The Visible Hand of Research Performance Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Hamann, Julian

2016-01-01

Far from allowing a governance of universities by the invisible hand of market forces, research performance assessments do not just measure differences in research quality, but yield themselves visible symptoms in terms of a stratification and standardization of disciplines. The article illustrates this with a case study of UK history departments…

Increasing Skills in Writing Literature Study on Research-Based Learning Through Authentical Assessment Lecturing in Innovation Class of Social Science Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naniek Sulistya Wardani

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to determine whether the improvement of literature review skills on research-based learning can be pursued through the authentic assessment of the lectures of the Innovation of Learning IPS of PGSD students. This type of research is a classroom action research, using a spiral model of C. Kemmis and Robin Mc. Taggart. The research procedure uses 2 cycles, each cycle consists of 3 stages namely, 1 action planning 2 implementation of action and observation, 3 reflection. The subjects of the study were all students of PGSD Class 2014 E of the subjects of Innovation of IPS Learning as much as 27 students consisting of 7 male students and 20 female students. Data collection techniques use observation and product assessment. Data analysis technique is a percentage technique that compares literacy review writing skills through authentic assessment in IPS lectures between cycles. The result of the research shows that there is an improvement of writing skill of study lecture study of IPS learning innovation, which is pursued through authentic assessment. This is evident from the improvement of writing skills worthy of achievement from cycle 1 to cycle 2 ie from 62.14% of 27 students increased to 72.60% of all students in cycle 2. Writing skills in research-based learning is a skill to express the idea of the problem , Organizing facts, concepts and principles, use of EYD grammar and grammar. Authentic assessment is an assessment consisting of connection aspects, reflection aspects, and feedback aspects

ASSESSING UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PERFORMANCE WITH MULTIPLE CONSTITUENCIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuang-Liang Liu

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The research performance of the university is critical to the national competitiveness. Previous research has established that research performance is based on scholarly publishing. Several studies suggested that journal ranking is the important research quality indicator. However, unilateral measurement for the research performance will seriously corrode the development of university research work. Assessing university research performance with multiple constituencies is a better to enhance the university research. Although substantial studies have been performed on the critical factors that affect knowledge exploration in the university, those in knowledge exploitation are still lacking. With the multiple constituencies, a fully understanding of research performance can be gained. In the research model, knowledge exploration represents the academic research and knowledge exploitation represents the university–industry collaboration. Data collected from 124 university data in online database. The study shows that knowledge exploration and exploitation both are significant positive predictors of university competitiveness. University resources play important roles to affect both knowledge exploration and exploitation in the university. The study also shows that higher knowledge exploration will enhance knowledge exploitation. Implications for theory and practice and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Changes in Methodology for Assessing Performance of Research Organisations and Influence of Such Changes on Researchers' Behaviour

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luboš Marek

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Assessing quality of research results on an international scale is a basis for evaluating the level of scientific activities pursued in research organisations. In the past 15 years, significant changes have occurred in the Czech Republic in research management and, in particular, the methodology of assessing research results. The methodology of assessment and its modifications should always be focused on increasing quality of research results; the rules of assessment have their effects on researchers' behaviour. This paper studies a question of whether the changes applied to the methodology of assessing research results in the Czech Republic have supported higher quality research results, i.e., results published in high-quality international journals. The authors have developed their own statistical test to measure significance of such changes, as well as other statistical tests of hypotheses. The main source is represented by the results of assessing public universities in the Czech Republic according to "Methodology for assessing results of research organisations" in 2010 and 2013. Our tests have not proven any statistically significant differences in the numbers of papers published in the journals monitored in the Web of Science and Scopus databases.

A systematic and transparent approach for assessing the methodological quality of intervention effectiveness research: the Study Design and Implementation Assessment Device (Study DIAD).

Science.gov (United States)

Valentine, Jeffrey C; Cooper, Harris

2008-06-01

Assessments of studies meant to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, programs, and policies can serve an important role in the interpretation of research results. However, evidence suggests that available quality assessment tools have poor measurement characteristics and can lead to opposing conclusions when applied to the same body of studies. These tools tend to (a) be insufficiently operational, (b) rely on arbitrary post-hoc decision rules, and (c) result in a single number to represent a multidimensional construct. In response to these limitations, a multilevel and hierarchical instrument was developed in consultation with a wide range of methodological and statistical experts. The instrument focuses on the operational details of studies and results in a profile of scores instead of a single score to represent study quality. A pilot test suggested that satisfactory between-judge agreement can be obtained using well-trained raters working in naturalistic conditions. Limitations of the instrument are discussed, but these are inherent in making decisions about study quality given incomplete reporting and in the absence of strong, contextually based information about the effects of design flaws on study outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).

Encouraging translation and assessing impact of the Centre for Research Excellence in Integrated Quality Improvement: rationale and protocol for a research impact assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramanathan, Shanthi; Reeves, Penny; Deeming, Simon; Bailie, Ross Stewart; Bailie, Jodie; Bainbridge, Roxanne; Cunningham, Frances; Doran, Christopher; McPhail Bell, Karen; Searles, Andrew

2017-12-04

There is growing recognition among health researchers and funders that the wider benefits of research such as economic, social and health impacts ought to be assessed and valued alongside academic outputs such as peer-reviewed papers. Research translation needs to increase and the pathways to impact ought to be more transparent. These processes are particularly pertinent to the Indigenous health sector given continued concerns that Indigenous communities are over-researched with little corresponding improvement in health outcomes. This paper describes the research protocol of a mixed methods study to apply FAIT (Framework to Assess the Impact from Translational health research) to the Centre for Research Excellence in Integrated Quality Improvement (CRE-IQI). FAIT will be applied to five selected CRE-IQI Flagship projects to encourage research translation and assess the wider impact of that research. Phase I will develop a modified programme logic model for each Flagship project including identifying process, output and impact metrics so progress can be monitored. A scoping review will inform potential benefits. In phase II, programme logic models will be updated to account for changes in the research pathways over time. Audit and feedback will be used to encourage research translation and collect evidence of achievement of any process, output and interim impacts. In phase III, three proven methodologies for measuring research impact-Payback, economic assessment and narratives-will be applied. Data on the application of FAIT will be collected and analysed to inform and improve FAIT's performance. This study is funded by a nationally competitive grant (ID 1078927) from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. Ethics approval was obtained from the University of Newcastle's Human Research Ethics Committee (ID: H-2017-0026). The results from the study will be presented in several peer-reviewed publications, through conference presentations and via

Encouraging translation and assessing impact of the Centre for Research Excellence in Integrated Quality Improvement: rationale and protocol for a research impact assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Ramanathan, Shanthi; Reeves, Penny; Deeming, Simon; Bailie, Ross Stewart; Bailie, Jodie; Bainbridge, Roxanne; Cunningham, Frances; Doran, Christopher; McPhail Bell, Karen; Searles, Andrew

2017-01-01

Introduction There is growing recognition among health researchers and funders that the wider benefits of research such as economic, social and health impacts ought to be assessed and valued alongside academic outputs such as peer-reviewed papers. Research translation needs to increase and the pathways to impact ought to be more transparent. These processes are particularly pertinent to the Indigenous health sector given continued concerns that Indigenous communities are over-researched with little corresponding improvement in health outcomes. This paper describes the research protocol of a mixed methods study to apply FAIT (Framework to Assess the Impact from Translational health research) to the Centre for Research Excellence in Integrated Quality Improvement (CRE-IQI). FAIT will be applied to five selected CRE-IQI Flagship projects to encourage research translation and assess the wider impact of that research. Methods and analysis Phase I will develop a modified programme logic model for each Flagship project including identifying process, output and impact metrics so progress can be monitored. A scoping review will inform potential benefits. In phase II, programme logic models will be updated to account for changes in the research pathways over time. Audit and feedback will be used to encourage research translation and collect evidence of achievement of any process, output and interim impacts. In phase III, three proven methodologies for measuring research impact—Payback, economic assessment and narratives—will be applied. Data on the application of FAIT will be collected and analysed to inform and improve FAIT’s performance. Ethics and dissemination This study is funded by a nationally competitive grant (ID 1078927) from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. Ethics approval was obtained from the University of Newcastle’s Human Research Ethics Committee (ID: H-2017–0026). The results from the study will be presented in several

Collaborative Assessment: Middle School Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Parkison, Paul T.

2014-01-01

Utilizing a participant observer research model, a case study of the efficacy of a collaborative assessment methodology within a middle school social studies class was conducted. A review of existing research revealed that students' perceptions of assessment, evaluation, and accountability influence their intrinsic motivation to learn. A…

Proceeding of the workshop on the results of the cooperative research between JAERI and CHESCIR concerning the study on assessment and analysis of environmental radiological consequences and verification of an assessment system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amano, Hikaru; Saito, Kimiaki (eds.) [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

2001-03-01

This workshop was organized and sponsored by the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) and Chernobyl Science and Technology Center for International Research (CHESCIR). JAERI and CHESCIR have conducted 8 years research cooperation from 1992 to 1999 concerning the study on assessment and analysis of environmental radiological consequences and verification of an assessment system, focusing on the Chernobyl contaminated area. It contained 3 research subjects. Subject-1 initiated at 1992 and focused the study on measurements and evaluation of environmental external exposure after nuclear accident. Subject-2 initiated at 1992 and focused the study on the validation of assessment models in an environmental consequence assessment methodology for nuclear accidents. Subject-3 initiated at 1995 and focused on the study on migration of radionuclides released into terrestrial and aquatic environment after nuclear accidents. This workshop was held to summarize the research cooperation between JAERI and CHESCIR, and to discuss future research needs in this field. (author)

National Commission of Assessment of researches and studies related to the management of radioactive materials and wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

This report proposes an assessment of progress realized by studies and researches on the geological storage of long-life high- and intermediate-activity wastes, and on the separation-transmutation of actinides present in the spent fuel of nuclear reactors. The first part deals with storages and disposal, discusses the evolution of the deep storage concept since 2005, and the storage cost, analyses the storage operation (exploitation, closure, corrosion, lixiviation, dissolution and diffusion), reports the assessment of studies and researches (about radioactive wastes and sizing inventory models of geologic storage projects, in situ experiences, thermal load, phenomenological analysis of storage, researches performed to select a site), and more precisely discusses the storage cost issue. The second part deals with the separation-transmutation technology: the ASTRID programme, nuclear stock development scenarios and their consequences, impact of separation-transmutation on storage piece of land, fuel cycle. The third part gives an overview of other national actions and of experiences in other countries

The Research Assessment Exercise

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Lee-Anne Broadhead

1998-04-01

Full Text Available In this article it is argued that the recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE--undertaken by the United Kingdom's Higher Education Funding Councils (HEFC--is part of a much larger process of assessment in education generally. By taking the RAE as its focus, this article uses a Foucaultian analysis to amplify the nature and practice of disciplinary power in the setting of Higher Education. Foucault's notion of an "integrated system" of control and production, with its routine operation of surveillance and assessment--and its dependence on coercion and consent--is directly applied to the RAE. The impact on research and teaching is discussed. The critical response of academics to the exercise has failed to challenge the process in any fundamental way. it is argued here that this failure is a reflection of the degree to which disciplinary logic is embedded in the academic system.

Assessing the Development of Educational Research Literacy: The Effect of Courses on Research Methods in Studies of Educational Science

Science.gov (United States)

Groß Ophoff, Jana; Schladitz, Sandra; Leuders, Juliane; Leuders, Timo; Wirtz, Markus A.

2015-01-01

The ability to purposefully access, reflect, and use evidence from educational research (Educational Research Literacy) is expected of future professionals in educational practice. Based on the presented conceptual framework, a test instrument was developed to assess the different competency aspects: Information Literacy, Statistical Literacy, and…

Comprehensive Environmental Assessment Applied to Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Flame-Retardant Coatings in Upholstery Textiles: A Case Study Presenting Priority Research Gaps for Future Risk Assessments (Final Report)

Science.gov (United States)

In September 2013, EPA announced the availability of the final report, Comprehensive Environmental Assessment Applied to Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Flame-Retardant Coatings in Upholstery Textiles: A Case Study Presenting Priority Research Gaps for Future Risk Assessments...

The Nirex safety assessment research programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, M.J.

1988-07-01

This report describes progress on the Nirex Safety Assessment Research Programme in 1987/88. The programme is concerned with research into the disposal of low-level waste (LLW) and intermediate-level waste (ILW) into underground repositories. At the beginning of 1987/88 a range of techniques for measuring and modelling far-field phenomena were being applied to near-surface disposal of low-level waste in clay. However, during the year the far-field studies were redirected to consider generic geological materials of interest for deep disposal of low and intermediate-level waste, which is now the preferred option in the UK. A substantial part of the programme is concerned with the effectiveness of near-field barriers to water-borne leakage of radionuclides from cementitious repositories. Considerable progress has been made in quantifying this and laying the foundations for robust and reliable radiological assessments to be made with appropriate models. New projects have also been initiated to study the evolution and migration of gases from an underground repository and to consider the contribution of the biosphere to the retardation of radionuclides. (author)

Validation of a new assessment tool for qualitative research articles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schou, Lone; Høstrup, Helle; Lyngsø, Elin

2012-01-01

schou l., høstrup h., lyngsø e.e., larsen s. & poulsen i. (2011) Validation of a new assessment tool for qualitative research articles. Journal of Advanced Nursing00(0), 000-000. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05898.x ABSTRACT: Aim.  This paper presents the development and validation of a new...... assessment tool for qualitative research articles, which could assess trustworthiness of qualitative research articles as defined by Guba and at the same time aid clinicians in their assessment. Background.  There are more than 100 sets of proposals for quality criteria for qualitative research. However, we...... is the Danish acronym for Appraisal of Qualitative Studies. Phase 1 was to develop the tool based on a literature review and on consultation with qualitative researchers. Phase 2 was an inter-rater reliability test in which 40 health professionals participated. Phase 3 was an inter-rater reliability test among...

Assessing children’s competence to consent in research by a standardized tool: a validity study

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Currently over 50% of drugs prescribed to children have not been evaluated properly for use in their age group. One key reason why children have been excluded from clinical trials is that they are not considered able to exercise meaningful autonomy over the decision to participate. Dutch law states that competence to consent can be presumed present at the age of 12 and above; however, in pediatric practice children’s competence is not that clearly presented and the transition from assent to active consent is gradual. A gold standard for competence assessment in children does not exist. In this article we describe a study protocol on the development of a standardized tool for assessing competence to consent in research in children and adolescents. Methods/design In this study we modified the MacCAT-CR, the best evaluated competence assessment tool for adults, for use in children and adolescents. We will administer the tool prospectively to a cohort of pediatric patients from 6 to18 years during the selection stages of ongoing clinical trials. The outcomes of the MacCAT-CR interviews will be compared to a reference standard, established by the judgments of clinical investigators, and an expert panel consisting of child psychiatrists, child psychologists and medical ethicists. The reliability, criterion-related validity and reproducibility of the tool will be determined. As MacCAT-CR is a multi-item scale consisting of 13 items, power was justified at 130–190 subjects, providing a minimum of 10–15 observations per item. MacCAT-CR outcomes will be correlated with age, life experience, IQ, ethnicity, socio-economic status and competence judgment of the parent(s). It is anticipated that 160 participants will be recruited over 2 years to complete enrollment. Discussion A validity study on an assessment tool of competence to consent is strongly needed in research practice, particularly in the child and adolescent population. In this study we will establish

Assessing children’s competence to consent in research by a standardized tool: a validity study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hein Irma M

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Currently over 50% of drugs prescribed to children have not been evaluated properly for use in their age group. One key reason why children have been excluded from clinical trials is that they are not considered able to exercise meaningful autonomy over the decision to participate. Dutch law states that competence to consent can be presumed present at the age of 12 and above; however, in pediatric practice children’s competence is not that clearly presented and the transition from assent to active consent is gradual. A gold standard for competence assessment in children does not exist. In this article we describe a study protocol on the development of a standardized tool for assessing competence to consent in research in children and adolescents. Methods/design In this study we modified the MacCAT-CR, the best evaluated competence assessment tool for adults, for use in children and adolescents. We will administer the tool prospectively to a cohort of pediatric patients from 6 to18 years during the selection stages of ongoing clinical trials. The outcomes of the MacCAT-CR interviews will be compared to a reference standard, established by the judgments of clinical investigators, and an expert panel consisting of child psychiatrists, child psychologists and medical ethicists. The reliability, criterion-related validity and reproducibility of the tool will be determined. As MacCAT-CR is a multi-item scale consisting of 13 items, power was justified at 130–190 subjects, providing a minimum of 10–15 observations per item. MacCAT-CR outcomes will be correlated with age, life experience, IQ, ethnicity, socio-economic status and competence judgment of the parent(s. It is anticipated that 160 participants will be recruited over 2 years to complete enrollment. Discussion A validity study on an assessment tool of competence to consent is strongly needed in research practice, particularly in the child and adolescent population. In

A Research Experience Using Portfolios for Assessing College Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Cisneros-Cohernour, Edith J.; Stake, Robert E.

2014-01-01

In this article, we use the findings of a study conducted in a university in the southeast of Mexico to examine strengths and limitations of portfolios to assess formatively the quality of teaching. The research is part of the study: Model for the Development and Evaluation of Academic Competencies, involving researchers from six Mexican…

Assessing the benefits of OHER (Office of Health and Environmental Research) research: Three case studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nesse, R.J.; Callaway, J.M.; Englin, J.E.; Klan, M.S.; Nicholls, A.K.; Serot, D.E.

1987-09-01

This research was undertaken to estimate the societal benefits and costs of selected past research performed for the Office of Health and Environmental Research (OHER) of the US Department of Energy (DOE). Three case studies of representative OHER and DOE research were performed. One of these, the acid rain case study, includes research conducted elsewhere in DOE. The other two cases were the OHER marine research program and the development of high-purity germanium that is used in radiation detectors. The acid rain case study looked at the research benefits and costs of furnace sorbent injection and duct injection, technologies that might reduce acid deposition precursors. Both appear to show benefits in excess of costs. We examined in detail one of the OHER marine research program's accomplishments - the increase in environmental information used by the Outer Continental Shelf leasing program to manage bidding for off-shore oil drilling. The results of an econometric model show that environmental information of the type supported by OHER is unequivocally linked to government and industry leasing decisions. The germanium case study indicated that the benefits of germanium radiation detectors were significant.

Assessment of Research Needs for Coal Utilization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Penner, S.S.

1983-08-01

The Coal Combustion and Applications Working Group (CCAWG), at the request of J.W. Mares (Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy) and A.W. Trivelpiece (Director, Office of Energy Research), has reviewed and evaluated the U.S. programs on coal combustion and utilization. The important topical areas of coal gasification and coal liquefaction have been deliberately excluded because R and D needs for these technologies were reviewed previously by the DOE Fossil Energy Research Working Group. The CCAWG studies were performed in order to provide an independent assessment of research areas that affect prospects for augmented coal utilization. In this report, we summarize the findings and research recommendations of CCAWG.

Assessing the Performance of Educational Research in Australian Universities: An Alternative Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Laura B.

2018-01-01

This study uses bibliometric data to assess the performance of educational research in Australian universities. It provides an alternative perspective to the Australian government's Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment. ERA results suggest that the performance of educational research is substantially less compared to other…

Inventive Activity of Researchers: Cross-Country Rating Assessments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatyana Ivanovna Volkova

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the study of the research capacity of the country and regions has become more active not only from the point of view of their leading components (personnel, financial, information, organizational, material-and-technical ones but also from the perspective of the assessment of productivity and effectiveness of researchers’ work. In the cross-country analysis, the certain highly aggregative parameters, which values, as a rule, are not in favour of Russia, are used. At the same time, at profound studying of this topic, these estimates cannot represent correctly the real trends of inventive activity in the scientific and technological sphere of the country and its regions. Moreover, the measurement of the researchers’ creative potential realization is carried out mainly through the assessment systems of their printing activity. Little attention is paid to the problem of the rating assessments of the researchers’ inventive and patent activity and its products from a cross-country perspective (especially to the detailed ones as well as to its institutional determinants. Therefore, the authors have chosen this subject-matter of the research. Its empirical basis is the statistical materials of both the national database and those which are recognized by the world scientific community. This research has both theoretical and methodological orientations. The purpose is the development of methodological and methodical tools of the research and assessment of researchers’ inventive activity including methodological support of cross-country comparative assessments. The authors have based the hypothesis on their previous research: in the conditions of the decreasing level of financial security, continuous reduction of a number of researchers, institutional restrictions and contradictions, the inventive activity of national researchers is still exist, and in a number of its leading parameters is implemented at the level of the advanced

Construct validation of teacher portfolio assessment : Procedures for improving teacher competence assessment illustrated by teaching students research skills

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schaaf, M.F. van der

2005-01-01

The study aims to design and test procedures for teacher portfolio assessments. What are suitable procedures to assess teachers' competencies in developing students' research skills? We first searched into the tasks teachers have in teaching students research skills and the competencies needed to

Higher tier field research in ecological risk assessment: a case study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faber, J. [Alterra, Wageningen (Netherlands)

2003-07-01

A newly developed basic procedure for site-specific ecological risk assessment in The Netherlands was followed in practice for the first time. In line with conventional Triade approaches, the procedure includes multidisciplinary parameters from environmental chemistry, toxicology and ecology to provide multiple weight of evidence. However, land use at the contaminated site and its vicinity is given more importance, and research parameters are selected in accordance to specific objectives for land use in order to test for harmful effects to underlying ecosystem services. Moreover, the approach is characterized by repetitive interactions between stakeholders and researching consultants, in particular with respect to the choice of parameters and criteria to assess the results. The approach was followed in an ecological risk assessment to test the assumptions underlying a soil management plant for a rural area in The Netherlands, called 'Krimpenerwaard'. Throughout this region some 5000 polder ditches have been filled with waste materials originating from local households, waterway sludge, industrial wastes, car shredders, and more. Several sites are severely polluted by heavy metals, cyanide, PAH or chlorinated hydrocarbons and require remediation or clean up. However, the exact distribution of these wastes over the entire region is scarcely known, and the Krimpenerwaard as a whole is treated as one case of serious soil pollution. A soil management plan was constructed by 13 stakeholding parties, aiming for a 'functional clean up' in view of land use, by means of covering 'suspected' categories of wastes with a 30-cm layer of local type soil. The ecological risk assessment aims to verify the assumptions in the soil management plan regarding the prevention of possible undesirable effects induced by the various waste materials. A tiered approach is followed, including a screening for bioavailable contaminants, a testing for general effects

Research Designs and Methods in Self-Assessment Studies: A Content Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Pastore, Serafina

2017-01-01

This paper focuses on self-assessment studies in the higher education field. In the assessment for learning perspective, self-assessment is related to reflection, metacognition, and self-regulation: all these aspects are considered as fundamental prerequisites for students' future professional development. Despite the recognition of…

Assessment report on research and development activities. Activity: 'Advanced science research' (Interim report)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-11-15

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (hereinafter referred to as 'JAEA') consulted an assessment committee, 'Evaluation Committee of Research Activities for Advanced Science Research' (hereinafter referred to as 'Committee') for interim assessment of 'Advanced Science Research,' in accordance with 'General Guideline for the Evaluation of Government Research and Development (R and D) Activities' by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 'Guideline for Evaluation of R and D in Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology' and 'Regulation on Conduct for Evaluation of R and D Activities' by JAEA. In response to the JAEA's request, the Committee assessed the research programs and activities of the Advanced Science Research Center (hereinafter referred to as 'ASRC') for the period of two years from April 2010. The Committee evaluated the management and the research programs of the ASRC based on the explanatory documents prepared by the ASRC and the oral presentations with questions-and-answers by the Director and the research group leaders. This report summarizes the result of the assessment by the Committee with the Committee report attached from page 7. (author)

How should we assess knowledge translation in research organizations; designing a knowledge translation self-assessment tool for research institutes (SATORI).

Science.gov (United States)

Gholami, Jaleh; Majdzadeh, Reza; Nedjat, Saharnaz; Nedjat, Sima; Maleki, Katayoun; Ashoorkhani, Mahnaz; Yazdizadeh, Bahareh

2011-02-22

The knowledge translation self-assessment tool for research institutes (SATORI) was designed to assess the status of knowledge translation in research institutes. The objective was, to identify the weaknesses and strengths of knowledge translation in research centres and faculties associated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). The tool, consisting of 50 statements in four main domains, was used in 20 TUMS-affiliated research centres and departments after its reliability was established. It was completed in a group discussion by the members of the research council, researchers and research users' representatives from each centre and/or department. The mean score obtained in the four domains of 'The question of research', 'Knowledge production', 'Knowledge transfer' and 'Promoting the use of evidence' were 2.26, 2.92, 2 and 1.89 (out of 5) respectively.Nine out of 12 interventional priorities with the lowest quartile score were related to knowledge transfer resources and strategies, whereas eight of them were in the highest quartile and related to 'The question of research' and 'Knowledge production'. The self-assessment tool identifies the gaps in capacity and infrastructure of knowledge translation support within research organizations. Assessment of research institutes using SATORI pointed out that strengthening knowledge translation through provision of financial support for knowledge translation activities, creating supportive and facilitating infrastructures, and facilitating interactions between researchers and target audiences to exchange questions and research findings are among the priorities of research centres and/or departments.

Understanding of research, genetics and genetic research in a rapid ethical assessment in north west Cameroon.

Science.gov (United States)

Kengne-Ouafo, Jonas A; Millard, James D; Nji, Theobald M; Tantoh, William F; Nyoh, Doris N; Tendongfor, Nicholas; Enyong, Peter A; Newport, Melanie J; Davey, Gail; Wanji, Samuel

2016-05-01

There is limited assessment of whether research participants in low-income settings are afforded a full understanding of the meaning of medical research. There may also be particular issues with the understanding of genetic research. We used a rapid ethical assessment methodology to explore perceptions surrounding the meaning of research, genetics and genetic research in north west Cameroon. Eleven focus group discussions (including 107 adults) and 72 in-depth interviews were conducted with various stakeholders in two health districts in north west Cameroon between February and April 2012. Most participants appreciated the role of research in generating knowledge and identified a difference between research and healthcare but gave varied explanations as to this difference. Most participants' understanding of genetics was limited to concepts of hereditary, with potential benefits limited to the level of the individual or family. Explanations based on supernatural beliefs were identified as a special issue but participants tended not to identify any other special risks with genetic research. We demonstrated a variable level of understanding of research, genetics and genetic research, with implications for those carrying out genetic research in this and other low resource settings. Our study highlights the utility of rapid ethical assessment prior to complex or sensitive research. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Assessing Vocal Performances Using Analytical Assessment: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Gynnild, Vidar

2016-01-01

This study investigated ways to improve the appraisal of vocal performances within a national academy of music. Since a criterion-based assessment framework had already been adopted, the conceptual foundation of an assessment rubric was used as a guide in an action research project. The group of teachers involved wanted to explore thinking…

Bibliometric analysis of global environmental assessment research in a 20-year period

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Wei, E-mail: weili@bnu.edu.cn; Zhao, Yang

2015-01-15

Based on the samples of 113,468 publications on environmental assessment (EA) from the past 20 years, we used a bibliometric analysis to study the literature in terms of trends of growth, subject categories and journals, international collaboration, geographic distribution of publications, and scientific research issues. By applying thresholds to network centralities, a core group of countries can be distinguished as part of the international collaboration network. A frequently used keywords analysis found that the priority in assessment would gradually change from project environmental impact assessment (EIA) to strategic environmental assessment (SEA). Decision-theoretic approaches (i.e., environmental indicator selection, life cycle assessment, etc.), along with new technologies and methods (i.e., the geographic information system and modeling) have been widely applied in the EA research field over the past 20 years. Hot spots such as “biodiversity” and “climate change” have been emphasized in current EA research, a trend that will likely continue in the future. The h-index has been used to evaluate the research quality among countries all over the world, while the improvement of developing countries' EA systems is becoming a popular research topic. Our study reveals patterns in scientific outputs and academic collaborations and serves as an alternative and innovative way of revealing global research trends in the EA research field.

Bibliometric analysis of global environmental assessment research in a 20-year period

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Wei; Zhao, Yang

2015-01-01

Based on the samples of 113,468 publications on environmental assessment (EA) from the past 20 years, we used a bibliometric analysis to study the literature in terms of trends of growth, subject categories and journals, international collaboration, geographic distribution of publications, and scientific research issues. By applying thresholds to network centralities, a core group of countries can be distinguished as part of the international collaboration network. A frequently used keywords analysis found that the priority in assessment would gradually change from project environmental impact assessment (EIA) to strategic environmental assessment (SEA). Decision-theoretic approaches (i.e., environmental indicator selection, life cycle assessment, etc.), along with new technologies and methods (i.e., the geographic information system and modeling) have been widely applied in the EA research field over the past 20 years. Hot spots such as “biodiversity” and “climate change” have been emphasized in current EA research, a trend that will likely continue in the future. The h-index has been used to evaluate the research quality among countries all over the world, while the improvement of developing countries' EA systems is becoming a popular research topic. Our study reveals patterns in scientific outputs and academic collaborations and serves as an alternative and innovative way of revealing global research trends in the EA research field

Solving a methodological challenge in work stress evaluation with the Stress Assessment and Research Toolkit (StART): a study protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Guglielmi, Dina; Simbula, Silvia; Vignoli, Michela; Bruni, Ilaria; Depolo, Marco; Bonfiglioli, Roberta; Tabanelli, Maria Carla; Violante, Francesco Saverio

2013-06-22

Stress evaluation is a field of strong interest and challenging due to several methodological aspects in the evaluation process. The aim of this study is to propose a study protocol to test a new method (i.e., the Stress Assessment and Research Toolkit) to assess psychosocial risk factors at work. This method addresses several methodological issues (e.g., subjective vs. objective, qualitative vs quantitative data) by assessing work-related stressors using different kinds of data: i) organisational archival data (organisational indicators sheet); ii) qualitative data (focus group); iii) worker perception (questionnaire); and iv) observational data (observational checklist) using mixed methods research. In addition, it allows positive and negative aspects of work to be considered conjointly, using an approach that considers at the same time job demands and job resources. The integration of these sources of data can reduce the theoretical and methodological bias related to stress research in the work setting, allows researchers and professionals to obtain a reliable description of workers' stress, providing a more articulate vision of psychosocial risks, and allows a large amount of data to be collected. Finally, the implementation of the method ensures in the long term a primary prevention for psychosocial risk management in that it aims to reduce or modify the intensity, frequency or duration of organisational demands.

Assessment Leaders' Perspectives of Institutional Cultures of Assessment: A Delphi Study

Science.gov (United States)

Fuller, Matthew; Henderson, Susan; Bustamante, Rebecca

2015-01-01

Institutional cultures of assessment are praised as beneficial to student learning. Yet, extant studies have not explored the theoretical foundations and pragmatic approaches to shaping cultures of assessment. The researchers used the Delphi method to explore 10 higher education assessment leaders' attitudes and theoretical perspectives regarding…

NASA Self-Assessment of Space Radiation Research

Science.gov (United States)

Cucinotta, Francis A.

2010-01-01

Space exploration involves unavoidable exposures to high-energy galactic cosmic rays whose penetration power and associated secondary radiation makes radiation shielding ineffective and cost prohibitive. NASA recognizing the possible health dangers from cosmic rays notified the U.S. Congress as early as 1959 of the need for a dedicated heavy ion accelerator to study the largely unknown biological effects of galactic cosmic rays on astronauts. Information and scientific tools to study radiation health effects expanded over the new decades as NASA exploration programs to the moon and preparations for Mars exploration were carried out. In the 1970 s through the early 1990 s a more than 3-fold increase over earlier estimates of fatal cancer risks from gamma-rays, and new knowledge of the biological dangers of high LET radiation were obtained. Other research has increased concern for degenerative risks to the central nervous system and other tissues at lower doses compared to earlier estimates. In 1996 a review by the National Academy of Sciences Space Science Board re-iterated the need for a dedicated ground-based accelerator facility capable of providing up to 2000 research hours per year to reduce uncertainties in risks projections and develop effective mitigation measures. In 1998 NASA appropriated funds for construction of a dedicated research facility and the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) opened for research in October of 2003. This year marks the 8th year of NSRL research were about 1000 research hours per year have been utilized. In anticipation of the approaching ten year milestone, funded investigators and selected others are invited to participate in a critical self-assessment of NSRL research progress towards NASA s goals in space radiation research. A Blue and Red Team Assessment format has been integrated into meeting posters and special plenary sessions to allow for a critical debate on the progress of the research and major gaps areas. Blue

Assessment report on research and development activities. Activity: 'Advanced science research' (Interim report)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-11-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (hereinafter referred to as “JAEA”) consulted an assessment committee, “Evaluation Committee of Research Activities for Advanced Science Research” (hereinafter referred to as “Committee”) for interim assessment of “Advanced Science Research,” in accordance with “General Guideline for the Evaluation of Government Research and Development (R and D) Activities” by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, “Guideline for Evaluation of R and D in Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology” and “Regulation on Conduct for Evaluation of R and D Activities” by JAEA. In response to the JAEA's request, the Committee assessed the research programs and activities of the Advanced Science Research Center (hereinafter referred to as “ASRC”) for the period of two years from April 2010. The Committee evaluated the management and the research programs of the ASRC based on the explanatory documents prepared by the ASRC and the oral presentations with questions-and-answers by the Director and the research group leaders. This report summarizes the result of the assessment by the Committee with the Committee report attached from page 7. (author)

Assessing Aspects of Undergraduate Research through Journaling

Science.gov (United States)

Mimbs, Debra

2017-01-01

It is necessary while mentoring students in undergraduate research to conduct assessments in order to determine how well the research experience is progressing. It may also be necessary to assign a grade to a student's performance at the conclusion of such a venture. Journaling may be used both as a formative assessment tool and as a summative…

Research into the Development of Voice Assessment in Music Therapy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Storm, Sanne

This study was a research into the development of a voice assessment profile (VOIAS). Already a preliminary literature search showed that no such profile within music therapy existed, and only very sparse research within music therapy focusing on and involving the human voice. The development...

Evaluative studies in nuclear medicine research: positron computed tomography assessment. Final report, January 1, 1982-December 31, 1982

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potchen, E.J.; Harris, G.I.; Gift, D.A.; Reinhard, D.K.; Siebert, J.E.

1983-02-01

Results are reported of the final phase of the study effort generally titled Evaluative Studies in Nuclear Medicine Research. The previous work is reviewed and extended to an assessment providing perspectives on medical applications of positron emission tomographic (PET) systems, their technological context, and the related economic and marketing environment. Methodologies developed and used in earlier phases of the study were continued, but specifically extended to include solicitation of opinion from commercial organizations deemed to be potential developers, manufacturers and marketers of PET systems. Several factors which influence the demand for clinical uses of PET are evaluated and discussed. The recent Federal funding of applied research with PET systems is found to be a necessary and encouraging event toward a determination that PET either is a powerful research tool limited to research, or whether it also presents major clinical utility. A comprehensive, updated bibliography of current literature related to the development, applications and economic considerations of PET technology is appended

An Assessment of Educational Policy Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Guthrie, James W.

1980-01-01

The last 25 years of education policy research in the areas of finance, economics, and law were appraised. Effectiveness was assessed in terms of research contributions to progress on three public policy value dimensions: equality, efficiency, and liberty. (Author/RL)

Assessment report of research and development activities. Activity: 'Advanced science research' (Pre-review report)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-11-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (hereinafter referred to as 'JAEA') consulted an assessment committee, 'Evaluation Committee of Research Activities for Advanced Science Research' (hereinafter referred to as 'Committee') for prior assessment of 'Advanced Science Research,' in accordance with 'General Guideline for the Evaluation of Government Research and Development (R and D) Activities' by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 'Guideline for Evaluation of R and D in Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology' and 'Regulation on Conduct for Evaluation of R and D Activities' by JAEA. In response to the JAEA's request, the Committee assessed the research program and activities of the Advanced Science Research Center (hereinafter referred to as 'ASRC') for the period of five years from April 2010. The Committee evaluated the management and the research program of the ASRC based on the explanatory documents prepared by the ASRC and the oral presentations with questions-and-answers by the Director and the research group leaders. This report summarizes the result of the assessment by the Committee with the Committee report attached from page 7. (author)

Assessing Digital Student Productions, a Design-Based Research Study on the Development of a Criteria-Based Assessment Tool for Students’ Digital Multimodal Productions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoffmeyer, Mikkeline; Jensen, Jesper Juellund; Olsen, Marie Veisegaard

2017-01-01

Digital multimodal production is becoming increasingly important as a 21st century skill and as a learning condition in school (K-12). Moreover, there is a growing attention to the significance of criteria-based assessment for learning. Nevertheless, assessment of students’ digital multimodal...... productions is often vague or lacking. Therefore, the research project aims at developing a tool to support assessment of student’s digital multimodal productions through a design-based research method. This paper presents a proposal for issues to be considered through a prototyping phase, based on interviews...

AN OVERVIEW OF SWEDISH RESEARCH ON IMPACT ASSESSMENT

OpenAIRE

CHARLOTTA FAITH-ELL

2015-01-01

This statement aims at giving an overview of the research on impact assessment in Sweden. It takes a point of departure at the introduction of impact assessment in 1991 describing the Swedish research until today. Since the introduction of EIA in the Swedish legislation in the 1990s, a large number of PhD dissertations have been dealing with various aspects of impact assessment. An estimation based on the literature search is that about 20 PhD theses, in which the core of the research is rela...

Assessment of critical thinking: a Delphi study.

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Sheila A

2014-11-01

Nurse educators are responsible for preparing nurses who critically analyze patient information and provide meaningful interventions in today's complex health care system. By using the Delphi research method, this study, utilized the specialized and experiential knowledge of Certified Nurse Educators. This original Delphi research study asked Certified Nurse Educators how to assess the critical-thinking ability of nursing students in the clinical setting. The results showed that nurse educators need time, during the clinical experience, to accurately assess each individual nursing student. This study demonstrated the need for extended student clinical time, and a variety of clinical learning assessment tools. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Nirex Safety Assessment Research Programme; annual report for 1988/89

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, M.J.

1989-07-01

This report summarises progress of the Nirex Safety Assessment Research Programme during 1988/89, in support of assessments of the post-emplacement radiological safety of a repository for the disposal of low-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste. During this period the assessments were concentrating on a comparative study of concepts and areas for deep emplacement of waste, in order to assist in the selection of preferred sites, and the research programme was therefore focussed on providing the data necessary for broad comparisons between different options to be made. (author)

Assessment report of research and development activities. Activity: advanced science research' (Interim report)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-08-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (hereinafter referred to as 'JAEA') consults an assessment committee, 'Evaluation Committee of Research Activities for Advanced Science Research' (hereinafter referred to as 'Committee') for interim assessment of 'Advanced Science Research,' in accordance with General Guideline for the Evaluation of Government Research and Development (R and D) Activities' by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 'Guideline for Evaluation of R and D in Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology' and 'Regulation on Conduct for Evaluation of R and D Activities' by JAEA. In response to the JAEA's request, the Committee assessed the research program of the Advanced Science Research Center (hereinafter referred to as 'ASRC') during the period of two years from October 2005 to September 2007. The Committee evaluated the management and research activities of the ASRC based on the explanatory documents prepared by the ASRC, the oral presentations with questions-and-answers by the Director and the research group leaders, and interviews from group members through on-site visits by the Committee members. One CD-ROM is attached as an appendix. (J.P.N.)

A randomized controlled trial of skin care protocols for facial resurfacing: lessons learned from the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation's Skin Products Assessment Research study.

Science.gov (United States)

Pannucci, Christopher J; Reavey, Patrick L; Kaweski, Susan; Hamill, Jennifer B; Hume, Keith M; Wilkins, Edwin G; Pusic, Andrea L

2011-03-01

The Skin Products Assessment Research Committee was created by the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation in 2006. The Skin Products Assessment Research study aims were to (1) develop an infrastructure for Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation-conducted, industry-sponsored research in facial aesthetic surgery and (2) test the research process by comparing outcomes of the Obagi Nu-Derm System versus conventional therapy as treatment adjuncts for facial resurfacing procedures. The Skin Products Assessment Research study was designed as a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial. The study was conducted in women with Fitzpatrick type I to IV skin, moderate to severe facial photodamage, and periocular and/or perioral fine wrinkles. Patients underwent chemical peel or laser facial resurfacing and were randomized to the Obagi Nu-Derm System or a standard care regimen. The study endpoints were time to reepithelialization, erythema, and pigmentation changes. Fifty-six women were enrolled and 82 percent were followed beyond reepithelialization. There were no significant differences in mean time to reepithelialization between Obagi Nu-Derm System and control groups. The Obagi Nu-Derm System group had a significantly higher median erythema score on the day of surgery (after 4 weeks of product use) that did not persist after surgery. Test-retest photographic evaluations demonstrated that both interrater and intrarater reliability were adequate for primary study outcomes. The authors demonstrated no significant difference in time to reepithelialization between patients who used the Obagi Nu-Derm System or a standard care regimen as an adjunct to facial resurfacing procedures. The Skin Products Assessment Research team has also provided a discussion of future challenges for Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation-sponsored clinical research for readers of this article.

