Organizational learning, pilot test of Likert-type instruments

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Manuel Alfonso Garzón Castrillón

2010-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results obtained in the pilot study of instruments created to comply the specific objective of designing and validating instruments to study the capacity of organizational learning. The Likert measurement scale was used because it allowed to establish the pertinence of the dimension as variable in the context of organizational learning. A One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA was used, with statistical package SPSS. Some 138 variables in 3 factors and 40 affirmations were simplified.

Performance indicators related to points scoring and winning in international rugby sevens.

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Higham, Dean G; Hopkins, Will G; Pyne, David B; Anson, Judith M

2014-05-01

Identification of performance indicators related to scoring points and winning is needed to inform tactical approaches to international rugby sevens competition. The aim of this study was to characterize team performance indicators in international rugby sevens and quantify their relationship with a team's points scored and probability of winning. Performance indicators of each team during 196 matches of the 2011/2012 International Rugby Board Sevens World Series were modeled for their linear relationships with points scored and likelihood of winning within (changes in team values from match to match) and between (differences between team values averaged over all matches) teams. Relationships were evaluated as the change and difference in points and probability of winning associated with a two within- and between-team standard deviations increase in performance indicator values. Inferences about relationships were assessed using a smallest meaningful difference of one point and a 10% probability of a team changing the outcome of a close match. All indicators exhibited high within-team match-to-match variability (intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.00 to 0.23). Excluding indicators representing points-scoring actions or events occurring on average less than once per match, 13 of 17 indicators had substantial clear within-team relationships with points scored and/or likelihood of victory. Relationships between teams were generally similar in magnitude but unclear. Tactics that increase points scoring and likelihood of winning should be based on greater ball possession, fewer rucks, mauls, turnovers, penalties and free kicks, and limited passing. Key pointsSuccessful international rugby sevens teams tend to maintain ball possession; more frequently avoid taking the ball into contact; concede fewer turnovers, penalties and free kicks; retain possession in scrums, rucks and mauls; and limit passing the ball.Selected performance indicators may be used to

Validity and Reliability of Trichotomous Achievement Goal Scale

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Ilker, Gokce Erturan; Arslan, Yunus; Demirhan, Giyasettin

2011-01-01

The Trichotomous Achievement Goal Scale was developed by Agbuga and Xiang (2008) by including selected items from the scales of Duda and Nicholls (1992), Elliot (1999), and Elliot and Church (1997) and adapting them into Turkish. The scale consists of 18 items, and students rated each item on a 7-point Likert scale. To ascertain the validity and…

PHYSICS, SCIENCE POLICY CERN's seven-point strategy for future particle physics

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

Better coordinated particle accelerator research, with more powerful technology, are major priorities on the seven-point "to do list" revealed last week by CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory

Comparison of visual analogue and Likert scales in evaluation of an emergency department bedside teaching programme.

Science.gov (United States)

Celenza, Antonio; Rogers, Ian R

2011-02-01

The present study compares visual analogue scale (VAS) to Likert-type scale (LTS) instruments in evaluating perceptions of an ED bedside clinical teaching programme. A prospective study was conducted in the ED of an urban, adult tertiary hospital. Prospective pairing occurred of a teaching consultant and registrar who were relatively quarantined from normal clinical duties. Registrars received 3 months of the teaching intervention, and 3 months without the intervention in a cross-over fashion. Evaluation questionnaires were completed using both the LTS and 100 mm horizontal VAS for each question. Correlation between VAS and LTS gave a measure of validity, and test-retest stability and internal consistency gave measures of reliability. Registrar perceptions of the teaching programme were positive, but no differences were found between the pre- and post-intervention groups. The test-retest reliabilities (intraclass correlation coefficient) for the questionnaires were 0.51 and 0.54 for the VAS, and 0.58 and 0.58 for the LTS. Cronbach's alpha varied between 0.79 and 0.91 for the VAS, and 0.79 and 0.81 for the LTS. Correlations between the two methods varied from 0.35 to 0.94 for each question. A linear regression equation describing the relationship approximated VAS = 19.5 × LTS-9 with overall r= 0.89. An ED bedside teaching programme is perceived to be a beneficial educational intervention. The VAS is a reliable and valid alternative to the LTS for educational evaluation and might provide advantages in educational measurement. Further research into the significance of extreme values and educationally important changes in scores is required. © 2011 The Authors. EMA © 2011 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Value-Eroding Teacher Behaviors Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

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Arseven, Zeynep; Kiliç, Abdurrahman; Sahin, Seyma

2016-01-01

In the present study, it is aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale for determining value-eroding behaviors of teachers, hence their values of judgment. The items of the "Value-eroding Teacher Behaviors Scale" were designed in the form of 5-point likert type rating scale. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to…

General mixture item response models with different item response structures: Exposition with an application to Likert scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Tijmstra, Jesper; Bolsinova, Maria; Jeon, Minjeong

2018-01-10

This article proposes a general mixture item response theory (IRT) framework that allows for classes of persons to differ with respect to the type of processes underlying the item responses. Through the use of mixture models, nonnested IRT models with different structures can be estimated for different classes, and class membership can be estimated for each person in the sample. If researchers are able to provide competing measurement models, this mixture IRT framework may help them deal with some violations of measurement invariance. To illustrate this approach, we consider a two-class mixture model, where a person's responses to Likert-scale items containing a neutral middle category are either modeled using a generalized partial credit model, or through an IRTree model. In the first model, the middle category ("neither agree nor disagree") is taken to be qualitatively similar to the other categories, and is taken to provide information about the person's endorsement. In the second model, the middle category is taken to be qualitatively different and to reflect a nonresponse choice, which is modeled using an additional latent variable that captures a person's willingness to respond. The mixture model is studied using simulation studies and is applied to an empirical example.

Management and follow-up of gallbladder polyps

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wiles, Rebecca; Thoeni, Ruedi F.; Barbu, Sorin Traian

2017-01-01

of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE). Methods: A targeted literature search was performed and consensus guidelines were created using a series of Delphi questionnaires and a seven-point Likert scale. Results: A total of three Delphi rounds were performed. Consensus regarding which patients should have cholecystectomy...

Pain point system scale (PPSS: a method for postoperative pain estimation in retrospective studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gkotsi A

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Anastasia Gkotsi,1 Dimosthenis Petsas,2 Vasilios Sakalis,3 Asterios Fotas,3 Argyrios Triantafyllidis,3 Ioannis Vouros,3 Evangelos Saridakis,2 Georgios Salpiggidis,3 Athanasios Papathanasiou31Department of Experimental Physiology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece; 2Department of Anesthesiology, 3Department of Urology, Hippokration General Hospital, Thessaloniki, GreecePurpose: Pain rating scales are widely used for pain assessment. Nevertheless, a new tool is required for pain assessment needs in retrospective studies.Methods: The postoperative pain episodes, during the first postoperative day, of three patient groups were analyzed. Each pain episode was assessed by a visual analog scale, numerical rating scale, verbal rating scale, and a new tool – pain point system scale (PPSS – based on the analgesics administered. The type of analgesic was defined based on the authors’ clinic protocol, patient comorbidities, pain assessment tool scores, and preadministered medications by an artificial neural network system. At each pain episode, each patient was asked to fill the three pain scales. Bartlett’s test and Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin criterion were used to evaluate sample sufficiency. The proper scoring system was defined by varimax rotation. Spearman’s and Pearson’s coefficients assessed PPSS correlation to the known pain scales.Results: A total of 262 pain episodes were evaluated in 124 patients. The PPSS scored one point for each dose of paracetamol, three points for each nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug or codeine, and seven points for each dose of opioids. The correlation between the visual analog scale and PPSS was found to be strong and linear (rho: 0.715; P <0.001 and Pearson: 0.631; P < 0.001.Conclusion: PPSS correlated well with the known pain scale and could be used safely in the evaluation of postoperative pain in retrospective studies.Keywords: pain scale, retrospective studies, pain point system

Exploratory study of logistics service quality scale based on online shopping malls

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

FENG Yi-xiong; ZHENG Bing; TAN Jian-rong

2007-01-01

Online shopping has already become the new mode that a lot of customers try to adopt. At the same time, the online shopping could not be successfully completed without logistics service. Logistics service quality (LSQ) has significant impact on revenue and profitability. This paper presents the issue from the perspective of the customer, and explores the initial factors of LSQ based on the online shopping through in-depth interview and the Delphi method. The survey uses a standard 7-point Likert-type scale to measure the LSQ. Empirical research results are shown in detail to confirm seven LSQ dimensions with Chinese characteristics, including timeliness quality, personal contact quality, order quality, order discrepancy handling, order condition and convenience. Statistical analyses of the investigation were conducted to test the reliability and validity of the LSQ evaluation model.

Meaningful Learning with Mobile Devices: Pre-Service Class Teachers' Experiences of Mobile Learning in the Outdoors

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Kärki, Tomi; Keinänen, Heli; Tuominen, Anu; Hoikkala, Marianna; Matikainen, Eila; Maijala, Hanna

2018-01-01

The authors consider the use of mobile learning environment ActionTrack in teacher education. Pre-service class teachers' (N = 277) experiences of the mobile learning environment were measured with a 7-point Likert-scale questionnaire based on seven attributes of meaningful learning. Students' ratings for different attributes were analysed…

Preparing Attitude Scale to Define Students' Attitudes about Environment, Recycling, Plastic and Plastic Waste

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Avan, Cagri; Aydinli, Bahattin; Bakar, Fatma; Alboga, Yunus

2011-01-01

The aim of this study is to introduce an attitude scale in order to define students? attitudes about environment, recycling, plastics, plastic waste. In this study, 80 attitude sentences according to 5-point Likert-type scale were prepared and applied to 492 students of 6th grade in the Kastamonu city center of Turkey. The scale consists of…

A mixed-binomial model for Likert-type personality measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Allik, Jüri

2014-01-01

Personality measurement is based on the idea that values on an unobservable latent variable determine the distribution of answers on a manifest response scale. Typically, it is assumed in the Item Response Theory (IRT) that latent variables are related to the observed responses through continuous normal or logistic functions, determining the probability with which one of the ordered response alternatives on a Likert-scale item is chosen. Based on an analysis of 1731 self- and other-rated responses on the 240 NEO PI-3 questionnaire items, it was proposed that a viable alternative is a finite number of latent events which are related to manifest responses through a binomial function which has only one parameter-the probability with which a given statement is approved. For the majority of items, the best fit was obtained with a mixed-binomial distribution, which assumes two different subpopulations who endorse items with two different probabilities. It was shown that the fit of the binomial IRT model can be improved by assuming that about 10% of random noise is contained in the answers and by taking into account response biases toward one of the response categories. It was concluded that the binomial response model for the measurement of personality traits may be a workable alternative to the more habitual normal and logistic IRT models.

The Applicability of the Moral Virtues Scale in Higher Education / Moral Erdemler Ölçeğinin Yükseköğretimde Uygulanabilirliği

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Refik BALAY

2011-12-01

Full Text Available This research was conducted to develop a valid and reliable likert type scale to measure the perceptions of students towards moral virtues expected from academic staff in higher education. 242 students from Faculty of Education in Harran University constitue the study group of this research. In this study Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO and Barlett test, factor analysis, simple component analysis and varimax rotation techniques were utilized. According to the exploratory factor analysis results, the scale consists of seven factors including: respect, justice, loyalty, courage, honesty, grace, and trust with a total of 50 five-Likert type items. Total variance explained was computed as 65.5%. Item factor loadings in the related scale range from 0.30 to 0.78. It was found out for sub scale of scale between 0.72 and 0.95 and the level of 0.97 for whole scale. Results of analysis revealed that Moral Virtues Scale is a valid and reliable scale can be used in higher education.

[The psychometric properties of the Turkish version of Myocardial Infarction Dimensional Assessment Scale (MIDAS)].

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Yılmaz, Emel; Eser, Erhan; Şekuri, Cevad; Kültürsay, Hakan

2011-08-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the psychometric properties of the Myocardial Infarction Dimensional Assessment Scale (MIDAS). This is a methodological cultural adaptation study. The MIDAS consists of 35-items covering seven domains: physical activity, insecurity, emotional reaction, dependency, diet, concerns over medication, and side effects which are rated on a five-point Likert scale from 1: never to 5:always. The highest score of MIDAS is 100.Quality of life (QOL) decreases as the score of scale increases. Overall 185 myocardial infarction (MI) patients were enrolled in this study. Cronbach alpha was used for the reliability analysis. The criterion validity, structural validity, and sensitivity analysis approach was used for validity analysis. New York Heart Association (NYHA) and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Functional Classifications (CCSFC) for testing the criterion validity; SF-36 for construct validity testing of the Turkish version of the MIDAS were used. The range of Cronbach alpha values is 0.79-0.90 for seven domains of the scale. No problematic items were observed for the entire scale. Medication related domains of the MIDAS showed considerable floor effects (35.7%-22.7%). Confirmatory Factor analysis indicators [Comparative Fit Index (CFI) =0.95 and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) =0.075] supported the construct validity of MIDAS. Convergent validity of the MIDAS was confirmed with correlation of SF-36 scale where appropriate. Criterion validity results was also satisfactory by comparing different stages of the NYHA and the CCSFC (pMIDAS is a reliable and valid instrument.

An Analysis of Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity Among Air Force Information Management Professionals

Science.gov (United States)

2003-03-01

the Hoppock Job Satisfaction scale ( 1935 ). Responses were based on a seven-point Likert 30 scale, with responses ranging from 1 through 7, with...Hoppock ( 1935 ) reported a split-half reliability of .83 (corrected by Spearman Brown Formula; raw correlation = .71). The reported estimate of internal...down, that is supposed to be my #1 priority but sometimes is not able to do so. other admin duties like EPRs , Decs and tdy orders Management is

Critical point inequalities and scaling limits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newman, C.M.

1979-01-01

A refined and extended version of the Buckingham-Gunton inequality relating various pairs of critical exponents is shown to be valid for a large class of statistical mechanical models. If this inequality is an equality (in the refined sense) and one of the critical exponents has a non-Gaussian value, then any scaling limit must be non-Gaussian. This result clarifies the relationships between the nontriviality of triviality of the scaling limit for ordinary critical points in four dimensions (or tricritical points in three dimensions) and the existence of logarithmic factors in the asymptotics which define the two critical exponents. (orig.) [de

Rating scale for the assessment of competence in ultrasound-guided peripheral vascular access - a Delphi Consensus Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Primdahl, Stine C; Todsen, Tobias; Clemmesen, Marie Louise

2016-01-01

a global rating scale (RS) for assessment of UGVA competence based on opinions on the content from ultrasound experts in a modified Delphi consensus study. METHODS: We included experts from anesthesiology, emergency medicine and radiology across university hospitals in Denmark. Nine elements were drafted...... based on existing literature and recommendations from international societies. In a multi-round survey, the experts rated the elements on a five-point Likert scale according to importance, and suggested missing elements. The final Delphi round occurred when >80% of the experts rated all elements ≥4...... on the Likert scale. RESULTS: Sixteen experts consented to participate in the study, one withdrew consent prior to the first Delphi round, and 14 completed all three Delphi rounds. In the first Delphi round the experts excluded one element from the scale and changed the content of two elements. In the second...

The Geological Grading Scale: Every million Points Counts!

Science.gov (United States)

Stegman, D. R.; Cooper, C. M.

2006-12-01

The concept of geological time, ranging from thousands to billions of years, is naturally quite difficult for students to grasp initially, as it is much longer than the timescales over which they experience everyday life. Moreover, universities operate on a few key timescales (hourly lectures, weekly assignments, mid-term examinations) to which students' maximum attention is focused, largely driven by graded assessment. The geological grading scale exploits the overwhelming interest students have in grades as an opportunity to instill familiarity with geological time. With the geological grading scale, the number of possible points/marks/grades available in the course is scaled to 4.5 billion points --- collapsing the entirety of Earth history into one semester. Alternatively, geological time can be compressed into each assignment, with scores for weekly homeworks not worth 100 points each, but 4.5 billion! Homeworks left incomplete with questions unanswered lose 100's of millions of points - equivalent to missing the Paleozoic era. The expected quality of presentation for problem sets can be established with great impact in the first week by docking assignments an insignificant amount points for handing in messy work; though likely more points than they've lost in their entire schooling history combined. Use this grading scale and your students will gradually begin to appreciate exactly how much time represents a geological blink of the eye.

A Comparison of the Nomological Networks Associated With Forced-Choice and Likert Formats of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory.

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Miller, Joshua D; Gentile, Brittany; Carter, Nathan T; Crowe, Michael; Hoffman, Brian J; Campbell, W Keith

2018-01-01

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) is one of the most popular measures of narcissism. However, its use of a forced-choice response set might negatively affect some of its psychometric properties. The purpose of this research was to compare a Likert version of the NPI, in which only the narcissistic response of each pair was given, to the original NPI, in 3 samples of participants (N = 1,109). To this end, we compared the nomological networks of the forced-choice and Likert formats of the NPI in relation to alternative measures of narcissism, narcissistic personality disorder, entitlement, self-esteem, general personality traits (reported by self and informants), interpersonal styles, and general pathological traits included in the DSM-5. The Likert format NPI-total and subscales-manifested similar construct validity to the original forced-choice format across all criteria with only minor differences that seem to be due mainly to the increased reliability and variability found in the Likert NPI Entitlement/Exploitativeness subscale. These results provide evidence that a version of the NPI that employs a Likert format can justifiably be used in place of the original.

Dynamic scaling near the lambda point of liquid helium and at bicritical points

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dohm, V.

1979-02-01

The critical dynamics of liquid helium and of uniaxial antiferromagnets at bicritical points are studied by means of renormalized field theory. The problem of dynamic scaling is analyzed in detail. Explicit calculations are performed using the epsilon-expansion in d = 4 - epsilon dimensions. Results in one- and two-loop order, i.e. first and second order in epsilon, are obtained for dynamic critical exponents, dynamic transient exponents, amplitude ratios and scaling functions at and above the critical points. (orig.)

Assessment of Competence in EVAR Procedures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Strøm, M; Lönn, L; Bech, B

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: To develop a procedure specific global rating scale for assessment of operator competence in endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). METHODS: A Delphi approach was used to achieve expert consensus. A panel of 32 international experts (median 300 EVAR procedures, range 200...... suggested by the panel and reduced to seven pivotal assessment items that reached consensus, Cronbach's alpha = 0.82. The seven item rating scale covers key elements of competence in EVAR stent placement and deployment. Each item has well defined grades with explicit anchors at unacceptable, acceptable......, and superior performance on a 5 point Likert scale. CONCLUSION: The Delphi methodology allowed for international consensus on a new procedure specific global rating scale for assessment of competence in EVAR. The resulting scale, EndoVascular Aortic Repair Assessment of Technical Expertise (EVARATE...

SHAPE FROM TEXTURE USING LOCALLY SCALED POINT PROCESSES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva-Maria Didden

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Shape from texture refers to the extraction of 3D information from 2D images with irregular texture. This paper introduces a statistical framework to learn shape from texture where convex texture elements in a 2D image are represented through a point process. In a first step, the 2D image is preprocessed to generate a probability map corresponding to an estimate of the unnormalized intensity of the latent point process underlying the texture elements. The latent point process is subsequently inferred from the probability map in a non-parametric, model free manner. Finally, the 3D information is extracted from the point pattern by applying a locally scaled point process model where the local scaling function represents the deformation caused by the projection of a 3D surface onto a 2D image.

The birth satisfaction scale: Turkish adaptation, validation and reliability study

Science.gov (United States)

Cetin, Fatma Cosar; Sezer, Ayse; Merih, Yeliz Dogan

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate the validity and the reliability of Birth Satisfaction Scale (BSS) and to adapt it into the Turkish language. This scale is used for measuring maternal satisfaction with birth in order to evaluate women’s birth perceptions. METHODS: In this study there were 150 women who attended to inpatient postpartum clinic. The participants filled in an information form and the BSS questionnaire forms. The properties of the scale were tested by conducting reliability and validation analyses. RESULTS: BSS entails 30 Likert-type questions. It was developed by Hollins Martin and Fleming. Total scale scores ranged between 30–150 points. Higher scores from the scale mean increases in birth satisfaction. Three overarching themes were identified in Scale: service provision (home assessment, birth environment, support, relationships with health care professionals); personal attributes (ability to cope during labour, feeling in control, childbirth preparation, relationship with baby); and stress experienced during labour (distress, obstetric injuries, receiving sufficient medical care, obstetric intervention, pain, prolonged labour and baby’s health). Cronbach’s alfa coefficient was 0.62. CONCLUSION: According to the present study, BSS entails 30 Likert-type questions and evaluates women’s birth perceptions. The Turkish version of BSS has been proven to be a valid and a reliable scale. PMID:28058355

Consumer Preferences for Hearing Aid Attributes

Science.gov (United States)

Lataille, Angela T.; Buttorff, Christine; White, Sharon; Niparko, John K.

2012-01-01

Low utilization of hearing aids has drawn increased attention to the study of consumer preferences using both simple ratings (e.g., Likert scale) and conjoint analyses, but these two approaches often produce inconsistent results. The study aims to directly compare Likert scales and conjoint analysis in identifying important attributes associated with hearing aids among those with hearing loss. Seven attributes of hearing aids were identified through qualitative research: performance in quiet settings, comfort, feedback, frequency of battery replacement, purchase price, water and sweat resistance, and performance in noisy settings. The preferences of 75 outpatients with hearing loss were measured with both a 5-point Likert scale and with 8 paired-comparison conjoint tasks (the latter being analyzed using OLS [ordinary least squares] and logistic regression). Results were compared by examining implied willingness-to-pay and Pearson’s Rho. A total of 56 respondents (75%) provided complete responses. Two thirds of respondents were male, most had sensorineural hearing loss, and most were older than 50; 44% of respondents had never used a hearing aid. Both methods identified improved performance in noisy settings as the most valued attribute. Respondents were twice as likely to buy a hearing aid with better functionality in noisy environments (p < .001), and willingness to pay for this attribute ranged from US$2674 on the Likert to US$9000 in the conjoint analysis. The authors find a high level of concordance between the methods—a result that is in stark contrast with previous research. The authors conclude that their result stems from constraining the levels on the Likert scale. PMID:22514094

Consumer preferences for hearing aid attributes: a comparison of rating and conjoint analysis methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Bridges, John F P; Lataille, Angela T; Buttorff, Christine; White, Sharon; Niparko, John K

2012-03-01

Low utilization of hearing aids has drawn increased attention to the study of consumer preferences using both simple ratings (e.g., Likert scale) and conjoint analyses, but these two approaches often produce inconsistent results. The study aims to directly compare Likert scales and conjoint analysis in identifying important attributes associated with hearing aids among those with hearing loss. Seven attributes of hearing aids were identified through qualitative research: performance in quiet settings, comfort, feedback, frequency of battery replacement, purchase price, water and sweat resistance, and performance in noisy settings. The preferences of 75 outpatients with hearing loss were measured with both a 5-point Likert scale and with 8 paired-comparison conjoint tasks (the latter being analyzed using OLS [ordinary least squares] and logistic regression). Results were compared by examining implied willingness-to-pay and Pearson's Rho. A total of 56 respondents (75%) provided complete responses. Two thirds of respondents were male, most had sensorineural hearing loss, and most were older than 50; 44% of respondents had never used a hearing aid. Both methods identified improved performance in noisy settings as the most valued attribute. Respondents were twice as likely to buy a hearing aid with better functionality in noisy environments (p < .001), and willingness to pay for this attribute ranged from US$2674 on the Likert to US$9000 in the conjoint analysis. The authors find a high level of concordance between the methods-a result that is in stark contrast with previous research. The authors conclude that their result stems from constraining the levels on the Likert scale.

Seven challenges in modeling pathogen dynamics within-host and across scales

OpenAIRE

Julia R. Gog; Lorenzo Pellis; James L.N. Wood; Angela R. McLean; Nimalan Arinaminpathy; James O. Lloyd-Smith

2015-01-01

© 2014 The Authors. The population dynamics of infectious disease is a mature field in terms of theory and to some extent, application. However for microparasites, the theory and application of models of the dynamics within a single infected host is still an open field. Further, connecting across the scales - from cellular to host level, to population level - has potential to vastly improve our understanding of pathogen dynamics and evolution. Here, we highlight seven challenges in the follow...

Modelling aggregation on the large scale and regularity on the small scale in spatial point pattern datasets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lavancier, Frédéric; Møller, Jesper

We consider a dependent thinning of a regular point process with the aim of obtaining aggregation on the large scale and regularity on the small scale in the resulting target point process of retained points. Various parametric models for the underlying processes are suggested and the properties...

Profiling medical school learning environments in Malaysia: a validation study of the Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sean Tackett

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose: While a strong learning environment is critical to medical student education, the assessment of medical school learning environments has confounded researchers. Our goal was to assess the validity and utility of the Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale (JHLES for preclinical students at three Malaysian medical schools with distinct educational and institutional models. Two schools were new international partnerships, and the third was school leaver program established without international partnership. Methods: First- and second-year students responded anonymously to surveys at the end of the academic year. The surveys included the JHLES, a 28-item survey using five-point Likert scale response options, the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM, the most widely used method to assess learning environments internationally, a personal growth scale, and single-item global learning environment assessment variables. Results: The overall response rate was 369/429 (86%. After adjusting for the medical school year, gender, and ethnicity of the respondents, the JHLES detected differences across institutions in four out of seven domains (57%, with each school having a unique domain profile. The DREEM detected differences in one out of five categories (20%. The JHLES was more strongly correlated than the DREEM to two thirds of the single-item variables and the personal growth scale. The JHLES showed high internal reliability for the total score (α=0.92 and the seven domains (α, 0.56-0.85. Conclusion: The JHLES detected variation between learning environment domains across three educational settings, thereby creating unique learning environment profiles. Interpretation of these profiles may allow schools to understand how they are currently supporting trainees and identify areas needing attention.

The Fermi scale as a focus point of high-scale gauge mediation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruemmer, F.; Buchmueller, W.

2012-01-15

We consider the minimal supersymmetric Standard Model with large scalar and gaugino mass terms at the GUT scale, which are generated predominantly by gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking. For certain ratios of GUT-scale masses, determined by the messenger indices, large radiative corrections lead to a small electroweak scale in a way which resembles the well-known focus point mechanism. The Fermi scale, the gravitino mass and the higgsino masses are of comparable size. For a Higgs mass of about 124 GeV all other superparticles have masses outside the reach of the LHC. (orig.)

Intensity cut-points for the Respiratory Distress Observation Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Margaret L; Templin, Thomas N

2015-01-01

Background The Respiratory Distress Observation Scale© is an innovative solution to assessment when a dyspnea report cannot be elicited. The Respiratory Distress Observation Scale has acceptable reliability and validity psychometrics. Aim To identify distress-intensity cut-points of the Respiratory Distress Observation Scale. Design Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was conducted with inpatients stratified by four levels of respiratory distress—none, mild, moderate, or severe. Patients provided three self-report measures of dyspnea: dichotomous (yes/no); a ranking of none, mild, moderate, or severe; and a numerical rating scale. Respiratory distress was assessed using the Respiratory Distress Observation Scale instrument. Setting/participants Participants were 136 adult inpatients, mean age 61.8 years (standard deviation = 13.18 years), 89.7% African American, and 56.6% female, who were recruited from an urban, tertiary care hospital in the Midwest of the United States. Results In all, 47% (n = 64) self-reported dyspnea (yes/no). Ranking was distributed as follows: none = 36, mild = 35, moderate = 40, and severe = 25. Numerical rating scale scores ranged from 0 to 10, mean = 4.99 (standard deviation = 2.9). Respiratory Distress Observation Scale scores ranged from 0 to 7, median (interquartile range) = 2 (1–3). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis–determined Respiratory Distress Observation Scale score of 0–2 suggests little or no respiratory distress; score ≥3 signified moderate to severe distress. Conclusion A Respiratory Distress Observation Scale score ≥3 signifies a patient’s need for palliation of respiratory distress. An end-point for identifying responsiveness to treatment, in other words, respiratory comfort, is Respiratory Distress Observation Scale <3. Because patients with imminent respiratory failure, as typified by dying patients, were not represented yielding lower than expected Respiratory Distress

A Study of Student Completion Strategies in a Likert-Type Course Evaluation Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Gee, Nick

2017-01-01

This article investigates the motivations and strategies employed by respondents to a Likert-style course evaluation at a UK university. These attitude surveys, generating large amounts of quantitative data, are commonly used in quality assurance procedures across UK higher education institutions. Similar student survey results are now scrutinised…

Energy scales and magnetoresistance at a quantum critical point

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaginyan, V.R. [Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, RAS, Gatchina, 188300 (Russian Federation); Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); CTSPS, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA 30314 (United States)], E-mail: vrshag@thd.pnpi.spb.ru; Amusia, M.Ya. [Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); Msezane, A.Z. [CTSPS, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA 30314 (United States); Popov, K.G. [Komi Science Center, Ural Division, RAS, 3a Chernova street, Syktyvkar, 167982 (Russian Federation); Stephanovich, V.A. [Opole University, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Opole, 45-052 (Poland)

2009-03-02

The magnetoresistance (MR) of CeCoIn{sub 5} is notably different from that in many conventional metals. We show that a pronounced crossover from negative to positive MR at elevated temperatures and fixed magnetic fields is determined by the scaling behavior of quasiparticle effective mass. At a quantum critical point (QCP) this dependence generates kinks (crossover points from fast to slow growth) in thermodynamic characteristics (like specific heat, magnetization, etc.) at some temperatures when a strongly correlated electron system transits from the magnetic field induced Landau-Fermi liquid (LFL) regime to the non-Fermi liquid (NFL) one taking place at rising temperatures. We show that the above kink-like peculiarity separates two distinct energy scales in QCP vicinity - low temperature LFL scale and high temperature one related to NFL regime. Our comprehensive theoretical analysis of experimental data permits to reveal for the first time new MR and kinks scaling behavior as well as to identify the physical reasons for above energy scales.

Multi-scale Clustering of Points Synthetically Considering Lines and Polygons Distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YU Li

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Considering the complexity and discontinuity of spatial data distribution, a clustering algorithm of points was proposed. To accurately identify and express the spatial correlation among points,lines and polygons, a Voronoi diagram that is generated by all spatial features is introduced. According to the distribution characteristics of point's position, an area threshold used to control clustering granularity was calculated. Meanwhile, judging scale convergence by constant area threshold, the algorithm classifies spatial features based on multi-scale, with an O(n log n running time.Results indicate that spatial scale converges self-adaptively according with distribution of points.Without the custom parameters, the algorithm capable to discover arbitrary shape clusters which be bound by lines and polygons, and is robust for outliers.

Understanding customer satisfaction in the UK quick service restaurant industry: The influence of the tangible attributes of perceived service quality

OpenAIRE

Nguyen, Q.; Nisar, T.; Knox, D.; Prabhakar, G.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the five dimensions of service quality on customer satisfaction in the UK fast food market and to indicate which factors among the five dimensions have a main role in driving overall customer satisfaction.\\ud Primary data in the form of 147 questionnaire responses werebeen collected from a variety of quick service fast food restaurants in the UK. Likert seven-point rating scales were used to structure the questionnaire. Data were collected...

Nonlinear triple-point problems on time scales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Douglas R. Anderson

2004-04-01

Full Text Available We establish the existence of multiple positive solutions to the nonlinear second-order triple-point boundary-value problem on time scales, $$displaylines{ u^{Delta abla}(t+h(tf(t,u(t=0, cr u(a=alpha u(b+delta u^Delta(a,quad eta u(c+gamma u^Delta(c=0 }$$ for $tin[a,c]subsetmathbb{T}$, where $mathbb{T}$ is a time scale, $eta, gamma, deltage 0$ with $Beta+gamma>0$, $0

Theory of finite-entanglement scaling at one-dimensional quantum critical points.

Science.gov (United States)

Pollmann, Frank; Mukerjee, Subroto; Turner, Ari M; Moore, Joel E

2009-06-26

Studies of entanglement in many-particle systems suggest that most quantum critical ground states have infinitely more entanglement than noncritical states. Standard algorithms for one-dimensional systems construct model states with limited entanglement, which are a worse approximation to quantum critical states than to others. We give a quantitative theory of previously observed scaling behavior resulting from finite entanglement at quantum criticality. Finite-entanglement scaling in one-dimensional systems is governed not by the scaling dimension of an operator but by the "central charge" of the critical point. An important ingredient is the universal distribution of density-matrix eigenvalues at a critical point [P. Calabrese and A. Lefevre, Phys. Rev. A 78, 032329 (2008)10.1103/PhysRevA.78.032329]. The parameter-free theory is checked against numerical scaling at several quantum critical points.

Group- and Individual-Level Responsiveness of the 3-Point Berg Balance Scale and 3-Point Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yi-Jing; Lin, Gong-Hong; Lee, Shih-Chieh; Chen, Yi-Miau; Huang, Sheau-Ling; Hsieh, Ching-Lin

2018-03-01

To examine both group- and individual-level responsiveness of the 3-point Berg Balance Scale (BBS-3P) and 3-point Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients (PASS-3P) in patients with stroke, and to compare the responsiveness of both 3-point measures versus their original measures (Berg Balance Scale [BBS] and Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients [PASS]) and their short forms (short-form Berg Balance Scale [SFBBS] and short-form Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients [SFPASS]) and between the BBS-3P and PASS-3P. Data were retrieved from a previous study wherein 212 patients were assessed at 14 and 30 days after stroke with the BBS and PASS. Medical center. Patients (N=212) with first onset of stroke within 14 days before hospitalization. Not applicable. Group-level responsiveness was examined by the standardized response mean (SRM), and individual-level responsiveness was examined by the proportion of patients whose change scores exceeded the minimal detectable change of each measure. The responsiveness was compared using the bootstrap approach. The BBS-3P and PASS-3P had good group-level (SRM, .60 and SRM, .56, respectively) and individual-level (48.1% and 44.8% of the patients with significant improvement, respectively) responsiveness. Bootstrap analyses showed that the BBS-3P generally had superior responsiveness to the BBS and SFBBS, and the PASS-3P had similar responsiveness to the PASS and SFPASS. The BBS-3P and PASS-3P were equally responsive to both group and individual change. The responsiveness of the BBS-3P and PASS-3P was comparable or superior to those of the original and short-form measures. We recommend the BBS-3P and PASS-3P as responsive outcome measures of balance for individuals with stroke. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of sex and grade-point average on emotional intelligence.

Science.gov (United States)

Tapia, Martha; Marsh, George E

2006-01-01

This study was conducted to examine the effects of sex and grade-point average (GPA) on emotional intelligence on secondary students as measured by the Emotional Intelligence Inventory (EII). The EII is a 41-item Likert scale based on the original theoretical model of emotional intelligence developed by Salovey and Mayer. An exploratory factor analysis identified four factors, which were named Empathy, Utilization of Feelings, Handling Relationships, and Self-control. The sample consisted of 319 students, 162 males and 157 females, who attended school at a bilingual (English and Spanish) college preparatory school. General linear analysis revealed significant differences in empathy scores when grouped by gender. There were significant differences in self-control when grouped by GPA levels.

The Visual Analogue Scale for Rating, Ranking and Paired-Comparison (VAS-RRP): A new technique for psychological measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sung, Yao-Ting; Wu, Jeng-Shin

2018-04-17

Traditionally, the visual analogue scale (VAS) has been proposed to overcome the limitations of ordinal measures from Likert-type scales. However, the function of VASs to overcome the limitations of response styles to Likert-type scales has not yet been addressed. Previous research using ranking and paired comparisons to compensate for the response styles of Likert-type scales has suffered from limitations, such as that the total score of ipsative measures is a constant that cannot be analyzed by means of many common statistical techniques. In this study we propose a new scale, called the Visual Analogue Scale for Rating, Ranking, and Paired-Comparison (VAS-RRP), which can be used to collect rating, ranking, and paired-comparison data simultaneously, while avoiding the limitations of each of these data collection methods. The characteristics, use, and analytic method of VAS-RRPs, as well as how they overcome the disadvantages of Likert-type scales, ranking, and VASs, are discussed. On the basis of analyses of simulated and empirical data, this study showed that VAS-RRPs improved reliability, response style bias, and parameter recovery. Finally, we have also designed a VAS-RRP Generator for researchers' construction and administration of their own VAS-RRPs.

Combining different types of scale space interest points using canonical sets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kanters, F.M.W.; Denton, T.; Shokoufandeh, A.; Florack, L.M.J.; Haar Romenij, ter B.M.; Sgallari, F.; Murli, A.; Paragios, N.

2007-01-01

Scale space interest points capture important photometric and deep structure information of an image. The information content of such points can be made explicit using image reconstruction. In this paper we will consider the problem of combining multiple types of interest points used for image

The Development of the Francis Moral Values Scales: A Study among 16- to 18-Year-Old Students Taking Religious Studies at A Level in the UK

Science.gov (United States)

Village, Andrew; Francis, Leslie J.

2016-01-01

This article reports on the development of scales for measuring moral values in three domains: anti-social behaviour, sex and relationships, and substance use. Students studying religion at A level in 25 schools were invited to respond to 32 Likert items that referred to a wide range of moral issues and behaviours, employing a 5-point response…

Initial studies of a competition agressivity scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Bartholomeu

2008-12-01

Full Text Available This article describes the development of an aggressivity measure among athletes. Participants included 172 athletes, from five different sports, ranging in age from 14 to 58 years old (mean age 21 years, DP=5,99. The scale was composed of 54 items (on a three-point Likert scale that described various aggressive behaviors. The subjects were asked to indicate the frequency of the behaviors from “always” to “sometimes” and “never.”. The differential item functioning results by sex pointed to six items favoring one of the groups. The data were analyzed by means of principal components analysis with a varimax rotation and suggested a three factor structure explaining 44,31% of the variance. The dimensions were, Intimidation, External Aggression and Internal Aggression. Chronbach’s alphas ranged from 0,74 to 0,90. No significant differences of the dimensions were observed between the studied sports. These data enables the instrument to be used in future research.   Keywords: aggressivity; psychological assessment; sport psychology; factorial analysis; differential item functioning.

Critical point phenomena: universal physics at large length scales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruce, A.; Wallace, D.

1993-01-01

This article is concerned with the behaviour of a physical system at, or close to, a critical point (ebullition, ferromagnetism..): study of the phenomena displayed in the critical region (Ising model, order parameter, correlation length); description of the configurations (patterns) formed by the microscopic degrees of freedom near a critical point, essential concepts of the renormalization group (coarse-graining, system flow, fixed-point and scale-invariance); how these concepts knit together to form the renormalization group method; and what kind of problems may be resolved by the renormalization group method. 12 figs., 1 ref

Exploring the effect of space and place on response to exercise therapy for knee and hip pain-a protocol for a double-blind randomised controlled clinical trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sandal, Louise Fleng; Thorlund, Jonas Bloch; Ulrich, Roger S

2015-01-01

a recreational park. The standard environment is in a basement, has artificial lighting and is marked by years of use; that is, resembling many clinical environments. The primary outcome is the participant's global perceived effect rated on a seven-point Likert scale after 8 weeks exercise. Patient......-reported and objective secondary outcomes are included. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Regional Scientific Ethical Committee for Southern Denmark has approved the study. Study findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and presented at national and international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER...

Multi-scale calculation based on dual domain material point method combined with molecular dynamics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dhakal, Tilak Raj [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-02-27

This dissertation combines the dual domain material point method (DDMP) with molecular dynamics (MD) in an attempt to create a multi-scale numerical method to simulate materials undergoing large deformations with high strain rates. In these types of problems, the material is often in a thermodynamically non-equilibrium state, and conventional constitutive relations are often not available. In this method, the closure quantities, such as stress, at each material point are calculated from a MD simulation of a group of atoms surrounding the material point. Rather than restricting the multi-scale simulation in a small spatial region, such as phase interfaces, or crack tips, this multi-scale method can be used to consider non-equilibrium thermodynamic e ects in a macroscopic domain. This method takes advantage that the material points only communicate with mesh nodes, not among themselves; therefore MD simulations for material points can be performed independently in parallel. First, using a one-dimensional shock problem as an example, the numerical properties of the original material point method (MPM), the generalized interpolation material point (GIMP) method, the convected particle domain interpolation (CPDI) method, and the DDMP method are investigated. Among these methods, only the DDMP method converges as the number of particles increases, but the large number of particles needed for convergence makes the method very expensive especially in our multi-scale method where we calculate stress in each material point using MD simulation. To improve DDMP, the sub-point method is introduced in this dissertation, which provides high quality numerical solutions with a very small number of particles. The multi-scale method based on DDMP with sub-points is successfully implemented for a one dimensional problem of shock wave propagation in a cerium crystal. The MD simulation to calculate stress in each material point is performed in GPU using CUDA to accelerate the

Focus point in dark matter selected high-scale supersymmetry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Sibo [Department of Physics, Chongqing University,Chongqing, 401331 P.R. (China)

2015-03-19

In this paper, we explore conditions for focus point in the high-scale supersymmetry with the weak-scale gaugino masses. In this context the tension between the naturalness and LHC 2013 data about supersymmetry as well as the cold dark matter candidate are addressed simultaneously. It is shown that the observed Higgs mass can be satisfied in a wide classes of new models, which are realized by employing the non-minimal gauge mediation.

Investigation of the dew-point temperature scale maintained at the MIKES

Science.gov (United States)

Heinonen, Martti

1999-01-01

For the investigation of the dew-point temperature scale realized by the MIKES primary dew-point generator, a two-pressure generator and a dew-point indicator based on condensation in a cooled coil were constructed and tested. In addition, a chilled mirror hygrometer was validated by means of an uncertainty analysis. The comparison of these systems was focused on the dew-point temperature range from 0957-0233/10/1/010/img1 to 0957-0233/10/1/010/img2 but measurements were made up to 0957-0233/10/1/010/img3. The generator systems were compared using a dew-point comparator based on two relative humidity sensors. According to the results of the comparisons, the differences between the measurement systems were less than 0957-0233/10/1/010/img4, while the expanded uncertainty of the MIKES generator was between 0957-0233/10/1/010/img5 and 0957-0233/10/1/010/img6. The uncertainty of the other systems was from 0957-0233/10/1/010/img7 to 0957-0233/10/1/010/img8. It was concluded that the dew-point temperature scale was not dependent on the realization method.

Designing the Nuclear Energy Attitude Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Calhoun, Lawrence; And Others

1988-01-01

Presents a refined method for designing a valid and reliable Likert-type scale to test attitudes toward the generation of electricity from nuclear energy. Discusses various tests of validity that were used on the nuclear energy scale. Reports results of administration and concludes that the test is both reliable and valid. (CW)

Hypohydration and Acute Thermal Stress Affect Mood State but not Cognition or Dynamic Postural

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-12

of the feet and ankles . The LCD screen presented a cursor interfaced with the movement of the platform. Balance scores were given based on three...Vol- unteers were asked to rate their thermal sensation (TS) using an 8-point Likert scale with verbal anchors from 0 (unbearably cold) to 8...unbearably hot). Thirst was asses- sed using a similar 8-point Likert scale with verbal anchors from 1 (not thirst at all) to 9 (very, very thirsty) (Gagge

Using a Virtual Experiment to Analyze Infiltration Process from Point to Grid-cell Size Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Barrios, M. I.

2013-12-01

The hydrological science requires the emergence of a consistent theoretical corpus driving the relationships between dominant physical processes at different spatial and temporal scales. However, the strong spatial heterogeneities and non-linearities of these processes make difficult the development of multiscale conceptualizations. Therefore, scaling understanding is a key issue to advance this science. This work is focused on the use of virtual experiments to address the scaling of vertical infiltration from a physically based model at point scale to a simplified physically meaningful modeling approach at grid-cell scale. Numerical simulations have the advantage of deal with a wide range of boundary and initial conditions against field experimentation. The aim of the work was to show the utility of numerical simulations to discover relationships between the hydrological parameters at both scales, and to use this synthetic experience as a media to teach the complex nature of this hydrological process. The Green-Ampt model was used to represent vertical infiltration at point scale; and a conceptual storage model was employed to simulate the infiltration process at the grid-cell scale. Lognormal and beta probability distribution functions were assumed to represent the heterogeneity of soil hydraulic parameters at point scale. The linkages between point scale parameters and the grid-cell scale parameters were established by inverse simulations based on the mass balance equation and the averaging of the flow at the point scale. Results have shown numerical stability issues for particular conditions and have revealed the complex nature of the non-linear relationships between models' parameters at both scales and indicate that the parameterization of point scale processes at the coarser scale is governed by the amplification of non-linear effects. The findings of these simulations have been used by the students to identify potential research questions on scale issues

Effectiveness of trigger point dry needling for plantar heel pain: a meta-analysis of seven randomized controlled trials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

He C

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Chunhui He,1,* Hua Ma2,* 1Internal Medicine of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2Medical Image Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Wulumuqi, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Plantar heel pain can be managed with dry needling of myofascial trigger points (MTrPs; however, whether MTrP needling is effective remains controversial. Thus, we conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of MTrP needling in patients with plantar heel pain. Materials and methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, SinoMed (Chinese BioMedical Literature Service System, People’s Republic of China, and CNKI (National Knowledge Infrastructure, People’s Republic of China databases were systematically reviewed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs that assessed the effects of MTrP needling. Pooled weighted mean difference (WMD with 95% CIs were calculated for change in visual analog scale (VAS score, and pooled risk ratio (RR with 95% CIs were calculated for success rate for pain and incidence of adverse events. A fixed-effects model or random-effects model was used to pool the estimates, depending on the heterogeneity among the included studies. Results: Extensive literature search yielded 1,941 articles, of which only seven RCTs met the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that MTrP needling significantly reduced the VAS score (WMD =–15.50, 95% CI: –19.48, –11.53; P<0.001 compared with control, but it had a similar success rate for pain with control (risk ratio [RR] =1.15, 95% CI: 0.87, 1.51; P=0.320. Moreover, MTrP needling was associated with a similar incidence of adverse events with control (RR =1.89, 95% CI: 0.38, 9.39; P=0.438. Conclusion: MTrP needling effectively reduced the heel pain due to plantar fasciitis. However, considering the potential limitations in this study, more large-scale, adequately powered, good

The three-point function as a probe of models for large-scale structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frieman, J.A.; Gaztanaga, E.

1993-01-01

The authors analyze the consequences of models of structure formation for higher-order (n-point) galaxy correlation functions in the mildly non-linear regime. Several variations of the standard Ω = 1 cold dark matter model with scale-invariant primordial perturbations have recently been introduced to obtain more power on large scales, R p ∼20 h -1 Mpc, e.g., low-matter-density (non-zero cosmological constant) models, open-quote tilted close-quote primordial spectra, and scenarios with a mixture of cold and hot dark matter. They also include models with an effective scale-dependent bias, such as the cooperative galaxy formation scenario of Bower, et al. The authors show that higher-order (n-point) galaxy correlation functions can provide a useful test of such models and can discriminate between models with true large-scale power in the density field and those where the galaxy power arises from scale-dependent bias: a bias with rapid scale-dependence leads to a dramatic decrease of the hierarchical amplitudes Q J at large scales, r approx-gt R p . Current observational constraints on the three-point amplitudes Q 3 and S 3 can place limits on the bias parameter(s) and appear to disfavor, but not yet rule out, the hypothesis that scale-dependent bias is responsible for the extra power observed on large scales

Large-scale urban point cloud labeling and reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Liqiang; Li, Zhuqiang; Li, Anjian; Liu, Fangyu

2018-04-01

The large number of object categories and many overlapping or closely neighboring objects in large-scale urban scenes pose great challenges in point cloud classification. In this paper, a novel framework is proposed for classification and reconstruction of airborne laser scanning point cloud data. To label point clouds, we present a rectified linear units neural network named ReLu-NN where the rectified linear units (ReLu) instead of the traditional sigmoid are taken as the activation function in order to speed up the convergence. Since the features of the point cloud are sparse, we reduce the number of neurons by the dropout to avoid over-fitting of the training process. The set of feature descriptors for each 3D point is encoded through self-taught learning, and forms a discriminative feature representation which is taken as the input of the ReLu-NN. The segmented building points are consolidated through an edge-aware point set resampling algorithm, and then they are reconstructed into 3D lightweight models using the 2.5D contouring method (Zhou and Neumann, 2010). Compared with deep learning approaches, the ReLu-NN introduced can easily classify unorganized point clouds without rasterizing the data, and it does not need a large number of training samples. Most of the parameters in the network are learned, and thus the intensive parameter tuning cost is significantly reduced. Experimental results on various datasets demonstrate that the proposed framework achieves better performance than other related algorithms in terms of classification accuracy and reconstruction quality.

Composite Reliability and Standard Errors of Measurement for a Seven-Subtest Short Form of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised.

Science.gov (United States)

Schretlen, David; And Others

1994-01-01

Composite reliability and standard errors of measurement were computed for prorated Verbal, Performance, and Full-Scale intelligence quotient (IQ) scores from a seven-subtest short form of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised. Results with 1,880 adults (standardization sample) indicate that this form is as reliable as the complete test.…

Economic Analysis of Small Scale Fish Pond Production in Oguta ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

What are the costs and returns of small-scale fishpond enterprises? What problems hinder the development of small-scale fishpond production? Data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaires and interviews. Descriptive statistics, gross margin and likert scale were employed in data analysis. Gross margin ...

Estimating a just-noticeable difference for ocular comfort in contact lens wearers.

Science.gov (United States)

Papas, Eric B; Keay, Lisa; Golebiowski, Blanka

2011-06-21

To estimate the just-noticeable difference (JND) in ocular comfort rating by human, contact lens-wearing subjects using 1 to 100 numerical scales. Ostensibly identical, new contact lenses were worn simultaneously in both eyes by 40 subjects who made individual comfort ratings for each eye using a 100-point numerical ratings scale (NRS). Concurrently, interocular preference was indicated on a five-point Likert scale (1 to 5: strongly prefer right, slightly prefer right, no preference, slightly prefer left, strongly prefer left, respectively). Differences in NRS comfort score (ΔC) between the right and left eyes were determined for each Likert scale preference criteria. The distribution of group ΔC scores was examined relative to alternative definitions of JND as a means of estimating its value. For Likert scores indicating the presence of a slight interocular preference, absolute ΔC ranged from 1 to 30 units with a mean of 7.4 ± 1.3 (95% confidence interval) across all lenses and trials. When there was no Likert scale preference expressed between the eyes, absolute ΔC did not exceed 5 units. For ratings of comfort using a 100-point numerical rating scale, the inter-ocular JND is unlikely to be less than 5 units. The estimate for the average value in the population was approximately 7 to 8 units. These numbers indicate the lowest level at which changes in comfort measured with such scales are likely to be clinically significant.

Water content estimated from point scale to plot scale

Science.gov (United States)

Akyurek, Z.; Binley, A. M.; Demir, G.; Abgarmi, B.

2017-12-01

Soil moisture controls the portioning of rainfall into infiltration and runoff. Here we investigate measurements of soil moisture using a range of techniques spanning different spatial scales. In order to understand soil water content in a test basin, 512 km2 in area, in the south of Turkey, a Cosmic Ray CRS200B soil moisture probe was installed at elevation of 1459 m and an ML3 ThetaProbe (CS 616) soil moisture sensor was established at 5cm depth used to get continuous soil moisture. Neutron count measurements were corrected for the changes in atmospheric pressure, atmospheric water vapour and intensity of incoming neutron flux. The calibration of the volumetric soil moisture was performed, from the laboratory analysis, the bulk density varies between 1.719 (g/cm3) -1.390 (g/cm3), and the dominant soil texture is silty clay loam and silt loamThe water content reflectometer was calibrated for soil-specific conditions and soil moisture estimates were also corrected with respect to soil temperature. In order to characterize the subsurface, soil electrical resistivity tomography was used. Wenner and Schlumberger array geometries were used with electrode spacing varied from 1m- 5 m along 40 m and 200 m profiles. From the inversions of ERT data it is apparent that within 50 m distance from the CRS200B, the soil is moderately resistive to a depth of 2m and more conductive at greater depths. At greater distances from the CRS200B, the ERT results indicate more resistive soils. In addition to the ERT surveys, ground penetrating radar surveys using a common mid-point configuration was used with 200MHz antennas. The volumetric soil moisture obtained from GPR appears to overestimate those based on TDR observations. The values obtained from CS616 (at a point scale) and CRS200B (at a mesoscale) are compared with the values obtained at a plot scale. For the field study dates (20-22.06.2017) the volumetric moisture content obtained from CS616 were 25.14%, 25.22% and 25

[Validation of a cutoff point for the short version of the Depression Scale of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies in older Mexican adults].

