Objective structured assessment of technical skills evaluation of theoretical compared with hands-on training of shoulder dystocia management: a randomized controlled trial.

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Buerkle, Bernd; Pueth, Julia; Hefler, Lukas A; Tempfer-Bentz, Eva-Katrin; Tempfer, Clemens B

2012-10-01

To compare the skills of performing a shoulder dystocia management algorithm after hands-on training compared with demonstration. We randomized medical students to a 30-minute hands-on (group 1) and a 30-minute demonstration (group 2) training session teaching a standardized shoulder dystocia management scheme on a pelvic training model. Participants were tested with a 22-item Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scoring system after training and 72 hours thereafter. Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scores were the primary outcome. Performance time, self-assessment, confidence, and global rating scale were the secondary outcomes. Statistics were performed using Mann-Whitney U test, χ test, and multiple linear regression analysis. Two hundred three participants were randomized. Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scores were significantly higher in group 1 (n=103) compared with group 2 (n=100) (17.95±3.14 compared with 15.67±3.18, respectively; PTechnical Skills scores were still significantly higher in group 1 (n=67) compared with group 2 (n=60) (18.17±2.76 compared with 14.98±3.03, respectively; PTechnical Skills scores. Hands-on training helps to achieve a significant improvement of shoulder dystocia management on a pelvic training model. www.ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01618565. I.

Fundamental movement skills in preschoolers: a randomized controlled trial targeting object control proficiency.

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Donath, L; Faude, O; Hagmann, S; Roth, R; Zahner, L

2015-11-01

Adequately developed fundamental movement skills, particularly object control dimensions, are considered essential to learn more complex movement patterns and to increase the likelihood to successfully participate in organized and non-organized sports during later years. Thus, the present randomized controlled trial aimed at improving object control dimensions at an early state in a kindergarten setting. Catching, throwing, kicking, rolling and stationary dribbling were assessed via gross motor development 2 (TGMD-2) testing in 41 normally developed preschoolers. On a cluster-randomized basis [strata: age, sex and body mass index (BMI)], three kindergartens were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 22, INT, age: 4.6 ± 1.0 years; BMI: 16.2 ± 1.1 kg/m(2) ) and three to a control group (n = 19, CON: age: 4.5 ± 1.2 years; BMI: 16.8 ± 1.2 kg/m(2) ). Twelve structured training sessions were given within 6 weeks (12 sessions). The total training volume was 330 min. Moderate time × group interaction were observed for the total sum score (Δ+22%, P = 0.05) and dribbling (Δ+41%, P = 0.002). Adjusting for baseline differences analyses of covariance did not affect these results. Interestingly, likely to most likely practically worthwhile effects were detected for the total sum score, catching and dribbling. Object control dimensions such as dribbling and catching that apparently rely on rhythmical movement patterns and anticipatory eye-hand coordination seem to benefit from short-term object control training. These skills are considered important for successful team-sport participation and appropriate sportive motor development. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The use of the "Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills" as an Assessment Tool Among Danish Vascular Surgeons in Training.

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Lladó Grove, Gabriela; Langager Høgh, Annette; Nielsen, Judith; Sandermann, Jes

2015-01-01

The concept of the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) is to quantify surgical skills in an objective way and, thereby, produce an additional procedure-specific assessment tool. Since 2005, a 2-day practical course for upcoming specialist registrars in vascular surgery has been obligatory. The aim of this study is to describe the results from a tailored OSATS test as a tool for the evaluation of practical skills during an intensive training session in a simple simulator box for vascular anastomoses. Between 2005 and 2013, we registered the OSATS scores of all course participants. The following data were collected from the questionnaires: years as a candidate, months in vascular surgery or in another type of surgery, and the number of vascular anastomoses performed before the course. The assessment of surgical skills was conducted with an OSATS score template specifically made for this purpose. It consists of a 12-item table with a 5-point grading scale. OSATS score (points) and time for the procedure (OSATS time in min) were registered at baseline (OSATS I) and at the end of the course (OSATS II). OSATS scores were given in both OSATS I and OSATS II for the 83 trainees, and the mean difference was 8.1 points (95% CI: 6.7; 9.5, p technical skills during an intensive practical course in performing vascular anastomoses. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

It takes two-skilled recognition of objects engages lateral areas in both hemispheres.

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Merim Bilalić

Full Text Available Our object recognition abilities, a direct product of our experience with objects, are fine-tuned to perfection. Left temporal and lateral areas along the dorsal, action related stream, as well as left infero-temporal areas along the ventral, object related stream are engaged in object recognition. Here we show that expertise modulates the activity of dorsal areas in the recognition of man-made objects with clearly specified functions. Expert chess players were faster than chess novices in identifying chess objects and their functional relations. Experts' advantage was domain-specific as there were no differences between groups in a control task featuring geometrical shapes. The pattern of eye movements supported the notion that experts' extensive knowledge about domain objects and their functions enabled superior recognition even when experts were not directly fixating the objects of interest. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI related exclusively the areas along the dorsal stream to chess specific object recognition. Besides the commonly involved left temporal and parietal lateral brain areas, we found that only in experts homologous areas on the right hemisphere were also engaged in chess specific object recognition. Based on these results, we discuss whether skilled object recognition does not only involve a more efficient version of the processes found in non-skilled recognition, but also qualitatively different cognitive processes which engage additional brain areas.

Relationships between Time-Management Skills, Facebook Interpersonal Skills and Academic Achievement among Junior High School Students

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Tsai, Hsien-Chang; Liu, Shih-Hsiung

2015-01-01

Effective time-management skills and interpersonal interactions with familiar friends for learning matters on Facebook are desired characteristics for adolescents attempting to improve their academic achievements. This study identifies the relationships between time-management skills and Facebook interpersonal skills with the academic achievement…

Methods and tools for objective assessment of psychomotor skills in laparoscopic surgery.

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Oropesa, Ignacio; Sánchez-González, Patricia; Lamata, Pablo; Chmarra, Magdalena K; Pagador, José B; Sánchez-Margallo, Juan A; Sánchez-Margallo, Francisco M; Gómez, Enrique J

2011-11-01

Training and assessment paradigms for laparoscopic surgical skills are evolving from traditional mentor-trainee tutorship towards structured, more objective and safer programs. Accreditation of surgeons requires reaching a consensus on metrics and tasks used to assess surgeons' psychomotor skills. Ongoing development of tracking systems and software solutions has allowed for the expansion of novel training and assessment means in laparoscopy. The current challenge is to adapt and include these systems within training programs, and to exploit their possibilities for evaluation purposes. This paper describes the state of the art in research on measuring and assessing psychomotor laparoscopic skills. It gives an overview on tracking systems as well as on metrics and advanced statistical and machine learning techniques employed for evaluation purposes. The later ones have a potential to be used as an aid in deciding on the surgical competence level, which is an important aspect when accreditation of the surgeons in particular, and patient safety in general, are considered. The prospective of these methods and tools make them complementary means for surgical assessment of motor skills, especially in the early stages of training. Successful examples such as the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery should help drive a paradigm change to structured curricula based on objective parameters. These may improve the accreditation of new surgeons, as well as optimize their already overloaded training schedules. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implementation of an Electronic Objective Structured Clinical Exam for Assessing Practical Skills in Pre-Professional Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Programs: Examiner and Course Coordinator Perspectives

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Snodgrass, Suzanne J.; Ashby, Samantha E.; Rivett, Darren A.; Russell, Trevor

2014-01-01

Assessment of practical clinical skills is essential in the health fields. Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs), where examiners assess students performing clinical procedures on simulated patients (actors), are central to the evaluation of practical skills. However, traditional OSCEs require considerable time-investment to administer, and…

Forecast skill score assessment of a relocatable ocean prediction system, using a simplified objective analysis method

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Onken, Reiner

2017-11-01

A relocatable ocean prediction system (ROPS) was employed to an observational data set which was collected in June 2014 in the waters to the west of Sardinia (western Mediterranean) in the framework of the REP14-MED experiment. The observational data, comprising more than 6000 temperature and salinity profiles from a fleet of underwater gliders and shipborne probes, were assimilated in the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), which is the heart of ROPS, and verified against independent observations from ScanFish tows by means of the forecast skill score as defined by Murphy(1993). A simplified objective analysis (OA) method was utilised for assimilation, taking account of only those profiles which were located within a predetermined time window W. As a result of a sensitivity study, the highest skill score was obtained for a correlation length scale C = 12.5 km, W = 24 h, and r = 1, where r is the ratio between the error of the observations and the background error, both for temperature and salinity. Additional ROPS runs showed that (i) the skill score of assimilation runs was mostly higher than the score of a control run without assimilation, (i) the skill score increased with increasing forecast range, and (iii) the skill score for temperature was higher than the score for salinity in the majority of cases. Further on, it is demonstrated that the vast number of observations can be managed by the applied OA method without data reduction, enabling timely operational forecasts even on a commercially available personal computer or a laptop.

Use of electronic games by young children and fundamental movement skills?

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Barnett, Lisa M; Hinkley, Trina; Okely, Anthony D; Hesketh, Kylie; Salmon, Jo

2012-06-01

This study investigated associations between pre-school children's time spent playing electronic games and their fundamental movement skills. In 2009, 53 children had physical activity (Actigraph accelerometer counts per minute), parent proxy-report of child's time in interactive and non-interactive electronic games (min./week), and movement skill (Test of Gross Motor Development-2) assessed. Hierarchical linear regression, adjusting for age (range = 3-6 years), sex (Step 1), and physical activity (cpm; M=687, SD=175.42; Step 2), examined the relationship between time in (a) non-interactive and (b) interactive electronic games and locomotor and object control skill. More than half (59%, n=31) of the children were female. Adjusted time in interactive game use was associated with object control but not locomotor skill. Adjusted time in non-interactive game use had no association with object control or locomotor skill. Greater time spent playing interactive electronic games is associated with higher object control skill proficiency in these young children. Longitudinal and experimental research is required to determine if playing these games improves object control skills or if children with greater object control skill proficiency prefer and play these games.

The Relationship between Iranian EFL Teachers’ Creativity and Time Management Skills

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Hamed Barjesteh

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Early research on creativity has illustrated that time is a significant resource education in general and classroom in particular. It is vital for incubation, thus, individuals should be given enough time to do a creative work. The current study sought to uncover the probable relationship between English language teachers’ creativity and time management skills. We hypothesized that teachers’ creativity plays a role in a number of variables such as age, gender, and teaching experience. It was also surmised that teacher creativity correlates time orientation. To measure teacher creativity, Zhou and George (2001 self-rating creativity was employed. In addition, Trueman and Hartley (1996 time management scale comprising five constructs, production of creative ideas, production of useful ideas, daily planning, confidence in long-term planning, and perceived control of time, were utilized to gauge time orientation. To comply with the objective, a total of 202 intermediate students from three English language institutes took part for the purpose of this study. They were requested to fill out the questionnaires. The data were collected over a period of three weeks. The data were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient to probe the relationship between the variables. The results suggest that teachers with more time orientation incorporate more teaching activities in their classroom. However, the findings revealed that a number of variables like age, gender and teaching experiences were not significant factors for teachers’ creativity skills. The findings suggest that a teacher should widen his perception of creativity and repertoire of employing activities in order to maximize students' capacity for novelty The may help language teachers and policy makers bring to a focus on the effects of time management skills and teachers’ creativity in the EFL content to achieve a better result in learning process.

Effects of basic clinical skills training on objective structured clinical examination performance.

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Jünger, Jana; Schäfer, Sybille; Roth, Christiane; Schellberg, Dieter; Friedman Ben-David, Miriam; Nikendei, Christoph

2005-10-01

The aim of curriculum reform in medical education is to improve students' clinical and communication skills. However, there are contradicting results regarding the effectiveness of such reforms. A study of internal medicine students was carried out using a static group design. The experimental group consisted of 77 students participating in 7 sessions of communication training, 7 sessions of skills-laboratory training and 7 sessions of bedside-teaching, each lasting 1.5 hours. The control group of 66 students from the traditional curriculum participated in equally as many sessions but was offered only bedside teaching. Students' cognitive and practical skills performance was assessed using Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) testing and an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), delivered by examiners blind to group membership. The experimental group performed significantly better on the OSCE than did the control group (P < 0.01), whereas the groups did not differ on the MCQ test (P < 0.15). This indicates that specific training in communication and basic clinical skills enabled students to perform better in an OSCE, whereas its effects on knowledge did not differ from those of the traditional curriculum. Curriculum reform promoting communication and basic clinical skills are effective and lead to an improved performance in history taking and physical examination skills.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES IN INTELLIGENT TUTORS FOR COMMUNICATION SKILLS

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CIPRIAN CUCU

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Intelligent Tutoring Systems have been successfully used to simulate human tutoring in various fields such as mathematics, physics or computer programming. The current paper discusses some of the particularities of designing such systems for the education of communication skills, specifically in a business setting (customer relations, employee communications etc. Since communication is an ill-defined domain (i.e. does not provide a systematic method to obtain a solution, various challenges arise. One of these challenges is the design of educational objectives – the module built on top of the system that would check the users' actions against predefined patterns and would provide the users with feed-back accordingly.

Predicting Growth in Word Level Reading Skills in Children With Developmental Dyslexia Using an Object Rhyming Functional Neuroimaging Task.

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Farris, Emily A; Ring, Jeremiah; Black, Jeffrey; Lyon, G Reid; Odegard, Timothy N

2016-04-01

An object rhyming task that does not require text reading and is suitable for younger children was used to predict gains in word level reading skills following an intensive 2-year reading intervention for children with developmental dyslexia. The task evoked activation in bilateral inferior frontal regions. Growth in untimed pseudoword reading was associated with increased pre-intervention activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus, and growth in timed word reading was associated with pre-intervention activation of the left and right inferior frontal gyri. These analyses help identify pre-intervention factors that facilitate reading skill improvements in children with developmental dyslexia.

Time Management Skills of Nursing Students

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Tulay Basak

2008-10-01

Full Text Available AIM: The purpose of this research was to determine time management skills of nursing students. METHOD: Time Management Inventory and the form that has been developed via screening the literatures by researcher were used gather data. The descriptive study was carried out between the 1st May 2007 and 31st May 2007. The research population of this study constituted nursing students in a Nursing School in Turkey. The sample was consisted of 323 students. Statistical analysis was made using Mann-Whithey U test, One-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis, Sperman’s correlation analysis. RESULTS: Nursing student’s total time management points were minimum 46 maximum 127 and median is 89.41±12.71. Total time management points were higher at older age group than the other group. There was a significant correlation between total time management points and academic achievement of nursing students. CONCLUSION: Nursing students needs progress about time planing. Students who are older age had better time management skills. As the total time management point increased also academic achievement point increased. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2008; 7(5.000: 429-434

Approaching time is important for assessment of endoscopic surgical skills.

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Tokunaga, Masakazu; Egi, Hiroyuki; Hattori, Minoru; Yoshimitsu, Masanori; Sumitani, Daisuke; Kawahara, Tomohiro; Okajima, Masazumi; Ohdan, Hideki

2012-05-01

This study aimed to verify whether the approaching time (the time taken to reach the target point from another point, a short distance apart, during point-to-point movement in endoscopic surgery), assessed using the Hiroshima University Endoscopic Surgical Assessment Device (HUESAD), could distinguish the skill level of surgeons. Expert surgeons (who had performed more than 50 endoscopic surgeries) and novice surgeons (who had no experience in performing endoscopic surgery) were tested using the HUESAD. The approaching time, total time, and intermediate time (total time--approaching time) were measured and analyzed using the trajectory of the tip of the instrument. The approaching time and total time were significantly shorter in the expert group than in the novice group (p time did not significantly differ between the groups (p > 0.05). The approaching time, which is a component of the total time, is very mportant in the measurement of the total time to assess endoscopic surgical skills. Further, the approaching time was useful for skill assessment by the HUESAD for evaluating the skill of surgeons performing endoscopic surgery.

Relations of Preschoolers' Visual-Motor and Object Manipulation Skills with Executive Function and Social Behavior

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MacDonald, Megan; Lipscomb, Shannon; McClelland, Megan M.; Duncan, Rob; Becker, Derek; Anderson, Kim; Kile, Molly

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to examine specific linkages between early visual-motor integration skills and executive function, as well as between early object manipulation skills and social behaviors in the classroom during the preschool year. Method: Ninety-two children aged 3 to 5 years old (M[subscript age] = 4.31 years) were…

Assessment of time management skills: psychometric properties of the Swedish version.

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Janeslätt, Gunnel Kristina; Holmqvist, Kajsa Lidström; White, Suzanne; Holmefur, Marie

2018-05-01

Persons with impaired time management skills are often in need of occupational therapy. Valid and reliable instruments to assess time management and organizational skills are needed for the evaluation of intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the Assessment of Time Management Skills (ATMS-S) for persons with and without impaired time management skills. A total of 238 persons participated in the study, of whom 94 had self-reported impaired time management skills due to mental disorders such as schizophrenic spectrum or neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mild intellectual disabilities, and 144 persons had no reported impaired time management skills. Rasch analysis was used to analyze data. Three subscales were detected: the time management subscale with 11 items, the organization & planning subscale with 11 items, and the subscale of regulation of emotions with 5 items, with excellent to acceptable psychometric properties. The conclusions were that: ATMS-S is a valid instrument for self-rating of time management, organization & planning and for the regulation of emotions. ATMS-S can be useful for persons with mental disorders including mild neurodevelopmental disorders.

E-learning teaches attendings "how to" objectively assess pediatric urology trainees' surgery skills for orchiopexy.

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Fernandez, Nicolas; Maizels, Max; Farhat, Walid; Smith, Edwin; Liu, Dennis; Chua, Michael; Bhanji, Yasin

2018-04-01

Established methods to train pediatric urology surgery by residency training programs require updating in response to administrative changes such as new, reduced trainee duty hours. Therefore, new objective methods must be developed to teach trainees. We approached this need by creating e-learning to teach attendings objective assessment of trainee skills using the Zwisch scale, an established assessment tool. The aim of this study was to identify whether or not e-learning is an appropriate platform for effective teaching of this assessment tool, by assessing inter-rater correlation of assessments made by the attendings after participation in the e-learning. Pediatric orchiopexy was used as the index case. An e-learning tool was created to teach attending surgeons objective assessment of trainees' surgical skills. First, e-learning content was created which showed the assessment method videotape of resident surgery done in the operating room. Next, attendings were enrolled to e-learn this method. Finally, the ability of enrollees to assess resident surgery skill performance was tested. Namely, test video was made showing a trainee performing inguinal orchiopexy. All enrollees viewed the same online videos. Assessments of surgical skills (Zwisch scale) were entered into an online survey. Data were analyzed by intercorrelation coefficient kappa analysis (strong correlation was ICC ≥ 0.7). A total of 11 attendings were enrolled. All accessed the online learning and then made assessments of surgical skills trainees showed on videotapes. The e-learning comprised three modules: 1. "Core concepts," in which users learned the assessment tool methods; 2. "Learn to assess," in which users learned how to assess by watching video clips, explaining the assessment method; and 3. "Test," in which users tested their skill at making assessments by watching video clips and then actively inputting their ratings of surgical and global skills as viewed in the video clips (Figure

Toward an objective assessment of technical skills: a national survey of surgical program directors in Saudi Arabia.

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Alkhayal, Abdullah; Aldhukair, Shahla; Alselaim, Nahar; Aldekhayel, Salah; Alhabdan, Sultan; Altaweel, Waleed; Magzoub, Mohi Elden; Zamakhshary, Mohammed

2012-01-01

After almost a decade of implementing competency-based programs in postgraduate training programs, the assessment of technical skills remains more subjective than objective. National data on the assessment of technical skills during surgical training are lacking. We conducted this study to document the assessment tools for technical skills currently used in different surgical specialties, their relationship with remediation, the recommended tools from the program directors' perspective, and program directors' attitudes toward the available objective tools to assess technical skills. This study was a cross-sectional survey of surgical program directors (PDs). The survey was initially developed using a focus group and was then sent to 116 PDs. The survey contains demographic information about the program, the objective assessment tools used, and the reason for not using assessment tools. The last section discusses the recommended tools to be used from the PDs' perspective and the PDs' attitude and motivation to apply these tools in each program. The associations between the responses to the assessment questions and remediation were statistically evaluated. Seventy-one (61%) participants responded. Of the respondents, 59% mentioned using only nonstandardized, subjective, direct observation for technical skills assessment. Sixty percent use only summative evaluation, whereas 15% perform only formative evaluations of their residents, and the remaining 22% conduct both summative and formative evaluations of their residents' technical skills. Operative portfolios are kept by 53% of programs. The percentage of programs with mechanisms for remediation is 29% (19 of 65). The survey showed that surgical training programs use different tools to assess surgical skills competency. Having a clear remediation mechanism was highly associated with reporting remediation, which reflects the capability to detect struggling residents. Surgical training leadership should invest more in

Design and Development of an Objective, Structured Management Examinations (OSMEs) on Management Skills among Pharmacy Students

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Augustine, Jill

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to design, develop, and administer an Objective, Structured Management Exam (OSME) on management skills for pharmacy students. Pharmacy preceptors for the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy participated in focus groups that identified business, management, and human resource skills needed by pharmacy graduates.…

The ambiguous and bewitching power of knowledge, skills and attitudes leads to confusing statements of learning objectives.

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Guilbert, J-J

2002-01-01

The words "knowledge", "skills" and "attitudes" are given different meanings by health personnel when discussing educational issues. Ambiguity is known as a handicap to efficient communication. In the design of a curriculum the quality of the definition of learning objectives plays a fundamental role. If learning objectives lack clarity, learners and teachers will face operational difficulties. As Robert Mager said, "If you are not certain of where you are going you may very well end up somewhere else and not even know it". Knowledge is not only memory of facts but what you do with it. The complexity of human behaviour should not be underestimated. This is why educational objectives need active non-ambiguous verbs in order to achieve better communication between teachers and learners and to assess that complexity. This is why I suggest using the expression intellectual skill (or competence) as meaning "a rational decision or act". Sensomotor skill (or competence) would replace "skills" as presently used and cover only "acts which require a neuromuscular coordination". Interpersonal communication skill (or competence) would replace "attitude(s)" and be limited to "verbal and non-verbal relation between persons". As the level of validity of assessment of learners' competencies is linked to the clarity of learning objectives, it is hoped that the above suggestions will raise the overall level of validity of the evaluation system. This is why it is important that everybody understands, in the same manner, the meaning of a learning objective. It will help learners to focus their learning efforts on the right target. It will help teachers to ensure the relevance to health needs of their teaching and the validity of assessment instruments. In both cases it will be beneficial to the health of the population.

Low-Skilled Workers and Adult Vocational Skills-Upgrading Strategies in Denmark and South Korea

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Gvaramadze, Irakli

2010-01-01

The main objective of the paper was to address the relevance of adult vocational skills-upgrading strategies for low-skilled workers. The research was based on an identification of core elements such as time, cost and access which define and impact on formulation and implementation of adult vocational skills-upgrading strategies. The literature…

A Novel Clinical-Simulated Suture Education for Basic Surgical Skill: Suture on the Biological Tissue Fixed on Standardized Patient Evaluated with Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS) Tools.

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Shen, Zhanlong; Yang, Fan; Gao, Pengji; Zeng, Li; Jiang, Guanchao; Wang, Shan; Ye, Yingjiang; Zhu, Fengxue

2017-06-21

Clinical-simulated training has shown benefit in the education of medical students. However, the role of clinical simulation for surgical basic skill training such as suturing techniques remains unclear. Forty-two medical students were asked to perform specific suturing tasks at three stations with the different settings within four minutes (Station 1: Synthetic suture pad fixed on the bench, Station 2: Synthetic suture pad fixed on the standardized patient, Station 3: Pig skin fixed on the standardized patient); the OSATS (Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill) tool was used to evaluate the performance of students. A questionnaire was distributed to the students following the examination. Mean performance score of Station 3 was significant lower than that of Station 1 and 2 in the general performance including tissue handling, time, and motion. The suturing techniques of students at Station 2 and 3 were not as accurate as that at Station 1. Inappropriate tension was applied to the knot at Station 2 compared with Station 1 and 3. On the questionnaire, 93% of students considered clinical-simulated training of basic surgical skills was necessary and may increase their confidence in future clinical work as surgeons; 98% of students thought the assessment was more objective when OSATS tool was used for evaluation. Clinical simulation examination assessed with OSATS might throw a novel light on the education of basic surgical skills and may be worthy of wider adoption in the surgical education of medical students.

The Timing of Visual Object Categorization

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Mack, Michael L.; Palmeri, Thomas J.

2011-01-01

An object can be categorized at different levels of abstraction: as natural or man-made, animal or plant, bird or dog, or as a Northern Cardinal or Pyrrhuloxia. There has been growing interest in understanding how quickly categorizations at different levels are made and how the timing of those perceptual decisions changes with experience. We specifically contrast two perspectives on the timing of object categorization at different levels of abstraction. By one account, the relative timing implies a relative timing of stages of visual processing that are tied to particular levels of object categorization: Fast categorizations are fast because they precede other categorizations within the visual processing hierarchy. By another account, the relative timing reflects when perceptual features are available over time and the quality of perceptual evidence used to drive a perceptual decision process: Fast simply means fast, it does not mean first. Understanding the short-term and long-term temporal dynamics of object categorizations is key to developing computational models of visual object recognition. We briefly review a number of models of object categorization and outline how they explain the timing of visual object categorization at different levels of abstraction. PMID:21811480

The Group Objective Structured Clinical Experience: building communication skills in the clinical reasoning context.

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Konopasek, Lyuba; Kelly, Kevin V; Bylund, Carma L; Wenderoth, Suzanne; Storey-Johnson, Carol

2014-07-01

Students are rarely taught communication skills in the context of clinical reasoning training. The purpose of this project was to combine the teaching of communication skills using SPs with clinical reasoning exercises in a Group Objective Structured Clinical Experience (GOSCE) to study feasibility of the approach, the effect on learners' self-efficacy and attitude toward learning communication skills, and the effect of providing multiple sources of immediate, collaborative feedback. GOSCE sessions were piloted in Pediatrics and Medicine clerkships with students assessing their own performance and receiving formative feedback on communication skills from peers, standardized patients (SPs), and faculty. The sessions were evaluated using a retrospective pre/post-training questionnaire rating changes in self-efficacy and attitudes, and the value of the feedback. Results indicate a positive impact on attitudes toward learning communication skills and self-efficacy regarding communication in the clinical setting. Also, learners considered feedback by peers, SPs, and faculty valuable in each GOSCE. The GOSCE is an efficient and learner-centered method to attend to multiple goals of teaching communication skills, clinical reasoning, self-assessment, and giving feedback in a formative setting. The GOSCE is a low-resource, feasible strategy for experiential learning in communication skills and clinical reasoning. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toward an objective assessment of technical skills: a national survey of surgical program directors in Saudi Arabia

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Alkhayal A

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abdullah Alkhayal,1 Shahla Aldhukair,2 Nahar Alselaim,1 Salah Aldekhayel,1 Sultan Alhabdan,1 Waleed Altaweel,3 Mohi Elden Magzoub,4 Mohammed Zamakhshary1,21Department of Surgery, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Public Health Section, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Urology Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Medical Education, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaBackground: After almost a decade of implementing competency-based programs in postgraduate training programs, the assessment of technical skills remains more subjective than objective. National data on the assessment of technical skills during surgical training are lacking. We conducted this study to document the assessment tools for technical skills currently used in different surgical specialties, their relationship with remediation, the recommended tools from the program directors’ perspective, and program directors’ attitudes toward the available objective tools to assess technical skills.Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey of surgical program directors (PDs. The survey was initially developed using a focus group and was then sent to 116 PDs. The survey contains demographic information about the program, the objective assessment tools used, and the reason for not using assessment tools. The last section discusses the recommended tools to be used from the PDs’ perspective and the PDs’ attitude and motivation to apply these tools in each program. The associations between the responses to the assessment questions and remediation were statistically evaluated.Results: Seventy-one (61% participants responded. Of the respondents, 59% mentioned using only nonstandardized, subjective, direct observation for technical skills assessment. Sixty percent use only summative

Performance Evaluation and Market Timing: the Skill Index

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Ney Roberto Otoni de Brito

2003-01-01

Full Text Available MERTON (1981 examines the creation of value by fund managers selecting between stocks and fixed income instruments through market timing. HENRIKSON and MERTON (1981 proceed to propose empirical tests of funds and manager performance in market timing. BRITO, BONA and TACIRO (2003 generalize the results of MERTON (1981 and HENRIKSON and MERTON (1981 for actively managed funds with a clearly defined benchmark portfolio. In the generalized context of active portfolio management, this paper proposes a new index – the Skill Index of Brito (SIB – to measure the performance and efficiency in market timing of actively managed funds. The paper proceeds to test the performance and skill of hedge funds in Brazil using the SIB. A representative sample of 32 hedge funds with a window of 90 trading days on October 31, 1999 was obtained. The empirical tests of performance and skill use the interbank borrowing and lending rate as the passive benchmark. The results indicate the significance at the 5% level of the SIB for ten hedge funds in the sample. Among them seven funds also have shown significance at the 1% level. In sum the results indicate a majority of hedge funds with no significant skill in the Brazilian market in the examined period.

Synchronization and phonological skills: precise auditory timing hypothesis (PATH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam eTierney

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Phonological skills are enhanced by music training, but the mechanisms enabling this cross-domain enhancement remain unknown. To explain this cross-domain transfer, we propose a precise auditory timing hypothesis (PATH whereby entrainment practice is the core mechanism underlying enhanced phonological abilities in musicians. Both rhythmic synchronization and language skills such as consonant discrimination, detection of word and phrase boundaries, and conversational turn-taking rely on the perception of extremely fine-grained timing details in sound. Auditory-motor timing is an acoustic feature which meets all five of the pre-conditions necessary for cross-domain enhancement to occur (Patel 2011, 2012, 2014. There is overlap between the neural networks that process timing in the context of both music and language. Entrainment to music demands more precise timing sensitivity than does language processing. Moreover, auditory-motor timing integration captures the emotion of the trainee, is repeatedly practiced, and demands focused attention. The precise auditory timing hypothesis predicts that musical training emphasizing entrainment will be particularly effective in enhancing phonological skills.

Objective psychomotor skills assessment of experienced and novice flexible endoscopists with a virtual reality simulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Ritter, E Matt; McClusky, David A; Lederman, Andrew B; Gallagher, Anthony G; Smith, C Daniel

2003-11-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether the GI Mentor II virtual reality simulator can distinguish the psychomotor skills of intermediately experienced endoscopists from those of novices, and do so with a high level of consistency and reliability. A total of five intermediate and nine novice endoscopists were evaluated using the EndoBubble abstract psychomotor task. Each subject performed three repetitions of the task. Performance and error data were recorded for each trial. The intermediate group performed better than the novice group in each trial. The differences were significant in trial 1 for balloons popped (P=.001), completion time (P=.04), and errors (P=.03). Trial 2 showed significance only for balloons popped (P=.002). Trial 3 showed significance for balloons popped (P=.004) and errors (P=.008). The novice group showed significant improvement between trials 1 and 3 (P<0.05). No improvement was noted in the intermediate group. Measures of consistency and reliability were greater than 0.8 in both groups with the exception of novice completion time where test-retest reliability was 0.74. The GI Mentor II simulator can distinguish between novice and intermediate endoscopists. The simulator assesses skills with levels of consistency and reliability required for high-stakes assessment.

A Cognitive Skill Classification Based on Multi Objective Optimization Using Learning Vector Quantization for Serious Games

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moh. Aries Syufagi

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, serious games and game technology are poised to transform the way of educating and training students at all levels. However, pedagogical value in games do not help novice students learn, too many memorizing and reduce learning process due to no information of player’s ability. To asses the cognitive level of player ability, we propose a Cognitive Skill Game (CSG. CSG improves this cognitive concept to monitor how players interact with the game. This game employs Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ for optimizing the cognitive skill input classification of the player. CSG is using teacher’s data to obtain the neuron vector of cognitive skill pattern supervise. Three clusters multi objective XE "multi objective"  target will be classified as; trial and error, carefully and, expert cognitive skill. In the game play experiments employ 33 respondent players demonstrates that 61% of players have high trial and error, 21% have high carefully, and 18% have high expert cognitive skill. CSG may provide information to game engine when a player needs help or when wanting a formidable challenge. The game engine will provide the appropriate tasks according to players’ ability. CSG will help balance the emotions of players, so players do not get bored and frustrated. 

Dissociable effects of practice variability on learning motor and timing skills.

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Caramiaux, Baptiste; Bevilacqua, Frédéric; Wanderley, Marcelo M; Palmer, Caroline

2018-01-01

Motor skill acquisition inherently depends on the way one practices the motor task. The amount of motor task variability during practice has been shown to foster transfer of the learned skill to other similar motor tasks. In addition, variability in a learning schedule, in which a task and its variations are interweaved during practice, has been shown to help the transfer of learning in motor skill acquisition. However, there is little evidence on how motor task variations and variability schedules during practice act on the acquisition of complex motor skills such as music performance, in which a performer learns both the right movements (motor skill) and the right time to perform them (timing skill). This study investigated the impact of rate (tempo) variability and the schedule of tempo change during practice on timing and motor skill acquisition. Complete novices, with no musical training, practiced a simple musical sequence on a piano keyboard at different rates. Each novice was assigned to one of four learning conditions designed to manipulate the amount of tempo variability across trials (large or small tempo set) and the schedule of tempo change (randomized or non-randomized order) during practice. At test, the novices performed the same musical sequence at a familiar tempo and at novel tempi (testing tempo transfer), as well as two novel (but related) sequences at a familiar tempo (testing spatial transfer). We found that practice conditions had little effect on learning and transfer performance of timing skill. Interestingly, practice conditions influenced motor skill learning (reduction of movement variability): lower temporal variability during practice facilitated transfer to new tempi and new sequences; non-randomized learning schedule improved transfer to new tempi and new sequences. Tempo (rate) and the sequence difficulty (spatial manipulation) affected performance variability in both timing and movement. These findings suggest that there is a

Does playing a sports active video game improve object control skills of children with autism spectrum disorder?

OpenAIRE

Edwards, Jacqueline; Jeffrey, Sarah; May, Tamara; Rinehart, Nicole J.; Barnett, Lisa M.

2017-01-01

Background: Active video games (AVGs) encourage whole body movements to interact or control the gaming system, allowing the opportunity for skill development. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show decreased fundamental movement skills in comparison with their typically developing (TD) peers and might benefit from this approach. This pilot study investigates whether playing sports AVGs can increase the actual and perceived object control (OC) skills of 11 children with ASD aged 6–1...

A functional analysis of photo-object matching skills of severely retarded adolescents.

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Dixon, L S

1981-01-01

Matching-to-sample procedures were used to assess picture representation skills of severely retarded, nonverbal adolescents. Identity matching within the classes of objects and life-size, full-color photos of the objects was first used to assess visual discrimination, a necessary condition for picture representation. Picture representation was then assessed through photo-object matching tasks. Five students demonstrated visual discrimination (identity matching) within the two classes of photos and the objects. Only one student demonstrated photo-object matching. The results of the four students who failed to demonstrate photo-object matching suggested that physical properties of photos (flat, rectangular) and depth dimensions of objects may exert more control over matching than the similarities of the objects and images within the photos. An analysis of figure-ground variables was conducted to provide an empirical basis for program development in the use of pictures. In one series of tests, rectangular shape and background were removed by cutting out the figures in the photos. The edge shape of the photo and the edge shape of the image were then identical. The results suggest that photo-object matching may be facilitated by using cut-out figures rather than the complete rectangular photo.

The use of the "Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills" as an Assessment Tool Among Danish Vascular Surgeons in Training

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lladó Grove, Gabriela; Langager Høgh, Annette; Nielsen, Judith

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The concept of the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) is to quantify surgical skills in an objective way and, thereby, produce an additional procedure-specific assessment tool. Since 2005, a 2-day practical course for upcoming specialist registrars in vascular...... surgery has been obligatory. The aim of this study is to describe the results from a tailored OSATS test as a tool for the evaluation of practical skills during an intensive training session in a simple simulator box for vascular anastomoses. METHOD: Between 2005 and 2013, we registered the OSATS scores......, or the experience with vascular anastomoses and outcomes. CONCLUSION: OSATS is a valuable tool for evaluating the advancement of technical skills during an intensive practical course in performing vascular anastomoses. (C) 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights...

Subjective and objective assessment of patients' compression therapy skills as a predicator of ulcer recurrence.

Science.gov (United States)

Mościcka, Paulina; Szewczyk, Maria T; Jawień, Arkadiusz; Cierzniakowska, Katarzyna; Cwajda-Białasik, Justyna

2016-07-01

To verify whether the subjectively and objectively assessed patient's skills in applying compression therapy constitute a predicting factor of venous ulcer recurrence. Systematic implementation of compression therapy by the patient is a core of prophylaxis for recurrent ulcers. Therefore, patient education constitutes a significant element of care. However, controversies remain if all individuals benefit equally from education. A retrospective analysis. The study included medical records of patients with venous ulcers (n = 351) treated between 2001 and 2011 at the Clinic for Chronic Wounds at Bydgoszcz Clinical Hospital. We compared two groups of patients, (1) with at least one episode of recurrent ulcer during the five-year observation period, and (2) without recurrences throughout the analysed period in terms of their theoretical skills and knowledge on compression therapy recorded at baseline and after one month. Very good self-assessment of a patient's compression therapy skills and weak assessment of these skills by a nurse proved significant risk factors for recurrence of the ulcers on univariate analysis. The significance of these variables as independent risk factors for recurrent ulcers has been also confirmed on multivariate analysis, which also took into account other clinical parameters. Building up proper compression therapy skills among the patients should be the key element of a properly construed nurse-based prophylactic program, as it is the most significant modifiable risk factor for recurrent ulcers. Although the development of compression skills is undeniably important, also other factors should be considered, e.g. surgical correction of superficial reflux. Instruction on compression therapy should be conducted by properly trained nursing personnel - the nurses should have received both content and psychological training. The compression therapy training should contain practical instruction with guided exercises and in-depth objective

Using a Flexible Skill-Based Approach to Recognize Objects in Industrial Scenarios

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Rasmus Skovgaard; Schou, Casper; Damgaard, Jens Skov

2016-01-01

Traditional industrial robots are highly efficient and precise and therefore well suited for carrying out simple, repetitive tasks. They are, however, complicated and time consuming to setup and re-program to perform new tasks. Skill-based programming attempts to reduce both the required time as ...

Development of Object Permanence in Visually Impaired Infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, S. J.; Puchalski, C. B.

1988-01-01

Development of object permanence skills was examined longitudinally in 20 visually impaired infants (ages 4-25 months). Order of skill acquisition and span of time required to master skills paralleled that of sighted infants, but the visually impaired subjects were 8-12 months older than sighted counterparts when similar skills were acquired.…

High School Students' Time Management Skills in Relation to Research Anxiety

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Akcoltekin, Alpturk

2015-01-01

This study aimed to determine the opinions of high school students relating to time management and present a correlation of their time management skills with demographic variables, as well as examining the relation between their level of research anxiety and time management skills. The study group composed 270 12th-grade students (127 males and…

Associations between skill perceptions and young children's actual fundamental movement skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Liong, Grace H E; Ridgers, Nicola D; Barnett, Lisa M

2015-04-01

Given that children with low movement skill competence engage in less physical activity, it is important to understand how children's perceptions relate to actual movement competence. This study examined relationships between (i) children's self-perception and objective assessments of their movement skills (object control and locomotor) and (ii) parents' perceptions of the children's movement skills and objective assessment. Children's skill perceptions were assessed using the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for Young Children. Parent perceptions of their child's skills were assessed using a modified version of this instrument. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2nd edition assessed children's skills objectively. Participants were 136 Australian children (51% boys; M=6.5 yr., SD=1.1) and 133 parents. Regression analyses (by sex) examined the relationship between perceptions and children's scores for actual skilled performance. Boys' perceptions were associated with their actual object control ability. Parents accurately perceived boys' object control ability and girls' locomotor ability, but not the reverse. This suggests interventions aiming to improve children's movement skills could target parents and be designed to teach parents how to recognize good and poor skill performance in their children.

Evaluating Robotic Surgical Skills Performance Under Distractive Environment Using Objective and Subjective Measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Suh, Irene H; LaGrange, Chad A; Oleynikov, Dmitry; Siu, Ka-Chun

2016-02-01

Distractions are recognized as a significant factor affecting performance in safety critical domains. Although operating rooms are generally full of distractions, the effect of distractions on robot-assisted surgical (RAS) performance is unclear. Our aim was to investigate the effect of distractions on RAS performance using both objective and subjective measures. Fifteen participants performed a knot-tying task using the da Vinci Surgical System and were exposed to 3 distractions: (1) passive distraction entailed listening to noise with a constant heart rate, (2) active distraction included listening to noise and acknowledging a change of random heart rate from 60 to 120 bpm, and (3) interactive distraction consisted of answering math questions. The objective kinematics of the surgical instrument tips were used to evaluate performance. Electromyography (EMG) of the forearm and hand muscles of the participants were collected. The median EMG frequency (EMG(fmed)) and the EMG envelope (EMG(env)) were analyzed. NASA Task Load Index and Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery score were used to evaluate the subjective performance. One-way repeated analysis of variance was applied to examine the effects of distraction on skills performance. Spearman's correlations were conducted to compare objective and subjective measures. Significant distraction effect was found for all objective kinematics measures (P < .05). There were significant distraction effects for EMG measures (EMG(env), P < .004; EMG(fmed), P = .031). Significant distraction effects were also found for subjective measurements. Distraction impairs surgical skills performance and increases muscle work. Understanding how the surgeons cope with distractions is important in developing surgical education. © The Author(s) 2015.

A comparison of moving object detection methods for real-time moving object detection

Science.gov (United States)

Roshan, Aditya; Zhang, Yun

2014-06-01

Moving object detection has a wide variety of applications from traffic monitoring, site monitoring, automatic theft identification, face detection to military surveillance. Many methods have been developed across the globe for moving object detection, but it is very difficult to find one which can work globally in all situations and with different types of videos. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate existing moving object detection methods which can be implemented in software on a desktop or laptop, for real time object detection. There are several moving object detection methods noted in the literature, but few of them are suitable for real time moving object detection. Most of the methods which provide for real time movement are further limited by the number of objects and the scene complexity. This paper evaluates the four most commonly used moving object detection methods as background subtraction technique, Gaussian mixture model, wavelet based and optical flow based methods. The work is based on evaluation of these four moving object detection methods using two (2) different sets of cameras and two (2) different scenes. The moving object detection methods have been implemented using MatLab and results are compared based on completeness of detected objects, noise, light change sensitivity, processing time etc. After comparison, it is observed that optical flow based method took least processing time and successfully detected boundary of moving objects which also implies that it can be implemented for real-time moving object detection.

The objective assessment of experts' and novices' suturing skills using an image analysis program.

Science.gov (United States)

Frischknecht, Adam C; Kasten, Steven J; Hamstra, Stanley J; Perkins, Noel C; Gillespie, R Brent; Armstrong, Thomas J; Minter, Rebecca M

2013-02-01

To objectively assess suturing performance using an image analysis program and to provide validity evidence for this assessment method by comparing experts' and novices' performance. In 2009, the authors used an image analysis program to extract objective variables from digital images of suturing end products obtained during a previous study involving third-year medical students (novices) and surgical faculty and residents (experts). Variables included number of stitches, stitch length, total bite size, travel, stitch orientation, total bite-size-to-travel ratio, and symmetry across the incision ratio. The authors compared all variables between groups to detect significant differences and two variables (total bite-size-to-travel ratio and symmetry across the incision ratio) to ideal values. Five experts and 15 novices participated. Experts' and novices' performances differed significantly (P 0.8) for total bite size (P = .009, d = 1.5), travel (P = .045, d = 1.1), total bite-size-to-travel ratio (P algorithm can extract variables from digital images of a running suture and rapidly provide quantitative summative assessment feedback. The significant differences found between groups confirm that this system can discriminate between skill levels. This image analysis program represents a viable training tool for objectively assessing trainees' suturing, a foundational skill for many medical specialties.

Can the learning of laparoscopic skills be quantified by the measurements of skill parameters performed in a virtual reality simulator?

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Natascha Silva Sandy

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose To ensure patient safety and surgical efficiency, much emphasis has been placed on the training of laparoscopic skills using virtual reality simulators. The purpose of this study was to determine whether laparoscopic skills can be objectively quantified by measuring specific skill parameters during training in a virtual reality surgical simulator (VRSS. Materials and Methods Ten medical students (with no laparoscopic experience and ten urology residents (PGY3-5 with limited laparoscopic experience were recruited to participate in a ten-week training course in basic laparoscopic skills (camera, cutting, peg transfer and clipping skills on a VRSS. Data were collected from the training sessions. The time that individuals took to complete each task and the errors that they made were analyzed independently. Results The mean time that individuals took to complete tasks was significantly different between the groups (p < 0.05, with the residents being faster than the medical students. The residents' group also completed the tasks with fewer errors. The majority of the subjects in both groups exhibited a significant improvement in their task completion time and error rate. Conclusion The findings in this study demonstrate that laparoscopic skills can be objectively measured in a VRSS based on quantified skill parameters, including the time spent to complete skill tasks and the associated error rate. We conclude that a VRSS is a feasible tool for training and assessing basic laparoscopic skills.

Assessment of Surgical Skills and Competency.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatti, Nasir I

2017-10-01

Evaluation of surgical skills and competency are important aspects of the medical education process. Measurable and reproducible methods of assessment with objective feedback are essential components of surgical training. Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) is widely used across the medical specialties and otolaryngology-specific tools have been developed and validated for sinus and mastoid surgery. Although assessment of surgical skills can be time-consuming and requires human and financial resources, new evaluation methods and emerging technology may alleviate these barriers while also improving data collection practices. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Personal Skills. Facilitator's Skill Packets 1-7. Social Skills Training.

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Model Classrooms, Bellevue, WA.

