine and Aquatic Radioecology Group (MARG) was established in 1985 with the main scope of analysing the consequences of the Palomares accident in the adjacent Mediterranean ecosystem. From then on and up to now , this Group has extended its investigations to other European marine environments, such as the Spanish Mediterranean margin, the Artic and the Atlantic. The main research of long-lived radionuclides (plutonium, americium and Cs-137) determining the orography influence, riverine inputs and their geo-chemical associations. This group is currently accomplishing new challenges on the radioecology field such as the development of techniques for transuranics speciation to determine their geo-chemical association to the main sediment compounds. Natural and anthropogenic radionuclides distribution on salt-marsh areas affected by dry-wet periods is being studied as well as the possibilities of fusing crossed techniques for dating recent sediments (pollen, anthropogenic, ''210 Pb, etc). The Laboratory performance description, the procedures used, calculations, challenges and gaps are described in this report. (Author) 22 refs
Associations between children's intelligence and academic achievement: the role of sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Erath, Stephen A; Tu, Kelly M; Buckhalt, Joseph A; El-Sheikh, Mona

2015-10-01

Sleep problems (long wake episodes, low sleep efficiency) were examined as moderators of the relation between children's intelligence and academic achievement. The sample was comprised of 280 children (55% boys; 63% European Americans, 37% African Americans; mean age = 10.40 years, SD = 0.65). Sleep was assessed during seven consecutive nights of actigraphy. Children's performance on standardized tests of intelligence (Brief Intellectual Ability index of the Woodcock-Johnson III) and academic achievement (Alabama Reading and Math Test) were obtained. Age, sex, ethnicity, income-to-needs ratio, single parent status, standardized body mass index, chronic illness and pubertal development were controlled in analyses. Higher intelligence was strongly associated with higher academic achievement across a wide range of sleep quality. However, the association between intelligence and academic achievement was slightly attenuated among children with more long wake episodes or lower sleep efficiency compared with children with higher-quality sleep. © 2015 European Sleep Research Society.
A comparative study of defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance during simulated cardiac arrest in nursing student teams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eikeland Husebø Sissel I

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although nurses must be able to respond quickly and effectively to cardiac arrest, numerous studies have demonstrated poor performance. Simulation is a promising learning tool for resuscitation team training but there are few studies that examine simulation for training defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (D-CPR in teams from the nursing education perspective. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which nursing student teams follow the D-CPR-algorithm in a simulated cardiac arrest, and if observing a simulated cardiac arrest scenario and participating in the post simulation debriefing would improve team performance. Methods We studied video-recorded simulations of D-CPR performance in 28 nursing student teams. Besides describing the overall performance of D-CPR, we compared D-CPR performance in two groups. Group A (n = 14 performed D-CPR in a simulated cardiac arrest scenario, while Group B (n = 14 performed D-CPR after first observing performance of Group A and participating in the debriefing. We developed a D-CPR checklist to assess team performance. Results Overall there were large variations in how accurately the nursing student teams performed the specific parts of the D-CPR algorithm. While few teams performed opening the airways and examination of breathing correctly, all teams used a 30:2 compression: ventilation ratio. We found no difference between Group A and Group B in D-CPR performance, either in regard to total points on the check list or to time variables. Conclusion We found that none of the nursing student teams achieved top scores on the D-CPR-checklist. Observing the training of other teams did not increase subsequent performance. We think all this indicates that more time must be assigned for repetitive practice and reflection. Moreover, the most important aspects of D-CPR, such as early defibrillation and hands-off time in relation to shock, must be highlighted in team
Comparing Performance of Public and Cooperative Health Centers

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Mostafa Farahbakhsh

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Health cooperatives in similar structure of health network in Iran, give primary health cares to defined population with supervisory of public sector. Materials and method: This study compares health system performance between public (PHC and cooperative (CHC health centers. Results: Client's satisfaction was 4.14 in CHC and 3.9 in PHC in 5 point Likert scale. The mean for daily health services of CHC and PHC were 110.8 and 85 respectively. Conclusion: Health cooperatives are appropriate strategy for downsizing of government in health sector
Mathematics Achievement by Immigrant Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gary G. Huang

2000-05-01

Full Text Available In this study, I examined academic achievement of immigrant children in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand. Analyzing data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS, I gauged the performance gaps relating to the generation of immigration and the home language background. I found immigrant children's math and science achievement to be lower than the others only in England, the U.S., and Canada. Non-English language background was found in each country to relate to poor math and science learning and this disadvantage was stronger among native-born childrenpresumably children of indigenous groupsthan among immigrant children. I also examined the school variation in math performance gaps, using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM to each country's data. The patterns in which language- and generation-related math achievement gaps varied between schools are different in the five countries.
The Predictiveness of Achievement Goals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huy P. Phan

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Using the Revised Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ-R (Elliot & Murayama, 2008, we explored first-year university students’ achievement goal orientations on the premise of the 2 × 2 model. Similar to recent studies (Elliot & Murayama, 2008; Elliot & Thrash, 2010, we conceptualized a model that included both antecedent (i.e., enactive learning experience and consequence (i.e., intrinsic motivation and academic achievement of achievement goals. Two hundred seventy-seven university students (151 women, 126 men participated in the study. Structural equation modeling procedures yielded evidence that showed the predictive effects of enactive learning experience and mastery goals on intrinsic motivation. Academic achievement was influenced intrinsic motivation, performance-approach goals, and enactive learning experience. Enactive learning experience also served as an antecedent of the four achievement goal types. On the whole, evidence obtained supports the AGQ-R and contributes, theoretically, to 2 × 2 model.
Progress, Wealth, and Mathematics Achievement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valero, Paola

2013-01-01

I am interested in discussing the historical conditions that make it possible to formulate the idea that the mathematical qualifications of citizens in modern states is connected to the progress and economic development of nations. I interconnect apparently unrelated areas in an attempt to shed l......, H. (1899). Préface. L' Enseignement Mathématique, 1(1), 1-5. Popkewitz, T. S. (2008). Cosmopolitanism and the age of school reform: Science, education, and making society by making the child. New York: Routledge....... to the end of the 19th century. During the second half of the 19th century, mathematics teachers in different countries struggled to make mathematics part of the classic school curricula. During the second industrialization, the justification for the need for mathematics education was formulated in the first...... as a result, among others, of the growing series of comparative information on educational achievement and development. Such reports can be seen as performances of the comparative logic of Modernity that operates differential positioning, not only among individuals but also among nations, with respect to what...
A Multilevel, Longitudinal Analysis of Middle School Math and Language Achievement

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Keith Zvoch

2003-07-01

Full Text Available The performance of schools in a large urban school district was examined using achievement data from a longitudinally matched cohort of middle school students. Schools were evaluated in terms of the mean achievement and mean growth of students in mathematics and language arts. Application of multilevel, longitudinal models to student achievement data revealed that 1 school performance varied across both outcome measures in both subject areas, 2 significant proportions of variation were associated with school-to-school differences in performance, 3 evaluations of school performance differed depending on whether school mean achievement or school mean growth in achievement was examined, and 4 school mean achievement was a weak predictor of school mean growth. These results suggest that assessments of school performance depend on choices of how data are modeled and analyzed. In particular, the present study indicates that schools with low mean scores are not always “poor performing” schools. Use of student growth rates to evaluate school performance enables schools that would otherwise be deemed low performing to demonstrate positive effects on student achievement. Implications for state accountability systems are discussed.
Exploring consumer values of comparative performance information for hospital choice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ketelaar, N.A.B.M.; Faber, M.J.; Westert, G.P.; Elwyn, G.; Braspenning, J.C.C.

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: In many countries, market orientation in healthcare has resulted in the publication of comparative performance information (CPI). Most of the research in this field is oriented towards the content and the presentation format of CPI while little is known about how consumers value CPI and
Comparing Performance of Government and Private Clients in Construction Projects: Contractors’ Perspective

OpenAIRE

Jati Utomo Dwi Hatmoko; Riqi Radian Khasania

2016-01-01

By nature, government and private projects have different characteristics, which influence client performance. This research aims to compare performance of government and private clients in construction projects as perceived by contractors. Six client performance indicators were used, i.e. understanding of project requirements, financial, decision making, management skills, supports for contractor, and client’s attitude. Data were collected through questionnaire surveys filled in by 117 respo...
Personality and achievement motivation : relationship among Big Five domain and facet scales, achievement goals, and intelligence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bipp, T.; Steinmayr, R.; Spinath, B.

2008-01-01

In the present study we examined the nomological network of achievement motivation and personality by inspecting the relationships between four goal orientations (learning, performance-approach, performance-avoidance, work avoidance), the Big Five personality traits, and intelligence. Within a
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLEGES IN BRAZIL

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Átila de Melo Lira

2015-06-01

Full Text Available A comparative analysis between the use of performance indicators to public and private organizations have always been required to examine the scenario related to both. This study seeks to analyze the use of Balanced Scorecard (BSC to identify and understand the main differences and similarities in public and private higher education institutions (HEIs in Brazil in relation to the use of other organizations performance indicators. A quantitative and exploratory approach was adopted using institutional documents analysis. Data was searched on the websites of Brazilian higher education public and private organizations in order to accomplish this analysis comparative. The results showed that even reviewing few public institutions the use of performance indicators appears to be more efficient than those applied to the private ones. Private universities should observe and improve their processes and performance indicators based on those used in Brazilian public universities. This initial research still opens a horizon so that other studies be developed within this thought stream.
Competence with fractions predicts gains in mathematics achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Drew H; Hoard, Mary K; Nugent, Lara; Geary, David C

2012-11-01

Competence with fractions predicts later mathematics achievement, but the codevelopmental pattern between fractions knowledge and mathematics achievement is not well understood. We assessed this codevelopment through examination of the cross-lagged relation between a measure of conceptual knowledge of fractions and mathematics achievement in sixth and seventh grades (N=212). The cross-lagged effects indicated that performance on the sixth grade fractions concepts measure predicted 1-year gains in mathematics achievement (ß=.14, pmathematics achievement did not predict gains on the fractions concepts measure (ß=.03, p>.50). In a follow-up assessment, we demonstrated that measures of fluency with computational fractions significantly predicted seventh grade mathematics achievement above and beyond the influence of fluency in computational whole number arithmetic, performance on number fluency and number line tasks, central executive span, and intelligence. Results provide empirical support for the hypothesis that competence with fractions underlies, in part, subsequent gains in mathematics achievement. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Comparing Episodes of Mathematics Teaching for Higher Achievers in England and Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Peter; Kotthoff, Hans-Georg

2016-01-01

To illustrate similarities and differences in lower secondary level mathematics teaching with higher achievers and thereby explore privileging processes, we contrast a teaching episode in Baden-Württemberg, Germany with one in South West England. These have been selected from a larger study as typical within each region for higher achieving…
Instructional Style, Cognitive Processing, and Achievement Behavior Patterns of Schoolchildren

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atasi Mohanty

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of the study was to examine the performance characteristics and differences between English and Oriya medium school children on various cognitive processing, reading, academic achievement, and teacher perception measures. The sample consists of 243 schoolchildren, 120 from Grade IV and 123 from Grade VII from three different schools of Cuttack city in Orissa, India. The children were individually administered the Figure-Copying, Raven’s Progressive Matrices, Matching Familiar Figure Task, Serial Recall, Digit-Span, Wechsler’s Intelligence Scale for Children, Block Design, Cloze Reading Comprehension, and Oral Reading tasks. Classroom Achievement scores on different subjects and the teachers’ ratings about their students were also taken. Results revealed that children reading in English medium schools outperformed their Oriya medium counterparts in some cognitive measures such as Figure Copying, MFFT, RPM, and Digit-Span tasks irrespective of levels. However, the children studying in Oriya medium schools scored higher in Reading Comprehension task and commit less error compared with their English medium counterparts. However, in case of academic achievement measures at primary level, the Oriya medium children performed better in social science, whereas the English medium students excelled in first language and mathematics. The teachers of Oriya medium schools also rated their children better in general conduct, motivation, and effort in schoolwork, whereas, at the secondary level, there was no difference between these two groups in academic achievement or teacher perception measures.
Assessing the performance of winter footwear using a new maximum achievable incline method.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Jennifer; Li, Yue; Dutta, Tilak; Fernie, Geoff

2015-09-01

More informative tests of winter footwear performance are required in order to identify footwear that will prevent injurious slips and falls on icy conditions. In this study, eight participants tested four styles of winter boots on smooth wet ice. The surface was progressively tilted to create increasing longitudinal and cross-slopes until participants could no longer continue standing or walking. Maximum achievable incline angles provided consistent measures of footwear slip resistance and demonstrated better resolution than mechanical tests. One footwear outsole material and tread combination outperformed the others on wet ice allowing participants to successfully walk on steep longitudinal slopes of 17.5° ± 1.9° (mean ± SD). By further exploiting the methodology to include additional surfaces and contaminants, such tests could be used to optimize tread designs and materials that are ideal for reducing the risk of slips and falls. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.
The Reciprocal Relations between Self-Concept, Motivation and Achievement: Juxtaposing Academic Self-Concept and Achievement Goal Orientations for Mathematics Success

Science.gov (United States)

Seaton, Marjorie; Parker, Philip; Marsh, Herbert W.; Craven, Rhonda G.; Yeung, Alexander Seeshing

2014-01-01

Research suggests that motivated students and those with high academic self-concepts perform better academically. Although substantial evidence supports a reciprocal relation between academic self-concept and achievement, there is less evidence supporting a similar relation between achievement goal orientations and achievement. There is also a…

U.S. Math Performance in Global Perspective: How Well Does Each State Do at Producing High-Achieving Students? PEPG Report No.: 10-19

Science.gov (United States)

Hanushek, Eric A.; Peterson, Paul E.; Woessmann, Ludger

2010-01-01

To see how well U.S. schools do at producing high-achieving math students, the authors compare the percentage of U.S. public and private school students in the graduating Class of 2009 who were highly accomplished in mathematics in each of the 50 states and in 10 urban districts to percentages of high achievers in 56 other countries. Their…
Performance evaluation of iterative reconstruction algorithms for achieving CT radiation dose reduction — a phantom study

Science.gov (United States)

Dodge, Cristina T.; Tamm, Eric P.; Cody, Dianna D.; Liu, Xinming; Jensen, Corey T.; Wei, Wei; Kundra, Vikas

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to characterize image quality and dose performance with GE CT iterative reconstruction techniques, adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR), and model‐based iterative reconstruction (MBIR), over a range of typical to low‐dose intervals using the Catphan 600 and the anthropomorphic Kyoto Kagaku abdomen phantoms. The scope of the project was to quantitatively describe the advantages and limitations of these approaches. The Catphan 600 phantom, supplemented with a fat‐equivalent oval ring, was scanned using a GE Discovery HD750 scanner at 120 kVp, 0.8 s rotation time, and pitch factors of 0.516, 0.984, and 1.375. The mA was selected for each pitch factor to achieve CTDIvol values of 24, 18, 12, 6, 3, 2, and 1 mGy. Images were reconstructed at 2.5 mm thickness with filtered back‐projection (FBP); 20%, 40%, and 70% ASiR; and MBIR. The potential for dose reduction and low‐contrast detectability were evaluated from noise and contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) measurements in the CTP 404 module of the Catphan. Hounsfield units (HUs) of several materials were evaluated from the cylinder inserts in the CTP 404 module, and the modulation transfer function (MTF) was calculated from the air insert. The results were confirmed in the anthropomorphic Kyoto Kagaku abdomen phantom at 6, 3, 2, and 1 mGy. MBIR reduced noise levels five‐fold and increased CNR by a factor of five compared to FBP below 6 mGy CTDIvol, resulting in a substantial improvement in image quality. Compared to ASiR and FBP, HU in images reconstructed with MBIR were consistently lower, and this discrepancy was reversed by higher pitch factors in some materials. MBIR improved the conspicuity of the high‐contrast spatial resolution bar pattern, and MTF quantification confirmed the superior spatial resolution performance of MBIR versus FBP and ASiR at higher dose levels. While ASiR and FBP were relatively insensitive to changes in dose and pitch, the spatial
Motivation and performance within a collaborative computer-based modeling task: Relations between student's achievement goal orientation, self-efficiacy, cognitive processing and achievement.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sins, Patrick H.M.; van Joolingen, Wouter; Savelsbergh, Elwin R.; van Hout-Wolters, Bernadette

2008-01-01

Purpose of the present study was to test a conceptual model of relations among achievement goal orientation, self-efficacy, cognitive processing, and achievement of students working within a particular collaborative task context. The task involved a collaborative computer-based modeling task. In
Motivation and performance within a collaborative computer-based modeling task: Relations between students' achievement goal orientation, self-efficacy, cognitive processing and achievement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sins, P.H.M.; van Joolingen, W.R.; Savelsbergh, E.R.; van Hout-Wolters, B.H.A.M.

2008-01-01

Purpose of the present study was to test a conceptual model of relations among achievement goal orientation, self-efficacy, cognitive processing, and achievement of students working within a particular collaborative task context. The task involved a collaborative computer-based modeling task. In
The correlation between achievement goals, learning strategies, and motivation in medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sun; Hur, Yera; Park, Joo Hyun

2014-03-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the pursuit of achievement goals in medical students and to assess the relationship between achievement goals, learning strategy, and motivation. Two hundred seventy freshman and sophomore premedical students and sophomore medical school students participated in this study, which used the Achievement Goals Scale and the Self-Regulated Learning Strategy Questionnaire. The achievement goals of medical students were oriented toward moderate performance approach levels, slightly high performance avoidance levels, and high mastery goals. About 40% of the students were high or low in all three achievement goals. The most successful adaptive learners in the areas of learning strategies, motivation, and school achievement were students from group 6, who scored high in both performance approach and mastery goals but low in performance avoidance goals. And goal achievement are related to the academic self-efficacy, learning strategies, and motivation in medical students. In the context of academic achievement, mastery goals and performance approach goals are adaptive goals.
Impression management and achievement motivation: Investigating substantive links.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliot, Andrew J; Aldhobaiban, Nawal; Murayama, Kou; Kobeisy, Ahmed; Gocłowska, Małgorzata A; Khyat, Aber

2018-02-01

In this research, we investigate impression management (IM) as a substantive personality variable by linking it to differentiated achievement motivation constructs, namely achievement motives (workmastery, competitiveness, fear of failure) and achievement goals (mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, performance-avoidance). Study 1 revealed that IM was a positive predictor of workmastery and a negative predictor of competitiveness (with and without self-deceptive enhancement (SDE) controlled). Studies 2a and 2b revealed that IM was a positive predictor of mastery-approach goals and mastery-avoidance goals (without and, in Study 2b, with SDE controlled). These findings highlight the value of conceptualising and utilising IM as a personality variable in its own right and shed light on the nature of the achievement motive and achievement goal constructs. © 2016 International Union of Psychological Science.
Academic Achievement and Transcendental Meditation: A Study with At-Risk Urban Middle School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Nidich, Sanford; Mjasiri, Shujaa; Nidich, Randi; Rainforth, Maxwell; Grant, James; Valosek, Laurent; Chang, Walter; Zigler, Ronald L.

2011-01-01

The middle school level is of particular concern to educators because of poor standardized test performance. This study evaluated change in academic achievement in public middle school students practicing the Transcendental Meditation[R] program compared to controls. A total of 189 students who were below proficiency level at baseline in English…
Towards Intelligently - Sustainable Cities? From Intelligent and Knowledge City Programmes to the Achievement of Urban Sustainability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gargiulo Morelli, V.; Weijnen, M.P.C.; Van Bueren, E.M.; Wenzler, I.; De Reuver, G.A.; Salvati, L.

2013-01-01

In the quest for achieving sustainable cities, Intelligent and Knowledge City Programmes (ICPs and KCPs) represent cost-efficient strategies for improving the overall performance of urban systems, especially when compared with the costs of physical restructuring and/or retrofitting projects.
Standalone computer-aided detection compared to radiologists' performance for the detection of mammographic masses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hupse, Rianne; Samulski, Maurice; Imhof-Tas, Mechli W.; Karssemeijer, Nico; Lobbes, Marc; Boetes, Carla; Heeten, Ard den; Beijerinck, David; Pijnappel, Ruud

2013-01-01

We developed a computer-aided detection (CAD) system aimed at decision support for detection of malignant masses and architectural distortions in mammograms. The effect of this system on radiologists' performance depends strongly on its standalone performance. The purpose of this study was to compare the standalone performance of this CAD system to that of radiologists. In a retrospective study, nine certified screening radiologists and three residents read 200 digital screening mammograms without the use of CAD. Performances of the individual readers and of CAD were computed as the true-positive fraction (TPF) at a false-positive fraction of 0.05 and 0.2. Differences were analysed using an independent one-sample t-test. At a false-positive fraction of 0.05, the performance of CAD (TPF = 0.487) was similar to that of the certified screening radiologists (TPF = 0.518, P = 0.17). At a false-positive fraction of 0.2, CAD performance (TPF = 0.620) was significantly lower than the radiologist performance (TPF = 0.736, P <0.001). Compared to the residents, CAD performance was similar for all false-positive fractions. The sensitivity of CAD at a high specificity was comparable to that of human readers. These results show potential for CAD to be used as an independent reader in breast cancer screening. (orig.)
Partnering through Training and Practice to Achieve Performance Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Paul R.

2010-01-01

This article presents a partnership effort among managers, trainers, and employees to spring to life performance improvement using the performance templates (P-T) approach. P-T represents a process model as well as a method of training leading to performance improvement. Not only does it add to our repertoire of training and performance management…
Predictors of Academic Self-Handicapping and Achievement: Examining Achievement Goals, Classroom Goal Structures, and Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Urdan, Tim

2004-01-01

The purposes of this study were to examine the predictors and achievement consequences of academic self-handicapping and to explore cultural variations in the pursuit and effects of performance goals and perceived classroom performance goal structures. Data were collected in 2 consecutive academic years from a diverse sample of high school…
Product Market Integration, Comparative Advantages and Labour Market Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Torben M.; Rose Skaksen, Jan

2003-01-01

Product Market Integration, Comparative Advantages andLabour Market Performance@*In a two-country model with trade driven by comparative advantages, it is considered howimperfectly competitive labour markets are affected by lower frictions in international goodstrade. Easier goods trading...... is equivalent to increased mobility of employment acrosscountries and thus a change in the trade-off between wages and employment faced by wagesetters. While the effects of product market integration on the trade-off between wages andemployment in general is ambiguous, it is shown that product market...... integration works like ageneral improvement in productivity via the specialization it allows through trade.Unambiguously, real wages and employment and welfare improve upon reductions in tradefrictions, and therefore workers are better off irrespective of whether the market power ofunions is enhanced or muted...
Performance of the lot quality assurance sampling method compared to surveillance for identifying inadequately-performing areas in Matlab, Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhuiya, Abbas; Hanifi, S M A; Roy, Nikhil; Streatfield, P Kim

2007-03-01

This paper compared the performance of the lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) method in identifying inadequately-performing health work-areas with that of using health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) data and examined the feasibility of applying the method by field-level programme supervisors. The study was carried out in Matlab, the field site of ICDDR,B, where a HDSS has been in place for over 30 years. The LQAS method was applied in 57 work-areas of community health workers in ICDDR,B-served areas in Matlab during July-September 2002. The performance of the LQAS method in identifying work-areas with adequate and inadequate coverage of various health services was compared with those of the HDSS. The health service-coverage indicators included coverage of DPT, measles, BCG vaccination, and contraceptive use. It was observed that the difference in the proportion of work-areas identified to be inadequately performing using the LQAS method with less than 30 respondents, and the HDSS was not statistically significant. The consistency between the LQAS method and the HDSS in identifying work-areas was greater for adequately-performing areas than inadequately-performing areas. It was also observed that the field managers could be trained to apply the LQAS method in monitoring their performance in reaching the target population.
Comparative Study of Bancruptcy Prediction Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isye Arieshanti

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Early indication of bancruptcy is important for a company. If companies aware of potency of their bancruptcy, they can take a preventive action to anticipate the bancruptcy. In order to detect the potency of a bancruptcy, a company can utilize a a model of bancruptcy prediction. The prediction model can be built using a machine learning methods. However, the choice of machine learning methods should be performed carefully. Because the suitability of a model depends on the problem specifically. Therefore, in this paper we perform a comparative study of several machine leaning methods for bancruptcy prediction. According to the comparative study, the performance of several models that based on machine learning methods (k-NN, fuzzy k-NN, SVM, Bagging Nearest Neighbour SVM, Multilayer Perceptron(MLP, Hybrid of MLP + Multiple Linear Regression, it can be showed that fuzzy k-NN method achieve the best performance with accuracy 77.5%
Growth mindset tempers the effects of poverty on academic achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Claro, Susana; Paunesku, David; Dweck, Carol S

2016-08-02

Two largely separate bodies of empirical research have shown that academic achievement is influenced by structural factors, such as socioeconomic background, and psychological factors, such as students' beliefs about their abilities. In this research, we use a nationwide sample of high school students from Chile to investigate how these factors interact on a systemic level. Confirming prior research, we find that family income is a strong predictor of achievement. Extending prior research, we find that a growth mindset (the belief that intelligence is not fixed and can be developed) is a comparably strong predictor of achievement and that it exhibits a positive relationship with achievement across all of the socioeconomic strata in the country. Furthermore, we find that students from lower-income families were less likely to hold a growth mindset than their wealthier peers, but those who did hold a growth mindset were appreciably buffered against the deleterious effects of poverty on achievement: students in the lowest 10th percentile of family income who exhibited a growth mindset showed academic performance as high as that of fixed mindset students from the 80th income percentile. These results suggest that students' mindsets may temper or exacerbate the effects of economic disadvantage on a systemic level.
Factors affecting scholastic performances of adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Shashidhar, Saraswati; Rao, Chandrika; Hegde, Radhakrishna

2009-05-01

The present study aims at recognizing the social influence, study habits and health factors affecting scholastic performances of adolescents and to compare these factors among the adolescents between two categories of school. A total of 1230 adolescents (13-18 yrs) were screened. Data was collected by personal interview, using the teenage screening questionnaire, Trivandrum, between May 2004 and November 2005. A total 615 students from corporation and private schools were studied. 39.76% (489) were high achievers, 13.5% (166) were low achievers with p poor study habits and social factors were increased in low achievers of corporation schools. On multivariate analysis, the predictor variables for poor scholastic performance were adolescent having refractory error, not having help for study at home, not doing home work regularly, not solving question bank papers and reading only before examinations. It is feasible and worthwhile to identify the determinants of scholastic performance and plan intervention strategies at each school. The results of this study highlight the importance of implementing newer strategies, focusing on strict study patterns and creating the conducive school and home environment for study, so as to achieve better scholastic performances.
To Master or Perform? Exploring Relations between Achievement Goals and Conceptual Change Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Ranellucci, John; Muis, Krista R.; Duffy, Melissa; Wang, Xihui; Sampasivam, Lavanya; Franco, Gina M.