Science.gov (United States)

Salinas-Rodríguez, Aarón; Manrique-Espinoza, Betty; Acosta-Castillo, Gilberto Isaac; Franco-Núñez, Aurora; Rosas-Carrasco, Oscar; Gutiérrez-Robledo, Luis Miguel; Sosa-Ortiz, Ana Luisa

2014-01-01

To identify a valid cutoff point associated with Center for Epidemiologic Studies, Depression Scale (CES-D) of seven items, which allows the classification of older adults according to presence/absence of clinically significant depressive symptoms. Screening study with 229 older adults residing in two states of Mexico (Morelos and Tlaxcala), which were part of the sample from the National Survey of Health and Nutrition, 2012. We estimated the sensitivity and specificity associated with the selected cutoff points using the diagnostic criteria of ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision) and DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition). The cutoff point estimated was CES-D=5. According to the ICD-10 sensitivity and specificity were 83.3 and 90.2%, and ROC was 87%. Using DSM-IV, the values were 85, 83.2, and 84%, respectively. The short version of the CES-D can be used as a screening test to identify probable cases of older adults with clinically significant depressive symptoms.

Magnetic Resonance and Ultrasound Image Fusion Supported Transperineal Prostate Biopsy Using the Ginsburg Protocol: Technique, Learning Points, and Biopsy Results.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Nienke; Patruno, Giulio; Wadhwa, Karan; Gaziev, Gabriele; Miano, Roberto; Barrett, Tristan; Gnanapragasam, Vincent; Doble, Andrew; Warren, Anne; Bratt, Ola; Kastner, Christof

2016-08-01

Prostate biopsy supported by transperineal image fusion has recently been developed as a new method to the improve accuracy of prostate cancer detection. To describe the Ginsburg protocol for transperineal prostate biopsy supported by multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) image fusion, provide learning points for its application, and report biopsy results. The article is supplemented by a Surgery in Motion video. This single-centre retrospective outcome study included 534 patients from March 2012 to October 2015. A total of 107 had no previous prostate biopsy, 295 had benign TRUS-guided biopsies, and 159 were on active surveillance for low-risk cancer. A Likert scale reported mpMRI for suspicion of cancer from 1 (no suspicion) to 5 (cancer highly likely). Transperineal biopsies were obtained under general anaesthesia using BiopSee fusion software (Medcom, Darmstadt, Germany). All patients had systematic biopsies, two cores from each of 12 anatomic sectors. Likert 3-5 lesions were targeted with a further two cores per lesion. Any cancer and Gleason score 7-10 cancer on biopsy were noted. Descriptive statistics and positive predictive values (PPVs) and negative predictive values (NPVs) were calculated. The detection rate of Gleason score 7-10 cancer was similar across clinical groups. Likert scale 3-5 MRI lesions were reported in 378 (71%) of the patients. Cancer was detected in 249 (66%) and Gleason score 7-10 cancer was noted in 157 (42%) of these patients. PPV for detecting 7-10 cancer was 0.15 for Likert score 3, 0.43 for score 4, and 0.63 for score 5. NPV of Likert 1-2 findings was 0.87 for Gleason score 7-10 and 0.97 for Gleason score ≥4+3=7 cancer. Limitations include lack of data on complications. Transperineal prostate biopsy supported by MRI/TRUS image fusion using the Ginsburg protocol yielded high detection rates of Gleason score 7-10 cancer. Because the NPV for excluding Gleason score 7-10 cancer was very

Memory persistency and nonlinearity in daily mean dew point across India

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Rajdeep; Khondekar, Mofazzal Hossain; Ghosh, Koushik; Bhattacharjee, Anup Kumar

2016-04-01

Enterprising endeavour has been taken in this work to realize and estimate the persistence in memory of the daily mean dew point time series obtained from seven different weather stations viz. Kolkata, Chennai (Madras), New Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Bhopal, Agartala and Ahmedabad representing different geographical zones in India. Hurst exponent values reveal an anti-persistent behaviour of these dew point series. To affirm the Hurst exponent values, five different scaling methods have been used and the corresponding results are compared to synthesize a finer and reliable conclusion out of it. The present analysis also bespeaks that the variation in daily mean dew point is governed by a non-stationary process with stationary increments. The delay vector variance (DVV) method has been exploited to investigate nonlinearity, and the present calculation confirms the presence of deterministic nonlinear profile in the daily mean dew point time series of the seven stations.

The Stanford Microsurgery and Resident Training (SMaRT) Scale: validation of an on-line global rating scale for technical assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Satterwhite, Thomas; Son, Ji; Carey, Joseph; Echo, Anthony; Spurling, Terry; Paro, John; Gurtner, Geoffrey; Chang, James; Lee, Gordon K

2014-05-01

We previously reported results of our on-line microsurgery training program, showing that residents who had access to our website significantly improved their cognitive and technical skills. In this study, we report an objective means for expert evaluators to reliably rate trainees' technical skills under the microscope, with the use of our novel global rating scale. "Microsurgery Essentials" (http://smartmicrosurgery.com) is our on-line training curriculum. Residents were randomly divided into 2 groups: 1 group reviewed this online resource and the other did not. Pre- and post-tests consisted of videotaped microsurgical sessions in which the trainee performed "microsurgery" on 3 different models: latex glove, penrose drain, and the dorsal vessel of a chicken foot. The SMaRT (Stanford Microsurgery and Resident Training) scale, consisting of 9 categories graded on a 5-point Likert scale, was used to assess the trainees. Results were analyzed with ANOVA and Student t test, with P less than 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Seventeen residents participated in the study. The SMaRT scale adequately differentiated the performance of more experienced senior residents (PGY-4 to PGY-6, total average score=3.43) from less experienced junior residents (PGY-1 to PGY-3, total average score=2.10, P0.05). Additionally, junior residents who had access to our website showed a significant increase in their graded technical performance by 0.7 points when compared to residents who did not have access to the website who showed an improvement of only 0.2 points (P=0.01). Our SMaRT scale is valid and reliable in assessing the microsurgical skills of residents and other trainees. Current trainees are more likely to use self-directed on-line education because of its easy accessibility and interactive format. Our global rating scale can help ensure residents are achieving appropriate technical milestones.

Fructus mume Extracts Alleviate Diarrhea in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving the Combination Therapy of Lapatinib and Capecitabine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hua Xing

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Lapatinib and capecitabine have been widely used in the therapy of breast cancer. However, long-term use of lapatinib and capecitabine often causes the most common side effect diarrhea, which limit the medicine use. Fructus mume (F. mume has been proved to be effective to treat chronic diarrhea with few side effects. The compounds from F. mume were extracted by using an ethanol method. Extracts of F. mume (EFM were analyzed by HPLC. We investigated the protective effects of EFM on the diarrhea caused by lapatinib and capecitabine. From March 1st, 2016 to June 1st, 2017, 208 breast cancer patients with diarrhea caused by lapatinib and capecitabine were recruited. The patients were evenly assigned into two groups: EG group (the patients took 100 mg EFM daily and CG group (the patients took placebo daily. The effects of EFM on diarrhea and gastrointestinal symptoms were measured by a semiquantitative method seven-point Likert scale. Overall quality of life was measured by SF-36 questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS. The HPLC analysis showed that there were three components in EFM, including citric acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF, and chlorogenic acid. Breast cancer types were observed by using Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E stain. The breast cancer can be divided into leaflet, gland and fibroblast types. Patient age, skin metastases, treatment, and grade 1 diarrhea were significant risk factors associated with for grade 2 diarrhea. EFM reduced diarrhea and gastrointestinal symptoms by reducing the average scores of the diarrhea symptom and seven-point Likert scale, and improved life quality of patients significantly by improving SF-36 scores and reducing HADS scores when compared to that in the CG group after 6-week therapy and further 4-week follow-up (P < 0.05. EFM may be a potential choice for the diarrhea therapy in breast cancer patients.

Smallest detectable change and test-retest reliability of a self-reported outcome measure: Results of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and 12-item General Health Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohno, Shotaro; Takahashi, Kana; Inoue, Aimi; Takada, Koki; Ishihara, Yoshiaki; Tanigawa, Masaru; Hirao, Kazuki

2017-12-01

This study aims to examine the smallest detectable change (SDC) and test-retest reliability of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). We tested 154 young adults at baseline and 2 weeks later. We calculated the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) for test-retest reliability with a two-way random effects model for agreement. We then calculated the standard error of measurement (SEM) for agreement using the ICC formula. The SEM for agreement was used to calculate SDC values at the individual level (SDC ind ) and group level (SDC group ). The study participants included 137 young adults. The ICCs for all self-reported outcome measurement scales exceeded 0.70. The SEM of CES-D was 3.64, leading to an SDC ind of 10.10 points and SDC group of 0.86 points. The SEM of GSES was 1.56, leading to an SDC ind of 4.33 points and SDC group of 0.37 points. The SEM of GHQ-12 with bimodal scoring was 1.47, leading to an SDC ind of 4.06 points and SDC group of 0.35 points. The SEM of GHQ-12 with Likert scoring was 2.44, leading to an SDC ind of 6.76 points and SDC group of 0.58 points. To confirm that the change was not a result of measurement error, a score of self-reported outcome measurement scales would need to change by an amount greater than these SDC values. This has important implications for clinicians and epidemiologists when assessing outcomes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The utilization of the seven principles for good practices of full-time and adjunct faculty in teaching health & science in community colleges

Science.gov (United States)

Musaitif, Linda M.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which undergraduate full-time and adjunct faculty members in the health and science programs at community colleges in Southern California utilize the seven principles of good practice as measured by the Faculty Inventory of the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. A second purpose was to compare degree of utilization for gender and class size. Methodology. This is a quantitative study wherein there exists a systematic and mathematical assessment of data gathered through the use of a Likert scale survey to process and determine the mathematical model of the use of the principles by the target population of both full-time and adjunct faculty of health/science programs of community colleges in Southern California. Findings. Examination of the data revealed that both full-time and adjunct faculty members of Southern California community colleges perceive themselves a high degree of utilization of the seven principles of good practice. There was no statistically significant data to suggest a discrepancy between full-time and adjunct professors' perceptions among the utilization of the seven principles. Overall, male faculty members perceived themselves as utilizing the principles to a greater degree than female faculty. Data suggest that faculty with class size 60 or larger showed to utilize the seven principles more frequently than the professors with smaller class sizes. Conclusions. Full-time and adjunct professors of the health and sciences in Southern California community colleges perceive themselves as utilizing the seven principles of good practice to a high degree. Recommendations. This study suggests many recommendations for future research, including the degree to which negative economic factors such as budget cuts and demands affect the utilization of the seven principles. Also recommended is a study comparing students' perceptions of faculty's utilization of the seven

Establishing meaningful cut points for online user ratings.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirschfeld, Gerrit; Thielsch, Meinald T

2015-01-01

Subjective perceptions of websites can be reliably measured with questionnaires. But it is unclear how such scores should be interpreted in practice, e.g. is an aesthetics score of 4 points on a seven-point-scale satisfactory? The current paper introduces a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC)-based methodology to establish meaningful cut points for the VisAWI (visual aesthetics of websites inventory) and its short form the VisAWI-S. In two studies we use users' global ratings (UGRs) and website rankings as anchors. A total of 972 participants took part in the studies which yielded similar results. First, one-item UGRs correlate highly with the VisAWI. Second, cut points on the VisAWI reliably differentiate between sites that are perceived as attractive versus unattractive. Third, these cut points are variable, but only within a certain range. Together the research presented here establishes a score of 4.5 on the VisAWI which is a reasonable goal for website designers and highlights the utility of the ROC methodology to derive relevant scores for rating scales.

Design of an omnidirectional single-point photodetector for large-scale spatial coordinate measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Hongbo; Mao, Chensheng; Ren, Yongjie; Zhu, Jigui; Wang, Chao; Yang, Lei

2017-10-01

In high precision and large-scale coordinate measurement, one commonly used approach to determine the coordinate of a target point is utilizing the spatial trigonometric relationships between multiple laser transmitter stations and the target point. A light receiving device at the target point is the key element in large-scale coordinate measurement systems. To ensure high-resolution and highly sensitive spatial coordinate measurement, a high-performance and miniaturized omnidirectional single-point photodetector (OSPD) is greatly desired. We report one design of OSPD using an aspheric lens, which achieves an enhanced reception angle of -5 deg to 45 deg in vertical and 360 deg in horizontal. As the heart of our OSPD, the aspheric lens is designed in a geometric model and optimized by LightTools Software, which enables the reflection of a wide-angle incident light beam into the single-point photodiode. The performance of home-made OSPD is characterized with working distances from 1 to 13 m and further analyzed utilizing developed a geometric model. The experimental and analytic results verify that our device is highly suitable for large-scale coordinate metrology. The developed device also holds great potential in various applications such as omnidirectional vision sensor, indoor global positioning system, and optical wireless communication systems.

Error analysis of dimensionless scaling experiments with multiple points using linear regression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guercan, Oe.D.; Vermare, L.; Hennequin, P.; Bourdelle, C.

2010-01-01

A general method of error estimation in the case of multiple point dimensionless scaling experiments, using linear regression and standard error propagation, is proposed. The method reduces to the previous result of Cordey (2009 Nucl. Fusion 49 052001) in the case of a two-point scan. On the other hand, if the points follow a linear trend, it explains how the estimated error decreases as more points are added to the scan. Based on the analytical expression that is derived, it is argued that for a low number of points, adding points to the ends of the scanned range, rather than the middle, results in a smaller error estimate. (letter)

A Study on the Estimation of the Scale Factor for Precise Point Positioning

Science.gov (United States)

Erdogan, Bahattin; Kayacik, Orhan

2017-04-01

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) technique is one of the most important subject in Geomatic Engineering. PPP technique needs only one GNSS receiver and users have preferred it instead of traditional relative positioning technique for several applications. Scientific software has been used for PPP solutions and the software may underestimate the formal errors of the estimated coordinates. The formal errors have major effects on statistical interpretation. Variance-Covariance (VCV) matrix derived from GNSS processing software plays important role for deformation analysis and scientists sometimes need to scale VCV matrix. In this study, 10 continuously operating reference stations have been considered for 11 days dated 2014. All points have been analyzed by Gipsy-OASIS v6.4 scientific software. The solutions were derived for different session durations as 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 hours to obtain repeatability of the coordinates and analyses were carried out in order to estimate scale factor for Gipsy-OASIS v6.4 PPP results. According to the first results scale factors slightly increase depending on the raises in respect of session duration. Keywords: Precise Point Positioning, Gipsy-OASIS v6.4, Variance-Covariance Matrix, Scale Factor

Numerical and Experimental Identification of Seven-Wire Strand Tensions Using Scale Energy Entropy Spectra of Ultrasonic Guided Waves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ji Qian

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Accurate identification of tension in multiwire strands is a key issue to ensure structural safety and durability of prestressed concrete structures, cable-stayed bridges, and hoist elevators. This paper proposes a method to identify strand tensions based on scale energy entropy spectra of ultrasonic guided waves (UGWs. A numerical method was first developed to simulate UGW propagation in a seven-wire strand, employing the wavelet transform to extract UGW time-frequency energy distributions for different loadings. Mode separation and frequency band loss of L(0,1 were then found for increasing tension, and UGW scale energy entropy spectra were extracted to establish a tension identification index. A good linear relationship was found between the proposed identification index and tensile force, and effects of propagation distance and propagation path were analyzed. Finally, UGWs propagation was examined experimentally for a long seven-wire strand to investigate attenuation and long distance propagation. Numerical and experimental results verified that the proposed method not only can effectively identify strand tensions but can also adapt to long distance tests for practical engineering.

Eight attention points when evaluating large-scale public sector reforms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Morten Balle; Breidahl, Karen Nielsen; Furubo, Jan-Eric

2017-01-01

This chapter analyses the challenges related to evaluations of large-scale public sector reforms. It is based on a meta-evaluation of the evaluation of the reform of the Norwegian Labour Market and Welfare Administration (the NAV-reform) in Norway, which entailed both a significant reorganization...... sector reforms. Based on the analysis, eight crucial points of attention when evaluating large-scale public sector reforms are elaborated. We discuss their reasons and argue that other countries will face the same challenges and thus can learn from the experiences of Norway....

Screening for somatization and hypochondriasis in primary care and neurological in-patients: a seven-item scale for hypochondriasis and somatization.

Science.gov (United States)

Fink, P; Ewald, H; Jensen, J; Sørensen, L; Engberg, M; Holm, M; Munk-Jørgensen, P

1999-03-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the internal and external validity of the Whiteley Index as a screening instrument for somatization illness. A 14-item version of the Whiteley Index for hypochondriacal traits was given to 99 of 191 consecutive primary care patients, aged 18-65 years, and to 100 consecutive patients, aged 18-60 years, admitted for the first time to a neurological ward. The primary care sample was, in addition, interviewed by means of the SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry) psychiatric interview. The GPs and the neurologists were asked to rate various characteristics of the patients that might indicate somatization. The internal validity of the Whiteley Index was tested by means of latent structure analysis. On this basis, a reduced seven-item scale (Whiteley-7 scale) and two subscales (i.e., an Illness Conviction and Illness Worrying scale, each with three items) were constructed. All three had a high internal validity fitting into the very restricted Rasch statistical model (p>0.05) and an acceptable transferability between most of the subpopulations investigated. In the primary care population, the Whiteley-7 and the Illness Conviction scales at cut-point 0/1 showed 1.00 and 0.87 sensitivity and 0.65 and 0.87 specificity, respectively, using as "gold standard" the fulfillment of criteria for at least one ICD-10 somatoform disorder, and 0.71 and 0.63 sensitivity and 0.62 and 0.87 specificity, respectively, as gold standard for the fulfillment of criteria for at least one DSM-IV somatoform disorder, excluding the NOS diagnostic group. The Illness Worrying subscale showed less impressive performance in this respect. The agreement between the Whiteley-7 scale including the two subscales and neurologists' rating and the GPs' rating and the somatization subscale on the SCL-90 was modest or worse. It may be concluded that the Whiteley-7 scale and the Illness Conviction subscale had acceptable psychometric profiles, and

Rotation and scale change invariant point pattern relaxation matching by the Hopfield neural network

Science.gov (United States)

Sang, Nong; Zhang, Tianxu

1997-12-01

Relaxation matching is one of the most relevant methods for image matching. The original relaxation matching technique using point patterns is sensitive to rotations and scale changes. We improve the original point pattern relaxation matching technique to be invariant to rotations and scale changes. A method that makes the Hopfield neural network perform this matching process is discussed. An advantage of this is that the relaxation matching process can be performed in real time with the neural network's massively parallel capability to process information. Experimental results with large simulated images demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the method to perform point patten relaxation matching invariant to rotations and scale changes and the method to perform this matching by the Hopfield neural network. In addition, we show that the method presented can be tolerant to small random error.

Validation of a cutoff point for the short version of the Depression Scale of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies in older Mexican adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aarón Salinas-Rodríguez

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Objective. To identify a valid cutoff point associated with Center for Epidemiologic Studies, Depression Scale (CES-D of seven items, which allows the classification of older adults according to presence/absence of clinically significant depressive symptoms. Materials and methods. Screening study with 229 older adults residing in two states of Mexico (Morelos and Tlaxcala, which were part of the sample from the National Survey of Health and Nutrition, 2012. We estimated the sensitivity and specificity associated with the selected cutoff points using the diagnostic criteria of ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision and DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition. Results. The cutoff point estimated was CES-D=5. According to the ICD-10 sensitivity and specificity were 83.3 and 90.2%, and ROC was 87%. Using DSM-IV, the values were 85, 83.2, and 84%, respectively. Conclusions. The short version of the CES-D can be used as a screening test to identify probable cases of older adults with clinically significant depressive symptoms.

Uncertainties in scaling factors for ab initio vibrational zero-point energies

Science.gov (United States)

Irikura, Karl K.; Johnson, Russell D.; Kacker, Raghu N.; Kessel, Rüdiger

2009-03-01

Vibrational zero-point energies (ZPEs) determined from ab initio calculations are often scaled by empirical factors. An empirical scaling factor partially compensates for the effects arising from vibrational anharmonicity and incomplete treatment of electron correlation. These effects are not random but are systematic. We report scaling factors for 32 combinations of theory and basis set, intended for predicting ZPEs from computed harmonic frequencies. An empirical scaling factor carries uncertainty. We quantify and report, for the first time, the uncertainties associated with scaling factors for ZPE. The uncertainties are larger than generally acknowledged; the scaling factors have only two significant digits. For example, the scaling factor for B3LYP/6-31G(d) is 0.9757±0.0224 (standard uncertainty). The uncertainties in the scaling factors lead to corresponding uncertainties in predicted ZPEs. The proposed method for quantifying the uncertainties associated with scaling factors is based upon the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, published by the International Organization for Standardization. We also present a new reference set of 60 diatomic and 15 polyatomic "experimental" ZPEs that includes estimated uncertainties.

Power-law scaling of extreme dynamics near higher-order exceptional points

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Q.; Christodoulides, D. N.; Khajavikhan, M.; Makris, K. G.; El-Ganainy, R.

2018-02-01

We investigate the extreme dynamics of non-Hermitian systems near higher-order exceptional points in photonic networks constructed using the bosonic algebra method. We show that strong power oscillations for certain initial conditions can occur as a result of the peculiar eigenspace geometry and its dimensionality collapse near these singularities. By using complementary numerical and analytical approaches, we show that, in the parity-time (PT ) phase near exceptional points, the logarithm of the maximum optical power amplification scales linearly with the order of the exceptional point. We focus in our discussion on photonic systems, but we note that our results apply to other physical systems as well.

Virtual Reality for Pain Management in Cardiac Surgery

Science.gov (United States)

Mosso-Vázquez, José Luis; Gao, Kenneth; Wiederhold, Brenda K.

2014-01-01

Abstract Surgical anxiety creates psychological and physiological stress, causes complications in surgical procedures, and prolongs recovery. Relaxation of patients in postoperative intensive care units can moderate patient vital signs and reduce discomfort. This experiment explores the use of virtual reality (VR) cybertherapy to reduce postoperative distress in patients that have recently undergone cardiac surgery. Sixty-seven patients were monitored at IMSS La Raza National Medical Center within 24 hours of cardiac surgery. Patients navigated through a 30 minute VR simulation designed for pain management. Results were analyzed through comparison of pre- and postoperative vital signs and Likert scale survey data. A connection was found in several physiological factors with subjective responses from the Likert scale survey. Heavy positive correlation existed between breathing rate and Likert ratings, and a moderate correlation was found between mean arterial pressure and Likert ratings and heart rate and Likert ratings, all of which indicated lower pain and stress within patients. Further study of these factors resulted in the categorization of patients based upon their vital signs and subjective response, providing a context for the effectiveness of the therapy to specific groups of patients. PMID:24892200

The effect of various grading scales on student grade point averages.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, Kelli D; Buring, Shauna M

2012-04-10

To investigate changes in and the impact of grading scales from 2005 to 2010 and explore pharmacy faculty and student perceptions of whole-letter and plus/minus grading scales on cumulative grade point averages (GPAs) in required courses. Grading scales used in 2010 at the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy were retrospectively identified and compared to those used in 2005. Mean GPA was calculated using a whole-letter grading scale and a plus/minus grading scale to determine the impact of scales on GPA. Faculty members and students were surveyed regarding their perceptions of plus/minus grading. Nine unique grading scales were used throughout the curriculum, including plus/minus (64%) and whole-letter (21%) grading scales. From 2005 to 2010 there was transition from use of predominantly whole-letter scales to plus/minus grading scales. The type of grading scale used did not affect the mean cumulative GPA. Students preferred use of a plus-only grading scale while faculty members preferred use of a plus/minus grading scale. The transition from whole-letter grading to plus/minus grading in courses from 2005 to 2010 reflects pharmacy faculty members' perception that plus/minus grading allows for better differentiation between students' performances.

Impact of Physical Activity on Participation and Quality of Life in Individuals who use Prostheses and other Assistive Technology/Lower Extremity Prostheses versus Wheelchair for Functional Performance and Participation of Military and Veteran Personnel

Science.gov (United States)

2007-03-01

the subjects. Additional information will be gathered that encompasses pain, fatigue and self esteem . Self esteem will be measured by the Rosenberg ... Self - Esteem (RSE) (20). The RSE is a reliable measure consisting of ten statements that ask level of agreement (4-point Likert scale ). A total score...measured by the Rosenberg Self - Esteem (RSE) [24] The RSE is a reliable measure consisting of ten statements that ask level of agreement (4-point Likert

Taylor, Graicunas, Worthy, Likert, and Thayer: Span of Control and Organizational Structure--Where They Fit on the "Leadership Continuum."

Science.gov (United States)

Corder, Lloyd E.

The "Leadership Continuum" model developed in 1961 by R. Tannenbaum, I. Weschler, and F. Massarik clearly illustrates the ideas that management scholars like Frederick Taylor, V. A. Graicunas, James Worthy, Rensis Likert, and Frederick Thayer have posited concerning span of control and organizational structure. Each of these scholars…

Size structure, not metabolic scaling rules, determines fisheries reference points

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ken Haste; Beyer, Jan

2015-01-01

Impact assessments of fishing on a stock require parameterization of vital rates: growth, mortality and recruitment. For 'data-poor' stocks, vital rates may be estimated from empirical size-based relationships or from life-history invariants. However, a theoretical framework to synthesize...... these empirical relations is lacking. Here, we combine life-history invariants, metabolic scaling and size-spectrum theory to develop a general size- and trait-based theory for demography and recruitment of exploited fish stocks. Important concepts are physiological or metabolic scaled mortalities and flux...... is that larger species have a higher egg production per recruit than small species. This means that density dependence is stronger for large than for small species and has the consequence that fisheries reference points that incorporate recruitment do not obey metabolic scaling rules. This result implies...

Local Scaling Properties and Market Turning Points at Prague Stock Exchange

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Krištoufek, Ladislav

2010-01-01

Roč. 41, č. 6 (2010), s. 1001-1014 ISSN 0587-4254 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA402/09/0965; GA ČR GD402/09/H045 Grant - others:GA UK(CZ) 118310 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : scaling * Hurst exponent * extreme events Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 0.671, year: 2010 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2010/E/kristoufek-local scaling properties and market turning points at prague stock exchange.pdf

Perceived Role Achievement and Role Expectation of Local ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

Keywords: Local governments, role expectations and role achievements, southeast .... Four point, five point and three point Likert- type scales were used to measure role ... (2009) reports that procurement of farm inputs for farmers is one of the.

IAU 2015 Resolution B2 on Recommended Zero Points for the Absolute and Apparent Bolometric Magnitude Scales

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mamajek, E. E.; Torres, G.; Prsa, A.

2015-01-01

The XXIXth IAU General Assembly in Honolulu adopted IAU 2015 Resolution B2 on recommended zero points for the absolute and apparent bolometric magnitude scales. The resolution was proposed by the IAU Inter-Division A-G Working Group on Nominal Units for Stellar and Planetary Astronomy after...... consulting with a broad spectrum of researchers from the astronomical community. Resolution B2 resolves the long-standing absence of an internationally-adopted zero point for the absolute and apparent bolometric magnitude scales. Resolution B2 defines the zero point of the absolute bolometric magnitude scale...... such that a radiation source with $M_{\\rm Bol}$ = 0 has luminosity L$_{\\circ}$ = 3.0128e28 W. The zero point of the apparent bolometric magnitude scale ($m_{\\rm Bol}$ = 0) corresponds to irradiance $f_{\\circ}$ = 2.518021002e-8 W/m$^2$. The zero points were chosen so that the nominal solar luminosity (3.828e26 W...

Construction and evaluation of a self rating scale for stress-induced exhaustion disorder, the Karolinska Exhaustion Disorder Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Besèr, Aniella; Sorjonen, Kimmo; Wahlberg, Kristina; Peterson, Ulla; Nygren, Ake; Asberg, Marie

2014-02-01

Prolonged stress (≥ six months) may cause a condition which has been named exhaustion disorder (ED) with ICD-10 code F43.8. ED is characterised by exhaustion, cognitive problems, poor sleep and reduced tolerance to further stress. ED can cause long term disability and depressive symptoms may develop. The aim was to construct and evaluate a self-rating scale, the Karolinska Exhaustion Disorder Scale (KEDS), for the assessment of ED symptoms. A second aim was to examine the relationship between self-rated symptoms of ED, depression, and anxiety using KEDS and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD). Items were selected based on their correspondence to criteria for ED as formulated by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (NBHW), with seven response alternatives in a Likert-format. Self-ratings performed by 317 clinically assessed participants were used to analyse the scale's psychometric properties. KEDS consists of nine items with a scale range of 0-54. Receiver operating characteristics analysis demonstrated that a cut-off score of 19 was accompanied by high sensitivity and specificity (each above 95%) in the discrimination between healthy subjects and patients with ED. Reliability was satisfactory and confirmatory factor analysis revealed that ED, depression and anxiety are best regarded as different phenomena. KEDS may be a useful tool in the assessment of symptoms of Exhaustion Disorder in clinical as well as research settings. There is evidence that the symptom clusters of ED, anxiety and depression, respectively, reflect three different underlying dimensions. © 2013 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology published by Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Personality in proportion : A bipolar proportional scale for personality assessments and its consequences for trait structure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hofstee, W.K.B.; Ten Berge, J.M.F.

2004-01-01

Trait structures resulting from personality assessments on Likert scales are affected by the additive and multiplicative transformations implied in interval scaling and correlational analysis. The effect comes into view on selecting a plausible alternative scale. To this end, we propose a bipolar

Development of an Attitude Scale towards High School Physics Lessons

Science.gov (United States)

Yavas, Pervin Ünlü; Çagan, Sultan

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a Likert type attitude scale for high school students with regard to high school physics lessons. The research was carried out with high school students who were studying in Ankara. First, the opinions of 105 high school students about physics lessons were obtained and then 55 scale items were determined from…

Studies on scaling of flow noise received at the stagnation point of an axisymmetric body

Science.gov (United States)

Arakeri, V. H.; Satyanarayana, S. G.; Mani, K.; Sharma, S. D.

1991-05-01

A description of the studies related to the problem of scaling of flow noise received at the stagnation point of axisymmetric bodies is provided. The source of flow noise under consideration is the transitional/turbulent regions of the boundary layer flow on the axisymmetric body. Lauchle has recently shown that the noise measured in the laminar region (including the stagnation point) corresponds closely to the noise measured in the transition region, provided that the acoustic losses due to diffraction are accounted for. The present study includes experimental measurement of flow noise at the stagnation point of three different shaped axisymmetric headforms. One of the body shapes chosen is that used by Lauchle in similar studies. This was done to establish the effect of body size on flow noise. The results of the experimental investigations clearly show that the flow noise received at the stagnation point is a strong function of free stream velocity, a moderately strong function of body scale but a weak function of boundary layer thickness. In addition, there is evidence that when body scale change is involved, flow noise amplitude scales but no frequency shift is involved. A scaling procedure is proposed based on the present observations along with those of Lauchle. At a given frequency, the amplitude of noise level obtained under model testing conditions is first scaled to account for differences in the velocity and size corresponding to the prototype conditions; then a correction to this is applied to account for losses due to diffraction, which are estimated on the basis of the geometric theory of diffraction (GTD) with the source being located at the predicted position of turbulent transition. Use of the proposed scaling law to extrapolate presently obtained noise levels to two other conditions involving larger-scale bodies show good agreement with actually measured levels, in particular at higher frequencies. Since model scale results have been used

Comparison of communication skills between trained and untrained students using a culturally sensitive nurse-client communication guideline in Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Claramita, Mora; Tuah, Rodianson; Riskione, Patricia; Prabandari, Yayi Suryo; Effendy, Christantie

2016-01-01

A communication guideline that is sensitive to the local culture is influential in the process of nursing care. The Gadjah Mada nurse-client communication guideline, the "Ready-Greet-Invite-Discuss," was meant (1) to strengthen the relationship between the nurse and the client despite of socio-culturally hierarchical gap between health providers and clients in Indonesian context, (2) to provide attention to the unspoken concerns especially in the context of indirect communication which mostly using non-verbal signs and politeness etiquettes, and (3) to initiate dialog in the society which hold a more community-oriented decision making. Our aim is to compare the communication skills of nursing students who had and had not received a training using a culture-sensitive Gadjah Mada nurse-client communication guideline. This was a quasi experimental randomized control study to the fifth semester students of a nursing school at Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The intervention group was trained by the Gadjah Mada nurse-client communication guideline. Both intervention and the control group had learned general nurse-client communication guidelines. The training was 4h with role-plays, supportive information and feedback sessions. An objective-structured clinical examination (OSCE) was conducted 1week after the training, in seven stations, with seven simulated clients. Observers judged the communication skills of the students using a checklist of 5-point Likert scale, whereas simulated clients judged their satisfaction using 4-point Likert scale represented in colorful ribbons. There were significant mean differences in each domain of communication guideline observed between the trained and the control groups as judged by the teachers (p≤0.05) and simulated clients. Training using a culture-sensitive communication skills guideline could improve the communication skills of the nursing students and may increase satisfaction of the clients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

ENERGY DISSIPATION IN MAGNETIC NULL POINTS AT KINETIC SCALES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olshevsky, Vyacheslav; Lapenta, Giovanni; Divin, Andrey; Eriksson, Elin; Markidis, Stefano

2015-01-01

We use kinetic particle-in-cell and MHD simulations supported by an observational data set to investigate magnetic reconnection in clusters of null points in space plasma. The magnetic configuration under investigation is driven by fast adiabatic flux rope compression that dissipates almost half of the initial magnetic field energy. In this phase powerful currents are excited producing secondary instabilities, and the system is brought into a state of “intermittent turbulence” within a few ion gyro-periods. Reconnection events are distributed all over the simulation domain and energy dissipation is rather volume-filling. Numerous spiral null points interconnected via their spines form null lines embedded into magnetic flux ropes; null point pairs demonstrate the signatures of torsional spine reconnection. However, energy dissipation mainly happens in the shear layers formed by adjacent flux ropes with oppositely directed currents. In these regions radial null pairs are spontaneously emerging and vanishing, associated with electron streams and small-scale current sheets. The number of spiral nulls in the simulation outweighs the number of radial nulls by a factor of 5–10, in accordance with Cluster observations in the Earth's magnetosheath. Twisted magnetic fields with embedded spiral null points might indicate the regions of major energy dissipation for future space missions such as the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

Evaluating Change in Behavioral Preferences: Multidimensional Scaling Single-Ideal Point Model

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Cody

2016-01-01

The purpose of the article is to propose a multidimensional scaling single-ideal point model as a method to evaluate changes in individuals' preferences under the explicit methodological framework of behavioral preference assessment. One example is used to illustrate the approach for a clear idea of what this approach can accomplish.

The Adaptation of Acceptance of Couple Violence Scale into Turkish: Validity and Reliability Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Özcan SEZER

2008-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the validity and reliability of the Turkish adaptation ofAcceptance of Couple Violence Scale (ACVS. The data of research has been attainedfrom 474 (M =243, F=231 high school students who were attending 1st, 2nd and 3thclass and coming from middle socio-economic levels in Malatya. Acceptance of CoupleViolence Scale has 11 items, Likert type and 4 point response format. The constructvalidity of ACVS was conducted by using exploratory factor analysis and varimaxrotation. Single independent factor with the eigenvalue over 1.00 has been found. Thisfactor explained 44% of total variance. To test concurrent validity, correlations betweenscores on ACVS and Aggressiveness Questionnaire were calculated. There was asignificant relationship between scores on the two scales (r= .61. Cronbach alphacoefficient of the scale was found “.87”; test-retest correlation coefficient was “r=.80”.Item-total correlation co-efficiencies vary between “.52” and “.71”. Findings show thatACVS can be used with acceptable level of validity and reliability for high schoolstudents.

New Bounds of Ostrowski–Gruss Type Inequality for (k + 1 Points on Time Scales

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Eze R. Nwaeze

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to present three new bounds of the Ostrowski--Gr\\"uss type inequality for points $x_0,x_1,x_2,\\cdots,x_k$ on time scales. Our results generalize result of Ng\\^o and Liu, and extend results of Ujevi\\'c to time scales with $(k+1$ points. We apply our results to the continuous, discrete, and quantum calculus to obtain many new interesting inequalities. An example is also considered. The estimates obtained in this paper will be very useful in numerical integration especially for the continuous case.

Automated Reconstruction of Building LoDs from Airborne LiDAR Point Clouds Using an Improved Morphological Scale Space

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bisheng Yang

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Reconstructing building models at different levels of detail (LoDs from airborne laser scanning point clouds is urgently needed for wide application as this method can balance between the user’s requirements and economic costs. The previous methods reconstruct building LoDs from the finest 3D building models rather than from point clouds, resulting in heavy costs and inflexible adaptivity. The scale space is a sound theory for multi-scale representation of an object from a coarser level to a finer level. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel method to reconstruct buildings at different LoDs from airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR point clouds based on an improved morphological scale space. The proposed method first extracts building candidate regions following the separation of ground and non-ground points. For each building candidate region, the proposed method generates a scale space by iteratively using the improved morphological reconstruction with the increase of scale, and constructs the corresponding topological relationship graphs (TRGs across scales. Secondly, the proposed method robustly extracts building points by using features based on the TRG. Finally, the proposed method reconstructs each building at different LoDs according to the TRG. The experiments demonstrate that the proposed method robustly extracts the buildings with details (e.g., door eaves and roof furniture and illustrate good performance in distinguishing buildings from vegetation or other objects, while automatically reconstructing building LoDs from the finest building points.

Scaling functions for the Inverse Compressibility near the QCD critical point

Science.gov (United States)

Lacey, Roy

2017-09-01

The QCD phase diagram can be mapped out by studying fluctuations and their response to changes in the temperature and baryon chemical potential. Theoretical studies indicate that the cumulant ratios Cn /Cm used to characterize the fluctuation of conserved charges, provide a valuable probe of deconfinement and chiral dynamics, as well as for identifying the position of the critical endpoint (CEP) in the QCD phase diagram. The ratio C1 /C2 , which is linked to the inverse compressibility, vanishes at the CEP due to the divergence of the net quark number fluctuations at the critical point belonging to the Z(2) universality class. Therefore, it's associated scaling function can give insight on the location of the critical end point, as well as the critical exponents required to assign its static universality class. Scaling functions for the ratio C1 /C2 , obtained from net-proton multiplicity distributions for a broad range of collision centralities in Au+Au (√{sNN} = 7.7 - 200 GeV) collisions will be presented and discussed.

Development and Examination of Personal and Social Responsibility Behaviors Scale

OpenAIRE

Bijen FİLİZ; Gıyasettin DEMİRHAN

2018-01-01

In this study, “Personal and Social Responsibility Behaviors Scale (PSRB-S)” was developed in order to determine students’ responsibility behaviors in accordance with “Personal and Social Responsibility” model developed by Don Hellison and students’ personal and social responsibility levels were examined in terms of gender, age and years of sport practice through this scale. Pertaining to personal and social dimension of responsibility, four-category Likert type trial scale consisting of 52 i...

Alginate controls heartburn in patients with erosive and nonerosive reflux disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Savarino, Edoardo; de Bortoli, Nicola; Zentilin, Patrizia; Martinucci, Irene; Bruzzone, Luca; Furnari, Manuele; Marchi, Santino; Savarino, Vincenzo

2012-08-28

To evaluate the effect of a novel alginate-based compound, Faringel, in modifying reflux characteristics and controlling symptoms. In this prospective, open-label study, 40 patients reporting heartburn and regurgitation with proven reflux disease (i.e., positive impedance-pH test/evidence of erosive esophagitis at upper endoscopy) underwent 2 h impedance-pH testing after eating a refluxogenic meal. They were studied for 1 h under basal conditions and 1 h after taking 10 mL Faringel. In both sessions, measurements were obtained in right lateral and supine decubitus positions. Patients also completed a validated questionnaire consisting of a 2-item 5-point (0-4) Likert scale and a 10-cm visual analogue scale (VAS) in order to evaluate the efficacy of Faringel in symptom relief. Tolerability of the treatment was assessed using a 6-point Likert scale ranging from very good (1) to very poor (6). Faringel decreased significantly (P heartburn, based on both the Likert scale [3.1 (range 1-4) vs 0.9 (0-2); P heartburn by modifying esophageal acid exposure time, number of acid refluxes and their proximal migration.

Volunteers in Wikipedia: Why the Community Matters

Science.gov (United States)

Baytiyeh, Hoda; Pfaffman, Jay

2010-01-01

Wikipedia is a reliable encyclopedia with over seven million articles in several languages all contributed and maintained by volunteers. To learn more about what drives people to devote their time and expertise to building and maintaining this remarkable resource, surveys with Likert-scaled items measuring different types of motivations were…

Solution matching for a three-point boundary-value problem on atime scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Eggensperger

2004-07-01

Full Text Available Let $mathbb{T}$ be a time scale such that $t_1, t_2, t_3 in mathbb{T}$. We show the existence of a unique solution for the three-point boundary value problem $$displaylines{ y^{DeltaDeltaDelta}(t = f(t, y(t, y^Delta(t, y^{DeltaDelta}(t, quad t in [t_1, t_3] cap mathbb{T},cr y(t_1 = y_1, quad y(t_2 = y_2, quad y(t_3 = y_3,. }$$ We do this by matching a solution to the first equation satisfying a two-point boundary conditions on $[t_1, t_2] cap mathbb{T}$ with a solution satisfying a two-point boundary conditions on $[t_2, t_3] cap mathbb{T}$.

Finite size scaling of the Higgs-Yukawa model near the Gaussian fixed point

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, David Y.J.; Lin, C.J. David [National Chiao-Tung Univ., Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Jansen, Karl [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany). John von Neumann-Inst. fuer Computing NIC; Knippschild, Bastian [HISKP, Bonn (Germany); Nagy, Attila [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany). John von Neumann-Inst. fuer Computing NIC; Humboldt-Univ. Berlin (Germany)

2016-12-15

We study the scaling properties of Higgs-Yukawa models. Using the technique of Finite-Size Scaling, we are able to derive scaling functions that describe the observables of the model in the vicinity of a Gaussian fixed point. A feasibility study of our strategy is performed for the pure scalar theory in the weak-coupling regime. Choosing the on-shell renormalisation scheme gives us an advantage to fit the scaling functions against lattice data with only a small number of fit parameters. These formulae can be used to determine the universality of the observed phase transitions, and thus play an essential role in future investigations of Higgs-Yukawa models, in particular in the strong Yukawa coupling region.

[Development and psychometric validation of the Brief Smartphone Addiction Scale (BSAS) with schoolchidren].

Science.gov (United States)

Csibi, Sándor; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Szabó, Attila

2016-01-01

Smartphone use among children increases continuously. A growing range of stimulating applications may trigger the risk of addiction. The aim of this study was to develop a brief, easy-to-use and score tool for screening children at risk for smartphone addiction. A 6-item agree-disagree Likert scale (6-point range), was developed on the basis of the 'components' model of addiction (Griffiths, 2005). The brief tool was administered to 441 Hungarian speaking schoolchildren (mean age=13.4 years, SD=2.22) along with the 26-item Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI; Lin et al, 2014). Principal components analysis yielded a single component for the 6-item tool, which accounted for 52.38% of the total variance. The internal reliability of the scale was good (Cronbach's alpha=0.82). Content validity was confirmed by statistically significant differences between heavy and light users (p smartphone addiction inventory appears to be a valid and reliable tool for screening for mobile phone addiction among schoolchildren.

Using Likert-type and ipsative/forced choice items in sequence to generate a preference.

Science.gov (United States)

Ried, L Douglas

2014-01-01

Collaboration and implementation of a minimum, standardized set of core global educational and professional competencies seems appropriate given the expanding international evolution of pharmacy practice. However, winnowing down hundreds of competencies from a plethora of local, national and international competency frameworks to select the most highly preferred to be included in the core set is a daunting task. The objective of this paper is to describe a combination of strategies used to ascertain the most highly preferred items among a large number of disparate items. In this case, the items were >100 educational and professional competencies that might be incorporated as the core components of new and existing competency frameworks. Panelists (n = 30) from the European Union (EU) and United States (USA) were chosen to reflect a variety of practice settings. Each panelist completed two electronic surveys. The first survey presented competencies in a Likert-type format and the second survey presented many of the same competencies in an ipsative/forced choice format. Item mean scores were calculated for each competency, the competencies were ranked, and non-parametric statistical tests were used to ascertain the consistency in the rankings achieved by the two strategies. This exploratory study presented over 100 competencies to the panelists in the beginning. The two methods provided similar results, as indicated by the significant correlation between the rankings (Spearman's rho = 0.30, P < 0.09). A two-step strategy using Likert-type and ipsative/forced choice formats in sequence, appears to be useful in a situation where a clear preference is required from among a large number of choices. The ipsative/forced choice format resulted in some differences in the competency preferences because the panelists could not rate them equally by design. While this strategy was used for the selection of professional educational competencies in this exploratory study, it is

High precision micro-scale Hall Effect characterization method using in-line micro four-point probes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Dirch Hjorth; Hansen, Ole; Lin, Rong

2008-01-01

Accurate characterization of ultra shallow junctions (USJ) is important in order to understand the principles of junction formation and to develop the appropriate implant and annealing technologies. We investigate the capabilities of a new micro-scale Hall effect measurement method where Hall...... effect is measured with collinear micro four-point probes (M4PP). We derive the sensitivity to electrode position errors and describe a position error suppression method to enable rapid reliable Hall effect measurements with just two measurement points. We show with both Monte Carlo simulations...... and experimental measurements, that the repeatability of a micro-scale Hall effect measurement is better than 1 %. We demonstrate the ability to spatially resolve Hall effect on micro-scale by characterization of an USJ with a single laser stripe anneal. The micro sheet resistance variations resulting from...

Realization of the Temperature Scale in the Range from 234.3 K (Hg Triple Point) to 1084.62°C (Cu Freezing Point) in Croatia

Science.gov (United States)

Zvizdic, Davor; Veliki, Tomislav; Grgec Bermanec, Lovorka

2008-06-01

This article describes the realization of the International Temperature Scale in the range from 234.3 K (mercury triple point) to 1084.62°C (copper freezing point) at the Laboratory for Process Measurement (LPM), Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture (FSB), University of Zagreb. The system for the realization of the ITS-90 consists of the sealed fixed-point cells (mercury triple point, water triple point and gallium melting point) and the apparatus designed for the optimal realization of open fixed-point cells which include the gallium melting point, tin freezing point, zinc freezing point, aluminum freezing point, and copper freezing point. The maintenance of the open fixed-point cells is described, including the system for filling the cells with pure argon and for maintaining the pressure during the realization.

Hizmet sektöründe kalite yönetimi

OpenAIRE

Yıldız, Murat

2011-01-01

With this research, in departments of Bakırkoy Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman Psychiatric and Neurological Diseases Training and Research Hospital, perceived service quality of the legal sufficiency patients was aimed to measure and 110 patients included in the survey. In this study, the most widely used service quality measurement method namely SERVQUAL scale developed by A. Parasuraman, V Zeithaml and L. Berry was used for a hospital application by using special scale queries. Seven likert scale wa...

Developing and testing the nurse educator scale: a robust measure of students' intentions to pursue an educator role.

Science.gov (United States)

Abou Samra, Haifa; McGrath, Jacqueline M; Estes, Tracy

2013-06-01

No instrument exists that measures student perceptions of the faculty role. Such a measure is necessary to evaluate the efficacy of interventions aimed at attracting students to the faculty career path. We developed the Nurse Educator Scale (NES). The initial scale items were generated using the social cognitive career theory (SCCT) constructs and were reviewed by an expert panel to ensure content validity. Exploratory factor analysis was used. The optimized 25-item, 7-point Likert scale has a Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of 0.85, with a total variance of 42%. The underlying factor structure supported three defining characteristics congruent with SCCT: outcome expectations (alpha = 0.79), relevant knowledge (alpha = 0.67), and social influence (alpha = 0.80). A stand-alone, item-measuring goal setting was also supported. The NES provides a valid and reliable measure of students' intentions and motivations to pursue a future career as a nurse educator or scientist. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

Survey error in an international context: an empirical assessment of cross-cultural differences regarding scale effects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tobi, H.; Kampen, J.K.

2013-01-01

Likert-type of questions are prone to differences in response styles. The aim of the present study is to examine possible cross-cultural differences regarding scale effects resulting from different answer categories. This study aims to extend the literature on scale effects to a foreign language. An

Development and testing of a scale to assess physician attitudes about handheld computers with decision support.

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Midge N; Houston, Thomas K; Yu, Feliciano B; Menachemi, Nir; Maisiak, Richard S; Allison, Jeroan J; Berner, Eta S

2006-01-01

The authors developed and evaluated a rating scale, the Attitudes toward Handheld Decision Support Software Scale (H-DSS), to assess physician attitudes about handheld decision support systems. The authors conducted a prospective assessment of psychometric characteristics of the H-DSS including reliability, validity, and responsiveness. Participants were 82 Internal Medicine residents. A higher score on each of the 14 five-point Likert scale items reflected a more positive attitude about handheld DSS. The H-DSS score is the mean across the fourteen items. Attitudes toward the use of the handheld DSS were assessed prior to and six months after receiving the handheld device. Cronbach's Alpha was used to assess internal consistency reliability. Pearson correlations were used to estimate and detect significant associations between scale scores and other measures (validity). Paired sample t-tests were used to test for changes in the mean attitude scale score (responsiveness) and for differences between groups. Internal consistency reliability for the scale was alpha = 0.73. In testing validity, moderate correlations were noted between the attitude scale scores and self-reported Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) usage in the hospital (correlation coefficient = 0.55) and clinic (0.48), p DSS scale was reliable, valid, and responsive. The scale can be used to guide future handheld DSS development and implementation.

The antecedents of herbal product actual purchase in Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarina Ismail

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This study is meant to examine the relationships of several antecedents of actual purchase of herbal product in Malaysia. Actual purchase is considered to have a vital link to a business success. The study identified eight antecedents of consumer actual purchase such as intention, attitude, social influence, product safety and culture belief. A total of 473 respondents (about 82% completed and returned the questionnaire. A seven point Likert scale was used to measure responses. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS path modeling. The path coefficient results supported the direct influence of intention, attitude, social influence and product safety on actual buying. Moreover, the findings reveal that attitude, social influence, product safety, and culture belief also influenced buying intention.

The importance of teaching communication in dental education. A survey amongst dentists, students and patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Woelber, J P; Deimling, D; Langenbach, D; Ratka-Krüger, P

2012-02-01

The aim of our study was to evaluate the subjective importance of teaching communication in the dental curriculum by conducting a survey amongst dentists, students and patients. Three questionnaires about communication-related issues were developed in which different questions could be rated on a five-point Likert scale. These questions included the subjective importance of the dental team's friendliness, an elaborated consultation, modern office equipment or the dentist's technical skills. Seven hundred and twenty-nine questionnaires were completed [233 by dentists (32%), 310 by students (43%) and 185 by patients (25%)]. Eighty-seven percentage of the dentists, 84% of the students and 84% of the patients supported an integration of communicational issues in dental education; 94.7% of the dentists and 77.2% of the patients attached vital importance to the dentist-patient relationship regarding the therapeutic outcomes. Dentists with prior communicational training experience would spend significantly (Pimportance of integrating aspects of communication in dental education. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Students' Interest in Biology and Their Out-of-School Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Uitto, Anna; Juuti, Kalle; Lavonen, Jari; Meisalo, Veijo

2006-01-01

Interest in biology and the out-of-school experiences of Finnish secondary school pupils (n = 3626, median age 15) were surveyed in the spring of 2003 using the international ROSE questionnaire. Likert-scaled items were categorised with an explorative factor analysis. The scores of eight interest-context factors and seven out-of-school experience…

Recurrent hamstring muscle injury: applying the limited evidence in the professional football setting with a seven-point programme

Science.gov (United States)

Brukner, Peter; Nealon, Andrew; Morgan, Christopher; Burgess, Darren; Dunn, Andrew

2014-01-01

Recurrent hamstring injuries are a major problem in sports such as football. The aim of this paper was to use a clinical example to describe a treatment strategy for the management of recurrent hamstring injuries and examine the evidence for each intervention. A professional footballer sustained five hamstring injuries in a relatively short period of time. The injury was managed successfully with a seven-point programme—biomechanical assessment and correction, neurodynamics, core stability, eccentric strengthening, an overload running programme, injection therapies and stretching/relaxation. The evidence for each of these treatment options is reviewed. It is impossible to be definite about which aspects of the programme contributed to a successful outcome. Only limited evidence is available in most cases; therefore, decisions regarding the use of different treatment modalities must be made by using a combination of clinical experience and research evidence. PMID:23322894

Recurrent hamstring muscle injury: applying the limited evidence in the professional football setting with a seven-point programme.

