WorldWideScience

Sample records for program evaluation task

  1. Programming task packages: Peach exchange format

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verhoeff, T.

    2008-01-01

    Programming education and contests have introduced software to help evaluation by executing submitted taskwork. We present the notion of a task package as a unit for collecting, storing, archiving, and exchanging all information concerning a programming task. We also describe a specific format for

  2. Spatial Programming for Industrial Robots Through Task Demonstration

    OpenAIRE

    Jens Lambrecht; Martin Kleinsorge; Martin Rosenstrauch; Jörg Krüger

    2013-01-01

    Abstract We present an intuitive system for the programming of industrial robots using markerless gesture recognition and mobile augmented reality in terms of programming by demonstration. The approach covers gesture-based task definition and adaption by human demonstration, as well as task evaluation through augmented reality. A 3D motion tracking system and a handheld device establish the basis for the presented spatial programming system. In this publication, we present a prototype toward ...

  3. Spatial Programming for Industrial Robots through Task Demonstration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jens Lambrecht

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract We present an intuitive system for the programming of industrial robots using markerless gesture recognition and mobile augmented reality in terms of programming by demonstration. The approach covers gesture-based task definition and adaption by human demonstration, as well as task evaluation through augmented reality. A 3D motion tracking system and a handheld device establish the basis for the presented spatial programming system. In this publication, we present a prototype toward the programming of an assembly sequence consisting of several pick-and-place tasks. A scene reconstruction provides pose estimation of known objects with the help of the 2D camera of the handheld. Therefore, the programmer is able to define the program through natural bare-hand manipulation of these objects with the help of direct visual feedback in the augmented reality application. The program can be adapted by gestures and transmitted subsequently to an arbitrary industrial robot controller using a unified interface. Finally, we discuss an application of the presented spatial programming approach toward robot-based welding tasks.

  4. Task plan for the US Department of Energy TMI-2 programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-10-01

    The Task Plan for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Three Mile Island (TMI) Unit 2 Programs identifies the tasks to be planned and administered by the DOE Technical Integration Office (TIO) in a manner which will maximize the use of available resources, obtain the maximum benefit from the opportunities associated with the TMI-2 cleanup effort, and retrieve generically useful information for addressing some of the key problems and issues facing the nuclear power industry. The Plan identifies tasks in three major program areas where DOE has assumed implementation responsibility. The DOE TMI-2 Programs are: Data Acquisition Program, Waste Immobilization Program, and Reactor Evaluation Program. The plan is intended to serve as a management overview by defining the task objective, benefits, and work scope with respect to prioritization of tasks and utilization of resources

  5. Educational Evaluators--A Model for Task Oriented Position Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rice, David; and others

    1970-01-01

    An outline of 44 evaluator tasks is discussed in terms of its usefulness in defining, evaluating, and improving the position of "educational evaluator ; in adapting the position to the needs of particular institutions; and in designing appropriate evaluator training programs. (JES)

  6. Graphical programming of telerobotic tasks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Small, D.E.; McDonald, M.J.

    1997-01-01

    With a goal of producing faster, safer, and cheaper technologies for nuclear waste cleanup, Sandia is actively developing and extending intelligent systems technologies. Graphical Programming is a key technology for robotic waste cleanup that Sandia is developing for this goal. This paper describes Sancho, Sandia most advanced Graphical Programming supervisory software. Sancho, now operational on several robot systems, incorporates all of Sandia's recent advances in supervisory control. Sancho, developed to rapidly apply Graphical Programming on a diverse set of robot systems, uses a general set of tools to implement task and operational behavior. Sancho can be rapidly reconfigured for new tasks and operations without modifying the supervisory code. Other innovations include task-based interfaces, event-based sequencing, and sophisticated GUI design. These innovations have resulted in robot control programs and approaches that are easier and safer to use than teleoperation, off-line programming, or full automation

  7. Kinematic-Kinetic-Rigidity Evaluation of a Six Axis Robot Performing a Task

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Karagulle

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Six axis serial robots of different sizes are widely used for pick and place, welding and various other operations in industry. Developments in mechatronics, which is the synergistic integration of mechanism, electronics and computer control to achieve a functional system, offer effective solutions for the design of such robots. The integrated analysis of robots is usually used in the design stage. In this study, it is offered that the integrated analysis of robots can also be used at the application stage. SolidWorks, CosmosMotion and ABAQUS programs are used with an integrated approach. Integration software (IS is developed in Visual Basic by using the application programming interface (API capabilities of these programs. An ABB-IRB1400 industrial robot is considered for the study. Different trajectories are considered. Each task is first evaluated by a kinematic analysis. If the task is out of the workspace, then the task is cancelled. This evaluation can also be done by robot programs like Robot Studio. It is proposed that the task must be evaluated by considering the limits for velocities, motor actuation torques, reaction forces, natural frequencies, displacements and stresses due to the flexibility. The evaluation is done using kinematic, kinetic and rigidity evaluation charts. The approach given in this work can be used for the optimal usage of robots.

  8. Thermoelectric materials evaluation program. Quarterly technical task report No. 46

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hampl, E.F. Jr.

    1976-02-01

    This forty-sixth Technical Task Report prepared under contract E(11-1)-2331 with the U.S. AEC and U.S. ERDA covers the performance period from October 1, 1975, to December 31, 1975. Highlights include the following tasks: N-type material development (material synthesis--gadolinium selenide compositions; material analyses; material processing; element contacting; ingradient compatibility and life testing; mechanical property characterization), TPM-217 P-type characterization (material preparation and analyses; element contacting; thermodynamic stability; isothermal chemical compatibility; ingradient compatibility and ingradient life testing; performance mapping of contacted and noncontacted elements; high-temperature partitioned P-legs), couple development (design and development of TPM-217/gadolinium selenide rare earth chalcogenide couple; design and development of TPM-217/3N-PbTe couples; advanced generator concepts), module development, liaison with Jet Propulsion Laboratory and material supply, liaison with GGA, and program management. 24 figures, 27 tables

  9. DOE Defense Program (DP) safety programs. Final report, Task 003

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    The overall objective of the work on Task 003 of Subcontract 9-X52-W7423-1 was to provide LANL with support to the DOE Defense Program (DP) Safety Programs. The effort included the identification of appropriate safety requirements, the refinement of a DP-specific Safety Analysis Report (SAR) Format and Content Guide (FCG) and Comprehensive Review Plan (CRP), incorporation of graded approach instructions into the guidance, and the development of a safety analysis methodologies document. All tasks which were assigned under this Task Order were completed. Descriptions of the objectives of each task and effort performed to complete each objective is provided here

  10. USAF Weapon System Evaluation Program

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    1999-01-01

    During this task period, Schafer Corporation provided engineering services and analysis to the USAF at Eglin AFB, Florida in direct support of the USAF Air-to-Surface Weapon System Evaluation Program (WSEP...

  11. Integrating Robot Task Planning into Off-Line Programming Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sun, Hongyan; Kroszynski, Uri

    1988-01-01

    a system architecture for integrated robot task planning. It identifies and describes the components considered necessary for implementation. The focus is on functionality of these elements as well as on the information flow. A pilot implementation of such an integrated system architecture for a robot......The addition of robot task planning in off-line programming systems aims at improving the capability of current state-of-the-art commercially available off-line programming systems, by integrating modeling, task planning, programming and simulation together under one platform. This article proposes...... assembly task is discussed....

  12. Waste isolation safety assessment program. Task 4. Third contractor information meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1980-06-01

    The Contractor Information Meeting (October 14 to 17, 1979) was part of the FY-1979 effort of Task 4 of the Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program (WISAP): Sorption/Desorption Analysis. The objectives of this task are to: evaluate sorption/desorption measurement methods and develop a standardized measurement procedure; produce a generic data bank of nuclide-geologic interactions using a wide variety of geologic media and groundwaters; perform statistical analysis and synthesis of these data; perform validation studies to compare short-term laboratory studies to long-term in situ behavior; develop a fundamental understanding of sorption/desorption processes; produce x-ray and gamma-emitting isotopes suitable for the study of actinides at tracer concentrations; disseminate resulting information to the international technical community; and provide input data support for repository safety assessment. Conference participants included those subcontracted to WISAP Task 4, representatives and independent subcontractors to the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation, representatives from other waste disposal programs, and experts in the area of waste/geologic media interaction. Since the meeting, WISAP has been divided into two programs: Assessment of Effectiveness of Geologic Isolation Systems (AEGIS) (modeling efforts) and Waste/Rock Interactions Technology (WRIT) (experimental work). The WRIT program encompasses the work conducted under Task 4. This report contains the information presented at the Task 4, Third Contractor Information Meeting. Technical Reports from the subcontractors, as well as Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), are provided along with transcripts of the question-and-answer sessions. The agenda and abstracts of the presentations are also included. Appendix A is a list of the participants. Appendix B gives an overview of the WRIT program and details the WRIT work breakdown structure for 1980

  13. Waste isolation safety assessment program. Task 4. Third contractor information meeting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1980-06-01

    The Contractor Information Meeting (October 14 to 17, 1979) was part of the FY-1979 effort of Task 4 of the Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program (WISAP): Sorption/Desorption Analysis. The objectives of this task are to: evaluate sorption/desorption measurement methods and develop a standardized measurement procedure; produce a generic data bank of nuclide-geologic interactions using a wide variety of geologic media and groundwaters; perform statistical analysis and synthesis of these data; perform validation studies to compare short-term laboratory studies to long-term in situ behavior; develop a fundamental understanding of sorption/desorption processes; produce x-ray and gamma-emitting isotopes suitable for the study of actinides at tracer concentrations; disseminate resulting information to the international technical community; and provide input data support for repository safety assessment. Conference participants included those subcontracted to WISAP Task 4, representatives and independent subcontractors to the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation, representatives from other waste disposal programs, and experts in the area of waste/geologic media interaction. Since the meeting, WISAP has been divided into two programs: Assessment of Effectiveness of Geologic Isolation Systems (AEGIS) (modeling efforts) and Waste/Rock Interactions Technology (WRIT) (experimental work). The WRIT program encompasses the work conducted under Task 4. This report contains the information presented at the Task 4, Third Contractor Information Meeting. Technical Reports from the subcontractors, as well as Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), are provided along with transcripts of the question-and-answer sessions. The agenda and abstracts of the presentations are also included. Appendix A is a list of the participants. Appendix B gives an overview of the WRIT program and details the WRIT work breakdown structure for 1980.

  14. "Doing Geography": Evaluating an Independent Geographic Inquiry Assessment Task in an Initial Teacher Education Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harte, Wendy; Reitano, Paul

    2016-01-01

    The assessment task of the final course in a bachelor of secondary education program is examined for opportunities for preservice geography teachers to achieve the course aims of integrating, consolidating, applying, and reflecting on the knowledge and skills they have learned during their initial teacher education program. The results show that…

  15. A Verification Method of Inter-Task Cooperation in Embedded Real-time Systems and its Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshida, Toshio

    In software development process of embedded real-time systems, the design of the task cooperation process is very important. The cooperating process of such tasks is specified by task cooperation patterns. Adoption of unsuitable task cooperation patterns has fatal influence on system performance, quality, and extendibility. In order to prevent repetitive work caused by the shortage of task cooperation performance, it is necessary to verify task cooperation patterns in an early software development stage. However, it is very difficult to verify task cooperation patterns in an early software developing stage where task program codes are not completed yet. Therefore, we propose a verification method using task skeleton program codes and a real-time kernel that has a function of recording all events during software execution such as system calls issued by task program codes, external interrupts, and timer interrupt. In order to evaluate the proposed verification method, we applied it to the software development process of a mechatronics control system.

  16. Development and evaluation of a multifaceted ergonomics program to prevent injuries associated with patient handling tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Audrey; Matz, Mary; Chen, Fangfei; Siddharthan, Kris; Lloyd, John; Fragala, Guy

    2006-08-01

    Nurses have one of the highest rates of work-related musculoskeletal injury of any profession. Over the past 30 years, efforts to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders in nurses have been largely unsuccessful. The primary goal of this program was to create safer working environments for nursing staff who provide direct patient care. Our first objective was to design and implement a multifaceted program that successfully integrated evidence-based practice, technology, and safety improvement. The second objective was to evaluate the impact of the program on injury rate, lost and modified work days, job satisfaction, self-reported unsafe patient handling acts, level of support for program, staff and patient acceptance, program effectiveness, costs, and return on investment. The intervention included six program elements: (1) Ergonomic Assessment Protocol, (2) Patient Handling Assessment Criteria and Decision Algorithms, (3) Peer Leader role, "Back Injury Resource Nurses", (4) State-of-the-art Equipment, (5) After Action Reviews, and (6) No Lift Policy. A pre-/post design without a control group was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a patient care ergonomics program on 23 high risk units (19 nursing home care units and 4 spinal cord injury units) in 7 facilities. Injury rates, lost work days, modified work days, job satisfaction, staff , and patient acceptance, program effectiveness, and program costs/savings were compared over two nine month periods: pre-intervention (May 2001-January 2002) and post-intervention (March 2002-November 2002). Data were collected prospectively through surveys, weekly process logs, injury logs, and cost logs. The program elements resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the rate of musculoskeletal injuries as well as the number of modified duty days taken per injury. While the total number of lost workdays decreased by 18% post-intervention, this difference was not statistically significant. There were statistically

  17. Robot Task Commander with Extensible Programming Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Stephen W (Inventor); Yamokoski, John D. (Inventor); Wightman, Brian J (Inventor); Dinh, Duy Paul (Inventor); Gooding, Dustin R (Inventor)

    2014-01-01

    A system for developing distributed robot application-level software includes a robot having an associated control module which controls motion of the robot in response to a commanded task, and a robot task commander (RTC) in networked communication with the control module over a network transport layer (NTL). The RTC includes a script engine(s) and a GUI, with a processor and a centralized library of library blocks constructed from an interpretive computer programming code and having input and output connections. The GUI provides access to a Visual Programming Language (VPL) environment and a text editor. In executing a method, the VPL is opened, a task for the robot is built from the code library blocks, and data is assigned to input and output connections identifying input and output data for each block. A task sequence(s) is sent to the control module(s) over the NTL to command execution of the task.

  18. Use of Job Task Analysis (JTA) in the development of craft training programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonyeau, J.A.; Long, R.E.

    1985-01-01

    Northern States Power Company is making a major effort to develop performance based training. It is finding the use of JTA data very helpful in the revision of its maintenance craft training programs. The technique being used involves a group of interns from the Training and Development Program of the University of Minnesota. These interns are largely graduate students, but with no nuclear and little mechanical/electrical experience. A Job Analysis for each discipline was used to: guide the following task analysis, determine program content, evaluate existing OJT check lists, and to define the four crafts used for mechanical maintenance. From the Job Analysis, a Training Task List was developed and correlated to training materials. The analysis of the tasks on the Training Task List is proceeding. Taxonomies of systems or subjects are compared to existing lesson plans. These taxonomies are useful when writing new lesson plans. The taxonomies are an excellent start for the development of enabling objectives. A Nine-Step Plan is being followed in the application of JTA data to the development and refinement of performance based training

  19. Task oriented evaluation system for maintenance robots

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asame, Hajime; Endo, Isao; Kotosaka, Shin-ya; Takata, Shozo; Hiraoka, Hiroyuki; Kohda, Takehisa; Matsumoto, Akihiro; Yamagishi, Kiichiro.

    1994-01-01

    The adaptability evaluation of maintenance robots to autonomous plants has been discussed. In this paper, a new concept of autonomous plant with maintenance robots are introduced, and a framework of autonomous maintenance system is proposed. Then, task-oriented evaluation of robot arms is discussed for evaluating their adaptability to maintenance tasks, and a new criterion called operability is proposed for adaptability evaluation. The task-oriented evaluation system is implemented and applied to structural design of robot arms. Using genetic algorithm, an optimal structure adaptable to a pump disassembly task is obtained. (author)

  20. The Backpack Food Program's Effects on U.S. Elementary Students' Hunger and On-Task Behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ecker, Meghan E.; Sifers, Sarah K.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the BackPack Food Program's effectiveness in combating students' hunger over the weekends and school breaks, as well as analyze the program's effects on students' on-task behavior in the classroom. Additionally, this study examined program satisfaction from students, parents, and…

  1. Effect of a neuromuscular training program on the kinetics and kinematics of jumping tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chappell, Jonathan D; Limpisvasti, Orr

    2008-06-01

    Altered motor control strategies are a proposed cause of the female athlete's increased risk for noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury. Injury prevention programs have shown promising results in decreasing the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury. To evaluate the effect of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic Modified Neuromuscular Training Program on the biomechanics of select jumping tasks in the female collegiate athlete. Controlled laboratory study. Thirty female National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I soccer and basketball players performed vertical jump, hopping tests, and 2 jumping tasks (drop jump and stop jump). All subjects completed a 6-week neuromuscular training program with core strengthening and plyometric training. Three-dimensional motion analysis and force plate data were used to compare the kinetics and kinematics of jumping tasks before and after training. Dynamic knee valgus moment during the stance phase of stop jump tasks decreased after completion of the neuromuscular training program (P = .04), but differences were not observed for the drop jump. Initial knee flexion (P = .003) and maximum knee flexion (P = .006) angles increased during the stance phase of drop jumps after training, but differences were not observed for the stop jump. The athletes showed improved performance in vertical jump (P training program improved select athletic performance measures and changed movement patterns during jumping tasks in the subject population. The use of this neuromuscular training program could potentially modify the collegiate athlete's motion strategies, improve performance, and lower the athlete's risk for injury.

  2. The effect of single-task and dual-task balance exercise programs on balance performance in adults with osteoporosis: a randomized controlled preliminary trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konak, H E; Kibar, S; Ergin, E S

    2016-11-01

    Osteoporosis is a serious disease characterized by muscle weakness in the lower extremities, shortened length of trunk, and increased dorsal kyphosis leading to poor balance performance. Although balance impairment increases in adults with osteoporosis, falls and fall-related injuries have been shown to occur mainly during the dual-task performance. Several studies have shown that dual-task performance was improved with specific repetitive dual-task exercises. The aims of this study were to compare the effect of single- and dual-task balance exercise programs on static balance, dynamic balance, and activity-specific balance confidence in adults with osteoporosis and to assess the effectiveness of dual-task balance training on gait speed under dual-task conditions. Older adults (N = 42) (age range, 45-88 years) with osteoporosis were randomly assigned into two groups. Single-task balance training group was given single-task balance exercises for 4 weeks, whereas dual-task balance training group received dual-task balance exercises. Participants received 45-min individualized training session, three times a week. Static balance was evaluated by one-leg stance (OLS) and a kinesthetic ability trainer (KAT) device. Dynamic balance was measured by the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Time Up and Go (TUG) test, and gait speed. Self-confidence was assessed with the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC-6) scale. Assessments were performed at baseline and after the 4-week program. At the end of the treatment periods, KAT score, BBS score, time in OLS and TUG, gait speeds under single- and dual-task conditions, and ABC-6 scale scores improved significantly in all patients (p gait speeds under single- and dual-task conditions showed significantly greater improvement in the dual-task balance training group than in the single-task balance training group (p gait speeds showed greater improvement following the application of a specific type of dual-task exercise programs

  3. The Glasgow Parallel Reduction Machine: Programming Shared-memory Many-core Systems using Parallel Task Composition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashkan Tousimojarad

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available We present the Glasgow Parallel Reduction Machine (GPRM, a novel, flexible framework for parallel task-composition based many-core programming. We allow the programmer to structure programs into task code, written as C++ classes, and communication code, written in a restricted subset of C++ with functional semantics and parallel evaluation. In this paper we discuss the GPRM, the virtual machine framework that enables the parallel task composition approach. We focus the discussion on GPIR, the functional language used as the intermediate representation of the bytecode running on the GPRM. Using examples in this language we show the flexibility and power of our task composition framework. We demonstrate the potential using an implementation of a merge sort algorithm on a 64-core Tilera processor, as well as on a conventional Intel quad-core processor and an AMD 48-core processor system. We also compare our framework with OpenMP tasks in a parallel pointer chasing algorithm running on the Tilera processor. Our results show that the GPRM programs outperform the corresponding OpenMP codes on all test platforms, and can greatly facilitate writing of parallel programs, in particular non-data parallel algorithms such as reductions.

  4. Manipulator system man-machine interface evaluation program. [technology assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malone, T. B.; Kirkpatrick, M.; Shields, N. L.

    1974-01-01

    Application and requirements for remote manipulator systems for future space missions were investigated. A manipulator evaluation program was established to study the effects of various systems parameters on operator performance of tasks necessary for remotely manned missions. The program and laboratory facilities are described. Evaluation criteria and philosophy are discussed.

  5. Alternative Aviation Jet Fuel Sustainability Evaluation Report Task 1 : Report Evaluating Existing Sustainability Evaluation Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-25

    This report describes how existing biofuel sustainability evaluation programs meet requirements that are under consideration or are in early phases of adoption and implementation in various US and international contexts. Biofuel sustainability evalua...

  6. AUTOMATION PROGRAM FOR RECOGNITION OF ALGORITHM SOLUTION OF MATHEMATIC TASK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denis N. Butorin

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In the article are been describing technology for manage of testing task in computer program. It was found for recognition of algorithm solution of mathematic task. There are been justifi ed the using hierarchical structure for a special set of testing questions. Also, there has been presented the release of the described tasks in the computer program openSEE. 

  7. AUTOMATION PROGRAM FOR RECOGNITION OF ALGORITHM SOLUTION OF MATHEMATIC TASK

    OpenAIRE

    Denis N. Butorin

    2014-01-01

    In the article are been describing technology for manage of testing task in computer program. It was found for recognition of algorithm solution of mathematic task. There are been justifi ed the using hierarchical structure for a special set of testing questions. Also, there has been presented the release of the described tasks in the computer program openSEE. 

  8. Report by the International Space Station (ISS) Management and Cost Evaluation (IMCE) Task Force

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, A. Thomas; Kellogg, Yvonne (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    The International Space Station (ISS) Management and Cost Evaluation Task Force (IMCE) was chartered to conduct an independent external review and assessment of the ISS cost, budget, and management. In addition, the Task Force was asked to provide recommendations that could provide maximum benefit to the U.S. taxpayers and the International Partners within the President's budget request. The Task Force has made the following principal findings: (1) The ISS Program's technical achievements to date, as represented by on-orbit capability, are extraordinary; (2) The Existing ISS Program Plan for executing the FY 02-06 budget is not credible; (3) The existing deficiencies in management structure, institutional culture, cost estimating, and program control must be acknowledged and corrected for the Program to move forward in a credible fashion; (4) Additional budget flexibility, from within the Office of Space Flight (OSF) must be provided for a credible core complete program; (5) The research support program is proceeding assuming the budget that was in place before the FY02 budget runout reduction of $1B; (6) There are opportunities to maximize research on the core station program with modest cost impact; (7) The U.S. Core Complete configuration (three person crew) as an end-state will not achieve the unique research potential of the ISS; (8) The cost estimates for the U.S.-funded enhancement options (e.g., permanent seven person crew) are not sufficiently developed to assess credibility. After these findings, the Task Force has formulated several primary recommendations which are published here and include: (1) Major changes must be made in how the ISS program is managed; (2) Additional cost reductions are required within the baseline program; (3) Additional funds must be identified and applied from the Human Space Flight budget; (4) A clearly defined program with a credible end-state, agreed to by all stakeholders, must be developed and implemented.

  9. Characterizing and Mitigating Work Time Inflation in Task Parallel Programs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen L. Olivier

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Task parallelism raises the level of abstraction in shared memory parallel programming to simplify the development of complex applications. However, task parallel applications can exhibit poor performance due to thread idleness, scheduling overheads, and work time inflation – additional time spent by threads in a multithreaded computation beyond the time required to perform the same work in a sequential computation. We identify the contributions of each factor to lost efficiency in various task parallel OpenMP applications and diagnose the causes of work time inflation in those applications. Increased data access latency can cause significant work time inflation in NUMA systems. Our locality framework for task parallel OpenMP programs mitigates this cause of work time inflation. Our extensions to the Qthreads library demonstrate that locality-aware scheduling can improve performance up to 3X compared to the Intel OpenMP task scheduler.

  10. A training program to improve gait while dual tasking in patients with Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yogev-Seligmann, Galit; Giladi, Nir; Brozgol, Marina; Hausdorff, Jeffrey M

    2012-01-01

    Impairments in the ability to perform another task while walking (ie, dual tasking [DT]) are associated with an increased risk of falling. Here we describe a program we developed specifically to improve DT performance while walking based on motor learning principles and task-specific training. We examined feasibility, potential efficacy, retention, and transfer to the performance of untrained tasks in a pilot study among 7 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Seven patients (Hoehn and Yahr stage, 2.1±0.2) were evaluated before, after, and 1 month after 4 weeks of DT training. Gait speed and gait variability were measured during usual walking and during 4 DT conditions. The 4-week program of one-on-one training included walking while performing several distinct cognitive tasks. Gait speed and gait variability during DT significantly improved. Improvements were also seen in the DT conditions that were not specifically trained and were retained 1 month after training. These initial findings support the feasibility of applying a task-specific DT gait training program for patients with PD and suggest that it positively affects DT gait, even in untrained tasks. The present results are also consistent with the possibility that DT gait training enhances divided attention abilities during walking. Copyright © 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Independent auto evaluation of an operative radiological protection program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Medrano L, M.A.; Rodriguez C, C.C.; Linares R, D.; Zarate M, N.; Zempoalteca B, R.

    2006-01-01

    The program of operative radiological protection of a nuclear power plant consists of multiple procedures and associate tasks that have as purpose the radiological protection of the workers of the power station. It is for this reason that the constant evaluation of the one it programs it is an important tool in the identification of their weaknesses (and strengths), so they can be assisted appropriately. In this work the main elements of the program of independent auto evaluation of the program of operative radiological protection of the Laguna Verde Central that has been developed and implemented by the National Institute of Nuclear Research are described. (Author)

  12. National Evaluation of the Weatherization Assistance Program: Preliminary Evaluation Plan for Program Year 2006

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ternes, Mark P [ORNL; Schweitzer, Martin [ORNL; Tonn, Bruce Edward [ORNL; Schmoyer, Richard L [ORNL; Eisenberg, Joel Fred [ORNL

    2007-02-01

    federal, state, and local initiatives. For example, the use of computerized audits has increased, cooling and baseload measures have been added, weatherization approaches tailored to the unique construction characteristics of mobile homes have been developed, the weatherization of large multifamily buildings has expanded and become more sophisticated, the flexibility to improve 'energy-related' health and safety has been provided, and leveraging with utilities, other state programs, and owners of large multifamily buildings has increased considerably. The Department of Energy tasked ORNL with planning the new evaluation in light of its experience in conducting the previous national evaluation and the metaevaluations. This preliminary evaluation plan, developed by ORNL, documents how the new national evaluation will be performed. In the remaining portion of this section, the purpose and fundamental questions the evaluation will address are identified and how these questions were derived is discussed.

  13. Appraisal, Coping, Task Performance, and Cardiovascular Responses during the Evaluated Speaking Task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baggett, H. Lane; And Others

    1996-01-01

    Appraisal, coping, task performance, and cardiovascular responses were examined among men high and low in speech anxiety who prepared and performed a speech under evaluative conditions. Speech-anxious men saw the task as more threatening. They were more stressed, anxious, distracted, and aware of their emotions, focused on the passage of time, and…

  14. Retention of laparoscopic psychomotor skills after a structured training program depends on the quality of the training and on the complexity of the task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molinas, Carlos Roger; Campo, Rudi

    2016-01-01

    This follow-up RCT was conducted to evaluate laparoscopic psychomotor skills retention after finishing a structured training program. In a first study, 80 gynecologists were randomly allocated to four groups to follow different training programs for hand-eye coordination (task 1) with the dominant hand (task 1-a) and the non-dominant hand (task 1-b) and laparoscopic intra-corporeal knot tying (task 2) in the Laparoscopic Skills Testing and Training (LASTT) model. First, baseline skills were tested (T1). Then, participants trained task 1 (G1: 1-a and 1-b, G2: 1-a only, G3 and G4: none) and then task 2 (all groups but G4). After training all groups were tested again to evaluate skills acquisition (T2). For this study, 2 years after a resting period, 73 participants were recruited and tested again to evaluate skills retention (T3). All groups had comparable skills at T1 for all tasks. At T2, G1, G2, and G3 improved their skills, but the level of improvement was different (G1 = G2 > G3 > G4 for task 1; G1 = G2 = G3 > G4 for task 2). At T3, all groups retained their task 1 skills at the same level than at T2. For task 2, however, a skill decay was already noticed for G2 and G3, being G1 the only group that retained their skills at the post-training level. Training improves laparoscopic skills, which can be retained over time depending on the comprehensiveness of the training program and on the complexity of the task. For high complexity tasks, full training is advisable for both skills acquisition and retention.

  15. DOE high-level waste tank safety program Final report, Task 002

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    The overall objective of the work on Task 002 was to provide LANL with support to the DOE High-Level Waste Tank Safety program. The objective of the work was to develop safety documentation in support of the unsafe tank mitigation activities at Hanford. The work includes the development of safety assessment and an environmental assessment. All tasks which were assigned under this Task Order were completed. Descriptions of the objectives of each task and effort performed to complete each objective are provided. The two tasks were: Task 2.1--safety assessment for instrumentation insertion; and Task 2.2--environmental assessment

  16. Life Sciences Program Tasks and Bibliography

    Science.gov (United States)

    1996-01-01

    This document includes information on all peer reviewed projects funded by the Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications, Life Sciences Division during fiscal year 1995. Additionally, this inaugural edition of the Task Book includes information for FY 1994 programs. This document will be published annually and made available to scientists in the space life sciences field both as a hard copy and as an interactive Internet web page

  17. Integrated Task And Data Parallel Programming: Language Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimshaw, Andrew S.; West, Emily A.

    1998-01-01

    his research investigates the combination of task and data parallel language constructs within a single programming language. There are an number of applications that exhibit properties which would be well served by such an integrated language. Examples include global climate models, aircraft design problems, and multidisciplinary design optimization problems. Our approach incorporates data parallel language constructs into an existing, object oriented, task parallel language. The language will support creation and manipulation of parallel classes and objects of both types (task parallel and data parallel). Ultimately, the language will allow data parallel and task parallel classes to be used either as building blocks or managers of parallel objects of either type, thus allowing the development of single and multi-paradigm parallel applications. 1995 Research Accomplishments In February I presented a paper at Frontiers '95 describing the design of the data parallel language subset. During the spring I wrote and defended my dissertation proposal. Since that time I have developed a runtime model for the language subset. I have begun implementing the model and hand-coding simple examples which demonstrate the language subset. I have identified an astrophysical fluid flow application which will validate the data parallel language subset. 1996 Research Agenda Milestones for the coming year include implementing a significant portion of the data parallel language subset over the Legion system. Using simple hand-coded methods, I plan to demonstrate (1) concurrent task and data parallel objects and (2) task parallel objects managing both task and data parallel objects. My next steps will focus on constructing a compiler and implementing the fluid flow application with the language. Concurrently, I will conduct a search for a real-world application exhibiting both task and data parallelism within the same program m. Additional 1995 Activities During the fall I collaborated

  18. Toy Control Program evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, H A; Ormond, C; Seeger, B R

    1991-08-01

    The Toy Control Program for the Apple IIe microcomputer is a software and hardware package developed for the training of single-switch scanning skills. The specially designed scanning programs provide on screen visual feedback and activate a battery-powered toy to reinforce performance. This study examined whether the training of preschool subjects in single-switch scanning skills with the Toy Control Program would result in increased task completion scores and increased levels of attention to task, as compared with conditions of toy activation only and microcomputer programs with screen reinforcement only. The results showed that the subjects paid significantly more attention to the toys as reinforcers (p less than .01). No significant difference was found for the performance results of the three conditions. These findings support the use of a program like the Toy Control Program, which integrates the instructional capabilities of a computer with the reinforcement potential of a toy and the creativity of a therapist.

  19. The New Brunswick Laboratory Safeguards Measurement Evaluation Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cacic, C.G.; Trahey, N.M.; Zook, A.C.

    1987-01-01

    The New Brunswick Laboratory (NBL) has been tasked by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Safeguards and Security (OSS) to assess and evaluate the adequacy of measurement technology as applied to materials accounting in DOE nuclear facilities. The Safeguards Measurement Evaluation (SME) Program was developed as a means to monitor and evaluate the quality and effectiveness of accounting measurements by site, material balance area (MBA), or unit process. Phase I of the SME Program, initiated during 1985, involved evaluation of the primary accountability measurement methods at six DOE Defense Programs facilities: Savannah River Plant, Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Y-12 Plant, Rocky Flats Plant, Rockwell Hanford Operations, and NBL. Samples of uranyl nitrate solution, dried plutonium nitrates, and plutonium oxides were shipped to the participants for assay and isotopic abundance measurements. Resulting data are presented and evaluated as indicators of current state-of-the-practice accountability measurement methodology, deficiencies in materials accounting practices, and areas for possible assistance in upgrading measurement capabilities. Continuing expansion of the SME Program to include materials which are representative of specific accountability measurement points within the DOE complex is discussed

  20. USING OF TASK APPROACH METHOD WHILE TEACHING PROGRAMMING TO THE FUTURE INFORMATICS TEACHERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oleksandr M. Kryvonos

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available This article is dedicated to the problem of teaching programming to the future informatics teachers from the standpoint of competence approach in teaching. The article defines the role and the place of task approach in the process of teaching the module on “Procedure programming”, which is the part of the programming course; it scrutinizes the systematization of levels of tasks, which are proposed by D. Toleengerov. The article describes the levels of complexity of tasks (reproductive, partially searching, research (creative, which are used in the formation of methodological provision for programming course. It also presents the examples of tasks of specific topics to solve which a student should have habits which are crucial for informational communicational technological competence.

  1. Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Construction Cost Reductions through the Use of Virtual Environments - Task 4 Report: Virtual Mockup Maintenance Task Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Timothy Shaw; Anthony Baratta; Vaughn Whisker

    2005-02-28

    Task 4 report of 3 year DOE NERI-sponsored effort evaluating immersive virtual reality (CAVE) technology for design review, construction planning, and maintenance planning and training for next generation nuclear power plants. Program covers development of full-scale virtual mockups generated from 3D CAD data presented in a CAVE visualization facility. This report focuses on using Full-scale virtual mockups for nuclear power plant training applications.

  2. Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Construction Cost Reductions through the Use of Virtual Environments - Task 4 Report: Virtual Mockup Maintenance Task Evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Timothy Shaw; Anthony Baratta; Vaughn Whisker

    2005-01-01

    Task 4 report of 3 year DOE NERI-sponsored effort evaluating immersive virtual reality (CAVE) technology for design review, construction planning, and maintenance planning and training for next generation nuclear power plants. Program covers development of full-scale virtual mockups generated from 3D CAD data presented in a CAVE visualization facility. This report focuses on using Full-scale virtual mockups for nuclear power plant training applications

  3. Evaluation of training programs: A pragmatic perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilkinson, J.D.

    1996-01-01

    The Canadian nuclear regulatory agency endorses the Systematic Approach to Training (SAT) as the most reliable method of providing effective, efficient training to Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) personnel. However the benefits of SAT cannot be realized unless all five phases of SAT are implemented. This is particularly true with respect to evaluation. Although each phase of SAT builds on the preceding one, the evaluation phase continuously feeds back into each of the others and also provides the means to verify the entire training programme building process. It is useful, therefore, to examine the issues relating to the what, why, who, when and how of training programme evaluation. ''What'' identifies the various aspects of the training programme to be evaluated, including the need for training, the training standard, the task list, trainer competence, test results, training results, program acceptance and numerous indicators that identify a need for evaluation. ''Why'' addresses legal and regulatory aspects, resource management, worker and public safety, worker and trainer competence and morale, and the cost/benefit of the training program. ''Who'' examines the need to involve trainers, trainees, plant subject matter experts (SMEs), and both plant and training centre supervisory and management staff. ''When'' addresses time-related concerns such as the importance of ensuring at the outset that the training program is actually needed, the necessity of responding promptly to local, national and world events, changes in legal and regulatory responsibilities, and the overriding importance of timely, routine training program evaluations. ''How'' describes the process of conducting a training program evaluation, and addresses the relationships of these five aspects of evaluation to each other. (author). 10 refs

  4. Combining program visualization with programming workspace to assist students for completing programming laboratory task

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elvina Elvina

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Numerous Program Visualization tools (PVs have been developed for assisting novice students to understand their source code further. However, none of them are practical to be used in the context of completing programming laboratory task; students are required to keep switching between PV and programming workspace when they need to know how their code works. This paper combines PV with programming workspace to handle such issue. Resulted tool (which is named PITON has 13 features extracted from PythonTutor, PyCharm, and student’s feedbacks about PythonTutor. According to think-aloud and user study, PITON is more practical to be used than a combination of PythonTutor and PyCharm. Further, its features are considerably helpful; students rated these features as useful and frequently used.

  5. Functional Task Test (FTT)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bloomberg, Jacob J.; Mulavara, Ajitkumar; Peters, Brian T.; Rescheke, Millard F.; Wood, Scott; Lawrence, Emily; Koffman, Igor; Ploutz-Snyder, Lori; Spiering, Barry A.; Feeback, Daniel L.; hide

    2009-01-01

    This slide presentation reviews the Functional Task Test (FTT), an interdisciplinary testing regimen that has been developed to evaluate astronaut postflight functional performance and related physiological changes. The objectives of the project are: (1) to develop a set of functional tasks that represent critical mission tasks for the Constellation Program, (2) determine the ability to perform these tasks after space flight, (3) Identify the key physiological factors that contribute to functional decrements and (4) Use this information to develop targeted countermeasures.

  6. Tritium tasks for the net fusion technology program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hircq, B.

    1990-01-01

    Six Tritium Technology tasks have been undertaken in the BRUYERES-LE-CHATEL Research Center of the French Atomic Energy Commission, in June 1986, as part of the NET Tritium Technology Program. Four of these six studies concern the torus exhaust gas purification and two of them are more specific of the involved materials. In 1988, the studies themselves have begun and the objective of this document is to indicate, for each task, the main results which have been obtained during the period 1988-89, for allowing a global valuation of the progress state as well as an anticipation for carrying out the works

  7. Data summary for the near-shore sediment characterization task of the Clinch River Environmental Restoration Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levine, D.A.; Hargrove, W.W.; Campbell, K.R.; Wood, M.A.; Rash, C.D.

    1994-10-01

    This report presents the results of the Near-Shore Sediment Characterization Task of the Clinch River Environmental Restoration Program (CR-ERP). The goals of the task were to (1) determine the extent to which near-shore surface sediments are contaminated by releases from the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) and (2) provide data for the Watts Bar Reservoir Interagency Permitting Group (WBRIPG) to evaluate the human health risks from exposure to sediments during and following dredging operations. The data collected for this task are also to be used in the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RLTS) for the CR-ERP operable units (Lower Watts Bar and Clinch River) to characterize the human health risk associated with exposure to near-shore sediments throughout the Watts Bar Reservoir

  8. MoDOT pavement preservation research program volume IV, pavement evaluation tools-data collection methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-10-01

    The overarching goal of the MoDOT Pavement Preservation Research Program, Task 3: Pavement Evaluation Tools Data : Collection Methods was to identify and evaluate methods to rapidly obtain network-level and project-level information relevant to :...

  9. Evaluating public involvement in the National Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-09-01

    The Department of Energy contracted with the Keystone Center to evaluate the effectiveness of the National Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Program's public-involvement efforts. The Center chose six evaluators with diverse training and experience related to low-level waste management and public-participation programs. Keystone's evaluation was based on (a) observations by the evaluators who attended the National Program-sponsored strategy review meetings and fairs; (b) interviews with low-level waste generators, local government officials, state legislators, public-interest groups, and members of the general public; and (c) observations of the final National Program strategy task force meeting. The evaluators concluded that, overall, the public-participation processes yielded some very positive results - for policy development and for DOE and the EG and G staff. They judged the strategy document to be complete, concise, and helpful to public dialogue on low-level waste issues. They also made specific recommendations for improvements to the public-participation program

  10. LUDEP: A Lung Dose Evaluation Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Birchall, A.; Bailey, M.R.; James, A.C.

    1990-06-01

    A Task Group of the ICRP is currently reviewing its dosimetric model for the respiratory tract with the aim of producing a more comprehensive and realistic model which can be used both for dosimetry and bioassay purposes. This in turn requires deposition, clearance, and dosimetry to be treated in a more detailed manner in than in the current model. In order to examine the practical application and radiological implications of the proposed model, a microcomputer program has been developed in a modular form so that changes can be easily included as the model develops. LUDEP (Lung Dose Evaluation Program) is a user-friendly menu-driven program which can be operated on any IBM-compatible PC. It enables the user to calculate (a) doses to each region of the respiratory tract and all other body organs, and (b) excretion rates and retention curves for bioassay purposes. 11 refs., 4 figs., 6 tabs

  11. Task-oriented structural design of manipulators based on operability evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kotosaka, Shin-ya; Asama, Hajime; Takata, Shozo; Hiraoka, Hiroyuki; Kohda, Takehisa; Matsumoto, Akihiro; Endo, Isao.

    1995-01-01

    In this paper, a new method for designing the structure of manipulators based on evaluation of their adaptability to tasks is proposed. In the method, task directions are classified into three kinds of direction; operational direction, constrained direction and free direction. On each direction, condition of constraints by task environment is represented. The tasks are represented by a set of direction and condition of constraints. A new criterion, operability, is defined to quantify adaptability of manipulator to tasks, taking account of mobility in operational directions and immobility in constrained directions. The mobility and immobility is calculated based on the Jacobian matrix of manipulator. The operability evaluation method is implemented, and applied to structural design of manipulators, in which link parameters are optimized by the genetic algorithm. This system can derive suitable structure of manipulator to various tasks. The effectiveness of the system is shown concerning examples of welding tasks. (author)

  12. Visual Saliency Prediction and Evaluation across Different Perceptual Tasks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shafin Rahman

    Full Text Available Saliency maps produced by different algorithms are often evaluated by comparing output to fixated image locations appearing in human eye tracking data. There are challenges in evaluation based on fixation data due to bias in the data. Properties of eye movement patterns that are independent of image content may limit the validity of evaluation results, including spatial bias in fixation data. To address this problem, we present modeling and evaluation results for data derived from different perceptual tasks related to the concept of saliency. We also present a novel approach to benchmarking to deal with some of the challenges posed by spatial bias. The results presented establish the value of alternatives to fixation data to drive improvement and development of models. We also demonstrate an approach to approximate the output of alternative perceptual tasks based on computational saliency and/or eye gaze data. As a whole, this work presents novel benchmarking results and methods, establishes a new performance baseline for perceptual tasks that provide an alternative window into visual saliency, and demonstrates the capacity for saliency to serve in approximating human behaviour for one visual task given data from another.

  13. Research on safety evaluation model for in-vehicle secondary task driving.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Lisheng; Xian, Huacai; Niu, Qingning; Bie, Jing

    2015-08-01

    This paper presents a new method for evaluating in-vehicle secondary task driving safety. There are five in-vehicle distracter tasks: tuning the radio to a local station, touching the touch-screen telephone menu to a certain song, talking with laboratory assistant, answering a telephone via Bluetooth headset, and finding the navigation system from Ipad4 computer. Forty young drivers completed the driving experiment on a driving simulator. Measures of fixations, saccades, and blinks are collected and analyzed. Based on the measures of driver eye movements which have significant difference between the baseline and secondary task driving conditions, the evaluation index system is built. The Analytic Network Process (ANP) theory is applied for determining the importance weight of the evaluation index in a fuzzy environment. On the basis of the importance weight of the evaluation index, Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE) method is utilized to evaluate the secondary task driving safety. Results show that driving with secondary tasks greatly distracts the driver's attention from road and the evaluation model built in this study could estimate driving safety effectively under different driving conditions. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Expressing Coarse-Grain Dependencies Among Tasks in Shared Memory Programs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Per; Karlsson, Sven; Madsen, Jan

    2011-01-01

    Designers of embedded systems face tight constraints on resources, response time and cost. The ability to analyze embedded systems is essential to timely delivery of new designs. Many analysis techniques model parallel programs as task graphs. Task graphs capture the worst-case execution times....... The overhead of verifying the correct use of the directives was measured on a set of benchmarks on two platforms. The overhead of runtime checks was found to be negligible in all instances....

  15. Incorporating Language Structure in a Communicative Task: An Analysis of the Language Component of a Communicative Task in the LINC Home Study Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenchuk, Iryna

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to analyze a task included in the LINC Home Study (LHS) program. LHS is a federally funded distance education program offered to newcomers to Canada who are unable to attend regular LINC classes. A task, in which a language structure (a gerund) is chosen and analyzed, was selected from one instructional module of LHS…

  16. Utilizing job/task analysis to establish content validity in the design of training programs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nay, W.E.

    1988-01-01

    The decade of the 1980's has been a turbulent time for the Department of Energy. With concern mounting about the terrorist threat, a wave of congressional inquiries and internal inspections crossed the nation and engulfed many of the nuclear laboratories and facilities operated by DOE contractors. A typical finding was the need to improve, and increase, the training of the protective force. The immediate reaction resulted in a wide variety of responses, with most contractors feeling safer with too much, rather than not enough training. As soon as the initial pressures to upgrade subsided, a task force was established to evaluate the overall training needs. Representatives from the contractor facilities worked together to conduct a job analysis of the protective force. A generic task inventory was established, and validated at the different sites. This list has been invaluable for determining the tasks, conditions, and standards needed to develop well stated learning objectives. The enhanced training programs are being refined to ensure job content validity based on the data collected.

  17. A framework for telehealth program evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nepal, Surya; Li, Jane; Jang-Jaccard, Julian; Alem, Leila

    2014-04-01

    Evaluating telehealth programs is a challenging task, yet it is the most sensible first step when embarking on a telehealth study. How can we frame and report on telehealth studies? What are the health services elements to select based on the application needs? What are the appropriate terms to use to refer to such elements? Various frameworks have been proposed in the literature to answer these questions, and each framework is defined by a set of properties covering different aspects of telehealth systems. The most common properties include application, technology, and functionality. With the proliferation of telehealth, it is important not only to understand these properties, but also to define new properties to account for a wider range of context of use and evaluation outcomes. This article presents a comprehensive framework for delivery design, implementation, and evaluation of telehealth services. We first survey existing frameworks proposed in the literature and then present our proposed comprehensive multidimensional framework for telehealth. Six key dimensions of the proposed framework include health domains, health services, delivery technologies, communication infrastructure, environment setting, and socioeconomic analysis. We define a set of example properties for each dimension. We then demonstrate how we have used our framework to evaluate telehealth programs in rural and remote Australia. A few major international studies have been also mapped to demonstrate the feasibility of the framework. The key characteristics of the framework are as follows: (a) loosely coupled and hence easy to use, (b) provides a basis for describing a wide range of telehealth programs, and (c) extensible to future developments and needs.

  18. Task Oriented Evaluation of Module Extraction Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palmisano, Ignazio; Tamma, Valentina; Payne, Terry; Doran, Paul

    Ontology Modularization techniques identify coherent and often reusable regions within an ontology. The ability to identify such modules, thus potentially reducing the size or complexity of an ontology for a given task or set of concepts is increasingly important in the Semantic Web as domain ontologies increase in terms of size, complexity and expressivity. To date, many techniques have been developed, but evaluation of the results of these techniques is sketchy and somewhat ad hoc. Theoretical properties of modularization algorithms have only been studied in a small number of cases. This paper presents an empirical analysis of a number of modularization techniques, and the modules they identify over a number of diverse ontologies, by utilizing objective, task-oriented measures to evaluate the fitness of the modules for a number of statistical classification problems.

  19. Evaluating task-based syllabus for EFL learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luu, Hoang Mai

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This research is an evaluation of the effectiveness of task-based syllabus on EFL learners’ language competence at a private university in Vietnam educational context. This research resorts to questionnaire survey, semi-structured interview, and pretest and posttest as instruments for data collection. The research findings revealed that a strength of the current task-based syllabus is the match between lesson topics and students’ expectations. However, the syllabus still created difficulties for students including insufficient vocabulary, unfamiliar structures, and lack of life knowledge. The effect of teaching with task-based syllabus on students’ language performance is also reflected through a significant difference in mean scores between the pretest and the posttest. This research provides an insight into the effectiveness of English teaching through task-based syllabus at a private university in Vietnam setting. It implies to teachers that they need to be sustainable change catalysts for more interesting syllabus for learners

  20. Evaluation Program initiative

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rich, B.L.

    1987-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to provide the Department of Energy's (DOE) safeguards and security community with some insights on an important management initiative by the Office of Security Evaluations (OSE). The paper will present the ''what, where, who, when, and why'' of a new Evaluation Program. The Evaluation Program will be comprised of a continuing series of regular and special evaluations of DOE safeguards and security programs and policies. The evaluations will be integrative and ''crosscutting,'' i.e. will extend across DOE organizational lines. Evaluations will be offered as positive advisories to DOE managers with safeguards and security responsibilities and will not be rated. They will complement the ongoing OSE Inspection Program of inspections conducted by OSE's Inspection Division. The purpose for the evaluations is to establish an accurate and current assessment of the effectiveness and status of safeguards and security programs and policies and to provide DOE managers with required information on program and policy effectiveness

  1. Human factors evaluation of teletherapy: Function and task analysis. Volume 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaye, R.D.; Henriksen, K.; Jones, R. [Hughes Training, Inc., Falls Church, VA (United States); Morisseau, D.S.; Serig, D.I. [Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States). Div. of Systems Technology

    1995-07-01

    As a treatment methodology, teletherapy selectively destroys cancerous and other tissue by exposure to an external beam of ionizing radiation. Sources of radiation are either a radioactive isotope, typically Cobalt-60 (Co-60), or a linear accelerator. Records maintained by the NRC have identified instances of teletherapy misadministration where the delivered radiation dose has differed from the radiation prescription (e.g., instances where fractions were delivered to the wrong patient, to the wrong body part, or were too great or too little with respect to the defined treatment volume). Both human error and machine malfunction have led to misadministrations. Effective and safe treatment requires a concern for precision and consistency of human-human and human-machine interactions throughout the course of therapy. The present study is the first part of a series of human factors evaluations for identifying the root causes that lead to human error in the teletherapy environment. The human factors evaluations included: (1) a function and task analysis of teletherapy activities, (2) an evaluation of the human-system interfaces, (3) an evaluation of procedures used by teletherapy staff, (4) an evaluation of the training and qualifications of treatment staff (excluding the oncologists), (5) an evaluation of organizational practices and policies, and (6) an identification of problems and alternative approaches for NRC and industry attention. The present report addresses the function and task analysis of teletherapy activities and provides the foundation for the conduct of the subsequent evaluations. The report includes sections on background, methodology, a description of the function and task analysis, and use of the task analysis findings for the subsequent tasks. The function and task analysis data base also is included.

  2. Human factors evaluation of teletherapy: Function and task analysis. Volume 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaye, R.D.; Henriksen, K.; Jones, R.; Morisseau, D.S.; Serig, D.I.

    1995-07-01

    As a treatment methodology, teletherapy selectively destroys cancerous and other tissue by exposure to an external beam of ionizing radiation. Sources of radiation are either a radioactive isotope, typically Cobalt-60 (Co-60), or a linear accelerator. Records maintained by the NRC have identified instances of teletherapy misadministration where the delivered radiation dose has differed from the radiation prescription (e.g., instances where fractions were delivered to the wrong patient, to the wrong body part, or were too great or too little with respect to the defined treatment volume). Both human error and machine malfunction have led to misadministrations. Effective and safe treatment requires a concern for precision and consistency of human-human and human-machine interactions throughout the course of therapy. The present study is the first part of a series of human factors evaluations for identifying the root causes that lead to human error in the teletherapy environment. The human factors evaluations included: (1) a function and task analysis of teletherapy activities, (2) an evaluation of the human-system interfaces, (3) an evaluation of procedures used by teletherapy staff, (4) an evaluation of the training and qualifications of treatment staff (excluding the oncologists), (5) an evaluation of organizational practices and policies, and (6) an identification of problems and alternative approaches for NRC and industry attention. The present report addresses the function and task analysis of teletherapy activities and provides the foundation for the conduct of the subsequent evaluations. The report includes sections on background, methodology, a description of the function and task analysis, and use of the task analysis findings for the subsequent tasks. The function and task analysis data base also is included

  3. ANA - a program for evaluation of gamma spectra from environmental samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mishev, P.

    1993-01-01

    The program aims at for evaluation of gamma spectra, collected in different multichannel analyzers. It provides file format conversion from most popular file spectra formats. The program includes: spectra visualization; energy and shape calibration; efficiency calibration; automatic peak search; resolving of multiplets and peak calculations, based on program KATOK; isotope library; isotope identification and activity calculations. Three types of efficiency calibrations are possible: spline approximation; two branches logarithmic approximation; and polynomial approximation based on orthonormal polynomials. The suggestions of the International Atomic Energy Agency were taken into account in development of the algorithms. The program allows batch spectra processing appropriate for routine tasks and user controlled evaluations. Calculations of lower detection limits of some user defined isotopes are also possible. The program calculates precisely the statistical uncertainties of the final results. The error sources taken into account are: standard source activity errors, efficiency approximation errors and current measurement errors. (author)

  4. 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

  5. Evaluation of OPPS model for plant operator's task simulation with Micro-SAINT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Kazuo

    1991-03-01

    The development of a computer simulation method for cognitive behavior of operators under emergency conditions in nuclear power plant are being conducted at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). As one of activities in this project, the task network modeling and simulation method has been evaluated with reproduced OPPS model using Micro-SAINT which is a PC software for task network analysis. OPPS is an operator's task simulation model developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Operator's tasks under the condition of failure open of a safety relief valve in a BWR power plant has been analyzed as a sample problem with Micro-SAINT version of OPPS for the evaluation of task network analysis method. Furthermore, the fundamental capabilities of Micro-SAINT has been evaluated, and the task network in OPPS model has been also examined. As the results of this study, it has been clarified that random seed numbers in Micro-SAINT affect the probabilistic branching ratio and the distribution of task execution time calculated by Monte Carlo simulations, and the expression of network for a repeated task in the OPPS model leads to incorrect standard deviation in the case that a task execution time has some distribution. (author)

  6. Model-Based Approach to the Evaluation of Task Complexity in Nuclear Power Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ham, Dong Han

    2007-02-01

    This study developed a model-based method for evaluating task complexity and examined the ways of evaluating the complexity of tasks designed for abnormal situations and daily task situations in NPPs. The main results of this study can be summarised as follows. First, this study developed a conceptual framework for studying complexity factors and a model of complexity factors that classifies complexity factors according to the types of knowledge that human operators use. Second, this study developed a more practical model of task complexity factors and identified twenty-one complexity factors based on the model. The model emphasizes that a task is a system to be designed and its complexity has several dimensions. Third, we developed a method of identifying task complexity factors and evaluating task complexity qualitatively based on the developed model of task complexity factors. This method can be widely used in various task situations. Fourth, this study examined the applicability of TACOM to abnormal situations and daily task situations, such as maintenance and confirmed that it can be reasonably used in those situations. Fifth, we developed application examples to demonstrate the use of the theoretical results of this study. Lastly, this study reinterpreted well-know principles for designing information displays in NPPs in terms of task complexity and suggested a way of evaluating the conceptual design of displays in an analytical way by using the concept of task complexity. All of the results of this study will be used as a basis when evaluating the complexity of tasks designed on procedures or information displays and designing ways of improving human performance in NPPs

  7. Cancer Patient Navigator Tasks across the Cancer Care Continuum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braun, Kathryn L.; Kagawa-Singer, Marjorie; Holden, Alan E. C.; Burhansstipanov, Linda; Tran, Jacqueline H.; Seals, Brenda F.; Corbie-Smith, Giselle; Tsark, JoAnn U.; Harjo, Lisa; Foo, Mary Anne; Ramirez, Amelie G.