Assessment of Software Usage in Nigerian Agricultural Research ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The purpose of this study is to assess softwares used in automating the services of some selected agricultural libraries in Nigeria with the aim of determining their suitability for effective network. The descriptive research survey method using questionnaire was used in collecting data. Twelve (12) libraries of Agricultural ...

Assessing the Impact of Research: A Case Study of the LSAY Research Innovation and Expansion Fund. Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. Occasional Paper

Science.gov (United States)

Hargreaves, Jo

2012-01-01

The purpose of this project is to apply the framework developed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) for measuring research impact to assess the outcomes of the research and activities funded under the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) Research Innovation and Expansion Fund (RIEF). LSAY provides a rich…

Assessment of use of library resources on research activities of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Library resources use contribute immensely to the research output of agricultural scientists and also play significant roles in supporting agricultural development but resources are inadequately provided. The main objective of the study was to assess the use of library resources on research activities of scientists in three ...

Radiation Protection Research: Radiological Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeevaert, T.

2000-01-01

The objectives of SCK-CEN's research in the field of radiological impact assessment are (1) to elaborate and to improve methods and guidelines for the evaluation of restoration options for contaminated sites; (2) to develop, test and improve biosphere models for the performance assessment of radioactive waste disposal in near-surface or geological repositories; (3) to asses the impact of releases from nuclear or industrial installations. Main achievements in these areas for 2000 are summarised

Evaluative studies in nuclear medicine research: emission computed tomography assessment. Final report, January 1-December 31, 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potchen, E.J.; Harris, G.I.; Gift, D.A.; Reinhard, D.K.; Siebert, J.E.

1981-12-01

The report provides information on an assessment of the potential short and long term benefits of emission computed tomography (ECT) in biomedical research and patient care. Work during the past year has been augmented by the development and use of an opinion survey instrument to reach a wider representation of knowledgeable investigators and users of this technology. This survey instrument is reproduced in an appendix. Information derived from analysis of the opinion survey, and used in conjunction with results of independent staff studies of available sources, provides the basis for the discussions given in following sections of PET applications in the brain, of technical factors, and of economic implications. Projections of capital and operating costs on a per study basis were obtained from a computerized, pro forma accounting model and are compared with the survey cost estimates for both research and clinical modes of application. The results of a cash-flow model analysis of the relationship between projected economic benefit of PET research to disease management and the costs associated with such research are presented and discussed

Assessing approaches for dissemination of research information to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Mo

Assessing approaches for dissemination of research information to farmers within their ... to soil improvement, NAADS had a wide scope that included animal husbandry. Farmers .... the Problem Solving Approach that involves defining the approach ..... Assessing the Quality of Participation in Farmers' Research Groups.

Utility of Recent Studies to Assess the National Research Council 2001 Estimates of Cancer Risk from Ingested Arsenic

Science.gov (United States)

Gibb, Herman; Haver, Cary; Gaylor, David; Ramasamy, Santhini; Lee, Janice S.; Lobdell, Danelle; Wade, Timothy; Chen, Chao; White, Paul; Sams, Reeder

2011-01-01

Objective The purpose of this review is to evaluate the impact of recent epidemiologic literature on the National Research Council (NRC) assessment of the lung and bladder cancer risks from ingesting low concentrations (ecologic nature of the Taiwanese studies on which the NRC estimates are based present certain limitations, the data from these studies have particular strengths in that they describe lung and bladder cancer risks resulting from lifetime exposure in a large population and remain the best data on which to conduct quantitative risk assessment. Continued follow-up of a population in northeastern Taiwan, however, offers the best opportunity to improve the cancer risk assessment for arsenic in drinking water. Future studies of arsenic < 100 μg/L in drinking water and lung and bladder cancer should consider adequacy of the sample size, the synergistic relationship of arsenic and smoking, duration of arsenic exposure, age when exposure began and ended, and histologic subtype. PMID:21030336

Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation, 2001.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudner, Lawrence M., Ed.; Schafer, William D., Ed.

2001-01-01

This document consists of articles 23 through 26 published in the electronic journal "Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation" in 2001: (23) "Effects of Removing the Time Limit on First and Second Language Intelligence Test Performance" (Jennifer Mullane and Stuart J. McKelvie); (24) "Consequences of (Mis)use of the Texas Assessment of…

Assessment team report on flight-critical systems research at NASA Langley Research Center

Science.gov (United States)

Siewiorek, Daniel P. (Compiler); Dunham, Janet R. (Compiler)

1989-01-01

The quality, coverage, and distribution of effort of the flight-critical systems research program at NASA Langley Research Center was assessed. Within the scope of the Assessment Team's review, the research program was found to be very sound. All tasks under the current research program were at least partially addressing the industry needs. General recommendations made were to expand the program resources to provide additional coverage of high priority industry needs, including operations and maintenance, and to focus the program on an actual hardware and software system that is under development.

Nirex safety assessment research programme: 1987/88

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, D.; Hodgkinson, D.P.

1987-01-01

The Nirex Safety Assessment Research programme's objective is to provide information for the radiological safety case for disposing low-level and intermediate-level radioactive wastes in underground repositories. The programme covers a wide range of experimental studies and mathematical modelling for the near and far field. It attempts to develop a quantitative understanding of events and processes which have an impact on the safety of radioactive waste disposal. (U.K.)

Research and assessment of national population dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Ziqiang

1984-01-01

This article describes the necessity and probability of making researches on assessment of national population dose, and discusses some problems which might be noticeable in the research work. (author)

Clinical Research: A Psychotherapeutic Assessment Model for Siblings in Care

Science.gov (United States)

Hindle, Debbie

2007-01-01

This paper focuses on the aspects of a qualitative research project that examines an assessment protocol for the placement of siblings in foster care and/or future adoption. A brief description of the background to the study and the research design is given. Evaluating the material from the quantitative instruments used and the psychotherapeutic…

Publication patterns in UK research assessment 1992-2013

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adams, J.; Loach, T.; Szomszor, M.

2016-07-01

For 30 years, outputs published by UK researchers have been submitted for cyclical assessment by peer panels, creating a unique longitudinal dataset. This is the first analysis covering 921,254 submitted outputs and 36,244 case study references across 25 years, five assessment cycles and both academic impact and economic/societal impact. For submitted outputs, document types shift towards journal articles across time. The time-spread of outputs is skewed to the most recent publication years in early RAE cycles, a pattern not reported at the time but one that then changes synchronously for science and engineering but not for social science or humanities. The skew and later changes are cohesive across disciplines and institutions. For impact case study references, the time-spread of the earliest of the six references for each study is uniform for science and engineering, although the overall timespread for references is skewed. About 42% of case study references with DOIs can be identified as RAE/REF submitted outputs, at about the same rate in every publication year for 1996-2013. Implications for assessment are discussed. (Author)

The Nirex safety assessment research programme: annual report for 1986/87

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, M.J.; Hodgkinson, D.P.

1987-05-01

This report describes research relating to the underground disposal of low-level and intermediate-level radioactive wastes, to provide information for post-emplacement radiological safety assessment. Topics reported are solubility and sorption, organic degradation, microbial activity, leaching, the corrosion of containers, and radionuclide migration studies. Properties of clays, slates, colloids and uranium disequilibrium are studied. Mathematical modelling to support the safety assessment of radioactive waste disposal is also studied. (U.K.)

Individual Breast Cancer risk assessment in Underserved Populations: Integrating empirical Bioethics and Health Disparities Research

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Emily E.; Hoskins, Kent

2013-01-01

Research suggests that individual breast cancer risk assessment may improve adherence to recommended screening and prevention guidelines, thereby decreasing morbidity and mortality. Further research on the use of risk assessment models in underserved minority populations is critical to informing national public health efforts to eliminate breast cancer disparities. However, implementing individual breast cancer risk assessment in underserved patient populations raises particular ethical issues that require further examination. After reviewing these issues, we will discuss how empirical bioethics research can be integrated with health disparities research to inform the translation of research findings. Our in-progress National Cancer Institute (NCI) funded study, How Do Underserved Minority Women Think About Breast Cancer?, conducted in the context of a larger study on individual breast cancer risk assessment, is presented as a model. PMID:23124498

Quality of assessments within reach: Review study of research and results of the quality of assessments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maassen, Nathalie Anthonia Maria; Hopster-den Otter, Dorothea; Wools, S.; Hemker, B.T.; Straetmans, G.J.J.M.; Eggen, Theodorus Johannes Hendrikus Maria

2015-01-01

Educational tests and assessments are important instruments to measure a student’s knowledge and skills. The question that is addressed in this review study is: “which aspects are currently considered as important to the quality of educational assessments?” Furthermore, it is explored how this

Logistics case study based research: Towards higher quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedrosa, Alex; Näslund, Dag; Jasmand, Claudia

2012-01-01

analysis of 134 case study based articles published in six leading logistics and supply chain management (SCM) journals between 1998 and 2010 is used to assess and evaluate the quality of the case study based research approach as documented in these publications. Findings – This research provides...... to address to ensure high quality of the case study based research approach in published articles. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to the analysis of published articles in six logistics and SCM journals. Further research should investigate different journals in logistics and other...

Needs assessment in health research projects: a new approach to project management in iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Peykari, Niloofar; Owlia, Parviz; Malekafzali, Hossein; Ghanei, Mostafa; Babamahmoodi, Abdolreza; Djalalinia, Shirin

2013-01-01

The science and technology health plan has defined the outline of health research to the national vision of Iran by 2025. The aim of this study was to focus on the process of needs assessment of health research projects also health research priority setting in Iran. THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT LIFE CYCLE HAS FOUR PHASES: Initiation, Planning, Execution and Closure. Based on abovementioned points we conducted the study. Focusing on the needs assessment led to systematic implementation of needs assessment of health project in all of the medical sciences universities. Parallel with this achieved strategies health research priority setting was followed through specific process from empowerment to implementation. We should adopt with more systematic progressive methods of health project managements for both our national convenience as well as our international health research programs.

Bridging the gap between academic research and regulatory health risk assessment of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals.

Science.gov (United States)

Beronius, Anna; Hanberg, Annika; Zilliacus, Johanna; Rudén, Christina

2014-12-01

Regulatory risk assessment is traditionally based primarily on toxicity studies conducted according to standardized and internationally validated test guidelines. However, health risk assessment of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is argued to rely on the efficient integration of findings from academic research. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of current developments to facilitate the use of academic research in regulatory risk assessment of chemicals and how certain aspects of study design and reporting are particularly important for the risk assessment process. By bridging the gap between academic research and regulatory health risk assessment of EDCs, scientific uncertainty in risk assessment conclusions can be reduced, allowing for better targeted policy decisions for chemical risk reduction. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Nirex Safety Assessment Research Programme bibliography, 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, M.J.

1990-10-01

This bibliography lists reports and papers written as part of the Nirex Safety Assessment Research Programme, which is concerned with disposal of low-level and intermediate-level waste (LLW and ILW) and associated radiological assessments. (author)

Probabilistic safety assessment for research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-12-01

Increasing interest in using Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) methods for research reactor safety is being observed in many countries throughout the world. This is mainly because of the great ability of this approach in achieving safe and reliable operation of research reactors. There is also a need to assist developing countries to apply Probabilistic Safety Assessment to existing nuclear facilities which are simpler and therefore less complicated to analyse than a large Nuclear Power Plant. It may be important, therefore, to develop PSA for research reactors. This might also help to better understand the safety characteristics of the reactor and to base any backfitting on a cost-benefit analysis which would ensure that only necessary changes are made. This document touches on all the key aspects of PSA but placed greater emphasis on so-called systems analysis aspects rather than the in-plant or ex-plant consequences

Library Assessment Research: A Content Comparison from Three American Library Journals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ethan J. Allen

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Improvement of academic library services as an outcome of continuous assessment is an aim of libraries of higher education institutions. Academic libraries are realizing the need to document evidence of their value to the institutions and the patrons they serve. Publications that include assessment research are reaching library decision makers, who seek to apply evidence to improve services or implement best practices that benefit all stakeholders. Following two previous studies that reported longitudinally on front-line library services, this paper investigates current five-year trending of three prestigious academic library journals in the publication of assessment studies. Data for this study were drawn through a content analysis process, in which the investigators selected studies for inclusion using a set of criteria developed in a pilot exercise. After individually examining 649 research articles, published between 2012 and 2016, 126 met the study’s selection criteria and were categorized according to the type of service they studied. Papers on information literacy instruction dominated, while reference services, technology, and general assessment studies saw less representation in the three journals. This finding reflects the priority placed upon information literacy instruction and describes how three American library journals are responding to current trends across academic libraries.

Application of handheld devices to field research among underserved construction worker populations: a workplace health assessment pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fleming Lora E

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Novel low-cost approaches for conducting rapid health assessments and health promotion interventions among underserved worker groups are needed. Recruitment and participation of construction workers is particularly challenging due to their often transient periods of work at any one construction site, and their limited time during work to participate in such studies. In the present methodology report, we discuss the experience, advantages and disadvantages of using touch screen handheld devices for the collection of field data from a largely underserved worker population. Methods In March 2010, a workplace-centered pilot study to examine the feasibility of using a handheld personal device for the rapid health assessment of construction workers in two South Florida Construction sites was undertaken. A 45-item survey instrument, including health-related questions on tobacco exposure, workplace safety practices, musculoskeletal disorders and health symptoms, was programmed onto Apple iPod Touch® devices. Language sensitive (English and Spanish recruitment scripts, verbal consent forms, and survey questions were all preloaded onto the handheld devices. The experience (time to survey administration and capital cost of the handheld administration method was recorded and compared to approaches available in the extant literature. Results Construction workers were very receptive to the recruitment, interview and assessment processes conducted through the handheld devices. Some workers even welcomed the opportunity to complete the questionnaire themselves using the touch screen handheld device. A list of advantages and disadvantages emerged from this experience that may be useful in the rapid health assessment of underserved populations working in a variety of environmental and occupational health settings. Conclusions Handheld devices, which are relatively inexpensive, minimize survey response error, and allow for easy storage of data

Application of handheld devices to field research among underserved construction worker populations: a workplace health assessment pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Caban-Martinez, Alberto J; Clarke, Tainya C; Davila, Evelyn P; Fleming, Lora E; Lee, David J

2011-04-01

Novel low-cost approaches for conducting rapid health assessments and health promotion interventions among underserved worker groups are needed. Recruitment and participation of construction workers is particularly challenging due to their often transient periods of work at any one construction site, and their limited time during work to participate in such studies. In the present methodology report, we discuss the experience, advantages and disadvantages of using touch screen handheld devices for the collection of field data from a largely underserved worker population. In March 2010, a workplace-centered pilot study to examine the feasibility of using a handheld personal device for the rapid health assessment of construction workers in two South Florida Construction sites was undertaken. A 45-item survey instrument, including health-related questions on tobacco exposure, workplace safety practices, musculoskeletal disorders and health symptoms, was programmed onto Apple iPod Touch® devices. Language sensitive (English and Spanish) recruitment scripts, verbal consent forms, and survey questions were all preloaded onto the handheld devices. The experience (time to survey administration and capital cost) of the handheld administration method was recorded and compared to approaches available in the extant literature. Construction workers were very receptive to the recruitment, interview and assessment processes conducted through the handheld devices. Some workers even welcomed the opportunity to complete the questionnaire themselves using the touch screen handheld device. A list of advantages and disadvantages emerged from this experience that may be useful in the rapid health assessment of underserved populations working in a variety of environmental and occupational health settings. Handheld devices, which are relatively inexpensive, minimize survey response error, and allow for easy storage of data. These technological research modalities are useful in the

Pain Management in Intellectually Disabled Children: Assessment, Treatment, and Translational Research

Science.gov (United States)

Valkenburg, Abraham J.; van Dijk, Monique; de Klein, Annelies; van den Anker, Johannes N.; Tibboel, Dick

2010-01-01

The primary focus of pain research in intellectually disabled individuals is still on pain assessment. Several observational pain assessment scales are available, each with its own characteristics, its own target group and its own validated use. Observational studies report differences in the treatment of intra- and postoperative pain of…

The assessment of scientific research: a case-study of CERN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, B.R.; Minchin, Nigel; Skea, Jim; Peacock, Tim; Crouch, David

1987-01-01

The review aims to demonstrate that formal methods of evaluating research performance can play a valuable role in overcoming some of the problems with decision-making in basic science based on peer review. An approach which combines a number of research output indicators, including bibliometric measures derived from publication and citation analysis, is first outlined and then applied in a case study of the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, CERN, over the period 1961-1984. (author)

Finding Qualitative Research Evidence for Health Technology Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

DeJean, Deirdre; Giacomini, Mita; Simeonov, Dorina; Smith, Andrea

2016-08-01

Health technology assessment (HTA) agencies increasingly use reviews of qualitative research as evidence for evaluating social, experiential, and ethical aspects of health technologies. We systematically searched three bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Social Science Citation Index [SSCI]) using published search filters or "hedges" and our hybrid filter to identify qualitative research studies pertaining to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and early breast cancer. The search filters were compared in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and precision. Our screening by title and abstract revealed that qualitative research constituted only slightly more than 1% of all published research on each health topic. The performance of the published search filters varied greatly across topics and databases. Compared with existing search filters, our hybrid filter demonstrated a consistently high sensitivity across databases and topics, and minimized the resource-intensive process of sifting through false positives. We identify opportunities for qualitative health researchers to improve the uptake of qualitative research into evidence-informed policy making. © The Author(s) 2016.

Interim research assessment 2003-2005 - Computer Science

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mouthaan, A.J.; Hartel, Pieter H.

This report primarily serves as a source of information for the 2007 Interim Research Assessment Committee for Computer Science at the three technical universities in the Netherlands. The report also provides information for others interested in our research activities.

Statistical methods in personality assessment research.

Science.gov (United States)

Schinka, J A; LaLone, L; Broeckel, J A

1997-06-01

Emerging models of personality structure and advances in the measurement of personality and psychopathology suggest that research in personality and personality assessment has entered a stage of advanced development, in this article we examine whether researchers in these areas have taken advantage of new and evolving statistical procedures. We conducted a review of articles published in the Journal of Personality, Assessment during the past 5 years. Of the 449 articles that included some form of data analysis, 12.7% used only descriptive statistics, most employed only univariate statistics, and fewer than 10% used multivariate methods of data analysis. We discuss the cost of using limited statistical methods, the possible reasons for the apparent reluctance to employ advanced statistical procedures, and potential solutions to this technical shortcoming.

the research quality plus (rq+) assessment instrument

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

Thomas Schwandt

THE RESEARCH QUALITY PLUS (RQ+) ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT ... consistent way to allow for further meta-analysis about research quality over time. ... Addresses complex and integrative problems, requiring systems-based approaches ..... benefits or financial costs for participants that might not be appropriate in the ...

A Research Agenda for Radiation Oncology: Results of the Radiation Oncology Institute’s Comprehensive Research Needs Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jagsi, Reshma; Bekelman, Justin E.; Brawley, Otis W.; Deasy, Joseph O.; Le, Quynh-Thu; Michalski, Jeff M.; Movsas, Benjamin; Thomas, Charles R.; Lawton, Colleen A.; Lawrence, Theodore S.; Hahn, Stephen M.

2012-01-01

Purpose: To promote the rational use of scarce research funding, scholars have developed methods for the systematic identification and prioritization of health research needs. The Radiation Oncology Institute commissioned an independent, comprehensive assessment of research needs for the advancement of radiation oncology care. Methods and Materials: The research needs assessment used a mixed-method, qualitative and quantitative social scientific approach, including structured interviews with diverse stakeholders, focus groups, surveys of American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) members, and a prioritization exercise using a modified Delphi technique. Results: Six co-equal priorities were identified: (1) Identify and develop communication strategies to help patients and others better understand radiation therapy; (2) Establish a set of quality indicators for major radiation oncology procedures and evaluate their use in radiation oncology delivery; (3) Identify best practices for the management of radiation toxicity and issues in cancer survivorship; (4) Conduct comparative effectiveness studies related to radiation therapy that consider clinical benefit, toxicity (including quality of life), and other outcomes; (5) Assess the value of radiation therapy; and (6) Develop a radiation oncology registry. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this prioritization exercise is the only comprehensive and methodologically rigorous assessment of research needs in the field of radiation oncology. Broad dissemination of these findings is critical to maximally leverage the impact of this work, particularly because grant funding decisions are often made by committees on which highly specialized disciplines such as radiation oncology are not well represented.

Physics Faculty Perceptions of Research-based Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Sayre, Eleanor

2016-03-01

When research-based resources are well aligned with the perceived needs of faculty, faculty members will more readily take them up. We used phenomenographic interviews of ordinary physics faculty and department chairs to identify four families of issues that faculty have around research-based assessments (RBAs). First, many faculty are interested in using RBAs, but need help with the practicalities of administering RBAs: how to find them, which ones there are, and how to administer them. Second, at the same time, many faculty think that RBAs are limited and don't measure many of the things they care about, or aren't applicable in their classes. They want assessments to measure skills, perceptions, and specific concepts. Third, many faculty want to turn to communities of other faculty and experts to help them interpret their assessment results and suggest other ways to do assessment. They want to better understand their assessment results by comparing to others and interacting with faculty from other schools to learn about how they do assessment. Fourth, many faculty consider their courses in the broader contexts of accountability and their departments. They want help with assessment in these broader contexts. We also discuss how faculty members' roles in their departments and institutions influence their perceived wants and needs around assessment. Supported by NSF DUE-1256354, DUE-1256354, DUE-1347821, DUE-1347728.

Life Cycle Impact Assessment Research Developments and Needs

Science.gov (United States)

Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) developments are explained along with key publications which record discussions which comprised ISO 14042 and SETAC document development, UNEP SETAC Life Cycle Initiative research, and research from public and private research institutions. It ...

The EPA's human exposure research program for assessing cumulative risk in communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Zartarian, Valerie G; Schultz, Bradley D

2010-06-01

Communities are faced with challenges in identifying and prioritizing environmental issues, taking actions to reduce their exposures, and determining their effectiveness for reducing human health risks. Additional challenges include determining what scientific tools are available and most relevant, and understanding how to use those tools; given these barriers, community groups tend to rely more on risk perception than science. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) and collaborators are developing and applying tools (models, data, methods) for enhancing cumulative risk assessments. The NERL's "Cumulative Communities Research Program" focuses on key science questions: (1) How to systematically identify and prioritize key chemical stressors within a given community?; (2) How to develop estimates of exposure to multiple stressors for individuals in epidemiologic studies?; and (3) What tools can be used to assess community-level distributions of exposures for the development and evaluation of the effectiveness of risk reduction strategies? This paper provides community partners and scientific researchers with an understanding of the NERL research program and other efforts to address cumulative community risks; and key research needs and opportunities. Some initial findings include the following: (1) Many useful tools exist for components of risk assessment, but need to be developed collaboratively with end users and made more comprehensive and user-friendly for practical application; (2) Tools for quantifying cumulative risks and impact of community risk reduction activities are also needed; (3) More data are needed to assess community- and individual-level exposures, and to link exposure-related information with health effects; and (4) Additional research is needed to incorporate risk-modifying factors ("non-chemical stressors") into cumulative risk assessments. The products of this

Guidelines for Self-assessment of Research Reactor Safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2018-01-01

Self-assessment is an organization’s internal process to review its current status, processes and performance against predefined criteria and thereby to provide key elements for the organization’s continual development and improvement. Self-assessment helps the organization to think through what it is expected to do, how it is performing in relation to these expectations, and what it needs to do to improve performance, fulfil the expectations and achieve better compliance with the predefined criteria. This publication provides guidelines for a research reactor operating organization to perform a self-assessment of the safety management and the safety of the facility and to identify gaps between the current situation and the IAEA safety requirements for research reactors. These guidelines also provide a methodology for Member States, regulatory bodies and operating organizations to perform a self-assessment of their application of the provisions of the Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors. This publication also addresses planning, implementation and follow-up of actions to enhance safety and strengthen application of the Code. The guidelines are applicable to all types of research reactor and critical and subcritical assemblies, at all stages in their lifetimes, and to States, regulatory bodies and operating organizations throughout all phases of research reactor programmes. Research reactor operating organizations can use these guidelines at any time to support self-assessments conducted in accordance with the organization’s integrated management system. These guidelines also serve as a tool for an organization to prepare to receive an IAEA Integrated Safety Assessment of Research Reactors (INSARR) mission. An important result of this is the opportunity for an operating organization to identify focus areas and make safety improvements in advance of an INSARR mission, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the mission and efficiency of the

Summer Undergraduate Research Program: Environmental studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McMillan, J. [ed.

1994-12-31

The purpose of the summer undergraduate internship program for research in environmental studies is to provide an opportunity for well-qualified students to undertake an original research project as an apprentice to an active research scientist in basic environmental research. The students are offered research topics at the Medical University in the scientific areas of pharmacology and toxicology, epidemiology and risk assessment, environmental microbiology, and marine sciences. Students are also afforded the opportunity to work with faculty at the University of Charleston, SC, on projects with an environmental theme. Ten well-qualified students from colleges and universities throughout the eastern United States were accepted into the program.

The development of a clinical outcomes survey research application: Assessment Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Gershon, Richard; Rothrock, Nan E; Hanrahan, Rachel T; Jansky, Liz J; Harniss, Mark; Riley, William

2010-06-01

The National Institutes of Health sponsored Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) aimed to create item banks and computerized adaptive tests (CATs) across multiple domains for individuals with a range of chronic diseases. Web-based software was created to enable a researcher to create study-specific Websites that could administer PROMIS CATs and other instruments to research participants or clinical samples. This paper outlines the process used to develop a user-friendly, free, Web-based resource (Assessment Center) for storage, retrieval, organization, sharing, and administration of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) instruments. Joint Application Design (JAD) sessions were conducted with representatives from numerous institutions in order to supply a general wish list of features. Use Cases were then written to ensure that end user expectations matched programmer specifications. Program development included daily programmer "scrum" sessions, weekly Usability Acceptability Testing (UAT) and continuous Quality Assurance (QA) activities pre- and post-release. Assessment Center includes features that promote instrument development including item histories, data management, and storage of statistical analysis results. This case study of software development highlights the collection and incorporation of user input throughout the development process. Potential future applications of Assessment Center in clinical research are discussed.

Aligning Objectives and Assessment in Responsible Conduct of Research Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Antes, Alison L.; DuBois, James M.

2014-01-01

Efforts to advance research integrity in light of concerns about misbehavior in research rely heavily on education in the responsible conduct of research (RCR). However, there is limited evidence for the effectiveness of RCR instruction as a remedy. Assessment is essential in RCR education if the research community wishes to expend the effort of instructors, students, and trainees wisely. This article presents key considerations that instructors and course directors must consider in aligning learning objectives with instructional methods and assessment measures, and it provides illustrative examples. Above all, in order for RCR educators to assess outcomes more effectively, they must align assessment to their learning objectives and attend to the validity of the measures used. PMID:25574258

Research Costs Investigated: A Study Into the Budgets of Dutch Publicly Funded Drug-Related Research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

T. van Asselt (Thea); B.L.T. Ramaekers (Bram); I. Corro Ramos (Isaac); M.A. Joore (Manuela); M.J. Al (Maiwenn); Lesman-Leegte, I. (Ivonne); M.J. Postma (Maarten); P. Vemer (Pepijn); T.L. Feenstra (Talitha)

2017-01-01

textabstractBackground: The costs of performing research are an important input in value of information (VOI) analyses but are difficult to assess. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the costs of research, serving two purposes: (1) estimating research costs for use in VOI analyses;

Assessment methodology applicable to safe decommissioning of Romanian VVR-S research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baniu, O.; Vladescu, G.; Vidican, D.; Penescu, M.

2002-01-01

The paper contains the results of research activity performed by CITON specialists regarding the assessment methodology intended to be applied to safe decommissioning of the research reactors, developed taking into account specific conditions of the Romanian VVR-S Research Reactor. The Romanian VVR-S Research Reactor is an old reactor (1957) and its Decommissioning Plan is under study. The main topics of paper are as follows: Safety approach of nuclear facilities decommissioning. Applicable safety principles; Main steps of the proposed assessment methodology; Generic content of Decommissioning Plan. Main decommissioning activities. Discussion about the proposed Decommissioning Plan for Romanian Research Reactor; Safety risks which may occur during decommissioning activities. Normal decommissioning operations. Fault conditions. Internal and external hazards; Typical development of a scenario. Features, Events and Processes List. Exposure pathways. Calculation methodology. (author)

Self-assessment and students’ study strategies in a community of clinical practice: A qualitative study

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Kadri, Hanan M.; Al-Moamary, Mohamed S.; Al-Takroni, Habib; Roberts, Chris; van der Vleuten, Cees P. M.

2012-01-01

Background Self-assessment is recognized as a necessary skill for lifelong learning. It is widely reported to offer numerous advantages to the learner. The research evaluated the impact of students’ and supervisors’ self-assessment and feedback training on students’ perceptions and practices of self-assessment. Moreover, it evaluated the effect of self-assessment process on students’ study strategies within a community of clinical practice. Methods We conducted a qualitative phenomenological study from May 2008 to December 2009. We held 37 semi-structured individual interviews with three different cohorts of undergraduate medical students until we reached data saturation. The cohorts were exposed to different contexts while experiencing their clinical years’ assessment program. In the interviews, students’ perceptions and interpretations of ‘self-assessment practice’ and ‘supervisor-provided feedback’ within different contexts and the resulting study strategies were explored. Results The analysis of interview data with the three cohorts of students yielded three major themes: strategic practice of self-assessment, self-assessment and study strategies, and feedback and study strategies. It appears that self-assessment is not appropriate within a summative context, and its implementation requires cultural preparation. Despite education and orientation on the two major components of the self-assessment process, feedback was more effective in enhancing deeper study strategies. Conclusion This research suggests that the theoretical advantages linked to the self-assessment process are a result of its feedback component rather than the practice of self-assessment isolated from feedback. Further research exploring the effects of different contextual and personal factors on students’ self-assessment is needed. PMID:22355241

Self-assessment and students' study strategies in a community of clinical practice: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Kadri, Hanan M; Al-Moamary, Mohamed S; Al-Takroni, Habib; Roberts, Chris; van der Vleuten, Cees P M

2012-01-01

Self-assessment is recognized as a necessary skill for lifelong learning. It is widely reported to offer numerous advantages to the learner. The research evaluated the impact of students' and supervisors' self-assessment and feedback training on students' perceptions and practices of self-assessment. Moreover, it evaluated the effect of self-assessment process on students' study strategies within a community of clinical practice. We conducted a qualitative phenomenological study from May 2008 to December 2009. We held 37 semi-structured individual interviews with three different cohorts of undergraduate medical students until we reached data saturation. The cohorts were exposed to different contexts while experiencing their clinical years' assessment program. In the interviews, students' perceptions and interpretations of 'self-assessment practice' and 'supervisor-provided feedback' within different contexts and the resulting study strategies were explored. The analysis of interview data with the three cohorts of students yielded three major themes: strategic practice of self-assessment, self-assessment and study strategies, and feedback and study strategies. It appears that self-assessment is not appropriate within a summative context, and its implementation requires cultural preparation. Despite education and orientation on the two major components of the self-assessment process, feedback was more effective in enhancing deeper study strategies. This research suggests that the theoretical advantages linked to the self-assessment process are a result of its feedback component rather than the practice of self-assessment isolated from feedback. Further research exploring the effects of different contextual and personal factors on students' self-assessment is needed.

Research Costs Investigated : A Study Into the Budgets of Dutch Publicly Funded Drug-Related Research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Asselt, Thea; Ramaekers, Bram; Corro Ramos, Isaac; Joore, Manuela; Al, Maiwenn; Lesman-Leegte, Ivonne; Postma, Maarten; Vemer, Pepijn; Feenstra, Talitha

BACKGROUND: The costs of performing research are an important input in value of information (VOI) analyses but are difficult to assess. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the costs of research, serving two purposes: (1) estimating research costs for use in VOI analyses; and (2)

Ecological Momentary Assessment Methodology in Chronic Pain Research: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

May, Marcella; Junghaenel, Doerte U; Ono, Masakatsu; Stone, Arthur A; Schneider, Stefan

2018-01-31

Self-reported pain intensity assessments are central to chronic pain research. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodologies are uniquely positioned to collect these data, and are indeed being used in the field. However, EMA protocols are complex, and many decisions are necessary in the design of EMA research studies. A systematic literature review identified 105 articles drawing from 62 quantitative EMA research projects examining pain intensity in adult chronic pain patients. Study characteristics were tabulated to summarize and describe the use of EMA, with an emphasis placed on various dimensions of decision-making involved in executing EMA methodologies. Most identified studies considered within-person relationships between pain and other variables, and a few examined interventions on chronic pain. There was a trend toward the use of smartphones as EMA data collection devices more recently, and completion rates were not reported in nearly one third of studies. Pain intensity items varied widely with respect to number of scale points, anchor labels, and length of reporting period; most used numeric rating scales. Recommendations are provided for reporting to improve reproducibility, comparability, and interpretation of results, and for opportunities to clarify the importance of design decisions. Studies that use EMA methodologies to assess pain intensity are heterogeneous. Aspects of protocol design, including data input modality and pain item construction, have the potential to influence the data collected. Thorough reporting on design features and completion rates therefore facilitates reproducibility, comparability, and interpretation of study results. Copyright © 2018 The American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How do we know that research ethics committees are really working? The neglected role of outcomes assessment in research ethics review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bouësseau Marie-Charlotte

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Countries are increasingly devoting significant resources to creating or strengthening research ethics committees, but there has been insufficient attention to assessing whether these committees are actually improving the protection of human research participants. Discussion Research ethics committees face numerous obstacles to achieving their goal of improving research participant protection. These include the inherently amorphous nature of ethics review, the tendency of regulatory systems to encourage a focus on form over substance, financial and resource constraints, and conflicts of interest. Auditing and accreditation programs can improve the quality of ethics review by encouraging the development of standardized policies and procedures, promoting a common base of knowledge, and enhancing the status of research ethics committees within their own institutions. However, these mechanisms focus largely on questions of structure and process and are therefore incapable of answering many critical questions about ethics committees' actual impact on research practices. The first step in determining whether research ethics committees are achieving their intended function is to identify what prospective research participants and their communities hope to get out of the ethics review process. Answers to this question can help guide the development of effective outcomes assessment measures. It is also important to determine whether research ethics committees' guidance to investigators is actually being followed. Finally, the information developed through outcomes assessment must be disseminated to key decision-makers and incorporated into practice. This article offers concrete suggestions for achieving these goals. Conclusion Outcomes assessment of research ethics committees should address the following questions: First, does research ethics committee review improve participants' understanding of the risks and potential benefits of

Climate research in the former Soviet Union. FASAC: Foreign Applied Sciences Assessment Center technical assessment report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ellingson, R.G.; Baer, F.; Ellsaesser, H.W.; Harshvardhan; Hoffert, M.I.; Randall, D.A.

1993-09-01

This report assesses the state of the art in several areas of climate research in the former Soviet Union. This assessment was performed by a group of six internationally recognized US experts in related fields. The areas chosen for review are: large-scale circulation processes in the atmosphere and oceans; atmospheric radiative processes; cloud formation processes; climate effects of natural atmospheric disturbances; and the carbon cycle, paleoclimates, and general circulation model validation. The study found an active research community in each of the above areas. Overall, the quality of climate research in the former Soviet Union is mixed, although the best Soviet work is as good as the best corresponding work in the West. The best Soviet efforts have principally been in theoretical studies or data analysis. However, an apparent lack of access to modern computing facilities has severely hampered the Soviet research. Most of the issues considered in the Soviet literature are known, and have been discussed in the Western literature, although some extraordinary research in paleoclimatology was noted. Little unusual and exceptionally creative material was found in the other areas during the study period (1985 through 1992). Scientists in the former Soviet Union have closely followed the Western literature and technology. Given their strengths in theoretical and analytical methods, as well as their possession of simplified versions of detailed computer models being used in the West, researchers in the former Soviet Union have the potential to make significant contributions if supercomputers, workstations, and software become available. However, given the current state of the economy in the former Soviet Union, it is not clear that the computer gap will be bridged in the foreseeable future.

Nirex Safety Assessment Research Programme bibliography, 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, M.J.

1988-05-01

This bibliography lists reports and papers written as part of the Nirex Safety Assessment Research Programme, which is concerned with disposal of low-level and intermediate-level waste (LLW and ILW) and associated radiological assessments. All work referred to has been funded, or partly funded, by UK Nirex Limited, previously known as the Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive (NIREX). The bibliography has been divided into two sections, a List of Publications in roughly chronological order and an Author Index. The topics involved include near-field and far-field studies. The near-field includes the waste, its immobilising medium, its container, the engineered structure in which the containers are emplaced, and the immediately adjacent geological formation disturbed by the construction of the repository. The far-field is the undisturbed geological formation between the near-field and the biosphere. (author)

A mixed-methods study on perceptions towards use of Rapid Ethical Assessment to improve informed consent processes for health research in a low-income setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Addissie, Adamu; Davey, Gail; Newport, Melanie J; Addissie, Thomas; MacGregor, Hayley; Feleke, Yeweyenhareg; Farsides, Bobbie

2014-05-02

Rapid Ethical Assessment (REA) is a form of rapid ethnographic assessment conducted at the beginning of research project to guide the consent process with the objective of reconciling universal ethical guidance with specific research contexts. The current study is conducted to assess the perceived relevance of introducing REA as a mainstream tool in Ethiopia. Mixed methods research using a sequential explanatory approach was conducted from July to September 2012, including 241 cross-sectional, self-administered and 19 qualitative, in-depth interviews among health researchers and regulators including ethics committee members in Ethiopian health research institutions and universities. In their evaluation of the consent process, only 40.2% thought that the consent process and information given were adequately understood by study participants; 84.6% claimed they were not satisfied with the current consent process and 85.5% thought the best interests of study participants were not adequately considered. Commonly mentioned consent-related problems included lack of clarity (48.1%), inadequate information (34%), language barriers (28.2%), cultural differences (27.4%), undue expectations (26.6%) and power imbalances (20.7%). About 95.4% believed that consent should be contextualized to the study setting and 39.4% thought REA would be an appropriate approach to improve the perceived problems. Qualitative findings helped to further explore the gaps identified in the quantitative findings and to map-out concerns related to the current research consent process in Ethiopia. Suggestions included, conducting REA during the pre-test (pilot) phase of studies when applicable. The need for clear guidance for researchers on issues such as when and how to apply the REA tools was stressed. The study findings clearly indicated that there are perceived to be correctable gaps in the consent process of medical research in Ethiopia. REA is considered relevant by researchers and stakeholders

Life Cycle Impact Assessment in the Arctic: Challenges and Research Needs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johan Berg Pettersen

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Life cycle assessment (LCA is increasingly used for environmental assessment of products and production processes to support environmental decision-making both worldwide and in the Arctic. However, there are several weaknesses in the impact assessment methodology in LCA, e.g., related to uncertainties of impact assessment results, absence of spatial differentiation in characterization modeling, and gaps in the coverage of impact pathways of different “archetypal” environments. Searching for a new resource base and areas for operation, marine and marine-based industries are continuously moving north, which underlines the need for better life cycle impact assessment in the Arctic, particularly to aid in industrial environmental management systems and stakeholder communications. This paper aims to investigate gaps and challenges in the application of the currently available impact assessment methods in the Arctic context. A simplified Arctic mining LCA case study was carried out to demonstrate the relevance of Arctic emissions at the midpoint and endpoint levels, as well as possible influences of the Arctic context on the impact assessment results. Results of this study showed that significant research gaps remain in Arctic-dependent life cycle impact assessment, particularly on: (i the possible influences of the Arctic-specific features on characterization factors for impact assessment (such as seasonality, cold climate, precipitation, and marine dependence; and (ii the coverage of impact pathways, especially on the under-addressed marine impacts and marine/near-shore dispersion processes. Addressing those identified research gaps and demand for future Arctic life cycle impact assessment could increase the credibility of LCA as an environmental decision-making support tool for Arctic industries and better support sustainable Arctic development.