Science.gov (United States)

Brukner, Peter; Nealon, Andrew; Morgan, Christopher; Burgess, Darren; Dunn, Andrew

2014-06-01

Recurrent hamstring injuries are a major problem in sports such as football. The aim of this paper was to use a clinical example to describe a treatment strategy for the management of recurrent hamstring injuries and examine the evidence for each intervention. A professional footballer sustained five hamstring injuries in a relatively short period of time. The injury was managed successfully with a seven-point programme-biomechanical assessment and correction, neurodynamics, core stability, eccentric strengthening, an overload running programme, injection therapies and stretching/relaxation. The evidence for each of these treatment options is reviewed. It is impossible to be definite about which aspects of the programme contributed to a successful outcome. Only limited evidence is available in most cases; therefore, decisions regarding the use of different treatment modalities must be made by using a combination of clinical experience and research evidence.

Empregabilidade: construção de uma escala Employability: construction of a scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keli Cristina de Lara Campos

2008-12-01

Full Text Available O uso recente do termo empregabilidade refere-se às competências, habilidades e atitudes gerais esperadas para uma pessoa conquistar e manter um trabalho ou emprego. A presente pesquisa objetivou a construção de uma escala de empregabilidade. A amostra foi composta por 628 estudantes universitários de ambos os sexos, dos cursos de administração, engenharias e psicologia de instituições públicas e privadas do estado de São Paulo. O instrumento proposto foi composto por 88 itens, referentes a 11 (onze fatores, aplicados de maneira coletiva, em uma escala tipo Likert de quatro (4 pontos, cujos descritores são "seguramente sim", "creio que sim", "creio que não" e "seguramente não". As análises estatísticas permitiram redefinir a escala obtendo-se 57 itens, dispostos em 4 fatores denominados: eficácia de busca; dificuldade de busca; otimismo; e responsabilidade e decisão. Os coeficientes estatísticos foram suficientes para confirmar sua fidedignidade e indicá-la para estudos futuros.The expression employability refers to competences, skills/abilities and general attitudes that a person is expected to have in order to gain and keep an employment. This study had the purpose of constructing and validating an employability scale designed to evaluate factors related to a positive result in the search of an employment. The sample comprised 628 university students, both male and female, attending administrative, engineering and psychology courses in public and private institutions from São Paulo state. The instrument had initially 88 items referring to 11 factors/variables, applied collectively in Likert scale of four-point, in which the descriptors were "surely yes", "I believe so", "I believe not" and "surely not". The statistical analyses allowed the redefinition of the scale obtaining 57 items arranged in four factors/variables: efficacy of search; difficulty of search; optimism; responsibility and decision. The statistical

Nike Twins Seven Seven: Nigerian Batik Artist.

Science.gov (United States)

LaDuke, Betty

1987-01-01

Chronicles the personal and professional life of Nike Twins Seven Seven (born 1951), a Nigerian batik artist, and her husband, Twins Seven Seven, a musician-artist, both of whom have received international acclaim. (BJV)

Social Shyness among Mothers of Children with Disabilities Based on Some Variables in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Science.gov (United States)

Allala, Saeb; Alzubairi, Sharefa

2016-01-01

The current study is an attempt to identify social shyness among mothers of children with disabilities based on (Disability type, mother's academic qualification, and family's economic level) in Riyadh. Thus, Social Shyness Scale was prepared of (28) paragraphs according to five-point Likert Scale. The reliability coefficient of the scale rated…

Comparison of Single and Multi-Scale Method for Leaf and Wood Points Classification from Terrestrial Laser Scanning Data

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Hongqiang; Zhou, Guiyun; Zhou, Junjie

2018-04-01

The classification of leaf and wood points is an essential preprocessing step for extracting inventory measurements and canopy characterization of trees from the terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data. The geometry-based approach is one of the widely used classification method. In the geometry-based method, it is common practice to extract salient features at one single scale before the features are used for classification. It remains unclear how different scale(s) used affect the classification accuracy and efficiency. To assess the scale effect on the classification accuracy and efficiency, we extracted the single-scale and multi-scale salient features from the point clouds of two oak trees of different sizes and conducted the classification on leaf and wood. Our experimental results show that the balanced accuracy of the multi-scale method is higher than the average balanced accuracy of the single-scale method by about 10 % for both trees. The average speed-up ratio of single scale classifiers over multi-scale classifier for each tree is higher than 30.

Leader's Perceptions of TRICARE: A Study of McDonald Army Community Hospital's Marketing Effectiveness

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Quinn, Jeffrey

1997-01-01

...; word-of-mouth recommendation from established users to new users. Levels of satisfaction dealing with cost, quality, and access to health care were reported utilizing a five point Likert-type scale...

Challenging the assumptions for thermal sensation scales

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schweiker, Marcel; Fuchs, Xaver; Becker, Susanne

2016-01-01

Scales are widely used to assess the personal experience of thermal conditions in built environments. Most commonly, thermal sensation is assessed, mainly to determine whether a particular thermal condition is comfortable for individuals. A seven-point thermal sensation scale has been used...... extensively, which is suitable for describing a one-dimensional relationship between physical parameters of indoor environments and subjective thermal sensation. However, human thermal comfort is not merely a physiological but also a psychological phenomenon. Thus, it should be investigated how scales for its...... assessment could benefit from a multidimensional conceptualization. The common assumptions related to the usage of thermal sensation scales are challenged, empirically supported by two analyses. These analyses show that the relationship between temperature and subjective thermal sensation is non...

A Validation Study of the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Keck Seeley, Susan. M.; Perosa, Sandra, L.; Perosa, Linda, M.

2004-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study was to further the validation process of the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES). In this study, a 6-item Likert response format with descriptors was used when responding to the A-DES rather than the 11-item response format used in the original A-DES. Method: The internal reliability and construct…

Workshop report

African Journals Online (AJOL)

abp

2017-09-14

Sep 14, 2017 ... health: report of first EQUIST training workshop in Nigeria .... The difference between the before and after measurements was ... After the administration of the pre-workshop questionnaire the ... represent Likert rating scale of 1-5 points, where 1point = grossly .... Procedures Manual for the "Evaluating.

COMPREHENSIVE COMPARISON OF TWO IMAGE-BASED POINT CLOUDS FROM AERIAL PHOTOS WITH AIRBORNE LIDAR FOR LARGE-SCALE MAPPING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Widyaningrum

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The integration of computer vision and photogrammetry to generate three-dimensional (3D information from images has contributed to a wider use of point clouds, for mapping purposes. Large-scale topographic map production requires 3D data with high precision and accuracy to represent the real conditions of the earth surface. Apart from LiDAR point clouds, the image-based matching is also believed to have the ability to generate reliable and detailed point clouds from multiple-view images. In order to examine and analyze possible fusion of LiDAR and image-based matching for large-scale detailed mapping purposes, point clouds are generated by Semi Global Matching (SGM and by Structure from Motion (SfM. In order to conduct comprehensive and fair comparison, this study uses aerial photos and LiDAR data that were acquired at the same time. Qualitative and quantitative assessments have been applied to evaluate LiDAR and image-matching point clouds data in terms of visualization, geometric accuracy, and classification result. The comparison results conclude that LiDAR is the best data for large-scale mapping.

Inverse shear viscosity (fluidity) scaled with melting point properties: Almost 'universal' behaviour of heavier alkalis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tankeshwar, K.; March, N.H.

1997-07-01

Some numerical considerations relating to the potential of mean force at the melting point of Rb metal are first presented, which argue against the existence of a well defined activation energy for the shear viscosity of this liquid. Therefore, a scaling approach is developed, based on a well established formula for the viscosity η m of sp liquid metals at their melting points T m . This approach is shown to lead to an 'almost' universal plot of scaled fluidity η -1 η m against (T/T m ) 1/2 for the liquid alkali metals, excluding Li. This metal is anomalous because it is a strong scattering liquid, in marked contrast to the other alkali metals. (author). 9 refs, 3 figs, 1 tab

Avaliação da Escala Likert dos Itens do CSAI-2 em Atletas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Bartholomeu

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Este artigo investigou evidências de validade por estrutura interna para o Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2 em atletas pelo modelo de Rasch. Foram investigados 172 atletas de cinco modalidades esportivas distintas, com idades entre 14 e 58 anos com média de idade de 21 anos (DP=5,99. O instrumento avalia ansiedade em situação de competição e possui 27 itens em formato likert com quatro níveis possíveis de avaliação para assinalar a frequência de ocorrência. A análise das categorias de resposta dos itens revelou a pertinência de quatro níveis para a avaliação. Os resultados sugerem que uma reformulação de uma das categorias de análise do CSAI-2 deveria ser feita para possibilitar uma melhor compreensão dos itens.

Point contact tunneling spectroscopy apparatus for large scale mapping of surface superconducting properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Groll, Nickolas; Pellin, Michael J. [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439 (United States); Zasadzinksi, John F. [Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616 (United States); Proslier, Thomas, E-mail: prolier@anl.gov [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439 (United States); High Energy Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439 (United States)

2015-09-15

We describe the design and testing of a point contact tunneling spectroscopy device that can measure material surface superconducting properties (i.e., the superconducting gap Δ and the critical temperature T{sub C}) and density of states over large surface areas with size up to mm{sup 2}. The tip lateral (X,Y) motion, mounted on a (X,Y,Z) piezo-stage, was calibrated on a patterned substrate consisting of Nb lines sputtered on a gold film using both normal (Al) and superconducting (PbSn) tips at 1.5 K. The tip vertical (Z) motion control enables some adjustment of the tip-sample junction resistance that can be measured over 7 orders of magnitudes from a quasi-ohmic regime (few hundred Ω) to the tunnel regime (from tens of kΩ up to few GΩ). The low noise electronic and LabVIEW program interface are also presented. The point contact regime and the large-scale motion capabilities are of particular interest for mapping and testing the superconducting properties of macroscopic scale superconductor-based devices.

Rural-urban migration and effects on agricultural labour supply in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

International Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development ... This study analyzed the effects of rural-urban migration on agricultural labour supply in ... Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, 3-point likert scale, multiple regression ...

Evaluation of the Short Parkinson's Evaluation Scale: a new friendly scale for the evaluation of Parkinson's disease in clinical drug trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Rabey, J M; Bass, H; Bonuccelli, U; Brooks, D; Klotz, P; Korczyn, A D; Kraus, P; Martinez-Martin, P; Morrish, P; Van Sauten, W; Van Hilten, B

1997-08-01

The extensive use of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) has revealed low interrater reliability in some items and redundancy in others. In view of these shortcomings, we have structured a new scale that includes a zero-to three-point scale for each item in the evaluation of PD. The mental axis includes memory, thought disorders, and depression. Activities of daily living (ADL) includes eight items: speech, eating, feeding, dressing, hygiene, handwriting, walking, and turning in bed. The motor examination includes eight items: speech, tremor, rest and posture, rigidity, finger tapping, arising from chair, gait, and postural stability. Complications of therapy were also included: dyskinesias, dystonia, motor fluctuations, and freezing episodes, collected by history. In addition, a global scoring for motor fluctuations that should complement the Hoehn and Yahr Scale was incorporated. In this report, we present a statistical analysis of the ADL, motor evaluation, and complications of therapy sections. Concerning the interrater reliability mean, Kendall's W values were >0.9 for most of the items in the Short Parkinson's Evaluation Scale (SPES). Kendall's W <0.8 (motor evaluation) was found for two items of the SPES and nine items of the UPDRS. The mean interrater reliability for both scales across all seven centers (seven Kendall's W for seven centers) (Mann-Whitney test) showed no statistical differences between the scales. Spearman's correlations between items of both scales were significant. Factor analysis of the SPES and UPDRS data revealed a four-factor solution that explained approximately 60% of the data. All participating centers found the SPES easier to apply and quicker to complete, when compared with the UPDRS. The results obtained strongly favor the introduction of SPES for clinical practice.

Scale construction for measuring adolescent boys' and girls' attitudes, beliefs, perception of control, and intention to engage in leisure-time physical activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerner, Matthew S; Kalinski, Michael I

2002-08-01

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework, the Attitude to Leisure-time Physical Activity, Expectations of Others, Perceived Control, and Intention of Engage in Leisure-time Physical Activity scales were developed for use among high school students. The study population included 20 boys and 68 girls 13 to 17 years of age (for boys, M = 15.1 yr., SD = 1.0; for girls, M = 15.0 yr., SD = 1.1). Generation of items and the establishment of content validity were performed by professionals in exercise physiology, physical education, and clinical psychology. Each scale item was phrased in a Likert-type format. Both unipolar and bipolar scales with seven response choices were developed. Following the pilot testing and subsequent revisions, 32 items were retained in the Attitude to Leisure-time Physical Activity scale, 10 items were retained in the Expectations of Others scale, 3 items were retained in the Perceived Control Scale, and 24 items were retained in the Intention to Engage in Leisure-time Physical Activity scale. Coefficients indicated adequate stability and internal consistency with alpha ranging from .81 to .96. Studies of validities are underway, after which scales would be made available to those interested in intervention techniques for promoting positive attitudes toward physical fitness, perception of control over engaging in leisure-time physical activities, and good intentions to engage in leisure-time physical activities. The present results are encouraging.

Scaling, crossover, and classical behavior in the order parameter equation for coexisting phases of benzene from triple point to critical point

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimansky, Yu.I.; Shimanskaya, E.T.

1996-01-01

The temperature dependence of the density along the coexistence curve of benzene in the vicinity of the critical point and in a wide temperature range down to the triple point was investigated. The original results as well as literature data were statistically treated. A regression analysis of data on the critical exponents and critical amplitudes used as fitting parameters in a model equations was carried out. An adequate description of the order parameter by the three-term scaling equation in the entire two-phase (liquid-gas) region of benzene was obtained with experimental values of Β O -0.352 ±0.003 and δ = 1.3 ± 0.2, which are inconsistent with the Ising model (Β O = 0.325) and the Wegner exponent (δ = 0.5), respectively. It is shown that the equation with fixed classical exponents does not adequately describe the experimental data even far from the critical point

A Scale for E-Content Preparation Skills: Development, Validity and Reliability

Science.gov (United States)

Tekin, Ahmet; Polat, Ebru

2016-01-01

Problem Statement: For an effective teaching and learning process it is critical to provide support for teachers in the development of e-content, and teachers should play an active role in this development. Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable Likert-type scale that will determine pre-service teachers'…

[Multiple time scales analysis of spatial differentiation characteristics of non-point source nitrogen loss within watershed].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Mei-bing; Chen, Xing-wei; Chen, Ying

2015-07-01

Identification of the critical source areas of non-point source pollution is an important means to control the non-point source pollution within the watershed. In order to further reveal the impact of multiple time scales on the spatial differentiation characteristics of non-point source nitrogen loss, a SWAT model of Shanmei Reservoir watershed was developed. Based on the simulation of total nitrogen (TN) loss intensity of all 38 subbasins, spatial distribution characteristics of nitrogen loss and critical source areas were analyzed at three time scales of yearly average, monthly average and rainstorms flood process, respectively. Furthermore, multiple linear correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the contribution of natural environment and anthropogenic disturbance on nitrogen loss. The results showed that there were significant spatial differences of TN loss in Shanmei Reservoir watershed at different time scales, and the spatial differentiation degree of nitrogen loss was in the order of monthly average > yearly average > rainstorms flood process. TN loss load mainly came from upland Taoxi subbasin, which was identified as the critical source area. At different time scales, land use types (such as farmland and forest) were always the dominant factor affecting the spatial distribution of nitrogen loss, while the effect of precipitation and runoff on the nitrogen loss was only taken in no fertilization month and several processes of storm flood at no fertilization date. This was mainly due to the significant spatial variation of land use and fertilization, as well as the low spatial variability of precipitation and runoff.

Educational climate seems unrelated to leadership skills of clinical consultants responsible of postgraduate medical education in clinical departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Malling, Bente; Mortensen, Lene S; Scherpbier, Albert J J; Ringsted, Charlotte

2010-09-21

The educational climate is crucial in postgraduate medical education. Although leaders are in the position to influence the educational climate, the relationship between leadership skills and educational climate is unknown. This study investigates the relationship between the educational climate in clinical departments and the leadership skills of clinical consultants responsible for education. The study was a trans-sectional correlation study. The educational climate was investigated by a survey among all doctors (specialists and trainees) in the departments. Leadership skills of the consultants responsible for education were measured by multi-source feedback scores from heads of departments, peer consultants, and trainees. Doctors from 42 clinical departments representing 21 specialties participated. The response rate of the educational climate investigation was moderate 52% (420/811), Response rate was high in the multisource-feedback process 84.3% (420/498). The educational climate was scored quite high mean 3.9 (SD 0.3) on a five-point Likert scale. Likewise the leadership skills of the clinical consultants responsible for education were considered good, mean 5.4 (SD 0.6) on a seven-point Likert scale. There was no significant correlation between the scores concerning the educational climate and the scores on leadership skills, r = 0.17 (p = 0.29). This study found no relation between the educational climate and the leadership skills of the clinical consultants responsible for postgraduate medical education in clinical departments with the instruments used. Our results indicate that consultants responsible for education are in a weak position to influence the educational climate in the clinical department. Further studies are needed to explore, how heads of departments and other factors related to the clinical organisation could influence the educational climate.

Attitude, Gender and Achievement in Computer Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Baser, Mustafa

2013-01-01

The aim of this research was to explore the relationship among students' attitudes toward programming, gender and academic achievement in programming. The scale used for measuring students' attitudes toward programming was developed by the researcher and consisted of 35 five-point Likert type items in four subscales. The scale was administered to…

Development of spatial scaling technique of forest health sample point information

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, J.; Ryu, J.; Choi, Y. Y.; Chung, H. I.; Kim, S. H.; Jeon, S. W.

2017-12-01

Most forest health assessments are limited to monitoring sampling sites. The monitoring of forest health in Britain in Britain was carried out mainly on five species (Norway spruce, Sitka spruce, Scots pine, Oak, Beech) Database construction using Oracle database program with density The Forest Health Assessment in GreatBay in the United States was conducted to identify the characteristics of the ecosystem populations of each area based on the evaluation of forest health by tree species, diameter at breast height, water pipe and density in summer and fall of 200. In the case of Korea, in the first evaluation report on forest health vitality, 1000 sample points were placed in the forests using a systematic method of arranging forests at 4Km × 4Km at regular intervals based on an sample point, and 29 items in four categories such as tree health, vegetation, soil, and atmosphere. As mentioned above, existing researches have been done through the monitoring of the survey sample points, and it is difficult to collect information to support customized policies for the regional survey sites. In the case of special forests such as urban forests and major forests, policy and management appropriate to the forest characteristics are needed. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the survey headquarters for diagnosis and evaluation of customized forest health. For this reason, we have constructed a method of spatial scale through the spatial interpolation according to the characteristics of each index of the main sample point table of 29 index in the four points of diagnosis and evaluation report of the first forest health vitality report, PCA statistical analysis and correlative analysis are conducted to construct the indicators with significance, and then weights are selected for each index, and evaluation of forest health is conducted through statistical grading.

The effectiveness of game and recreational activity to motivate high achievers and low achievers: Evaluation using fuzzy conjoint analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Sofian, Siti Siryani; Rambely, Azmin Sham

2018-04-01

Students' evaluation is important in order to determine the effectiveness of a learning program. A game and recreational activity (GaRA) is a problem-based learning (PBL) method that engages students in a learning process through games and activity. The effectiveness of GaRA can be determined from an application of fuzzy conjoint analysis (FCA) to diminish fuzziness in determining individual perceptions. This study involves a survey collected from 68 students participating in a Mathematics Discovery Camp organized by a UKM research group, named PRISMatik, from two different schools. The aim of this research was to determine the effectiveness of modules delivered to motivate students towards mathematics subject in the form of GaRA through different factors. There were six games conducted for the participants and their perceptions based on the evaluation of six criterias were measured. A seven-point Likert scale, which indicates seven linguistic terms, was used to collect students' preferences and perceptions on each module of GaRAs. Scores of perceptions were transformed into degrees of similarity using fuzzy set conjoint analysis. Results found that interest, effort and team work was the strongest values obtained from GaRA modules in this camp as participants indicated their strong agreement that these criteria fulfilled their preferences in most module. Participants also stated that almost all attributes fulfilled their preference in each module regardless their individual academic achievement. Thus the method demonstrated that modules delivered through PBL approach has effectively motivated students through six attributes introduced. The evaluation using FCA implicated the successfulness of a fuzzy approach to evaluate fuzziness obtained in the Likert-scale and has shown its ability in ranking the attributes from most preferred to least preferred.

Trust in leadership in sport: An empirical study of ethnicity and gender

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigated how ethnicity and gender affect the perceived ... in the questionnaire were measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 ... higher perceptions of the coach's competence than athletes with a non-White coach.

Statistics for Locally Scaled Point Patterns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prokesová, Michaela; Hahn, Ute; Vedel Jensen, Eva B.

2006-01-01

scale factor. The main emphasis of the present paper is on analysis of such models. Statistical methods are developed for estimation of scaling function and template parameters as well as for model validation. The proposed methods are assessed by simulation and used in the analysis of a vegetation...

Medical student quality-of-life in the clerkships: a scale validation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Brannick, Michael T; Horn, Gregory T; Schnaus, Michael J; Wahi, Monika M; Goldin, Steven B

2015-04-01

Many aspects of medical school are stressful for students. To empirically assess student reactions to clerkship programs, or to assess efforts to improve such programs, educators must measure the overall well-being of the students reliably and validly. The purpose of the study was to develop and validate a measure designed to achieve these goals. The authors developed a measure of quality of life for medical students by sampling (public domain) items tapping general happiness, fatigue, and anxiety. A quality-of-life scale was developed by factor analyzing responses to the items from students in two different clerkships from 2005 to 2008. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Validity was assessed by factor analysis, convergence with additional theoretically relevant scales, and sensitivity to change over time. The refined nine-item measure is a Likert scaled survey of quality-of-life items comprised of two domains: exhaustion and general happiness. The resulting scale demonstrated good reliability and factorial validity at two time points for each of the two samples. The quality-of-life measure also correlated with measures of depression and the amount of sleep reported during the clerkships. The quality-of-life measure appeared more sensitive to changes over time than did the depression measure. The measure is short and can be easily administered in a survey. The scale appears useful for program evaluation and more generally as an outcome variable in medical educational research.

MOCC: A Fast and Robust Correlation-Based Method for Interest Point Matching under Large Scale Changes

OpenAIRE

Wang Hao; Gao Wen; Huang Qingming; Zhao Feng

2010-01-01

Similarity measures based on correlation have been used extensively for matching tasks. However, traditional correlation-based image matching methods are sensitive to rotation and scale changes. This paper presents a fast correlation-based method for matching two images with large rotation and significant scale changes. Multiscale oriented corner correlation (MOCC) is used to evaluate the degree of similarity between the feature points. The method is rotation invariant and capable of matchin...

Point defects and irradiation in oxides: simulations at the atomic scale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crocombette, J.P.

2005-12-01

The studies done by Jean-Paul Crocombette between 1996 and 2005 in the Service de Recherches de Metallurgie Physique of the Direction de l'Energie Nucleaire in Saclay are presented in this Habilitation thesis. These works were part of the material science researches on the ageing, especially under irradiation, of oxides of interest for the nuclear industry. In this context simulation studies at the atomic scale were performed on two elementary components of ageing under irradiation : point defects and displacement cascades ; using two complementary simulation techniques : ab initio electronic structure calculations and empirical potential molecular dynamics. The first part deals with point defects : self defects (vacancies or interstitials) or hetero-atomic dopants. One first recalls the energetics of such defects in oxides, the specific features of defects calculations and the expected accuracy of these calculations. Then one presents the results obtained on uranium dioxide, oxygen in silver and amorphous silica. The second part tackles the modelling of disintegration recoil nuclei in various?displacement cascades created by crystalline matrices for actinide waste disposal. Cascade calculations give access to the amorphization mechanisms under irradiation of these materials. One thus predicts that the amorphization in zircon takes place directly in the tracks whereas in lanthanum zirconate, the amorphization proceeds through the accumulation of point defects. Finally the prospects of these studies are discussed. (author)

Conversion of fracture toughness testing values from small scale three point bending test specimens to small scale yielding state (SSY) by elastic-plastic stress analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikonen, K.

1993-07-01

The report describes the work performed for achieving readiness to calculate fracture toughness dependence on dimension effects and loading conditions in fracture test specimens and real structures. In the report two- and three-dimensional computer codes developed and calculational methods applied are described. One of the main goals is to converse fracture toughness from small scale three point bending test specimens to case of a depth crack in plane strain i.e. to small scale yielding state (SSY) by numerical elastic-plastic stress analysis. Thickness effect of a test specimens and effect of a crack depth are separately investigated. Tests of three point bending specimens with and without sidegrooves and curved crack front are numerically simulated and experimental and computed results are compared. J-integral is calculated along crack front and also from force-deflection dependence of the beam. For the analyses the computing system was thoroughly automatized. Measuring capacity of three point bending test specimens was tried to evaluate. (orig.) (7 refs., 54 figs.)

Inadequate communication between patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms and neurosurgeons.

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Makoto; Takahashi, Yoshimitsu; Yoshimura, Yayoi; Shima, Ayako; Morita, Akio; Houkin, Kiyohiro; Nakayama, Takeo; Nozaki, Kazuhiko

2012-01-01

Communication between patients with cerebral aneurysms and consulting neurosurgeons remains unstudied in Japan. The present clinical study surveyed patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms and their neurosurgeons after explanation of the disease and its treatment options and expected outcomes in clinic visits using a one-page written questionnaire about treatment options and decisions given to patients and their neurosurgeons. The numbers of participating patients and neurosurgeons were 42 and 9, respectively, and 42 paired patient-neurosurgeon responses were obtained. Agreement was quite low (κ = 0.17-0.31 for 6-point Likert scale and κ = 0.44-0.67 for 2 category scale) regarding the "best" treatment for each patient as agreed on by the patient and neurosurgeon. Agreement in the understanding of treatment options and general application was unexpectedly low (κ = 0.12 and 0.01 for 6-point Likert scale and κ = not applicable and -0.03, respectively, for 2 category scale). Agreement tended to be higher between experienced neurosurgeons and patients than non-experienced neurosurgeons and patients. Patients estimated much higher risks of stroke or death after surgical intervention (p neurosurgeons.

Effect of deposition rate on melting point of copper film catalyst substrate at atomic scale

Science.gov (United States)

Marimpul, Rinaldo; Syuhada, Ibnu; Rosikhin, Ahmad; Winata, Toto

2018-03-01

Annealing process of copper film catalyst substrate was studied by molcular dynamics simulation. This copper film catalyst substrate was produced using thermal evaporation method. The annealing process was limited in nanosecond order to observe the mechanism at atomic scale. We found that deposition rate parameter affected the melting point of catalyst substrate. The change of crystalline structure of copper atoms was observed before it had been already at melting point. The optimum annealing temperature was obtained to get the highest percentage of fcc structure on copper film catalyst substrate.

Original Research Original Research

African Journals Online (AJOL)

RAGHAVENDRA

language in social interaction( Anto et al., 2012; Tessema et al., 2012). While such ..... 10 items on a five-point Likert scale originally developed by Benard et al. (2007). ..... self-confidence, and hold down their anxiety levels. In this study ...

Effects of Cooking End-point Temperature and Muscle Part on Sensory 'Hardness' and 'Chewiness' Assessed Using Scales Presented in ISO11036:1994.

Science.gov (United States)

Sasaki, Keisuke; Motoyama, Michiyo; Narita, Takumi; Chikuni, Koichi

2013-10-01

Texture and 'tenderness' in particular, is an important sensory characteristic for consumers' satisfaction of beef. Objective and detailed sensory measurements of beef texture have been needed for the evaluation and management of beef quality. This study aimed to apply the sensory scales defined in ISO11036:1994 to evaluate the texture of beef. Longissimus and Semitendinosus muscles of three Holstein steers cooked to end-point temperatures of 60°C and 72°C were subjected to sensory analyses by a sensory panel with expertise regarding the ISO11036 scales. For the sensory analysis, standard scales of 'chewiness' (9-points) and 'hardness' (7-points) were presented to the sensory panel with reference materials defined in ISO11036. As a result, both 'chewiness' and 'hardness' assessed according to the ISO11036 scales increased by increasing the cooking end-point temperature, and were different between Longissimus and Semitendinosus muscles. The sensory results were in good agreement with instrumental texture measurements. However, both texture ratings in this study were in a narrower range than the full ISO scales. For beef texture, ISO11036 scales for 'chewiness' and 'hardness' are useful for basic studies, but some alterations are needed for practical evaluation of muscle foods.

Search for neutrino point sources with an all-sky autocorrelation analysis in IceCube

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turcati, Andrea; Bernhard, Anna; Coenders, Stefan [TU, Munich (Germany); Collaboration: IceCube-Collaboration

2016-07-01

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic kilometre scale neutrino telescope located in the Antarctic ice. Its full-sky field of view gives unique opportunities to study the neutrino emission from the Galactic and extragalactic sky. Recently, IceCube found the first signal of astrophysical neutrinos with energies up to the PeV scale, but the origin of these particles still remains unresolved. Given the observed flux, the absence of observations of bright point-sources is explainable with the presence of numerous weak sources. This scenario can be tested using autocorrelation methods. We present here the sensitivities and discovery potentials of a two-point angular correlation analysis performed on seven years of IceCube data, taken between 2008 and 2015. The test is applied on the northern and southern skies separately, using the neutrino energy information to improve the effectiveness of the method.

Psychometric evaluation of the Swedish version of Rosenberg's self-esteem scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Eklund, Mona; Bäckström, Martin; Hansson, Lars

2018-04-01

The widely used Rosenberg's self-esteem scale (RSES) has not been evaluated for psychometric properties in Sweden. This study aimed at analyzing its factor structure, internal consistency, criterion, convergent and discriminant validity, sensitivity to change, and whether a four-graded Likert-type response scale increased its reliability and validity compared to a yes/no response scale. People with mental illness participating in intervention studies to (1) promote everyday life balance (N = 223) or (2) remedy self-stigma (N = 103) were included. Both samples completed the RSES and questionnaires addressing quality of life and sociodemographic data. Sample 1 also completed instruments chosen to assess convergent and discriminant validity: self-mastery (convergent validity), level of functioning and occupational engagement (discriminant validity). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling, and conventional inferential statistics were used. Based on both samples, the Swedish RSES formed one factor and exhibited high internal consistency (>0.90). The two response scales were equivalent. Criterion validity in relation to quality of life was demonstrated. RSES could distinguish between women and men (women scoring lower) and between diagnostic groups (people with depression scoring lower). Correlations >0.5 with variables chosen to reflect convergent validity and around 0.2 with variables used to address discriminant validity further highlighted the construct validity of RSES. The instrument also showed sensitivity to change. The Swedish RSES exhibited a one-component factor structure and showed good psychometric properties in terms of good internal consistency, criterion, convergent and discriminant validity, and sensitivity to change. The yes/no and the four-graded Likert-type response scales worked equivalently.

Validation of the Brazilian version of the Clinical Gait and Balance Scale and comparison with the Berg Balance Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jussara Almeida Oliveira Baggio

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Objective To validate the Clinical Gait and Balance Scale (GABS for a Brazilian population of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD and to compare it to the Berg Balance Scale (BBS. Methods One hundred and seven PD patients were evaluated by shortened UPDRS motor scale (sUPDRSm, Hoehn and Yahr (HY, Schwab and England scale (SE, Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I, Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG-Q, BBS and GABS. Results The internal consistency of the GABS was 0.94, the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability were 0.94 and 0.98 respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC curve was 0.72, with a sensitivity of 0.75 and specificity of 0.6, to discriminate patients with a history of falls in the last twelve months, for a cut-off score of 13 points. Conclusions Our study shows that the Brazilian version of the GABS is a reliable and valid instrument to assess gait and balance in PD.

Self-efficacy scale for the establishment of good relationships with families in neonatal and pediatric hospital settings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andréia Cascaes Cruz

Full Text Available Abstract OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Self-efficacy Scale for the Establishment of Good Relationships with Families in Neonatal and Pediatric Hospital Settings. METHOD Methodological study grounded on self-efficacy theory was conducted in three phases: conceptual and operational definition (review of the literature and interviews with the target population, content validity (opinion of five experts e three clinical nurses, and exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency reliability (cross-sectional survey with a valid sample of 194 nurses. RESULTS A ten-point Likert scale with 40-item was designed and one item was excluded after review by experts. Three factors emerged from the exploratory factor analysis. The Cronbach's alpha for all items was 0.983 with item-total correlations in the range 0.657 to 0.847. Cronbach's alpha value if item deleted were less than or equal to 0.983. CONCLUSION The final version of the scale demonstrated psychometric adequacy. It is a useful tool to be administered in the clinical, educational and research nursing fields to measure nurses’ self-efficacy beliefs concerning the establishment of good relationships with families.

Mass scale of vectorlike matter and superpartners from IR fixed point predictions of gauge and top Yukawa couplings

Science.gov (United States)

Dermíšek, Radovan; McGinnis, Navin

2018-03-01

We use the IR fixed point predictions for gauge couplings and the top Yukawa coupling in the minimal supersymmetric model (MSSM) extended with vectorlike families to infer the scale of vectorlike matter and superpartners. We quote results for several extensions of the MSSM and present results in detail for the MSSM extended with one complete vectorlike family. We find that for a unified gauge coupling αG>0.3 vectorlike matter or superpartners are expected within 1.7 TeV (2.5 TeV) based on all three gauge couplings being simultaneously within 1.5% (5%) from observed values. This range extends to about 4 TeV for αG>0.2 . We also find that in the scenario with two additional large Yukawa couplings of vectorlike quarks the IR fixed point value of the top Yukawa coupling independently points to a multi-TeV range for vectorlike matter and superpartners. Assuming a universal value for all large Yukawa couplings at the grand unified theory scale, the measured top quark mass can be obtained from the IR fixed point for tan β ≃4 . The range expands to any tan β >3 for significant departures from the universality assumption. Considering that the Higgs boson mass also points to a multi-TeV range for superpartners in the MSSM, adding a complete vectorlike family at the same scale provides a compelling scenario where the values of gauge couplings and the top quark mass are understood as a consequence of the particle content of the model.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saša Horvat

2018-02-01

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

Cut points on 0-10 numeric rating scales for symptoms included in the edmonton symptom assessment scale in cancer patients: A systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

W.H. Oldenmenger (Wendy); P.J. de Raaf (Pleun); C. de Klerk (Cora); C.C.D. van der Rijt (Carin)

2013-01-01

textabstractContext: To improve the management of cancer-related symptoms, systematic screening is necessary, often performed by using 0-10 numeric rating scales. Cut points are used to determine if scores represent clinically relevant burden. Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to

Psychometric properties of the Intentions to Leave the Organization Scale (ILOS): a cross-cultural study

OpenAIRE

Nisipeanu, Damar Sandbrand

2015-01-01

The focus of the present study is to introduce into organizational researches a new psychometric scale that identifies the intention of an employee to leave the company he works for, based only on external and internal aspects to the organization (e.g. payroll, work and life balance); aspects that could stimulate a person to leave or remain in his/her current job. The Intention to Leave the Organization Scale (ILOS) was built with 31 items, using the Likert Scale model, ranging from 1 – Total...

Assessment of Thailand indoor set-point impact on energy consumption and environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamtraipat, N.; Khedari, J.; Hirunlabh, J.; Kunchornrat, J.

2006-01-01

The paper presents an investigation of indoor set-point standard of air-conditioned spaces as a tool to control electrical energy consumption of air-conditioners in Thailand office buildings and to reduce air pollutants. One hundred and forty-seven air-conditioned rooms in 13 buildings nationwide were used as models to analyze the electricity consumption of air-conditioning systems according to their set indoor temperatures, which were below the standard set-point and were accounted into a large scale. Then, the electrical energy and environmental saving potentials in the country were assessed by the assumption that adaptation of indoor set-point temperature is increased up to the standard set-point of 26 o C. It was concluded that the impacts of indoor set-point of air-conditioned rooms, set at 26 o C, on energy saving and on environment are as follows: The overall electricity consumption saving would be 804.60 GWh/year, which would reduce the corresponding GHGs emissions (mainly CO 2 ) from power plant by 579.31x10 3 tons/year

Elements of societal perception of farm animal welfare: A quantitative study in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boogaard, B.K.; Oosting, S.J.; Bock, B.B.

2006-01-01

To study societal perception of animal welfare in The Netherlands and to search for intervention possibilities to influence this perception, 1074 randomly selected Dutch respondents completed a questionnaire on animal welfare. We analysed 15 propositions (4-point Likert scale) and through factor

MOCC: A Fast and Robust Correlation-Based Method for Interest Point Matching under Large Scale Changes

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Feng; Huang, Qingming; Wang, Hao; Gao, Wen

2010-12-01

Similarity measures based on correlation have been used extensively for matching tasks. However, traditional correlation-based image matching methods are sensitive to rotation and scale changes. This paper presents a fast correlation-based method for matching two images with large rotation and significant scale changes. Multiscale oriented corner correlation (MOCC) is used to evaluate the degree of similarity between the feature points. The method is rotation invariant and capable of matching image pairs with scale changes up to a factor of 7. Moreover, MOCC is much faster in comparison with the state-of-the-art matching methods. Experimental results on real images show the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Exploratory Factor Analysis Study for the Scale of High School Students' Attitudes towards Chemistry

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Demircioglu, Gökhan; Aslan, Aysegül; Yadigaroglu, Mustafa

2014-01-01

It is important to develop students' positive attitudes chemistry lessons in school because research has suggested that attitudes are linked with academic achievement. Therefore, how to evaluate the attitudes is an important topic in education. The purpose of this study was to develop a Likert-type scale that could measure high school students'…

Development of a Comprehensive Communication Skills Curriculum for Pediatrics Residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Eleanor B; Boland, Kimberly A; Bryant, Kristina A; McKinley, Tara F; Porter, Melissa B; Potter, Katherine E; Calhoun, Aaron W

2016-12-01

Effective communication is an essential element of medical care and a priority of medical education. Specific interventions to teach communication skills are at the discretion of individual residency programs. We developed the Resident Communication Skills Curriculum (RCSC), a formal curriculum designed to teach trainees the communication skills essential for high-quality practice. A multidisciplinary working group contributed to the development of the RCSC, guided by an institutional needs assessment, literature review, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies. The result was a cohesive curriculum that incorporates didactic, role play, and real-life experiences over the course of the entire training period. Methods to assess curricular outcomes included self-reporting, surveys, and periodic faculty evaluations of the residents. Curricular components have been highly rated by residents (3.95-3.97 based on a 4-point Likert scale), and residents' self-reported communication skills demonstrated an improvement over the course of residency in the domains of requesting a consultation, providing effective handoffs, handling conflict, and having difficult conversations (intern median 3.0, graduate median 4.0 based on a 5-point Likert scale, P  ≤ .002). Faculty evaluations of residents have also demonstrated improvement over time (intern median 3.0, graduate median 4.5 based on a 5-point Likert scale, P  communication skills curriculum for pediatrics residents was implemented, with a multistep evaluative process showing improvement in skills over the course of the residency program. Positive resident evaluations and informal comments from faculty support its general acceptance. The use of existing resources makes this curriculum feasible.

Item response theory analysis of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students (UWES-S) using a sample of Japanese university and college students majoring medical science, nursing, and natural science.

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Tsubakita, Takashi; Shimazaki, Kazuyo; Ito, Hiroshi; Kawazoe, Nobuo

2017-10-30

The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students has been used internationally to assess students' academic engagement, but it has not been analyzed via item response theory. The purpose of this study was to conduct an item response theory analysis of the Japanese version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students translated by authors. Using a two-parameter model and Samejima's graded response model, difficulty and discrimination parameters were estimated after confirming the factor structure of the scale. The 14 items on the scale were analyzed with a sample of 3214 university and college students majoring medical science, nursing, or natural science in Japan. The preliminary parameter estimation was conducted with the two parameter model, and indicated that three items should be removed because there were outlier parameters. Final parameter estimation was conducted using the survived 11 items, and indicated that all difficulty and discrimination parameters were acceptable. The test information curve suggested that the scale better assesses higher engagement than average engagement. The estimated parameters provide a basis for future comparative studies. The results also suggested that a 7-point Likert scale is too broad; thus, the scaling should be modified to fewer graded scaling structure.

Scaling point/plot measurements of greenhouse gas fluxes, balances and intensities to whole-farms and landscapes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rosenstock, T.S.; Rufino, Mariana; Chirinda, N.; Bussel, van L.G.J.; Reidsma, P.; Butterbach-Bahl, K.

2015-01-01

Measurements of nutrient stocks and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes are typically collected at very local scales (<1 to 30 m2) and then extrapolated to estimate impacts at larger spatial extents (farms, landscapes, or even countries). Translating point measurements to higher levels of aggregation is

Defining the minimal important difference for the visual analogue scale assessing dyspnea in patients with malignant pleural effusions.

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Eleanor K Mishra

Full Text Available The minimal important difference (MID is essential for interpreting the results of randomised controlled trials (RCTs. Despite a number of RCTs in patients with malignant pleural effusions (MPEs which use the visual analogue scale for dyspnea (VASD as an outcome measure, the MID has not been established.Patients with suspected MPE undergoing a pleural procedure recorded their baseline VASD and their post-procedure VASD (24 hours after the pleural drainage, and in parallel assessed their breathlessness on a 7 point Likert scale.The mean decrease in VASD in patients with a MPE reporting a 'small but just worthwhile decrease' in their dyspnea (i.e. equivalent to the MID was 19mm (95% CI 14-24mm. The mean drainage volume required to produce a change in VASD of 19mm was 760ml.The mean MID for the VASD in patients with a MPE undergoing a pleural procedure is 19mm (95% CI 14-24mm. Thus choosing an improvement of 19mm in the VASD would be justifiable in the design and analysis of future MPE studies.

The A14-scale: development and evaluation of a questionnaire for assessment of adherence and individual barriers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jank, Susanne; Bertsche, Thilo; Schellberg, Dieter; Herzog, Wolfgang; Haefeli, Walter E

2009-08-01

To develop a questionnaire ("A14") for the description of adherence and individual barriers as basis for adherence-enhancing interventions in the clinical and pharmaceutical setting, and to compare it to the validated German MMAS (Morisky Medication Adherence Scale). Fourteen questions with a 5-item likert-scale from "never" (4) to "very often" (0) were given to 150 medical inpatients. According to their score, patients were classified into non-adherent (score <50) or adherent (score 50-56). On the dichotomous MMAS, "yes" is scored 0 and "no" 1 point, a total score of 4 indicating adherence. Patients with complete scales were compared with the remaining patients regarding socio-demographic factors. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach's Alpha, Spearman correlation, and kappa were computed. Eighty-three participants completed both scales. Patients with missing values differed significantly regarding age, education, and adherence according to MMAS. Cronbach's Alpha for A14 was 0.861. MMAS and A14 median total scores were 4 and 52, respectively. About 39.5% of patients were non-adherent as per MMAS compared to 40% as per A14; kappa was 0.262 (P = 0.016). The total scores correlated with a Rho-value of 0.43 (P < 0.001). The A14-scale showed good internal consistency and a significant correlation with the MMAS suggesting that it merits further investigation.

Outcrop-scale fracture trace identification using surface roughness derived from a high-density point cloud

Science.gov (United States)

Okyay, U.; Glennie, C. L.; Khan, S.

2017-12-01

Owing to the advent of terrestrial laser scanners (TLS), high-density point cloud data has become increasingly available to the geoscience research community. Research groups have started producing their own point clouds for various applications, gradually shifting their emphasis from obtaining the data towards extracting more and meaningful information from the point clouds. Extracting fracture properties from three-dimensional data in a (semi-)automated manner has been an active area of research in geosciences. Several studies have developed various processing algorithms for extracting only planar surfaces. In comparison, (semi-)automated identification of fracture traces at the outcrop scale, which could be used for mapping fracture distribution have not been investigated frequently. Understanding the spatial distribution and configuration of natural fractures is of particular importance, as they directly influence fluid-flow through the host rock. Surface roughness, typically defined as the deviation of a natural surface from a reference datum, has become an important metric in geoscience research, especially with the increasing density and accuracy of point clouds. In the study presented herein, a surface roughness model was employed to identify fracture traces and their distribution on an ophiolite outcrop in Oman. Surface roughness calculations were performed using orthogonal distance regression over various grid intervals. The results demonstrated that surface roughness could identify outcrop-scale fracture traces from which fracture distribution and density maps can be generated. However, considering outcrop conditions and properties and the purpose of the application, the definition of an adequate grid interval for surface roughness model and selection of threshold values for distribution maps are not straightforward and require user intervention and interpretation.

MOCC: A Fast and Robust Correlation-Based Method for Interest Point Matching under Large Scale Changes

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Wang Hao

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Similarity measures based on correlation have been used extensively for matching tasks. However, traditional correlation-based image matching methods are sensitive to rotation and scale changes. This paper presents a fast correlation-based method for matching two images with large rotation and significant scale changes. Multiscale oriented corner correlation (MOCC is used to evaluate the degree of similarity between the feature points. The method is rotation invariant and capable of matching image pairs with scale changes up to a factor of 7. Moreover, MOCC is much faster in comparison with the state-of-the-art matching methods. Experimental results on real images show the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Development of the scale for measuring fear from obesity

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Stoiljković Danica

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Obesity represents cumulation of adipose tissue to the extent that it decreases physical activity and psychosocial well-being, and Body Mass Index is > 30. In obese males adipose tissue makes 20% or more of the total body weight, while this percentage in females is 25%. According to epidemiological data more than half of the adult population of Serbia (54% has a problem with obesity or pre-obesity. Objective: The aim of this study was creation of a questionnaire which will measure fear of obesity reliably and accurately. Materials and Methods: The study involved the students of medicine and pharmacy from all years at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac. They were offered to express their level of agreement with the statements from the survey (21 in total using a Likert scale, which provided seven answers. After collecting the data, a statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 18. Results: Within the first reliability analysis, a correlation matrix was constructed, which was used to assess whether any of the questions should be eliminated. The value of Cronbach's alpha was 0.871. After the exploratory factor analysis, five factors were revealed: fear, social effects, avoiding meals, eating habits and diet. Conclusion: The questionnaire created in this study measures fear from obesity with satisfactory reliability, but further studies are necessary to test its validity.

Screening for Internet Addiction: An Empirical Study on Cut-off Points for the Chen Internet Addiction Scale

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Chih-Hung Ko

2005-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to establish the optimal cut-off points of the Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS, to screen for and diagnose Internet addiction among adolescents in the community by using the well- established diagnostic criteria of Internet addiction. This survey of 454 adolescents used screening (57/58 and diagnostic (63/64 cut-off points of the CIAS, a self-reported instrument, based on the results of systematic diagnostic interviews by psychiatrists. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that CIAS has good diagnostic accuracy (89.6%. The screening cut-off point had high sensitivity (85.6% and the diagnostic cut-off point had the highest diagnostic accuracy, classifying 87.6% of participants correctly. Accordingly, the screening point of the CIAS could provide a screening function in two-stage diagnosis, and the diagnostic point could serve as a diagnostic criterion in one-stage massive epidemiologic research.

Implementation of Large-Scale Science Curricula: A Study in Seven European Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Pilling, G. M.; Waddington, D. J.

2005-01-01

The Salters Chemistry courses, context-led curricula for 13-16 and 17-18 year old students, first developed by the Science Education Group at the University of York in the UK, have now been translated and/or adapted in seven other European countries. This paper describes and discusses the different reasons for taking up the courses, the ways in…

DISTANCE SCALE ZERO POINTS FROM GALACTIC RR LYRAE STAR PARALLAXES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benedict, G. Fritz; McArthur, Barbara E.; Barnes, Thomas G. [McDonald Observatory, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Feast, Michael W. [Centre for Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravitation, Astronomy Department, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701 (South Africa); Harrison, Thomas E. [Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003 (United States); Bean, Jacob L.; Kolenberg, Katrien [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Menzies, John W.; Laney, C. D. [South African Astronomical Observatory, Observatory 7935 (South Africa); Chaboyer, Brian [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755 (United States); Fossati, Luca [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA (United Kingdom); Nesvacil, Nicole [Institute of Astronomy, University of Vienna, A-1180 Vienna (Austria); Smith, Horace A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Kochukhov, Oleg [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, 75120 Uppsala (Sweden); Nelan, Edmund P.; Taylor, Denise [STScI, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Shulyak, D. V. [Institute of Astrophysics, Georg-August-University, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, D-37077 Goettingen (Germany); Freedman, Wendy L. [The Observatories, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States)

2011-12-15

We present new absolute trigonometric parallaxes and proper motions for seven Population II variable stars-five RR Lyr variables: RZ Cep, XZ Cyg, SU Dra, RR Lyr, and UV Oct; and two type 2 Cepheids: VY Pyx and {kappa} Pav. We obtained these results with astrometric data from Fine Guidance Sensors, white-light interferometers on Hubble Space Telescope. We find absolute parallaxes in milliseconds of arc: RZ Cep, 2.12 {+-} 0.16 mas; XZ Cyg, 1.67 {+-} 0.17 mas; SU Dra, 1.42 {+-} 0.16 mas; RR Lyr, 3.77 {+-} 0.13 mas; UV Oct, 1.71 {+-} 0.10 mas; VY Pyx, 6.44 {+-} 0.23 mas; and {kappa} Pav, 5.57 {+-} 0.28 mas; an average {sigma}{sub {pi}}/{pi} = 5.4%. With these parallaxes, we compute absolute magnitudes in V and K bandpasses corrected for interstellar extinction and Lutz-Kelker-Hanson bias. Using these RR Lyrae variable star absolute magnitudes, we then derive zero points for M{sub V} -[Fe/H] and M{sub K} -[Fe/H]-log P relations. The technique of reduced parallaxes corroborates these results. We employ our new results to determine distances and ages of several Galactic globular clusters and the distance of the Large Magellanic Cloud. The latter is close to that previously derived from Classical Cepheids uncorrected for any metallicity effect, indicating that any such effect is small. We also discuss the somewhat puzzling results obtained for our two type 2 Cepheids.

Developing an Attitude Scale for Discussion Ability of Pre-service Teachers

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Gürbüz OCAK

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, developing a scale to measure the attitudes towards the discussion ability of pre-service teachers indented. The application scale of the discussion ability was developed in the direction of the pre-service teachers. The scale is likert-type comprising of 57 items. The validity and reliability of the scale is done on the data gained from 200 students elected by the method of coincidental exemplification amount of the sophomore students. As a result of the factorial validity of the scale, items change between 0.59 and 0.76 and that the KMO Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value is 0.867 and the value of (Cronbach alpha calculated for reliability study is 0.865. Findings related to the studies of validity and reliability show that the scale has a valid and reliable form.

A point scale in the study of excavated osseus remains of the domestic sheep (Ovis ammon f. aries).

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Przespolewska, Helena; Kobryń, Henryk

2003-01-01

On the basis of the standard measurements of 1277 long appendicular bones of the domestic sheep, a universal point scale has been elaborated. The bones examined were obtained from European, Asian and African archaeological sites dating from 4500 BC to 1500 AD. A comparative analysis of the metapodial bones of the domestic sheep from Central Europe (Poland, Germany and Hungary) has been undertaken, using this scale.

Servant Leadership: Faculty and Student Perceptions among Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) Nursing Programs

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Coffman, Tammie J.