2013-01-01

Background: Research is needed to explore conceptual change in relation to achievement goal orientations and depth of processing. Aims: To address this need, we examined relations between achievement goals, use of deep versus shallow processing strategies, and conceptual change learning using a think-aloud protocol. Sample and Method:…
DQE of wireless digital detectors: Comparative performance with differing filtration schemes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samei, Ehsan; Murphy, Simon; Christianson, Olav

2013-01-01

Purpose: Wireless flat panel detectors are gaining increased usage in portable medical imaging. Two such detectors were evaluated and compared with a conventional flat-panel detector using the formalism of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC 62220-1) for measuring modulation transfer function (MTF), normalized noise power spectrum (NNPS), and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) using two different filtration schemes.Methods: Raw images were acquired for three image receptors (DRX-1C and DRX-1, Carestream Health; Inc., Pixium 4600, Trixell) using a radiographic system with a well-characterized output (Philips Super80 CP, Philips Healthcare). Free in-air exposures were measured using a calibrated radiation meter (Unfors Mult-O-Meter Type 407, Unfors Instruments AB). Additional aluminum filtration and a new alternative combined copper-aluminum filtration were used to conform the x ray output to IEC-specified beam quality definitions RQA5 and RQA9. Using the IEC 62220-1 formalism, each detector was evaluated at X N /2, X N , and 2X N , where the normal exposure level to the detector surface (X N ) was set to 8.73 μGy (1.0 mR). The prescribed edge test device was used to evaluate the MTF, while the NNPS was measured using uniform images. The DQE was then calculated from the MTF and NNPS and compared across detectors, exposures, and filtration schemes.Results: The three DR systems had largely comparable MTFs with DRX-1 demonstrating lower values above 1.0 cycles/mm. At each exposure, DRX-1C and Pixium detectors demonstrated better noise performance than that of DRX-1. Zero-frequency DQEs for DRX-1C, Pixium, and DRX-1 detectors were approximately 74%, 63%, and 38% for RQA5 and 50%, 42%, and 28% for RQA9, respectively.Conclusions: DRX-1C detector exhibited superior DQE performance compared to Pixium and DRX-1. In terms of filtration, the alternative filtration was found to provide comparable performance in terms of rank ordering of different detectors with
Relationships Between Achievement Emotions, Motivation and Language Learning Strategies of High, Mid and Low English Language Achievers

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

TAN; Jun-ming

2017-01-01

Overseas research has shown that achievement emotions have direct relationships with ＂achievement outcome＂ and＂achievement activities＂. The purpose of the present study aimed to compare the relationships betweenachievement emotions, motivation, and language learning strategies of high, mid and low achievers in Englishlanguage learning at an international university in a southern province in China. Quantitative data were collectedthrough a questionnaire survey of 74 （16 males, 58 females） TESL major students. Results indicated that studentsin general experienced more positive than negative achievement emotions; more intrinsically rather thanextrinsically motivated to learn English; and quite frequently used a variety of learning strategies to overcome theirlearning difficulties. However, Year Four low-achievers experienced more negative achievement emotions. Theyseldom used metacognitive, affective and social learning strategies, and they had lower degrees of intrinsicmotivation. Implications for institutional support for at risk students are discussed.
Academic Effort and Achievement in Science: Beyond a Gendered Relationship

Science.gov (United States)

Adamuti-Trache, Maria; Sweet, Robert

2013-12-01

This study employs the 2004 School Achievement Indicators Program (SAIP) data to examine whether academic effort manifested by greater investments in school and homework does result in higher literacy scores in science for Canadian students. The study compares four gender-immigrant profiles: Canadian-born males, immigrant males, Canadian-born females, and immigrant females on their scores on teacher-assigned grades in science and on the SAIP science literacy test, and across a range of dispositions, beliefs, and behaviors suggested in the literature as predictive of achievement in science. Study findings show that Canadian-born students, particularly boys, have higher performance in the science literacy test despite their lower achievement in the science classroom and the least investments of time in doing science homework. In contrast, immigrant female students demonstrate the highest academic effort and achievement in science courses which are not matched by similar results in the science literacy test. We discuss these results in relation to different socialization experiences with science and technology that limit female and immigrant students' abilities to transfer knowledge to new situations that have not been learned in the classroom.

An investigation of signal performance enhancements achieved through innovative pixel design across several generations of indirect detection, active matrix, flat-panel arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonuk, Larry E.; Zhao Qihua; El-Mohri, Youcef; Du Hong; Wang Yi; Street, Robert A.; Ho, Jackson; Weisfield, Richard; Yao, William

2009-01-01

Active matrix flat-panel imager (AMFPI) technology is being employed for an increasing variety of imaging applications. An important element in the adoption of this technology has been significant ongoing improvements in optical signal collection achieved through innovations in indirect detection array pixel design. Such improvements have a particularly beneficial effect on performance in applications involving low exposures and/or high spatial frequencies, where detective quantum efficiency is strongly reduced due to the relatively high level of additive electronic noise compared to signal levels of AMFPI devices. In this article, an examination of various signal properties, as determined through measurements and calculations related to novel array designs, is reported in the context of the evolution of AMFPI pixel design. For these studies, dark, optical, and radiation signal measurements were performed on prototype imagers incorporating a variety of increasingly sophisticated array designs, with pixel pitches ranging from 75 to 127 μm. For each design, detailed measurements of fundamental pixel-level properties conducted under radiographic and fluoroscopic operating conditions are reported and the results are compared. A series of 127 μm pitch arrays employing discrete photodiodes culminated in a novel design providing an optical fill factor of ∼80% (thereby assuring improved x-ray sensitivity), and demonstrating low dark current, very low charge trapping and charge release, and a large range of linear signal response. In two of the designs having 75 and 90 μm pitches, a novel continuous photodiode structure was found to provide fill factors that approach the theoretical maximum of 100%. Both sets of novel designs achieved large fill factors by employing architectures in which some, or all of the photodiode structure was elevated above the plane of the pixel addressing transistor. Generally, enhancement of the fill factor in either discrete or continuous
Achievable Performance of Zero-Delay Variable-Rate Coding in Rate-Constrained Networked Control Systems with Channel Delay

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barforooshan, Mohsen; Østergaard, Jan; Stavrou, Fotios

2017-01-01

This paper presents an upper bound on the minimum data rate required to achieve a prescribed closed-loop performance level in networked control systems (NCSs). The considered feedback loop includes a linear time-invariant (LTI) plant with single measurement output and single control input. Moreover......, in this NCS, a causal but otherwise unconstrained feedback system carries out zero-delay variable-rate coding, and control. Between the encoder and decoder, data is exchanged over a rate-limited noiseless digital channel with a known constant time delay. Here we propose a linear source-coding scheme...
Twin specific risk factors in primary school achievements.

Science.gov (United States)

de Zeeuw, Eveline L; van Beijsterveldt, Catherina E M; de Geus, Eco J C; Boomsma, Dorret I

2012-02-01

The main aim of this study was to examine twin specific risk factors that influence educational achievement in primary school. We included prenatal factors that are not unique to twins, except for zygosity, but show a higher prevalence in twins than in singletons. In addition, educational achievement was compared between twins and their nontwin siblings in a within-family design. Data were obtained from parents and teachers of approximately 10,000 twins and their nontwin siblings registered with the Netherlands Twin Register. Teachers rated the proficiency of the children on arithmetic, language, reading, and physical education, and reported a national educational achievement test score (CITO). Structural equation modeling showed that gestational age, birth weight, and sex were significant predictors of educational achievement, even after correction for socioeconomic status. Mode of delivery and zygosity did not have an effect, while parental age only influenced arithmetic. Mode of conception, incubator time, and birth complications negatively affected achievement in physical education. The comparison of educational achievement of twins and singletons showed significantly lower ratings on arithmetic, reading, and language in twins, compared to their older siblings, but not compared to their younger siblings. Low gestational age and low birth weight were the most important risk factors for lower educational achievement of twins in primary school. It seems that the differences observed between twins and their nontwin siblings in educational achievement can largely be explained by birth order within the family.
Teaching for Successful Intelligence Raises School Achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sternberg, Robert J.; Torff, Bruce; Grigorenko, Elena

1998-01-01

A "successful intelligence" intervention improved school achievement for a group of 225 ethnically diverse third-graders, both on performance assessments measuring analytical, creative, and practical achievements and on conventional multiple-choice memory assessments. Teaching for triarchic thinking facilitates factual recall, because learning…
Case study: Comparison of motivation for achieving higher performance between self-directed and manager-directed aerospace engineering teams

Science.gov (United States)

Erlick, Katherine

"The stereotype of engineers is that they are not people oriented; the stereotype implies that engineers would not work well in teams---that their task emphasis is a solo venture and does not encourage social aspects of collaboration" (Miner & Beyerlein, 1999, p. 16). The problem is determining the best method of providing a motivating environment where design engineers may contribute within a team in order to achieve higher performance in the organization. Theoretically, self-directed work teams perform at higher levels. But, allowing a design engineer to contribute to the team while still maintaining his or her anonymity is the key to success. Therefore, a motivating environment must be established to encourage greater self-actualization in design engineers. The purpose of this study is to determine the favorable motivational environment for design engineers and describe the comparison between two aerospace design-engineering teams: one self-directed and the other manager directed. Following the comparison, this study identified whether self-direction or manager-direction provides the favorable motivational environment for operating as a team in pursuit of achieving higher performance. The methodology used in this research was the case study focusing on the team's levels of job satisfaction and potential for higher performance. The collection of data came from three sources, (a) surveys, (b) researcher observer journal and (c) collection of artifacts. The surveys provided information regarding personal behavior characteristics, potentiality for higher performance and motivational attributes. The researcher journal provided information regarding team dynamics, individual interaction, conflict and conflict resolution. The milestone for performance was based on the collection of artifacts from the two teams. The findings from this study illustrated that whether the team was manager-directed or self-directed does not appear to influence the needs and wants of the
Road Charging in Copenhagen: A Comparative Study of the GPS Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zabic, Martina

2009-01-01

improvement obtainable after 5 years. The performance assessment addresses the subjects of satellite visibility and positioning quality and results from the two experiments are compared respectively. The results of this assessment show that the satellite visibility and positioning quality have improved...
Comparative evaluation of HD 2D/3D laparoscopic monitors and benchmarking to a theoretically ideal 3D pseudodisplay: even well-experienced laparoscopists perform better with 3D.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilhelm, D; Reiser, S; Kohn, N; Witte, M; Leiner, U; Mühlbach, L; Ruschin, D; Reiner, W; Feussner, H

2014-08-01

Though theoretically superior to standard 2D visualization, 3D video systems have not yet achieved a breakthrough in laparoscopy. The latest 3D monitors, including autostereoscopic displays and high-definition (HD) resolution, are designed to overcome the existing limitations. We performed a randomized study on 48 individuals with different experience levels in laparoscopy. Three different 3D displays (glasses-based 3D monitor, autostereoscopic display, and a mirror-based theoretically ideal 3D display) were compared to a 2D HD display by assessing multiple performance and mental workload parameters and rating the subjects during a laparoscopic suturing task. Electromagnetic tracking provided information on the instruments' pathlength, movement velocity, and economy. The usability, the perception of visual discomfort, and the quality of image transmission of each monitor were subjectively rated. Almost all performance parameters were superior with the conventional glasses-based 3D display compared to the 2D display and the autostereoscopic display, but were often significantly exceeded by the mirror-based 3D display. Subjects performed a task faster and with greater precision when visualization was achieved with the 3D and the mirror-based display. Instrument pathlength was shortened by improved depth perception. Workload parameters (NASA TLX) did not show significant differences. Test persons complained of impaired vision while using the autostereoscopic monitor. The 3D and 2D displays were rated user-friendly and applicable in daily work. Experienced and inexperienced laparoscopists profited equally from using a 3D display, with an improvement in task performance about 20%. Novel 3D displays improve laparoscopic interventions as a result of faster performance and higher precision without causing a higher mental workload. Therefore, they have the potential to significantly impact the further development of minimally invasive surgery. However, as shown by the
Comparative performance analysis of combined-cycle pulse detonation turbofan engines (PDTEs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudip Bhattrai

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Combined-cycle pulse detonation engines are promising contenders for hypersonic propulsion systems. In the present study, design and propulsive performance analysis of combined-cycle pulse detonation turbofan engines (PDTEs is presented. Analysis is done with respect to Mach number at two consecutive modes of operation: (1 Combined-cycle PDTE using a pulse detonation afterburner mode (PDA-mode and (2 combined-cycle PDTE in pulse detonation ramjet engine mode (PDRE-mode. The performance of combined-cycle PDTEs is compared with baseline afterburning turbofan and ramjet engines. The comparison of afterburning modes is done for Mach numbers from 0 to 3 at 15.24 km altitude conditions, while that of pulse detonation ramjet engine (PDRE is done for Mach 1.5 to Mach 6 at 18.3 km altitude conditions. The analysis shows that the propulsive performance of a turbine engine can be greatly improved by replacing the conventional afterburner with a pulse detonation afterburner (PDA. The PDRE also outperforms its ramjet counterpart at all flight conditions considered herein. The gains obtained are outstanding for both the combined-cycle PDTE modes compared to baseline turbofan and ramjet engines.
Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Implicit Bias: Implications for Closing the Achievement Gap

Science.gov (United States)

Schlosser, Elizabeth Auretta Cox

This study accessed the relationship between race, socioeconomic status, age and the race implicit bias held by middle and high school science teachers in Mobile and Baldwin County Public School Systems. Seventy-nine participants were administered the race Implicit Association Test (race IAT), created by Greenwald, A. G., Nosek, B. A., & Banaji, M. R., (2003) and a demographic survey. Quantitative analysis using analysis of variances, ANOVA and t-tests were used in this study. An ANOVA was performed comparing the race IAT scores of African American science teachers and their Caucasian counterparts. A statically significant difference was found (F = .4.56, p = .01). An ANOVA was also performed using the race IAT scores comparing the age of the participants; the analysis yielded no statistical difference based on age. A t-test was performed comparing the race IAT scores of African American teachers who taught at either Title I or non-Title I schools; no statistical difference was found between groups (t = -17.985, p .001). This research examines the implications of the achievement gap among African American and Caucasian students in science.
High-Performance Ultraviolet-to-Infrared Broadband Perovskite Photodetectors Achieved via Inter-/Intraband Transitions

KAUST Repository

Alwadai, Norah Mohammed Mosfer

2017-10-17

A high-performance vertically injected broadband UV-to-IR photodetector based on Gd-doped ZnO nanorods (NRs)/CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite heterojunction was fabricated on metal substrates. Our perovskite-based photodetector is sensitive to a broad spectral range, from ultraviolet to infrared light region (λ = 250–1357 nm). Such structure leads to a high photoresponsivity of 28 and 0.22 A/W, for white light and IR illumination, respectively, with high detectivity values of 1.1 × 1012 and 9.3 × 109 Jones. Optical characterizations demonstrate that the IR detection is due to intraband transition in the perovskite material. Metal substrate boosts carrier injection, resulting in higher responsivity compared to the conventional devices grown on glass, whereas the presence of Gd increases the ZnO NRs performance. For the first time, the perovskite-based photodetector is demonstrated to extend its detection capability to IR (>1000 nm) with high room temperature responsivity across the detected spectrum, leading to a high-performance ingenious cost-effective UV-to-IR broadband photodetector design for large-scale applications.
Comparing Student Achievement in Single-Gender and Coeducational Classrooms Using the Tennessee Comprehensive Achievement Program

Science.gov (United States)

Young, La Sandra M.

2016-01-01

Schools across the nation are faced with an increased urgency to seek innovative strategies to improve low academic performance of students as mandated by No Child Left Behind Legislation (Friend, 2006). Specifically, in the state of Tennessee in schools such as those located in the Shelby County Schools District who have experienced low student…
Schooling Background and Academic Academic Achievement of Agricultural Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Jayakumar

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In our society academic achievement is considered as a key criterion to judge one’s total potentiality and capability. Academic achievement is seen as a students’ grade point averages in many academic settings. Academic achievement has become an index of students’ future in this highly competitive world and Agricultural education is no exception. Hence it becomes necessary to find out the factors that determine better academic performance. In this context the present study had been carried out to find out the possible relationship between schooling background and academic achievement of agriculture students. The students admitted in Adhiparasakthi Agricultural College, Kalavai, Vellore between 1999 and 2009 formed the subjects of the study. Findings of the study revealed that determinants like gender, type of school and stream of education had a significant role in the academic achievement of the students. Medium of instruction in HSC did influence the academic achievement but not significantly. It was also found that students who performed well in their HSC did perform well in their undergraduate programme also. This confirms that previous educational outcomes are the most important indicators of student’s future achievement and schooling background has a significant role in academic achievement of students.
Explorations in achievement motivation

Science.gov (United States)

Helmreich, Robert L.

1982-01-01

Recent research on the nature of achievement motivation is reviewed. A three-factor model of intrinsic motives is presented and related to various criteria of performance, job satisfaction and leisure activities. The relationships between intrinsic and extrinsic motives are discussed. Needed areas for future research are described.
Context factors and student achievement in the IEA studies: evidence from TIMSS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisa Caponera

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The present study investigates what factors related to the school context influence student achievement on TIMSS mathematics tests across countries. A systematic review of the literature on PIRLS, TIMSS, and ICCS was conducted upstream to identify those school, teacher, and classroom factors shown to be useful predictors of student performance in previous IEA studies. Data of student samples representative of grade 8 students from 28 countries who participated in TIMSS 2011 were analysed. The main aim of the present study is to verify what school and teacher characteristics are positively associated with students’ mathematics achievement, mainly focusing on disadvantaged schools. Furthermore, it aims at identifying how school context variables contribute to explaining the performance of students in disadvantaged schools in comparison with more advantaged schools. Methods A separate analysis was carried out for each considered country, and the same multilevel regression model was used on the sampled schools as a whole and treating schools with high (highest tertile and low (lowest tertile socio-economic backgrounds as distinct groups. Results The results confirmed that a high socio-economic status has a significant and positive effect on student achievement: compared with students from socio-economic disadvantaged schools, students from advantaged schools performed better in mathematics achievement. This difference is more evident in countries where the gap between rich and poor people as measured by the Gini coefficient, which measures how much an economy deviates from perfect equality, is wider. However, this difference is restricted in countries with a smaller gap between rich and poor people. Conclusions According to the literature in the field, the results show significant differences across countries in relation to the school and teacher characteristics that have an impact on mathematics achievement of students from
Comparative study on the performance of Pod type waterjet by experiment and computation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moon-Chan Kim

2010-03-01

Full Text Available A comparative study between a computation and an experiment has been conducted to predict the performance of a Pod type waterjet for an amphibious wheeled vehicle. The Pod type waterjet has been chosen on the basis of the required specific speed of more than 2500. As the Pod type waterjet is an extreme type of axial flow type waterjet, theoretical as well as experimental works about Pod type waterjets are very rare. The main purpose of the present study is to validate and compare to the experimental results of the Pod type waterjet with the developed CFD in-house code based on the RANS equations. The developed code has been validated by comparing with the experimental results of the well-known turbine problem. The validation also extended to the flush type waterjet where the pressures along the duct surface and also velocities at nozzle area have been compared with experimental results. The Pod type waterjet has been designed and the performance of the designed waterjet system including duct, impeller and stator was analyzed by the previously mentioned in-house CFD Code. The pressure distributions and limiting streamlines on the blade surfaces were computed to confirm the performance of the designed waterjets. In addition, the torque and momentum were computed to find the entire efficiency and these were compared with the model test results. Measurements were taken of the flow rate at the nozzle exit, static pressure at the various sections along the duct and also the nozzle, revolution of the impeller, torque, thrust and towing forces at various advance speeds for the prediction of performance as well as for comparison with the computations. Based on these measurements, the performance was analyzed according to the ITTC96 standard analysis method. The full-scale effective and the delivered power of the wheeled vehicle were estimated for the prediction of the service speed. This paper emphasizes the confirmation of the ITTC96 analysis method and
Performance of post-mortem CT compared to autopsy in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Krentz, Beatriz V; Alamo, Leonor; Grimm, Jochen; Dédouit, Fabrice; Bruguier, Christine; Chevallier, Christine; Egger, Coraline; Da Silva, Luiz F F; Grabherr, Silke

2016-07-01

Radiological techniques such as non-enhanced post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) play an increasingly important role in death investigations, especially in cases of non-medicolegal context of death, where the consent of the next of kin is required to perform autopsy. Such consent is often difficult to obtain for deceased children, and radiological methods may be an acceptable alternative. The aim of our study was to evaluate the performance of PMCT explorations compared to medicolegal conventional autopsies in children and its potential usefulness in non-medicolegal situations. We retrospectively reviewed a group of 26 children aged 0-12 years who died of different causes, which were investigated by both conventional autopsy and PMCT. We compared the findings extracted from radiological and autopsy reports. All findings were grouped according to their importance with respect to cause of death and to the anatomical structure they covered: organs, vascular system, soft tissue, and skeletal system. A significantly larger number of findings were detected by autopsy compared to PMCT. Autopsy proved to be superior to PMCT, notably at detecting organ, soft tissue, and vascular findings, while PMCT was superior at detecting bone findings. However, no statistically significant differences were found between the methods concerning the essential findings used to define the cause of death. In children, PMCT was less sensitive than conventional autopsy for detecting general findings. However, most essential findings were detected by both methods. PMCT was superior to autopsy for the detection of bone lesions in children. Up to today, very rare literature exists concerning PMCT in children, especially in a forensic setting. This article investigates the advantages and limitations of PMCT compared to autopsy in a unique study group and discusses possibilities for future developments.
The Unfulfillment or the Defective Achievement of Office Duties according to the New Criminal Code. Comparative Examination. Critical Comments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion Rusu

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of the research consists of the examination of the provisions of the New Criminal Code relating to the unfulfillment or the defective achievement of office duties, a comparative examination of the current provisions and building critical comments that would help improve the legislation in the matter. The paper continues further research in this area, which was published in national and international journals or conference proceedings. The concrete results of the research focuses on examining the new provisions on active and passive subjects of crime, to defining the railway accident, as comparative examination and some critical observations as well. The value of the research can be useful to practitioners in this field, theorists and to the Romanian legislator. The research consists of critical remarks and proposals for improving the content of the type offense and the completion of the aggravated variant.
Achieving excellence with limited resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anson, L.W.; Spinney, R.W.

1985-01-01

The achievement of excellence in safety of nuclear power plant operation is dependent in part upon establishment of a performance-based training program. Developing such a program can be a laborious, time-consuming, and very expensive effort. Conducting job and task analyses, designing course outlines from learning objectives, developing training materials, evaluating program effectiveness and managing the training process and program through the out-years will exhaust any utility's training budget and staff. Because the achievement of excellence implies that training become in part performance-based, the question arises of how best to attain quality training yet still maintain a reasonable budget and staff workload. The answer lies not just in contracting the support necessary but making use of all available resources - training staff, contractor personnel in INPO
Comparison of the Reading Subtests of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Third Edition and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised/Normative Update

Science.gov (United States)

Ott, Lauren M.

2010-01-01

This study compared the reading subtests of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Third Edition and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised/Normative Update. Scores were compared on these two tests in a group of 28 students ages 7 through 12 who were referred or reevaluated for suspected learning problems. The data were collected…
DQE of wireless digital detectors: Comparative performance with differing filtration schemes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samei, Ehsan [Carl E. Ravin Advanced Imaging Laboratories, Departments of Radiology, Biomedical Engineering, Physics, and Electrical and Computer Engineering, Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Murphy, Simon; Christianson, Olav [Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States)

2013-08-15

Purpose: Wireless flat panel detectors are gaining increased usage in portable medical imaging. Two such detectors were evaluated and compared with a conventional flat-panel detector using the formalism of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC 62220-1) for measuring modulation transfer function (MTF), normalized noise power spectrum (NNPS), and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) using two different filtration schemes.Methods: Raw images were acquired for three image receptors (DRX-1C and DRX-1, Carestream Health; Inc., Pixium 4600, Trixell) using a radiographic system with a well-characterized output (Philips Super80 CP, Philips Healthcare). Free in-air exposures were measured using a calibrated radiation meter (Unfors Mult-O-Meter Type 407, Unfors Instruments AB). Additional aluminum filtration and a new alternative combined copper-aluminum filtration were used to conform the x ray output to IEC-specified beam quality definitions RQA5 and RQA9. Using the IEC 62220-1 formalism, each detector was evaluated at X{sub N}/2, X{sub N}, and 2X{sub N}, where the normal exposure level to the detector surface (X{sub N}) was set to 8.73 μGy (1.0 mR). The prescribed edge test device was used to evaluate the MTF, while the NNPS was measured using uniform images. The DQE was then calculated from the MTF and NNPS and compared across detectors, exposures, and filtration schemes.Results: The three DR systems had largely comparable MTFs with DRX-1 demonstrating lower values above 1.0 cycles/mm. At each exposure, DRX-1C and Pixium detectors demonstrated better noise performance than that of DRX-1. Zero-frequency DQEs for DRX-1C, Pixium, and DRX-1 detectors were approximately 74%, 63%, and 38% for RQA5 and 50%, 42%, and 28% for RQA9, respectively.Conclusions: DRX-1C detector exhibited superior DQE performance compared to Pixium and DRX-1. In terms of filtration, the alternative filtration was found to provide comparable performance in terms of rank ordering of different

Effective flow performances and dialysis doses delivered with permanent catheters: a 24-month comparative study of permanent catheters versus arterio-venous vascular accesses.

Science.gov (United States)

Canaud, Bernard; Leray-Moragues, Hélène; Kerkeni, Nadia; Bosc, Jean-Yves; Martin, Katja

2002-07-01

Permanent venous catheters have emerged as a long-term vascular access option for renal replacement therapy in end-stage renal disease patients. The design and venous location of catheter devices bear intrinsic flow limitations that may negatively affect the adequacy of dialysis and the patient outcome. There is limited data comparing the long-term dialysis adequacy delivered with permanent catheters vs arterio-venous vascular accesses (AVA). To explore this problem, we conducted a prospective 24-month trial comparing the flow performances and dialysis dose (Kt/Vdp) deliveries of both access options in a group of 42 haemodialysis patients during two study phases. During the first 12 months the patients completed a treatment period by means of permanent dual silicone catheters (DualKT). Then they were transferred to an AVA (40 native arterio-venous fistulas and two PTFE grafts) and monitored for an additional 12-month period. Assessments of flow adequacy and dialysis quantification were performed monthly. Dialysis adequacy was achieved in all cases. No patient had to be transferred prematurely to the AVA because of catheter failure. Three catheters had to be replaced due to bacteraemia in three patients. The mean effective blood flow rates achieved were 316+/-3.5 ml/min and 340+/-3.3 ml/min with DualKT and AVA, respectively, for a pre-set machine blood flow of 348+/-2.2 ml/min. Recirculation rates evaluated with the 'slow blood flow' method were 8.6+/-0.6 and 12.1+/-0.8% for DualKT and AVA using mean values of the solute markers urea and creatinine. Due to the possibility of a comparison veno-venous vs arterio-venous blood circulation, a corrected arterio-venous access recirculation could be derived from the difference between the two, which was around 3%. The blood flow resistance of the DualKT was slightly higher than with AVA as indicated by venous pressure differences. Kt/Vdp delivered was 1.37+/-0.02 and 1.45+/-0.02 with DualKT and AVA access respectively. The
Predicting the Performance and Survival of Islamic Banks in Malaysia to Achieve Growth Sustainability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mazuin Sapuan Noraina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In Malaysia, the growth of the Islamic financial industry has increased tremendously in line with the Government’s ambition to make Malaysia as an international hub for Islamic finance since 2010. With the increasing number of foreign players in this industry plus with the increasing demand from domestic and foreign customers would further enhance the possibility for Malaysia to achieve this ambition. Currently, according to the Economic Transformation Programme, 2012 Malaysia is the world’s third largest market for Shariah assets that cover Islamic banks, Takaful, and sukuk. Malaysia as one of the main contributors to the global Islamic financial assets with Islamic assets in Malaysia grew by 23.8% in 2011 from RM350.8bil to RM434.6bil. The issues of predicting the performance and the survival of Islamic Banks in Malaysia become amongst crucial issues in academic research. By employing multi – layer perceptron neural network and pooled regression, we found that total assets/ size of the Islamic banks (GROWTH have high weightage and significantly influence in predicting the performance and the survival of Islamic banks in Malaysia. With the increasing number of Islamic banking institutions in Malaysia, this study can give insight on the sustainability of the Islamic banking system in Malaysia for the benefit of the investors, shareholder and depositors.
A comparative study of the energy resolution achievable with digital signal processors in x-ray spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geraci, A.; Zambusi, M.; Ripamonti, G.

