Resiliency Evaluation, Assessment and Contingency Tools, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Resiliency Evaluation, Assessment and Contingency Tools (REACT) Achieving resiliency in any system requires capabilities that are beyond the boundaries of currently...

[Systematic economic assessment and quality evaluation for traditional Chinese medicines].

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Xiao; Guo, Li-ping; Shang, Hong-cai; Ren, Ming; Lei, Xiang

2015-05-01

To learn about the economic studies on traditional Chinese medicines in domestic literatures, in order to analyze the current economic assessment of traditional Chinese medicines and explore the existing problems. Efforts were made to search CNKI, VIP, Wanfang database and CBM by computer and include all literatures about economic assessment of traditional Chinese medicines published on professional domestic journals in the systematic assessment and quality evaluation. Finally, 50 articles were included in the study, and the systematic assessment and quality evaluation were made for them in terms of titles, year, authors' identity, expense source, disease type, study perspective, study design type, study target, study target source, time limit, cost calculation, effect indicator, analytical technique and sensitivity analysis. The finally quality score was 0.74, which is very low. The results of the study showed insufficient studies on economics of traditional Chinese medicines, short study duration and simple evaluation methods, which will be solved through unremitting efforts in the future.

Pharmacy curriculum outcomes assessment for individual student assessment and curricular evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Day M; Bennett, Lunawati L; Ferrill, Mary J; Brown, Daniel L

2010-12-15

The Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) is a standardized examination for assessing academic progress of pharmacy students. Although no other national benchmarking tool is available on a national level, the PCOA has not been adopted by all colleges and schools of pharmacy. Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBAU) compared 2008-2010 PCOA results of its P1, P2, and P3 students to their current grade point average (GPA) and to results of a national cohort. The reliability coefficient of PCOA was 0.91, 0.90, and 0.93 for the 3 years, respectively. PBAU results showed a positive correlation between GPA and PCOA scale score. A comparison of subtopic results helped to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum. PCOA provides useful comparative data that can facilitate individual student assessment as well as programmatic evaluation. There are no other standardized assessment tools available. Despite limitations, PCOA warrants consideration by colleges and schools of pharmacy. Expanded participation could enhance its utility as a meaningful benchmark.

LNG Safety Assessment Evaluation Methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muna, Alice Baca [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); LaFleur, Angela Christine [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-05-01

Sandia National Laboratories evaluated published safety assessment methods across a variety of industries including Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), hydrogen, land and marine transportation, as well as the US Department of Defense (DOD). All the methods were evaluated for their potential applicability for use in the LNG railroad application. After reviewing the documents included in this report, as well as others not included because of repetition, the Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Safety Plan Checklist is most suitable to be adapted to the LNG railroad application. This report was developed to survey industries related to rail transportation for methodologies and tools that can be used by the FRA to review and evaluate safety assessments submitted by the railroad industry as a part of their implementation plans for liquefied or compressed natural gas storage ( on-board or tender) and engine fueling delivery systems. The main sections of this report provide an overview of various methods found during this survey. In most cases, the reference document is quoted directly. The final section provides discussion and a recommendation for the most appropriate methodology that will allow efficient and consistent evaluations to be made. The DOE Hydrogen Safety Plan Checklist was then revised to adapt it as a methodology for the Federal Railroad Administration’s use in evaluating safety plans submitted by the railroad industry.

Evaluation of intrusion sensors and video assessment in areas of restricted passage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoover, C.E.; Ringler, C.E.

1996-04-01

This report discusses an evaluation of intrusion sensors and video assessment in areas of restricted passage. The discussion focuses on applications of sensors and video assessment in suspended ceilings and air ducts. It also includes current and proposed requirements for intrusion detection and assessment. Detection and nuisance alarm characteristics of selected sensors as well as assessment capabilities of low-cost board cameras were included in the evaluation

A Method for Evaluating Competency in Assessment and Management of Suicide Risk

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, Erick K.; Binder, Renee L.; Fordwood, Samantha R.; Hall, Stephen E.; Cramer, Robert J.; McNiel, Dale E.

2012-01-01

Objective: Although health professionals increasingly are expected to be able to assess and manage patients' risk for suicide, few methods are available to evaluate this competency. This report describes development of a competency-assessment instrument for suicide risk-assessment (CAI-S), and evaluates its use in an objective structured clinical…

Dogmas in the assessment of usability evaluation methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hornbæk, Kasper

2010-01-01

Usability evaluation methods (UEMs) are widely recognised as an essential part of systems development. Assessments of the performance of UEMs, however, have been criticised for low validity and limited reliability. The present study extends this critique by describing seven dogmas in recent work ...... research approaches that may help move beyond the dogmas. In particular, we emphasise detailed studies of evaluation processes, assessments of the impact of UEMs on design carried out in real-world systems development and analyses of how UEMs may be combined......Usability evaluation methods (UEMs) are widely recognised as an essential part of systems development. Assessments of the performance of UEMs, however, have been criticised for low validity and limited reliability. The present study extends this critique by describing seven dogmas in recent work...... on UEMs. The dogmas include using inadequate procedures and measures for assessment, focusing on win-lose outcomes, holding simplistic models of how usability evaluators work, concentrating on evaluation rather than on design and working from the assumption that usability problems are real. We discuss...

Developing and evaluating distributions for probabilistic human exposure assessments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maddalena, Randy L.; McKone, Thomas E.

2002-08-01

This report describes research carried out at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to assist the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in developing a consistent yet flexible approach for evaluating the inputs to probabilistic risk assessments. The U.S. EPA Office of Emergency and Remedial Response (OERR) recently released Volume 3 Part A of Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund (RAGS), as an update to the existing two-volume set of RAGS. The update provides policy and technical guidance on performing probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). Consequently, EPA risk managers and decision-makers need to review and evaluate the adequacy of PRAs for supporting regulatory decisions. A critical part of evaluating a PRA is the problem of evaluating or judging the adequacy of input distributions PRA. Although the overarching theme of this report is the need to improve the ease and consistency of the regulatory review process, the specific objectives are presented in two parts. The objective of Part 1 is to develop a consistent yet flexible process for evaluating distributions in a PRA by identifying the critical attributes of an exposure factor distribution and discussing how these attributes relate to the task-specific adequacy of the input. This objective is carried out with emphasis on the perspective of a risk manager or decision-maker. The proposed evaluation procedure provides consistency to the review process without a loss of flexibility. As a result, the approach described in Part 1 provides an opportunity to apply a single review framework for all EPA regions and yet provide the regional risk manager with the flexibility to deal with site- and case-specific issues in the PRA process. However, as the number of inputs to a PRA increases, so does the complexity of the process for calculating, communicating and managing risk. As a result, there is increasing effort required of both the risk professionals performing the analysis and the risk manager

Assessing Student Understanding of the "New Biology": Development and Evaluation of a Criterion-Referenced Genomics and Bioinformatics Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Chad Edward

Over the past decade, hundreds of studies have introduced genomics and bioinformatics (GB) curricula and laboratory activities at the undergraduate level. While these publications have facilitated the teaching and learning of cutting-edge content, there has yet to be an evaluation of these assessment tools to determine if they are meeting the quality control benchmarks set forth by the educational research community. An analysis of these assessment tools indicated that valid and reliable inferences about student learning. To remedy this situation the development of a robust GB assessment aligned with the quality control benchmarks was undertaken in order to ensure evidence-based evaluation of student learning outcomes. Content validity is a central piece of construct validity, and it must be used to guide instrument and item development. This study reports on: (1) the correspondence of content validity evidence gathered from independent sources; (2) the process of item development using this evidence; (3) the results from a pilot administration of the assessment; (4) the subsequent modification of the assessment based on the pilot administration results and; (5) the results from the second administration of the assessment. Twenty-nine different subtopics within GB (Appendix B: Genomics and Bioinformatics Expert Survey) were developed based on preliminary GB textbook analyses. These subtopics were analyzed using two methods designed to gather content validity evidence: (1) a survey of GB experts (n=61) and (2) a detailed content analyses of GB textbooks (n=6). By including only the subtopics that were shown to have robust support across these sources, 22 GB subtopics were established for inclusion in the assessment. An expert panel subsequently developed, evaluated, and revised two multiple-choice items to align with each of the 22 subtopics, producing a final item pool of 44 items. These items were piloted with student samples of varying content exposure levels

Evaluation of air quality and noise impact assessments, Davis Canyon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-05-01

In this report, several issues are identified regarding the air quality and noise assessments presented in the final salt repository environmental assessment (EA) prepared by the US Department of Energy for the Davis Canyon, Utah, site. Necessary revisions to the data and methods used to develop the EA impact assessment are described. Then, a comparative evaluation is presented in which estimated impacts based upon the revised data and methods are compared with the impacts published in the EA. The evaluation indicates that the conclusions of the EA air quality and noise impact sections would be unchanged. Consequently, the guideline findings presented in Chapter 6 of the EA are also unchanged by the revised analysis. 50 refs., 16 tabs

Evaluation and assessment of social accountability in medical schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Leinster, Sam

2011-01-01

Social accountability as an outcome must be measured at institutional (evaluation) and individual (assessment) level. The definitions used in the measurement will be dependent on the social setting of the medical school being scrutinised. A formal framework is needed so that comparisons can be made and progress measured. The World Health Organisation suggests that there are four principles that delineate social accountability--relevance, quality, cost-effectiveness and equity. Medical schools are evaluated according to their planning, doing and impact in relation to these principles. Boelen and Woollard have clarified the ideas of planning, doing and impact into Conceptualisation, Production and Usability. THEnet group of medical schools use a shortened version of Boelen and Woollard's framework with 20 criteria to evaluate their programmes. At the individual level, there is considerable overlap between the concepts of 'social accountability' and 'professionalism'. Attempts are being made to define and measure professionalism, however, if the behaviour and attitudes of individual graduates is a significant component in defining social responsibility new methods of assessment need to be developed. Factors such as the available resources and the structure of the health services have a very large effect on doctors' attitudes and behaviour. As a result, the task of evaluating and assessing the extent to which medical schools are socially accountable is complex. Judgments on how well a school is meeting the standards will have to make allowance for the local political and economic environment.

How and when will self-assessment improve maintenance of CANDU plants - evaluator's view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mika, K.

1997-01-01

Learning organizations use self-evaluation programs to compare their actual performance with their management's expectations and industry standards. In general, self-evaluations identify areas needing improvement. Self-evaluation activities in maintenance departments include self-assessments, management monitoring observations, root cause analyses, event investigations, benchmarking, use of operating experience, self-checking, and problem reporting systems. In Ontario Hydro Nuclear (OHN) we have used almost all forms of self-evaluation with mixed success. However, we did not use self-assessments. With emphasis on excellent maintenance this powerful form of self-evaluation is being introduced to all our plants. Because of its recency and relative inexperience with it, this paper is focused on self-assessment. The paper provides the author's perspective on how a self-assessment program would be evaluated by an independent internal evaluation and what attributes should be in place in order for maintenance departments to succeed in the implementation and successful continuation of the program. (author)

Evaluation and assessment of nuclear power plant seismic methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernreuter, D.; Tokarz, F.; Wight, L.; Smith, P.; Wells, J.; Barlow, R.

1977-01-01

The major emphasis of this study is to develop a methodology that can be used to assess the current methods used for assuring the seismic safety of nuclear power plants. The proposed methodology makes use of system-analysis techniques and Monte Carlo schemes. Also, in this study, we evaluate previous assessments of the current seismic-design methodology

Evaluation and assessment of nuclear power plant seismic methodology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernreuter, D.; Tokarz, F.; Wight, L.; Smith, P.; Wells, J.; Barlow, R.

1977-03-01

The major emphasis of this study is to develop a methodology that can be used to assess the current methods used for assuring the seismic safety of nuclear power plants. The proposed methodology makes use of system-analysis techniques and Monte Carlo schemes. Also, in this study, we evaluate previous assessments of the current seismic-design methodology.

Assessing and evaluating multidisciplinary translational teams: a mixed methods approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Wooten, Kevin C; Rose, Robert M; Ostir, Glenn V; Calhoun, William J; Ameredes, Bill T; Brasier, Allan R

2014-03-01

A case report illustrates how multidisciplinary translational teams can be assessed using outcome, process, and developmental types of evaluation using a mixed-methods approach. Types of evaluation appropriate for teams are considered in relation to relevant research questions and assessment methods. Logic models are applied to scientific projects and team development to inform choices between methods within a mixed-methods design. Use of an expert panel is reviewed, culminating in consensus ratings of 11 multidisciplinary teams and a final evaluation within a team-type taxonomy. Based on team maturation and scientific progress, teams were designated as (a) early in development, (b) traditional, (c) process focused, or (d) exemplary. Lessons learned from data reduction, use of mixed methods, and use of expert panels are explored.

Facilitating Evaluations of Innovative, Competence-Based Assessments: Creating Understanding and Involving Multiple Stakeholders

Science.gov (United States)

Gulikers, Judith T. M.; Baartman, Liesbeth K. J.; Biemans, Harm J. A.

2010-01-01

Schools are held more responsible for evaluating, quality assuring and improving their student assessments. Teachers' lack of understanding of new, competence-based assessments as well as the lack of key stakeholders' involvement, hamper effective and efficient self-evaluations by teachers of innovative, competence-based assessments (CBAs). While…

Financial and testamentary capacity evaluations: procedures and assessment instruments underneath a functional approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Sousa, Liliana B; Simões, Mário R; Firmino, Horácio; Peisah, Carmelle

2014-02-01

Mental health professionals are frequently involved in mental capacity determinations. However, there is a lack of specific measures and well-defined procedures for these evaluations. The main purpose of this paper is to provide a review of financial and testamentary capacity evaluation procedures, including not only the traditional neuropsychological and functional assessment but also the more recently developed forensic assessment instruments (FAIs), which have been developed to provide a specialized answer to legal systems regarding civil competencies. Here the main guidelines, papers, and other references are reviewed in order to achieve a complete and comprehensive selection of instruments used in the assessment of financial and testamentary capacity. Although some specific measures for financial abilities have been developed recently, the same is not true for testamentary capacity. Here are presented several instruments or methodologies for assessing financial and testamentary capacity, including neuropsychological assessment, functional assessment scales, performance based functional assessment instruments, and specific FAIs. FAIs are the only specific instruments intended to provide a specific and direct answer to the assessment of financial capacity based on legal systems. Considering the need to move from a diagnostic to a functional approach in financial and testamentary capacity evaluations, it is essential to consider both general functional examination as well as cognitive functioning.

Evaluation of speech and language assessment approaches with bilingual children.

Science.gov (United States)

De Lamo White, Caroline; Jin, Lixian

2011-01-01

British society is multicultural and multilingual, thus for many children English is not their main or only language. Speech and language therapists are required to assess accurately the speech and language skills of bilingual children if they are suspected of having a disorder. Cultural and linguistic diversity means that a more complex assessment procedure is needed and research suggests that bilingual children are at risk of misdiagnosis. Clinicians have identified a lack of suitable assessment instruments for use with this client group. This paper highlights the challenges of assessing bilingual children and reviews available speech and language assessment procedures and approaches for use with this client group. It evaluates different approaches for assessing bilingual children to identify approaches that may be more appropriate for carrying out assessments effectively. This review discusses and evaluates the efficacy of norm-referenced standardized measures, criterion-referenced measures, language-processing measures, dynamic assessment and a sociocultural approach. When all named procedures and approaches are compared, the sociocultural approach appears to hold the most promise for accurate assessment of bilingual children. Research suggests that language-processing measures are not effective indicators for identifying speech and language disorders in bilingual children, but further research is warranted. The sociocultural approach encompasses some of the other approaches discussed, including norm-referenced measures, criterion-referenced measures and dynamic assessment. The sociocultural approach enables the clinician to interpret results in the light of the child's linguistic and cultural background. In addition, combining approaches mitigates the weaknesses inherent in each approach. © 2011 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Comparative assessment of nanomaterial definitions and safety evaluation considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Boverhof, Darrell R; Bramante, Christina M; Butala, John H; Clancy, Shaun F; Lafranconi, Mark; West, Jay; Gordon, Steve C

2015-10-01

Nanomaterials continue to bring promising advances to science and technology. In concert have come calls for increased regulatory oversight to ensure their appropriate identification and evaluation, which has led to extensive discussions about nanomaterial definitions. Numerous nanomaterial definitions have been proposed by government, industry, and standards organizations. We conducted a comprehensive comparative assessment of existing nanomaterial definitions put forward by governments to highlight their similarities and differences. We found that the size limits used in different definitions were inconsistent, as were considerations of other elements, including agglomerates and aggregates, distributional thresholds, novel properties, and solubility. Other important differences included consideration of number size distributions versus weight distributions and natural versus intentionally-manufactured materials. Overall, the definitions we compared were not in alignment, which may lead to inconsistent identification and evaluation of nanomaterials and could have adverse impacts on commerce and public perceptions of nanotechnology. We recommend a set of considerations that future discussions of nanomaterial definitions should consider for describing materials and assessing their potential for health and environmental impacts using risk-based approaches within existing assessment frameworks. Our intent is to initiate a dialogue aimed at achieving greater clarity in identifying those nanomaterials that may require additional evaluation, not to propose a formal definition. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Evaluability Assessment to Improve Program Evaluation for the Blue-Throated Macaw Environmental Education Project in Bolivia

Science.gov (United States)

Salvatierra da Silva, Daniela; Jacobson, Susan K.; Monroe, Martha C.; Israel, Glenn D.

2016-01-01

An evaluability assessment of a program to save a critically endangered bird helped prepare the Blue-throated Macaw Environmental Education Project for evaluation and program improvement. The evaluability assessment facilitated agreement among key stakeholders on evaluation criteria and intended uses of evaluation information in order to maximize…

Evaluation assessment of Rail Freight Transportation Research and Development Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1983-02-01

This report presents an evaluation assessment of the Canadian Rail Freight Transportation Research and Development (R and D) Program. The assessment was to assist in preparing for an evaluation of the Program and to stimulate a better understanding of the broader issues and problems of evaluating R and D programs. In general, the objectives of the program are aimed at improving rail freight productivity, capacity, safety, cost, and the domestic and foreign competitive position of railway suppliers. This is to be acccomplished by stimulating a stronger industry commitment to R and D and inducing investment in new technology through joint federal-industry funding and participation in rail freight R and D projects. In view of the low funding levels of the Program, it is unlikely that it will have a significant direct impact upon these ultimate objectives. Impacts will likely only be achieved through the Program's ability to stimulate increased industrial R and D and investment in new technology. A model of the Program developed in the report shows that the critical linkages between the activities and objectives of the Program are the leadership or advocacy functions performed by the Program's managers and of the results of projects supported under the Program; and the processes of program planning and project selection. An assessment of the Program's structure indicates that there are no significant issues that would make the evaluation of the Program or its major components inadvisable. Twelve potential evaluation questions and the basic approaches required to address each of them are presented in the report. 5 figs., 10 tabs.

Evaluating and Enhancing Outcomes Assessment Quality in Higher Education Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, Kenneth; Goodwin, Laura

2007-01-01

Accreditation is a mark of distinction indicating that an institution has met high standards set by the profession, and an increasingly important feature of the accreditation process in higher education is "outcomes assessment." This article presents two rubrics for evaluating the quality of an institution's outcomes assessment system. One rubric…

Facilitating evaluations of innovative, competence-based assessment: Creating understanding and involving multiple stakeholders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gulikers, J.T.M.; Baartman, L.K.J.; Biemans, H.

2010-01-01

Schools are held more responsible for evaluating, quality assuring and improving their student assessments. Teachers’ lack of understanding of new, competence-based assessments as well as the lack of key stakeholders’ involvement, hamper effective and efficient self-evaluations by teachers of

Facilitating evaluations of innovative, competence-based assessments: creating understanding and involving multiple stakeholders.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gulikers, J.T.M.; Baartman, L.; Biemans, H.J.A.

2010-01-01

Schools are held more responsible for evaluating, quality assuring and improving their student assessments. Teachers’ lack of understanding of new, competence-based assessments as well as the lack of key stakeholders’ involvement, hamper effective and efficient self-evaluations by teachers of

Evaluation of air quality and noise impact assessments, Deaf Smith County

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-05-01

In this report, several issues are identified regarding the air quality and noise impact assessments presented in the final salt repository environmental assessment (EA) prepared by the US Department of Energy for the Deaf Smith County, Texas, site. Necessary revisions to the data and methods used to develop the EA impact assessment are described. Then, a comparative evaluation is presented in which estimated impacts based upon the revised data and methods are compared with the impacts published in the EA. The evaluation indicates that the conclusions of the EA air quality and noise impacts sections would be unchanged. Consequently, the guideline findings presented in Chapter 6 of the EA are also unchanged by the revised analysis. 13 tabs

Evaluability Assessment of a National Driver Retraining Program: Are We Evaluating in the Right Lane?

Science.gov (United States)

Joanisse, Melanie; Stinchcombe, Arne; Yamin, Stephanie

2010-01-01

An evaluability assessment (EA) of the 55 Alive program, a national older driver refresher course aimed at improving driving skills, was conducted. This EA adds to the evaluation literature as previous outcome evaluations neglected to explore whether this program was prepared for such assessments. A mixed-method protocol was executed across three…

Rapid assessment as an evaluation tool for polio national ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Rapid assessment as an evaluation tool for polio national immunisation days in Brong Ahafo region, Ghana. ... TM Akande, M Eshetu, G Bonsu ... Conclusion: Rapid assessment is a valuable tool for evaluation of NIDs; it enables timely intervention in covering missed children and helps in careful interpretation of the usual ...

[Modification and evaluation of assessment of 
medication literacy].

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Feng; Zhong, Zhuqing; Ding, Siqing; Luo, Aijing; Liu, Zina

2016-11-28

To translate and revise the Medication Literacy Assessment in English (MedLitRxSE-English) and evaluate its validity and reliability.
 Methods: We introduced MedLitRxSE-English from abroad. According to the principles of Brislin and culture adjustment, we revised it as a Chinese edition. Using random sampling method, from Oct, 2014 to Jan, 2015, 461 non-hospitalized patients from the outpatient departments of the top three hospitals in Changsha city were investigated. The reliability and validity of the scale was tested.
 Results: The test-retest reliability of the Chinese version for medication literacy scale was 0.885; the split reliability was 0.840; K-R was 0.820; the correlations between the assessment of medication literacy and the corresponding items were 0.427-0.587; the confirmatory factor analysis revealed overall good fit. Root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), χ2/df, goodness of fit index (GFI) and comparative fit index (CFI) was 0.08, 3.06, 0.91 and 0.94, respectively. 
 Conclusion: The Chinese version for the assessment of medication literacy is in good reliability and validity, and it can be used to evaluate the medication literacy in our country.

Transport project evaluation: feasibility risk assessment and scenario forecasting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salling, Kim Bang; Leleur, Steen

2017-01-01

This paper presents a new approach to transport project assessment in terms of feasibility risk assessment and reference class forecasting. Conventionally, transport project assessment is based upon a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) where evaluation criteria such as Benefit Cost Ratios (BCR...... on the preliminary construction cost estimates. Hereafter, a quantitative risk analysis is provided making use of Monte Carlo simulation. This approach facilitates random input parameters based upon reference class forecasting, hence, a parameter data fit has been performed in order to obtain validated probability...... Scenario Forecasting (RSF) frame. The RSF is anchored in the cost-benefit analysis; thus, it provides decision-makers with a quantitative mean of assessing the transport infrastructure project. First, the RSF method introduces uncertainties within the CBA by applying Optimism Bias uplifts...

Survey and evaluation of aging risk assessment methods and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanzo, D.; Kvam, P.; Apostolakis, G.; Wu, J.; Milici, T.; Ghoniem, N.; Guarro, S.

1994-11-01

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission initiated the nuclear power plant aging research program about 6 years ago to gather information about nuclear power plant aging. Since then, this program has collected a significant amount of information, largely qualitative, on plant aging and its potential effects on plant safety. However, this body of knowledge has not yet been integrated into formalisms that can be used effectively and systematically to assess plant risk resulting from aging, although models for assessing the effect of increasing failure rates on core damage frequency have been proposed. This report surveys the work on the aging of systems, structures, and components (SSCs) of nuclear power plants, as well as associated data bases. We take a critical look at the need to revise probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) so that they will include the contribution to risk from plant aging, the adequacy of existing methods for evaluating this contribution, and the adequacy of the data that have been used in these evaluation methods. We identify a preliminary framework for integrating the aging of SSCs into the PRA and include the identification of necessary data for such an integration

Technological pedagogical content knowledge of prospective mathematics teachers regarding evaluation and assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ercan Atasoy

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The ‘technology integrated assessment process’ is an innovative method to capture and determine students’ understanding of mathematics. This assessment process is claimed to provide a singular dynamism for teaching and learning activities and it is also claimed to be of the most important elements of instruction in the educational system. In this sense, this study aims to investigate technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK of prospective mathematics teachers regarding the ‘evaluation’ and ‘assessment’ process. To achieve this aim, the method of qualitative research was conducted with 20 teachers. Video records and lesson plans were collected and a Mathematics Teacher TPACK Development Model was utilized to reveal themes and key features of the data. The findings revealed that, although the majority of teachers stated that they would like to use technology-integrated tools in the assessment and evaluation processes, they strongly preferred to use traditional assessment and evaluation techniques, such as pen and paper activities, multiple-choice questions in virtual environments, etc. Hence, the evidence suggests that teachers would be unable to use appropriately the technological assessment process in order to reveal students’ understanding of mathematics. As seen from the teachers’ lectures, they perceived that technology would be suitable for evaluation and assessment but in a limited way.

Assessment and Evaluation of the Utah Master Naturalist Program: Implications for Targeting Audiences

Science.gov (United States)

Larese-Casanova, Mark

2011-01-01

The Utah Master Naturalist Program trains citizens who provide education, outreach, and service to promote citizen stewardship of natural resources within their communities. In 2007-2008, the Watersheds module of the program was evaluated for program success, and participant knowledge was assessed. Assessment and evaluation results indicated that…

Risk assessment of medical devices: evaluation of microbiological and toxicological safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorpema, J.W.

1995-01-01

Safety assessment of medical devices includes sterilization and biological evaluation or biocompatability testing. Sterilization by ETO gas is criticised for their carcinogenic potency or even banned. Mutual acceptance of biological evaluation test results is promoted by a laboratory accreditation and qualification program. (Author)

Assessing Quality and Evaluating Performance in Higher Education: Worlds Apart or Complementary Views?

Science.gov (United States)

Sarrico, Claudia S.; Rosa, Maria J.; Teixeira, Pedro N.; Cardoso, Margarida F.

2010-01-01

This paper reflects on quality assessment and performance evaluation in higher education, namely by analysing the insufficient link between those two aspects. We start by reviewing the current state of the art regarding different processes and mechanisms of quality assessment and performance evaluation and discuss some of the major issues…

Variability of building environmental assessment tools on evaluating carbon emissions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ng, S. Thomas, E-mail: tstng@hkucc.hku.hk; Chen Yuan, E-mail: chenyuan4@gmail.com; Wong, James M.W., E-mail: jmwwong@hku.hk

2013-01-15

With an increasing importance of sustainability in construction, more and more clients and designers employ building environmental assessment (BEA) tools to evaluate the environmental friendliness of their building facilities, and one important aspect of evaluation in the BEA models is the assessment of carbon emissions. However, in the absence of any agreed framework for carbon auditing and benchmarking, the results generated by the BEA tools might vary significantly which could lead to confusion or misinterpretation on the carbon performance of a building. This study thus aims to unveil the properties of and the standard imposed by the current BEA models on evaluating the life cycle carbon emissions. The analyses cover the (i) weighting of energy efficiency and emission levels among various environmental performance indicators; (ii) building life cycle stages in which carbon is taken into consideration; (iii) objectiveness of assessment; (iv) baseline set for carbon assessment; (v) mechanism for benchmarking the emission level; and (v) limitations of the carbon assessment approaches. Results indicate that the current BEA schemes focus primarily on operational carbon instead of the emissions generated throughout the entire building life cycle. Besides, the baseline and benchmark for carbon evaluation vary significantly among the BEA tools based on the analytical results of a hypothetical building. The findings point to the needs for a more transparent framework for carbon auditing and benchmarking in BEA modeling. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Carbon emission evaluation in building environmental assessment schemes are studied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Simulative carbon emission is modeled for building environmental assessment schemes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Carbon assessments focus primarily on operational stage instead of entire lifecycle. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Baseline and benchmark of carbon assessment vary greatly among BEA

Variability of building environmental assessment tools on evaluating carbon emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, S. Thomas; Chen Yuan; Wong, James M.W.

2013-01-01

With an increasing importance of sustainability in construction, more and more clients and designers employ building environmental assessment (BEA) tools to evaluate the environmental friendliness of their building facilities, and one important aspect of evaluation in the BEA models is the assessment of carbon emissions. However, in the absence of any agreed framework for carbon auditing and benchmarking, the results generated by the BEA tools might vary significantly which could lead to confusion or misinterpretation on the carbon performance of a building. This study thus aims to unveil the properties of and the standard imposed by the current BEA models on evaluating the life cycle carbon emissions. The analyses cover the (i) weighting of energy efficiency and emission levels among various environmental performance indicators; (ii) building life cycle stages in which carbon is taken into consideration; (iii) objectiveness of assessment; (iv) baseline set for carbon assessment; (v) mechanism for benchmarking the emission level; and (v) limitations of the carbon assessment approaches. Results indicate that the current BEA schemes focus primarily on operational carbon instead of the emissions generated throughout the entire building life cycle. Besides, the baseline and benchmark for carbon evaluation vary significantly among the BEA tools based on the analytical results of a hypothetical building. The findings point to the needs for a more transparent framework for carbon auditing and benchmarking in BEA modeling. - Highlights: ► Carbon emission evaluation in building environmental assessment schemes are studied. ► Simulative carbon emission is modeled for building environmental assessment schemes. ► Carbon assessments focus primarily on operational stage instead of entire lifecycle. ► Baseline and benchmark of carbon assessment vary greatly among BEA schemes. ► A more transparent and comprehensive framework for carbon assessment is required.

Daily Encounter Cards-Evaluating the Quality of Documented Assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Warren J; Dudek, Nancy; Wood, Timothy J; Frank, Jason R

2016-10-01

Concerns over the quality of work-based assessment (WBA) completion has resulted in faculty development and rater training initiatives. Daily encounter cards (DECs) are a common form of WBA used in ambulatory care and shift work settings. A tool is needed to evaluate initiatives aimed at improving the quality of completion of this widely used form of WBA. The completed clinical evaluation report rating (CCERR) was designed to provide a measure of the quality of documented assessments on in-training evaluation reports. The purpose of this study was to provide validity evidence to support using the CCERR to assess the quality of DEC completion. Six experts in resident assessment grouped 60 DECs into 3 quality categories (high, average, and poor) based on how informative each DEC was for reporting judgments of the resident's performance. Eight supervisors (blinded to the expert groupings) scored the 10 most representative DECs in each group using the CCERR. Mean scores were compared to determine if the CCERR could discriminate based on DEC quality. Statistically significant differences in CCERR scores were observed between all quality groups ( P  evaluate DEC quality. It can serve as an outcome measure for studying interventions targeted at improving the quality of assessments documented on DECs.

Peer assessment in university teaching: Evaluating seven course designs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Berg, I.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/288125797; Admiraal, W.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/120226340; Pilot, A.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/068350880

2006-01-01

Peer assessment in university teaching: evaluating seven course designs Abstract Peer assessment is understood to be an arrangement with students assessing the quality of their fellow students’ writings and giving feedback to each other. This multiple-case study of seven designs of peer assessment

Assessing Impact Submissions for REF 2014: An Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Manville, Catriona; Guthrie, Susan; Henham, Marie-Louise; Garrod, Bryn; Sousa, Sonia; Kirtley, Anne; Castle-Clarke, Sophie; Ling, Tom

2015-01-01

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a new system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions (HEIs). For the first time, part of the assessment included the wider impact of research. RAND Europe was commissioned to evaluate the assessment process of the impact element of REF submissions, and to explore the…

Opening the Conversation on REU Assessment and Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Pressley, S. N.; LeBeau, J. E.

2015-12-01

Project evaluation is a key component to ensuring success of any Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. The Washington State University (WSU) Regional Atmospheric Chemistry: State-of-the-art Measurement and Modeling in the Pacific Northwest REU Site employs a mixed method approach to determine what is working well and what can use improvement (formative evaluation) and to determine impact and effectiveness of the project in reaching the stated goals (summative evaluation). Quantitative data is collected via a pre-/post-test measuring participants' research self-efficacy (RSE), motivation, background information, extent of socialization, and their interpretation of the value of the REU experience. Qualitative data is gathered through individual interviews with the REU students (at the beginning and end of the program) and faculty mentors (at the end). Beginning interviews focus on expectations for the REU program and student backgrounds. End interviews focus on student RSE development, interpretations of their experience, and the value of the experience. Faculty mentors are interviewed to gather insight on student performance in the program and perspectives on the overall success of the program in meeting the proposed goals. Students are provided an opportunity to comment on the strengths and weaknesses of workshops, providing critical feedback to the particular instructor and enabling the faculty to modify the workshop content and activities in future years. Finally, research results are evaluated during the final poster presentation, and faculty are interviewed to report on their perception of how each student learned and gained knowledge during the program. To evaluate the retention of students in engineering and science and identify chosen career paths, a longitudinal survey was created and it is administered via email each year. Many REU programs also employ the Undergraduate Research Students Self-Assessment (URSSA) online tool designed for

Evaluating Computer-Based Assessment in a Risk-Based Model

Science.gov (United States)

Zakrzewski, Stan; Steven, Christine; Ricketts, Chris

2009-01-01

There are three purposes for evaluation: evaluation for action to aid the decision making process, evaluation for understanding to further enhance enlightenment and evaluation for control to ensure compliance to standards. This article argues that the primary function of evaluation in the "Catherine Wheel" computer-based assessment (CBA)…

Assessment on Peri-Urban Dairy Production System and Evaluation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Assessment on Peri-Urban Dairy Production System and Evaluation of Quality of Cows' Raw Milk: A Case of Shambu, Fincha and Kombolcha Towns of Horro Guduru Wollega Zone, Ethiopia. ... Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal ... Keywords: Bacterial load Ethiopia Horro Guduru Peri-Urban Dairying Raw milk ...