A Research Agenda for Radiation Oncology: Results of the Radiation Oncology Institute's Comprehensive Research Needs Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jagsi, Reshma, E-mail: rjagsi@med.umich.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Bekelman, Justin E. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Brawley, Otis W. [Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory University, and American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia (United States); Deasy, Joseph O. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY (United States); Le, Quynh-Thu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (United States); Michalski, Jeff M. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO (United States); Movsas, Benjamin [Department of Radiation Oncology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI (United States); Thomas, Charles R. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR (United States); Lawton, Colleen A. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Lawrence, Theodore S. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Hahn, Stephen M. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

2012-10-01

Purpose: To promote the rational use of scarce research funding, scholars have developed methods for the systematic identification and prioritization of health research needs. The Radiation Oncology Institute commissioned an independent, comprehensive assessment of research needs for the advancement of radiation oncology care. Methods and Materials: The research needs assessment used a mixed-method, qualitative and quantitative social scientific approach, including structured interviews with diverse stakeholders, focus groups, surveys of American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) members, and a prioritization exercise using a modified Delphi technique. Results: Six co-equal priorities were identified: (1) Identify and develop communication strategies to help patients and others better understand radiation therapy; (2) Establish a set of quality indicators for major radiation oncology procedures and evaluate their use in radiation oncology delivery; (3) Identify best practices for the management of radiation toxicity and issues in cancer survivorship; (4) Conduct comparative effectiveness studies related to radiation therapy that consider clinical benefit, toxicity (including quality of life), and other outcomes; (5) Assess the value of radiation therapy; and (6) Develop a radiation oncology registry. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this prioritization exercise is the only comprehensive and methodologically rigorous assessment of research needs in the field of radiation oncology. Broad dissemination of these findings is critical to maximally leverage the impact of this work, particularly because grant funding decisions are often made by committees on which highly specialized disciplines such as radiation oncology are not well represented.

URSSA, the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment: A Tool for Assessing Student Outcomes of Undergraduate Research

Science.gov (United States)

Laursen, S. L.; Hunter, A.; Weston, T.; Thiry, H.

2009-12-01

Evidence-based thinking is essential both to science and to the development of effective educational programs. Thus assessment of student learning—gathering evidence about the nature and depth of students’ learning gains, and about how they arise—is a centerpiece of any effective undergraduate research (UR) program. Assessment data can be used to monitor progress, to diagnose problems, to strengthen program designs, and to report both good outcomes and strategies to improve them to institutional and financial stakeholders in UR programs. While the positive impact of UR on students’ educational, personal and professional development has long been a matter of faith, only recently have researchers and evaluators developed an empirical basis by which to identify and explain these outcomes. Based on this growing body of evidence, URSSA, the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment, is a survey tool that departments and programs can use to assess student outcomes of UR. URSSA focuses on what students learn from their UR experience, rather than whether they liked it. Both multiple-choice and open-ended items focus on students’ gains from UR, including: (1) skills such as lab work and communication; (2) conceptual knowledge and linkages among ideas in their field and with other fields; (3) deepened understanding of the intellectual and practical work of science; (4) growth in confidence and adoption of the identity of scientist; (5) preparation for a career or graduate school in science; and (6) greater clarity in understanding what career or educational path they might wish to pursue. Other items probe students’ participation in important activities that have been shown to lead to these gains; and a set of optional items can be included to probe specific program features that may supplement UR (e.g. field trips, career seminars, housing arrangements). The poster will describe URSSA's content, development, validation, and use. For more information about

A Global Assessment on Climate Research Engaging Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Recommendations for Quality Standards of Research Practice in Indigenous Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Davíd-Chavez, D. M.; Gavin, M. C.

2017-12-01

Indigenous communities worldwide have maintained their own knowledge systems for millennia informed through careful observation of dynamics of environmental changes. Withstanding centuries of challenges to their rights to maintain and practice these knowledge systems, Indigenous peoples continually speak to a need for quality standards for research in their communities. Although, international and Indigenous peoples' working groups emphasize Indigenous knowledge systems and the communities who hold them as critical resources for understanding and adapting to climate change, there has yet to be a comprehensive, evidence based analysis into how diverse knowledge systems are integrated in scientific studies. Do current research practices challenge or support Indigenous communities in their efforts to maintain and appropriately apply their knowledge systems? This study addresses this question using a systematic literature review and meta-analysis assessing levels of Indigenous community participation and decision-making in all stages of the research process (initiation, design, implementation, analysis, dissemination). Assessment is based on reported quality indicators such as: outputs that serve the community, ethical guidelines in practice (free, prior, and informed consent and intellectual property rights), and community access to findings. These indicators serve to identify patterns between levels of community participation and quality standards in practice. Meta-analysis indicates most climate studies practice an extractive model in which Indigenous knowledge systems are co-opted with minimal participation or decision-making authority from communities who hold them. Few studies report outputs that directly serve Indigenous communities, ethical guidelines in practice, or community access to findings. Studies reporting the most quality indicators were initiated in mutual agreement between Indigenous communities and outside researchers or by communities themselves

Metrics-based assessments of research: incentives for 'institutional plagiarism'?

Science.gov (United States)

Berry, Colin

2013-06-01

The issue of plagiarism--claiming credit for work that is not one's own, rightly, continues to cause concern in the academic community. An analysis is presented that shows the effects that may arise from metrics-based assessments of research, when credit for an author's outputs (chiefly publications) is given to an institution that did not support the research but which subsequently employs the author. The incentives for what is termed here "institutional plagiarism" are demonstrated with reference to the UK Research Assessment Exercise in which submitting units of assessment are shown in some instances to derive around twice the credit for papers produced elsewhere by new recruits, compared to papers produced 'in-house'.

Assessment of Long-Term Research Needs for Shale-Oil Recovery (FERWG-III)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Penner, S.S.

1981-03-01

The Fossil Energy Research Working Group (FERWG), at the request of E. Frieman (Director, Office of Energy Research) and G. Fumich, Jr. (Assistant Secretary for Fossil Fuels), has reviewed and evaluated the U.S. programs on shale-oil recovery. These studies were performed in order to provide an independent assessment of critical research areas that affect the long-term prospects for shale-oil availability. This report summarizes the findings and research recommendations of FERWG.

Student Engagement and Assessment Modes: A Study

Science.gov (United States)

Pathak, Anil

2018-01-01

The aim of this project is to attempt a factorial analysis of the congruence amongst three layers of assessments of Oral Presentation: "Expert, Self, and Peer". Participants included graduate and undergraduate students of Asian background studying Research Writing at a technological university. The research instrument consisted of a set…

Big data and technology assessment: research topic or competitor?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rieder, Gernot; Simon, Judith

2017-01-01

With its promise to transform how we live, work, and think, Big Data has captured the imaginations of governments, businesses, and academia. However, the grand claims of Big Data advocates have been accompanied with concerns about potential detrimental implications for civil rights and liberties......, leading to a climate of clash and mutual distrust between different stakeholders. Throughout the years, the interdisciplinary field of technology assessment (TA) has gained considerable experience in studying socio-technical controversies and as such is exceptionally well equipped to assess the premises...... considerations on how TA might contribute to more responsible data-based research and innovation....

Assessing the scientific research productivity of a Brazilian healthcare institution: a case study at the heart institute of São Paulo, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatriz Helena Tess

2009-06-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: The present study was motivated by the need to systematically assess the research productivity of the Heart Institute (InCor, Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Brazil. OBJECTIVE: To explore methodology for the assessment of institutional scientific research productivity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bibliometric indicators based on searches for author affiliation of original scientific articles or reviews published in journals indexed in the databases Web of Science, MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS and SciELO from January 2000 to December 2003 were used in this study. The retrieved records were analyzed according to the index parameters of the journals and modes of access. The number of citations was used to calculate the institutional impact factor. RESULTS: Out of 1253 records retrieved from the five databases, 604 original articles and reviews were analyzed; of these, 246 (41% articles were published in national journals and 221 (90% of those were in journals with free online access through SciELO or their own websites. Of the 358 articles published in international journals, 333 (93% had controlled online access and 223 (67% were available through the Capes Portal of Journals. The average impact of each article for InCor was 2.224 in the period studied. CONCLUSION: A simple and practical methodology to evaluate the scientific production of health research institutions includes searches in the LILACS database for national journals and in MEDLINE and the Web of Science for international journals. The institutional impact factor of articles indexed in the Web of Science may serve as a measure by which to assess and review the scientific productivity of a research institution.

Radiological assessments, environmental monitoring, and study design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, W.R.; Elle, D.R.

1980-01-01

Studies of the behavior of transuranic elements in the environment form the basic data for applied programs in radiological assessment, environmental monitoring, derivation of radiation-protection standards, and environmental impact statements. This chapter introduces some of the major information requirements of these applications of transuranic research data. Characteristics of the source terms from nuclear activities usually are needed for an analysis of environmental pathways or deployment of monitoring systems. Major inhalation and ingestion pathways are considered in assessments of hazards from transuranics and are discussed from the viewpoint of research needed

Advancing Evidence-Based Assessment in School Mental Health: Key Priorities for an Applied Research Agenda.

Science.gov (United States)

Arora, Prerna G; Connors, Elizabeth H; George, Melissa W; Lyon, Aaron R; Wolk, Courtney B; Weist, Mark D

2016-12-01

Evidence-based assessment (EBA) is a critically important aspect of delivering high-quality, school-based mental health care for youth. However, research in this area is limited and additional applied research on how best to support the implementation of EBA in school mental health (SMH) is needed. Accordingly, this manuscript seeks to facilitate the advancement of research on EBA in SMH by reviewing relevant literature on EBA implementation in schools and providing recommendations for key research priorities. Given the limited number of published studies available, findings from child and adolescent mental health and implementation science research are also included to inform a robust and comprehensive research agenda on this topic. Based on this literature review, five priorities for research on EBA in SMH are outlined: (1) effective identification of assessment targets, (2) appropriate selection of assessment measures, (3) investigation of organizational readiness for EBA, (4) study of implementation support for EBA, and (5) promotion of EBA data integration and use. Each priority area includes recommended directions for future research. A comprehensive and robust research agenda is warranted to build the science and practice of implementing EBA in SMH. Specific directions for this agenda are offered.

Assessment report no. 1 by the National Commission for assessment of researches and studies related to the management of radioactive materials and wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-06-01

After a presentation of the main orientations of the Commission, this report describes the legal framework for the management of radioactive materials and wastes (long life high level and intermediate level wastes, other wastes, separation and transmutation, waste packaging), proposes an assessment of researches and studies coordinated by the ANDRA (on high and medium level wastes) and of those coordinated by the CEA (on separation and transmutation, on waste packaging and long term behaviour). It gives an overview of recent international developments in the field of nuclear waste storage (in Sweden, Finland, United-Kingdom, Canada, United States, and Belgium)

An Empirical Research on Bank Client Credit Assessments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quan Chen

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Individual microcredit loans involve large quantities and small amounts and necessitate rapid approval, therefore making simple and fast application approvals rather critical. Creditors must evaluate clients’ credit status and default risk within the shortest time when determining whether to approve or decline their applications, preventing overdue responses that negatively impact bank profits and management practices, and could trigger domestic financial crises. This study investigates client credit quality criteria, focusing on the expert opinions of bank managers. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method is adopted to enable a comparison and analysis of the similarities and differences in how banks evaluate their clients’ character, ability, financial capability, and collateral. Based on causality and correlations among the criteria, we also identify the core problems and key improvement criteria in the evaluation system. Through survey results of professional managers from Taiwanese banks, this study uses the DEMATEL method to compare the differences in bank evaluation methods based on the four dimensions of clients’ character, ability, pockets, and collateral, as well as the corresponding 14 criteria. In order to improve the reliability and usefulness in bank client credit risk assessment, the assessment dimensions and indicators of bank client credit risk assessment are first discussed; second, the causal relationship and degree of mutual influence between different dimensions and criteria are researched and assessed; in the end, the paper discusses how to improve the function and the benefits of bank client credit risk assessment.

The Use of Bayesian Networks to Assess the Quality of Evidence from Research Synthesis: 2. Inter-Rater Reliability and Comparison with Standard GRADE Assessment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexis Llewellyn

Full Text Available The grades of recommendation, assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE approach is widely implemented in systematic reviews, health technology assessment and guideline development organisations throughout the world. We have previously reported on the development of the Semi-Automated Quality Assessment Tool (SAQAT, which enables a semi-automated validity assessment based on GRADE criteria. The main advantage to our approach is the potential to improve inter-rater agreement of GRADE assessments particularly when used by less experienced researchers, because such judgements can be complex and challenging to apply without training. This is the first study examining the inter-rater agreement of the SAQAT.We conducted two studies to compare: a the inter-rater agreement of two researchers using the SAQAT independently on 28 meta-analyses and b the inter-rater agreement between a researcher using the SAQAT (who had no experience of using GRADE and an experienced member of the GRADE working group conducting a standard GRADE assessment on 15 meta-analyses.There was substantial agreement between independent researchers using the Quality Assessment Tool for all domains (for example, overall GRADE rating: weighted kappa 0.79; 95% CI 0.65 to 0.93. Comparison between the SAQAT and a standard GRADE assessment suggested that inconsistency was parameterised too conservatively by the SAQAT. Therefore the tool was amended. Following amendment we found fair-to-moderate agreement between the standard GRADE assessment and the SAQAT (for example, overall GRADE rating: weighted kappa 0.35; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.87.Despite a need for further research, the SAQAT may aid consistent application of GRADE, particularly by less experienced researchers.

Research on advanced system safety assessment procedures (4)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Kazuhiko; Shimada, Yukiyasu

2001-03-01

The past research reports in the area of safety engineering proposed the Computer-aided HAZOP system to be applied to Nuclear Reprocessing Facilities. Automated HAZOP system has great advantage compared with human analysts in terms of accuracy of the results, and time required to conduct HAZOP studies. This report surveys the literature on risk assessment and safety design based on the concept of independent protection layers (IPLs). Furthermore, to improve HAZOP System, tool is proposed to construct the basic model and the internal state model. Such HAZOP system is applied to analyze two kinds of processes, where the ability of the proposed system is verified. In addition, risk assessment support system is proposed to integrate safety design environment and assessment result to be used by other plants as well as to enable the underline plant to use other plants' information. This technique can be implemented using web-based safety information systems. (author)

IMPROVEMENT OF THE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROJECTS - A PREMISE OF INCREASING THE UNIVERSITY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PERFORMANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristian Marius TOMA

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The National Plan for Research, Development and Innovation 2007 – 2013, called herein the National Plan II, represents the main instrument used to implement the National Strategy for Research, Development and Innovation. Universities play a unique role in the development of the knowledge-based society, through its contribution to knowledge generation, transmission, dissemination and utilization. The essential role of the university is to shape the highly qualified human resource, a process that implies a symbiosis between the education and research, the education system performances contributing in this way to a great extent to the society development. The highly qualified human resource represents an important asset of a nation. This study is dedicated to the analysis of the assessment criteria for the Exploratory Research Projects (ERP handed in the competitions in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2012 and to highlight the importance of improving the assessment criteria in order to improve their quality.

Assessment report of research and development activities FY2014. Activity: 'Advanced science research' (Final report)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-09-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (hereinafter referred to as 'JAEA') consulted an assessment committee, 'Evaluation Committee of Research Activities for Advanced Science Research' (hereinafter referred to as 'Committee') for final evaluation and prior assessment of 'Advanced Science Research,' in accordance with 'General Guideline for the Evaluation of Government Research and Development (R and D) Activities' by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 'Guideline for Evaluation of R and D in Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology' and 'Regulation on Conduct for Evaluation of R and D Activities' by JAEA. In response to the JAEA's request, the Committee assessed the research programs and activities of the Advanced Science Research Center (hereinafter referred to as 'ASRC') for the period of five years from April 2010 and the research programs from April 2015. The Committee evaluated the management and the research programs of the ASRC based on the explanatory documents prepared by the ASRC and the oral presentations with questions-and-answers by the Director and the research group leaders. This report summarizes the results of the assessment by the Committee with the Committee report attached. (author)

Does health intervention research have real world policy and practice impacts: testing a new impact assessment tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Gillian; Schroeder, Jacqueline; Newson, Robyn; King, Lesley; Rychetnik, Lucie; Milat, Andrew J; Bauman, Adrian E; Redman, Sally; Chapman, Simon

2015-01-01

There is a growing emphasis on the importance of research having demonstrable public benefit. Measurements of the impacts of research are therefore needed. We applied a modified impact assessment process that builds on best practice to 5 years (2003-2007) of intervention research funded by Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council to determine if these studies had post-research real-world policy and practice impacts. We used a mixed method sequential methodology whereby chief investigators of eligible intervention studies who completed two surveys and an interview were included in our final sample (n = 50), on which we conducted post-research impact assessments. Data from the surveys and interviews were triangulated with additional information obtained from documentary analysis to develop comprehensive case studies. These case studies were then summarized and the reported impacts were scored by an expert panel using criteria for four impact dimensions: corroboration; attribution, reach, and importance. Nineteen (38%) of the cases in our final sample were found to have had policy and practice impacts, with an even distribution of high, medium, and low impact scores. While the tool facilitated a rigorous and explicit criterion-based assessment of post-research impacts, it was not always possible to obtain evidence using documentary analysis to corroborate the impacts reported in chief investigator interviews. While policy and practice is ideally informed by reviews of evidence, some intervention research can and does have real world impacts that can be attributed to single studies. We recommend impact assessments apply explicit criteria to consider the corroboration, attribution, reach, and importance of reported impacts on policy and practice. Impact assessments should also allow sufficient time between impact data collection and completion of the original research and include mechanisms to obtain end-user input to corroborate claims and reduce biases

Application of four-dimension criteria to assess rigour of qualitative research in emergency medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Forero, Roberto; Nahidi, Shizar; De Costa, Josephine; Mohsin, Mohammed; Fitzgerald, Gerry; Gibson, Nick; McCarthy, Sally; Aboagye-Sarfo, Patrick

2018-02-17

The main objective of this methodological manuscript was to illustrate the role of using qualitative research in emergency settings. We outline rigorous criteria applied to a qualitative study assessing perceptions and experiences of staff working in Australian emergency departments. We used an integrated mixed-methodology framework to identify different perspectives and experiences of emergency department staff during the implementation of a time target government policy. The qualitative study comprised interviews from 119 participants across 16 hospitals. The interviews were conducted in 2015-2016 and the data were managed using NVivo version 11. We conducted the analysis in three stages, namely: conceptual framework, comparison and contrast and hypothesis development. We concluded with the implementation of the four-dimension criteria (credibility, dependability, confirmability and transferability) to assess the robustness of the study, RESULTS: We adapted four-dimension criteria to assess the rigour of a large-scale qualitative research in the emergency department context. The criteria comprised strategies such as building the research team; preparing data collection guidelines; defining and obtaining adequate participation; reaching data saturation and ensuring high levels of consistency and inter-coder agreement. Based on the findings, the proposed framework satisfied the four-dimension criteria and generated potential qualitative research applications to emergency medicine research. We have added a methodological contribution to the ongoing debate about rigour in qualitative research which we hope will guide future studies in this topic in emergency care research. It also provided recommendations for conducting future mixed-methods studies. Future papers on this series will use the results from qualitative data and the empirical findings from longitudinal data linkage to further identify factors associated with ED performance; they will be reported

Is it worth it? Patient and public views on the impact of their involvement in health research and its assessment: a UK-based qualitative interview study.

Science.gov (United States)

Crocker, Joanna C; Boylan, Anne-Marie; Bostock, Jennifer; Locock, Louise

2017-06-01

There are mounting calls for robust, critical evaluation of the impact of patient and public involvement (PPI) in health research. However, questions remain about how to assess its impact, and whether it should be assessed at all. The debate has thus far been dominated by professionals. To explore the views of PPI contributors involved in health research regarding the impact of PPI on research, whether and how it should be assessed. Qualitative interview study. Thirty-eight PPI contributors involved in health research across the UK. Participants felt that PPI has a beneficial impact on health research. They described various impactful roles, which we conceptualize as the 'expert in lived experience', the 'creative outsider', the 'free challenger', the 'bridger', the 'motivator' and the 'passive presence'. Participants generally supported assessing the impact of PPI, while acknowledging the challenges and concerns about the appropriateness and feasibility of measurement. They expressed a range of views about what impacts should be assessed, by whom and how. Individual feedback on impact was seen as an important driver of improved impact and motivation to stay involved. While there appears to be widespread support for PPI impact assessment among PPI contributors, their views on what to assess and how are diverse. PPI contributors should be involved as equal partners in debates and decisions about these issues. Individual feedback on impact may increase PPI contributors' potential impact and their motivation to stay involved. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessing the impact of defining a global priority research agenda to address HIV-associated tuberculosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Odone, Anna; Matteelli, Alberto; Chiesa, Valentina; Cella, Paola; Ferrari, Antonio; Pezzetti, Federica; Signorelli, Carlo; Getahun, Haileyesus

2016-11-01

In 2010, the WHO issued 77 priority research questions (PRQs) to address HIV-associated TB. Objective of the this study was to assess the impact of defining the research agenda in stimulating and directing research around priority research questions. We used number and type of scientific publications as a proxy to quantitatively assess the impact of research agenda setting. We conducted 77 single systematic reviews - one for every PRQ - building 77 different search strategies using PRQs' keywords. Multivariate logistic regression models were applied to assess the quantity and quality of research produced over time and accounting for selected covariates. In 2009-2015, PRQs were addressed by 1631 publications (median: 11 studies published per PRQ, range 1-96). The most published area was 'Intensified TB case finding' (median: 23 studies/PRQ, range: 2-74). The majority (62.1%, n = 1013) were published as original studies, and more than half (58%, n = 585) were conducted in the African region. Original studies' publication increased over the study period (P trend = <0.001). They focused more on the 'Intensified TB case finding' (OR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.56-2.93) and 'Drug-resistant TB and HIV infection' (OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.47-3.06) areas than non-original studies. Original studies were published in journals of lower impact factor and received a smaller number of citations than non-original studies (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.42-0.69). The generation of evidence to address PRQs has increased over time particularly in selected fields. Setting a priority research agenda for HIV-associated TB might have positively influenced the direction and the conduct of research and contributed to the global response to such a major threat to health. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Welfare assessment in porcine biomedical research – Suggestion for an operational tool

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søndergaard, Lene Vammen; Dagnæs-Hansen, Frederik; Herskin, Mette S

2011-01-01

of the extent of welfare assessment in pigs used in biomedical research and to suggest a welfare assessment standard for research facilities based on an exposition of ethological considerations relevant for the welfare of pigs in biomedical research. The tools for porcine welfare assessment presented suggest...

Case studies in the application of probabilistic safety assessment techniques to radiation sources. Final report of a coordinated research project 2001-2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-04-01

Radiation sources are used worldwide in many industrial and medical applications. In general, the safety record associated with their use has been very good. However, accidents involving these sources have occasionally resulted in unplanned exposures to individuals. When assessed prospectively, this type of exposure is termed a 'potential exposure'. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has recommended the assessment of potential exposures that may result from radiation sources and has suggested that probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) techniques may be used in this process. Also, Paragraph 2.13 of the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (BSS) requires that the authorization process for radiation sources include an assessment of all exposures, including potential exposures, which may result from the use of a radiation source. In light of the ICRP's work described above, and the possibility that PSA techniques could be used in exposure assessments that are required by the BSS, the IAEA initiated a coordinated research project (CRP) to study the benefits and limitations of the application of PSA techniques to radiation sources. The results of this CRP are presented in this publication. It should be noted that these results are based solely on the work performed, and the conclusions drawn, by the research teams involved in this CRP. It is intended that international organizations involved in radiation protection will review the information in this report and will take account of it during the development of guidance and requirements related to the assessment of potential exposures from radiation sources. Also, it is anticipated that the risk insights obtained through the studies will be considered by medical practitioners, facility staff and management, equipment designers, and regulators in their safety management and risk evaluation activities. A draft

The Nirex safety assessment research programme: annual report for 1985/86

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodgkinson, D.P.; Cooper, M.J.; Atkinson, A.

1987-01-01

The report describes progress of the Nirex Safety Assessment Research Programme in 1985/86. In addition, some background information is given on the overall programme and on the individual research projects, and likely future work is outlined. Research into the disposal of low-level waste (LLW) and intermediate-level waste (ILW) into underground repositories and onto the sea bed is reported. A large part of the programme is concerned with the effectiveness of near-field barriers to water-borne leakage of radionuclides from cementitious repositories. Considerable progress has been made with quantifying the longevity of steel containers and concrete structures, and the effectiveness of chemical constraints in limiting near-field concentrations. A range of techniques for measuring and modelling far-field phenomena has been developed and tested. Some initial studies have been performed to assess the durability of sea disposal packages and the behaviour of polythene in sea water. (author)

Adherence to Web-Based Self-Assessments in Long-Term Direct-to-Patient Research: Two-Year Study of Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Jongen, Peter Joseph; Kremer, Ingrid E H; Hristodorova, Elena; Evers, Silvia M A A; Kool, Anton; van Noort, Esther M; Hiligsmann, Mickaël

2017-07-21

Direct-to-patient research via Web-based questionnaires is increasingly being used. Missed data or delayed reporting of data may negatively affect the quality of study results. It is insufficiently known to what degree patients adhere to agreed self-assessment schedule over the long term and whether questionnaires are filled out in a timely manner. The objective of this study was to investigate patients' adherence to a self-assessment schedule with low-frequency long questionnaires versus that with a high-frequency short questionnaire. In this study, the 36-item MS Impact Profile (MSIP) questionnaire measured (perceived) disabilities and the 54-item MS Quality of Life-54 (MSQoL-54) questionnaire measured health-related quality of life at 6-month intervals. Additionally, the 2-item Medication and Adherence (MA) questionnaire documented medication and adherence to disease-modifying medication every month. An experienced MS nurse assessed the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score via phone. For both the self-assessment schedules, we calculated the percentage of patients who had completed all the questionnaires in the first 2 years (completion adherence), the percentage of patients who completed all the questionnaires within set time frames (interval adherence), the relationship between adherence and the EDSS score, and the timing of EDSS assessment. Of the 331 patients who enrolled themselves, 301 patients completed at least one questionnaire. At month six (M6), M12, M18, and M24, the MSIP was completed by 83.4% (251/301), 71.8% (216/301), 68.1% (205/301), and 58.5% (176/301) of the patients, respectively; the MSQoL-54 by 82.1% (247/301), 71.8% (216/301), 66.8% (201/301), and 57.1% (172/301), respectively; and the MA questionnaire by 80.1% (241/301), 70.4% (212/301), 62.1% (187/301), and 53.5% (161/301), respectively. For the MSIP, 56.8% (171/301) of the patients were 2-year completion adherent; 55.5% (167/301) and 53.5% (161/301) of the patients were

Organization of research team for nano-associated safety assessment in effort to study nanotoxicology of zinc oxide and silica nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kim YR

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Yu-Ri Kim,1,* Sung Ha Park,2,* Jong-Kwon Lee,3 Jayoung Jeong,3 Ja Hei Kim,4 Eun-Ho Meang,5 Tae Hyun Yoon,6 Seok Tae Lim,7 Jae-Min Oh,8 Seong Soo A An,9 Meyoung-Kon Kim1 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea University Medical School and College, Seoul, South Korea; 2Department of Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK; 3Toxicological Research Division, National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, Chungchungbuk-do, 4Consumers Korea, Chongro-ku, 5General toxicology team, Korea Testing and Research Institute, 6Laboratory of Nanoscale Characterization and Environmental Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, 7Department of Nuclear Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jellabuk-Do, 8Department of Chemistry and Medical Chemistry, College of Science and Technology, Yonsei University, Gangwon-do, 9Department of Bionanotechnology, Gachon Medical Research Institute, Gachon University, Seongnam, South Korea *Authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Currently, products made with nanomaterials are used widely, especially in biology, biotechnologies, and medical areas. However, limited investigations on potential toxicities of nanomaterials are available. Hence, diverse and systemic toxicological data with new methods for nanomaterials are needed. In order to investigate the nanotoxicology of nanoparticles (NPs, the Research Team for Nano-Associated Safety Assessment (RT-NASA was organized in three parts and launched. Each part focused on different contents of research directions: investigators in part I were responsible for the efficient management and international cooperation on nano-safety studies; investigators in part II performed the toxicity evaluations on target organs such as assessment of genotoxicity, immunotoxicity, or skin penetration; and investigators in part III evaluated the toxicokinetics of NPs with newly developed

Assessing Student Outcomes of Undergraduate Research with URSSA, the Undergraduate Student Self-Assessment Instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Laursen, S. L.; Weston, T. J.; Thiry, H.

2012-12-01

URSSA is the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment, an online survey instrument for programs and departments to use in assessing the student outcomes of undergraduate research (UR). URSSA focuses on what students learn from their UR experience, rather than whether they liked it. The online questionnaire includes both multiple-choice and open-ended items that focus on students' gains from undergraduate research. These gains include skills, knowledge, deeper understanding of the intellectual and practical work of science, growth in confidence, changes in identity, and career preparation. Other items probe students' participation in important research-related activities that lead to these gains (e.g. giving presentations, having responsibility for a project). These activities, and the gains themselves, are based in research and thus constitute a core set of items. Using these items as a group helps to align a particular program assessment with research-demonstrated outcomes. Optional items may be used to probe particular features that are augment the research experience (e.g. field trips, career seminars, housing arrangements). The URSSA items are based on extensive, interview-based research and evaluation work on undergraduate research by our group and others. This grounding in research means that URSSA measures what we know to be important about the UR experience The items were tested with students, revised and re-tested. Data from a large pilot sample of over 500 students enabled statistical testing of the items' validity and reliability. Optional items about UR program elements were developed in consultation with UR program developers and leaders. The resulting instrument is flexible. Users begin with a set of core items, then customize their survey with optional items to probe students' experiences of specific program elements. The online instrument is free and easy to use, with numeric results available as raw data, summary statistics, cross-tabs, and

Assessing competence in sport psychology: An action research account

OpenAIRE

Hutter, R. I (Vana); Pijpers, J. R (Rob); Oudejans, Raôul R.D.

2016-01-01

Competent practice in sport psychology is of utmost importance for the professional status of the field, and hence proper assessment of competence for sport psychology practice is needed. We describe three cycles of action research to improve the assessment of competence in a sport psychology education program. The cycles were directed at (a) empowering supervisors in their assessing role, (b) improving the assessment checklist, and (c) investigating an alternative assessment method. Although...

Safety re-assessment of AECL test and research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winfield, D.J.

1990-01-01

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited currently has four operating engineering test/research reactors of various sizes and ages; a new isotope-production reactor Maple-X10, under construction at Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories (CRNL), and a heating demonstration reactor, SDR, undergoing high-power commissioning at Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment (WNRE). The company is also performing design studies of small reactors for hot water and electricity production. The older reactors are ZED-2, PTR, NRX, and NRU; these range in age from 42 years (NRX) to 29 years (ZED-2). Since 1984, limited-scope safety re-assessments have been underway on three of these reactors (ZED-2, NRX AND NRU). ZED-2 and PTR are operated by the Reactor Physics Branch; all other reactors are operated by the respective site Reactor Operations Branches. For the older reactors the original safety reports produced were entirely deterministic in nature and based on the design-basis accident concept. The limited scope safety re-assessments for these older reactors, carried out over the past 5 years, have comprised both quantitative probabilistic safety-assessment techniques, such as event tree and fault analysis, and/or qualitative techniques, such as failure mode and effect analysis. The technique used for an individual assessment was dependent upon the specific scope required. This paper discusses the types of analyses carried out, specific insights/recommendations resulting from the analysis, and the plan for future analysis. In addition, during the last four years safety assessments have been carried out on the new isotope-, heat-, and electricity-producing reactors, as part of the safety design review, commissioning and licensing activities

Methodology for a GIS-based damage assessment for researchers following large scale disasters

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, Patrick Shane

The 1990s were designated the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction by the United Nations General Assembly. This push for decrease of loss of life, property destruction, and social and economic disruption brought advancements in disaster management, including damage assessment. Damage assessment in the wake of natural and manmade disasters is a useful tool for government agencies, insurance companies, and researchers. As technologies evolve damage assessment processes constantly evolve as well. Alongside the advances in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, as well as the growing awareness of the needs of a standard operating procedure for GIS-based damage assessment and a need to make the damage assessment process as quick and accurate as possible, damage assessment procedures are becoming easier to execute and the results are becoming more accurate and robust. With these technological breakthroughs, multi-disciplinary damage assessment reconnaissance teams have become more efficient in their assessment methods through better organization and more robust through addition of new datasets. Damage assessment personnel are aided by software tools that offer high-level analysis and increasingly rapid damage assessment methods. GIS software has advanced the damage assessment methods of these teams by combining remotely sensed aerial imagery, GPS, and other technologies to expand the uses of the data. GIS allows researchers to use aerial imagery to show field collected data in the geographic location that it was collected so that information can be revisited, measurements can be taken, and data can be disseminated to other researchers and the public. The GIS-based data available to the reconnaissance team includes photographs of damage, worksheets, calculations, voice messages collected while studying the affected area, and many other datasets which are based on the type of disaster and the

Tracking the Evolution of "Research & Practice in Assessment" through the Pages of RPA

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Robin D.; Curtis, Nicolas A.

2017-01-01

Ten years ago, "Research & Practice in Assessment" (RPA) was born, providing an outlet for assessment-related research. Since that first winter issue, assessment research and practice has evolved. Like with many evolutions, the assessment practice evolution is best described as a change of emphasis as opposed to a radical revolution.…

Classroom Implications of Recent Research into Literacy Development: From Predictors to Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Laura R.; Hurry, Jane; Masterson, Jackie; Wydell, Taeko N.; Doctor, Estelle

2009-01-01

We outline how research into predictors of literacy underpins the development of increasingly accurate and informative assessments. We report three studies that emphasize the crucial role of speech and auditory skills on literacy development throughout primary and secondary school. Our first study addresses the effects of early childhood middle…

Privacy Impact Assessment for the Medical and Research Study Records of Human Volunteers

Science.gov (United States)

The Medical & Research Study Records of Human Volunteers System collects demographic and medical information on subjects who participate in research. Learn how this data is collected, used, access to the data, and the purpose of data collection.

A pilot study of MD (psychiatry) theses-based research.

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Shrikant; Agarwal, Vivek; Subramanyam, Alka; Srivastava, Mona; Sathyanarayana Rao, T S; Rao, G Prasad; Khurana, Hitesh; Singh, Archana

2018-01-01

Undertaking a research project is mandatory for MD Psychiatry trainees. The present study was undertaken to assess the type of research activity being undertaken as part of MD Psychiatry dissertation, and its contribution to national and international literature. Three medical colleges supplied the data about the topic, names of the supervisor and the candidate, collaboration, funding accrued, and publication details of MD-based research carried out between years 2000 and 2010 inclusive; 95 records were collected for the final analysis. The details of the publications provided were cross-checked on the internet, which would have taken care of missed publications as well. Most studies were single-point assessment clinical studies. Only 2 studies had been funded, 11 had collaboration with other departments within the same institute, and 5 had inter-institute collaborations. Majority of the studies were not published. Only 30 were published as full paper and 9 as abstracts. Of these 30 full publications, only 3 were published in journals having JCI impact factor values (1.4, 1.3, and 1.4, respectively). The main finding of this pilot study was that MD-based research has low contribution to the national and international literature, and those articles which are published are in low impact journals. Suggestions for modifying this state of affairs are discussed.

Research-based assessment affordances and constraints: Perceptions of physics faculty

Science.gov (United States)

Madsen, Adrian; McKagan, Sarah B.; Martinuk, Mathew Sandy; Bell, Alexander; Sayre, Eleanor C.

2016-06-01

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Preparing and Supporting University Physics Educators.] To help faculty use research-based materials in a more significant way, we learn about their perceived needs and desires and use this information to suggest ways for the physics education research community to address these needs. When research-based resources are well aligned with the perceived needs of faculty, faculty members will more readily take them up. We used phenomenographic interviews of ordinary physics faculty and department chairs to identify four families of issues that faculty have around research-based assessments (RBAs). First, many faculty are interested in using RBAs but need help with the practicalities of administering RBAs: how to find them, which ones there are, and how to administer them. Second, at the same time, many faculty think that RBAs are limited and do not measure many of the things they care about, or are not applicable in their classes. They want assessments to measure skills, perceptions, and specific concepts. Third, many faculty want to turn to communities of other faculty and experts to help them interpret their assessment results and suggest other ways to do assessment. They want to better understand their assessment results by comparing to others and interacting with faculty from other schools to learn about how they do assessment. Fourth, many faculty consider their courses in the broader contexts of accountability and their departments. They want help with assessment in these broader contexts. We also discuss how a faculty member's role in their department and type of institution influence their perceived wants and needs around assessment.

Challenges in coupling LTER with environmental assessments: An insight from potential and reality of the Chinese Ecological Research Network in servicing environment assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Shaoxia; Liu, Yu; Yu, Xiubo; Fu, Bojie

2018-08-15

Environmental assessments estimate, evaluate and predict the consequences of natural processes and human activities on the environment. Long-term ecosystem observation and research networks (LTERs) are potentially valuable infrastructure to support environmental assessments. However, very few environmental assessments have successfully incorporated them. In this study, we try to reveal the current status of coupling LTERs with environmental assessments and look at the challenges involved in improving this coupling through exploring the role that Chinese Ecological Research Network (CERN), the LTER of China, currently plays in regional environment assessments. A review of official protocols and standards, regional assessments and CERN researches related to ecosystems and environment shows that there is great potential for coupling CERN with environment assessments. However in practice, CERN does not currently play the expected role. Remote sensing and irregular inventory data are still the main data sources currently used in regional assessments. Several causes led to the present situation: (1) insufficient cross-site research and failure to scale up site-level variables to the regional scale; (2) data barriers resulting from incompatible protocols and low data usability due to lack of data assimilation and scaling; and (3) absence of indicators relevant to human activities in existing monitoring protocols. For these reasons, enhancing cross-site monitoring and research, data assimilation and scaling up are critical steps required to improve coupling of LTER with environmental assessments. Site-focused long-term monitoring should be combined with wide-scale ground surveys and remote sensing to establish an effective connection between different environmental monitoring platforms for regional assessments. It is also necessary to revise the current monitoring protocols to include human activities and their impacts on the ecosystem, or change the LTERs into Long

the research quality plus (rq+) assessment instrument

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

sclarke

These need to be taken into account as part of the assessment. 2. .... be cases in which there is not enough information available to make a credible ..... (within a research community) or for decision-making and problem-solving beyond the ...

Assessing the impact of systematic reviews on future research: two case studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Viswanathan, Meera; Nerz, Patrick; Dalberth, Barbara; Voisin, Christiane; Lohr, Kathleen N; Tant, Elizabeth; Jonas, Daniel E; Carey, Timothy

2012-07-01

To evaluate the impact of systematic reviews on research funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) through Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs), and to identify barriers to and facilitators for the effects of these documents on future research. Two AHRQ systematic reviews were selected as case studies to evaluate their impact on future research. Key citations generated by these reports were identified through ISI Web of Science and PubMed Central and traced forward to identify effects on subsequent studies through citation analysis from updated systematic reviews on the topics. Requests for applications and program announcements from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts website were reviewed and dissemination data were obtained from AHRQ. Finally, interviews were conducted with 13 key informants to help identify short-, medium- and long-term impacts of the EPC reviews. The measurable impact of the two EPC reviews is demonstrably greater on short-term outcomes (greater awareness of the issues) than on medium-term (e.g., the generation of new knowledge) or long-term outcomes (e.g., changes in patient practice or health outcomes). Factors such as the topic and the timing of the report relative to the development of the field may explain the impact of these two AHRQ reports. The degree to which the new research can be directly attributed to the AHRQ reviews remains unclear. Key informants discussed several benefits stemming from the EPC reports, including providing a foundation for the research community on which to build, heightening awareness of the gaps in knowledge, increasing the quality of research and sparking new directions of research. However, the degree to which these reports were influential hinged on several factors including marketing efforts, the very nature of the reports and other influences external to the EPC domain. The findings outlined in this article illustrate the importance of numerous factors influencing future

Assessment of change in knowledge about research methods among delegates attending research methodology workshop.

