Statistical Knowledge and the Over-Interpretation of Student Evaluations of Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boysen, Guy A.

2017-01-01

Research shows that teachers interpret small differences in student evaluations of teaching as meaningful even when available statistical information indicates that the differences are not reliable. The current research explored the effect of statistical training on college teachers' tendency to over-interpret student evaluation differences. A…

Evaluating the impacts of proposed speed limit increases in Michigan : research spotlight.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-01

Recent proposed speed limit legislation led MDOT to evaluate the : states current speed limit policies and potential alternatives. Currently, : Michigan freeways have a maximum speed limit of 70 mph for passenger : vehicles and 60 mph for trucks a...

Mobile Health Technology Evaluation

PubMed Central

Kumar, Santosh; Nilsen, Wendy J.; Abernethy, Amy; Atienza, Audie; Patrick, Kevin; Pavel, Misha; Riley, William T.; Shar, Albert; Spring, Bonnie; Spruijt-Metz, Donna; Hedeker, Donald; Honavar, Vasant; Kravitz, Richard; Lefebvre, R. Craig; Mohr, David C.; Murphy, Susan A.; Quinn, Charlene; Shusterman, Vladimir; Swendeman, Dallas

2013-01-01

Creative use of new mobile and wearable health information and sensing technologies (mHealth) has the potential to reduce the cost of health care and improve well-being in numerous ways. These applications are being developed in a variety of domains, but rigorous research is needed to examine the potential, as well as the challenges, of utilizing mobile technologies to improve health outcomes. Currently, evidence is sparse for the efficacy of mHealth. Although these technologies may be appealing and seemingly innocuous, research is needed to assess when, where, and for whom mHealth devices, apps, and systems are efficacious. In order to outline an approach to evidence generation in the field of mHealth that would ensure research is conducted on a rigorous empirical and theoretic foundation, on August 16, 2011, researchers gathered for the mHealth Evidence Workshop at NIH. The current paper presents the results of the workshop. Although the discussions at the meeting were cross-cutting, the areas covered can be categorized broadly into three areas: (1) evaluating assessments; (2) evaluating interventions; and, (3) reshaping evidence generation using mHealth. This paper brings these concepts together to describe current evaluation standards, future possibilities and set a grand goal for the emerging field of mHealth research. PMID:23867031

Evaluation of a youth agency's supervision practices: A mixed-method approach.

PubMed

Gosselin, Julie; Valiquette-Tessier, Sophie-Claire; Vandette, Marie-Pier; Romano, Elisa

2015-10-01

This research presents the findings from an evaluation and organizational development initiative that was requested by a Canadian youth agency working in a large urban setting. A team of four researchers affiliated with the Center for Research on Educational and Community Services (CRECS) at the University of Ottawa conducted the evaluation. The purpose of the evaluation was to identify the supervision needs and challenges of coordinators and front line staff, assess the efficiency of the current supervision practices, and evaluate the supervisors' and supervisees' satisfaction with these current practices. A literature review was performed to help provide a clear definition of 'supervision' and the different professional roles it encompasses. Additionally, research evidence pertaining both to what contributes to supervision efficacy and supervisor competency was reviewed to distill the most robust findings in the existing literature. The lines of evidence consisted of a document and file review, an online employee survey, group discussions (i.e. focus groups), and interviews with key informants. The results of the evaluation helped the research team formulate recommendations to the agency for the development of enhanced supervision practices across its various service areas. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation through Follow-Up of Students (UGU). Project No. 2119. Current Project 1983:4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ljung, Bengt-Olov; Emanuelsson, Ingemar

1983-01-01

This newsletter describes a research design enabling descriptive, comparative, evaluative follow-up studies of individual development in social contexts related to schooling. In addition, it describes a research project focusing mainly on evaluative studies of the ability of the educational system to confer, on different individuals in various…

Teacher Evaluation in Chicago: Key Findings from Consortium Research. Research Retrospective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, 2016

2016-01-01

Teacher evaluation systems have been a pillar of recent efforts to improve instruction and ensure that all students have access to effective educators. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) began revising its approach to teacher evaluation in 2006. An initial pilot, the Excellence in Teaching Project (EITP), launched in 2008. The current system, called…

Trends in Autism Research: A Systematic Journal Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graff, Heidi J.; Berkeley, Sheri; Evmenova, Anya S.; Park, Kristy L.

2014-01-01

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong disability for which prevalence rates continue to increase. Persons with ASD vary widely in both severity of disability and services required. Therefore it is important to identify trends in research and evaluate progress in the field. The current study uses a journal analysis to evaluate research over…

Scientific and Ethical Reflections on Academic Corruption in Universities: On the Science Research Evaluation System in China's Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiaochun, Wu; Dan, Jia

2007-01-01

A study of the science research activities in China's institutions of higher learning in recent years indicates that there is a major connection between the current instances of corruption in scientific research at colleges and universities and the evaluations system for scientific research implemented at many of the colleges and universities.…

SITE PROGRAM CURRENT AND FUTURE INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES FOR GROUNDWATER TREATMENT

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) conducts research related to the demonstration and evaluation of innovative cleanup technologies. One of the mechanisms for the evaluation of innovative field-scale technologies for hazardous ...

Current trends in systematic program evaluation of online graduate nursing education: an integrative literature review.

PubMed

Horne, Eva M; Sandmann, Lorilee R

2012-10-01

Over the past decade, the Internet's e3 ect has transformed nursing education, particularly at the graduate level. Schools of nursing have embraced Internet-based course delivery technology to broaden students' access to academic degrees. However, the rush to stay competitive in online education raises questions. What is the quality of these online programs? To what extent are schools of nursing systematically evaluating the programs beyond the course level? What evaluation tools are used? What are the findings? How are the evaluation data used? By answering these questions, nurse educators can develop strategies for evaluating the quality and worth of online learning, thus improving instruction and learning outcomes. This integrative review of nursing and adult education literature identified as the current trends in program evaluation of online nursing education at the graduate level. Research articles were analyzed and perspectives were synthesized from a research agenda viewpoint. Recommendations and needs for future research are discussed. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

Evaluation of the damages caused by lightning current flowing through bearings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Celi, O.; Pigini, A.; Garbagnati, E.

1991-01-01

A laboratory for lightning current tests was set up allowing the generation of the lightning currents foreseen by the Standards. Lightning tests are carried out on different objects, aircraft materials and components, evaluating the direct and indirect effects of lightning. Recently a research was carried out to evaluate the effects of the lightning current flow through bearings with special reference to wind power generator applications. For this purpose, lightning currents of different amplitude were applied to bearings in different test conditions and the damages caused by the lightning current flow were analyzed. The influence of the load acting on the bearing, the presence of lubricant and the bearing rotation were studied.

Research and Evaluation Agenda 1993-94 for AISD 1993-94.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin Independent School District, TX. Office of Research and Evaluation.

The research and evaluation agenda for the Austin Independent School District (AISD) (Texas) is determined for each school year, subject to current needs and requests. The evaluations and other major projects for 1993-94 will focus on three major areas. First is providing school support. Testing programs mandated by state law and district policy…

Synthesis and evaluation of lightweight concrete research relevant to the AASHTO LRFD bridge design specifications : identification of articles for further evaluation and potential revision.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-11-01

Much of the fundamental basis for the current lightweight concrete provisions in the AASHTO LRFD Bridge : Design Specifications is based on research of lightweight concrete (LWC) from the 1960s. The LWC that was : part of this research used tradition...

Current Literature on Venereal Disease, 1972. Number Three. Abstracts and Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lea, Mildred V., Ed.

Presented are abstracts of documents and research pertaining to the clinical description, laboratory diagnosis, management, and therapy of syphilis and gonorrhea. Abstracted case studies of other minor venereal and related diseases are also included, as are bibliographies on current research and evaluation, public health methods, and behavioral…

Current Literature on Venereal Disease, 1972. Number Two. Abstracts and Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lea, Mildred V., Ed.

Presented are abstracts of documents and research pertaining to the clinical description, laboratory diagnosis, management, and therapy of syphilis and gonorrhea. Abstracted case studies of other minor venereal and related diseases are also included, as are bibliographies on current research and evaluation, public health methods, and behavioral…

Current Literature on Venereal Disease, 1972. Number One. Abstracts and Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lea, Mildred V., Ed.

Presented are abstracts of documents and research pertaining to the clinical description, laboratory diagnosis, management, and therapy of syphilis and gonorrhea. Abstracted case studies of other minor venereal and related diseases are also included, as are bibliographies on current research and evaluation, public health methods, and behavioral…

MOOC Learning Experience Design: Issues and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fournier, Hélène; Kop, Rita

2015-01-01

This paper will present current work on various frameworks that are aimed at guiding the research, development, and evaluation efforts around Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Initiatives and activities, including current work by the National Research Council (NRC) in the context of Learning and Performance Support Systems and MOOCs, will be…

Evaluation of a Bench Top Mechanical Delinter

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This presentation will report on current research associated with a new mechancial delinter being developed at the Cotton Production and Processing Research Unit in conjunction with Cotton Inc. A bench-top version of the new mechanical delinter was built and evaluated to determine operational speeds...

Mobile health technology evaluation: the mHealth evidence workshop.

PubMed

Kumar, Santosh; Nilsen, Wendy J; Abernethy, Amy; Atienza, Audie; Patrick, Kevin; Pavel, Misha; Riley, William T; Shar, Albert; Spring, Bonnie; Spruijt-Metz, Donna; Hedeker, Donald; Honavar, Vasant; Kravitz, Richard; Lefebvre, R Craig; Mohr, David C; Murphy, Susan A; Quinn, Charlene; Shusterman, Vladimir; Swendeman, Dallas

2013-08-01

Creative use of new mobile and wearable health information and sensing technologies (mHealth) has the potential to reduce the cost of health care and improve well-being in numerous ways. These applications are being developed in a variety of domains, but rigorous research is needed to examine the potential, as well as the challenges, of utilizing mobile technologies to improve health outcomes. Currently, evidence is sparse for the efficacy of mHealth. Although these technologies may be appealing and seemingly innocuous, research is needed to assess when, where, and for whom mHealth devices, apps, and systems are efficacious. In order to outline an approach to evidence generation in the field of mHealth that would ensure research is conducted on a rigorous empirical and theoretic foundation, on August 16, 2011, researchers gathered for the mHealth Evidence Workshop at NIH. The current paper presents the results of the workshop. Although the discussions at the meeting were cross-cutting, the areas covered can be categorized broadly into three areas: (1) evaluating assessments; (2) evaluating interventions; and (3) reshaping evidence generation using mHealth. This paper brings these concepts together to describe current evaluation standards, discuss future possibilities, and set a grand goal for the emerging field of mHealth research. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Rehabilitation technologies and interventions for individuals with spinal cord injury: translational potential of current trends.

PubMed

Musselman, Kristin E; Shah, Meeral; Zariffa, José

2018-05-16

In the past, neurorehabilitation for individuals with neurological damage, such as spinal cord injury (SCI), was focused on learning compensatory movements to regain function. Presently, the focus of neurorehabilitation has shifted to functional neurorecovery, or the restoration of function through repetitive movement training of the affected limbs. Technologies, such as robotic devices and electrical stimulation, are being developed to facilitate repetitive motor training; however, their implementation into mainstream clinical practice has not been realized. In this commentary, we examined how current SCI rehabilitation research aligns with the potential for clinical implementation. We completed an environmental scan of studies in progress that investigate a physical intervention promoting functional neurorecovery. We identified emerging interventions among the SCI population, and evaluated the strengths and gaps of the current direction of SCI rehabilitation research. Seventy-three study postings were retrieved through website and database searching. Study objectives, outcome measures, participant characteristics and the mode(s) of intervention being studied were extracted from the postings. The FAME (Feasibility, Appropriateness, Meaningfulness, Effectiveness, Economic Evidence) Framework was used to evaluate the strengths and gaps of the research with respect to likelihood of clinical implementation. Strengths included aspects of Feasibility, as the research was practical, aspects of Appropriateness as the research aligned with current scientific literature on motor learning, and Effectiveness, as all trials aimed to evaluate the effect of an intervention on a clinical outcome. Aspects of Feasibility were also identified as a gap; with two thirds of the studies examining emerging technologies, the likelihood of successful clinical implementation was questionable. As the interventions being studied may not align with the preferences of clinicians and priorities of patients, the Appropriateness of these interventions for the current health care environment was questioned. Meaningfulness and Economic Evidence were also identified as gaps since few studies included measures reflecting the perceptions of the participants or economic factors, respectively. The identified gaps will likely impede the clinical uptake of many of the interventions currently being studied. Future research may lessen these gaps through a staged approach to the consideration of the FAME elements as novel interventions and technologies are developed, evaluated and implemented.

Recent research related to prediction of stall/spin characteristics of fighter aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, L. T.; Anglin, E. L.; Gilbert, W. P.

1976-01-01

The NASA Langley Research Center is currently engaged in a stall/spin research program to provide the fundamental information and design guidelines required to predict the stall/spin characteristics of fighter aircraft. The prediction methods under study include theoretical spin prediction techniques and piloted simulation studies. The paper discusses the overall status of theoretical techniques including: (1) input data requirements, (2) math model requirements, and (3) correlation between theoretical and experimental results. The Langley Differential Maneuvering Simulator (DMS) facility has been used to evaluate the spin susceptibility of several current fighters during typical air combat maneuvers and to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of automatic departure/spin prevention concepts. The evaluation procedure is described and some of the more significant results of the studies are presented.

76 FR 72003 - Proposed Collection, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Grant Program Evaluation

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-21

... responses. ADDRESSES: Send comments to: Matthew Birnbaum, Ph.D., Evaluation and Research Officer, Institute... the Institute. Current research initiatives include analysis of grants made to educational and... communities. IMLS proposes to collect qualitative and quantitative information from grant recipients and...

[Unresolved issues in the evaluation of research projects involving induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS)].

PubMed

Casado, María; de Lecuona, Itziar

2013-01-01

This paper identifies problems and analyzes those conflicts posed by the evaluation of research projects involving the collection and use of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) in Spain. Current legislation is causing problems of interpretation, circular and unnecessary referrals, legal uncertainty and undue delays. Actually, this situation may cause a lack of control and monitoring, and even some paralysis in regenerative medicine and cell therapy research, that is a priority nowadays. The analysis of the current legislation and its bioethical implications, led us to conclude that the review of iPS research projects cannot be assimilated to the evaluation of research projects that involve human embryonic stem cell (hESC). In this context, our proposal is based on the review by the Research Ethics Committees and the checkout by the Spanish Comission of Guarantees for Donation and Use of Human Cells and Tissues (CGDUCTH) of human iPS cells research projects. Moreover, this article claims for a more transparent research system, by effectively articulating the Registry on Research Projects. Finally, a model of verification protocol (checklist) for checking out biomedical research projects involving human iPS cells is suggested.

Female arsonists: key features, psychopathologies, and treatment needs.

PubMed

Gannon, Theresa A

2010-01-01

Female-perpetrated arson is a topic that has received relatively little research attention from either psychiatrists or psychologists. In this review, available research regarding the characteristics, psychopathologies, and current treatment efforts with female arsonists is reviewed. Evaluation of current research with female arsonists suggests that very few researchers have compared female arsonists either to suitable female offender control groups or male arsons. Consequently, clinical knowledge and practice regarding female-perpetrated arson is underdeveloped relative to both other areas of forensic-clinical psychiatry and to knowledge of male arsonists. Suggestions are made for translating current research into arson interventions with female arsonists. Core arenas for future treatment and research provision are also highlighted.

What's New in Software? Current Sources of Information Boost Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellsworth, Nancy J.

1990-01-01

This article reviews current resources on computer-assisted instruction. Included are sources of software and hardware evaluations, advances in current technology, research, an information hotline, and inventories of available technological assistance. (DB)

Group-based social skills interventions for adolescents with higher-functioning autism spectrum disorder: a review and looking to the future

PubMed Central

McMahon, Camilla M; Lerner, Matthew D; Britton, Noah

2013-01-01

In this paper, we synthesize the current literature on group-based social skills interventions (GSSIs) for adolescents (ages 10–20 years) with higher-functioning autism spectrum disorder and identify key concepts that should be addressed in future research on GSSIs. We consider the research participants, the intervention, the assessment of the intervention, and the research methodology and results to be integral and interconnected components of the GSSI literature, and we review each of these components respectively. Participant characteristics (eg, age, IQ, sex) and intervention characteristics (eg, targeted social skills, teaching strategies, duration and intensity) vary considerably across GSSIs; future research should evaluate whether participant and intervention characteristics mediate/moderate intervention efficacy. Multiple assessments (eg, parent-report, child-report, social cognitive assessments) are used to evaluate the efficacy of GSSIs; future research should be aware of the limitations of current measurement approaches and employ more accurate, sensitive, and comprehensive measurement approaches. Results of GSSIs are largely inconclusive, with few consistent findings across studies (eg, high parent and child satisfaction with the intervention); future research should employ more rigorous methodological standards for evaluating efficacy. A better understanding of these components in the current GSSI literature and a more sophisticated and rigorous analysis of these components in future research will lend clarity to key questions regarding the efficacy of GSSIs for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. PMID:23956616

Monitoring and Evaluation of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD): An Exemplar of Managing for Impact in Development Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brandon, Paul R.; Smith, Nick L.; Ofir, Zenda; Noordeloos, Marco

2014-01-01

In this Exemplars case, the fifth and final under the direction of the current coeditors, the authors present a reflective account of an ongoing, complex, multiyear, multinational monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system conducted for African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), an international development program. The…

Evaluation of the need for a large primate research facility in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sulzman, F. M.

1986-01-01

In the summer of 1983, an advisory committee was organized that would be able to evaluate NASA's current and future capabilities for nonhuman primate research in space. Individuals were chosen who had experience in four key research areas: cardiovascular physiology, vestibular neurophysiology, musculo-skeletal physiology, and fluid and electrolyte balance. Recommendations of the committee to NASA are discussed.

Unsustainable Growth, Hyper-Competition, and Worth in Life Science Research: Narrowing Evaluative Repertoires in Doctoral and Postdoctoral Scientists' Work and Lives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fochler, Maximilian; Felt, Ulrike; Müller, Ruth

2016-01-01

There is a crisis of valuation practices in the current academic life sciences, triggered by unsustainable growth and "hyper-competition." Quantitative metrics in evaluating researchers are seen as replacing deeper considerations of the quality and novelty of work, as well as substantive care for the societal implications of research.…

Supporting Theory Building in Integrated Services Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Mark; Atkinson, Mary; Downing, Dick

2008-01-01

This literature review was commissioned by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to draw together current and recent studies of integrated working, in order to build an overview of the theories and models of such working. The review is important for current work on evaluating the early impact of integrated children's services and…

Caution and Warning Alarm Design and Evaluation for NASA CEV Auditory Displays: SHFE Information Presentation Directed Research Project (DRPP) report 12.07

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Begault, Durand R.; Godfroy, Martine; Sandor, Aniko; Holden, Kritina

2008-01-01

The design of caution-warning signals for NASA s Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and other future spacecraft will be based on both best practices based on current research and evaluation of current alarms. A design approach is presented based upon cross-disciplinary examination of psychoacoustic research, human factors experience, aerospace practices, and acoustical engineering requirements. A listening test with thirteen participants was performed involving ranking and grading of current and newly developed caution-warning stimuli under three conditions: (1) alarm levels adjusted for compliance with ISO 7731, "Danger signals for work places - Auditory Danger Signals", (2) alarm levels adjusted to an overall 15 dBA s/n ratio and (3) simulated codec low-pass filtering. Questionnaire data yielded useful insights regarding cognitive associations with the sounds.

The Future of Principal Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clifford, Matthew; Ross, Steven

2012-01-01

The need to improve the quality of principal evaluation systems is long overdue. Although states and districts generally require principal evaluations, research and experience tell that many state and district evaluations do not reflect current standards and practices for principals, and that evaluation is not systematically administered. When…

Investigating electrical resonance in eddy-current array probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, R.; Fan, Y.; Dixon, S.

2016-02-01

The sensitivity enhancing effects of eddy-current testing at frequencies close to electrical resonance are explored. Var-ied techniques exploiting the phenomenon, dubbed near electrical resonance signal enhancement (NERSE), were experimentally investigated to evaluate its potential exploitation for other interesting applications in aerospace materials, in particular its potential for boosting the sensitivity of standard ECT measurements. Methods for setting and controlling the typically unstable resonant frequencies of such systems are discussed. This research is funded by the EPSRC, via the Research Centre for Non-Destructive Evaluation RCNDE, and Rolls-Royce plc.

Visual Analytics 101

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scholtz, Jean; Burtner, Edwin R.; Cook, Kristin A.

This course will introduce the field of Visual Analytics to HCI researchers and practitioners highlighting the contributions they can make to this field. Topics will include a definition of visual analytics along with examples of current systems, types of tasks and end users, issues in defining user requirements, design of visualizations and interactions, guidelines and heuristics, the current state of user-centered evaluations, and metrics for evaluation. We encourage designers, HCI researchers, and HCI practitioners to attend to learn how their skills can contribute to advancing the state of the art of visual analytics

VIPER: Chronic Pain after Amputation: Inflammatory Mechanisms, Novel Analgesic Pathways, and Improved Patient Safety

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

Through analysis of data obtained in the Molecular Signatures of Chronic Pain Subtypes study termed Veterans Integrated Pain Evaluation Research...immune cells (macrophages) to chronic pain while also evaluating novel analgesics in relevant animal models. The current proposal also attempts to...analysis of data obtained in the Molecular Signatures of Chronic Pain Subtypes study termed Veterans Integrated Pain Evaluation Research (VIPER

Evaluating Current Status of MS Educational Technology Curriculum in Iran from Viewpoint of Experts and Professors in Order to Offering a Desirable Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahmanpour, Mohammad; Liaghatdar, Mohammad-Javad; Sharifian, Fereydoon; Rezaee, Mehran

2016-01-01

The aim of this research is evaluating status of MS field of educational technology in Iran. This research is qualitative and it is conducted based on survey method. The statistical community of this research is expert professors in educational technology area. Accordingly, 15 persons were chosen among this statistical community as statistical…

Field data acquisition technologies for Iowa transportation agencies.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-08-01

This report describes the results of the research project investigating the use of : advanced field data acquisition technologies for lowa transponation agencies. The : objectives of the research project were to (1) research and evaluate current data...

Writing in the Secondary-Level Disciplines: A Systematic Review of Context, Cognition, and Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Diane M.; Scott, Chyllis E.; McTigue, Erin M.

2018-01-01

Situated within the historical and current state of writing and adolescent literacy research, this systematic literature review screened 3504 articles to determine the prevalent themes in current research on writing tasks in content-area classrooms. Each of the 3504 studies was evaluated and coded using seven methodological quality indicators. The…

[Current situation of toxicity classification of Chinese materia medica and its research thoughts].

PubMed

Sun, Wenyan; Hou, Xiujuan; Wang, Bin; Zhu, Yuelan; Zhang, Shuofeng; Chang, Hongsheng; Sun, Jianning

2012-08-01

Toxicity of Chinese materia medica (CMM) is an important part of Chinese herbal nature theory. In clinical application, the dosage, time limitation and compatibility of CMM is mainly determined by toxicity. At present, there is no uniform toxicity classification standard for the evaluation of Chinese herbal toxicity. Therefore, it is significant to research toxicity classification of CMM. The current situation of toxicity classification of CMM is reviewed in this paper, and proposed research thoughts are as follows: the measurement of toxicity parameters, the confirmation of poisoning target organs, the investigation on toxic mechanism by serum pharmacology and toxicokinetics, the comprehensive evaluation on toxicity based on quantitative theory.

Teaching Effectiveness, Impression Management, and Dysfunctional Behavior: Student Evaluation of Teaching Control Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crumbley, D. Larry; Reichelt, Kenneth J.

2009-01-01

Purpose: Student evaluation of teaching (SET) questionnaires are used in many countries, although much current research questions the validity of these surveys. US research indicates that more than 90 percent of academic accounting departments use this performance measurement. This paper aims to focus on the validity of SET data.…

77 FR 51528 - Notice of Public Hearings for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Outdoor Research...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-24

... Impact Statement for Outdoor Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Activities, Naval Surface Warfare..., development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) activities within the Potomac River Test Range (PRTR) complex... current, baseline RDT&E mission requirements for activities that have the potential to affect human health...

The Measurement of Psychological Constructs in Peace Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christie, Daniel J.

Peace education research typically is designed to evaluate the effects of a single lesson or a group of lessons (unit) on some attitudinal or learning outcomes. The current research was designed to evaluate a set of procedures for identifying a mix of peace education lessons that desirably impact on students. Three curriculum consultants were…

The Influence of Learning Characteristics on Evaluation of Audience Response Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacGeorge, Erina L.; Homan, Scott R.; Dunning, John B.; Elmore, David; Bodie, Graham D.; Evans, Ed; Khichadia, Sangeetha; Lichti, Steven M.

2008-01-01

Audience Response Technology (ART) has been widely adopted on college campuses, and prior research indicates that, on average, it receives positive evaluations from students. However, research has not yet examined how characteristics of students as learners influence their responses to ART. The current study examined aptitude for learning,…

Quality of Death Rates by Race and Hispanic Origin: A Summary of Current Research, 1999. Vital and Health Statistics. Series 2: Data Evaluation and Methods Research. No. 128.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Health Statistics (DHHS/PHS), Hyattsville, MD.

This report summarizes current knowledge and research on the quality and reliability of death rates by race and Hispanic origin in official mortality statistics of the United States produced by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). It provides a quantitative assessment of bias in death rates by race and Hispanic origin and identifies…

Pedagogical Scholarship in Public Health: A Call for Cultivating Learning Communities to Support Evidence-Based Education.

PubMed

Merzel, Cheryl; Halkitis, Perry; Healton, Cheryl

Public health education is experiencing record growth and transformation. The current emphasis on learning outcomes necessitates attention to creating and evaluating the best curricula and learning methods for helping public health students develop public health competencies. Schools and programs of public health would benefit from active engagement in pedagogical research and additional platforms to support dissemination and implementation of educational research findings. We reviewed current avenues for sharing public health educational research, curricula, and best teaching practices; we identified useful models from other health professions; and we offered suggestions for how the field of public health education can develop communities of learning devoted to supporting pedagogy. Our goal was to help advance an agenda of innovative evidence-based public health education, enabling schools and programs of public health to evaluate and measure success in meeting the current and future needs of the public health profession.

Impact in Participatory Health Research: What Can We Learn from Research on Participatory Evaluation?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Springett, Jane

2017-01-01

Participatory Health Research is a collective term adopted globally for participatory action research in a health context. As an approach to research, it challenges current ways used within the health sciences to measure research impact as research, learning and action are integrated throughout the research process and dependent on context and…

NCI-CONNECT - Current Initiatives | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

NCI-CONNECT Current Studies The Comprehensive Oncology Network Evaluating Rare CNS Tumors, or NCI-CONNECT has a number of studies that are open and available for participation and will be adding more.

76 FR 38397 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-30

... National and State health care reforms; (2) To provide descriptive data on the current employer-sponsored..., and academic researchers to evaluate current and proposed health policies and to support the...

78 FR 57157 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-17

...) To provide descriptive data on the current employer-sponsored health insurance system and data for... researchers to evaluate current and proposed health policies and to support the production of important...

78 FR 38979 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-28

...) To provide descriptive data on the current employer-sponsored health insurance system and data for... researchers to evaluate current and proposed health policies and to support the production of important...

Minnesota low volume road design 1998

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-09-01

In this project, researchers examined the current practices that local agencies use and evaluated the thickness design procedures by comparing predicted lives for the current designs with those obtained from the mechanistic-empirical design procedure...

A review of ride comfort studies in the United Kingdom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, M. J.

1975-01-01

United Kingdom research which is relevant to the assessment of vehicle ride comfort was reviewed. The findings reported in approximately 80 research papers are outlined, and an index to the areas of application of these studies is provided. The data obtained by different research groups are compared, and it is concluded that, while there are some areas of general agreement, the findings obtained from previous United Kingdom research are insufficient to define a general purpose ride comfort evaluation procedure. The degree to which United Kingdom research supports the vibration evaluation procedure defined in the current International Standard on the evaluation of human exposure to whole-body vibration is discussed.

Sustainability performance evaluation: Literature review and future directions.

PubMed

Büyüközkan, Gülçin; Karabulut, Yağmur

2018-07-01

Current global economic activities are increasingly being perceived as unsustainable. Despite the high number of publications, sustainability science remains highly dispersed over diverse approaches and topics. This article aims to provide a structured overview of sustainability performance evaluation related publications and to document the current state of literature, categorize publications, analyze and link trends, as well as highlight gaps and provide research recommendations. 128 articles between 2007 and 2018 are identified. The results suggest that sustainability performance evaluation models shall be more balanced, suitable criteria and their interrelations shall be well defined and subjectivity of qualitative criteria inherent to sustainability indicators shall be considered. To address this subjectivity, group decision-making techniques and other analytical methods that can deal with uncertainty, conflicting indicators, and linguistic evaluations can be used in future works. By presenting research gaps, this review stimulates researchers to establish practically applicable sustainability performance evaluation frameworks to help assess and compare the degree of sustainability, leading to more sustainable business practices. The review is unique in defining corporate sustainability performance evaluation for the first time, exploring the gap between sustainability accounting and sustainability assessment, and coming up with a structured overview of innovative research recommendations about integrating analytical assessment methods into conceptual sustainability frameworks. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Construction and validation of the "La Salle Instrument" to evaluate the ethical aspects in biomedical research on human beings].

PubMed

Valdivia-Gómez, Gilberto Guzmán; Velasco-Jiménez, María Teresa; Domínguez-González, Alejandro; Meneses-Ruíz, Dulce María; Padilla-García, Raúl Amauri

2017-01-01

Research projects must demonstrate not only a rigorous scientific methodology, but also the ethical aspects that require profound reflection of the reviewers. Current regulations establish criteria for research projects on human health, but many of these aspects are subjective. How can the evaluation of such projects be standardized? This is the main subject of the current project. This project comprises two phases. First, the design and construction of an instrument of evaluation based on the fundamental principles of bioethics, which are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice, and other aspects. The second phase consists of content validation through expert. During the phase of reviewing the instrument, it was necessary to make changes by adding, removing, or changing the concepts or criteria, which lead to the construction of the second version of the format. This new instrument was reviewed and analyzed by using the AGREE II instrument, and this version was validated by experts by greater than 95%. There are some recommendations to analyze the ethical aspects in research protocols involving human subjects, but they define the concepts and criteria to be evaluated. By presenting the criteria to be evaluated individually, the "La Salle instrument" allows the evaluation to be more objective and standardized.

INEL BNCT Research Program, March/April 1992

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Venhuizen, J.R.

1992-09-01

This report presents summaries for two months of current research for the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) Program. Information is presented on development and murino screening experiments of low-density lipoprotein, carboranyl alanine, and liposome boron containing compounds. Pituitary tumor call culture studies are described. Drug stability, pharmacology and toxicity evaluation of borocaptate sodium (BSH) and boronopheoylalanine (BPA) are described. Treatment protocol development via the large animal (canine) model studies and physiological response evaluation in rats are discussed. Supporting technology development and technical support activities for boron drug biochemistry and purity, analytical and measurement dosimetry, andmore » noninvasive boron quantification activities are included for the current time period. Current publications for the two months are listed.« less

Evaluation of training programs and entry-level qualifications for nuclear-power-plant control-room personnel based on the systems approach to training

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haas, P M; Selby, D L; Hanley, M J

1983-09-01

This report summarizes results of research sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research to initiate the use of the Systems Approach to Training in the evaluation of training programs and entry level qualifications for nuclear power plant (NPP) personnel. Variables (performance shaping factors) of potential importance to personnel selection and training are identified, and research to more rigorously define an operationally useful taxonomy of those variables is recommended. A high-level model of the Systems Approach to Training for use in the nuclear industry, which could serve as a model for NRC evaluation of industrymore » programs, is presented. The model is consistent with current publically stated NRC policy, with the approach being followed by the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations, and with current training technology. Checklists to be used by NRC evaluators to assess training programs for NPP control-room personnel are proposed which are based on this model.« less

Review and Evaluation of Current Training Programs Found in Various Mining Environments. Final Report. Volume I, Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adkins, John; And Others

A project was designed to produce a broad description of current mining training programs and to evaluate their effectiveness with respect to reducing mine injuries. The research strategy was built on the ranking of mines according to the effectiveness of their training with an effective training effort being defined as that training which is…

A General Survey of Qualitative Research Methodology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cary, Rick

Current definitions and philosophical foundations of qualitative research are presented; and designs, evaluation methods, and issues in application of qualitative research to education are discussed. The effects of positivism and the post-positivist era on qualitative research are outlined, and naturalist and positivist approaches are contrasted.…

76 FR 57048 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-15

... National and State health care reforms; (2) to provide descriptive data on the current employer-sponsored... for Federal, State, and academic researchers to evaluate current and proposed health policies and to...

Evaluation of ternary cementitious combinations : research project capsule.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-03-01

PROBLEM: Many entities currently use fly ash, slag, and other supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement and structures. Although the body of knowledge is limited, several states are currently using ternary...