This document contains the following seven facilitators' skill packets on personal skills: (1) personal hygiene; (2) personal appearance; (3) locker hygiene; (4) dorm cleanliness; (5) punctuality and attendance; (6) responding to supervision; and (7) teamwork. Each packet contains the following sections: definition of personal skills; objective;…

Optimizing the Timing of Expert Feedback During Simulation-Based Spaced Practice of Endourologic Skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jason Young; McDougall, Elspeth M; Lineberry, Matthew; Tekian, Ara

2016-08-01

Provision of expert feedback is widely acknowledged to be an essential component of simulation-based training. However, little is known about the most effective and efficient ways to provide feedback to novices. Optimizing the timing of expert feedback may improve outcomes while reducing resource requirements. The main objective of this study was to determine the impact of providing early versus late expert feedback to novice learners engaged in a flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) training curriculum. Senior medical students were recruited to participate in this study. Each student participated in a comprehensive fURS training curriculum that included 3 deliberate, independent practice sessions. Baseline and postcourse fURS skill was assessed for each student using a standardized fURS test task. Each student was randomized to either an early feedback group (EFG) or late feedback group (LFG). The EFG participants were provided expert feedback immediately after the baseline skill test, whereas LFG participants were given feedback before their final deliberate, independent practice session. Eighteen senior medical students completed the study (9 EFG and 9 LFG participants). There were no discernible demographic differences between the groups at baseline. When controlling for pretest performance, early rather than late feedback was associated with both shorter postcourse time to completion of the task (19.2 vs. 21.5 minutes, P feedback when learning a novel skill. Further study is required.

The effectiveness of the Geritalk communication skills course: a real-time assessment of skill acquisition and deliberate practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Gelfman, Laura P; Lindenberger, Elizabeth; Fernandez, Helen; Goldberg, Gabrielle R; Lim, Betty B; Litrivis, Evgenia; O'Neill, Lynn; Smith, Cardinale B; Kelley, Amy S

2014-10-01

Communication skills are critical in Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine because these patients confront complex clinical scenarios. We evaluated the effectiveness of the Geritalk communication skills course by comparing pre- and post-course real-time assessment of the participants leading family meetings. We also evaluated the participants' sustained skills practice. We compare the participants' skill acquisition before and after Geritalk using a direct observation Family Meeting Communication Assessment Tool and assess their deliberate practice at follow-up. First-year Geriatrics or Palliative Medicine fellows at Mount Sinai Medical Center and the James J. Peters Bronx VA Medical Center participated in Geritalk. Pre- and post-course family meeting assessments were compared. An average net gain of 6.8 skills represented a greater than 20% improvement in use of applicable skills. At two month follow-up, most participants reported deliberate practice of fundamental and advanced skills. This intensive training and family meeting assessment offers evidence-based communication skills training. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Relationship between coping skills and job satisfaction among Japanese full-time occupational physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimizu, Takashi; Nagata, Shoji

2003-09-01

The present study investigated the relationship between coping skills and job satisfaction among Japanese full-time occupational physicians (OPs). In 2000 we mailed self-administered questionnaires to 716 full-time OPs who were members of "Sanyu-kai", the only Japanese association of full-time OPs. The questionnaires included age, gender, marital status, main type of company's work, the number of full-time OPs, the number of employees, working years as an OP, tenure in the present company, job stress, and coping skills question. The coping skills questions consisted of 11 items which were decided after discussion among several experienced full-time OPs. In total, 351 (49%) of the OPs returned suitable questionnaires for analyses. Considering age, gender, marital status, and coping skills, multiple regression analysis (stepwise method) found that age, simplification of work, obvious roles for staff, consultations, and communication in the community and company were factors which contributed significantly to job satisfaction. Structural equation modeling showed that age and coping skills such as work system improvements, consultations, and communication in the community and company influenced job satisfaction. Our results indicated that the age and coping skills influenced job satisfaction among full-time OPs. Our results are also considered to support the training of OPs in the future.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF TRANSFER OF ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS ACROSS TIME

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Tharwat EL-Sakran

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This study investigates university students' perceptions towards an English for advanced academic writing purposes (AAW course taught in a private university in the United Arab Emirates. It probes into the relevance of the skills taught to the students' academic disciplines. Data was gathered through a short survey administered to students who successfully completed the course. The transferability of skills was measured in light of some of the learning objectives of the AAW stated in its syllabus. Findings indicated positive students' attitudes towards the AAW course. They also revealed that some learning outcomes did transfer to students' writing tasks in their major courses. However, transfer of these skills was more noticeable in some university disciplines (e.g. English more than others (e.g. Business Administration. Detailed explanations of reasons and contexts for skill transfer are presented. This research concludes with some pedagogical recommendations and suggestions for course improvement and further research.

Open knot-tying skills: residents skills assessed

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Empel, P.J.; Verdam, M.G.E.; Huirne, J.A.; Bonjer, H.J.; Meijerink, W.J.; Scheele, F.

2013-01-01

Aim: Open knot-tying and suturing skills are fundamental surgical skills, founding many alternative knot-tying techniques. It is therefore mandatory for residents to possess adequate basic open knot-tying skills. The aim of this study was to compare an objective assessment of open knot-tying skills

Management of Radioactive Spills in Nuclear Medicine; Teaching and Assessing with Objectively Structured Assessment of Technical Skills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, Riffat Parveen

2015-01-01

Routine work in nuclear medicine requires the careful elution of radioactivity and its subsequent, storage and handling. Though all effort is maintained to prevent any “spill” of this radioactivity, accidents are bound to happen. The response to this spill is a methodically worked out a plan that is written and adopted as a “standard operating procedure.” This protocol is taught to all involved in the area of working as a mock drill/apprenticeship model. No formal evaluation of learning is in place except for the mock drills. The objectively structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) is a variation on the Objective Structured Clinical Examination, which is a form of workplace based assessment. The OSATS is cited in the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education evaluation toolbox on the website as the most desirable evaluation tool for the patient care topics. It is the objective of this paper is to introduce the “OSATS” for teaching, and assessment of the learning, of the protocol for the management of radioactive spill. As a review of the literature on the subject failed to reveal any such teaching protocol/material/document for this important technical skill, we hope that it may act as a landmark for the development of teaching and assessment of other technical skills also

Using Objective Structured Clinical Examinations to Assess Intern Orthopaedic Physical Examination Skills: A Multimodal Didactic Comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Donna; Pean, Christian A; Allen, Kathleen; Zuckerman, Joseph; Egol, Kenneth

Patient care is 1 of the 6 core competencies defined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The physical examination (PE) is a fundamental skill to evaluate patients and make an accurate diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate 3 different methods to teach PE skills and to assess the ability to do a complete PE in a simulated patient encounter. Prospective, uncontrolled, observational. Northeastern academic medical center. A total of 32 orthopedic surgery residents participated and were divided into 3 didactic groups: Group 1 (n = 12) live interactive lectures, demonstration on standardized patients, and textbook reading; Group 2 (n = 11) video recordings of the lectures given to Group 1 and textbook reading alone; Group 3 (n = 9): 90-minute modules taught by residents to interns in near-peer format and textbook reading. The overall score for objective structured clinical examinations from the combined groups was 66%. There was a trend toward more complete PEs in Group 1 taught via live lectures and demonstrations compared to Group 2 that relied on video recording. Near-peer taught residents from Group 3 significantly outperformed Group 2 residents overall (p = 0.02), and trended toward significantly outperforming Group 1 residents as well, with significantly higher scores in the ankle (p = 0.02) and shoulder (p = 0.02) PE cases. This study found that orthopedic interns taught musculoskeletal PE skills by near-peers outperformed other groups overall. An overall score of 66% for the combined didactic groups suggests a baseline deficit in first-year resident musculoskeletal PE skills. The PE should continue to be taught and objectively assessed throughout residency to confirm that budding surgeons have mastered these fundamental skills before going into practice. Copyright © 2017 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Consistency between subjectively and objectively measured hazard perception skills among young male drivers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abele, Liva; Haustein, Sonja; Møller, Mette

2018-01-01

. Subjective measures of HPS include self-reports derived based on the Hazard Perception Questionnaire (HPQ), Driving Skill Questionnaire (DSQ), and Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS). Results show that drivers who respond to the hazards on time, as compared to drivers who do not respond, have higher scores......Young male drivers have lower hazard perception skills (HPS) than older and more experienced drivers and a tendency to overestimate their skills in hazardous situations. Both factors contribute to an over-representation in traffic accidents. Based on a sample of 63 drivers aged 18-24, this study...... negatively when the hazard is visible. To enhance the HPS among young drivers, the results of this study suggest that specific hazard perception training is relevant, especially for hazards that require more advanced HPS....

A Cognitive Skill Classification Based On Multi Objective Optimization Using Learning Vector Quantization for Serious Games

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moh. Aries Syufagi

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, serious games and game technology are poised to transform the way of educating and training students at all levels. However, pedagogical value in games do not help novice students learn, too many memorizing and reduce learning process due to no information of player’s ability. To asses the cognitive level of player ability, we propose a Cognitive Skill Game (CSG. CSG improves this cognitive concept to monitor how players interact with the game. This game employs Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ for optimizing the cognitive skill input classification of the player. CSG is using teacher’s data to obtain the neuron vector of cognitive skill pattern supervise. Three clusters multi objective target will be classified as; trial and error, carefully and, expert cognitive skill. In the game play experiments using 33 respondent players demonstrates that 61% of players have high trial and error cognitive skill, 21% have high carefully cognitive skill, and 18% have high expert cognitive skill. CSG may provide information to game engine when a player needs help or when wanting a formidable challenge. The game engine will provide the appropriate tasks according to players’ ability. CSG will help balance the emotions of players, so players do not get bored and frustrated. Players have a high interest to finish the game if the player is emotionally stable. Interests in the players strongly support the procedural learning in a serious game.

Exploring Preschoolers' Engagement and Perceived Physical Competence in an Autonomy-Based Object Control Skill Intervention: A Preliminary Study

Science.gov (United States)

Logan, Samuel; Robinson, Leah; Webster, E. Kipling; Barber, Laura

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe children's engagement during two (high and low) autonomy-based climates. Twenty-five preschool children participated in a nine-week object control skill intervention. Children completed the object control subscale of the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd Edition and the perceived physical competence…

Evaluation of Medical Faculty Students's Time Management Skills

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Umit Yavas

2012-02-01

Full Text Available SUMMARY AIM: This study was carried out in order to determine medical faculty students� time management skills. METHOD: This is a cross sectional study and was carried out between 13 -31 May 2010. The universe of the study comprised 513 medical faculty students and data collection was performed by using the Time Management Inventory (TMI from 420 students (%81,9 of the universe. For statistical analyses of data percentage, Kruskal-Wallis, One-way Anova, Mann-Whitney U, Student-t test and Pearson correlation analysis were used. RESULTS: Students� total time management points were minimum 44 and maximum 122. Total points� mean was 79,06±14,07 and also the median was 78 of Time Management Inventory. Total time management points of the fifth class students were higher than the others. There was no correlation between total time management points and ages of the students. Also there is no statistically significant difference between the males and females at the TMI points. CONCLUSION: According to the other studies the medical faculty students� total TMI mean points are low. The reason of this situation may be the pension school that someone else is planning most of students� time and inadequacy of awareness, knowledge and skills about time management. Enhancing awareness with useful knowledge and being full of resource about time management is essential. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2012; 11(1.000: 5-10

Visual attention to dynamic faces and objects is linked to face processing skills: A combined study of children with autism and controls

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Julia eParish-Morris

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Although the extant literature on face recognition skills in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD shows clear impairments compared to typically developing controls (TDC at the group level, the distribution of scores within ASD is broad. In the present research, we take a dimensional approach and explore how differences in social attention during an eye tracking experiment correlate with face recognition skills across ASD and TDC. Emotional discrimination and person identity perception face processing skills were assessed using the Let’s Face It! Skills Battery in 110 children with and without ASD. Social attention was assessed using infrared eye gaze tracking during passive viewing of movies of facial expressions and objects displayed together on a computer screen. Face processing skills were significantly correlated with measures of attention to faces and with social skills as measured by the Social Communication Questionnaire. Consistent with prior research, children with ASD scored significantly lower on face processing skills tests but, unexpectedly, group differences in amount of attention to faces (versus objects were not found. We discuss possible methodological contributions to this null finding. We also highlight the importance of a dimensional approach for understanding the developmental origins of reduced face perception skills, and emphasize the need for longitudinal research to truly understand how social motivation and social attention influence the development of social perceptual skills.

Real-time object-oriented programming: studies and proposals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fouquier, Gilles

1996-01-01

This thesis contributes to the introduction of real-time features in object-oriented programming. Object-oriented programming favours modularity and reusability. Therefore, its application to real-time introduces many theoretical and conceptual problems. To deal with these problems, a new real-time object-oriented programming model is presented. This model is based on the active object model which allows concurrence and maintains the encapsulation property. The real-time aspect is treated by replacing the concept of task by the concept of method processing and by associating a real-time constraint to each message (priority or deadline). The set of all the running methods is scheduled. This model, called ATOME, contains several sub-models to deal with the usual concurrence control integrating their priority and deadline processing. The classical HPF and EDF scheduling avoid priority or deadline inversion. This model and its variants are new proposals to program real-time applications in the object-oriented way, therefore easing reusability and code writing. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated by extending and existing active object-based language to real-time, in using the rules defined in the ATOME model. (author) [fr

Use of relaxation skills in differentially skilled athletes.

OpenAIRE

Kudlackova, K.; Eccles, D. W.; Dieffenbach, K.

2013-01-01

Objectives: To examine the use of relaxation skills by differentially skilled athletes in relation to the deliberate practice framework. Design: Differentially skilled athletes completed a survey about their use of relaxation skills. Method: 150 athletes representing three skill levels (recreational, college, and professional) completed the deliberate relaxation for sport survey, which assessed relaxation on three deliberate practice dimensions (relevancy, concentration, and ...

Leadership Skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchison, Cathleen; And Others

1988-01-01

Lists skills identified by the Leadership Development Task Force as being critical skills for a leader. Discussion focuses on information managing skills, including problem solving, decision making, setting goals and objectives; project management; and people managing skills, including interpersonal communications, conflict management, motivation,…

Crowd-sourced assessment of technical skills: an opportunity for improvement in the assessment of laparoscopic surgical skills.

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Deal, Shanley B; Lendvay, Thomas S; Haque, Mohamad I; Brand, Timothy; Comstock, Bryan; Warren, Justin; Alseidi, Adnan

2016-02-01

Objective, unbiased assessment of surgical skills remains a challenge in surgical education. We sought to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of Crowd-Sourced Assessment of Technical Skills. Seven volunteer general surgery interns were given time for training and then testing, on laparoscopic peg transfer, precision cutting, and intracorporeal knot-tying. Six faculty experts (FEs) and 203 Amazon.com Mechanical Turk crowd workers (CWs) evaluated 21 deidentified video clips using the Global Objective Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills validated rating instrument. Within 19 hours and 15 minutes we received 662 eligible ratings from 203 CWs and 126 ratings from 6 FEs over 10 days. FE video ratings were of borderline internal consistency (Krippendorff's alpha = .55). FE ratings were highly correlated with CW ratings (Pearson's correlation coefficient = .78, P Assessment of Technical Skills as a reliable, basic tool to standardize the evaluation of technical skills in general surgery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vacuum-venipuncture skills: time required and importance of tube order

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Fujii C

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Chieko FujiiFaculty of Nursing and Medical Care, Keio University, Fujisawa, JapanBackground: The purpose of this study was to assess specific vacuum-venipuncture skills and the influence of the time involved in skin puncture and blood collection.Methods: Thirty subjects undergoing venipuncture in which video analysis was possible were included. These procedures were carried out by four nurses and recorded with a digital camera. Venipuncture skills classified by our observations were delineated on the basis of frame-by-frame video images, and a graph of x and y coordinates was created.Results: With the first blood-collection tube, strong blood flow required the practitioner to push the tube back in to compensate for the strong repulsive force in approximately 46% of cases. By the third blood-collection tube, the blood flow had weakened; therefore, the tube was moved up and down. In cases that required a second venipuncture, the tube was already pierced, so the time required to fill it to 5 mL was significantly longer.Conclusion: Hand movement of the practitioner is adjusted according to blood flow. Reflex movement in response to strong blood flow may increase the risk of pushing the needle through the vein with excessive force. The time required to fill the tube varies among nurses, tube order, and level of venipuncture skills.Keywords: blood collection, blood-collection tube, clinical practice, venipuncture skill

Real-Time Video Stylization Using Object Flows.

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Lu, Cewu; Xiao, Yao; Tang, Chi-Keung

2017-05-05

We present a real-time video stylization system and demonstrate a variety of painterly styles rendered on real video inputs. The key technical contribution lies on the object flow, which is robust to inaccurate optical flow, unknown object transformation and partial occlusion as well. Since object flows relate regions of the same object across frames, shower-door effect can be effectively reduced where painterly strokes and textures are rendered on video objects. The construction of object flows is performed in real time and automatically after applying metric learning. To reduce temporal flickering, we extend the bilateral filtering into motion bilateral filtering. We propose quantitative metrics to measure the temporal coherence on structures and textures of our stylized videos, and perform extensive experiments to compare our stylized results with baseline systems and prior works specializing in watercolor and abstraction.

Relationships between Language Teachers' Time-Management Skills, Creativity, and Burnout: A Mediation Analysis

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Mahmoodi-Shahrebabaki, Masoud

2015-01-01

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of language teachers' time management and creativity skills on their burnout levels. The sample consisted of 213 Iranian language teachers. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Creative Behavior Inventory (CBI) and Time Management Skills Questionnaire (TMSQ) were employed for data collection. By…

Objective Structured Clinical Examination as an Assessment Tool for Clinical Skills in Dermatology.

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Saceda-Corralo, D; Fonda-Pascual, P; Moreno-Arrones, Ó M; Alegre-Sánchez, A; Hermosa-Gelbard, Á; Jiménez-Gómez, N; Vañó-Galván, S; Jaén-Olasolo, P

2017-04-01

Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE) is an excellent method to evaluate student's abilities, but there are no previous reports implementing it in dermatology. To determine the feasibility of implementation of a dermatology OSCE in the medical school. Five stations with standardized patients and image-based assessment were designed. A specific checklist was elaborated in each station with different items which evaluated one competency and were classified into five groups (medical history, physical examination, technical skills, case management and prevention). A total of 28 students were tested. Twenty-five of them (83.3%) passed the exam globally. Concerning each group of items tested: medical interrogation had a mean score of 71.0; physical examination had a mean score of 63.0; management had a mean score of 58.0; and prevention had a mean score of 58.0 points. The highest results were obtained in interpersonal skills items with 91.8 points. Testing a small sample of voluntary students may hinder generalization of our study. OSCE is an useful tool for assessing clinical skills in dermatology and it is possible to carry it out. Our experience enhances that medical school curriculum needs to establish OSCE as an assessment tool in dermatology. Copyright © 2016 AEDV. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Work-readiness skills in the Fasset Sector

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Melandi Raftopoulos

2009-09-01

Full Text Available The objective of the study was to determine the work -readiness skills that are regarded as important by employers and graduates in the Fasset Sector of South Africa. A cross-sectional survey design was  used  to  achieve  this  objective.  Two  convenience  samples, namely  24  employers  and  333 graduates, completed  the Work Readiness Skills Scale. This scale was validated as a one-factor model with  an  alpha  coeffcient of  0.88. Oral  and written  communication,  self-discipline,  time management, interpersonal skills and teamwork, problem-solving skills and positive work ethic were rated as important skills for securing employment in this sector by employers and graduates alike. In addition, employers valued numeracy skills and motivation, whereas graduates regarded confidence and  leadership skills as  important. The results have implications for the curriculum design of the Fasset Work Readiness Programme presented to graduates in this industry.

Motor Skills and Exercise Capacity Are Associated with Objective Measures of Cognitive Functions and Academic Performance in Preadolescent Children

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Thomas, Richard; Larsen, Malte Nejst; Dahn, Ida Marie; Andersen, Josefine Needham; Krause-Jensen, Matilde; Korup, Vibeke; Nielsen, Claus Malta; Wienecke, Jacob; Ritz, Christian; Krustrup, Peter; Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper

2016-01-01

Objective To investigate associations between motor skills, exercise capacity and cognitive functions, and evaluate how they correlate to academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension using standardised, objective tests. Methods This cross-sectional study included 423 Danish children (age: 9.29±0.35 years, 209 girls). Fine and gross motor skills were evaluated in a visuomotor accuracy-tracking task, and a whole-body coordination task, respectively. Exercise capacity was estimated from the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 children's test (YYIR1C). Selected tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) were used to assess different domains of cognitive functions, including sustained attention, spatial working memory, episodic and semantic memory, and processing speed. Linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate associations between these measures and the relationship with standard tests of academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension. Results Both fine and gross motor skills were associated with better performance in all five tested cognitive domains (all Pperformance in mathematics and reading comprehension. Conclusions The data demonstrate that fine and gross motor skills are positively correlated with several aspects of cognitive functions and with academic performance in both mathematics and reading comprehension. Moreover, exercise capacity was associated with academic performance and performance in some cognitive domains. Future interventions should investigate associations between changes in motor skills, exercise capacity, cognitive functions, and academic performance to elucidate the causality of these associations. PMID:27560512

Developing students' time management skills in clinical settings: practical considerations for busy nursing staff.

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Cleary, Michelle; Horsfall, Jan

2011-06-01

In clinical settings, nursing staff often find themselves responsible for students who have varying time management skills. Nurses need to respond sensitively and appropriately, and to teach nursing students how to prioritize and better allocate time. This is important not only for developing students' clinical skills but also for shaping their perceptions about the quality of the placement and their willingness to consider it as a potential work specialty. In this column, some simple, practical strategies that nurses can use to assist students with improving their time management skills are identified. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

Assessing nursing clinical skills competence through objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for open distance learning students in Open University Malaysia.

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Oranye, Nelson Ositadimma; Ahmad, Che'an; Ahmad, Nora; Bakar, Rosnida Abu

2012-06-01

The objective structured clinical skills examination (OSCE) has over the years emerged as a method of evaluating clinical skills in most medical and allied professions. Although its validity and objectivity has evoked so much debate in the literature, little has been written about its application in non-traditional education systems such as in distance learning. This study examined clinical skills competence among practising nursing students who were enrolled in a distance learning programme. The study examined the effect of work and years of nursing practice on nurses' clinical skills competence. This study used observational design whereby nursing students' clinical skills were observed and scored in five OSCE stations. Two instruments were used for the data collection - A self-administered questionnaire on the students' bio-demographic data, and a check list on the clinical skills which the examiners rated on a four point scale. The findings revealed that 14% of the nurses had level four competence, which indicated that they could perform the tasks correctly and complete. However, 12% failed the OSCE, even though they had more than 10 years experience in nursing and post basic qualifications. Inter-rater reliability was 0.92 for the five examiners. Factor analysis indicated that five participant factors accounted for 74.1% of the variations in clinical skills performance. An OSCE is a necessary assessment tool that should be continuously applied in nursing education, regardless of the mode of the education program, the student's years of experience or his/her clinical placement. This study validates the need for OSCE in both the design of tertiary nursing degree programs and the assessment of nurses' clinical competency level.

Dynamic Scheduling of Object Invocations in Distributed Object Oriented Real-Time Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard; Joosen, Wouter

1998-01-01

This paper describes some of the issues that we investigate in order to develop distributed object computing middleware for application domains where timely cooperation and coordination between objects are crucial for guaranteeing correct system behavior. In particular, issues on admission contro...

Playing Active Video Games may not develop movement skills: An intervention trial

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Barnett, Lisa M.; Ridgers, Nicola D.; Reynolds, John; Hanna, Lisa; Salmon, Jo

2015-01-01

Background: To investigate the impact of playing sports Active Video Games on children's actual and perceived object control skills. Methods: Intervention children played Active Video Games for 6 weeks (1 h/week) in 2012. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 assessed object control skill. The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence assessed perceived object control skill. Repeated measurements of object control and perceived object control were analysed for the whole sample, using linear mixed models, which included fixed effects for group (intervention or control) and time (pre and post) and their interaction. The first model adjusted for sex only and the second model also adjusted for age, and prior ball sports experience (yes/no). Seven mixed-gender focus discussions were conducted with intervention children after programme completion. Results: Ninety-five Australian children (55% girls; 43% intervention group) aged 4 to 8 years (M 6.2, SD 0.95) participated. Object control skill improved over time (p = 0.006) but there was no significant difference (p = 0.913) between groups in improvement (predicted means: control 31.80 to 33.53, SED = 0.748; intervention 30.33 to 31.83, SED = 0.835). A similar result held for the second model. Similarly the intervention did not change perceived object control in Model 1 (predicted means: control: 19.08 to 18.68, SED = 0.362; intervention 18.67 to 18.88, SED = 0.406) or Model 2. Children found the intervention enjoyable, but most did not perceive direct equivalence between Active Video Games and ‘real life’ activities. Conclusions: Whilst Active Video Game play may help introduce children to sport, this amount of time playing is unlikely to build skill. PMID:26844136

Playing Active Video Games may not develop movement skills: An intervention trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa M. Barnett

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: To investigate the impact of playing sports Active Video Games on children's actual and perceived object control skills. Methods: Intervention children played Active Video Games for 6 weeks (1 h/week in 2012. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 assessed object control skill. The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence assessed perceived object control skill. Repeated measurements of object control and perceived object control were analysed for the whole sample, using linear mixed models, which included fixed effects for group (intervention or control and time (pre and post and their interaction. The first model adjusted for sex only and the second model also adjusted for age, and prior ball sports experience (yes/no. Seven mixed-gender focus discussions were conducted with intervention children after programme completion. Results: Ninety-five Australian children (55% girls; 43% intervention group aged 4 to 8 years (M 6.2, SD 0.95 participated. Object control skill improved over time (p = 0.006 but there was no significant difference (p = 0.913 between groups in improvement (predicted means: control 31.80 to 33.53, SED = 0.748; intervention 30.33 to 31.83, SED = 0.835. A similar result held for the second model. Similarly the intervention did not change perceived object control in Model 1 (predicted means: control: 19.08 to 18.68, SED = 0.362; intervention 18.67 to 18.88, SED = 0.406 or Model 2. Children found the intervention enjoyable, but most did not perceive direct equivalence between Active Video Games and ‘real life’ activities. Conclusions: Whilst Active Video Game play may help introduce children to sport, this amount of time playing is unlikely to build skill.

Playing Active Video Games may not develop movement skills: An intervention trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Lisa M; Ridgers, Nicola D; Reynolds, John; Hanna, Lisa; Salmon, Jo

2015-01-01

To investigate the impact of playing sports Active Video Games on children's actual and perceived object control skills. Intervention children played Active Video Games for 6 weeks (1 h/week) in 2012. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 assessed object control skill. The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence assessed perceived object control skill. Repeated measurements of object control and perceived object control were analysed for the whole sample, using linear mixed models, which included fixed effects for group (intervention or control) and time (pre and post) and their interaction. The first model adjusted for sex only and the second model also adjusted for age, and prior ball sports experience (yes/no). Seven mixed-gender focus discussions were conducted with intervention children after programme completion. Ninety-five Australian children (55% girls; 43% intervention group) aged 4 to 8 years (M 6.2, SD 0.95) participated. Object control skill improved over time (p = 0.006) but there was no significant difference (p = 0.913) between groups in improvement (predicted means: control 31.80 to 33.53, SED = 0.748; intervention 30.33 to 31.83, SED = 0.835). A similar result held for the second model. Similarly the intervention did not change perceived object control in Model 1 (predicted means: control: 19.08 to 18.68, SED = 0.362; intervention 18.67 to 18.88, SED = 0.406) or Model 2. Children found the intervention enjoyable, but most did not perceive direct equivalence between Active Video Games and 'real life' activities. Whilst Active Video Game play may help introduce children to sport, this amount of time playing is unlikely to build skill.

Principal Time Management Skills: Explaining Patterns in Principals' Time Use, Job Stress, and Perceived Effectiveness

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Grissom, Jason A.; Loeb, Susanna; Mitani, Hajime

2015-01-01

Purpose: Time demands faced by school principals make principals' work increasingly difficult. Research outside education suggests that effective time management skills may help principals meet job demands, reduce job stress, and improve their performance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate these hypotheses. Design/methodology/approach:…

Three year follow-up of an early childhood intervention: is movement skill sustained?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zask Avigdor

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Movement skill competence (e.g. the ability to throw, run and kick is a potentially important physical activity determinant. However, little is known about the long-term impact of interventions to improve movement skills in early childhood. This study aimed to determine whether intervention preschool children were still more skill proficient than controls three years after a 10 month movement skill focused intervention: ‘Tooty Fruity Vegie in Preschools’. Methods Children from 18 intervention and 13 control preschools in NSW, Australia were assessed at ages four (Time1, five (T2 and eight years (T3 for locomotor (run, gallop, hop, leap, horizontal jump, slide and object control proficiency (strike, bounce, catch, kick, overhand throw, underhand roll using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2. Multi-level object control and locomotor regression models were fitted with variables time, intervention (yes/no and a time*intervention interaction. Both models added sex of child and retained if significant, in which case interactions of sex of child with other variables were modelled and retained. SPSS (Version 17.0 was used. Results Overall follow-up rate was 29% (163/560. Of the 137 students used in the regression models, 53% were female (n = 73. Intervention girls maintained their object control skill advantage in comparison to controls at T3 (p = .002, but intervention boys did not (p = .591. At T3, there were no longer intervention/control differences in locomotor skill (p = .801. Conclusion Early childhood settings should implement movement skill interventions and more intensively target girls and object control skills.

Three year follow-up of an early childhood intervention: is movement skill sustained?

Science.gov (United States)

Zask, Avigdor; Barnett, Lisa M; Rose, Lauren; Brooks, Lyndon O; Molyneux, Maxine; Hughes, Denise; Adams, Jillian; Salmon, Jo

2012-10-22

Movement skill competence (e.g. the ability to throw, run and kick) is a potentially important physical activity determinant. However, little is known about the long-term impact of interventions to improve movement skills in early childhood. This study aimed to determine whether intervention preschool children were still more skill proficient than controls three years after a 10 month movement skill focused intervention: 'Tooty Fruity Vegie in Preschools'. Children from 18 intervention and 13 control preschools in NSW, Australia were assessed at ages four (Time1), five (T2) and eight years (T3) for locomotor (run, gallop, hop, leap, horizontal jump, slide) and object control proficiency (strike, bounce, catch, kick, overhand throw, underhand roll) using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2. Multi-level object control and locomotor regression models were fitted with variables time, intervention (yes/no) and a time*intervention interaction. Both models added sex of child and retained if significant, in which case interactions of sex of child with other variables were modelled and retained. SPSS (Version 17.0) was used. Overall follow-up rate was 29% (163/560). Of the 137 students used in the regression models, 53% were female (n = 73). Intervention girls maintained their object control skill advantage in comparison to controls at T3 (p = .002), but intervention boys did not (p = .591). At T3, there were no longer intervention/control differences in locomotor skill (p = .801). Early childhood settings should implement movement skill interventions and more intensively target girls and object control skills.

Childhood motor skill proficiency as a predictor of adolescent physical activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Lisa M; van Beurden, Eric; Morgan, Philip J; Brooks, Lyndon O; Beard, John R

2009-03-01

Cross-sectional evidence has demonstrated the importance of motor skill proficiency to physical activity participation, but it is unknown whether skill proficiency predicts subsequent physical activity. In 2000, children's proficiency in object control (kick, catch, throw) and locomotor (hop, side gallop, vertical jump) skills were assessed in a school intervention. In 2006/07, the physical activity of former participants was assessed using the Australian Physical Activity Recall Questionnaire. Linear regressions examined relationships between the reported time adolescents spent participating in moderate-to-vigorous or organized physical activity and their childhood skill proficiency, controlling for gender and school grade. A logistic regression examined the probability of participating in vigorous activity. Of 481 original participants located, 297 (62%) consented and 276 (57%) were surveyed. All were in secondary school with females comprising 52% (144). Adolescent time in moderate-to-vigorous and organized activity was positively associated with childhood object control proficiency. Respective models accounted for 12.7% (p = .001), and 18.2% of the variation (p = .003). Object control proficient children became adolescents with a 10% to 20% higher chance of vigorous activity participation. Object control proficient children were more likely to become active adolescents. Motor skill development should be a key strategy in childhood interventions aiming to promote long-term physical activity.

The Effect of Social Skills Training on Socialization Skills in Children with Down Syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hajar Barati

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The development of social skills, especially skills in relating to peers, is an important capacity that provides the foundations for lifelong success. Some children with disabilities need to learn social skills more directly. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of social skills training on socialization skills development in children with Down syndrome. Methods: This study was a semi-experimental conducted on thirty-seven student with Down syndrome, 8-12 years old with IQ 55–75. Subjects were divided randomly in two groups (n=18 and control group (n=19. Initially, each of the subjects was assessed by the list of social skills, and then social skill training was performed for 60 minutes, two times weekly, for two months in intervention group, and the socialization skills was evaluated after intervention and 2 months later in the two groups. Results: A significant (P<0.05 improvement in socialization skills was occurred. Follow-up study also showed, improvement of socialization skills were maintained 2 months after the end of training in intervention group (P<0.05. Discussion: It’s seems that training of social skills can improve the socialization skills of children with Down's syndrome.

The role of metacognitive skills in solving object-oriented programming problems: a case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marietjie Havenga

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This article reports on the role of metacognitive skills when solving object-oriented programming problems as part of a case study. The research was constructivist-based within an interpretivist approach to explore how four students constructed their own thinking when solving programming problems. A qualitative methodology was employed. Both concept-driven coding and data-driven coding were applied. Two main issues emerged from the findings. Participating students had fragmented knowledge of the object-oriented approach and shortcomings regarding the implementation thereof, and they experienced problems with metacognitive control during all the steps of program development. Based on the findings the use of metacognitive critical control points (MCCPs is proposed to be used as a mechanism to facilitate students in their programming efforts and to prevent loss of control during program development.

The Challenges of Skill Development in India

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Kajari MUKHERJEE

2018-05-01

Full Text Available India’s demographic dividend has been a matter of anticipation, aspirations, and ridicule, all at the same time. The government of India has been trying hard for over a decade now to enhance the skill level of this demographic bulge. The present paper is an attempt to evaluate all such attempts critically. After taking stock of the skill situation of India, the paper asserts that skilling initiatives in India have more to do with the number of people trained rather than quality and relevance of training. The paper cites relevant data to prove that vocational skilling initiatives have failed to meet the objectives. The scope of this paper is limited to skill creation for wage employment

Instituting a Surgical Skills Competition Increases Technical Performance of Surgical Clerkship Students Over Time.

Science.gov (United States)

Leraas, Harold J; Cox, Morgan L; Bendersky, Victoria A; Sprinkle, Shanna S; Gilmore, Brian F; Gunasingha, Rathnayaka M; Tracy, Elisabeth T; Sudan, Ranjan

2017-10-04

Surgical skills training varies greatly between institutions and is often left to students to approach independently. Although many studies have examined single interventions of skills training, no data currently exists about the implementation of surgical skills assessment as a component of the medical student surgical curriculum. We created a technical skills competition and evaluated its effect on student surgical skill development. Second-year medical students enrolled in the surgery clerkship voluntarily participated in a surgical skills competition consisting of knot tying, laparoscopic peg transfer, and laparoscopic pattern cut. Winning students were awarded dinner with the chair of surgery and a resident of their choice. Individual event times and combined times were recorded and compared for students who completed without disqualification. Disqualification included compromising cutting pattern, dropping a peg out of the field of vision, and incorrect knot tying technique. Timed performance was compared for 2 subsequent academic years using Mann-Whitney U test. Overall, 175 students competed and 71 students met qualification criteria. When compared by academic year, 2015 to 2016 students (n = 34) performed better than 2014 to 2015 students (n = 37) in pattern cut (133s vs 167s, p = 0.040), peg transfer (66s vs 101s, p skills competition improves student technical performance. Further research is needed regarding long-term benefits of surgical competitions for medical students. Copyright © 2017 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensory and semantic activations evoked by action attributes of manipulable objects: Evidence from ERPs

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Chia-lin; Huang, Hsu-Wen; Federmeier, Kara D.; Buxbaum, Laurel J.

2018-01-01

“Two route” theories of object-related action processing posit different temporal activation profiles of grasp-to-move actions (rapidly evoked based on object structure) versus skilled use actions (more slowly activated based on semantic knowledge). We capitalized on the exquisite temporal resolution and multidimensionality of Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) to directly test this hypothesis. Participants viewed manipulable objects (e.g., calculator) preceded by objects sharing either “grasp”, “use”, or no action attributes (e.g., bar of soap, keyboard, earring, respectively), as well as by action-unrelated but taxonomically-related objects (e.g., abacus); participants judged whether the two objects were related. The results showed more positive responses to “grasp-to-move” primed objects than “skilled use” primed objects or unprimed objects starting in the P1 (0–150 ms) time window and continuing onto the subsequent N1 and P2 components (150–300 ms), suggesting that only “grasp-to-move”, but not “skilled use”, actions may facilitate visual attention to object attributes. Furthermore, reliably reduced N400s (300–500 ms), an index of semantic processing, were observed to taxonomically primed and “skilled use” primed objects relative to unprimed objects, suggesting that “skilled use” action attributes are a component of distributed, multimodal semantic representations of objects. Together, our findings provide evidence supporting two-route theories by demonstrating that “grasp-to-move” and “skilled use” actions impact different aspects of object processing and highlight the relationship of “skilled use” information to other aspects of semantic memory. PMID:29183777

Humanoid Robotics: Real-Time Object Oriented Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Newton, Jason E.

2005-01-01

Programming of robots in today's world is often done in a procedural oriented fashion, where object oriented programming is not incorporated. In order to keep a robust architecture allowing for easy expansion of capabilities and a truly modular design, object oriented programming is required. However, concepts in object oriented programming are not typically applied to a real time environment. The Fujitsu HOAP-2 is the test bed for the development of a humanoid robot framework abstracting control of the robot into simple logical commands in a real time robotic system while allowing full access to all sensory data. In addition to interfacing between the motor and sensory systems, this paper discusses the software which operates multiple independently developed control systems simultaneously and the safety measures which keep the humanoid from damaging itself and its environment while running these systems. The use of this software decreases development time and costs and allows changes to be made while keeping results safe and predictable.

Assessing Communication Skills of Medical Students in Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE)--A Systematic Review of Rating Scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Cömert, Musa; Zill, Jördis Maria; Christalle, Eva; Dirmaier, Jörg; Härter, Martin; Scholl, Isabelle

2016-01-01

Teaching and assessment of communication skills have become essential in medical education. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been found as an appropriate means to assess communication skills within medical education. Studies have demonstrated the importance of a valid assessment of medical students' communication skills. Yet, the validity of the performance scores depends fundamentally on the quality of the rating scales used in an OSCE. Thus, this systematic review aimed at providing an overview of existing rating scales, describing their underlying definition of communication skills, determining the methodological quality of psychometric studies and the quality of psychometric properties of the identified rating scales. We conducted a systematic review to identify psychometrically tested rating scales, which have been applied in OSCE settings to assess communication skills of medical students. Our search strategy comprised three databases (EMBASE, PsycINFO, and PubMed), reference tracking and consultation of experts. We included studies that reported psychometric properties of communication skills assessment rating scales used in OSCEs by examiners only. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the COnsensus based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. The quality of psychometric properties was evaluated using the quality criteria of Terwee and colleagues. Data of twelve studies reporting on eight rating scales on communication skills assessment in OSCEs were included. Five of eight rating scales were explicitly developed based on a specific definition of communication skills. The methodological quality of studies was mainly poor. The psychometric quality of the eight rating scales was mainly intermediate. Our results reveal that future psychometric evaluation studies focusing on improving the methodological quality are needed in order to yield psychometrically

Validation of a novel duplex ultrasound objective structured assessment of technical skills (DUOSATS) for arterial stenosis detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaffer, U; Singh, P; Pandey, V A; Aslam, M; Standfield, N J

2014-01-01

Duplex ultrasound facilitates bedside diagnosis and hence timely patient care. Its uptake has been hampered by training and accreditation issues. We have developed an assessment tool for Duplex arterial stenosis measurement for both simulator and patient based training. A novel assessment tool: duplex ultrasound assessment of technical skills was developed. A modified duplex ultrasound assessment of technical skills was used for simulator training. Novice, intermediate experience and expert users of duplex ultrasound were invited to participate. Participants viewed an instructional video and were allowed ample time to familiarize with the equipment. Participants' attempts were recorded and independently assessed by four experts using the modified duplex ultrasound assessment of technical skills. 'Global' assessment was also done on a four point Likert scale. Content, construct and concurrent validity as well as reliability were evaluated. Content and construct validity as well as reliability were demonstrated. The simulator had good satisfaction rating from participants: median 4; range 3-5. Receiver operator characteristic analysis has established a cut point of 22/ 34 and 25/ 40 were most appropriate for simulator and patient based assessment respectively. We have validated a novel assessment tool for duplex arterial stenosis detection. Further work is underway to establish transference validity of simulator training to improved skill in scanning patients. We have developed and validated duplex ultrasound assessment of technical skills for simulator training.

Comparison of Objectively Measured and Self-reported Time Spent Sitting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lagersted-Olsen, Julie; Korshøj, M; Skotte, J

2014-01-01

Until recently, methods for objective quantification of sitting time have been lacking. The aim of this study was to validate self-reported measures against objectively measured total sitting time and longest continuous time with uninterrupted sitting during working hours, leisure time on workday...... a retrospective 7-day questionnaire. A generalized linear model showed the difference between the methods. No significant correlations were found between objective and self-reported sitting time (r...

Cross sectional associations of screen time and outdoor play with social skills in preschool children

Science.gov (United States)

Carson, Valerie

2018-01-01

Screen time and physical activity behaviours develop during the crucial early childhood period (0–5 years) and impact multiple health and developmental outcomes, including psychosocial wellbeing. Social skills, one component of psychosocial wellbeing, are vital for children’s school readiness and future mental health. This study investigates potential associations of screen time and outdoor play (as a proxy for physical activity) with social skills. Cross sectional data were available for 575 mothers with a child (54% boys) aged 2–5 years. Mothers reported their child’s screen time, outdoor play time and social skills (Adaptive Social Behavior Inventory; ASBI). Multiple linear regression analyses assessed associations of screen and outdoor play time (Model 1) and compliance with screen time and physical activity recommendations (Model 2) with three ASBI subscales. Boys and girls spent a mean of 2.0 and 2.2 hours per day in screen time, and 3.3 and 2.9 hours per day in outdoor play, respectively. Girls scores for express and comply skills were significantly higher than boys (poutdoor play time was positively associated with both expressive (B = 0.20 95% CI 0.07, 0.34; p = 0.004) and compliant (B = 0.22 95% CI 0.08, 0.36; p = 0.002) scores. Findings indicate that television/DVD/video viewing may be adversely, and outdoor play favourably, associated with preschool children’s social skills. Future research is required to identify the direction of causation and explore potential mechanisms of association. PMID:29617366

Effectiveness of basic clinical skills training programmes : a cross-sectional comparison of four medical schools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Remmen, R; Scherpbier, A; van der Vleuten, C; Denekens, J; Derese, A; van Rossum, Herman; Hoogenboom, R; Kramer, A; Van Royen, P; Bossaert, L

Objective Training in physical diagnostic skills is an important part of undergraduate medical education. The objective of this study was to study the outcome of skills training at four medical schools. Context At the time of the study, three schools had a traditional lecture-based curriculum and

Individual differences in motor timing and its relation to cognitive and fine motor skills.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Håvard Lorås

Full Text Available The present study investigated the relationship between individual differences in timing movements at the level of milliseconds and performance on selected cognitive and fine motor skills. For this purpose, young adult participants (N = 100 performed a repetitive movement task paced by an auditory metronome at different rates. Psychometric measures included the digit-span and symbol search subtasks from the Wechsler battery as well as the Raven SPM. Fine motor skills were assessed with the Purdue Pegboard test. Motor timing performance was significantly related (mean r = .3 to cognitive measures, and explained both unique and shared variance with information-processing speed of Raven's scores. No significant relations were found between motor timing measures and fine motor skills. These results show that individual differences in cognitive and motor timing performance is to some extent dependent upon shared processing not associated with individual differences in manual dexterity.

Just-in-time, Schematic Supportive Information Presentation During Cognitive Skill Acquisition.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kester, Liesbeth; Lehnen, Chris; Van Gerven, Pascal; Kirschner, Paul A.

2008-01-01

Kester, L., Lehnen, C., Van Gerven, P.W. M., & Kirschner, P. A. (2006). Just-in-time, Schematic Supportive Information Presentation During Cognitive Skill Acquisition. Computers in Human Behavior, 22, 93-112 .

Motor Skills and Exercise Capacity Are Associated with Objective Measures of Cognitive Functions and Academic Performance in Preadolescent Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Geertsen, Svend Sparre; Thomas, Richard; Larsen, Malte Nejst; Dahn, Ida Marie; Andersen, Josefine Needham; Krause-Jensen, Matilde; Korup, Vibeke; Nielsen, Claus Malta; Wienecke, Jacob; Ritz, Christian; Krustrup, Peter; Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper

2016-01-01

To investigate associations between motor skills, exercise capacity and cognitive functions, and evaluate how they correlate to academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension using standardised, objective tests. This cross-sectional study included 423 Danish children (age: 9.29±0.35 years, 209 girls). Fine and gross motor skills were evaluated in a visuomotor accuracy-tracking task, and a whole-body coordination task, respectively. Exercise capacity was estimated from the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 children's test (YYIR1C). Selected tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) were used to assess different domains of cognitive functions, including sustained attention, spatial working memory, episodic and semantic memory, and processing speed. Linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate associations between these measures and the relationship with standard tests of academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension. Both fine and gross motor skills were associated with better performance in all five tested cognitive domains (all Pmotor skills (all Pmotor skills are positively correlated with several aspects of cognitive functions and with academic performance in both mathematics and reading comprehension. Moreover, exercise capacity was associated with academic performance and performance in some cognitive domains. Future interventions should investigate associations between changes in motor skills, exercise capacity, cognitive functions, and academic performance to elucidate the causality of these associations.