    2011-01-01

    Cancer patient navigation (PN) programs have been shown to increase access to and utilization of cancer care for poor and underserved individuals. Despite mounting evidence of its value, cancer patient navigation is not universally understood or provided. We describe five PN programs and the range of tasks their navigators provide across the cancer care continuum (education and outreach, screening, diagnosis and staging, treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life). Tasks are organized by their potential to make cancer services understandable, available, accessible, affordable, appropriate, and accountable. Although navigators perform similar tasks across the five programs, their specific approaches reflect differences in community culture, context, program setting, and funding. Task lists can inform the development of programs, job descriptions, training, and evaluation. They also may be useful in the move to certify navigators and establish mechanisms for reimbursement for navigation services. PMID:22423178

  8. Summary report on the Solar Consumer Assurance Network (SOLCAN) Program Planning Task in the southern region

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Browne, M. B. [comp.

    1981-03-15

    The goal of the SOLCAN Program Planning Task is to assist in the development, at the state and local levels, of consumer assurance approaches that will support the accelerated adoption and effective use of new products promoted by government incentives to consumers to meet our nation's energy needs. The task includes state-conducted evaluations and state SOLCAN meetings to identify consumer assurance mechanisms, assess their effectiveness, and identify and describe alternative means for strengthening consumer and industry assurance in each state. Results of the SOLCAN process are presented, including: a Solar Consumer Protection State Assessment Guide; State Solar Consumer Assurance Resources for Selected States; State Solar Consumer Protection Assessment Interviews for Florida; and state SOLCAN meeting summaries and participants. (LEW)

  9. N Reactor Production Assurance Program blance of plant evaluation: report of findings and conclusions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hurd, E.N.; Bitten, E.J.

    1985-03-01

    Fourteen tasks were identified by UNC Nuclear Industries for evaluating the life expectancy of N Reactor structures, systems and components in the Balance of Plant portion of the Production Assurance Program. A Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) evaluation team was assigned to each of these fourteen tasks. A uniform set of criteria was used by all teams in evaluating the problems that may be encountered during the extended plant operating lifetime. The overall conclusion is that extended life to those Balance of Plant components and systems studied can be achieved. Problems with the potential for compromising that conclusion are identified, and feasible solutions are provided

  10. Evaluation of Cognitive Complexity of Tasks for the Topic Hydrogen Exponent in the Solutions of Acids and Bases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saša Horvat

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was evaluation of cognitive complexity of tasks for the topic hydrogen exponent in the solutions of acids and bases and its validation. The created procedure included an assessment of the difficulty of concepts and an assessment of their interactivity. There were 48 freshmen students enrolled in the study program Basic academic studies in chemistry. As a research instrument for assessing performance, test of knowledge was specifically constructed for this research. Each task in the test was followed by a seven-point Likert scale for the evaluation of invested mental effort. The evaluation of cognitive complexity was confirmed by a series of linear regression analysis where high values of correlation coefficients are obtained among the examined variables: student’s performance and invested mental effort (dependent variables and cognitive complexity (independent variable.

  11. Proceedings of the Task 2 workshop Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradley, D.J.

    1979-01-01

    The reports from the workshop on waste form release rate analysis are presented. The workshop started with overview presentations on the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation (ONWI), the Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program (WISAP), WISAP Task 2 (Waste Form Release Rate Analysis), and WISAP Task 4 (Sorption/Desorption Analysis). Technical presentations followed in these areas: leaching studies on spent fuels, leaching studies on high-level waste glass, waste form surface science experiments, radiation effects, and leach modeling. Separate abstracts were prepared for each

  12. Proceedings of the Task 2 workshop Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bradley, D.J.

    1979-01-01

    The reports from the workshop on waste form release rate analysis are presented. The workshop started with overview presentations on the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation (ONWI), the Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program (WISAP), WISAP Task 2 (Waste Form Release Rate Analysis), and WISAP Task 4 (Sorption/Desorption Analysis). Technical presentations followed in these areas: leaching studies on spent fuels, leaching studies on high-level waste glass, waste form surface science experiments, radiation effects, and leach modeling. Separate abstracts were prepared for each.

  13. Evaluation of the Military Functional Assessment Program: Inter rater Reliability of Task Scores

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-19

    return-to-duty. Performance on the tasks is rated by a non-commissioned officer (NCO), occupational therapist, physical therapist, and mental health ...and additional ratings are provided on a subset of the tasks by an occupational therapist (OT), physical therapist (PT), and mental health (MH...3National Intrepid Center of Excellence United States Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory Aircrew Health and Performance Division September 2017

  14. Evaluating the effect of a reader worker program on team performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hahn, H.A.; Alvarez, Y.P.

    1994-01-01

    When safety, security, or other logistical concerns prevent direct objective assessment of team performance, other evaluation techniques become necessary. In this paper, the effect of a Department of Energy-mandated reader worker program on team performance at a particular DOE facility was evaluated using unstructured observations, informal discussions with technicians, and human reliability analysis. The reader worker program is intended to enhance nuclear explosive safety by improving the reliability of team performance. The three methods used for the evaluation combine to provide a strong indication that team performance is in fact enhanced by a properly implemented reader worker procedure. Because direct quantitative data on dependent variables particular to the task of interest is not available, however, there has been some skepticism regarding the results by staff at the facility

  15. "Photographing money" task pricing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Zhongxiang

    2018-05-01

    "Photographing money" [1]is a self-service model under the mobile Internet. The task pricing is reasonable, related to the success of the commodity inspection. First of all, we analyzed the position of the mission and the membership, and introduced the factor of membership density, considering the influence of the number of members around the mission on the pricing. Multivariate regression of task location and membership density using MATLAB to establish the mathematical model of task pricing. At the same time, we can see from the life experience that membership reputation and the intensity of the task will also affect the pricing, and the data of the task success point is more reliable. Therefore, the successful point of the task is selected, and its reputation, task density, membership density and Multiple regression of task positions, according to which a nhew task pricing program. Finally, an objective evaluation is given of the advantages and disadvantages of the established model and solution method, and the improved method is pointed out.

  16. Evaluation of modular robot system for maintenance tasks in hot cell

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pagala, Prithvi Sekhar, E-mail: ps.pagala@upm.es [Centre for Automation and Robotics UPM-CSIC (Spain); Ferre, Manuel, E-mail: m.ferre@upm.es [Centre for Automation and Robotics UPM-CSIC (Spain); Orona, Luis, E-mail: l.orona@gsi.de [GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung (Germany)

    2014-10-15

    Highlights: •Modular robot deployment inside hot cell for remote manipulation evaluated. •Flexible and adaptable system for variety of tasks presented. •Uses in large workspaces and evolving requirements shown. -- Abstract: This work assesses the use of a modular robot system to perform maintenance and inspection tasks such as, remote flexible inspection, manipulation and cooperation with deployed systems inside the hot cell. A flexible modular solution for the inclusion in maintenance operations is presented. The proposed heterogeneous modular robotic system is evaluated using simulations of the prototype across selected robot configuration to perform tasks. Results obtained show the advantages and ability of the modular robot to perform the necessary tasks as well as its ability to adapt and evolve depending on the need. The simulation test case inside hot cell shows modular robot configuration, a two modular arm to perform tele-operation tasks in the workspace and a wheeled platform for inspection collaborating to perform tasks. The advantage of using re-configurable modular robot over conventional robot platforms is shown.

  17. Embodied simulation as part of affective evaluation processes: task dependence of valence concordant EMG activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinreich, André; Funcke, Jakob Maria

    2014-01-01

    Drawing on recent findings, this study examines whether valence concordant electromyography (EMG) responses can be explained as an unconditional effect of mere stimulus processing or as somatosensory simulation driven by task-dependent processing strategies. While facial EMG over the Corrugator supercilii and the Zygomaticus major was measured, each participant performed two tasks with pictures of album covers. One task was an affective evaluation task and the other was to attribute the album covers to one of five decades. The Embodied Emotion Account predicts that valence concordant EMG is more likely to occur if the task necessitates a somatosensory simulation of the evaluative meaning of stimuli. Results support this prediction with regard to Corrugator supercilii in that valence concordant EMG activity was only present in the affective evaluation task but not in the non-evaluative task. Results for the Zygomaticus major were ambiguous. Our findings are in line with the view that EMG activity is an embodied part of the evaluation process and not a mere physical outcome.

  18. A systematic review evaluating the impact of task shifting on access ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A systematic review evaluating the impact of task shifting on access to antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa. ... Background: Task shifting, defined for this review as the shifting of ART initiation and ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  19. Dynamic Programming for Re-Mapping Noisy Fixations in Translation Tasks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carl, Michael

    2013-01-01

    this "naïve" gaze-to-word mapping by introducing background knowledge about the gazing task. In a first step, the sequence of "naïve" gaze-to-symbol mappings is projected into a lattice of several possible gaze locations above and below the current fixation on the text. In a second step a dynamic programming...

  20. Process evaluation of a Toolbox-training program for construction foremen in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jeschke, Katharina Christiane; Kines, Pete; Rasmussen, Liselotte

    2017-01-01

    foremen’s knowledge and communication skills in daily planning of work tasks and their related OSH risks on construction sites. The program builds on the popular 'toolbox meeting' concept, however there is very little research evaluating these types of meetings. This article describes the development...... and revised until the final version after the fifth group. The evaluation utilized an action research strategy with a mixed–methods approach of triangulating questionnaire, interview, and observation data. Process evaluation results showed that the eight Toolbox-training topics were relevant and useful...

  1. Canadian safeguards research and development in support of the IAEA program document outlining the various tasks which comprise the program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-12-01

    Canada has established a safeguards research and development program, the purpose of which is to supplement the resources of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The program of support is a coordinated effort for the development and application of safeguards techniques and instruments to facilities safeguarded by the IAEA. This document sets forth those tasks which comprise the program

  2. Inpo/industry job and task analysis efforts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wigley, W.W.

    1985-01-01

    One of the goals of INPO is to develop and coordinate industrywide programs to improve the education, training and qualification of nuclear utility personnel. To accomplish this goal, INPO's Training and Education Division: conducts periodic evaluations of industry training programs; provides assistance to the industry in developing training programs; manages the accreditation of utility training programs. These efforts are aimed at satisfying the need for training programs for nuclear utility personnel to be performance-based. Performance-based means that training programs provide an incumbent with the skills and knowledge required to safely perform the job. One of the ways that INPO has provided assistance to the industry is through the industrywide job and task analysis effort. I will discuss the job analysis and task analysis processes, the current status of JTA efforts, JTA products and JTA lessons learned

  3. Heavy-Section Steel Technology Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pennell, W.E.

    1992-11-01

    The Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program is conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The program focus is on the development and validation of technology for the assessment of fracture-prevention margins in commercial nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The HSST Program is organized in 11 tasks: program management, fracture methodology and analysis, material characterization and properties, special technical assistance, fracture analysis computer programs, cleavage-crack initiation, cladding evaluations, pressurized-thermal-shock technology, analysis methods validation, fracture evaluation tests, and warm prestressing. The program tasks have been structured to place emphasis on the resolution fracture issues with near-term licensing significance. Resources to execute the research tasks are drawn from ORNL with subcontract support from universities and other research laboratories. Close contact is maintained with the sister Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation (HSSI) Program at ORNL and with related research programs both in the United States and abroad. This report provides an overview of principal developments in each of the II program tasks from October 1, 1991 to March 31, 1992

  4. Multi-task feature selection in microarray data by binary integer programming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lan, Liang; Vucetic, Slobodan

    2013-12-20

    A major challenge in microarray classification is that the number of features is typically orders of magnitude larger than the number of examples. In this paper, we propose a novel feature filter algorithm to select the feature subset with maximal discriminative power and minimal redundancy by solving a quadratic objective function with binary integer constraints. To improve the computational efficiency, the binary integer constraints are relaxed and a low-rank approximation to the quadratic term is applied. The proposed feature selection algorithm was extended to solve multi-task microarray classification problems. We compared the single-task version of the proposed feature selection algorithm with 9 existing feature selection methods on 4 benchmark microarray data sets. The empirical results show that the proposed method achieved the most accurate predictions overall. We also evaluated the multi-task version of the proposed algorithm on 8 multi-task microarray datasets. The multi-task feature selection algorithm resulted in significantly higher accuracy than when using the single-task feature selection methods.

  5. Current results for the NRC's short cracks in piping and piping welds research program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilkowski, G.; Krishnaswamy, P. Brust, F.; Francini, R.; Ghadiali, N.; Kilinski, T.; Marschall, C.; Rahman, S.; Rosenfield, A.; Scott, P.

    1994-01-01

    The overall objective of the Short Cracks in Piping and Piping Welds Program is to verify and improve engineering analyses to predict the fracture behavior of circumferentially cracked pipe under quasi-static loading with particular attention to crack lengths typically used in LBB or flaw evaluation criteria. The program consists of 8 technical tasks as listed below. Task 1 Short through-wall-cracked (TWC) pipe evaluations. Task 2 Short surface-cracked pipe evaluations. Task 3 Bi-metallic weld crack evaluations. Task 4 Dynamic strain aging and crack instabilities. Task 5 Fracture evaluations of anisotropic pipe. Task 6 Crack-opening-area evaluations. Task 7 NRCPIPE Code improvements. Task 8 Additional efforts. Since the last WRSM meeting several additional tasks have been initiated in this program. These are discussed in Task 8. Based on results to date, the first seven tasks have also been modified as deemed necessary. The most significant accomplishments in each of these tasks since the last WRSIM meeting are discussed below. The details of all the results presented here are published in the semiannual reports from this program

  6. Rational drug therapy education in clinical phase carried out by task-based learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilge, S. Sırrı; Akyüz, Bahar; Ağrı, Arzu Erdal; Özlem, Mıdık

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: Irrational drug use results in drug interactions, treatment noncompliance, and drug resistance. Rational pharmacotherapy education is being implemented in many faculties of medicine. Our aim is to introduce rational pharmacotherapy education by clinicians and to evaluate task-based rational drug therapy education in the clinical context. Methods: The Kirkpatrick's evaluation model was used for the evaluation of the program. The participants evaluated the program in terms of constituents of the program, utilization, and contribution to learning. Voluntary participants responded to the evaluation forms after the educational program. Data are evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative tools. SPSS (version 21) used for quantitative data for determining mean and standard deviation values. Descriptive qualitative analysis approach is used for the analysis of open-ended questions. Results: It was revealed that the program and its components have been favorable. A total 95.9% of the students consider the education to be beneficial. Simulated patients practice and personal drug choice/problem-based learning sessions were appreciated by the students in particular. 93.9% of the students stated that all students of medicine should undergo this educational program. Among the five presentations contained in the program, “The Principles of Prescribing” received the highest points (9 ± 1.00) from participating students in general evaluation of the educational program. Conclusion: This study was carried out to improve task-based rational drug therapy education. According to feedback from the students concerning content, method, resource, assessment, and program design; some important changes, especially in number of facilitators and indications, are made in rational pharmacotherapy education in clinical task-based learning program. PMID:28458432

  7. Evaluation of kinesthetic-tactual displays using a critical tracking task

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jagacinski, R. J.; Miller, D. P.; Gilson, R. D.; Ault, R. T.

    1977-01-01

    The study sought to investigate the feasibility of applying the critical tracking task paradigm to the evaluation of kinesthetic-tactual displays. Four subjects attempted to control a first-order unstable system with a continuously decreasing time constant by using either visual or tactual unidimensional displays. Display aiding was introduced in both modalities in the form of velocity quickening. Visual tracking performance was better than tactual tracking, and velocity aiding improved the critical tracking scores for visual and tactual tracking about equally. The results suggest that the critical task methodology holds considerable promise for evaluating kinesthetic-tactual displays.

  8. Guidelines for job and task analysis for DOE nuclear facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-06-01

    The guidelines are intended to be responsive to the need for information on methodology, procedures, content, and use of job and task analysis since the establishment of a requirement for position task analysis for Category A reactors in DOE 5480.1A, Chapter VI. The guide describes the general approach and methods currently being utilized in the nuclear industry and by several DOE contractors for the conduct of job and task analysis and applications to the development of training programs or evaluation of existing programs. In addition other applications for job and task analysis are described including: operating procedures development, personnel management, system design, communications, and human performance predictions

  9. Status of the Ford program to evaluate ceramics for stator applications in automotive gas turbine engines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trela, W.

    1980-01-01

    The paper reviews the progress of the major technical tasks of the DOE/NASA/Ford program Evaluation of Ceramics for Stator Applications in Automotive Gas Turbine Engines: reliability prediction, stator fabrication, material characterization, and stator evaluation. A fast fracture reliability model was prepared for a one-piece ceramic stator. Periodic inspection results are presented.

  10. Evaluating the effectiveness of a logger safety training program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, Jennifer L; Grushecky, Shawn T

    2006-01-01

    Logger safety training programs are rarely, if ever, evaluated as to their effectiveness in reducing injuries. Workers' compensation claim rates were used to evaluate the effectiveness of a logger safety training program, the West Virginia Loggers' Safety Initiative (LSI). There was no claim rate decline detected in the majority (67%) of companies that participated in all 4 years of the LSI. Furthermore, their rate did not differ from the rest of the WV logging industry that did not participate in the LSI. Worker turnover was significantly related to claim rates; companies with higher turnover of employees had higher claim rates. Companies using feller bunchers to harvest trees at least part of the time had a significantly lower claim rate than companies not using them. Companies that had more inspections per year had lower claim rates. High injury rates persist even in companies that receive safety training; high employee turnover may affect the efficacy of training programs. The logging industry should be encouraged to facilitate the mechanization of logging tasks, to address barriers to employee retention, and to increase the number of in-the-field performance monitoring inspections. Impact on industry There are many states whose logger safety programs include only about 4-8 hours of safe work practices training. These states may look to West Virginia's expanded training program (the LSI) as a model for their own programs. However, the LSI training may not be reaching loggers due to the delay in administering training to new employees and high levels of employee turnover. Regardless of training status, loggers' claim rates decline significantly the longer they work for a company. It may be that high injury rates in the state of West Virginia would be best addressed by finding ways to encourage and facilitate companies to become more mechanized in their harvesting practices, and to increase employee tenure. Increasing the number of yearly performance inspections

  11. Results and recommendations from the reactor chemistry and corrosion tasks of the reactor materials program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baumann, E.W.; Ondrejcin, R.S.

    1990-11-01

    Within the general context of extended service life, the Reactor Materials Program was initiated in 1984. This comprehensive program addressed material performance in SRS reactor tanks and the primary coolant or Process Water System (PWS) piping. Three of the eleven tasks concerned moderator quality and corrosion mitigation. Definition and control of the stainless steel aqueous environment is a key factor in corrosion mitigation. The Reactor Materials Program systematically investigated the SRS environment and its effect on crack initiation and propagation in stainless steel, with the objective of improving this environment. The purpose of this report is to summarize the contributions of Tasks 6, 7 and 10 of the Reactor Materials Program to the understanding and control of moderator quality and its relationship to mitigation of stress corrosion cracking

  12. PWR FLECHT SEASET 21-rod bundle flow blockage task. Task plan report. FLECHT SEASET Program report No. 5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hochreiter, L.E.; Basel, R.A.; Dennis, R.J.; Lee, N.; Massie, H.W. Jr.; Loftus, M.J.; Rosal, E.R.; Valkovic, M.M.

    1980-10-01

    This report presents a descriptive plan of tests for the 21-Rod Bundle Flow Blockage Task of the Full-Length Emergency Cooling Heat Transfer Separate Effects and Systems Effects Test Program (FLECHT SEASET). This task will consist of forced and gravity reflooding tests utilizing electrical heater rods to simulate PWR nuclear core fuel rod arrays. All tests will be performed with a cosine axial power profile. These tests are planned to be used to determine effects of various flow blockage configurations (shapes and distributions) on reflooding behavior, to aid in development/assessment of computational models in predicting reflooding behavior of flow blockage configurations, and to screen flow blockage configurations for future 161-rod flow blockage bundle tests

  13. Evaluating low-resolution tomography neurofeedback by single dissociation of mental grotation task from stop signal task performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Getter, Nir; Kaplan, Zeev; Todder, Doron

    2015-10-01

    Electroencephalography source localization neurofeedback, i.e Standardized low-resolution tomography (sLORETA) neurofeedback are non-invasive method for altering region specific brain activity. This is an improvement over traditional neurofeedback which were based on recordings from a single scalp-electrode. We proposed three criteria clusters as a methodological framework to evaluate electroencephalography source localization neurofeedback and present relevant data. Our objective was to evaluate standardized low resolution EEG tomography neurofeedback by examining how training one neuroanatomical area effects the mental rotation task (which is related to the activity of bilateral Parietal regions) and the stop-signal test (which is related to frontal structures). Twelve healthy participants were enrolled in a single session sLORETA neurofeedback protocol. The participants completed both the mental rotation task and the stop-signal test before and after one sLORETA neurofeedback session. During sLORETA neurofeedback sessions participants watched one sitcom episode while the picture quality co-varied with activity in the superior parietal lobule. Participants were rewarded for increasing activity in this region only. Results showed a significant reaction time decrease and an increase in accuracy after sLORETA neurofeedback on the mental rotation task but not after stop signal task. Together with behavioral changes a significant activity increase was found at the left parietal brain after sLORETA neurofeedback compared with baseline. We concluded that activity increase in the parietal region had a specific effect on the mental rotation task. Tasks unrelated to parietal brain activity were unaffected. Therefore, sLORETA neurofeedback could be used as a research, or clinical tool for cognitive disorders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Electrodril system field test program. Phase II: Task C-1-deep drilling system demonstration. Final report for Phase II: Task C-1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Taylor, P D

    1981-04-01

    The Electrodril Deep Drilling System field test demonstrations were aborted in July 1979, due to connector problems. Subsequent post test analyses concluded that the field replacable connectors were the probable cause of the problems encountered. The designs for both the male and female connectors, together with their manufacturing processes, were subsequently modified, as was the acceptance test procedures. A total of nine male and nine female connectors were manufactured and delivered during the 2nd Quarter 1980. Exhaustive testing was then conducted on each connector as a precursor to formal qualification testing conducted during the month of October 1980, at the Brown Oil Tool test facility located in Houston, Texas. With this report, requirements under Phase II, Task C-1 are satisfied. The report documents the results of the connector qualification test program which was successfully completed October 28, 1980. In general, it was concluded that connector qualification had been achieved and plans are now in progress to resume the field test demonstration program so that Electrodril System performance predictions and economic viability can be evaluated.

  15. Research on Evaluation Model for Secondary Task Driving Safety Based on Driver Eye Movements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisheng Jin

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This study was designed to gain insight into the influence of performing different types of secondary task while driving on driver eye movements and to build a safety evaluation model for secondary task driving. Eighteen young drivers were selected and completed the driving experiment on a driving simulator. Measures of fixations, saccades, and blinks were analyzed. Based on measures which had significant difference between the baseline and secondary tasks driving conditions, the evaluation index system was built. Method of principal component analysis (PCA was applied to analyze evaluation indexes data in order to obtain the coefficient weights of indexes and build the safety evaluation model. Based on evaluation scores, the driving safety was grouped into five levels (very high, high, average, low, and very low using K-means clustering algorithm. Results showed that secondary task driving severely distracts the driver and the evaluation model built in this study could estimate driving safety effectively under different driving conditions.

  16. Evaluation of a complementary cyber education program for a pathophysiology class.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, Ji-Soo; Ryue, Sook-Hee; Lee, Jung Eun; Ahn, Jeong-Ah

    2009-12-01

    The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate a complementary cyber education program for a required pathophysiology class for nursing students. The cyber education program comprised electronic bulletin boards, correspondence material storage, an announcement section, a report submission section, reference sites, and statistics on learning rates. Twelve online lectures complemented five lectures in the classroom. To evaluate the course's educational effectiveness, we performed an online objective questionnaire and an open questionnaire survey anonymously, and compared the complementary cyber education program with traditional classroom education. The complementary cyber education program effected significant improvements in scores for importance with regard to major, clarity of goals and education plans for courses, professor readiness, preciseness and description of lectures, amount and efficiency of assignments, and fairness in appraisal standards compared with the traditional classroom education group. This study indicates that a complementary cyber education program provides nursing students with the flexibility of time and space, the newest information through updated lectures, efficient motivational aids through intimacy between the lecturer and students, and concrete and meaningful tasks. The complementary cyber education course also increased student effort toward studying and student satisfaction with the class.

  17. Comparison of two fMRI tasks for the evaluation of the expressive language function

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanjuan, Ana; Avila, Cesar [Universitat Jaume I, Departamento de Psicologia Basica, Clinica y Psicobiologia, Castellon de la Plana (Spain); Hospital La Fe, Unidad de Epilepsia, Servicio de Neurologia, Valencia (Spain); Bustamante, Juan-Carlos; Forn, Cristina; Ventura-Campos, Noelia; Barros-Loscertales, Alfonso [Universitat Jaume I, Departamento de Psicologia Basica, Clinica y Psicobiologia, Castellon de la Plana (Spain); Martinez, Juan-Carlos [Hospital La Fe, Eresa, Valencia (Spain); Hospital La Fe, Unidad de Epilepsia, Servicio de Neurologia, Valencia (Spain); Villanueva, Vicente [Hospital La Fe, Unidad de Epilepsia, Servicio de Neurologia, Valencia (Spain)

    2010-05-15

    Presurgical evaluation of language is important in patients who are candidates for neurosurgery since language decline is a frequent complication after an operation. Different functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tasks, such as the verb generation task (VGT) and the verbal fluency task (VFT) have been employed. Our objective was to compare how effective these tasks are at evaluating language functioning in controls (study 1) and patients (study 2). Eighteen controls and 58 patient candidates for neurosurgery (16 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and 42 patients with brain lesions: 11 astrocytomas, six cavernomas, 14 gliomas, four AVM and seven meningiomas) were recruited in order to compare the activation patterns of language areas as determined by the VGT and VFT. In both samples, the VGT produced a more specific activation of left Broca's area. In contrast, the VFT yielded a wider and more intense activation of the left Broca's area in controls, as well as other activations in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the striatum. Additionally, both studies showed good agreement on language dominance derived from the tasks, although there was some variability in laterality index scores. Both language tasks are useful in evaluation of expressive language. The VGT is a more specific task, while the VFT is more unspecific but activates language-related areas that are not found with the VGT owing to its phonological component. Therefore, each task contributes to the lateralisation and localisation of expressive language areas with complementary information. The advisability of combining tasks to improve fMRI presurgical evaluation is confirmed. (orig.)

  18. Comparison of two fMRI tasks for the evaluation of the expressive language function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanjuan, Ana; Avila, Cesar; Bustamante, Juan-Carlos; Forn, Cristina; Ventura-Campos, Noelia; Barros-Loscertales, Alfonso; Martinez, Juan-Carlos; Villanueva, Vicente

    2010-01-01

    Presurgical evaluation of language is important in patients who are candidates for neurosurgery since language decline is a frequent complication after an operation. Different functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tasks, such as the verb generation task (VGT) and the verbal fluency task (VFT) have been employed. Our objective was to compare how effective these tasks are at evaluating language functioning in controls (study 1) and patients (study 2). Eighteen controls and 58 patient candidates for neurosurgery (16 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and 42 patients with brain lesions: 11 astrocytomas, six cavernomas, 14 gliomas, four AVM and seven meningiomas) were recruited in order to compare the activation patterns of language areas as determined by the VGT and VFT. In both samples, the VGT produced a more specific activation of left Broca's area. In contrast, the VFT yielded a wider and more intense activation of the left Broca's area in controls, as well as other activations in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the striatum. Additionally, both studies showed good agreement on language dominance derived from the tasks, although there was some variability in laterality index scores. Both language tasks are useful in evaluation of expressive language. The VGT is a more specific task, while the VFT is more unspecific but activates language-related areas that are not found with the VGT owing to its phonological component. Therefore, each task contributes to the lateralisation and localisation of expressive language areas with complementary information. The advisability of combining tasks to improve fMRI presurgical evaluation is confirmed. (orig.)

  19. Task 4.2.2: Task report prepared for the second CRP meeting 5-8 October 1993, Budapest, Hungary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujita, Yushi

    1993-01-01

    This is a preliminary report on Task 4.2.2. of IAEA Coordinated Research Program on Operator Support Systems in Nuclear Power Plants. The purposes of Task 4.2.2 are defined as follows: evaluate functions assigned to operators, maintenance personnel, or plant management staff; identify where operator support systems (OSS) can support those functions in a productive way. In this report, discussion is made of (i) a framework for evaluating functions assigned to operators, maintenance personnel, or plant management staff, and (ii) where OSS can be most beneficial to support these functions. In addition, recommendations for future efforts are made

  20. Pacific Northwest Laboratory tasks supporting the Office of Technology Development national program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slate, S.C.

    1993-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to provide a concise summary of the Pacific Northwest Laboratory's (PNL) tasks being conducted for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Technology Development (OTD). The summaries are useful to principal investigators who want to link their work to others doing similar work, to staff in DOE operating programs who are looking for better solutions to current problems, and to private industry which may be interested in teaming with PNL to commercialize the technology. The tasks are organized within Hanford's overall Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which is a hierarchical organization of the Hanford mission into subordinate missions. The technology development tasks are all in WBS 3.2. The first subordinate steps under WBS 3.2 are general categories of technology development, such as Soils and Groundwater Cleanup. The next level is the Integrated Program (IP) and Integrated Demonstration (ID) level. An IP is a centrally managed series of projects which explore and develop a particular technology, such as characterization, for application to a wide spectrum of problems. An ID brings multiple technology systems to bear on an actual problem; for example, a carbon tetrachloride plume migrating through the soil is being remediated with biological agents, heating the soil, and destruction of the contamination in vapor removed from the soil. IDs and IPs are identified by an alphanumeric code: GSO2 is the second ID under Groundwater and Soils Cleanup. The final step in the breakout is the Technical Task Plan (TTP). These are individual tasks which support the ID/IP. They are identified by a six-digit number in the format 3211-01. The WBS structure for Technology Development down to the ID/IP level is shown

  1. Manipulator Performance Evaluation Using Fitts' Taping Task

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Draper, J.V.; Jared, B.C.; Noakes, M.W.

    1999-04-25

    Metaphorically, a teleoperator with master controllers projects the user's arms and hands into a re- mote area, Therefore, human users interact with teleoperators at a more fundamental level than they do with most human-machine systems. Instead of inputting decisions about how the system should func- tion, teleoperator users input the movements they might make if they were truly in the remote area and the remote machine must recreate their trajectories and impedance. This intense human-machine inter- action requires displays and controls more carefully attuned to human motor capabilities than is neces- sary with most systems. It is important for teleoperated manipulators to be able to recreate human trajectories and impedance in real time. One method for assessing manipulator performance is to observe how well a system be- haves while a human user completes human dexterity tasks with it. Fitts' tapping task has been, used many times in the past for this purpose. This report describes such a performance assessment. The International Submarine Engineering (ISE) Autonomous/Teleoperated Operations Manipulator (ATOM) servomanipulator system was evalu- ated using a generic positioning accuracy task. The task is a simple one but has the merits of (1) pro- ducing a performance function estimate rather than a point estimate and (2) being widely used in the past for human and servomanipulator dexterity tests. Results of testing using this task may, therefore, allow comparison with other manipulators, and is generically representative of a broad class of tasks. Results of the testing indicate that the ATOM manipulator is capable of performing the task. Force reflection had a negative impact on task efficiency in these data. This was most likely caused by the high resistance to movement the master controller exhibited with the force reflection engaged. Measurements of exerted forces were not made, so it is not possible to say whether the force reflection helped

  2. Product Evaluation Task Force Phase Two report for CAGR graphite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Francis, A.J.; Davies, A.

    1991-01-01

    It has been proposed that all Intermediate Level Wastes arising at Sellafield should be encapsulated prior to ultimate disposal. The Product Evaluation Task Force (PETF) was set up to investigate possible encapsulants and to produce an adequate data base to justify the preferred matrices. This report details the work carried out under Phase 2 of the Product Evaluation Task Force programme, on CAGR graphite. Three possible types of encapsulants for CAGR graphites:-Inorganic cements, Polymer cements and Polymers are evaluated using the Kepner Tregoe decision analysis technique. This technique provides a methodology for scoring and ranking alternative options and evaluating any risks associated with an option. The analysis shows that for all four stages of waste management operations ie Storage, Transport, handling and emplacement, Disposal and Process, cement matrices are considerably superior to other potential matrices. A matrix, consisting of three parts Blast Furnace Slag (BFS) to one part Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is recommended as the preferred matrix for Phase 3 studies on CAGR graphite. (author)

  3. Multi-task linear programming discriminant analysis for the identification of progressive MCI individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Guan; Liu, Yufeng; Thung, Kim-Han; Shen, Dinggang

    2014-01-01

    Accurately identifying mild cognitive impairment (MCI) individuals who will progress to Alzheimer's disease (AD) is very important for making early interventions. Many classification methods focus on integrating multiple imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). However, the main challenge for MCI classification using multiple imaging modalities is the existence of a lot of missing data in many subjects. For example, in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) study, almost half of the subjects do not have PET images. In this paper, we propose a new and flexible binary classification method, namely Multi-task Linear Programming Discriminant (MLPD) analysis, for the incomplete multi-source feature learning. Specifically, we decompose the classification problem into different classification tasks, i.e., one for each combination of available data sources. To solve all different classification tasks jointly, our proposed MLPD method links them together by constraining them to achieve the similar estimated mean difference between the two classes (under classification) for those shared features. Compared with the state-of-the-art incomplete Multi-Source Feature (iMSF) learning method, instead of constraining different classification tasks to choose a common feature subset for those shared features, MLPD can flexibly and adaptively choose different feature subsets for different classification tasks. Furthermore, our proposed MLPD method can be efficiently implemented by linear programming. To validate our MLPD method, we perform experiments on the ADNI baseline dataset with the incomplete MRI and PET images from 167 progressive MCI (pMCI) subjects and 226 stable MCI (sMCI) subjects. We further compared our method with the iMSF method (using incomplete MRI and PET images) and also the single-task classification method (using only MRI or only subjects with both MRI and PET images

  4. Multi-task linear programming discriminant analysis for the identification of progressive MCI individuals.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guan Yu

    Full Text Available Accurately identifying mild cognitive impairment (MCI individuals who will progress to Alzheimer's disease (AD is very important for making early interventions. Many classification methods focus on integrating multiple imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET. However, the main challenge for MCI classification using multiple imaging modalities is the existence of a lot of missing data in many subjects. For example, in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI study, almost half of the subjects do not have PET images. In this paper, we propose a new and flexible binary classification method, namely Multi-task Linear Programming Discriminant (MLPD analysis, for the incomplete multi-source feature learning. Specifically, we decompose the classification problem into different classification tasks, i.e., one for each combination of available data sources. To solve all different classification tasks jointly, our proposed MLPD method links them together by constraining them to achieve the similar estimated mean difference between the two classes (under classification for those shared features. Compared with the state-of-the-art incomplete Multi-Source Feature (iMSF learning method, instead of constraining different classification tasks to choose a common feature subset for those shared features, MLPD can flexibly and adaptively choose different feature subsets for different classification tasks. Furthermore, our proposed MLPD method can be efficiently implemented by linear programming. To validate our MLPD method, we perform experiments on the ADNI baseline dataset with the incomplete MRI and PET images from 167 progressive MCI (pMCI subjects and 226 stable MCI (sMCI subjects. We further compared our method with the iMSF method (using incomplete MRI and PET images and also the single-task classification method (using only MRI or only subjects with both MRI and

  5. Contaminated sediment research task: SHC Task 3.61.3

    Science.gov (United States)

    A poster presentation for the SHC BOSC review will summarize the research efforts under Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program (SHC) in the Contaminated Sediment Task within the Contaminated Sites Project. For the Task, Problem Summary & Decision Context; Task O...

  6. Energy-efficient buildings program evaluations. Volume 2: Evaluation summaries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, A.D.; Mayi, D.; Edgemon, S.D.

    1997-04-01

    This document presents summaries of code and utility building program evaluations reviewed as the basis for the information presented in Energy-Efficient Buildings Program Evaluations, Volume 1: Findings and Recommendations, DOE/EE/OBT-11569, Vol. 1. The main purpose of this volume is to summarize information from prior evaluations of similar programs that may be useful background for designing and conducting an evaluation of the BSGP. Another purpose is to summarize an extensive set of relevant evaluations and provide a resource for program designers, mangers, and evaluators.

  7. Independent auto evaluation of an operative radiological protection program; Autoevaluacion independiente de un programa de proteccion radiologica operativa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Medrano L, M.A.; Rodriguez C, C.C.; Linares R, D.; Zarate M, N.; Zempoalteca B, R. [Gerencia Subsede Sureste Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, 52045 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)]. e-mail: maam@nuclear.inin.mx

    2006-07-01

    The program of operative radiological protection of a nuclear power plant consists of multiple procedures and associate tasks that have as purpose the radiological protection of the workers of the power station. It is for this reason that the constant evaluation of the one it programs it is an important tool in the identification of their weaknesses (and strengths), so they can be assisted appropriately. In this work the main elements of the program of independent auto evaluation of the program of operative radiological protection of the Laguna Verde Central that has been developed and implemented by the National Institute of Nuclear Research are described. (Author)

  8. An overview of the Structural Aging Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naus, D.J.; Arndt, E.G.

    1992-01-01

    The structural Aging Program is conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The program has the overall objective of preparing an expandable handbook or report which will provide NRC with potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use in nuclear power plant evaluations for continued service. Initial focus of the program is on concrete and concrete-related materials which comprise safety-related (Category I) structures in light-water reactor facilities. The program is organized into four tasks: Task S.1 -- Program Management, Task S.2 -- Materials Property Data Base, Task S.3 -- Structural Component Assessment/Repair Technology, and Task S.4 -- Quantitative Methodology for Continued Service Determinations. Objectives, background information, and accomplishments under each of these tasks are presented

  9. Evaluation of a novel high-fidelity epistaxis task trainer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Grace M; Roth, Kathryn; Rotenberg, Brian; Sommer, Doron D; Sowerby, Leigh; Fung, Kevin

    2016-07-01

    To assess the efficacy of a novel high-fidelity epistaxis simulator in teaching epistaxis management to junior otolaryngology head and neck surgery residents. Prospective cohort study. A novel high-fidelity epistaxis task trainer was developed using a cadaver head, intravenous tubing, and a food coloring-filled saline bag to emulate blood. Learners were instructed on two techniques of nasal packing (formal nasal pack and nasal tampon) for the management of epistaxis using the task trainer. Learners were videotaped attempting to pack the nose of the task trainer pre- and postintervention (verbal instruction, and practice time with task trainer). Five board-certified otolaryngologists (blinded to pre- and postintervention status) evaluated the packing technique using standardized subjective outcome measures. There were 13 junior otolaryngology residents enrolled in the study. This cohort showed a statistically significant increase in global rating scores (P epistaxis simulator has been successful in teaching and the practical application of various skills in epistaxis management. This task trainer appears to confer an educational benefit in technical skills acquisition in novice learners. Further studies are needed to determine long-term skill retention. Simulation is a promising educational adjunct that effectively enhances epistaxis management skills acquisition while maximizing patient safety. NA. Laryngoscope, 126:1501-1503, 2016. © 2015 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

  10. Evaluation of a well-established task-shifting initiative: the lay counselor cadre in Botswana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ledikwe, Jenny H; Kejelepula, Mable; Maupo, Kabelo; Sebetso, Siwulani; Thekiso, Mothwana; Smith, Monica; Mbayi, Bagele; Houghton, Nankie; Thankane, Kabo; O'Malley, Gabrielle; Semo, Bazghina-Werq

    2013-01-01

    Evidence supports the implementation of task shifting to address health worker shortages that are common in resource-limited settings. However, there is need to learn from established programs to identify ways to achieve the strongest, most sustainable impact. This study examined the Botswana lay counselor cadre, a task shifting initiative, to explore effectiveness and contribution to the health workforce. This evaluation used multiple methods, including a desk review, a national lay counselor survey (n = 385; response = 94%), in-depth interviews (n = 79), lay counselors focus group discussions (n = 7), lay counselors observations (n = 25), and client exit interviews (n = 47). Interview and focus group data indicate that lay counselors contribute to essentially all HIV-related programs in Botswana and they conduct the majority of HIV tests and related counseling at public health facilities throughout the country. Interviews showed that the lay counselor cadre is making the workload of more skilled health workers more manageable and increasing HIV acceptance in communities. The average score on a work-related knowledge test was 74.5%. However for 3 questions, less than half answered correctly. During observations, lay counselors demonstrated average competence for most skills assessed and clients (97.9%) were satisfied with services received. From the survey, lay counselors generally reported being comfortable with their duties; however, some reported clinical duties that extended beyond their training and mandate. Multiple factors affecting the performance of the lay counselors were identified, including insufficient resources, such as private counseling space and HIV test kits; and technical, administrative, and supervisory support. Lay counselors are fulfilling an important role in Botswana's healthcare system, serving as the entry point into HIV care, support, and treatment services. For this and other similar task shifting initiatives

  11. Microprocessor multi-task monitor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ludemann, C.A.

    1983-01-01

    This paper describes a multi-task monitor program for microprocessors. Although written for the Intel 8085, it incorporates features that would be beneficial for implementation in other microprocessors used in controlling and monitoring experiments and accelerators. The monitor places permanent programs (tasks) arbitrarily located throughout ROM in a priority ordered queue. The programmer is provided with the flexibility to add new tasks or modified versions of existing tasks, without having to comply with previously defined task boundaries or having to reprogram all of ROM. Scheduling of tasks is triggered by timers, outside stimuli (interrupts), or inter-task communications. Context switching time is of the order of tenths of a milllisecond

  12. Quantitative evaluation of muscle synergy models: a single-trial task decoding approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delis, Ioannis; Berret, Bastien; Pozzo, Thierry; Panzeri, Stefano

    2013-01-01

    Muscle synergies, i.e., invariant coordinated activations of groups of muscles, have been proposed as building blocks that the central nervous system (CNS) uses to construct the patterns of muscle activity utilized for executing movements. Several efficient dimensionality reduction algorithms that extract putative synergies from electromyographic (EMG) signals have been developed. Typically, the quality of synergy decompositions is assessed by computing the Variance Accounted For (VAF). Yet, little is known about the extent to which the combination of those synergies encodes task-discriminating variations of muscle activity in individual trials. To address this question, here we conceive and develop a novel computational framework to evaluate muscle synergy decompositions in task space. Unlike previous methods considering the total variance of muscle patterns (VAF based metrics), our approach focuses on variance discriminating execution of different tasks. The procedure is based on single-trial task decoding from muscle synergy activation features. The task decoding based metric evaluates quantitatively the mapping between synergy recruitment and task identification and automatically determines the minimal number of synergies that captures all the task-discriminating variability in the synergy activations. In this paper, we first validate the method on plausibly simulated EMG datasets. We then show that it can be applied to different types of muscle synergy decomposition and illustrate its applicability to real data by using it for the analysis of EMG recordings during an arm pointing task. We find that time-varying and synchronous synergies with similar number of parameters are equally efficient in task decoding, suggesting that in this experimental paradigm they are equally valid representations of muscle synergies. Overall, these findings stress the effectiveness of the decoding metric in systematically assessing muscle synergy decompositions in task space.

  13. Program evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1988-01-01

    This book contains the proceedings from the panel on program evaluation. Some of the papers included are the following: Seattle City Light's Industrial Retrofit Demonstration Project Uses Quasi-Experimental Research Design and Metering to Measure Savings, Evaluation for PUCs, and The Takeback Effect Low-income Weatherizations Fact or Fiction

  14. A study of the use of simulated work task situations in interactive information retrieval evaluations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borlund, Pia

    2016-01-01

    Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report a study of how the test instrument of a simulated work task situation is used in empirical evaluations of interactive information retrieval (IIR) and reported in the research literature. In particular, the author is interested to learn whether....... The paper addresses the need to carefully design and tailor simulated work task situations to suit the test participants in order to obtain the intended authentic and realistic IIR under study. Keywords Interactive information retrieval study, IIR study, Test design, Simulated work task situations, Meta-evaluation...... situations in IIR evaluations. In particular, with respect to the design and creation of realistic simulated work task situations. There is a lack of tailoring of the simulated work task situations to the test participants. Likewise, the requirement to include the test participants’ personal information...

  15. Cognitive evaluation by tasks in a virtual reality environment in multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamargue-Hamel, Delphine; Deloire, Mathilde; Saubusse, Aurore; Ruet, Aurélie; Taillard, Jacques; Philip, Pierre; Brochet, Bruno

    2015-12-15

    The assessment of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) requires large neuropsychological batteries that assess numerous domains. The relevance of these assessments to daily cognitive functioning is not well established. Cognitive ecological evaluation has not been frequently studied in MS. The aim of this study was to determine the interest of cognitive evaluation in a virtual reality environment in a sample of persons with MS with cognitive deficits. Thirty persons with MS with at least moderate cognitive impairment were assessed with two ecological evaluations, an in-house developed task in a virtual reality environment (Urban DailyCog®) and a divided attention task in a driving simulator. Classical neuropsychological testing was also used. Fifty-two percent of the persons with MS failed the driving simulator task and 80% failed the Urban DailyCog®. Virtual reality assessments are promising in identifying cognitive impairment in MS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Thinking processes used by high-performing students in a computer programming task

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marietjie Havenga

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Computer programmers must be able to understand programming source code and write programs that execute complex tasks to solve real-world problems. This article is a trans- disciplinary study at the intersection of computer programming, education and psychology. It outlines the role of mental processes in the process of programming and indicates how successful thinking processes can support computer science students in writing correct and well-defined programs. A mixed methods approach was used to better understand the thinking activities and programming processes of participating students. Data collection involved both computer programs and students’ reflective thinking processes recorded in their journals. This enabled analysis of psychological dimensions of participants’ thinking processes and their problem-solving activities as they considered a programming problem. Findings indicate that the cognitive, reflective and psychological processes used by high-performing programmers contributed to their success in solving a complex programming problem. Based on the thinking processes of high performers, we propose a model of integrated thinking processes, which can support computer programming students. Keywords: Computer programming, education, mixed methods research, thinking processes.  Disciplines: Computer programming, education, psychology

  17. Evaluation of high-definition television for remote task performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Draper, J.V.; Fujita, Y.; Herndon, J.N.

    1987-04-01

    High-definition television (HDTV) transmits a video image with more than twice the number (1125 for HDTV to 525 for standard-resolution TV) of horizontal scan lines that standard-resolution TV provides. The improvement in picture quality (compared to standard-resolution TV) that the extra scan lines provide is impressive. Objects in the HDTV picture have more sharply defined edges, better contrast, and more accurate reproduction of shading and color patterns than do those in the standard-resolution TV picture. Because the TV viewing system is a key component for teleoperator performance, an improvement in TV picture quality could mean an improvement in the speed and accuracy with which teleoperators perform tasks. This report describes three experiments designed to evaluate the impact of HDTV on the performance of typical remote tasks. The performance of HDTV was compared to that of standard-resolution, monochromatic TV and standard-resolution, stereoscopic, monochromatic TV in the context of judgment of depth in a televised scene, visual inspection of an object, and performance of a typical remote handling task. The results of the three experiments show that in some areas HDTV can lead to improvement in teleoperator performance. Observers inspecting a small object for a flaw were more accurate with HDTV than with either of the standard-resolution systems. High resolution is critical for detection of small-scale flaws of the type in the experiment (a scratch on a glass bottle). These experiments provided an evaluation of HDTV television for use in tasks that must be routinely performed to remotely maintain a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility. 5 refs., 7 figs., 9 tabs

  18. The Spiral-Interactive Program Evaluation Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khaleel, Ibrahim Adamu

    1988-01-01

    Describes the spiral interactive program evaluation model, which is designed to evaluate vocational-technical education programs in secondary schools in Nigeria. Program evaluation is defined; utility oriented and process oriented models for evaluation are described; and internal and external evaluative factors and variables that define each…

  19. Real-time multi-task operators support system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang He; Peng Minjun; Wang Hao; Cheng Shouyu

    2005-01-01

    The development in computer software and hardware technology and information processing as well as the accumulation in the design and feedback from Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) operation created a good opportunity to develop an integrated Operator Support System. The Real-time Multi-task Operator Support System (RMOSS) has been built to support the operator's decision making process during normal and abnormal operations. RMOSS consists of five system subtasks such as Data Collection and Validation Task (DCVT), Operation Monitoring Task (OMT), Fault Diagnostic Task (FDT), Operation Guideline Task (OGT) and Human Machine Interface Task (HMIT). RMOSS uses rule-based expert system and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The rule-based expert system is used to identify the predefined events in static conditions and track the operation guideline through data processing. In dynamic status, Back-Propagation Neural Network is adopted for fault diagnosis, which is trained with the Genetic Algorithm. Embedded real-time operation system VxWorks and its integrated environment Tornado II are used as the RMOSS software cross-development. VxGUI is used to design HMI. All of the task programs are designed in C language. The task tests and function evaluation of RMOSS have been done in one real-time full scope simulator. Evaluation results show that each task of RMOSS is capable of accomplishing its functions. (authors)

  20. Chinese Preservice Teachers' Professional Identity Links with Education Program Performance: The Roles of Task Value Belief and Learning Motivations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yan; Hawk, Skyler T; Zhang, Xiaohui; Zhao, Hongyu

    2016-01-01

    Professional identity is a key issue spanning the entirety of teachers' career development. Despite the abundance of existing research examining professional identity, its link with occupation-related behavior at the primary career stage (i.e., GPA in preservice education) and the potential process that underlies this association is still not fully understood. This study explored the professional identity of Chinese preservice teachers, and its links with task value belief, intrinsic learning motivation, extrinsic learning motivation, and performance in the education program. Grade-point average (GPA) of courses (both subject and pedagogy courses) was examined as an indicator of performance, and questionnaires were used to measure the remaining variables. Data from 606 preservice teachers in the first 3 years of a teacher-training program indicated that: (1) variables in this research were all significantly correlated with each other, except the correlation between intrinsic learning motivation and program performance; (2) professional identity was positively linked to task value belief, intrinsic and extrinsic learning motivations, and program performance in a structural equation model (SEM); (3) task value belief was positively linked to intrinsic and extrinsic learning motivation; (4) higher extrinsic (but not intrinsic) learning motivation was associated with increased program performance; and (5) task value belief and extrinsic learning motivation were significant mediators in the model.

  1. Chinese Preservice Teachers’ Professional Identity Links with Education Program Performance: The Roles of Task Value Belief and Learning Motivations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yan; Hawk, Skyler T.; Zhang, Xiaohui; Zhao, Hongyu

    2016-01-01

    Professional identity is a key issue spanning the entirety of teachers’ career development. Despite the abundance of existing research examining professional identity, its link with occupation-related behavior at the primary career stage (i.e., GPA in preservice education) and the potential process that underlies this association is still not fully understood. This study explored the professional identity of Chinese preservice teachers, and its links with task value belief, intrinsic learning motivation, extrinsic learning motivation, and performance in the education program. Grade-point average (GPA) of courses (both subject and pedagogy courses) was examined as an indicator of performance, and questionnaires were used to measure the remaining variables. Data from 606 preservice teachers in the first 3 years of a teacher-training program indicated that: (1) variables in this research were all significantly correlated with each other, except the correlation between intrinsic learning motivation and program performance; (2) professional identity was positively linked to task value belief, intrinsic and extrinsic learning motivations, and program performance in a structural equation model (SEM); (3) task value belief was positively linked to intrinsic and extrinsic learning motivation; (4) higher extrinsic (but not intrinsic) learning motivation was associated with increased program performance; and (5) task value belief and extrinsic learning motivation were significant mediators in the model. PMID:27199810

  2. High-definition television evaluation for remote handling task performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujita, Y.; Omori, E.; Hayashi, S.; Draper, J.V.; Herndon, J.N.