Evaluation of a constipation risk assessment scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Zernike, W; Henderson, A

1999-06-01

This project was undertaken in order to evaluate the utility of a constipation risk assessment scale and the accompanying bowel management protocol. The risk assessment scale was primarily introduced to teach and guide staff in managing constipation when caring for patients. The intention of the project was to reduce the incidence of constipation in patients during their admission to hospital.

Comparative evaluation by lifecycle and risk assessment of agrobiological and technological routes of production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moll, H.C.; Schoot Uiterkamp, A.J.M.

The application of lifecycle and risk assessment methodologies for environmental assessment of agricultural products is growing and produces interesting results. This allows comparisons between agricultural and technological routes of production. An evaluation of such assessments provides increased

Transient stability index for online stability assessment and contingency evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribbens-Pavella, M; Murthy, P G; Horward, J L; Carpentier, J L

1982-04-01

An on-line methodology is proposed for assessing the robustness of a power system from the point of view of transient stability, and a scalar expression, the transient stability index, is accordingly derived. The reliability and sensitivity of this index are tested by means of simulations for a number of power system cases. The index is shown to be appropriate for online stability assessment, contingency evaluation and preventive control. 14 refs.

Assessment and Evaluation of Volcanic Rocks Used as Construction ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Assessment and Evaluation of Volcanic Rocks Used as Construction Materials in the City of Addis Ababa. ... So, field observation and sample collection for laboratory investigations were conducted on six selected target areas of the city periphery. In doing so, the compressive strength, open porosity, water absorption and ...

How and when will self-assessment improve maintenance of CANDU plants - evaluator's view

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mika, K. [Ontario Hydro. Bruce Nuclear Station. Tiverton, ON (Canada)

1997-07-01

Learning organizations use self-evaluation programs to compare their actual performance with their management's expectations and industry standards. In general, self-evaluations identify areas needing improvement. Self-evaluation activities in maintenance departments include self-assessments, management monitoring observations, root cause analyses, event investigations, benchmarking, use of operating experience, self-checking, and problem reporting systems. In Ontario Hydro Nuclear (OHN) we have used almost all forms of self-evaluation with mixed success. However, we did not use self-assessments. With emphasis on excellent maintenance this powerful form of self-evaluation is being introduced to all our plants. Because of its recency and relative inexperience with it, this paper is focused on self-assessment. The paper provides the author's perspective on how a self-assessment program would be evaluated by an independent internal evaluation and what attributes should be in place in order for maintenance departments to succeed in the implementation and successful continuation of the program. (author)

Romania: Cernavoda unit 2. Assessments and evaluations. Annex 9B

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rotaru, I.; Condu, M.

1999-01-01

This annex describes the various assessments and evaluations undertaken to confirm economic and technical viability of unit 2. The extent of modifications and improvements arising out of the suspension period are also identified. (author)

Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Evaluate Current Physical Activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jolanta Marszalek

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of ecological momentary assessment in evaluating physical activity among children, adolescents, and adults. It also determines whether ecological momentary assessment fulfills the criteria of validity, reliability, objectivity, norms, and standardization applied to the tools used for the evaluation of physical activity. Methods. The EBSCO-CINHAL, Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed, and SPORTDiscuss databases were reviewed in December 2012 for articles associated with EMA. Results. Of the 20 articles examined, half (10 used electronic methods for data collection, although various methods were used, ranging from pen and paper to smartphone applications. Ten studies used objective monitoring equipment. Nineteen studies were performed over 4 days. While the validity of the EMA method was discussed in 18 studies, only four found it to be objective. In all cases, the EMA procedures were precisely documented and confirmed to be feasible. Conclusions. Ecological momentary assessment is a valid, reliable, and feasible approach to evaluate activity and sedentary behavior. Researchers should be aware that while ecological momentary assessment offers many benefits, it simultaneously imposes many limitations which should be considered when studying physical activity.

Development, Evaluation, and Validation of Environmental Assessment Tools to Evaluate the College Nutrition Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Freedman, Marjorie R.

2010-01-01

Objective: To develop, evaluate, and validate 2 nutrition environment assessment tools (surveys), for specific use in combating overweight on college/university campuses. Participants and Methods: Invitations to complete surveys were e-mailed to food service and health center directors at 47 universities, Winter 2008. Overall response rate was…

Self-Assessment in the Evaluation Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Koehler, Michael

1990-01-01

Describes a four-step process to involve teachers in self-evaluation that results in performance ownership. When supervisors incorporate teacher self-assessments into classroom observation reports, teachers are more willing to engage in follow-up professional growth activities and perceive supervisors as helpers in the process. (MLH)

Evaluability Assessment Thesis and Dissertation Studies in Graduate Professional Degree Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Walser, Tamara M.; Trevisan, Michael S.

2016-01-01

Evaluability assessment (EA) has potential as a design option for thesis and dissertation studies, serving as a practical training experience for both technical and nontechnical evaluation skills. Based on a content review of a sample of EA theses and dissertations from graduate professional degree programs, the authors of this article found that…

A prospective study assessing agreement and reliability of a geriatric evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Locatelli, Isabella; Monod, Stéfanie; Cornuz, Jacques; Büla, Christophe J; Senn, Nicolas

2017-07-19

The present study takes place within a geriatric program, aiming at improving the diagnosis and management of geriatric syndromes in primary care. Within this program it was of prime importance to be able to rely on a robust and reproducible geriatric consultation to use as a gold standard for evaluating a primary care brief assessment tool. The specific objective of the present study was thus assessing the agreement and reliability of a comprehensive geriatric consultation. The study was conducted at the outpatient clinic of the Service of Geriatric Medicine, University of Lausanne, Switzerland. All community-dwelling older persons aged 70 years and above were eligible. Patients were excluded if they hadn't a primary care physician, they were unable to speak French, or they were already assessed by a geriatrician within the last 12 months. A set of 9 geriatricians evaluated 20 patients. Each patient was assessed twice within a 2-month delay. Geriatric consultations were based on a structured evaluation process, leading to rating the following geriatric conditions: functional, cognitive, visual, and hearing impairment, mood disorders, risk of fall, osteoporosis, malnutrition, and urinary incontinence. Reliability and agreement estimates on each of these items were obtained using a three-way Intraclass Correlation and a three-way Observed Disagreement index. The latter allowed a decomposition of overall disagreement into disagreements due to each source of error variability (visit, rater and random). Agreement ranged between 0.62 and 0.85. For most domains, geriatrician-related error variability explained an important proportion of disagreement. Reliability ranged between 0 and 0.8. It was poor/moderate for visual impairment, malnutrition and risk of fall, and good/excellent for functional/cognitive/hearing impairment, osteoporosis, incontinence and mood disorders. Six out of nine items of the geriatric consultation described in this study (functional

Student Evaluation in Higher Education: A Comparison between Computer Assisted Assessment and Traditional Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Ghilay, Yaron; Ghilay, Ruth

2012-01-01

The study examined advantages and disadvantages of computerised assessment compared to traditional evaluation. It was based on two samples of college students (n=54) being examined in computerised tests instead of paper-based exams. Students were asked to answer a questionnaire focused on test effectiveness, experience, flexibility and integrity.…

Writing, Evaluating and Assessing Data Response Items in Economics.

Science.gov (United States)

Trotman-Dickenson, D. I.

1989-01-01

Describes some of the problems in writing data response items in economics for use by A Level and General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) students. Examines the experience of two series of workshops on writing items, evaluating them and assessing responses from schools. Offers suggestions for producing packages of data response items as…

Daily Encounter Cards—Evaluating the Quality of Documented Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Warren J.; Dudek, Nancy; Wood, Timothy J.; Frank, Jason R.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Background  Concerns over the quality of work-based assessment (WBA) completion has resulted in faculty development and rater training initiatives. Daily encounter cards (DECs) are a common form of WBA used in ambulatory care and shift work settings. A tool is needed to evaluate initiatives aimed at improving the quality of completion of this widely used form of WBA. Objective  The completed clinical evaluation report rating (CCERR) was designed to provide a measure of the quality of documented assessments on in-training evaluation reports. The purpose of this study was to provide validity evidence to support using the CCERR to assess the quality of DEC completion. Methods  Six experts in resident assessment grouped 60 DECs into 3 quality categories (high, average, and poor) based on how informative each DEC was for reporting judgments of the resident's performance. Eight supervisors (blinded to the expert groupings) scored the 10 most representative DECs in each group using the CCERR. Mean scores were compared to determine if the CCERR could discriminate based on DEC quality. Results  Statistically significant differences in CCERR scores were observed between all quality groups (P < .001). A generalizability analysis demonstrated the majority of score variation was due to differences in DECs. The reliability with a single rater was 0.95. Conclusions  The CCERR is a reliable and valid tool to evaluate DEC quality. It can serve as an outcome measure for studying interventions targeted at improving the quality of assessments documented on DECs. PMID:27777675

The Geocybernetic Assessment Matrix (GAM) — A new assessment tool for evaluating the level and nature of sustainability or unsustainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phillips, Jason, E-mail: jp1@tiscali.co.uk

2016-01-15

Evaluating sustainability from EIA-based assessments has been problematic at best. This is due to the use of reductionist and qualitative approaches which is dependent upon the perspective of the assessor(s). Therefore, a more rigorous and holistic approach is required to evaluate sustainability in a more consistent way. In this paper, a matrix-based methodology in order to assess the indicated level and nature of sustainability for any project, policy, indicators, legislation, regulation, or other framework is described. The Geocybernetic Assessment Matrix (GAM) is designed to evaluate the level and nature of sustainability or unsustainability occurring in respect the fundamental and complex geocybernetic paradigms. The GAM method is described in detail in respect to the theory behind it and the methodology. The GAM is then demonstrated using an appropriate case study — Part 1 of the UK Climate Change Act (2008) concerning carbon budgets and targets. The results indicate that the Part 1 of Act may not achieve the desired goals in contributing towards sustainable development through the stated mechanisms for carbon budgets and targets. The paper then discusses the broader context of the GAM with respect to the core themes evident in the development and application of the GAM of: sustainability science; sustainability assessment; application value of the GAM; and future research and development. - Highlights: • A new assessment tool called the Geocybernetic Assessment Matrix (GAM) described. • GAM evaluates the level and nature of sustainability or unsustainability. • GAM demonstrated by application to Part 1 of the UK Climate Change Act (CCA). • Part 1 of CCA has significant flaws in achieving a sustainable pathway. • GAM offers a potentially useful tool for quantitatively evaluating sustainability.

The Geocybernetic Assessment Matrix (GAM) — A new assessment tool for evaluating the level and nature of sustainability or unsustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, Jason

2016-01-01

Evaluating sustainability from EIA-based assessments has been problematic at best. This is due to the use of reductionist and qualitative approaches which is dependent upon the perspective of the assessor(s). Therefore, a more rigorous and holistic approach is required to evaluate sustainability in a more consistent way. In this paper, a matrix-based methodology in order to assess the indicated level and nature of sustainability for any project, policy, indicators, legislation, regulation, or other framework is described. The Geocybernetic Assessment Matrix (GAM) is designed to evaluate the level and nature of sustainability or unsustainability occurring in respect the fundamental and complex geocybernetic paradigms. The GAM method is described in detail in respect to the theory behind it and the methodology. The GAM is then demonstrated using an appropriate case study — Part 1 of the UK Climate Change Act (2008) concerning carbon budgets and targets. The results indicate that the Part 1 of Act may not achieve the desired goals in contributing towards sustainable development through the stated mechanisms for carbon budgets and targets. The paper then discusses the broader context of the GAM with respect to the core themes evident in the development and application of the GAM of: sustainability science; sustainability assessment; application value of the GAM; and future research and development. - Highlights: • A new assessment tool called the Geocybernetic Assessment Matrix (GAM) described. • GAM evaluates the level and nature of sustainability or unsustainability. • GAM demonstrated by application to Part 1 of the UK Climate Change Act (CCA). • Part 1 of CCA has significant flaws in achieving a sustainable pathway. • GAM offers a potentially useful tool for quantitatively evaluating sustainability.

Evaluation of Current Assessment Methods in Engineering Entrepreneurship Education

Science.gov (United States)

Purzer, Senay; Fila, Nicholas; Nataraja, Kavin

2016-01-01

Quality assessment is an essential component of education that allows educators to support student learning and improve educational programs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the current state of assessment in engineering entrepreneurship education. We identified 52 assessment instruments covered in 29 journal articles and conference…

Content Validation and Evaluation of an Endovascular Teamwork Assessment Tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Hull, L; Bicknell, C; Patel, K; Vyas, R; Van Herzeele, I; Sevdalis, N; Rudarakanchana, N

2016-07-01

To modify, content validate, and evaluate a teamwork assessment tool for use in endovascular surgery. A multistage, multimethod study was conducted. Stage 1 included expert review and modification of the existing Observational Teamwork Assessment for Surgery (OTAS) tool. Stage 2 included identification of additional exemplar behaviours contributing to effective teamwork and enhanced patient safety in endovascular surgery (using real-time observation, focus groups, and semistructured interviews of multidisciplinary teams). Stage 3 included content validation of exemplar behaviours using expert consensus according to established psychometric recommendations and evaluation of structure, content, feasibility, and usability of the Endovascular Observational Teamwork Assessment Tool (Endo-OTAS) by an expert multidisciplinary panel. Stage 4 included final team expert review of exemplars. OTAS core team behaviours were maintained (communication, coordination, cooperation, leadership team monitoring). Of the 114 OTAS behavioural exemplars, 19 were modified, four removed, and 39 additional endovascular-specific behaviours identified. Content validation of these 153 exemplar behaviours showed that 113/153 (73.9%) reached the predetermined Item-Content Validity Index rating for teamwork and/or patient safety. After expert team review, 140/153 (91.5%) exemplars were deemed to warrant inclusion in the tool. More than 90% of the expert panel agreed that Endo-OTAS is an appropriate teamwork assessment tool with observable behaviours. Some concerns were noted about the time required to conduct observations and provide performance feedback. Endo-OTAS is a novel teamwork assessment tool, with evidence for content validity and relevance to endovascular teams. Endo-OTAS enables systematic objective assessment of the quality of team performance during endovascular procedures. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A comparison of students' self-assessments with faculty evaluations of their communication skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Lundquist, Lisa M; Shogbon, Angela O; Momary, Kathryn M; Rogers, Hannah K

2013-05-13

To compare students' self-assessment of their communication skills with faculty members' formal evaluation of their skills in a therapeutics course. Over a 3-year period, faculty members evaluated second-year pharmacy students' communication skills as part of a requirement in a therapeutics course. Immediately following an individual oral assessment and again following a group oral assessment, students self-assessed their communication skills using the same rubric the faculty members had used. Students' self-assessments were then compared with faculty members' evaluation of students' communication skills. Four hundred one (97.3%) students consented to participate in this study. Faculty evaluation scores of students for both the individual and group oral assessments were significantly higher than students' self-assessment scores. Students' self-assessment scores of their communication skills increased from the individual to the group oral assessment. Students' self-assessments of communication skills were consistently lower than faculty members' evaluations. Greater use of oral assessments throughout the pharmacy curriculum may help to improve students' confidence in and self-assessment of their communication skills.

[Assessment of Functioning when Conducting Occupational Capacity Evaluations--What is "Evidence-Based"?].

Science.gov (United States)

Canela, Carlos; Schleifer, Roman; Dube, Anish; Hengartner, Michael P; Ebner, Gerhard; Seifritz, Erich; Liebrenz, Michael

2016-03-01

Occupational capacity evaluations have previously been subject to criticism for lacking in quality and consistency. To the authors' knowledge, there is no clear consensus on the best way to formally assess functioning within capacity evaluations. In this review we investigated different instruments that are used to assess functioning in occupational capacity evaluations. Systematic review of the literature. Though several instruments that assess functional capacity were found in our search, a specific validated instrument assessing occupational capacity as part of a larger psychiatric evaluation was not found. The limitations of the existing instruments on assessing functional capacity are discussed. Medical experts relying on instruments to conduct functional capacity evaluations should be cognizant of their limitations. The findings call for the development and use of an instrument specifically designed to assess the functional and occupational capacity of psychiatric patients, which is also likely to improve the quality of these reports. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Teaching and assessing consultation skills: an evaluation of a South ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Teaching and assessing consultation skills: an evaluation of a South African workshop ... of this work is unsupervised consultations with patients suffering from new or ... Their attitudes to the LAP and the forms of teaching that its use promotes ...

Peer assessment in university teaching: Evaluating seven course designs

OpenAIRE

van den Berg, I.; Admiraal, W.; Pilot, A.

2006-01-01

Peer assessment in university teaching: evaluating seven course designs Abstract Peer assessment is understood to be an arrangement with students assessing the quality of their fellow students’ writings and giving feedback to each other. This multiple-case study of seven designs of peer assessment focuses on the contribution of peer assessment to the acquisition of undergraduates’ writing skills. Its aim is to arrive at an optimal design of peer assessment. Factors included in this study are:...

Assessing Student Achievement in Physical Education for Teacher Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Mercier, Kevin; Doolittle, Sarah

2013-01-01

While many teachers continue to ignore the practice of assessing student achievement in physical education, recent federal pressures to include student assessment data in teacher evaluation systems has shown that assessment of student outcomes is here to stay. Though there is a strong tradition of assessing teacher practice in physical education,…

Evaluating the effect of learning style and student background on self-assessment accuracy

Science.gov (United States)

Alaoutinen, Satu

2012-06-01

This study evaluates a new taxonomy-based self-assessment scale and examines factors that affect assessment accuracy and course performance. The scale is based on Bloom's Revised Taxonomy and is evaluated by comparing students' self-assessment results with course performance in a programming course. Correlation has been used to reveal possible connections between student information and both self-assessment and course performance. The results show that students can place their knowledge along the taxonomy-based scale quite well and the scale seems to fit engineering students' learning style. Advanced students assess themselves more accurately than novices. The results also show that reflective students were better in programming than active. The scale used in this study gives a more objective picture of students' knowledge than general scales and with modifications it can be used in other classes than programming.

Use of an Integrated Pest Management Assessment Administered through Turningpoint as an Educational, Needs Assessment, and Evaluation Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Stahl, Lizabeth A. B.; Behnken, Lisa M.; Breitenbach, Fritz R.; Miller, Ryan P.; Nicolai, David; Gunsolus, Jeffrey L.

2016-01-01

University of Minnesota educators use an integrated pest management (IPM) survey conducted during private pesticide applicator training as an educational, needs assessment, and evaluation tool. By incorporating the IPM Assessment, as the survey is called, into a widely attended program and using TurningPoint audience response devices, Extension…

77 FR 66649 - Proposed Revision to Probabilistic Risk Assessment and Severe Accident Evaluation for New Reactors

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-06

... and Severe Accident Evaluation for New Reactors AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION... Assessment and Severe Accident Evaluation for New Reactors.'' The NRC is extending the public comment period... assessment (PRA) information and severe accident assessments for new reactors submitted to support design...

Assessing sufficient capability: A new approach to economic evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Paul Mark; Roberts, Tracy E; Barton, Pelham M; Coast, Joanna

2015-08-01

Amartya Sen's capability approach has been discussed widely in the health economics discipline. Although measures have been developed to assess capability in economic evaluation, there has been much less attention paid to the decision rules that might be applied alongside. Here, new methods, drawing on the multidimensional poverty and health economics literature, are developed for conducting economic evaluation within the capability approach and focusing on an objective of achieving "sufficient capability". This objective more closely reflects the concern with equity that pervades the capability approach and the method has the advantage of retaining the longitudinal aspect of estimating outcome that is associated with quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), whilst also drawing on notions of shortfall associated with assessments of poverty. Economic evaluation from this perspective is illustrated in an osteoarthritis patient group undergoing joint replacement, with capability wellbeing assessed using ICECAP-O. Recommendations for taking the sufficient capability approach forward are provided. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[The methodological assessment and qualitative evaluation of psychometric performance tests based on the example of modern tests that assess reading and spelling skills].

Science.gov (United States)

Galuschka, Katharina; Rothe, Josefine; Schulte-Körne, Gerd

2015-09-01

This article looks at a means of objectively evaluating the quality of psychometric tests. This approach enables users to evaluate psychometric tests based on their methodological characteristics, in order to decide which instrument should be used. Reading and spelling assessment tools serve as examples. The paper also provides a review of German psychometric tests for the assessment of reading and spelling skills. This method facilitates the identification of psychometric tests.of high methodological quality which can be used for the assessment of reading and spelling skills. Reading performance should ideally be assessed with the following instruments: ELFE 1-6, LGVT 6-12, LESEN 6-7, LESEN 8-9, or WLLP-R. The tests to be used for the evaluation of spelling skills are DERET 1-2+, DERET 3-4+, WRT 1+, WRT 2+, WRT 3+, WRT 4+ or HSP 1-10.

Counselor Competence, Performance Assessment, and Program Evaluation: Using Psychometric Instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Tate, Kevin A.; Bloom, Margaret L.; Tassara, Marcel H.; Caperton, William

2014-01-01

Psychometric instruments have been underutilized by counselor educators in performance assessment and program evaluation efforts. As such, we conducted a review of the literature that revealed 41 instruments fit for such efforts. We described and critiqued these instruments along four dimensions--"Target Domain," "Format,"…

Evaluating Assessment Using N-Dimensional Filtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Dron, Jon; Boyne, Chris; Mitchell, Richard

This paper describes the use of the CoFIND (Collaborative Filter in N Dimensions) system to evaluate two assessment styles. CoFIND is a resource database that organizes itself around its users' needs. Learners enter resources, categorize, then rate them using "qualities," aspects of resources which learners find worthwhile, the n…

Assessment of competency for execution: professional guidelines and an evaluation checklist.

Science.gov (United States)

Zapf, Patricia A; Boccaccini, Marcus T; Brodsky, Stanley L

2003-01-01

The issue of whether mental health professionals should be involved in conducting evaluations of competency for execution is a topic that has elicited controversy and heated debate. This article picks up at a point beyond the controversy and addresses issues of professionalism and the objective assessment of competency for execution. Specifically, this article identifies professional standards for conducting competence for execution (CFE) evaluations, describes current practices in this area, and provides an interview checklist that can be used as an evaluation guide by involved professionals. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of nuclear accidents consequences. Risk assessment methodologies, current status and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez, J.M.

1996-01-01

General description of the structure and process of the probabilistic methods of assessment the external consequences in the event of nuclear accidents is presented. attention is paid in the interface with Probabilistic Safety Analysis level 3 results (source term evaluation) Also are described key issues in accident consequence evaluation as: effects evaluated (early and late health effects and economic effects due to countermeasures), presentation of accident consequences results, computer codes. Briefly are presented some relevant areas for the applications of Accident Consequence Evaluation

Assessment of the assessment: Evaluation of the model quality estimates in CASP10

KAUST Repository

Kryshtafovych, Andriy

2013-08-31

The article presents an assessment of the ability of the thirty-seven model quality assessment (MQA) methods participating in CASP10 to provide an a priori estimation of the quality of structural models, and of the 67 tertiary structure prediction groups to provide confidence estimates for their predicted coordinates. The assessment of MQA predictors is based on the methods used in previous CASPs, such as correlation between the predicted and observed quality of the models (both at the global and local levels), accuracy of methods in distinguishing between good and bad models as well as good and bad regions within them, and ability to identify the best models in the decoy sets. Several numerical evaluations were used in our analysis for the first time, such as comparison of global and local quality predictors with reference (baseline) predictors and a ROC analysis of the predictors\\' ability to differentiate between the well and poorly modeled regions. For the evaluation of the reliability of self-assessment of the coordinate errors, we used the correlation between the predicted and observed deviations of the coordinates and a ROC analysis of correctly identified errors in the models. A modified two-stage procedure for testing MQA methods in CASP10 whereby a small number of models spanning the whole range of model accuracy was released first followed by the release of a larger number of models of more uniform quality, allowed a more thorough analysis of abilities and inabilities of different types of methods. Clustering methods were shown to have an advantage over the single- and quasi-single- model methods on the larger datasets. At the same time, the evaluation revealed that the size of the dataset has smaller influence on the global quality assessment scores (for both clustering and nonclustering methods), than its diversity. Narrowing the quality range of the assessed models caused significant decrease in accuracy of ranking for global quality predictors but

Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation of multiple environmental factors for swine building assessment and control.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Qiuju; Ni, Ji-Qin; Su, Zhongbin

2017-10-15

In confined swine buildings, temperature, humidity, and air quality are all important for animal health and productivity. However, the current swine building environmental control is only based on temperature; and evaluation and control methods based on multiple environmental factors are needed. In this paper, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) theory was adopted for multi-factor assessment of environmental quality in two commercial swine buildings using real measurement data. An assessment index system and membership functions were established; and predetermined weights were given using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) combined with knowledge of experts. The results show that multi-factors such as temperature, humidity, and concentrations of ammonia (NH 3 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) can be successfully integrated in FCE for swine building environment assessment. The FCE method has a high correlation coefficient of 0.737 compared with the method of single-factor evaluation (SFE). The FCE method can significantly increase the sensitivity and perform an effective and integrative assessment. It can be used as part of environmental controlling and warning systems for swine building environment management to improve swine production and welfare. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and Evaluation of a Novel Survey Tool Assessing Inpatient Consult Service Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Miloslavsky, Eli M; Chang, Yuchiao

2017-12-01

Subspecialty consultation in inpatient medicine is increasing, and enhancing performance of consultation services may have a broad-reaching impact. Multisource feedback is an important tool in assessing competence and improving performance. A mechanism for primary team resident feedback on performance of consult services has not been described. We developed and evaluated an instrument designed to assess internal medicine (IM) subspecialty inpatient consult service performance. We hypothesized that the instrument would be feasible to administer and provide important information to fellowship directors. The instrument was administered in 2015 and 2016 at a single academic center. All IM residents were invited to evaluate 10 IM subspecialty consult services on 4 items and an overall satisfaction rating. The instrument allowed for free-text feedback to fellows. Program directors completed another survey assessing the impact of the consult service evaluation. A total of 113 residents responded (47 in 2015 and 66 in 2016, for a combined response rate of 35%). Each of the 4 items measured (communication, professionalism, teaching, and pushback) correlated significantly with the overall satisfaction rating in univariate and multivariate analyses. There were no differences in ratings across postgraduate year or year of administration. There was considerable variation in ratings among the services evaluated. The 7 program directors who provided feedback found the survey useful and made programmatic changes following evaluation implementation. A primary team resident evaluation of inpatient medicine subspecialty consult services is feasible, provides valuable information, and is associated with changes in consult service structure and curricula.

Longitudinal Evaluation of Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool and Nurses' Experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Hur, Eun Young; Jin, Yinji; Jin, Taixian; Lee, Sun-Mi

The Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool (JHFRAT) is relatively new in Korea, and it has not been fully evaluated. This study revealed that the JHFRAT had good predictive validity throughout the hospitalization period. However, 2 items (fall history and elimination patterns) on the tool were not determinants of falls in this population. Interestingly, the nurses indicated those 2 items were the most difficult items to assess and needed further training to develop the assessment skills.

Structured assessment format for evaluating operative reports in general surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Vergis, Ashley; Gillman, Lawrence; Minor, Samuel; Taylor, Mark; Park, Jason

2008-01-01

Despite its multifaceted importance, no validated or reliable tools assess the quality of the dictated operative note. This study determined the construct validity, interrater reliability, and internal consistency of a Structured Assessment Format for Evaluating Operative Reports (SAFE-OR) in general surgery. SAFE-OR was developed by using consensus criteria set forth by the Canadian Association of General Surgeons. This instrument includes a structured assessment and a global quality rating scale. Residents divided into novice and experienced groups viewed and dictated a videotaped laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy. Blinded, independent faculty evaluators graded the transcribed reports using SAFE-OR. Twenty-one residents participated in the study. Mean structured assessment scores (out of 44) were significantly lower for novice versus experienced residents (23.3 +/- 5.2 vs 34.1 +/- 6.0, t = .001). Mean global quality scores (out of 45) were similarly lower for novice residents (25.6 +/- 4.7 vs 35.9 +/- 7.6, t = .006). Interclass correlation coefficients were .98 (95% confidence interval, .96-.99) for structured assessment and .93 (95% confidence interval, .83-.97) for global quality scales. Cronbach alpha coefficients for internal consistency were .85 for structured assessment and .96 for global quality assessment scales. SAFE-OR shows significant construct validity, excellent interrater reliability, and high internal consistency. This tool will allow educators to objectively evaluate the quality of trainee operative reports and provide a mechanism for implementing, monitoring, and refining curriculum for dictation skills.

Evaluation Services from Needs Assessment to Follow-up: A Case Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Broadbooks, Wendy J.

This paper describes the nature and scope of evaluation services provided within the training division of Arthur Andersen & Company, and highlights some of the evaluation results. The cycle of assessment began with a needs assessment study at the curriculum level. Curriculum planning was undertaken for first-year trainees in the Tax Division.…

A prospective study assessing agreement and reliability of a geriatric evaluation

OpenAIRE

Locatelli, Isabella; Monod, St?fanie; Cornuz, Jacques; B?la, Christophe J.; Senn, Nicolas

2017-01-01

Background The present study takes place within a geriatric program, aiming at improving the diagnosis and management of geriatric syndromes in primary care. Within this program it was of prime importance to be able to rely on a robust and reproducible geriatric consultation to use as a gold standard for evaluating a primary care brief assessment tool. The specific objective of the present study was thus assessing the agreement and reliability of a comprehensive geriatric consultation. Method...

Interactive Block Games for Assessing Children's Cognitive Skills: Design and Preliminary Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kiju Lee

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Background: This paper presents design and results from preliminary evaluation of Tangible Geometric Games (TAG-Games for cognitive assessment in young children. The TAG-Games technology employs a set of sensor-integrated cube blocks, called SIG-Blocks, and graphical user interfaces for test administration and real-time performance monitoring. TAG-Games were administered to children from 4 to 8 years of age for evaluating preliminary efficacy of this new technology-based approach.Methods: Five different sets of SIG-Blocks comprised of geometric shapes, segmented human faces, segmented animal faces, emoticons, and colors, were used for three types of TAG-Games, including Assembly, Shape Matching, and Sequence Memory. Computational task difficulty measures were defined for each game and used to generate items with varying difficulty. For preliminary evaluation, TAG-Games were tested on 40 children. To explore the clinical utility of the information assessed by TAG-Games, three subtests of the age-appropriate Wechsler tests (i.e., Block Design, Matrix Reasoning, and Picture Concept were also administered.Results: Internal consistency of TAG-Games was evaluated by the split-half reliability test. Weak to moderate correlations between Assembly and Block Design, Shape Matching and Matrix Reasoning, and Sequence Memory and Picture Concept were found. The computational measure of task complexity for each TAG-Game showed a significant correlation with participants' performance. In addition, age-correlations on TAG-Game scores were found, implying its potential use for assessing children's cognitive skills autonomously.

Assessments in outcome evaluation in aphasia therapy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Isaksen, Jytte; Brouwer, Catherine E.

2015-01-01

Abstract Outcomes of aphasia therapy in Denmark are documented in evaluation sessions in which both the person with aphasia and the speech-language therapist take part. The participants negotiate agreements on the results of therapy. By means of conversation analysis, we study how such agreements...... on therapy outcome are reached interactionally. The sequential analysis of 34 video recordings focuses on a recurrent method for reaching agreements in these outcome evaluation sessions. In and through a special sequence of conversational assessment it is claimed that the person with aphasia has certain...

Evaluability Assessment of an immunization improvement strategy in rural Burkina Faso: intervention theory versus reality, information need and evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanou, Aboubakary; Kouyaté, Bocar; Bibeau, Gilles; Nguyen, Vinh-Kim

2011-08-01

An innovative immunization improvement strategy was proposed by the CRSN (Centre de Recherche en Santé de Nouna) to improve the low coverage rate for children aged 0-11 months in the health district of Nouna in Burkina Faso. This article reports on the Evaluability Assessment (EA) study that aimed to orient decisions for its evaluation in close relationship with the information needs of the stakeholders. Various methods were used, including document reviews, individual interviews, focus group discussions, meetings, literature reviews and site visits. A description of the intervention theory and philosophy is provided with its logic models and its reality documented. Lessons on the procedure include the importance of the position of the evaluability assessor, the value of replicating some steps of the assessment and the relationships between EA and process evaluation. The evaluability study concludes that the intervention had some evaluable components. To satisfy the stakeholders' needs, the initially planned community randomized controlled trial can be maintained and complemented with a process evaluation. There is a need to provide sufficient information on the cost of the intervention. This will inform decision makers on the possibility of replicating the intervention in other contexts. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Promoting Learning Skills through Teamwork Assessment and Self/Peer Evaluation in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Issa, Tomayess

2012-01-01

In the education sector, teamwork assessment and self/peer evaluation are widely applied in higher education nationally and internationally. This assessment is designed to encourage students to promote and improve their skills in teamwork, communication (writing, interpersonal interaction and cultural awareness, and presenting), critical and…

How assessment and evaluation is interlinked with disaster governance? A case of the Tohoku Disaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Mika

2014-01-01

The linkage of governance, disaster management and policy are not well established both in terms of conceptual basis and practices and require more in-depth analysis for better disaster management and governance (disaster governance). The weak linkage may prevent effective disaster management. The 2011 Tohoku Disaster posed many governance-related challenges, including processes or institutions of disaster management or decision-making. Especially, the analysis of the challenges turns out that many of core problems are interlinked with assessment and evaluation. The research problems the paper addresses are two-fold given the existing studies and practices: First, there is few conceptual foundation for linking disaster management and governance especially in light of assessment and evaluation. Second, while assessment or evaluation lends to be taken for panted at practices, few analytical research or discussions exist about how it is interlinked with disaster governance. This paper aims at filling in the above gap and attempts to elucidate analytically the linkage of assessment and evaluation with disaster governance through a case of the 2011 Tohoku Disaster in Japan for better disaster governance and actionable policies. (author)

Using an Evaluability Assessment To Select Methods for Evaluating State Technology Development Programs: The Case of the Georgia Research Alliance.