2017-01-01

Servant leadership characteristics and caring converged in exploration of faculty and students of private, Christian nursing schools. Faculty assessed their servant leadership behaviors while students disclosed their perceptions of faculty as caring persons. Students evaluated faculty positively on a six-point Likert scale (mean 5.26).…

Assessing Domestic vs. International Student Perceptions and Attitudes of Plagiarism

Science.gov (United States)

Doss, Daniel Adrian; Henley, Russ; Gokaraju, Balakrishna; McElreath, David; Lackey, Hilliard; Hong, Qiuqi; Miller, Lauren

2016-01-01

The authors examined students' perceptions of plagiarism from a higher education teaching institution within the U.S. southeast. This study employed a five-point Likert-scale to examine differences of perceptions between domestic versus international students. Statistically significant outcomes were observed regarding the notions that plagiarism…

Automatically Determining Scale Within Unstructured Point Clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Kadamen, Jayren; Sithole, George

2016-06-01

Three dimensional models obtained from imagery have an arbitrary scale and therefore have to be scaled. Automatically scaling these models requires the detection of objects in these models which can be computationally intensive. Real-time object detection may pose problems for applications such as indoor navigation. This investigation poses the idea that relational cues, specifically height ratios, within indoor environments may offer an easier means to obtain scales for models created using imagery. The investigation aimed to show two things, (a) that the size of objects, especially the height off ground is consistent within an environment, and (b) that based on this consistency, objects can be identified and their general size used to scale a model. To test the idea a hypothesis is first tested on a terrestrial lidar scan of an indoor environment. Later as a proof of concept the same test is applied to a model created using imagery. The most notable finding was that the detection of objects can be more readily done by studying the ratio between the dimensions of objects that have their dimensions defined by human physiology. For example the dimensions of desks and chairs are related to the height of an average person. In the test, the difference between generalised and actual dimensions of objects were assessed. A maximum difference of 3.96% (2.93cm) was observed from automated scaling. By analysing the ratio between the heights (distance from the floor) of the tops of objects in a room, identification was also achieved.

Alien calculus and a Schwinger-Dyson equation: two-point function with a nonperturbative mass scale

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Bellon, Marc P.; Clavier, Pierre J.

2018-02-01

Starting from the Schwinger-Dyson equation and the renormalization group equation for the massless Wess-Zumino model, we compute the dominant nonperturbative contributions to the anomalous dimension of the theory, which are related by alien calculus to singularities of the Borel transform on integer points. The sum of these dominant contributions has an analytic expression. When applied to the two-point function, this analysis gives a tame evolution in the deep euclidean domain at this approximation level, making doubtful the arguments on the triviality of the quantum field theory with positive β -function. On the other side, we have a singularity of the propagator for timelike momenta of the order of the renormalization group invariant scale of the theory, which has a nonperturbative relationship with the renormalization point of the theory. All these results do not seem to have an interpretation in terms of semiclassical analysis of a Feynman path integral.

Effects of Cooking End-point Temperature and Muscle Part on Sensory ‘Hardness’ and ‘Chewiness’ Assessed Using Scales Presented in ISO11036:1994

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Keisuke Sasaki

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Texture and ‘tenderness’ in particular, is an important sensory characteristic for consumers’ satisfaction of beef. Objective and detailed sensory measurements of beef texture have been needed for the evaluation and management of beef quality. This study aimed to apply the sensory scales defined in ISO11036:1994 to evaluate the texture of beef. Longissimus and Semitendinosus muscles of three Holstein steers cooked to end-point temperatures of 60°C and 72°C were subjected to sensory analyses by a sensory panel with expertise regarding the ISO11036 scales. For the sensory analysis, standard scales of ‘chewiness’ (9-points and ‘hardness’ (7-points were presented to the sensory panel with reference materials defined in ISO11036. As a result, both ‘chewiness’ and ‘hardness’ assessed according to the ISO11036 scales increased by increasing the cooking end-point temperature, and were different between Longissimus and Semitendinosus muscles. The sensory results were in good agreement with instrumental texture measurements. However, both texture ratings in this study were in a narrower range than the full ISO scales. For beef texture, ISO11036 scales for ‘chewiness’ and ‘hardness’ are useful for basic studies, but some alterations are needed for practical evaluation of muscle foods.

Aesthetic and Functional Outcomes of the Innervated and Thinned Anterolateral Thigh Flap in Reconstruction of Upper Limb Defects

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Carlos Alberto Torres-Ortíz Zermeño

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background. The anterolateral thigh (ALT flap has been widely described in reconstruction of the upper extremity. However, some details require refinement to improve both functional and aesthetic results. Methods. After reconstruction of upper extremity defects using thinned and innervated ALT flaps, functional and aesthetic outcomes were evaluated with the QuickDASH scale and a Likert scale for aesthetic assessment of free flaps, respectively. Results. Seven patients with a mean follow-up of 11.57 months and average flap thickness of 5 mm underwent innervation by an end-to-end neurorrhaphy. The average percentage of disability (QuickDASH was 21.88% with tenderness, pain, temperature, and two-point discrimination present in 100% of cases, and the aesthetic result gave an overall result of 15.40 (good with the best scores in color and texture. Conclusions. Simultaneous thinning and innervation of the ALT flap lead to a good cosmetic result and functional outcome with a low percentage of disability, which could result in minor surgical procedures and better recovery of motor and sensory function. Level of Evidence. IV.

The Evaluation of a Turkish Literature Coursebook According to the Constructivist Learning Approach

OpenAIRE

Gürbüz OCAK

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the level of congruence of a ninth grade Turkish literature coursebook with the constructivist approach. Data in the study were collected through the “Constructivist Coursebook Evaluation Scale” which is a 5-point Likert type scale developed by the researcher. The reliability coefficient of the scale was calculated as .88 and the scale consists of four sub-dimensions, namely, introduction, teaching, format, and assessment. The scale was administered t...

現代の大学生における自己意識とセルフ・モニタリングの関連について

OpenAIRE

山田, 竜平; 齊藤, 勇

2011-01-01

This study aimed at examines the relationship between self-consciousness and self-monitoring. We investigated on university students (N=136) who belonged to a private university in Tokyo. The self-consciousness scale consisted of 30items and the self-monitoring scale consisted of 18 items were measured on 5 point Likert scales. As a result of factor analysis for self- consciousness scale, three factors were confirmed; the private self-consciousness, the public selfconsciousness,and external s...

[Eight-step structured decision-making process to assign criminal responsibility and seven focal points for describing relationship between psychopathology and offense].

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Okada, Takayuki

2013-01-01

The author suggested that it is essential for lawyers and psychiatrists to have a common understanding of the mutual division of roles between them when determining criminal responsibility (CR) and, for this purpose, proposed an 8-step structured CR decision-making process. The 8 steps are: (1) gathering of information related to mental function and condition, (2) recognition of mental function and condition,(3) psychiatric diagnosis, (4) description of the relationship between psychiatric symptom or psychopathology and index offense, (5) focus on capacities of differentiation between right and wrong and behavioral control, (6) specification of elements of cognitive/volitional prong in legal context, (7) legal evaluation of degree of cognitive/volitional prong, and (8) final interpretation of CR as a legal conclusion. The author suggested that the CR decision-making process should proceed not in a step-like pattern from (1) to (2) to (3) to (8), but in a step-like pattern from (1) to (2) to (4) to (5) to (6) to (7) to (8), and that not steps after (5), which require the interpretation or the application of section 39 of the Penal Code, but Step (4), must be the core of psychiatric expert evidence. When explaining the relationship between the mental disorder and offense described in Step (4), the Seven Focal Points (7FP) are often used. The author urged basic precautions to prevent the misuse of 7FP, which are: (a) the priority of each item is not equal and the relative importance differs from case to case; (b) each item is not exclusively independent, there may be overlap between items; (c) the criminal responsibility shall not be judged because one item is applicable or because a number of items are applicable, i. e., 7FP are not "criteria," for example, the aim is not to decide such things as 'the motive is understandable' or 'the conduct is appropriate', but should be to describe how psychopathological factors affected the offense specifically in the context of

Development and Testing of the Nurse Manager EBP Competency Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Shuman, Clayton J; Ploutz-Snyder, Robert J; Titler, Marita G

2018-02-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the validity and reliability of an instrument to measure nurse manager competencies regarding evidence-based practice (EBP). The Nurse Manager EBP Competency Scale consists of 16 items for respondents to indicate their perceived level of competency on a 0 to 3 Likert-type scale. Content validity was demonstrated through expert panel review and pilot testing. Principal axis factoring and Cronbach's alpha evaluated construct validity and internal consistency reliability, respectively. Eighty-three nurse managers completed the scale. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 16-item scale with two subscales, EBP Knowledge ( n = 6 items, α = .90) and EBP Activity ( n = 10 items, α = .94). Cronbach's alpha for the entire scale was .95. The Nurse Manager EBP Competency Scale is a brief measure of nurse manager EBP competency with evidence of validity and reliability. The scale can enhance our understanding in future studies regarding how nurse manager EBP competency affects implementation.

Multiple Positive Solutions of a Nonlinear Four-Point Singular Boundary Value Problem with a p-Laplacian Operator on Time Scales

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Shihuang Hong

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We present sufficient conditions for the existence of at least twin or triple positive solutions of a nonlinear four-point singular boundary value problem with a p-Laplacian dynamic equation on a time scale. Our results are obtained via some new multiple fixed point theorems.

Supervised Outlier Detection in Large-Scale Mvs Point Clouds for 3d City Modeling Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Stucker, C.; Richard, A.; Wegner, J. D.; Schindler, K.

2018-05-01

We propose to use a discriminative classifier for outlier detection in large-scale point clouds of cities generated via multi-view stereo (MVS) from densely acquired images. What makes outlier removal hard are varying distributions of inliers and outliers across a scene. Heuristic outlier removal using a specific feature that encodes point distribution often delivers unsatisfying results. Although most outliers can be identified correctly (high recall), many inliers are erroneously removed (low precision), too. This aggravates object 3D reconstruction due to missing data. We thus propose to discriminatively learn class-specific distributions directly from the data to achieve high precision. We apply a standard Random Forest classifier that infers a binary label (inlier or outlier) for each 3D point in the raw, unfiltered point cloud and test two approaches for training. In the first, non-semantic approach, features are extracted without considering the semantic interpretation of the 3D points. The trained model approximates the average distribution of inliers and outliers across all semantic classes. Second, semantic interpretation is incorporated into the learning process, i.e. we train separate inlieroutlier classifiers per semantic class (building facades, roof, ground, vegetation, fields, and water). Performance of learned filtering is evaluated on several large SfM point clouds of cities. We find that results confirm our underlying assumption that discriminatively learning inlier-outlier distributions does improve precision over global heuristics by up to ≍ 12 percent points. Moreover, semantically informed filtering that models class-specific distributions further improves precision by up to ≍ 10 percent points, being able to remove very isolated building, roof, and water points while preserving inliers on building facades and vegetation.

A critical review of seven selected neighborhood sustainability assessment tools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharifi, Ayyoob, E-mail: sharifi.ayyoob@a.mbox.nagoya-u.ac.jp; Murayama, Akito, E-mail: murayama@corot.nuac.nagoya-u.ac.jp

2013-01-15

Neighborhood sustainability assessment tools have become widespread since the turn of 21st century and many communities, mainly in the developed world, are utilizing these tools to measure their success in approaching sustainable development goals. In this study, seven tools from Australia, Europe, Japan, and the United States are selected and analyzed with the aim of providing insights into the current situations; highlighting the strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures; and making recommendations for future improvements. Using a content analysis, the issues of sustainability coverage, pre-requisites, local adaptability, scoring and weighting, participation, reporting, and applicability are discussed in this paper. The results of this study indicate that most of the tools are not doing well regarding the coverage of social, economic, and institutional aspects of sustainability; there are ambiguities and shortcomings in the weighting, scoring, and rating; in most cases, there is no mechanism for local adaptability and participation; and, only those tools which are embedded within the broader planning framework are doing well with regard to applicability. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Seven widely used assessment tools were analyzed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer There is a lack of balanced assessment of sustainability dimensions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Tools are not doing well regarding the applicability. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Refinements are needed to make the tools more effective. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Assessment tools must be integrated into the planning process.

Sensitivity of point scale surface runoff predictions to rainfall resolution

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A. J. Hearman

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the effects of using non-linear, high resolution rainfall, compared to time averaged rainfall on the triggering of hydrologic thresholds and therefore model predictions of infiltration excess and saturation excess runoff at the point scale. The bounded random cascade model, parameterized to three locations in Western Australia, was used to scale rainfall intensities at various time resolutions ranging from 1.875 min to 2 h. A one dimensional, conceptual rainfall partitioning model was used that instantaneously partitioned water into infiltration excess, infiltration, storage, deep drainage, saturation excess and surface runoff, where the fluxes into and out of the soil store were controlled by thresholds. The results of the numerical modelling were scaled by relating soil infiltration properties to soil draining properties, and in turn, relating these to average storm intensities. For all soil types, we related maximum infiltration capacities to average storm intensities (k* and were able to show where model predictions of infiltration excess were most sensitive to rainfall resolution (ln k*=0.4 and where using time averaged rainfall data can lead to an under prediction of infiltration excess and an over prediction of the amount of water entering the soil (ln k*>2 for all three rainfall locations tested. For soils susceptible to both infiltration excess and saturation excess, total runoff sensitivity was scaled by relating drainage coefficients to average storm intensities (g* and parameter ranges where predicted runoff was dominated by infiltration excess or saturation excess depending on the resolution of rainfall data were determined (ln g*<2. Infiltration excess predicted from high resolution rainfall was short and intense, whereas saturation excess produced from low resolution rainfall was more constant and less intense. This has important implications for the accuracy of current hydrological models that use time

The Visual Analog Scale as a Comprehensible Patient-Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) in Septorhinoplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Spiekermann, Christoph; Amler, Susanne; Rudack, Claudia; Stenner, Markus

2018-06-01

The patient's satisfaction with the esthetic result is a major criterion of success in septorhinoplasty. However, the idea of esthetic perfection varies greatly and primarily depends on subjective perception. Hence, patient-reported instruments are important and necessary to assess the outcome in septorhinoplasty. To analyze the potential of the visual analog scale (VAS) as a patient-reported outcome measure in septorhinoplasty, the perception of the nasal appearance was assessed by a VAS pre- and postoperatively in 213 patients undergoing septorhinoplasty. Furthermore, in this prospective study, the patients' satisfaction concerning the procedure's result was analyzed using a five-point Likert scale. Females had lower preoperative VAS scores but a higher increase compared to males. Patients with lower initial VAS scores showed a higher improvement in the VAS score postoperatively compared to patients with higher initial VAS scores. Satisfaction with the result depends on the increase in the VAS score value. The VAS scale is a short and comprehensible tool to assess patients' perception of nasal appearance preoperatively and represents an appropriate instrument to assess the esthetic patient-reported outcome in septorhinoplasty.Level of Evidence IV This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these evidence-based medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

An Investigation of the High Efficiency Estimation Approach of the Large-Scale Scattered Point Cloud Normal Vector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xianglin Meng

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The normal vector estimation of the large-scale scattered point cloud (LSSPC plays an important role in point-based shape editing. However, the normal vector estimation for LSSPC cannot meet the great challenge of the sharp increase of the point cloud that is mainly attributed to its low computational efficiency. In this paper, a novel, fast method-based on bi-linear interpolation is reported on the normal vector estimation for LSSPC. We divide the point sets into many small cubes to speed up the local point search and construct interpolation nodes on the isosurface expressed by the point cloud. On the premise of calculating the normal vectors of these interpolated nodes, a normal vector bi-linear interpolation of the points in the cube is realized. The proposed approach has the merits of accurate, simple, and high efficiency, because the algorithm only needs to search neighbor and calculates normal vectors for interpolation nodes that are usually far less than the point cloud. The experimental results of several real and simulated point sets show that our method is over three times faster than the Elliptic Gabriel Graph-based method, and the average deviation is less than 0.01 mm.

Measures For Achieving Sustainable Rabbit Production In ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A study was conducted to ascertain ways of achieving sustainable rabbits production in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. The study population involved 120 respondents comprising 40 students and 80 farmers. Two sets of structured questionnaire designed with a 4-point Likert type rating scale ...

Thai EFL Learners' Attitudes and Motivation towards Learning English through Content-Based Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Lai Yuanxing; Aksornjarung, Prachamon

2018-01-01

This study examined EFL learners' attitudes and motivation towards learning English through content-based instruction (CBI) at a university in Thailand. Seventy-one (71) university students, the majority sophomores, answered a 6-point Likert scale questionnaire on attitudes and motivation together with six open-ended questions regarding learning…

Three-point phase correlations: A new measure of non-linear large-scale structure

CERN Document Server

Wolstenhulme, Richard; Obreschkow, Danail

2015-01-01

We derive an analytical expression for a novel large-scale structure observable: the line correlation function. The line correlation function, which is constructed from the three-point correlation function of the phase of the density field, is a robust statistical measure allowing the extraction of information in the non-linear and non-Gaussian regime. We show that, in perturbation theory, the line correlation is sensitive to the coupling kernel F_2, which governs the non-linear gravitational evolution of the density field. We compare our analytical expression with results from numerical simulations and find a very good agreement for separations r>20 Mpc/h. Fitting formulae for the power spectrum and the non-linear coupling kernel at small scales allow us to extend our prediction into the strongly non-linear regime. We discuss the advantages of the line correlation relative to standard statistical measures like the bispectrum. Unlike the latter, the line correlation is independent of the linear bias. Furtherm...

An automated four-point scale scoring of segmental wall motion in echocardiography using quantified parametric images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kachenoura, N; Delouche, A; Ruiz Dominguez, C; Frouin, F; Diebold, B; Nardi, O

2010-01-01

The aim of this paper is to develop an automated method which operates on echocardiographic dynamic loops for classifying the left ventricular regional wall motion (RWM) in a four-point scale. A non-selected group of 37 patients (2 and 4 chamber views) was studied. Each view was segmented according to the standardized segmentation using three manually positioned anatomical landmarks (the apex and the angles of the mitral annulus). The segmented data were analyzed by two independent experienced echocardiographists and the consensual RWM scores were used as a reference for comparisons. A fast and automatic parametric imaging method was used to compute and display as static color-coded parametric images both temporal and motion information contained in left ventricular dynamic echocardiograms. The amplitude and time parametric images were provided to a cardiologist for visual analysis of RWM and used for RWM quantification. A cross-validation method was applied to the segmental quantitative indices for classifying RWM in a four-point scale. A total of 518 segments were analyzed. Comparison between visual interpretation of parametric images and the reference reading resulted in an absolute agreement (Aa) of 66% and a relative agreement (Ra) of 96% and kappa (κ) coefficient of 0.61. Comparison of the automated RWM scoring against the same reference provided Aa = 64%, Ra = 96% and κ = 0.64 on the validation subset. Finally, linear regression analysis between the global quantitative index and global reference scores as well as ejection fraction resulted in correlations of 0.85 and 0.79. A new automated four-point scale scoring of RWM was developed and tested in a non-selected database. Its comparison against a consensual visual reading of dynamic echocardiograms showed its ability to classify RWM abnormalities.

Development and validation of a toddler silhouette scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Hager, Erin R; McGill, Adrienne E; Black, Maureen M

2010-02-01

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a toddler silhouette scale. A seven-point scale was developed by an artist based on photographs of 15 toddlers (6 males, 9 females) varying in race/ethnicity and body size, and a list of phenotypic descriptions of toddlers of varying body sizes. Content validity, age-appropriateness, and gender and race/ethnicity neutrality were assessed among 180 pediatric health professionals and 129 parents of toddlers. Inter- and intrarater reliability and concurrent validity were assessed by having 138 pediatric health professionals match the silhouettes with photographs of toddlers. Assessments of content validity revealed that most health professionals (74.6%) and parents of toddlers (63.6%) ordered all seven silhouettes correctly, and interobserver agreement for weight status classification was high (kappa = 0.710, r = 0.827, P gender (68.5%) and race/ethnicity (77.3%) neutral. The inter-rater reliability, based on matching silhouettes with photographs, was 0.787 (Cronbach's alpha) and the intrarater reliability was 0.855 (P parents' perception of and satisfaction with their toddler's body size. Interventions can be targeted toward parents who have inaccurate perceptions of or are dissatisfied with their toddler's body size.

A longitudinal evaluation of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D) in a Rheumatoid Arthritis Population using Rasch Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Covic, Tanya; Pallant, Julie F; Conaghan, Philip G; Tennant, Alan

2007-01-01

Background The aim of this study was to test the internal validity of the total Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale using Rasch analysis in a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) population. Methods CES-D was administered to 157 patients with RA over three time points within a 12 month period. Rasch analysis was applied using RUMM2020 software to assess the overall fit of the model, the response scale used, individual item fit, differential item functioning (DIF) and person separation. Results Pooled data across three time points was shown to fit the Rasch model with removal of seven items from the original 20-item CES-D scale. It was necessary to rescore the response format from four to three categories in order to improve the scale's fit. Two items demonstrated some DIF for age and gender but were retained within the 13-item CES-D scale. A new cut point for depression score of 9 was found to correspond to the original cut point score of 16 in the full CES-D scale. Conclusion This Rasch analysis of the CES-D in a longstanding RA cohort resulted in the construction of a modified 13-item scale with good internal validity. Further validation of the modified scale is recommended particularly in relation to the new cut point for depression. PMID:17629902

A longitudinal evaluation of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D in a Rheumatoid Arthritis Population using Rasch Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tennant Alan

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of this study was to test the internal validity of the total Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D scale using Rasch analysis in a rheumatoid arthritis (RA population. Methods CES-D was administered to 157 patients with RA over three time points within a 12 month period. Rasch analysis was applied using RUMM2020 software to assess the overall fit of the model, the response scale used, individual item fit, differential item functioning (DIF and person separation. Results Pooled data across three time points was shown to fit the Rasch model with removal of seven items from the original 20-item CES-D scale. It was necessary to rescore the response format from four to three categories in order to improve the scale's fit. Two items demonstrated some DIF for age and gender but were retained within the 13-item CES-D scale. A new cut point for depression score of 9 was found to correspond to the original cut point score of 16 in the full CES-D scale. Conclusion This Rasch analysis of the CES-D in a longstanding RA cohort resulted in the construction of a modified 13-item scale with good internal validity. Further validation of the modified scale is recommended particularly in relation to the new cut point for depression.

Development of a Mobile Phone Addiction Craving Scale and Its Validation in a Spanish Adult Population

OpenAIRE

José De-Sola; Hernán Talledo; Hernán Talledo; Gabriel Rubio; Fernando Rodríguez de Fonseca; Fernando Rodríguez de Fonseca

2017-01-01

In some people, problematic cell phone use can lead to situations in which they lose control, similar to those observed in other cases of addiction. Although different scales have been developed to assess its severity, we lack an instrument that is able to determine the desire or craving associated with it. Thus, with the objective of evaluating craving for cell phone use, in this study, we develop and present the Mobile Phone Addiction Craving Scale (MPACS). It consists of eight Likert-style...

Development of a mobile phone addiction craving scale and its validation in a Spanish adult population

OpenAIRE

De-Sola, José; Talledo, Hernán; Rubio, Gabriel; Rodríguez de Fonseca, Fernando

2017-01-01

In some people, problematic cell phone use can lead to situations in which they lose control, similar to those observed in other cases of addiction. Although different scales have been developed to assess its severity, we lack an instrument that is able to determine the desire or craving associated with it. Thus, with the objective of evaluating craving for cell phone use, in this study, we develop and present the Mobile Phone Addiction Craving Scale (MPACS). It consists of eight Likert-style...

Competency checklists for strabismus surgery and retinopathy of prematurity examination.

Science.gov (United States)

McClatchey, Scott K; Lane, R Gary; Kubis, Kenneth C; Boisvert, Chantal

2012-02-01

To evaluate two checklist tools that are designed to guide, document, and assess resident training in strabismus surgery and examination of infants at risk for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). A panel of staff surgeons from several teaching institutions evaluated the checklists and provided constructive feedback. All former residents who had been trained via the use of these checklist tools were asked to take self-assessment surveys on competency in strabismus surgery and ROP examination. A Likert 5-point scale was used for all evaluations, with 1 being the lowest rating and 5 the highest rating. Six experts in strabismus and seven in ROP rated the checklists. Their comments were used to revise the checklists, which were sent to the same group for reevaluation. The mean Likert score for the final checklists was 4.9 of 5.0 for both checklists. Of 16 former residents, 9 responded to the self-assessments with a mean overall score of 4.1 (of 5.0) for strabismus surgery and 3.9 for ROP examination. These checklist tools can be used to assess the quality of a resident's training and experience in these specific ophthalmology skills. They are complementary to other curriculum and assessment tools and can serve to organize the educational experience while ensuring a uniformity of training. Published by Mosby, Inc.

Multidisciplinary Delphi Development of a Scale to Evaluate Team Function in Obstetric Emergencies: The PETRA Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Balki, Mrinalini; Hoppe, David; Monks, David; Cooke, Mary Ellen; Sharples, Lynn; Windrim, Rory

2017-06-01

The objective of this study was to develop a new interdisciplinary teamwork scale, the Perinatal Emergency: Team Response Assessment (PETRA), for the management of obstetric crises, through consensus agreement of obstetric caregivers. This prospective study was performed using expert consensus, based on a Delphi method. The study investigators developed a new PETRA tool, specifically related to obstetric crisis management, based on the existing literature and discussions among themselves. The scale was distributed to a selected panel of experts in the field for the Delphi process. After each round of Delphi, every component of the scale was analyzed quantitatively by the percentage of agreement ratings and each comment reviewed by the blinded investigators. The assessment scale was then modified, with components of less than 80% agreement removed from the scale. The process was repeated on three occasions to reach a consensus and final PETRA scale. Fourteen of 24 invited experts participated in the Delphi process. The original PETRA scale included six categories and 48 items, one global scale item, and a 3-point rubric for rating. The overall percentage agreement by experts in the first, second, and third rounds was 95.0%, 93.2%, and 98.5%, respectively. The final scale after the third round of Delphi consisted of the following seven categories: shared mental model, communication, situational awareness, leadership, followership, workload management, and positive/effective behaviours and attitudes. There were 34 individual items within these categories, each with a 5-point rating rubric (1 = unacceptable to 5 = perfect). Using a structured Delphi method, we established the face and content validity of this assessment scale that focuses on important aspects of interdisciplinary teamwork in the management of obstetric crises. Copyright © 2017 The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada/La Société des obstétriciens et gynécologues du Canada

Analisis Dampak Nilai Tanggapan Nasabah terhadap Kepuasan dan Kesetiaan Nasabah dalam Jasa Pelayanan Perbankan: Model Persamaan Struktur

OpenAIRE

Sandria, Wella

2015-01-01

This research aims to measure the impact of customer perceived value to customer satisfaction and loyalty on the banking services and to compare the customer and loyalty levels on Bank A and Bank B. A research model was developed to investigate the impact of perceived value to customer satisfaction and loyalty customer perceived value and customer satisfaction measured by using six items while customer loyalty measured by using five items. All of the measurement used the seven point Likert sc...

a Super Voxel-Based Riemannian Graph for Multi Scale Segmentation of LIDAR Point Clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Minglei

2018-04-01

Automatically segmenting LiDAR points into respective independent partitions has become a topic of great importance in photogrammetry, remote sensing and computer vision. In this paper, we cast the problem of point cloud segmentation as a graph optimization problem by constructing a Riemannian graph. The scale space of the observed scene is explored by an octree-based over-segmentation with different depths. The over-segmentation produces many super voxels which restrict the structure of the scene and will be used as nodes of the graph. The Kruskal coordinates are used to compute edge weights that are proportional to the geodesic distance between nodes. Then we compute the edge-weight matrix in which the elements reflect the sectional curvatures associated with the geodesic paths between super voxel nodes on the scene surface. The final segmentation results are generated by clustering similar super voxels and cutting off the weak edges in the graph. The performance of this method was evaluated on LiDAR point clouds for both indoor and outdoor scenes. Additionally, extensive comparisons to state of the art techniques show that our algorithm outperforms on many metrics.

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African Journals Online (AJOL)

five point Likert scale (Hobson, 2003; Frid 2000) of. Strongly Agree (SA) through to Strongly Disagree. (SD). A questionnaire was necessary to enable the undergraduate students to express their attitudes towards the course in order to find ways of improving the course to make it meet both national and individual needs.

The National Mathematics Curriculum for BEP (Basic Education Programme) and the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) for Mathematics Teachers in Nigeria: Teachers' Perception and Readiness

Science.gov (United States)

Ekwueme, Cecilia Olunwa; Meremikwu, Anne; Kalu, Nnenna

2013-01-01

The study used a survey design. The instrument was teachers' questionnaire and interview on awareness and readiness. The interview was administered to the different categories of the respondents using a 4-point Likert scale. Two hundred mathematics teachers were randomly selected from 100 schools (public and private) using stratified random…

Evaluation of Human Rights Violations in Student Personnel ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A five point Likert scale instrument, Students Legal Rights Protection Questionnaire (SLRPQ) was used for data collection and analyzed using the population (one sample t-test), at .05 level of significance. The finding was that there is significant violation of secondary school students' rights (right to dignity of human person, ...

Developing an instrument for assessing fidelity of motivational care planning: The Aboriginal and Islander Mental health initiative adherence scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Prowse, Phuong-Tu; Nagel, Tricia

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to design and trial an Adherence Scale to measure fidelity of Motivational Care Planning (MCP) within a clinical trial. This culturally adapted therapy MCP uses a client centered holistic approach that emphasises family and culture to motivate healthy life style changes. The Motivational Care Planning-Adherence Scale (MCP-AS) was developed through consultation with Aboriginal and Islander Mental Health Initiative (AIMhi) Indigenous and non-Indigenous trainers, and review of MCP training resources. The resultant ten-item scale incorporates a 9-Point Likert Scale with a supporting protocol manual and uses objective, behaviourally anchored criteria for each scale point. A fidelity assessor piloted the tool through analysis of four audio-recordings of MCP (conducted by Indigenous researchers within a study in remote communities in Northern Australia). File audits of the remote therapy sessions were utilised as an additional source of information. A Gold Standard Motivational Care Planning training video was also assessed using the MCP-AS. The Motivational Care Planning-Adherence Scale contains items measuring both process and content of therapy sessions. This scale was used successfully to assess therapy through observation of audio or video-recorded sessions and review of clinical notes. Treatment fidelity measured by the MCP-AS within the pilot study indicated high fidelity ratings. Ratings were high across the three domains of rapport, motivation, and self-management with especially high ratings for positive feedback and engagement, review of stressors and goal setting. The Motivational Care Planning-Adherence Scale has the potential to provide a measure of quality of delivery of Motivation Care Planning. The pilot findings suggest that despite challenges within the remote Indigenous community setting, Indigenous therapists delivered therapy that was of high fidelity. While developed as a research tool, the scale has the potential to

Extrapolation of radiation thermometry scales for determining the transition temperature of metal-carbon points. Experiments with the Co-C

Science.gov (United States)

Battuello, M.; Girard, F.; Florio, M.

2009-02-01

Four independent radiation temperature scales approximating the ITS-90 at 900 nm, 950 nm and 1.6 µm have been realized from the indium point (429.7485 K) to the copper point (1357.77 K) which were used to derive by extrapolation the transition temperature T90(Co-C) of the cobalt-carbon eutectic fixed point. An INRIM cell was investigated and an average value T90(Co-C) = 1597.20 K was found with the four values lying within 0.25 K. Alternatively, thermodynamic approximated scales were realized by assigning to the fixed points the best presently available thermodynamic values and deriving T(Co-C). An average value of 1597.27 K was found (four values lying within 0.25 K). The standard uncertainties associated with T90(Co-C) and T(Co-C) were 0.16 K and 0.17 K, respectively. INRIM determinations are compatible with recent thermodynamic determinations on three different cells (values lying between 1597.11 K and 1597.25 K) and with the result of a comparison on the same cell by an absolute radiation thermometer and an irradiance measurement with filter radiometers which give values of 1597.11 K and 1597.43 K, respectively (Anhalt et al 2006 Metrologia 43 S78-83). The INRIM approach allows the determination of both ITS-90 and thermodynamic temperature of a fixed point in a simple way and can provide valuable support to absolute radiometric methods in defining the transition temperature of new high-temperature fixed points.

Probabilistic inference of ecohydrological parameters using observations from point to satellite scales

Science.gov (United States)

Bassiouni, Maoya; Higgins, Chad W.; Still, Christopher J.; Good, Stephen P.

2018-06-01

Vegetation controls on soil moisture dynamics are challenging to measure and translate into scale- and site-specific ecohydrological parameters for simple soil water balance models. We hypothesize that empirical probability density functions (pdfs) of relative soil moisture or soil saturation encode sufficient information to determine these ecohydrological parameters. Further, these parameters can be estimated through inverse modeling of the analytical equation for soil saturation pdfs, derived from the commonly used stochastic soil water balance framework. We developed a generalizable Bayesian inference framework to estimate ecohydrological parameters consistent with empirical soil saturation pdfs derived from observations at point, footprint, and satellite scales. We applied the inference method to four sites with different land cover and climate assuming (i) an annual rainfall pattern and (ii) a wet season rainfall pattern with a dry season of negligible rainfall. The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies of the analytical model's fit to soil observations ranged from 0.89 to 0.99. The coefficient of variation of posterior parameter distributions ranged from interest. In these cases, model inversion converged more slowly but ultimately provided better goodness of fit and lower uncertainty. Results were robust using as few as 100 daily observations randomly sampled from the full records, demonstrating the advantage of analyzing soil saturation pdfs instead of time series to estimate ecohydrological parameters from sparse records. Our work combines modeling and empirical approaches in ecohydrology and provides a simple framework to obtain scale- and site-specific analytical descriptions of soil moisture dynamics consistent with soil moisture observations.

Mediated transitions between CPD-activities & teaching and collaboration at local schools

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Birgitte Lund

sampling: school size, town/rural etc.). Likert-scale questions were analysed by frequency, and open-ended reflections, and the qualitative data, were categorized/coded through an iterative data based process (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2007). To answer the first two research questions teachers’ reports...... methods (Creswell & Clark, 2007). Quantitative and qualitative data were retrieved during and after each of the course-modules. One part of data was a repeated questionnaire with 5 point Likert-scale questions and open-ended categories focused on teachers’ experiences from the seminars, from trials in own...... classrooms, and from collaborative activities at their schools. Qualitative data also included observations at the seminar days, interviews with students, teachers and school leaders at the local schools, observation from PLC-meetings, and repeated observations in classrooms at five schools (diversity...

An Empirical Investigation of Campus Portal Usage

Science.gov (United States)

Saghapour, Mohsen; Iranmanesh, Mohammad; Zailani, Suhaiza; Goh, Gerald Guan Gan

2018-01-01

This study has determined the determinants of the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness and their influence on campus portal usage. A quantitative approach was employed, using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire, adapted from previous studies. Data were gathered through a survey conducted with 341 staff working in the University of…

Rating Written Performance: What Do Raters Do and Why?

Science.gov (United States)

Kuiken, Folkert; Vedder, Ineke

2014-01-01

This study investigates the relationship in L2 writing between raters' judgments of communicative adequacy and linguistic complexity by means of six-point Likert scales, and general measures of linguistic performance. The participants were 39 learners of Italian and 32 of Dutch, who wrote two short argumentative essays. The same writing tasks…

Classroom Climate and Students' Academic Achievement in Social ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The instrument used was a structured six-point Likert scale questionnaire, the reliability estimate of which ranged from 0.7 to 0.8 and achievement test adapted from Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination, Ministry of Education, Cross River State (2004) were used to collect information used in the study. The data ...

Attitude toward Mathematics among the Students at Nazarbayev University Foundation Year Programme

Science.gov (United States)

Karjanto, N.

2017-01-01

This article investigates the attitude toward mathematics among the students enrolled in the Foundation Year Programme at Nazarbayev University. The study is conducted quantitatively and an inventory developed by Tapia and Marsh II is adopted in this research. The inventory consists of 40 statements on the five-point Likert scale. Gender,…

Moral Disengagement in Business and Humanities Majors: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Cory, Suzanne N.; Hernandez, Abigail R.

2014-01-01

This study measures moral disengagement of undergraduate business and humanities students with a focus on differences in moral disengagement between genders. Students completed a survey that consisted of 32 statements and were asked to determine the degree to which they agreed with each, using a 7-point Likert scale. The questions measured moral…

Designing English for Specific Purposes Course for Computer Science Students

Science.gov (United States)

Irshad, Isra; Anwar, Behzad

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to design English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course for University students enrolled in the Computer Science Department. For this purpose, academic English language needs of the students were analyzed by using a 5 point Likert scale questionnaire. Additionally, interviews were also conducted with four faculty members of…

The Relationship of Leadership Style of the Department Head to Nursing Faculty Professional Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

Science.gov (United States)

Byrne, Daria McConnell

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research was to determine if there was a relationship between the leadership style of the nursing department head and the level of professional satisfaction and organizational commitment by nursing faculty members. The survey instrument was a self-constructed four point Likert scale designed by the researcher to determine the…

Criteria required for an acceptable point-of-care test for UTI detection: Obtaining consensus using the Delphi technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Weir, Nichola-Jane M; Pattison, Sally H; Kearney, Paddy; Stafford, Bob; Gormley, Gerard J; Crockard, Martin A; Gilpin, Deirdre F; Tunney, Michael M; Hughes, Carmel M

2018-01-01

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are common bacterial infections, second only to respiratory tract infections and particularly prevalent within primary care. Conventional detection of UTIs is culture, however, return of results can take between 24 and 72 hours. The introduction of a point of care (POC) test would allow for more timely identification of UTIs, facilitating improved, targeted treatment. This study aimed to obtain consensus on the criteria required for a POC UTI test, to meet patient need within primary care. Criteria for consideration were compiled by the research team. These criteria were validated through a two-round Delphi process, utilising an expert panel of healthcare professionals from across Europe and United States of America. Using web-based questionnaires, panellists recorded their level of agreement with each criterion based on a 5-point Likert Scale, with space for comments. Using median response, interquartile range and comments provided, criteria were accepted/rejected/revised depending on pre-agreed cut-off scores. The first round questionnaire presented thirty-three criteria to the panel, of which 22 were accepted. Consensus was not achieved for the remaining 11 criteria. Following response review, one criterion was removed, while after revision, the remaining 10 criteria entered the second round. Of these, four were subsequently accepted, resulting in 26 criteria considered appropriate for a POC test to detect urinary infections. This study generated an approved set of criteria for a POC test to detect urinary infections. Criteria acceptance and comments provided by the healthcare professionals also supports the development of a multiplex point of care UTI test.

Mid-point for open-ended income category and the effect of equivalence scales on the income-health relationship.

Science.gov (United States)

Celeste, Roger Keller; Bastos, João Luiz

2013-12-01

To estimate the mid-point of an open-ended income category and to assess the impact of two equivalence scales on income-health associations. Data were obtained from the 2010 Brazilian Oral Health Survey (Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde Bucal--SBBrasil 2010). Income was converted from categorical to two continuous variables (per capita and equivalized) for each mid-point. The median mid-point was R$ 14,523.50 and the mean, R$ 24,507.10. When per capita income was applied, 53% of the population were below the poverty line, compared with 15% with equivalized income. The magnitude of income-health associations was similar for continuous income, but categorized equivalized income tended to decrease the strength of association.

Galaxy evolution and large-scale structure in the far-infrared. I. IRAS pointed observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lonsdale, C.J.; Hacking, P.B.

1989-01-01

Redshifts for 66 galaxies were obtained from a sample of 93 60-micron sources detected serendipitously in 22 IRAS deep pointed observations, covering a total area of 18.4 sq deg. The flux density limit of this survey is 150 mJy, 4 times fainter than the IRAS Point Source Catalog (PSC). The luminosity function is similar in shape with those previously published for samples selected from the PSC, with a median redshift of 0.048 for the fainter sample, but shifted to higher space densities. There is evidence that some of the excess number counts in the deeper sample can be explained in terms of a large-scale density enhancement beyond the Pavo-Indus supercluster. In addition, the faintest counts in the new sample confirm the result of Hacking et al. (1989) that faint IRAS 60-micron source counts lie significantly in excess of an extrapolation of the PSC counts assuming no luminosity or density evolution. 81 refs

Seven channel gated charge to time converter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stubbs, R J; Waddoup, W D [Durham Univ. (UK)

1977-11-01

By using a hybrid integrated circuit seven independent gated charge to time converters have been constructed in a single width NIM module. Gate widths from < approximately 10 ns to approximately 300 ns are possible with a resolution of 0.25 pC, linearity is better than +-1 pC over 2.5 decades of input signal height. Together with a multichannel scaling system described in the following paper one has a very powerful multichannel gated ADC system.

TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS ON THE MODEL DEVELOPMENT OF CHARACTER BASED TEACHING MATERIAL FOR SMA/ MA STUDENTS IN SEMARANG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suwandi Suwandi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted with the objectives of finding out whether or not the teaching material entitled "English for Better Character" developed by the researchers through R&D was appropriate seen from the point of view of the teachers' perception. Seven English teachers from 7 Senior High Schools and Madrasah Aliyah in Semarang were taken as samples. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed by using Likert scale with the criteria of 5:excellent, 4:good, 3:fair, 2:poor, and bvery poor. The questionnaires contained three main aspects, such as the content appropriacy, the presentation appropriacy, and the technique appropriacy. As a whole, the mean of all aspects was 4,12. It indicates that it belongs to the criteria of very good with the following percentage, content: 32,44%, presentation: 32,18% and language: 35,52%. In conclusion, the teaching material for SMA/MA students developed by the researchers is suitable to be used as a teaching material.

Sensitivity of the breastfeeding motivational measurement scale: a known group analysis of first time mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Stockdale, Janine; Sinclair, Marlene; Kernohan, George; McCrum-Gardner, Evie; Keller, John

2013-01-01

Breastfeeding has immense public health value for mothers, babies, and society. But there is an undesirably large gap between the number of new mothers who undertake and persist in breastfeeding compared to what would be a preferred level of accomplishment. This gap is a reflection of the many obstacles, both physical and psychological, that confront new mothers. Previous research has illuminated many of these concerns, but research on this problem is limited in part by the unavailability of a research instrument that can measure the key differences between first-time mothers and experienced mothers, with regard to the challenges they face when breastfeeding and the instructional advice they require. An instrument was designed to measure motivational complexity associated with sustained breast feeding behaviour; the Breastfeeding Motivational Measurement Scale. It contains 51 self-report items (7 point Likert scale) that cluster into four categories related to perceived value of breast-feeding, confidence to succeed, factors that influence success or failure, and strength of intentions, or goal. However, this scale has not been validated in terms of its sensitivity to profile the motivation of new mothers and experienced mothers. This issue was investigated by having 202 breastfeeding mothers (100 first time mothers) fill out the scale. The analysis reported in this paper is a three factor solution consisting of value, midwife support, and expectancies for success that explained the characteristics of first time mothers as a known group. These results support the validity of the BMM scale as a diagnostic tool for research on first time mothers who are learning to breastfeed. Further research studies are required to further test the validity of the scale in additional subgroups.

Sexual Self-Schema Scale for Women-Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Polish Version.

Science.gov (United States)

Nowosielski, Krzysztof; Jankowski, Konrad S; Kowalczyk, Robert; Kurpisz, Jacek; Normantowicz-Zakrzewska, Małgorzata; Krasowska, Aleksandra

2018-06-01

The sexual self-schema is a part of a broader concept of the self that is believed to be crucial for intrapersonal and interpersonal sexual relationships. To develop and perform psychometric validation of the Polish version of the Sexual Self-Schema Scale for Women (SSSS-W-PL). 561 women 18 to 55 years old were included in the final analysis. Linguistic validation was performed in 4 steps in line with the MAPI Institute guidelines. Convergent validity was calculated using the Pearson r product-moment coefficient between different measures of sexuality (attitudes and experience, behavior, arousal, romantic relationship) and SSSS-W-PL total and factor scores. To test discriminant validity, we applied hierarchical regression analyses predicting the number of lifetime sexual partners, self-rating as a sexual person (1 item, "I feel sexually attractive"; on a 5-point Likert scale), and arousability, with independent variables being extraversion (Ten-Item Personality Inventory), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), and the SSSS-W-PL (total and factor scores). Sexual self-schema was measured by the SSSS-W-PL, whereas arousability was measured by the arousal/excitement scale of the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire. The mean age of the study population was 29.0 ± 7.6 years. The final scale consisted of 24 adjectives grouped within 4 factors: romantic, passionate, direct, and embarrassed. The 4-factor model accounted for 39% of the variance. The Cronbach α was 0.74 for the SSSS-W-PL total score and 0.61 to 0.84 for individual factors. Test-retest reliability of the scale after 2- to 8-week intervals was 0.87 (95% CI = 0.82-0.86, P Self-Schema Scale for Women-Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Polish Version. Sex Med 2018;6:131-142. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A comparison of Likert scale and visual analogue scales as response options in children's questionnaires

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Laerhoven, H.; van der Zaag-Loonen, H. J.; Derkx, B. H. F.

2004-01-01

Aim: To examine which response options children prefer and which they find easiest to use, and to study the relative reliability of the different response options. Methods: A consecutive group of unselected children (n = 120) filled out three questionnaires in a paediatric outpatient clinic. Each

A new compact fixed-point blackbody furnace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiraka, K.; Oikawa, H.; Shimizu, T.; Kadoya, S.; Kobayashi, T.; Yamada, Y.; Ishii, J.

2013-01-01

More and more NMIs are realizing their primary scale themselves with fixed-point blackbodies as their reference standard. However, commercially available fixed-point blackbody furnaces of sufficient quality are not always easy to obtain. CHINO Corp. and NMIJ, AIST jointly developed a new compact fixed-point blackbody furnace. The new furnace has such features as 1) improved temperature uniformity when compared to previous products, enabling better plateau quality, 2) adoption of the hybrid fixed-point cell structure with internal insulation to improve robustness and thereby to extend lifetime, 3) easily ejectable and replaceable heater unit and fixed-point cell design, leading to reduced maintenance cost, 4) interchangeability among multiple fixed points from In to Cu points. The replaceable cell feature facilitates long term maintenance of the scale through management of a group of fixed-point cells of the same type. The compact furnace is easily transportable and therefore can also function as a traveling standard for disseminating the radiation temperature scale, and for maintaining the scale at the secondary level and industrial calibration laboratories. It is expected that the furnace will play a key role of the traveling standard in the anticipated APMP supplementary comparison of the radiation thermometry scale

Jordanian Social Studies Teachers' Perceptions of Competency Needed for Implementing Technology in the Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Al Bataineh, Mohammad; Anderson, Sharon

2015-01-01

This study used a cross-sectional, ten-point Likert-type scale survey design, to examine the perception of Jordanian seventh to twelfth-grade social studies teachers of the competency needed for technology implementation in their classrooms. The instrument for this study was a modified version of a survey developed by Kelly (2003) called the…

The Views of Turkish Science Teachers about Gender Equity within Science Education

Science.gov (United States)

Idin, Sahin; Dönmez, Ismail

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate Turkish Science teachers' views about gender equity in the scope of science education. This study was conducted with the quantitative methodology. Within this scope, a 35-item 5-point Likert scale survey was developed to determine Science teachers' views concerning gender equity issues. 160 Turkish Science…

Development of Prototype Outcomes-Based Training Modules for Aesthetic Dentistry

Science.gov (United States)

Andres, Maricar Joy T.; Borabo, Milagros L.

2015-01-01

The objective of the study is to know the essential components of Aesthetic Dentistry that will be a basis for prototype Outcomes-based training modules. Using a 5-point Likert scale, the researcher-made questionnaire assessed the different elements of Aesthetic Dentistry which are needed in the designing of the training module, the manner of…

Wildlife conservation challenges in Okomu National Park, Nigeria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study looked at the challenges of conserving the Park's wildlife and other resources. The Park's record of arrests and prosecution from 1999 to 2011 was used as secondary data while a four point Likert-scale questionnaire was used to obtain primary data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the arrests data and ...

Validation of a Visionary Leadership Attitude Instrument Using Factor Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

LeSourd, Sandra J.; And Others

Findings from a study to develop and validate an instrument for the measurement of principals' attitudes toward visionary leadership are presented in this paper. Two leadership styles--visionary and managerial--were measured by a 35-item five-point Likert attitude scale. Questionnaires mailed to a random sample of 250 K-12 Nebraska and 250…

Realisation of Strategic Leadership in Leadership Teams' Work as Experienced by the Leadership Team Members of Basic Education Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Lahtero, Tapio Juhani; Kuusilehto-Awale, Lea

2013-01-01

This article introduces a quantitative research into how the leadership team members of 49 basic education schools in the city of Vantaa, Finland, experienced the realisation of strategic leadership in their leadership teams' work. The data were collected by a survey of 24 statements, rated on a five-point Likert scale, and analysed with the…

Business Planning and the Economic Growth of Small and Medium ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The purpose of this study was to determine the relevance of business planning the economic growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) and their ability to attract investors and loans, in the face of dwindling economic returns in Nigeria. A five point likert-type questionnaire was utilized in gathering data from 450 ...

Medical Students' Perception about the Educational Environment in Western Maharashtra in Medical College using DREEM Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhosale, Uma

2015-11-01

Educational Environment (EE) has significant impact on teaching-learning, satisfaction, performance and academic progress of students. Feedback obtained through structured questionnaire designed for them can serve as tool for identifying and solving these EE related problems. To assess the perceptions of medical students concerning their educational environment (EE) using Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) scale. Study involved all three years medical students; surveyed with DREEM questionnaire consisted of 50 items based on the Likert 's scale (scores from 0 to 200); and 5 domains namely students' perceptions of learning (SPL), perceptions of teachers (SPT), academic self-perceptions (SAP), perceptions of atmosphere (SPA) and social self-perceptions (SSP). The overall total score on Likert's scale was 136 (interpretation: predominantly positive). The scores obtained in the different domains were 35.5 in SPL (interpretation: a more positive perception); 30.9 in SPT (interpretation: moving in the right direction); 21 in SAP (interpretation: feeling more in the positive side); 29.8 in SPA (interpretation: a more positive atmosphere); and 16.1 in SSP (interpretation: satisfactory. The DREEM score assigned by female students was significantly greater (pstudents. The second-year students were more positive in their perception of EE (pstudent's perception about EE was satisfactory. However, the item with score students during their academic life were the problem areas identified need to be revisited and improvised to further improve learning experience.

Mid-point for open-ended income category and the effect of equivalence scales on the income-health relationship

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roger Keller Celeste

2013-12-01

Full Text Available To estimate the mid-point of an open-ended income category and to assess the impact of two equivalence scales on income-health associations. Data were obtained from the 2010 Brazilian Oral Health Survey ( Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde Bucal – SBBrasil 2010. Income was converted from categorical to two continuous variables ( per capita and equivalized for each mid-point. The median mid-point was R$ 14,523.50 and the mean, R$ 24,507.10. When per capita income was applied, 53% of the population were below the poverty line, compared with 15% with equivalized income. The magnitude of income-health associations was similar for continuous income, but categorized equivalized income tended to decrease the strength of association.

[Development of a New Scale for Gauging Smartphone Dependence].

Science.gov (United States)

Toda, Masahiro; Nishio, Nobuhiro; Takeshita, Tatsuya

2015-01-01

We designed a scale to gauge smartphone dependence and assessed its reliability and validity. A prototype self-rating smartphone-dependence scale was tested on 133 medical students who use smartphones more frequently than other devices to access web pages. Each response was scored on a Likert scale (0, 1, 2, 3), with higher scores indicating greater dependence. To select items for the final scale, exploratory factor analysis was conducted. On the basis of factor analysis results, we designed the Wakayama Smartphone-Dependence Scale (WSDS) comprising 21 items with 3 subscales: immersion in Internet communication; using a smartphone for extended periods of time and neglecting social obligations and other tasks; using a smartphone while doing something else and neglect of etiquette. Our analysis confirmed the validity of the different elements of the WSDS: the reliability coefficient (Cronbach's alpha) values of all subscales and total WSDS were from 0.79 to 0.83 and 0.88, respectively. These findings suggest that the WSDS is a useful tool for rating smartphone dependence.

Evaluation of Augmented REality Sandtable (ARES) during Sand Table Construction

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

sand table, ARES, resulted in significantly higher- quality ratings overall for the terrain model based on a global rating scale, as well as...dependent measures in this study. Sand Table Construction Score Card: A 5-point Likert scale was used to identify the accuracy and quality of required...reproduced on the sand table. The quality of the map reproduced was evaluated using standard procedures of the map-drawing paradigm, such as that

Measurement of Self-Monitoring Web Technology Acceptance and Use in an e-Health Weight-Loss Trial

OpenAIRE

Ma, Jun; Xiao, Lan; Blonstein, Andrea C.