1996-01-01

Interest for digital processing of signals from radiation detectors is subject to a growing attention due to its intrinsic adaptivity, easiness of calibration, etc. This work compares two digital processing methods: a multiple-delay-line (DL) N filter and a least-mean-squares (LMS) adaptive filter for applications in high resolution X-ray spectroscopy. The signal pulse, as appears at the output of a proper analog conditioning circuit, is digitized; the samples undergo a digital filtering procedure. Both digital filters take advantage of the possibility of synthesizing the best possible weighting function with respect to the actual noise conditions. A noticeable improvement of more than 10% in energy resolution has been achieved with both systems with respect to state-of-the-art systems based on analog circuitry. In particular, the two digital processors are shown to be the best choice respectively; for on-line use with critical ballistic deficit conditions and for very-high-resolution spectroscopy systems, ultimately limited by 1/f noise
Comparative Performance and Model Agreement of Three Common Photovoltaic Array Configurations.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd, Matthew T

2018-02-01

Three grid-connected monocrystalline silicon arrays on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in Gaithersburg, MD have been instrumented and monitored for 1 yr, with only minimal gaps in the data sets. These arrays range from 73 kW to 271 kW, and all use the same module, but have different tilts, orientations, and configurations. One array is installed facing east and west over a parking lot, one in an open field, and one on a flat roof. Various measured relationships and calculated standard metrics have been used to compare the relative performance of these arrays in their different configurations. Comprehensive performance models have also been created in the modeling software pvsyst for each array, and its predictions using measured on-site weather data are compared to the arrays' measured outputs. The comparisons show that all three arrays typically have monthly performance ratios (PRs) above 0.75, but differ significantly in their relative output, strongly correlating to their operating temperature and to a lesser extent their orientation. The model predictions are within 5% of the monthly delivered energy values except during the winter months, when there was intermittent snow on the arrays, and during maintenance and other outages.
Eating the right amount of fish: Inverted U-shape association between fish consumption and cognitive performance and academic achievement in Dutch adolescents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Groot, Renate; Ouwehand, Carolijn; Jolles, Jelle

2012-01-01

De Groot, R. H. M., Ouwehand, C., & Jolles, J. (2012). Eating the right amount of fish: Inverted U-shape association between fish consumption and cognitive performance and academic achievement in Dutch adolescents. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, and Essential Fatty Acids, 86(3), 113-117.
The relationship between school absence, academic performance, and asthma status.

Science.gov (United States)

Moonie, Sheniz; Sterling, David A; Figgs, Larry W; Castro, Mario

2008-03-01

Children with asthma experience more absenteeism from school compared with their nonasthma peers. Excessive absenteeism is related to lower student grades, psychological, social, and educational adjustment. Less is known about the relationship between the presence of asthma and the academic achievement in school-aged children. Since students with asthma miss more days from school, this may negatively impact their academic achievement. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationships between absenteeism, presence of asthma, and asthma severity level with standardized test level performance in a predominantly African American urban school district. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of 3812 students (aged 8-17 years) who took the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) standardized test during the 2002-2003 academic year. After adjustment for covariates, a significant inverse relationship was found between absenteeism and test level performance on the MAP standardized test in all children (F = 203.9, p achievement between those with and without asthma (p = .12). Though not statistically different, those with persistent asthma showed a modestly increased likelihood of scoring below Nearing Proficient compared with those with mild intermittent asthma (adjusted odds ratio = 1.93, 95% confidence intervals = 0.93-4.01, p = .08). A negative impact of absenteeism on standardized test level achievement was demonstrated in children from an urban African American school district. Children with asthma perform the same academically as their nonasthma peers. However, those with persistent asthma show a trend of performing worse on MAP standardized test scores and have more absence days compared with other students. More research is warranted on the effects of persistent asthma on academic achievement.
The relationship of school performance and mental health: Educational achievement as indicator of psychopathology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tempelaar, W.M.

2017-01-01

In this thesis we explored the relationship between poor educational achievement and psychopathology. Examining the association between educational achievement and mental health problems and development of psychiatric disorders is important to investigate the potential value of educational
A high-performance, low-cost, leading edge discriminator

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. A high-performance, low-cost, leading edge discriminator has been designed with a timing performance comparable to state-of-the-art, commercially available discrim- inators. A timing error of 16 ps is achieved under ideal operating conditions. Under more realistic operating conditions the discriminator displays a ...
The CryoSat Interferometer after 6 years in orbit: calibration and achievable performance

Science.gov (United States)

Scagliola, Michele; Fornari, Marco; De Bartolomei, Maurizio; Bouffard, Jerome; Parrinello, Tommaso

2016-04-01

The main payload of CryoSat is a Ku-band pulse width limited radar altimeter, called SIRAL (Synthetic interferometric radar altimeter). When commanded in SARIn (synthetic aperture radar interferometry) mode, through coherent along-track processing of the returns received from two antennas, the interferometric phase related to the first arrival of the echo is used to retrieve the angle of arrival of the scattering in the across-track direction. In fact, the across-track echo direction can be derived by exploiting the precise knowledge of the baseline vector (i.e. the vector between the two antennas centers of phase) and simple geometry. The end-to-end calibration strategy for the CryoSat interferometer consists on in-orbit calibration campaigns following the approach described in [1]. From the beginning of the CryoSat mission, about once a year the interferometer calibration campaigns have been periodically performed by rolling left and right the spacecraft of about ±0.4 deg. This abstract is aimed at presenting our analysis of the calibration parameters and of the achievable performance of the CryoSat interferometer over the 6 years of mission. Additionally, some further studies have been performed to assess the accuracy of the roll angle computed on ground as function of the aberration (the apparent displacement of a celestial object from its true position, caused by the relative motion of the observer and the object) correction applied to the attitude quaternions, provided by the Star Tracker mounted on-board. In fact, being the roll information crucial to obtain an accurate estimate of the angle of arrival, the data from interferometer calibration campaigns have been used to verify how the application of the aberration correction affects the roll information and, in turns, the measured angle of arrival. [1] Galin, N.; Wingham, D.J.; Cullen, R.; Fornari, M.; Smith, W.H.F.; Abdalla, S., "Calibration of the CryoSat-2 Interferometer and Measurement of Across
Internal migration and occupational achievement in Mexico city

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julio Santiago Hernández

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this work is to analyze the effect of migration status on labor market insertion and occupational achievement. It is of interest to know whether the observed differences between people with a different migration status (from first-generation rural migrants to natives are due to their migratory condition per se or other sociodemographic variables associated with their status that could put migrants at disadvantage in the labor market of Mexico City. We elaborate on this by using data from the Survey on Inequality and Social Mobility in Mexico City, 2009. Unlike studies of major Mexican cities during the import substitution model, wich as sumed that upward occupational mobility rates benefited almost equally the born and raised in the city and the rural migrants our results suggest the opposite: that migrants do poorly, but not for the fact that they are migrants, but because they tend to have lower economic, cultural and social capital attributes in their families of origin due to certain factors that leave them unable to capitalize on their efforts to achieve an educational and occupational performance similar or superior to that of the natives. A suggestive finding is that, even after controlling for the disadvantageous social background, female rural migrants show a consistently unfavorable performance when compared to the native women of Mexico City.
Eating the right amount of fish: Inverted U-shape association between fish consumption and cognitive performance, and academic achievement in Dutch adolescents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Groot, Renate; Ouwehand, Carolijn; Jolles, Jelle

2012-01-01

De Groot, R. H. M., Ouwehand, C., & Jolles, J. (2011, 2 September). Eating the right amount of fish: Inverted U-shape association between fish consumption and cognitive performance and academic achievement in Dutch adolescents. Poster presented at the the 14th biannual EARLI conference, Exeter,
Achievement Gaps: How Hispanic and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Mathematics and Reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Highlights. NCES 2011-485

Science.gov (United States)

National Center for Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This report provides a detailed portrait of Hispanic and White academic achievement gaps and how students' performance has changed over time at both the national and state levels. The report presents achievement gaps using reading and mathematics assessment data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for the 4th- and 8th-grade…
Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Academic Achievement and Leadership

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beena Johnson

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, appraise and control one's emotions. It is the ability to motivate oneself even in stressful situations, to control impulsive behaviour and to manage feelings in perfect way. Emotional intelligence can be considered as a set of skills which contribute to the proper assessment and regulation of emotions, and the utilization of feelings for best achievement in academics, profession and life. Emotional Intelligence is an important predictor of success in life and has significant role in stress management and academic achievement. Students who are high academic performers, usually have higher emotional intelligence scores compared with children with scholastic backwardness. Individuals with high emotional intelligence will correctly understand emotional issues, manage stressful situations successfully and regulate emotions in the best way. They are balanced, empathetic, self-aware and sociable. They have very strong will-power and are intrinsically motivated. Emotional intelligence is also a crucial factor needed for successful leadership. It has significant role in academic and organizational success.
Comparing the performance of SIMD computers by running large air pollution models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brown, J.; Hansen, Per Christian; Wasniewski, J.

1996-01-01

To compare the performance and use of three massively parallel SIMD computers, we implemented a large air pollution model on these computers. Using a realistic large-scale model, we gained detailed insight about the performance of the computers involved when used to solve large-scale scientific...... problems that involve several types of numerical computations. The computers used in our study are the Connection Machines CM-200 and CM-5, and the MasPar MP-2216...
How Does the Science Writing Heuristic Approach Affect Students' Performances of Different Academic Achievement Levels? A Case for High School Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Kingir, Sevgi; Geban, Omer; Gunel, Murat

2012-01-01

This study investigates the effects of the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH), known as an argumentation-based science inquiry approach, on Grade 9 students' performance on a post-test in relation to their academic achievement levels. Four intact classes taught by 2 chemistry teachers from a Turkish public high school were selected for the study; one…
Individual Differences in Achievement Goals: A Longitudinal Study of Cognitive, Emotional, and Achievement Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Daniels, Lia M.; Haynes, Tara L.; Stupnisky, Robert H.; Perry, Raymond P.; Newall, Nancy E.; Pekrun, Reinhard

2008-01-01

Within achievement goal theory debate remains regarding the adaptiveness of certain combinations of goals. Assuming a multiple-goals perspective, we used cluster analysis to classify 1002 undergraduate students according to their mastery and performance-approach goals. Four clusters emerged, representing different goal combinations: high…
Comparability of Self-Concept among Normal Achievers and Children with Learning Difficulties within a Greek Context.

Science.gov (United States)

Leonadari, Angeliki

1994-01-01

Assessed Greek third through sixth graders on the Perceived Competence Scale for Children (PCSC). Subjects were normally achieving (NA) and low achieving students and a special class (SC) of students identified as at risk for learning difficulties. The SC students scored lower than the NA students on the PCSC global self-worth, competence affect,…
Eating the right amount of fish: Inverted U-shape association between fish consumption and cognitive performance, and academic achievement in Dutch adolescents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Groot, Renate; Ouwehand, Carolijn; Jolles, Jelle

2012-01-01

De Groot, R. H. M., Ouwehand, C., & Jolles, J. (2012, May). Eating the right amount of fish: Inverted U-shape association between fish consumption and cognitive performance, and academic achievement in Dutch adolescents. Paper presented at the 10th Congress of the International Society for the Study
Comparative performance analysis of a dual-solenoid mechanical oscillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, V C C; Lee, H V; Harno, H G; Woo, K C

2015-01-01

An innovative dual-solenoid electro-mechanical-vibro-impact system has been constructed and experimentally studied. Comparative studies against a mechanical spring system and a permanent magnet system have been performed, where it is shown that the dual-solenoid system is able to produce oscillations better than the permanent magnet system and more energy efficiently. Comparison with a higher-powered dual solenoid system has also been conducted where a stationary solenoid has shown to be a more dominant parameter. In addition, it is also discovered that a mechanical oscillator in the dual-solenoid system is independent of the angular frequency. (paper)
Influences on Academic Achievement of Primary School Pupils in Cambodia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sopheak Song

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Employing education production function approach, this article investigates the influences of school and pupil background factors on academic achievement of primary school pupils in Cambodia. Based on achievement data of 1,080 Grade 6 pupils from one rural and one semi-urban area, the study reveals that school and teacher quality exerts a considerable effect on pupils’ performance. Teachers’ experience and teacher guides are positively correlated with academic achievement, while instructional time loss is significantly associated with poor performance. In light of these results, policies to boost academic achievement of primary school pupils in Cambodia are discussed.

Parental involvement in homework: relations with parent and student achievement-related motivational beliefs and achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonida, Eleftheria N; Cortina, Kai S

2014-09-01

Parental involvement in homework is a home-based type of involvement in children's education. Research and theory suggest that it is beneficial for learning and achievement under certain conditions and for particular groups of individuals. The study examined whether different types of parents' involvement in homework (autonomy support, control, interference, cognitive engagement) (1) are predicted by their mastery and performance goals for their child and their beliefs of the child's academic efficacy, and (2) predict student achievement goal orientations, efficacy beliefs, and achievement. Grade-level differences were also investigated. The sample consisted of 282 elementary school (5th grade) and junior high school students (8th grade) and one of their parents. Surveys were used for data collection. Structural equation modelling was applied for data analysis. (1) Autonomy support during homework was predicted by parent mastery goal, parents' control and interference by their performance goal and perceptions of child efficacy, and cognitive engagement as supplementary to homework by parent perceptions of child efficacy. (2) Parental autonomy support, control, and interference were differentially associated with student mastery and performance goal orientations, whereas parent cognitive engagement was associated with student efficacy beliefs. (3) The structural model was the same for elementary and junior high school students but the latent means for a number of variables were different. Different types of parental involvement in homework were associated with different outcomes with parent autonomy support to be the most beneficial one. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.
Procedure for Measuring and Reporting Commercial Building Energy Performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barley, D.; Deru, M.; Pless, S.; Torcellini, P.

2005-10-01

This procedure is intended to provide a standard method for measuring and characterizing the energy performance of commercial buildings. The procedure determines the energy consumption, electrical energy demand, and on-site energy production in existing commercial buildings of all types. The performance metrics determined here may be compared against benchmarks to evaluate performance and verify that performance targets have been achieved.
Results achieved by emergency physicians in teaching basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation to secondary school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiménez-Fábrega, Xavier; Escalada-Roig, Xavier; Sánchez, Miquel; Culla, Alexandre; Díaz, Núria; Gómez, Xavier; Villena, Olga; Rodríguez, Esther; Gaspar, Alberto; Molina, José Emilio; Salvador, Jordi; Miró, Oscar

2009-06-01

We investigated the results obtained with a basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (b-CPR) program (PROCES) specifically designed for secondary school students (14-16 years old) and taught by emergency physicians. We used a multiple-choice test with 20 questions (10 on theory and 10 on skills) answered before and immediately after and 1 year after receiving the b-CPR course. Satisfactory learning was considered when at least 8 out of 10 skill questions were correctly answered. We investigated student variables associated with better immediate and deferred (1 year after) PROCES performance. We compared the results with those obtained using a more standardized program to teach b-CPR to police cadets. We enrolled 600 high school students. PROCES achieved significant improvement in overall, theory and skill marks immediately after the course (PSatisfactory learning was achieved by 57% of school students immediately after PROCES and by 37% when assessed 1 year later. Students without pending study subjects (P=0.001) and those from private schools (Pstudents achieved greater performance 1 year after the course (Psatisfactory learning of school students was lower (79 vs. 57%, respectively; Psatisfactory learning was higher (23 vs. 37%, respectively; Pschool students in b-CPR using PROCES, and this specific program achieves a reasonable amount of satisfactory learning.
Performance Monitoring in Children Following Traumatic Brain Injury Compared to Typically Developing Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amy A. Wilkinson PhD

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Children with traumatic brain injury are reported to have deficits in performance monitoring, but the mechanisms underlying these deficits are not well understood. Four performance monitoring hypotheses were explored by comparing how 28 children with traumatic brain injury and 28 typically developing controls (matched by age and sex performed on the stop-signal task. Control children slowed significantly more following incorrect than correct stop-signal trials, fitting the error monitoring hypothesis. In contrast, the traumatic brain injury group showed no performance monitoring difference with trial types, but significant group differences did not emerge, suggesting that children with traumatic brain injury may not perform the same way as controls.
Embedded Hyperchaotic Generators: A Comparative Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Sadoudi, Said; Tanougast, Camel; Azzaz, Mohamad Salah; Dandache, Abbas

In this paper, we present a comparative analysis of FPGA implementation performances, in terms of throughput and resources cost, of five well known autonomous continuous hyperchaotic systems. The goal of this analysis is to identify the embedded hyperchaotic generator which leads to designs with small logic area cost, satisfactory throughput rates, low power consumption and low latency required for embedded applications such as secure digital communications between embedded systems. To implement the four-dimensional (4D) chaotic systems, we use a new structural hardware architecture based on direct VHDL description of the forth order Runge-Kutta method (RK-4). The comparative analysis shows that the hyperchaotic Lorenz generator provides attractive performances compared to that of others. In fact, its hardware implementation requires only 2067 CLB-slices, 36 multipliers and no block RAMs, and achieves a throughput rate of 101.6 Mbps, at the output of the FPGA circuit, at a clock frequency of 25.315 MHz with a low latency time of 316 ns. Consequently, these good implementation performances offer to the embedded hyperchaotic Lorenz generator the advantage of being the best candidate for embedded communications applications.
Comparing Performance of Government and Private Clients in Construction Projects: Contractors’ Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jati Utomo Dwi Hatmoko

2016-09-01

Full Text Available By nature, government and private projects have different characteristics, which influence client performance. This research aims to compare performance of government and private clients in construction projects as perceived by contractors. Six client performance indicators were used, i.e. understanding of project requirements, financial, decision making, management skills, supports for contractor, and client’s attitude. Data were collected through questionnaire surveys filled in by 117 respondents. The results show that there is a significant difference between both types of client performance. Three variables related to financial indicators, i.e. timely payment, owner value estimate, and payment approval, rank in the bottom three of the government client performance, but in contrast rank in the top three of the private ones. These results suggest that the government clients’ performance is perceived inferior to the private ones. Establishing a clients’ forum for sharing knowledge and best practices would be a strategic solution to enhance clients’ capacities.
The realistic performance achievable with mycobacterial automated culture systems in high and low prevalence settings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klatser Paul R

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Diagnostic tests are generally used in situations with similar pre-test probability of disease to where they were developed. When these tests are applied in situations with very different pre-test probabilities of disease, it is informative to model the likely implications of known characteristics of test performance in the new situation. This is the case for automated Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB liquid culture systems for tuberculosis case detection which were developed and are widely used in low burden settings but are only beginning to be applied on a large scale in high burden settings. Methods Here we model the performance of MTB liquid culture systems in high and low tuberculosis (TB prevalence settings using detailed published data concentrating on the likely frequency of cross-contamination events. Results Our model predicts that as the TB prevalence in the suspect population increases there is an exponential increase in the risk of MTB cross-contamination events expected in otherwise negative samples, even with equivalent technical performance of the laboratories. Quality control and strict cross-contamination measures become increasingly critical as the burden of MTB infection among TB suspects increases. Even under optimal conditions the realistically achievable specificity of these systems in high burden settings will likely be significantly below that obtained in low TB burden laboratories. Conclusions Liquid culture systems can play a valuable role in TB case detection in laboratories in high burden settings, but laboratory workers, policy makers and clinicians should be aware of the increased risks, independent of laboratory proficiency, of cross-contamination events in high burden settings.
Disciplinary climate and student achievement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sortkær, Bent; Reimer, David

Disciplinary climate has emerged as one of the single most important factors related to student achievement. Using data from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003 for Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Latvia and Norway we find a significant and nontrivial association...... between the perceived disciplinary climate in the classroom and students’ mathematics performance in Canada, Denmark and Norway. Furthermore we exploit country specific class-size rules in order to single out a subsample with classroom-level data (PISA is sampled by age and not by classes) and find...... that the estimates based on school-level data might underestimate the relationship between disciplinary climate and student achievement. Finally we find evidence for gender differences in the association between disciplinary climate and student achievement that can partly be explained by gender-specific perceptions...
Meeting a Math Achievement Crisis

Science.gov (United States)

Jennings, Lenora; Likis, Lori

2005-01-01

An urban community spotlighted declining mathematics achievement and took some measures, in which the students' performance increased substantially. The Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, engaged the entire community and launched the campaign called "Math Everywhere", which changed Benjamin Banneker's…
Achieving world class maintenance status

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tomlingson, P.D. [Paul D. Tomingson Associates (United States)

2007-08-15

The article written by a management consultant, discusses the art of successful planning and operation of maintenance in mines considering factors such as benchmaking, key performance indices (KPIs) and frequency of procedures which can help achieve 'world class maintenance'. 1 fig.
Motivation and academic performance of medical students from ethnic minorities and majority: a comparative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Isik, Ulviye; Wouters, Anouk; Ter Wee, Marieke M; Croiset, Gerda; Kusurkar, Rashmi A

2017-11-28

Medical students from ethnic minorities underperform in knowledge and skills assessments both in pre-clinical and clinical education compared to the ethnic majority group. Motivation, which influences learning and academic performance of medical students, might play an important role in explaining these differences, but is under-investigated. This study aimed to compare two types of motivation (autonomous and controlled) of ethnic minority (Western and non-Western) and majority (Dutch) students, and their association with academic performance. In a cross-sectional study, all students of a Dutch medical school were invited to complete a survey including the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire, measuring autonomous and controlled motivation, in the academic year 2015-2016. Motivation was compared using Kruskal-Wallis test and performance was compared using One-Way ANOVA. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the association between motivation and performance (grade point average; GPA). The response rate was 38.6% (n = 947). Autonomous motivation (AM) of non-Western students was higher than that of Dutch students in pre-clinical and clinical education (p motivation was higher in Western students than in Dutch students (pre-clinical education; p motivation between the ethnic majority and minority groups. The association of motivation with performance also differs between ethnic groups. We found that AM has a positive influence on GPA. Further research is needed to uncover the underlying mechanisms.
Comparative Study of Modulation Techniques for Two-Level Voltage Source Inverters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barry W. Williams

2016-06-01

Full Text Available A detailed comparative study of modulation techniques for single and three phase dc-ac inverters is presented. Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation, Triplen Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation, Space Vector Modulation, Selective Harmonic Elimination and Wavelet Modulation are assessed and compared in terms of maximum fundamental output, harmonic performance, switching losses and operational mode. The presented modulation techniques are applied to single and three phase voltage source inverters and are simulated using SIMULINK. The simulation results clarify the inverter performance achieved using the different modulations techniques.
Achievement Motivation: A Rational Approach to Psychological Education

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Robert L.; Troth, William A.

1975-01-01

Investigated the achievement motivation training component of psychological education. The subjects were 54 late-adolescent pupils. The experimental training program had as its objectives an increase in academic achievement motivation, internal feelings of control, and school performance, and a reduction of test anxiety. Results indicated…
Achievement test performance in children conceived by IVF.

Science.gov (United States)

Mains, L; Zimmerman, M; Blaine, J; Stegmann, B; Sparks, A; Ansley, T; Van Voorhis, B

2010-10-01

Long-term follow-up studies of children conceived by IVF are limited. We examine academic performance on standardized tests [Iowa Tests of Basic Skills/Educational Development (ITBS/ITED)] of children conceived by IVF. Parents of children 8-17 years of age at the onset of the study (March 2008) who were conceived by IVF at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and living in the state of Iowa were contacted by mail. Parents completed questionnaires on their child's health and education and parental education. ITBS/ITED scores from school grades 3-12 were obtained on IVF children and a group of anonymous children matched by grade, year, gender and school district. Scores were analyzed using linear mixed models. Four hundred and ninety-seven couples were contacted. Two hundred and ninety-five couples (463 children) agreed to participate (59.4% of parents), with ITBS/ITED scores available on 423 children (91.4% of participants). IVF children scored higher than the national mean (P divorce and child's BMI. Cryopreservation, length of embryo culture and method of insemination did not affect scores. IVF children scored higher on standardized tests than their matched peers, suggesting that IVF does not have a negative effect on cognitive development. However, long-term follow-up of IVF children is still limited. Further research should be performed on the effect of multiple gestation on academic performance.
Identification of critical parameters for PEMFC stack performance characterization and control strategies for reliable and comparable stack benchmarking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mitzel, Jens; Gülzow, Erich; Kabza, Alexander

2016-01-01

This paper is focused on the identification of critical parameters and on the development of reliable methodologies to achieve comparable benchmark results. Possibilities for control sensor positioning and for parameter variation in sensitivity tests are discussed and recommended options for the ...
Comparative clinical outcomes between pediatric and young adult dialysis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Atkinson, Meredith A; Lestz, Rachel M; Fivush, Barbara A; Silverstein, Douglas M

2011-12-01

Published data on the comparative achievement of The Kidney Disease Dialysis Outcome Quality Initiative (KDOQI) recommended clinical performance targets between children and young adults on dialysis are scarce. To characterize the achievement of KDOQI targets among children (young adults (18-24 years) with prevalent end stage renal disease (ESRD), we performed a cross-sectional analysis of data collected by the Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition, in conjunction with the 2007 and 2008 ESRD Clinical Performance Measures Projects. Data on all enrolled pediatric dialysis patients, categorized into three age groups (0-8, 9-12, 13-17 years), and on a random sample of 5% of patients ≥ 18 years in ESRD Network 5 were examined for two study periods: hemodialysis (HD) data were collected from October to December 2006 and from October to December 2007 and peritoneal dialysis (PD) data were collected from October 2006 to March 2007 and from October 2007 to March 2008. In total, 114 unique patients were enrolled the study, of whom 41.2% (47/114) were on HD and 58.8% (67/114) on PD. Compared to the pediatric patients, young adults were less likely to achieve the KDOQI recommended serum phosphorus levels and serum calcium × phosphorus product values, with less than one-quarter demonstrating values at or below each goal. Multivariate analysis revealed that both young adults and 13- to 17-year-olds were less likely to achieve target values for phosphorus [young adults: odds ratio (OR) 0.04, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.01-0.19, p young adults: OR 0.01, 95% CI 0.002-0.09, p young adult ESRD patients.
Benchmarking of refinery emissions performance : Executive summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-07-01

This study was undertaken to collect emissions performance data for Canadian and comparable American refineries. The objective was to examine parameters that affect refinery air emissions performance and develop methods or correlations to normalize emissions performance. Another objective was to correlate and compare the performance of Canadian refineries to comparable American refineries. For the purpose of this study, benchmarking involved the determination of levels of emission performance that are being achieved for generic groups of facilities. A total of 20 facilities were included in the benchmarking analysis, and 74 American refinery emission correlations were developed. The recommended benchmarks, and the application of those correlations for comparison between Canadian and American refinery performance, were discussed. The benchmarks were: sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate, volatile organic compounds, ammonia and benzene. For each refinery in Canada, benchmark emissions were developed. Several factors can explain differences in Canadian and American refinery emission performance. 4 tabs., 7 figs
A Comparative Analysis of the Relationship among Quality Instruction, Teacher Self-Efficacy, Student Background, and Mathematics Achievement in South Korea and the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Ji-Won; Han, Seong Won; Kang, Chungseo; Kwon, Oh Nam

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast student, teacher, and school factors that are associated with student mathematics achievement in South Korea and the United States. Using the data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011, this study examines factors that are linked to teachers who deliver…
Performance specifications and six sigma theory: Clinical chemistry and industry compared.

Science.gov (United States)

Oosterhuis, W P; Severens, M J M J

2018-04-11

Analytical performance specifications are crucial in test development and quality control. Although consensus has been reached on the use of biological variation to derive these specifications, no consensus has been reached which model should be preferred. The Six Sigma concept is widely applied in industry for quality specifications of products and can well be compared with Six Sigma models in clinical chemistry. However, the models for measurement specifications differ considerably between both fields: where the sigma metric is used in clinical chemistry, in industry the Number of Distinct Categories is used instead. In this study the models in both fields are compared and discussed. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.
New indicator for comparing the energy performance of CO2 utilization concepts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schakel, Wouter; Fernández-Dacosta, Cora; Van Der Spek, Mijndert; Ramírez, Andrea

2017-01-01

CO2 utilization is increasingly considered a greenhouse gas abatement strategy alternatively to CO2 storage. Existing indicators that assess the performance of CO2 utilization options often provide an incomplete perspective and are unsuitable to compare different utilization options with different

Comparative analysis of ciprofloxacin in different pharmaceutical products by high performance liquid chromatograph

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qureshi, M.N.; Rahman, I.U.

2012-01-01

Pharmaceutical products with different trade names having ciprofloxacin as an active ingredient were collected from the market. The products were assayed under similar conditions for active ingredient applying HPLC technique. Results obtained from quantification of ciprofloxacin contents of each product were compared with their label claims. Comparative analysis of these products was performed based on the quantity of ciprofloxacin. (author)
Comparative Performance Analysis of Machine Learning Techniques for Software Bug Detection

OpenAIRE

Saiqa Aleem; Luiz Fernando Capretz; Faheem Ahmed

2015-01-01

Machine learning techniques can be used to analyse data from different perspectives and enable developers to retrieve useful information. Machine learning techniques are proven to be useful in terms of software bug prediction. In this paper, a comparative performance analysis of different machine learning techniques is explored f or software bug prediction on public available data sets. Results showed most of the mac ...
Examining the Academic Achievement-Delinquency Relationship Among Southeast Asian Americans.