Assessing Communication Skills of Medical Students in Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) - A Systematic Review of Rating Scales

Science.gov (United States)

Cömert, Musa; Zill, Jördis Maria; Christalle, Eva; Dirmaier, Jörg; Härter, Martin; Scholl, Isabelle

2016-01-01

Background Teaching and assessment of communication skills have become essential in medical education. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been found as an appropriate means to assess communication skills within medical education. Studies have demonstrated the importance of a valid assessment of medical students’ communication skills. Yet, the validity of the performance scores depends fundamentally on the quality of the rating scales used in an OSCE. Thus, this systematic review aimed at providing an overview of existing rating scales, describing their underlying definition of communication skills, determining the methodological quality of psychometric studies and the quality of psychometric properties of the identified rating scales. Methods We conducted a systematic review to identify psychometrically tested rating scales, which have been applied in OSCE settings to assess communication skills of medical students. Our search strategy comprised three databases (EMBASE, PsycINFO, and PubMed), reference tracking and consultation of experts. We included studies that reported psychometric properties of communication skills assessment rating scales used in OSCEs by examiners only. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the COnsensus based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. The quality of psychometric properties was evaluated using the quality criteria of Terwee and colleagues. Results Data of twelve studies reporting on eight rating scales on communication skills assessment in OSCEs were included. Five of eight rating scales were explicitly developed based on a specific definition of communication skills. The methodological quality of studies was mainly poor. The psychometric quality of the eight rating scales was mainly intermediate. Discussion Our results reveal that future psychometric evaluation studies focusing on improving the methodological quality are needed

Relationship between time management skills and anxiety and academic motivation of nursing students in Tehran.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghiasvand, Arezoo Mohamadkhani; Naderi, Manijeh; Tafreshi, Mansoureh Zagheri; Ahmadi, Farzane; Hosseini, Meimanat

2017-01-01

Time management skills are essential for nursing students' success, and development of clinical competence. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between time management skills and anxiety and academic motivation of nursing students in Tehran medical sciences universities in 2015. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 441 nursing students in three medical universities in Tehran. Random stratified sampling was done to select the samples. Data were collected using demographic Questionnaire, Time Management Questionnaire (TMQ), Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), which was completed t by self-report. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18 software with descriptive and analytical statistics such as ANOVA, independent t-test, Regression and Pearson Correlation Coefficient. Most participants had a moderate level of time Management skills (49%), State Anxiety (58%), Trait Anxiety (60%) and Academic Motivation (58%). The results also showed a statistically significant negative correlation between the students' TMQ scores and the state anxiety (r= -0.282, ptime management skills in order to enhance academic motivation and reduce anxiety rates among nursing students.

Assessment of first-year veterinary students' communication skills using an objective structured clinical examination: the importance of context.

Science.gov (United States)

Hecker, Kent G; Adams, Cindy L; Coe, Jason B

2012-01-01

Communication skills are considered to be a core clinical skill in veterinary medicine and essential for practice success, including outcomes of care for patients and clients. While veterinary schools include communication skills training in their programs, there is minimal knowledge on how best to assess communication competence throughout the undergraduate program. The purpose of this study was to further our understanding of the reliability, utility, and suitability of a communication skills Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Specifically we wanted to (1) identify the greatest source of variability (student, rater, station, and track) within a first-year, four station OSCE using exam scores and scores from videotape review by two trained raters, and (2) determine the effect of different stations on students' communication skills performance. Reliability of the scores from both the exam data and the two expert raters was 0.50 and 0.46 respectively, with the greatest amount of variance attributable to student by station. The percentage of variance due to raters in the exam data was 16.35%, whereas the percentage of variance for the two expert raters was 0%. These results have three important implications. First, the results reinforce the need for communication educators to emphasize that use of communication skills is moderated by the context of the clinical interaction. Second, by increasing rater training the amount of error in the scores due to raters can be reduced and inter-rater reliability increases. Third, the communication assessment method (in this case the OSCE checklist) should be built purposefully, taking into consideration the context of the case.

Objective structured assessment of nontechnical skills: Reliability of a global rating scale for the in-training assessment in the operating room.

Science.gov (United States)

Dedy, Nicolas J; Szasz, Peter; Louridas, Marisa; Bonrath, Esther M; Husslein, Heinrich; Grantcharov, Teodor P

2015-06-01

Nontechnical skills are critical for patient safety in the operating room (OR). As a result, regulatory bodies for accreditation and certification have mandated the integration of these competencies into postgraduate education. A generally accepted approach to the in-training assessment of nontechnical skills, however, is lacking. The goal of the present study was to develop an evidence-based and reliable tool for the in-training assessment of residents' nontechnical performance in the OR. The Objective Structured Assessment of Nontechnical Skills tool was designed as a 5-point global rating scale with descriptive anchors for each item, based on existing evidence-based frameworks of nontechnical skills, as well as resident training requirements. The tool was piloted on scripted videos and refined in an iterative process. The final version was used to rate residents' performance in recorded OR crisis simulations and during live observations in the OR. A total of 37 simulations and 10 live procedures were rated. Interrater agreement was good for total mean scores, both in simulation and in the real OR, with intraclass correlation coefficients >0.90 in all settings for average and single measures. Internal consistency of the scale was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.80). The Objective Structured Assessment of Nontechnical Skills global rating scale was developed as an evidence-based tool for the in-training assessment of residents' nontechnical performance in the OR. Unique descriptive anchors allow for a criterion-referenced assessment of performance. Good reliability was demonstrated in different settings, supporting applications in research and education. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Can Student Teachers Acquire Core Skills for Teaching from Part-Time Employment?

Science.gov (United States)

Wylie, Ken; Cummins, Brian

2013-01-01

Part-time employment among university students has become commonplace internationally. Research has largely focused on the impact of part-time employment on academic performance. This research takes an original approach in that it poses the question whether students can acquire core skills relevant to teaching from their part-time employment. The…

How to objectively classify residents based on their psychomotor laparoscopic skills?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chmarra, Magdalena K.; Grimbergen, Cornelis A.; Jansen, Frank-Willem; Dankelman, Jenny

2010-01-01

In minimally invasive surgery (MIS), a surgeon needs to acquire a certain level of basic psychomotor MIS skills to perform surgery safely. Evaluation of those skills is a major impediment. Although various assessment methods have been introduced, none of them came as a superior. Three aspects of

Development of Emotional Skills through Interdisciplinary Practices Integrated into a University Curriculum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. L. Pertegal-Felices

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The emotional profile of university students has been related to both academic performance and professional success. Such evidence has led higher education professionals to ask whether students can be trained in emotional skills at university stage. However, learning specific emotional skills requires a considerable investment of time from students. This paper presents an intervention aimed at developing emotional skills through interdisciplinary teamwork, without adding specific courses that could decrease the time that students devote to their core studies. The results indicated that working in interdisciplinary teams improved the level of emotional skills without hindering the attainment of academic objectives.

Assessing musical abilities objectively: construction and validation of the profile of music perception skills.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lily N C Law

Full Text Available A common approach for determining musical competence is to rely on information about individuals' extent of musical training, but relying on musicianship status fails to identify musically untrained individuals with musical skill, as well as those who, despite extensive musical training, may not be as skilled. To counteract this limitation, we developed a new test battery (Profile of Music Perception Skills; PROMS that measures perceptual musical skills across multiple domains: tonal (melody, pitch, qualitative (timbre, tuning, temporal (rhythm, rhythm-to-melody, accent, tempo, and dynamic (loudness. The PROMS has satisfactory psychometric properties for the composite score (internal consistency and test-retest r>.85 and fair to good coefficients for the individual subtests (.56 to.85. Convergent validity was established with the relevant dimensions of Gordon's Advanced Measures of Music Audiation and Musical Aptitude Profile (melody, rhythm, tempo, the Musical Ear Test (rhythm, and sample instrumental sounds (timbre. Criterion validity was evidenced by consistently sizeable and significant relationships between test performance and external musical proficiency indicators in all three studies (.38 to.62, p<.05 to p<.01. An absence of correlations between test scores and a nonmusical auditory discrimination task supports the battery's discriminant validity (-.05, ns. The interrelationships among the various subtests could be accounted for by two higher order factors, sequential and sensory music processing. A brief version of the full PROMS is introduced as a time-efficient approximation of the full version of the battery.

Cross sectional associations of screen time and outdoor play with social skills in preschool children.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinkley, Trina; Brown, Helen; Carson, Valerie; Teychenne, Megan

2018-01-01

Screen time and physical activity behaviours develop during the crucial early childhood period (0-5 years) and impact multiple health and developmental outcomes, including psychosocial wellbeing. Social skills, one component of psychosocial wellbeing, are vital for children's school readiness and future mental health. This study investigates potential associations of screen time and outdoor play (as a proxy for physical activity) with social skills. Cross sectional data were available for 575 mothers with a child (54% boys) aged 2-5 years. Mothers reported their child's screen time, outdoor play time and social skills (Adaptive Social Behavior Inventory; ASBI). Multiple linear regression analyses assessed associations of screen and outdoor play time (Model 1) and compliance with screen time and physical activity recommendations (Model 2) with three ASBI subscales. Boys and girls spent a mean of 2.0 and 2.2 hours per day in screen time, and 3.3 and 2.9 hours per day in outdoor play, respectively. Girls scores for express and comply skills were significantly higher than boys (p<0.005). After applying the Benjamini-Hochberg Procedure to adjust for multiple associations, children's television/DVD/video viewing was inversely associated with their compliant scores (B = -0.35 95% CI -0.26, -0.14; p = 0.001) and outdoor play time was positively associated with both expressive (B = 0.20 95% CI 0.07, 0.34; p = 0.004) and compliant (B = 0.22 95% CI 0.08, 0.36; p = 0.002) scores. Findings indicate that television/DVD/video viewing may be adversely, and outdoor play favourably, associated with preschool children's social skills. Future research is required to identify the direction of causation and explore potential mechanisms of association.

Constructing a Validity Argument for the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS): A Systematic Review of Validity Evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Hatala, Rose; Cook, David A.; Brydges, Ryan; Hawkins, Richard

2015-01-01

In order to construct and evaluate the validity argument for the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS), based on Kane's framework, we conducted a systematic review. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, Web of Science, Scopus, and selected reference lists through February 2013. Working in duplicate, we selected…

Developing Entrepreneurial Skills in Pharmacy Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Laverty, Garry; Hanna, Lezley-Anne; Haughey, Sharon; Hughes, Carmel

2015-09-25

Objective. To create, implement, and evaluate a workshop that teaches undergraduate pharmacy students about entrepreneurship. Design. Workshops with 3 hours of contact time and 2 hours of self-study time were developed for final-year students. Faculty members and students evaluated peer assessment, peer development, communication, critical evaluation, creative thinking, problem solving, and numeracy skills, as well as topic understanding. Student evaluation of the workshops was done primarily via a self-administered, 9-item questionnaire. Assessment. One hundred thirty-four students completed the workshops. The mean score was 50.9 out of 65. Scores ranged from 45.9 to 54.1. The questionnaire had a 100% response rate. Many students agreed that workshops about entrepreneurship were a useful teaching method and that key skills were fostered. Conclusion. Workshops effectively delivered course content about entrepreneurship and helped develop relevant skills. This work suggests students value instruction on entrepreneurship.

How important is young children's actual and perceived movement skill competence to their physical activity?

Science.gov (United States)

Slykerman, Sarah; Ridgers, Nicola D; Stevenson, Christopher; Barnett, Lisa M

2016-06-01

To determine the associations between young children's actual and perceived object control and locomotor skills and physical activity and whether associations differ by sex. Cross sectional study. A total of 136 children consented. Children had actual skill (Test of Gross Motor Development-2), perceived skill (Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for Young Children), and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) (accelerometers) assessed. Independent t-tests assessed sex differences. A regression (with MVPA as the outcome) was performed with all predictor variables (i.e. Actual Object Control, Actual Locomotor, Perceived Object Control, and Perceived Locomotor). Model 2 also adjusted for age, sex, accelerometer wear time and whether the child was from an English speaking background. Interaction terms between the respective actual or perceived skill factor and sex were added to assess sex differences. Analyses were conducted on 109 children (59 boys, 50 girls; mean age=6.5 years, SD=1.0). Boys had higher actual and perceived object control skill and were more active by an average of 19min per day. There were no sex differences in locomotor skills. There were no associations between skill factors and MVPA, except for girls, where locomotor skill was a significant predictor of MVPA (B=3.66, p=0.016). Actual rather than perceived skill competence was more important to MVPA in this sample. Locomotor skill competence may be more important than object control skill competence for girls as they may engage in types of physical activity that do not require object control mastery. Copyright © 2015 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS IN HIGHER INSTITUTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONIC & SYSTEMS ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NORBAHIAH MISRAN

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Time management is an important skill that every student in higher education institutions should acquire since it is one of the key factors in assuring excellent achievement in academic. Students with poor time-management skills are far more likely to be tressed and, as a result, have a negative impact on the quality of life. Thus, this paper discusses this issue based on a study among students of Electrical, Electronic & System Engineering at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia according to year of study and then establishes the relationship with the student's academic performance. Data were collected using a set of questionnaire carried out on 272 undergraduate students from year one to year four for 2015/2016 session. These data were then analysed using ANOVA statistical inference and Pearson correlations. Results revealed that time management skills of the respondents were at moderate level and established a negative correlation with year of study. This study also found significant findings where time management skills have a positive but weak correlation with student’s academic performance. These findings suggest the need for additional research to further refine the justifications of these measures. The university is also anticipated to provide a good platform for students to develop their time management skills at the early stage of their admission to university.

RTDB: A memory resident real-time object database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nogiec, Jerzy M.; Desavouret, Eugene

2003-01-01

RTDB is a fast, memory-resident object database with built-in support for distribution. It constitutes an attractive alternative for architecting real-time solutions with multiple, possibly distributed, processes or agents sharing data. RTDB offers both direct and navigational access to stored objects, with local and remote random access by object identifiers, and immediate direct access via object indices. The database supports transparent access to objects stored in multiple collaborating dispersed databases and includes a built-in cache mechanism that allows for keeping local copies of remote objects, with specifiable invalidation deadlines. Additional features of RTDB include a trigger mechanism on objects that allows for issuing events or activating handlers when objects are accessed or modified and a very fast, attribute based search/query mechanism. The overall architecture and application of RTDB in a control and monitoring system is presented

A randomized comparison of video demonstration versus hands-on training of medical students for vacuum delivery using Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS).

Science.gov (United States)

Hilal, Ziad; Kumpernatz, Anne K; Rezniczek, Günther A; Cetin, Cem; Tempfer-Bentz, Eva-Katrin; Tempfer, Clemens B

2017-03-01

To compare medical students' skills for vaginal operative delivery by vacuum extraction (VE) after hands-on training versus video demonstration. We randomized medical students to an expert demonstration (group 1) or a hands-on (group 2) training using a standardized VE algorithm on a pelvic training model. Students were tested with a 40-item Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) scoring system after training and 4 days later. OSATS scores were the primary outcome. Performance time, self-assessment, confidence, and global rating scale were secondary outcomes. We assessed the constructive validity of OSATS in this VE model comparing metric scores of experts and students. In all, 137 students were randomized. OSATS scores were higher in group 2 (n = 63) compared with group 1 (n = 74) (32.89 ± 6.39 vs 27.51 ± 10.27, respectively; P training is superior to video demonstration for teaching VE on a pelvic model.

Development and implementation of an objective structured clinical examination to provide formative feedback on communication and interpersonal skills in geriatric training.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Sullivan, Patricia; Chao, Serena; Russell, Matthew; Levine, Sharon; Fabiny, Anne

2008-09-01

Teaching and assessment of communication and interpersonal skills, one of the American Council for Graduate Medical Education-designated core competencies, is an important but difficult task in the training of physicians. Assessment of trainees offers an opportunity to provide explicit feedback on their skills and encourages learning. This article describes a pilot study in which clinician-educators affiliated with the geriatrics training programs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston University Medical Center designed and piloted a novel Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to assess the communication and interpersonal skills of medical, dental, and geriatric psychiatry fellows. The OSCE consisted of three stations where geriatricians and standardized patients evaluated candidates using specifically designed checklists and an abbreviated version of the Master Interview Rating Scale. Communication skills were assessed through performance of specific "real life" clinical tasks, such as obtaining a medical history, explaining a diagnosis and prognosis, giving therapeutic instructions, and counseling. Interpersonal skills were assessed through the effect of the communication between doctor and standardized patient on fostering trust, relieving anxiety, and establishing a therapeutic relationship. This pilot study demonstrated that the OSCE format of assessment provides a valid means of evaluating the communication and interpersonal skills of interdisciplinary geriatric trainees and provides a valuable forum for formative assessment and feedback. Given that geriatricians and non geriatricians involved in elder care both need communication and interpersonal skills, this novel OSCE can be used for assessment of these skills in trainees in diverse healthcare subspecialties.

Does playing a sports active video game improve young children's ball skill competence?

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Tara M; Ridgers, Nicola D; Hulteen, Ryan M; Mellecker, Robin R; Barnett, Lisa M

2016-05-01

Actual and perceived object control (commonly ball) skill proficiency is associated with higher physical activity in children and adolescents. Active video games (AVGs) encourage whole body movement to control/play the electronic gaming system and therefore provide an opportunity for screen time to become more active. The purpose of this study was to determine whether playing sports AVGs has a positive influence on young children's actual and perceived object control skills. Two group pre/post experimental design study. Thirty-six children aged 6-10 years old from one school were randomly allocated to a control or intervention condition. The Test of Gross Motor Development-3 assessed object control skill. The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence for Young Children assessed perceived object control skill. The intervention consisted of 6×50min lunchtime AVG sessions on the Xbox Kinect. Two to three sport games were chosen for participants to play each session. General linear models with either perceived object control or actual object control skill as the outcome variables were conducted. Each base model adjusted for intervention status and pre-score of the respective outcome variable. Additional models adjusted for potential confounding variables (sex of child and game at home). No significant differences between the control and intervention groups were observed for both outcomes. This study found that playing the Xbox Kinect does not significantly influence children's perceived or actual object control skills, suggesting that the utility of the Xbox Kinect for developing perceived and actual object control skill competence is questionable. Copyright © 2015 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Time and multiple objectives in scheduling and routing problems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dabia, S.

2012-01-01

Many optimization problems encountered in practice are multi-objective by nature, i.e., different objectives are conflicting and equally important. Many times, it is not desirable to drop some of them or to optimize them in a composite single objective or hierarchical manner. Furthermore, cost

The use of objective structured self-assessment and peer-feedback (OSSP) for learning communication skills: evaluation using a controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Perera, Jennifer; Mohamadou, Galy; Kaur, Satpal

2010-05-01

Feedback is essential to guide students towards expected performance goals. The usefulness of teacher feedback on improving communication skills (CS) has been well documented. It has been proposed that self-assessment and peer-feedback has an equally important role to play in enhancing learning. This is the focus of this study. Objectively structured self-assessment and peer feedback (OSSP) was incorporated into small group CS teaching sessions of a group of semester one medical students who were learning CS for the first time, to minimise the influence of previous educational interventions. A control group matched for academic performance, gender and age was used to enable parallel evaluation of the innovation. A reflective log containing closed and open ended questions was used for OSSP. Facilitators and simulated patients provided feedback to students in both groups during CS learning as per routine practice. Student perceptions on OSSP and acceptability as a learning method were explored using a questionnaire. CS were assessed in both groups using objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) as per routine practice and assessors were blinded as to which group the student belonged. Mean total score and scores for specific areas of interview skills were significantly higher in the experimental group. Analysis of the questionnaire data showed that students gained fresh insights into specific areas such as empathy, addressing patients' concerns and interview style during OSSP which clearly corroborated the specific differences in scores. The free text comments were highly encouraging as to acceptability of OSSP, in spite of 67% being never exposed to formal self- and peer-assessment during pre-university studies. OSSP promotes effective CS learning and learner acceptability is high.

Tracking multiple objects is limited only by object spacing, not by speed, time, or capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Franconeri, S L; Jonathan, S V; Scimeca, J M

2010-07-01

In dealing with a dynamic world, people have the ability to maintain selective attention on a subset of moving objects in the environment. Performance in such multiple-object tracking is limited by three primary factors-the number of objects that one can track, the speed at which one can track them, and how close together they can be. We argue that this last limit, of object spacing, is the root cause of all performance constraints in multiple-object tracking. In two experiments, we found that as long as the distribution of object spacing is held constant, tracking performance is unaffected by large changes in object speed and tracking time. These results suggest that barring object-spacing constraints, people could reliably track an unlimited number of objects as fast as they could track a single object.

Fundamental Movement Skills Are More than Run, Throw and Catch: The Role of Stability Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Rudd, James R.; Barnett, Lisa M.; Butson, Michael L.; Farrow, Damian; Berry, Jason; Polman, Remco C. J.

2015-01-01

Introduction In motor development literature fundamental movement skills are divided into three constructs: locomotive, object control and stability skills. Most fundamental movement skills research has focused on children’s competency in locomotor and object control skills. The first aim of this study was to validate a test battery to assess the construct of stability skills, in children aged 6 to 10 (M age = 8.2, SD = 1.2). Secondly we assessed how the stability skills construct fitted into a model of fundamental movement skill. Method The Delphi method was used to select the stability skill battery. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess if the skills loaded onto the same construct and a new model of FMS was developed using structural equation modelling. Results Three postural control tasks were selected (the log roll, rock and back support) because they had good face and content validity. These skills also demonstrated good predictive validity with gymnasts scoring significantly better than children without gymnastic training and children from a high SES school performing better than those from a mid and low SES schools and the mid SES children scored better than the low SES children (all p < .05). Inter rater reliability tests were excellent for all three skills (ICC = 0.81, 0.87, 0.87) as was test re-test reliability (ICC 0.87–0.95). CFA provided good construct validity, and structural equation modelling revealed stability skills to be an independent factor in an overall FMS model which included locomotor (r = .88), object control (r = .76) and stability skills (r = .81). Discussion This study provides a rationale for the inclusion of stability skills in FMS assessment. The stability skills could be used alongside other FMS assessment tools to provide a holistic assessment of children’s fundamental movement skills. PMID:26468644

Fundamental Movement Skills Are More than Run, Throw and Catch: The Role of Stability Skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudd, James R; Barnett, Lisa M; Butson, Michael L; Farrow, Damian; Berry, Jason; Polman, Remco C J

2015-01-01

In motor development literature fundamental movement skills are divided into three constructs: locomotive, object control and stability skills. Most fundamental movement skills research has focused on children's competency in locomotor and object control skills. The first aim of this study was to validate a test battery to assess the construct of stability skills, in children aged 6 to 10 (M age = 8.2, SD = 1.2). Secondly we assessed how the stability skills construct fitted into a model of fundamental movement skill. The Delphi method was used to select the stability skill battery. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess if the skills loaded onto the same construct and a new model of FMS was developed using structural equation modelling. Three postural control tasks were selected (the log roll, rock and back support) because they had good face and content validity. These skills also demonstrated good predictive validity with gymnasts scoring significantly better than children without gymnastic training and children from a high SES school performing better than those from a mid and low SES schools and the mid SES children scored better than the low SES children (all p skills (ICC = 0.81, 0.87, 0.87) as was test re-test reliability (ICC 0.87-0.95). CFA provided good construct validity, and structural equation modelling revealed stability skills to be an independent factor in an overall FMS model which included locomotor (r = .88), object control (r = .76) and stability skills (r = .81). This study provides a rationale for the inclusion of stability skills in FMS assessment. The stability skills could be used alongside other FMS assessment tools to provide a holistic assessment of children's fundamental movement skills.

Fundamental Movement Skills Are More than Run, Throw and Catch: The Role of Stability Skills.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James R Rudd

Full Text Available In motor development literature fundamental movement skills are divided into three constructs: locomotive, object control and stability skills. Most fundamental movement skills research has focused on children's competency in locomotor and object control skills. The first aim of this study was to validate a test battery to assess the construct of stability skills, in children aged 6 to 10 (M age = 8.2, SD = 1.2. Secondly we assessed how the stability skills construct fitted into a model of fundamental movement skill.The Delphi method was used to select the stability skill battery. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA was used to assess if the skills loaded onto the same construct and a new model of FMS was developed using structural equation modelling.Three postural control tasks were selected (the log roll, rock and back support because they had good face and content validity. These skills also demonstrated good predictive validity with gymnasts scoring significantly better than children without gymnastic training and children from a high SES school performing better than those from a mid and low SES schools and the mid SES children scored better than the low SES children (all p < .05. Inter rater reliability tests were excellent for all three skills (ICC = 0.81, 0.87, 0.87 as was test re-test reliability (ICC 0.87-0.95. CFA provided good construct validity, and structural equation modelling revealed stability skills to be an independent factor in an overall FMS model which included locomotor (r = .88, object control (r = .76 and stability skills (r = .81.This study provides a rationale for the inclusion of stability skills in FMS assessment. The stability skills could be used alongside other FMS assessment tools to provide a holistic assessment of children's fundamental movement skills.

Instructional skills evaluation in nuclear industry training

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazour, T.J.; Ball, F.M.

1985-11-01

This report provides information to nuclear power plant training managers and their staffs concerning the job performance requirements of instructional personnel to implement prformance-based training programs (also referred to as the Systems Approach Training). The information presented in this report is a compilation of information and lessons learned in the nuclear power industry and in other industries using performance-based training programs. The job performance requirements in this report are presented as instructional skills objectives. The process used to develop the instructional skills objectives is described. Each objective includes an Instructional Skills Statement describing the behavior that is expected and an Instructional Skills Standard describing the skills/knowledge that the individual should possess in order to have achieved mastery. The instructional skills objectives are organized according to the essential elements of the Systems Approach to Training and are cross-referenced to three categories of instructional personnel: developers of instruction, instructors, and instructional managers/supervisors. Use of the instructional skills objectives is demonstrated for reviewing instructional staff training and qualification programs, developing criterion-tests, and reviewing the performance and work products of individual staff members. 22 refs

A Comparison of Assessment Tools: Is Direct Observation an Improvement Over Objective Structured Clinical Examinations for Communications Skills Evaluation?

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Goch, Abraham M; Karia, Raj; Taormina, David; Kalet, Adina; Zuckerman, Joseph; Egol, Kenneth A; Phillips, Donna

2018-04-01

Evaluation of resident physicians' communications skills is a challenging task and is increasingly accomplished with standardized examinations. There exists a need to identify the effective, efficient methods for assessment of communications skills. We compared objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and direct observation as approaches for assessing resident communications skills. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of orthopaedic surgery resident physicians at a single tertiary care academic institution, using the Institute for Healthcare Communication "4 Es" model for effective communication. Data were collected between 2011 and 2015. A total of 28 residents, each with OSCE and complete direct observation assessment checklists, were included in the analysis. Residents were included if they had 1 OSCE assessment and 2 or more complete direct observation assessments. There were 28 of a possible 59 residents (47%) included. A total of 89% (25 of 28) of residents passed the communications skills OSCE; only 54% (15 of 28) of residents passed the direct observation communications assessment. There was a positive, moderate correlation between OSCE and direct observation scores overall ( r  = 0.415, P  = .028). There was no agreement between OSCE and direct observation in categorizing residents into passing and failing scores (κ = 0.205, P  = .16), after adjusting for chance agreement. Our results suggest that OSCE and direct observation tools provide different insights into resident communications skills (simulation of rare and challenging situations versus real-life daily encounters), and may provide useful perspectives on resident communications skills in different contexts.

Teaching pediatric communication skills to medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Frost, Katherine A; Metcalf, Elizabeth P; Brooks, Rachel; Kinnersley, Paul; Greenwood, Stephen R; Powell, Colin Ve

2015-01-01

Delivering effective clinical pediatric communication skills training to undergraduate medical students is a distinct and important challenge. Pediatric-specific communication skills teaching is complex and under-researched. We report on the development of a scenario-based pediatric clinical communication skills program as well as students' assessment of this module. We designed a pediatric clinical communication skills program and delivered it five times during one academic year via small-group teaching. Students were asked to score the workshop in eight domains (learning objectives, complexity, interest, competencies, confidence, tutors, feedback, and discussion) using 5-point Likert scales, along with free text comments that were grouped and analyzed thematically, identifying both the strengths of the workshop and changes suggested to improve future delivery. Two hundred and twenty-one of 275 (80%) student feedback forms were returned. Ninety-six percent of students' comments were positive or very positive, highlighting themes such as the timing of teaching, relevance, group sizes, and the use of actors, tutors, and clinical scenarios. Scenario-based teaching of clinical communication skills is positively received by students. Studies need to demonstrate an impact on practice, performance, development, and sustainability of communications training.

Factors affecting infants' manual search for occluded objects and the genesis of object permanence.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, M Keith; Meltzoff, Andrew N

2008-04-01

Two experiments systematically examined factors that influence infants' manual search for hidden objects (N=96). Experiment 1 used a new procedure to assess infants' search for partially versus totally occluded objects. Results showed that 8.75-month-old infants solved partial occlusions by removing the occluder and uncovering the object, but these same infants failed to use this skill on total occlusions. Experiment 2 used sound-producing objects to provide a perceptual clue to the objects' hidden location. Sound clues significantly increased the success rate on total occlusions for 10-month-olds, but not for 8.75-month-olds. An identity development account is offered for why infants succeed on partial occlusions earlier than total occlusions and why sound helps only the older infants. We propose a mechanism for how infants use object identity as a basis for developing a notion of permanence. Implications are drawn for understanding the dissociation between looking time and search assessments of object permanence.

Just-in-time information presentation and the acquisition of complex cognitive skills

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kester, Liesbeth; Kirschner, Paul A.; Van Merriënboer, Jeroen; Bäumer, Anita

2008-01-01

Kester, L., Kirschner, P., van Merriënboer, J. J. G., & Bäumer, A. (2001). Just-in-time information presentation and the acquisition of complex cognitive skills. Computers in Human Behavior, 17, 373-391.

The Relation between Time Management Skills and Academic Achievement of Potential Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Cemaloglu, Necati; Filiz, Sevil

2010-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the time management skills and academic achievement of students who are potential teachers studying in faculties of education. The research was conducted in the 2007-08 academic term among 849 graduate students in the Faculty of Education at Gazi University. The "Time Management…

One-year retention of general and sequence-specific skills in a probabilistic, serial reaction time task.

Science.gov (United States)

Romano, Jennifer C; Howard, James H; Howard, Darlene V

2010-05-01

Procedural skills such as riding a bicycle and playing a musical instrument play a central role in daily life. Such skills are learned gradually and are retained throughout life. The present study investigated 1-year retention of procedural skill in a version of the widely used serial reaction time task (SRTT) in young and older motor-skill experts and older controls in two experiments. The young experts were college-age piano and action video-game players, and the older experts were piano players. Previous studies have reported sequence-specific skill retention in the SRTT as long as 2 weeks but not at 1 year. Results indicated that both young and older experts and older non-experts revealed sequence-specific skill retention after 1 year with some evidence that general motor skill was retained as well. These findings are consistent with theoretical accounts of procedural skill learning such as the procedural reinstatement theory as well as with previous studies of retention of other motor skills.

Fundamental movement skills in relation to weekday and weekend physical activity in preschool children.

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Foweather, Lawrence; Knowles, Zoe; Ridgers, Nicola D; O'Dwyer, Mareesa V; Foulkes, Jonathan D; Stratton, Gareth

2015-11-01

To examine associations between fundamental movement skills and weekday and weekend physical activity among preschool children living in deprived communities. Cross-sectional observation study. Six locomotor skills and 6 object-control skills were video-assessed using The Children's Activity and Movement in Preschool Study Motor Skills Protocol. Physical activity was measured via hip-mounted accelerometry. A total of 99 children (53% boys) aged 3-5 years (M 4.6, SD 0.5) completed all assessments. Multilevel mixed regression models were used to examine associations between fundamental movement skills and physical activity. Models were adjusted for clustering, age, sex, standardised body mass index and accelerometer wear time. Boys were more active than girls and had higher object-control skill competency. Total skill score was positively associated with weekend moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (p = 0.034) but not weekday physical activity categories (p > 0.05). When subdomains of skills were examined, object-control skills was positively associated with light physical activity on weekdays (p = 0.008) and with light (p = 0.033), moderate-to-vigorous (p = 0.028) and light- and moderate-to-vigorous (p = 0.008) physical activity at weekends. Locomotor skill competency was positively associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on weekdays (p = 0.016) and light physical activity during the weekend (p = 0.035). The findings suggest that developing competence in both locomotor and object-control skills may be an important element in promoting an active lifestyle in young children during weekdays and at weekends. Copyright © 2014 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving productivity through more effective time management.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Edwin; Pulich, Marcia

2004-01-01

Effective time management has become increasingly important for managers as they seek to accomplish objectives in today's organizations, which have been restructured for efficiency while employing fewer people. Managers can improve their ability to manage time effectively by examining their attitudes toward time, analyzing time-wasting behaviors, and developing better time management skills. Managers can improve their performance and promotion potential with more effective time utilization. Strategies for improving time management skills are presented.

A Real-Time Method to Estimate Speed of Object Based on Object Detection and Optical Flow Calculation

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Kaizhan; Ye, Yunming; Li, Xutao; Li, Yan

2018-04-01

In recent years Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) has been widely used in computer vision field and makes great progress in lots of contents like object detection and classification. Even so, combining Convolutional Neural Network, which means making multiple CNN frameworks working synchronously and sharing their output information, could figure out useful message that each of them cannot provide singly. Here we introduce a method to real-time estimate speed of object by combining two CNN: YOLOv2 and FlowNet. In every frame, YOLOv2 provides object size; object location and object type while FlowNet providing the optical flow of whole image. On one hand, object size and object location help to select out the object part of optical flow image thus calculating out the average optical flow of every object. On the other hand, object type and object size help to figure out the relationship between optical flow and true speed by means of optics theory and priori knowledge. Therefore, with these two key information, speed of object can be estimated. This method manages to estimate multiple objects at real-time speed by only using a normal camera even in moving status, whose error is acceptable in most application fields like manless driving or robot vision.

Time dependency of the prediction skill for the North Atlantic subpolar gyre in initialized decadal hindcasts

Science.gov (United States)

Brune, Sebastian; Düsterhus, André; Pohlmann, Holger; Müller, Wolfgang A.; Baehr, Johanna

2017-11-01

We analyze the time dependency of decadal hindcast skill in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre within the time period 1961-2013. We compare anomaly correlation coefficients and temporal interquartile ranges of total upper ocean heat content and sea surface temperature for three differently initialized sets of hindcast simulations with the global coupled model MPI-ESM. All initializations use weakly coupled assimilation with the same full value nudging in the atmospheric component and different assimilation techniques for oceanic temperature and salinity: (1) ensemble Kalman filter assimilating EN4 observations and HadISST data, (2) nudging of anomalies to ORAS4 reanalysis, (3) nudging of full values to ORAS4 reanalysis. We find that hindcast skill depends strongly on the evaluation time period, with higher hindcast skill during strong multiyear trends, especially during the warming in the 1990s and lower hindcast skill in the absence of such trends. Differences between the prediction systems are more pronounced when investigating any 20-year subperiod within the entire hindcast period. In the ensemble Kalman filter initialized hindcasts, we find significant correlation skill for up to 5-8 lead years, albeit along with an overestimation of the temporal interquartile range. In the hindcasts initialized by anomaly nudging, significant correlation skill for lead years greater than two is only found in the 1980s and 1990s. In the hindcasts initialized by full value nudging, correlation skill is consistently lower than in the hindcasts initialized by anomaly nudging in the first lead years with re-emerging skill thereafter. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation reacts on the density changes introduced by oceanic nudging, this limits the predictability in the subpolar gyre in the first lead years. Overall, we find that a model-consistent assimilation technique can improve hindcast skill. Further, the evaluation of 20 year subperiods within the full hindcast period

Factors Affecting Infants’ Manual Search for Occluded Objects and the Genesis of Object Permanence

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, M. Keith; Meltzoff, Andrew N.

2009-01-01

Two experiments systematically examined factors that influence infants’ manual search for hidden objects (N = 96). Experiment 1 used a new procedure to assess infants’ search for partially versus totally occluded objects. Results showed that 8.75-month-old infants solved partial occlusions by removing the occluder and uncovering the object, but these same infants failed to use this skill on total occlusions. Experiment 2 used sound-producing objects to provide a perceptual clue to the objects’ hidden location. Sound clues significantly increased the success rate on total occlusions for 10-month-olds, but not for 8.75-month-olds. An identity development account is offered for why infants succeed on partial occlusions earlier than total occlusions and why sound helps only the older infants. We propose a mechanism for how infants use object identity as a basis for developing a notion of permanence. Implications are drawn for understanding the dissociation between looking-time and search assessments of object permanence. PMID:18036668

Collaborative learning of clinical skills in health professions education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tolsgaard, Martin G.; Kulasegaram, Kulamakan M.; Ringsted, Charlotte V

2016-01-01

Objectives: This study is designed to provide an overview of why, how, when and for whom collaborative learning of clinical skills may work in health professions education. Why: Collaborative learning of clinical skills may influence learning positively according to the non-medical literature...... suggests that learning is dependent on cognitive co-construction, shared knowledge and reduced cognitive load. When and for whom: The literature on the collaborative learning of clinical skills in health science education is reviewed to support or contradict the hypotheses provided by the theories outlined...... above. Collaborative learning of clinical skills leads to improvements in self-efficacy, confidence and performance when task processing is observable or communicable. However, the effects of collaborative learning of clinical skills may decrease over time as benefits in terms of shared cognition...

Motor Skills and Exercise Capacity Are Associated with Objective Measures of Cognitive Functions and Academic Performance in Preadolescent Children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svend Sparre Geertsen

Full Text Available To investigate associations between motor skills, exercise capacity and cognitive functions, and evaluate how they correlate to academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension using standardised, objective tests.This cross-sectional study included 423 Danish children (age: 9.29±0.35 years, 209 girls. Fine and gross motor skills were evaluated in a visuomotor accuracy-tracking task, and a whole-body coordination task, respectively. Exercise capacity was estimated from the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 children's test (YYIR1C. Selected tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB were used to assess different domains of cognitive functions, including sustained attention, spatial working memory, episodic and semantic memory, and processing speed. Linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate associations between these measures and the relationship with standard tests of academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension.Both fine and gross motor skills were associated with better performance in all five tested cognitive domains (all P<0.001, whereas exercise capacity was only associated with better sustained attention (P<0.046 and spatial working memory (P<0.038. Fine and gross motor skills (all P<0.001, exercise capacity and cognitive functions such as working memory, episodic memory, sustained attention and processing speed were all associated with better performance in mathematics and reading comprehension.The data demonstrate that fine and gross motor skills are positively correlated with several aspects of cognitive functions and with academic performance in both mathematics and reading comprehension. Moreover, exercise capacity was associated with academic performance and performance in some cognitive domains. Future interventions should investigate associations between changes in motor skills, exercise capacity, cognitive functions, and academic performance to elucidate the

Using a Constant Time Delay Procedure to Teach Foundational Swimming Skills to Children with Autism

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Laura; Hemmeter, Mary Louise; Wolery, Mark

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using a constant time delay procedure to teach foundational swimming skills to three children with autism. The skills included flutter kick, front-crawl arm strokes, and head turns to the side. A multiple-probe design across behaviors and replicated across participants was used.…

Face, content, and construct validity of the EndoViS training system for objective assessment of psychomotor skills of laparoscopic surgeons.

Science.gov (United States)

Escamirosa, Fernando Pérez; Flores, Ricardo Manuel Ordorica; García, Ignacio Oropesa; Vidal, Cristian Rubén Zalles; Martínez, Arturo Minor

2015-11-01

The aim of this study is to present face, content, and constructs validity of the endoscopic orthogonal video system (EndoViS) training system and determines its efficiency as a training and objective assessment tool of the surgeons' psychomotor skills. Thirty-five surgeons and medical students participated in this study: 11 medical students, 19 residents, and 5 experts. All participants performed four basic skill tasks using conventional laparoscopic instruments and EndoViS training system. Subsequently, participants filled out a questionnaire regarding the design, realism, overall functionality, and its capabilities to train hand-eye coordination and depth perception, rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Motion data of the instruments were obtained by means of two webcams built into a laparoscopic physical trainer. To identify the surgical instruments in the images, colored markers were placed in each instrument. Thirteen motion-related metrics were used to assess laparoscopic performance of the participants. Statistical analysis of performance was made between novice, intermediate, and expert groups. Internal consistency of all metrics was analyzed with Cronbach's α test. Overall scores about features of the EndoViS system were positives. Participants agreed with the usefulness of tasks and the training capacities of EndoViS system (score >4). Results presented significant differences in the execution of three skill tasks performed by participants. Seven metrics showed construct validity for assessment of performance with high consistency levels. EndoViS training system has been successfully validated. Results showed that EndoViS was able to differentiate between participants of varying laparoscopic experience. This simulator is a useful and effective tool to objectively assess laparoscopic psychomotor skills of the surgeons.

Persistent Performance of Fund Managers: An Analysis of Selection and Timing Skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bilal Ahmad Pandow

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The persistence in manager’s ability to select stocks and to time risk factors is a vital issue for accessing the performance of any asset management company. The fund manager who comes out successful today, whether the same will be able to sustain the performance in the future is a matter of concern to the investors and other stake holders. More than the stock picking ability of fund managers, one would be interested in knowing whether there is consistency in selectivity and timing performance or not. If a fund manager is able to deliver better performance consistently i.e. quarter-after-quarter or year-after-year, then the mangers’ performance in selecting the right type of stocks for the portfolio would be considered satisfactory. This paper has attempted to analyze the persistence in both stock selection and timing performance of mutual fund managers in India through Henriksson & Morton; Jenson, and Fama’s model over a period of five years. It is found that the fund managers present persistence in selection skills however, the sample funds haven’t shown progressive timing skills in Indian context.

Improving a real-time object detector with compact temporal information

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahrnbom, Martin; Jensen, Morten Bornø; Åström, Kalle

2017-01-01

Neural networks designed for real-time object detection have recently improved significantly, but in practice, look- ing at only a single RGB image at the time may not be ideal. For example, when detecting objects in videos, a foreground detection algorithm can be used to obtain compact temporal......, a problem this approach is well suited for. The ac- curacy was found to improve significantly (up to 66%), with a roughly 40% increase in computational time....

A Cultured Learning Environment: Implementing a Problem- and Service-Based Microbiology Capstone Course to Assess Process- and Skill-Based Learning Objectives

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Rachel M.; Willford, John D.; Pfeifer, Mariel A.

2018-01-01

In this study, a problem-based capstone course was designed to assess the University of Wyoming Microbiology Program's skill-based and process-based student learning objectives. Students partnered with a local farm, a community garden, and a free downtown clinic in order to conceptualize, propose, perform, and present studies addressing problems…

Real time object localization based on histogram of s-RGB

Science.gov (United States)

Mudjirahardjo, Panca; Suyono, Hadi; Setyawan, Raden Arief

2017-09-01

Object localization is the first task in pattern detection and recognition. This task is very important due to it reduces the searching time to the interest object. In this paper we introduce our novel method of object localization based on color feature. Our novel method is a histogram of s-RGB. This histogram is used in the training phase to determine the color dominant in the initial Region of Interest (ROI). Then this information is used to label the interest object. To reduce noise and localize the interest object, we apply the row and column density function of pixels. The comparison result with some processes, our system gives a best result and takes a short computation time of 26.56 ms, in the video rate of 15 frames per second (fps).

Fundamental movement skills and physical activity among children living in low-income communities: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Kristen E; Morgan, Philip J; Plotnikoff, Ronald C; Callister, Robin; Lubans, David R

2014-04-08

Although previous studies have demonstrated that children with high levels of fundamental movement skill competency are more active throughout the day, little is known regarding children's fundamental movement skill competency and their physical activity during key time periods of the school day (i.e., lunchtime, recess and after-school). The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between fundamental movement skill competency and objectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) throughout the school day among children attending primary schools in low-income communities. Eight primary schools from low-income communities and 460 children (8.5 ± 0.6 years, 54% girls) were involved in the study. Children's fundamental movement skill competency (TGMD-2; 6 locomotor and 6 object-control skills), objectively measured physical activity (ActiGraph GT3X and GT3X + accelerometers), height, weight and demographics were assessed. Multilevel linear mixed models were used to assess the cross-sectional associations between fundamental movement skills and MVPA. After adjusting for age, sex, BMI and socio-economic status, locomotor skill competency was positively associated with total (P=0.002, r=0.15) and after-school (P=0.014, r=0.13) MVPA. Object-control skill competency was positively associated with total (Pskill competency appears to be a better predictor of children's MVPA during school-based physical activity opportunities than locomotor skill competency. Improving fundamental movement skill competency, particularly object-control skills, may contribute to increased levels of children's MVPA throughout the day. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry No: ACTRN12611001080910.

Communication skills training in orthopaedics.

Science.gov (United States)

Lundine, Kristopher; Buckley, Richard; Hutchison, Carol; Lockyer, Jocelyn

2008-06-01

Communication skills play a key role in many aspects of both medical education and clinical patient care. The objectives of this study were to identify the key components of communication skills from the perspectives of both orthopaedic residents and their program directors and to understand how these skills are currently taught. This study utilized a mixed methods design. Quantitative data were collected with use of a thirty-item questionnaire distributed to all Canadian orthopaedic residents. Qualitative data were collected through focus groups with orthopaedic residents and semistructured interviews with orthopaedic program directors. One hundred and nineteen (37%) of 325 questionnaires were completed, twelve residents participated in two focus groups, and nine of sixteen program directors from across the country were interviewed. Both program directors and residents identified communication skills as being the accurate and appropriate use of language (i.e., content skills), not how the communication was presented (i.e., process skills). Perceived barriers to effective communication included time constraints and the need to adapt to the many personalities and types of people encountered daily in the hospital. Residents rarely have explicit training in communication skills. They rely on communication training implicitly taught through observation of their preceptors and clinical experience interacting with patients, peers, and other health-care professionals. Orthopaedic residents and program directors focus on content and flexibility within communication skills as well as on the importance of being concise. They value the development of communication skills in the clinical environment through experiential learning and role modeling. Education should focus on developing residents' process skills in communication. Care should be taken to avoid large-group didactic teaching sessions, which are perceived as ineffective.