Piloting a Nationally Disseminated, Interactive Human Subjects Protection Program for Community Partners: Design, Content, and Evaluation

PubMed Central

Eakin, Brenda; Kirk, Rosalind; Piechowski, Patricia; Thomas, Barbara

2014-01-01

Abstract Funders, institutions, and research organizations are increasingly recognizing the need for human subjects protections training programs for those engaged in academic research. Current programs tend to be online and directed toward an audience of academic researchers. Research teams now include many nonacademic members, such as community partners, who are less likely to respond to either the method or the content of current online trainings. A team at the CTSA‐supported Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research at the University of Michigan developed a pilot human subjects protection training program for community partners that is both locally implemented and adaptable to local contexts, yet nationally consistent and deliverable from a central administrative source. Here, the developers and the analysts of this program discuss its development, its content, and the results of its evaluation. PMID:24720288

Piloting a nationally disseminated, interactive human subjects protection program for community partners: design, content, and evaluation.

PubMed

Solomon, Stephanie; Eakin, Brenda; Kirk, Rosalind; Piechowski, Patricia; Thomas, Barbara

2014-04-01

Funders, institutions, and research organizations are increasingly recognizing the need for human subjects protections training programs for those engaged in academic research. Current programs tend to be online and directed toward an audience of academic researchers. Research teams now include many nonacademic members, such as community partners, who are less likely to respond to either the method or the content of current online trainings. A team at the CTSA-supported Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research at the University of Michigan developed a pilot human subjects protection training program for community partners that is both locally implemented and adaptable to local contexts, yet nationally consistent and deliverable from a central administrative source. Here, the developers and the analysts of this program discuss its development, its content, and the results of its evaluation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Results of a Research Evaluating Quality of Computer Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Záhorec, Ján; Hašková, Alena; Munk, Michal

2012-01-01

The paper presents the results of an international research on a comparative assessment of the current status of computer science education at the secondary level (ISCED 3A) in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Belgium. Evaluation was carried out based on 14 specific factors gauging the students' point of view. The authors present qualitative…

Using Simultaneous Prompting and Computer-Assisted Instruction to Teach Story Writing to Students with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennington, Robert C.; Ault, Melinda Jones; Schuster, John W.; Sanders, Ann

2011-01-01

In the current study, the researchers evaluated the effects of simultaneous prompting and computer-assisted instruction on the story-writing responses of 3 males with autism, 7 to 10 ears of age. Classroom teachers conducted all probe and training sessions. The researchers used a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the…

The Role of Evaluation and Plans for Evaluating the Current Testing Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winters, Lynn

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Office of Program Evaluation and Research is responsible for providing information for program development and improvement; providing test information to special programs coordinators; and acting as a clearinghouse for all information concerning tests, evaluation methodology, and educational…

Addressing "waste" in diagnostic imaging: some implications of comparative effectiveness research.

PubMed

Elshaug, Adam G; Bessen, Taryn; Moss, John R; Hiller, Janet E

2010-08-01

Comparative effectiveness research is intended to provide evidence to improve patient outcomes through the use of the most appropriate health technology affordable. The authors present 5 case studies, focusing on the use of plain radiography in common clinical scenarios, to illustrate the considerable scope for comparative effectiveness research within medical imaging and the different levels of evidence currently in existence to guide the improved use of medical imaging. These are blunt ankle injury, breast cancer follow-up, low back pain, routine daily chest x-rays in intensive care, and screening for breast cancer. Although there are established models for evaluating new technologies, especially pharmaceuticals, against the most commonly used current technology, the evaluation of technologies in current clinical practice is in an early phase of development. Because evaluation resources are limited, one major challenge is developing ways to identify established technologies for evaluation to refine the indications for their use. A set of criteria with which to identify established technologies that may not be delivering value for money is described, and their use is illustrated in relation to the 5 case studies. These criteria could be incorporated into literature search strategies, stakeholder consultations, and utilization scanning. Once identified, these technologies should be formally evaluated for their performance in improving patient health without restricting the availability of other effective interventions. Copyright 2010 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of nursing faculty through observation.

PubMed

Crawford, L H

1998-10-01

The purpose of this study was to assess current use and faculty perceptions of classroom observation as a method of faculty evaluation in schools of nursing. Baccalaureate schools of nursing were surveyed to determine current use of classroom observation and its worth from the perception of administrators and faculty. Although most schools used classroom observation as a method of faculty evaluation, further clarification and research is needed in the following areas: purpose of classroom observation; number of observations necessary; weight given to classroom observation in relation to other evaluation methods; and tools used.

Ethical Considerations in Human Movement Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olivier, Steve

1995-01-01

Highlights ethical issues for human subject research, identifying principles that form the construct of a code of research ethics and evaluating against this construct past human experimentation and current research in human movement studies. The efficacy of legislation and self-regulation is examined. Particular attention is given to the context…

"I've Lost My Husband, My House and I Need a New Knee...Why Should I Smile?": Action Research Evaluation of a Group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Program for Older Adults with Depression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Lisa; Reid, Corinne

2006-01-01

The current paper details an action research approach to developing and evaluating a group cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) program for older adults (65+ years) experiencing depression. This approach allowed the development of a novel program and for each component of the program to be evaluated and modified in an iterative, developmental…

Downscaled Regional Climate Information for the Southeastern US

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development in Research Triangle Park, NC, has been developing regional climate and air quality fields for North America for current and future periods. Research emphasis has been placed on evaluating near-s...

How to Design Tobacco Prevention and Control Games for Youth and Adolescents: A Qualitative Analysis of Expert Interviews.

PubMed

Hall, Amanda K; Mercado, Rebeccah; Anderson-Lewis, Charkarra; Darville, Gabrielle; Bernhardt, Jay M

2015-12-01

Games for health, including digital videogames and gaming-based approaches, are increasingly being used in health promotion research and practice. Recently published research has shown that videogames have significant potential to promote healthy behaviors among youth and adolescents. Yet, there is a lack of available evidence-based resources to guide practitioners on the integration of games into tobacco prevention and smoking cessation interventions. To address this gap, expert researchers and game developers were interviewed to further define games for health, explore the current research, and provide recommendations for developing, evaluating, and promoting effective anti-tobacco games. Nationally recognized experts on game development, games for health, tobacco, and health behavior were asked to participate. A qualitative analysis of 25 in-depth individual interviews using a constant comparative approach for emerging themes was conducted. Main themes that emerged from the data analysis included the following: (1) the current state of games for health research to facilitate health behavior change, (2) strategies for how to develop and evaluate games for quality and impact, and (3) recommendations for how to effectively design tobacco prevention and smoking cessation educational videogames that engage youth and adolescents. The synthesized findings identified through these expert interviews offer stakeholders strategies for how to incorporate games for health within their current and future work. Specific recommendations are presented for developers and researchers to consider when developing and evaluating videogames for tobacco prevention and smoking cessation targeted at youth and adolescents.

Development of Knowledge Management Model for Developing the Internal Quality Assurance in Educational Opportunity Expansion Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pradabpech, Pipat; Chantarasombat, Chalard; Sriampai, Anan

2015-01-01

This research for: 1) to study the current situation and problem in KM, 2) to develop the KM Model, and 3) to evaluate the finding usage of the KM Model for developing the Internal Quality Assurance of Educational Opportunity Expansion Schools. There were 3 Phases of research implementation. Phase 1: the current situation and problem in KM, was…

First Language Transfer in Second Language Writing: An Examination of Current Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karim, Khaled; Nassaji, Hossein

2013-01-01

First language (L1) transfer has been a key issue in the field of applied linguistics, second language acquisition (SLA), and language pedagogy for almost a century. Its importance, however, has been re-evaluated several times within the last few decades. The aim of this paper is to examine current research that has investigated the role of L1…

Flexibility Now, Consistency Later: Psychological Distance and Construal Shape Evaluative Responding

PubMed Central

Ledgerwood, Alison; Trope, Yaacov; Chaiken, Shelly

2011-01-01

Researchers have long been interested in understanding the conditions under which evaluations will be more or less consistent or context-dependent. The current research explores this issue by asking when stability or flexibility in evaluative responding would be most useful. Integrating construal level theory with research suggesting that variability in the mental representation of an attitude object can produce fluctuations in evaluative responding, we propose a functional relationship between distance and evaluative flexibility. Because individuals construe psychologically proximal objects more concretely, evaluations of proximal objects will tend to incorporate unique information from the current social context, promoting context-specific responses. Conversely, because more distal objects are construed more abstractly, evaluations of distal objects will be less context-dependent. Consistent with this reasoning, the results of 4 studies suggest that when individuals mentally construe an attitude object concretely, either because it is psychologically close or because they have been led to adopt a concrete mindset, their evaluations flexibly incorporate the views of an incidental stranger. However, when individuals think about the same issue more abstractly, their evaluations are less susceptible to incidental social influence and instead reflect their previously reported ideological values. These findings suggest that there are ways of thinking that will tend to produce more or less variability in mental representation across contexts, which in turn shapes evaluative consistency. Connections to shared reality, conformity, and attitude function are discussed. PMID:20565184

Rotorcraft aviation icing research requirements: Research review and recommendations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterson, A. A.; Dadone, L.; Bevan, A.

1981-01-01

The status of rotorcraft icing evaluation techniques and ice protection technology was assessed. Recommendations are made for near and long term icing programs that describe the needs of industry. These recommended programs are based on a consensus of the major U.S. helicopter companies. Specific activities currently planned or underway by NASA, FAA and DOD are reviewed to determine relevance to the overall research requirements. New programs, taking advantage of current activities, are recommended to meet the long term needs for rotorcraft icing certification.

Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes Consensus Report: Current Status, Challenges, and Priorities

PubMed Central

Nadeau, Kristen J.; Anderson, Barbara J.; Berg, Erika G.; Chiang, Jane L.; Chou, Hubert; Copeland, Kenneth C.; Hannon, Tamara S.; Huang, Terry T.-K.; Lynch, Jane L.; Powell, Jeff; Sellers, Elizabeth; Tamborlane, William V.

2016-01-01

Type 2 diabetes is a significant and increasing burden in adolescents and young adults. Clear strategies for research, prevention, and treatment of the disease in these vulnerable patients are needed. Evidence suggests that type 2 diabetes in children is different not only from type 1 but also from type 2 diabetes in adults. Understanding the unique pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes in youth, as well as the risk of complications and the psychosocial impact, will enable industry, academia, funding agencies, advocacy groups, and regulators to collectively evaluate both current and future research, treatment, and prevention approaches. This Consensus Report characterizes type 2 diabetes in children, evaluates the fundamental differences between childhood and adult disease, describes the current therapeutic options, and discusses challenges to and approaches for developing new treatments. PMID:27486237

Medication Exposure in Pregnancy Risk Evaluation Program

PubMed Central

Andrade, Susan E.; Davis, Robert L.; Cheetham, T. Craig; Cooper, William O.; Li, De-Kun; Amini, Thushi; Beaton, Sarah J.; Dublin, Sascha; Hammad, Tarek A.; Pawloski, Pamala A.; Raebel, Marsha A.; Smith, David H.; Staffa, Judy A.; Toh, Sengwee; Dashevsky, Inna; Haffenreffer, Katherine; Lane, Kimberly; Platt, Richard; Scott, Pamela E.

2011-01-01

To describe a program to study medication safety in pregnancy, the Medication Exposure in Pregnancy Risk Evaluation Program (MEPREP). MEPREP is a multi-site collaborative research program developed to enable the conduct of studies of medication use and outcomes in pregnancy. Collaborators include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and researchers at the HMO Research Network, Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern California, and Vanderbilt University. Datasets have been created at each site linking healthcare data for women delivering an infant between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2008 and infants born to these women. Standardized data files include maternal and infant characteristics, medication use, and medical care at 11 health plans within 9 states; birth certificate data were obtained from the state departments of public health. MEPREP currently involves more than 20 medication safety researchers and includes data for 1,221,156 children delivered to 933,917 mothers. Current studies include evaluations of the prevalence and patterns of use of specific medications and a validation study of data elements in the administrative and birth certificate data files. MEPREP can support multiple studies by providing information on a large, ethnically and geographically diverse population. This partnership combines clinical and research expertise and data resources to enable the evaluation of outcomes associated with medication use during pregnancy. PMID:22002179

Medication Exposure in Pregnancy Risk Evaluation Program.

PubMed

Andrade, Susan E; Davis, Robert L; Cheetham, T Craig; Cooper, William O; Li, De-Kun; Amini, Thushi; Beaton, Sarah J; Dublin, Sascha; Hammad, Tarek A; Pawloski, Pamala A; Raebel, Marsha A; Smith, David H; Staffa, Judy A; Toh, Sengwee; Dashevsky, Inna; Haffenreffer, Katherine; Lane, Kimberly; Platt, Richard; Scott, Pamela E

2012-10-01

To describe a program to study medication safety in pregnancy, the Medication Exposure in Pregnancy Risk Evaluation Program (MEPREP). MEPREP is a multi-site collaborative research program developed to enable the conduct of studies of medication use and outcomes in pregnancy. Collaborators include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and researchers at the HMO Research Network, Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern California, and Vanderbilt University. Datasets have been created at each site linking healthcare data for women delivering an infant between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2008 and infants born to these women. Standardized data files include maternal and infant characteristics, medication use, and medical care at 11 health plans within 9 states; birth certificate data were obtained from the state departments of public health. MEPREP currently involves more than 20 medication safety researchers and includes data for 1,221,156 children delivered to 933,917 mothers. Current studies include evaluations of the prevalence and patterns of use of specific medications and a validation study of data elements in the administrative and birth certificate data files. MEPREP can support multiple studies by providing information on a large, ethnically and geographically diverse population. This partnership combines clinical and research expertise and data resources to enable the evaluation of outcomes associated with medication use during pregnancy.

Evaluation in the Context of the Government Market Place: Implications for the Evaluation of Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Della-Piana, Connie Kubo; Della-Piana, Gabriel M.

2007-01-01

While the current debate in the evaluation community has concentrated on examining and explicating implications of the choice of methods for evaluating federal programs, the authors of this paper address the challenges faced by the government in the selection of funding mechanisms for supporting program evaluation efforts. The choice of funding…

Uses and Misuses of Student Evaluations of Teaching: The Interpretation of Differences in Teaching Evaluation Means Irrespective of Statistical Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boysen, Guy A.

2015-01-01

Student evaluations of teaching are among the most accepted and important indicators of college teachers' performance. However, faculty and administrators can overinterpret small variations in mean teaching evaluations. The current research examined the effect of including statistical information on the interpretation of teaching evaluations.…

Learning From Small-Scale Experimental Evaluations of After School Programs. Snapshot Number 8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard University, 2006

2006-01-01

The Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database contains profiles of out-of-school time (OST) program evaluations. Its purpose is to provide accessible information about previous and current evaluations to support the development of high quality evaluations and programs in the OST field. Types of Programs…

DOE/DOT Crude Oil Characterization Research Study, Task 2 Test Report on Evaluating Crude Oil Sampling and Analysis Methods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lord, David; Allen, Ray; Rudeen, David

The Crude Oil Characterization Research Study is designed to evaluate whether crude oils currently transported in North America, including those produced from "tight" formations, exhibit physical or chemical properties that are distinct from conventional crudes, and how these properties associate with combustion hazards with may be realized during transportation and handling.

Applying Institutional Research in Decision Making. New Directions for Community Colleges, Number 56.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Losak, John, Ed.

1986-01-01

This collection of essays by current or former directors of institutional research represents the broad spectrum of size, function, and geography within institutional research in the two-year college. The volume contains: (1) "The Role of Institutional Research in Evaluation of Nontraditional Programs: College Preparatory Analysis at Miami-Dade…

CURRENT AND FUTURE IN SITU TREATMENT TECHNIQUES FOR THE REMEDIATION OF HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN SOIL, SEDIMENT, AND GROUNDWATER

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) is the scientific research arm of EPA. ORD conducts research on ways to prevent pollution, protect human health, and reduce risk. Much of the research related to demonstration and evaluation o...

Action Research: Its Origins and Early Application.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, Stuart W.

This paper contains informal remarks on action research in social psychology from its post World War II origins to its current status. Kurt Lewin first described action research in the 1946 article, "Action Research and Minority Problems," as a three-step process of program planning, program execution, and follow-up evaluation. Ronald Lippitt and…

The State of Retrieval System Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salton, Gerald

1992-01-01

The current state of information retrieval (IR) evaluation is reviewed with criticisms directed at the available test collections and the research and evaluation methodologies used, including precision and recall rates for online searches and laboratory tests not including real users. Automatic text retrieval systems are also discussed. (32…

Development of a School Leadership Evaluation System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orlando, Nik

2014-01-01

This action research study examined the effectiveness of the process implemented by Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC) Schools Charter Management Organization to develop their school leader evaluation system in collaboration with current PUC school leaders. The development of the leadership evaluation system included the collective voices of…

GWERD CAFO Research Program – CAFO Impacts on Ground Water Quality

EPA Science Inventory

An overview of several projects will be presented on a research program currently underway at ORD’s Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division (GWERD) to evaluate CAFO impacts on ground water quality. The overall research objectives are to characterize the potential for gro...

Monitoring highway assets with remote technology.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-01

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the benefits and costs of various remote sensing : technology options and compare them to the currently used manual data collection alternative. : The DMGs evaluation was used to determine how useful an...

Atlanta congestion reduction demonstration. National evaluation : travel demand management (TDM) data test plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-01-01

Internet-based Advanced Traveler Information Services (ATIS) provide the urban traveler with estimated travel times based on current roadway congestion. Survey research indicates that the vast majority of current ATIS users are satisfied consumers wh...

Gaining a Competitive Edge through Action Design Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexa, L.; Alexa, M.; Avasilcăi, S.

2016-08-01

The current business environment is characterized by increased competition and highly innovative approach, in order to create products and services to better respond to the costumers’ needs and expectations. In this specific context, the research approaches need to be more flexible and business oriented and so, throughout the paper we have used a research method that combines design research and action research, named Action Design Research which is a research method used for generating prescriptive design knowledge through building and evaluating IT artifacts in an organizational setting [1]. Following the Action Design Research stages and principles: problem identification, building, intervention and evaluation, reflection and learning and formalization of learning, the research team has developed an online instrument used to actively involve the consumer in the product development process, in order to generate a better consumers insight regarding their needs and desires and to design and/or adjust the product accordingly. The customer engagement IT tool created and tested by using Action Design Research, E-PICUS, has been developed within the framework of the research project „E-solutions for innovation through customer pro-active involvement in value creation to increase organisational competitiveness (E-PICUS)”, PN- II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-1811, currently undergoing.

[Research progresses on ergonomics assessment and measurement methods for push-pull behavior].

PubMed

Zhao, Yan; Li, Dongxu; Guo, Shengpeng

2011-10-01

Pushing and pulling (P&P) is a common operating mode of operator's physical works, and plays an important role in evaluation of human behavior health and operation performance. At present, there are many research methods of P&P, and this article is a state-of-art review of the classification of P&P research methods, the various impact factors in P&P program, technical details of internal/external P&P force measurement and evaluation, the limitation of current research methods and the future developments in the ergonomics field.

Making Research Delicious: An Evaluation of Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Using the Great American Cookie Experiment With Mobile Device Gaming.

PubMed

Hayes Lane, Susan; Serafica, Reimund; Huffman, Carolyn; Cuddy, Alyssa

2016-01-01

In the current healthcare environment, nurses must have a basic understanding of research to lead change and implement evidence-based practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention formulated on the framework of the Great American Cookie Experiment measuring nurses' research knowledge, attitudes, and practice using mobile device gaming. This multisite quantitative study provides insight into promotion of research and information about best practices on innovative teaching strategies for nurses.

Evaluation of environmental contaminants and elements in bigheaded carps of the Missouri River at Easley, Missouri, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Orazio, Carl E.; Chapman, Duane C.; May, Thomas W.; Meadows, John C.; Walther, Michael J.; Echols, Kathy R.; Deters, Joseph E.; Dierenfeld, S; Chapman, Duane C.; Hoff, Michael H.

2011-01-01

This book examines the history, biology, and status of Asian carps, and reviews current research on control measures. Explores the factors influencing recruitment and spread of Asian carps, considers current research on habitat requirements of bigheaded carps, analyzes data on diet overlap and potential competition between bigheaded carps and native fishes, and examines the use of pheromones as controls for Asian carps.

Goal Relevance Moderates Evaluative Conditioning Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verwijmeren, Thijs; Karremans, Johan C.; Stroebe, Wolfgang; Wigboldus, Daniel H. J.

2012-01-01

An important process by which preferences emerge is evaluative conditioning, defined as a change in the evaluation of a stimulus by pairing it repeatedly and consistently with an affective stimulus. The current research focuses on the role of motivation in this learning process. Specifically, it was investigated whether a conditioning procedure…

An Online Social Constructivist Course: Toward a Framework for Usability Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Alana S.; Sheffield, Anneliese; Moore, Michelle; Robinson, Heather A.

2016-01-01

There is a need for a holistic usability evaluation framework that accommodates social constructivist online courses. Social knowledge construction may not be adequately evaluated using current frameworks. This qualitative research study examined the usability needs of a social constructivist online course. Data from an online course were analyzed…

Metrics for Evaluation of Student Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pelanek, Radek

2015-01-01

Researchers use many different metrics for evaluation of performance of student models. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of commonly used metrics, to discuss properties, advantages, and disadvantages of different metrics, to summarize current practice in educational data mining, and to provide guidance for evaluation of student…

[Evaluation and prioritisation of the scientific research in Spain. Researchers' point of view].

PubMed

María Martín-Moreno, José; Juan Toharia, José; Gutiérrez Fuentes, José Antonio

2008-12-01

The assessment and prioritisation of research activity are essential components of any Science, Technology and Industry System. Data on researchers' perspectives in this respect are scarce. The objective of this paper was to describe Spanish scientists' point of view on the current evaluation system in Spain and how they believe this system should be functionally structured. From the sampling frame formed by established Spanish scientists, listed in the databases of CSIC and FIS (Institute of Health Carlos III), clinical, biomedical-non clinical, and physics and chemical researchers were randomly selected. Two hundred and eleven interviews were carried out by means of a computer-assisted telephone interviewing system. Researchers expressed their acknowledgement of progress in the Spanish research field but made their wish clear to progress towards better scientific scenarios. In their assessment, they gave a score of 5.4 to scientific policy, as opposed to 9.4 when speaking about the goals, reflecting the desire for a better policy definition, with clear objectives, stable strategies and better coordination of R&D activities (the current coordination received a score of 3.9, while the desirable coordination was valued as high as 9.2). There was certain agreement regarding the need for a prioritisation criteria which preserves some degree of creativity by researchers. They also stated that they would like to see an independent research structure with social prestige and influence. The interviewed researchers believe that the evaluation of scientific activities is fundamental in formulating a sound scientific policy. Prioritisation should arise from appropriate evaluation. Strategies properly coordinated among all the stakeholders (including the private sector) should be fostered. Budget sufficiency, stability, and better organization of independent researchers should be the backbone of any strategy tailored to increase their capacity to influence future scientific policies.

USAARL Annual Progress Report Fiscal Year 2012

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

analyzed. A technical report is currently in progress. A research project entitled “Clinical Assessment of the Noise Immune Stethoscope ” evaluated the...noise immune stethoscope (NIS), a dual mode electronic and Doppler device, at Madigan Army Medical Center. Insight from the evaluations, data...Immune Stethoscope aboard a U.S. Navy Carrier. (Report No. 2012-02). Fort Rucker, AL: U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory. Gordon, E., & Reeves

Development and Evaluation of Example-Anchored Scales of Interpersonal Functioning for Rehabilitation Counseling Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Bill K.; And Others

There currently exists a clear need for counseling process research scales developed to reflect the specific behaviors unique to vocational rehabilitation counseling interviews. In research at the Menninger Foundation, Taylor developed methods for constructing example-anchored (EA) scales which increase rater reliability and decrease response…

Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flood, James, Ed.; Lapp, Diane, Ed.; Squire, James R., Ed.; Jensen, Julie M., Ed.

This updated second edition reflects developments in educational research and new information within the areas of language learning and instruction since the publication of the first edition in 1991. Its 75 essays assess the significance of research, evaluates new developments, and examines current conflicts, controversies, and issues, while…

Research on Handwriting and Spelling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horn, Thomas D., Ed.

In this collection of articles, the results of recent research in handwriting and spelling are reported and evaluated in the perspective of studies done over the past 50 years. The articles included are "Handwriting and Spelling: Their Current Status in the Language Arts Curriculum,""Handwriting Research" ("Movement and Quality" and "Style and…

How to Design Tobacco Prevention and Control Games for Youth and Adolescents: A Qualitative Analysis of Expert Interviews

PubMed Central

Hall, Amanda K.; Mercado, Rebeccah; Anderson-Lewis, Charkarra; Darville, Gabrielle

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective: Games for health, including digital videogames and gaming-based approaches, are increasingly being used in health promotion research and practice. Recently published research has shown that videogames have significant potential to promote healthy behaviors among youth and adolescents. Yet, there is a lack of available evidence-based resources to guide practitioners on the integration of games into tobacco prevention and smoking cessation interventions. To address this gap, expert researchers and game developers were interviewed to further define games for health, explore the current research, and provide recommendations for developing, evaluating, and promoting effective anti-tobacco games. Materials and Methods: Nationally recognized experts on game development, games for health, tobacco, and health behavior were asked to participate. A qualitative analysis of 25 in-depth individual interviews using a constant comparative approach for emerging themes was conducted. Results: Main themes that emerged from the data analysis included the following: (1) the current state of games for health research to facilitate health behavior change, (2) strategies for how to develop and evaluate games for quality and impact, and (3) recommendations for how to effectively design tobacco prevention and smoking cessation educational videogames that engage youth and adolescents. Conclusions: The synthesized findings identified through these expert interviews offer stakeholders strategies for how to incorporate games for health within their current and future work. Specific recommendations are presented for developers and researchers to consider when developing and evaluating videogames for tobacco prevention and smoking cessation targeted at youth and adolescents. PMID:26230046

Researching evaluation influence: a review of the literature.

PubMed

Herbert, James Leslie

2014-10-01

The impact of an evaluation is an important consideration in designing and carrying out evaluations. Evaluation influence is a way of thinking about the effect that an evaluation can have in the broadest possible terms, which its proponents argue will lead to a systematic body of evidence about influential evaluation practices. This literature review sets out to address three research questions: How have researchers defined evaluation influence; how is this reflected in the research; and what does the research suggest about the utility of evaluation influence as a conceptual framework. Drawing on studies that had cited one of the key evaluation influence articles and conducted original research on some aspect of influence this article reviewed the current state of the literature toward the goal of developing a body of evidence about how to practice influential evaluation. Twenty-eight studies were found that have drawn on evaluation influence, which were categorized into (a) descriptive studies, (b) analytical studies, and (c) hypothesis testing. Despite the prominence of evaluation influence in the literature, there is slow progress toward a persuasive body of literature. Many of the studies reviewed offered vague and inconsistent definitions and have applied influence in an unspecified way in the research. It is hoped that this article will stimulate interest in the systematic study of influence mechanisms, leading to improvements in the potential for evaluation to affect positive social change. © The Author(s) 2014.

[Significance of re-evaluation and development of Chinese herbal drugs].

PubMed

Gao, Yue; Ma, Zengchun; Zhang, Boli

2012-01-01

The research of new herbal drugs involves in new herbal drugs development and renew the old drugs. It is necessary to research new herbal drugs based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The current development of famous TCM focuses on the manufacture process, quality control standards, material basis and clinical research. But system management of security evaluation is deficient, the relevant system for the safety assessment TCM has not been established. The causes of security problems, security risks, target organ of toxicity, weak link of safety evaluation, and ideas of safety evaluation are discussed in this paper. The toxicology research of chinese herbal drugs is necessary based on standard of good laboratory practices (GLP), the characteristic of Chinese herbal drugs is necessary to be fully integrated into safety evaluation. The safety of new drug research is necessary to be integrated throughout the entire process. Famous Chinese medicine safety research must be paid more attention in the future.

Women and the Crossroads of Science: Thoughts on Policy, Research, and Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietz, James S.; Anderson, Bernice; Katzenmeyer, Conrad

In this essay, the authors examine the crosscutting themes of this special issue as they pertain to policy, research, and evaluation of women and science. Past and current research, theory, frameworks, and programs are discussed in the context of challenges and innovations for methods and policy. The authors assert that the crossroads for gender equity studies lies at the intersection of science and society and argue for the need to build a base of cumulative knowledge for policy and practice.

[Modality of combined methods of quantitative and qualitative research in evaluation of therapeutic effects of Chinese medicine].

PubMed

Liu, Jian-ping

2011-05-01

The core of evidence-based medicine lies in implementing the current best available evidence of clinical research to direct the decision making in clinical practice, incorporation of individual experience and value and preference of patients. However, the current evaluation method for clinical therapeutic effect cannot reflect the humanity and wholesomeness as well as individualized tailored treatment of Chinese medicine (CM) by using randomized controlled trials. This assay addressed the complex intervention of highly individualized treatment of CM and its societal characteristics, and the author proposes a model for the evaluation of therapeutic effects of CM in which quantitative and qualitative methods are combined, embodying the characteristics of the social and natural sciences in CM. The model can show the dynamic process of CM diagnosis and treatment from a perspective of the whole system and can be used for the evaluation of complex intervention of CM. We hope to raise a different thinking and method from the new drug development in the therapeutic effect evaluation.

CCTV Data Management for Effective Condition Assessment of Wastewater Collection Systems - slides

EPA Science Inventory

The project objectives are: Research current state of condition assessment technology for wastewater collection systems; Evaluate performance and cost of innovative and advanced infrastructure monitoring technologies; Identify and evaluate innovative CCTV technologies; and Prepar...

Redesigning Teacher Evaluation: Lessons Learned from a Pilot Implementation in New Hampshire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riordan, Julie; Lacireno-Paquet, Natalie; Shakman, Karen; Bocala, Candice

2016-01-01

Many studies have called attention to the limitations of current teacher evaluation systems and the need for reform nationwide. This study addresses three research questions: (1) What are the features of the new teacher evaluation systems in New Hampshire's districts with SIG schools?; (2) To what extent did schools implement the evaluation system…

Toward a Web Based Environment for Evaluation and Design of Pedagogical Hypermedia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trigano, Philippe C.; Pacurar-Giacomini, Ecaterina

2004-01-01

We are working on a method, called CEPIAH. We propose a web based system used to help teachers to design multimedia documents and to evaluate their prototypes. Our current research objectives are to create a methodology to sustain the educational hypermedia design and evaluation. A module is used to evaluate multimedia software applied in…

POLLUTION RESEARCH WITHIN THE FEDERAL COMMUNITY

EPA Science Inventory

This project summary describes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Waste Reduction Evaluations at Federal Sites (WREAFS) program to support pollution prevention (P2) research throughout the Federal community, and the current status on all projects as of September 1994...

Applying extinction research and theory to cue-exposure addiction treatments.

PubMed

Conklin, Cynthia A; Tiffany, Stephen T

2002-02-01

To evaluate the efficacy of cue-exposure addiction treatment and review modern animal learning research to generate recommendations for substantially enhancing the effectiveness of this treatment. Meta-analysis of cue-exposure addiction treatment outcome studies (N=9), review of animal extinction research and theory, and evaluation of whether major principles from this literature are addressed adequately in cue-exposure treatments. The meta-analytical review showed that there is no consistent evidence for the efficacy of cue-exposure treatment as currently implemented. Moreover, procedures derived from the animal learning literature that should maximize the potential of extinction training are rarely used in cue-exposure treatments. Given what is known from animal extinction theory and research about extinguishing learned behavior, it is not surprising that cue-exposure treatments so often fail. This paper reviews current animal research regarding the most salient threats to the development and maintenance of extinction, and suggests several major procedures for increasing the efficacy of cue-exposure addiction treatment.

An integrative contextual developmental model of male stalking.

PubMed

White, J; Kowalski, R M; Lyndon, A; Valentine, S

2000-01-01

This article evaluates current research and theory on stalking as a form of male violence against women. The integrative contextual developmental model (White & Kowalski, 1998) suggests that stalking, as legally defined, is best understood as a multiply determined form of violence, with variables identifiable at several levels, the sociocultural, interpersonal, dyadic, situational and intrapersonal. The model also serves as a framework for identifying gaps in current research and suggests directions for further work.

Economic evaluations of health technologies in Dutch healthcare decision-making: a qualitative study of the current and potential use, barriers, and facilitators.

PubMed

Roseboom, Kitty J; van Dongen, Johanna M; Tompa, Emile; van Tulder, Maurits W; Bosmans, Judith E

2017-01-26

The use of economic evaluations in healthcare decision-making can potentially help decision-makers in allocating scarce resources as efficiently as possible. Over a decade ago, the use of such studies was found to be limited in Dutch healthcare decision-making, but their current use is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to provide insight into the current and potential use of economic evaluations in Dutch healthcare decision-making and to identify barriers and facilitators to the use of such studies. Interviews containing semi-structured and structured questions were conducted among Dutch healthcare decision-makers. Participants were purposefully selected and special efforts were made to include decision-makers working at the macro- (national), meso- (local/regional), and micro-level (patient setting). During the interviews, a topic list was used that was based on the research questions and a literature search, and was developed in consultation with the Dutch National Healthcare Institute. Responses to the semi-structured questions were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. As for the structured questions, participants' definitions of various economic evaluation concepts were scored as either being "correct" or "incorrect" by two researchers, and summary statistics were prepared. Sixteen healthcare decision-makers were interviewed and two health economists. Decision-makers' knowledge of economic evaluations was only modest, and their current use appeared to be limited. Nonetheless, decision-makers recognized the importance of economic evaluations and saw several opportunities for extending their use at the macro- and meso-level, but not at the micro-level. The disparity between the limited use and recognition of the importance of economic evaluations is likely due to the many barriers decision-makers experience preventing their use (e.g. lack of resources, lack of formal willingness-to-pay threshold). Possible facilitators for extending the use of economic evaluations include, amongst others, educating decision-makers and the general population about economic evaluations and presenting economic evaluation results in a clearer and more understandable way. This study demonstrated that the current use and impact of economic evaluations in Dutch healthcare decision-making is limited at best. Therefore, strategies are needed to overcome the barriers that currently prevent economic evaluations from being used extensively.

