Design, construction, and validation of a scale to measure cyberbullying in a work environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luz N. Fernández-López

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to design, construct, and validate a scale to measure cyberbullying in a work environment. The design used was quantitative, not experimental, and transversal. The research method was based on the Reactive Response Theory. This research produced a validated scale with a sample of the work environment in Puerto Rico. Three analyses were performed: content validity, reliability analysis of the Cronbach alpha coefficient, and the divergent type construct validity. Based on the analysis of the results, the scale was deemed to be useful for the purpose it was designed. Building a scale that measures cyberbullying contributes to the design of new instruments and the revision of existing ones; furthermore, it may serve as the basis for future re- search related to the topic of cyberbullying.

Design and Validation of Affective Warning Pictorial on Cigarette Labels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chanduen Pat-Arin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of present study were to design and validate affective warning pictorials for cigarette label in Thailand. Brainstorming and survey techniques were used to collect the idea of possible warning pictorials. All ideas were grouped for finding candidated pictorials. Then, primary sixty warning pictorials were collected and equally classified into three affective warning pictorial groups as positive, neutral, and negative. Sixty Thai male engineering students participated in affective validation of warning pictorials using SAM rating. The International Affective Picture System (IAPS was used to manipulate the affective state of participants to neutral affective state before the experiments. The results revealed that all affective warning pictorials were successfully evoked target affective states on participants. After refining, thirty affective warning pictorials were provided as positive, neutral, and negative affective warning pictorials for using on cigarette labels. Implications on the affective warning pictorials design and validation.

Development and validation of a questionnaire designed to measure foot-health status.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, P J; Patterson, C; Wearing, S; Baglioni, T

1998-09-01

The aim of this study was to apply the principles of content, criterion, and construct validation to a new questionnaire specifically designed to measure foot-health status. One hundred eleven subjects completed two different questionnaires designed to measure foot health (the new Foot Health Status Questionnaire and the previously validated Foot Function Index) and underwent a clinical examination in order to provide data for a second-order confirmatory factor analysis. Presented herein is a psychometrically evaluated questionnaire that contains 13 items covering foot pain, foot function, footwear, and general foot health. The tool demonstrates a high degree of content, criterion, and construct validity and test-retest reliability.

Feasibility study and uncertainties in the validation of an existing safety-related control circuit with the ISO 13849-1:2006 design standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jocelyn, Sabrina; Baudoin, James; Chinniah, Yuvin; Charpentier, Philippe

2014-01-01

In industry, machine users and people who modify or integrate equipment often have to evaluate the safety level of a safety-related control circuit that they have not necessarily designed. The modifications or integrations may involve work to make an existing machine that does not comply with normative or regulatory specifications safe. However, how can a circuit performing a safety function be validated a posteriori? Is the validation exercise feasible? What are the difficulties and limitations of such a procedure? The aim of this article is to answer these questions by presenting a validation study of a safety function of an existing machine. A plastic injection molding machine is used for this study, as well as standard ISO 13849-1:2006. Validation consists of performing an a posteriori (post-design) estimation of the performance level of the safety function. The procedure is studied for two contexts of use of the machine: in industry, and in laboratory. The calculations required by the ISO standard were done using Excel, followed by SIStema software. It is shown that, based on the context of use, the estimated performance level was different for the same safety-related circuit. The variability in the results is explained by the assumptions made by the person undertaking the validation without the involvement of the machine designer. - Highlights: • Validation of the performance level of a safety function is undertaken. • An injection molding machine and ISO 13849-1:2006 standard are used for the procedure. • The procedure is undertaken for two contexts of use of the machine. • In this study, the performance level depends on the context of use. • The assumptions made throughout the study partially explain this difference

Validation of designing tools as part of nuclear pump development process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klemm, T.; Sehr, F.; Spenner, P.; Fritz, J.

2010-01-01

Nuclear pumps are characterized by high safety standards, operational reliability as well as long life cycles. For the design process it is of common use to have a down scaled model pump to qualify operating data and simulate exceptional operating conditions. In case of modifications of the pump design compared to existing reactor coolant pumps a model pump is required to develop methods and tools to design the full scale pump. In the presented case it has a geometry scale of 1:2 regarding the full scale pump size. The experimental data of the model pump is basis for validation of methods and tools which are applied in the designing process of the full scale pump. In this paper the selection of qualified tools and the validation process is demonstrated exemplarily on a cooling circuit. The aim is to predict the resulting flow rate. Tools are chosen for different components depending on the benefit to effort ratio. For elementary flow phenomena such as fluid flow in straight pipes or gaps analytic or empirical laws can be used. For more complex flow situations numerical methods are utilized. Main focus is set on the validation process of the applied numerical flow simulation. In this case not only integral data should be compared, it is also necessary to validate local flow structure of numerical flow simulation to avoid systematic errors in CFD Model generation. Due to complex design internal flow measurements are not possible. On that reason simple comparisons of similar flow test cases are used. Results of this study show, that the flow simulation data closely match measured integral pump and test case data. With this validation it is now possible to qualify CFD simulations as a design tool for the full scale pump in similar cooling circuit. (authors)

Guided exploration of physically valid shapes for furniture design

KAUST Repository

Umetani, Nobuyuki; Igarashi, Takeo; Mitra, Niloy J.

2012-01-01

Geometric modeling and the physical validity of shapes are traditionally considered independently. This makes creating aesthetically pleasing yet physically valid models challenging. We propose an interactive design framework for efficient

Validation of Helium Inlet Design for ITER Toroidal Field Coil

CERN Document Server

Boyer, C; Hamada, K; Foussat, A; Le Rest, M; Mitchell, N; Decool, P; Savary, F; Sgobba, S; Weiss, K-P

2014-01-01

The ITER organization has performed design and its validation tests on a helium inlet structure for the ITER Toroidal Field (TF) coil under collaboration with CERN, KIT, and CEA-Cadarache. Detailed structural analysis was performed in order to optimize the weld shape. A fatigue resistant design on the fillet weld between the shell covers and the jacket is an important point on the helium inlet structure. A weld filler material was selected based on tensile test at liquid helium temperature after Nb$_{3}$Sn reaction heat treatment. To validate the design of the weld joint, fatigue tests at 7 K were performed using heat-treated butt weld samples. A pressure drop measurement of a helium inlet mock-up was performed by using nitrogen gas at room temperature in order to confirm uniform flow distribution and pressure drop characteristic. These tests have validated the helium inlet design. Based on the validation, Japanese and European Union domestic agencies, which have responsibilities of the TF coil procurement, a...

Non-clinical models: validation, study design and statistical consideration in safety pharmacology.

Science.gov (United States)

Pugsley, M K; Towart, R; Authier, S; Gallacher, D J; Curtis, M J

2010-01-01

The current issue of the Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods (JPTM) focuses exclusively on safety pharmacology methods. This is the 7th year the Journal has published on this topic. Methods and models that specifically relate to methods relating to the assessment of the safety profile of a new chemical entity (NCE) prior to first in human (FIH) studies are described. Since the Journal started publishing on this topic there has been a major effort by safety pharmacologists, toxicologists and regulatory scientists within Industry (both large and small Pharma as well as Biotechnology companies) and also from Contract Research Organizations (CRO) to publish the surgical details of the non-clinical methods utilized but also provide important details related to standard and non-standard (or integrated) study models and designs. These details from core battery and secondary (or ancillary) drug safety assessment methods used in drug development programs have been the focus of these special issues and have been an attempt to provide validation of methods. Similarly, the safety pharmacology issues of the Journal provide the most relevant forum for scientists to present novel and modified methods with direct applicability to determination of drug safety-directly to the safety pharmacology scientific community. The content of the manuscripts in this issue includes the introduction of additional important surgical methods, novel data capture and data analysis methods, improved study design and effects of positive control compounds with known activity in the model. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design and validation of a microfluidic device for blood-brain barrier monitoring and transport studies

Science.gov (United States)

Ugolini, Giovanni Stefano; Occhetta, Paola; Saccani, Alessandra; Re, Francesca; Krol, Silke; Rasponi, Marco; Redaelli, Alberto

2018-04-01

In vitro blood-brain barrier models are highly relevant for drug screening and drug development studies, due to the challenging task of understanding the transport mechanism of drug molecules through the blood-brain barrier towards the brain tissue. In this respect, microfluidics holds potential for providing microsystems that require low amounts of cells and reagent and can be potentially multiplexed for increasing the ease and throughput of the drug screening process. We here describe the design, development and validation of a microfluidic device for endothelial blood-brain barrier cell transport studies. The device comprises of two microstructured layers (top culture chamber and bottom collection chamber) sandwiching a porous membrane for the cell culture. Microstructured layers include two pairs of physical electrodes, embedded into the device layers by geometrically defined guiding channels with computationally optimized positions. These electrodes allow the use of commercial electrical measurement systems for monitoring trans-endothelial electrical resistance (TEER). We employed the designed device for performing preliminary assessment of endothelial barrier formation with murine brain endothelial cells (Br-bEnd5). Results demonstrate that cellular junctional complexes effectively form in the cultures (expression of VE-Cadherin and ZO-1) and that the TEER monitoring systems effectively detects an increase of resistance of the cultured cell layers indicative of tight junction formation. Finally, we validate the use of the described microsystem for drug transport studies demonstrating that Br-bEnd5 cells significantly hinder the transport of molecules (40 kDa and 4 kDa dextran) from the top culture chamber to the bottom collection chamber.

Computational design and experimental validation of new thermal barrier systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Shengmin [Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA (United States)

2015-03-31

The focus of this project is on the development of a reliable and efficient ab initio based computational high temperature material design method which can be used to assist the Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) bond-coat and top-coat design. Experimental evaluations on the new TBCs are conducted to confirm the new TBCs’ properties. Southern University is the subcontractor on this project with a focus on the computational simulation method development. We have performed ab initio density functional theory (DFT) method and molecular dynamics simulation on screening the top coats and bond coats for gas turbine thermal barrier coating design and validation applications. For experimental validations, our focus is on the hot corrosion performance of different TBC systems. For example, for one of the top coatings studied, we examined the thermal stability of TaZr_2.75O₈ and confirmed it’s hot corrosion performance.

Validation of helium inlet design for ITER toroidal field coil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyer, C.; Seo, K.; Hamada, K.; Foussat, A.; Le Rest, M.; Mitchell, N.; Decool, P.; Savary, F.; Sgobba, S.; Weiss, K.P.

2014-01-01

The ITER organization has performed design and its validation tests on a helium inlet structure for the ITER Toroidal Field (TF) coil under collaboration with CERN, KIT, and CEA Cadarache. Detailed structural analysis was performed in order to optimize the weld shape. A fatigue resistant design on the fillet weld between the shell covers and the jacket is an important point on the helium inlet structure. A weld filler material was selected based on tensile test at liquid helium temperature after Nb 3 Sn reaction heat treatment. To validate the design of the weld joint, fatigue tests at 7 K were performed using heat-treated butt weld samples. A pressure drop measurement of a helium inlet mock-up was performed by using nitrogen gas at room temperature in order to confirm uniform flow distribution and pressure drop characteristic. These tests have validated the helium inlet design. Based on the validation, Japanese and European Union domestic agencies, which have responsibilities of the TF coil procurement, are preparing the helium inlet mock-up for a qualification test. (authors)

Progress in IFMIF Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heidinger, R.; Knaster, J.; Matsumoto, H.; Sugimoto, M.; Mosnier, A.; Arbeiter, F.; Baluc, N.; Cara, P.; Chel, S.; Facco, A.; Favuzza, P.; Heinzel, V.; Ibarra, A.; Massaut, V.; Micciche, G.; Nitti, F.S.; Theile, J.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► The IFMIF/EVEDA project has entered into the crucial phase of concluding the Interim IFMIF Engineering Design Report. ► The IFMIF plant configuration has been established with the definition of five IFMIF facilities and of their interfaces. ► Three major prototypes of the IFMIF main systems have been designed and are being manufactured, commissioned and operated. -- Abstract: The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) Engineering Design and Engineering Validation Activities (EVEDA) are being developed in a joint project in the framework of the Broader Approach (BA) Agreement between EU and Japan. This project has now entered into a crucial phase as the engineering design of IFMIF is now being formulated in a series of 3 subsequent phases for delivering an Interim IFMIF Engineering Design Report (IIEDR) by mid of 2013. Content of these phases is explained, including the plant configuration detailing the 5 IFMIF facilities and their systems. Together with the Engineering Design Activities, prototyping sub-projects are pursued in the Engineering Validation Activities which consist of the design, manufacturing and testing of the following prototypical systems: Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc), EVEDA Lithium Test Loop (ELTL), and High Flux Test Module (HFTM) with the prototypical helium cooling loop (HELOKA). Highlights are described from recent experiments in the Engineering Validation Activities

Human factors engineering and design validation for the redesigned follitropin alfa pen injection device.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahony, Mary C; Patterson, Patricia; Hayward, Brooke; North, Robert; Green, Dawne

2015-05-01

To demonstrate, using human factors engineering (HFE), that a redesigned, pre-filled, ready-to-use, pre-asembled follitropin alfa pen can be used to administer prescribed follitropin alfa doses safely and accurately. A failure modes and effects analysis identified hazards and harms potentially caused by use errors; risk-control measures were implemented to ensure acceptable device use risk management. Participants were women with infertility, their significant others, and fertility nurse (FN) professionals. Preliminary testing included 'Instructions for Use' (IFU) and pre-validation studies. Validation studies used simulated injections in a representative use environment; participants received prior training on pen use. User performance in preliminary testing led to IFU revisions and a change to outer needle cap design to mitigate needle stick potential. In the first validation study (49 users, 343 simulated injections), in the FN group, one observed critical use error resulted in a device design modification and another in an IFU change. A second validation study tested the mitigation strategies; previously reported use errors were not repeated. Through an iterative process involving a series of studies, modifications were made to the pen design and IFU. Simulated-use testing demonstrated that the redesigned pen can be used to administer follitropin alfa effectively and safely.

Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project Design Verification and Validation Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

OLGUIN, L.J.

2000-01-01

This document provides a description of design verification and validation activities implemented by the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project. During the execution of early design verification, a management assessment (Bergman, 1999) and external assessments on configuration management (Augustenburg, 1999) and testing (Loscoe, 2000) were conducted and identified potential uncertainties in the verification process. This led the SNF Chief Engineer to implement corrective actions to improve process and design products. This included Design Verification Reports (DVRs) for each subproject, validation assessments for testing, and verification of the safety function of systems and components identified in the Safety Equipment List to ensure that the design outputs were compliant with the SNF Technical Requirements. Although some activities are still in progress, the results of the DVR and associated validation assessments indicate that Project requirements for design verification are being effectively implemented. These results have been documented in subproject-specific technical documents (Table 2). Identified punch-list items are being dispositioned by the Project. As these remaining items are closed, the technical reports (Table 2) will be revised and reissued to document the results of this work

An extended protocol for usability validation of medical devices: Research design and reference model.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmettow, Martin; Schnittker, Raphaela; Schraagen, Jan Maarten

2017-05-01

This paper proposes and demonstrates an extended protocol for usability validation testing of medical devices. A review of currently used methods for the usability evaluation of medical devices revealed two main shortcomings. Firstly, the lack of methods to closely trace the interaction sequences and derive performance measures. Secondly, a prevailing focus on cross-sectional validation studies, ignoring the issues of learnability and training. The U.S. Federal Drug and Food Administration's recent proposal for a validation testing protocol for medical devices is then extended to address these shortcomings: (1) a novel process measure 'normative path deviations' is introduced that is useful for both quantitative and qualitative usability studies and (2) a longitudinal, completely within-subject study design is presented that assesses learnability, training effects and allows analysis of diversity of users. A reference regression model is introduced to analyze data from this and similar studies, drawing upon generalized linear mixed-effects models and a Bayesian estimation approach. The extended protocol is implemented and demonstrated in a study comparing a novel syringe infusion pump prototype to an existing design with a sample of 25 healthcare professionals. Strong performance differences between designs were observed with a variety of usability measures, as well as varying training-on-the-job effects. We discuss our findings with regard to validation testing guidelines, reflect on the extensions and discuss the perspectives they add to the validation process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interpretation of custom designed Illumina genotype cluster plots for targeted association studies and next-generation sequence validation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tindall Elizabeth A

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background High-throughput custom designed genotyping arrays are a valuable resource for biologically focused research studies and increasingly for validation of variation predicted by next-generation sequencing (NGS technologies. We investigate the Illumina GoldenGate chemistry using custom designed VeraCode and sentrix array matrix (SAM assays for each of these applications, respectively. We highlight applications for interpretation of Illumina generated genotype cluster plots to maximise data inclusion and reduce genotyping errors. Findings We illustrate the dramatic effect of outliers in genotype calling and data interpretation, as well as suggest simple means to avoid genotyping errors. Furthermore we present this platform as a successful method for two-cluster rare or non-autosomal variant calling. The success of high-throughput technologies to accurately call rare variants will become an essential feature for future association studies. Finally, we highlight additional advantages of the Illumina GoldenGate chemistry in generating unusually segregated cluster plots that identify potential NGS generated sequencing error resulting from minimal coverage. Conclusions We demonstrate the importance of visually inspecting genotype cluster plots generated by the Illumina software and issue warnings regarding commonly accepted quality control parameters. In addition to suggesting applications to minimise data exclusion, we propose that the Illumina cluster plots may be helpful in identifying potential in-put sequence errors, particularly important for studies to validate NGS generated variation.

Design, validation, and reliability of survey to measure female athlete triad knowledge among coaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jillian E. Frideres

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to design and to test the validity and reliability of an instrument to evaluate coaches' knowledge about the female athlete triad syndrome and their confidence in this knowledge. The instrument collects information regarding: knowledge of the syndrome, components, prevention and intervention; confidence of the coaches in their answers; and coach's characteristics (gender, degree held, years of experience in coaching females, continuing education participation specific to the syndrome and its components, and sport coached. The process of designing the questionnaire and testing the validity and reliability of it was done in four phases: a design and development of the instrument, b content validity, c instrument reliability, and d concurrent validity. The results show that the instrument is suitable for measuring coaches' female athlete triad knowledge. The instrument can contribute to assessing the coaches' knowledge level in relation to this topic.

Identification and Validation of ESP Teacher Competencies: A Research Design

Science.gov (United States)

Venkatraman, G.; Prema, P.

2013-01-01

The paper presents the research design used for identifying and validating a set of competencies required of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) teachers. The identification of the competencies and the three-stage validation process are also discussed. The observation of classes of ESP teachers for field-testing the validated competencies and…

Development of knowledgebase system for assisting signal validation scheme design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitamura, M.; Baba, T.; Washio, T.; Sugiyama, K.

1987-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a knowledgebase system to be used as a tool for designing signal validation schemes. The outputs from the signal validation scheme can be used as; (1) auxiliary signals for detecting sensor failures, (2) inputs to advanced instrumentation such as disturbance analysis and diagnosis system or safety parameter display system, and (3) inputs to digital control systems. Conventional signal validation techniques such as comparison of redundant sensors, limit checking, and calibration tests have been employed in nuclear power plants. However, these techniques have serious drawbacks, e.g. needs for extra sensors, vulnerability to common mode failures, limited applicability to continuous monitoring, etc. To alleviate these difficulties, a new signal validation technique has been developed by using the methods called analytic redundancy and parity space. Although the new technique has been proved feasible as far as preliminary tests are concerned, further developments should be made in order to enhance its practical applicability

Deployable and Conformal Planar Micro-Devices: Design and Model Validation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinda Zhuang

2014-08-01

Full Text Available We report a design concept for a deployable planar microdevice and the modeling and experimental validation of its mechanical behavior. The device consists of foldable membranes that are suspended between flexible stems and actuated by push-pull wires. Such a deployable device can be introduced into a region of interest in its compact “collapsed” state and then deployed to conformally cover a large two-dimensional surface area for minimally invasive biomedical operations and other engineering applications. We develop and experimentally validate theoretical models based on the energy minimization approach to examine the conformality and figures of merit of the device. The experimental results obtained using model contact surfaces agree well with the prediction and quantitatively highlight the importance of the membrane bending modulus in controlling surface conformality. The present study establishes an early foundation for the mechanical design of this and related deployable planar microdevice concepts.

Initial Validation of a Technical Writing Rubric for Engineering Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheryl Bodnar

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Engineering design serves as the capstone experience of most undergraduate engineering programs. One of the key elements of the engineering design process is the compilation of results obtained into a technical report that can be shared and distributed to interested stakeholders including industry, faculty members and other relevant parties. In an effort to expand the tools available for assessment of engineering design technical reports, this study performed an initial validation of a previously developed Technical Writing rubric. The rubric was evaluated for its reliability to measure the intended construct, inter-rater reliability and external validity in comparison to an existing generalized written communication rubric. It was found that the rubric was reliable with Cronbach’s alpha for all dimensions between 0.817 and 0.976. The inter-rater reliability for the overall instrument was also found to be excellent at 0.85. Finally, it was observed that there were no statistically significant differences observed between the measurements obtained on the Technical Writing rubric in comparison to the more generalized Written Communication Value rubric. This demonstrates that although specific to engineering design environments the Technical Writing rubric was able to measure key constructs associated with written communication practice. This rubric can now serve as one additional tool for assessment of communication skills within engineering capstone design experiences.

Spacecraft early design validation using formal methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bozzano, Marco; Cimatti, Alessandro; Katoen, Joost-Pieter; Katsaros, Panagiotis; Mokos, Konstantinos; Nguyen, Viet Yen; Noll, Thomas; Postma, Bart; Roveri, Marco

2014-01-01

The size and complexity of software in spacecraft is increasing exponentially, and this trend complicates its validation within the context of the overall spacecraft system. Current validation methods are labor-intensive as they rely on manual analysis, review and inspection. For future space missions, we developed – with challenging requirements from the European space industry – a novel modeling language and toolset for a (semi-)automated validation approach. Our modeling language is a dialect of AADL and enables engineers to express the system, the software, and their reliability aspects. The COMPASS toolset utilizes state-of-the-art model checking techniques, both qualitative and probabilistic, for the analysis of requirements related to functional correctness, safety, dependability and performance. Several pilot projects have been performed by industry, with two of them having focused on the system-level of a satellite platform in development. Our efforts resulted in a significant advancement of validating spacecraft designs from several perspectives, using a single integrated system model. The associated technology readiness level increased from level 1 (basic concepts and ideas) to early level 4 (laboratory-tested)

Design of a Hydro-Turbine Blade for Acoustic and Performance Validation Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, E.; Barone, M.

2011-12-01

To meet the growing, global energy demands governments and industry have recently begun to focus on marine hydrokinetic (MHK) devices as an additional form of power generation. Water turbines have become a popular design choice since they are able to leverage experience from the decades-old wind industry in the hope of decreasing time-to-market. However, the difference in environments poses challenges that need to be addressed. In particular, little research has addressed the acoustic effects of common aerofoils in a marine setting. This has both a potential impact on marine life and may cause early fatigue by exciting new structural modes. An initial blade design is presented, which has been used to begin characterization of any structural and acoustic issues that may arise from a direct one-to-one swap of wind technologies into MHK devices. The blade was optimized for performance using blade-element momentum theory while requiring that it not exceed the allowable stress under a specified extreme operating design condition. This limited the maximum power generated, while ensuring a realizable blade. A stress analysis within ANSYS was performed to validate the structural integrity of the design. Additionally, predictions of the radiated noise from the MHK rotor will be made using boundary element modeling based on flow results from ANSYS CFX, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. The FEA and CFD results demonstrate good comparison to the expected design. Determining a range for the anticipated noise produced from a MHK turbine provides a look at the environmental impact these devices will have. Future efforts will focus on the design constraints noise generation places on MHK devices.

Validation studies of nursing diagnoses in neonatology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavlína Rabasová

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Aim: The objective of the review was the analysis of Czech and foreign literature sources and professional periodicals to obtain a relevant comprehensive overview of validation studies of nursing diagnoses in neonatology. Design: Review. Methods: The selection criterion was studies concerning the validation of nursing diagnoses in neonatology. To obtain data from relevant sources, the licensed professional databases EBSCO, Web of Science and Scopus were utilized. The search criteria were: date of publication - unlimited; academic periodicals - full text; peer-reviewed periodicals; search language - English, Czech and Slovak. Results: A total of 788 studies were found. Only 5 studies were eligible for content analysis, dealing specifically with validation of nursing diagnoses in neonatology. The analysis of the retrieved studies suggests that authors are most often concerned with identifying the defining characteristics of nursing diagnoses applicable to both the mother (parents and the newborn. The diagnoses were validated in the domains Role Relationship; Coping/Stress tolerance; Activity/Rest, and Elimination and Exchange. Diagnoses represented were from the field of dysfunctional physical needs as well as the field of psychosocial and spiritual needs. The diagnoses were as follows: Parental role conflict (00064; Impaired parenting (00056; Grieving (00136; Ineffective breathing pattern (00032; Impaired gas exchange (00030; and Impaired spontaneous ventilation (00033. Conclusion: Validation studies enable effective planning of interventions with measurable results and support clinical nursing practice.

Cluster designs to assess the prevalence of acute malnutrition by lot quality assurance sampling: a validation study by computer simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Olives, Casey; Pagano, Marcello; Deitchler, Megan; Hedt, Bethany L; Egge, Kari; Valadez, Joseph J

2009-04-01

Traditional lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) methods require simple random sampling to guarantee valid results. However, cluster sampling has been proposed to reduce the number of random starting points. This study uses simulations to examine the classification error of two such designs, a 67x3 (67 clusters of three observations) and a 33x6 (33 clusters of six observations) sampling scheme to assess the prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM). Further, we explore the use of a 67x3 sequential sampling scheme for LQAS classification of GAM prevalence. Results indicate that, for independent clusters with moderate intracluster correlation for the GAM outcome, the three sampling designs maintain approximate validity for LQAS analysis. Sequential sampling can substantially reduce the average sample size that is required for data collection. The presence of intercluster correlation can impact dramatically the classification error that is associated with LQAS analysis.

Development and Validation of a Hypersonic Vehicle Design Tool Based On Waverider Design Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Dasque, Nastassja

Methodologies for a tool capable of assisting design initiatives for practical waverider based hypersonic vehicles were developed and validated. The design space for vehicle surfaces was formed using an algorithm that coupled directional derivatives with the conservation laws to determine a flow field defined by a set of post-shock streamlines. The design space is used to construct an ideal waverider with a sharp leading edge. A blunting method was developed to modify the ideal shapes to a more practical geometry for real-world application. Empirical and analytical relations were then systematically applied to the resulting geometries to determine local pressure, skin-friction and heat flux. For the ideal portion of the geometry, flat plate relations for compressible flow were applied. For the blunted portion of the geometry modified Newtonian theory, Fay-Riddell theory and Modified Reynolds analogy were applied. The design and analysis methods were validated using analytical solutions as well as empirical and numerical data. The streamline solution for the flow field generation technique was compared with a Taylor-Maccoll solution and showed very good agreement. The relationship between the local Stanton number and skin friction coefficient with local Reynolds number along the ideal portion of the body showed good agreement with experimental data. In addition, an automated grid generation routine was formulated to construct a structured mesh around resulting geometries in preparation for Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis. The overall analysis of the waverider body using the tool was then compared to CFD studies. The CFD flow field showed very good agreement with the design space. However, the distribution of the surface properties was near CFD results but did not have great agreement.

Seaworthy Quantum Key Distribution Design and Validation (SEAKEY)

Science.gov (United States)

2015-11-12

polarization control and the CV state and the LO state are separated at a polarizing beam splitter . The CV state is delayed relative to the LO state, and... splitter or loss imperfections. We have identified a number of risks associated with implementing this design . The two most critical risks are: • The...Contractor Address: 10 Moulton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 Title of the Project: Seaworthy Quantum Key Distribution Design and Validation (SEAKEY

Designing and Assessing the Validity and Reliability of the Hospital Readiness Assessment Tools to Conducting Quality Improvement Program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamal Gholipoor

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background and objectives : Identifying the readiness of hospital and its strengths and weaknesses can be useful in developing appropriate planning and situation analyses and management to getting effective in clinical audit programs. The aim of this study was to design and assess the validity of the Hospital Readiness Assessment Tools to conduct quality improvement and clinical audit programs. Material and Methods: In this study, based on the results of a systematic review of literature, an initial questionnaire with 77 items was designed. Questionnaire content validity was reviewed by experts in the field of hospital management and quality improvement in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. For this purpose, 20 questionnaires were sent to experts. Finally, 15 participants returned completed questionnaire. Questionnaire validity was reviewed and confirmed based on Content Validity Index and Content Validity Ratio. Questionnaire reliability was confirmed based on Cronbach's alpha index (α = 0.96 in a pilot study by participation of 30 hospital managers. Results: The results showed that the final questionnaire contains 54 questions as nine category as: data and information (9 items, teamwork (12 questions, resources (5 questions, patient and education (5, intervention design and implementation (5 questions, clinical audit management (4 questions, human resources (6 questions, evidence and standard (4 items and evaluation and feedback (4 items. The final questionnaire content validity index was 0.91 and final questionnaire Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.96. Conclusion: Considering the relative good validity and reliability of the designed tool in this study, it appears that the questionnaire can be used to identify and assess the readiness of hospitals for quality improvement and clinical audit program implementation

Design and validation of advanced driver assistance systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gietelink, O.J.

2007-01-01

This thesis presents new tools and methods for the design and validation of advanced driver assistance systems (ADASs). ADASs aim to improve driving comfort and traffic safety by assisting the driver in recognizing and reacting to potentially dangerous traffic situations. A major challenge in

On validation of the rain climatic zone designations for Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Obiyemi, O. O.; Ibiyemi, T. S.; Ojo, J. S.

2017-07-01

In this paper, validation of rain climatic zone classifications for Nigeria is presented based on global radio-climatic models by the International Telecommunication Union-Radiocommunication (ITU-R) and Crane. Rain rate estimates deduced from several ground-based measurements and those earlier estimated from the precipitation index on the Tropical Rain Measurement Mission (TRMM) were employed for the validation exercise. Although earlier classifications indicated that Nigeria falls into zones P, Q, N, and K for the ITU-R designations, and zones E and H for Crane's climatic zone designations, the results however confirmed that the rain climatic zones across Nigeria can only be classified into four, namely P, Q, M, and N for the ITU-R designations, while the designations by Crane exhibited only three zones, namely E, G, and H. The ITU-R classification was found to be more suitable for planning microwave and millimeter wave links across Nigeria. The research outcomes are vital in boosting the confidence level of system designers in using the ITU-R designations as presented in the map developed for the rain zone designations for estimating the attenuation induced by rain along satellite and terrestrial microwave links over Nigeria.

Design-validation of a hand exoskeleton using musculoskeletal modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Clint; Gosselin, Florian; Ben Mansour, Khalil; Devos, Pierre; Marin, Frederic

2018-04-01

Exoskeletons are progressively reaching homes and workplaces, allowing interaction with virtual environments, remote control of robots, or assisting human operators in carrying heavy loads. Their design is however still a challenge as these robots, being mechanically linked to the operators who wear them, have to meet ergonomic constraints besides usual robotic requirements in terms of workspace, speed, or efforts. They have in particular to fit the anthropometry and mobility of their users. This traditionally results in numerous prototypes which are progressively fitted to each individual person. In this paper, we propose instead to validate the design of a hand exoskeleton in a fully digital environment, without the need for a physical prototype. The purpose of this study is thus to examine whether finger kinematics are altered when using a given hand exoskeleton. Therefore, user specific musculoskeletal models were created and driven by a motion capture system to evaluate the fingers' joint kinematics when performing two industrial related tasks. The kinematic chain of the exoskeleton was added to the musculoskeletal models and its compliance with the hand movements was evaluated. Our results show that the proposed exoskeleton design does not influence fingers' joints angles, the coefficient of determination between the model with and without exoskeleton being consistently high (R 2 ¯=0.93) and the nRMSE consistently low (nRMSE¯ = 5.42°). These results are promising and this approach combining musculoskeletal and robotic modeling driven by motion capture data could be a key factor in the ergonomics validation of the design of orthotic devices and exoskeletons prior to manufacturing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DTU-ESA millimeter-wave validation standard antenna – requirements and design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pivnenko, Sergey; Kim, Oleksiy S.; Breinbjerg, Olav

2014-01-01

from a validation campaign is achieved when a dedicated Validation Standard (VAST) antenna specifically designed for this purpose is available. The driving requirements to VAST antennas are their mechanical stability with respect to any orientation of the antenna in the gravity field and thermal...... are briefly reviewed and the baseline design is described. The emphasis is given to definition of the requirements for the mechanical and thermal stability of the antenna, which satisfy the stringent stability requirement for the mm-VAST electrical characteristics....

Study designs may influence results

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansen, Christoffer; Schüz, Joachim; Andreasen, Anne-Marie Serena

2017-01-01

appeared to show an inverse association, whereas nested case-control and cohort studies showed no association. For allergies, the inverse association was observed irrespective of study design. We recommend that the questionnaire-based case-control design be placed lower in the hierarchy of studies...... for establishing cause-and-effect for diseases such as glioma. We suggest that a state-of-the-art case-control study should, as a minimum, be accompanied by extensive validation of the exposure assessment methods and the representativeness of the study sample with regard to the exposures of interest. Otherwise...

Visual Servoing Tracking Control of a Ball and Plate System: Design, Implementation and Experimental Validation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Tzu Ho

2013-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the design, implementation and validation of real-time visual servoing tracking control for a ball and plate system. The position of the ball is measured with a machine vision system. The image processing algorithms of the machine vision system are pipelined and implemented on a field programmable gate array (FPGA device to meet real-time constraints. A detailed dynamic model of the system is derived for the simulation study. By neglecting the high-order coupling terms, the ball and plate system model is simplified into two decoupled ball and beam systems, and an approximate input-output feedback linearization approach is then used to design the controller for trajectory tracking. The designed control law is implemented on a digital signal processor (DSP. The validity of the performance of the developed control system is investigated through simulation and experimental studies. Experimental results show that the designed system functions well with reasonable agreement with simulations.

DESIGN AND VALIDATION OF A CARDIORESPIRATORY ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

UJA

This study aimed to validate the 10x20m test for children aged 3 to 6 years in order ... obtained adequate parameters of reliability and validity in healthy children aged 3 ... and is a determinant of cardiovascular risk in preschool children (Bürgi et al., ... (Seca 222, Hamburg, Germany), and weight (kg) that was recorded with a ...

A Validation Study of the Student Oral Proficiency Assessment (SOPA).

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Lynn E.; Kenyon, Dorry M.; Rhodes, Nancy C.

This study validated the Student Oral Proficiency Assessment (SOPA), an oral proficiency instrument designed for students in elementary foreign language programs. Elementary students who were tested with the SOPA were also administered other instruments designed to measure proficiency. These instruments included the Stanford Foreign Language Oral…

De novo peptide design and experimental validation of histone methyltransferase inhibitors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Smadbeck

Full Text Available Histones are small proteins critical to the efficient packaging of DNA in the nucleus. DNA–protein complexes, known as nucleosomes, are formed when the DNA winds itself around the surface of the histones. The methylation of histone residues by enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2 maintains gene repression over successive cell generations. Overexpression of EZH2 can silence important tumor suppressor genes leading to increased invasiveness of many types of cancers. This makes the inhibition of EZH2 an important target in the development of cancer therapeutics. We employed a three-stage computational de novo peptide design method to design inhibitory peptides of EZH2. The method consists of a sequence selection stage and two validation stages for fold specificity and approximate binding affinity. The sequence selection stage consists of an integer linear optimization model that was solved to produce a rank-ordered list of amino acid sequences with increased stability in the bound peptide-EZH2 structure. These sequences were validated through the calculation of the fold specificity and approximate binding affinity of the designed peptides. Here we report the discovery of novel EZH2 inhibitory peptides using the de novo peptide design method. The computationally discovered peptides were experimentally validated in vitro using dose titrations and mechanism of action enzymatic assays. The peptide with the highest in vitro response, SQ037, was validated in nucleo using quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics. This peptide had an IC50 of 13.5 mM, demonstrated greater potency as an inhibitor when compared to the native and K27A mutant control peptides, and demonstrated competitive inhibition versus the peptide substrate. Additionally, this peptide demonstrated high specificity to the EZH2 target in comparison to other histone methyltransferases. The validated peptides are the first computationally designed peptides that directly inhibit EZH2

De novo peptide design and experimental validation of histone methyltransferase inhibitors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Smadbeck

Full Text Available Histones are small proteins critical to the efficient packaging of DNA in the nucleus. DNA-protein complexes, known as nucleosomes, are formed when the DNA winds itself around the surface of the histones. The methylation of histone residues by enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2 maintains gene repression over successive cell generations. Overexpression of EZH2 can silence important tumor suppressor genes leading to increased invasiveness of many types of cancers. This makes the inhibition of EZH2 an important target in the development of cancer therapeutics. We employed a three-stage computational de novo peptide design method to design inhibitory peptides of EZH2. The method consists of a sequence selection stage and two validation stages for fold specificity and approximate binding affinity. The sequence selection stage consists of an integer linear optimization model that was solved to produce a rank-ordered list of amino acid sequences with increased stability in the bound peptide-EZH2 structure. These sequences were validated through the calculation of the fold specificity and approximate binding affinity of the designed peptides. Here we report the discovery of novel EZH2 inhibitory peptides using the de novo peptide design method. The computationally discovered peptides were experimentally validated in vitro using dose titrations and mechanism of action enzymatic assays. The peptide with the highest in vitro response, SQ037, was validated in nucleo using quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics. This peptide had an IC50 of 13.5 [Formula: see text]M, demonstrated greater potency as an inhibitor when compared to the native and K27A mutant control peptides, and demonstrated competitive inhibition versus the peptide substrate. Additionally, this peptide demonstrated high specificity to the EZH2 target in comparison to other histone methyltransferases. The validated peptides are the first computationally designed peptides that directly

Validity of the rey visual design test in primary and secondary school children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wilhelm, P.; van Klink, M.; van Klink, M.

2007-01-01

The Rey Visual Design Learning Test (Rey, 1964, cited in Spreen & Strauss, 1991, Wilhelm, 2004) assesses immediate memory span, new learning, delayed recall and recognition for nonverbal material. Two studies are presented that focused on the construct validity of the RVDLT in primary and secondary

[Design and Validation of a Questionnaire on Vaccination in Students of Health Sciences, Spain].

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Prada, María; Ramos-Martín, Pedro; Madroñal-Menéndez, Jaime; Martínez-Ortega, Carmen; González-Cabrera, Joaquín

2016-11-07

Immunization rates among medicine and nursing students -and among health professional in general- during hospital training are low. It is necessary to investigate the causes for these low immunization rates. The objective of this study was to design and validate a questionnaire for exploring the attitudes and behaviours of medicine and nursing students toward immunization of vaccine-preventable diseases. An instrument validation study. The sample included 646 nursing and medicine students at University of Oviedo, Spain. It was a non-ramdom sampling. After the content validation process, a 24-item questionnaire was designed to assess attitudes and behaviours/behavioural intentions. Reliability (ordinal alpha), internal validity (exploratory factor analysis by parellel analysis), ANOVA and mediational model tests were performed. Exploratory factor analysis yielded two factors which accounted for 48.8% of total variance. Ordinal alpha for the total score was 0.92. Differences were observed across academic years in the dimensions of attitudes (F5.447=3.728) and knowledge (F5.448=65.59), but not in behaviours/behavioural intentions (F5.461=1.680). Attitudes demonstrated to be a moderating variable of knowledge and attitudes/behavioural attitudes (Indirect effect B=0.15; SD=0.3; 95% CI:0.09-0.19). We developed a questionnaie based on sufficient evidence of reliability and internal validity. Scores on attitudes and knowledge increase with the academic year. Attitudes act as a moderating variable between knowledge and behaviours/behavioural intentions.

Engineering Software Suite Validates System Design

Science.gov (United States)

2007-01-01

EDAptive Computing Inc.'s (ECI) EDAstar engineering software tool suite, created to capture and validate system design requirements, was significantly funded by NASA's Ames Research Center through five Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts. These programs specifically developed Syscape, used to capture executable specifications of multi-disciplinary systems, and VectorGen, used to automatically generate tests to ensure system implementations meet specifications. According to the company, the VectorGen tests considerably reduce the time and effort required to validate implementation of components, thereby ensuring their safe and reliable operation. EDASHIELD, an additional product offering from ECI, can be used to diagnose, predict, and correct errors after a system has been deployed using EDASTAR -created models. Initial commercialization for EDASTAR included application by a large prime contractor in a military setting, and customers include various branches within the U.S. Department of Defense, industry giants like the Lockheed Martin Corporation, Science Applications International Corporation, and Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation, as well as NASA's Langley and Glenn Research Centers

VALIDATION OF SIMULATION MODELS FOR DIFFERENTLY DESIGNED HEAT-PIPE EVACUATED TUBULAR COLLECTORS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fan, Jianhua; Dragsted, Janne; Furbo, Simon

2007-01-01

Differently designed heat-pipe evacuated tubular collectors have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. The theoretical work has included development of two TRNSYS [1] simulation models for heat-pipe evacuated tubular collectors utilizing solar radiation from all directions. One model...... coating on both sides. The input to the models is thus not a simple collector efficiency expression but the actual collector geometry. In this study, the TRNSYS models are validated with measurements for four differently designed heat-pipe evacuated tubular collectors. The collectors are produced...

Validation of structural design of JHR fuel element

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brisson, S.; Miras, G.; Le Bourdonnec, L.; Lemoine, P.; Anselmet, M.C.; Marelle, V.

2010-01-01

The validation of the structural design of the Jules Horowitz Reactor fuel element was made by the Finite Element Method, starting from the Computer Aided Design. The JHR fuel element is a cylindrical assembly of three sectors composed of eight rolled fuel plates. A roll-swaging process is used to join the fuel plates to three aluminium stiffeners. The hydraulic gap between each plate is 1.95 mm. The JHR fuel assembly is fastened at both ends to the upper and lower endfittings by riveting. The main stresses are essentially thermal loads, imposed on the fuel zone of the plates. These thermal loads result from the nuclear heat flux (W/cm 2 ). The mechanical loads are mainly hydraulic thrust forces. The average coolant velocity is 15 m/s. Seismic effects are also studied. The fuel assembly is entirely modelled by thin shells. The model takes into account asymmetric thermal loads which often appear in Research Reactors. The mechanics of the fuel plates vary in function of the burn up. These mechanical properties are derived from the data sets used in the MAIA code, and the validity of the structure is demonstrable at throughout the life of the fuel. Results concerning displacement are compared to functional criteria, while results concerning stress are compared to RCC-MX criteria. The results of this analysis show that the mechanical and geometrical integrity of the JHR fuel elements is respected for Operating Categories 1 and 2. This paper presents the methodology of this demonstration for the results obtained. (author)

The European contribution to the development and validation activities for the design of IFMIF lithium facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miccichè, Gioacchino, E-mail: gioacchino.micciche@enea.it [EURATOM-ENEA, CR Brasimone I-40035 Camugnano, BO (Italy); Aiello, Antonio; Bernardi, Davide; Favuzza, Paolo; Agostini, Pietro [EURATOM-ENEA, CR Brasimone I-40035 Camugnano, BO (Italy); Frisoni, Manuela [EURATOM-ENEA, CR Bologna I-40129, BO Italy (Italy); Pinna, Tonio; Porfiri, MariaTeresa [EURATOM-ENEA, CR Frascati I-0044 Frascati, Roma (Italy); Tincani, Amelia [EURATOM-ENEA, CR Brasimone I-40035 Camugnano, BO (Italy); Di Maio, PieroAlessandro [University of Palermo, I-90128 Palermo (Italy); Knaepen, Bernard [Université libre de Bruxelles, I-1050 Bruxelles (Belgium)

2013-10-15

Highlights: • Engineering design of the target assembly. • Erosion, corrosion phenomena promoted by the lithium are studied. • Purification system implemented in the LiFus6 loop. • Study of the remote handling maintenance for the IFMIF TA. -- Abstract: The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) is an accelerator-driven intense neutron source where candidate materials for fusion reactors will be tested and validated. The high energy neutron flux is produced by means of two deuteron beams (total current of 250 mA, energy of 40 MeV) that strikes a liquid lithium target circulating in a lithium loop of IFMIF plant. The European (EU) contribution to the development of the lithium facility comprises five procurement packages, as follow: (1) participation to the experimental activities of the EVEDA lithium test loop in Oarai (Japan); (2) study aimed at evaluating the corrosion and erosion phenomena, promoted by lithium, for structural fusion reference materials like AISI 316L and Eurofer; (3) design and validation of the lithium purification method with the aim to provide input data for the design of the purification system of IFIMF lithium loop; (4) design and validation of the remote handling (RH) procedures for the refurbishment/replacement of the EU concept of IFMIF target assembly including the design of the remote handling tools; (5) the engineering design of the European target assembly for IFMIF and the safety and RAMI analyses for the entire IFMIF lithium facility. The paper gives an overview of the status of the activities and of the main outcomes achieved so far.

The European contribution to the development and validation activities for the design of IFMIF lithium facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miccichè, Gioacchino; Aiello, Antonio; Bernardi, Davide; Favuzza, Paolo; Agostini, Pietro; Frisoni, Manuela; Pinna, Tonio; Porfiri, MariaTeresa; Tincani, Amelia; Di Maio, PieroAlessandro; Knaepen, Bernard

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Engineering design of the target assembly. • Erosion, corrosion phenomena promoted by the lithium are studied. • Purification system implemented in the LiFus6 loop. • Study of the remote handling maintenance for the IFMIF TA. -- Abstract: The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) is an accelerator-driven intense neutron source where candidate materials for fusion reactors will be tested and validated. The high energy neutron flux is produced by means of two deuteron beams (total current of 250 mA, energy of 40 MeV) that strikes a liquid lithium target circulating in a lithium loop of IFMIF plant. The European (EU) contribution to the development of the lithium facility comprises five procurement packages, as follow: (1) participation to the experimental activities of the EVEDA lithium test loop in Oarai (Japan); (2) study aimed at evaluating the corrosion and erosion phenomena, promoted by lithium, for structural fusion reference materials like AISI 316L and Eurofer; (3) design and validation of the lithium purification method with the aim to provide input data for the design of the purification system of IFIMF lithium loop; (4) design and validation of the remote handling (RH) procedures for the refurbishment/replacement of the EU concept of IFMIF target assembly including the design of the remote handling tools; (5) the engineering design of the European target assembly for IFMIF and the safety and RAMI analyses for the entire IFMIF lithium facility. The paper gives an overview of the status of the activities and of the main outcomes achieved so far

Expert validation of fit-for-purpose guidelines for designing programmes of assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dijkstra Joost

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background An assessment programme, a purposeful mix of assessment activities, is necessary to achieve a complete picture of assessee competence. High quality assessment programmes exist, however, design requirements for such programmes are still unclear. We developed guidelines for design based on an earlier developed framework which identified areas to be covered. A fitness-for-purpose approach defining quality was adopted to develop and validate guidelines. Methods First, in a brainstorm, ideas were generated, followed by structured interviews with 9 international assessment experts. Then, guidelines were fine-tuned through analysis of the interviews. Finally, validation was based on expert consensus via member checking. Results In total 72 guidelines were developed and in this paper the most salient guidelines are discussed. The guidelines are related and grouped per layer of the framework. Some guidelines were so generic that these are applicable in any design consideration. These are: the principle of proportionality, rationales should underpin each decisions, and requirement of expertise. Logically, many guidelines focus on practical aspects of assessment. Some guidelines were found to be clear and concrete, others were less straightforward and were phrased more as issues for contemplation. Conclusions The set of guidelines is comprehensive and not bound to a specific context or educational approach. From the fitness-for-purpose principle, guidelines are eclectic, requiring expertise judgement to use them appropriately in different contexts. Further validation studies to test practicality are required.

Automated reasoning applications to design validation and sneak function analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stratton, R.C.

1984-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) is actively involved in the LMFBR Man-Machine Integration (MMI) Safety Program. The objective of this program is to enhance the operational safety and reliability of fast-breeder reactors by optimum integration of men and machines through the application of human factors principles and control engineering to the design, operation, and the control environment. ANL is developing methods to apply automated reasoning and computerization in the validation and sneak function analysis process. This project provides the element definitions and relations necessary for an automated reasoner (AR) to reason about design validation and sneak function analysis. This project also provides a demonstration of this AR application on an Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) system, the Argonne Cooling System

Design and validation of a critical pathway for hospital management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Espinosa-Aguilar, Amilcar; Reyes-Morales, Hortensia; Huerta-Posada, Carlos E; de León, Itzcoatl Limón-Pérez; López-López, Fernando; Mejía-Hernández, Margarita; Mondragón-Martínez, María A; Calderón-Téllez, Ligia M; Amezcua-Cuevas, Rosa L; Rebollar-González, Jorge A

2008-05-01

Critical pathways for the management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (STBI) may contribute to reducing the incidence of hospital complications, length of hospitalization stay, and cost of care. Such pathways have previously been developed for departments with significant resource availability. In Mexico, STBI is the most important cause of complications and length of stay in neurotrauma services at public hospitals. Although current treatment is designed basically in accordance with the Brain Trauma Foundation guidelines, shortfalls in the availability of local resources make it difficult to comply with these standards, and no critical pathway is available that accords with the resources of public hospitals. The purpose of the present study was to design and to validate a critical pathway for managing STBI patients that would be suitable for implementation in neurotrauma departments of middle-income level countries. The study comprised two phases: design (through literature review and design plan) and validation (content, construct, and appearance) of the critical pathway. The validated critical pathway for managing STBI patients entails four sequential subprocesses summarizing the hospital's care procedures, and includes three components: (1) nodes and criteria (in some cases, indicators are also included); (2) health team members in charge of the patient; (3) maximum estimated time for compliance with recommendations. This validated critical pathway is based on the current scientific evidence and accords with the availability of resources of middle-income countries.