Science.gov (United States)

Bui, Laura

2018-05-01

The extent to which poor academic achievement is strongly related to delinquency among Southeast Asian Americans (SEAA) remains unclear; reasons are methodological limitations and aggregated findings for Asian Americans, which mask evidence that SEAA have a higher prevalence of criminality and poor academic performance than other Asian American groups. The present study examines the academic achievement-delinquency relationship in a diverse group of 1,214 SEAA using data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to make causal inferences and assess whether poor academic achieving SEAA, after being matched with higher academic achieving SEAA, displayed a higher prevalence of delinquency. Findings showed that, even after matching, poor academic achieving SEAA were still more likely to exhibit delinquent behavior than those who performed academically better. Interventions targeting SEAA communities will need to focus more on improving academic achievement to directly prevent and decrease delinquent behavior.
Comparative performance of conventional OPC concrete and HPC designed by densified mixture design algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Huynh, Trong-Phuoc; Hwang, Chao-Lung; Yang, Shu-Ti

2017-12-01

This experimental study evaluated the performance of normal ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete and high-performance concrete (HPC) that were designed by the conventional method (ACI) and densified mixture design algorithm (DMDA) method, respectively. Engineering properties and durability performance of both the OPC and HPC samples were studied using the tests of workability, compressive strength, water absorption, ultrasonic pulse velocity, and electrical surface resistivity. Test results show that the HPC performed good fresh property and further showed better performance in terms of strength and durability as compared to the OPC.
A Study of Motivational Influences on Academic Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Dishon-Berkovits, Miriam

2014-01-01

This study examined the influence of motivation on academic achievement. The theoretical rationale for the study is grounded in bridging two influential yet isolated literatures of motivation: goal setting theory and achievement goal theory. Although it is clear that academic performance should be influenced by assigned learning goals,…
‘High’ achievers? Cannabis access and academic performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marie, O.; Zölitz, U.N.

2015-01-01

This paper investigates how legal cannabis access affects student performance. Identification comes from an exceptional policy introduced in the city of Maastricht which discriminated legal access based on individuals’ nationality. We apply a difference-in-difference approach using administrative
Communication Software Performance for Linux Clusters with Mesh Connections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jie Chen; William Watson

2003-09-01

Recent progress in copper based commodity Gigabit Ethernet interconnects enables constructing clusters to achieve extremely high I/O bandwidth at low cost with mesh connections. However, the TCP/IP protocol stack cannot match the improved performance of Gigabit Ethernet networks especially in the case of multiple interconnects on a single host. In this paper, we evaluate and compare the performance characteristics of TCP/IP and M-VIA software that is an implementation of VIA.In particular, we focus on the performance of the software systems for a mesh communication architecture and demonstrate the feasibility of using multiple Gigabit Ethernet cards on one host to achieve aggregated bandwidth and latency that are not only better than what TCP provides but also compare favorably to some of the special purpose high-speed networks. In addition, implementation of a new M-VIA driver for one type of Gigabit Ethernet card will be discussed.
A comparative study on dynamic mechanical performance of concrete and rock

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xia Zhengbing

2015-10-01

Full Text Available of underground cavities and field-leveling excavation. Dynamic mechanical performance of rocks has been gradually attached importance both in China and abroad. Concrete and rock are two kinds of the most frequently used engineering materials and also frequently used as experimental objects currently. To compare dynamic mechanical performance of these two materials, this study performed dynamic compression test with five different strain rates on concrete and rock using Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB to obtain basic dynamic mechanical parameters of them and then summarized the relationship of dynamic compressive strength, peak strain and strain rate of two materials. Moreover, specific energy absorption is introduced to confirm dynamic damage mechanisms of concrete and rock materials. This work can not only help to improve working efficiency to the largest extent but also ensure the smooth development of engineering, providing rich theoretical guidance for development of related engineering in the future
Concurrently adjusting interrelated control parameters to achieve optimal engine performance

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Li; Lee, Donghoon; Yilmaz, Hakan; Stefanopoulou, Anna

2015-12-01

Methods and systems for real-time engine control optimization are provided. A value of an engine performance variable is determined, a value of a first operating condition and a value of a second operating condition of a vehicle engine are detected, and initial values for a first engine control parameter and a second engine control parameter are determined based on the detected first operating condition and the detected second operating condition. The initial values for the first engine control parameter and the second engine control parameter are adjusted based on the determined value of the engine performance variable to cause the engine performance variable to approach a target engine performance variable. In order to cause the engine performance variable to approach the target engine performance variable, adjusting the initial value for the first engine control parameter necessitates a corresponding adjustment of the initial value for the second engine control parameter.
Nuclear power plant performance. Status and trends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glorian, D.

1995-01-01

The performance of nuclear power plants can be assessed in several different fields: operating costs, safety, reliability of electricity generation, impact on the environment and personnel protection (industrial safety, radiation protection, etc.). Comparing national and international performance levels involves the use of performance indicators, together with a terminology, precise definitions and computerized data collection and processing facilities. The paper gives a brief review of the different actions undertaken during the last ten years to achieve international harmonization in the use of indicators. The main international indicators in use today by virtually all nuclear operators around the world are examined. Figures are given for each of these main indicators. In particularly, the levels of 'excellence' achieved throughout the world are discussed, together with the difficulties encountered in trying to match them or indeed maintain them. Future prospects regarding both the efforts made towards achieving international harmonization and the optimum use of this system of international performance indicators are examined, in order to achieve mutual enhancement through this approach to feedback of experience. Considering the overall performance indicators in use, it must be clearly recognized that, over the last ten years, the nuclear industry has made a tremendous effort to improve performance; the challenge for the future is to maintain a very high level of quality in the area of safety by keeping the operating costs (and investment costs for future plants) within a reasonable range
Performance of Islamic Stocks Index: Comparative Studies Between Indonesia and Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tulasmi Tulasmi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research is to compare the Islamic stocks index performance between Malaysia and Indonesia using Sharpe method, Treynor method, and Jensen method. The result show that the Islamic stocks index performance in Indonesia –measured by Jakarta Islamic Index- is better than Malaysia if using Treynor and Jensen methods. Otherwise, using the Sharpe method show that Islamic stock index in Malaysia is better than Islamic stocks index in Indonesia. The implication from this result is the investor with enough funds recommended to invest in Indonesia, but the small investor can do the investment to Islamic stocks index in Malaysia.DOI: 10.15408/sjie.v5i1.3127
‘High’ Achievers? Cannabis Access and Academic Performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

O. Marie (Olivier); U. Zoelitz (Ulf)

2016-01-01

textabstractThis paper investigates how legal cannabis access affects student performance. Identification comes from an exceptional policy introduced in the city of Maastricht in the Netherlands that discriminated access via licensed cannabis shops based on an individual’s nationality. We apply a
Comparing and contrasting poverty reduction performance of social welfare programs across jurisdictions in Canada using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA): an exploratory study of the era of devolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Habibov, Nazim N; Fan, Lida

2010-11-01

In the mid-1990s, the responsibilities to design, implement, and evaluate social welfare programs were transferred from federal to local jurisdictions in many countries of North America and Europe through devolution processes. Devolution has caused the need for a technique to measure and compare the performances of social welfare programs across multiple jurisdictions. This paper utilizes Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for a comparison of poverty reduction performances of jurisdictional social welfare programs across Canadian provinces. From the theoretical perspective, findings of this paper demonstrates that DEA is a promising method to evaluate, compare, and benchmark poverty reduction performance across multiple jurisdictions using multiple inputs and outputs. This paper demonstrates that DEA generates easy to comprehend composite rankings of provincial performances, identifies appropriate benchmarks for each inefficient province, and estimates sources and amounts of improvement needed to make the provinces efficient. From a practical perspective the empirical results presented in this paper indicate that Newfoundland, Prince Edwards Island, and Alberta achieve better efficiency in poverty reduction than other provinces. Policy makers and social administrators of the ineffective provinces across Canada may find benefit in selecting one of the effective provinces as a benchmark for improving their own performance based on similar size and structure of population, size of the budget for social programs, and traditions with administering particular types of social programs. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Student Achievement in College Calculus, Louisiana State University 1967-1968.

Science.gov (United States)

Scannicchio, Thomas Henry

An investigation of freshmen achievement in an introductory calculus course was performed on the basis of high school mathematics background to find predictors of college calculus grades. Overall high school academic achievement, overall high school mathematics achievement, number of high school mathematics units, pattern of college preparatory…
Achievement goals in the workplace : Conceptualization, prevalence, profiles, and outcomes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Yperen, Nico W.; Orehek, Edward

2013-01-01

The purpose of the present paper is to discuss an important component of workers' willingness to perform at their jobs, that is, their achievement motivation. More specifically, we will discuss the conceptualization of the four achievement goals from the 2 x 2 achievement goal framework and present
Resilience and Emotional Intelligence: which role in achievement motivation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paola Magnano

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the framework of Positive Organizational Behavior, the construct of Psychological Capital identifies four psychological capacities that affect motivation and performance in the workplace: self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience. Emotional Intelligence, then, addresses self-regulatory processes of emotions and motivation that enable people to make adjustments to achieve individual, group, and organizational goals; Emotional Intelligence is strongly correlated with individual advancement and success in an organizational setting and with individual performance. Moreover, Emotional Intelligence is considered an antecedent to resilience. The present study aims to investigate the role of resilience and emotional intelligence in achievement motivation, verifying if emotional intelligence mediates the relationship among resilience and achievement motivation. Participants are 488 Italian workers, aged between 18 and 55 years. The findings confirm the significant role played by emotional intelligence on resilience and on motivation to achievement.
A comprehensive approach to decipher biological computation to achieve next generation high-performance exascale computing.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

James, Conrad D.; Schiess, Adrian B.; Howell, Jamie; Baca, Michael J.; Partridge, L. Donald; Finnegan, Patrick Sean; Wolfley, Steven L.; Dagel, Daryl James; Spahn, Olga Blum; Harper, Jason C.; Pohl, Kenneth Roy; Mickel, Patrick R.; Lohn, Andrew; Marinella, Matthew

2013-10-01

The human brain (volume=1200cm3) consumes 20W and is capable of performing > 10^16 operations/s. Current supercomputer technology has reached 1015 operations/s, yet it requires 1500m^3 and 3MW, giving the brain a 10^12 advantage in operations/s/W/cm^3. Thus, to reach exascale computation, two achievements are required: 1) improved understanding of computation in biological tissue, and 2) a paradigm shift towards neuromorphic computing where hardware circuits mimic properties of neural tissue. To address 1), we will interrogate corticostriatal networks in mouse brain tissue slices, specifically with regard to their frequency filtering capabilities as a function of input stimulus. To address 2), we will instantiate biological computing characteristics such as multi-bit storage into hardware devices with future computational and memory applications. Resistive memory devices will be modeled, designed, and fabricated in the MESA facility in consultation with our internal and external collaborators.
Reduction in the balanced scorecard performance measurement ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this paper, we compare PCA and ordinal logistic regression in ranking the manufacturing systems. In this regard we present an integrated framework for assessment and ranking of manufacturing systems based on management and organizational performance indicators. To achieve the objectives of this study, ...
Comparative Performance of Bovans Nera (Rhode Black and other Commercial Pullet Strains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Ien-oa IMOUOKHOME

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The present study examined the comparative performance between Bovans Nera and other commercial pullet strains in Nigeria. This study was carried out in the pullet house at the Teaching and Research Farm of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, from January to April, 2002. The experiment was carried out to compare the growth performance and profitability of Bovans Nera with three other commercial pullet strains, Bovans Godline, Lohmann White and Lohmann Tradition. All data collected were subjected to the analysis of variance using the SAS General Linear Model procedure. Differences between treatment means were separated using Duncans New Multiple Range Test. Profitability was assessed using net returns by subtracting costs (rearing pullet, feed and packaging excluding overheads and labour from income (from egg sales and spent birds. The results showed that Bovans Nera was better in feed conversion ratio, feed efficiency (a greater weight gain per unit feed intake and attained a greater weight and a better market value than the other pullet strains. There was a higher production cost for Bovans Nera when compared with other strains. However, Bovans Nera will give more returns on investment even when their eggs are translated to monetary terms. These differences can be attributed to variation in the genetic constitution of individual strains.
Improved operational performance through the use of business planning tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoelscher, H.L.

1996-01-01

Improved operational performance at Point Beach Nuclear Plant is based on a focused business plan. Quantitative goals that compare past performance with the performance of potential competitors are the basis of the business plan. This establishes goals for the nuclear power business unit which support corporate goals. Strategies and objectives are then developed to meet the established goals. To continue support for these strategies and objectives, individual performance plans are developed for all management personnel. These performance management plans identify individual contributor actions to support the goals, and also provide periodic feedback for changes to better prioritize individual actions. Performance criteria are also established to measure progress toward achieving the goals. The author also has a program to provide incentives for improved performance based upon success of the organization in achieving established goals

Performance of the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling Method Compared to Surveillance for Identifying Inadequately-performing Areas in Matlab, Bangladesh

OpenAIRE

Bhuiya, Abbas; Hanifi, S.M.A.; Roy, Nikhil; Streatfield, P. Kim

2007-01-01

This paper compared the performance of the lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) method in identifying inadequately-performing health work-areas with that of using health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) data and examined the feasibility of applying the method by field-level programme supervisors. The study was carried out in Matlab, the field site of ICDDR,B, where a HDSS has been in place for over 30 years. The LQAS method was applied in 57 work-areas of community health workers i...
Reading Achievement, Attitude toward Reading, and Reading Self-Esteem of Historically Low Achieving Students

Science.gov (United States)

Kaniuka, Theodore S.

2010-01-01

The main purpose of schools is to improve the academic performance of all students and more recently with special regard to those that have historically struggled to meet state achievement goals. In an effort to attain these goals, educators have utilized many approaches including enhancing student self-esteem as a precursor to improving the…
Comparative study on heat pipe performance using aqueous solutions of alcohols

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Senthilkumar, R.; Vaidyanathan, S.; Sivaraman, B. [Annamalai University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu (India)

2012-12-15

This paper deals with the performance characterization of heat pipes using an aqueous solution of long chain alcohols like n-Butanol, n-Pentanol, n-Hexanol and n-Heptanol as working mediums. These solutions are called as self-rewetting fluids, since these fluid mixtures possess a non-linear dependence of the surface tension with temperature. A cylindrical heat pipe made up of copper with two layers of wrapped screen is used as a wick material and partially filled with the self-rewetting fluid water mixture and tested for its heat transport capability like thermal efficiency and thermal resistance at different inclinations and input power levels. A number of tests have been performed with heat pipes, filled with various aqueous solutions of alcohols with a concentration of 2 ml/l in de-ionized water (DI water) on volume basis. The results obtained for heat pipes using self rewetting fluids show improved performances, when compared to DI water heat pipes. (orig.)
New York: Expanding Time, Increasing Opportunities for Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Tiffany D.

2014-01-01

New York is poised to take an important step to improve student achievement by expanding learning time for students attending high-poverty, low-performing schools. Recent district- and state-level investments in expanded learning time--a promising strategy to close achievement and opportunity gaps--will give students more time to learn core…
Mediating effects of motor performance, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour on the associations of adiposity and other cardiometabolic risk factors with academic achievement in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Haapala, Eero A; Lintu, Niina; Eloranta, Aino-Maija; Venäläinen, Taisa; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija; Ahonen, Timo; Lindi, Virpi; Lakka, Timo A

2018-03-09

We investigated the associations of cardiometabolic risk factors with academic achievement and whether motor performance, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, or sedentary behaviour mediated these associations. Altogether 175 children 6-8 years-of-age participated in the study. We assessed body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference, insulin, glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, leptin, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). Reading fluency, reading comprehension, and arithmetic skills were assessed using standardized tests. Speed/agility, balance, and manual dexterity test results were used to calculate motor performance score and physical activity was assessed by combined heart rate and movement sensor and cardiorespiratory fitness by maximal cycle ergometer test. In boys, BF% was inversely associated with reading fluency (β = -0.262, P = 0.007) and reading comprehension (β = -0.216, P = 0.025). Motor performance mediated these associations. Leptin was inversely related to reading fluency (β = -0.272, P = 0.006) and reading comprehension (β = -0.287, P = 0.003). The inverse association of leptin with reading fluency was mediated by motor performance. In girls, GGT was inversely associated with reading fluency independent of confounders (β = -0.325, P = 0.007). The inverse association of BF% with academic achievement among boys was largely explained by motor performance. Leptin in boys and GGT in girls were inversely associated with academic achievement independent of confounding factors.
Achievement Goals and Achievement Emotions: A Meta-Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chiungjung

2011-01-01

This meta-analysis synthesized 93 independent samples (N = 30,003) in 77 studies that reported in 78 articles examining correlations between achievement goals and achievement emotions. Achievement goals were meaningfully associated with different achievement emotions. The correlations of mastery and mastery approach goals with positive achievement…
Relating beliefs in writing skill malleability to writing performance: The mediating role of achievement goals and self-efficacy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresa Limpo

2017-10-01

Full Text Available It is well established that students’ beliefs in skill malleability influence their academic performance. Specifically, thinking of ability as an incremental (vs. fixed trait is associated with better outcomes. Though this was shown across many domains, little research exists into these beliefs in the writing domain and into the mechanisms underlying their effects on writing performance. The aim of this study was twofold: to gather evidence on the validity and reliability of instruments to measure beliefs in skill malleability, achievement goals, and self-efficacy in writing; and to test a path-analytic model specifying beliefs in writing skill malleability to influence writing performance, via goals and self-efficacy. For that, 196 Portuguese students in Grades 7-8 filled in the instruments and wrote an opinion essay that was assessed for writing performance. Confirmatory factor analyses supported instruments’ validity and reliability. Path analysis revealed direct effects from beliefs in writing skill malleability to mastery goals (ß = .45; from mastery goals to self-efficacy for conventions, ideation, and self-regulation (ß = .27, .42, and .42, respectively; and from self-efficacy for self-regulation to writing performance (ß = .16; along with indirect effects from beliefs in writing skill malleability to self-efficacy for self-regulation via mastery goals (ß = .19, and from mastery goals to writing performance via self-efficacy for self-regulation (ß = .07. Overall, students’ mastery goals and self-efficacy for self-regulation seem to be key factors underlying the link between beliefs in writing skill malleability and writing performance. These findings highlight the importance of attending to motivation-related components in the teaching of writing.
Achieving 10,000 steps: a comparison of public transport users and drivers in a university setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Villanueva, Karen; Giles-Corti, Billie; McCormack, Gavin

2008-09-01

To compare pedometer steps of university students who used public transport and private motor vehicles to travel to and or from The University of Western Australia (UWA). 103 undergraduate students in 2006 recruited by e-mail and snowballing wore a pedometer for five consecutive university days, and completed a travel and physical activity diary. Compared with private motor vehicle users, public transport users performed more daily steps (11443 vs. 10242 steps/day, p=0.04) After adjusting for gender, age group and average daily minutes of self-reported leisure-time physical activity, the odds of achieving 10,000 steps/day was higher in public transport users compared with private motor vehicle users (OR 3.55; 95% CI 1.34-9.38, p=0.01). Walking associated with public transport use appeared to contribute to university students achieving higher levels of daily steps. Encouraging public transport use could help increase and maintain community physical activity levels.
HOP: Achieving Efficient Anonymity in MANETs by Combining HIP, OLSR, and Pseudonyms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Campos Javier

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Offering secure and anonymous communications in mobile ad hoc networking environments is essential to achieve confidence and privacy, thus promoting widespread adoption of this kind of networks. In addition, some minimum performance levels must be achieved for any solution to be practical and become widely adopted. In this paper, we propose and implement HOP, a novel solution based on cryptographic Host Identity Protocol (HIP that offers security and user-level anonymity in MANET environments while maintaining good performance levels. In particular, we introduce enhancements to the authentication process to achieve Host Identity Tag (HIT relationship anonymity, along with source/destination HIT anonymity when combined with multihoming. Afterward we detail how we integrate our improved version of HIP with the OLSR routing protocol to achieve efficient support for pseudonyms. We implemented our proposal in an experimental testbed, and the results obtained show that performance levels achieved are quite good, and that the integration with OLSR is achieved with a low overhead.
Performance-based contracts for road projects comparative analysis of different types

CERN Document Server

Gajurel, Ashish

2014-01-01

This book focuses on the aspects of contracting contracts, basically related to road construction and management contracts. The book presents an analytical study of Performance-Based Road Management and Maintenance (PMMR), Funktionsbauvertrag (FBV) (Function-Based Construction Contract) and Public Private Partnerships (PPP). A separate chapter is also included about the comparative study of these contract types. The book provides useful material for university libraries, construction companies and government departments of construction.
Family Decision-Making Style, Peer Group Affiliation and Prior Academic Achievement as Predictors of the Academic Achievement of African American Students

Science.gov (United States)

Engerman, Kimarie

2006-01-01

A study analyzed family decision-making style, peer group affiliation, and academic achievement in 10th grade as predictors of academic achievement of African American students in 12th grade. Findings indicated that though peer groups were known to influence academic performance, affiliation with learning oriented peers in 10th grade did not…
Social–Emotional Factors Affecting Achievement Outcomes Among Disadvantaged Students: Closing the Achievement Gap

OpenAIRE

Becker, Bronwyn E.; Luthar, Suniya S.

2002-01-01

Despite concentrated efforts at improving inferior academic outcomes among disadvantaged students, a substantial achievement gap between the test scores of these students and others remains (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; National Center for Education Statistics, 2000a, 2000b; Valencia & Suzuki, 2000). Existing research used ecological models to document social–emotional factors at multiple levels of influence that undermine academic performance. This article integrates ideas from various perspecti...
Comparative performance evaluation of transform coding in image pre-processing

Science.gov (United States)

Menon, Vignesh V.; NB, Harikrishnan; Narayanan, Gayathri; CK, Niveditha

2017-07-01

We are in the midst of a communication transmute which drives the development as largely as dissemination of pioneering communication systems with ever-increasing fidelity and resolution. Distinguishable researches have been appreciative in image processing techniques crazed by a growing thirst for faster and easier encoding, storage and transmission of visual information. In this paper, the researchers intend to throw light on many techniques which could be worn at the transmitter-end in order to ease the transmission and reconstruction of the images. The researchers investigate the performance of different image transform coding schemes used in pre-processing, their comparison, and effectiveness, the necessary and sufficient conditions, properties and complexity in implementation. Whimsical by prior advancements in image processing techniques, the researchers compare various contemporary image pre-processing frameworks- Compressed Sensing, Singular Value Decomposition, Integer Wavelet Transform on performance. The paper exposes the potential of Integer Wavelet transform to be an efficient pre-processing scheme.
Perceived emotional intelligence, achievement motivation and school performance in conservatory students

OpenAIRE

Laura López Bernad

2013-01-01

The present research inspects the relationship between Perceived Emotional Intelligence (PEI) and achievement motivation in a sample of students (N=57) belonging to the string department at the Conservatorio Profesional de Música and specializing in violin, viola, violoncello and bass violoncello. The evaluation methods were: the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24), to test Perceived Emotional Intelligence, and the Escala Atribucional de Motivación de Logro (EAML, Attributive Motivation Scale) to...
The effect of formative feedback on students achievement in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The effect of formative feedback on students achievement in graphical element of economic curriculum. ... Journal of Educational Foundations ... Students achievement in graphical elements of economics curriculums has been a problem over the years, students have been performing poorly in SSCE (WAEC & NECO).
48 CFR 16.402-2 - Performance incentives.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... fee to results achieved by the contractor, compared with specified targets. (b) To the maximum extent... performance targets. Therefore, the contract must be as specific as possible in establishing test criteria... coordination with Government engineering and pricing specialists. (g) It is essential that the Government and...
Towards Comparative Leadership

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Merete Storgaard

Globalization is the imitation and adaptation of knowledgesolutions or innovations, as they are diffused from one country to another” (Peter Jarvis 2007) Conducting comparative, educational research of school leadership that effects student achievement in an international perspective is of scient......Globalization is the imitation and adaptation of knowledgesolutions or innovations, as they are diffused from one country to another” (Peter Jarvis 2007) Conducting comparative, educational research of school leadership that effects student achievement in an international perspective...... is of scientific value in qualifying the international and national knowledgebase on effective school leadership. In a methodological perspective comparative analysis in an international setting creates specifically a scientific demand of comparability and a theory based leadership - framework to guide...... the empirical, qualitative research of effective leadership....
Neuroanatomical Correlates of Performance in a State-Wide Test of Math Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkey, Eric D.; Cutting, Laurie E.; Price, Gavin R.

2018-01-01

The development of math skills is a critical component of early education and a strong indicator of later school and economic success. Recent research utilizing population-normed, standardized measures of math achievement suggest that structural and functional integrity of parietal regions, especially the intraparietal sulcus, are closely related…
Students' Achievement Goals, Learning-Related Emotions and Academic Achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marko eLüftenegger

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In the present research, the recently proposed 3x2 model of achievement goals is tested and associations with achievement emotions and their joint influence on academic achievement are investigated. The study was conducted with 388 students using the 3x2 Achievement Goal Questionnaire including the six proposed goal constructs (task-approach, task-avoidance, self-approach, self-avoidance, other-approach, other-avoidance and the enjoyment and boredom scales from the Achievement Emotion Questionnaire. Exam grades were used as an indicator of academic achievement. Findings from CFAs provided strong support for the proposed structure of the 3x2 achievement goal model. Self-based goals, other-based goals and task-approach goals predicted enjoyment. Task-approach goals negatively predicted boredom. Task-approach and other-approach predicted achievement. The indirect effects of achievement goals through emotion variables on achievement were assessed using bias-corrected bootstrapping. No mediation effects were found. Implications for educational practice are discussed.
Achievable Rates of Cognitive Radio Networks Using Multi-Layer Coding with Limited CSI

KAUST Repository

Sboui, Lokman

2016-03-01

In a Cognitive Radio (CR) framework, the channel state information (CSI) feedback to the secondary transmitter (SU Tx) can be limited or unavailable. Thus, the statistical model is adopted in order to determine the system performance using the outage concept. In this paper, we adopt a new approach using multi-layer-coding (MLC) strategy, i.e., broadcast approach, to enhance spectrum sharing over fading channels. First, we consider a scenario where the secondary transmitter has no CSI of both the link between SU Tx and the primary receiver (cross-link) and its own link. We show that using MLC improves the cognitive rate compared to the rate provided by a singlelayer- coding (SLC). In addition, we observe numerically that 2-Layer coding achieves most of the gain for Rayleigh fading. Second, we analyze a scenario where SU Tx is provided by partial CSI about its link through quantized CSI. We compute its achievable rate adopting the MLC and highlight the improvement over SLC. Finally, we study the case in which the cross-link is perfect, i.e., a cooperative primary user setting, and compare the performance with the previous cases. We present asymptotic analysis at high power regime and show that the cooperation enhances considerably the cognitive rate at high values of the secondary power budget.

Comparing the performance of different meta-heuristics for unweighted parallel machine scheduling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adamu, Mumuni Osumah

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This article considers the due window scheduling problem to minimise the number of early and tardy jobs on identical parallel machines. This problem is known to be NP complete and thus finding an optimal solution is unlikely. Three meta-heuristics and their hybrids are proposed and extensive computational experiments are conducted. The purpose of this paper is to compare the performance of these meta-heuristics and their hybrids and to determine the best among them. Detailed comparative tests have also been conducted to analyse the different heuristics with the simulated annealing hybrid giving the best result.
The Effect of School Improvement Planning on Student Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Huber, David J.; Conway, James M.