Evaluating Bicycle, Pedestrian, Transit and Economic Data Collection Needs and Measures of Effectiveness in Pennsylvania

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-02-06

The purpose of this research project was to evaluate the current data collection procedures for bicycle and pedestrian projects utilized by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Pennsylvania's Metropolitan Planning Organizations...

Application of imaging techniques to evaluate polishing characteristics of aggregates : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-01

Previous research conducted at the University of Florida (UF) to investigate the use of the Aggregate Image Measurement System (AIMS) and Micro-Deval (MD) to evaluate frictional performance of aggregates concluded that the current AIMS system cannot ...

Evaluation of freeway motorist assist : staff summary, February 2010.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-01

This research document builds on the previous Return on Investment (ROI) Study of Motorist Assist (1994) that evaluated the St. Louis Motor Assist program to establish and update current benefits of this program. The following is a summary of finding...

Evaluations of Sexual Assault Prevention Programs in Military Settings: A Synthesis of the Research Literature.

PubMed

Orchowski, Lindsay M; Berry-Cabán, Cristóbal S; Prisock, Kara; Borsari, Brian; Kazemi, Donna M

2018-03-01

The prevention of sexual assault (SA) in the U.S. military is a significant priority. This study applied the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to a literature search that identified research evaluating SA prevention programs conducted within military settings. Only six studies published between 2005 and 2016 met criteria for inclusion in the review. Studies demonstrated high heterogeneity in the: (1) conceptual framework of the prevention approach; (2) target population and timing of administration; (3) study recruitment methods; (4) methodological design; (5) method of delivery, program dosage and theory of change; and (6) outcome administration and efficacy. Scientific rigor according to the Oxford Center for Evidence-based Medicine was also variable. Several gaps in the research base were identified. Specifically, research evaluating SA prevention programs have only been conducted among U.S. Army and U.S. Navy samples. Most studies did not examine whether program participation was associated with reductions in rates of sexual violence. Studies also lacked utilization of a long-term follow-up period. Additionally, studies did not reflect the types of SA prevention programs currently being implemented in military settings. Taken together, further research is needed to enhance the evidence base for SA prevention in the military, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the approaches currently being conducted with service members.

U.S. Army Workshop on Solid-Propellant Ignition and Combustion Modeling.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-07-01

saving tool in the design, development, testing, and evaluation of future gun-propulsion systems , and that, under current funding constraints, research...53 7.1 What systems are currently being addressed...9 ............. . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 7.5 What model systems might be valuable for

Wilderness Therapy: Foundations, Theory and Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis-Berman, Jennifer; Berman, Dene S.

This book provides an overview of the history, theoretical basis, research, development, evaluation, and current status of wilderness therapy programs for troubled adolescents. An introduction explores theories of adolescence and adolescent development, problems facing adolescents in contemporary society, limitations of traditional mental health…

Research notes : cable guard rail preventing injuries on I-5.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-11-01

The ODOT Research Unit is currently evaluating a cable median guardrail installed on Interstate 5 between Brooks and Donald. The intent of this median application is to reduce the incidence of serious injuries and fatalities by preventing crossover a...

Contemporary Play Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaefer, Charles E., Ed.; Gerard Kaduson, Heidi, Ed.

2006-01-01

This highly practical book presents current developments in play therapy, including innovative applications for particular problems and populations. Contributors first discuss the latest ideas and techniques emerging from object-relations, experiential, dynamic, and narrative perspectives. Next, research evaluating the effectiveness of play…

Impact of Treatment Integrity on Intervention Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fryling, Mitch J.; Wallace, Michele D.; Yassine, Jordan N.

2012-01-01

Treatment integrity has cogent implications for intervention effectiveness. Understanding these implications is an important, but often neglected, undertaking in behavior analysis. This paper reviews current research on treatment integrity in applied behavior analysis. Specifically, we review research evaluating the relation between integrity…

On the Intentional Control of Conditioned Evaluative Responses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balas, Robert; Gawronski, Bertram

2012-01-01

The evaluative conditioning (EC) effect is defined as a change in the evaluation of a conditioned stimulus (CS) due to its pairing with a valenced unconditioned stimulus (US). The current research investigated the controllability of EC effects by asking participants to either promote or prevent the influence of CS-US pairings before they provided…

Current Evaluation Practices of Diversity Trainers in German-Speaking Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rohmann, Anette; Froncek, Benjamin; Mazziotta, Agostino; Piper, Verena

2017-01-01

Diversity training has been greatly expanded in recent years in order to help people deal with the challenges of increased social diversity. However, little is known about the systematic evaluation of diversity training. The present research surveyed 172 diversity trainers concerning their evaluation practices with regard to diversity training.…

Using Spreadsheets in the Management, Analysis, and Reporting of Evaluation Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glowacki, Margaret L.; Rice, Richard L., Jr.

Currently available spreadsheet programs for microcomputers provide many features that can be very useful for evaluators and researchers. Some of the basic concepts involved in spreadsheet use are introduced, and information is provided on the use of spreadsheets in maintaining and analyzing evaluation data. The spreadsheet used in the discussion…

Synthesis and evaluation of lightweight concrete research relevant to the AASHTO LRFD bridge design specifications : potential revisions for definition and mechanical properties.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-11-01

Much of the fundamental basis for the current lightweight concrete provisions in the AASHTO LRFD Bridge : Design Specifications is based on research of lightweight concrete (LWC) from the 1960s. The LWC that was : part of this research used tradition...

Theme and Variations: One Middle School's Interpretation of Mandated Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheridan-Thomas, Heather K.

2006-01-01

In the current climate of accountability, action research is one way for teachers to evaluate instructional changes designed to improve assessment results. It may become increasingly common for administrators to mandate teacher involvement in action research, yet few studies have been conducted in such settings. This article focuses on one middle…

A Survey on Clinical Research Training Status and Needs in Public Hospitals from Shenzhen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ji, Ping; Wang, Haibo; Zhang, Chao; Liu, Min; Zhou, Liping; Xiao, Ping; Wang, Yanfang; Wu, Yangfeng

2017-01-01

Objective: To obtain information on the current clinical research training status and evaluate the training needs comprehensively for medical staff in hospitals. Methods: This survey was initiated and conducted by the Health and Family Planning Commission of Shenzhen in conjunction with the Peking University Clinical Research Institute (Shenzhen)…

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teller, Romney P.

2011-01-01

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

Sense of place in natural resource recreation and tourism: an evaluation and assessment of research findings.

Treesearch

Jennifer Farnum; Troy Hall; Linda E. Kruger

2005-01-01

Understanding sense of place and related concepts often presents challenges for both managers and researchers. Inconsistent application of terms, questions regarding their origin, and a lack of awareness of research findings contribute to the ambiguity of these concepts. This integrative review of research provides relevant, current information on the role of sense of...

Evaluation of the Effect of Non-Current Fixed Assets on Profitability and Asset Management Efficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubyanaya, Alexandra V.; Izmailov, Airat M.; Nikulina, Ekaterina Y.; Shaposhnikov, Vladislav A.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to investigate the problem, which stems from non-current fixed assets affecting profitability and asset management efficiency. Tangible assets, intangible assets and financial assets are all included in non-current fixed assets. The aim of the research is to identify the impact of estimates and valuation in…

Is Your Mission Ready for the Information Age?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oblinger, Diana G.

1999-01-01

Urges institutions of higher education to evaluate their mission statements in light of current trends, especially the pervasive influence of information technology. Raises evaluative questions concerning information technology and distance learning, student services, the campus library, research computing, administrative computing, and public…

Current Topics in Early Childhood Education. Volume II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katz, Lilian G., Ed.; And Others

The ten papers in this volume present integrative reviews, analyses and syntheses of research and development of current concern to early childhood educators. Four papers represent investigations and reports of programmatic or educational activities. House and Hutchins critically analyze Abt Associates' national evaluation of Project Follow…

Research on evaluation methods for water regulation ability of dams in the Huai River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan, G. H.; Lv, S. F.; Ma, K.

2016-08-01

Water environment protection is a global and urgent problem that requires correct and precise evaluation. Evaluation methods have been studied for many years; however, there is a lack of research on the methods of assessing the water regulation ability of dams. Currently, evaluating the ability of dams has become a practical and significant research orientation because of the global water crisis, and the lack of effective ways to manage a dam's regulation ability has only compounded this. This paper firstly constructs seven evaluation factors and then develops two evaluation approaches to implement the factors according to the features of the problem. Dams of the Yin Shang ecological control section in the Huai He River basin are selected as an example to demonstrate the method. The results show that the evaluation approaches can produce better and more practical suggestions for dam managers.

Moving toward a paradigm shift in the regulatory requirements for pediatric medicines.

PubMed

Chin, William Wei Lim; Joos, Angelika

2016-12-01

Over the past two decades, there has been growing concern over the lack of proper medication for children. This review attempts to evaluate the current progress of EU Pediatric Regulation made since 2007. The lack of properly evaluated pediatric medication has for long been a source of concern in the European Union. The drugs that were used in the past were often not properly evaluated, and dosage was arbitrarily calculated. Therefore, it was necessary to establish the Pediatric Regulation (EC no. 1901/2006) in the EU which would mandate research for pediatric drugs. Current legislations in place not only require mandatory research by pharma industry but also have guidelines to direct the quality of pediatric research performed. The main aim of this regulation was to advance high-quality research and development of pediatric drugs, thereby increasing the availability of safe and effective drugs for children. It also aimed to improve the information available on existing pediatric drugs. It has been 9 years since the pediatric regulation was framed. The pharma industry now sees pediatric research as an integral process of development. Drug companies which develop plans for a new drug, new form of drug, new indication, or new route of administration for adults are obliged to integrate in their development plan similar research for pediatric populations as well. It is hoped that the implementation of the current legislation will be reflected better in the future by the marketing of better and safer drugs for the pediatric population. The upcoming assessment to the European Commission in 2017 will further inform us on the impact after 10 years implementation of the legislation. What is Known: • The lack of properly evaluated pediatric medication has for long been a source of concern in the European Union. • Therefore, it was necessary to establish the EU Pediatric Regulation which would mandate research for pediatric drugs. What is New: • It has been 9 years since the pediatric regulation was framed, and the teething problems are slowly being overcome and the regulation is being used with increasing confidence. • As the Regulation is due for revision in 2017, this paper gives a current perspective on the impact of the regulation on availability and access to medicine for children.

REVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH ON VAPOR INTRUSTION

EPA Science Inventory

This report reviews current and recent research in the area of vapor intrusion of organic compounds into residential buildings. We begin with a description of the challenges in evaluating the subsurface-to-indoor air pathway. A discussion of the fate and transport mechanisms affe...

A meta-analysis of human-system interfaces in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm management.

PubMed

Hocraffer, Amy; Nam, Chang S

2017-01-01

A meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the current state of research on human-system interfaces for users controlling semi-autonomous swarms composed of groups of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). UAV swarms pose several human factors challenges, such as high cognitive demands, non-intuitive behavior, and serious consequences for errors. This article presents findings from a meta-analysis of 27 UAV swarm management papers focused on the human-system interface and human factors concerns, providing an overview of the advantages, challenges, and limitations of current UAV management interfaces, as well as information on how these interfaces are currently evaluated. In general allowing user and mission-specific customization to user interfaces and raising the swarm's level of autonomy to reduce operator cognitive workload are beneficial and improve situation awareness (SA). It is clear more research is needed in this rapidly evolving field. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Progressing from programmatic to discovery research: a case example with the overjustification effect.

PubMed

Roane, Henry S; Fisher, Wayne W; McDonough, Erin M

2003-01-01

Scientific research progresses along planned (programmatic research) and unplanned (discovery research) paths. In the current investigation, we attempted to conduct a single-case evaluation of the overjustification effect (i.e., programmatic research). Results of the initial analysis were contrary to the overjustification hypothesis in that removal of the reward contingency produced an increase in responding. Based on this unexpected finding, we conducted subsequent analyses to further evaluate the mechanisms underlying these results (i.e., discovery research). Results of the additional analyses suggested that the reward contingency functioned as punishment (because the participant preferred the task to the rewards) and that withdrawal of the contingency produced punishment contrast.

Progressing from programmatic to discovery research: a case example with the overjustification effect.

PubMed Central

Roane, Henry S; Fisher, Wayne W; McDonough, Erin M

2003-01-01

Scientific research progresses along planned (programmatic research) and unplanned (discovery research) paths. In the current investigation, we attempted to conduct a single-case evaluation of the overjustification effect (i.e., programmatic research). Results of the initial analysis were contrary to the overjustification hypothesis in that removal of the reward contingency produced an increase in responding. Based on this unexpected finding, we conducted subsequent analyses to further evaluate the mechanisms underlying these results (i.e., discovery research). Results of the additional analyses suggested that the reward contingency functioned as punishment (because the participant preferred the task to the rewards) and that withdrawal of the contingency produced punishment contrast. PMID:12723865

Recommendations for the treatment of aging in standard technical specifications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Orton, R.D.; Allen, R.P.

1995-09-01

As part of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission`s Nuclear Plant Aging Research Program, Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) evaluated the standard technical specifications for nuclear power plants to determine whether the current surveillance requirements (SRs) were effective in detecting age-related degradation. Nuclear Plant Aging Research findings for selected systems and components were reviewed to identify the stressors and operative aging mechanisms and to evaluate the methods available to detect, differentiate, and trend the resulting aging degradation. Current surveillance and testing requirements for these systems and components were reviewed for their effectiveness in detecting degraded conditions and for potential contributions to prematuremore » degradation. When the current surveillance and testing requirements appeared ineffective in detecting aging degradation or potentially could contribute to premature degradation, a possible deficiency in the SRs was identified that could result in undetected degradation. Based on this evaluation, PNL developed recommendations for inspection, surveillance, trending, and condition monitoring methods to be incorporated in the SRs to better detect age- related degradation of these selected systems and components.« less

User-centered design and evaluation of a next generation fixed-split ergonomic keyboard.

PubMed

McLoone, Hugh E; Jacobson, Melissa; Hegg, Chau; Johnson, Peter W

2010-01-01

Research has shown that fixed-split, ergonomic keyboards lessen the pain and functional status in symptomatic individuals as well as reduce the likelihood of developing musculoskeletal disorders in asymptomatic typists over extended use. The goal of this study was to evaluate design features to determine whether the current fixed-split ergonomic keyboard design could be improved. Thirty-nine, adult-aged, fixed-split ergonomic keyboard users were recruited to participate in one of three studies. First utilizing non-functional models and later a functional prototype, three studies evaluated keyboard design features including: 1) keyboard lateral inclination, 2) wrist rest height, 3) keyboard slope, and 4) curved "gull-wing" key layouts. The findings indicated that keyboard lateral inclination could be increased from 8° to 14°; wrist rest height could be increased up to 10 mm from current setting; positive, flat, and negative slope settings were equally preferred and facilitated greater postural variation; and participants preferred a new gull-wing key layout. The design changes reduced forearm pronation and wrist extension while not adversely affecting typing performance. This research demonstrated how iterative-evaluative, user-centered research methods can be utilized to improve a product's design such as a fixed-split ergonomic keyboard.

Research of aluminum alloys with using eddy-current transducers on the basis of cores of various form

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dmitriev, S. F.; Ishkov, A. V.; Katasonov, A. O.; Malikov, V. N.; Sagalakov, A. M.

2018-01-01

The research aims to develop a microminiature eddy current transducer for aluminum alloys. The research topic is considered relevant due to the need for evaluation and forecasting of safe operating life of aluminum. A microminiature transformer-type transducer was designed, which enables to perform local investigations of unferromagnetic materials using eddy-current method based on local studies conductivity. Having the designed transducer as a basis, a hardware-software complex was built to perform experimental studies of aluminium. Cores with different shapes were used in this work. Test results are reported for a flaws in the form of hidden slits and apertures inside the slabs is derived for excitation coil frequencies of 300-700 Hz.

Distance Education and Distributed Learning. Current Perspectives on Applied Information Technologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vrasidas, Charalambos, Ed.; Glass, Gene V., Ed.

This book describes the current state of developments in distance education and distributed learning. The volume brings together some of the leading contemporary contributors in the areas of educational technology and distance education. Topics covered include research and evaluation in distance education, online communities, faculty productivity,…

Indexing and Retrieval for the Web.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasmussen, Edie M.

2003-01-01

Explores current research on indexing and ranking as retrieval functions of search engines on the Web. Highlights include measuring search engine stability; evaluation of Web indexing and retrieval; Web crawlers; hyperlinks for indexing and ranking; ranking for metasearch; document structure; citation indexing; relevance; query evaluation;…

Evaluation of best practices in traffic operations and safety : phase I : flashing LED stop sign and optical speed bars.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-01-01

In a previous extensive review of overseas literature, researchers identified 42 traffic operations and safety technologies and practices that were not currently deployed in Virginia. These were evaluated for their potential application in Virginia, ...

INTEGRATION OF SPATIAL DATA: METHODS EVALUATION WITH REGARD TO DATA ISSUES AND ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

EPA Science Inventory

EPA's Regional Vulnerability Assessment (REVA) Program is developing and demonstrating approaches to assess current and future environmental vulnerabilities at a regional scale. An initial effort within this research program has been to develop and evaluate methods to synthesize ...

Research fronts analysis : A bibliometric to identify emerging fields of research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miwa, Sayaka; Ando, Satoko

Research fronts analysis identifies emerging areas of research through observing co-clustering in highly-cited papers. This article introduces the concept of research fronts analysis, explains its methodology and provides case examples. It also demonstrates developing research fronts in Japan by looking at the past winners of Thomson Reuters Research Fronts Awards. Research front analysis is currently being used by the Japanese government to determine new trends in science and technology. Information professionals can also utilize this bibliometric as a research evaluation tool.

Evaluating scholarship productivity in COAMFTE-accredited PhD programs.

PubMed

Jared DuPree, W; White, Mark B; Meredith, William H; Ruddick, Lindsay; Anderson, Michael P

2009-04-01

Due to an increasing trend among states to cut higher education funds, many universities are relying more on private donations and federal funding to keep programs afloat. Scholarship productivity in general has become an integral factor in terms of universities granting tenure to faculty, allocating resources, and supporting program goals due to the fact that more research in a particular area tends to increase the likelihood that one will obtain funding from federal, state, and private sources. In the past, ranking systems have also been used to evaluate programs. However, most ranking systems use methodologies that do not quantify research productivity or evaluate factors that match current university trends. The purpose of this article is to explore current scholarship productivity trends among COAMFTE-accredited doctoral programs through the use of several evaluation methods. Specifically, productivity was examined in regard to the following areas: (a) family therapy journal publications; (b) family science journal publications; (c) historic journal publication trends; and (d) recent journal publication trends.

Healthcare Systems in Comparative Perspective: Classification, Convergence, Institutions, Inequalities, and Five Missed Turns

PubMed Central

Beckfield, Jason; Olafsdottir, Sigrun; Sosnaud, Benjamin

2017-01-01

This essay reviews and evaluates recent comparative social science scholarship on healthcare systems. We focus on four of the strongest themes in current research: (1) the development of typologies of healthcare systems, (2) assessment of convergence among healthcare systems, (3) problematization of the shifting boundaries of healthcare systems, and (4) the relationship between healthcare systems and social inequalities. Our discussion seeks to highlight the central debates that animate current scholarship and identify unresolved questions and new opportunities for research. We also identify five currents in contemporary sociology that have not been incorporated as deeply as they might into research on healthcare systems. These five “missed turns” include an emphasis on social relations, culture, postnational theory, institutions, and causal mechanisms. We conclude by highlighting some key challenges for comparative research on healthcare systems. PMID:28769148

Health economics and outcomes research fellowship practices reviewed.

PubMed

Suh, Kangho; Gabriel, Susan; Adams, Michelle A; Arcona, Steve

2015-01-01

The guidelines for health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) fellowship training programs devised by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) suggest that continuous improvements are made to ensure that postgraduate training through didactic and professional experiences prepare fellows for HEOR research careers. The HEOR Fellowship Program at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation was standardized to enhance the fellows' HEOR research understanding and align professional skill sets with the ACCP-ISPOR Fellowship Program Guidelines. Based on feedback from an internal task force comprised of HEOR employees and current and former fellows, the HEOR Fellowship Program was normatively and qualitatively assessed to evaluate the current curricular program. Fellowship program activities were instituted to ensure that the suggested minimum level requirements established by the guidelines were being met. Research opportunities enabling fellows to work hand-in-hand with other fellows and HEOR professionals were emphasized. Curricular enhancements in research methodology and professional training and development, and materials for a structured journal club focusing on specific methodological and HEOR research topics were developed. A seminar series (e.g., creating SMART Goals, StrengthsFinder 2.0) and professional courses (e.g., ISPOR short courses, statistics.com) were included to enhance the fellows' short- and long-term professional experience. Additional program attributes include an online reference library developed to enrich the current research facilities and a Statistical Analysis Software training program. Continuously assessing and updating HEOR fellowship programs keeps programs up-to-date in the latest HEOR concepts and approaches used to evaluate health care, both professionally and educationally. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

78 FR 50070 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-16

..., referral for services, and service follow-up of youth at risk. \\1\\ The evaluation as designed includes four... grantees, the research questions outlined in the evaluation statement of work, and the state of the knowledge base in the field of suicide prevention. As such, while the evaluation design does not currently...

An Evaluation of Open Source Learning Management Systems According to Administration Tools and Curriculum Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozdamli, Fezile

2007-01-01

Distance education is becoming more important in the universities and schools. The aim of this research is to evaluate the current existing Open Source Learning Management Systems according to Administration tool and Curriculum Design. For this, seventy two Open Source Learning Management Systems have been subjected to a general evaluation. After…

A Brief History of the Evaluation of VET in Australia. Review of Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Rod; Hayton, Geoff

The history and current state of evaluation of vocational education and training (VET) in Australia was examined. The study's main conclusion was that, despite its important potential, evaluation has thus far been little used for the improvement of VET in Australia. Other conclusions of the study were as follows: (1) little development of…

Evaluation of the Student Engagement Process in a Criminal Justice Program at a Technical College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Totzke, Martin W.

2007-01-01

This applied dissertation was an evaluation of the student engagement practices offered to students in a criminal justice program at a Midwestern technical college. The problem was that an evaluation of the practices had not been conducted to provide data to indicate whether the current practices were effective. The researcher developed an…

A Web-based Alternative Non-animal Method Database for Safety Cosmetic Evaluations

PubMed Central

Kim, Seung Won; Kim, Bae-Hwan

2016-01-01

Animal testing was used traditionally in the cosmetics industry to confirm product safety, but has begun to be banned; alternative methods to replace animal experiments are either in development, or are being validated, worldwide. Research data related to test substances are critical for developing novel alternative tests. Moreover, safety information on cosmetic materials has neither been collected in a database nor shared among researchers. Therefore, it is imperative to build and share a database of safety information on toxicological mechanisms and pathways collected through in vivo, in vitro, and in silico methods. We developed the CAMSEC database (named after the research team; the Consortium of Alternative Methods for Safety Evaluation of Cosmetics) to fulfill this purpose. On the same website, our aim is to provide updates on current alternative research methods in Korea. The database will not be used directly to conduct safety evaluations, but researchers or regulatory individuals can use it to facilitate their work in formulating safety evaluations for cosmetic materials. We hope this database will help establish new alternative research methods to conduct efficient safety evaluations of cosmetic materials. PMID:27437094

A Web-based Alternative Non-animal Method Database for Safety Cosmetic Evaluations.

PubMed

Kim, Seung Won; Kim, Bae-Hwan

2016-07-01

Animal testing was used traditionally in the cosmetics industry to confirm product safety, but has begun to be banned; alternative methods to replace animal experiments are either in development, or are being validated, worldwide. Research data related to test substances are critical for developing novel alternative tests. Moreover, safety information on cosmetic materials has neither been collected in a database nor shared among researchers. Therefore, it is imperative to build and share a database of safety information on toxicological mechanisms and pathways collected through in vivo, in vitro, and in silico methods. We developed the CAMSEC database (named after the research team; the Consortium of Alternative Methods for Safety Evaluation of Cosmetics) to fulfill this purpose. On the same website, our aim is to provide updates on current alternative research methods in Korea. The database will not be used directly to conduct safety evaluations, but researchers or regulatory individuals can use it to facilitate their work in formulating safety evaluations for cosmetic materials. We hope this database will help establish new alternative research methods to conduct efficient safety evaluations of cosmetic materials.

Evaluative studies in nuclear medicine research. Emission-computed tomography assessment. Progress report 1 January-15 August 1981

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Potchen, E.J.

Questions regarding what imaging performance goals need to be met to produce effective biomedical research using positron emission computer tomography, how near those performance goals are to being realized by imaging systems, and the dependence of currently-unachieved performance goals on design and operational factors have been addressed in the past year, along with refinement of economic estimates for the capital and operating costs of a PECT research facility. The two primary sources of information have been solicitations of expert opinion and review of current literature. (ACR)

Complementary Evaluation: The Development of a Conceptual Framework to Integrate External and Internal Evaluation in the New Zealand School Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mutch, Carol

2012-01-01

One of the themes of current school evaluation research and debate is the extent to which it is possible to integrate internal and external evaluation and accountability and improvement. In this article, the author outlines how New Zealand has attempted to reconcile these differing perspectives and aims. New Zealand has a national system of school…

The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Levels of Student Wellbeing, Integration and Retention: A Controlled Comparative Evaluation of Residential Students in UK Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collings, R.; Swanson, V.; Watkins, R.

2014-01-01

Peer mentoring is becoming increasingly popular in UK higher education, however, there remains little good quality, theoretically driven and evaluative research. The current study aims to bridge the gap between theory, practice and evaluation by providing a controlled evaluation of a peer mentoring scheme within UK universities. 109 first year…

The Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at Case Western Reserve University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flannery, Daniel J.; Singer, Mark I.

2015-01-01

Established in the year 2000, the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education is a multidisciplinary center located at a school of social work that engages in collaborative, community-based research and evaluation that spans multiple systems and disciplines. The Center currently occupies 4,200 sq. ft. with multiple offices and…

Validation of the Psychological Research Inventory of Concepts: An Index of Research and Statistical Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veilleux, Jennifer C.; Chapman, Kate M.

2017-01-01

The current set of three studies further evaluates the validity and application of the Psychological Research Inventory of Concepts (PRIC). In Study 1, we administered the PRIC to a sample of introductory psychology students and online (Mechanical Turk) participants along with measures assessing theoretically related concepts. We found evidence of…

Introduction to Electrochemistry and the Use of Electrochemistry to Synthesize and Evaluate Catalysts for Water Oxidation and Reduction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendel, Samuel J.; Young, Elizabeth R.

2016-01-01

Electrochemical analysis is an important skill to teach in chemistry curricula because it is a critical tool in current high-impact chemical research. Electrochemistry enables researchers to analyze a variety of systems extending from molecules to materials that encompass research themes ranging from clean energy to substrate activation in…

The Development of Online Tutorial Program Design Using Problem-Based Learning in Open Distance Learning System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Said, Asnah; Syarif, Edy

2016-01-01

This research aimed to evaluate of online tutorial program design by applying problem-based learning Research Methods currently implemented in the system of Open Distance Learning (ODL). The students must take a Research Methods course to prepare themselves for academic writing projects. Problem-based learning basically emphasizes the process of…

Teaching Research to MSW Students: Effectiveness of the Team-Based Learning Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macke, Caroline; Tapp, Karen

2012-01-01

Social work students often have been labeled as research-reluctant. Consequently, it is important to identify effective teaching strategies. One innovative strategy is team-based learning. The effectiveness of team-based learning has not yet been evaluated with a social work research class. As a result, the current study compared the effectiveness…

From Procrustes to Proteus: Trends and Practices in the Assessment of Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oancea, Alis

2007-01-01

This article is a reflection on an area of particular interest in the current research environment, but which has not yet been explored satisfactorily in the education literature: the evaluation of educational research. The particular focus is on the UK context, but the article is informed by comparative evidence from six countries (gathered…

Electrical bioimpedance and other techniques for gastric emptying and motility evaluation

PubMed Central

Huerta-Franco, María Raquel; Vargas-Luna, Miguel; Montes-Frausto, Juana Berenice; Flores-Hernández, Corina; Morales-Mata, Ismael

2012-01-01

The aim of this article is to identify non-invasive, inexpensive, highly sensitive and accurate techniques for evaluating and diagnosing gastric diseases. In the case of the stomach, there are highly sensitive and specific methods for assessing gastric motility and emptying (GME). However, these methods are invasive, expensive and/or not technically feasible for all clinicians and patients. We present a summary of the most relevant international information on non-invasive methods and techniques for clinically evaluating GME. We particularly emphasize the potential of gastric electrical bioimpedance (EBI). EBI was initially used mainly in gastric emptying studies and was essentially abandoned in favor of techniques such as electrogastrography and the gold standard, scintigraphy. The current research evaluating the utility of gastric EBI either combines this technique with other frequently used techniques or uses new methods for gastric EBI signal analysis. In this context, we discuss our results and those of other researchers who have worked with gastric EBI. In this review article, we present the following topics: (1) a description of the oldest methods and procedures for evaluating GME; (2) an explanation of the methods currently used to evaluate gastric activity; and (3) a perspective on the newest trends and techniques in clinical and research GME methods. We conclude that gastric EBI is a highly effective non-invasive, easy to use and inexpensive technique for assessing GME. PMID:22368782

Cathodic Protection Measurement Through Inline Inspection Technology Uses and Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferguson, Briana Ley

This research supports the evaluation of an impressed current cathodic protection (CP) system of a buried coated steel pipeline through alternative technology and methods, via an inline inspection device (ILI, CP ILI tool, or tool), in order to prevent and mitigate external corrosion. This thesis investigates the ability to measure the current density of a pipeline's CP system from inside of a pipeline rather than manually from outside, and then convert that CP ILI tool reading into a pipe-to-soil potential as required by regulations and standards. This was demonstrated through a mathematical model that utilizes applications of Ohm's Law, circuit concepts, and attenuation principles in order to match the results of the ILI sample data by varying parameters of the model (i.e., values for over potential and coating resistivity). This research has not been conducted previously in order to determine if the protected potential range can be achieved with respect to the predicted current density from the CP ILI device. Kirchhoff's method was explored, but certain principals could not be used in the model as manual measurements were required. This research was based on circuit concepts which indirectly affected electrochemical processes. Through Ohm's law, the results show that a constant current density is possible in the protected potential range; therefore, indicates polarization of the pipeline, which leads to calcareous deposit development with respect to electrochemistry. Calcareous deposit is desirable in industry since it increases the resistance of the pipeline coating and lowers current, thus slowing the oxygen diffusion process. This research conveys that an alternative method for CP evaluation from inside of the pipeline is possible where the pipe-to-soil potential can be estimated (as required by regulations) from the ILI tool's current density measurement.

Cognitively Based Assessment of Research and Inquiry Skills: Defining a Key Practice in the English Language Arts. Research Report. ETS RR-15-35

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sparks, Jesse R.; Deane, Paul

2015-01-01

Current educational standards call for students to engage in the skills of research and inquiry, with a focus on gathering evidence from multiple information sources, evaluating the credibility of those sources, and writing an integrated synthesis that cites evidence from those sources. Opportunities to build strong research skills are critical,…

25 CFR 163.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... systems. (k) Research activities to improve the basis for determining appropriate management measures to... current forestry funding and staffing levels; and standards providing quantitative criteria to evaluate...

25 CFR 163.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... systems. (k) Research activities to improve the basis for determining appropriate management measures to... current forestry funding and staffing levels; and standards providing quantitative criteria to evaluate...

25 CFR 163.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... systems. (k) Research activities to improve the basis for determining appropriate management measures to... current forestry funding and staffing levels; and standards providing quantitative criteria to evaluate...

25 CFR 163.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... systems. (k) Research activities to improve the basis for determining appropriate management measures to... current forestry funding and staffing levels; and standards providing quantitative criteria to evaluate...

25 CFR 163.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... systems. (k) Research activities to improve the basis for determining appropriate management measures to... current forestry funding and staffing levels; and standards providing quantitative criteria to evaluate...

Developing a public health policy-research nexus: an evaluation of Nurse Practitioner models in aged care.