Science.gov (United States)

Youtie, Jan; Bozeman, Barry; Shapira, Philip

1999-01-01

Describes an evaluability assessment of the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), a technology development program. Presents the steps involved in conducting an evaluability assessment, including development of an understanding of the program and its stakeholders. Analyzes and compares different methods by which the GRA could be evaluated. (SLD)

Assessment and evaluation of the performance of nuclear medicine and ultrasound imaging instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergmann, Helmar; Kollmann, Christian

1996-01-01

The purpose of this work has been to assess the quality of instrumentation used for the collection of representative patient images during the coordinated research program entitled ''Evaluation of Imaging Procedures for the Diagnosis of Liver Diseases''. Previous work carried out during earlier phases of the project was concerned with the establishment of methods for comparison of the quality of such instrumentation. In this stage the quality of both gamma cameras and ultrasound scanners were assessed using the previously established methods. The evaluation was partly used to validate acceptable working conditions of the equipment during the collection of patient studies, partly to obtain basic data in order to be able to characterize the imaging quality of the devices. This would permit to both identify equipment unsuitable to be used in the study and to take into account the imaging quality token performing the ROC analysis of the evaluation of the patient images

Bioprocesses: Modelling needs for process evaluation and sustainability assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jiménez-Gonzaléz, Concepcion; Woodley, John

2010-01-01

development such that they can also be used to evaluate processes against sustainability metrics, as well as economics as an integral part of assessments. Finally, property models will also be required based on compounds not currently present in existing databases. It is clear that many new opportunities......The next generation of process engineers will face a new set of challenges, with the need to devise new bioprocesses, with high selectivity for pharmaceutical manufacture, and for lower value chemicals manufacture based on renewable feedstocks. In this paper the current and predicted future roles...... of process system engineering and life cycle inventory and assessment in the design, development and improvement of sustainable bioprocesses are explored. The existing process systems engineering software tools will prove essential to assist this work. However, the existing tools will also require further...

Satellite power system concept development and evaluation program system definition technical assessment report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-12-01

The results of the system definition studies conducted by NASA as a part of the Department of Energy/National Aeronautics and Space Administration SPS Concept Development and Evaluation Program are summarized. The purpose of the system definition efforts was to identify and define candidate SPS concepts and to evaluate the concepts in terms of technical and cost factors. Although the system definition efforts consisted primarily of evaluation and assessment of alternative technical approaches, a reference system was also defined to facilitate economic, environmental, and societal assessments by the Department of Energy. This reference system was designed to deliver 5 GW of electrical power to the utility grid. Topics covered include system definition; energy conversion and power management; power transmission and reception; structures, controls, and materials; construction and operations; and space transportation.

Investigation of ageing status assessment and lifetime evaluation based on actual operation conditions of QNPC NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huilie, S.; Chun, G.; Hongyun, L.; Yinqiang, C.; Jun, T.; Wenbing, W.

2009-01-01

Qinshan NPP has been successfully operated for over 18 years with 30 year's design life. For 2nd PSR preparation and life extension strategies, a comprehensive status assessment and lifetime evaluation project is performed by NPP and SG research organization (CNPO). Assessment is subjects to main degradation mechanism of SG materials, including tube IGA/IGSCC tube pitting, fatigue of pressure boundary. Based on two primary functions of PWR steam generator, a comprehensive lifetime evaluation system and indicators has been established for keeping structural integrity of SG pressure boundary and thermal output performance. A series of specific assessment activities are implemented for defining actual ageing status and estimating safety and function margin of SG, including SG impurities hideout return analysis, fatigue evaluation of feedwater pipes based thermal stratification number simulation, fatigue evaluation of pressure boundary based on actual transition records, structure integrity assessment for lower chamber with defect, tube fouling analysis and trending etc. Assessment results shows, even extending operation to 50 years, SG would still keep sufficient safety and function margin, SG is not the neck of NPP life extension. (author)

Medical students¿ assessment of pediatric patients - teaching and evaluation using video cases

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malon, Michelle; Cortes, Dina; Greisen, Gorm

2014-01-01

and examination for pediatric medicine.MethodsMedical students on a pediatric clerkship at the University of Copenhagen assessed eight short pediatric video cases during autumn 2011 and spring 2012. Two independent observers evaluated a subset of records in a pilot study. A blind evaluation was made...

Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation Study Summarized Data - HVAC Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

In the Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation (BASE) Study Information on the characteristics of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system(s) in the entire BASE building including types of ventilation, equipment configurations, and operation and maintenance issues was acquired by examining the building plans, conducting a building walk-through, and speaking with the building owner, manager, and/or operator.

Blinded evaluation of interrater reliability of an operative competency assessment tool for direct laryngoscopy and rigid bronchoscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishman, Stacey L; Benke, James R; Johnson, Kaalan Erik; Zur, Karen B; Jacobs, Ian N; Thorne, Marc C; Brown, David J; Lin, Sandra Y; Bhatti, Nasir; Deutsch, Ellen S

2012-10-01

OBJECTIVES To confirm interrater reliability using blinded evaluation of a skills-assessment instrument to assess the surgical performance of resident and fellow trainees performing pediatric direct laryngoscopy and rigid bronchoscopy in simulated models. DESIGN Prospective, paired, blinded observational validation study. SUBJECTS Paired observers from multiple institutions simultaneously evaluated residents and fellows who were performing surgery in an animal laboratory or using high-fidelity manikins. The evaluators had no previous affiliation with the residents and fellows and did not know their year of training. INTERVENTIONS One- and 2-page versions of an objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) assessment instrument composed of global and a task-specific surgical items were used to evaluate surgical performance. RESULTS Fifty-two evaluations were completed by 17 attending evaluators. The instrument agreement for the 2-page assessment was 71.4% when measured as a binary variable (ie, competent vs not competent) (κ = 0.38; P = .08). Evaluation as a continuous variable revealed a 42.9% percentage agreement (κ = 0.18; P = .14). The intraclass correlation was 0.53, considered substantial/good interrater reliability (69% reliable). For the 1-page instrument, agreement was 77.4% when measured as a binary variable (κ = 0.53, P = .0015). Agreement when evaluated as a continuous measure was 71.0% (κ = 0.54, P formative feedback on operational competency.

NURE quadrangle evaluation and assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horton, R.C.

1979-01-01

The NURE program effort will continue to generate and employ improvements in assessment technology. Assessment procedures in current use are carefully documented to the extent that a useful audit trail is available; these data extend from the actual recording of field observations and identification of favorability areas to the selection of the proper control areas and application to the actual assessment function. BFEC is confident that the basic system of assessment of the unknown by analogy to the known is fully tenable. And, BFEC is proud to be a contributing party to the NURE program which is of a magnitude not hitherto undertaken by any government or private organization

A mentor-based portfolio program to evaluate pharmacy students' self-assessment skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalata, Lindsay R; Abate, Marie A

2013-05-13

Objective. To evaluate pharmacy students' self-assessment skills with an electronic portfolio program using mentor evaluators. Design. First-year (P1) and second-year (P2) pharmacy students used online portfolios that required self-assessments of specific graded class assignments. Using a rubric, faculty and alumni mentors evaluated students' self-assessments and provided feedback. Assessment. Eighty-four P1 students, 74 P2 students, and 59 mentors participated in the portfolio program during 2010-2011. Both student groups performed well overall, with only a small number of resubmissions required. P1 students showed significant improvements across semesters for 2 of the self-assessment questions; P2 students' scores did not differ significantly. The P1 scores were significantly higher than P2 scores for 3 questions during spring 2011. Mentors and students had similar levels of agreement with the extent to which students put forth their best effort on the self-assessments. Conclusion. An electronic portfolio using mentors based inside and outside the school provided students with many opportunities to practice their self-assessment skills. This system represents a useful method of incorporating self-assessments into the curriculum that allows for feedback to be provided to the students.

Assessment and Evaluation of National Human Resource Development System Competitiveness in Emerging Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, HunSeok; Seo, DongIn; Kim, JuSeuk; Yoo, SangOk; Seong, HeeChang

2015-01-01

This study assessed and evaluated the competitiveness of national human resource development (NHRD) systems in emerging countries with potential for growth. The literature on emerging countries and NHRD systems was reviewed. The study developed a model mechanism with forty-one indices and nine sub-components for the NHRD system assessment in…

Toward a risk assessment of the spent fuel and high-level nuclear waste disposal system. Risk assessment requirements, literature review, methods evaluation: an interim report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamilton, L.D.; Hill, D.; Rowe, M.D.; Stern, E.

1986-04-01

This report provides background information for a risk assessment of the disposal system for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste (HLW). It contains a literature review, a survey of the statutory requirements for risk assessment, and a preliminary evaluation of methods. The literature review outlines the state of knowledge of risk assessment and accident consequence analysis in the nuclear fuel cycle and its applicability to spent fuel and HLW disposal. The survey of statutory requirements determines the extent to which risk assessment may be needed in development of the waste-disposal system. The evaluation of methods reviews and evaluates merits and applicabilities of alternative methods for assessing risks and relates them to the problems of spent fuel and HLW disposal. 99 refs.

Toward a risk assessment of the spent fuel and high-level nuclear waste disposal system. Risk assessment requirements, literature review, methods evaluation: an interim report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, L.D.; Hill, D.; Rowe, M.D.; Stern, E.

1986-04-01

This report provides background information for a risk assessment of the disposal system for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste (HLW). It contains a literature review, a survey of the statutory requirements for risk assessment, and a preliminary evaluation of methods. The literature review outlines the state of knowledge of risk assessment and accident consequence analysis in the nuclear fuel cycle and its applicability to spent fuel and HLW disposal. The survey of statutory requirements determines the extent to which risk assessment may be needed in development of the waste-disposal system. The evaluation of methods reviews and evaluates merits and applicabilities of alternative methods for assessing risks and relates them to the problems of spent fuel and HLW disposal. 99 refs

Reliability assessment and correlation analysis of evaluating orthodontic treatment outcome in Chinese patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Guang-Ying; Zhao, Zhi-He; Ding, Yin; Bai, Yu-Xing; Wang, Lin; He, Hong; Shen, Gang; Li, Wei-Ran; Baumrind, Sheldon; Geng, Zhi; Xu, Tian-Min

2014-03-01

This study aimed to assess the reliability of experienced Chinese orthodontists in evaluating treatment outcome and to determine the correlations between three diagnostic information sources. Sixty-nine experienced Chinese orthodontic specialists each evaluated the outcome of orthodontic treatment of 108 Chinese patients. Three different information sources: study casts (SC), lateral cephalometric X-ray images (LX) and facial photographs (PH) were generated at the end of treatment for 108 patients selected randomly from six orthodontic treatment centers throughout China. Six different assessments of treatment outcome were made by each orthodontist using data from the three information sources separately and in combination. Each assessment included both ranking and grading for each patient. The rankings of each of the 69 judges for the 108 patients were correlated with the rankings of each of the other judges yielding 13 873 Spearman rs values, ranging from -0.08 to +0.85. Of these, 90% were greater than 0.4, showing moderate-to-high consistency among the 69 orthodontists. In the combined evaluations, study casts were the most significant predictive component (R(2)=0.86, P<0.000 1), while the inclusion of lateral cephalometric films and facial photographs also contributed to a more comprehensive assessment (R(2)=0.96, P<0.000 1). Grading scores for SC+LX and SC+PH were highly significantly correlated with those for SC+LX+PH (r(SC+LX)vs.(SC+LX+PH)=0.96, r(SC+PH)vs.(SC+LX+PH)=0.97), showing that either SC+LX or SC+PH is an excellent substitute for all three combined assessment.

Enhanced Peer Assessment in MOOC Evaluation Through Assignment and Review Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramón Alcarria

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The rapid evolution of MOOCs in recent years has produced a change in the education of students and in the development of professional skills. There is an increasing pressure on universities to establish procedures for the recognition and certification of student participation in MOOCs. In order to guarantee that the evaluation procedures are in line with the quality of the procedures traditionally established in the university, a proposal for an enhanced peer assessment is required to allow a more precise review of the students' tasks and the assessments provided by his colleagues, considering procedures of verification of originality and a complete rubric for the peer review that takes into account reviewer’s history for a correct grade calibration. This paper describes the implementation of the evaluation tool, and an experimental validation that indicates that the majority of the students who have used the tool for the revision of assignments have generated grades closer to the revisions generated by the professors in the study.

77 FR 61446 - Proposed Revision Probabilistic Risk Assessment and Severe Accident Evaluation for New Reactors

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-09

... Severe Accident Evaluation for New Reactors AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Standard... its Standard Review Plan (SRP), Section 19.0, ``Probabilistic Risk Assessment and Severe Accident... assessment (PRA) information and severe accident assessments for new reactors submitted to support design...

Risk assessments for energy systems and role of preliminary degree-of-hazard evaluations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Habegger, L.J.; Fingleton, D.J.

1985-11-01

The appropriate approach to risk or hazard assessment can vary considerably, depending on various factors, including the intended application of the results and the time other resources available to conduct the assessment. This paper illustrates three types of interrelated assessments. Although they can be mutually supportive, they have fundamentally different objectives, which require major differences in approach. The example of the overall risk assessment of alternative major energy technologies illustrates the compilation of a wide range of available risk data applicable to these systems. However, major uncertainties exist in the assessments, and public perception of their importance could play an important role in final system evaluations. A more narrowly defined risk assessment, often focusing on an individual component of a larger system, is the most commonly used approach in regulatory applications. The narrow scope allows in-depth analysis of risks and associated uncertainties, but it may also contribute to a loss of perspective on the magnitude of the assessed risk relative to that of the unassessed risks. In some applications, it is useful to conduct semiquantitative degree-of-hazard evaluations as a means of setting priorities for detailed risk assessment. The MAHAS procedure described in this paper provides a means of rapidly ranking relative hazards from various sources using easily accessible data. However, these rankings should not be used as definitive input for selecting technology alternatives or developing regulations. 25 refs., 6 tabs

Development and evaluation of a decision-based simulation for assessment of team skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrew, Brandon; Plachta, Stephen; Salud, Lawrence; Pugh, Carla M

2012-08-01

There is a need to train and evaluate a wide variety of nontechnical surgical skills. The goal of this project was to develop and evaluate a decision-based simulation to assess team skills. The decision-based exercise used our previously validated Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia simulator and a newly developed team evaluation survey. Five teams of 3 surgical residents (N = 15) were tasked with repairing a 10 × 10-cm right upper quadrant hernia. During the simulation, independent observers (N = 6) completed a 6-item survey assessing: (1) work quality; (2) communication; and (3) team effectiveness. After the simulation, team members self-rated their performance by using the same survey. Survey reliability revealed a Cronbach's alpha of r = .811. Significant differences were found when we compared team members' (T) and observers' (O) ratings for communication (T = 4.33/5.00 vs O = 3.00/5.00, P work quality (T = 4.33/5.00 vs O = 3.33/5.00, P performance on the simulator. Our current and previous work provides strong evidence that nontechnical and team related skills can be assessed without simulating a crisis situation. Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

An Electronic Competency-Based Evaluation Tool for Assessing Humanitarian Competencies in a Simulated Exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Andrea B; Hulme, Jennifer M; Nugus, Peter; Cranmer, Hilarie H; Coutu, Melanie; Johnson, Kirsten

2017-06-01

The evaluation tool was first derived from the formerly Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies' (CBHA; United Kingdom), now "Start Network's," Core Humanitarian Competency Framework and formatted in an electronic data capture tool that allowed for offline evaluation. During a 3-day humanitarian simulation event, participants in teams of eight to 10 were evaluated individually at multiple injects by trained evaluators. Participants were assessed on five competencies and a global rating scale. Participants evaluated both themselves and their team members using the same tool at the end of the simulation exercise (SimEx). All participants (63) were evaluated. A total of 1,008 individual evaluations were completed. There were 90 (9.0%) missing evaluations. All 63 participants also evaluated themselves and each of their teammates using the same tool. Self-evaluation scores were significantly lower than peer-evaluations, which were significantly lower than evaluators' assessments. Participants with a medical degree, and those with humanitarian work experience of one month or more, scored significantly higher on all competencies assessed by evaluators compared to other participants. Participants with prior humanitarian experience scored higher on competencies regarding operating safely and working effectively as a team member. This study presents a novel electronic evaluation tool to assess individual performance in five of six globally recognized humanitarian competency domains in a 3-day humanitarian SimEx. The evaluation tool provides a standardized approach to the assessment of humanitarian competencies that cannot be evaluated through knowledge-based testing in a classroom setting. When combined with testing knowledge-based competencies, this presents an approach to a comprehensive competency-based assessment that provides an objective measurement of competency with respect to the competencies listed in the Framework. There is an opportunity to advance the use of

Evaluation of Phosphorus Site Assessment Tools: Lessons from the USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharpley, Andrew; Kleinman, Peter; Baffaut, Claire; Beegle, Doug; Bolster, Carl; Collick, Amy; Easton, Zachary; Lory, John; Nelson, Nathan; Osmond, Deanna; Radcliffe, David; Veith, Tamie; Weld, Jennifer

2017-11-01

Critical source area identification through phosphorus (P) site assessment is a fundamental part of modern nutrient management planning in the United States, yet there has been only sparse testing of the many versions of the P Index that now exist. Each P site assessment tool was developed to be applicable across a range of field conditions found in a given geographic area, making evaluation extremely difficult. In general, evaluation with in-field monitoring data has been limited, focusing primarily on corroborating manure and fertilizer "source" factors. Thus, a multiregional effort (Chesapeake Bay, Heartland, and Southern States) was undertaken to evaluate P Indices using a combination of limited field data, as well as output from simulation models (i.e., Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender, Annual P Loss Estimator, Soil and Water Assessment Tool [SWAT], and Texas Best Management Practice Evaluation Tool [TBET]) to compare against P Index ratings. These comparisons show promise for advancing the weighting and formulation of qualitative P Index components but require careful vetting of the simulation models. Differences among regional conclusions highlight model strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Southern States region found that, although models could simulate the effects of nutrient management on P runoff, they often more accurately predicted hydrology than total P loads. Furthermore, SWAT and TBET overpredicted particulate P and underpredicted dissolved P, resulting in correct total P predictions but for the wrong reasons. Experience in the United States supports expanded regional approaches to P site assessment, assuming closely coordinated efforts that engage science, policy, and implementation communities, but limited scientific validity exists for uniform national P site assessment tools at the present time. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Using evaluability assessment to assess local community development health programmes: a Scottish case-study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melissa Belford

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Evaluation of the potential effectiveness of a programme’s objectives (health or otherwise is important in demonstrating how programmes work. However, evaluations are expensive and can focus on unrealistic outcomes not grounded in strong theory, especially where there is pressure to show effectiveness. The aim of this research was to demonstrate that the evaluability assessment (a cost-effective pre-evaluation tool that primarily gives quick, constructive feedback can be used to help develop programme and outcome objectives to improve programmes while they run and to assist in producing more effective evaluations. This was done using the example of a community development programme aiming to improve health and reduce health inequalities in its target population. Methods The setting was Glasgow, Scotland, UK and focused on the Health Issues in the Community programme. Data were collected from documents and nine individual stakeholder interviews. Thematic analysis and a realist approach were used to analyse both datasets and, in conjunction with a workshop with stakeholders, produce a logic model of the programme theory and related evaluation options to explore further. Results Five main themes emerged from the analysis: History; Framework; Structure and Delivery of the Course; Theory of Action; and Barriers to Delivery and Successful Outcomes. These themes aided in drafting the logic model which revealed they key programme activities (e.g. facilitating group learning and 23 potential outcomes. The majority of these outcomes (16 were deemed to be short-term outcomes (more easily measured within the timeframe of an individual being involved in the programme e.g. increased self-esteem or awareness of individual/community health. The remaining 6 outcomes were deemed longer-term and included outcomes such as increased social capital and individual mental health and wellbeing. Conclusions We have shown that the evaluability

A Mentor-Based Portfolio Program to Evaluate Pharmacy Students’ Self-Assessment Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Kalata, Lindsay R.

2013-01-01

Objective. To evaluate pharmacy students' self-assessment skills with an electronic portfolio program using mentor evaluators. Design. First-year (P1) and second-year (P2) pharmacy students used online portfolios that required self-assessments of specific graded class assignments. Using a rubric, faculty and alumni mentors evaluated students' self-assessments and provided feedback. Assessment. Eighty-four P1 students, 74 P2 students, and 59 mentors participated in the portfolio program during 2010-2011. Both student groups performed well overall, with only a small number of resubmissions required. P1 students showed significant improvements across semesters for 2 of the self-assessment questions; P2 students' scores did not differ significantly. The P1 scores were significantly higher than P2 scores for 3 questions during spring 2011. Mentors and students had similar levels of agreement with the extent to which students put forth their best effort on the self-assessments. Conclusion. An electronic portfolio using mentors based inside and outside the school provided students with many opportunities to practice their self-assessment skills. This system represents a useful method of incorporating self-assessments into the curriculum that allows for feedback to be provided to the students. PMID:23716749

Evaluating the effectiveness of impact assessment instruments: Theorising the nature and implications of their political constitution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cashmore, Matthew; Richardson, Tim; Hilding-Ryedvik, Tuija; Emmelin, Lars

2010-01-01

The central role of impact assessment instruments globally in policy integration initiatives has been cemented in recent years. Associated with this trend, but also reflecting political emphasis on greater accountability in certain policy sectors and a renewed focus on economic competitiveness in Western countries, demand has increased for evidence that these instruments are effective (however defined). Resurgent interest in evaluation has not, however, been accompanied by the conceptual developments required to redress longstanding theoretical problems associated with such activities. In order to sharpen effectiveness evaluation theory for impact assessment instruments this article critically examines the neglected issue of their political constitution. Analytical examples are used to concretely explore the nature and significance of the politicisation of impact assessment. It is argued that raising awareness about the political character of impact assessment instruments, in itself, is a vital step in advancing effectiveness evaluation theory. Broader theoretical lessons on the framing of evaluation research are also drawn from the political analysis. We conclude that, at least within the contemporary research context, learning derived from analysing the meaning and implications of plural interpretations of effectiveness represents the most constructive strategy for advancing impact assessment and policy integration theory.

Gasbuggy Site Assessment and Risk Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2011-03-01

contaminant exposure scenario, drilling of natural gas wells near the site. The results of this risk evaluation will guide DOE's future surveillance and monitoring activities in the area to ensure that site conditions are adequately protective of human health. This evaluation is not a comprehensive risk assessment for the site; it is intended to provide assurance that DOE's monitoring approach can detect the presence of site-related contamination at levels well below those that would pose an unacceptable risk to human health.

Assessment methods for the evaluation of vitiligo.

Science.gov (United States)

Alghamdi, K M; Kumar, A; Taïeb, A; Ezzedine, K

2012-12-01

There is no standardized method for assessing vitiligo. In this article, we review the literature from 1981 to 2011 on different vitiligo assessment methods. We aim to classify the techniques available for vitiligo assessment as subjective, semi-objective or objective; microscopic or macroscopic; and as based on morphometry or colorimetry. Macroscopic morphological measurements include visual assessment, photography in natural or ultraviolet light, photography with computerized image analysis and tristimulus colorimetry or spectrophotometry. Non-invasive micromorphological methods include confocal laser microscopy (CLM). Subjective methods include clinical evaluation by a dermatologist and a vitiligo disease activity score. Semi-objective methods include the Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI) and point-counting methods. Objective methods include software-based image analysis, tristimulus colorimetry, spectrophotometry and CLM. Morphometry is the measurement of the vitiliginous surface area, whereas colorimetry quantitatively analyses skin colour changes caused by erythema or pigment. Most methods involve morphometry, except for the chromameter method, which assesses colorimetry. Some image analysis software programs can assess both morphometry and colorimetry. The details of these programs (Corel Draw, Image Pro Plus, AutoCad and Photoshop) are discussed in the review. Reflectance confocal microscopy provides real-time images and has great potential for the non-invasive assessment of pigmentary lesions. In conclusion, there is no single best method for assessing vitiligo. This review revealed that VASI, the rule of nine and Wood's lamp are likely to be the best techniques available for assessing the degree of pigmentary lesions and measuring the extent and progression of vitiligo in the clinic and in clinical trials. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology © 2012 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Assessment of evaluations made to healthy eating policies in Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pérez-Cueto, Federico JA; Aschemann-Witzel, Jessica; Shankar, Bhavani

2011-01-01

Objective: To identify and assess healthy eating policies at national level which have been evaluated in terms of their impact on awareness of healthy eating, food consumption, health outcome or cost/benefit. Design: Review of policy documents and their evaluations when available. Setting: European...... an evaluation of health impact, while three actions specifically measured any cost/benefit ratio. The indicators used in these evaluations were in most cases not comparable. Evaluation was more often found for public information campaigns, regulation of meals at schools/canteens and nutrition education...

Integrating multicriteria evaluation and stakeholders analysis for assessing hydropower projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosso, M.; Bottero, M.; Pomarico, S.; La Ferlita, S.; Comino, E.

2014-01-01

The use of hydroelectric potential and the protection of the river ecosystem are two contrasting aspects that arise in the management of the same resource, generating conflicts between different stakeholders. The purpose of the paper is to develop a multi-level decision-making tool, able to support energy planning, with specific reference to the construction of hydropower plants in mountain areas. Starting from a real-world problem concerning the basin of the Sesia Valley (Italy), an evaluation framework based on the combined use of Multicriteria Evaluation and Stakeholders Analysis is proposed in the study. The results of the work show that the methodology is able to grant participated decisions through a multi-stakeholders traceable and transparent assessment process, to highlight the important elements of the decision problem and to support the definition of future design guidelines. - Highlights: • The paper concerns a multi-level decision-making tool able to support energy planning. • The evaluation framework is based on the use of AHP and Stakeholders Analysis. • Hydropower projects in the Sesia Valley (Italy) are evaluated and ranked in the study. • Environmental, economic, technical and sociopolitical criteria have been considered. • 42 stakeholder groups have been included in the evaluation

A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of an On-Line Formative Assessment and Tutoring System

Science.gov (United States)

Koedinger, Kenneth R.; McLaughlin, Elizabeth A.; Heffernan, Neil T.

2010-01-01

ASSISTments is a web-based math tutor designed to address the need for timely student assessment while simultaneously providing instruction, thereby avoiding lost instruction time that typically occurs during assessment. This article presents a quasi-experiment that evaluates whether ASSISTments use has an effect on improving middle school…

A Methodological Approach to User Evaluation and Assessment of a Virtual Environment Hangout

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Pasin

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Innovation in virtual reality and motion sensing devices is pushing the development of virtual communication platforms towards completely immersive scenarios, which require full user interaction and create complex sensory experiences. This evolution influences user experiences and creates new paradigms for interaction, leading to an increased importance of user evaluation and assessment on new systems interfaces and usability, to validate platform design and development from the users’ point of view. The REVERIE research project aims to develop a virtual environment service for realistic inter-personal interaction. This paper describes the design challenges faced during the development process of user interfaces and the adopted methodological approach to user evaluation and assessment.

Assessment and evaluation of ceramic filter cleaning techniques: Task Order 19

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, H.; Zaharchuk, R.; Harbaugh, L.B.; Klett, M.

1994-10-01

The objective of this study was to assess and evaluate the effectiveness, appropriateness and economics of ceramic barrier filter cleaning techniques used for high-temperature and high-pressure particulate filtration. Three potential filter cleaning techniques were evaluated. These techniques include, conventional on-line pulse driven reverse gas filter cleaning, off-line reverse gas filter cleaning and a novel rapid pulse driven filter cleaning. These three ceramic filter cleaning techniques are either presently employed, or being considered for use, in the filtration of coal derived gas streams (combustion or gasification) under high-temperature high-pressure conditions. This study was divided into six subtasks: first principle analysis of ceramic barrier filter cleaning mechanisms; operational values for parameters identified with the filter cleaning mechanisms; evaluation and identification of potential ceramic filter cleaning techniques; development of conceptual designs for ceramic barrier filter systems and ceramic barrier filter cleaning systems for two DOE specified power plants; evaluation of ceramic barrier filter system cleaning techniques; and final report and presentation. Within individual sections of this report critical design and operational issues were evaluated and key findings were identified.

Establishment of quality assessment standard for mammographic equipment: evaluation of phantom and clinical images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sung Hoon; Choe, Yeon Hyeon; Chung, Soo Young

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study was to establish a quality standard for mammographic equipment Korea and to eventually improve mammographic quality in clinics and hospitals throughout Korea by educating technicians and clinic personnel. For the phantom test and on site assessment, we visited 37 sites and examined 43 sets of mammographic equipment. Items that were examined include phantom test, radiation dose measurement, developer assessment, etc. The phantom images were assessed visually and by optical density measurements. For the clinical image assessment, clinical images from 371 sites were examined following the new Korean standard for clinical image evaluation. The items examined include labeling, positioning, contrast, exposure, artifacts, collimation among others. Quality standard of mammographic equipment was satisfied in all equipment on site visits. Average mean glandular dose was 114.9 mRad. All phantom image test scores were over 10 points (average, 10.8 points). However, optical density measurements were below 1.2 in 9 sets of equipment (20.9%). Clinical image evaluation revealed appropriate image quality in 83.5%, while images from non-radiologist clinics were adequate in 74.6% (91/122), which was the lowest score of any group. Images were satisfactory in 59.0% (219/371) based on evaluation by specialists following the new Korean standard for clinical image evaluation. Satisfactory images had a mean score of 81.7 (1 S.D. =8.9) and unsatisfactory images had a mean score of 61.9 (1 S.D = 11). The correlation coefficient between the two observers was 0.93 (ρ < 0.01) in 49 consecutive cases. The results of the phantom tests suggest that optical density measurements should be performed as part of a new quality standard for mammographic equipment. The new clinical evaluation criteria that was used in this study can be implemented with some modifications for future mammography quality control by the Korean government

Evaluation of Ecological Momentary Assessment for Tinnitus Severity.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldberg, Rachel L; Piccirillo, Marilyn L; Nicklaus, Joyce; Skillington, Andrew; Lenze, Eric; Rodebaugh, Thomas L; Kallogjeri, Dorina; Piccirillo, Jay F

2017-07-01

Existing patient-reported outcome measures of tinnitus assess the severity and disability retrospectively, which may result in adequate reliability, but cannot capture the fluctuating and individualized nature of tinnitus. Experience sampling may provide an alternative. To use an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to measure tinnitus disability and associated constructs. Forty adults with tinnitus provided self-report of their tinnitus bother using 5 questions measured by EMA, as well as standard retrospective outcome measures. In this 6-week longitudinal observational study conducted from July 15 to December 22, 2014, participants provided EMA data for 2 weeks (part 1); then after a 2-week break, they provided EMA data for an additional 2 weeks (part 2). A text message with a link to the EMA survey was sent for a total of 56 assessments during each 2-week assessment period. Ecological momentary assessment responses were evaluated using multilevel confirmatory factor analysis to assess the fluctuating nature of bothersome tinnitus across the group and within the pool of individuals over time. Ecological momentary assessment questions measured tinnitus disability and associated constructs. Compliance in each study part was assessed based on response rates. The Tinnitus Functional Index and the Overall Global Rating of Bother Scale were assessed at the beginning and end of each 2-week assessment period to explore the effect of the frequent EMAs on the perceived level of bother from tinnitus. Of the 40 participants in the study (10 women and 30 men; mean [SD] age, 60.0 [10.5] years), the median survey response rate was high (49 responses to 56 surveys sent [88%] for part 1 and 47 responses of 56 surveys sent [84%] for part 2). The latent factor identified by the 2-level confirmatory factor analysis models demonstrates that within-individual tinnitus bother, loudness, and stress vary together over time. In addition, tinnitus bother, feeling, and stress symptoms all

Instrument development and evaluation for patient-related outcomes assessments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farnik M

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Małgorzata Farnik, Władysław PierzchałaDepartment of Pneumonology, Silesian University of Medicine, Katowice, PolandAbstract: Patient-related outcomes measures could provide important information for the current state of the art in medical care and even have an impact on macrodecisions in the health care system. Patient-related outcomes were initially defined as subjective health indicators that allow disability and illness to be assessed, based on patient, caregiver, or physician self-reports. As illness involves psychological and behavioral complex processes of care, a multidisciplinary approach in measuring patient-reported outcomes should be recommended, such as quality of life questionnaires. Patient-related outcomes measures should correspond to specific clinical situations and bring opportunities to improve quality of care. Objective measurements enable quantitative data to be collected and analyzed. Depending on the aim of the research, investigators can use existing methods or develop new tools. This publication presents a methodology for developing patient-related outcomes measures, based on a multistage procedure. The proper definition of specific study objectives and the methodology of instrument development are crucial for successfully transferring the study concept. The model of instrument development is the process of starting from the preliminary phase and includes questionnaire design and scaling, pilot testing (cognitive debriefing, revision of the preliminary version, evaluation of the new tool, and implementation. Validation of the new instrument includes reliability, reproducibility, internal consistency, and responsiveness. The process of designing the new tool should involve a panel of experts, including clinicians, psychologists (preliminary phase, and statisticians (scale development and scoring, and patients (cognitive debriefing. Implementation of a new tool should be followed by evaluation study – assessment of

Cross-platform digital assessment forms for evaluating surgical skills

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Steven Arild Wuyts

2015-01-01

developed for the rating of surgical skills. The database platform used in this study was reasonably priced, intuitive for the user, and flexible. The forms have been provided online as free downloads that may serve as the basis for further development or as inspiration for future efforts. In conclusion......A variety of structured assessment tools for use in surgical training have been reported, but extant assessment tools often employ paper-based rating forms. Digital assessment forms for evaluating surgical skills could potentially offer advantages over paper-based forms, especially in complex...... assessment situations. In this paper, we report on the development of cross-platform digital assessment forms for use with multiple raters in order to facilitate the automatic processing of surgical skills assessments that include structured ratings. The FileMaker 13 platform was used to create a database...