2015-01-01

This study evaluated the hypothesis that schools in Connecticut's Alliance Districts (lowest-performing districts) with higher-quality school improvement plans (SIPs) would have higher levels of student achievement. An exploratory research question evaluated whether SIPs predicted achievement of particular subgroups. SIPs were obtained and scored…
The Stock Performance of C. Everett Koop Award Winners Compared With the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

Science.gov (United States)

Goetzel, Ron Z; Fabius, Raymond; Fabius, Dan; Roemer, Enid C; Thornton, Nicole; Kelly, Rebecca K; Pelletier, Kenneth R

2016-01-01

To explore the link between companies investing in the health and well-being programs of their employees and stock market performance. Stock performance of C. Everett Koop National Health Award winners (n = 26) was measured over time and compared with the average performance of companies comprising the Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500 Index. The Koop Award portfolio outperformed the S&P 500 Index. In the 14-year period tracked (2000-2014), Koop Award winners' stock values appreciated by 325% compared with the market average appreciation of 105%. This study supports prior and ongoing research demonstrating a higher market valuation--an affirmation of business success by Wall Street investors--of socially responsible companies that invest in the health and well-being of their workers when compared with other publicly traded firms.
Achieving Mixtures of Ultra-High Performance Concrete

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mircea POPA

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC is a relatively new concrete. According to [11] UHPC is that concrete which features compressive strength over C100/115 class. Up to this point standards for this type of concrete were not adopted, although its characteristic strength exceeds those specified in [33]. Its main property is high compressive strength. This provides the possibility of reducing the section of elements (beams or columns made of this type of concrete, while the load capacity remains high. The study consists in blending mixtures of UHPC made of varying proportions of materials. The authors have obtained strengths of up to 160 MPa. The materials used are: Portland cement, silica fume, quartz powder, steel fibers, superplasticiser, sand and crushed aggregate for concrete - andesite.
Comparing performance of 30-day readmission risk classifiers among hospitalized primary care patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrison, Gregory M; Robelia, Paul M; Pecina, Jennifer L; Dawson, Nancy L

2017-06-01

Hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge occurs in almost 20% of US Medicare patients and may be a marker of poor quality inpatient care, ineffective hospital to home transitions, or disease severity. Within a patient centered medical home, care transition interventions may only be practical from cost and staffing perspectives if targeted at patients with the greatest risk of readmission. Various scoring algorithms attempt to predict patients at risk for 30-day readmission, but head-to-head comparison of performance is lacking. Compare published scoring algorithms which use generally available electronic medical record data on the same set of hospitalized primary care patients. The LACE index, the LACE+ index, the HOSPITAL score, and the readmission risk score were computed on a consecutive cohort of 26,278 hospital admissions. Classifier performance was assessed by plotting receiver operating characteristic curves comparing the computed score with the actual outcome of death or readmission within 30 days. Statistical significance of differences in performance was assessed using bootstrapping techniques. Correct readmission classification on this cohort was moderate with the following c-statistics: Readmission risk score 0.666; LACE 0.680; LACE+ 0.662; and HOSPITAL 0.675. There was no statistically significant difference in performance between classifiers. Logistic regression based classifiers yield only moderate performance when utilized to predict 30-day readmissions. The task is difficult due to the variety of underlying causes for readmission, nonlinearity, and the arbitrary time period of concern. More sophisticated classification techniques may be necessary to increase performance and allow patient centered medical homes to effectively focus efforts to reduce readmissions. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ghana's achievement in mathematics in TIMSS 2007 | Mereku ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

performance on the international benchmarks also improved significantly. The mathematics score, 309, placed Ghana at the 47th position on the overall mathematics achievement results table when the 48 participating countries, which met the TIMSS sampling requirements, were ranked by their mean performances.
SU-D-206-01: Employing a Novel Consensus Optimization Strategy to Achieve Iterative Cone Beam CT Reconstruction On a Multi-GPU Platform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, B; Tian, Z; Jiang, S; Jia, X; Zhou, L

2016-01-01

Purpose: While compressed sensing-based cone-beam CT (CBCT) iterative reconstruction techniques have demonstrated tremendous capability of reconstructing high-quality images from undersampled noisy data, its long computation time still hinders wide application in routine clinic. The purpose of this study is to develop a reconstruction framework that employs modern consensus optimization techniques to achieve CBCT reconstruction on a multi-GPU platform for improved computational efficiency. Methods: Total projection data were evenly distributed to multiple GPUs. Each GPU performed reconstruction using its own projection data with a conventional total variation regularization approach to ensure image quality. In addition, the solutions from GPUs were subject to a consistency constraint that they should be identical. We solved the optimization problem with all the constraints considered rigorously using an alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm. The reconstruction framework was implemented using OpenCL on a platform with two Nvidia GTX590 GPU cards, each with two GPUs. We studied the performance of our method and demonstrated its advantages through a simulation case with a NCAT phantom and an experimental case with a Catphan phantom. Result: Compared with the CBCT images reconstructed using conventional FDK method with full projection datasets, our proposed method achieved comparable image quality with about one third projection numbers. The computation time on the multi-GPU platform was ∼55 s and ∼ 35 s in the two cases respectively, achieving a speedup factor of ∼ 3.0 compared with single GPU reconstruction. Conclusion: We have developed a consensus ADMM-based CBCT reconstruction method which enabled performing reconstruction on a multi-GPU platform. The achieved efficiency made this method clinically attractive.
SU-D-206-01: Employing a Novel Consensus Optimization Strategy to Achieve Iterative Cone Beam CT Reconstruction On a Multi-GPU Platform

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, B [University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX (United States); Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China); Tian, Z; Jiang, S; Jia, X [University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX (United States); Zhou, L [Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China)

2016-06-15

Purpose: While compressed sensing-based cone-beam CT (CBCT) iterative reconstruction techniques have demonstrated tremendous capability of reconstructing high-quality images from undersampled noisy data, its long computation time still hinders wide application in routine clinic. The purpose of this study is to develop a reconstruction framework that employs modern consensus optimization techniques to achieve CBCT reconstruction on a multi-GPU platform for improved computational efficiency. Methods: Total projection data were evenly distributed to multiple GPUs. Each GPU performed reconstruction using its own projection data with a conventional total variation regularization approach to ensure image quality. In addition, the solutions from GPUs were subject to a consistency constraint that they should be identical. We solved the optimization problem with all the constraints considered rigorously using an alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm. The reconstruction framework was implemented using OpenCL on a platform with two Nvidia GTX590 GPU cards, each with two GPUs. We studied the performance of our method and demonstrated its advantages through a simulation case with a NCAT phantom and an experimental case with a Catphan phantom. Result: Compared with the CBCT images reconstructed using conventional FDK method with full projection datasets, our proposed method achieved comparable image quality with about one third projection numbers. The computation time on the multi-GPU platform was ∼55 s and ∼ 35 s in the two cases respectively, achieving a speedup factor of ∼ 3.0 compared with single GPU reconstruction. Conclusion: We have developed a consensus ADMM-based CBCT reconstruction method which enabled performing reconstruction on a multi-GPU platform. The achieved efficiency made this method clinically attractive.
Comparative Analysis of Performance and Microbial Characteristics Between High-Solid and Low-Solid Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge Under Mesophilic Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Qin; Yi, Jing; Yang, Dianhai

2016-01-01

High-solid anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge achieves highly efficient volatile solid reduction, and production of volatile fatty acid (VFA) and methane compared with conventional low-solid anaerobic digestion. In this study, the potential mechanisms of the better performance in high-solid anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge were investigated by using 454 high-throughput pyrosequencing and real-time PCR to analyze the microbial characteristics in sewage sludge fermentation reactors. The results obtained by 454 high-throughput pyrosequencing revealed that the phyla Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes were the dominant functional microorganisms in high-solid and low-solid anaerobic systems. Meanwhile, the real-time PCR assays showed that high-solid anaerobic digestion significantly increased the number of total bacteria, which enhanced the hydrolysis and acidification of sewage sludge. Further study indicated that the number of total archaea (dominated by Methanosarcina) in a high-solid anaerobic fermentation reactor was also higher than that in a low-solid reactor, resulting in higher VFA consumption and methane production. Hence, the increased key bacteria and methanogenic archaea involved in sewage sludge hydrolysis, acidification, and methanogenesis resulted in the better performance of high-solid anaerobic sewage sludge fermentation.
Self-Concept Predicts Academic Achievement Across Levels of the Achievement Distribution: Domain Specificity for Math and Reading.

Science.gov (United States)

Susperreguy, Maria Ines; Davis-Kean, Pamela E; Duckworth, Kathryn; Chen, Meichu

2017-09-18

This study examines whether self-concept of ability in math and reading predicts later math and reading attainment across different levels of achievement. Data from three large-scale longitudinal data sets, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development-Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, and Panel Study of Income Dynamics-Child Development Supplement, were used to answer this question by employing quantile regression analyses. After controlling for demographic variables, child characteristics, and early ability, the findings indicate that self-concept of ability in math and reading predicts later achievement in each respective domain across all quantile levels of achievement. These results were replicated across the three data sets representing different populations and provide robust evidence for the role of self-concept of ability in understanding achievement from early childhood to adolescence across the spectrum of performance (low to high). © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.
Comparative performance evaluation of automated segmentation methods of hippocampus from magnetic resonance images of temporal lobe epilepsy patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosseini, Mohammad-Parsa; Nazem-Zadeh, Mohammad-Reza; Pompili, Dario; Jafari-Khouzani, Kourosh; Elisevich, Kost; Soltanian-Zadeh, Hamid

2016-01-01

Segmentation of the hippocampus from magnetic resonance (MR) images is a key task in the evaluation of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) patients. Several automated algorithms have been proposed although manual segmentation remains the benchmark. Choosing a reliable algorithm is problematic since structural definition pertaining to multiple edges, missing and fuzzy boundaries, and shape changes varies among mTLE subjects. Lack of statistical references and guidance for quantifying the reliability and reproducibility of automated techniques has further detracted from automated approaches. The purpose of this study was to develop a systematic and statistical approach using a large dataset for the evaluation of automated methods and establish a method that would achieve results better approximating those attained by manual tracing in the epileptogenic hippocampus. A template database of 195 (81 males, 114 females; age range 32-67 yr, mean 49.16 yr) MR images of mTLE patients was used in this study. Hippocampal segmentation was accomplished manually and by two well-known tools (FreeSurfer and hammer) and two previously published methods developed at their institution [Automatic brain structure segmentation (ABSS) and LocalInfo]. To establish which method was better performing for mTLE cases, several voxel-based, distance-based, and volume-based performance metrics were considered. Statistical validations of the results using automated techniques were compared with the results of benchmark manual segmentation. Extracted metrics were analyzed to find the method that provided a more similar result relative to the benchmark. Among the four automated methods, ABSS generated the most accurate results. For this method, the Dice coefficient was 5.13%, 14.10%, and 16.67% higher, Hausdorff was 22.65%, 86.73%, and 69.58% lower, precision was 4.94%, -4.94%, and 12.35% higher, and the root mean square (RMS) was 19.05%, 61.90%, and 65.08% lower than LocalInfo, FreeSurfer, and
Achievement goals, social goals, and motivational regulations in physical education settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Cecchini Estrada, José A; González González-Mesa, Carmen; Méndez-Giménez, Antonio; Fernández-Río, Javier

2011-02-01

This study examined the relationship between achievement and social goals, and explored how both goals affect students' level of informed self-determination in Physical Education. Participants were 395 high school students. Three scales were used to assess achievement, social goals, and motivation. Several hierarchical regression analyses revealed that mastery-approach goals were the greatest contributors to the individuals' levels of self-determination. Achievement and social goals were found to be separate predictors of students' levels of self-determination, and this highlights the importance of separating mastery and performance goals into avoidance and approach profiles. Girls reported significantly higher values than boys on responsibility, relationship, and mastery-avoidance goals, whereas boys scored higher on performance-approach goals. Researchers could use achievement and social goals to study students' motivation and achievement in Physical Education settings.
Comparing Interval Management Control Laws for Steady-State Errors and String Stability

Science.gov (United States)

Weitz, Lesley A.; Swieringa, Kurt A.

2018-01-01

Interval Management (IM) is a future airborne spacing concept that leverages avionics to provide speed guidance to an aircraft to achieve and maintain a specified spacing interval from another aircraft. The design of a speed control law to achieve the spacing goal is a key aspect in the research and development of the IM concept. In this paper, two control laws that are used in much of the contemporary IM research are analyzed and compared to characterize steady-state errors and string stability. Numerical results are used to illustrate how the choice of control laws gains impacts the size of steady-state errors and string performance and the potential trade-offs between those performance characteristics.
Comparative productivity performance in manufacturing in South and East Asia, 1960–93

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmer, M.P.; Szirmai, A.

1999-01-01

This paper focuses on comparative productivity performance in manufacturing in five major Asian economies: China, India, Indonesia, Korea and Taiwan. Using conversion factors derived according to an industry of origin approach, comparisons of real labour productivity are made, with the world
Achieving compliance when legal sanctions are non-deterrent

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tyran, Jean-Robert; Feld, Lars P.

2006-01-01

Law backed by nondeterrent sanctions (mild law) has been hypothesized to achieve compliance because of norm activation. We experimentally investigate the effects of mild law in the provision of public goods by comparing it to severe law (deterrent sanctions) and no law. The results show that exog......Law backed by nondeterrent sanctions (mild law) has been hypothesized to achieve compliance because of norm activation. We experimentally investigate the effects of mild law in the provision of public goods by comparing it to severe law (deterrent sanctions) and no law. The results show...... that exogenously imposing mild law does not achieve compliance, but compliance is much improved if mild law is endogenously chosen, i.e., selfimposed. We show that voting for mild law induces expectations of cooperation, and that people tend to comply with the law if they expect many others to do so...
Comparative environmental performance of lignocellulosic ethanol from different feedstocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonzalez-Garcia, Sara; Moreira, M. Teresa; Feijoo, Gumersindo [Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

2010-09-15

A renewable biofuel economy is projected as a pathway to decrease dependence on fossil fuels as well as to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. Ethanol produced on large-scale from lignocellulosic raw materials is considered the most potential next generation automotive fuel. In this paper, a Life Cycle Assessment model was developed to evaluate the environmental implications of the production of ethanol from five lignocellulosic materials: alfalfa stems, poplar, Ethiopian mustard, flax shives and hemp hurds and its use in passenger cars. Two ethanol-based fuel applications, E10 (a mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline by volume) and E85 (85% ethanol and 15% gasoline by volume) were assessed and the results were compared to those of conventional gasoline (CG) in an equivalent car. The environmental performance was assessed in terms of fossil fuels requirements, global warming, photochemical oxidant formation, acidification and eutrophication by means of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology in order to identify the best environmental friendly lignocellulosic source. The results show that, compared to CG, life cycle greenhouse gases emissions are lower for etanol blends, specifically up to 145% lower for E85-fueled car derived from Ethiopian mustard. This crop is also the best option in terms of eutrophying emissions regardless the ratio of ethanol in the blend. In the remaining impact categories, other feedstocks are considered beneficial, that is, poplar in the case of photochemical oxidants formation and flax shives for acidification. Concerning fossil fuels requirements, decreases up to 10% and 63% for E10 and E85 derived from hemp hurds and Ethiopian mustard, respectively, were obtained. According to the results, the study clearly demonstrates the importance of using low intensive energy and high biomass yield crops. LCA procedure helps to identify the key areas in the ethanol production life cycle where the researchers and technicians need to work
Attribution Theory in Science Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Craig, Martin

2013-01-01

Recent research reveals consistent lags in American students' science achievement scores. Not only are the scores lower in the United States compared to other developed nations, but even within the United States, too many students are well below science proficiency scores for their grade levels. The current research addresses this problem by…
An Evaluation of PET Using Extant Achievement Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Mandeville, Garrett K.

Data gathered under various statewide testing programs in South Carolina were used to assess the effects of PET (data base) training for teachers on student achievement. Reading and mathematics achievement data for students in grades 1 through 4 in South Carolina were compared for teachers who had received PET training and those who did not. A…
The Achievement Ideology and Whiteness: "Achieving Whiteness" or "Achieving Middle Class?"

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Ricky Lee

Over the past few decades, social reproduction theorists have criticized achievement ideology as a dominant and dominating myth that hides the true nature of class immobility. Social reproductionists' primary criticism of achievement ideology is that it blinds the working class, regardless of race or gender, to the possibilities of collective…
The Stock Performance of C. Everett Koop Award Winners Compared With the Standard & Poor's 500 Index

Science.gov (United States)

Goetzel, Ron Z.; Fabius, Raymond; Fabius, Dan; Roemer, Enid C.; Thornton, Nicole; Kelly, Rebecca K.; Pelletier, Kenneth R.

2016-01-01

Objective: To explore the link between companies investing in the health and well-being programs of their employees and stock market performance. Methods: Stock performance of C. Everett Koop National Health Award winners (n = 26) was measured over time and compared with the average performance of companies comprising the Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500 Index. Results: The Koop Award portfolio outperformed the S&P 500 Index. In the 14-year period tracked (2000–2014), Koop Award winners’ stock values appreciated by 325% compared with the market average appreciation of 105%. Conclusions: This study supports prior and ongoing research demonstrating a higher market valuation—an affirmation of business success by Wall Street investors—of socially responsible companies that invest in the health and well-being of their workers when compared with other publicly traded firms. PMID:26716843

Self-Concept and Achievement Motivation of Cadets in the Russian Interio Ministry Troops According to the Deviance Disposition: Comparative Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. I. Dorfman

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The demand for the moral psychological training in military higher schools is enforced by the changing situation both in our country and globally. The potential officers should posses such qualities as fortitude, stability, self-regulation, self-direction, and ability to restrain the undesirable emotions. The paper deals with the psychological investigation of motivational profile of junior cadets at the Military Higher School of the Russian Interior Ministry Troops. The author undertakes the comparative analysis of the cadets’ psychological resistance to adverse situations according to the deviance disposition level. The research methodology combines the psychometrical approach, meta-individual world concept and plural self theory. The research objectives include: studying the self-concept and poly-modal achievement motives of cadets; and comparative analysis of their personal traits with regard to their deviance disposition level – explicit or implicit. The research findings can be applied by psychologists and personnel officers in military higher schools of the Russian Interior Ministry for diagnosing the deviance disposition and its prevention. The materials can be implied in further investigation of personal motivational profiles of potential officers.
Comparative Visual Analysis of Structure-Performance Relations in Complex Bulk-Heterojunction Morphologies

KAUST Repository

Aboulhassan, A.

2017-07-04

The structure of Bulk-Heterojunction (BHJ) materials, the main component of organic photovoltaic solar cells, is very complex, and the relationship between structure and performance is still largely an open question. Overall, there is a wide spectrum of fabrication configurations resulting in different BHJ morphologies and correspondingly different performances. Current state-of-the-art methods for assessing the performance of BHJ morphologies are either based on global quantification of morphological features or simply on visual inspection of the morphology based on experimental imaging. This makes finding optimal BHJ structures very challenging. Moreover, finding the optimal fabrication parameters to get an optimal structure is still an open question. In this paper, we propose a visual analysis framework to help answer these questions through comparative visualization and parameter space exploration for local morphology features. With our approach, we enable scientists to explore multivariate correlations between local features and performance indicators of BHJ morphologies. Our framework is built on shape-based clustering of local cubical regions of the morphology that we call patches. This enables correlating the features of clusters with intuition-based performance indicators computed from geometrical and topological features of charge paths.
Comparative Visual Analysis of Structure-Performance Relations in Complex Bulk-Heterojunction Morphologies

KAUST Repository

Aboulhassan, A.; Sicat, R.; Baum, D.; Wodo, O.; Hadwiger, Markus

2017-01-01

The structure of Bulk-Heterojunction (BHJ) materials, the main component of organic photovoltaic solar cells, is very complex, and the relationship between structure and performance is still largely an open question. Overall, there is a wide spectrum of fabrication configurations resulting in different BHJ morphologies and correspondingly different performances. Current state-of-the-art methods for assessing the performance of BHJ morphologies are either based on global quantification of morphological features or simply on visual inspection of the morphology based on experimental imaging. This makes finding optimal BHJ structures very challenging. Moreover, finding the optimal fabrication parameters to get an optimal structure is still an open question. In this paper, we propose a visual analysis framework to help answer these questions through comparative visualization and parameter space exploration for local morphology features. With our approach, we enable scientists to explore multivariate correlations between local features and performance indicators of BHJ morphologies. Our framework is built on shape-based clustering of local cubical regions of the morphology that we call patches. This enables correlating the features of clusters with intuition-based performance indicators computed from geometrical and topological features of charge paths.
Using hierarchical linear growth models to evaluate protective mechanisms that mediate science achievement

Science.gov (United States)

von Secker, Clare Elaine

The study of students at risk is a major topic of science education policy and discussion. Much research has focused on describing conditions and problems associated with the statistical risk of low science achievement among individuals who are members of groups characterized by problems such as poverty and social disadvantage. But outcomes attributed to these factors do not explain the nature and extent of mechanisms that account for differences in performance among individuals at risk. There is ample theoretical and empirical evidence that demographic differences should be conceptualized as social contexts, or collections of variables, that alter the psychological significance and social demands of life events, and affect subsequent relationships between risk and resilience. The hierarchical linear growth models used in this dissertation provide greater specification of the role of social context and the protective effects of attitude, expectations, parenting practices, peer influences, and learning opportunities on science achievement. While the individual influences of these protective factors on science achievement were small, their cumulative effect was substantial. Meta-analysis conducted on the effects associated with psychological and environmental processes that mediate risk mechanisms in sixteen social contexts revealed twenty-two significant differences between groups of students. Positive attitudes, high expectations, and more intense science course-taking had positive effects on achievement of all students, although these factors were not equally protective in all social contexts. In general, effects associated with authoritative parenting and peer influences were negative, regardless of social context. An evaluation comparing the performance and stability of hierarchical linear growth models with traditional repeated measures models is included as well.
Error Patterns with Fraction Calculations at Fourth Grade as a Function of Students' Mathematics Achievement Status.

Science.gov (United States)

Schumacher, Robin F; Malone, Amelia S

2017-09-01

The goal of the present study was to describe fraction-calculation errors among 4 th -grade students and determine whether error patterns differed as a function of problem type (addition vs. subtraction; like vs. unlike denominators), orientation (horizontal vs. vertical), or mathematics-achievement status (low- vs. average- vs. high-achieving). We specifically addressed whether mathematics-achievement status was related to students' tendency to operate with whole number bias. We extended this focus by comparing low-performing students' errors in two instructional settings that focused on two different types of fraction understandings: core instruction that focused on part-whole understanding vs. small-group tutoring that focused on magnitude understanding. Results showed students across the sample were more likely to operate with whole number bias on problems with unlike denominators. Students with low or average achievement (who only participated in core instruction) were more likely to operate with whole number bias than students with low achievement who participated in small-group tutoring. We suggest instruction should emphasize magnitude understanding to sufficiently increase fraction understanding for all students in the upper elementary grades.
Internet gaming disorder in Lebanon: Relationships with age, sleep habits, and academic achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawi, Nazir S; Samaha, Maya; Griffiths, Mark D

2018-03-01

Background and aims The latest (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders included Internet gaming disorder (IGD) as a disorder that needs further research among different general populations. In line with this recommendation, the primary objective of this was to explore the relationships between IGD, sleep habits, and academic achievement in Lebanese adolescents. Methods Lebanese high-school students (N = 524, 47.9% males) participated in a paper survey that included the Internet Gaming Disorder Test and demographic information. The sample's mean average age was 16.2 years (SD = 1.0). Results The pooled prevalence of IGD was 9.2% in the sample. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis demonstrated that IGD was associated with being younger, lesser sleep, and lower academic achievement. While more casual online gamers also played offline, all the gamers with IGD reported playing online only. Those with IGD slept significantly less hours per night (5 hr) compared with casual online gamers (7 hr). The school grade average of gamers with IGD was the lowest among all groups of gamers, and below the passing school grade average. Conclusions These findings shed light on sleep disturbances and poor academic achievement in relation to Lebanese adolescents identified with IGD. Students who are not performing well at schools should be monitored for their IGD when assessing the different factors behind their low academic performance.
Relationship Among Achievement Motivation, Self-Esteem, Locus of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The thrust of the study was to examine the relationship among achievement motivation, self-esteem, locus of control and academic performance of university students in a Nigerian University. The purpose was to determine the extent university student\\'s academic performance was influenced by these criterion variables.
Regional Educational Performance Patterns in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Péter Radó

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The paper aims to contribute to the assessment of the contextual relevance of various educational policies through an analysis of three aspects of the performance profiles of European countries: participation, the quality of learning outcomes and the equity of learning outcomes. Comparative analysis of international student achievement assessment surveys and statistical data reveals three European performance patterns: the compensative education systems of North and Northwest Europe, the selective education systems of Central Europe and the attritional education systems of Southeast Europe. On the basis of the identified performance patterns, the paper provides a brief outline of major trends within the Central and Southeast European regions, shares reflections on the alignment of policies that fit the distinct context of the two regions and offers a conceptual framework for further comparative research.
[Teaching performance assessment in Public Health employing three different strategies].

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-González, Adrián; Moreno-Altamirano, Laura; Ponce-Rosas, Efrén Raúl; Martínez-Franco, Adrián Israel; Urrutia-Aguilar, María Esther

2011-01-01

The educational system depends upon the quality and performance of their faculty and should therefore be process of continuous improvement. To assess the teaching performance of the Public Health professors, at the Faculty of Medicine, UNAM through three strategies. Justification study. The evaluation was conducted under a mediational model through three strategies: students' opinion assessment, self-assessment and students' academic achievement. We applied descriptive statistics, Student t test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation. Twenty professors were evaluated from the Public Health department, representing 57% of all them who teach the subject. The professor's performance was highly valued self-assessment compared with assessment of student opinion, was confirmed by statistical analysis the difference was significant. The difference amongst the three evaluation strategies became more evident between self-assessment and the scores obtained by students in their academic achievement. The integration of these three strategies offers a more complete view of the teacher's performance quality. Academic achievement appears to be a more objective strategy for teaching performance assessment than students' opinion and self-assessment.
The Effect of Subconscious Performance Goals on Academic Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Bipp, Tanja; Kleingeld, Ad; van Mierlo, Heleen; Kunde, Wilfried

2017-01-01

We investigated the impact of subconscious goals on academic performance in two field experiments. We show that unobtrusive priming of goals with regard to achievement motivation by means of a photograph improves performance in different educational contexts. High-school students who were exposed to an achievement-related photograph achieved…
Evaluation of the Achieve Mapping Catheter in cryoablation for atrial fibrillation: a prospective randomized trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Gang, Yi; Gonna, Hanney; Domenichini, Giulia; Sampson, Michael; Aryan, Niloufar; Norman, Mark; Behr, Elijah R; Zuberi, Zia; Dhillon, Paramdeep; Gallagher, Mark M

2016-03-01

The purpose of this study is to establish the role of Achieve Mapping Catheter in cryoablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) in a randomized trial. A total of 102 patients undergoing their first ablation for PAF were randomized at 2:1 to an Achieve- or Lasso-guided procedure. Study patients were systematically followed up for 12 months with Holter monitoring. Primary study endpoint was acute procedure success. Secondary endpoint was clinical outcomes assessed by AF free at 6 and 12 months after the procedure. Of 102 participants, 99 % of acute procedure success was achieved. Significantly shorter procedure duration with the Achieve-guided group than with the Lasso-guided group (118 ± 18 vs. 129 ± 21 min, p < 0.05) was observed as was the duration of fluoroscopy (17 ± 5 vs. 20 ± 7 min, p < 0.05) by subgroup analysis focused on procedures performed by experienced operators. In the whole study patients, procedure and fluoroscopic durations were similar in the Achieve- (n = 68) and Lasso-guided groups (n = 34). Transient phrenic nerve weakening was equally prevalent with the Achieve and Lasso. No association was found between clinical outcomes and the mapping catheter used. The use of second-generation cryoballoon (n = 68) reduced procedure time significantly compared to the first-generation balloon (n = 34); more patients were free of AF in the former than the latter group during follow-up. The use of the Achieve Mapping Catheter can reduce procedure and fluoroscopic durations compared with Lasso catheters in cryoablation for PAF after operators gained sufficient experience. The type of mapping catheter used does not affect procedure efficiency and safety by models of cryoballoon.
Self-esteem and academic achievement: a comparative study of adolescent students in England and the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Booth, Margaret Zoller; Gerard, Jean M.