LATUX: An Iterative Workflow for Designing, Validating, and Deploying Learning Analytics Visualizations

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Maldonado, Roberto; Pardo, Abelardo; Mirriahi, Negin; Yacef, Kalina; Kay, Judy; Clayphan, Andrew

2015-01-01

Designing, validating, and deploying learning analytics tools for instructors or students is a challenge that requires techniques and methods from different disciplines, such as software engineering, human-computer interaction, computer graphics, educational design, and psychology. Whilst each has established its own design methodologies, we now…

Validation of scaffold design optimization in bone tissue engineering: finite element modeling versus designed experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Uth, Nicholas; Mueller, Jens; Smucker, Byran; Yousefi, Azizeh-Mitra

2017-02-21

This study reports the development of biological/synthetic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering (TE) via 3D bioplotting. These scaffolds were composed of poly(L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), type I collagen, and nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) in an attempt to mimic the extracellular matrix of bone. The solvent used for processing the scaffolds was 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol. The produced scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, microcomputed tomography, thermogravimetric analysis, and unconfined compression test. This study also sought to validate the use of finite-element optimization in COMSOL Multiphysics for scaffold design. Scaffold topology was simplified to three factors: nHA content, strand diameter, and strand spacing. These factors affect the ability of the scaffold to bear mechanical loads and how porous the structure can be. Twenty four scaffolds were constructed according to an I-optimal, split-plot designed experiment (DE) in order to generate experimental models of the factor-response relationships. Within the design region, the DE and COMSOL models agreed in their recommended optimal nHA (30%) and strand diameter (460 μm). However, the two methods disagreed by more than 30% in strand spacing (908 μm for DE; 601 μm for COMSOL). Seven scaffolds were 3D-bioplotted to validate the predictions of DE and COMSOL models (4.5-9.9 MPa measured moduli). The predictions for these scaffolds showed relative agreement for scaffold porosity (mean absolute percentage error of 4% for DE and 13% for COMSOL), but were substantially poorer for scaffold modulus (51% for DE; 21% for COMSOL), partly due to some simplifying assumptions made by the models. Expanding the design region in future experiments (e.g., higher nHA content and strand diameter), developing an efficient solvent evaporation method, and exerting a greater control over layer overlap could allow developing PLGA-nHA-collagen scaffolds to meet the mechanical requirements for

Phd study of reliability and validity: One step closer to a standardized music therapy assessment model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Stine Lindahl

The paper will present a phd study concerning reliability and validity of music therapy assessment model “Assessment of Parenting Competences” (APC) in the area of families with emotionally neglected children. This study had a multiple strategy design with a philosophical base of critical realism...... and pragmatism. The fixed design for this study was a between and within groups design in testing the APCs reliability and validity. The two different groups were parents with neglected children and parents with non-neglected children. The flexible design had a multiple case study strategy specifically...

Dosimetric studies for gamma radiation validation of medical devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soliman, Y.S.; Beshir, W.B.; Abdel-Fattah, A.A.; Abdel-Rehim, F.

2013-01-01

The delivery and validation of a specified dose to medical devices are key concerns to operators of gamma radiation facilities. The objective of the present study was to characterize the industrial gamma radiation facility and map the dose distribution inside the product-loading pattern during the validation and routine control of the sterilization process using radiochromic films. Cardboard phantoms were designed to achieve the homogeneity of absorbed doses. The uncertainty of the dose delivered during validation of the sterilization process was assessed. - Highlights: ► Using γ-rays for sterilization of hollow fiber dialyzers and blood tubing sets according to ISO 11137, 2006. ► Dosimetry studies of validations of γ-irradiation facility and sterilized medical devices. ► Places of D min and D max have been determined using FWT-60 films. ► Determining the target minimum doses required to meet the desired SAL of 10 −6 for the two products.

Design and Control of Compliant Tensegrity Robots Through Simulation and Hardware Validation

Science.gov (United States)

Caluwaerts, Ken; Despraz, Jeremie; Iscen, Atil; Sabelhaus, Andrew P.; Bruce, Jonathan; Schrauwen, Benjamin; Sunspiral, Vytas

2014-01-01

To better understand the role of tensegrity structures in biological systems and their application to robotics, the Dynamic Tensegrity Robotics Lab at NASA Ames Research Center has developed and validated two different software environments for the analysis, simulation, and design of tensegrity robots. These tools, along with new control methodologies and the modular hardware components developed to validate them, are presented as a system for the design of actuated tensegrity structures. As evidenced from their appearance in many biological systems, tensegrity ("tensile-integrity") structures have unique physical properties which make them ideal for interaction with uncertain environments. Yet these characteristics, such as variable structural compliance, and global multi-path load distribution through the tension network, make design and control of bio-inspired tensegrity robots extremely challenging. This work presents the progress in using these two tools in tackling the design and control challenges. The results of this analysis includes multiple novel control approaches for mobility and terrain interaction of spherical tensegrity structures. The current hardware prototype of a six-bar tensegrity, code-named ReCTeR, is presented in the context of this validation.

[Design and validation of an oral health questionnaire for preoperative anaesthetic evaluation].

Science.gov (United States)

Ruíz-López Del Prado, Gema; Blaya-Nováková, Vendula; Saz-Parkinson, Zuleika; Álvarez-Montero, Óscar Luis; Ayala, Alba; Muñoz-Moreno, Maria Fe; Forjaz, Maria João

Dental injuries incurred during endotracheal intubation are more frequent in patients with previous oral pathology. The study objectives were to develop an oral health questionnaire for preanaesthesia evaluation, easy to apply for personnel without special dental training; and establish a cut-off value for detecting persons with poor oral health. Validation study of a self-administered questionnaire, designed according to a literature review and an expert group's recommendations. The questionnaire was applied to a sample of patients evaluated in a preanaesthesia consultation. Rasch analysis of the questionnaire psychometric properties included viability, acceptability, content validity and reliability of the scale. The sample included 115 individuals, 50.4% of men, with a median age of 58 years (range: 38-71). The final analysis of 11 items presented a Person Separation Index of 0.861 and good adjustment of data to the Rasch model. The scale was unidimensional and its items were not biased by sex, age or nationality. The oral health linear measure presented good construct validity. The cut-off value was set at 52 points. The questionnaire showed sufficient psychometric properties to be considered a reliable tool, valid for measuring the state of oral health in preoperative anaesthetic evaluations. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Design and validation of an oral health questionnaire for preoperative anaesthetic evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gema Ruíz-López del Prado

Full Text Available Abstract Background and objectives: Dental injuries incurred during endotracheal intubation are more frequent in patients with previous oral pathology. The study objectives were to develop an oral health questionnaire for preanaesthesia evaluation, easy to apply for personnel without special dental training; and establish a cut-off value for detecting persons with poor oral health. Methods: Validation study of a self-administered questionnaire, designed according to a literature review and an expert group's recommendations. The questionnaire was applied to a sample of patients evaluated in a preanaesthesia consultation. Rasch analysis of the questionnaire psychometric properties included viability, acceptability, content validity and reliability of the scale. Results: The sample included 115 individuals, 50.4% of men, with a median age of 58 years (range: 38-71. The final analysis of 11 items presented a Person Separation Index of 0.861 and good adjustment of data to the Rasch model. The scale was unidimensional and its items were not biased by sex, age or nationality. The oral health linear measure presented good construct validity. The cut-off value was set at 52 points. Conclusions: The questionnaire showed sufficient psychometric properties to be considered a reliable tool, valid for measuring the state of oral health in preoperative anaesthetic evaluations.

Design and validation of an oral health questionnaire for preoperative anaesthetic evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruíz-López Del Prado, Gema; Blaya-Nováková, Vendula; Saz-Parkinson, Zuleika; Álvarez-Montero, Óscar Luis; Ayala, Alba; Muñoz-Moreno, Maria Fe; Forjaz, Maria João

Dental injuries incurred during endotracheal intubation are more frequent in patients with previous oral pathology. The study objectives were to develop an oral health questionnaire for preanaesthesia evaluation, easy to apply for personnel without special dental training; and establish a cut-off value for detecting persons with poor oral health. Validation study of a self-administered questionnaire, designed according to a literature review and an expert group's recommendations. The questionnaire was applied to a sample of patients evaluated in a preanaesthesia consultation. Rasch analysis of the questionnaire psychometric properties included viability, acceptability, content validity and reliability of the scale. The sample included 115 individuals, 50.4% of men, with a median age of 58 years (range: 38-71). The final analysis of 11 items presented a Person Separation Index of 0.861 and good adjustment of data to the Rasch model. The scale was unidimensional and its items were not biased by sex, age or nationality. The oral health linear measure presented good construct validity. The cut-off value was set at 52 points. The questionnaire showed sufficient psychometric properties to be considered a reliable tool, valid for measuring the state of oral health in preoperative anaesthetic evaluations. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Reliability and validity of the rey visual design learning test in primary school children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wilhelm, P.

2004-01-01

The Rey Visual Design Learning Test (Rey, 1964, in Spreen & Strauss, 1991) assesses immediate memory span, new learning and recognition for non-verbal material. Three studies are presented that focused on the reliability and validity of the RVDLT in primary school children. Test-retest reliability

Development of caries risk assessment tool for Iranian preschoolers: A primary validation study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shiva Mortazavi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The aim of the present study was to develop a dental caries risk assessment tool for Iranian preschoolers. Methods: In a validation and cross-sectional study, a random sample of 150 preschool children was involved. This study was conducted in three phases: questionnaire design (expert panel and peer evaluation, questionnaire testing (pilot evaluation and field testing, and validation study. The initial assessments include interview, dental examination, and laboratory investigations. Validity and reliability indices, content validity index (CVI, content validity ratio (CVR, impact score, and test-retest and Cronbach's alpha were measured. Decayed, missing, filled teeth (dmft scores were calculated according to the WHO guidelines. Results: The Iranian version of caries risk assessment (CRA questionnaire contained 17 items. Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.86 indicated a suitable internal consistency. The mean scores for the CVI and the CVR were 0.87 and 0.78, respectively. The prevalence rate of dental caries in the study group was 69.3%, and the mean dmft was 4.57 (range 0–19. Conclusions: The Persian version of CRA questionnaire was adapted to the Iranian population. The findings demonstrated overall acceptable validity and also reliability in the application of test-retest. The results of the present study provide initial evidence that the designed CRA form could be a useful tool for CRA in the Iranian preschoolers.

The design, validation, and performance of Grace

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ru Zhu

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The design, validation and performance of Grace, a GPU-accelerated micromagnetic simulation software, are presented. The software adopts C+ + Accelerated Massive Parallelism (C+ + AMP so that it runs on GPUs from various hardware vendors including NVidia, AMD and Intel. At large simulation scales, up to two orders of magnitude of speedup factor is observed, compared to CPU-based micromagnetic simulation software OOMMF. The software can run on high-end professional GPUs as well as budget personal laptops, and is free to download.

Design and Technical Validation of a Telemedicine Service for Rural Healthcare in Ecuador.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasquez-Cevallos, Leonel A; Bobokova, Jana; González-Granda, Patricia V; Iniesta, José M; Gómez, Enrique J; Hernando, M Elena

2017-12-12

Telemedicine is becoming increasingly important in Ecuador, especially in areas such as rural primary healthcare and medical education. Rural telemedicine programs in the country need to be strengthened by means of a technological platform adapted to local surroundings and offering advantages such as access to specialized care, continuing education, and so on, combined with modest investment requirements. This present article presents the design of a Telemedicine Platform (TMP) for rural healthcare services in Ecuador and a preliminary technical validation with medical students and teachers. An initial field study was designed to capture the requirements of the TMP. In a second phase, the TMP was validated in an academic environment along three consecutive academic courses. Assessment was by means of user polls and analyzing user interactions as registered automatically by the platform. The TMP was developed using Web-based technology and open code software. One hundred twenty-four students and 6 specialized faculty members participated in the study, conducting a total of 262 teleconsultations of clinical cases and 226 responses, respectively. The validation results show that the TMP is a useful communication tool for the documentation and discussion of clinical cases. Moreover, its usage may be recommended as a teaching methodology, to strengthen the skills of medical undergraduates. The results indicate that implementing the system in rural healthcare services in Ecuador would be feasible.

Model validation studies of solar systems, Phase III. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lantz, L.J.; Winn, C.B.

1978-12-01

Results obtained from a validation study of the TRNSYS, SIMSHAC, and SOLCOST solar system simulation and design are presented. Also included are comparisons between the FCHART and SOLCOST solar system design programs and some changes that were made to the SOLCOST program. Finally, results obtained from the analysis of several solar radiation models are presented. Separate abstracts were prepared for ten papers.

Reliability and validity of needle biopsy evaluation of breast-abnormalities using the B-categorization – design and objectives of the Diagnosis Optimisation Study (DIOS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schmidt-Pokrzywniak Andrea

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The planned nationwide implementation of mammography screening 2007 in Germany will increase the occurrence of mammographically detected breast abnormalities. These abnormalities are normally evaluated by minimal invasive core biopsy. To minimize false positive and false negative histological findings, quality assurance of the pathological evaluation of the biopsies is essential. Various guidelines for quality assurance in breast cancer diagnosis recommend applying the B-classification for histopathological categorization. However, to date there are only few studies that reported results about reliability and validity of B-classification. Therefore, objectives of our study are to determine the inter- and intraobserver variability (reliability study and construct and predictive validity (validity study of core biopsy evaluation of breast abnormalities. This paper describes the design and objectives of the DIOS Study. Methods/Design All consecutive asymptomatic and symptomatic women with breast imaging abnormalities who are referred to the University Hospital of Halle for core breast biopsy over a period of 24 months are eligible. According to the sample size calculation we need 800 women for the study. All patients in the study population underwent clinical and radiological examination. Core biopsy is performed by stereotactic-, ultrasound- or magnetic resonance (MR guided automated gun method or vacuum assisted method. The histopathologic agreement (intra- and interobserver of pathologists and the histopathologic validity will be evaluated. Two reference standards are implemented, a reference pathologist and in case of suspicious or malignant findings the histopathologic result of excision biopsy. Furthermore, a self administrated questionnaire which contains questions about potential risk factors of breast cancer, is sent to the participants approximately two weeks after core biopsy. This enables us to run a case

Design and Validation of the Quantum Mechanics Conceptual Survey

Science.gov (United States)

McKagan, S. B.; Perkins, K. K.; Wieman, C. E.

2010-01-01

The Quantum Mechanics Conceptual Survey (QMCS) is a 12-question survey of students' conceptual understanding of quantum mechanics. It is intended to be used to measure the relative effectiveness of different instructional methods in modern physics courses. In this paper, we describe the design and validation of the survey, a process that included…

Intent inferencing by an intelligent operator's associate - A validation study

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Patricia M.

1988-01-01

In the supervisory control of a complex, dynamic system, one potential form of aiding for the human operator is a computer-based operator's associate. The design philosophy of the operator's associate is that of 'amplifying' rather than automating human skills. In particular, the associate possesses understanding and control properties. Understanding allows it to infer operator intentions and thus form the basis for context-dependent advice and reminders; control properties allow the human operator to dynamically delegate individual tasks or subfunctions to the associate. This paper focuses on the design, implementation, and validation of the intent inferencing function. Two validation studies are described which empirically demonstrate the viability of the proposed approach to intent inferencing.

[Design and validation of a questionnaire for psychosocial nursing diagnosis in Primary Care].

Science.gov (United States)

Brito-Brito, Pedro Ruymán; Rodríguez-Álvarez, Cristobalina; Sierra-López, Antonio; Rodríguez-Gómez, José Ángel; Aguirre-Jaime, Armando

2012-01-01

To develop a valid, reliable and easy-to-use questionnaire for a psychosocial nursing diagnosis. The study was performed in two phases: first phase, questionnaire design and construction; second phase, validity and reliability tests. A bank of items was constructed using the NANDA classification as a theoretical framework. Each item was assigned a Likert scale or dichotomous response. The combination of responses to the items constituted the diagnostic rules to assign up to 28 labels. A group of experts carried out the validity test for content. Other validated scales were used as reference standards for the criterion validity tests. Forty-five nurses provided the questionnaire to the patients on three separate occasions over a period of three weeks, and the other validated scales only once to 188 randomly selected patients in Primary Care centres in Tenerife (Spain). Validity tests for construct confirmed the six dimensions of the questionnaire with 91% of total variance explained. Validity tests for criterion showed a specificity of 66%-100%, and showed high correlations with the reference scales when the questionnaire was assigning nursing diagnoses. Reliability tests showed agreement of 56%-91% (PQuestionnaire for Psychosocial Nursing Diagnosis was called CdePS, and included 61 items. The CdePS is a valid, reliable and easy-to-use tool in Primary Care centres to improve the assigning of a psychosocial nursing diagnosis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

A Study on Guide Sign Validity in Driving Simulator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Zhonghua

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The role of guide sign to inform road user about the information of network is important. How to design and locate guide sign to increase traffic operation efficiency is a key point for traffic engineers. Driving simulator is useful devised to study guide sign in the process and system control. For the purpose of studying guide signs using the tool of driving simulator, guide sign's validity in driving simulator was studied. Results of this experiment are the foundation of further study on guide sign. Simulator calibration procedure for guide sign was set up in this study. Legibility distance as measure of performance was used to evaluate the validity of guide sign in driving simulator. Thirty two participants were recruited. Results indicated legibility distance and speed were inversely related with the method of data mining. Legibility distance and text height of guide sign were positive related. When speed is 20km/h, 30km/h, 40km/h, magnifying power of text height is 4.3, 4.1, 3.8, while guide signs are absolute validity in driving simulator.

Validation of self-reported cannabis dose and potency: an ecological study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Pol, P.; Liebregts, N.; de Graaf, R.; Korf, D.J.; van den Brink, W.; van Laar, M.

2013-01-01

Aims To assess the reliability and validity of self-reported cannabis dose and potency measures. Design Cross-sectional study comparing self-reports with objective measures of amount of cannabis and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration. Setting Ecological study with assessments at

Published diagnostic models safely excluded colorectal cancer in an independent primary care validation study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elias, Sjoerd G; Kok, Liselotte; Witteman, Ben J M; Goedhard, Jelle G; Romberg-Camps, Mariëlle J L; Muris, Jean W M; de Wit, Niek J; Moons, Karel G M

OBJECTIVE: To validate published diagnostic models for their ability to safely reduce unnecessary endoscopy referrals in primary care patients suspected of significant colorectal disease. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Following a systematic literature search, we independently validated the identified

Sexual behavioral abstine HIV/AIDS questionnaire: Validation study of an Iranian questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Najarkolaei, Fatemeh Rahmati; Niknami, Shamsaddin; Shokravi, Farkhondeh Amin; Tavafian, Sedigheh Sadat; Fesharaki, Mohammad Gholami; Jafari, Mohammad Reza

2014-01-01

This study was designed to assess the validity and reliability of the designed sexual, behavioral abstinence, and avoidance of high-risk situation questionnaire (SBAHAQ), with an aim to construct an appropriate development tool in the Iranian population. A descriptive-analytic study was conducted among female undergraduate students of Tehran University, who were selected through cluster random sampling. After reviewing the questionnaires and investigating face and content validity, internal consistency of the questionnaire was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using SPSS and AMOS 16 Software, respectively. The sample consisted of 348 female university students with a mean age of 20.69 ± 1.63 years. The content validity ratio (CVR) coefficient was 0.85 and the reliability of each section of the questionnaire was as follows: Perceived benefit (PB; 0.87), behavioral intention (BI; 0.77), and self-efficacy (SE; 0.85) (Cronbach's alpha totally was 0.83). Explanatory factor analysis showed three factors, including SE, PB, and BI, with the total variance of 61% and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) index of 88%. These factors were also confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis [adjusted goodness of fitness index (AGFI) = 0.939, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.039]. This study showed the designed questionnaire provided adequate construct validity and reliability, and could be adequately used to measure sexual abstinence and avoidance of high-risk situations among female students.

Improved Titanium Billet Inspection Sensitivity through Optimized Phased Array Design, Part II: Experimental Validation and Comparative Study with Multizone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassan, W.; Vensel, F.; Knowles, B.; Lupien, V.

2006-01-01

The inspection of critical rotating components of aircraft engines has made important advances over the last decade. The development of Phased Array (PA) inspection capability for billet and forging materials used in the manufacturing of critical engine rotating components has been a priority for Honeywell Aerospace. The demonstration of improved PA inspection system sensitivity over what is currently used at the inspection houses is a critical step in the development of this technology and its introduction to the supply base as a production inspection. As described in Part I (in these proceedings), a new phased array transducer was designed and manufactured for optimal inspection of eight inch diameter Ti-6Al-4V billets. After confirming that the transducer was manufactured in accordance with the design specifications a validation study was conducted to assess the sensitivity improvement of the PAI over the current capability of Multi-zone (MZ) inspection. The results of this study confirm the significant (≅ 6 dB in FBH number sign sensitivity) improvement of the PAI sensitivity over that of MZI

Design validation of the ITER EC upper launcher according to codes and standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spaeh, Peter, E-mail: peter.spaeh@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials, Association KIT-EURATOM, P.O. Box 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Aiello, Gaetano [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials, Association KIT-EURATOM, P.O. Box 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Gagliardi, Mario [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Association KIT-EURATOM, P.O. Box 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); F4E, Fusion for Energy, Joint Undertaking, Barcelona (Spain); Grossetti, Giovanni; Meier, Andreas; Scherer, Theo; Schreck, Sabine; Strauss, Dirk; Vaccaro, Alessandro [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials, Association KIT-EURATOM, P.O. Box 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Weinhorst, Bastian [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology, Association KIT-EURATOM, P.O. Box 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • A set of applicable codes and standards has been chosen for the ITER EC upper launcher. • For a particular component load combinations, failure modes and stress categorizations have been determined. • The design validation was performed in accordance with the “design by analysis”-approach of the ASME boiler and pressure vessel code section III. - Abstract: The ITER electron cyclotron (EC) upper launcher has passed the CDR (conceptual design review) in 2005 and the PDR (preliminary design review) in 2009 and is in its final design phase now. The final design will be elaborated by the European consortium ECHUL-CA with contributions from several research institutes in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Within this consortium KIT is responsible for the design of the structural components (the upper port plug, UPP) and also the design integration of the launcher. As the selection of applicable codes and standards was under discussion for the past decade, the conceptual and the preliminary design of the launcher structure were not elaborated in straight accordance with a particular code but with a variety of well-acknowledged engineering practices. For the final design it is compulsory to validate the design with respect to a typical engineering code in order to be compliant with the ITER quality and nuclear requirements and to get acceptance from the French regulator. This paper presents typical design validation of the closure plate, which is the vacuum and Tritium barrier and thus a safety relevant component of the upper port plug (UPP), performed with the ASME boiler and pressure vessel code. Rationales for choosing this code are given as well as a comparison between different design methods, like the “design by rule” and the “design by analysis” approach. Also the selections of proper load specifications and the identification of potential failure modes are covered. In addition to that stress categorizations, analyses

Design validation of the ITER EC upper launcher according to codes and standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spaeh, Peter; Aiello, Gaetano; Gagliardi, Mario; Grossetti, Giovanni; Meier, Andreas; Scherer, Theo; Schreck, Sabine; Strauss, Dirk; Vaccaro, Alessandro; Weinhorst, Bastian

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A set of applicable codes and standards has been chosen for the ITER EC upper launcher. • For a particular component load combinations, failure modes and stress categorizations have been determined. • The design validation was performed in accordance with the “design by analysis”-approach of the ASME boiler and pressure vessel code section III. - Abstract: The ITER electron cyclotron (EC) upper launcher has passed the CDR (conceptual design review) in 2005 and the PDR (preliminary design review) in 2009 and is in its final design phase now. The final design will be elaborated by the European consortium ECHUL-CA with contributions from several research institutes in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Within this consortium KIT is responsible for the design of the structural components (the upper port plug, UPP) and also the design integration of the launcher. As the selection of applicable codes and standards was under discussion for the past decade, the conceptual and the preliminary design of the launcher structure were not elaborated in straight accordance with a particular code but with a variety of well-acknowledged engineering practices. For the final design it is compulsory to validate the design with respect to a typical engineering code in order to be compliant with the ITER quality and nuclear requirements and to get acceptance from the French regulator. This paper presents typical design validation of the closure plate, which is the vacuum and Tritium barrier and thus a safety relevant component of the upper port plug (UPP), performed with the ASME boiler and pressure vessel code. Rationales for choosing this code are given as well as a comparison between different design methods, like the “design by rule” and the “design by analysis” approach. Also the selections of proper load specifications and the identification of potential failure modes are covered. In addition to that stress categorizations, analyses

Designing and validation of a yoga-based intervention for obsessive compulsive disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhat, Shubha; Varambally, Shivarama; Karmani, Sneha; Govindaraj, Ramajayam; Gangadhar, B N

2016-06-01

Some yoga-based practices have been found to be useful for patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The authors could not find a validated yoga therapy module available for OCD. This study attempted to formulate a generic yoga-based intervention module for OCD. A yoga module was designed based on traditional and contemporary yoga literature. The module was sent to 10 yoga experts for content validation. The experts rated the usefulness of the practices on a scale of 1-5 (5 = extremely useful). The final version of the module was pilot-tested on patients with OCD (n = 17) for both feasibility and effect on symptoms. Eighty-eight per cent (22 out of 25) of the items in the initial module were retained, with modifications in the module as suggested by the experts along with patients' inputs and authors' experience. The module was found to be feasible and showed an improvement in symptoms of OCD on total Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) score (p = 0.001). A generic yoga therapy module for OCD was validated by experts in the field and found feasible to practice in patients. A decrease in the symptom scores was also found following yoga practice of 2 weeks. Further clinical validation is warranted to confirm efficacy.

Validation of newly developed and redesigned key indicator methods for assessment of different working conditions with physical workloads based on mixed-methods design: a study protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Klussmann, Andre; Liebers, Falk; Brandstädt, Felix; Schust, Marianne; Serafin, Patrick; Schäfer, Andreas; Gebhardt, Hansjürgen; Hartmann, Bernd; Steinberg, Ulf

2017-08-21

The impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders is considerable. The assessment of work tasks with physical workloads is crucial to estimate the work-related health risks of exposed employees. Three key indicator methods are available for risk assessment regarding manual lifting, holding and carrying of loads; manual pulling and pushing of loads; and manual handling operations. Three further KIMs for risk assessment regarding whole-body forces, awkward body postures and body movement have been developed de novo. In addition, the development of a newly drafted combined method for mixed exposures is planned. All methods will be validated regarding face validity, reliability, convergent validity, criterion validity and further aspects of utility under practical conditions. As part of the joint project MEGAPHYS (multilevel risk assessment of physical workloads), a mixed-methods study is being designed for the validation of KIMs and conducted in companies of different sizes and branches in Germany. Workplaces are documented and analysed by observations, applying KIMs, interviews and assessment of environmental conditions. Furthermore, a survey among the employees at the respective workplaces takes place with standardised questionnaires, interviews and physical examinations. It is intended to include 1200 employees at 120 different workplaces. For analysis of the quality criteria, recommendations of the COSMIN checklist (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments) will be taken into account. The study was planned and conducted in accordance with the German Medical Professional Code and the Declaration of Helsinki as well as the German Federal Data Protection Act. The design of the study was approved by ethics committees. We intend to publish the validated KIMs in 2018. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at international meetings and disseminated to actual users for practical application. © Article

The Design and Validation of the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, W. K.; Perkins, K. K.; Dubson, M.; Finkelstein, N. D.; Wieman, C. E.

2005-09-01

The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) is a new instrument designed to measure various facets of student attitudes and beliefs about learning physics. This instrument extends previous work by probing additional facets of student attitudes and beliefs. It has been written to be suitably worded for students in a variety of different courses. This paper introduces the CLASS and its design and validation studies, which include analyzing results from over 2400 students, interviews and factor analyses. Methodology used to determine categories and how to analyze the robustness of categories for probing various facets of student learning are also described. This paper serves as the foundation for the results and conclusions from the analysis of our survey data.

[Strengthening the methodology of study designs in scientific researches].

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Ze-qin

2010-06-01

Many problems in study designs have affected the validity of scientific researches seriously. We must understand the methodology of research, especially clinical epidemiology and biostatistics, and recognize the urgency in selection and implement of right study design. Thereafter we can promote the research capability and improve the overall quality of scientific researches.

Domestic design and validation of natural circulation steam generator of China 1000 MWe PWR NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, H.Y.; Wang, X.Y.; Wu, G.; Qin, J.M.; Xiong, Ch.H.; Wang, W.; Chen, J.L.; Cheng, H.P.; Zuo, Ch.P.

2005-01-01

In order to meet the requirements of domestic design of China intending built NPP projects, Research Institute of Nuclear Power Operation (RINPO) has achieved design of 1000 MWe NPP steam generator, called RINSG-1000(means 1000MWe SG designed by RINPO), which is based on SG research ,experiments and service experience accumulated by RINPO in more 40 years. Testing validation of two steam generator key technologies, advanced moisture separate device and sludge collector, has been accomplished during the period of 2000 to 2002. This paper describes the design features of RINSG-1000, and provides some validation test results. (authors)

Validation of a new design of tellurium dioide-irradiated target

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fllaoui, Aziz; Ghamad, Younes; Zoubir, Brahim; Ayaz, Zinel Abidine; El Morabiti, Aissam; Amayoud, Hafid [Centre National de l' Energie des Sciences et des Techniques Nucleaires, Rabat (Morocco); Chakir, El Mahjoub [Nuclear Physics Department, University Ibn Toufail, Kenitra (Morocco)

2016-10-15

Production of iodine-131 by neutron activation of tellurium in tellurium dioxide (TeO{sub 2}) material requires a target that meets the safety requirements. In a radiopharmaceutical production unit, a new lid for a can was designed, which permits tight sealing of the target by using tungsten inert gas welding. The leakage rate of all prepared targets was assessed using a helium mass spectrometer. The accepted leakage rate is ≤ 10 - 4 mbr.L/s, according to the approved safety report related to iodine-131 production in the TRIGA Mark II research reactor (TRIGA: Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics). To confirm the resistance of the new design to the irradiation conditions in the TRIGA Mark II research reactor's central thimble, a study of heat effect on the sealed targets for 7 hours in an oven was conducted and the leakage rates were evaluated. The results show that the tightness of the targets is ensured up to 600 .deg. C with the appearance of deformations on lids beyond 450 .deg. C. The study of heat transfer through the target was conducted by adopting a one-dimensional approximation, under consideration of the three transfer modes-convection, conduction, and radiation. The quantities of heat generated by gamma and neutron heating were calculated by a validated computational model for the neutronic simulation of the TRIGA Mark II research reactor using the Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code. Using the heat transfer equations according to the three modes of heat transfer, the thermal study of I-131 production by irradiation of the target in the central thimble showed that the temperatures of materials do not exceed the corresponding melting points. To validate this new design, several targets have been irradiated in the central thimble according to a preplanned irradiation program, going from 4 hours of irradiation at a power level of 0.5 MW up to 35 hours (7 h/d for 5 days a week) at 1.5 MW. The results show that the irradiated targets are

Validation of a New Design of Tellurium Dioxide-Irradiated Target

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aziz Fllaoui

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Production of iodine-131 by neutron activation of tellurium in tellurium dioxide (TeO2 material requires a target that meets the safety requirements. In a radiopharmaceutical production unit, a new lid for a can was designed, which permits tight sealing of the target by using tungsten inert gas welding. The leakage rate of all prepared targets was assessed using a helium mass spectrometer. The accepted leakage rate is ≤ 10−4 mbr.L/s, according to the approved safety report related to iodine-131 production in the TRIGA Mark II research reactor (TRIGA: Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics. To confirm the resistance of the new design to the irradiation conditions in the TRIGA Mark II research reactor's central thimble, a study of heat effect on the sealed targets for 7 hours in an oven was conducted and the leakage rates were evaluated. The results show that the tightness of the targets is ensured up to 600°C with the appearance of deformations on lids beyond 450°C. The study of heat transfer through the target was conducted by adopting a one-dimensional approximation, under consideration of the three transfer modes—convection, conduction, and radiation. The quantities of heat generated by gamma and neutron heating were calculated by a validated computational model for the neutronic simulation of the TRIGA Mark II research reactor using the Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code. Using the heat transfer equations according to the three modes of heat transfer, the thermal study of I-131 production by irradiation of the target in the central thimble showed that the temperatures of materials do not exceed the corresponding melting points. To validate this new design, several targets have been irradiated in the central thimble according to a preplanned irradiation program, going from 4 hours of irradiation at a power level of 0.5 MW up to 35 hours (7 h/d for 5 days a week at 1.5 MW. The results show that the irradiated targets are

Verification and validation of human factors issues in control room design and upgrades

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Green, M.; Collier, S. [Inst. for Energiteknikk, Halden (Norway). OECD Halden Reactor Project

1999-12-01

Systems, facilities and equipment are periodically updated during a power plant's lifetime. This has human factors implications, especially if the central control room is involved. Human factors work may therefore be required. There is an extensive literature on human factors itself, but not so much on how it is verified and validated. Therefore, HRP and the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate commissioned a study. The objective was to review the literature and establish a knowledge base on verification and validation (V and V) of human factors issues. The report first discusses verification and validation as applied to human factors work. It describes a design process and the typical human factors topics involved. It then presents a generic method for V and V of human factors. This is built on a review of standards, guidelines and other references given in an annotated bibliography. The method is illustrated by application to some human factors topics.

Verification and validation of human factors issues in control room design and upgrades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, M.; Collier, S.

1999-12-01

Systems, facilities and equipment are periodically updated during a power plant's lifetime. This has human factors implications, especially if the central control room is involved. Human factors work may therefore be required. There is an extensive literature on human factors itself, but not so much on how it is verified and validated. Therefore, HRP and the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate commissioned a study. The objective was to review the literature and establish a knowledge base on verification and validation (V and V) of human factors issues. The report first discusses verification and validation as applied to human factors work. It describes a design process and the typical human factors topics involved. It then presents a generic method for V and V of human factors. This is built on a review of standards, guidelines and other references given in an annotated bibliography. The method is illustrated by application to some human factors topics

Design verification and validation plan for the cold vacuum drying facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

NISHIKAWA, L.D.

1999-01-01

The Cold Vacuum Drying Facility (CVDF) provides the required process systems, supporting equipment, and facilities needed for drying spent nuclear fuel removed from the K Basins. This document presents the both completed and planned design verification and validation activities

A Cross-Validation Study of the School Attitude Assessment Survey (SAAS).

Science.gov (United States)

McCoach, D. Betsy

Factors commonly associated with underachievement in the research literature include low self-concept, low self-motivation/self-regulation, negative attitude toward school, and negative peer influence. This study attempts to isolate these four factors within a secondary school population. The purpose of the study was to design a valid and reliable…

Design of experiments in medical physics: Application to the AAA beam model validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dufreneix, S; Legrand, C; Di Bartolo, C; Bremaud, M; Mesgouez, J; Tiplica, T; Autret, D

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of the design of experiments in the analysis of multiparametric problems related to the quality assurance in radiotherapy. The main motivation is to use this statistical method to optimize the quality assurance processes in the validation of beam models. Considering the Varian Eclipse system, eight parameters with several levels were selected: energy, MLC, depth, X, Y 1 and Y 2 jaw dimensions, wedge and wedge jaw. A Taguchi table was used to define 72 validation tests. Measurements were conducted in water using a CC04 on a TrueBeam STx, a TrueBeam Tx, a Trilogy and a 2300IX accelerator matched by the vendor. Dose was computed using the AAA algorithm. The same raw data was used for all accelerators during the beam modelling. The mean difference between computed and measured doses was 0.1±0.5% for all beams and all accelerators with a maximum difference of 2.4% (under the 3% tolerance level). For all beams, the measured doses were within 0.6% for all accelerators. The energy was found to be an influencing parameter but the deviations observed were smaller than 1% and not considered clinically significant. Designs of experiment can help define the optimal measurement set to validate a beam model. The proposed method can be used to identify the prognostic factors of dose accuracy. The beam models were validated for the 4 accelerators which were found dosimetrically equivalent even though the accelerator characteristics differ. Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A methodology for the validated design space exploration of fuel cell powered unmanned aerial vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Moffitt, Blake Almy

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are the most dynamic growth sector of the aerospace industry today. The need to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance for military operations is driving the planned acquisition of over 5,000 UAVs over the next five years. The most pressing need is for quiet, small UAVs with endurance beyond what is capable with advanced batteries or small internal combustion propulsion systems. Fuel cell systems demonstrate high efficiency, high specific energy, low noise, low temperature operation, modularity, and rapid refuelability making them a promising enabler of the small, quiet, and persistent UAVs that military planners are seeking. Despite the perceived benefits, the actual near-term performance of fuel cell powered UAVs is unknown. Until the auto industry began spending billions of dollars in research, fuel cell systems were too heavy for useful flight applications. However, the last decade has seen rapid development with fuel cell gravimetric and volumetric power density nearly doubling every 2--3 years. As a result, a few design studies and demonstrator aircraft have appeared, but overall the design methodology and vehicles are still in their infancy. The design of fuel cell aircraft poses many challenges. Fuel cells differ fundamentally from combustion based propulsion in how they generate power and interact with other aircraft subsystems. As a result, traditional multidisciplinary analysis (MDA) codes are inappropriate. Building new MDAs is difficult since fuel cells are rapidly changing in design, and various competitive architectures exist for balance of plant, hydrogen storage, and all electric aircraft subsystems. In addition, fuel cell design and performance data is closely protected which makes validation difficult and uncertainty significant. Finally, low specific power and high volumes compared to traditional combustion based propulsion result in more highly constrained design spaces that are

Robustness study in SSNTD method validation: indoor radon quality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dias, D.C.S.; Silva, N.C.; Bonifácio, R.L., E-mail: danilacdias@gmail.com [Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (LAPOC/CNEN), Pocos de Caldas, MG (Brazil). Laboratorio de Pocos de Caldas

2017-07-01

Quality control practices are indispensable to organizations aiming to reach analytical excellence. Method validation is an essential component to quality systems in laboratories, serving as a powerful tool for standardization and reliability of outcomes. This paper presents a study of robustness conducted over a SSNTD technique validation process, with the goal of developing indoor radon measurements at the highest level of quality. This quality parameter indicates how well a technique is able to provide reliable results in face of unexpected variations along the measurement. In this robustness study, based on the Youden method, 7 analytical conditions pertaining to different phases of the SSNTD technique (with focus on detector etching) were selected. Based on the ideal values for each condition as reference, extreme levels regarded as high and low were prescribed to each condition. A partial factorial design of 8 unique etching procedures was defined, where each presented their own set of high and low condition values. The Youden test provided 8 indoor radon concentration results, which allowed percentage estimations that indicate the potential influence of each analytical condition on the SSNTD technique. As expected, detector etching factors such as etching solution concentration, temperature and immersion time were identified as the most critical parameters to the technique. Detector etching is a critical step in the SSNTD method – one that must be carefully designed during validation and meticulously controlled throughout the entire process. (author)

Robustness study in SSNTD method validation: indoor radon quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, D.C.S.; Silva, N.C.; Bonifácio, R.L.

2017-01-01

Quality control practices are indispensable to organizations aiming to reach analytical excellence. Method validation is an essential component to quality systems in laboratories, serving as a powerful tool for standardization and reliability of outcomes. This paper presents a study of robustness conducted over a SSNTD technique validation process, with the goal of developing indoor radon measurements at the highest level of quality. This quality parameter indicates how well a technique is able to provide reliable results in face of unexpected variations along the measurement. In this robustness study, based on the Youden method, 7 analytical conditions pertaining to different phases of the SSNTD technique (with focus on detector etching) were selected. Based on the ideal values for each condition as reference, extreme levels regarded as high and low were prescribed to each condition. A partial factorial design of 8 unique etching procedures was defined, where each presented their own set of high and low condition values. The Youden test provided 8 indoor radon concentration results, which allowed percentage estimations that indicate the potential influence of each analytical condition on the SSNTD technique. As expected, detector etching factors such as etching solution concentration, temperature and immersion time were identified as the most critical parameters to the technique. Detector etching is a critical step in the SSNTD method – one that must be carefully designed during validation and meticulously controlled throughout the entire process. (author)

Threats to validity in the design and conduct of preclinical efficacy studies: a systematic review of guidelines for in vivo animal experiments.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valerie C Henderson

Full Text Available The vast majority of medical interventions introduced into clinical development prove unsafe or ineffective. One prominent explanation for the dismal success rate is flawed preclinical research. We conducted a systematic review of preclinical research guidelines and organized recommendations according to the type of validity threat (internal, construct, or external or programmatic research activity they primarily address.We searched MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Google, and the EQUATOR Network website for all preclinical guideline documents published up to April 9, 2013 that addressed the design and conduct of in vivo animal experiments aimed at supporting clinical translation. To be eligible, documents had to provide guidance on the design or execution of preclinical animal experiments and represent the aggregated consensus of four or more investigators. Data from included guidelines were independently extracted by two individuals for discrete recommendations on the design and implementation of preclinical efficacy studies. These recommendations were then organized according to the type of validity threat they addressed. A total of 2,029 citations were identified through our search strategy. From these, we identified 26 guidelines that met our eligibility criteria--most of which were directed at neurological or cerebrovascular drug development. Together, these guidelines offered 55 different recommendations. Some of the most common recommendations included performance of a power calculation to determine sample size, randomized treatment allocation, and characterization of disease phenotype in the animal model prior to experimentation.By identifying the most recurrent recommendations among preclinical guidelines, we provide a starting point for developing preclinical guidelines in other disease domains. We also provide a basis for the study and evaluation of preclinical research practice. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

Threats to validity in the design and conduct of preclinical efficacy studies: a systematic review of guidelines for in vivo animal experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, Valerie C; Kimmelman, Jonathan; Fergusson, Dean; Grimshaw, Jeremy M; Hackam, Dan G

2013-01-01

The vast majority of medical interventions introduced into clinical development prove unsafe or ineffective. One prominent explanation for the dismal success rate is flawed preclinical research. We conducted a systematic review of preclinical research guidelines and organized recommendations according to the type of validity threat (internal, construct, or external) or programmatic research activity they primarily address. We searched MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Google, and the EQUATOR Network website for all preclinical guideline documents published up to April 9, 2013 that addressed the design and conduct of in vivo animal experiments aimed at supporting clinical translation. To be eligible, documents had to provide guidance on the design or execution of preclinical animal experiments and represent the aggregated consensus of four or more investigators. Data from included guidelines were independently extracted by two individuals for discrete recommendations on the design and implementation of preclinical efficacy studies. These recommendations were then organized according to the type of validity threat they addressed. A total of 2,029 citations were identified through our search strategy. From these, we identified 26 guidelines that met our eligibility criteria--most of which were directed at neurological or cerebrovascular drug development. Together, these guidelines offered 55 different recommendations. Some of the most common recommendations included performance of a power calculation to determine sample size, randomized treatment allocation, and characterization of disease phenotype in the animal model prior to experimentation. By identifying the most recurrent recommendations among preclinical guidelines, we provide a starting point for developing preclinical guidelines in other disease domains. We also provide a basis for the study and evaluation of preclinical research practice. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

A Validation of Object-Oriented Design Metrics as Quality Indicators

Science.gov (United States)

Basili, Victor R.; Briand, Lionel C.; Melo, Walcelio

1997-01-01

This paper presents the results of a study in which we empirically investigated the suits of object-oriented (00) design metrics introduced in another work. More specifically, our goal is to assess these metrics as predictors of fault-prone classes and, therefore, determine whether they can be used as early quality indicators. This study is complementary to the work described where the same suite of metrics had been used to assess frequencies of maintenance changes to classes. To perform our validation accurately, we collected data on the development of eight medium-sized information management systems based on identical requirements. All eight projects were developed using a sequential life cycle model, a well-known 00 analysis/design method and the C++ programming language. Based on empirical and quantitative analysis, the advantages and drawbacks of these 00 metrics are discussed. Several of Chidamber and Kamerer's 00 metrics appear to be useful to predict class fault-proneness during the early phases of the life-cycle. Also, on our data set, they are better predictors than 'traditional' code metrics, which can only be collected at a later phase of the software development processes.

Design and validation of a questionnaire on nursing competence in the notification of medication incidents.

Science.gov (United States)

Salcedo-Diego, Isabel; de Andrés-Gimeno, Begoña; Ruiz-Antorán, Belén; Layunta, Rocío; Serrano-Gallardo, Pilar

To design and perform a face and content validation of a questionnaire to measure the competence of hospital RN to report medication incidents. Content and face questionnaire validation descriptive study. A review of the literature was performed for the creation of ítems. A panel of six experts assessed the relevance of the inclusion of each ítem in the questionnaire by calculating the position index; ítems with position index >0.70 were selected. The questionnaire was piloted by 59 RN. Finally, a meeting was convened with experts, in order to reduce the length of the piloted questionnaire through review, discussion and decision by consensus on each item. From the literature review, a battery of 151 ítems grouped into three elements of competence: attitudes, knowledge and skills was created. 52.9% (n=80) of the ítems received a position index > 0.70. The response rate in the pilot study was 40.65%. The median time to complete the questionnaire was 23:35minutes. After reduction by the experts, the final questionnaire comprised 45 ítems grouped into 32 questions. The NORMA questionnaire, designed to explore the competence of hospital RN to report medication incidents, has adequate face and content validity and is easy to administer, enabling its institutional implementation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Design description and validation results for the IFMIF High Flux Test Module as outcome of the EVEDA phase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Arbeiter

2016-12-01

Full Text Available During the Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activities (EVEDA phase (2007-2014 of the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF, an advanced engineering design of the High Flux Test Module (HFTM has been developed with the objective to facilitate the controlled irradiation of steel samples in the high flux area directly behind the IFMIF neutron source. The development process addressed included manufacturing techniques, CAD, neutronic, thermal-hydraulic and mechanical analyses complemented by a series of validation activities. Validation included manufacturing of 1:1 parts and mockups, test of prototypes in the FLEX and HELOKA-LP helium loops of KIT for verification of the thermal and mechanical properties, and irradiation of specimen filled capsule prototypes in the BR2 test reactor. The prototyping activities were backed by several R&D studies addressing focused issues like handling of liquid NaK (as filling medium and insertion of Small Specimen Test Technique (SSTT specimens into the irradiation capsules. This paper provides an up-todate design description of the HFTM irradiation device, and reports on the achieved performance criteria related to the requirements. Results of the validation activities are accounted for and the most important issues for further development are identified.

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

Science.gov (United States)

Arseven, Zeynep; Kiliç, Abdurrahman; Sahin, Seyma

2016-01-01

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

Design and validation of a model to offer environmental consulting services to minimize oil pollution at gas stations: case study: a gas station in Costa Rica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calderon Hernandez, Teresita

2016-01-01

An environmental consulting service was designed and validated to minimize hydrocarbon contamination at gas stations, to be used by Migliore S.A. in order to strengthen and increase the number of services offered in the market niche of these companies. A matrix was synthesized with tools such as SWOT, deployment of the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and international analysis. With the standardized protocols it will be possible to increase in a fluid way, the offer of consulting services. The final validation of the model allowed to verify the functionality of the same, through the generation of solid evaluation criteria that allowed a good knowledge of the gas station, case study, to offer a timely solution to your particular case, in a simple way and harmonious. The company providing environmental consulting services Migliore S.A. can count on a better commercial development, using the designed model [es

Political skill construct and criterion-related validation: A two-study investigation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ferris, G.R.; Blickle, G.; Schneider, P.B.

2008-01-01

made to also identify a single, higher-order factor solution through second-order factor analysis. The present research aims to expand on prior work and report on a two-study investigation of both the construct validity and antecedents and consequences of the political skill construct. Design/methodology...

Development of a quality-assessment tool for experimental bruxism studies: reliability and validity.

Science.gov (United States)

Dawson, Andreas; Raphael, Karen G; Glaros, Alan; Axelsson, Susanna; Arima, Taro; Ernberg, Malin; Farella, Mauro; Lobbezoo, Frank; Manfredini, Daniele; Michelotti, Ambra; Svensson, Peter; List, Thomas

2013-01-01

To combine empirical evidence and expert opinion in a formal consensus method in order to develop a quality-assessment tool for experimental bruxism studies in systematic reviews. Tool development comprised five steps: (1) preliminary decisions, (2) item generation, (3) face-validity assessment, (4) reliability and discriminitive validity assessment, and (5) instrument refinement. The kappa value and phi-coefficient were calculated to assess inter-observer reliability and discriminative ability, respectively. Following preliminary decisions and a literature review, a list of 52 items to be considered for inclusion in the tool was compiled. Eleven experts were invited to join a Delphi panel and 10 accepted. Four Delphi rounds reduced the preliminary tool-Quality-Assessment Tool for Experimental Bruxism Studies (Qu-ATEBS)- to 8 items: study aim, study sample, control condition or group, study design, experimental bruxism task, statistics, interpretation of results, and conflict of interest statement. Consensus among the Delphi panelists yielded good face validity. Inter-observer reliability was acceptable (k = 0.77). Discriminative validity was excellent (phi coefficient 1.0; P reviews of experimental bruxism studies, exhibits face validity, excellent discriminative validity, and acceptable inter-observer reliability. Development of quality assessment tools for many other topics in the orofacial pain literature is needed and may follow the described procedure.