PubMed

Prosser, Brenton; Clark, Shannon; Davey, Rachel; Parker, Rhian

2013-10-01

A frustration often expressed by researchers and policy-makers in public health is an apparent mismatch between respective priorities and expectations for research. Academics bemoan an oversimplification of their work, a reticence for independent critique and the constant pressure to pursue evaluation funding. Meanwhile, policy-makers look for research reports written in plain language with clear application, which are attuned to current policy settings and produced quickly. In a context where there are calls in western nations for evidence based policy with stronger links to academic research, such a mismatch can present significant challenges to policy program evaluation. The purpose of this paper is to present one attempt to overcome these challenges. Specifically, the paper describes the development of a conceptual framework for a large-scale, multifaceted evaluation of an Australian Government health initiative to expand Nurse Practitioner models of practice in aged care service delivery. In doing so, the paper provides a brief review of key points for the facilitation of a strong research-policy nexus in public health evaluations, as well as describes how this particular evaluation embodies these key points. As such, the paper presents an evaluation approach which may be adopted and adapted by others undertaking public health policy program evaluations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fabrication and physical testing of graphite composite panels utilizing woven graphite fabric with current and advanced state-of-the-art resin systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, S. C. S.

1979-01-01

Three weaves were evaluated; a balanced plain weave, a balanced 8-harness satin weave, and a semiunidirectional crowfoot satin weave. The current state-of-the-art resin system selected was Fiberite's 934 Epoxy; the advanced resin systems evaluated were Phenolic, Phenolic/Novolac, Benzyl and Bismaleimide. The panels were fabricated for testing on NASA/Ames Research Center's Composites Modification Program. Room temperature mechanical tests only were performed by Hitco; the results are presented.

Current and emerging rehabilitation for concussion: A review of the evidence

PubMed Central

Broglio, Steven P.; Collins, Michael W.; Williams, Richelle M.; Mucha, Anne; Kontos, Anthony

2015-01-01

Concussion is one of the most hotly debated topics in sports medicine today. Research surrounding concussion has experienced significant growth recently especially in the areas of incidence, assessment, and recovery. However, there is limited research on the most effective rehabilitation approaches for this injury. This review evaluates the current literature for evidence for and against physical and cognitive rest and the emerging areas targeting vestibular, oculomotor, and pharamocological interventions for the rehabilitation of sport-related concussion. PMID:25818710

Evaluation Instruments and Good Practices in Online Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baldwin, Sally J.; Trespalacios, Jesús

2017-01-01

Chickering and Gamson's (1987) "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" offers extensively researched and validated tenets for best practices in higher education. After a review of the literature, twenty-eight evaluation instruments currently used to design and review online courses in higher education institutions…

Relevance and Retrieval Evaluation: Perspectives from Medicine.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hersh, William

1994-01-01

Discusses topical relevance and situational relevance, which takes into account the impact of the retrieval system on the user, in the context of medicine. Topics addressed include scientific validity; limitations of current evaluation methodology, including recall and precision; and a framework for future retrieval research based on an…

Applied Linguistics in Its Disciplinary Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liddicoat, Anthony J.

2010-01-01

Australia's current attempt to develop a process to evaluate the quality of research (Excellence in Research for Australia--ERA) places a central emphasis on the disciplinary organisation of academic work. This disciplinary focus poses particular problems for Applied Linguistics in Australia. This paper will examine Applied Linguistics in relation…

QUANTITATIVE DECISION TOOLS AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BYARS, LLOYD L.; NUNN, GEOFFREY E.

THIS ARTICLE OUTLINED THE CURRENT STATUS OF QUANTITATIVE METHODS AND OPERATIONS RESEARCH (OR), SKETCHED THE STRENGTHS OF TRAINING EFFORTS AND ISOLATED WEAKNESSES, AND FORMULATED WORKABLE CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING SUCCESS OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAMS. A SURVEY OF 105 COMPANIES REVEALED THAT PERT, INVENTORY CONTROL THEORY AND LINEAR…

Public service quality improvements: a case for exemption from IRB review of public administration research.

PubMed

Jordan, Sara R

2014-01-01

Should the exemption from Institutional Review Board (IRB) evaluations currently in place for quality improvements research be extended to public administration research that addresses questions of improving the quality of public service delivery? As a means to both reduce the level of disdain held by a group of social science researchers for IRBs and to reduce the cost of review for minimal risk studies, I argue here that much of the current public administration research should also be exempted from normal processes of review by IRBs on the basis of their similarity to Quality Improvements (QI) research, a category of studies already granted exemption. This argument dovetails provisions currently in place for studies of public service and public benefit, but reframes these exemptions in the language of "quality improvements," which may be a more comfortable language for IRBs concerned to demonstrate compliance for review of all fields. To expedite this argument into the practices of IRBs, I included a checklist that researchers could use to self-identify their studies as QI, not research as such.

Human factors measurement for future air traffic control systems.

PubMed

Langan-Fox, Janice; Sankey, Michael J; Canty, James M

2009-10-01

This article provides a critical review of research pertaining to the measurement of human factors (HF) issues in current and future air traffic control (ATC). Growing worldwide air traffic demands call for a radical departure from current ATC systems. Future systems will have a fundamental impact on the roles and responsibilities of ATC officers (ATCOs). Valid and reliable methods of assessing HF issues associated with these changes, such as a potential increase (or decrease) in workload, are of utmost importance for advancing theory and for designing systems, procedures, and training. We outline major aviation changes and how these relate to five key HF issues in ATC. Measures are outlined, compared, and evaluated and are followed by guidelines for assessing these issues in the ATC domain. Recommendations for future research are presented. A review of the literature suggests that situational awareness and workload have been widely researched and assessed using a variety of measures, but researchers have neglected the areas of trust, stress, and boredom. We make recommendations for use of particular measures and the construction of new measures. It is predicted that, given the changing role of ATCOs and profound future airspace requirements and configurations, issues of stress, trust, and boredom will become more significant. Researchers should develop and/or refine existing measures of all five key HF issues to assess their impact on ATCO performance. Furthermore, these issues should be considered in a holistic manner. The current article provides an evaluation of research and measures used in HF research on ATC that will aid research and ATC measurement.

Evaluating the Emergency Notification Systems of the NASA White Sands Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chavez, Alfred Paul

2004-01-01

The problem was that the NASA Fire and Emergency Services did not know if the current emergency notification systems on the NASA White Sands Test Facility were appropriate for alerting the employees of an emergency. The purpose of this Applied Research Project was to determine if the current emergency notification systems of the White Sands Test Facility are appropriate for alerting the employees of an emergency. This was a descriptive research project. The research questions were: 1) What are similar facilities using to alert the employees of an emergency?; 2) Are the current emergency notification systems suitable for the community hazards on the NASA White Sands Test Facility?; 3) What is the NASA Fire and Emergency Services currently using to measure the effectiveness of the emergency notification systems?; and 4) What are the current training methods used to train personnel to the emergency notification systems at the NASA White Sands Test Facility? The procedures involved were to research other established facilities, research published material from credible sources, survey the facility to determine the facility perception of the emergency notification systems, and evaluate the operating elements of the established emergency notification systems for the facility. The results were that the current systems are suitable for the type of hazards the facility may endure. The emergency notification systems are tested frequently to ensure effectiveness in the event of an emergency. Personnel are trained and participate in a yearly drill to make certain personnel are educated on the established systems. The recommendations based on the results were to operationally improve the existing systems by developing and implementing one system that can overall notify the facility of a hazard. Existing procedures and training should also be improved to ensure that all personnel are educated on what to do when the emergency notification systems are activated.

Evaluating ambulatory care training in Firoozgar hospital based on Iranian national standards of undergraduate medical education

PubMed Central

Sabzghabaei, Foroogh; Salajeghe, Mahla; Soltani Arabshahi, Seyed Kamran

2017-01-01

Background: In this study, ambulatory care training in Firoozgar hospital was evaluated based on Iranian national standards of undergraduate medical education related to ambulatory education using Baldrige Excellence Model. Moreover, some suggestions were offered to promote education quality in the current condition of ambulatory education in Firoozgar hospital and national standards using the gap analysis method. Methods: This descriptive analytic study was a kind of evaluation research performed using the standard check lists published by the office of undergraduate medical education council. Data were collected through surveying documents, interviewing, and observing the processes based on the Baldrige Excellence Model. After confirming the validity and reliability of the check lists, we evaluated the establishment level of the national standards of undergraduate medical education in the clinics of this hospital in the 4 following domains: educational program, evaluation, training and research resources, and faculty members. Data were analyzed according to the national standards of undergraduate medical education related to ambulatory education and the Baldrige table for scoring. Finally, the quality level of the current condition was determined as very appropriate, appropriate, medium, weak, and very weak. Results: In domains of educational program 62%, in evaluation 48%, in training and research resources 46%, in faculty members 68%, and in overall ratio, 56% of the standards were appropriate. Conclusion: The most successful domains were educational program and faculty members, but evaluation and training and research resources domains had a medium performance. Some domains and indicators were determined as weak and their quality needed to be improved, so it is suggested to provide the necessary facilities and improvements by attending to the quality level of the national standards of ambulatory education PMID:29951400

Animal behavioral assessments in current research of Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Asakawa, Tetsuya; Fang, Huan; Sugiyama, Kenji; Nozaki, Takao; Hong, Zhen; Yang, Yilin; Hua, Fei; Ding, Guanghong; Chao, Dongman; Fenoy, Albert J; Villarreal, Sebastian J; Onoe, Hirotaka; Suzuki, Katsuaki; Mori, Norio; Namba, Hiroki; Xia, Ying

2016-06-01

Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder, is traditionally classified as a movement disorder. Patients typically suffer from many motor dysfunctions. Presently, clinicians and scientists recognize that many non-motor symptoms are associated with PD. There is an increasing interest in both motor and non-motor symptoms in clinical studies on PD patients and laboratory research on animal models that imitate the pathophysiologic features and symptoms of PD patients. Therefore, appropriate behavioral assessments are extremely crucial for correctly understanding the mechanisms of PD and accurately evaluating the efficacy and safety of novel therapies. This article systematically reviews the behavioral assessments, for both motor and non-motor symptoms, in various animal models involved in current PD research. We addressed the strengths and weaknesses of these behavioral tests and their appropriate applications. Moreover, we discussed potential mechanisms behind these behavioral tests and cautioned readers against potential experimental bias. Since most of the behavioral assessments currently used for non-motor symptoms are not particularly designed for animals with PD, it is of the utmost importance to greatly improve experimental design and evaluation in PD research with animal models. Indeed, it is essential to develop specific assessments for non-motor symptoms in PD animals based on their characteristics. We concluded with a prospective view for behavioral assessments with real-time assessment with mobile internet and wearable device in future PD research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of Alternative Student Aid Delivery Systems: Assessment of the Current Delivery System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Advanced Technology, Inc., Reston, VA.

The effects of the current system for delivering federal financial assistance to students under the Pell Grant, Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL), and campus-based programs are analyzed. Information is included on the use of the assessment model, which combines program evaluation, systems research, and policy analysis methodologies.…

Biosecurity for animal facilities and associated laboratories.

PubMed

Richmond, Jonathan Y; Nesby-O'Dell, Shanna

2003-01-01

Although working with human pathogens and zoonotic agents has always carried a certain degree of danger, current events have resulted in an increased focus on the subject, including new regulations. The authors discuss a number of risk assessment and management activities that animal research facilities should use to evaluate strengthen their current programs.

A Standardized Rubric for Evaluating Webquest Design: Reliability Analysis of ZUNAL Webquest Design Rubric

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unal, Zafer; Bodur, Yasar; Unal, Aslihan

2012-01-01

Current literature provides many examples of rubrics that are used to evaluate the quality of web-quest designs. However, reliability of these rubrics has not yet been researched. This is the first study to fully characterize and assess the reliability of a webquest evaluation rubric. The ZUNAL rubric was created to utilize the strengths of the…

Measuring Health Literacy: A Challenge to Curriculum Design and Evaluation. Research Briefs on Adult Literacy. Number 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pleasant, Andrew

2008-01-01

There is a growing interest in health literacy and in developing curricula for health care providers and for the general public. However, developing curriculum without accompanying evaluation plans is like starting a race without a finish line, and current measures of health literacy are not up to the task of evaluating curriculum. This research…

Anticipating Innovation in Teacher Evaluation Systems: Lessons for Researchers and Policymakers. Teacher Quality 2.0. Special Report 4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Michael

2013-01-01

The growing prominence of value-added models for measuring teacher effectiveness has prompted a recent surge in policies that consider students' classroom performance part of a teacher's evaluation. Yet, in light of the criticism and limitations of the current models, whether and how evaluation systems will adapt over time is unclear. This paper…

Natural Medicine: Wilderness Experience Outcomes for Combat Veterans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dietrich, Zachary Clayborne; Joye, Shauna Wilson; Garcia, Joseph Amos

2015-01-01

Wilderness Experience Programs (WEPs) have been shown to enhance psychological well-being for numerous populations. However, among veteran populations, these studies have historically evaluated programs that are short-term experiences, usually less than 1 week. The current research sought to evaluate a WEP for post-9/11 combat veterans engaging in…

A Parent-Oriented Approach to Rapid Toilet Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doan, Dai; Toussaint, Karen A.

2016-01-01

The current evaluation assessed the effectiveness of a rapid toilet training procedure for three young males with autism. The evaluation extended the research on rapid toilet training procedures by assessing parents' preference to include two common toilet training components, a urine alarm and positive practice. In addition, we assessed child…

Field test designs for the evaluation of vessel operators' use of and confidence in various aids to navigation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-12-01

Development Center in evaluating current Coast Guard policies and development plans for : Waterways Management, a "Waterways Management Research and Planning" task plan was : established as Task Area A in FY '94. The purpose of this task area is to d...

Evaluation of partial depth pavement repairs on routes heavily traveled by Amish horse and buggies : phase 1 : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-02-01

This report summarizes Phase 1 research work that was completed to: 1-document Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) : current practices for partial depth repairs performed on roadways with and without Amish buggy traffic, 2- identify and evaluate...

Chinese Middle School Teachers' Preferences Regarding Performance Evaluation Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Shujie; Xu, Xianxuan; Stronge, James H.

2016-01-01

Teacher performance evaluation currently is receiving unprecedented attention from policy makers, scholars, and practitioners worldwide. This study is one of the few studies of teacher perceptions regarding teacher performance measures that focus on China. We employed a quantitative dominant mixed research design to investigate Chinese teachers'…

Consultation in Bullying Prevention: An Elementary School Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrow, Michael T.; Hooker, Steven D.; Cate, Rebecca Lynne

2015-01-01

This manuscript outlines a consultation with a public elementary school that was aimed at assessing and strengthening the school's antibullying programs. We gathered consultation data through interviews and observations and also reviewed existing program evaluation data. We evaluated these data in light of current research on bullying prevention…

Critical Evaluation of Animal Alternative Tests for the Identification of Endocrine Active Substances, oral presentation

EPA Science Inventory

In the past 20 years, considerable progress in animal alternatives accompanied by advances in the toxicological sciences and new emphases on aquatic vertebrates has appeared. A significant amount of current research is targeted to evaluate alternative test methods that may reduce...

Critical Evaluation of Animal Alternative Tests for the Identification of Endocrine Active Substances

EPA Science Inventory

A significant amount of research is currently targeted to evaluate alternative test methods that may reduce, refine, or replace the use of animals, while ensuring human and environmental health and safety. It is important that the information gained from the alternative tests pr...

EVALUATION OF POSSIBLE BIASES IN THE U.S. EPA'S METHOD 101A-MERCURY EMISSIONS FROM STATIONARY SOURCES

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, has a program to evaluate and standardize source testing methods for hazardous pollutants in support of current and future air quality regulations. ccasionally, questions arise concerning an e...

A versus F: The Effects of Implicit Letter Priming on Cognitive Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciani, Keith D.; Sheldon, Kennon M.

2010-01-01

Background: It has been proposed that motivational responses outside people's conscious awareness can be primed to affect academic performance. The current research focused on the relationship between primed evaluative letters (A and F), explicit and implicit achievement motivation, and cognitive performance. Aim: Given the evaluative connotation…

Evaluation of performance and maximum length of continuous decks in bridges : part 1.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-01

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the performance history of continuous bridge decks in the State of Georgia, to determine why the current design detail works, to recommend a new design detail, and to recommend the maximum and/or optimum l...

Clinical Interventions for Hyperacusis in Adults: A Scoping Review to Assess the Current Position and Determine Priorities for Research

PubMed Central

Potgieter, Iskra; Baguley, David M.

2017-01-01

Background There is no universally accepted definition for hyperacusis, but in general it is characterised by decreased sound tolerance to ordinary environmental sounds. Despite hyperacusis being prevalent and having significant clinical implications, much remains unknown about current management strategies. Purpose To establish the current position of research on hyperacusis and identify research gaps to direct future research. Design and Sample Using an established methodological framework, electronic and manual searches of databases and journals identified 43 records that met our inclusion criteria. Incorporating content and thematic analysis approaches, the definitions of hyperacusis, management strategies, and outcome measures were catalogued. Results Only 67% of the studies provided a definition of hyperacusis, such as “reduced tolerance” or “oversensitivity to sound.” Assessments and outcome measures included Loudness Discomfort Levels, the Hyperacusis Questionnaire, and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) interview. Management strategies reported were Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, TRT, devices, pharmacological therapy, and surgery. Conclusions Management strategies were typically evaluated in patients reporting hyperacusis as a secondary complaint or as part of a symptom set. As such the outcomes reported only provided an indication of their effectiveness for hyperacusis. Randomised Controlled Trials are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of management strategies for patients experiencing hyperacusis. PMID:29312994

Moving from Cognition to Behavior: What the Research Says

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Russell E.; Chang, Chu-Hsiang; Lord, Robert G.

2006-01-01

In 1994, R. G. Lord and P. E. Levy proposed a variant of control theory that incorporated human information processing principles. The current article evaluates the empirical evidence for their propositions and updates the theory by considering contemporary research on information processing. Considerable support drawing from diverse literatures…

Productivity and Academic Assessment in Brazil: Challenges for Qualitative Health Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bosi, Maria Lucia Magalhaes

2012-01-01

This paper discusses the challenges to the qualitative health research approach, under the regime of productivity that rules current academic evaluation in many countries. The analysis considers aspects common to several contexts, illustrating the discussion with the Brazilian context and, more specifically, within the dynamics of the collective…

Evaluation of the Executive Information Requirements for the Market Research Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lanser, Michael A.

A study examined the marketing research information required by those executives of Lakeshore Technical College (Wisconsin) whose decisions affect the college's direction. Data were gathered from the following sources: literature review; development of a data dictionary framework; analysis of the college's current information system through…

Helping Teachers Use Research Findings: The Consumer-Validation Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eaker, Robert E.; Huffman, James O.

A program stressing teacher involvement and classroom implementation of educational research findings is described. The program was designed to familiarize teachers with current findings, have them apply the findings in their classrooms, analyze their own teaching behavior, and critically evaluate the findings in terms of their applicability to…

Hot Topics on the Web: Strategies for Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diaz, Karen R.; O'Hanlon, Nancy

2001-01-01

Presents strategies for researching topics on the Web that are controversial or current in nature. Discusses topic selection and overviews, including the use of online encyclopedias; search engines; finding laws and pending legislation; advocacy groups; proprietary databases; Web site evaluation; and the continuing usefulness of print materials.…

A Health Newsletter To Teach Science Knowledge: BioRAP!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Froman, Robin D.; Owen, Steven V.; Del Rio-Parent, Lourdes

This research describes the evaluation of a science curriculum newsletter called BioRAP which serves as a vehicle to teach current health science content. The research objectives were to estimate the relationships of socioeconomic status, ethnic group, gender, grade, student ability, and classroom use characteristics with student knowledge and…

The Sexual Exploitation of Missing Children: A Research Review.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hotaling, Gerald T.; Finkelhor, David

This paper evaluates current knowledge about the prevalence, dynamics, and short- and long-term effects of sexual exploitation among missing children. It is based upon empirical research findings from books, papers presented at professional meetings, doctoral dissertations, works in progress, and more than 75 articles in professional journals.…

77 FR 19678 - Cooperative Research and Development Agreement: Asset Tracking and Reporting Technology

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-02

... Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with General Dynamics C4 Systems, Inc. (General Dynamics), to test, evaluate, and document the strengths and weaknesses of at least one technical approach... Guard is currently considering partnering with General Dynamics, we are soliciting public comment on the...

The Poor in 1970: A Chartbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryscavage, Paul M.

The analyses in this presentation book, prepared by the Policy Research Division of the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Office of Economic Opportunity, reflect poverty statistics based on data from the Current Population Survey of the Bureau of the Census. These statistics reflect incomes of families and individuals which fall below…

Preschoolers' Fantasy-Reality Distinctions of Emotional Events

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrick, Nathalie; Ramirez, Madisenne

2012-01-01

Research suggests that emotions influence children's ability to discern fantasy from reality; however, reasons for this association remain unknown. The current research sought to better understand the mechanisms underlying children's distinctions by examining the roles discrete emotions and context have in 3- to 5-year-olds' evaluations of fantasy…

Handbook of Asian American Psychology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Lee C., Ed.; Zane, Nolan W. S., Ed.

This handbook integrates descriptions and evaluations of current psychological research on all ethnic subgroups of Asian Americans, providing insights into the diverse and varied nature of Asian American cultures. Following a Foreword by Dick Suinn, the chapters are: (1) "An Overview" (Lee C. Lee); (2) "Research Methods: The Construct Validity of…

A Program to Improve Student Engagement at Research-Focused Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whillans, Ashley V.; Hope, Sally E.; Wylie, Lauren J.; Zhao, Bob; Souza, Michael J.

2018-01-01

Promoting undergraduate engagement is an important and challenging obstacle at large research-focused universities. Thus, the current study evaluated whether a peer-led program of student-geared events could improve engagement among a diverse group of psychology students early on in their degrees. We randomly assigned interested second-year…

Psychometric Assessment and Reporting Practices: Incongruence between Theory and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slaney, Kathleen L.; Tkatchouk, Masha; Gabriel, Stephanie M.; Maraun, Michael D.

2009-01-01

The aim of the current study is twofold: (a) to investigate the rates at which researchers assess and report on the psychometric properties of the measures they use in their research and (b) to examine whether or not researchers appear to be generally employing sound/unsound rationales when it comes to how they conduct test evaluations. Based on a…

A Further Characterization of Empirical Research Related to Learning Outcome Achievement in Remote and Virtual Science Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brinson, James R.

2017-01-01

This paper further characterizes recently reviewed literature related to student learning outcome achievement in non-traditional (virtual and remote) versus traditional (hands-on) science labs, as well as factors to consider when evaluating the state and progress of research in this field as a whole. Current research is characterized according to…

The role of the research simulator in the systems development of rotorcraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Statler, I. C.; Deel, A.

1981-01-01

The potential application of the research simulator to future rotorcraft systems design, development, product improvement evaluations, and safety analysis is examined. Current simulation capabilities for fixed-wing aircraft are reviewed and the requirements of a rotorcraft simulator are defined. The visual system components, vertical motion simulator, cab, and computation system for a research simulator under development are described.

Measuring Academic Productivity and Changing Definitions of Scientific Impact

PubMed Central

Sarli, Cathy C.; Carpenter, Christopher R.

2016-01-01

This manuscript provides a brief overview of the history of communication of scientific research and reporting of scientific research impact outcomes. Current day practices are outlined along with examples of how organizations and libraries are providing tools to evaluate and document the impact of scientific research to provide a meaningful narrative suitable for a variety of purposes and audiences. PMID:25438359

Evaluation of current Australian health service accreditation processes (ACCREDIT-CAP): protocol for a mixed-method research project.

PubMed

Hinchcliff, Reece; Greenfield, David; Moldovan, Max; Pawsey, Marjorie; Mumford, Virginia; Westbrook, Johanna Irene; Braithwaite, Jeffrey

2012-01-01

Accreditation programmes aim to improve the quality and safety of health services, and have been widely implemented. However, there is conflicting evidence regarding the outcomes of existing programmes. The Accreditation Collaborative for the Conduct of Research, Evaluation and Designated Investigations through Teamwork-Current Accreditation Processes (ACCREDIT-CAP) project is designed to address key gaps in the literature by evaluating the current processes of three accreditation programmes used across Australian acute, primary and aged care services. The project comprises three mixed-method studies involving documentary analyses, surveys, focus groups and individual interviews. Study samples will comprise stakeholders from across the Australian healthcare system: accreditation agencies; federal and state government departments; consumer advocates; professional colleges and associations; and staff of acute, primary and aged care services. Sample sizes have been determined to ensure results allow robust conclusions. Qualitative information will be thematically analysed, supported by the use of textual grouping software. Quantitative data will be subjected to a variety of analytical procedures, including descriptive and comparative statistics. The results are designed to inform health system policy and planning decisions in Australia and internationally. The project has been approved by the University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee (approval number HREC 10274). Results will be reported to partner organisations, healthcare consumers and other stakeholders via peer-reviewed publications, conference and seminar presentations, and a publicly accessible website.

Guidelines for the Design and Conduct of Clinical Studies in Knee Articular Cartilage Repair

PubMed Central

Mithoefer, Kai; Saris, Daniel B.F.; Farr, Jack; Kon, Elizaveta; Zaslav, Kenneth; Cole, Brian J.; Ranstam, Jonas; Yao, Jian; Shive, Matthew; Levine, David; Dalemans, Wilfried; Brittberg, Mats

2011-01-01

Objective: To summarize current clinical research practice and develop methodological standards for objective scientific evaluation of knee cartilage repair procedures and products. Design: A comprehensive literature review was performed of high-level original studies providing information relevant for the design of clinical studies on articular cartilage repair in the knee. Analysis of cartilage repair publications and synopses of ongoing trials were used to identify important criteria for the design, reporting, and interpretation of studies in this field. Results: Current literature reflects the methodological limitations of the scientific evidence available for articular cartilage repair. However, clinical trial databases of ongoing trials document a trend suggesting improved study designs and clinical evaluation methodology. Based on the current scientific information and standards of clinical care, detailed methodological recommendations were developed for the statistical study design, patient recruitment, control group considerations, study endpoint definition, documentation of results, use of validated patient-reported outcome instruments, and inclusion and exclusion criteria for the design and conduct of scientifically sound cartilage repair study protocols. A consensus statement among the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) and contributing authors experienced in clinical trial design and implementation was achieved. Conclusions: High-quality clinical research methodology is critical for the optimal evaluation of current and new cartilage repair technologies. In addition to generally applicable principles for orthopedic study design, specific criteria and considerations apply to cartilage repair studies. Systematic application of these criteria and considerations can facilitate study designs that are scientifically rigorous, ethical, practical, and appropriate for the question(s) being addressed in any given cartilage repair research project. PMID:26069574

Research evaluation support services in biomedical libraries.

PubMed

Gutzman, Karen Elizabeth; Bales, Michael E; Belter, Christopher W; Chambers, Thane; Chan, Liza; Holmes, Kristi L; Lu, Ya-Ling; Palmer, Lisa A; Reznik-Zellen, Rebecca C; Sarli, Cathy C; Suiter, Amy M; Wheeler, Terrie R

2018-01-01

The paper provides a review of current practices related to evaluation support services reported by seven biomedical and research libraries. A group of seven libraries from the United States and Canada described their experiences with establishing evaluation support services at their libraries. A questionnaire was distributed among the libraries to elicit information as to program development, service and staffing models, campus partnerships, training, products such as tools and reports, and resources used for evaluation support services. The libraries also reported interesting projects, lessons learned, and future plans. The seven libraries profiled in this paper report a variety of service models in providing evaluation support services to meet the needs of campus stakeholders. The service models range from research center cores, partnerships with research groups, and library programs with staff dedicated to evaluation support services. A variety of products and services were described such as an automated tool to develop rank-based metrics, consultation on appropriate metrics to use for evaluation, customized publication and citation reports, resource guides, classes and training, and others. Implementing these services has allowed the libraries to expand their roles on campus and to contribute more directly to the research missions of their institutions. Libraries can leverage a variety of evaluation support services as an opportunity to successfully meet an array of challenges confronting the biomedical research community, including robust efforts to report and demonstrate tangible and meaningful outcomes of biomedical research and clinical care. These services represent a transformative direction that can be emulated by other biomedical and research libraries.

National Weather Service

Science.gov Websites

Forecast and Warning Services of the National Weather Service Introduction Quantitative precipitation future which is an active area of research currently. 2) Evaluate HPN performance for forecast periods

Are university rankings useful to improve research? A systematic review.

PubMed

Vernon, Marlo M; Balas, E Andrew; Momani, Shaher

2018-01-01

Concerns about reproducibility and impact of research urge improvement initiatives. Current university ranking systems evaluate and compare universities on measures of academic and research performance. Although often useful for marketing purposes, the value of ranking systems when examining quality and outcomes is unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate usefulness of ranking systems and identify opportunities to support research quality and performance improvement. A systematic review of university ranking systems was conducted to investigate research performance and academic quality measures. Eligibility requirements included: inclusion of at least 100 doctoral granting institutions, be currently produced on an ongoing basis and include both global and US universities, publish rank calculation methodology in English and independently calculate ranks. Ranking systems must also include some measures of research outcomes. Indicators were abstracted and contrasted with basic quality improvement requirements. Exploration of aggregation methods, validity of research and academic quality indicators, and suitability for quality improvement within ranking systems were also conducted. A total of 24 ranking systems were identified and 13 eligible ranking systems were evaluated. Six of the 13 rankings are 100% focused on research performance. For those reporting weighting, 76% of the total ranks are attributed to research indicators, with 24% attributed to academic or teaching quality. Seven systems rely on reputation surveys and/or faculty and alumni awards. Rankings influence academic choice yet research performance measures are the most weighted indicators. There are no generally accepted academic quality indicators in ranking systems. No single ranking system provides a comprehensive evaluation of research and academic quality. Utilizing a combined approach of the Leiden, Thomson Reuters Most Innovative Universities, and the SCImago ranking systems may provide institutions with a more effective feedback for research improvement. Rankings which extensively rely on subjective reputation and "luxury" indicators, such as award winning faculty or alumni who are high ranking executives, are not well suited for academic or research performance improvement initiatives. Future efforts should better explore measurement of the university research performance through comprehensive and standardized indicators. This paper could serve as a general literature citation when one or more of university ranking systems are used in efforts to improve academic prominence and research performance.

Translational research in genomics of Alzheimer's disease: a review of current practice and future perspectives.

PubMed

Mihaescu, Raluca; Detmar, Symone B; Cornel, Martina C; van der Flier, Wiesje M; Heutink, Peter; Hol, Elly M; Rikkert, Marcel G M Olde; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Janssens, A Cecile J W

2010-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia and the number of cases is expected to increase exponentially worldwide. Three highly penetrant genes (AbetaPP, PSEN1, and PSEN2) explain only a small number of AD cases with a Mendelian transmission pattern. Many genes have been analyzed for association with non-Mendelian AD, but the only consistently replicated finding is APOE. At present, possibilities for prevention, early detection, and treatment of the disease are limited. Predictive and diagnostic genetic testing is available only in Mendelian forms of AD. Currently, APOE genotyping is not considered clinically useful for screening, presymptomatic testing, or clinical diagnosis of non-Mendelian AD. However, clinical management of the disease is expected to benefit from the rapid pace of discoveries in the genomics of AD. Following a recently developed framework for the continuum of translation research that is needed to move genetic discoveries to health applications, this paper reviews recent genetic discoveries as well as translational research on genomic applications in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of AD. The four phases of translation research include: 1) translation of basic genomics research into a potential health care application; 2) evaluation of the application for the development of evidence-based guidelines; 3) evaluation of the implementation and use of the application in health care practice; and 4) evaluation of the achieved population health impact. Most research on genome-based applications in AD is still in the first phase of the translational research framework, which means that further research is still needed before their implementation can be considered.

Research Priorities for Economic Analyses of Prevention: Current Issues & Future Directions

PubMed Central

Crowley, D. Max; Hill, Laura Griner; Kuklinski, Margaret R.; Jones, Damon E.

2013-01-01

In response to growing interest in economic analyses of prevention efforts, a diverse group of prevention researchers, economists, and policy analysts convened a scientific panel, on “Research Priorities in Economic Analysis of Prevention” at the 19th annual conference of the Society for Prevention Research. The panel articulated four priorities that, if followed in future research, would make economic analyses of prevention efforts easier to compare and more relevant to policymakers, and community stakeholders. These priorities are: (1) increased standardization of evaluation methods, (2) improved economic valuation of common prevention outcomes, (3) expanded efforts to maximize evaluation generalizability and impact, as well as (4) enhanced transparency and communicability of economic evaluations. In this paper we define three types of economic analyses in prevention, provide context and rationale for these four priorities as well as related sub-priorities, and discuss the challenges inherent in meeting them. PMID:23963624

Critical research needs for identifying future changes in Gulf coral reef ecosystems.