    1986-01-01

    In a plant that employs remote handling techniques for equipment maintenance, operators perform maintenance tasks primarily by using the information from television systems. The efficiency of the television system has a significant impact on remote maintenance task performance. High-definition television (HDTV) transmits a video image with more than twice the number of horizontal scan lines as standard-resolution television (1125 for HDTV to 525 for standard-resolution NTSC television). The added scan lines dramatically improve the resolution of images on the HDTV monitors. This paper describes experiments designed to evaluate the impact of HDTV on the performance of typical remote tasks. The experiments described in this paper compared the performance of four operators using HDTV with their performance while using other television systems. The experiments included four television systems: (a) high-definition color television, (b) high-definition monochromatic television, (c) standard-resolution monochromatic television, and (d) standard-resolution stereoscopic monochromatic television

  3. Task V of the IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Program: Accomplishments and Activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bower, Ward

    1999-01-01

    The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an energy forum for 24 industrialized countries and was established in 1974 as an autonomous body within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems (PVPS) program implementing agreement was signed in 1993, and renewed for another five years in 1998. Twenty-two countries are collaborating under the auspices of the IEA in the PVPS to address common technical and informational barriers that often limit the rate at which photovoltaic technologies advance into the markets. Task V of the IEA PVPS is entitled ''Grid Interconnection of Building-Integrated and Other Dispersed Photovoltaic Power Systems.'' The task sponsored a workshop in September 1997 on grid-interconnection of photovoltaic systems and is planning a second workshop to address impacts of more penetration of dispersed systems into the utility grid. This paper will summarize the accomplishments of Task V over the last five years and will detail the planned work for the next three years

  4. Human factors evaluation of remote afterloading brachytherapy. Volume 2, Function and task analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Callan, J.R.; Gwynne, J.W. III; Kelly, T.T.; Muckler, F.A. [Pacific Science and Engineering Group, San Diego, CA (United States); Saunders, W.M.; Lepage, R.P.; Chin, E. [University of California San Diego Medical Center, CA (United States). Div. of Radiation Oncology; Schoenfeld, I.; Serig, D.I. [Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States). Div. of Systems Technology

    1995-05-01

    A human factors project on the use of nuclear by-product material to treat cancer using remotely operated afterloaders was undertaken by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The purpose of the project was to identify factors that contribute to human error in the system for remote afterloading brachytherapy (RAB). This report documents the findings from the first phase of the project, which involved an extensive function and task analysis of RAB. This analysis identified the functions and tasks in RAB, made preliminary estimates of the likelihood of human error in each task, and determined the skills needed to perform each RAB task. The findings of the function and task analysis served as the foundation for the remainder of the project, which evaluated four major aspects of the RAB system linked to human error: human-system interfaces; procedures and practices; training and qualifications of RAB staff; and organizational practices and policies. At its completion, the project identified and prioritized areas for recommended NRC and industry attention based on all of the evaluations and analyses.

  5. Human factors evaluation of remote afterloading brachytherapy. Volume 2, Function and task analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Callan, J.R.; Gwynne, J.W. III; Kelly, T.T.; Muckler, F.A.; Saunders, W.M.; Lepage, R.P.; Chin, E.; Schoenfeld, I.; Serig, D.I.

    1995-05-01

    A human factors project on the use of nuclear by-product material to treat cancer using remotely operated afterloaders was undertaken by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The purpose of the project was to identify factors that contribute to human error in the system for remote afterloading brachytherapy (RAB). This report documents the findings from the first phase of the project, which involved an extensive function and task analysis of RAB. This analysis identified the functions and tasks in RAB, made preliminary estimates of the likelihood of human error in each task, and determined the skills needed to perform each RAB task. The findings of the function and task analysis served as the foundation for the remainder of the project, which evaluated four major aspects of the RAB system linked to human error: human-system interfaces; procedures and practices; training and qualifications of RAB staff; and organizational practices and policies. At its completion, the project identified and prioritized areas for recommended NRC and industry attention based on all of the evaluations and analyses

  6. Evaluating an employee wellness program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukhopadhyay, Sankar; Wendel, Jeanne

    2013-12-01

    What criteria should be used to evaluate the impact of a new employee wellness program when the initial vendor contract expires? Published academic literature focuses on return-on-investment as the gold standard for wellness program evaluation, and a recent meta-analysis concludes that wellness programs can generate net savings after one or two years. In contrast, surveys indicate that fewer than half of these programs report net savings, and actuarial analysts argue that return-on-investment is an unrealistic metric for evaluating new programs. These analysts argue that evaluation of new programs should focus on contract management issues, such as the vendor's ability to: (i) recruit employees to participate and (ii) induce behavior change. We compute difference-in-difference propensity score matching estimates of the impact of a wellness program implemented by a mid-sized employer. The analysis includes one year of pre-implementation data and three years of post-implementation data. We find that the program successfully recruited a broad spectrum of employees to participate, and it successfully induced short-term behavior change, as manifested by increased preventive screening. However, the effects on health care expenditures are positive (but insignificant). If it is unrealistic to expect new programs to significantly reduce healthcare costs in a few years, then focusing on return-on-investment as the gold standard metric may lead to early termination of potentially useful wellness programs. Focusing short-term analysis of new programs on short-term measures may provide a more realistic evaluation strategy.

  7. Evaluation of the adequacy of maintenance tasks using the failure consequences of railroad vehicles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jaehoon; Jeong, Hyun- Yong

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to improve the efficiency, reliability and safety related to railroad maintenance tasks through an evaluation of the consequences of failures. The brake system was selected based on the failure data obtained from railroad vehicles in operation as one of the safety systems in railroad vehicles. The failure causes, failure effects, and the criticality of the failure mode were drawn for 62 failure modes of the braking system through the use of an FMECA for the 30 sub-devices having primary functions. The various maintenance tasks for the braking system were categorized into the 62 failure modes and failure consequences using the FMECA and the logic of maintenance decisions. Braking systems manufactured by the same manufacturer and operated by two different operators were studied in an effort to analyze preventive maintenance and to evaluate the adequacy of preventive maintenance tasks for the 62 failure modes. Based on results of the evaluation of these preventive maintenance tasks, new maintenance tasks were proposed, and concrete cost-cutting effects were determined from the calculation of the maintenance time and expected costs, using a preventive maintenance template developed specifically for railroad vehicles

  8. Use of qualitative analysis to supplement program evaluation of a faculty development program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas V Chacko

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Generally for Program Evaluation of workshops, a structured questionnaire is used to measure learner satisfaction and learning and it yields results in quantitative terms and if there are open-ended questions, it yields a long list of responses which the evaluator finds it difficult to use. Hence, we used qualitative research methods to supplement it for a holistic understanding of the quality and extent of their learning. Materials and Methods: A faculty development program was used opportunistically to gather data using open-ended questions designed to elicit "thick descriptions" about their learning. Using the Grounded Theory approach where the data drives further analysis, data analysis was done by faculty in three groups using inductive reasoning leading to emergence of themes and categories of responses. The commonalities in the themes that emerged independently in the three groups as well as member checking to seek their agreement with the group′s observation of the primary data were used to ensure validity of the findings. Results: Themes and categories of new learning in terms of knowledge, skills, attitudes and processes emerged which gives a better understanding of the extent of the learning and its applicability to future professional tasks. The open-ended questions encouraging participants to give "thick description" of their learning yielded many quotable quotes which indicate the quality of their learning. Conclusion: The use of open-ended questions and qualitative research method of data analysis using the Grounded Theory approach helps in holistic understanding of the focus and quality of learning that is not usually possible through quantitative research methods. Hence, it is recommended that when understanding of the extent and quality of learning is important, traditional method of program evaluation should be supplemented with qualitative research methods as they are more effective in convincing decision

  9. Programming of left hand exploits task set but that of right hand depends on recent history.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Rixin; Zhu, Hong

    2017-07-01

    There are many differences between the left hand and the right hand. But it is not clear if there is a difference in programming between left hand and right hand when the hands perform the same movement. In current study, we carried out two experiments to investigate whether the programming of two hands was equivalent or they exploited different strategies. In the first experiment, participants were required to use one hand to grasp an object with visual feedback or to point to the center of one object without visual feedback on alternate trials, or to grasp an object without visual feedback and to point the center of one object with visual feedback on alternating trials. They then performed the tasks with the other hand. The result was that previous pointing task affected current grasping when it was performed by the left hand, but not the right hand. In experiment 2, we studied if the programming of the left (or right) hand would be affected by the pointing task performed on the previous trial not only by the same hand, but also by the right (or left) hand. Participants pointed and grasped the objects alternately with two hands. The result was similar with Experiment 1, i.e., left-hand grasping was affected by right-hand pointing, whereas right-hand grasping was immune from the interference from left hand. Taken together, the results suggest that when open- and closed-loop trials are interleaved, motor programming of grasping with the right hand was affected by the nature of the online feedback on the previous trial only if it was a grasping trial, suggesting that the trial-to-trial transfer depends on sensorimotor memory and not on task set. In contrast, motor programming of grasping with the left hand can use information about the nature of the online feedback on the previous trial to specify the parameters of the movement, even when the type of movement that occurred was quite different (i.e., pointing) and was performed with the right hand. This suggests that

  10. Right timing in formative program evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Jori; Freeman, Melissa; Roulston, Kathy

    2014-08-01

    Since many educational researchers and program developers have limited knowledge of formative evaluation, formative data may be underutilized during the development and implementation of an educational program. The purpose of this article is to explain how participatory, responsive, educative, and qualitative approaches to formative evaluation can facilitate a partnership between evaluators and educational researchers and program managers to generate data useful to inform program implementation and improvement. This partnership is critical, we argue, because it enables an awareness of when to take appropriate action to ensure successful educational programs or "kairos". To illustrate, we use examples from our own evaluation work to highlight how formative evaluation may facilitate opportune moments to (1) define the substance and purpose of a program, (2) develop understanding and awareness of the cultural interpretations of program participants, and (3) show the relevance of stakeholder experiences to program goals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Human factors assessment in PRA using Task Analysis Linked Evaluation Technique (TALENT)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wells, J.E.; Banks, W.W.

    1991-01-01

    Thirty years ago the US military and US aviation industry, and more recently, in response to the US Three Mile Island and USSR Chernobyl accidents, the US commercial nuclear power industry, acknowledged that human error, as an immediate precursor, and as a latent or indirect influence in the form of training, maintainability, inservice test, and surveillance programs, is a primary contributor to unreality and risk in complex high-reliability systems. A 1985 Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) study of Licensee Event Reports (LERs) suggests that upwards of 65% of commercial nuclear system failures involve human error. Despite the magnitude and nature of human error cited in that study, there has been limited attention to personnel-centered issues, especially person-to-person issues involving group processes, management and organizational environment. The paper discusses NRC integration and applications research with respect to the Task Analysis Linked Evaluation Technique (TALENT) in risk assessment applications

  12. The Affordance Template ROS Package for Robot Task Programming

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Stephen; Dinh, Paul; Hambuchen, Kimberly

    2015-01-01

    This paper introduces the Affordance Template ROS package for quickly programming, adjusting, and executing robot applications in the ROS RViz environment. This package extends the capabilities of RViz interactive markers by allowing an operator to specify multiple end-effector waypoint locations and grasp poses in object-centric coordinate frames and to adjust these waypoints in order to meet the run-time demands of the task (specifically, object scale and location). The Affordance Template package stores task specifications in a robot-agnostic XML description format such that it is trivial to apply a template to a new robot. As such, the Affordance Template package provides a robot-generic ROS tool appropriate for building semi-autonomous, manipulation-based applications. Affordance Templates were developed by the NASA-JSC DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) team and have since successfully been deployed on multiple platforms including the NASA Valkyrie and Robonaut 2 humanoids, the University of Texas Dreamer robot and the Willow Garage PR2. In this paper, the specification and implementation of the affordance template package is introduced and demonstrated through examples for wheel (valve) turning, pick-and-place, and drill grasping, evincing its utility and flexibility for a wide variety of robot applications.

  13. Assessing Tuition- and Debt-Free Higher Education. NASFAA Task Force Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, 2017

    2017-01-01

    The Assessing Tuition- and Debt-Free Higher Education Task Force was convened in July 2016. Charged by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators's (NASFAA's) Board of Directors with evaluating the existing landscape of state and local promise programs with a focus on scaling such models to the national level, the task force…

  14. Chinese preservice teachers’ professional identity links with education program performance: The roles of task value belief and learning motivations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan eZhang

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available AbstractProfessional identity is a key issue spanning the entirety of teachers’ career development. Despite the abundance of existing research examining professional identity, its link with occupation-related behavior at the primary career stage (i.e., GPA in preservice education and the potential process that underlies this association is still not fully understood. This study explored the professional identity of Chinese preservice teachers, and its links with task value belief, intrinsic learning motivation, extrinsic learning motivation, and performance in the education program. Grade-point average (GPA of courses (both subject and pedagogy courses was examined as an indicator of performance, and questionnaires were used to measure the remaining variables. Data from 606 preservice teachers in the first three years of a teacher-training program indicated that: (1 variables in this research were all significantly correlated with each other, except the correlation between intrinsic learning motivation and program performance; (2 professional identity was positively linked to task value belief, intrinsic and extrinsic learning motivations, and program performance in a structural equation model (SEM; (3 task value belief was positively linked to intrinsic and extrinsic learning motivation; (4 higher extrinsic (but not intrinsic learning motivation was associated with increased program performance; and (5 task value belief and extrinsic learning motivation were significant mediators in the model.

  15. Control and evaluation programs for TANSY-KM5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grosshoeg, G.; Aronsson, D.; Hoek, M.; Rydz, R.; Norberg, L.; Urholm, L.

    1991-01-01

    Our first task was to purchase a computer and to create a basic software library for the preliminary test of the components. Our choice was a Starburst system from CES. The computer was a PDP-11/70 on a chip. It is the same computer as the ones used by the auxiliary CAMAC crate controllers in the TANSY system. However, the host has a 256 kbyte memory instead of the 64 kbyte memory used in the crate controllers. The operation system is RSX11-M. It is a real time system with properties suitable for laboratory works. However, the computer works in 64 kbyte partitions which limits the size of the programs. Four program systems were written. The two first were one-parameter systems for amplitude and time measurements using the ADCs and TDCs which later should be included in the TANSY system. These systems were supplemented with two two-parameter systems, one for time and amplitude measurements and one for time measurements on 16 detectors simultaneously. The display capabilities of these program systems have been used extensively by the TANSY programs. The programs needed for the manipulation of the system give the user a possibility to manually run the system without any intervention from the normal CODAS control system. The programs have been used for calibration measurements as well as test of the TANSY system. The evaluation programs use the output file from a normal measurement. The data file may be tested for errors. The true events can be sorted into different configurations. The final one is the neutron energy sort program, which gives the neutron energy distribution

  16. Doing good buffers against feeling bad : prosocial impact compensates for negative task and self-evaluations

    OpenAIRE

    Grant, Adam M.; Sonnentag, Sabine

    2010-01-01

    Although evidence suggests that negative task and self-evaluations are associated with emotional exhaustion, little research has examined factors that buffer against these affects. We propose that perceived prosocial impact, the experience of helping others, compensates for negative task and self-evaluations by focusing attention on positive outcomes for others. In Study 1, perceived prosocial impact attenuated the associations of low intrinsic motivation and core self-evaluations with emotio...

  17. Evaluating Dermatology Residency Program Websites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashack, Kurt A; Burton, Kyle A; Soh, Jonathan M; Lanoue, Julien; Boyd, Anne H; Milford, Emily E; Dunnick, Cory; Dellavalle, Robert P

    2016-03-16

    Internet resources play an important role in how medical students access information related to residency programs.Evaluating program websites is necessary in order to provide accurate information for applicants and provide information regarding areas of website improvement for programs. To date, dermatology residency websites (D  WS) have not been evaluated.This paper evaluates dermatology residency websites based on availability of predefined measures. Using the FREIDA (Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database) Online database, authors searched forall accredited dermatology program websites. Eligible programs were identified through the FREIDA Online database and had a functioning website. Two authors independently extracted data with consensus or third researcher resolution of differences. This data was accessed and archived from July 15th to July 17th, 2015.Primary outcomes measured were presence of content on education, resident and faculty information, program environment, applicant recruitment, schedule, salary, and website quality evaluated using an online tool (WooRank.com). Out of 117 accredited dermatology residencies, 115 had functioning webpages. Of these, 76.5% (75) had direct links found on the FRIEDA Online database. Most programs contained information on education, faculty, program environment, and applicant recruitment. However, website quality and marketing effectiveness were highly variable; most programs were deemed to need improvements in the functioning of their webpages. Also, additional information on current residents and about potential away rotations were lacking from most websites with only 52.2% (60) and 41.7% (48) of programs providing this content, respectively. A majority of dermatology residency websites contained adequate information on many of the factors we evaluated. However, many were lacking in areas that matter to applicants. We hope this report will encourage dermatology residencyprograms

  18. Evaluation of Functional Correlation of Task-Specific Muscle Synergies with Motor Performance in Patients Poststroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Si Li

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The central nervous system produces movements by activating specifically programmed muscle synergies that are also altered with injuries in the brain, such as stroke. In this study, we hypothesize that there exists a positive correlation between task-specific muscle synergy and motor functions at joint and task levels in patients following stroke. The purpose here is to define and evaluate neurophysiological metrics based on task-specific muscle synergy for assessing motor functions in patients. A patient group of 10 subjects suffering from stroke and a control group of nine age-matched healthy subjects were recruited to participate in this study. Electromyography (EMG signals and movement kinematics were recorded in patients and control subjects while performing arm reaching tasks. Muscle synergies of individual patients were extracted off-line from EMG records of each patient, and a baseline pattern of muscle synergy was obtained from the pooled EMG data of all nine control subjects. Peak velocities and movement durations of each reaching movement were computed from measured kinematics. Similarity indices of matching components to those of the baseline synergy were defined by synergy vectors and time profiles, respectively, as well as by a combined similarity of vector and time profile. Results showed that pathological synergies of patients were altered from the characteristics of baseline synergy with missing components, or varied vector patterns and time profiles. The kinematic performance measured by peak velocities and movement durations was significantly poorer for the patient group than the control group. In patients, all three similarity indices were found to correlate significantly to the kinematics of movements for the reaching tasks. The correlation to the Fugl-Meyer score of arm was the highest with the vector index, the lowest with the time profile index, and in between with the combined index. These findings illustrate that the

  19. Consistency of performance of robot-assisted surgical tasks in virtual reality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suh, I H; Siu, K-C; Mukherjee, M; Monk, E; Oleynikov, D; Stergiou, N

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate consistency of performance of robot-assisted surgical tasks in a virtual reality environment. Eight subjects performed two surgical tasks, bimanual carrying and needle passing, with both the da Vinci surgical robot and a virtual reality equivalent environment. Nonlinear analysis was utilized to evaluate consistency of performance by calculating the regularity and the amount of divergence in the movement trajectories of the surgical instrument tips. Our results revealed that movement patterns for both training tasks were statistically similar between the two environments. Consistency of performance as measured by nonlinear analysis could be an appropriate methodology to evaluate the complexity of the training tasks between actual and virtual environments and assist in developing better surgical training programs.

  20. Scientific Merit Review of Directed Research Tasks Within the NASA Human Research Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charles, John B.

    2010-01-01

    The Human Research Program is instrumental in developing and delivering research findings, health countermeasures, and human systems technologies for spacecraft. :HRP is subdivided into 6 research entities, or Elements. Each Element is charged with providing the Program with knowledge and capabilities to conduct research to address the human health and performance risks as well as advance the readiness levels of technology and countermeasures. Project: An Element may be further subdivided into Projects, which are defined as an integrated set of tasks undertaken to deliver a product or set of products

  1. Music programming for your hands and ears only

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pauws, S.C.; Bouwhuis, D.G.; Eggen, J.H.

    1998-01-01

    An experimental evaluation is presented of the usability properties of a multimodal interaction style for music programming. The experiment investigated task performance and learning of procedures while performing music programming tasks in the presence or absence of a visual display combined with a

  2. Modified task-based learning program promotes problem-solving capacity among Chinese medical postgraduates: a mixed quantitative survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Yanping; Li, Chengren; Wang, Jiali; Cai, Qiyan; Wang, Hanzhi; Chen, Xingshu; Liu, Yunlai; Mei, Feng; Xiao, Lan; Jian, Rui; Li, Hongli

    2017-09-07

    Despite great advances, China's postgraduate education faces many problems, for example traditional lecture-based learning (LBL) method provides fewer oppotunities to apply knowledge in a working situation. Task-based learning (TBL) is an efficient strategy for increasing the connections among skills, knowledge and competences. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a modified TBL model on problem-solving abilities among postgraduate medical students in China. We allocated 228 first-year postgraduate students at Third Military Medical University into two groups: the TBL group and LBL group. The TBL group was taught using a TBL program for immunohistochemistry. The curriculum consisted of five phases: task design, self-learning, experimental operations, discussion and summary. The LBL group was taught using traditional LBL. After the course, learning performance was assessed using theoretical and practical tests. The students' preferences and satisfaction of TBL and LBL were also evaluated using questionnaires. There were notable differences in the mean score rates in the practical test (P 80) in the TBL group was higher than that in the LBL group. We observed no substantial differences in the theoretical test between the two groups (P > 0.05). The questionnaire results indicated that the TBL students were satisfied with teaching content, teaching methods and experiment content. The TBL program was also beneficial for the postgraduates in completing their research projects. Furthermore, the TBL students reported positive effects in terms of innovative thinking, collaboration, and communication. TBL is a powerful educational strategy for postgraduate education in China. Our modified TBL imparted basic knowledge to the students and also engaged them more effectively in applying knowledge to solve real-world issues. In conclusion, our TBL established a good foundation for the students' future in both medical research and clinical work.

  3. Solar energy program evaluation: an introduction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    deLeon, P.

    1979-09-01

    The Program Evaluation Methodology provides an overview of the practice and methodology of program evaluation and defines more precisely the evaluation techniques and methodologies that would be most appropriate to government organizations which are actively involved in the research, development, and commercialization of solar energy systems. Formal evaluation cannot be treated as a single methodological approach for assessing a program. There are four basic types of evaluation designs - the pre-experimental design; the quasi-experimental design based on time series; the quasi-experimental design based on comparison groups; and the true experimental design. This report is organized to first introduce the role and issues of evaluation. This is to provide a set of issues to organize the subsequent sections detailing the national solar energy programs. Then, these two themes are integrated by examining the evaluation strategies and methodologies tailored to fit the particular needs of the various individual solar energy programs. (MCW)

  4. Evaluating Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Training for Industrial Maintenance and Assembly Tasks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gavish, Nirit; Gutiérrez, Teresa; Webel, Sabine; Rodríguez, Jorge; Peveri, Matteo; Bockholt, Uli; Tecchia, Franco

    2015-01-01

    The current study evaluated the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) platforms, developed within the scope of the SKILLS Integrated Project, for industrial maintenance and assembly (IMA) tasks training. VR and AR systems are now widely regarded as promising training platforms for complex and highly demanding IMA tasks. However,…

  5. Introducing Program Evaluation Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raluca GÂRBOAN

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Programs and project evaluation models can be extremely useful in project planning and management. The aim is to set the right questions as soon as possible in order to see in time and deal with the unwanted program effects, as well as to encourage the positive elements of the project impact. In short, different evaluation models are used in order to minimize losses and maximize the benefits of the interventions upon small or large social groups. This article introduces some of the most recently used evaluation models.

  6. Development and implementation of on-the-job training programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-10-01

    The purpose of an effective on-the-job training (OJT) program is to ensure that nuclear power station personnel possess the required job-related knowledge and skills. Effective OJT consists of four elements: 1) the objectives, 2) the standards, 3) trainer/evaluator, 4) documentation. Once appropriate objectives and standards are established, training on each task or grouping of like tasks is conducted in two distinct steps; the trainee is taught, and the trainee is evaluated. The teaching step may be accomplished by trainee self-study, observation, discussion, simulation, and/or performance under the supervision of a qualified job incumbent or trainer. The evaluation step is typically a 'checkout' in which the trainee performs or simulates a task under the scrutiny of an evaluator and/or discusses the task if necessary. Both the teaching and evaluation steps are essential to effective OJT programs. The results of these steps are then documented to satisfy training record requirements and to provide input to the formal qualification process as appropriate. An example program that addresses the major elements of OJT has been attached

  7. Energy Efficiency Experiments on Samsung Exynos 5 Heterogeneous Multicore using OmpSs Task Based Programming

    OpenAIRE

    Holmgren, Rune

    2015-01-01

    This thesis explore the energy efficiency of task based programming with OpenMP SuperScalar (OmpSs) on the heterogeneous Samsung Exynos 5422 system on a chip. The system features small energy efficient cores, large high performance cores and a GPGPU, and OmpSs tasks were run on all three different processors. Experiments running a genetic algorithm and a Cholesky decomposition were used to gather results. The option of running applications on the energy efficient cores, on the high perfo...

  8. Nuclear power plant personnel qualifications and training. TSORT: an automated technique to assign tasks to training strategies. Volume 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jorgensen, C.C.

    1984-10-01

    This report discusses TSORT, a technique to assist the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in evaluating whether training program developers have allocated nuclear power plant tasks to appropriate training strategies. The TSORT structure is presented including training categories selected, dimensions of task information considered, measurement metrics used, and a guide to application. TSORT is implemented as an automated software tool for an IBM-PC. It uses full color graphics and interactive menu selection to provide NRC with a variety of evaluation options including: rank ordering of training strategies reasonable for each task, rank ordering of tasks within strategies, and a variety of special analyses. The program code is also presented along with a comprehensive example of 20 realistic tasks illustrating each of 17 options available

  9. Performance monitoring and analysis of task-based OpenMP.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi Ding

    Full Text Available OpenMP, a typical shared memory programming paradigm, has been extensively applied in high performance computing community due to the popularity of multicore architectures in recent years. The most significant feature of the OpenMP 3.0 specification is the introduction of the task constructs to express parallelism at a much finer level of detail. This feature, however, has posed new challenges for performance monitoring and analysis. In particular, task creation is separated from its execution, causing the traditional monitoring methods to be ineffective. This paper presents a mechanism to monitor task-based OpenMP programs with interposition and proposes two demonstration graphs for performance analysis as well. The results of two experiments are discussed to evaluate the overhead of monitoring mechanism and to verify the effects of demonstration graphs using the BOTS benchmarks.

  10. Critical evaluation of international health programs: Reframing global health and evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chi, Chunhuei; Tuepker, Anaïs; Schoon, Rebecca; Núñez Mondaca, Alicia

    2018-01-05

    Striking changes in the funding and implementation of international health programs in recent decades have stimulated debate about the role of communities in deciding which health programs to implement. An important yet neglected piece of that discussion is the need to change norms in program evaluation so that analysis of community ownership, beyond various degrees of "participation," is seen as central to strong evaluation practices. This article challenges mainstream evaluation practices and proposes a framework of Critical Evaluation with 3 levels: upstream evaluation assessing the "who" and "how" of programming decisions; midstream evaluation focusing on the "who" and "how" of selecting program objectives; and downstream evaluation, the focus of current mainstream evaluation, which assesses whether the program achieved its stated objectives. A vital tenet of our framework is that a community possesses the right to determine the path of its health development. A prerequisite of success, regardless of technical outcomes, is that programs must address communities' high priority concerns. Current participatory methods still seldom practice community ownership of program selection because they are vulnerable to funding agencies' predetermined priorities. In addition to critiquing evaluation practices and proposing an alternative framework, we acknowledge likely challenges and propose directions for future research. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  11. Overall evaluation of the modelling of the TRUE-1 tracer tests - Task 4. The Aespoe Task Force on Modelling of Groundwater Flow and Transport of Solutes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marschall, Paul; Elert, Mark

    2003-09-01

    The Aespoe Task Force on Modelling of Groundwater Flow and Transport of Solutes is a forum for the international organisations supporting the Aespoe HRL Project. The purpose of the Task Force is to interact in the area of conceptual and numerical modelling of groundwater flow and solute transport in fractured rock. Task 4 of the Aespoe Modelling Task Force consists of modelling exercises in support of the TRUE-1 tracer tests. The task was carried out in 1995-2000 and consisted of several modelling exercises in support of the TRUE-1 tracer tests, including predictive modelling where experimental results were not available beforehand. This report presents an overall evaluation of the achievements of Task 4. The specific objectives of the overall evaluation were to highlight innovative and successful modelling approaches developed, to assess the stages of the task which proved most beneficial for conceptual understanding of transport processes at the TRUE-1 site and to assess the success of various steering tools. A concise summary of scientific achievements is given and conclusions drawn with respect to unresolved technical issues. Recommendations are presented that can optimise the management of future modelling tasks

  12. Increases in Emotional Intelligence After an Online Training Program Are Associated With Better Decision-Making on the Iowa Gambling Task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alkozei, Anna; Smith, Ryan; Demers, Lauren A; Weber, Mareen; Berryhill, Sarah M; Killgore, William D S

    2018-01-01

    Higher levels of emotional intelligence have been associated with better inter and intrapersonal functioning. In the present study, 59 healthy men and women were randomized into either a three-week online training program targeted to improve emotional intelligence ( n = 29), or a placebo control training program targeted to improve awareness of nonemotional aspects of the environment ( n = 30). Compared to placebo, participants in the emotional intelligence training group showed increased performance on the total emotional intelligence score of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, a performance measure of emotional intelligence, as well as subscales of perceiving emotions and facilitating thought. Moreover, after emotional intelligence training, but not after placebo training, individuals displayed the ability to arrive at optimal performance faster (i.e., they showed a faster learning rate) during an emotion-guided decision-making task (i.e., the Iowa Gambling Task). More specifically, although both groups showed similar performance at the start of the Iowa Gambling Task from pre- to posttraining, the participants in the emotional intelligence training group learned to choose more advantageous than disadvantageous decks than those in the placebo training group by the time they reached the "hunch" period of the task (i.e., the point in the task when implicit task learning is thought to have occurred). Greater total improvements in performance on the Iowa Gambling Task from pre- to posttraining in the emotional intelligence training group were also positively correlated with pre- to posttraining changes in Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test scores, in particular with changes in the ability to perceive emotions. The present study provides preliminary evidence that emotional intelligence can be trained with the help of an online training program targeted at adults; it also suggests that changes in emotional intelligence, as a

  13. Effectiveness of neuromotor task training for children with developmental coordination disorder : a pilot study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schoemaker, M.M.; Niemeijer, A.S.; Reynders, K.; Smits-Engelsman, B.C.

    2003-01-01

    The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Neuromotor Task Training (NTT), recently developed for the treatment of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) by pediatric physical therapists in the Netherlands. NTT is a task-oriented treatment program based upon

  14. FY08 VPP Program Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dossett, Sharon D.

    2008-01-01

    The Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) is a recognized third-party certification of worker safety and health program excellence, based on industry best practices that focus on management leadership and employee involvement, as well as other safety and health program elements. This Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) VPP Program Evaluation is the FY-2008 report of the PNNL VPP Steering Committee regarding the status of VPP at PNNL. It is an update of the previous annual report dated January, 2007 and was completed in January 2008. An annual evaluation of the status of VPP is required of all sites that participate in the DOE-VPP. This report provides a detailed summary of the PNNL VPP Steering Committee’s evaluation of program performance and documents both strengths and improvement opportunities related to the various aspects of the VPP model.

  15. Solving peg-in-hole tasks by human demonstration and exception strategies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abu-Dakka, Fares; Nemec, Bojan; Kramberger, Aljaz

    2014-01-01

    that the proposed approach combined with exception strategies outperforms traditional approaches for robot-based assembly. Experimental evaluation was carried out on Cranfield Benchmark, which constitutes a standardized assembly task in robotics. This paper also performed statistical evaluation based on experiments...... available robot controller. Originality/value – This paper proposes a new approach to the robot assembly based on the Learning by Demonstration (LbD) paradigm. The proposed framework enables to quickly program new assembly tasks without the need for detailed analysis of the geometric and dynamic...

  16. Program evaluation and incentives for administrators of energy-efficiency programs: Can evaluation solve the principal/agent problem?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blumstein, Carl, E-mail: blumstei@berkeley.ed [University of California Energy Institute, 2547 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

    2010-10-15

    This paper addresses the nexus between evaluation of energy-efficiency programs and incentive payments based on performance for program administrators in California. The paper describes the problems that arise when evaluators are asked to measure program performance by answering the counterfactual question-what would have happened in the absence of the program? Then the paper examines some ways of addressing these problems. Key conclusions are (1) program evaluation cannot precisely and accurately determine the counterfactual, there will always be substantial uncertainty, (2) given the current state of knowledge, the decision to tie all incentives to program outcomes is misguided, and (3) incentive programs should be regularly reviewed and revised so that they can be adapted to new conditions.

  17. Program evaluation and incentives for administrators of energy-efficiency programs. Can evaluation solve the principal/agent problem?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blumstein, Carl [University of California Energy Institute, 2547 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

    2010-10-15

    This paper addresses the nexus between evaluation of energy-efficiency programs and incentive payments based on performance for program administrators in California. The paper describes the problems that arise when evaluators are asked to measure program performance by answering the counterfactual question - what would have happened in the absence of the program? Then the paper examines some ways of addressing these problems. Key conclusions are (1) program evaluation cannot precisely and accurately determine the counterfactual, there will always be substantial uncertainty, (2) given the current state of knowledge, the decision to tie all incentives to program outcomes is misguided, and (3) incentive programs should be regularly reviewed and revised so that they can be adapted to new conditions. (author)

  18. Program evaluation and incentives for administrators of energy-efficiency programs: Can evaluation solve the principal/agent problem?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blumstein, Carl

    2010-01-01

    This paper addresses the nexus between evaluation of energy-efficiency programs and incentive payments based on performance for program administrators in California. The paper describes the problems that arise when evaluators are asked to measure program performance by answering the counterfactual question-what would have happened in the absence of the program? Then the paper examines some ways of addressing these problems. Key conclusions are (1) program evaluation cannot precisely and accurately determine the counterfactual, there will always be substantial uncertainty, (2) given the current state of knowledge, the decision to tie all incentives to program outcomes is misguided, and (3) incentive programs should be regularly reviewed and revised so that they can be adapted to new conditions.

  19. Six Sigma Evaluation of the High Level Waste Tank Farm Corrosion Control Program at the Savannah River Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hill, P. J.

    2003-01-01

    Six Sigma is a disciplined approach to process improvement based on customer requirements and data. The goal is to develop or improve processes with defects that are measured at only a few parts per million. The process includes five phases: Identify, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. This report describes the application of the Six Sigma process to improving the High Level Waste (HLW) Tank Farm Corrosion Control Program. The report documents the work performed and the tools utilized while applying the Six Sigma process from September 28, 2001 to April 1, 2002. During Fiscal Year 2001, the High Level Waste Division spent $5.9 million to analyze samples from the F and H Tank Farms. The largest portion of these analytical costs was $2.45 million that was spent to analyze samples taken to support the Corrosion Control Program. The objective of the Process Improvement Project (PIP) team was to reduce the number of analytical tasks required to support the Corrosion Control Program by 50 percent. Based on the data collected, the corrosion control decision process flowchart, and the use of the X-Y Matrix tool, the team determined that analyses in excess of the requirements of the corrosion control program were being performed. Only two of the seven analytical tasks currently performed are required for the 40 waste tanks governed by the Corrosion Control Program. Two additional analytical tasks are required for a small subset of the waste tanks resulting in an average of 2.7 tasks per sample compared to the current 7 tasks per sample. Forty HLW tanks are sampled periodically as part of the Corrosion Control Program. For each of these tanks, an analysis was performed to evaluate the stability of the chemistry in the tank and then to determine the statistical capability of the tank to meet minimum corrosion inhibitor limits. The analyses proved that most of the tanks were being sampled too frequently. Based on the results of these analyses and th e use of additional

  20. Task-based evaluation of segmentation algorithms for diffusion-weighted MRI without using a gold standard

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jha, Abhinav K; Kupinski, Matthew A; Rodríguez, Jeffrey J; Stephen, Renu M; Stopeck, Alison T

    2012-01-01

    In many studies, the estimation of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of lesions in visceral organs in diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance images requires an accurate lesion-segmentation algorithm. To evaluate these lesion-segmentation algorithms, region-overlap measures are used currently. However, the end task from the DW images is accurate ADC estimation, and the region-overlap measures do not evaluate the segmentation algorithms on this task. Moreover, these measures rely on the existence of gold-standard segmentation of the lesion, which is typically unavailable. In this paper, we study the problem of task-based evaluation of segmentation algorithms in DW imaging in the absence of a gold standard. We first show that using manual segmentations instead of gold-standard segmentations for this task-based evaluation is unreliable. We then propose a method to compare the segmentation algorithms that does not require gold-standard or manual segmentation results. The no-gold-standard method estimates the bias and the variance of the error between the true ADC values and the ADC values estimated using the automated segmentation algorithm. The method can be used to rank the segmentation algorithms on the basis of both the ensemble mean square error and precision. We also propose consistency checks for this evaluation technique. (paper)

  1. Prioritization of tasks in the draft LWR safety technology program plan. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, E.Y.; Miller, W.J.; Parkinson, W.J.; Ritzman, R.L.; vonHerrmann, J.L.; Wood, P.J.

    1980-05-01

    The purpose of this report is to describe both the approach taken and the results produced in the SAI effort to prioritize the tasks in the Sandia draft LWR Safety Technology Program Plan. This work used the description of important safety issues developed in the Reactor Safety Study (2) to quantify the effect of safety improvements resulting from a research and development program on the risk from nuclear power plants. Costs of implementation of these safety improvements were also estimated to allow a presentation of the final results in a value (i.e., risk reduction) vs. impact (i.e., implementation costs) matrix

  2. Evaluating adolescent pregnancy programs: rethinking our priorities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stahler, G J; DuCette, J P

    1991-01-01

    Noting that impact evaluations of adolescent pregnancy programs are characterized by poor quality, the authors recommend using a different standard in assessing the value of programs. While the number of adolescent pregnancy programs has multiplied during the last 3 decades, little is known about their impact in ameliorating the negative consequences of too-early childbearing. An ideal evaluation of these programs would randomly select and randomly assign subjects to experimental and control groups. But evaluations conducted by individual program generally face obstacles that limit the randomness of the study. most individual programs lack the financial resources and do not employ the full-time professional evaluators needed to carry out a valid evaluation. These factors result in too short an evaluation period, incomplete and inaccurate data, and lack of randomness in the assignment of control groups. To more accurately assess the impact of the programs, the authors recommend that individual programs focus on process evaluation and collection of complete and reliable data on their clients. From the onset, a program should have a clear description of its content, logic of intervention, and method of implementation. It should maintain thorough records on client characteristics, service utilization, and should conduct long-term follow-ups. For rigorous impact evaluations, programs should rely on 3rd party entities. These independent organizations -- universities or research institutes -- do not have a stake in the outcome of the evaluation, making the study all the more objective. Furthermore, they provide experienced researchers.

  3. Task planning systems with natural language interface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kambayashi, Shaw; Uenaka, Junji

    1989-12-01

    In this report, a natural language analyzer and two different task planning systems are described. In 1988, we have introduced a Japanese language analyzer named CS-PARSER for the input interface of the task planning system in the Human Acts Simulation Program (HASP). For the purpose of a high speed analysis, we have modified a dictionary system of the CS-PARSER by using C language description. It is found that the new dictionary system is very useful for a high speed analysis and an efficient maintenance of the dictionary. For the study of the task planning problem, we have modified a story generating system named Micro TALE-SPIN to generate a story written in Japanese sentences. We have also constructed a planning system with natural language interface by using the CS-PARSER. Task planning processes and related knowledge bases of these systems are explained. A concept design for a new task planning system will be also discussed from evaluations of above mentioned systems. (author)

  4. Strategic Change and the Joint Terrorism Task Force: Ideas and Recommendations

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    D'Angelo, Anthony P

    2007-01-01

    ... and the multidisciplinary Joint Terrorism Task Forces. The terrorist attacks served as a catalyst for evaluating cultural, psychological and organizational processes, policies and procedures that influenced the FBI and impacted the JTTF program...

  5. Evaluation Study of VTAE Wood Technics Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wisconsin State Board of Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education, Madison.

    A survey of former students of the Wisconsin Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education (VTAE) wood technics programs and employers in woodworking industries was conducted during spring of 1985. General objectives were to determine job classifications, types of businesses, and relative importance of tasks or duties in various woodworking-related…

  6. Program evaluation and incentives for administrators of energy efficiency programs: can evaluation solve the principal/agent problem?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blumstein, Carl (Univ. of California, Energy Institute (United States))

    2009-07-01

    This paper addresses the nexus between the evaluation of energy-efficiency programs and incentive payments based on performance for program administrators in California. The paper describes problems that arise when evaluators are asked to measure program performance by answering the counterfactual question, what would have happened in the absence of the program? Then some ways of addressing these problems are examined. Key conclusions are that 1) program evaluation cannot precisely and accurately determine the counterfactual, there will always be substantial uncertainty, 2) given the current state of knowledge, the decision to tie all of the incentive to program outcomes is misguided, and 3) incentive programs should be regularly reviewed and revised so that they can be adapted to new conditions.

  7. Mapping Learning Outcomes and Assignment Tasks for SPIDER Activities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lyn Brodie

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Modern engineering programs have to address rapidly changing technical content and have to enable students to develop transferable skills such as critical evaluation, communication skills and lifelong learning. This paper introduces a combined learning and assessment activity that provides students with opportunities to develop and practice their soft skills, but also extends their theoretical knowledge base. Key tasks included self directed inquiry, oral and written communication as well as peer assessment. To facilitate the SPIDER activities (Select, Prepare and Investigate, Discuss, Evaluate, Reflect, a software tool has been implemented in the learning management system Moodle. Evidence shows increased student engagement and better learning outcomes for both transferable as well as technical skills. The study focuses on generalising the relationship between learning outcomes and assignment tasks as well as activities that drive these tasks. Trail results inform the approach. Staff evaluations and their views of assignments and intended learning outcomes also supported this analysis.

  8. Environmental assessment for the satellite power system concept development and evaluation program: atmospheric effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rote, D.M.; Brubaker, K.L.; Lee, J.L.

    1980-11-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) has undertaken a preliminary, three-year program to investigate the impacts of the construction and operation of a satellite power system, of unprecedented scale. The Department of Energy's program, titled The Concept Development and Evaluation Program, focused its investigations on a Reference System description that calls for the use of either silicon (Si) or gallium aluminum-arsenide (GaAlAs) photovoltaic cells on 60 satellites to be constructed in GEO over a 30-yr period. Rectennas would be constructed on the ground to receive microwave energy from the satellites. Each satellite-rectenna pair is designed to produce 5 GW of power on an essentially continuous basis for use as a baseload power source for an electric power distribution system. The environmental assessment part of the program was divided into five interdependent task areas. The present document constitutes the final technical report on one of the five task areas, the Assessment of the Atmospheric Effects, and as such presents an in-depth summary of work performed during the assessment program. The issues associated with SPS activities in the troposphere are examined. These include tropospheric weather modification related to rectenna operations and rocket launches, and air quality impacts related to rocketlaunch ground clouds. Then progressing upward through the various levels of the atmosphere, the principal middle and upper atmospheric effects associated with rocket effluents are analyzed. Finally, all of the potential SPS atmospheric effects are summarized

  9. Nuclear medicine research: an evaluation of the ERDA program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-08-01

    Legislation which established the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) January 19, 1975, stipulated that this new agency should be responsible for all activities previously assigned to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and not specifically assigned to other agencies. Such activities included the nuclear medicine research program of the AEC Division of Biomedical and Environmental Research (DBER). To determine whether continuation of this program under the broader ERDA mission of energy-related research was in fact appropriate, a special task force was appointed in January 1975 by Dr. James L. Liverman, the director of DBER. This task force, comprised of established scientists knowledgeable about issues related to nuclear medicine either currently or in the past, was charged specifically to assess the historical impact of the AEC/ERDA nuclear medicine program on the development of nuclear medicine, the current status of this program, and its future role within the structure of ERDA. The specific recommendations, in brief form, are as follows: the federal government should continue to support the medical application of nuclear technology; ERDA should retain primary responsibility for support and management of federal nuclear medicine research programs; and management and emphasis of the ERDA nuclear medicine program require modification in certain areas, which are set forth

  10. Product Evaluation Task Force Phase Two report for BWR/PWR dissolver wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Francis, A.J.

    1990-01-01

    It has been proposed that all Intermediate Level Wastes arising at Sellafield should be encapsulated prior to ultimate disposal. The Product Evaluation Task Force (PETF) was set up to investigate possible encapsulants and to produce an adequate data base to justify the preferred matrices. This report details the work carried out, under Phase 2 of the Product Evaluation Task Force programme, on BWR/PWR Dissolver Wastes. Three possible types of encapsulants for BWR/PWR Dissolver Wastes:- Inorganic cements, Polymer cements and Polymers are evaluated using the Kepner Tregoe decision analysis technique. This technique provides a methodology for scoring and ranking alternative options and evaluating any risks associated with an option. The analysis shows that for all four stages of waste management operations ie Storage, Transport, handling and emplacement, Disposal and Process, cement matrices are considerably superior to other potential matrices. A matrix, consisting of three parts Blast Furnace Slag (BFS) to one part Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), is recommended for Phase 3 studies on BWR/PWR Dissolver Wastes. (author)

  11. Product Evaluation Task Force Phase Two report for MEB crud/filter aid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Francis, A.J.

    1991-01-01

    It has been proposed that all Intermediate Level Wastes arising at Sellafield should be encapsulated prior to ultimate disposal. The Product Evaluation Task Force (PETF) was set up to investigate possible encapsulants and to produce an adequate data base to justify the preferred matrices. This report details the work carried out, under Phase 2 of the Product Evaluation Task Force programme, on MEB Crud/Filter Aid. Three possible types of encapsulants for MEB Crud/Filter Aid:- Inorganic cements, Polymer cements, and Polymers are evaluated using the Kepner Tregoe decision and analysis technique. This technique provides a methodology for scoring and ranking alternative options and evaluating any risks associated with an option. The analysis shows that for all four stages of waste management operations, ie Storage, Transport, handling and emplacement, Disposal and, Process, cement matrices are considerably superior to other potential matrices. A matrix, consisting of nine parts Blast Furnace Slag (BFS) to one part Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is recommended as the preferred matrix for Phase 3 studies on MEB/Filter Aid. (author)

  12. Evaluation of Hawaii's Healthy Start Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duggan, Anne K.; McFarlane, Elizabeth C.; Windham, Amy M.; Rohde, Charles A.; Salkever, David S.; Fuddy, Loretta; Rosenberg, Leon A.; Buchbinder, Sharon B.; Sia, Calvin C. J.

    1999-01-01

    Describes Hawaii's Healthy Start Program (HST), its ongoing evaluation study, and evaluation findings at the end of two of a planned three years of family-program participation and follow-up. HST uses home visitors to help prevent abusive and neglectful parenting. Found significant differences in program implementation among the three…

  13. Socioeconomic impact assessment in ex ante evaluations: a case study on the rural development programs of the European Union.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vidueira, Pablo; Díaz-Puente, José M; Rivera, María

    2014-08-01

    Ex ante impact assessment has become a fundamental tool for effective program management, and thus, a compulsory task when establishing a new program in the European Union (EU). This article aims to analyze benefits from ex ante impact assessment, methodologies followed, and difficulties encountered. This is done through the case study on the rural development programs (RDPs) in the EU. Results regarding methodologies are then contrasted with the international context in order to provide solid insights to evaluators and program managing authorities facing ex ante impact assessment. All European RDPs from the period 2007 through 2013 (a total of 88) and their corresponding available ex ante evaluations (a total of 70) were analyzed focusing on the socioeconomic impact assessment. Only 46.6% of the regions provide quantified impact estimations on socioeconomic impacts in spite of it being a compulsory task demanded by the European Commission (EC). Recommended methods by the EC are mostly used, but there is a lack of mixed method approaches since qualitative methods are used in substitution of quantitative ones. Two main difficulties argued were the complexity of program impacts and the lack of needed program information. Qualitative approaches on their own have been found as not suitable for ex ante impact assessment, while quantitative approaches-such as microsimulation models-provide a good approximation to actual impacts. However, time and budgetary constraints make that quantitative and mixed methods should be mainly applied on the most relevant impacts for the program success. © The Author(s) 2014.

  14. Evaluation of educational programs: an affiliate survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerker, B

    1996-08-01

    The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) conducted a survey in 1996 to investigate the use of educational program evaluation among its affiliates. Of the 153 surveys mailed out, 55 (36%) were returned. Evaluations of school-based educational programs were conducted consistently by 19% of respondents and occasionally by 72%; non-school-based programs were evaluated consistently by 31% of associations and occasionally by 64%. In both types of presentations, evaluations were likely to consist of pre- and post-testing, post-tests alone, or informal discussions with participants. The outcome variables most often measured were participant satisfaction with the presentation, knowledge gained, and behavioral change. 75% of educational directors recognized the value of evaluations for purposes such as program planning, providing a baseline, and procuring funding; 80% were interested in doing more evaluations. However, directors identified numerous obstacles to evaluation: insufficient time, lack of expertise or models, problems conducting meaningful impact evaluations, limited funds for this purpose, and fear that results would be disappointing. Despite its low response rate, this survey identified a need for PPFA's Education Department to promote program evaluation among its affiliates, provide staff training, and develop meaningful program impact measures.

  15. Methods for evaluation of industry training programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morisseau, D.S.; Roe, M.L.; Persensky, J.J.

    1987-01-01

    The NRC Policy Statement on Training and Qualification endorses the INPO-managed Training Accreditation Program in that it encompasses the elements of effective performance-based training. Those elements are: analysis of the job, performance-based learning objectives, training design and implementation, trainee evaluation, and program evaluation. As part of the NRC independent evaluation of utilities implementation of training improvement programs, the staff developed training review criteria and procedures that address all five elements of effective performance-based training. The staff uses these criteria to perform reviews of utility training programs that have already received accreditation. Although no performance-based training program can be said to be complete unless all five elements are in place, the last two, trainee and program evaluation, are perhaps the most important because they determine how well the first three elements have been implemented and ensure the dynamic nature of training. This paper discusses the evaluation elements of the NRC training review criteria. The discussion will detail the elements of evaluation methods and techniques that the staff expects to find as integral parts of performance-based training programs at accredited utilities. Further, the review of the effectiveness of implementation of the evaluation methods is discussed. The paper also addresses some of the qualitative differences between what is minimally acceptable and what is most desirable with respect to trainee and program evaluation mechanisms and their implementation

  16. Curriculum Evaluation and Employers Opinions: the case study of Educational Technology Program in Bachelor Degree (Continuing Program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nakhon Lalognam

    2016-09-01

    uncertain level, process aspect was at the high level and product aspect was at the high level. 2. The opinions of employers to the ideal characteristics were at the highest level and actual characteristics were at the high level. 3. The opinions to the requirements of the Educational Technology Program in Bachelor Degree (Continuing Program and knowledge implementation in work of graduate were: 3.1 The opinions of graduates, the curriculum committee and instructors to the Educational Technology Program in Bachelor Degree (Continuing Program were at the highest level. 3.2 The opinions of graduates to knowledge implementation in work at the high level. 4. The suggestions and guidelines for improving of the Educational Technology Program in Bachelor Degree (Continuing Program were as follows: 4.1 Context Evaluation Aspect: The results indicated that should improve philosophy, course outline, course description and course content of the curriculum appropriate to the current economic, social and technological and meet with requirements of learners and graduate – employers and specific psychomotor aspect which are used for existing of life in society. 4.2 Input Evaluation Aspect: Instructor should have knowledge which are the curriculum, specific specialization in subject, continually developing of new task and should make academic position for subjects which they teach that is promoting of strength of the curriculum. Department of Educational Technology manage training or seminar about techniques of pedagogy and learning process, the enhanced project about development of knowledge, attitude and basic psychomotor for learners, allocate budget and provide textbooks, hardware and software media and set up laboratory be adequate and appropriate for learner. 4.3 Process Evaluation Aspect: Instructional management requires both of theory and practice that instructors should explicitly determine and must use a variety of measurement, should get evaluation for every 4 years according

  17. FY-2007 PNNL Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Program Evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wright, Patrick A.; Fisher, Julie A.; Goheen, Steven C.; Isern, Nancy G.; Madson, Vernon J.; Meicenheimer, Russell L.; Pugh, Ray; Schneirla, Keri A.; Shockey, Loretta L.; Tinker, Mike R.

    2008-01-01

    This document reports the results of the FY-2007 PNNL VPP Program Evaluation, which is a self-assessment of the operational and programmatic performance of the Laboratory related to worker safety and health. The report was compiled by a team of worker representatives and safety professionals who evaluated the Laboratory's worker safety and health programs on the basis of DOE-VPP criteria. The principle elements of DOE's VPP program are: Management Leadership, Employee Involvement, Worksite Analysis, Hazard Prevention and Control, and Safety and Health Training.

  18. Seismic re-evaluation process in Medzamor-2 NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zadoyan, P.

    2000-01-01

    Seismic re-evaluation process for Medzamor-2 NPP describes the following topics: program implementation status; re-evaluation program structure; regulatory procedure and review plan; current tasks and practice; and regulatory assessment and research programs

  19. Groundwater monitoring program evaluation For A/M Area, Savannah River Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hiergesell, R.A.; Bollinger, J.S.

    1996-01-01

    This investigation was undertaken with the primary purpose of assessing the groundwater monitoring program within the A/M Area to identify ways in which the monitoring program could be improved. The task was difficult due to the large number of wells located within the A/M Area and the huge database of analytical data. It was recognized early in this investigation that one of the key tasks was to develop a way to gain access to the groundwater databases so that recommendations could be made. To achieve this, geographic information systems (GIS) technology was used to extract pertinent groundwater quality information from the Geochemical Information Management System (GIMS) groundwater database and display the extracted information spatially. GIS technology was also used to determine the location of well screen and annular material zones within the A/M Area hydrostratigraphy and to identify wells that may breach confining units. Recommendations developed from this study address: (1) wells that may not be providing reliable data but continue to be routinely sampled (2) wells that may be inappropriately located but continue to be routinely sampled and (3) further work that should be undertaken, including well development, evaluation of wells that may be breaching confining units, and development of an automated link to GIMS using GIS so that GIMS data can easily be accessed and displayed geographically

  20. Evaluation of social interaction, task management, and trust among dental hygiene students in a collaborative learning environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saylor, Catherine D; Keselyak, Nancy T; Simmer-Beck, Melanie; Tira, Daniel

    2011-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of collaborative learning on the development of social interaction, task management, and trust in dental hygiene students. These three traits were assessed with the Teamwork Assessment Scale in two different learning environments (traditional lecture/lab and collaborative learning environment). A convenience sample of fifty-six entry-level dental hygiene students taking an introductory/preclinic course at two metropolitan area dental hygiene programs provided comparable experimental and control groups. Factor scores were computed for the three traits, and comparisons were conducted using the Ryan-Einot-Gabriel-Welsh multiple comparison procedure among specific cell comparisons generated from a two-factor repeated measures ANOVA. The results indicate that the collaborative learning environment influenced dental hygiene students positively regarding the traits of social interaction, task management, and trust. However, comparing dental hygiene students to undergraduate students overall indicates that dental hygiene students already possess somewhat higher levels of these traits. Future studies on active learning strategies should examine factors such as student achievement and explore other possible active learning methodologies.

  1. Innovative nuclear thermal propulsion technology evaluation: Results of the NASA/DOE Task Team study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Howe, S.; Borowski, S.; Helms, I.; Diaz, N.; Anghaie, S.; Latham, T.