Holographic cinematography of time-varying reflecting and time-varying phase objects using a Nd:YAG laser

Science.gov (United States)

Decker, A. J.

1982-01-01

The use of a Nd:YAG laser to record holographic motion pictures of time-varying reflecting objects and time-varying phase objects is discussed. Sample frames from both types of holographic motion pictures are presented. The holographic system discussed is intended for three-dimensional flow visualization of the time-varying flows that occur in jet-engine components.

Can video games be used to predict or improve laparoscopic skills?

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, Bradley H; Landsittel, Douglas; Averch, Timothy D

2005-04-01

Performance of laparoscopic surgery requires adequate hand-eye coordination. Video games are an effective way to judge one's hand-eye coordination, and practicing these games may improve one's skills. Our goal was to see if there is a correlation between skill in video games and skill in laparoscopy. Also, we hoped to demonstrate that practicing video games can improve one's laparoscopic skills. Eleven medical students (nine male, two female) volunteered to participate. On day 1, each student played three commercially available video games (Top Spin, XSN Sports; Project Gotham Racing 2, Bizarre Creations; and Amped 2, XSN Sports) for 30 minutes on an X-box (Microsoft, Seattle, WA) and was judged both objectively and subjectively. Next, the students performed four laparoscopic tasks (object transfer, tracing a figure-of-eight, suture placement, and knot-tying) in a swine model and were assessed for time to complete the task, number of errors committed, and hand-eye coordination. The students were then randomized to control (group A) or "training" (i.e., video game practicing; group B) arms. Two weeks later, all students repeated the laparoscopic skills laboratory and were reassessed. Spearman correlation coefficients demonstrated a significant relation between many of the parameters, particularly time to complete each task and hand-eye coordination at the different games. There was a weaker association between video game performance and both laparoscopic errors committed and hand-eye coordination. Group B subjects did not improve significantly over those in group A in any measure (P >0.05 for all). Video game aptitude appears to predict the level of laparoscopic skill in the novice surgeon. In this study, practicing video games did not improve one's laparoscopic skill significantly, but a larger study with more practice time could prove games to be helpful.

A Procedural Skills OSCE: Assessing Technical and Non-Technical Skills of Internal Medicine Residents

Science.gov (United States)

Pugh, Debra; Hamstra, Stanley J.; Wood, Timothy J.; Humphrey-Murto, Susan; Touchie, Claire; Yudkowsky, Rachel; Bordage, Georges

2015-01-01

Internists are required to perform a number of procedures that require mastery of technical and non-technical skills, however, formal assessment of these skills is often lacking. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and gather validity evidence for a procedural skills objective structured clinical examination (PS-OSCE) for internal…

Communication skills training in surgical residency: a needs assessment and metacognition analysis of a difficult conversation objective structured clinical examination.

Science.gov (United States)

Falcone, John L; Claxton, René N; Marshall, Gary T

2014-01-01

The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) can be used to evaluate the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Core Competencies of Professionalism and Interpersonal and Communication Skills. The aim of this study was to describe general surgery resident performance on a "difficult conversation" OSCE. In this prospective study, junior and senior residents participated in a 2-station OSCE. Junior stations involved discussing operative risks and benefits and breaking bad news. Senior stations involved discussing goals of care and discussing transition to comfort measures only status. Residents completed post-OSCE checklist and Likert-based self-evaluations of experience, comfort, and confidence. Trained standardized patients (SPs) evaluated residents using communication skill-based checklists and Likert-based assessments. Pearson correlation coefficients were determined between self-assessment and SP assessment. Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted between junior and senior resident variables, using α = 0.05. There were 27 junior residents (age 28.1 ± 1.9 years [29.6% female]) and 27 senior residents (age 32.1 ± 2.5 years [26.9% female]). The correlation of self-assessment and SP assessment of overall communication skills by junior residents was -0.32 on the risks and benefits case and 0.07 on the breaking bad news case. The correlation of self-assessment and SP assessment of overall communication skills by senior residents was 0.30 on the goals of care case and 0.26 on the comfort measures only case. SP assessments showed that junior residents had higher overall communication skills than senior residents (p = 0.03). Senior residents perceived that having difficult conversations was more level appropriate (p skills are correlated, and that skills-based training is needed across all residency levels. This well-received method may be used to observe, document, and provide resident feedback for these important skills. © 2014 Published by

[Evaluation of technical skills in surgical training].

Science.gov (United States)

Kasparian, Andres C; Martinez, A C; JoverClos, R J; Chércoles, R A

2014-01-01

technical skills acquisition is considered to be of paramount importance in surgical training. Yet, formal assessment of technical skills is the weakest and less developed area. Currently available resources to evaluate technical skills are largely subjective, and lack of validity and reliability. Direct observation, one of the most frequently used methods, is largely biased by interpersonal subjectivity and personality traits. We propose the creation and use of a new procedure-specific tool for objective assessment of technical skills in surgery to evaluate validity and reliability. laparoscopic cholecystectomy and Lichstenstein's inguinal hernia repair were the chosen procedures. Three groups of comparison were defined according to surgical expertise: initial, intermediate, and experts. Surgeries were videorecorded in real time without identification of the patient or the surgeon. Tapes without any posterior edition were assigned to two expert surgeons in a blind and randomized sequence. A newly proposed procedure-specific rating scale was used for evaluation, as well as Reznick's OSATS global scale. Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test was used to assess validity. p 0.8 granted reliability. from April 2010 to December 2012 36 laparoscopic cholecystectomies and 31 inguinal hernia repairs were recorded. Significant difference was found among groups of comparison for every item (ptechnical skills in surgery is feasible and useful. The tool we proposed showed construct validity and reliability. Video recording of surgical procedures grants durability over time to an ephemeral phenomenon. The objectivity is based on the explicit statements and quantification of every step to be evaluated, and the blind randomization and anonymous treatment of the sample. Sharing the same quality criteria between evaluators is of paramount importance to reach satisfactory results. The process of evaluation always implies a shortened view of the reality.

From the general managerial skills to the school manager’s skills

OpenAIRE

Stan, Cristina

2016-01-01

Training and skill development represents a process in progress during the whole career and involves specialized training both within the organization and throughout the professional and social environment. Notion of skill/ com-petence has been the object of investigation for many sciences. Clarification of notion of competence/skill is necessary for those who want to deal with compe-tences, no matter is about their competences or of the others. In cognitive psychology and in educational scie...

The Use of Assistive Technology to Improve Time Management Skills of a Young Adult with an Intellectual Disability

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Julie M.; Hughes, Elizabeth M.; Ryan, Joseph B.

2011-01-01

A growing literature base suggests the need for positive interventions to help individuals with intellectual disabilities improve their time management skills. Time management is a crucial area that must be addressed in the effort to equip adults with the skills necessary to achieve independence, success in employment, and improved quality of…

The Blue DRAGON--a system for monitoring the kinematics and the dynamics of endoscopic tools in minimally invasive surgery for objective laparoscopic skill assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, Jacob; Brown, Jeffrey D; Barreca, Marco; Chang, Lily; Hannaford, Blake; Sinanan, Mika

2002-01-01

Minimally invasive surgeiy (MIS) involves a multi-dimensional series of tasks requiring a synthesis between visual information and the kinematics and dynamics of the surgical tools. Analysis of these sources of information is a key step in mastering MIS surgery but may also be used to define objective criteria for characterizing surgical performance. The BIueDRAGON is a new system for acquiring the kinematics and the dynamics of two endoscopic tools along with the visual view of the surgical scene. It includes two four-bar mechanisms equipped with position and force torque sensors for measuring the positions and the orientations (P/O) of two endoscopic tools along with the forces and torques applied by the surgeons hands. The methodology of decomposing the surgical task is based on a fully connected, finite-states (28 states) Markov model where each states corresponded to a fundamental tool/tissue interaction based on the tool kinematics and associated with unique F/T signatures. The experimental protocol included seven MIS tasks performed on an animal model (pig) by 30 surgeons at different levels of their residency training. Preliminary analysis of these data showed that major differences between residents at different skill levels were: (i) the types of tool/tissue interactions being used, (ii) the transitions between tool/tissue interactions being applied by each hand, (iii) time spent while perfonning each tool/tissue interaction, (iv) the overall completion time, and (v) the variable F/T magnitudes being applied by the subjects through the endoscopic tools. Systems like surgical robots or virtual reality simulators that inherently measure the kinematics and the dynamics of the surgical tool may benefit from inclusion of the proposed methodology for analysis of efficacy and objective evaluation of surgical skills during training.

Developing an Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills for Laparoscopic Suturing and Intracorporeal Knot Tying.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Olivia H; King, Louise P; Modest, Anna M; Hur, Hye-Chun

2016-01-01

To develop a teaching and assessment tool for laparoscopic suturing and intracorporeal knot tying. We designed an Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) tool that includes a procedure-specific checklist (PSC) and global rating scale (GRS) to assess laparoscopic suturing and intracorporeal knot-tying performance. Obstetrics and Gynecology residents at our institution were videotaped while performing a laparoscopic suturing and intracorporeal knot-tying task at a surgical simulation workshop. A total of 2 expert reviewers assessed resident performance using the OSATS tool during live performance and 1 month later using the videotaped recordings. OSATS scores were analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Data are presented as median scores (interquartile range [IQR]). Intrarater and interrater reliabilities were assessed using a Spearman correlation and are presented as an r correlation coefficient and p value. An r ≥ 0.8 was considered as a high correlation. After testing, we received feedback from residents and faculty to improve the OSATS tool as part of an iterative design process. In all, 14 of 21 residents (66.7%) completed the study, with 9 junior residents and 5 senior residents. Junior residents had a lower score on the PSC than senior residents did; however, this was not statistically significant (median = 6.0 [IQR: 4.0-10.0] and median = 13.0 [IQR: 10.0-13.0]; p = 0.09). There was excellent intrarater reliability with our OSATS tool (for PSC component, r = 0.88 for Rater 1 and 0.93 for Rater 2, both p assessment and teaching tool for laparoscopic suturing and intracorporeal knot-tying skills. Overall, good intrarater reliability was demonstrated, suggesting that this tool may be useful for longitudinal assessment of surgical skills. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) evaluation of theoretical versus hands-on training of vaginal breech delivery management: a randomized trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Buerkle, Bernd; Rueter, Katharina; Hefler, Lukas A; Tempfer-Bentz, Eva-Katrin; Tempfer, Clemens B

2013-12-01

To compare the skills of performing a vaginal breech (VB) delivery after hands-on training versus demonstration. We randomized medical students to a 30-min demonstration (group 1) or a 30-min hands-on (group 2) training session using a standardized VB management algorithm on a pelvic training model. Subjects were tested with a 25 item Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) scoring system immediately after training and 72 h thereafter. OSATS scores were the primary outcome. Performance time (PT), self assessment (SA), confidence (CON), and global rating scale (GRS) were the secondary outcomes. Statistics were performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test, chi-square test, and multiple linear regression analysis. 172 subjects were randomized. OSATS scores (primary outcome) were significantly higher in group 2 (n=88) compared to group 1 (n=84) (21.18±2.29 vs. 20.19±2.37, respectively; p=0.006). The secondary outcomes GRS (10.31±2.28 vs. 9.17±2.21; p=0.001), PT (214.60±57.97 s vs. 246.98±59.34 s; ptraining leads to a significant improvement of VB management in a pelvic training model, but this effect was only seen in the short term. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

From the general managerial skills to the school manager’s skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Stan

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Training and skill development represents a process in progress during the whole career and involves specialized training both within the organization and throughout the professional and social environment. Notion of skill/ com-petence has been the object of investigation for many sciences. Clarification of notion of competence/skill is necessary for those who want to deal with compe-tences, no matter is about their competences or of the others. In cognitive psychology and in educational sciences, in ergonomics and in economy or in human resources management, the concept of skill or competence is situated in the middle of the individual and collective performance and all of us want to develop. In education, the art of management is very important because it better highlights the principle’s/ school manager’s personality and his/ her personal example has an essential role in realizing the established objectives for school. The art of running a school is in fact the art of working with people that means a new, modern and distinct dimension of the one who runs the education institution.

Time dependency of the prediction skill for the North Atlantic subpolar gyre in initialized decadal hindcasts with MPI-ESM

Science.gov (United States)

Brune, Sebastian; Düsterhus, Andre; Pohlmann, Holger; Müller, Wolfgang; Baehr, Johanna

2017-04-01

We analyze the time dependency of decadal hindcast skill in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre within the time period 1961-2013. We compare anomaly correlation coefficients and interquartile ranges of total upper ocean heat content and sea surface temperature for three differently initialized sets of hindcast simulations with the global coupled model MPI-ESM. All initializations use weakly coupled assimilation with the same full-field nudging in the atmospheric component and different assimilation techniques for oceanic temperature and salinity: (1) ensemble Kalman filter assimilating EN4 and HadISST observations, (2) nudging of anomalies to ORAS4 reanalysis, (3) nudging of full values to ORAS4 reanalysis. We find that hindcast skill depends strongly on the evaluation time period, with higher hindcast skill during strong multiyear trends and lower hindcast skill in the absence of such trends. While there may only be small differences between the prediction systems in the analysis focusing on the entire hindcast period, these differences between the hindcast systems are much more pronounced when investigating any 20-year subperiod within the entire hindcast period. For the ensemble Kalman filter high skill in the assimilation experiment is generally linked to high skill in the initialized hindcasts. Such direct link does not seem to exist in the hindcasts initialized by either nudged system. In the ensemble Kalman filter initialized hindcasts, we find significant hindcast skill for up to 5 to 8 lead years, except for the 1970s. In the nudged system initialized hindcasts, hindcast skill is consistently diminished in lead years 2 and 3 with lowest skill in the 1970s as well. Overall, we find that a model-consistent assimilation technique can improve hindcast skill. Further, the evaluation of 20 year subperiods within the full hindcast period provides essential insights to judge the success of both the assimilation and the subsequent hindcast skill.

Crowd-sourced assessment of surgical skills in cricothyrotomy procedure.

Science.gov (United States)

Aghdasi, Nava; Bly, Randall; White, Lee W; Hannaford, Blake; Moe, Kris; Lendvay, Thomas S

2015-06-15

Objective assessment of surgical skills is resource intensive and requires valuable time of expert surgeons. The goal of this study was to assess the ability of a large group of laypersons using a crowd-sourcing tool to grade a surgical procedure (cricothyrotomy) performed on a simulator. The grading included an assessment of the entire procedure by completing an objective assessment of technical skills survey. Two groups of graders were recruited as follows: (1) Amazon Mechanical Turk users and (2) three expert surgeons from University of Washington Department of Otolaryngology. Graders were presented with a video of participants performing the procedure on the simulator and were asked to grade the video using the objective assessment of technical skills questions. Mechanical Turk users were paid $0.50 for each completed survey. It took 10 h to obtain all responses from 30 Mechanical Turk users for 26 training participants (26 videos/tasks), whereas it took 60 d for three expert surgeons to complete the same 26 tasks. The assessment of surgical performance by a group (n = 30) of laypersons matched the assessment by a group (n = 3) of expert surgeons with a good level of agreement determined by Cronbach alpha coefficient = 0.83. We found crowd sourcing was an efficient, accurate, and inexpensive method for skills assessment with a good level of agreement to experts' grading. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Meta-analysis of organizational skills interventions for children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bikic, Aida; Reichow, Brian; A. McCauley, Spencer

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: In addition to problems with attention and hyperactivity, children with ADHD present with poor organizational skills required for managing time and materials in academic projects. Organizational skills training (OST) has been increasingly used to address these deficits. We...... conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of OST in children with ADHD. Objectives: The objective of this study was to systematically review the evidence of the effects of OST for children with ADHD for organizational skills, attention, and academic performance. Methods: We searched 3 electronic......-analyses across six outcomes: teacher- and parent-rated organizational skills, teacher- and parent-rated inattention, teacher-rated academic performance, and grade point average (GPA). Risk of bias was assessed for randomization, allocation concealment, blinding of participants and treatment personnel, blinding...

Predictive coding of visual object position ahead of moving objects revealed by time-resolved EEG decoding.

Science.gov (United States)

Hogendoorn, Hinze; Burkitt, Anthony N

2018-05-01

Due to the delays inherent in neuronal transmission, our awareness of sensory events necessarily lags behind the occurrence of those events in the world. If the visual system did not compensate for these delays, we would consistently mislocalize moving objects behind their actual position. Anticipatory mechanisms that might compensate for these delays have been reported in animals, and such mechanisms have also been hypothesized to underlie perceptual effects in humans such as the Flash-Lag Effect. However, to date no direct physiological evidence for anticipatory mechanisms has been found in humans. Here, we apply multivariate pattern classification to time-resolved EEG data to investigate anticipatory coding of object position in humans. By comparing the time-course of neural position representation for objects in both random and predictable apparent motion, we isolated anticipatory mechanisms that could compensate for neural delays when motion trajectories were predictable. As well as revealing an early neural position representation (lag 80-90 ms) that was unaffected by the predictability of the object's trajectory, we demonstrate a second neural position representation at 140-150 ms that was distinct from the first, and that was pre-activated ahead of the moving object when it moved on a predictable trajectory. The latency advantage for predictable motion was approximately 16 ± 2 ms. To our knowledge, this provides the first direct experimental neurophysiological evidence of anticipatory coding in human vision, revealing the time-course of predictive mechanisms without using a spatial proxy for time. The results are numerically consistent with earlier animal work, and suggest that current models of spatial predictive coding in visual cortex can be effectively extended into the temporal domain. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Associations between young children's perceived and actual ball skill competence and physical activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Lisa M; Ridgers, Nicola D; Salmon, Jo

2015-03-01

The relationship between actual and perceived object control competence (ball skills) and the contribution to young children's physical activity is not known. Cross sectional study. The Test Gross Motor Development-2 assessed actual object control competence and a modified version of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children assessed perceived object control competence. Moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity was measured via accelerometry. Three mixed regression models were performed: (i) object control competence as the predictor and the outcome as perceived object control, (ii) perceived object control competence as the predictor and the outcome moderate to vigorous physical activity and (iii) actual object control as the predictor and the outcome moderate to vigorous physical activity. Models adjusted for school clustering, monitor wear time, sex and age. Interactions between respective predictor variables and sex were performed if warranted. A total of 102 children (56% boys, 44% girls) aged 4-8 years (M 6.3, SD 0.92) completed assessments. Girls had lower perceived and actual object control competence and were less active than boys. Actual object control competence was positively associated with perceived object control competence (B=0.11, t(96)=2.25, pperceived object control competence (p=0.827) were associated with moderate to vigorous physical activity. Young children's perceived ball skill abilities appear to relate to actual competence; however, these measures were not associated with physical activity. In older children, object control skill is associated with physical activity so targeting young children's object control skills is an intervention priority. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Objective classification of residents based on their psychomotor laparoscopic skills

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.K. Chmarra (Magdalena); S. Klein (Stefan); J.C.F. van Winter (Joost); F-W. Jansen (Frank-Willem); J. Dankelman (Jenny)

2010-01-01

textabstractBackground From the clinical point of view, it is important to recognize residents' level of expertise with regard to basic psychomotor skills. For that reason, surgeons and surgical organizations (e.g., Acreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, ACGME) are calling for

Fundamental movement skills and habitual physical activity in young children.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Abigail; Reilly, John J; Kelly, Louise A; Montgomery, Colette; Williamson, Avril; Paton, James Y; Grant, Stan

2005-04-01

To test for relationships between objectively measured habitual physical activity and fundamental movement skills in a relatively large and representative sample of preschool children. Physical activity was measured over 6 d using the Computer Science and Applications (CSA) accelerometer in 394 boys and girls (mean age 4.2, SD 0.5 yr). Children were scored on 15 fundamental movement skills, based on the Movement Assessment Battery, by a single observer. Total physical activity (r=0.10, Pmovement skills score. Time spent in light-intensity physical activity was not significantly correlated with motor skills score (r=0.02, P>0.05). In this sample and setting, fundamental movement skills were significantly associated with habitual physical activity, but the association between the two variables was weak. The present study questions whether the widely assumed relationships between motor skills and habitual physical activity actually exist in young children.

Real-time objects development: Study and proposal for a parallel scheduling architecture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rioux, Laurent

1997-01-01

This thesis contributes to the programming and the execution control of real-time object oriented applications. Using real-time objects is very interesting for programming real- time applications, because this model can introduce the concurrence with the encapsulation properties, with modularity and reusability by taking into account the real-time constraints of the application. One essential quality of this approach is that it can directly specify the parallelism and the real-time constraints at the model level of the application. An annotation system of C++ has been defined to describe the real-time specifications in the model (or in the source code) of the application. It will supply to the execution support the different information it needs for the control. In this approach of multitasking, the control is distributed and encapsulated inside each real time object. Three complementary levels of control have been defined: the state level (defining the capability of an object to treat an operation), the concurrence level (assuring the coherence between the object attributes) and a scheduling control (allocating the processors resources to the object by taking real-time constraints into account). The proposed control architecture, named OROS, manages the attribute access of each object in an individual way, then it can parallel treatments which do not access at the same data. This architecture makes a dynamic control of an application that can take benefit from the parallelism of the new machines both for the execution parallelism and the control itself. This architecture uses only the simplest primitives of the industrial real-time operating systems which ensures its feasibility and portability. (author) [fr

SPECIFIC SKILLS AND SOCIAL COMPETENCE IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

APPELO, MT; WOONINGS, FMJ; VANNIEUWENHUIZEN, CJ; EMMELKAMP, PMG; SLOOFF, CJ; LOUWERENS, JW

Generalization of skills is a major problem in social skills training for schizophrenic patients. Assessment of skills is mostly not based on objective indices of specific skill deficits. The results of this study show that global competence of schizophrenics can be differentiated from specific

Specific skills and social competence in schizophrenia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Appelo, M.T.; van Nieuwenhuizen, C.J.; Emmelkamp, P.M.G.; Slooff, C.J.; Louwerens, J.W.

1992-01-01

Generalization of skills is a major problem in social skills training for schizophrenic patients. Assessment of skills is mostly not based on objective indices of specific skill deficits. The results of this study show that global competence of schizophrenics can be differentiated from specific

Methodology for object-oriented real-time systems analysis and design: Software engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Schoeffler, James D.

1991-01-01

Successful application of software engineering methodologies requires an integrated analysis and design life-cycle in which the various phases flow smoothly 'seamlessly' from analysis through design to implementation. Furthermore, different analysis methodologies often lead to different structuring of the system so that the transition from analysis to design may be awkward depending on the design methodology to be used. This is especially important when object-oriented programming is to be used for implementation when the original specification and perhaps high-level design is non-object oriented. Two approaches to real-time systems analysis which can lead to an object-oriented design are contrasted: (1) modeling the system using structured analysis with real-time extensions which emphasizes data and control flows followed by the abstraction of objects where the operations or methods of the objects correspond to processes in the data flow diagrams and then design in terms of these objects; and (2) modeling the system from the beginning as a set of naturally occurring concurrent entities (objects) each having its own time-behavior defined by a set of states and state-transition rules and seamlessly transforming the analysis models into high-level design models. A new concept of a 'real-time systems-analysis object' is introduced and becomes the basic building block of a series of seamlessly-connected models which progress from the object-oriented real-time systems analysis and design system analysis logical models through the physical architectural models and the high-level design stages. The methodology is appropriate to the overall specification including hardware and software modules. In software modules, the systems analysis objects are transformed into software objects.

Evaluation of clinical skills for first-year surgical residents using orientation programme and objective structured clinical evaluation as a tool of assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pandya J

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Postgraduate specialities require a combination of knowledge and clinical skills. The internship year is less structured. Clinical and practical skills that are picked up during training are not well regulated and the impact is not assessed. In this study, we assessed knowledge and skills using objective structured clinical examination (OSCE. Aim: To evaluate the clinical skills of new first-year surgical residents using orientation programme and OSCE as a tool for assessment. Settings and Design: Observational study. Materials and Methods: Twenty new first-year surgical residents (10 each in 2008 and 2009 participated in a detailed structured orientation programme conducted over a period of 7 days. Clinically important topics and skills expected at this level (e.g., suturing, wound care etc. were covered. The programme was preceded by an OSCE to test pre-programme knowledge (the "pre-test". The questions were validated by senior department staff. A post-programme OSCE (the "post-test" helped to evaluate the change in clinical skill level brought about by the orientation programme. Statistical Analysis: Wilcoxson matched-pairs signed-ranks test. Results: Passing performance was achieved by all participants in both pre- and post-tests. Following the orientation programme, significant improvement was seen in tasks testing the psychomotor and cognitive domains. (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.0401, respectively. Overall reliability of the OSCE was found to be 0.7026 (Cronbach′s coefficient alpha. Conclusions: This study highlighted the lacunae in current internship training, especially for skill-based tasks. There is a need for universal inclusion of structured orientation programmes in the training of first-year residents. OSCE is a reliable, valid and effective method for the assessment of clinical skills.

Mersey deanery ophthalmology trainees' views of the objective assessment of surgical and technical skills (OSATS) workplace-based assessment tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsagkataki, Myrto; Choudhary, Anshoo

2013-02-01

Objective assessment of surgical and technical skills (OSATS) workplace-based assessment tool is now mandatory during ophthalmology speciality training in the United Kingdom. The opinions of those undergoing this assessment have not been formally sought. This study evaluated the views of ophthalmology trainees on OSATS assessment as applied to cataract surgery. A questionnaire was circulated to 34 ophthalmology speciality trainees of the Mersey deanery. A total of 28 responses were received. The most positive aspects of the process identified were feedback, learning and opportunity for reflective practice. The most negative aspects were time constraints, assessor's availability and case selection. Of the trainees, 93 % mentioned that no previous agreed action was taken into consideration when filling in subsequent forms and their performance was not discussed in their annual summative assessment. This study highlights important aspects of trainees' perceptions of OSATS. Trainees appreciate the formative aspects of OSATS assessment. Some problems came to light, which can be resolved by specification of standards, training of assessors, and commitment from both trainers and trainees. Changes are needed to allow demonstration of surgical progression with time. The issues identified here will be relevant to other specialities as well. A larger survey would be beneficial.

Playing Active Video Games may not develop movement skills: An intervention trial

OpenAIRE

Barnett, Lisa M.; Ridgers, Nicola D.; Reynolds, John; Hanna, Lisa; Salmon, Jo

2015-01-01

Background: To investigate the impact of playing sports Active Video Games on children's actual and perceived object control skills. Methods: Intervention children played Active Video Games for 6 weeks (1 h/week) in 2012. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 assessed object control skill. The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence assessed perceived object control skill. Repeated measurements of object control and perceived object control were analysed for the whole sample, u...

Assessing Change in High School Student Information Literacy Using the Tool for Real-Time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Kovalik, Cindy L.; Yutzey, Susan D.; Piazza, Laura M.

2012-01-01

Change in high school student information literacy (IL) knowledge and skills, from freshman year to senior year in high school was the focus of this quasi-experimental research project. Researchers used a free information literacy skills assessment tool entitled TRAILS (Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills) to measure…

The Impact of Balanced Skills, Working Time Allocation and Peer Effects on the Entrepreneurial Intentions of Scientists

OpenAIRE

Petra Moog; Arndt Werner; Stefan Houweling; Uschi Backes-Gellner

2012-01-01

To date, little is known about the effects of the composition of skills on academic entrepreneurship. Therefore, in this paper, following Lazear’s (2005) jack-of-all-trades approach, we study how his or her composition of skills affects a scientist’s intention of becoming an entrepreneur. Extending Lazear, we examine how the effect of balanced entrepreneurial skills is moderated by a balanced working time allocations and peer effects. Using unique data collected from 480 life sciences researc...

Origins of forecast skill of weather and climate events on verifiable time scales

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Landman, WA

2012-07-01

Full Text Available specific location between the predictor or the predictand and their respective canonical component time series (rj and sk) Barnett, T. P., and Preisendorfer, R. W. 1987: Origins and levels of monthly and seasonal forecast skill for United States air...

Carbohydrates for Soccer: A Focus on Skilled Actions and Half-Time Practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel P. Hills

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Carbohydrate consumption is synonymous with soccer performance due to the established effects on endogenous energy store preservation, and physical capacity maintenance. For performance-enhancement purposes, exogenous energy consumption (in the form of drinks, bars, gels and snacks is recommended on match-day; specifically, before and during match-play. Akin to the demands of soccer, limited opportunities exist to consume carbohydrates outside of scheduled breaks in competition, such as at half-time. The link between cognitive function and blood glucose availability suggests that carbohydrates may influence decision-making and technical proficiency (e.g., soccer skills. However, relatively few reviews have focused on technical, as opposed to physical, performance while also addressing the practicalities associated with carbohydrate consumption when limited in-play feeding opportunities exist. Transient physiological responses associated with reductions in activity prevalent in scheduled intra-match breaks (e.g., half-time likely have important consequences for practitioners aiming to optimize match-day performance. Accordingly, this review evaluated novel developments in soccer literature regarding (1 the ergogenic properties of carbohydrates for skill performance; and (2 novel considerations concerning exogenous energy provision during half-time. Recommendations are made to modify half-time practices in an aim to enhance subsequent performance. Viable future research opportunities exist regarding a deeper insight into carbohydrate provision on match-day.

Time-dependent inhomogeneous jet models for BL Lac objects

Science.gov (United States)

Marlowe, A. T.; Urry, C. M.; George, I. M.

1992-05-01

Relativistic beaming can explain many of the observed properties of BL Lac objects (e.g., rapid variability, high polarization, etc.). In particular, the broadband radio through X-ray spectra are well modeled by synchrotron-self Compton emission from an inhomogeneous relativistic jet. We have done a uniform analysis on several BL Lac objects using a simple but plausible inhomogeneous jet model. For all objects, we found that the assumed power-law distribution of the magnetic field and the electron density can be adjusted to match the observed BL Lac spectrum. While such models are typically unconstrained, consideration of spectral variability strongly restricts the allowed parameters, although to date the sampling has generally been too sparse to constrain the current models effectively. We investigate the time evolution of the inhomogeneous jet model for a simple perturbation propagating along the jet. The implications of this time evolution model and its relevance to observed data are discussed.

The Philosopher's Stone: How Basic Skills Programs Fare in Troubled Financial Times

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Thomas P.

2012-01-01

This mixed methods study examined the relative position of basic skills programs with transfer and career technical programs in a large suburban community college in California during the three-year period of budget reductions from 2009-2010 through 2011-2012. The budget line dedicated to part-time or non-contract instruction was analyzed along…

Scheduling a maintenance activity under skills constraints to minimize total weighted tardiness and late tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Djalal Hedjazi

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Skill management is a key factor in improving effectiveness of industrial companies, notably their maintenance services. The problem considered in this paper concerns scheduling of maintenance tasks under resource (maintenance teams constraints. This problem is generally known as unrelated parallel machine scheduling. We consider the problem with a both objectives of minimizing total weighted tardiness (TWT and number of tardiness tasks. Our interest is focused particularly on solving this problem under skill constraints, which each resource has a skill level. So, we propose a new efficient heuristic to obtain an approximate solution for this NP-hard problem and demonstrate his effectiveness through computational experiments. This heuristic is designed for implementation in a static maintenance scheduling problem (with unequal release dates, processing times and resource skills, while minimizing objective functions aforementioned.

Gross motor skill development of kindergarten children in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Aye, Thanda; Kuramoto-Ahuja, Tsugumi; Sato, Tamae; Sadakiyo, Kaori; Watanabe, Miyoko; Maruyama, Hitoshi

2018-05-01

[Purpose] The purposes of this study were to assess and explore the gender-based differences in gross motor skill development of 5-year-old Japanese children. [Subjects and Methods] This cross-sectional study recruited 60 healthy 5-year-old (third-year kindergarten, i.e., nencho ) children (34 boys, 26 girls) from one local private kindergarten school in Otawara city, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Gross motor skills, including six locomotor and six object control skills, were assessed using the test of gross motor development, second edition (TGMD-2). All subjects performed two trials of each gross motor skill, and the performances were video-recorded and scored. Assessment procedures were performed according to the standardized guidelines of the TGMD-2. [Results] The majority of subjects had an average level of overall gross motor skills. Girls had significantly better locomotor skills. Boys had significantly better object control skills. [Conclusion] The gross motor skill development of 5-year-old Japanese children involves gender-based differences in locomotor and object control skills. This study provided valuable information that can be used to establish normative references for the gross motor skills of 5-year-old Japanese children.

Developing of students diagnostic skills for working with adolescents with deviant behavior as a factor in the ethical principle of objectivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Busarova O.R.

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present article was to study the question of do special exercises for the formation of students-psychologists skills determine the causes of deviant behavior of adolescents, based on the provisions of the causal approach in psycho-diagnostics A. F. Anufrieva, the principle of objectivity. The study involved 30 future psychologists. After performing the exercises in the course "Psychodiagnostics" the students solved the task, which simulates diagnostic work of the psychologist with decriminalised teenager with deviant behavior. Students were asked to solve a problem in professional discourse – to put forward hypotheses about the causes of deviant behavior in everyday life is to point out the culprits of the situation. Additionally, students assessed their similarity with the hero of the diagnostic event. The results show that students who have managed to build up diagnostic skills to identify psychological causes of deviant behavior, both professionally and in everyday discourse grappled with the task model, regardless of the number of subjective similarities with her character. Students who have not sufficiently developed diagnostic skills, to avoid bias failed.

Objective Assessment of Laparoscopic Force and Psychomotor Skills in a Novel Virtual Reality-Based Haptic Simulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, M S Raghu; Manivannan, Muniyandi; Manoharan, Govindan; Chandramohan, S M

2016-01-01

Most of the commercially available virtual reality-based laparoscopic simulators do not effectively evaluate combined psychomotor and force-based laparoscopic skills. Consequently, the lack of training on these critical skills leads to intraoperative errors. To assess the effectiveness of the novel virtual reality-based simulator, this study analyzed the combined psychomotor (i.e., motion or movement) and force skills of residents and expert surgeons. The study also examined the effectiveness of real-time visual force feedback and tool motion during training. Bimanual fundamental (i.e., probing, pulling, sweeping, grasping, and twisting) and complex tasks (i.e., tissue dissection) were evaluated. In both tasks, visual feedback on applied force and tool motion were provided. The skills of the participants while performing the early tasks were assessed with and without visual feedback. Participants performed 5 repetitions of fundamental and complex tasks. Reaction force and instrument acceleration were used as metrics. Surgical Gastroenterology, Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital; Institute of Surgical Gastroenterology, Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. Residents (N = 25; postgraduates and surgeons with 4 and ≤10 years of laparoscopic surgery). Residents applied large forces compared with expert surgeons and performed abrupt tool movements (p < 0.001). However, visual + haptic feedback improved the performance of residents (p < 0.001). In complex tasks, visual + haptic feedback did not influence the applied force of expert surgeons, but influenced their tool motion (p < 0.001). Furthermore, in complex tissue sweeping task, expert surgeons applied more force, but were within the tissue damage limits. In both groups, exertion of large forces and abrupt tool motion were observed during grasping, probing or pulling, and tissue sweeping maneuvers (p < 0.001). Modern day curriculum-based training should evaluate the skills

Novel real-time feedback and integrated simulation model for teaching and evaluating ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia skills in pediatric anesthesia trainees.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, David L; Ding, Lili; Sadhasivam, Senthilkumar

2012-09-01

To assess, teach, and improve core competencies and skills sets associated with ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA) of pediatric anesthesia trainees. To effectively assess and improve UGRA-associated cognitive and technical skills and proficiency of pediatric anesthesia trainees using simulators and real-time feedback. Ultrasound usage has been increasingly adopted by anesthesiologists to perform regional anesthesia. Pediatric UGRA performance significantly lags behind adult UGRA practice. Lack of effective UGRA training is the major reason for this unfortunate lag. Integration of ultrasound imaging, target location, and needling skills are crucial in safely performing UGRA. However, there are no standards to ensure proficiency in practice, nor in training. We implemented an UGRA instructional program for all trainees, in two parts. First, we used a unique training model for initial assessment and training of technical skills. Second, we used an instructional program that encompasses UGRA and equipment-associated cognitive skills. After baseline assessment at 0 months, we retested these trainees at 6 and 12 months to identify progression of proficiency over time. Cognitive and technical UGRA skills of trainees improved significantly over the course of time. UGRA performance average accuracy improved to 79% at 12 months from the baseline accuracy of 57%. Cognitive UGRA-related skills of trainees improved from baseline results of 52.5-79.2% at 12 months. Implementing a multifaceted assessment and real-time feedback-based training has significantly improved UGRA-related cognitive and technical skills and proficiency of pediatric anesthesia trainees. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Identification of Essential Food Skills for Skill-Based Healthful Eating Programs in Secondary Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Fordyce-Voorham, Sandra

2011-01-01

Objective: To identify the food skills deemed essential to include in skill-based healthful eating programs in secondary schools. Methods: Fifty-one food experts including home economics educators, chefs, nutritionists and dietitians, community educators, homemakers, and young people were recruited by invitation, mail, and advertising. Data were…

Atypical object exploration skills in infants at-risk for autism between 6 to 15 months of age

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Maninderjit eKaur

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder usually diagnosed after the second year of life. Early signs of ASD within the first year of life are still unclear. The main purpose of the present study was to compare object exploration skills between infants at-risk for ASD and typically developing (TD infants to determine early markers for autism within the first year of life. Sixteen at-risk infants and 16 TD infants were longitudinally followed from 6 to 15 months of age during an object exploration task involving three objects with distinct size, shape, and texture, i.e., a long rattle, a rigid circular ball, and a soft circular koosh ball. All sessions were videotaped for coding of manual, oral, and visual exploration. We also obtained follow-up outcomes using various developmental questionnaires at 18 months and email follow-up on developmental delays/ASD diagnoses after the infants’ second birthdays. Our results showed object-based differences in exploration patterns that extend across both groups. We also noticed group differences for various object exploration behaviors across objects and ages. Specifically, at 6 months, at-risk infants showed less grasping of the rigid ball as well as less mouthing and greater looking at the rattle compared to TD infants. At 9 and 12 months, at-risk infants demonstrated significantly lower levels of purposeful dropping of all objects. Lastly, at 15 months, at-risk infants looked longer at the rattle and showed persistent mouthing of the rigid ball and rattle compared to TD infants. In addition, 10 out of 16 at-risk infants developed various motor, social, and language delays or ASD diagnoses at follow-up. Taken together, early context-dependent delays/abnormalities in object exploration could be markers for future developmental delays in infants at-risk for autism. Moreover, promoting early object experiences through socially embedded object play could have implications for

Validation of a novel venous duplex ultrasound objective structured assessment of technical skills for the assessment of venous reflux.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaffer, Usman; Normahani, Pasha; Lackenby, Kimberly; Aslam, Mohammed; Standfield, Nigel J

2015-01-01

Duplex ultrasound measurement of reflux time is central to the diagnosis of venous incompetence. We have developed an assessment tool for Duplex measurement of venous reflux for both simulator and patient-based training. A novel assessment tool, Venous Duplex Ultrasound Assessment of Technical Skills (V-DUOSATS), was developed. A modified DUOSATS was used for simulator training. Participants of varying skill level were invited to viewed an instructional video and were allowed ample time to familiarize with the Duplex equipment. Attempts made by the participants were recorded and independently assessed by 3 expert assessors and 5 novice assessors using the modified V-DUOSATS. "Global" assessment was also done by expert assessors on a 4-point Likert scale. Content, construct, and concurrent validities as well as reliability were evaluated. Content and construct validity as well as reliability were demonstrated. Receiver operator characteristic analysis-established cut points of 19/22 and 21/30 were most appropriate for simulator and patient-based assessment, respectively. We have validated a novel assessment tool for Duplex venous reflux measurement. Further work is required to establish transference validity of simulator training to improve skill in scanning patients. We have developed and validated V-DUOSATS for simulator training. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Objective assessment of gynecologic laparoscopic skills using the LapSimGyn virtual reality simulator

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, C R; Grantcharov, Teodor; Aggarwal, R

2006-01-01

Safe realistic training and unbiased quantitative assessment of technical skills are required for laparoscopy. Virtual reality (VR) simulators may be useful tools for training and assessing basic and advanced surgical skills and procedures. This study aimed to investigate the construct validity...

Different Skills and Their Different Effects on Personal Development: An Investigation of European Social Fund Objective 4 Financed Training in SMEs in Britain

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Devins, David; Johnson, Steve; Sutherland, John

2004-01-01

This paper examines a data set that has its origins in European Social Fund Objective 4 financed training programmes in small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Britain to examine the extent to which three different personal development outcomes are attributable to different types of skills acquired during the training process. The three…

Portability of Technical Skills Across Occupations

OpenAIRE

Mukuni, Joseph Siloka

2012-01-01

In the literature, much has been reported about skill shortages in the labor market and many solutions have been suggested but most of them do not appear to work well for developing countries. This study investigated the place of portable technical skills as an option for addressing skill shortages, particularly in developing countries. The objective of the study was to determine whether different occupations have portable technical skills, which graduates of workforce development programs ca...

Instruction of Competent Psychomotor Skill

Science.gov (United States)

Olson, Valerie Dong

2008-01-01

Instruction of competent psychomotor skill necessitates an eclectic approach. The principles of learning, complemented with learning styles and sensory modalities preferences, provide a background for teaching physical skills. The use of the psychomotor domain of Bloom's Taxonomy as a map and corresponding behavioral objectives foster the mastery…

Negotiation skills for clinical research professionals

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Sanjay Hake

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Negotiation as a skill is a key requirement for each and every job profile where dealing with multiple parties is involved. The important focus while negotiating should be on the interest then position. Key to every successful negotiation is advance planning, preparation, and patience as the objective is to create value and establish the terms on which parties with differing and often conflicting aims will co-operate. While preparing one should collect facts, know priorities, principles, identify common ground, decide on walk-away position, and try and identify the next best alternative. Negotiation is a set of skills that can be learned and practiced so that your ability to utilize relationship, knowledge, money, power, time, and personality to negotiate improves with each negotiation. In a successful negotiation, all parties win. Important thing to note is that not every negotiation involves money. Anytime you want something from someone else and anytime someone wants something from you, you are negotiating. Everything is negotiable and every day you negotiate with customers, suppliers, colleagues, your wife, and even your children. Negotiation is a game, and like any game it has its rules and tactics. Clinical Research professionals deal with various parties for different purposes at the same time; hence, they require excellent negotiation skills. Project Mangers and Clinical Research Associates are the two most important roles in clinical research industry who require negotiation skills as they deal with various internal and external customers and vendors.

Negotiation skills for clinical research professionals

Science.gov (United States)

Hake, Sanjay; Shah, Tapankumar

2011-01-01

Negotiation as a skill is a key requirement for each and every job profile where dealing with multiple parties is involved. The important focus while negotiating should be on the interest then position. Key to every successful negotiation is advance planning, preparation, and patience as the objective is to create value and establish the terms on which parties with differing and often conflicting aims will co-operate. While preparing one should collect facts, know priorities, principles, identify common ground, decide on walk-away position, and try and identify the next best alternative. Negotiation is a set of skills that can be learned and practiced so that your ability to utilize relationship, knowledge, money, power, time, and personality to negotiate improves with each negotiation. In a successful negotiation, all parties win. Important thing to note is that not every negotiation involves money. Anytime you want something from someone else and anytime someone wants something from you, you are negotiating. Everything is negotiable and every day you negotiate with customers, suppliers, colleagues, your wife, and even your children. Negotiation is a game, and like any game it has its rules and tactics. Clinical Research professionals deal with various parties for different purposes at the same time; hence, they require excellent negotiation skills. Project Mangers and Clinical Research Associates are the two most important roles in clinical research industry who require negotiation skills as they deal with various internal and external customers and vendors. PMID:21897886

TEACHING INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersson, Niclas

2009-01-01

of the examination. This study aims at presenting and reviewing a practical approach to teaching of interpersonal skills, referred to as the Social Risk Analysis, which has been applied and integrated into the curriculum of two engineering courses. The Social Risk Analysis encourages and imposes a critical review......In addition to the traditional learning outcomes for technical disciplinary knowledge, the CDIO-syllabus also specifies personal and interpersonal learning outcomes. The argument for teaching interpersonal skills rest upon the team-based working environment that is typical for engineers, where...... knowledge and skills in teamwork, leadership, and communications are highly required. Thus, the practice of interpersonal skills need to be implemented in engineering teaching, not only in terms of learning objectives, but realised in practical teaching activities and as an integrated part...

The influence of time management skill on the curvilinear relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and task performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Rapp, Adam A; Bachrach, Daniel G; Rapp, Tammy L

2013-07-01

In this research we integrate resource allocation and social exchange perspectives to build and test theory focusing on the moderating role of time management skill in the nonmonotonic relationship between organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and task performance. Results from matching survey data collected from 212 employees and 41 supervisors and from task performance metrics collected several months later indicate that the curvilinear association between OCB and task performance is significantly moderated by employees' time management skill. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Online decoding of object-based attention using real-time fMRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Niazi, Adnan M; van den Broek, Philip L C; Klanke, Stefan; Barth, Markus; Poel, Mannes; Desain, Peter; van Gerven, Marcel A J

2014-01-01

Visual attention is used to selectively filter relevant information depending on current task demands and goals. Visual attention is called object-based attention when it is directed to coherent forms or objects in the visual field. This study used real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging for moment-to-moment decoding of attention to spatially overlapped objects belonging to two different object categories. First, a whole-brain classifier was trained on pictures of faces and places. Subjects then saw transparently overlapped pictures of a face and a place, and attended to only one of them while ignoring the other. The category of the attended object, face or place, was decoded on a scan-by-scan basis using the previously trained decoder. The decoder performed at 77.6% accuracy indicating that despite competing bottom-up sensory input, object-based visual attention biased neural patterns towards that of the attended object. Furthermore, a comparison between different classification approaches indicated that the representation of faces and places is distributed rather than focal. This implies that real-time decoding of object-based attention requires a multivariate decoding approach that can detect these distributed patterns of cortical activity. © 2013 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Association of cardiopulmonary resuscitation psychomotor skills with knowledge and self-efficacy in nursing students.