2013-01-01

Background: Research on technology acceptance and use in e-health weight-loss interventions is limited. Using data from a randomized controlled trial of two e-health interventions, we evaluated the acceptance and use of a self-monitoring Web site for weight loss. Materials and Methods: We examined eight theoretical constructs about technology acceptance using adapted 5-point Likert scales and the association of measured Web site usage and weight loss. Results: All scales had hi...

Accurate Determination of the Quasiparticle and Scaling Properties Surrounding the Quantum Critical Point of Disordered Three-Dimensional Dirac Semimetals.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Bo; Zhu, Wei; Shi, Qinwei; Li, Qunxiang; Yang, Jinlong; Zhang, Zhenyu

2017-04-07

Exploiting the enabling power of the Lanczos method in momentum space, we determine accurately the quasiparticle and scaling properties of disordered three-dimensional Dirac semimetals surrounding the quantum critical point separating the semimetal and diffusive metal regimes. We unveil that the imaginary part of the quasiparticle self-energy obeys a common power law before, at, and after the quantum phase transition, but the power law is nonuniversal, whose exponent is dependent on the disorder strength. More intriguingly, whereas a common power law is also found for the real part of the self-energy before and after the phase transition, a distinctly different behavior is identified at the critical point, characterized by the existence of a nonanalytic logarithmic singularity. This nonanalytical correction serves as the very basis for the unusual power-law behaviors of the quasiparticles and many other physical properties surrounding the quantum critical point. Our approach also allows the ready and reliable determination of the scaling properties of the correlation length and dynamical exponents. We further show that the central findings are valid for both uncorrelated and correlated disorder distributions and should be directly comparable with future experimental observations.

Development of a Scale for Domain General Perceived Control Scale Primary School ChildrensAND#8217;

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esra Dereli

2012-06-01

Full Text Available SUMMARY AIM: This study aimed to develop a scale to measure domain general perceived control scale for elementary age children. METHOD: Participants were a total of 341 primary school children, 4th and f4th grade for 152 students, 6th, 7th and 8th grade for 162 students aged between 10-14.Skinner (1996, perceived control based on the theory is created 12-item scale of perceived control of the general form of the trial for primary education children and this form, within the scope of the research subjects, are given in order to make the validity and reliability studies. In order to test the validity of the scale developed, Satisfaction with Life was used. This scale was developed by Diener et al. (1985 and adapted into Turkish by Yetim (1993. RESULTS:Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysises and certain reliability analyses were used in the study. As a result of the analysis, four Likert-type five items scale were obtained. The findings revealed one -dimensional scale, 46.35% of whose variance was explained. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha provided evidence for the internal consistency of the exploratory the Scale. The reliability of the scale was 0.70 and indicated that the 5 item scale had good internal consistency for the sample. CONCLUSION: The scale that resulted was given the title “Scale for Primary School Children’ Time Orientation during Classroom Disengagement”. This instrument may be used in various studies in the future, thus contributing to the development of the field. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2012; 11(3.000: 331-338

Managing common resources in local and global systems. Applying theory across scales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karlsson, Sylvia [ed.

1998-12-31

The main point brought forward in this publication is the productiveness of applying theoretical elements, developed within common property resource (CPR) literature, to a broader field of cases on different scales. The common framework for the contributions is a series of seminars held at the Department of Water and Environmental Studies in the spring of 1996, covering expanding work during the last decade on common property resource (CPR) management. It is obvious that there were a broad range of definitions of the concept CPR in the literature. The common pool/property resource concepts are both used, often depending on the resource studied, and authors in this volume have used both terms accordingly. Certain points are raised from empirical cases presented in this volume that are partly missing or not thoroughly stressed in other work in the area of CPR management and which crystallized much clearer when contrasting the situation for cases from different scales. Separate abstracts have been performed for five of the seven contributions

Managing common resources in local and global systems. Applying theory across scales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karlsson, Sylvia [ed.

1997-12-31

The main point brought forward in this publication is the productiveness of applying theoretical elements, developed within common property resource (CPR) literature, to a broader field of cases on different scales. The common framework for the contributions is a series of seminars held at the Department of Water and Environmental Studies in the spring of 1996, covering expanding work during the last decade on common property resource (CPR) management. It is obvious that there were a broad range of definitions of the concept CPR in the literature. The common pool/property resource concepts are both used, often depending on the resource studied, and authors in this volume have used both terms accordingly. Certain points are raised from empirical cases presented in this volume that are partly missing or not thoroughly stressed in other work in the area of CPR management and which crystallized much clearer when contrasting the situation for cases from different scales. Separate abstracts have been performed for five of the seven contributions

Determination of Validity and Reliability of the Mobbing Scale for Indoor Sports Referees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serkan HACICAFEROĞLU

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose of this study is to conduct validity and reliability analyses of the scale prepared for determining the mobbing of indoor sports referees, who take active duties in different classes (basketball, handball and volleyball. In orde r to develop the scale, a trial scale made of 31 items in likert type was prepared and applied to referees and then factor analysis method was used, which converts many variables into meaningful and independent factors in fewer number. According to the dat a obtained from factor analysis, the scale has a structure of 14 articles and single component. It was determined that the total variance of scale items was 43.721 and factor load was between 0.48 and 0.76. The cronbach alpha internal coefficient of consis tency was computed as 0.82. Based on the values obtained from the scale it could be said that the Mobbing Scale for Indoor Sports Referees is valid and reliable.

COMPARISON OF 2D AND 3D APPROACHES FOR THE ALIGNMENT OF UAV AND LIDAR POINT CLOUDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. A. Persad

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The automatic alignment of 3D point clouds acquired or generated from different sensors is a challenging problem. The objective of the alignment is to estimate the 3D similarity transformation parameters, including a global scale factor, 3 rotations and 3 translations. To do so, corresponding anchor features are required in both data sets. There are two main types of alignment: i Coarse alignment and ii Refined Alignment. Coarse alignment issues include lack of any prior knowledge of the respective coordinate systems for a source and target point cloud pair and the difficulty to extract and match corresponding control features (e.g., points, lines or planes co-located on both point cloud pairs to be aligned. With the increasing use of UAVs, there is a need to automatically co-register their generated point cloud-based digital surface models with those from other data acquisition systems such as terrestrial or airborne lidar point clouds. This works presents a comparative study of two independent feature matching techniques for addressing 3D conformal point cloud alignment of UAV and lidar data in different 3D coordinate systems without any prior knowledge of the seven transformation parameters.

The Impact of Using Mobile Social Network Applications on Students' Social-Life

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelraheem, Ahmed Yousif; Ahmed, Abdelrahman Mohammed

2018-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of using Mobile Social Network Applications (MSNAs) on students' social life (social relations, family relations and social awareness). The study was designed as a survey study using a five-point Likert-type scale to collect data from the students. A sample of 211 students' response was analyzed.…

Accessibility Considerations for e-Learning in Ghana

Science.gov (United States)

Boateng, John Kwame

2016-01-01

This paper reports on a study that explored the best ways to design e-learning in order to provide better access for adult learners with disabilities. Two districts from the Central Region of Ghana were selected and two major research questions guided the study. The five-point Likert scale was employed between May and August of 2014. The two…

Compulsory Book Reading at School and within Leisure

Science.gov (United States)

Pavlovic, Slavica

2015-01-01

This paper deals with attitudes of secondary school pupils towards compulsory book reading at school, being the integral part of the subject Croat language and literature teaching subject, and its possible impact on their book (not-)reading in their leisure time. It is based on the research carried out through five-point Likert-type scale in…

Teacher Trainees' Strategies for Managing the Behaviours of Students with Special Needs

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Manisah Mohd.; Abdullah, Rozila; Majid, Rosadah Abdul

2014-01-01

This study aimed to determine how a group of teacher trainees handled challenging behaviour by students during teaching practice. A total of 35 teacher trainees from the special education programme of a local university were chosen as respondents. A questionnaire based on a 5-point Likert-type scale was administered in this study. The data were…

THREE-POINT PHASE CORRELATIONS: A NEW MEASURE OF NONLINEAR LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wolstenhulme, Richard; Bonvin, Camille [Kavli Institute for Cosmology Cambridge and Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OHA (United Kingdom); Obreschkow, Danail [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), M468, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia)

2015-05-10

We derive an analytical expression for a novel large-scale structure observable: the line correlation function. The line correlation function, which is constructed from the three-point correlation function of the phase of the density field, is a robust statistical measure allowing the extraction of information in the nonlinear and non-Gaussian regime. We show that, in perturbation theory, the line correlation is sensitive to the coupling kernel F{sub 2}, which governs the nonlinear gravitational evolution of the density field. We compare our analytical expression with results from numerical simulations and find a 1σ agreement for separations r ≳ 30 h{sup −1} Mpc. Fitting formulae for the power spectrum and the nonlinear coupling kernel at small scales allow us to extend our prediction into the strongly nonlinear regime, where we find a 1σ agreement with the simulations for r ≳ 2 h{sup −1} Mpc. We discuss the advantages of the line correlation relative to standard statistical measures like the bispectrum. Unlike the latter, the line correlation is independent of the bias, in the regime where the bias is local and linear. Furthermore, the variance of the line correlation is independent of the Gaussian variance on the modulus of the density field. This suggests that the line correlation can probe more precisely the nonlinear regime of gravity, with less contamination from the power spectrum variance.

Lost in translation?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Granas, Anne Gerd; Nørgaard, Lotte Stig; Sporrong, Sofia Kälvemark

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The "Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire" (BMQ) assess balance of necessity and concern of medicines. The BMQ has been translated from English to many languages. However, the original meaning of statements, such as "My medicine is a mystery to me", may be lost in translation. The aim...... of this study is to compare three Scandinavian translations of the BMQ. (1) How reliable are the translations? (2) Are they still valid after translation? METHODS: Translated Norwegian, Swedish and Danish versions of the BMQ were scrutinized by three native Scandinavian researchers. Linguistic differences...... and ambiguities in the 5-point Likert scale and the BMQ statements were compared. RESULTS: In the Scandinavian translations, the Likert scale expanded beyond the original version at one endpoint (Swedish) or both endpoints (Danish). In the BMQ statements, discrepancies ranged from smaller inaccuracies toward...

The public health disaster trust scale: validation of a brief measure.

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenman, David P; Williams, Malcolm V; Glik, Deborah; Long, Anna; Plough, Alonzo L; Ong, Michael

2012-01-01

Trust contributes to community resilience by the critical influence it has on the community's responses to public health recommendations before, during, and after disasters. However, trust in public health is a multifactorial concept that has rarely been defined and measured empirically in public health jurisdictional risk assessment surveys. Measuring trust helps public health departments identify and ameliorate a threat to effective risk communications and increase resilience. Such a measure should be brief to be incorporated into assessments conducted by public health departments. We report on a brief scale of public health disaster-related trust, its psychometric properties, and its validity. On the basis of a literature review, our conceptual model of public health disaster-related trust and previously conducted focus groups, we postulated that public health disaster-related trust includes 4 major domains: competency, honesty, fairness, and confidentiality. A random-digit-dialed telephone survey of the Los Angeles county population, conducted in 2004-2005 in 6 languages. Two thousand five hundred eighty-eight adults aged 18 years and older including oversamples of African Americans and Asian Americans. Trust was measured by 4 items scored on a 4-point Likert scale. A summary score from 4 to 16 was constructed. Scores ranged from 4 to 16 and were normally distributed with a mean of 8.5 (SD 2.7). Cronbach α = 0.79. As hypothesized, scores were lower among racial/ethnic minority populations than whites. Also, trust was associated with lower likelihood of following public health recommendations in a hypothetical disaster and lower likelihood of household disaster preparedness. The Public Health Disaster Trust scale may facilitate identifying communities where trust is low and prioritizing them for inclusion in community partnership building efforts under Function 2 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Preparedness Capability 1. The

Image subsampling and point scoring approaches for large-scale marine benthic monitoring programs

Science.gov (United States)

Perkins, Nicholas R.; Foster, Scott D.; Hill, Nicole A.; Barrett, Neville S.

2016-07-01

Benthic imagery is an effective tool for quantitative description of ecologically and economically important benthic habitats and biota. The recent development of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) allows surveying of spatial scales that were previously unfeasible. However, an AUV collects a large number of images, the scoring of which is time and labour intensive. There is a need to optimise the way that subsamples of imagery are chosen and scored to gain meaningful inferences for ecological monitoring studies. We examine the trade-off between the number of images selected within transects and the number of random points scored within images on the percent cover of target biota, the typical output of such monitoring programs. We also investigate the efficacy of various image selection approaches, such as systematic or random, on the bias and precision of cover estimates. We use simulated biotas that have varying size, abundance and distributional patterns. We find that a relatively small sampling effort is required to minimise bias. An increased precision for groups that are likely to be the focus of monitoring programs is best gained through increasing the number of images sampled rather than the number of points scored within images. For rare species, sampling using point count approaches is unlikely to provide sufficient precision, and alternative sampling approaches may need to be employed. The approach by which images are selected (simple random sampling, regularly spaced etc.) had no discernible effect on mean and variance estimates, regardless of the distributional pattern of biota. Field validation of our findings is provided through Monte Carlo resampling analysis of a previously scored benthic survey from temperate waters. We show that point count sampling approaches are capable of providing relatively precise cover estimates for candidate groups that are not overly rare. The amount of sampling required, in terms of both the number of images and

Evaluation of the SCA instrument for measuring patient satisfaction with cancer care administered via paper or via the Internet.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamo, N; Dandapani, S V; Miksad, R A; Houlihan, M J; Kaplan, I; Regan, M; Greenfield, T K; Sanda, M G

2011-03-01

Patients' perspectives provide valuable information on quality of care. This study evaluates the feasibility and validity of Internet administration of Service Satisfaction Scale for Cancer Care (SCA) to assess patient satisfaction with outcome, practitioner manner/skill, information, and waiting/access. Primary data collected from November 2007 to April 2008. Patients receiving cancer care within 1 year were recruited from oncology, surgery, and radiation clinics at a tertiary care hospital. An Internet-based version of the 16-item SCA was developed. Participants were randomised to Internet SCA followed by paper SCA 2 weeks later or vice versa. Seven-point Likert scale responses were converted to a 0-100 scale (minimum-maximum satisfaction). Response distribution, Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest correlations were calculated. Among 122 consenting participants, 78 responded to initial SCA. Mean satisfaction scores for paper/Internet were 91/90 (outcome), 95/94 (practitioner manner/skill), 89/90 (information), and 86/86 (waiting/access). Response rate and item missingness were similar for Internet and paper. Except for practitioner manner/skill, test-retest correlations were robust r = 0.77 (outcome), 0.74 (information), and 0.75 (waiting/access) (all P measurement of cancer care satisfaction for a wide range of cancer diagnoses, treatment modalities, and clinic settings.

Geospatial Google Street View with Virtual Reality: A Motivational Approach for Spatial Training Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Carbonell-Carrera

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Motivation is a determining factor in the learning process, and encourages the student to participate in activities that increase their performance. Learning strategies supplemented by computer technology in a scenario-based learning environment can improve students′ motivation for spatial knowledge acquisition. In this sense, a workshop carried out with 43-second year engineering students supported by Google Street View mobile geospatial application for location-based tasks is presented, in which participants work in an immersive wayfinding 3D urban environment on virtual reality. Students use their own smartphones with Google Street View application integrated in virtual reality (VR 3D glasses with a joystick as locomotion interface. The tool to analyse the motivational factor of this pedagogical approach is the multidimensional measurement device Intrinsic Motivation Inventory with six subscales: interest, perceived competence, perceived choice, effort, tension, and value, measured on a seven point Likert scale. Scores in all subscales considered are above 4 on a scale of 7. A usability study conducted at the end of the experiment provides values above 3 on a scale of 5 in efficacy, efficiency and satisfaction. The results of the experiment carried out indicate that geospatial Google Street View application in Virtual Reality is a motivating educational purpose in the field of spatial training.

Female Students Opinion about Women’s Participation in Sports

OpenAIRE

Mohammad Younis Khan; Asif Jamil; Umar Ali Khan; Uzma Kareem; Ghazanfar Imran

2012-01-01

A research study was conducted to know about the participation of Muslim girls and women in sports and philosophy of Islam in this regard. The population of this study was all female students of Government Girls Degree Colleges of District Dera Ismail Khan. Total 100 respondents selected from within the population through convenient or available sampling technique. For the purpose of collection of data a structured questionnaire on three point Likert scale, ranging from disagree (DA= 1 point)...

[Using a multicomponent functional food in IBS patients with constipation a comparative controlled study].

Science.gov (United States)

Pilipenko, V I; Teplyuk, D A; Shakhovskaya, A K; Isakov, V A; Vorobyova, V M; Vorobyova, I S; Sarkisyan, V A; Kochetkova, A A; Mikheeva, G A; Yudina, A V

2016-01-01

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is highly prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder associated with decrease in quality of life and a high social cost. Diet is one of several therapeutic options in IBS treatment; therefore the development and clinical evaluation of innovative functional food for IBS patients are actual. Instant drink containing 4 g inulin, 4 mg menthol and 2 mg of pyridoxine (in daily dose) has been evaluated. 49 patients 18-68 (41.5±16.5) years old fulfilling the Rome III criteria for IBS-C were randomly assigned into two groups: one received standard diet plus two drinks per day for 2 weeks and control group received standard diet. Response to therapy was recorded daily using Likert scale of abdominal pain, bloating and feeling of incomplete bowel emptying, frequency of bowel movement, Bristol stool scale, and quality of life was assessed by IBSQoL questionnaire before and after the treatment. The consumption of the drink with inulin and menthol contributed to a significant positive effect on the stool parameters (from 0.91±0.73 to 1.12±0.45 bowel movements per day in stool frequency, p=0.05, from 2.68±1.63 to 3.43±1.27 index Bristol scale, p=0.05), reduced the severity of abdominal pain (from 1.78±0.58 to 1.47?0.61 Likert scale points, p=0.05), bloating (from 2.22±0.83 to 1.53±0.71 points ofLikertscale,p= 0.01) and a sense of incomplete bowelemptying (from 2.22 ± 0.88 to 1.61± 0.81 points of Likert scale, p=0.001), as well as increased the quality of life (from 75.3± 12.0 to 83.3±6.7%, p=0.05), but a significant part of patients (10 of 25) complained the appearance of heartburn after the start of the treatment. In conclusion, the consumption of the functional drink containing inulin, menthol and pyridoxine is associated with improve in stool parameters, abdominal pain, Bristol scale index and increase in quality of life in patients with IBS-C, but produce noticeable heartburn. Changes in functional drink composition are needed to

Validation of the vaccine conspiracy beliefs scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Gilla K; Holding, Anne; Perez, Samara; Amsel, Rhonda; Rosberger, Zeev

2016-12-01

Parents' vaccine attitudes influence their decision regarding child vaccination. To date, no study has evaluated the impact of vaccine conspiracy beliefs on human papillomavirus vaccine acceptance. The authors assessed the validity of a Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (VCBS) and determined whether this scale was associated with parents' willingness to vaccinate their son with the HPV vaccine. Canadian parents completed a 24-min online survey in 2014. Measures included socio-demographic variables, HPV knowledge, health care provider recommendation, Conspiracy Mentality Questionnaire (CMQ), the seven-item VCBS, and parents' willingness to vaccinate their son at two price points. A total of 1427 Canadian parents completed the survey in English (61.2%) or French (38.8%). A Factor Analysis revealed the VCBS is one-dimensional and has high internal consistency (α=0.937). The construct validity of the VCBS was supported by a moderate relationship with the CMQ (r=0.44, pparents' willingness to vaccinate their son with the HPV vaccine at both price points ('free' or '$300') after controlling for gender, age, household income, education level, HPV knowledge, and health care provider recommendation. The VCBS is a brief, valid scale that will be useful in further elucidating the correlates of vaccine hesitancy. Future research could use the VCBS to evaluate the impact of vaccine conspiracies beliefs on vaccine uptake and how concerns about vaccination may be challenged and reversed. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Inhibition effect of calcium hydroxide point and chlorhexidine point on root canal bacteria of necrosis teeth

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Andry Leonard Je

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Calcium Hydroxide point and Chlorhexidine point are new drugs for eliminating bacteria in the root canal. The points slowly and controly realease Calcium Hydroxide and Chlorhexidine into root canal. The purpose of the study was to determined the effectivity of Calcium hydroxide point (Calcium hydroxide plus point and Chlorhexidine point in eleminating the root canal bacteria of nescrosis teeth. In this study 14 subjects were divided into 2 groups. The first group was treated with Calcium hydroxide point and the second was treated with Chlorhexidine poin. The bacteriological sampling were measured with spectrofotometry. The Paired T Test analysis (before and after showed significant difference between the first and second group. The Independent T Test which analysed the effectivity of both groups had not showed significant difference. Although there was no significant difference in statistical test, the result of second group eliminate more bacteria than the first group. The present finding indicated that the use of Chlorhexidine point was better than Calcium hydroxide point in seven days period. The conclusion is Chlorhexidine point and Calcium hydroxide point as root canal medicament effectively eliminate root canal bacteria of necrosis teeth.

Assessing organizational climate: psychometric properties of the CLIOR Scale.

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Peña-Suárez, Elsa; Muñiz, José; Campillo-Álvarez, Angela; Fonseca-Pedrero, Eduardo; García-Cueto, Eduardo

2013-02-01

Organizational climate is the set of perceptions shared by workers who occupy the same workplace. The main goal of this study is to develop a new organizational climate scale and to determine its psychometric properties. The sample consisted of 3,163 Health Service workers. A total of 88.7% of participants worked in hospitals, and 11.3% in primary care; 80% were women and 20% men, with a mean age of 51.9 years (SD= 6.28). The proposed scale consists of 50 Likert-type items, with an alpha coefficient of 0.97, and an essentially one-dimensional structure. The discrimination indexes of the items are greater than 0.40, and the items show no differential item functioning in relation to participants' sex. A short version of the scale was developed, made up of 15 items, with discrimination indexes higher than 0.40, an alpha coefficient of 0.94, and its structure was clearly one-dimensional. These results indicate that the new scale has adequate psychometric properties, allowing a reliable and valid assessment of organizational climate.

The effect of simulation-based crew resource management training on measurable teamwork and communication among interprofessional teams caring for postoperative patients.

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Paull, Douglas E; Deleeuw, Lori D; Wolk, Seth; Paige, John T; Neily, Julia; Mills, Peter D

2013-11-01

Many adverse events in health care are caused by teamwork and communication breakdown. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of a point-of-care simulation-based team training curriculum on measurable teamwork and communication skills in staff caring for postoperative patients. Twelve facilities involving 334 perioperative surgical staff underwent simulation-based training. Pretest and posttest self-report data included the Self-Efficacy of Teamwork Competencies Scale. Observational data were captured with the Clinical Teamwork Scale. Teamwork scores (measured on a five-point Likert scale) improved for all eight survey questions by an average of 18% (3.7 to 4.4, p communication rating (scale of 1 to 10) increased by 16% (5.6 to 6.4, p teamwork and communication. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

Twin Positive Solutions of a Nonlinear m-Point Boundary Value Problem for Third-Order p-Laplacian Dynamic Equations on Time Scales

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Wei Han

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Several existence theorems of twin positive solutions are established for a nonlinear m-point boundary value problem of third-order p-Laplacian dynamic equations on time scales by using a fixed point theorem. We present two theorems and four corollaries which generalize the results of related literature. As an application, an example to demonstrate our results is given. The obtained conditions are different from some known results.

Assessment of respondent acceptability of preference measures: discriminatory power of graphic positioning scale versus traditional scaling measures.

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Franic, Duska M; Pathak, Dev S

2003-01-01

The objective of this study was to compare discriminatory power of two different measures-graphic positioning scale (GPS) versus traditional scale (TS)-in assessing respondent acceptability of three preference measures: visual analog scale (VAS), standard gamble (SG), and willingness to pay (WTP). Two face-to-face interviews were conducted at least 1 week apart in a convenience sample of women aged 22 to 50 years with no history of breast cancer or cancer requiring chemotherapy. Study participation required completion of two surveys: one evaluating health preferences for an acute condition (chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting) and one evaluating a chronic condition (breast cancer). Data were collected from March 2000 to June 2000 at Ohio State University. Respondents were randomized to either GPS or TS surveys. Data analysis was a two-step process. First, a four-way multivariate repeated-measures analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to assess respondent acceptability of three-preference metrics-VAS, SG, and WTP-in health-care decision making. Each of the four dependent variables, difficulty, clarity, reasonableness, and comfort in use in decision making, was measured on 9-point Likert scale. Second, a mixed design univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for each dependent variable to optimize MANOVA analysis. Univariate ANOVAs, 2 x (2 x 3), were composed of three independent variables: assessment (GPS/TS), condition (acute and chronic), and preferences (VAS, SG, WTP). Of 126 respondents, 119 were usable and complete. MANOVA results showed (P <.05) for two main effects, condition (F4,114 = 6.375) and preferences (F8,110 = 9.290), and two significant interactions, condition x assessment (F4,114 = 3.421) and condition x preferences (F8,110 = 2.087). GPS has higher discriminatory power than TS in assessing respondent attitudes toward health preference measures. Results showed that respondents had more difficulty and less comfort when making

Identification of Response Options to Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM in Ghana via the Delphi Process

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Avik Basu

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The Delphi technique is a means of facilitating discussion among experts in order to develop consensus, and can be used for policy formulation. This article describes a modified Delphi approach in which 27 multi-disciplinary academics and 22 stakeholders from Ghana and North America were polled about ways to address negative effects of small-scale gold mining (ASGM in Ghana. In early 2014, the academics, working in disciplinary groups, synthesized 17 response options based on data aggregated during an Integrated Assessment of ASGM in Ghana. The researchers participated in two rounds of Delphi polling in March and April 2014, during which 17 options were condensed into 12. Response options were rated via a 4-point Likert scale in terms of benefit (economic, environmental, and benefit to people and feasibility (economic, social/cultural, political, and implementation. The six highest-scoring options populated a third Delphi poll, which 22 stakeholders from diverse sectors completed in April 2015. The academics and stakeholders also prioritized the response options using ranking exercises. The technique successfully gauged expert opinion on ASGM, and helped identify potential responses, policies and solutions for the sector. This is timely given that improvement to the ASGM sector is an important component within the UN Minamata Convention.

Identification of Response Options to Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) in Ghana via the Delphi Process.

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Basu, Avik; Phipps, Sean; Long, Rachel; Essegbey, George; Basu, Niladri

2015-09-10

The Delphi technique is a means of facilitating discussion among experts in order to develop consensus, and can be used for policy formulation. This article describes a modified Delphi approach in which 27 multi-disciplinary academics and 22 stakeholders from Ghana and North America were polled about ways to address negative effects of small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Ghana. In early 2014, the academics, working in disciplinary groups, synthesized 17 response options based on data aggregated during an Integrated Assessment of ASGM in Ghana. The researchers participated in two rounds of Delphi polling in March and April 2014, during which 17 options were condensed into 12. Response options were rated via a 4-point Likert scale in terms of benefit (economic, environmental, and benefit to people) and feasibility (economic, social/cultural, political, and implementation). The six highest-scoring options populated a third Delphi poll, which 22 stakeholders from diverse sectors completed in April 2015. The academics and stakeholders also prioritized the response options using ranking exercises. The technique successfully gauged expert opinion on ASGM, and helped identify potential responses, policies and solutions for the sector. This is timely given that improvement to the ASGM sector is an important component within the UN Minamata Convention.

Identification of Response Options to Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) in Ghana via the Delphi Process

Science.gov (United States)

Basu, Avik; Phipps, Sean; Long, Rachel; Essegbey, George; Basu, Niladri

2015-01-01

The Delphi technique is a means of facilitating discussion among experts in order to develop consensus, and can be used for policy formulation. This article describes a modified Delphi approach in which 27 multi-disciplinary academics and 22 stakeholders from Ghana and North America were polled about ways to address negative effects of small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Ghana. In early 2014, the academics, working in disciplinary groups, synthesized 17 response options based on data aggregated during an Integrated Assessment of ASGM in Ghana. The researchers participated in two rounds of Delphi polling in March and April 2014, during which 17 options were condensed into 12. Response options were rated via a 4-point Likert scale in terms of benefit (economic, environmental, and benefit to people) and feasibility (economic, social/cultural, political, and implementation). The six highest-scoring options populated a third Delphi poll, which 22 stakeholders from diverse sectors completed in April 2015. The academics and stakeholders also prioritized the response options using ranking exercises. The technique successfully gauged expert opinion on ASGM, and helped identify potential responses, policies and solutions for the sector. This is timely given that improvement to the ASGM sector is an important component within the UN Minamata Convention. PMID:26378557

Movement Skill Assessment of Typically Developing Preschool Children: A Review of Seven Movement Skill Assessment Tools

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Cools, Wouter; Martelaer, Kristine De; Samaey, Christiane; Andries, Caroline

2009-01-01

The importance of movement is often overlooked because it is such a natural part of human life. It is, however, crucial for a child’s physical, cognitive and social development. In addition, experiences support learning and development of fundamental movement skills. The foundations of those skills are laid in early childhood and essential to encourage a physically active lifestyle. Fundamental movement skill performance can be examined with several assessment tools. The choice of a test will depend on the context in which the assessment is planned. This article compares seven assessment tools which are often referred to in European or international context. It discusses the tools’ usefulness for the assessment of movement skill development in general population samples. After a brief description of each assessment tool the article focuses on contents, reliability, validity and normative data. A conclusion outline of strengths and weaknesses of all reviewed assessment tools focusing on their use in educational research settings is provided and stresses the importance of regular data collection of fundamental movement skill development among preschool children. Key pointsThis review discusses seven movement skill assessment tool’s test content, reliability, validity and normative samples.The seven assessment tools all showed to be of great value. Strengths and weaknesses indicate that test choice will depend on specific purpose of test use.Further data collection should also include larger data samples of able bodied preschool children.Admitting PE specialists in assessment of fundamental movement skill performance among preschool children is recommended.The assessment tool’s normative data samples would benefit from frequent movement skill performance follow-up of today’s children. Abbreviations MOT 4-6: Motoriktest fur vier- bis sechsjährige Kinder, M-ABC: Movement Assessment Battery for Children, PDMS: Peabody Development Scales, KTK: K�

The suitability of gray-scale electronic readers for dermatology journals.

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Choi, Jae Eun; Kim, Dai Hyun; Seo, Soo Hong; Kye, Young Chul; Ahn, Hyo Hyun

2014-12-01

The rapid development of information and communication technology has replaced traditional books by electronic versions. Most print dermatology journals have been replaced with electronic journals (e-journals), which are readily used by clinicians and medical students. The objectives of this study were to determine whether e-readers are appropriate for reading dermatology journals, to conduct an attitude study of both medical personnel and students, and to find a way of improving e-book use in the field of dermatology. All articles in the Korean Journal of Dermatology published from January 2010 to December 2010 were utilized in this study. Dermatology house officers, student trainees in their fourth year of medical school, and interns at Korea University Medical Center participated in the study. After reading the articles with Kindle 2, their impressions and evaluations were recorded using a questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale. The results demonstrated that gray-scale e-readers might not be suitable for reading dermatology journals, especially for case reports compared to the original articles. Only three of the thirty-one respondents preferred e-readers to printed papers. The most common suggestions from respondents to encourage usage of e-books in the field of dermatology were the introduction of a color display, followed by the use of a touch screen system, a cheaper price, and ready-to-print capabilities. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that current e-readers might not be suitable for reading dermatology journals. However, they may be utilized in selected situations according to the type and topic of the papers.

Large-scale block adjustment without use of ground control points based on the compensation of geometric calibration for ZY-3 images

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Yang, Bo; Wang, Mi; Xu, Wen; Li, Deren; Gong, Jianya; Pi, Yingdong

2017-12-01

The potential of large-scale block adjustment (BA) without ground control points (GCPs) has long been a concern among photogrammetric researchers, which is of effective guiding significance for global mapping. However, significant problems with the accuracy and efficiency of this method remain to be solved. In this study, we analyzed the effects of geometric errors on BA, and then developed a step-wise BA method to conduct integrated processing of large-scale ZY-3 satellite images without GCPs. We first pre-processed the BA data, by adopting a geometric calibration (GC) method based on the viewing-angle model to compensate for systematic errors, such that the BA input images were of good initial geometric quality. The second step was integrated BA without GCPs, in which a series of technical methods were used to solve bottleneck problems and ensure accuracy and efficiency. The BA model, based on virtual control points (VCPs), was constructed to address the rank deficiency problem caused by lack of absolute constraints. We then developed a parallel matching strategy to improve the efficiency of tie points (TPs) matching, and adopted a three-array data structure based on sparsity to relieve the storage and calculation burden of the high-order modified equation. Finally, we used the conjugate gradient method to improve the speed of solving the high-order equations. To evaluate the feasibility of the presented large-scale BA method, we conducted three experiments on real data collected by the ZY-3 satellite. The experimental results indicate that the presented method can effectively improve the geometric accuracies of ZY-3 satellite images. This study demonstrates the feasibility of large-scale mapping without GCPs.

Material Teaching Aids: Enhancement Tool for Teaching Essay Writing in Secondary Schools

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Fidelia, Okonkwo Adaobi

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of material teaching aids as enhancement tool for teaching essay writing in secondary schools in Ebonyi State. A 4-point Likert-scale questionnaire was used as the instrument. A trial test was conducted and tested for reliability and a value of 0.75 was obtained from the test. The instrument was…

Validation of the Oral Hygiene Habits Scale: Relationships with sociodemographic variables in the general and clinical population of Monterrey, Mexico.

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Norma Rodríguez

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Several socioeconomic factors are associated with poor oral hygiene habits. A version of the Oral Hygiene Habits Scale (OHHS was developed in Mexico to measure these factors; however, its relationship with sociodemographic variables has not been studied. The verification of these relationships could contribute to the validation of the scale. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between oral hygiene habits and sociodemographic variables of sex, age, schooling, self-defined socioeconomic stratum, occupation and marital status in the general and clinical population of Monterrey, Mexico. Materials and Methods: A general population sample (GPS of 256 participants and a clinical sample (CPS of 240 participants were studied. The OHHS consisted of an eight-item Likert scale of 4 points ranging from 0 to 4. A descriptive correlational study was performed with a cross-sectional design. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman correlation coefficient, Cramer's V coefficient, and multivariate aligned rank test. Results: In GPS and CPS groups, OHHS was related to sex, schooling, socioeconomic stratum, occupation and marital status, but not to age. There were no significant interactions between the samples (GPS and CPS and sociodemographic variables. Conclusion: There is a statistically significant relationship between oral hygiene habits and some sociodemographic variables in the general and clinical population. This relationship supports the validity of the OHHS.

Validation of the vaccine conspiracy beliefs scale

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Gilla K. Shapiro

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Parents’ vaccine attitudes influence their decision regarding child vaccination. To date, no study has evaluated the impact of vaccine conspiracy beliefs on human papillomavirus vaccine acceptance. The authors assessed the validity of a Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (VCBS and determined whether this scale was associated with parents’ willingness to vaccinate their son with the HPV vaccine. Methods: Canadian parents completed a 24-min online survey in 2014. Measures included socio-demographic variables, HPV knowledge, health care provider recommendation, Conspiracy Mentality Questionnaire (CMQ, the seven-item VCBS, and parents’ willingness to vaccinate their son at two price points. Results: A total of 1427 Canadian parents completed the survey in English (61.2% or French (38.8%. A Factor Analysis revealed the VCBS is one-dimensional and has high internal consistency (α=0.937. The construct validity of the VCBS was supported by a moderate relationship with the CMQ (r=0.44, p<0.001. Hierarchical regression analyses found the VCBS is negatively related to parents’ willingness to vaccinate their son with the HPV vaccine at both price points (‘free’ or ‘$300′ after controlling for gender, age, household income, education level, HPV knowledge, and health care provider recommendation. Conclusions: The VCBS is a brief, valid scale that will be useful in further elucidating the correlates of vaccine hesitancy. Future research could use the VCBS to evaluate the impact of vaccine conspiracies beliefs on vaccine uptake and how concerns about vaccination may be challenged and reversed. Keywords: Cancer prevention, Conspiracy beliefs, Human papillomavirus, Vaccine hesitancy, Vaccines, Vaccine Conspiracy Belief Scale

Evaluating the self-assessed support needs of women with breast cancer.

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Lindop, E; Cannon, S

2001-06-01

The first aim of the study was to identify the self-assessed support needs of women with breast cancer at various points of illness and, secondly, to establish if these needs formed clusters which could provide the basis for developing a standardized scale of needs for use by breast care teams in the evaluation of care. It has been found that support given to women with breast cancer has a positive effect upon their reactions to the illness and may even prolong their survival. Given that breast cancer affects a large number of women it is obviously important that those affected receive, in addition to the best available medical treatment, the type of support that best meets their needs. This study aimed to provide information on the impact of breast cancer and the need for various types of support by examining women's own assessment of their needs at different stages of their illness. A purposive sample of 12 women with a diagnosis of breast cancer was selected in one health authority in England, United Kingdom (UK). Women selected represented a wide age range (between 26 and 58), were married or in long-term cohabiting relationships and were at different points on the illness trajectory. Women were invited to take part in a semi-structured interview about their experiences of breast cancer. The data from these interviews were analysed using the software package Qualitative Solutions and Research, Nonnumerical Data Indexing, Searching and Theorizing (QSR*NUDIST). Following this content analysis, a questionnaire was formulated which divided statements into seven categories: diagnosis, treatment, support, femininity and body image, family and friends, information and after care, to be rated on a Likert scale ranging from "of no importance" to "extremely important". Questionnaire data were analysed by means of a one-way analysis of variance (for three independent variables) or t-test for two independent variables. Results. The questionnaire was sent to 971 women and

Internal consistency of a five-item form of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity among adolescent students.

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Campo-Arias, Adalberto; Oviedo, Heidi Celina; Cogollo, Zuleima

2009-04-01

The short form of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity (L. J. Francis, 1992) is a 7-item Likert-type scale that shows high homogeneity among adolescents. The psychometric performance of a shorter version of this scale has not been explored. The authors aimed to determine the internal consistency of a 5-item form of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity among 405 students from a school in Cartagena, Colombia. The authors computed the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the 5 items with a greater corrected item-total punctuation correlation. The version without Items 2 and 7 showed internal consistency of .87. The 5-item version of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity exhibited higher internal consistency than did the 7-item version. Future researchers should corroborate this finding.

Neutrinoless double beta decay in chiral effective field theory: lepton number violation at dimension seven

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Cirigliano, V.; Dekens, W.; de Vries, J.; Graesser, M. L.; Mereghetti, E.

2017-12-01

We analyze neutrinoless double beta decay (0 νββ) within the framework of the Standard Model Effective Field Theory. Apart from the dimension-five Weinberg operator, the first contributions appear at dimension seven. We classify the operators and evolve them to the electroweak scale, where we match them to effective dimension-six, -seven, and -nine operators. In the next step, after renormalization group evolution to the QCD scale, we construct the chiral Lagrangian arising from these operators. We develop a power-counting scheme and derive the two-nucleon 0 νββ currents up to leading order in the power counting for each lepton-number-violating operator. We argue that the leading-order contribution to the decay rate depends on a relatively small number of nuclear matrix elements. We test our power counting by comparing nuclear matrix elements obtained by various methods and by different groups. We find that the power counting works well for nuclear matrix elements calculated from a specific method, while, as in the case of light Majorana neutrino exchange, the overall magnitude of the matrix elements can differ by factors of two to three between methods. We calculate the constraints that can be set on dimension-seven lepton-number-violating operators from 0 νββ experiments and study the interplay between dimension-five and -seven operators, discussing how dimension-seven contributions affect the interpretation of 0 νββ in terms of the effective Majorana mass m ββ .

Comparison of seven fall risk assessment tools in community-dwelling Korean older women.

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Kim, Taekyoung; Xiong, Shuping

2017-03-01

This study aimed to compare seven widely used fall risk assessment tools in terms of validity and practicality, and to provide a guideline for choosing appropriate fall risk assessment tools for elderly Koreans. Sixty community-dwelling Korean older women (30 fallers and 30 matched non-fallers) were evaluated. Performance measures of all tools were compared between the faller and non-faller groups through two sample t-tests. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves were generated with odds ratios for discriminant analysis. Results showed that four tools had significant discriminative power, and the shortened version of Falls Efficacy Scale (SFES) showed excellent discriminant validity, followed by Berg Balance Scale (BBS) with acceptable discriminant validity. The Mini Balance Evaluation System Test and Timed Up and Go, however, had limited discriminant validities. In terms of practicality, SFES was also excellent. These findings suggest that SFES is the most suitable tool for assessing the fall risks of community-dwelling Korean older women, followed by BBS. Practitioner Summary: There is no general guideline on which fall risk assessment tools are suitable for community-dwelling Korean older women. This study compared seven widely used assessment tools in terms of validity and practicality. Results suggested that the short Falls Efficacy Scale is the most suitable tool, followed by Berg Balance Scale.

Managing Contextual Complexity in an Experiential Learning Course: A Dynamic Systems Approach through the Identification of Turning Points in Students' Emotional Trajectories

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Gloria Nogueiras

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This study adopts a dynamic systems approach to investigate how individuals successfully manage contextual complexity. To that end, we tracked individuals' emotional trajectories during a challenging training course, seeking qualitative changes–turning points—and we tested their relationship with the perceived complexity of the training. The research context was a 5-day higher education course based on process-oriented experiential learning, and the sample consisted of 17 students. The students used a five-point Likert scale to rate the intensity of 16 emotions and the complexity of the training on 8 measurement points. Monte Carlo permutation tests enabled to identify 30 turning points in the 272 emotional trajectories analyzed (17 students * 16 emotions each. 83% of the turning points indicated a change of pattern in the emotional trajectories that consisted of: (a increasingly intense positive emotions or (b decreasingly intense negative emotions. These turning points also coincided with particularly complex periods in the training as perceived by the participants (p = 0.003, and p = 0.001 respectively. The relationship between positively-trended turning points in the students' emotional trajectories and the complexity of the training may be interpreted as evidence of a successful management of the cognitive conflict arising from the clash between the students' prior ways of meaning-making and the challenging demands of the training. One of the strengths of this study is that it provides a relatively simple procedure for identifying turning points in developmental trajectories, which can be applied to various longitudinal experiences that are very common in educational and developmental contexts. Additionally, the findings contribute to sustaining that the assumption that complex contextual demands lead unfailingly to individuals' learning is incomplete. Instead, it is how individuals manage complexity which may or may not lead to

Medium-Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (MSTIDs) resulting from Chelyabinsk Meteor Blast

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Sheeks, B. J.; Warren, N.; Coster, A. J.

2013-12-01

A global network of GPS receivers continuously make line-of-sight (LOS) measurements of the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere. This TEC measurement data can be analyzed to 'persistently monitor' natural and man-made activity in the atmosphere (such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, rocket launches, etc) which propagate into the ionosphere to produce TIDs (Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances). As an example we have analyzed in detail the TIDs resulting from the 15 Feb 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor blast as observed by the Artu GPS receiver site in Arti, Russia close to the event. Seven of the GPS satellite measurements with LOS pierce points within 1000 km of the blast show disturbances. Four of these clearly show VTEC oscillations with ~12 minute periods. The other three show much weaker responses, but their LOS pierce points are far from the blast and their aspects between the geomagnetic field & blast propagation vector are unfavorable (near broadside). By fitting all seven measurements we estimate a propagation speed of ~380 m/s for these medium-scale TIDs. As future 'persistent surveillance' efforts we intend to investigate the observability of man-made activities such as static rocket engine firings in TEC measurements. Analysis of MSTIDs resulting from the Chelyabinsk meteor blast

WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations

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Sabina Lim

2010-01-01

Full Text Available ‘WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region (WHO Standard was released in 2008. Initially, there were 92/361 controversial acupuncture points (acupoints. Through seven informal consultations and four task force team meetings, 86 points were agreed upon among the 92 controversial acupoints, leaving 6 remaining controversial acupoints, demanding active research in the future. This will enhance the reproducibility and validity of acupuncture studies. It will also lead to a better understanding of acupuncture mechanisms in order to optimize its clinical efficacy for a range of diseases and syndromes. This book has two parts: General Guidelines for Acupuncture Point Locations and WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations. First of all, familiarity with the General Guidelines for Acupuncture Point Locations in this book can help the reader to understand and use the contents of this book in depth. I would like to thank all of the participating experts and scholars for this great work, who have overcome the limits of previous acupuncture references. I also appreciate the dedicated effort and harmonious leadership of Dr Choi Seung-hoon, former Regional Adviser in Traditional Medicine of Western Pacific Office, WHO.

Development and Examination of Personal and Social Responsibility Behaviors Scale

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Bijen FİLİZ

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In this study, “Personal and Social Responsibility Behaviors Scale (PSRB-S” was developed in order to determine students’ responsibility behaviors in accordance with “Personal and Social Responsibility” model developed by Don Hellison and students’ personal and social responsibility levels were examined in terms of gender, age and years of sport practice through this scale. Pertaining to personal and social dimension of responsibility, four-category Likert type trial scale consisting of 52 items and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA were applied to 330 high-school students. Items that did not apply as a result of the analysis were omitted from 52-item trial scale and the scale was reduced to 14 items. A final scale consisting of two factors was created. Obtained scale was applied to different 250 high-school students for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA. It has been determined that EFA and CFA results of two-factor PSRB-S and reliability and validity of internal consistency coefficients are at an acceptable level. It was not detected a significance difference in total scores of athlete students’ responsibility behaviors in terms of gender and age variables while there were significant difference in their total scores of years of sport practice.

Interesting Interest Points

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aanæs, Henrik; Dahl, Anders Lindbjerg; Pedersen, Kim Steenstrup

2012-01-01

on spatial invariance of interest points under changing acquisition parameters by measuring the spatial recall rate. The scope of this paper is to investigate the performance of a number of existing well-established interest point detection methods. Automatic performance evaluation of interest points is hard......Not all interest points are equally interesting. The most valuable interest points lead to optimal performance of the computer vision method in which they are employed. But a measure of this kind will be dependent on the chosen vision application. We propose a more general performance measure based...... position. The LED illumination provides the option for artificially relighting the scene from a range of light directions. This data set has given us the ability to systematically evaluate the performance of a number of interest point detectors. The highlights of the conclusions are that the fixed scale...

Fundamental size limitations of micro four-point probes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ansbæk, Thor; Petersen, Dirch Hjorth; Hansen, Ole

2009-01-01

The continued down-scaling of integrated circuits and magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) for hard disc read heads presents a challenge to current metrology technology. The four-point probes (4PP), currently used for sheet resistance characterization in these applications, therefore must be down......-scaled as well in order to correctly characterize the extremely thin films used. This presents a four-point probe design and fabrication challenge. We analyze the fundamental limitation on down-scaling of a generic micro four-point probe (M4PP) in a comprehensive study, where mechanical, thermal, and electrical...

Point specificity in acupuncture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Choi Emma M

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract The existence of point specificity in acupuncture is controversial, because many acupuncture studies using this principle to select control points have found that sham acupoints have similar effects to those of verum acupoints. Furthermore, the results of pain-related studies based on visual analogue scales have not supported the concept of point specificity. In contrast, hemodynamic, functional magnetic resonance imaging and neurophysiological studies evaluating the responses to stimulation of multiple points on the body surface have shown that point-specific actions are present. This review article focuses on clinical and laboratory studies supporting the existence of point specificity in acupuncture and also addresses studies that do not support this concept. Further research is needed to elucidate the point-specific actions of acupuncture.

Ecosystem-scale compensation points of formic and acetic acid in the central Amazon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Jardine

2011-12-01

source in the dry season (FA/AA < 1.0 to a vegetation dominated source in the wet season (FA/AA > 1.0. Our observations provide the first ecosystem-scale evidence of bidirectional FA and AA exchange between a forest canopy and the atmosphere controlled by ambient concentrations and ecosystem scale compensation points (estimated to be 1.3 ± 0.3 nmol mol⁻¹: FA, and 2.1 ± 0.4 nmol mol⁻¹: AA. These results suggest the need for a fundamental change in how future biosphere-atmosphere exchange models should treat FA and AA with a focus on factors that influence net exchange rates (ambient concentrations and ecosystem compensation points rather than treating emissions and deposition separately.

Percepção de Justiça nos Sistemas de Controle Gerencial Aumenta Comprometimento e Confiança dos Gestores?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilse Maria Beuren

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The goal of this is study is to determine whether the perception of fairness regarding the dimensions of the Management Control Systems increases managers’ commitment and confidence. Thus, a descriptive research was carried out through a survey of 500 companies listed among the Best and Biggest by Exame Magazine, from which 180 agreed to participate in the study. The final sample consisted of 67 respondents. The instrument used consists of 26 statements, with seven-point Likert interval scales of measurement. The assumptions made in the study were tested with the application of a statistical multivariate analysis technique called Structural Equation Modeling. The survey results show that the controllability principle and the use of multiple performance indicators increase the perception of distributive and procedural fairness; the perception of interactional and procedural fairness dimensions increase managers’ commitment; and managers’ confidence is influenced by perceptions of distributive and interactional fairness. Based on these results we conclude that managers’ commitment and confidence can be prominent attitudinal and behavioral factors in reducing retaliatory actions caused by a sense of organizational unfairness.

The Use of Personal Value Estimations to Select Images for Preservation in Public Library Digital Community Collections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Copeland

2014-05-01

Full Text Available A considerable amount of information, particularly in image form, is shared on the web through social networking sites. If any of this content is worthy of preservation, who decides what is to be preserved and based on what criteria. This paper explores the potential for public libraries to assume this role of community digital repositories through the creation of digital collections. Thirty public library users and thirty librarians were solicited from the Indianapolis metropolitan area to evaluate five images selected from Flickr in terms of their value to public library digital collections and their worthiness of long-term preservation. Using a seven-point Likert scale, participants assigned a value to each image in terms of its importance to self, family and society. Participants were then asked to explain the reasoning behind their valuations. Public library users and librarians had similar value estimations of the images in the study. This is perhaps the most significant finding of the study, given the importance of collaboration and forming partnerships for building and sustaining community collections and archives.

Application of marketing mix concept in student recruitment strategies: Evidence from University of Novi Sad, Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodić-Lukić Vesna

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The first subject of research in this article is the review and comparison of various theoretical approaches to marketing applied in institutions of higher education. The authors have observed the marketing as an active process by which institutions of higher education attract their users' attention to the educational services they offer. The research has sought for an answer to the question which marketing mix instrument has the greatest impact on the student decision to enroll at a particular faculty at the University of Novi Sad. The study involved 783 students at six faculties of this university. The authors used a non-standardized survey questionnaire to measure the attitudes towards 26 different marketing tools, using the five-point Likert scale. Principal components factor analysis was used to classify variables. The authors singled out seven factors relevant to the faculty choice: people, physical evidence, promotion, image, resources and extra services, location and price. The results coincided with the traditional elements of marketing mix (7P to a greater or lesser extent, confirming the results of previously conducted studies.

HOLLOW VICTORY? BRITAIN’S PUBLIC DEBT AND THE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jari Eloranta

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This article addresses the implications of the cost of warfare and the debt burdens that typically arise from conflicts. It examines how much Britain’s public debt rose during and after the Seven Years’ War and the implications of this growth. While it considers the various reasons for the dramatic rise, the primary focus is military spending. The addition of the North American continent as a major theater of war created the need for higher spending and helped double the national debt from the pre-war total. As with modern economic issues, contemporary discussion of the debt crisis became a normal talking point in letters and political debates. Ultimately, this article supports the argument that the Seven Years’ War contributed to the American Revolution via the unexpected fiscal pressures on Great Britain.

Proof of Concept of Automated Collision Detection Technology in Rugby Sevens.

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, Anthea C; Anson, Judith M; Pyne, David B

2017-04-01

Clarke, AC, Anson, JM, and Pyne, DB. Proof of concept of automated collision detection technology in rugby sevens. J Strength Cond Res 31(4): 1116-1120, 2017-Developments in microsensor technology allow for automated detection of collisions in various codes of football, removing the need for time-consuming postprocessing of video footage. However, little research is available on the ability of microsensor technology to be used across various sports or genders. Game video footage was matched with microsensor-detected collisions (GPSports) in one men's (n = 12 players) and one women's (n = 12) rugby sevens match. True-positive, false-positive, and false-negative events between video and microsensor-detected collisions were used to calculate recall (ability to detect a collision) and precision (accurately identify a collision). The precision was similar between the men's and women's rugby sevens game (∼0.72; scale 0.00-1.00); however, the recall in the women's game (0.45) was less than that for the men's game (0.69). This resulted in 45% of collisions for men and 62% of collisions for women being incorrectly labeled. Currently, the automated collision detection system in GPSports microtechnology units has only modest utility in rugby sevens, and it seems that a rugby sevens-specific algorithm is needed. Differences in measures between the men's and women's game may be a result of physical size, and strength, and physicality, as well as technical and tactical factors.