    1991-01-01

    In response to findings from two NASA/DOE nuclear propulsion workshops held in the summer of 1990, six task teams were formed to continue evaluation of various nuclear propulsion concepts. The Task Team on Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) created the Innovative Concepts Subpanel to evaluate thermal propulsion concepts which did not utilize solid fuel. The Subpanel endeavored to evaluate each of the concepts on a ''level technological playing field,'' and to identify critical technologies, issues, and early proof-of-concept experiments. The concepts included the liquid core fission, the gas core fission, the fission foil reactors, explosively driven systems, fusion, and antimatter. The results of the studies by the panel will be provided. 13 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs

  2. FY-2007 PNNL Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Program Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wright, Patrick A.; Fisher, Julie A.; Goheen, Steven C.; Isern, Nancy G.; Madson, Vernon J.; Meicenheimer, Russell L.; Pugh, Ray; Schneirla, Keri A.; Shockey, Loretta L.; Tinker, Mike R.

    2008-08-15

    This document reports the results of the FY-2007 PNNL VPP Program Evaluation, which is a self-assessment of the operational and programmatic performance of the Laboratory related to worker safety and health. The report was compiled by a team of worker representatives and safety professionals who evaluated the Laboratory's worker safety and health programs on the basis of DOE-VPP criteria. The principle elements of DOE's VPP program are: Management Leadership, Employee Involvement, Worksite Analysis, Hazard Prevention and Control, and Safety and Health Training.

  3. Comparative evaluation of three cognitive error analysis methods through an application to accident management tasks in NPPs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Won Dea; Kim, Jae Whan; Ha, Jae Joo; Yoon, Wan C.

    1999-01-01

    This study was performed to comparatively evaluate selected Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) methods which mainly focus on cognitive error analysis, and to derive the requirement of a new human error analysis (HEA) framework for Accident Management (AM) in nuclear power plants(NPPs). In order to achieve this goal, we carried out a case study of human error analysis on an AM task in NPPs. In the study we evaluated three cognitive HEA methods, HRMS, CREAM and PHECA, which were selected through the review of the currently available seven cognitive HEA methods. The task of reactor cavity flooding was chosen for the application study as one of typical tasks of AM in NPPs. From the study, we derived seven requirement items for a new HEA method of AM in NPPs. We could also evaluate the applicability of three cognitive HEA methods to AM tasks. CREAM is considered to be more appropriate than others for the analysis of AM tasks. But, PHECA is regarded less appropriate for the predictive HEA technique as well as for the analysis of AM tasks. In addition to these, the advantages and disadvantages of each method are described. (author)

  4. Evaluation of the Health Rocks! Program: The Association of Youth Engagement with Program Outcomes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Xia

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This evaluation research examined the relationship between program process and program outcome, specifically, youth engagement in the national 4-H Council Health Rocks! program and their program outcomes.  Based on program evaluation surveys completed after the program by participants, youths’ engagement in the program was associated with their gains in knowledge and skills about substance use, and personal assets related to avoiding risks.  When youth participants find a program interesting, are actively engaged in the program, and find the program staff friendly, they benefit more from the program.  Findings underscore the importance of engaging curriculum and friendly staff to the success of extension or afterschool youth programs. The evaluation method may offer an example of balancing rigor of evaluation design and feasibility of implementing an evaluation.

  5. Guidance for training program evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-01-01

    An increased concern about the training of nuclear reactor operators resulted from the incident at TMI-2 in 1979. Purpose of this guide is to provide a general framework for the systematic evaluation of training programs for DOE Category-A reactors. The primary goal of such evaluations is to promote continuing quality improvements in the selection, training and qualification programs

  6. EVALUE : a computer program for evaluating investments in forest products industries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peter J. Ince; Philip H. Steele

    1980-01-01

    EVALUE, a FORTRAN program, was developed to provide a framework for cash flow analysis of investment opportunities. EVALUE was designed to assist researchers in evaluating investment feasibility of new technology or new manufacturing processes. This report serves as user documentation for the EVALUE program. EVALUE is briefly described and notes on preparation of a...

  7. Girls, Boys, and Bots: Gender Differences in Young Children’s Performance on Robotics and Programming Tasks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amanda Sullivan

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Prior work demonstrates the importance of introducing young children to programming and engineering content before gender stereotypes are fully developed and ingrained in later years. However, very little research on gender and early childhood technology interventions exist. This pilot study looks at N=45 children in kindergarten through second grade who completed an eight-week robotics and programming curriculum using the KIWI robotics kit. KIWI is a developmentally appropriate robotics construction set specifically designed for use with children ages 4 to 7 years old. Qualitative pre-interviews were administered to determine whether participating children had any gender-biased attitudes toward robotics and other engineering tools prior to using KIWI in their classrooms. Post-tests were administered upon completion of the curriculum to determine if any gender differences in achievement were present. Results showed that young children were beginning to form opinions about which technologies and tools would be better suited for boys and girls. While there were no significant differences between boys and girls on the robotics and simple programming tasks, boys performed significantly better than girls on the advanced programming tasks such as, using repeat loops with sensor parameters. Implications for the design of new technological tools and curriculum that are appealing to boys and girls are discussed.

  8. Practical strategies for nursing education program evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewallen, Lynne Porter

    2015-01-01

    Self-evaluation is required for institutions of higher learning and the nursing programs within them. The literature provides information on evaluation models and instruments, and descriptions of how specific nursing education programs are evaluated. However, there are few discussions in the nursing education literature of the practical aspects of nursing education program evaluation: how to get started, how to keep track of data, who to involve in data collection, and how to manage challenging criteria. This article discusses the importance of program evaluation in the academic setting and provides information on practical ways to organize the evaluation process and aggregate data, and strategies for gathering data from students, graduates, alumni, and employers of graduates. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Lessons learned from IRIS EPO program evaluations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taber, J.; Hubenthal, M.

    2012-12-01

    Evaluating the overall impact of EPO programs that include activities ranging from formal education through broad public outreach, is a complex issue. The impact of education activities targeted at narrowly defined audiences is generally easier to quantify than the national impact of outreach activities conducted by a relatively small program. For educational activities, our approach has been to leverage the best-practices identified through research and to continuously assess the individual elements internally with the intention of making improvements based on the data generated and the existing research. By constructing our elements on the best practices identified by the research community we feel that internal formative evaluation is a valid means to determine if an activity is effective, particularly when the results are compared to similar programs. For example, effective practices of professional development are well documented in the literature. As a result, this allows us to shape our programs and our evaluations to monitor elements that have been identified as key by the educational research community. Further, such actions allow us to avoid allocating significant resources with the intention of pinning down direct causal relationships between our programs and consumers, when similar interventions (conducted by others) have already shown such relationships. Ongoing review by an EPO advisory committee also provides regular oversight of program impact. While we find internal and external formative evaluation extremely useful in shaping the program and documenting its impact, we also recognize the value of a summative evaluation process. For example, an external summative evaluation of the IRIS EPO program was conducted in 2009, followed by an external panel review, as part of the regular review of IRIS programs. We found that the most valuable part of the external evaluation was our preparation, including clarifying the goals of each of the elements of the

  10. Effective Practices for Evaluating Education and Public Outreach Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkerson, S.

    2013-12-01

    Stephanie Baird Wilkerson, PhD Carol Haden EdD Magnolia Consulting,LLC Education and public outreach (EPO) program developers and providers seeking insights regarding effective practices for evaluating EPO activities programs benefit from understanding why evaluation is critical to the success of EPO activities and programs, what data collection methods are appropriate, and how to effectively communicate and report findings. Based on our extensive experience evaluating EPO programs, we will share lessons learned and examples of how these practices play out in actual evaluation studies. EPO program developers, providers, and evaluators must consider several factors that influence which evaluation designs and data collection methods will be most appropriate, given the nature of EPO programs. Effective evaluation practices of EPO programs take into account a program's phase of development, duration, and budget as well as a program's intended outcomes. EPO programs that are just beginning development will have different evaluation needs and priorities than will well-established programs. Effective evaluation practices consider the 'life' of a program with an evaluation design that supports a program's growth through various phases including development, revision and refinement, and completion. It would be premature and inappropriate to expect the attainment of longer-term outcomes of activities during program development phases or early stages of implementation. During program development, EPO providers should clearly define program outcomes that are feasible and appropriate given a program's scope and expected reach. In many respects, this directly relates to the amount of time, or duration, intended audiences participate in EPO programs. As program duration increases so does the likelihood that the program can achieve longer-term outcomes. When choosing which outcomes are reasonable to impact and measure, program duration should be considered. Effective evaluation

  11. 75 FR 59698 - Federal Advisory Committee; Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-28

    ... for the continuous improvements of such policies and programs. The Task Force, pursuant to section 724...-medical case management; iv. The disability evaluation process for members of the Armed Forces; v... Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded, Ill, and Injured Member of...

  12. Methodologies for evaluation of AECB regulatory program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yarranton, G.A.; Gray, B.J.; Yarranton, M.

    1986-05-01

    AECB (Atomic Energy Control Board) commissioned this report to obtain information about methods of planning and conducting evaluation of its regulatory program. The report begins with a bibliography consisting of 280 abstracts assembled from an extensive search of international literature. Each cited publication describes or uses methods applicable to the evaluation of regulatory programs. The report continues with a review of the methodologies found in the literature. It identifies the most relevant references for each step in program evaluation: the commissioning of evaluation; the identification of evaluation issues; the defining of questions; the answering of questions; the reporting of reslts, and the implementation of recommendations. Finally, the report examines the applicability, advantages and disadvantages of the different evaluation methods and makes recommendations about the selection of methods and their application to the AECB program

  13. A Quasi-Experimental Design to Evaluate the Use of PythonTutor on Programming Laboratory Session

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oscar Karnalim

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract—Educational tool is one of the prominent solutions for aiding students to learn course material in Information Technology (IT domain. However, most of them are not used in practice since they do not properly fit student necessity. This paper evaluates the impact of an educational tool, namely PythonTutor, for completing programming laboratory task regarding data structure materials. Such evaluation will be conducted in one semester by implementing a quasi-experimental design. As a result, six findings can be deducted which are: 1 PythonTutor might positively affect student performance when the students have used such tool before; 2 Sometimes, student perspective regarding the impact of educational tool is not always in-sync with actual laboratory result; 3 the impact of PythonTutor might be improved when similar data representation is used consequently for several weeks; 4 the correlation between the use of PythonTutor and student performance might not be significant when the control and intervened group share completely different characteristics; 5 the students might experience some difficulties when they are asked to handle a big task for the first time; and 6 the students might be able to complete a particular weekly task with a promising result if the students have understood the material well.

  14. Evaluating a Development Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frantzreb, Arthur C.

    Problems in evaluating the success of an institutional resource development program are examined and suggestions are offered for effective assessment. Such a program is seen as a sequence of events in the artful management of people, from the planning stage to obtaining a financial commitment in writing from persons who want to share their assets…

  15. Conversational interfaces for task-oriented spoken dialogues: design aspects influencing interaction quality

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Niculescu, A.I.

    2011-01-01

    This dissertation focuses on the design and evaluation of speech-based conversational interfaces for task-oriented dialogues. Conversational interfaces are software programs enabling interaction with computer devices through natural language dialogue. Even though processing conversational speech is

  16. The Creative task Creator: a tool for the generation of customized, Web-based creativity tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pretz, Jean E; Link, John A

    2008-11-01

    This article presents a Web-based tool for the creation of divergent-thinking and open-ended creativity tasks. A Java program generates HTML forms with PHP scripting that run an Alternate Uses Task and/or open-ended response items. Researchers may specify their own instructions, objects, and time limits, or use default settings. Participants can also be prompted to select their best responses to the Alternate Uses Task (Silvia et al., 2008). Minimal programming knowledge is required. The program runs on any server, and responses are recorded in a standard MySQL database. Responses can be scored using the consensual assessment technique (Amabile, 1996) or Torrance's (1998) traditional scoring method. Adoption of this Web-based tool should facilitate creativity research across cultures and access to eminent creators. The Creative Task Creator may be downloaded from the Psychonomic Society's Archive of Norms, Stimuli, and Data, www.psychonomic.org/archive.

  17. Classification of dual language audio-visual content: Introduction to the VideoCLEF 2008 pilot benchmark evaluation task

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Larson, M.; Newman, E.; Jones, G.J.F.; Köhler, J.; Larson, M.; de Jong, F.M.G.; Kraaij, W.; Ordelman, R.J.F.

    2008-01-01

    VideoCLEF is a new track for the CLEF 2008 campaign. This track aims to develop and evaluate tasks in analyzing multilingual video content. A pilot of a Vid2RSS task involving assigning thematic class labels to video kicks off the VideoCLEF track in 2008. Task participants deliver classification

  18. Enforcement/certification program for appliance efficiency standards. Task II, report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1979-09-28

    The research and analysis program at Vitro Labs. in support of the appliance certification and enforcement program provides Vitro's recommended approach to appliance certification and enforcement (C/E). The approach established the C/E program framework, general criteria, and procedures for assuring a specified level of energy-efficiency performance for 13 categories of consumer products (furnaces, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, television, clothes washers, freezers, air conditioners, stoves, refrigerators, water heaters). Section 2 summarizes the recommended approach. Section 3 contains detailed evaluations and comparisons for four independent alternative approaches considered (minimal government intevention, strong certification control, strong enforcement audit, and mixed certification/enforcement). The fifth C/E approach (strong remedy/deterrent) involves the remedies available to the government should non-compliance be discovered and could affect the choice among the approaches, but this approach has not been evaluated. Section 4 summarizes the analysis methodology used to select the recommended approach. Additional information is provided in 6 appendices.

  19. 76 FR 81009 - Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee-New Task

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-27

    ... Committee--New Task AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of new task... Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) a new task to develop a comprehensive program of voluntary accreditation... maintenance program (CAMP). This task addresses, in part, the ARAC recommendation developed by the Commercial...

  20. A language for data-parallel and task parallel programming dedicated to multi-SIMD computers. Contributions to hydrodynamic simulation with lattice gases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pic, Marc Michel

    1995-01-01

    Parallel programming covers task-parallelism and data-parallelism. Many problems need both parallelisms. Multi-SIMD computers allow hierarchical approach of these parallelisms. The T++ language, based on C++, is dedicated to exploit Multi-SIMD computers using a programming paradigm which is an extension of array-programming to tasks managing. Our language introduced array of independent tasks to achieve separately (MIMD), on subsets of processors of identical behaviour (SIMD), in order to translate the hierarchical inclusion of data-parallelism in task-parallelism. To manipulate in a symmetrical way tasks and data we propose meta-operations which have the same behaviour on tasks arrays and on data arrays. We explain how to implement this language on our parallel computer SYMPHONIE in order to profit by the locally-shared memory, by the hardware virtualization, and by the multiplicity of communications networks. We analyse simultaneously a typical application of such architecture. Finite elements scheme for Fluid mechanic needs powerful parallel computers and requires large floating points abilities. Lattice gases is an alternative to such simulations. Boolean lattice bases are simple, stable, modular, need to floating point computation, but include numerical noise. Boltzmann lattice gases present large precision of computation, but needs floating points and are only locally stable. We propose a new scheme, called multi-bit, who keeps the advantages of each boolean model to which it is applied, with large numerical precision and reduced noise. Experiments on viscosity, physical behaviour, noise reduction and spurious invariants are shown and implementation techniques for parallel Multi-SIMD computers detailed. (author) [fr

  1. The school evaluation program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fisher, E.; Harrison, J.; Turner, W.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports on a pilot program to provide classroom and field training to school facility operators that was implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Radiation Programs in 1989. This program consisted of two phases. The first phase developed and delivered a three-day workshop in Nashville, Tennessee. As a result of the workshop a second phase was initiated. The second phase investigated several school buildings with elevated indoor radon levels in the Western United States. Radon entry mechanisms were identified. Measurements to evaluate soil depressurization as a radon control method were made and HVAC systems were characterized. Measurements were made to evaluate HVAC modification as a radon control method. Building shell tightness measurements were made and information was collected to judge the suitability of potential sites for additional EPA sponsored 'hands on' school training. Physical and institutional problem areas were identified

  2. Advanced turbine systems program. Final report, August 3, 1993--August 31, 1996

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-12-31

    Six tasks were approved under the Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) extension program. The six tasks include the following: Task 5.0 -- Market Study. The objective of the market study task is to focus on distributed generation prospects for an industrial ATS, using the Allison ATS family as the primary gas turbine systems. Task 6.0 -- Gas Fired Advanced Turbine System (GFATS) Definition and Analysis. Task 8.01 -- Castcool{reg_sign} Blades Fabrication Process Development. Task 8.04 -- ATS Low Emission Combustion System. Task 8.07 -- Ceramic Vane Design and Evaluation. Task 9.0 -- Program Management. Each of these tasks is described, progress is discussed, and results are given.

  3. Tryon Trekkers: An Evaluation of a STEM Based Afterschool Program for At-Risk Youth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eckels Anderson, Chessa

    This study contributed to the body of research that supports a holistic model of afterschool learning through the design of an afterschool intervention that benefits elementary school students of low socioeconomic status. This qualitative study evaluated a science focused afterschool curriculum that was designed using principles from Risk and Resiliency Theory, academic motivation theories, science core ideas from the Next Generation Science Standards, and used environmental education philosophy. The research question of this study is: how does an outdoor and STEM based afterschool program impact at-risk students' self-efficacy, belonging and engagement and ability to apply conceptual knowledge of environmental science topics? The study collected information about the participants' affective experiences during the intervention using structured and ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews. Observations and interviews were coded and analyzed to find patterns in participants' responses. Three participant profiles were developed using the structured observations and ethnographic observations to provide an in depth understanding of the participant experience. The study also assessed the participants' abilities to apply conceptual understanding of the program's science topics by integrating an application of conceptual knowledge task into the curriculum. This task in the form of a participant project was assessed using an adapted version of the Portland Metro STEM Partnership's Application of Conceptual Knowledge Rubric. Results in the study showed that participants demonstrated self-efficacy, a sense of belonging and engagement during the program. Over half of the participants in the study demonstrated a proficient understanding of program concepts. Overall, this holistic afterschool program demonstrated that specific instructional practices and a multi-modal science curriculum helped to support the social and emotional needs of at-risk children.

  4. Super Efficient Refrigerator Program (SERP) evaluation. Volume 1: Process evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sandahl, L.J.; Ledbetter, M.R.; Chin, R.I.; Lewis, K.S.; Norling, J.M.

    1996-01-01

    The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) conducted this study for the US Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the Super Efficient Refrigerator Program (SERP) Evaluation. This report documents the SERP formation and implementation process, and identifies preliminary program administration and implementation issues. The findings are based primarily on interviews with those familiar with the program, such as utilities, appliance manufacturers, and SERP administrators. These interviews occurred primarily between March and April 1995, when SERP was in the early stages of program implementation. A forthcoming report will estimate the preliminary impacts of SERP within the industry and marketplace. Both studies were funded by DOE at the request of SERP Inc., which sought a third-party evaluation of its program.

  5. Putting program evaluation into practice: enhancing the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bean, Corliss N; Kendellen, Kelsey; Halsall, Tanya; Forneris, Tanya

    2015-04-01

    In recent years there has been a call for increased community physical activity and sport programs for female youth that are deliberately structured to foster positive developmental outcomes. In addition, researchers have recognized the need to empirically evaluate such programs to ensure that youth are provided with optimal opportunities to thrive. This study represents a utilization-focused evaluation of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, a female-only physical activity-based life skills community program. A utilization-focused evaluation is particularly important when the evaluation is to help stakeholders utilize the findings in practice. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to gain an understanding of the ongoing successes and challenges after year two of program implementation and (b) to examine how the adaptations made based on feedback from the first year evaluation were perceived as impacting the program. From interviews with youth participants and program leaders, three main themes with eight sub-themes emerged. The main themes were: (a) applying lessons learned can make a significant difference, (b) continually implementing successful strategies, and (c) ongoing challenges. Overall, this evaluation represents an important step in understanding how to improve program delivery to better meet the needs of the participants in community-based programming. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. PNNL FY2005 DOE Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Program Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wright, Patrick A.; Madson, Vernon J.; Isern, Nancy G.; Haney, Janice M.; Fisher, Julie A.; Goheen, Steven C.; Gulley, Susan E.; Reck, John J.; Collins, Drue A.; Tinker, Mike R.; Walker, Landon A.; Wynn, Clifford L.

    2005-01-31

    This document reports the results of the FY 2005 PNNL VPP Program Evaluation, which is a self-assessment of the operational and programmatic performance of the Laboratory related to worker safety and health. The report was compiled by a team of worker representatives and safety professionals who evaluated the Laboratory's worker safety and health programs on the basis of DOE-VPP criteria. The principle elements of DOE's VPP program are: Management Leadership, Employee Involvement, Worksite Analysis, Hazard Prevention and Control, and Safety and Health Training.

  7. Cooperation and human development projects as bachelor, master and PhD thesis: evaluating an internship program

    OpenAIRE

    Ferrer Martí, Laia; Garfi, Marianna; Ferrer Martí, Ivet

    2015-01-01

    The Research Group on Cooperation and Human Development (GRECDH) of the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) has long promoted Bachelor, Master and PhD Theses in the framework of sustainable energy projects in low income countries. In this way, students combine their work at UPC with tasks in these countries. The aim of this paper is to present and evaluate the program through the experience of several students who participated in sustainable energy projects in Central and South America.

  8. The Value in Evaluating and Communicating Program Impact: The Ohio BR&E Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daivs, Gregory

    2012-01-01

    Assessing program impact can provide useful program evaluation data. It also provides a basis for program development, marketing, and justification. This article discusses recent impact evaluation efforts and findings of a long-time Extension program; referred to as Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E). How such information can be…

  9. School Health: Findings from Evaluated Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Public Health Service (DHHS), Rockville, MD. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

    This publication presents findings from evaluations of many school health programs from across the United States. Each program includes at least one of the following eight components of a comprehensive school health program: health education, clinical services, counseling and mental health services, school environment, school food programs,…

  10. Summary of Program Evaluation Results: 1985-1986 School Year Pre-Kindergarten Educational Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heath, Robert W.; And Others

    Reported are findings of the 1985-86 program evaluation of the prenatal-to-preschool and preschool programs operating under the auspices of the Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate. Evaluation of the prenatal-to-preschool program (the Kupulani Program) included item analysis of the Questions about Pregnancy Test, development of a revised data…

  11. The Effects of Injury Prevention Programs on the Biomechanics of Landing Tasks: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopes, Thiago Jambo Alves; Simic, Milena; Myer, Gregory D; Ford, Kevin R; Hewett, Timothy E; Pappas, Evangelos

    2018-05-01

    Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is a common injury in sports and often occurs during landing from a jump. To synthesize the evidence on the effects of injury prevention programs (IPPs) on landing biomechanics as they relate to the ligament, quadriceps, trunk, and leg dominance theories associated with ACL injury risk. Meta-analysis. Six electronic databases were searched for studies that investigated the effect of IPPs on landing task biomechanics. Prospective studies that reported landing biomechanics at baseline and post-IPP were included. Results from trunk, hip, and knee kinematics and kinetics related to the ACL injury theories were extracted, and meta-analyses were performed when possible. The criteria were met by 28 studies with a total of 466 participants. Most studies evaluated young females, bilateral landing tasks, and recreational athletes, while most variables were related to the ligament and quadriceps dominance theories. An important predictor of ACL injury, peak knee abduction moment, decreased ( P = .01) after the IPPs while other variables related to the ligament dominance theory did not change. Regarding the quadriceps dominance theory, after the IPPs, angles of hip flexion at initial contact ( P = .009), peak hip flexion ( P = .002), and peak knee flexion ( P = .007) increased, while knee flexion at initial contact did not change ( P = .18). Moreover, peak knee flexion moment decreased ( P = .005) and peak vertical ground-reaction force did not change ( P = .10). The exercises used in IPPs might have the potential to improve landing task biomechanics related to the quadriceps dominance theory, especially increasing peak knee and hip flexion angles. Importantly, peak knee abduction moment decreased, which indicates that IPPs influence a desired movement strategy to help athletes overcome dangerous ligament dominance loads arising from lack of frontal plane control during dynamic tasks. The lack of findings for some biomechanical variables

  12. Evaluating programs that address ideological issues: ethical and practical considerations for practitioners and evaluators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lieberman, Lisa D; Fagen, Michael C; Neiger, Brad L

    2014-03-01

    There are important practical and ethical considerations for organizations in conducting their own, or commissioning external, evaluations and for both practitioners and evaluators, when assessing programs built on strongly held ideological or philosophical approaches. Assessing whether programs "work" has strong political, financial, and/or moral implications, particularly when expending public dollars, and may challenge objectivity about a particular program or approach. Using a case study of the evaluation of a school-based abstinence-until-marriage program, this article discusses the challenges, lessons learned, and ethical responsibilities regarding decisions about evaluation, specifically associated with ideologically driven programs. Organizations should consider various stakeholders and views associated with their program to help identify potential pitfalls in evaluation. Once identified, the program or agency needs to carefully consider its answers to two key questions: Do they want the answer and are they willing to modify the program? Having decided to evaluate, the choice of evaluator is critical to assuring that ethical principles are maintained and potential skepticism or criticism of findings can be addressed appropriately. The relationship between program and evaluator, including agreements about ownership and eventual publication and/or promotion of data, should be addressed at the outset. Programs and organizations should consider, at the outset, their ethical responsibility when findings are not expected or desired. Ultimately, agencies, organizations, and programs have an ethical responsibility to use their data to provide health promotion programs, whether ideologically founded or not, that appropriately and effectively address the problems they seek to solve.

  13. Heavy-Section Steel Technology Program Semiannual progress report, April--September 1993. Volume 10, No. 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pennell, W.E. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1995-05-01

    The Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program is conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The program focuses on the development and validation of technology for the assessment of fracture-prevention margins in commercial nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The HSST Program is organized in 12 tasks: Program management, fracture methodology and analysis, material characterizations and properties, special technical assistance, fracture analysis computer programs, cleavage-crack initiation, cladding evaluations, pressurized-thermal-shock technology, analysis methods validation, fracture evaluation tests, warm prestressing, and biaxial loading effects on fracture toughness. The program tasks have been structured to emphasize the resolution fracture issues with near-term licensing significance. Resources to execute the research tasks are drawn from ORNL with subcontract support from universities and other research laboratories. Close contact is maintained with the sister Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program at ORNL and with related research programs both in the United States and abroad. This report provide s an overview of principal developments in each of the 12 program tasks from April -- September 1993.

  14. Heavy-Section Steel Technology Program Semiannual progress report, April--September 1993. Volume 10, No. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pennell, W.E.

    1995-05-01

    The Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program is conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The program focuses on the development and validation of technology for the assessment of fracture-prevention margins in commercial nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The HSST Program is organized in 12 tasks: Program management, fracture methodology and analysis, material characterizations and properties, special technical assistance, fracture analysis computer programs, cleavage-crack initiation, cladding evaluations, pressurized-thermal-shock technology, analysis methods validation, fracture evaluation tests, warm prestressing, and biaxial loading effects on fracture toughness. The program tasks have been structured to emphasize the resolution fracture issues with near-term licensing significance. Resources to execute the research tasks are drawn from ORNL with subcontract support from universities and other research laboratories. Close contact is maintained with the sister Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program at ORNL and with related research programs both in the United States and abroad. This report provide s an overview of principal developments in each of the 12 program tasks from April -- September 1993

  15. An approach to evaluate task allocation between operators and automation with respect to safety of Nuclear Power Plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Macwan, A.; Wei, Z.G.; Wieringa, P.A.

    1994-01-01

    Even though the use of automation is increasing in complex systems, its effect on safety cannot be systematically analyzed using current techniques. Of particular interest is task allocation between operators and automation. In evaluating its effect on safety, a quantitative definition of degree of automation (doA) is used. The definition of doA accounts for the effect of task on safety, irrespective of whether the task is carried out by operator or automation. Also included is the indirect effect due to the change in workload perceived by the operator. This workload is translated into stress which affects operator performance, expressed as human error probability, and subsequently, safety. The approach can be useful for evaluation of existing task allocation schemes as well as in making decisions about task allocation between operators and automation. (author). 13 refs, 1 fig

  16. Strategies for Evaluating Complex Environmental Education Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, V.

    2011-12-01

    Evidence for the effectiveness of environmental education programs has been difficult to establish for many reasons. Chief among them are the lack of clear program objectives and an inability to conceptualize how environmental education programs work. Both can lead to evaluations that make claims that are difficult to substantiate, such as significant changes in student achievement levels or behavioral changes based on acquisition of knowledge. Many of these challenges can be addressed by establishing the program theory and developing a logic model. However, claims of impact on larger societal outcomes are difficult to attribute solely to program activities. Contribution analysis may offer a promising method for addressing this challenge. Rather than attempt to definitively and causally link a program's activities to desired results, contribution analysis seeks to provide plausible evidence that can reduce uncertainty regarding the 'difference' a program is making to observed outcomes. It sets out to verify the theory of change behind a program and, at the same time, takes into consideration other influencing factors. Contribution analysis is useful in situations where the program is not experimental-there is little or no scope for varying how the program is implemented-and the program has been funded on the basis of a theory of change. In this paper, the author reviews the feasibility of using contribution analysis as a way of evaluating the impact of the GLOBE program, an environmental science and education program. Initially conceptualized by Al Gore in 1995, the program's implementation model is based on worldwide environmental monitoring by students and scientists around the globe. This paper will make a significant and timely contribution to the field of evaluation, and specifically environmental education evaluation by examining the usefulness of this analysis for developing evidence to assess the impact of environmental education programs.

  17. Mechanisms of masked evaluative priming: task sets modulate behavioral and electrophysiological priming for picture and words differentially.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiefer, Markus; Liegel, Nathalie; Zovko, Monika; Wentura, Dirk

    2017-04-01

    Research with the evaluative priming paradigm has shown that affective evaluation processes reliably influence cognition and behavior, even when triggered outside awareness. However, the precise mechanisms underlying such subliminal evaluative priming effects, response activation vs semantic processing, are matter of a debate. In this study, we determined the relative contribution of semantic processing and response activation to masked evaluative priming with pictures and words. To this end, we investigated the modulation of masked pictorial vs verbal priming by previously activated perceptual vs semantic task sets and assessed the electrophysiological correlates of priming using event-related potential (ERP) recordings. Behavioral and electrophysiological effects showed a differential modulation of pictorial and verbal subliminal priming by previously activated task sets: Pictorial priming was only observed during the perceptual but not during the semantic task set. Verbal priming, in contrast, was found when either task set was activated. Furthermore, only verbal priming was associated with a modulation of the N400 ERP component, an index of semantic processing, whereas a priming-related modulation of earlier ERPs, indexing visuo-motor S-R activation, was found for both picture and words. The results thus demonstrate that different neuro-cognitive processes contribute to unconscious evaluative priming depending on the stimulus format. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Structural Aging Program technical progress for period, January 1, 1992--December 31, 1992

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.

    1993-07-01

    The Structural Aging (SAG) Program is conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The program has the overall objective of preparing an expandable handbook or report which will provide potential structural safety issues and acceptance criteria for use by the NRC in nuclear power plant evaluations of continued service. Initial focus of the program is on concrete and concrete-related materials which comprise safety-related (Category I) structures in light-water reactor facilities. The SAG Program is organized into four tasks: Task S.1 -- Program Management, Task S.2 -- Materials Property Data Base, Task S.3 -- Structural Component Assessment/Repair Technology, and Task S.4 -- Quantitative Methodology for Continued Service Determinations. In meeting the individual objectives of these tasks resources are drawn from ORNL with subcontract support from universities and other research laboratories. This report provides an overview of principal developments in each of the four program tasks from January 1, 1992 to December 31, 1992. Planned activities under each of these tasks are also presented

  19. Human factors interventions to reduce human errors and improve productivity in maintenance tasks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isoda, Hachiro; Yasutake, J.Y.

    1992-01-01

    This paper describes work in progress to develop interventions to reduce human errors and increase maintenance productivity in nuclear power plants. The effort is part of a two-phased Human Factors research program being conducted jointly by the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) in Japan and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in the United States. The overall objective of this joint research program is to identify critical maintenance tasks and to develop, implement and evaluate interventions which have high potential for reducing human errors or increasing maintenance productivity. As a result of the Phase 1 effort, ten critical maintenance tasks were identified. For these tasks, over 25 candidate interventions were identified for potential development. After careful analysis, seven interventions were selected for development during Phase 2. This paper describes the methodology used to analyze and identify the most critical tasks, the process of identifying and developing selected interventions and some of the initial results. (author)

  20. The advanced test reactor strategic evaluation program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buescher, B.J.

    1989-01-01

    Since the Chernobly accident, the safety of test reactors and irradiation facilities has been critically evaluated from the public's point of view. A systematic evaluation of all safety, environmental, and operational issues must be made in an integrated manner to prioritize actions to maximize benefits while minimizing costs. Such a proactive program has been initiated at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). This program, called the Strategic Evaluation Program (STEP), is being conducted for the ATR to provide integrated safety and operational reviews of the reactor against the standards applied to licensed commercial power reactors. This has taken into consideration the lessons learned by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in its Systematic Evaluation Program (SEP) and the follow-on effort known as the Integrated Safety Assessment Program (ISAP). The SEP was initiated by the NRC to review the designs of older operating nuclear power plants to confirm and document their safety. The ATR STEP objectives are discussed

  1. A Qualitative Program Evaluation of a Structured Leadership Mentoring Program at a Large Aerospace Corporation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teller, Romney P.

    2011-01-01

    The researcher utilized a qualitative approach to conduct a program evaluation of the organization where he is employed. The study intended to serve as a program evaluation for the structured in-house mentoring program at a large aerospace corporation (A-Corp). This program evaluation clarified areas in which the current mentoring program is…

  2. Strategies for Evaluating a Freshman Studies Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ketkar, Kusum; Bennett, Shelby D.

    1989-01-01

    The study developed an economic model for the evaluation of Seaton Hall University's freshman studies program. Two techniques used to evaluate the economic success of the program are break-even analysis and elasticity coefficient. (Author/MLW)

  3. Industrial Assessment Center Program Impact Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martin, M.A.

    2000-01-26

    This report presents the results of an evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) Program. The purpose of this program is to conduct energy, waste, and productivity assessments for small to medium-sized industrial firms. Assessments are conducted by 30 university-based industrial assessment centers. The purpose of this project was to evaluate energy and cost savings attributable to the assessments, the trained alumni, and the Websites sponsored by this program. How IAC assessments, alumni, and Web-based information may influence industrial energy efficiency decision making was also studied. It is concluded that appreciable energy and cost savings may be attributed to the IAC Program and that the IAC Program has resulted in more active and improved energy-efficiency decision making by industrial firms.

  4. Electronic Warfare (EW) Receiver and Processing Concepts Evaluation Program (RAPCEval 2)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Bass, W

    1999-01-01

    .... Tasks initiated under OPTION 1 of the contract of this program provided analysis for inputs and countermeasures for electronic receivers of radar, electro-optic, infrared, and ultraviolet systems...

  5. Electronic Warfare (EW) Receiver and Processing Concepts Evaluation Program (RAPCEval2)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Bass, W

    1999-01-01

    .... Tasks initiated under OPTION 1 of the contract of this program provided analysis for inputs and countermeasures for electronic receivers of radar, electro-optic, infrared, and ultraviolet systems...

  6. Evaluation of the Display of Cognitive State Feedback to Drive Adaptive Task Sharing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorneich, Michael C; Passinger, Břetislav; Hamblin, Christopher; Keinrath, Claudia; Vašek, Jiři; Whitlow, Stephen D; Beekhuyzen, Martijn

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents an adaptive system intended to address workload imbalances between pilots in future flight decks. Team performance can be maximized when task demands are balanced within crew capabilities and resources. Good communication skills enable teams to adapt to changes in workload, and include the balancing of workload between team members This work addresses human factors priorities in the aviation domain with the goal to develop concepts that balance operator workload, support future operator roles and responsibilities, and support new task requirements, while allowing operators to focus on the most safety critical tasks. A traditional closed-loop adaptive system includes the decision logic to turn automated adaptations on and off. This work takes a novel approach of replacing the decision logic, normally performed by the automation, with human decisions. The Crew Workload Manager (CWLM) was developed to objectively display the workload between pilots and recommend task sharing; it is then the pilots who "close the loop" by deciding how to best mitigate unbalanced workload. The workload was manipulated by the Shared Aviation Task Battery (SAT-B), which was developed to provide opportunities for pilots to mitigate imbalances in workload between crew members. Participants were put in situations of high and low workload (i.e., workload was manipulated as opposed to being measured), the workload was then displayed to pilots, and pilots were allowed to decide how to mitigate the situation. An evaluation was performed that utilized the SAT-B to manipulate workload and create workload imbalances. Overall, the CWLM reduced the time spent in unbalanced workload and improved the crew coordination in task sharing while not negatively impacting concurrent task performance. Balancing workload has the potential to improve crew resource management and task performance over time, and reduce errors and fatigue. Paired with a real-time workload measurement system, the

  7. Handbook of evaluation of utility DSM programs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hirst, E.; Reed, J. [eds.; Bronfman, B.; Fitzpatrick, G.; Hicks, E.; Hirst, E.; Hoffman, M.; Keating, K.; Michaels, H.; Nadel, S.; Peters, J.; Reed, J.; Saxonis, W.; Schoen, A.; Violette, D.

    1991-12-01

    Program evaluation has become a central issue in the world of utility integrated resource planning. The DSM programs that utilities were operating to meet federal requirements or to improve customer relations are now becoming big business. DSM is being considered an important resource in a utility`s portfolio of options. In the last five years, the amount of money that utilities have invested in DSM has grown exponentially in most regulatory jurisdictions. Market analysts are now talking about DSM being a $30 billion industry by the end of the decade. If the large volume of DSM-program investments was not enough to highlight the importance of evaluation, then the introduction of regulatory incentives has really focused the spotlight. This handbook was developed through a process that involved many of those people who represent the diverse constituencies of DSM-program evaluation. We have come to recognize the many technical disciplines that must be employed to evaluate DSM programs. An analysis might start out based on the principles of utility load research to find out what happened, but a combination of engineering and statistical methods must be used to ``triangulate`` an estimate of what would have happened without the program. The difference, of course, is that elusive but prized result of evaluation: what happened as the direct result of the DSM program. Technical performance of DSM measures is not the sole determinant of the answer, either. We also recognize the importance of such behavioral attributes of DSM as persistence and free ridership. Finally, DSM evaluation is meaningless without attention to planning an approach, communicating results to relevant decision-makers, and focusing as much on the process as the impacts of the program. These topics are all covered in this handbook.

  8. Evaluation of Hose in Hose Transfer Line Service Life for Hanford's Interim Stabilization Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    TORRES, T.D.

    2000-01-01

    RPP-6153, Engineering Task Plan for Hose-in-Hose Transfer System for the Interim Stabilization Program, defines the programmatic goals, functional requirements, and technical criteria for the development and subsequent installation of transfer line equipment to support Hanford's Interim Stabilization Program. RPP-6028, Specification for Hose in Hose Transfer Lines for Hanford's Interim Stabilization Program, has been issued to define the specific requirements for the design, manufacture, and verification of transfer line assemblies for specific waste transfer applications. Included in RPP-6028 are tables defining the chemical constituents of concern to which transfer lines will be exposed. Current Interim Stabilization Program planning forecasts that the at-grade transfer lines will be required to convey pumpable waste for as much as three years after commissioning. Prudent engineering dictates that the equipment placed in service have a working life in excess of this forecasted time period, with some margin to allow for future adjustments to the planned schedule. This document evaluates the effective service life of the Hose-in-Hose Transfer Lines, based on information submitted by the manufacturer and published literature. The effective service life of transfer line assemblies is a function of several factors. Foremost among these are process fluid characteristics, ambient environmental conditions, and the manufacturer's stated shelf life. This evaluation examines the manufacturer's certification of shelf life, the manufacturer's certifications of chemical compatibility with waste, and published literature on the effects of exposure to ionizing radiation on the mechanical properties of elastomeric materials to evaluate transfer line service life

  9. The predictive value of general movement tasks in assessing occupational task performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frost, David M; Beach, Tyson A C; McGill, Stuart M; Callaghan, Jack P

    2015-01-01

    Within the context of evaluating individuals' movement behavior it is generally assumed that the tasks chosen will predict their competency to perform activities relevant to their occupation. This study sought to examine whether a battery of general tasks could be used to predict the movement patterns employed by firefighters to perform select job-specific skills. Fifty-two firefighters performed a battery of general and occupation-specific tasks that simulated the demands of firefighting. Participants' peak lumbar spine and frontal plane knee motion were compared across tasks. During 85% of all comparisons, the magnitude of spine and knee motion was greater during the general movement tasks than observed during the firefighting skills. Certain features of a worker's movement behavior may be exhibited across a range of tasks. Therefore, provided that a movement screen's tasks expose the motions of relevance for the population being tested, general evaluations could offer valuable insight into workers' movement competency or facilitate an opportunity to establish an evidence-informed intervention.

  10. Developmental Kindergarten Program Evaluation Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blois, George T.; Cushing, Katherine S.

    The evaluation of the Developmental Kindergarten (DK) Program at the Harrison School District #2, Colorado Springs, Colorado, involved pre- and post-testing of student academic gains and interviewing of principals and teachers. The program aimed to provide developmentally appropriate activities for students believed to be "at risk" of…

  11. Evaluating Educational Programs. ERIC Digest Series Number EA 54.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beswick, Richard

    In this digest, readers are introduced to the scope of instructional program evaluation and evaluators' changing roles in school districts. A program evaluation measures outcomes based on student-attainment goals, implementation levels, and external factors such as budgetary restraints and community support. Instructional program evaluation may be…

  12. Experimental evaluation and design of unfilled and concrete-filled FRP composite piles : Task 7 : final report : thesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-05-01

    The overall goal of this project is the experimental evaluation and design of unfilled and concrete-filled FRP composite piles for load-bearing in bridges. This report covers Task 7, Final Report - Thesis. : This final report covers Tasks 1, 2, 3, 5 ...

  13. 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…

  14. Evaluation of Enova's heating programs; Evaluering av Enovas varmeprogrammer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rasmussen, Ingeborg; Grorud, Christian; Heldal, Nicolai; Trong, Maj Dang

    2006-07-01

    An evaluation of Enova's heating program is presented. The central point was to evaluate to which degree Enova's heating program had resulted in increased supply of renewable energy for heating purposes to the Norwegian energy system. Main results are presented in part 1, chapter 1 to 5, while the facts and analyses behind the evaluation are presented in part 2, chapter I to VII. The main conclusion is that the program seen as one has had triggering effect on the market. The program has thus provided results in the form of increased supply of heating energy. Because of the project limitations and the lack of systematically documented baselines in the procedures, there are insecurities connected to the exact data registered. This makes quantification of the results difficult (ml)

  15. Criteria to evaluate SAT-based training programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arjona, O.; Venegas, M.; Rodriguez, L.; Lopez, M.

    1997-01-01

    This paper present some coefficients of error obtained to evaluate the quality of the design development and implementation of SAT-based personnel training programs. With the attainment of these coefficients, with the use of the GESAT system, is facilitated the continuos evaluation of training programs and the main deficiencies in the design, development and implementation of training programs are obtained, through the comparison between the program features and their standards or wanted features and doing an statistics analysis of the data kept in the GESAT system

  16. Energy-efficient buildings program evaluations. Volume 1: Findings and recommendations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, A.D.; Mayi, D.; Edgemon, S.D.

    1997-04-01

    This study was conducted for the US Department of Energy (DOE) by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). DOE operates the Building Standards and Guidelines Program (BSGP) to increase the effectiveness of building energy codes, standards, and guidelines. The main purpose of this report is to lay the groundwork for conducting an overall evaluation of the program and its effectiveness. Another purpose of this report is to summarize an extensive set of relevant evaluations and provide a building efficiency and program evaluation information resource for program designers, managers, and evaluators. This study presents information from 119 evaluations that have been conducted of both utility and code programs related to energy efficiency in new residential and commercial buildings. The authors used the information in these evaluations to identify major themes and lessons learned from utility and code programs. They also used the information to gain insights into appropriate evaluation methodologies and establish guidelines for designing future evaluations and an evaluation of the BSGP. The report presents general lessons about evaluating programs that have implications for future evaluations included the following. The evaluations provided the basis for developing an effective evaluation approach for residential building energy-efficiency codes and other energy-efficiency programs and other insights for conducting commercial building program evaluations. The findings for conducting effective evaluations are categorized by steps in the evaluation process.

  17. Curated Collections for Educators: Five Key Papers about Program Evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thoma, Brent; Gottlieb, Michael; Boysen-Osborn, Megan; King, Andrew; Quinn, Antonia; Krzyzaniak, Sara; Pineda, Nicolas; Yarris, Lalena M; Chan, Teresa

    2017-05-04

    The evaluation of educational programs has become an expected part of medical education. At some point, all medical educators will need to critically evaluate the programs that they deliver. However, the evaluation of educational programs requires a very different skillset than teaching. In this article, we aim to identify and summarize key papers that would be helpful for faculty members interested in exploring program evaluation. In November of 2016, the 2015-2016 Academic life in emergency medicine (ALiEM) Faculty Incubator program highlighted key papers in a discussion of program evaluation. This list of papers was augmented with suggestions by guest experts and by an open call on Twitter. This resulted in a list of 30 papers on program evaluation. Our authorship group then engaged in a process akin to a Delphi study to build consensus on the most important papers about program evaluation for medical education faculty. We present our group's top five most highly rated papers on program evaluation. We also summarize these papers with respect to their relevance to junior medical education faculty members and faculty developers. Program evaluation is challenging. The described papers will be informative for junior faculty members as they aim to design literature-informed evaluations for their educational programs.

  18. The Nursing Leadership Institute program evaluation: a critique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Havaei F

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Farinaz Havaei, Maura MacPhee School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada Abstract: A theory-driven program evaluation was conducted for a nursing leadership program, as a collaborative project between university faculty, the nurses' union, the provincial Ministry of Health, and its chief nursing officers. A collaborative logic model process was used to engage stakeholders, and mixed methods approaches were used to answer evaluation questions. Despite demonstrated, successful outcomes, the leadership program was not supported with continued funding. This paper examines what happened during the evaluation process: What factors failed to sustain this program? Keywords: leadership development, theory-driven evaluation, mixed methods, collaborative logic modeling

  19. Understanding Human Hand Gestures for Learning Robot Pick-and-Place Tasks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hsien-I Lin

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Programming robots by human demonstration is an intuitive approach, especially by gestures. Because robot pick-and-place tasks are widely used in industrial factories, this paper proposes a framework to learn robot pick-and-place tasks by understanding human hand gestures. The proposed framework is composed of the module of gesture recognition and the module of robot behaviour control. For the module of gesture recognition, transport empty (TE, transport loaded (TL, grasp (G, and release (RL from Gilbreth's therbligs are the hand gestures to be recognized. A convolution neural network (CNN is adopted to recognize these gestures from a camera image. To achieve the robust performance, the skin model by a Gaussian mixture model (GMM is used to filter out non-skin colours of an image, and the calibration of position and orientation is applied to obtain the neutral hand pose before the training and testing of the CNN. For the module of robot behaviour control, the corresponding robot motion primitives to TE, TL, G, and RL, respectively, are implemented in the robot. To manage the primitives in the robot system, a behaviour-based programming platform based on the Extensible Agent Behavior Specification Language (XABSL is adopted. Because the XABSL provides the flexibility and re-usability of the robot primitives, the hand motion sequence from the module of gesture recognition can be easily used in the XABSL programming platform to implement the robot pick-and-place tasks. The experimental evaluation of seven subjects performing seven hand gestures showed that the average recognition rate was 95.96%. Moreover, by the XABSL programming platform, the experiment showed the cube-stacking task was easily programmed by human demonstration.

  20. Mental workload and cognitive task automaticity: an evaluation of subjective and time estimation metrics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Y; Wickens, C D

    1994-11-01

    The evaluation of mental workload is becoming increasingly important in system design and analysis. The present study examined the structure and assessment of mental workload in performing decision and monitoring tasks by focusing on two mental workload measurements: subjective assessment and time estimation. The task required the assignment of a series of incoming customers to the shortest of three parallel service lines displayed on a computer monitor. The subject was either in charge of the customer assignment (manual mode) or was monitoring an automated system performing the same task (automatic mode). In both cases, the subjects were required to detect the non-optimal assignments that they or the computer had made. Time pressure was manipulated by the experimenter to create fast and slow conditions. The results revealed a multi-dimensional structure of mental workload and a multi-step process of subjective workload assessment. The results also indicated that subjective workload was more influenced by the subject's participatory mode than by the factor of task speed. The time estimation intervals produced while performing the decision and monitoring tasks had significantly greater length and larger variability than those produced while either performing no other tasks or performing a well practised customer assignment task. This result seemed to indicate that time estimation was sensitive to the presence of perceptual/cognitive demands, but not to response related activities to which behavioural automaticity has developed.

  1. Product Evaluation Task Force Phase Two report for centrifuge cake

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Francis, A.J.; Davies, A.

    1990-01-01

    It has been proposed that all Intermediate Level Wastes arising at Sellafield should be encapsulated prior to ultimate disposal. The Product Evaluation Task Force (PETF) was set up to investigate possible encapsulants and to produce and adequate data base to justify the preferred matrices. Three possible types of encapsulants for Centrifuge Cake;- Inorganic cements, Polymer cements, and Polymers, are evaluated using the Kepner Tregoe decision analysis technique. This technique provides a methodology for scoring and ranking alternative options and evaluating any risks associated with an option. The analysis shows that for all four stages of waste management operations ie. Storage Transport, handling and emplacement Disposal, and Process, cement matrices are considerably superior to other potential matrices. A matrix, consisting of nine parts Blast Furnace Slag (BFS) to one part Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is recommended as the preferred matrix for Phase 3 studies on Centrifuge Cake. (author)

  2. Evaluation Of Career Guidance Program In Vocational High School

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martaningsih Sri Tutur

    2018-01-01

    This review of career guidance program evaluation is conducted qualitatively through surveys, interviews and leiterature studies to provide an overview of evaluation program and its relevance to the necessity. Understanding the quality, weaknesses, obstacles to service implementation, and potential utilization are expected to improve career guidance effectiveness services in vocational high school. An evaluation on the overall career guidance program, will provide feedback for ongoing improvement. Various evaluation models are available, it needs to be selected about the relevance to the career counseling program characteristics, so that evaluation feedback is more optimal.

  3. Nuclear power plant personnel qualifications and training: TAPS: the task analysis profiling system. Volume 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jorgensen, C.C.

    1985-06-01

    This report discusses an automated task analysis profiling system (TAPS) designed to provide a linking tool between the behaviors of nuclear power plant operators in performing their tasks and the measurement tools necessary to evaluate their in-plant performance. TAPS assists in the identification of the entry-level skill, knowledge, ability and attitude (SKAA) requirements for the various tasks and rapidly associates them with measurement tests and human factors principles. This report describes the development of TAPS and presents its first demonstration. It begins with characteristics of skilled human performance and proceeds to postulate a cognitive model to formally describe these characteristics. A method is derived for linking SKAA characteristics to measurement tests. The entire process is then automated in the form of a task analysis computer program. The development of the program is detailed and a user guide with annotated code listings and supporting test information is provided

  4. Eye-Tracking as a Tool to Evaluate Functional Ability in Everyday Tasks in Glaucoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Enkelejda Kasneci

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available To date, few studies have investigated the eye movement patterns of individuals with glaucoma while they undertake everyday tasks in real-world settings. While some of these studies have reported possible compensatory gaze patterns in those with glaucoma who demonstrated good task performance despite their visual field loss, little is known about the complex interaction between field loss and visual scanning strategies and the impact on task performance and, consequently, on quality of life. We review existing approaches that have quantified the effect of glaucomatous visual field defects on the ability to undertake everyday activities through the use of eye movement analysis. Furthermore, we discuss current developments in eye-tracking technology and the potential for combining eye-tracking with virtual reality and advanced analytical approaches. Recent technological developments suggest that systems based on eye-tracking have the potential to assist individuals with glaucomatous loss to maintain or even improve their performance on everyday tasks and hence enhance their long-term quality of life. We discuss novel approaches for studying the visual search behavior of individuals with glaucoma that have the potential to assist individuals with glaucoma, through the use of personalized programs that take into consideration the individual characteristics of their remaining visual field and visual search behavior.

  5. Independent Panel Evaluation of Dry Sludge PISA Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fondeur, F.F.

    1999-01-01

    Dr. Kirk Yeager and Mr. Marvin Banks from Energetic Material Research and Technology Center (EMRTC) evaluated the Savannah River Site (SRS) efforts in the Dry Sludge program. They evaluated four program areas: energetic material formation, stability, initiation, and propagation. The panel evaluation included a site visit (July 13, 1999 and July 14, 1999) as well as a review of various reports and presentations by researchers involved in the program

  6. Independent Panel Evaluation of Dry Sludge PISA Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fondeur, F.F.

    1999-10-20

    Dr. Kirk Yeager and Mr. Marvin Banks from Energetic Material Research and Technology Center (EMRTC) evaluated the Savannah River Site (SRS) efforts in the Dry Sludge program. They evaluated four program areas: energetic material formation, stability, initiation, and propagation. The panel evaluation included a site visit (July 13, 1999 and July 14, 1999) as well as a review of various reports and presentations by researchers involved in the program.

  7. The Practice of Health Program Evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Sarah R

    2017-11-01

    The Practice of Health Program Evaluation provides an overview of the evaluation process for public health programs while diving deeper to address select advanced concepts and techniques. The book unfolds evaluation as a three-phased process consisting of identification of evaluation questions, data collection and analysis, and dissemination of results and recommendations. The text covers research design, sampling methods, as well as quantitative and qualitative approaches. Types of evaluation are also discussed, including economic assessment and systems research as relative newcomers. Aspects critical to conducting a successful evaluation regardless of type or research design are emphasized, such as stakeholder engagement, validity and reliability, and adoption of sound recommendations. The book encourages evaluators to document their approach by developing an evaluation plan, a data analysis plan, and a dissemination plan, in order to help build consensus throughout the process. The evaluative text offers a good bird's-eye view of the evaluation process, while offering guidance for evaluation experts on how to navigate political waters and advocate for their findings to help affect change.

  8. TRU Waste Management Program. Cost/schedule optimization analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Detamore, J.A.; Raudenbush, M.H.; Wolaver, R.W.; Hastings, G.A.