Design and validation of Segment - freely available software for cardiovascular image analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heiberg, Einar; Sjögren, Jane; Ugander, Martin; Carlsson, Marcus; Engblom, Henrik; Arheden, Håkan

2010-01-01

Commercially available software for cardiovascular image analysis often has limited functionality and frequently lacks the careful validation that is required for clinical studies. We have already implemented a cardiovascular image analysis software package and released it as freeware for the research community. However, it was distributed as a stand-alone application and other researchers could not extend it by writing their own custom image analysis algorithms. We believe that the work required to make a clinically applicable prototype can be reduced by making the software extensible, so that researchers can develop their own modules or improvements. Such an initiative might then serve as a bridge between image analysis research and cardiovascular research. The aim of this article is therefore to present the design and validation of a cardiovascular image analysis software package (Segment) and to announce its release in a source code format. Segment can be used for image analysis in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET). Some of its main features include loading of DICOM images from all major scanner vendors, simultaneous display of multiple image stacks and plane intersections, automated segmentation of the left ventricle, quantification of MRI flow, tools for manual and general object segmentation, quantitative regional wall motion analysis, myocardial viability analysis and image fusion tools. Here we present an overview of the validation results and validation procedures for the functionality of the software. We describe a technique to ensure continued accuracy and validity of the software by implementing and using a test script that tests the functionality of the software and validates the output. The software has been made freely available for research purposes in a source code format on the project home page (http://segment.heiberg.se). Segment

Validity and power of association testing in family-based sampling designs: evidence for and against the common wisdom.

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Stacey; Camp, Nicola J

2011-04-01

Current common wisdom posits that association analyses using family-based designs have inflated type 1 error rates (if relationships are ignored) and independent controls are more powerful than familial controls. We explore these suppositions. We show theoretically that family-based designs can have deflated type-error rates. Through simulation, we examine the validity and power of family designs for several scenarios: cases from randomly or selectively ascertained pedigrees; and familial or independent controls. Family structures considered are as follows: sibships, nuclear families, moderate-sized and extended pedigrees. Three methods were considered with the χ(2) test for trend: variance correction (VC), weighted (weights assigned to account for genetic similarity), and naïve (ignoring relatedness) as well as the Modified Quasi-likelihood Score (MQLS) test. Selectively ascertained pedigrees had similar levels of disease enrichment; random ascertainment had no such restriction. Data for 1,000 cases and 1,000 controls were created under the null and alternate models. The VC and MQLS methods were always valid. The naïve method was anti-conservative if independent controls were used and valid or conservative in designs with familial controls. The weighted association method was generally valid for independent controls, and was conservative for familial controls. With regard to power, independent controls were more powerful for small-to-moderate selectively ascertained pedigrees, but familial and independent controls were equivalent in the extended pedigrees and familial controls were consistently more powerful for all randomly ascertained pedigrees. These results suggest a more complex situation than previously assumed, which has important implications for study design and analysis. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Design and validity of a questionnaire to assess sexuality in pregnant women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbosa Angélica P

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A review of validated methods for assessing female sexual dysfunction and a review of male and female sexual dysfunction did not refer to any specific questionnaire for evaluating sexuality during pregnancy. A study was performed at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University, Brazil to design and validate a pregnancy sexuality questionnaire, the Pregnancy Sexual Response Inventory (PSRI. Methods Women with a singleton pregnancy between 10 and 35 weeks of gestation were randomly recruited. There were five phases in the development of the PSRI: (1 item selection; (2 item development; (3 determination of internal consistency, reliability and convergence; (4 content validity; and (5 determination of inter-interviewer reliability. Internal consistency and reliability were evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Inter-interviewer reliability was assessed by evaluating the responses of 18 academics at various institutions, using Kappa Index and Student t test. Results Good internal consistency and reliability were obtained (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.79. Among the 18 academics, 13 totally agreed (K = 1.0, three partially agreed (K = 0.67 and two disagreed (K = 0.33 with the proposed questions. Comparisons of the mean PSRI domain scores made between the primary investigators and the other interviewers showed no significant differences in all domains (p > 0.05. Conclusion PSRI is a new validated instrument for evaluating sexuality and sexual activity and related health concerns during pregnancy.

A Simulation Approach for Performance Validation during Embedded Systems Design

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhonglei; Haberl, Wolfgang; Herkersdorf, Andreas; Wechs, Martin

Due to the time-to-market pressure, it is highly desirable to design hardware and software of embedded systems in parallel. However, hardware and software are developed mostly using very different methods, so that performance evaluation and validation of the whole system is not an easy task. In this paper, we propose a simulation approach to bridge the gap between model-driven software development and simulation based hardware design, by merging hardware and software models into a SystemC based simulation environment. An automated procedure has been established to generate software simulation models from formal models, while the hardware design is originally modeled in SystemC. As the simulation models are annotated with timing information, performance issues are tackled in the same pass as system functionality, rather than in a dedicated approach.

Design and Validation of a Photographic Expressive Persian Grammar Test for Children Aged 4-6 Years

Science.gov (United States)

Haresabadi, Fatemeh; Ebadi, Abbas; Shirazi, Tahereh Sima; Dastjerdi Kazemi, Mehdi

2016-01-01

Syntax has a high importance among linguistic parameters, and syntax-related problems are the most common in language disorders. Therefore, the present study aimed to design a Photographic Expressive Persian Grammar Test for Iranian children in the age group of 4-6 years and to determine its validity and reliability. First, the target…

Population Health Metrics Research Consortium gold standard verbal autopsy validation study: design, implementation, and development of analysis datasets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ohno Summer

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Verbal autopsy methods are critically important for evaluating the leading causes of death in populations without adequate vital registration systems. With a myriad of analytical and data collection approaches, it is essential to create a high quality validation dataset from different populations to evaluate comparative method performance and make recommendations for future verbal autopsy implementation. This study was undertaken to compile a set of strictly defined gold standard deaths for which verbal autopsies were collected to validate the accuracy of different methods of verbal autopsy cause of death assignment. Methods Data collection was implemented in six sites in four countries: Andhra Pradesh, India; Bohol, Philippines; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Mexico City, Mexico; Pemba Island, Tanzania; and Uttar Pradesh, India. The Population Health Metrics Research Consortium (PHMRC developed stringent diagnostic criteria including laboratory, pathology, and medical imaging findings to identify gold standard deaths in health facilities as well as an enhanced verbal autopsy instrument based on World Health Organization (WHO standards. A cause list was constructed based on the WHO Global Burden of Disease estimates of the leading causes of death, potential to identify unique signs and symptoms, and the likely existence of sufficient medical technology to ascertain gold standard cases. Blinded verbal autopsies were collected on all gold standard deaths. Results Over 12,000 verbal autopsies on deaths with gold standard diagnoses were collected (7,836 adults, 2,075 children, 1,629 neonates, and 1,002 stillbirths. Difficulties in finding sufficient cases to meet gold standard criteria as well as problems with misclassification for certain causes meant that the target list of causes for analysis was reduced to 34 for adults, 21 for children, and 10 for neonates, excluding stillbirths. To ensure strict independence for the validation of

Understanding and Measuring Evaluation Capacity: A Model and Instrument Validation Study

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor-Ritzler, Tina; Suarez-Balcazar, Yolanda; Garcia-Iriarte, Edurne; Henry, David B.; Balcazar, Fabricio E.

2013-01-01

This study describes the development and validation of the Evaluation Capacity Assessment Instrument (ECAI), a measure designed to assess evaluation capacity among staff of nonprofit organizations that is based on a synthesis model of evaluation capacity. One hundred and sixty-nine staff of nonprofit organizations completed the ECAI. The 68-item…

Artificial intelligence applications to design validation and sneak function analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stratton, R.C.

1985-01-01

An objective of the US space reactor program is to design systems with high reliability and safety of control over long operating lifetimes. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) is a participant in the National Man-Machine Integration (MMI) program for Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactors (LMFBR). A purpose of this program is to promote the development of concepts and technologies that enhance the operational safety and reliability of fast-breeder reactors. Much of the work is directly applicable to the space reactor program. This paper reports on one of the MMI projects being developed by ANL. The project reported pertains to an automated system that demonstrates the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for design validation (DA) and sneak function analysis (SFA). The AI system models the design specification and the physical design of the cooling process assigned to the Argon Cooling System (ACS) at Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II). The models are developed using heuristic knowledge and natural laws. 13 refs

Shielding design method for LMFBR validation on the Phenix factor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabrillat, J.C.; Crouzet, J.; Misrakis, J.; Salvatores, M.; Rado, V.; Palmiotti, G.

1983-05-01

Shielding design methods, developed at CEA for shielding calculations find a global validation by the means of Phenix power reactor (250 MWe) measurements. Particularly, the secondary sodium activation of pool type LMFBR such as Super Phenix (1200 MWe) which is subject to strict safety limitation is well calculated by the adapted scheme, i.e. a two dimension transport calculation of shielding coupled to a Monte-Carlo calculation of secondary sodium activation

Research Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2019-01-01

Gunnar Scott Reinbacher (editor) Antology.  Research Design : Validation in Social Sciences. Gunnar Scott Reinbacher: Introduction. Research design and validity. 15p Ole Riis: Creative Research design. 16 p Lennart Nørreklit: Validity in Research Design. 24p Gitte Sommer Harrits: Praxeological...... Scott Reinbacher: Multidisciplinary Research Designs in Problem Based Research. The case of an european project on chronical diseases, the Tandem project (Training Alternmative Networking Skills in Diabetes Management). 15p Niels Nørgaard Kristensen: A qualitative bottom up approach to post modern...... knowledge: An integrated strategy for combining "explaining" and "understanding". 22p Heidi Houlberg Salomonsen & Viola Burau: Comparative research designs. 40p Rasmus Antoft & Heidi Houlberg Salomonsen: Studying organizations by a Pragmatic Research Design: the case of qualitative case study  designs. 31p...

[Design and validation of a brief questionnaire to assess young´s sexual knowledge].

Science.gov (United States)

Leon-Larios, Fátima; Gómez-Baya, Diego

2018-06-01

Only very few instruments have been developed to assess sexual knowledge and practices. Most of the research to date has been carried out with adolescent samples, but not with university students, who are also at a particularly risky stage. The aim of this study was to design and validate a brief questionnaire to assess young´s sexual knowledge, practices and behaviors to design health education programs in the university context. We created a specific questionnaire about sexual pattern in university adolescents and a brief questionnaire consisted of 9 items (true/false) about contraception, sexuality and sexual transmission diseases. We carried out a pilot study, reliability (KR-20) and validity analyses using factorial analysis and examining the association with other variables. 566 students from University of Seville participated during 2015/16. One item was eliminated because of comprehension (only 13.9% of correct answers) and weak or non significant associations (p more than 0.05). Finally, the scale was formed by 8 items and had good internal consistency reliability (KR-20 = 0.57), and both factorial and external validity reliability. A three-factor model showed good data fit, χ2 (14, N=566)=17.48, p= 0.232, Comparative Fit Index CFI = 0.97, root mean squared error of prediction RMSEA = 0.02. Participants with less knowledge about sexuality were whose did not receive any information (M=6.82, SD=1.41), without partner (M=6.87, SD=1.35), had an abortion (M=6.43, SD=1.95) and did not use any contraceptive method (M=6.66, SD=0.58) or coitus interruptus (M=6.55, SD=1.39), and had less sexual relationships, e.g., once or twice a year (M=6.49, SD=1.70). This questionnaire is a short instrument to assess students´ practices and knowledge about sexuality and contraception. The analyses of reliability and validity have shown the good psychometric properties of this instrument.

The Contribution of Rubrics to the Validity of Performance Assessment: A Study of the Conservation-Restoration and Design Undergraduate Degrees

Science.gov (United States)

Menéndez-Varela, José-Luis; Gregori-Giralt, Eva

2016-01-01

Rubrics have attained considerable importance in the authentic and sustainable assessment paradigm; nevertheless, few studies have examined their contribution to validity, especially outside the domain of educational studies. This empirical study used a quantitative approach to analyse the validity of a rubrics-based performance assessment. Raters…

A model-based design and validation approach with OMEGA-UML and the IF toolset

Science.gov (United States)

Ben-hafaiedh, Imene; Constant, Olivier; Graf, Susanne; Robbana, Riadh

2009-03-01

Intelligent, embedded systems such as autonomous robots and other industrial systems are becoming increasingly more heterogeneous with respect to the platforms on which they are implemented, and thus the software architecture more complex to design and analyse. In this context, it is important to have well-defined design methodologies which should be supported by (1) high level design concepts allowing to master the design complexity, (2) concepts for the expression of non-functional requirements and (3) analysis tools allowing to verify or invalidate that the system under development will be able to conform to its requirements. We illustrate here such an approach for the design of complex embedded systems on hand of a small case study used as a running example for illustration purposes. We briefly present the important concepts of the OMEGA-RT UML profile, we show how we use this profile in a modelling approach, and explain how these concepts are used in the IFx verification toolbox to integrate validation into the design flow and make scalable verification possible.

An exploratory sequential design to validate measures of moral emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Márquez, Margarita G; Delgado, Ana R

2017-05-01

This paper presents an exploratory and sequential mixed methods approach in validating measures of knowledge of the moral emotions of contempt, anger and disgust. The sample comprised 60 participants in the qualitative phase when a measurement instrument was designed. Item stems, response options and correction keys were planned following the results obtained in a descriptive phenomenological analysis of the interviews. In the quantitative phase, the scale was used with a sample of 102 Spanish participants, and the results were analysed with the Rasch model. In the qualitative phase, salient themes included reasons, objects and action tendencies. In the quantitative phase, good psychometric properties were obtained. The model fit was adequate. However, some changes had to be made to the scale in order to improve the proportion of variance explained. Substantive and methodological im-plications of this mixed-methods study are discussed. Had the study used a single re-search method in isolation, aspects of the global understanding of contempt, anger and disgust would have been lost.

Design and Validation of Control Room Upgrades Using a Research Simulator Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ronald L. Boring; Vivek Agarwal; Jeffrey C. Joe; Julius J. Persensky

2012-11-01

Since 1981, the United States (U.S.) Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) [1] requires a plant- specific simulator facility for use in training at U.S. nuclear power plants (NPPs). These training simulators are in near constant use for training and qualification of licensed NPP operators. In the early 1980s, the Halden Man-Machine Laboratory (HAMMLab) at the Halden Reactor Project (HRP) in Norway first built perhaps the most well known set of research simulators. The HRP offered a high- fidelity simulator facility in which the simulator is functionally linked to a specific plant but in which the human-machine interface (HMI) may differ from that found in the plant. As such, HAMMLab incorporated more advanced digital instrumentation and controls (I&C) than the plant, thereby giving it considerable interface flexibility that researchers took full advantage of when designing and validating different ways to upgrade NPP control rooms. Several U.S. partners—the U.S. NRC, the Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI), Sandia National Laboratories, and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) – as well as international members of the HRP, have been working with HRP to run control room simulator studies. These studies, which use crews from Scandinavian plants, are used to determine crew behavior in a variety of normal and off-normal plant operations. The findings have ultimately been used to guide safety considerations at plants and to inform advanced HMI design—both for the regulator and in industry. Given the desire to use U.S. crews of licensed operators on a simulator of a U.S. NPP, there is a clear need for a research simulator facility in the U.S. There is no general-purpose reconfigurable research oriented control room simulator facility in the U.S. that can be used for a variety of studies, including the design and validation of control room upgrades.

Design, Validation, and Use of an Evaluation Instrument for Monitoring Systemic Reform.

Science.gov (United States)

Scantlebury, Kathryn; Boone, William; Kahle, Jane Butler; Fraser, Barry J.

2001-01-01

Describes the design, development, validation, and use of an instrument that measures student attitudes and several environmental dimensions (i.e., standards-based teaching, home support, and peer support). Indicates that the classroom environment (standards-based teaching practices) was the strongest independent predictor of both achievement and…

Preliminary design of the Neutron Spectral Shifter that is dedicated to the IFMIF Liquid Breeder Validation Module

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mas, A., E-mail: amassanchez@gmail.com; Mota, F.; Casal, N.; García, A.; Rapisarda, D.; Arroyo, J.M.; Molla, J.; Ibarra, A.

2014-10-15

The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) has a D-Li neutron stripping source that provides typical fusion irradiation conditions for material testing. The Liquid Breeder Validation Module (LBVM) is one of the medium flux test modules of the IFMIF that is used to account for some of the DEMO liquid breeder blanket R and D needs. Previous analyses have shown that the main irradiation parameters (He (appm)/dpa and H (appm)/dpa) in the medium flux area of the IFMIF can be improved to fit the expected parameters in the DEMO reactor for functional materials of liquid breeder blankets. Therefore, the design of an additional module, called the Neutron Spectral Shifter (NSS), has been considered to optimize the irradiation conditions of LBVM experiments. The proposed concept consists of supported tungsten plates working as a shifter material inside a steel structure. This design assures the mechanical integrity of the different components and it fulfills the neutronic requirements as well as the cooling capability. This present paper summarizes the work devoted to the design of the LBVM Neutron Spectral Shifter as well as the results of neutronic, thermo-hydraulic, mechanical and safety studies carried out to validate the design.

The Dynamic Similitude Design Method of Thin Walled Structures and Experimental Validation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhong Luo

2016-01-01

Full Text Available For the applicability of dynamic similitude models of thin walled structures, such as engine blades, turbine discs, and cylindrical shells, the dynamic similitude design of typical thin walled structures is investigated. The governing equation of typical thin walled structures is firstly unified, which guides to establishing dynamic scaling laws of typical thin walled structures. Based on the governing equation, geometrically complete scaling law of the typical thin walled structure is derived. In order to determine accurate distorted scaling laws of typical thin walled structures, three principles are proposed and theoretically proved by combining the sensitivity analysis and governing equation. Taking the thin walled annular plate as an example, geometrically complete and distorted scaling laws can be obtained based on the principles of determining dynamic scaling laws. Furthermore, the previous five orders’ accurate distorted scaling laws of thin walled annular plates are presented and numerically validated. Finally, the effectiveness of the similitude design method is validated by experimental annular plates.

Flexible Design Research to validate communication in persons with dementia in advanced stages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ridder, Hanne Mette Ochsner

2003-01-01

. The method is an ethnographical process research using Atlas.ti as qualitative research software for the analysis and administration of transcribed data, and using physiological data to validate observational data in a case study design. In a flexible design both quantitative and qualitative data collection...... enable ways of communication adjusted to the person. The songs function to structure, motivate, stimulate, and regulate, and finally as means of enabling communication and dialogue. The research is trying to investigate if songs have regulative effects and to outline different levels of communication...... methods are used as a rich approach to understanding communication. The qualitative analysis is based on principles of grounded theory using selective, open, and axial coding techniques. The quantitative data is combined with time scales, sequence measures and event coding adding different perspectives...

Improved Hypersonic Inlet Performance Using Validated Strut Compression Designs

Science.gov (United States)

Bulman, M. J.; Stout, P. W.; Fernandez, R.

1997-01-01

Aerojet is currently executing two Strutjet propulsion contracts: one a Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) engine for a NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Advanced Reusable Transportation Technology (ARTT) program, the second a Dual Mode Ram/Scramjet engine for a USAF Wright Laboratories Storable Fuel Scramjet Flow Path Concepts program. The engines employed in both programs operate at supersonic and low hypersonic speeds and use inlets employing forebody external and sidewall compression. Aerojet has developed and validated a successful design methodology applicable to these inlet types. Design features include an integrated vehicle forebody, external side compression struts, strut sidewall and throat bleed, a throat shock trap, and variable geometry internal contraction. Computation Fluid Dynamic (CFD) predictions and test data show these inlets allow substantially increased flow turning angles over other designs. These increased flow turning angles allow shorter and lighter engines than current designs, which in turn enables higher performing vehicles with broad operating characteristics. This paper describes the designs of two different inlets evaluated by the NASA-MSFC and USAF programs, discusses the results of wind tunnel tests performed by NASA-Lewis Research Center, and provides correlations of test data with CFD predictions. Parameters of interest include low Mach number starting capability, start sensitivity as a function of back pressure at various contraction ratios, flow turning angles, strut and throat bleed effects, and pressure recovery at various Mach numbers.

Study design elements for rigorous quasi-experimental comparative effectiveness research.

Science.gov (United States)

Maciejewski, Matthew L; Curtis, Lesley H; Dowd, Bryan

2013-03-01

Quasi-experiments are likely to be the workhorse study design used to generate evidence about the comparative effectiveness of alternative treatments, because of their feasibility, timeliness, affordability and external validity compared with randomized trials. In this review, we outline potential sources of discordance in results between quasi-experiments and experiments, review study design choices that can improve the internal validity of quasi-experiments, and outline innovative data linkage strategies that may be particularly useful in quasi-experimental comparative effectiveness research. There is an urgent need to resolve the debate about the evidentiary value of quasi-experiments since equal consideration of rigorous quasi-experiments will broaden the base of evidence that can be brought to bear in clinical decision-making and governmental policy-making.

Open and Distance Education Accreditation Standards Scale: Validity and Reliability Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Can, Ertug

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop, and test the validity and reliability of a scale for the use of researchers to determine the accreditation standards of open and distance education based on the views of administrators, teachers, staff and students. This research was designed according to the general descriptive survey model since it aims…

Flight critical system design guidelines and validation methods

Science.gov (United States)

Holt, H. M.; Lupton, A. O.; Holden, D. G.

1984-01-01

Efforts being expended at NASA-Langley to define a validation methodology, techniques for comparing advanced systems concepts, and design guidelines for characterizing fault tolerant digital avionics are described with an emphasis on the capabilities of AIRLAB, an environmentally controlled laboratory. AIRLAB has VAX 11/750 and 11/780 computers with an aggregate of 22 Mb memory and over 650 Mb storage, interconnected at 256 kbaud. An additional computer is programmed to emulate digital devices. Ongoing work is easily accessed at user stations by either chronological or key word indexing. The CARE III program aids in analyzing the capabilities of test systems to recover from faults. An additional code, the semi-Markov unreliability program (SURE) generates upper and lower reliability bounds. The AIRLAB facility is mainly dedicated to research on designs of digital flight-critical systems which must have acceptable reliability before incorporation into aircraft control systems. The digital systems would be too costly to submit to a full battery of flight tests and must be initially examined with the AIRLAB simulation capabilities.

NVN 5694 intra laboratory validation. Feasibility study for interlaboratory- validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voors, P.I.; Baard, J.H.

1998-11-01

Within the project NORMSTAR 2 a number of Dutch prenormative protocols have been defined for radioactivity measurements. Some of these protocols, e.g. the Dutch prenormative protocol NVN 5694, titled Methods for radiochemical determination of polonium-210 and lead-210, have not been validated, neither by intralaboratory nor interlaboratory studies. Validation studies are conducted within the framework of the programme 'Normalisatie and Validatie van Milieumethoden 1993-1997' (Standardization and Validation of test methods for environmental parameters) of the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and the Environment (VROM). The aims of this study were (a) a critical evaluation of the protocol, (b) investigation on the feasibility of an interlaboratory study, and (c) the interlaboratory validation of NVN 5694. The evaluation of the protocol resulted in a list of deficiencies varying from missing references to incorrect formulae. From the survey by interview it appeared that for each type of material, there are 4 to 7 laboratories willing to participate in a interlaboratory validation study. This reflects the situation in 1997. Consequently, if 4 or 6 (the minimal number) laboratories are participating and each laboratory analyses 3 subsamples, the uncertainty in the repeatability standard deviation is 49 or 40 %, respectively. If the ratio of reproducibility standard deviation to the repeatability standard deviation is equal to 1 or 2, then the uncertainty in the reproducibility standard deviation increases from 42 to 67 % and from 34 to 52 % for 4 or 6 laboratories, respectively. The intralaboratory validation was established on four different types of materials. Three types of materials (milkpowder condensate and filter) were prepared in the laboratory using the raw material and certified Pb-210 solutions, and one (sediment) was obtained from the IAEA. The ECN-prepared reference materials were used after testing on homogeneity. The pre-normative protocol can

Design and validation of a questionnaire to evaluate the usability of computerized critical care information systems.

Science.gov (United States)

von Dincklage, Falk; Lichtner, Gregor; Suchodolski, Klaudiusz; Ragaller, Maximilian; Friesdorf, Wolfgang; Podtschaske, Beatrice

2017-08-01

The implementation of computerized critical care information systems (CCIS) can improve the quality of clinical care and staff satisfaction, but also holds risks of disrupting the workflow with consecutive negative impacts. The usability of CCIS is one of the key factors determining their benefits and weaknesses. However, no tailored instrument exists to measure the usability of such systems. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design and validate a questionnaire that measures the usability of CCIS. Following a mixed-method design approach, we developed a questionnaire comprising two evaluation models to assess the usability of CCIS: (1) the task-specific model rates the usability individually for several tasks which CCIS could support and which we derived by analyzing work processes in the ICU; (2) the characteristic-specific model rates the different aspects of the usability, as defined by the international standard "ergonomics of human-system interaction". We tested validity and reliability of the digital version of the questionnaire in a sample population. In the sample population of 535 participants both usability evaluation models showed a strong correlation with the overall rating of the system (multiple correlation coefficients ≥0.80) as well as a very high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ≥0.93). The novel questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument to measure the usability of CCIS and can be used to study the influence of the usability on their implementation benefits and weaknesses.

Validation study of core analysis methods for full MOX BWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

JNES has been developing a technical database used in reviewing validation of core analysis methods of LWRs in the coming occasions: (1) confirming the core safety parameters of the initial core (one-third MOX core) through a full MOX core in Oma Nuclear Power Plant, which is under the construction, (2) licensing high-burnup MOX cores in the future and (3) reviewing topical reports on core analysis codes for safety design and evaluation. Based on the technical database, JNES will issue a guide of reviewing the core analysis methods used for safety design and evaluation of LWRs. The database will be also used for validation and improving of core analysis codes developed by JNES. JNES has progressed with the projects: (1) improving a Doppler reactivity analysis model in a Monte Carlo calculation code MVP, (2) sensitivity study of nuclear cross section date on reactivity calculation of experimental cores composed of UO 2 and MOX fuel rods, (3) analysis of isotopic composition data for UO 2 and MOX fuels and (4) the guide of reviewing the core analysis codes and others. (author)

Validation study of core analysis methods for full MOX BWR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-08-15

JNES has been developing a technical database used in reviewing validation of core analysis methods of LWRs in the coming occasions: (1) confirming the core safety parameters of the initial core (one-third MOX core) through a full MOX core in Oma Nuclear Power Plant, which is under the construction, (2) licensing high-burnup MOX cores in the future and (3) reviewing topical reports on core analysis codes for safety design and evaluation. Based on the technical database, JNES will issue a guide of reviewing the core analysis methods used for safety design and evaluation of LWRs. The database will be also used for validation and improving of core analysis codes developed by JNES. JNES has progressed with the projects: (1) improving a Doppler reactivity analysis model in a Monte Carlo calculation code MVP, (2) sensitivity study of nuclear cross section date on reactivity calculation of experimental cores composed of UO{sub 2} and MOX fuel rods, (3) analysis of isotopic composition data for UO{sub 2} and MOX fuels and (4) the guide of reviewing the core analysis codes and others. (author)

Validation study of the Japanese version of the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatsuzawa, Yasutaka; Yoshimasu, Haruo; Moriyama, Yasushi; Furusawa, Teruyuki; Yoshino, Aihide

2002-02-01

The Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) is a self-rating questionnaire that measures cognitive and behavioral aspects of craving for alcohol. The OCDS consists of two subscales: the obsessive thoughts of drinking subscale (OS) and the compulsive drinking subscale (CS). This study aims to validate the Japanese version of the OCDS. First, internal consistency and discriminant validity were evaluated. Second, a prospective longitudinal 3-month outcome study of 67 patients with alcohol dependence who participated in a relapse prevention program was designed to assess the concurrent and predictive validity of the OCDS. The OCDS demonstrated high internal consistency. The OS had high discriminant validity, while the CS did not. Twenty-three patients (34.3%) dropped out of treatment. These patients had significantly higher OS scores than those who completed the program. At 3 months, the relapse group had significantly higher OCDS scores than the no relapse group. Also, the OCDS score was higher in subjects who had early-onset alcohol dependence than late-onset dependence. The OCDS is useful for evaluating cognitive aspect of craving and predicts dropout and relapse.

An assessment of the validity of inelastic design analysis methods by comparisons of predictions with test results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corum, J.M.; Clinard, J.A.; Sartory, W.K.

1976-01-01

The use of computer programs that employ relatively complex constitutive theories and analysis procedures to perform inelastic design calculations on fast reactor system components introduces questions of validation and acceptance of the analysis results. We may ask ourselves, ''How valid are the answers.'' These questions, in turn, involve the concepts of verification of computer programs as well as qualification of the computer programs and of the underlying constitutive theories and analysis procedures. This paper addresses the latter - the qualification of the analysis methods for inelastic design calculations. Some of the work underway in the United States to provide the necessary information to evaluate inelastic analysis methods and computer programs is described, and typical comparisons of analysis predictions with inelastic structural test results are presented. It is emphasized throughout that rather than asking ourselves how valid, or correct, are the analytical predictions, we might more properly question whether or not the combination of the predictions and the associated high-temperature design criteria leads to an acceptable level of structural integrity. It is believed that in this context the analysis predictions are generally valid, even though exact correlations between predictions and actual behavior are not obtained and cannot be expected. Final judgment, however, must be reserved for the design analyst in each specific case. (author)

Experimental validation of a new heterogeneous mechanical test design

Science.gov (United States)

Aquino, J.; Campos, A. Andrade; Souto, N.; Thuillier, S.

2018-05-01

Standard material parameters identification strategies generally use an extensive number of classical tests for collecting the required experimental data. However, a great effort has been made recently by the scientific and industrial communities to support this experimental database on heterogeneous tests. These tests can provide richer information on the material behavior allowing the identification of a more complete set of material parameters. This is a result of the recent development of full-field measurements techniques, like digital image correlation (DIC), that can capture the heterogeneous deformation fields on the specimen surface during the test. Recently, new specimen geometries were designed to enhance the richness of the strain field and capture supplementary strain states. The butterfly specimen is an example of these new geometries, designed through a numerical optimization procedure where an indicator capable of evaluating the heterogeneity and the richness of strain information. However, no experimental validation was yet performed. The aim of this work is to experimentally validate the heterogeneous butterfly mechanical test in the parameter identification framework. For this aim, DIC technique and a Finite Element Model Up-date inverse strategy are used together for the parameter identification of a DC04 steel, as well as the calculation of the indicator. The experimental tests are carried out in a universal testing machine with the ARAMIS measuring system to provide the strain states on the specimen surface. The identification strategy is accomplished with the data obtained from the experimental tests and the results are compared to a reference numerical solution.

Structural refinement and prediction of potential CCR2 antagonists through validated multi-QSAR modeling studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Amin, Sk Abdul; Adhikari, Nilanjan; Baidya, Sandip Kumar; Gayen, Shovanlal; Jha, Tarun

2018-01-03

Chemokines trigger numerous inflammatory responses and modulate the immune system. The interaction between monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) may be the cause of atherosclerosis, obesity, and insulin resistance. However, CCR2 is also implicated in other inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, asthma, and neuropathic pain. Therefore, there is a paramount importance of designing potent and selective CCR2 antagonists despite a number of drug candidates failed in clinical trials. In this article, 83 CCR2 antagonists by Jhonson and Jhonson Pharmaceuticals have been considered for robust validated multi-QSAR modeling studies to get an idea about the structural and pharmacophoric requirements for designing more potent CCR2 antagonists. All these QSAR models were validated and statistically reliable. Observations resulted from different modeling studies correlated and validated results of other ones. Finally, depending on these QSAR observations, some new molecules were proposed that may exhibit higher activity against CCR2.

Construction and Validation of a Questionnaire to Study Future Teachers' Beliefs about Cultural Diversity

Science.gov (United States)

López López, M. Carmen; Hinojosa Pareja, Eva F.

2016-01-01

The article presents the construction and validation process of a questionnaire designed to study student teachers' beliefs about cultural diversity. The study, beyond highlighting the complexity involved in the study of beliefs, emphasises their relevance in implementing inclusive educational processes that guarantee the right to a good education…

Development of basic technology for instrumentation and control - Development of digital automatic supervisory limitation system and its design= validation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Jung In; Chung, Sung Wook; Koh, Won Seok [Kyungwon University, Sungman (Korea, Republic of); Suh, Duk Young; Cheon, Sei Young [Kyunghee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang Kyung; Kim, Sung Hun [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1995-07-01

A major objective of the project is to develop a digital automatic supervisory limitation system and validate its design for the next generation= nuclear power plant. The limitation system assures that the plant does not exceed the operating limits by regulation the plant operations through on-line monitoring the operating margins of the critical parameters. A new conceptual model of power maneuverability has been proposed for the design of the limitation system and for its validation. Also, the limitation system monitors overall operation processes throughout a nuclear power plant by implementing hierarchical communication networks. Based on the conceptual design in software of the 1 st year results, the detailed design of the limitation system has been performed during the 2 nd year with constructing a prototype digital system. The system consists of the software module for plant simulation and the hardware module for implementation of limitation system and the associated interfaces in hardware. The limitation algorithm were implemented into the microprocessor and the interfaces were realized through the I/O modules. Also, these modules are incorporated into the communication networks. The products of the project could be directly applicable to the following nuclear unit adopting the limitation system, providing the bumpless transition to the commercial design phase. And the prototype evaluation scheme will be very useful for the succeeding studies related to the digital nuclear I and C fields, such as fault-tolerance design methods, software verification and validation and response time execution of digital systems. 69 refs., 3 tabs., 44 figs. (author)

Design validation and performance of closed loop gas recirculation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalmani, S.D.; Majumder, G.; Mondal, N.K.; Shinde, R.R.; Joshi, A.V.

2016-01-01

A pilot experimental set up of the India Based Neutrino Observatory's ICAL detector has been operational for the last 4 years at TIFR, Mumbai. Twelve glass RPC detectors of size 2 × 2 m 2 , with a gas gap of 2 mm are under test in a closed loop gas recirculation system. These RPCs are continuously purged individually, with a gas mixture of R134a (C 2 H 2 F 4 ), isobutane (iC 4 H 10 ) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF 6 ) at a steady rate of 360 ml/h to maintain about one volume change a day. To economize gas mixture consumption and to reduce the effluents from being released into the atmosphere, a closed loop system has been designed, fabricated and installed at TIFR. The pressure and flow rate in the loop is controlled by mass flow controllers and pressure transmitters. The performance and integrity of RPCs in the pilot experimental set up is being monitored to assess the effect of periodic fluctuation and transients in atmospheric pressure and temperature, room pressure variation, flow pulsations, uniformity of gas distribution and power failures. The capability of closed loop gas recirculation system to respond to these changes is also studied. The conclusions from the above experiment are presented. The validations of the first design considerations and subsequent modifications have provided improved guidelines for the future design of the engineering module gas system.

DESIGN AND VALIDATION OF AN INTERORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamel Rouibah

2006-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an interorganizational information system that aims to structure collaboration of engineering activities as well as data sharing across company borders. The paper also describes the approach underlying the system, validates it by designing a system prototype, and tests the system using questionnaire and in-depth interviews in order to further knowledge about the subject. The main results from the test show: collaboration engineering is potentially important for senior managers; end-users were specifically attracted more by the concept rather by its implementation; engineering change management is a complex process; and the support of strategic level is a critical success factor. In addition, the paper describes other factors that emerged during the ongoing project and inhibit success of the system.

A comparative study of soft sensor design for lipid estimation of microalgal photobioreactor system with experimental validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Sung Jin; Jung, Dong Hwi; Kim, Jung Hun; Lee, Jong Min

2015-03-01

This study examines the applicability of various nonlinear estimators for online estimation of the lipid concentration in microalgae cultivation system. Lipid is a useful bio-product that has many applications including biofuels and bioactives. However, the improvement of lipid productivity using real-time monitoring and control with experimental validation is limited because measurement of lipid in microalgae is a difficult and time-consuming task. In this study, estimation of lipid concentration from other measurable sources such as biomass or glucose sensor was studied. Extended Kalman filter (EKF), unscented Kalman filter (UKF), and particle filter (PF) were compared in various cases for their applicability to photobioreactor systems. Furthermore, simulation studies to identify appropriate types of sensors for estimating lipid were also performed. Based on the case studies, the most effective case was validated with experimental data and found that UKF and PF with time-varying system noise covariance is effective for microalgal photobioreactor system. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quasi-experimental study designs series-paper 6: risk of bias assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Waddington, Hugh; Aloe, Ariel M; Becker, Betsy Jane; Djimeu, Eric W; Hombrados, Jorge Garcia; Tugwell, Peter; Wells, George; Reeves, Barney

2017-09-01

Rigorous and transparent bias assessment is a core component of high-quality systematic reviews. We assess modifications to existing risk of bias approaches to incorporate rigorous quasi-experimental approaches with selection on unobservables. These are nonrandomized studies using design-based approaches to control for unobservable sources of confounding such as difference studies, instrumental variables, interrupted time series, natural experiments, and regression-discontinuity designs. We review existing risk of bias tools. Drawing on these tools, we present domains of bias and suggest directions for evaluation questions. The review suggests that existing risk of bias tools provide, to different degrees, incomplete transparent criteria to assess the validity of these designs. The paper then presents an approach to evaluating the internal validity of quasi-experiments with selection on unobservables. We conclude that tools for nonrandomized studies of interventions need to be further developed to incorporate evaluation questions for quasi-experiments with selection on unobservables. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design, construction and validation of a Plasmodium vivax microarray for the transcriptome profiling of clinical isolates

KAUST Repository

Boopathi, Pon Arunachalam

2016-10-09

High density oligonucleotide microarrays have been used on Plasmodium vivax field isolates to estimate whole genome expression. However, no microarray platform has been experimentally optimized for studying the transcriptome of field isolates. In the present study, we adopted both bioinformatics and experimental testing approaches to select best optimized probes suitable for detecting parasite transcripts from field samples and included them in designing a custom 15K P. vivax microarray. This microarray has long oligonucleotide probes (60 mer) that were in-situ synthesized onto glass slides using Agilent SurePrint technology and has been developed into an 8X15K format (8 identical arrays on a single slide). Probes in this array were experimentally validated and represents 4180 P. vivax genes in sense orientation, of which 1219 genes have also probes in antisense orientation. Validation of the 15K array by using field samples (n =14) has shown 99% of parasite transcript detection from any of the samples. Correlation analysis between duplicate probes (n = 85) present in the arrays showed perfect correlation (r(2) = 0.98) indicating the reproducibility. Multiple probes representing the same gene exhibited similar kind of expression pattern across the samples (positive correlation, r >= 0.6). Comparison of hybridization data with the previous studies and quantitative real-time PCR experiments were performed to highlight the microarray validation procedure. This array is unique in its design, and results indicate that the array is sensitive and reproducible. Hence, this microarray could be a valuable functional genomics tool to generate reliable expression data from P. vivax field isolates. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Design, construction and validation of a Plasmodium vivax microarray for the transcriptome profiling of clinical isolates

KAUST Repository

Boopathi, Pon Arunachalam; Subudhi, Amit; Middha, Sheetal; Acharya, Jyoti; Mugasimangalam, Raja Chinnadurai; Kochar, Sanjay Kumar; Kochar, Dhanpat Kumar; Das, Ashis

2016-01-01

High density oligonucleotide microarrays have been used on Plasmodium vivax field isolates to estimate whole genome expression. However, no microarray platform has been experimentally optimized for studying the transcriptome of field isolates. In the present study, we adopted both bioinformatics and experimental testing approaches to select best optimized probes suitable for detecting parasite transcripts from field samples and included them in designing a custom 15K P. vivax microarray. This microarray has long oligonucleotide probes (60 mer) that were in-situ synthesized onto glass slides using Agilent SurePrint technology and has been developed into an 8X15K format (8 identical arrays on a single slide). Probes in this array were experimentally validated and represents 4180 P. vivax genes in sense orientation, of which 1219 genes have also probes in antisense orientation. Validation of the 15K array by using field samples (n =14) has shown 99% of parasite transcript detection from any of the samples. Correlation analysis between duplicate probes (n = 85) present in the arrays showed perfect correlation (r(2) = 0.98) indicating the reproducibility. Multiple probes representing the same gene exhibited similar kind of expression pattern across the samples (positive correlation, r >= 0.6). Comparison of hybridization data with the previous studies and quantitative real-time PCR experiments were performed to highlight the microarray validation procedure. This array is unique in its design, and results indicate that the array is sensitive and reproducible. Hence, this microarray could be a valuable functional genomics tool to generate reliable expression data from P. vivax field isolates. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Validation of the Nuclear Design Method for MOX Fuel Loaded LWR Cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saji, E.; Inoue, Y.; Mori, M.; Ushio, T.

2001-01-01

The actual batch loading of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel in light water reactors (LWRs) is now ready to start in Japan. One of the efforts that have been devoted to realizing this batch loading has been validation of the nuclear design methods calculating the MOX-fuel-loaded LWR core characteristics. This paper summarizes the validation work for the applicability of the CASMO-4/SIMULATE-3 in-core fuel management code system to MOX-fuel-loaded LWR cores. This code system is widely used by a number of electric power companies for the core management of their commercial LWRs. The validation work was performed for both boiling water reactor (BWR) and pressurized water reactor (PWR) applications. Each validation consists of two parts: analyses of critical experiments and core tracking calculations of operating plants. For the critical experiments, we have chosen a series of experiments known as the VENUS International Program (VIP), which was performed at the SCK/CEN MOL laboratory in Belgium. VIP consists of both BWR and PWR fuel assembly configurations. As for the core tracking calculations, the operating data of MOX-fuel-loaded BWR and PWR cores in Europe have been utilized

Analytical and Experimental Study for Validation of the Device to Confine BN Reactor Melted Fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogozhkin, S.; Osipov, S.; Sobolev, V.; Shepelev, S.; Kozhaev, A.; Mavrin, M.; Ryabov, A.

2013-01-01

To validate the design and confirm the design characteristics of the special retaining device (core catcher) used for protection of BN reactor vessel in the case of a severe beyond-design basis accident with core melting, computational and experimental studies were carried out. The Tray test facility that uses water as coolant was developed and fabricated by OKBM; experimental studies were performed. To verify the methodical approach used for the computational study, experimental results obtained in the Tray test facility were compared with numerical simulation results obtained by the STAR-CCM+ CFD code

Italian version of Dyspnoea-12: cultural-linguistic validation, quantitative and qualitative content validity study.

Science.gov (United States)

Caruso, Rosario; Arrigoni, Cristina; Groppelli, Katia; Magon, Arianna; Dellafiore, Federica; Pittella, Francesco; Grugnetti, Anna Maria; Chessa, Massimo; Yorke, Janelle

2018-01-16

Dyspnoea-12 is a valid and reliable scale to assess dyspneic symptom, considering its severity, physical and emotional components. However, it is not available in Italian version due to it was not yet translated and validated. For this reason, the aim of this study was to develop an Italian version Dyspnoea-12, providing a cultural and linguistic validation, supported by the quantitative and qualitative content validity. This was a methodological study, divided into two phases: phase one is related to the cultural and linguistic validation, phase two is related to test the quantitative and qualitative content validity. Linguistic validation followed a standardized translation process. Quantitative content validity was assessed computing content validity ratio (CVR) and index (I-CVIs and S-CVI) from expert panellists response. Qualitative content validity was assessed by the narrative analysis on the answers of three open-ended questions to the expert panellists, aimed to investigate the clarity and the pertinence of the Italian items. The translation process found a good agreement in considering clear the items in both the six involved bilingual expert translators and among the ten voluntary involved patients. CVR, I-CVIs and S-CVI were satisfactory for all the translated items. This study has represented a pivotal step to use Dyspnoea-12 amongst Italian patients. Future researches are needed to deeply investigate the Italian version of  Dyspnoea-12 construct validity and its reliability, and to describe how dyspnoea components (i.e. physical and emotional) impact the life of patients with cardiorespiratory diseases.

The TALL-3D facility design and commissioning tests for validation of coupled STH and CFD codes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grishchenko, Dmitry, E-mail: dmitry@safety.sci.kth.se; Jeltsov, Marti, E-mail: marti@safety.sci.kth.se; Kööp, Kaspar, E-mail: kaspar@safety.sci.kth.se; Karbojian, Aram, E-mail: karbojan@kth.se; Villanueva, Walter, E-mail: walter@safety.sci.kth.se; Kudinov, Pavel, E-mail: pavel@safety.sci.kth.se

2015-08-15

Highlights: • Design of a heavy liquid thermal-hydraulic loop for CFD/STH code validation. • Description of the loop instrumentation and assessment of measurement error. • Experimental data from forced to natural circulation transient. - Abstract: Application of coupled CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and STH (System Thermal Hydraulics) codes is a prerequisite for computationally affordable and sufficiently accurate prediction of thermal-hydraulics of complex systems. Coupled STH and CFD codes require validation for understanding and quantification of the sources of uncertainties in the code prediction. TALL-3D is a liquid Lead Bismuth Eutectic (LBE) loop developed according to the requirements for the experimental data for validation of coupled STH and CFD codes. The goals of the facility design are to provide (i) mutual feedback between natural circulation in the loop and complex 3D mixing and stratification phenomena in the pool-type test section, (ii) a possibility to validate standalone STH and CFD codes for each subsection of the facility, and (iii) sufficient number of experimental data to separate the process of input model calibration and code validation. Description of the facility design and its main components, approach to estimation of experimental uncertainty and calibration of model input parameters that are not directly measured in the experiment are discussed in the paper. First experimental data from the forced to natural circulation transient is also provided in the paper.

Design of JT-60SA magnets and associated experimental validations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zani, L.; Barabaschi, P.; Peyrot, M.; Meunier, L.; Tomarchio, V.; Duglue, D.; Decool, P.; Torre, A.; Marechal, J.L.; Della Corte, A.; Di Zenobio, A.; Muzzi, L.; Cucchiaro, A.; Turtu, S.; Ishida, S.; Yoshida, K.; Tsuchiya, K.; Kizu, K.; Murakami, H.

2011-01-01

In the framework of the JT-60SA project, aiming at upgrading the present JT-60U tokamak toward a fully superconducting configuration, the detailed design phase led to adopt for the three main magnet systems a brand new design. Europe (EU) is expected to provide to Japan (JA) the totality of the toroidal field (TF) magnet system, while JA will provide both Equilibrium field (EF) and Central Solenoid (CS) systems. All magnet designs were optimized trough the past years and entered in parallel into extensive experimentally-based phases of concept validation, which came to maturation in the years 2009 and 2010. For this, all magnet systems were investigated by mean of dedicated samples, e.g. conductor and joint samples designed, manufactured and tested at full scale in ad hoc facilities either in EU or in JA. The present paper, after an overall description of magnet systems layouts, presents in a general approach the different experimental campaigns dedicated to qualification design and manufacture processes of either coils, conductors and electrical joints. The main results with the associated analyses are shown and the main conclusions presented, especially regarding their contribution to consolidate the triggering of magnet mass production. The status of respective manufacturing stages in EU and in JA are also evoked. (authors)

Validity of a Newly-Designed Rectilinear Stepping Ergometer Submaximal Exercise Test to Assess Cardiorespiratory Fitness

OpenAIRE

Rubin Zhang, Likui Zhan, Shaoming Sun, Wei Peng, Yining Sun

2017-01-01

The maximum oxygen uptake (V̇O2 max), determined from graded maximal or submaximal exercise tests, is used to classify the cardiorespiratory fitness level of individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the YMCA submaximal exercise test protocol performed on a newly-designed rectilinear stepping ergometer (RSE) that used up and down reciprocating vertical motion in place of conventional circular motion and giving precise measurement of workload, to det...

Validation study on reliability analysis of main safety system in Nuclear Power Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Nam Jin; Cho, Chang Keun; Kim, Yong Hui; Kim, Tae Hyeong; Hong, Seo Kee; Park, Keon Woo; Park, Chang Jea [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Cheong, Woo Sik [Institute for Advanced Engineering, Yongin (Korea, Republic of); Park, Moon Kyu [KEPRI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1993-12-15

The scope and contents of this validation study are to review the design changes of the four main safety systems in Wolsong 2/3/4 Nuclear Power Plants, to review the consideration of the above design changes in the AECL reports, the structure of fault trees, and the data base used in the quantification of the fault trees, to quantify the unavailabilities of main safety systems and check them if they meet the requirements, and to recommend desirable design changes in the emergency core cooling system to reduce the unavailability.

Design and Validation of a Rubric to Assess the Use of American Psychological Association Style in Scientific Articles

Science.gov (United States)

Merma Molina, Gladys; Peña Alfaro, Hilda; Peña Alfaro González, Silvia Rosa

2017-01-01

In this study, the researchers will explore the process of designing and validating a rubric to evaluate the adaptation of scientific articles in the format of the "American Psychological Association" (APA). The rubric will evaluate certain aspects of the APA format that allow authors, editors, and evaluators to decide if the scientific…

Designing and determining validity and reliability of a questionnaire to identify factors affecting nutritional behavior among patients with metabolic syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naseh Esmaeili

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background : A number of studies have shown a clear relationship between diet and component of metabolic syndrome. Based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA, attitude and subjective norm are factors affecting behavioral intention and subsequently behavior. The aim of the present study is to design a valid questionnaire identifying factors affecting nutritional behavior among patients with metabolic syndrome. Materials and Methods: Via literature review, six focus group discussion and interview with nutrition specialists were performed to develop an instrument based on the theory of reasoned action. To determine validity of the instrument, content and face validity analyses with 15 expert panels conducted and also to determine reliability, Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient performed. Results: A draft of 100 items questionnaire was developed and after evaluation of validity and reliability, final questionnaire included 46 items: 17 items for attitude, 13 items for subjective norms and 16 items for behavioral intention. For the final questionnaire average of content validity index was 0/92 and Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was 0/85. Conclusion: Based on the results of the current study the developed questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument and it can be used to identify factors affecting nutritional behavior among people with metabolic syndrome based on the theory of reasoned action.