Trout Creek, Oregon Watershed Assessment; Findings, Condition Evaluation and Action Opportunities, 2002 Technical Report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Runyon, John

2002-08-01

The purpose of the assessment is to characterize historical and current watershed conditions in the Trout Creek Watershed. Information from the assessment is used to evaluate opportunities for improvements in watershed conditions, with particular reference to improvements in the aquatic environment. Existing information was used, to the extent practicable, to complete this work. The assessment will aid the Trout Creek Watershed Council in identifying opportunities and priorities for watershed restoration projects.

Evaluating an holistic assessment tool for palliative care practice.

Science.gov (United States)

McIlfatrick, Sonja; Hasson, Felicity

2014-04-01

To evaluate a holistic assessment tool for palliative care practice. This included identifying patients' needs using the holistic tool and exploring the usability, applicability and barriers and facilitators towards implementation in practice. The delivery of effective holistic palliative care requires a careful assessment of the patients' needs and circumstances. Whilst holistic assessment of palliative care needs is advocated, questions exist around the appropriateness of tools to assist this process. Mixed-method research design. Data collection involved an analysis of piloted holistic assessments undertaken using the tool (n = 132) and two focus groups with healthcare professionals (n = 10). The tool enabled health professionals to identify and gain an understanding of the needs of the patients, specifically in relation to the physical healthcare needs. Differences, however, between the analysis of the tool documentation and focus group responses were identified in particular areas. For example, 59 (68·8%) respondents had discussed preferred priorities of care with the patient; however, focus group comments revealed participants had concerns around this. Similarly, whilst over half of responses (n = 50; 57·5%) had considered a prognostic clinical indicator for the patient as an action, focus group results indicated questions around healthcare professionals' knowledge and perceived usefulness of such indicators. Positive aspects of the tool were that it was easy to understand and captured the needs of individuals. Negative aspects of the tool were that it was repetitive and the experience of assessors required consideration. The tool evaluation identified questions regarding holistic assessment in palliative care practice and the importance of communication. A holistic assessment tool can support patient assessment and identification of patients' needs in the 'real world' of palliative care practice, but the 'tool' is merely an aid to assist professionals to

Body Composition Evaluation Issue among Young Elite Football Players: DXA Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

César Leão

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Accurate assessment of body composition is an important issue among athletes. Different methodologies generate controversial results, leading to a deep uncertainty on individual exercise prescriptions. Thus, this study aims to identify the differences between field methods, such as bioelectrical impedance (BIA and skinfold assessment, with a clinical method, highly accurate, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, among elite young football players. Thirty-eight male football players with a mean (sd age of 16.7 (0.87 years, involved in the Portuguese national competition of U16 (n = 13 and U19 (n = 25, were evaluated and objective measures of body composition, muscle strength and football skills were collected by trained specialists. Body composition was assessed using BIA (Tanita BC-418, Tanita Corp., Tokyo, Japan, in agreement with all the evaluation premises. Additionally, all athletes were evaluated using the clinical method DXA (Hologic Inc., Waltham, MA, USA. Among the U19 athletes, three skinfold sites (SKF were assessed: chest, abdomin and thigh. The Spearman correlation coefficients and the mean difference between methods were calculated. The agreement between both methods was analyzed using Bland-Altman plots. Among the evaluated athletes, lower mean values of body fat % were found using BIA as a method of body composition assessment compared with DXA (12.05 vs. 15.58 for U16; 11.97 vs. 14.16 for U19. Despite the moderate correlation between methods (r = 0.33 to estimate the percentage of total fat, the median of the difference (DXA vs. BIA was relevant in clinical terms, with 2.90% and 1.47% for U16 and U19 athletes, respectively. Stronger correlations were found between the sum of the SKF and DXA fat estimation (r = 0.68. The Bland-Altman plots showed a clear underestimation in the evaluations using the BIA, namely among athletes with better body composition profiles (8%–12% of fat. Using BIA, an underestimation of body fat

Multiple flood vulnerability assessment approach based on fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method and coordinated development degree model.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Weichao; Xu, Kui; Lian, Jijian; Bin, Lingling; Ma, Chao

2018-05-01

Flood is a serious challenge that increasingly affects the residents as well as policymakers. Flood vulnerability assessment is becoming gradually relevant in the world. The purpose of this study is to develop an approach to reveal the relationship between exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity for better flood vulnerability assessment, based on the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method (FCEM) and coordinated development degree model (CDDM). The approach is organized into three parts: establishment of index system, assessment of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity, and multiple flood vulnerability assessment. Hydrodynamic model and statistical data are employed for the establishment of index system; FCEM is used to evaluate exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity; and CDDM is applied to express the relationship of the three components of vulnerability. Six multiple flood vulnerability types and four levels are proposed to assess flood vulnerability from multiple perspectives. Then the approach is applied to assess the spatiality of flood vulnerability in Hainan's eastern area, China. Based on the results of multiple flood vulnerability, a decision-making process for rational allocation of limited resources is proposed and applied to the study area. The study shows that multiple flood vulnerability assessment can evaluate vulnerability more completely, and help decision makers learn more information about making decisions in a more comprehensive way. In summary, this study provides a new way for flood vulnerability assessment and disaster prevention decision. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Impact of the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique on Course Evaluations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trent W. Maurer

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This project reports the results of two studies that investigated the impact on course evaluations of using partial credit iterative responding (PCIR with the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF-AT forms on summative course assessments. This project also quantifies grade inflation from utilizing different PCIR schemes and documents the percentage of possible partial credit students learned. Study 1 compared evaluations in courses where exams were manipulated. Study 2 compared evaluations in courses where daily reading quizzes were manipulated. Results from Study 1 revealed that multiple course evaluation scores increased 10% in the PCIR condition. Students earned 75% of the partial credit available through PCIR, which resulted in a 10% increase in their exam scores. Results from Study 2 revealed no difference in course evaluations between conditions. Students earned roughly 40% of the partial credit available through PCIR, resulting in a 4 to 8% increase in their quiz scores, depending on the PCIR scheme.

Design evaluation in technology assessment: Illustrated by auditory impedance and sound distribution problems

Science.gov (United States)

Halldane, J. F.

1972-01-01

Technology is considered as a culture for changing a physical world and technology assessment questions the inherent cultural capability to modify power and material in support of living organisms. A comprehensive goal-parameter-synthesis-criterion specification is presented as a basis for a rational assessment of technology. The thesis queries the purpose of the assessed problems, the factors considered, the relationships between factors, and the values assigned those factors to accomplish the appropriate purpose. Stationary and sequential evaluation of enviro-organismic systems are delegated to the responsible personalities involved in design; from promoter/designer through contractor to occupant. Discussion includes design goals derived from organismic factors, definitions of human responses which establish viable criteria and relevant correlation models, linking stimulus parameters, and parallel problem-discipline centered design organization. A consistent concept of impedance, as a degradation in the performance of a specified parameter, is introduced to overcome the arbitrary inoperative connotations of terms like noise, discomfort, and glare. Applications of the evaluative specification are illustrated through design problems related to auditory impedance and sound distribution.

Development and evaluation of an automated fall risk assessment system.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ju Young; Jin, Yinji; Piao, Jinshi; Lee, Sun-Mi

2016-04-01

Fall risk assessment is the first step toward prevention, and a risk assessment tool with high validity should be used. This study aimed to develop and validate an automated fall risk assessment system (Auto-FallRAS) to assess fall risks based on electronic medical records (EMRs) without additional data collected or entered by nurses. This study was conducted in a 1335-bed university hospital in Seoul, South Korea. The Auto-FallRAS was developed using 4211 fall-related clinical data extracted from EMRs. Participants included fall patients and non-fall patients (868 and 3472 for the development study; 752 and 3008 for the validation study; and 58 and 232 for validation after clinical application, respectively). The system was evaluated for predictive validity and concurrent validity. The final 10 predictors were included in the logistic regression model for the risk-scoring algorithm. The results of the Auto-FallRAS were shown as high/moderate/low risk on the EMR screen. The predictive validity analyzed after clinical application of the Auto-FallRAS was as follows: sensitivity = 0.95, NPV = 0.97 and Youden index = 0.44. The validity of the Morse Fall Scale assessed by nurses was as follows: sensitivity = 0.68, NPV = 0.88 and Youden index = 0.28. This study found that the Auto-FallRAS results were better than were the nurses' predictions. The advantage of the Auto-FallRAS is that it automatically analyzes information and shows patients' fall risk assessment results without requiring additional time from nurses. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

Five-Year NRHP Re-Evaluation of Historic Buildings Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ullrich, R A; Heidecker, K R

2011-09-12

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) 'Draft Programmatic Agreement among the Department of Energy and the California State Historic Preservation Officer Regarding Operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory' requires a review and re-evaluation of the eligibility of laboratory properties for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) every five years. The original evaluation was published in 2005; this report serves as the first five-year re-evaluation. This re-evaluation includes consideration of changes within LLNL to management, to mission, and to the built environment. it also determines the status of those buildings, objects, and districts that were recommended as NRHP-eligible in the 2005 report. Buildings that were omitted from the earlier building list, those that have reached 50 years of age since the original assessment, and new buildings are also addressed in the re-evaluation.

Reliability assessment and correlation analysis of evaluating orthodontic treatment outcome in Chinese patients

OpenAIRE

Song, Guang-Ying; Zhao, Zhi-He; Ding, Yin; Bai, Yu-Xing; Wang, Lin; He, Hong; Shen, Gang; Li, Wei-Ran; Baumrind, Sheldon; Geng, Zhi; Xu, Tian-Min

2013-01-01

This study aimed to assess the reliability of experienced Chinese orthodontists in evaluating treatment outcome and to determine the correlations between three diagnostic information sources. Sixty-nine experienced Chinese orthodontic specialists each evaluated the outcome of orthodontic treatment of 108 Chinese patients. Three different information sources: study casts (SC), lateral cephalometric X-ray images (LX) and facial photographs (PH) were generated at the end of treatment for 108 pat...

Probabilistic performance assessments for evaluations of the Yucca Mountain site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rickertsen, L.D.; Noronha, C.J.

1992-01-01

Site suitability evaluations are conducted to determine if a repository system at a particular site will be able to meet the performance objectives for that system. Early evaluations to determine if the Yucca Mountain site is suitable for repository development have been made in the face of large uncertainties in site features and conditions. Because of these large uncertainties, the evaluations of the site have been qualitative in nature, focusing on the presence or absence of particular features or conditions thought to be important to performance, rather than on results of quantitative performance assessments. Such a qualitative approach was used in the recently completed evaluation of the Yucca Mountain site, the Early Site-Suitability Evaluation (ESSE). In spite of the qualitative approach, the ESSE was able to conclude that no disqualifying conditions are likely to be present at the site and that all of the geologic conditions that would qualify the site are likely to be met. At the same time, because of the qualitative nature of the approach used in the ESSE, the precise importance of the identified issues relative to performance could not be determined. Likewise, the importance of the issues relative to one another could not be evaluated, and, other than broad recommendations, specific priorities for future testing could not be set. The authors have conducted quantitative performance assessments for the Yucca Mountain site to address these issues

Health technology assessment. Evaluation of biomedical innovative technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Turchetti, Giuseppe; Spadoni, Enza; Geisler, Eliezer Elie

2010-01-01

This article describes health technology assessment (HTA) as an evaluation tool that applies systematic methods of inquiry to the generation and use of health technologies and new products. The focus of this article is on the contributions of HTA to the management of the new product development effort in the biomedical organization. Critical success factors (CSFs) are listed, and their role in assessing success is defined and explained. One of the conclusions of this article is that HTA is a powerful tool for managers in the biomedical sector, allowing them to better manage their innovation effort in their continuing struggle for competitiveness and survival.

An approach to assessing risk in coalbed methane prospect evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vanorsdale, C.R.

1991-01-01

The economic evaluation of drilling prospects requires assessing the degree of risk involved and its impact on reserve estimates. In developed areas, risk can be determined in a fairly straightforward manner. In remote wildcat areas, risk can almost never be adequately identified or quantified. Between these extremes lie complex reservoirs -- reservoirs to heterogeneous that each well drilled could exhibit production characteristics unlike those of its neighbors. This paper illustrates the use of a risk assessment methodology in a case study of Fruitland coal prospects in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico. This approach could be applied to coalbed methane prospects or any unconventional or highly heterogeneous reservoir with appropriate modification. The utility of this approach is made apparent in a graphical analysis that relates reserves, rate of return and payout time for managerial or financial presentation. This graphical technique and the underlying risk assessment were used to aid a conservative management team in evaluating participation in a multi-well coalbed project

A Clinic-Based Assessment for Evaluating Job-Related Social Skills in Adolescents and Adults with Autism.

Science.gov (United States)

Lerman, Dorothea C; White, Bridgette; Grob, Carolyn; Laudont, Courtney

2017-12-01

Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties obtaining and maintaining employment, yet little research has evaluated methods for assessing and improving critical vocational skills. In this study, we evaluated an assessment of job-related social skills for individuals with ASD by arranging conditions that simulated on-the-job experiences in a clinic setting. The experimenter contrived situations to assess a variety of social skills, including asking for help, asking for more materials, and responding to corrective feedback. A total of eight individuals, aged 16 to 32 years, participated. Results suggested that the assessment was useful for identifying specific social skills that could be targeted for intervention to increase success in the work environment. These findings add to the current literature by demonstrating an objective method for assessing a variety of job-related social skills under controlled, naturalistic conditions.

Evaluation of work posture and quantification of fatigue by Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA)

Science.gov (United States)

Rizkya, I.; Syahputri, K.; Sari, R. M.; Anizar; Siregar, I.

2018-02-01

Work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), poor body postures, and low back injuries are the most common problems occurring in many industries including small-medium industries. This study presents assessment and evaluation of ergonomic postures of material handling worker. That evaluation was carried out using REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment). REBA is a technique to quantize the fatigue experienced by the worker while manually lifting loads. Fatigue due to abnormal work posture leads to complaints of labor-perceived pain. REBA methods were used to an assessment of working postures for the existing process by a procedural analysis of body postures involved. This study shows that parts of the body have a high risk of work are the back, neck, and upper arms with REBA score 9, so action should be taken as soon as possible. Controlling actions were implemented to those process with high risk then substantial risk reduction was achieved.

Probabilistic evaluation of design S-N curve and reliability assessment of ASME code-based evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Yongxiang

1999-01-01

A probabilistic evaluating approach of design S-N curve and a reliability assessment approach of the ASME code-based evaluation are presented on the basis of Langer S-N model-based P-S-N curves. The P-S-N curves are estimated by a so-called general maximum likelihood method. This method can be applied to deal with the virtual stress amplitude-crack initial life data which have a characteristics of double random variables. Investigation of a set of the virtual stress amplitude-crack initial life (S-N) data of 1Cr18Ni9Ti austenitic stainless steel-welded joint reveals that the P-S-N curves can give a good prediction of scatter regularity of the S-N data. Probabilistic evaluation of the design S-N curve with 0.9999 survival probability has considered various uncertainties, besides of the scatter of the S-N data, to an appropriate extent. The ASME code-based evaluation with 20 reduction factor on the mean life is much more conservative than that with 2 reduction factor on the stress amplitude. Evaluation of the latter in 666.61 MPa virtual stress amplitude is equivalent to 0.999522 survival probability and in 2092.18 MPa virtual stress amplitude equivalent to 0.9999999995 survival probability. This means that the evaluation in the low loading level may be non-conservative and in contrast, too conservative in the high loading level. Cause is that the reduction factors are constants and the factors can not take into account the general observation that scatter of the N data increases with the loading level decreasing. This has indicated that it is necessary to apply the probabilistic approach to the evaluation of design S-N curve

Cross-platform digital assessment forms for evaluating surgical skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven Arild Wuyts Andersen

2015-04-01

Full Text Available A variety of structured assessment tools for use in surgical training have been reported, but extant assessment tools often employ paper-based rating forms. Digital assessment forms for evaluating surgical skills could potentially offer advantages over paper-based forms, especially in complex assessment situations. In this paper, we report on the development of cross-platform digital assessment forms for use with multiple raters in order to facilitate the automatic processing of surgical skills assessments that include structured ratings. The FileMaker 13 platform was used to create a database containing the digital assessment forms, because this software has cross-platform functionality on both desktop computers and handheld devices. The database is hosted online, and the rating forms can therefore also be accessed through most modern web browsers. Cross-platform digital assessment forms were developed for the rating of surgical skills. The database platform used in this study was reasonably priced, intuitive for the user, and flexible. The forms have been provided online as free downloads that may serve as the basis for further development or as inspiration for future efforts. In conclusion, digital assessment forms can be used for the structured rating of surgical skills and have the potential to be especially useful in complex assessment situations with multiple raters, repeated assessments in various times and locations, and situations requiring substantial subsequent data processing or complex score calculations.

Evaluation and assessment methodology, standards, and procedures manual of the United States Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerns, K.C.; Burson, Z.G.; Smith, J.M.; Blanchard, R.L.

2000-01-01

In the event of a major radiological emergency, the U.S. Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan authorises the creation of the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC). The FRMAC is established to co-ordinate the Federal off-site monitoring and assessment activities, and is comprised of representatives from several Federal agencies and Department of Energy contractors who provide assistance to the state(s) and Lead Federal Agency. The Evaluation and Assessment (E and A) Division of the FRMAC is responsible for receiving, storing, and interpreting environmental surveillance data to estimate the potential health consequences to the population in the vicinity of the accident site. The E and A Division has commissioned the preparation of a methodology and procedures manual which will result in a consistent approach by Division members in carrying out their duties. The first edition of this manual is nearing completion. In this paper, a brief review of the structure of the FRMAC is presented, with emphasis on the E and A Division. The contents of the E and A manual are briefly described, as are future plans for its expansion. (author)

Economic evaluation of influenza vaccination : Assessment for The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Postma, Maarten J.; Bos, Jasper M.; Van Gennep, Mark; Jager, Johannes C.; Baltussen, Rob; Sprenger, Marc J.W.

1999-01-01

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the costs associated with influenza and the cost effectiveness (net costs per life-year gained) of influenza vaccination in The Netherlands. Design and setting: The economic evaluation comprised a cost-of-illness assessment and a

Risk of Malnutrition Evaluated by Mini Nutritional Assessment and Sarcopenia in Noninstitutionalized Elderly People.

Science.gov (United States)

Liguori, Ilaria; Curcio, Francesco; Russo, Gennaro; Cellurale, Michele; Aran, Luisa; Bulli, Giulia; Della-Morte, David; Gargiulo, Gaetano; Testa, Gianluca; Cacciatore, Francesco; Bonaduce, Domenico; Abete, Pasquale

2018-02-13

Malnutrition indices and muscle mass and strength in the elderly are poorly investigated. Moreover, malnutrition seems to be 1 of the more important factors in the cause of sarcopenia. The presence of sarcopenia and its relationship with malnutrition indices were studied in noninstitutionalized elderly people who underwent Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). A total of 473 elderly subjects (mean age, 80.9 ± 6.6 years) admitted to CGA were studied. Malnutrition risk was evaluated with Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score, whereas muscle mass and muscle strength were evaluated by bioimpedentiometry and hand grip, respectively. Sarcopenia was assessed as indicated in the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) consensus. Overall prevalence of sarcopenia was 13.1%, and it increased from 6.1% to 31.4% as MNA decreased (P elderly subjects with sarcopenia (15.4 ± 4.2) than without sarcopenia (22.0 ± 4.0) (P = .024). Linear regression analysis showed that MNA score is linearly related both with muscle mass (r = 0.72; P elderly subjects with sarcopenia, and it is linearly related to muscle mass and muscle strength. These data indicate that MNA score, when evaluated with muscle mass and strength, may recognize elderly subjects with sarcopenia. © 2018 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

A Study To Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Montana Functional Vision Assessment for Multihandicapped Persons.

Science.gov (United States)

Marks, Ron

The study evaluated the validity, reliability, and effectiveness in providing needed information of the Montana Functional Vision Assessment (MFVA) Instrument by comparing it with the Texas Education Agency Functional Vision Assessment and field testing the instrument in evaluations of nine multihandicapped students (ages 3-11). Evaluation led to…

Evaluating Psychiatry Residents as Physician-Managers: Development of an Assessment Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Sockalingam, Sanjeev; Stergiopoulos, Vicky; Maggi, Julie D.; Zaretsky, Ari; Stovel, Laura; Hodges, Brian

2013-01-01

Objectives: With the emergence of physician-manager (PM) curricula in medical education, more effective assessment tools are needed to evaluate psychiatry trainees in this role. The aim of this study was to determine psychiatry residents', program directors', and PM educators' perceptions about PM role-assessment. Methods: Psychiatry residents at…

Evidence for validity within workplace assessment: the Longitudinal Evaluation of Performance (LEP).

Science.gov (United States)

Prescott-Clements, Linda; van der Vleuten, Cees P M; Schuwirth, Lambert W T; Hurst, Yvonne; Rennie, James S

2008-05-01

The drive towards valid and reliable assessment methods for health professions' training is becoming increasingly focused towards authentic models of workplace performance assessment. This study investigates the validity of such a method, longitudinal evaluation of performance (LEP), which has been implemented in the assessment of postgraduate dental trainees in Scotland. Although it is similar in format to the mini-CEX (mini clinical evaluation exercise) and other tools that use global ratings for assessing performance in the workplace, a number of differences exist in the way in which the LEP has been implemented. These include the use of a reference point for evaluators' judgement that represents the standard expected upon completion of the training, flexibility, a greater range of cases assessed and the use of frequency scores within feedback to identify trainees' progress over time. A range of qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed from 2 consecutive cohorts of trainees in Scotland (2002-03 and 2003-04). There is rich evidence supporting the validity, educational impact and feasibility of the LEP. In particular, a great deal of support was given by trainers for the use of a fixed reference point for judgements, despite initial concerns that this might be demotivating to trainees. Trainers were highly positive about this approach and considered it useful in identifying trainees' progress and helping to drive learning. The LEP has been successful in combining a strong formative approach to continuous assessment with the collection of evidence on performance within the workplace that (alongside other tools within an assessment system) can contribute towards a summative decision regarding competence.

Evaluating Written, Audio and Video Feedback in Higher Education Summative Assessment Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

McCarthy, Josh

2015-01-01

This paper evaluates various feedback models utilised for summative assessment tasks for tertiary digital media students at the University of South Australia in Australia. The aim of this research project was to establish the advantages and disadvantages of each technique, and to determine which model provided students with more insight into their…

Interpretation and evaluation of the US Environmental Protection Agency ecological risk assessment guidelines

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Murray, K

1999-10-01

Full Text Available In order to facilitate a common understanding, on-going debate and increasing application of ecological risk assessment (ERA) in South Africa, the ERA process of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been summarised and evaluated...

Assessment of methods for evaluating adequacy of physical protection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, L.D.

1980-01-01

Generally, the scope of a safeguards evaluation model can efficiently address one of two issues: (1) global safeguards effectiveness or (2) vulnerability analysis for individual scenarios. A brief description of the variety of models developed in these areas is discussed. Current generation models are described along with an assessment of their utility and a brief look at future techniques for evaluation will be noted

Evaluation methods for assessing effectiveness of in situ remediation of soil and sediment contaminated with organic pollutants and heavy metals.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Biao; Zeng, Guangming; Gong, Jilai; Liang, Jie; Xu, Piao; Liu, Zhifeng; Zhang, Yi; Zhang, Chen; Cheng, Min; Liu, Yang; Ye, Shujing; Yi, Huan; Ren, Xiaoya

2017-08-01

Soil and sediment contamination has become a critical issue worldwide due to its great harm to the ecological environment and public health. In recent years, many remediation technologies including physical, chemical, biological, and combined methods have been proposed and adopted for the purpose of solving the problems of soil and sediment contamination. However, current research on evaluation methods for assessing these remediation technologies is scattered and lacks valid and integrated evaluation methods for assessing the remediation effectiveness. This paper provides a comprehensive review with an environmental perspective on the evaluation methods for assessing the effectiveness of in situ remediation of soil and sediment contaminated with organic pollutants and heavy metals. The review systematically summarizes recent exploration and attempts of the remediation effectiveness assessment based on the content of pollutants, soil and sediment characteristics, and ecological risks. Moreover, limitations and future research needs of the practical assessment are discussed. These limitations are not conducive to the implementation of the abatement and control programs for soil and sediment contamination. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the evaluation methods for assessing the remediation effectiveness while developing new in situ remediation technologies in future research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing evaluation instrument based on CIPP models on the implementation of portfolio assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Kurnia, Feni; Rosana, Dadan; Supahar

2017-08-01

This study aimed to develop an evaluation instrument constructed by CIPP model on the implementation of portfolio assessment in science learning. This study used research and development (R & D) method; adapting 4-D by the development of non-test instrument, and the evaluation instrument constructed by CIPP model. CIPP is the abbreviation of Context, Input, Process, and Product. The techniques of data collection were interviews, questionnaires, and observations. Data collection instruments were: 1) the interview guidelines for the analysis of the problems and the needs, 2) questionnaire to see level of accomplishment of portfolio assessment instrument, and 3) observation sheets for teacher and student to dig up responses to the portfolio assessment instrument. The data obtained was quantitative data obtained from several validators. The validators consist of two lecturers as the evaluation experts, two practitioners (science teachers), and three colleagues. This paper shows the results of content validity obtained from the validators and the analysis result of the data obtained by using Aikens' V formula. The results of this study shows that the evaluation instrument based on CIPP models is proper to evaluate the implementation of portfolio assessment instruments. Based on the experts' judgments, practitioners, and colleagues, the Aikens' V coefficient was between 0.86-1,00 which means that it is valid and can be used in the limited trial and operational field trial.

Human engineering guidelines for the evaluation and assessment of Video Display Units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilmore, W.E.

1985-07-01

This report provides the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with a single source that documents known guidelines for conducting formal Human Factors evaluations of Video Display Units (VDUs). The handbook is a ''cookbook'' of acceptance guidelines for the reviewer faced with the task of evaluating VDUs already designed or planned for service in the control room. The areas addressed are video displays, controls, control/display integration, and workplace layout. Guidelines relevant to each of those areas are presented. The existence of supporting research is also indicated for each guideline. A Comment section and Method for Assessment section are provided for each set of guidelines

Detecting suicidality among adolescent outpatients: evaluation of trained clinicians' suicidality assessment against a structured diagnostic assessment made by trained raters.

Science.gov (United States)

Holi, Matti Mikael; Pelkonen, Mirjami; Karlsson, Linnea; Tuisku, Virpi; Kiviruusu, Olli; Ruuttu, Titta; Marttunen, Mauri

2008-12-31

Accurate assessment of suicidality is of major importance. We aimed to evaluate trained clinicians' ability to assess suicidality against a structured assessment made by trained raters. Treating clinicians classified 218 adolescent psychiatric outpatients suffering from a depressive mood disorder into three classes: 1-no suicidal ideation, 2-suicidal ideation, no suicidal acts, 3-suicidal or self-harming acts. This classification was compared with a classification with identical content derived from the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL) made by trained raters. The convergence was assessed by kappa- and weighted kappa tests. The clinicians' classification to class 1 (no suicidal ideation) was 85%, class 2 (suicidal ideation) 50%, and class 3 (suicidal acts) 10% concurrent with the K-SADS evaluation (gamma2 = 37.1, df 4, p = 0.000). Weighted kappa for the agreement of the measures was 0.335 (CI = 0.198-0.471, p < 0.0001). The clinicians under-detected suicidal and self-harm acts, but over-detected suicidal ideation. There was only a modest agreement between the trained clinicians' suicidality evaluation and the K-SADS evaluation, especially concerning suicidal or self-harming acts. We suggest a wider use of structured scales in clinical and research settings to improve reliable detection of adolescents with suicidality.

Detecting suicidality among adolescent outpatients: evaluation of trained clinicians' suicidality assessment against a structured diagnostic assessment made by trained raters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tuisku Virpi

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Accurate assessment of suicidality is of major importance. We aimed to evaluate trained clinicians' ability to assess suicidality against a structured assessment made by trained raters. Method Treating clinicians classified 218 adolescent psychiatric outpatients suffering from a depressive mood disorder into three classes: 1-no suicidal ideation, 2-suicidal ideation, no suicidal acts, 3-suicidal or self-harming acts. This classification was compared with a classification with identical content derived from the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL made by trained raters. The convergence was assessed by kappa- and weighted kappa tests. Results The clinicians' classification to class 1 (no suicidal ideation was 85%, class 2 (suicidal ideation 50%, and class 3 (suicidal acts 10% concurrent with the K-SADS evaluation (γ2 = 37.1, df 4, p = 0.000. Weighted kappa for the agreement of the measures was 0.335 (CI = 0.198–0.471, p Conclusion There was only a modest agreement between the trained clinicians' suicidality evaluation and the K-SADS evaluation, especially concerning suicidal or self-harming acts. We suggest a wider use of structured scales in clinical and research settings to improve reliable detection of adolescents with suicidality.

i-Assess: Evaluating the impact of electronic data capture for OSCE.

Science.gov (United States)

Monteiro, Sandra; Sibbald, Debra; Coetzee, Karen

2018-04-01

Tablet-based assessments offer benefits over scannable-paper assessments; however, there is little known about the impact to the variability of assessment scores. Two studies were conducted to evaluate changes in rating technology. Rating modality (paper vs tablets) was manipulated between candidates (Study 1) and within candidates (Study 2). Average scores were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA, Cronbach's alpha and generalizability theory. Post-hoc analyses included a Rasch analysis and McDonald's omega. Study 1 revealed a main effect of modality (F (1,152) = 25.06, p 0.8) and inter-station reliability remained constant (0.3). Rasch analyses showed no relationship between station difficulty and rating modality. Analyses of average scores may be misleading without an understanding of internal consistency and overall reliability of scores. Although updating to tablet-based forms did not result in systematic variations in scores, routine analyses ensured accurate interpretation of the variability of assessment scores. This study demonstrates the importance of ongoing program evaluation and data analysis.

Therapy evaluation and diagnostic accuracy in neuroendocrine tumours: assessment of radiological methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elvin, A.

1993-01-01

The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonically guided biopsy-gun biopsies was assessed in a group of 47 patients with suspected pancreatic carcinoma. A correct diagnosis was obtained in 44 of the 47 patients (94%). Biopsy-gun biopsy of the pancreas is considered a useful, reliable and non-traumatic method for the diagnosis of pancreatic malignancy. Twenty-five patients with known neuroendocrine tumour disease were biopsied with 1.2 mm and 0.9 mm biopsy-gun needles. The influence of treatment-related fibrosis was also evaluated. The overall diagnostic accuracy with the 0.9 mm needle was 69% as compared to 92% with the 1.2 mm needle. In order to assess the diagnostic accuracy rate for radiologists with different experience of biopsy procedures 175 cases of renal biopsy-gun biopsies were evaluated. No statistical significant difference was found between the different operators. The role of duplex Doppler ultrasound in monitoring interferon treatment-related changes in carcinoid metastases was evaluated. It present duplex Doppler ultrasound does not seem to play a role in the evaluation of tumour therapy in carcinoid patients. Therapy response evaluation was performed with MR imaging in a group of 17 patients with neuroendocrine liver metastases. A significant difference was found between patients responding to and patients with failure of treatment in terms of tumour T1, contrast enhancement and signal intensity ratio. This indicates that MR investigation may be used in therapy monitoring of patients with neuroendocrine metastases. The neuroendocrine-differentiated colonic carcinoma cell line (LCC-18) was transplanted to 29 mice to establish a tumour/animal model that would allow the monitoring of changes with MR imaging induced by interferon therapy and to evaluate whether the therapeutic response could be modulated by different interferon dosages. Interferon does not seem to have any prolonged anti-proliferative effect on the LCC-18 tumour cell line when transplanted to

Physiotherapy in hip and knee osteoarthritis: development of a practice guideline concerning initial assessment, treatment and evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Peter, W F; Jansen, M J; Hurkmans, E J; Bloo, H; Dekker, J; Dilling, R G; Hilberdink, W; Kersten-Smit, C; de Rooij, M; Veenhof, C; Vermeulen, H M; de Vos, R J; Schoones, J W; Vliet Vlieland, T P

2011-01-01

An update of a Dutch physiotherapy practice guideline in Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis (HKOA) was made, based on current evidence and best practice. A guideline steering committee, comprising 10 expert physiotherapists, selected topics concerning the guideline chapters: initial assessment, treatment and evaluation. With respect to treatment a systematic literature search was performed using various databases, and the evidence was graded (1-4). For the initial assessment and evaluation mainly review papers and textbooks were used. Based on evidence and expert opinion, recommendations were formulated. A first draft of the guideline was reviewed by 17 experts from different professional backgrounds. A second draft was field-tested by 45 physiotherapists. In total 11 topics were selected. For the initial assessment, three recommendations were formulated, pertaining to history taking, red flags, and formulating treatment goals. Concerning treatment, 7 recommendations were formulated; (supervised) exercise therapy, education and self management interventions, a combination of exercise and manual therapy, postoperative exercise therapy and taping of the patella were recommended. Balneotherapy and hydrotherapy in HKOA, and thermotherapy, TENS, and Continuous Passive Motion in knee OA were neither recommended nor discouraged. Massage therapy, ultrasound, electrotherapy, electromagnetic field, Low Level Laser Therapy, preoperative physiotherapy and education could not be recommended. For the evaluation of treatment goals the following measurement instruments were recommended: Lequesne index, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index, Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, 6-minute walktest, Timed Up and Go test, Patient Specific Complaint list, Visual Analoge Scale for pain, Intermittent and Constant OsteoArthritis Pain Questionnaire, goniometry, Medical Research Council for strength, handheld

Should Student Evaluation of Teaching Play a Significant Role in the Formal Assessment of Dental Faculty? Two Viewpoints: Viewpoint 1: Formal Faculty Assessment Should Include Student Evaluation of Teaching and Viewpoint 2: Student Evaluation of Teaching Should Not Be Part of Formal Faculty Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowan, Susan; Newness, Elmer J; Tetradis, Sotirios; Prasad, Joanne L; Ko, Ching-Chang; Sanchez, Arlene

2017-11-01

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) is often used in the assessment of faculty members' job performance and promotion and tenure decisions, but debate over this use of student evaluations has centered on the validity, reliability, and application of the data in assessing teaching performance. Additionally, the fear of student criticism has the potential of influencing course content delivery and testing measures. This Point/Counterpoint article reviews the potential utility of and controversy surrounding the use of SETs in the formal assessment of dental school faculty. Viewpoint 1 supports the view that SETs are reliable and should be included in those formal assessments. Proponents of this opinion contend that SETs serve to measure a school's effectiveness in support of its core mission, are valid measures based on feedback from the recipients of educational delivery, and provide formative feedback to improve faculty accountability to the institution. Viewpoint 2 argues that SETs should not be used for promotion and tenure decisions, asserting that higher SET ratings do not correlate with improved student learning. The advocates of this viewpoint contend that faculty members may be influenced to focus on student satisfaction rather than pedagogy, resulting in grade inflation. They also argue that SETs are prone to gender and racial biases and that SET results are frequently misinterpreted by administrators. Low response rates and monotonic response patterns are other factors that compromise the reliability of SETs.