    1985-10-01

    This Current Year Work Plan presents in detail a description of the activities to be performed by the Joint Integration Office Rockwell International (JIO/RI) during FY86. It breaks down the activities into two major work areas: Program Management and Program Analysis. Program Management is performed by the JIO/RI by providing technical planning and guidance for the development of advanced TRU waste management capabilities. This includes equipment/facility design, engineering, construction, and operations. These functions are integrated to allow transition from interim storage to final disposition. JIO/RI tasks include program requirements identification, long-range technical planning, budget development, program planning document preparation, task guidance development, task monitoring, task progress information gathering and reporting to DOE, interfacing with other agencies and DOE lead programs, integrating public involvement with program efforts, and preparation of reports for DOE detailing program status. Program Analysis is performed by the JIO/RI to support identification and assessment of alternatives, and development of long-term TRU waste program capabilities. These analyses include short-term analyses in response to DOE information requests, along with performing an RH Cost/Schedule Optimization report. Systems models will be developed, updated, and upgraded as needed to enhance JIO/RI's capability to evaluate the adequacy of program efforts in various fields. A TRU program data base will be maintained and updated to provide DOE with timely responses to inventory related questions

  9. Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS)--explanation and elaboration: a report of the ISPOR Health Economic Evaluation Publication Guidelines Good Reporting Practices Task Force.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Husereau, Don; Drummond, Michael; Petrou, Stavros; Carswell, Chris; Moher, David; Greenberg, Dan; Augustovski, Federico; Briggs, Andrew H; Mauskopf, Josephine; Loder, Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    Economic evaluations of health interventions pose a particular challenge for reporting because substantial information must be conveyed to allow scrutiny of study findings. Despite a growth in published reports, existing reporting guidelines are not widely adopted. There is also a need to consolidate and update existing guidelines and promote their use in a user-friendly manner. A checklist is one way to help authors, editors, and peer reviewers use guidelines to improve reporting. The task force's overall goal was to provide recommendations to optimize the reporting of health economic evaluations. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) statement is an attempt to consolidate and update previous health economic evaluation guidelines into one current, useful reporting guidance. The CHEERS Elaboration and Explanation Report of the ISPOR Health Economic Evaluation Publication Guidelines Good Reporting Practices Task Force facilitates the use of the CHEERS statement by providing examples and explanations for each recommendation. The primary audiences for the CHEERS statement are researchers reporting economic evaluations and the editors and peer reviewers assessing them for publication. The need for new reporting guidance was identified by a survey of medical editors. Previously published checklists or guidance documents related to reporting economic evaluations were identified from a systematic review and subsequent survey of task force members. A list of possible items from these efforts was created. A two-round, modified Delphi Panel with representatives from academia, clinical practice, industry, and government, as well as the editorial community, was used to identify a minimum set of items important for reporting from the larger list. Out of 44 candidate items, 24 items and accompanying recommendations were developed, with some specific recommendations for single study-based and model-based economic evaluations. The final

  10. Applying Hierarchical Task Analysis Method to Discovery Layer Evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marlen Promann

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Libraries are implementing discovery layers to offer better user experiences. While usability tests have been helpful in evaluating the success or failure of implementing discovery layers in the library context, the focus has remained on its relative interface benefits over the traditional federated search. The informal site- and context specific usability tests have offered little to test the rigor of the discovery layers against the user goals, motivations and workflow they have been designed to support. This study proposes hierarchical task analysis (HTA as an important complementary evaluation method to usability testing of discovery layers. Relevant literature is reviewed for the discovery layers and the HTA method. As no previous application of HTA to the evaluation of discovery layers was found, this paper presents the application of HTA as an expert based and workflow centered (e.g. retrieving a relevant book or a journal article method to evaluating discovery layers. Purdue University’s Primo by Ex Libris was used to map eleven use cases as HTA charts. Nielsen’s Goal Composition theory was used as an analytical framework to evaluate the goal carts from two perspectives: a users’ physical interactions (i.e. clicks, and b user’s cognitive steps (i.e. decision points for what to do next. A brief comparison of HTA and usability test findings is offered as a way of conclusion.

  11. A process evaluation of a social cognitive theory-based childhood obesity prevention intervention: the Comics for Health program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Branscum, Paul; Sharma, Manoj; Wang, Lihshing Leigh; Wilson, Bradley; Rojas-Guyler, Liliana

    2013-03-01

    Process evaluations are an often overlooked yet essential component of health promotion interventions. This study reports the results of a comprehensive process evaluation for the "Comics for Health" program, a childhood obesity prevention intervention implemented at 12 after-school programs. Qualitative and quantitative process data were collected using surveys, field notes, and open-item questionnaires, which assessed program fidelity, dose delivered, dose received, reach, recruitment, and context. Triangulation of methods was also employed to better understand how the program was implemented and received by the facilitator, staff members, and children in the program. Results indicated that program implementation had an almost perfect rate of fidelity with most lessons recording 100% tasks completed. Lessons were implemented in their intended order and lasted approximately 30 minutes as planned. After-school staff members reported that the program was well received by children, and this program should be replicated in the future. Attendance records showed that a majority of the children attended each lesson on the initial day of delivery (70.4%) and informal make-up lessons were implemented to compensate for the other children. Finally, several known sources of contamination were found such as past and concurrent exposure to similar health promotion interventions, which could potentially influence study outcomes. These findings will be used to help explain the results of this intervention and make recommendations for future intervention efforts.

  12. Framework for a National Testing and Evaluation Program ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abstract:The National STEPP Program seeks to improve water quality by accelerating the effective implementation and adoption of innovative stormwater management technologies. Itwill attempt to accomplish this by establishing practices through highly reliable, and cost-effective Stormwater control measures (SCM) testing, evaluation, and verification services. The program will aim to remove barriers to innovation, minimize duplicative performance evaluation needs, increase confidence that regulatory requirements are met by creating consistency among testing and evaluation protocols, and establishing equity between public domain and proprietary SCM evaluation approaches.The Environmental Technology Verification Program, established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 18 years ago, was the only national program of its kindin the stormwater sector, but is now defunct, leaving a national leadership void. The STEPP initiative was triggered in part by regulatory demands in the government and private sectors to fill this vacuum. A concerted focus and study of this matter led to the release of a Water Environment Federation (WEF) white paper entitled “Investigation into the Feasibility of a National Testing and Evaluation Program for Stormwater Products and Practices” in February 2014. During this second phase of the STEPP initiative, and with EPA support, five analogous technology evaluation programs related to both stormwater and non-stormwater were an

  13. Evaluation of a novel task specific ionic liquid for actinide ion extraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paramanik, M.; Ghosh, S.K.; Raut, D.R.; Mohapatra, P.K.

    2016-01-01

    Separation of U and Pu from nuclear waste is of great relevance for a sustainable closed fuel cycle point of view. Spent fuel reprocessing by the well known PUREX process is done world wide for the recovery of U and Pu using TBP as the extractant. Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have shown significantly higher extraction of metal ions, particularly at lower acidity as compared to the molecular diluents. Functionalization of ionic liquids has resulted in highly efficient task specific ionic liquids (TSILs) with superior extraction properties than the analogous extractants dissolved in ionic liquids. The present paper reports the evaluation of a novel task specific ionic liquid (TSIL) containing >P=O functional group for the extraction of actinides like U(VI) and Pu(IV)

  14. Evaluation and improvement in nondestructive examination (NDE) reliability for in-service inspection of light water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deffenbaugh, J.D.; Good, M.S.; Green, E.R.; Heasler, P.G.; Simonen, F.A.; Spanner, J.C.; Taylor, T.T.

    1988-01-01

    The evaluation and improvement of NDE Reliability for In-service Inspection (ISI) of Light Water Reactors (NDE Reliability) Program at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) was established to determine the reliability of current ISI techniques and to develop recommendations that will ensure a suitably high inspection reliability. The objectives of this NRC program are to: determine the reliability of ultrasonic ISI performed on commercial light-water reactor (LWR) primary systems; determine the impact of NDE unreliability on system safety and determine the level of inspection reliability required to ensure a suitably low failure probability using probabilistic fracture mechanics analysis; evaluate the degree of reliability improvement that could be achieved using improved and advanced NDE technique; and recommend revisions to ASME Code, Section XI, and Regulatory Requirements, based on material properties, service conditions, and NDE uncertainties, that will ensure suitably low failure probabilities. The program consists of three basic tasks: a Piping task, a Pressure Vessel task, and an Evaluation and Improvement in NDE Reliability task. The major efforts were concentrated in the Piping task and the Evaluation and Improvement in NDE Reliability task

  15. An application of multiattribute decision analysis to the Space Station Freedom program. Case study: Automation and robotics technology evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Jeffrey H.; Levin, Richard R.; Carpenter, Elisabeth J.

    1990-01-01

    The results are described of an application of multiattribute analysis to the evaluation of high leverage prototyping technologies in the automation and robotics (A and R) areas that might contribute to the Space Station (SS) Freedom baseline design. An implication is that high leverage prototyping is beneficial to the SS Freedom Program as a means for transferring technology from the advanced development program to the baseline program. The process also highlights the tradeoffs to be made between subsidizing high value, low risk technology development versus high value, high risk technology developments. Twenty one A and R Technology tasks spanning a diverse array of technical concepts were evaluated using multiattribute decision analysis. Because of large uncertainties associated with characterizing the technologies, the methodology was modified to incorporate uncertainty. Eight attributes affected the rankings: initial cost, operation cost, crew productivity, safety, resource requirements, growth potential, and spinoff potential. The four attributes of initial cost, operations cost, crew productivity, and safety affected the rankings the most.

  16. Language Program Evaluation: Decisions, Problems, and Solutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, James Dean

    1995-01-01

    Discusses the evaluation of second and foreign language programs, focusing on whether such evaluations should be summative or formative; use outside experts or program staff; emphasize qualitative or quantitative data; and concentrate on the process or the product. An annotated bibliography discusses six important works in the field. (78…

  17. Senior Program Officer, Evaluation | IDRC - International ...

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

    ... provides technical assistance to program staff and partners on evaluation ... monitoring and evaluation approaches; working with colleagues to maintain the ... provides technical supervision and assistance, including analysis of interim ...

  18. 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.

  19. Preliminary evaluation of the BIODOSE computer program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonner, N.A.; Ng, Y.C.

    1979-09-01

    The BIODOSE computer program simulates the environmental transport of radionuclides released to surface water and predicts the dosage to humans. We have evaluated the program for its suitability to the needs of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Waste Management Program. In particular, it is an evaluation to determine whether BIODOSE models account for the significant pathways and mechanisms resulting in radiological doses to man. In general, BIODOSE is a satisfactory code for converting radionuclide releases to the aqueous environment into doses to man

  20. A Practical Approach to Program Evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Linda J.; Sampson, John F.

    1990-01-01

    The Research and Evaluation Support Services Unit of the New South Wales (Australia) Department of Education conducts program evaluations to provide information to senior management for decision making. The 10-step system used is described, which provides for planning, evaluation, and staff development. (TJH)

  1. Discount method for programming language evaluation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kurtev, Svetomir; Christensen, Tommy Aagaard; Thomsen, Bent

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents work in progress on developing a Discount Method for Programming Language Evaluation inspired by the Discount Usability Evaluation method (Benyon 2010) and the Instant Data Analysis method (Kjeldskov et al. 2004). The method is intended to bridge the gap between small scale...... internal language design evaluation methods and large scale surveys and quantitative evaluation methods. The method is designed to be applicable even before a compiler or IDE is developed for a new language. To test the method, a usability evaluation experiment was carried out on the Quorum programming...... language (Stefik et al. 2016) using programmers with experience in C and C#. When comparing our results with previous studies of Quorum, most of the data was comparable though not strictly in agreement. However, the discrepancies were mainly related to the programmers pre-existing expectations...

  2. Structural Aging Program to evaluate continued performance of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naus, D.J.; Oland, C.B.; Ellingwood, B.R.

    1994-01-01

    This report discusses the Structural Aging (SAG) Program which is being conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for the United States Nuclear Regulatory commission (USNRC). The SAG Program is addressing the aging management of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants for the purpose of providing improved technical bases for their continued service. The program is organized into three technical tasks: Materials Property Data Base, Structural Component Assessment/Repair Technologies, and Quantitative Methodology for continued Service Determinations. Objectives and a summary of recent accomplishments under each of these tasks are presented

  3. Task Analysis in Instructional Program Development. Theoretical Paper No. 52.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernard, Michael E.

    A review of task analysis procedures beginning with the military training and systems development approach and covering the more recent work of Gagne, Klausmeier, Merrill, Resnick, and others is presented along with a plan for effective instruction based on the review of task analysis. Literature dealing with the use of task analysis in programmed…

  4. Motivation for Evaluation: A roadmap for Improving Program Efficacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taber, J. J.; Bohon, W.; Bravo, T. K.; Dorr, P. M.; Hubenthal, M.; Johnson, J. A.; Sumy, D. F.; Welti, R.; Davis, H. B.

    2016-12-01

    Over the past year, the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Education and Public Outreach (EPO) program has undertaken a new effort to increase the rigor with which it evaluates its programs and products. More specifically we sought to make evaluation an integral part of our EPO staff's work, enable staff to demonstrate why we do the activities we do, enhance the impact or our products and programs, and empower staff to be able to make evidence-based claims. The challenges we faced included a modest budget, finding an applicable approach to both new and legacy programs ranging from formal and informal education to public outreach, and implementing the process without overwhelming staff. The Collaborative Impact Analysis Method (IAM; Davis and Scalice, 2015) was selected as it allowed us to combine the EPO staff's knowledge of programs, audiences and content with the expertise of an outside evaluation expert, through consultations and a qualitative rubric assessing the initial state of each product/program's evaluation. Staff then developed action plans to make incremental improvements to the evaluation of programs over time. We have found that this approach promotes the development of staff knowledge and skills regarding evaluation, provides a common language among staff, increases enthusiasm to collect and share data, encourages discussions of evaluative approaches when planning new activities, and improves each program's ability to capture the intended and unintended effects on the behaviors, attitudes, skills, interests, and/or knowledge of users/participants. We will share the initial IAM Scores for products and programs in the EPO portfolio, along with examples of the action plans for several key products and programs, and the impact that implementing those actions plans has had on our evaluations. Davis, H. & Scalice, D. (2015). Evaluate the Impact of your Education and Outreach Program Using the Quantitative Collaborative Impact Analysis

  5. Fear of negative evaluation biases social evaluation inference: evidence from a probabilistic learning task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Button, Katherine S; Kounali, Daphne; Stapinski, Lexine; Rapee, Ronald M; Lewis, Glyn; Munafò, Marcus R

    2015-01-01

    Fear of negative evaluation (FNE) defines social anxiety yet the process of inferring social evaluation, and its potential role in maintaining social anxiety, is poorly understood. We developed an instrumental learning task to model social evaluation learning, predicting that FNE would specifically bias learning about the self but not others. During six test blocks (3 self-referential, 3 other-referential), participants (n = 100) met six personas and selected a word from a positive/negative pair to finish their social evaluation sentences "I think [you are / George is]…". Feedback contingencies corresponded to 3 rules, liked, neutral and disliked, with P[positive word correct] = 0.8, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively. As FNE increased participants selected fewer positive words (β = -0.4, 95% CI -0.7, -0.2, p = 0.001), which was strongest in the self-referential condition (FNE × condition 0.28, 95% CI 0.01, 0.54, p = 0.04), and the neutral and dislike rules (FNE × condition × rule, p = 0.07). At low FNE the proportion of positive words selected for self-neutral and self-disliked greatly exceeded the feedback contingency, indicating poor learning, which improved as FNE increased. FNE is associated with differences in processing social-evaluative information specifically about the self. At low FNE this manifests as insensitivity to learning negative self-referential evaluation. High FNE individuals are equally sensitive to learning positive or negative evaluation, which although objectively more accurate, may have detrimental effects on mental health.

  6. A Value-Added Approach to Selecting the Best Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, Dorothy M.; Kiang, Melody; Fisher, Steven A.

    2007-01-01

    Although numerous studies rank master of business administration (MBA) programs, prospective students' selection of the best MBA program is a formidable task. In this study, the authors used a linear-programming-based model called data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate MBA programs. The DEA model connects costs to benefits to evaluate the…

  7. Logistics Civil Augmentation Program Task Orders 130 and 151: Program Management, Reimbursement, and Transition

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Keays, Walt; Furbish, Glenn D

    2007-01-01

    .... Task orders under this contract can be either fixed price or cost reimbursable. In Iraq, the total cost of all 149 task orders issued under the LOGCAP contract as of March 4, 2007, is approximately $22.5 billion...

  8. Engineering development of selective agglomeration: Task 5, Bench- scale process testing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1991-09-01

    Under the overall objectives of DOE Contract ``Engineering Development of Selective Agglomeration,`` there were a number of specific objectives in the Task 5 program. The prime objectives of Task 5 are highlighted below: (1) Maximize process performance in pyritic sulfur rejection and BTU recovery, (2) Produce a low ash product, (3) Compare the performance of the heavy agglomerant process based on diesel and the light agglomerant process using heptane, (4) Define optimum processing conditions for engineering design, (5) Provide first-level evaluation of product handleability, and (6) Explore and investigate process options/ideas which may enhance process performance and/or product handleability.

  9. 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).

  10. 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

  11. Motor carrier evaluation program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Portsmouth, James

    1992-01-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy-Headquarters (DOE-HQ), Transportation Management Program (TMP) has the overall responsibility to provide a well-managed transportation program for the safe, efficient, and economical transportation of DOE-owned materials. The DOE-TMP has established an excellent safety record in the transportation of hazardous materials including radioactive materials and radioactive wastes. This safety record can be maintained only through continued diligence and sustained effort on the part of the DOE-TMP, its field offices, and the contractors' organizations. Key elements in the DOE'S effective hazardous and radioactive materials shipping program are (1) integrity of packages, (2) strict adherence to regulations and procedures, (3) trained personnel, (4) complete management support, and (5) use of the best commercial carriers. The DOE Motor Carrier Evaluation Program was developed to better define the criteria and methodology needed to identify motor carriers for use in the transportation of Highway Route Controlled Quantities (HRCQ), Truck Load (TL) quantities of radioactive materials, hazardous materials and waste. (author)

  12. User's manual of program RFIT Pt. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szatmary, Z.

    1991-06-01

    The RFIT program system was written for the parameter estimation and evaluation of a reactor physics testing project concerning WWER type reactors, to measure reactor physics parameters like neutron flux, reactivity, criticality, reactor kinetics variables etc. It was applied for the ZR-6 critical assembly of CRIP, Budapest. This second part contains detailed descriptions of the fitting functions, determination of correction factors, Newton iteration applied for solving least squares equations, error estimation, rules of input preparation for task RFIT, handling spectral ratio measurements (task SPEC), program output connected with parameter estimation. (R.P.)

  13. Production Task Queue Optimization Based on Multi-Attribute Evaluation for Complex Product Assembly Workshop.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Lian-Hui; Mo, Rong

    2015-01-01

    The production task queue has a great significance for manufacturing resource allocation and scheduling decision. Man-made qualitative queue optimization method has a poor effect and makes the application difficult. A production task queue optimization method is proposed based on multi-attribute evaluation. According to the task attributes, the hierarchical multi-attribute model is established and the indicator quantization methods are given. To calculate the objective indicator weight, criteria importance through intercriteria correlation (CRITIC) is selected from three usual methods. To calculate the subjective indicator weight, BP neural network is used to determine the judge importance degree, and then the trapezoid fuzzy scale-rough AHP considering the judge importance degree is put forward. The balanced weight, which integrates the objective weight and the subjective weight, is calculated base on multi-weight contribution balance model. The technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) improved by replacing Euclidean distance with relative entropy distance is used to sequence the tasks and optimize the queue by the weighted indicator value. A case study is given to illustrate its correctness and feasibility.

  14. Evaluation of film dosemeters by linear programming

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kragh, P.; Nitschke, J.

    1992-01-01

    An evaluation method for multi-component dosemeters is described which uses linear programming in order to decrease the dependence on energy and direction. The results of this method are more accurate than those obtained with the evaluation methods so far applied in film dosimetry. In addition, systematic errors can be given when evaluating individual measurements. Combined linear programming, as a special case of the presented method, is described taking a film dosemeter of particular type as an example. (orig.) [de

  15. The number of supports does not modify the electrical cortical activity during balance tasks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Collado-Mateo

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Aims: The objective was to evaluate the electrical cortical activity during two static and two dynamic tasks, comparing between tasks with single support tasks and tasks with two feet on the platform. Settings and Design: Sixteen young males participated in this cross-sectional study. Methods and Material: Electrical cortical activity was assessed using the Enobio device. Two static and two dynamic tasks were performed, all of them on the Biodex Balance System device. Statistical analysis used: Mean power spectrum for the Alpha band was analyzed. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare tasks with one single support and tasks with the two feet on the platform. Results: No significant difference was observed when comparing the balance tasks. Conclusions: The number of supports did not significantly modify the EEG signal in the alpha band. However, cognitive demands in the single support dynamic task seemed to be somewhat higher compared with the rest of the tasks. These results may be relevant to design future programs based on dual task.

  16. Implementing Task-Based Language Teaching to Integrate Language Skills in an EFL Program at a Colombian University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Córdoba Zúñiga, Eulices

    2016-01-01

    This article reports the findings of a qualitative research study conducted with six first semester students of an English as a foreign language program in a public university in Colombia. The aim of the study was to implement task-based language teaching as a way to integrate language skills and help learners to improve their communicative…

  17. Evaluating the ONEBFP transport code for possible use in the proton radiography program. Final report, Task 47

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marr, D.R.; Prael, R.E.; Adams, K.J.

    1996-10-01

    This is notification of the completion of Task 47 and a summary of the fulfillment of the requirements thereof. Deliverables for Task 47 include the data test files and a final report. The test files have been delivered to the customer and the attached paper satisfies the requirements for a final report. Detail on the completion of each of the subtasks described in the Statement of Work follow. The author repeats the complete list of subtasks for Task 47: (1) The software engineer will modify the ONEBFP code to generate a logarithmic distribution of discrete angles and an associated set of quadrature weights; (2) The software engineer will work with Group XTM personnel to obtain the required cross-section data for protons/nuclear cascade particles; and (3) The software engineer will perform 5 test calculations using the modified ONEBFP code to assess its accuracy and efficiency for proton transport problems. The test calculations will be documented in a brief report. Appendix C of the paper describes the quadrature set capability installed in the ONEBFP code pertinent to the fulfillment of subtask 1. A portion of the body of the paper describes the source and modeling and Appendix A describes the extraction of the cross section data used in this study, fulfilling subtask 2. The bulk of the attached report describes the test problems, states the modeling used for each problem, shows the results in both graphical and tabular form, and discusses the implications of the results. This fulfills the requirements of subtask 3

  18. Applying genetic algorithms for programming manufactoring cell tasks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Efredy Delgado

    2005-05-01

    Full Text Available This work was aimed for developing computational intelligence for scheduling a manufacturing cell's tasks, based manily on genetic algorithms. The manufacturing cell was modelled as beign a production-line; the makespan was calculated by using heuristics adapted from several libraries for genetic algorithms computed in C++ builder. Several problems dealing with small, medium and large list of jobs and machinery were resolved. The results were compared with other heuristics. The approach developed here would seem to be promising for future research concerning scheduling manufacturing cell tasks involving mixed batches.

  19. Task demand, task management, and teamwork

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Braarud, Per Oeivind; Brendryen, Haavar

    2001-03-15

    The current approach to mental workload assessment in process control was evaluated in 3 previous HAMMLAB studies, by analysing the relationship between workload related measures and performance. The results showed that subjective task complexity rating was related to team's control room performance, that mental effort (NASA-TLX) was weakly related to performance, and that overall activity level was unrelated to performance. The results support the argument that general cognitive measures, i.e., mental workload, are weakly related to performance in the process control domain. This implies that other workload concepts than general mental workload are needed for valid assessment of human reliability and for valid assessment of control room configurations. An assessment of task load in process control suggested that how effort is used to handle task demand is more important then the level of effort invested to solve the task. The report suggests two main workload related concepts with a potential as performance predictors in process control: task requirements, and the work style describing how effort is invested to solve the task. The task requirements are seen as composed of individual task demand and team demand. In a similar way work style are seen as composed of individual task management and teamwork style. A framework for the development of the concepts is suggested based on a literature review and experiences from HAMMLAB research. It is suggested that operational definitions of workload concepts should be based on observable control room behaviour, to assure a potential for developing performance-shaping factors. Finally an explorative analysis of teamwork measures and performance in one study indicated that teamwork concepts are related to performance. This lends support to the suggested development of team demand and teamwork style as elements of a framework for the analysis of workload in process control. (Author)

  20. Innovative strategies for nursing education program evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Story, Lachel; Butts, Janie B; Bishop, Sandra B; Green, Lisa; Johnson, Kathy; Mattison, Haley

    2010-06-01

    Nursing programs are mandated by accreditation bodies to report data significant to program quality and outcomes. The history at one school of nursing in the southern United States revealed the program evaluation committee experienced roadblocks in retrieving such information. Creative approaches were adopted to overcome some of the barriers to program evaluation, including the use of more technological-based approaches to engage alumni who embrace this technology as a way of life. Among the many advantages of these approaches were convenience, ease of administration and analysis, cost effectiveness, and more meaningful data. The advantages far outweighed the few disadvantages incurred, with the most prominent being potential sampling bias. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

  1. Evaluating OO example programs for CS1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Börstler, Jürgen; Christensen, Henrik Bærbak; Bennedsen, Jens

    2008-01-01

    Example programs play an important role in learning to program. They work as templates, guidelines, and inspiration for learners when developing their own programs. It is therefore important to provide learners with high quality examples. In this paper, we discuss properties of example programs...... that might affect the teaching and learning of object-oriented programming. Furthermore, we present an evaluation instrument for example programs and report on initial experiences of its application to a selection of examples from popular introductory programming textbooks....

  2. Cyber-Evaluation: Evaluating a Distance Learning Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henderson, Denise L.

    This paper examines how the process of soliciting evaluation feedback from nonresident students in the Army Management Staff College (Virginia) program on leadership and management for civilian employees of the Army has evolved since 1995. Course design is briefly described, including the use of video-teleconferences, chat rooms, an electronic…

  3. Analysis the evaluation of reinforces concrete structure Block 62 by Non Destructive Method, Destructive Method and Esteem Computer Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohd Jamil Hashim; Norhazwani Mohd Azahari

    2012-01-01

    The evaluation of old and unrecorded building is a difficult task to work on. This is because no detail record of building component such as reinforce concrete strength test record, type of reinforcement used, construction methods and soil investigation (SI) which make it impossible to analyse. Through NDT building reinforced concrete component is easily evaluated and mean while DT method give assurance through actual sample testing. From these early result detail drawing plans can be rebuild and building forensic work can be done. These data will be fed into the computer program to produce a structure evaluation result whether it is safe or not in accordance to design standard BS8110. (author)

  4. Initial development of an automated task analysis profiling system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jorgensen, C.C.

    1984-01-01

    A program for automated task analysis is described. Called TAPS (task analysis profiling system), the program accepts normal English prose and outputs skills, knowledges, attitudes, and abilities (SKAAs) along with specific guidance and recommended ability measurement tests for nuclear power plant operators. A new method for defining SKAAs is presented along with a sample program output

  5. 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...

  6. Locality-Aware Task Scheduling and Data Distribution for OpenMP Programs on NUMA Systems and Manycore Processors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ananya Muddukrishna

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Performance degradation due to nonuniform data access latencies has worsened on NUMA systems and can now be felt on-chip in manycore processors. Distributing data across NUMA nodes and manycore processor caches is necessary to reduce the impact of nonuniform latencies. However, techniques for distributing data are error-prone and fragile and require low-level architectural knowledge. Existing task scheduling policies favor quick load-balancing at the expense of locality and ignore NUMA node/manycore cache access latencies while scheduling. Locality-aware scheduling, in conjunction with or as a replacement for existing scheduling, is necessary to minimize NUMA effects and sustain performance. We present a data distribution and locality-aware scheduling technique for task-based OpenMP programs executing on NUMA systems and manycore processors. Our technique relieves the programmer from thinking of NUMA system/manycore processor architecture details by delegating data distribution to the runtime system and uses task data dependence information to guide the scheduling of OpenMP tasks to reduce data stall times. We demonstrate our technique on a four-socket AMD Opteron machine with eight NUMA nodes and on the TILEPro64 processor and identify that data distribution and locality-aware task scheduling improve performance up to 69% for scientific benchmarks compared to default policies and yet provide an architecture-oblivious approach for programmers.

  7. Heavy-section steel technology program. Semiannual progress report, October 1994--March 1995

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pennell, W.E.

    1996-07-01

    The Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program is conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The program focus is on the development and validation of technology for the assessment of fracture-prevention margins in commercial nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The HSST Program is organized in seven tasks: (1) program management (2) constraint effects analytical development and validation, (3) evaluation of cladding effects, (4) ductile-to-cleavage fracture-mode conversion, (5) fracture analysis methods development and applications, (6) material property data and test methods, and (7) integration of results. The program tasks have been structured to place emphasis on the resolution of fracture issues with near-term licensing significance. Resources to execute the research tasks are drawn from ORNL with subcontract support from universities and other research laboratories. Close contact is maintained with the sister Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program at ORNL and with related research programs both in the United States and abroad. This report provides an overview of principal developments in each of the seven program tasks from October 1994-March 1995

  8. Heavy-section steel technology program. Semiannual progress report, October 1994--March 1995

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pennell, W.E.

    1996-07-01

    The Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program is conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The program focus is on the development and validation of technology for the assessment of fracture-prevention margins in commercial nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The HSST Program is organized in seven tasks: (1) program management (2) constraint effects analytical development and validation, (3) evaluation of cladding effects, (4) ductile-to-cleavage fracture-mode conversion, (5) fracture analysis methods development and applications, (6) material property data and test methods, and (7) integration of results. The program tasks have been structured to place emphasis on the resolution of fracture issues with near-term licensing significance. Resources to execute the research tasks are drawn from ORNL with subcontract support from universities and other research laboratories. Close contact is maintained with the sister Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program at ORNL and with related research programs both in the United States and abroad. This report provides an overview of principal developments in each of the seven program tasks from October 1994-March 1995.

  9. Behavioral patterns of environmental performance evaluation programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wanxin; Mauerhofer, Volker

    2016-11-01

    During the past decades numerous environmental performance evaluation programs have been developed and implemented on different geographic scales. This paper develops a taxonomy of environmental management behavioral patterns in order to provide a practical comparison tool for environmental performance evaluation programs. Ten such programs purposively selected are mapped against the identified four behavioral patterns in the form of diagnosis, negotiation, learning, and socialization and learning. Overall, we found that schemes which serve to diagnose environmental abnormalities are mainly externally imposed and have been developed as a result of technical debates concerning data sources, methodology and ranking criteria. Learning oriented scheme is featured by processes through which free exchange of ideas, mutual and adaptive learning can occur. Scheme developed by higher authority for influencing behaviors of lower levels of government has been adopted by the evaluated to signal their excellent environmental performance. The socializing and learning classified evaluation schemes have incorporated dialogue, participation, and capacity building in program design. In conclusion we consider the 'fitness for purpose' of the various schemes, the merits of our analytical model and the future possibilities of fostering capacity building in the realm of wicked environmental challenges. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Increased activity in the right prefrontal cortex measured using near-infrared spectroscopy during a flower arrangement task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morita, Yuka; Ebara, Fumio; Morita, Yoshimitsu; Horikawa, Etsuo

    2018-03-01

    Flower arrangement program (FAP) horticultural therapy promotes psychological, social and physiological wellness and recovery. Moreover, FAPs have been used to evaluate the outcomes related to visuospatial working memory; yet, most of these studies used subjective outcome measures such as behavioural observations and questionnaires. Few studies report objective evaluations of FAP effects in humans. In the present study, we measured the effects of an FAP task on frontal lobe activity in healthy participants using near-infrared spectroscopy. We quantified salivary amylase levels as an indicator of stress level during the FAP. The FAP task involved a predetermined arrangement pattern of natural materials (flowers and leaves) that required the participants to identify where a given material should be placed and temporarily memorise the designated position to complete the flower arrangement. The FAP task was compared to the block-tapping task (BTT), which is routinely used to evaluate visuospatial working memory. Both the FAP task and BTT positively stimulated the right prefrontal cortex; however, stress was more effectively limited during the performance of the FAP task. Our data suggest that FAP therapy may be useful for the rehabilitation of patients who are sensitive to stress.

  11. SU-B-213-03: Evaluation of Graduate Programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clark, B.

    2015-01-01

    The North American medical physics community validates the education received by medical physicists and the clinical qualifications for medical physicists through accreditation of educational programs and certification of medical physicists. Medical physics educational programs (graduate education and residency education) are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP), whereas medical physicists are certified by several organizations, the most familiar of which is the American Board of Radiology (ABR). In order for an educational program to become accredited or a medical physicist to become certified, the applicant must meet certain specified standards set by the appropriate organization. In this Symposium, representatives from both CAMPEP and the ABR will describe the process by which standards are established as well as the process by which qualifications of candidates for accreditation or certification are shown to be compliant with these standards. The Symposium will conclude with a panel discussion. Learning Objectives: Recognize the difference between accreditation of an educational program and certification of an individual Identify the two organizations primarily responsible for these tasks Describe the development of educational standards Describe the process by which examination questions are developed GS is Executive Secretary of CAMPEP

  12. SU-B-213-04: Evaluation of Residency Programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reft, C.

    2015-01-01

    The North American medical physics community validates the education received by medical physicists and the clinical qualifications for medical physicists through accreditation of educational programs and certification of medical physicists. Medical physics educational programs (graduate education and residency education) are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP), whereas medical physicists are certified by several organizations, the most familiar of which is the American Board of Radiology (ABR). In order for an educational program to become accredited or a medical physicist to become certified, the applicant must meet certain specified standards set by the appropriate organization. In this Symposium, representatives from both CAMPEP and the ABR will describe the process by which standards are established as well as the process by which qualifications of candidates for accreditation or certification are shown to be compliant with these standards. The Symposium will conclude with a panel discussion. Learning Objectives: Recognize the difference between accreditation of an educational program and certification of an individual Identify the two organizations primarily responsible for these tasks Describe the development of educational standards Describe the process by which examination questions are developed GS is Executive Secretary of CAMPEP

  13. Fear of Negative Evaluation Biases Social Evaluation Inference: Evidence from a Probabilistic Learning Task

    Science.gov (United States)

    Button, Katherine S.; Kounali, Daphne; Stapinski, Lexine; Rapee, Ronald M.; Lewis, Glyn; Munafò, Marcus R.

    2015-01-01

    Background Fear of negative evaluation (FNE) defines social anxiety yet the process of inferring social evaluation, and its potential role in maintaining social anxiety, is poorly understood. We developed an instrumental learning task to model social evaluation learning, predicting that FNE would specifically bias learning about the self but not others. Methods During six test blocks (3 self-referential, 3 other-referential), participants (n = 100) met six personas and selected a word from a positive/negative pair to finish their social evaluation sentences “I think [you are / George is]…”. Feedback contingencies corresponded to 3 rules, liked, neutral and disliked, with P[positive word correct] = 0.8, 0.5 and 0.2, respectively. Results As FNE increased participants selected fewer positive words (β = −0.4, 95% CI −0.7, −0.2, p = 0.001), which was strongest in the self-referential condition (FNE × condition 0.28, 95% CI 0.01, 0.54, p = 0.04), and the neutral and dislike rules (FNE × condition × rule, p = 0.07). At low FNE the proportion of positive words selected for self-neutral and self-disliked greatly exceeded the feedback contingency, indicating poor learning, which improved as FNE increased. Conclusions FNE is associated with differences in processing social-evaluative information specifically about the self. At low FNE this manifests as insensitivity to learning negative self-referential evaluation. High FNE individuals are equally sensitive to learning positive or negative evaluation, which although objectively more accurate, may have detrimental effects on mental health. PMID:25853835

  14. Evaluation of Hose in Hose Transfer Line Service Life for Hanford's Interim Stabilization Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    TORRES, T.D.

    2000-08-24

    RPP-6153, Engineering Task Plan for Hose-in-Hose Transfer System for the Interim Stabilization Program, defines the programmatic goals, functional requirements, and technical criteria for the development and subsequent installation of transfer line equipment to support Hanford's Interim Stabilization Program. RPP-6028, Specification for Hose in Hose Transfer Lines for Hanford's Interim Stabilization Program, has been issued to define the specific requirements for the design, manufacture, and verification of transfer line assemblies for specific waste transfer applications. Included in RPP-6028 are tables defining the chemical constituents of concern to which transfer lines will be exposed. Current Interim Stabilization Program planning forecasts that the at-grade transfer lines will be required to convey pumpable waste for as much as three years after commissioning. Prudent engineering dictates that the equipment placed in service have a working life in excess of this forecasted time period, with some margin to allow for future adjustments to the planned schedule. This document evaluates the effective service life of the Hose-in-Hose Transfer Lines, based on information submitted by the manufacturer and published literature. The effective service life of transfer line assemblies is a function of several factors. Foremost among these are process fluid characteristics, ambient environmental conditions, and the manufacturer's stated shelf life. This evaluation examines the manufacturer's certification of shelf life, the manufacturer's certifications of chemical compatibility with waste, and published literature on the effects of exposure to ionizing radiation on the mechanical properties of elastomeric materials to evaluate transfer line service life.

  15. High Burnup Effects Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barner, J.O.; Cunningham, M.E.; Freshley, M.D.; Lanning, D.D.

    1990-04-01

    This is the final report of the High Burnup Effects Program (HBEP). It has been prepared to present a summary, with conclusions, of the HBEP. The HBEP was an international, group-sponsored research program managed by Battelle, Pacific Northwest Laboratories (BNW). The principal objective of the HBEP was to obtain well-characterized data related to fission gas release (FGR) for light water reactor (LWR) fuel irradiated to high burnup levels. The HBEP was organized into three tasks as follows: Task 1 -- high burnup effects evaluations; Task 2 -- fission gas sampling; and Task 3 -- parameter effects study. During the course of the HBEP, a program that extended over 10 years, 82 fuel rods from a variety of sources were characterized, irradiated, and then examined in detail after irradiation. The study of fission gas release at high burnup levels was the principal objective of the program and it may be concluded that no significant enhancement of fission gas release at high burnup levels was observed for the examined rods. The rim effect, an as yet unquantified contributor to athermal fission gas release, was concluded to be the one truly high-burnup effect. Though burnup enhancement of fission gas release was observed to be low, a full understanding of the rim region and rim effect has not yet emerged and this may be a potential area of further research. 25 refs., 23 figs., 4 tabs

  16. Ongoing quality control in digital radiography: Report of AAPM Imaging Physics Committee Task Group 151

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, A. Kyle; Geiser, William; Heintz, Philip; Goldman, Lee; Jerjian, Khachig; Martin, Melissa; Peck, Donald; Pfeiffer, Douglas; Ranger, Nicole; Yorkston, John

    2015-01-01

    Quality control (QC) in medical imaging is an ongoing process and not just a series of infrequent evaluations of medical imaging equipment. The QC process involves designing and implementing a QC program, collecting and analyzing data, investigating results that are outside the acceptance levels for the QC program, and taking corrective action to bring these results back to an acceptable level. The QC process involves key personnel in the imaging department, including the radiologist, radiologic technologist, and the qualified medical physicist (QMP). The QMP performs detailed equipment evaluations and helps with oversight of the QC program, the radiologic technologist is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the QC program. The continued need for ongoing QC in digital radiography has been highlighted in the scientific literature. The charge of this task group was to recommend consistency tests designed to be performed by a medical physicist or a radiologic technologist under the direction of a medical physicist to identify problems with an imaging system that need further evaluation by a medical physicist, including a fault tree to define actions that need to be taken when certain fault conditions are identified. The focus of this final report is the ongoing QC process, including rejected image analysis, exposure analysis, and artifact identification. These QC tasks are vital for the optimal operation of a department performing digital radiography

  17. Evaluation of demand-side management programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolbe, A.L.; O'Loughlin, M.P.

    1990-01-01

    Over the past few years, the attention accorded to demand-side management (DSM) measures has called into question the traditional cost minimization approach for evaluating such programs. Two broad approaches to DSM seem to be generally used: one examining the problem from multiple perspectives and the other including various practical methods used in-house by utility planners. Whatever the standard used to evaluate DSM, there remains at least one problem which cannot be quantified. The customers who participate in a DSM program cannot only take into account the effects of DSM on their electricity bills; their comfort can also be affected. This lowering of comfort constitutes a legitimate cost which can explain why some apparently sensible DSM measures are not adopted. A method is proposed to incorporate this cost. It establishes a way to evaluate DSM program tradeoffs that, from the perspective of standard economic theory, maximizes social welfare; explains why at least one of the perspectives in the multiple perspective approach needs to be modified to incorporate all customer costs; and outlines how the proposed standard can be implemented. 8 refs

  18. High-definition television evaluation for remote handling task performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujita, Y.; Omori, E.; Hayashi, S.; Draper, J.V.; Herndon, J.N.

    1986-01-01

    This paper describes experiments designed to evaluate the impact of HDTV on the performance of typical remote tasks. The experiments described in this paper compared the performance of four operators using HDTV with their performance while using other television systems. The experiments included four television systems: (1) high-definition color television, (2) high-definition monochromatic television, (3) standard-resolution monochromatic television, and (4) standard-resolution stereoscopic monochromatic television. The stereo system accomplished stereoscopy by displaying two cross-polarized images, one reflected by a half-silvered mirror and one seen through the mirror. Observers wore a pair of glasses with cross-polarized lenses so that the left eye received only the view from the left camera and the right eye received only the view from the right camera

  19. Evaluating computer program performance on the CRAY-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rudsinski, L.; Pieper, G.W.

    1979-01-01

    The Advanced Scientific Computers Project of Argonne's Applied Mathematics Division has two objectives: to evaluate supercomputers and to determine their effect on Argonne's computing workload. Initial efforts have focused on the CRAY-1, which is the only advanced computer currently available. Users from seven Argonne divisions executed test programs on the CRAY and made performance comparisons with the IBM 370/195 at Argonne. This report describes these experiences and discusses various techniques for improving run times on the CRAY. Direct translations of code from scalar to vector processor reduced running times as much as two-fold, and this reduction will become more pronounced as the CRAY compiler is developed. Further improvement (two- to ten-fold) was realized by making minor code changes to facilitate compiler recognition of the parallel and vector structure within the programs. Finally, extensive rewriting of the FORTRAN code structure reduced execution times dramatically, in three cases by a factor of more than 20; and even greater reduction should be possible by changing algorithms within a production code. It is condluded that the CRAY-1 would be of great benefit to Argonne researchers. Existing codes could be modified with relative ease to run significantly faster than on the 370/195. More important, the CRAY would permit scientists to investigate complex problems currently deemed infeasibile on traditional scalar machines. Finally, an interface between the CRAY-1 and IBM computers such as the 370/195, scheduled by Cray Research for the first quarter of 1979, would considerably facilitate the task of integrating the CRAY into Argonne's Central Computing Facility. 13 tables

  20. Problem Space Matters: Evaluation of a German Enrichment Program for Gifted Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welter, Marisete M; Jaarsveld, Saskia; Lachmann, Thomas

    2018-01-01

    We studied the development of cognitive abilities related to intelligence and creativity ( N = 48, 6-10 years old), using a longitudinal design (over one school year), in order to evaluate an Enrichment Program for gifted primary school children initiated by the government of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate ( Entdeckertag Rheinland Pfalz , Germany; ET; Day of Discoverers). A group of German primary school children ( N = 24), identified earlier as intellectually gifted and selected to join the ET program was compared to a gender-, class- and IQ- matched group of control children that did not participate in this program. All participants performed the Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) test, which measures intelligence in well-defined problem space; the Creative Reasoning Task (CRT), which measures intelligence in ill-defined problem space; and the test of creative thinking-drawing production (TCT-DP), which measures creativity, also in ill-defined problem space. Results revealed that problem space matters: the ET program is effective only for the improvement of intelligence operating in well-defined problem space. An effect was found for intelligence as measured by SPM only, but neither for intelligence operating in ill-defined problem space (CRT) nor for creativity (TCT-DP). This suggests that, depending on the type of problem spaces presented, different cognitive abilities are elicited in the same child. Therefore, enrichment programs for gifted, but also for children attending traditional schools, should provide opportunities to develop cognitive abilities related to intelligence, operating in both well- and ill-defined problem spaces, and to creativity in a parallel, using an interactive approach.

  1. Production Task Queue Optimization Based on Multi-Attribute Evaluation for Complex Product Assembly Workshop.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lian-Hui Li

    Full Text Available The production task queue has a great significance for manufacturing resource allocation and scheduling decision. Man-made qualitative queue optimization method has a poor effect and makes the application difficult. A production task queue optimization method is proposed based on multi-attribute evaluation. According to the task attributes, the hierarchical multi-attribute model is established and the indicator quantization methods are given. To calculate the objective indicator weight, criteria importance through intercriteria correlation (CRITIC is selected from three usual methods. To calculate the subjective indicator weight, BP neural network is used to determine the judge importance degree, and then the trapezoid fuzzy scale-rough AHP considering the judge importance degree is put forward. The balanced weight, which integrates the objective weight and the subjective weight, is calculated base on multi-weight contribution balance model. The technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS improved by replacing Euclidean distance with relative entropy distance is used to sequence the tasks and optimize the queue by the weighted indicator value. A case study is given to illustrate its correctness and feasibility.

  2. Alberta: evaluation of nursing retention and recruitment programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weidner, Arlene; Graham, Carol; Smith, Jennifer; Aitken, Julia; Odell, Jill

    2012-03-01

    Retention and recruitment strategies are essential to address nursing workforce supply and ensure the viability of healthcare delivery in Canada. Knowledge transfer between experienced nurses and those new to the profession is also a focus for concern. The Multi-Employer/United Nurses of Alberta Joint Committee attempted to address these issues by introducing a number of retention and recruitment (R&R) initiatives for nurses in Alberta: in total, seven different programs that were introduced to some 24,000 nurses and employers across the province of Alberta in 2001 (the Transitional Graduate Nurse Recruitment Program) and 2007 (the remaining six R&R programs). Approximately 1,600 nurses participated in the seven programs between 2001 and 2009. Of the seven strategies, one supported entry into the workplace, two were pre-retirement strategies and four involved flexible work options. This project entailed a retrospective evaluation of the seven programs and differed from the other Research to Action (RTA) projects because it was solely concerned with evaluation of pre-existing initiatives. All seven programs were launched without a formal evaluation component, and the tracking of local uptake varied throughout the province. The union and various employers faced challenges in implementing these strategies in a timely fashion, as most were designed at the bargaining table during negotiations. As a result, systems, policy and procedural changes had to be developed to support their implementation after they became available.Participants in the programs indicated improvements over time in several areas, including higher levels of satisfaction with work–life balance, hours worked and their current practice and profession. The evaluation found that participation led to perceived improvements in nurses' confidence, greater control over their work environment, decreased stress levels, increased energy and morale and perceived improved ability to provide high-quality care

  3. Evaluating a physician leadership development program - a mixed methods approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Throgmorton, Cheryl; Mitchell, Trey; Morley, Tom; Snyder, Marijo

    2016-05-16

    Purpose - With the extent of change in healthcare today, organizations need strong physician leaders. To compensate for the lack of physician leadership education, many organizations are sending physicians to external leadership programs or developing in-house leadership programs targeted specifically to physicians. The purpose of this paper is to outline the evaluation strategy and outcomes of the inaugural year of a Physician Leadership Academy (PLA) developed and implemented at a Michigan-based regional healthcare system. Design/methodology/approach - The authors applied the theoretical framework of Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation and used surveys, observations, activity tracking, and interviews to evaluate the program outcomes. The authors applied grounded theory techniques to the interview data. Findings - The program met targeted outcomes across all four levels of evaluation. Interview themes focused on the significance of increasing self-awareness, building relationships, applying new skills, and building confidence. Research limitations/implications - While only one example, this study illustrates the importance of developing the evaluation strategy as part of the program design. Qualitative research methods, often lacking from learning evaluation design, uncover rich themes of impact. The study supports how a PLA program can enhance physician learning, engagement, and relationship building throughout and after the program. Physician leaders' partnership with organization development and learning professionals yield results with impact to individuals, groups, and the organization. Originality/value - Few studies provide an in-depth review of evaluation methods and outcomes of physician leadership development programs. Healthcare organizations seeking to develop similar in-house programs may benefit applying the evaluation strategy outlined in this study.

  4. Modeling EERE Deployment Programs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cort, Katherine A.; Hostick, Donna J.; Belzer, David B.; Livingston, Olga V.

    2007-11-08

    The purpose of this report is to compile information and conclusions gathered as part of three separate tasks undertaken as part of the overall project, “Modeling EERE Deployment Programs,” sponsored by the Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation office within the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The purpose of the project was to identify and characterize the modeling of deployment programs within the EERE Technology Development (TD) programs, address improvements to modeling in the near term, and note gaps in knowledge where future research is needed.

  5. The Advanced Test Reactor Strategic Evaluation Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buescher, B.J.

    1990-01-01

    A systematic evaluation of safety, environmental, and operational issues has been initiated at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). This program, the Strategic Evaluation Program (STEP), provides an integrated review of safety and operational issues against the standards applied to licensed commercial facilities. In the review of safety issues, 18 deviations were identified which required prompt attention. Resolution of these items has been accelerated in the program. An integrated living schedule is being developed to address the remaining findings. A risk evaluation is being performed on the proposed corrective actions and these actions will then be formally ranked in order of priority based on considerations of safety and operational significance. Once the final ranking is completed, an integrated schedule will be developed, which will include considerations of availability of funding and operating schedule. 3 refs., 2 figs

  6. Engineering development of selective agglomeration: Task 5, Bench- scale process testing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1991-09-01

    Under the overall objectives of DOE Contract Engineering Development of Selective Agglomeration,'' there were a number of specific objectives in the Task 5 program. The prime objectives of Task 5 are highlighted below: (1) Maximize process performance in pyritic sulfur rejection and BTU recovery, (2) Produce a low ash product, (3) Compare the performance of the heavy agglomerant process based on diesel and the light agglomerant process using heptane, (4) Define optimum processing conditions for engineering design, (5) Provide first-level evaluation of product handleability, and (6) Explore and investigate process options/ideas which may enhance process performance and/or product handleability.

  7. Risk evaluation for motor operated valves in an Inservice Testing Program at a PWR nuclear power plant in Taiwan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Y.C.; Chen, K.T.; Su, Y.L.; Ting, K.; Chien, F.T.; Li, G.D.; Huang, S.H.

    2012-01-01

    Safety related valves such as Motor Operated Valves (MOV), Air Operated Valves (AOV) or Check Valves (CV) play an important role in nuclear power plant. Functioning of these valves mainly aim at emergency reactivity control, post-accident residue heat removal, post-accident radioactivity removal and containment isolation when a design basis accident occurred. In order to maintain these valves under operable conditions, an Inservice Testing Program (IST) is defined for routine testing tasks based on the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code section XI code requirements. Risk based Inservice Testing Programs have been studied and developed extensively in the nuclear energy industry since the 1990s. Risk Based evaluations of IST can bring positive advantages to the licensee such as identifying the vulnerability of the system, reducing unnecessary testing burden, concentrating testing resources on the critical pass oriented valves and saving plant’s personnel dose exposure. This risk evaluation is incorporated with quantitative and qualitative analyses to the Motor Operated Valves under current Inservice Testing Program for PWR nuclear power plant in Taiwan. With the outcome of the risk classifications for the safety related MOVs through numerical or deterministic analyses, a risk based testing frequency relief is suggested to demonstrate the benefits received from the risk based Inservice Testing Program. The goal made of this study, it could be as a reference and cornerstone for the licensee to perform overall scope Risk-Informed Inservice Testing Program (RI-IST) evaluation by referring relevant methodologies established in this study.

  8. Evaluation of a parenting skills program in Russia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacKinnon, Lee

    2013-01-01

    This article analyzes participant interviews and the photovoice project of 15 young disadvantaged mothers in Pskov, Russia. The women's statements and photovoice were part of a formative evaluation of the Pskov Positive Parenting Program, designed by the University of Massachusetts Institute for Global Health (IGH) and funded by USAID. The evaluation revealed that the Program met its goal of helping the women learn sensitive caregiving behaviors. The mothers emphasized that the Program met their need for social connection. The young mothers' participation in the positive social network of the group may have been a key ingredient to the Program's success and may have implications for the design of parenting programs cross-culturally.

  9. Sex differences in task distribution and task exposures among Danish house painters:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heilskov-Hansen, Thomas; Svendsen, Susanne Wulff; Thomsen, Jane Frølund

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: Sex differences in occupational biomechanical exposures may be part of the explanation why musculoskeletal complaints and disorders tend to be more common among women than among men. We aimed to determine possible sex differences in task distribution and task-specific postures...... correction were used to evaluate sex differences. RESULTS: Statistically significant (psex differences were revealed in task proportions, but the proportions differed by less than 4%. For task exposures, no statistically significant sex differences were found. CONCLUSIONS: Only minor sex differences...... and movements of the upper extremities among Danish house painters, and to establish sex-specific task exposure matrices. METHODS: To obtain task distributions, we sent out a questionnaire to all members of the Painters' Union in Denmark (N = 9364), of whom 53% responded. Respondents reported their task...

  10. Evaluation of a Research Mentorship Program in Community Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ploeg, Jenny; de Witt, Lorna; Hutchison, Brian; Hayward, Lynda; Grayson, Kim

    2008-01-01

    This article describes the results of a qualitative case study evaluating a research mentorship program in community care settings in Ontario, Canada. The purpose of the program was to build evaluation and research capacity among staff of community care agencies through a mentorship program. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured…

  11. E-Basics: Online Basic Training in Program Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silliman, Ben

    2016-01-01

    E-Basics is an online training in program evaluation concepts and skills designed for youth development professionals, especially those working in nonformal science education. Ten hours of online training in seven modules is designed to prepare participants for mentoring and applied practice, mastery, and/or team leadership in program evaluation.…

  12. Steam generator tube integrity program. Semiannual report, August 1995--March 1996

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diercks, D.R.; Bakhtiari, S.; Chopra, O.K.