[Design and validation of a questionnaire to assess the level of general knowledge on eating disorders in students of Health Sciences].

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez Socarrás, Violeida; Aguilar Martínez, Alicia; Vaqué Crusellas, Cristina; Milá Villarroel, Raimon; González Rivas, Fabián

2016-01-01

To design and validate a questionnaire to assess the level of knowledge regarding eating disorders in college students. Observational, prospective, and longitudinal study, with the design of the questionnaire based on a conceptual review and validation by a cognitive pre-test and pilot test-retest, with analysis of the psychometric properties in each application. University Foundation of Bages, Barcelona. Marco community care. A total of 140 students from Health Sciences; 53 women and 87 men with a mean age of 21.87 years; 28 participated in the pre-test and 112 in the test-retests, 110 students completed the study. Validity and stability study using Cronbach α and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient statistics; relationship skills with sex and type of study, non-parametric statistical Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests; for demographic variables, absolute or percentage frequencies, as well as mean, central tendency and standard deviation as measures of dispersion were calculated. The statistical significance level was 95% confidence. The questionnaire was obtained that had 10 questions divided into four dimensions (classification, demographics characteristics of patients, risk factors and clinical manifestations of eating disorders). The scale showed good internal consistency in its final version (Cronbach α=0.724) and adequate stability (Pearson correlation 0.749). The designed tool can be accurately used to assess Health Sciences students' knowledge of eating disorders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Perceptions of Organizational Politics Scale (POPS Questionnaire into Turkish: A Validity and Reliability Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evrim EROL

2016-07-01

Full Text Available In this study it was aimed to make the studies of the translation of Perception of Organizational Politics Scale into Turkish and the validity and reliability of the scale. Perceptions of Organizational Politics Scale’s (POPS validities has been tested in terms of view, content and structure. The application is designed as a two-stage process. In the first stage, face and content validity was tested. In the second stage, it was sought evidences for the construct validity of the scale by making exploratory factor analysis (EFA and then the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA to the data obtained. In determining the reliability of the scale item-total score correlations and Cronbach alpha coefficient was used. The application made for the validity and reliability of the scale was conducted on the data collected from 277 faculty members working in universities’ education faculties. As a method of achieving those faculty members "Simple randomized (random sampling" is used. The psychometric properties of the Turkish version of Perception of Organizational Politics Scale showed that the scale has a satisfactory level of reliability and validity for the Turkish employee sample.

Design and validation of a questionnaire for measuring perceived risk of skin cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales-Sánchez, M A; Peralta-Pedrero, M L; Domínguez-Gómez, M A

2014-04-01

A perceived risk of cancer encourages preventive behavior while the lack of such a perception is a barrier to risk reduction. There are no instruments in Spanish to measure this perceived risk and thus quantify response to interventions for preventing this disease at a population level. The aim of this study was to design and validate a self-administered questionnaire for measuring the perceived risk of skin cancer. A self-administered questionnaire with a visual Likert-type scale was designed based on the results of the analysis of the content of a survey performed in 100 patients in the Dr. Ladislao de la Pascua Skin Clinic, Distrito Federal México, Mexico. Subsequently, the questionnaire was administered to a sample of 359 adult patients who attended the clinic for the first time. As no gold standard exists for measuring the perceived risk of skin cancer, the construct was validated through factor analysis. The final questionnaire had 18 items. The internal consistency measured with Cronbach α was 0.824 overall. In the factor analysis, 4 factors (denoted as affective, behavioral, severity, and susceptibility) and an indicator of risk accounted for 65.133% of the variance. The psychometric properties of the scale were appropriate for measuring the perception of risk in adult patients (aged 18 years or more) who attended the dermatology clinic. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. and AEDV. All rights reserved.

Relative validity of the geisinger rural aging study food frequency questionniare

Science.gov (United States)

Objective: To determine the relative validity of a population specific food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and evaluate the effectiveness of the instrument for assessing nutritional risk in older adults. Design: A cross-over design with participants completing two different dietary assessment inst...

Design and validation of a CT-guided robotic system for lung cancer brachytherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Dou, Huaisu; Jiang, Shan; Yang, Zhiyong; Sun, Luqing; Ma, Xiaodong; Huo, Bin

2017-09-01

of the robotic system was 0.49 ± 0.29 mm. Phantom experiments indicated that the accuracy of needle insertion was 1.5 ± 1.7 mm at a depth ranging from 30 to 80 mm. The time used to adjust the template to the target position was 12 min on average by robotic system automatically. An average of 30 min was saved compared with the manual positioning procedure in phantom experiments. This paper describes the design and experimental validation of a novel CT-guided robotic system for lung cancer brachytherapy. The robotic system was validated in a number of aspects which prove that it was capable of locating the template with clinically acceptable accuracy in the CT environment. All experimental results indicated that the system is reliable and ready to be applied to further studies on animals. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Experimental validation of thermal design of top shield for a pool type SFR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aithal, Sriramachandra; Babu, V. Rajan; Balasubramaniyan, V.; Velusamy, K.; Chellapandi, P.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Overall thermal design of top shield in a SFR is experimentally verified. • Air jet cooling is effective in ensuring the temperatures limits for top shield. • Convection patterns in narrow annulus are in line with published CFD results. • Wire mesh insulation ensures gradual thermal gradient at top portion of main vessel. • Under loss of cooling scenario, sufficient time is available for corrective action. - Abstract: An Integrated Top Shield Test Facility towards validation of thermal design of top shield for a pool type SFR has been conceived, constructed & commissioned. Detailed experiments were performed in this experimental facility having full-scale features. Steady state temperature distribution within the facility is measured for various heater plate temperatures in addition to simulating different operating states of the reactor. Following are the important observations (i) jet cooling system is effective in regulating the roof slab bottom plate temperature and thermal gradient across roof slab simulating normal operation of reactor, (ii) wire mesh insulation provided in roof slab-main vessel annulus is effective in obtaining gradual thermal gradient along main vessel top portion and inhibiting the setting up of cellular convection within annulus and (iii) cellular convection with four distinct convective cells sets in the annular gap between roof slab and small rotatable plug measuring ∼ϕ4 m in diameter & gap width varying from 16 mm to 30 mm. Repeatability of results is also ensured during all the above tests. The results presented in this paper is expected to provide reference data for validation of thermal hydraulic models in addition to serving as design validation of jet cooling system for pool type SFR.

Effects of newly designed hospital buildings on staff perceptions : a pre-post study to validate design decisions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schreuder, E.J.A.; Heel, L. van; Goedhart, R.; Dusseldorp, E.; Schraagen, J.M.C.; Burdorf, A.

2015-01-01

Objective: This study investigates effects of the newly built nonpatient-related buildings of a large university medical center on staff perceptions and whether the design objectives were achieved. Background: The medical center is gradually renewing its hospital building area of 200,000 m.(2) This

Screening for hearing, visual and dual sensory impairment in older adults using behavioural cues : A validation study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roets-Merken, Lieve M.; Zuidema, Sytse U.; Vernooij-Dassen, Myrra J. F. J.; Kempen, Gertrudis I. J. M.

2014-01-01

Objective: This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Severe Dual Sensory Loss screening tool, a tool designed to help nurses and care assistants to identify hearing, visual and dual sensory impairment in older adults. Design: Construct validity of the Severe Dual Sensory Loss

Manufacturing system design based on axiomatic design: Case of assembly line

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hager, T.; Wafik, H.; Faouzi, M.

2017-07-01

In this paper, a combined Production Line Design (PLD) process which includes many design aspects is presented, developed and validated. Design/methodology/approach: The PLD process is based on the SADT (Structured Analysis and Design Technique) diagram and the Axiomatic Design (AD) method. Practical implications: For a purpose of validation, this proposed process has been applied in a manufacturing company and it has been validated by simulation. Findings: The results of the validation indicated that the production line designed by this process is outperformed the initial line of the company. Originality/value: Recently, the problems of production line design (PLD) have attracted the attention of many researchers. However, only a few studies have treated the PLD which includes all design aspects. In this work, a combined PLD process is presented. It should be noted that the proposed process is simple and effective.

Manufacturing system design based on axiomatic design: Case of assembly line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hager, T.; Wafik, H.; Faouzi, M.

2017-01-01

In this paper, a combined Production Line Design (PLD) process which includes many design aspects is presented, developed and validated. Design/methodology/approach: The PLD process is based on the SADT (Structured Analysis and Design Technique) diagram and the Axiomatic Design (AD) method. Practical implications: For a purpose of validation, this proposed process has been applied in a manufacturing company and it has been validated by simulation. Findings: The results of the validation indicated that the production line designed by this process is outperformed the initial line of the company. Originality/value: Recently, the problems of production line design (PLD) have attracted the attention of many researchers. However, only a few studies have treated the PLD which includes all design aspects. In this work, a combined PLD process is presented. It should be noted that the proposed process is simple and effective.

Family Early Literacy Practices Questionnaire: A Validation Study for a Spanish-Speaking Population

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Kandia

2012-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the psychometric validity of a Spanish translated version of a family involvement questionnaire (the FELP) using a mixed-methods design. Thus, statistical analyses (i.e., factor analysis, reliability analysis, and item analysis) and qualitative analyses (i.e., focus group data) were assessed.…

Applying Case-Based Method in Designing Self-Directed Online Instruction: A Formative Research Study

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Heng; Koszalka, Tiffany A.; Arnone, Marilyn P.; Choi, Ikseon

2018-01-01

This study investigated the case-based method (CBM) instructional-design theory and its application in designing self-directed online instruction. The purpose of this study was to validate and refine the theory for a self-directed online instruction context. Guided by formative research methodology, this study first developed an online tutorial…

The validation of a computer-adaptive test (CAT) for assessing health-related quality of life in children and adolescents in a clinical sample: study design, methods and first results of the Kids-CAT study.

Science.gov (United States)

Barthel, D; Otto, C; Nolte, S; Meyrose, A-K; Fischer, F; Devine, J; Walter, O; Mierke, A; Fischer, K I; Thyen, U; Klein, M; Ankermann, T; Rose, M; Ravens-Sieberer, U

2017-05-01

Recently, we developed a computer-adaptive test (CAT) for assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children and adolescents: the Kids-CAT. It measures five generic HRQoL dimensions. The aims of this article were (1) to present the study design and (2) to investigate its psychometric properties in a clinical setting. The Kids-CAT study is a longitudinal prospective study with eight measurements over one year at two University Medical Centers in Germany. For validating the Kids-CAT, 270 consecutive 7- to 17-year-old patients with asthma (n = 52), diabetes (n = 182) or juvenile arthritis (n = 36) answered well-established HRQoL instruments (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL), KIDSCREEN-27) and scales measuring related constructs (e.g., social support, self-efficacy). Measurement precision, test-retest reliability, convergent and discriminant validity were investigated. The mean standard error of measurement ranged between .38 and .49 for the five dimensions, which equals a reliability between .86 and .76, respectively. The Kids-CAT measured most reliably in the lower HRQoL range. Convergent validity was supported by moderate to high correlations of the Kids-CAT dimensions with corresponding PedsQL dimensions ranging between .52 and .72. A lower correlation was found between the social dimensions of both instruments. Discriminant validity was confirmed by lower correlations with non-corresponding subscales of the PedsQL. The Kids-CAT measures pediatric HRQoL reliably, particularly in lower areas of HRQoL. Its test-retest reliability should be re-investigated in future studies. The validity of the instrument was demonstrated. Overall, results suggest that the Kids-CAT is a promising candidate for detecting psychosocial needs in chronically ill children.

Developmental framework to validate future designs of ballistic neck protection.

Science.gov (United States)

Breeze, J; Midwinter, M J; Pope, D; Porter, K; Hepper, A E; Clasper, J

2013-01-01

The number of neck injuries has increased during the war in Afghanistan, and they have become an appreciable source of mortality and long-term morbidity for UK servicemen. A three-dimensional numerical model of the neck is necessary to allow simulation of penetrating injury from explosive fragments so that the design of body armour can be optimal, and a framework is required to validate and describe the individual components of this program. An interdisciplinary consensus group consisting of military maxillofacial surgeons, and biomedical, physical, and material scientists was convened to generate the components of the framework, and as a result it incorporates the following components: analysis of deaths and long-term morbidity, assessment of critical cervical structures for incorporation into the model, characterisation of explosive fragments, evaluation of the material of which the body armour is made, and mapping of the entry sites of fragments. The resulting numerical model will simulate the wound tract produced by fragments of differing masses and velocities, and illustrate the effects of temporary cavities on cervical neurovascular structures. Using this framework, a new shirt to be worn under body armour that incorporates ballistic cervical protection has been developed for use in Afghanistan. New designs of the collar validated by human factors and assessment of coverage are currently being incorporated into early versions of the numerical model. The aim of this paper is to describe this developmental framework and provide an update on the current progress of its individual components. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design and validation of an MR-conditional robot for transcranial focused ultrasound surgery in infants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Price, Karl D., E-mail: karl.price@sickkids.ca [Centre for Image Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8 (Canada); The Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8 (Canada); Sin, Vivian W. [Centre for Image Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8 (Canada); Mougenot, Charles [Philips Healthcare Canada, Markham, Ontario L6C 2S3 (Canada); Pichardo, Samuel [Electrical Engineering, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1 (Canada); Looi, Thomas [Centre for Image Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8 (Canada); The Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 3G9 (Canada); Waspe, Adam C. [Centre for Image Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8 (Canada); Department of Medical Imaging, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1W7 (Canada); Drake, James M. [Centre for Image Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8 (Canada); Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1 (Canada); The Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 3G9 (Canada)

2016-09-15

conditional robot has been designed and manufactured to design specifications. The system has demonstrated its feasibility as a platform for MRgFUS interventions for neonatal patients. The success of the system in experimental trials suggests that it is ready to be used for validation of the transcranial intervention in animal studies.

Design and validation of an MR-conditional robot for transcranial focused ultrasound surgery in infants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, Karl D.; Sin, Vivian W.; Mougenot, Charles; Pichardo, Samuel; Looi, Thomas; Waspe, Adam C.; Drake, James M.

2016-01-01

conditional robot has been designed and manufactured to design specifications. The system has demonstrated its feasibility as a platform for MRgFUS interventions for neonatal patients. The success of the system in experimental trials suggests that it is ready to be used for validation of the transcranial intervention in animal studies.

Validations of BWR nuclear design code using ABWR MOX numerical benchmark problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takano, Shou; Sasagawa, Masaru; Yamana, Teppei; Ikehara, Tadashi; Yanagisawa, Naoki

2017-01-01

BWR core design code package (the HINES assembly code and the PANACH core simulator), being used for full MOX-ABWR core design, has been benchmarked against the high-fidelity numerical solutions as references, for the purpose of validating its capability of predicting the BWR core design parameters systematically from UO 2 to 100% MOX cores. The reference solutions were created by whole core critical calculations using MCNPs with the precisely modeled ABWR cores both in hot and cold conditions at BOC and EOC of the equilibrium cycle. A Doppler-Broadening Rejection Correction (DCRB) implemented MCNP5-1.4 with ENDF/B-VII.0 was mainly used to evaluate the core design parameters, except for effective delayed neutron fraction (β eff ) and prompt neutron lifetime (l) with MCNP6.1. The discrepancies in the results between the design codes HINES-PANACH and MCNPs for the core design parameters such as the bundle powers, hot pin powers, control rod worth, boron worth, void reactivity, Doppler reactivity, β eff and l, are almost within target accuracy, leading to the conclusion that HINES-PANACH has sufficient fidelity for application to full MOX-ABWR core design. (author)

Internal Validity: A Must in Research Designs

Science.gov (United States)

Cahit, Kaya

2015-01-01

In experimental research, internal validity refers to what extent researchers can conclude that changes in dependent variable (i.e. outcome) are caused by manipulations in independent variable. The causal inference permits researchers to meaningfully interpret research results. This article discusses (a) internal validity threats in social and…

Design, Implementation and Validation of the Three-Wheel Holonomic Motion System of the Assistant Personal Robot (APR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier Moreno

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the design, implementation and validation of the three-wheel holonomic motion system of a mobile robot designed to operate in homes. The holonomic motion system is described in terms of mechanical design and electronic control. The paper analyzes the kinematics of the motion system and validates the estimation of the trajectory comparing the displacement estimated with the internal odometry of the motors and the displacement estimated with a SLAM procedure based on LIDAR information. Results obtained in different experiments have shown a difference on less than 30 mm between the position estimated with the SLAM and odometry, and a difference in the angular orientation of the mobile robot lower than 5° in absolute displacements up to 1000 mm.

Design, Implementation and Validation of the Three-Wheel Holonomic Motion System of the Assistant Personal Robot (APR).

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, Javier; Clotet, Eduard; Lupiañez, Ruben; Tresanchez, Marcel; Martínez, Dani; Pallejà, Tomàs; Casanovas, Jordi; Palacín, Jordi

2016-10-10

This paper presents the design, implementation and validation of the three-wheel holonomic motion system of a mobile robot designed to operate in homes. The holonomic motion system is described in terms of mechanical design and electronic control. The paper analyzes the kinematics of the motion system and validates the estimation of the trajectory comparing the displacement estimated with the internal odometry of the motors and the displacement estimated with a SLAM procedure based on LIDAR information. Results obtained in different experiments have shown a difference on less than 30 mm between the position estimated with the SLAM and odometry, and a difference in the angular orientation of the mobile robot lower than 5° in absolute displacements up to 1000 mm.

Design, Implementation and Validation of the Three-Wheel Holonomic Motion System of the Assistant Personal Robot (APR)

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, Javier; Clotet, Eduard; Lupiañez, Ruben; Tresanchez, Marcel; Martínez, Dani; Pallejà, Tomàs; Casanovas, Jordi; Palacín, Jordi

2016-01-01

This paper presents the design, implementation and validation of the three-wheel holonomic motion system of a mobile robot designed to operate in homes. The holonomic motion system is described in terms of mechanical design and electronic control. The paper analyzes the kinematics of the motion system and validates the estimation of the trajectory comparing the displacement estimated with the internal odometry of the motors and the displacement estimated with a SLAM procedure based on LIDAR information. Results obtained in different experiments have shown a difference on less than 30 mm between the position estimated with the SLAM and odometry, and a difference in the angular orientation of the mobile robot lower than 5° in absolute displacements up to 1000 mm. PMID:27735857

Reproducibility and Validity of a Food Frequency Questionnaire Designed to Assess Diet in Children Aged 4-5 Years.

Science.gov (United States)

Vioque, Jesus; Gimenez-Monzo, Daniel; Navarrete-Muñoz, Eva Maria; Garcia-de-la-Hera, Manuela; Gonzalez-Palacios, Sandra; Rebagliato, Marisa; Ballester, Ferran; Murcia, Mario; Iñiguez, Carmen; Granado, Fernando

2016-01-01

The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is the most efficient and cost-effective method to investigate the relationship between usual diet and disease in epidemiologic studies. Although FFQs have been validated in many adult populations worldwide, the number of valid FFQ in preschool children is very scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility and validity of a semi-quantitative FFQ designed for children aged 4 to 5 years. In this study, we have included 169 children aged 4-5 years from the INMA project in Valencia, a population-based prospective cohort study of mothers and children in Spain. The 105-items FFQ was administered twice to the parents or care-givers of children over a 9-month period. Reproducibility was explored by comparing intake of nutrients by the FFQs, while validity was examined by comparing the nutrient values from the FFQs with the average nutrient values of three 24 hour dietary recall (24hDR) taken in the period, and also, with the concentration in blood specimens for several vitamins (carotenoids, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin C and α-tocopherol). Pearson correlation coefficients and de-attenuated correlation coefficients were calculated and we also evaluated misclassification by quintile distribution. All correlation coefficients for reproducibility for nutrients and major food groups were statistically significant; the average correlation coefficients for daily intake were 0.43 for food groups and 0.41 for nutrients. The average correlation coefficients for validity for daily intakes against 24hDR was r = 0.30, and the average for de-attenuated correlation coefficients was r = 0.44. When evaluating validity against the blood concentration of vitamins, statistically significant correlations were observed for vitamin C (0.35), lycopene (0.31), β-Cryptoxantin (0.40), and vitamin E (0.29); the average of correlation coefficients was r = 0.21. Despite some low to moderate correlations for reproducibility and validity

Characterizing problematic hypoglycaemia: iterative design and preliminary psychometric validation of the Hypoglycaemia Awareness Questionnaire (HypoA-Q).

Science.gov (United States)

Speight, J; Barendse, S M; Singh, H; Little, S A; Inkster, B; Frier, B M; Heller, S R; Rutter, M K; Shaw, J A M

2016-03-01

To design and conduct preliminary validation of a measure of hypoglycaemia awareness and problematic hypoglycaemia, the Hypoglycaemia Awareness Questionnaire. Exploratory and cognitive debriefing interviews were conducted with 17 adults (nine of whom were women) with Type 1 diabetes (mean ± sd age 48 ± 10 years). Questionnaire items were modified in consultation with diabetologists/psychologists. Psychometric validation was undertaken using data from 120 adults (53 women) with Type 1 diabetes (mean ± sd age 44 ± 16 years; 50% with clinically diagnosed impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia), who completed the following questionnaires: the Hypoglycaemia Awareness Questionnaire, the Gold score, the Clarke questionnaire and the Problem Areas in Diabetes questionnaire. Iterative design resulted in 33 items eliciting responses about awareness of hypoglycaemia when awake/asleep and hypoglycaemia frequency, severity and impact (healthcare utilization). Psychometric analysis identified three subscales reflecting 'impaired awareness', 'symptom level' and 'symptom frequency'. Convergent validity was indicated by strong correlations between the 'impaired awareness' subscale and existing measures of awareness: (Gold: rs =0.75, P Questionnaire has robust face and content validity; satisfactory structure; internal reliability; convergent, divergent and known groups validity. The impaired awareness subscale and other items contribute significantly to models explaining recall of severe and nocturnal hypoglycaemia. Prospective validation, including determination of a threshold to identify impaired awareness, is now warranted. © 2015 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine © 2015 Diabetes UK.

Enhanced Oceanic Operations Human-In-The-Loop In-Trail Procedure Validation Simulation Study

Science.gov (United States)

Murdoch, Jennifer L.; Bussink, Frank J. L.; Chamberlain, James P.; Chartrand, Ryan C.; Palmer, Michael T.; Palmer, Susan O.

2008-01-01

The Enhanced Oceanic Operations Human-In-The-Loop In-Trail Procedure (ITP) Validation Simulation Study investigated the viability of an ITP designed to enable oceanic flight level changes that would not otherwise be possible. Twelve commercial airline pilots with current oceanic experience flew a series of simulated scenarios involving either standard or ITP flight level change maneuvers and provided subjective workload ratings, assessments of ITP validity and acceptability, and objective performance measures associated with the appropriate selection, request, and execution of ITP flight level change maneuvers. In the majority of scenarios, subject pilots correctly assessed the traffic situation, selected an appropriate response (i.e., either a standard flight level change request, an ITP request, or no request), and executed their selected flight level change procedure, if any, without error. Workload ratings for ITP maneuvers were acceptable and not substantially higher than for standard flight level change maneuvers, and, for the majority of scenarios and subject pilots, subjective acceptability ratings and comments for ITP were generally high and positive. Qualitatively, the ITP was found to be valid and acceptable. However, the error rates for ITP maneuvers were higher than for standard flight level changes, and these errors may have design implications for both the ITP and the study's prototype traffic display. These errors and their implications are discussed.

Design, construction and validation of the UST-1 modular stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Queral, V., E-mail: vicentemanuel.queral@ciemat.es

2016-11-15

Highlights: • A small and simple low cost two period modular stellarator is reviewed. • It is defined as a monolithic circular surface torus with carved grooves. • The grooves are accurately mechanised by a new toroidal milling machine. • A very simple e-beam field mapping system has been built and utilized. - Abstract: Stellarator advancement is hindered, among others, by the requirement of geometric complexity at high accuracy and the still scarce universities and research centres following the stellarator line. In this framework, the objectives of the small UST-1 stellarator development were to: (i) explore and test the performance of one possible accurate construction method for stellarators (ii) encourage universities and small fusion research centres to build simple and economical stellarators (iii) educative purpose. Therefore, UST-1 was properly designed to be easily built by a milling machine working on toroidal coordinates, being the winding surface circular poloidally and toroidally. The coil frame is a sole monolithic toroidal thick surface equipped with grooves mechanised by the toroidal milling machine. Only one double pancake is wound in each groove so as to compress the conductor on the laterals of the groove in order to speed up and simplify the winding process. The physics design, the conceptual engineering design and the construction process of UST-1 is presented. The toroidal milling machine is described. The e-beam field line mapping experiments carried out to validate the resulting magnetic configuration are reported. The developed construction method has been proved for the small UST-1 stellarator. Small stellarators are valuable for quick tests of diagnostics, educative purposes, assessment of new confinement concepts, turbulence studies and other applications.

Design, construction and validation of the UST-1 modular stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Queral, V.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A small and simple low cost two period modular stellarator is reviewed. • It is defined as a monolithic circular surface torus with carved grooves. • The grooves are accurately mechanised by a new toroidal milling machine. • A very simple e-beam field mapping system has been built and utilized. - Abstract: Stellarator advancement is hindered, among others, by the requirement of geometric complexity at high accuracy and the still scarce universities and research centres following the stellarator line. In this framework, the objectives of the small UST-1 stellarator development were to: (i) explore and test the performance of one possible accurate construction method for stellarators (ii) encourage universities and small fusion research centres to build simple and economical stellarators (iii) educative purpose. Therefore, UST-1 was properly designed to be easily built by a milling machine working on toroidal coordinates, being the winding surface circular poloidally and toroidally. The coil frame is a sole monolithic toroidal thick surface equipped with grooves mechanised by the toroidal milling machine. Only one double pancake is wound in each groove so as to compress the conductor on the laterals of the groove in order to speed up and simplify the winding process. The physics design, the conceptual engineering design and the construction process of UST-1 is presented. The toroidal milling machine is described. The e-beam field line mapping experiments carried out to validate the resulting magnetic configuration are reported. The developed construction method has been proved for the small UST-1 stellarator. Small stellarators are valuable for quick tests of diagnostics, educative purposes, assessment of new confinement concepts, turbulence studies and other applications.

A Validation Study of the Japanese Version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised.

Science.gov (United States)

Dos Santos Kawata, Kelssy Hitomi; Hashimoto, Ryusaku; Nishio, Yoshiyuki; Hayashi, Atsuko; Ogawa, Nanayo; Kanno, Shigenori; Hiraoka, Kotaro; Yokoi, Kayoko; Iizuka, Osamu; Mori, Etsuro

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to validate the Japanese version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) [Mori: Japanese Edition of Hodges JR's Cognitive Assessment for Clinicians, 2010] designed to detect dementia, and to compare its diagnostic accuracy with that of the Mini-Mental State Examination. The ACE-R was administered to 85 healthy individuals and 126 patients with dementia. The reliability assessment revealed a strong correlation in both groups. The internal consistency was excellent (α-coefficient = 0.88). Correlation with the Clinical Dementia Rating sum of boxes score was significant (r(s) = -0.61, p Examination. The cut-off score of 80 showed a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 94%. Like the original ACE-R and the versions designed for other languages, the Japanese version of the ACE-R is a reliable and valid test for the detection of dementia.

A DIFFERENT APPROACH IN OPTIMUM DESIGN PROCESS AND FEA VALIDATION OF LOW-SPEED MULTI-PHASE IPMSMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

seyed asghar gholamian

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Magnets placement effects on permanent magnet motors performance, because of its different magnetic flux density distribution. Therefore, different types of magnet placement should be examined experimentally or by valid simulations. In this paper, first, an interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM called spoke type with specifications related to the propulsion of ships is designed and then optimized by ant colony algorithm to increase the torque-to-volume ratio. The design procedure and its formulas presented as simple as possible. Then, to verify the optimization results of the optimized motor, a Two-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA is done. Also in this analyze the core and the slot saturation was studied.

Injection Drug Use Quality of Life scale (IDUQOL: A validation study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Palepu Anita

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Existing measures of injection drug users' quality of life have focused primarily on health and health-related factors. Clearly, however, quality of life among injection drug users is impacted by a range of unique cultural, socioeconomic, medical, and geographic factors that must also be considered in any measure. The Injection Drug User Quality of Life (IDUQOL scale was designed to capture the unique and individual circumstances that determine quality of life among injection drug users. The overall purpose of the present study was to examine the validity of inferences made from the IDUQOL by examining the (a dimensionality, (b reliability of scores, (c criterion-related validity evidence, and (d both convergent and discriminant validity evidence. Methods An exploratory factor analysis using principal axis factoring in SPSS 12.0 was conducted to determine whether the use of a total score on the IDUQOL was advisable. Reliability of scores from the IDUQOL was obtained using internal consistency and one-week test-retest reliability estimates. Criterion-related validity evidence was gathered using variables such as stability of housing, sex trade involvement, high-risk injection behaviours, involvement in treatment programs, emergency treatment or overdose over the previous six months, hospitalization and emergency treatment over the subsequent six month period post data collection. Convergent and discriminant validity evidence was gathered using measures of life satisfaction, self-esteem, and social desirability. Results The sample consisted of 241 injection drug users ranging in age from 19 to 61 years. Factor analysis supports the use of a total score. Both internal consistency (alpha = .88 and one-week test-retest reliability (r = .78 for IDUQOL total scores were good. Criterion-related, convergent, and discriminant validity evidence supports the interpretation of IDUQOL total scores as measuring a construct consistent with

In-Trail Procedure Air Traffic Control Procedures Validation Simulation Study

Science.gov (United States)

Chartrand, Ryan C.; Hewitt, Katrin P.; Sweeney, Peter B.; Graff, Thomas J.; Jones, Kenneth M.

2012-01-01

In August 2007, Airservices Australia (Airservices) and the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted a validation experiment of the air traffic control (ATC) procedures associated with the Automatic Dependant Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) In-Trail Procedure (ITP). ITP is an Airborne Traffic Situation Awareness (ATSA) application designed for near-term use in procedural airspace in which ADS-B data are used to facilitate climb and descent maneuvers. NASA and Airservices conducted the experiment in Airservices simulator in Melbourne, Australia. Twelve current operational air traffic controllers participated in the experiment, which identified aspects of the ITP that could be improved (mainly in the communication and controller approval process). Results showed that controllers viewed the ITP as valid and acceptable. This paper describes the experiment design and results.

Structural exploration for the refinement of anticancer matrix metalloproteinase-2 inhibitor designing approaches through robust validated multi-QSARs

Science.gov (United States)

Adhikari, Nilanjan; Amin, Sk. Abdul; Saha, Achintya; Jha, Tarun

2018-03-01

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) is a promising pharmacological target for designing potential anticancer drugs. MMP-2 plays critical functions in apoptosis by cleaving the DNA repair enzyme namely poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Moreover, MMP-2 expression triggers the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) having a positive influence on tumor size, invasion, and angiogenesis. Therefore, it is an urgent need to develop potential MMP-2 inhibitors without any toxicity but better pharmacokinetic property. In this article, robust validated multi-quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modeling approaches were attempted on a dataset of 222 MMP-2 inhibitors to explore the important structural and pharmacophoric requirements for higher MMP-2 inhibition. Different validated regression and classification-based QSARs, pharmacophore mapping and 3D-QSAR techniques were performed. These results were challenged and subjected to further validation to explain 24 in house MMP-2 inhibitors to judge the reliability of these models further. All these models were individually validated internally as well as externally and were supported and validated by each other. These results were further justified by molecular docking analysis. Modeling techniques adopted here not only helps to explore the necessary structural and pharmacophoric requirements but also for the overall validation and refinement techniques for designing potential MMP-2 inhibitors.

ICAS-PAT: A Software for Design, Analysis and Validation of PAT Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, Ravendra; Gernaey, Krist; Gani, Rafiqul

2010-01-01

end product qualities. In an earlier article, Singh et al. [Singh, R., Gernaey, K. V., Gani, R. (2009). Model-based computer-aided framework for design of process monitoring and analysis systems. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 33, 22–42] proposed the use of a systematic model and data based...... methodology to design appropriate PAT systems. This methodology has now been implemented into a systematic computer-aided framework to develop a software (ICAS-PAT) for design, validation and analysis of PAT systems. Two supporting tools needed by ICAS-PAT have also been developed: a knowledge base...... (consisting of process knowledge as well as knowledge on measurement methods and tools) and a generic model library (consisting of process operational models). Through a tablet manufacturing process example, the application of ICAS-PAT is illustrated, highlighting as well, the main features of the software....

Design and validation of a questionnaire to assess organizational culture in French hospital wards.

Science.gov (United States)

Saillour-Glénisson, F; Domecq, S; Kret, M; Sibe, M; Dumond, J P; Michel, P

2016-09-17

Although many organizational culture questionnaires have been developed, there is a lack of any validated multidimensional questionnaire assessing organizational culture at hospital ward level and adapted to health care context. Facing the lack of an appropriate tool, a multidisciplinary team designed and validated a dimensional organizational culture questionnaire for healthcare settings to be administered at ward level. A database of organizational culture items and themes was created after extensive literature review. Items were regrouped into dimensions and subdimensions (classification validated by experts). Pre-test and face validation was conducted with 15 health care professionals. In a stratified cluster random sample of hospitals, the psychometric validation was conducted in three phases on a sample of 859 healthcare professionals from 36 multidisciplinary medicine services: 1) the exploratory phase included a description of responses' saturation levels, factor and correlations analyses and an internal consistency analysis (Cronbach's alpha coefficient); 2) confirmatory phase used the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM); 3) reproducibility was studied by a test-retest. The overall response rate was 80 %; the completion average was 97 %. The metrological results were: a global Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.93, higher than 0.70 for 12 sub-dimensions; all Dillon-Goldstein's rho coefficients higher than 0.70; an excellent quality of external model with a Goodness of Fitness (GoF) criterion of 0.99. Seventy percent of the items had a reproducibility ranging from moderate (Intra-Class Coefficient between 50 and 70 % for 25 items) to good (ICC higher than 70 % for 33 items). COMEt (Contexte Organisationnel et Managérial en Etablissement de Santé) questionnaire is a validated multidimensional organizational culture questionnaire made of 6 dimensions, 21 sub-dimensions and 83 items. It is the first dimensional organizational culture questionnaire

The reliability and validity of three questionnaires: The Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning Scale, Simulation Design Scale, and Educational Practices Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Unver, Vesile; Basak, Tulay; Watts, Penni; Gaioso, Vanessa; Moss, Jacqueline; Tastan, Sevinc; Iyigun, Emine; Tosun, Nuran

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study was to adapt the "Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning Scale" (SCLS), "Simulation Design Scale" (SDS), and "Educational Practices Questionnaire" (EPQ) developed by Jeffries and Rizzolo into Turkish and establish the reliability and the validity of these translated scales. A sample of 87 nursing students participated in this study. These scales were cross-culturally adapted through a process including translation, comparison with original version, back translation, and pretesting. Construct validity was evaluated by factor analysis, and criterion validity was evaluated using the Perceived Learning Scale, Patient Intervention Self-confidence/Competency Scale, and Educational Belief Scale. Cronbach's alpha values were found as 0.77-0.85 for SCLS, 0.73-0.86 for SDS, and 0.61-0.86 for EPQ. The results of this study show that the Turkish versions of all scales are validated and reliable measurement tools.

Screening for cognitive impairment in older individuals. Validation study of a computer-based test.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, R C; Green, J; Harrison, J M; Kutner, M H

1994-08-01

This study examined the validity of a computer-based cognitive test that was recently designed to screen the elderly for cognitive impairment. Criterion-related validity was examined by comparing test scores of impaired patients and normal control subjects. Construct-related validity was computed through correlations between computer-based subtests and related conventional neuropsychological subtests. University center for memory disorders. Fifty-two patients with mild cognitive impairment by strict clinical criteria and 50 unimpaired, age- and education-matched control subjects. Control subjects were rigorously screened by neurological, neuropsychological, imaging, and electrophysiological criteria to identify and exclude individuals with occult abnormalities. Using a cut-off total score of 126, this computer-based instrument had a sensitivity of 0.83 and a specificity of 0.96. Using a prevalence estimate of 10%, predictive values, positive and negative, were 0.70 and 0.96, respectively. Computer-based subtests correlated significantly with conventional neuropsychological tests measuring similar cognitive domains. Thirteen (17.8%) of 73 volunteers with normal medical histories were excluded from the control group, with unsuspected abnormalities on standard neuropsychological tests, electroencephalograms, or magnetic resonance imaging scans. Computer-based testing is a valid screening methodology for the detection of mild cognitive impairment in the elderly, although this particular test has important limitations. Broader applications of computer-based testing will require extensive population-based validation. Future studies should recognize that normal control subjects without a history of disease who are typically used in validation studies may have a high incidence of unsuspected abnormalities on neurodiagnostic studies.

Application of a computational situation assessment model to human system interface design and experimental validation of its effectiveness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hyun-Chul; Koh, Kwang-Yong; Seong, Poong-Hyun

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We validate the effectiveness of a proposed procedure thru an experiment. ► The proposed procedure addresses the salient coding of the key information. ► It was found that salience coding affects operators’ attention significantly. ► The first observation to the key information quickly guided to the correct situation awareness. ► It was validated the proposed procedure is effective for better situation awareness. - Abstract: To evaluate the effects of human cognitive characteristics on situation awareness, a computational situation assessment model of nuclear power plant operators has been developed, as well as a procedure to apply the developed model to the design of human system interfaces (HSIs). The concept of the proposed procedure is to identify the key information source, which is expected to guarantee fast and accurate diagnosis when operators attend to it. The developed computational model is used to search the diagnostic paths and the key information source. In this study, an experiment with twelve trained participants was executed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed procedure. Eighteen scenarios covering various accidents were administered twice for each subject, and experimental data were collected and analyzed. As a result of the data analysis, it was validated that the salience level of information sources significantly influences the attention of operators, and the first observation of the key information sources leads operators to a quick and correct situation assessment. Therefore, we conclude that the proposed procedure for applying the developed model to HSI design is effective

Ares I-X Flight Test Validation of Control Design Tools in the Frequency-Domain

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Matthew; Hannan, Mike; Brandon, Jay; Derry, Stephen

2011-01-01

A major motivation of the Ares I-X flight test program was to Design for Data, in order to maximize the usefulness of the data recorded in support of Ares I modeling and validation of design and analysis tools. The Design for Data effort was intended to enable good post-flight characterizations of the flight control system, the vehicle structural dynamics, and also the aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle. To extract the necessary data from the system during flight, a set of small predetermined Programmed Test Inputs (PTIs) was injected directly into the TVC signal. These PTIs were designed to excite the necessary vehicle dynamics while exhibiting a minimal impact on loads. The method is similar to common approaches in aircraft flight test programs, but with unique launch vehicle challenges due to rapidly changing states, short duration of flight, a tight flight envelope, and an inability to repeat any test. This paper documents the validation effort of the stability analysis tools to the flight data which was performed by comparing the post-flight calculated frequency response of the vehicle to the frequency response calculated by the stability analysis tools used to design and analyze the preflight models during the control design effort. The comparison between flight day frequency response and stability tool analysis for flight of the simulated vehicle shows good agreement and provides a high level of confidence in the stability analysis tools for use in any future program. This is true for both a nominal model as well as for dispersed analysis, which shows that the flight day frequency response is enveloped by the vehicle s preflight uncertainty models.

Design and validation of a Cannabis Use Intention Questionnaire (CUIQ) for adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Lloret Irles, Daniel; Morell-Gomis, Ramón; Laguía, Ana; Moriano, Juan A

2018-01-01

In Spain, one in four 14 to 18-year-old adolescents has used cannabis during the last twelve months. Demand for treatment has increased in European countries. These facts have prompted the development of preventive interventions that require screening tools in order to identify the vulnerable population and to properly asses the efficacy of such interventions. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), widely used to forecast behavioural intention, has also demonstrated a good predictive capacity in addictions. The aim of this study is to design and validate a Cannabis Use Intention Questionnaire (CUIQ) based on TPB. 1,011 teenagers answered a set of tests to assess attitude towards use, subjective norms, self-efficacy towards non-use, and intention to use cannabis. CUIQ had good psychometric properties. Structural Equation Modelling results confirm the predictive model on intention to use cannabis in the Spanish adolescent sample, classified as users and non-users, explaining 40% of variance of intention to consume. CUIQ is aimed at providing a better understanding of the psychological processes that lead to cannabis use and allowing the evaluation of programmes. This can be particularly useful for improving the design and implementation of selective prevention programmes.

Designing, Capturing and Validating History-Sensitive Security Policies for Distributed Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hernandez, Alejandro Mario; Nielson, Flemming; Nielson, Hanne Riis

2011-01-01

has the capability of combining both history-sensitive and future-sensitive policies, providing even more flexibility and power. Moreover, we propose a global Logic for reasoning about the systems designed with this language. We show how the Logic can be used to validate the combination of security...... this approach with history-based components, as is traditional in reference-monitor-based approaches to mandatory access control. Our developments are performed in an Aspect-oriented coordination language, aiming to describe the Bell-LaPadula policy as elegantly as possible. Furthermore, the resulting language...

Design and validation of an observational instrument for technical and tactical actions in beach volleyball

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Manuel Palao

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Technical and tactical actions determine performance in beach volleyball. This research develops and tests an instrument to monitor and evaluate the manner of execution and efficacy of the actions in beach volleyball. The purpose of this paper was to design and validate an observational instrument to analyze technical and tactical actions in beach volleyball. The instrument collects information regarding: a information about the match (context, b information about game situations, c information about technical situations (serve, reception, set, attack, block, and court defense in relation to player execution, role, manner of execution, execution zone, and efficacy, and d information about the result of the play (win-lose and way point is obtained. Instrument design and validation was done in seven stages: a review of literature and consultation of experts; b pilot observation and data analysis; c expert review of instrument (qualitative and quantitative evaluation; d observer training test; e expert review of instrument (content validity; f measurement of the ability of the instrument to discriminate the result of the set; and g measurement of the ability of the instrument to differentiate between competition age groups. The results show that the instrument allows for obtaining objective and valid information about the players and team from offensive and defensive technical and tactical actions, as well as indirectly from physical actions. The instrument can be used, in its entirety or partially, for researching and coaching purposes.

Validation of holistic nursing competencies: role-delineation study, 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Helen Lorraine; Erickson, Margaret Elizabeth; Campbell, Joan A; Brekke, Mary E; Sandor, M Kay

2013-12-01

The American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC), certifying body for nurses practicing within the precepts of holistic nursing, uses a systematic process to guide program development. A previous publication described their early work that distinguished basic and advanced holistic nursing and development of related examinations. A more recent publication described the work of AHNCC from 2004 to 2012, including a role-delineation study (RDS) that was undertaken to identify and validate competencies currently used by holistic nurses. A final report describes the RDS design, methods, and raw data information. This article discusses AHNCC's goals for undertaking the 2012 Holistic Nursing RDS and the implications for the certification programs.

Design of a Competency Evaluation Model for Clinical Nursing Practicum, Based on Standardized Language Systems: Psychometric Validation Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Iglesias-Parra, Maria Rosa; García-Guerrero, Alfonso; García-Mayor, Silvia; Kaknani-Uttumchandani, Shakira; León-Campos, Álvaro; Morales-Asencio, José Miguel

2015-07-01

To develop an evaluation system of clinical competencies for the practicum of nursing students based on the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC). Psychometric validation study: the first two phases addressed definition and content validation, and the third phase consisted of a cross-sectional study for analyzing reliability. The study population was undergraduate nursing students and clinical tutors. Through the Delphi technique, 26 competencies and 91 interventions were isolated. Cronbach's α was 0.96. Factor analysis yielded 18 factors that explained 68.82% of the variance. Overall inter-item correlation was 0.26, and total-item correlation ranged between 0.66 and 0.19. A competency system for the nursing practicum, structured on the NIC, is a reliable method for assessing and evaluating clinical competencies. Further evaluations in other contexts are needed. The availability of standardized language systems in the nursing discipline supposes an ideal framework to develop the nursing curricula. © 2015 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Design of passive directional acoustic devices using Topology Optimization - from method to experimental validation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Rasmus Ellebæk; Fernandez Grande, Efren

2016-01-01

emission in two dimensions and is experimentally validated using three dimensional prints of the optimized designs. The emitted fields exhibit a level difference of at least 15 dB on axis relative to the off-axis directions, over frequency bands of approximately an octave. It is demonstrated to be possible...

Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire - A validation study using the Job Demand-Resources model.

Science.gov (United States)

Berthelsen, Hanne; Hakanen, Jari J; Westerlund, Hugo

2018-01-01

This study aims at investigating the nomological validity of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ II) by using an extension of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model with aspects of work ability as outcome. The study design is cross-sectional. All staff working at public dental organizations in four regions of Sweden were invited to complete an electronic questionnaire (75% response rate, n = 1345). The questionnaire was based on COPSOQ II scales, the Utrecht Work Engagement scale, and the one-item Work Ability Score in combination with a proprietary item. The data was analysed by Structural Equation Modelling. This study contributed to the literature by showing that: A) The scale characteristics were satisfactory and the construct validity of COPSOQ instrument could be integrated in the JD-R framework; B) Job resources arising from leadership may be a driver of the two processes included in the JD-R model; and C) Both the health impairment and motivational processes were associated with WA, and the results suggested that leadership may impact WA, in particularly by securing task resources. In conclusion, the nomological validity of COPSOQ was supported as the JD-R model-can be operationalized by the instrument. This may be helpful for transferral of complex survey results and work life theories to practitioners in the field.

Development and validation of outcome prediction models for aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage : The SAHIT multinational cohort study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jaja, Blessing N R; Saposnik, Gustavo; Lingsma, Hester F.; Macdonald, Erin; Thorpe, Kevin E.; Mamdani, Muhammed; Steyerberg, Ewout W.; Molyneux, Andrew; Manoel, Airton Leonardo De Oliveira; Schatlo, Bawarjan; Hanggi, Daniel; Hasan, David M.; Wong, George K C; Etminan, Nima; Fukuda, Hitoshi; Torner, James C.; Schaller, Karl L.; Suarez, Jose I.; Stienen, Martin N.; Vergouwen, Mervyn D.I.; Rinkel, Gabriel J.E.; Spears, Julian; Cusimano, Michael D.; Todd, Michael; Le Roux, Peter; Kirkpatrick, Peter J.; Pickard, John; Van Den Bergh, Walter M.; Murray, Gordon D; Johnston, S. Claiborne; Yamagata, Sen; Mayer, Stephan A.; Schweizer, Tom A.; Macdonald, R. Loch

2018-01-01

Objective To develop and validate a set of practical prediction tools that reliably estimate the outcome of subarachnoid haemorrhage from ruptured intracranial aneurysms (SAH). Design Cohort study with logistic regression analysis to combine predictors and treatment modality. Setting Subarachnoid

Further Validation of the Coach Identity Prominence Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, J. Paige; Hall, Craig R.

2014-01-01

This study was designed to examine select psychometric properties of the Coach Identity Prominence Scale (CIPS), including the reliability, factorial validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and predictive validity. Coaches (N = 338) who averaged 37 (SD = 12.27) years of age, had a mean of 13 (SD = 9.90) years of coaching experience,…

Paired split-plot designs of multireader multicase studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Weijie; Gong, Qi; Gallas, Brandon D

2018-07-01

The widely used multireader multicase ROC study design for comparing imaging modalities is the fully crossed (FC) design: every reader reads every case of both modalities. We investigate paired split-plot (PSP) designs that may allow for reduced cost and increased flexibility compared with the FC design. In the PSP design, case images from two modalities are read by the same readers, thereby the readings are paired across modalities. However, within each modality, not every reader reads every case. Instead, both the readers and the cases are partitioned into a fixed number of groups and each group of readers reads its own group of cases-a split-plot design. Using a [Formula: see text]-statistic based variance analysis for AUC (i.e., area under the ROC curve), we show analytically that precision can be gained by the PSP design as compared with the FC design with the same number of readers and readings. Equivalently, we show that the PSP design can achieve the same statistical power as the FC design with a reduced number of readings. The trade-off for the increased precision in the PSP design is the cost of collecting a larger number of truth-verified patient cases than the FC design. This means that one can trade-off between different sources of cost and choose a least burdensome design. We provide a validation study to show the iMRMC software can be reliably used for analyzing data from both FC and PSP designs. Finally, we demonstrate the advantages of the PSP design with a reader study comparing full-field digital mammography with screen-film mammography.

SmartWeld/SmartProcess - intelligent model based system for the design and validation of welding processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitchner, J.

1996-04-01

Diagrams are presented on an intelligent model based system for the design and validation of welding processes. Key capabilities identified include `right the first time` manufacturing, continuous improvement, and on-line quality assurance.