Measurement properties of exsisting clinical assessment methods evaluating scapular positioning and function. A systematic review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Camilla Marie; Juul-Kristensen, B; Lund, H

(COSMIN checklist), the methodological quality in the reliability and validity domains was ‘fair’ (57%) to ‘poor’ (43%), with only one study rated as ‘good’. The reliability domain was most often investigated. Fewof the assessment methods in the included studies that had ‘fair’ or ‘good’ measurement......MEASUREMENT PROPERTIES OF EXISTING CLINICAL ASSESSMENT METHODS EVALUATING SCAPULAR POSITIONING AND FUNCTION. A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW1,2Camilla Marie Larsen, 1,3Birgit Juul-Kristensen, 1,3Hans Lund, 1Karen Søgaard1Institute of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark2......,2]. Rehabilitation exercises are aiming at altering abnormal/asymmetric scapular positioning and/or function. Numerous assessment methods have measured the degree of scapular dyskinesis, subjectively by visual evaluation and objectively by measurements of static and dynamic scapular positioning, by either a 3...

Identifying and assessing strategies for evaluating the impact of mobile eye health units on health outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Shiwan; Turner, Angus; Tan, Irene; Muir, Josephine

2017-12-01

To identify and assess strategies for evaluating the impact of mobile eye health units on health outcomes. Systematic literature review. Worldwide. Peer-reviewed journal articles that included the use of a mobile eye health unit. Journal articles were included if outcome measures reflected an assessment of the impact of a mobile eye health unit on health outcomes. Six studies were identified with mobile services offering diabetic retinopathy screening (three studies), optometric services (two studies) and orthoptic services (one study). This review identified and assessed strategies in existing literature used to evaluate the impact of mobile eye health units on health outcomes. Studies included in this review used patient outcomes (i.e. disease detection, vision impairment, treatment compliance) and/or service delivery outcomes (i.e. cost per attendance, hospital transport use, inappropriate referrals, time from diabetic retinopathy photography to treatment) to evaluate the impact of mobile eye health units. Limitations include difficulty proving causation of specific outcome measures and the overall shortage of impact evaluation studies. Variation in geographical location, service population and nature of eye care providers limits broad application. © 2017 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

Measurement properties of existing clinical assessment methods evaluating scapular positioning and function. A systematic review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Camilla Marie; Juul-Kristensen, Birgit; Lund, Hans

%), with only one study rated as ‘good’. The reliability domain was most often investigated. Fewof the assessment methods in the included studies that had ‘fair’ or ‘good’ measurement properties demonstrated acceptable results for both reliability and validity.ConclusionWe found a substantially larger number......ABSTRACT OARSI Measurement properties of existing clinical assessment methods evaluating scapular positioning and function. A systematic review Larsen CM1, Juul-Kristensen B1,2 Lund H1,2, Søgaard K11University of Southern Denmark, Institute of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics2Institute...... assessment methods have measured the degree of scapular dyskinesis, subjectively by visual evaluation and objectively by measurements of static and dynamic scapular positioning, by either a 3-dimensional electromagnetic device or 2-dimensional clinically applicable methods. Since advanced equipment (i.e. 3D...

Reliability assessment of a peer evaluation instrument in a team-based learning course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wahawisan J

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To evaluate the reliability of a peer evaluation instrument in a longitudinal team-based learning setting. Methods: Student pharmacists were instructed to evaluate the contributions of their peers. Evaluations were analyzed for the variance of the scores by identifying low, medium, and high scores. Agreement between performance ratings within each group of students was assessed via intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC. Results: We found little variation in the standard deviation (SD based on the score means among the high, medium, and low scores within each group. The lack of variation in SD of results between groups suggests that the peer evaluation instrument produces precise results. The ICC showed strong concordance among raters. Conclusions: Findings suggest that our student peer evaluation instrument provides a reliable method for peer assessment in team-based learning settings.

Engineering Evaluation and Assessment (EE and A) Report for the Symbolic and Sub-symbolic Robotics Intelligence Control System (SS-RICS)

Science.gov (United States)

2018-04-01

ARL-TR-8352 ● APR 2018 US Army Research Laboratory Engineering Evaluation and Assessment (EE&A) Report for the Symbolic and Sub...APR 2018 US Army Research Laboratory Engineering Evaluation and Assessment (EE&A) Report for the Symbolic and Sub-symbolic Robotics...Intelligence Control System (SS-RICS) by Troy Dale Kelley and Eric Avery Human Research and Engineering Directorate, ARL Sean McGhee STG Inc

Environmental management: Integrating ecological evaluation, remediation, restoration, natural resource damage assessment and long-term stewardship on contaminated lands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burger, Joanna

2008-01-01

Ecological evaluation is essential for remediation, restoration, and Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), and forms the basis for many management practices. These include determining status and trends of biological, physical, or chemical/radiological conditions, conducting environmental impact assessments, performing remedial actions should remediation fail, managing ecosystems and wildlife, and assessing the efficacy of remediation, restoration, and long-term stewardship. The objective of this paper is to explore the meanings of these assessments, examine the relationships among them, and suggest methods of integration that will move environmental management forward. While remediation, restoration, and NRDA, among others, are often conducted separately, it is important to integrate them for contaminated land where the risks to ecoreceptors (including humans) can be high, and the potential damage to functioning ecosystems great. Ecological evaluations can range from inventories of local plants and animals, determinations of reproductive success of particular species, levels of contaminants in organisms, kinds and levels of effects, and environmental impact assessments, to very formal ecological risk assessments for a chemical or other stressor. Such evaluations can range from the individual species to populations, communities, ecosystems or the landscape scale. Ecological evaluations serve as the basis for making decisions about the levels and kinds of remediation, the levels and kinds of restoration possible, and the degree and kinds of natural resource injuries that have occurred because of contamination. Many different disciplines are involved in ecological evaluation, including biologists, conservationists, foresters, restoration ecologists, ecological engineers, economists, hydrologist, and geologists. Since ecological evaluation forms the basis for so many different types of environmental management, it seems reasonable to integrate management options

The process of clinical assessment: cognitions of the evaluator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmelo Ibáñez Aguirre

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The cognitive paradigm of the past few decades opens several new possibilities for psychological evaluation.  The objective of this essay is to emphasize the possibilities related to the quality of self-evaluation, specifically professional self-assessment, meaning a critical analysis of one’s own evaluation process. In this essay, metacognition activities and strategies are examined, as are the ways in which these activities and strategies relate to metacognition and cognitive skills. The intent of this theoretical essay is to offer answers to the clinical evaluator’s professional experience. The results indicate that the clinical professional must consider strategies to improve metacognition and cognitive skills through reflection, self-analysis and self-criticism to improve the quality and efficiency of their work.

Assessing the representativeness of wind data for wind turbine site evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Renne, D. S.; Corotis, R. B.

1982-01-01

Once potential wind turbine sites (either for single installations or clusters) are identified through siting procedures, actual evaluation of the sites must commence. This evaluation is needed to obtain estimates of wind turbine performance and to identify hazards to the machine from the turbulence component of the atmosphere. These estimates allow for more detailed project planning and for preliminary financing arrangements to be secured. The site evaluation process can occur in two stages: (1) utilizing existing nearby data, and (2) establishing and monitoring an onsite measurement program. Since step (2) requires a period of at least 1 yr or more from the time a potential site has been identified, step (1) is often an essential stage in the preliminary evaluation process. Both the methods that have been developed and the unknowns that still exist in assessing the representativeness of available data to a nearby wind turbine site are discussed. How the assessment of the representativeness of available data can be used to develop a more effective onsite meteorological measurement program is also discussed.

Fatigue in patients with low grade glioma: systematic evaluation of assessment and prevalence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

E.M.P. Van Coevorden-van Loon (Ellen M. P.); Coomans, M.B. (Marijke B.); M.H. Heijenbrok-Kal (Majanka); G.M. Ribbers (Gerard); M.J. van den Bent (Martin)

2017-01-01

textabstractFatigue is the most prevalent and disabling symptom in cancer patients. Yet, scientific literature on this topic is scarce and reports disparate results. This study systematically reviews how fatigue is assessed in patients with low-grade glioma and evaluates its prevalence in LGG

Comparison of differences in performance evaluation of faculty by students with faculty's self-assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Azizi, Kourosh; Aghamolaei, Teamur; Parsa, Nader; Dabbaghmanesh, Tahereh

2014-07-01

The present study aimed to compare self-assessment forms of coursework taught in the school of public health at undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels and students' evaluation of the performance of the faculty members at these levels. The subjects in this cross-sectional study were the faculty members and students of the School of Public Health and Nutrition, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. The data were collected using a socio-demographic information form and evaluation forms of professors prepared by the Educational Development Center (EDC). The faculty members were assessed by the students in undergraduate and graduate classes. Among the study subjects, 23 faculty members filled out the self-assessment forms which were then evaluated by 23 students. Then, the data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical 14. Paired t-test was used to compare the students' evaluation of the faculty members' performance and the professors' self-assessment. The mean score of self-assessment of the faculty members who taught undergraduate courses was 289.7±8.3, while that of the students' evaluation was 281.3±16.1; the difference was statistically significant (t=3.56, p=0.001). Besides, the mean score of the self-assessment of the faculty members who taught graduate courses was 269.0±9.7, while that of the students' evaluation was 265.7±14.6 but the difference was not statistically significant (t=1.09, p=0.28). Teaching performance perceptions of the faculty were similar to those of the graduate students as compared to the undergraduate ones. This may reflect better understanding of coursework at this level compared to the undergraduate students. Faculty members may need to adjust teaching methods to improve students' performance and understanding especially in the undergraduate level.

Risk assessment and ranking methodologies for hazardous chemical defense waste: a state-of-the-art review and evaluation. Task 1 report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, M.S.Y.; Rodricks, J.V.; St Hilaire, C.; Bras, R.L.

1986-06-01

This report summarizes the work performed under Task 1 of the Risk Assessment Evaluation Task under the Hazardous Chemical Defense Waste Management Program of the Department of Energy (DOE). The objective of Task 1 was to identify, review, and evaluate the state-of-the-art tools and techniques available for ranking and evaluating disposal facilities. These tools were evaluated for their applicability to DOE's mixed hazardous chemical and radioactive waste sites. Various ranking methodologies were reviewed and three were evaluated in detail. Areas that were found to be deficient in each ranking methodology were presented in the report. Recommendations were given for the development of an improved ranking methodology for use on DOE's sites. A literature review was then performed on the various components of a risk assessment methodology. They include source term evaluation, geosphere transport models, exposure pathways models, dose effects models, and sensitivity/uncertainty techniques. A number of recommendations have been made in the report based on the review and evaluation for the development of a comprehensive risk assessment methodology in evaluating mixed waste disposal sites

Evaluating the utility of workplace-based assessment tools for speciality training.

Science.gov (United States)

Setna, Z; Jha, V; Boursicot, K A M; Roberts, T E

2010-12-01

Workplace assessment has been incorporated into speciality training in the UK following changes in the training and work patterns within the National Health Service (NHS). There are various types of assessment tools that have been adopted to assess the clinical competence of trainees. In obstetrics and gynaecology, these include mini-CEX, Objective Structured Assessment of Technical skills (OSATS) and case-based discussion (CbDs). This review provides a theoretical background of workplace assessment and the educational framework that may be adopted to evaluate their effectiveness. It summarises current evidence for the utility of these tools with regard to reliability, validity, acceptability, educational impact and cost. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dysphagia after vertical sleeve gastrectomy: Evaluation of risk factors and assessment of endoscopic intervention

OpenAIRE

Nath, Anand; Yewale, Sayali; Tran, Tung; Brebbia, John S; Shope, Timothy R; Koch, Timothy R

2016-01-01

AIM To evaluate the risks of medical conditions, evaluate gastric sleeve narrowing, and assess hydrostatic balloon dilatation to treat dysphagia after vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). METHODS VSG is being performed more frequently worldwide as a treatment for medically-complicated obesity, and dysphagia is common post-operatively. We hypothesize that post-operative dysphagia is related to underlying medical conditions or narrowing of the gastric sleeve. This is a retrospective, single insti...

Multi-criteria sustainability assessment: A tool for evaluation of new energy system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Afgan Naim H.

2007-01-01

Full Text Available One of perspective methods for the evaluation of quality of energy system is the multi-criteria sustainability assessment, based on the analysis and synthesis of indicators expressing different aspects of the system. Application of this methodology in the cases of information deficiency (ASPID methodology enables evaluation of various energy systems. In the paper, the multi-criteria sustainability assessment of energy systems of various energy sources is used to evaluate the energy power system of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Eight different energy system options are taken into a consideration as the potential options for the capacity building within the energy power system of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has included various renewable sources and fossil fuel clean technologies. Within the multi-criteria sustainability assessment method, sustainability indicators and weighting coefficients are defined and calculated, including: resource indicator, environment indicator, social indicator and economic indicator with respective weighting factors. The methodology includes the system of stochastic models of uncertainty in order to realize the assessment from various supporting systems, and to obtain respective normalization indexes by using non-numeric (ordinal, non-exact (interval, and non-complete information (NNN- information, for sources of various reliability and probability. By the analysis of multi-criteria sustainability assessment of selected options, the decision makers could be enabled to form opinion on quality of considered energy systems, and from the aspect of sustainability, make selection an optimum option of energy system. .

An assessment of implementation and evaluation phases of strategic plans in Iranian hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadeghifar, Jamil; Tofighi, Shahram; Roshani, Mohamad; Toulideh, Zahra; Mohsenpour, Seyedramezan; Jafari, Mehdi

2017-01-01

To assess the implementation and evaluation phases of strategic plans in selected hospitals. We conducted a cross-sectional study of implementation and evaluation of strategic plan in 24 hospitals in 2015, using a questionnaire which consisted of two separate sections for strategic implementation and strategic evaluation. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 18. Nearly one-third of hospitals claimed that they allocate their budget based on priorities and strategic goals. However, it turned out that although goals had been set, no formal announcements had been made. Most of the hospitals stated that they used measures when evaluating the plan. For hospital staff, clarifying the hospital's priorities was the most important advantage of a strategic plan. There is no clear definition for strategic management in Iranian hospitals, which results in chaotic implementation and control of strategic planning.

Pilot evaluation of the Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics test.

Science.gov (United States)

Shipper, Edward S; Mazer, Laura M; Merrell, Sylvia Bereknyei; Lin, Dana T; Lau, James N; Melcher, Marc L

2017-07-01

High attrition rates hint at deficiencies in the resident selection process. The evaluation of personal characteristics representative of success is difficult. Here, we evaluate a novel tool for assessing personal characteristics. To evaluate feasibility, we used an anonymous voluntary survey questionnaire offered to study participants before and after contact with the CASPer test. To evaluate the CASPer test as a predictor of success, we compared CASPer test assessments of personal characteristics versus traditional faculty assessment of personal characteristics with applicant rank list position. All applicants (n = 77) attending an in-person interview for general surgery residency, and all faculty interviewers (n = 34) who reviewed these applications were invited to participate. Among applicants, 84.4% of respondents (65 of 77) reported that a requirement to complete the CASPer test would have no bearing or would make them more likely to apply to the program (mean = 3.30, standard deviation = 0.96). Among the faculty, 62.5% respondents (10 of 16) reported that the same condition would have no bearing or would make applicants more likely to apply to the program (mean = 3.19, standard deviation = 1.33). The Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficients for the relationships between traditional faculty assessment of personal characteristics and applicant rank list position, and novel CASPer assessment of personal characteristics and applicant rank list position, were -0.45 (P = 0.033) and -0.41 (P = 0.055), respectively. The CASPer test may be feasibly implemented as component of the resident selection process, with the potential to predict applicant rank list position and improve the general surgery resident selection process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Model evaluation methodology applicable to environmental assessment models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaeffer, D.L.

1979-08-01

A model evaluation methodology is presented to provide a systematic framework within which the adequacy of environmental assessment models might be examined. The necessity for such a tool is motivated by the widespread use of models for predicting the environmental consequences of various human activities and by the reliance on these model predictions for deciding whether a particular activity requires the deployment of costly control measures. Consequently, the uncertainty associated with prediction must be established for the use of such models. The methodology presented here consists of six major tasks: model examination, algorithm examination, data evaluation, sensitivity analyses, validation studies, and code comparison. This methodology is presented in the form of a flowchart to show the logical interrelatedness of the various tasks. Emphasis has been placed on identifying those parameters which are most important in determining the predictive outputs of a model. Importance has been attached to the process of collecting quality data. A method has been developed for analyzing multiplicative chain models when the input parameters are statistically independent and lognormally distributed. Latin hypercube sampling has been offered as a promising candidate for doing sensitivity analyses. Several different ways of viewing the validity of a model have been presented. Criteria are presented for selecting models for environmental assessment purposes

Probability and Confidence Trade-space (PACT) Evaluation: Accounting for Uncertainty in Sparing Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Leif; Box, Neil; Carter, Katrina; DiFilippo, Denise; Harrington, Sean; Jackson, David; Lutomski, Michael

2012-01-01

There are two general shortcomings to the current annual sparing assessment: 1. The vehicle functions are currently assessed according to confidence targets, which can be misleading- overly conservative or optimistic. 2. The current confidence levels are arbitrarily determined and do not account for epistemic uncertainty (lack of knowledge) in the ORU failure rate. There are two major categories of uncertainty that impact Sparing Assessment: (a) Aleatory Uncertainty: Natural variability in distribution of actual failures around an Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) (b) Epistemic Uncertainty : Lack of knowledge about the true value of an Orbital Replacement Unit's (ORU) MTBF We propose an approach to revise confidence targets and account for both categories of uncertainty, an approach we call Probability and Confidence Trade-space (PACT) evaluation.

A quantitative screening-level approach to incorporate chemical exposure and risk into alternative assessment evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Scott M; Greggs, Bill; Goyak, Katy O; Landenberger, Bryce D; Mason, Ann M; Howard, Brett; Zaleski, Rosemary T

2017-11-01

As the general public and retailers ask for disclosure of chemical ingredients in the marketplace, a number of hazard screening tools were developed to evaluate the so-called "greenness" of individual chemical ingredients and/or formulations. The majority of these tools focus only on hazard, often using chemical lists, ignoring the other part of the risk equation: exposure. Using a hazard-only focus can result in regrettable substitutions, changing 1 chemical ingredient for another that turns out to be more hazardous or shifts the toxicity burden to others. To minimize the incidents of regrettable substitutions, BizNGO describes "Common Principles" to frame a process for informed substitution. Two of these 6 principles are: "reduce hazard" and "minimize exposure." A number of frameworks have emerged to evaluate and assess alternatives. One framework developed by leading experts under the auspices of the US National Academy of Sciences recommended that hazard and exposure be specifically addressed in the same step when assessing candidate alternatives. For the alternative assessment community, this article serves as an informational resource for considering exposure in an alternatives assessment using elements of problem formulation; product identity, use, and composition; hazard analysis; exposure analysis; and risk characterization. These conceptual elements build on practices from government, academia, and industry and are exemplified through 2 hypothetical case studies demonstrating the questions asked and decisions faced in new product development. These 2 case studies-inhalation exposure to a generic paint product and environmental exposure to a shampoo rinsed down the drain-demonstrate the criteria, considerations, and methods required to combine exposure models addressing human health and environmental impacts to provide a screening level hazard and exposure (risk) analysis. This article informs practices for these elements within a comparative risk context

In Situ Remediation Integrated Program, Evaluation and assessment of containment technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, M.A.; Fayer, M.J.

1994-04-01

The In Situ Remediation Integrated Program (ISRIP) was established by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to advance the state-of-the art of innovative in situ remediation technologies to the point of demonstration and to broaden the applicability of these technologies to the widely varying site remediation requirements throughout the DOE complex. This program complements similar ongoing integrated demonstration programs being conducted at several DOE sites. The ISRIP has been conducting baseline assessments on in situ technologies to support program planning. Pacific Northwest Laboratory conducted an assessment and evaluation of subsurface containment barrier technology in support of ISRIP's Containment Technology Subprogram. This report summarizes the results of that activity and provides a recommendation for priortizing areas in which additional research and development is needed to advance the technology to the point of demonstration in support of DOE's site restoration activities

Four tenets of modern validity theory for medical education assessment and evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Royal, Kenneth D

2017-01-01

Validity is considered by many to be the most important criterion for evaluating a set of scores, yet few agree on what exactly the term means. Since the mid-1800s, scholars have been concerned with the notion of validity, but over time, the term has developed a variety of meanings across academic disciplines and contexts. Accordingly, when scholars with different academic backgrounds, many of whom hold deeply entrenched perspectives about validity conceptualizations, converge in the field of medical education assessment, it is a recipe for confusion. Thus, it is important to work toward a consensus about validity in the context of medical education assessment. Thus, the purpose of this work was to present four fundamental tenets of modern validity theory in an effort to establish a framework for scholars in the field of medical education assessment to follow when conceptualizing validity, interpreting validity evidence, and reporting research findings.

A Needs Assessment, Development, and Formative Evaluation of a Health Promotion Smartphone Application for College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Tiffany; Chandler, Laura; Mouttapa, Michele

2015-01-01

Background: Approximately half of college students who completed the National College Health Assessment 2013 indicated a greater need for health-related information. University-based smartphone applications may help students better access this information. Purpose: This study describes the needs assessment, development, and formative evaluation of…

Evaluation of a software package for automated quality assessment of contrast detail images-comparison with subjective visual assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pascoal, A; Lawinski, C P; Honey, I; Blake, P

2005-01-01

Contrast detail analysis is commonly used to assess image quality (IQ) associated with diagnostic imaging systems. Applications include routine assessment of equipment performance and optimization studies. Most frequently, the evaluation of contrast detail images involves human observers visually detecting the threshold contrast detail combinations in the image. However, the subjective nature of human perception and the variations in the decision threshold pose limits to the minimum image quality variations detectable with reliability. Objective methods of assessment of image quality such as automated scoring have the potential to overcome the above limitations. A software package (CDRAD analyser) developed for automated scoring of images produced with the CDRAD test object was evaluated. Its performance to assess absolute and relative IQ was compared with that of an average observer. Results show that the software does not mimic the absolute performance of the average observer. The software proved more sensitive and was able to detect smaller low-contrast variations. The observer's performance was superior to the software's in the detection of smaller details. Both scoring methods showed frequent agreement in the detection of image quality variations resulting from changes in kVp and KERMA detector , which indicates the potential to use the software CDRAD analyser for assessment of relative IQ

Cultural, Social, and Economic Capital Constructs in International Assessments: An Evaluation Using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Caro, Daniel H.; Sandoval-Hernández, Andrés; Lüdtke, Oliver

2014-01-01

The article employs exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) to evaluate constructs of economic, cultural, and social capital in international large-scale assessment (LSA) data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006 and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009. ESEM integrates the…

The assessment and evaluation of low-frequency noise near the region of infrasound

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanislav Ziaran

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The main aim of this paper is to present recent knowledge about the assessment and evaluation of low-frequency sounds (noise and infrasound, close to the threshold of hearing, and identify their potential effect on human health and annoyance. Low-frequency noise generated by air flowing over a moving car with an open window was chosen as a typical scenario which can be subjectively assessed by people traveling by automobile. The principle of noise generated within the interior of the car and its effects on the comfort of the driver and passengers are analyzed at different velocities. An open window of a car at high velocity behaves as a source of specifically strong tonal low-frequency noise which is generally perceived as annoying. The interior noise generated by an open window of a passenger car was measured under different conditions: Driving on a highway and driving on a typical roadway. First, an octave-band analysis was used to assess the noise level and its impact on the driver′s comfort. Second, a fast Fourier transform (FFT analysis and one-third octave-band analysis were used for the detection of tonal low-frequency noise. Comparison between two different car makers was also done. Finally, the paper suggests some possibilities for scientifically assessing and evaluating low-frequency sounds in general, and some recommendations are introduced for scientific discussion, since sounds with strong low-frequency content (but not only strong engender greater annoyance than is predicted by an A-weighted sound pressure level.

EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF INNOVATIVE LOW-VOC CONTACT ADHESIVES IN WOOD LAMINATING OPERATIONS

Science.gov (United States)

The report gives results of an evaluation and assessment of the perfor-mance, economics, and emission reduction potential upon application of low-volatile organic compound (VOC) waterborne contact adhesive formulations specifically ina manual laminating operation for assembling s...

An Evaluation of the Measurement of Perceived Classroom Assessment Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hussain Alkharusi

2015-07-01

Full Text Available A classroom assessment environment is a classroom context experienced by students as the teacher determines assessment purposes, develops assessment tasks, defines assessment criteria and standards, provides feedback, and monitors outcomes (Brookhart, 1997. It is usually a group experience varying from class to class dependent upon the teacher’s assessment practices (Brookhart, 2004. As such, the measurement of class-level perception of the assessment environment should deserve recognition and investigation. This study aimed at evaluating the measurement of the perceived classroom assessment environment by comparing the psychometric properties of the scale at the student level and class level. Using a multi-stage random sampling process, data were collected from 4088 students nested within 236 classes of the second cycle of the basic education in the Sultanate of Oman. Students responded to the 18-items of Alkharusi's (2011 Perceived Classroom Assessment Environment Scale. Results of the principal axis factoring yielded two factors, learning-oriented and performance-oriented assessment environment, at both levels. However, the two factors explained about 38% of the variance at the class level compared to about 20% of the variance at the student level. Reliability coefficients in terms of Cronbach alpha ranged between .79 and .83 at the class level compared to .65 and .67 at the student level

Evaluation of dental restorations: a comparative study between clinical and digital photographic assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Moncada, G; Silva, F; Angel, P; Oliveira, O B; Fresno, M C; Cisternas, P; Fernandez, E; Estay, J; Martin, J

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of a direct clinical evaluation method with an indirect digital photographic method in assessing the quality of dental restorations. Seven parameters (color, occlusal marginal adaptation, anatomy form, roughness, occlusal marginal stain, luster, and secondary caries) were assessed in 89 Class I and Class II restorations from 36 adults using the modified US Public Health Service/Ryge criteria. Standardized photographs of the same restorations were digitally processed by Adobe Photoshop software, separated into the following four groups and assessed by two calibrated examiners: Group A: The original photograph displayed at 100%, without modifications (IMG100); Group B: Formed by images enlarged at 150% (IMG150); Group C: Formed by digital photographs displayed at 100% (mIMG100), with digital modifications (levels adjustment, shadow and highlight correction, color balance, unsharp Mask); and Group D: Formed by enlarged photographs displayed at 150% with modifications (mIMG150), with the same adjustments made to Group C. Photographs were assessed on a calibrated screen (Macbook) by two calibrated clinicians, and the results were statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon tests (SSPS 11.5) at 95% CI. The photographic method produced higher reliability levels than the direct clinical method in all parameters. The evaluation of digital images is more consistent with clinical assessment when restorations present some moderate defect (Bravo) and less consistent when restorations are clinically classified as either satisfactory (Alpha) or in cases of severe defects (Charlie). The digital photographic method is a useful tool for assessing the quality of dental restorations, providing information that goes unnoticed with the visual-tactile clinical examination method. Additionally, when analyzing restorations using the Ryge modified criteria, the digital photographic method reveals a significant increase of defects compared to those

Evaluation of Life-Cycle Assessment Studies of Chinese Cement Production: Challenges and Opportunities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Hongyou; Masanet, Eric; Price, Lynn

2009-05-29

The use of life-cycle assessment (LCA) to understand the embodied energy, environmental impacts, and potential energy-savings of manufactured products has become more widespread among researchers in recent years. This paper reviews recent LCA studies in the cement industry in China and in other countries and provides an assessment of the methodology used by the researchers compared to ISO LCA standards (ISO 14040:2006, ISO 14044:2006, and ISO/TR 14048:2002). We evaluate whether the authors provide information on the intended application, targeted audience, functional unit, system boundary, data sources, data quality assessment, data disaggregation and other elements, and draw conclusions regarding the level of adherence to ISO standards for the papers reviewed. We found that China researchers have gained much experience during last decade, but still have room for improvement in establishing boundaries, assessing data quality, identifying data sources, and explaining limitations. The paper concludes with a discussion of directions for future LCA research in China.

Development and validation of the Vellore Occupational Therapy Evaluation Scale to assess functioning in people with mental illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Samuel, Reema; Russell, Paul Ss; Paraseth, Tapan Kumar; Ernest, Sharmila; Jacob, K S

2016-08-26

Available occupational therapy assessment scales focus on specific areas of functioning. There is a need for comprehensive evaluation of diverse aspects of functioning in people with mental illness. To develop a comprehensive assessment scale to evaluate diverse aspects of functioning among people with mental illness and to assess its validity and reliability. Available instruments, which evaluate diverse aspects of functioning in people with mental illness, were retrieved. Relevant items, which evaluate specific functions, were selected by a committee of mental health experts and combined to form a comprehensive instrument. Face and content validity and feasibility were assessed and the new instrument was piloted among 60 patients with mental illness. The final version of the instrument was employed in 151 consecutive clients, between 18 and 60 years of age, who were also assessed using Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), Occupational Therapy Task Observation Scale (OTTOS), Social Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ), Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES) and Pai and Kapur Family Burden Interview Schedule (FBIS) by two therapists. The inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability of the new instrument (Vellore Occupational Therapy Evaluation Scale (VOTES)) were also evaluated. The new scale had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .817), inter-rater reliability .928 (.877-.958) and test-retest reliability .928 (.868-.961). The correlation between the general behaviour domain (Pearson's Correlation Coefficient [PCC] = -.763, p = .000), task behaviour (PCC = -.829, p = .000), social skills (PCC = -.351, p = .000), intrapersonal skills (PCC = -.208, p = .010), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) (PCC = -.329, p = .038) and leisure activities (PCC = -.433, p = .005) scores of VOTES with the corresponding domains in the scales used for comparison was statistically significant. The correlation

The critical assessment of research traditional and new methods of evaluation

CERN Document Server

Bailin, Alan

2010-01-01

This book examines the following factors: sponsorship of research, control of the dissemination of research, effects of dominant research paradigms, financial interests of authors, publishers, and editors, role of new technologies (for example, Web 2.0).It is widely accepted among researchers and educators that the peer review process, the reputation of the publisher and examination of the author's credentials are the gold standards for assessing the quality of research and information. However, the traditional gold standards are not sufficient, and the effective evaluation of information req

Values of a Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale to Evaluate the Facial Skin Graft Scar.

Science.gov (United States)

Chae, Jin Kyung; Kim, Jeong Hee; Kim, Eun Jung; Park, Kun

2016-10-01

The patient and observer scar assessment scale (POSAS) recently emerged as a promising method, reflecting both observer's and patient's opinions in evaluating scar. This tool was shown to be consistent and reliable in burn scar assessment, but it has not been tested in the setting of skin graft scar in skin cancer patients. To evaluate facial skin graft scar applied to POSAS and to compare with objective scar assessment tools. Twenty three patients, who diagnosed with facial cutaneous malignancy and transplanted skin after Mohs micrographic surgery, were recruited. Observer assessment was performed by three independent rates using the observer component of the POSAS and Vancouver scar scale (VSS). Patient self-assessment was performed using the patient component of the POSAS. To quantify scar color and scar thickness more objectively, spectrophotometer and ultrasonography was applied. Inter-observer reliability was substantial with both VSS and the observer component of the POSAS (average measure intraclass coefficient correlation, 0.76 and 0.80, respectively). The observer component consistently showed significant correlations with patients' ratings for the parameters of the POSAS (all p -valuesskin graft scar assessment in skin cancer patients, the POSAS showed acceptable inter-observer reliability. This tool was more comprehensive and had higher correlation with patient's opinion.