    1997-04-01

    This report summarizes work performed by Argonne National Laboratory on the Steam Generator Tube Integrity Program from the inception of that program in August 1995 through March 1996. The program is divided into five tasks, namely (1) Assessment of Inspection Reliability, (2) Research on ISI (in-service-inspection) Technology, (3) Research on Degradation Modes and Integrity, (4) Development of Methodology and Technical Requirements for Current and Emerging Regulatory Issues, and (5) Program Management. Under Task 1, progress is reported on the preparation of and evaluation of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques for inspecting a mock-up steam generator for round-robin testing, the development of better ways to correlate burst pressure and leak rate with eddy current (EC) signals, the inspection of sleeved tubes, workshop and training activities, and the evaluation of emerging NDE technology. Under Task 2, results are reported on closed-form solutions and finite element electromagnetic modeling of EC probe response for various probe designs and flaw characteristics. Under Task 3, facilities are being designed and built for the production of cracked tubes under aggressive and near-prototypical conditions and for the testing of flawed and unflawed tubes under normal operating, accident, and severe accident conditions. In addition, crack behavior and stability are being modeled to provide guidance on test facility design, to develop an improved understanding of the expected rupture behavior of tubes with circumferential cracks, and to predict the behavior of flawed and unflawed tubes under severe accident conditions. Task 4 is concerned with the cracking and failure of tubes that have been repaired by sleeving, and with a review of literature on this subject

  13. Motor carrier evaluation program plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Portsmouth, J.H.; Maxwell, J.E.; Boness, G.O.; Rice, L.E.

    1991-04-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) Transportation Management Program (TMP) has established a program to assist the DOE field offices and their contractors in evaluating the motor carriers used to transport DOE-owned hazardous and radioactive materials. This program was initiated to provide the DOE field offices with the tools necessary to help ensure, during this period of motor carrier deregulation, that only highly qualified carriers transport radioactive and hazardous commodities for the DOE. This program will assist DOE in maintaining their excellent performance record in the safe transportation of hazardous commodities. The program was also developed in response to public concern surrounding the transportation of hazardous materials. Representatives of other federal agencies, states, and tribal governments, as well as the news media, have expressed concern about the selection and qualification of carriers engaged in the transportation of Highway Route-Controlled Quantities (HRCQ) and Truckload (TL) quantities of radioactive material for the DOE. 8 refs

  14. Program prioritization system user requirements document for Gas Cooled Reactor Associates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1981-01-01

    Efficient management of the national HTGR program requires the establishment of an information system that will facilitate a more rational allocation of resources and task prioritization consistent with program policies. The system described in this document provides a data analysis mechanism for processing top level summary status and planning information in a rapid, timely and selective manner. Data produced by the system can be used by management to provide a rational basis for prioritizing tasks, evaluating program changes and program planning regarding costs, schedules and overall program development logic. The purpose of this document is to delineate the program prioritization system (PPS) requirements for use as a guide to acquiring and implementing the system

  15. Purposive facebook recruitment endows cost-effective nutrition education program evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lohse, Barbara; Wamboldt, Patricia

    2013-08-15

    Recent legislation established a requirement for nutrition education in federal assistance programs to be evidence-based. Recruitment of low-income persons to participate and evaluate nutrition education activities can be challenging and costly. Facebook has been shown to be a cost-effective strategy to recruit this target audience to a nutrition program. The purpose of our study was to examine Facebook as a strategy to recruit participants, especially Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) eligible persons, to view and evaluate an online nutrition education program intended to be offered as having some evidence base for SNAP-Ed programming. English-speaking, low-income Pennsylvania residents, 18-55 years with key profile words (eg, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Food bank), responded to a Facebook ad inviting participation in either Eating Together as a Family is Worth It (WI) or Everyone Needs Folic Acid (FA). Participants completed an online survey on food-related behaviors, viewed a nutrition education program, and completed a program evaluation. Facebook set-up functions considered were costing action, daily spending cap, and population reach. Respondents for both WI and FA evaluations were similar; the majority were white, Cost per completed evaluation was US $25.48; cost per low-income completer was US $39.92. Results were similar for the FA evaluation; 795 Facebook users clicked on the ad with 110 unique site visitors, and 73 completing the evaluation (ie, 73/795, 9.2% of ad clickers and 73/110, 66% of site visitors completed the evaluation). Cost per valid completed survey with program evaluation was US $18.88; cost per low-income completer was US $27.53. With Facebook we successfully recruited low-income Pennsylvanians to online nutrition program evaluations. Benefits using Facebook as a recruitment strategy included real-time recruitment management with lower costs and more efficiency compared to previous data from

  16. Job and task analysis for technical staff

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toline, B.C.

    1991-01-01

    In September of 1989 Cooper Nuclear Station began a project to upgrade the Technical Staff Training Program. This project's roots began by performing job and Task Analysis for Technical Staff. While the industry has long been committed to Job and Task Analysis to target performance based instruction for single job positions, this approach was unique in that it was not originally considered appropriate for a group as diverse as Tech Staff. Much to his satisfaction the Job and Task Analysis Project was much less complicated for Technical Staff than the author had imagined. The benefits of performing the Job and Task Analysis for Technical Staff have become increasingly obvious as he pursues lesson plan development and course revisions. The outline for this presentation will be as follows: philosophy adopted; preparation of the job survey document; performing the job analysis; performing task analysis for technical staff and associated pitfalls; clustering objectives for training and comparison to existing program; benefits now and in the future; final phase (comparison to INPO guides and meeting the needs of non-degreed engineering professionals); and conclusion. By focusing on performance based needs for engineers rather than traditional academics for training the author is confident the future Technical Staff Program will meet the challenges ahead and will exceed requirements for accreditation

  17. Steam generator tube integrity program: Annual report, August 1995--September 1996. Volume 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diercks, D.R.; Bakhtiari, S.; Kasza, K.E.; Kupperman, D.S.; Majumdar, S.; Park, J.Y.; Shack, W.J.

    1998-02-01

    This report summarizes work performed by Argonne National Laboratory on the Steam Generator Tube Integrity Program from the inception of the program in August 1995 through September 1996. The program is divided into five tasks: (1) assessment of inspection reliability, (2) research on ISI (inservice-inspection) technology, (3) research on degradation modes and integrity, (4) tube removals from steam generators, and (5) program management. Under Task 1, progress is reported on the preparation of facilities and evaluation of nondestructive evaluation techniques for inspecting a mock-up steam generator for round-robin testing, the development of better ways to correlate failure pressure and leak rate with eddy current (EC) signals, the inspection of sleeved tubes, workshop and training activities, and the evaluation of emerging NDE technology. Results are reported in Task 2 on closed-form solutions and finite-element electromagnetic modeling of EC probe responses for various probe designs and flaw characteristics. In Task 3, facilities are being designed and built for the production of cracked tubes under aggressive and near-prototypical conditions and for the testing of flawed and unflawed tubes under normal operating, accident, and severe-accident conditions. Crack behavior and stability are also being modeled to provide guidance for test facility design, develop an improved understanding of the expected rupture behavior of tubes with circumferential cracks, and predict the behavior of flawed and unflawed tubes under severe accident conditions. Task 4 is concerned with the acquisition of tubes and tube sections from retired steam generators for use in the other research tasks. Progress on the acquisition of tubes from the Salem and McGuire 1 nuclear plants is reported

  18. Issues Surrounding the Evaluation of Teacher Internship Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrett, D.

    2006-12-01

    Georgia Intern-Fellowships for Teachers (GIFT) is a collaborative effort designed to enhance mathematics and science experiences of Georgia teachers and their students through summer research internships for teachers. By offering business, industry, public science institute and research summer fellowships to teachers, GIFT provides educators with first-hand exposure to the skills and knowledge necessary for the preparation of our future workforce. Since 1991, GIFT has placed middle and high school math, science and technology teachers in over 1100 positions throughout the state. In these fellowships, teachers are involved in cutting edge scientific and engineering research, data analysis, curriculum development and real-world inquiry and problem solving, and create Action Plans to assist them in translating the experience into changed classroom practice. Since 2004, an increasing number of high school students have worked with their teachers in research laboratories. The GIFT program has an advisory board composed of university researchers, business and education leaders. The board members work in various subcommittees assisting the program with areas such as sponsor recruitment, evaluation and long term planning. The evaluation subcommittee has been actively involved in providing direction regarding the evaluation of the GIFT program's impact on teachers and their students. The program recently conducted a survey of its former participants. This presentation will discuss the results of the survey and the challenges associated with program evaluation of teacher internship programs.

  19. Core Self-Evaluations as Causes of Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Seeking Task Complexity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srivastava, Abhishek; Locke, Edwin A.; Judge, Timothy A.; Adams, John W.

    2010-01-01

    This study examined the mediating role of task complexity in the relationship between core self-evaluations (CSE) and satisfaction. In Study 1, eighty three undergraduate business students worked on a strategic decision-making simulation. The simulated environment enabled us to verify the temporal sequence of variables, use an objective measure of…

  20. Energy 2000: effects of the program and conclusions from its evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balthasar, A.

    2000-01-01

    The action program Energy 2000 has been continually reviewed by independent experts in view of its effects. This resulted in around 50 scientific studies between 1991 and 1999, dealing with different aspects of the program. In the book 'Energy 2000: effects of the program and conclusions from its evaluation', the results of these evaluations are summarised, and conclusions for the design of the follow-up program are drawn. The organisational frame of the program is presented and the question answered whether the determining principles of the program proved practical. Besides, the effects of state intervention, of the conflict solving groups and the voluntary actions of Energy 2000 are appraised. A separate chapter is dedicated to the evaluation strategy of the program, its implementation and the benefits of the evaluations. Propositions for the evaluation of the follow-up program are formulated as well. Dr. Andreas Balthasar is President of the Swiss Evaluation Society. (author)

  1. Initiatives in training program evaluation outside the nuclear utility industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, C.J.

    1987-01-01

    Training literature is reviewed, and program evaluative practices outside the nuclear utility industry are reported. The findings indicate some innovations in philosophy and practice and program evaluation, although not necessarily in the context of evaluation as a route to assessing the impact of training. Program evaluation is described in the context of the impact of training, suggesting continued efforts to accept a multivariate concept of individual and organizational performance

  2. The Evaluation of an Employee Assistance Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gam, John; And Others

    1983-01-01

    Presents the results of an evaluative study of an employee assistance program sponsored by the Russell Corporation, an apparel manufacturing firm. Results suggested that the program is beneficial in terms of both productivity enhancement and humanitarianism. (Author)

  3. The effectiveness of robotic training depends on motor task characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchal-Crespo, Laura; Rappo, Nicole; Riener, Robert

    2017-12-01

    Previous research suggests that the effectiveness of robotic training depends on the motor task to be learned. However, it is still an open question which specific task's characteristics influence the efficacy of error-modulating training strategies. Motor tasks can be classified based on the time characteristics of the task, in particular the task's duration (discrete vs. continuous). Continuous tasks require movements without distinct beginning or end. Discrete tasks require fast movements that include well-defined postures at the beginning and the end. We developed two games, one that requires a continuous movement-a tracking task-and one that requires discrete movements-a fast reaching task. We conducted an experiment with thirty healthy subjects to evaluate the effectiveness of three error-modulating training strategies-no guidance, error amplification (i.e., repulsive forces proportional to errors) and haptic guidance-on self-reported motivation and learning of the continuous and discrete games. Training with error amplification resulted in better motor learning than haptic guidance, besides the fact that error amplification reduced subjects' interest/enjoyment and perceived competence during training. Only subjects trained with error amplification improved their performance after training the discrete game. In fact, subjects trained without guidance improved the performance in the continuous game significantly more than in the discrete game, probably because the continuous task required greater attentional levels. Error-amplifying training strategies have a great potential to provoke better motor learning in continuous and discrete tasks. However, their long-lasting negative effects on motivation might limit their applicability in intense neurorehabilitation programs.

  4. Interfacing theories of program with theories of evaluation for advancing evaluation practice: Reductionism, systems thinking, and pragmatic synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Huey T

    2016-12-01

    Theories of program and theories of evaluation form the foundation of program evaluation theories. Theories of program reflect assumptions on how to conceptualize an intervention program for evaluation purposes, while theories of evaluation reflect assumptions on how to design useful evaluation. These two types of theories are related, but often discussed separately. This paper attempts to use three theoretical perspectives (reductionism, systems thinking, and pragmatic synthesis) to interface them and discuss the implications for evaluation practice. Reductionism proposes that an intervention program can be broken into crucial components for rigorous analyses; systems thinking view an intervention program as dynamic and complex, requiring a holistic examination. In spite of their contributions, reductionism and systems thinking represent the extreme ends of a theoretical spectrum; many real-world programs, however, may fall in the middle. Pragmatic synthesis is being developed to serve these moderate- complexity programs. These three theoretical perspectives have their own strengths and challenges. Knowledge on these three perspectives and their evaluation implications can provide a better guide for designing fruitful evaluations, improving the quality of evaluation practice, informing potential areas for developing cutting-edge evaluation approaches, and contributing to advancing program evaluation toward a mature applied science. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Real-time scheduling of software tasks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoff, L.T.

    1995-01-01

    When designing real-time systems, it is often desirable to schedule execution of software tasks based on the occurrence of events. The events may be clock ticks, interrupts from a hardware device, or software signals from other software tasks. If the nature of the events, is well understood, this scheduling is normally a static part of the system design. If the nature of the events is not completely understood, or is expected to change over time, it may be necessary to provide a mechanism for adjusting the scheduling of the software tasks. RHIC front-end computers (FECs) provide such a mechanism. The goals in designing this mechanism were to be as independent as possible of the underlying operating system, to allow for future expansion of the mechanism to handle new types of events, and to allow easy configuration. Some considerations which steered the design were programming paradigm (object oriented vs. procedural), programming language, and whether events are merely interesting moments in time, or whether they intrinsically have data associated with them. The design also needed to address performance and robustness tradeoffs involving shared task contexts, task priorities, and use of interrupt service routine (ISR) contexts vs. task contexts. This paper will explore these considerations and tradeoffs

  6. Task Force report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1987-01-01

    The International Task Force on Prevention of Nuclear Terrorism was formed in 1985 under the auspices of the Nuclear Control Institute. This report is a consensus report of the 26 task force members - all members not necessarily agreeing on every point and all wordings, but in each case a substantial majority did agree. First, the report defines the threat, then establishes the priorities. Short-term recommendations are presented on: (1) protecting nuclear weapons; (2) protecting nuclear materials; (3) protecting nuclear facilities; (4) intelligence programs; (5) civil liberties concerns; (6) controlling nuclear transfers; (7) US - Soviet cooperation; (8) arms control initiatives; (9) convention of physical protection of nuclear material; (10) role of emergency management programs; and (11) role of the media. Brief long-term recommendations are included on (1) international measures, and (2) emerging nuclear technologies. An Appendix, Production of Nuclear Materials Usable in Weapons is presented for further consideration (without recommendations)

  7. Californium-252 Program Equipment Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chattin, Fred Rhea [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Wilson, Kenton [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Ezold, Julie G. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2017-12-01

    To successfully continue the 252Cf production and meet the needs of the customers, a comprehensive evaluation of the Building 7920 processing equipment was requested to identify equipment critical to the operational continuity of the program.

  8. Use of task analysis in control room evaluations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ross, K.C.

    1981-01-01

    Responding to recently formulated regulatory requirements, the BWR Owners' Group, working in conjunction with General Electric, has formulated a method for performing human factors design reviews of nuclear power plant control rooms. This process incorporates task analyses to analyze operational aspects of panel layout and design. Correlation of operator functions defined by emergency procedures against required controls and displays has proven successful in identifying instrumentation required in the control room to adequately respond to transient conditions, and in evaluating the effectiveness of panel design and physical arrangement. Extensions of the analysis have provided information on operator response paths, frequency of use of instruments, and control room layout. The techniques used were based on a need to identify primary controls and indications required by the operator in performing each step of the applicable procedure. The relative locations of these instruments were then analyzed for information on the adequacy of the control room design for those conditions

  9. The opportunities and challenges of multi-site evaluations: lessons from the jail diversion and trauma recovery national cross-site evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stainbrook, Kristin; Penney, Darby; Elwyn, Laura

    2015-06-01

    Multi-site evaluations, particularly of federally funded service programs, pose a special set of challenges for program evaluation. Not only are there contextual differences related to project location, there are often relatively few programmatic requirements, which results in variations in program models, target populations and services. The Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery-Priority to Veterans (JDTR) National Cross-Site Evaluation was tasked with conducting a multi-site evaluation of thirteen grantee programs that varied along multiple domains. This article describes the use of a mixed methods evaluation design to understand the jail diversion programs and client outcomes for veterans with trauma, mental health and/or substance use problems. We discuss the challenges encountered in evaluating diverse programs, the benefits of the evaluation in the face of these challenges, and offer lessons learned for other evaluators undertaking this type of evaluation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. The risk-benefit task of research ethics committees: An evaluation of current approaches and the need to incorporate decision studies methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernabe Rosemarie D L C

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Research ethics committees (RECs are tasked to assess the risks and the benefits of a trial. Currently, two procedure-level approaches are predominant, the Net Risk Test and the Component Analysis. Discussion By looking at decision studies, we see that both procedure-level approaches conflate the various risk-benefit tasks, i.e., risk-benefit assessment, risk-benefit evaluation, risk treatment, and decision making. This conflation makes the RECs’ risk-benefit task confusing, if not impossible. We further realize that RECs are not meant to do all the risk-benefit tasks; instead, RECs are meant to evaluate risks and benefits, appraise risk treatment suggestions, and make the final decision. Conclusion As such, research ethics would benefit from looking beyond the procedure-level approaches and allowing disciplines like decision studies to be involved in the discourse on RECs’ risk-benefit task.

  11. 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.

  12. Implications of Continuous Quality Improvement for Program Evaluation and Evaluators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mark, Melvin M.; Pines, Edward

    1995-01-01

    Explores the implications that continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs are likely to have for evaluation. CQI, often known as total quality management, offers a structured approach to the analysis of an organization's processes and improvement that should provide advantages to evaluators once they have gained experience with the approach.…

  13. Biomechanical evaluation of nursing tasks in a hospital setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, R; Karwowski, W; Quesada, P M; Rodrick, D; Sherehiy, B; Cronin, S N; Layer, J K

    2007-11-01

    A field study was conducted to investigate spinal kinematics and loading in the nursing profession using objective and subjective measurements of selected nursing tasks observed in a hospital setting. Spinal loading was estimated using trunk motion dynamics measured by the lumbar motion monitor (LMM) and lower back compressive and shear forces were estimated using the three-dimensional (3D) Static Strength Prediction Program. Subjective measures included the rate of perceived physical effort and the perceived risk of low back pain. A multiple logistic regression model, reported in the literature for predicting low back injury based on defined risk groups, was tested. The study results concluded that the major risk factors for low back injury in nurses were the weight of patients handled, trunk moment, and trunk axial rotation. The activities that required long time exposure to awkward postures were perceived by nurses as a high physical effort. This study also concluded that self-reported perceived exertion could be used as a tool to identify nursing activities with a high risk of low-back injury.

  14. A systematic review of evaluated suicide prevention programs targeting indigenous youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harlow, Alyssa F; Bohanna, India; Clough, Alan

    2014-01-01

    Indigenous young people have significantly higher suicide rates than their non-indigenous counterparts. There is a need for culturally appropriate and effective suicide prevention programs for this demographic. This review assesses suicide prevention programs that have been evaluated for indigenous youth in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. The databases MEDLINE and PsycINFO were searched for publications on suicide prevention programs targeting indigenous youth that include reports on evaluations and outcomes. Program content, indigenous involvement, evaluation design, program implementation, and outcomes were assessed for each article. The search yielded 229 articles; 90 abstracts were assessed, and 11 articles describing nine programs were reviewed. Two Australian programs and seven American programs were included. Programs were culturally tailored, flexible, and incorporated multiple-levels of prevention. No randomized controlled trials were found, and many programs employed ad hoc evaluations, poor program description, and no process evaluation. Despite culturally appropriate content, the results of the review indicate that more controlled study designs using planned evaluations and valid outcome measures are needed in research on indigenous youth suicide prevention. Such changes may positively influence the future of research on indigenous youth suicide prevention as the outcomes and efficacy will be more reliable.

  15. 7 CFR 3405.22 - Evaluation of program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Evaluation of program. 3405.22 Section 3405.22 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) COOPERATIVE STATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HIGHER EDUCATION CHALLENGE GRANTS PROGRAM...

  16. Argobots: A Lightweight Low-Level Threading and Tasking Framework

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seo, Sangmin; Amer, Abdelhalim; Balaji, Pavan; Bordage, Cyril; Bosilca, George; Brooks, Alex; Carns, Philip; Castello, Adrian; Genet, Damien; Herault, Thomas; Iwasaki, Shintaro; Jindal, Prateek; Kale, Laxmikant V.; Krishnamoorthy, Sriram; Lifflander, Jonathan; Lu, Huiwei; Meneses, Esteban; Snir, Marc; Sun, Yanhua; Taura, Kenjiro; Beckman, Pete

    2018-03-01

    In the past few decades, a number of user-level threading and tasking models have been proposed in the literature to address the shortcomings of OS-level threads, primarily with respect to cost and flexibility. Current state-of-the-art user-level threading and tasking models, however, either are too specific to applications or architectures or are not as powerful or flexible. In this paper, we present Argobots, a lightweight, low-level threading and tasking framework that is designed as a portable and performant substrate for high-level programming models or runtime systems. Argobots offers a carefully designed execution model that balances generality of functionality with providing a rich set of controls to allow specialization by end users or high-level programming models. We describe the design, implementation, and performance characterization of Argobots and present integrations with three high-level models: OpenMP, MPI, and colocated I/O services. Evaluations show that (1) Argobots, while providing richer capabilities, is competitive with existing simpler generic threading runtimes; (2) our OpenMP runtime offers more efficient interoperability capabilities than production OpenMP runtimes do; (3) when MPI interoperates with Argobots instead of Pthreads, it enjoys reduced synchronization costs and better latency-hiding capabilities; and (4) I/O services with Argobots reduce interference with colocated applications while achieving performance competitive with that of a Pthreads approach.

  17. Argobots: A Lightweight Low-Level Threading and Tasking Framework

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seo, Sangmin; Amer, Abdelhalim; Balaji, Pavan; Bordage, Cyril; Bosilca, George

    2017-01-01

    In the past few decades, a number of user-level threading and tasking models have been proposed in the literature to address the shortcomings of OS-level threads, primarily with respect to cost and flexibility. Current state-of-the-art user-level threading and tasking models, however, are either too specific to applications or architectures or are not as powerful or flexible. In this article, we present Argobots, a lightweight, low-level threading and tasking framework that is designed as a portable and performant substrate for high-level programming models or runtime systems. Argobots offers a carefully designed execution model that balances generality of functionality with providing a rich set of controls to allow specialization by the user or high-level programming model. Here, we describe the design, implementation, and optimization of Argobots and present integrations with three example high-level models: OpenMP, MPI, and co-located I/O service. Evaluations show that (1) Argobots outperforms existing generic threading runtimes; (2) our OpenMP runtime offers more efficient interoperability capabilities than production OpenMP runtimes do; (3) when MPI interoperates with Argobots instead of Pthreads, it enjoys reduced synchronization costs and better latency hiding capabilities; and (4) I/O service with Argobots reduces interference with co-located applications, achieving performance competitive with that of the Pthreads version.

  18. Improving utility conservation programs: outcomes, interventions, and evaluations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Condelli, L; Archer, D; Aronson, E; Curbow, B; McLeod, B; Pettigrew, T F; White, L T; Yates, S

    1984-06-01

    Four major California utility companies have active energy conservation programs mandated by the State's Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). These companies evaluate their programs and send reports of the evaluations to the CPUC. A review of 213 of these reports revealed a marketing research approach toward promoting conservation. Advertising and informational campaigns characterize most programs, and attitudes and self-reported behavior were the major outcome measures. This approach is shown to be ineffective. Suggestions for improvement include: (1) the use of actual energy consumption as the primary outcome measure in evaluating conservation programs; (2) the abandonment of conventional advertising, and the use of it only for the promotion of ''hard'' interventions; (3) increased use of social diffusion methods to disseminate information; (4) the design of more effective educational material by incorporating cognitive social psychological principles; and (5) the utilization of ''hard'' interventions that have a direct, verifiable link to conservation.

  19. Evaluation Planning, Evaluation Management, and Utilization of Evaluation Results within Adult Literacy Campaigns, Programs and Projects (with Implications for Adult Basic Education and Nonformal Education Programs in General). A Working Paper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhola, H. S.

    Addressed to professionals involved in program evaluation, this working paper covers various aspects of evaluation planning, including the following: planning as a sociotechnical process, steps in evaluation planning, program planning and implementation versus evaluation planning and implementation, the literacy system and its subsystems, and some…

  20. NRC performance indicator program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, R.N.

    1987-01-01

    The performance indicator development work of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) interoffice task group involved several major activities that included selection of candidate indicators for a trial program, data collection and review, validation of the trial indicators, display method development, interactions with the industry, and selection of an optimum set of indicators for the program. After evaluating 27 potential indicators against certain ideal attributes, the task group selected 17 for the trial program. The pertinent data for these indicators were then collected from 50 plants at 30 sites. The validation of the indicators consisted of two primary processes: logical validity and statistical analysis. The six indicators currently in the program are scrams, safety system actuations, significant events, safety system failures, forced outage rate, and equipment forced outages per 100 critical hours. A report containing data on the six performance indicators and some supplemental information is issued on a quarterly basis. The NRC staff is also working on refinements of existing indicators and development of additional indicators as directed by the commission

  1. Program of Hanford high-level waste retrieval task: a narrative description

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wallskog, H.A.

    1976-12-01

    The objective of this task is to develop and demonstrate the equipment and methods for the retrieval of high-level radioactive wastes from underground storage tanks at Hanford. The approach will be to continue with engineering studies and the conceptual design in progress and follow on with the engineering design, construction, testing and demonstration of a Prototype Retrieval System. This system will consist of a large, mobile platform providing the support and control of an articulated arm used to remotely position waste recovery/removal tools. Other major components include the equipment needed to bring the material up to the platform for packaging and subsequent transport to a processing facility, and the television viewing and lighting subsystem. This prototype system will be functionally complete and will contain items such as a control center, tool change and maintenance/repair capability, etc. The program includes a complete non-radioactive demonstration of the system in a mock waste tank as well as a radioactive demonstration involving one or more waste tanks

  2. Experimental evaluation of the influence of various rests on task performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagasaka, Akihiko; Hirose, Ayako

    2000-01-01

    This report deals with the result of the experiment that 8 subjects had executed adding task and search task. They executed each task in 80 minutes under 5 conditions: (1) with no rest, and with 4 kinds of 20 minutes rests, in which they (2) opened eyes, (3) closed eyes, (4) closed eyes with listening classic music and (5) closed eyes with feet massage, in the middle of the task. The results of analysis of variance with the task performance in the latter half, there were significant differences between each condition with every subject in adding task, and with 6 subjects in search task. However, the orders of the task performance with each condition were not the same by each subject. It was suggested that transition of the arousal levels under the rest was related to the effects of the rest rather than the subjects' taste in rests. In the rest, the percentage of α wave of electroencephalogram and the coefficient of variation of R-R interval (time interval of heart beats) were increased than in executing task. The mean Kendall's rank correlation of coefficient with the order of increase rate of α/β wave and the task performance in the latter half was slightly negative in adding task, but was about 0.4 in search task. From these results, about six requirements for 'an effective rest' were able to be mentioned, for example, 'the devices that raises the arousal levels is carried out just before a rest end'. (author)

  3. Experimental evaluation of the influence of various rests on task performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nagasaka, Akihiko; Hirose, Ayako [Central Research Inst. of Electric Power Industry, Tokyo (Japan)

    2000-01-01

    This report deals with the result of the experiment that 8 subjects had executed adding task and search task. They executed each task in 80 minutes under 5 conditions: (1) with no rest, and with 4 kinds of 20 minutes rests, in which they (2) opened eyes, (3) closed eyes, (4) closed eyes with listening classic music and (5) closed eyes with feet massage, in the middle of the task. The results of analysis of variance with the task performance in the latter half, there were significant differences between each condition with every subject in adding task, and with 6 subjects in search task. However, the orders of the task performance with each condition were not the same by each subject. It was suggested that transition of the arousal levels under the rest was related to the effects of the rest rather than the subjects' taste in rests. In the rest, the percentage of {alpha} wave of electroencephalogram and the coefficient of variation of R-R interval (time interval of heart beats) were increased than in executing task. The mean Kendall's rank correlation of coefficient with the order of increase rate of {alpha}/{beta} wave and the task performance in the latter half was slightly negative in adding task, but was about 0.4 in search task. From these results, about six requirements for 'an effective rest' were able to be mentioned, for example, 'the devices that raises the arousal levels is carried out just before a rest end'. (author)

  4. Design issues in the semantics and scheduling of asynchronous tasks.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Olivier, Stephen L.

    2013-07-01

    The asynchronous task model serves as a useful vehicle for shared memory parallel programming, particularly on multicore and manycore processors. As adoption of model among programmers has increased, support has emerged for the integration of task parallel language constructs into mainstream programming languages, e.g., C and C++. This paper examines some of the design decisions in Cilk and OpenMP concerning semantics and scheduling of asynchronous tasks with the aim of informing the efforts of committees considering language integration, as well as developers of new task parallel languages and libraries.

  5. The NLM evaluation lecture series: introduction to the special section on evaluating health communication programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Logan, Robert A; Kreps, Gary L

    2014-12-01

    This article introduces the Journal of Health Communication's special section, Evaluating Health Communication Programs. This special section is based on a public lecture series supported by the National Library of Medicine titled "Better Health: Evaluating Health Communication Programs" designed to share best practices for using evaluation research to develop, implement, refine, and institutionalize the best health communication programs for promoting public health. This introduction provides an overview to the series, summarizes the major presentations in the series, and describe implications from the series for translational health communication research, interventions, and programs that can enhance health outcomes.

  6. Effects of force reflection on servomanipulator task performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Draper, J.V.; Moore, W.E.; Herndon, J.N.; Weil, B.S.

    1986-01-01

    This paper reports results of a testing program that assessed the impact of force reflection on servomanipulator task performance. The testing program compared three force-reflection levels: 4 to 1 (four units of force on the slave produce one unit of force at the master controller), 1 to 1, and infinity to 1 (no force reflection). Time required to complete tasks, rate of occurrence of errors, the maximum force applied to task components, and variability in forces during completion of representative remote handling tasks were used as dependent variables. Operators exhibited lower error rates, lower peak forces, and more consistent application of forces using force reflection than they did without it. These data support the hypothesis that force reflection provides useful information for servomanipulator operators

  7. Development and preliminary evaluation of a pediatric Spanish-English speech perception task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calandruccio, Lauren; Gomez, Bianca; Buss, Emily; Leibold, Lori J

    2014-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a task to evaluate children's English and Spanish speech perception abilities in either noise or competing speech maskers. Eight bilingual Spanish-English and 8 age-matched monolingual English children (ages 4.9-16.4 years) were tested. A forced-choice, picture-pointing paradigm was selected for adaptively estimating masked speech reception thresholds. Speech stimuli were spoken by simultaneous bilingual Spanish-English talkers. The target stimuli were 30 disyllabic English and Spanish words, familiar to 5-year-olds and easily illustrated. Competing stimuli included either 2-talker English or 2-talker Spanish speech (corresponding to target language) and spectrally matched noise. For both groups of children, regardless of test language, performance was significantly worse for the 2-talker than for the noise masker condition. No difference in performance was found between bilingual and monolingual children. Bilingual children performed significantly better in English than in Spanish in competing speech. For all listening conditions, performance improved with increasing age. Results indicated that the stimuli and task were appropriate for speech recognition testing in both languages, providing a more conventional measure of speech-in-noise perception as well as a measure of complex listening. Further research is needed to determine performance for Spanish-dominant listeners and to evaluate the feasibility of implementation into routine clinical use.

  8. The evaluation and quantification of respirable coal and silica dust concentrations: a task-based approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grové, T; Van Dyk, T; Franken, A; Du Plessis, J

    2014-01-01

    Silicosis and coal worker's pneumoconiosis are serious occupational respiratory diseases associated with the coal mining industry and the inhalation of respirable dusts containing crystalline silica. The purpose of this study (funded by the Mine Health and Safety Council of South Africa) was to evaluate the individual contributions of underground coal mining tasks to the respirable dust and respirable silica dust concentrations in an underground section by sampling the respirable dust concentrations at the intake and return of each task. The identified tasks were continuous miner (CM) cutting, construction, transfer of coal, tipping, and roof bolting. The respirable dust-generating hierarchy of the tasks from highest to lowest was: transfer of coal > CM right cutting > CM left cutting > CM face cutting > construction > roof bolting > tipping; and for respirable silica dust: CM left cutting > construction > transfer of coal > CM right cutting. Personal exposure levels were determined by sampling the exposures of workers performing tasks in the section. Respirable dust concentrations and low concentrations of respirable silica dust were found at the intake air side of the section, indicating that air entering the section is already contaminated. The hierarchy for personal respirable dust exposures was as follows, from highest to lowest: CM operator > cable handler > miner > roof bolt operator > shuttle car operator, and for respirable silica dust: shuttle car operator > CM operator > cable handler > roof bolt operator > miner. Dust control methods to lower exposures should include revision of the position of workers with regard to the task performed, positioning of the tasks with regard to the CM cutting, and proper use of the line curtains to direct ventilation appropriately. The correct use of respiratory protection should also be encouraged.

  9. Program plan for evaluation of the Ferrocyanide Waste Tank safety issue at the Hanford Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borsheim, G.L.; Meacham, J.E.; Cash, R.J.; Dukelow, G.T.

    1994-03-01

    This document describes the background, priorities, strategy and logic, and task descriptions for the Ferrocyanide Waste Tank Safety Program. The Ferrocyanide Safety Program was established in 1990 to provide resolution of a major safety issue identified for 24 high-level radioactive waste tanks at the Hanford Site

  10. Health and safety plan for operations performed for the Environmental Restoration Program. Task, OU 1-03 and OU 4-10 Track 2 investigations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Trippet, W.A. II [IT Corp., (United States); Reneau, M.; Morton, S.L. [EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    1992-04-01

    This document constitutes the generic health and safety plan for the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP). It addresses the health and safety requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 CFR 1910.120 standard; and EG&G Idaho, Inc. This plan is a guide to individuals who must complete a health and safety plan for a task performed for the EPR. It contains a task specific addendum that, when completed, specifically addresses task specific health and safety issues. This health and safety plan reduces the time it takes to write a task specific health and safety plan by providing discussions of requirements, guidance on where specific information is located, and specific topics in the Addendum that must be discussed at a task level. This format encourages a complete task specific health and safety plan and a standard for all health and safety plans written for ERP.

  11. Continuous Evaluation in Ethics Education: A Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McIntosh, Tristan; Higgs, Cory; Mumford, Michael; Connelly, Shane; DuBois, James

    2018-04-01

    A great need for systematic evaluation of ethics training programs exists. Those tasked with developing an ethics training program may be quick to dismiss the value of training evaluation in continuous process improvement. In the present effort, we use a case study approach to delineate how to leverage formative and summative evaluation measures to create a high-quality ethics education program. With regard to formative evaluation, information bearing on trainee reactions, qualitative data from the comments of trainees, in addition to empirical findings, can ensure that the training program operates smoothly. Regarding summative evaluation, measures examining trainee cognition, behavior, and organization-level results provide information about how much trainees have changed as a result of taking the ethics training. The implications of effective training program evaluation are discussed.

  12. Session II-E. Socioeconomic evaluations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Finley, J.R.

    1981-01-01

    Major tasks of the socioeconomic program are designed to address and resolve issues raised by federal, state, and local agencies and the public, and to meet legal and regulatory requirements. The tasks are intended to: (1) characterize socioeconomic and other nontechnical issues, and recommend possible resolution, (2) develop socioeconomic impact methodologies and provide impact assessments, (3) design and implement a community development approach to impact mitigation, and (4)conduct institutional and organizational analyses. The following papers relate to these socioeconomic tasks: (1) an integrated approach to socioeconomic considerations in nuclear waste management; (2)ethical considerations surrounding nuclear waste isolation and mitigation; (3) institutional issues in transportation of nuclear wastes; (4) framework for evaluating the utility of incentive systems for radioactive waste repository siting; (5)special issues in impact mitigation; (6) effective programs for public participation in siting large public facilities; (7) a program for community development assistance; and (8) examination of factors affecting socioeconomic mitigation costs

  13. Evaluation of linearly solvable Markov decision process with dynamic model learning in a mobile robot navigation task

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ken eKinjo

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Linearly solvable Markov Decision Process (LMDP is a class of optimal control problem in whichthe Bellman’s equation can be converted into a linear equation by an exponential transformation ofthe state value function (Todorov, 2009. In an LMDP, the optimal value function and the correspondingcontrol policy are obtained by solving an eigenvalue problem in a discrete state space or an eigenfunctionproblem in a continuous state using the knowledge of the system dynamics and the action, state, andterminal cost functions.In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of the LMDP framework in real robot control, in whichthe dynamics of the body and the environment have to be learned from experience. We first perform asimulation study of a pole swing-up task to evaluate the effect of the accuracy of the learned dynam-ics model on the derived the action policy. The result shows that a crude linear approximation of thenonlinear dynamics can still allow solution of the task, despite with a higher total cost.We then perform real robot experiments of a battery-catching task using our Spring Dog mobile robotplatform. The state is given by the position and the size of a battery in its camera view and two neck jointangles. The action is the velocities of two wheels, while the neck joints were controlled by a visual servocontroller. We test linear and bilinear dynamic models in tasks with quadratic and Guassian state costfunctions. In the quadratic cost task, the LMDP controller derived from a learned linear dynamics modelperformed equivalently with the optimal linear quadratic controller (LQR. In the non-quadratic task, theLMDP controller with a linear dynamics model showed the best performance. The results demonstratethe usefulness of the LMDP framework in real robot control even when simple linear models are usedfor dynamics learning.

  14. Evaluation of linearly solvable Markov decision process with dynamic model learning in a mobile robot navigation task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinjo, Ken; Uchibe, Eiji; Doya, Kenji

    2013-01-01

    Linearly solvable Markov Decision Process (LMDP) is a class of optimal control problem in which the Bellman's equation can be converted into a linear equation by an exponential transformation of the state value function (Todorov, 2009b). In an LMDP, the optimal value function and the corresponding control policy are obtained by solving an eigenvalue problem in a discrete state space or an eigenfunction problem in a continuous state using the knowledge of the system dynamics and the action, state, and terminal cost functions. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of the LMDP framework in real robot control, in which the dynamics of the body and the environment have to be learned from experience. We first perform a simulation study of a pole swing-up task to evaluate the effect of the accuracy of the learned dynamics model on the derived the action policy. The result shows that a crude linear approximation of the non-linear dynamics can still allow solution of the task, despite with a higher total cost. We then perform real robot experiments of a battery-catching task using our Spring Dog mobile robot platform. The state is given by the position and the size of a battery in its camera view and two neck joint angles. The action is the velocities of two wheels, while the neck joints were controlled by a visual servo controller. We test linear and bilinear dynamic models in tasks with quadratic and Guassian state cost functions. In the quadratic cost task, the LMDP controller derived from a learned linear dynamics model performed equivalently with the optimal linear quadratic regulator (LQR). In the non-quadratic task, the LMDP controller with a linear dynamics model showed the best performance. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the LMDP framework in real robot control even when simple linear models are used for dynamics learning.

  15. Heavy-section steel technology program. Semiannual progress report, April--September 1995 Vol. 12, No. 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pennell, W.E.

    1997-01-01

    The Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program is conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The program focus is on the development and validation of technology for the assessment of fracture-prevention margins in commercial nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The HSST Program is organized in seven tasks: (1) program management, (2) constraint effects analytical development and validation, (3) evaluation of cladding effects, (4) ductile-to-cleavage fracture-mode conversion, (5) fracture analysis methods development and applications, (6) material property data and test methods, and (7) integration of results. The program tasks have been structured to place emphasis on the resolution of fracture issues with near-term licensing significance. Resources to execute the research tasks are drawn from ORNL with subcontract support from universities and other research laboratories. Close contact is maintained with the sister Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program at ORNL and with related research programs both in the United States and abroad. This report provides an overview of principal developments in each of the seven program tasks from April 1995 to September 1995.

  16. Performance Evaluation Tests for Environmental Research (PETER): evaluation of 114 measures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bittner, A. C. Jr; Carter, R. C.; Kennedy, R. S.; Harbeson, M. M.; Krause, M.

    1986-01-01

    The goal of the Performance Evaluation Tests for Environmental Research (PETER) Program was to identify a set of measures of human capabilities for use in the study of environmental and other time-course effects. 114 measures studied in the PETER Program were evaluated and categorized into four groups based upon task stability and task definition. The Recommended category contained 30 measures that clearly obtained total stabilization and had an acceptable level of reliability efficiency. The Acceptable-But-Redundant category contained 15 measures. The 37 measures in the Marginal category, which included an inordinate number of slope and other derived measures, usually had desirable features which were outweighed by faults. The 32 measures in the Unacceptable category had either differential instability or weak reliability efficiency. It is our opinion that the 30 measures in the Recommended category should be given first consideration for environmental research applications. Further, it is recommended that information pertaining to preexperimental practice requirements and stabilized reliabilities should be utilized in repeated-measures environmental studies.

  17. Qualification program of the ASTRID SFR project: definition, methodology and associated risk evaluation and management - 15093

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, G.; Dirat, J.F.; Traina, A.; Christofari, M.

    2015-01-01

    The Preconceptual Design phase of the ASTRID French Sodium Fast Reactor project had the objective to integrate innovative options to meet the requirements of the 4. generation reactors and to comply with the related specifications. It was followed by the conceptual phase studies (AVP2 phase 2013-2015) where some technical options are left opened with an advanced option and a backup alternative. In the same time of the AVP2 phase studies, the qualification program related to ASTRID project was initiated. It consists in collecting the exhaustive list of research/development (R/D) needs and technological demonstration tests to be fulfilled on representative mockup prior to component implementation in the prototype. The ASTRID Qualification Program (AQP) objectives are to collect needs expressed by all engineering companies involved in ASTRID, and then to organize the answer to this expression of needs. This significant work of needs compilation has been divided in several tasks, according to the ASTRID project decomposition in the Product Breakdown Structure (PBS). Compilation of needs was jointly performed by engineering company, R/D responsible and coordinated by the ASTRID Qualification project responsible. It was associated with an evaluation of the maturity level of the technical options thanks to a Technological Readiness Level grid (TRL ranking table), an identification of major risks, and an evaluation of the R/D potentiality and associated facility platform. The methodology applied for the ASTRID Qualification Program (AQP) is presented. It is explained what methodology was used associated to the TRL process, and how is managed the associated risk analysis evaluation: evaluation of major risks, definition of a risk portfolio and a corresponding Action Plan for risk reduction (synthesized under the REM acronym: Risk Evaluation and Management). This methodology is a mean used to facilitate ASTRID risk-informed decision making, technology qualification and

  18. Process Evaluation for a Prison-based Substance Abuse Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staton, Michele; Leukefeld, Carl; Logan, T. K.; Purvis, Rick

    2000-01-01

    Presents findings from a process evaluation conducted in a prison-based substance abuse program in Kentucky. Discusses key components in the program, including a detailed program description, modifications in planned treatment strategies, program documentation, and perspectives of staff and clients. Findings suggest that prison-based programs have…

  19. FHWA Research and Technology Evaluation: Public-Private Partnership Capacity Building Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-02-01

    This report details the evaluation of the Federal Highway Administrations Office of Innovative Program Delivery Public-Private Partnership (P3) Capacity Building Program (P3 Program). The evaluators focused on the P3 Programs P3 Toolkit as an e...

  20. Process Evaluation and Continuous Improvement in Community Youth Programs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer V. Trachtenberg

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available A method of using process evaluation to provide improvement plans in order to promote community youth programs is described. The core elements of this method include the following: (1 collection and analysis of baseline data, (2 feedback provided to programs describing their strengths and limitations, (3 programs provided with assistance in preparing improvement plans in regard to their baseline data, and (4 follow-up evaluation assessed program changes based on their improvement plans and baseline data. A case study of an inner-city neighborhood youth center is used to demonstrate this method.

  1. 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…

  2. 1992-1993 Bonneville Appliance Efficiency Program: Showerhead evaluation. Volume I - report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Warwick, W.M.

    1995-01-01

    The Bonneville Power Administration (Bonneville) provides wholesale electric power to over 100 retail distribution utilities in the Pacific Northwest. Bonneville is faced with meeting growing loads from these utilities. It acquires conservation as one means of meeting this load growth. Bonneville has offered a variety of conservation programs since 1980. Efficient showerheads have been a feature in residential conservation programs ever since. Bonneville launched the Residential Appliance Efficiency Program to focus on water-heater energy conservation opportunities in 1992. The Residential Appliance Efficiency Program consists of two parts, a water-heater efficiency program, and a hot-water efficiency program. This report evaluates the savings and costs of the first two years of the showerhead portion of the Residential Appliance Efficiency Program (the showerhead program). Although it is not a formal evaluation of the program limited to implementation or a {open_quotes}process{close_quotes} evaluation, observations about program design and implementation are included as appropriate. Results of this evaluation are limited to program participants within the Bonneville service territory.

  3. Economic value evaluation in disease management programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magnezi, Racheli; Reicher, Sima; Shani, Mordechai

    2008-05-01

    Chronic disease management has been a rapidly growing entity in the 21st century as a strategy for managing chronic illnesses in large populations. However, experience has shown that disease management programs have not been able to demonstrate their financial value. The objectives of disease management programs are to create quality benchmarks, such as principles and guidelines, and to establish a uniform set of metrics and a standardized methodology for evaluating them. In order to illuminate the essence of disease management and its components, as well as the complexity and the problematic nature of performing economic calculations of their profitability and value, we collected data from several reports that dealt with the economic intervention of disease management programs. The disease management economic evaluation is composed of a series of steps, including the following major categories: data/information technology, information generation, assessment/recommendations, actionable customer plans, and program assessment/reassessment. We demonstrate the elements necessary for economic analysis. Disease management is one of the most innovative tools in the managed care environment and is still in the process of being defined. Therefore, objectives should include the creation of quality measures, such as principles and guidelines, and the establishment of a uniform set of metrics and a standardized methodology for evaluating them.

  4. Industrial Occupations. Education for Employment Task Lists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lake County Area Vocational Center, Grayslake, IL.

    The duties and tasks found in these task lists form the basis of instructional content for secondary, postsecondary, and adult occupational training programs for industrial occupations. The industrial occupations are divided into eight clusters. The clusters and occupations are: construction cluster (bricklayer, carpenter, building maintenance…

  5. Automatic evaluation of task-focused parallel jaw gripper design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wolniakowski, Adam; Miatliuk, Konstantsin; Krüger, Norbert

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we suggest gripper quality metrics that indicate the performance of a gripper given an object CAD model and a task description. Those, we argue, can be used in the design and selection of an appropriate gripper when the task is known. We present three different gripper metrics that...

  6. Office of Technology Development FY 1993 program summary: Office of Research and Development, Office of Demonstration, Testing and Evaluation. Revision 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1994-02-01

    This report summarizes significant FY93 programmatic information and accomplishments relevant to the individual activities within the Office of Technology Development Program for Research, Development, Demonstration, Testing, and Evaluation (RDDT&E). A brief discussion of the mission of the Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) and the Office of Technology Development is presented. An overview is presented of the major problem areas confronting DOE. These problem areas include: groundwater and soils cleanup; waste retrieval and processing; and pollution prevention. The organizational elements within EM are highlighted. An EM-50 Funding Summary for FY92 and FY93 is also provided. RDDT&E programs are discussed and their key problem areas are summarized. Three salient program-formulating concepts are explained. They are: Integrated Demonstrations, Integrated Programs, and the technology window of opportunity. Detailed information for each of the programs within RDDT&E is presented and includes a fact sheet, a list of technical task plans and an accomplishments and objectives section.

  7. Office of Technology Development FY 1993 program summary: Office of Research and Development, Office of Demonstration, Testing and Evaluation. Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-02-01

    This report summarizes significant FY93 programmatic information and accomplishments relevant to the individual activities within the Office of Technology Development Program for Research, Development, Demonstration, Testing, and Evaluation (RDDT ampersand E). A brief discussion of the mission of the Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) and the Office of Technology Development is presented. An overview is presented of the major problem areas confronting DOE. These problem areas include: groundwater and soils cleanup; waste retrieval and processing; and pollution prevention. The organizational elements within EM are highlighted. An EM-50 Funding Summary for FY92 and FY93 is also provided. RDDT ampersand E programs are discussed and their key problem areas are summarized. Three salient program-formulating concepts are explained. They are: Integrated Demonstrations, Integrated Programs, and the technology window of opportunity. Detailed information for each of the programs within RDDT ampersand E is presented and includes a fact sheet, a list of technical task plans and an accomplishments and objectives section

  8. Making quality improvement programs more effective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw-Taylor, Yoku

    2014-01-01

    In the past 25 years, and as recent as 2011, all external evaluations of the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program have found its impact to be small or difficult to discern. The QIO program costs about $200 million on average to administer each year to improve quality of healthcare for people of 65 years or older. The program was created to address questionable quality of care. QIOs review how care is provided based on performance measures. The paper aims to discuss these issues. In 2012, the author supported the production of quarterly reports and reviewed internal monitoring and evaluation protocols of the program. The task also required reviewing all previous program evaluations. The task involved many conversations about the complexities of the program, why impact is difficult to discern and possible ways for eventual improvement. Process flow charts were created to simulate the data life cycle and discrete event models were created based on the sequence of data collection and reporting to identify gaps in data flow. The internal evaluation uncovered data gaps within the program. The need for a system of specification rules for data conceptualization, collection, distribution, discovery, analysis and repurposing is clear. There were data inconsistencies and difficulty of integrating data from one instance of measurement to the next. The lack of good and reliable data makes it difficult to discern true impact. The prescription is for a formal data policy or data governance structure to integrate and document all aspects of the data life cycle. The specification rules for governance are exemplified by the Data Documentation Initiative and the requirements published by the Data Governance Institute. The elements are all in place for a solid foundation of the data governance structure. These recommendations will increase the value of program data. The model specifies which agency units must be included in the governance authority and the data team. The

  9. Evaluating and Selecting Sport Management Undergraduate Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuneen, Jacquelyn; Sidwell, M. Joy

    1998-01-01

    States that the accelerated growth of sport management undergraduate programs that began in the 1980s has continued into the current decade. There are currently 180 sport management major programs in American colleges and universities. Describes the sports management approval process and suggests useful strategies to evaluate sport management…

  10. ENergy and Power Evaluation Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-11-01

    In the late 1970s, national and international attention began to focus on energy issues. Efforts were initiated to design and test analytical tools that could be used to assist energy planners in evaluating energy systems, particularly in developing countries. In 1984, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) commissioned Argonne National Laboratory`s Decision and Information Sciences Division (DIS) to incorporate a set of analytical tools into a personal computer-based package for distribution in developing countries. The package developed by DIS staff, the ENergy and Power Evaluation Program (ENPEP), covers the range of issues that energy planners must face: economic development, energy demand projections, supply-and-demand balancing, energy system expansion, and environmental impact analysis. Following the original DOE-supported development effort, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with the assistance from the US Department of State (DOS) and the US Department of Energy (DOE), provided ENPEP training, distribution, and technical support to many countries. ENPEP is now in use in over 60 countries and is an international standard for energy planning tools. More than 500 energy experts have been trained in the use of the entire ENPEP package or some of its modules during the international training courses organized by the IAEA in collaboration with Argonne`s Decision and Information Sciences (DIS) Division and the Division of Educational Programs (DEP). This report contains the ENPEP program which can be download from the internet. Described in this report is the description of ENPEP Program, news, forums, online support and contacts.

  11. Evaluation of programs to improve complementary feeding in infants and young children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frongillo, Edward A

    2017-10-01

    Evaluation of complementary feeding programs is needed to enhance knowledge on what works, to document responsible use of resources, and for advocacy. Evaluation is done during program conceptualization and design, implementation, and determination of effectiveness. This paper explains the role of evaluation in the advancement of complementary feeding programs, presenting concepts and methods and illustrating them through examples. Planning and investments for evaluations should occur from the beginning of the project life cycle. Essential to evaluation is articulation of a program theory on how change would occur and what program actions are required for change. Analysis of program impact pathways makes explicit the dynamic connections in the program theory and accounts for contextual factors that could influence program effectiveness. Evaluating implementation functioning is done through addressing questions about needs, coverage, provision, and utilization using information obtained from process evaluation, operations research, and monitoring. Evaluating effectiveness is done through assessing impact, efficiency, coverage, process, and causality. Plausibility designs ask whether the program seemed to have an effect above and beyond external influences, often using a nonrandomized control group and baseline and end line measures. Probability designs ask whether there was an effect using a randomized control group. Evaluations may not be able to use randomization, particularly for programs implemented at a large scale. Plausibility designs, innovative designs, or innovative combinations of designs sometimes are best able to provide useful information. Further work is needed to develop practical designs for evaluation of large-scale country programs on complementary feeding. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Impact of the Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education in Physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arion, Douglas

    The Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs has worked diligently to develop recommendations for what physics programs could and should be doing to prepare graduates for 21st century careers. While the `traditional' physics curriculum has served for many years, the demands of the new workforce, and the recognition that only a few percent of physics students actually become faculty - the vast majority entering the workforce and applying their skills to a very diverse range of problems, projects, and products - implies that a review of the education undergraduates receives is in order. The outcomes of this study point to the need to provide greater connection between the education process and the actual skills, knowledge, and abilities that the workplace demands. This presentation will summarize these considerations, and show how entrepreneurship and innovation programs and curricula are a particularly effective means of bringing these elements to physics students.

  13. Comparative Evaluation of Financing Programs: Insights From California’s Experience

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deason, Jeff [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Electricity Markets and Policy Group

    2017-07-31

    Berkeley Lab examines criteria for a comparative assessment of multiple financing programs for energy efficiency, developed through a statewide public process in California. The state legislature directed the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA) to develop these criteria. CAEATFA's report to the legislature, an invaluable reference for other jurisdictions considering these topics, discusses the proposed criteria and the rationales behind them in detail. Berkeley Lab's brief focuses on several salient issues that emerged during the criteria development and discussion process. Many of these issues are likely to arise in other states that plan to evaluate the impacts of energy efficiency financing programs, whether for a single program or multiple programs. Issues discussed in the brief include: -The stakeholder process to develop the proposed assessment criteria -Attribution of outcomes - such as energy savings - to financing programs vs. other drivers -Choosing the outcome metric of primary interest: program take-up levels vs. savings -The use of net benefits vs. benefit-cost ratios for cost-effectiveness evaluation -Non-energy factors -Consumer protection factors -Market transformation impacts -Accommodating varying program goals in a multi-program evaluation -Accounting for costs and risks borne by various parties, including taxpayers and utility customers, in cost-effectiveness analysis -How to account for potential synergies among programs in a multi-program evaluation

  14. The Evaluation Of A Diversity Program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christa Fouche

    2004-11-01

    Die artikel evalueer die inhoud van ’n diversiteits-program wat ontwerp en ontwikkel is ten einde die redes waarom diversiteits-opleiding faal, aan te spreek.’n Groot maatskappy in die banksektor het die ontwikkeling geinisieer en ’n aantal senior personeellede is genader om die inhoud te evalueer. Daar is bevind dat die inhoud aan wêreldklas standaarde voldoen.