PubMed

Feary, David A; Burt, John A; Bauman, Andrew G; Al Hazeem, Shaker; Abdel-Moati, Mohamed A; Al-Khalifa, Khalifa A; Anderson, Donald M; Amos, Carl; Baker, Andrew; Bartholomew, Aaron; Bento, Rita; Cavalcante, Geórgenes H; Chen, Chaolun Allen; Coles, Steve L; Dab, Koosha; Fowler, Ashley M; George, David; Grandcourt, Edwin; Hill, Ross; John, David M; Jones, David A; Keshavmurthy, Shashank; Mahmoud, Huda; Moradi Och Tapeh, Mahdi; Mostafavi, Pargol Ghavam; Naser, Humood; Pichon, Michel; Purkis, Sam; Riegl, Bernhard; Samimi-Namin, Kaveh; Sheppard, Charles; Vajed Samiei, Jahangir; Voolstra, Christian R; Wiedenmann, Joerg

2013-07-30

Expert opinion was assessed to identify current knowledge gaps in determining future changes in Arabian/Persian Gulf (thereafter 'Gulf') coral reefs. Thirty-one participants submitted 71 research questions that were peer-assessed in terms of scientific importance (i.e., filled a knowledge gap and was a research priority) and efficiency in resource use (i.e., was highly feasible and ecologically broad). Ten research questions, in six major research areas, were highly important for both understanding Gulf coral reef ecosystems and also an efficient use of limited research resources. These questions mirrored global evaluations of the importance of understanding and evaluating biodiversity, determining the potential impacts of climate change, the role of anthropogenic impacts in structuring coral reef communities, and economically evaluating coral reef communities. These questions provide guidance for future research on coral reef ecosystems within the Gulf, and enhance the potential for assessment and management of future changes in this globally significant region. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Critical research needs for identifying future changes in Gulf coral reef ecosystems

PubMed Central

Feary, David A.; Burt, John A.; Bauman, Andrew G.; Al Hazeem, Shaker; Abdel-Moati, Mohamed A.; Al-Khalifa, Khalifa A.; Anderson, Donald M.; Amos, Carl; Baker, Andrew; Bartholomew, Aaron; Bento, Rita; Cavalcante, Geórgenes H.; Chen, Chaolun Allen; Coles, Steve L.; Dab, Koosha; Fowler, Ashley M.; George, David; Grandcourt, Edwin; Hill, Ross; John, David M.; Jones, David A.; Keshavmurthy, Shashank; Mahmoud, Huda; Moradi Och Tapeh, Mahdi; Mostafavi, Pargol Ghavam; Naser, Humood; Pichon, Michel; Purkis, Sam; Riegl, Bernhard; Samimi-Namin, Kaveh; Sheppard, Charles; Vajed Samiei, Jahangir; Voolstra, Christian R.; Wiedenmann, Joerg

2014-01-01

Expert opinion was assessed to identify current knowledge gaps in determining future changes in Arabian/ Persian Gulf (thereafter ‘Gulf’) coral reefs. Thirty-one participants submitted 71 research questions that were peer-assessed in terms of scientific importance (i.e., filled a knowledge gap and was a research priority) and efficiency in resource use (i.e., was highly feasible and ecologically broad). Ten research questions, in six major research areas, were highly important for both understanding Gulf coral reef ecosystems and also an efficient use of limited research resources. These questions mirrored global evaluations of the importance of understanding and evaluating biodiversity, determining the potential impacts of climate change, the role of anthropogenic impacts in structuring coral reef communities, and economically evaluating coral reef communities. These questions provide guidance for future research on coral reef ecosystems within the Gulf, and enhance the potential for assessment and management of future changes in this globally significant region. PMID:23643407

A Further Characterization of Empirical Research Related to Learning Outcome Achievement in Remote and Virtual Science Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brinson, James R.

2017-10-01

This paper further characterizes recently reviewed literature related to student learning outcome achievement in non-traditional (virtual and remote) versus traditional (hands-on) science labs, as well as factors to consider when evaluating the state and progress of research in this field as a whole. Current research is characterized according to (1) participant nationality and culture, (2) participant education level, (3) participant demography, (4) scientific discipline, and (5) research methodology, which could provide avenues for further research and useful dialog regarding the measurement and interpretation of data related to student learning outcome achievement in, and thus the efficacy of, non-traditional versus traditional science labs. Current research is also characterized by (6) research publication media and (7) availability of non-traditional labs used, which demonstrate some of the obstacles to progress and consensus in this research field.

Reactor Safety Gap Evaluation of Accident Tolerant Components and Severe Accident Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farmer, Mitchell T.; Bunt, R.; Corradini, M.

The overall objective of this study was to conduct a technology gap evaluation on accident tolerant components and severe accident analysis methodologies with the goal of identifying any data and/or knowledge gaps that may exist, given the current state of light water reactor (LWR) severe accident research, and additionally augmented by insights obtained from the Fukushima accident. The ultimate benefit of this activity is that the results can be used to refine the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Reactor Safety Technology (RST) research and development (R&D) program plan to address key knowledge gaps in severe accident phenomena and analyses that affectmore » reactor safety and that are not currently being addressed by the industry or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).« less

LAMPS software and mesoscale prediction studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkey, D. J.

1985-01-01

The full-physics version of the LAMPS model has been implemented on the Perkin-Elmer computer. In Addition, LAMPS graphics processors have been rewritten to the run on the Perkin-Elmer and they are currently undergoing final testing. Numerical experiments investigating the impact of convective parameterized latent heat release on the evolution of a precipitating storm have been performed and the results are currently being evaluated. Curent efforts include the continued evaluation of the impact of initial conditions on LAMPS model results. This work will help define measurement requirements for future research field projects as well as for observations in support of operational forecasts. Also, the impact of parameterized latent heat on the evolution of precipitating systems is continuing. This research is in support of NASA's proposed Earth Observation Mission (EOM).

Organization and use of a Software/Hardware Avionics Research Program (SHARP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karmarkar, J. S.; Kareemi, M. N.

1975-01-01

The organization and use is described of the software/hardware avionics research program (SHARP) developed to duplicate the automatic portion of the STOLAND simulator system, on a general-purpose computer system (i.e., IBM 360). The program's uses are: (1) to conduct comparative evaluation studies of current and proposed airborne and ground system concepts via single run or Monte Carlo simulation techniques, and (2) to provide a software tool for efficient algorithm evaluation and development for the STOLAND avionics computer.

Touchless interaction with software in interventional radiology and surgery: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Mewes, André; Hensen, Bennet; Wacker, Frank; Hansen, Christian

2017-02-01

In this article, we systematically examine the current state of research of systems that focus on touchless human-computer interaction in operating rooms and interventional radiology suites. We further discuss the drawbacks of current solutions and underline promising technologies for future development. A systematic literature search of scientific papers that deal with touchless control of medical software in the immediate environment of the operation room and interventional radiology suite was performed. This includes methods for touchless gesture interaction, voice control and eye tracking. Fifty-five research papers were identified and analyzed in detail including 33 journal publications. Most of the identified literature (62 %) deals with the control of medical image viewers. The others present interaction techniques for laparoscopic assistance (13 %), telerobotic assistance and operating room control (9 % each) as well as for robotic operating room assistance and intraoperative registration (3.5 % each). Only 8 systems (14.5 %) were tested in a real clinical environment, and 7 (12.7 %) were not evaluated at all. In the last 10 years, many advancements have led to robust touchless interaction approaches. However, only a few have been systematically evaluated in real operating room settings. Further research is required to cope with current limitations of touchless software interfaces in clinical environments. The main challenges for future research are the improvement and evaluation of usability and intuitiveness of touchless human-computer interaction and the full integration into productive systems as well as the reduction of necessary interaction steps and further development of hands-free interaction.

Evaluating health care interventions in the European Union.

PubMed

McDaid, David; Cookson, Richard

2003-02-01

This paper examines the current state of evaluations of health care interventions in the European Union, from the identification and commissioning of research through to its impact on policy and practice. Material is drawn from a survey conducted for the ASTEC project as well as a review of literature. Although the use of evaluative research has increased substantially in the last decade, both the pace of change and preferred research methodologies employed differ markedly. Much research still concentrates on issues of safety, efficacy and effectiveness, although there is evidence of an increasing emphasis on cost-effectiveness. Many countries are beginning to introduce systems linking economic evaluation to the decision-making process, while networks for the exchange of information continue to evolve. Research capacity in the public sector, although improving, is uneven, in part due to the uncertainty over long term career prospects and competition from industry. Capacity building measures should in particular ensure that dissemination expertise is strengthened, and that more emphasis is placed on developing receptor capacity within different stakeholder groups. Linking knowledge production to changes in practice remains a key challenge. Further research on implementation and impact assessment is required, to help demonstrate the value of evaluations on both policy and practice.

Self-esteem and evaluative beliefs in paranoia.

PubMed

Valiente, Carmen; Cantero, Dolores; Sánchez, Alvaro; Provencio, María; Wickham, Sophie

2014-06-01

Psychological models have implicated negative self-esteem as an important factor underlying paranoia. However, research investigating the role of self-esteem in paranoia suffers from poor conceptual and methodological understanding, resulting in conflicting findings. Central to this problem is the use of measures investigating global self-esteem and self-evaluative beliefs interchangeably. In the present study we aimed to analyze differences in self-esteem domains and self-evaluation. The present study used interviews and questionnaires to compare a clinical sample of participants who were currently paranoid (n = 55) with healthy controls (n = 57) on global self-esteem domains and negative evaluative beliefs, in order to investigate the multi-faceted role of "the self". There was no significant difference in self-esteem domains between groups, highlighting that self-esteem is preserved in currently paranoid individuals. However, the paranoid group had significantly more negative evaluative beliefs. Interestingly, our global measures of self-esteem and measures of negative evaluative beliefs were uncorrelated, highlighting the importance of understanding the differences underlying these concepts. This study does not address dynamic aspects of self-esteem and self-evaluation. The present study provides undeniable evidence to investigate self-concept dimensions separately. These findings must be considered by researchers interested in the role of the self in the onset and maintenance of paranoia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Small business innovation research program solicitation: Closing date July 16, 1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

This is the eighth annual solicitation by NASA addressed to small business firms, inviting them to submit proposals for research, or research and development, activities in some of the science and engineering areas of interest to NASA. The solicitation describes the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program, identifies eligibility requirements, outlines the required proposal format and content, states proposal preparation and submission requirements, describes the proposal evaluation and award selection process, and provides other information to assist those interested in participating in NASA's SBIR program. It also identifies the technical topics and subtopics for which SBIR proposals are solicited. These cover a broad range of current NASA interests, but do not necessarily include all areas in which NASA plans or currently conducts research. High-risk high pay-off innovations are desired.

Neither Fair nor Accurate: Research-Based Reasons Why High-Stakes Tests Should Not Be Used to Evaluate Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Au, Wayne

2011-01-01

Current and former leaders of many major urban school districts, including Washington, D.C.'s Michelle Rhee and New Orleans' Paul Vallas, have sought to use tests to evaluate teachers. In fact, the use of high-stakes standardized tests to evaluate teacher performance in the manner of value-added measurement (VAM) has become one of the cornerstones…

Responses to Negative Student Evaluations on Ratemyprofessors.com: The Effect of Instructor Statement of Credibility on Student Lower-Level Cognitive Learning and State Motivation to Learn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liang, Yuhua

2015-01-01

Instructors have the ability to respond to student evaluations on RateMyProfessors.com (RMP). The current research conceptualized the juxtaposition of student evaluations and instructor responses using communication processes on participatory websites. In an original experiment, the results demonstrated that when faced with multiple negative…

Icing simulation: A survey of computer models and experimental facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potapczuk, M. G.; Reinmann, J. J.

1991-01-01

A survey of the current methods for simulation of the response of an aircraft or aircraft subsystem to an icing encounter is presented. The topics discussed include a computer code modeling of aircraft icing and performance degradation, an evaluation of experimental facility simulation capabilities, and ice protection system evaluation tests in simulated icing conditions. Current research focussed on upgrading simulation fidelity of both experimental and computational methods is discussed. The need for increased understanding of the physical processes governing ice accretion, ice shedding, and iced airfoil aerodynamics is examined.

Icing simulation: A survey of computer models and experimental facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potapczuk, M. G.; Reinmann, J. J.

1991-01-01

A survey of the current methods for simulation of the response of an aircraft or aircraft subsystem to an icing encounter is presented. The topics discussed include a computer code modeling of aircraft icing and performance degradation, an evaluation of experimental facility simulation capabilities, and ice protection system evaluation tests in simulated icing conditions. Current research focused on upgrading simulation fidelity of both experimental and computational methods is discussed. The need for the increased understanding of the physical processes governing ice accretion, ice shedding, and iced aerodynamics is examined.

Investigating the Impacts of Previous and Current Learning Experiences on Student Teachers' Teaching Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ögeyik, Muhlise Cosgun

2016-01-01

This study investigated the impacts of the previous and current learning experiences of the student teachers on their microteaching practices. The study pursued threefold research goals: to diagnose the microteaching stance, to treat it, and to explore and evaluate the progress. The participants were 24 undergraduate third year student teachers…

Teachers' Autonomy in Today's Educational Climate: Current Perceptions from an Acceptable Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strong, Luman E. G.; Yoshida, Roland K.

2014-01-01

This research evaluated the psychometric properties of Friedman's (1999) Teacher Work-Autonomy Scale (TWA) to determine whether it was an acceptable instrument to measure U.S. teacher autonomy in the present educational context. A second purpose was to ascertain the current status of teachers' perceptions of their autonomy from a sample of U.S.…

Toward a Theory-Based Natural Language Capability in Robots and Other Embodied Agents: Evaluating Hausser's SLIM Theory and Database Semantics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burk, Robin K.

2010-01-01

Computational natural language understanding and generation have been a goal of artificial intelligence since McCarthy, Minsky, Rochester and Shannon first proposed to spend the summer of 1956 studying this and related problems. Although statistical approaches dominate current natural language applications, two current research trends bring…

New Researches and Application Progress of Commonly Used Optical Molecular Imaging Technology

PubMed Central

Chen, Zhi-Yi; Yang, Feng; Lin, Yan; Zhou, Qiu-Lan; Liao, Yang-Ying

2014-01-01

Optical molecular imaging, a new medical imaging technique, is developed based on genomics, proteomics and modern optical imaging technique, characterized by non-invasiveness, non-radiativity, high cost-effectiveness, high resolution, high sensitivity and simple operation in comparison with conventional imaging modalities. Currently, it has become one of the most widely used molecular imaging techniques and has been applied in gene expression regulation and activity detection, biological development and cytological detection, drug research and development, pathogenesis research, pharmaceutical effect evaluation and therapeutic effect evaluation, and so forth, This paper will review the latest researches and application progresses of commonly used optical molecular imaging techniques such as bioluminescence imaging and fluorescence molecular imaging. PMID:24696850

Quantifying and Understanding Effects from Wildlife, Radar, and Public Engagement on Future Wind Deployment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tegen, Suzanne

This presentation provides an overview of findings from a report published in 2016 by researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, An Initial Evaluation of Siting Considerations on Current and Future Wind Deployment. The presentation covers the background for research, the Energy Department's Wind Vision, research methods, siting considerations, the wind project deployment process, and costs associated with siting considerations.

Ordinal preference elicitation methods in health economics and health services research: using discrete choice experiments and ranking methods.

PubMed

Ali, Shehzad; Ronaldson, Sarah

2012-09-01

The predominant method of economic evaluation is cost-utility analysis, which uses cardinal preference elicitation methods, including the standard gamble and time trade-off. However, such approach is not suitable for understanding trade-offs between process attributes, non-health outcomes and health outcomes to evaluate current practices, develop new programmes and predict demand for services and products. Ordinal preference elicitation methods including discrete choice experiments and ranking methods are therefore commonly used in health economics and health service research. Cardinal methods have been criticized on the grounds of cognitive complexity, difficulty of administration, contamination by risk and preference attitudes, and potential violation of underlying assumptions. Ordinal methods have gained popularity because of reduced cognitive burden, lower degree of abstract reasoning, reduced measurement error, ease of administration and ability to use both health and non-health outcomes. The underlying assumptions of ordinal methods may be violated when respondents use cognitive shortcuts, or cannot comprehend the ordinal task or interpret attributes and levels, or use 'irrational' choice behaviour or refuse to trade-off certain attributes. CURRENT USE AND GROWING AREAS: Ordinal methods are commonly used to evaluate preference for attributes of health services, products, practices, interventions, policies and, more recently, to estimate utility weights. AREAS FOR ON-GOING RESEARCH: There is growing research on developing optimal designs, evaluating the rationalization process, using qualitative tools for developing ordinal methods, evaluating consistency with utility theory, appropriate statistical methods for analysis, generalizability of results and comparing ordinal methods against each other and with cardinal measures.

Peer Review Practices for Evaluating Biomedical Research Grants: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

PubMed

Liaw, Lucy; Freedman, Jane E; Becker, Lance B; Mehta, Nehal N; Liscum, Laura

2017-08-04

The biomedical research enterprise depends on the fair and objective peer review of research grants, leading to the distribution of resources through efficient and robust competitive methods. In the United States, federal funding agencies and foundations collectively distribute billions of dollars annually to support biomedical research. For the American Heart Association, a Peer Review Subcommittee is charged with establishing the highest standards for peer review. This scientific statement reviews the current literature on peer review practices, describes the current American Heart Association peer review process and those of other agencies, analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of American Heart Association peer review practices, and recommends best practices for the future. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Evaluating Existing and New Validity Evidence for the Academic Motivation Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fairchild, Amanda J.; Horst, S. Jeanne; Finney, Sara J.; Barron, Kenneth E.

2005-01-01

The current study evaluates existing and new validity evidence for the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS; Vallerand et al., 1992). We first provide a narrative review synthesizing past research, and then conduct a validity investigation of the scores from the measure. Data analysis using a sample of 1406 American college students provided construct…

Structured Play and Student Learning in Kindergarten: An Outcome Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodgers, Moira Smith

2012-01-01

This qualitative research study was an outcome evaluation of an alternative kindergarten curriculum to those currently used in most public schools. Tools of the Mind, a Vygotskian, play-based curriculum was implemented during the 2010-2011 school year in four kindergarten classrooms, involving data from approximately 50 students, within a public…

A Review of Parent Education Programs for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schultz, Tia R.; Schmidt, Carla T.; Stichter, Janine P.

2011-01-01

Benefits of parent education have been demonstrated for decades. However, there exists a lack of formative evaluation of parent education for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), limiting the interpretation of ongoing and future research. To understand the current status, key characteristics, and evaluation methods of parent…

Involving Stakeholders in Programme Theory Specification: Discussion of a Systematic, Consensus-Based Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Urk, Felix; Grant, Sean; Bonell, Chris

2016-01-01

The use of explicit programme theory to guide evaluation is widely recommended. However, practitioners and other partnering stakeholders often initiate programmes based on implicit theories, leaving researchers to explicate them before commencing evaluation. The current study aimed to apply a systematic method to undertake this process. We…

Evaluating a National Science and Technology Program Using the Human Capital and Relational Asset Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Chia-Liang; Chou, Jerome Chih-Lung; Roan, Hung-Wei

2010-01-01

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the performance of the National Science and Technology Program (NSTP) by targeting the Taiwan National Telecommunication Program (NTP) initiated in 1998. The Taiwan telecommunications industry has prospered, currently occupying key positions in global markets even though NTP seldom contributes positively…

Evaluation of Peer Comforting Strategies by Children and Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Ruth Anne; MacGeorge, Erina L.; Robinson, Lakesha

2008-01-01

Despite the importance of social support across the lifespan and extensive research on supportive communication between adults, little is known about how children or adolescents respond to the comforting efforts of their peers. The current study was designed to examine how 5th, 7th, and 9th graders evaluate six peer comforting strategies…

Teaching Safety Responding to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rossi, Margaret R.; Vladescu, Jason C.; Reeve, Kenneth F.; Gross, Amy C.

2017-01-01

Children have been taught to demonstrate a safety response when they encounter a dangerous stimulus using behavioral skills training (BST). However, little research has evaluated the usefulness of BST to teach safety skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the current study, we evaluated BST to establish a generalized repertoire…

State of the App: A Taxonomy and Framework for Evaluating Language Learning Mobile Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosell-Aguilar, Fernando

2017-01-01

The widespread growth in availability and use of smartphones and tablets has facilitated an unprecedented avalanche of new software applications with language learning and teaching capabilities. However, little has been published in terms of effective design and evaluation of language learning apps. This article reviews current research about the…

Comparative evaluation of green technologies using the Emergy Footprint and other measures of ecosystems services and sustainability

EPA Science Inventory

The work processes and products of the environment are now recognized by scientists and economists alike for the contributions that they make to human and natural systems. Thus, the nature and evaluation of nonmarket goods and services are the subject of much current research in...

The Evaluation of Teachers. ERS Annotated Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baral, Laurie R., Comp.

To provide a useful reference to published and unpublished documents relating to teacher evaluation, a search was made of the Education Index, Research in Education (RIE), and Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE), which resulted in this 125-item bibliography. The source for each entry is indicated, along with pricing and ordering…

Treatment Integrity Assessment of a Daily Report Card Intervention: A Preliminary Evaluation of Two Methods and Frequencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanetti, Lisa M. Hagermoser; Chafouleas, Sandra M.; O'Keeffe, Breda V.; Kilgus, Stephen P.

2013-01-01

Although intuitively appealing, teacher self-report of treatment integrity is not currently recommended as a method for collecting treatment integrity data. Education researchers have not, however, evaluated features of a treatment integrity self-reporting system that may facilitate accurate self-report. In this preliminary investigation, four…

Evaluation of Residential Consumers Knowledge of Wireless Network Security and Its Correlation with Identity Theft

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kpaduwa, Fidelis Iheanyi

2010-01-01

This current quantitative correlational research study evaluated the residential consumers' knowledge of wireless network security and its relationship with identity theft. Data analysis was based on a sample of 254 randomly selected students. All the study participants completed a survey questionnaire designed to measure their knowledge of…

Evaluating and Improving the Mathematics Teaching-Learning Process through Metacognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Desoete, Annemie

2007-01-01

Introduction: Despite all the emphasis on metacognition, researchers currently use different techniques to assess metacognition. The purpose of this contribution is to help to clarify some of the paradigms on the evaluation of metacognition. In addition the paper reviews studies aiming to improve the learning process through metacognition. Method:…

How to Recognize a Quality Technical Education Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doty, Charles R.

Criteria for the evaluation of quality technical educational programs must be identified if follow-up studies are to be effective. Current research shows that problems in the development of such criteria include the tendency to evaluate programs on the basis of organizational structure rather than on the quality of the instructional program…

Assessing Students' Understandings of Biological Models and Their Use in Science to Evaluate a Theoretical Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grünkorn, Juliane; Upmeier zu Belzen, Annette; Krüger, Dirk

2014-01-01

Research in the field of students' understandings of models and their use in science describes different frameworks concerning these understandings. Currently, there is no conjoint framework that combines these structures and so far, no investigation has focused on whether it reflects students' understandings sufficiently (empirical evaluation).…

Effect of Conductor Expressivity on Ensemble Evaluations by Nonmusic Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Harry E.; Mann, Alison; Morrison, Steven J.

2016-01-01

This study continues research that examines effects that conductors have on the assessment of ensemble performances. The current study used the same four recordings orders of two strict and two expressive examples by two conductors with a single repeated recording used in previous research, but the participants were not music majors. In addition…

Professional Learning Communities: Teachers Working Collaboratively for Continuous Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffith, Louise Ann

2009-01-01

Current research indicates that a professional learning community (PLC) is an effective means for helping teachers to bridge the gap between research and practice. A PLC is a team of educators systematically working together to improve teaching practice and student learning. This study evaluated the PLC formed by teachers at a public elementary…

Positioning Mentoring as a Coach Development Tool: Recommendations for Future Practice and Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McQuade, Sarah; Davis, Louise; Nash, Christine

2015-01-01

Current thinking in coach education advocates mentoring as a development tool to connect theory and practice. However, little empirical evidence exists to evaluate the effectiveness of mentoring as a coach development tool. Business, education, and nursing precede the coaching industry in their mentoring practice, and research findings offered in…

Academic Library Web Sites: Current Practice and Future Directions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Detlor, Brian; Lewis, Vivian

2006-01-01

To address competitive threats, academic libraries are encouraged to build robust Web sites personalized to learning and research tasks. Through an evaluation of Association of Research Libraries (ARL)-member Web sites, we suggest how library Web sites should evolve and reflect upon the impacts such recommendations may have on academic libraries…

Use of Research for Transforming Youth Agencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baizerman, Michael; Rence, Emily; Johnson, Sean

2013-01-01

Current philosophy and practice urge, even require for funding, that programs be empirically based and grounded in empirically proven emerging, promising, or best practices. In most of the human services, including youth programs, services, and practices, this requirement is a goal as well as an ideal. Empirical research and evaluation can be used…

Mass Media: The Image, Role, and Social Conditions of Women. No. 84.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ceulemans, Mieke; Fauconnier, Guido

A UNESCO-sponsored study was conducted to systematize, analyze, and evaluate the research about the interrelationships between mass media and the status of women on the basis of currently available international literature. The study sought to determine which aspects of women's media roles have been frequently researched, on which continents and…

Trends and Topics in Autism Spectrum Disorders Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matson, Johnny L.; LoVullo, Santino V.

2009-01-01

The field of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is expanding at an exponential rate. New topics for study are forming and journals are emerging rapidly to handle the ever-increasing volume of publications. This study was undertaken to provide an overview of past and current research trends. Representative studies were evaluated for type of content…

Designing Coherent Science Education: Implications for Curriculum, Instruction, and Policy. Technology, Education--Connections (TEC) Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kali, Yael, Ed.; Linn, Marcia, Ed.; Roseman, Jo Ellen, Ed.

2008-01-01

This edited collection synthesizes current research on the most promising methods and models for designing coherent science instruction. Arising from the National Science Foundation-funded Delineating and Evaluating Coherent Instructional Designs for Education (DECIDE) project, this volume combines the insights of researchers from two Centers for…

Career Education Programming in Three Diverse High Schools: A Critical Psychology--Case Study Research Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Saba Rasheed; Yang, Ling-Yan; Button, Christopher J.; McCoy, Thomasin T. H.

2012-01-01

From a critical psychology perspective, Prilleltensky and Nelson advocate for research that has explicit focus on social change and can allow for full participation and empowerment of those under study. The current article describes the collaborative development, implementation, and evaluation of a career education program within three ethnically…

Development of Effective Academic Affairs Administration System in Thai Primary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thongnoi, Niratchakorn; Srisa-ard, Boonchom; Sri-ampai, Anan

2013-01-01

This research aimed to: 1) study current situations and problems of academic affairs administration system in Primary Schools. 2) develop an effective academic affairs administration system, and 3) evaluate the implementation of the developed system in the primary school, Thailand. Research and Development (R&D) was employed which consisted of…

Evaluation of the Current Status and Knowledge Contributions of Professional Doctorates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costley, Carol

2013-01-01

The article examines the status and knowledge contributions of professional doctorates (PDs) undertaken by practising professionals who in most cases are not intending to join the academic community. The purpose of these doctorates is usually to research and develop an original contribution to practice through practitioner-research. Giving greater…

BODIPY-FL Nilotinib (Tasigna) for Use in Cancer Research | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Cancer.gov

The National Cancer Institute''s Laboratory of Cell Biology is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, evaluate, or commercialize bodipy conjugated tyrosine kinase inhibitors that are currently used in the clinic for the treatment of CML or gastric cancers.

A Report on the Research and Development of Instructional Simulation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Charles K.; And Others

The purpose of this report is to communicate findings on current knowledge of simulation design, development, and evaluation. Research on this project was guided by questions posed by the Defense Systems Management College in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. These questions fall into three categories: the constituents of good instructional simulations, the…

"Families' Perspectives on Interdisciplinary Professional Communication in Addressing Lifeplanning of Children with Special Health Care Needs"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rader, Rick A.; Kopetz, Patricia B.; Carter, Pamala J.

2001-01-01

Current research/literature identifies key, critical concerns of families with children who have special health care needs (ASHCAN). Emphasized are their expressed disappointments with overall transactional care between and among professionals helping their child(ren). Researchers of this study wanted to determine and evaluate the desires and…

Strategic Marketing Evaluation: A Focus Area for Institutional Research. AIR 1983 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Edward M.; Gackenbach, Rusty

The level of awareness, knowledge, and current practices regarding strategic marketing within institutional research (IR) offices were studied for colleges in the Rocky Mountain region. Of the 18 responding offices, 9 indicated that their institutions utilized a marketing approach to planning. Of these 9 offices, 56 percent reported formal…

The Impact of Child-Centered Group Play Therapy on Social Skills Development of Kindergarten Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kascsak, Theresa Marie

2012-01-01

The development of social adjustment during elementary school is of critical importance because early socialization skills are an important predictor of both future social and emotional functioning. However, an examination of current literature reveals there is limited research utilizing sound research methodology and evaluation protocols for…

The Impact of Animal Rights on the Use of Animals for Biomedical Research, Product Testing and Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baier, Stephen W.

1993-01-01

Clarifies the issues of animal rights as they effect animal use in research and education through an examination of the current use of animals, a historical look at animal use, and a consideration of the philosophical underpinnings of the animal rights and pro-use viewpoints. (PR)

76 FR 44593 - Identifying the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research's Science and Research Needs...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-26

... . Submit written comments to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration... from CDER's offices were asked to identify: (1) Scientific challenges currently addressed on a case-by-case basis that might benefit from the development of a systematized approach; (2) recurrent science...

Establishing Criteria for Effective Professional Development and Use in Evaluating an Action Research Based Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piggot-Irvine, Eileen

2006-01-01

A dialectical, or mutually informing and influencing, relationship exists between research, programmes for development and improved teaching and learning. Among a raft of other attributes, current perceptions of effective professional development (summarised in the paper) point to deep, collaborative, active and ongoing features as important. Such…

Computer-Based Simulations for Maintenance Training: Current ARI Research. Technical Report 544.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knerr, Bruce W.; And Others

Three research efforts that used computer-based simulations for maintenance training were in progress when this report was written: Game-Based Learning, which investigated the use of computer-based games to train electronics diagnostic skills; Human Performance in Fault Diagnosis Tasks, which evaluated the use of context-free tasks to train…

Motivational Differences in Seeking Out Evaluative Categorization Information.

PubMed

Smallman, Rachel; Becker, Brittney

2017-07-01

Previous research shows that people draw finer evaluative distinctions when rating liked versus disliked objects (e.g., wanting a 5-point scale to evaluate liked cuisines and a 3-point scale to rate disliked cuisines). Known as the preference-categorization effect, this pattern may exist not only in how individuals form evaluative distinctions but also in how individuals seek out evaluative information. The current research presents three experiments that examine motivational differences in evaluative information seeking (rating scales and attributes). Experiment 1 found that freedom of choice (the ability to avoid undesirable stimuli) and sensitivity to punishment (as measured by the Behavior Inhibition System/Behavioral Approach System [BIS/BAS] scale) influenced preferences for desirable and undesirable evaluative information in a health-related decision. Experiment 2 examined choice optimization, finding that maximizers prefer finer evaluative information for both liked and disliked options in a consumer task. Experiment 3 found that this pattern generalizes to another type of evaluative categorization, attributes.

Evaluation of crushed concrete base strength.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-12-01

This research project was conducted with two primary objectives, which include: 1) determine whether current Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) requirements for recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) provide adequate materials for a roadway ...

Trends in Mediation Analysis in Nursing Research: Improving Current Practice.

PubMed

Hertzog, Melody

2018-06-01

The purpose of this study was to describe common approaches used by nursing researchers to test mediation models and evaluate them within the context of current methodological advances. MEDLINE was used to locate studies testing a mediation model and published from 2004 to 2015 in nursing journals. Design (experimental/correlation, cross-sectional/longitudinal, model complexity) and analysis (method, inclusion of test of mediated effect, violations/discussion of assumptions, sample size/power) characteristics were coded for 456 studies. General trends were identified using descriptive statistics. Consistent with findings of reviews in other disciplines, evidence was found that nursing researchers may not be aware of the strong assumptions and serious limitations of their analyses. Suggestions for strengthening the rigor of such studies and an overview of current methods for testing more complex models, including longitudinal mediation processes, are presented.

A framework for developing research protocols for evaluation of microbial hazards and controls during production that pertain to the quality of agricultural water contacting fresh produce that may be consumed raw.

PubMed

Harris, Linda J; Bender, Jeff; Bihn, Elizabeth A; Blessington, Tyann; Danyluk, Michelle D; Delaquis, Pascal; Goodridge, Lawrence; Ibekwe, A Mark; Ilic, Sanja; Kniel, Kali; Lejeune, Jeffrey T; Schaffner, Donald W; Stoeckel, Don; Suslow, Trevor V

2012-12-01

Agricultural water may contact fresh produce during irrigation and/or when crop protection sprays (e.g., cooling to prevent sunburn, frost protection, and agrochemical mixtures) are applied. This document provides a framework for designing research studies that would add to our understanding of preharvest microbial food safety hazards and control measures pertaining to agricultural water. Researchers will be able to use this document to design studies, to anticipate the scope and detail of data required, and to evaluate previously published work. This document should also be useful for evaluating the strength of existing data and thus should aid in identifying future research needs. Use of this document by the research community may lead to greater consistency or comparability than currently exists among research studies, which may ultimately facilitate direct comparison of hazards and efficacy of controls among different commodities, conditions, and practices.

Research evaluation support services in biomedical libraries

PubMed Central

Gutzman, Karen Elizabeth; Bales, Michael E.; Belter, Christopher W.; Chambers, Thane; Chan, Liza; Holmes, Kristi L.; Lu, Ya-Ling; Palmer, Lisa A.; Reznik-Zellen, Rebecca C.; Sarli, Cathy C.; Suiter, Amy M.; Wheeler, Terrie R.