Modelling and experimental validation for off-design performance of the helical heat exchanger with LMTD correction taken into account

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phu, Nguyen Minh; Trinh, Nguyen Thi Minh [Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam)

2016-07-15

Today the helical coil heat exchanger is being employed widely due to its dominant advantages. In this study, a mathematical model was established to predict off-design works of the helical heat exchanger. The model was based on the LMTD and e-NTU methods, where a LMTD correction factor was taken into account to increase accuracy. An experimental apparatus was set-up to validate the model. Results showed that errors of thermal duty, outlet hot fluid temperature, outlet cold fluid temperature, shell-side pressure drop, and tube-side pressure drop were respectively +-5%, +-1%, +-1%, +-5% and +-2%. Diagrams of dimensionless operating parameters and a regression function were also presented as design-maps, a fast calculator for usage in design and operation of the exchanger. The study is expected to be a good tool to estimate off-design conditions of the single-phase helical heat exchangers.

Explanatory Versus Pragmatic Trials: An Essential Concept in Study Design and Interpretation.

Science.gov (United States)

Merali, Zamir; Wilson, Jefferson R

2017-11-01

Randomized clinical trials often represent the highest level of clinical evidence available to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention in clinical medicine. Although the process of randomization serves to maximize internal validity, the external validity, or generalizability, of such studies depends on several factors determined at the design phase of the trial including eligibility criteria, study setting, and outcomes of interest. In general, explanatory trials are optimized to demonstrate the efficacy of an intervention in a highly selected patient group; however, findings from these studies may not be generalizable to the larger clinical problem. In contrast, pragmatic trials attempt to understand the real-world benefit of an intervention by incorporating design elements that allow for greater generalizability and clinical applicability of study results. In this article we describe the explanatory-pragmatic continuum for clinical trials in greater detail. Further, a well-accepted tool for grading trials on this continuum is described, and applied, to 2 recently published trials pertaining to the surgical management of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis.

Preliminary Axial Flow Turbine Design and Off-Design Performance Analysis Methods for Rotary Wing Aircraft Engines. Part 1; Validation

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Shu-cheng, S.

2009-01-01

For the preliminary design and the off-design performance analysis of axial flow turbines, a pair of intermediate level-of-fidelity computer codes, TD2-2 (design; reference 1) and AXOD (off-design; reference 2), are being evaluated for use in turbine design and performance prediction of the modern high performance aircraft engines. TD2-2 employs a streamline curvature method for design, while AXOD approaches the flow analysis with an equal radius-height domain decomposition strategy. Both methods resolve only the flows in the annulus region while modeling the impact introduced by the blade rows. The mathematical formulations and derivations involved in both methods are documented in references 3, 4 for TD2-2) and in reference 5 (for AXOD). The focus of this paper is to discuss the fundamental issues of applicability and compatibility of the two codes as a pair of companion pieces, to perform preliminary design and off-design analysis for modern aircraft engine turbines. Two validation cases for the design and the off-design prediction using TD2-2 and AXOD conducted on two existing high efficiency turbines, developed and tested in the NASA/GE Energy Efficient Engine (GE-E3) Program, the High Pressure Turbine (HPT; two stages, air cooled) and the Low Pressure Turbine (LPT; five stages, un-cooled), are provided in support of the analysis and discussion presented in this paper.

Sleep quality, the neglected outcome variable in clinical studies focusing on locomotor system; a construct validation study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Röder Christoph

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In addition to general health and pain, sleep is highly relevant to judging the well-being of an individual. Of these three important outcome variables, however, sleep is neglected in most outcome studies. Sleep is a very important resource for recovery from daily stresses and strains, and any alteration of sleep will likely affect mental and physical health, especially during disease. Sleep assessment therefore should be standard in all population-based or clinical studies focusing on the locomotor system. Yet current sleep assessment tools are either too long or too specific for general use. Methods Based on a literature review and subsequent patient-based rating of items, an expert panel designed a four-item questionnaire about sleep. Construct validation of the questionnaire in a random sample of the German-speaking Swiss population was performed in 2003. Reliability, correlation, and tests for internal consistency and validity were analyzed. Results Overall, 16,634 (70% out of 23,763 eligible individuals participated in the study. Test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from 0.72 to 0.87, and a Cronbach's alpha of 0.83 indicates good internal consistency. Results show a moderate to good correlation between sleep disturbances and health perception, and between sleep disturbances and overall pain. Conclusions The Sleep Standard Evaluation Questionnaire (SEQ-Sleep is a reliable and short tool with confirmed construct validity for sleep assessment in population-based observational studies. It is easy to administer and therefore suitable for postal surveys of the general population. Criterion validity remains to be determined.

High Level Analysis, Design and Validation of Distributed Mobile Systems with CoreASM

Science.gov (United States)

Farahbod, R.; Glässer, U.; Jackson, P. J.; Vajihollahi, M.

System design is a creative activity calling for abstract models that facilitate reasoning about the key system attributes (desired requirements and resulting properties) so as to ensure these attributes are properly established prior to actually building a system. We explore here the practical side of using the abstract state machine (ASM) formalism in combination with the CoreASM open source tool environment for high-level design and experimental validation of complex distributed systems. Emphasizing the early phases of the design process, a guiding principle is to support freedom of experimentation by minimizing the need for encoding. CoreASM has been developed and tested building on a broad scope of applications, spanning computational criminology, maritime surveillance and situation analysis. We critically reexamine here the CoreASM project in light of three different application scenarios.

Computer assistance in the collection, validation and manipulation of data for epidemiological studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salmon, L.; Venn, J.B.

1987-01-01

The difficulties encountered in assembling and storing adequate data for a large cohort study of 50,000 radiation and other workers are discussed. A computer database management system was designed to permit the storage of information that could be conflicting and incomplete. The way in which it was used to validate data and to match records from a variety of sources is described. (author)

[Design and validation of the CSR-Hospital-SP scale to measure corporate social responsibility].

Science.gov (United States)

Mira, José Joaquín; Lorenzo, Susana; Navarro, Isabel; Pérez-Jover, Virtudes; Vitaller, Julián

2013-01-01

To design and validate a scale (CSR-Hospital-SP) to determine health professionals' views on the approach of management to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their hospital. The literature was reviewed to identify the main CSR scales and select the dimensions to be evaluated. The initial version of the scale consisted of 25 items. A convenience sample of a minimum of 224 health professionals working in five public hospitals in five autonomous regions were invited to respond. Floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency, reliability, and construct validity were analyzed. A total of 233 health professionals responded. The CSR-Hospital-SP scale had 20 items grouped into four factors. The item-total correlation was higher than 0.30; all factor loadings were greater than 0.50; 59.57% of the variance was explained; Cronbach's alpha was 0.90; Spearman-Brown's coefficient was 0.82. The CSR-Hospital-SP scale is a tool designed for hospitals that implement accountability mechanisms and promote socially responsible management approaches. Copyright © 2012 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Validation of physical activity instruments: Black Women's Health Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Carter-Nolan, Pamela L; Adams-Campbell, Lucile L; Makambi, Kepher; Lewis, Shantell; Palmer, Julie R; Rosenberg, Lynn

2006-01-01

Few studies have reported on the validity of physical activity measures in African Americans. The present study was designed to determine the validity of a self-administered physical activity questionnaire (PAQ) that was used in a large prospective study of African American women in the United States against an accelerometer (actigraph), an objective assessment of movement, and a seven-day activity diary. The study was conducted among 101 women enrolled in the Black Women's Health Study (BWHS) cohort who resided in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, representing 11.2% (101/900) of this sample. Physical activity levels were obtained from the parent BWHS PAQ (eg, 1997 and 1999) and repeated in the present study. This information entailed hours per week of participation in walking for exercise, hours per week of moderate activity (eg, housework, gardening, and bowling), and hours per week of strenuous activity (eg, basketball, swimming, running, and aerobics) during the previous year. The participants were required to wear actigraphs for seven days and then record their physical activities in their diaries (seven-day physical activity diary) during this time. The diaries were used to record the amount and pattern of daily energy expenditure. Significant positive correlations were seen between the BWHS PAQ and the actigraph for total activity, r=.28; walking, r=.26; and vigorous activity, r=.40, PPAQ also demonstrated significant correlations for total (r=0.42, PPAQ is a useful measure of physical activity in the BWHS cohort and thus has utility in prospective epidemiologic research.

Towards practical application of sensors for monitoring animal health; design and validation of a model to detect ketosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Steensels, Machteld; Maltz, Ephraim; Bahr, Claudia; Berckmans, Daniel; Antler, Aharon; Halachmi, Ilan

2017-05-01

The objective of this study was to design and validate a mathematical model to detect post-calving ketosis. The validation was conducted in four commercial dairy farms in Israel, on a total of 706 multiparous Holstein dairy cows: 203 cows clinically diagnosed with ketosis and 503 healthy cows. A logistic binary regression model was developed, where the dependent variable is categorical (healthy/diseased) and a set of explanatory variables were measured with existing commercial sensors: rumination duration, activity and milk yield of each individual cow. In a first validation step (within-farm), the model was calibrated on the database of each farm separately. Two thirds of the sick cows and an equal number of healthy cows were randomly selected for model validation. The remaining one third of the cows, which did not participate in the model validation, were used for model calibration. In order to overcome the random selection effect, this procedure was repeated 100 times. In a second (between-farms) validation step, the model was calibrated on one farm and validated on another farm. Within-farm accuracy, ranging from 74 to 79%, was higher than between-farm accuracy, ranging from 49 to 72%, in all farms. The within-farm sensitivities ranged from 78 to 90%, and specificities ranged from 71 to 74%. The between-farms sensitivities ranged from 65 to 95%. The developed model can be improved in future research, by employing other variables that can be added; or by exploring other models to achieve greater sensitivity and specificity.

Design and Experimental Validation of a USBL Underwater Acoustic Positioning System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joel Reis

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the steps for developing a low-cost POrtableNavigation Tool for Underwater Scenarios (PONTUS to be used as a localization device for subsea targets. PONTUS consists of an integrated ultra-short baseline acoustic positioning system aided by an inertial navigation system. Built on a practical design, it can be mounted on an underwater robotic vehicle or be operated by a scuba diver. It also features a graphical user interface that provides information on the tracking of the designated target, in addition to some details on the physical properties inside PONTUS. A full disclosure of the architecture of the tool is first presented, followed by thorough technical descriptions of the hardware components ensemble and the software development process. A series of experiments was carried out to validate the developed prototype, and the results are presented herein, which allow assessing its overall performance.

Design and Experimental Validation of a USBL Underwater Acoustic Positioning System.

Science.gov (United States)

Reis, Joel; Morgado, Marco; Batista, Pedro; Oliveira, Paulo; Silvestre, Carlos

2016-09-14

This paper presents the steps for developing a low-cost POrtableNavigation Tool for Underwater Scenarios (PONTUS) to be used as a localization device for subsea targets. PONTUS consists of an integrated ultra-short baseline acoustic positioning system aided by an inertial navigation system. Built on a practical design, it can be mounted on an underwater robotic vehicle or be operated by a scuba diver. It also features a graphical user interface that provides information on the tracking of the designated target, in addition to some details on the physical properties inside PONTUS. A full disclosure of the architecture of the tool is first presented, followed by thorough technical descriptions of the hardware components ensemble and the software development process. A series of experiments was carried out to validate the developed prototype, and the results are presented herein, which allow assessing its overall performance.

Structural Design of the DTU-ESA MM-Wave Validation Standard Antenna

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Branner, Kim; Berring, Peter; Markussen, Christen Malte

2015-01-01

A new specially designed antenna to be used for inter-comparisons and validation of antenna test facilities is under development in cooperation between DTU and TICRA under a contract from the European Space Agency. The antenna is designed to be extremely thermally and mechanically stable...... in the range of temperatures 20±5°C under arbitrary orientation in the gravity field. The antenna has a characteristic length of approximately 500mm. And in order to obtain very low measuring error, the allowable deformations of the reflector and feeds are down to 2.5μm. The antenna is modelled structurally...... is connected via a glued contact formulation in MSC.MARC. Because of the size and the complexity of the model a computer cluster is applied to solve the analyses. This paper describes the structural solution to meet these extremely strict stability requirements and the structural analyses done in order...

Design and validation of a slender guideway for Maglev vehicle by simulation and experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Jong-Boo; Han, Hyung-Suk; Kim, Sung-Soo; Yang, Seok-Jo; Kim, Ki-Jung

2016-03-01

Normally, Maglev (magnetic levitation) vehicles run on elevated guideways. The elevated guideway must satisfy various load conditions of the vehicle, and has to be designed to ensure ride quality, while ensuring that the levitation stability of the vehicle is not affected by the deflection of the guideway. However, because the elevated guideways of Maglev vehicles in South Korea and other countries fabricated so far have been based on over-conservative design criteria, the size of the structures has increased. Further, from the cost perspective, they are unfavourable when compared with other light rail transits such as monorail, rubber wheel, and steel wheel automatic guided transit. Therefore, a slender guideway that does have an adverse effect on the levitation stability of the vehicle is required through optimisation of design criteria. In this study, to predict the effect of various design parameters of the guideway on the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle, simulations were carried out using a dynamics model similar to the actual vehicle and guideway, and a limiting value of deflection ratio of the slender guideway to ensure levitation control is proposed. A guideway that meets the requirement as per the proposed limit for deflection ratio was designed and fabricated, and through a driving test of the vehicle, the validity of the slender guideway was verified. From the results, it was confirmed that although some increase in airgap and cabin acceleration was observed with the proposed slender guideway when compared with the conventional guideway, there was no notable adverse effect on the levitation stability and ride quality of the vehicle. Therefore, it can be inferred that the results of this study will become the basis for establishing design criteria for slender guideways of Maglev vehicles in future.

Preliminary Validation and Verification of TURBO{sub D}ESIGN for S-CO{sub 2} Axial Compressor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Je Kyoung; Lee, Jeong Ik; Ahn, Yoon Han; Kim, Seong Gu [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Ho Joon; Addad, Yacine [Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

2012-05-15

To use the advantages of Supercritical CO{sub 2}(S-CO{sub 2}) Brayton cycle for nuclear power plant, KAIST-Khalifa University joint research team has been focusing on S-CO{sub 2} turbomachinery development. TURBO{sub D}ESIGN code is one of the products of our researches to design a turbomachinery. The major feature of TURBO{sub D}ESIGN is that the formulation is based on the real gas and none of the ideal gas assumption was applied to the code. Thus, TURBO{sub D}ESIGN has high flexibility regarding the type of gases. In this paper, preliminary code validation and verification of TURBO{sub D}ESIGN will be discussed for axial type compressor design

Human factors design, verification, and validation for two types of control room upgrades at a nuclear power plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boring, Laurids Ronald [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2014-10-01

This paper describes the NUREG-0711 based human factors engineering (HFE) phases and associated elements required to support design, verification and validation (V&V), and implementation of a new plant process computer (PPC) and turbine control system (TCS) at a representative nuclear power plant. This paper reviews ways to take a human-system interface (HSI) specification and use it when migrating legacy PPC displays or designing displays with new functionality. These displays undergo iterative usability testing during the design phase and then undergo an integrated system validation (ISV) in a full scope control room training simulator. Following the successful demonstration of operator performance with the systems during the ISV, the new system is implemented at the plant, first in the training simulator and then in the main control room.

Human factors design, verification, and validation for two types of control room upgrades at a nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boring, Laurids Ronald

2014-01-01

This paper describes the NUREG-0711 based human factors engineering (HFE) phases and associated elements required to support design, verification and validation (V&V), and implementation of a new plant process computer (PPC) and turbine control system (TCS) at a representative nuclear power plant. This paper reviews ways to take a human-system interface (HSI) specification and use it when migrating legacy PPC displays or designing displays with new functionality. These displays undergo iterative usability testing during the design phase and then undergo an integrated system validation (ISV) in a full scope control room training simulator. Following the successful demonstration of operator performance with the systems during the ISV, the new system is implemented at the plant, first in the training simulator and then in the main control room.

Design and Validation of a Rubric to Assess the Use of American Psychological Association Style in scientific articles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gladys Merma Molina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, the researchers will explore the process of designing and validating a rubric to evaluate the adaptation of scientific articles in the format of the American Psychological Association (APA. The rubric will evaluate certain aspects of the APA format that allow authors, editors, and evaluators to decide if the scientific article is coherent with these rules. Overall, the rubric will concentrate on General Aspects of the article and on the Citation System. To do this, 10 articles that were published within 2012-2016 and included in the Journal Citation Report will be analyzed using technical expertise. After doing 5 pilot studies, the results showed the validity and the reliability of the instrument. Furthermore, the process showed the evidence of the possibilities of the rubric to contribute to uniform criteria that can be used as a didactic tool in different scenarios.

Impacts of Sample Design for Validation Data on the Accuracy of Feedforward Neural Network Classification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giles M. Foody

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Validation data are often used to evaluate the performance of a trained neural network and used in the selection of a network deemed optimal for the task at-hand. Optimality is commonly assessed with a measure, such as overall classification accuracy. The latter is often calculated directly from a confusion matrix showing the counts of cases in the validation set with particular labelling properties. The sample design used to form the validation set can, however, influence the estimated magnitude of the accuracy. Commonly, the validation set is formed with a stratified sample to give balanced classes, but also via random sampling, which reflects class abundance. It is suggested that if the ultimate aim is to accurately classify a dataset in which the classes do vary in abundance, a validation set formed via random, rather than stratified, sampling is preferred. This is illustrated with the classification of simulated and remotely-sensed datasets. With both datasets, statistically significant differences in the accuracy with which the data could be classified arose from the use of validation sets formed via random and stratified sampling (z = 2.7 and 1.9 for the simulated and real datasets respectively, for both p < 0.05%. The accuracy of the classifications that used a stratified sample in validation were smaller, a result of cases of an abundant class being commissioned into a rarer class. Simple means to address the issue are suggested.

Ella-V and technology usage technology usage in an english language and literacy acquisition validation randomized controlled trial study

OpenAIRE

Roisin P. Corcoran; Steven M. Ross; Beverly J. Irby; Fuhui Tong; Rafael Lara-Alecio; Cindy Guerrero

2014-01-01

This paper describes the use of technology to provide virtual professional development (VPD) for teachers and to conduct classroom observations in a study of English Language Learner (ELL) instruction in grades K–3. The technology applications were part of a cluster randomized control trial (RCT) design for a federally funded longitudinal validation study of a particular program, English Language and Literacy Acquisition-Validation, ELLA- V, to determine its degree of impact on English oral l...

A generic approach for the design of whole-genome oligoarrays, validated for genomotyping, deletion mapping and gene expression analysis on Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renzoni Adriana

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background DNA microarray technology is widely used to determine the expression levels of thousands of genes in a single experiment, for a broad range of organisms. Optimal design of immobilized nucleic acids has a direct impact on the reliability of microarray results. However, despite small genome size and complexity, prokaryotic organisms are not frequently studied to validate selected bioinformatics approaches. Relying on parameters shown to affect the hybridization of nucleic acids, we designed freely available software and validated experimentally its performance on the bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Results We describe an efficient procedure for selecting 40–60 mer oligonucleotide probes combining optimal thermodynamic properties with high target specificity, suitable for genomic studies of microbial species. The algorithm for filtering probes from extensive oligonucleotides libraries fitting standard thermodynamic criteria includes positional information of predicted target-probe binding regions. This algorithm efficiently selected probes recognizing homologous gene targets across three different sequenced genomes of Staphylococcus aureus. BLAST analysis of the final selection of 5,427 probes yielded >97%, 93%, and 81% of Staphylococcus aureus genome coverage in strains N315, Mu50, and COL, respectively. A manufactured oligoarray including a subset of control Escherichia coli probes was validated for applications in the fields of comparative genomics and molecular epidemiology, mapping of deletion mutations and transcription profiling. Conclusion This generic chip-design process merging sequence information from several related genomes improves genome coverage even in conserved regions.

External Validation Study of First Trimester Obstetric Prediction Models (Expect Study I): Research Protocol and Population Characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Meertens, Linda Jacqueline Elisabeth; Scheepers, Hubertina Cj; De Vries, Raymond G; Dirksen, Carmen D; Korstjens, Irene; Mulder, Antonius Lm; Nieuwenhuijze, Marianne J; Nijhuis, Jan G; Spaanderman, Marc Ea; Smits, Luc Jm

2017-10-26

A number of first-trimester prediction models addressing important obstetric outcomes have been published. However, most models have not been externally validated. External validation is essential before implementing a prediction model in clinical practice. The objective of this paper is to describe the design of a study to externally validate existing first trimester obstetric prediction models, based upon maternal characteristics and standard measurements (eg, blood pressure), for the risk of pre-eclampsia (PE), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), spontaneous preterm birth (PTB), small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants, and large-for-gestational-age (LGA) infants among Dutch pregnant women (Expect Study I). The results of a pilot study on the feasibility and acceptability of the recruitment process and the comprehensibility of the Pregnancy Questionnaire 1 are also reported. A multicenter prospective cohort study was performed in The Netherlands between July 1, 2013 and December 31, 2015. First trimester obstetric prediction models were systematically selected from the literature. Predictor variables were measured by the Web-based Pregnancy Questionnaire 1 and pregnancy outcomes were established using the Postpartum Questionnaire 1 and medical records. Information about maternal health-related quality of life, costs, and satisfaction with Dutch obstetric care was collected from a subsample of women. A pilot study was carried out before the official start of inclusion. External validity of the models will be evaluated by assessing discrimination and calibration. Based on the pilot study, minor improvements were made to the recruitment process and online Pregnancy Questionnaire 1. The validation cohort consists of 2614 women. Data analysis of the external validation study is in progress. This study will offer insight into the generalizability of existing, non-invasive first trimester prediction models for various obstetric outcomes in a Dutch obstetric population

Validity, Reliability and Standardization Study of the Language Assessment Test for Aphasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bülent Toğram

2012-09-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Aphasia assessment is the first step towards a well- founded language therapy. Language tests need to consider cultural as well as typological linguistic aspects of a given language. This study was designed to determine the standardization, validity and reliability of Language Assessment Test for Aphasia, which consists of eight subtests including spontaneous speech and language, auditory comprehension, repetition, naming, reading, grammar, speech acts, and writing. METHODS: The test was administered to 282 healthy participants and 92 aphasic participants in age, education and gender matched groups. The validity study of the test was investigated with analysis of content, structure and criterion-related validity. For reliability of the test, the analysis of internal consistency, stability and equivalence reliability was conducted. The influence of variables on healhty participants’ sub-test scores, test score and language score was examined. According to significant differences, norms and cut-off scores based on language score were determined. RESULTS: The group with aphasia performed highly lower than healthy participants on subtest, test and language scores. The test scores of healthy group were mostly affected by age and educational level but not affected by gender. According to significant differences, age and educational level for both groups were determined. Considering age and educational levels, the reference values for the cut-off scores were presented. CONCLUSION: The test was found to be a highly reliable and valid aphasia test for Turkish- speaking aphasic patients either in Turkey or other Turkish communities around the world

The design and validation of advanced operator support systems for a role in plant safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, G.

1989-06-01

Advanced operator support systems have the potential of making a significant contribution to plant safety. This note reviews the different support functions required, the specification of performance criteria and possible approaches for system validation. The importance of the different functions that can be provided is related to the stage of the accident sequence. Also, because of the restricted reliability of any single system, subdivision of the systems is suggested in order to make the maximum contribution at a number of sequential stages. In this way it should be possible to make a significant claim for reduced operator error over the full accident progression, from incipient fault to disaster. The use of performance criteria currently associated with the classification of safety-grade trip systems (e.g. detection failure probability) would seem to provide a sound basis for validation. The validation of systems is seen as a significant task which will rely on the use of design and training-simulator data together with specific plant measurements. Expert systems appear to present particular problems for validation. (author)

Development and validation of risk prediction equations to estimate survival in patients with colorectal cancer: cohort study

OpenAIRE

Hippisley-Cox, Julia; Coupland, Carol

2017-01-01

Objective: To develop and externally validate risk prediction equations to estimate absolute and conditional survival in patients with colorectal cancer. \\ud \\ud Design: Cohort study.\\ud \\ud Setting: General practices in England providing data for the QResearch database linked to the national cancer registry.\\ud \\ud Participants: 44 145 patients aged 15-99 with colorectal cancer from 947 practices to derive the equations. The equations were validated in 15 214 patients with colorectal cancer ...

Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire - A validation study using the Job Demand-Resources model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanne Berthelsen

Full Text Available This study aims at investigating the nomological validity of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ II by using an extension of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R model with aspects of work ability as outcome.The study design is cross-sectional. All staff working at public dental organizations in four regions of Sweden were invited to complete an electronic questionnaire (75% response rate, n = 1345. The questionnaire was based on COPSOQ II scales, the Utrecht Work Engagement scale, and the one-item Work Ability Score in combination with a proprietary item. The data was analysed by Structural Equation Modelling.This study contributed to the literature by showing that: A The scale characteristics were satisfactory and the construct validity of COPSOQ instrument could be integrated in the JD-R framework; B Job resources arising from leadership may be a driver of the two processes included in the JD-R model; and C Both the health impairment and motivational processes were associated with WA, and the results suggested that leadership may impact WA, in particularly by securing task resources.In conclusion, the nomological validity of COPSOQ was supported as the JD-R model-can be operationalized by the instrument. This may be helpful for transferral of complex survey results and work life theories to practitioners in the field.

A formal design verification and validation on the human factors of a computerized information system in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Yong Hee; Park, Jae Chang; Cheon, Se Woo; Jung, Kwang Tae; Baek, Seung Min; Han, Seung; Park, Hee Suk; Son, Ki Chang; Kim, Jung Man; Jung Yung Woo

1999-11-01

This report describe a technical transfer under the title of ''A formal design verification and validation on the human factors of a computerized information system in nuclear power plants''. Human factors requirements for the information system designs are extracted from various regulatory and industrial standards and guidelines, and interpreted into a more specific procedures and checklists for verifying the satisfaction of those requirements. A formalized implementation plan is established for human factors verification and validation of a computerized information system in nuclear power plants. Additionally, a Computer support system, named as DIMS-web (design Issue Management System), is developed based upon web internet environment so as to enhance the implementation of the human factors activities. DIMS-Web has three maine functions: supporting requirements review, tracking design issues, and management if issues screening evaluation. DIMS-Web shows its benefits in practice through a trial application to the design review of CFMS for YGN nuclear unit 5 and 6. (author)

A formal design verification and validation on the human factors of a computerized information system in nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Yong Hee; Park, Jae Chang; Cheon, Se Woo; Jung, Kwang Tae; Baek, Seung Min; Han, Seung; Park, Hee Suk; Son, Ki Chang; Kim, Jung Man; Jung Yung Woo

1999-11-01

This report describe a technical transfer under the title of ''A formal design verification and validation on the human factors of a computerized information system in nuclear power plants''. Human factors requirements for the information system designs are extracted from various regulatory and industrial standards and guidelines, and interpreted into a more specific procedures and checklists for verifying the satisfaction of those requirements. A formalized implementation plan is established for human factors verification and validation of a computerized information system in nuclear power plants. Additionally, a Computer support system, named as DIMS-web (design Issue Management System), is developed based upon web internet environment so as to enhance the implementation of the human factors activities. DIMS-Web has three maine functions: supporting requirements review, tracking design issues, and management if issues screening evaluation. DIMS-Web shows its benefits in practice through a trial application to the design review of CFMS for YGN nuclear unit 5 and 6. (author)

Design, validation and annotation of transcriptome-wide oligonucleotide probes for the oligochaete annelid Eisenia fetida.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping Gong

Full Text Available High density oligonucleotide probe arrays have increasingly become an important tool in genomics studies. In organisms with incomplete genome sequence, one strategy for oligo probe design is to reduce the number of unique probes that target every non-redundant transcript through bioinformatic analysis and experimental testing. Here we adopted this strategy in making oligo probes for the earthworm Eisenia fetida, a species for which we have sequenced transcriptome-scale expressed sequence tags (ESTs. Our objectives were to identify unique transcripts as targets, to select an optimal and non-redundant oligo probe for each of these target ESTs, and to annotate the selected target sequences. We developed a streamlined and easy-to-follow approach to the design, validation and annotation of species-specific array probes. Four 244K-formatted oligo arrays were designed using eArray and were hybridized to a pooled E. fetida cRNA sample. We identified 63,541 probes with unsaturated signal intensities consistently above the background level. Target transcripts of these probes were annotated using several sequence alignment algorithms. Significant hits were obtained for 37,439 (59% probed targets. We validated and made publicly available 63.5K oligo probes so the earthworm research community can use them to pursue ecological, toxicological, and other functional genomics questions. Our approach is efficient, cost-effective and robust because it (1 does not require a major genomics core facility; (2 allows new probes to be easily added and old probes modified or eliminated when new sequence information becomes available, (3 is not bioinformatics-intensive upfront but does provide opportunities for more in-depth annotation of biological functions for target genes; and (4 if desired, EST orthologs to the UniGene clusters of a reference genome can be identified and selected in order to improve the target gene specificity of designed probes. This approach is

Conceptual strategy for design, implementation, and validation of a biomarker-based biomonitoring capability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCarthy, J.F.; Halbrook, R.S.; Shugart, L.R.

1991-12-01

This document describes a strategy for defining specific objectives for biomarker studies and for designing and implementing a biomonitoring study that focuses on these objectives. In researching this subject, it became clear to the authors that the subject of biomarkers created a great deal of interest among scientists and regulators but that general acceptance of biomarkers as a tool for environmental protection was hampered by lack of a clear notion of how to develop and apply this approach. We intend this document to be a user's guide'' that lays out a logical scheme for applying biomarkers in environmental monitoring. In addition, laboratory and field research components needed to develop and validate fundamental understanding and interpretation of biomarker responses are also described, as is a strategy for evolution of a biomarker-based biomonitoring capability. The document is divided into sections intended to lead the reader to an understanding of how biomarkers can be developed and applied.

Conceptual strategy for design, implementation, and validation of a biomarker-based biomonitoring capability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCarthy, J.F.; Halbrook, R.S.; Shugart, L.R.

1991-12-01

This document describes a strategy for defining specific objectives for biomarker studies and for designing and implementing a biomonitoring study that focuses on these objectives. In researching this subject, it became clear to the authors that the subject of biomarkers created a great deal of interest among scientists and regulators but that general acceptance of biomarkers as a tool for environmental protection was hampered by lack of a clear notion of how to develop and apply this approach. We intend this document to be a ``user`s guide`` that lays out a logical scheme for applying biomarkers in environmental monitoring. In addition, laboratory and field research components needed to develop and validate fundamental understanding and interpretation of biomarker responses are also described, as is a strategy for evolution of a biomarker-based biomonitoring capability. The document is divided into sections intended to lead the reader to an understanding of how biomarkers can be developed and applied.

Advanced control and instrumentation systems in nuclear power plants. Design, verification and validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haapanen, P.

1995-01-01

The Technical Committee Meeting on design, verification and validation of advanced control and instrumentation systems in nuclear power plants was held in Espoo, Finland on 20 - 23 June 1994. The meeting was organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) International Working Group's (IWG) on Nuclear Power Plant Control and Instrumentation (NPPCI) and on Advanced Technologies for Water Cooled Reactors (ATWR). VTT Automation together with Imatran Voima Oy and Teollisuuden Voima Oy responded about the practical arrangements of the meeting. In total 96 participants from 21 countries and the Agency took part in the meeting and 34 full papers and 8 posters were presented. Following topics were covered in the papers: (1) experience with advanced and digital systems, (2) safety and reliability analysis, (3) advanced digital systems under development and implementation, (4) verification and validation methods and practices, (5) future development trends. (orig.)

Development and validation of Dutch version of Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric in hospital practice: An instrument design study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vreugdenhil, Jettie; Spek, Bea

2018-03-01

Clinical reasoning in patient care is a skill that cannot be observed directly. So far, no reliable, valid instrument exists for the assessment of nursing students' clinical reasoning skills in hospital practice. Lasater's clinical judgment rubric (LCJR), based on Tanner's model "Thinking like a nurse" has been tested, mainly in academic simulation settings. The aim is to develop a Dutch version of the LCJR (D-LCJR) and to test its psychometric properties when used in a hospital traineeship context. A mixed-model approach was used to develop and to validate the instrument. Ten dedicated educational units in a university hospital. A well-mixed group of 52 nursing students, nurse coaches and nurse educators. A Delphi panel developed the D-LCJR. Students' clinical reasoning skills were assessed "live" by nurse coaches, nurse educators and students who rated themselves. The psychometric properties tested during the assessment process are reliability, reproducibility, content validity and construct validity by testing two hypothesis: 1) a positive correlation between assessed and self-reported sum scores (convergent validity) and 2) a linear relation between experience and sum score (clinical validity). The obtained D-LCJR was found to be internally consistent, Cronbach's alpha 0.93. The rubric is also reproducible with intraclass correlations between 0.69 and 0.78. Experts judged it to be content valid. The two hypothesis were both tested significant, supporting evidence for construct validity. The translated and modified LCJR, is a promising tool for the evaluation of nursing students' development in clinical reasoning in hospital traineeships, by students, nurse coaches and nurse educators. More evidence on construct validity is necessary, in particular for students at the end of their hospital traineeship. Based on our research, the D-LCJR applied in hospital traineeships is a usable and reliable tool. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validation of a fracture mechanics approach to nuclear transportation cask design through a drop test program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sorenson, K.B.

1986-01-01

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), under contract to the Department of Energy, is conducting a research program to develop and validate a fracture mechanics approach to cask design. A series of drop tests of a transportation cask is planned for the summer of 1986 as the method for benchmarking and, thereby, validating the fracture mechanics approach. This paper presents the drop test plan and background leading to the development of the test plan including structural analyses, material characterization, and non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques necessary for defining the test plan properly

Design of a PLC control program for a batch plant : VHS case study 1

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mader, A.H.; Brinksma, E.; Wupper, H.; Bauer, N.

2001-01-01

This article reports on the systematic design and validation of a PLC control program for the batch plant that has been selected as a case study for the EC project on Verification of Hybrid Systems (VHS). We show how a correct design of the control program can be obtained in an incremental manner

Design of a PLC Control Program for a Batch Plant - VHS Case Study 1

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mader, Angelika H.; Brinksma, Hendrik; Wupper, H.; Bauer, N.

2001-01-01

This article reports on the systematic design and validation of a PLC control program for the batch plant that has been selected as a case study for the EC project on Verification of Hybrid Systems (VHS). We show how a correct design of the control program can be obtained in an incremental manner

Sheep head frame validation for CT and MRI studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

marco trovatelli

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract   Introductions Aim of EDEN 2020 project’s Milestone 5 is the development of a steerable catheter for CED system in glioblastoma therapy. The VET group is involved in realization and validation of the proper animal model. Materials and methods In this part of the study two fresh sheep’s head from the local slaughter were used. The heads were located into an ad hoc Frame system based on anatomical measures and CT images, producted by Renishaw plc partner in this project. The frame was adapted and every components were checked for the ex vivo validation tests. CT imaging was taken in Lodi at Università degli studi di Milano, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, with CT scanner and MRI imaging was taken in La Cittadina, Cremona Results System validation was approved by the ex vivo trial. The frame system doesn’t compromise the imaging acquisition in MRI and CT systems. Every system components are functional to their aims. Discussion The Frame system is adapted to the sheep head. It is composed by elements able to lock the head during the imaging acquisition. Frame system is characterized by a support base helpings the animals to keep the head straight forward during imaging time, under general anesthesia. The design of these device support the airways anatomy, avoiding damaging or obstruction of airflows during anesthesia period. The role of elements like mouth bar and ovine head pins is to lock the head in a stable position during imaging acquisition; fixing is guaranteed by V shape head pins, that are arranged against the zygomatic arches. Lateral compression forces to the cranium, and the V shape pins avoid the vertical shifting of the head and any kind of rotations. (fig. 1

Validation of Serious Games

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katinka van der Kooij

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The application of games for behavioral change has seen a surge in popularity but evidence on the efficacy of these games is contradictory. Anecdotal findings seem to confirm their motivational value whereas most quantitative findings from randomized controlled trials (RCT are negative or difficult to interpret. One cause for the contradictory evidence could be that the standard RCT validation methods are not sensitive to serious games’ effects. To be able to adapt validation methods to the properties of serious games we need a framework that can connect properties of serious game design to the factors that influence the quality of quantitative research outcomes. The Persuasive Game Design model [1] is particularly suitable for this aim as it encompasses the full circle from game design to behavioral change effects on the user. We therefore use this model to connect game design features, such as the gamification method and the intended transfer effect, to factors that determine the conclusion validity of an RCT. In this paper we will apply this model to develop guidelines for setting up validation methods for serious games. This way, we offer game designers and researchers handles on how to develop tailor-made validation methods.

The Space Technology-7 Disturbance Reduction System Precision Control Flight Validation Experiment Control System Design

Science.gov (United States)

O'Donnell, James R.; Hsu, Oscar C.; Maghami, Peirman G.; Markley, F. Landis

2006-01-01

As originally proposed, the Space Technology-7 Disturbance Reduction System (DRS) project, managed out of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was designed to validate technologies required for future missions such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). The two technologies to be demonstrated by DRS were Gravitational Reference Sensors (GRSs) and Colloidal MicroNewton Thrusters (CMNTs). Control algorithms being designed by the Dynamic Control System (DCS) team at the Goddard Space Flight Center would control the spacecraft so that it flew about a freely-floating GRS test mass, keeping it centered within its housing. For programmatic reasons, the GRSs were descoped from DRS. The primary goals of the new mission are to validate the performance of the CMNTs and to demonstrate precise spacecraft position control. DRS will fly as a part of the European Space Agency (ESA) LISA Pathfinder (LPF) spacecraft along with a similar ESA experiment, the LISA Technology Package (LTP). With no GRS, the DCS attitude and drag-free control systems make use of the sensor being developed by ESA as a part of the LTP. The control system is designed to maintain the spacecraft s position with respect to the test mass, to within 10 nm/the square root of Hz over the DRS science frequency band of 1 to 30 mHz.

Final Design and Experimental Validation of the Thermal Performance of the LHC Lattice Cryostats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourcey, N.; Capatina, O.; Parma, V.; Poncet, A.; Rohmig, P.; Serio, L.; Skoczen, B.; Tock, J.-P.; Williams, L. R.

2004-01-01

The recent commissioning and operation of the LHC String 2 have given a first experimental validation of the global thermal performance of the LHC lattice cryostat at nominal cryogenic conditions. The cryostat designed to minimize the heat inleak from ambient temperature, houses under vacuum and thermally protects the cold mass, which contains the LHC twin-aperture superconducting magnets operating at 1.9 K in superfluid helium. Mechanical components linking the cold mass to the vacuum vessel, such as support posts and insulation vacuum barriers are designed with efficient thermalisations for heat interception to minimise heat conduction. Heat inleak by radiation is reduced by employing multilayer insulation (MLI) wrapped around the cold mass and around an aluminium thermal shield cooled to about 60 K.Measurements of the total helium vaporization rate in String 2 gives, after substraction of supplementary heat loads and end effects, an estimate of the total thermal load to a standard LHC cell (107 m) including two Short Straight Sections and six dipole cryomagnets. Temperature sensors installed at critical locations provide a temperature mapping which allows validation of the calculated and estimated thermal performance of the cryostat components, including efficiency of the heat interceptions

Final Design and Experimental Validation of the Thermal Performance of the LHC Lattice Cryostats

Science.gov (United States)

Bourcey, N.; Capatina, O.; Parma, V.; Poncet, A.; Rohmig, P.; Serio, L.; Skoczen, B.; Tock, J.-P.; Williams, L. R.

2004-06-01

The recent commissioning and operation of the LHC String 2 have given a first experimental validation of the global thermal performance of the LHC lattice cryostat at nominal cryogenic conditions. The cryostat designed to minimize the heat inleak from ambient temperature, houses under vacuum and thermally protects the cold mass, which contains the LHC twin-aperture superconducting magnets operating at 1.9 K in superfluid helium. Mechanical components linking the cold mass to the vacuum vessel, such as support posts and insulation vacuum barriers are designed with efficient thermalisations for heat interception to minimise heat conduction. Heat inleak by radiation is reduced by employing multilayer insulation (MLI) wrapped around the cold mass and around an aluminium thermal shield cooled to about 60 K. Measurements of the total helium vaporization rate in String 2 gives, after substraction of supplementary heat loads and end effects, an estimate of the total thermal load to a standard LHC cell (107 m) including two Short Straight Sections and six dipole cryomagnets. Temperature sensors installed at critical locations provide a temperature mapping which allows validation of the calculated and estimated thermal performance of the cryostat components, including efficiency of the heat interceptions.

Directed Design of Experiments for Validating Probability of Detection Capability of NDE Systems (DOEPOD)

Science.gov (United States)

Generazio, Edward R.

2015-01-01

Directed Design of Experiments for Validating Probability of Detection Capability of NDE Systems (DOEPOD) Manual v.1.2 The capability of an inspection system is established by applications of various methodologies to determine the probability of detection (POD). One accepted metric of an adequate inspection system is that there is 95% confidence that the POD is greater than 90% (90/95 POD). Design of experiments for validating probability of detection capability of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) systems (DOEPOD) is a methodology that is implemented via software to serve as a diagnostic tool providing detailed analysis of POD test data, guidance on establishing data distribution requirements, and resolving test issues. DOEPOD demands utilization of observance of occurrences. The DOEPOD capability has been developed to provide an efficient and accurate methodology that yields observed POD and confidence bounds for both Hit-Miss or signal amplitude testing. DOEPOD does not assume prescribed POD logarithmic or similar functions with assumed adequacy over a wide range of flaw sizes and inspection system technologies, so that multi-parameter curve fitting or model optimization approaches to generate a POD curve are not required. DOEPOD applications for supporting inspector qualifications is included.

Design and validation of a GNC system for missions to asteroids: the AIM scenario

Science.gov (United States)

Pellacani, A.; Kicman, P.; Suatoni, M.; Casasco, M.; Gil, J.; Carnelli, I.

2017-12-01

Deep space missions, and in particular missions to asteroids, impose a certain level of autonomy that depends on the mission objectives. If the mission requires the spacecraft to perform close approaches to the target body (the extreme case being a landing scenario), the autonomy level must be increased to guarantee the fast and reactive response which is required in both nominal and contingency operations. The GNC system must be designed in accordance with the required level of autonomy. The GNC system designed and tested in the frame of ESA's Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) system studies (Phase A/B1 and Consolidation Phase) is an example of an autonomous GNC system that meets the challenging objectives of AIM. The paper reports the design of such GNC system and its validation through a DDVV plan that includes Model-in-the-Loop and Hardware-in-the-Loop testing. Main focus is the translational navigation, which is able to provide online the relative state estimation with respect to the target body using exclusively cameras as relative navigation sensors. The relative navigation outputs are meant to be used for nominal spacecraft trajectory corrections as well as to estimate the collision risk with the asteroid and, if needed, to command the execution of a collision avoidance manoeuvre to guarantee spacecraft safety

Design and validation of the Quantum Mechanics Conceptual Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. B. McKagan

2010-11-01

Full Text Available The Quantum Mechanics Conceptual Survey (QMCS is a 12-question survey of students’ conceptual understanding of quantum mechanics. It is intended to be used to measure the relative effectiveness of different instructional methods in modern physics courses. In this paper, we describe the design and validation of the survey, a process that included observations of students, a review of previous literature and textbooks and syllabi, faculty and student interviews, and statistical analysis. We also discuss issues in the development of specific questions, which may be useful both for instructors who wish to use the QMCS in their classes and for researchers who wish to conduct further research of student understanding of quantum mechanics. The QMCS has been most thoroughly tested in, and is most appropriate for assessment of (as a posttest only, sophomore-level modern physics courses. We also describe testing with students in junior quantum courses and graduate quantum courses, from which we conclude that the QMCS may be appropriate for assessing junior quantum courses, but is not appropriate for assessing graduate courses. One surprising result of our faculty interviews is a lack of faculty consensus on what topics should be taught in modern physics, which has made designing a test that is valued by a majority of physics faculty more difficult than expected.

The validity of the 4-Skills Scan: A double validation study.

Science.gov (United States)

van Kernebeek, W G; de Kroon, M L A; Savelsbergh, G J P; Toussaint, H M

2018-06-01

Adequate gross motor skills are an essential aspect of a child's healthy development. Where physical education (PE) is part of the primary school curriculum, a strong curriculum-based emphasis on evaluation and support of motor skill development in PE is apparent. Monitoring motor development is then a task for the PE teacher. In order to fulfil this task, teachers need adequate tools. The 4-Skills Scan is a quick and easily manageable gross motor skill instrument; however, its validity has never been assessed. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the construct and concurrent validity of both 4-Skills Scans (version 2007 and version 2015). A total of 212 primary school children (6 - 12 years old), was requested to participate in both versions of the 4-Skills Scan. For assessing construct validity, children covered an obstacle course with video recordings for observation by an expert panel. For concurrent validity, a comparison was made with the MABC-2, by calculating Pearson correlations. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to determine the contribution of each subscale to the construct of gross motor skills, according to the MABC-2 and the expert panel. Correlations between the 4-Skills Scans and expert valuations were moderate, with coefficients of .47 (version 2007) and .46 (version 2015). Correlations between the 4-Skills Scans and the MABC-2 (gross) were moderate (.56) for version 2007 and high (.64) for version 2015. It is concluded that both versions of the 4-Skills Scans are satisfactory valid instruments for assessing gross motor skills during PE lessons. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Utility of the MMPI-2-RF (Restructured Form) Validity Scales in Detecting Malingering in a Criminal Forensic Setting: A Known-Groups Design

Science.gov (United States)

Sellbom, Martin; Toomey, Joseph A.; Wygant, Dustin B.; Kucharski, L. Thomas; Duncan, Scott

2010-01-01

The current study examined the utility of the recently released Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008) validity scales to detect feigned psychopathology in a criminal forensic setting. We used a known-groups design with the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS;…

Measurement of predictive validity in violence risk assessment studies: a second-order systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Jay P; Desmarais, Sarah L; Van Dorn, Richard A

2013-01-01

The objective of the present review was to examine how predictive validity is analyzed and reported in studies of instruments used to assess violence risk. We reviewed 47 predictive validity studies published between 1990 and 2011 of 25 instruments that were included in two recent systematic reviews. Although all studies reported receiver operating characteristic curve analyses and the area under the curve (AUC) performance indicator, this methodology was defined inconsistently and findings often were misinterpreted. In addition, there was between-study variation in benchmarks used to determine whether AUCs were small, moderate, or large in magnitude. Though virtually all of the included instruments were designed to produce categorical estimates of risk - through the use of either actuarial risk bins or structured professional judgments - only a minority of studies calculated performance indicators for these categorical estimates. In addition to AUCs, other performance indicators, such as correlation coefficients, were reported in 60% of studies, but were infrequently defined or interpreted. An investigation of sources of heterogeneity did not reveal significant variation in reporting practices as a function of risk assessment approach (actuarial vs. structured professional judgment), study authorship, geographic location, type of journal (general vs. specialized audience), sample size, or year of publication. Findings suggest a need for standardization of predictive validity reporting to improve comparison across studies and instruments. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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 ...

IAEA programme to support development and validation of advanced design and safety analysis codes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, J., E-mail: J.H.Choi@iaea.org [International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)

2013-07-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been organized many international collaboration programs to support the development and validation of design and safety analysis computer codes for nuclear power plants. These programs are normally implemented with a frame of Coordinated Research Project (CRP) or International Collaborative Standard Problem (ICSP). This paper introduces CRPs and ICSPs currently being organized or recently completed by IAEA for this purpose. (author)

MR-based water content estimation in cartilage: design and validation of a method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shiguetomi Medina, Juan Manuel; Kristiansen, Maja Sophie; Ringgaard, Steffen

Purpose: Design and validation of an MR-based method that allows the calculation of the water content in cartilage tissue. Methods and Materials: Cartilage tissue T1 map based water content MR sequences were used on a 37 Celsius degree stable system. The T1 map intensity signal was analyzed on 6...... cartilage samples from living animals (pig) and on 8 gelatin samples which water content was already known. For the data analysis a T1 intensity signal map software analyzer used. Finally, the method was validated after measuring and comparing 3 more cartilage samples in a living animal (pig). The obtained...... map based water content sequences can provide information that, after being analyzed using a T1-map analysis software, can be interpreted as the water contained inside a cartilage tissue. The amount of water estimated using this method was similar to the one obtained at the dry-freeze procedure...

Design of an intermediate-scale experiment to validate unsaturated- zone transport models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siegel, M.D.; Hopkins, P.L.; Glass, R.J.; Ward, D.B.

1991-01-01

An intermediate-scale experiment is being carried out to evaluate instrumentation and models that might be used for transport-model validation for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project. The experimental test bed is a 6-m high x 3-m diameter caisson filled with quartz sand with a sorbing layer at an intermediate depth. The experiment involves the detection and prediction of the migration of fluid and tracers through an unsaturated porous medium. Pre-test design requires estimation of physical properties of the porous medium such as the relative permeability, saturation/pressure relations, porosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity as well as geochemical properties such as surface complexation constants and empircial K d 'S. The pre-test characterization data will be used as input to several computer codes to predict the fluid flow and tracer migration. These include a coupled chemical-reaction/transport model, a stochastic model, and a deterministic model using retardation factors. The calculations will be completed prior to elution of the tracers, providing a basis for validation by comparing the predictions to observed moisture and tracer behavior

Strategies to design clinical studies to identify predictive biomarkers in cancer research.