Science.gov (United States)

Shrivastava, Manisha; Shah, Nehal; Navaid, Seema

2018-01-01

In an era of evidence based medicine research is an essential part of medical profession whether clinical or academic. A research methodology workshop intends to help participants, those who are newer to research field or those who are already doing empirical research. The present study was conducted to assess the changes in knowledge of the participants of a research methodology workshop through a structured questionnaire. With administrative and ethical approval, a four day research methodology workshop was planned. The participants were subjected to a structured questionnaire (pre-test) containing 20 multiple choice questions (Q1-Q 20) related to the topics to be covered in research methodology workshop before the commencement of the workshop and then subjected to similar posttest questionnaire after the completion of workshop. The mean values of pre and post-test scores were calculated and the results were analyzed and compared. Out of the total 153 delegates, 45(29 %) were males and 108 were (71 %) females. 92 (60%) participants consented to fill the pre-test questionnaire and 68 (44%) filled the post-test questionnaire. The mean Pre-test and post-test scores at 95% Confidence Interval were 07.62 (SD ±3.220) and 09.66 (SD ±2.477) respectively. The differences were found to be significant using Paired Sample T test ( P research methodology workshops. Participatory research methodology workshops are good methods of imparting knowledge, also the long term effects needs to be evaluated.

76 FR 23605 - New Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Study Logistic Formative Research Methodology Studies...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-27

...; Comment Request; Study Logistic Formative Research Methodology Studies for the National Children's Study... maximize the efficiency (measured by scientific robustness, participant and infrastructure burden, and cost... assess the feasibility, acceptability, and cost of the recruitment strategy, study procedures, and...

The assessment of barriers to research from the viewpoint of faculty members of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences and relationship to research performance of them

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

farzad Ebrahimzadeh

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background: The first step in improving research conduction in society can be conceived as identifying the weak points of research. Given that faculty members of universities carry out most of the research activities, the present study attempts to study the relationship between barriers to research from the viewpoint of the faculty members of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences and the research activities of them. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study, using census method, assessed all of the faculty members of Lorestan university of medical sciences. A self-administered questionnaire analyzing the faculty members’ demographic variables, knowledge about and attitudes toward barriers to different steps of research was designed and the self-report questionnaires were filled out and their relationship with the annual assessment scores in research criteria were assessed by chi-square, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: Variables such as the faculty members’ department, number of their modules, primary motivation for research conduction, knowledge about variables such as research methodologies, searching strategies in medical databases, putting forward proposals, research article writing and also, attitude towards vaiables such as approved research priorities, putting forward proposals, quality of research advice, approval of proposals in research councils,  research facilities, the process of peer review of national scientific articles, presenting papers in conferences and participating in theses were related to the research performance of them (p<0.05. Conclusion: If seems that giving special privileges to the faculty members of faculty of medicine,  those with many modules and those with no optimal knowledge and attitude, we can enhance their motivation to participate in research activities.

Nirex safety assessment research programme bibliography, 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, M.J.

1991-09-01

This bibliography lists reports and papers written as part of the Nirex Safety Assessment Research Programme, which is concerned with disposal of low-level and intermediate-level waste (LLW and ILW) and associated radiological assessments. The bibliography has been divided into two sections, a list of Publications in roughly chronological order and an Author Index. The topics involved include near-field and far-field studies. The near-field includes the waste package, filling or sealing materials, and those parts of the host medium whose characteristics have been or could be altered by the repository or its content. The far-field is the rock formation outside the repository, including the surrounding strata, at a distance from the waste disposal site such that, for modelling purposes, the site may be considered as a single entity, and the effects of individual waste packages are indistinguishable in the effects of the whole. The far-field includes also the biosphere, into which radionuclides from the waste could conceivably migrate in the future. (author)

Immutable Mobiles Derailed: STS, Geopolitics, and Research Assessment

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Stöckelová, Tereza

2012-01-01

Roč. 37, č. 2 (2012), s. 286-311 ISSN 0162-2439 R&D Projects: GA ČR GP403/09/P203 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70280505 Keywords : immutable mobiles * performativity * research assessment Subject RIV: AO - Sociology, Demography Impact factor: 2.406, year: 2012 http://sth.sagepub.com/content/37/2/286

Applying social impact assessment to nursing research.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradbury-Jones, Caroline; Taylor, Julie

2014-08-05

Many nurses need to construct a research proposal at some stage of their career and there are multiple texts that provide guidance on doing so. However, most texts do not provide explicit guidance on the issue of social impact--the effect of research on the social health and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities and on the improved performance of relevant services. This article proposes that social impact should be considered from the beginning of a research project. It outlines a framework for assessing social impact to help strengthen the quality of research proposals and assist nurses constructing the proposal and also those evaluating it, including academic assessors or funding body reviewers. Nursing research should be useful and should have a positive effect on practice. Focusing on social impact can increase the chances of this desirable outcome.

A tool to assess sex-gender when selecting health research projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomás, Concepción; Yago, Teresa; Eguiluz, Mercedes; Samitier, M A Luisa; Oliveros, Teresa; Palacios, Gemma

2015-04-01

To validate the questionnaire "Gender Perspective in Health Research" (GPIHR) to assess the inclusion of gender perspective in research projects. Validation study in two stages. Feasibility was analysed in the first, and reliability, internal consistence and validity in the second. Aragón Institute of Health Science, Aragón, Spain. GPIHR was applied to 118 research projects funded in national and international competitive tenders from 2003 to 2012. Analysis of inter- and intra-observer reliability with Kappa index and internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha. Content validity analysed through literature review and construct validity with an exploratory factor analysis. Validated GPIHR has 10 questions: 3 in the introduction, 1 for objectives, 3 for methodology and 3 for research purpose. Average time of application was 13min Inter-observer reliability (Kappa) varied between 0.35 and 0.94 and intra-observer between 0.40 and 0.94. Theoretical construct is supported in the literature. Factor analysis identifies three levels of GP inclusion: "difference by sex", "gender sensitive" and "feminist research" with an internal consistency of 0.64, 0.87 and 0.81, respectively, which explain 74.78% of variance. GPIHR questionnaire is a valid tool to assess GP and useful for those researchers who would like to include GP in their projects. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Assessment report of research and development activities. Activity: 'Nuclear science and engineering research' (Interim report)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-11-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (hereinafter referred to as 'JAEA') consults an assessment committee, 'Evaluation Committee of Research Activities for Nuclear Science and Engineering' (hereinafter referred to as 'Committee') for interim assessment of 'Nuclear Science and Engineering,' in accordance with 'General Guideline for the Evaluation of Government Research and Development (R and D) Activities' by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 'Guideline for Evaluation of R and D in Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology' and 'Regulation on Conduct for Evaluation of R and D Activities' by the JAEA. In response to the JAEA's request, the Committee assessed the research program of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate (hereinafter referred to as 'NSED') and Center for Computational Science and e-Systems (hereinafter referred to as 'CCSE') during the period of about four years from September 2008 to September 2012. The Committee evaluated the management and research activities of the NSED and the CCSE based on explanatory documents prepared by the NSED and the CCSE, and oral presentations with questions-and-answers by unit managers etc. A CD-ROM is attached as an appendix. (J.P.N.)

Research Costs Investigated: A Study Into the Budgets of Dutch Publicly Funded Drug-Related Research.

Science.gov (United States)

van Asselt, Thea; Ramaekers, Bram; Corro Ramos, Isaac; Joore, Manuela; Al, Maiwenn; Lesman-Leegte, Ivonne; Postma, Maarten; Vemer, Pepijn; Feenstra, Talitha

2018-01-01

The costs of performing research are an important input in value of information (VOI) analyses but are difficult to assess. The aim of this study was to investigate the costs of research, serving two purposes: (1) estimating research costs for use in VOI analyses; and (2) developing a costing tool to support reviewers of grant proposals in assessing whether the proposed budget is realistic. For granted study proposals from the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw), type of study, potential cost drivers, proposed budget, and general characteristics were extracted. Regression analysis was conducted in an attempt to generate a 'predicted budget' for certain combinations of cost drivers, for implementation in the costing tool. Of 133 drug-related research grant proposals, 74 were included for complete data extraction. Because an association between cost drivers and budgets was not confirmed, we could not generate a predicted budget based on regression analysis, but only historic reference budgets given certain study characteristics. The costing tool was designed accordingly, i.e. with given selection criteria the tool returns the range of budgets in comparable studies. This range can be used in VOI analysis to estimate whether the expected net benefit of sampling will be positive to decide upon the net value of future research. The absence of association between study characteristics and budgets may indicate inconsistencies in the budgeting or granting process. Nonetheless, the tool generates useful information on historical budgets, and the option to formally relate VOI to budgets. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt at creating such a tool, which can be complemented with new studies being granted, enlarging the underlying database and keeping estimates up to date.

The Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders: recruitment, assessment instruments, methods for the development of multicenter collaborative studies and preliminary results.

Science.gov (United States)

Miguel, Euripedes Constantino; Ferrão, Ygor Arzeno; Rosário, Maria Conceição do; Mathis, Maria Alice de; Torres, Albina Rodrigues; Fontenelle, Leonardo Franklin; Hounie, Ana Gabriela; Shavitt, Roseli Gedanke; Cordioli, Aristides Volpato; Gonzalez, Christina Hojaij; Petribú, Kátia; Diniz, Juliana Belo; Malavazzi, Dante Marino; Torresan, Ricardo C; Raffin, Andréa Litvin; Meyer, Elisabeth; Braga, Daniela T; Borcato, Sonia; Valério, Carolina; Gropo, Luciana N; Prado, Helena da Silva; Perin, Eduardo Alliende; Santos, Sandro Iêgo; Copque, Helen; Borges, Manuela Corrêa; Lopes, Angélica Prazeres; Silva, Elenita D da

2008-09-01

To describe the recruitment of patients, assessment instruments, implementation, methods and preliminary results of The Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders, which includes seven university sites. This cross-sectional study included a comprehensive clinical assessment including semi-structured interviews (sociodemographic data, medical and psychiatric history, disease course and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses), and instruments to assess obsessive-compulsive (Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale), depressive (Beck Depression Inventory) and anxious (Beck Anxiety Inventory) symptoms, sensory phenomena (Universidade de São Paulo Sensory Phenomena Scale), insight (Brown Assessment Beliefs Scale), tics (Yale Global Tics Severity Scale) and quality of life (Medical Outcome Quality of Life Scale Short-form-36 and Social Assessment Scale). The raters' training consisted of watching at least five videotaped interviews and interviewing five patients with an expert researcher before interviewing patients alone. The reliability between all leaders for the most important instruments (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, Universidade de São Paulo Sensory Phenomena Scale) was measured after six complete interviews. Inter-rater reliability was 96%. By March 2008, 630 obsessive-compulsive disorder patients had been systematically evaluated. Mean age (+/-SE) was 34.7 (+/-0.51), 56.3% were female, and 84.6% Caucasian. The most prevalent obsessive compulsive symptom dimensions were symmetry and contamination. The most common comorbidities were major depression, generalized anxiety and social anxiety disorder. The most common DSM-IV impulsive control disorder was skin picking. The sample was composed mainly by Caucasian individuals, unmarried, with some kind of occupational activity, mean age of 35 years, onset of obsessive

Ex-ante participatory research proposal assessment conducted in Southern Togo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Deffo

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted to showcase a participatory method for assessing technical options in Southern Togo. The aim was to address farmers’ needs with respect to soil fertility problems in situations involving mixed crop-livestock farming systems. In collaboration with various stakeholders, the scientists thus assessed the potential for adopting a crop association involving maize for food (seed and fodder (straw, i.e. a mixed function plant, and Mucuna pruriens, i.e. a long-cycle legume that is cropped to produce fodder and enhance soil fertility. The chemically fertilized crop association is here referred to as MME. Participatory action research (PAR analytical tools were implemented in the four-phase method used. The first phase included an overall description of the entire study region to identify representative sites based on published information and exploratory interviews. In the second phase, the diversity of farmers was characterized through interviews with resource people at the selected sites. The third phase involved participatory selection of a range of technical options that included the MME association as well as local practices with features similar to this association, and alternative research proposals to enhance soil fertility and ensure the production of sufficient fodder to feed livestock. This selection was carried out by farmers chosen as being representative of their diversity. They were asked to rank—using notes, or pebbles because of the high illiteracy level—the different technical options presented during visits to the test plots or using visual aids. The fourth phase included an assessment of farmers’ comments on the perceived effects of the different options on agropastoral resource management (water, soil, biodiversity, their acceptability or cost-effectiveness relative to the labor cost. This method was applied in three villages in southern Togo. Six main farmer categories were identified in these

Intentional research design in implementation science: implications for the use of nomothetic and idiographic assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyon, Aaron R; Connors, Elizabeth; Jensen-Doss, Amanda; Landes, Sara J; Lewis, Cara C; McLeod, Bryce D; Rutt, Christopher; Stanick, Cameo; Weiner, Bryan J

2017-09-01

The advancement of implementation science is dependent on identifying assessment strategies that can address implementation and clinical outcome variables in ways that are valid, relevant to stakeholders, and scalable. This paper presents a measurement agenda for implementation science that integrates the previously disparate assessment traditions of idiographic and nomothetic approaches. Although idiographic and nomothetic approaches are both used in implementation science, a review of the literature on this topic suggests that their selection can be indiscriminate, driven by convenience, and not explicitly tied to research study design. As a result, they are not typically combined deliberately or effectively. Thoughtful integration may simultaneously enhance both the rigor and relevance of assessments across multiple levels within health service systems. Background on nomothetic and idiographic assessment is provided as well as their potential to support research in implementation science. Drawing from an existing framework, seven structures (of various sequencing and weighting options) and five functions (Convergence, Complementarity, Expansion, Development, Sampling) for integrating conceptually distinct research methods are articulated as they apply to the deliberate, design-driven integration of nomothetic and idiographic assessment approaches. Specific examples and practical guidance are provided to inform research consistent with this framework. Selection and integration of idiographic and nomothetic assessments for implementation science research designs can be improved. The current paper argues for the deliberate application of a clear framework to improve the rigor and relevance of contemporary assessment strategies.

Assessing competence in sport psychology : An action research account

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hutter, R. I (Vana); Pijpers, J. R (Rob); Oudejans, Raôul R.D.

2016-01-01

Competent practice in sport psychology is of utmost importance for the professional status of the field, and hence proper assessment of competence for sport psychology practice is needed. We describe three cycles of action research to improve the assessment of competence in a sport psychology

Momentary Assessment Research in Psychosis

Science.gov (United States)

Oorschot, Margreet; Kwapil, Thomas; Delespaul, Philippe; Myin-Germeys, Inez

2009-01-01

There is an expanding interest to study psychosis in the realm of daily life. The study of the person in the context of daily life may provide a powerful addition to more conventional and cross-sectional research strategies in the study of psychosis. This article first discusses the nature of experience sampling research in psychosis and…

77 FR 21843 - Mango Promotion, Research, and Information Order; Assessment Increase

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-12

... in the promotions budget and to increase investment in marketing and research programs. At its... assessment rate increase will enable it to make additional investments in its marketing and research programs... current assessment provides a negative return on investment. Another commenter also noted that the Board...

Production technology readiness assessment of surfactant in the research center for Chemistry-Indonesian Institute of Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Setiawan, Arief Ameir Rahman; Sulaswatty, Anny

2017-11-01

The common problem faced by the institution working on research, innovation and technology development is lack of quantitative measures to determine the technology readiness of research. No common communication language between R & D Institutions and industry about the level of preparedness of a research resulting a barrier to technology diffusion interaction. This lack of connection between R & D institutes with industry may lead to "sluggishness" occurs in innovating. For such circumstance, assessing technology readiness of research is very important. One of wide spread methods for the assessment is Technology Readiness Level (TRL, also known as Technometer), which is introduced by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). TRL is a general guide that provides an overview of maturity level of a technology. This study aims to identify and demonstrate the implementation of TRL to assess a number of surfactant researches in the Research Center for Chemistry, Indonesian Institute of Sciences. According to the assessment, it has been obtained the surfactant recommended for further development towards commercialization of R & D results, i.e. Glycerol Mono Stearate (GMS), which has reached the level of TRL 7.

[Quality control and assessment of qualitative interview in health care research].

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Yan-ming; Liao, Xing

2008-07-01

It is not finally concluded how to standardize the use of qualitative research in the world. Qualitative researchers disagree with each other about this issue. As we know, there have been a large number of articles written in different ways about qualitative research due to the "flexibility", one of its features. Qualitative research is quite different from quantitative research which is easy to control its quality and quality assessment. A series of criteria has been set up for quantitative research. However qualitative research needs to be improved in these aspects, in which qualitative interviews are mostly used at home and abroad at present. Hence, it becomes an important and urgent issue for qualitative researchers to standardly control and assess the quality of qualitative interview.

Research Quality Assessment and Planning Journals. The Italian Perspective.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Zanon

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Assessment of research products is a crucial issue for universities and research institutions faced with internationalization and competition. Disciplines are reacting differently to this challenge, and planning, in its various forms – from urban design to process­oriented sectors – is under strain because the increasingly common assessment procedures based on the number of articles published in ranked journals and on citation data are not generally accepted. The reputation of journals, the impact of publications, and the profiles of scholars are increasingly defined by means of indexes such as impact factor and citations counts, but these metrics are questioned because they do not take account of all journals and magazines – in particular those published in languages other than English – and they do not consider teaching and other activities typical of academics and which have a real impact on planning practices at the local level. In Italy the discussion is particularly heated because assessment procedures are recent, the disciplinary community is not used to publishing in ranked international journals, and the Italian literature is not attuned to the international quality criteria. The paper reviews the recent debate on planning journals and research assessment. It focuses on the Italian case from the perspective of improving current practices.

Community based needs assessment in an urban area; A participatory action research project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahari Saeid

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Community assessment is a core function of public health. In such assessments, a commitment to community participation and empowerment is at the heart of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network, reflecting its origins in health for all and the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. This study employs a participation and empowerment plan in order to conduct community assessment. Methods The method of participatory action research (PAR was used. The study was carried out in an area of high socio-economic deprivation in Ardabil, a city in the northwest of Iran, which is currently served by a branch of the Social Development Center (SDC. The steering committee of the project was formed by some university faculty members, health officials and delegates form Farhikhteh non-governmental organization and representatives from twelve blocks or districts of the community. Then, the representatives were trained and then conducted focus groups in their block. The focus group findings informed the development of the questionnaire. About six hundred households were surveyed and study questionnaires were completed either during face-to-face interviews by the research team (in case of illiteracy or via self-completion. The primary question for the residents was: 'what is the most important health problem in your community? Each health problem identified by the community was weighted based on the frequency it was selected on the survey, and steering committee perception of the problem's seriousness, urgency, solvability, and financial load. Results The main problems of the area appeared to be the asphalt problem, lack of easy access to medical centers, addiction among relatives and unemployment of youth. High participation rates of community members in the steering committee and survey suggest that the PAR approach was greatly appreciated by the community and that problems identified through this research truly reflect community opinion

Evaluating survey quality in health services research: a decision framework for assessing nonresponse bias.

Science.gov (United States)

Halbesleben, Jonathon R B; Whitman, Marilyn V

2013-06-01

To address the issue of nonresponse as problematic and offer appropriate strategies for assessing nonresponse bias. A review of current strategies used to assess the quality of survey data and the challenges associated with these strategies is provided along with appropriate post-data collection techniques that researchers should consider. Response rates are an incomplete assessment of survey data quality, and quick reactions to response rate should be avoided. Based on a five-question decision making framework, we offer potential ways to assess nonresponse bias, along with a description of the advantages and disadvantages to each. It is important that the quality of survey data be considered to assess the relative contribution to the literature of a given study. Authors and funding agencies should consider the potential effects of nonresponse bias both before and after survey administration and report the results of assessments of nonresponse bias in addition to response rates. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Research quality and efficiency: An analysis of assessments and management issues in Dutch economics and business research programs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groot, T.L.C.M.; Garcia Valderrama, T.

2006-01-01

Assessments of quality and productivity of academic research programs become more and more important in gaining financial support, in hiring and promoting research staff, and in building academic reputation. Most assessments are based on peer review or on bibliometric information. In this paper we

Orchestrating environmental research and assessment for remediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breshears, D.D.; Whicker, F.W.; Hakonson, T.E.

1993-01-01

The interface between science, assessment, and policy have come to the forefront of national attention recently, and the issues involved were summarized for the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP). The authors of this letter consider if the lessons learned in NAPAP are being applied to the remediation of contaminated sites in the U.S. DOE nuclear weapons complex. A figure giving the authors'prospective of the role science should play in a risk management problems is presented. Three major lessons from the NAPAP experience are discussed in reference to DOE: (1) objectives must be clearly spelled out early in the assessment; (2) the importance of peer review throughout the scientific evaluation phase, including publication of a significant amount of research in peer-reviewed journal in a timely fashion; (3) the risk associated with remediation alternative should be included in any assessment. 30 refs., 1 fig

Assessing excellence in translational cancer research: a consensus based framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajan, Abinaya; Caldas, Carlos; van Luenen, Henri; Saghatchian, Mahasti; van Harten, Wim H

2013-10-29

It takes several years on average to translate basic research findings into clinical research and eventually deliver patient benefits. An expert-based excellence assessment can help improve this process by: identifying high performing Comprehensive Cancer Centres; best practices in translational cancer research; improving the quality and efficiency of the translational cancer research process. This can help build networks of excellent Centres by aiding focused partnerships. In this paper we report on a consensus building exercise that was undertaken to construct an excellence assessment framework for translational cancer research in Europe. We used mixed methods to reach consensus: a systematic review of existing translational research models critically appraised for suitability in performance assessment of Cancer Centres; a survey among European stakeholders (researchers, clinicians, patient representatives and managers) to score a list of potential excellence criteria, a focus group with selected representatives of survey participants to review and rescore the excellence criteria; an expert group meeting to refine the list; an open validation round with stakeholders and a critical review of the emerging framework by an independent body: a committee formed by the European Academy of Cancer Sciences. The resulting excellence assessment framework has 18 criteria categorized in 6 themes. Each criterion has a number of questions/sub-criteria. Stakeholders favoured using qualitative excellence criteria to evaluate the translational research "process" rather than quantitative criteria or judging only the outputs. Examples of criteria include checking if the Centre has mechanisms that can be rated as excellent for: involvement of basic researchers and clinicians in translational research (quality of supervision and incentives provided to clinicians to do a PhD in translational research) and well designed clinical trials based on ground-breaking concepts (innovative

Non-animal approaches for consumer safety risk assessments: Unilever's scientific research programme.

Science.gov (United States)

Carmichael, Paul; Davies, Michael; Dent, Matt; Fentem, Julia; Fletcher, Samantha; Gilmour, Nicola; MacKay, Cameron; Maxwell, Gavin; Merolla, Leona; Pease, Camilla; Reynolds, Fiona; Westmoreland, Carl

2009-12-01

Non-animal based approaches to risk assessment are now routinely used for assuring consumer safety for some endpoints (such as skin irritation) following considerable investment in developing and applying new methods over the past 20 years. Unilever's research programme into non-animal approaches for safety assessment is currently focused on the application of new technologies to risk assessments in the areas of skin allergy, cancer and general toxicity (including inhalation toxicity). In all of these areas, a long-term investment is essential to increase the scientific understanding of the underlying biological and chemical processes that we believe will ultimately form a sound basis for novel risk assessment approaches. Our research programme in these priority areas consists of in-house research as well as Unilever-sponsored academic research, involvement with EU-funded projects (e.g. Sens-it-iv, carcinoGENOMICS), participation in cross-industry collaborative research (e.g. COLIPA, EPAA) and ongoing involvement with other scientific initiatives on non-animal approaches to risk assessment (e.g. UK NC3Rs, US 'Human Toxicology Project' consortium). 2009 FRAME.

Current Research Studies

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... Success Home > Explore Research > Current Research Studies Current Research Studies Email Print + Share The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation ... conducted online. Learn more about IBD Partners. Clinical Research Alliance The Clinical Research Alliance is a network ...

[Educational needs assessment on research ethics among nursing researchers].

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Ihn Sook; Gu, Mee Ock; Kim, Keum Soon; Lee, Kwang Ja; Yang, Soo

2010-08-01

This study aimed to investigate the educational needs of research ethics among nursing researchers. Convenience sample of 161 nursing professors and 262 master or doctoral nursing students participated in the study. Data was collected with self-reported questionnaire from June to August 2009, and analyzed with descriptive statistics using SPSS WIN (version 14.0). Among 161 nursing professors, about 31.7% has educated nursing ethics in the postgraduate course. The most common course was nursing research or methodology (62.7%), and median education time was 2 hr. Areas that showed difficulty in understanding was the conflict of interest and plagiarism for professors and falsification and fabrication for graduate students. Average knowledge on the research ethics was 75.4 points for professors and 61.6 points for students based on the 100 points. Educational needs of research ethics among nursing professors and students in the postgraduate course was high. We recommend both basic and advanced research ethics educational programs for the nursing researchers. The basic course should be at least 6 hr and include various cases and something to discuss.

Assessing the Impact of Arts and Humanities Research at the University of Cambridge. Technical Report

Science.gov (United States)

Levitt, Ruth; Celia, Claire; Diepeveen, Stephanie; Chonaill, Siobhan Ni; Rabinovich, Lila; Tiessen, Jan

2010-01-01

This project for the University of Cambridge and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) assesses the impacts of arts and humanities research at the University of Cambridge. Evidence from interviews, a survey of research staff and detailed case studies indicates that these disciplines already have a broad range of impacts. Many of these…

Millennium ecosystem assessment: research needs

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Carpenter, SR

2006-10-01

Full Text Available changes. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Research Needs ECOLOGY C r o s s - s c a l e p r o c e s s e s Human well-being Healt h, ba sic ne eds, incom e, sec urity, freed om, s ocial relat ions Direct drivers... Foundation, Los Altos, CA 94022, USA. †Author for correspondence. E-mail: hmooney@stanford.edu Stephen R. Carpenter,1 Ruth DeFries,2 Thomas Dietz,3 Harold A. Mooney,4† Stephen Polasky,5 Walter V. Reid,6* Robert J. Scholes7 Enhanced online at www...

Developing and Implementing the Qatar Student Assessment System. Research Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez, Gabriella; Le, Vi-Nhuan; Broer, Markus; Mariano, Louis T.; Froemel, J. Enrique; Goldman, Charles A.; DaVanzo, Julie

2009-01-01

This research brief summarizes the development of a standards-based student assessment system in Qatar, lessons for policymakers in Qatar and elsewhere, and challenges in aligning the assessment with future changes in the curriculum standards. Analysis of Qatar's standards-based student assessment system, the first in the region, offers several…

The Nirex safety assessment research programme for 1987/88

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, M.J.; Tasker, P.W.

1987-10-01

This report outlines the work of the Nirex Safety Assessment Research Programme during the period 1st April 1987 to 31st March 1988. The research programme has the specific objective of providing the information requirements of the post-emplacement radiological safety case for the disposal of low-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste in underground repositories. For convenience the programme has been divided into seven areas: physical containment, near-field radionuclide chemistry, evolution of the near-field aqueous environment, mass transfer in the geosphere, the biosphere, gas evolution and migration, and integrated studies. The near-field includes the waste, its immobilising medium, its container, the engineered structure in which the container is emplaced and the immediately adjacent geological formation disturbed by the construction of the repository. (author)

34 CFR 660.1 - What is the International Research and Studies Program?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... the HEA by governmental, educational, and private-sector organizations and other studies assessing the... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the International Research and Studies Program...) OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION THE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH AND STUDIES PROGRAM...

A global call for action to include gender in research impact assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Ovseiko, Pavel V; Greenhalgh, Trisha; Adam, Paula; Grant, Jonathan; Hinrichs-Krapels, Saba; Graham, Kathryn E; Valentine, Pamela A; Sued, Omar; Boukhris, Omar F; Al Olaqi, Nada M; Al Rahbi, Idrees S; Dowd, Anne-Maree; Bice, Sara; Heiden, Tamika L; Fischer, Michael D; Dopson, Sue; Norton, Robyn; Pollitt, Alexandra; Wooding, Steven; Balling, Gert V; Jakobsen, Ulla; Kuhlmann, Ellen; Klinge, Ineke; Pololi, Linda H; Jagsi, Reshma; Smith, Helen Lawton; Etzkowitz, Henry; Nielsen, Mathias W; Carrion, Carme; Solans-Domènech, Maite; Vizcaino, Esther; Naing, Lin; Cheok, Quentin H N; Eckelmann, Baerbel; Simuyemba, Moses C; Msiska, Temwa; Declich, Giovanna; Edmunds, Laurel D; Kiparoglou, Vasiliki; Buchan, Alison M J; Williamson, Catherine; Lord, Graham M; Channon, Keith M; Surender, Rebecca; Buchan, Alastair M

2016-07-19

Global investment in biomedical research has grown significantly over the last decades, reaching approximately a quarter of a trillion US dollars in 2010. However, not all of this investment is distributed evenly by gender. It follows, arguably, that scarce research resources may not be optimally invested (by either not supporting the best science or by failing to investigate topics that benefit women and men equitably). Women across the world tend to be significantly underrepresented in research both as researchers and research participants, receive less research funding, and appear less frequently than men as authors on research publications. There is also some evidence that women are relatively disadvantaged as the beneficiaries of research, in terms of its health, societal and economic impacts. Historical gender biases may have created a path dependency that means that the research system and the impacts of research are biased towards male researchers and male beneficiaries, making it inherently difficult (though not impossible) to eliminate gender bias. In this commentary, we - a group of scholars and practitioners from Africa, America, Asia and Europe - argue that gender-sensitive research impact assessment could become a force for good in moving science policy and practice towards gender equity. Research impact assessment is the multidisciplinary field of scientific inquiry that examines the research process to maximise scientific, societal and economic returns on investment in research. It encompasses many theoretical and methodological approaches that can be used to investigate gender bias and recommend actions for change to maximise research impact. We offer a set of recommendations to research funders, research institutions and research evaluators who conduct impact assessment on how to include and strengthen analysis of gender equity in research impact assessment and issue a global call for action.

Accuracy in Student Self-Assessment: Directions and Cautions for Research

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Gavin T. L.; Andrade, Heidi L.; Chen, Fei

2015-01-01

Student self-assessment is a central component of current conceptions of formative and classroom assessment. The research on self-assessment has focused on its efficacy in promoting both academic achievement and self-regulated learning, with little concern for issues of validity. Because reliability of testing is considered a sine qua non for the…

Reliability studies in research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albuquerque, Tob Rodrigues de

2013-01-01

Fault trees and event trees are widely used in industry to model and to evaluate the reliability of safety systems. Detailed analyzes in nuclear installations require the combination of these two techniques. This study uses the methods of FT (Fault Tree) and ET (Event Tree) to accomplish the PSA (Probabilistic Safety Assessment) in research reactors. According to IAEA (lnternational Atomic Energy Agency), the PSA is divided into Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. At the Level 1, conceptually, the security systems perform to prevent the occurrence of accidents, At the Level 2, once accidents happened, this Level seeks to minimize consequences, known as stage management of accident, and at Level 3 accident impacts are determined. This study focuses on analyzing the Level 1, and searching through the acquisition of knowledge, the consolidation of methodologies for future reliability studies. The Greek Research Reactor, GRR-1, is a case example. The LOCA (Loss of Coolant Accident) was chosen as the initiating event and from it, using ET, possible accidental sequences were developed, which could lead damage to the core. Moreover, for each of affected systems, probabilities of each event top of FT were developed and evaluated in possible accidental sequences. Also, the estimates of importance measures for basic events are presented in this work. The studies of this research were conducted using a commercial computational tool SAPHIRE. Additionally, achieved results thus were considered satisfactory for the performance or the failure of analyzed systems. (author)

Assessment of the condition of a consumer market: interactive research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anastasiya Yevgenyevna Sudakova

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Results of an assessment of a condition of the consumer market are presented in the article on the basis of official statistics data. At the heart of an assessment, the method of the indicative analysis lies. The technique includes five modules: quality of consumer goods, works, services; food security, nonfood safety; safety of services; security of participants of the consumer market. Also results of interactive Internet research of the condition of the ultimate consumer are presented in the article, by means of the carried out research. Interactive research is presented by 3 blocks: the general block (allows to make the respondent’s portrait; the special block (allows to estimate the changes in price, quality and the range of consumer goods and services; the additional block (allows respondents to leave comments. On the basis of the conducted research, it is possible to draw a conclusion that the assessment of the state received on the basis of methodical tools, shows positive dynamics, nevertheless, the condition of the consumer market remains unsatisfactory that also is confirmed by results of interactive research. The recommendations, allowing to lower the rise in prices and increase the quality of consumer goods and services are presented in the article

The use of wound healing assessment methods in psychological studies: a review and recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Koschwanez, Heidi E; Broadbent, Elizabeth

2011-02-01

To provide a critical review of methods used to assess human wound healing in psychological research and related disciplines, in order to guide future research into psychological influences on wound healing. Acute wound models (skin blister, tape stripping, skin biopsy, oral palate biopsy, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene tubing), surgical wound healing assessment methods (wound drains, wound scoring), and chronic wound assessment techniques (surface area, volumetric measurements, wound composition, and assessment tools/scoring systems) are summarized, including merits, limitations, and recommendations. Several dermal and mucosal tissue acute wound models have been established to assess the effects of psychological stress on the inflammatory, proliferative, and repair phases of wound healing in humans, including material-based models developed to evaluate factors influencing post-surgical recovery. There is a paucity of research published on psychological factors influencing chronic wound healing. There are many assessment techniques available to study the progression of chronic wound healing but many difficulties inherent to long-term clinical studies. Researchers need to consider several design-related issues when conducting studies into the effects of psychological stress on wound healing, including the study aims, type of wound, tissue type, setting, sample characteristics and accessibility, costs, timeframe, and facilities available. Researchers should consider combining multiple wound assessment methods to increase the reliability and validity of results and to further understand mechanisms that link stress and wound healing. ©2010 The British Psychological Society.

Nirex Safety Assessment Research Programme bibliography, 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, M.J.; Hodgkinson, D.P.

1987-06-01

This bibliography lists reports and papers written as part of the Nirex Safety Assessment Research programme, which is concerned with disposal of low-level and intermediate-level waste (LLW and ILW). All work referred to has been funded, or partly funded, by UK Nirex Limited, previously known as the Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive (NIREX). The bibliography has been divided into two sections, a List of Publications in roughly chronological order and an Author Index. The topics involved include near-field and far-field studies. The near-field includes the waste, its immobilising medium, its container, the engineered structure in which the containers are emplaced, and the immediately adjacent geological formation disturbed by the construction of the repository. The far-field is the undisturbed geological formation between the near-field and the biosphere. (author)

Health research capacity building in Georgia: a case-based needs assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Squires, A; Chitashvili, T; Djibuti, M; Ridge, L; Chyun, D

2017-06-01

Research capacity building in the health sciences in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has typically focused on bench-science capacity, but research examining health service delivery and health workforce is equally necessary to determine the best ways to deliver care. The Republic of Georgia, formerly a part of the Soviet Union, has multiple issues within its healthcare system that would benefit from expended research capacity, but the current research environment needs to be explored prior to examining research-focused activities. The purpose of this project was to conduct a needs assessment focused on developing research capacity in the Republic of Georgia with an emphasis on workforce and network development. A case study approach guided by a needs assessment format. We conducted in-country, informal, semi-structured interviews in English with key informants and focus groups with faculty, students, and representatives of local non-governmental organizations. Purposive and snowball sampling approaches were used to recruit participants, with key informant interviews scheduled prior to arrival in country. Documents relevant to research capacity building were also included. Interview results were coded via content analysis. Final results were organized into a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threat) analysis format, with the report shared with participants. There is widespread interest among students and faculty in Georgia around building research capacity. Lack of funding was identified by many informants as a barrier to research. Many critical research skills, such as proposal development, qualitative research skills, and statistical analysis, were reported as very limited. Participants expressed concerns about the ethics of research, with some suggesting that research is undertaken to punish or 'expose' subjects. However, students and faculty are highly motivated to improve their skills, are open to a variety of learning modalities, and have

Use of citation analysis to predict the outcome of the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise for Unit of Assessment (UoA 61: Library and Information Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alison Holmes

2001-01-01

Full Text Available A citation study was carried out to predict the outcome of the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. The correlation between scores achieved by academic departments in the UK in the 1996 Research Assessment Exercise, and the number of citations received by academics in those departments for articles published in the period 1994-2000, using the Institute for Scientific Information’s citation databases, was assessed. A citation study was carried out on all three hundred and thirty eight academics that teach in the UK library and information science schools. These authors between them received two thousand three hundred and one citations for articles they had published between 1994 and the present. The results were ranked by Department, and compared to the ratings awarded to the departments in the 1996 Higher Education Funding Council Research Assessment Exercise. On the assumption that RAE scores and citation counts are correlated, predictions were made for the likely RAE scores in the 2001 RAE. Comments were also made on the impact of staff movements from one Higher Education Institution to another.

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

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

2016-04-25

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

Confirmatory research on the assessment of murderers.

Science.gov (United States)

Piotrowski, C

1997-12-01

Prior research, from the psychodynamically oriented literature, characterizes homicidal offenders as impulsive, vulnerable to stress, with difficulties in emotional control, particularly anger. In 1995 Coram reported Rorschach data from a sample of murderers which tentatively support earlier findings. This paper argues that confirmatory data from measures which objectively assess emotional states and behaviors could elucidate this issue.

Assessing quality in European educational research indicators and approaches

CERN Document Server

Åström, Fredrik; Hansen, Antje

2014-01-01

Competition-based models for research policy and management have an increasing influence throughout the research process, from attracting funding to publishing results. The introduction of quality control methods utilizing various forms of performance indicators is part of this development. The authors presented in this volume deal with the following questions: What counts as ‘quality’ and how can this be assessed? What are the possible side effects of current quality control systems on research conducted in the European Research Area, especially in the social sciences and the humanities?

Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments: Four Case Studies of Water Utility Practices (2011 Final)

Science.gov (United States)

EPA has released the final report titled, Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments: Four Case Studies of Water Utility Practices. This report was prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment's Global Climate Research Staff in the Office of Research and D...

Strategic Planning for a Data-Driven, Shared-Access Research Enterprise: Virginia Tech Research Data Assessment and Landscape Study

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Yi

2016-01-01

The data landscape study at Virginia Tech addresses the changing modes of faculty scholarship and supports the development of a user-centric data infrastructure, management, and curation system. The study investigates faculty researchers' current practices in organizing, describing, and preserving data and the emerging needs for services and…

Health Literacy Assessment of the STOFHLA: Paper versus Electronic Administration Continuation Study

Science.gov (United States)

Chesser, Amy K.; Keene Woods, Nikki; Wipperman, Jennifer; Wilson, Rachel; Dong, Frank

2014-01-01

Low health literacy is associated with poor health outcomes. Research is needed to understand the mechanisms and pathways of its effects. Computer-based assessment tools may improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness of health literacy research. The objective of this preliminary study was to assess if administration of the Short Test of Functional…

CRNL research reactor diesel generator reliability study 1960-1985

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winfield, D.J.

1989-09-01

A data base has been provided for the CRNL research reactor diesel generator reliability, for use in risk assessment studies of CRNL research reactors. Data from 1960 to the present have been collected, representing 281 diesel generator years of experience. The data is used to provide failure-to-start probabilities and failure-to-run rates. Data is also classified according to subsystem failures, multiple failures and common cause failures. Comparisons with other recent studies of nuclear power plant diesel generator reliability have been made

Explosion approach for external safety assessment: a case study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, D. Michael; Halford, Ann [Germanischer Lloyd, Loughborough (United Kingdom); Mendes, Renato F. [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2009-07-01

Several questions related to the potential for explosions are explored as this became an important subject during an enterprise risk analysis. The understanding of explosions underwent a substantial evolution in the final 20 years of the 20{sup th} century following international research projects in Europe involving several research institutes, as well gas and oil companies. This led to the development of techniques that could be used to assess the potential consequences of explosions on oil, gas and petrochemical facilities. This paper presents an overview of the potential for explosions in communities close to industrial sites or pipelines right of way (RoW), where the standard explosion assessment methods cannot be applied. With reference to experimental studies, the potential for confined explosions in buildings and Vapor Cloud Explosions is explored. Vapor Cloud Explosion incidents in rural or urban areas are also discussed. The method used for incorporating possible explosion and fire events in risk studies is also described using a case study. Standard explosion assessment methodologies and a revised approach are compared as part of an on going evaluation of risk (author)

Assessing excellence in translational cancer research: a consensus based framework

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rajan, A.; Caldas, C.; van Luenen, H.; Saghatchian, M.; van Harten, Willem H.