Science.gov (United States)

Roh, Young Sook; Issenberg, S Barry

2014-12-01

Effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills are essential for better patient survival, but whether these skills are associated with knowledge of and self-efficacy in CPR is not well known. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of CPR skills and identify the association of the psychomotor skills with knowledge and self-efficacy at the time of CPR skills training. A convenience sample of 124 nursing students participated in a one-group posttest-only study. The quality of CPR psychomotor skills, as assessed by structured observation using a manikin, was suboptimal. Nursing students who performed correct chest compression skills reported higher self-efficacy, but there was no association between CPR psychomotor skills and total knowledge. Rigorous skills training sessions with more objective feedback on performance and individual coaching are warranted to enable mastery learning and self-efficacy. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Worst-case execution time analysis-driven object cache design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huber, Benedikt; Puffitsch, Wolfgang; Schoeberl, Martin

2012-01-01

result in a WCET analysis‐friendly design. Aiming for a time‐predictable design, we therefore propose to employ WCET analysis techniques for the design space exploration of processor architectures. We evaluated different object cache configurations using static analysis techniques. The number of field......Hard real‐time systems need a time‐predictable computing platform to enable static worst‐case execution time (WCET) analysis. All performance‐enhancing features need to be WCET analyzable. However, standard data caches containing heap‐allocated data are very hard to analyze statically....... In this paper we explore a new object cache design, which is driven by the capabilities of static WCET analysis. Simulations of standard benchmarks estimating the expected average case performance usually drive computer architecture design. The design decisions derived from this methodology do not necessarily...

A reverse pathway? Actual and perceived skill proficiency and physical activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Lisa M; Morgan, Philip J; Van Beurden, Eric; Ball, Kylie; Lubans, David R

2011-05-01

Motor skills are considered a prerequisite to physical activity, yet the relationship may be reciprocal and perceived sports competence might mediate associations. In 2006/2007, 215 adolescents completed motor skill proficiency (Get Skilled Get Active), perceived sport competence (Physical Self-Perception Profile) and physical activity assessments (Adolescent Physical Activity Recall Questionnaire) as part of the Physical Activity and Skills Study. Using AMOS (Version 7.0), reciprocal relationships were examined between motor skill (object control and locomotor) and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Both models were then run in different versions to understand the role of perceived sports competence as a potential mediator. Mean age was 16.4 yr (SD=0.6), 51.6% (111/215) were females. A reciprocal relationship between object control and MVPA and a one-way relationship from MVPA to locomotor skill was found. When perceived sports competence was examined as a mediator, the best-fitting model versions explained 16% (R=0.16) MVPA variation, and 30% object control (R=0.30), and 12% locomotor skill variation (R=0.12) (reverse relationship). Perceived sports competence partially mediates the relationship between object control proficiency and physical activity for both directions and fully mediates the relationship between physical activity and locomotor skill; but only when locomotor skill is the outcome. If the relationship between object control skill and physical activity is viewed as a "positive feedback loop," skill development and increasing physical activity should simultaneously be targeted in physical activity interventions. Increasing perceived sport competence should also be an intervention focus. © 2011 by the American College of Sports Medicine

Interpersonal Skills

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Barakat NG

2007-01-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTIONInterpersonal skills are becoming more and more a necessity in the medical profession. The expectation from health care professionals is beyond just knowledge of the medical facts. To practice medicine effectively, doctors need to develop interpersonal skills in communication, leadership, management, teaching and time management. All of these are vital tools and are becoming increasingly essential subjects in teaching both undergraduate students and postgraduate doctors. However, a degree of self-motivation and personal initiative is needed to develop these skills. In this article, I will give an overview on interpersonal skills and will be follow this by a series of articles, in future issues, dealing with these skills.

Evaluation of a Direct-Instruction Intervention to Improve Movement and Preliteracy Skills among Young Children: A Within-Subject Repeated-Measures Design

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Chloe Bedard

2018-01-01

Full Text Available ObjectiveSchool readiness involves the development of foundational skills such as emergent literacy and fundamental movement skills as well as the capacity to attentively engage in instructional situations. Children do not develop these skills naturally; therefore, they need the opportunity to develop these skills in their early years prior to entering school. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of a direct-instruction movement and preliteracy intervention in children aged 3–4 years.MethodsA within-subject repeated-measures design, embedded within a wait-list control study, was used to evaluate the intervention. The intervention was run across 10 weeks with 1 h weekly sessions. Each weekly session consisted of 30-min of movement skill instruction (e.g., through single-step acquisition strategies, 15-min of free play during which time children had access to a variety of equipment (e.g., balls, hula hoops, etc. or toys (e.g., puzzles, building blocks, and a 15-min interactive reading circle during which children read a storybook and were taught 1–2 preliteracy skills (e.g., alphabet knowledge, narrative knowledge, etc.. A convenience sample of 11 children (mean age = 45.6 months, SD = 7.3 was recruited. All children were assessed four times: baseline (Time 1, pre-intervention (Time 2, post-intervention (Time 3, and 5-week follow-up (Time 4. Gross motor skills and preliteracy skills were assessed at each time point.ResultsThere was a statistically significant effect of time on the change in gross motor skills (Wilks’ lambda = 0.09, p = .002, print-concept skills (Wilks’ lambda = 0.09, p = .001, and alphabet knowledge (Wilks’ lambda = 0.29, p = .046. Post hoc analyses reveal non-significant changes between time 1 and 2 for motor and print-concept skills and significant changes in all three outcomes between time 2 and time 3.ConclusionParticipation in a

Assertiveness Training for Job-Seeking Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, Patricia G.; McLoughlin, Mary Ellen

1977-01-01

Assertiveness Training for Job-Seeking Skills includes skill development in initiating the job search; arranging actual interviews; preparing a resume; articulating strengths, weaknesses, and career objectives; responding assertively in interviews; asking appropriate questions; accepting or rejecting job offers; confronting discrimination;…

Research on the evaluation indicators of skilled employees’ career success based on grounded theory

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Fulei Chu

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose: summarized and sorted career success evaluation indicators of skilled employees Design/methodology/approach: Based on Grounded Theory, through interviews and questionnaires to railway skilled employees Findings and Originality/value: the study shows that “subjective career success”, including work-family balance, life satisfaction, career satisfaction, perception of career success, “objective career success”, including level of total revenue venue, growth rate of wage and times of promotion, “knowledge and skills career success” including upgrade of knowledge and skills, classification of skills, external competitiveness and job autonomy, are three important career success evaluation indicators of skilled employees. Originality/value: The results show that different age groups, different titles and different positions of skilled employees, there is a significant difference in the choice of career success evaluation indicators. It provides a useful reference to establish a career development system for the skilled employees.

FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT SKILLS OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN NORTHWEST ENGLAND.

Science.gov (United States)

Foulkes, J D; Knowles, Z; Fairclough, S J; Stratton, G; O'Dwyer, M; Ridgers, N D; Foweather, L

2015-08-01

This cross-sectional study examined fundamental movement skill competency among deprived preschool children in Northwest England and explored sex differences. A total of 168 preschool children (ages 3-5 yr.) were included in the study. Twelve skills were assessed using the Children's Activity and Movement in Preschool Motor Skills Protocol and video analysis. Sex differences were explored at the subtest, skill, and component levels. Overall competence was found to be low among both sexes, although it was higher for locomotor skills than for object-control skills. Similar patterns were observed at the component level. Boys had significantly better object-control skills than girls, with greater competence observed for the kick and overarm throw, while girls were more competent at the run, hop, and gallop. The findings of low competency suggest that developmentally appropriate interventions should be implemented in preschool settings to promote movement skills, with targeted activities for boys and girls.

The Effect of Skill Level on the Timing of Childbearing and Number of Children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

P.G.W. Alders (Peter)

1998-01-01

textabstractThis paper examines the effect of differences in ability on the timing and number of children. Higher skilled women have less disutility of labor and have relatively less utility of raising children. Motherhood has a negative effect on the accumulation of human capital by

Objective assessment in residency-based training for transoral robotic surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Curry, Martin; Malpani, Anand; Li, Ryan; Tantillo, Thomas; Jog, Amod; Blanco, Ray; Ha, Patrick K; Califano, Joseph; Kumar, Rajesh; Richmon, Jeremy

2012-10-01

) and trainees (average OSATS, 15.9; SD, 3.9; week 1) are well separated at the beginning of the training, and the separation reduces significantly (expert average OSATS, 27.6; SD, 2.7; trainee average OSATS, 24.2; SD, 6.8; module 3) at the conclusion of the training. Learning curves in each of the three stages show diminishing differences between the experts and trainees, which is also consistent with expert assessment. Subjective assessment by experts verified the clinical utility of the module 3 surgical environment, and a survey of trainees consistently rated the curriculum as very useful in progression to human operating room assistance. Structured curricular robotic surgery training with objective assessment promises to reduce the overhead for mentors, allow detailed assessment of human-machine interface skills, and create customized training models for individualized training. This preliminary study verifies the utility of such training in improving human-machine operations skills (module 1), and operating room and surgical skills (modules 2 and 3). In contrast to current coarse measures of total operating time and subjective assessment of error for short mass training sessions, these methods may allow individual tasks to be removed from the trainee regimen when skill levels are within the standard deviation of the experts for these tasks, which can greatly enhance overall efficiency of the training regimen and allow time for additional and more complex training to be incorporated in the same time frame. Copyright © 2012 The American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society, Inc.

Real-time detection of natural objects using AM-coded spectral matching imager

Science.gov (United States)

Kimachi, Akira

2005-01-01

This paper describes application of the amplitude-modulation (AM)-coded spectral matching imager (SMI) to real-time detection of natural objects such as human beings, animals, vegetables, or geological objects or phenomena, which are much more liable to change with time than artificial products while often exhibiting characteristic spectral functions associated with some specific activity states. The AM-SMI produces correlation between spectral functions of the object and a reference at each pixel of the correlation image sensor (CIS) in every frame, based on orthogonal amplitude modulation (AM) of each spectral channel and simultaneous demodulation of all channels on the CIS. This principle makes the SMI suitable to monitoring dynamic behavior of natural objects in real-time by looking at a particular spectral reflectance or transmittance function. A twelve-channel multispectral light source was developed with improved spatial uniformity of spectral irradiance compared to a previous one. Experimental results of spectral matching imaging of human skin and vegetable leaves are demonstrated, as well as a preliminary feasibility test of imaging a reflective object using a test color chart.

Skill of real-time operational forecasts with the APCC multi-model ensemble prediction system during the period 2008-2015

Science.gov (United States)

Min, Young-Mi; Kryjov, Vladimir N.; Oh, Sang Myeong; Lee, Hyun-Ju

2017-12-01

This paper assesses the real-time 1-month lead forecasts of 3-month (seasonal) mean temperature and precipitation on a monthly basis issued by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Climate Center (APCC) for 2008-2015 (8 years, 96 forecasts). It shows the current level of the APCC operational multi-model prediction system performance. The skill of the APCC forecasts strongly depends on seasons and regions that it is higher for the tropics and boreal winter than for the extratropics and boreal summer due to direct effects and remote teleconnections from boundary forcings. There is a negative relationship between the forecast skill and its interseasonal variability for both variables and the forecast skill for precipitation is more seasonally and regionally dependent than that for temperature. The APCC operational probabilistic forecasts during this period show a cold bias (underforecasting of above-normal temperature and overforecasting of below-normal temperature) underestimating a long-term warming trend. A wet bias is evident for precipitation, particularly in the extratropical regions. The skill of both temperature and precipitation forecasts strongly depends upon the ENSO strength. Particularly, the highest forecast skill noted in 2015/2016 boreal winter is associated with the strong forcing of an extreme El Nino event. Meanwhile, the relatively low skill is associated with the transition and/or continuous ENSO-neutral phases of 2012-2014. As a result the skill of real-time forecast for boreal winter season is higher than that of hindcast. However, on average, the level of forecast skill during the period 2008-2015 is similar to that of hindcast.

Psychomotor skills training in pediatric airway endoscopy simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jabbour, Noel; Reihsen, Troy; Sweet, Robert M; Sidman, James D

2011-07-01

To develop a robust psychomotor skills curriculum to teach pediatric airway foreign body retrieval and to assess the effect of this curriculum on residents' confidence in and ability to perform the complete task in an infant airway mannequin. Instructional course. Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS). Surgical simulation laboratory. A half-day simulation-based course was developed to train otolaryngology residents in bronchoscopic foreign body retrieval. This complex psychomotor skill was deconstructed into subtasks. The following curricular learning objectives were presented and assessed: understanding of tracheobronchial anatomy, ability to adequately visualize the larynx with laryngoscopy, proficiency in rigid bronchoscopy, and familiarity with foreign body instrumentation. Residents were objectively evaluated on their ability to perform the complete task on a simulator before and after the course using an OSATS grading system. Confidence in successfully assembling the instruments and completing the task was assessed at these time periods. Seventeen otolaryngology residents completed the study. Confidence in assembling the instruments and in performing the complete task increased on average by 81% and 43%, respectively (P < .001). Using a 15-point OSATS grading system, the average score for the precourse was 7 and for the postcourse was 11.3 (P < .001). Simulation-based subtask training shows promise as an effective and reproducible method to teach the complex psychomotor task of airway foreign body retrieval. Completion of the curriculum led to a significant improvement in residents' confidence in and ability to perform bronchoscopic foreign body retrieval in an infant airway mannequin.

Identifying the Micro-relations Underpinning Familiarity Detection in Dynamic Displays Containing Multiple Objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jamie S. North

2017-06-01

Full Text Available We identified the important micro-relations that are perceived when attempting to recognize patterns in stimuli consisting of multiple dynamic objects. Skilled and less-skilled participants were presented with point light display sequences representing dynamic patterns in an invasion sport and were subsequently required to make familiarity based recognition judgments in three different conditions, each of which contained only a select number of features that were present at initial viewing. No differences in recognition accuracy were observed between skilled and less-skilled participants when just objects located in the periphery were presented. Yet, when presented with the relative motions of two centrally located attacking objects only, skilled participants were significantly more accurate than less-skilled participants and their recognition accuracy improved further when a target object was included against which these relative motions could be judged. Skilled participants can perceive and recognize global patterns on the basis of centrally located relational information.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation knowledge and skills of registered nurses in Botswana.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajeswaran, Lakshmi; Ehlers, Valerie J

2014-01-01

In Botswana nurses provide most health care in the primary, secondary and tertiary level clinics and hospitals. Trauma and medical emergencies are on the increase, and nurses should have cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) knowledge and skills in order to be able to implement effective interventions in cardiac arrest situations. The objective of this descriptive study was to assess registered nurses’ CPR knowledge and skills. A pre-test, intervention and re-test time-series research design was adopted, and data were collected from 102 nurses from the 2 referral hospitals in Botswana. A multiple-choice questionnaire and checklist were used to collect data. All nurses failed the pre-test. Their knowledge and skills improved after training, but deteriorated over the three months until the post-test was conducted. The significantly low levels of registered nurses’ CPR skills in Botswana should be addressed by instituting country-wide CPR training and regular refresher courses

Causes of Low-Skilled Workers’ Performance in Construction Projects

OpenAIRE

Alhaji Ali Zannah; Aryani Ahmad Latiffi; Abdulazeez Umar Raji; Abdullahi Abba Waziri; Usman Mohammed 4

2017-01-01

Skilled workers’ performance is one of the crucial aspects of labour productivity that requires proper attention for effective projects delivery in the construction industry. The level of skilled workers’ low performance has been seen to be a major factor which contributes toward inefficient construction projects productivity. Therefore, the objective of this research is to identify the causes of low-skilled workers’ performance in construction projects in the Nigeria. The objective was achie...

Skill Assessment in Ocean Biological Data Assimilation

Science.gov (United States)

Gregg, Watson W.; Friedrichs, Marjorie A. M.; Robinson, Allan R.; Rose, Kenneth A.; Schlitzer, Reiner; Thompson, Keith R.; Doney, Scott C.

2008-01-01

There is growing recognition that rigorous skill assessment is required to understand the ability of ocean biological models to represent ocean processes and distributions. Statistical analysis of model results with observations represents the most quantitative form of skill assessment, and this principle serves as well for data assimilation models. However, skill assessment for data assimilation requires special consideration. This is because there are three sets of information in the free-run model, data, and the assimilation model, which uses Data assimilation information from both the flee-run model and the data. Intercom parison of results among the three sets of information is important and useful for assessment, but is not conclusive since the three information sets are intertwined. An independent data set is necessary for an objective determination. Other useful measures of ocean biological data assimilation assessment include responses of unassimilated variables to the data assimilation, performance outside the prescribed region/time of interest, forecasting, and trend analysis. Examples of each approach from the literature are provided. A comprehensive list of ocean biological data assimilation and their applications of skill assessment, in both ecosystem/biogeochemical and fisheries efforts, is summarized.

Teaching Striking Skills in Elementary Physical Education Using Woodball

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Seung Ho; Lee, Jihyun

2017-01-01

Object control (OC) skills are a part of fundamental motor skills and basic functional skills, which work as a prerequisite to becoming a skilled performer in many sports. Of various OC skills, striking is one of the most difficult to master due to a variety of interrelated movement components. A form of vertical or underarm striking is a more…

Real-time object detection and semantic segmentation for autonomous driving

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Baojun; Liu, Shun; Xu, Weichao; Qiu, Wei

2018-02-01

In this paper, we proposed a Highly Coupled Network (HCNet) for joint objection detection and semantic segmentation. It follows that our method is faster and performs better than the previous approaches whose decoder networks of different tasks are independent. Besides, we present multi-scale loss architecture to learn better representation for different scale objects, but without extra time in the inference phase. Experiment results show that our method achieves state-of-the-art results on the KITTI datasets. Moreover, it can run at 35 FPS on a GPU and thus is a practical solution to object detection and semantic segmentation for autonomous driving.

Crowdsourcing: a valid alternative to expert evaluation of robotic surgery skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Polin, Michael R; Siddiqui, Nazema Y; Comstock, Bryan A; Hesham, Helai; Brown, Casey; Lendvay, Thomas S; Martino, Martin A

2016-11-01

Robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery is common, but requires unique training. A validated assessment tool for evaluating trainees' robotic surgery skills is Robotic-Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills. We sought to assess whether crowdsourcing can be used as an alternative to expert surgical evaluators in scoring Robotic-Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills. The Robotic Training Network produced the Robotic-Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills, which evaluate trainees across 5 dry lab robotic surgical drills. Robotic-Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills were previously validated in a study of 105 participants, where dry lab surgical drills were recorded, de-identified, and scored by 3 expert surgeons using the Robotic-Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills checklist. Our methods-comparison study uses these previously obtained recordings and expert surgeon scores. Mean scores per participant from each drill were separated into quartiles. Crowdworkers were trained and calibrated on Robotic-Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills scoring using a representative recording of a skilled and novice surgeon. Following this, 3 recordings from each scoring quartile for each drill were randomly selected. Crowdworkers evaluated the randomly selected recordings using Robotic-Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills. Linear mixed effects models were used to derive mean crowdsourced ratings for each drill. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the correlation between crowdsourced and expert surgeons' ratings. In all, 448 crowdworkers reviewed videos from 60 dry lab drills, and completed a total of 2517 Robotic-Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills assessments within 16 hours. Crowdsourced Robotic-Objective Structured Assessments of Technical Skills ratings were highly correlated with expert surgeon ratings across each of the 5 dry lab drills

Online decoding of object-based attention using real-time fMRI

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niazi, A.M.; Broek, P.L.C. van den; Klanke, S.; Barth, M.; Poel, M.; Gerven, M.A.J. van

2014-01-01

Visual attention is used to selectively filter relevant information depending on current task demands and goals. Visual attention is called object-based attention when it is directed to coherent forms or objects in the visual field. This study used real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging for

Online decoding of object-based attention using real-time fMRI

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niazi, Adnan M.; van den Broek, Philip L.C.; Klanke, Stefan; Barth, Markus; Poel, Mannes; Desain, Peter; van Gerven, Marcel A.J.

Visual attention is used to selectively filter relevant information depending on current task demands and goals. Visual attention is called object-based attention when it is directed to coherent forms or objects in the visual field. This study used real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging for

The relationship of motor skills and social communicative skills in school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonald, Megan; Lord, Catherine; Ulrich, Dale A

2013-07-01

Motor skill deficits are present and persist in school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Staples & Reid, 2010). Yet the focus of intervention is on core impairments, which are part of the diagnostic criteria for ASD, deficits in social communication skills. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the functional motor skills, of 6- to 15-year-old children with high-functioning ASD, predict success in standardized social communicative skills. It is hypothesized that children with better motor skills will have better social communicative skills. A total of 35 children with ASD between the ages of 6-15 years participated in this study. The univariate GLM (general linear model) tested the relationship of motor skills on social communicative skills holding constant age, IQ, ethnicity, gender, and clinical ASD diagnosis. Object-control motor skills significantly predicted calibrated ASD severity (p skills have greater social communicative skill deficits. How this relationship exists behaviorally, needs to be explored further.

The Prototype of Real-time Object Detection System Based on SMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Hana Mirza

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The powerful algorithm to detect object movement in development of room monitoring system is very urgent. The commond algorithm needs complex computation. In this research, the prototype of real-time object detection system using simple algorithm is developed, i.e. using the determination of the max noise/pixel value and the tolerance threshold of image accurately, and then the system automatically send a SMS (short message services to user when the object movement is detected. The developed prototype used a Logitech QuickCam webcam, a Siemens C45 mobile phone and a data cable, and the Borland Delphi 7 with additional components and Serial PortNG Tvideo as system software. The application also includes a database to store the captured images whenever object movement is detected. The test results by varying conditions of light intensities using a 5-watt light bulb, fluorescent lamp 20 and 40 watts indicate that the application is able to automatically detect the presence of moving objects with 100% success rate. The success rate is strongly influenced by the determination of the max noise/pixel value and the tolerance threshold during system configuration. This application is also capable of sending SMS automatically when the system detects a moving object with an average time of 8.35 seconds.

Repurposeable Learning Objects Linked to Teaching and Learning Styles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremy Dunning

2004-02-01

Full Text Available Multimedia learning objects are an essential component of high quality, technology-mediated instruction. Learning objects allow the student to use the content learned in a particular part of a course and; 1. demonstrate mastery of the content, 2. apply that knowledge to solving a problem, and 3. use the content in a critical thinking exercise that both demonstrates mastery and allows the student to place the content within the context of the larger topic of the course. The difficulty associated with the use of learning objects on a broad scale is that they require programming skills most professors and instructors do not possess. Learning objects also tend to be custom productions and are defined in terms of the programming and code terminology, further limiting the professor's ability to understand how they are created. Learning objects defined in terms of styles of learning and teaching allow professors and instructors to develop a deeper understanding of the learning objects and the design process. A set of learning objects has been created that are designed for some of the important styles of learning and teaching. They include; visual learning, writing skills, critical thinking, time-revealed scenarios, case studies and empirical observation. The learning objects are designed and described in terms that the average instructor can readily understand , redesign and incorporate into their own courses. They are also designed in such a way that they can readily be repurposed for new applications in other courses and subject areas, with little or no additional programming.

Super-recognition in development: A case study of an adolescent with extraordinary face recognition skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennetts, Rachel J; Mole, Joseph; Bate, Sarah

2017-09-01

Face recognition abilities vary widely. While face recognition deficits have been reported in children, it is unclear whether superior face recognition skills can be encountered during development. This paper presents O.B., a 14-year-old female with extraordinary face recognition skills: a "super-recognizer" (SR). O.B. demonstrated exceptional face-processing skills across multiple tasks, with a level of performance that is comparable to adult SRs. Her superior abilities appear to be specific to face identity: She showed an exaggerated face inversion effect and her superior abilities did not extend to object processing or non-identity aspects of face recognition. Finally, an eye-movement task demonstrated that O.B. spent more time than controls examining the nose - a pattern previously reported in adult SRs. O.B. is therefore particularly skilled at extracting and using identity-specific facial cues, indicating that face and object recognition are dissociable during development, and that super recognition can be detected in adolescence.

Employability Skill Acquisition among Malaysian Community College Students

OpenAIRE

M. K. Omar; A. R. Bakar; A. Mat Rashid

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to assess the acquisition of employability skills among Malaysian community college students. The sample size of the present study 325 students selected randomly. Employability skills were measured using an instrument developed by the Secretaryâs Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). The overall mean of employability skills among community college students was 3.63 (S.D. = 0.47). Thus, we consider the employability skills of community college studen...

Objective evaluation of minimally invasive surgical skills for transplantation. Surgeons using a virtual reality simulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Dănilă, R; Gerdes, B; Ulrike, H; Domínguez Fernández, E; Hassan, I

2009-01-01

The learning curve in laparoscopic surgery may be associated with higher patient risk, which is unacceptable in the setting of kidney donation. Virtual reality simulators may increase the safety and efficiency of training in laparoscopic surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate if the results of a training session reflect the actual skill level of transplantation surgeons and whether the simulator could differentiate laparoscopic experienced transplantation surgeon from advanced trainees. 16 subjects were assigned to one of two groups: 5 experienced transplantation surgeon and 11 advanced residents, with only assistant role during transplantation. The level of performance was measured by a relative scoring system that combines single parameters assessed by the computer. The higher the level of transplantation experience of a participant, the higher the laparoscopic performance. Experienced transplantation surgeons showed statistically significant better scores than the advanced group for time and precision parameters. Our results show that performance of the various tasks on the simulator corresponds to the respective level of experience in transplantation surgery in our research groups. This study confirms construct validity for the LapSim. It thus measures relevant skills and can be integrated in an endoscopic training and assessment curriculum for transplantations surgeons.

I. SPATIAL SKILLS, THEIR DEVELOPMENT, AND THEIR LINKS TO MATHEMATICS.

Science.gov (United States)

Verdine, Brian N; Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick; Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy; Newcombe, Nora S

2017-03-01

Understanding the development of spatial skills is important for promoting school readiness and improving overall success in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields (e.g., Wai, Lubinski, Benbow, & Steiger, 2010). Children use their spatial skills to understand the world, including visualizing how objects fit together, and can practice them via spatial assembly activities (e.g., puzzles or blocks). These skills are incorporated into measures of overall intelligence and have been linked to success in subjects like mathematics (Mix & Cheng, 2012) and science (Pallrand & Seeber, 1984; Pribyl & Bodner, 1987). This monograph sought to answer four questions about early spatial skill development: 1) Can we reliably measure spatial skills in 3- and 4-year-olds?; 2) Do spatial skills measured at 3 predict spatial skills at age 5?; 3) Do preschool spatial skills predict mathematics skills at age 5?; and 4) What factors contribute to individual differences in preschool spatial skills (e.g., SES, gender, fine-motor skills, vocabulary, and executive function)? Longitudinal data generated from a new spatial skill test for 3-year-old children, called the TOSA (Test of Spatial Assembly), show that it is a reliable and valid measure of early spatial skills that provides strong prediction to spatial skills measured with established tests at age 5. New data using this measure finds links between early spatial skill and mathematics, language, and executive function skills. Analyses suggest that preschool spatial experiences may play a central role in children's mathematical skills around the time of school entry. Executive function skills provide an additional unique contribution to predicting mathematical performance. In addition, individual differences, specifically socioeconomic status, are related to spatial and mathematical skill. We conclude by exploring ways of providing rich early spatial experiences to children. © 2017 The Society for Research in Child

DO INFANTS USING BABY WALKERS SUFFER DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS IN ACQUISITION OF MOTOR SKILLS?

OpenAIRE

A. Talebian; A. Honarpishe; A. Taghavi; E. Fakharian; M. Parsa; GA. Mousavi

2008-01-01

 AbstractObjectiveDevelopment is a complex process, completed over a specific period of time, through the maturation of the nervous system. It is affected by genetic, ethnic, nutritional, social, and economic factors; one of the environmental factors affecting the acquisition of motor skills in infants is the use of baby walkers. Since this device is very commonly used for infants in our country, we conducted this study to evaluate its effects on the acquisition of motor skills in this age gr...

Emerging Object Representations in the Visual System Predict Reaction Times for Categorization

Science.gov (United States)

Ritchie, J. Brendan; Tovar, David A.; Carlson, Thomas A.

2015-01-01

Recognizing an object takes just a fraction of a second, less than the blink of an eye. Applying multivariate pattern analysis, or “brain decoding”, methods to magnetoencephalography (MEG) data has allowed researchers to characterize, in high temporal resolution, the emerging representation of object categories that underlie our capacity for rapid recognition. Shortly after stimulus onset, object exemplars cluster by category in a high-dimensional activation space in the brain. In this emerging activation space, the decodability of exemplar category varies over time, reflecting the brain’s transformation of visual inputs into coherent category representations. How do these emerging representations relate to categorization behavior? Recently it has been proposed that the distance of an exemplar representation from a categorical boundary in an activation space is critical for perceptual decision-making, and that reaction times should therefore correlate with distance from the boundary. The predictions of this distance hypothesis have been born out in human inferior temporal cortex (IT), an area of the brain crucial for the representation of object categories. When viewed in the context of a time varying neural signal, the optimal time to “read out” category information is when category representations in the brain are most decodable. Here, we show that the distance from a decision boundary through activation space, as measured using MEG decoding methods, correlates with reaction times for visual categorization during the period of peak decodability. Our results suggest that the brain begins to read out information about exemplar category at the optimal time for use in choice behaviour, and support the hypothesis that the structure of the representation for objects in the visual system is partially constitutive of the decision process in recognition. PMID:26107634

Prediction of Marital Satisfaction based on Coping Skills and Time Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

سپیده حق شناس

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to predict marital satisfaction based on coping skills and time perspective. The research method was correlation and the statistical population composed of couples living in the 2nddistrict of Tehran. By convenience sampling method, 250 individuals were selected and were asked to complete the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale, the Lazarus & Folkman’s Coping Styles Questionnaire and the Zimbardo’s Time Perspective Inventory. The results showed that 12.5% of variance of marital satisfa-ction can be explained by the time perspective and the use of coping strategies in couples. The findings also indicated that there was a negative association between emotional coping strategies and marital satisfaction; while, there was no significant relationship between problem-oriented strategies and marital satisfaction. In examining the relationship between views of time and marital satisfaction, the results indicated that there was a negative significant relationship between marital satisfaction with past negative view of time, present hedonistic and believing in present fatalistic. According to the results of t-test for gender differences, there was no significant difference between men and women in marital satisfaction, using coping strategies and time views.

Developing Leadership Skills and Resilience in Turbulent Times

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holmberg, Robert; Larsson, Magnus; Bäckström, Martin

2016-01-01

Purpose:To evaluate a leadership program in a way that captured leadership self efficacy, political skills and resilience in the form of indicators of health and well being that would have relevance for leadership roles in turbulent organizations. Design/methodology/approach: The design was quasi...... and had better health compared to a year earlier. Research limitations/implications: Concepts like leadership self-efficacy, political skills and measures of health and well-being can be used to operationalize and measure broad and contextually relevant outcomes of leadership development. Practical...... implications: Evaluation of leadership development can benefit from including these more psychologically relevant and generic outcomes. Originality/value: The study illustrates how psychologically based concepts can help to elucidate key outcomes of leadership development that can be critical for meeting...

Time to increase momentum in bridging the nuclear skills gap

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shepherd, John [nuclear 24, London (United Kingdom)

2014-07-15

A international conference hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in May 2014 highlighted the difficult balancing act that countries have in making sure that a pool of talent continues to be available to the nuclear sector into the future. The International Conference on Human Resource Development for Nuclear Power Programmes noted the huge task of maintaining a skilled workforce with the ability to cover nuclear in its widest sense: everything from fuel manufacturing, nuclear power plant operations, decommissioning, waste management and of course nurturing those who may become future regulators or captains of industry. The conference also correctly identified the different requirements of countries depending on their individual circumstances. There can certainly be no delay in this task. Even if no new nuclear power plants were to be built again - which is certainly not the case - highly-skilled individuals would still be required to manage existing plants, work in decommissioning, waste management and so on. The nuclear industry should continue and expand its support for academies, training establishments and other such institutions with the goal of training the next generation of nuclear professionals. At the same time, knowledge transfer programmes should be stepped up, so that professionals who are approaching retirement can pass on their invaluable expertise to those who will follow them. (orig.)

Time to increase momentum in bridging the nuclear skills gap

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shepherd, John

2014-01-01

A international conference hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in May 2014 highlighted the difficult balancing act that countries have in making sure that a pool of talent continues to be available to the nuclear sector into the future. The International Conference on Human Resource Development for Nuclear Power Programmes noted the huge task of maintaining a skilled workforce with the ability to cover nuclear in its widest sense: everything from fuel manufacturing, nuclear power plant operations, decommissioning, waste management and of course nurturing those who may become future regulators or captains of industry. The conference also correctly identified the different requirements of countries depending on their individual circumstances. There can certainly be no delay in this task. Even if no new nuclear power plants were to be built again - which is certainly not the case - highly-skilled individuals would still be required to manage existing plants, work in decommissioning, waste management and so on. The nuclear industry should continue and expand its support for academies, training establishments and other such institutions with the goal of training the next generation of nuclear professionals. At the same time, knowledge transfer programmes should be stepped up, so that professionals who are approaching retirement can pass on their invaluable expertise to those who will follow them. (orig.)

Object-orientated DBMS techniques for time-oriented medical record.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinciroli, F; Combi, C; Pozzi, G

1992-01-01

In implementing time-orientated medical record (TOMR) management systems, use of a relational model played a big role. Many applications have been developed to extend query and data manipulation languages to temporal aspects of information. Our experience in developing TOMR revealed some deficiencies inside the relational model, such as: (a) abstract data type definition; (b) unified view of data, at a programming level; (c) management of temporal data; (d) management of signals and images. We identified some first topics to face by an object-orientated approach to database design. This paper describes the first steps in designing and implementing a TOMR by an object-orientated DBMS.

Can a virtual reality assessment of fine motor skill predict successful central line insertion?

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamadipanah, Hossein; Parthiban, Chembian; Nathwani, Jay; Rutherford, Drew; DiMarco, Shannon; Pugh, Carla

2016-10-01

Due to the increased use of peripherally inserted central catheter lines, central lines are not performed as frequently. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether a virtual reality (VR)-based assessment of fine motor skills can be used as a valid and objective assessment of central line skills. Surgical residents (N = 43) from 7 general surgery programs performed a subclavian central line in a simulated setting. Then, they participated in a force discrimination task in a VR environment. Hand movements from the subclavian central line simulation were tracked by electromagnetic sensors. Gross movements as monitored by the electromagnetic sensors were compared with the fine motor metrics calculated from the force discrimination tasks in the VR environment. Long periods of inactivity (idle time) during needle insertion and lack of smooth movements, as detected by the electromagnetic sensors, showed a significant correlation with poor force discrimination in the VR environment. Also, long periods of needle insertion time correlated to the poor performance in force discrimination in the VR environment. This study shows that force discrimination in a defined VR environment correlates to needle insertion time, idle time, and hand smoothness when performing subclavian central line placement. Fine motor force discrimination may serve as a valid and objective assessment of the skills required for successful needle insertion when placing central lines. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Surgeon-tool force/torque signatures--evaluation of surgical skills in minimally invasive surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, J; MacFarlane, M; Richards, C; Hannaford, B; Sinanan, M

1999-01-01

The best method of training for laparoscopic surgical skills is controversial. Some advocate observation in the operating room, while others promote animal and simulated models or a combination of surgical related tasks. The mode of proficiency evaluation common to all of these methods has been subjective evaluation by a skilled surgeon. In order to define an objective means of evaluating performance, an instrumented laparoscopic grasper was developed measuring the force/torque at the surgeon hand/tool interface. The measured database demonstrated substantial differences between experienced and novice surgeon groups. Analyzing forces and torques combined with the state transition during surgical procedures allows an objective measurement of skill in MIS. Teaching the novice surgeon to limit excessive loads and improve movement efficiency during surgical procedures can potentially result in less injury to soft tissues and less wasted time during laparoscopic surgery. Moreover the force/torque database measured in this study may be used for developing realistic virtual reality simulators and optimization of medical robots performance.

Tracking of multiple objects with time-adjustable composite correlation filters

Science.gov (United States)

Ruchay, Alexey; Kober, Vitaly; Chernoskulov, Ilya

2017-09-01

An algorithm for tracking of multiple objects in video based on time-adjustable adaptive composite correlation filtering is proposed. For each frame a bank of composite correlation filters are designed in such a manner to provide invariance to pose, occlusion, clutter, and illumination changes. The filters are synthesized with the help of an iterative algorithm, which optimizes the discrimination capability for each object. The filters are adapted to the objects changes online using information from the current and past scene frames. Results obtained with the proposed algorithm using real-life scenes are presented and compared with those obtained with state-of-the-art tracking methods in terms of detection efficiency, tracking accuracy, and speed of processing.

Comparing the Effects of Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) and Traditional Method on Learning of Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansoorian, Mohammad Reza; Hosseiny, Marzeih Sadat; Khosravan, Shahla; Alami, Ali; Alaviani, Mehri

2015-06-01

Despite the benefits of the objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) and it appropriateness for evaluating clinical abilities of nursing students , few studies are available on the application of this method in nursing education. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of using OSATS and traditional methods on the students' learning. We also aimed to signify students' views about these two methods and their views about the scores they received in these methods in a medical emergency course. A quasi-experimental study was performed on 45 first semester students in nursing and medical emergencies passing a course on fundamentals of practice. The students were selected by a census method and evaluated by both the OSATS and traditional methods. Data collection was performed using checklists prepared based on the 'text book of nursing procedures checklists' published by Iranian nursing organization and a questionnaire containing learning rate and students' estimation of their received scores. Descriptive statistics as well as paired t-test and independent samples t-test were used in data analysis. The mean of students' score in OSATS was significantly higher than their mean score in traditional method (P = 0.01). Moreover, the mean of self-evaluation score after the traditional method was relatively the same as the score the students received in the exam. However, the mean of self-evaluation score after the OSATS was relatively lower than the scores the students received in the OSATS exam. Most students believed that OSATS can evaluate a wide range of students' knowledge and skills compared to traditional method. Results of this study indicated the better effect of OSATS on learning and its relative superiority in precise assessment of clinical skills compared with the traditional evaluation method. Therefore, we recommend using this method in evaluation of students in practical courses.

Science Process Skills in Science Curricula Applied in Turkey

Science.gov (United States)

Yumusak, Güngör Keskinkiliç

2016-01-01

One of the most important objectives of the science curricula is to bring in science process skills. The science process skills are skills that lie under scientific thinking and decision-making. Thus it is important for a science curricula to be rationalized in such a way that it brings in science process skills. New science curricula were…

Profil Teamwork Skill sebagai Gambaran Kemampuan Kompetitif Mahasiswa

OpenAIRE

Chayati, Ichda; Purwanti, Sutriyati; Nugraheni, Mutiara

2014-01-01

The objectives of the study were: 1) to identify the profile of the Hospitality Engineering Education students’ teamwork skills, 2) to identify the profile of the Hospitality Engineering Students’ teamwork skills, 3) to describe the general overview of the students’ teamwork skills, 4) to identify the group of Bachelor program with the highest and the lowest teamwork skills, 5) to identify the group of the Associate program with the highest and the lowest teamwork skills. This study was a des...

Objectively-measured outdoor time and physical and psychological function among older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Harada, Kazuhiro; Lee, Sangyoon; Lee, Sungchul; Bae, Seongryu; Harada, Kenji; Suzuki, Takao; Shimada, Hiroyuki

2017-10-01

Objective measurements of outdoor time are essential to establishing evidence about the health benefits of going outdoors among older adults. To better understanding the health benefits of going outdoors, clarification of potential mediators to connect going outdoors with health benefits is necessary. The present study aimed to investigate associations of objectively-measured outdoor time with older adults' physical and psychological function, and examine the mediating role of physical activity on these associations. Baseline data from a randomized control trial of physical activity among older adults with global cognitive impairment was used. Data from 192 participants were analyzed. Measures included steps-per-day, objectively-measured outdoor time per day using global positioning systems, physical function (cardiorespiratory fitness, lower-extremity strength), psychological function (depression, well-being) and basic factors. Path analysis showed that outdoor time was significantly associated with steps-per-day (path coefficient = 0.23) and depression (path coefficient = -0.16). Outdoor time was not directly associated with cardiorespiratory fitness, lower-extremity strength and well-being. However, steps-per-day was associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (path coefficient = 0.18), lower-extremity strength (path coefficient = -0.22) and well-being (path coefficient = 0.14). We found that objectively-measured outdoor time was indirectly associated with physical function, and both directly and indirectly with psychological function through physical activity among older adults. This finding indicates that going outdoors influences older adults' health outcomes, and is mainly mediated by physical activity. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1455-1462. © 2016 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Fostering students' experimentation skills - developmental time and offspring rates of flour beetles

OpenAIRE

Asshoff, R.; Roth, Olivia

2010-01-01

Tribolium castanaeum is a widespread insect in temperate regions. Because of its short generation time and easy handling, it serves as a model organism for various scientific questions. However, T. castanaeum, or its larger-sized relative Tenebrio molitor, can also he used at a school or college level to foster students' experimentation skills. We present a set of inquiry tasks that build stepwise on one another, using T. castanaeum or T. molitor as the model. The students will learn not only...

Fine motor skills in children with Down syndrome

OpenAIRE

Memišević Haris; Mačak Amra

2014-01-01

Fine motor skills are very important for children's overall functioning. Their development is necessary for many everyday activities such as dressing, feeding, holding objects, etc. Moreover, fine motor skills are also correlated to the children's academic success at school. Recent research suggests a close relationship between motor skills and intelligence. Given the relative paucity of literature on fine motor skills in different etiological groups of children with intellectual disability (...

A Virtual Object-Location Task for Children: Gender and Videogame Experience Influence Navigation; Age Impacts Memory and Completion Time.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez-Andres, David; Mendez-Lopez, Magdalena; Juan, M-Carmen; Perez-Hernandez, Elena

2018-01-01

The use of virtual reality-based tasks for studying memory has increased considerably. Most of the studies that have looked at child population factors that influence performance on such tasks have been focused on cognitive variables. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of non-cognitive skills. In the present paper, we tested 52 typically-developing children aged 5-12 years in a virtual object-location task. The task assessed their spatial short-term memory for the location of three objects in a virtual city. The virtual task environment was presented using a 3D application consisting of a 120″ stereoscopic screen and a gamepad interface. Measures of learning and displacement indicators in the virtual environment, 3D perception, satisfaction, and usability were obtained. We assessed the children's videogame experience, their visuospatial span, their ability to build blocks, and emotional and behavioral outcomes. The results indicate that learning improved with age. Significant effects on the speed of navigation were found favoring boys and those more experienced with videogames. Visuospatial skills correlated mainly with ability to recall object positions, but the correlation was weak. Longer paths were related with higher scores of withdrawal behavior, attention problems, and a lower visuospatial span. Aggressiveness and experience with the device used for interaction were related with faster navigation. However, the correlations indicated only weak associations among these variables.

A Virtual Object-Location Task for Children: Gender and Videogame Experience Influence Navigation; Age Impacts Memory and Completion Time

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez-Andres, David; Mendez-Lopez, Magdalena; Juan, M.-Carmen; Perez-Hernandez, Elena

2018-01-01

The use of virtual reality-based tasks for studying memory has increased considerably. Most of the studies that have looked at child population factors that influence performance on such tasks have been focused on cognitive variables. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of non-cognitive skills. In the present paper, we tested 52 typically-developing children aged 5–12 years in a virtual object-location task. The task assessed their spatial short-term memory for the location of three objects in a virtual city. The virtual task environment was presented using a 3D application consisting of a 120″ stereoscopic screen and a gamepad interface. Measures of learning and displacement indicators in the virtual environment, 3D perception, satisfaction, and usability were obtained. We assessed the children’s videogame experience, their visuospatial span, their ability to build blocks, and emotional and behavioral outcomes. The results indicate that learning improved with age. Significant effects on the speed of navigation were found favoring boys and those more experienced with videogames. Visuospatial skills correlated mainly with ability to recall object positions, but the correlation was weak. Longer paths were related with higher scores of withdrawal behavior, attention problems, and a lower visuospatial span. Aggressiveness and experience with the device used for interaction were related with faster navigation. However, the correlations indicated only weak associations among these variables. PMID:29674988

Does childhood motor skill proficiency predict adolescent fitness?

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Lisa M; Van Beurden, Eric; Morgan, Philip J; Brooks, Lyndon O; Beard, John R

2008-12-01

To determine whether childhood fundamental motor skill proficiency predicts subsequent adolescent cardiorespiratory fitness. In 2000, children's proficiency in a battery of skills was assessed as part of an elementary school-based intervention. Participants were followed up during 2006/2007 as part of the Physical Activity and Skills Study, and cardiorespiratory fitness was measured using the Multistage Fitness Test. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between childhood fundamental motor skill proficiency and adolescent cardiorespiratory fitness controlling for gender. Composite object control (kick, catch, throw) and locomotor skill (hop, side gallop, vertical jump) were constructed for analysis. A separate linear regression examined the ability of the sprint run to predict cardiorespiratory fitness. Of the 928 original intervention participants, 481 were in 28 schools, 276 (57%) of whom were assessed. Two hundred and forty-four students (88.4%) completed the fitness test. One hundred and twenty-seven were females (52.1%), 60.1% of whom were in grade 10 and 39.0% were in grade 11. As children, almost all 244 completed each motor assessments, except for the sprint run (n = 154, 55.8%). The mean composite skill score in 2000 was 17.7 (SD 5.1). In 2006/2007, the mean number of laps on the Multistage Fitness Test was 50.5 (SD 24.4). Object control proficiency in childhood, adjusting for gender (P = 0.000), was associated with adolescent cardiorespiratory fitness (P = 0.012), accounting for 26% of fitness variation. Children with good object control skills are more likely to become fit adolescents. Fundamental motor skill development in childhood may be an important component of interventions aiming to promote long-term fitness.