Practical Applications of Generalizability Theory for Designing, Evaluating, and Improving Psychological Assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Vispoel, Walter P; Morris, Carrie A; Kilinc, Murat

2018-01-01

In this article, we illustrate how generalizability theory (G-theory) can extend traditional assessment methods for designing, improving, and evaluating results from both objectively and subjectively scored measures of individual differences. Our illustrations include quantification of multiple sources of measurement error, derivation of unique indexes of consistency for norm- and criterion-referenced interpretations of scores, estimation of score consistency when changing a measurement procedure, and disattenuation of correlation coefficients for measurement error. We also expand G-theory analyses beyond the item level to include parcels and split measures and highlight linkages among G-theory, classical test theory, and structural equation modeling. Computer code and sample data are provided in online supplements to help readers apply the demonstrated techniques to their own assessments.

Super-Efficient Refrigerator Program (SERP) evaluation volume 2: Preliminary impact and market transformation assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, A.D.; Conger, R.L.

1996-08-01

The Super Efficient Refrigerator Program (SERP) is a collaborative utility program intended to transform the market for energy-efficient and environmentally friendly refrigerators. It is one of the first examples of a large-scale {open_quotes}market transformation{close_quotes} energy efficiency program. This report documents the preliminary impact and market transformation evaluation of SERP ({open_quotes}the Program{close_quotes}). Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) conducted this evaluation for the U.S. Department of Energy. This study focuses on the preliminary impact evaluation and market transformation assessment, but also presents limited process evaluation information. It is based on interviews with refrigerator dealers and manufacturers, interviews with utility participants, industry data, and information from the Program administrators. Results from this study complement those from prior process evaluation also conducted by PNNL. 42 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs.

Military Emergency Medical Service System Assessment: Application of the National Park Service Needs Assessment and Program Audit to Objectively Evaluate the Military EMS System of Okinawa, Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Elliot M; Harper, Stephen A; Cunningham, Cord; Walrath, Benjamin D; DeMers, Gerard; Kharod, Chetan U

2017-03-01

As part of a Military Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system process improvement initiative, the authors sought to objectively evaluate the U.S. military EMS system for the island of Okinawa. They applied a program evaluation tool currently utilized by the U.S. National Park Service (NPS). A comprehensive needs assessment was conducted to evaluate the current Military EMS system in Okinawa, Japan. The NPS EMS Program Audit Worksheet was used to get an overall "score" of our assessment. After all the data had been collected, a joint committee of Military EMS physicians reviewed the findings and made formal recommendations. From 2011 to 2014, U.S. military EMS on Okinawa averaged 1,345 ± 137 patient transports annually. An advanced life support (ALS) provider would have been dispatched on 558 EMS runs (38%) based on chief complaint in 2014 had they been available. Over 36,000 man-hours were expended during this period to provide National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-accredited instruction to certify 141 Navy Corpsman as EMT Basics. The NPS EMS Program Audit Worksheet was used and the program scored a total of 31, suggesting the program is well planned and operating within standards. This evaluation of the Military EMS system on Okinawa using the NPS program assessment and audit worksheet demonstrates the NPS evaluation instruments may offer a useful assessment tool for the evaluation of Military EMS systems. Reprint & Copyright © 2017 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

A comparative evaluation of five human reliability assessment techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirwan, B.

1988-01-01

A field experiment was undertaken to evaluate the accuracy, usefulness, and resources requirements of five human reliability quantification techniques (Techniques for Human Error Rate Prediction (THERP); Paired Comparisons, Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART), Success Liklihood Index Method (SLIM)-Multi Attribute Utility Decomposition (MAUD), and Absolute Probability Judgement). This was achieved by assessing technique predictions against a set of known human error probabilities, and by comparing their predictions on a set of five realistic Probabilisitc Risk Assessment (PRA) human error. On a combined measure of accuracy THERP and Absolute Probability Judgement performed best, whilst HEART showed indications of accuracy and was lower in resources usage than other techniques. HEART and THERP both appear to benefit from using trained assessors in order to obtain the best results. SLIM and Paired Comparisons require further research on achieving a robust calibration relationship between their scale values and absolute probabilities. (author)

Evaluating design-based formative assessment practices in outdoor science teaching

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hartmeyer, Rikke; Stevenson, Matthew Peter; Bentsen, Peter

2016-01-01

Background and purpose: Research in formative assessment often pays close attention to the strategies which can be used by teachers. However, less emphasis in the literature seems to have been paid to study the application of formative assessment designs in practice. In this paper, we argue...... that a formative assessment design that we call Eva-Mapping, which is developed on the principles of design-based research, can be a productive starting point for disseminating and further developing formative assessment practices in outdoor science teaching. Sample, design and methods: We conducted an evaluation...... of the design, based on video-elicited focus group interviews with two groups of experienced science teachers. Both groups consisted of teachers who taught science outside the classroom on a regular basis. These groups watched identical video sequences which were recorded during lessons in which teachers...

International Assessment: A Rasch Model and Teachers' Evaluation of TIMSS Science Achievement Items

Science.gov (United States)

Glynn, Shawn M.

2012-01-01

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is a comparative assessment of the achievement of students in many countries. In the present study, a rigorous independent evaluation was conducted of a representative sample of TIMSS science test items because item quality influences the validity of the scores used to inform…

GIS and Multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) for landform geodiversity assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Najwer, Alicja; Reynard, Emmanuel; Zwoliński, Zbigniew

2014-05-01

In geomorphology, at the contemporary stage of methodology and methodological development, it is very significant to undertake new research problems, from theoretical and application point of view. As an example of applying geoconservation results in landscape studies and environmental conservation one can refer to the problem of the landform geodiversity. The concept of geodiversity was created relatively recently and, therefore, little progress has been made in its objective assessment and mapping. In order to ensure clarity and coherency, it is recommended that the evaluation process to be rigorous. Multi-criteria evaluation meets these criteria well. The main objective of this presentation is to demonstrate a new methodology for the assessment of the selected natural environment components in response to the definition of geodiversity, as well as visualization of the landforms geodiversity, using the opportunities offered by the geoinformation environment. The study area consists of two peculiar alpine valleys: Illgraben and Derborence, located in the Swiss Alps. Apart from glacial and fluvial landforms, the morphology of these two sites is largely due to the extreme phenomena(rockslides, torrential processes). Both valleys are recognized as geosites of national importance. The basis of the assessment is the selection of the geographical environment features. Firstly, six factor maps were prepared for each area: the landform energy, the landform fragmentation, the contemporary landform preservation, geological settings and hydrographic elements (lakes and streams). Input maps were then standardized and resulted from map algebra operations carried out by multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) with GIS-based Weighted Sum technique. Weights for particular classes were calculated using pair-comparison matrixes method. The final stage of deriving landform geodiversity maps was the reclassification procedure with the use of natural breaks method. The final maps of landform

Evaluation of FCS self and peer-assessment approach based on Cooperative and Engineering Design learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Cvetkovic, Dean

2013-01-01

The Cooperative Learning in Engineering Design curriculum can be enhanced with structured and timely self and peer assessment teaching methodologies which can easily be applied to any Biomedical Engineering curriculum. A study was designed and implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of this structured and timely self and peer assessment on student team-based projects. In comparing the 'peer-blind' and 'face-to-face' Fair Contribution Scoring (FCS) methods, both had advantages and disadvantages. The 'peer-blind' self and peer assessment method would cause high discrepancy between self and team ratings. But the 'face-to-face' method on the other hand did not have the discrepancy issue and had actually proved to be a more accurate and effective, indicating team cohesiveness and good cooperative learning.

Energy efficiency assessment methods and tools evaluation. Bolling Air Force Base. Revision 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McMordie, K.L.; Richman, E.E.; Keller, J.M.; Dixon, D.R.

1995-05-01

The goal of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) is to facilitate energy-efficiency improvements at federal facilities. This is accomplished by a balanced program of technology development, facility assessment, and use of cost-sharing procurement mechanisms. Technology development focuses upon the tools, software, and procedures used to identify and evaluate energy-efficiency technologies and improvements. For facility assessment, FEMP provides metering equipment and trained analysts to federal agencies exhibiting a commitment to improve energy use efficiency. To assist in procurement of energy-efficiency measures, FEMP helps federal agencies devise and implement performance contracting and utility demand-side management strategies. Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) supports the FEMP mission of energy systems modernization. Under this charter, the Laboratory and its contractors work with federal facility energy managers to assess and implement energy-efficiency improvements at federal facilities nationwide.

A Critical Assessment of Child Custody Evaluations: Limited Science and a Flawed System.

Science.gov (United States)

Emery, Robert E; Otto, Randy K; O'Donohue, William T

2005-07-01

-Most parents who live apart negotiate custody arrangements on their own or with the help of lawyers, mediators, or other professionals. However, psychologists and other mental health professionals increasingly have become involved in evaluating children and families in custody disputes, because of the large number of separated, divorced, and never-married parents and the substantial conflict that often accompanies the breakup of a family. Theoretically, the law guides and controls child custody evaluations, but the prevailing custody standard (the "best interests of the child" test) is a vague rule that directs judges to make decisions unique to individual cases according to what will be in children's future (and undefined) best interests. Furthermore, state statutes typically offer only vague guidelines as to how judges (and evaluators) are to assess parents and the merits of their cases, and how they should ultimately decide what custody arrangements will be in a child's best interests. In this vacuum, custody evaluators typically administer to parents and children an array of tests and assess them through less formal means including interviews and observation. Sadly, we find that (a) tests specifically developed to assess questions relevant to custody are completely inadequate on scientific grounds; (b) the claims of some anointed experts about their favorite constructs (e.g., "parent alienation syndrome") are equally hollow when subjected to scientific scrutiny; (c) evaluators should question the use even of well-established psychological measures (e.g., measures of intelligence, personality, psychopathology, and academic achievement) because of their often limited relevance to the questions before the court; and (d) little empirical data exist regarding other important and controversial issues (e.g., whether evaluators should solicit children's wishes about custody; whether infants and toddlers are harmed or helped by overnight visits), suggesting a need for

Developing and Using a Logic Model for Evaluation and Assessment of University Student Affairs Programming: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Jeff

2009-01-01

This dissertation addresses theory and practice of evaluation and assessment in university student affairs, by applying logic modeling/program theory to a case study. I intend to add knowledge to ongoing dialogue among evaluation scholars and practitioners on student affairs program planning and improvement as integral considerations that serve…

Comparison of differences in performance evaluation of faculty by students with faculty’s self-assessment

Science.gov (United States)

AZIZI, KOUROSH; AGHAMOLAEI, TEAMUR; PARSA, NADER; DABBAGHMANESH, TAHEREH

2014-01-01

Introduction: The present study aimed to compare self-assessment forms of coursework taught in the school of public health at undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels and students’ evaluation of the performance of the faculty members at these levels. Methods: The subjects in this cross-sectional study were the faculty members and students of the School of Public Health and Nutrition, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. The data were collected using a socio-demographic information form and evaluation forms of professors prepared by the Educational Development Center (EDC). The faculty members were assessed by the students in undergraduate and graduate classes. Among the study subjects, 23 faculty members filled out the self-assessment forms which were then evaluated by 23 students. Then, the data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical 14. Paired t-test was used to compare the students’ evaluation of the faculty members’ performance and the professors’ self-assessment. Results: The mean score of self-assessment of the faculty members who taught undergraduate courses was 289.7±8.3, while that of the students’ evaluation was 281.3±16.1; the difference was statistically significant (t=3.56, p=0.001). Besides, the mean score of the self-assessment of the faculty members who taught graduate courses was 269.0±9.7, while that of the students’ evaluation was 265.7±14.6 but the difference was not statistically significant (t=1.09, p=0.28). Conclusions: Teaching performance perceptions of the faculty were similar to those of the graduate students as compared to the undergraduate ones. This may reflect better understanding of coursework at this level compared to the undergraduate students. Faculty members may need to adjust teaching methods to improve students’ performance and understanding especially in the undergraduate level. PMID:25512930

Software Integration of Life Cycle Assessment and Economic Analysis for Process Evaluation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kalakula, Sawitree; Malakula, Pomthong; Siemanonda, Kitipat

2013-01-01

This study is focused on the sustainable process design of bioethanol production from cassava rhizome. The study includes: process simulation, sustainability analysis, economic evaluation and life cycle assessment (LCA). A steady state process simulation if performed to generate a base case design...... of the bioethanol conversion process using cassava rhizome as a feedstock. The sustainability analysis is performed to analyze the relevant indicators in sustainability metrics, to definedesign/retrofit targets for process improvements. Economic analysis is performed to evaluate the profitability of the process........ Also, simultaneously with sustainability analysis, the life cycle impact on environment associated with bioethanol production is performed. Finally, candidate alternative designs are generated and compared with the base case design in terms of LCA, economics, waste, energy usage and enviromental impact...

Evaluating quantitative and qualitative models: An application for nationwide water erosion assessment in Ethiopia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sonneveld, B.G.J.S.; Keyzer, M.A.; Stroosnijder, L

2011-01-01

This paper tests the candidacy of one qualitative response model and two quantitative models for a nationwide water erosion hazard assessment in Ethiopia. After a descriptive comparison of model characteristics the study conducts a statistical comparison to evaluate the explanatory power of the

Evaluating quantitative and qualitative models: an application for nationwide water erosion assessment in Ethiopia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sonneveld, B.G.J.S.; Keyzer, M.A.; Stroosnijder, L.

2011-01-01

This paper tests the candidacy of one qualitative response model and two quantitative models for a nationwide water erosion hazard assessment in Ethiopia. After a descriptive comparison of model characteristics the study conducts a statistical comparison to evaluate the explanatory power of the

An Evaluation Use Framework and Empirical Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Peck, Laura R.; Gorzalski, Lindsey M.

2009-01-01

Background: Research on evaluation use focuses on putting evaluation recommendations into practice. Prior theoretical research proposes varied frameworks for understanding the use (or lack) of program evaluation results. Purpose: Our purpose is to create and test a single, integrated framework for understanding evaluation use. This article relies…

A review of psychological assessment instruments for use in bariatric surgery evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Marek, Ryan J; Heinberg, Leslie J; Lavery, Megan; Merrell Rish, Julie; Ashton, Kathleen

2016-09-01

Bariatric surgery is a viable treatment option for patients with extreme obesity and associated medical comorbidities; however, optimal surgical outcomes are not universal. Surgical societies, such as the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), recommend that patients undergo a presurgical psychological evaluation that includes reviewing patients' medical charts, conducting a comprehensive clinical interview, and employing some form of objective psychometric testing. Despite numerous societies recommending the inclusion of self-report assessments, only about 2/3 of clinics actively use psychological testing-some of which have limited empirical support to justify their use. This review aims to critically evaluate the psychometric properties of self-report measures when used in bariatric surgery settings and provide recommendations to help guide clinicians in selecting instruments to use in bariatric surgery evaluations. Recommended assessment batteries include use of a broadband instrument along with a narrowband eating measure. Suggestions for self-report measures to include in a presurgical psychological evaluation in bariatric surgery settings are also provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The development and initial assessment of the strategy and leadership systems capability evaluation survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Coon, Cheryl D; Bokowy, Kay L; Horblyuk, Ruslan; Zisman, Robert S; McLeod, Lori D; Brown, T Michelle

2012-01-01

Hospital management and leadership systems are associated with organizational success and quality care. The Strategy and Leadership Systems Capability Evaluation (CE) survey was developed by GE Healthcare to assess management and leadership systems at health care institutions, serve as a benchmark for improvement, and measure progress. To assess the psychometric properties of the 29-item CE survey, including the factor structure, scoring algorithm, reliability, and discriminant validity, an online survey was completed by 3450 employees at 15 US hospitals. Of these employees, 609 worked at a hospital where a leadership and management intervention occurred after the initial survey administration. Data were also collected on job level, number of hospital beds, hospital ownership, location, community type, and the implementation of hospital interventions. Item response frequencies showed no floor or ceiling effects and limited missing data. Interitem correlations were strong without obvious redundancies, and factor analysis suggested a unidimensional scale. The resulting scale had strong internal consistency and was able to discriminate among known groups. The CE survey was developed to evaluate management and leadership systems at health care institutions. This study provides psychometric evidence in support of the reliability, validity, and scoring structure of this survey.

Correlation of Objective Assessment Data With General Surgery Resident In-Training Evaluation Reports and Operative Volumes.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelsattar, Jad M; AlJamal, Yazan N; Ruparel, Raaj K; Rowse, Phillip G; Heller, Stephanie F; Farley, David R

2018-05-14

Faculty evaluations, ABSITE scores, and operative case volumes often tell little about true resident performance. We developed an objective structured clinical examination called the Surgical X-Games (5 rooms, 15 minutes each, 12-15 tests total, different for each postgraduate [PGY] level). We hypothesized that performance in X-Games will prove more useful in identifying areas of strength or weakness among general surgery (GS) residents than faculty evaluations, ABSITE scores, or operative cases volumes. PGY 2 to 5 GS residents (n = 35) were tested in a semiannual X-Games assessment using multiple simulation tasks: laparoscopic skills, bowel anastomosis, CT/CXR analysis, chest tube placement, etc. over 1 academic year. Resident scores were compared to their ABSITE, in-training evaluation reports, and operating room case numbers. Academic medical center. PGY-2, 3, 4, and 5 GS residents at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Results varied greatly within each class except for staff evaluations: in-training evaluation reports medians for PGY-2s were 5.3 (range: 5.0-6.0), PGY-3s 5.9 (5.5-6.3), PGY-4s 5.6 (5.0-6.0), and PGY-5s were 6.1 (5.6-6.9). Although ABSITE and operating room case volumes fluctated greatly with each PGY class, only X-Games scores (median: PGY-2 = 82, PGY-3 = 61, PGY-4 = 76, and PGY-5 = 60) correlated positively (p < 0.05) with operative case volume and negatively (p < 0.05) with staff evaluations. X-Games assessment generated wide differentiation of resident performance quickly, inexpensively, and objectively. Although "Minnesota-nice" surgical staff may feel all GS trainees are "above average," objective assessment tells us otherwise. Copyright © 2018 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the Quality of Competency Assessment in Pharmacy: A Framework for Workplace Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shailly Shah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Demonstration of achieved competencies is critical in the pharmacy workplace. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of the competency assessment program for pharmacy residents at an academic medical center. The competency assessment program (CAP survey is a validated, 48-item instrument that evaluates the quality of an assessment program based on 12 criteria, each measured by four questions on a scale of 0 to 100. The CAP was completed by residents (n = 23 and preceptors (n = 28 from the pharmacy residency program between 2010 and 2013. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, and non-parametric tests. Educational Consequences was the only quality criteria falling below the standard for “good quality.” Participants that completed residency training elsewhere rated the Comparability (0.04 and Meaningfulness (0.01 of the assessment program higher than those that completed residency at the academic medical center. There were no significant differences between resident and preceptor scores. Overall, the quality of the assessment program was rated highly by residents and preceptors. The process described here provides a useful framework for understanding the quality of workplace learning assessments in pharmacy practice.

Gasbuggy Site Assessment and Risk Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2011-03-01

This report describes the geologic and hydrologic conditions and evaluates potential health risks to workers in the natural gas industry in the vicinity of the Gasbuggy, New Mexico, site, where the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission detonated an underground nuclear device in 1967. The 29-kiloton detonation took place 4,240 feet below ground surface and was designed to evaluate the use of a nuclear detonation to enhance natural gas production from the Pictured Cliffs Formation in the San Juan Basin, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, on land administered by Carson National Forest. A site-specific conceptual model was developed based on current understanding of the hydrologic and geologic environment. This conceptual model was used for establishing plausible contaminant exposure scenarios, which were then evaluated for human health risk potential. The most mobile and, therefore, the most probable contaminant that could result in human exposure is tritium. Natural gas production wells were identified as having the greatest potential for bringing detonation-derived contaminants (tritium) to the ground surface in the form of tritiated produced water. Three exposure scenarios addressing potential contamination from gas wells were considered in the risk evaluation: a gas well worker during gas-well-drilling operations, a gas well worker performing routine maintenance, and a residential exposure. The residential exposure scenario was evaluated only for comparison; permanent residences on national forest lands at the Gasbuggy site are prohibited

Evaluation methodology based on physical security assessment results: a utility theory approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, H.A.; Olascoaga, M.T.

1978-03-01

This report describes an evaluation methodology which aggregates physical security assessment results for nuclear facilities into an overall measure of adequacy. This methodology utilizes utility theory and conforms to a hierarchical structure developed by the NRC. Implementation of the methodology is illustrated by several examples. Recommendations for improvements in the evaluation process are given

A brief review and evaluation of earthworm biomarkers in soil pollution assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Zhiming; Tang, Zhiwen; Wang, Congying

2017-05-01

Earthworm biomarker response to pollutants has been widely investigated in the assessment of soil pollution. However, whether and how the earthworm biomarker-approach can be actually applied to soil pollution assessment is still a controversial issue. This review is concerned about the following points: 1. Despite much debate, biomarker is valuable to ecotoxicology and biomarker approach has been properly used in different fields. Earthworm biomarker might be used in different scenarios such as large-scale soil pollution survey and soil pollution risk assessment. Compared with physicochemical analysis, they can provide more comprehensive and straightforward information about soil pollution at low cost. 2. Although many earthworm species from different ecological categories have been tested, Eisenia fetida/andrei is commonly used. Many earthworm biomarkers have been screened from the molecular to the individual level, while only a few biomarkers, such as avoidance behavior and lysosomal membrane stability, have been focused on. Other aspects of the experimental design were critically reviewed. 3. More studies should focus on determining the reliability of various earthworm biomarkers in soil pollution assessment in future research. Besides, establishing a database of a basal level of each biomarker, exploring biomarker response in different region/section/part of earthworm, and other issues are also proposed. 4. A set of research guideline for earthworm biomarker studies was recommended, and the suitability of several earthworm biomarkers was briefly evaluated with respect to their application in soil pollution assessment. This review will help to promote further studies and practical application of earthworm biomarker in soil pollution assessment.

Nurses' Evaluation of Their Use and Mastery in Health Assessment Skills: Selected Iran's Hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Adib-Hajbaghery, Mohsen; Safa, Azade

2013-09-01

Health assessment skills are of the most important skills which nurses require. The more precise assessment, the better results would be obtained and the quality of patient care would be improved. However, in Iran, few studies have investigated nurses' assessment skills. This study was aimed to assessnurses' evaluation of the learned skills of health assessment and their use. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 nurses in Isfahan province hospitals. Data was collected by a questionnaire including demographic data and 120 health assessment skills. Nurses scored their frequency of using and proficiency in skills. Statistical analysis was conducted by ANOVA, Tukey test and independent sample T-tests. The highest level of using and proficiency in skills was related to taking history. Nurses received 87.25% of score in this field. The lowest level of application was in assessment of the urogenital system so that nurses received 16.37% of score in this area. Also the lowest proficiency was in assessment of the nervous system and nurses received 34.58% of score in this area. The level of nurses' proficiency in the health assessment skills was not satisfactory. Modifying the curriculum and cooperating of nurse managers and nursing schools can help to improve the situation.

Measurement properties of existing clinical assessment methods evaluating scapular positioning and function. A systematic review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Camilla Marie; Juul-Kristensen, Birgit; Lund, Hans

2014-01-01

%) to "poor" (43%), with only one study rated as "good". The reliability domain was most often investigated. Few of the assessment methods in the included studies that had "fair" or "good" measurement property ratings demonstrated acceptable results for both reliability and validity. We found a substantially...... larger number of clinical scapular assessment methods than previously reported. Using the COSMIN checklist the methodological quality of the included measurement properties in the reliability and validity domains were in general "fair" to "poor". None were examined for all three domains: (1) reliability...... excluded for evaluation due to no/few clinimetric results, leaving 35 studies for evaluation. Graded according to the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN checklist), the methodological quality in the reliability and validity domains was "fair" (57...

High School Students' Perceptions of Narrative Evaluations as Summative Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Bagley, Sylvia S.

2008-01-01

This study focuses on data collected at "Progressive Secondary School" in Southern California, a high school which uses narrative evaluations and other forms of alternative summative assessment on a school wide basis. Through a survey and personal interviews, students were asked to describe what they liked most and least about the use of…

The Development and Evaluation of a Novel Instrument Assessing Residents' Discharge Summaries.

Science.gov (United States)

Hommos, Musab S; Kuperman, Ethan F; Kamath, Aparna; Kreiter, Clarence D

2017-04-01

To develop and determine the reliability of a novel measurement instrument assessing the quality of residents' discharge summaries. In 2014, the authors created a discharge summary evaluation instrument based on consensus recommendations from national regulatory bodies and input from primary care providers at their institution. After a brief pilot, they used the instrument to evaluate discharge summaries written by first-year internal medicine residents (n = 24) at a single U.S. teaching hospital during the 2013-2014 academic year. They conducted a generalizability study to determine the reliability of the instrument and a series of decision studies to determine the number of discharge summaries and raters needed to achieve a reliable evaluation score. The generalizability study demonstrated that 37% of the variance reflected residents' ability to generate an adequate discharge summary (true score variance). The decision studies estimated that the mean score from six discharge summary reviews completed by a unique rater for each review would yield a reliability coefficient of 0.75. Because of high interrater reliability, multiple raters per discharge summary would not significantly enhance the reliability of the mean rating. This evaluation instrument reliably measured residents' performance writing discharge summaries. A single rating of six discharge summaries can achieve a reliable mean evaluation score. Using this instrument is feasible even for programs with a limited number of inpatient encounters and a small pool of faculty preceptors.

Self Assessment in Schizophrenia: Accuracy of Evaluation of Cognition and Everyday Functioning

Science.gov (United States)

Gould, Felicia; McGuire, Laura Stone; Durand, Dante; Sabbag, Samir; Larrauri, Carlos; Patterson, Thomas L.; Twamley, Elizabeth W.; Harvey, Philip D.

2015-01-01

Objective Self-assessment deficits, often referred to as impaired insight or unawareness of illness, are well established in people with schizophrenia. There are multiple levels of awareness, including awareness of symptoms, functional deficits, cognitive impairments, and the ability to monitor cognitive and functional performance in an ongoing manner. The present study aimed to evaluate the comparative predictive value of each aspect of awareness on the levels of everyday functioning in people with schizophrenia. Method We examined multiple aspects of self-assessment of functioning in 214 people with schizophrenia. We also collected information on everyday functioning rated by high contact clinicians and examined the importance of self-assessment for the prediction of real world functional outcomes. The relative impact of performance based measures of cognition, functional capacity, and metacognitive performance on everyday functioning was also examined. Results Misestimation of ability emerged as the strongest predictor of real world functioning and exceeded the influences of cognitive performance, functional capacity performance, and performance-based assessment of metacognitive monitoring. The relative contribution of the factors other than self-assessment varied according to which domain of everyday functioning was being examined, but in all cases, accounted for less predictive variance. Conclusions These results underscore the functional impact of misestimating one’s current functioning and relative level of ability. These findings are consistent with the use of insight-focused treatments and compensatory strategies designed to increase self-awareness in multiple functional domains. PMID:25643212

Self-assessment in schizophrenia: Accuracy of evaluation of cognition and everyday functioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Gould, Felicia; McGuire, Laura Stone; Durand, Dante; Sabbag, Samir; Larrauri, Carlos; Patterson, Thomas L; Twamley, Elizabeth W; Harvey, Philip D

2015-09-01

Self-assessment deficits, often referred to as impaired insight or unawareness of illness, are well established in people with schizophrenia. There are multiple levels of awareness, including awareness of symptoms, functional deficits, cognitive impairments, and the ability to monitor cognitive and functional performance in an ongoing manner. The present study aimed to evaluate the comparative predictive value of each aspect of awareness on the levels of everyday functioning in people with schizophrenia. We examined multiple aspects of self-assessment of functioning in 214 people with schizophrenia. We also collected information on everyday functioning rated by high contact clinicians and examined the importance of self-assessment for the prediction of real-world functional outcomes. The relative impact of performance-based measures of cognition, functional capacity, and metacognitive performance on everyday functioning was also examined. Misestimation of ability emerged as the strongest predictor of real-world functioning and exceeded the influences of cognitive performance, functional capacity performance, and performance-based assessment of metacognitive monitoring. The relative contribution of the factors other than self-assessment varied according to which domain of everyday functioning was being examined, but, in all cases, accounted for less predictive variance. These results underscore the functional impact of misestimating one's current functioning and relative level of ability. These findings are consistent with the use of insight-focused treatments and compensatory strategies designed to increase self-awareness in multiple functional domains. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Uncertainty evaluation methods for waste package performance assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Y.T.; Nair, P.K.; Journel, A.G.; Abramson, L.R.

1991-01-01

This report identifies and investigates methodologies to deal with uncertainties in assessing high-level nuclear waste package performance. Four uncertainty evaluation methods (probability-distribution approach, bounding approach, expert judgment, and sensitivity analysis) are suggested as the elements of a methodology that, without either diminishing or enhancing the input uncertainties, can evaluate performance uncertainty. Such a methodology can also help identify critical inputs as a guide to reducing uncertainty so as to provide reasonable assurance that the risk objectives are met. This report examines the current qualitative waste containment regulation and shows how, in conjunction with the identified uncertainty evaluation methodology, a framework for a quantitative probability-based rule can be developed that takes account of the uncertainties. Current US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulation requires that the waste packages provide ''substantially complete containment'' (SCC) during the containment period. The term ''SCC'' is ambiguous and subject to interpretation. This report, together with an accompanying report that describes the technical considerations that must be addressed to satisfy high-level waste containment requirements, provides a basis for a third report to develop recommendations for regulatory uncertainty reduction in the ''containment''requirement of 10 CFR Part 60. 25 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

Health Information Technology Evaluation Framework (HITREF) Comprehensiveness as Assessed in Electronic Point-of-Care Documentation Systems Evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sockolow, Paulina S; Bowles, Kathryn H; Rogers, Michelle

2015-01-01

We assessed the Health Information Technology (HIT) Reference-based Evaluation Framework (HITREF) comprehensiveness in two HIT evaluations in settings different from that in which the HITREF was developed. Clinician satisfaction themes that emerged from clinician interviews in the home care and the hospital studies were compared to the framework components. Across both studies, respondents commented on 12 of the 20 HITREF components within 5 of the 6 HITREF concepts. No new components emerged that were missing from the HITREF providing evidence that the HITREF is a comprehensive framework. HITREF use in a range of HIT evaluations by researchers new to the HITREF demonstrates that it can be used as intended. Therefore, we continue to recommend the HITREF as a comprehensive, research-based HIT evaluation framework to increase the capacity of informatics evaluators' use of best practice and evidence-based practice to support the credibility of their findings for fulfilling the purpose of program evaluation.

Evaluation of perioperative nutritional status with subjective global assessment method in patients undergoing gastrointestinal cancer surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Erdim, Aylin; Aktan, Ahmet Özdemir

2017-01-01

This study was designed to evaluate the perioperative nutritional status of patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal cancer using Subjective Global Assessment and surgeon behavior on nutritional support. We recruited 100 patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal cancer in one university and two state teaching hospitals. Subjective Global Assessment was administered to evaluate preoperative and postoperative nutritional status. Fifty-two patients in the state hospitals (Group 1) and 48 in the university hospital were assessed. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements were performed. Changes in preoperative Subjective Global Assessment scores and scores at the time of discharge and types of nutritional support were compared. Subjective Global Assessment-B was regarded as moderate and Subjective Global Assessment-C as heavy malnutrition. Ten patients had Subjective Global Assessment-B and 29 had Subjective Global Assessment-C malnutrition in Group 1 and nine had Subjective Global Assessment-B and 31 had Subjective Global Assessment-C malnutrition in Group 2 during preoperative assessment. Respective numbers in postoperative assessment were 12 for Subjective Global Assessment-B and 30 for Subjective Global Assessment-C in Group 1 and 14 for Subjective Global Assessment-B and 26 for Subjective Global Assessment-C in Group 2. There was no difference between two groups. Nutritional methods according to Subjective Global Assessment evaluation in pre- and postoperative periods were not different between the groups. This study demonstrated that the malnutrition rate is high among patients scheduled for gastrointestinal cancer surgery and the number of surgeons were inadequate to provide perioperative nutritional support. Both university and state hospitals had similar shortcomings. Subjective Global Assessment is an easy and reliable test and if utilized will be helpful to detect patients requiring nutritional support.

A comparative study between subjective assessment and quantitative evaluation of CT findings with cerebral palsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugie, Yoko; Sugie, Hideo; Kitai, Akiko; Maruyama, Hiroshi; Fukuyama, Yukio

1982-01-01

Computed tomography (CT) was performed on 200 children with children palsy with Hitachi CT-H250. The CT scans of 136 cases revealed cerebral atrophy with ventricular and/or subarachnoid space enlargement. The lateral ventricles, the third ventricle and the two parts of subarachnoid space on the CT picture were subjectively evaluated and divided into five grades ranging from no enlargement to marked enlargement. In addition, the size of the ventricles and the subarachnoid spaces were quantitatively determined; the transverse diameter of brain (b), the largest width of the anterior horns of the lateral ventricles (c), the bicaudate nuclear distance (d), the greatest width of the third ventricle, the longitudinal cerebral fissure and sylvian fissures as described by Miyao et al. (1978). Comparison of these quantitative techniques confirmed the initial subjective evaluation. However, in some cases, amendment of the subjective evaluation was needed. As mentioned before (Miyao et al.), the cerebral longitudinal fissure was relatively wide in normal infants. Accordingly, it was often difficult to find out abnormal widening only by subjective evaluation. The purpose of this paper was to establish the criteria of quantitative measuring and assessing of the lateral and third ventricles, the cerebral longitudinal fissurem, and the sylvian fissures enlargement. Interpretation of some problem cases associated with measuring was also discussed. The quantitative CT evaluation may be a good reference in assessing cerebral atrophy in cerebral palsy and other neurological diseases. (author)

Use of a formal assessment instrument for evaluation of resident operative skills in pediatric neurosurgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Hadley, Caroline; Lam, Sandi K; Briceño, Valentina; Luerssen, Thomas G; Jea, Andrew

2015-08-28

OBJECT Currently there is no standardized tool for assessment of neurosurgical resident performance in the operating room. In light of enhanced requirements issued by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Milestone Project and the Matrix Curriculum Project from the Society of Neurological Surgeons, the implementation of such a tool seems essential for objective evaluation of resident competence. Beyond compliance with governing body guidelines, objective assessment tools may be useful to direct early intervention for trainees performing below the level of their peers so that they may be given more hands-on teaching, while strong residents can be encouraged by faculty members to progress to conducting operations more independently with passive supervision. The aims of this study were to implement a validated assessment tool for evaluation of operative skills in pediatric neurosurgery and determine its feasibility and reliability. METHODS All neurosurgery residents completing their pediatric rotation over a 6-month period from January 1, 2014, to June 30, 2014, at the authors' institution were enrolled in this study. For each procedure, residents were evaluated by means of a form, with one copy being completed by the resident and a separate copy being completed by the attending surgeon. The evaluation form was based on the validated Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills for Surgery (OSATS) and used a 5-point Likert-type scale with 7 categories: respect for tissue; time and motion; instrument handling; knowledge of instruments; flow of operation; use of assistants; and knowledge of specific procedure. Data were then stratified by faculty versus resident (self-) assessment; postgraduate year level; and difficulty of procedure. Descriptive statistics (means and SDs) were calculated, and the results were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Student t-test. A p value assessment scores overall or in any of the 7 domains scores

New evaluation tool now available to assess research quality | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2016-04-25

Apr 25, 2016 ... New evaluation tool now available to assess research quality ... Ratings on a scale defined by rubrics, to indicate the level at which a project ... Report: The value-for-money discourse: risks and opportunities for research for development ... Copyright · Open access policy · Privacy policy · Research ethics ...