2018-01-01

Objective The paper provides a review of current practices related to evaluation support services reported by seven biomedical and research libraries. Methods A group of seven libraries from the United States and Canada described their experiences with establishing evaluation support services at their libraries. A questionnaire was distributed among the libraries to elicit information as to program development, service and staffing models, campus partnerships, training, products such as tools and reports, and resources used for evaluation support services. The libraries also reported interesting projects, lessons learned, and future plans. Results The seven libraries profiled in this paper report a variety of service models in providing evaluation support services to meet the needs of campus stakeholders. The service models range from research center cores, partnerships with research groups, and library programs with staff dedicated to evaluation support services. A variety of products and services were described such as an automated tool to develop rank-based metrics, consultation on appropriate metrics to use for evaluation, customized publication and citation reports, resource guides, classes and training, and others. Implementing these services has allowed the libraries to expand their roles on campus and to contribute more directly to the research missions of their institutions. Conclusions Libraries can leverage a variety of evaluation support services as an opportunity to successfully meet an array of challenges confronting the biomedical research community, including robust efforts to report and demonstrate tangible and meaningful outcomes of biomedical research and clinical care. These services represent a transformative direction that can be emulated by other biomedical and research libraries. PMID:29339930

Progress of the Swedish-Australian research collaboration on uncooled smart IR sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liddiard, Kevin C.; Ringh, Ulf; Jansson, Christer; Reinhold, Olaf

1998-10-01

Progress is reported on the development of uncooled microbolometer IR focal plane detector arrays (IRFPDA) under a research collaboration between the Swedish Defence Research Establishment (FOA), and the Defence Science and Technology Organization (DSTO), Australia. The paper describes current focal plane detector arrays designed by Electro-optic Sensor Design (EOSD) for readout circuits developed by FOA. The readouts are fabricated in 0.8 micrometer CMOS, and have a novel signal conditioning and 16 bit parallel ADC design. The arrays are post-processed at DSTO on wafers supplied by FOA. During the past year array processing has been carried out at a new microengineering facility at DSTO, Salisbury, South Australia. A number of small format 16 X 16 arrays have been delivered to FOA for evaluation, and imaging has been demonstrated with these arrays. A 320 X 240 readout with 320 parallel 16 bit ADCs has been developed and IRFPDAs for this readout have been fabricated and are currently being evaluated.

Current perspectives of CASA applications in diverse mammalian spermatozoa.

PubMed

van der Horst, Gerhard; Maree, Liana; du Plessis, Stefan S

2018-03-26

Since the advent of computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA) some four decades ago, advances in computer technology and software algorithms have helped establish it as a research and diagnostic instrument for the analysis of spermatozoa. Despite mammalian spermatozoa being the most diverse cell type known, CASA is a great tool that has the capacity to provide rapid, reliable and objective quantitative assessment of sperm quality. This paper provides contemporary research findings illustrating the scientific and commercial applications of CASA and its ability to evaluate diverse mammalian spermatozoa (human, primates, rodents, domestic mammals, wildlife species) at both structural and functional levels. The potential of CASA to quantitatively measure essential aspects related to sperm subpopulations, hyperactivation, morphology and morphometry is also demonstrated. Furthermore, applications of CASA are provided for improved mammalian sperm quality assessment, evaluation of sperm functionality and the effect of different chemical substances or pathologies on sperm fertilising ability. It is clear that CASA has evolved significantly and is currently superior to many manual techniques in the research and clinical setting.

Methodology and technology for peripheral and central blood pressure and blood pressure variability measurement: current status and future directions - Position statement of the European Society of Hypertension Working Group on blood pressure monitoring and cardiovascular variability.

PubMed

Stergiou, George S; Parati, Gianfranco; Vlachopoulos, Charalambos; Achimastos, Apostolos; Andreadis, Emanouel; Asmar, Roland; Avolio, Alberto; Benetos, Athanase; Bilo, Grzegorz; Boubouchairopoulou, Nadia; Boutouyrie, Pierre; Castiglioni, Paolo; de la Sierra, Alejandro; Dolan, Eamon; Head, Geoffrey; Imai, Yutaka; Kario, Kazuomi; Kollias, Anastasios; Kotsis, Vasilis; Manios, Efstathios; McManus, Richard; Mengden, Thomas; Mihailidou, Anastasia; Myers, Martin; Niiranen, Teemu; Ochoa, Juan Eugenio; Ohkubo, Takayoshi; Omboni, Stefano; Padfield, Paul; Palatini, Paolo; Papaioannou, Theodore; Protogerou, Athanasios; Redon, Josep; Verdecchia, Paolo; Wang, Jiguang; Zanchetti, Alberto; Mancia, Giuseppe; O'Brien, Eoin

2016-09-01

Office blood pressure measurement has been the basis for hypertension evaluation for almost a century. However, the evaluation of blood pressure out of the office using ambulatory or self-home monitoring is now strongly recommended for the accurate diagnosis in many, if not all, cases with suspected hypertension. Moreover, there is evidence that the variability of blood pressure might offer prognostic information that is independent of the average blood pressure level. Recently, advancement in technology has provided noninvasive evaluation of central (aortic) blood pressure, which might have attributes that are additive to the conventional brachial blood pressure measurement. This position statement, developed by international experts, deals with key research and practical issues in regard to peripheral blood pressure measurement (office, home, and ambulatory), blood pressure variability, and central blood pressure measurement. The objective is to present current achievements, identify gaps in knowledge and issues concerning clinical application, and present relevant research questions and directions to investigators and manufacturers for future research and development (primary goal).

Examining the functionality of the DeLone and McLean information system success model as a framework for synthesis in nursing information and communication technology research.

PubMed

Booth, Richard G

2012-06-01

In this review, studies examining information and communication technology used by nurses in clinical practice were examined. Overall, a total of 39 studies were assessed spanning a time period from 1995 to 2008. The impacts of the various health information and communication technology evaluated by individual studies were synthesized using the DeLone and McLean's six-dimensional framework for evaluating information systems success (ie, System Quality, Information Quality, Service Quality, Use, User Satisfaction, and Net Benefits). Overall, the majority of researchers reported results related to the overall Net Benefits (positive, negative, and indifferent) of the health information and communication technology used by nurses. Attitudes and user satisfaction with technology were also commonly measured attributes. The current iteration of DeLone and McLean model is effective at synthesizing basic elements of health information and communication technology use by nurses. Regardless, the current model lacks the sociotechnical sensitivity to capture deeper nurse-technology relationalities. Limitations and recommendations are provided for researchers considering using the DeLone and McLean model for evaluating health information and communication technology used by nurses.

Current research efforts with Bacillus thuringiensis

Treesearch

Normand R. Dubois

1991-01-01

The bioassay of 260 strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and 70 commercial preparations show that regression coefficient estimates may be as critical as LC5O estimates when evaluating them for future consideration.

Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking of Intelligent Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Madhavan, Raj; Messina, Elena; Tunstel, Edward

To design and develop capable, dependable, and affordable intelligent systems, their performance must be measurable. Scientific methodologies for standardization and benchmarking are crucial for quantitatively evaluating the performance of emerging robotic and intelligent systems technologies. There is currently no accepted standard for quantitatively measuring the performance of these systems against user-defined requirements; and furthermore, there is no consensus on what objective evaluation procedures need to be followed to understand the performance of these systems. The lack of reproducible and repeatable test methods has precluded researchers working towards a common goal from exchanging and communicating results, inter-comparing system performance, and leveragingmore » previous work that could otherwise avoid duplication and expedite technology transfer. Currently, this lack of cohesion in the community hinders progress in many domains, such as manufacturing, service, healthcare, and security. By providing the research community with access to standardized tools, reference data sets, and open source libraries of solutions, researchers and consumers will be able to evaluate the cost and benefits associated with intelligent systems and associated technologies. In this vein, the edited book volume addresses performance evaluation and metrics for intelligent systems, in general, while emphasizing the need and solutions for standardized methods. To the knowledge of the editors, there is not a single book on the market that is solely dedicated to the subject of performance evaluation and benchmarking of intelligent systems. Even books that address this topic do so only marginally or are out of date. The research work presented in this volume fills this void by drawing from the experiences and insights of experts gained both through theoretical development and practical implementation of intelligent systems in a variety of diverse application domains. The book presents a detailed and coherent picture of state-of-the-art, recent developments, and further research areas in intelligent systems.« less

Applied genetic evaluations for production and functional traits in dairy cattle.

PubMed

Mark, T

2004-08-01

The objective of this study was to review the current status of genetic evaluation systems for production and functional traits as practiced in different Interbull member countries and to discuss that status in relation to research results and potential improvements. Thirty-one countries provided information. Substantial variation was evident for number of traits considered per country, trait definition, genetic evaluation procedure within trait, effects included, and how these were treated in genetic evaluation models. All countries lacked genetic evaluations for one or more economically important traits. Improvement in the genetic evaluation models, especially for many functional traits, could be achieved by closing the gaps between research and practice. More detailed and up to date information about national genetic evaluation systems for traits in different countries is available at www.interbull.org. Female fertility and workability traits were considered in many countries and could be next in line for international genetic evaluations.

Evaluation of the Frequencies for Canister Inspections for SCC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stockman, Christine; Bryan, Charles R.

2016-02-02

This report fulfills the M3 milestone M3FT-15SN0802042, “Evaluate the Frequencies for Canister Inspections for SCC” under Work Package FT-15SN080204, “ST Field Demonstration Support – SNL”. It reviews the current state of knowledge on the potential for stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of dry storage canisters and evaluates the implications of this state of knowledge on the establishment of an SCC inspection frequency. Models for the prediction of SCC by the Japanese Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), the United States (U.S.) Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) are summarized, and their limitations discussed.

Monitoring the outcomes of interventions against Taenia solium: options and suggestions.

PubMed

Lightowlers, M W; Garcia, H H; Gauci, C G; Donadeu, M; Abela-Ridder, B

2016-03-01

There is an increasing interest in reducing the incidence of human neurocysticercosis, caused by infection with the larval stage of Taenia solium. Several intervention trials are currently assessing various options for control of T. solium transmission. A critical aspect of these trials will be the evaluation of whether the interventions have been successful. However, there is no consensus about the most appropriate or valuable methods that should be used. Here, we undertake a critical assessment of the diagnostic tests which are currently available for human T. solium taeniasis and human and porcine cysticercosis, as well as their suitability for evaluation of intervention trial outcomes. Suggestions are made about which of the measures that are available for evaluation of T. solium interventions would be most suitable, and which methodologies are the most appropriate given currently available technologies. Suggestions are also made in relation to the most urgent research needs in order to address deficiencies in current diagnostic methods. © 2015 The Authors. Parasite Immunology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Theories of cognitive distortions in sexual offending: what the current research tells us.

PubMed

O Ciardha, Caoilte; Ward, Tony

2013-01-01

Cognitive distortions in sex offenders are specific or general beliefs/attitudes that violate commonly accepted norms of rationality that have been shown to be associated with the onset and maintenance of sexual offending. In this article, we describe the major theories that have been formulated to explain the role of distorted cognition in initiating and maintaining sexual offending. We evaluate each theory in light of a set of theory appraisal criteria and the available empirical research. Finally, we conclude by drawing together the results of this theory evaluation process and highlight the major implications for treatment and future research.

Evaluating road delineation practices in Michigan : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-03-31

This research was conducted to assist the Michigan Department of Transportation in assessing the States : current delineation program. Opus International Consultants (Opus) and Western Michigan University : (WMU) were retained to undertake this re...

Enhancing resource coordination for multi-modal evacuation planning.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-01-01

This research project seeks to increase knowledge about coordinating effective multi-modal evacuation for disasters. It does so by identifying, evaluating, and assessing : current transportation management approaches for multi-modal evacuation planni...

Research and recommendations for a statewide sign retroreflectivity maintenance program.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-04-01

This study evaluated TxDOT's current sign retroreflectivity maintenance practices, assessed their : effectiveness, and recommended statewide sign retroreflectivity maintenance practices that could be easily : and effectively implemented to ensure tha...

Combat Ready Clamp Addition to the Tactical Combat Casualty Care Guidelines

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-23

Combat Gauze™ is currently the onl ( CoTCCC-endorsed intervention for bleeding in areas not amenable to a tourniquet. L Research and anecdotal evidence...them effectively as a battlefield trauma care research , development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) project. 17 In anticipation of this recommendation...the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) posted a Request for Information (RFI) for devices that could potentially stop

Defining a global research agenda for breast cancer

PubMed Central

Love, Richard R.

2008-01-01

In contrast to western high income nations, the incidence and mortality from breast cancer are increasing in most low and middle income countries worldwide. Current approaches to breast cancer control developed for populations of high income societies should not be directly transferred without evaluation. A relevant research agenda includes population differences in tumor biology and metabolization of systemic therapies; cultural and psychosocial issues; and operations in health care systems. Highest priority should be given to assessments of clinical downstaging and basic systemic treatment effectiveness in low and middle income populations. Partnerships of existing organizations in high income nations with those in low and middle income countries are currently the most feasible sources of research support. PMID:18837032

Identifying g: A Review of Current Factor Analytic Practices in the Science of Mental Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reeve, Charlie L.; Blacksmith, Nikki

2009-01-01

Factor analysis is arguably one of the most important tools in the science of mental abilities. While many studies have been conducted to make recommendations regarding "best practices" concerning its use, it is unknown the degree to which contemporary ability researchers abide by those standards. The current study sought to evaluate the typical…

Stress and Traumatic Stress: How Do Past Events Influence Current Traumatic Stress among Mothers Experiencing Homelessness?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Julie K.; Hall, James A.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the relationship between past traumatic events and the level of current traumatic stress among mothers experiencing homelessness. The data for this study were gathered from 75 homeless mothers between May 2006 and October 2006 using a cross-sectional survey design with purposive sampling. All mothers…

Business-IT Alignment: A Current-State Evaluation of Strategic Alignment within the Hospital Organization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evers, Kevin W.

2010-01-01

More than thirty years of research has shown that the practical value of business-IT alignment is significant and that its importance derives from strategic impact on business outcomes. The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify the current-state of business-IT alignment maturity within the hospital organization. Data for this study was…

A Study of Second-Year Engineering Students' Alternative Conceptions about Electric Potential, Current Intensity and Ohm's Law

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Periago, M. Cristina; Bohigas, Xavier

2005-01-01

The aim of this research was to evaluate and analyse second-year industrial engineering and chemical engineering students prior knowledge of conceptual aspects of "circuit theory". Specifically, we focused on the basic concepts of electric potential and current intensity and on the fundamental relationship between them as expressed by Ohm's law.…

Gas metal arc welding fume generation using pulsed current

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Castner, H.R.

1994-12-31

This paper describes a study of the effects of pulsed welding current on the amount of welding fume and ozone produced during gas metal arc welding (GMAW) using a range of welding procedures and pulse parameters. The results reported in this paper show that pulsed current can reduce GMAW fumes compared to steady current. This research also shows that welding parameters need to be properly controlled if pulsed current is to be used to reduce welding fumes. Fume and ozone generation rates were measured during this study for GMAW of mild steel using copper-coated ER70S-3 electrode wire and 95%Ar-5%CO{sub 2}more » and 85%Ar-15%CO{sub 2} shielding gases. Welds were made with both steady current and pulsed current over a wide range of welding parameters. Fume generation rates for steady current were found to be typically between 0.2 g/min and 0.8 g/min which agrees with other researchers. No significant difference was found in the chemical composition of welding fumes from pulsed current compared to the composition of fumes generated by steady current. New technology that can reduce arc welding fumes is of significant interest to a wide range of companies that use arc welding processes and this research should assist these users in evaluating the potential for the application of this technology to their own operations.« less

Exploring Assessment Tools for Research and Evaluation in Astronomy Education and Outreach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, S. R.; Wenger, M. C.; Dokter, E. F. C.

2011-09-01

The ability to effectively measure knowledge, attitudes, and skills in formal and informal educational settings is an important aspect of astronomy education research and evaluation. Assessments may take the form of interviews, observations, surveys, exams, or other probes to help unpack people's understandings or beliefs. In this workshop, we discussed characteristics of a variety of tools that exist to assess understandings of different concepts in astronomy as well as attitudes towards science and science teaching; these include concept inventories, surveys, interview protocols, observation protocols, card sorting, reflection videos, and other methods currently being used in astronomy education research and EPO program evaluations. In addition, we discussed common questions in the selection of assessment tools including issues of reliability and validity, time to administer, format of implementation, analysis, and human subject concerns.

How Quality Improvement Practice Evidence Can Advance the Knowledge Base.

PubMed

OʼRourke, Hannah M; Fraser, Kimberly D

2016-01-01

Recommendations for the evaluation of quality improvement interventions have been made in order to improve the evidence base of whether, to what extent, and why quality improvement interventions affect chosen outcomes. The purpose of this article is to articulate why these recommendations are appropriate to improve the rigor of quality improvement intervention evaluation as a research endeavor, but inappropriate for the purposes of everyday quality improvement practice. To support our claim, we describe the differences between quality improvement interventions that occur for the purpose of practice as compared to research. We then carefully consider how feasibility, ethics, and the aims of evaluation each impact how quality improvement interventions that occur in practice, as opposed to research, can or should be evaluated. Recommendations that fit the evaluative goals of practice-based quality improvement interventions are needed to support fair appraisal of the distinct evidence they produce. We describe a current debate on the nature of evidence to assist in reenvisioning how quality improvement evidence generated from practice might complement that generated from research, and contribute in a value-added way to the knowledge base.

Agricultural aviation research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chevalier, H. L. (Compiler); Bouse, L. F. (Compiler)

1977-01-01

A compilation of papers, comments, and results is provided during a workshop session. The purpose of the workshop was to review and evaluate the current state of the art of agricultural aviation, to identify and rank potentially productive short and long range research and development areas, and to strengthen communications between research scientists and engineers involved in agricultural research. Approximately 71 individuals actively engaged in agricultural aviation research were invited to participate in the workshop. These were persons familiar with problems related to agricultural aviation and processing expertise which are of value for identifying and proposing beneficial research.

[Ecosystem services evaluation based on geographic information system and remote sensing technology: a review].

PubMed

Li, Wen-Jie; Zhang, Shi-Huang; Wang, Hui-Min

2011-12-01

Ecosystem services evaluation is a hot topic in current ecosystem management, and has a close link with human beings welfare. This paper summarized the research progress on the evaluation of ecosystem services based on geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technology, which could be reduced to the following three characters, i. e., ecological economics theory is widely applied as a key method in quantifying ecosystem services, GIS and RS technology play a key role in multi-source data acquisition, spatiotemporal analysis, and integrated platform, and ecosystem mechanism model becomes a powerful tool for understanding the relationships between natural phenomena and human activities. Aiming at the present research status and its inadequacies, this paper put forward an "Assembly Line" framework, which was a distributed one with scalable characteristics, and discussed the future development trend of the integration research on ecosystem services evaluation based on GIS and RS technologies.

Research on uncertainty evaluation measure and method of voltage sag severity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, X. N.; Wei, J.; Ye, S. Y.; Chen, B.; Long, C.

2018-01-01

Voltage sag is an inevitable serious problem of power quality in power system. This paper focuses on a general summarization and reviews on the concepts, indices and evaluation methods about voltage sag severity. Considering the complexity and uncertainty of influencing factors, damage degree, the characteristics and requirements of voltage sag severity in the power source-network-load sides, the measure concepts and their existing conditions, evaluation indices and methods of voltage sag severity have been analyzed. Current evaluation techniques, such as stochastic theory, fuzzy logic, as well as their fusion, are reviewed in detail. An index system about voltage sag severity is provided for comprehensive study. The main aim of this paper is to propose thought and method of severity research based on advanced uncertainty theory and uncertainty measure. This study may be considered as a valuable guide for researchers who are interested in the domain of voltage sag severity.

HyQue: evaluating hypotheses using Semantic Web technologies.

PubMed

Callahan, Alison; Dumontier, Michel; Shah, Nigam H

2011-05-17

Key to the success of e-Science is the ability to computationally evaluate expert-composed hypotheses for validity against experimental data. Researchers face the challenge of collecting, evaluating and integrating large amounts of diverse information to compose and evaluate a hypothesis. Confronted with rapidly accumulating data, researchers currently do not have the software tools to undertake the required information integration tasks. We present HyQue, a Semantic Web tool for querying scientific knowledge bases with the purpose of evaluating user submitted hypotheses. HyQue features a knowledge model to accommodate diverse hypotheses structured as events and represented using Semantic Web languages (RDF/OWL). Hypothesis validity is evaluated against experimental and literature-sourced evidence through a combination of SPARQL queries and evaluation rules. Inference over OWL ontologies (for type specifications, subclass assertions and parthood relations) and retrieval of facts stored as Bio2RDF linked data provide support for a given hypothesis. We evaluate hypotheses of varying levels of detail about the genetic network controlling galactose metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to demonstrate the feasibility of deploying such semantic computing tools over a growing body of structured knowledge in Bio2RDF. HyQue is a query-based hypothesis evaluation system that can currently evaluate hypotheses about the galactose metabolism in S. cerevisiae. Hypotheses as well as the supporting or refuting data are represented in RDF and directly linked to one another allowing scientists to browse from data to hypothesis and vice versa. HyQue hypotheses and data are available at http://semanticscience.org/projects/hyque.

Enhancing predictive accuracy and reproducibility in clinical evaluation research: Commentary on the special section of the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.

PubMed

Bryant, Fred B

2016-12-01

This paper introduces a special section of the current issue of the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice that includes a set of 6 empirical articles showcasing a versatile, new machine-learning statistical method, known as optimal data (or discriminant) analysis (ODA), specifically designed to produce statistical models that maximize predictive accuracy. As this set of papers clearly illustrates, ODA offers numerous important advantages over traditional statistical methods-advantages that enhance the validity and reproducibility of statistical conclusions in empirical research. This issue of the journal also includes a review of a recently published book that provides a comprehensive introduction to the logic, theory, and application of ODA in empirical research. It is argued that researchers have much to gain by using ODA to analyze their data. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation Framework Based on Fuzzy Measured Method in Adaptive Learning Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ounaies, Houda Zouari; Jamoussi, Yassine; Ben Ghezala, Henda Hajjami

2008-01-01

Currently, e-learning systems are mainly web-based applications and tackle a wide range of users all over the world. Fitting learners' needs is considered as a key issue to guaranty the success of these systems. Many researches work on providing adaptive systems. Nevertheless, evaluation of the adaptivity is still in an exploratory phase.…

Screening Parents during Child Evaluations: Exploring Parent and Child Psychopathology in the Same Clinic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vidair, Hilary B.; Reyes, Jazmin A.; Shen, Sa; Parrilla-Escobar, Maria A.; Heleniak, Charlotte M.; Hollin, Ilene L.; Woodruff, Scott; Turner, J. Blake; Rynn, Moira A.

2011-01-01

Objective: Children of depressed and/or anxious parents are at increased risk for developing psychiatric disorders. Little research has focused on screening parents bringing their children for psychiatric evaluation, and few studies have included fathers or Hispanic children. This study had the following aims: 1) to identify current symptom rates…

Modeling Latent Interactions at Level 2 in Multilevel Structural Equation Models: An Evaluation of Mean-Centered and Residual-Centered Unconstrained Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leite, Walter L.; Zuo, Youzhen

2011-01-01

Among the many methods currently available for estimating latent variable interactions, the unconstrained approach is attractive to applied researchers because of its relatively easy implementation with any structural equation modeling (SEM) software. Using a Monte Carlo simulation study, we extended and evaluated the unconstrained approach to…

Contemporary Thinking about Causation in Evaluation: A Dialogue with Tom Cook and Michael Scriven

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, Thomas D.; Scriven, Michael; Coryn, Chris L. S.; Evergreen, Stephanie D. H.

2010-01-01

Legitimate knowledge claims about causation have been a central concern among evaluators and applied researchers for several decades and often have been the subject of heated debates. In recent years these debates have resurfaced with a renewed intensity, due in part to the priority currently being given to randomized experiments by many funders…

Faculty Scholarship Has a Profound Positive Association with Student Evaluations of Teaching--Except When It Doesn't

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Robert E.

2016-01-01

Conventional wisdom holds that research-productive faculty are also the finest instructors. But, is this commonly held belief correct? In the current study, the notion that faculty scholarship exhibits a positive association with teaching evaluations is investigated. Reflecting the data structure of faculty nested within university, the current…

Evaluation of Hydrogel Technologies for the Decontamination ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report This current research effort was developed to evaluate intermediate level (between bench-scale and large-scale or wide-area implementation) decontamination procedures, materials, technologies, and techniques used to remove radioactive material from different surfaces. In the event of such an incident, application of this technology would primarily be intended for decontamination of high-value buildings, important infrastructure, and landmarks.

Evaluating Treatments for Functionally Equivalent Problem Behavior Maintained by Adult Compliance with Mands during Interactive Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Jonathan D.; Bednar, Mary K.; Willse, Lena V.; Goetzel, Amanda L.; Concepcion, Anthony; Pincus, Shari M.; Hardesty, Samantha L.; Bowman, Lynn G.

2017-01-01

A primary goal of behavioral interventions is to reduce dangerous or inappropriate behavior and to generalize treatment effects across various settings. However, there is a lack of research evaluating generalization of treatment effects while individuals with functionally equivalent problem behavior interact with each other. For the current study,…

Graduate Student Teaching Development: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Training in Relation to Graduate Student Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boman, Jennifer S.

2013-01-01

In recent years, much attention has been given to the need for more empirical research to evaluate training programs that help prepare graduate students for their current and future teaching responsibilities. The present study investigated the effectiveness of a training workshop for graduate students who had varying levels of experience and…

Use of fire-impacted trees for oriented strandboards

Treesearch

Laura Moya; Jerrold E. Winandy; William T. Y. Tze; Shri Ramaswamy

2008-01-01

This study evaluates the potential use of currently unexploited burnt timber from prescribed burns and wildfires for oriented strandboard (OSB). The research was performed in two phases: in Phase I, the effect of thermal exposure of timber on OSB properties was evaluated. Jack pine (Pinus banksiana) trees variously damaged by a moderately intense prescribed burn in a...

An Evaluation-Driven Design Approach to Develop Learning Environments Based on Full-Body Interaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malinverni, Laura; Schaper, Marie-Monique; Pares, Narcís

2016-01-01

The development of learning environments based on full-body interaction has become an increasingly important field of research in recent years. However, the design and evaluation strategies currently used present some significant limitations. Two major shortcomings are: the inadequate involvement of children in the design process and a lack of…

Mental Illness in the Family. Families Today: A Research Sampler on Families and Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corfman, Eunice, Ed.

Science Monographs, published by the National Institute of Mental Health, are book-length, integrative state-of-the-art reviews, critical evaluations of findings, or program assessments of current research on topics related to the NIMH mandate. This set of articles concentrate on mental illness in the family. "Depression and Low-Income,…

Identifying Effective Methods of Instruction for Adult Emergent Readers through Community-Based Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackmer, Rachel; Hayes-Harb, Rachel

2016-01-01

We present a community-based research project aimed at identifying effective methods and materials for teaching English literacy skills to adult English as a second language emergent readers. We conducted a quasi-experimental study whereby we evaluated the efficacy of two approaches, one based on current practices at the English Skills Learning…

Analyzing the Discourse of Chais Conferences for the Study of Innovation and Learning Technologies via a Data-Driven Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silber-Varod, Vered; Eshet-Alkalai, Yoram; Geri, Nitza

2016-01-01

The current rapid technological changes confront researchers of learning technologies with the challenge of evaluating them, predicting trends, and improving their adoption and diffusion. This study utilizes a data-driven discourse analysis approach, namely culturomics, to investigate changes over time in the research of learning technologies. The…

Social Media and Marketing Education: A Review of Current Practices in Curriculum Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brocato, E. Deanne; White, Nathan James; Bartkus, Kenneth; Brocato, Ashley Ann

2015-01-01

Given the presumed importance of social media to marketing, along with the apparent lack of research concerning social media curriculum development, the purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic analysis of social media curriculum through the evaluation of undergraduate course syllabi in the United States. This research is intended to…

General Chemistry Courses That Can Affect Achievement: An Action Research Study in Developing a Plan to Improve Undergraduate Chemistry Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shweikeh, Eman

2014-01-01

Over the past 50 years, considerable research has been dedicated to chemistry education. In evaluating principal chemistry courses in higher education, educators have noted the learning process for first-year general chemistry courses may be challenging. The current study investigated perceptions of faculty, students and administrators on…

Serious Social Media: On the Use of Social Media for Improving Students' Adjustment to College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeAndrea, David C.; Ellison, Nicole B.; LaRose, Robert; Steinfield, Charles; Fiore, Andrew

2012-01-01

A considerable body of research indicates that social support plays an integral role in determining students' successful adjustment to college. Unlike previous research that has evaluated face-to-face support interventions that occur during students' first semester at college, the current study reports on a student-centered social media site…

Multicomponent Programs for Reducing Peer Victimization in Early Elementary School: A Longitudinal Evaluation of the WITS Primary Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leadbeater, Bonnie; Sukhawathanakul, Paweena

2011-01-01

Past research demonstrates the promise of multicomponent programs in reducing peer victimization and bullying in older elementary and middle school children, however little research focuses on young children. The current study examines the effectiveness of the WITS Primary program on trajectories of victimization and social responsibility in…

Appraising the reliability of visual impact assessment methods

Treesearch

Nickolaus R. Feimer; Kenneth H. Craik; Richard C. Smardon; Stephen R.J. Sheppard

1979-01-01

This paper presents the research approach and selected results of an empirical investigation aimed at the evaluation of selected observer-based visual impact assessment (VIA) methods. The VIA methods under examination were chosen to cover a range of VIA methods currently in use in both applied and research settings. Variation in three facets of VIA methods were...

Teacher and Principal Leadership in Chicago: Ongoing Analyses of Preparation Programs. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Holly M.; Sporte, Susan E.; Ponisciak, Stephen M.; Stevens, W, David; Cambronne, Alissa

2008-01-01

This is the third report by the Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) that examines leadership development programs supported by The Chicago Public Education Fund for Chicago public school principals and teachers. This current study, like the previous two, is not a comprehensive program evaluation. It is more descriptive in nature,…

Using Evaluation Research as a Means for Policy Analysis in a "New" Mission-Oriented Policy Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amanatidou, Effie; Cunningham, Paul; Gök, Abdullah; Garefi, Ioanna

2014-01-01

Grand challenges stress the importance of multi-disciplinary research, a multi-actor approach in examining the current state of affairs and exploring possible solutions, multi-level governance and policy coordination across geographical boundaries and policy areas, and a policy environment for enabling change both in science and technology and in…

Library Services for Users of Personal Digital Assistants: A Needs Assessment and Program Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carney, Stephen; Koufogiannakis, Denise; Ryan, Pam

2007-01-01

Research was undertaken to guide development of services for personal digital assistant (PDA) users at the University of Alberta Libraries. A variety of qualitative methods were used to assess user satisfaction with current PDA services and identify potential PDA services for the libraries and resources. The research and needs assessment results…

Digital Teaching Platforms: Customizing Classroom Learning for Each Student. Technology & Education, Connections (TEC)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dede, Chris, Ed.; Richards, John, Ed.

2012-01-01

The Digital Teaching Platform (DTP) brings the power of interactive technology to teaching and learning in classrooms. In this authoritative book, top researchers in the field of learning science and educational technology examine the current state of design and research on DTPs, the principles for evaluating them, and their likely evolution as a…

What the Research Tells Us about the Impact of Induction and Mentoring Programs for Beginning Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingersoll, Richard; Strong, Michael

2012-01-01

This chapter summarizes a comprehensive and critical review that the authors recently completed of empirical studies that evaluate the effects of induction on various outcomes. The review's objective was to provide researchers, policy makers, and educators with a reliable and current assessment of what is known and not known about the…

View of Soviet ionospheric modification research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Duncan, L.M.; Showen, R.L.

1990-10-01

We have reviewed and provided a technical assessment of Soviet research of the past five to ten years in ionospheric modification by high-power radio waves. This review includes a comprehensive survey of Soviet published literature, conference proceedings, and direct discussions with the involved Soviet researchers. The current state of the art for Soviet research in this field is evaluated, identifying areas of potential breakthrough discoveries, and discussing implications of this work for emerging technologies and future applications. This assessment is divided into the categories of basic research, advanced research, and applications. Basic research is further subdivided into studies of themore » modified natural geophysical environment, nonlinear plasma physics, and polar geophysical studies. Advanced research topics include the generation of artificial ionization mirrors and high-power oblique propagation effects. A separate comparative assessment of Soviet theoretical work also is included in this analysis. Our evaluation of practical and potential applications of this research discusses the utility of ionospheric modification in creating disturbed radio wave propagation environments, and its role in current and future remote-sensing and telecommunications systems. This technical assessment does not include consideration of ionospheric modification by means other than high-power radio waves. The Soviet effort in ionospheric modification sustains theoretical and experimental research at activity levels considerably greater than that found in comparable programs in the West. Notable strengths of the Soviet program are its breadth of coverage, large numbers of scientific participation, theoretical creativity and insight, and its powerful radio wave transmitting facilities.« less

LANDSAT-4 TM image data quality analysis for energy-related applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wukelic, G. E.; Foote, H. P.