2012-01-01

Utilizing mixed methodology, this paper investigates the relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement for young adolescents within two Western cultural contexts: the United States and England. Quantitative and qualitative data from 86 North American and 86 British adolescents were utilized to examine the links between self-esteem and academic achievement from the beginning to the end of their academic year during their 11th–12th year of age. For both samples, quantitative results demonstrated that fall self-esteem was related to multiple indicators of later year academic achievement. While country differences emerge by the end of the year, math appears to have a consistent relationship with self-esteem in both country contexts. Qualitative analyses found some support for British students’ self-perceptions as more accurately reflecting their academic experience than the students from the United States. PMID:24068853
Comparative Cooling Season Performance of Air Distribution Systems in Multistory Townhomes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poerschke, A. [IBACOS, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Beach, R. [IBACOS, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Beggs, T. [IBACOS, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

2016-08-26

IBACOS investigated the performance of a small-diameter high velocity heat pump system compared to a conventional system in a new construction triplex townhouse. A ductless heat pump system also was installed for comparison, but the homebuyer backed out because of aesthetic concerns about that system. In total, two buildings, having identical solar orientation and comprised of six townhomes, were monitored for comfort and energy performance. Results show that the small-diameter system provides more uniform temperatures from floor to floor in the three-story townhome. No clear energy consumption benefit was observed from either system. The builder is continuing to explore the small-diameter system as its new standard system to provide better comfort and indoor air quality. The homebuilder also explored the possibility of shifting its townhome product to meet the U.S. Department of Energy Challenge Home National Program Requirements.
Predicting Arithmetical Achievement from Neuro-Psychological Performance: A Longitudinal Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fayol, Michel; Barrouillet, Pierre; Marinthe, Catherine

1998-01-01

Assessed whether performances of 5- and 6-year olds in arithmetic tests can be predicted from their performances in neuropsychological tests. Participants completed neuropsychological, drawing, and arithmetic tests at 5 and 6 years of age. Findings at older age were correctly assumed by conclusions of first evaluation. (LBT)
Comparison of Pharmaceutical Calculations Learning Outcomes Achieved Within a Traditional Lecture or Flipped Classroom Andragogy

Science.gov (United States)

Frazier, Lisa; Anderson, Stephanie L.; Stanton, Robert; Gillette, Chris; Broedel-Zaugg, Kim; Yingling, Kevin

2017-01-01

Objective. To compare learning outcomes achieved from a pharmaceutical calculations course taught in a traditional lecture (lecture model) and a flipped classroom (flipped model). Methods. Students were randomly assigned to the lecture model and the flipped model. Course instructors, content, assessments, and instructional time for both models were equivalent. Overall group performance and pass rates on a standardized assessment (Pcalc OSCE) were compared at six weeks and at six months post-course completion. Results. Student mean exam scores in the flipped model were higher than those in the lecture model at six weeks and six months later. Significantly more students passed the OSCE the first time in the flipped model at six weeks; however, this effect was not maintained at six months. Conclusion. Within a 6 week course of study, use of a flipped classroom improves student pharmacy calculation skill achievement relative to a traditional lecture andragogy. Further study is needed to determine if the effect is maintained over time. PMID:28630511
Comparison of Pharmaceutical Calculations Learning Outcomes Achieved Within a Traditional Lecture or Flipped Classroom Andragogy.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, H Glenn; Frazier, Lisa; Anderson, Stephanie L; Stanton, Robert; Gillette, Chris; Broedel-Zaugg, Kim; Yingling, Kevin

2017-05-01

Objective. To compare learning outcomes achieved from a pharmaceutical calculations course taught in a traditional lecture (lecture model) and a flipped classroom (flipped model). Methods. Students were randomly assigned to the lecture model and the flipped model. Course instructors, content, assessments, and instructional time for both models were equivalent. Overall group performance and pass rates on a standardized assessment (Pcalc OSCE) were compared at six weeks and at six months post-course completion. Results. Student mean exam scores in the flipped model were higher than those in the lecture model at six weeks and six months later. Significantly more students passed the OSCE the first time in the flipped model at six weeks; however, this effect was not maintained at six months. Conclusion. Within a 6 week course of study, use of a flipped classroom improves student pharmacy calculation skill achievement relative to a traditional lecture andragogy. Further study is needed to determine if the effect is maintained over time.
Reports on research achievements in developing high-performance industrial furnaces in fiscal 1998 (Research and development of high-performance industrial furnaces). Volume 1; 1998 nendo koseino kogyoro nado ni kansuru kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho. 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-03-01

From the reports on research achievements in developing high-performance industrial furnaces in fiscal 1998, the report volume 1 was prepared as a research achievement report of each working group, detailing fundamental researches, heating furnaces, and heat treatment furnaces. The fundamental researches have researched combustion evaluating technology, characteristics of the area in the vicinity of a combustor, characteristics of combustion of high-temperature air, heating characteristics of a furnace to investigate effect of local heat absorption, and combustion evaluation. For the heating furnaces, the following subjects were studied: development of an in-furnace combustion model, summary of an experiment for evaluating high-temperature air combustion, furnace height relative to combustion heat transfer characteristics, heat loss minimizing technology, combustion heat transfer characteristics of liquid fuels, optimal operation of the high-temperature air combustion, basic control in heating control, and steel piece heating control. Studies were performed for the heat treatment furnaces on the case of a direct firing furnace in evaluating the heat transfer characteristics, the case of a radiant tube furnace, application of thermal fluid simulation technology, furnace averaging technology, soot reducing technology, control technology, and trial design on a high-performance heat treatment furnace. (NEDO)
TOP PRIORITI QMS PRINCIPLES FOR ACHIEVING BUSINESS EXCELLENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandar Vujović

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The main target of this paper is to select top priority principles of QMS for achieving business excellence. This could be done from the standpoint of significant of principles. That means that. organization should make more attention to this principles in the way for making excellent results. This paper has been developed as a tendency of researchers in the Center for quality-Faculty of mechanical engineering in Podgorica to establish a model for improvement of business processes performances based on quality management system through comparison with top organizational performances characterized by criteria i.e. particularities of the business excellence model. Correlation of principles of the quality management system with QMS principles has been established to that effect. Weight coefficients have been also determined for each principle individually. Thereby key principles were identified, namely priorities in terms of achieving business excellence i.e. areas (principles were given priorities, that is to say principles that play the biggest part in achieving business excellence.
Student Perceptions of High-Achieving Classmates

Science.gov (United States)

Händel, Marion; Vialle, Wilma; Ziegler, Albert

2013-01-01

The reported study investigated students' perceptions of their high-performing classmates in terms of intelligence, social skills, and conscientiousness in different school subjects. The school subjects for study were examined with regard to cognitive, physical, and gender-specific issues. The results show that high academic achievements in…
Achieving transparency in the total system performance assessment of a potential high level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, J.; Rickertsen, L.; Cotton, T.

1999-01-01

This paper has presented an approach to quantitative assessment of the degree of postclosure defense-in-depth provided by the reference system of the VA (Viability Assessment). This approach identifies principal barriers, assesses barriers for common uncertainty and failure mode, conducts barrier neutralization analyses, and evaluates overall defense-in-depth. The neutralization approach of step 3 is particularly useful in untangling the contributions of various barriers to the results calculated by performance assessments. In fact, it provides the only way of assessing the contribution of barriers that are fully redundant with one another. The approach has been applied to the VA reference system. It shows how the natural transport barriers contribute to performance of the system. Since their individual contributions are redundant, uncertainties in those individual contributions are reduced in importance. The analyses also suggest uncertainties common to both of these barriers are important to the safety assessment. Thus, the approach appears to be capable of determining the contribution of the principal barriers to system performance. The ability to use performance assessment to show not only how the repository system is expected to perform, but also how it achieves that performance, should contribute substantially towards providing needed transparency to the safety case for a geologic repository. It is also a valuable tool during the development of the repository design and associated safety case, by identifying areas in which performance would be enhanced by increased redundancy

Achieving cost/performance balance ratio using tiered storage caching techniques: A case study with CephFS

Science.gov (United States)

Poat, M. D.; Lauret, J.

2017-10-01

As demand for widely accessible storage capacity increases and usage is on the rise, steady IO performance is desired but tends to suffer within multi-user environments. Typical deployments use standard hard drives as the cost per/GB is quite low. On the other hand, HDD based solutions for storage is not known to scale well with process concurrency and soon enough, high rate of IOPs create a “random access” pattern killing performance. Though not all SSDs are alike, SSDs are an established technology often used to address this exact “random access” problem. In this contribution, we will first discuss the IO performance of many different SSD drives (tested in a comparable and standalone manner). We will then be discussing the performance and integrity of at least three low-level disk caching techniques (Flashcache, dm-cache, and bcache) including individual policies, procedures, and IO performance. Furthermore, the STAR online computing infrastructure currently hosts a POSIX-compliant Ceph distributed storage cluster - while caching is not a native feature of CephFS (only exists in the Ceph Object store), we will show how one can implement a caching mechanism profiting from an implementation at a lower level. As our illustration, we will present our CephFS setup, IO performance tests, and overall experience from such configuration. We hope this work will service the community’s interest for using disk-caching mechanisms with applicable uses such as distributed storage systems and seeking an overall IO performance gain.
Assessing the performance of Dutch local energy companies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blokhuis, Erik; Advokaat, Bart; Schaefer, Wim

2012-01-01

According to binding European Union agreements, the Netherlands has to cover at least 14% of its total energy use with renewable energy sources by 2020. However, the share of renewable energy in the Netherlands is small and hardly increasing. In 2010, renewable energy in the Netherlands accounted for only 3.8% of the national energy use, and has decreased with 0.4% compared to 2009. A cause of the stagnating renewable energy generation in the Netherlands is the absence of a nation-wide, clear and consistent long-term policy on the introduction of renewable energy. In order to overcome the current standstill in renewable energy adoption, several Dutch municipalities take the initiative and establish Local Energy Companies (LECs). However, to date, it is unclear which LEC type performs best. This research aims to compare the performance of existing LECs on three aspects: technology, finance, and organization. Furthermore, the performance of existing LECs is compared with theoretical reference LECs, in order to estimate efficiencies and opportunities for improvements. Finally, the influence of the recent changes in the Dutch subsidy scheme on LEC performance is examined. In order to achieve these aims, the benchmark method Data Envelopment Analysis is employed. - Highlights: ► Dutch Local Energy Companies (LECs) producing heat perform best in cost efficiency. ► Technical efficiency is highest in Dutch Local Energy Companies employing wind energy. ► Theoretical assumptions concerning LEC performance are not yet achieved in practice. ► The self supply model adds to the profitability of LECs, independent from subsidies. ► Recent changes in Dutch subsidy schemes add little to LECs’ financial performance.
Flipping College Algebra: Effects on Student Engagement and Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Ichinose, Cherie; Clinkenbeard, Jennifer

2016-01-01

This study compared student engagement and achievement levels between students enrolled in a traditional college algebra lecture course and students enrolled in a "flipped" course. Results showed that students in the flipped class had consistently higher levels of achievement throughout the course than did students in the traditional…
How Do Student Prior Achievement and Homework Behaviors Relate to Perceived Parental Involvement in Homework?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José C. Núñez

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This study investigated how students’ prior achievement is related to their homework behaviors (i.e., time spent on homework, homework time management, and amount of homework, and to their perceptions of parental involvement in homework (i.e., parental control and parental support. A total of 1250 secondary students from 7 to 10th grade participated in the study. Structural equation models were fitted to the data, compared, and a partial mediation model was chosen. The results indicated that students’ prior academic performance was significantly associated with both of the students’ homework variables, with direct and indirect results linking achievement and homework behaviors with perceived parental control and support behaviors about homework. Low-achieving students, in particular, perceived more parental control of homework in the secondary grades. These results, together with those of previous research, suggest a recursive relationship between secondary school students’ achievement and their perceptions of parental involvement in homework, which represents the process of student learning and family engagement over time. Study limitations and educational implications are discussed.
Acting performance and flow state enhanced with sensory-motor rhythm neurofeedback comparing ecologically valid immersive VR and training screen scenarios.

Science.gov (United States)

Gruzelier, John; Inoue, Atsuko; Smart, Roger; Steed, Anthony; Steffert, Tony

2010-08-16

Actors were trained in sensory-motor rhythm (SMR) neurofeedback interfaced with a computer rendition of a theatre auditorium. Enhancement of SMR led to changes in the lighting while inhibition of theta and high beta led to a reduction in intrusive audience noise. Participants were randomised to a virtual reality (VR) representation in a ReaCTor, with surrounding image projection seen through glasses, or to a 2D computer screen, which is the conventional neurofeedback medium. In addition there was a no-training comparison group. Acting performance was evaluated by three experts from both filmed, studio monologues and Hamlet excerpts on the stage of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Neurofeedback learning reached an asymptote earlier as did identification of the required mental state following training in the ReaCTor training compared with the computer screen, though groups reached the same asymptote. These advantages were paralleled by higher ratings of acting performance overall, well-rounded performance, and especially the creativity subscale including imaginative expression, conviction and characterisation. On the Flow State scales both neurofeedback groups scored higher than the no-training controls on self-ratings of sense of control, confidence and feeling at-one. This is the first demonstration of enhancement of artistic performance with eyes-open neurofeedback training, previously demonstrated only with eyes-closed slow-wave training. Efficacy is attributed to psychological engagement through the ecologically relevant learning context of the acting-space, putatively allowing transfer to the real world otherwise achieved with slow-wave training through imaginative visualisation. The immersive VR technology was more successful than a 2D rendition. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Computer Assisted Project-Based Instruction: The Effects on Science Achievement, Computer Achievement and Portfolio Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Erdogan, Yavuz; Dede, Dinçer

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of computer assisted project-based instruction on learners' achievement in a science and technology course, in a computer course and in portfolio development. With this aim in mind, a quasi-experimental design was used and a sample of 70 seventh grade secondary school students from Org. Esref…
Influence Model Assisted Learning Cycle Mind Map to Achievement Physics Laboratory Judging from the performance Grade VIII SMPN 1 Rejoso Pasuruan

OpenAIRE

Ary Analisa Rahma

2014-01-01

Pengaruh Model Siklus Belajar Berbantuan Mind Map terhadap Prestasi Belajar Fisika Ditinjau dari Kinerja Laboratorium Siswa Kelas VIII SMPN 1 Rejoso Kabupaten Pasuruan Abstract: This study aimed to examine the effect of the learning cycle models aided the mind map on the learning achievement in terms of the performance of laboratory physics class VIII student on light material in SMP Negeri 1 Rejoso Pasuruan. This study is a quasi-experimental research. The research design used is a 2 x 2...
National Board Certified Teachers andTheir Students' Achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leslie G. Vandevoort

2004-09-01

Full Text Available Contemporary research on teaching indicates that teachers are powerful contributors to students’ academic achievement, though the set and interrelationships of characteristics that make for high-quality and effective teaching have yet to be satisfactorily determined. Nevertheless, on the basis of the extant research and a vision of exemplary teaching, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards stipulated a definition of a superior teacher. The Board did this without empirical evidence to support their claim that teachers’ who meet the standards set by the Board were superior in promoting academic achievement to those who did not meet those standards. In the 17 years since the founding of the National Board, only a few empirical studies have addressed this important issue. In this study we compare the academic performance of students in the elementary classrooms of 35 National Board Certified teachers and their non-certified peers, in 14 Arizona school districts. Board Certified teachers and their principals provide additional information about these teachers and their schools. Four years of results from the Stanford Achievement Tests in reading, mathematics and language arts, in grades three through six, were analyzed. In the 48 comparisons (four grades, four years of data, three measures of academic performance, using gain scores adjusted for students’ entering ability, the students in the classes of National Board Certified Teachers surpassed students in the classrooms of non-Board certified teachers in almost threequarters of the comparisons. Almost one-third of these differences were statistically significant. In the cases where the students of non-Board certified teachers gained more in an academic year, none of the differences found were statistically significant. Effect size, translated into grade equivalents, informs us that the gains made by students of Board Certified teachers were over one month greater than the
Comparative Performance Analysis of Different Fingerprint Biometric Scanners for Patient Matching.

Science.gov (United States)

Kasiiti, Noah; Wawira, Judy; Purkayastha, Saptarshi; Were, Martin C

2017-01-01

Unique patient identification within health services is an operational challenge in healthcare settings. Use of key identifiers, such as patient names, hospital identification numbers, national ID, and birth date are often inadequate for ensuring unique patient identification. In addition approximate string comparator algorithms, such as distance-based algorithms, have proven suboptimal for improving patient matching, especially in low-resource settings. Biometric approaches may improve unique patient identification. However, before implementing the technology in a given setting, such as health care, the right scanners should be rigorously tested to identify an optimal package for the implementation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of factors such as resolution, template size, and scan capture area on the matching performance of different fingerprint scanners for use within health care settings. Performance analysis of eight different scanners was tested using the demo application distributed as part of the Neurotech Verifinger SDK 6.0.
The Relationship between P3 Amplitude and Working Memory Performance Differs in Young and Older Adults

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Saliasi, Emi; Geerligs, Linda; Lorist, Monicque M.; Maurits, Natasha M.

2013-01-01

While some elderly show deteriorations in cognitive performance, others achieve performance levels comparable to young adults. To examine whether age-related changes in brain activity varied with working memory performance efficiency, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) from young and older
Comparative Performance Analysis of Coarse Solvers for Algebraic Multigrid on Multicore and Manycore Architectures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Druinsky, A; Ghysels, P; Li, XS; Marques, O; Williams, S; Barker, A; Kalchev, D; Vassilevski, P

2016-04-02

In this paper, we study the performance of a two-level algebraic-multigrid algorithm, with a focus on the impact of the coarse-grid solver on performance. We consider two algorithms for solving the coarse-space systems: the preconditioned conjugate gradient method and a new robust HSS-embedded low-rank sparse-factorization algorithm. Our test data comes from the SPE Comparative Solution Project for oil-reservoir simulations. We contrast the performance of our code on one 12-core socket of a Cray XC30 machine with performance on a 60-core Intel Xeon Phi coprocessor. To obtain top performance, we optimized the code to take full advantage of fine-grained parallelism and made it thread-friendly for high thread count. We also developed a bounds-and-bottlenecks performance model of the solver which we used to guide us through the optimization effort, and also carried out performance tuning in the solver’s large parameter space. Finally, as a result, significant speedups were obtained on both machines.
A Comparative Study to Predict Student’s Performance Using Educational Data Mining Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Uswatun Khasanah, Annisa; Harwati

2017-06-01

Student’s performance prediction is essential to be conducted for a university to prevent student fail. Number of student drop out is one of parameter that can be used to measure student performance and one important point that must be evaluated in Indonesia university accreditation. Data Mining has been widely used to predict student’s performance, and data mining that applied in this field usually called as Educational Data Mining. This study conducted Feature Selection to select high influence attributes with student performance in Department of Industrial Engineering Universitas Islam Indonesia. Then, two popular classification algorithm, Bayesian Network and Decision Tree, were implemented and compared to know the best prediction result. The outcome showed that student’s attendance and GPA in the first semester were in the top rank from all Feature Selection methods, and Bayesian Network is outperforming Decision Tree since it has higher accuracy rate.
Cognitive skills and academic achievement of deaf children with cochlear implants.

Science.gov (United States)

Huber, Maria; Kipman, Ulrike

2012-10-01

To compare cognitive performance between children with cochlear implants (CI) and normal-hearing peers; provide information about correlations between cognitive performance, basic academic achievement, and medical/audiological and social background variables; and assess the predictor quality of these variables for cognition. Cross-sectional study with comparison group, diagnostic test assessment. Data were collected in the authors' clinic (children with CI) and in Austrian schools (normal-hearing children). Forty children with CI (of the initial 65 children eligible for this study), aged 7 to 11 years, and 40 normal-hearing children, matched by age and sex, were tested with (a) the Culture Fair Intelligence Test (CFIT); (b) the Number Sequences subtest of the Heidelberger Rechentest 1-4 (HRT); (c) Comprehension, (d) Coding, (e) Digit Span, and (f) Vocabulary subtests of HAWIK III (German WISC III); (g) the Corsi Block Tapping Test; (h) the Arithmetic Operations subtests of the HRT; and (i) Salzburger Lese-Screening (SLS, reading). In addition, medical, audiological, social, and educational data from children with CI were collected. The children with CI equaled normal-hearing children in (a), (d), (e), (g), (h), and (i) and performed significantly worse in (b), (c) and (f). Background variables correlate significantly with cognitive skills and academic achievement. Medical/audiological variables explain 44.3% of the variance in CFT1 (CFIT, younger children). Social variables explain 55% of CFT1 and 24.5% of the Corsi test. This study augments the knowledge about cognitive skills and academic skills of children with CI. Cognitive performance is dependent on the early feasibility to hear and the social/educational background of the family.
Comparative VOCs sensing performance for conducting polymer and porphyrin functionalized carbon nanotubes based sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Datta, Kunal; Rushi, Arti; Ghosh, Prasanta; Shirsat, Mahendra

2018-05-01

We report sensors for detection of ethyl alcohol, a prominent volatile organic compound (VOC). Single walled carbon nanotubes were selected as main sensing backbone. As efficiency of sensor is dependent upon the choice of sensing materials, the performances of conducting polymer and porphyrin based sensors were compared. Chemiresistive sensing modality was adopted to observe the performance of sensors. It has been found that porphyrin based sensor shows higher affinity towards ethyl alcohol.
Capacity-achieving CPM schemes

OpenAIRE

Perotti, Alberto; Tarable, Alberto; Benedetto, Sergio; Montorsi, Guido

2008-01-01

The pragmatic approach to coded continuous-phase modulation (CPM) is proposed as a capacity-achieving low-complexity alternative to the serially-concatenated CPM (SC-CPM) coding scheme. In this paper, we first perform a selection of the best spectrally-efficient CPM modulations to be embedded into SC-CPM schemes. Then, we consider the pragmatic capacity (a.k.a. BICM capacity) of CPM modulations and optimize it through a careful design of the mapping between input bits and CPM waveforms. The s...
Student Achievement Goal Setting: Using Data to Improve Teaching and Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Stronge, James H.; Grant, Leslie W.

2009-01-01

The first book in the James H. Stronge Research-to-Practice series focuses on improving student achievement through academic goal setting. It offers the tools and plan of action to use performance data to improve instructional practice and increase student achievement. The book is divided into three parts: (1) How Student Achievement Data Can Be…
Comparing Child Protective Investigation Performance between Law Enforcement Agencies and Child Welfare Agencies

Science.gov (United States)

Jordan, Neil; Yampolskaya, Svetlana; Gustafson, Mara; Armstrong, Mary; McNeish, Roxann; Vargo, Amy

2011-01-01

This study examines the comparative effectiveness of using law enforcement agencies for child protective investigation (CPI), in contrast with the traditional approach of CPI conducted by the public child welfare agency. The analysis uses 2006-2007 data from a natural experiment conducted in Florida to show modest differences in performance and…
Domestication effects on behavioural traits and learning performance: comparing wild cavies to guinea pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Brust, Vera; Guenther, Anja

2015-01-01

The domestication process leads to a change in behavioural traits, usually towards individuals that are less attentive to changes in their environment and less aggressive. Empirical evidence for a difference in cognitive performance, however, is scarce. Recently, a functional linkage between an individual's behaviour and cognitive performance has been proposed in the framework of animal personalities via a shared risk-reward trade-off. Following this assumption, bolder and more aggressive animals (usually the wild form) should learn faster. Differences in behaviour may arise during ontogeny due to individual experiences or represent adaptations that occurred over the course of evolution. Both might singly or taken together account for differences in cognitive performance between wild and domestic lineages. To test for such possible linkages, we compared wild cavies and domestic guinea pigs, both kept in a university stock for more than 30 years under highly comparable conditions. Animals were tested in three behavioural tests as well as for initial and reversal learning performance. Guinea pigs were less bold and aggressive than their wild congeners, but learnt an association faster. Additionally, the personality structure was altered during the domestication process. The most likely explanation for these findings is that a shift in behavioural traits and their connectivity led to an altered cognitive performance. A functional linkage between behavioural and cognitive traits seems to exist in the proposed way only under natural selection, but not in animals that have been selected artificially over centuries.
Paying the right price for pharmaceuticals: a case study of why the comparator matters.

Science.gov (United States)

Spinks, Jean M; Richardson, Jeff R J

2011-08-01

This article considers the pricing policy for pharmaceuticals in Australia, which is widely seen as having achieved low drug prices. However, compared to New Zealand, the evidence implies that Australia might have improved its performance significantly if it had proactively sought market best pricing. The Australian record suggests that the information sought by authorities may not be sufficient for optimal pricing and that the economic evaluation of pharmaceuticals may be neither necessary nor sufficient for achieving this goal.
Why Do Boys and Girls Perform Differently on PISA Reading in Finland? The Effects of Reading Fluency, Achievement Behaviour, Leisure Reading and Homework Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Torppa, Minna; Eklund, Kenneth; Sulkunen, Sari; Niemi, Pekka; Ahonen, Timo

2018-01-01

The present study examined gender gap in Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Reading and mediators of the gender gap in a Finnish sample (n = 1,309). We examined whether the gender gap in PISA Reading performance can be understood via the effects of reading fluency, achievement behaviour (mastery orientation and task-avoidant…

Understanding and benchmarking health service achievement of policy goals for chronic disease

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Key challenges in benchmarking health service achievement of policy goals in areas such as chronic disease are: 1) developing indicators and understanding how policy goals might work as indicators of service performance; 2) developing methods for economically collecting and reporting stakeholder perceptions; 3) combining and sharing data about the performance of organizations; 4) interpreting outcome measures; 5) obtaining actionable benchmarking information. This study aimed to explore how a new Boolean-based small-N method from the social sciences—Qualitative Comparative Analysis or QCA—could contribute to meeting these internationally shared challenges. Methods A ‘multi-value QCA’ (MVQCA) analysis was conducted of data from 24 senior staff at 17 randomly selected services for chronic disease, who provided perceptions of 1) whether government health services were improving their achievement of a set of statewide policy goals for chronic disease and 2) the efficacy of state health office actions in influencing this improvement. The analysis produced summaries of configurations of perceived service improvements. Results Most respondents observed improvements in most areas but uniformly good improvements across services were not perceived as happening (regardless of whether respondents identified a state health office contribution to that improvement). The sentinel policy goal of using evidence to develop service practice was not achieved at all in four services and appears to be reliant on other kinds of service improvements happening. Conclusions The QCA method suggested theoretically plausible findings and an approach that with further development could help meet the five benchmarking challenges. In particular, it suggests that achievement of one policy goal may be reliant on achievement of another goal in complex ways that the literature has not yet fully accommodated but which could help prioritize policy goals. The weaknesses of QCA can be
DETERMINATION OF QMS PRINCIPLE COEFFICIENTS OF SIGNIFICANCE IN ACHIEVING BUSINESS EXCELLENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandar Vujovic

2008-03-01

Full Text Available This paper has been developed as a tendency of researchers in the Center for quality-Faculty of mechanical engineering in Podgorica to establish a model for improvement of business processes performances based on quality management system through comparison with top organizational performances characterized by criteria i.e. particularities of the business excellence model. Correlation of principles of the quality management system with QMS principles has been established to that effect. Weight coefficients have been also determined for each principle individually. Thereby key principles were identified, namely priorities in terms of achieving business excellence i.e. areas (principles were given priorities, that is to say principles that play the biggest part in achieving business excellence. In that way, pre conditions were made to define preventive measures of a certain intensity depending on the weight coefficients, with a goal to improve performances of a certified and process-modulated quality management system in direction of achieving top organizational performances.
Ability of paramedics to perform endotracheal intubation during continuous chest compressions: a randomized cadaver study comparing Pentax AWS and Macintosh laryngoscopes.