2013-01-01

Background: It takes several years on average to translate basic research findings into clinical research and eventually deliver patient benefits. An expert-based excellence assessment can help improve this process by: identifying high performing Comprehensive Cancer Centres; best practices in

ISRIA statement: ten-point guidelines for an effective process of research impact assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Adam, Paula; Ovseiko, Pavel V; Grant, Jonathan; Graham, Kathryn E A; Boukhris, Omar F; Dowd, Anne-Maree; Balling, Gert V; Christensen, Rikke N; Pollitt, Alexandra; Taylor, Mark; Sued, Omar; Hinrichs-Krapels, Saba; Solans-Domènech, Maite; Chorzempa, Heidi

2018-02-08

As governments, funding agencies and research organisations worldwide seek to maximise both the financial and non-financial returns on investment in research, the way the research process is organised and funded is becoming increasingly under scrutiny. There are growing demands and aspirations to measure research impact (beyond academic publications), to understand how science works, and to optimise its societal and economic impact. In response, a multidisciplinary practice called research impact assessment is rapidly developing. Given that the practice is still in its formative stage, systematised recommendations or accepted standards for practitioners (such as funders and those responsible for managing research projects) across countries or disciplines to guide research impact assessment are not yet available.In this statement, we propose initial guidelines for a rigorous and effective process of research impact assessment applicable to all research disciplines and oriented towards practice. This statement systematises expert knowledge and practitioner experience from designing and delivering the International School on Research Impact Assessment (ISRIA). It brings together insights from over 450 experts and practitioners from 34 countries, who participated in the school during its 5-year run (from 2013 to 2017) and shares a set of core values from the school's learning programme. These insights are distilled into ten-point guidelines, which relate to (1) context, (2) purpose, (3) stakeholders' needs, (4) stakeholder engagement, (5) conceptual frameworks, (6) methods and data sources, (7) indicators and metrics, (8) ethics and conflicts of interest, (9) communication, and (10) community of practice.The guidelines can help practitioners improve and standardise the process of research impact assessment, but they are by no means exhaustive and require evaluation and continuous improvement. The prima facie effectiveness of the guidelines is based on the systematised

Study on the Progress of Ecological Fragility Assessment in China

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Pei; Hou, Kang; Chang, Yue; Li, Xuxiang; Zhang, Yunwei

2018-02-01

The basic elements of human survival are based on the ecological environment. The development of social economic and the security of the ecological environment are closely linked and interact with each other. The fragility of the environment directly affects the stability of the regional ecosystem and the sustainable development of the ecological environment. As part of the division of the national ecological security, the assessment of ecological fragility has become a hot and difficult issue in environmental research, and researchers at home and abroad have systematically studied the causes and states of ecological fragility. The assessment of regional ecological fragility is a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the unbalanced distribution of ecological environment factors caused by human socio-economic activities or changes in ecosystems. At present, researches on ecological fragility has not formed a complete and unified index assessment system, and the unity of the assessment model has a direct impact on the accuracy of the index weights. Therefore, the discussion on selection of ecological fragility indexes and the improvement of ecological fragility assessment model is necessary, which is good for the improvement of ecological fragility assessment system in China.

Research progress of non-human species radiological impact and assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bai Xiaoping; Zhu Hao; Mao Yawei; Zheng Wei; Du Hongyan

2014-01-01

In recent years, with the development of radiological protection conception and the improvement of requirement about non-human species protection, much more attention has been paid gradually to biota radiation impact. Research and development of non-human species protection impact and its assessment at home and abroad are introduced, then RESRAD-BIOTA and ERICA which are comparatively mature codes in the world are compared and analyzed, at last some suggestions about research and assessment work of non-human species radiological impact in the future in China are provided. (authors)

Prayer Healing: A Case Study Research Protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Kruijthoff, Dirk J; van der Kooi, Cornelis; Glas, Gerrit; Abma, Tineke A

2017-01-01

Context • Prayer healing is a common practice in many religious communities around the world. Even in the highly secularized Dutch society, cases of prayer healing are occasionally reported in the media, often generating public attention. There is an ongoing debate regarding whether such miraculous cures do actually occur and how to interpret them. Objective • The aim of the article was to present a research protocol for the investigation of reported cases of remarkable and/or unexplained healing after prayer. Design • The research team developed a method to perform a retrospective, case-based study of prayer healing. Reported prayer healings can be investigated systematically in accordance with a step-by-step methodology. The focus is on understanding the healing by studying it from multiple perspectives, using both medical judgment and patients' narratives collected by qualitative methods Setting • The study occurred at Vrije Universiteit (VU) and VU Medical Center (Amsterdam, Netherlands) as well as the general medical practice of the first author. Participants • Potential participants could be any individuals in the Netherlands or neighboring countries who claim to have been healed through prayer. The reports of healing came from multiple sources, including the research team's medical practices and their direct vicinities, newspaper articles, prayer healers, and medical colleagues. Outcome Measures • Medical data were obtained before and after prayer. Subsequently, a member of a research team and of a medical assessment committee made a standardized judgment that evaluated whether a cure was clinically remarkable or scientifically unexplained. The participants' experiences and insider perspectives were studied, using in-depth interviews in accordance with a qualitative research methodology, to gain insight into the perceptions and explanations of the cures that were offered by participants and by the members of the medical assessment committee. The

Unrecognized Cultural Conventions for Assessing Word Reading That Affect Research and Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher-Flinn, Claire M.; Thompson, G. Brian; Yamada, Megumi; Naka, Makiko

2014-01-01

In research on the acquisition of reading, there have been cross-orthographic comparisons made between some alphabetic scripts and a few syllabic scripts. In the present study of Japanese Grade 1 children learning to read hiragana, a syllabic script, there was a comparison of assessments of oral word reading accuracy levels recorded by scorers…

Radiological safety research for nuclear excavation projects - Interoceanic canal studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klement, Jr, A W [U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Las Vegas, NV (United States)

1969-07-01

The general radiological problems encountered in nuclear cratering and nuclear excavation projects are discussed. Procedures for assessing radiological problems in such projects are outlined. Included in the discussions are source term, meteorology, fallout prediction and ecological factors. Continuing research requirements as well as pre- and post-excavation studies are important considerations. The procedures followed in the current interoceanic canal feasibility studies provide examples of radiological safety problems, current solutions and needed research. (author)

Radiological safety research for nuclear excavation projects - Interoceanic canal studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klement, A.W. Jr.

1969-01-01

The general radiological problems encountered in nuclear cratering and nuclear excavation projects are discussed. Procedures for assessing radiological problems in such projects are outlined. Included in the discussions are source term, meteorology, fallout prediction and ecological factors. Continuing research requirements as well as pre- and post-excavation studies are important considerations. The procedures followed in the current interoceanic canal feasibility studies provide examples of radiological safety problems, current solutions and needed research. (author)

Conceptualizing strategic environmental assessment: Principles, approaches and research directions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noble, Bram; Nwanekezie, Kelechi

2017-01-01

Increasing emphasis has been placed in recent years on transitioning strategic environmental assessment (SEA) away from its environmental impact assessment (EIA) roots. Scholars have argued the need to conceptualize SEA as a process designed to facilitate strategic thinking, thus enabling transitions toward sustainability. The practice of SEA, however, remains deeply rooted in the EIA tradition and scholars and practitioners often appear divided on the nature and purpose of SEA. This paper revisits the strategic principles of SEA and conceptualizes SEA as a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional assessment process. It is suggested that SEA can be conceptualized as series of approaches operating along a spectrum from less to more strategic – from impact assessment-based to strategy-based – with each approach to SEA differentiated by the specific objectives of SEA application and the extent to which strategic principles are reflected in its design and implementation. Advancing the effectiveness of SEA requires a continued research agenda focused on improving the traditional SEA approach, as a tool to assess the impacts of policies, plans and programs (PPPs). Realizing the full potential of SEA, however, requires a new research agenda — one focused on the development and testing of a deliberative governance approach to SEA that can facilitate strategic innovations in PPP formulation and drive transitions in short-term policy and initiatives based on longer-term thinking. - Highlights: • SEA facilitates strategic thinking, enabling transitions toward sustainability. • SEA is conceptualized as a spectrum of approaches, from IA-based to strategy-based. • Each approach variably emphasizes strategic principles in its design and practice. • There is no one conceptualization of SEA that is best, SEA is fit for PPP purpose. • Research is needed to advance SEA to facilitate strategic PPP transformations.

Conceptualizing strategic environmental assessment: Principles, approaches and research directions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noble, Bram, E-mail: b.noble@usask.ca [Department of Geography and Planning, and School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, 117 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A5 (Canada); Nwanekezie, Kelechi [Department of Geography and Planning, University of Saskatchewan, 117 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A5 (Canada)

2017-01-15

Increasing emphasis has been placed in recent years on transitioning strategic environmental assessment (SEA) away from its environmental impact assessment (EIA) roots. Scholars have argued the need to conceptualize SEA as a process designed to facilitate strategic thinking, thus enabling transitions toward sustainability. The practice of SEA, however, remains deeply rooted in the EIA tradition and scholars and practitioners often appear divided on the nature and purpose of SEA. This paper revisits the strategic principles of SEA and conceptualizes SEA as a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional assessment process. It is suggested that SEA can be conceptualized as series of approaches operating along a spectrum from less to more strategic – from impact assessment-based to strategy-based – with each approach to SEA differentiated by the specific objectives of SEA application and the extent to which strategic principles are reflected in its design and implementation. Advancing the effectiveness of SEA requires a continued research agenda focused on improving the traditional SEA approach, as a tool to assess the impacts of policies, plans and programs (PPPs). Realizing the full potential of SEA, however, requires a new research agenda — one focused on the development and testing of a deliberative governance approach to SEA that can facilitate strategic innovations in PPP formulation and drive transitions in short-term policy and initiatives based on longer-term thinking. - Highlights: • SEA facilitates strategic thinking, enabling transitions toward sustainability. • SEA is conceptualized as a spectrum of approaches, from IA-based to strategy-based. • Each approach variably emphasizes strategic principles in its design and practice. • There is no one conceptualization of SEA that is best, SEA is fit for PPP purpose. • Research is needed to advance SEA to facilitate strategic PPP transformations.

Methodology for value/impact assessment of nuclear regulatory research programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlson, D.D.

1978-12-01

A methodology for conducting a value/impact assessment of research programs has been developed to provide the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) an improved capability for allocating resources for confirmatory research. This report presents a seven-step evaluation process and applies it to selected units of research. The methodology is intended to provide insight into the technical merits of the programs, one dimension of the complex problem of resource allocation for confirmatory research

Spent Fuel Performance Assessment and Research. Final Report of a Coordinated Research Project on Spent Fuel Performance Assessment and Research (SPAR-III) 2009–2014

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-10-01

At the beginning of 2014, there were 437 nuclear power reactors in operation and 72 reactors under construction. To date, around 370 500 t (HM) (tonnes of heavy metal) of spent fuel have been discharged from reactors, and approximately 253 700 t (HM) are stored at various storage facilities. Although wet storage at reactor sites still dominates, the amount of spent fuel being transferred to dry storage technologies has increased significantly since 2005. For example, around 28% of the total fuel inventory in the United States of America is now in dry storage. Although the licensing for the construction of geological disposal facilities is under way in Finland, France and Sweden, the first facility is not expected to be available until 2025 and for most States with major nuclear programmes not for several decades afterwards. Spent fuel is currently accumulating at around 7000 t (HM) per year worldwide. The net result is that the duration of spent fuel storage has increased beyond what was originally foreseen. In order to demonstrate the safety of both spent fuel and the storage system, a good understanding of the processes that might cause deterioration is required. To address this, the IAEA continued the Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on Spent Fuel Performance Assessment and Research (SPAR-III) in 2009 to evaluate fuel and materials performance under wet and dry storage and to assess the impact of interim storage on associated spent fuel management activities (such as handling and transport). This has been achieved through: evaluating surveillance and monitoring programmes of spent fuel and storage facilities; collecting and exchanging relevant experience of spent fuel storage and the impact on associated spent fuel management activities; facilitating the transfer of knowledge by documenting the technical basis for spent fuel storage; creating synergy among research projects of the participating Member States; and developing the capability to assess the impact

Assessing Assessment Quality: Criteria for Quality Assurance in Design of (Peer) Assessment for Learning--A Review of Research Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Tillema, Harm; Leenknecht, Martijn; Segers, Mien

2011-01-01

The interest in "assessment for learning" (AfL) has resulted in a search for new modes of assessment that are better aligned to students' learning how to learn. However, with the introduction of new assessment tools, also questions arose with respect to the quality of its measurement. On the one hand, the appropriateness of traditional,…

Simulation tools for robotics research and assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Fields, MaryAnne; Brewer, Ralph; Edge, Harris L.; Pusey, Jason L.; Weller, Ed; Patel, Dilip G.; DiBerardino, Charles A.

2016-05-01

The Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (RCTA) program focuses on four overlapping technology areas: Perception, Intelligence, Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), and Dexterous Manipulation and Unique Mobility (DMUM). In addition, the RCTA program has a requirement to assess progress of this research in standalone as well as integrated form. Since the research is evolving and the robotic platforms with unique mobility and dexterous manipulation are in the early development stage and very expensive, an alternate approach is needed for efficient assessment. Simulation of robotic systems, platforms, sensors, and algorithms, is an attractive alternative to expensive field-based testing. Simulation can provide insight during development and debugging unavailable by many other means. This paper explores the maturity of robotic simulation systems for applications to real-world problems in robotic systems research. Open source (such as Gazebo and Moby), commercial (Simulink, Actin, LMS), government (ANVEL/VANE), and the RCTA-developed RIVET simulation environments are examined with respect to their application in the robotic research domains of Perception, Intelligence, HRI, and DMUM. Tradeoffs for applications to representative problems from each domain are presented, along with known deficiencies and disadvantages. In particular, no single robotic simulation environment adequately covers the needs of the robotic researcher in all of the domains. Simulation for DMUM poses unique constraints on the development of physics-based computational models of the robot, the environment and objects within the environment, and the interactions between them. Most current robot simulations focus on quasi-static systems, but dynamic robotic motion places an increased emphasis on the accuracy of the computational models. In order to understand the interaction of dynamic multi-body systems, such as limbed robots, with the environment, it may be necessary to build component

Researching Human Experience: video intervention/prevention assessment (VIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Patashnick

2005-05-01

Full Text Available Human experience is a critical subject for research. By discussing Video Intervention/Prevention Assessment (VIA, a patient-centered health research method where patients teach their clinicians about living with a chronic condition through the creation of visual illness narratives, this paper examines the value of qualitative inquiry and why human experience rarely is investigated directly. An analysis of a sample VIA data is presented to demonstrate how, by utilizing grounded theory and qualitative analysis, one can derive rich and unique information from human experience.

Caveats for using statistical significance tests in research assessments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schneider, Jesper Wiborg

2013-01-01

controversial and numerous criticisms have been leveled against their use. Based on examples from articles by proponents of the use statistical significance tests in research assessments, we address some of the numerous problems with such tests. The issues specifically discussed are the ritual practice......This article raises concerns about the advantages of using statistical significance tests in research assessments as has recently been suggested in the debate about proper normalization procedures for citation indicators by Opthof and Leydesdorff (2010). Statistical significance tests are highly...... argue that applying statistical significance tests and mechanically adhering to their results are highly problematic and detrimental to critical thinking. We claim that the use of such tests do not provide any advantages in relation to deciding whether differences between citation indicators...

Gaming Research in Policy and Organization: An Assessment from the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Caluwe, L.I.A.; Geurts, P.W.M.

2012-01-01

In this article, the authors assess the use of gaming/simulation for research purposes within the organization and policy sciences. They describe three categories of research: (a) gaming/simulation for pure research, (b) gaming/simulation for policy development, and (c) gaming/simulation for policy

Using Blackboard to Deliver Library Research Skills Assessment: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maura A Smale

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Like other college and university departments, academic libraries are increasingly expected to assess their services and facilities. This article describes an initial step in the development of a comprehensive assessment program for library instruction in the Brooklyn College Library. A pre- and post-quiz were developed based on the curriculum for a required library session in an introductory English composition course. The quizzes were designed to establish a baseline for student knowledge of information literacy as well as measure the effect of library instruction on student learning. We also sought to evaluate the suitability of the Blackboard learning management system for assessment of library instruction. Our discussion of the benefits and limitations of this pilot project will be useful to instruction librarians considering using Blackboard to implement multiple choice quizzes as a means of assessing information literacy and library instruction.

Feasibility and Pilot Studies in Palliative Care Research: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Terry A; Olds, Timothy S; Currow, David C; Williams, Marie T

2017-07-01

Feasibility and pilot study designs are common in palliative care research. Finding standard guidelines on the structure and reporting of these study types is difficult. In feasibility and pilot studies in palliative care research, to determine 1) how commonly a priori feasibility are criteria reported and whether results are subsequently reported against these criteria? and 2) how commonly are participants' views on acceptability of burden of the study protocol assessed? Four databases (OVID Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PubMed via caresearch.com.au.) were searched. Search terms included palliative care, terminal care, advance care planning, hospice, pilot, feasibility, with a publication date between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2013. Articles were selected and appraised by two independent reviewers. Fifty-six feasibility and/or pilot studies were included in this review. Only three studies had clear a priori criteria to measure success. Sixteen studies reported participant acceptability or burden with measures. Forty-eight studies concluded feasibility. The terms "feasibility" and "pilot" are used synonymously in palliative care research when describing studies that test for feasibility. Few studies in palliative care research outline clear criteria for success. The assessment of participant acceptability and burden is uncommon. A gold standard for feasibility study design in palliative care research that includes both clear criteria for success and testing of the study protocol for participant acceptability and burden is needed. Such a standard would assist with consistency in the design, conduct and reporting of feasibility and pilot studies. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Decision-making capacity for research participation among addicted people: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Morán-Sánchez, Inés; Luna, Aurelio; Sánchez-Muñoz, Maria; Aguilera-Alcaraz, Beatriz; Pérez-Cárceles, Maria D

2016-01-13

Informed consent is a key element of ethical clinical research. Addicted population may be at risk for impaired consent capacity. However, very little research has focused on their comprehension of consent forms. The aim of this study is to assess the capacity of addicted individuals to provide consent to research. 53 subjects with DSM-5 diagnoses of a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and 50 non psychiatric comparison subjects (NPCs) participated in the survey from December 2014 to March 2015. This cross-sectional study was carried out at a community-based Outpatient Treatment Center and at an urban-located Health Centre in Spain. A binary judgment of capacity/incapacity was made guided by the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR) and a clinical interview. Demographics and clinical characteristics were assessed by cases notes and the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Global Assessment Functional Scale and the Clinical Global Impression Scale. NPCs performed the best on the MacCAT-CR, and patients with SUD had the worst performance, particularly on the Understanding and Appreciation subscales. 32.7% SUD people lacked research-related decisional capacity. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of capacity to consent to research. The findings of our study provide evidence that a large proportion of individuals with SUD had decisional capacity for consent to research. It is therefore inappropriate to draw conclusions about capacity to make research decisions on the basis of a SUD diagnosis. In the absence of advanced cognitive impairment, acute withdrawal or intoxication, we should assume that addicted persons possess decision-making capacity. Thus, the view that people with SUD would ipso facto lose decision-making power for research consent is flawed and stigmatizing.

Needs assessment for developing a program to help train advanced-practice pharmacists for research.

Science.gov (United States)

Bulkley, Christina F; Miller, Michael J; Bush, Colleen G; Nussbaum, Barbara B; Draugalis, JoLaine R

2017-12-01

Results of a needs assessment to determine priority topics and preferred formats for research training in pharmacy residency programs are reported. For pharmacists seeking advanced-practice positions in academia, the ability to conduct practice-based research is expected. Pharmacy residency programs are a primary recruitment source for these positions, but research training varies by residency site and available expertise. To help define the optimal content and format of resident research training, ASHP and the ASHP Research and Education Foundation conducted a needs assessment targeting postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency directors (RPDs). The response rate was 36.5% (271 of 743 invitees); the information obtained was used to guide development of a Web-based training series. Only 12% of the RPDs who participated in the survey indicated that currently available research training resources within their residency programs were sufficient. Sixty-seven percent of surveyed RPDs agreed that a Web-based training program would be a useful resource, and 81% agreed that the target audience should be pharmacy residents. Training topics of greatest interest to RPDs included (1) components of a resident research plan, (2) identifying research questions, (3) study design and sample selection, (4) project management, (5) data acquisition, cleaning, management, and analysis, and (6) presenting and publishing project results. This needs assessment clearly identified opportunities for improving the infrastructure and content of PGY1 residency research training. At a minimum, training programs should focus on practice-based research concepts using readily accessible health-system data systems and provide universal accessibility and sufficient flexibility to allow residency programs to integrate the training in a manner that works best for the program. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Psychometric model for safety culture assessment in nuclear research facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nascimento, C.S. do, E-mail: claudio.souza@ctmsp.mar.mil.br [Centro Tecnológico da Marinha em São Paulo (CTMSP), Av. Professor Lineu Prestes 2468, 05508-000 São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Andrade, D.A., E-mail: delvonei@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN – SP), Av. Professor Lineu Prestes 2242, 05508-000 São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Mesquita, R.N. de, E-mail: rnavarro@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN – SP), Av. Professor Lineu Prestes 2242, 05508-000 São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2017-04-01

Highlights: • A psychometric model to evaluate ‘safety climate’ at nuclear research facilities. • The model presented evidences of good psychometric qualities. • The model was applied to nuclear research facilities in Brazil. • Some ‘safety culture’ weaknesses were detected in the assessed organization. • A potential tool to develop safety management programs in nuclear facilities. - Abstract: A safe and reliable operation of nuclear power plants depends not only on technical performance, but also on the people and on the organization. Organizational factors have been recognized as the main causal mechanisms of accidents by research organizations through USA, Europe and Japan. Deficiencies related with these factors reveal weaknesses in the organization’s safety culture. A significant number of instruments to assess the safety culture based on psychometric models that evaluate safety climate through questionnaires, and which are based on reliability and validity evidences, have been published in health and ‘safety at work’ areas. However, there are few safety culture assessment instruments with these characteristics (reliability and validity) available on nuclear literature. Therefore, this work proposes an instrument to evaluate, with valid and reliable measures, the safety climate of nuclear research facilities. The instrument was developed based on methodological principles applied to research modeling and its psychometric properties were evaluated by a reliability analysis and validation of content, face and construct. The instrument was applied to an important nuclear research organization in Brazil. This organization comprises 4 research reactors and many nuclear laboratories. The survey results made possible a demographic characterization and the identification of some possible safety culture weaknesses and pointing out potential areas to be improved in the assessed organization. Good evidence of reliability with Cronbach's alpha

Psychometric model for safety culture assessment in nuclear research facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nascimento, C.S. do; Andrade, D.A.; Mesquita, R.N. de

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A psychometric model to evaluate ‘safety climate’ at nuclear research facilities. • The model presented evidences of good psychometric qualities. • The model was applied to nuclear research facilities in Brazil. • Some ‘safety culture’ weaknesses were detected in the assessed organization. • A potential tool to develop safety management programs in nuclear facilities. - Abstract: A safe and reliable operation of nuclear power plants depends not only on technical performance, but also on the people and on the organization. Organizational factors have been recognized as the main causal mechanisms of accidents by research organizations through USA, Europe and Japan. Deficiencies related with these factors reveal weaknesses in the organization’s safety culture. A significant number of instruments to assess the safety culture based on psychometric models that evaluate safety climate through questionnaires, and which are based on reliability and validity evidences, have been published in health and ‘safety at work’ areas. However, there are few safety culture assessment instruments with these characteristics (reliability and validity) available on nuclear literature. Therefore, this work proposes an instrument to evaluate, with valid and reliable measures, the safety climate of nuclear research facilities. The instrument was developed based on methodological principles applied to research modeling and its psychometric properties were evaluated by a reliability analysis and validation of content, face and construct. The instrument was applied to an important nuclear research organization in Brazil. This organization comprises 4 research reactors and many nuclear laboratories. The survey results made possible a demographic characterization and the identification of some possible safety culture weaknesses and pointing out potential areas to be improved in the assessed organization. Good evidence of reliability with Cronbach's alpha

Considerations when conducting e-Delphi research: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Toronto, Coleen

2017-06-22

Background E-Delphi is a way to access a geographically dispersed group of experts. It is similar to other Delphi methods but conducted online. E-research methodologies, such as the e-Delphi method, have yet to undergo significant critical discussion. Aim To highlight some of the challenges nurse researchers may wish to consider when using e-Delphi in their research. Discussion This paper provides details about the author's approach to conducting an e-Delphi study in which a group of health literacy nurse experts (n=41) used an online survey platform to identify and prioritise essential health literacy competencies for registered nurses. Conclusion This paper advances methodological discourse about e-Delphi by critically assessing an e-Delphi case study. The online survey platform used in this study was advantageous for the researcher and the experts: the experts could participate at any time and place where the internet was available; the researcher could efficiently access a national group of experts, track responses and analyse data in each round. Implications for practice E-Delphi studies create opportunities for nurse researchers to conduct research nationally and internationally. Before conducting an e-Delphi study, researchers should carefully consider the design and methods for collecting data, to avoid challenges that could potentially compromise the quality of the findings. Researchers are encouraged to publish details about their approaches to e-Delphi studies, to advance the state of the science.

Research in assessment: consensus statement and recommendations from the Ottawa 2010 Conference.

Science.gov (United States)

Schuwirth, Lambert; Colliver, Jerry; Gruppen, Larry; Kreiter, Clarence; Mennin, Stewart; Onishi, Hirotaka; Pangaro, Louis; Ringsted, Charlotte; Swanson, David; Van Der Vleuten, Cees; Wagner-Menghin, Michaela

2011-01-01

Medical education research in general is a young scientific discipline which is still finding its own position in the scientific range. It is rooted in both the biomedical sciences and the social sciences, each with their own scientific language. A more unique feature of medical education (and assessment) research is that it has to be both locally and internationally relevant. This is not always easy and sometimes leads to purely ideographic descriptions of an assessment procedure with insufficient general lessons or generalised scientific knowledge being generated or vice versa. For medical educational research, a plethora of methodologies is available to cater to many different research questions. This article contains consensus positions and suggestions on various elements of medical education (assessment) research. Overarching is the position that without a good theoretical underpinning and good knowledge of the existing literature, good research and sound conclusions are impossible to produce, and that there is no inherently superior methodology, but that the best methodology is the one most suited to answer the research question unambiguously. Although the positions should not be perceived as dogmas, they should be taken as very serious recommendations. Topics covered are: types of research, theoretical frameworks, designs and methodologies, instrument properties or psychometrics, costs/acceptability, ethics, infrastructure and support.

Assessment of research needs for wind turbine rotor materials technology

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

National Research Council Staff; Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; National Research Council; National Academy of Sciences

1991-01-01

... on Assessment of Research Needs for Wind Turbine Rotor Materials Technology Energy Engineering Board Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems National Research Council NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS Washington, D.C. 1991 Copyrightthe true use are Please breaks Page inserted. accidentally typesetting been have may original the from errors not...

National Database for Autism Research (NDAR): Big Data Opportunities for Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Payakachat, Nalin; Tilford, J Mick; Ungar, Wendy J

2016-02-01

The National Database for Autism Research (NDAR) is a US National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research data repository created by integrating heterogeneous datasets through data sharing agreements between autism researchers and the NIH. To date, NDAR is considered the largest neuroscience and genomic data repository for autism research. In addition to biomedical data, NDAR contains a large collection of clinical and behavioral assessments and health outcomes from novel interventions. Importantly, NDAR has a global unique patient identifier that can be linked to aggregated individual-level data for hypothesis generation and testing, and for replicating research findings. As such, NDAR promotes collaboration and maximizes public investment in the original data collection. As screening and diagnostic technologies as well as interventions for children with autism are expensive, health services research (HSR) and health technology assessment (HTA) are needed to generate more evidence to facilitate implementation when warranted. This article describes NDAR and explains its value to health services researchers and decision scientists interested in autism and other mental health conditions. We provide a description of the scope and structure of NDAR and illustrate how data are likely to grow over time and become available for HSR and HTA.

Where is students' research in evidence-informed decision-making in health? Assessing productivity and use of postgraduate students' research in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Obuku, E A; Lavis, J N; Kinengyere, A; Mafigiri, D K; Sengooba, F; Karamagi, C; Sewankambo, N K

2017-03-09

Investing in research that is not accessible or used is a waste of resources and an injustice to human subject participants. Post-graduate students' research in institutions of higher learning involves considerable time, effort and money, warranting evaluation of the return on investment. Although individual studies addressing research productivity of post-graduate students are available, a synthesis of these results in low-income settings has not been undertaken. Our first aim is to identify the types of approaches that increase productivity and those that increase the application of medical post-graduate students' research and to assess their effectiveness. Our second aim is to assess the determinants of post-graduate students' research productivity. We propose a two-stage systematic review. We will electronically search for published and grey literature in PubMed/MEDLINE and the ERIC databases, as well as contact authors, research administration units of universities, and other key informants as appropriate. In stage one, we will map the nature of the evidence available using a knowledge translation framework adapted from existing literature. We will perform duplicate screening and selection of articles, data abstraction, and risk of bias assessments for included primary studies as described in the Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews. Our primary outcome is publication output as a measure of research productivity, whilst we defined research use as citations in peer-reviewed journals or policy-related documents as our secondary outcome. In stage two, we will perform a structured narrative synthesis of the findings and advance to quantitative meta-analysis if the number of studies are adequate and their heterogeneity is low. Adapting the Grading, Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, we will assess the overall quality of evidence for effects, and report our results in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic

76 FR 23537 - Hass Avocado Promotion, Research, and Information Order; Importer Associations and Assessment...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-27

... Avocado Promotion, Research, and Information Order; Importer Associations and Assessment Computation... computation for assessments received by importer associations under the Hass Avocado Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order)(7 CFR part 1219). The Order is authorized under the Hass Avocado Promotion, Research...

Internet Administration of Paper-and-Pencil Questionnaires Used in Couple Research: Assessing Psychometric Equivalence

Science.gov (United States)

Brock, Rebecca L.; Barry, Robin A.; Lawrence, Erika; Dey, Jodi; Rolffs, Jaci

2012-01-01

This study examined the psychometric equivalence of paper-and-pencil and Internet formats of key questionnaires used in couple research. Self-report questionnaires assessing interpersonal constructs (relationship satisfaction, communication/conflict management, partner support, emotional intimacy) and intrapersonal constructs (individual traits,…

The cost of long-term follow-up of high-risk infants for research studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Doyle, Lex W; Clucas, Luisa; Roberts, Gehan; Davis, Noni; Duff, Julianne; Callanan, Catherine; McDonald, Marion; Anderson, Peter J; Cheong, Jeanie L Y

2015-10-01

Neonatal intensive care is expensive, and thus it is essential that its long-term outcomes are measured. The costs of follow-up studies for high-risk children who survive are unknown. This study aims to determine current costs for the assessment of health and development of children followed up in our research programme. Costs were determined for children involved in the research follow-up programme at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, over the 6-month period between 1st January 2012 and 30th June 2012. The time required for health professionals involved in assessments in early and later childhood was estimated, and converted into dollar costs. Costs for equipment and data management were added. Estimated costs were compared with actual costs of running the research follow-up programme. A total of 134 children were assessed over the 6-month period. The estimated average cost per child assessed was $1184, much higher than was expected. The estimated cost to assess a toddler was $1149, whereas for an 11-year-old it was $1443, the difference attributable to the longer psychological and paediatric assessments. The actual average cost per child assessed was $1623. The shortfall of $439 between the actual and estimated average costs per child arose chiefly because of the need to pay staff even when participants were late or failed to attend. The average costs of assessing children at each age for research studies are much higher than expected. These data are useful for planning similar long-term follow-up assessments for high-risk children. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2015 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Summary results of an assessment of research projects in the Nuclear Medicine Research program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

In May 1987, OHER management requested the Office of Program Analysis (OPA) to conduct a peer review of the projects of the DOE Nuclear Medicine Research program. This was done using procedures and a quantitative methodology OPA developed for assessing DOE research programs. Sixty-three individual nuclear medicine projects were reviewed by seven panels; one panel on isotopes and radioisotopes, three on radiopharmacology, two on clinical feasibility, and one on instrumentation. Each panel consisted of five to ten knowledgeable reviewers. 5 figs

Health and aging: development of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing health assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Cronin, Hilary; O'Regan, Clare; Finucane, Ciaran; Kearney, Patricia; Kenny, Rose Anne

2013-05-01

To assist researchers planning studies similar to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), concerning the development of the health assessment component, to promote use of the archived data set, to inform researchers of the methods employed, and to complement the accompanying article on normative values. Prospective, longitudinal study of older adults. Republic of Ireland. Eight thousand five hundred four community-dwelling adults who participated in wave 1 of the TILDA study. The main areas of focus for the TILDA health assessments are neurocardiovascular instability, locomotion, and vision. The article describes the scientific rationale for the choice of assessments and seeks to determine the potential advantages of incorporating novel biomeasures and technologies in population-based studies to advance understanding of aging-related disorders. The detailed description of the physical measures will facilitate cross-national comparative research and put into context the normative values outlined in the subsequent article. © 2013, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2013, The American Geriatrics Society.

CRL research reactor diesel generator reliability study 1960 - 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winfield, D.J.; McCauley, G.M.

1994-07-01

A data base has been provided for the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) research reactor diesel generator reliability, for use in risk assessment studies of CRL research reactors. Data from 1960 to end of 1992 have been collected, representing 358 diesel generator years of experience. The data is used to provide failure-to-start probabilities and failure-to-run rates. Data is also classified according to subsystem failures, multiple failures and common cause failures. Comparisons with other recent studies of nuclear power plant diesel generator reliability have been made. This revision updates the 1989 September report. (author). 14 refs., 13 tabs., 10 figs

Health technology assessment: research trends and future priorities in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Camilla Palmhøj; Funch, Tina Maria; Kristensen, Finn Børlum

2011-07-01

To provide an overview of health services research related to health technology assessment (HTA) and to identify research priorities from a European perspective. Several methods were used: systematic review of articles indexed with the MeSH term 'technology assessment' in PubMed from February 1999-2009; online survey among experts; and conference workshop discussions. Research activity in HTA varies considerably across Europe. The research was categorised into six areas: (1) the breadth of analysis in HTA (such as economic, organizational and social aspects); (2) HTA products developed to meet the needs of policy-makers (such as horizon scanning, mini-HTA, and core HTA); (3) handling life-cycle perspectives in relation to technologies; (4) topics that challenge existing methods and for which HTA should be developed to address the themes more comprehensively (such as public health interventions and organizational interventions); (5) development of HTA capacity and programmes; and (6) links between policy and HTA. An online survey showed that the three areas that were given priority were the relationship between HTA and policy-making (71%), the impact of HTA (62%) and incorporating patient aspects in HTA (50%). Policy-makers highlighted HTA and innovation processes as their main research priority (42%). Areas that the systematic review identified as future priorities include issues within the six existing research areas such as disinvestment, developing evidence for new technologies, assessing the wider effects of technology use, and determining how HTA affects decision-making. In addition, relative effectiveness and individualized treatments are areas of growing interest. The research priorities identified are important for obtaining high quality and cost-effective health care in Europe. Managing the introduction, use and phasing out of technologies challenges health services throughout Europe, and these processes need to be improved to successfully manage future

Research contributions for assessment of the state and evolution of the global environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Vuuren, D.P.

1999-01-01

A Global Environment Assessment (GEO) workshop was held in Brussels on September 15 and 16, 1998. During the preparation of policy-oriented reports of GEO, several gaps in data and expertise had been identified. The workshop elaborated on the issues where gaps had been signalled aimed to bring together scientists from different disciplines, representatives of the Directorate General XII and specialists from RIVM in integrated environmental assessment to locate information missing in UNEP's studies and make progress in filling up gaps. Research needs would be identified. The specific issues were categorised as: land-related issues, urban environment and implementation of policies. The workshop participants were able to identify several links between the activities for GEO and ongoing research in the context of the EU Research, Technology Development and the Demonstration programme. About 15 more specific research needs were formulated. For land-related issues, the following knowledge gaps and research implications were identified: (1) e.g. social and economic expertise in land-use analysis, (2) e.g. land-use planning and urban land use in integrated assessment, (3) modelling land degradation, and (4) modelling the driving forces of land degradation. For the urban environment, the major knowledge research areas identified from an integrative perspective were: (1) defining a core set of indicators for sustainable urban development, (2) quantifying the interlinkages between environmental stress and human health, (3) describing the effects of measures, (4) determining the role of institutional structures, and (5) ensuring data provision based on the physical city. Major problems were identified for implementation of policies that the degree of policy implementation is not often measured and that it is difficult to relate policy actions to changes in environmental pressures. In analysis it is first of all necessary to identify which definition of effectiveness will be

Medical Community of Inquiry: A Diagnostic Tool for Learning, Assessment, and Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rakefet Ackerman

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Aim/Purpose: These days educators are expected to integrate technological tools into classes. Although they acquire relevant skills, they are often reluctant to use these tools. Background:\tWe incorporated online forums for generating a Community of Inquiry (CoI in a faculty development program. Extending the Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge (TPACK model with Assessment Knowledge and content analysis of forum discourse and reflection after each CoI, we offer the Diagnostic Tool for Learning, Assessment, and Research (DTLAR. Methodology: This study spanned over two cycles of a development program for medical faculty. Contribution: This study demonstrates how the DTLAR supports in-depth examination of the benefits and challenges of using CoIs for learning and teaching. Findings: Before the program, participants had little experience with, and were reluctant to use, CoIs in classes. At the program completion, many were willing to adopt CoIs and appreciated this method’s contribution. Both CoIs discourse and reflections included positive attitudes regarding cognitive and teacher awareness categories. However, negative attitudes regarding affective aspects and time-consuming aspects of CoIs were exposed. Participants who experienced facilitating a CoI gained additional insights into its usefulness. Recommendations for Practitioners\t: The DTLAR allows analyzing adaption of online forums for learning and teaching. Recommendation for Researchers: The DTLAR allows analyzing factors that affect the acceptance of online fo-rums for learning and teaching. Impact on Society\t: While the tool was implemented in the context of medical education, it can be readily applied in other adult learning programs. Future Research: The study includes several design aspects that probably affected the improve-ment and challenges we found. Future research is called for providing guidelines for identifying boundary conditions and potential for further

Indigenous community based participatory research and health impact assessment: A Canadian example

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwiatkowski, Roy E.

2011-01-01

The Environmental Health Research Division (EHRD) of the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada conducts science-based activities and research with Canadian Indigenous communities in areas such as climate change adaptation, environmental contaminants, water quality, biomonitoring, risk assessment, health impact assessment, and food safety and nutrition. EHRD's research activities have been specifically designed to not only inform Health Canada's policy decision-makers but as well, Indigenous community decision-makers. This paper will discuss the reasons why Indigenous community engagement is important, what are some of the barriers preventing community engagement; and the efforts by EHRD to carry out community-based participatory research activities with Indigenous peoples.

Adolescent Populations Research Needs - NCS Dietary Assessment Literature Review

Science.gov (United States)

As with school age children, it is difficult to make conclusions about the validity of available dietary assessment instruments for adolescents because of the differences in instruments, research designs, reference methods, and populations in the validation literature.

Association of learning styles with research self-efficacy: study of short-term research training program for medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Dumbauld, Jill; Black, Michelle; Depp, Colin A; Daly, Rebecca; Curran, Maureen A; Winegarden, Babbi; Jeste, Dilip V

2014-12-01

With a growing need for developing future physician scientists, identifying characteristics of medical students who are likely to benefit from research training programs is important. This study assessed if specific learning styles of medical students, participating in federally funded short-term research training programs, were associated with research self-efficacy, a potential predictor of research career success. Seventy-five first-year medical students from 28 medical schools, selected to participate in two competitive NIH-supported summer programs for research training in aging, completed rating scales to evaluate learning styles at baseline, and research self-efficacy before and after training. We examined associations of individual learning styles (visual-verbal, sequential-global, sensing-intuitive, and active-reflective) with students' gender, ranking of medical school, and research self-efficacy. Research self-efficacy improved significantly following the training programs. Students with a verbal learning style reported significantly greater research self-efficacy at baseline, while visual, sequential, and intuitive learners demonstrated significantly greater increases in research self-efficacy from baseline to posttraining. No significant relationships were found between learning styles and students' gender or ranking of their medical school. Assessments of learning styles may provide useful information to guide future training endeavors aimed at developing the next generation of physician-scientists. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Power probability density function control and performance assessment of a nuclear research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abharian, Amir Esmaeili; Fadaei, Amir Hosein

2014-01-01

Highlights: • In this paper, the performance assessment of static PDF control system is discussed. • The reactor PDF model is set up based on the B-spline functions. • Acquaints of Nu, and Th-h. equations solve concurrently by reformed Hansen’s method. • A principle of performance assessment is put forward for the PDF of the NR control. - Abstract: One of the main issues in controlling a system is to keep track of the conditions of the system function. The performance condition of the system should be inspected continuously, to keep the system in reliable working condition. In this study, the nuclear reactor is considered as a complicated system and a principle of performance assessment is used for analyzing the performance of the power probability density function (PDF) of the nuclear research reactor control. First, the model of the power PDF is set up, then the controller is designed to make the power PDF for tracing the given shape, that make the reactor to be a closed-loop system. The operating data of the closed-loop reactor are used to assess the control performance with the performance assessment criteria. The modeling, controller design and the performance assessment of the power PDF are all applied to the control of Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) power in a nuclear process. In this paper, the performance assessment of the static PDF control system is discussed, the efficacy and efficiency of the proposed method are investigated, and finally its reliability is proven

Assessment of a RELAP5 model for the IPR-R1 TRIGA research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reis, Patricia A.L.; Costa, Antonella L.; Pereira, Claubia; Veloso, Maria A.F.; Mesquita, Amir Z.; Soares, Humberto V.