  15. Selecting Tasks for Evaluating Human Performance as a Function of Gravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norcross, Jason R.; Gernhardt, Michael L.

    2011-01-01

    A challenge in understanding human performance as a function of gravity is determining which tasks to research. Initial studies began with treadmill walking, which was easy to quantify and control. However, with the development of pressurized rovers, it is less important to optimize human performance for ambulation as pressurized rovers will likely perform gross translation for them. Future crews are likely to spend much of their extravehicular activity (EVA) performing geology, construction,a nd maintenance type tasks. With these types of tasks, people have different performance strategies, and it is often difficult to quantify the task and measure steady-state metabolic rates or perform biomechanical analysis. For many of these types of tasks, subjective feedback may be the only data that can be collected. However, subjective data may not fully support a rigorous scientific comparison of human performance across different gravity levels and suit factors. NASA would benefit from having a wide variety of quantifiable tasks that allow human performance comparison across different conditions. In order to determine which tasks will effectively support scientific studies, many different tasks and data analysis techniques will need to be employed. Many of these tasks and techniques will not be effective, but some will produce quantifiable results that are sensitive enough to show performance differences. One of the primary concerns related to EVA performance is metabolic rate. The higher the metabolic rate, the faster the astronaut will exhaust consumables. The focus of this poster will be on how different tasks affect metabolic rate across different gravity levels.

  16. Evaluating Youth Sexual Health Peer Education Programs: "Challenges and Suggestions for Effective Evaluation Practices"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaworsky, Denise; Larkin, June; Sriranganathan, Gobika; Clout, Jerri; Janssen, Jesse; Campbell, Lisa; Flicker, Sarah; Stadnicki, Dan; Erlich, Leah; Flynn, Susan

    2013-01-01

    Although peer sexual health education is a common form of sexual health promotion for youth, systematic reviews of these programs are relatively rare. In this study we interviewed youth peer educators to inquire about their experience of program evaluation and their perception of what is needed to develop effective evaluation practices. Data were…

  17. 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…

  18. Education Model Program on Water-Energy Research: A New STEM Graduate Program from Development through Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCay, D.; Fiorenza, P.; Lautz, L.

    2017-12-01

    More than half of Ph.D. scientists and engineers find employment in non-academic sectors. Recognizing the range of career options for graduate degree holders and the need to align graduate education with the expectations of prospective employers, the National Science Foundation (NSF) created the NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program. To date, over 100 NRT programs have been funded. As these programs are implemented, it is important to assess their progress, successes, and challenges. This presentation describes the ongoing evaluation of one NRT program, "Education Model Program on Water-Energy Research" (or EMPOWER) at Syracuse University. Through seminars, mini-grants, professional development activities, field courses, internship opportunities, and coursework, EMPOWER's goal is to equip students with the skills needed for the range of career options in water and energy. In collaboration with an external evaluator, EMPOWER is examining the fidelity of the program to proposed goals, providing feedback to inform project improvement (formative assessment) and assessing the effectiveness of achieving program goals (summative assessment). Using a convergent parallel mixed method design, qualitative and quantitative data were collected to develop a full assessment of the first year of the program. Evaluation findings have resulted in several positive changes to the program. For example, EMPOWER students perceive themselves to have high technical skills, but the data show that the students do not believe that they have a strong professional network. Based on those findings, EMPOWER offered several professional development events focused on building one's professional network. Preliminary findings have enabled the EMPOWER leadership team to make informed decisions about the ways the program elements can be redesigned to better meet student needs, about how to the make the program more effective, and determine the program elements that may be sustained beyond the funding

  19. Program Evaluation of a Special Education Day School for Conduct Problem Adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maher, Charles A.

    1981-01-01

    Describes a procedure for program evaluation of a special education day school. The procedure enables a program evaluator to: (1) identify priority evaluation information needs of a school staff, (2) involve those persons in evaluation design and implementation, and (3) determine the utility of the evaluation for program decision-making purposes.…

  20. Report of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation technical assistance task force

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1981-11-01

    In 1981, the Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) chartered a task force to assess the office program of technical assistance and to recommend improvements. The task force divided the technical assistance program into four areas, and the practices in each area were assessed through a series of surveys of staff, management, and contractor personnel. The task force placed emphasis in its interview and assessment process on the problem areas that exist in the technical assistance program. The report thus reflects a weight on the faults found as a result of the inquiries made. The four major areas of technical assistance contracting studied were program planning, program management and execution, program control and management information systems, and program administration and coordination

  1. Heavy-Section Steel Technology Program: Semiannual progress report for April--September 1994. Volume 11, Number 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pennell, W.E. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1996-04-01

    The Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program is conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The program focus is on the development and validation of technology for the assessment of fracture-prevention margins in commercial nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The HSST Program is organized in seven tasks: (1) program management, (2) constraint effects analytical development and validation, (3) evaluation of cladding effects, (4) ductile-to-cleavage fracture-mode conversion, (5) fracture analysis methods development and applications, (6) material property data and test methods, and (7) integration of results. The program tasks have been structured to place emphasis on the resolution fracture issues with near-term licensing significance. Resources to execute the research tasks are drawn from ORNL with subcontract support from universities and other research laboratories. Close contact is maintained with the sister Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation (HSSI) Program at ORNL and with related research programs both in the US and abroad. This report provides an overview of principal developments in each of the seven program tasks from April 1994 to September 1994.

  2. Heavy-Section Steel Technology Program: Semiannual progress report for April--September 1994. Volume 11, Number 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pennell, W.E.

    1996-04-01

    The Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program is conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The program focus is on the development and validation of technology for the assessment of fracture-prevention margins in commercial nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The HSST Program is organized in seven tasks: (1) program management, (2) constraint effects analytical development and validation, (3) evaluation of cladding effects, (4) ductile-to-cleavage fracture-mode conversion, (5) fracture analysis methods development and applications, (6) material property data and test methods, and (7) integration of results. The program tasks have been structured to place emphasis on the resolution fracture issues with near-term licensing significance. Resources to execute the research tasks are drawn from ORNL with subcontract support from universities and other research laboratories. Close contact is maintained with the sister Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation (HSSI) Program at ORNL and with related research programs both in the US and abroad. This report provides an overview of principal developments in each of the seven program tasks from April 1994 to September 1994

  3. Evaluation of otolaryngology residency program websites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svider, Peter F; Gupta, Amar; Johnson, Andrew P; Zuliani, Giancarlo; Shkoukani, Mahdi A; Eloy, Jean Anderson; Folbe, Adam J

    2014-10-01

    Prior to applying or interviewing, most prospective applicants turn to the Internet when evaluating residency programs, making maintenance of a comprehensive website critical. While certain "intangibles" such as reputation may not be communicated effectively online, residency websites are invaluable for conveying other aspects of a program. Prior analyses have reported that certain criteria such as research experience and didactics are important considerations for applicants. To evaluate the comprehensiveness of otolaryngology residency websites. Review of otolaryngology residency program websites. Websites of 99 civilian residency programs were searched for the presence of 23 criteria. Presence of 23 criteria for application process, incentives, instruction, research, clinical training, and other. Only 5 programs contained at least three-quarters of the criteria analyzed; on average programs reported less than 50% of information sought. Among the 99 residency program websites, a description of the following criteria was noted: comprehensive faculty listing (88%), didactics (80%), contact e-mail (77%), current residents (74%), description of facilities (70%), intern schedule (70%), research requirements (69%), otolaryngology rotation schedule (64%), other courses (61%), ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) link (55%), year-to-year responsibility progression (47%), call schedule (40%), active/past research projects (37%), area information (34%), message from the program director (33%) or chair (23%), selection criteria (30%), salary (directly on site) (23%), surgical statistics (18%), parking (9%), and meal allowance (7%). The mean (SD) percentage present of factors encompassing "clinical training" was 55% (23%), significantly higher than the mean (SD) percentage of factors covered under the "incentives" category (19% [11%]; P = .01). The proportion of overall criteria present on websites did not differ on organizing programs by region (range, 42

  4. Clemson University Science Master's Program in Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure: A program evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Sell, Elizabeth Eberhart

    The Clemson University Science Master's Program (SMP) in Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure is a program which aims to link engineering, materials, construction, environment, architecture, business, and public policy to produce graduates with unique holistic perspective and expertise to immediately contribute to the workforce in the area of sustainable and resilient infrastructure. A program evaluation of the SMP has been performed to study the effectiveness of the SMP and identify areas where the goals and vision of the SMP are achieved and areas where improvements can be made. This was completed by analysis of trends within survey responses, review of Master's thesis reports, and review of courses taken. It was found that the SMP has facilitated new interdisciplinary research collaborations of faculty in different concentration areas within the Glenn Department of Civil Engineering, as well as collaboration with faculty in other departments. It is recommended that a course which provides instruction in all eight competency areas be required for all SMP students to provide a comprehensive overview and ensure all students are exposed to concepts of all competency areas. While all stakeholders are satisfied with the program and believe it has been successful thus far, efforts do need to be made as the program moves forward to address and improve some items that have been mentioned as needing improvement. The concerns about concentration courses, internship planning, and advising should be addressed. This evaluation provides benefits to prospective students, current SMP participants, and outside program supporters. The goal of this evaluation is to provide support that the SMP is an effective and worthwhile program for participating students, while attempting to identify any necessary program improvements and provide recommendations for achieving these improvements. This goal has been accomplished.

  5. Assessing abuse risk beyond self-report: analog task of acceptability of parent-child aggression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez, Christina M; Russa, Mary Bower; Harmon, Nancy

    2011-03-01

    The present investigation reports on the development and initial validation of a new analog task, the Parent-Child Aggression Acceptability Movie Task (P-CAAM), intended to assess respondents' acceptance of parent-child aggression, including both physical discipline and physical abuse. Two independent samples were utilized to develop and evaluate the P-CAAM: an undergraduate sample to initially pilot the task and a separate sample of normative parents for additional assessment of validity. Scores from the P-CAAM were compared to related measures, including measures of self-reported disciplinary attitudes, child abuse potential, harsh parenting style, and use and escalation of physical discipline practices on another analog parenting task. Across the studies, the P-CAAM demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and construct validity, evidencing mild to moderate associations with both self-report and analog measures. Participants demonstrating increased acceptance of physical discipline and physical abuse on the P-CAAM analog task also reported greater approval of physical discipline, greater use of and escalation of physical discipline, harsher parenting styles, and higher child abuse potential on two separate measures. The P-CAAM analog appears to offer a promising alternative and/or supplement to conventional self-report measures, assessing attitudes regarding the acceptability of parent-child aggression in a way that is less likely to be influenced by social desirability. Suggestions for future evaluations with alternative samples, as well as possible implications of the data for disciplinary reactions are discussed. The development of alternatives to self-report measurement may lead to clarification of theoretical models of abuse in ways that lead to improvements in intervention programming; analogs may also provide a useful means to assess intervention programming outcomes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Quality assurance task force, an interagency cooperative approach to assess quality of environmental data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albin, L.M.; Mooney, R.R.; Erickson, J.L.; Conklin, A.W.

    1990-01-01

    In 1985, the Washington State Legislature charged the Department of Social and Health Services' Office of Radiation Protection with reviewing, evaluating and improving environmental monitoring programs within the state. Special emphasis was placed on the Hanford Site in Richland. Government and private organizations involved in monitoring radiation effects on the environment were asked to advise and support the State of Washington. Together, these organizations formed the Environmental Radiation Quality Assurance Task Force for the Pacific Northwest. Data on radiation levels are collected by the various organizations and compared. If findings are not consistent, the Task Force investigates and makes recommendations for long-term solutions. Thus, a system of checks and balances is created, enhancing the credibility of the various monitoring programs. Efficiency in use of resources is increased because overlap and duplication by different monitoring agencies are minimized

  7. Overview of Evaluation Methods for R&D Programs. A Directory of Evaluation Methods Relevant to Technology Development Programs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruegg, Rosalie [TIA Consulting, Inc., Emeral Isle, NC (United States); Jordan, Gretchen B. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2007-03-01

    This document provides guidance for evaluators who conduct impact assessments to determine the “realized” economic benefits and costs, energy, environmental benefits, and other impacts of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) R&D programs. The focus of this Guide is on realized outcomes or impacts of R&D programs actually experienced by American citizens, industry, and others.

  8. Relevance Evaluation of Engineering Master's Program in Peru

    OpenAIRE

    Miñán, Erick; Lavalle, Carlos; Díaz-Puente, José M.

    2012-01-01

    In a context of mass higher education, it is necessary to ensure not only quality but also the relevance of engineering master's programs, namely the appropriateness of the objectives and outcomes to the needs and interests of the program beneficiaries. After a literature review we analyzed the evaluation models of three organizations in Peru: the Board of Evaluation, Accreditation and Certification of the University Education Quality CONEAU, the Institute of Quality and Accreditation of Comp...

  9. Challenges to Evaluating Physical Activity Programs in American Indian/Alaska Native Communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Erica Blue; Butler, James; Green, Kerry M.

    2018-01-01

    Despite the importance of evaluation to successful programming, a lack of physical activity program (PAP) evaluation for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) programs exists, which is significant given the high rates of obesity and diabetes in this population. While evaluation barriers have been identified broadly among AI/AN programs, challenges…

  10. Preventive maintenance program of motorized operated valves (MOV) at Cernavoda NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Groza, M.; Moldoveanu, Edy

    2001-01-01

    This is a Power Point presentation. The following objectives are addressed: A. Determine the target of MOV program; B. Define the strategy for MOV; C. Establish the MOV program execution phases; D. Identification of key parameters; E. Examples. The target of MOV program is to improve the safety by ensuring the adequacy of safety valves and the reliability of safety equipment and, subsequently, to ensure the economic operation of the plant. Consequences of MV malfunction are indicated. The strategy for MOV program development is both general, namely, to define the minimal requirements of preventive /corrective maintenance activities for all MOV's according to design/ manufacture specification and particular, namely to identify MV's specific problems and the need for increasing/decreasing the preventing maintenance tasks or frequency established in 'general' MOV program. Strategy for MOV program development implies: - Establish MOV program applicability; - Develop diagnostic strategy (define key parameters ); - Perform program for engineering review; - Establish program for preventive maintenance; - Revise procedures for operating and maintenance tests; - Dynamic evaluation of MOV. The program execution phases are listed as follows: 1. Perform risk assessment of the MOV's to determine criticality level (program applicability); 2. Collect data to fill in MOV Application Data Sheet; 3. Perform engineering review to determine functional parameters acceptable range and determine key parameters; 4. Analysis for maintenance tasks / frequencies selection and determination of implementing actions (engineer review); 5. Prepare work packages for availability confirmation; 6. Schedule and plan corrective actions or provide input to other programs; 7. Schedule and plan implementing actions in preparation for program field execution; 8. Program field implementation; 9. Program monitoring, evaluation and optimization. The criteria defining the key operational and maintenance

  11. Evaluating the impacts of the clean cities program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Shiyong; Kaza, Nikhil

    2017-02-01

    The Department of Energy's Clean Cities program was created in 1993 to reduce petroleum usage in the transportation sector. The program promotes alternative fuels such as biofuels and fuel-saving strategies such as idle reduction and fleet management through coalitions of local government, non-profit, and private actors. Few studies have evaluated the impact of the program because of its complexity that include interrelated strategies of grants, education and training and diversity of participants. This paper uses a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) approach to evaluate the effectiveness of the program between 1990 and 2010. We quantify the effectiveness of the Clean Cities program by focusing on performance measures such as air quality, number of alternative fueling stations, private vehicle occupancy and transit ridership. We find that counties that participate in the program perform better on all these measures compared to counties that did not participate. Compared to the control group, counties in the Clean Cities program experienced a reduction in days with bad air quality (3.7%), a decrease in automobile commuters (2.9%), an overall increase in transit commuters (2.1%) and had greater numbers of new alternative fueling stations (12.9). The results suggest that the program is a qualified success. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Final report on development evaluation of Task Group 3 pressure tubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fleck, R.G.; Price, E.G.; Cheadle, B.A.

    1983-11-01

    This report describes the production and evaluation of pressure tubes manufactured to the recommendations of Task Group 3 (TG3) of the Creep Engineering Design Plan. The Zr-2.5 wt percent Nb tubes were manufactured by modified production route to change their metallurgical structure and so reduce the in-service elongation rates. Three modified routes were investigated and a total of twenty-eight tubes produced. There were no difficulties in manufacture and the tubes satisfied the quality assurance and design specifications of reactor grade tubes. Metallurgical evaluation showed that the expected changes in microstructure had occurred but not to the extent anticipated. The TG3 tubes were found to have comparable properties to current tubes when tested for: tensile strength (irradiated and unirradiated); hydride cracking; stress to reorient hydrides; hydrogen diffusion; flaw tolerance; corrosion (irradiated and unirradiated); wear; rolled joint characteristics; irradiation creep and growth. Lower in-service elongation rates are expected for tubes produced by two of the modified routes

  13. The program success story: a valuable tool for program evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lavinghouze, Rene; Price, Ann Webb; Smith, Kisha-Ann

    2007-10-01

    Success stories are evaluation tools that have been used by professionals across disciplines for quite some time. They are also proving to be useful in promoting health programs and their accomplishments. The increasing popularity of success stories is due to the innovative and effective way that they increase a program's visibility, while engaging potential participants, partners, and funders in public health efforts. From the community level to the federal level, program administrators are using success stories as vehicles for celebrating achievements, sharing challenges, and communicating lessons learned. Success stories are an effective means to move beyond the numbers and connect to readers-with a cause they can relate to and want to join. This article defines success stories and provides an overview of several types of story formats, how success stories can be systematically collected, and how they are used to communicate program success.

  14. Task Action Plans for generic activities: Category A

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1978-10-01

    The document contains listings of generic technical activities as identified and placed in priority categories by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR). In addition, it contains definitions of Priority Categories A, B, C, and D and copies of forty approved Task Action Plans for Category A activites. Problem Descriptions for the Category B, C and D tasks are contained in NUREG--0471. This material was developed within the context of NRR's Program for the Resolution of Generic Issues Related to Nuclear Power Plants. As part of this program, the assignment of identified issues to priority categories and the approval of Task Action Plans were made by NRR's Technical Activities Steering Committee, chaired by the Deputy Director, NRR. The original document was published in November 1977. In December 1977 it was updated to add the Task Action Plan for Task No. A-17, Systems Interactions in Nuclear Power Plants. This update adds Task Action Plans for Tasks A-13, A-18, A-21, A-22, A-32, A-37, A-38 and A-40. Task A-41 has been included in Task A-40. In addition, as part of this update, the following changes were made to each Task Action Plan (with the exception of the Task Action Plan for Task A-9): (1) a title page was added that includes information such as Lead NRR Organization, Lead Supervisor, Task Manager, Applicability, and Projected Completion Date; (2) detailed schedule information was deleted; and (3) a new Section 3 entitled Basis for Continued Plant Operation and Licensing Pending Completion of Task was added. These changes represent general reformatting and the addition or deletion of certain general types of information. Some substantive revisions were made to several of the plans, however, a general revision of all of the plans was not undertaken at this time

  15. Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of a Student Mentoring Program

    OpenAIRE

    Sandner, Malte

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents evidence from a natural-experiment which evaluates the effectiveness of a student mentoring program. The mentoring includes several compulsory, scheduled, faceto- face appointments between a mentor and a student in the first study year. All mentors are graduated and employed by the institution. For the evaluation, I use the fact that the mentoring is only offered to students in an economics and management program, whereas it is not offered to students in an industrial engi...

  16. A Novel Method for Assessing Task Complexity in Outpatient Clinical-Performance Measures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hysong, Sylvia J; Amspoker, Amber B; Petersen, Laura A

    2016-04-01

    Clinical-performance measurement has helped improve the quality of health-care; yet success in attaining high levels of quality across multiple domains simultaneously still varies considerably. Although many sources of variability in care quality have been studied, the difficulty required to complete the clinical work itself has received little attention. We present a task-based methodology for evaluating the difficulty of clinical-performance measures (CPMs) by assessing the complexity of their component requisite tasks. Using Functional Job Analysis (FJA), subject-matter experts (SMEs) generated task lists for 17 CPMs; task lists were rated on ten dimensions of complexity, and then aggregated into difficulty composites. Eleven outpatient work SMEs; 133 VA Medical Centers nationwide. Clinical Performance: 17 outpatient CPMs (2000-2008) at 133 VA Medical Centers nationwide. Measure Difficulty: for each CPM, the number of component requisite tasks and the average rating across ten FJA complexity scales for the set of tasks comprising the measure. Measures varied considerably in the number of component tasks (M = 10.56, SD = 6.25, min = 5, max = 25). Measures of chronic care following acute myocardial infarction exhibited significantly higher measure difficulty ratings compared to diabetes or screening measures, but not to immunization measures ([Formula: see text] = 0.45, -0.04, -0.05, and -0.06 respectively; F (3, 186) = 3.57, p = 0.015). Measure difficulty ratings were not significantly correlated with the number of component tasks (r = -0.30, p = 0.23). Evaluating the difficulty of achieving recommended CPM performance levels requires more than simply counting the tasks involved; using FJA to assess the complexity of CPMs' component tasks presents an alternate means of assessing the difficulty of primary-care CPMs and accounting for performance variation among measures and performers. This in turn could be used in designing

  17. Taiwan Teacher Preparation Program Evaluation: Some Critical Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Tze-Chang

    2015-01-01

    This paper focuses on the influences and changes of recent Taiwan teacher preparation program evaluation (TTPPE) as one of the national evaluation projects conducted by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan. The main concerns are what kind of ideology is transformed through the policy by means of evaluation, and what…

  18. Summary of JAPEIC age program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyoshi, S.; Maeda, N.; Yamaguchi, A.

    1992-01-01

    Japan Power Engineering and Inspection Corporation (JAPEIC) is a statutory foundation charged with responsibility of enhancing thermal and nuclear power plant quality. JAPEIC performs construction and pre-service inspections as well as periodic inspections of many types of power plants including nuclear, gas turbine and internal combustion systems. In 1987 a research center was established to permit the systematic examination of advanced inspection technologies. One of the Structural Materials in Use for commercial Nuclear Power Plants provides the link to this workshop. The project is also referred to as the Aging General Evaluation (AGE) project. The AGE project is a six year, multi-task effort addressing material condition monitoring. One set of tasks emphasizes instrumentation simulation tasks to aid in application and utilization. All tasks are in their initial phases. The program is described in this paper

  19. Evolution of a multilevel framework for health program evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masso, Malcolm; Quinsey, Karen; Fildes, Dave

    2017-07-01

    A well-conceived evaluation framework increases understanding of a program's goals and objectives, facilitates the identification of outcomes and can be used as a planning tool during program development. Herein we describe the origins and development of an evaluation framework that recognises that implementation is influenced by the setting in which it takes place, the individuals involved and the processes by which implementation is accomplished. The framework includes an evaluation hierarchy that focuses on outcomes for consumers, providers and the care delivery system, and is structured according to six domains: program delivery, impact, sustainability, capacity building, generalisability and dissemination. These components of the evaluation framework fit into a matrix structure, and cells within the matrix are supported by relevant evaluation tools. The development of the framework has been influenced by feedback from various stakeholders, existing knowledge of the evaluators and the literature on health promotion and implementation science. Over the years, the framework has matured and is generic enough to be useful in a wide variety of circumstances, yet specific enough to focus data collection, data analysis and the presentation of findings.

  20. Development in fiscal 1999 of technologies to put photovoltaic power generation systems into practical use. International cooperation projects (Collection of information on Task 9 in IEA photovoltaic power generation program); 1999 nendo taiyoko hatsuden system jitsuyoka gijutsu kaihatsu seika hokokusho. Kokusai kyoryoku jigyo (IEA taiyoko hatsuden program task IX ni kansuru joho shushu)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-03-01

    This paper reports activities performed by the Task 9 in the execution treaty of the IEA photovoltaic power generation system program. The Task 9 calls for the 'proliferation of photovoltaic power generation technologies under coordination with developing countries{sup .} It is intended to compile the recommendation guides, hold workshops in the model developing countries, and coordinate with assisting organizations on technological and economical issues that may occur when introducing photovoltaic power generation systems into developing countries. The current fiscal year is the first year of the five-year plan, whereas, with structuring the basic plan placed in the center, such activities were carried out as verification of the 12 member countries and two organizations, establishment of the basic programs for the work plan, selection of work divisions, the sharing thereof, and the subjected developing countries, and the way the coordination should be with the related tasks and the assisting organizations. Two expertise conferences were held in Holland and America, and three working group meetings in Japan to have discussed the activity targets in the first fiscal year. (NEDO)

  1. Development in fiscal 1999 of technologies to put photovoltaic power generation systems into practical use. International cooperation projects (Collection of information on Task 9 in IEA photovoltaic power generation program); 1999 nendo taiyoko hatsuden system jitsuyoka gijutsu kaihatsu seika hokokusho. Kokusai kyoryoku jigyo (IEA taiyoko hatsuden program task IX ni kansuru joho shushu)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-03-01

    This paper reports activities performed by the Task 9 in the execution treaty of the IEA photovoltaic power generation system program. The Task 9 calls for the 'proliferation of photovoltaic power generation technologies under coordination with developing countries{sup .} It is intended to compile the recommendation guides, hold workshops in the model developing countries, and coordinate with assisting organizations on technological and economical issues that may occur when introducing photovoltaic power generation systems into developing countries. The current fiscal year is the first year of the five-year plan, whereas, with structuring the basic plan placed in the center, such activities were carried out as verification of the 12 member countries and two organizations, establishment of the basic programs for the work plan, selection of work divisions, the sharing thereof, and the subjected developing countries, and the way the coordination should be with the related tasks and the assisting organizations. Two expertise conferences were held in Holland and America, and three working group meetings in Japan to have discussed the activity targets in the first fiscal year. (NEDO)

  2. Organizational Structures that Support Internal Program Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambur, Michael T.

    2008-01-01

    This chapter explores how the structure of large complex organizations such as Cooperative Extension affects their ability to support internal evaluation of their programs and activities. Following a literature review of organizational structure and its relation to internal evaluation capacity, the chapter presents the results of interviews with…

  3. Does task shifting yield cost savings and improve efficiency for health systems? A systematic review of evidence from low-income and middle-income countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seidman, Gabriel; Atun, Rifat

    2017-04-13

    Task shifting has become an increasingly popular way to increase access to health services, especially in low-resource settings. Research has demonstrated that task shifting, including the use of community health workers (CHWs) to deliver care, can improve population health. This systematic review investigates whether task shifting in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) results in efficiency improvements by achieving cost savings. Using the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews, we searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and the Health Economic Evaluation Database on March 22, 2016. We included any original peer-review articles that demonstrated cost impact of a task shifting program in an LMIC. We identified 794 articles, of which 34 were included in our study. We found that substantial evidence exists for achieving cost savings and efficiency improvements from task shifting activities related to tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, and additional evidence exists for the potential to achieve cost savings from activities related to malaria, NCDs, NTDs, childhood illness, and other disease areas, especially at the primary health care and community levels. Task shifting presents a viable option for health system cost savings in LMICs. Going forward, program planners should carefully consider whether task shifting can improve population health and health systems efficiency in their countries, and researchers should investigate whether task shifting can also achieve cost savings for activities related to emerging global health priorities and health systems strengthening activities such as supply chain management or monitoring and evaluation.

  4. Evaluation of verification methods for input-accountability measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maeck, W.J.

    1980-01-01

    As part of TASTEX related programs two independent methods have been evaluated for the purpose of providing verification of the amount of Pu charged to the head-end of a nuclear fuel processing plant. The first is the Pu/U (gravimetric method), TASTEX Task-L, and the second is the Tracer Method, designated Task-M. Summaries of the basic technology, results of various studies under actual plant conditions, future requirements, are given for each of the Tasks

  5. JV Task 120 - Coal Ash Resources Research Consortium Research

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Debra Pflughoeft-Hassett; Loreal Heebink; David Hassett; Bruce Dockter; Kurt Eylands; Tera Buckley; Erick Zacher

    2009-03-28

    The Coal Ash Resources Research Consortium{reg_sign} (CARRC{reg_sign}, pronounced 'cars') is the core coal combustion product (CCP) research group at the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC). CARRC focuses on performing fundamental and applied scientific and engineering research emphasizing the environmentally safe, economical use of CCPs. CARRC member organizations, which include utilities and marketers, are key to developing industry-driven research in the area of CCP utilization and ensuring its successful application. The U.S. Department of Energy is a partner in CARRC through the EERC Jointly Sponsored Research Program, which provides matching funds for industrial member contributions and facilitates an increased level of effort in CARRC. CARRC tasks were designed to provide information on CCP performance, including environmental performance, engineering performance, favorable economics, and improved life cycle of products and projects. CARRC technical research tasks are developed based on member input and prioritization. CARRC special projects are developed with members and nonmembers to provide similar information and to support activities, including the assembly and interpretation of data, support for standards development and technology transfer, and facilitating product development and testing. CARRC activities from 2007 to 2009 included a range of research tasks, with primary work performed in laboratory tasks developed to answer specific questions or evaluate important fundamental properties of CCPs. The tasks were included in four categories: (1) Environmental Evaluations of CCPs; (2) Evaluation of Impacts on CCPs from Emission Controls; (3) Construction and Product-Related Activities; and (4) Technology Transfer and Maintenance Tasks. All tasks are designed to work toward achieving the CARRC overall goal and supporting objectives. The various tasks are coordinated in order to provide broad and useful technical data for CARRC members

  6. Compulsory Project-Level Involvement and the Use of Program-Level Evaluations: Evaluating the Local Systemic Change for Teacher Enhancement Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Kelli; Weiss, Iris R.

    2011-01-01

    In 1995, the National Science Foundation (NSF) contracted with principal investigator Iris Weiss and an evaluation team at Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) to conduct a national evaluation of the Local Systemic Change for Teacher Enhancement program (LSC). HRI conducted the core evaluation under a $6.25 million contract with NSF. This program…

  7. Methods for evaluating a mature substance abuse prevention/early intervention program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, L R; Hall, M; Fisher, D A; Miller, T R

    2000-05-01

    The authors describe methods for work in progress to evaluate four workplace prevention and/or early intervention programs designed to change occupational norms and reduce substance abuse at a major U.S. transportation company. The four programs are an employee assistance program, random drug testing, managed behavioral health care, and a peer-led intervention program. An elaborate mixed-methods evaluation combines data collection and analysis techniques from several traditions. A process-improvement evaluation focuses on the peer-led component to describe its evolution, document the implementation process for those interested in replicating it, and provide information for program improvement. An outcome-assessment evaluation examines impacts of the four programs on job performance measures (e.g., absenteeism, turnover, injury, and disability rates) and includes a cost-offset and employer cost-savings analysis. Issues related to using archival data, combining qualitative and quantitative designs, and working in a corporate environment are discussed.

  8. The US Department of Energy Personnel Dosimetry Evaluation and Upgrade Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faust, L.G.; Stroud, C.M.; Swinth, K.L.; Vallario, E.J.

    1987-11-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) Personnel Dosimetry Evaluation and Upgrade Program is designed to identify and evaluate dosimetry deficiencies and to conduct innovative research and development programs that will improve overall capabilities, thus ensuring that DOE can comply with applicable standards and regulations for dose measurement. To achieve these goals, two programs were initiated to evaluate and upgrade beta measurement and neutron dosimetry. 3 refs

  9. Development and evaluation of a specialized task taxonomy for spatial planning - A map literacy experiment with topographic maps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rautenbach, Victoria; Coetzee, Serena; Çöltekin, Arzu

    2017-05-01

    Topographic maps are among the most commonly used map types, however, their complex and information-rich designs depicting natural, human-made and cultural features make them difficult to read. Regardless of their complexity, spatial planners make extensive use of topographic maps in their work. On the other hand, various studies suggest that map literacy among the development planning professionals in South Africa is not very high. The widespread use of topographic maps combined with the low levels of map literacy presents challenges for effective development planning. In this paper we address some of these challenges by developing a specialized task taxonomy based on systematically assessed map literacy levels; and conducting an empirical experiment with topographic maps to evaluate our task taxonomy. In such empirical studies if non-realistic tasks are used, the results of map literacy tests may be skewed. Furthermore, experience and familiarity with the studied map type play a role in map literacy. There is thus a need to develop map literacy tests aimed at planners specifically. We developed a taxonomy of realistic map reading tasks typically executed during the planning process. The taxonomy defines six levels tasks of increasing difficulty and complexity, ranging from recognising symbols to extracting knowledge. We hypothesized that competence in the first four levels indicates functional map literacy. In this paper, we present results from an empirical experiment with 49 map literate participants solving a subset of tasks from the first four levels of the taxonomy with a topographic map. Our findings suggest that the proposed taxonomy is a good reference for evaluating topographic map literacy. Participants solved the tasks on all four levels as expected and we therefore conclude that the experiment based on the first four levels of the taxonomy successfully determined the functional map literacy of the participants. We plan to continue the study for the

  10. NRC Task Force report on review of the Federal/State program for regulation of commercial low-level radioactive waste burial grounds. Analysis of public comments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1977-09-01

    Correspondence after publication of NUREG-0217 in the Federal Register is listed by docket. A summary of the comments is given. Comments on the task force conclusions on federal/state roles, comprehensive regulator program, and need to study alternatives, provide adequate capacity, and avoid proliferation are analyzed. A breakdown of the comments of states, industry, and others on the task force conclusions and recommendations is tabulated

  11. Automated Work Packages Prototype: Initial Design, Development, and Evaluation. Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oxstrand, Johanna Helene [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Al Rashdan, Ahmad [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Le Blanc, Katya Lee [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Bly, Aaron Douglas [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Agarwal, Vivek [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2015-07-01

    The goal of the Automated Work Packages (AWP) project is to demonstrate how to enhance work quality, cost management, and nuclear safety through the use of advanced technology. The work described in this report is part of the digital architecture for a highly automated plant project of the technical program plan for advanced instrumentation, information, and control (II&C) systems technologies. This report addresses the DOE Milestone M2LW-15IN0603112: Describe the outcomes of field evaluations/demonstrations of the AWP prototype system and plant surveillance and communication framework requirements at host utilities. A brief background to the need for AWP research is provided, then two human factors field evaluation studies are described. These studies focus on the user experience of conducting a task (in this case a preventive maintenance and a surveillance test) while using an AWP system. The remaining part of the report describes an II&C effort to provide real time status updates to the technician by wireless transfer of equipment indications and a dynamic user interface.

  12. Automated Work Packages Prototype: Initial Design, Development, and Evaluation. Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oxstrand, Johanna Helene; Al Rashdan, Ahmad; Le Blanc, Katya Lee; Bly, Aaron Douglas; Agarwal, Vivek

    2015-01-01

    The goal of the Automated Work Packages (AWP) project is to demonstrate how to enhance work quality, cost management, and nuclear safety through the use of advanced technology. The work described in this report is part of the digital architecture for a highly automated plant project of the technical program plan for advanced instrumentation, information, and control (II&C) systems technologies. This report addresses the DOE Milestone M2LW-15IN0603112: Describe the outcomes of field evaluations/demonstrations of the AWP prototype system and plant surveillance and communication framework requirements at host utilities. A brief background to the need for AWP research is provided, then two human factors field evaluation studies are described. These studies focus on the user experience of conducting a task (in this case a preventive maintenance and a surveillance test) while using an AWP system. The remaining part of the report describes an II&C effort to provide real time status updates to the technician by wireless transfer of equipment indications and a dynamic user interface.

  13. Child Development Program Evaluation Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiene, Richard J.

    The Child Development Program Evaluation Scale (CDPES) is actually two scales in one, a licensing scale and a quality scale. Licensing predictor items have been found to predict overall compliance of child day care centers with state regulations in four states. Quality scale items have been found to predict the overall quality of child day care…

  14. Development of the staffing evaluation technique for mental tasks of the advanced main control room

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hsieh Tsungling; Yang Chihwei; Lin Chiuhsiangjoe

    2011-01-01

    The key goals of staffing and qualifications review element are to ensure that the right numbers of people with the appropriate skills and abilities are available to support plant operations and events. If the staffing level is too few, excessive stress that caused human errors possibly will be placed on the operators. Accordingly, this study developed a staffing evaluation technique based on CPM-GOMS for the mental tasks such as operations in the advanced main control room. A within-subject experiment was designed to examine the validity of the staffing evaluation technique. The results indicated the performance of evaluated staffing level via the staffing evaluation technique was significantly higher than that of non-evaluated staffing level; thus, validity of the staffing evaluation technique can be accepted. Finally, the implications for managerial practice on the findings of this study were discussed. (author)

  15. Effects of a dolphin interaction program on children with autism spectrum disorders – an exploratory research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salgueiro Emílio

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Interaction programs involving dolphins and patients with various pathologies or developmental disorders (e.g., cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment, autism, atopic dermatitis, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression have stimulated interest in their beneficial effects and therapeutic potential. However, the true effects observed in different clinical and psycho-educational setups are still controversial. Results An evaluation protocol consisting of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS, Psychoeducational Profile-Revised (PEP-R, Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC, Theory of Mind Tasks (ToM Tasks and a custom-made Interaction Evaluation Grid (IEG to evaluate behavioural complexity during in-pool interactions was applied to 10 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The ATEC, ToM Tasks and CARS results show no benefits of the dolphin interaction program. Interestingly, the PEP-R suggests some statistically significant effects on ‘Overall development score’, as well as on their ‘Fine motor development’, ‘Cognitive performance’ and ‘Cognitive verbal development’. Also, a significant evolution in behavioural complexity was shown by the IEG. Conclusions This study does not support significant developmental progress resulting from the dolphin interaction program.

  16. Strategic Adaptation to Task Characteristics, Incentives, and Individual Differences in Dual-Tasking.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian P Janssen

    Full Text Available We investigate how good people are at multitasking by comparing behavior to a prediction of the optimal strategy for dividing attention between two concurrent tasks. In our experiment, 24 participants had to interleave entering digits on a keyboard with controlling a randomly moving cursor with a joystick. The difficulty of the tracking task was systematically varied as a within-subjects factor. Participants were also exposed to different explicit reward functions that varied the relative importance of the tracking task relative to the typing task (between-subjects. Results demonstrate that these changes in task characteristics and monetary incentives, together with individual differences in typing ability, influenced how participants choose to interleave tasks. This change in strategy then affected their performance on each task. A computational cognitive model was used to predict performance for a wide set of alternative strategies for how participants might have possibly interleaved tasks. This allowed for predictions of optimal performance to be derived, given the constraints placed on performance by the task and cognition. A comparison of human behavior with the predicted optimal strategy shows that participants behaved near optimally. Our findings have implications for the design and evaluation of technology for multitasking situations, as consideration should be given to the characteristics of the task, but also to how different users might use technology depending on their individual characteristics and their priorities.

  17. Objective Evaluation in an Online Geographic Information System Certificate Program

    OpenAIRE

    Scott L. WALKER

    2005-01-01

    Objective Evaluation in an Online Geographic Information System Certificate Program Asst. Professor. Dr. Scott L. WALKER Texas State University-San Marcos San Marcos, Texas, USA ABSTRACT Departmental decisions regarding distance education programs can be subject to subjective decision-making processes influenced by external factors such as strong faculty opinions or pressure to increase student enrolment. This paper outlines an evaluation of a departmental distance-education program....

  18. Nondestructive Evaluation Program: Progress in 1986

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-07-01

    The increasing cost of equipment for power generating plants and the potential increases in productivity and safety available through rapidly developing Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) technology led EPRI to initiate a Nondestructive Evaluation Program in 1974. To date, the major focus has been on light water reactor inspection problems; however, increased application to other systems is now under way. This report presents a comprehensive review of the EPRI effort in the NDE area. Most of the report consists of contractor-supplied progress reports on each current project. An organizational plan of the program is presented in overview. In addition, organization from several viewpoints is presented, e.g., in-service inspection operators, R and D personnel, and utility representatives. The report summarizes significant progress made since the previous EPRI Special Report NP-4315-SR was issued in May 1986. Section 1 contains information about the program organization, and the sections that follow contain contractor-supplied progress reports of each current project. The progress reports are grouped by plant components - pipe, pressure vessel, steam generator and boiler tubes, and turbine. In addition, Part 6 is devoted to discussions of technology transfer

  19. Overview of the ID, EPI and REL tasks of BioNLP Shared Task 2011

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pyysalo Sampo

    2012-06-01

    of performance sufficient for user-facing applications. In this study, we extend on previously reported results and perform further analyses of the outputs of the participating systems. We place specific emphasis on aspects of system performance relating to real-world applicability, considering alternate evaluation metrics and performing additional manual analysis of system outputs. We further demonstrate that the strengths of extraction systems can be combined to improve on the performance achieved by any system in isolation. The manually annotated corpora, supporting resources, and evaluation tools for all tasks are available from http://www.bionlp-st.org and the tasks continue as open challenges for all interested parties.

  20. Neurolinguistic Programming: The Impact of Imagery Tasks on Sensory Predicate Usage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graunke, Bruce; Roberts, T. Kevin

    1985-01-01

    Investigated the impact of varied imagining tasks on individuals' use of sensory predicates. Results demonstrated that subjects were able to vary their type of sensory predicates according to the task demands or situational context. Findings are incongruent with Bandler and Grinder's (1979) conceptualization of representational systems.…

  1. The Effects of Training on Anxiety and Task Performance in Simulated Suborbital Spaceflight.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blue, Rebecca S; Bonato, Frederick; Seaton, Kimberly; Bubka, Andrea; Vardiman, Johnené L; Mathers, Charles; Castleberry, Tarah L; Vanderploeg, James M

    2017-07-01

    In commercial spaceflight, anxiety could become mission-impacting, causing negative experiences or endangering the flight itself. We studied layperson response to four varied-length training programs (ranging from 1 h-2 d of preparation) prior to centrifuge simulation of launch and re-entry acceleration profiles expected during suborbital spaceflight. We examined subject task execution, evaluating performance in high-stress conditions. We sought to identify any trends in demographics, hemodynamics, or similar factors in subjects with the highest anxiety or poorest tolerance of the experience. Volunteers participated in one of four centrifuge training programs of varied complexity and duration, culminating in two simulated suborbital spaceflights. At most, subjects underwent seven centrifuge runs over 2 d, including two +Gz runs (peak +3.5 Gz, Run 2) and two +Gx runs (peak +6.0 Gx, Run 4) followed by three runs approximating suborbital spaceflight profiles (combined +Gx and +Gz, peak +6.0 Gx and +4.0 Gz). Two cohorts also received dedicated anxiety-mitigation training. Subjects were evaluated on their performance on various tasks, including a simulated emergency. Participating in 2-7 centrifuge exposures were 148 subjects (105 men, 43 women, age range 19-72 yr, mean 39.4 ± 13.2 yr, body mass index range 17.3-38.1, mean 25.1 ± 3.7). There were 10 subjects who withdrew or limited their G exposure; history of motion sickness was associated with opting out. Shorter length training programs were associated with elevated hemodynamic responses. Single-directional G training did not significantly improve tolerance. Training programs appear best when high fidelity and sequential exposures may improve tolerance of physical/psychological flight stressors. The studied variables did not predict anxiety-related responses to these centrifuge profiles.Blue RS, Bonato F, Seaton K, Bubka A, Vardiman JL, Mathers C, Castleberry TL, Vanderploeg JM. The effects of training on anxiety

  2. Evaluation of the RATU2 and RETU research programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faidy, C.; Hayns, M.R.

    1998-05-01

    The report is an evaluation of the Finnish RATU2 (Structural Integrity of Nuclear Power Plants) and RETU (Reactor Safety) programs. The first generation of nuclear safety research programs were started in 1988-1990. Mid-term reviews were carried out and published in 1992. Many of the recommendations from those reviews have been implemented and they are referred to in this evaluation report

  3. 24 CFR 266.115 - Program monitoring and evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... AUTHORITIES HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY RISK-SHARING PROGRAM FOR INSURED AFFORDABLE MULTIFAMILY PROJECT LOANS Housing Finance Agency Requirements § 266.115 Program monitoring and evaluation. (a) HFA certifications... under this part, basic underwriting and closing information must be submitted in a format specified by...

  4. Methodology for the evaluation of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibbs, L; Staiger, P K; Townsend, M; Macfarlane, S; Gold, L; Block, K; Johnson, B; Kulas, J; Waters, E

    2013-04-01

    Community and school cooking and gardening programs have recently increased internationally. However, despite promising indications, there is limited evidence of their effectiveness. This paper presents the evaluation framework and methods negotiated and developed to meet the information needs of all stakeholders for the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden (SAKG) program, a combined cooking and gardening program implemented in selectively funded primary schools across Australia. The evaluation used multiple aligned theoretical frameworks and models, including a public health ecological approach, principles of effective health promotion and models of experiential learning. The evaluation is a non-randomised comparison of six schools receiving the program (intervention) and six comparison schools (all government-funded primary schools) in urban and rural areas of Victoria, Australia. A mixed-methods approach was used, relying on qualitative measures to understand changes in school cultures and the experiential impacts on children, families, teachers, parents and volunteers, and quantitative measures at baseline and 1 year follow up to provide supporting information regarding patterns of change. The evaluation study design addressed the limitations of many existing evaluation studies of cooking or garden programs. The multistrand approach to the mixed methodology maintained the rigour of the respective methods and provided an opportunity to explore complexity in the findings. Limited sensitivity of some of the quantitative measures was identified, as well as the potential for bias in the coding of the open-ended questions. The SAKG evaluation methodology will address the need for appropriate evaluation approaches for school-based kitchen garden programs. It demonstrates the feasibility of a meaningful, comprehensive evaluation of school-based programs and also demonstrates the central role qualitative methods can have in a mixed-method evaluation. So what? This paper

  5. Task Force on Innovation in Dental Hygiene Curricula.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bader, James; And Others

    1989-01-01

    The background, origins, functions, and recommendations of the American Association of Dental Schools' task force investigating improvement of access to dental hygiene training programs and of curriculum and program design are presented. (MSE)

  6. Evaluation of hydrocarbon potential, Task 8

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cashman, P.H.; Trexler, J.H. Jr.

    1993-01-01

    Task 8 is responsible for assessing the hydrocarbon potential of the Yucca Mountain vicinity. Our main focus is source rock stratigraphy in the Nevada Test Site (NTS) area in southern Nevada. In order to reconstruct the Paleozoic stratigraphy, we are also studying the geometry and kinematics of deformation at NTS. A thorough understanding of the structure will also be essential to predicting the nature of the Late Paleozoic rocks under Yucca Mountain. Our stratigraphic studies continue to support the interpretation that rocks mapped as the open-quotes Eleana Formationclose quotes are in fact parts of two different Mississippian units. We are now provisionally limiting the name open-quotes Eleana Formationclose quotes to the rocks that make up the Eleana Range - i.e., the rocks that we have been calling open-quotes western Eleanaclose quotes. The mudstone section (which we have until now called open-quotes eastern Eleanaclose quotes) we are provisionally calling the open-quotes Chainman Shaleclose quotes, in keeping with regional lithostratigraphic nomenclature. We continue to work out the internal stratigraphies and basin histories of both units; XRD (r-ray diffraction) determinations of clay mineralogy are an addition to our understanding of the Chainman. The basin histories place important constraints on regional paleogeographic and tectonic reconstructions. This year we have hired a consulting petroleum geologist for two jobs: (1) to review drillhole data from southern Nevada on file at NBMG and make recommendations about more detailed study of any interesting drillholes; and (2) to log the UE17e core (in the Chainman) and evaluate source rock potential. The results of these studies have been incorporated into this report, and the consultant's reports

  7. Evaluation of an Australian Alcohol Media Literacy Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, Chloe S; Howard, Steven J; Jones, Sandra C; Kervin, Lisa K

    2016-11-01

    A 10-lesson alcohol media literacy program was developed, underpinned by the message interpretation processing model, inoculation theory, and constructivist learning theory, and was tailored to be culturally relevant to the Australian context. This program aimed to increase students' media deconstruction skills and reduce intent to drink alcohol. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in achieving these goals through a short-term quasi-experimental trial. Elementary schools were assigned to either the intervention group (83 students) or a wait-list control group (82 students). Student questionnaires were administered at three time points (baseline, after the intervention group completed the program, and after the wait-list control group completed the program) to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. The intervention and wait-list control groups reported significantly higher media deconstruction skills as a result of the intervention. Both groups reported significantly lower social norms, whereas the wait-list control group reported significantly lower positive alcohol expectancies. There were no significant changes to self-efficacy to refuse alcohol, preference for alcohol-branded merchandise, and understanding of persuasive intent as a result of the intervention. To date, the majority of alcohol media literacy studies have been conducted in the United States and have focused on deconstructing television and print-based ads. This evaluation provides evidence that an alcohol media literacy program that was developed for a specific cultural context, and that incorporates a broad range of multimodal advertisements, can have a positive impact on beliefs and attitudes that are known predictors/precursors of drinking behaviors.

  8. Using GIS to evaluate a fire safety program in North Carolina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dudley, Thomas; Creppage, Kathleen; Shanahan, Meghan; Proescholdbell, Scott

    2013-10-01

    Evaluating program impact is a critical aspect of public health. Utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a novel way to evaluate programs which try to reduce residential fire injuries and deaths. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the application of GIS within the evaluation of a smoke alarm installation program in North Carolina. This approach incorporates national fire incident data which, when linked with program data, provides a clear depiction of the 10 years impact of the Get Alarmed, NC! program and estimates the number of potential lives saved. We overlapped Get Alarmed, NC! program installation data with national information on fires using GIS to identify homes that experienced a fire after an alarm was installed and calculated potential lives saved based on program documentation and average housing occupancy. We found that using GIS was an efficient and quick way to match addresses from two distinct sources. From this approach we estimated that between 221 and 384 residents were potentially saved due to alarms installed in their homes by Get Alarmed, NC!. Compared with other program evaluations that require intensive and costly participant telephone surveys and/or in-person interviews, the GIS approach is inexpensive, quick, and can easily analyze large disparate datasets. In addition, it can be used to help target the areas most at risk from the onset. These benefits suggest that by incorporating previously unutilized data, the GIS approach has the potential for broader applications within public health program evaluation.

  9. Improving Phonological Awareness in Parents of Children at Risk of Literacy Difficulties: A Preliminary Evaluation of the Boost Program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark E. Boyes

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundPhonological awareness is an important skill underpinning the development of early literacy. Given the central role of parents in supporting the development of children’s early literacy skills, and that poor parental phonological awareness is associated with poorer child literacy outcomes, it is possible that improving parent phonological awareness may aid literacy development for at-risk children. This study is a preliminary evaluation of a program aiming to improve phonological awareness skills of parents in low socioeconomic status communities, and also provide these parents with strategies to support their child’s literacy development.MethodsAfter completing the program, participants were asked if it had helped them learn about how to assist their child’s reading and spelling, whether they planned on using the resources provided, and if they would be likely to attend a future workshop building on the Boost program. Phonological awareness measures (rhyme, syllable, and phoneme level, and measures of overall confidence in performance on the phonological awareness tasks, were administered both before and after attending the program.ResultsAlmost all parents indicated that the program helped with learning how to assist their child’s reading and spelling, that they would use the resources provided, and would likely attend a future workshop. Significant increases in pre- to post-program phonological awareness scores were obtained at the rhyme and phoneme level.ConclusionThe program and associated resources appear acceptable to parents in communities with high rates of literacy problems and improved parents’ phonological awareness skills. However, findings are preliminary and further evaluation using more rigorous methodologies and testing whether improvements in parents’ phonological awareness translate into better literacy outcomes for children is needed.

  10. General edition program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaturi, Sylvain

    1969-01-01

    Computerized edition is essential for data processing exploitation. When a more or less complex edition program is required for each task, then the need for a general edition program become obvious. The aim of this study is to create a general edition program. Universal programs are capable to execute numerous and varied tasks. For a more precise processing, the execution of which is frequently required, the use of a specialized program is preferable because, contradictory to the universal program, it goes straight to the point [fr

  11. U. S. programs on reference and advanced cladding/duct materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bennett, J.W.; Holmes, J.J.; Laidler, J.J.

    1977-05-01

    Two coordinated national programs are presently in place in the United States for development of reference and advanced cladding and duct alloys for near-term and long-term LMFBR applications. A number of government, industrial and university laboratories are active participants in these two ERDA-sponsored programs. The programs are administered by ERDA through a task group organization, with each task group representing a particular technical activity and the membership of the task group drawn from among the laboratories with active involvement in that activity. Technical coordination of the two programs is provided by the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory. The National Reference Cladding and Duct Program is charged with the responsibility for development of the required technology to permit full utilization of the reference material, 20 percent cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel, in early LMFBR core applications. The current schedule calls for full evaluation of FFTF-related design base data prior to full-power operation of FFTF in early 1980, followed by a confirmation in early 1983 of reference material performance capabilities for initial-core CRBRP applications. Comprehensive evaluation of reference material performance to commercial plant goal fluence levels will be complete by 1985. The National Advanced Alloy Development Program was instituted in 1974 with the objective to develop, by 1986, advanced cladding and duct materials compatible with advanced fuel systems having peak burnup capabilities up to 150 MWD/kg and doubling times of 15 years or less. Screening of a large number of potential alloys was completed in mid-1975, and there are presently 16 candidate alloys under active investigation

  12. Improved functional capacity evaluation performance predicts successful return to work one year after completing a functional restoration rehabilitation program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fore, Lisa; Perez, Yoheli; Neblett, Randy; Asih, Sali; Mayer, Tom G; Gatchel, Robert J

    2015-04-01

    To evaluate whether functional capacity evaluation (FCE) scores are responsive to functional restoration treatment, and to assess the ability of FCEs at program discharge to predict work outcomes. An interdisciplinary cohort study of prospectively collected data. A functional restoration center. A consecutive sample of 354 patients with chronic disabling occupational musculoskeletal disorders (CDOMDs) completed a functional restoration program consisting of quantitatively directed exercise progression and multi-modal disability management with interdisciplinary medical supervision. Each patient participated in an FCE at admission and discharge from treatment. The results of each FCE yielded the physical demand level (PDL) at which patients were functioning. Patients were initially divided into 5 PDL groups, based on job-of-injury lifting, carrying, and pushing/pulling requirements, for the pre- to posttreatment responsiveness analyses. Patients were subsequently divided into 5 PDL groups, based on their performance on the FCE upon program completion. Outcome measures included admission-to-discharge changes in PDLs and 2 specific FCE lifting tasks: isokinetic lifting; and the Progressive Isoinertial Lifting Evaluation (PILE). Socioeconomic outcomes were also evaluated, including post-discharge work return and work retention 1-year after treatment completion. Overall, 96% of the patients demonstrated improvement in their PDLs from admission to discharge. A majority of patients (56%) were able to achieve a discharge PDL that was comparable to their estimated job-of-injury lifting requirement or higher (P work return (P work retention (P work return after treatment completion and work retention 1 year later. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Heavy-section steel technology program: Semiannual progress report, October 1993--March 1994. Volume 11, No. 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pennell, W.E. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1995-11-01

    The Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program is conducted for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The Program focus is on the development and validation of technology for the assessment Of fracture-prevention margins in commercial nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The HSST Program is organized in seven tasks: (1) program management (2) constraint effects analytical development and validation, (3) evaluation of cladding effects, (4) ductile to cleavage fracture mode conversion, (5) fracture analysis methods development and applications, (6) material Property data and test methods, and (7) integration of results into a state-of-the-art methodology. The program tasks have been structured to place emphasis on the resolution fracture issues with near-term licensing significance. Resources to execute the research tasks are drawn from ORNL with subcontract support from universities and other research laboratories. Close contact is maintained with the sister Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program at ORNL and with related research programs both in the United States and abroad. This report provides an overview of principal developments in each of the seven program tasks from October 1993--March 1994.