Science.gov (United States)

Truszewski, Zenon; Czyzewski, Lukasz; Smereka, Jacek; Krajewski, Paweł; Fudalej, Marcin; Madziala, Marcin; Szarpak, Lukasz

2016-09-01

The aim of the trial was to compare the time parameters for intubation with the use of the Macintosh (MAC) laryngoscope and Pentax AWS-S100 videolaryngoscope (AWS; Pentax Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) with and without chest compression (CC) by paramedics during simulated cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a cadaver model. This was a randomized crossover cadaver trial. Thirty-five paramedics with no experience in videolaryngoscopy participated in the study. They performed intubation in two emergency scenarios: scenario A, normal airway without CC; scenario B, normal airway with continuous CC. The median time to first ventilation with the use of the AWS and the MAC was similar in scenario A: 25 (IQR, 22-27) seconds vs. 24 (IQR, 22.5-26) seconds (P=.072). A statistically significant difference in TTFV between AWS and MAC was noticed in scenario B (P=.011). In scenario A, the first endotracheal intubation (ETI) attempt success rate was achieved in 97.1% with AWS compared with 94.3% with MAC (P=.43). In scenario B, the success rate after the first ETI attempt with the use of the different intubation methods varied and amounted to 88.6% vs. 77.1% for AWS and MAC, respectively (P=.002). The Pentax AWS offered a superior glottic view as compared with the MAC laryngoscope, which was associated with a higher intubation rate and a shorter intubation time during an uninterrupted CC scenario. However, in the scenario without CC, the results for AWS and MAC were comparable. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Military Deployment and Elementary Student Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Phelps, Terri; Dunham, Mardis; Lyons, Robert

2010-01-01

This study investigated the impact that military deployment has upon academic achievement of elementary school students. TerraNova test scores of 137 fourth and fifth grade students in two elementary schools with a high proportion of military dependent children were examined for two consecutive years. Although the academic test performance fell…
Student Achievement in Title I Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz, Abby T.

2017-01-01

This researcher seeks to answer the following question: How did two elementary Title I schools, identified as "high performing" on the first Smarter Balanced assessment, address elements of Maslow's hierarchy of needs when developing school-wide initiatives to enhance student achievement? Many students in Title I schools face barriers to…
Comparing the performance of biomedical clustering methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wiwie, Christian; Baumbach, Jan; Röttger, Richard

2015-01-01

expression to protein domains. Performance was judged on the basis of 13 common cluster validity indices. We developed a clustering analysis platform, ClustEval (http://clusteval.mpi-inf.mpg.de), to promote streamlined evaluation, comparison and reproducibility of clustering results in the future......Identifying groups of similar objects is a popular first step in biomedical data analysis, but it is error-prone and impossible to perform manually. Many computational methods have been developed to tackle this problem. Here we assessed 13 well-known methods using 24 data sets ranging from gene....... This allowed us to objectively evaluate the performance of all tools on all data sets with up to 1,000 different parameter sets each, resulting in a total of more than 4 million calculated cluster validity indices. We observed that there was no universal best performer, but on the basis of this wide...
Factors associated with failure to achieve remission and with relapse after remission in patients with major depressive disorder in the PERFORM study.

Science.gov (United States)

Saragoussi, Delphine; Touya, Maëlys; Haro, Josep Maria; Jönsson, Bengt; Knapp, Martin; Botrel, Bastien; Florea, Ioana; Loft, Henrik; Rive, Benoît

2017-01-01

The Prospective Epidemiological Research on Functioning Outcomes Related to Major Depressive Disorder (PERFORM) study has been initiated to better understand the course of a depressive episode and its impact on patient functioning. This analysis aimed to identify sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with failure to achieve remission at month 2 after initiating or switching antidepressant monotherapy and with subsequent relapse at month 6 for patients in remission at month 2. This was a 2-year observational cohort study in 1,159 outpatients aged 18-65 years with major depressive disorder initiating or undergoing the first switch of antidepressant monotherapy. Factors with P 8 weeks (OR 0.51), being in psychotherapy (OR 0.51), sexual dysfunction (OR 0.62), and severity of depression (OR 0.87). Factors significantly associated with relapse at month 6 were male sex (OR 2.47), being married or living as a couple (OR 2.73), residual patient-reported cognitive symptoms at 2 months (OR 1.12 per additional unit of Perceived Deficit Questionnaire-5 score) and residual depressive symptoms at 2 months (OR 1.27 per additional unit of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score). Different factors appear to be associated with failure to achieve remission in patients with major depressive disorder and with subsequent relapse in patients who do achieve remission. Patient-reported cognitive dysfunction is an easily measurable and treatable characteristic that may be associated with an increased likelihood of relapse at 6 months in patients who have achieved remission.
Comparative analyses on dynamic performances of photovoltaic–thermal solar collectors integrated with phase change materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, Di; Jia, Yuting; Alva, Guruprasad; Liu, Lingkun; Fang, Guiyin

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The dynamic model of photovoltaic–thermal collector with phase change material was developed. • The performances of photovoltaic–thermal collector are performed comparative analyses. • The performances of photovoltaic–thermal collector with phase change material were evaluated. • Upper phase change material mode can improve performances of photovoltaic–thermal collector. - Abstract: The operating conditions (especially temperature) of photovoltaic–thermal solar collectors have significant influence on dynamic performance of the hybrid photovoltaic–thermal solar collectors. Only a small percentage of incoming solar radiation can be converted into electricity, and the rest is converted into heat. This heat leads to a decrease in efficiency of the photovoltaic module. In order to improve the performance of the hybrid photovoltaic–thermal solar collector, we performed comparative analyses on a hybrid photovoltaic–thermal solar collector integrated with phase change material. Electrical and thermal parameters like solar cell temperature, outlet temperature of air, electrical power, thermal power, electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency and overall efficiency are simulated and analyzed to evaluate the dynamic performance of the hybrid photovoltaic–thermal collector. It is found that the position of phase change material layer in the photovoltaic–thermal collector has a significant effect on the performance of the photovoltaic–thermal collector. The results indicate that upper phase change material mode in the photovoltaic–thermal collector can significantly improve the thermal and electrical performance of photovoltaic–thermal collector. It is found that overall efficiency of photovoltaic–thermal collector in ‘upper phase change material’ mode is 10.7% higher than that in ‘no phase change material’ mode. Further, for a photovoltaic–thermal collector with upper phase change material, it is verified that 3 cm
Glioma Surgery: Technological Advances to Achieve a Maximal Safe Resection.

Science.gov (United States)

Altieri, Roberto; Zenga, Francesco; Fontanella, Marco Maria; Cofano, Fabio; Agnoletti, Alessandro; Spena, Giannantonio; Crobeddu, Emanuela; Fornaro, Riccardo; Ducati, Alessandro; Garbossa, Diego

2015-11-01

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most frequent primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor. Despite the best treatment and advances in therapy, prognosis remains poor. One of the mainstays of therapy in GBM is surgical excision. Several studies have confirmed that the extent of resection (EOR) positively influences overall survival (OS) in patients with high-grade gliomas (HGGs). A literature search was performed using PubMed to assess the useful neurosurgical tools to achieve the best neurosurgical performance. In order to achieve the major extent of resection, preserving neurological function, many tools are now available, especially neuronavigation, intraoperative fluorescence, intraoperative ultrasound, and neuromonitoring. In addition to the maximal excision of tumor, the neurosurgeon can use photodynamic therapy (PTD) and local drug delivery (LDD) to improve the local control and bridge conventional radio and chemotherapy. EOR improves OS in patients with HGGs. There are technological possibilities for achieving a complete resection preserving neurological function, and it is not acceptable to perform only biopsy of these lesions.
Use of performance curves in estimating number of procedures required to achieve proficiency in coronary angiography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Räder, Sune B E W; Jørgensen, Erik; Bech, Bo

2011-01-01

.001 for all parameters. To approach the experts' level of DAP and contrast media use, trainees need 394 and 588 procedures, respectively. Performance curves showed large individual differences in the development of competence. Conclusion: On average, trainees needed 300 procedures to reach sufficient level...... needed for trainees to reach recommended reference levels was estimated as 226 and 353, for DAP and use of contrast media, respectively. After 300 procedures, trainees' procedure time, fluoroscopy time, DAP, and contrast media volume were significantly higher compared with experts' performance, P ...Background: Current guidelines in cardiology training programs recommend 100-300 coronary angiography procedures for certification. We aimed to assess the number of procedures needed to reach sufficient proficiency. Methods: Procedure time, fluoroscopy time, dose area product (DAP), and contrast...
Graphite-modified cooling ceiling. A comparative evaluation of the performance; Graphitmodifizierte Kuehldecken. Eine vergleichende Bewertung zur Leistungsfaehigkeit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hauser, Gerd [Technische Univ. Muenchen (Germany); Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Bauphysik, Stuttgart (Germany); Hausladen, Gerhard [Technische Univ. Muenchen (Germany); Ingenieurbuero Hausladen GmbH, Muenchen (Germany); Jacobsen, Cornelia; Hutter, Christina; Hanusch, Christoph [Ingenieurbuero Hausladen GmbH, Muenchen (Germany); Schlitzberger, Stephan [Ingenieurbuero fuer Bauphysik Prof. Dr. Hauser GmbH, Kassel (Germany)

2013-03-01

In most cases, the utilization of graphite-modified building materials enhances their thermal conductivity. Thus, chilled ceiling systems achieve an enhanced thermal absorption in comparison to commercial chilled ceiling systems. For this, a simulation for the estimation of the thermal comfort as well as for the quantification of the impacts on the demand of electricity for the refrigeration is performed. The enhanced cooling capacity of the graphite-modified cooling ceiling 'Ecophit' affects the operation positively.
Effects of collaboration and inquiry on reasoning and achievement in biology

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Jamie Lee

The primary purpose of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of two collaborative grouping strategies and two instructional methods in terms of gains in reasoning ability and achievement in college biology. In order to do so, a quasi-experimental study was performed in which students were placed in one of four treatment conditions: heterogeneous grouping within inquiry instruction, homogeneous grouping within inquiry instruction, heterogeneous grouping within non-inquiry instruction, and homogeneous grouping within non-inquiry instruction. Students were placed in groups based on initial reasoning level. Reasoning levels and achievement gains were assessed at the end of the study. Results showed that within non-inquiry instruction, heterogeneous mean group scores were higher in both reasoning and achievement than homogeneous groups. In contrast, within inquiry instruction, homogeneous mean group scores were higher in both reasoning and achievement. Inquiry instruction, as a whole, significantly outperformed non-inquiry instruction in the development of reasoning ability. Within inquiry instruction, low-ability students had significantly greater reasoning gains when grouped homogeneously. These results support Piaget's developmental theory and contradict Vygotsky's developmental theory. These results also suggest that the success of one grouping strategy over another is highly dependent upon the nature of instruction, which may be a cause for such conflicting views on grouping strategies within the educational literature. In addition, inquiry instruction led to students having greater confidence in their reasoning ability as well as a more positive attitude toward collaboration. Instructional implications are discussed.
A comparative study of total quality management of health care system in India and Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heidari Gorji Ali

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Total quality management (TQM has a great potential to address quality problems in a wide range of industries and improve the organizational performance. The growing need to take initiatives by hospitals in countries like India and Iran to improve the service quality and reduce wastage of resources has inspired the authors to develop a survey instrument to measure health care quality and performance in the two countries. Methods Based on the Baldrige health care criteria for performance excellence 2009-2010 and the guidelines proposed by the American Hospitals Association for hospitals in pursuit of excellence, compared health care services in three countries. The data are collected from the capital cities and their nearby places in India and Iran. Using ANOVAs, three groups in quality planning and performance have been compared. Result Results showed there is significantly difference between groups and in no case the hospitals from India and Iran are found scoring close to the benchmarks. The average scores of Indian and Iranian hospitals on different constructs of the IHCQPM model are compared with the major results achieved by the recipients of the MBNQ award. Conclusion In no case the hospitals from India and Iran are found scoring close to the benchmarks (Baldrige health care criteria for performance excellence 2009-2010 and the guidelines proposed by the American Hospitals Association for hospitals. These results suggested to health care services more attempt to achieve high quality in management and performance.
A comparative study of total quality management of health care system in India and Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Heidari Gorji, Ali Morad; Farooquie, Jamal A

2011-12-28

Total quality management (TQM) has a great potential to address quality problems in a wide range of industries and improve the organizational performance. The growing need to take initiatives by hospitals in countries like India and Iran to improve the service quality and reduce wastage of resources has inspired the authors to develop a survey instrument to measure health care quality and performance in the two countries. Based on the Baldrige health care criteria for performance excellence 2009-2010 and the guidelines proposed by the American Hospitals Association for hospitals in pursuit of excellence, compared health care services in three countries. The data are collected from the capital cities and their nearby places in India and Iran. Using ANOVAs, three groups in quality planning and performance have been compared. Results showed there is significantly difference between groups and in no case the hospitals from India and Iran are found scoring close to the benchmarks. The average scores of Indian and Iranian hospitals on different constructs of the IHCQPM model are compared with the major results achieved by the recipients of the MBNQ award. In no case the hospitals from India and Iran are found scoring close to the benchmarks (Baldrige health care criteria for performance excellence 2009-2010 and the guidelines proposed by the American Hospitals Association for hospitals). These results suggested to health care services more attempt to achieve high quality in management and performance.
Achievement Goal Orientations and Adolescents' Subjective Well-Being in School: The Mediating Roles of Academic Social Comparison Directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Lili; Yu, Tingting; Huebner, E Scott

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the multiple mediational roles of academic social comparison directions (upward academic social comparison and downward academic social comparison) on the relationships between achievement goal orientations (i.e., mastery goals, performance-approach goals, and performance-avoidance goals) and subjective well-being (SWB) in school (school satisfaction, school affect) in adolescent students in China. A total of 883 Chinese adolescent students (430 males; Mean age = 12.99) completed a multi-measure questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypotheses. Results indicated that (1) mastery goal orientations and performance-approach goal orientations both showed a statistically significant, positive correlation with SWB in school whereas performance-avoidance goal orientations showed a statistically significant, negative correlation with SWB in school among adolescents; (2) upward academic social comparisons mediated the relation between the three types of achievement goal orientations (i.e., mastery goals, performance-approach goals, and performance-avoidance goals) and SWB in school; (3) downward academic social comparisons mediated the relation between mastery goal orientations and SWB in school as well as the relation between performance-avoidance goal orientations and SWB in school. The findings suggest possible important cultural differences in the antecedents of SWB in school in adolescent students in China compared to adolescent students in Western nations.
The Impact of Achievement Goals on Cardiorespiratory Fitness: Does Self-Efficacy Make a Difference?

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Zan; Xiang, Ping; Lochbaum, Marc; Guan, Jianmin

2013-01-01

Purpose: The relationships among students' self-efficacy, 2 × 2 achievement goals (mastery-approach [MAp], mastery-avoidance [MAv], performance-approach [PAp], and performance-avoidance goals), and achievement performance remain largely unanswered. We tested a model of the mediating role of self-efficacy on the relationship between 2 × 2…
Comparing Dutch and British high performing managers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Waal, A.A. de; Heijden, B.I.J.M. van der; Selvarajah, C.; Meyer, D.

2016-01-01

National cultures have a strong influence on the performance of organizations and should be taken into account when studying the traits of high performing managers. At the same time, many studies that focus upon the attributes of successful managers show that there are attributes that are similar
Comparative Study of Pupils' Academic Performance between Private and Public Primary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Adeyemi, Sunday B.

2014-01-01

This paper compares pupils' academic performance between the private and public primary schools. The sample, made up of 240 pupils were randomly selected from the private and public primary schools in Ilesa East and West Local Government Council Areas of Osun State, Nigeria. Two instruments were used. A structured questionnaire and Pupils'…
No Correlation Between Work-Hours and Operative Volumes--A Comparison Between United States and Danish Operative Volumes Achieved During Surgical Residency.

Science.gov (United States)

Kjærgaard, Jane; Sillesen, Martin; Beier-Holgersen, Randi

2016-01-01

Since 2003, United States residents have been limited to an 80-hour workweek. This has prompted concerns of reduced educational quality, especially inadequate operating exposure. In contrast, the Danish surgical specialty-training program mandates a cap on working hours of 37 per week. We hypothesize that there is no direct correlation between work-hours and operative volume achieved during surgical residency. To test the hypothesis, we compare Danish and US operative volumes achieved during surgical residency training. Retrospective comparative study. The data from the US population was extracted from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education database for General Surgery residents from 2012 to 2013. For Danish residents, a questionnaire with case categories matching the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education categories were sent to all Danish surgeons graduating the national surgical residency program in 2012 or 2013, 54 in total. In all, 30 graduated residents (55%) responded to the Danish survey. We found no significant differences in mean total major procedures (1002.4 vs 976.9, p = 0.28) performed during residency training, but comparing average major procedures per year, the US residents achieve significantly more (132.3 vs 195.4, p work-hours and operative volumes achievable. Factors other than work-hours seem to effect on operative volumes achieved during training. Copyright © 2016 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Achievable Performance and Effective Interrogator Design for SAW RFID Sensor Tags

Science.gov (United States)

Barton Richard J.

2012-01-01

current generation tags limits the performance in a cluttered sensing environment. That is, as more SAW-based sensors are added to the environment, numerous tag responses are superimposed at the receiver and decoding all or even a subset of the telemetry becomes increasingly difficult. Background clutter generated by reflectors other than the sensors themselves is also a problem, as is multipath interference and signal distortion, but the limiting factor in many remote sensing applications can be expected to be tag mutual interference. This problem may be greatly mitigated by proper design of the SAW tag waveform, but that remains an open research problem, and in the meantime, several other related questions remain to be answered including: (1) What are the fundamental relationships between tag parameters such as bit-rate, time-bandwidth-product, SNR, and achievable collision resolution? (2) What are the differences in optimal or near-optimal interrogator designs between noise-limited environments and interference-limited environments? (3) What are the performance characteristics of different interrogator designs in term of parameters such as transmitter power level, range, and number of interfering tags? In this paper, we will present the results of a research effort aimed at providing at least partial answers to all of these questions.

Comparative Noise Performance of Portable Broadband Sensor Emplacements

Science.gov (United States)

Sweet, Justin; Arias-Dotson, Eliana; Beaudoin, Bruce; Anderson, Kent

2015-04-01

-quality data at lower cost. Until recently vault performance for portable installations supported by the PASSCAL program was anecdotal. A formal comparison of these various installation techniques is the subject of this poster. We've selected a suite of experiments that are representative of the three installation techniques and compare their noise performance by using PSD probability density functions (McNamara and Buland, 2004).
Student Perceptions of Classroom Achievement Goals as Predictors of Belonging and Content Instrumentality

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Christopher O.

2012-01-01

The goal of the current study was to examine the predictive relationships among a set of cognitive-motivational variables that have been found in previous studies to support academic achievement. Student perception of a classroom's achievement goal structure (classroom mastery, classroom performance-approach, classroom performance-avoidance) was…
Selected medical students achieve better than lottery-admitted students during clerkships.

Science.gov (United States)

Urlings-Strop, Louise C; Themmen, Axel P N; Stijnen, Theo; Splinter, Ted A W

2011-10-01

A recent controlled study by our group showed that the dropout rate in the first 2 years of study of medical students selected for entry by the assessment of a combination of non-cognitive and cognitive abilities was 2.6 times lower than that of a control group of students admitted by lottery. The aim of the present study was to compare the performance of these two groups in the clinical phase. A prospective cohort study was performed to compare the performance of 389 medical students admitted by selection with that of 938 students admitted by weighted lottery between 2001 and 2004. Follow-up of these cohorts lasted 5.5-8.5 years. The main outcome measures were the mean grade obtained on the first five discipline-specific clerkships by all cohorts and the mean grade achieved on all 10 clerkships by the cohorts of 2001 and 2002. Selected students obtained a significantly higher mean grade during their first five clerkships than lottery-admitted students (mean ± standard error [SE] 7.95 ± 0.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 7.90-8.00 versus mean ± SE 7.84 ± 0.02, 95% CI 7.81-7.87; p students achieved a grade of ≥ 8.0 1.5 times more often than lottery-admitted students. An analysis of all mean grades awarded on 10 clerkships revealed the same results. Moreover, the longer follow-up period over the clerkships showed that the relative risk for dropout was twice as low in the selected student group as in the lottery-admitted student group. The selected group received significantly higher mean grades on their first five clerkships, which could not be attributed to factors other than the selection procedure. Although the risk for dropout before the clinical phase increased somewhat in both groups, the actual dropout rate proved to be twice as low in the selected group. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2011.
Oral Clefts and Academic Performance in Adolescence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Nicola G; Pedersen, Dorthe A; Pedersen, Jacob K

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Early life exposure to anesthesia and surgery is suspected to associate with cognitive impairment later in life. We compared academic achievement among adolescents with cleft lip only (CL), cleft palate only (CP), and cleft lip and cleft palate (CLP) with a noncleft control group to ......: Oral cleft type rather than number and timing of anesthesia and operations associate to poorer academic performance. Although a potential neurotoxic effect due to anesthetic agents is not reflected in the data, it cannot be completely excluded.......OBJECTIVE: Early life exposure to anesthesia and surgery is suspected to associate with cognitive impairment later in life. We compared academic achievement among adolescents with cleft lip only (CL), cleft palate only (CP), and cleft lip and cleft palate (CLP) with a noncleft control group...
A Proposed Model for Assessing Organisational Culture Towards Achieving Business Objectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hafez Salleh

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Most of the traditional business performances measures are based on productivity and process criteria, which mainly focus on method of investment appraisal such as payback method, return on investment (ROI, cost-benefits analysis (CBA, net present value (NPV, internal rate of return (IRR. However, the measurement scales of business performance are not limited to those measures. One element that has strong correlation to the business performances is ‘organisational culture’. Many studies proved that one of the significant criteria for achieving desired business objectives is the right organisational culture within workplace. Basically, the measurement of organisational culture is reflecting on two distinct elements: organisational culture and business objectives. In broader perspective, an organisation is considered effective if it meets its business objectives. This paper aims to present and discuss the preliminary culture model to indicate the culture performance within organisational. The model has been developed through literature review, expert opinion and experience which is anticipated of being able to potentially measure the culture capability of organisations across industries to “successfully achieve business objectives”. The model is composed of six progressive stages of maturity that an organisation can achieve its culture performance. For each maturity stage, the model describes a set of characteristics that must be in place for the company to achieve each stage. The validity of the proposed model will be tested by a few case studies. The idea is to provide managers with a qualitative measurement tools to enable them to identify where culture improvements are required within their organisations and to indicate their readiness for achieving business objectives.
Evaluation of the RSG-GAS cooling tower performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suroso

2003-01-01

Utilization of RSG-GAS reactor should be operated as efficiently as possible, so that reactor operation planning using one line primary coolant can be anticipated. To analyze the performance of the RSG-GAS cooling tower with one line primary coolant doing by using same data from 10 MW thermal reactor operation. The result were then compare to those achieved using CATHENA code. The results indicated that, for design condition the ratio of water flowrate to air is (L/G) 1.52 and number transfer unit (NTU) is 0.348. For operation condition, the average of L/G and NTU are respectively 1.37 and 0,348. Moreover the results achieved by the code showed that L/G and NTU are respectively 1.35 and 0,302. The performance of cooling tower achieved operation condition and the code results are respectively 91% and 72%. This means that the calculated results are lower than measurement results
Ethnic differences in adolescent achievement. An ecological perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinberg, L; Dornbusch, S M; Brown, B B

1992-06-01

Using data collected from a large sample of high school students, the authors challenge three widely held explanations for the superior school performance of Asian-American adolescents, and the inferior performance of African- and Hispanic-American adolescents: group differences in (a) parenting practices, (b) familial values about education, and (c) youngsters' beliefs about the occupational rewards of academic success. They found that White youngsters benefit from the combination of authoritative parenting and peer support for achievement, whereas Hispanic youngsters suffer from a combination of parental authoritarianism and low peer support. Among Asian-American students, peer support for academic excellence offsets the negative consequences of authoritarian parenting. Among African-American youngsters, the absence of peer support for achievement undermines the positive influence of authoritative parenting.
Intelligence and Academic Achievement With Asymptomatic Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Adriana S; Lanzieri, Tatiana M; Claussen, Angelika H; Vinson, Sherry S; Turcich, Marie R; Iovino, Isabella R; Voigt, Robert G; Caviness, A Chantal; Miller, Jerry A; Williamson, W Daniel; Hales, Craig M; Bialek, Stephanie R; Demmler-Harrison, Gail

2017-11-01

To examine intelligence, language, and academic achievement through 18 years of age among children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection identified through hospital-based newborn screening who were asymptomatic at birth compared with uninfected infants. We used growth curve modeling to analyze trends in IQ (full-scale, verbal, and nonverbal intelligence), receptive and expressive vocabulary, and academic achievement in math and reading. Separate models were fit for each outcome, modeling the change in overall scores with increasing age for patients with normal hearing ( n = 78) or with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) diagnosed by 2 years of age ( n = 11) and controls ( n = 40). Patients with SNHL had full-scale intelligence and receptive vocabulary scores that were 7.0 and 13.1 points lower, respectively, compared with controls, but no significant differences were noted in these scores among patients with normal hearing and controls. No significant differences were noted in scores for verbal and nonverbal intelligence, expressive vocabulary, and academic achievement in math and reading among patients with normal hearing or with SNHL and controls. Infants with asymptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection identified through newborn screening with normal hearing by age 2 years do not appear to have differences in IQ, vocabulary or academic achievement scores during childhood, or adolescence compared with uninfected children. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Second-year medical students' motivational beliefs, emotions, and achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Artino, Anthony R; La Rochelle, Jeffery S; Durning, Steven J

2010-12-01

A challenge for medical educators is to better understand the personal factors that lead to individual success in medical school and beyond. Recently, educational researchers in fields outside medicine have acknowledged the importance of motivation and emotion in students' learning and performance. These affective factors have received less emphasis in the medical education literature. This longitudinal study examined the relations between medical students' motivational beliefs (task value and self-efficacy), achievement emotions (enjoyment, anxiety and boredom) and academic achievement. Second-year medical students (n=136) completed motivational beliefs and achievement emotions surveys following their first and second trimesters, respectively. Academic achievement was operationalised as students' average course examination grades and national board shelf examination scores. The results largely confirmed the hypothesised relations between beliefs, emotions and achievement. Structural equation modelling revealed that task value beliefs were positively associated with course-related enjoyment (standardised regression coefficient [β] = 0.59) and were negatively related to boredom (β= -0.25), whereas self-efficacy beliefs were negatively associated with course-related anxiety only (β = -0.47). Furthermore, student enjoyment was positively associated with national board shelf examination score (β = 0.31), whereas anxiety and boredom were both negatively related to course examination grade (β= -0.36 and -0.27, respectively). The overall structural model accounted for considerable variance in each of the achievement outcomes: R(2) = 0.20 and 0.14 for the course examination grade and national board shelf examination score, respectively. This study suggests that medical students' motivational beliefs and achievement emotions are important contributors to their academic achievement. These results have implications for medical educators striving to understand the
Parenting styles and adolescents' achievement strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Aunola, K; Stattin, H; Nurmi, J E

2000-04-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the extent to which adolescents' achievement strategies are associated with the parenting styles they experience in their families. Three hundred and fifty-four 14-year-old adolescents completed a Strategy and Attribution Questionnaire and a family parenting style inventory. Analogous questionnaires were also completed by the adolescents' parents. Based on adolescents' report of the parenting styles, four types of families were identified: those with Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive, and Neglectful parenting styles. The results further showed that adolescents from authoritative families applied most adaptive achievement strategies characterized by low levels of failure expectations, task-irrelevant behaviour and passivity, and the use of self-enhancing attributions. Adolescents from neglectful families, in turn, applied maladaptive strategies characterized by high levels of task-irrelevant behaviour, passivity and a lack of self-enhancing attributions. The results provide a basis for understanding some of the processes by which parenting styles may influence adolescents' academic achievement and performance.
Effect of intake swirl on the performance of single cylinder direct injection diesel engine

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Vinod Kumar; Mohan, Man; Mouli, Chandra

2017-11-01

In the present work, the effect of inlet manifold geometry and swirl intensity on the direct injection (DI) diesel engine performance was investigated experimentally. Modifications in inlet manifold geometry have been suggested to achieve optimized swirl for the better mixing of fuel with air. The intake swirl intensities of modified cylinder head were measured in swirl test rig at different valve lifts. Later, the overall performance of 435 CC DI diesel engine was measured using modified cylinder head. In addition, the performance of engine was compared for both modified and old cylinder head. For same operating conditions, the brake power and brake specific fuel consumption was improved by 6% and 7% respectively with modified cylinder head compared to old cylinder head. The maximum brake power of 9 HP was achieved for modified cylinder head. The results revealed that the intake swirl has great influence on engine performance.
Academic Achievement in Children with Epilepsy

OpenAIRE

J Gordon Millichap

1998-01-01

Academic achievement, measured by school-administered group tests, child attitudes and self-concept, and teachers rated school adaptive functioning were compared in 117 children with epilepsy and 108 with asthma, ages 8 to 12 years, and data were analyzed at the Indiana University Schools of Nursing, Education, and Medicine, Indianapolis.
[Comparative study of 3 types of lancets for performing prick tests].