2010-01-01

RELAP5 code was developed at the Idaho National Environmental and Engineering Laboratory and it is widely used for thermal hydraulic studies of commercial nuclear power plants and, currently, it has been also applied for thermal hydraulic analysis of nuclear research systems with good predictions. This work is a contribution to the assessment of RELAP5/3.3 code for research reactors analysis. It presents steady-state and transient calculation results performed using a RELAP5 model to simulate the IPR-R1 TRIGA research reactor conditions operating at 50 and 100 kW. The reactor is located at the Nuclear Technology Development Centre (CDTN), Brazil. The development and the assessment of a RELAP5 model for the IPR-R1 TRIGA are presented. Experimental data were considered in the process of code-to-data validation. The RELAP5 results were also compared with calculation performed using the STHIRP-1 (Research Reactors Thermal Hydraulic Simulation) code. The use of a cross flow model has been essential to improve results in the transient condition respect to preceding investigations.

Validation of the 10/66 Dementia Research Group Diagnostic Assessment for Dementia in Arabic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Phung, Kieu T T; Chaaya, Monique; Waldemar, Gunhild

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVES: In the North Africa and Middle East region, the illiteracy rates among older people are high, posing a great challenge to cognitive assessment. Validated diagnostic instruments for dementia in Arabic are lacking, hampering the development of dementia research in the region. The study ...

Qualitative study to develop processes and tools for the assessment and tracking of African institutions' capacity for operational health research.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallis, Selina; Cole, Donald C; Gaye, Oumar; Mmbaga, Blandina T; Mwapasa, Victor; Tagbor, Harry; Bates, Imelda

2017-09-05

Research is key to achieving global development goals. Our objectives were to develop and test an evidence-informed process for assessing health research management and support systems (RMSS) in four African universities and for tracking interventions to address capacity gaps. Four African universities. 83 university staff and students from 11 cadres. A literature-informed 'benchmark' was developed and used to itemise all components of a university's health RMSS. Data on all components were collected during site visits to four African universities using interview guides, document reviews and facilities observation guides. Gaps in RMSS capacity were identified against the benchmark and institutional action plans developed to remedy gaps. Progress against indicators was tracked over 15 months and common challenges and successes identified. Common gaps in operational health research capacity included no accessible research strategy, a lack of research e-tracking capability and inadequate quality checks for proposal submissions and contracts. Feedback indicated that the capacity assessment was comprehensive and generated practical actions, several of which were no-cost. Regular follow-up helped to maintain focus on activities to strengthen health research capacity in the face of challenges. Identification of each institutions' strengths and weaknesses against an evidence-informed benchmark enabled them to identify gaps in in their operational health research systems, to develop prioritised action plans, to justify resource requests to fulfil the plans and to track progress in strengthening RMSS. Use of a standard benchmark, approach and tools enabled comparisons across institutions which has accelerated production of evidence about the science of research capacity strengthening. The tools could be used by institutions seeking to understand their strengths and to address gaps in research capacity. Research capacity gaps that were common to several institutions could be

Publishing nutrition research: validity, reliability, and diagnostic test assessment in nutrition-related research.

Science.gov (United States)

Gleason, Philip M; Harris, Jeffrey; Sheean, Patricia M; Boushey, Carol J; Bruemmer, Barbara

2010-03-01

This is the sixth in a series of monographs on research design and analysis. The purpose of this article is to describe and discuss several concepts related to the measurement of nutrition-related characteristics and outcomes, including validity, reliability, and diagnostic tests. The article reviews the methodologic issues related to capturing the various aspects of a given nutrition measure's reliability, including test-retest, inter-item, and interobserver or inter-rater reliability. Similarly, it covers content validity, indicators of absolute vs relative validity, and internal vs external validity. With respect to diagnostic assessment, the article summarizes the concepts of sensitivity and specificity. The hope is that dietetics practitioners will be able to both use high-quality measures of nutrition concepts in their research and recognize these measures in research completed by others. Copyright 2010 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A summary of research-based assessment of students' beliefs about the nature of experimental physics

Science.gov (United States)

Wilcox, Bethany R.; Lewandowski, H. J.

2018-03-01

Within the undergraduate physics curriculum, students' primary exposure to experimental physics comes from laboratory courses. Thus, as experimentation is a core component of physics as a discipline, lab courses can be gateways in terms of both recruiting and retaining students within the physics major. Physics lab courses have a wide variety of explicit and/or implicit goals for lab courses, including helping students to develop expert-like beliefs about the nature and importance of experimental physics. To assess students' beliefs, attitudes, and expectations about the nature of experimental physics, there is currently one research-based assessment instrument available—the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS). Since its development, the E-CLASS has been the subject of multiple research studies aimed at understanding and evaluating the effectiveness of various laboratory learning environments. This paper presents a description of the E-CLASS assessment and a summary of the research that has been done using E-CLASS data with a particular emphasis on the aspects of this work that are most relevant for instructors.

Future research needs associated with the assessment of potential human health risks from exposure to toxic ambient air pollutants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Möller, Lennart; Schuetzle, Dennis; Autrup, Herman

1994-01-01

of identification and quantification of toxics in source emissions and ambient air, atmospheric transport and chemistry, exposure level assessment, the development of improved in vitro bioassays, biomarker development, the development of more accurate epidemiological methodologies, and risk quantification......This paper presents key conclusions and future research needs from a Workshop on the Risk Assessment of Urban Air, Emissions, Exposure, Risk Identification, and Quantification, which was held in Stockholm during June 1992 by 41 participants from 13 countries. Research is recommended in the areas...... techniques. Studies are described that will be necessary to assess and reduce the level of uncertainties associated with each step of the risk assessment process. International collaborative research efforts between industry and government organizations are recommended as the most effective way to carry out...

Current researches on safety assessment of radioactive waste disposal in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tasaka, Hiroshi; Kiyose, Ryohei

1980-01-01

Recently, the problem of safe disposal of radioactive waste generated from nuclear fuel cycle becomes more important in Japan. On the other hand, many researches on shallow land burial of low-level wastes and geologic isolation of high-level wastes have been carried out in the United States of America. In this report, the researches on the safety assessment of radioactive waste disposal in the United States of America were briefly introduced with emphasis on the studies on behavior and migration of radionuclide from disposed waste in geosphere. (author)

What we don't know can hurt us: Nonresponse bias assessment in birth defects research.

Science.gov (United States)

Strassle, Paula D; Cassell, Cynthia H; Shapira, Stuart K; Tinker, Sarah C; Meyer, Robert E; Grosse, Scott D

2015-07-01

Nonresponse bias assessment is an important and underutilized tool in survey research to assess potential bias due to incomplete participation. This study illustrates a nonresponse bias sensitivity assessment using a survey on perceived barriers to care for children with orofacial clefts in North Carolina. Children born in North Carolina between 2001 and 2004 with an orofacial cleft were eligible for inclusion. Vital statistics data, including maternal and child characteristics, were available on all eligible subjects. Missing 'responses' from nonparticipants were imputed using assumptions based on the distribution of responses, survey method (mail or phone), and participant maternal demographics. Overall, 245 of 475 subjects (51.6%) responded to either a mail or phone survey. Cost as a barrier to care was reported by 25.0% of participants. When stratified by survey type, 28.3% of mail respondents and 17.2% of phone respondents reported cost as a barrier. Under various assumptions, the bias-adjusted estimated prevalence of cost as barrier to care ranged from 16.1% to 30.0%. Maternal age, education, race, and marital status at time of birth were not associated with subjects reporting cost as a barrier. As survey response rates continue to decline, the importance of assessing the potential impact of nonresponse bias has become more critical. Birth defects research is particularly conducive to nonresponse bias analysis, especially when birth defect registries and birth certificate records are used. Future birth defect studies which use population-based surveillance data and have incomplete participation could benefit from this type of nonresponse bias assessment. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 103:603-609, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Assessment by human research ethics committees of potential conflicts of interest arising from pharmaceutical sponsorship of clinical research.

Science.gov (United States)

Newcombe, J P; Kerridge, I H

2007-01-01

Conflicts of interest arising from pharmaceutical industry sponsorship of clinical research have the potential to bias research outcomes and ultimately prejudice patient care. It is unknown how Australian Human Research Ethics Committees (HREC) assess and manage such conflicts of interest. We aimed to gain an understanding of how HREC approach the problem of potential conflicts of interest arising from pharmaceutical sponsorship of clinical research. We conducted a survey of HREC chairpersons in New South Wales. HREC vary widely in their approaches to conflicts of interest, including in their use of National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines, which were often misinterpreted or overlooked. Many committees rely primarily on researchers disclosing potential conflicts of interest, whereas a majority of HREC use disclosure to research participants as the primary tool for preventing and managing conflicts of interest. Almost no HREC place limitations on researcher relationships with pharmaceutical companies. These findings suggest reluctance on the part of HREC to regulate many potential conflicts of interest between researchers and pharmaceutical sponsors, which may arise from uncertainty regarding the meaning or significance of conflicts of interest in research, from ambiguity surrounding the role of HREC in assessing and managing conflicts of interest in research or from misinterpretation or ignorance of current National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines. Further review of policies and practices in this important area may prove beneficial in safeguarding clinical research and patient care while promoting continuing constructive engagement with the pharmaceutical industry.

Guidelines for the review research reactor safety. Reference document for IAEA Integrated Safety Assessment of Research Reactors (INSARR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

In 1992, the IAEA published new safety standards for research reactors as part of the set of publications considered by its Research Reactor Safety Programme (RRSP). This set also includes publications giving guidance for all safety aspects related to the lifetime of a research reactor. In addition, the IAEA has also revised the Safety Standards for radiation protection. Consequently, it was considered advisable to revise the Integrated Safety Assessment of Research Reactors (INSARR) procedures to incorporate the new requirements and guidance as well as to extend the scope of the safety reviews to currently operating research reactors. The present report is the result of this revision. The purpose of this report is to give guidance on the preparation, execution, reporting and follow-up of safety review mission to research reactors as conducted by the IAEA under its INSARR missions safety service. However, it will also be of assistance to operators and regulators in conducting: (a) ad hoc safety assessments of research reactors to address individual issues such as ageing or safety culture; and (b) other types of safety reviews such as internal and peer reviews and regulatory inspections

Quality Assessment of Research Articles in Nuclear Medicine Using STARD and QUADAS-2 Tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roysri, Krisana; Chotipanich, Chanisa; Laopaiboon, Vallop; Khiewyoo, Jiraporn

2014-01-01

Diagnostic nuclear medicine is being increasingly employed in clinical practice with the advent of new technologies and radiopharmaceuticals. The report of the prevalence of a certain disease is important for assessing the quality of that article. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the quality of published nuclear medicine articles and determine the frequency of reporting the prevalence of studied diseases. We used Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) and Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) checklists for evaluating the quality of articles published in five nuclear medicine journals with the highest impact factors in 2012. The articles were retrieved from Scopus database and were selected and assessed independently by two nuclear medicine physicians. Decision concerning equivocal data was made by consensus between the reviewers. The average STARD score was approximately 17 points, and the highest score was 17.19±2.38 obtained by the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine. QUADAS-2 tool showed that all journals had low bias regarding study population. The Journal of Nuclear Medicine had the highest score in terms of index test, reference standard, and time interval. Lack of clarity regarding the index test, reference standard, and time interval was frequently observed in all journals including Clinical Nuclear Medicine, in which 64% of the studies were unclear regarding the index test. Journal of Nuclear Cardiology had the highest number of articles with appropriate reference standard (83.3%), though it had the lowest frequency of reporting disease prevalence (zero reports). All five journals had the same STARD score, while index test, reference standard, and time interval were very unclear according to QUADAS-2 tool. Unfortunately, data were too limited to determine which journal had the lowest risk of bias. In fact, it is the author's responsibility to provide details of research methodology so that the

Environmental assessment as a planning tool for the decommissioning of a nuclear research facility in Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klukas, M.H.; Grondin, D.J.; Helbrecht, R.A.

2002-01-01

Whiteshell Laboratories, a nuclear research facility operated by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL), have provided research facilities for the Canadian Nuclear Industry since the early 1960's. In 1997, AECL made a business decision to discontinue research programs and operations at the laboratories. Shortly thereafter the decision was made in agreement with the Federal Government of Canada to decommission the laboratories. In compliance with its own policy and to meet the requirements of the Canadian Legislation, AECL assessed the potential environmental effects of the project. The Environmental Assessment included studies to evaluate he feasibility of leaving two major project components in place; low-level radioactive waste in trenches located at the Whiteshell Laboratories site and river sediments contaminated from operational effluent releases. For both project components, it was determined that managing the wastes in the existing location was environmentally sound. An extensive follow-up program, comprising of additional monitoring and analysis to verify these findings will be implemented. As a result of these assessments and the assessments for other project components it was concluded that the project was not likely to cause significant adverse effects. The assessment decision was accepted by the Minister of the Environment in 2002 April. (author)

The critical assessment of research traditional and new methods of evaluation

CERN Document Server

Bailin, Alan

2010-01-01

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

78 FR 55068 - Request for Information To Inform the Title III Evaluation and Research Studies Agenda

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-09

... III Evaluation and Research Studies Agenda AGENCY: Office of English Language Acquisition, Language... priorities for future evaluation and research studies needed to inform effective instruction, assessment, and... we seek to gather information on the evaluation and research studies needs of the field, which may...

A Framework for the Assessment of Research and Its Impacts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cinzia Daraio

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a holistic framework for the development of models for the assessment of research activities and their impacts. It distinguishes three dimensions, including in an original way, data as a main dimension, together with theory and methodology. Each dimension of the framework is further characterized by three main building blocks: education, research, and innovation (theory; efficiency, effectiveness, and impact (methodology; and availability, interoperability, and “unit-free” property (data. The different dimensions and their nine constituent building blocks are attributes of an overarching concept, denoted as “quality.” Three additional quality attributes are identified as implementation factors (tailorability, transparency, and openness and three “enabling” conditions (convergence, mixed methods, and knowledge infrastructures complete the framework. A framework is required to develop models of metrics. Models of metrics are necessary to assess the meaning, validity, and robustness of metrics. The proposed framework can be a useful reference for the development of the ethics of research evaluation. It can act as a common denominator for different analytical levels and relevant aspects and is able to embrace many different and heterogeneous streams of literature. Directions for future research are provided.

Preliminary assessment of an S.G.H.W. type research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bicevskis, A.; Chapman, A.G.; Hesse, E.W.

1970-08-01

A preliminary design study has been made of a research reactor, based on the enriched S.G.H.W.R. concept, to be used for power reactor fuel irradiation, isotope production, basic research, and training in nuclear technology. A reactor physics assessment established a core size which would allow uninterrupted operation for the required irradiation period consistent with low capital and operating costs. A design was selected with 24 channels, a D 2 O calandria diameter of 2.7 m and an overall core height of 4.0 m. The capital cost was estimated as $750,000 for the fuel and $1,600,000 for the moderator, the refuelling cost being $340,000 per annum. A thermal design study showed that the fission heat of 65 MW could be transmitted to pressurised light water at 200 lb/in 2 abs. and rejected to sea water in two conventional U-tube heat exchangers. The basic design is flexible and can be adapted to meet many special requirements. (author)

Procedural Influence on Internal and External Assessment Scores of Undergraduate Vocational and Technical Education Research Projects in Nigerian Universities

Science.gov (United States)

A. C., John; Manabete, S. S.

2015-01-01

This study sought to determine the procedural influence on internal and external assessment scores of undergraduate research projects in vocational and technical education programmes in the university under study. A survey research design was used for the conduct of this study. The population consisted of 130 lecturers and 1,847 students in the…

Cooperative research with CHECIR (CHErnobyl Center for International Research)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagaoka, T.; Saito, K.; Sakamoto, R.; Tsutsumi, M.; Moriuchi, S.

1994-01-01

The Chernobyl Center for International Research (CHECIR) has been established under an agreement among IAEA. Russia, Byelorussia and Ukraine in order to implement various studies on the reactor facilities and on the environment near and around the reactor. JAERI started discussions with a view to join the idea on the research project of study on assessment and analysis of environmental consequences in contaminated area. On June, 1992, JAERI and CHECIR concluded an agreement on the Implementation of Research at the CHECIR. Under the agreement, JAERI has started 'Study on Assessment and Analysis of Environmental Radiological Consequences and Verification of an Assessment System'. This project is scheduled to last until 1996. This study consists of following two subjects. Subject-1: Study on Measurements and Evaluation of Environmental External Exposure after Nuclear Accident. Subject-2: Study on the Validation of Assessment Models in an Environmental Consequence Assessment Methodology for Nuclear Accidents. Subject-3: Study on Migration of Radionuclides Released into Rivers adjacent to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (planned to start from FY1994). In this workshop, research activity will be introduced with actually measured data. (J.P.N.)

Computer-aided assessment of diagnostic images for epidemiological research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gange Stephen J

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Diagnostic images are often assessed for clinical outcomes using subjective methods, which are limited by the skill of the reviewer. Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD algorithms that assist reviewers in their decisions concerning outcomes have been developed to increase sensitivity and specificity in the clinical setting. However, these systems have not been well utilized in research settings to improve the measurement of clinical endpoints. Reductions in bias through their use could have important implications for etiologic research. Methods Using the example of cortical cataract detection, we developed an algorithm for assisting a reviewer in evaluating digital images for the presence and severity of lesions. Available image processing and statistical methods that were easily implementable were used as the basis for the CAD algorithm. The performance of the system was compared to the subjective assessment of five reviewers using 60 simulated images. Cortical cataract severity scores from 0 to 16 were assigned to the images by the reviewers and the CAD system, with each image assessed twice to obtain a measure of variability. Image characteristics that affected reviewer bias were also assessed by systematically varying the appearance of the simulated images. Results The algorithm yielded severity scores with smaller bias on images where cataract severity was mild to moderate (approximately ≤ 6/16ths. On high severity images, the bias of the CAD system exceeded that of the reviewers. The variability of the CAD system was zero on repeated images but ranged from 0.48 to 1.22 for the reviewers. The direction and magnitude of the bias exhibited by the reviewers was a function of the number of cataract opacities, the shape and the contrast of the lesions in the simulated images. Conclusion CAD systems are feasible to implement with available software and can be valuable when medical images contain exposure or outcome information for

Metric-based vs peer-reviewed evaluation of a research output: Lesson learnt from UK's national research assessment exercise.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kushwanth Koya

Full Text Available There is a general inquisition regarding the monetary value of a research output, as a substantial amount of funding in modern academia is essentially awarded to good research presented in the form of journal articles, conferences papers, performances, compositions, exhibitions, books and book chapters etc., which, eventually leads to another question if the value varies across different disciplines. Answers to these questions will not only assist academics and researchers, but will also help higher education institutions (HEIs make informed decisions in their administrative and research policies.To examine both the questions, we applied the United Kingdom's recently concluded national research assessment exercise known as the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014 as a case study. All the data for this study is sourced from the openly available publications which arose from the digital repositories of REF's results and HEFCE's funding allocations.A world leading output earns between £7504 and £14,639 per year within the REF cycle, whereas an internationally excellent output earns between £1876 and £3659, varying according to their area of research. Secondly, an investigation into the impact rating of 25315 journal articles submitted in five areas of research by UK HEIs and their awarded funding revealed a linear relationship between the percentage of quartile-one journal publications and percentage of 4* outputs in Clinical Medicine, Physics and Psychology/Psychiatry/Neuroscience UoAs, and no relationship was found in the Classics and Anthropology/Development Studies UoAs, due to the fact that most publications in the latter two disciplines are not journal articles.The findings provide an indication of the monetary value of a research output, from the perspectives of government funding for research, and also what makes a good output, i.e. whether a relationship exists between good quality output and the source of its publication. The

Metric-based vs peer-reviewed evaluation of a research output: Lesson learnt from UK's national research assessment exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Koya, Kushwanth; Chowdhury, Gobinda

2017-01-01

There is a general inquisition regarding the monetary value of a research output, as a substantial amount of funding in modern academia is essentially awarded to good research presented in the form of journal articles, conferences papers, performances, compositions, exhibitions, books and book chapters etc., which, eventually leads to another question if the value varies across different disciplines. Answers to these questions will not only assist academics and researchers, but will also help higher education institutions (HEIs) make informed decisions in their administrative and research policies. To examine both the questions, we applied the United Kingdom's recently concluded national research assessment exercise known as the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 as a case study. All the data for this study is sourced from the openly available publications which arose from the digital repositories of REF's results and HEFCE's funding allocations. A world leading output earns between £7504 and £14,639 per year within the REF cycle, whereas an internationally excellent output earns between £1876 and £3659, varying according to their area of research. Secondly, an investigation into the impact rating of 25315 journal articles submitted in five areas of research by UK HEIs and their awarded funding revealed a linear relationship between the percentage of quartile-one journal publications and percentage of 4* outputs in Clinical Medicine, Physics and Psychology/Psychiatry/Neuroscience UoAs, and no relationship was found in the Classics and Anthropology/Development Studies UoAs, due to the fact that most publications in the latter two disciplines are not journal articles. The findings provide an indication of the monetary value of a research output, from the perspectives of government funding for research, and also what makes a good output, i.e. whether a relationship exists between good quality output and the source of its publication. The findings may also

School Age Populations Research Needs - NCS Dietary Assessment Literature Review

Science.gov (United States)

Drawing conclusions about the validity of available dietary assessment instruments in school age children is hampered by the differences in instruments, research design, reference methods, and populations in the validation literature.

Divergences between clinical and research methods for assessing personality disorders: implications for research and the evolution of axis II.

Science.gov (United States)

Westen, D

1997-07-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which instruments for assessing axis II diverge from clinical diagnostic processes. Subjects in the first study were 52 clinicians with experience in assessment and treatment of patients with personality disorders, who were surveyed about the methods they use in clinical practice to make diagnoses and other aspects of the diagnostic process. A second study replicated the major findings with a random national sample of 1,901 experienced psychiatrists and psychologists. Whereas current instruments rely primarily on direct questions derived from DSM-IV, clinicians of every theoretical persuasion found direct questions useful for assessing axis I disorders but only marginally so for axis II. They made axis II diagnoses, instead, by listening to patients describe interpersonal interactions and observing their behavior with the interviewer. In contrast to findings with current research instruments, most patients with personality disorders in clinical practice receive only one axis II diagnosis, and if they receive more than one, one is considered primary. Clinicians reported treating a substantial number of patients for enduring personality patterns that current axis II instruments do not assess, many of which meet neither axis I nor axis II criteria, notably problems with relatedness, work, self-esteem, and chronic subclinical depressive traits. Measurements of axis II were constructed by using a model derived from axis I instruments that diverges from clinical diagnostic procedures in a way that may be problematic for the assessment of personality disorders and the development of a more clinically and empirically sound taxonomy.

Learning to assess in the academic workplace: Case study in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A study into how academics learn to assess student performance affirms the significance of context in understanding learning in the academic workplace. The study involved three case studies in academic departments with significant differences in the teaching, research and professional dimensions of academic life.

Assessing research activity and capacity of community-based organizations: development and pilot testing of an instrument.

Science.gov (United States)

Humphries, Debbie L; Carroll-Scott, Amy; Mitchell, Leif; Tian, Terry; Choudhury, Shonali; Fiellin, David A

2014-01-01

Although awareness of the importance of the research capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) is growing, a uniform framework of the research capacity domains within CBOs has not yet been developed. To develop a framework and instrument (the Community REsearch Activity assessment Tool [CREAT]) for assessing the research activity and capacity of CBOs that incorporates awareness of the different data collection and analysis priorities of CBOs. We conducted a review of existing tools for assessing research capacity to identify key capacity domains. Instrument items were developed through an iterative process with CBO representatives and community researchers. The CREAT was then pilot tested with 30 CBOs. The four primary domains of the CREAT framework include 1) organizational support for research, 2) generalizable experiences, 3) research specific experiences, and 4) funding. Organizations reported a high prevalence of activities in the research-specific experiences domain, including conducting literature reviews (70%), use of research terminology (83%), and primary data collection (100%). Respondents see research findings as important to improve program and service delivery, and to seek funds for new programs and services. Funders, board members, and policymakers are the most important dissemination audiences. The work reported herein advances the field of CBO research capacity by developing a systematic framework for assessing research activity and capacity relevant to the work of CBOs, and by developing and piloting an instrument to assess activity in these domains.

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Hongyou; Masanet, Eric; Price, Lynn

2009-05-29

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

Environmental assessment for relocation of NREL research experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-06-01

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of Energy (DOE) has prepared this environmental assessment (DOE/EA-0619) to evaluate the environmental consequences associated with the conduct of ongoing research activities of its National Renewable Energy Laboratory proposed to be relocated to leased commercial laboratory and warehouse space at 6800 Joyce Sum, in Arvada, Colorado. NREL is currently leasing space in Golden, Colorado, for conduct of the research actions discussed in the EA. The research project proposed for relocation is the Amorphous silicon Deposition Laboratory (ASDL). Additionally, it may be financially desirable to relocate the Scanning Hartman Optical Tester (SHOT) and the Whole Building Test Facility at a later date, therefore, the consequences of their operation at the proposed facility is evaluated in the EA to support such future decisions. The new location can also provide additional warehouse space required by NREL

Research on advanced system safety assessment procedures (II)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Kazuhiko; Shimada, Yukiyasu

1999-03-01

HAZOP (Hazard and operability study) is a systematic technique, which requires the involvement of an experienced, interdisciplinary team of engineers, to identify hazards or operability problems throughout an entire facility by brainstorming. Though HAZOP is recognized as the useful safety assessment method, it requires a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. So recently computer-aided HAZOP has been proposed. The research report in 1998 (PNC PJ1612 98-001) presented prototype system, which carries out HAZOP and FT synthesis, by making use of proposed method. Relationships between states of input and output variables, internal and external events of each component are represented using decision tables, and the system is implemented by C++. In this study, the causalities of plant component malfunctions are described as component malfunction basic model and are stored in the computer. Thus, we have developed safety evaluation support system by considering the fault propagation path. Component malfunction basic model is made based on the information on the causalities between the abnormal state and each malfunction in components. This component malfunction basic model provides the common frame to describe abnormal situation in components. By using this basic model, not only state malfunction of component but also the consequence to external circumstance is assessed. G2, which is an excellent object-oriented developer tool in GUI (Graphical User Interface), is used as a tool for developing the system. By using the graphical editor in the system, the user can carry out HAZOP easily. We have applied this system to the Nuclear Reprocessing Facilities to demonstrate the utilities of developing system. (author)

Research trends in studies of medical students' characteristics: a scoping review.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Sung Soo; Park, Kwi Hwa; Roh, HyeRin; Yune, So Jung; Lee, Geon Ho; Chun, Kyunghee

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate domestic and international research trends in studies of medical students' characteristics by using the scoping review methods. This study adopted the scoping review to assess papers on the characteristics of medical students. The procedure of research was carried out according to the five steps of the scoping review. The full texts of 100 papers are obtained and are read closely, after which suitable 88 papers are extracted by us for this research. The review is mapped by the year of the study, source, location, author, research design, research subject, objective, and key results. The frequency is analyzed by using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. We found 70 papers (79.5%) on a single medical school, 15 (17.0%) on multiple medical schools, and three (3.4%) on mixed schools, including medical and nonmedical schools. Sixty-nine (79.5%) were cross-sectional studies and 18 (20.5%) were longitudinal studies. Eighty-two papers (93.2%) adopted questionnaire surveys. We summarized research trends of studies on medical students in Korea and overseas by topic, and mapped them into physical health, mental health, psychological characteristics, cognitive characteristics, social characteristics, and career. This study provides insights into the future directions of research for the characteristics of medical students.

Research trends in studies of medical students’ characteristics: a scoping review

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate domestic and international research trends in studies of medical students’ characteristics by using the scoping review methods. This study adopted the scoping review to assess papers on the characteristics of medical students. The procedure of research was carried out according to the five steps of the scoping review. The full texts of 100 papers are obtained and are read closely, after which suitable 88 papers are extracted by us for this research. The review is mapped by the year of the study, source, location, author, research design, research subject, objective, and key results. The frequency is analyzed by using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. We found 70 papers (79.5%) on a single medical school, 15 (17.0%) on multiple medical schools, and three (3.4%) on mixed schools, including medical and nonmedical schools. Sixty-nine (79.5%) were cross-sectional studies and 18 (20.5%) were longitudinal studies. Eighty-two papers (93.2%) adopted questionnaire surveys. We summarized research trends of studies on medical students in Korea and overseas by topic, and mapped them into physical health, mental health, psychological characteristics, cognitive characteristics, social characteristics, and career. This study provides insights into the future directions of research for the characteristics of medical students. PMID:28870017

Research trends in studies of medical students’ characteristics: a scoping review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sung Soo Jung

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to investigate domestic and international research trends in studies of medical students’ characteristics by using the scoping review methods. This study adopted the scoping review to assess papers on the characteristics of medical students. The procedure of research was carried out according to the five steps of the scoping review. The full texts of 100 papers are obtained and are read closely, after which suitable 88 papers are extracted by us for this research. The review is mapped by the year of the study, source, location, author, research design, research subject, objective, and key results. The frequency is analyzed by using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. We found 70 papers (79.5% on a single medical school, 15 (17.0% on multiple medical schools, and three (3.4% on mixed schools, including medical and nonmedical schools. Sixty-nine (79.5% were cross-sectional studies and 18 (20.5% were longitudinal studies. Eighty-two papers (93.2% adopted questionnaire surveys. We summarized research trends of studies on medical students in Korea and overseas by topic, and mapped them into physical health, mental health, psychological characteristics, cognitive characteristics, social characteristics, and career. This study provides insights into the future directions of research for the characteristics of medical students.

Reliability and Validity of the Research Methods Skills Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Tamarah; Smith, Samantha

2018-01-01

The Research Methods Skills Assessment (RMSA) was created to measure psychology majors' statistics knowledge and skills. The American Psychological Association's Guidelines for the Undergraduate Major in Psychology (APA, 2007, 2013) served as a framework for development. Results from a Rasch analysis with data from n = 330 undergraduates showed…

Sociocultural Behavior Influence Modelling & Assessment: Current Work and Research Frontiers.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernard, Michael Lewis [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2018-01-01

A common problem associated with the effort to better assess potential behaviors of various individuals within different countries is the shear difficulty in comprehending the dynamic nature of populations, particularly over time and considering feedback effects. This paper discusses a theory-based analytical capability designed to enable analysts to better assess the influence of events on individuals interacting within a country or region. These events can include changes in policy, man-made or natural disasters, migration, war, or other changes in environmental/economic conditions. In addition, this paper describes potential extensions of this type of research to enable more timely and accurate assessments.

Needs Assessment of the Healthcare Sector in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area. Research Report. Business Needs Assessment Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Northern Virginia Community Coll., Annandale. Office of Institutional Research.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growing population of elderly citizens will result in an increased demand for healthcare services that will rise for a full 50 years. This study assesses the need for healthcare sector workers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Information on the skills, education, and experience that…

Assessing usefulness and researcher satisfaction with consent form templates.

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, Elaine L; Teller, Alan; Aguirre, Alejandra N; Jackson, Jhia; Meyer, Dodi

2017-08-01

We aimed to improve the research consenting process by developing and evaluating simplified consent forms. Four templates written at the eighth-tenth grade reading level were developed and trialed by a group of experts in clinical research, health literacy, national regulatory requirements, and end users. Researchers from protocols which had received expedited review were surveyed at 2 time points regarding their use and assessment of the templates. At baseline 18/86 (20.9%) responding researchers had heard of the templates and 5 (5.8%) reported that they had used them; 2 years later, 54.2% (32/59) had heard of the templates and 87.5% (28/32) had used them ( p Consent form templates may be one mechanism to improve patient comprehension of research protocols as well as efficiency of the review process, but require considerable time for development and implementation, and one key to their success is involvement and support from the IRB and technical staff.

Emerging Methodologies in Pediatric Palliative Care Research: Six Case Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine E. Nelson

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Given the broad focus of pediatric palliative care (PPC on the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of children with potentially life-limiting illnesses and their families, PPC research requires creative methodological approaches. This manuscript, written by experienced PPC researchers, describes issues encountered in our own areas of research and the novel methods we have identified to target them. Specifically, we discuss potential approaches to: assessing symptoms among nonverbal children, evaluating medical interventions, identifying and treating problems related to polypharmacy, addressing missing data in longitudinal studies, evaluating longer-term efficacy of PPC interventions, and monitoring for inequities in PPC service delivery.

Emerging Methodologies in Pediatric Palliative Care Research: Six Case Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Katherine E.; Gerhardt, Cynthia A.; Rosenberg, Abby R.; Widger, Kimberley; Faerber, Jennifer A.; Feudtner, Chris

2018-01-01

Given the broad focus of pediatric palliative care (PPC) on the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of children with potentially life-limiting illnesses and their families, PPC research requires creative methodological approaches. This manuscript, written by experienced PPC researchers, describes issues encountered in our own areas of research and the novel methods we have identified to target them. Specifically, we discuss potential approaches to: assessing symptoms among nonverbal children, evaluating medical interventions, identifying and treating problems related to polypharmacy, addressing missing data in longitudinal studies, evaluating longer-term efficacy of PPC interventions, and monitoring for inequities in PPC service delivery. PMID:29495384

Assessing the scientific research productivity of a leading toxicology journal: A case study of Human & Experimental Toxicology from 2003 to 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Zyoud, Sa'ed H; Al-Jabi, Samah W; Sweileh, Waleed M; Awang, Rahmat

2014-01-01

Bibliometric studies are increasingly being used for research assessments. Bibliometric indicators involve the application of statistical methods to scientific publications to obtain the bibliographics for each journal. The main objective of this study was to conduct a bibliometric evaluation of Human & Experimental Toxicology retrieved from the Scopus database. This study obtained data from Scopus published from 1 January 2003 till 31 December 2012. The keywords entered in Scopus to accomplish the objective of this study were 'Human', 'Experimental' and 'Toxicology' as 'Source Title'. Research productivity was evaluated based on a methodology developed and used in other bibliometric studies by analysing (a) total and trends in Human & Experimental Toxicology contributions in research between 2003 and 2012; (b) Human & Experimental Toxicology authorship patterns and productivity; (c) collaboration patterns; and (d) the citations received by the publications. There were 1229 research articles published in Human & Experimental Toxicology. Of the articles included, 947 (77.1%) were original articles and 104 (8.5%) were review articles. The Hirsch-index of the retrieved documents was 35. The largest number of publications in Human & Experimental Toxicology was from the United States (19.6%), followed by India (12.8%) and Turkey (10.9%). The total number of citations was 9119, with a median (interquartile range) of 3 (1-9) in 6797 documents. The highest median (interquartile range) number of citations was 8 (2.7-12.7) for France, followed by 7.5 (2-22.5) for Iran and 6 (3-13.5) for the United Kingdom. The country most often citing articles that were published in Human & Experimental Toxicology was the United States, which made citations in 1508 documents, followed by India with citations in 792 documents. The documents in Human & Experimental Toxicology focus principally on original data, with very few review articles. Review articles tend to have higher citation rates

Nursing research. Components of a clinical research study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bargagliotti, L A

1988-09-01

Nursing research is the systematic collection and analysis of data about clinically important phenomena. While there are norms for conducting research and rules for using certain research procedures, the reader must always filter the research report against his or her nursing knowledge. The most common questions a reader should ask are "Does it make sense? Can I think of any other reasonable explanation for the findings? Do the findings fit what I have observed?" If the answers are reasonable, research findings from carefully conducted studies can provide a basis for making nursing decisions. One of the earliest accounts of nursing research, which indicates the power of making systematic observations, was Florence Nightingale's study. It compared deaths among soldiers in the Crimean War with deaths of soldiers in the barracks of London. Her research demonstrated that soldiers in the barracks had a much higher death rate than did the soldiers at war. On the basis of the study, sanitary conditions in the barracks were changed substantially.

Study on systematic integration technology of design and safety assessment for HLW geological disposal. 2. Research document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishihara, Yoshinao; Fukui, Hiroshi; Sagawa, Hiroshi; Matsunaga, Kenichi; Ito, Takaya; Kohanawa, Osamu; Kuwayama, Yuki

2003-02-01

The present study was carried out relating to basic design of the Geological Disposal Technology Integration System' that will be systematized as knowledge base for design analysis and safety assessment of HLW geological disposal system by integrating organically and hierarchically various technical information in three study field. The key conclusions are summarized as follows: (1) As referring to the current performance assessment report, the technical information for R and D program of HLW geological disposal system was systematized hierarchically based on summarized information in a suitable form between the work flow (work item) and processes/characteristic flow (process item). (2) As the result of the systematized technical information, database structure and system functions necessary for development and construction to the computer system were clarified in order to secure the relation between technical information and data set for assessment of HLW geological disposal system. (3) The control procedure for execution of various analysis code used by design and safety assessment in HLW geological disposal study was arranged possibility in construction of 'Geological Disposal Technology Integration System' after investigating the distributed computing technology. (author)

Enhancement of the methodology of repository design and post-closure performance assessment for preliminary investigation stage. Progress report on NUMO-JAEA collaborative research in FY2011 (Joint research)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibata, Masahiro; Sawada, Atsushi; Tachi, Yukio; Makino, Hitoshi; Hayano, Akira; Mitsui, Seiichiro; Taniguchi, Naoki; Oda, Chie; Kitamura, Akira; Osawa, Hideaki; Semba, Takeshi; Hioki, Kazumasa; Kamei, Gento; Ebashi, Takeshi; Kubota, Shigeru; Kurosawa, Susumu; Goto, Junichi; Goto, Takahiro; Ishii, Eiichi; Inagaki, Manabu; Moriya, Toshifumi; Suzuki, Satoru; Ohi, Takao; Ichihara, Takayuki; Ishida, Keisuke; Ishiguro, Katsuhiko; Tsuchi, Hiroyuki

2012-09-01

JAEA and NUMO have conducted a collaborative research work which is designed to enhance the methodology of repository design and performance assessment in preliminary investigation stage. The topics of such joint research are (1) study on selection of host rock, (2) study on development of scenario, (3) study on setting nuclide migration parameters, (4) study on ensuring quality of knowledge. With regard to (1), in terms of hydraulic properties, items for assessing rock property, and assessment methodology of groundwater travel time has been organized with interaction from site investigation. With regard to (2), the existing approach has been embodied, in addition, the phenomenological understanding regarding dissolution of and nuclide release from vitrified waste, corrosion of the overpack, long-term performance of the buffer are summarized. With regard to (3), the approach for parameter setting has been improved for sorption and diffusion coefficient of buffer/rock, and applied and tested for parameter setting of key radionuclides. With regard to (4), framework for ensuring quality of knowledge has been studied and examined aimed at the likely disposal facility condition. (author)

[A critical assessment of the relation between the food industry and health research].

Science.gov (United States)

León Mengíbar, Josep; Pastor-Valero, María; Hernández Aguado, Ildefonso

To describe the influence of the food industry in health research, observing how funding influences health outcomes and the quality of the studies. We performed a systematic review in MEDLINE, Cochrane Library Plus and Scopus using the MESH "Food Industry", "Food-Processing Industry", "Biomedical Research", "Research Support as Topic", and the keywords "Industry Sponsorship" and "Funding Source". The quality was assessed using the PRISMA guidelines. We revised 1,506 articles and 10 were included; two reviewed the relationship between funding-outcomes and quality-outcomes; six focused on the funding-outcomes relationship; and the other two focused on methodological quality. Six showed that funding from the food industry resulted in more favourable outcomes for their products. No differences in quality were found in relation to the funding source, but those which did not declare their funding had a worse quality. Studies funded by the food industry showed favourable results for their products. However, this fact did not affect the quality of the studies. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

[Health research and health technology assessment in Chile].