Science.gov (United States)

Perez-Gracia, Jose Luis; Sanmamed, Miguel F; Bosch, Ana; Patiño-Garcia, Ana; Schalper, Kurt A; Segura, Victor; Bellmunt, Joaquim; Tabernero, Josep; Sweeney, Christopher J; Choueiri, Toni K; Martín, Miguel; Fusco, Juan Pablo; Rodriguez-Ruiz, Maria Esperanza; Calvo, Alfonso; Prior, Celia; Paz-Ares, Luis; Pio, Ruben; Gonzalez-Billalabeitia, Enrique; Gonzalez Hernandez, Alvaro; Páez, David; Piulats, Jose María; Gurpide, Alfonso; Andueza, Mapi; de Velasco, Guillermo; Pazo, Roberto; Grande, Enrique; Nicolas, Pilar; Abad-Santos, Francisco; Garcia-Donas, Jesus; Castellano, Daniel; Pajares, María J; Suarez, Cristina; Colomer, Ramon; Montuenga, Luis M; Melero, Ignacio

2017-02-01

The discovery of reliable biomarkers to predict efficacy and toxicity of anticancer drugs remains one of the key challenges in cancer research. Despite its relevance, no efficient study designs to identify promising candidate biomarkers have been established. This has led to the proliferation of a myriad of exploratory studies using dissimilar strategies, most of which fail to identify any promising targets and are seldom validated. The lack of a proper methodology also determines that many anti-cancer drugs are developed below their potential, due to failure to identify predictive biomarkers. While some drugs will be systematically administered to many patients who will not benefit from them, leading to unnecessary toxicities and costs, others will never reach registration due to our inability to identify the specific patient population in which they are active. Despite these drawbacks, a limited number of outstanding predictive biomarkers have been successfully identified and validated, and have changed the standard practice of oncology. In this manuscript, a multidisciplinary panel reviews how those key biomarkers were identified and, based on those experiences, proposes a methodological framework-the DESIGN guidelines-to standardize the clinical design of biomarker identification studies and to develop future research in this pivotal field. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Spatiotemporally Representative and Cost-Efficient Sampling Design for Validation Activities in Wanglang Experimental Site

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaofei Yin

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Spatiotemporally representative Elementary Sampling Units (ESUs are required for capturing the temporal variations in surface spatial heterogeneity through field measurements. Since inaccessibility often coexists with heterogeneity, a cost-efficient sampling design is mandatory. We proposed a sampling strategy to generate spatiotemporally representative and cost-efficient ESUs based on the conditioned Latin hypercube sampling scheme. The proposed strategy was constrained by multi-temporal Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI imagery, and the ESUs were limited within a sampling feasible region established based on accessibility criteria. A novel criterion based on the Overlapping Area (OA between the NDVI frequency distribution histogram from the sampled ESUs and that from the entire study area was used to assess the sampling efficiency. A case study in Wanglang National Nature Reserve in China showed that the proposed strategy improves the spatiotemporally representativeness of sampling (mean annual OA = 74.7% compared to the single-temporally constrained (OA = 68.7% and the random sampling (OA = 63.1% strategies. The introduction of the feasible region constraint significantly reduces in-situ labour-intensive characterization necessities at expenses of about 9% loss in the spatiotemporal representativeness of the sampling. Our study will support the validation activities in Wanglang experimental site providing a benchmark for locating the nodes of automatic observation systems (e.g., LAINet which need a spatially distributed and temporally fixed sampling design.

CTF Void Drift Validation Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salko, Robert K. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Gosdin, Chris [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); Avramova, Maria N. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Gergar, Marcus [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

2015-10-26

This milestone report is a summary of work performed in support of expansion of the validation and verification (V&V) matrix for the thermal-hydraulic subchannel code, CTF. The focus of this study is on validating the void drift modeling capabilities of CTF and verifying the supporting models that impact the void drift phenomenon. CTF uses a simple turbulent-diffusion approximation to model lateral cross-flow due to turbulent mixing and void drift. The void drift component of the model is based on the Lahey and Moody model. The models are a function of two-phase mass, momentum, and energy distribution in the system; therefore, it is necessary to correctly model the ow distribution in rod bundle geometry as a first step to correctly calculating the void distribution due to void drift.

Social Studies Oriented Achievement Goal Scale (SOAGS: Validity and Reliability Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melehat GEZER

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims to develop a valid and reliable instrument for measuring students' social studies achievement goal. The research was conducted on a study group consisted of 374 middle school students studying in the central district of Diyarbakır in 2014-2015 school year fall semester. Expert opinion was consulted with regard to the scale's content and face validity. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA were performed in order to measure the scale's construct validity. As a result of EFA, a 29-item and a six-factor structure model which explains 50.82% of the total variance was obtained. The emerging factors were called as a self-approach, task-approach, other-approach, task-avoidance, other-avoidance and self-avoidance respectively. The findings acquired CFA indicated that the 29-item and six-factor structure related to social studies oriented achievement goal scale have acceptable goodness of fit indices. The scale's reliability coefficients were calculated by means of internal consistency method. As a result of reliability analysis, it was determined that the reliability coefficients were within admissible limits. The finding of the item correlation and 27% of upper and lower group comparisons demonstrated that all of the items in the scale should remain. In light of these results, it could be argued that the scale is reliable and valid instrument and can be used in order to test students' social studies achievement goals.

Design and experimental validation for direct-drive fault-tolerant permanent-magnet vernier machines.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Guohai; Yang, Junqin; Chen, Ming; Chen, Qian

2014-01-01

A fault-tolerant permanent-magnet vernier (FT-PMV) machine is designed for direct-drive applications, incorporating the merits of high torque density and high reliability. Based on the so-called magnetic gearing effect, PMV machines have the ability of high torque density by introducing the flux-modulation poles (FMPs). This paper investigates the fault-tolerant characteristic of PMV machines and provides a design method, which is able to not only meet the fault-tolerant requirements but also keep the ability of high torque density. The operation principle of the proposed machine has been analyzed. The design process and optimization are presented specifically, such as the combination of slots and poles, the winding distribution, and the dimensions of PMs and teeth. By using the time-stepping finite element method (TS-FEM), the machine performances are evaluated. Finally, the FT-PMV machine is manufactured, and the experimental results are presented to validate the theoretical analysis.

Design and Experimental Validation for Direct-Drive Fault-Tolerant Permanent-Magnet Vernier Machines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guohai Liu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A fault-tolerant permanent-magnet vernier (FT-PMV machine is designed for direct-drive applications, incorporating the merits of high torque density and high reliability. Based on the so-called magnetic gearing effect, PMV machines have the ability of high torque density by introducing the flux-modulation poles (FMPs. This paper investigates the fault-tolerant characteristic of PMV machines and provides a design method, which is able to not only meet the fault-tolerant requirements but also keep the ability of high torque density. The operation principle of the proposed machine has been analyzed. The design process and optimization are presented specifically, such as the combination of slots and poles, the winding distribution, and the dimensions of PMs and teeth. By using the time-stepping finite element method (TS-FEM, the machine performances are evaluated. Finally, the FT-PMV machine is manufactured, and the experimental results are presented to validate the theoretical analysis.

A study on HCI design strategy using emergent features and response time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sung Jin; Chang, Soon Heung; Park, Jin Gyun

2001-01-01

Existing design process of user interface has some weak point that there is no feedback information and no quantitative information between each sub process. If they're such information in design process, the design time cycle will be decreased and the contentment of HCI in the aspect of user will be more easily archived. In this study, new design process with feedback information and quantitative information was proposed using emergent features and user response time. The proposed methodology was put together with three main parts. First part is to calculate distinctiveness of a user interface or expanded user interface with consideration of emergent features. Second part is to expand a prototype user interface with design option for purpose of design requirement using directed structure graph (or nodal graph) theory. Last part is to convert non-realized value, distinctiveness, into realized value, response time, by response time database or response time correlation in the form of Hick-Hyman law equation. From the present validations, the usefulness of the proposed methodology was obtained by simple validation testing. It was found that emergent features should be improved for high reflection of real user interface. For the reliability of response time database, lots of end-user experiment is necessary. Expansion algorithm and representation technique of qualitative information should be somewhat improved for more efficient design process

Algorithm Design and Validation for Adaptive Nonlinear Control Enhancement (ADVANCE) Technology Development for Resilient Flight Control, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — SSCI proposes to develop and test a framework referred to as the ADVANCE (Algorithm Design and Validation for Adaptive Nonlinear Control Enhancement), within which...

A Validation Study of the Japanese Version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised

OpenAIRE

dos Santos Kawata, Kelssy Hitomi; Hashimoto, Ryusaku; Nishio, Yoshiyuki; Hayashi, Atsuko; Ogawa, Nanayo; Kanno, Shigenori; Hiraoka, Kotaro; Yokoi, Kayoko; Iizuka, Osamu; Mori, Etsuro

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to validate the Japanese version of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) [Mori: Japanese Edition of Hodges JR’s Cognitive Assessment for Clinicians, 2010] designed to detect dementia, and to compare its diagnostic accuracy with that of the Mini-Mental State Examination. The ACE-R was administered to 85 healthy individuals and 126 patients with dementia. The reliability assessment revealed a strong correlation in both groups. The internal consistenc...

On various metrics used for validation of predictive QSAR models with applications in virtual screening and focused library design.

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Kunal; Mitra, Indrani

2011-07-01

Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) have important applications in drug discovery research, environmental fate modeling, property prediction, etc. Validation has been recognized as a very important step for QSAR model development. As one of the important objectives of QSAR modeling is to predict activity/property/toxicity of new chemicals falling within the domain of applicability of the developed models and QSARs are being used for regulatory decisions, checking reliability of the models and confidence of their predictions is a very important aspect, which can be judged during the validation process. One prime application of a statistically significant QSAR model is virtual screening for molecules with improved potency based on the pharmacophoric features and the descriptors appearing in the QSAR model. Validated QSAR models may also be utilized for design of focused libraries which may be subsequently screened for the selection of hits. The present review focuses on various metrics used for validation of predictive QSAR models together with an overview of the application of QSAR models in the fields of virtual screening and focused library design for diverse series of compounds with citation of some recent examples.

A Validation Study of the Japanese Version of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-Revised

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelssy Hitomi dos Santos Kawata

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to validate the Japanese version of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R [Mori: Japanese Edition of Hodges JR’s Cognitive Assessment for Clinicians, 2010] designed to detect dementia, and to compare its diagnostic accuracy with that of the Mini-Mental State Examination. The ACE-R was administered to 85 healthy individuals and 126 patients with dementia. The reliability assessment revealed a strong correlation in both groups. The internal consistency was excellent (α-coefficient = 0.88. Correlation with the Clinical Dementia Rating sum of boxes score was significant (rs = –0.61, p < 0.001. The area under the curve was 0.98 for the ACE-R and 0.96 for the Mini-Mental State Examination. The cut-off score of 80 showed a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 94%. Like the original ACE-R and the versions designed for other languages, the Japanese version of the ACE-R is a reliable and valid test for the detection of dementia.

Magnetic Decoupling Design and Experimental Validation of a Radial-Radial Flux Compound-Structure Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Machine for HEVs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhiyi Song

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The radial-radial flux compound-structure permanent-magnet synchronous machine (CS-PMSM, integrated by two concentrically arranged permanent-magnet electric machines, is an electromagnetic power-splitting device for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs. As the two electric machines share a rotor as structural and magnetic common part, their magnetic paths are coupled, leading to possible mutual magnetic-field interference and complex control. In this paper, a design method to ensure magnetic decoupling with minimum yoke thickness of the common rotor is investigated. A prototype machine is designed based on the proposed method, and the feasibility of magnetic decoupling and independent control is validated by experimental tests of mutual influence. The CS-PMSM is tested by a designed driving cycle, and functions to act as starter motor, generator and to help the internal combustion engine (ICE operate at optimum efficiency are validated.

Interactive design for self-study and developing students’ critical thinking skills in electromagnetic radiation topic

Science.gov (United States)

Ambarwati, D.; Suyatna, A.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this research are to create interactive electronic school books (ESB) for electromagnetic radiation topic that can be used for self-study and increasing students’ critical thinking skills. The research method was based on the design of research and development (R&D) model of ADDIE. The research procedure is used limited the design of the product has been validated. Data source at interactive requirement analysis phase of ESB is student and high school teacher of class XII in Lampung province. The validation of interactive ESB designs is performed by experts in science education. The data of ESB interactive needs were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using quantitative descriptive. The results of the questionnaire obtained by 97% of books that are often used in the form of printed books from schools have not been interactive and foster critical thinking of students, and 55% of students stating physics books are used not meet expectations. Expectations of students in physics learning, teachers must use interactive electronic books. The results of the validation experts pointed out, the design of ESB produced is interactive, can be used for self-study, and increasing students’ critical thinking skills, which contains instruction manuals, learning objectives, learning materials, sample questions and discussion, video illustrations, animations, summaries, as well as interactive quizzes incorporating feedback exam practice and preparation for college entrance.

Study design and statistical analysis of data in human population studies with the micronucleus assay.

Science.gov (United States)

Ceppi, Marcello; Gallo, Fabio; Bonassi, Stefano

2011-01-01

The most common study design performed in population studies based on the micronucleus (MN) assay, is the cross-sectional study, which is largely performed to evaluate the DNA damaging effects of exposure to genotoxic agents in the workplace, in the environment, as well as from diet or lifestyle factors. Sample size is still a critical issue in the design of MN studies since most recent studies considering gene-environment interaction, often require a sample size of several hundred subjects, which is in many cases difficult to achieve. The control of confounding is another major threat to the validity of causal inference. The most popular confounders considered in population studies using MN are age, gender and smoking habit. Extensive attention is given to the assessment of effect modification, given the increasing inclusion of biomarkers of genetic susceptibility in the study design. Selected issues concerning the statistical treatment of data have been addressed in this mini-review, starting from data description, which is a critical step of statistical analysis, since it allows to detect possible errors in the dataset to be analysed and to check the validity of assumptions required for more complex analyses. Basic issues dealing with statistical analysis of biomarkers are extensively evaluated, including methods to explore the dose-response relationship among two continuous variables and inferential analysis. A critical approach to the use of parametric and non-parametric methods is presented, before addressing the issue of most suitable multivariate models to fit MN data. In the last decade, the quality of statistical analysis of MN data has certainly evolved, although even nowadays only a small number of studies apply the Poisson model, which is the most suitable method for the analysis of MN data.

Examining the Internal Validity and Statistical Precision of the Comparative Interrupted Time Series Design by Comparison with a Randomized Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

St.Clair, Travis; Cook, Thomas D.; Hallberg, Kelly

2014-01-01

Although evaluators often use an interrupted time series (ITS) design to test hypotheses about program effects, there are few empirical tests of the design's validity. We take a randomized experiment on an educational topic and compare its effects to those from a comparative ITS (CITS) design that uses the same treatment group as the experiment…

MR-based Water Content Estimation in Cartilage: Design and Validation of a Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shiguetomi Medina, Juan Manuel; Kristiansen, Maja Sofie; Ringgaard, Steffen

2012-01-01

Objective Design and validation of an MR-based method that allows the calculation of the water content in cartilage tissue. Material and Methods We modified and adapted to cartilage tissue T1 map based water content MR sequences commonly used in the neurology field. Using a 37 Celsius degree stable...... was costumed and programmed. Finally, we validated the method after measuring and comparing 3 more cartilage samples in a living animal (pig). The obtained data was analyzed and the water content calculated. Then, the same samples were freeze-dried (this technique allows to take out all the water that a tissue...... contains) and we measured the water they contained. Results We could reproduce twice the 37 Celsius degree system and could perform the measurements in a similar way. We found that the MR T1 map based water content sequences can provide information that, after being analyzed with a special software, can...

Design and Experimental Validation of Hydraulic Yaw System for Multi MW Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stubkier, Søren; Pedersen, Henrik C.; Andersen, Torben Ole

2013-01-01

market. A hydraulic yaw system is such a new technology, and so a mathematical model of the full scale system and test rig system is derived and compared to measurements from the system. This is done in order to have a validated model, which wind turbine manufacturers may use for test in their simulation......To comply with the increasing demands for life time and reliability of wind turbines as these grow in size, new measures needs to be taken in the design of wind turbines and components hereof. One critical point is the initial testing of the components and systems before they are implemented...... in an actual turbine. Full scale hardware testing is both extremely expensive and time consuming, and so the wind turbine industry moves more towards simulations when testing. In order to meet these demands it is necessary with valid models of systems in order to introduce new technologies to the wind turbine...

Design and Validation of a Breathing Detection System for Scuba Divers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corentin Altepe

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Drowning is the major cause of death in self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA diving. This study proposes an embedded system with a live and light-weight algorithm which detects the breathing of divers through the analysis of the intermediate pressure (IP signal of the SCUBA regulator. A system composed mainly of two pressure sensors and a low-power microcontroller was designed and programmed to record the pressure sensors signals and provide alarms in absence of breathing. An algorithm was developed to analyze the signals and identify inhalation events of the diver. A waterproof case was built to accommodate the system and was tested up to a depth of 25 m in a pressure chamber. To validate the system in the real environment, a series of dives with two different types of workload requiring different ranges of breathing frequencies were planned. Eight professional SCUBA divers volunteered to dive with the system to collect their IP data in order to participate to validation trials. The subjects underwent two dives, each of 52 min on average and a maximum depth of 7 m. The algorithm was optimized for the collected dataset and proved a sensitivity of inhalation detection of 97.5% and a total number of 275 false positives (FP over a total recording time of 13.9 h. The detection algorithm presents a maximum delay of 5.2 s and requires only 800 bytes of random-access memory (RAM. The results were compared against the analysis of video records of the dives by two blinded observers and proved a sensitivity of 97.6% on the data set. The design includes a buzzer to provide audible alarms to accompanying dive buddies which will be triggered in case of degraded health conditions such as near drowning (absence of breathing, hyperventilation (breathing frequency too high and skip-breathing (breathing frequency too low measured by the improper breathing frequency. The system also measures the IP at rest before the dive and indicates with

Updated Design Standards and Guidance from the What Works Clearinghouse: Regression Discontinuity Designs and Cluster Designs

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Russell; Deke, John; Seftor, Neil

2016-01-01

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) maintains design standards to identify rigorous, internally valid education research. As education researchers advance new methodologies, the WWC must revise its standards to include an assessment of the new designs. Recently, the WWC has revised standards for two emerging study designs: regression discontinuity…

Designing Difference in Difference Studies: Best Practices for Public Health Policy Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Wing, Coady; Simon, Kosali; Bello-Gomez, Ricardo A

2018-04-01

The difference in difference (DID) design is a quasi-experimental research design that researchers often use to study causal relationships in public health settings where randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are infeasible or unethical. However, causal inference poses many challenges in DID designs. In this article, we review key features of DID designs with an emphasis on public health policy research. Contemporary researchers should take an active approach to the design of DID studies, seeking to construct comparison groups, sensitivity analyses, and robustness checks that help validate the method's assumptions. We explain the key assumptions of the design and discuss analytic tactics, supplementary analysis, and approaches to statistical inference that are often important in applied research. The DID design is not a perfect substitute for randomized experiments, but it often represents a feasible way to learn about casual relationships. We conclude by noting that combining elements from multiple quasi-experimental techniques may be important in the next wave of innovations to the DID approach.

Prospective validation of a prognostic model for respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis in late preterm infants: a multicenter birth cohort study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blanken, M.O.; Koffijberg, H.; Nibbelke, E.E.; Rovers, M.M.; Bont, L.; Liem, K.D.; et al.,

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to update and validate a prediction rule for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalization in preterm infants 33-35 weeks gestational age (WGA). STUDY DESIGN: The RISK study consisted of 2 multicenter prospective birth cohorts in 41 hospitals. Risk factors were

Self-administered structured food record for measuring individual energy and nutrient intake in large cohorts: Design and validation.

Science.gov (United States)

García, Silvia M; González, Claudio; Rucci, Enzo; Ambrosino, Cintia; Vidal, Julia; Fantuzzi, Gabriel; Prestes, Mariana; Kronsbein, Peter

2018-06-05

Several instruments developed to assess dietary intake of groups or populations have strengths and weaknesses that affect their specific application. No self-administered, closed-ended dietary survey was previously used in Argentina to assess current food and nutrient intake on a daily basis. To design and validate a self-administered, structured food record (NutriQuid, NQ) representative of the adult Argentine population's food consumption pattern to measure individual energy and nutrient intake. Records were loaded onto a database using software that checks a regional nutrition information system (SARA program), automatically quantifying energy and nutrient intake. NQ validation included two phases: (1) NQ construct validity comparing records kept simultaneously by healthy volunteers (45-75 years) and a nutritionist who provided meals (reference), and (2) verification of whether NQ reflected target population consumption (calories and nutrients), week consumption differences, respondent acceptability, and ease of data entry/analysis. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVA, intraclass correlation coefficient, nonparametric regression, and cross-classification into quintiles. The first validation (study group vs. reference) showed an underestimation (10%) of carbohydrate, fat, and energy intake. Second validation: 109 volunteers (91% response) completed the NQ for seven consecutive days. Record completion took about 9min/day, and data entry 3-6min. Mean calorie intake was 2240±119kcal/day (42% carbohydrates, 17% protein, and 41% fat). Intake significantly increased in the weekend. NQ is a simple and efficient tool to assess dietary intake in large samples. Copyright © 2018 SEEN y SED. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

LOX/hydrocarbon rocket engine analytical design methodology development and validation. Volume 2: Appendices

Science.gov (United States)

Niiya, Karen E.; Walker, Richard E.; Pieper, Jerry L.; Nguyen, Thong V.

1993-05-01

This final report includes a discussion of the work accomplished during the period from Dec. 1988 through Nov. 1991. The objective of the program was to assemble existing performance and combustion stability models into a usable design methodology capable of designing and analyzing high-performance and stable LOX/hydrocarbon booster engines. The methodology was then used to design a validation engine. The capabilities and validity of the methodology were demonstrated using this engine in an extensive hot fire test program. The engine used LOX/RP-1 propellants and was tested over a range of mixture ratios, chamber pressures, and acoustic damping device configurations. This volume contains time domain and frequency domain stability plots which indicate the pressure perturbation amplitudes and frequencies from approximately 30 tests of a 50K thrust rocket engine using LOX/RP-1 propellants over a range of chamber pressures from 240 to 1750 psia with mixture ratios of from 1.2 to 7.5. The data is from test configurations which used both bitune and monotune acoustic cavities and from tests with no acoustic cavities. The engine had a length of 14 inches and a contraction ratio of 2.0 using a 7.68 inch diameter injector. The data was taken from both stable and unstable tests. All combustion instabilities were spontaneous in the first tangential mode. Although stability bombs were used and generated overpressures of approximately 20 percent, no tests were driven unstable by the bombs. The stability instrumentation included six high-frequency Kistler transducers in the combustion chamber, a high-frequency Kistler transducer in each propellant manifold, and tri-axial accelerometers. Performance data is presented, both characteristic velocity efficiencies and energy release efficiencies, for those tests of sufficient duration to record steady state values.

Development and Validation of a Rubric for Diagnosing Students’ Experimental Design Knowledge and Difficulties

Science.gov (United States)

Dasgupta, Annwesa P.; Anderson, Trevor R.

2014-01-01

It is essential to teach students about experimental design, as this facilitates their deeper understanding of how most biological knowledge was generated and gives them tools to perform their own investigations. Despite the importance of this area, surprisingly little is known about what students actually learn from designing biological experiments. In this paper, we describe a rubric for experimental design (RED) that can be used to measure knowledge of and diagnose difficulties with experimental design. The development and validation of the RED was informed by a literature review and empirical analysis of undergraduate biology students’ responses to three published assessments. Five areas of difficulty with experimental design were identified: the variable properties of an experimental subject; the manipulated variables; measurement of outcomes; accounting for variability; and the scope of inference appropriate for experimental findings. Our findings revealed that some difficulties, documented some 50 yr ago, still exist among our undergraduate students, while others remain poorly investigated. The RED shows great promise for diagnosing students’ experimental design knowledge in lecture settings, laboratory courses, research internships, and course-based undergraduate research experiences. It also shows potential for guiding the development and selection of assessment and instructional activities that foster experimental design. PMID:26086658

Chlorine-36 validation Study at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J. Paces

2006-01-01

The amount, spatial distribution, and velocity of water percolating through the unsaturated zone (UZ) at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, are important issues for assessing the performance of the proposed deep geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. To help characterize the nature and history of UZ flow, isotopic studies were initiated in 1995, using rock samples collected from the Miocene ash-flow tuffs in the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF), an 8-km-long tunnel constructed along the north-south extent of the repository block, and the Enhanced Characterization of the Repository Block (ECRB) Cross Drift, a 2.5-km-long tunnel constructed across the repository block (Figure 1-1, Sources: Modified from DOE 2002 [Figure 1-14] and USBR 1996). Scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) analyzed for chlorine-36 ( 36 Cl) in salts leached from whole-rock samples collected from tunnel walls and subsurface boreholes, and scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) analyzed for isotopes of oxygen, carbon, uranium, lead, thorium, and strontium in secondary minerals collected from subsurface fractures and lithophysal cavities. Elevated values for ratios of 36 Cl to total chloride ( 36 Cl/CL) at the level of the proposed repository indicated that small amounts of water carrying bomb-pulse 36 Cl (i.e., 36 Cl/Cl ratios greater than 1250 x 10 -15 resulting from 36 Cl produced by atmospheric testing of nuclear devices during the 1950s and early 1960s) had percolated through welded and nonwelded tuffs to depths of 200 to 300 meters (m) beneath the land surface over the past 50 years. Because of the implications of short travel times to the performance of the proposed repository, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM), Office of Repository Development (ORD), decided to verify the 36 Cl/Cl data with an independent validation study. DOE asked the USGS to design and implement a validation

Simulation Based Studies in Software Engineering: A Matter of Validity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Breno Bernard Nicolau de França

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Despite the possible lack of validity when compared with other science areas, Simulation-Based Studies (SBS in Software Engineering (SE have supported the achievement of some results in the field. However, as it happens with any other sort of experimental study, it is important to identify and deal with threats to validity aiming at increasing their strength and reinforcing results confidence. OBJECTIVE: To identify potential threats to SBS validity in SE and suggest ways to mitigate them. METHOD: To apply qualitative analysis in a dataset resulted from the aggregation of data from a quasi-systematic literature review combined with ad-hoc surveyed information regarding other science areas. RESULTS: The analysis of data extracted from 15 technical papers allowed the identification and classification of 28 different threats to validity concerned with SBS in SE according Cook and Campbell’s categories. Besides, 12 verification and validation procedures applicable to SBS were also analyzed and organized due to their ability to detect these threats to validity. These results were used to make available an improved set of guidelines regarding the planning and reporting of SBS in SE. CONCLUSIONS: Simulation based studies add different threats to validity when compared with traditional studies. They are not well observed and therefore, it is not easy to identify and mitigate all of them without explicit guidance, as the one depicted in this paper.

Human Factors methods concerning integrated validation of nuclear power plant control rooms; Metodutveckling foer integrerad validering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oskarsson, Per-Anders; Johansson, Bjoern J.E.; Gonzalez, Natalia (Swedish Defence Research Agency, Information Systems, Linkoeping (Sweden))

2010-02-15

The frame of reference for this work was existing recommendations and instructions from the NPP area, experiences from the review of the Turbic Validation and experiences from system validations performed at the Swedish Armed Forces, e.g. concerning military control rooms and fighter pilots. These enterprises are characterized by complex systems in extreme environments, often with high risks, where human error can lead to serious consequences. A focus group has been performed with representatives responsible for Human Factors issues from all Swedish NPP:s. The questions that were discussed were, among other things, for whom an integrated validation (IV) is performed and its purpose, what should be included in an IV, the comparison with baseline measures, the design process, the role of SSM, which methods of measurement should be used, and how the methods are affected of changes in the control room. The report brings different questions to discussion concerning the validation process. Supplementary methods of measurement for integrated validation are discussed, e.g. dynamic, psychophysiological, and qualitative methods for identification of problems. Supplementary methods for statistical analysis are presented. The study points out a number of deficiencies in the validation process, e.g. the need of common guidelines for validation and design, criteria for different types of measurements, clarification of the role of SSM, and recommendations for the responsibility of external participants in the validation process. The authors propose 12 measures for taking care of the identified problems

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2015-04-01

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

Development, validation and utilisation of food-frequency questionnaires - a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Cade, Janet; Thompson, Rachel; Burley, Victoria; Warm, Daniel

2002-08-01

The purpose of this review is to provide guidance on the development, validation and use of food-frequency questionnaires (FFQs) for different study designs. It does not include any recommendations about the most appropriate method for dietary assessment (e.g. food-frequency questionnaire versus weighed record). A comprehensive search of electronic databases was carried out for publications from 1980 to 1999. Findings from the review were then commented upon and added to by a group of international experts. Recommendations have been developed to aid in the design, validation and use of FFQs. Specific details of each of these areas are discussed in the text. FFQs are being used in a variety of ways and different study designs. There is no gold standard for directly assessing the validity of FFQs. Nevertheless, the outcome of this review should help those wishing to develop or adapt an FFQ to validate it for its intended use.

Design and validation of an open-source library of dynamic reference frames for research and education in optical tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Alisa; Uneri, Ali; Silva, Tharindu De; Manbachi, Amir; Siewerdsen, Jeffrey H

2018-04-01

Dynamic reference frames (DRFs) are a common component of modern surgical tracking systems; however, the limited number of commercially available DRFs poses a constraint in developing systems, especially for research and education. This work presents the design and validation of a large, open-source library of DRFs compatible with passive, single-face tracking systems, such as Polaris stereoscopic infrared trackers (NDI, Waterloo, Ontario). An algorithm was developed to create new DRF designs consistent with intra- and intertool design constraints and convert to computer-aided design (CAD) files suitable for three-dimensional printing. A library of 10 such groups, each with 6 to 10 DRFs, was produced and tracking performance was validated in comparison to a standard commercially available reference, including pivot calibration, fiducial registration error (FRE), and target registration error (TRE). Pivot tests showed calibration error [Formula: see text], indistinguishable from the reference. FRE was [Formula: see text], and TRE in a CT head phantom was [Formula: see text], both equivalent to the reference. The library of DRFs offers a useful resource for surgical navigation research and could be extended to other tracking systems and alternative design constraints.

Thermal-hydraulic codes validation for safety analysis of NPPs with RBMK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brus, N.A.; Ioussoupov, O.E.

2000-01-01

This work is devoted to validation of western thermal-hydraulic codes (RELAP5/MOD3 .2 and ATHLET 1.1 Cycle C) in application to Russian designed light water reactors. Such validation is needed due to features of RBMK reactor design and thermal-hydraulics in comparison with PWR and BWR reactors, for which these codes were developed and validated. These validation studies are concluded with a comparison of calculation results of modeling with the thermal-hydraulics codes with the experiments performed earlier using the thermal-hydraulics test facilities with the experimental data. (authors)

JaCVAM-organized international validation study of the in vivo rodent alkaline comet assay for the detection of genotoxic carcinogens: I. Summary of pre-validation study results.

Science.gov (United States)

Uno, Yoshifumi; Kojima, Hajime; Omori, Takashi; Corvi, Raffaella; Honma, Masamistu; Schechtman, Leonard M; Tice, Raymond R; Burlinson, Brian; Escobar, Patricia A; Kraynak, Andrew R; Nakagawa, Yuzuki; Nakajima, Madoka; Pant, Kamala; Asano, Norihide; Lovell, David; Morita, Takeshi; Ohno, Yasuo; Hayashi, Makoto

2015-07-01

The in vivo rodent alkaline comet assay (comet assay) is used internationally to investigate the in vivo genotoxic potential of test chemicals. This assay, however, has not previously been formally validated. The Japanese Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (JaCVAM), with the cooperation of the U.S. NTP Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM)/the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), and the Japanese Environmental Mutagen Society/Mammalian Mutagenesis Study Group (JEMS/MMS), organized an international validation study to evaluate the reliability and relevance of the assay for identifying genotoxic carcinogens, using liver and stomach as target organs. The ultimate goal of this validation effort was to establish an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) test guideline. The purpose of the pre-validation studies (i.e., Phase 1 through 3), conducted in four or five laboratories with extensive comet assay experience, was to optimize the protocol to be used during the definitive validation study. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validation of the Care-Related Quality of Life Instrument in different study settings : findings from The Older Persons and Informal Caregivers Survey Minimum DataSet (TOPICS-MDS)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lutomski, J. E.; van Exel, N. J. A.; Kempen, G. I. J. M.; van Charante, E. P. Moll; den Elzen, W. P. J.; Jansen, A. P. D.; Krabbe, P. F. M.; Steunenberg, B.; Steyerberg, E. W.; Rikkert, M. G. M. Olde; Melis, R. J. F.

PURPOSE: Validity is a contextual aspect of a scale which may differ across sample populations and study protocols. The objective of our study was to validate the Care-Related Quality of Life Instrument (CarerQol) across two different study design features, sampling framework (general population vs.

Validation of the Care-Related Quality of Life Instrument in different study settings: findings from The Older Persons and Informal Caregivers Survey Minimum DataSet (TOPICS-MDS)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lutomski, J.E.; Exel, N.J. van; Kempen, G.I.; Charante, E.P. Moll van; Elzen, W.P. den; Jansen, A.P.; Krabbe, P.F.M.; Steunenberg, B.; Steyerberg, E.W.; Olde Rikkert, M.G.M.; Melis, R.J.F.

2015-01-01

PURPOSE: Validity is a contextual aspect of a scale which may differ across sample populations and study protocols. The objective of our study was to validate the Care-Related Quality of Life Instrument (CarerQol) across two different study design features, sampling framework (general population vs.

The design organization test: further demonstration of reliability and validity as a brief measure of visuospatial ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Killgore, William D S; Gogel, Hannah

2014-01-01

Neuropsychological assessments are frequently time-consuming and fatiguing for patients. Brief screening evaluations may reduce test duration and allow more efficient use of time by permitting greater attention toward neuropsychological domains showing probable deficits. The Design Organization Test (DOT) was initially developed as a 2-min paper-and-pencil alternative for the Block Design (BD) subtest of the Wechsler scales. Although initially validated for clinical neurologic patients, we sought to further establish the reliability and validity of this test in a healthy, more diverse population. Two alternate versions of the DOT and the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) were administered to 61 healthy adult participants. The DOT showed high alternate forms reliability (r = .90-.92), and the two versions yielded equivalent levels of performance. The DOT was highly correlated with BD (r = .76-.79) and was significantly correlated with all subscales of the WASI. The DOT proved useful when used in lieu of BD in the calculation of WASI IQ scores. Findings support the reliability and validity of the DOT as a measure of visuospatial ability and suggest its potential worth as an efficient estimate of intellectual functioning in situations where lengthier tests may be inappropriate or unfeasible.

Design, validation, and use of an evaluation instrument for monitoring systemic reform

Science.gov (United States)

Scantlebury, Kathryn; Boone, William; Butler Kahle, Jane; Fraser, Barry J.

2001-08-01

Over the past decade, state and national policymakers have promoted systemic reform as a way to achieve high-quality science education for all students. However, few instruments are available to measure changes in key dimensions relevant to systemic reform such as teaching practices, student attitudes, or home and peer support. Furthermore, Rasch methods of analysis are needed to permit valid comparison of different cohorts of students during different years of a reform effort. This article describes the design, development, validation, and use of an instrument that measures student attitudes and several environment dimensions (standards-based teaching, home support, and peer support) using a three-step process that incorporated expert opinion, factor analysis, and item response theory. The instrument was validated with over 8,000 science and mathematics students, taught by more than 1,000 teachers in over 200 schools as part of a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of Ohio's systemic reform initiative. When the new four-factor, 20-item questionnaire was used to explore the relative influence of the class, home, and peer environment on student achievement and attitudes, findings were remarkably consistent across 3 years and different units and methods of analysis. All three environments accounted for unique variance in student attitudes, but only the environment of the class accounted for unique variance in student achievement. However, the class environment (standards-based teaching practices) was the strongest independent predictor of both achievement and attitude, and appreciable amounts of the total variance in attitudes were common to the three environments.

The Stick Design Test on the assessment of older adults with low formal education: evidences of construct, criterion-related and ecological validity.

Science.gov (United States)

de Paula, Jonas Jardim; Costa, Mônica Vieira; Bocardi, Matheus Bortolosso; Cortezzi, Mariana; De Moraes, Edgar Nunes; Malloy-Diniz, Leandro Fernandes

2013-12-01

The assessment of visuospatial abilities is usually performed by drawing tasks. In patients with very low formal education, the use of these tasks might be biased by their cultural background. The Stick Design Test was developed for the assessment of this population. We aim to expand the test psychometric properties by assessing its construct, criterion-related and ecological validity in older adults with low formal education. Healthy older adults (n = 63) and Alzheimer's disease patients (n = 92) performed the Stick Design Test, Mini-Mental State Examination, Digit Span Forward and the Clock Drawing Test. Their caregivers answered Personal Care and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living). Construct validity was assessed by factor analysis, convergent correlations (with the Clock Drawing Test), and divergent correlations (with Digit Span Forward); criterion-related validity by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and binary logistic regression; and Ecological validity by correlations with ADL. The test factor structure was composed by one component (R 2 = 64%). Significant correlations with the Clock Drawing Test and Digit Span Forward were found, and the relationship was stronger with the first measure. The test was less associated with formal education than the Clock Drawing Test. It classified about 76% of the participants correctly and had and additive effect with the Mini-Mental State Examination (84% of correct classification). The test also correlated significantly with measures of ADL, suggesting ecological validity. The Stick Design Test shows evidence of construct, criterion-related and ecological validity. It is an interesting alternative to drawing tasks for the assessment of visuospatial abilities.

Development and validation of natural circulation based systems for new WWER designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurakov, Y.A.; Dragunov, Y.G.; Podshibiakin, A.K.; Fil, N.S.; Logvinov, S.A.; Sitnik, Y.K.; Berkovich, V.M.; Taranov, G.S.

2002-01-01

Elaboration and introduction of NPP designs with improved technical and economic parameters are defined as an important element of the National Program of nuclear power development approved by the Russian Federation Government in 1998. This Program considers the designs of WWER-1000/V-392 and WWER-640/ V-407 power units as the priority projects of the new generation NPPs with increased safety. A number of passive systems based on natural circulation phenomena are used in V-392 and V-407 designs to prevent or mitigate severe accidents. Design basis, configuration and effect of some naturally driven systems of V-392 design sited at Novovoronezh are mainly reflected in the present paper. One of the most important mean for severe accident prevention in V-392 design is so called SPOT - passive heat removal system designed to remove core decay heat in case of station blackout (including failure of all diesel generators). This system extracts the steam from the steam generator, condenses it and returns water to steam generator by natural circulation. The SPOT heat exchangers are cooled by atmospheric air coming by natural circulation through a special direct action control gates which operate passively as well. Extensive experimental investigation of the different aspects of this system operation has been carried out to validate its functioning under real plant conditions. In particular, full-scale section of air heat exchanger-condenser has been tested with natural circulation steam, condensate and air paths modeled. The environment air temperature and steam pressure condensing were varied in the wide range, and the relevant experimental results are being discussed in this paper. The effect of wind velocity and direction to the containment is also checked by the experiments. (author)

Validation of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale among Korean Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Heo, Eun-Hye; Choi, Kyeong-Sook; Yu, Je-Chun; Nam, Ji-Ae

2018-02-01

The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is designed to measure the current level of depressive symptomatology in the general population. However, no review has examined whether the scale is reliable and valid among children and adolescents in Korea. The purpose of this study was to test whether the Korean form of the CES-D is valid in adolescents. Data were obtained from 1,884 adolescents attending grades 1-3 in Korean middle schools. Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). Concurrent validity was evaluated by a correlation analysis between the CES-D and other scales. Construct validity was evaluated by exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses. The internal consistency coefficient for the entire group was 0.88. The CES-D was positively correlated with scales that measure negative psychological constructs, such as the State Anxiety Inventory for Children, the Korean Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents, and the Reynold Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, but it was negatively correlated with scales that measure positive psychological constructs, such as the Korean version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-2. The CES-D was examined by three-dimensional exploratory factor analysis, and the three-factor structure of the scale explained 53.165% of the total variance. The variance explained by factor I was 24.836%, that explained by factor II was 15.988%, and that explained by factor III was 12.341%. The construct validity of the CES-D was tested by confirmatory factor analysis, and we applied the entire group's data using a three-factor hierarchical model. The fit index showed a level similar to those of other countries' adolescent samples. The CES-D has high internal consistency and addresses psychological constructs similar to those addressed by other scales. The CES-D showed a three-factor structure in an exploratory factor analysis. The present

Measuring Nutrition Literacy in Spanish-Speaking Latinos: An Exploratory Validation Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gibbs, Heather D; Camargo, Juliana M T B; Owens, Sarah; Gajewski, Byron; Cupertino, Ana Paula

2017-11-21

Nutrition is important for preventing and treating chronic diseases highly prevalent among Latinos, yet no tool exists for measuring nutrition literacy among Spanish speakers. This study aimed to adapt the validated Nutrition Literacy Assessment Instrument for Spanish-speaking Latinos. This study was developed in two phases: adaptation and validity testing. Adaptation included translation, expert item content review, and interviews with Spanish speakers. For validity testing, 51 participants completed the Short Assessment of Health Literacy-Spanish (SAHL-S), the Nutrition Literacy Assessment Instrument in Spanish (NLit-S), and socio-demographic questionnaire. Validity and reliability statistics were analyzed. Content validity was confirmed with a Scale Content Validity Index of 0.96. Validity testing demonstrated NLit-S scores were strongly correlated with SAHL-S scores (r = 0.52, p internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's α = 0.92). The NLit-S demonstrates validity and reliability for measuring nutrition literacy among Spanish-speakers.

California Diploma Project Technical Report III: Validity Study--Validity Study of the Health Sciences and Medical Technology Standards

Science.gov (United States)

McGaughy, Charis; Bryck, Rick; de Gonzalez, Alicia

2012-01-01

This study is a validity study of the recently revised version of the Health Science Standards. The purpose of this study is to understand how the Health Science Standards relate to college and career readiness, as represented by survey ratings submitted by entry-level college instructors of health science courses and industry representatives. For…

[Gender-determinant factors in contraception: design and validation of a questionnaire].

Science.gov (United States)

Yago Simón, Teresa; Tomás Aznar, Concepción

2013-10-01

To design and validate a questionnaire for young women on gender-determinant factors in contraception. A questionnaire was developed from conversations with young women attending contraception clinic in the Health Promotion Municpal Centre, Zaragoza. A total of 200 young women between the ages of 13 and 24 self-completed the questionnaire, with only one no response. Several items were analysed: reliability, using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and construct validity by analysis of the main components with eigenvalues above 1, and Quartimax rotation with Kaiser normalisation. The questionnaire contained 36 items and took 10minutes to self-complete. There was good internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha 0,853. Twelve factors were established with an explanation of 61.42% variance, and three descriptive lines: relationship dimension («submissive attitude», «blind attitude», «let go due to affection», «dominant partner»), gender identity («maternity as identity», «non-idealised maternity», «traditional role», «insecurity», «shame») and caring. This questionnaire enabled gender determinant-factors that take part in contraception to be identified, and will be useful to find out how the different ways of relating between the sexes influence the problems of sexual and reproductive health in young women in our environment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Sliding spool design for reducing the actuation forces in direct operated proportional directional valves: Experimental validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amirante, Riccardo; Distaso, Elia; Tamburrano, Paolo

2016-01-01

Highlights: • An innovative procedure to design a commercial proportional directional valve is shown. • Experimental tests are performed to demonstrate the flow force reduction. • The design is improved by means of a previously made optimization procedure. • Great reduction in the flow forces without reducing the flow rate is demonstrated. - Abstract: This paper presents the experimental validation of a new methodology for the design of the spool surfaces of four way three position direct operated proportional directional valves. The proposed methodology is based on the re-design of both the compensation profile (the central conical surface of the spool) and the lateral surfaces of the spool, in order to reduce the flow forces acting on the spool and hence the actuation forces. The aim of this work is to extend the application range of these valves to higher values of pressure and flow rate, thus avoiding the employment of more expensive two stage configurations in the case of high-pressure conditions and/or flow rate. The paper first presents a theoretical approach and a general strategy for the sliding spool design to be applied to any four way three position direct operated proportional directional valve. Then, the proposed approach is experimentally validated on a commercially available valve using a hydraulic circuit capable of measuring the flow rate as well as the actuation force over the entire spool stroke. The experimental results, performed using both the electronic driver provided by the manufacturer and a manual actuation system, show that the novel spool surface requires remarkably lower actuation forces compared to the commercial configuration, while maintaining the same flow rate trend as a function of the spool position.

[Design and validation of the scale for the detection of violence in courtship in young people in the Sevilla University (Spain)].

Science.gov (United States)

García-Carpintero, María Ángeles; Rodríguez-Santero, Javier; Porcel-Gálvez, Ana María

To design and validate a specific instrument to detect exercised and suffered in the relations of young couples in violence. Descriptive study of validation clinimetric. Stratified by sex and area of knowledge, which was adopted as inclusion criteria have or have had any relationship. The sample consisted of 447 subjects. We obtained the Multidimensional Scale Dating Violence (EMVN), 32 items with three dimensions: physical and sexual assault, behavior control (cyberbullying, surveillance and harassment) and abuse psicoemocional (disparagement and domination), as a victim or as aggressor. No statistically significant differences were found between the violence exerted and the violence suffered, but it was based on sex. The EMVN is a valid and reliable scale that measures the different elements of violence in couples of young people and you can suppose a resource for the comprehensive detection of violent behaviors in dating relationships that are established among young people. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Bilateral, Misalignment-Compensating, Full-DOF Hip Exoskeleton: Design and Kinematic Validation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen Junius

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A shared design goal for most robotic lower limb exoskeletons is to reduce the metabolic cost of locomotion for the user. Despite this, only a limited amount of devices was able to actually reduce user metabolic consumption. Preservation of the natural motion kinematics was defined as an important requirement for a device to be metabolically beneficial. This requires the inclusion of all human degrees of freedom (DOF in a design, as well as perfect alignment of the rotation axes. As perfect alignment is impossible, compensation for misalignment effects should be provided. A misalignment compensation mechanism for a 3-DOF system is presented in this paper. It is validated by the implementation in a bilateral hip exoskeleton, resulting in a compact and lightweight device that can be donned fast and autonomously, with a minimum of required adaptations. Extensive testing of the prototype has shown that hip range of motion of the user is maintained while wearing the device and this for all three hip DOFs. This allowed the users to maintain their natural motion patterns when they are walking with the novel hip exoskeleton.

Bilateral, Misalignment-Compensating, Full-DOF Hip Exoskeleton: Design and Kinematic Validation

Science.gov (United States)

Degelaen, Marc; Lefeber, Nina; Swinnen, Eva; Vanderborght, Bram; Lefeber, Dirk

2017-01-01

A shared design goal for most robotic lower limb exoskeletons is to reduce the metabolic cost of locomotion for the user. Despite this, only a limited amount of devices was able to actually reduce user metabolic consumption. Preservation of the natural motion kinematics was defined as an important requirement for a device to be metabolically beneficial. This requires the inclusion of all human degrees of freedom (DOF) in a design, as well as perfect alignment of the rotation axes. As perfect alignment is impossible, compensation for misalignment effects should be provided. A misalignment compensation mechanism for a 3-DOF system is presented in this paper. It is validated by the implementation in a bilateral hip exoskeleton, resulting in a compact and lightweight device that can be donned fast and autonomously, with a minimum of required adaptations. Extensive testing of the prototype has shown that hip range of motion of the user is maintained while wearing the device and this for all three hip DOFs. This allowed the users to maintain their natural motion patterns when they are walking with the novel hip exoskeleton. PMID:28790799

Design and validation of a morphing myoelectric hand posture controller based on principal component analysis of human grasping.

Science.gov (United States)

Segil, Jacob L; Weir, Richard F ff

2014-03-01

An ideal myoelectric prosthetic hand should have the ability to continuously morph between any posture like an anatomical hand. This paper describes the design and validation of a morphing myoelectric hand controller based on principal component analysis of human grasping. The controller commands continuously morphing hand postures including functional grasps using between two and four surface electromyography (EMG) electrodes pairs. Four unique maps were developed to transform the EMG control signals in the principal component domain. A preliminary validation experiment was performed by 10 nonamputee subjects to determine the map with highest performance. The subjects used the myoelectric controller to morph a virtual hand between functional grasps in a series of randomized trials. The number of joints controlled accurately was evaluated to characterize the performance of each map. Additional metrics were studied including completion rate, time to completion, and path efficiency. The highest performing map controlled over 13 out of 15 joints accurately.

Validation of Reverse-Engineered and Additive-Manufactured Microsurgical Instrument Prototype.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Ramandeep; Suri, Ashish; Anand, Sneh; Baby, Britty

2016-12-01

With advancements in imaging techniques, neurosurgical procedures are becoming highly precise and minimally invasive, thus demanding development of new ergonomically aesthetic instruments. Conventionally, neurosurgical instruments are manufactured using subtractive manufacturing methods. Such a process is complex, time-consuming, and impractical for prototype development and validation of new designs. Therefore, an alternative design process has been used utilizing blue light scanning, computer-aided designing, and additive manufacturing direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) for microsurgical instrument prototype development. Deviations of DMLS-fabricated instrument were studied by superimposing scan data of fabricated instrument with the computer-aided designing model. Content and concurrent validity of the fabricated prototypes was done by a group of 15 neurosurgeons by performing sciatic nerve anastomosis in small laboratory animals. Comparative scoring was obtained for the control and study instrument. T test was applied to the individual parameters and P values for force (P direct application of these additive-manufactured instruments in the operating room requires further validation. © The Author(s) 2016.