1983-01-01

LANDSAT-4 Thematic Mapper (TM) data performance and utility characteristics from an energy research and technology perspective is evaluated. The program focuses on evaluating applicational implications of using such data, in combination with other digital data, for current and future energy research and technology activities. Prime interest is in using TM data for siting, developing and operating federal energy facilities. Secondary interests involve the use of such data for resource exploration, environmental monitoring and basic scientific initiatives such as in support of the Continental Scientific Drilling Program.

Materials technology assessment for a 1050 K Stirling space engine design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scheuermann, Coulson M.; Dreshfield, Robert L.; Gaydosh, Darrell J.; Kiser, James D.; Mackay, Rebecca A.; Mcdaniels, David L.; Petrasek, Donald W.; Vannucci, Raymond D.; Bowles, Kenneth J.; Watson, Gordon K.

1988-01-01

An assessment of materials technology and proposed materials selection was made for the 1050 K (superalloy) Stirling Space Engine design. The objectives of this assessment were to evaluate previously proposed materials selections, evaluate the current state-of-the-art materials, propose potential alternate materials selections and identify research and development efforts needed to provide materials that can meet the stringent system requirements. This assessment generally reaffirmed the choices made by the contractor. However, in many cases alternative choices were described and suggestions for needed materials and fabrication research and development were made.

Mixed-methods research in nursing - a critical review.

PubMed

Bressan, Valentina; Bagnasco, Annamaria; Aleo, Giuseppe; Timmins, Fiona; Barisone, Michela; Bianchi, Monica; Pellegrini, Ramona; Sasso, Loredana

2017-10-01

To review the use of mixed-methods research in nursing with a particular focus on the extent to which current practice informs nurse researchers. It also aimed to highlight gaps in current knowledge, understanding and reporting of this type of research. Mixed-methods research is becoming increasingly popular among nurses and healthcare professionals. Emergent findings from this type of research are very useful for nurses in practice. The combination of both quantitative and qualitative methods provides a scientific base for practice but also richness from the qualitative enquiry. However, at the same time mixed-methods research is underdeveloped. This study identified mixed-methods research papers and critically evaluated their usefulness for research practice. To support the analysis, we performed a two-stage search using CINAHL to find papers with titles that included the key term 'mixed method'. An analysis of studies that used mixed-methods research revealed some inconsistencies in application and reporting. Attempts to use two distinct research methods in these studies often meant that one or both aspects had limitations. Overall methods were applied in a less rigorous way. This has implications for providing somewhat limited direction for novice researchers. There is also potential for application of evidence in healthcare practice that limited validity. This study highlights current gaps in knowledge, understanding and reporting of mixed-methods research. While these methods are useful to gain insight into clinical problems nurses lack guidance with this type of research. This study revealed that the guidance provided by current mixed-methods research is inconsistent and incomplete and this compounds the lack of available direction. There is an urgent need to develop robust guidelines for using mixed-methods research so that findings may be critically implemented in practice. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The current status of research on the structure of evaluative space

PubMed Central

Norris, Catherine J.; Gollan, Jackie; Berntson, Gary G.; Cacioppo, John T.

2009-01-01

The structure of evaluative space shapes emotional life. Although behavior may be constrained to a single bipolar dimension, for example as defined by the opposing movements of approach and withdrawal, the mechanisms underlying the affect system must be capable of an astonishing range of emotional experience and expression. The model of evaluative space (ESM; J. T. Cacioppo, W. L. Gardner, & G. G. Berntson, 1997, 1999) proposes that behavioral predispositions are the ultimate output of the affect system, which is defined by operating characteristics that differ both for positivity and negativity, as well as across levels of the nervous system. In this article, we outline the current status of theory and research on the structure of evaluative space. First, we summarize the basic tenets of the model, as well as recent research supporting these ideas and counterarguments that have been raised by other theorists. To address these counterarguments, we discuss the postulates of affective oscillation and calibration, two mechanistic features of the affect system proposed to underlie the durability and adaptability of affect. We summarize empirical support for the functional consequences of the principles of affective oscillation and calibration, with a focus on how oscillation and the “stickiness” of affect can lead to the emergence of ambivalence, whereas affective calibration and the flexibility of the affect system produce asymmetries in affective processing (e.g., the negativity bias). Finally, we consider the clinical implications of disorder in the structure of evaluative space for the comprehension and treatment of depression and anxiety. PMID:20346389

Reporting and interpreting research in PSPB: practices, principles, and pragmatics.

PubMed

Kashy, Deborah A; Donnellan, M Brent; Ackerman, Robert A; Russell, Daniel W

2009-09-01

This article is designed to provide psychologists who publish articles in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (PSPB) with a set of basic issues to consider when reporting their analyses and results. We first assessed the current reporting practices of social and personality psychologists by conducting an analysis of PSPB articles published in the first half of 2007. We evaluated the completeness of these reports with respect to the level of detail in both the Method and Results sections. We then used this information to develop recommendations that we hope will enhance the reporting of quantitative research in social and personality psychology. These suggestions emphasize ways to increase transparency in research reports. Transparency facilitates replication and a critical evaluation of research, thereby promoting scientific progress.

The evolution of the high-speed civil transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spearman, M. Leroy

1994-01-01

Current research directed toward the technology requirements for a high-speed civil transport (HSCT) airplane is an outgrowth of many years of activity related to air transportation. The purpose was to review some of the events that provided the background upon which current research programs are built. The review will include the subsonic era of transport aircraft and some events of the supersonic era that are related to the development of commercial supersonic transport aircraft. These events include the early NASA in-house studies and industry evaluations, the U.S. Supersonic Transport (SST) Program, the follow-on NASA supersonic cruise research programs, and the issuance of the National Aeronautical Research and Development (R&D) goals. Observations are made concerning some of the factors, both technical and nontechnical, that have had an impact on HSCT studies.

BENTHIC COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO SEDIMENT AMENDMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

The amendments apatite, organoclay, acetate, chitin, and geotextile reactive mats containing apatite and apatite + organoclay are currently under examination for remediation of contaminated sediments. The objective of this research is to evaluate toxicity to several estuarine an...

50 CFR 216.41 - Permits for scientific research and enhancement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... ecology of the species or stock, or to identifying, evaluating, or resolving conservation problems for the... may authorize the release of any population of an endangered or threatened species outside the current...

50 CFR 216.41 - Permits for scientific research and enhancement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... ecology of the species or stock, or to identifying, evaluating, or resolving conservation problems for the... may authorize the release of any population of an endangered or threatened species outside the current...

50 CFR 216.41 - Permits for scientific research and enhancement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... ecology of the species or stock, or to identifying, evaluating, or resolving conservation problems for the... may authorize the release of any population of an endangered or threatened species outside the current...

50 CFR 216.41 - Permits for scientific research and enhancement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... ecology of the species or stock, or to identifying, evaluating, or resolving conservation problems for the... may authorize the release of any population of an endangered or threatened species outside the current...

50 CFR 216.41 - Permits for scientific research and enhancement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... ecology of the species or stock, or to identifying, evaluating, or resolving conservation problems for the... may authorize the release of any population of an endangered or threatened species outside the current...

Evaluating transportation systems management & operations (TSM&O) benefits to alternative intersection treatments.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

This research provides a comprehensive review and assessment of current alternative intersection methods : which successfully eliminate the left-turn phase. With increasing traffic and limited resources, the Florida : Department of Transportati...

In vivo evaluation of neutron capture therapy effectivity using calcium phosphate-based nanoparticles as Gd-DTPA delivery agent.

PubMed

Dewi, Novriana; Mi, Peng; Yanagie, Hironobu; Sakurai, Yuriko; Morishita, Yasuyuki; Yanagawa, Masashi; Nakagawa, Takayuki; Shinohara, Atsuko; Matsukawa, Takehisa; Yokoyama, Kazuhito; Cabral, Horacio; Suzuki, Minoru; Sakurai, Yoshinori; Tanaka, Hiroki; Ono, Koji; Nishiyama, Nobuhiro; Kataoka, Kazunori; Takahashi, Hiroyuki

2016-04-01

A more immediate impact for therapeutic approaches of current clinical research efforts is of major interest, which might be obtained by developing a noninvasive radiation dose-escalation strategy, and neutron capture therapy represents one such novel approach. Furthermore, some recent researches on neutron capture therapy have focused on using gadolinium as an alternative or complementary for currently used boron, taking into account several advantages that gadolinium offers. Therefore, in this study, we carried out feasibility evaluation for both single and multiple injections of gadolinium-based MRI contrast agent incorporated in calcium phosphate nanoparticles as neutron capture therapy agent. In vivo evaluation was performed on colon carcinoma Col-26 tumor-bearing mice irradiated at nuclear reactor facility of Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute with average neutron fluence of 1.8 × 10(12) n/cm(2). Antitumor effectivity was evaluated based on tumor growth suppression assessed until 27 days after neutron irradiation, followed by histopathological analysis on tumor slice. The experimental results showed that the tumor growth of irradiated mice injected beforehand with Gd-DTPA-incorporating calcium phosphate-based nanoparticles was suppressed up to four times higher compared to the non-treated group, supported by the results of histopathological analysis. The results of antitumor effectivity observed on tumor-bearing mice after neutron irradiation indicated possible effectivity of gadolinium-based neutron capture therapy treatment.

Final Technical Report: Electromagnetic Pump Insulation Materials Development and Testing (PLM-DOC-0005-2465) Report # DOEGEHB00613

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krahn, John; Reed, Claude; Loewen, Eric

Final Technical Report: Electromagnetic Pump Insulation Materials Development and Testing (Report # DOEGEHB00613) summarizes the information gathered from the analysis of the 160 m3/min EM Pump insulation that was tested in 2000-2002 and additional evaluations of new resilient, engineered insulation system evaluated and tested at both GRC and ANL. This report provides information on Tasks 1 and 2 of the entire project. This report also provides information in three broad areas: Historical and current data; Conclusions based on test data; and Insulation specifications for use in EM Pumps. The research for Task 2 builds upon Task 1: Update EM Pumpmore » Databank, which is summarized within this report. Where research for Task 3 and 4 Next-Generation EM Pump Analysis Tools identified parameters or analysis model that benefits Task 2 research, those items are noted within this report. The important design variables for the manufacture and operation of an EM Pump that the insulation research can evaluate are: space constraints; voltage capability of insulation system; maximum flux density through iron; flow rate and outlet pressure; efficiency and manufacturability. The development summary of the Electromagnetic Pump Insulation Materials Development and Testing was completed to include: Historical and current data; Conclusions based on test data; and Insulation specifications for use in EM Pumps.« less

The Development Evaluation of Economic Zones in China.

PubMed

Liu, Wei; Shi, Hong-Bo; Zhang, Zhe; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Zhai, Yuming; Chen, Quan; Wang, Jiangtao

2018-01-02

After the Chinese reform and opening up, the construction of economic zones, such as Special Economic Zones, Hi-tech Zones and Bonded Zones, has played an irreplaceable role in China's economic development. Currently, against the background of Chinese economic transition, research on development evaluation of economic zones has become popular and necessary. Similar research usually focuses on one specific field, and the methods that are used to evaluate it are simple. This research aims to analyse the development evaluation of zones by synthesis. A new hybrid multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) model that combines the DEMATEL technique and the DANP method is proposed. After establishing the evaluation criterion system and acquiring data, the influential weights of dimensions and criteria can be calculated, which will be a guide for forming measures of development. Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone is used in the empirical case analysis. The results show that Transportation Conditions, Industrial Structure and Business Climate are the main influencing criteria and measures based on these criteria are proposed.

The Development Evaluation of Economic Zones in China

PubMed Central

Shi, Hong-Bo; Zhang, Zhe; Zhai, Yuming; Chen, Quan; Wang, Jiangtao

2018-01-01

After the Chinese reform and opening up, the construction of economic zones, such as Special Economic Zones, Hi-tech Zones and Bonded Zones, has played an irreplaceable role in China’s economic development. Currently, against the background of Chinese economic transition, research on development evaluation of economic zones has become popular and necessary. Similar research usually focuses on one specific field, and the methods that are used to evaluate it are simple. This research aims to analyse the development evaluation of zones by synthesis. A new hybrid multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) model that combines the DEMATEL technique and the DANP method is proposed. After establishing the evaluation criterion system and acquiring data, the influential weights of dimensions and criteria can be calculated, which will be a guide for forming measures of development. Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone is used in the empirical case analysis. The results show that Transportation Conditions, Industrial Structure and Business Climate are the main influencing criteria and measures based on these criteria are proposed. PMID:29301304

Sexual assault prevention programs: current issues, future directions, and the potential efficacy of interventions with women.

PubMed

Yeater, E A; O'Donohue, W

1999-11-01

Current problems facing the primary prevention of sexual assault are reviewed. Effective sexual assault prevention programs for both males and females have been slow to develop due to the fact that the etiologies of sexual assault have not been identified. Although dissemination of prevention programs has become increasingly popular in recent years, few programs have evaluated the extent to which the constructs identified in the interventions are effective at decreasing rates of sexual assault. This article discusses previous studies in sexual assault prevention programs, methodological and conceptual problems that currently exist in the field, pragmatic difficulties regarding program implementation and evaluation, and recommendations for future research with an emphasis on interventions with female participants.

Evaluation Guidelines for the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs)

PubMed Central

Rubio, Doris M.; Thomas, Veronica G.

2013-01-01

Abstract The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), a part of the National Institutes of Health, currently funds the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs), a national consortium of 61 medical research institutions in 30 states and the District of Columbia. The program seeks to transform the way biomedical research is conducted, speed the translation of laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients, engage communities in clinical research efforts, and train a new generation of clinical and translational researchers. An endeavor as ambitious and complex as the CTSA program requires high‐quality evaluations in order to show that the program is well implemented, efficiently managed, and demonstrably effective. In this paper, the Evaluation Key Function Committee of the CTSA Consortium presents an overall framework for evaluating the CTSA program and offers policies to guide the evaluation work. The guidelines set forth are designed to serve as a tool for education within the CTSA community by illuminating key issues and practices that should be considered during evaluation planning, implementation, and utilization. Additionally, these guidelines can provide a basis for ongoing discussions about how the principles articulated in this paper can most effectively be translated into operational reality. PMID:23919366

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

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

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

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

Small business innovation research: Program solicitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

This, the seventh annual SBIR solicitation by NASA, describes the program, identifies eligibility requirements, outlines the required proposal format and content, states proposal preparation and submission requirements, describes the proposal evaluation and award selection process, and provides other information to assist those interested in participating in NASA's SBIR program. It also identifies the Technical Topics and Subtopics in which SBIR Phase 1 proposals are solicited in 1989. These Topics and Subtopics cover a broad range of current NASA interests, but do not necessarily include all areas in which NASA plans or currently conducts research. High-risk high pay-off innovations are desired.

Combined Quarterly Technical Report Number 23. SATNET Development and Operation. Pluribus Satellite IMP Development. Remote Site Maintenance. Internet Operations and Maintenance. Mobile Access Terminal Network. TCP for the HP3000. TCP-TAC. TCP for VAX-UNIX

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-01

evaluate and test these ideas in the Internet research context. 4. Field third-generation gateways. At this point in time, we purposely avoid selecting a...plan to cover the period from now until the time when a gateway system can be fielded which implements the results of the current work in the Internet ... research community. The current gateway system is inadequate from both a functionality and a• performance standpoint, and therefore the transition

The potential for CMCs to replace superalloys in engine exhaust ducts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Richard; Clark, Joel P.; Field, Frank R.

1994-01-01

The Materials Systems Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has conducted research to develop decision tools that can facilitate materials selection and provide a deeper understanding of the design tradeoffs that occur when choosing among advanced aerospace materials for high-temperature applications. As an illustration of the use of these tools, this paper describes research done to evaluate the material alternatives currently under consideration for exhaust ducts in aircraft gas turbine engines. Although nickel-based superalloys currently prevail for this application, the increasing temperatures of modern engines are necessitating the usage of higher temperature materials.

USDA Biochar Research: Land Application Advances to Reap Its Multifunctional Abilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ippolito, J.; Spokas, K.; Novak, J.; Lentz, R. D.; Stromberger, M.; Ducey, T.; Johnson, M.

2014-12-01

Biochar is the solid byproduct from the pyrolysis of agricultural crop residues, manures, green wastes and wood-based materials. Pyrolyzing biomass causes inorganic and organic compounds to be concentrated within the carbonized remains of the original lignin and cellulose structure. It is through this complex mixture of organic aromatic structures and inorganic elements that potentially imparts biochars with special multi-functional capabilities. Our current research has focused on developing biochar to simultaneously sequester soil carbon and remediate degraded soils. This is accomplished by directly improving soil nutrient and moisture contents, sorbing pollutants, as well as altering microbial signaling. Maintaining these improvements needs to account for biochar physical degradation, which may be overcome by biochar-mineral associations. Additional research is focused on biochar use that minimizes soil microorganism population shifts in order to maintain current ecosystem services. Future USDA research involves more evaluations to understand the multifunctional role of biochar in the agricultural and environmental sectors (e.g., USEPA superfund locations). This presentation will provide highlights of current and future coordinated biochar research efforts from several key laboratory locations across the US.

The Road to Hell Is Paved with Good Intentions: Why Harm-Benefit Analysis and Its Emphasis on Practical Benefit Jeopardizes the Credibility of Research.

PubMed

Grimm, Herwig; Eggel, Matthias; Deplazes-Zemp, Anna; Biller-Andorno, Nikola

2017-09-11

It is our concern that European Union Directive 2010/63/EU with its current project evaluation of animal research in the form of a harm-benefit analysis may lead to an erosion of the credibility of research. The HBA assesses whether the inflicted harm on animals is outweighed by potential prospective benefits. Recent literature on prospective benefit analysis prioritizes "societal benefits" that have a foreseeable, positive impact on humans, animals, or the environment over benefit in the form of knowledge. In this study, we will argue that whether practical benefits are realized is (a) impossible to predict and (b) exceeds the scope and responsibility of researchers. Furthermore, we believe that the emphasis on practical benefits has the drawback of driving researchers into speculation on the societal benefit of their research and, therefore, into promising too much, thereby leading to a loss of trust and credibility. Thus, the concepts of benefit and benefit assessment in the HBA require a re-evaluation in a spirit that embraces the value of knowledge in our society. The generation of scientific knowledge has been utilised to great benefit for humans, animals, and the environment. The HBA, as it currently stands, tends to turn this idea upside down and implies that research is of value only if the resulting findings bring about immediate societal benefit.

Systematic framework to evaluate the status of physical activity research for persons with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Dixon-Ibarra, Alicia; Vanderbom, Kerri; Dugala, Anisia; Driver, Simon

2014-04-01

Exploring the current state of health behavior research for individuals with multiple sclerosis is essential to understanding the next steps required to reducing preventable disability. A way to link research to translational health promotion programs is by utilizing the Behavioral Epidemiological Framework, which describes a sequence of phases used to categorize health-related behavioral research. This critical audit of the literature examines the current state of physical activity research for persons with multiple sclerosis by utilizing the proposed Behavioral Epidemiological Framework. After searching MEDLINE, PUBMED, PsycINFO, Google Scholar and several major areas within EBSCOHOST (2000 to present), retrieved articles were categorized according to the framework phases and coding rules. Of 139 articles, 49% were in phase 1 (establishing links between behavior and health), 18% phase 2 (developing methods for measuring behavior), 24% phase 3 (identifying factors influencing behavior and implications for theory), and 9% phase 4 and 5 (evaluating interventions to change behavior and translating research into practice). Emphasis on phase 1 research indicates the field is in its early stages of development. Providing those with multiple sclerosis with necessary tools through health promotion programs is needed to reduce secondary conditions and co-morbidities. Reassessment of the field of physical activity and multiple sclerosis in the future could provide insight into whether the field is evolving over time or remaining stagnant. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Are university rankings useful to improve research? A systematic review

PubMed Central

Momani, Shaher

2018-01-01

Introduction Concerns about reproducibility and impact of research urge improvement initiatives. Current university ranking systems evaluate and compare universities on measures of academic and research performance. Although often useful for marketing purposes, the value of ranking systems when examining quality and outcomes is unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate usefulness of ranking systems and identify opportunities to support research quality and performance improvement. Methods A systematic review of university ranking systems was conducted to investigate research performance and academic quality measures. Eligibility requirements included: inclusion of at least 100 doctoral granting institutions, be currently produced on an ongoing basis and include both global and US universities, publish rank calculation methodology in English and independently calculate ranks. Ranking systems must also include some measures of research outcomes. Indicators were abstracted and contrasted with basic quality improvement requirements. Exploration of aggregation methods, validity of research and academic quality indicators, and suitability for quality improvement within ranking systems were also conducted. Results A total of 24 ranking systems were identified and 13 eligible ranking systems were evaluated. Six of the 13 rankings are 100% focused on research performance. For those reporting weighting, 76% of the total ranks are attributed to research indicators, with 24% attributed to academic or teaching quality. Seven systems rely on reputation surveys and/or faculty and alumni awards. Rankings influence academic choice yet research performance measures are the most weighted indicators. There are no generally accepted academic quality indicators in ranking systems. Discussion No single ranking system provides a comprehensive evaluation of research and academic quality. Utilizing a combined approach of the Leiden, Thomson Reuters Most Innovative Universities, and the SCImago ranking systems may provide institutions with a more effective feedback for research improvement. Rankings which extensively rely on subjective reputation and “luxury” indicators, such as award winning faculty or alumni who are high ranking executives, are not well suited for academic or research performance improvement initiatives. Future efforts should better explore measurement of the university research performance through comprehensive and standardized indicators. This paper could serve as a general literature citation when one or more of university ranking systems are used in efforts to improve academic prominence and research performance. PMID:29513762

Spatial perception changes associated with space flight: implications for adaptation to altered inertial environments.

PubMed

Parker, Donald E

2003-01-01

Preparation for extended travel by astronauts within the Solar System, including a possible manned mission to Mars, requires more complete understanding of adaptation to altered inertial environments. Improved understanding is needed to support development and evaluation of interventions to facilitate adaptations during transitions between those environments. Travel to another planet escalates the adaptive challenge because astronauts will experience prolonged exposure to microgravity before encountering a novel gravitational environment. This challenge would have to be met without ground support at the landing site. Evaluation of current adaptive status as well as intervention efficacy can be performed using perceptual, eye movement and postural measures. Due to discrepancies of adaptation magnitude and time-course among these measures, complete understanding of adaptation processes, as well as intervention evaluation, requires examination of all three. Previous research and theory that provide models for comprehending adaptation to altered inertial environments are briefly examined. Reports from astronauts of selected pre- in- and postflight self-motion illusions are described. The currently controversial tilt-translation reinterpretation hypothesis is reviewed and possible resolutions to the controversy are proposed. Finally, based on apparent gaps in our current knowledge, further research is proposed to achieve a more complete understanding of adaptation as well as to develop effective counter-measures.

Autonomy Community of Interest (COI) Test and Evaluation, Verification and Validation (TEVV) Working Group: Technology Investment Strategy 2015-2018

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

Evaluation Center of Excellence SUAS Small Unmanned Aircraft System SUT System under Test T&E Test and Evaluation TARDEC Tank Automotive Research...17 Distribution A: Distribution Unlimited 2 Background In the past decade, unmanned systems have significantly impacted warfare...environments at a speed and scale beyond manned capability. However, current unmanned systems operate with minimal autonomy. To meet warfighter needs and

Evidence-based Nursing Education - a Systematic Review of Empirical Research

PubMed Central

Reiber, Karin

2011-01-01

The project „Evidence-based Nursing Education – Preparatory Stage“, funded by the Landesstiftung Baden-Württemberg within the programme Impulsfinanzierung Forschung (Funding to Stimulate Research), aims to collect information on current research concerned with nursing education and to process existing data. The results of empirical research which has already been carried out were systematically evaluated with aim of identifying further topics, fields and matters of interest for empirical research in nursing education. In the course of the project, the available empirical studies on nursing education were scientifically analysed and systematised. The over-arching aim of the evidence-based training approach – which extends beyond the aims of this project - is the conception, organisation and evaluation of vocational training and educational processes in the caring professions on the basis of empirical data. The following contribution first provides a systematic, theoretical link to the over-arching reference framework, as the evidence-based approach is adapted from thematically related specialist fields. The research design of the project is oriented towards criteria introduced from a selection of studies and carries out a two-stage systematic review of the selected studies. As a result, the current status of research in nursing education, as well as its organisation and structure, and questions relating to specialist training and comparative education are introduced and discussed. Finally, the empirical research on nursing training is critically appraised as a complementary element in educational theory/psychology of learning and in the ethical tradition of research. This contribution aims, on the one hand, to derive and describe the methods used, and to introduce the steps followed in gathering and evaluating the data. On the other hand, it is intended to give a systematic overview of empirical research work in nursing education. In order to preserve a holistic view of the research field and methods, detailed individual findings are not included. PMID:21818237

A Multi-Disciplinary University Research Initiative in Hard and Soft Information Fusion: Overview, Research Strategies and Initial Results

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

Multisource Information Fusion ( CMIF ) along with a team including the Pennsylvania State University (PSU), Iona College (Iona), and Tennessee State...License. 14. ABSTRACT The University at Buffalo (UB) Center for Multisource Information Fusion ( CMIF ) along with a team including the Pennsylvania...of CMIF current research on methods for Test and Evaluation ([7], [8]) involving for example large- factor-space experimental design techniques ([9

Evaluation of the pH of a Self-Adhesive Flowable Composite Over 3 Months

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

Flowable Materials. Dental Research Journal 2012; 9(4): 460-465. 12. Goracci C, Margvelashvili M, Giovannetti A, Vichi A, Ferrari M: Shear Bond...responsible for the vast field of current products on the dental market today. These developments have led researchers to focus on combining the...reduces internal voids. Some studies even show better marginal adaptation when a flowable composite is used, though some research shows it doesn’t

The importance of metrics for evaluating scientific performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyakawa, Tsuyoshi

Evaluation of scientific performance is a major factor that determines the behavior of both individual researchers and the academic institutes to which they belong. Because the number of researchers heavily outweighs the number of available research posts, and the competitive funding accounts for an ever-increasing proportion of research budget, some objective indicators of research performance have gained recognition for increasing transparency and openness. It is common practice to use metrics and indices to evaluate a researcher's performance or the quality of their grant applications. Such measures include the number of publications, the number of times these papers are cited and, more recently, the h-index, which measures the number of highly-cited papers the researcher has written. However, academic institutions and funding agencies in Japan have been rather slow to adopt such metrics. In this article, I will outline some of the currently available metrics, and discuss why we need to use such objective indicators of research performance more often in Japan. I will also discuss how to promote the use of metrics and what we should keep in mind when using them, as well as their potential impact on the research community in Japan.

[Platforms are needed for innovative basic research in ophthalmology].

PubMed

Wang, Yi-qiang

2012-07-01

Basic research poses the cornerstone of technical innovation in all lines including medical sciences. Currently, there are shortages of professional scientists as well as technical supporting teams and facilities in the field of basic research of ophthalmology and visual science in China. Evaluation system and personnel policies are not supportive for innovative but high-risk-of-failure research projects. Discussion of reasons and possible solutions are given here to address these problems, aiming at promoting buildup of platforms hosting novel and important basic research in eye science in this country.

Assessment of the Relative Effectiveness of Job Corps Current Training Occupations. Job Corps Vocational Offerings Review. Documentation Report No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. Job Corps.

As part of a multiphased evaluation of vocational training provided by the Job Corps in fiscal year 1982, an assessment was made of the relative effectiveness of current Job Corps training operations. To arrive at an estimate of overall effectiveness, the researchers weighed the following factors: job-placement percentage, average wage of job,…

Evaluation of candidate working fluid formulations for the electrothermal-chemical wind tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akyurtlu, Jale F.; Akyurtlu, Ates

1993-01-01

A new hypersonic test facility which can simulate conditions typical of atmospheric flight at Mach numbers up to 20 is currently under study at the NASA/LaRC Hypersonic Propulsion Branch. In the proposed research, it was suggested that a combustion augmented electrothermal wind tunnel concept may be applied to the planned hypersonic testing facility. The purpose of the current investigation is to evaluate some candidate working fluid formulations which may be used in the chemical-electrothermal wind. The efforts in the initial phase of this research were concentrated on acquiring the code used by GASL to model the electrothermal wind tunnel and testing it using the conditions of GASL simulation. The early version of the general chemical kinetics code (GCKP84) was obtained from NASA and the latest updated version of the code (LSENS) was obtained from the author Dr. Bittker. Both codes are installed on a personal computer with a 486 25 MHz processor and 16 Mbyte RAM. Since the available memory was not sufficient to debug LSENS, for the current work GCKP84 was used.

Research and Evaluations of the Health Aspects of Disasters, Part VI: Interventional Research and the Disaster Logic Model.

PubMed

Birnbaum, Marvin L; Daily, Elaine K; O'Rourke, Ann P; Kushner, Jennifer

2016-04-01

Disaster-related interventions are actions or responses undertaken during any phase of a disaster to change the current status of an affected community or a Societal System. Interventional disaster research aims to evaluate the results of such interventions in order to develop standards and best practices in Disaster Health that can be applied to disaster risk reduction. Considering interventions as production functions (transformation processes) structures the analyses and cataloguing of interventions/responses that are implemented prior to, during, or following a disaster or other emergency. Since currently it is not possible to do randomized, controlled studies of disasters, in order to validate the derived standards and best practices, the results of the studies must be compared and synthesized with results from other studies (ie, systematic reviews). Such reviews will be facilitated by the selected studies being structured using accepted frameworks. A logic model is a graphic representation of the transformation processes of a program [project] that shows the intended relationships between investments and results. Logic models are used to describe a program and its theory of change, and they provide a method for the analyzing and evaluating interventions. The Disaster Logic Model (DLM) is an adaptation of a logic model used for the evaluation of educational programs and provides the structure required for the analysis of disaster-related interventions. It incorporates a(n): definition of the current functional status of a community or Societal System, identification of needs, definition of goals, selection of objectives, implementation of the intervention(s), and evaluation of the effects, outcomes, costs, and impacts of the interventions. It is useful for determining the value of an intervention and it also provides the structure for analyzing the processes used in providing the intervention according to the Relief/Recovery and Risk-Reduction Frameworks.

A Scoping Study on the Ethics of Health Systems Research.

PubMed

Bachani, Abdulgafoor M; Rattani, Abbas; Hyder, Adnan A

2016-12-01

Currently, health systems research (HSR) is reviewed by the same ethical standards as clinical research, which has recently been argued in the literature to be an inappropriate standard of evaluation. The issues unique to HSR warrant a different review by research ethics committees (RECs), as it does not impose the same risks to study participants as other types of clinical or public health research. However, there are limited tools and supporting documents that clarify the ethical considerations. Therefore, there is a need for additional reflection around ethical review of HSR and their consideration by RECs. The purpose of this paper is to review, understand, and synthesize the current state of literature and practice to inform these deliberations and the larger discourse on ethics review guidelines for HSR. This paper presents a review of the literature on ethics of HSR in the biomedical, public health, and implementation research to identify ethical considerations specific to HSR; and to identify examples of commonly available guidance and/or tools for the ethical review of HSR studies. Fifteen articles were identified on HSR ethics issues, and forty-two international academic institutions were contacted (of the responses (n=29), no institution had special ethical guidelines for reviewing HSR) about their HSR ethics review guidelines. There appears to be a clear gap in the current health research ethics discourse around health systems research ethics. This review serves as a first step (to better understand the current status) towards a larger dialogue on the topic. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An Evaluation of a Short Cognitive-Behavioural Anger Management Intervention for Pupils at Risk of Exclusion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphrey, Neil; Brooks, A. George

2006-01-01

An increasing number of children and young people are being excluded from school as a direct result of anger management problems. The research literature suggests that short cognitive-behavioural intervention programmes may be effective in helping young people understand and control their anger. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the…

Reliability and Validity of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matson, Johnny L.; Neal, Daniene; Fodstad, Jill C.; Hess, Julie A.; Mahan, Sara; Rivet, Tessa T.

2010-01-01

Social skills are an important part of development, and deficits in this area have long-term impacts on a child. As a result, clinicians should include a measure of social skills as part of a comprehensive assessment. There are a few well-researched measures of social skills that are currently used, including the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills…

Touch the Page and Mimic Me: Evaluation of a Talking-Pen Learning Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odakura, Abigail

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the talking-pen device called the Mimic Me, an educational technology product of a large English conversation school in Japan, as an educational learning tool. The product will be reviewed in terms of its developmental appropriateness for the target audience based on current research. Although the Mimic Me…

Monitoring the Impact of Testing and Evaluation Innovations Project: State Activity and Interest Concerning Performance-Based Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing, Los Angeles, CA.

Information was gathered about current state interest, activity, and concerns related to performance assessment for students. The Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing of the University of California (Los Angeles) conducted telephone interviews with directors of testing in each of the 50 states in the spring of 1990.…

Evaluation of Student Models on Current Socio-Scientific Topics Based on System Dynamics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nuhoglu, Hasret

2014-01-01

This study aims to 1) enable primary school students to develop models that will help them understand and analyze a system, through a learning process based on system dynamics approach, 2) examine and evaluate students' models related to socio-scientific issues using certain criteria. The research method used is a case study. The study sample…

Peer Mentoring during the Transition to University: Assessing the Usage of a Formal Scheme within the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collings, Rosalyn; Swanson, Vivien; Watkins, Ruth

2016-01-01

Although mentoring has become increasingly popular within UK higher education, there is little evaluative research. The current longitudinal study aimed to evaluate the usage of a peer mentoring scheme during a first semester at university amongst 124 students. Results indicate that during the first week at university the majority accessed the…

Intergroup Contact and Evaluations of Race-Based Exclusion in Urban Minority Children and Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruck, Martin D.; Park, Henry; Killen, Melanie; Crystal, David S.