Science.gov (United States)

Espinoza, Manuel Antonio; Cabieses, Báltica; Paraje, Guillermo

2014-01-01

Health research is considered an essential element for the improvement of population health and it has been recommended that a share of the national health budget should be allocated to develop this field. Chile has undertaken efforts in the last decades in order to improve the governmental structure created to promote the development of health research, which has increased human resources and funding opportunities. On the other hand, the sustained economic growth of Chile in the last decades suggests that the health expenditure will maintain its increasing trend in the following years. This additional funding could be used to improve coverage of current activities performed in the health system, but also to address the incorporation of new strategies. More recently, health technology assessment (HTA) has been proposed as a process to support decisions about allocation of resources based on scientific evidence. This paper examines the relationship between the development of health research and the HTA process. First, it presents a brief diagnosis of the situation of health research in Chile. Second, it reviews the conceptual basis and the methods that account for the relationship between a HTA process and the development of health research. In particular, it emphasizes the relevance of identifying information gaps where funding additional research can be considered a good use of public resources. Finally, it discusses the challenges and possible courses of action that Chile could take in order to guarantee the continuous improvement of an articulated structure for health research and HTA.

A Note on Intelligence Assessment within Studies of Specific Language Impairment.

Science.gov (United States)

Camarata, Stephen; Swisher, Linda

1990-01-01

Research procedures used to evaluate the intelligence of children with specific language impairment are reviewed. Almost half of the 167 studies did not include adequate descriptions of intelligence assessment. (Author/JDD)

Research on seal control systems for international nuclear safeguard and the vulnerability assessment on the seals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Hongjian; Liu Tianshu; Cao Fangfang; Xu Chunyan

2014-01-01

Safeguard seals, also called Tamper-indicating devices (TIDs), are widely used to detect tampering or unauthorized entry in the international safeguard and security systems, Seal control systems consist of seal implementing plan, seal development and the vulnerability assessment on tbe seals, effective implementing procedures and methods of the seals. The vulnerability assessment contents of safeguard seals, thermo-shrinked film seals being as an example, and seals control systems in the implementation program are researched. The seal control systems discuss task assignment, seals management flow and seals program data flow to promote applying effectively seals. The vulnerability assessment program of seals studies assurance level to some different tampering techniques and measures. The researches must promote utilizing seals effectively for nuclear security, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, radioactive waste management, and the nuclear material accounting and control. (authors)

Assessing the Level of Happiness: a Review of Russian and Foreign Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuliya Evgen’evna Shmatova

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The article presents the main results of the first phase of the study launched in 2015 by ISEDT RAS researchers and aimed at assessing subjective satisfaction with the quality of life and its impact on social development. The article shows that subjective assessment of quality of life is a criterion for assessing the efficiency of public administration, an indicator of people’s attitude toward economic, social and political decisions. The generalization of domestic and international experience serves as the basis proving that in the post-industrial economy the phenomenon of happiness is important as a goal of public administration and criterion for evaluating its effectiveness from the viewpoint of politicians, economists, sociologists and psychologists. The authors consider the main international and national indicators and ratings of happiness that help to carry out cross-country comparisons, and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages of index methodologies for assessing the level of happiness are as follows: the use of national averages without taking into account the uneven distribution of benefits and driving forces of spiritual and moral development of individuals; lack of opportunity to make prompt and regular calculations of the indices and to take into account the specifics of countries, cultural and ethnic differences. The integral indicator does not even reflect problems highlighted by partial indices. The article also substantiates the necessity of using self-representative questionnaire methods as the most reliable sources of information about the level of people’s subjective satisfaction with the quality of life, and highlights several methodological features of their application. The authors provide research findings by VTsIOM, RAS Institute of Sociology, and ISEDT RAS, which not only assess the level of happiness, but also identify a set of conditions affecting its formation: financial well

Assessment of the feasibility and clinical value of further research to evaluate the management options for children with Down syndrome and otitis media with effusion: a feasibility study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fortnum, Heather; Leighton, Paul; Smith, Murray D; Brown, Lisa; Jones, Matthew; Benton, Claire; Marder, Elizabeth; Marshall, Andrew; Sutton, Kate

2014-09-01

There is clinical uncertainty of the benefits and costs of different treatment options for children with Down syndrome who have glue ear. This study was designed to assess the extent of this lack of knowledge and determine if pursuing further information would be practical, beneficial and cost-effective. To assess the level and practical effect of current uncertainty around treatment options for children with Down syndrome and glue ear. To assess the feasibility of studying the options for management of glue ear in children with Down syndrome via a randomised controlled trial (RCT) or multicentre prospective cohort study by evaluating the willingness of (1) parents to agree to randomisation for their children and (2) clinicians to recruit participants to a definitive study. To undertake value of information analyses to demonstrate the potential economic benefit from undertaking further research. A feasibility study exploring the views of parents of children with Down syndrome and professionals who have responsibility for the health and education of children with Down syndrome, on the participation in, and value of, future research into interventions for glue ear. Data were collected from parents via self-completed questionnaires, face-to-face interviews and focus groups and from professionals via online questionnaires and a Delphi review exercise. Development of economic models to represent clinical pathways of care and a RCT informed a value of information (VOI) analysis. UK (professionals); East Midlands region of the UK (parents). Parents of children aged 1-11 years with Down syndrome (n = 156). Professionals including audiologists, ear, nose and throat surgeons, audiological physicians, speech and language therapists, and teachers of the deaf (n = 128). Quantitative and qualitative data on parental views and experiences of glue ear and its effects; interventions and treatment received; taking part in research and factors that would encourage or

Research Centre for the Study of the Rogue Waves

Science.gov (United States)

Shamin, Roman

2013-04-01

In 2012, in Sakhalin (Russia) was established Research Center for the Study of the Rogue Waves. This center unites many known scientists, who study rogue waves. The center is founded by the following scientific organizations: - The Institute of Marine Geology and Geophysics of FEB RAS - The Far Eastern Federal University - Special Research Bureau for Automation of Marine Researches of FEB RAS - The Institute of Applied Physics of RAS - Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of RAS Heads this center Dr. Roman V. Shamin (Russia). Topics projects: - Probability of emergence of rogue waves - Finding of the sites of the Ocean most dangerous from the point of view of rogue waves - Assessment of risk of dangerous impact of rogue waves - and many others... Our Center is open for new participants from all countries. Our Centre have web-site: roguewaves.ru For contacts: center@roguewaves.ru (Dr. Roman Shamin)

ESTIMATING INJURIOUS IMPACT IN CONSTRUCTION LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTS: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McDevitt, James E.

2012-04-01

Full Text Available This paper is the result of a desire to include social factors alongside environmental and economic considerations in Life Cycle Assessment studies for the construction sector. We describe a specific search for a method to include injurious impact for construction Life Cycle Assessment studies, by evaluating a range of methods and data sources. A simple case study using selected Accident Compensation Corporation information illustrates that data relating to injury could provide a compelling evidence to cause changes in construction supply chains, and could provide an economic motive to pursue further research in this area. The paper concludes that limitations notwithstanding, the suggested approach could be useful as a fast and cheap high level tool that can accelerate the discussions and research agenda that will bring about the inclusion of social metrics in construction sector supply chain management and declarations.

Case Study Research Methodology in Nursing Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Cope, Diane G

2015-11-01

Through data collection methods using a holistic approach that focuses on variables in a natural setting, qualitative research methods seek to understand participants' perceptions and interpretations. Common qualitative research methods include ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory, and historic research. Another type of methodology that has a similar qualitative approach is case study research, which seeks to understand a phenomenon or case from multiple perspectives within a given real-world context.

System Losses and Assessment Trade Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David Shropshire; Steve Piet; Nick Soelberg; Robert Cherry; Roger Henry; David Meikrantz; Greg Teske; Eric Shaber; Candido Pereira

2009-09-01

This Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) study has developed new analysis methods to examine old and new technology options toward the goal of improving fuel cycle systems. We have integrated participants and information from AFCI Systems Analysis, Transmutation Fuels, Separations, and Waste Form Campaigns in the Systems Losses and Assessment Trade Study. The initial objectives of this study were to 1) increase understanding of system interdependencies and thereby identify system trade-offs that may yield important insights, 2) define impacts of separations product purity on fuel manufacture and transmutation reactivity, 3) define impacts from transuranic (TRU) losses to waste, 4) identify the interrelationships involved in fuels and separations technology performance, and 5) identify system configuration adjustments with the greatest potential for influencing system losses. While bounding and analyzing this initial problem, we also identified significantly higher-level programmatic drivers with broad implications to the current fuel cycle research charter and the general issue of a DOE complex wide need for a comprehensive and integrated nuclear material management as addressed by the new DOE Order 410.2 titled “Management of Nuclear Materials”. The initial modeling effort developed in this study for a much smaller subset of material (i.e., commercial fuel) and a selected transmutation scheme (i.e., fast reactor recycling) is a necessary first step towards examining a broader set of nuclear material management options, dispositioning strategies and integrated waste management options including potential areas of research leverage. The primary outcome from this initial study has been an enhanced integration among Campaigns and associated insights and analysis methods. Opportunities for improved understanding between the groups abound. The above lanthanide-actinide example highlights the importance of evaluating options via integration across the Campaigns

[Environmental Hazards Assessment Program annual report, June 1992--June 1993]. Summer undergraduate research program: Environmental studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McMillan, J. [ed.

1993-12-01

The purpose of the summer undergraduate internship program for research in environmental studies is to provide an opportunity for well-qualified students to undertake an original research project as an apprentice to an active research scientist in basic environmental research. Ten students from throughout the midwestern and eastern areas of the country were accepted into the program. These students selected projects in the areas of marine sciences, biostatistics and epidemiology, and toxicology. The research experience for all these students and their mentors was very positive. The seminars were well attended and the students showed their interest in the presentations and environmental sciences as a whole by presenting the speakers with thoughtful and intuitive questions. This report contains the research project written presentations prepared by the student interns.

The National Research Council study: "Making sense of ballistic missile defense"

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkening, Dean A.

2014-05-01

This chapter explains and summarizes the main findings of a recent National Research Council study entitled Making Sense of Ballistic Missile Defense: An Assessment of Concepts and Systems for U.S. Boost-Phase Missile Defense in Comparison to Other Alternatives.

Assessments of the Third Kind--Do Graduate Research Students Change Their Perceptions of Research Barriers from the Beginning to the End of a Graduate Course in Research Strategies?

Science.gov (United States)

Cleeton, Gilbert; Cleeton, Lorraine

2011-01-01

Available assessments of our graduate research strategies course were (i) traditional pre- and post-test evaluation instruments, and (ii) student evaluations. We felt a need for a third kind of assessment to measure any changes in attitude to research, though we did not expect detectable changes in a 15 week course. Students were asked to rank…

FIRE (facilitating implementation of research evidence: a study protocol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seers Kate

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Research evidence underpins best practice, but is not always used in healthcare. The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS framework suggests that the nature of evidence, the context in which it is used, and whether those trying to use evidence are helped (or facilitated affect the use of evidence. Urinary incontinence has a major effect on quality of life of older people, has a high prevalence, and is a key priority within European health and social care policy. Improving continence care has the potential to improve the quality of life for older people and reduce the costs associated with providing incontinence aids. Objectives This study aims to advance understanding about the contribution facilitation can make to implementing research findings into practice via: extending current knowledge of facilitation as a process for translating research evidence into practice; evaluating the feasibility, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of two different models of facilitation in promoting the uptake of research evidence on continence management; assessing the impact of contextual factors on the processes and outcomes of implementation; and implementing a pro-active knowledge transfer and dissemination strategy to diffuse study findings to a wide policy and practice community. Setting and sample Four European countries, each with six long-term nursing care sites (total 24 sites for people aged 60 years and over with documented urinary incontinence Methods and design Pragmatic randomised controlled trial with three arms (standard dissemination and two different programmes of facilitation, with embedded process and economic evaluation. The primary outcome is compliance with the continence recommendations. Secondary outcomes include proportion of residents with incontinence, incidence of incontinence-related dermatitis, urinary tract infections, and quality of life. Outcomes are assessed at baseline

A human factors needs assessment and planning study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, H.E.; Van Cott, H.P.

1982-06-01

A study was done to assess the need for human factors research, development, and regulatory action in the Atomic Energy Control Board. Further study or development in nine human factors areas is proposed. The urgency, schedule, and resources judged to be necessary for the proposed efforts are estimated. Special emphasis is placed on the need for task analysis information, for the evaluation of control room and maintenance human engineering, and for the development of an improved human error reporting system

Research and engineering assessment of biological solubilization of phosphate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rogers, R.D.; McIlwain, M.E.; Losinski, S.J.; Taylor, D.D.

1993-03-01

This research and engineering assessment examined a microbial phosphate solubilization process as a method of recovering phosphate from phosphorus containing ore compared to the existing wet acid and electric arc methods. A total of 860 microbial isolates, collected from a range of natural environments were tested for their ability to solubilize phosphate from rock phosphate. A bacterium (Pseudomonas cepacia) was selected for extensive characterization and evaluation of the mechanism of phosphate solubilization and of process engineering parameters necessary to recover phosphate from rock phosphate. These studies found that concentration of hydrogen ion and production of organic acids arising from oxidation of the carbon source facilitated microbial solubilization of both pure chemical insoluble phosphate compounds and phosphate rock. Genetic studies found that phosphate solubilization was linked to an enzyme system (glucose dehydrogenase). Process-related studies found that a critical solids density of 1% by weight (ore to liquid) was necessary for optimal solubilization. An engineering analysis evaluated the cost and energy requirements for a 2 million ton per year sized plant, whose size was selected to be comparable to existing wet acid plants.

Final report on the Project Research 'Assessment of Human Exposure to Environmental Radiation'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-03-01

This is the final report of the Project Research, 'Assessment of Human Exposure to Environmental Radiation', which has been conducted during the period 1983-1988. With the objective of assessing risk of environmental radioactivity to the population, the Project was divided into the following five research groups: (1) research for establishing calculation models and parameters in transfer of radionuclides from crop species through the human body; (2) research for analyzing transfer of radionuclides in the ocean and their contributions to exposure doses in the human body; (3) research for surveying accuracy of exposure models for the external body and respiratory organ and the influential factors; (4) research for determining uptake and biokinetics of radionuclides in the body; and (5) research for estimating and evaluating physical and physiological characteristics of reference Japanese man and the populaltion doses. Effluents from nuclear power plants and reprocessing plants were regarded as radionuclide sources in the water and atmosphere. (N.K.)

Human factors and ergonomics assessment of food pantry work: A case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Higgins, Nicholas A; Talone, Andrew B; Fraulini, Nicholas W; Smither, Janan A

2017-01-01

Research assessing work processes in food pantries has been limited to the client's experience and aspects of food donations [3-5]. Research on food pantries has yet to focus on understanding and evaluating worker-environment interaction. The present case study examined the interaction between workers and their work environment while performing common tasks in a food pantry. Data were collected through naturalistic observations and structured interviews. A task analysis was performed on the data. Several potential issues in the pantry were identified including with the workspace layout, environmental conditions, and signage. Human factors and ergonomics principles were then utilized to provide insights and recommendations (e.g., use of numbered rather than color-coded signage). Recommendations were provided to the case study food pantry for enhancing safety and productivity. Further research is needed to assess the generalizability of our findings to other food pantries.

A study on assessment methodology of surveillance test interval and allowed outage time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Che, Moo Seong; Cheong, Chang Hyeon; Lee, Byeong Cheol

1996-07-01

The objectives of this study is the development of methodology by which assessing the optimizes Surveillance Test Interval(STI) and Allowed Outage Time(AOT) using PSA method that can supplement the current deterministic methods and the improvement of Korea nuclear power plants safety. In the first year of this study, the survey about the assessment methodologies, modeling and results performed by domestic and international researches is performed as the basic step before developing the assessment methodology of this study. The assessment methodology that supplement the revealed problems in many other studies is presented and the application of new methodology into the example system assures the feasibility of this method

A study on assessment methodology of surveillance test interval and allowed outage time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Che, Moo Seong; Cheong, Chang Hyeon; Lee, Byeong Cheol [Seoul Nationl Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)] (and others)

1996-07-15

The objectives of this study is the development of methodology by which assessing the optimizes Surveillance Test Interval(STI) and Allowed Outage Time(AOT) using PSA method that can supplement the current deterministic methods and the improvement of Korea nuclear power plants safety. In the first year of this study, the survey about the assessment methodologies, modeling and results performed by domestic and international researches is performed as the basic step before developing the assessment methodology of this study. The assessment methodology that supplement the revealed problems in many other studies is presented and the application of new methodology into the example system assures the feasibility of this method.

An Analysis of Academic Research Libraries Assessment Data: A Look at Professional Models and Benchmarking Data

Science.gov (United States)

Lewin, Heather S.; Passonneau, Sarah M.

2012-01-01

This research provides the first review of publicly available assessment information found on Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members' websites. After providing an overarching review of benchmarking assessment data, and of professionally recommended assessment models, this paper examines if libraries contextualized their assessment…

Soft Skills Assessment: Theory Development and the Research Agenda

Science.gov (United States)

Gibb, Stephen

2014-01-01

Soft skills have become a subject of increasing interest in lifelong learning. Soft skills development is intended to enable and enhance personal development, participation in learning and success in employment. The assessment of soft skill is therefore widely practised, but there is little in the way of research or evidence on how well this…

Future studies and research in Egypt. Overview, examples, perspectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goell, Edgar

2012-02-15

During the last decade there have been several distinct activities and efforts with regards to future research in Egypt. Several institutions and capacities have been created. Although these capacities do not always meet high scientific standards, their results and studies offer important and well-grounded elements for future-oriented discussions and political decisions. Not least because of the Egypt revolt which started in January 2011 and the ongoing complex and conflicting societal struggles in Egypt the objective needs as well as the demand for systematic future thinking and future studies will very likely increase further. For that reason this report presents an overview about the context conditions, experiences and forms of future research in Egypt. The major challenges as well as the major issues are described. The main part is the description of the most important institutions, which are conducting future research, their projects and in addition two concrete projects, which try to practice Sustainable Development in different ways. Finally, several (self-)critical assessments and perspectives from selected experts of the future research community in Egypt will be presented.

Program Evaluation - Automotive Lightweighting Materials Program Research and Development Projects Assessment of Benefits - Case Studies No. 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, S.

2003-01-23

This report is the second of a series of studies to evaluate research and development (R&D) projects funded by the Automotive Lightweighting Materials (ALM) Program of the Office of Advanced Automotive Technologies (OAAT) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The objectives of the program evaluation are to assess short-run outputs and long-run outcomes that may be attributable to the ALM R&D projects. The ALM program focuses on the development and validation of advanced technologies that significantly reduce automotive vehicle body and chassis weight without compromising other attributes such as safety, performance, recyclability, and cost. Funded projects range from fundamental materials science research to applied research in production environments. Collaborators on these projects include national laboratories, universities, and private sector firms, such as leading automobile manufacturers and their suppliers. Three ALM R&D projects were chosen for this evaluation: Design and Product Optimization for Cast Light Metals, Durability of Lightweight Composite Structures, and Rapid Tooling for Functional Prototyping of Metal Mold Processes. These projects were chosen because they have already been completed. The first project resulted in development of a comprehensive cast light metal property database, an automotive application design guide, computerized predictive models, process monitoring sensors, and quality assurance methods. The second project, the durability of lightweight composite structures, produced durability-based design criteria documents, predictive models for creep deformation, and minimum test requirements and suggested test methods for establishing durability properties and characteristics of random glass-fiber composites for automotive structural composites. The durability project supported Focal Project II, a validation activity that demonstrates ALM program goals and reduces the lead time for bringing new technology into the marketplace. Focal

Observing the observers - uncovering the role of values in research assessments of organic food systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorsøe, Martin Hermansen; Alrøe, Hugo Fjelsted; Noe, Egon

2014-01-01

Assessing the overall effects of organic food systems is important, but also a challenge because organic food systems cannot be fully assessed from one single research perspective. The aim of our research was to determine the role of values in assessments of organic food systems as a basis...... for discussing the implications of combining multiple perspectives in overall sustainability assessments of the food system. We explored how values were embedded in five research perspectives: (1) food science, (2) discourse analysis, (3) phenomenology, (4) neoclassical welfare economics, and (5) actor......-network theory. Value has various meanings according to different scientific perspectives. A strategy for including and balancing different forms of knowledge in overall assessments of the effects of food systems is needed. Based on the analysis, we recommend four courses of action: (1) elucidate values...

Comprehensive Assessment Systems: Purposes and Implementation. Research Watch. E&R Report No. 11.10

Science.gov (United States)

Troy, Talbot

2011-01-01

A comprehensive assessment system is one in which three types of assessments: summative, benchmark, and formative assessments are routinely administered to all students in K-12 classrooms. The first part of this report summarizes the research on comprehensive assessment systems and provides clarity in terms of how each individual assessment type…

Research on advanced technology of performance assessment for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (Joint research)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-12-01

JAEA and RWMC have carried out a joint research program on advanced technologies that could be used to support performance assessments of geological disposal concepts for high-level radioactive waste. The following 5 items were considered in the program: 1) planning of a basic strategy for the development of analysis technologies on nuclide migration over various spatial and temporal scales; 2) development of analysis technologies for vitrified waste scale; 3) development of analysis technologies for repository scale; 4) development of integration technologies for geochemical information; and 5) development of technologies to promote the logical understanding of repository performance and safety. The above items were discussed in the context of technological experiences gained by JAEA and RWMC in previous repository-related studies. According to the results of these discussions, development strategies for each of the technology areas identified above were efficiently formulated by appropriate task allocations. Specific technical subjects requiring further investigation were also identified using this approach, and potential feed-backs from the results of these investigations into the overall research plan and strategy were considered. These specific research and development subjects in the overall strategy defined by this project should be implemented in the future. (author)

Summary results of an assessment of research projects in the National Photovoltaics Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-07-01

The Office of Energy Research (OER) undertook an assessment of 115 research projects (listed in Appendix A) sponsored by the National Photovoltaics Program. The Program is located within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE). This report summarizes the results of that review. The Office of Solar Energy Conversion is responsible for the management of the National Photovoltaics Program. This program focuses on assisting US industry in development of fundamental technology to bring advanced photovoltaic energy systems to commercial use. The purpose of the assessment was to determine the following: (1) the quality of research of individual projects; (2) the impact of these individual projects on the mission of the program; and (3) the priority of future research opportunities.

Implementation of Subjective Cognitive Decline criteria in research studies

Science.gov (United States)

Molinuevo, José L; Rabin, Laura A.; Amariglio, Rebecca; Buckley, Rachel; Dubois, Bruno; Ellis, Kathryn A.; Ewers, Michael; Hampel, Harald; Klöppel, Stefan; Rami, Lorena; Reisberg, Barry; Saykin, Andrew J.; Sikkes, Sietske; Smart, Colette M.; Snitz, Beth E.; Sperling, Reisa; van der Flier, Wiesje M.; Wagner, Michael; Jessen, Frank

2017-01-01

INTRODUCTION Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) manifesting prior to clinical impairment could serve as a target population for early intervention trials in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A working group, the Subjective Cognitive Decline Initiative (SCD-I), published SCD research criteria in the context of preclinical AD. To successfully apply them, a number of issues regarding assessment and implementation of SCD needed to be addressed. METHODS Members of the SCD-I met to identify and agree upon topics relevant to SCD criteria operationalization in research settings. Initial ideas and recommendations were discussed with other SCD-I working group members and modified accordingly. RESULTS Topics included SCD inclusion and exclusion criteria, together with the informant’s role in defining SCD presence and the impact of demographic factors. DISCUSSION Recommendations for the operationalization of SCD in differing research settings, with the aim of harmonization of SCD measurement across studies are proposed, to enhance comparability and generalizability across studies. PMID:27825022

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-09-01

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

The integrated system of research quality (quality of the research and research quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. V. Yurasova

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The necessity of the use of research for decision-making on the information received, are considered typical examples of the use of integrated systems research in the practice of the organization, approaches and assess the quality of research and study quality as a subject of study.

Integrating Program Assessment and a Career Focus into a Research Methods Course

Science.gov (United States)

Senter, Mary Scheuer

2017-01-01

Sociology research methods students in 2013 and 2016 implemented a series of "real world" data gathering activities that enhanced their learning while assisting the department with ongoing program assessment and program review. In addition to the explicit collection of program assessment data on both students' development of sociological…

76 FR 38399 - Assessing the Current Research, Policy, and Practice Environment in Public Health Genomics

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-30

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [Docket Number CDC-2011-0008] Assessing the Current Research, Policy, and Practice Environment in Public Health... information helpful to assess the current research, policy, and practice environment in public health genomics...

Advancing the theory and practice of impact assessment: Setting the research agenda

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pope, Jenny, E-mail: jenny@integral-sustainability.net [Integral Sustainability, PO Box 79, South Fremantle WA 6162 (Australia); School of Geo and Spatial Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa); Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute, GPO Box U1987, Perth WA 6845 (Australia); Bond, Alan, E-mail: alan.bond@uea.ac.uk [School of Geo and Spatial Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa); School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ (United Kingdom); Morrison-Saunders, Angus, E-mail: a.morrison-saunders@murdoch.edu.au [Integral Sustainability, PO Box 79, South Fremantle WA 6162 (Australia); School of Geo and Spatial Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa); School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University, South St, Murdoch WA 6150 (Australia); Retief, Francois, E-mail: francois.retief@nwu.ac.za [School of Geo and Spatial Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa)

2013-07-15

Impact assessment has been in place for over 40 years and is now practised in some form in all but two of the world's nations. In this paper we reflect on the state of the art of impact assessment theory and practice, focusing on six well-established forms: EIA, SEA, policy assessment, SIA, HIA and sustainability assessment. We note that although the fundamentals of impact assessment have their roots in the US National Environmental Policy Act 1969 (NEPA) each branch of the field is distinct in also drawing on other theoretical and conceptual bases that in turn shape the prevailing discourse in each case, generating increasing degrees of specialisation within each sub-field. Against this backdrop, we consider the strengths and weaknesses of collective impact assessment practice, concluding that although there are substantial strengths, the plethora of specialist branches is generating a somewhat confusing picture and lack of clarity regarding how the pieces of the impact assessment jigsaw puzzle fit together. We use this review to suggest an overarching research agenda that will enable impact assessment to evolve in line with changing expectations for what it should deliver. -- Highlights: ► Strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats for IA are explored in this paper ► EIA, SEA, policy assessment, SIA, HIA and sustainability assessment are reviewed ► Diversity of practice is both a strength and weakness in the current economic climate ► There are opportunities to simplify IA by focusing on common and fundamental elements ► Continued research into theory related to IA effectiveness is also essential.

Advancing the theory and practice of impact assessment: Setting the research agenda

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pope, Jenny; Bond, Alan; Morrison-Saunders, Angus; Retief, Francois

2013-01-01

Impact assessment has been in place for over 40 years and is now practised in some form in all but two of the world's nations. In this paper we reflect on the state of the art of impact assessment theory and practice, focusing on six well-established forms: EIA, SEA, policy assessment, SIA, HIA and sustainability assessment. We note that although the fundamentals of impact assessment have their roots in the US National Environmental Policy Act 1969 (NEPA) each branch of the field is distinct in also drawing on other theoretical and conceptual bases that in turn shape the prevailing discourse in each case, generating increasing degrees of specialisation within each sub-field. Against this backdrop, we consider the strengths and weaknesses of collective impact assessment practice, concluding that although there are substantial strengths, the plethora of specialist branches is generating a somewhat confusing picture and lack of clarity regarding how the pieces of the impact assessment jigsaw puzzle fit together. We use this review to suggest an overarching research agenda that will enable impact assessment to evolve in line with changing expectations for what it should deliver. -- Highlights: ► Strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats for IA are explored in this paper ► EIA, SEA, policy assessment, SIA, HIA and sustainability assessment are reviewed ► Diversity of practice is both a strength and weakness in the current economic climate ► There are opportunities to simplify IA by focusing on common and fundamental elements ► Continued research into theory related to IA effectiveness is also essential

Oncotyrol--Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine: Methods and Applications of Health Technology Assessment and Outcomes Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Siebert, Uwe; Jahn, Beate; Rochau, Ursula; Schnell-Inderst, Petra; Kisser, Agnes; Hunger, Theresa; Sroczynski, Gaby; Mühlberger, Nikolai; Willenbacher, Wolfgang; Schnaiter, Simon; Endel, Gottfried; Huber, Lukas; Gastl, Guenther

2015-01-01

The Oncotyrol - Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine is an international and interdisciplinary alliance combining research and commercial competencies to accelerate the development, evaluation and translation of personalized healthcare strategies in cancer. The philosophy of Oncotyrol is to collaborate with relevant stakeholders and advance knowledge "from bench to bedside to population and back". Oncotyrol is funded through the COMET Excellence Program by the Austrian government via the national Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). This article focuses on the role of health technology assessment (HTA) and outcomes research in personalized cancer medicine in the context of Oncotyrol. Oncotyrol, which currently comprises approximately 20 individual projects, has four research areas: Area 1: Biomarker and Drug Target Identification; Area 2: Assay Development and Drug Screening; Area 3: Innovative Therapies; Area 4: Health Technology Assessment and Bioinformatics. Area 4 translates the results from Areas 1 to 3 to populations and society and reports them back to Area 3 to inform clinical studies and guidelines, and to Areas 1 and 2 to guide further research and development. In a series of international expert workshops, the Oncotyrol International Expert Task Force for Personalized Cancer Medicine developed the Methodological Framework for Early Health Technology Assessment and Decision Modeling in Cancer and practical guidelines in this field. Further projects included applications in the fields of sequential treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), benefit-harm and cost-effectiveness evaluation of prostate cancer screening, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of multiple cervical cancer screening strategies, and benefits and cost-effectiveness of genomic test-based treatment strategies in breast cancer. An interdisciplinary setting as generated in Oncotyrol provides unique opportunities such as systematically coordinating lab and bench

Sense and readability: participant information sheets for research studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ennis, Liam; Wykes, Til

2016-02-01

Informed consent in research is partly achieved through the use of information sheets. There is a perception however that these information sheets are long and complex. The recommended reading level for patient information is grade 6, or 11-12 years old. To investigate whether the readability of participant information sheets has changed over time, whether particular study characteristics are related to poorer readability and whether readability and other study characteristics are related to successful study recruitment. Method: We obtained 522 information sheets from the UK National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network: Mental Health portfolio database and study principal investigators. Readability was assessed with the Flesch reading index and the Grade level test. Information sheets increased in length over the study period. The mean grade level across all information sheets was 9.8, or 15-16 years old. A high level of patient involvement was associated with more recruitment success and studies involving pharmaceutical or device interventions were the least successful. The complexity of information sheets had little bearing on successful recruitment. Information sheets are far more complex than the recommended reading level of grade 6 for patient information. The disparity may be exacerbated by an increasing focus on legal content. Researchers would benefit from clear guidance from ethics committees on writing succinctly and accessibly and how to balance the competing legal issues with the ability of participants to understand what a study entails. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016.

Counting Highly Cited Papers for University Research Assessment: Conceptual and Technical Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Navarro, Alonso

2012-01-01

A Kuhnian approach to research assessment requires us to consider that the important scientific breakthroughs that drive scientific progress are infrequent and that the progress of science does not depend on normal research. Consequently, indicators of research performance based on the total number of papers do not accurately measure scientific progress. Similarly, those universities with the best reputations in terms of scientific progress differ widely from other universities in terms of the scale of investments made in research and in the higher concentrations of outstanding scientists present, but less so in terms of the total number of papers or citations. This study argues that indicators for the 1% high-citation tail of the citation distribution reveal the contribution of universities to the progress of science and provide quantifiable justification for the large investments in research made by elite research universities. In this tail, which follows a power low, the number of the less frequent and highly cited important breakthroughs can be predicted from the frequencies of papers in the upper part of the tail. This study quantifies the false impression of excellence produced by multinational papers, and by other types of papers that do not contribute to the progress of science. Many of these papers are concentrated in and dominate lists of highly cited papers, especially in lower-ranked universities. The h-index obscures the differences between higher- and lower-ranked universities because the proportion of h-core papers in the 1% high-citation tail is not proportional to the value of the h-index. PMID:23071759

Comparative assessment of world research efforts on magnetic confinement fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKenney, B.L.; McGrain, M.; Rutherford, P.H.

1990-02-01

This report presents a comparative assessment of the world's four major research efforts on magnetic confinement fusion, including a comparison of the capabilities in the Soviet Union, the European Community (Western Europe), Japan, and the United States. A comparative evaluation is provided in six areas: tokamak confinement; alternate confinement approaches; plasma technology and engineering; and fusion computations. The panel members are involved actively in fusion-related research, and have extensive experience in previous assessments and reviews of the world's four major fusion programs. Although the world's four major fusion efforts are roughly comparable in overall capabilities, two conclusions of this report are inescapable. First, the Soviet fusion effort is presently the weakest of the four programs in most areas of the assessment. Second, if present trends continue, the United States, once unambiguously the world leader in fusion research, will soon lose its position of leadership to the West European and Japanese fusion programs. Indeed, before the middle 1990s, the upgraded large-tokamak facilities, JT-60U (Japan) and JET (Western Europe), are likely to explore plasma conditions and operating regimes well beyond the capabilities of the TFTR tokamak (United States). In addition, if present trends continue in the areas of fusion nuclear technology and materials, and plasma technology and materials, and plasma technology development, the capabilities of Japan and Western Europe in these areas (both with regard to test facilities and fusion-specific industrial capabilities) will surpass those of the United States by a substantial margin before the middle 1990s

SCI Longitudinal Aging Study: 40 Years of Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, James S; Clark, Jillian M R; Saunders, Lee L

2015-01-01

The Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Longitudinal Aging Study was initiated in 1973 and has conducted 8 assessments over the past 40 years. It was designed to help rehabilitation professionals understand the life situation of people with SCI, but it has developed into the most long-standing study of aging and SCI and has resulted in over 50 publications. Our purpose was to provide a detailed history of the study, response patterns, utilization of measures, and a summary of key findings reported in the literature. Five participant samples have been incorporated over the 40 years, with enrollment in 1973, 1984, 1993 (2 samples), and 2003. A total of 2,208 participants have completed 6,001 assessments, with a particularly large number of assessments among those who are more than 40 years post injury (n = 349). The overall results have indicated changing patterns of outcomes over time as persons with SCI age, with some notable declines in participation and health. There has been a survivor effect whereby persons who are more active, well-adjusted, and healthier live longer. This study has several important features that are required for longitudinal research including (a) consistency of follow-up, (b) consistency of measures over time, (c) addition of new participant samples to counteract attrition, and (d) inclusion of a large number of individuals who have reached aging milestones unparalleled in the literature. Data from this study can inform the literature on the natural course of aging with SCI.

Integrating Critical Thinking Instruction and Assessment into Online University Courses: An Action Research Study

Science.gov (United States)

Mason Heinrichs, Kim R.

2016-01-01

Universities claim that improved critical thinking ability is an educational outcome for their graduates, but they seldom create a path for students to achieve that outcome. In this practitioner action research study, the author created a job aid, entitled "Critical Thinking as a Differentiator for Distinguished Performance," to help…

Assessment Report on the national research strategy for energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

This report was issued in 2009 by the French Parliament commission in charge of evaluating the scientific and technological choices of France's research in the field of energy. With environmental, economical and national independence concerns in view, the objective of the report is to assess the national research strategy for energy and to propose some directions for its future development. The scientific priority given in France to nuclear energy, petroleum, photovoltaic energy, second generation bio fuels and energy storage should be maintained. Mass energy storage should be considered as an essential condition for the development of renewable energies, such as offshore wind farms and storage systems

Research on advanced system safety assessment procedures (III)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Kazuhiko; Shimada, Yukiyasu

2000-03-01

Though HAZOP is recognized as the useful safety assessment method, it requires a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. So recently computer-aided HAZOP has been proposed. The research report in 1999 (PNC TJ1400 99-003) presented HAZOP system based on the plant component malfunctions basic models. By using this basic model, not only state malfunction of component but also the consequence to external circumstance can be assessed. G2, which is an excellent object-oriented developer tool in GUI (Graphical User Interface), was used as a tool for developing the system. By using the graphical editor in the system, the user can carry out HAZOP easily. The purpose of this research is to improve the ability of the HAZOP system to obtain a more detailed HAZOP results. HAZOP is carried out according to the fault propagation of component level and the one of plant level based on plant component malfunctions basic models. Furthermore, the HAZOP system which can do the cause and effect analysis in detail intended for the component which processes two or more materials is developed. It is possible to carry out HAZOP for various plants by newly adding material information to the knowledge base. We have applied this system to the Nuclear Reprocessing Facilities to demonstrate the utilities of developing system. (author)

INSIGHTS INTO QUALITATIVE VARIABLES ASSESSMENT IN MARKETING RESEARCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Catalina Timiras

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper we present a number of issues to be taken into account in assessing the marketing qualitative variables. Thus, the opinions, the preferences, the attitudes, etc. of the consumers are qualitative variables whose measurement requires the use of different scales presented in the literature and, where appropriate, the researcher must develop scales adapted to the particularities of the study undertaken. Using a certain scale it is not random action. The literature presents both comparative methods and non-comparative scaling methods. Each of these categories generates certain types of information, and also they are complementary in the evaluation of various products, brands, organizations etc. Thus, if in a non-comparative scaling method can get information about how a product is evaluated (favorable or unfavorable, for example by the respondents, comparative scaling method allows us to determine where that product is in a series of investigated competing products. Another aspect to be taken into account in the construction of the scales is the number of levels used. It is intended to obtain information with high degree of detail, but without the risk of increasing the rate of non-response due to inability of respondents to make assessments through scales with too many levels. Finally, the expression used to collect information from respondents is essential in obtaining accurate and comparable information, with the emphasis on avoiding ambiguity in drawing scales.

Setting Them up for Success: Assessing a Pre-Research Assignment for First-Year International Students

Science.gov (United States)

Avery, Susan

2017-01-01

As the international student population continues to grow, librarians must adjust their instruction to meet the needs of students who are adapting to a new country, culture, and language. This study assesses first-year international students as they engage in the research process through the completion of concept maps that precede database…

Accuracy of the MacArthur competence assessment tool for clinical research (MacCAT-CR) for measuring children's competence to consent to clinical research.

Science.gov (United States)

Hein, Irma M; Troost, Pieter W; Lindeboom, Robert; Benninga, Marc A; Zwaan, C Michel; van Goudoever, Johannes B; Lindauer, Ramón J L

2014-12-01

An objective assessment of children's competence to consent to research participation is currently not possible. Age limits for asking children's consent vary considerably between countries, and, to our knowledge, the correlation between competence and children's age has never been systematically investigated. To test a standardized competence assessment instrument for children by modifying the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR), to investigate its reliability and validity, and to examine the correlation of its assessment with age and estimate cutoff ages. This prospective study included children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years in the inpatient and outpatient departments of allergology, gastroenterology, oncology, ophthalmology, and pulmonology from January 1, 2012, through January 1, 2014. Participants were eligible for clinical research studies, including observational studies and randomized clinical trials. Competence judgments by experts aware of the 4 relevant criteria-understanding, appreciation, reasoning, and choice-were used to establish the reference standard. The index test was the MacCAT-CR, which used a semistructured interview format. Interrater reliability, validity, and dimensionality of the MacCAT-CR and estimated cutoff ages for competence. Of 209 eligible patients, we included 161 (mean age, 10.6 years; 47.2% male). Good reproducibility of MacCAT-CR total and subscale scores was observed (intraclass correlation coefficient range, 0.68-0.92). We confirmed unidimensionality of the MacCAT-CR. By the reference standard, we judged 54 children (33.5%) to be incompetent; by the MacCAT-CR, 61 children (37.9%). Criterion-related validity of MacCAT-CR scores was supported by high overall accuracy in correctly classifying children as competent against the reference standard (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve, 0.78). Age was a good predictor of competence on the MacCAT-CR (area under the receiver

Assessing the scientific research productivity of a leading toxicology journal: A case study of Human & Experimental Toxicology from 2003 to 2012

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Jabi, Samah W; Sweileh, Waleed M; Awang, Rahmat

2014-01-01

Background: Bibliometric studies are increasingly being used for research assessments. Bibliometric indicators involve the application of statistical methods to scientific publications to obtain the bibliographics for each journal. The main objective of this study was to conduct a bibliometric evaluation of Human & Experimental Toxicology retrieved from the Scopus database. Methods: This study obtained data from Scopus published from 1 January 2003 till 31 December 2012. The keywords entered in Scopus to accomplish the objective of this study were ‘Human’, ‘Experimental’ and ‘Toxicology’ as ‘Source Title’. Research productivity was evaluated based on a methodology developed and used in other bibliometric studies by analysing (a) total and trends in Human & Experimental Toxicology contributions in research between 2003 and 2012; (b) Human & Experimental Toxicology authorship patterns and productivity; (c) collaboration patterns; and (d) the citations received by the publications. Results: There were 1229 research articles published in Human & Experimental Toxicology. Of the articles included, 947 (77.1%) were original articles and 104 (8.5%) were review articles. The Hirsch-index of the retrieved documents was 35. The largest number of publications in Human & Experimental Toxicology was from the United States (19.6%), followed by India (12.8%) and Turkey (10.9%). The total number of citations was 9119, with a median (interquartile range) of 3 (1–9) in 6797 documents. The highest median (interquartile range) number of citations was 8 (2.7–12.7) for France, followed by 7.5 (2–22.5) for Iran and 6 (3–13.5) for the United Kingdom. The country most often citing articles that were published in Human & Experimental Toxicology was the United States, which made citations in 1508 documents, followed by India with citations in 792 documents. Conclusion: The documents in Human & Experimental Toxicology focus principally on original data, with very few

Text mining for literature review and knowledge discovery in cancer risk assessment and research.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Korhonen

Full Text Available Research in biomedical text mining is starting to produce technology which can make information in biomedical literature more accessible for bio-scientists. One of the current challenges is to integrate and refine this technology to support real-life scientific tasks in biomedicine, and to evaluate its usefulness in the context of such tasks. We describe CRAB - a fully integrated text mining tool designed to support chemical health risk assessment. This task is complex and time-consuming, requiring a thorough review of existing scientific data on a particular chemical. Covering human, animal, cellular and other mechanistic data from various fields of biomedicine, this is highly varied and therefore difficult to harvest from literature databases via manual means. Our tool automates the process by extracting relevant scientific data in published literature and classifying it according to multiple qualitative dimensions. Developed in close collaboration with risk assessors, the tool allows navigating the classified dataset in various ways and sharing the data with other users. We present a direct and user-based evaluation which shows that the technology integrated in the tool is highly accurate, and report a number of case studies which demonstrate how the tool can be used to support scientific discovery in cancer risk assessment and research. Our work demonstrates the usefulness of a text mining pipeline in facilitating complex research tasks in biomedicine. We discuss further development and application of our technology to other types of chemical risk assessment in the future.