Does Weight Status Influence Associations between Children's Fundamental Movement Skills and Physical Activity?

Science.gov (United States)

Hume, Clare; Okely, Anthony; Bagley, Sarah; Telford, Amanda; Booth, Michael; Crawford, David; Salmon, Jo

2008-01-01

This study sought to determine whether weight status influences the association among children's fundamental movement skills (FMS) and physical activity (PA). Two hundred forty-eight children ages 9-12 years participated. Proficiency in three object-control skills and two locomotor skills was examined. Accelerometers objectively assessed physical…

IQ variations across time, race, and nationality: an artifact of differences in literacy skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Marks, David F

2010-06-01

A body of data on IQ collected over 50 years has revealed that average population IQ varies across time, race, and nationality. An explanation for these differences may be that intelligence test performance requires literacy skills not present in all people to the same extent. In eight analyses, population mean full scale IQ and literacy scores yielded correlations ranging from .79 to .99. In cohort studies, significantly larger improvements in IQ occurred in the lower half of the IQ distribution, affecting the distribution variance and skewness in the predicted manner. In addition, three Verbal subscales on the WAIS show the largest Flynn effect sizes and all four Verbal subscales are among those showing the highest racial IQ differences. This pattern of findings supports the hypothesis that both secular and racial differences in intelligence test scores have an environmental explanation: secular and racial differences in IQ are an artifact of variation in literacy skills. These findings suggest that racial IQ distributions will converge if opportunities are equalized for different population groups to achieve the same high level of literacy skills. Social justice requires more effective implementation of policies and programs designed to eliminate inequities in IQ and literacy.

Effect of hyperbaric environment on fine motor skills

OpenAIRE

Les, Martin

2017-01-01

Title: Effect of hyperbaric environment on fine motor skills Objectives: The aim of study is to assess the changes fine motor skills due to hyperbaric environment in preparation for selected tests of fine motor skills. Methods: The first method was used empirically - research. Then the method chosen of compilation of the information obtained. The basic method to work was the experimental measurement method specially constructed tests on fine motor skills. All measured values were statisticall...

Skills escalator in allied health: a time for reflection and refocus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gilmore LG

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Lisa G Gilmore1, Joanne H Morris1, Karen Murphy2, Karen Grimmer-Somers3, Saravana Kumar31The Canberra Hospital, ACT Government Health Directorate, Canberra, ACT; 2ACT Government Health Directorate, Canberra, ACT; 3International Centre for Allied Evidence, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, AustraliaAbstract: It is abundantly clear that the health workforce of tomorrow will meet a number of unique challenges. There are a number of drivers for this, including the changing demographics of patients and health professionals, changing working patterns and mobility of the health workforce, evolving models of care, emerging evidence base, altering funding models, and the need to underpin health care service delivery with safety, effectiveness, patient centeredness, efficiency, equity, and timeliness. It is in this time of change that role extension within health disciplines is seen as an important tool to meet some of these challenges. Role extension is viewed as a skills escalator, where practitioners move up the skills escalator within the scope of their discipline, to advance it and then, with training, extend it. Within allied health, in some disciplines, advanced and extended scope of practice initiatives have mushroomed. Often these initiatives have been ad hoc, and opportunistically created in response to local needs and requirements. As these initiatives are local and context-dependent, to date there is very little uniformity or congruency between these initiatives. This has led to variability in implementation, lack of rigorous evaluations and, ultimately, poor long-term sustainability. In this paper, we reflect on a number of key issues, drawing on our own experiences in undertaking such initiatives, which need to be taken into account when considering advanced and extended scope of practice for allied health.Keywords: allied health, skill escalation, extended scope of practice, advanced scope of practice

Multi-model global assessment of subseasonal prediction skill of atmospheric rivers

Science.gov (United States)

Deflorio, M. J.

2017-12-01

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are global phenomena that are characterized by long, narrow plumes of water vapor transport. They are most often observed in the midlatitudes near climatologically active storm track regions. Because of their frequent association with floods, landslides, and other hydrological impacts on society, there is significant incentive at the intersection of academic research, water management, and policymaking to understand the skill with which state-of-the-art operational weather models can predict ARs weeks-to-months in advance. We use the newly assembled Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) database, which includes extensive hindcast records of eleven operational weather models, to assess global prediction skill of atmospheric rivers on S2S timescales. We develop a metric to assess AR skill that is suitable for S2S timescales by counting the total number of AR days which occur over each model and observational grid cell during a 2-week time window. This "2-week AR occurrence" metric is suitable for S2S prediction skill assessment because it does not consider discrete hourly or daily AR objects, but rather a smoothed representation of AR occurrence over a longer period of time. Our results indicate that several of the S2S models, especially the ECMWF model, show useful prediction skill in the 2-week forecast window, with significant interannual variation in some regions. We also present results from an experimental forecast of S2S AR prediction skill using the ECMWF and NCEP models.

Cognitive Load in Mastoidectomy Skills Training

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Steven Arild Wuyts; Mikkelsen, Peter Trier; Konge, Lars

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The cognitive load (CL) theoretical framework suggests that working memory is limited, which has implications for learning and skills acquisition. Complex learning situations such as surgical skills training can potentially induce a cognitive overload, inhibiting learning. This study...... aims to compare CL in traditional cadaveric dissection training and virtual reality (VR) simulation training of mastoidectomy. DESIGN: A prospective, crossover study. Participants performed cadaveric dissection before VR simulation of the procedure or vice versa. CL was estimated by secondary...... surgical skills can be a challenge for the novice and mastoidectomy skills training could potentially be optimized by employing VR simulation training first because of the lower CL. Traditional dissection training could then be used to supplement skills training after basic competencies have been acquired...

Avoiding Surgical Skill Decay : A Systematic Review on the Spacing of Training Sessions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cecilio-Fernandes, Dario; Cnossen, Fokie; Jaarsma, Debbie A D C; Tio, René A

OBJECTIVE: Spreading training sessions over time instead of training in just 1 session leads to an improvement of long-term retention for factual knowledge. However, it is not clear whether this would also apply to surgical skills. Thus, we performed a systematic review to find out whether spacing

Perspectives of employability skills

OpenAIRE

ANNE LOUISE NEWTON

2017-01-01

The study investigated the different perspectives held by young people, employers and policy makers around Employability Skills and it examined how young people learnt these skills. This study draws young peoples’ perspectives into the research around Employability Skills and highlights the way in which social and cultural capital mediate their development. The research points to a model to re-vision employability skills which recognises the many ways in which they are learnt, over time a...

Softball: Special Olympics Sports Skills Instructional Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Special Olympics, Inc., Washington, DC.

One of seven instructional units on Special Olympics Sports Skills Instructional Programs, this guide presents suggestions for coaching softball for mentally retarded persons. An overview section provides information on teaching suggestions, followed by a list of program goals, objectives, and benefits. Sports skill assessments measure athletes'…

Objective assessment of surgical competence in gynaecological laparoscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, C R; Grantcharov, Teodor; Schouenborg, L

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a global- and a procedure-specific rating scale based on a well-validated generic model (objective structured assessment of technical skills) for assessment of technical skills in laparoscopic gynaecology. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate the construct...

The impact of development of customer online banking skills on customer adviser skills

OpenAIRE

Dubois, M.; Bobillier Chaumon, M.-E.; Retour, Didier

2011-01-01

International audience; The object of this article is the development of customer banking skills as a result of using online banking and its impact on the competence of customer advisers in face-to-face customer contacts. We focus on the use of software applications by customer advisers (CA) during customer contacts. The main results show that online banking enables customers to develop a range of banking skills. In order to deliver the service required by the context, advisers select the req...

Entrepreneurs skills for creating and managing IT projects

OpenAIRE

Sousa, M. J.; Almeida, M. R.

2016-01-01

This article we will analyze the concept of entrepreneurship and the importance of skills development for entrepreneurs to create and manage IT projects. The problem studied in this research was to identify skills for developing an IT culture of entrepreneurship and the main objective was to build a model of skills development for IT entrepreneurs. To accomplish this research it was developed a search of articles based on the keywords "entrepreneurship" and "skills of IT entrepreneurs”, the p...

Retention of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Skills in Nigerian Secondary School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Onyeaso, Adedamola Olutoyin

2016-01-01

Background/Objective: For effective bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), retention of CPR skills after the training is central. The objective of this study was to find out how much of the CPR skills a group of Nigerian secondary school students would retain six weeks after their first exposure to the conventional CPR training. Materials…

Efficacy of Multimedia Package in Communicative Skill in English

Science.gov (United States)

Singaravelu, G.

2014-01-01

The study enlightens the effectiveness of Multimedia Package in learning communicative skill in English. Objectives of the study: To prepare a Multimedia Package for developing communicative skill in English. To find out the impact of Multimedia Package in improving communicative skill in English. Quasi Experimental method was adopted in the…

Assessment of communication, professionalism, and surgical skills in an objective structured performance-related examination (OSPRE): a psychometric study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponton-Carss, Alicia; Hutchison, Carol; Violato, Claudio

2011-10-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a performance assessment of communication, professionalism, and surgical skills competencies for surgery residents. Fourteen residents from the general surgery program of the University of Calgary were assessed in 7 surgical simulation stations that included communication and professionalism skills. The internal consistency reliability of the checklists and global rating scales combined was adequate for communication (α = .75-.92) and surgical skills (α = .86-.96), but not for professionalism (α = 0). There was evidence of validity as surgical skills performance improved as a function of postgraduate year level but not for the professionalism checklist. Surgical skills and communication correlated in the 2 stations assessed (r = .55 and .57; P communication skills. Further instrument development is required to assess professionalism in a structured examination context. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessing Time Management Skills as an Important Aspect of Student Learning: The Construction and Evaluation of a Time Management Scale with Spanish High School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Ros, Rafael; Perez-Gonzalez, Francisco; Hinojosa, Eugenia

2004-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to analyse the factorial structure, psychometric properties and predictive capacity for academic achievement of a scale designed to evaluate the time management skills of Spanish high school students. An adaptation of the Time Management Questionnaire was presented to two samples of 350 Spanish high school…

A Virtual Object-Location Task for Children: Gender and Videogame Experience Influence Navigation; Age Impacts Memory and Completion Time

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Rodriguez-Andres

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The use of virtual reality-based tasks for studying memory has increased considerably. Most of the studies that have looked at child population factors that influence performance on such tasks have been focused on cognitive variables. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of non-cognitive skills. In the present paper, we tested 52 typically-developing children aged 5–12 years in a virtual object-location task. The task assessed their spatial short-term memory for the location of three objects in a virtual city. The virtual task environment was presented using a 3D application consisting of a 120″ stereoscopic screen and a gamepad interface. Measures of learning and displacement indicators in the virtual environment, 3D perception, satisfaction, and usability were obtained. We assessed the children’s videogame experience, their visuospatial span, their ability to build blocks, and emotional and behavioral outcomes. The results indicate that learning improved with age. Significant effects on the speed of navigation were found favoring boys and those more experienced with videogames. Visuospatial skills correlated mainly with ability to recall object positions, but the correlation was weak. Longer paths were related with higher scores of withdrawal behavior, attention problems, and a lower visuospatial span. Aggressiveness and experience with the device used for interaction were related with faster navigation. However, the correlations indicated only weak associations among these variables.

Defining and Assessing Team Skills of Business and Accountancy Students

Science.gov (United States)

Alghalith, Nabil; Blum, Michael; Medlock, Amanda; Weber, Sandy

2004-01-01

The objectives of the project are (1) to define the skills necessary for students to work effectively with others to achieve common goals, and (2) to develop an assessment instrument to measure student progress toward achieving these skills. The defined skill set will form a basis for common expectations related to team skills that will be shared…

The Reliability, Validity, and Evaluation of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination in Podiatry (Chiropody).

Science.gov (United States)

Woodburn, Jim; Sutcliffe, Nick

1996-01-01

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), initially developed for undergraduate medical education, has been adapted for assessment of clinical skills in podiatry students. A 12-month pilot study found the test had relatively low levels of reliability, high construct and criterion validity, and good stability of performance over time.…

Deep Learning for Real-Time Capable Object Detection and Localization on Mobile Platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Particke, F.; Kolbenschlag, R.; Hiller, M.; Patiño-Studencki, L.; Thielecke, J.

2017-10-01

Industry 4.0 is one of the most formative terms in current times. Subject of research are particularly smart and autonomous mobile platforms, which enormously lighten the workload and optimize production processes. In order to interact with humans, the platforms need an in-depth knowledge of the environment. Hence, it is required to detect a variety of static and non-static objects. Goal of this paper is to propose an accurate and real-time capable object detection and localization approach for the use on mobile platforms. A method is introduced to use the powerful detection capabilities of a neural network for the localization of objects. Therefore, detection information of a neural network is combined with depth information from a RGB-D camera, which is mounted on a mobile platform. As detection network, YOLO Version 2 (YOLOv2) is used on a mobile robot. In order to find the detected object in the depth image, the bounding boxes, predicted by YOLOv2, are mapped to the corresponding regions in the depth image. This provides a powerful and extremely fast approach for establishing a real-time-capable Object Locator. In the evaluation part, the localization approach turns out to be very accurate. Nevertheless, it is dependent on the detected object itself and some additional parameters, which are analysed in this paper.

Proficiency deficiency: mastery of fundamental movement skills and skill components in overweight and obese children.

Science.gov (United States)

Cliff, Dylan P; Okely, Anthony D; Morgan, Philip J; Jones, Rachel A; Steele, Julie R; Baur, Louise A

2012-05-01

The purpose of this observational study was to compare the mastery of 12 fundamental movement skills (FMS) and skill components between a treatment-seeking sample of overweight/obese children and a reference sample from the United States. Mastery of six locomotor and six object-control skills (24 components in each subdomain) were video-assessed by one assessor using the test of gross motor development-2 (TGMD-2). The 153 overweight/obese children (mean ± s.d. age = 8.3 ± 1.1 years, BMI z-score = 2.78 ± 0.69, 58% girls, 77% obese) were categorized into age groups (for the underhand roll and strike: 7-8 years and 9-10 years; all other FMS: 6-7 years and 8-10 years) and mastery prevalence rates were compared with representative US data (N = 876) using χ(2) analysis. For all 12 skills in all age groups, the prevalence of mastery was lower among overweight/obese children compared with the reference sample (all P skill components (all P movement patterns that could be targeted for improvement include positioning of the body and feet, the control or release of an object at an optimal position, and better use of the arms to maintain effective force production during the performance of FMS. Physical activity programs designed for overweight and obese children may need to address deficiencies in FMS proficiency to foster the movement capabilities required for participation in health-enhancing physical activity.

Developing Pharmacy Student Communication Skills through Role-Playing and Active Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Zeszotarski, Paula; Ma, Carolyn

2015-01-01

Objective. To evaluate the impact on pharmacy students of a communication course, which used role-playing to develop active-learning skills. Design. Students role-playing pharmacists in patient care scenarios were critiqued by students and pharmacist faculty members. Grading was performed using the rubric inspired by Bruce Berger’s Communication Skills for Pharmacists. Written skills were evaluated using student written critique questionnaires. Students completed precourse and postcourse self-assessment surveys. Preceptor evaluations were analyzed for course impact. Assessment. Students demonstrated improvement in oral skills based on role-play scores (45.87/50) after practice sessions. The average score based on the student questionnaire was 9.31/10. Gain was demonstrated in all defined course objectives. Impact on introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) communication objectives was insignificant. Student evaluations for course and teaching strategy reflected a high average. Conclusion. Study results demonstrated improvement in oral and written communication skills that may help improve interprofessional teamwork between pharmacists and other health care providers. PMID:25995519

Teaching basic lung isolation skills on human anatomy simulator: attainment and retention of lung isolation skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Latif, Rana K; VanHorne, Edgar M; Kandadai, Sunitha Kanchi; Bautista, Alexander F; Neamtu, Aurel; Wadhwa, Anupama; Carter, Mary B; Ziegler, Craig H; Memon, Mohammed Faisal; Akça, Ozan

2016-01-20

Lung isolation skills, such as correct insertion of double lumen endobronchial tube and bronchial blocker, are essential in anesthesia training; however, how to teach novices these skills is underexplored. Our aims were to determine (1) if novices can be trained to a basic proficiency level of lung isolation skills, (2) whether video-didactic and simulation-based trainings are comparable in teaching lung isolation basic skills, and (3) whether novice learners' lung isolation skills decay over time without practice. First, five board certified anesthesiologist with experience of more than 100 successful lung isolations were tested on Human Airway Anatomy Simulator (HAAS) to establish Expert proficiency skill level. Thirty senior medical students, who were naive to bronchoscopy and lung isolation techniques (Novice) were randomized to video-didactic and simulation-based trainings to learn lung isolation skills. Before and after training, Novices' performances were scored for correct placement using pass/fail scoring and a 5-point Global Rating Scale (GRS); and time of insertion was recorded. Fourteen novices were retested 2 months later to assess skill decay. Experts' and novices' double lumen endobronchial tube and bronchial blocker passing rates showed similar success rates after training (P >0.99). There were no differences between the video-didactic and simulation-based methods. Novices' time of insertion decayed within 2 months without practice. Novices could be trained to basic skill proficiency level of lung isolation. Video-didactic and simulation-based methods we utilized were found equally successful in training novices for lung isolation skills. Acquired skills partially decayed without practice.

Helpers' Self-Assessment Biases Before and after Helping Skills Training

Science.gov (United States)

Jaeken, Marine; Zech, Emmanuelle; Brison, Céline; Verhofstadt, Lesley L.; Van Broeck, Nady; Mikolajczak, Moïra

2017-01-01

Several studies have shown that therapists are generally biased concerning their performed helping skills, as compared to judges' ratings. As clients' ratings of therapists' performance are better predictors of psychotherapy effectiveness than judges' ratings, this study examined the validity and effectiveness of a helping skills training program at reducing novice helpers' self-enhancement biases concerning their helping skills, in comparison to their clients' ratings. Helping skills were assessed by three objective measures (a knowledge multiple choice test, a video test and a role play), as well as by a self- and peer-reported questionnaire. In addition, some performed helping skills' correlates (relationship quality, session quality, and helpers' therapeutic attitudes) were assessed both by helpers and their simulated helpees. Seventy-two sophomores in psychology participated to this study, 37 being assigned to a 12-h helping skills training program, and 35 to a control group. Helpers were expected to assess the aforementioned performed helping skills and correlates as being better than their helpees' assessments at pretest, thus revealing a self-enhancement bias. At posttest, we expected that trained helpers would objectively exhibit better helping skills than untrained helpers while beginning to underestimate their performance, thus indexing a self-diminishment bias. In contrast, we hypothesized that untrained helpers would continue to overestimate their performance. Our hypotheses were only partly confirmed but results reflected a skilled-unaware pattern among trainees. Trained helpers went either from a pretest overestimation to a posttest equivalence (performed helping skills and performed therapeutic attitudes), or from a pretest equivalence to a posttest underestimation (performed session quality and performed therapeutic relationship), as compared to helpees' ratings. Results showed that trained helpers improved on all helping skills objective measures

Helpers' Self-Assessment Biases Before and after Helping Skills Training.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaeken, Marine; Zech, Emmanuelle; Brison, Céline; Verhofstadt, Lesley L; Van Broeck, Nady; Mikolajczak, Moïra

2017-01-01

Several studies have shown that therapists are generally biased concerning their performed helping skills, as compared to judges' ratings. As clients' ratings of therapists' performance are better predictors of psychotherapy effectiveness than judges' ratings, this study examined the validity and effectiveness of a helping skills training program at reducing novice helpers' self-enhancement biases concerning their helping skills, in comparison to their clients' ratings. Helping skills were assessed by three objective measures (a knowledge multiple choice test, a video test and a role play), as well as by a self- and peer-reported questionnaire. In addition, some performed helping skills' correlates (relationship quality, session quality, and helpers' therapeutic attitudes) were assessed both by helpers and their simulated helpees. Seventy-two sophomores in psychology participated to this study, 37 being assigned to a 12-h helping skills training program, and 35 to a control group. Helpers were expected to assess the aforementioned performed helping skills and correlates as being better than their helpees' assessments at pretest, thus revealing a self-enhancement bias. At posttest, we expected that trained helpers would objectively exhibit better helping skills than untrained helpers while beginning to underestimate their performance, thus indexing a self-diminishment bias. In contrast, we hypothesized that untrained helpers would continue to overestimate their performance. Our hypotheses were only partly confirmed but results reflected a skilled-unaware pattern among trainees. Trained helpers went either from a pretest overestimation to a posttest equivalence (performed helping skills and performed therapeutic attitudes), or from a pretest equivalence to a posttest underestimation (performed session quality and performed therapeutic relationship), as compared to helpees' ratings. Results showed that trained helpers improved on all helping skills objective measures

Assessing time-management skills in terms of age, gender, and anxiety levels: a study on nursing and midwifery students in Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, Hatice; Kaya, Nurten; Palloş, Aylin Öztürk; Küçük, Leyla

2012-09-01

The success of university students depends on their ability to utilize time properly and completely. Students are required to learn to manage time so that they are able to apply the same degree of efficiency in the profession they choose after completing their education. This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted to determine nursing and midwifery students' time management skills in terms of their age, gender, and anxiety levels. The study population consisted of 1002 students, of which 584 students were selected for sampling. A Student Information Form, Time Management Inventory, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used to collect data. Among the students, 89.9% were female, and the average age was 20.58 years (SD = 2.10). The average score of the Time Management Inventory was 87.79 (SD = 11.78), the mean score of the State Anxiety Inventory was 40.11 (SD = 10.84), and that of the Trait Anxiety Inventory was 43.95 (SD = 7.98). Nursing and midwifery students' time management skills are at mid-level point. Female students were able to manage time better than male students and the time management skills of the students decreased as the anxiety level increased. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neuroplasticity-based Cognitive and Linguistic Skills Training Improves Reading and Writing Skills in College Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beth eRogowsky

2013-03-01

Full Text Available This study reports an evaluation of the effect of computer-based cognitive and linguistic training on college students’ reading and writing skills. The computer-based training included a series of increasingly challenging software programs that were designed to strengthen students’ foundational cognitive skills (memory, attention span, processing speed, and sequencing in the context of listening and higher level reading tasks. Twenty-five college students (12 native English language; 13 English Second Language who demonstrated poor writing skills participated in the training group. The training group received daily training during the spring semester (11 weeks with the Fast ForWord Literacy (FFW-L and upper levels of the Fast ForWord Reading series (Levels 3, 4 and 5. The comparison group (n=28 selected from the general college population did not receive training. Both the training and comparison groups attended the same university. All students took the Gates MacGinitie Reading Test (GMRT and the Oral and Written Language Scales (OWLS Written Expression Scale at the beginning (Time 1 and end (Time 2 of the spring college semester. Results from this study showed that the training group made a statistically greater improvement from Time 1 to Time 2 in both their reading skills and their writing skills than the comparison group. The group who received training began with statistically lower writing skills before training, but exceeded the writing skills of the comparison group after training.

Problematic video game play in a college sample and its relationship to time management skills and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptomology.

Science.gov (United States)

Tolchinsky, Anatol; Jefferson, Stephen D

2011-09-01

Although numerous benefits have been uncovered related to moderate video game play, research suggests that problematic video game playing behaviors can cause problems in the lives of some video game players. To further our understanding of this phenomenon, we investigated how problematic video game playing symptoms are related to an assortment of variables, including time management skills and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Additionally, we tested several simple mediation/moderation models to better explain previous theories that posit simple correlations between these variables. As expected, the results from the present study indicated that time management skills appeared to mediate the relationship between ADHD symptoms and problematic play endorsement (though only for men). Unexpectedly, we found that ADHD symptoms appeared to mediate the relation between time management skills and problematic play behaviors; however, this was only found for women in our sample. Finally, future implications are discussed.

Developing Top Managers: The Impact of Interpersonal Skills Training.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, John W.; Baruch, Yehuda

2003-01-01

A study assessed the impact of interpersonal skills training on top managers (n=252) by analyzing feedback from subordinates. The skills most responsive to training had clear objectives and outcome criteria and could be expressed as step-by-step routines. Soft skills were more difficult to improve in this way. (Contains 62 references.) (JOW)

Ageing and Skills: A Review and Analysis of Skill Gain and Skill Loss over the Lifespan and over Time. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 72

Science.gov (United States)

Desjardins, Richard; Warnke, Arne Jonas

2012-01-01

The relationship between ageing and skills is becoming an important policy issue, not least in the context of population ageing. Data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) will potentially add considerably to the understanding of the relationship between ageing and foundation skills. In particular, the…

Time-Correlated Single-Photon Counting Range Profiling of Moving Objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hedborg Julia

2016-01-01

TCSPC is a statistic method that requires an acquisition time and therefore the range profile of a non-stationary object (target may be corrupted. Here, we present results showing that it is possible to reconstruct the range profile of a moving target and calculate the velocity of the target.

Prior video game utilization is associated with improved performance on a robotic skills simulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Harbin, Andrew C; Nadhan, Kumar S; Mooney, James H; Yu, Daohai; Kaplan, Joshua; McGinley-Hence, Nora; Kim, Andrew; Gu, Yiming; Eun, Daniel D

2017-09-01

Laparoscopic surgery and robotic surgery, two forms of minimally invasive surgery (MIS), have recently experienced a large increase in utilization. Prior studies have shown that video game experience (VGE) may be associated with improved laparoscopic surgery skills; however, similar data supporting a link between VGE and proficiency on a robotic skills simulator (RSS) are lacking. The objective of our study is to determine whether volume or timing of VGE had any impact on RSS performance. Pre-clinical medical students completed a comprehensive questionnaire detailing previous VGE across several time periods. Seventy-five subjects were ultimately evaluated in 11 training exercises on the daVinci Si Skills Simulator. RSS skill was measured by overall score, time to completion, economy of motion, average instrument collision, and improvement in Ring Walk 3 score. Using the nonparametric tests and linear regression, these metrics were analyzed for systematic differences between non-users, light, and heavy video game users based on their volume of use in each of the following four time periods: past 3 months, past year, past 3 years, and high school. Univariate analyses revealed significant differences between heavy and non-users in all five performance metrics. These trends disappeared as the period of VGE went further back. Our study showed a positive association between video game experience and robotic skills simulator performance that is stronger for more recent periods of video game use. The findings may have important implications for the evolution of robotic surgery training.

Causes of Low-Skilled Workers’ Performance in Construction Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alhaji Ali Zannah

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Skilled workers’ performance is one of the crucial aspects of labour productivity that requires proper attention for effective projects delivery in the construction industry. The level of skilled workers’ low performance has been seen to be a major factor which contributes toward inefficient construction projects productivity. Therefore, the objective of this research is to identify the causes of low-skilled workers’ performance in construction projects in the Nigeria. The objective was achieved through a structured quantitative method of questionnaire distributed to 150 respondents that comprise of active stakeholders in the Nigerian construction industry. 111 responses representing 74 % were retrieved. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA. The finding shows that; low wages of skilled, lack of sufficient skill acquisition centres and lack of incentive schemes for skilled workers were the most significant causes of low-skilled workers’ performance in the Nigerian construction industry. The homogenous analysis indicates that there are significant differences in perception of respondents on few variables whereas majority of respondents have similarities in most of the variables. The research findings indicate the need for stakeholders in the Nigerian construction industry to provide incentives and motivate skilled workers, provide training and retraining, conducive working condition, supply of quality materials and equipment, and proper site management in order improve low-skilled workers’ performance in Nigerian construction industry towards optimal performance.

Skills Required for Nursing Career Advancement: A Qualitative Study

OpenAIRE

Sheikhi, Mohammad Reza; Fallahi-Khoshnab, Masoud; Mohammadi, Farahnaz; Oskouie, Fatemeh

2016-01-01

Background Nurses require certain skills for progression in their field. Identifying these skills can provide the context for nursing career advancement. Objectives This study aimed to identify the skills needed for nurses’ career advancement. Materials and Methods A qualitative approach using content analysis was adopted to study a purposive sample of eighteen nurses working in te...

Timing, timing, timing: Fast decoding of object information from intracranial field potentials in human visual cortex

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hesheng; Agam, Yigal; Madsen, Joseph R.; Kreiman, Gabriel

2010-01-01

Summary The difficulty of visual recognition stems from the need to achieve high selectivity while maintaining robustness to object transformations within hundreds of milliseconds. Theories of visual recognition differ in whether the neuronal circuits invoke recurrent feedback connections or not. The timing of neurophysiological responses in visual cortex plays a key role in distinguishing between bottom-up and top-down theories. Here we quantified at millisecond resolution the amount of visual information conveyed by intracranial field potentials from 912 electrodes in 11 human subjects. We could decode object category information from human visual cortex in single trials as early as 100 ms post-stimulus. Decoding performance was robust to depth rotation and scale changes. The results suggest that physiological activity in the temporal lobe can account for key properties of visual recognition. The fast decoding in single trials is compatible with feed-forward theories and provides strong constraints for computational models of human vision. PMID:19409272

Difficult conversations: teaching medical oncology trainees communication skills one hour at a time.

Science.gov (United States)

Epner, Daniel E; Baile, Walter F

2014-04-01

Difficult conversations about prognosis, end of life, and goals of care arise commonly in medical oncology practice. These conversations are often highly emotional. Medical oncologists need outstanding, patient-centered communication skills to build trust and rapport with their patients and help them make well-informed decisions. Key skills include exploring patients' perspectives, responding to emotion with empathy, and maintaining mindfulness during highly charged conversations. These skills can be taught and learned. Most previously described communication skills training curricula for oncology providers involve multiday retreats, which are costly and can disrupt busy clinical schedules. Many curricula involve a variety of oncology providers, such as physicians and nurses, at various stages of their careers. The authors developed a monthly, one-hour communication skills training seminar series exclusively for physicians in their first year of medical oncology subspecialty training. The curriculum involved a variety of interactive and engaging educational methods, including sociodramatic techniques, role-play, reflective writing, and Balint-type case discussion groups. Medical oncologists in their second and third years of training served as teaching assistants and peer mentors. Learners had the opportunity to practice skills during sessions and with patients between sessions. Learners acquired important skills and found the curriculum to be clinically relevant, judging by anonymous surveys and anonymous responses on reflective writing exercises. Results from the current curriculum are preliminary but lay the foundation for enhanced and expanded communication skills training programs in the future.

Communication behaviours of skilled and less skilled oncologists: a validation study of the Medical Interaction Process System (MIPS).

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Ford, Sarah; Hall, Angela

2004-09-01

The Medical Interaction Process System (MIPS) was originally developed in order to create a reliable observation tool for analysing doctor-patient encounters in the oncology setting. This paper reports a series of analyses carried out to establish whether the behaviour categories of the MIPS can discriminate between skilled and less skilled communicators. This involved the use of MIPS coded cancer consultations to compare the MIPS indices of 10 clinicians evaluated by an independent professional as skilled communicators with 10 who were considered less skilled. Eleven out of the 15 MIPS variables tested were able to distinguish the skilled from the less skilled group. Although limitations to the study are discussed, the results indicate that the MIPS has satisfactory discriminatory power and the results provide validity data that meet key objectives for developing the system. There is an ever-increasing need for reliable methods of assessing doctors' communication skills and evaluating medical interview teaching programmes. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Development and validation of trauma surgical skills metrics: Preliminary assessment of performance after training.

Science.gov (United States)

Shackelford, Stacy; Garofalo, Evan; Shalin, Valerie; Pugh, Kristy; Chen, Hegang; Pasley, Jason; Sarani, Babak; Henry, Sharon; Bowyer, Mark; Mackenzie, Colin F

2015-07-01

Maintaining trauma-specific surgical skills is an ongoing challenge for surgical training programs. An objective assessment of surgical skills is needed. We hypothesized that a validated surgical performance assessment tool could detect differences following a training intervention. We developed surgical performance assessment metrics based on discussion with expert trauma surgeons, video review of 10 experts and 10 novice surgeons performing three vascular exposure procedures and lower extremity fasciotomy on cadavers, and validated the metrics with interrater reliability testing by five reviewers blinded to level of expertise and a consensus conference. We tested these performance metrics in 12 surgical residents (Year 3-7) before and 2 weeks after vascular exposure skills training in the Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET) course. Performance was assessed in three areas as follows: knowledge (anatomic, management), procedure steps, and technical skills. Time to completion of procedures was recorded, and these metrics were combined into a single performance score, the Trauma Readiness Index (TRI). Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test compared pretraining/posttraining effects. Mean time to complete procedures decreased by 4.3 minutes (from 13.4 minutes to 9.1 minutes). The performance component most improved by the 1-day skills training was procedure steps, completion of which increased by 21%. Technical skill scores improved by 12%. Overall knowledge improved by 3%, with 18% improvement in anatomic knowledge. TRI increased significantly from 50% to 64% with ASSET training. Interrater reliability of the surgical performance assessment metrics was validated with single intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.7 to 0.98. A trauma-relevant surgical performance assessment detected improvements in specific procedure steps and anatomic knowledge taught during a 1-day course, quantified by the TRI. ASSET training reduced time to complete vascular

Utilities objectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cousin, Y.; Fabian, H.U.

1996-01-01

The policy of French and german utilities is to make use of nuclear energy as a long term, competitive and environmentally friendly power supply. The world electricity generation is due to double within the next 30 years. In the next 20 to 30 years the necessity of nuclear energy will be broadly recognized. More than for most industries, to deal properly with nuclear energy requires the combination of a consistent political will, of a proper institutional framework, of strong and legitimate control authorities, of a sophisticated industry and of operators with skilled management and human resources. One of the major risk facing nuclear energy is the loss of competitiveness. This can be achieved only through the combination of an optimized design, a consistent standardization, a proper industrial partnership and a stable long term strategy. Although the existing plants in Western Europe are already very safe, the policy is clearly to enhance the safety of the next generation of nuclear plants which are designing today. The French and German utilities have chosen an evolutionary approach based on experience and proven technologies, with an enhanced defense in depth and an objective of easier operation and maintenance. The cost objective is to maintain and improve what has been achieved in the best existing power plants in both countries. This calls for rational choices and optimized design to meet the safety objectives, a strong standardization policy, short construction times, high availability and enough flexibility to enable optimization of the fuel cycle throughout the lifetime of the plants. The conceptual design phase has proven that the French and German teams from industry and from the utilities are able to pursue both the safety and the cost objectives, basing their decision on a rational approach which could be accepted by the safety authorities. (J.S.)

Arthroscopic skills assessment and use of box model for training in arthroscopic surgery using Sawbones – “FAST” workstation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goyal Saumitra

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Arthroscopic skills training outside the operative room may decrease risks and errors by trainee surgeons. There is a need of simple objective method for evaluating proficiency and skill of arthroscopy trainees using simple bench model of arthroscopic simulator. The aim of this study is to correlate motor task performance to level of prior arthroscopic experience and establish benchmarks for training modules. Methods: Twenty orthopaedic surgeons performed a set of tasks to assess a arthroscopic triangulation, b navigation, c object handling and d meniscus trimming using SAWBONES “FAST” arthroscopy skills workstation. Time to completion and the errors were computed. The subjects were divided into four levels; “Novice”, “Beginner”, “Intermediate” and “Advanced” based on previous arthroscopy experience, for analyses of performance. Results: The task performance under transparent dome was not related to experience of the surgeon unlike opaque dome, highlighting the importance of hand-eye co-ordination required in arthroscopy. Median time to completion for each task improved as the level of experience increased and this was found to be statistically significant (p 85% of subjects across all the levels reported improvement in performance with sequential tasks. Conclusion: Use of the arthroscope requires visuo-spatial coordination which is a skill that develops with practice. This simple box model can reliably differentiate the arthroscopic skills based on experience and can be used to monitor progression of skills of trainees in institutions.

The Objective and Subjective Caregiving Burden and Caregiving Behaviours of Parents of Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhind, Charlotte; Salerno, Laura; Hibbs, Rebecca; Micali, Nadia; Schmidt, Ulrike; Gowers, Simon; Macdonald, Pamela; Goddard, Elizabeth; Todd, Gillian; Tchanturia, Kate; Lo Coco, Gianluca; Treasure, Janet

2016-07-01

The study aimed to examine caregiving burden and levels of distress, accommodating behaviours, expressed emotion (EE) and carers' skills, in parents of adolescents with anorexia nervosa. A semi-structured interview assessed the objective burden (time spent across caregiving tasks) in parents (n = 196) of adolescents (n = 144) receiving outpatient treatment for anorexia nervosa. Subjective burden (carers' distress), accommodating behaviours, EE and carers' skills were measured by self-report. Mothers, on average, spent 2.5 h/day of care, mainly providing food and emotional support, compared with 1 h/day by fathers. The level of distress and accommodating behaviour was significantly lower in fathers than in mothers. Accommodating behaviours mediated the relationship between objective burden and subjective burden in mothers, whereas EE and carers' skills did not mediate this relationship for either parent. The objective burden for most mothers is high. In order to reduce subjective burden, it may be helpful to target accommodating behaviours. ISRCTN83003225 - Expert Carers Helping Others (ECHO). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Face validity and reliability of a pictorial instrument for assessing fundamental movement skill perceived competence in young children.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Lisa M; Ridgers, Nicola D; Zask, Avigdor; Salmon, Jo

2015-01-01

To determine reliability and face validity of an instrument to assess young children's perceived fundamental movement skill competence. Validation and reliability study. A pictorial instrument based on the Test Gross Motor Development-2 assessed perceived locomotor (six skills) and object control (six skills) competence using the format and item structure from the physical competence subscale of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Acceptance for Young Children. Sample 1 completed object control items in May (n=32) and locomotor items in October 2012 (n=23) at two time points seven days apart. Children were asked at the end of the test-retest their understanding of what was happening in each picture to determine face validity. Sample 2 (n=58) completed 12 items in November 2012 on a single occasion to test internal reliability only. Sample 1 children were aged 5-7 years (M=6.0, SD=0.8) at object control assessment and 5-8 years at locomotor assessment (M=6.5, SD=0.9). Sample 2 children were aged 6-8 years (M=7.2, SD=0.73). Intra-class correlations assessed in Sample 1 children were excellent for object control (intra-class correlation=0.78), locomotor (intra-class correlation=0.82) and all 12 skills (intra-class correlations=0.83). Face validity was acceptable. Internal consistency was adequate in both samples for each subscale and all 12 skills (alpha range 0.60-0.81). This study has provided preliminary evidence for instrument reliability and face validity. This enables future alignment between the measurement of perceived and actual fundamental movement skill competence in young children. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contributions of Phonological Processing Skills to Reading Skills in Arabic Speaking Children

Science.gov (United States)

Taibah, Nadia J.; Haynes, Charles W.

2011-01-01

This cross-sectional study investigated contributions of phonological awareness (Elision and blending), rapid naming (object, color, letter, and digit), and phonological memory (nonword repetition and Digit Span) to basic decoding and fluency skills in Arabic. Participants were 237 Arabic speaking children from Grades K-3. Dependent measures…

Food and Culinary Knowledge and Skills: Perceptions of Undergraduate Dietetic Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Marcia J; Mezzabotta, Leanne; Murphy, Joseph

2017-03-01

The objective of the current study was to examine food and culinary skills and knowledge of dietetic students. An online bilingual survey was created using Survey Monkey TM to explore the skills, knowledge, and perceptions of undergraduate dietetic students regarding food and cooking. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to compare skills and knowledge of food and culinary concepts. The final sample included second- (n = 22) and third-year (n = 22) students within the Baccalauréat specialisé en sciences de la nutrition program at the University of Ottawa. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) on 3 of 4 skills (preparing a cake, whipping egg whites, or baking a yeast bread) or knowledge concepts (fold, baste, braise, grill, and poach) amongst second- and third-year students. Third-year students perceived more skill in preparing a béchamel sauce. There was a trend for third-year students (59%) to have higher food and cooking skills and knowledge compared with second-year students (32%). Perceived knowledge and confidence was proportional with the academic year, whereas overall knowledge and skills of food and culinary concepts were moderate among both groups of students. This research suggests that more dedicated time may need to be spent on food and cooking competencies in undergraduate dietetic education.

Neurosurgical Skills Assessment: Measuring Technical Proficiency in Neurosurgery Residents Through Intraoperative Video Evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkiss, Christopher A; Philemond, Steven; Lee, James; Sobotka, Stanislaw; Holloway, Terrell D; Moore, Maximillian M; Costa, Anthony B; Gordon, Errol L; Bederson, Joshua B

2016-05-01

Although technical skills are fundamental in neurosurgery, there is little agreement on how to describe, measure, or compare skills among surgeons. The primary goal of this study was to develop a quantitative grading scale for technical surgical performance that distinguishes operator skill when graded by domain experts (residents, attendings, and nonsurgeons). Scores provided by raters should be highly reliable with respect to scores from other observers. Neurosurgery residents were fitted with a head-mounted video camera while performing craniotomies under attending supervision. Seven videos, 1 from each postgraduate year (PGY) level (1-7), were anonymized and scored by 16 attendings, 8 residents, and 7 nonsurgeons using a grading scale. Seven skills were graded: incision, efficiency of instrument use, cauterization, tissue handling, drilling/craniotomy, confidence, and training level. A strong correlation was found between skills score and PGY year (P Technical skills of neurosurgery residents recorded during craniotomy can be measured with high interrater reliability. Surgeons and nonsurgeons alike readily distinguish different skill levels. This type of assessment could be used to coach residents, to track performance over time, and potentially to compare skill levels. Developing an objective tool to evaluate surgical performance would be useful in several areas of neurosurgery education. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Are gross motor skills and sports participation related in children with intellectual disabilities?

Science.gov (United States)

Westendorp, Marieke; Houwen, Suzanne; Hartman, Esther; Visscher, Chris

2011-01-01

This study compared the specific gross motor skills of 156 children with intellectual disabilities (ID) (50 ≤ IQ ≥ 79) with that of 255 typically developing children, aged 7-12 years. Additionally, the relationship between the specific gross motor skills and organized sports participation was examined in both groups. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 and a self-report measure were used to assess children's gross motor skills and sports participation, respectively. The children with ID scored significantly lower on almost all specific motor skill items than the typically developing children. Children with mild ID scored lower on the locomotor skills than children with borderline ID. Furthermore, we found in all groups that children with higher object-control scores participated more in organized sports than children with lower object-control scores. Our results support the importance of attention for well-developed gross motor skills in children with borderline and mild ID, especially to object-control skills, which might contribute positively to their sports participation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ageing and skills

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Desjardins, Richard; Warnke, Arne Jonas

The relationship between ageing and skills is becoming an important policy issue, not least in the context of population ageing. Data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) will potentially add considerably to the understanding of the relationship between...... ageing and foundation skills. In particular, the fact that data from the 1994-1998 International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) and the 2003-2007 Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL) will be linked with PIAAC offers a unique opportunity to examine trends over time at the cohort level for a wide range...... of countries. Specifically, repeated measures will enable an analysis of whether there is skill gain and skill loss over the lifespan of cohorts and overtime between cohorts. This is especially important because age-skill profiles observed on the basis of a single cross-section are difficult to interpret...

Ineffective ADL skills in women with fibromyalgia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Von Bülow, Cecilie; Amris, Kirstine; la Cour, Karen

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Subgroups of women with fibromyalgia likely show different activity of daily living (ADL) skill deficits. Identifying ineffective ADL skills of significance in the 'typical' woman with fibromyalgia will promote the planning of targeted occupational therapy interventions aiming...... at improving ADL ability. OBJECTIVE: To identify frequently reported ADL skill deficits of significance in subgroups of women with fibromyalgia who have decreased ADL motor ability in combination with decreased or competent ADL process ability. METHOD: Women with fibromyalgia were evaluated with the Assessment...... of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS). If they demonstrated decreased ADL motor ability, the calibrated AMPS raters identified and reported ineffective ADL skills of significance. Descriptive comparisons were made between subgroups displaying either decreased or competent ADL process ability. RESULTS: Moves...

Retention of fundamental surgical skills learned in robot-assisted surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Suh, Irene H; Mukherjee, Mukul; Shah, Bhavin C; Oleynikov, Dmitry; Siu, Ka-Chun

2012-12-01

Evaluation of the learning curve for robotic surgery has shown reduced errors and decreased task completion and training times compared with regular laparoscopic surgery. However, most training evaluations of robotic surgery have only addressed short-term retention after the completion of training. Our goal was to investigate the amount of surgical skills retained after 3 months of training with the da Vinci™ Surgical System. Seven medical students without any surgical experience were recruited. Participants were trained with a 4-day training program of robotic surgical skills and underwent a series of retention tests at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months post-training. Data analysis included time to task completion, speed, distance traveled, and movement curvature by the instrument tip. Performance of the participants was graded using the modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) for robotic surgery. Participants filled out a survey after each training session by answering a set of questions. Time to task completion and the movement curvature was decreased from pre- to post-training and the performance was retained at all the corresponding retention periods: 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months. The modified OSATS showed improvement from pre-test to post-test and this improvement was maintained during all the retention periods. Participants increased in self-confidence and mastery in performing robotic surgical tasks after training. Our novel comprehensive training program improved robot-assisted surgical performance and learning. All trainees retained their fundamental surgical skills for 3 months after receiving the training program.