An Empirical Comparison of Seven Iterative and Evolutionary Function Optimization Heuristics

Science.gov (United States)

Baluja, Shumeet

1995-01-01

This report is a repository of the results obtained from a large scale empirical comparison of seven iterative and evolution-based optimization heuristics. Twenty-seven static optimization problems, spanning six sets of problem classes which are commonly explored in genetic algorithm literature, are examined. The problem sets include job-shop scheduling, traveling salesman, knapsack, binpacking, neural network weight optimization, and standard numerical optimization. The search spaces in these problems range from 2368 to 22040. The results indicate that using genetic algorithms for the optimization of static functions does not yield a benefit, in terms of the final answer obtained, over simpler optimization heuristics. Descriptions of the algorithms tested and the encodings of the problems are described in detail for reproducibility.

D etermining the V alidity and the R eliability of the Mobbing Scale for the Football Referees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serkan HACICAFEROĞLU

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to analyse the validity and reliability of the Mobbing Scale for the Football Referees (MSFR, prepared for determining the levels of psychological mobbing behaviours that the active football ranking referees in the Turkish Football Federation are exposed to. An attempts to develop the scale was made by having prepared a test scale consisting of 45 items of five - point Likert type and then applied to the referees and then a factor analysis method was used which changed the la rge number of variables by making them a small number of significant and independent from each others factors. According to the data acquired from the factor analysis procedure, the scale showed 21 + 12 items and a structure of three + two components. It w as found out that the first 21 items in the scale were formed from three sub - dimensions (attack on the profession of the individual, attack on the sociability of the individual, attack on the personality of the individual, whereas the 12 items were formed from two sub - dimensions (Sports and social environment. The total variance of the scale explained in attack dimensions (21 items on the individual’s profession, sociability, and personality was calculated as 61.32, and its cronbach’s alpha internal con sistency coefficient was calculated as 0.92. And its factor loadings were observed between 0.50 and 0.86. And the total variance which explains the sub - dimensions of the sports and social the environment (12 items was calculated as 88.7, and the Cronbach 's alpha internal consistency coefficient as 0.97. The factor loadings were found to be between 0.66 and 0.88. When taking into consideration the values obtained from the scale, it can be said that the Mobbing Scale Related to the Football Referees was a v alid and a reliable scale.

Phenomenology of local scale invariance: from conformal invariance to dynamical scaling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henkel, Malte

2002-01-01

Statistical systems displaying a strongly anisotropic or dynamical scaling behaviour are characterized by an anisotropy exponent θ or a dynamical exponent z. For a given value of θ (or z), we construct local scale transformations, which can be viewed as scale transformations with a space-time-dependent dilatation factor. Two distinct types of local scale transformations are found. The first type may describe strongly anisotropic scaling of static systems with a given value of θ, whereas the second type may describe dynamical scaling with a dynamical exponent z. Local scale transformations act as a dynamical symmetry group of certain non-local free-field theories. Known special cases of local scale invariance are conformal invariance for θ=1 and Schroedinger invariance for θ=2. The hypothesis of local scale invariance implies that two-point functions of quasi primary operators satisfy certain linear fractional differential equations, which are constructed from commuting fractional derivatives. The explicit solution of these yields exact expressions for two-point correlators at equilibrium and for two-point response functions out of equilibrium. A particularly simple and general form is found for the two-time auto response function. These predictions are explicitly confirmed at the uniaxial Lifshitz points in the ANNNI and ANNNS models and in the aging behaviour of simple ferromagnets such as the kinetic Glauber-Ising model and the kinetic spherical model with a non-conserved order parameter undergoing either phase-ordering kinetics or non-equilibrium critical dynamics

SharePoint 2010 Field Guide

CERN Document Server

Mann, Steven; Gazmuri, Pablo; Caravajal, Steve; Wheeler, Christina

2012-01-01

Hands-on solutions for common SharePoint 2010 challenges Aimed at the more than 100 million licensed SharePoint 2010 users, this indispensable field guide addresses an abundance of common SharePoint 2010 problems and offers proven solutions. A team of authors encourages you to customize SharePoint beyond the out-of-the-box functionality so that you can build more complex solutions to these challenges. You?ll discover intricate details and specific full-scale solutions that you can then implement to your own SharePoint 2010 solutions.Tackles a variety of SharePoint 2010 problems ranging from si

A new method for determination of most likely landslide initiation points and the evaluation of digital terrain model scale in terrain stability mapping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Tarolli

2006-01-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces a new approach for determining the most likely initiation points for landslides from potential instability mapped using a terrain stability model. This approach identifies the location with critical stability index from a terrain stability model on each downslope path from ridge to valley. Any measure of terrain stability may be used with this approach, which here is illustrated using results from SINMAP, and from simply taking slope as an index of potential instability. The relative density of most likely landslide initiation points within and outside mapped landslide scars provides a way to evaluate the effectiveness of a terrain stability measure, even when mapped landslide scars include run out zones, rather than just initiation locations. This relative density was used to evaluate the utility of high resolution terrain data derived from airborne laser altimetry (LIDAR for a small basin located in the Northeastern Region of Italy. Digital Terrain Models were derived from the LIDAR data for a range of grid cell sizes (from 2 to 50 m. We found appreciable differences between the density of most likely landslide initiation points within and outside mapped landslides with ratios as large as three or more with the highest ratios for a digital terrain model grid cell size of 10 m. This leads to two conclusions: (1 The relative density from a most likely landslide initiation point approach is useful for quantifying the effectiveness of a terrain stability map when mapped landslides do not or can not differentiate between initiation, runout, and depositional areas; and (2 in this study area, where landslides occurred in complexes that were sometimes more than 100 m wide, a digital terrain model scale of 10 m is optimal. Digital terrain model scales larger than 10 m result in loss of resolution that degrades the results, while for digital terrain model scales smaller than 10 m the physical processes responsible for triggering

Do Talkativeness and Vocal Loudness Correlate With Laryngeal Pathology? A Study of the Vocal Overdoer/Underdoer Continuum.

Science.gov (United States)

Bastian, Robert W; Thomas, James P

2016-09-01

Assess the correlation between self-rating scales of talkativeness and loudness with various types of voice disorders. This is a retrospective study. A total of 974 patients were analyzed. The cohort study included 430 consecutive patients presenting to the senior author with voice complaints from December 1995 to December 1998. The case-control study added 544 consecutive patients referred to the same examiner from January 1988 to December 1998 for vocal fold examination before thyroid, parathyroid, and carotid surgery. Patient responses on seven-point Likert self-rating scales of talkativeness and loudness were compared with laryngeal disease. Mucosal lesions clearly associated with vibratory trauma are strongly associated with a high self-rating of talkativeness. Laryngeal deconditioning disorders were associated with a low self-rating of talkativeness. Use of a simple self-rating scale of vocal loudness and talkativeness during history taking can reliably orient the examiner to the types of voice disorders likely to be diagnosed subsequently during vocal capability testing and visual laryngeal examination. The high degree of talkativeness and loudness seen in vocal overdoers correlates well with mucosal disorders such as nodules, polyps, capillary ectasia, epidermoid inclusion cysts, and hemorrhage. A lower degree of talkativeness correlates with muscle deconditioning disorders such as vocal fold bowing, atrophy, presbyphonia, and vocal fatigue syndrome. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NEWS for Africa: adaptation and reliability of a built environment questionnaire for physical activity in seven African countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Oyeyemi, Adewale L; Kasoma, Sandra S; Onywera, Vincent O; Assah, Felix; Adedoyin, Rufus A; Conway, Terry L; Moss, Sarah J; Ocansey, Reginald; Kolbe-Alexander, Tracy L; Akinroye, Kingsley K; Prista, Antonio; Larouche, Richard; Gavand, Kavita A; Cain, Kelli L; Lambert, Estelle V; Aryeetey, Richmond; Bartels, Clare; Tremblay, Mark S; Sallis, James F

2016-03-08

Built environment and policy interventions are effective strategies for controlling the growing worldwide deaths from physical inactivity-related non-communicable diseases. To improve built environment research and develop African specific evidence, it is important to first tailor built environment measures to African contexts and assess their psychometric properties across African countries. This study reports on the adaptation and test-retest reliability of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale in seven sub-Saharan African countries (NEWS-Africa). The original NEWS comprising 8 subscales measuring reported physical and social attributes of neighborhood environments was systematically adapted for Africa through extensive input from physical activity and public health researchers, built environment professionals, and residents in seven African countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda. Cognitive testing of NEWS-Africa was conducted among diverse residents (N = 109, 50 youth [12 - 17 years] and 59 adults [22 - 67 years], 69 % from low socioeconomic status [SES] neighborhoods). NEWS-Africa was translated into local languages and evaluated for 2-week test-retest reliability in adult participants (N = 301; female = 50.2 %; age = 32.3 ± 12.9 years) purposively recruited from neighborhoods varying in walkability (high and low walkable) and SES (high and low income) and from villages in six of seven participating countries. The original 67 NEWS items was expanded to 89 scores (76 individual NEWS items and 13 computed scales). Several modifications were made to individual items, and some new items were added to capture important attributes in the African environment. A new scale on personal safety was created, and the aesthetics scale was enlarged to reflect African specific characteristics. Over 95 % of all NEWS-Africa scores (items plus computed scales) demonstrated evidence of "excellent" (ICCs�

Pharmacists’ Attitudes and Perceived Barriers about Community Pharmacy-Based Cardiovascular Risk Screening Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Jahangard-Rafsanjani

2015-10-01

Full Text Available  Background: Community pharmacies are considered as ideal settings to provide cardiovascular risk screening (CRS. However, little is known about pharmacists’ views on providing such services in developing countries including Iran. In the present study, we evaluated the pharmacists’ attitudes and perceived barriers to providing CRS services. Methods:In a cross-sectional study, a questionnaire in three sections was developed by the investigators (attitudes, perceived barriers, and demographics. Five likert items (5 points bipolar scale were designed to evaluate pharmacists’ attitudes about their professional role in providing CRS services in community pharmacies. Seven likert items were designed to assess the pharmacists’ perceived importance of possible barriers to providing the services. The study tool was distributed among a convenient sample of 500 pharmacists, who had participated in a national continuing education event. Results:The response rate was 44% and descriptive statistics and Chi squared test were used to analyze data. Results showed that 70.4% participants had an overall positive attitude to providing CRS services. Pharmacists who were pharmacy owner and pharmacist-in-charge simultaneously were more positive about providing CRS services. Lack of regulatory policy and compensation mechanism, limited physical space in pharmacy and time limitation were reported to be the most important barriers to providing CRS services (> 50% rated as highly important. Low human resource and time limitation were significantly associated with negative attitudes (P: 0.02 and 0.001, respectively.Conclusion:The Iranian pharmacists’ attitudes seem to be positive about providing CRS services; however, their perceived barriers should be addressed prior to CRS service implementation.

SharePoint governance

OpenAIRE

Ali, Mudassar

2013-01-01

Masteroppgave i informasjons- og kommunikasjonsteknologi IKT590 2013 – Universitetet i Agder, Grimstad SharePoint is a web-based business collaboration platform from Microsoft which is very robust and dynamic in nature. The platform has been in the market for more than a decade and has been adapted by large number of organisations in the world. The platform has become larger in scale, richer in features and is improving consistently with every new version. However, SharePoint ...

The SCI Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES: development and psychometric properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ho Pei-Shu

2007-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Rising prevalence of secondary conditions among persons with spinal cord injury (SCI has focused recent attention to potential health promotion programs designed to reduce such adverse health conditions. A healthy lifestyle for people with SCI, including and specifically, the adoption of a vigorous exercise routine, has been shown to produce an array of health benefits, prompting many providers to recommend the implementation of such activity to those with SCI. Successfully adopting such an exercise regimen however, requires confidence in one's ability to engage in exercise or exercise self-efficacy. Exercise self-efficacy has not been assessed adequately for people with SCI due to a lack of validated and reliable scales, despite self efficacy's status as one of the most widely researched concepts and despite its broad application in health promotion studies. Exercise self efficacy supporting interventions for people with SCI are only meaningful if appropriate measurement tools exist. The objective of our study was to develop a psychometrically sound exercise self-efficacy self-report measure for people with SCI. Methods Based on literature reviews, expert comments and cognitive testing, 10 items were included and made up the 4-point Likert SCI Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES in its current form. The ESES was administered as part of the first wave of a nationwide survey (n = 368 on exercise behavior and was also tested separately for validity in four groups of individuals with SCI. Reliability and validity testing was performed using SPSS 12.0. Results Cronbach's alpha was .9269 for the ESES. High internal consistency was confirmed in split-half (EQ Length Spearman Brown = .8836. Construct validity was determined using principal component factor analysis by correlating the aggregated ESES items with the Generalised Self Efficacy Scale (GSE. We found that all items loaded on one factor only and that there was a

Evaluation of students' perceptions on game based learning program using fuzzy set conjoint analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Sofian, Siti Siryani; Rambely, Azmin Sham

2017-04-01

An effectiveness of a game based learning (GBL) can be determined from an application of fuzzy set conjoint analysis. The analysis was used due to the fuzziness in determining individual perceptions. This study involved a survey collected from 36 students aged 16 years old of SMK Mersing, Johor who participated in a Mathematics Discovery Camp organized by UKM research group called PRISMatik. The aim of this research was to determine the effectiveness of the module delivered to cultivate interest in mathematics subject in the form of game based learning through different values. There were 11 games conducted for the participants and students' perceptions based on the evaluation of six criteria were measured. A seven-point Likert scale method was used to collect students' preferences and perceptions. This scale represented seven linguistic terms to indicate their perceptions on each module of GBLs. Score of perceptions were transformed into degree of similarity using fuzzy set conjoint analysis. It was found that Geometric Analysis Recreation (GEAR) module was able to increase participant preference corresponded to the six attributes generated. The computations were also made for the other 10 games conducted during the camp. Results found that interest, passion and team work were the strongest values obtained from GBL activities in this camp as participants stated very strongly agreed that these attributes fulfilled their preferences in every module. This was an indicator of efficiency for the program. The evaluation using fuzzy conjoint analysis implicated the successfulness of a fuzzy approach to evaluate students' perceptions toward GBL.

Fixed points of quantum gravity in extra dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, Peter; Litim, Daniel F.

2006-01-01

We study quantum gravity in more than four dimensions with renormalisation group methods. We find a non-trivial ultraviolet fixed point in the Einstein-Hilbert action. The fixed point connects with the perturbative infrared domain through finite renormalisation group trajectories. We show that our results for fixed points and related scaling exponents are stable. If this picture persists at higher order, quantum gravity in the metric field is asymptotically safe. We discuss signatures of the gravitational fixed point in models with low scale quantum gravity and compact extra dimensions

Critical current scaling and the pivot-point in Nb3Sn strands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsui, Y; Hampshire, D P

2012-01-01

Detailed measurements are provided of the engineering critical current density (J c ) and the index of transition (n-value) of two different types of advanced ITER Nb 3 Sn superconducting strand for fusion applications. The samples consist of one internal-tin strand (OST) and two bronze-route strands (BEAS I and BEAS II—reacted using different heat treatments). Tests on different sections of these wires show that prior to applying strain, J c is homogeneous to better than 2% along the length of each strand. J c data have been characterized as a function of magnetic field (B ≤ 14.5 T), temperature (4.2 K ≤ T ≤ 12 K) and applied axial strain ( − 1% ≤ ε A ≤ 0.8%). Strain-cycling tests demonstrate that the variable strain J c data are reversible to better than 2% when the applied axial strain is in the range of − 1% ≤ ε A ≤ 0.5%. The wires are damaged when the intrinsic strain (ε I ) is ε I ≥ 0.55% and ε I ≥ 0.23% for the OST and BEAS strands, respectively. The strain dependences of the normalized J c for each type of strand are similar to those of prototype strands of similar design measured in 2005 and 2008 to about 2% which makes them candidate strands for a round-robin interlaboratory comparison. The J c data are described by Durham, ITER and Josephson-junction parameterizations to an accuracy of about 4%. For all of these scaling laws, the percentage difference between the data and the parameterization is larger when J c is small, caused by high B, T or |ε I |. The n-values can be described by a modified power law of the form n=1+rI c s , where r and s are approximately constant and I c is the critical current. It has long been known that pivot-points (or cross-overs) in J c occur at high magnetic field and temperature. Changing the magnetic field or temperature from one side of the pivot-point to the other changes the highest J c sample to the lowest J c sample and vice versa. The pivot-point follows the B–T phase boundary

Risk-based prioritization of ground water threatening point sources at catchment and regional scales

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Overheu, Niels Døssing; Tuxen, Nina; Flyvbjerg, John

2014-01-01

framework has been developed to enable a systematic and transparent risk assessment and prioritization of contaminant point sources, considering the local, catchment, or regional scales (Danish EPA, 2011, 2012). The framework has been tested in several catchments in Denmark with different challenges...... and needs, and two of these are presented. Based on the lessons learned, the Danish EPA has prepared a handbook to guide the user through the steps in a risk-based prioritization (Danish EPA, 2012). It provides guidance on prioritization both in an administratively defined area such as a Danish Region...... of the results are presented using the case studies as examples. The methodology was developed by a broad industry group including the Danish EPA, the Danish Regions, the Danish Nature Agency, the Technical University of Denmark, and consultants — and the framework has been widely accepted by the professional...

A Civilian/Military Trauma Institute: National Trauma Coordinating Center

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-01

acquired pneumonia : impact on mortality and cost. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2009;35:414–421. 24. Sucher JF, Moore FA, Todd SR, Sailors RM, McKinley...emergency research using a 5-point Likert scale during a community consultation. Higher total scores reflected a more positive attitude regarding EFIC...rights reserved.) LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic/ prognostic study, level III. KEY WORDS: Community consultation; exception from informed consent

Child’s Autism Severity: Effect on West Virginia Caregiver Satisfaction with School Services

OpenAIRE

Vohra, Rini; Madhavan, Suresh; Khanna, Rahul; Becker-Cottrill, Barbara

2014-01-01

Survey data was collected from 301 primary caregivers of children with autism registered at West Virginia Autism Training Center (WV ATC), to examine the impact of child’s autism severity on caregiver satisfaction with school services. Satisfaction with six school services was measured via a 3-point Likert scale: speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, social skills training, physical therapy, behavioral interventions, and assistance in improving study skills. Ordinal logistic regressi...

Interior Point Methods for Large-Scale Nonlinear Programming

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Lukšan, Ladislav; Matonoha, Ctirad; Vlček, Jan

2005-01-01

Roč. 20, č. 4-5 (2005), s. 569-582 ISSN 1055-6788 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA1030405 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : nonlinear programming * interior point methods * KKT systems * indefinite preconditioners * filter methods * algorithms Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.477, year: 2005

Interpreting the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) achievement scales using scale anchoring

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Dana L.

1999-11-01

The scale anchoring method was used to analyze and describe the TIMSS primary and middle school (Populations 1 and 2) mathematics and science achievement scales. Scale anchoring is a way of attaching meaning to a scale by describing what students know and can do at specific points on the scale. Student achievement was scrutinized at four points on the TIMSS primary and middle school achievement scales---the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th international percentiles for fourth and eighth grades. The scale anchoring method was adapted for the TIMSS data and items that students scoring at each of the four scale points were likely to answer correctly (with a 65 percent probability) were identified. The items were assembled in binders organized by anchor level and content area. Two ten-member panels of subject-matter specialists were convened to scrutinize the items, draft descriptions of student proficiency at the four scale points, and identify example TIMSS items to illustrate performance at each level. Following the panel meetings, the descriptions were refined through an iterative review process. The result is a content-referenced interpretation of the TIMSS scales through which TIMSS achievement results can be better communicated and understood.

Turkish version of the Academic Motivation Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Can, Gürhan

2015-04-01

The purpose of this study was to adapt the college version of the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) into Turkish. The participants were 797 college students (437 men, 360 women) with a mean age of 20.1 yr. A seven-factor model of the scale, as well as alternative models (five-, three-, two-, and one-factor models) were investigated and compared through confirmatory factor analysis. The seven-factor model demonstrated adequate fit to the data. The fit indices obtained from the five-factor model were acceptable also. Hancock's coefficient H values and test-retest correlation coefficients of the subscales indicated that reliability of the scale was adequate except for the identified regulation subscale. The CFA conducted for the groups of men and women produced more acceptable fit indices values for men than women, but women obtained significantly higher scores from the AMS subscales. Correlations among the seven subscales partially supported the simplex pattern which claims that the neighboring subscales should have stronger positive correlations than the non-neighboring subscales and that the subscales which are the farthest apart should have the strongest negative relationships.

The Telehealth Satisfaction Scale (TeSS): Reliability, validity, and satisfaction with telehealth in a rural memory clinic population

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Debra G; Kosteniuk, Julie; Stewart, Norma; O’Connell, Megan E; Karunanyake, Chandima; Beever, Rob

2015-01-01

Introduction Patient satisfaction is a key aspect of quality of care and can inform continuous quality improvement. Of the few studies that have reported on patient satisfaction with telehealth in programs aimed at individuals with memory problems, none has reported on the psychometric properties of the user satisfaction scales employed. Methods We evaluated the construct validity and internal consistency reliability of the Telehealth Satisfaction Scale (TeSS), a 10-item scale adapted for use in a Rural and Remote Memory Clinic (RRMC). The RRMC is a one-stop interprofessional clinic for rural and remote seniors with suspected dementia, located in a tertiary care hospital. Telehealth videoconferencing is used for pre-clinic assessment and for follow-up. Patients and caregivers completed the TeSS after each telehealth appointment. With data from 223 patients, exploratory factor analysis was conducted using the principal components analysis extraction method. Results The eigenvalue for the first factor (5.2) was greater than 1 and much larger than the second eigenvalue (.92), supporting a one-factor solution that was confirmed by the scree plot. The total variance explained by factor 1 was 52.1%. Factor loadings (range 0.54 – 0.84) were above recommended cutoffs. The TeSS items demonstrated high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.90). Satisfaction scores on the TeSS items ranged from 3.43 to 3.72 on a 4-point Likert scale, indicating high satisfaction with telehealth. Conclusions The study findings demonstrate high user satisfaction with telehealth in a rural memory clinic, and sound psychometric properties of the TeSS in this population. PMID:25272141

Development and psychometric validation of a scale to assess information needs in cardiac rehabilitation: the INCR Tool.

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Ghisi, Gabriela Lima de Melo; Grace, Sherry L; Thomas, Scott; Evans, Michael F; Oh, Paul

2013-06-01

To develop and psychometrically validate a tool to assess information needs in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) patients. After a literature search, 60 information items divided into 11 areas of needs were identified. To establish content validity, they were reviewed by an expert panel (N=10). Refined items were pilot-tested in 34 patients on a 5-point Likert-scale from 1 "really not helpful" to 5 "very important". A final version was generated and psychometrically tested in 203 CR patients. Test-retest reliability was assessed via the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha, and criterion validity was assessed with regard to patient's education and duration in CR. Five items were excluded after ICC analysis as well as one area of needs. All 10 areas were considered internally consistent (Cronbach's alpha>0.7). Criterion validity was supported by significant differences in mean scores by educational level (pinformation need. The INCR Tool was demonstrated to have good reliability and validity. This is an appropriate tool for application in clinical and research settings, assessing patients' needs during CR and as part of education programming. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating acute pain intensity relief: challenges when using an 11-point numerical rating scale.

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Chauny, Jean-Marc; Paquet, Jean; Lavigne, Gilles; Marquis, Martin; Daoust, Raoul

2016-02-01

Percentage of pain intensity difference (PercentPID) is a recognized way of evaluating pain relief with an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS) but is not without flaws. A new metric, the slope of relative pain intensity difference (SlopePID), which consists in dividing PercentPID by the time between 2 pain measurements, is proposed. This study aims to validate SlopePID with 3 measures of subjective pain relief: a 5-category relief scale (not, a little, moderate, very, complete), a 2-category relief question ("I'm relieved," "I'm not relieved"), and a single-item question, "Wanting other medication to treat pain?" (Yes/No). This prospective cohort study included 361 patients in the emergency department who had an initial acute pain NRS > 3 and a pain intensity assessment within 90 minutes after analgesic administration. Mean age was 50.2 years (SD = 19.3) and 59% were women. Area under the curves of receiver operating characteristic curves analyses revealed similar discriminative power for PercentPID (0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79-0.88) and SlopePID (0.82; 95% CI, 0.77-0.86). Considering the "very" category from the 5-category relief scale as a substantial relief, the average cutoff for substantial relief was a decrease of 64% (95% CI, 59-69) for PercentPID and of 49% per hour (95% CI, 44-54) for SlopePID. However, when a cutoff criterion of 50% was used as a measure of pain relief for an individual patient, PercentPID underestimated pain-relieved patients by 12.1% (P pain intensity at baseline was an odd number compared with an even number (32.9% vs 45.0%, respectively). SlopePID should be used instead of PercentPID as a metric to evaluate acute pain relief on a 0 to 10 NRS.

Adverse Events of Atomoxetine in a Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study in Children with Autism.

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Tumuluru, Rameshwari V; Corbett-Dick, Patricia; Aman, Michael G; Smith, Tristram; Arnold, L Eugene; Pan, Xueliang; Buchan-Page, Kristin A; Brown, Nicole V; Ryan, Melissa M; Hyman, Susan L; Hellings, Jessica; Williams, Craig; Hollway, Jill A; Lecavalier, Luc; Rice, Robert R; McAuliffe-Bellin, Sarah; Handen, Benjamin L

2017-10-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, including inattention and over activity, occur in approximately one-third of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We describe the rate and duration of adverse events in a randomized controlled trial of atomoxetine (ATX) and parent training (PT) for ADHD symptoms and noncompliance in children with ASD. We conducted a 10-week, double-blind, 2 × 2 trial of ATX and PT with 128 children (ages 5-14) randomized to ATX alone, ATX+PT, placebo+PT, or placebo alone. For 6 weeks, ATX (or placebo) doses were clinically adjusted to a maximum of 1.8 mg/(kg·day) and maintained for an additional 4 weeks. An average of seven PT sessions were conducted in the two PT arms. Adverse events (AEs) were assessed through parent ratings of common symptoms on a seven-point Likert severity scale and through direct interviews with study medical staff. ATX was associated with decreased appetite and fatigue, but was otherwise well tolerated. Most reported AEs lasted 4 weeks or less. Unlike reports with typically developing (TD) children, there were no concerns with QTc changes or suicidal ideation. This study extends the findings of previous studies of ATX in ASD by documenting that the type of AEs was similar to that of TD children, with no significant safety concerns.

Assessing generalized anxiety disorder in elderly people using the GAD-7 and GAD-2 scales: results of a validation study.

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Wild, Beate; Eckl, Anne; Herzog, Wolfgang; Niehoff, Dorothea; Lechner, Sabine; Maatouk, Imad; Schellberg, Dieter; Brenner, Hermann; Müller, Heiko; Löwe, Bernd

2014-10-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) and its two core items (GAD-2) for detecting GAD in elderly people. A criterion-standard study was performed between May and December of 2010 on a general elderly population living at home. A subsample of 438 elderly persons (ages 58-82) of the large population-based German ESTHER study was included in the study. The GAD-7 was administered to participants as part of a home visit. A telephone-administered structured clinical interview was subsequently conducted by a blinded interviewer. The structured clinical (SCID) interview diagnosis of GAD constituted the criterion standard to determine sensitivity and specificity of the GAD-7 and the GAD-2 scales. Twenty-seven participants met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for current GAD according to the SCID interview (6.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9%-8.2%). For the GAD-7, a cut point of five or greater appeared to be optimal for detecting GAD. At this cut point the sensitivity of the GAD-7 was 0.63 and the specificity was 0.9. Correspondingly, the optimal cut point for the GAD-2 was two or greater with a sensitivity of 0.67 and a specificity of 0.90. The areas under the curve were 0.88 (95% CI: 0.83-0.93) for the GAD-7 and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.80-0.94) for the GAD-2. The increased scores on both GAD scales were strongly associated with mental health related quality of life (p <0.0001). Our results establish the validity of both the GAD-7 and the GAD-2 in elderly persons. Results of this study show that the recommended cut points of the GAD-7 and the GAD-2 for detecting GAD should be lowered for the elderly general population. Copyright © 2014 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Scale Development for 21st Century Skills of Primary School Students: A Validity and Reliability Study1

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Ş. Dilek Belet Boyacı

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of the present study is to develop a measurement tool to assess 21st Century learning and innovation skills of primary school students. Study data was collected from 632 fourth grade students in five different primary schools during 2014 – 2015 academic year and data obtained from 609 fourth grade students were utilized in the study. The scale was developed in six stages. These were; establishing the scale items, consultation of experts, pretest stage, determination of structural validity, reliability assessment, and finalization of the scale, respectively. Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient for the whole scale, which consisted of three factors, was calculated as 0.95. 0.89. As a result of the current study, a Likert-type 21st Century learning and innovation skills scale with 39 items was developed. 20 items of the scale were related to creativity and innovation skills, 12 were related to critical thinking and problem solving skills, and 7 were related to cooperation and communication skills.

Multispectral Image Feature Points

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Cristhian Aguilera

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel feature point descriptor for the multispectral image case: Far-Infrared and Visible Spectrum images. It allows matching interest points on images of the same scene but acquired in different spectral bands. Initially, points of interest are detected on both images through a SIFT-like based scale space representation. Then, these points are characterized using an Edge Oriented Histogram (EOH descriptor. Finally, points of interest from multispectral images are matched by finding nearest couples using the information from the descriptor. The provided experimental results and comparisons with similar methods show both the validity of the proposed approach as well as the improvements it offers with respect to the current state-of-the-art.

Teaching aseptic technique for central venous access under ultrasound guidance: a randomized trial comparing didactic training alone to didactic plus simulation-based training.

Science.gov (United States)

Latif, Rana K; Bautista, Alexander F; Memon, Saima B; Smith, Elizabeth A; Wang, Chenxi; Wadhwa, Anupama; Carter, Mary B; Akca, Ozan

2012-03-01

Our goal was to determine whether simulation combined with didactic training improves sterile technique during ultrasound (US)-guided central venous catheter (CVC) insertion compared with didactic training alone among novices. We hypothesized that novices who receive combined didactic and simulation-based training would perform similarly to experienced residents in aseptic technique, knowledge, and perception of comfort during US-guided CVC insertion on a simulator. Seventy-two subjects were enrolled in a randomized, controlled trial of an educational intervention. Fifty-four novices were randomized into either the didactic group or the simulation combined with didactic group. Both groups received didactic training but the simulation combined with didactic group also received simulation-based CVC insertion training. Both groups were tested by demonstrating US-guided CVC insertion on a simulator. Aseptic technique was scored on 8 steps as "yes/no" and also using a 7-point Likert scale with 7 being "excellent technique" by a rater blinded to subject randomization. After initial testing, the didactic group was offered simulation-based training and retesting. Both groups also took a pre- and posttraining test of knowledge and rated their comfort with US and CVC insertion pre- and posttraining on a 5-point Likert scale. Subsequently, 18 experienced residents also took the test of knowledge, rated their comfort level, and were scored while performing aseptic US-guided CVC insertion using a simulator. The simulation combined with didactic group achieved a 167% (95% confidence interval [CI] 133%-167%) incremental increase in yes/no scores and 115% (CI 112%-127%) incremental increase in Likert scale ratings on aseptic technique compared with novices in the didactic group. Compared with experienced residents, simulation combined with didactic trained novices achieved an increase in aseptic scores with a 33.3% (CI 16.7%-50%) increase in yes/no ratings and a 20% (CI 13

The Learning Organization Dimensions and Their Impact on Organizational Performance: Orange Jordan as a Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farid M. Qawasmeh

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to measure the impact of learning organization's seven key dimensions (continuous learning opportunities, inquiry and dialogue, employee empowerment, establish systems to capture and share learning, connect the organization to its environment, collaboration and team learning, strategic leadership on organizational performance in Jordan Telecom. It also aims to figure out the type and magnitude of correlation among these seven dimensions as well as to assess the credibility of the questionnaire in a different context such as the Arab business environment. The sample size was (312 employees in this case study. The study results are as follows: The status of the learning organization dimensions was moderate (3.44 out of 5 on 5-step Likert scale. A positive statistical correlation exists among the seven learning organization dimensions as well as a positive statistical correlation with organizational performance. The questionnaire proved to be suitable in the Arab business context. Finally, the study recommends that organizations must consider the seven learning organizations’ dimensions due to their role in enhancing organizational performance and assuring a competitive edge.

Analyzing data from a fuzzy rating scale-based questionnaire. A case study.

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Gil, María Ángeles; Lubiano, María Asunción; de la Rosa de Sáa, Sara; Sinova, Beatriz

2015-01-01

The fuzzy rating scale was introduced to cope with the imprecision of human thought and experience in measuring attitudes in many fields of Psychology. The flexibility and expressiveness of this scale allow us to properly describe the answers to many questions involving psychological measurement. Analyzing the responses to a fuzzy rating scale-based questionnaire is indeed a critical problem. Nevertheless, over the last years, a methodology is being developed to analyze statistically fuzzy data in such a way that the information they contain is fully exploited. In this paper, a summary review of the main procedures is given. The methods are illustrated by their application on the dataset obtained from a case study with nine-year-old children. In this study, children replied to some questions from the well-known TIMSS/PIRLS questionnaire by using a fuzzy rating scale. The form could be filled in either on the computer or by hand. The study indicates that the requirements of background and training underlying the fuzzy rating scale are not too demanding. Moreover, it is clearly shown that statistical conclusions substantially often differ depending on the responses being given in accordance with either a Likert scale or a fuzzy rating scale.

When Is a New Scale not a New Scale? The Case of the Bergen Shopping Addiction Scale and the Compulsive Online Shopping Scale.

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Griffiths, Mark D; Andreassen, Cecilie S; Pallesen, Ståle; Bilder, Robert M; Torsheim, Torbjørn; Aboujaoude, Elias

2016-01-01

Manchiraju et al. ( International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction , 1-15, 2016) published the Compulsive Online Shopping Scale (COSS) in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction ( IJMHA ). To develop their measure of compulsive online shopping, Manchiraju and colleagues adapted items from the seven-item Bergen Shopping Addiction Scale (BSAS) and its' original 28-item item pool. Manchiraju et al. did not add or remove any of the original seven items, and did not substantially change the content of any of the 28 items on which the BSAS was based. They simply added the word "online" to each existing item. Given that the BSAS was specifically developed to take into account the different ways in which people now shop and to include both online and offline shopping, there does not seem to be a good rationale for developing an online version of the BSAS. It is argued that the COSS is not really an adaptation of the BSAS but an almost identical instrument based on the original 28-item pool.

Is Satisfaction with the Acute-Care Experience Higher amongst Consumers Treated in the Private Sector? A Survey of Public and Private Sector Arthroplasty Recipients.

Science.gov (United States)

Naylor, Justine M; Descallar, Joseph; Grootemaat, Mechteld; Badge, Helen; Harris, Ian A; Simpson, Grahame; Jenkin, Deanne

2016-01-01

Consumer satisfaction with the acute-care experience could reasonably be expected to be higher amongst those treated in the private sector compared to those treated in the public sector given the former relies on high-level satisfaction of its consumers and their subsequent recommendations to thrive. The primary aims of this study were to determine, in a knee or hip arthroplasty cohort, if surgery in the private sector predicts greater overall satisfaction with the acute-care experience and greater likelihood to recommend the same hospital. A secondary aim was to determine whether satisfaction across a range of service domains is also higher in the private sector. A telephone survey was conducted 35 days post-surgery. The hospital cohort comprised eight public and seven private high-volume arthroplasty providers. Consumers rated overall satisfaction with care out of 100 and likeliness to recommend their hospital on a 5-point Likert scale. Additional Likert-style questions were asked covering specific service domains. Generalized estimating equation models were used to analyse overall satisfaction (dichotomised as ≥ 90 or sector reporting the best Likert response for each individual domain were compared using non-parametric tests. 457 survey respondents (n = 210 private) were included. Less patient-reported joint impairment pre-surgery [OR 1.03 (95% CI 1.01-1.05)] and absence of an acute complication (OR 2.13 95% CI 1.41-3.23) significantly predicted higher overall satisfaction. Hip arthroplasty [OR 1.84 (1.1-2.96)] and an absence of an acute complication [OR 2.31 (1.28-4.17] significantly predicted greater likelihood for recommending the hospital. The only care domains where the private out-performed the public sector were hospitality (46.7 vs 35.6%, p private sector are not more satisfied with their acute-care experience nor are they more likely to recommend their hospital provider. Rather, avoidance of complications in either sector appears to result in

Detection of baryon acoustic oscillation features in the large-scale three-point correlation function of SDSS BOSS DR12 CMASS galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Slepian, Zachary; Eisenstein, Daniel J.; Brownstein, Joel R.; Chuang, Chia-Hsun; Gil-Marín, Héctor; Ho, Shirley; Kitaura, Francisco-Shu; Percival, Will J.; Ross, Ashley J.; Rossi, Graziano; Seo, Hee-Jong; Slosar, Anže; Vargas-Magaña, Mariana

2017-08-01

We present the large-scale three-point correlation function (3PCF) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR12 Constant stellar Mass (CMASS) sample of 777 202 Luminous Red Galaxies, the largest-ever sample used for a 3PCF or bispectrum measurement. We make the first high-significance (4.5σ) detection of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) in the 3PCF. Using these acoustic features in the 3PCF as a standard ruler, we measure the distance to z = 0.57 to 1.7 per cent precision (statistical plus systematic). We find DV = 2024 ± 29 Mpc (stat) ± 20 Mpc (sys) for our fiducial cosmology (consistent with Planck 2015) and bias model. This measurement extends the use of the BAO technique from the two-point correlation function (2PCF) and power spectrum to the 3PCF and opens an avenue for deriving additional cosmological distance information from future large-scale structure redshift surveys such as DESI. Our measured distance scale from the 3PCF is fairly independent from that derived from the pre-reconstruction 2PCF and is equivalent to increasing the length of BOSS by roughly 10 per cent; reconstruction appears to lower the independence of the distance measurements. Fitting a model including tidal tensor bias yields a moderate-significance (2.6σ) detection of this bias with a value in agreement with the prediction from local Lagrangian biasing.

Defect production due to quenching through a multicritical point

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Divakaran, Uma; Mukherjee, Victor; Dutta, Amit; Sen, Diptiman

2009-01-01

We study the generation of defects when a quantum spin system is quenched through a multicritical point by changing a parameter of the Hamiltonian as t/τ, where τ is the characteristic timescale of quenching. We argue that when a quantum system is quenched across a multicritical point, the density of defects (n) in the final state is not necessarily given by the Kibble–Zurek scaling form n∼1/τ dν/(zν+1) , where d is the spatial dimension, and ν and z are respectively the correlation length and dynamical exponent associated with the quantum critical point. We propose a generalized scaling form of the defect density given by n∼1/τ d/(2z 2 ) , where the exponent z 2 determines the behavior of the off-diagonal term of the 2 × 2 Landau–Zener matrix at the multicritical point. This scaling is valid not only at a multicritical point but also at an ordinary critical point

Reliability and validity of the Student Perceptions of School Cohesion Scale in a sample of Salvadoran secondary school students

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Arrivillaga Marcela

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite a growing body of research from the United States and other industrialized countries on the inverse association between supportive social relationships in the school and youth risk behavior engagement, research on the measurement of supportive school social relationships in Central America is limited. We examined the psychometric properties of the Student Perceptions of School Cohesion (SPSC scale, a 10-item scale that asks students to rate with a 5-point Likert-type response scale their perceptions of the school social environment, in a sample of public secondary school students (mean age = 15 years living in central El Salvador. Methods Students (n = 982 completed a self-administered questionnaire that included the SPSC scale along with measures of youth health risk behaviors based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess the factor structure of the scale, and two internal consistency estimates of reliability were computed. Construct validity was assessed by examining whether students who reported low school cohesion were significantly more likely to report physical fighting and illicit drug use. Results Results indicated that the SPSC scale has three latent factors, which explained 61.6% of the variance: supportive school relationships, student-school connectedness, and student-teacher connectedness. The full scale and three subscales had good internal consistency (rs = .87 and α = .84 for the full scale; rs and α between .71 and .75 for the three subscales. Significant associations were found between the full scale and all three subscales with physical fighting (p ≤ .001 and illicit drug use (p Conclusion Findings provide evidence of reliability and validity of the SPSC for the measurement of supportive school relationships in Latino adolescents living in El Salvador. These findings provide a foundation for further research on

PIMA Point of Care CD4+ Cell Count Machines in Remote MNCH Settings: Lessons Learned from Seven Districts in Zimbabwe

Science.gov (United States)

Mtapuri-Zinyowera, Sekesai; Chiyaka, Edward T.; Mushayi, Wellington; Musuka, Godfrey; Naluyinda-Kitabire, Florence; Mushavi, Angella; Chikwasha, Vasco

2013-01-01

An evaluation was commissioned to generate evidence on the impact of PIMA point-of-care CD4+ count machines in maternal and new-born child health settings in Zimbabwe; document best practices, lessons learned, challenges, and recommendations related to scale up of this new technology. A mixed methodology approach that included 31 in-depth interviews with stakeholders involved in procurement, distribution, and use of the POC machines was employed. Additionally, data was also abstracted from 207 patient records from 35 sites with the PIMA POC CD4+ count machines and 10 other comparative sites without the machine. A clearer training strategy was found to be necessary. The average time taken to initiate clients on antiretroviral treatment (ART) was substantially less, 15 days (IQR-1-149) for sites with a PIMA POC machine as compared to 32.7 days (IQR-1-192) at sites with no PIMA POC machine. There was general satisfaction because of the presence of the PIMA POC CD4+ count machine at sites that also initiated ART. PMID:24847177

Inflection point of environmental Kuznets curve in Mainland China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Ma-Lin; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Shu-Hong

2013-01-01

As environmental problems in Mainland China are receiving global increasing attentions, environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) is adopted here to validate time route of improvement for its various areas. The results indicate that some areas, such as Shanghai, Tibet, Guizhou, Jilin and Beijing have overstepped their inflection points; Liaoning, Anhui, Fujian, Hainan and Qinghai have no inflection points, and meanwhile it is about seven years for the others areas take to reach their inflection points. Therefore, it is essential to lay down some policies to change or advance the process of reaching inflection point for each area respectively. - Highlights: ► This article focuses on inflection points of EKC in various areas of Mainland China. ► Shanghai, Tibet, Guizhou, Jilin and Beijing have overstepped their inflection points. ► The inflection points for Liaoning, Anhui, Fujian, Hainan and Qinghai do not exist. ► It is about to take 1–7 years for the others to reach their inflection points

Comparison of seven optical clearing methods for mouse brain

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Peng; Zhu, Jingtan; Yu, Tingting; Zhu, Dan

2018-02-01

Recently, a variety of tissue optical clearing techniques have been developed to reduce light scattering for imaging deeper and three-dimensional reconstruction of tissue structures. Combined with optical imaging techniques and diverse labeling methods, these clearing methods have significantly promoted the development of neuroscience. However, most of the protocols were proposed aiming for specific tissue type. Though there are some comparison results, the clearing methods covered are limited and the evaluation indices are lack of uniformity, which made it difficult to select a best-fit protocol for clearing in practical applications. Hence, it is necessary to systematically assess and compare these clearing methods. In this work, we evaluated the performance of seven typical clearing methods, including 3DISCO, uDISCO, SeeDB, ScaleS, ClearT2, CUBIC and PACT, on mouse brain samples. First, we compared the clearing capability on both brain slices and whole-brains by observing brain transparency. Further, we evaluated the fluorescence preservation and the increase of imaging depth. The results showed that 3DISCO, uDISCO and PACT posed excellent clearing capability on mouse brains, ScaleS and SeeDB rendered moderate transparency, while ClearT2 was the worst. Among those methods, ScaleS was the best on fluorescence preservation, and PACT achieved the highest increase of imaging depth. This study is expected to provide important reference for users in choosing most suitable brain optical clearing method.

Scaling the quality of clinical audit projects: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Millard, A D

1999-06-01

To pilot the development of a scale measuring the quality of audit projects through audit project reports. Statements about clinical audit projects were selected from existing instruments, assessing the quality of clinical audit projects, to form a Likert scale. The audit facilitators were based in Scottish health boards and trusts. The participants were audit facilitators known to have over 2 years experience of supporting clinical audit. The response at first test was 11 out of 14 and at the second test it was 27 out of 46. The draft scale was tested by 27 audit facilitators who expressed their strength of agreement or disagreement with each statement for three reports. Validity was assessed by test-re-test, item-total, and total-global indicator correlations. Of the 20 statements, 15 had satisfactory correlations with scale totals. Scale totals had good correlations with global indicators. Test-re-test correlation was modest. The wide range of responses means further research is needed to measure the consistency of audit facilitators' interpretations, perhaps comparing a trained group with an untrained group. There may be a need for a separate scale for reaudits. Educational impact is distinct from project impact generally. It may be more meaningful to treat the selection of projects and aims, methodology and impact separately as subscales and take a project profiling approach rather than attempting to produce a global quality index.

National Wetlands Inventory Points

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Minnesota Department of Natural Resources — Wetland point features (typically wetlands that are too small to be as area features at the data scale) mapped as part of the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI). The...

Two-point entanglement near a quantum phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Han-Dong

2007-01-01

In this work, we study the two-point entanglement S(i, j), which measures the entanglement between two separated degrees of freedom (ij) and the rest of system, near a quantum phase transition. Away from the critical point, S(i, j) saturates with a characteristic length scale ξ E , as the distance |i - j| increases. The entanglement length ξ E agrees with the correlation length. The universality and finite size scaling of entanglement are demonstrated in a class of exactly solvable one-dimensional spin model. By connecting the two-point entanglement to correlation functions in the long range limit, we argue that the prediction power of a two-point entanglement is universal as long as the two involved points are separated far enough

The role of ethnic school segregation for adolescents’ religious salience

OpenAIRE

Van der Bracht, Koen; D'hondt, Fanny; Van Houtte, Mieke; Van de Putte, Bart; Stevens, Peter

2016-01-01

Public concerns over the possible effects of school segregation on immigrant and ethnic majority religiosity have been on the rise over the last few years. In this paper we focus on (1) the association between ethnic school composition and religious salience, (2) intergenerational differences in religious salience and (3) the role of ethnic school composition for intergenerational differences in religious salience. We perform analyses on religious salience, one five-point Likert scale item me...

The Effect of Advertising Spending on Brand Loyalty Mediated by Store Image, Perceived Quality and Customer Satisfaction: A Case of Hypermarkets

OpenAIRE

Farhina Hameed

2013-01-01

First, the study aims to investigate the effect of advertising spending on brand loyalty. Second, to test the mediating role of store image, perceived quality and customer satisfaction in above mentioned relationship. A quantitative approach was employed, using 15-item, 5-point Likert scale questionnaire administered to 360 participants. Data from the departmental stores are used to examine the direct and indirect impact of advertising spending on brand loyalty. Confirmatory Factor Analysis a...

Attitudes toward plagiarism among pharmacy and medical biochemistry students – cross-sectional survey study

OpenAIRE

Pupovac, Vanja; Bilic-Zulle, Lidija; Mavrinac, Martina; Petrovecki, Mladen

2010-01-01

Introduction: Plagiarism is one of the most frequent and serious forms of misconduct in academic environment. The cross-sectional survey study was done with aim to explore the attitudes toward plagiarism. Materials and methods: First year students of Faculty of Pharmacy and Medical Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Croatia (N = 146) were anonymously tested using Attitude toward Plagiarism (ATP) questionnaire. The questionnaire is composed of 29 statements on a 5 point Likert scale, (1 - ...

Effect of Subliminal Lexical Priming on the Subjective Perception of Images: A Machine Learning Approach

OpenAIRE

Mohan, Dhanya Menoth; Kumar, Parmod; Mahmood, Faisal; Wong, Kian Foong; Agrawal, Abhishek; Elgendi, Mohamed; Shukla, Rohit; Ang, Natania; Ching, April; Dauwels, Justin; Chan, Alice H. D.

2016-01-01

The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of subliminal priming in terms of the perception of images influenced by words with positive, negative, and neutral emotional content, through electroencephalograms (EEGs). Participants were instructed to rate how much they like the stimuli images, on a 7-point Likert scale, after being subliminally exposed to masked lexical prime words that exhibit positive, negative, and neutral connotations with respect to the images. Simultaneously, the EE...

Self-perceived versus objectively measured competence in performing clinical practical procedures by final year medical students

OpenAIRE

Katowa-Mukwato, Patricia; Banda, Sekelani

2016-01-01

Objectives To determine and compare the self-perceived and objectively measured competence in performing 14 core-clinical practical procedures by Final Year Medical Students of the University of Zambia. Methods The study included 56 out of 60 graduating University of Zambia Medical Students of the 2012/2013 academic year. Self-perceived competence: students rated their competence on 14 core- clinical practical procedures using a self-administered questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Objec...

Impact of Organizational Culture on the Pakistani Hotels Workforce's Job Satisfaction: Qualitative Report

OpenAIRE

Zahid, Marium; Shaikh, Taha; Zehra, Syeda Zufiesha

2017-01-01

The influence of organizational culture on the level of job satisfaction depends on the ability to cope up with the stress and working environment. This investigation tackle the purpose of Denison’s prototypical for searching the organizational culture and Spector JGS assessment to inspect workforce job gratification in the course of 5 points Likert Scale. The investigation studied 220 hotel employees from middle range 3 star hotels in Pakistan. For interpretation, researchers chiefly used MS...

A Principal Component Analysis of Skills and Competencies Required of Quantity Surveyors: Nigerian Perspective

OpenAIRE

Oluwasuji Dada, Joshua

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the intrinsic relationships among sets of quantity surveyors’ skill and competence variables with a view to reducing them into principal components. The research adopts a data reduction technique using factor analysis statistical technique. A structured questionnaire was administered among major stakeholders in the Nigerian construction industry. The respondents were asked to give rating, on a 5 point Likert scale, on skills and competencies re...

Exploring the communication barriers in private commercial banks of Bangladesh

OpenAIRE

Sultana, Nahneen; Abdullah, Abu Md.; Tabassum, Ayesha

2013-01-01

In Bangladesh, lots of private commercial banks are contributing for economic growth. The performance of the banks depends on a well-structured communication system. So by maintaining an effective communication system, the banks can gain competitive advantage. Thus the study aims to investigate the communication barriers that should be removed for effective communication in the private commercial banks of Bangladesh. A structured questionnaire survey based on 5-point Likert-scale was conducte...

Pengaruh Kecerdasan Intelektual terhadap Kinerja Akuntan Pendidik pada Jurusan Akuntansi Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Universitas Halu Oleo

OpenAIRE

Akib, Mulyati; Asni, Nur

2016-01-01

This research aimed of presented to examine the effect of intellectual intellegence on the performance of educator accountant. Primary data in this research were obtained from the perseption off all lecturers and 76 generation students majoring 2013/2014 in Departement of Accountancy Economy faculty and Business Halu Oleo University. Preceptions in measured by responses to ques tionnaires that uses ordinal measurement with a 5 point Likert scale. The analytical tool used to test the hypotesis...

Translation, Cross-cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of the Korean-Language Cardiac Rehabilitation Barriers Scale (CRBS-K).

Science.gov (United States)

Baek, Sora; Park, Hee-Won; Lee, Yookyung; Grace, Sherry L; Kim, Won-Seok

2017-10-01

To perform a translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Barriers Scale (CRBS) for use in Korea, followed by psychometric validation. The CRBS was developed to assess patients' perception of the degree to which patient, provider and health system-level barriers affect their cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participation. The CRBS consists of 21 items (barriers to adherence) rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The first phase was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the CRBS to the Korean language. After back-translation, both versions were reviewed by a committee. The face validity was assessed in a sample of Korean patients (n=53) with history of acute myocardial infarction that did not participate in CR through semi-structured interviews. The second phase was to assess the construct and criterion validity of the Korean translation as well as internal reliability, through administration of the translated version in 104 patients, principle component analysis with varimax rotation and cross-referencing against CR use, respectively. The length, readability, and clarity of the questionnaire were rated well, demonstrating face validity. Analysis revealed a six-factor solution, demonstrating construct validity. Cronbach's alpha was greater than 0.65. Barriers rated highest included not knowing about CR and not being contacted by a program. The mean CRBS score was significantly higher among non-attendees (2.71±0.26) than CR attendees (2.51±0.18) (pKorea.