[Exploring models for the assessment of the economic, social, political, and scientific impact of health research].

Science.gov (United States)

Macías-Angel, Beatriz; Agudelo-Calderón, Carlos A

2015-05-01

Health research produces effects on the health of populations. This document approaches the frameworks and the models used by developed countries to assess the impact of health research through documentary analysis of research with the highest impact. With this, it was possible to identify two guiding axes of analysis: one having to do with focus, and the other having to do with emphasis. With these, the published models, their uses, their reach, and their origins are related. Our study brings awareness to the features they have and the areas in which Colombia could implement them. We found that the framework for evaluating health research known as the "payback model" is a model for monitoring research that tracks the process and research results with multidimensional categorization of the impacts of research.

Assessment of beam tube performance for the maple research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, A.G.

1986-06-01

The MAPLE research reactor is a versatile new research facility that can be adapted to meet the requirements of a variety of reactor applications. A particular group of reactor applications involves the use of beams of radiation extracted from the reactor core via tubes that penetrate through the biological shield and terminate in the reflector surrounding the fuelled core. An assessment is given of the neutron and gamma radiation fields entering beam tubes that are located radially or tangentially with respect to the core

International Study of Chaplains' Attitudes About Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Snowden, Austyn; Fitchett, George; Grossoehme, Daniel H; Handzo, George; Kelly, Ewan; King, Stephen D W; Telfer, Iain; Tan, Heather; Flannelly, Kevin J

2017-01-01

An online survey was conducted by twelve professional chaplain organizations to assess chaplains' attitudes about and involvement in research. A total of 2,092 chaplains from 23 countries responded to the survey. Over 80% thought research was definitely important and nearly 70% thought chaplains should definitely be research literate. Just over 40% said they regularly read research articles and almost 60% said they occasionally did. The respondents rated their own research literacy as 6.5 on a 0-10 scale. Significant positive inter-correlations were found among all four measures: importance of (a) research and (b) research literacy; (c) frequency of reading articles; and (d) research literacy rating. Approximately 35% were never involved, 37% had been involved, 17% were currently involved, and 11% expected to be involved in research. The last three groups were significantly more likely to think research and research literacy were important and to read research articles than chaplains who were never involved in research. Given chaplains' interest in research, actions should be undertaken to facilitate further research engagement.

A Bibliometric Assessment of Global Ice Bucket Challenge (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Ram, Shri

2016-10-01

This study is a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the global research trends on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (popularly known as Ice Bucket Challenge), through related literatures retrieved from SCOPUS multidisciplinary database for the period 1974-2013. This study is aimed at analyzing the literature on ALS in terms of document type, language, annual growth, productive country, journal, authors, subject, and most cited articles. The bibliographic data for this study was retrieved from the SCOPUS database using keywords 'amyotrophic lateral sclerosis', 'motor neurone disease', 'Charcot disease', 'Lou Gehrig's disease', 'Ice Bucket Challenge' available in title, abstract, and keyword fields of Scopus database from 1974 to 2013. The literature analysis included 21,750 articles during the period from 1974 to 2013 in different areas of ALS. USA was the most productive country in terms of literature produced, while Neurology was the most productive journal. An intensive awareness created by 'Ice Bucket Challenge' has attracted masses, and an intensive growth of literature is pertinent on ALS. The results of this study are expressed in terms of growth of literature, output of individual countries, and authors, and will be helpful in collaborative research in future.

A study on assessment methodology of surveillance test interval and Allowed Outage Time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Che, Moo Seong; Cheong, Chang Hyeon; Ryu, Yeong Woo; Cho, Jae Seon; Heo, Chang Wook; Kim, Do Hyeong; Kim, Joo Yeol; Kim, Yun Ik; Yang, Hei Chang [Seoul National Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1997-07-15

Objectives of this study is the development of methodology by which assesses the optimization of Surveillance Test Interval(STI) and Allowed Outage Time(AOT) using PSA method that can supplement the current deterministic methods and the improvement of Korean nuclear power plants safety. In the first year of this study, the survey about the assessment methodologies, modeling and results performed by domestic and international researches are performed as the basic step before developing the assessment methodology of this study. The assessment methodology that supplement the revealed problems in many other studies is presented and the application of new methodology into the example system assures the feasibility of this method. In the second year of this study, the sensitivity analyses about the failure factors of the components are performed in the bases of the assessment methodologies of the first study, the interaction modeling of the STI and AOT is quantified. And the reliability assessment methodology about the diesel generator is reviewed and applied to the PSA code.

A study on assessment methodology of surveillance test interval and Allowed Outage Time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Che, Moo Seong; Cheong, Chang Hyeon; Ryu, Yeong Woo; Cho, Jae Seon; Heo, Chang Wook; Kim, Do Hyeong; Kim, Joo Yeol; Kim, Yun Ik; Yang, Hei Chang

1997-07-01

Objectives of this study is the development of methodology by which assesses the optimization of Surveillance Test Interval(STI) and Allowed Outage Time(AOT) using PSA method that can supplement the current deterministic methods and the improvement of Korean nuclear power plants safety. In the first year of this study, the survey about the assessment methodologies, modeling and results performed by domestic and international researches are performed as the basic step before developing the assessment methodology of this study. The assessment methodology that supplement the revealed problems in many other studies is presented and the application of new methodology into the example system assures the feasibility of this method. In the second year of this study, the sensitivity analyses about the failure factors of the components are performed in the bases of the assessment methodologies of the first study, the interaction modeling of the STI and AOT is quantified. And the reliability assessment methodology about the diesel generator is reviewed and applied to the PSA code

Evaluating institutional capacity for research ethics in Africa: a case study from Botswana

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background The increase in the volume of research conducted in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC), has brought a renewed international focus on processes for ethical conduct of research. Several programs have been initiated to strengthen the capacity for research ethics in LMIC. However, most such programs focus on individual training or development of ethics review committees. The objective of this paper is to present an approach to institutional capacity assessment in research ethics and application of this approach in the form of a case study from an institution in Africa. Methods We adapted the Octagon model originally used by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency to assess an organization along eight domains in research ethics: basic values and identity; structure and organization; ability to carry out activities; relevance of activities to stated goals; capacity of staff and management; administrative, financing and accounting systems; its relations with target groups; and the national context. We used a mixed methods approach to collect empirical data at the University of Botswana from March to December 2010. Results The overall shape of the external evaluation Octagon suggests that strengths of the University of Botswana are in the areas of structure, relevance, production and identity; while the university still needs more work in the areas of systems of finance, target groups, and environment. The Octagons also show the similarities and discrepancies between the 'external' and 'internal' evaluations and provide an opportunity for exploration of these different assessments. For example, the discrepant score for 'identity' between internal and external evaluations allows for an exploration of what constitutes a strong identity for research ethics at the University of Botswana and how it can be strengthened. Conclusions There is a general lack of frameworks for evaluating research ethics capacity in LMICs. We presented an approach that

Evaluating institutional capacity for research ethics in Africa: a case study from Botswana.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyder, Adnan A; Zafar, Waleed; Ali, Joseph; Ssekubugu, Robert; Ndebele, Paul; Kass, Nancy

2013-07-30

The increase in the volume of research conducted in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC), has brought a renewed international focus on processes for ethical conduct of research. Several programs have been initiated to strengthen the capacity for research ethics in LMIC. However, most such programs focus on individual training or development of ethics review committees. The objective of this paper is to present an approach to institutional capacity assessment in research ethics and application of this approach in the form of a case study from an institution in Africa. We adapted the Octagon model originally used by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency to assess an organization along eight domains in research ethics: basic values and identity; structure and organization; ability to carry out activities; relevance of activities to stated goals; capacity of staff and management; administrative, financing and accounting systems; its relations with target groups; and the national context. We used a mixed methods approach to collect empirical data at the University of Botswana from March to December 2010. The overall shape of the external evaluation Octagon suggests that strengths of the University of Botswana are in the areas of structure, relevance, production and identity; while the university still needs more work in the areas of systems of finance, target groups, and environment. The Octagons also show the similarities and discrepancies between the 'external' and 'internal' evaluations and provide an opportunity for exploration of these different assessments. For example, the discrepant score for 'identity' between internal and external evaluations allows for an exploration of what constitutes a strong identity for research ethics at the University of Botswana and how it can be strengthened. There is a general lack of frameworks for evaluating research ethics capacity in LMICs. We presented an approach that stresses evaluation from both internal

Study Design Rigor in Animal-Experimental Research Published in Anesthesia Journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoerauf, Janine M; Moss, Angela F; Fernandez-Bustamante, Ana; Bartels, Karsten

2018-01-01

Lack of reproducibility of preclinical studies has been identified as an impediment for translation of basic mechanistic research into effective clinical therapies. Indeed, the National Institutes of Health has revised its grant application process to require more rigorous study design, including sample size calculations, blinding procedures, and randomization steps. We hypothesized that the reporting of such metrics of study design rigor has increased over time for animal-experimental research published in anesthesia journals. PubMed was searched for animal-experimental studies published in 2005, 2010, and 2015 in primarily English-language anesthesia journals. A total of 1466 publications were graded on the performance of sample size estimation, randomization, and blinding. Cochran-Armitage test was used to assess linear trends over time for the primary outcome of whether or not a metric was reported. Interrater agreement for each of the 3 metrics (power, randomization, and blinding) was assessed using the weighted κ coefficient in a 10% random sample of articles rerated by a second investigator blinded to the ratings of the first investigator. A total of 1466 manuscripts were analyzed. Reporting for all 3 metrics of experimental design rigor increased over time (2005 to 2010 to 2015): for power analysis, from 5% (27/516), to 12% (59/485), to 17% (77/465); for randomization, from 41% (213/516), to 50% (243/485), to 54% (253/465); and for blinding, from 26% (135/516), to 38% (186/485), to 47% (217/465). The weighted κ coefficients and 98.3% confidence interval indicate almost perfect agreement between the 2 raters beyond that which occurs by chance alone (power, 0.93 [0.85, 1.0], randomization, 0.91 [0.85, 0.98], and blinding, 0.90 [0.84, 0.96]). Our hypothesis that reported metrics of rigor in animal-experimental studies in anesthesia journals have increased during the past decade was confirmed. More consistent reporting, or explicit justification for absence

A Scoping Review of Empirical Research Relating to Quality and Effectiveness of Research Ethics Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicholls, Stuart G; Hayes, Tavis P; Brehaut, Jamie C; McDonald, Michael; Weijer, Charles; Saginur, Raphael; Fergusson, Dean

2015-01-01

To date there is no established consensus of assessment criteria for evaluating research ethics review. We conducted a scoping review of empirical research assessing ethics review processes in order to identify common elements assessed, research foci, and research gaps to aid in the development of assessment criteria. Electronic searches of Ovid Medline, PsychInfo, and the Cochrane DSR, ACP Journal Club, DARE, CCTR, CMR, HTA, and NHSEED, were conducted. After de-duplication, 4234 titles and abstracts were reviewed. Altogether 4036 articles were excluded following screening of titles, abstracts and full text. A total of 198 articles included for final data extraction. Few studies originated from outside North America and Europe. No study reported using an underlying theory or framework of quality/effectiveness to guide study design or analyses. We did not identify any studies that had involved a controlled trial--randomised or otherwise--of ethics review procedures or processes. Studies varied substantially with respect to outcomes assessed, although tended to focus on structure and timeliness of ethics review. Our findings indicate a lack of consensus on appropriate assessment criteria, exemplified by the varied study outcomes identified, but also a fragmented body of research. To date research has been largely quantitative, with little attention given to stakeholder experiences, and is largely cross sectional. A lack of longitudinal research to date precludes analyses of change or assessment of quality improvement in ethics review.

A test-bed modeling study for wave resource assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Z.; Neary, V. S.; Wang, T.; Gunawan, B.; Dallman, A.

2016-02-01

Hindcasts from phase-averaged wave models are commonly used to estimate standard statistics used in wave energy resource assessments. However, the research community and wave energy converter industry is lacking a well-documented and consistent modeling approach for conducting these resource assessments at different phases of WEC project development, and at different spatial scales, e.g., from small-scale pilot study to large-scale commercial deployment. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate current wave model codes, as well as limitations and knowledge gaps for predicting sea states, in order to establish best wave modeling practices, and to identify future research needs to improve wave prediction for resource assessment. This paper presents the first phase of an on-going modeling study to address these concerns. The modeling study is being conducted at a test-bed site off the Central Oregon Coast using two of the most widely-used third-generation wave models - WaveWatchIII and SWAN. A nested-grid modeling approach, with domain dimension ranging from global to regional scales, was used to provide wave spectral boundary condition to a local scale model domain, which has a spatial dimension around 60km by 60km and a grid resolution of 250m - 300m. Model results simulated by WaveWatchIII and SWAN in a structured-grid framework are compared to NOAA wave buoy data for the six wave parameters, including omnidirectional wave power, significant wave height, energy period, spectral width, direction of maximum directionally resolved wave power, and directionality coefficient. Model performance and computational efficiency are evaluated, and the best practices for wave resource assessments are discussed, based on a set of standard error statistics and model run times.

Readability of the written study information in pediatric research in France.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Véronique Ménoni

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The aim was to evaluate the readability of research information leaflets (RIL for minors asked to participate in biomedical research studies and to assess the factors influencing this readability. METHODS AND FINDINGS: All the pediatric protocols from three French pediatric clinical research units were included (N = 104. Three criteria were used to evaluate readability: length of the text, Flesch's readability score and presence of illustrations. We compared the readability of RIL to texts specifically written for children (school textbooks, school exams or extracts from literary works. We assessed the effect of protocol characteristics on readability. The RIL had a median length of 608 words [350 words, 25(th percentile; 1005 words, 75(th percentile], corresponding to two pages. The readability of the RIL, with a median Flesch score of 40 [30; 47], was much poorer than that of pediatric reference texts, with a Flesch score of 67 [60; 73]. A small proportion of RIL (13/91; 14% were illustrated. The RIL were longer (p<0.001, more readable (p<0.001 and more likely to be illustrated (p<0.009 for industrial than for institutional sponsors. CONCLUSION: Researchers should routinely compute the reading ease of study information sheets and make greater efforts to improve the readability of written documents for potential participants.

Dentists' use of caries risk assessment in children: findings from the Dental Practice-Based Research Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riley, Joseph L; Qvist, Vebeke; Fellows, Jeffrey L

2010-01-01

This study surveyed Dental Practice-Based Research Network (DPBRN) member dentists (from four regions in the U.S. and Scandinavia) who perform restorative dentistry in their practices. The survey asked a range of questions about caries risk assessment in patients aged 6 to 18. Among respondents, 73...

Assessing marine biotechnology research centres in peripheral regions: developing global and local STI indicators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robinson, D.K.R.; Schoen, A.; Laurens, P.; Horellou, S.; Colas, P.; Larédo, P.

2016-07-01

Our study tackles the challenge of developing STI indicators for assessing marine biotechnology (Blue Bio) research institutes that are geographically located in peripheral regions, far from major metropolitan areas. The promise of Blue Bio couples (a) the promise of new sources of knowledge and innovation with (b) the promise to stimulate jobs and growth in regions which struggle to prosper due to a number of factors (such as economic migration from peripheries to large cities, decline of traditional coastal economic activity etc.). In this paper we outline the context of Marine Biotechnology assessment, the framework that is being used, and the first results of its application. (Author)

An experimental test of assessment reactivity within a web-based brief alcohol intervention study for college students.

Science.gov (United States)

Fazzino, Tera L; Rose, Gail L; Helzer, John E

2016-01-01

Web-based brief alcohol intervention (WBI) programs have efficacy in a wide range of college students and have been widely disseminated to universities to address heavy alcohol use. In the majority of efficacy studies, web-based research assessments were conducted before the intervention. Web-based research assessments may elicit reactivity, which could inflate estimates of WBI efficacy. The current study tested whether web-based research assessments conducted in combination with a WBI had additive effects on alcohol use outcomes, compared to a WBI only. Undergraduate students (n=856) from universities in the United States and Canada participated in this online study. Eligible individuals were randomized to complete 1) research assessments+WBI or 2) WBI-only. Alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and protective behaviors were assessed at one-month follow up. Multiple regression using 20 multiply imputed datasets indicated that there were no significant differences at follow up in alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, or protective behaviors used when controlling for variables with theoretical and statistical relevance. A repeated measures analysis of covariance revealed a significant decrease in peak estimated blood alcohol concentration in both groups, but no differential effects by randomized group. There were no significant moderating effects from gender, hazardous alcohol use, or motivation to change drinking. Web-based research assessments combined with a web-based alcohol intervention did not inflate estimates of intervention efficacy when measured within-subjects. Our findings suggest universities may be observing intervention effects similar to those cited in efficacy studies, although effectiveness trials are needed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

BREEAM [Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method] BRE [Building Research Establishment] assessment method for buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baldwin, R.

1994-01-01

Buildings account for a large share of environmental impacts in their construction, use, and demolition. In western Europe, buildings account for ca 50% of primary energy use (hence CO 2 output), far outweighing the contribution of the transport and industrial sectors. Other impacts from building energy use include the use of chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons for cooling. In the United Kingdom, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has developed a certificate system for environmental labelling of buildings so that the performance of the building against a set of defined environmental criteria can be made visible to clients. This system thus rewards positive actions to improve the environmental performance of buildings and assists in marketing to an environmentally aware clientele. Issues included in assessments for awarding the certificate are addressed under three main headings: global issues and use of resources, local issues, and indoor issues. Global issues include ozone depletion and CO 2 emissions; local issues include public health and water conservation; and indoor issues include air quality and lighting. 8 refs., 1 tab

Assessing the Flipped Classroom in Operations Management: A Pilot Study

Science.gov (United States)

Prashar, Anupama

2015-01-01

The author delved into the results of a flipped classroom pilot conducted for an operations management course module. It assessed students' perception of a flipped learning environment after making them experience it in real time. The classroom environment was construed using a case research approach and students' perceptions were studied using…

A cross-sectional study of chiropractic students' research readiness using the Academic Self-Concept Analysis Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Whillier, Stephney; Au, Kent; Feng, Louie; Su, Helen

2017-10-01

The shift toward evidence-based health care has reoriented tertiary clinical education in a way that necessitates and incorporates research. This study assesses the inclination and suitability of chiropractic students for research over a 5-year educational program. Research attributes of chiropractic students were assessed in this cross-sectional study using a validated and modified academic self-concept analysis scale. Students in first and final year were assessed in 4 domains: creativity, motivation, self-regulation, and general intellectual ability. Univariable differences were assessed using Welch 2-sample t tests, and multivariable analysis was carried out with multiple linear regression models. The response rate was 71% (n = 165). First- and fifth-year students scored highly on all 4 domains (80% to 96%). Compared to first-year students, fifth-year students rated themselves significantly lower in 3 of the domains: general intellectual abilities (t[126] = -2.01; p = 0.047), motivation (t[115] = -4.82; p < 0.001), and creativity (t[136] = -3.00; p = 0.003). Research suitability is high in chiropractic students. Both cohorts scored high in all domains despite the disparity between first and fifth years. First-year students outperformed fifth-year students in 3 domains, indicating a potential decline in the inclination to do research over time. However, unaccounted factors, such as the Dunning-Kruger effect, life changes, and "burnout," may have contributed to these differences. Future studies should include questions about stress, fatigue, clinical orientation, and educational environment to inform the interpretation of findings.

Beyond Assessment: Conducting Theoretically Grounded Research on Service-Learning in Gerontology Courses.

Science.gov (United States)

Kruger, Tina M; Pearl, Andrew J

2016-01-01

Service-learning is a useful pedagogical tool and high-impact practice, providing multiple benefits. Gerontology (and other) courses frequently include service-learning activities but lack theory-based, intentional research on outcomes. Here, the authors define service-learning and contextualize it in higher education, provide an overview of research and assessment in service-learning and gerontology courses, demonstrate the shortcomings of program evaluations, and offer suggestions for future research to advance and generate theory.

Research training among pediatric residency programs: a national assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Abramson, Erika L; Naifeh, Monique M; Stevenson, Michelle D; Todd, Christopher; Henry, Emilie D; Chiu, Ya-Lin; Gerber, Linda M; Li, Su-Ting T

2014-12-01

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) states that "residents should participate in scholarly activity." However, there is little guidance for effectively integrating scholarly activity into residency. This study was conducted to understand how pediatric residency programs meet ACGME requirements and to identify characteristics of successful programs. The authors conducted an online cross-sectional survey of all pediatric residency program directors in October 2012, assessing program characteristics, resident participation in scholarly activity, program infrastructure, barriers, and outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify characteristics of programs in the top quartile for resident scholarly activity participation. The response rate was 52.8% (105/199 programs). Seventy-seven (78.6%) programs required scholarly activity, although definitions were variable. When including only original research, systematic reviews or meta-analyses, and case reports or series with references, resident participation averaged 56% (range 0%-100%). Characteristics associated with high-participation programs included a scholarly activity requirement (odds ratio [OR] = 5.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03-30.0); program director belief that all residents should present work regionally or nationally (OR = 4.7, 95% CI = 1.5-15.1); and mentorship by >25% of faculty (OR = 3.6, CI = 1.2-11.4). Only 47.1% (41) of program directors were satisfied with resident participation, and only 30.7% (27) were satisfied with the quality of research training provided. The findings suggest that resident scholarly activity experience is highly variable and suboptimal. Identifying characteristics of successful programs can improve the resident research training experience.

Primary prevention research: a preliminary review of program outcome studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Schaps, E; Churgin, S; Palley, C S; Takata, B; Cohen, A Y

1980-07-01

This article reviews 35 drug abuse prevention program evaluations employing drug-specific outcome measures. Many of these evaluations assessed the effects of "new generation" prevention strategies: affective, peer-oriented, and multidimensional approaches. Only 14 studies evaluated purely informational programs. Evaluations were analyzed to ascertain (1) characteristics of the programs under study, (2) characteristics of the research designs, and (3) patterns among findings. This review provides some evidence that the newer prevention strategies may produce more positive and fewer negative outcomes than did older drug information approaches. Over 70% of the programs using the newer strategies produced some positive effects; only 29% showed negative effects. In contrast, 46% of informational programs showed positive effects; 46% showed negative effects. These findings must be approached with great caution, since the research was frequently scientifically inadequate, and since rigor of research was negatively correlated with intensity and duration of program services.

Safety assessment of research reactors and preparation of the safety analysis report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

This Safety Guide presents guidelines, approved by international consensus, for the preparation, review and assessment of safety documentation for research reactors such as the Safety Analysis Report. While the Guide is most applicable to research reactors in the design and construction stage, it is also recommended for use during relicensing or reassessment of existing reactors

National assessment board for research and the studies into the management of radioactive waste and materials instituted by the law no. 2006-739 of June 28, 2006. Assessment report no. 7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duplessy, Jean-Claude; Ledoux, Emmanuel; Leroy, Maurice; Laurent, Maurice; Pommeret, Stanislas; Jouvance, Chantal; Ledoux, Florence

2013-11-01

This report is to reflect the two complementary aspects of studies and research on the management of radioactive waste and materials. The first chapter addresses partitioning and transmutation (inventory and prospects, implementation methodologies for fast neutron reactors, partitioning technique, transmutation technique with its tools and its experimentations like Astrid, the transmutation of minor actinides, the benefit of Americium transmutation, the scenarios for the deployment of sodium-cooled fast-neutron reactors in the French nuclear power fleet, alternatives to sodium-cooled reactors like gas-cooled, molten salt reactors). The second part addresses the storage and disposal of long-lived high-level (LLHL) and long-lived intermediate-level (LLIL) waste in the Cigeo project: geological knowledge of the zones of interest, studies performed in underground and surface laboratories, research programme, digital simulation capabilities, conduct of the draft phase, project design, necessary flexibility of Cigeo, cost, socio-economic impact. The chapter 3 briefly addresses the management of long-lived low-level (LLLL) waste. Consistent with its mission, the National Assessment Board continues to observe the overall international situation. The main elements are reported in Chapter 4. These elements deal with: options in the management of various wastes, international legal context, research laboratories and underground disposal sites, sources of fast-spectrum irradiation, main international initiatives on Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS), new technologies for partitioning-transmutation

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-09-01

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

Guidelines for the Review of Research Reactor Safety: Revised Edition. Reference Document for IAEA Integrated Safety Assessment of Research Reactors (INSARR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

The Integrated Safety Assessment of Research Reactors (INSARR) is an IAEA safety review service available to Member States with the objective of supporting them in ensuring and enhancing the safety of their research reactors. This service consists of performing a comprehensive peer review and an assessment of the safety of the respective research reactor. The reviews are based on IAEA safety standards and on the provisions of the Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors. The INSARR can benefit both the operating organizations and the regulatory bodies of the requesting Member States, and can include new research reactors under design or operating research reactors, including those which are under a Project and Supply Agreement with the IAEA. The first IAEA safety evaluation of a research reactor operated by a Member State was completed in October 1959 and involved the Swiss 20 MW DIORIT research reactor. Since then, and in accordance with its programme on research reactor safety, the IAEA has conducted safety review missions in its Member States to enhance the safety of their research reactor facilities through the application of the Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors and the relevant IAEA safety standards. About 320 missions in 51 Member States were undertaken between 1972 and 2012. The INSARR missions and other limited scope safety review missions are conducted following the guidelines presented in this publication, which is a revision of Guidelines for the Review of Research Reactor Safety (IAEA Services Series No. 1), published in December 1997. This publication details those IAEA safety standards and guidance publications relevant to the safety of research reactors that have been revised or published since 1997. The purpose of this publication is to give guidance on the preparation, implementation, reporting and follow-up of safety review missions. It is also intended to be of assistance to operators and regulators in conducting

Understanding factors associated with the translation of cardiovascular research: a multinational case study approach

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Funders of health research increasingly seek to understand how best to allocate resources in order to achieve maximum value from their funding. We built an international consortium and developed a multinational case study approach to assess benefits arising from health research. We used that to facilitate analysis of factors in the production of research that might be associated with translating research findings into wider impacts, and the complexities involved. Methods We built on the Payback Framework and expanded its application through conducting co-ordinated case studies on the payback from cardiovascular and stroke research in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. We selected a stratified random sample of projects from leading medical research funders. We devised a series of innovative steps to: minimize the effect of researcher bias; rate the level of impacts identified in the case studies; and interrogate case study narratives to identify factors that correlated with achieving high or low levels of impact. Results Twenty-nine detailed case studies produced many and diverse impacts. Over the 15 to 20 years examined, basic biomedical research has a greater impact than clinical research in terms of academic impacts such as knowledge production and research capacity building. Clinical research has greater levels of wider impact on health policies, practice, and generating health gains. There was no correlation between knowledge production and wider impacts. We identified various factors associated with high impact. Interaction between researchers and practitioners and the public is associated with achieving high academic impact and translation into wider impacts, as is basic research conducted with a clinical focus. Strategic thinking by clinical researchers, in terms of thinking through pathways by which research could potentially be translated into practice, is associated with high wider impact. Finally, we identified the complexity of

Innovative research methods for studying treatments for rare diseases: methodological review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gagne, Joshua J; Thompson, Lauren; O'Keefe, Kelly; Kesselheim, Aaron S

2014-11-24

To examine methods for generating evidence on health outcomes in patients with rare diseases. Methodological review of existing literature. PubMed, Embase, and Academic Search Premier searched for articles describing innovative approaches to randomized trial design and analysis methods and methods for conducting observational research in patients with rare diseases. We assessed information related to the proposed methods, the specific rare disease being studied, and outcomes from the application of the methods. We summarize methods with respect to their advantages in studying health outcomes in rare diseases and provide examples of their application. We identified 46 articles that proposed or described methods for studying patient health outcomes in rare diseases. Articles covered a wide range of rare diseases and most (72%) were published in 2008 or later. We identified 16 research strategies for studying rare disease. Innovative clinical trial methods minimize sample size requirements (n=4) and maximize the proportion of patients who receive active treatment (n=2), strategies crucial to studying small populations of patients with limited treatment choices. No studies describing unique methods for conducting observational studies in patients with rare diseases were identified. Though numerous studies apply unique clinical trial designs and considerations to assess patient health outcomes in rare diseases, less attention has been paid to innovative methods for studying rare diseases using observational data. © Gagne et al 2014.

Fiscal 1975 Sunshine Project research report. Technology assessment on hydrogen energy technology. Part 2; 1975 nendo suiso energy gijutsu no technology assessment seika hokokuksho. 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1976-03-31

This research assesses the impact of development of practical hydrogen energy technology on the economy, society and environment in Japan, and proposes some effective countermeasures, the required technical development target and a promising promotion system. The example of technology assessment assuming practical technology several tens years after is hardly found. Hydrogen energy technology is in the first stage among (1) initial planning stage, (2) technical research and development stage, (3) practical technology stage and (4) service operation stage. In the first fiscal year, as the first stage of determination of the communication route between society and technology, study was made on the concrete system image of practical technology. In this fiscal year, study was made entirely on preparation of the scenario for imaging the future economy and society concretely, modifying the planning of the hydrogen energy system. Through comparison of the scenario and system, the meaning and problem of the hydrogen energy technology were clarified. (NEDO)

Researching implementation of formative assessment in different educational cultures in order to change educational policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dolin, Jens

2015-01-01

This paper reports from a four year international research project, Assess Inquiry in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education (ASSIST-ME) involving 10 partners in 8 European countries (http://assistme.ku.dk/), running 2012-2016. The project combines research on implementation of innovative ...... assessment methods with a policy aspect in order to influence educational policy....

Factor Analysis in Assessing the Research Methodology Quality of Systematic Reviews

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrada Elena URDA-CÎMPEAN

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Many high quality systematic reviews available from medical journals, data bases and other electronic sources differ in quality and provide different answers to the same question. The literature recommended the use of a checklist type approach, which exceeds many of the problems associated with measurements. Aim: This study proposes to identify in a checklist type approach the most commonly used factors (from a methodological point of view in assessing the quality of systematic reviews, and then mirror the actual stage of medical writing. We want to analyze the factors’ occurrence and / or their development in the text and in the abstract of systematic reviews published in 2011. Methods: The present study randomly selected only free full text systematic reviews published in 2011, systematic reviews found in Pubmed and in Cochrane Database. The most commonly used factors were identified in PRISMA statement and quality measurement tools. Results: The evaluated systematic reviews mentioned or developed several of the factors studied. Only 78% of the papers surveyed have used the correct IMRAD format and 59% of them have mentioned the sample size used. The correspondence between the content of the paper and its abstract is summarized in the proportion of 54.63% and 51.85% for the two sets of factors, and it can lead to scarce appreciation of the article provided that only abstracts are read. Conclusions: Researchers do not properly take into consideration scientific articles and assessment tools used for quality evaluation. They should place more value over methodological factors which help assess systematic review quality, while journals form the only party who can enforce quality standards in medical writing.

Communicating Qualitative Research Study Designs to Research Ethics Review Boards

Science.gov (United States)

Ells, Carolyn

2011-01-01

Researchers using qualitative methodologies appear to be particularly prone to having their study designs called into question by research ethics or funding agency review committees. In this paper, the author considers the issue of communicating qualitative research study designs in the context of institutional research ethics review and offers…

Clinical research ethics review process in Lebanon: efficiency and functions of research ethics committees – results from a descriptive questionnaire-based study

OpenAIRE

Atallah, David; Moubarak, Malak; El Kassis, Nadine; Abboud, Sara

2018-01-01

Background Clinical trials conducted in Lebanon are increasing. However, little is known about the performance of research ethics committees (RECs) in charge of reviewing the research protocols. This study aimed to assess the level of adherence to the ethics surrounding the conduct of clinical trials and perceptions of team members regarding roles of the RECs during the conduct of clinical trials in Lebanon. The research question was: Are RECs adherent to the ethics surrounding the conduct of...

A Scoping Review of Empirical Research Relating to Quality and Effectiveness of Research Ethics Review.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stuart G Nicholls

Full Text Available To date there is no established consensus of assessment criteria for evaluating research ethics review.We conducted a scoping review of empirical research assessing ethics review processes in order to identify common elements assessed, research foci, and research gaps to aid in the development of assessment criteria. Electronic searches of Ovid Medline, PsychInfo, and the Cochrane DSR, ACP Journal Club, DARE, CCTR, CMR, HTA, and NHSEED, were conducted. After de-duplication, 4234 titles and abstracts were reviewed. Altogether 4036 articles were excluded following screening of titles, abstracts and full text. A total of 198 articles included for final data extraction.Few studies originated from outside North America and Europe. No study reported using an underlying theory or framework of quality/effectiveness to guide study design or analyses. We did not identify any studies that had involved a controlled trial--randomised or otherwise--of ethics review procedures or processes. Studies varied substantially with respect to outcomes assessed, although tended to focus on structure and timeliness of ethics review.Our findings indicate a lack of consensus on appropriate assessment criteria, exemplified by the varied study outcomes identified, but also a fragmented body of research. To date research has been largely quantitative, with little attention given to stakeholder experiences, and is largely cross sectional. A lack of longitudinal research to date precludes analyses of change or assessment of quality improvement in ethics review.

A Scoping Review of Empirical Research Relating to Quality and Effectiveness of Research Ethics Review

Science.gov (United States)

Nicholls, Stuart G.; Hayes, Tavis P.; Brehaut, Jamie C.; McDonald, Michael; Weijer, Charles; Saginur, Raphael; Fergusson, Dean

2015-01-01

Background To date there is no established consensus of assessment criteria for evaluating research ethics review. Methods We conducted a scoping review of empirical research assessing ethics review processes in order to identify common elements assessed, research foci, and research gaps to aid in the development of assessment criteria. Electronic searches of Ovid Medline, PsychInfo, and the Cochrane DSR, ACP Journal Club, DARE, CCTR, CMR, HTA, and NHSEED, were conducted. After de-duplication, 4234 titles and abstracts were reviewed. Altogether 4036 articles were excluded following screening of titles, abstracts and full text. A total of 198 articles included for final data extraction. Results Few studies originated from outside North America and Europe. No study reported using an underlying theory or framework of quality/effectiveness to guide study design or analyses. We did not identify any studies that had involved a controlled trial - randomised or otherwise – of ethics review procedures or processes. Studies varied substantially with respect to outcomes assessed, although tended to focus on structure and timeliness of ethics review. Discussion Our findings indicate a lack of consensus on appropriate assessment criteria, exemplified by the varied study outcomes identified, but also a fragmented body of research. To date research has been largely quantitative, with little attention given to stakeholder experiences, and is largely cross sectional. A lack of longitudinal research to date precludes analyses of change or assessment of quality improvement in ethics review. PMID:26225553

The attitudes of technical-school students towards assessments and motivation for studying physics

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Stanivuk Ljiljana

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the research presented in this paper was the analysis of the attitudes of the students of a secondary technical school towards assessments and motivation for studying physics. The research was conducted with the sample of462 first- and second-year students of several four-year course profiles in technical schools in Novi Sad and Subotica. Scaling was the used technique and the instrument was construed according to the five-point Likert scale for attitudes. The results show the following: (! the students have predominantly positive attitudes towards assessments in physics, the majority think that their grades are the result of their engagement, and only few students think that the subject teacher is responsible for their low grades, (2 the students are not sufficiently motivated for studying physics, (3 the attitudes of the students towards their grades affect their motivation for learning if they think that the teacher's assessments are not fair or the lessons are too big and complex. The paper ends with a suggestion that students' motivation for studying physics should be stimulated, and stresses the importance of assessments for motivation.

Establishing an agenda for social studies research in marine renewable energy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Watts, Laura; Kerr, Sandy

2014-01-01

To date, academic research relating to Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) has largely focused on resource assessment, technical viability and environmental impact. Experiences from onshore renewable energy tell us that social acceptability is equally critical to project success. However, the specific...... nature of the marine environment, patterns of resource distribution and governance means experiences from onshore may not be directly applicable to MRE and the marine environment. This paper sets out an agenda for social studies research linked to MRE, identifying key topics for future research: (i...... research network of social scientists with interests in marine renewable energy. Importantly, this research agenda has been informed by the experiences of developers, regulators and community groups in Orkney. The Orkney archipelago, off the north coast of Scotland, is home to the most intense cluster...

Taking Inventory and Moving Forward: A Review of the Research Literature and Assessment of Qualitative Research in JPCC, 2010-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

McCarroll, Pamela R

2015-12-01

As the foremost journal in spiritual care and counseling (SCC), Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling (JPCC) functions as a barometer for the discipline's research and interests. This article presents the findings of a review of the research literature in JPCC between 2010 and 2014. It examines research articles by asking the following questions: What are the quantity and types of research published? What are the dominant themes in this research? What are the quantity and methodologies of qualitative research? Findings are presented, discussed and recommendations are made in an effort to assess and further build the research base of the discipline. © The Author(s) 2015.

ASSESSMENT OF ALLERGENIC POTENTIAL OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS: AN AGENDA FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

Science.gov (United States)

AbstractSpeakers and participants in the Workshop Assessment of the Allergenic Potential of Genetically Modified Foods met in breakout groups to discuss a number of issues including needs for future research. There was agreement that research should move forward quickly in t...

?Decision-making capacity for research participation among addicted people: a cross-sectional study?

OpenAIRE

Mor?n-S?nchez, In?s; Luna, Aurelio; S?nchez-Mu?oz, Maria; Aguilera-Alcaraz, Beatriz; P?rez-C?rceles, Maria D.

2016-01-01

Background Informed consent is a key element of ethical clinical research. Addicted population may be at risk for impaired consent capacity. However, very little research has focused on their comprehension of consent forms. The aim of this study is to assess the capacity of addicted individuals to provide consent to research. Methods 53 subjects with DSM-5 diagnoses of a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and 50 non psychiatric comparison subjects (NPCs) participated in the survey from December 201...

Assessing the Role of Motivation on Teacher Performance: Case Study in Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. Irwandy

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to assess the role of motivation on teacher performance in Indonesia. This study in an assessment of this aim used deductive approach where a qualitative survey was conducted among students at Universitas Negeri Medan (UNIMED, Indonesia who are assumed to be future teachers. The survey was intended to get their responses on what they feel are the best factors that could motivate them as future teachers among a list of ten motivational factors. In the light of this the study sets to identify the most ranked factors among the ten motivational factors. The analysis from the empirical findings showed that Good Salary was the most ranked factor for both sub groups that made up the sample survey. However, a study from previous researches used in this study showed that different results could be obtained from different groups of already working employees. This study therefore can be seen as an introduction to a more detailed study to be carried by future researchers in the field of teachers’ motivation.