An Engineering Method of Civil Jet Requirements Validation Based on Requirements Project Principle

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yue; Gao, Dan; Mao, Xuming

2018-03-01

A method of requirements validation is developed and defined to meet the needs of civil jet requirements validation in product development. Based on requirements project principle, this method will not affect the conventional design elements, and can effectively connect the requirements with design. It realizes the modern civil jet development concept, which is “requirement is the origin, design is the basis”. So far, the method has been successfully applied in civil jet aircraft development in China. Taking takeoff field length as an example, the validation process and the validation method of the requirements are detailed introduced in the study, with the hope of providing the experiences to other civil jet product design.

Procedure for Validation of Aggregators Providing Demand Response

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bondy, Daniel Esteban Morales; Gehrke, Oliver; Thavlov, Anders

2016-01-01

of small heterogeneous resources that are geographically distributed. Therefore, a new test procedure must be designed for the aggregator validation. This work proposes such a procedure and exemplifies is with a study case. The validation of aggregators is essential if aggregators are to be integrated...... succesfully into the power system....

Design and experimental validation of Unilateral Linear Halbach magnet arrays for single-sided magnetic resonance.

Science.gov (United States)

Bashyam, Ashvin; Li, Matthew; Cima, Michael J

2018-07-01

Single-sided NMR has the potential for broad utility and has found applications in healthcare, materials analysis, food quality assurance, and the oil and gas industry. These sensors require a remote, strong, uniform magnetic field to perform high sensitivity measurements. We demonstrate a new permanent magnet geometry, the Unilateral Linear Halbach, that combines design principles from "sweet-spot" and linear Halbach magnets to achieve this goal through more efficient use of magnetic flux. We perform sensitivity analysis using numerical simulations to produce a framework for Unilateral Linear Halbach design and assess tradeoffs between design parameters. Additionally, the use of hundreds of small, discrete magnets within the assembly allows for a tunable design, improved robustness to variability in magnetization strength, and increased safety during construction. Experimental validation using a prototype magnet shows close agreement with the simulated magnetic field. The Unilateral Linear Halbach magnet increases the sensitivity, portability, and versatility of single-sided NMR. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Content Validity Study of AIMIT (Assessing Interpersonal Motivation in Transcripts).

Science.gov (United States)

Fassone, Giovanni; Lo Reto, Floriana; Foggetti, Paola; Santomassimo, Chiara; D'Onofrio, Maria Rita; Ivaldi, Antonella; Liotti, Giovanni; Trincia, Valeria; Picardi, Angelo

2016-07-01

Multi-motivational theories of human relatedness state that different motivational systems with an evolutionary basis modulate interpersonal relationships. The reliable assessment of their dynamics may usefully inform the understanding of the therapeutic relationship. The coding system of the Assessing Interpersonal Motivation in Transcripts (AIMIT) allows to identify in the clinical the activity of five main interpersonal motivational systems (IMSs): attachment (care-seeking), caregiving, ranking, sexuality and peer cooperation. To assess whether the criteria currently used to score the AIMIT are consistently correlated with the conceptual formulation of the interpersonal multi-motivational theory, two different studies were designed. Study 1: Content validity as assessed by highly qualified independent raters. Study 2: Content validity as assessed by unqualified raters. Results of study 1 show that out of the total 60 AIMIT verbal criteria, 52 (86.7%) met the required minimum degree of correspondence. The average semantic correspondence scores between these items and the related IMSs were quite good (overall mean: 3.74, standard deviation: 0.61). In study 2, a group of 20 naïve raters had to identify each prevalent motivation (IMS) in a random sequence of 1000 utterances drawn from therapy sessions. Cohen's Kappa coefficient was calculated for each rater with reference to each IMS and then calculated the average Kappa for all raters for each IMS. All average Kappa values were satisfactory (>0.60) and ranged between 0.63 (ranking system) and 0.83 (sexuality system). Data confirmed the overall soundness of AIMIT's theoretical-applicative approach. Results are discussed, corroborating the hypothesis that the AIMIT possesses the required criteria for content validity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Assessing Interpersonal Motivations in psychotherapy transcripts as a useful tool to better understand links between motivational systems and intersubjectivity

Investigating the construct validity of a development assessment centre

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadia M. Brits

2013-11-01

Research purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the construct validity of a one-day development assessment centre (DAC using a convenience sample of 202 managers in a large South African banking institution. Motivation for the study: Although the AC method is popular, it has been widely criticised as to whether it predominantly measures the dimensions it is designed to measure. Research design, approach and method: The fit of the measurement models implied by the dimensions measured was analysed in a quantitative study using an ex post facto correlation design and structural equation modelling. Main findings: Bi-factor confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the relative contribution of higher-order exercise and dimension effects. Empirical under-identification stemming from the small number of exercises designed to reflect designated latent dimensions restricted the number of DAC dimensions that could be evaluated. Ultimately, only one global dimension had enough measurement points and was analysed. The results suggested that dimension effects explained the majority of variance in the post-exercise dimension ratings. Practical/managerial implications: Candidates’ proficiency on each dimension was used as the basis for development reports. The validity of inferences holds important implications for candidates’ career development and growth. Contribution/value-add: The authors found only one study on construct validity of AC dimensions in the South African context. The present study is the first use the bi-factor approach. This study will consequently contribute to the scarce AC literature in South Africa.

Trends in study design and the statistical methods employed in a leading general medicine journal.

Science.gov (United States)

Gosho, M; Sato, Y; Nagashima, K; Takahashi, S

2018-02-01

Study design and statistical methods have become core components of medical research, and the methodology has become more multifaceted and complicated over time. The study of the comprehensive details and current trends of study design and statistical methods is required to support the future implementation of well-planned clinical studies providing information about evidence-based medicine. Our purpose was to illustrate study design and statistical methods employed in recent medical literature. This was an extension study of Sato et al. (N Engl J Med 2017; 376: 1086-1087), which reviewed 238 articles published in 2015 in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and briefly summarized the statistical methods employed in NEJM. Using the same database, we performed a new investigation of the detailed trends in study design and individual statistical methods that were not reported in the Sato study. Due to the CONSORT statement, prespecification and justification of sample size are obligatory in planning intervention studies. Although standard survival methods (eg Kaplan-Meier estimator and Cox regression model) were most frequently applied, the Gray test and Fine-Gray proportional hazard model for considering competing risks were sometimes used for a more valid statistical inference. With respect to handling missing data, model-based methods, which are valid for missing-at-random data, were more frequently used than single imputation methods. These methods are not recommended as a primary analysis, but they have been applied in many clinical trials. Group sequential design with interim analyses was one of the standard designs, and novel design, such as adaptive dose selection and sample size re-estimation, was sometimes employed in NEJM. Model-based approaches for handling missing data should replace single imputation methods for primary analysis in the light of the information found in some publications. Use of adaptive design with interim analyses is increasing

Classification Accuracy of MMPI-2 Validity Scales in the Detection of Pain-Related Malingering: A Known-Groups Study

Science.gov (United States)

Bianchini, Kevin J.; Etherton, Joseph L.; Greve, Kevin W.; Heinly, Matthew T.; Meyers, John E.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of "Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory" 2nd edition (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) validity indicators in the detection of malingering in clinical patients with chronic pain using a hybrid clinical-known groups/simulator design. The…

A mobile sensing system for structural health monitoring: design and validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Dapeng; Yi, Xiaohua; Wang, Yang; Lee, Kok-Meng; Guo, Jiajie

2010-01-01

This paper describes a new approach using mobile sensor networks for structural health monitoring. Compared with static sensors, mobile sensor networks offer flexible system architectures with adaptive spatial resolutions. The paper first describes the design of a mobile sensing node that is capable of maneuvering on structures built with ferromagnetic materials. The mobile sensing node can also attach/detach an accelerometer onto/from the structural surface. The performance of the prototype mobile sensor network has been validated through laboratory experiments. Two mobile sensing nodes are adopted for navigating on a steel portal frame and providing dense acceleration measurements. Transmissibility function analysis is conducted to identify structural damage using data collected by the mobile sensing nodes. This preliminary work is expected to spawn transformative changes in the use of mobile sensors for future structural health monitoring

A mobile sensing system for structural health monitoring: design and validation

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Dapeng; Yi, Xiaohua; Wang, Yang; Lee, Kok-Meng; Guo, Jiajie

2010-05-01

This paper describes a new approach using mobile sensor networks for structural health monitoring. Compared with static sensors, mobile sensor networks offer flexible system architectures with adaptive spatial resolutions. The paper first describes the design of a mobile sensing node that is capable of maneuvering on structures built with ferromagnetic materials. The mobile sensing node can also attach/detach an accelerometer onto/from the structural surface. The performance of the prototype mobile sensor network has been validated through laboratory experiments. Two mobile sensing nodes are adopted for navigating on a steel portal frame and providing dense acceleration measurements. Transmissibility function analysis is conducted to identify structural damage using data collected by the mobile sensing nodes. This preliminary work is expected to spawn transformative changes in the use of mobile sensors for future structural health monitoring.

[DESIGN AND VALIDATION OF AN IMAGE FOR DISSEMINATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CHILEAN DIETARY GUIDELINES].

Science.gov (United States)

Olivares Cortés, Sonia; Zacarías Hasbún, Isabel; González González, Carmen Gloria; Fonseca Morán, Lilian; Mediano Stoltze, Fernanda; Pinheiro Fernandes, Anna Christina; Rodríguez Osiac, Lorena

2015-08-01

Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) are usually accompanied by an image for dissemination and implementation. to design and validate an image to represent the variety and proportions of the new Chilean dietary guidelines, include foods high in critical nutrients that should be avoided and physical activity guidelines. a panel of experts tested seven graphics and selected three that were validated with 12 focus groups of people aged 10-14 and 20-40 years, of both sexes, from different socioeconomic groups and from both rural and urban areas. We analyzed the perception of variety and proportions of the food groups for daily intake and motivation for action in diet and physical activity. We utilized the METAPLAN method used previously in the validation of FBDG. the final image was a circle that showed the variety and proportions of each food group for daily consumption (in pictures), included physical activity guidelines in a strip around the middle of the circle and a rectangle towards of bottom of the image with examples of foods high in critical nutrients in black and white. The chosen picture was modified using input from participants and validated with three additional focus groups, improving its understanding and acceptance. most participants understood that the image represented the relationship between healthy eating and daily physical activity, correctly identifying the food groups for which increased intake was suggested and those groups in which intake should be reduced or avoided. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Acting like a physicist: Student approach study to experimental design

Science.gov (United States)

Karelina, Anna; Etkina, Eugenia

2007-12-01

National studies of science education have unanimously concluded that preparing our students for the demands of the 21st century workplace is one of the major goals. This paper describes a study of student activities in introductory college physics labs, which were designed to help students acquire abilities that are valuable in the workplace. In these labs [called Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) labs], students design their own experiments. Our previous studies have shown that students in these labs acquire scientific abilities such as the ability to design an experiment to solve a problem, the ability to collect and analyze data, the ability to evaluate assumptions and uncertainties, and the ability to communicate. These studies mostly concentrated on analyzing students’ writing, evaluated by specially designed scientific ability rubrics. Recently, we started to study whether the ISLE labs make students not only write like scientists but also engage in discussions and act like scientists while doing the labs. For example, do students plan an experiment, validate assumptions, evaluate results, and revise the experiment if necessary? A brief report of some of our findings that came from monitoring students’ activity during ISLE and nondesign labs was presented in the Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings. We found differences in student behavior and discussions that indicated that ISLE labs do in fact encourage a scientistlike approach to experimental design and promote high-quality discussions. This paper presents a full description of the study.

Acting like a physicist: Student approach study to experimental design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Karelina

2007-10-01

Full Text Available National studies of science education have unanimously concluded that preparing our students for the demands of the 21st century workplace is one of the major goals. This paper describes a study of student activities in introductory college physics labs, which were designed to help students acquire abilities that are valuable in the workplace. In these labs [called Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE labs], students design their own experiments. Our previous studies have shown that students in these labs acquire scientific abilities such as the ability to design an experiment to solve a problem, the ability to collect and analyze data, the ability to evaluate assumptions and uncertainties, and the ability to communicate. These studies mostly concentrated on analyzing students’ writing, evaluated by specially designed scientific ability rubrics. Recently, we started to study whether the ISLE labs make students not only write like scientists but also engage in discussions and act like scientists while doing the labs. For example, do students plan an experiment, validate assumptions, evaluate results, and revise the experiment if necessary? A brief report of some of our findings that came from monitoring students’ activity during ISLE and nondesign labs was presented in the Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings. We found differences in student behavior and discussions that indicated that ISLE labs do in fact encourage a scientistlike approach to experimental design and promote high-quality discussions. This paper presents a full description of the study.

Cyber Victim and Bullying Scale: A Study of Validity and Reliability

Science.gov (United States)

Cetin, Bayram; Yaman, Erkan; Peker, Adem

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a reliable and valid scale, which determines cyber victimization and bullying behaviors of high school students. Research group consisted of 404 students (250 male, 154 male) in Sakarya, in 2009-2010 academic years. In the study sample, mean age is 16.68. Content validity and face validity of the scale was…

Statistical Validation of a Web-Based GIS Application and Its Applicability to Cardiovascular-Related Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jae Eun; Sung, Jung Hye; Malouhi, Mohamad

2015-12-22

There is abundant evidence that neighborhood characteristics are significantly linked to the health of the inhabitants of a given space within a given time frame. This study is to statistically validate a web-based GIS application designed to support cardiovascular-related research developed by the NIH funded Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Translational Research Network (RTRN) Data Coordinating Center (DCC) and discuss its applicability to cardiovascular studies. Geo-referencing, geocoding and geospatial analyses were conducted for 500 randomly selected home addresses in a U.S. southeastern Metropolitan area. The correlation coefficient, factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha (α) were estimated to quantify measures of the internal consistency, reliability and construct/criterion/discriminant validity of the cardiovascular-related geospatial variables (walk score, number of hospitals, fast food restaurants, parks and sidewalks). Cronbach's α for CVD GEOSPATIAL variables was 95.5%, implying successful internal consistency. Walk scores were significantly correlated with number of hospitals (r = 0.715; p restaurants (r = 0.729; p application were internally consistent and demonstrated satisfactory validity. Therefore, the GIS application may be useful to apply to cardiovascular-related studies aimed to investigate potential impact of geospatial factors on diseases and/or the long-term effect of clinical trials.

Validation test case generation based on safety analysis ontology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Chin-Feng; Wang, Wen-Shing

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Current practice in validation test case generation for nuclear system is mainly ad hoc. ► This study designs a systematic approach to generate validation test cases from a Safety Analysis Report. ► It is based on a domain-specific ontology. ► Test coverage criteria have been defined and satisfied. ► A computerized toolset has been implemented to assist the proposed approach. - Abstract: Validation tests in the current nuclear industry practice are typically performed in an ad hoc fashion. This study presents a systematic and objective method of generating validation test cases from a Safety Analysis Report (SAR). A domain-specific ontology was designed and used to mark up a SAR; relevant information was then extracted from the marked-up document for use in automatically generating validation test cases that satisfy the proposed test coverage criteria; namely, single parameter coverage, use case coverage, abnormal condition coverage, and scenario coverage. The novelty of this technique is its systematic rather than ad hoc test case generation from a SAR to achieve high test coverage.

F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) parameter identification flight test maneuvers for optimal input design validation and lateral control effectiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Morelli, Eugene A.

1995-01-01

Flight test maneuvers are specified for the F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV). The maneuvers were designed for open loop parameter identification purposes, specifically for optimal input design validation at 5 degrees angle of attack, identification of individual strake effectiveness at 40 and 50 degrees angle of attack, and study of lateral dynamics and lateral control effectiveness at 40 and 50 degrees angle of attack. Each maneuver is to be realized by applying square wave inputs to specific control effectors using the On-Board Excitation System (OBES). Maneuver descriptions and complete specifications of the time/amplitude points define each input are included, along with plots of the input time histories.

Computational Design and Experimental Validation of New Thermal Barrier Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Shengmin; Yang, Shizhong; Khosravi, Ebrahim

2011-12-31

This project (10/01/2010-9/30/2013), “Computational Design and Experimental Validation of New Thermal Barrier Systems”, originates from Louisiana State University (LSU) Mechanical Engineering Department and Southern University (SU) Department of Computer Science. This proposal will directly support the technical goals specified in DE-FOA-0000248, Topic Area 3: Turbine Materials, by addressing key technologies needed to enable the development of advanced turbines and turbine-based systems that will operate safely and efficiently using coal-derived synthesis gases. We will develop novel molecular dynamics method to improve the efficiency of simulation on novel TBC materials; we will perform high performance computing (HPC) on complex TBC structures to screen the most promising TBC compositions; we will perform material characterizations and oxidation/corrosion tests; and we will demonstrate our new Thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems experimentally under Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) environments. The durability of the coating will be examined using the proposed High Temperature/High Pressure Durability Test Rig under real syngas product compositions.

Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (Lisat-9): Reliability and Validity for Patients with Acquired Brain Injury

Science.gov (United States)

Boonstra, Anne M.; Reneman, Michiel F.; Stewart, Roy E.; Balk, Gerlof A.

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and discriminant validity of the Dutch version of the life satisfaction questionnaire (Lisat-9 DV) to assess patients with an acquired brain injury. The reliability study used a test-retest design, and the validity study used a cross-sectional design. The setting was the general rehabilitation…

Optimal Design and Model Validation for Combustion Experiments in a Shock Tube

KAUST Repository

Long, Quan

2014-01-06

We develop a Bayesian framework for the optimal experimental design of the shock tube experiments which are being carried out at the KAUST Clean Combustion Center. The unknown parameters are the pre-exponential parameters and the activation energies in the reaction rate functions. The control parameters are the initial hydrogen concentration and the temperature. First, we build a polynomial based surrogate model for the observable related to the reactions in the shock tube. Second, we use a novel MAP based approach to estimate the expected information gain in the proposed experiments and select the best experimental set-ups corresponding to the optimal expected information gains. Third, we use the synthetic data to carry out virtual validation of our methodology.

Optimum study designs.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, C; Rao, D C

2001-01-01

Because simplistic designs will lead to prohibitively large sample sizes, the optimization of genetic study designs is critical for successfully mapping genes for complex diseases. Creative designs are necessary for detecting and amplifying the usually weak signals for complex traits. Two important outcomes of a study design--power and resolution--are implicitly tied together by the principle of uncertainty. Overemphasis on either one may lead to suboptimal designs. To achieve optimality for a particular study, therefore, practical measures such as cost-effectiveness must be used to strike a balance between power and resolution. In this light, the myriad of factors involved in study design can be checked for their effects on the ultimate outcomes, and the popular existing designs can be sorted into building blocks that may be useful for particular situations. It is hoped that imaginative construction of novel designs using such building blocks will lead to enhanced efficiency in finding genes for complex human traits.

Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale for patients seeking esthetic surgery: cross-cultural validation study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatiana Dalpasquale Ramos

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Rhinoplasty is one of the most sought-after esthetic operations among individuals with body dysmorphic disorder. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt and validate the Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-cultural validation study conducted in a plastic surgery outpatient clinic of a public university hospital. METHODS: Between February 2014 and March 2015, 80 consecutive patients of both sexes seeking rhinoplasty were selected. Thirty of them participated in the phase of cultural adaptation of the instrument. Reproducibility was tested on 20 patients and construct validity was assessed on 50 patients, with correlation against the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for Body Dysmorphic Disorder. RESULTS: The Brazilian version of the instrument showed Cronbach's alpha of 0.805 and excellent inter-rater reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC = 0.873; P < 0.001 and intra-rater reproducibility (ICC = 0.939; P < 0.001. Significant differences in total scores were found between patients with and without symptoms (P < 0.001. A strong correlation (r = 0.841; P < 0.001 was observed between the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for Body Dysmorphic Disorder and the Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.981, thus showing good accuracy for discriminating between presence and absence of symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder. Forty-six percent of the patients had body dysmorphic symptoms and 54% had moderate to severe appearance-related obsessive-compulsive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The Brazilian version of the Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Scale is a reproducible instrument that presents face, content and construct validity.

Design and validation of standardized clinical and functional remission criteria in schizophrenia

Science.gov (United States)

Mosolov, Sergey N; Potapov, Andrey V; Ushakov, Uriy V; Shafarenko, Aleksey A; Kostyukova, Anastasiya B

2014-01-01

Background International Remission Criteria (IRC) for schizophrenia were developed recently by a group of internationally known experts. The IRC detect only 10%–30% of cases and do not cover the diversity of forms and social functioning. Our aim was to design a more applicable tool and validate its use – the Standardized Clinical and Functional Remission Criteria (SCFRC). Methods We used a 6-month follow-up study of 203 outpatients from two Moscow centers and another further sample of stable patients from a 1-year controlled trial of atypical versus typical medication. Diagnosis was confirmed by International Classification of Diseases Version 10 (ICD10) criteria and the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Patients were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, including intensity threshold, and further classified using the Russian domestic remission criteria and the level of social and personal functioning, according to the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP). The SCFRC were formulated and were validated by a data reanalysis on the first population sample and on a second independent sample (104 patients) and in an open-label prospective randomized 12-month comparative study of risperidone long-acting injectable (RLAI) versus olanzapine. Results Only 64 of the 203 outpatients (31.5%) initially met the IRC, and 53 patients (26.1%) met the IRC after 6 months, without a change in treatment. Patients who were in remission had episodic and progressive deficit (39.6%), or remittent (15%) paranoid schizophrenia, or schizoaffective disorder (17%). In addition, 105 patients of 139 (51.7%), who did not meet symptomatic IRC, remained stable within the period. Reanalysis of data revealed that 65.5% of the patients met the SCFRC. In the controlled trial, 70% of patients in the RLAI group met the SCFRC and only 19% the IRC. In the routine treatment group, 55.9% met the SCFRC and only 5.7% the IRC. Results of the further independent

Experimental Validation of Flow Force Models for Fast Switching Valves

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bender, Niels Christian; Pedersen, Henrik Clemmensen; Nørgård, Christian

2017-01-01

This paper comprises a detailed study of the forces acting on a Fast Switching Valve (FSV) plunger. The objective is to investigate to what extend different models are valid to be used for design purposes. These models depend on the geometry of the moving plunger and the properties of the surroun......This paper comprises a detailed study of the forces acting on a Fast Switching Valve (FSV) plunger. The objective is to investigate to what extend different models are valid to be used for design purposes. These models depend on the geometry of the moving plunger and the properties...... to compare and validate different models, where an effort is directed towards capturing the fluid squeeze effect just before material on material contact. The test data is compared with simulation data relying solely on analytic formulations. The general dynamics of the plunger is validated...

Experimental design technique applied to the validation of an instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Uanda Paula de M. dos; Moreira, Edson Gonçalves

2017-01-01

In this study optimization of procedures and standardization of Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) method were carried out for the determination of the elements bromine, chlorine, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium and vanadium in biological matrix materials using short irradiations at a pneumatic system. 2 k experimental designs were applied for evaluation of the individual contribution of selected variables of the analytical procedure in the final mass fraction result. The chosen experimental designs were the 2 3 and the 2 4 , depending on the radionuclide half life. Different certified reference materials and multi-element comparators were analyzed considering the following variables: sample decay time, irradiation time, counting time and sample distance to detector. Comparator concentration, sample mass and irradiation time were maintained constant in this procedure. By means of the statistical analysis and theoretical and experimental considerations, it was determined the optimized experimental conditions for the analytical methods that will be adopted for the validation procedure of INAA methods in the Neutron Activation Analysis Laboratory (LAN) of the Research Reactor Center (CRPq) at the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN /CNEN-SP). Optimized conditions were estimated based on the results of z-score tests, main effect, interaction effects and better irradiation conditions. (author)

Experimental design technique applied to the validation of an instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis procedure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Uanda Paula de M. dos; Moreira, Edson Gonçalves, E-mail: uandapaula@gmail.com, E-mail: emoreira@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2017-07-01

In this study optimization of procedures and standardization of Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) method were carried out for the determination of the elements bromine, chlorine, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium and vanadium in biological matrix materials using short irradiations at a pneumatic system. 2{sup k} experimental designs were applied for evaluation of the individual contribution of selected variables of the analytical procedure in the final mass fraction result. The chosen experimental designs were the 2{sup 3} and the 2{sup 4}, depending on the radionuclide half life. Different certified reference materials and multi-element comparators were analyzed considering the following variables: sample decay time, irradiation time, counting time and sample distance to detector. Comparator concentration, sample mass and irradiation time were maintained constant in this procedure. By means of the statistical analysis and theoretical and experimental considerations, it was determined the optimized experimental conditions for the analytical methods that will be adopted for the validation procedure of INAA methods in the Neutron Activation Analysis Laboratory (LAN) of the Research Reactor Center (CRPq) at the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN /CNEN-SP). Optimized conditions were estimated based on the results of z-score tests, main effect, interaction effects and better irradiation conditions. (author)

Design, Development & Functional Validation of Magnets system in support of 42 GHz Gyrotron in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pradhan S.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A multi institutional initiative is underway towards the development of 42 GHz, 200 kW gyrotron system in India under the frame work of Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. Indigenous realization comprising of design, fabrication, prototypes and functional validations of an appropriate Magnet System is one of the primary technological objective of these initiatives. The 42 GHz gyrotron magnet system comprises of a warm gun magnet, a NbTi/Cu based high homogenous superconducting cavity magnet and three warm collector magnets. The superconducting cavity magnet has been housed inside a low loss cryostat. The magnet system has been designed in accordance with gyrotron physics and engineering considerations respecting highly homogenous spatial field profile as well as maintaining steep gradient as per the compression and velocity ratios between the emission and resonator regions. The designed magnet system further ensures the co-linearity of the magnetic axis with that of the beam axis with custom winding techniques apart from a smooth collection of beam with the collector magnet profiles. The designed magnets have been wound after several R & D validations. The superconducting magnet has been housed inside a low loss designed cryostat with in-built radial and axial alignment flexibilities to certain extent. The cryostat further houses liquid helium port, liquid nitrogen ports, current communication ports, ports for monitoring helium level and other instrumentations apart from over-pressure safety intensive burst disks etc. The entire magnet system comprising of warm and superconducting magnets has been installed and integrated in the Gyrotron test set-up. The magnet system has been aligned in both warm and when the superconducting cavity magnet is cold. The integrated geometric axes have been experimentally ensured as well as the field profiles have been measured with the magnets being charged. Under experimental conditions

The Validity Of "TDS-DTM": A Strategic Methodology Of Merchandise Development Of New JIT-Key To The Excellence Design LEXUS

OpenAIRE

Kakuro Amasaka

2011-01-01

Recently, the author has touched on the development of the principle of New JIT and its validity. In this paper, the author presents TDS-DTM (Toyota Development System-Design Technical Methods) as a methodology of New JIT, which contributes to strategic product development. The excellence profile design of LEXUS has achieved by TDS-DTM.

Design, Construction, and Validation of Artificial MicroRNA Vectors Using Agrobacterium-Mediated Transient Expression System.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhagwat, Basdeo; Chi, Ming; Han, Dianwei; Tang, Haifeng; Tang, Guiliang; Xiang, Yu

2016-01-01

Artificial microRNA (amiRNA) technology utilizes microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis pathway to produce artificially selected small RNAs using miRNA gene backbone. It provides a feasible strategy for inducing loss of gene function, and has been applied in functional genomics study, improvement of crop quality and plant virus disease resistance. A big challenge in amiRNA applications is the unpredictability of silencing efficacy of the designed amiRNAs and not all constructed amiRNA candidates would be expressed effectively in plant cells. We and others found that high efficiency and specificity in RNA silencing can be achieved by designing amiRNAs with perfect or almost perfect sequence complementarity to their targets. In addition, we recently demonstrated that Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression system can be used to validate amiRNA constructs, which provides a simple, rapid and effective method to select highly expressible amiRNA candidates for stable genetic transformation. Here, we describe the methods for design of amiRNA candidates with perfect or almost perfect base-pairing to the target gene or gene groups, incorporation of amiRNA candidates in miR168a gene backbone by one step inverse PCR amplification, construction of plant amiRNA expression vectors, and assay of transient expression of amiRNAs in Nicotiana benthamiana through agro-infiltration, small RNA extraction, and amiRNA Northern blot.

Preliminary design of a small air loop for system analysis and validation of Cathare code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchand, M.; Saez, M.; Tauveron, N.; Tenchine, D.; Germain, T.; Geffraye, G.; Ruby, G.P.

2007-01-01

The French Atomic Energy Commission (Cea) is carrying on the design of a Small Air Loop for System Analysis (SALSA), devoted to the study of gas cooled nuclear reactors behaviour in normal and incidental/accidental operating conditions. The reduced size of the SALSA components compared to a full-scale reactor and air as gaseous coolant instead of Helium will allow an easy management of the loop. The main purpose of SALSA will be the validation of the associated thermal hydraulic safety simulation codes, like CATHARE. The main goal of this paper is to present the methodology used to define the characteristics of the loop. In a first step, the study has been focused on a direct-cycle system for the SALSA loop with few global constraints using a similarity analysis to support the definition and design of the loop. Similarity requirements have been evaluated to determine the scale factors which have to be applied to the SALSA loop components. The preliminary conceptual design of the SALSA plant with a definition of each component has then be carried out. The whole plant has been modelled using the CATHARE code. Calculations of the SALSA steady-state in nominal conditions and of different plant transients in direct-cycle have been made. The first system results obtained on the global behaviour of the loop confirm that SALSA can be representative of a Gas-Cooled nuclear reactor with some minor design modifications. In a second step, the current prospects focus on the SALSA loop capability to reproduce correctly the heat transfer occurring in specific incidental situations. Heat decay removal by natural convection is a crucial point of interest. The first results show that the behaviour and the efficiency of the loop are strongly influenced by the definition of the main parameters for each component. A complete definition of SALSA is under progress. (authors)

Design and validation of a highly discriminatory 10-locus Y-chromosome STR multiplex system

KAUST Repository

D'Amato, María Eugenia

2011-03-01

The Y-chromosome STRs (short tandem repeat) markers are routinely utilized in the resolution of forensic casework related to sexual assault. For this, the forensic community has adopted a set of eleven (core) Y-STR that is incorporated in all commercial diagnostic systems. Our previous studies of Y-STR polymorphisms in the South African population identified low levels of diversity and discrimination capacity for many commercial marker sets, determining a limited applicability of these systems to the local population groups. To overcome this shortcoming, we designed a Y-STR 10-plex system that shows higher discriminatory capacity (DC) than available commercial systems. The markers were selected from a population group of 283 individuals with African, European and Asian ancestry genotyped at 45 Y-STRs, applying an optimization based selection procedure to achieve the highest possible DC with the minimal number of markers. The 10-plex was satisfactorily subjected to developmental validation tests following the SWGDAM guidelines and shows potential for its application to genealogical and evolutionary studies. © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

High performance APCS conceptual design and evaluation scoping study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soelberg, N.; Liekhus, K.; Chambers, A.; Anderson, G.

1998-02-01

This Air Pollution Control System (APCS) Conceptual Design and Evaluation study was conducted to evaluate a high-performance (APC) system for minimizing air emissions from mixed waste thermal treatment systems. Seven variations of high-performance APCS designs were conceptualized using several design objectives. One of the system designs was selected for detailed process simulation using ASPEN PLUS to determine material and energy balances and evaluate performance. Installed system capital costs were also estimated. Sensitivity studies were conducted to evaluate the incremental cost and benefit of added carbon adsorber beds for mercury control, specific catalytic reduction for NO x control, and offgas retention tanks for holding the offgas until sample analysis is conducted to verify that the offgas meets emission limits. Results show that the high-performance dry-wet APCS can easily meet all expected emission limits except for possibly mercury. The capability to achieve high levels of mercury control (potentially necessary for thermally treating some DOE mixed streams) could not be validated using current performance data for mercury control technologies. The engineering approach and ASPEN PLUS modeling tool developed and used in this study identified APC equipment and system performance, size, cost, and other issues that are not yet resolved. These issues need to be addressed in feasibility studies and conceptual designs for new facilities or for determining how to modify existing facilities to meet expected emission limits. The ASPEN PLUS process simulation with current and refined input assumptions and calculations can be used to provide system performance information for decision-making, identifying best options, estimating costs, reducing the potential for emission violations, providing information needed for waste flow analysis, incorporating new APCS technologies in existing designs, or performing facility design and permitting activities

Evaluation of biases present in the cohort multiple randomised controlled trial design : a simulation study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Candlish, Jane; Pate, Alexander; Sperrin, Matthew; Staa, Tjeerd P van

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: The cohort multiple randomised controlled trial (cmRCT) design provides an opportunity to incorporate the benefits of randomisation within clinical practice; thus reducing costs, integrating electronic healthcare records, and improving external validity. This study aims to address a key

Cooperative learning benefits scale: construction and validation studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Lopes

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to develop and validate a scale of benefits of the Cooperative Learning (SBCL given the exiguity of instruments that evaluate these outputs of the method. The study resorted to a convenience sample comprised of 162 students, males and females, aged between 11 and 18 years. The final instrument has 23 items in a two-dimensional factor structure: psychological and academic benefits and social benefits. The results indicate that the SBCL present good psychometric properties (construct and discriminant validity and reliability. The results are discussed in light of the model of cooperative learning.

BIOMOVS: an international model validation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haegg, C.; Johansson, G.

1988-01-01

BIOMOVS (BIOspheric MOdel Validation Study) is an international study where models used for describing the distribution of radioactive and nonradioactive trace substances in terrestrial and aquatic environments are compared and tested. The main objectives of the study are to compare and test the accuracy of predictions between such models, explain differences in these predictions, recommend priorities for future research concerning the improvement of the accuracy of model predictions and act as a forum for the exchange of ideas, experience and information. (author)

BIOMOVS: An international model validation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haegg, C.; Johansson, G.

1987-01-01

BIOMOVS (BIOspheric MOdel Validation Study) is an international study where models used for describing the distribution of radioactive and nonradioactive trace substances in terrestrial and aquatic environments are compared and tested. The main objectives of the study are to compare and test the accuracy of predictions between such models, explain differences in these predictions, recommend priorities for future research concerning the improvement of the accuracy of model predictions and act as a forum for the exchange of ideas, experience and information. (orig.)

Design and validation of a questionnaire to measure the attitudes of hospital staff concerning pandemic influenza.

Science.gov (United States)

Naghavi, Seyed Hamid Reza; Shabestari, Omid; Roudsari, Abdul V; Harrison, John

2012-03-01

When pandemics lead to a higher workload in the healthcare sector, the attitude of healthcare staff and, more importantly, the ability to predict the rate of absence due to sickness are crucial factors in emergency preparedness and resource allocation. The aim of this study was to design and validate a questionnaire to measure the attitude of hospital staff toward work attendance during an influenza pandemic. An online questionnaire was designed and electronically distributed to the staff of a teaching medical institution in the United Kingdom. The questionnaire was designed de novo following discussions with colleagues at Imperial College and with reference to the literature on the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic. The questionnaire included 15 independent fact variables and 33 dependent measure variables. A total of 367 responses were received in this survey. The data from the measurement variables were not normally distributed. Three different methods (standardized residuals, Mahalanobis distance and Cook's distance) were used to identify the outliers. In all, 19 respondents (5.17%) were identified as outliers and were excluded. The responses to this questionnaire had a wide range of missing data, from 1 to 74 cases in the measured variables. To improve the quality of the data, missing value analysis, using Expectation Maximization Algorithm (EMA) with a non-normal distribution model, was applied to the responses. The collected data were checked for homoscedasticity and multicollinearity of the variables. These tests suggested that some of the questions should be merged. In the last step, the reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated. This process showed that three questions reduced the reliability of the questionnaire. Removing those questions helped to achieve the desired level of reliability. With the changes proposed in this article, the questionnaire for measuring staff attitudes concerning pandemic influenza can be converted to a

Reliable and valid assessment of Lichtenstein hernia repair skills

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carlsen, C G; Lindorff Larsen, Karen; Funch-Jensen, P

2014-01-01

PURPOSE: Lichtenstein hernia repair is a common surgical procedure and one of the first procedures performed by a surgical trainee. However, formal assessment tools developed for this procedure are few and sparsely validated. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity...... of an assessment tool designed to measure surgical skills in Lichtenstein hernia repair. METHODS: Key issues were identified through a focus group interview. On this basis, an assessment tool with eight items was designed. Ten surgeons and surgical trainees were video recorded while performing Lichtenstein hernia...... a significant difference between the three groups which indicates construct validity, p skills can be assessed blindly by a single rater in a reliable and valid fashion with the new procedure-specific assessment tool. We recommend this tool for future assessment...

[Design and validation of a questionnaire to assess dietary behavior in Mexican students in the area of health].

Science.gov (United States)

Márquez-Sandoval, Yolanda Fabiola; Salazar-Ruiz, Erika Nohemi; Macedo-Ojeda, Gabriela; Altamirano-Martínez, Macedo-Ojeda; Bernal-Orozco, María Fernanda; Salas-Salvadó, Jordi; Vizmanos-Lamotte, Barbara

2014-07-01

The dietary behavior (DB) establishes the relationship between the human being and foods and has an influence on nutrient intake and, therefore, it contributes to the health or disease status of a population, even among college students. There exit some validated instruments to assess food and nutrients intake, but there are very few assessing DB. To design and validate a questionnaire to assess DB in Mexican college students. According to the literature and Reasoned Theory, a questionnaire assessing DB was designed. Its logic and content validity was determined by expert assessment. It was applied on two occasions with a 4-week interval to 333 students from the University of Guadalajara coursing the sixth semester of Medicine or Nutrition. The reproducibility was assessed by means of the interclass correlation coefficient. The construct validity and the internal consistency were calculated by Rasch analysis, for both the difficulty of the items and the subjects' capability. The questionnaire finally included 31 questions with multiple choice answers. The interclass correlation coefficient of the instrument was 0.76. The Cronbach alpha was 0.50 for the subjects' capability and 0.98 for the internal consistency of the items. 87.1% of the subjects and 89.8% of the items had INFIT and OUTFIT values within acceptable limits. The present questionnaire has the potentiality of measuring at low cost and in a practical way aspects related with DB in college student with the aim of establishing or following-up corrective or preventive actions. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Verification and validation benchmarks.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oberkampf, William Louis; Trucano, Timothy Guy

2007-02-01

Verification and validation (V&V) are the primary means to assess the accuracy and reliability of computational simulations. V&V methods and procedures have fundamentally improved the credibility of simulations in several high-consequence fields, such as nuclear reactor safety, underground nuclear waste storage, and nuclear weapon safety. Although the terminology is not uniform across engineering disciplines, code verification deals with assessing the reliability of the software coding, and solution verification deals with assessing the numerical accuracy of the solution to a computational model. Validation addresses the physics modeling accuracy of a computational simulation by comparing the computational results with experimental data. Code verification benchmarks and validation benchmarks have been constructed for a number of years in every field of computational simulation. However, no comprehensive guidelines have been proposed for the construction and use of V&V benchmarks. For example, the field of nuclear reactor safety has not focused on code verification benchmarks, but it has placed great emphasis on developing validation benchmarks. Many of these validation benchmarks are closely related to the operations of actual reactors at near-safety-critical conditions, as opposed to being more fundamental-physics benchmarks. This paper presents recommendations for the effective design and use of code verification benchmarks based on manufactured solutions, classical analytical solutions, and highly accurate numerical solutions. In addition, this paper presents recommendations for the design and use of validation benchmarks, highlighting the careful design of building-block experiments, the estimation of experimental measurement uncertainty for both inputs and outputs to the code, validation metrics, and the role of model calibration in validation. It is argued that the understanding of predictive capability of a computational model is built on the level of

External validity of post-stroke interventional gait rehabilitation studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Kafri, Michal; Dickstein, Ruth

2017-01-01

Gait rehabilitation is a major component of stroke rehabilitation, and is supported by extensive research. The objective of this review was to examine the external validity of intervention studies aimed at improving gait in individuals post-stroke. To that end, two aspects of these studies were assessed: subjects' exclusion criteria and the ecological validity of the intervention, as manifested by the intervention's technological complexity and delivery setting. Additionally, we examined whether the target population as inferred from the titles/abstracts is broader than the population actually represented by the reported samples. We systematically researched PubMed for intervention studies to improve gait post-stroke, working backwards from the beginning of 2014. Exclusion criteria, the technological complexity of the intervention (defined as either elaborate or simple), setting, and description of the target population in the titles/abstracts were recorded. Fifty-two studies were reviewed. The samples were exclusive, with recurrent stroke, co-morbidities, cognitive status, walking level, and residency being major reasons for exclusion. In one half of the studies, the intervention was elaborate. Descriptions of participants in the title/abstract in almost one half of the studies included only the diagnosis (stroke or comparable terms) and its stage (acute, subacute, and chronic). The external validity of a substantial number of intervention studies about rehabilitation of gait post-stroke appears to be limited by exclusivity of the samples as well as by deficiencies in ecological validity of the interventions. These limitations are not accurately reflected in the titles or abstracts of the studies.

Model-based verification and validation of the SMAP uplink processes

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, M. O.; Dubos, G. F.; Tirona, J.; Standley, S.

Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is being used increasingly within the spacecraft design community because of its benefits when compared to document-based approaches. As the complexity of projects expands dramatically with continually increasing computational power and technology infusion, the time and effort needed for verification and validation (V& V) increases geometrically. Using simulation to perform design validation with system-level models earlier in the life cycle stands to bridge the gap between design of the system (based on system-level requirements) and verifying those requirements/validating the system as a whole. This case study stands as an example of how a project can validate a system-level design earlier in the project life cycle than traditional V& V processes by using simulation on a system model. Specifically, this paper describes how simulation was added to a system model of the Soil Moisture Active-Passive (SMAP) mission's uplink process. Also discussed are the advantages and disadvantages of the methods employed and the lessons learned; which are intended to benefit future model-based and simulation-based development efforts.

A new adaptive videogame for training attention and executive functions: design principles and initial validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Montani, Veronica; De Filippo De Grazia, Michele; Zorzi, Marco

2014-01-01

A growing body of evidence suggests that action videogames could enhance a variety of cognitive skills and more specifically attention skills. The aim of this study was to develop a novel adaptive videogame to support the rehabilitation of the most common consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI), that is the impairment of attention and executive functions. TBI patients can be affected by psychomotor slowness and by difficulties in dealing with distraction, maintain a cognitive set for a long time, processing different simultaneously presented stimuli, and planning purposeful behavior. Accordingly, we designed a videogame that was specifically conceived to activate those functions. Playing involves visuospatial planning and selective attention, active maintenance of the cognitive set representing the goal, and error monitoring. Moreover, different game trials require to alternate between two tasks (i.e., task switching) or to perform the two tasks simultaneously (i.e., divided attention/dual-tasking). The videogame is controlled by a multidimensional adaptive algorithm that calibrates task difficulty on-line based on a model of user performance that is updated on a trial-by-trial basis. We report simulations of user performance designed to test the adaptive game as well as a validation study with healthy participants engaged in a training protocol. The results confirmed the involvement of the cognitive abilities that the game is supposed to enhance and suggested that training improved attentional control during play.

A new adaptive videogame for training attention and executive functions: design principles and initial validation

Science.gov (United States)

Montani, Veronica; De Filippo De Grazia, Michele; Zorzi, Marco

2014-01-01

A growing body of evidence suggests that action videogames could enhance a variety of cognitive skills and more specifically attention skills. The aim of this study was to develop a novel adaptive videogame to support the rehabilitation of the most common consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI), that is the impairment of attention and executive functions. TBI patients can be affected by psychomotor slowness and by difficulties in dealing with distraction, maintain a cognitive set for a long time, processing different simultaneously presented stimuli, and planning purposeful behavior. Accordingly, we designed a videogame that was specifically conceived to activate those functions. Playing involves visuospatial planning and selective attention, active maintenance of the cognitive set representing the goal, and error monitoring. Moreover, different game trials require to alternate between two tasks (i.e., task switching) or to perform the two tasks simultaneously (i.e., divided attention/dual-tasking). The videogame is controlled by a multidimensional adaptive algorithm that calibrates task difficulty on-line based on a model of user performance that is updated on a trial-by-trial basis. We report simulations of user performance designed to test the adaptive game as well as a validation study with healthy participants engaged in a training protocol. The results confirmed the involvement of the cognitive abilities that the game is supposed to enhance and suggested that training improved attentional control during play. PMID:24860529

Engineering design and development of lead lithium loop for thermo-fluid MHD studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, M.; Patel, Anita; Jaiswal, A.; Ranjan, A.; Mohanta, D.; Sahu, S.; Saraswat, A.; Rao, T.S.; Mehta, V.; Bhattacharyay, R.; Rajendra Kumar, E.

2017-01-01

In the frame of the design and development of LLCB TBM, number of R and D activities is in progress in the area of Pb-Li technology development. Molten Pb-Li is used as a tritium breeder and also as a coolant for the internals of the TBM structure. In presence of strong plasma confining toroidal magnetic field, motion of electrically conducting Pb-Li leads to Magneto Hydro Dynamic (MHD) phenomena, as a consequence of which the flow profile of Pb-Li is significantly modified inside the Pb-Li channels of TBM. This causes additional pressure drop inside TBM and affects the heat transfer from internal structure. The detail studies of these MHD effects are of prime importance for successful design of LLCB TBM and its performance evaluation. Although, various numerical MHD codes have been developed, validated in simple flow configuration and are being used to study MHD phenomena in LLCB TBM, experimental validation of these codes in TBM relevant complex flow geometry is yet to be performed. A Pb-Li MHD experimental loop is, therefore, being developed at IPR to perform thermo-fluid MHD experiments in various LLCB TBM relevant flow configuration. MHD experiments are planned with different test sections instrumented with potential pins, thermo couples, etc. under a uniform magnetic field of ∼1.4 T. The obtained experimental data will be analyzed to understand the MHD phenomena in TBM like flow configuration and also for validation of MHD codes. This paper describes the detailed process as well as engineering design of the Pb-Li MHD loop and its major components along with the plan of MHD experiments in various test mock ups. (author)

A Self-Image Questionnaire for Young Adolescents (SIQYA): Reliability and Validity Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Anne C.; And Others

1984-01-01

The Self-Image Questionnaire for Young Adolescents (SIQYA), an adaptation of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ), designed to measure aspects of self-image among young adolescents, was administered to two groups of sixth graders. The development of the SIQYA is described and reliability and validity results are presented. (EGS)

Learning Design of Problem Based Learning Model Based on Recommendations of Sintax Study and Contents Issues on Physics Impulse Materials with Experimental Activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristia Agustina

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This study aims to design learning Problem Based Learning Model based on syntax study recommendations and content issues on Physics Impulse materials through experiments. This research is a development research with Kemp model. The reference for making the learning design is the result of the syntax study and the content of existing PBL implementation problems from Agustina research. This instructional design is applied to the physics material about Impulse done through experimental activity. Limited trials were conducted on the SWCU Physics Education Study Program students group Salatiga, while the validity test was conducted by high school teachers and physics education lecturers. The results of the trial evaluation are limited and the validity test is used to improve the designs that have been made. The conclusion of this research is the design of learning by using PBL model on Impuls material by referring the result of syntax study and the problem content of existing PBL implementation can be produced by learning activity designed in laboratory experiment activity. The actual problem for Impuls material can be used car crash test video at factory. The results of validation tests and limited trials conducted by researchers assessed that the design of learning made by researchers can be used with small revisions. Suggestions from this research are in making learning design by using PBL model to get actual problem can by collecting news that come from newspaper, YouTube, internet, and television.

Game Coaching System Design and Development: A Retrospective Case Study of FPS Trainer

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Wee Hoe

2013-01-01

This paper is a retrospective case study of a game-based learning (GBL) researcher who cooperated with a professional gamer and a team of game developers to design and develop a coaching system for First-Person Shooter (FPS) players. The GBL researcher intended to verify the ecological validity of a model of cooperation; the developers wanted to…

The mechanical design and validation of the helical tube boilers for Hartlepool and Heysham AGR stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skinner, V.R.