Development of a scale to measure adherence to self-monitoring of blood glucose with latent variable measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, J A; Schnoll, R A; Gipson, M T

1998-07-01

Adherence to self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is problematic for many people with diabetes. Self-reports of adherence have been found to be unreliable, and existing paper-and-pencil measures have limitations. This study developed a brief measure of SMBG adherence with good psychometric properties and a useful factor structure that can be used in research and in practice. A total of 216 adults with diabetes responded to 30 items rated on a 9-point Likert scale that asked about blood monitoring habits. In part I of the study, items were evaluated and retained based on their psychometric properties. The sample was divided into exploratory and confirmatory halves. Using the exploratory half, items with acceptable psychometric properties were subjected to a principal components analysis. In part II of the study, structural equation modeling was used to confirm the component solution with the entire sample. Structural modeling was also used to test the relationship between these components. It was hypothesized that the scale would produce four correlated factors. Principal components analysis suggested a two-component solution, and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed this solution. The first factor measures the degree to which patients rely on others to help them test and thus was named "social influence." The second component measures the degree to which patients use physical symptoms of blood glucose levels to help them test and thus was named "physical influence." Results of the structural model show that the components are correlated and make up the higher-order latent variable adherence. The resulting 15-item scale provides a short, reliable way to assess patient adherence to SMBG. Despite the existence of several aspects of adherence, this study indicates that the construct consists of only two components. This scale is an improvement on previous measures of adherence because of its good psychometric properties, its interpretable factor structure, and its

[Evaluation of Significant Autobiographical Memories Scale: Design and structural validation at an exploratory level].

Science.gov (United States)

Lolich, María; Azzollini, Susana

2016-11-01

Personal memories are multimodal cognitive representations. Nowadays, psychometric instruments which aim to assess signifcant memories phenomenological features are scarce. Consequently, the Evaluation of Signifcant Autobiographical Memories Scale was constructed and structural validated at an exploratory level. A total of 404 individuals from Buenos Aires city (Argentina) participated in the research. Initially, an expert judgment and a pilot study administration were carried out. Next, a homogeneity and a principal components analysis were implemented. To assess the scale reliability, Cronbach's alphas coefficients were analyzed. The fnal version has 30 Likert response items gathered in 8 dimensions. Satisfactory psychometric proprieties were obtained - internal consistency of .892 and a total explained variance of 65.78%. The scale provides two main scores regarding the total quantity and intensity of the phenomenological components as well as a partial score per each dimension. It is stated that the test will prove to be useful in the research feld as well as in the clinical area.

Modified Thiele massage as therapeutic intervention for female patients with interstitial cystitis and high-tone pelvic floor dysfunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Oyama, Ian A; Rejba, Amy; Lukban, James C; Fletcher, Erica; Kellogg-Spadt, Susan; Holzberg, Adam S; Whitmore, Kristene E

2004-11-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of transvaginal manual therapy of the pelvic floor musculature (Thiele massage) in symptomatic female patients with interstitial cystitis and high-tone dysfunction of the pelvic floor. A total of 21 women with documented interstitial cystitis and high-tone pelvic floor dysfunction underwent transvaginal massage using the Thiele technique twice a week for 5 weeks. Symptoms were evaluated before massage, at protocol conclusion, and at a mean of 4.5 months after therapy completion (long-term follow-up). The response to treatment was evaluated through the O'Leary-Sant Interstitial Cystitis Symptom and Problem Indexes, Likert Visual Analogue Scales for urgency and pain, and Short-Form 12-item (SF-12) Quality-of-Life Scale, and through changes in the physical examination findings using a 5-point modified Oxford Scale to document pelvic floor tenderness. A statistically significant improvement was seen in the Symptom and Problem Indexes of the O'Leary-Sant Questionnaire (P = 0.015 and P = 0.039, respectively), Likert Visual Analogue Scales for urgency and pain (P = 0.001 and P = 0.005, respectively), the Physical and Mental Component Summary from the SF-12 Quality-of-Life Scale (P = 0.049 and P = 0.044, respectively), and the modified Oxford Scale (P pelvic floor (P pelvic floor dysfunction in addition to decreasing pelvic floor muscle tone.

Evaluating spatial interaction of soil property with non-point source pollution at watershed scale: The phosphorus indicator in Northeast China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ouyang, Wei, E-mail: wei@itc.nl; Huang, Haobo; Hao, Fanghua; Shan, Yushu; Guo, Bobo

2012-08-15

To better understand the spatial dynamics of non-point source (NPS) phosphorus loading with soil property at watershed scale, integrated modeling and soil chemistry is crucial to ensure that the indicator is functioning properly and expressing the spatial interaction at two depths. Developments in distributed modeling have greatly enriched the availability of geospatial data analysis and assess the NPS pollution loading response to soil property over larger area. The 1.5 km-grid soil sampling at two depths was analyzed with eight parameters, which provided detailed spatial and vertical soil data under four main types of landuses. The impacts of landuse conversion and agricultural practice on soil property were firstly identified. Except for the slightly bigger total of potassium (TK) and cadmium (Cr), the other six parameters had larger content in 20-40 cm surface than the top 20 cm surface. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool was employed to simulate the loading of NPS phosphorus. Overlaying with the landuse distribution, it was found that the NPS phosphorus mainly comes from the subbasins dominated with upland and paddy rice. The linear correlations of eight soil parameters at two depths with NPS phosphorus loading in the subbasins of upland and paddy rice were compared, respectively. The correlations of available phosphorus (AP), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN) and TK varied in two depths, and also can assess the loading. The soil with lower soil organic carbon (SOC) presented a significant higher risk for NPS phosphorus loading, especially in agricultural area. The Principal Component Analysis showed that the TP and zinc (Zn) in top soil and copper (Cu) and Cr in subsurface can work as indicators. The analysis suggested that the application of soil property indicators is useful for assessing NPS phosphorus loss, which is promising for water safety in agricultural area. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Spatial dynamics of NPS phosphorus

Thermal conductivity at a disordered quantum critical point

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartnoll, Sean A.; Ramirez, David M.; Santos, Jorge E.

2016-01-01

Strongly disordered and strongly interacting quantum critical points are difficult to access with conventional field theoretic methods. They are, however, both experimentally important and theoretically interesting. In particular, they are expected to realize universal incoherent transport. Such disordered quantum critical theories have recently been constructed holographically by deforming a CFT by marginally relevant disorder. In this paper we find additional disordered fixed points via relevant disordered deformations of a holographic CFT. Using recently developed methods in holographic transport, we characterize the thermal conductivity in both sets of theories in 1+1 dimensions. The thermal conductivity is found to tend to a constant at low temperatures in one class of fixed points, and to scale as T"0"."3 in the other. Furthermore, in all cases the thermal conductivity exhibits discrete scale invariance, with logarithmic in temperature oscillations superimposed on the low temperature scaling behavior. At no point do we use the replica trick.

Hierarchical random additive process and logarithmic scaling of generalized high order, two-point correlations in turbulent boundary layer flow

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, X. I. A.; Marusic, I.; Meneveau, C.

2016-06-01

Townsend [Townsend, The Structure of Turbulent Shear Flow (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1976)] hypothesized that the logarithmic region in high-Reynolds-number wall-bounded flows consists of space-filling, self-similar attached eddies. Invoking this hypothesis, we express streamwise velocity fluctuations in the inertial layer in high-Reynolds-number wall-bounded flows as a hierarchical random additive process (HRAP): uz+=∑i=1Nzai . Here u is the streamwise velocity fluctuation, + indicates normalization in wall units, z is the wall normal distance, and ai's are independently, identically distributed random additives, each of which is associated with an attached eddy in the wall-attached hierarchy. The number of random additives is Nz˜ln(δ /z ) where δ is the boundary layer thickness and ln is natural log. Due to its simplified structure, such a process leads to predictions of the scaling behaviors for various turbulence statistics in the logarithmic layer. Besides reproducing known logarithmic scaling of moments, structure functions, and correlation function [" close="]3/2 uz(x ) uz(x +r ) >, new logarithmic laws in two-point statistics such as uz4(x ) > 1 /2, 1/3, etc. can be derived using the HRAP formalism. Supporting empirical evidence for the logarithmic scaling in such statistics is found from the Melbourne High Reynolds Number Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel measurements. We also show that, at high Reynolds numbers, the above mentioned new logarithmic laws can be derived by assuming the arrival of an attached eddy at a generic point in the flow field to be a Poisson process [Woodcock and Marusic, Phys. Fluids 27, 015104 (2015), 10.1063/1.4905301]. Taken together, the results provide new evidence supporting the essential ingredients of the attached eddy hypothesis to describe streamwise velocity fluctuations of large, momentum transporting eddies in wall-bounded turbulence, while observed deviations suggest the need for further extensions of the

EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR THE ACQUISITION OF PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE BY YOUTH BASKETBALL COACHES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian Feu

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to identify the educational means that coaches of school-aged children utilize to acquire their professional knowledge. Youth basketball coaches (n=118 with a heterogeneous education coming from different educational means participated in the study. Of them, 81.7% were previously basketball players. As a measurement instrument, a modified version of the scale by Feu (2006 was utilized to determine the coach's professional knowledge. The new scale had 21 items distributed in seven dimensions that corresponded to three theoretical factors. The items were answered with a 5-point Likert scale. The statistical analysis consisted of an exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation and self-values >1 in order to determine the latent structure of the relationships between the scale's items. Previously, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin index and Bartlett's sphere test were analyzed. The reliability of the scale and the sub-scales was studied through the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient. The means, standard deviations, and correlations between item and scale as well as item and ub-scale were analyzed. The exploratory factor analysis, after the elimination of five items, and the Cronbach's Alpha coefficients demonstrated that the scale and sub-scales had some adequate psychometric properties (a>.70. All the items obtained item and sub-scale correlations greater than .40. Formal education was the factor that had the greatest acceptance among the coaches (M=21.71+,-4.63 followed by acquired experiences as a player (M=16.70+,-5.64, and then the acquired experiences and innovations as a coach (M=13.45+,-2.97. The scale that was utilized has adequate validity and reliability to determine how the coach constructs his/her professional knowledge.

Adaptation and psychometric properties of the SBI-U scale for Academic Burnout in university students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joan Boada-Grau

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of the present study was to draw up a Spanish adaptation for university students of the School Burnout Inventory (SBI 9-item scale. This entailed a double adaptation, on the one hand from English into Spanish and then from secondary school students to university students. The scale was applied to 578 university students (25.7% men; 74.3% women from different regions in Spain. The findings indicate that the University students-SBI has the same structure as the original version in English for secondary school students. This was confirmed by factor analysis that pointed to the existence of three factors: Exhaustion, Cynicism and Inadequacy. Furthermore, the three subscales showed acceptable reliability (between .77 and .70 In addition to this, indications of validity were found using eighteen external correlates and seven contrast scales. Finally the SBI-U constitutes a potentially useful instrument for evaluating academic burnout in university students.

Evaluation of convergence behavior of metamodeling techniques for bridging scales in multi-scale multimaterial simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sen, Oishik; Davis, Sean; Jacobs, Gustaaf; Udaykumar, H.S.

2015-01-01

The effectiveness of several metamodeling techniques, viz. the Polynomial Stochastic Collocation method, Adaptive Stochastic Collocation method, a Radial Basis Function Neural Network, a Kriging Method and a Dynamic Kriging Method is evaluated. This is done with the express purpose of using metamodels to bridge scales between micro- and macro-scale models in a multi-scale multimaterial simulation. The rate of convergence of the error when used to reconstruct hypersurfaces of known functions is studied. For sufficiently large number of training points, Stochastic Collocation methods generally converge faster than the other metamodeling techniques, while the DKG method converges faster when the number of input points is less than 100 in a two-dimensional parameter space. Because the input points correspond to computationally expensive micro/meso-scale computations, the DKG is favored for bridging scales in a multi-scale solver

Valuing Treatments for Parkinson Disease Incorporating Process Utility: Performance of Best-Worst Scaling, Time Trade-Off, and Visual Analogue Scales

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weernink, Marieke Geertruida Maria; Groothuis-Oudshoorn, Catharina Gerarda Maria; IJzerman, Maarten Joost; van Til, Janine Astrid

2016-01-01

Objective The objective of this study was to compare treatment profiles including both health outcomes and process characteristics in Parkinson disease using best-worst scaling (BWS), time trade-off (TTO), and visual analogue scales (VAS). Methods From the model comprising of seven attributes with

The prevalence rate of internet addiction among Japanese college students: two cross-sectional studies and reconsideration of cut-off points of Young's internet addiction test in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Tateno, Masaru; Teo, Alan R; Shiraishi, Masaki; Tayama, Masaya; Kawanishi, Chiaki; Kato, Takahiro A

2018-05-30

Due to variation in estimates of the prevalence of internet addiction (IA) in prior research, we conducted two cross-sectional studies over two years and investigated the prevalence rate of IA in college students in Japan, and reconsidered appropriate cut-off points of self-rating scale to screen possible IA. This study is composed of two parts: survey I in 2014 and survey II in 2016, which were conducted in the same schools with an interval of two years. The study questionnaire included questions about demographics and internet use, and the Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Additionally, the subjects in survey II were asked about self-reported IA. There were 1,005 respondents in total with a mean age of 18.9±1.3. The mean IAT scores remained stable between 2014 and 2016: 45.2±12.6 in survey I and 45.5±13.1 in survey II (overall mean IAT score of 45.4±13.0). With respect to self-reported IA in survey II, a total of 21.6% agreed (score of 5 or 6 on a 6-point Likert scale). We categorized these subjects as IA, and the remainder as non-IA. The mean IAT score showed significant difference between these two groups (57.8±14.3 vs 42.1±10.7, p<0.001). The severity of symptoms of IA among Japanese college students appears stable in recent years, with a mean IAT scores of over 40. Our results suggest that a screening score cut-off of 40 on the IAT could be reconsidered and that of 50 might be proposed for the cut-off. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

UK academics share their thoughts on Hinkley Point C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalton, David

2016-01-01

The proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project has experienced controversy in the public since its inception. However the proposed Hinkley plant has many benefits. It will be the biggest construction site in Europe, providing 25,000 jobs. It will generate low carbon energy, providing enough power for six million homes, and supplying seven per cent of the UK's electricity needs over its 60 year lifetime. Six experts from Imperial College London, one of Europe's top science-based universities, give their opinions on Hinkley Point C.

Limits on Arcminute-Scale Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy at 28.5 GHz

Science.gov (United States)

Holzapfel, W. L.; Carlstrom, J. E.; Grego, L.; Holder, G.; Joy, M.; Reese, E. D.

2000-01-01

We have used the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association (BIMA) millimeter array outfitted with sensitive centimeter-wave receivers to search for cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies on arcminute scales. The interferometer was placed in a compact configuration that produces high brightness sensitivity, while providing discrimination against point sources. Operating at a frequency of 28.5 GHz, the FWHM primary beam of the instrument is approximately 6'.6. We have made sensitive images of seven fields, four of which where chosen specifically to have low infrared dust contrast and to be free of bright radio sources. Additional observations with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) millimeter array were used to assist in the location and removal of radio point sources. Applying a Bayesian analysis to the raw visibility data, we place limits on CMB anisotropy flat-band power of Q(sub flat) = 5.6(sub -5.6)(exp 3.0) microK and Q(sub flat) < 14.1 microK at 68% and 95% confidence, respectively. The sensitivity of this experiment to flat-band power peaks at a multipole of I = 5470, which corresponds to an angular scale of approximately 2'. The most likely value of Q(sub flat) is similar to the level of the expected secondary anisotropies.

Limits on Arcminute Scale Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy with the BIMA Array

Science.gov (United States)

Holzapfel, W. L.; Carlstrom, J. E.; Grego, L.; Holder, G. P.; Joy, M. K.; Reese, E. D.; Rose, M. Franklin (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

We have used the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland-Association (BIMA) millimeter array outfitted with sensitive cm-wave receivers to search for Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropies on arcminute scales. The interferometer was placed in a compact configuration which produces high brightness sensitivity, while providing discrimination against point sources. Operating at a frequency of 28.5 GHz, the FWHM primary beam of the instrument is 6.6 arcminutes. We have made sensitive images of seven fields, five of which where chosen specifically to have low IR dust contrast and be free of bright radio sources. Additional observations with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) millimeter array were used to assist in the location and removal of radio point sources. Applying a Bayesian analysis to the raw visibility data, we place limits on CMB anisotropy flat-band power Q_flat = 5.6 (+3.0, -5.6) uK and Q_flat < 14.1 uK at 68% and 95% confidence. The sensitivity of this experiment to flat band power peaks at a multipole of l = 5470, which corresponds to an angular scale of approximately 2 arcminutes The most likely value of Q_flat is similar to the level of the expected secondary anisotropies.

The role of entry into regional markets in fulfilling brand promise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Ghasemi

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an empirical investigation to study the role of entry into regional markets in fulfilling brand promise. The study designs two questionnaires, one for measuring brand promise and the other for measuring export capabilities, in Likert scale and distributes it among 250 randomly selected producers who were involved in production and development of various products in city of Esfahan, Iran. Cronbach alphas were calculated for brand promise and export capabilities as 0.856 and 0.812, respectively. Using structural equation modeling, the study has detected seven factors including product development, public advocacy, strategic orientation, customer satisfaction, competitive pressures, organizational capabilities and distribution strategies.

Direct Observation of Clinical Skills Feedback Scale: Development and Validity Evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Halman, Samantha; Dudek, Nancy; Wood, Timothy; Pugh, Debra; Touchie, Claire; McAleer, Sean; Humphrey-Murto, Susan

2016-01-01

Construct: This article describes the development and validity evidence behind a new rating scale to assess feedback quality in the clinical workplace. Competency-based medical education has mandated a shift to learner-centeredness, authentic observation, and frequent formative assessments with a focus on the delivery of effective feedback. Because feedback has been shown to be of variable quality and effectiveness, an assessment of feedback quality in the workplace is important to ensure we are providing trainees with optimal learning opportunities. The purposes of this project were to develop a rating scale for the quality of verbal feedback in the workplace (the Direct Observation of Clinical Skills Feedback Scale [DOCS-FBS]) and to gather validity evidence for its use. Two panels of experts (local and national) took part in a nominal group technique to identify features of high-quality feedback. Through multiple iterations and review, 9 features were developed into the DOCS-FBS. Four rater types (residents n = 21, medical students n = 8, faculty n = 12, and educators n = 12) used the DOCS-FBS to rate videotaped feedback encounters of variable quality. The psychometric properties of the scale were determined using a generalizability analysis. Participants also completed a survey to gather data on a 5-point Likert scale to inform the ease of use, clarity, knowledge acquisition, and acceptability of the scale. Mean video ratings ranged from 1.38 to 2.96 out of 3 and followed the intended pattern suggesting that the tool allowed raters to distinguish between examples of higher and lower quality feedback. There were no significant differences between rater type (range = 2.36-2.49), suggesting that all groups of raters used the tool in the same way. The generalizability coefficients for the scale ranged from 0.97 to 0.99. Item-total correlations were all above 0.80, suggesting some redundancy in items. Participants found the scale easy to use (M = 4.31/5) and clear

Assessment scale of risk for surgical positioning injuries.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes, Camila Mendonça de Moraes; Haas, Vanderlei José; Dantas, Rosana Aparecida Spadoti; Oliveira, Cheila Gonçalves de; Galvão, Cristina Maria

2016-08-29

to build and validate a scale to assess the risk of surgical positioning injuries in adult patients. methodological research, conducted in two phases: construction and face and content validation of the scale and field research, involving 115 patients. the Risk Assessment Scale for the Development of Injuries due to Surgical Positioning contains seven items, each of which presents five subitems. The scale score ranges between seven and 35 points in which, the higher the score, the higher the patient's risk. The Content Validity Index of the scale corresponded to 0.88. The application of Student's t-test for equality of means revealed the concurrent criterion validity between the scores on the Braden scale and the constructed scale. To assess the predictive criterion validity, the association was tested between the presence of pain deriving from surgical positioning and the development of pressure ulcer, using the score on the Risk Assessment Scale for the Development of Injuries due to Surgical Positioning (pposicionamiento quirúrgico en pacientes adultos. investigación metodológica, conducida en dos etapas: construcción y validación de faz y de contenido de la escala e investigación de campo, con la participación de 115 pacientes. la Escala de Evaluación de Riesgo para el Desarrollo de Lesiones Debidas al Posicionamiento Quirúrgico contiene siete ítems, siendo que cada uno presenta cinco subítems. La puntuación de esa escala varia de siete a 35 puntos en que, cuanto mayor la puntuación, mayor el riesgo del paciente. El Índice de Validez de Contenido de la escala fue 0,88. Mediante la aplicación de la prueba t de Student, para igualdad de medias, fue constatada validez de criterio concurrente entre los scores de la escala de Braden y de la escala construida. Para evaluar la validez de criterio predictiva, fue testada la asociación de la presencia de dolor debido al posicionamiento quirúrgico y el desarrollo de úlcera por presión con el score de

Scaling behaviour of the correlation length for the two-point correlation function in the random field Ising chain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lange, Adrian; Stinchcombe, Robin [Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford (United Kingdom)

1996-07-07

We study the general behaviour of the correlation length {zeta}(kT:h) for two-point correlation function of the local fields in an Ising chain with binary distributed fields. At zero field it is shown that {zeta} is the same as the zero-field correlation length for the spin-spin correlation function. For the field-dominated behaviour of {zeta} we find an exponent for the power-law divergence which is smaller than the exponent for the spin-spin correlation length. The entire behaviour of the correlation length can be described by a single crossover scaling function involving the new critical exponent. (author)

Systematic prediction of new ferroelectric inorganic materials in point group 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abrahams, S.C.

1990-01-01

A total of seven new families and sixteen structurally different inorganic materials with point group 6 are shown to satisfy the criteria presented previously by the present author for predicting ferroelectricity. In case each prediction is experimentally verified, the 183 individual entries for point group 6 listed in the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database will result in over 80 new ferroelectrics, of which about 30 are rare-earth isomorphs. The total number of 'pure'

Internal construct validity of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS: a Rasch analysis using data from the Scottish Health Education Population Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Platt Stephen

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS was developed to meet demand for instruments to measure mental well-being. It comprises 14 positively phrased Likert-style items and fulfils classic criteria for scale development. We report here the internal construct validity of WEMWBS from the perspective of the Rasch measurement model. Methods The model was applied to data collected from 779 respondents in Wave 12 (Autumn 2006 of the Scottish Health Education Population Survey. Respondents were aged 16–74 (average 41.9 yrs. Results Initial fit to model expectations was poor. The items 'I've been feeling good about myself', 'I've been interested in new things' and 'I've been feeling cheerful' all showed significant misfit to model expectations, and were deleted. This led to a marginal improvement in fit to the model. After further analysis, more items were deleted and a strict unidimensional seven item scale (the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS was resolved. Many items deleted because of misfit with model expectations showed considerable bias for gender. Two retained items also demonstrated bias for gender but, at the scale level, cancelled out. One further retained item 'I've been feeling optimistic about the future' showed bias for age. The correlation between the 14 item and 7 item versions was 0.954. Given fit to the Rasch model, and strict unidimensionality, SWEMWBS provides an interval scale estimate of mental well-being. Conclusion A short 7 item version of WEMWBS was found to satisfy the strict unidimensionality expectations of the Rasch model, and be largely free of bias. This scale, SWEMWBS, provides a raw score-interval scale transformation for use in parametric procedures. In terms of face validity, SWEMWBS presents a more restricted view of mental well-being than the 14 item WEMWBS, with most items representing aspects of psychological and eudemonic well-being, and few covering

Development and validation of a psychometric scale for assessing PA chest image quality: A pilot study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mraity, H.; England, A.; Akhtar, I.; Aslam, A.; De Lange, R.; Momoniat, H.; Nicoulaz, S.; Ribeiro, A.; Mazhir, S.; Hogg, P.

2014-01-01

Purpose: To develop and validate a psychometric scale for assessing image quality perception for chest X-ray images. Methods: Bandura's theory was used to guide scale development. A review of the literature was undertaken to identify items/factors which could be used to evaluate image quality using a perceptual approach. A draft scale was then created (22 items) and presented to a focus group (student and qualified radiographers). Within the focus group the draft scale was discussed and modified. A series of seven postero-anterior chest images were generated using a phantom with a range of image qualities. Image quality perception was confirmed for the seven images using signal-to-noise ratio (SNR 17.2–36.5). Participants (student and qualified radiographers and radiology trainees) were then invited to independently score each of the seven images using the draft image quality perception scale. Cronbach alpha was used to test interval reliability. Results: Fifty three participants used the scale to grade image quality perception on each of the seven images. Aggregated mean scale score increased with increasing SNR from 42.1 to 87.7 (r = 0.98, P < 0.001). For each of the 22 individual scale items there was clear differentiation of low, mid and high quality images. A Cronbach alpha coefficient of >0.7 was obtained across each of the seven images. Conclusion: This study represents the first development of a chest image quality perception scale based on Bandura's theory. There was excellent correlation between the image quality perception scores derived using the scale and the SNR. Further research will involve a more detailed item and factor analysis

Comprehensive comparison of two image-based point clouds from aerial photos with airborne lidar for large-scale mapping : Door detection to envelope reconstruction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Widyaningrum, E.; Gorte, B.G.H.

2017-01-01

The integration of computer vision and photogrammetry to generate three-dimensional (3D) information from images has contributed to a wider use of point clouds, for mapping purposes. Large-scale topographic map production requires 3D data with high precision and

Construction and validation of a measure of integrative well-being in seven languages: The Pemberton Happiness Index

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Purpose We introduce the Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI), a new integrative measure of well-being in seven languages, detailing the validation process and presenting psychometric data. The scale includes eleven items related to different domains of remembered well-being (general, hedonic, eudaimonic, and social well-being) and ten items related to experienced well-being (i.e., positive and negative emotional events that possibly happened the day before); the sum of these items produces a combined well-being index. Methods A distinctive characteristic of this study is that to construct the scale, an initial pool of items, covering the remembered and experienced well-being domains, were subjected to a complete selection and validation process. These items were based on widely used scales (e.g., PANAS, Satisfaction With Life Scale, Subjective Happiness Scale, and Psychological Well-Being Scales). Both the initial items and reference scales were translated into seven languages and completed via Internet by participants (N = 4,052) aged 16 to 60 years from nine countries (Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and USA). Results Results from this initial validation study provided very good support for the psychometric properties of the PHI (i.e., internal consistency, a single-factor structure, and convergent and incremental validity). Conclusions Given the PHI’s good psychometric properties, this simple and integrative index could be used as an instrument to monitor changes in well-being. We discuss the utility of this integrative index to explore well-being in individuals and communities. PMID:23607679

Leadership Styles and Employees` Job Satisfaction: A Case from the Private Banking Sector of Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Hafiz Ali Javed; Asad Abbas Jaffari; Muzahir Rahim

2014-01-01

This research study shows the relationship of leadership styles with the job satisfaction of employees working in the private banking sector of Pakistan and also depicts which leadership style leaders have adopted most. A questionnaire with five points likert scale was used to collect data on different dimensions of leadership styles and employees? job satisfaction from 230 participants working in five selected private banks of four districts of the province of Punjab, Pakistan. The results s...

Influence of social media on customer experiences in restaurants: A South African study

OpenAIRE

Mhlanga, Oswald; Tichaawa, Tembi Maloney

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of social media on customers' experiences in restaurants in South Africa. Using the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality as a case study area, structured survey questionnaires were distributed at selected formal full-service restaurants to customers. The data analysis consisted of the experiences of respondents with different social media types and t-tests. The results indicated that on a 5 point Likert scale, customers who used Ins...

Job Satisfaction among Health-Care Staff in Township Health Centers in Rural China: Results from a Latent Class Analysis

OpenAIRE

Haipeng Wang; Chengxiang Tang; Shichao Zhao; Qingyue Meng; Xiaoyun Liu

2017-01-01

Background: The lower job satisfaction of health-care staff will lead to more brain drain, worse work performance, and poorer health-care outcomes. The aim of this study was to identify patterns of job satisfaction among health-care staff in rural China, and to investigate the association between the latent clusters and health-care staff’s personal and professional features; Methods: We selected 12 items of five-point Likert scale questions to measure job satisfaction. A latent-class analysis...

The Moderation Effect of Smart Phone Addiction in Relationship between Self-Leadership and Innovative Behavior

OpenAIRE

Gi-Ryun Park; Gye-Wan Moon; Dong-Hoon Yang

2014-01-01

This study aims to explore the positive effects of self-leadership and innovative behavior that'd been proven in the existing researches proactively and understand the regulation effects of smartphone addiction which has recently become an issue in Korea. This study conducted a convenient sampling of college students attending the four colleges located at Daegu. A total of 210 questionnaires in 5-point Likert scale were distributed to college students. Among which, a total of 200 questionnair...

The Impact Of Viral Marketing On Corporate Brand Reputation

OpenAIRE

Lawrence Mpele Lekhanya

2014-01-01

This paper reports on the impact of viral marketing on corporate brand reputation. The study aimed to analyse and evaluate the use of viral marketing and the impact it has on the reputation of corporate branding of South African companies. The study was conducted in four South African provinces. The sample consisted of 75 companies, selected using a stratified sampling method, with respondents completing a five-point Likert scale questionnaire with the assistance of an interviewer. The result...

Seven lessons from manyfield inflation in random potentials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, Mafalda; Frazer, Jonathan; Marsh, M.C. David

2017-06-01

We study inflation in models with many interacting fields subject to randomly generated scalar potentials. We use methods from non-equilibrium random matrix theory to construct the potentials and an adaption of the 'transport method' to evolve the two-point correlators during inflation. This construction allows, for the first time, for an explicit study of models with up to 100 interacting fields supporting a period of 'approximately saddle-point' inflation. We determine the statistical predictions for observables by generating over 30,000 models with 2-100 fields supporting at least 60 efolds of inflation. These studies lead us to seven lessons: i) Manyfield inflation is not single-field inflation, ii) The larger the number of fields, the simpler and sharper the predictions, iii) Planck compatibility is not rare, but future experiments may rule out this class of models, iv) The smoother the potentials, the sharper the predictions, v) Hyperparameters can transition from stiff to sloppy, vi) Despite tachyons, isocurvature can decay, vii) Eigenvalue repulsion drives the predictions. We conclude that many of the 'generic predictions' of single-field inflation can be emergent features of complex inflation models.

Seven lessons from manyfield inflation in random potentials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dias, Mafalda; Frazer, Jonathan [DESY Hamburg (Germany). Theory Group; Marsh, M.C. David [Cambridge Univ. (United Kingdom). Dept. of Appllied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics

2017-06-15

We study inflation in models with many interacting fields subject to randomly generated scalar potentials. We use methods from non-equilibrium random matrix theory to construct the potentials and an adaption of the 'transport method' to evolve the two-point correlators during inflation. This construction allows, for the first time, for an explicit study of models with up to 100 interacting fields supporting a period of 'approximately saddle-point' inflation. We determine the statistical predictions for observables by generating over 30,000 models with 2-100 fields supporting at least 60 efolds of inflation. These studies lead us to seven lessons: i) Manyfield inflation is not single-field inflation, ii) The larger the number of fields, the simpler and sharper the predictions, iii) Planck compatibility is not rare, but future experiments may rule out this class of models, iv) The smoother the potentials, the sharper the predictions, v) Hyperparameters can transition from stiff to sloppy, vi) Despite tachyons, isocurvature can decay, vii) Eigenvalue repulsion drives the predictions. We conclude that many of the 'generic predictions' of single-field inflation can be emergent features of complex inflation models.

Interest point detection for hyperspectral imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Dorado-Muñoz, Leidy P.; Vélez-Reyes, Miguel; Roysam, Badrinath; Mukherjee, Amit

2009-05-01

This paper presents an algorithm for automated extraction of interest points (IPs)in multispectral and hyperspectral images. Interest points are features of the image that capture information from its neighbours and they are distinctive and stable under transformations such as translation and rotation. Interest-point operators for monochromatic images were proposed more than a decade ago and have since been studied extensively. IPs have been applied to diverse problems in computer vision, including image matching, recognition, registration, 3D reconstruction, change detection, and content-based image retrieval. Interest points are helpful in data reduction, and reduce the computational burden of various algorithms (like registration, object detection, 3D reconstruction etc) by replacing an exhaustive search over the entire image domain by a probe into a concise set of highly informative points. An interest operator seeks out points in an image that are structurally distinct, invariant to imaging conditions, stable under geometric transformation, and interpretable which are good candidates for interest points. Our approach extends ideas from Lowe's keypoint operator that uses local extrema of Difference of Gaussian (DoG) operator at multiple scales to detect interest point in gray level images. The proposed approach extends Lowe's method by direct conversion of scalar operations such as scale-space generation, and extreme point detection into operations that take the vector nature of the image into consideration. Experimental results with RGB and hyperspectral images which demonstrate the potential of the method for this application and the potential improvements of a fully vectorial approach over band-by-band approaches described in the literature.

Processes governing the mass balance of Chhota Shigri Glacier (western Himalaya, India) assessed by point-scale surface energy balance measurements

OpenAIRE

Azam, M. F.; Wagnon, P.; Vincent, C.; Ramanathan, AL.; Favier, V.; Mandal, A.; Pottakkal, J. G.

2014-01-01

Some recent studies revealed that Himalayan glaciers were shrinking at an accelerated rate since the beginning of the 21st century. However, the climatic causes for this shrinkage remain unclear given that surface energy balance studies are almost nonexistent in this region. In this study, a point-scale surface energy balance analysis was performed using in situ meteorological data from the ablation zone of Chhota Shigri Glacier over two separate periods (August 2012 to February 2013 and July...

Joint classification and contour extraction of large 3D point clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Hackel, Timo; Wegner, Jan D.; Schindler, Konrad

2017-08-01

We present an effective and efficient method for point-wise semantic classification and extraction of object contours of large-scale 3D point clouds. What makes point cloud interpretation challenging is the sheer size of several millions of points per scan and the non-grid, sparse, and uneven distribution of points. Standard image processing tools like texture filters, for example, cannot handle such data efficiently, which calls for dedicated point cloud labeling methods. It turns out that one of the major drivers for efficient computation and handling of strong variations in point density, is a careful formulation of per-point neighborhoods at multiple scales. This allows, both, to define an expressive feature set and to extract topologically meaningful object contours. Semantic classification and contour extraction are interlaced problems. Point-wise semantic classification enables extracting a meaningful candidate set of contour points while contours help generating a rich feature representation that benefits point-wise classification. These methods are tailored to have fast run time and small memory footprint for processing large-scale, unstructured, and inhomogeneous point clouds, while still achieving high classification accuracy. We evaluate our methods on the semantic3d.net benchmark for terrestrial laser scans with >109 points.

Correlation of dew- and bubble-point curves for binary refrigerant mixtures. [Correlation between dew-point pressure(saturated vapor state) and bubble-point pressure(saturated liquid state)]. Niseibunkei kongo reibai no roten oyobi futten kyokusen no sokan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yada, N. (Kanagawa Institute of Technology, Kanagawa (Japan)); Watanabe, K. (Keio University, Tokyo (Japan). Faculty of Science and Technology)

1991-12-25

The paper makes a correlation expressing dew- and bubble-point curves using measured values for seven binary refrigerant freon-mixtures. In most binary systems at the same temperature, the pressure shows a different value between in a saturated vapor state (dew-point pressure) and in a saturated liquid state (bubble-point pressure). The target is such correlation as has as simple a function form as possible and is able to estimate even near the critical point where it used to be difficult to estimate. The pressure difference between measured values of the dew- and bubble-point pressure and values calculated from Raoult's law showing an ideal mixture of fluid is expressed by a simple function form of reduced temperature Tr and molar fraction. Tr is thermodynamic temperature/critical temperature. Reproducibility of this correlation is less than {plus minus}3% of the pressure deviation. Concerning also the arbitary composition range and near the critical point, the dew- and bubble-point pressure can be calculated accurately. 24 refs., 4 figs., 5 tabs.

Self-Similar Spin Images for Point Cloud Matching

Science.gov (United States)

Pulido, Daniel

The rapid growth of Light Detection And Ranging (Lidar) technologies that collect, process, and disseminate 3D point clouds have allowed for increasingly accurate spatial modeling and analysis of the real world. Lidar sensors can generate massive 3D point clouds of a collection area that provide highly detailed spatial and radiometric information. However, a Lidar collection can be expensive and time consuming. Simultaneously, the growth of crowdsourced Web 2.0 data (e.g., Flickr, OpenStreetMap) have provided researchers with a wealth of freely available data sources that cover a variety of geographic areas. Crowdsourced data can be of varying quality and density. In addition, since it is typically not collected as part of a dedicated experiment but rather volunteered, when and where the data is collected is arbitrary. The integration of these two sources of geoinformation can provide researchers the ability to generate products and derive intelligence that mitigate their respective disadvantages and combine their advantages. Therefore, this research will address the problem of fusing two point clouds from potentially different sources. Specifically, we will consider two problems: scale matching and feature matching. Scale matching consists of computing feature metrics of each point cloud and analyzing their distributions to determine scale differences. Feature matching consists of defining local descriptors that are invariant to common dataset distortions (e.g., rotation and translation). Additionally, after matching the point clouds they can be registered and processed further (e.g., change detection). The objective of this research is to develop novel methods to fuse and enhance two point clouds from potentially disparate sources (e.g., Lidar and crowdsourced Web 2.0 datasets). The scope of this research is to investigate both scale and feature matching between two point clouds. The specific focus of this research will be in developing a novel local descriptor

The effect of two grading systems on the performance of medical students during oral examinations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ba-Ali, Shakoor; Jemec, Gregor B E; Sander, Birgit

2017-01-01

group (p = 0.45). Moreover, the average mark was higher among the international students (mean = 10.3, on the seven-point grading scale) than in the Danish speaking classes (mean = 9.1). CONCLUSION: The seven-point grading scale seems to motivate students to yield a better performance; hence tiered......INTRODUCTION: Either a pass/fail approach or a seven-point grading scale are used to evaluate students at the Danish universities. The aim of this study was to explore any effect of the assessment methods on student performances during oral exams. METHODS: In a prospective study including 1......,037 examinations in three medical subjects, we investigated the difference in the test scores between the spring- and autumn semester. In the spring semester, the students could either pass or fail the subject (pass/fail) while in the following autumn semester, the students were assessed by tiered grading (seven...

A scale to evaluate customer attitudes towards food risks in restaurants / Uma escala para avaliar as atitudes do cliente com relação aos riscos de alimentos em restaurantes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriela Milhassi Vedovato

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Qualitative methods for exploratory social research allow a deep understanding of individuals’ knowledge, perceptions, values, and preferences. In this study, we aimed to develop a scale to measure customer attitudes toward food risks. In-depth interviews were conducted with customers from two different restaurants located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to raise social representation constructs by means of the collective subject discourse technique to compose the scale items. A 5-point Likert scale was used to assess the degree of the respondent’s agreement/disagreement with each item (n = 24. The instrument developed was tested (n = 61 to evaluate validity and reliability; it yielded satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.78, 17 items. The study offers a theoretical and methodological insight into scale development, and identifies customers’ social representations in buffet-style restaurants related to hygiene, risk management, food-hazards, responsibility, and trust in food systems. The proposed methodology is suitable to apply to further marketing research and effective risk management and communication regarding foodservices issues. -------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Métodos qualitativos em pesquisa social permitem uma compreensão mais aprofundada dos conhecimentos, percepções, valores, preferências dos indivíduos. Este estudo teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de uma escala para avaliar as atitudes dos clientes em relação à segurança de alimentos. Entrevistas em profundidade foram realizadas com clientes de dois restaurantes em São Paulo, Brasil, para levantar construtos de representação social por meio da técnica do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo para compor os itens da escala. Uma escala de Likert 5-pontos foi utilizada para avaliar o grau de concordância/discordância dos respondentes com cada item (n = 24. O instrumento desenvolvido foi testado (n

No psychological distress in sportsmen aged 45 years and older after cardiovascular screening, including cardiac CT: The Measuring Athlete's Risk of Cardiovascular events (MARC) study.

Science.gov (United States)

Schurink, M M; Braber, T L; Prakken, N H J; Doevendans, P A F M; Backx, F J G; Grobbee, D E; Rienks, R; Nathoe, H M; Bots, M L; Velthuis, B K; Mosterd, A

2017-04-01

Psychological distress caused by cardiovascular pre-participation screening (PPS) may be a reason not to implement a PPS program. We assessed the psychological impact of PPS, including cardiac computed tomography (CT), in 318 asymptomatic sportsmen aged ≥45 years. Coronary artery disease (CAD) was defined as a coronary artery calcium score ≥100 Agatson units and/or ≥50% luminal stenosis on contrast-enhanced cardiac CT. Psychological impact was measured with the Impact of Event Scale (IES) (seven items) on a six-point scale (grade 0-5). A sum score ≥19 indicates clinically relevant psychological distress. A Likert scale was used to assess overall experiences and impact on sports and lifestyle. A total of 275 participants (86.5% response rate, 95% CI 83-90%) with a mean age of 54.5 ± 6.4 years completed the questionnaires, 48 (17.5%, 95% CI 13-22%) of whom had CAD. The median IES score was 1 (IQR 0-2, [0-23]). IES was slightly higher in those with CAD (mean rank 175 vs. 130, p psychological distress (IES = 23). Participants reported numerous benefits, including feeling safer exercising (58.6%, 95% CI 53-65%) and positive lifestyle changes, especially in those with CAD (17.2 vs. 52.1%, p psychological distress in older sportsmen. Psychological distress should not be a reason to forego screening in sportsmen.

Construction of a Scale-Questionnaire on the Attitude of the Teaching Staff as Opposed to the Educative Innovation by Means of Techniques of Cooperative Work (CAPIC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joan Andrés Traver Martí

2007-05-01

Full Text Available In the present work the construction process of a scale-questionnaire is described to measure the attitude of the teaching staff as opposed to the educational innovation by means of techniques of cooperative work (CAPIC.  In order to carry out its design and elaboration we need on the one hand a model of analysis of the attitudes and an instrument of measurement of the same ones capable of guiding its practical dynamics.  The Theory of the Reasoned Action of Fisbhein and Ajzen (1975, 1980 and the summative scales (Likert have fulfilled, in both cases, this paper.

Comparison of the Berg Balance Scale and Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale to predict falls in community-dwelling adults

OpenAIRE

Jeon, Yong-Jin; Kim, Gyoung-Mo

2017-01-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the predictive properties of Berg Balance Scale and Fullerton Advanced Balance Scales, in a group of independently-functioning community dwelling older adults. [Subjects and Methods] Ninety-seven community-dwelling older adults (male=39, female=58) who were capable of walking independently on assessment were included in this study. A binary logistic regression analysis of the Berg Balance Scale and Fullerton Advanced Balance S...

Studies on the preparative isolation and stability of seven main anthocyanins from Yan 73 grape.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Ke; Li, Yang; Han, Yehui; Han, Fuliang; Li, Jiming; Nie, Yao; Xu, Yan

2014-09-01

[corrected] Seven anthocyanin monomers of Yan 73 grape were separated using preparative HPLC and identified by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. The stabilities of the seven isolated anthocyanins to light, temperature and pH were also investigated. Seven anthocyanin monomers were successfully isolated with an Xbridge Prep C18 column on a preparative scale. The pigments delphinidin-3-O-glucoside, malvidin-3-O-acetylglucoside and malvidin-3-O-coumarylglucoside were yielded in a one-step separation by preparative HPLC, with purities up to 99.9%, 91.7% and 95.5%, respectively. The pigments cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, petunidin-3-O-glucoside, peonidin-3-O-glucoside, and malvidin-3-O-glucoside were further purified with another elution method and their purities were all improved up to 99.9%. Monomeric anthocyanin degradation fitted a first-order reaction model. The seven isolated anthocyanins were significantly more stable in the dark than under light. High temperature was also unfavourable for the stability of anthocyanins. The anthocyanins were more stable at lower pH than at higher pH. In addition, among these anthocyanins, delphinidin-3-O-glucoside, malvidin-3-O-acetylglucoside and malvidin-3-O-coumarylglucoside were more susceptible to light, heat, and pH than the others. A simple and clean isolation method of seven anthocyanin monomers from Yan 73 grape was established. The stabilities of the seven anthocyanin monomers to light, temperature and pH were different, but the trends in changes were similar. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

SEMANTIC3D.NET: a New Large-Scale Point Cloud Classification Benchmark

Science.gov (United States)

Hackel, T.; Savinov, N.; Ladicky, L.; Wegner, J. D.; Schindler, K.; Pollefeys, M.

2017-05-01

This paper presents a new 3D point cloud classification benchmark data set with over four billion manually labelled points, meant as input for data-hungry (deep) learning methods. We also discuss first submissions to the benchmark that use deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) as a work horse, which already show remarkable performance improvements over state-of-the-art. CNNs have become the de-facto standard for many tasks in computer vision and machine learning like semantic segmentation or object detection in images, but have no yet led to a true breakthrough for 3D point cloud labelling tasks due to lack of training data. With the massive data set presented in this paper, we aim at closing this data gap to help unleash the full potential of deep learning methods for 3D labelling tasks. Our semantic3D.net data set consists of dense point clouds acquired with static terrestrial laser scanners. It contains 8 semantic classes and covers a wide range of urban outdoor scenes: churches, streets, railroad tracks, squares, villages, soccer fields and castles. We describe our labelling interface and show that our data set provides more dense and complete point clouds with much higher overall number of labelled points compared to those already available to the research community. We further provide baseline method descriptions and comparison between methods submitted to our online system. We hope semantic3D.net will pave the way for deep learning methods in 3D point cloud labelling to learn richer, more general 3D representations, and first submissions after only a few months indicate that this might indeed be the case.

Development and Preliminary Validation of the Scale for Evaluation of Psychiatric Integrative and Continuous Care—Patient’s Version

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuriy Ignatyev

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This pilot study aimed to evaluate and examine an instrument that integrates relevant aspects of cross-sectoral (in- and outpatients mental health care, is simply to use and shows satisfactory psychometric properties. The development of the scale comprised literature research, held 14 focus groups and 12 interviews with patients and health care providers, item-pool generation, content validation by a scientific expert panel, and face validation by 90 patients. The preliminary scale was tested on 385 patients across seven German hospitals with cross-sectoral mental health care (CSMHC as part of their treatment program. Psychometric properties of the scale were evaluated using genuine and transformed data scoring. To check reliability and postdictive validity of the scale, Cronbach’s α coefficient and multivariable linear regression were used. This development process led to the development of an 18-item scale called the “Scale for Evaluation of Psychiatric Integrative and Continuous Care (SEPICC” with a two-point and five-point response options. The scale consists of two sections. The first section assesses the presence or absence of patients’ experiences with various CSMHC’ relevant components such as home treatment, flexibility of treatments’ switching, case management, continuity of care, cross-sectoral therapeutic groups, and multidisciplinary teams. The second section evaluates the patients’ opinions about these relevant components. Using raw and transformed scoring resulted into comparable results. However, data distribution using transformed scoring showed a smaller deviation from normality. For the overall scale, the Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.82. Self-reported experiences with relevant components of the CSMHC were positively associated with the patients approval of these components. In conclusion, the new scale provides a good starting point for further validation. It can be used as a tool to evaluate CSMHC

NESKA, Electron and Positron Scattering from Point Nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Idoeta, R.; Legarda, F.

2002-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: The Mott's differential cross section for the scattering of electrons and positrons by point nuclei without screening is calculated for any energy, atomic number and angle of scattering. 2 - Method of solution: We have summed the conditionally convergent series appearing in Mott's cross section using two consecutive transformations: the one of Yennie, Ravenhall and Wilson and that of Euler till we have seven times six significant figures repeated in the ratio of the Mott cross section to the classical Rutherford cross section. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: Those appearing in the use of Mott's cross section for unscreened point nuclei

Determinants of public attitudes to genetically modified salmon.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Latifah Amin

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to assess the attitude of Malaysian stakeholders to genetically modified (GM salmon and to identify the factors that influence their acceptance of GM salmon using a structural equation model. A survey was carried out on 434 representatives from various stakeholder groups in the Klang Valley region of Malaysia. Public attitude towards GM salmon was measured using self-developed questionnaires with seven-point Likert scales. The findings of this study have confirmed that public attitudes towards GM salmon is a complex issue and should be seen as a multi-faceted process. The most important direct predictors for the encouragement of GM salmon are the specific application-linked perceptions about religious acceptability of GM salmon followed by perceived risks and benefits, familiarity, and general promise of modern biotechnology. Encouragement of GM salmon also involves the interplay among other factors such as general concerns of biotechnology, threatening the natural order of things, the need for labeling, the need for patenting, confidence in regulation, and societal values. The research findings can serve as a database that will be useful for understanding the social construct of public attitude towards GM foods in a developing country.

Life satisfaction and work-related satisfaction among anesthesiologists in Poland.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaszynska, Ewelina; Stankiewicz-Rudnicki, Michal; Szatko, Franciszek; Wieczorek, Andrzej; Gaszynski, Tomasz

2014-01-01

The aim of the study was to assess the level of life and job satisfaction of Polish anesthesiologists and to explore the impact of extrinsic-hygiene and intrinsic-motivating determinants. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among consultant anesthesiologists in Lodz region. The questionnaire concerned patient care, burden, income, personal rewards, professional relations, job satisfaction in general, and life satisfaction. Respondents were asked to rate their level of satisfaction for each item on a seven-point Likert scale (1: extremely dissatisfied; 7: extremely satisfied). 86.03% of anesthesiologists were satisfied with their economic status, 77.94% found their health status satisfactory, and 52.21% viewed their personal future optimistically. In general, 71.32% of anesthesiologists were satisfied with their current job situation. Among the less satisfying job aspects were work-related stress (2.49; SD = 1.23), administrative burden (2.85; SD = 1.47), workload (3.63; SD = 1.56), and leisure time (3.09; SD = 1.44). Considerable work-related stress leads to job dissatisfaction among anesthesiologists. There is an association between job satisfaction and health status, social life, and economic status. Working for long hours by anesthesiologists results in a high risk of burnout.

A subjective domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) temperament assessment results in six independent dimensions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Daniel; Ha, James

2017-08-01

The study of personality or temperament is well developed in many species, but in domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) it has lagged behind. We applied one common methodology, subjective surveys, performed by their owners, to investigate the dimensions of cat temperament. To do this, we developed an eighteen question survey covering common behavioral traits of cats, and had the evaluators rank their cat on a seven point Likert scale for trait. The responses were analyzed with factor analysis, and resulted in six significant dimensions of temperament across the 251 surveys. The six dimensions, in order of importance, are: Cat Social, Active, Human Nonsocial, Human Aggressive, and Intense. Supplemental questions were also included in all the surveys, and MANOVA analysis of these showed that outdoor usage, feeding style (ad-lib vs. meal fed), living with other cats, sex, duration of ownership, and previous history as a stray all had effects on at least one of the dimensions of cat temperament. Future work is clearly needed to fully validate our model and to further investigate our findings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and Preliminary Testing of the Food Choice Priorities Survey (FCPS): Assessing the Importance of Multiple Factors on College Students' Food Choices.

Science.gov (United States)

Vilaro, Melissa J; Zhou, Wenjun; Colby, Sarah E; Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol; Riggsbee, Kristin; Olfert, Melissa D; Barnett, Tracey E; Mathews, Anne E

2017-12-01

Understanding factors that influence food choice may help improve diet quality. Factors that commonly affect adults' food choices have been described, but measures that identify and assess food choice factors specific to college students are lacking. This study developed and tested the Food Choice Priorities Survey (FCPS) among college students. Thirty-seven undergraduates participated in two focus groups ( n = 19; 11 in the male-only group, 8 in the female-only group) and interviews ( n = 18) regarding typical influences on food choice. Qualitative data informed the development of survey items with a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important). An expert panel rated FCPS items for clarity, relevance, representativeness, and coverage using a content validity form. To establish test-retest reliability, 109 first-year college students completed the 14-item FCPS at two time points, 0-48 days apart ( M = 13.99, SD = 7.44). Using Cohen's weighted κ for responses within 20 days, 11 items demonstrated moderate agreement and 3 items had substantial agreement. Factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure (9 items). The FCPS is designed for college students and provides a way to determine the factors of greatest importance regarding food choices among this population. From a public health perspective, practical applications include using the FCPS to tailor health communications and behavior change interventions to factors most salient for food choices of college students.