Clinical skills temporal degradation assessment in undergraduate medical education.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Joseph; Viscusi, Rebecca; Ratesic, Adam; Johnstone, Cameron; Kelley, Ross; Tegethoff, Angela M; Bates, Jessica; Situ-Lacasse, Elaine H; Adamas-Rappaport, William J; Amini, Richard

2018-01-01

Medical students' ability to learn clinical procedures and competently apply these skills is an essential component of medical education. Complex skills with limited opportunity for practice have been shown to degrade without continued refresher training. To our knowledge there is no evidence that objectively evaluates temporal degradation of clinical skills in undergraduate medical education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate temporal retention of clinical skills among third year medical students. This was a cross-sectional study conducted at four separate time intervals in the cadaver laboratory at a public medical school. Forty-five novice third year medical students were evaluated for retention of skills in the following three procedures: pigtail thoracostomy, femoral line placement, and endotracheal intubation. Prior to the start of third-year medical clerkships, medical students participated in a two-hour didactic session designed to teach clinically relevant materials including the procedures. Prior to the start of their respective surgery clerkships, students were asked to perform the same three procedures and were evaluated by trained emergency medicine and surgery faculty for retention rates, using three validated checklists. Students were then reassessed at six week intervals in four separate groups based on the start date of their respective surgical clerkships. We compared the evaluation results between students tested one week after training and those tested at three later dates for statistically significant differences in score distribution using a one-tailed Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney U-test for non-parametric rank-sum analysis. Retention rates were shown to have a statistically significant decline between six and 12 weeks for all three procedural skills. In the instruction of medical students, skill degradation should be considered when teaching complex technical skills. Based on the statistically significant decline in procedural skills noted

The time course of activation of object shape and shape+colour representations during memory retrieval.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toby J Lloyd-Jones

Full Text Available Little is known about the timing of activating memory for objects and their associated perceptual properties, such as colour, and yet this is important for theories of human cognition. We investigated the time course associated with early cognitive processes related to the activation of object shape and object shape+colour representations respectively, during memory retrieval as assessed by repetition priming in an event-related potential (ERP study. The main findings were as follows: (1 we identified a unique early modulation of mean ERP amplitude during the N1 that was associated with the activation of object shape independently of colour; (2 we also found a subsequent early P2 modulation of mean amplitude over the same electrode clusters associated with the activation of object shape+colour representations; (3 these findings were apparent across both familiar (i.e., correctly coloured - yellow banana and novel (i.e., incorrectly coloured - blue strawberry objects; and (4 neither of the modulations of mean ERP amplitude were evident during the P3. Together the findings delineate the timing of object shape and colour memory systems and support the notion that perceptual representations of object shape mediate the retrieval of temporary shape+colour representations for familiar and novel objects.

The time course of activation of object shape and shape+colour representations during memory retrieval.

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd-Jones, Toby J; Roberts, Mark V; Leek, E Charles; Fouquet, Nathalie C; Truchanowicz, Ewa G

2012-01-01

Little is known about the timing of activating memory for objects and their associated perceptual properties, such as colour, and yet this is important for theories of human cognition. We investigated the time course associated with early cognitive processes related to the activation of object shape and object shape+colour representations respectively, during memory retrieval as assessed by repetition priming in an event-related potential (ERP) study. The main findings were as follows: (1) we identified a unique early modulation of mean ERP amplitude during the N1 that was associated with the activation of object shape independently of colour; (2) we also found a subsequent early P2 modulation of mean amplitude over the same electrode clusters associated with the activation of object shape+colour representations; (3) these findings were apparent across both familiar (i.e., correctly coloured - yellow banana) and novel (i.e., incorrectly coloured - blue strawberry) objects; and (4) neither of the modulations of mean ERP amplitude were evident during the P3. Together the findings delineate the timing of object shape and colour memory systems and support the notion that perceptual representations of object shape mediate the retrieval of temporary shape+colour representations for familiar and novel objects.

"Not" Just Wanna Have Fun: Teaching Listening Skills with Songs

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullah, Amalia Qistina

2013-01-01

Teaching listening skills is very challenging to ESL teachers. It involves active participation from both teachers and students to ensure the objectives of teaching listening skills can be achieved. Hence, this presentation provides interesting and exciting strategies to teach listening skills using selected songs. It is hoped that this would…

The timing and importance of motor skills course in knee arthroscopy training.

Science.gov (United States)

Çetinkaya, Engin; Çift, Hakan; Aybar, Ahmet; Erçin, Ersin; Güler, Gamze Babür; Poyanlı, Oğuz

2017-07-01

The aim of this prospective study is to evaluate the impact of the simulation training program in learning duration of arthroscopic motor skills. Furthermore, we investigated the difference between junior and experienced residents in the improvement of arthroscopic motor skills duration. We established 2 study groups according to participants' year of experience in orthopedic residency with junior group residents with three years or less than three years experience as group 1 and experienced group with over 3 years of experience as group 2. We calculated duration change of motor skill test results for each participant before and after the course. The tools used were; auto scoring mirror tracer(ASMT), 0'Conner the tweezer dexterity test(OCTDT), etch-a-sketch with overlay(ESOT), purdue the pegboard test(PPT), two-arm coordination test(TACT) and grooved pegboard test(GPT) which were all produced by Lafayette firm. These instruments were used to practice and measure the basic motor skills. All post-course test durations for participants decreased significantly when compared to pre-course. We calculated percentage change of motor skill test results for each participant before and after the course. All motor skill test percentage changes were similar between two groups. In comparison of participants according to their experiences, results revealed that there was no difference in test results of experienced and junior surgeons. Both groups had provided equal improvement in terms of motor skills. As our results revealed, residents will be able to act with a strong motivation to learn applications through basic arthroscopic information gained in early period of orthopedic training and will make more successful applications of real patients. Copyright © 2017 Turkish Association of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

State-of-the-art Versus Time-triggered Object Tracking in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moritz Koplin

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Most state-of-the-art driver assistance systems cannot guarantee that real-time images of object states are updated within a given time interval, because the object state observations are typically sampled by uncontrolled sensors and transmitted via an indeterministic bus system such as CAN. To overcome this shortcoming, a paradigm shift toward time-triggered advanced driver assistance systems based on a deterministic bus system, such as FlexRay, is under discussion. In order to prove the feasibility of this paradigm shift, this paper develops different models of a state-of-the-art and a time-triggered advanced driver assistance system based on multi-sensor object tracking and compares them with regard to their mean performance. The results show that while the state-of-the-art model is advantageous in scenarios with low process noise, it is outmatched by the time-triggered model in the case of high process noise, i.e., in complex situations with high dynamic.

Skill development in experimental courses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Héctor Bagán

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Experimental courses offer a good opportunity to work with competences, promoting the incorporation of strategies oriented towards motivating students to actively involve in the learning process, promoting reflexive learning and developing generic skills. This study presents different ways of developing and evaluating some important general skills, settle on four specific objectives: 1. To increase student motivation using samples of potential interest to students and explaining real-live application of their samples analyses; 2. To assist students’ self-regulation and learning autonomy by using the portfolio; 3. To promote group work through experiments in pairs and small-group discussions; 4. To develop communication skills through small-group discussions and oral presentations. Results show that the type of sample used and real-life application has important influence on motivation. The portfolio is a good tool to promote reflection and to evaluate both specific and generic skills in experimental courses, the dynamics of a laboratory course permit students to develop their group-work and communicative skills, and peer evaluations both improve students’ communication skills and promote metacognitive reflection. Finally, the project demonstrates that it is possible to train students in general skills using the specific course content and that the incorporation of participatory methodologies encourages students to become actively involved in the teaching-learning process.

[Implementation of bedside training and advanced objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) trial to learn and confirm about pharmacy clinical skills].

Science.gov (United States)

Tokunaga, Jin; Takamura, Norito; Ogata, Kenji; Setoguchi, Nao; Sato, Keizo

2013-01-01

Bedside training for fourth-year students, as well as seminars in hospital pharmacy (vital sign seminars) for fifth-year students at the Department of Pharmacy of Kyushu University of Health and Welfare have been implemented using patient training models and various patient simulators. The introduction of simulation-based pharmaceutical education, where no patients are present, promotes visually, aurally, and tactilely simulated learning regarding the evaluation of vital signs and implementation of physical assessment when disease symptoms are present or adverse effects occur. A patient simulator also promotes the creation of training programs for emergency and critical care, with which basic as well as advanced life support can be practiced. In addition, an advanced objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) trial has been implemented to evaluate skills regarding vital signs and physical assessments. Pharmacists are required to examine vital signs and conduct physical assessment from a pharmaceutical point of view. The introduction of these pharmacy clinical skills will improve the efficacy of drugs, work for the prevention or early detection of adverse effects, and promote the appropriate use of drugs. It is considered that simulation-based pharmaceutical education is essential to understand physical assessment, and such education will ideally be applied and developed according to on-site practices.

Influence of timing of delayed hard palate closure on articulation skills in 3-year-old Danish children with unilateral cleft lip and palate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Willadsen, Elisabeth; Boers, Maria; Schöps, Antje

2017-01-01

Background Differing results regarding articulation skills in young children with cleft palate (CP) have been reported and often interpreted as a consequence of different surgical protocols. Aims To assess the influence of different timing of hard palate closure in a two-stage procedure on articu......Background Differing results regarding articulation skills in young children with cleft palate (CP) have been reported and often interpreted as a consequence of different surgical protocols. Aims To assess the influence of different timing of hard palate closure in a two-stage procedure...... on articulation skills in 3-year-olds born with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). Secondary aims were to compare results with peers without CP, and to investigate if there are gender differences in articulation skills. Furthermore, burden of treatment was to be estimated in terms of secondary surgery...

Communication skills assessment in the final postgraduate years to established practice: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillis, Amy E; Morris, Marie C; Ridgway, Paul F

2015-01-01

Communication breakdown is a factor in the majority of all instances of medical error. Despite the importance, a relative paucity of time is invested in communication skills in postgraduate curricula. Our objective is to systematically review the literature to identify the current tools used to assess communication skills in postgraduate trainees in the latter 2 years of training and in established practice. Two reviewers independently reviewed the literature identifying communication skill assessment tools, for postgraduate trainees in the latter 2 years of training and in established practice following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses framework, and inclusion/exclusion criteria from January 1990 to 15 August 2014. PubMed/CINAHL/ERIC/EMBASE/PsycInfo/Psyc Articles/Cochrane. 222 articles were identified; after review, 34 articles fulfilled criteria for complete evaluation; the majority (26) had a high level of evidence scoring 3 or greater on the Best Evidence Medical Education guide. 22 articles used objective structured clinical examination/standardised patient (SP)-based formats in an assessment or training capacity. Evaluation tools included author-developed questionnaires and validated tools. Nineteen articles demonstrated an educational initiative. The reviewed literature is heterogeneous for objectives and measurement techniques for communication. Observed interactions, with patients or SPs, is the current favoured method of evaluation using author-developed questionnaires. The role of self-evaluation of skill level is questioned. The need for a validated assessment tool for communication skills is highlighted. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Effectiveness of communication skills training for dental students.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ter Horst, G.; Leeds, J.G.; Hoogstraten, J.

1984-01-01

27 1st-yr dental students participated in a 3-day communication-skills training, and 39 nonparticipating 1st-yr dental students served as controls, to investigate the short-term effects of the training on participating Ss' communication skills. The general objective of the training was to advance

Do young novice drivers overestimate their driving skills?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Craen, S. de Twisk, D.A.M. Hagenzieker, M.P. Elffers, H. & Brookhuis, K.A.

2007-01-01

In this study the authors argue that, in order to sufficiently adapt to task demands in traffic, drivers have to make an assessment of their own driving skills. There are indications that drivers in general, and novice drivers in particular, overestimate their driving skills. The objective of this

A prospective study evaluating cochlear implant management skills: development and validation of the Cochlear Implant Management Skills survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, R J; Jayakody, D M P; Eikelboom, R H; Taljaard, D S; Atlas, M D

2016-02-01

To investigate the ability of cochlear implant (CI) recipients to physically handle and care for their hearing implant device(s) and to identify factors that may influence skills. To assess device management skills, a clinical survey was developed and validated on a clinical cohort of CI recipients. Survey development and validation. A prospective convenience cohort design study. Specialist hearing implant clinic. Forty-nine post-lingually deafened, adult CI recipients, at least 12 months postoperative. Survey test-retest reliability, interobserver reliability and responsiveness. Correlations between management skills and participant demographic, audiometric, clinical outcomes and device factors. The Cochlear Implant Management Skills survey was developed, demonstrating high test-retest reliability (0.878), interobserver reliability (0.972) and responsiveness to intervention (skills training) [t(20) = -3.913, P = 0.001]. Cochlear Implant Management Skills survey scores range from 54.69% to 100% (mean: 83.45%, sd: 12.47). No associations were found between handling skills and participant factors. This is the first study to demonstrate a range in cochlear implant device handling skills in CI recipients and offers clinicians and researchers a tool to systematically and objectively identify shortcomings in CI recipients' device handling skills. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Inter-Disciplinary Impact of Computerized Application of Spatial Visualization on Motor and Concentration Skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esther Zaretsky

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The present inter-disciplinary research is aimed at investigating the impact of computerized application of spatial visualization on motor and concentration skills. An experiment composed of experimental and control groups for checking the central hypothesis among subjects of the same age group was carried out by physical education MA students. Virtual simulations offer MA students and teachers the unique opportunity to observe and manipulate normally inaccessible objects, variables and processes in real time. The research design focused on a qualitative research comparing the pupils' percents of success in spatial visualization and motor skills between pre- and post- training. The findings showed that just as the students realized the experimental group pupils' achievements, the computer's inter-disciplinary impact on motor performance and concentration skills became clear to the MA students. The virtual computerized training based on spatial visualization mostly contributed to the inter-disciplinary research, physical education and communication. All the findings lead to the conclusion that computerized application of spatial visualization seem to mediate between virtual reality and developing motor skills in real time involving penalty kick, basketball, jumping, etc.

Real-time visual tracking of less textured three-dimensional objects on mobile platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Byung-Kuk; Park, Jungsik; Park, Hanhoon; Park, Jong-Il

2012-12-01

Natural feature-based approaches are still challenging for mobile applications (e.g., mobile augmented reality), because they are feasible only in limited environments such as highly textured and planar scenes/objects, and they need powerful mobile hardware for fast and reliable tracking. In many cases where conventional approaches are not effective, three-dimensional (3-D) knowledge of target scenes would be beneficial. We present a well-established framework for real-time visual tracking of less textured 3-D objects on mobile platforms. Our framework is based on model-based tracking that efficiently exploits partially known 3-D scene knowledge such as object models and a background's distinctive geometric or photometric knowledge. Moreover, we elaborate on implementation in order to make it suitable for real-time vision processing on mobile hardware. The performance of the framework is tested and evaluated on recent commercially available smartphones, and its feasibility is shown by real-time demonstrations.

The Relationship Between Technical And Nontechnical Skills Within A Simulation-Based Ureteroscopy Training Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Brunckhorst, Oliver; Shahid, Shahab; Aydin, Abdullatif; Khan, Shahid; McIlhenny, Craig; Brewin, James; Sahai, Arun; Bello, Fernando; Kneebone, Roger; Shamim Khan, Muhammad; Dasgupta, Prokar; Ahmed, Kamran

2015-01-01

Little integration of technical and nontechnical skills (e.g., situational awareness, communication, decision making, teamwork, and leadership) teaching exists within surgery. We therefore aimed to (1) evaluate the relationship between these 2 skill sets within a simulation-based environment and (2) assess if certain nontechnical skill components are of particular relevance to technical performance. A prospective analysis of data acquired from a comparative study of simulation vs nonsimulation training was conducted. Half of the participants underwent training of technical and nontechnical skills within ureteroscopy, with the remaining half undergoing no training. All were assessed within a full immersion environment against both technical (time to completion, Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills, and task-specific checklist scores) and nontechnical parameters (Nontechnical Skills for Surgeons [NOTSS] rating scale). The data of whole and individual cohorts were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient. The trial took place within the Simulation and Interactive Learning Centre at Guy's Hospital, London, UK. In total, 32 novice participants with no prior practical ureteroscopy experience were included within the data analysis. A correlation was found within all outcome measures analyzed. For the whole cohort, a strong negative correlation was found between time to completion and NOTSS scores (r = -0.75, p Technical Skills (r = 0.89, p technical skill parameters, regardless of training. A strong correlation between technical and nontechnical performance exists, which was demonstrated to be irrespective of training received. This may suggest an inherent link between skill sets. Furthermore, all nontechnical skill sets are important in technical performance. This supports the notion that both of these skills should be trained and assessed together within 1 curriculum. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by

Internet Skills Performance Tests: Are People Ready for eHealth?

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van Dijk, Jan A G M

2011-01-01

Background Despite the amount of online health information, there are several barriers that limit the Internet’s adoption as a source of health information. One of these barriers is highlighted in conceptualizations of the digital divide which include the differential possession of Internet skills, or “eHealth literacy”. Most measures of Internet skills among populations at large use self-assessments. The research discussed here applies a multifaceted definition of Internet skills and uses actual performance tests. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess how ready a sample of the general population is for eHealth. More specifically, four types of Internet skills were measured in a performance test in which subjects had to complete health-related assignments on the Internet. Methods From November 1, 2009, through February 28, 2010, 88 subjects participated in the study. Subjects were randomly selected from a telephone directory. A selective quota sample was used divided over equal subsamples of gender, age, and education. Each subject had to accomplish assignments on the Internet. The Internet skills accounted for were categorized as operational (basic skills to use the Internet), formal (navigation and orientation), information (finding information), and strategic (using the information for personal benefits). The tests took approximately 1.5 hours and were conducted in a University office, making the setting equally new for all. Successful completion and time spent on the assignments—the two main outcomes—were directly measured by the test leader. Results The subjects successfully completed an average of 73% (5.8/8) of the operational Internet skill tasks and an average of 73% (2.9/4) of the formal Internet skill tasks. Of the information Internet skills tasks, an average of 50% (1.5/3) was completed successfully and, of the strategic Internet skills tasks, 35% (0.7/2). Only 28% (25/88) of the subjects were able to successfully complete all

Intelligent Virtual Reality and its Impact on Spatial Skills and Academic Achievements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esther Zaretsky

2005-08-01

Full Text Available It is known that the training of intelligent virtual reality, through the use of computer games, can improve spatial skills especially visualization and enhances academic achievements. Through an experiment of using Tetris software, two objectives were achieved: developing spatial as well as intelligence skills and enhancing academic achievements, focusing on mathematics. This study followed studies dealing with the impact on putting the learner into action in 3d space software. During teaching a transition from 2d to 3d spatial perception and operation occurred. A positive transfer from 3d virtual reality rotation training to structural induction skills, by means of mental imaging, was also achieved. At the same time the motivation for learning was enhanced, without using extrinsic reinforcements. The duration of concentration while using the intelligent software increased gradually up to 60 minutes.

Time-dependent bow shocks and the condensation structure of Herbig-Haro objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raga, A.C.; Bohm, K.H.

1987-01-01

Some Herbig-Haro objects show a structure which appears to look like a bow shock, but also show a number of condensations superposed on this bow-shaped structure. In the case of HH 1 and HH 2 considerably different proper motions have been measured for the individual condensations. It is, however, very hard to explain why the condensations remain so close to each other if they are indeed separate entities. In this paper it is shown that an interpretation of the whole Herbig-Haro object as a single, time-dependent bow shock provides a natural explanation for the occurrence of condensations (which in numerical calculations appear to be associated with thermal instabilities in the postshock flow) with different proper motions. To this effect, time-dependent, axisymmetric, nonadiabatic bow shock models have been developed from which predictions were obtained for spatially resolved H-alpha intensity maps, and then these predictions are compared qualitatively with observations of a few Herbig-Haro objects. 57 references

Basic Laparoscopic Skills Assessment Study: Validation and Standard Setting among Canadian Urology Trainees.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jason Y; Andonian, Sero; Pace, Kenneth T; Grober, Ethan

2017-06-01

As urology training programs move to a competency based medical education model, iterative assessments with objective standards will be required. To develop a valid set of technical skills standards we initiated a national skills assessment study focusing initially on laparoscopic skills. Between February 2014 and March 2016 the basic laparoscopic skill of Canadian urology trainees and attending urologists was assessed using 4 standardized tasks from the AUA (American Urological Association) BLUS (Basic Laparoscopic Urological Surgery) curriculum, including peg transfer, pattern cutting, suturing and knot tying, and vascular clip applying. All performances were video recorded and assessed using 3 methods, including time and error based scoring, expert global rating scores and C-SATS (Crowd-Sourced Assessments of Technical Skill Global Rating Scale), a novel, crowd sourced assessment platform. Different methods of standard setting were used to develop pass-fail cut points. Six attending urologists and 99 trainees completed testing. Reported laparoscopic experience and training level correlated with performance (p standard setting methods to define pass-fail cut points for all 4 AUA BLUS tasks. The 4 AUA BLUS tasks demonstrated good construct validity evidence for use in assessing basic laparoscopic skill. Performance scores using the novel C-SATS platform correlated well with traditional time-consuming methods of assessment. Various standard setting methods were used to develop pass-fail cut points for educators to use when making formative and summative assessments of basic laparoscopic skill. Copyright © 2017 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploring the relationship between time management skills and the academic achievement of African engineering students - a case study

Science.gov (United States)

Swart, Arthur James; Lombard, Kobus; de Jager, Henk

2010-03-01

Poor academic success by African engineering students is currently experienced in many higher educational institutions, contributing to lower financial subsidies by local governments. One of the contributing factors to this low academic success may be the poor time management skills of these students. This article endeavours to explore this relationship by means of a theoretical literature review and an empirical study. Numerous studies have been conducted in this regard, but with mixed results. The case study of this article involves a design module termed Design Projects III, where the empirical study incorporated an ex post facto study involving a pre-experimental/exploratory design using descriptive statistics. The results of this study were applied to various tests, which indicated no statistically significant relationship between time management skills and the academic achievement of African engineering students.

Mastery of fundamental movement skills among children in New South Wales: prevalence and sociodemographic distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Okely, A D; Booth, M L

2004-09-01

Fundamental movement skills form the foundation for many of the specific motor skills employed in popular sports and leisure activities. Little data exist on the prevalence and socioeconomic distribution of fundamental movement skill mastery among young children in Australia. This study process-assessed performance on six fundamental movement skills in a randomly selected sample of students from Years 1 through 3 in the Sydney metropolitan area of New South Wales. The prevalence and sociodemographic distribution of mastery and near mastery for each skill and each skill component is reported for boys and girls in each school year. The findings revealed that the prevalence of mastery and near mastery of each of fundamental movement skill was generally low. Boys performed significantly better than girls in the run and in the four object-control skills (throw, catch, kick, and strike) whilst girls performed better than boys in the skip. There was no consistent association between prevalence of skill mastery and socio-economic status (SES), with only the kick and vertical jump for boys and catch, dodge, and vertical jump for girls differing across SES tertiles. Based on these results, we recommend that adequate curriculum time, resources, and professional development continue to be devoted to fundamental movement skills in NSW primary schools.

Physical activity and movement skills proficiency of young Filipino children.

Science.gov (United States)

Capio, Catherine M; Sit, Cindy H P; Eguia, Kathlynne F; Abernethy, Bruce

2014-08-01

Recent reports indicate an increasing prevalence of overweight among Filipino children. Considering the known association of physical activity (PA) with obesity, this study reports the findings of an objective monitoring of PA in a sample of Filipino children. The study also explores the relationship of PA with fundamental movement skills (FMS) proficiency. Thirty-two children (6.54 ± 2.45 years old) wore an accelerometer for 7 days of PA monitoring and were assessed on five FMS (throw, catch, kick, run, jump). The children met the World Health Organization's recommendation of 60 min of PA per day, with more active time being accrued during weekdays than weekends. Children with greater FMS proficiency were found to spend more time in PA than those who were less skillful during weekends. Further research is recommended to examine PA and FMS proficiency associations, exploring the role of social interactions on weekends and weekdays. © 2014 Japan Pediatric Society.

Critical Thinking Skills Evidenced in Graduate Students Blogs

Science.gov (United States)

Cain, Holly Reed; Giraud, Vivana; Stedman, Nicole L. P.; Adams, Brittany L.

2012-01-01

The objective of this research was to identify Facione's six critical thinking skills using graduate students blogs as a reflection tool in the context of leadership using structured and unstructured blogs. The skills researched were (a) Interpretation, (b) Analysis, (c) Evaluation, (d) Inference, (e) Explanation, and (f) Self-Regulation (Facione,…

Proficiency training on a virtual reality robotic surgical skills curriculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Bric, Justin; Connolly, Michael; Kastenmeier, Andrew; Goldblatt, Matthew; Gould, Jon C

2014-12-01

The clinical application of robotic surgery is increasing. The skills necessary to perform robotic surgery are unique from those required in open and laparoscopic surgery. A validated laparoscopic surgical skills curriculum (Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery or FLS™) has transformed the way surgeons acquire laparoscopic skills. There is a need for a similar skills training and assessment tool for robotic surgery. Our research group previously developed and validated a robotic training curriculum in a virtual reality (VR) simulator. We hypothesized that novice robotic surgeons could achieve proficiency levels defined by more experienced robotic surgeons on the VR robotic curriculum, and that this would result in improved performance on the actual daVinci Surgical System™. 25 medical students with no prior robotic surgery experience were recruited. Prior to VR training, subjects performed 2 FLS tasks 3 times each (Peg Transfer, Intracorporeal Knot Tying) using the daVinci Surgical System™ docked to a video trainer box. Task performance for the FLS tasks was scored objectively. Subjects then practiced on the VR simulator (daVinci Skills Simulator) until proficiency levels on all 5 tasks were achieved before completing a post-training assessment of the 2 FLS tasks on the daVinci Surgical System™ in the video trainer box. All subjects to complete the study (1 dropped out) reached proficiency levels on all VR tasks in an average of 71 (± 21.7) attempts, accumulating 164.3 (± 55.7) minutes of console training time. There was a significant improvement in performance on the robotic FLS tasks following completion of the VR training curriculum. Novice robotic surgeons are able to attain proficiency levels on a VR simulator. This leads to improved performance in the daVinci surgical platform on simulated tasks. Training to proficiency on a VR robotic surgery simulator is an efficient and viable method for acquiring robotic surgical skills.

Within-person relationship between self-efficacy and performance across trials. Effect of task objective and task type.

Science.gov (United States)

Hepler, Teri J; Ritchie, Jason; Hill, Christopher R

2017-07-05

Self-efficacy has been shown to be a consistent, positive predictor of between-persons performance in sport. However, there have been equivocal results regarding the influence of self-efficacy on a person's performance over time. This study investigated the influence of self-efficacy on motor skill performance across trials with respect to two different task objectives and task types. Participants (N=84) performed 4 blocks of 10 trials of a dart throwing (closed skill) and a hitting (open skill) task under 2 different task objectives: competitive and goal-striving. For the goal-striving condition, success was defined as reaching a pre-determined performance level. The competitive condition involved competing against an opponent. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the influence of past performance and self-efficacy on the within-person performance across multiple trials. Previous performance was negatively related with subsequent performance on all conditions. Self-efficacy was not a significant predictor of performance on any of the conditions. While task objective and task type did not moderate the efficacy-performance relationship in the current study, it is important to consider the role of other moderators in future research.

The Future of Executive-Skills Coaching and Behavioral Science in Programs That Serve Teens and Young Adults: Lessons from the Annie E. Casey Pilot Project

Science.gov (United States)

Dechausay, Nadine

2018-01-01

Executive skills are the cognitive abilities that make it possible for people to set goals, regulate impulses, and complete the steps necessary to achieve their objectives. Examples of these skills include time management, emotional control, and organization. Richard Guare and Peggy Dawson have developed a coaching strategy based on executive…

Real-time underwater object detection based on an electrically scanned high-resolution sonar

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Lars

1994-01-01

The paper describes an approach to real time detection and tracking of underwater objects, using image sequences from an electrically scanned high-resolution sonar. The use of a high resolution sonar provides a good estimate of the location of the objects, but strains the computers on board, beca...

Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE in pharmacy education - a trend

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shirwaikar A

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Pharmacy education has undergone a radical change as it evolves towards becoming a more patient oriented profession. With a greater emphasis on problem based teaching and competency, the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE, supported by its reliability and validity became the gold standard for the evaluation of clinical skills of undergraduate students of medicine and pharmacy worldwide. Core competency evaluation has become a mandatory and critical norm for accountability of educational objectives as the traditional testing tools cannot evaluate clinical competence. Interpersonal and communication skills, professional judgment, skills of resolution etc., may be best assessed through a well- structured OSCE in comparison to oral examinations, multiple choice tests and other methods of assessment. Though OSCEs as an objective method of evaluation offer several advantages to both students and teachers, it also has disadvantages and pitfalls in implementation. This article reviews the OSCE as a trend in pharmacy education.

Real-time Pipeline for Object Modeling and Grasping Pose Selection via Superquadric Functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giulia Vezzani

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This work provides a novel real-time pipeline for modeling and grasping of unknown objects with a humanoid robot. Such a problem is of great interest for the robotic community, since conventional approaches fail when the shape, dimension, or pose of the objects are missing. Our approach reconstructs in real-time a model for the object under consideration and represents the robot hand both with proper and mathematically usable models, i.e., superquadric functions. The volume graspable by the hand is represented by an ellipsoid and is defined a priori, because the shape of the hand is known in advance. The superquadric representing the object is obtained in real-time from partial vision information instead, e.g., one stereo view of the object under consideration, and provides an approximated 3D full model. The optimization problem we formulate for the grasping pose computation is solved online by using the Ipopt software package and, thus, does not require off-line computation or learning. Even though our approach is for a generic humanoid robot, we developed a complete software architecture for executing this approach on the iCub humanoid robot. Together with that, we also provide a tutorial on how to use this framework. We believe that our work, together with the available code, is of a strong utility for the iCub community for three main reasons: object modeling and grasping are relevant problems for the robotic community, our code can be easily applied on every iCub, and the modular structure of our framework easily allows extensions and communications with external code.

Using Robot Skills for Flexible Reprogramming of Pick Operations in Industrial Scenarios

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Rasmus S.; Nalpantidis, Lazaros; Krüger, Volker

2014-01-01

objects on tabletops and pick them up in a user-specified manner. The programming itself is primarily done through kinesthetic teaching. We show that the skill has robustness towards the location and shape of the object to pick, and that objects from a real industrial production line can be handled. Also......, preliminary tests indicate that non-expert users can learn to use the skill after only a short introduction....

Pilot evaluation of the Frankfurt Social Skills Training for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Herbrecht, Evelyn; Poustka, Fritz; Birnkammer, Sabine; Duketis, Eftichia; Schlitt, Sabine; Schmötzer, Gabriele; Bölte, Sven

2009-06-01

The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a group-based intervention aiming at improving social and communication skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Over a period of 11 months, N = 17 children and adolescents received treatment according to the manualised Frankfurt Social Skills Training (KONTAKT). Parent, teacher, expert and blind expert ratings were assessed to judge outcome regarding peer interaction, autistic behaviours, adaptive functioning and family burden. The participants exhibited improvements pre to follow-up treatment, particularly in the area of autistic symptomatology. Effect sizes (partial eta squared) ranged from 0.02 to 0.69. Among other things, regression models showed a positive influence of IQ and language skills on gains in social skills. Findings indicate that KONTAKT might be useful for enhancing social skills and reducing autism-related psychopathology over time in different contexts. Nevertheless, controlled trials are needed to reassure its effectiveness.

Objectively measured total and occupational sedentary time in three work settings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dommelen, P. van; Coffeng, J. K.; Ploeg, H.P. van der; Beek, A.J. van der; Boot, C.R.; Hendriksen, I.J.

2016-01-01

Background. Sedentary behaviour increases the risk for morbidity. Our primary aim is to determine the proportion and factors associated with objectively measured total and occupational sedentary time in three work settings. Secondary aim is to study the proportion of physical activity and prolonged

CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT SKILLS WHEN PLAYING ACTIVE VIDEO GAMES.

Science.gov (United States)

Hulteen, Ryan M; Johnson, Tara M; Ridgers, Nicola D; Mellecker, Robin R; Barnett, Lisa M

2015-12-01

Active video games (AVGs) may be useful for movement skill practice. This study examined children's skill execution while playing Xbox Kinect™ and during movement skill assessment. Nineteen children (10 boys, 9 girls; M age=7.9 yr., SD=1.4) had their skills assessed before AVG play and then were observed once a week for 6 wk. while playing AVGs for 50 min. While AVG play showed evidence of correct skill performance (at least 30-50% of the time when playing table tennis, tennis, and baseball), nearly all skills were more correctly performed during skill assessment (generally more than 50% of the time). This study may help researchers to better understand the role AVGs could play in enhancing real life movement skills.

A Model for Learning Over Time: The Big Picture

Science.gov (United States)

Amato, Herbert K.; Konin, Jeff G.; Brader, Holly

2002-01-01

Objective: To present a method of describing the concept of “learning over time” with respect to its implementation into an athletic training education program curriculum. Background: The formal process of learning over time has recently been introduced as a required way for athletic training educational competencies and clinical proficiencies to be delivered and mastered. Learning over time incorporates the documented cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills associated with the acquisition, progression, and reflection of information. This method of academic preparation represents a move away from a quantitative-based learning module toward a proficiency-based mastery of learning. Little research or documentation can be found demonstrating either the specificity of this concept or suggestions for its application. Description: We present a model for learning over time that encompasses multiple indicators for assessment in a successive format. Based on a continuum approach, cognitive, psychomotor, and affective characteristics are assessed at different levels in classroom and clinical environments. Clinical proficiencies are a common set of entry-level skills that need to be integrated into the athletic training educational domains. Objective documentation is presented, including the skill breakdown of a task and a matrix to identify a timeline of competency and proficiency delivery. Clinical Advantages: The advantages of learning over time pertain to the integration of cognitive knowledge into clinical skill acquisition. Given the fact that learning over time has been implemented as a required concept for athletic training education programs, this model may serve to assist those program faculty who have not yet developed, or are in the process of developing, a method of administering this approach to learning. PMID:12937551

A Comparison Study of Communication Skills between General Surgery and General Practice Residents on First-time Patient Visits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed Al Ansari

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Background: There is little published research about differences in doctor-patient communication of different specialties. Accordingly, we compared doctor-patient communication skills in two different specialties, general surgery (GS and general practice (GP. Methods: Twenty residents training at the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital (10 men and 10 women; mean age 28 years; 10 GS and 10 GP participated in 200 patient first visit consultations. The consultations were video-recorded and analysed by four trained observers using the MAAS Global scale. Results: 1 Internal consistency reliability of the MAAS Global (> 0.91 and Ep2 = 0.84 for raters was high, 2 GP residents spent more time (12 minutes than GS residents (7 minutes, in the visits, 3 There were several differences on the MAAS Global items between GP and GS residents (GS > GP, p GS, p < 0.05 on information giving, and 4 The present participants performed well compared to normative samples as well as to criterion-referenced cut-off scores. The general level of communication skills in both specialties, however, was ‘unsatisfactory’ and ‘doubtful’, as it is for normative samples. Conclusion: Excellent doctor-patient communication is essential but does not appear to receive the amount of attention that it deserves in practice settings. There are some differences between specialties as well as unsatisfactory communication skills for both specialties, since residents from both programs spent less time than recommended on each consultation. Our findings emphasize the need to improve the communication skills of physicians in general and for surgeons in particular.

Transfer of cysto-urethroscopy skills from a virtual-reality simulator to the operating room : a randomized controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schout, Barbara M. A.; Ananias, Hildo J. K.; Bemelmans, Bart L. H.; d'Ancona, Frank C. H.; Muijtjens, Arno M. M.; Dolmans, Valerie E. M. G.; Scherpbier, Albert J. J. A.; Hendrikx, Ad J. M.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether real-time cysto-urethroscopy (CUS) performance improves by simulator-based training (criterion or predictive validity), addressing the research question 'Does practical skills training on the URO Mentor (UM, Simbionix USA Corp., Cleveland, OH, USA) virtual-reality

Clinical Skills Verification, Formative Feedback, and Psychiatry Residency Trainees

Science.gov (United States)

Dalack, Gregory W.; Jibson, Michael D.

2012-01-01

Objective: The authors describe the implementation of Clinical Skills Verification (CSV) in their program as an in-training assessment intended primarily to provide formative feedback to trainees, strengthen the supervisory experience, identify the need for remediation of interviewing skills, and secondarily to demonstrating resident competence…

Has the inclusion of a longitudinally integrated communication skills program improved consultation skills in medical students? A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Sameena; Andrades, Marie; Basir, Fasia; Jaleel, Anila; Azam, Iqbal; Islam, Muhammad; Ahmed, Rashida

2016-01-01

Evidence highlights a lack of communication skills in doctors leading to dysfunctional consultations. To address this deficit, a private medical college instituted curricular reforms with inclusion of a longitudinal communication skills program. A pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of this program by comparing the consultation skills of medical students of this college with a medical college without a communication skills program. A 4-station Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) was conducted in the third and final year. Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare the difference in the distribution between OSCE stations total and construct scores. At the end of the third year, 21 (31.34%), students of the study site (medical college 1 [college with integrated longitudinal communication skills program]) and 31 (46.26%) students from the comparison site (medical college 2 [comparable college without communication skills program]) consented. Medical college 1 achieved a significantly higher overall mean total station score of 68.0% (standard deviation [SD] =13.5) versus 57.2% (SD = 15.4) (P skills in an undergraduate curriculum positively impacted consultation skills. Community-based training and faculty development are required to develop effective patient-centered consultation skills.

Associations between gross motor skills and physical activity in Australian toddlers.

Science.gov (United States)

Veldman, Sanne L C; Jones, Rachel A; Santos, Rute; Sousa-Sá, Eduarda; Pereira, João R; Zhang, Zhiguang; Okely, Anthony D

2018-08-01

Physical activity can be promoted by high levels of gross motor skills. A systematic review found a positive relationship in children (3-18 years) but only few studies examined this in younger children. The aim of this study was to examine the association between gross motor skills and physical activity in children aged 11-29 months. Cross-sectional study. This study involved 284 children from 30 childcare services in NSW, Australia (Mean age=19.77±4.18months, 53.2% boys). Physical activity was measured using accelerometers (Actigraph GT3X+). Gross motor skills were assessed using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales Second Edition (PDMS-2). Multilevel linear regression analyses were computed to assess associations between gross motor skills and physical activity, adjusting for sex, age and BMI. Children spent 53.08% of their time in physical activity and 10.39% in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Boys had higher total physical activity (pskills score was 96.16. Boys scored higher than girls in object manipulation (pskills and total physical activity or MVPA. Although gross motor skills were not associated with physical activity in this sample, stronger associations are apparent in older children. This study therefore highlights a potential important age to promote gross motor skills. Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does playing a sports active video game improve object control skills of children with autism spectrum disorder?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacqueline Edwards

2017-03-01

Conclusion: The use of AVGs as a play-based intervention may not provide enough opportunity for children to perform the correct movement patterns to influence skill. However, play of such games may influence perceptions of skill ability in children with ASD, which could improve motivation to participate in physical activities.

Faster R-CNN: Towards Real-Time Object Detection with Region Proposal Networks

OpenAIRE

Ren, Shaoqing; He, Kaiming; Girshick, Ross; Sun, Jian

2015-01-01

State-of-the-art object detection networks depend on region proposal algorithms to hypothesize object locations. Advances like SPPnet and Fast R-CNN have reduced the running time of these detection networks, exposing region proposal computation as a bottleneck. In this work, we introduce a Region Proposal Network (RPN) that shares full-image convolutional features with the detection network, thus enabling nearly cost-free region proposals. An RPN is a fully convolutional network that simultan...

Teaching technical skills to medical students: Beyond 'see one, do ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

psychomotor skills based on the 'see one, do one, teach one' ethos. By trial ... approach that begins with building cognitive skills, which can then ... [6] Whatever strategy is used, the objective ... Forward-thinking leadership should be alarmed.

Beginning C# Object-Oriented Programming

CERN Document Server

Clark, Dan

2011-01-01

Beginning C# Object-Oriented Programming brings you into the modern world of development as you master the fundamentals of programming with C# and learn to develop efficient, reusable, elegant code through the object-oriented programming (OOP) methodology. Take your skills out of the 20th century and into this one with Dan Clark's accessible, quick-paced guide to C# and object-oriented programming, completely updated for .NET 4.0 and C# 4.0. As you develop techniques and best practices for coding in C#, one of the world's most popular contemporary languages, you'll experience modeling a "real

Real-time, resource-constrained object classification on a micro-air vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Buck, Louis; Ray, Laura

2013-12-01

A real-time embedded object classification algorithm is developed through the novel combination of binary feature descriptors, a bag-of-visual-words object model and the cortico-striatal loop (CSL) learning algorithm. The BRIEF, ORB and FREAK binary descriptors are tested and compared to SIFT descriptors with regard to their respective classification accuracies, execution times, and memory requirements when used with CSL on a 12.6 g ARM Cortex embedded processor running at 800 MHz. Additionally, the effect of x2 feature mapping and opponent-color representations used with these descriptors is examined. These tests are performed on four data sets of varying sizes and difficulty, and the BRIEF descriptor is found to yield the best combination of speed and classification accuracy. Its use with CSL achieves accuracies between 67% and 95% of those achieved with SIFT descriptors and allows for the embedded classification of a 128x192 pixel image in 0.15 seconds, 60 times faster than classification with SIFT. X2 mapping is found to provide substantial improvements in classification accuracy for all of the descriptors at little cost, while opponent-color descriptors are offer accuracy improvements only on colorful datasets.

Study Skills of Arts and Science College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Sekar, J. Master Arul; Rajendran, K. K.

2015-01-01

The main objective of this study is to find out the level of study skills of arts and science college students. Study Skills Check List developed and standardized by Virginia University, Australia (2006) is used to collect the relevant data. The sample consists of 216 Government arts and science college students of Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil…

Evaluation of a Direct-Instruction Intervention to Improve Movement and Preliteracy Skills among Young Children: A Within-Subject Repeated-Measures Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Bedard, Chloe; Bremer, Emily; Campbell, Wenonah; Cairney, John

2017-01-01

School readiness involves the development of foundational skills such as emergent literacy and fundamental movement skills as well as the capacity to attentively engage in instructional situations. Children do not develop these skills naturally; therefore, they need the opportunity to develop these skills in their early years prior to entering school. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of a direct-instruction movement and preliteracy intervention in children aged 3-4 years. A within-subject repeated-measures design, embedded within a wait-list control study, was used to evaluate the intervention. The intervention was run across 10 weeks with 1 h weekly sessions. Each weekly session consisted of 30-min of movement skill instruction (e.g., through single-step acquisition strategies), 15-min of free play during which time children had access to a variety of equipment (e.g., balls, hula hoops, etc.) or toys (e.g., puzzles, building blocks), and a 15-min interactive reading circle during which children read a storybook and were taught 1-2 preliteracy skills (e.g., alphabet knowledge, narrative knowledge, etc.). A convenience sample of 11 children (mean age = 45.6 months, SD = 7.3) was recruited. All children were assessed four times: baseline (Time 1), pre-intervention (Time 2), post-intervention (Time 3), and 5-week follow-up (Time 4). Gross motor skills and preliteracy skills were assessed at each time point. There was a statistically significant effect of time on the change in gross motor skills (Wilks' lambda = 0.09, p  = .002), print-concept skills (Wilks' lambda = 0.09, p  = .001), and alphabet knowledge (Wilks' lambda = 0.29, p  = .046). Post hoc analyses reveal non-significant changes between time 1 and 2 for motor and print-concept skills and significant changes in all three outcomes between time 2 and time 3. Participation in a direct-instruction movement and preliteracy

Is time spent playing video games associated with mental health, cognitive and social skills in young children?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kovess-Masfety, V.; Keyes, K.M.; Hamilton, A.; Hanson, G.; Bitfoi, A.; Golitz, D.; Koç, C.; Kuijpers, R.C.W.M.; Lesinskiene, S.; Mihova, Z.; Otten, R.; Fermanian, C.; Pez, O.

2016-01-01

Video games are one of the favourite leisure activities of children; the influence on child health is usually perceived to be negative. The present study assessed the association between the amount of time spent playing video games and children mental health as well as cognitive and social skills.

Practicing doctors' perceptions on new learning objectives for Vietnamese medical schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dung Do Van

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background As part of the process to develop more community-oriented medical teaching in Vietnam, eight medical schools prepared a set of standard learning objectives with attention to the needs of a doctor working with the community. Because they were prepared based on government documents and the opinions of the teachers, it was necessary to check them with doctors who had already graduated and were working at different sites in the community. Methods Each of the eight medical faculties asked 100 practising recent graduates to complete a questionnaire to check the relevance of the skills that the teachers considered most important. We used mean and standard deviation to summarize the scores rated by the respondents for each skill and percentile at four points: p50, p25, p10 and p5 to describe the variation of scores among the respondents. Correlation coefficient was used to measure the relationship between skill levels set by the teachers and the perception of practicing doctors regarding frequency of using skills and priority for each skill. Additional information was taken from the records of focus group discussions to clarify, explain or expand on the results from the quantitative data. Results In many cases the skills considered important by teachers were also rated as highly necessary and/or frequently used by the respondents. There were, however, discrepancies: some skills important to teachers were seldom used and not considered important by the doctors. In focus group discussions the doctors also identified skills that are not taught at all in the medical schools but would be needed by practising doctors. Conclusion Although most of the skills and skill levels included in the learning objectives by the teachers were consistent with the opinions of their graduates, the match was not perfect. The experience of the graduates and their additional comments should be included as inputs to the definition of learning objectives for

Wireless just-in-time training of mobile skilled support personnel

Science.gov (United States)

Bandera, Cesar; Marsico, Michael; Rosen, Mitchel; Schlegel, Barry

2006-05-01

Skilled Support Personnel (SSP) serve emergency response organizations during an emergency incident, and include laborers, operating engineers, carpenters, ironworkers, sanitation workers and utility workers. SSP called to an emergency incident rarely have recent detailed training on the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and/or explosives (CBRNE) agents or the personal protection equipment (PPE) relevant to the incident. This increases personal risk to the SSP and mission risk at the incident site. Training for SSP has been identified as a critical need by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, Worker Education and Training Program. We present a system being developed to address this SSP training shortfall by exploiting a new training paradigm called just-in-time training (JITT) made possible by advances in distance learning and cellular telephony. In addition to the current conventional training at regularly scheduled instructional events, SSP called to an emergency incident will have secure access to short (technologies and wireless service providers, integration with the incident management system, and SCORM compliance.