1983-01-01

The 32 helically coiled once-through boiler units at Hartlepool and Heysham represent a major advance in the technologies of boiler design, manufacture and site construction. They are particularly complex in that they incorporate integral reheaters; they employ three different tubing materials and five different structural materials, each with operating temperature limitations; and they must fit compactly into pods in the reactor pressure vessel walls. A general description of the boilers is followed by a review of external factors which influenced the mechanical design and validation programme over 15 years. Against this background selected components are discussed in detail in terms of particular loading conditions and stress analysis. (author)

Study on the main control room design for Hamaoka Unit No.5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuruta, Tadakazu; Sakamoto, Minoru; Maruyama, Tohru; Saito, Tadashi

2000-01-01

The main control room of nuclear power station is important to operate the power station and to promote public acceptance of nuclear power station. To enhance them, there is an idea of high ceiling control room with a gallery room located in backside middle upper floor. The control room is expected to enhance habitability and to offer visitors the fine view of the control room. In this study, psychological and physiological influence of such a high ceiling control room design on operators was investigated first. And then some human engineering requirements for desirable main control room were identified. A control room (ceiling height: about 5 meters) adequate to the requirements was designed, and finally the validity of the design was verified by means of full mockup model room tests. The results of this study are applied to the main control room design of Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station Unit No.5 (Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.) (author)

Design, synthesis, and validation of a β-turn mimetic library targeting protein-protein and peptide-receptor interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitby, Landon R; Ando, Yoshio; Setola, Vincent; Vogt, Peter K; Roth, Bryan L; Boger, Dale L

2011-07-06

The design and synthesis of a β-turn mimetic library as a key component of a small-molecule library targeting the major recognition motifs involved in protein-protein interactions is described. Analysis of a geometric characterization of 10,245 β-turns in the protein data bank (PDB) suggested that trans-pyrrolidine-3,4-dicarboxamide could serve as an effective and synthetically accessible library template. This was confirmed by initially screening select compounds against a series of peptide-activated GPCRs that recognize a β-turn structure in their endogenous ligands. This validation study was highlighted by identification of both nonbasic and basic small molecules with high affinities (K(i) = 390 and 23 nM, respectively) for the κ-opioid receptor (KOR). Consistent with the screening capabilities of collaborators and following the design validation, the complete library was assembled as 210 mixtures of 20 compounds, providing a total of 4200 compounds designed to mimic all possible permutations of 3 of the 4 residues in a naturally occurring β-turn. Unique to the design and because of the C(2) symmetry of the template, a typical 20 × 20 × 20-mix (8000 compounds prepared as 400 mixtures of 20 compounds) needed to represent 20 variations in the side chains of three amino acid residues reduces to a 210 × 20-mix, thereby simplifying the library synthesis and subsequent screening. The library was prepared using a solution-phase synthetic protocol with liquid-liquid or liquid-solid extractions for purification and conducted on a scale that insures its long-term availability for screening campaigns. Screening the library against the human opioid receptors (KOR, MOR, and DOR) identified not only the activity of library members expected to mimic the opioid receptor peptide ligands but also additional side-chain combinations that provided enhanced receptor binding selectivities (>100-fold) and affinities (as low as K(i) = 80 nM for KOR). A key insight to emerge from

Genomic Biomarkers for Personalized Medicine: Development and Validation in Clinical Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shigeyuki Matsui

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The establishment of high-throughput technologies has brought substantial advances to our understanding of the biology of many diseases at the molecular level and increasing expectations on the development of innovative molecularly targeted treatments and molecular biomarkers or diagnostic tests in the context of clinical studies. In this review article, we position the two critical statistical analyses of high-dimensional genomic data, gene screening and prediction, in the framework of development and validation of genomic biomarkers or signatures, through taking into consideration the possible different strategies for developing genomic signatures. A wide variety of biomarker-based clinical trial designs to assess clinical utility of a biomarker or a new treatment with a companion biomarker are also discussed.

Development and community-based validation of the IDEA study Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IDEA-IADL questionnaire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cecilia Collingwood

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Background: The dementia diagnosis gap in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA is large, partly due to difficulties in assessing function, an essential step in diagnosis. Objectives: As part of the Identification and Intervention for Dementia in Elderly Africans (IDEA study, to develop, pilot, and validate an Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL questionnaire for use in a rural Tanzanian population to assist in the identification of people with dementia alongside cognitive screening. Design: The questionnaire was developed at a workshop for rural primary healthcare workers, based on culturally appropriate roles and usual activities of elderly people in this community. It was piloted in 52 individuals under follow-up from a dementia prevalence study. Validation subsequently took place during a community dementia-screening programme. Construct validation against gold standard clinical dementia diagnosis using DSM-IV criteria was carried out on a stratified sample of the cohort and validity assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC curve analysis. Results: An 11-item questionnaire (IDEA-IADL was developed after pilot testing. During formal validation on 130 community-dwelling elderly people who presented for screening, the AUROC curve was 0.896 for DSM-IV dementia when used in isolation and 0.937 when used in conjunction with the IDEA cognitive screen, previously validated in Tanzania. The internal consistency was 0.959. Performance on the IDEA-IADL was not biased with regard to age, gender or education level. Conclusions: The IDEA-IADL questionnaire appears to be a useful aid to dementia screening in this setting. Further validation in other healthcare settings in SSA is required.

Quasi-experimental study designs series-paper 7: assessing the assumptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bärnighausen, Till; Oldenburg, Catherine; Tugwell, Peter; Bommer, Christian; Ebert, Cara; Barreto, Mauricio; Djimeu, Eric; Haber, Noah; Waddington, Hugh; Rockers, Peter; Sianesi, Barbara; Bor, Jacob; Fink, Günther; Valentine, Jeffrey; Tanner, Jeffrey; Stanley, Tom; Sierra, Eduardo; Tchetgen, Eric Tchetgen; Atun, Rifat; Vollmer, Sebastian

2017-09-01

Quasi-experimental designs are gaining popularity in epidemiology and health systems research-in particular for the evaluation of health care practice, programs, and policy-because they allow strong causal inferences without randomized controlled experiments. We describe the concepts underlying five important quasi-experimental designs: Instrumental Variables, Regression Discontinuity, Interrupted Time Series, Fixed Effects, and Difference-in-Differences designs. We illustrate each of the designs with an example from health research. We then describe the assumptions required for each of the designs to ensure valid causal inference and discuss the tests available to examine the assumptions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A preliminary study to assess the construct validity of a cultural intelligence measure on a South African sample

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bright Mahembe

2014-09-01

Research purpose: The purpose of the current study was to assess the construct validity of the CQS on a South African sample. The results of the psychometric assessment offer some important insights into the factor structure of the cultural intelligence construct. Motivation for the study: The current study sought to provide some practical validity confirmation of the CQS for the effective management of cultural diversity in the South African context. Research approach, design and method: The CQS was administered on a non-probability sample of 229 young adults in South Africa. Item analysis was performed to ascertain reliability. Exploratory factor analysis was used to test the unidimensionality of CQS subscales. The first-order and second-order factor structures underlying contemporary models of cultural intelligence were tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Main findings: Results indicated that the CQS is a reliable and valid measure of cultural intelligence as evidenced by the high internal consistency coefficients in all the subscales. Good construct validity for both the first-order and second-order models was obtained via confirmatory factor analysis. Practical/managerial implications: The study finds good measurement properties of the CQS in a South African context. The CQS can be confidently used for applications such as selecting, training and developing a more culturally competent workforce. Contribution: The study extends the body of knowledge on the reliability and construct validity of the CQS in the South African milieu. It further indicates that cultural intelligence can be represented by a general cultural intelligence factor that drives more specific dimensions of cultural intelligence.

Design, construction and validation of a portable care system for the daily telerehabiliatation of gait.

Science.gov (United States)

Giansanti, Daniele; Morelli, Sandra; Maccioni, Giovanni; Brocco, Monica

2013-10-01

When designing a complete system of daily-telerehabilitation it should be borne in mind that properly designed methodologies should be furnished for patients to execute specific motion tasks and for care givers to assess the relevant parameters. Whether in hospital or at home, the system should feature two basic elements: (a) instrumented and walking aids or supports, (b) equipment for the assessment of parameters. Being gait the focus, the idea was to design, construct and validate - as an alternative to the complex and expensive instruments currently used - a simple, portable kit that may be easily interfaced/integrated with the most common mechanical tools used in motion rehabilitation (instrumented walkways, aids, supports), with feedback to both patient for self-monitoring and trainer/therapist (present or remote) for clinical reporting. The proposed system consists of: one step-counter, three couples of photo-emitter detectors, one central unit for collecting and processing the telemetrically transmitted data; a software interface on a dedicated PC and a network adapter. The system has been successfully validated in a clinical application on two groups of 16 subjects at the 1st and 2nd level of the Tinetti test. The degree of acceptance by subjects and care-givers was high. The system was also successfully compared with an Inertial Measurement Unit, a de facto standard. The portable kit can be used with different rehabilitation tools and different ground rugosity. The advantages are: (a) very low costs when compared with optoelectronic solutions and other portable solutions; (b) very high accuracy, also for subjects with imbalance problems; (c) good compatibility with any rehabilitative tool. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preliminary Validation of the Perceived Locus of Causality Scale for Academic Motivation in the Context of University Studies (PLOC-U)

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez de Miguel, Manuel; Lizaso, Izarne; Hermosilla, Daniel; Alcover, Carlos-Maria; Goudas, Marios; Arranz-Freijó, Enrique

2017-01-01

Background: Research has shown that self-determination theory can be useful in the study of motivation in sport and other forms of physical activity. The Perceived Locus of Causality (PLOC) scale was originally designed to study both. Aim: The current research presents and validates the new PLOC-U scale to measure academic motivation in the…

Distress Tolerance Scale: A Study of Reliability and Validity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmet Emre SARGIN

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Objective: Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS is developed by Simons and Gaher in order to measure individual differences in the capacity of distress tolerance.The aim of this study is to assess the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of DTS. Method: One hundred and sixty seven university students (male=66, female=101 participated in this study. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI, State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI and Discomfort Intolerance Scale (DIS were used to determine the criterion validity. Construct validity was evaluated with factor analysis after the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO and Barlett test had been performed. To assess the test-retest reliability, the scale was re-applied to 79 participants six weeks later. Results: To assess construct validity, factor analyses were performed using varimax principal components analysis with varimax rotation. While there were factors in the original study, our factor analysis resulted in three factors. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the entire scale and tolerance, regulation, self-efficacy subscales were .89, .90, .80 and .64 respectively. There were correlations at the level of 0.01 between the Trait Anxiety Inventory of STAI and BAI, and all the subscales of DTS and also between the State Anxiety Inventory and regulation subscale. Both of the subscales of DIS were correlated with the entire subscale and all the subscales except regulation at the level of 0.05.Test-retest reliability was statistically significant at the level of 0.01. Conclusion: Analysis demonstrated that DTS had a satisfactory level of reliability and validity in Turkish university students.

40 CFR 152.93 - Citation of a previously submitted valid study.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Data Submitters' Rights § 152.93 Citation of a previously submitted valid study. An applicant may demonstrate compliance for a data requirement by citing a valid study previously submitted to the Agency. The... the original data submitter, the applicant may cite the study only in accordance with paragraphs (b...

Turkish Version of Kolcaba's Immobilization Comfort Questionnaire: A Validity and Reliability Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tosun, Betül; Aslan, Özlem; Tunay, Servet; Akyüz, Aygül; Özkan, Hüseyin; Bek, Doğan; Açıksöz, Semra

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Immobilization Comfort Questionnaire (ICQ). The sample used in this methodological study consisted of 121 patients undergoing lower extremity arthroscopy in a training and research hospital. The validity study of the questionnaire assessed language validity, structural validity and criterion validity. Structural validity was evaluated via exploratory factor analysis. Criterion validity was evaluated by assessing the correlation between the visual analog scale (VAS) scores (i.e., the comfort and pain VAS scores) and the ICQ scores using Spearman's correlation test. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin coefficient and Bartlett's test of sphericity were used to determine the suitability of the data for factor analysis. Internal consistency was evaluated to determine reliability. The data were analyzed with SPSS version 15.00 for Windows. Descriptive statistics were presented as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. A p value ≤ .05 was considered statistically significant. A moderate positive correlation was found between the ICQ scores and the VAS comfort scores; a moderate negative correlation was found between the ICQ and the VAS pain measures in the criterion validity analysis. Cronbach α values of .75 and .82 were found for the first and second measurements, respectively. The findings of this study reveal that the ICQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the comfort of patients in Turkey who are immobilized because of lower extremity orthopedic problems. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Minimum-Energy Sub-Threshold Self-Timed Circuits: Design Methodology and a Case Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Akgun, Omer Can; Rodrigues, Joachim; Sparsø, Jens

2010-01-01

, which integrates the current sensing circuitry. The paper outlines a corresponding design flow, which is based on contemporary synchronous EDA tools, and which transforms a synchronous design, into a corresponding self-timed circuit. The design flow and the current-sensing technique is validated...

Development and Validation of a Rubric for Diagnosing Students' Experimental Design Knowledge and Difficulties.

Science.gov (United States)

Dasgupta, Annwesa P; Anderson, Trevor R; Pelaez, Nancy

2014-01-01

It is essential to teach students about experimental design, as this facilitates their deeper understanding of how most biological knowledge was generated and gives them tools to perform their own investigations. Despite the importance of this area, surprisingly little is known about what students actually learn from designing biological experiments. In this paper, we describe a rubric for experimental design (RED) that can be used to measure knowledge of and diagnose difficulties with experimental design. The development and validation of the RED was informed by a literature review and empirical analysis of undergraduate biology students' responses to three published assessments. Five areas of difficulty with experimental design were identified: the variable properties of an experimental subject; the manipulated variables; measurement of outcomes; accounting for variability; and the scope of inference appropriate for experimental findings. Our findings revealed that some difficulties, documented some 50 yr ago, still exist among our undergraduate students, while others remain poorly investigated. The RED shows great promise for diagnosing students' experimental design knowledge in lecture settings, laboratory courses, research internships, and course-based undergraduate research experiences. It also shows potential for guiding the development and selection of assessment and instructional activities that foster experimental design. © 2014 A. P. Dasgupta et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2014 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

World Workshop on Oral Medicine VI: an international validation study of clinical competencies for advanced training in oral medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Steele, John C; Clark, Hadleigh J; Hong, Catherine H L; Jurge, Sabine; Muthukrishnan, Arvind; Kerr, A Ross; Wray, David; Prescott-Clements, Linda; Felix, David H; Sollecito, Thomas P

2015-08-01

To explore international consensus for the validation of clinical competencies for advanced training in Oral Medicine. An electronic survey of clinical competencies was designed. The survey was sent to and completed by identified international stakeholders during a 10-week period. To be validated, an individual competency had to achieve 90% or greater consensus to keep it in its current format. Stakeholders from 31 countries responded. High consensus agreement was achieved with 93 of 101 (92%) competencies exceeding the benchmark for agreement. Only 8 warranted further attention and were reviewed by a focus group. No additional competencies were suggested. This is the first international validated study of clinical competencies for advanced training in Oral Medicine. These validated clinical competencies could provide a model for countries developing an advanced training curriculum for Oral Medicine and also inform review of existing curricula. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Control system design and validation platform development for small pressurized water reactors (SPWR) by coupling an engineering simulator and MATLAB/Simulink

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Peiwei; Zhao, Huanhuan; Liao, Longtao; Zhang, Jianmin; Su, Guanghui

2017-01-01

Highlights: • An SPWR control system design and validation platform is developed. • The platform is developed by coupling MATLAB/Simulink and an engineering simulator. • SPWR is modeled using Relap5 and preliminary control system is designed. • The platform is verified through numerical simulation over two typical load patterns. - Abstract: Significant progress has been made in the development of the small pressurized water reactors (SPWR). Unique characteristics of the SPWR deliver challenges to its control system design. In order to facilitate the control system design process and enhance its efficiency, it is important and necessary to establish a control system design and validation platform. Using shared memory technology, an engineering simulator coupled with MATLAB/Simulink is employed to achieve this objective. Shared memory is an efficient method to exchange data within programs. Dynamic data exchange and simulation time synchronization methods are particularly treated. To verify the platform, an SPWR with its control system is modeled using the platform and the simulator. Thermal-hydraulic modeling of the SPWR is carried out using Relap5, and its nodalization is introduced. The objectives of the control strategy are to maintain the average coolant temperature linearly varying with the reactor power and steam pressure constant. A preliminary SPWR control system is designed with proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers, and is implemented in MATLAB/Simulink associated with the engineering simulator. Subsequently, in order to evaluate the performance of the established simulation platform, transients of abrupt load changes and wide range load changes are simulated and simulation results are verified against those obtained from the engineering simulator alone. It is demonstrated that simulation results of both platforms are consistent with each other, which proves that the coupling of engineering simulator and MATLAB/Simulink is successful

The conceptualization and empirical validation of website user satisfaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moenaert, R.K.; Muylle, S.; Despontin, M.

2004-01-01

This article addresses the concern for effective web site design by means of the conceptualization and empirical validation of a web site user satisfaction construct. Based on IS success theory, hypermedia design theory, a qualitative exploratory pilot study, and a quantitative online critical

Human factors verification and validation of the advanced nuclear plant control room design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutierrez, Richard; Zizzo, David; Yu, Kim

2005-01-01

The GE Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) design has implemented the applicable human factors engineering (HFE) principles in the design of human-system interfaces (HSI). The ABWR uses unique features such as large mimic and touch-screen technology to present plant overviews and system operating details to the control room operating staff. The HSI designs, both in the console panels and the software generated graphical user interfaces, have been developed and evaluated using HFE guidelines. In addition to HFE guidelines reviews performed during design and implementation, broader reviews have been performed under the HFE Verification and Validation Implementation Plan (HFE V and VIP). Based upon the NUREG-0711, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) HFE Program Review Model (HFE PRM) (Reference 1), the HFE V and VIP, hereafter also referred to as V and V, has provided feedback during the various phases of design, implementation, and integration of the HSI. As one of the ten elements of the HFE PRM, the V and V activities reaffirm that the design of the HSI conforms to the HFE design principles and that the plant operating staff in the control room can perform their assigned tasks. This rigorous HFE V and V process is now being applied in the implementation of the ABWR design for Taiwan Power Company's Lungmen Power Station. Two 1350 MWe ABWR units are currently under construction at Lungmen. The HFE V and V ensures that the process for the design is compliant with the HFE principles. An important aspect of the Lungmen HFE program has been the direct involvement of the end user, Taiwan Power Company (TPC), throughout the design development and implementation. These HFE V and V activities, performed in three phases, ensures that the necessary displays, control, and alarms are provided to support the identified personnel tasks. The HFE V and V also checks to determine that the design of each identified component is compliant with the HFE principles. The V and V ensures

L-mode validation studies of gyrokinetic turbulence simulations via multiscale and multifield turbulence measurements on the DIII-D tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhodes, T.L.; Doyle, E.J.; Hillesheim, J.C.; Peebles, W.A.; Schmitz, L.; Holland, C.; Smith, S.P.; Burrell, K.H.; Candy, J.; DeBoo, J.C.; Kinsey, J.E.; Petty, C.C.; Prater, R.; Staebler, G.M.; Waltz, R.E.; White, A.E.; McKee, G.R.; Mikkelsen, D.; Parker, S.; Chen, Y.

2011-01-01

A series of carefully designed experiments on DIII-D have taken advantage of a broad set of turbulence and profile diagnostics to rigorously test gyrokinetic turbulence simulations. In this paper the goals, tools and experiments performed in these validation studies are reviewed and specific examples presented. It is found that predictions of transport and fluctuation levels in the mid-core region (0.4 < ρ < 0.75) are in better agreement with experiment than those in the outer region (ρ ≥ 0.75) where edge coupling effects may become increasingly important and multiscale simulations may also be necessary. Validation studies such as these are crucial in developing confidence in a first-principles based predictive capability for ITER.

Achieving external validity in home advantage research: generalizing crowd noise effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tony D Myers

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Different factors have been postulated to explain the home advantage phenomenon in sport. One plausible explanation investigated has been the influence of a partisan home crowd on sports officials’ decisions. Different types of studies have tested the crowd influence hypothesis including purposefully designed experiments. However, while experimental studies investigating crowd influences have high levels of internal validity, they suffer from a lack of external validity; decision-making in a laboratory setting bearing little resemblance to decision-making in live sports settings. This focused review initially considers threats to external validity in applied and theoretical experimental research. Discussing how such threats can be addressed using representative design by focusing on a recently published study that arguably provides the first experimental evidence of the impact of live crowd noise on officials in sport. The findings of this controlled experiment conducted in a real tournament setting offer some confirmation of the validity of laboratory experimental studies in the area. Finally directions for future research and the future conduct of crowd noise studies are discussed.

A Valid and Reliable Tool to Assess Nursing Students` Clinical Performance

OpenAIRE

Mehrnoosh Pazargadi; Tahereh Ashktorab; Sharareh Khosravi; Hamid Alavi majd

2013-01-01

Background: The necessity of a valid and reliable assessment tool is one of the most repeated issues in nursing students` clinical evaluation. But it is believed that present tools are not mostly valid and can not assess students` performance properly.Objectives: This study was conducted to design a valid and reliable assessment tool for evaluating nursing students` performance in clinical education.Methods: In this methodological study considering nursing students` performance definition; th...

The Cambridge Otology Quality of Life Questionnaire: an otology-specific patient-recorded outcome measure. A paper describing the instrument design and a report of preliminary reliability and validity.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, T P C; Moualed, D; Paul, A; Ronan, N; Tysome, J R; Donnelly, N P; Cook, R; Axon, P R

2015-04-01

The Cambridge Otology Quality of Life Questionnaire (COQOL) is a patient-recorded outcome measurement (PROM) designed to quantify the quality of life of patients attending otology clinics. Item-reduction model. A systematically designed long-form version (74 items) was tested with patient focus groups before being presented to adult otology patients (n. 137). Preliminary item analysis tested reliability, reducing the COQOL to 24 questions. This was then presented in conjunction with the SF-36 (V1) questionnaire to a total of 203 patients. Subsequently, these were re-presented at T + 3 months, and patients recorded whether they felt their condition had improved, deteriorated or remained the same. Non-responders were contacted by post. A correlation between COQOL scores and patient perception of change was examined to analyse content validity. Teaching hospital and university psychology department. Adult patients attending otology clinics with a wide range of otological conditions. Item reliability measured by item–total correlation, internal consistency and test– retest reliability. Validity measured by correlation between COQOL scores and patient-reported symptom change. Reliability: the COQOL showed excellent internal consistency at both initial presentation (a = 0.90) and 3 months later (a = 0.93). Validity: One-way analysis of variance showed a significant difference between groups reporting change and those reporting no change in quality of life (F(2, 80) = 5.866, P < 0.01). The COQOL is the first otology-specific PROM. Initial studies demonstrate excellent reliability and encouraging preliminary criterion validity: further studies will allow a deeper validation of the instrument.

Business design or Creative design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Suna; Lassen, Astrid Heidemann; Nielsen, Louise Møller

2008-01-01

Business design is about turning good ideas into future business, but it requires a great entrepreneurial opportunity to be exploited via a valid strategic and organizational design. The literature says much about how entrepreneurs design strategies and organizations, but how do they design...

An information architecture for validating courseware

OpenAIRE

Melia, Mark; Pahl, Claus

2007-01-01

Courseware validation should locate Learning Objects inconsistent with the courseware instructional design being used. In order for validation to take place it is necessary to identify the implicit and explicit information needed for validation. In this paper, we identify this information and formally define an information architecture to model courseware validation information explicitly. This promotes tool-support for courseware validation and its interoperability with the courseware specif...

Predicting asthma in preschool children with asthma symptoms: study rationale and design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hafkamp-de Groen Esther

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In well-child care it is difficult to determine whether preschool children with asthma symptoms actually have or will develop asthma at school age. The PIAMA (Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy Risk Score has been proposed as an instrument that predicts asthma at school age, using eight easy obtainable parameters, assessed at the time of first asthma symptoms at preschool age. The aim of this study is to present the rationale and design of a study 1 to externally validate and update the PIAMA Risk Score, 2 to develop an Asthma Risk Appraisal Tool to predict asthma at school age in (specific subgroups of preschool children with asthma symptoms and 3 to test implementation of the Asthma Risk Appraisal Tool in well-child care. Methods and design The study will be performed within the framework of Generation R, a prospective multi-ethnic cohort study. In total, consent for postnatal follow-up was obtained from 7893 children, born between 2002 and 2006. At preschool age the PIAMA Risk Score will be assessed and used to predict asthma at school age. Discrimination (C-index and calibration will be assessed for the external validation. We will study whether the predictive ability of the PIAMA Risk Score can be improved by removing or adding predictors (e.g. preterm birth. The (updated PIAMA Risk Score will be converted to the Asthma Risk Appraisal Tool- to predict asthma at school age in preschool children with asthma symptoms. Additionally, we will conduct a pilot study to test implementation of the Asthma Risk Appraisal Tool in well-child care. Discussion Application of the Asthma Risk Appraisal Tool in well-child care will help to distinguish preschool children at high- and low-risk of developing asthma at school age when asthma symptoms appear. This study will increase knowledge about the validity of the PIAMA risk score and might improve risk assessment of developing asthma at school age in (specific subgroups

When Educational Material Is Delivered: A Mixed Methods Content Validation Study of the Information Assessment Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Badran, Hani; Pluye, Pierre; Grad, Roland

2017-03-14

The Information Assessment Method (IAM) allows clinicians to report the cognitive impact, clinical relevance, intention to use, and expected patient health benefits associated with clinical information received by email. More than 15,000 Canadian physicians and pharmacists use the IAM in continuing education programs. In addition, information providers can use IAM ratings and feedback comments from clinicians to improve their products. Our general objective was to validate the IAM questionnaire for the delivery of educational material (ecological and logical content validity). Our specific objectives were to measure the relevance and evaluate the representativeness of IAM items for assessing information received by email. A 3-part mixed methods study was conducted (convergent design). In part 1 (quantitative longitudinal study), the relevance of IAM items was measured. Participants were 5596 physician members of the Canadian Medical Association who used the IAM. A total of 234,196 ratings were collected in 2012. The relevance of IAM items with respect to their main construct was calculated using descriptive statistics (relevance ratio R). In part 2 (qualitative descriptive study), the representativeness of IAM items was evaluated. A total of 15 family physicians completed semistructured face-to-face interviews. For each construct, we evaluated the representativeness of IAM items using a deductive-inductive thematic qualitative data analysis. In part 3 (mixing quantitative and qualitative parts), results from quantitative and qualitative analyses were reviewed, juxtaposed in a table, discussed with experts, and integrated. Thus, our final results are derived from the views of users (ecological content validation) and experts (logical content validation). Of the 23 IAM items, 21 were validated for content, while 2 were removed. In part 1 (quantitative results), 21 items were deemed relevant, while 2 items were deemed not relevant (R=4.86% [N=234,196] and R=3.04% [n

Using a 3D virtual supermarket to measure food purchase behavior: a validation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Waterlander, Wilma Elzeline; Jiang, Yannan; Steenhuis, Ingrid Hendrika Margaretha; Ni Mhurchu, Cliona

2015-04-28

There is increasing recognition that supermarkets are an important environment for health-promoting interventions such as fiscal food policies or front-of-pack nutrition labeling. However, due to the complexities of undertaking such research in the real world, well-designed randomized controlled trials on these kinds of interventions are lacking. The Virtual Supermarket is a 3-dimensional computerized research environment designed to enable experimental studies in a supermarket setting without the complexity or costs normally associated with undertaking such research. The primary objective was to validate the Virtual Supermarket by comparing virtual and real-life food purchasing behavior. A secondary objective was to obtain participant feedback on perceived sense of "presence" (the subjective experience of being in one place or environment even if physically located in another) in the Virtual Supermarket. Eligible main household shoppers (New Zealand adults aged ≥18 years) were asked to conduct 3 shopping occasions in the Virtual Supermarket over 3 consecutive weeks, complete the validated Presence Questionnaire Items Stems, and collect their real supermarket grocery till receipts for that same period. Proportional expenditure (NZ$) and the proportion of products purchased over 18 major food groups were compared between the virtual and real supermarkets. Data were analyzed using repeated measures mixed models. A total of 123 participants consented to take part in the study. In total, 69.9% (86/123) completed 1 shop in the Virtual Supermarket, 64.2% (79/123) completed 2 shops, 60.2% (74/123) completed 3 shops, and 48.8% (60/123) returned their real supermarket till receipts. The 4 food groups with the highest relative expenditures were the same for the virtual and real supermarkets: fresh fruit and vegetables (virtual estimate: 14.3%; real: 17.4%), bread and bakery (virtual: 10.0%; real: 8.2%), dairy (virtual: 19.1%; real: 12.6%), and meat and fish (virtual: 16

Verification and validation benchmarks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oberkampf, William Louis; Trucano, Timothy Guy

2007-01-01

Verification and validation (V and V) are the primary means to assess the accuracy and reliability of computational simulations. V and V methods and procedures have fundamentally improved the credibility of simulations in several high-consequence fields, such as nuclear reactor safety, underground nuclear waste storage, and nuclear weapon safety. Although the terminology is not uniform across engineering disciplines, code verification deals with assessing the reliability of the software coding, and solution verification deals with assessing the numerical accuracy of the solution to a computational model. Validation addresses the physics modeling accuracy of a computational simulation by comparing the computational results with experimental data. Code verification benchmarks and validation benchmarks have been constructed for a number of years in every field of computational simulation. However, no comprehensive guidelines have been proposed for the construction and use of V and V benchmarks. For example, the field of nuclear reactor safety has not focused on code verification benchmarks, but it has placed great emphasis on developing validation benchmarks. Many of these validation benchmarks are closely related to the operations of actual reactors at near-safety-critical conditions, as opposed to being more fundamental-physics benchmarks. This paper presents recommendations for the effective design and use of code verification benchmarks based on manufactured solutions, classical analytical solutions, and highly accurate numerical solutions. In addition, this paper presents recommendations for the design and use of validation benchmarks, highlighting the careful design of building-block experiments, the estimation of experimental measurement uncertainty for both inputs and outputs to the code, validation metrics, and the role of model calibration in validation. It is argued that the understanding of predictive capability of a computational model is built on the

Verification and validation benchmarks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oberkampf, William L.; Trucano, Timothy G.

2008-01-01

Verification and validation (V and V) are the primary means to assess the accuracy and reliability of computational simulations. V and V methods and procedures have fundamentally improved the credibility of simulations in several high-consequence fields, such as nuclear reactor safety, underground nuclear waste storage, and nuclear weapon safety. Although the terminology is not uniform across engineering disciplines, code verification deals with assessing the reliability of the software coding, and solution verification deals with assessing the numerical accuracy of the solution to a computational model. Validation addresses the physics modeling accuracy of a computational simulation by comparing the computational results with experimental data. Code verification benchmarks and validation benchmarks have been constructed for a number of years in every field of computational simulation. However, no comprehensive guidelines have been proposed for the construction and use of V and V benchmarks. For example, the field of nuclear reactor safety has not focused on code verification benchmarks, but it has placed great emphasis on developing validation benchmarks. Many of these validation benchmarks are closely related to the operations of actual reactors at near-safety-critical conditions, as opposed to being more fundamental-physics benchmarks. This paper presents recommendations for the effective design and use of code verification benchmarks based on manufactured solutions, classical analytical solutions, and highly accurate numerical solutions. In addition, this paper presents recommendations for the design and use of validation benchmarks, highlighting the careful design of building-block experiments, the estimation of experimental measurement uncertainty for both inputs and outputs to the code, validation metrics, and the role of model calibration in validation. It is argued that the understanding of predictive capability of a computational model is built on the

Designing Robust Process Analytical Technology (PAT) Systems for Crystallization Processes: A Potassium Dichromate Crystallization Case Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abdul Samad, Noor Asma Fazli Bin; Sin, Gürkan

2013-01-01

The objective of this study is to test and validate a Process Analytical Technology (PAT) system design on a potassium dichromate crystallization process in the presence of input uncertainties using uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. To this end a systematic framework for managing uncertaintie...

Discomfort Intolerance Scale: A Study of Reliability and Validity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kadir ÖZDEL

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: Discomfort Intolerance Scale was developed by Norman B. Schmidt et al. to assess the individual differences of capacity to withstand physical perturbations or uncomfortable bodily states (2006. The aim of this study is to investigate the validity and reliability of Discomfort Intolerance Scale-Turkish Version (RDÖ. Method: From two different universities, total of 225 students (male=167, female=58 were participated in this study. In order to determine the criterion validity, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI were used. Construct validity was evaluated by factor analysis after the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO and Barlett test had been performed. To assess the test-retest reliability the scale was re-applied to 54 participants 6 weeks later. Results: To assess construct validity of DIS, factor analyses were performed using varimax principal components analysis with varimax rotation. The factor analysis resulted in two factors named “discomfort (in tolerance” and “discomfort avoidance”. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the entire scale, discomfort-(intolerance subscale, discomfortavoidance subscale were, .592, .670, .600 respectively. Correlations between two factors of DIS, discomfort intolerance and discomfort avoidance, and Trait Anxiety Inventory of STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were statistically significant at the level of 0.05. Test-retest reliability was statistically significant at the level of 0.01. Conclusion: Analysis demonstrated that DIS had a satisfactory level of reliability and validity in Turkish university students.

Priority issues, study designs and geographical distribution in nutrition journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz-Moncada, R; González-Zapata, L; Ruiz-Cantero, M T; Clemente-Gómez, V

2011-01-01

The increased number of articles published in nutrition is a reflection of the relevance to scientific community. The characteristics and quality of nutritional studies determine whether readers can obtain valid conclusions from them, as well as their usefulness for evidence-based strategic policies. To determine the characteristics of papers published in nutrition journals. Descriptive study design. We reviewed 330 original papers published between January-June 2007. From: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN), Journal of Nutrition, European Journal Nutrition, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Public Health Nutrition. We classified them according to the subjects studied; risk factors, study design and country of origin. Almost half the papers studied healthy people (53.3%). The most frequent illness was obesity (13.9%). Food consumption is the most frequent risk factor (63.3%). Social factors appear exclusively only in 3.6% of the papers. Clinical trials were the most common analytical design (31.8%), mainly in the AJCN (45.6%). Cross-sectional studies were the most frequent type of observational design (37.9%). Ten countries produced over half of the papers (51.3%). The US publishes the highest number of papers (20.6%), whilst developing countries make only scarce contributions to scientific literature on nutrition. Most of the papers had inferential power. They generally studied both healthy and sick subjects, coinciding with the aims of international scientific policies. However, the topics covered reflect a clear bias, prioritizing problems pertaining to developed countries. Social determinants of health should also be considered, along with behavioral and biological risk factors.

A Branch and Bound Approach for Truss Topology Design Problems with Valid Inequalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cerveira, Adelaide; Agra, Agostinho; Bastos, Fernando; Varum, Humberto

2010-01-01

One of the classical problems in the structural optimization field is the Truss Topology Design Problem (TTDP) which deals with the selection of optimal configuration for structural systems for applications in mechanical, civil, aerospace engineering, among others. In this paper we consider a TTDP where the goal is to find the stiffest truss, under a given load and with a bound on the total volume. The design variables are the cross-section areas of the truss bars that must be chosen from a given finite set. This results in a large-scale non-convex problem with discrete variables. This problem can be formulated as a Semidefinite Programming Problem (SDP problem) with binary variables. We propose a branch and bound algorithm to solve this problem. In this paper it is considered a binary formulation of the problem, to take advantage of its structure, which admits a Knapsack problem as subproblem. Thus, trying to improve the performance of the Branch and Bound, at each step, some valid inequalities for the Knapsack problem are included.

A new adaptive videogame for training attention and executive functions: Design principles and initial validation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veronica eMontani

2014-05-01

Full Text Available A growing body of evidence suggests that action videogames could enhance a variety of cognitive skills and more specifically attention skills. The aim of this study was to develop a novel adaptive videogame to support the rehabilitation of the most common consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI, that is the impairment of attention and executive functions. TBI patients can be affected by psychomotor slowness and by difficulties in dealing with distraction, maintain a cognitive set for a long time, processing different simultaneously presented stimuli, and planning purposeful behaviour. Accordingly, we designed a videogame that was specifically conceived to activate those functions. Playing involves visuospatial planning and selective attention, active maintenance of the cognitive set representing the goal, and error monitoring. Moreover, different game trials require to alternate between two tasks (i.e., task switching or to perform the two tasks simultaneously (i.e., divided attention / dual-tasking. The videogame is controlled by a multidimensional adaptive algorithm that calibrates task difficulty on-line based on a model of user performance that is updated on a trial-by-trial basis. We report simulations of user performance designed to test the adaptive game as well as a validation study with healthy participants engaged in a training protocol. The results confirmed the involvement of the cognitive abilities that the game is supposed to enhance and suggested that training improved attentional control during play.

Development and Validation of the Motivations for Selection of Medical Study (MSMS Questionnaire in India.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonu Goel

Full Text Available Understanding medical students' motivation to select medical studies is particularly salient to inform practice and policymaking in countries-such as India-where shortage of medical personnel poses crucial and chronical challenges to healthcare systems. This study aims to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess the motivation of medical students to select medical studies.A Motivation for Selection of Medical Study (MSMS questionnaire was developed using extensive literature review followed by Delphi technique. The scale consisted of 12 items, 5 measuring intrinsic dimensions of motivations and 7 measuring extrinsic dimensions. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, validity, reliability and data quality checks were conducted on a sample of 636 medical students from six medical colleges of three North Indian states.The MSMS questionnaire consisted of 3 factors (subscales and 8 items. The three principal factors that emerged after EFA were the scientific factor (e.g. research opportunities and the ability to use new cutting edge technologies, the societal factor (e.g. job security and the humanitarian factor (e.g. desire to help others. The CFA conducted showed goodness-of-fit indices supporting the 3-factor model.The three extracted factors cut across the traditional dichotomy between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and uncover a novel three-faceted motivation construct based on scientific factors, societal expectations and humanitarian needs. This validated instrument can be used to evaluate the motivational factors of medical students to choose medical study in India and similar settings and constitutes a powerful tool for policymakers to design measures able to increase selection of medical curricula.

Development and validation of the Alcohol Myopia Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Lac, Andrew; Berger, Dale E

2013-09-01

Alcohol myopia theory conceptualizes the ability of alcohol to narrow attention and how this demand on mental resources produces the impairments of self-inflation, relief, and excess. The current research was designed to develop and validate a scale based on this framework. People who were alcohol users rated items representing myopic experiences arising from drinking episodes in the past month. In Study 1 (N = 260), the preliminary 3-factor structure was supported by exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2 (N = 289), the 3-factor structure was substantiated with confirmatory factor analysis, and it was superior in fit to an empirically indefensible 1-factor structure. The final 14-item scale was evaluated with internal consistency reliability, discriminant validity, convergent validity, criterion validity, and incremental validity. The alcohol myopia scale (AMS) illuminates conceptual underpinnings of this theory and yields insights for understanding the tunnel vision that arises from intoxication.

Reducing Bias and Increasing Precision by Adding Either a Pretest Measure of the Study Outcome or a Nonequivalent Comparison Group to the Basic Regression Discontinuity Design: An Example from Education

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Yang; Cook, Thomas D.; Kisbu-Sakarya, Yasemin

2015-01-01

Regression discontinuity design (RD) has been widely used to produce reliable causal estimates. Researchers have validated the accuracy of RD design using within study comparisons (Cook, Shadish & Wong, 2008; Cook & Steiner, 2010; Shadish et al, 2011). Within study comparisons examines the validity of a quasi-experiment by comparing its…

Test of Creative Imagination: Validity and Reliability Study

Science.gov (United States)

Gundogan, Aysun; Ari, Meziyet; Gonen, Mubeccel

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate validity and reliability of the test of creative imagination. This study was conducted with the participation of 1000 children, aged between 9-14 and were studying in six primary schools in the city center of Denizli Province, chosen by cluster ratio sampling. In the study, it was revealed that the…

Valid knowledge for the professional design of large and complex design processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aken, van J.E.

2004-01-01

The organization and planning of design processes, which we may regard as design process design, is an important issue. Especially for large and complex design-processes traditional approaches to process design may no longer suffice. The design literature gives quite some design process models. As

Conceptual core design study for Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor: Review of sodium void reactivity worth evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohki, Shigeo

2012-01-01

The conceptual core design study for a large-scale Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor (JSFR) have been carried out in the framework of the FaCT project. The reference “High-internal conversion” core can satisfy the requirements for enhanced safety, as well as achieving economic competitiveness. In order to increase the design reliability, more rigorous uncertainty evaluation is important. Development of the verification and validation methodology of the core neutronic design method is currently underway. (author)

Medical record validation of maternally reported history of preeclampsia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M. Coolman (Marianne); C.J.M. de Groot (Christianne); V.W.V. Jaddoe (Vincent); A. Hofman (Albert); H. Raat (Hein); E.A.P. Steegers (Eric)

2010-01-01

textabstractObjective: In this study, we assessed the validity of maternally self-reported history of preeclampsia. Study Design and Setting: This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a population-based prospective cohort study. Data were obtained from prenatal questionnaires and one

Evaluation of an adaptive game that uses EEG measures validated during the design process as inputs to a biocybernetic loop

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kate eEwing

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Biocybernetic adaptation is a form of physiological computing whereby real-time data streaming from the brain and body is used by a negative control loop to adapt the user interface. This paper describes the development of an adaptive game system that is designed to maximize player engagement by utilizing changes in real-time EEG to adjust the level of game demand. The research consists of four main stages (1 the development of a conceptual framework upon which to model the interaction between person and system, (2 the validation of the psychophysiological inference underpinning the loop, (3 the construction of a working prototype, and (4 an evaluation of the adaptive game. Two studies are reported; the first demonstrates the sensitivity of EEG power in the (frontal theta and (parietal alpha bands to changing levels of game demand. These variables were then reformulated within the working biocybernetic control loop designed to maximize player engagement. The second study evaluated the performance of an adaptive game of Tetris with respect to system behavior and user experience. Important issues for the design and evaluation of closed-loop interfaces are discussed.

Evaluation of an Adaptive Game that Uses EEG Measures Validated during the Design Process as Inputs to a Biocybernetic Loop.

Science.gov (United States)

Ewing, Kate C; Fairclough, Stephen H; Gilleade, Kiel

2016-01-01

Biocybernetic adaptation is a form of physiological computing whereby real-time data streaming from the brain and body is used by a negative control loop to adapt the user interface. This article describes the development of an adaptive game system that is designed to maximize player engagement by utilizing changes in real-time electroencephalography (EEG) to adjust the level of game demand. The research consists of four main stages: (1) the development of a conceptual framework upon which to model the interaction between person and system; (2) the validation of the psychophysiological inference underpinning the loop; (3) the construction of a working prototype; and (4) an evaluation of the adaptive game. Two studies are reported. The first demonstrates the sensitivity of EEG power in the (frontal) theta and (parietal) alpha bands to changing levels of game demand. These variables were then reformulated within the working biocybernetic control loop designed to maximize player engagement. The second study evaluated the performance of an adaptive game of Tetris with respect to system behavior and user experience. Important issues for the design and evaluation of closed-loop interfaces are discussed.

Design and analysis of control systems case studies

CERN Document Server

Stein Shiromoto, Humberto

2017-01-01

This book provides methods to unify different approaches to tackle stability theory problems. In particular, it presents a methodology to blend approaches obtained from measure theory with methods obtained from Lyapunov’s stability theory. The author summarizes recent works on how different analysis/design methods can be unified and employed for systems that do not belong to either of domains of validity.

Ella-V and technology usage technology usage in an english language and literacy acquisition validation randomized controlled trial study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roisin P. Corcoran

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the use of technology to provide virtual professional development (VPD for teachers and to conduct classroom observations in a study of English Language Learner (ELL instruction in grades K–3. The technology applications were part of a cluster randomized control trial (RCT design for a federally funded longitudinal validation study of a particular program, English Language and Literacy Acquisition-Validation, ELLA- V, to determine its degree of impact on English oral language/literacy, reading, and science across 63 randomly assigned urban, suburban, and rural schools (first year of implementation. ELLA-V also examines the impact of bimonthly VPD for treatment teachers compared to comparison group teachers on pedagogical skills, measured by sound observation instruments, and on student achievement, measured by state/national English language/literacy/reading tests and a national science test. This study features extensive technology use via virtual observations, bimonthly VPD, and randomly assigned treatment and control schools with students served in English as second language (ESL instructional time. The study design and methodology are discussed relativeto the specialized uses of technology and issues involving the evaluation of technology’s contribution to the intervention of interest and of the efficient, cost-effective execution of the study.

Methodology for the nuclear design validation of an Alternate Emergency Management Centre (CAGE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hueso César

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The methodology is devised by coupling different codes. The study of weather conditions as part of the data of the site will determine the relative concentrations of radionuclides in the air using ARCON96. The activity in the air is characterized depending on the source and release sequence specified in NUREG-1465 by RADTRAD code, which provides results of the inner cloud source term contribution. Known activities and energy spectra are inferred using ORIGEN-S, which are used as input for the models of the outer cloud, filters and containment generated with MCNP5. The sum of the different contributions must meet the conditions of habitability specified by the CSN (Spanish Nuclear Regulatory Body (TEDE <50 mSv and equivalent dose to the thyroid <500 mSv within 30 days following the accident doses so that the dose is optimized by varying parameters including CAGE location, flow filtering need for recirculation, thicknesses and compositions of the walls, etc. The results for the most penalizing area meet the established criteria, and therefore the CAGE building design based on the methodology presented is radiologically validated.

Methodology for the nuclear design validation of an Alternate Emergency Management Centre (CAGE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hueso César

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The methodology is devised by coupling different codes. The study of weather conditions as part of the data of the site will determine the relative concentrations of radionuclides in the air using ARCON96. The activity in the air is characterized depending on the source and release sequence specified in NUREG-1465 by RADTRAD code, which provides results of the inner cloud source term contribution. Known activities, energy spectra are inferred using ORIGEN-S, which are used as input for the models of the outer cloud, filters and containment generated with MCNP5. The sum of the different contributions must meet the conditions of habitability specified by the CSN (Spanish Nuclear Regulatory Body (TEDE <50 mSv and equivalent dose to the thyroid <500 mSv within 30 days following the accident doses so that the dose is optimized by varying parameters such as CAGE location, flow filtering need for recirculation, thicknesses and compositions of the walls, etc. The results for the most penalizing area meet the established criteria, and therefore the CAGE building design based on the methodology presented is radiologically validated.

DNA-based and geometric morphometric analysis to validate species designation: a case study of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys bicolor.

Science.gov (United States)

Stolz, J F B; Gonçalves, G L; Leipnitz, L; Freitas, T R O

2013-10-25

The genus Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) shows several taxonomic inconsistencies. In this study, we used an integrative approach including DNA sequences, karyotypes, and geometric morphometrics to evaluate the taxonomic validity of a nominal species, Ctenomys bicolor, which was described based on only one specimen in 1912 by Miranda Ribeiro, and since then neglected. We sampled near the type locality assigned to this species and collected 10 specimens. A total of 820 base pairs of the cytochrome b gene were sequenced and analyzed together with nine other species and four morphotypes obtained from GenBank. Bayesian analyses showed that C. bicolor is monophyletic and related to the Bolivian-Matogrossense group, a clade that originated about 3 mya. We compared the cranial shape through morphometric geometrics of C. bicolor, including the specimen originally sampled in 1912, with other species representative of the same phylogenetic group (C. boliviensis and C. steinbachi). C. bicolor shows unique skull traits that distinguish it from all other currently known taxa. Our findings confirm that the specimen collected by Miranda Ribeiro is a valid species, and improve the knowledge about Ctenomys in the Amazon region.

Integrating Materials, Manufacturing, Design and Validation for Sustainability in Future Transport Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, M. A.; Murphy, A.; Butterfield, J.; McCool, R.; Fleck, R.

2011-01-01

The predictive methods currently used for material specification, component design and the development of manufacturing processes, need to evolve beyond the current 'metal centric' state of the art, if advanced composites are to realise their potential in delivering sustainable transport solutions. There are however, significant technical challenges associated with this process. Deteriorating environmental, political, economic and social conditions across the globe have resulted in unprecedented pressures to improve the operational efficiency of the manufacturing sector generally and to change perceptions regarding the environmental credentials of transport systems in particular. There is a need to apply new technologies and develop new capabilities to ensure commercial sustainability in the face of twenty first century economic and climatic conditions as well as transport market demands. A major technology gap exists between design, analysis and manufacturing processes in both the OEMs, and the smaller companies that make up the SME based supply chain. As regulatory requirements align with environmental needs, manufacturers are increasingly responsible for the broader lifecycle aspects of vehicle performance. These include not only manufacture and supply but disposal and re-use or re-cycling. In order to make advances in the reduction of emissions coupled with improved economic efficiency through the provision of advanced lightweight vehicles, four key challenges are identified as follows: Material systems, Manufacturing systems, Integrated design methods using digital manufacturing tools and Validation systems. This paper presents a project which has been designed to address these four key issues, using at its core, a digital framework for the creation and management of key parameters related to the lifecycle performance of thermoplastic composite parts and structures. It aims to provide capability for the proposition, definition, evaluation and demonstration of

Integrating Materials, Manufacturing, Design and Validation for Sustainability in Future Transport Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Price, M. A.; Murphy, A.; Butterfield, J.; McCool, R.; Fleck, R.

2011-05-01

The predictive methods currently used for material specification, component design and the development of manufacturing processes, need to evolve beyond the current `metal centric' state of the art, if advanced composites are to realise their potential in delivering sustainable transport solutions. There are however, significant technical challenges associated with this process. Deteriorating environmental, political, economic and social conditions across the globe have resulted in unprecedented pressures to improve the operational efficiency of the manufacturing sector generally and to change perceptions regarding the environmental credentials of transport systems in particular. There is a need to apply new technologies and develop new capabilities to ensure commercial sustainability in the face of twenty first century economic and climatic conditions as well as transport market demands. A major technology gap exists between design, analysis and manufacturing processes in both the OEMs, and the smaller companies that make up the SME based supply chain. As regulatory requirements align with environmental needs, manufacturers are increasingly responsible for the broader lifecycle aspects of vehicle performance. These include not only manufacture and supply but disposal and re-use or re-cycling. In order to make advances in the reduction of emissions coupled with improved economic efficiency through the provision of advanced lightweight vehicles, four key challenges are identified as follows: Material systems, Manufacturing systems, Integrated design methods using digital manufacturing tools and Validation systems. This paper presents a project which has been designed to address these four key issues, using at its core, a digital framework for the creation and management of key parameters related to the lifecycle performance of thermoplastic composite parts and structures. It aims to provide capability for the proposition, definition, evaluation and demonstration of