Evaluating MyPlate: an expanded framework using traditional and nontraditional metrics for assessing health communication campaigns.

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Elyse; Abbatangelo-Gray, Jodie; Mobley, Amy R; McLaughlin, Grant R; Herzog, Jill

2012-01-01

MyPlate, the icon and multimodal communication plan developed for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), provides an opportunity to consider new approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of communication initiatives. A review of indicators used in assessments for previous DGA communication initiatives finds gaps in accounting for important intermediate and long-term outcomes. This evaluation framework for the MyPlate Communications Initiative builds on well-known and underused models and theories to propose a wide breadth of observations, outputs, and outcomes that can contribute to a fuller assessment of effectiveness. Two areas are suggested to focus evaluation efforts in order to advance understanding of the effectiveness of the MyPlate Communications Initiative: understanding the extent to which messages and products from the initiative are associated with positive changes in social norms toward the desired behaviors, and strategies to increase the effectiveness of communications about DGA in vulnerable populations. Copyright © 2012 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design and evaluation of the ReKon : an integrated detection and assessment perimeter system.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dabling, Jeffrey Glenn; Andersen, Jason Jann; McLaughlin, James O. [Stonewater Control Systems, Inc., Kannapolis, NC

2013-02-01

Kontek Industries (Kannapolis, NC) and their subsidiary, Stonewater Control Systems (Kannapolis, NC), have entered into a cooperative research and development agreement with Sandia to jointly develop and evaluate an integrated perimeter security system solution, one that couples access delay with detection and assessment. This novel perimeter solution was designed to be configurable for use at facilities ranging from high-security military sites to commercial power plants, to petro/chemical facilities of various kinds. A prototype section of the perimeter has been produced and installed at the Sandia Test and Evaluation Center in Albuquerque, NM. This prototype system integrated fiber optic break sensors, active infrared sensors, fence disturbance sensors, video motion detection, and ground sensors. This report documents the design, testing, and performance evaluation of the developed ReKon system. The ability of the system to properly detect pedestrian or vehicle attempts to bypass, breach, or otherwise defeat the system is characterized, as well as the Nuisance Alarm Rate.

Information Literacy Follow-Through: Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Information Evaluation Skills through Formative Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Seely, Sara Robertson; Fry, Sara Winstead; Ruppel, Margie

2011-01-01

An investigation into preservice teachers' information evaluation skills at a large university suggests that formative assessment can improve student achievement. Preservice teachers were asked to apply information evaluation skills in the areas of currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy, and purpose. The study used quantitative methods to assess…

Evaluating the adequacy of a reference site pool for ecological assessments in environmentally complex regions

Science.gov (United States)

Ode, Peter R.; Rehn, Andrew C.; Mazor, Raphael D.; Schiff, Kenneth C.; Stein, Eric D.; May, Jason; Brown, Larry R.; Herbst, David B.; Gillette, D.D.; Lunde, Kevin; Hawkins, Charles P.

2016-01-01

Many advances in the field of bioassessment have focused on approaches for objectively selecting the pool of reference sites used to establish expectations for healthy waterbodies, but little emphasis has been placed on ways to evaluate the suitability of the reference-site pool for its intended applications (e.g., compliance assessment vs ambient monitoring). These evaluations are critical because an inadequately evaluated reference pool may bias assessments in some settings. We present an approach for evaluating the adequacy of a reference-site pool for supporting biotic-index development in environmentally heterogeneous and pervasively altered regions. We followed common approaches for selecting sites with low levels of anthropogenic stress to screen 1985 candidate stream reaches to create a pool of 590 reference sites for assessing the biological integrity of streams in California, USA. We assessed the resulting pool of reference sites against 2 performance criteria. First, we evaluated how well the reference-site pool represented the range of natural gradients present in the entire population of streams as estimated by sites sampled through probabilistic surveys. Second, we evaluated the degree to which we were successful in rejecting sites influenced by anthropogenic stress by comparing biological metric scores at reference sites with the most vs fewest potential sources of stress. Using this approach, we established a reference-site pool with low levels of human-associated stress and broad coverage of environmental heterogeneity. This approach should be widely applicable and customizable to particular regional or programmatic needs.

Systematic evaluation of non-animal test methods for skin sensitisation safety assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Reisinger, Kerstin; Hoffmann, Sebastian; Alépée, Nathalie; Ashikaga, Takao; Barroso, Joao; Elcombe, Cliff; Gellatly, Nicola; Galbiati, Valentina; Gibbs, Susan; Groux, Hervé; Hibatallah, Jalila; Keller, Donald; Kern, Petra; Klaric, Martina; Kolle, Susanne; Kuehnl, Jochen; Lambrechts, Nathalie; Lindstedt, Malin; Millet, Marion; Martinozzi-Teissier, Silvia; Natsch, Andreas; Petersohn, Dirk; Pike, Ian; Sakaguchi, Hitoshi; Schepky, Andreas; Tailhardat, Magalie; Templier, Marie; van Vliet, Erwin; Maxwell, Gavin

2015-02-01

The need for non-animal data to assess skin sensitisation properties of substances, especially cosmetics ingredients, has spawned the development of many in vitro methods. As it is widely believed that no single method can provide a solution, the Cosmetics Europe Skin Tolerance Task Force has defined a three-phase framework for the development of a non-animal testing strategy for skin sensitization potency prediction. The results of the first phase – systematic evaluation of 16 test methods – are presented here. This evaluation involved generation of data on a common set of ten substances in all methods and systematic collation of information including the level of standardisation, existing test data,potential for throughput, transferability and accessibility in cooperation with the test method developers.A workshop was held with the test method developers to review the outcome of this evaluation and to discuss the results. The evaluation informed the prioritisation of test methods for the next phase of the non-animal testing strategy development framework. Ultimately, the testing strategy – combined with bioavailability and skin metabolism data and exposure consideration – is envisaged to allow establishment of a data integration approach for skin sensitisation safety assessment of cosmetic ingredients.

An Automatic Assessment System of Diabetic Foot Ulcers Based on Wound Area Determination, Color Segmentation, and Healing Score Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lei; Pedersen, Peder C; Strong, Diane M; Tulu, Bengisu; Agu, Emmanuel; Ignotz, Ron; He, Qian

2015-08-07

For individuals with type 2 diabetes, foot ulcers represent a significant health issue. The aim of this study is to design and evaluate a wound assessment system to help wound clinics assess patients with foot ulcers in a way that complements their current visual examination and manual measurements of their foot ulcers. The physical components of the system consist of an image capture box, a smartphone for wound image capture and a laptop for analyzing the wound image. The wound image assessment algorithms calculate the overall wound area, color segmented wound areas, and a healing score, to provide a quantitative assessment of the wound healing status both for a single wound image and comparisons of subsequent images to an initial wound image. The system was evaluated by assessing foot ulcers for 12 patients in the Wound Clinic at University of Massachusetts Medical School. As performance measures, the Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) value for the wound area determination algorithm tested on 32 foot ulcer images was .68. The clinical validity of our healing score algorithm relative to the experienced clinicians was measured by Krippendorff's alpha coefficient (KAC) and ranged from .42 to .81. Our system provides a promising real-time method for wound assessment based on image analysis. Clinical comparisons indicate that the optimized mean-shift-based algorithm is well suited for wound area determination. Clinical evaluation of our healing score algorithm shows its potential to provide clinicians with a quantitative method for evaluating wound healing status. © 2015 Diabetes Technology Society.

A framework for assessing Health Economic Evaluation (HEE) quality appraisal instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Langer, Astrid

2012-08-16

Health economic evaluations support the health care decision-making process by providing information on costs and consequences of health interventions. The quality of such studies is assessed by health economic evaluation (HEE) quality appraisal instruments. At present, there is no instrument for measuring and improving the quality of such HEE quality appraisal instruments. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to establish a framework for assessing the quality of HEE quality appraisal instruments to support and improve their quality, and to apply this framework to those HEE quality appraisal instruments which have been subject to more scrutiny than others, in order to test the framework and to demonstrate the shortcomings of existing HEE quality appraisal instruments. To develop the quality assessment framework for HEE quality appraisal instruments, the experiences of using appraisal tools for clinical guidelines are used. Based on a deductive iterative process, clinical guideline appraisal instruments identified through literature search are reviewed, consolidated, and adapted to produce the final quality assessment framework for HEE quality appraisal instruments. The final quality assessment framework for HEE quality appraisal instruments consists of 36 items organized within 7 dimensions, each of which captures a specific domain of quality. Applying the quality assessment framework to four existing HEE quality appraisal instruments, it is found that these four quality appraisal instruments are of variable quality. The framework described in this study should be regarded as a starting point for appraising the quality of HEE quality appraisal instruments. This framework can be used by HEE quality appraisal instrument producers to support and improve the quality and acceptance of existing and future HEE quality appraisal instruments. By applying this framework, users of HEE quality appraisal instruments can become aware of methodological deficiencies

Development and application of course-embedded assessment system for program outcome evaluation in the Korean nursing education: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jee Won; Seo, Eun Ji; You, Mi-Ae; Song, Ju-Eun

2016-03-01

Program outcome evaluation is important because it is an indicator for good quality of education. Course-embedded assessment is one of the program outcome evaluation methods. However, it is rarely used in Korean nursing education. The study purpose was to develop and apply preliminarily a course-embedded assessment system to evaluate one program outcome and to share our experiences. This was a methodological study to develop and apply the course-embedded assessment system based on the theoretical framework in one nursing program in South Korea. Scores for 77 students generated from the three practicum courses were used. The course-embedded assessment system was developed following the six steps suggested by Han's model as follows. 1) One program outcome in the undergraduate program, "nursing process application ability", was selected and 2) the three clinical practicum courses related to the selected program outcome were identified. 3) Evaluation tools including rubric and items were selected for outcome measurement and 4) performance criterion, the educational goal level for the program, was established. 5) Program outcome was actually evaluated using the rubric and evaluation items in the three practicum courses and 6) the obtained scores were analyzed to identify the achievement rate, which was compared with the performance criterion. Achievement rates for the selected program outcome in adult, maternity, and pediatric nursing practicum were 98.7%, 100%, and 66.2% in the case report and 100% for all three in the clinical practice, and 100%, 100%, and 87% respectively for the conference. These are considered as satisfactory levels when compared with the performance criterion of "at least 60% or more". Course-embedded assessment can be used as an effective and economic method to evaluate the program outcome without running an integrative course additionally. Further studies to develop course-embedded assessment systems for other program outcomes in nursing

Milestone-specific, Observed data points for evaluating levels of performance (MODEL) assessment strategy for anesthesiology residency programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagy, Christopher J; Fitzgerald, Brian M; Kraus, Gregory P

2014-01-01

Anesthesiology residency programs will be expected to have Milestones-based evaluation systems in place by July 2014 as part of the Next Accreditation System. The San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC) anesthesiology residency program developed and implemented a Milestones-based feedback and evaluation system a year ahead of schedule. It has been named the Milestone-specific, Observed Data points for Evaluating Levels of performance (MODEL) assessment strategy. The "MODEL Menu" and the "MODEL Blueprint" are tools that other anesthesiology residency programs can use in developing their own Milestones-based feedback and evaluation systems prior to ACGME-required implementation. Data from our early experience with the streamlined MODEL blueprint assessment strategy showed substantially improved faculty compliance with reporting requirements. The MODEL assessment strategy provides programs with a workable assessment method for residents, and important Milestones data points to programs for ACGME reporting.

Assessing the effects of employee assistance programs: a review of employee assistance program evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Colantonio, A

1989-01-01

Employee assistance programs have grown at a dramatic rate, yet the effectiveness of these programs has been called into question. The purpose of this paper was to assess the effectiveness of employee assistance programs (EAPs) by reviewing recently published EAP evaluations. All studies evaluating EAPs published since 1975 from peer-reviewed journals in the English language were included in this analysis. Each of the articles was assessed in the following areas: (a) program description (subjects, setting, type of intervention, format), (b) evaluation design (research design, variables measured, operational methods), and (c) program outcomes. Results indicate numerous methodological and conceptual weaknesses and issues. These weaknesses included lack of controlled research designs and short time lags between pre- and post-test measures. Other problems identified are missing information regarding subjects, type of intervention, how variables are measured (operational methods), and reliability and validity of evaluation instruments. Due to the aforementioned weaknesses, positive outcomes could not be supported. Recommendations are made for future EAP evaluations.

Evaluation of an Efficient Method for Training Staff to Implement Stimulus Preference Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Roscoe, Eileen M.; Fisher, Wayne W.

2008-01-01

We used a brief training procedure that incorporated feedback and role-play practice to train staff members to conduct stimulus preference assessments, and we used group-comparison methods to evaluate the effects of training. Staff members were trained to implement the multiple-stimulus-without-replacement assessment in a single session and the…

An evaluation of the new home-care needs assessment policy in the Netherlands.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Algera, M.; Francke, A.L.; Kerkstra, A.; Zee, J. van der

2003-01-01

The aim of the present study was to describe the realisation of the new-style needs assessment in the Netherlands and how it is evaluated. Furthermore, judgements about the new way of assessing (chronic) patients' needs with respect to home care are presented. Data were gathered by means of a postal

Pain assessement and management in surgical cancer patients: pilot and evaluation of a continuing education program.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Francke, A.L.; Huijer-Abu Saad, H.; Grypdonck, M.

1995-01-01

In a pilot study, a continuing education program on pain assessment and management was implemented and evaluated. Questionnaires were completed by the nurse participants at the beginning, the end, and 2 months after the end of the pilot program. After the pilot program, participants reported having

Reporting and evaluation criteria as means towards a transparent use of ecotoxicity data for environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agerstrand, M.; Kuester, A.; Bachmann, J.; Breitholtz, M.; Ebert, I.; Rechenberg, B.; Ruden, C.

2011-01-01

Ecotoxicity data with high reliability and relevance are needed to guarantee the scientific quality of environmental risk assessments of pharmaceuticals. The main advantages of a more structured approach to data evaluation include increased transparency and predictability of the risk assessment process, and the possibility to use non-standard data. In this collaboration, between the research project MistraPharma and the German Federal Environment Agency, a new set of reporting and evaluation criteria is presented and discussed. The new criteria are based on the approaches in the literature and the OECD reporting requirements, and have been further developed to include both reliability and relevance of test data. Intended users are risk assessors and researchers performing ecotoxicological experiments, but the criteria can also be used for education purposes and in the peer-review process for scientific papers. This approach intends to bridge the gap between the regulator and the scientist's needs and way of work. - Highlights: → A structured approach to data evaluation increases the transparency and predictability of the risk assessment process. → A structured approach to data reporting opens up for use of data from the open scientific literature in risk assessments. → Both relevance and reliability aspects are included in the reporting and evaluation criteria. → The criteria can be used by risk assessors, by researchers, for education purposes and in the peer-review process. - The need for reporting and evaluation criteria towards a transparent and reliable use of ecotoxicity data.

77 FR 43492 - Expedited Vocational Assessment Under the Sequential Evaluation Process

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-25

..., or visit our Internet site, Social Security Online, at http://www.socialsecurity.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY... SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION 20 CFR Parts 404 and 416 [Docket No. SSA-2010-0060] RIN 0960-AH26 Expedited Vocational Assessment Under the Sequential Evaluation Process AGENCY: Social Security...

Tsunami hazard assessment on nuclear power plant site evaluation accordance on DS 417

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akhmad Khusyairi

2011-01-01

Nuclear power plant site evaluation should conduct the hazard evaluation on tsunami. Global climate changes and particularly extreme meteorology and hydrology phenomena have an impact on the structure, systems and important components related to safety. Therefore, IAEA makes efforts to revise the IAEA Safety Standard Series NS-G 3.4, Meteorological Events in Site Evaluation for Nuclear Power Plants and IAEA safety standard series NS-G 3.5 Flood Hazard For Nuclear Power Plants On Coastal And River Sites, in order to provide protection against the public and the environment safety due to operation of nuclear power plants. There are two methods used in assessing tsunami hazard, probabilistic and deterministic methods. In the tsunami hazard assessment, some necessary information and data should be obtained to determine the basic design of tsunami hazard during designing nuclear power plants, especially the cooling system design. Flooding caused tsunami must be evaluated to determine the site protection system. Furthermore, There must be an evaluation on either coincident event or meteorological simultaneously tsunami event that caused the worst effect on the site. Therefore, the protection of the site from extreme tsunami can be planned. (author)

Assessment of compliance with regulatory requirements for a best estimate methodology for evaluation of ECCS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Un Chul; Jang, Jin Wook; Lim, Ho Gon; Jeong, Ik [Seoul National Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Sim, Suk Ku [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

2000-03-15

Best estimate methodology for evaluation of ECCS proposed by KEPCO(KREM) os using thermal-hydraulic best-estimate code and the topical report for the methodology is described that it meets the regulatory requirement of USNRC regulatory guide. In this research the assessment of compliance with regulatory guide. In this research the assessment of compliance with regulatory requirements for the methodology is performed. The state of licensing procedure of other countries and best-estimate evaluation methodologies of Europe is also investigated, The applicability of models and propriety of procedure of uncertainty analysis of KREM are appraised and compliance with USNRC regulatory guide is assessed.

The Contribution of Palaeoseismology to Seismic Hazard Assessment in Site Evaluation for Nuclear Installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-06-01

IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSG-9, Seismic Hazards in Site Evaluation for Nuclear Installations, published in 2010, covers all aspects of site evaluation relating to seismic hazards and recommends the use of prehistoric, historical and instrumental earthquake data in seismic hazard assessments. Prehistoric data on earthquakes cover a much longer period than do historical and instrumental data. However, gathering such data is generally difficult in most regions of the world, owing to an absence of human records. Prehistoric data on earthquakes can be obtained through the use of palaeoseismic techniques. This publication describes the current status and practices of palaeoseismology, in order to support Member States in meeting the recommendations of SSG-9 and in establishing the necessary earthquake related database for seismic hazard assessment and reassessment. At a donors’ meeting of the International Seismic Safety Centre Extrabudgetary Project in January 2011, it was suggested to develop detailed guidelines on seismic hazards. Soon after the meeting, the disastrous Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 11 March 2011 and the consequent accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant occurred. The importance of palaeoseismology for seismic hazard assessment in site evaluation was highlighted by the lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. However, no methodology for performing investigations using palaeoseismic techniques has so far been available in an IAEA publication. The detailed guidelines and practical tools provided here will be of value to nuclear power plant operating organizations, regulatory bodies, vendors, technical support organizations and researchers in the area of seismic hazard assessment in site evaluation for nuclear installations, and the information will be of importance in support of hazard assessments in the future

Response tree evaluation: experimental assessment of an expert system for nuclear reactor operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, W.R.; Blackman, H.S.

1985-09-01

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) sponsored a project performed by EG and G Idaho, Inc., at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) to evaluate different display concepts for use in nuclear reactor control rooms. Included in this project was the evaluation of the response tree computer-based decision aid and its associated displays. The response tree evaluation task was deisgned to (1) assess the merit of the response tree decision aid and (2) develop a technical basis for recommendations, guidelines, and criteria for the design and evaluation of computerized decision aids for use in reactor control rooms. Two major experiments have been conducted to evaluate the response tree system. This report emphasizes the conduct and results of the second experiment. An enhanced version of the response tree system, known as the automated response tree system, was used in a controlled experiment using trained reactor operators as test subjects. This report discusses the automated response tree system, the design of the evaluation experiment, and the quantitative results of the experiment. The results of the experiment are compared to the results of the previous experiment to provide an integrated perspective of the response tree evaluation project. In addition, a subjective assessment of the results addresses the implications for the use of advanced, ''intelligent'' decision aids in the reactor control room

Development and evaluation of a self-care assessment inventory for workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogasawara, Eiko; Shiihara, Yasufumi; Ando, Michiyo

2013-06-01

To develop and evaluate a self-care assessment inventory for workers (SCAI-W). A study using a self-care assessment inventory for workers consisting of 27 self-care items, the Japanese version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Japanese version of the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology Mood Adjective Checklist (JUMACL) was conducted. These questionnaires were distributed to 2297 workers. There were 893 valid responses (39.9%, 584 men and 309 women, mean age 37.2±10.2 years). Three primary and eight secondary factors were established for the conceptual structure of self-care and validated by structural equation modeling. "Positive attitude" comprised the secondary factors, "hope" and "sense of fulfillment", and was influenced by another secondary factor, "social support". "Positive attitude" contributed to "attitude toward health". "Attitude toward health" comprised the secondary factors, "care about one's health" and "correction of bad habits". "Attitude toward health" influenced a primary factor, "everyday behavior", comprised of "wakefulness", "eating in moderation", and "lack of self-control". The primary factors "positive attitude" and "everyday behavior" influenced the BDI scores. A multiple regression analysis indicated that JUMACL subscale scores (energetic arousal and tense arousal), demographic data (living alone, sex, and age) and health-related data (exercise, smoking, body mass index, drinking more than three alcoholic drinks/day, and gambling) predicted the scores of the self-care assessment inventory for workers. This assessment inventory could be a useful measure of workers' self-care because it establishes a relationship between psychological and behavioral concepts that are important for health promotion. © 2012 The Authors. Japan Journal of Nursing Science © 2012 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

A Reliability and Validity of an Instrument to Evaluate the School-Based Assessment System: A Pilot Study

Science.gov (United States)

Ghazali, Nor Hasnida Md

2016-01-01

A valid, reliable and practical instrument is needed to evaluate the implementation of the school-based assessment (SBA) system. The aim of this study is to develop and assess the validity and reliability of an instrument to measure the perception of teachers towards the SBA implementation in schools. The instrument is developed based on a…

Evaluation of Singh index for assessment of osteoporosis using digital radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hauschild, O.; Ghanem, N.; Oberst, M.; Baumann, T.; Kreuz, P.C.; Langer, M.; Suedkamp, N.P.; Niemeyer, P.

2009-01-01

Evaluation of Singh index (SI) as a simple means for estimating bone mass on radiographs has been subject of numerous studies. All of these studies used plain film radiographs for assessment of SI. Digital radiography may improve validity and reliability of SI assessment. Aim of this study was to evaluate SI gradings assessed on digital radiographs. Digital pelvic radiographs of 100 patients were graded using SI by five independent observers (two radiologists, three traumatologists) blinded to dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) results and re-graded by all observers for assessment of intraobserver agreement. SI was correlated with DXA measurements and after grouping the patients according to World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria (osteoporosis, osteopenia, normal). Logistic regression analysis was performed in order to identify influential parameters on the SI grading process. Mean intraobserver agreement was 0.648 ± 0.18 (Kendall's Tau) and 0.43 ± 0.28 (kappa). Mean interobserver agreement was 0.488 ± 0.193 (Kendall's Tau) and 0.199 ± 0.248 (kappa). Mean correlation between SI and trochanteric BMD and T scores was 0.219 ± 0.04 and 0.210 ± 0.05 (Spearman's coefficient). Only one observer (senior radiologist) reached the significance level after grouping the patients' DXA results according to WHO criteria and correlating the results with SI gradings. Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant influence of trochanteric T score in two observers while other variable parameters failed to reach the significance level. Even though we found reasonable intraobserver agreement assessment of SI is highly subjective and interobserver agreement is generally poor. Moreover, using digital radiography could not improve correlation with DXA measurements.

Assessing the effects of employee assistance programs: a review of employee assistance program evaluations.

OpenAIRE

Colantonio, A.

1989-01-01

Employee assistance programs have grown at a dramatic rate, yet the effectiveness of these programs has been called into question. The purpose of this paper was to assess the effectiveness of employee assistance programs (EAPs) by reviewing recently published EAP evaluations. All studies evaluating EAPs published since 1975 from peer-reviewed journals in the English language were included in this analysis. Each of the articles was assessed in the following areas: (a) program description (subj...

A National Research Council Evaluation of the Department of Energy's Marine and Hydrokinetic Resource Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Glickson, D.; Holmes, K. J.; Cooke, D.

2012-12-01

Marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) resources are increasingly becoming part of energy regulatory, planning, and marketing activities in the U.S. and elsewhere. In particular, state-based renewable portfolio standards and federal production and investment tax credits have led to an increased interest in the possible deployment of MHK technologies. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58) directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to estimate the size of the MHK resource base. In order to help DOE prioritize its overall portfolio of future research, increase the understanding of the potential for MHK resource development, and direct MHK device and/or project developers to locations of greatest promise, the DOE Wind and Water Power Program requested that the National Research Council (NRC) provide an evaluation of the detailed assessments being conducted by five individual resource assessment groups. These resource assessment groups were contracted to estimate the amount of extractable energy from wave, tidal, ocean current, ocean thermal energy conversion, and riverine resources. Performing these assessments requires that each resource assessment group estimate the average power density of the resource base, as well as the basic technology characteristics and spatial and temporal constituents that convert power into electricity for that resource. The NRC committee evaluated the methodologies, technologies, and assumptions associated with each of these resource assessments. The committee developed a conceptual framework for delineating the processes used to develop the assessment results requested by the DOE, with definitions of the theoretical, technical, and practical resource to clarify elements of the overall resource assessment process. This allowed the NRC committee to make a comparison of different methods, terminology, and processes among the five resource assessment groups. The committee concluded that the overall approach taken by the wave resource and

Assessment report of research and development activities in FY2014. Activity: 'Quantum beam science research' (Result evaluation)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-09-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (hereafter referred to as 'JAEA') consulted an assessment committee, 'Evaluation Committee of Research Activities for Quantum Beam Science' (hereafter referred to as 'Committee') for result evaluation of 'Quantum Beam Science', in accordance with 'General Guideline for the Evaluation of Government Research and Development (R and D) Activities' by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 'Guideline for Evaluation of R and D in Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology' and 'Regulation on Conduct for Evaluation of R and D Activities' by JAEA. In response to the JAEA's request, the Committee assessed the research program of the Quantum Beam Science Center (hereafter referred to as 'QuBS') during the period from April 2010 to September 2014. The Committee evaluated the management and research activities of QuBS based on the explanatory documents and oral presentations. (author)

Assessing physiotherapists' communication skills for promoting patient autonomy for self-management: reliability and validity of the communication evaluation in rehabilitation tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Aileen; Hall, Amanda; Williams, Geoffrey C; McDonough, Suzanne M; Ntoumanis, Nikos; Taylor, Ian; Jackson, Ben; Copsey, Bethan; Hurley, Deirdre A; Matthews, James

2018-02-27

To assess the inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity of the Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool, which aims to externally assess physiotherapists competency in using Self-Determination Theory-based communication strategies in practice. Audio recordings of initial consultations between 24 physiotherapists and 24 patients with chronic low back pain in four hospitals in Ireland were obtained as part of a larger randomised controlled trial. Three raters, all of whom had Ph.Ds in psychology and expertise in motivation and physical activity, independently listened to the 24 audio recordings and completed the 18-item Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool. Inter-rater reliability between all three raters was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. Concurrent validity was assessed using Pearson's r correlations with a reference standard, the Health Care Climate Questionnaire. The total score for the Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool is an average of all 18 items. Total scores demonstrated good inter-rater reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) = 0.8) and concurrent validity with the Health Care Climate Questionnaire total score (range: r = 0.7-0.88). Item-level scores of the Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool identified five items that need improvement. Results provide preliminary evidence to support future use and testing of the Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool. Implications for Rehabilitation Promoting patient autonomy is a learned skill and while interventions exist to train clinicians in these skills there are no tools to assess how well clinicians use these skills when interacting with a patient. The lack of robust assessment has severe implications regarding both the fidelity of clinician training packages and resulting outcomes for promoting patient autonomy. This study has developed a novel measurement tool Communication Evaluation in Rehabilitation Tool and a

Quality Assessment of Economic Evaluations of Suicide and Self-Harm Interventions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Lizell Bustamante; Eddleston, Michael; Hansen, Kristian Schultz

2018-01-01

Background: Death following self-harm constitutes a major global public health challenge and there is an urgent need for governments to implement cost-effective, national suicide prevention strategies. Aim: To conduct a systematic review and quality appraisal of the economic evaluations...... of interventions aimed at preventing suicidal behavior. Method: A systematic literature search was performed in several literature databases to identify relevant articles published from 2003 to 2016. Drummond's 10-item appraisal tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Results....... The discussion of suicide and self-harm prevention should be as nuanced as possible, including health economics along with cultural, social, and political aspects....

Steps toward improving ethical evaluation in health technology assessment: a proposed framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Assasi, Nazila; Tarride, Jean-Eric; O'Reilly, Daria; Schwartz, Lisa

2016-06-06

While evaluation of ethical aspects in health technology assessment (HTA) has gained much attention during the past years, the integration of ethics in HTA practice still presents many challenges. In response to the increasing demand for expansion of health technology assessment (HTA) methodology to include ethical issues more systematically, this article reports on a multi-stage study that aimed at construction of a framework for improving the integration of ethics in HTA. The framework was developed through the following phases: 1) a systematic review and content analysis of guidance documents for ethics in HTA; 2) identification of factors influencing the integration of ethical considerations in HTA; 3) preparation of an action-oriented framework based on the key elements of the existing guidance documents and identified barriers to and facilitators of their implementation; and 4) expert consultation and revision of the framework. The proposed framework consists of three main components: an algorithmic flowchart, which exhibits the different steps of an ethical inquiry throughout the HTA process, including: defining the objectives and scope of the evaluation, stakeholder analysis, assessing organizational capacity, framing ethical evaluation questions, ethical analysis, deliberation, and knowledge translation; a stepwise guide, which focuses on the task objectives and potential questions that are required to be addressed at each step; and a list of some commonly recommended or used tools to help facilitate the evaluation process. The proposed framework can be used to support and promote good practice in integration of ethics into HTA. However, further validation of the framework through case studies and expert consultation is required to establish its utility for HTA practice.

A comparative evaluation of dental caries status among hearing-impaired and normal children of Malda, West Bengal, evaluated with the Caries Assessment Spectrum and Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kar, Sudipta; Kundu, Goutam; Maiti, Shyamal Kumar; Ghosh, Chiranjit; Bazmi, Badruddin Ahamed; Mukhopadhyay, Santanu

2016-01-01

Dental caries is one of the major modern-day diseases of dental hard tissue. It may affect both normal and hearing-impaired children. This study is aimed to evaluate and compare the prevalence of dental caries in hearing-impaired and normal children of Malda, West Bengal, utilizing the Caries Assessment Spectrum and Treatment (CAST). In a cross-sectional, case-control study of dental caries status of 6-12-year-old children was assessed. Statistically significant difference was found in studied (hearing-impaired) and control group (normal children). In the present study, caries affected hearing-impaired children found to be about 30.51% compared to 15.81% in normal children, and the result was statistically significant. Regarding individual caries assessment criteria, nearly all subgroups reflect statistically significant difference except sealed tooth structure group, internal caries-related discoloration in dentin, and distinct cavitation into dentine group, and the result is significant at P caries effected hearing-impaired children found about 30.51% instead of 15.81% in normal children, and the result was statistically significant (P caries assessment criteria, nearly all subgroups reflect statistically significant difference except sealed tooth structure group, internal caries-related discoloration in dentin, and distinct cavitation into dentine group. Dental health of hearing-impaired children was found unsatisfactory than normal children when studied in relation to dental caries status evaluated with CAST.

A Preliminary Investigation of General and Technique-specific Assessments for the Evaluation of Laparoscopic Technical Skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Vergis, Ashley; Steigerwald, Sarah

2017-10-07

Background  Both general and technique-specific assessments of technical skill have been validated in surgical education. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between the objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) and the global operative assessment of laparoscopic skills (GOALS) rating scales using a high-fidelity porcine laparoscopic cholecystectomy model. Methods Post-graduate year-one general surgery and urology residents (n=14) performed a live laparoscopic porcine cholecystectomy. Trained surgeons rated their performance using OSATS and GOALS assessment scales. Results Pearson's correlation coefficient between OSATS and GOALS was 0.96 for overall scores. It ranged from 0.78 - 0.89 for domains that overlapped between the two scales. Conclusion There is a very high correlation between OSATS and GOALS. This implies that they likely measure similar constructs and that either may be used for summative-type assessments of trainee skill. However, further investigation is needed to determine if technique-specific assessments may provide more useful feedback in formative evaluation.