River Metabolism and Nutrient Cycling at the Point Scale: Insights from In Situ Sensors in Benthic Chambers

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, M. J.; Reijo, C. J.; Hensley, R. T.

2017-12-01

nutrient enrichment effects (i.e., zero-order kinetics imply nutrient saturation), and offers novel insights into the benthic conditions that control both rates and kinetics. The capacity to measure processes at the point scale, and effectively scale to the reach, opens new doors for understanding aquatic ecosystem biogeochemistry.

Assessing Yemeni EFL learners’ Oral skills via the Conceptualization of Target Language Use Domain: A Testing Framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sami A. Al-wossabi

2014-09-01

Full Text Available There is an evident lack of a comprehensive evaluation basis for Yemeni learners’ speaking skills in the English department, Hodeidah University. The present paper presents a detailed framework of oral assessment criteria that involves a description of target language use domains and then shows how such domains can be systematically related to test design. The framework takes as its main goal the development and description of a criterion referenced rating scale representing real-world criterion elements. The aim of the testing framework, therefore, is to ensure maximum appropriateness of score test interpretations and maximize the validity and fairness of local speaking tests. A five-point likert scale is carried out to elicit 10 trained raters’ perceptions of using the pilot scale. The research findings support the use and appropriateness of the scale as it aids raters identify underlying aspects of their learners’ oral discourse that cannot be observed in traditional discrete point tests.

Beyond KNO scaling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegyi, S.

1998-01-01

A generalization of the Koba-Nielsen-Olesen scaling law of the multiplicity distributions P(n) is presented. It consists of a change in the normalization point of P(n) compensated by a suitable change in the renormalized parameters and a rescaling. The iterative repetition of the transformation yields the sequence of higher-order moment distributions of P(n). Each member of this sequence may exhibit data collapsing behavior in case of violation of the original KNO scaling hypothesis. It is shown that the iterative procedure can be viewed as varying the collision energy, i.e. the moment distributions of P(n) can represent the pattern of pre-asymptotic KNO scaling violation. The fixed points of the iteration will be determined and a consistency test based on Feynman scaling is to be given. (author)

IPED - Intelligent Psykchiatric Education Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fog-Petersen, Cecilie; Arnfred, Sidse Marie

2014-01-01

At the end of their placement 8 groups of the students were interviewed and all the students received a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of Likert scale (1-7) response items.......At the end of their placement 8 groups of the students were interviewed and all the students received a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of Likert scale (1-7) response items....

Enhancing positive attitudes towards disability: evaluation of an integrated physiotherapy program.

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Prue Elizabeth; Lo, Kristin

2013-02-01

This study explored whether attitudes towards disability in second year undergraduate physiotherapy students could be enhanced by an on-campus integrated curriculum program. A pre-post design was used. Year 2 (pre-clinical) students participated in a 12-week program focused on optimising attitudes towards people with acquired or developmental neurological disability. The Discomfort subscale of the Interaction with Disabled Persons scale, rated on a six-point Likert scale, was applied prior to and at completion of the 12-week program, and compared to year 4 students, just prior to graduation. Qualitative data from year 2 reflective narratives was also gathered. Forty-seven second year and 45 fourth year physiotherapy students participated. The difference in Discomfort subscale scores between weeks 1 and 12 of year 2 was statistically significant (p = 0.0016). The difference in Discomfort subscale scores between year 2 week 1 and year 4 students was also statistically significant (p = 0.040). There was no significant difference in attitudes between students at the end of year 2 and the end of year 4 (p = 0.703). Qualitative data supported the development of more positive attitudes towards neurological disability across the 12 week year 2 pre-clinical program. Student attitudes towards people with acquired and/or developmental neurological disabilities can be enhanced through an on campus integrated curriculum program.

Evaluation of Android Smartphones for Telepathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekong, Donald; Liu, Fang; Brown, G Thomas; Ghosh, Arunima; Fontelo, Paul

2017-01-01

In the year 2014, Android smartphones accounted for one-third of mobile connections globally but are predicted to increase to two-thirds by 2020. In developing countries, where teleconsultations can benefit health-care providers most, the ratio is even higher. This study compared the use of two Android phones, an 8 megapixel (MP) and a 16 MP phone, for capturing microscopic images. The Android phones were used to capture images and videos of a gastrointestinal biopsy teaching set of referred cases from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP). The acquired images and videos were reviewed online by two pathologists for image quality, adequacy for diagnosis, usefulness of video overviews, and confidence in diagnosis, on a 5-point Likert scale. The results show higher means in a 5-point Likert scale for the 8 MP versus the 16 MP phone that were statistically significant in adequacy of images (4.0 vs. 3.75) for rendering diagnosis and for agreement with the reference diagnosis (2.33 vs. 2.07). Although the quality of images was found higher in the 16 MP phone (3.8 vs. 3.65), these were not statistically significant. Adding video images of the entire specimen was found to be useful for evaluating the slides (combined mean, 4.0). For telepathology and other image dependent practices in developing countries, Android phones could be a useful tool for capturing images.

Macro-mechanics controls quantum mechanics: mechanically controllable quantum conductance switching of an electrochemically fabricated atomic-scale point contact.

Science.gov (United States)

Staiger, Torben; Wertz, Florian; Xie, Fangqing; Heinze, Marcel; Schmieder, Philipp; Lutzweiler, Christian; Schimmel, Thomas

2018-01-12

Here, we present a silver atomic-scale device fabricated and operated by a combined technique of electrochemical control (EC) and mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ). With this EC-MCBJ technique, we can perform mechanically controllable bistable quantum conductance switching of a silver quantum point contact (QPC) in an electrochemical environment at room temperature. Furthermore, the silver QPC of the device can be controlled both mechanically and electrochemically, and the operating mode can be changed from 'electrochemical' to 'mechanical', which expands the operating mode for controlling QPCs. These experimental results offer the perspective that a silver QPC may be used as a contact for a nanoelectromechanical relay.

Macro-mechanics controls quantum mechanics: mechanically controllable quantum conductance switching of an electrochemically fabricated atomic-scale point contact

Science.gov (United States)

Staiger, Torben; Wertz, Florian; Xie, Fangqing; Heinze, Marcel; Schmieder, Philipp; Lutzweiler, Christian; Schimmel, Thomas

2018-01-01

Here, we present a silver atomic-scale device fabricated and operated by a combined technique of electrochemical control (EC) and mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ). With this EC-MCBJ technique, we can perform mechanically controllable bistable quantum conductance switching of a silver quantum point contact (QPC) in an electrochemical environment at room temperature. Furthermore, the silver QPC of the device can be controlled both mechanically and electrochemically, and the operating mode can be changed from ‘electrochemical’ to ‘mechanical’, which expands the operating mode for controlling QPCs. These experimental results offer the perspective that a silver QPC may be used as a contact for a nanoelectromechanical relay.

Validity of the Neuromuscular Recovery Scale: a measurement model approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Velozo, Craig; Moorhouse, Michael; Ardolino, Elizabeth; Lorenz, Doug; Suter, Sarah; Basso, D Michele; Behrman, Andrea L

2015-08-01

To determine how well the Neuromuscular Recovery Scale (NRS) items fit the Rasch, 1-parameter, partial-credit measurement model. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and principal components analysis (PCA) of residuals were used to determine dimensionality. The Rasch, 1-parameter, partial-credit rating scale model was used to determine rating scale structure, person/item fit, point-measure item correlations, item discrimination, and measurement precision. Seven NeuroRecovery Network clinical sites. Outpatients (N=188) with spinal cord injury. Not applicable. NRS. While the NRS met 1 of 3 CFA criteria, the PCA revealed that the Rasch measurement dimension explained 76.9% of the variance. Ten of 11 items and 91% of the patients fit the Rasch model, with 9 of 11 items showing high discrimination. Sixty-nine percent of the ratings met criteria. The items showed a logical item-difficulty order, with Stand retraining as the easiest item and Walking as the most challenging item. The NRS showed no ceiling or floor effects and separated the sample into almost 5 statistically distinct strata; individuals with an American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) D classification showed the most ability, and those with an AIS A classification showed the least ability. Items not meeting the rating scale criteria appear to be related to the low frequency counts. The NRS met many of the Rasch model criteria for construct validity. Copyright © 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The succinonitrile triple-point standard: a fixed point to improve the accuracy of temperature measurements in the clinical laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Mangum, B W

1983-07-01

In an investigation of the melting and freezing behavior of succinonitrile, the triple-point temperature was determined to be 58.0805 degrees C, with an estimated uncertainty of +/- 0.0015 degrees C relative to the International Practical Temperature Scale of 1968 (IPTS-68). The triple-point temperature of this material is evaluated as a temperature-fixed point, and some clinical laboratory applications of this fixed point are proposed. In conjunction with the gallium and ice points, the availability of succinonitrile permits thermistor thermometers to be calibrated accurately and easily on the IPTS-68.

Developing a "Social Presence Scale" for E-Learning Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Kilic Cakmak, Ebru; Cebi, Ayça; Kan, Adnan

2014-01-01

The purpose of the current study is to develop a "social presence scale" for e-learning environments. A systematic approach was followed for developing the scale. The scale was applied to 461 students registered in seven different programs at Gazi University. The sample was split into two subsamples on a random basis (n1 = 261; n2 =…

Site management plan: Douglas Point Ecological Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, B.L.; Miles, K.J.; Strass, P.K.; McDonald, B.

1979-01-01

A portion of the Douglas Point Site has been set aside for use as an ecological monitoring facility (DPEL). Plans call for it to provide for long-term scientific study and analysis of specific terrestrial and aquatic ecological systems representative of the coastal plain region of the mid-Atlantic United States. Discussion of the program is presented under the following section headings: goals and objectives; management and organization of DPEL; laboratory director; site manager; monitoring manager; research manager; and, organizational chart. The seven appendixes are entitled: detailed site description; supplemental land use plan; contract between Potomac Electric Power Company and Charles County Community Collge (CCCC); research and monitoring projects initiated at the Douglas Point Power Plant site; advisory committees; facilities and equipment; and CCCC personnel resumes

Role of Erosion in Shaping Point Bars

Science.gov (United States)

Moody, J.; Meade, R.

2012-04-01

A powerful metaphor in fluvial geomorphology has been that depositional features such as point bars (and other floodplain features) constitute the river's historical memory in the form of uniformly thick sedimentary deposits waiting for the geomorphologist to dissect and interpret the past. For the past three decades, along the channel of Powder River (Montana USA) we have documented (with annual cross-sectional surveys and pit trenches) the evolution of the shape of three point bars that were created when an extreme flood in 1978 cut new channels across the necks of two former meander bends and radically shifted the location of a third bend. Subsequent erosion has substantially reshaped, at different time scales, the relic sediment deposits of varying age. At the weekly to monthly time scale (i.e., floods from snowmelt or floods from convective or cyclonic storms), the maximum scour depth was computed (by using a numerical model) at locations spaced 1 m apart across the entire point bar for a couple of the largest floods. The maximum predicted scour is about 0.22 m. At the annual time scale, repeated cross-section topographic surveys (25 during 32 years) indicate that net annual erosion at a single location can be as great as 0.5 m, and that the net erosion is greater than net deposition during 8, 16, and 32% of the years for the three point bars. On average, the median annual net erosion was 21, 36, and 51% of the net deposition. At the decadal time scale, an index of point bar preservation often referred to as completeness was defined for each cross section as the percentage of the initial deposit (older than 10 years) that was still remaining in 2011; computations indicate that 19, 41, and 36% of the initial deposits of sediment were eroded. Initial deposits were not uniform in thickness and often represented thicker pods of sediment connected by thin layers of sediment or even isolated pods at different elevations across the point bar in response to multiple

Are Turkish University Students Autonomous or Not?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Büşra Kırtık

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The present study tried to determine Turkish learners’ attitudes, and the Turkish education system’s approach towards learner autonomy with regard to three main points: 1 whether Turkish university students are aware of learner autonomy or not 2 whether Turkish university students have the characteristics of autonomous learners (whether they are autonomous learners or not, and 3 if the Turkish education system is suitable for fostering learner autonomy or not from the viewpoint of the participants. Participants were 50 second grade learners in the English Language Teaching Departments of Hacettepe University (N=10, Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (N=10, and Uludag University (N=30 who had already taken courses about learner autonomy.  The data were collected by means of a questionnaire which had two Likert-scale sections and an open-ended questions section. The first Likert-scale section contained 15 characteristics of autonomous learners each of which was rated by the participants in a scale from strongly disagree to agree, from 1 to 5. In the second Likert-scale section, the participants were asked to rate the Turkish education system’s five basic elements such as school curriculums, course materials, approaches used by the teachers in classrooms, learning activities, and classroom settings. Additionally, learners’ opinions about their awareness and understanding of learner autonomy were gathered by five open ended questions. The results proposed that the participants were aware of learner autonomy, and had the characteristics of autonomous learners. On the other hand, results showed that the Turkish education system was not suitable for autonomous learners and did not foster learner autonomy. The findings suggested that the Turkish education system should be designed again in such a way to support the autonomous learners and to foster learner autonomy in all sections of the education.

Coupling effects on turning points of infectious diseases epidemics in scale-free networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kiseong; Lee, Sangyeon; Lee, Doheon; Lee, Kwang Hyung

2017-05-31

Pandemic is a typical spreading phenomenon that can be observed in the human society and is dependent on the structure of the social network. The Susceptible-Infective-Recovered (SIR) model describes spreading phenomena using two spreading factors; contagiousness (β) and recovery rate (γ). Some network models are trying to reflect the social network, but the real structure is difficult to uncover. We have developed a spreading phenomenon simulator that can input the epidemic parameters and network parameters and performed the experiment of disease propagation. The simulation result was analyzed to construct a new marker VRTP distribution. We also induced the VRTP formula for three of the network mathematical models. We suggest new marker VRTP (value of recovered on turning point) to describe the coupling between the SIR spreading and the Scale-free (SF) network and observe the aspects of the coupling effects with the various of spreading and network parameters. We also derive the analytic formulation of VRTP in the fully mixed model, the configuration model, and the degree-based model respectively in the mathematical function form for the insights on the relationship between experimental simulation and theoretical consideration. We discover the coupling effect between SIR spreading and SF network through devising novel marker VRTP which reflects the shifting effect and relates to entropy.

High-fidelity simulation of lung isolation with double-lumen endotracheal tubes and bronchial blockers in anesthesiology resident training.

Science.gov (United States)

Failor, Erin; Bowdle, Andrew; Jelacic, Srdjan; Togashi, Kei

2014-08-01

Demonstrate the feasibility of using the AirSim Bronchi airway simulator to teach residents how to manage lung isolation with double-lumen endotracheal tubes and bronchial blockers and evaluate their performance with a detailed checklist. Prospective observational study. University anesthesiology residency training program. Anesthesiology residents taking a cardiothoracic anesthesiology rotation. Residents were instructed in 7 tasks using the AirSim Bronchi: The use of the fiberoptic bronchoscope, methods for placing left and right double-lumen endotracheal tubes and 3 bronchial blockers (Univent, Arndt, and Cohen), and application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to the unventilated lung. Two to 3 weeks later, checklists and a detailed scoring system were used to assess performance. Residents rated the curriculum and their own confidence in performing the tasks using a 5-point Likert scale. Thirteen residents completed the curriculum. Their median Likert scale ratings of the curriculum based on a questionnaire with 6 items ranged from 4 to 5 of 5. Resident confidence scores for each lung isolation technique improved after the simulation training, with the median gain ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 Likert levels depending on the task. The largest improvement occurred with the bronchial blockers (psimulator in a novel simulation curriculum to teach lung-isolation techniques to anesthesiology residents and evaluated performance using a detailed checklist scoring system. This curriculum is a promising educational tool. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Scale Development for Measuring and Predicting Adolescents’ Leisure Time Physical Activity Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Ries, Francis; Romero Granados, Santiago; Arribas Galarraga, Silvia

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a scale for assessing and predicting adolescents’ physical activity behavior in Spain and Luxembourg using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework. The sample was comprised of 613 Spanish (boys = 309, girls = 304; M age =15.28, SD =1.127) and 752 Luxembourgish adolescents (boys = 343, girls = 409; M age = 14.92, SD = 1.198), selected from students of two secondary schools in both countries, with a similar socio-economic status. The initial 43-items were all scored on a 4-point response format using the structured alternative format and translated into Spanish, French and German. In order to ensure the accuracy of the translation, standardized parallel back-translation techniques were employed. Following two pilot tests and subsequent revisions, a second order exploratory factor analysis with oblimin direct rotation was used for factor extraction. Internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities were also tested. The 4-week test-retest correlations confirmed the items’ time stability. The same five factors were obtained, explaining 63.76% and 63.64% of the total variance in both samples. Internal consistency for the five factors ranged from α = 0.759 to α = 0. 949 in the Spanish sample and from α = 0.735 to α = 0.952 in the Luxembourgish sample. For both samples, inter-factor correlations were all reported significant and positive, except for Factor 5 where they were significant but negative. The high internal consistency of the subscales, the reported item test-retest reliabilities and the identical factor structure confirm the adequacy of the elaborated questionnaire for assessing the TPB-based constructs when used with a population of adolescents in Spain and Luxembourg. The results give some indication that they may have value in measuring the hypothesized TPB constructs for PA behavior in a cross-cultural context. Key points When using the structured alternative format, weak internal consistency was obtained

Music Listening Situations and Musical Preference of the Students at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Everyday Life: A Case of Dokuz Eylul University

OpenAIRE

Elif TEKİN GÜRGEN

2016-01-01

The purpose of the study is to reveal the music listening situation of the students at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dokuz Eylül University, the music genres that they listen to and the relationship between them. It is also investigated whether the music listening situation determines the music training of the students or also makes significant difference among students according to their genders. The music listening situation scale developed as five-point Likert type and the frequency of liste...

Cost-effectiveness of seven IVF strategies: results of a Markov decision-analytic model.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiddelers, Audrey A A; Dirksen, Carmen D; Dumoulin, John C M; van Montfoort, Aafke P A; Land, Jolande A; Janssen, J Marij; Evers, Johannes L H; Severens, Johan L

2009-07-01

A selective switch to elective single embryo transfer (eSET) in IVF has been suggested to prevent complications of fertility treatment for both mother and infants. We compared seven IVF strategies concerning their cost-effectiveness using a Markov model. The model was based on a three IVF-attempts time horizon and a societal perspective using real world strategies and data, comparing seven IVF strategies, concerning costs, live births and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). In order to increase pregnancy probability, one cycle of eSET + one cycle of standard treatment policy [STP, i.e. eSET in patients IVF treatment, combining several transfer policies was not cost-effective. A choice has to be made between three cycles of eSET, STP or DET. It depends, however, on society's willingness to pay which strategy is to be preferred from a cost-effectiveness point of view.

Construct Validity of the Dutch Version of the 12-Item Partners in Health Scale: Measuring Patient Self-Management Behaviour and Knowledge in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Lenferink, Anke; Effing, Tanja; Harvey, Peter; Battersby, Malcolm; Frith, Peter; van Beurden, Wendy; van der Palen, Job; Paap, Muirne C S

2016-01-01

The 12-item Partners in Health scale (PIH) was developed in Australia to measure self-management behaviour and knowledge in patients with chronic diseases, and has undergone several changes. Our aim was to assess the construct validity and reliability of the latest PIH version in Dutch COPD patients. The 12 items of the PIH, scored on a self-rated 9-point Likert scale, are used to calculate total and subscale scores (knowledge; coping; recognition and management of symptoms; and adherence to treatment). We used forward-backward translation of the latest version of the Australian PIH to define a Dutch PIH (PIH(Du)). Mokken Scale Analysis and common Factor Analysis were performed on data from a Dutch COPD sample to investigate the psychometric properties of the Dutch PIH; and to determine whether the four-subscale solution previously found for the original Australian PIH could be replicated for the Dutch PIH. Two subscales were found for the Dutch PIH data (n = 118); 1) knowledge and coping; 2) recognition and management of symptoms, adherence to treatment. The correlation between the two Dutch subscales was 0.43. The lower-bound of the reliability of the total scale equalled 0.84. Factor analysis indicated that the first two factors explained a larger percentage of common variance (39.4% and 19.9%) than could be expected when using random data (17.5% and 15.1%). We recommend using two PIH subscale scores when assessing self-management in Dutch COPD patients. Our results did not support the four-subscale structure as previously reported for the original Australian PIH.

The predictive role of interim positron emission tomography for Hodgkin lymphoma treatment outcome is confirmed using the interpretation criteria of the Deauville five-point scale

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gallamini, Andrea; Barrington, Sally F; Biggi, Alberto

2014-01-01

.94 and 0.73, respectively. Binary concordance amongst reviewers was good (Cohen's kappa 0.69-0.84). In conclusion, the prognostic role and validity of the Deauville five-point scale for interpretation of interim positron emission tomography scans have been confirmed by the present study....

Multi-critical points in weakly anisotropic magnetic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basten, J.A.J.

1979-02-01

This report starts with a rather extensive presentation of the concepts and ideas which constitute the basis of the modern theory of static critical phenomena. It is shown how at a critical point the semi-phenomenological concepts of universality and scaling are directly related to the divergence of the correlation length and how they are extended to a calculational method for critical behaviour in Wilson's Renormalization-Group (RG) approach. Subsequently the predictions of the molecular-field and RG-theories on the phase transitions and critical behaviour in weakly anisotropic antiferromagnets are treated. In a magnetic field applied along the easy axis, these materials can display an (H,T) phase diagram which contains either a bicritical point or a tetracritical point. Especially the behaviour close to these multi-critical points, as predicted by the extended-scaling theory, is discussed. (Auth.)

Understanding and Modeling the Evolution of Critical Points under Gaussian Blurring

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuijper, A.; Florack, L.M.J.; Heyden, A.; Sparr, G.; Nielsen, M.; Johansen, P.

2002-01-01

In order to investigate the deep structure of Gaussian scale space images, one needs to understand the behaviour of critical points under the influence of parameter-driven blurring. During this evolution two different types of special points are encountered, the so-called scale space saddles and the

Downscaling remotely sensed imagery using area-to-point cokriging and multiple-point geostatistical simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Yunwei; Atkinson, Peter M.; Zhang, Jingxiong

2015-03-01

A cross-scale data integration method was developed and tested based on the theory of geostatistics and multiple-point geostatistics (MPG). The goal was to downscale remotely sensed images while retaining spatial structure by integrating images at different spatial resolutions. During the process of downscaling, a rich spatial correlation model in the form of a training image was incorporated to facilitate reproduction of similar local patterns in the simulated images. Area-to-point cokriging (ATPCK) was used as locally varying mean (LVM) (i.e., soft data) to deal with the change of support problem (COSP) for cross-scale integration, which MPG cannot achieve alone. Several pairs of spectral bands of remotely sensed images were tested for integration within different cross-scale case studies. The experiment shows that MPG can restore the spatial structure of the image at a fine spatial resolution given the training image and conditioning data. The super-resolution image can be predicted using the proposed method, which cannot be realised using most data integration methods. The results show that ATPCK-MPG approach can achieve greater accuracy than methods which do not account for the change of support issue.

2011 Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR) Environmental Protection Division (EPD) Lidar: Seven Counties (Bibb, Harris, Heard, Jasper, Jones, Monroe, Walton)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set is the topographic elevation point data derived from multiple return light detection and ranging (LiDAR) measurements for seven counties in Georgia....

Development and validation of the German version of the Orofacial Esthetic Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Reissmann, Daniel R; Benecke, Andreas W; Aarabi, Ghazal; Sierwald, Ira

2015-07-01

This study aimed to develop the German version of the Orofacial Esthetic Scale (OES-G) and to assess its psychometric properties. The OES is an eight-item instrument with seven items directly addressing esthetic impacts of the orofacial region and an eighth item for a global assessment. It applies an 11-point ordinal rating scale, with summary scores ranging from 0 (worst) to 70 (best). The original OES items were translated into German using a forward-backward method. A de novo development of German items (n = 21 patients) and a cross-cultural adaptation after pilot testing (n = 15 patients) established content validity. Internal consistency and construct validity (structural, convergent, known-groups) of the OES-G were assessed in a sample of 165 prosthodontic patients. The OES was applied in 42 patients on two occasions, with a temporal distance of 2-4 weeks apart to determine test-retest reliability. Internal consistency of the OES-G was considered as satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha 0.94; average inter-item correlation 0.64). Intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.95 (95 % confidence interval 0.92-0.98) indicated excellent test-retest reliability. Correlation matrix and exploratory factor analysis provided support for unidimensionality of the measured construct. The OES-G summary score was correlated with the patients' global assessment of their esthetics (r = 0.87) and external ratings of the expert group (r = 0.55) and discriminated patients with treatment need (39.4 points) from patients without (58.4 points; p esthetics.

Self-efficacy scale for the establishment of good relationships with families in neonatal and pediatric hospital settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, Andréia Cascaes; Angelo, Margareth; Santos, Bernardo Pereira Dos

2017-05-25

The purpose of this study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Self-efficacy Scale for the Establishment of Good Relationships with Families in Neonatal and Pediatric Hospital Settings. Methodological study grounded on self-efficacy theory was conducted in three phases: conceptual and operational definition (review of the literature and interviews with the target population), content validity (opinion of five experts e three clinical nurses), and exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency reliability (cross-sectional survey with a valid sample of 194 nurses). A ten-point Likert scale with 40-item was designed and one item was excluded after review by experts. Three factors emerged from the exploratory factor analysis. The Cronbach's alpha for all items was 0.983 with item-total correlations in the range 0.657 to 0.847. Cronbach's alpha value if item deleted were less than or equal to 0.983. The final version of the scale demonstrated psychometric adequacy. It is a useful tool to be administered in the clinical, educational and research nursing fields to measure nurses' self-efficacy beliefs concerning the establishment of good relationships with families. El propósito de este estudio fue desarrollar y probar las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Autoeficacia para el Establecimiento de Buenas Relaciones con las Familias en Ambientes Neonatales y Pediátricos. Estudio metodológico fundamentado en la teoría de la auto-eficacia se realizó en tres fases: conceptual y definición operacional (revisión de la literatura y entrevistas con la población objetivo), la validez de contenido (opinión de cinco expertos y tres enfermeras clínicas), y el factor de análisis exploratorio e fiabilidad interna de consistencia (estudio transversal con una muestra válida de 194 enfermeras). La escala de Likert de diez puntos con 40 ítems fue diseñada y un elemento fue excluido después de la revisión por expertos. Hay tres factores que

Gene : CBRC-PABE-07-0025 [SEVENS

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available e-82 48% ref|XP_001253185.1| PREDICTED: similar to seven transmembrane helix receptor [Bos taurus] ref|XP_00...1250982.1| PREDICTED: similar to seven transmembrane helix receptor [Bos taurus] 1e-130 78% MINDSYFSGFILLGFT...QIFIDVALYSVECILLAMMSCDRLNAICKPLHHMTIMNLQLCQGLVVISWVVGVINCIIPSPYAMSLPRSMEVTTFAMCLIIVLVPLLLILVSYGFIAVAVLKIKSAA

Gene : CBRC-PTRO-07-0026 [SEVENS

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available e-79 50% ref|XP_001253185.1| PREDICTED: similar to seven transmembrane helix receptor [Bos taurus] ref|XP_00...1250982.1| PREDICTED: similar to seven transmembrane helix receptor [Bos taurus] 1e-120 76% MINDSRFSGFILLGFT...QLFIDVALYSVECILLSMMSYDRLNAICKPLHHMTIMNLQLCQGLVVISWIVGVINCIIPSPYAMSLPRSMEVTTFAMCLIIVLVPLLLILVSYGFIAVAVLKIKSAAGRQKAFGTCSSHLIVVSIFYGTVRYMYTQPGNSPSQDEGKLLHIFYSIFTPTLNPSH ...

Emissions from waste combustion. An application of statistical experimental design in a laboratory-scale boiler and an investigation from large-scale incineration plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiaojing, Zhang

1997-05-01

The aim of this thesis is a study of the emissions from the combustion of household refuse. The experiments were both on a laboratory-scale boiler and on full-scale incineration plants. In the laboratory, an artificial household refuse with known composition was fed into a pilot boiler with a stationary grate. Combustion was under non-optimum conditions. Direct sampling with a Tenax adsorbent was used to measure a range of VOCs. Measurements were also made of incompletely burnt hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxygen and flue gas temperature. Combustion and emission parameters were recorded continuously by a multi-point data logger. VOCs were analysed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The full-scale tests were on seven Swedish incineration plants. The data were used to evaluate the emissions from large-scale incineration plants with various type of fuels and incinerators, and were also compared with the laboratory results. The response surface model developed from the laboratory experiments was also validated. This thesis also includes studies on the gasification of household refuse pellets, estimations of particulate and soot emissions, and a thermodynamic analysis of PAHs from combustion flue gas. For pellet gasification, experiments were performed on single, well characterised refuse pellets under carefully controlled conditions. The aim was to see if the effects of pellets were different from those of untreated household refuse. The results from both laboratory and full-scale tests showed that the main contributions to emissions from household refuse are plastics and moisture. 142 refs, 82 figs, 51 tabs

Sensitivity of surface roughness parameters to changes in the density of scanning points in multi-scale AFM studies. Application to a biomaterial surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendez-Vilas, A.; Bruque, J.M.; Gonzalez-Martin, M.L.

2007-01-01

In the field of biomaterials surfaces, the ability of the atomic force microscope (AFM) to access the surface structure at unprecedented spatial (vertical and lateral) resolution, is helping in a better understanding on how topography affects the overall interaction of biological cells with the material surface. Since cells in a wide range of sizes are in contact with the biomaterial surface, a quantification of the surface structure in such a wide range of dimensional scales is needed. With the advent of the AFM, this can be routinely done in the lab. In this work, we show that even when it is clear that such a scale-dependent study is needed, AFM maps of the biomaterial surface taken at different scanning lengths are not completely consistent when they are taken at the same scanning resolution, as it is usually done: AFM images of different scanning areas have different point-to-point physical distances. We show that this effect influences the quantification of the average (R a ) and rms (R q ) roughness parameters determined at different length scales. This is the first time this inconsistency is reported and should be taken into account when roughness is measured in this way. Since differences will be in general in the range of nanometres, this is especially interesting for those processes involving the interaction of the biomaterial surface with small biocolloids as bacteria, while this effect should not represent any problems for larger animal cells

Sexual Self-Schema Scale for Women—Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Polish Version

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Krzysztof Nowosielski, MD

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The sexual self-schema is a part of a broader concept of the self that is believed to be crucial for intrapersonal and interpersonal sexual relationships. Aim: To develop and perform psychometric validation of the Polish version of the Sexual Self-Schema Scale for Women (SSSS-W-PL. Methods: 561 women 18 to 55 years old were included in the final analysis. Linguistic validation was performed in 4 steps in line with the MAPI Institute guidelines. Convergent validity was calculated using the Pearson r product-moment coefficient between different measures of sexuality (attitudes and experience, behavior, arousal, romantic relationship and SSSS-W-PL total and factor scores. To test discriminant validity, we applied hierarchical regression analyses predicting the number of lifetime sexual partners, self-rating as a sexual person (1 item, “I feel sexually attractive”; on a 5-point Likert scale, and arousability, with independent variables being extraversion (Ten-Item Personality Inventory, self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the SSSS-W-PL (total and factor scores. Main Outcomes Measures: Sexual self-schema was measured by the SSSS-W-PL, whereas arousability was measured by the arousal/excitement scale of the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the study population was 29.0 ± 7.6 years. The final scale consisted of 24 adjectives grouped within 4 factors: romantic, passionate, direct, and embarrassed. The 4-factor model accounted for 39% of the variance. The Cronbach α was 0.74 for the SSSS-W-PL total score and 0.61 to 0.84 for individual factors. Test-retest reliability of the scale after 2- to 8-week intervals was 0.87 (95% CI = 0.82–0.86, P < .001. The increment variances were statistically significant and ranged from 3.8% to 11.6%. Conclusion: The analysis showed good psychometric properties and internal validity of the SSSS-W-PL. The SSSS-W-PL might be helpful in consulting and

The Tobacco Control Scale: a new scale to measure country activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Joossens, L; Raw, M

2006-06-01

To quantify the implementation of tobacco control policies at country level using a new Tobacco Control Scale and to report initial results using the scale. A questionnaire sent to correspondents in 30 European countries, using a scoring system designed with the help of a panel of international tobacco control experts. The 30 countries are ranked by their total score on the scale out of a maximum possible score of 100. Only four countries (Ireland, United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland) scored 70 or more, with an eight point gap (most differences in scores are small) to the fifth country, Malta, on 62. Only 13 countries scored above 50, 11 of them from the European Union (EU), and the second largest points gap occurs between Denmark on 45 and Portugal on 39, splitting the table into three groups: 70 and above, 45 to 62, 39 and below. Ireland had the highest overall score, 74 out of 100, and Luxembourg was bottom with 26 points. However even Ireland, much praised for their ban on smoking in public places, did not increase tobacco taxes in 2005, for the first time since 1995. Although the Tobacco Control Scale has limitations, this is the first time such a scale has been developed and applied to so many countries. We hope it will be useful in encouraging countries to strengthen currently weak areas of their tobacco control policy.

Transient Point Infiltration In The Unsaturated Zone

Science.gov (United States)

Buecker-Gittel, M.; Mohrlok, U.

The risk assessment of leaking sewer pipes gets more and more important due to urban groundwater management and environmental as well as health safety. This requires the quantification and balancing of transport and transformation processes based on the water flow in the unsaturated zone. The water flow from a single sewer leakage could be described as a point infiltration with time varying hydraulic conditions externally and internally. External variations are caused by the discharge in the sewer pipe as well as the state of the leakage itself. Internal variations are the results of microbiological clogging effects associated with the transformation processes. Technical as well as small scale laboratory experiments were conducted in order to investigate the water transport from an transient point infiltration. From the technical scale experiment there was evidence that the water flow takes place under transient conditions when sewage infiltrates into an unsaturated soil. Whereas the small scale experiments investigated the hydraulics of the water transport and the associated so- lute and particle transport in unsaturated soils in detail. The small scale experiment was a two-dimensional representation of such a point infiltration source where the distributed water transport could be measured by several tensiometers in the soil as well as by a selective measurement of the discharge at the bottom of the experimental setup. Several series of experiments were conducted varying the boundary and initial con- ditions in order to derive the important parameters controlling the infiltration of pure water from the point source. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the infiltration rate in the point source and the discharge rate at the bottom, that could be explained by storage processes due to an outflow resistance at the bottom. This effect is overlayn by a decreasing water content decreases over time correlated with a decreasing infiltration

Narcissistic Personality Inventory: structure of the adapted Dutch version.

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Barelds, Dick P H; Dijkstra, Pieternel

2010-04-01

The present study examined the structure of a Dutch adaptation of the 40-item Narcissistic Personality Inventory (Raskin & Terry, 1988) in a community sample (n = 460) and a student sample (n = 515). Altering the response format of the NPI to a Likert-scale had no apparent effect on the responses. Confirmatory factor analyses supported neither the four-factor structure reported by Emmons (1984), nor the seven-factor structure reported by Raskin and Terry (1988). Instead, exploratory factor analyses supported either a single-factor solution (general narcissism), or a two-factor solution (Authority/Power and Self-Admiration). The validity of the NPI was supported by its relations with sex, age, personality, self-esteem, shame, guilt and social desirability.

The Adaptation of the Academic Motivation Scale for Turkish Context

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Eyüp YURT

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The aims of this study are i to adapt Vallerand et al. (1989’ s Academic Motivation Scale (AMS into Turkish, ii to test the seven-factor structure of scale through confirmatory factor analysis, iii to assess the reliability of the scale and iv to examine whether the scores obtained from the scale show difference by gender. Accordingly, 343 secondary school students were included in the study. %56.9 (n=195 of the students were female and %43.1 (n=148 were male. Out of students, %23.3 (n=80 were fifthgrade, %21 (n=72 were sixth-grade, %26.5 (n=91 were seventh-grade and %29.2 (n=100 were eighth-grade students. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the seven-factor original structure of AMS, dual consistency coefficient was used to determine whether the classification is modest or not and Cronbach coefficient was used to determine the reliability. According to the results it was found that the seven-factor structure of scale adjust with the collected data at an acceptable level, the scale has a consistent and high distinctiveness in terms of the measuring feature and subscales have sufficient internal consistency coefficient. Also it was found that scores of intrinsic motivation to know, intrinsic motivation toward accomplishments and intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation do not differ according to gender. On the other hand extrinsic motivation-introjected regulation score differs significantly on behalf of female students and extrinsic motivation- external regulation, identified regulation and amotivation scores differ significantly on behalf of male students.

Finger image quality based on singular point localization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Jinghua; Olsen, Martin A.; Busch, Christoph

2014-01-01

Singular points are important global features of fingerprints and singular point localization is a crucial step in biometric recognition. Moreover the presence and position of the core point in a captured fingerprint sample can reflect whether the finger is placed properly on the sensor. Therefore...... and analyze the importance of singular points on biometric accuracy. The experiment is based on large scale databases and conducted by relating the measured quality of a fingerprint sample, given by the positions of core points, to the biometric performance. The experimental results show the positions of core...

Validation of the Social Inclusion Scale with Students

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Ceri Wilson

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Interventions (such as participatory arts projects aimed at increasing social inclusion are increasingly in operation, as social inclusion is proving to play a key role in recovery from mental ill health and the promotion of mental wellbeing. These interventions require evaluation with a systematically developed and validated measure of social inclusion; however, a “gold-standard” measure does not yet exist. The Social Inclusion Scale (SIS has three subscales measuring social isolation, relations and acceptance. This scale has been partially validated with arts and mental health project users, demonstrating good internal consistency. However, test-retest reliability and construct validity require assessment, along with validation in the general population. The present study aimed to validate the SIS in a sample of university students. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity (one aspect of construct validity were assessed by comparing SIS scores with scores on other measures of social inclusion and related concepts. Participants completed the measures at two time-points seven-to-14 days apart. The SIS demonstrated high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, although convergent validity was less well-established and possible reasons for this are discussed. This systematic validation of the SIS represents a further step towards the establishment of a “gold-standard” measure of social inclusion.

An Instrument to Investigate Expectations about and Experiences of the Parent-Child Relationship: The Parent-Child Relationship Schema Scale

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Marcia Dixson

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This paper explains the reasons for and process of creating and testing for reliability and constructing the validity of the Parent-Child Relationship Schema Scale (PCRSS. The instrument is based on the Model of Relationships Survey (MRS. However, where the MRS is an open-ended survey which takes 20–30 minutes to complete and longer to analyze, the PCRSS is a Likert scale survey which can be completed in less than half the time and offers more sophisticated analysis possibilities as well as new research opportunities. The paper explains the three-stage process used to create the PCRSS and the five tests of reliability and concurrent validity that it “passed”. We also discuss the potential for new areas of research about the parent-child relationship with the PCRSS.

100-point scale evaluating job satisfaction and the results of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire in occupational workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawada, Tomoyuki; Yamada, Natsuki

2012-01-01

Job satisfaction is an important factor in the occupational lives of workers. In this study, the relationship between one-dimensional scale of job satisfaction and psychological wellbeing was evaluated. A total of 1,742 workers (1,191 men and 551 women) participated. 100-point scale evaluating job satisfaction (0 [extremely dissatisfied] to 100 [extremely satisfied]) and the General Health Questionnaire, 12-item version (GHQ-12) evaluating psychological wellbeing were used. A multiple regression analysis was then used, controlling for gender and age. The change in the GHQ-12 and job satisfaction scores after a two-year interval was also evaluated. The mean age for the subjects was 42.2 years for the men and 36.2 years for the women. The GHQ-12 and job satisfaction scores were significantly correlated in each generation. The partial correlation coefficients between the changes in the two variables, controlling for age, were -0.395 for men and -0.435 for women (pjob satisfaction score was associated with the GHQ-12 results (pjob satisfaction, was significantly associated with psychological wellbeing as judged using the GHQ-12.

Development and validation of the activity significance personal evaluation (ASPEn) scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Mallinson, Trudy; Schepens Niemiec, Stacey L; Carlson, Mike; Leland, Natalie; Vigen, Cheryl; Blanchard, Jeanine; Clark, Florence

2014-12-01

Engagement in desired occupations can promote health and wellbeing in older adults. Assessments of engagement often measure frequency, amount or importance of specific activities. This study aimed to develop a scale to measure older adults' evaluation of the extent to which their everyday activities are contributing to their health and wellness. Eighteen items, each scored with a seven-point rating scale, were initially developed by content experts, covering perceptions of how daily activities contribute to physical and mental health, as well as satisfaction and activity participation in the last six months. Rasch analysis methods were used to refine the scale using the pencil and paper responses of 460 community-living older adults. Initial Rasch analysis indicated three unlabelled rating scale categories were seldom used, reducing measurement precision. Five items were conceptually different by misfit statistics and principal component analysis. Subsequently, those items were removed and the number of rating scale steps reduced to 4. The remaining 13-item, 4-step scale, termed the Activity Significance Personal Evaluation (ASPEn), formed a unidimensional hierarchy with good fit statistics and targeting. Person separation reliability (2.7) and internal consistency (.91) indicated the tool is appropriate for individual person measurement. Relative validity indicated equivalence between Rasch measures and total raw scores. ASPEn is a brief, easily administered assessment of older adults' perception of the contribution of everyday activities to personal health and wellness. ASPEn may facilitate occupational therapy practice by enabling clinicians to assess change in meaning of an older adult's activity over time. © 2014 Occupational Therapy Australia.

A Globally Stable Lyapunov Pointing and Rate Controller for the Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission (MMS)

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Neerav

2011-01-01

The Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission (MMS) is scheduled to launch in late 2014. Its primary goal is to discover the fundamental plasma physics processes of reconnection in the Earth's magnetosphere. Each of the four MMS spacecraft is spin-stabilized at a nominal rate of 3 RPM. Traditional spin-stabilized spacecraft have used a number of separate modes to control nutation, spin rate, and precession. To reduce the number of modes and simplify operations, the Delta-H control mode is designed to accomplish nutation control, spin rate control, and precession control simultaneously. A nonlinear design technique, Lyapunov's method, is used to design the Delta-H control mode. A global spin rate controller selected as the baseline controller for MMS, proved to be insufficient due to an ambiguity in the attitude. Lyapunov's design method was used to solve this ambiguity, resulting in a controller that meets the design goals. Simulation results show the advantage of the pointing and rate controller for maneuvers larger than 90 deg and provide insight into the performance of this controller.

Validation of self - confidence scale for clean urinary intermittent self - catheterization for patients and health - caregivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Biaziolo, Cintia Fernandes Baccarin; Mazzo, Alessandra; Martins, José Carlos Amado; Jorge, Beatriz Maria; Batista, Rui Carlos Negrão; Tucci, Silvio Júnior

2017-01-01

To validate a measurement instrument for clean intermittent self-catheterization for patients and health-caregivers. Methodological study of instrument validation performed at a Rehabilitation Center in a University hospital for patients submitted to clean intermittent self-catheterization and their health-caregivers. Following ethical criteria, data were collected during interview with nurse staff using a Likert question form containing 16 items with 5 points each: "no confidence"=1, "little confidence"=2, "confident"=3, "very confident"=4 and "completely confident"=5. Questionnaire called "Self- Confident Scale for Clean Intermittent Self-catheterization" (SCSCISC) was constructed based on literature and previously validated (appearance and content). The instrument was validated by 122 patients and 119 health-caregivers, in a proportion of 15:1. It was observed a good linear association and sample adequacy KMO 0.931 and X2=2881.63, p<0.001. Anti-image matrix showed high values at diagonal suggesting inclusion of all factors. Screen plot analysis showed a suggestion of items maintenance in a single set. It was observed high correlation of all items with the total, alpha-Cronbach 0.944. The same results were obtained in subsamples of patients and health-caregivers. The instrument showed good psychometric adequacy corroborating its use for evaluation of self-confidence during clean intermittent self-catheterization. Copyright® by the International Brazilian Journal of Urology.

Validation of self - confidence scale for clean urinary intermittent self - catheterization for patients and health - caregivers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cintia Fernandes Baccarin Biaziolo

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective To validate a measurement instrument for clean intermittent self-catheterization for patients and health-caregivers. Material and Methods Methodological study of instrument validation performed at a Rehabilitation Center in a University hospital for patients submitted to clean intermittent self-catheterization and their health-caregivers. Following ethical criteria, data were collected during interview with nurse staff using a Likert question form containing 16 items with 5 points each: “no confidence”=1, “little confidence”=2, “confident”=3, “very confident”=4 and “completely confident”=5. Questionnaire called “Self-Confident Scale for Clean Intermittent Self-catheterization” (SCSCISC was constructed based on literature and previously validated (appearance and content. Results The instrument was validated by 122 patients and 119 health-caregivers, in a proportion of 15:1. It was observed a good linear association and sample adequacy KMO 0.931 and X2=2881.63, p<0.001. Anti-image matrix showed high values at diagonal suggesting inclusion of all factors. Screen plot analysis showed a suggestion of items maintenance in a single set. It was observed high correlation of all items with the total, alpha-Cronbach 0.944. The same results were obtained in subsamples of patients and health-caregivers. Conclusion The instrument showed good psychometric adequacy corroborating its use for evaluation of self-confidence during clean intermittent self-catheterization.

Understanding Market Segments and Competition in the Private Military Industry

Science.gov (United States)

2009-12-01

Likert scale, and importance scale) and “open-end” (unstructured) questions ( Kotler , 2009, p.137). We applied parts of the Tailored Design Method... Kotler , 2008, p. 249). Item 2 and Items 8-10 of the questionnaire attempted to capture the market niche/s that the respondents’ reportedly... Kotler , 2009, p. 137). These questions were designed using Likert-type items to assess the participant’s level of importance or level of

Directional wave and temperature data from seven buoys at Point Reyes, CA, 1996-2002 (NODC Accession 0000760)

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Wave data were collected from 7 buoys in Point Reyes, California, from 06 December 1996 to 25 July 2002. Data were collected as part of the Coastal Data Information...

The Seven Sisters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Söderqvist, Thomas

2011-01-01

Today, scientific biography is primarily thought of as a way of writing contextual history of science. But the genre has other functions as well. This article discusses seven kinds of ideal-typical subgenres of scientific biography. In addition to its mainstream function as an ancilla historiae...

Increasing large scale windstorm damage in Western, Central and Northern European forests, 1951-2010

Science.gov (United States)

Gregow, H.; Laaksonen, A.; Alper, M. E.

2017-04-01

Using reports of forest losses caused directly by large scale windstorms (or primary damage, PD) from the European forest institute database (comprising 276 PD reports from 1951-2010), total growing stock (TGS) statistics of European forests and the daily North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, we identify a statistically significant change in storm intensity in Western, Central and Northern Europe (17 countries). Using the validated set of storms, we found that the year 1990 represents a change-point at which the average intensity of the most destructive storms indicated by PD/TGS > 0.08% increased by more than a factor of three. A likelihood ratio test provides strong evidence that the change-point represents a real shift in the statistical behaviour of the time series. All but one of the seven catastrophic storms (PD/TGS > 0.2%) occurred since 1990. Additionally, we detected a related decrease in September-November PD/TGS and an increase in December-February PD/TGS. Our analyses point to the possibility that the impact of climate change on the North Atlantic storms hitting Europe has started during the last two and half decades.

Radiological findings in seven patients of bronchiolitis obliterans with organized pneumonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serrano Gotarredona, M.P.; Fernandez-Cruz, J.; Jimenez-Ruiz, M.

1995-01-01

We present seven patients, five women and two men, between 40 and 71 years old, who were diagnosed between 1983 and 1993 as having bronchiolitis obliterans with organized pneumonia (BOOP). Five of the patients were treated at Hospital Virgen del Rocio and two at Hospital Nuestra Se=A4ora de Valme. The histological, clinical and radiological features are described. All the patients responded favorable to corticosteroid therapy, and there have been no recurrences. We point out the predominance of patchy alveolar infiltrates which, in three cases proved to be migratory. We analyze the computerized tomography (CT) findings in three patients, comparing our observations with those reported in the literature. (Author)

Light Dilaton at Fixed Points and Ultra Light Scale Super Yang Mills

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Antipin, Oleg; Mojaza, Matin; Sannino, Francesco

2012-01-01

of pure supersymmetric Yang-Mills. We can therefore determine the exact nonperturbative fermion condensate and deduce relevant properties of the nonperturbative spectrum of the theory. We also show that the intrinsic scale of super Yang-Mills is exponentially smaller than the scale associated...

Confronting quasi-exponential inflation with WMAP seven

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pal, Barun Kumar; Pal, Supratik; Basu, B.

2012-01-01

We confront quasi-exponential models of inflation with WMAP seven years dataset using Hamilton Jacobi formalism. With a phenomenological Hubble parameter, representing quasi exponential inflation, we develop the formalism and subject the analysis to confrontation with WMAP seven using the publicly available code CAMB. The observable parameters are found to fair extremely well with WMAP seven. We also obtain a ratio of tensor to scalar amplitudes which may be detectable in PLANCK

Is Satisfaction with the Acute-Care Experience Higher amongst Consumers Treated in the Private Sector? A Survey of Public and Private Sector Arthroplasty Recipients

Science.gov (United States)

Naylor, Justine M.; Descallar, Joseph; Grootemaat, Mechteld; Badge, Helen; Harris, Ian A.; Simpson, Grahame; Jenkin, Deanne

2016-01-01

Background Consumer satisfaction with the acute-care experience could reasonably be expected to be higher amongst those treated in the private sector compared to those treated in the public sector given the former relies on high-level satisfaction of its consumers and their subsequent recommendations to thrive. The primary aims of this study were to determine, in a knee or hip arthroplasty cohort, if surgery in the private sector predicts greater overall satisfaction with the acute-care experience and greater likelihood to recommend the same hospital. A secondary aim was to determine whether satisfaction across a range of service domains is also higher in the private sector. Methods A telephone survey was conducted 35 days post-surgery. The hospital cohort comprised eight public and seven private high-volume arthroplasty providers. Consumers rated overall satisfaction with care out of 100 and likeliness to recommend their hospital on a 5-point Likert scale. Additional Likert-style questions were asked covering specific service domains. Generalized estimating equation models were used to analyse overall satisfaction (dichotomised as ≥ 90 or definitely recommend’ or ‘other’), whilst controlling for covariates. The proportions of consumers in each sector reporting the best Likert response for each individual domain were compared using non-parametric tests. Results 457 survey respondents (n = 210 private) were included. Less patient-reported joint impairment pre-surgery [OR 1.03 (95% CI 1.01–1.05)] and absence of an acute complication (OR 2.13 95% CI 1.41–3.23) significantly predicted higher overall satisfaction. Hip arthroplasty [OR 1.84 (1.1–2.96)] and an absence of an acute complication [OR 2.31 (1.28–4.17] significantly predicted greater likelihood for recommending the hospital. The only care domains where the private out-performed the public sector were hospitality (46.7 vs 35.6%, p private sector are not more satisfied with their acute

An analysis of motion correction for 99Tcm DMSA renal imaging in paediatrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meadows, A.; Hogg, P.

2007-01-01

Movement artefact during paediatric 99 Tc m DMSA renal imaging can reduce image quality and therefore render images non-diagnostic. This research assessed software used for the correction of movement artefact in children. The software comprised a count rate dependent dynamic acquisition with a 256 x 256 pixel frame-shift motion correction algorithm. A Williams' phantom was used to generate data during dynamic (experimental) and static (control) image acquisitions. During image acquisition, the Williams' phantom was moved to simulate seven typical paediatric patient movements; acquisitions also considered no movement (Gold Standard). Seven image data sets with motion artefact were corrected using the frame-shift software. The corrected, uncorrected, and static images were rated for quality by suitably qualified and experienced nuclear medicine professionals. The images were scored using an image quality assessment instrument, based on a Likert rating scale. Inferential statistics were applied to these data. The image quality ratings demonstrated a statistically significant (P 99 Tc m DMSA renal scans

Lost in translation?: Comparing three Scandinavian translations of the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Granas, Anne Gerd; Nørgaard, Lotte Stig; Sporrong, Sofia Kälvemark

2014-08-01