  14. Heavy-section steel technology program: Semiannual progress report, October 1993--March 1994. Volume 11, No. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pennell, W.E.

    1995-11-01

    The Heavy-Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program is conducted for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The Program focus is on the development and validation of technology for the assessment Of fracture-prevention margins in commercial nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The HSST Program is organized in seven tasks: (1) program management (2) constraint effects analytical development and validation, (3) evaluation of cladding effects, (4) ductile to cleavage fracture mode conversion, (5) fracture analysis methods development and applications, (6) material Property data and test methods, and (7) integration of results into a state-of-the-art methodology. The program tasks have been structured to place emphasis on the resolution fracture issues with near-term licensing significance. Resources to execute the research tasks are drawn from ORNL with subcontract support from universities and other research laboratories. Close contact is maintained with the sister Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program at ORNL and with related research programs both in the United States and abroad. This report provides an overview of principal developments in each of the seven program tasks from October 1993--March 1994

  15. Evaluation of the Navy Master Planning Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    1976-05-01

    Navy planning directives, interviews with Navy planning personnel, researc " of applicable literature on planning and program evaluation, and the...master planning has absorbed the additional roles of program management and public relations marketing . The Navy planner is now deeply involved in...master planning 62conducted by NAVFAC headquarters in 1972, various Navy planning directives, a " Market Survey" of NAVFAC services and customer 63

  16. Exploring Asynchronous Many-Task Runtime Systems toward Extreme Scales

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Knight, Samuel [O8953; Baker, Gavin Matthew; Gamell, Marc [Rutgers U; Hollman, David [08953; Sjaardema, Gregor [SNL; Kolla, Hemanth [SNL; Teranishi, Keita; Wilke, Jeremiah J; Slattengren, Nicole [SNL; Bennett, Janine Camille

    2015-10-01

    Major exascale computing reports indicate a number of software challenges to meet the dramatic change of system architectures in near future. While several-orders-of-magnitude increase in parallelism is the most commonly cited of those, hurdles also include performance heterogeneity of compute nodes across the system, increased imbalance between computational capacity and I/O capabilities, frequent system interrupts, and complex hardware architectures. Asynchronous task-parallel programming models show a great promise in addressing these issues, but are not yet fully understood nor developed su ciently for computational science and engineering application codes. We address these knowledge gaps through quantitative and qualitative exploration of leading candidate solutions in the context of engineering applications at Sandia. In this poster, we evaluate MiniAero code ported to three leading candidate programming models (Charm++, Legion and UINTAH) to examine the feasibility of these models that permits insertion of new programming model elements into an existing code base.

  17. Overview of waste isoltaion safety assessment program and description of source term characterization task at PNL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradley, D.

    1977-01-01

    A project is being conducted to develop and illustrate the methods and obtain the data necessary to assess the safety of long-term disposal of high-level radioactive waste in geologic formations. The methods and data will initially focus on generic geologic isolation systems but will ultimately be applied to the long-term safety assessment of specific candidate sites that are selected in the NWTS Program. The activities of waste isolation safety assessment (WISAP) are divided into six tasks: (1) Safety Assessment Concepts and Methods, (2) Disruptive Event Analysis, (3) Source Characterization, (4) Transport Modeling, (5) Transport Data and (6) Societal Acceptance

  18. Improvement of radioactivity inventory evaluation procedure in preparatory tasks for decommissioning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Ken-ichi; Ichige, Hideaki; Tanabe, Hidenori

    2011-01-01

    Preparatory tasks for decommissioning of nuclear power plant start with radiological characterization. Residual radioactivity inventory evaluation is a main part of the characterization. Reliable information on the inventory is important for specification for decommissioning plan. Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) has already started these tasks for Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 (TS-1). We can optimize decommissioning plan using the information. To obtain the reliable information, we improved an evaluation procedure. The procedure is divided into two main steps. First step is neutron flux distribution calculation and second one is radioactivity distribution calculation. Radioactivity distribution is calculated using neutron flux distribution. In this work, we improved the evaluation procedure to obtain the reliable information on the inventory. Because of the limitation of computer resource, two-dimension (2D) approximation model was applied to radioactivity distribution around Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV). We can calculate reliable 2D neutron flux distribution by having better understanding of neutron transport phenomena. Neutron flux was measured at 30 locations in TS-1 Primary Containment Vessel (PCV) using activation foils. And in order to understand the neutron transport phenomenon inside the PCV, we also calculated neutron flux distribution with the three-dimensional (3D) discrete ordinates method calculation (Sn) code. By consideration about the result of the measurement and 3D calculation, we could understand the characteristics of the neutron flux distribution inside the PCV. To simulate the neutron flux distribution well with 2D Sn code, neutron flux behaviors inside the PCV had been investigated with referencing the measurement values and with observing calculated 3D neutron flux distribution. 2D calculation model had been modified repeatedly until reliable calculation result was provided. After several model modifications, the reliable 2D

  19. Development of advanced MCR task analysis methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Na, J. C.; Park, J. H.; Lee, S. K.; Kim, J. K.; Kim, E. S.; Cho, S. B.; Kang, J. S.

    2008-07-01

    This report describes task analysis methodology for advanced HSI designs. Task analyses was performed by using procedure-based hierarchical task analysis and task decomposition methods. The results from the task analysis were recorded in a database. Using the TA results, we developed static prototype of advanced HSI and human factors engineering verification and validation methods for an evaluation of the prototype. In addition to the procedure-based task analysis methods, workload estimation based on the analysis of task performance time and analyses for the design of information structure and interaction structures will be necessary

  20. Creative Solutions and Their Evaluation: Comparing the Effects of Explanation and Argumentation Tasks on Student Reflections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andiliou, Andria; Murphy, P. Karen

    2014-01-01

    Creative problem solving which results in novel and effective ideas or products is most advanced when learners can analyze, evaluate, and refine their ideas to improve creative solutions. The purpose of this investigation was to examine creative problem solving performance in undergraduate students and determine the tasks that support critical…

  1. The Institute of American Indian Arts Background Information (Task One of the Transition Evaluation). Background Paper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tippeconnic, John W., Jr.

    The paper, prepared as Task One of the Institute of American Indian Arts Transition Evaluation, provides pertinent background information about the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A brief history of the Institute is given, with information about its philosophy and purpose; objectives; organization and administration; the…

  2. Evaluation of Pre-Departure English Training Program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Saukah

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The program evaluation reported in this article covers three batches of participants, from 1996 through 1997, sponsored by the Directorate General of Higher Education projects to prepare faculty members of teacher training institutions for overseas studies. The result outcomes could be achieved when the initial English competence requirred for participating in the program was at least at the Pre-Advanced level. The criterion validity of the TOEFL-Equivalent test developed by the program was assured, and the test could, therefore, be used as a good predictor of the International TOEFL. Other recommendations are also given for the improvement of the planning and implementation of the program in the future

  3. 38 CFR 1.15 - Standards for program evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... program operates. (3) Validity. The degree of statistical validity should be assessed within the research... intent, contain a method to measure fulfillment of the objectives, ascertain the degree to which goals... the data. (f) Each program evaluation requires a systematic research design to collect the data...

  4. Evaluation of ADVANCE: A Nontraditional Adult Diploma Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deegan, James

    An evaluation of Project ADVANCE (Adult Diploma Validating and Accrediting Necessary Competence and Experiences), an adult competency-based high school completion program, was conducted to determine program effectiveness, as viewed subjectively by recent graduates and present students. Personal interviews and/or questionnaires were given to 31 of…

  5. Computer programs for TRIGA calibration, burnup evaluation, and bookkeeping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, George W.

    1978-01-01

    Several computer programs have been developed at the University of Arizona to assist the direction and operation of the TRIGA Reactor Laboratory. The programs fall into the following three categories: 1. Programs for calculation of burnup of each fuel element in the reactor core, for maintaining an inventory of fuel element location and fissile content at any time, and for evaluation of the reactivity effects of burnup or proposed fuel element rearrangement in the core. 2. Programs for evaluation, function fitting, and tabulation of control rod measurements. 3. Bookkeeping programs to summarize and tabulate reactor runs and irradiations according to time, energy release, purpose, responsible party, etc. These summarized data are reported in an annual operating report for the facility. The use of these programs has saved innumerable hours of repetitious work, assuring more accurate, objective results, and requiring a minimum of effort to repeat calculations when input data are modified. The programs are written in FORTRAN-IV, and have been used on a CDC-6400 computer. (author)

  6. Regional systems development for geothermal energy resources: Pacific region (California and Hawaii). Task 2: Regional program monitoring and progress evaluation, topical report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1979-03-19

    All the objectives of the regional program monitoring and progress evaluation have been met through personal contacts and the review of data. They are as follows: to determine the existing status of power plant projects and future plans; to identify major problem areas for each project (technical, financial, regulatory) that are affecting progress; and to analyze the data and to develop recommendations directed toward resolving problems. The results have been presented in a tabular summary format that is accompanied by explanatory text covering 25 projects.

  7. California Publicly-Owned Utilities (POUs) – LBNL ‘Beyond Widgets’ Project. Task: ambient lighting and occupancy-based plug load control. System Program Manual

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Robinson, Alastair; Mathew, Paul A.; Regnier, Cynthia; Schwartz, Peter; Schakelford, Jordan; Walter, Travis

    2017-09-01

    This program manual contains detailed technical information for implementing an incentive program for task-ambient lighting and occupancy-based plug load control. This manual was developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in collaboration with the California Publicly-Owned Utilities (CA POUs) as a partner in the ‘Beyond Widgets’ program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Office. The primary audience for this manual is the program staff of the various CA POUs. It may also be used by other utility incentive programs to help develop similar programs. It is anticipated that the content of this manual be utilized by the CA POU staff for developing related documents such as the Technical Resource Manual and other filings pertaining to the rollout of an energy systems-based rebate incentive program.

  8. Usability evaluation with mental health professionals and young people to develop an Internet-based cognitive-behaviour therapy program for adolescents with anxiety disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wozney, Lori; Baxter, Pamela; Newton, Amanda S

    2015-12-16

    Use of the Internet to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy, a frontline treatment for anxiety disorders, is emerging as an option to increase access to treatment among adolescents with anxiety disorders. This study examined the usability of the Internet-based component of Breathe, a CBT program designed for adolescents with mild to moderate anxiety and impairments. A mixed-method usability testing design with semi-structured interviews, task completion, and survey by trained usability moderators was undertaken with two interactive cycles to determine the usability (ease of use, efficiency, errors, and user satisfaction) of the user interface and content areas of the program. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit mental health clinicians with expertise in treating adolescent anxiety disorders and young people aged 15 to 24 years involved. Testing involved using Web-conferencing software that allowed remote participation through personal computers. Two testing cycles involved participants completing structured 'think aloud' and 'cognitive walkthrough' tasks within the program. At the end of each cycle participants completed a 15-item global usability evaluation survey and were asked a series of open-ended questions. Descriptive and simple content analyses were used to identify and score usability issues for frequency and severity. Five clinicians and four young people (all user performance indicators (i.e., learnability, efficiency and number of errors) and user satisfaction. Participants were able to complete all critical tasks with minimal errors. Errors and issues identified during testing were predominantly around enhancements to the visual design and navigational support. Opinions across usability elements did not differ between young people and clinician participants. A multi-method remote usability approach provided the opportunity to improve the technical interface, therapeutic messaging and user experience of an Internet-based treatment program for

  9. Optimal task mapping in safety-critical real-time parallel systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aussagues, Ch.

    1998-01-01

    This PhD thesis is dealing with the correct design of safety-critical real-time parallel systems. Such systems constitutes a fundamental part of high-performance systems for command and control that can be found in the nuclear domain or more generally in parallel embedded systems. The verification of their temporal correctness is the core of this thesis. our contribution is mainly in the following three points: the analysis and extension of a programming model for such real-time parallel systems; the proposal of an original method based on a new operator of synchronized product of state machines task-graphs; the validation of the approach by its implementation and evaluation. The work addresses particularly the main problem of optimal task mapping on a parallel architecture, such that the temporal constraints are globally guaranteed, i.e. the timeliness property is valid. The results incorporate also optimally criteria for the sizing and correct dimensioning of a parallel system, for instance in the number of processing elements. These criteria are connected with operational constraints of the application domain. Our approach is based on the off-line analysis of the feasibility of the deadline-driven dynamic scheduling that is used to schedule tasks inside one processor. This leads us to define the synchronized-product, a system of linear, constraints is automatically generated and then allows to calculate a maximum load of a group of tasks and then to verify their timeliness constraints. The communications, their timeliness verification and incorporation to the mapping problem is the second main contribution of this thesis. FInally, the global solving technique dealing with both task and communication aspects has been implemented and evaluated in the framework of the OASIS project in the LETI research center at the CEA/Saclay. (author)

  10. Experiential Education and Empowerment Evaluation: Mars Rover Educational Program Case Example.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fetterman, David; Bowman, Cassie

    2002-01-01

    Empowerment evaluation helps people improve their programs using self-evaluation. Empowerment evaluation has three steps: establishing a mission; taking stock of the most significant activities; and planning for the future by establishing goals, strategies, and criteria for evidence. A NASA experiential program for small, distributed groups of…

  11. Robotics and nuclear power. Report by the Technology Transfer Robotics Task Team

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-06-01

    A task team was formed at the request of the Department of Energy to evaluate and assess technology development needed for advanced robotics in the nuclear industry. The mission of these technologies is to provide the nuclear industry with the support for the application of advanced robotics to reduce nuclear power generating costs and enhance the safety of the personnel in the industry. The investigation included robotic and teleoperated systems. A robotic system is defined as a reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials, parts, tools, or specialized devices through variable programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks. A teleoperated system includes an operator who remotely controls the system by direct viewing or through a vision system

  12. Task-specific feature extraction and classification of fMRI volumes using a deep neural network initialized with a deep belief network: Evaluation using sensorimotor tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Hojin; Plis, Sergey M; Calhoun, Vince D; Lee, Jong-Hwan

    2017-01-15

    Feedforward deep neural networks (DNNs), artificial neural networks with multiple hidden layers, have recently demonstrated a record-breaking performance in multiple areas of applications in computer vision and speech processing. Following the success, DNNs have been applied to neuroimaging modalities including functional/structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron-emission tomography data. However, no study has explicitly applied DNNs to 3D whole-brain fMRI volumes and thereby extracted hidden volumetric representations of fMRI that are discriminative for a task performed as the fMRI volume was acquired. Our study applied fully connected feedforward DNN to fMRI volumes collected in four sensorimotor tasks (i.e., left-hand clenching, right-hand clenching, auditory attention, and visual stimulus) undertaken by 12 healthy participants. Using a leave-one-subject-out cross-validation scheme, a restricted Boltzmann machine-based deep belief network was pretrained and used to initialize weights of the DNN. The pretrained DNN was fine-tuned while systematically controlling weight-sparsity levels across hidden layers. Optimal weight-sparsity levels were determined from a minimum validation error rate of fMRI volume classification. Minimum error rates (mean±standard deviation; %) of 6.9 (±3.8) were obtained from the three-layer DNN with the sparsest condition of weights across the three hidden layers. These error rates were even lower than the error rates from the single-layer network (9.4±4.6) and the two-layer network (7.4±4.1). The estimated DNN weights showed spatial patterns that are remarkably task-specific, particularly in the higher layers. The output values of the third hidden layer represented distinct patterns/codes of the 3D whole-brain fMRI volume and encoded the information of the tasks as evaluated from representational similarity analysis. Our reported findings show the ability of the DNN to classify a single fMRI volume based on the

  13. Evaluating a Psychology Graduate Student Peer Mentoring Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleck, Christina; Mullins, Morell E.

    2012-01-01

    Research on mentoring outcomes and characteristics of various types of mentoring programs in different settings is limited. The present study sampled 39 graduate students at a small Midwestern university to evaluate peer mentoring in a graduate school setting. Mentoring function and outcome relationships as well as program characteristics were…

  14. Strategies and policies for improving energy efficiency programs: Closing the loop between evaluation and implementation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vine, Edward

    2008-01-01

    Program implementers often use evaluation results to improve the performance of their programs, but, as described in this paper, this is not always the case. Based on a review of the literature, participation in workshops, and interviews with over 50 program implementers, evaluators, and regulators in the United States and Canada, the utilization of evaluation results is investigated by asking the following questions: (1) How are program evaluation results used by program implementers and other stakeholders? (2) How are program evaluation results communicated to program implementers and other stakeholders? (3) Are the needs of program implementers being met by program evaluation? (4) What is the role of the utility regulator in facilitating the use of program evaluation results? (5) What other mechanisms can facilitate the use of program evaluation results? While there is some consensus on the answers to these questions, the type of interest in and use of evaluation varies by functional role (e.g., evaluator versus implementer), maturity of the energy efficiency market, institutional context (e.g., evaluation and implementation conducted inside the same organization, or evaluation and implementation conducted by separate entities), and by regulatory demands and evaluation interests

  15. The management of evaluating the European programs and policies implemented in Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Doctoral student ROMAN MIHAELA

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Starting with the reform and modernization of the public administration in Romania in the mid 1990s, an important element of this process being the development of the management process, respectively of planning and managing public policies, the Romanian government started also a process of developing the capacity for evaluating public programs and policies, both the ones with European or foreign financing and the ones with domestic financing. Up-to-date analyses and studies have showed, however, that at the level of the national public sector there is a major discrepancy between the progress made in the evaluation of European programs or the ones with foreign financing and the programs financed from public funds, namely that there is a consolidated evaluation practice as regards the first types of programs, which is virtually inexistent as regards programs financed from the public budget.This paper intends to identify the progress made at the level of the Romanian public administration as regards the management of evaluating programs with European financing, to see the characteristics of building the evaluation capacity within the national system of these programs and the motivation stimulating such approaches. The first part of this paper shall contain a presentation of the background of the current evaluation system, including both the legislative framework and the institutional framework with duties of management and evaluation of European programs; further, I shall analyze the evolution of this system in order to be able to draw conclusions regarding the evaluation capacity of Romania.

  16. Evaluation of a cross-cultural training program for Pakistani educators: Lessons learned and implications for program planning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazur, Rebecca; Woodland, Rebecca H

    2017-06-01

    In this paper, we share the results of a summative evaluation of PEILI, a US-based adult professional development/training program for secondary school Pakistani teachers. The evaluation was guided by the theories of cultural competence (American Psychological Association, 2003; Bamberger, 1999; Wadsworth, 2001) and established frameworks for the evaluation of professional development/training and instructional design (Bennett, 1975; Guskey, 2002; King, 2014; Kirkpatrick, 1967). The explicit and implicit stakeholder assumptions about the connections between program resources, activities, outputs, and outcomes are described. Participant knowledge and skills were measured via scores on a pre/posttest of professional knowledge, and a standards-based performance assessment rubric. In addition to measuring short-term program outcomes, we also sought to incorporate theory-driven thinking into the evaluation design. Hence, we examined participant self-efficacy and access to social capital, two evidenced-based determinants or "levers" that theoretically explain the transformative space between an intervention and its outcomes (Chen, 2012). Data about program determinants were collected and analyzed through a pre/posttest of self-efficacy and social network analysis. Key evaluation findings include participant acquisition of new instructional skills, increased self-efficacy, and the formation of a nascent professional support network. Lessons learned and implications for the design and evaluation of cross-cultural teacher professional development programs are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Evaluation of a Hospital-Based Pneumonia Nurse Navigator Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seldon, Lisa E; McDonough, Kelly; Turner, Barbara; Simmons, Leigh Ann

    2016-12-01

    The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a hospital-based pneumonia nurse navigator program. This study used a retrospective, formative evaluation. Data of patients admitted from January 2012 through December 2014 to a large community hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of pneumonia, excluding aspiration pneumonia, were used. Data included patient demographics, diagnoses, insurance coverage, core measures, average length of stay (ALOS), disposition, readmission rate, financial outcomes, and patient barriers to care were collected. Descriptive statistics and parametric testing were used to analyze data. Core measure performance was sustained at the 90th percentile 2 years after the implementation of the navigator program. The ALOS did not decrease to established benchmarks; however, the SD for ALOS decreased by nearly half after implementation of the navigator program, suggesting the program decreased the number and length of extended stays. Charges per case decreased by 21% from 2012 to 2014. Variable costs decreased by 4% over a 2-year period, which increased net profit per case by 5%. Average readmission payments increased by 8% from 2012 to 2014, and the net revenue per case increased by 8.3%. The pneumonia nurse navigator program may improve core measures, reduce ALOS, and increase net revenue. Future evaluations are necessary to substantiate these findings and optimize the cost and quality performance of navigator programs.

  18. Space Discovery: Teaching with Space. Evaluation: Summer, Fall 1998 Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ewell, Bob

    1998-01-01

    This is the final report of the 1998 NASA-sponsored evaluation of the effectiveness of the United States Space Foundation's five-day Space Discovery Standard Graduate Course (Living and Working in Space), the five-day Space Discovery Advanced Graduate Course (Advanced Technology and Biomedical Research), the five-day introductory course Aviation and Space Basics all conducted during the summer of 1998, and the Teaching with Space two-day Inservice program. The purpose of the program is to motivate and equip K- 12 teachers to use proven student-attracting space and technology concepts to support standard curriculum. These programs support the America 2000 National Educational Goals, encouraging more students to stay in school, increase in competence, and have a better opportunity to be attracted to math and science. The 1998 research program continues the comprehensive evaluation begun in 1992, this year studying five summer five-day sessions and five Inservice programs offered during the Fall of 1998 in California, Colorado, New York, and Virginia. A comprehensive research design by Dr. Robert Ewell of Creative Solutions and Dr. Darwyn Linder of Arizona State University evaluated the effectiveness of various areas of the program and its applicability on diverse groups. Preliminary research methodology was a set of survey instruments administered after the courses, and another to be sent in April-4-5 months following the last inservice involved in this study. This year, we have departed from this evaluation design in two ways. First, the five-day programs used NASA's new EDCATS on-line system and associated survey rather than the Linder/Ewell instruments. The Inservice programs were evaluated using the previously developed survey adapted for Inservice programs. Second, we did not do a follow-on survey of the teachers after they had been in the field as we have done in the past. Therefore, this evaluation captures only the reactions of the teachers to the programs

  19. Evaluating a food bank recipe-tasting program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller-Olaman, Susan J; Edwards, Vicki; Elliott, Susan J

    2005-01-01

    Food banks mitigate immediate food insecurity, but their ability to promote healthy nutrition is constrained by how often recipients may visit and the range of foods available. In a descriptive study, a formative evaluation was completed of a combined heart-healthy recipe-tasting and education program that aims to promote healthy eating knowledge and skills in a group of food bank recipients in Hamilton, Ontario. Fifty-five adults were surveyed about food bank attendance, program awareness, perceived enhancement of knowledge and skills, and suggestions for program improvement. Most participants (73%) were positive about the program, and 91% wanted the program to continue. In addition, 78% would prepare the recipes sampled. In contrast, program awareness and planning food bank visits to coincide with the program were generally low. Food banks are potential sites for effective nutrition promotion programs. To reach more recipients, more frequent implementation and seeking the use of a designated room are suggested for the current program. The findings also suggest that the sampling approach to promoting healthy eating to food bank recipients deserves further study. For example, monitoring the selection of featured recipe ingredients would be a useful indicator of behaviour.

  20. Evaluation Methodologies for Estimating the Likelihood of Program Implementation Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durand, Roger; Decker, Phillip J.; Kirkman, Dorothy M.

    2014-01-01

    Despite our best efforts as evaluators, program implementation failures abound. A wide variety of valuable methodologies have been adopted to explain and evaluate the "why" of these failures. Yet, typically these methodologies have been employed concurrently (e.g., project monitoring) or to the post-hoc assessment of program activities.…

  1. Biomedical applications engineering tasks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laenger, C. J., Sr.

    1976-01-01

    The engineering tasks performed in response to needs articulated by clinicians are described. Initial contacts were made with these clinician-technology requestors by the Southwest Research Institute NASA Biomedical Applications Team. The basic purpose of the program was to effectively transfer aerospace technology into functional hardware to solve real biomedical problems.

  2. Educational Program Evaluation Model, From the Perspective of the New Theories

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soleiman Ahmady

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: This study is focused on common theories that influenced the history of program evaluation and introduce the educational program evaluation proposal format based on the updated theory. Methods: Literature searches were carried out in March-December 2010 with a combination of key words, MeSH terms and other free text terms as suitable for the purpose. A comprehensive search strategy was developed to search Medline by the PubMed interface, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center and the main journal of medical education regarding current evaluation models and theories. We included all study designs in our study. We found 810 articles related to our topic, and finally 63 with the full text article included. We compared documents and used expert consensus for selection the best model. Results: We found that the complexity theory using logic model suggests compatible evaluation proposal formats, especially with new medical education programs. Common components of a logic model are: situation, inputs, outputs, and outcomes that our proposal format is based on. Its contents are: title page, cover letter, situation and background, introduction and rationale, project description, evaluation design, evaluation methodology, reporting, program evaluation management, timeline, evaluation budget based on the best evidences, and supporting documents. Conclusion: We found that the logic model is used for evaluation program planning in many places, but more research is needed to see if it is suitable for our context.

  3. Physiological and subjective evaluation of a human-robot object hand-over task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dehais, Frédéric; Sisbot, Emrah Akin; Alami, Rachid; Causse, Mickaël

    2011-11-01

    In the context of task sharing between a robot companion and its human partners, the notions of safe and compliant hardware are not enough. It is necessary to guarantee ergonomic robot motions. Therefore, we have developed Human Aware Manipulation Planner (Sisbot et al., 2010), a motion planner specifically designed for human-robot object transfer by explicitly taking into account the legibility, the safety and the physical comfort of robot motions. The main objective of this research was to define precise subjective metrics to assess our planner when a human interacts with a robot in an object hand-over task. A second objective was to obtain quantitative data to evaluate the effect of this interaction. Given the short duration, the "relative ease" of the object hand-over task and its qualitative component, classical behavioral measures based on accuracy or reaction time were unsuitable to compare our gestures. In this perspective, we selected three measurements based on the galvanic skin conductance response, the deltoid muscle activity and the ocular activity. To test our assumptions and validate our planner, an experimental set-up involving Jido, a mobile manipulator robot, and a seated human was proposed. For the purpose of the experiment, we have defined three motions that combine different levels of legibility, safety and physical comfort values. After each robot gesture the participants were asked to rate them on a three dimensional subjective scale. It has appeared that the subjective data were in favor of our reference motion. Eventually the three motions elicited different physiological and ocular responses that could be used to partially discriminate them. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and the Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  4. Secondary Education Programs in Kuwait: An Evaluation Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eid, Ghada K.; Koushki, Parviz A.

    2005-01-01

    This paper evaluates the effectiveness of the semester and the credit programs of high school education in Kuwait in terms of their graduating students' preparedness for continued and successful academic performance in programs of higher education. Students' percentile graduation rank from high school and their performances in the English, math…

  5. Using Program Theory-Driven Evaluation Science to Crack the Da Vinci Code

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donaldson, Stewart I.

    2005-01-01

    Program theory-driven evaluation science uses substantive knowledge, as opposed to method proclivities, to guide program evaluations. It aspires to update, clarify, simplify, and make more accessible the evolving theory of evaluation practice commonly referred to as theory-driven or theory-based evaluation. The evaluator in this chapter provides a…

  6. Systematic evaluation program, status summary report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-01-01

    Status reports are presented on the systematic evaluation program for the Big Rock Point reactor, Dresden-1 reactor, Dresden-2 reactor, Ginna-1 reactor, Connecticut Yankee reactor, LACBWR reactor, Millstone-1 reactor, Oyster Creek-1 reactor, Palisades-1 reactor, San Onofre-1 reactor, and Rowe Yankee reactor

  7. The evaluation of a digital information literacy program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne Sieberhagen

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The article reports on the evaluation of a digital information literacy program (DILP to determine the program’s effectiveness in enhancing students’ digital information literacy skills. The DILP was originally designed and developed for the South African student, as member of Generation Y, but was adapted after identifying the demographics and characteristics of Generation Z.  This information was incorporated in the existing DILP, therefore making the DILP applicable to and useful for both Generations Y and Z. New learning technologies were identified and incorporated in the DILP to enhance students’ learning experience. An analysis of reported research indicated that there is a lack in the evaluation of programs to determine their effectiveness in enhancing the digital information literacy skills of students by using an outcomes assessment instrument. The development of an outcomes assessment instrument, which is based on internationally benchmarked information literacy competency standards and their outcomes, are presented. Evidence is provided of the effectiveness of the program in order to prove its worth as an instructional program.  Recommendations are made on how digital information literacy programs may be improved to be more effective in enhancing students’ digital information literacy skills

  8. Evaluation and Socio-occupational Intervention in Bipolar and Schizophrenic Patients within a Multimodal Intervention Program- PRISMA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díaz Zuluaga, Ana M; Duica, Kelly; Ruiz Galeano, Carlos; Vargas, Cristian; Agudelo Berruecos, Yuli; Ospina, Sigifredo; López-Jaramillo, Carlos

    Functional improvement in bipolar and schizophrenic patients is one of the main aims of treatment. Nevertheless, there is no evidence about the effect of socio-occupational intervention within a multimodal intervention (MI) programme. To describe the socio-occupational profile and to evaluate the functional effect of a MI in bipolar I and schizophrenic patients. A prospective, longitudinal, therapeutic-comparative study was performed including 302 subjects (104 schizophrenic and 198 Bipolar Disorder I [BDI] patients), who were randomised into two groups, multimodal (psychiatry, psychology, medicine, occupational therapy, neuropsychology, and family therapy), or traditional intervention (psychiatry and medicine only). Several scales were applied to assess assertiveness, free time management, social abilities, general anxiety, self-care and performance in home, work and community tasks. After performing the longitudinal analysis, it was shown that the multimodal intervention was more effective than traditional intervention in general anxiety scores (P=.026) and development in home tasks (P=.03) in schizophrenic patients. No statistical differences were found in bipolar patients. The other variables showed improvement, however, their effect was similar in both intervention groups. Our study identified functional improvement in home tasks in schizophrenic patients after receiving multimodal intervention. Other variables also showed improvement for both interventions groups. Future studies, applying longer rehabilitation programs and other ecological strategies should be performed to identify the most effective interventions. Copyright © 2017 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  9. Iterative Evaluation in a Mobile Counseling and Testing Program to Reach People of Color at Risk for HIV--New Strategies Improve Program Acceptability, Effectiveness, and Evaluation Capabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spielberg, Freya; Kurth, Ann; Reidy, William; McKnight, Teka; Dikobe, Wame; Wilson, Charles

    2011-01-01

    This article highlights findings from an evaluation that explored the impact of mobile versus clinic-based testing, rapid versus central-lab based testing, incentives for testing, and the use of a computer counseling program to guide counseling and automate evaluation in a mobile program reaching people of color at risk for HIV. The program's…

  10. Facilities evaluation report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sloan, P.A.; Edinborough, C.R.

    1992-04-01

    The Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) is a program of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Development whose mission is to evaluate different new and existing technologies and determine how well they address DOE community waste remediation problems. Twenty-three Technical Task Plans (TTPs) have been identified to support this mission during FY-92; 10 of these have identified some support requirements when demonstrations take place. Section 1 of this report describes the tasks supported by BWID, determines if a technical demonstration is proposed, and if so, identifies the support requirements requested by the TTP Principal Investigators. Section 2 of this report is an evaluation identifying facility characteristics of existing Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) facilities that may be considered for use in BWID technology demonstration activities

  11. Programming

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jackson, M.A.

    1982-01-01

    The programmer's task is often taken to be the construction of algorithms, expressed in hierarchical structures of procedures: this view underlies the majority of traditional programming languages, such as Fortran. A different view is appropriate to a wide class of problem, perhaps including some problems in High Energy Physics. The programmer's task is regarded as having three main stages: first, an explicit model is constructed of the reality with which the program is concerned; second, this model is elaborated to produce the required program outputs; third, the resulting program is transformed to run efficiently in the execution environment. The first two stages deal in network structures of sequential processes; only the third is concerned with procedure hierarchies. (orig.)

  12. Defence Health Service Mentoring Program Evaluation 2001

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Highfield, Jane

    2002-01-01

    ...). DHS commissioned the Directorate of Strategic Personnel Planning and Research (DSPPR) to evaluate a recent Mentoring Program trial in order to assess the effectiveness and organizational value of Mentoring within DHS...

  13. National Uranium Resource Evaluation Program: the Hydrogeochemical Stream Sediment Reconnaissance Program at LLNL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Higgins, G.H.

    1980-08-01

    From early 1975 to mid 1979, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) participated in the Hydrogeochemical Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR), part of the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) program sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE). The Laboratory was initially responsible for collecting, analyzing, and evaluating sediment and water samples from approximately 200,000 sites in seven western states. Eventually, however, the NURE program redefined its sampling priorities, objectives, schedules, and budgets, with the increasingly obvious result that LLNL objectives and methodologies were not compatible with those of the NURE program office, and the LLNL geochemical studies were not relevant to the program goal. The LLNL portion of the HSSR program was consequently terminated, and all work was suspended by June 1979. Of the 38,000 sites sampled, 30,000 were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analyses (INAA), delayed neutron counting (DNC), optical emission spectroscopy (OES), and automated chloride-sulfate analyses (SC). Data from about 13,000 sites have been formally reported. From each site, analyses were published of about 30 of the 60 elements observed. Uranium mineralization has been identified at several places which were previously not recognized as potential uranium source areas, and a number of other geochemical anomalies were discovered

  14. Pressurized fluidized-bed hydroretorting of eastern oil shales. Volume 4, Task 5, Operation of PFH on beneficiated shale, Task 6, Environmental data and mitigation analyses and Task 7, Sample procurement, preparation, and characterization: Final report, September 1987--May 1991

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-03-01

    The objective of Task 5 (Operation of Pressurized Fluidized-Bed Hydro-Retorting (PFH) on Beneficiated Shale) was to modify the PFH process to facilitate its use for fine-sized, beneficiated Eastern shales. This task was divided into 3 subtasks: Non-Reactive Testing, Reactive Testing, and Data Analysis and Correlations. The potential environment impacts of PFH processing of oil shale must be assessed throughout the development program to ensure that the appropriate technologies are in place to mitigate any adverse effects. The overall objectives of Task 6 (Environmental Data and Mitigation Analyses) were to obtain environmental data relating to PFH and shale beneficiation and to analyze the potential environmental impacts of the integrated PFH process. The task was divided into the following four subtasks. Characterization of Processed Shales (IGT), 6.2. Water Availability and Treatment Studies, 6.3. Heavy Metals Removal and 6.4. PFH Systems Analysis. The objective of Task 7 (Sample Procurement, Preparation, and Characterization) was to procure, prepare, and characterize raw and beneficiated bulk samples of Eastern oil shale for all of the experimental tasks in the program. Accomplishments for these tasks are presented.

  15. Realization of parking task based on affine system modeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Young Woo; Narikiyo, Tatsuo

    2007-01-01

    This paper presents a motion control system of an unmanned vehicle, where parallel parking task is realized based on a self-organizing affine system modeling and a quadratic programming based robust controller. Because of non-linearity of the vehicle system and complexity of the task to realize, control objective is not always realized with a single algorithm or control mode. This paper presents a hybrid model for parallel parking task in which seven modes for describing sub-tasks constitute an entire model

  16. Product evaluation based in the association between intuition and tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almeida e Silva, Caio Márcio; Okimoto, Maria Lúcia L R; Albertazzi, Deise; Calixto, Cyntia; Costa, Humberto

    2012-01-01

    This paper explores the importance of researching the intuitiveness in the product use. It approaches the intuitiveness influence for users that already had a visual experience of the product. Finally, it is suggested the use of a table that relates the tasks performed while using a product, the features for an intuitive use and the performance metric "task success".

  17. Evaluating disease management program effectiveness: an introduction to time-series analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linden, Ariel; Adams, John L; Roberts, Nancy

    2003-01-01

    Currently, the most widely used method in the disease management (DM) industry for evaluating program effectiveness is referred to as the "total population approach." This model is a pretest-posttest design, with the most basic limitation being that without a control group, there may be sources of bias and/or competing extraneous confounding factors that offer a plausible rationale explaining the change from baseline. Furthermore, with the current inclination of DM programs to use financial indicators rather than program-specific utilization indicators as the principal measure of program success, additional biases are introduced that may cloud evaluation results. This paper presents a non-technical introduction to time-series analysis (using disease-specific utilization measures) as an alternative, and more appropriate, approach to evaluating DM program effectiveness than the current total population approach.

  18. Impact of the draft DOE Training and Qualification Standard on an established training and qualification program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, R.G.; Worley, C.A.

    1999-01-01

    One of the provisions of Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 97-2 was that the US Department of Energy (DOE) hor e llipsis Develop and institute ahor e llipsiscourse in criticality and criticality safety hor e llipsis to serve as the foundation for a program of formal qualification of criticality engineers. In response, a draft DOE standard establishing requirements for a formal qualification program for nuclear criticality safety (NCS) engineers has been prepared and is currently in review. The Oak Ridge Y-12 plant implemented a formal training and qualification program for NCS engineers in 1995. The program complies with existing DOE requirements. The program was developed using a performance-based systematic approach to training and is accomplished through structured mentoring where experienced personnel interact with candidates through various learning exercises. Self-study, exercises, and work under instruction are all utilized. The candidate's performance is evaluated by mentors and oral boards. Competency gained through experience at other sites can also be credited. Technical portions of the program are primarily contained in an initial Engineer-in-Training segment and in subsequent task-specific qualifications. The Engineer-in-Training segment exposes the candidate to fundamental NCS concepts through example problems; ensures the initial compliance training requirements are met; and includes readings from applicable procedures, technical documents, and standards. Upon completion of this initial training, candidates proceed to task qualifications. Tasks are defined NCS activities such as operational reviews, criticality safety evaluations, criticality safety computations, criticality accident alarm system (CAAS) evaluations, support for emergency management, etc. Qualification on a task basis serves to break up training into manageable pieces and expedites qualification of candidates to perform specific production activities. The

  19. Increasing the use of evaluation data collection in an EPO program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taber, J. J.; Bohon, W.; Bravo, T. K.; Dordevic, M.; Dorr, P. M.; Hubenthal, M.; Johnson, J. A.; Sumy, D.; Welti, R.; Davis, H. B.

    2017-12-01

    Over the past two years, the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Education and Public Outreach (EPO) program has sought to increase the evaluation rigor of its programs and products. Specifically we sought to make evaluation an integral part of our work; enabling staff to demonstrate why we do the activities we do, enhancing the impact or our products/programs, and empowering staff to make evidence-based claims. The Collaborative Impact Analysis Method (Davis and Scalice, 2015) was selected as it allowed us to combine staff's knowledge of programs, audiences and content with the expertise of an outside evaluation expert, through consultations and a qualitative rubric assessing the initial state of each product/program's evaluation. Staff then developed action plans to make improvements to the programs over time. A key part of the initial action plans has been the collection and analysis of new evaluation data. The most frequently used tools were surveys as they were relatively straightforward to implement and analyze, and could be adapted for different situations. Examples include: brand awareness, value of booth interactions, assessing community interest in a data app, and user surveys of social media and specific web pages. Other evaluation activities included beta testing of new software, and interviews with students and faculty involved in summer field experiences. The surveys have allowed us to document increased impact in some areas, to improve the usability of products and activities, and to provide baseline impact data. The direct involvement of staff in the process has helped staff appreciate the value of evaluation, but there are also challenges to this approach. Since many of the surveys are developed and conducted by EPO staff, rather than being primarily handled by the evaluator, the process takes considerably more staff time to implement. We are still determining how to best manage and present the data and analysis; our current approach

  20. Process evaluation of the Regional Biomass Energy Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wilson, C.R.; Brown, M.A.; Perlack, R.D.

    1994-03-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established the Regional Biomass Energy Program (RBEP) in 1983 to increase the production and use of biomass energy resources. Through the creation of five regional program (the Great Lakes, Northeast, Pacific Northwest, Southeast, and West), the RBEP focuses on regionally specific needs and opportunities. In 1992, Oak Ridge National (ORNL) conducted a process evaluation of the RBEP Program designed to document and explain the development of the goals and strategies of the five regional programs; describe the economic and market context surrounding commercialization of bioenergy systems; assess the criteria used to select projects; describe experiences with cost sharing; identify program accomplishments in the transfer of information and technology; and offer recommendations for program improvement.

  1. 29 CFR 1960.80 - Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs § 1960.80 Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health... evaluating an agency's occupational safety and health program. To accomplish this, the Secretary shall...

  2. An e-Learning Collaborative Filtering Approach to Suggest Problems to Solve in Programming Online Judges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toledo, Raciel Yera; Mota, Yailé Caballero

    2014-01-01

    The paper proposes a recommender system approach to cover online judge's domains. Online judges are e-learning tools that support the automatic evaluation of programming tasks done by individual users, and for this reason they are usually used for training students in programming contest and for supporting basic programming teachings. The…

  3. Handbook of evaluation of utility DSM programs. [Demand-Side Management (DSM)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hirst, E.; Reed, J. (eds.); Bronfman, B.; Fitzpatrick, G.; Hicks, E.; Hirst, E.; Hoffman, M.; Keating, K.; Michaels, H.; Nadel, S.; Peters, J.; Reed, J.; Saxonis, W.; Schoen, A.; Violette, D.

    1991-12-01

    Program evaluation has become a central issue in the world of utility integrated resource planning. The DSM programs that utilities were operating to meet federal requirements or to improve customer relations are now becoming big business. DSM is being considered an important resource in a utility's portfolio of options. In the last five years, the amount of money that utilities have invested in DSM has grown exponentially in most regulatory jurisdictions. Market analysts are now talking about DSM being a $30 billion industry by the end of the decade. If the large volume of DSM-program investments was not enough to highlight the importance of evaluation, then the introduction of regulatory incentives has really focused the spotlight. This handbook was developed through a process that involved many of those people who represent the diverse constituencies of DSM-program evaluation. We have come to recognize the many technical disciplines that must be employed to evaluate DSM programs. An analysis might start out based on the principles of utility load research to find out what happened, but a combination of engineering and statistical methods must be used to triangulate'' an estimate of what would have happened without the program. The difference, of course, is that elusive but prized result of evaluation: what happened as the direct result of the DSM program. Technical performance of DSM measures is not the sole determinant of the answer, either. We also recognize the importance of such behavioral attributes of DSM as persistence and free ridership. Finally, DSM evaluation is meaningless without attention to planning an approach, communicating results to relevant decision-makers, and focusing as much on the process as the impacts of the program. These topics are all covered in this handbook.

  4. Process Evaluation of a Workers' Health Surveillance Program for Meat Processing Workers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Holland, Berry J; Brouwer, Sandra; de Boer, Michiel R; Reneman, Michiel F; Soer, Remko

    2017-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the implementation process of a workers' health surveillance (WHS) program in a Dutch meat processing company. Methods Workers from five plants were eligible to participate in the WHS program. The program consisted of four evaluative components and an intervention component.

  5. Process Evaluation of a Workers' Health Surveillance Program for Meat Processing Workers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Holland, Berry; Brouwer, Sandra; de Boer, Michiel R; Reneman, Michiel F; Soer, Remko

    Objective To evaluate the implementation process of a workers' health surveillance (WHS) program in a Dutch meat processing company. Methods Workers from five plants were eligible to participate in the WHS program. The program consisted of four evaluative components and an intervention component.

  6. Short Vigilance Tasks are Hard Work Even If Time Flies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-21

    maintaining the data needed , and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other...actual time. Upon completion of the task, participants filled out questionnaires related to the hedonic and temporal evaluation of the task. Participants...time. Upon completion of the task, participants filled out questionnaires related to the hedonic and temporal evaluation of the task. Participants

  7. Objective Evaluation in an Online Geographic Information System Certificate Program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott L. WALKER

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective Evaluation in an Online Geographic Information System Certificate Program Asst. Professor. Dr. Scott L. WALKER Texas State University-San Marcos San Marcos, Texas, USA ABSTRACT Departmental decisions regarding distance education programs can be subject to subjective decision-making processes influenced by external factors such as strong faculty opinions or pressure to increase student enrolment. This paper outlines an evaluation of a departmental distance-education program. The evaluation utilized several methods that strived to inject objectivity in evaluation and subsequent decision-making. A rapid multi-modal approach included evaluation methods of (1 considering the online psychosocial learning environment, (2 content analyses comparing the online version of classes to face-to-face versions, (3 cost comparisons in online vs. face-to-face classes, (4 student outcomes, (5 student retention, and (6 benchmarking. These approaches offer opportunities for departmental administrators and decision-making committees to make judgments informed by facts rather than being influenced by the emotions, beliefs, or opinions of organizational dynamics.

  8. NASA's Big Data Task Force

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, C. P.; Kinter, J. L.; Beebe, R. F.; Feigelson, E.; Hurlburt, N. E.; Mentzel, C.; Smith, G.; Tino, C.; Walker, R. J.

    2017-12-01

    Two years ago NASA established the Ad Hoc Big Data Task Force (BDTF - https://science.nasa.gov/science-committee/subcommittees/big-data-task-force), an advisory working group with the NASA Advisory Council system. The scope of the Task Force included all NASA Big Data programs, projects, missions, and activities. The Task Force focused on such topics as exploring the existing and planned evolution of NASA's science data cyber-infrastructure that supports broad access to data repositories for NASA Science Mission Directorate missions; best practices within NASA, other Federal agencies, private industry and research institutions; and Federal initiatives related to big data and data access. The BDTF has completed its two-year term and produced several recommendations plus four white papers for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. This presentation will discuss the activities and results of the TF including summaries of key points from its focused study topics. The paper serves as an introduction to the papers following in this ESSI session.

  9. Programming

    OpenAIRE

    Jackson, M A

    1982-01-01

    The programmer's task is often taken to be the construction of algorithms, expressed in hierarchical structures of procedures: this view underlies the majority of traditional programming languages, such as Fortran. A different view is appropriate to a wide class of problem, perhaps including some problems in High Energy Physics. The programmer's task is regarded as having three main stages: first, an explicit model is constructed of the reality with which the program is concerned; second, thi...

  10. EVALUATION OF OXYGEN-ENRICHED MSW/SEWAGE SLUDGE CO-INCINERATION DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM

    Science.gov (United States)

    This report provides an evaluation of a two-phased demonstration program conducted for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Municipal Solid Waste Innovative Technology Evaluation Program, and the results thereof, of a recently developed method of sewage sludge managemen...

  11. Program Evaluation in Cost Benefit Terms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanner, C. Kenneth

    This paper advances a model, called the expected opportunity loss model, for curriculum evaluation. This decision-making technique utilizes subjective data by ranking courses according to their expected contributions to the primary objective of the total program. The model also utilizes objective data in the form of component costs, and differs…

  12. The Blue Dog: evaluation of an interactive software program to teach young children how to interact safely with dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwebel, David C; Morrongiello, Barbara A; Davis, Aaron L; Stewart, Julia; Bell, Melissa

    2012-04-01

    Pre-post-randomized design evaluated The Blue Dog, a dog safety software program. 76 children aged 3.5-6 years completed 3 tasks to evaluate dog safety pre- and postintervention: (a) pictures (recognition of safe/risky behavior), (b) dollhouse (recall of safe behavior via simulated dollhouse scenarios), and (c) live dog (actual behavior with unfamiliar live dog). Following preintervention evaluation, children were randomly assigned to dog or fire safety conditions, each involving 3 weeks of home computer software use. Children using Blue Dog had greater change in recognition of risky dog situations than children learning fire safety. No between-group differences emerged in recall (dollhouse) or engagement (live-dog) in risky behavior. Families enjoyed using the software. Blue Dog taught children knowledge about safe engagement with dogs, but did not influence recall or implementation of safe behaviors. Dog bites represent a significant pediatric injury concern and continued development of effective interventions is needed.

  13. Three-Mile Island Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malinauskas, A.P.

    1983-01-01

    Activities associated with the Three-Mile Island (TMI) Program were of two types. One involved providing technical review and guidance for specific recovery efforts at TMI, whereas the second was concerned more directly with providing technical assistance to recovery operations through detailed analyses and experimental activities. The work was divided into four elements: Task I - coordination of and participation in the operation of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for the cleanup of aqueous streams at TMI; Task II - participation in the Technical Assistance and Advisory Group (TAAG) on TMI operations; Task III - chemical development and other technical support to TMI recovery operations; and Task IV - development of inorganic sorbents for the decontamination of aqueous streams. At the program review that was conducted approximately mid-fiscal year, it was decided to curtail the Task IV activities in favor of studies of more-urgent problems. Technical progress for each of the tasks of this program is presented

  14. Status of beta measurement evaluation and upgrade program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swinth, K.L.

    1986-01-01

    In 1983, the US Department of Energy (DOE) initiated a program to evaluate and upgrade beta dosimetry capabilities at DOE and DOE-contractor facilities. The program has several elements which structure the development of improvements in beta measurement practices. In addition to Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), universities, private corporations, and other DOE facilities are involved in the research efforts

  15. Evaluation of a quality control program in radiodiagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yacovenco, Alejandro; Infantosi, A.F.C.; Tauhata, L.

    1996-01-01

    A quality assurance program, implemented at the Radiologic Service of the Hospital of the Military Police in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is evaluated. The results show a reduction around of 70% in the number of rejected films and 75% in the costs. A return to the former conditions is reported as after the discontinuation of the program

  16. Using program logic model analysis to evaluate and better deliver what works

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Megdal, Lori; Engle, Victoria; Pakenas, Larry; Albert, Scott; Peters, Jane; Jordan, Gretchen

    2005-01-01

    There is a rich history in using program theories and logic models (PT/LM) for evaluation, monitoring, and program refinement in a variety of fields, such as health care, social and education programs. The use of these tools to evaluate and improve energy efficiency programs has been growing over the last 5-7 years. This paper provides an overview of the state-of-the-art methods of logic model development, with analysis that significantly contributed to: Assessing the logic behind how the program expects to be able to meets its ultimate goals, including the 'who', the 'how', and through what mechanism. In doing so, gaps and questions that still need to be addressed can be identified. Identifying and prioritize the indicators that should be measured to evaluate the program and program theory. Determining key researchable questions that need to be answered by evaluation/research, to assess whether the mechanism assumed to cause the changes in actions, attitudes, behaviours, and business practices is workable and efficient. Also will assess the validity in the program logic and the likelihood that the program can accomplish its ultimate goals. Incorporating analysis of prior like programs and social science theories in a framework to identify opportunities for potential program refinements. The paper provides an overview of the tools, techniques and references, and uses as example the energy efficiency program analysis conducted for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's (NYSERDA) New York ENERGY $MART SM programs

  17. 29 CFR 1960.79 - Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 9 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs. 1960.79 Section 1960.79 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH... AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs...

  18. Upper Extremity Motor Learning among Individuals with Parkinson's Disease: A Meta-Analysis Evaluating Movement Time in Simple Tasks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Felix

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Motor learning has been found to occur in the rehabilitation of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD. Through repetitive structured practice of motor tasks, individuals show improved performance, confirming that motor learning has probably taken place. Although a number of studies have been completed evaluating motor learning in people with PD, the sample sizes were small and the improvements were variable. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine the ability of people with PD to learn motor tasks. Studies which measured movement time in upper extremity reaching tasks and met the inclusion criteria were included in the analysis. Results of the meta-analysis indicated that people with PD and neurologically healthy controls both demonstrated motor learning, characterized by a decrease in movement time during upper extremity movements. Movement time improvements were greater in the control group than in individuals with PD. These results support the findings that the practice of upper extremity reaching tasks is beneficial in reducing movement time in persons with PD and has important implications for rehabilitation.

  19. The use of a cognitive task analysis-based multimedia program to teach surgical decision making in flexor tendon repair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luker, Kali R; Sullivan, Maura E; Peyre, Sarah E; Sherman, Randy; Grunwald, Tiffany

    2008-01-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the surgical knowledge of residents before and after receiving a cognitive task analysis-based multimedia teaching module. Ten plastic surgery residents were evaluated performing flexor tendon repair on 3 occasions. Traditional learning occurred between the first and second trial and served as the control. A teaching module was introduced as an intervention between the second and third trial using cognitive task analysis to illustrate decision-making skills. All residents showed improvement in their decision-making ability when performing flexor tendon repair after each surgical procedure. The group improved through traditional methods as well as exposure to our talk-aloud protocol (P > .01). After being trained using the cognitive task analysis curriculum the group displayed a statistically significant knowledge expansion (P multimedia surgical curriculum instruction achieved greater command of problem solving and are better equipped to make correct decisions in flexor tendon repair.

  20. 76 FR 65321 - Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force AGENCY: Department of... Veterans Affairs (VA) established the Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force (GWVI-TF) in August 2009 to conduct a comprehensive review of VA's approach to and programs addressing 1990-1991 Gulf War Veterans...