Science.gov (United States)

Montalvo, A; Martín, S; Mesa, A; Cortés, C; Rodríguez, M; Laso, M T

1996-01-01

Skin Prick Test is considered the cutaneous test of choice in rutinary clinical practice as well as in research. In the last 15 years a large number of lancets for puncture test have been developed looking for a higher level of standardisation and reproducibility. We have compared three lancets, two of them, NeoAbelló (NA) and Dome/Hollister Stier (DHS), used in puncture test and a third one, Blood Lancet (BL), in the modified prick test. Twenty-two patients sensitised to Phleum pratense were tested with the three lancets at three extract concentrations and histamine 10 mg/mL in duplicate. We compared their wheal sizes by means of parallel line assay, their reproducibility, frequency of bleeding wheals, the disturbance for the patient and the correlation between specific IgE and skin response. Wheal size was similar for puncture tests (DHS and NA lancets) and significatively lower than BL, being necessary to increase 1.9 times the extract concentration when using DHS and NA lancets to achieve the same wheal size than when using BL lancets (p < 0.01). Reproducibility with histamine was similar with the three lancets while with the extract was somehow better with puncture tests but without statistical significance. Bleeding was significantly more frequent with BL although this did not influence the results. Less pain was obtained with BL. Finally, correlation with specific IgE was slightly significant for NA and very similar for the other two. With these results in mind we think that any of the three lancets is valid for the diagnostic of the allergic patient. Nevertheless, puncture tests are probably the most suitable at a research level.
Comparing the performances of electrochemical sensors using p-aminophenol redox cycling by different reductants on gold electrodes modified with self-assembled monolayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia, Ning; Ma, Fengji; Zhao, Feng; He, Qige; Du, Jimin; Li, Sujuan; Chen, Jing; Liu, Lin

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Performances of p-AP redox cycling using different reductants on gold surface are compared. • Background current decreases in order of hydrazine, Na 2 SO 3 , NaBH 4 , NADH, cysteamine, and TCEP. • Chemical reaction rate with QI increases in order of NADH, TCEP, and cysteamine. • NADH, TCEP and cysteamine are suitable for p-AP redox cycling on gold electrode. -- Abstract: p-Aminophenol (p-AP) redox cycling using chemical reductants is one strategy for developing sensitive electrochemical sensors. However, most of the reported reductants are only used on indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrodes but not gold electrodes due to the high background current caused by the oxidation reaction of the reductants on the highly electrocatalytic gold electrodes. Therefore, new strategies and/or reductants are in demand for expanding the application of p-AP redox cycling on gold electrodes. In this work, we compared the performances of several reductants in p-AP redox cycling on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs)-modified gold electrodes. Among the tested reagents, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) and cysteamine were demonstrated to be suitable for p-AP redox cycling on the alkanethiol-modified gold electrodes because of their low background current. The rate of chemical reaction between reductants and p-quinone imine (QI, the electrochemically oxidized product of p-AP) increases in the order of NADH −1 was achieved. We believe that our work will be valuable for the development of electrochemical sensors using p-AP redox cycling on gold electrodes
The Effect of Thinking Maps on Fifth Grade Science Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Darlene

Informational texts, such as those found in science education, have historically been reserved for secondary students. With the increased emphasis on elementary students' academic accountability, these high impact instructional strategies must also be utilized to support subject matter comprehension for younger students. This causal-comparative study, grounded in cognitive learning theory, sought to discover if 2 years of implementation and use of Thinking Maps, a visual tool program, had an effect on student achievement in elementary science as measured by Georgia's statewide assessment known as the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). Achievement data of 2 groups that received Thinking Maps instruction for 2 years was compared to 1 group that did not. An analysis of covariance was used to analyze the assessment data. The findings suggest that the students who did not use Thinking Maps performed significantly better than those who did use Thinking Maps, even though both groups showed positive mean score gains from 2010 to 2012 on the science portion of the CRCT. Limitations of the study, such as the lack of randomization and manipulation of the independent variable, suggest that further research is needed to fairly evaluate the program and its effectiveness. Also, the instructional setting and amount of time used for science instruction in the elementary classroom warrants additional investigation. Findings related to the implementation and use of graphic tools such as Thinking Maps will help school systems choose professional learning opportunities and effective instructional strategies to develop content literacy.
Compared performances of ENDF/B-VI and JEF-2.2 for MOX core physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finck, P. J.

1998-01-01

The US is currently evaluating the use of MOX fuel in commercial LWR's for reducing weapons grade Pu stockpiles. The design and licensing processes will require that the validity of the nuclear data libraries and codes used in the effort be demonstrated. Unfortunately, there are only a very limited number of relatively old and non representative integral experiments' freely available to the US programs. This lack of adequate experimental data can be partially remediated by comparing the results of well validated European codes with the results of candidate US codes. The demonstration can actually be divided in two components: a code to code (Monte Carlo) comparison can easily demonstrate the validity and limits of the proposed algorithms; and the performances of nuclear data libraries should be compared, major trends should be observed, and their origins should be explained in terms of differences in evaluated nuclear data; In this paper, we have compared the performances of the JEF-2.2 and ENDF/B-VI.4 libraries for a series of benchmarks for k eff , void worth, and pin power distributions. Note that JEF-2.2 has been extensively validated for MOX applications
Cognitive predictors of children's development in mathematics achievement: A latent growth modeling approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Xenidou-Dervou, Iro; Van Luit, Johannes E H; Kroesbergen, Evelyn H; Friso-van den Bos, Ilona; Jonkman, Lisa M; van der Schoot, Menno; van Lieshout, Ernest C D M

2018-04-24

Research has identified various domain-general and domain-specific cognitive abilities as predictors of children's individual differences in mathematics achievement. However, research into the predictors of children's individual growth rates, namely between-person differences in within-person change in mathematics achievement is scarce. We assessed 334 children's domain-general and mathematics-specific early cognitive abilities and their general mathematics achievement longitudinally across four time-points within the first and second grades of primary school. As expected, a constellation of multiple cognitive abilities contributed to the children's starting level of mathematical success. Specifically, latent growth modeling revealed that WM abilities, IQ, counting skills, nonsymbolic and symbolic approximate arithmetic and comparison skills explained individual differences in the children's initial status on a curriculum-based general mathematics achievement test. Surprisingly, however, only one out of all the assessed cognitive abilities was a unique predictor of the children's individual growth rates in mathematics achievement: their performance in the symbolic approximate addition task. In this task, children were asked to estimate the sum of two large numbers and decide if this estimated sum was smaller or larger compared to a third number. Our findings demonstrate the importance of multiple domain-general and mathematics-specific cognitive skills for identifying children at risk of struggling with mathematics and highlight the significance of early approximate arithmetic skills for the development of one's mathematical success. We argue the need for more research focus on explaining children's individual growth rates in mathematics achievement. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Acting Irrationally to Improve Performance in Stochastic Worlds

Science.gov (United States)

Belavkin, Roman V.

Despite many theories and algorithms for decision-making, after estimating the utility function the choice is usually made by maximising its expected value (the max EU principle). This traditional and 'rational' conclusion of the decision-making process is compared in this paper with several 'irrational' techniques that make choice in Monte-Carlo fashion. The comparison is made by evaluating the performance of simple decision-theoretic agents in stochastic environments. It is shown that not only the random choice strategies can achieve performance comparable to the max EU method, but under certain conditions the Monte-Carlo choice methods perform almost two times better than the max EU. The paper concludes by quoting evidence from recent cognitive modelling works as well as the famous decision-making paradoxes.
Removed from the List: A Comparative Longitudinal Case Study of a Reconstitution-Eligible School.

Science.gov (United States)

Mac Iver, Douglas J.; Ruby, Allen; Balfanz, Robert; Byrnes, Vaughan

2002-01-01

Longitudinal case study of reform efforts centering on the Talent Development Middle School model at low-performing, high-poverty middle school in Philadelphia. Finds that student gains in mathematics, science, and reading achievement at subject school exceeded that of students in comparable school. (Contains 19 references.) (PKP)
Achieving Transformational Materials Performance in a New Era of Science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarrao, John

2009-01-01

The inability of current materials to meet performance requirements is a key stumbling block for addressing grand challenges in energy and national security. Fortunately, materials research is on the brink of a new era - a transition from observation and validation of materials properties to prediction and control of materials performance. In this talk, I describe the nature of the current challenge, the prospects for success, and a specific facility concept, MaRIE, that will provide the needed capabilities to meet these challenges, especially for materials in extreme environments. MaRIE, for Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes, is Los Alamos' concept to realize this vision of 21st century materials research. This vision will be realized through enhancements to the current LANSCE accelerator, development of a fourth-generation x-ray light source co-located with the proton accelerator, and a comprehensive synthesis and characterization facility focused on controlling complex materials and the defect/structure link to materials performance.

Undergraduate Academic Achievement as an Indicator of Fleet Performance and Retention

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gremillion, John

1998-01-01

...) and retention in the Navy. Understanding the relationship between college academic performance and job performance is important because of the organizational and cultural emphasis placed on academic grades...
Insight into the Effects of Reinforcement Shape on Achieving Continuous Martensite Transformation in Phase Transforming Matrix Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xudong; Ren, Junqiang; Wang, Xiaofei; Zong, Hongxiang; Cui, Lishan; Ding, Xiangdong

2017-12-01

A continuous martensite transformation is indispensable for achieving large linear superelasticity and low modulus in phase transforming metal-based composites. However, determining how to accurately condition the residual martensite in a shape memory alloy matrix though the reinforcement shape to achieve continuous martensite transformation has been a challenge. Here, we take the finite element method to perform a comparative study of the effects of nanoinclusion shape on the interaction and martensite phase transformation in this new composite. Two typical samples are compared: one reinforced by metallic nanowires and the other by nanoparticles. We find that the residual martensite within the shape memory alloy matrix after a pretreatment can be tailored by the reinforcement shape. In particular, our results show that the shape memory alloy matrix can retain enough residual martensite phases to achieve continuous martensite transformation in the subsequent loading when the aspect ratio of nanoreinforcement is larger than 20. In contrast, the composites reinforced with spherical or low aspect ratio reinforcement show a typical nonlinear superelasticity as a result of a low stress transfer-induced discontinuous martensite transformation within the shape memory alloy matrix.
The effect of homework choices on achievement and intrinsic motivation

Science.gov (United States)

Christensen, Emily Fast

The purpose of this research was to test an intervention of choices in homework on the achievement and intrinsic motivation of seventh-grade science students at a middle school. The intervention was based on concepts from the cognitive evaluation theory of Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan (1985). The subjects were sixteen heterogeneous classes of seventh-grade students, who were divided among four teachers. Two randomly chosen classes from each teacher received choices in their homework and the remaining two classes of each teacher received similar homework assignments without choices. Two hypotheses were developed for this study: (1) Seventh-grade science students given choices in their homework would show an increase in intrinsic motivation as measured on a motivation orientation measure, compared to students not given choices in their homework, and (2) Seventh-grade science students given choices in their homework would show an increase in achievement on an achievement measure, compared to students not given choices in their homework. Having choices in homework did not increase intrinsic motivation or achievement. However, students who did their homework did significantly better on the posttest, and students who were more intrinsically motivated did significantly better on the posttest. Just doing the homework was important for achievement, and intrinsic motivation was linked to achievement.
A high performance parallel approach to medical imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frieder, G.; Frieder, O.; Stytz, M.R.

1988-01-01

Research into medical imaging using general purpose parallel processing architectures is described and a review of the performance of previous medical imaging machines is provided. Results demonstrating that general purpose parallel architectures can achieve performance comparable to other, specialized, medical imaging machine architectures is presented. A new back-to-front hidden-surface removal algorithm is described. Results demonstrating the computational savings obtained by using the modified back-to-front hidden-surface removal algorithm are presented. Performance figures for forming a full-scale medical image on a mesh interconnected multiprocessor are presented
Cryogenics system: strategy to achieve nominal performance and reliable operation

CERN Document Server

Bremer, J; Casas, J; Claudet, S; Delikaris, D; Delruelle, N; Ferlin, G; Fluder, C; Perin, A; Perinic, G; Pezzetti, M; Pirotte, O; Tavian, L; Wagner, U

2012-01-01

During the LHC operation in 2010 and 2011, the cryogenic system has achieved an availability level fulfilling the overall requirement. To reach this level, the cryogenic system has profited like many other beam-dependent systems from the reduced beam parameters. Therefore, impacts of some failures occurred during the LHC operation were mitigated by using the overcapacity margin, the existing built-in redundancy in between adjacent sector cryogenic plants and the "cannibalization" of spares on two idle cryogenic plants. These two first years of operation were also crucial to identify the weaknesses of the present cryogenic maintenance plan and new issues like SEUs. After the LS1, nominal beam parameters are expected and the mitigated measures will be less effective or not applicable at all. Consequently, a consolidation plan to improve the MTBF and the MTTR of the LHC cryogenic system is under definition. Concerning shutdown periods, the present cryogenic sectorization imposes some restrictions in the type of ...
The family environment predicts long-term academic achievement and classroom behavior following traumatic brain injury in early childhood.

Science.gov (United States)

Durber, Chelsea M; Yeates, Keith Owen; Taylor, H Gerry; Walz, Nicolay Chertkoff; Stancin, Terry; Wade, Shari L

2017-07-01

This study examined how the family environment predicts long-term academic and behavioral functioning in school following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in early childhood. Using a concurrent cohort, prospective design, 15 children with severe TBI, 39 with moderate TBI, and 70 with orthopedic injury (OI) who were injured when they were 3-7 years of age were compared on tests of academic achievement and parent and teacher ratings of school performance and behavior on average 6.83 years postinjury. Soon after injury and at the longer term follow-up, families completed measures of parental psychological distress, family functioning, and quality of the home environment. Hierarchical linear regression analyses examined group differences in academic outcomes and their associations with measures of the early and later family environment. The severe TBI group, but not the moderate TBI group, performed worse than did the OI group on all achievement tests, parent ratings of academic performance, and teacher ratings of internalizing problems. Higher quality early and late home environments predicted stronger academic skills and better classroom behavior for children with both TBI and OI. The early family environment more consistently predicted academic achievement, whereas the later family environment more consistently predicted classroom functioning. The quality of the home environment predicted academic outcomes more strongly than did parental psychological distress or family functioning. TBI in early childhood has long-term consequences for academic achievement and school performance and behavior. Higher quality early and later home environments predict better school outcomes for both children with TBI and children with OI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).
Friend Effects and Racial Disparities in Academic Achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Flashman

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Racial disparities in achievement are a persistent fact of the US educational system. An often cited but rarely directly studied explanation for these disparities is that adolescents from different racial and ethnic backgrounds are exposed to different peers and have different friends. In this article I identify the impact of friends on racial and ethnic achievement disparities. Using data from Add Health and an instrumental variable approach, I show that the achievement characteristics of youths’ friends drive friend effects; adolescents with friends with higher grades are more likely to increase their grades compared to those with lower-achieving friends. Although these effects do not differ across race/ethnicity, given differences in friendship patterns, if black and Latino adolescents had friends with the achievement characteristics of white students, the GPA gap would be 17 to 19 percent smaller. Although modest, this effect represents an important and often overlooked source of difference among black and Latino youth.
Zambian manufacturing performance in comparative perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yamfwa, F.K.; Szirmai, A.; Lwamba, C.

2002-01-01

This paper presents an analysis of Zambian manufacturing performance since 1964. It presents new estimates of labour productivity growth and total factor productivity growth. After a period of growth and labour productivity improvement till 1974, Zambian manufacturing suffered from increasing
Gender-Based Differential Item Performance in Mathematics Achievement Items.

Science.gov (United States)

Doolittle, Allen E.; Cleary, T. Anne

1987-01-01

Eight randomly equivalent samples of high school seniors were each given a unique form of the ACT Assessment Mathematics Usage Test (ACTM). Signed measures of differential item performance (DIP) were obtained for each item in the eight ACTM forms. DIP estimates were analyzed and a significant item category effect was found. (Author/LMO)
The effect of charging time on the comparative environmental performance of different vehicle types

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crossin, Enda; Doherty, Peter J.B.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The environmental performance of a PHEV and equivalent ICE were analysed using LCA. • Charging behaviour and electricity profiles of Australia’s NEM grid were included. • A methodology to model the marginal electricity supply mix was developed. • PHEVs charged from the NEM present greenhouse gas benefits. • Burden shifts towards other environmental indicators may occur, but are uncertain. - Abstract: This study combines electricity supply mix profiles and observed charging behaviour to compare the environmental performance of a petrol-hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) with a class-equivalent internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle over the full life cycle. Environmental performance is compared using a suite of indicators across the life cycle, accounting for both marginal and average electricity supply mixes for Australia’s National Energy Market (NEM) grid. The use of average emission factors for the NEM grid can serve as a good proxy for accounting charging behaviour, provided that there is a strong correlation between the time of charging and total electricity demand. Compared with an equivalent ICE, PHEVs charged from Australia’s NEM can reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the life cycle. Potential burden shifts towards acidification, eutrophication and human toxicity impacts may occur, but these impacts are uncertain due to modelling limitations. This study has the potential to inform both short and long term forecasts of the environmental impacts associated with EV deployment in Australia and provides a better understanding the temporal variations in emissions associated with electricity use in the short term.
Self-Esteem, Achievement Goals, and Self-Handicapping in College Physical Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zuosong; Sun, Kaihong; Wang, Kun

2017-01-01

This study aims to investigate the relationships among self-esteem, achievement goals, and self-handicapping and the potential mediating role of achievement goals in the relationship between self-esteem and self-handicapping in college physical education. The participants were 320 Chinese college students. Three validated scales were employed to assess participants' self-esteem, achievement goals, and self-handicapping in college physical education. Results showed that self-esteem had a negative effect on self-handicapping. Self-esteem had a positive effect on mastery goals, but had a negative effect on performance-avoidance goals. Mastery goals had a negative effect and performance-avoidance goals had a positive effect on self-handicapping. Moreover, mastery goals and performance-avoidance goals partially mediated the relationship between self-esteem and self-handicapping, and self-esteem had both direct and indirect effects on self-handicapping in college physical education. The findings indicate that improving individual's self-esteem and promoting mastery goals while reducing performance-avoidance goals may be relevant strategies to reduce self-handicapping in college physical education.
Motivation and academic achievement in medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Yousefy, Alireza; Ghassemi, Gholamreza; Firouznia, Samaneh

2012-01-01

Despite their ascribed intellectual ability and achieved academic pursuits, medical students' academic achievement is influenced by motivation. This study is an endeavor to examine the role of motivation in the academic achievement of medical students. In this cross-sectional correlational study, out of the total 422 medical students, from 4th to final year during the academic year 2007-2008, at School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 344 participated in completion of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM), comprising 43 items and measuring eight aspects of motivation. The gold standard for academic achievement was their average academic marks at pre-clinical and clinical levels. Data were computer analyzed by running a couple of descriptive and analytical tests including Pearson Correlation and Student's t-student. Higher motivation scores in areas of competition, effort, social concern, and task were accompanied by higher average marks at pre-clinical as well as clinical levels. However, the latter ones showed greater motivation for social power as compared to the former group. Task and competition motivation for boys was higher than for girls. In view of our observations, students' academic achievement requires coordination and interaction between different aspects of motivation.
Millennium development goals: Examining Kenya constraints in achieving the eight goals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wambua Leonard Munyao

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper examines Kenya’s performance in achieving the famous millennium development goals. The paper provides the government and other stakeholders with proper understanding of the constraints of achieving the millennium development goals as well as reflecting the phase and the passion of the country in achieving this important development goal. The paper further seeks to stress the importance of this goal in reducing poverty in the country. The paper has cited some key factors undermining achieving of the millennium development goals in Kenya. Major recommendations that can contribute towards achieving of the millennium development goals have also been made.
Comparative Study of Retinal Vessel Segmentation Based on Global Thresholding Techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Temitope Mapayi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Due to noise from uneven contrast and illumination during acquisition process of retinal fundus images, the use of efficient preprocessing techniques is highly desirable to produce good retinal vessel segmentation results. This paper develops and compares the performance of different vessel segmentation techniques based on global thresholding using phase congruency and contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE for the preprocessing of the retinal images. The results obtained show that the combination of preprocessing technique, global thresholding, and postprocessing techniques must be carefully chosen to achieve a good segmentation performance.
Multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing the performance of 22 gauge versus 25 gauge EUS-FNA needles in solid masses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vilmann, Peter; S?ftoiu, Adrian; Hollerbach, Stephan

2013-01-01

Few randomized studies have assessed the clinical performance of 25-gauge (25G) needles compared with 22-gauge (22G) needles during endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) biopsy of intra-abdominal lesions. We aimed to compare the diagnostic yield, as well as performance...
A comparative study of students' performance in preclinical physiology assessed by multiple choice and short essay questions.

Science.gov (United States)

Oyebola, D D; Adewoye, O E; Iyaniwura, J O; Alada, A R; Fasanmade, A A; Raji, Y

2000-01-01

This study was designed to compare the performance of medical students in physiology when assessed by multiple choice questions (MCQs) and short essay questions (SEQs). The study also examined the influence of factors such as age, sex, O/level grades and JAMB scores on performance in the MCQs and SEQs. A structured questionnaire was administered to 264 medical students' four months before the Part I MBBS examination. Apart from personal data of each student, the questionnaire sought information on the JAMB scores and GCE O' Level grades of each student in English Language, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. The physiology syllabus was divided into five parts and the students were administered separate examinations (tests) on each part. Each test consisted of MCQs and SEQs. The performance in MCQs and SEQs were compared. Also, the effects of JAMB scores and GCE O/level grades on the performance in both the MCQs and SEQs were assessed. The results showed that the students performed better in all MCQ tests than in the SEQs. JAMB scores and O' level English Language grade had no significant effect on students' performance in MCQs and SEQs. However O' level grades in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics had significant effects on performance in MCQs and SEQs. Inadequate knowledge of physiology and inability to present information in a logical sequence are believed to be major factors contributing to the poorer performance in the SEQs compared with MCQs. In view of the finding of significant association between performance in MCQs and SEQs and GCE O/level grades in science subjects and mathematics, it was recommended that both JAMB results and the GCE results in the four O/level subjects above may be considered when selecting candidates for admission into the medical schools.
Variety in Performance: A comparative Analysis of Recorded Performances of Bach's Sixth Suite for Solo Cello from 1961 to 1998

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alistair Sung

2011-08-01

Full Text Available There exists a commonly held belief amongst musicologists that there has been a ―general globalisation of styles‖ within recorded performances of the latter half of the twentieth century. For many, this is evidenced by an increased interaction between mainstream (MS and historically informed performance (HIP practices as well as a general decrease in the diversity of performances. Through a comparative aural and software-assisted analysis and measurement of performance features such as tempo, rhythmic flexibility, vibrato, portamento, bowing, and articulation in key interpretations of Bach‘s Suite No. 6 for Solo Cello recorded in between 1961 and 1998, this study investigates the relationship between MS and HIP performances in the latter half of the 20th century. By limiting analyses to those performers who have made two recordings during the designated period (Tortelier, Starker, Bylsma, Ma, Wispelwey, it has been possible to identify overarching trends and individual differences. These have been examined with reference to their broader social and cultural context in order to test commonly held musicological assumptions about the modernist and postmodernist foundations of performances from this era. The results indicate that by the 1990s increased interaction between MS and HIP practices has resulted in a wider variety of differing performances and that this can be seen to be symptomatic of the postmodern condition that has become prevalent since the last decade of the 20th century.
Achieving Kaiser Permanente quality.

Science.gov (United States)

McHugh, Matthew D; Aiken, Linda H; Eckenhoff, Myra E; Burns, Lawton R

2016-01-01

The Kaiser Permanente model of integrated health delivery is highly regarded for high-quality and efficient health care. Efforts to reproduce Kaiser's success have mostly failed. One factor that has received little attention and that could explain Kaiser's advantage is its commitment to and investment in nursing as a key component of organizational culture and patient-centered care. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Kaiser's nursing organization in promoting quality of care. This was a cross-sectional analysis of linked secondary data from multiple sources, including a detailed survey of nurses, for 564 adult, general acute care hospitals from California, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey in 2006-2007. We used logistic regression models to examine whether patient (mortality and failure-to-rescue) and nurse (burnout, job satisfaction, and intent-to-leave) outcomes in Kaiser hospitals were better than in non-Kaiser hospitals. We then assessed whether differences in nursing explained outcomes differences between Kaiser and other hospitals. Finally, we examined whether Kaiser hospitals compared favorably with hospitals known for having excellent nurse work environments-Magnet hospitals. Patient and nurse outcomes in Kaiser hospitals were significantly better compared with non-Magnet hospitals. Kaiser hospitals had significantly better nurse work environments, staffing levels, and more nurses with bachelor's degrees. Differences in nursing explained a significant proportion of the Kaiser outcomes advantage. Kaiser hospital outcomes were comparable with Magnet hospitals, where better outcomes have been largely explained by differences in nursing. An important element in Kaiser's success is its investment in professional nursing, which may not be evident to systems seeking to achieve Kaiser's advantage. Our results suggest that a possible strategy for achieving outcomes like Kaiser may be for hospitals to consider Magnet designation, a proven and
Comparative performance analysis of low-temperature Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) using pure and zeotropic working fluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aghahosseini, S.; Dincer, I.

2013-01-01

In this paper, a comprehensive thermodynamic analysis of the low-grade heat source Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is conducted and the cycle performance is analyzed and compared for different pure and zeotropic-mixture working fluids. The comparative performance evaluation of the cycle using a combined energy and exergy analysis is carried out by sensitivity assessment of the cycle certain operating parameters such as efficiency, flow rate, irreversibility, and heat input requirement at various temperatures and pressures. The environmental characteristics of the working fluids such as toxicity, flammability, ODP and GWP are studied and the cycle CO 2 emission is compared with different fuel combustion systems. R123, R245fa, R600a, R134a, R407c, and R404a are considered as the potential working fluids. Results from this analysis provide valuable insight into selection of the most suitable working fluids for power generating application at different operating conditions with a minimal environmental impact. -- Highlights: ► Combined energy and exergy analysis is conducted for Organic Rankine Cycle. ► Comparative assessment is performed for different pure and zeotropic working fluids. ► Exergy and energy efficiency, cycle irreversibility, and required external heat are analyzed. ► Toxicity, flammability, ODP and GWP of considered working fluids are studied. ► Environmental benefits of the renewable/waste heat-based ORC are investigated
Achieving single channel, full duplex wireless communication

KAUST Repository

Choi, Jung Il; Jain, Mayank; Srinivasan, Kannan; Levis, Phil; Katti, Sachin

2010-01-01

This paper discusses the design of a single channel full-duplex wireless transceiver. The design uses a combination of RF and baseband techniques to achieve full-duplexing with minimal effect on link reliability. Experiments on real nodes show the full-duplex prototype achieves median performance that is within 8% of an ideal full-duplexing system. This paper presents Antenna Cancellation, a novel technique for self-interference cancellation. In conjunction with existing RF interference cancellation and digital baseband interference cancellation, antenna cancellation achieves the amount of self-interference cancellation required for full-duplex operation. The paper also discusses potential MAC and network gains with full-duplexing. It suggests ways in which a full-duplex system can solve some important problems with existing wireless systems including hidden terminals, loss of throughput due to congestion, and large end-to-end delays. Copyright 2010 ACM.

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