Assessing maths literacy skills in type 1 diabetic children and their ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: It is essential that children have adequate numeracy and literacy skills in order to manage their diabetes effectively. The objective was to undertake a pilot study to assess the level of numeracy skills in type 1 diabetic children and their caregivers, and to ascertain if there was a deficit in these skills.

Blind source separation based on time-frequency morphological characteristics for rigid acoustic scattering by underwater objects

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yang; Li, Xiukun

2016-06-01

Separation of the components of rigid acoustic scattering by underwater objects is essential in obtaining the structural characteristics of such objects. To overcome the problem of rigid structures appearing to have the same spectral structure in the time domain, time-frequency Blind Source Separation (BSS) can be used in combination with image morphology to separate the rigid scattering components of different objects. Based on a highlight model, the separation of the rigid scattering structure of objects with time-frequency distribution is deduced. Using a morphological filter, different characteristics in a Wigner-Ville Distribution (WVD) observed for single auto term and cross terms can be simplified to remove any cross-term interference. By selecting time and frequency points of the auto terms signal, the accuracy of BSS can be improved. An experimental simulation has been used, with changes in the pulse width of the transmitted signal, the relative amplitude and the time delay parameter, in order to analyzing the feasibility of this new method. Simulation results show that the new method is not only able to separate rigid scattering components, but can also separate the components when elastic scattering and rigid scattering exist at the same time. Experimental results confirm that the new method can be used in separating the rigid scattering structure of underwater objects.

Haptic virtual reality for skill acquisition in endodontics.

Science.gov (United States)

Suebnukarn, Siriwan; Haddawy, Peter; Rhienmora, Phattanapon; Gajananan, Kugamoorthy

2010-01-01

Haptic virtual reality (VR) has revolutionized the skill acquisition in dentistry. The strength of the haptic VR system is that it can automatically record the outcome and associated kinematic data on how each step of the task is performed, which are not available in the conventional skill training environments. The aim of this study was to assess skill acquisition in endodontics and to identify process and outcome variables for the quantification of proficiency. Twenty novices engaged in the experimental study that involved practicing the access opening task with the haptic VR system. Process (speed, force utilization, and bimanual coordination) and outcome variables were determined for assessing skill performance. These values were compared before and after training. Significant improvements were observed through training in all variables. A unique force used pattern and bimanual coordination were observed in each step of the access opening in the posttraining session. The novices also performed the tasks considerably faster with greater outcome within the first two to three training sessions. The study objectively showed that the novices could learn to perform access opening tasks faster and with more consistency, better bimanual dexterity, and better force utilization. The variables examined showed great promise as objective indicators of proficiency and skill acquisition in haptic VR.

Collaborative real-time scheduling of multiple PTZ cameras for multiple object tracking in video surveillance

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yu-Che; Huang, Chung-Lin

2013-03-01

This paper proposes a multi-PTZ-camera control mechanism to acquire close-up imagery of human objects in a surveillance system. The control algorithm is based on the output of multi-camera, multi-target tracking. Three main concerns of the algorithm are (1) the imagery of human object's face for biometric purposes, (2) the optimal video quality of the human objects, and (3) minimum hand-off time. Here, we define an objective function based on the expected capture conditions such as the camera-subject distance, pan tile angles of capture, face visibility and others. Such objective function serves to effectively balance the number of captures per subject and quality of captures. In the experiments, we demonstrate the performance of the system which operates in real-time under real world conditions on three PTZ cameras.

Age and gender differences in fundamental motor skills (original version in English

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judith Jiménez Díaz

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Fundamental motor skills are the basis for participation in more advanced lifetime activities. Whereas considerable research has been reported on motor behavior of children, much less is known about performance in later years, especially adulthood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine age and gender differences on fundamental motor skills (FMS ability across three age groups: children (M = 9.37 yr., SD = 1.26, adolescents (M = 14.80 yr., SD = 2.04 and young-adults (M = 19.88 yr., SD = 2.72. Participants (n = 114 were assessed on five locomotor skills (run, gallop, slide, hop, and distance jump and five object control skills (bounce, catch, overhand throw, strike and kick using the Test for Fundamental Motor Skills, which is a process-oriented instrument. ANOVA results comparing gender and group revealed no significant interactions. Moreover, main effects for group were found for three individual skills: galloping –adolescents and young-adults performed better than children (p < .01–, throwing –children and adolescents performed better than young-adults (p < .01 –, and kicking –young-adults performed better than children and adolescents (p < .05–. Also, we found main effects for gender for total FMS ability (p < .01, locomotor subscale (p < .05 and object control subscale (p < .01, and for six individual motor skills: run (p < .05, jump (p < .05, throw (p < .01, kick (p < .01, bounce (p < .01 and strike (p < .01; males outperformed females for all the skills. However, in view of total FMS ability, locomotor skills and object control skills results suggest similar performance across ages. Therefore, it is important to enhance fundamental motor skills at all ages, as an option to help individuals engage in physical activities.

Matching Intended And Actual French Curriculum Objectives In ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Intended French curriculum objectives refer to four official objectives of teaching and learning French in secondary schools in Kenya as laid down in syllabuses; namely, to equip learners with basic communicative skills, give learners access to oral and written materials, facilitate further studies, and promote global peace ...

Standardisation And Validation Study Of A New Study Skills ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Concerns have also been raised by various researchers about the latent constructs of existing western scales to assess study skills. The objective of this study was to develop, standardize and validate a culturally sensitive study skills questionnaire (SSQ). Methods: a stratified random sample of secondary school students (n ...

Does your Robot have Skills?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bøgh, Simon; Nielsen, Oluf Skov; Pedersen, Mikkel Rath

2012-01-01

This article presents a unifying terminology for task-level programming of highly flexible mobile ma- nipulators in industrial environments. With a terminology of tasks and object-centered skills, industrial applications are analyzed in the logistic and assistive domains. The analysis shows that ...

Gross motor skills in toddlers: Prevalence and socio-demographic differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Veldman, Sanne L C; Jones, Rachel A; Santos, Rute; Sousa-Sá, Eduarda; Okely, Anthony D

2018-05-19

Gross motor skills (GMS) are a vital component of a child's development. Monitoring levels and correlates of GMS is important to ensure appropriate strategies are put in place to promote these skills in young children. The aim of this study was to describe the current level of GMS development of children aged 11-29months and how these levels differ by age, sex, BMI and socio-economic status. Cross-sectional study. This study involved children from 30 childcare services in NSW, Australia. GMS were assessed using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales Second Edition. Prevalence was reported using the gross motor quotient and both raw and standard scores for locomotor, object manipulation and stationary subtests. Socio-demographics were collected via parent questionnaires. Analyses included t-tests, chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA and linear regression models. This study included 335 children (mean age=19.80±4.08months, 53.9% boys). For the gross motor quotient, 23.3% of the children scored below average. For the GMS subtests, 34.3% of children scored below average for locomotion, 10.1% for object manipulation and 0.3% for stationary. Boys were more proficient in object manipulation than girls (p=0.001). GMS were negatively associated with age and a higher socio-economic status (all pstudy to show the prevalence of below average at locomotor skills in toddlers is higher than reported in normative samples. Early commencement of GMS promotion is recommended with a focus on locomotor skills and girls' object manipulation skills. Copyright © 2018 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-range correlation properties in timing of skilled piano performance: the influence of auditory feedback and deep brain stimulation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria eHerrojo Ruiz

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Unintentional timing deviations during musical performance can be conceived of as timing errors. However, recent research on humanizing computer-generated music has demonstrated that timing fluctuations that exhibit long-range temporal correlations (LRTC are preferred by human listeners. This preference can be accounted for by the ubiquitous presence of LRTC in human tapping and rhythmic performances. Interestingly, the manifestation of LRTC in tapping behavior seems to be driven in a subject-specific manner by the LRTC properties of resting-state background cortical oscillatory activity. In this framework, the current study aimed to investigate whether propagation of timing deviations during the skilled, memorized piano performance (without metronome of 17 professional pianists exhibits LRTC and whether the structure of the correlations is influenced by the presence or absence of auditory feedback.As an additional goal, we set out to investigate the influence of altering the dynamics along the cortico-basal-ganglia-thalamo-cortical network via deep brain stimulation (DBS on the LRTC properties of musical performance. Specifically, we investigated temporal deviations during the skilled piano performance of a non-professional pianist who was treated with subthalamic-deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS due to severe Parkinson's disease, with predominant tremor affecting his right upper extremity. In the tremor-affected right hand, the timing fluctuations of the performance exhibited random correlations with DBS OFF. By contrast, DBS restored long-range dependency in the temporal fluctuations, corresponding with the general motor improvement on DBS.Overall, the present investigations are the first to demonstrate the presence of LRTC in skilled piano performances, indicating that unintentional temporal deviations are correlated over a wide range of time scales. This phenomenon is stable after removal of the auditory feedback, but is altered by STN

Disparity in Frontal Lobe Connectivity on a Complex Bimanual Motor Task Aids in Classification of Operator Skill Level.

Science.gov (United States)

Andreu-Perez, Javier; Leff, Daniel Richard; Shetty, Kunal; Darzi, Ara; Yang, Guang-Zhong

2016-06-01

Objective metrics of technical performance (e.g., dexterity, time, and path length) are insufficient to fully characterize operator skill level, which may be encoded deep within neural function. Unlike reports that capture plasticity across days or weeks, this articles studies long-term plasticity in functional connectivity that occurs over years of professional task practice. Optical neuroimaging data are acquired from professional surgeons of varying experience on a complex bimanual coordination task with the aim of investigating learning-related disparity in frontal lobe functional connectivity that arises as a consequence of motor skill level. The results suggest that prefrontal and premotor seed connectivity is more critical during naïve versus expert performance. Given learning-related differences in connectivity, a least-squares support vector machine with a radial basis function kernel is employed to evaluate skill level using connectivity data. The results demonstrate discrimination of operator skill level with accuracy ≥0.82 and Multiclass Matthew's Correlation Coefficient ≥0.70. Furthermore, these indices are improved when local (i.e., within-region) rather than inter-regional (i.e., between-region) frontal connectivity is considered (p = 0.002). The results suggest that it is possible to classify operator skill level with good accuracy from functional connectivity data, upon which objective assessment and neurofeedback may be used to improve operator performance during technical skill training.

Motor skills of children with autistic spectrum disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zikl Pavel

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The contribution contains results of a research of motor skills of children with autistic spectrum disorder. The group of children represents besides major triad of symptoms, also described difficulties in the field of motor skills. Our aim to find out what motor skills of these children are in comparison with intact population and what differences are found in individual motor items, i.e. in fine motor skills, gross motor skills and in balance. The data was gained with the use of standardized Movement Assessment Battery test for Children 2 (MABC-2. Objective testing of this group of children is relatively difficult. There were successfully tested 36 children with ASD during this phase of research. The research demonstrated evident motor disorder at 86% of children in the observed sample. Statistically significant were worse results in the field of fine motor skills compared to the results in gross motor skills and balance.

The Influence of Motor Skills on Measurement Accuracy

Science.gov (United States)

Brychta, Petr; Sadílek, Marek; Brychta, Josef

2016-10-01

This innovative study trying to do interdisciplinary interface at first view different ways fields: kinantropology and mechanical engineering. A motor skill is described as an action which involves the movement of muscles in a body. Gross motor skills permit functions as a running, jumping, walking, punching, lifting and throwing a ball, maintaining a body balance, coordinating etc. Fine motor skills captures smaller neuromuscular actions, such as holding an object between the thumb and a finger. In mechanical inspection, the accuracy of measurement is most important aspect. The accuracy of measurement to some extent is also dependent upon the sense of sight or sense of touch associated with fine motor skills. It is therefore clear that the level of motor skills will affect the precision and accuracy of measurement in metrology. Aim of this study is literature review to find out fine motor skills level of individuals and determine the potential effect of different fine motor skill performance on precision and accuracy of mechanical engineering measuring.

Objective assessment of movement competence in children using wearable sensors: An instrumented version of the TGMD-2 locomotor subtest.

Science.gov (United States)

Bisi, Maria Cristina; Pacini Panebianco, G; Polman, R; Stagni, R

2017-07-01

Movement competence (MC) is defined as the development of sufficient skill to assure successful performance in different physical activities. Monitoring children MC during maturation is fundamental to detect early minor delays and define effective intervention. To this purpose, several MC assessment batteries are available. When evaluating movement strategies, with the aim of identifying specific skill components that may need improving, widespread MC assessment is limited by high time consumption for scoring and the need for trained operators to ensure reliability. This work aims to facilitate and support the assessment by designing, implementing and validating an instrumented version of the TGMD-2 locomotor subtest based on Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) to quantify MC in children rapidly and objectively. 45 typically developing children, aged 6-10, performed the TGMD-2 locomotor subtest (six skills). During the tests, children wore five IMUs mounted on lower back, on ankles and on wrists. Sensor and video recordings of the tests were collected. Three expert evaluators performed the standard assessment of TGMD-2. Using theoretical and modelling approaches, algorithms were implemented to automatically score children tests based on IMUs' data. The automatic assessment, compared to the standard one, showed an agreement higher than 87% on average on the entire group for each skill and a reduction of time for scoring from 15 to 2min per participant. Results support the use of IMUs for MC assessment: this approach will allow improving the usability of MC assessment, supporting objectively evaluator decisions and reducing time requirement for the evaluation of large groups. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of a train-to-proficiency curriculum for the technical skills component of the fundamentals of endoscopic surgery exam.

Science.gov (United States)

Gearhart, Susan; Marohn, Michael; Ngamruengphong, Saowanee; Adrales, Gina; Owodunni, Oluwafemi; Duncan, Kim; Petrusa, Emil; Lipsett, Pamela

2018-01-08

The demonstration of competency in endoscopy is required prior to obtaining American Board of Surgery Certification. To demonstrate competency, the resident must pass a national high-stakes cognitive test and a technical skills exam on a virtual reality simulator. The purpose of this preliminary study was to design a proficiency-based endoscopy simulation curriculum to meet this competency requirement. This is a mixed methods prospective cohort study at a single academic medical institution. Prior to taking the national exam, surgery residents were required to participate in a skills lab and demonstrate proficiency on 10 simulation tasks. Proficiency was based on time and percent of objects targeted/mucosa seen. Simulation practice time, number of task repetitions to proficiency, and prior endoscopic experience were recorded. Resident's self-reported confidence scores in endoscopic skills prior to and following simulation lab training were obtained. From January 1, 2016 through August 1, 2017, 20 surgical residents (8 PGY2, 8 PGY3, 4 PGY4) completed both a faculty-supervised endoscopy skills lab and independent learning with train-to-proficiency simulation tasks. Median overall simulator time per resident was 306 min (IQR: 247-405 min). Median overall time to proficiency in all tasks was 235 min (IQR: 208-283 min). The median time to proficiency decreased with increasing PGY status (r = 0.4, P = 0.05). There was no correlation between prior real-time endoscopic experience and time to proficiency. Reported confidence in endoscopic skills increased significantly from mean of 5.75 prior to 7.30 following the faculty-supervised endoscopy skills lab (P = 0.0002). All 20 residents passed the national exam. In this preliminary study, a train-to-proficiency curriculum in endoscopy improved surgical resident's confidence in their endoscopic skills and 100% of residents passed the FES technical skills test on their first attempt. Our findings also indicate

Critical Learning Skills for Business Students

Science.gov (United States)

Jance, Marsha; Morgan, Anita

2013-01-01

A survey addressing critical skills for business students was developed and disseminated. Sixteen critical skills (such as critical thinking and time management) were identified as skills that need to be acquired in order for business students to be successful in their advanced courses and careers. The survey was disseminated and taken by several…

Incorporation of an Explicit Critical-Thinking Curriculum to Improve Pharmacy Students’ Critical-Thinking Skills

OpenAIRE

Cone, Catherine; Godwin, Donald; Salazar, Krista; Bond, Rucha; Thompson, Megan; Myers, Orrin

2016-01-01

Objective. The Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) is a validated instrument to assess critical-thinking skills. The objective of this study was to determine if HSRT results improved in second-year student pharmacists after exposure to an explicit curriculum designed to develop critical-thinking skills.

Correlation Between the Two Manual and Cavity Preparation Skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moravej-Salehi

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Background Acquiring fine psychomotor skills is challenging for dental students. Objectives This study aimed to assess the correlation of cavity preparation skills with drawing skills and handwriting of dental students. Methods Ninety-two male and female dental students taking the preclinical course of restorative dentistry in Shahid Beheshti dental school participated in three tests of handwriting, drawing a smile and an amalgam class (CL I cavity preparation and were scored using a specific scoring system. The correlation among the three skills was assessed using multivariate linear regression. Results Most dental students had cavity preparation, handwriting and drawing skills above the average. A significant correlation was found between drawing and tooth preparation skills (P < 0.05. Conclusions A statistically significant difference existed between drawing and cavity preparation skills in students; however, this correlation was not clinically considerable.

Risk approximation in decision making: approximative numeric abilities predict advantageous decisions under objective risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Silke M; Schiebener, Johannes; Delazer, Margarete; Brand, Matthias

2018-01-22

Many decision situations in everyday life involve mathematical considerations. In decisions under objective risk, i.e., when explicit numeric information is available, executive functions and abilities to handle exact numbers and ratios are predictors of objectively advantageous choices. Although still debated, exact numeric abilities, e.g., normative calculation skills, are assumed to be related to approximate number processing skills. The current study investigates the effects of approximative numeric abilities on decision making under objective risk. Participants (N = 153) performed a paradigm measuring number-comparison, quantity-estimation, risk-estimation, and decision-making skills on the basis of rapid dot comparisons. Additionally, a risky decision-making task with exact numeric information was administered, as well as tasks measuring executive functions and exact numeric abilities, e.g., mental calculation and ratio processing skills, were conducted. Approximative numeric abilities significantly predicted advantageous decision making, even beyond the effects of executive functions and exact numeric skills. Especially being able to make accurate risk estimations seemed to contribute to superior choices. We recommend approximation skills and approximate number processing to be subject of future investigations on decision making under risk.

Leadership Skill Development of Teen Leaders.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleon, Scott; Rinehart, Susan

1998-01-01

Teen participants in the Ohio 4-H Teen Community Leadership College (n=64) perceived their leadership skills to be much higher after the program. They appeared to need improvement in initiative, assertiveness, and objectivity. (SK)

Assessment of professional engineering skills - define, monitor and assess

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersson, Niclas; Andersson, Pernille Hammar

2012-01-01

, professional engineering skills need to be included in the syllabus of engineering courses and study programs, which in turn call for the implementation of learning objectives, teaching activities as well as methods for assessing the professional performance of the engineering students. The implicit...... life experience from industry and consequently, they might have limited knowledge about professional skills which of course delimits their ability to evaluate the students’ professional performance. The objective of this study is to design and test a method to assess professional skills...... in an engineering teaching context. A suggested approach, based on the three consecutive steps of Define – Monitor – Assess, was applied and tested in an engineering course in which the students and professional engineers from industry interacted in an extensive role play simulation. The students’ were actively...

Team skills training

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coe, R.P.; Carl, D.R.

1991-01-01

Numerous reports and articles have been written recently on the importance of team skills training for nuclear reactor operators, but little has appeared on the practical application of this theoretical guidance. This paper describes the activities of the Training and Education Department at GPU Nuclear (GPUN). In 1987, GPUN undertook a significant initiative in its licensed operator training programs to design and develop initial and requalification team skills training. Prior to that time, human interaction skills training (communication, stress management, supervisory skills, etc.) focused more on the individual rather than a group. Today, GPU Nuclear conducts team training at both its Three Mile Island (YMI), PA and Oyster Creek (OC), NJ generating stations. Videotaped feedback is sued extensively to critique and reinforce targeted behaviors. In fact, the TMI simulator trainer has a built-in, four camera system specifically designed for team training. Evaluations conducted on this training indicated these newly acquired skills are being carried over to the work environment. Team training is now an important and on-going part of GPUN operator training

Benchmarking ensemble streamflow prediction skill in the UK

Science.gov (United States)

Harrigan, Shaun; Prudhomme, Christel; Parry, Simon; Smith, Katie; Tanguy, Maliko

2018-03-01

Skilful hydrological forecasts at sub-seasonal to seasonal lead times would be extremely beneficial for decision-making in water resources management, hydropower operations, and agriculture, especially during drought conditions. Ensemble streamflow prediction (ESP) is a well-established method for generating an ensemble of streamflow forecasts in the absence of skilful future meteorological predictions, instead using initial hydrologic conditions (IHCs), such as soil moisture, groundwater, and snow, as the source of skill. We benchmark when and where the ESP method is skilful across a diverse sample of 314 catchments in the UK and explore the relationship between catchment storage and ESP skill. The GR4J hydrological model was forced with historic climate sequences to produce a 51-member ensemble of streamflow hindcasts. We evaluated forecast skill seamlessly from lead times of 1 day to 12 months initialized at the first of each month over a 50-year hindcast period from 1965 to 2015. Results showed ESP was skilful against a climatology benchmark forecast in the majority of catchments across all lead times up to a year ahead, but the degree of skill was strongly conditional on lead time, forecast initialization month, and individual catchment location and storage properties. UK-wide mean ESP skill decayed exponentially as a function of lead time with continuous ranked probability skill scores across the year of 0.75, 0.20, and 0.11 for 1-day, 1-month, and 3-month lead times, respectively. However, skill was not uniform across all initialization months. For lead times up to 1 month, ESP skill was higher than average when initialized in summer and lower in winter months, whereas for longer seasonal and annual lead times skill was higher when initialized in autumn and winter months and lowest in spring. ESP was most skilful in the south and east of the UK, where slower responding catchments with higher soil moisture and groundwater storage are mainly located

Influence of Timing of Delayed Hard Palate Closure on Articulation Skills in 3-Year-Old Danish Children with Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate

Science.gov (United States)

Willadsen, Elisabeth; Boers, Maria; Schöps, Antje; Kisling-Møller, Mia; Nielsen, Joan Bogh; Jørgensen, Line Dahl; Andersen, Mikael; Bolund, Stig; Andersen, Helene Søgaard

2018-01-01

Background: Differing results regarding articulation skills in young children with cleft palate (CP) have been reported and often interpreted as a consequence of different surgical protocols. Aims: To assess the influence of different timing of hard palate closure in a two-stage procedure on articulation skills in 3-year-olds born with unilateral…

Developing pharmacy student communication skills through role-playing and active learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Luiz Adrian, Julie Ann; Zeszotarski, Paula; Ma, Carolyn

2015-04-25

To evaluate the impact on pharmacy students of a communication course, which used role-playing to develop active-learning skills. Students role-playing pharmacists in patient care scenarios were critiqued by students and pharmacist faculty members. Grading was performed using the rubric inspired by Bruce Berger's Communication Skills for Pharmacists. Written skills were evaluated using student written critique questionnaires. Students completed precourse and postcourse self-assessment surveys. Preceptor evaluations were analyzed for course impact. Students demonstrated improvement in oral skills based on role-play scores (45.87/50) after practice sessions. The average score based on the student questionnaire was 9.31/10. Gain was demonstrated in all defined course objectives. Impact on introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) communication objectives was insignificant. Student evaluations for course and teaching strategy reflected a high average. Study results demonstrated improvement in oral and written communication skills that may help improve interprofessional teamwork between pharmacists and other health care providers.

Effect of skill laboratory training on academic performance of medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Muhammad Alamgir; Shabbir, Faizania; Qamar, Khadija; Rajput, Tausif Ahmed

2017-05-01

To observe the effect of skill lab training on academic performance of final year medical students in terms of marks obtained in long case, short case, objective structured clinical examination and viva. The cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at Army Medical College, Rawalpindi from February to April 2015. Two batches of final year MBBS were recruited for the study. Batch 1 received conventional training, and Batch 2 received skill lab training. The performance of students was assessed by comparing the marks obtained in long case, short case, objective structured clinical examination and viva. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. Of the 335 subjects, 168(50.1%) were male and 167(49.9%) were female students with a mean age of 21.79±1.02 years. Batch 1 had 151(45%) students and Batch 2 had 184(55%). Batch 2 got significantly higher marks in long case, short case and objective structured clinical examination (p0.05). Acquisition of clinical skills significantly improved when medial students were trained in skill laboratories.

Real-Time FPGA-Based Object Tracker with Automatic Pan-Tilt Features for Smart Video Surveillance Systems

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Sanjay Singh

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The design of smart video surveillance systems is an active research field among the computer vision community because of their ability to perform automatic scene analysis by selecting and tracking the objects of interest. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of an FPGA-based standalone working prototype system for real-time tracking of an object of interest in live video streams for such systems. In addition to real-time tracking of the object of interest, the implemented system is also capable of providing purposive automatic camera movement (pan-tilt in the direction determined by movement of the tracked object. The complete system, including camera interface, DDR2 external memory interface controller, designed object tracking VLSI architecture, camera movement controller and display interface, has been implemented on the Xilinx ML510 (Virtex-5 FX130T FPGA Board. Our proposed, designed and implemented system robustly tracks the target object present in the scene in real time for standard PAL (720 × 576 resolution color video and automatically controls camera movement in the direction determined by the movement of the tracked object.

Instrument Motion Metrics for Laparoscopic Skills Assessment in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

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Fransson, Boel A; Chen, Chi-Ya; Noyes, Julie A; Ragle, Claude A

2016-11-01

To determine the construct and concurrent validity of instrument motion metrics for laparoscopic skills assessment in virtual reality and augmented reality simulators. Evaluation study. Veterinarian students (novice, n = 14) and veterinarians (experienced, n = 11) with no or variable laparoscopic experience. Participants' minimally invasive surgery (MIS) experience was determined by hospital records of MIS procedures performed in the Teaching Hospital. Basic laparoscopic skills were assessed by 5 tasks using a physical box trainer. Each participant completed 2 tasks for assessments in each type of simulator (virtual reality: bowel handling and cutting; augmented reality: object positioning and a pericardial window model). Motion metrics such as instrument path length, angle or drift, and economy of motion of each simulator were recorded. None of the motion metrics in a virtual reality simulator showed correlation with experience, or to the basic laparoscopic skills score. All metrics in augmented reality were significantly correlated with experience (time, instrument path, and economy of movement), except for the hand dominance metric. The basic laparoscopic skills score was correlated to all performance metrics in augmented reality. The augmented reality motion metrics differed between American College of Veterinary Surgeons diplomates and residents, whereas basic laparoscopic skills score and virtual reality metrics did not. Our results provide construct validity and concurrent validity for motion analysis metrics for an augmented reality system, whereas a virtual reality system was validated only for the time score. © Copyright 2016 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Black objects and hoop conjecture in five-dimensional space-time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamada, Yuta; Shinkai, Hisa-aki, E-mail: m1m08a26@info.oit.ac.j, E-mail: shinkai@is.oit.ac.j [Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Osaka Institute of Technology, 1-79-1 Kitayama, Hirakata, Osaka 573-0196 (Japan)

2010-02-21

We numerically investigated the sequences of initial data of a thin spindle and a thin ring in five-dimensional space-time in the context of the cosmic censorship conjecture. We modeled the matter in non-rotating homogeneous spheroidal or toroidal configurations under the momentarily static assumption, solved the Hamiltonian constraint equation and searched the apparent horizons. We discussed when S{sup 3} (black-hole) or S{sup 1} x S{sup 2} (black-ring) horizons ('black objects') are formed. By monitoring the location of the maximum Kretchmann invariant, an appearance of 'naked singularity' or 'naked ring' under special situations is suggested. We also discuss the validity of the hyper-hoop conjecture using a minimum area around the object, and show that the appearance of the ring horizon does not match with this hoop.

Differential Role of CBT Skills, DBT Skills and Psychological Flexibility in Predicting Depressive versus Anxiety Symptom Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Webb, Christian A.; Beard, Courtney; Kertz, Sarah J.; Hsu, Kean; Björgvinsson, Thröstur

2016-01-01

Objective Studies have reported associations between cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skill use and symptom improvement in depressed outpatient samples. However, little is known regarding the temporal relationship between different subsets of therapeutic skills and symptom change among relatively severely depressed patients receiving treatment in psychiatric hospital settings. Method Adult patients with major depression (N=173) receiving combined psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment at a psychiatric hospital completed repeated assessments of traditional CBT skills, DBT skills and psychological flexibility, as well as depressive and anxiety symptoms. Results Results indicated that only use of behavioral activation (BA) strategies significantly predicted depressive symptom improvement in this sample; whereas DBT skills and psychological flexibility predicted anxiety symptom change. In addition, a baseline symptom severity X BA strategies interaction emerged indicating that those patients with higher pretreatment depression severity exhibited the strongest association between use of BA strategies and depressive symptom improvement. Conclusions Findings suggest the importance of emphasizing the acquisition and regular use of BA strategies with severely depressed patients in short-term psychiatric settings. In contrast, an emphasis on the development of DBT skills and the cultivation of psychological flexibility may prove beneficial for the amelioration of anxiety symptoms. PMID:27057997

Objective Versus Subjective Military Pilot Selection Methods in the United States of America

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2015-12-14

a computerized test designed to assess pilot skills by measuring spatial orientation and psychomotor skills and multitasking . The second is the...AFRL-SA-WP-SR-2015-0028 Objective Versus Subjective Military Pilot Selection Methods in the United States of America Joe...September 2014 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Objective Versus Subjective Military Pilot Selection Methods in the United States of America 5a. CONTRACT

Longitudinal Change in the Relationship between Fundamental Motor Skills and Perceived Competence: Kindergarten to Grade 2

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Jeff R. Crane

2017-08-01

Full Text Available As children transition from early to middle childhood, the relationship between motor skill proficiency and perceptions of physical competence should strengthen as skills improve and inflated early childhood perceptions decrease. This study examined change in motor skills and perceptions of physical competence and the relationship between those variables from kindergarten to grade 2. Participants were 250 boys and girls (Mean age = 5 years 8 months in kindergarten. Motor skills were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 and perceptions were assessed using a pictorial scale of perceived competence. Mixed-design analyses of variance revealed there was a significant increase in object-control skills and perceptions from kindergarten to grade 2, but no change in locomotor skills. In kindergarten, linear regression showed that locomotor skills and object-control skills explained 10% and 9% of the variance, respectively, in perceived competence for girls, and 7% and 11%, respectively, for boys. In grade 2, locomotor skills predicted 11% and object-control skills predicted 19% of the variance in perceptions of physical competence, but only among the boys. Furthermore, the relationship between motor skills and perceptions of physical competence strengthened for boys only from early to middle childhood. However, it seems that forces other than motor skill proficiency influenced girls’ perceptions of their abilities in grade 2.

Evaluation of life skills in students of Nursing: a descriptive study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Kavga

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Life skills are a set of human skills acquired via teaching or direct experience that areused to handle problems and questions commonly encountered in daily human life. The basic elementof a skill is the ability to create and materialise an effective sequence of choices, so as to achieve thedesirable effect. It is important that somebody allocates life skills in six broad sectors: sensitivity,experiencing emotions, realism thought, language and the internal logos, harmony in self-attributionand communication and finally, remuneration activity in finding a meaning in professionAim: The determination of nursing students’ opinions with regard to the existence of life skills and towhat degree they impact.Methodology: The answers of 144 students of two Nursing Departments in Greece (one from Athensand one from providences were evaluated using a questionnaire in order to determine their opinionsabout the non-existence or existence of life skills and if so what level of impact they had on. Thequestionnaire included 69 questions describing the following seven dimensions of life skills: emotion,thought, relations, study, professional settlement, leisure time, mental – bodily health. The answerswere given based on the 4 point Likert scale (no need for improvement, minimal need, small need,large need. For data process we used SPSS 14 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windowsand more concretely, the Mann –Whitney U control and Pearson’ s cross-correlation parametriccoefficient.Results: The descriptive analysis of this questionnaire showed that the sample of students had aneffectual or a large need of improvement at a percentage of 42.9% in the emotional sector, 32.2% in thesector of thought, 31% in the sector of relations, 41.3% in the sector of study, 32.7% in the sector ofprofessional settlement, 30.7% in the sector of leisure time and 35.1% in the sector of health. Mann –Whitney U control showed statistically important

COGNITIVE SKILLS: A Modest Way of Learning through Technology

OpenAIRE

Satya Sundar SETHY

2012-01-01

Learning is an ever-present phenomenon. It takes place irrespective of time and place. It engages learners in their interested topic/content. Learning absorbs many skills, such as; reading skills, writing skills, technological skills, emotional skills, behavioral skills, cognitive skills, and language skills. Out of all these, cognitive skills play significant role for apprehending a concept and comprehending a discussion. In the context of distance education (DE), learning never restrains to...

Self-regulated learning of aural skills in undergraduate music courses: a case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo da Silva Gusmão

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Aural Skills classes, which are required and collective, present some particular issues at the Brazilian universities, such as the diverse student’s proficiency levels, motivational issues and lack of autonomy for learning. This paper present the results of a research that investigated the relationships between the psychological constructs involved in the self- regulation of aural skills learning in Undergraduate music students. Through semi-structured interviews, the objective was to understand the interaction of the processes described in Zimmerman (2002 in the three student’s narratives. In this initial research, it was possible to see a relationship between the achievement in Aural Skill courses and the utilization of self- regulatory process, particularly goal-setting and efficient time management, as well as the lack of strategies related to the division of goals into proximal and specific sub-goals, and to the definition of self-evaluation standards. The investigation of strategies for intervention on cognitive processes involved with self-regulated learning of aural skills may help students to become more motivated and autonomous in their academic study.

Sensor agnostic object recognition using a map seeking circuit

Science.gov (United States)

Overman, Timothy L.; Hart, Michael

2012-05-01

Automatic object recognition capabilities are traditionally tuned to exploit the specific sensing modality they were designed to. Their successes (and shortcomings) are tied to object segmentation from the background, they typically require highly skilled personnel to train them, and they become cumbersome with the introduction of new objects. In this paper we describe a sensor independent algorithm based on the biologically inspired technology of map seeking circuits (MSC) which overcomes many of these obstacles. In particular, the MSC concept offers transparency in object recognition from a common interface to all sensor types, analogous to a USB device. It also provides a common core framework that is independent of the sensor and expandable to support high dimensionality decision spaces. Ease in training is assured by using commercially available 3D models from the video game community. The search time remains linear no matter how many objects are introduced, ensuring rapid object recognition. Here, we report results of an MSC algorithm applied to object recognition and pose estimation from high range resolution radar (1D), electrooptical imagery (2D), and LIDAR point clouds (3D) separately. By abstracting the sensor phenomenology from the underlying a prior knowledge base, MSC shows promise as an easily adaptable tool for incorporating additional sensor inputs.

Not Just Wanna Have Fun: Teaching Listening Skills with Songs

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Amalia Qistina Abdullah

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Teaching listening skills is very challenging to ESL teachers. It involves active participation from both teachers and students to ensure the objectives of teaching listening skills can be achieved. Hence, this presentation provides interesting and exciting strategies to teach listening skills using selected songs.  It is hoped that this would motivate ESL teachers to apply and adapt these strategies in their English language classrooms.

[The development of clinical reasoning skills and leadership: personal factors and organizational factors].

Science.gov (United States)

Larue, Caroline; Dubois, Sylvie; Girard, Francine; Goudreau, Johanne; Dumont, Katia

2013-03-01

Continuing education of newly graduated nurses (NGN) depends on several factors related to the characteristics of skills to be developed, the target population and the organizational context. Few studies describe both how nurses develop their skills and how institutions promote this development. The objectives of this manuscript are to (1) describe the behaviors that the NGN use to develop their reasoning skills and leadership and (2) document the organizational elements that facilitate this development. Method. Individual interviews were conducted with nurses (n = 34) using a grid of semistructured interviews and two group interviews were conducted with nurses (n = 7) and managers (n = 19) in two teaching hospitals in eastern Canada. The results show that nurses develop mainly by reflecting on their professional practice in their workplace. However, the lack of time for reflection in the workspace is a considerable obstacle while managerial leadership is an important asset.

Ambulatory Care Skills: Do Residents Feel Prepared?

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Denise Bonds

2002-10-01

Full Text Available Objective: To determine resident comfort and skill in performing ambulatory care skills. Methods: Descriptive survey of common ambulatory care skills administered to internal medicine faculty and residents at one academic medical center. Respondents were asked to rate their ability to perform 12 physical exam skills and 6 procedures, and their comfort in performing 7 types of counseling, and obtaining 6 types of patient history (4 point Likert scale for each. Self-rated ability or comfort was compared by gender, status (year of residency, faculty, and future predicted frequency of use of the skill. Results: Residents reported high ability levels for physical exam skills common to both the ambulatory and hospital setting. Fewer felt able to perform musculoskeletal, neurologic or eye exams easily alone. Procedures generally received low ability ratings. Similarly, residents’ comfort in performing common outpatient counseling was also low. More residents reported feeling very comfortable in obtaining history from patients. We found little variation by gender, year of training, or predicted frequency of use. Conclusion: Self-reported ability and comfort for many common ambulatory care skills is low. Further evaluation of this finding in other training programs is warranted.

Balancing Exploration, Uncertainty Representation and Computational Time in Many-Objective Reservoir Policy Optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Zatarain-Salazar, J.; Reed, P. M.; Quinn, J.; Giuliani, M.; Castelletti, A.

2016-12-01

As we confront the challenges of managing river basin systems with a large number of reservoirs and increasingly uncertain tradeoffs impacting their operations (due to, e.g. climate change, changing energy markets, population pressures, ecosystem services, etc.), evolutionary many-objective direct policy search (EMODPS) solution strategies will need to address the computational demands associated with simulating more uncertainties and therefore optimizing over increasingly noisy objective evaluations. Diagnostic assessments of state-of-the-art many-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) to support EMODPS have highlighted that search time (or number of function evaluations) and auto-adaptive search are key features for successful optimization. Furthermore, auto-adaptive MOEA search operators are themselves sensitive to having a sufficient number of function evaluations to learn successful strategies for exploring complex spaces and for escaping from local optima when stagnation is detected. Fortunately, recent parallel developments allow coordinated runs that enhance auto-adaptive algorithmic learning and can handle scalable and reliable search with limited wall-clock time, but at the expense of the total number of function evaluations. In this study, we analyze this tradeoff between parallel coordination and depth of search using different parallelization schemes of the Multi-Master Borg on a many-objective stochastic control problem. We also consider the tradeoff between better representing uncertainty in the stochastic optimization, and simplifying this representation to shorten the function evaluation time and allow for greater search. Our analysis focuses on the Lower Susquehanna River Basin (LSRB) system where multiple competing objectives for hydropower production, urban water supply, recreation and environmental flows need to be balanced. Our results provide guidance for balancing exploration, uncertainty, and computational demands when using the EMODPS

Fundamental Movement Skills among Iranian Primary School Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Aalizadeh, Bahman; Mohamadzadeh, Hassan; Hosseini, Fatemeh Sadat

2014-12-01

To determine the relationship between anthropometric indicators, physical activity (PA) and socioeconomic status (SES) with fundamental movement skills (FMS) among Iranian male students. In this descriptive study, based on SES scores, 241 students (7-10 years) were randomly selected and classified in high, medium and low groups. All children were measured by 8 morphology anthropometric measures. In order to examine a subset of manipulative skills and to measure physical activity and socioeconomic status, Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD2) and, interviewer-administered questionnaires were used, respectively. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression. There was a significant positive correlation between SES and body mass index (BMI), while a significant negative correlation existed between PA and BMI. Object control skills were significantly correlated with height, foot length, forearm length, hand length and physical activity. Students with low socioeconomic status were more qualified in movements than other students who were in medium and high socioeconomic status. Therefore, parents need to encourage students to be more active in order to prevent obesity and to facilitate development of object control skills in high socioeconomic status.

Fundamental Movement Skills among Iranian Primary School Children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahman Aalizadeh

2014-12-01

Full Text Available To determine the relationship between anthropometric indicators, physical activity (PA and socioeconomic status (SES with fundamental movement skills (FMS among Iranian male students.In this descriptive study, based on SES scores, 241 students (7-10 years were randomly selected and classified in high, medium and low groups. All children were measured by 8 morphology anthropometric measures. In order to examine a subset of manipulative skills and to measure physical activity and socioeconomic status, Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD2 and, interviewer-administered questionnaires were used, respectively. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression.There was a significant positive correlation between SES and body mass index (BMI, while a significant negative correlation existed between PA and BMI. Object control skills were significantly correlated with height, foot length, forearm length, hand length and physical activity.Students with low socioeconomic status were more qualified in movements than other students who were in medium and high socioeconomic status. Therefore, parents need to encourage students to be more active in order to prevent obesity and to facilitate development of object control skills in high socioeconomic status.

Influence of timing of delayed hard palate closure on articulation skills in 3-year-old Danish children with unilateral cleft lip and palate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Willadsen, Elisabeth; Boers, Maria; Schöps, Antje

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND: Differing results regarding articulation skills in young children with cleft palate (CP) have been reported and often interpreted as a consequence of different surgical protocols. AIMS: To assess the influence of different timing of hard palate closure in a two-stage procedure...... on articulation skills in 3-year-olds born with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). Secondary aims were to compare results with peers without CP, and to investigate if there are gender differences in articulation skills. Furthermore, burden of treatment was to be estimated in terms of secondary surgery...

Teaching communication skills: beyond wishful thinking.

Science.gov (United States)

Junod Perron, Noelle; Sommer, Johanna; Louis-Simonet, Martine; Nendaz, Mathieu

2015-01-01

Communication skills tend to decline with time unless they are regularly recalled and practiced. However, most medical schools still deliver clinical communication training only during pre-clinical years although the clinical environment is considered to be ideal for acquiring and teaching clinical communication. The aim of this article is to review the barriers that prevent communication skills teaching and training from occurring in clinical practice and describe strategies that may help enhance such activities. Barriers occur at several levels: students, junior doctors and clinical supervisors sometimes have negative attitudes towards communication training; structured training in communication skills is often insufficient; clinical supervisors behave as poor role models and lack effective communication and teaching skills; finally, there are organisational constraints such as lack of time, competing priorities, weak hierarchy support and lack of positive incentives for using, training or teaching good communication skills in clinical practice. Given the difficulty of assessing transfer of communication skills in practice, only few studies describe successful educational interventions. In order to optimise communication skills learning in practice, there is need to: (1.) modify the climate and structure of the working environment so that that use, training and teaching of good communication skills in clinical practice becomes valued, supported and rewarded; (2.) extend communication skills training to any field of medicine; (3.) provide regular structured trainings and tailor them to trainees' needs. Practical implications of such findings are discussed at the end of this review.

Undergraduate basic surgical skills education: impact on attitudes to a career in surgery and surgical skills acquisition.

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McAnena, P F; O'Halloran, N; Moloney, B M; Courtney, D; Waldron, R M; Flaherty, G; Kerin, M J

2018-05-01

Basic surgical skills modules in medical education are effective in teaching skills and increasing confidence among students approaching surgery. However, these modules are not delivered universally and their effect on the professional development of graduates has not been established. We aimed to assess the impact of a 10-week basic surgical skills module on attitudes and technical skills of first year medical students compared to interns. Eighteen students participated and were assessed using a 4-part questionnaire. Technical skills were assessed by observing students perform a basic interrupted suture, using the objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) tool. Fourteen interns were recruited. Students were more confident in surgical scrubbing (mean score 4.0 vs. 2.86, p = 0.001), and performing a basic suture (4.05 vs. 1.93, p = 0.000), more enthusiastic about assisting with an operation (4.5 vs. 3.0, p = 0.001) and more likely to consider a career in surgery (4.16 vs. 2.28, p = 0.000). Technical skills were greater in the student group (mean score 30.8 vs. 19.6, p = 0.001). Five interns had taken part in surgical skills modules as undergraduates. Their technical skills were significantly higher compared to interns who had not (n = 9) (28.8 vs. 14.5, p = 0.006), and they were more likely to consider a career in surgery (3.6 vs. 1.5, p = 0.036). The introduction of surgical skills teaching to the undergraduate medical curriculum has a positive impact on students' attitudes towards surgery and accelerates basic technical skills development. Consideration should be given to development of a standardised undergraduate core curriculum in basic surgical skills teaching.

Semantic-Based Concurrency Control for Object-Oriented Database Systems Supporting Real-Time Applications

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lee, Juhnyoung; Son, Sang H

1994-01-01

.... This paper investigates major issues in designing semantic-based concurrency control for object-oriented database systems supporting real-time applications, and it describes approaches to solving...

24 CFR 984.102 - Program objectives.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... education, employment, and business and social skills necessary to achieve self-sufficiency, as defined in... 984.102 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development (Continued... SECTION 8 AND PUBLIC HOUSING FAMILY SELF-SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM General § 984.102 Program objectives. The...

Qualitative Evaluation of the Design Variables of a Teaching Intervention to Expose Accounting Students to Pervasive Skills

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Viviers, Herman Albertus

2016-01-01

The primary objective of this article is to evaluate the design variables of a newly developed teaching intervention, "The Amazing Tax Race". It comprises a race against time in which accounting students participate within teams in multiple tax-related activities so that they are exposed to pervasive skills. The findings provide…

Improved staff procedure skills lead to improved managment skills: an observational study in an educational setting.

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Rüter, Anders; Vikstrom, Tore

2009-01-01

Good staff procedure skills in a management group during incidents and disasters are believed to be a prerequisite for good management of the situation. However, this has not been demonstrated scientifically. Templates for evaluation results from performance indicators during simulation exercises have previously been tested. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the possibility that these indicators can be used as a tool for studying the relationship between good management skills and good staff procedure skills. Good and structured work (staff procedure skills) in a hospital management group during simulation exercises in disaster medicine is related to good and timely decisions (good management skills). Results from 29 consecutive simulation exercises in which staff procedure skills and management skills were evaluated using quantitative measurements were included. The statistical analysis method used was simple linear regression with staff procedure skills as the response variable and management skills as the predictor variable. An overall significant relationship was identified between staff procedure skills and management skills (p(2)0.05). This study suggests that there is a relationship between staff procedure skills and management skills in the educational setting used. Future studies are needed to demonstrate if this also can be observed during actual incidents.