Development and Evaluation of a Computer-Based Learning Environment for Teachers: Assessment of Learning Strategies in Learning Journals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inga Glogger

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Training teachers to assess important components of self-regulated learning such as learning strategies is an important, yet somewhat neglected, aspect of the integration of self-regulated learning at school. Learning journals can be used to assess learning strategies in line with cyclical process models of self-regulated learning, allowing for rich formative feedback. Against this background, we developed a computer-based learning environment (CBLE that trains teachers to assess learning strategies with learning journals. The contents of the CBLE and its instructional design were derived from theory. The CBLE was further shaped by research in a design-based manner. Finally, in two evaluation studies, student teachers (N1=44; N2=89 worked with the CBLE. We analyzed satisfaction, interest, usability, and assessment skills. Additionally, in evaluation study 2, effects of an experimental variation on motivation and assessment skills were tested. We found high satisfaction, interest, and good usability, as well as satisfying assessment skills, after working with the CBLE. Results show that teachers can be trained to assess learning strategies in learning journals. The developed CBLE offers new perspectives on how to support teachers in fostering learning strategies as central component of effective self-regulated learning at school.

Effect on work ability after team evaluation of functioning regarding pain, self-rated disability, and work ability assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Norrefalk, Jan-Rickard; Littwold-Pöljö, Agneta; Ryhle, Leif; Jansen, Gunilla Brodda

2010-08-26

To evaluate the effect of a 1-2 week multiprofessional team assessment, without a real rehabilitation effort, 60 patients suffering from long-standing pain and on long-lasting time on sick leave were studied. A questionnaire concerning their daily activities, quality of life, pain intensity, sick-leave level, and their work state was filled out by all patients before starting the assessment and at a 1-year follow-up. The results from the assessment period and the multiprofessional team decision of the patient's working ability were compared with the actual working rate after 1 year. The follow-up showed a significant reduction of sick leave and a higher level of activity (P work. However, the team evaluation of the patient's work ability did not correlate to predict the actual outcome. The patient's pain intensity, life satisfaction, gender, age, ethnic background, and time absent from work before the start of the evaluation showed no correlation to reduction on time on sickness benefit level. These parameters could not be used as predictors in this study.

Instruments for the assessment of suicide risk: A systematic review evaluating the certainty of the evidence.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Runeson

Full Text Available Instruments have been developed to facilitate suicide risk assessment. We aimed to evaluate the evidence for these instruments including assessment of risk of bias and diagnostic accuracy for suicide and suicide attempt.PubMed (NLM, PsycInfo, Embase, Cinahl and the Cochrane Library databases were searched until December 2014. We assessed risk of bias with QUADAS-2. The average sensitivity and specificity of each instrument was estimated and the certainty of the evidence was assessed with GRADE. We considered instruments with a sensitivity > 80% and a specificity > 50% to have sufficient diagnostic accuracy.Thirty-five relevant studies were identified but 14 were considered to have high risk of bias, leaving 21 studies evaluating altogether 15 risk assessment instruments. We could carry out meta-analyses for five instruments. For the outcome suicide attempt SAD PERSONS Scale had a sensitivity of 15% (95% CI 8-24 and specificity of 97% (96-98, and the Manchester Self-Harm Rule (MSHR a sensitivity of 97% (97-97 and a specificity of 20% (20-21. ReACT, which is a modification of MSHR, had a similar low specificity, as did the Sodersjukhuset Self Harm Rule. For the outcome suicide, the Beck Hopelessness Scale had a sensitivity of 89% (78-95 and specificity of 42% (40-43.Most suicide risk assessment instruments were supported by too few studies to allow for evaluation of accuracy. Among those that could be evaluated, none fulfilled requirements for sufficient diagnostic accuracy.

Critical evaluation of oxygen-uptake assessment in swimming.

Science.gov (United States)

Sousa, Ana; Figueiredo, Pedro; Pendergast, David; Kjendlie, Per-Ludvik; Vilas-Boas, João P; Fernandes, Ricardo J

2014-03-01

Swimming has become an important area of sport science research since the 1970s, with the bioenergetic factors assuming a fundamental performance-influencing role. The purpose of this study was to conduct a critical evaluation of the literature concerning oxygen-uptake (VO2) assessment in swimming, by describing the equipment and methods used and emphasizing the recent works conducted in ecological conditions. Particularly in swimming, due to the inherent technical constraints imposed by swimming in a water environment, assessment of VO2max was not accomplished until the 1960s. Later, the development of automated portable measurement devices allowed VO2max to be assessed more easily, even in ecological swimming conditions, but few studies have been conducted in swimming-pool conditions with portable breath-by-breath telemetric systems. An inverse relationship exists between the velocity corresponding to VO2max and the time a swimmer can sustain it at this velocity. The energy cost of swimming varies according to its association with velocity variability. As, in the end, the supply of oxygen (whose limitation may be due to central-O2 delivery and transportation to the working muscles-or peripheral factors-O2 diffusion and utilization in the muscles) is one of the critical factors that determine swimming performance, VO2 kinetics and its maximal values are critical in understanding swimmers' behavior in competition and to develop efficient training programs.

Assessment of the severity of asthma by an expert system. Description and evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Redier, H; Daures, J P; Michel, C; Proudhon, H; Vervloet, D; Charpin, D; Marsac, J; Dusser, D; Brambilla, C; Wallaert, B

1995-02-01

Asthmaexpert, an expert system (ES), was produced at the special request of several clinicians in order to better understand the medical decisions made clinical experts in managing an asthmatic patient. We describe and evaluate this knowledge base, focusing mainly on assessment of the severity of asthma. After compiling data from a patient, Asthmaexpert assesses the severity of the disease and identifies the trigger factors involved, suggests any further investigations that may be required, and offers a treatment strategy. Implemented with Nexpert and Hypercard, it runs on a MacIntosh personal computer. The validation stage involved eight clinical experts who provided 20 case report forms (CRF) with their conclusions about management of asthma. The CRF were then programmed into the ES, which provided its own conclusions about the same subjects. Afterward, all the experts evaluated the conclusions given by ES or by their colleagues in a double-blind manner. One hundred twenty-seven CRF were available. The reliability of the experts' opinions was good, with a substantial consensus between them when assessing severity scores (kappa = 0.27 to 0.54). There was no difference in concordance of opinions on severity scores either between the experts who designed the system and ES or between the other experts and ES (weighted kappa = 0.72 and 0.69, respectively). Experts judged that the severity scores given by ES were as good as those proposed by their colleagues, and that the overall conclusions given by ES were as good as or better than those given by their colleagues. The conclusions drawn by ES were given a good rating.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Assessing writing ability in primary education: on the evaluation of text quality and text complexity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feenstra, Hiske

2014-01-01

Writing is a complex ability, and measuring writing ability is a notoriously complex task. The assessment of writing ability is complicated by the multi-faceted nature of this productive language ability on one hand, and the difficulty of evaluating writing performances on the other hand. In this

Assessment set for evaluation of clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis: psychometric properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rasova K

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Kamila Rasova,1 Patricia Martinkova,2 Jana Vyskotova,3 Michaela Sedova21Department of Rehabilitation, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and Faculty Hospital Královské Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic; 2Center of Biomedical Informatics and Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, Institute of Computer Science, AS CR, Prague, Czech Republic; 3Faculty of Medicine, Ostrava University, Ostrava, Czech RepublicPurpose: Multiple sclerosis (MS manifests itself in a wide range of symptoms. Physiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of those symptoms connected with mobility. For this therapy to be at its most effective it should be based on a systematic examination that is able to describe and classify damaged clinical functions meaningfully. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a battery of tests and composite tests that can be used to systematically evaluate clinical features of MS treatable by physiotherapy.Methods: The authors assembled a proposed battery of tests comprising known, standard, and validated assessments (low-contrast letter acuity testing; the Motricity Index; the Modified Ashworth Scale; the Berg Balance Scale; scales of postural reactions, tremor, dysdiadochokinesia, and dysmetria; the Nine-Hole Peg Test; the Timed 25-Foot Walk; and the 3-minute version of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test and one test (knee hyperextension of the authors’ own. Normalization was calculated and six composite assessments were measured. Seventeen ambulatory subjects with MS were tested twice with the assessment set before undergoing physiotherapy, and 12 were also tested with the assessment set after the physiotherapy. The test–retest reliability, stability, internal consistency of composite measurements, sensitivity to changes after therapy, and correlation between measurements and the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale score were evaluated for all tests in the assessment set

Evaluation process of global environmental impact: assessment guidelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Memon, A.R.; Mahar, R.B.

2001-01-01

In developed and developing countries, the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) is becoming mandatory for the approval of Industrial projects and projects of Environmental hazards. The approving authority of each country has its own guidelines to get projects approved and make project proponents responsible to submit Environmental Impact Statement for the its detailed assessment. In this paper authors have studied an existing EIA Global guidelines and its evaluation process of altogether 40 countries from four continents, Asia, Pacific/Middle East, Europe, Australia and America/Canada. This evaluation process is recorded in the tabulation form and it has been formulated stage wise in which stage one highlights the inception of EIA guidelines of each country and stage two and three gives implementation process. The inception stage of guidelines gives an idea that when EIA was started and an implementation stages provide all information that when EIA become a part of legislation that provide an opportunity to the reader to understand the decision making process for project approvals. The main objective of writing EIA guidelines is to monitor the sustain ability of various types of the projects under different sectoral guidelines, therefore Projects related with different Sectors have been chosen and a detailed record in tabulation form gives an idea to understand the interaction of these guidelines. To make this paper more comprehensive, authors have gone thorough the sectoral guidelines of altogether 64 countries and studied 21 sector oriented project fields. These are of Agriculture/Irrigation, Biodiversity, Coastal/Marine, Community Participation, Extractive industries, Fisheries, Forestry, Hazard Risk, Health, Human settlement, Industry, Multi sectorial, Ports and Harbors, Power, refugees/resettlement, Social, Strategies/Planning, Tourism/Recreational, transportation, Waste Pollution and Wetlands/Water resources. (author)

Evaluation of Environmental Impacts for Rice Agroecosystems using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

OpenAIRE

S. Khoramdel; J. Shabahang; A. Amin Ghafouri

2017-01-01

In order to evaluate life cycle assessment (LCA) for rice agroecosystems based on mean of nitrogen fertilizer levels (less than 190, 190-200, 200-210, 210-220 and more than 220 kg N ha) during 1999-2012, an experiment was conducted. Four steps includung goal definition and scoping, inventory analysis, life cycle impact assessment and integration and interpretation were computed. Functional unit was considered as one tone paddy. Impact categories were acidification, eutrophication in aquatic a...

A critical evaluation of the validity and the reliability of global competency constructs for supervisor assessment of junior medical trainees

NARCIS (Netherlands)

McGill, D.A.; Vleuten, C.P.M. van der; Clarke, M.J.

2013-01-01

Supervisor assessments are critical for both formative and summative assessment in the workplace. Supervisor ratings remain an important source of such assessment in many educational jurisdictions even though there is ambiguity about their validity and reliability. The aims of this evaluation is to

Assessing Creativity: Creating a Rubric to Effectively Evaluate Mediated Digital Portfolios

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Jeffrey S.

2017-01-01

Objectively assessing student creative work in the fields associated with mass media can be problematic. Communicating expectations to students, as well as providing them with a clear yet flexible rubric for evaluation of copywriting, newswriting, audio production, video production, and web-design, requires examination of the relevant student…

Evaluation of fire probabilistic safety assessment for a PWR plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, C.H.; Lin, T.J.; Kao, T.M.

2001-01-01

The internal fire analysis of the level 1 power operation probability safety assessment (PSA) for Maanshan (PWR) Nuclear Power Plant (MNPP) was updated. The fire analysis adopted a scenario-based PSA approach to systematically evaluate fire and smoke hazards and their associated risk impact to MNPP. The result shows that the core damage frequency (CDF) due to fire is about six times lower than the previous one analyzed by the Atomic Energy Council (AEC), Republic of China in 1987. The plant model was modified to reflect the impact of human events and recovery actions during fire. Many tabulated EXCEL spread-sheets were used for evaluation of the fire risk. The fire-induced CDF for MNPP is found to be 2.1 E-6 per year in this study. The relative results of the fire analysis will provide the bases for further risk-informed fire protection evaluation in the near future. (author)

[Suicide and evaluation. Review of French tools: Non-dimensional approach and self-assessment].

Science.gov (United States)

Ducher, J-L; de Chazeron, I; Llorca, P-M

2016-06-01

Suicide prevention represents a major challenge to public health, and the suicide risk is a permanent concern in psychiatry. But the main difficulty is its diagnosis. What resources are available in French which seem to help therapists in this process? We can distinguish the non-dimensional approach, the use of self-administered questionnaires or interviewer-administrated questionnaires. In this paper, for reasons of editing constraints, we are interested only in a non-dimensional approach and direct assessment measures by self-assessment, analysing the strengths and limitations of each and taking into account scientific studies that have been devoted to them and their clinical relevance. We first considered various aspects of non-dimensional approach through suicidal risk factors research, suicidal emergency and suicidal potential concepts, Shea approach, the model of Mann and some recommended evaluations. This type of approach has a number of advantages, but also limitations. Dimensional approach allows going further. In this article, we also discuss the existing self-assessment tools in French as for example dedicated item for Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) or specific scales such as Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL), Suicidal Probability Scale (SPS), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and self-administered Suicide Risk Assessment Scale of Ducher (aRSD). These last two seem to be used as a priority regarding result of their validation studies. The strong correlation between the self-administered questionnaire aRSD and the interviewer-administered Suicide Risk Assessment Scale of Ducher RSD (r=0.92; P<10(-7)) shows the ability of patients to express their suicidal ideation if we want to invite them to do so. Copyright © 2015 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

All this grassroots, real life knowledge: Comparing perceived with realised concerns of including non-academic evaluators in societal impact assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Derrick, G.E.; Samuel, G.S.

2016-07-01

New research assessment frameworks that include societal impact criteria, also require the inclusion on non-academic evaluators (users) as part of the assessment panels. Little research has been conducted on how these user evaluators are received by traditionally academic-led panels, and how their presence influences evaluation outcomes. This is especially the case for evaluations including societal impact criteria. This article uses a mixed-methods approach to explore academic-evaluator concerns about the inclusion of user-evaluators in the assessment process. In addition, it explores how their involvement, influenced the outcomes of the evaluation process. (Author)

The Use of Workforce Assessment as a Component of Career and Technical Education Program Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Bartlett, Kenneth R.; Schleif, Nicole L.; Bowen, Mauvalyn M.

2011-01-01

This research project examined the extent to which Career and Technical Education (CTE)-related programs use workforce needs assessment as a component of their evaluation activities. An employer perspective was used to develop a conceptual framework drawing on strategic human resource management theory. The extent and methods utilized for…

Development of the evaluation instrument use CIPP on the implementation of project assessment topic optik

Science.gov (United States)

Asfaroh, Jati Aurum; Rosana, Dadan; Supahar

2017-08-01

This research aims to develop an evaluation instrument models CIPP valid and reliable as well as determine the feasibility and practicality of an evaluation instrument models CIPP. An evaluation instrument models CIPP to evaluate the implementation of the project assessment topic optik to measure problem-solving skills of junior high school class VIII in the Yogyakarta region. This research is a model of development that uses 4-D. Subject of product trials are students in class VIII SMP N 1 Galur and SMP N 1 Sleman. Data collection techniques in this research using non-test techniques include interviews, questionnaires and observations. Validity in this research was analyzed using V'Aikens. Reliability analyzed using ICC. This research uses 7 raters are derived from two lecturers expert (expert judgment), two practitioners (science teacher) and three colleagues. The results of this research is the evaluation's instrument model of CIPP is used to evaluate the implementation of the implementation of the project assessment instruments. The validity result of evaluation instrument have V'Aikens values between 0.86 to 1, which means a valid and 0.836 reliability values into categories so well that it has been worth used as an evaluation instrument.

Evaluation of environmental impact assessment system in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nadeem, Obaidullah; Hameed, Rizwan

2008-01-01

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) was first introduced in Pakistan based on the Environmental Protection Ordinance 1983. The EIA process was further strengthened under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997, which became operational under EIA Regulations 2000. Despite a sound legal basis and comprehensive guidelines, evidence suggests that EIA has not yet evolved satisfactorily in Pakistan. An evaluation of the EIA system against systematic evaluation criteria, based on interviews with EIA approval authorities, consulting firms and experts, reveals various shortcomings of the EIA system. These mainly include; inadequate capacity of EIA approval authorities, deficiencies in screening and scoping, poor EIA quality, inadequate public participation and weak monitoring. Overall, EIA is used presently as a project justification tool rather than as a project planning tool to contribute to achieving sustainable development. Whilst shortcomings are challenging, central government has recently shown a high degree of commitment to the environmental protection by making EIA compulsory for all the public sector projects likely to have adverse environmental impacts. The paper identifies opportunities for taking advantage of the current environment for strengthening the EIA process

Toward Fairness in Assessing Student Groupwork: A Protocol for Peer Evaluation of Individual Contributions

Science.gov (United States)

Fellenz, Martin R.

2006-01-01

A key challenge for management instructors using graded groupwork with students is to find ways to maximize student learning from group projects while ensuring fair and accurate assessment methods. This article presents the Groupwork Peer-Evaluation Protocol (GPEP) that enables the assessment of individual contributions to graded student…

Validation of assessment of intraoral digital photography for evaluation of dental restorations in clinical research.

Science.gov (United States)

Signori, Cácia; Collares, Kauê; Cumerlato, Catarina B F; Correa, Marcos B; Opdam, Niek J M; Cenci, Maximiliano S

2018-04-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the validity of assessment of intraoral digital photography in the evaluation of dental restorations. Intraoral photographs of anterior and posterior restorations were classified based on FDI criteria according to the need for intervention: no intervention, repair and replacement. Evaluations were performed by an experienced expert in restorative dentistry (gold standard evaluator) and 3 trained dentists (consensus). The clinical inspection was the reference standard method. The prevalence of failures was explored. Cohen's kappa statistic was used. Validity was accessed by sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio and predictives values. Higher prevalence of failed restorations intervention was identified by the intraoral photography (17.7%) in comparison to the clinical evaluation (14.1%). Moderate agreement in the diagnosis of total failures was shown between the methods for the gold standard evaluator (kappa = 0.51) and consensus of evaluators (kappa = 0.53). Gold standard evaluator and consensus showed substantial and moderate agreement for posterior restorations (kappa = 0.61; 0.59), and fair and moderate agreement for anterior restorations (kappa = 0.36; 0.43), respectively. The accuracy was 84.8% in the assessment by intraoral photographs. Sensitivity and specificity values of 87.5% and 89.3% were found. Under the limits of this study, the assessment of digital photography performed by intraoral camera is an indirect diagnostic method valid for the evaluation of dental restorations, mainly in posterior teeth. This method should be employed taking into account the higher detection of defects provided by the images, which are not always clinically relevant. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating Multi-Institutional Partnership Sustainability: A Case Study of Collaborative Workforce Development in Renewable Energy Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz, John M.; Stallings, Kevin D.; KC, Birendra; Seekamp, Erin

2015-01-01

Partnership evaluation typically occurs during the final stages either to assess why a collaborative effort did not work or to identify the indicators of success. Partnerships are rarely evaluated at their incipient stage, which is a critical time to assess their potential for long-term sustainability. In this paper, we present an early-stage…

Formal psychological assessment in evaluating depression: a new methodology to build exhaustive and irredundant adaptive questionnaires.

Science.gov (United States)

Serra, Francesca; Spoto, Andrea; Ghisi, Marta; Vidotto, Giulio

2015-01-01

Psychological Assessment can be defined as a complex procedure of information collection, analysis and processing. Formal Psychological Assessment (FPA) tries to improve this procedure by providing a formal framework to build assessment tools. In this paper, FPA is applied to depression. Seven questionnaires widely used for the self-evaluation of depression were selected. Diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder were derived from the DSM-5, literature and Seligman's and Beck's theories. A Boolean matrix was built, including 266 items from the questionnaires in the rows and 20 selected attributes, obtained through diagnostic criteria decomposition, in the columns. In the matrix, a 1 in a cell meant that the corresponding item investigated the specific attribute. It was thus possible to analyze the relationships between items and attributes and among items. While none of the considered questionnaires could alone cover all the criteria for the evaluation of depressive symptoms, we observed that a set of 30 items contained the same information that was obtained redundantly with 266 items. Another result highlighted by the matrix regards the relations among items. FPA allows in-depth analysis of currently used questionnaires based on the presence/absence of clinical elements. FPA allows for going beyond the mere score by differentiating the patients according to symptomatology. Furthermore, it allows for computerized-adaptive assessment.

Development of a procedure for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of human factors as a part of probabilistic safety assessments of nuclear power plants. Part A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richei, A.

1998-01-01

The objective of this project is the development of a procedure for the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of human factors in the probabilistic safety assessment for nuclear power plants. The Human Error Rate Assessment and Optimizing System (HEROS) is introduced. The evaluation of a task with HEROS is realized in the three evaluation levels, i.e. 'Management Structure', 'Working Environment' and 'Man-Machine-Interface'. The developed expert system uses the fuzzy set theory for an assessment. For the evaluation of cognitive tasks evaluation criteria are derived also. The validation of the procedure is based on three examples, reflecting the common practice of probabilistic safety assessments and including problems, which cannot, respectively - only insufficiently - be evaluated with the established human risk analysis procedures. HERO applications give plausible and comprehensible results. (orig.) [de

Environmental assessment for the satellite power system concept development and evaluation program: nonmicrowave health and ecological effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, M R

1980-11-01

A Concept Development and Evaluation Program is being carried out for a proposed Satellite Power System (SPS). For purposes of this evaluation, a preliminary reference system has been developed. SPS, as described in the reference system, would collect solar energy on satellites in geosychronous orbit in space. The energy would be converted to microwaves and beamed to an earth-receiving antenna (rectenna). One task in the environmental part of the program is the assessment of the nonmicrowave effects on health and the environment. These effects would result from all phases of SPS development and operation. This report covers the current knowledge regarding these effects, and is based on the reference system. The assessment is summarized as to scope, methodology, impacts of terrestrial development, launch and recovery of spacecraft, space activities (including health effects of the space environment, ionizing radiation, electromagnetic exposure, spacecraft charging and environmental interactions, occupational hazards, etc.) and construction and operation of rectenna (ground receiving station).

Environmental assessment for the satellite power system concept development and evaluation program: nonmicrowave health and ecological effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, M.R.

1980-11-01

A Concept Development and Evaluation Program is being carried out for a proposed Satellite Power System (SPS). For purposes of this evaluation, a preliminary reference system has been developed. SPS, as described in the reference system, would collect solar energy on satellites in geosychronous orbit in space. The energy would be converted to microwaves and beamed to an earth-receiving antenna (rectenna). One task in the environmental part of the program is the assessment of the nonmicrowave effects on health and the environment. These effects would result from all phases of SPS development and operation. This report covers the current knowledge regarding these effects, and is based on the reference system. The assessment is summarized as to scope, methodology, impacts of terrestrial development, launch and recovery of spacecraft, space activities (including health effects of the space environment, ionizing radiation, electromagnetic exposure, spacecraft charging and environmental interactions, occupational hazards, etc.) and construction and operation of rectenna

[Pollution Evaluation and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals from Atmospheric Deposition in the Parks of Nanjing].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Cheng; Qian, Xin; Li, Hui-ming; Sun, Yi-xuan; Wang, Jin-hua

2016-05-15

Contents of heavy metals involving As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn from atmospheric deposition in 10 parks of Nanjing were analyzed. The pollution level, ecological risk and health risk were evaluated using Geoaccumulation Index, Potential Ecological Risk Index and the US EPA Health Risk Assessment Model, respectively. The results showed that the pollution levels of heavy metals in Swallow Rock Park, Swallow Rock Park and Mochou Lake Park were higher than the others. Compared to other cities such as Changchun, Wuhan and Beijing, the contents of heavy metals in atmospheric deposition of parks in Nanjing were higher. The evaluation results of Geoaccumulation Index showed that Pb was at moderate pollution level, Zn and Cu were between moderate and serious levels, while Cd was between serious and extreme levels. The ecological risk level of Cd was high. The assessment results of Health Risk Assessment Model indicated that there was no non-carcinogenic risk for all the seven heavy metals. For carcinogenic risk, the risks of Cd, Cr and Ni were all negligible (Risk < 1 x 10⁻⁶), whereas As had carcinogenic risk possibility but was considered to be acceptable (10⁻⁶ < Risk < 10⁻⁴).

Assessment of the quality of pharmacoeconomic evaluation literature in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Fang; He, Xu; Xiang, Wei; Li, Shu Chuen

2017-05-01

To evaluate the quality of Chinese pharmacoeconomic-evaluation literature published between 2012-2014 retrieved from the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) in order to assess their adherence to recommendations of the Chinese Pharmacoeconomic Guidelines. Identified literature was screened according to pre-specified criteria to access legibility for inclusion. Each included piece of literature was systematically compared against the recommendations proposed by the relevant Chinese guidelines. After culling, 259 studies were included in the comparative analysis. When compared to a previous study evaluating the quality of similar literature published between 1997-2007, the results showed improvements in certain technical aspects over the years. Particularly, an improvement was observed in more diverse evaluation methods being used, increased use of cost-utility analysis (2.43% in 2012-2014 vs 0.26% in 1997-2007) and use of discounting (45% in 2012-2014 vs 4.35% in 1997- 2007). In addition, a small number of studies were starting to apply modeling. The quality of economic evaluation literature has improved in recent years, with more researchers realizing the importance and necessity of using discounting, sensitivity analysis, and modeling when conducting economic evaluation. This study also highlights certain important areas needing further attention when conducting economic evaluations in China. These include the ICER threshold of economic analysis, more detailed guidance in performing sensitivity analysis and modeling, as well as transferability of cost data across different regions. Overall, the results would support the positive contribution of the Chinese Economic Guideline in promoting economic evaluations in China.

Evaluation of impacts and mitigation assessments for the UMTRA Project: Gunnison and Durango pilot studies. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beranich, S.J.

1994-01-01

This report evaluates the impacts assessment and proposed mitigations provided in environmental documents concerning the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project. The projected impacts and proposed mitigations identified in UMTRA Project environmental documents were evaluated for two UMTRA Project sites. These sites are Gunnison and Durango, which are representative of currently active and inactive UMTRA Project sites, respectively. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation was prepared for the remedial action at Durango and Gunnison as well as for the provision of an alternate water supply system at Gunnison. Additionally, environmental analysis was completed for mill site demolition Gunnison, and for a new road related to the Durango remedial action. The results in this report pertain only to the impact assessments prepared by the Regulatory Compliance staff as a part of the NEPA compliance requirements. Similarly, the mitigative measures documented are those that were identified during the NEPA process

Evaluation of workplace based assessment tools in dental foundation training.

Science.gov (United States)

Grieveson, B; Kirton, J A; Palmer, N O A; Balmer, M C

2011-08-26

The aims of this survey were to evaluate the effectiveness of workplace based assessments (WPAs) in dental foundation training (formerly vocational training [VT]). Two online questionnaire surveys were sent to 53 foundation dental practitioners (FDPs) and their 51 trainers in the Mersey Deanery at month four and month nine of the one year of dental foundation training. The questionnaires investigated the effectiveness of and trainers' and trainees' satisfaction with the WPAs used in foundation training, namely dental evaluation of performance (D-EPs), case-based discussions (DcBD) and patients' assessment questionnaires (PAQs). The questionnaires also investigated the perceived impact of reflection and feedback associated with WPAs on clinical practise and improving patient care. A total of 41 (7.4%) FDPs and 44 (86.3%) trainers responded. Of the 41 FDPs, the majority found that feedback from WPAs had a positive effect on their training, giving them insight into their development needs. Overall 84.1% of the FDPs felt the WPAs helped them improve patient care and 82.5% of trainers agreed with that outcome. The findings from this study demonstrate the value of WPAs in dental foundation training by the use of feedback and reflection in directing the learning of foundation dental practitioners and that this can lead to improved clinical practise and patient care.

Scattering factor evaluation for internal dose assessment due to 60Co

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gautam, Y.P.; Kumar, A.; Sharma, S.; Sharma, A.K.; Dube, B.; Hegde, A.G.

2008-01-01

Guidelines for the assessment of internal doses from monitoring suggest default measurement of uncertainties (i.e. lognormal scattering factor, SF) to be used for different types of monitoring data. In this paper, SF values have been evaluated for internal contamination due to 60 Co in two cases using whole body counting data. SF values of 1.04 and 1.03 were obtained for case I and II respectively while SF value of 1.03 was obtained using bioassay data for case I. SF evaluated is in good agreement with the default values given by IDEAS guidelines. (author)

The patient assessment questionnaire: a new instrument for evaluating the interpersonal skills of vocational dental practitioners.

Science.gov (United States)

Hurst, Y K; Prescott-Clements, L E; Rennie, J S

2004-10-23

This paper describes a pilot study aimed at evaluating a new instrument, the patient assessment questionnaire (PAQ), which uses patient ratings for the assessment of communication skills and professionalism in vocational practitioners (VDPs). The PAQ was developed as part of an assessment system designed to address all round competence. Acohort of 99 VDPs took part in the study. Questionnaires were distributed to consecutive patients in the general dental service at two time points in the training year. Data from the pilot study was analysed to determine whether the PAQ fulfilled the criteria for robust assessment. Results provide evidence of high levels of reliability, validity and feasibility of the PAQ instrument. All indications to date suggest that the PAQ will prove to be a valuable assessment tool. It is currently being evaluated as part of the system used to assess the all round competence of dental graduates undertaking vocational training in Scotland.

Assessment report of research and development activities in FY2014. Activity: 'Quantum beam science research' (In-advance evaluation)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-09-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (hereafter referred to as 'JAEA') consulted an assessment committee, 'Evaluation Committee of Research Activities for Quantum Beam Science' (hereafter referred to as 'Committee') for result evaluation of 'Quantum Beam Science', in accordance with 'General Guideline for the Evaluation of Government Research and Development (R and D) Activities' by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 'Guideline for Evaluation of R and D in Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology' and 'Regulation on Conduct for Evaluation of R and D Activities' by JAEA. In response to the JAEA's request, the Committee assessed the research program of the Quantum Beam Science Center (hereafter referred to as 'QuBS') during the period from April 2015 to March 2022. The Committee evaluated the management and research activities of QuBS based on the explanatory documents and oral presentations. (author)

Evaluation of thermal risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loos, J.J.; Perry, E.S.

1993-01-01

Risk assessment was done in 1983 to estimate the ecological hazard of increasing the generating load and thermal output of an electric generating station. Subsequently, long-term monitoring in the vicinity of the station allowed verification of the predictions made in the risk assessment. This presentation will review the efficacy of early risk assessment methods in producing useful predictions from a resource management point of view. In 1984, the Chalk Point Generating facility of the Potomac Electric Power Company increased it's median generating load by 100%. Prior to this operational change, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia synthesized site specific data, model predictions, and results from literature to assess the risk of additional waste heat to the Patuxent River subestuary of Chesapeake Bay. Risk was expressed as the number of days per year that various species of fish and the blue crab would be expected to avoid the discharge vicinity. Accuracy of these predictions is assessed by comparing observed fish and crab distributions and their observed frequencies of avoidance to those predicted. It is concluded that the predictions of this early risk assessment were sufficiently accurate to produce a reliable resource management decision

Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment for Individual Student Assessment and Curricular Evaluation

OpenAIRE

Scott, Day M.; Bennett, Lunawati L.; Ferrill, Mary J.; Brown, Daniel L.

2010-01-01

The Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) is a standardized examination for assessing academic progress of pharmacy students. Although no other national benchmarking tool is available on a national level, the PCOA has not been adopted by all colleges and schools of pharmacy. Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBAU) compared 2008-2010 PCOA results of its P1, P2, and P3 students to their current grade point average (GPA) and to results of a national cohort. The reliability coefficient of ...

Evaluation of the performance of existing non-laboratory based cardiovascular risk assessment algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background The high burden and rising incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in resource constrained countries necessitates implementation of robust and pragmatic primary and secondary prevention strategies. Many current CVD management guidelines recommend absolute cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment as a clinically sound guide to preventive and treatment strategies. Development of non-laboratory based cardiovascular risk assessment algorithms enable absolute risk assessment in resource constrained countries. The objective of this review is to evaluate the performance of existing non-laboratory based CV risk assessment algorithms using the benchmarks for clinically useful CV risk assessment algorithms outlined by Cooney and colleagues. Methods A literature search to identify non-laboratory based risk prediction algorithms was performed in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Ovid Premier Nursing Journals Plus, and PubMed databases. The identified algorithms were evaluated using the benchmarks for clinically useful cardiovascular risk assessment algorithms outlined by Cooney and colleagues. Results Five non-laboratory based CV risk assessment algorithms were identified. The Gaziano and Framingham algorithms met the criteria for appropriateness of statistical methods used to derive the algorithms and endpoints. The Swedish Consultation, Framingham and Gaziano algorithms demonstrated good discrimination in derivation datasets. Only the Gaziano algorithm was externally validated where it had optimal discrimination. The Gaziano and WHO algorithms had chart formats which made them simple and user friendly for clinical application. Conclusion Both the Gaziano and Framingham non-laboratory based algorithms met most of the criteria outlined by Cooney and colleagues. External validation of the algorithms in diverse samples is needed to ascertain their performance and applicability to different populations and to enhance clinicians’ confidence in them. PMID:24373202

Investigating Key Psychometric Properties of the French Version of the Early Years Evaluation-Teacher Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Laurie, Robert; Sloat, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

This research investigates key psychometric properties of the French Early Years Evaluation-Teacher Assessment measure designed to systematically assess kindergarten children across five social and academic developmental domains: awareness of self and environment, social skills and behaviour, cognitive abilities, language and communication, and…

Demonstration and evaluation of a method for assessing mediated moderation.

Science.gov (United States)