2011-01-01

There is a dearth of published research on the role of intergroup contact on urban US ethnic minority children's and adolescents' evaluations of racial exclusion. The current investigation examined these issues in a sample of low-income minority 4th, 7th, and 10th grade (N = 129, 60% female) African American and Latino/a students attending…

Current State and Model for Development of Technology-Based Care for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

Benyakorn, Songpoom; Riley, Steven J; Calub, Catrina A; Schweitzer, Julie B

2016-09-01

Care (i.e., evaluation and intervention) delivered through technology is used in many areas of mental health services, including for persons with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Technology can facilitate care for individuals with ADHD, their parents, and their care providers. The adoption of technological tools for ADHD care requires evidence-based studies to support the transition from development to integration into use in the home, school, or work for persons with the disorder. The initial phase, which is development of technological tools, has begun in earnest; however, the evidence base for many of these tools is lacking. In some instances, the uptake of a piece of technology into home use or clinical practice may be further along than the research to support its use. In this study, we review the current evidence regarding technology for ADHD and also propose a model to evaluate the support for other tools that have yet to be tested. We propose using the Research Domain Criteria as a framework for evaluating the tools' relationships to dimensions related to ADHD. This article concludes with recommendations for testing new tools that may have promise in improving the evaluation or treatment of persons with ADHD.

A Review of Biological Agent Sampling Methods and ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report This study was conducted to evaluate current sampling and analytical capabilities, from a time and resource perspective, for a large-scale biological contamination incident. The analysis will be useful for strategically directing future research investment.

Guidelines for the Bioremediation of Marine Shorelines and Freshwater Wetlands

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

For oil spill responders:presents rational approach, evaluates current practices and state-of-the-art research results pertaining to bioremediation of hydrocarbon contamination relative to types and amounts of amendments used, application frequency, extent

Evaluating minerals of environmental concern using spectroscopy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Swayze, G.A.; Clark, R.N.; Higgins, C.T.; Kokaly, R.F.; Livo, K. Eric; Hoefen, T.M.; Ong, C.; Kruse, F.A.

2006-01-01

Imaging spectroscopy has been successfully used to aid researchers in characterizing potential environmental impacts posed by acid-rock drainage, ore-processing dust on mangroves, and asbestos in serpentine mineral deposits and urban dust. Many of these applications synergistically combine field spectroscopy with remote sensing data, thus allowing more-precise data calibration, spectral analysis of the data, and verification of mapping. The increased accuracy makes these environmental evaluation tools efficient because they can be used to focus field work on those areas most critical to the research effort. The use of spectroscopy to evaluate minerals of environmental concern pushes current imaging spectrometer technology to its limits; we present laboratory results that indicate the direction for future designs of imaging spectrometers.

The Structure of the New York City School System: Research Problems and Research Agenda.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanushek, Eric A.; Hochman, Harold

Current dissatisfaction with operations of the New York City school system calls for policy proposals based on a better understanding of the system, rather than on economic issues. Any policy proposals aimed at reform must describe the goals of suggested programs and indicate how they relate to the goals of other programs. An evaluation of student…

Computers in Composition Instruction. The Proceedings of a Research/Practice Conference Held at SWRL Educational Research and Development (Los Alamitos, California, April 22-23, 1982).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawlor, Joseph, Ed.

Suggestions for integrating computer technology and composition instruction are presented in four conference papers, summaries of four conference courseware demonstrations, a paper describing computer-based evaluation of textual responses, and a reactor's address. In an overview of the current state of computer-based composition instruction,…

Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Experiences in measurement, utilization, and evaluation of software methodologies, models, and tools are discussed. NASA's involvement in ever larger and more complex systems, like the space station project, provides a motive for the support of software engineering research and the exchange of ideas in such forums. The topics of current SEL research are software error studies, experiments with software development, and software tools.

School Physical Education Curriculum of Iran from Experts' Perspective: "What It Is and Should Be"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nazari, Hossein; Jafari, Ebrahim Mirshah; Nasr, Ahmad Reza; Marandi, Seyed Mohammad

2017-01-01

This study aimed to evaluate the current physical education curriculum of elementary schools (first and second grades) in Iran. This is an applied study conducted using grounded theory and the research method is qualitative. The research population consisted of all professors in Iran in the field of physical education, of whom, 15 people were…

Power beaming research at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rather, John D. G.

1992-01-01

NASA's current research activities to evaluate laser power beaming systems are summarized with regard to their applications of greatest interest. Key technical certainties and uncertainties pertaining to laser power beaming systems appropriate for space applications are quantified. A path of development is presented that includes maturation of key technology components for reliable laser and millimeter wave power beaming systems during the 1990s.

Child ADHD Severity and Positive and Negative Parenting as Predictors of Child Social Functioning: Evaluation of Three Theoretical Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaiser, Nina M.; McBurnett, Keith; Pfiffner, Linda J.

2011-01-01

Objective: Prior research has established links between child social functioning and both parenting and child ADHD severity; however, research examining the way that these variables work together is lacking. The current article aims to test three possible models (main effects, mediation, and moderation) by which ADHD severity and positive and…

Agriculture for improved nutrition: the current research landscape.

PubMed

Turner, Rachel; Hawkes, Corinna; Jeff, Waage; Ferguson, Elaine; Haseen, Farhana; Homans, Hilary; Hussein, Julia; Johnston, Deborah; Marais, Debbi; McNeill, Geraldine; Shankar, Bhavani

2013-12-01

Concern about food security and its effect on persistent undernutrition has increased interest in how agriculture could be used to improve nutritional outcomes in developing countries. Yet the evidence base for the impact of agricultural interventions targeted at improved nutrition is currently poor. To map the extent and nature of current and planned research on agriculture for improved nutrition in order to identify gaps where more research might be useful. The research, which was conducted from April to August 2012, involved developing a conceptual framework linking agriculture and nutrition, identifying relevant research projects and programs, devising and populating a "template" with details of the research projects in relation to the conceptual framework, classifying the projects, and conducting a gap analysis. The study identified a large number of research projects covering a broad range of themes and topics. There was a strong geographic focus on sub-Saharan Africa, and many studies were explicitly concerned with nutritional impacts on women and children. Although the study revealed a diverse and growing body of research, it also identified research gaps. Few projects consider the entire evidence chain linking agricultural input or practice to nutritional outcomes. There is comparatively little current research on indirect effects of agriculture on nutrition, or the effect of policies or governance, rather than technical interventions. Most research is focused on undernutrition and small farmer households, and few studies target consumers generally, urban populations, or nutrition-related non-communicable diseases. There is very little work on the cost-effectiveness of agricultural interventions. On the basis of these findings, we make suggestions for research investment and for broader engagement of researchers and disciplines in developing approaches to design and evaluate agricultural programs for improved nutrition.

Current Status of Sperm Cryopreservation in Biomedical Research Fish Models: Zebrafish, Medaka, and Xiphophorus*

PubMed Central

Yang, Huiping; Tiersch, Terrence R.

2009-01-01

Aquarium fishes are becoming increasingly important because of their value in biomedical research and the ornamental fish trade, and because many have become threatened or endangered in the wild. This review summarizes the current status of sperm cryopreservation in three fishes widely used in biomedical research: zebrafish, medaka, and live-bearing fishes of the genus Xiphophorus, and will focus on the needs and opportunities for future research and application of cryopreservation in aquarium fish. First, we summarize the basic biological characteristics regarding natural habitat, testis structure, spermatogenesis, sperm morphology, and sperm physiology. Second, we compare protocol development of sperm cryopreservation. Third, we emphasize the importance of artificial fertilization in sperm cryopreservation to evaluate the viability of thawed sperm. We conclude with a look to future research directions for sperm cryopreservation and the application of this technique in aquarium species. PMID:18691673

A Bibliometric Analysis on Cancer Population Science with Topic Modeling.

PubMed

Li, Ding-Cheng; Rastegar-Mojarad, Majid; Okamoto, Janet; Liu, Hongfang; Leichow, Scott

2015-01-01

Bibliometric analysis is a research method used in library and information science to evaluate research performance. It applies quantitative and statistical analyses to describe patterns observed in a set of publications and can help identify previous, current, and future research trends or focus. To better guide our institutional strategic plan in cancer population science, we conducted bibliometric analysis on publications of investigators currently funded by either Division of Cancer Preventions (DCP) or Division of Cancer Control and Population Science (DCCPS) at National Cancer Institute. We applied two topic modeling techniques: author topic modeling (AT) and dynamic topic modeling (DTM). Our initial results show that AT can address reasonably the issues related to investigators' research interests, research topic distributions and popularities. In compensation, DTM can address the evolving trend of each topic by displaying the proportion changes of key words, which is consistent with the changes of MeSH headings.

Epigenetic Research in Cancer Epidemiology: Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges

PubMed Central

Verma, Mukesh; Rogers, Scott; Divi, Rao L.; Schully, Sheri D.; Nelson, Stefanie; Su, L. Joseph; Ross, Sharon; Pilch, Susan; Winn, Deborah M.; Khoury, Muin J.

2014-01-01

Epigenetics is emerging as an important field in cancer epidemiology that promises to provide insights into gene regulation and facilitate cancer control throughout the cancer care continuum. Increasingly, investigators are incorporating epigenetic analysis into the studies of etiology and outcomes. To understand current progress and trends in the inclusion of epigenetics in cancer epidemiology, we evaluated the published literature and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) supported research grant awards in this field to identify trends in epigenetics research. We present a summary of the epidemiological studies in NCI’s grant portfolio (from January 2005 through December 2012) and in the scientific literature published during the same period, irrespective of support from NCI. Blood cells and tumor tissue were the most commonly used biospecimens in these studies, although buccal cells, cervical cells, sputum, and stool samples also were used. DNA methylation profiling was the focus of the majority of studies, but several studies also measured microRNA profiles. We illustrate here the current status of epidemiologic studies that are evaluating epigenetic changes in large populations. The incorporation of epigenomic assessments in cancer epidemiology studies has and is likely to continue to provide important insights into the field of cancer research. PMID:24326628

Multi-modal virtual environment research at Armstrong Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eggleston, Robert G.

1995-01-01

One mission of the Paul M. Fitts Human Engineering Division of Armstrong Laboratory is to improve the user interface for complex systems through user-centered exploratory development and research activities. In support of this goal, many current projects attempt to advance and exploit user-interface concepts made possible by virtual reality (VR) technologies. Virtual environments may be used as a general purpose interface medium, an alternative display/control method, a data visualization and analysis tool, or a graphically based performance assessment tool. An overview is given of research projects within the division on prototype interface hardware/software development, integrated interface concept development, interface design and evaluation tool development, and user and mission performance evaluation tool development.

Occupational stress in the multicultural workplace.

PubMed

Pasca, Romana; Wagner, Shannon L

2011-08-01

Occupational stress is a well researched topic leading to the development of strong, viable models of workplace stress. However, there is a gap in the literature with respect to the applicability of this research to specific cultural groups, in particular those of immigrant status. The present paper reviews the extant literature regarding occupational stress from a multicultural perspective, evaluates the usefulness for existing models in the multicultural context, and discusses current issues with respect to increasing multiculturalism in the work environment. The authors conclude that workforce diversity is emerging as a pressing issue of organizational life and consequently, that future research needs to continue investigating whether current knowledge regarding workplace stress is fitting with the multicultural diversity of the present-day working population.

NASA Agricultural Aircraft Research Program in the Langley Vortex Research Facility and the Langley Full Scale Wind Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jordan, F. L., Jr.; Mclemore, H. C.; Bragg, M. B.

1978-01-01

The current status of aerial applications technology research at the Langley's Vortex Research Facility and Full-Scale Wind Tunnel is reviewed. Efforts have been directed mainly toward developing and validating the required experimental and theoretical research tools. A capability to simulate aerial dispersal of materials from agricultural airplanes with small-scale airplane models, numerical methods, and dynamically scaled test particles was demonstrated. Tests on wake modification concepts have proved the feasibility of tailoring wake properties aerodynamically to produce favorable changes in deposition and to provide drift control. An aerodynamic evaluation of the Thrush Commander 800 agricultural airplane with various dispersal systems installed is described. A number of modifications intended to provide system improvement to both airplane and dispersal system are examined, and a technique for documenting near-field spray characteristics is evaluated.

Grappling with the Literature of Education Research and Practice

PubMed Central

2007-01-01

The absence of a central database and use of specialized language hinder nonexperts in becoming familiar with the science teaching and learning literature and using it to inform their work. The challenge of locating articles related to a specific question or problem, coupled with the difficulty of comprehending findings based on a variety of different perspectives and practices, can be prohibitively difficult. As I have transitioned from bench to classroom-based research, I have become familiar with how to locate, decipher, and evaluate the education research literature. In this essay, I point out analogies to the literature of science research and practice, and I reference some of the literature that I have found useful in becoming an education researcher. I also introduce a new regular feature, “Current Insights: Recent Research in Science Teaching and Learning,” which is designed to point CBE—Life Sciences Education (CBE-LSE) readers to current articles of interest in life sciences education, as well as more general and noteworthy publications in education research. PMID:18056300

Grappling with the literature of education research and practice.

PubMed

Dolan, Erin L

2007-01-01

The absence of a central database and use of specialized language hinder nonexperts in becoming familiar with the science teaching and learning literature and using it to inform their work. The challenge of locating articles related to a specific question or problem, coupled with the difficulty of comprehending findings based on a variety of different perspectives and practices, can be prohibitively difficult. As I have transitioned from bench to classroom-based research, I have become familiar with how to locate, decipher, and evaluate the education research literature. In this essay, I point out analogies to the literature of science research and practice, and I reference some of the literature that I have found useful in becoming an education researcher. I also introduce a new regular feature, "Current Insights: Recent Research in Science Teaching and Learning," which is designed to point CBE--Life Sciences Education (CBE-LSE) readers to current articles of interest in life sciences education, as well as more general and noteworthy publications in education research.

Nanoinformatics workshop report: Current resources, community needs, and the proposal of a collaborative framework for data sharing and information integration.

PubMed

Harper, Stacey L; Hutchison, James E; Baker, Nathan; Ostraat, Michele; Tinkle, Sally; Steevens, Jeffrey; Hoover, Mark D; Adamick, Jessica; Rajan, Krishna; Gaheen, Sharon; Cohen, Yoram; Nel, Andre; Cachau, Raul E; Tuominen, Mark

2013-01-01

The quantity of information on nanomaterial properties and behavior continues to grow rapidly. Without a concerted effort to collect, organize and mine disparate information coming out of current research efforts, the value and effective use of this information will be limited at best. Data will not be translated to knowledge. At worst, erroneous conclusions will be drawn and future research may be misdirected. Nanoinformatics can be a powerful approach to enhance the value of global information in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Much progress has been made through grassroots efforts in nanoinformatics resulting in a multitude of resources and tools for nanoscience researchers. In 2012, the nanoinformatics community believed it was important to critically evaluate and refine currently available nanoinformatics approaches in order to best inform the science and support the future of predictive nanotechnology. The Greener Nano 2012: Nanoinformatics Tools and Resources Workshop brought together informatics groups with materials scientists active in nanoscience research to evaluate and reflect on the tools and resources that have recently emerged in support of predictive nanotechnology. The workshop goals were to establish a better understanding of current nanoinformatics approaches and to clearly define immediate and projected informatics infrastructure needs of the nanotechnology community. The theme of nanotechnology environmental health and safety (nanoEHS) was used to provide real-world, concrete examples on how informatics can be utilized to advance our knowledge and guide nanoscience. The benefit here is that the same properties that impact the performance of products could also be the properties that inform EHS. From a decision management standpoint, the dual use of such data should be considered a priority. Key outcomes include a proposed collaborative framework for data collection, data sharing and information integration.

Patient-centred care in general dental practice - a systematic review of the literature

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Delivering improvements in quality is a key objective within most healthcare systems, and a view which has been widely embraced within the NHS in the United Kingdom. Within the NHS, quality is evaluated across three key dimensions: clinical effectiveness, safety and patient experience, with the latter modelled on the Picker Principles of Patient-Centred Care (PCC). Quality improvement is an important feature of the current dental contract reforms in England, with “patient experience” likely to have a central role in the evaluation of quality. An understanding and appreciation of the evidence underpinning PCC within dentistry is highly relevant if we are to use this as a measure of quality in general dental practice. Methods A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to identify the features of PCC relevant to dentistry and ascertain the current research evidence base underpinning its use as a measure of quality within general dental practice. Results Three papers were identified which met the inclusion criteria and demonstrated the use of primary research to provide an understanding of the key features of PCC within dentistry. None of the papers identified were based in general dental practice and none of the three studies sought the views of patients. Some distinct differences were noted between the key features of PCC reported within the dental literature and those developed within the NHS Patient Experience Framework. Conclusions This systematic review reveals a lack of understanding of PCC within dentistry, and in particular general dental practice. There is currently a poor evidence base to support the use of the current patient reported outcome measures as indicators of patient-centredness. Further research is necessary to understand the important features of PCC in dentistry and patients’ views should be central to this research. PMID:24902842

Nanoinformatics workshop report: Current resources, community needs, and the proposal of a collaborative framework for data sharing and information integration

PubMed Central

Harper, Stacey L; Hutchison, James E; Baker, Nathan; Ostraat, Michele; Tinkle, Sally; Steevens, Jeffrey; Hoover, Mark D; Adamick, Jessica; Rajan, Krishna; Gaheen, Sharon; Cohen, Yoram; Nel, Andre; Cachau, Raul E; Tuominen, Mark

2014-01-01

The quantity of information on nanomaterial properties and behavior continues to grow rapidly. Without a concerted effort to collect, organize and mine disparate information coming out of current research efforts, the value and effective use of this information will be limited at best. Data will not be translated to knowledge. At worst, erroneous conclusions will be drawn and future research may be misdirected. Nanoinformatics can be a powerful approach to enhance the value of global information in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Much progress has been made through grassroots efforts in nanoinformatics resulting in a multitude of resources and tools for nanoscience researchers. In 2012, the nanoinformatics community believed it was important to critically evaluate and refine currently available nanoinformatics approaches in order to best inform the science and support the future of predictive nanotechnology. The Greener Nano 2012: Nanoinformatics Tools and Resources Workshop brought together informatics groups with materials scientists active in nanoscience research to evaluate and reflect on the tools and resources that have recently emerged in support of predictive nanotechnology. The workshop goals were to establish a better understanding of current nanoinformatics approaches and to clearly define immediate and projected informatics infrastructure needs of the nanotechnology community. The theme of nanotechnology environmental health and safety (nanoEHS) was used to provide real-world, concrete examples on how informatics can be utilized to advance our knowledge and guide nanoscience. The benefit here is that the same properties that impact the performance of products could also be the properties that inform EHS. From a decision management standpoint, the dual use of such data should be considered a priority. Key outcomes include a proposed collaborative framework for data collection, data sharing and information integration. PMID:24454543

Content and Accessibility of Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship Web Sites in the United States.

PubMed

Young, Bradley L; Oladeji, Lasun O; Cichos, Kyle; Ponce, Brent

2016-01-01

Increasing numbers of training physicians are using the Internet to gather information about graduate medical education programs. The content and accessibility of web sites that provide this information have been demonstrated to influence applicants' decisions. Assessments of orthopedic fellowship web sites including sports medicine, pediatrics, hand and spine have found varying degrees of accessibility and material. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accessibility and content of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) fellowship web sites (SEFWs). A complete list of ASES programs was obtained from a database on the ASES web site. The accessibility of each SEFWs was assessed by the existence of a functioning link found in the database and through Google®. Then, the following content areas of each SEFWs were evaluated: fellow education, faculty/previous fellow information, and recruitment. At the time of the study, 17 of the 28 (60.7%) ASES programs had web sites accessible through Google®, and only five (17.9%) had functioning links in the ASES database. Nine programs lacked a web site. Concerning web site content, the majority of SEFWs contained information regarding research opportunities, research requirements, case descriptions, meetings and conferences, teaching responsibilities, attending faculty, the application process, and a program description. Fewer than half of the SEFWs provided information regarding rotation schedules, current fellows, previous fellows, on-call expectations, journal clubs, medical school of current fellows, residency of current fellows, employment of previous fellows, current research, and previous research. A large portion of ASES fellowship programs lacked functioning web sites, and even fewer provided functioning links through the ASES database. Valuable information for potential applicants was largely inadequate across present SEFWs.

Workshop report: US-China workshop on smart structures and smart systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomizuka, Masayoshi

2006-03-01

A Joint U.S.-China workshop on the topic of Integrated Sensing Systems, Mechatronics and Smart Structures Technologies was held in Jinan, China in October 2005 to evaluate the current status of research and education in the topic areas in the United States and China, to identify critical and strategic research and educational issues of mutual interest, and to identify joint research projects and potential research teams for collaborative research activities. The workshop included a series of presentations by leading researchers and educators from the United States and China and group discussions on the workshop objectives.

Bibliometrics: tracking research impact by selecting the appropriate metrics.

PubMed

Agarwal, Ashok; Durairajanayagam, Damayanthi; Tatagari, Sindhuja; Esteves, Sandro C; Harlev, Avi; Henkel, Ralf; Roychoudhury, Shubhadeep; Homa, Sheryl; Puchalt, Nicolás Garrido; Ramasamy, Ranjith; Majzoub, Ahmad; Ly, Kim Dao; Tvrda, Eva; Assidi, Mourad; Kesari, Kavindra; Sharma, Reecha; Banihani, Saleem; Ko, Edmund; Abu-Elmagd, Muhammad; Gosalvez, Jaime; Bashiri, Asher

2016-01-01

Traditionally, the success of a researcher is assessed by the number of publications he or she publishes in peer-reviewed, indexed, high impact journals. This essential yardstick, often referred to as the impact of a specific researcher, is assessed through the use of various metrics. While researchers may be acquainted with such matrices, many do not know how to use them to enhance their careers. In addition to these metrics, a number of other factors should be taken into consideration to objectively evaluate a scientist's profile as a researcher and academician. Moreover, each metric has its own limitations that need to be considered when selecting an appropriate metric for evaluation. This paper provides a broad overview of the wide array of metrics currently in use in academia and research. Popular metrics are discussed and defined, including traditional metrics and article-level metrics, some of which are applied to researchers for a greater understanding of a particular concept, including varicocele that is the thematic area of this Special Issue of Asian Journal of Andrology. We recommend the combined use of quantitative and qualitative evaluation using judiciously selected metrics for a more objective assessment of scholarly output and research impact.

Bibliometrics: tracking research impact by selecting the appropriate metrics

PubMed Central

Agarwal, Ashok; Durairajanayagam, Damayanthi; Tatagari, Sindhuja; Esteves, Sandro C; Harlev, Avi; Henkel, Ralf; Roychoudhury, Shubhadeep; Homa, Sheryl; Puchalt, Nicolás Garrido; Ramasamy, Ranjith; Majzoub, Ahmad; Ly, Kim Dao; Tvrda, Eva; Assidi, Mourad; Kesari, Kavindra; Sharma, Reecha; Banihani, Saleem; Ko, Edmund; Abu-Elmagd, Muhammad; Gosalvez, Jaime; Bashiri, Asher

2016-01-01

Traditionally, the success of a researcher is assessed by the number of publications he or she publishes in peer-reviewed, indexed, high impact journals. This essential yardstick, often referred to as the impact of a specific researcher, is assessed through the use of various metrics. While researchers may be acquainted with such matrices, many do not know how to use them to enhance their careers. In addition to these metrics, a number of other factors should be taken into consideration to objectively evaluate a scientist's profile as a researcher and academician. Moreover, each metric has its own limitations that need to be considered when selecting an appropriate metric for evaluation. This paper provides a broad overview of the wide array of metrics currently in use in academia and research. Popular metrics are discussed and defined, including traditional metrics and article-level metrics, some of which are applied to researchers for a greater understanding of a particular concept, including varicocele that is the thematic area of this Special Issue of Asian Journal of Andrology. We recommend the combined use of quantitative and qualitative evaluation using judiciously selected metrics for a more objective assessment of scholarly output and research impact. PMID:26806079

U.S. Geological Survey Science Support Strategy for Biscayne National Park and Surrounding Areas in Southeastern Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wolfert-Lohmann, Melinda A.; Langevin, Christian D.; Jones, Sonya A.; Reich, Chris D.; Wingard, Georgina L.; Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Cunningham, Kevin J.

2008-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey conducts a wide range of research in and around the Biscayne National Park region of southern Florida. This research encompasses the biologic, ecologic, meteorologic, geologic, and hydrologic components of the system, including water-quality analyses, ground-water modeling, hydrogeologic-data collection, ecologic-habitat evaluations, wetlands characterizations, biogeochemistry of ecosystems, and paleo-ecologic analyses. Relevant information is provided herein for researchers and managers interested in the Biscayne Bay area and about current U.S. Geological Survey efforts that address important resource protection and management issues. Specifically, managers and scientists are provided with information on current and recently completed U.S. Geological Survey projects and a sample listing of potential U.S. Geological Survey research projects addressing relevant issues that face the study area.

HyQue: evaluating hypotheses using Semantic Web technologies

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Key to the success of e-Science is the ability to computationally evaluate expert-composed hypotheses for validity against experimental data. Researchers face the challenge of collecting, evaluating and integrating large amounts of diverse information to compose and evaluate a hypothesis. Confronted with rapidly accumulating data, researchers currently do not have the software tools to undertake the required information integration tasks. Results We present HyQue, a Semantic Web tool for querying scientific knowledge bases with the purpose of evaluating user submitted hypotheses. HyQue features a knowledge model to accommodate diverse hypotheses structured as events and represented using Semantic Web languages (RDF/OWL). Hypothesis validity is evaluated against experimental and literature-sourced evidence through a combination of SPARQL queries and evaluation rules. Inference over OWL ontologies (for type specifications, subclass assertions and parthood relations) and retrieval of facts stored as Bio2RDF linked data provide support for a given hypothesis. We evaluate hypotheses of varying levels of detail about the genetic network controlling galactose metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to demonstrate the feasibility of deploying such semantic computing tools over a growing body of structured knowledge in Bio2RDF. Conclusions HyQue is a query-based hypothesis evaluation system that can currently evaluate hypotheses about the galactose metabolism in S. cerevisiae. Hypotheses as well as the supporting or refuting data are represented in RDF and directly linked to one another allowing scientists to browse from data to hypothesis and vice versa. HyQue hypotheses and data are available at http://semanticscience.org/projects/hyque. PMID:21624158

Research on the recycling industry development model for typical exterior plastic components of end-of-life passenger vehicle based on the SWOT method.

PubMed

Zhang, Hongshen; Chen, Ming

2013-11-01

In-depth studies on the recycling of typical automotive exterior plastic parts are significant and beneficial for environmental protection, energy conservation, and sustainable development of China. In the current study, several methods were used to analyze the recycling industry model for typical exterior parts of passenger vehicles in China. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges of the current recycling industry for typical exterior parts of passenger vehicles were analyzed comprehensively based on the SWOT method. The internal factor evaluation matrix and external factor evaluation matrix were used to evaluate the internal and external factors of the recycling industry. The recycling industry was found to respond well to all the factors and it was found to face good developing opportunities. Then, the cross-link strategies analysis for the typical exterior parts of the passenger car industry of China was conducted based on the SWOT analysis strategies and established SWOT matrix. Finally, based on the aforementioned research, the recycling industry model led by automobile manufacturers was promoted. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plant xylem hydraulics: What we understand, current research, and future challenges.

PubMed

Venturas, Martin D; Sperry, John S; Hacke, Uwe G

2017-06-01

Herein we review the current state-of-the-art of plant hydraulics in the context of plant physiology, ecology, and evolution, focusing on current and future research opportunities. We explain the physics of water transport in plants and the limits of this transport system, highlighting the relationships between xylem structure and function. We describe the great variety of techniques existing for evaluating xylem resistance to cavitation. We address several methodological issues and their connection with current debates on conduit refilling and exponentially shaped vulnerability curves. We analyze the trade-offs existing between water transport safety and efficiency. We also stress how little information is available on molecular biology of cavitation and the potential role of aquaporins in conduit refilling. Finally, we draw attention to how plant hydraulic traits can be used for modeling stomatal responses to environmental variables and climate change, including drought mortality. © 2017 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Wave Rotor Research and Technology Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Welch, Gerard E.

1998-01-01

Wave rotor technology offers the potential to increase the performance of gas turbine engines significantly, within the constraints imposed by current material temperature limits. The wave rotor research at the NASA Lewis Research Center is a three-element effort: 1) Development of design and analysis tools to accurately predict the performance of wave rotor components; 2) Experiments to characterize component performance; 3) System integration studies to evaluate the effect of wave rotor topping on the gas turbine engine system.

Zebrafish as a model for acetylcholinesterase-inhibiting organophosphorus agent exposure and oxime reactivation

PubMed Central

Koenig, Jeffrey A.; Dao, Thuy L.; Kan, Robert K.; Shih, Tsung-Ming

2016-01-01

The current research progression efforts for investigating novel treatments for exposure to organophosphorus (OP) compounds that inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE), including pesticides and chemical warfare nerve agents (CWNAs), rely solely on in vitro cell assays and in vivo rodent models. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a popular, well-established vertebrate model in biomedical research that offers high-throughput capabilities and genetic manipulation not readily available with rodents. A number of research studies have investigated the effects of subacute developmental exposure to OP pesticides in zebrafish, observing detrimental effects on gross morphology, neuronal development, and behavior. Few studies, however, have utilized this model to evaluate treatments, such as oxime reactivators, anticholinergics, or anticonvulsants, following acute exposure. Preliminary work has investigated the effects of CWNA exposure. The results clearly demonstrated relative toxicity and oxime efficacy similar to that reported for the rodent model. This review surveys the current literature utilizing zebrafish as a model for OP exposure and highlights its potential use as a high-throughput system for evaluating AChE reactivator antidotal treatments to acute pesticide and CWNA exposure. PMID:27123828

Theoretical relation between halo current-plasma energy displacement/deformation in EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Shahab Ud-Din; Khan, Salah Ud-Din; Song, Yuntao; Dalong, Chen

2018-04-01

In this paper, theoretical model for calculating halo current has been developed. This work attained novelty as no theoretical calculations for halo current has been reported so far. This is the first time to use theoretical approach. The research started by calculating points for plasma energy in terms of poloidal and toroidal magnetic field orientations. While calculating these points, it was extended to calculate halo current and to developed theoretical model. Two cases were considered for analyzing the plasma energy when flows down/upward to the diverter. Poloidal as well as toroidal movement of plasma energy was investigated and mathematical formulations were designed as well. Two conducting points with respect to (R, Z) were calculated for halo current calculations and derivations. However, at first, halo current was established on the outer plate in clockwise direction. The maximum generation of halo current was estimated to be about 0.4 times of the plasma current. A Matlab program has been developed to calculate halo current and plasma energy calculation points. The main objective of the research was to establish theoretical relation with experimental results so as to precautionary evaluate the plasma behavior in any Tokamak.

Uncertainties in Estimates of Fleet Average Fuel Economy : A Statistical Evaluation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-01-01

Research was performed to assess the current Federal procedure for estimating the average fuel economy of each automobile manufacturer's new car fleet. Test vehicle selection and fuel economy estimation methods were characterized statistically and so...

Determination of service stresses in pretensioned beams, final report, December 2009.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-12-01

This report presents research on the evaluation of service flexural stresses and cracking moment in prestressed concrete members and on the minimum reinforcement requirements that are currently controlled by the flexural cracking moment. In prestress...

Laboratory evaluation of asphalt binder rutting, fracture, and adhesion tests.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

The current performance grading (PG) specification for asphalt binders was developed based on the Strategic Highway : Research Program (SHRP) and is based primarily on the study of unmodified asphalt binders. Over the years, experience has : proven t...

TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROFILING USING THE FLOWTHROUGH GENOSENSOR FINAL CRADA REPORT C/ORNL97-00472

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Doktycz, M. J.; Yang, H.

1999-06-01

A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation (Contractor) and Gene Logic, Inc., (Participant) was carried out to evaluate the technical feasibility study of the application of the flowthrough genosensor for gene expression (transcriptional) profiling, over the current industry practice of using flat surface hybridization arrays to monitor the relative abundance of individual mRNA species in a cell. Various parameters, including substrate preparation, flow rates, hybridization conditions and sample concentrations, were evaluated on the flowthrough genosensor. The superiority of the flowthrough genosensor, in terms of hybridization rate and sensitivity were established.

Conflicting messages concerning current strategies against research misconduct in Japan: a call for ethical spontaneity.

PubMed

Asai, Atsushi; Okita, Taketoshi; Enzo, Aya

2016-08-01

The Japanese government has asserted that the purpose of scientific activities is to search for the truth about the world and contribute to public interest of the humanities and claimed that research misconduct should occur under no circumstances ever. The revealing of each new case of research misconduct leads to the establishment of investigation committees and research guidelines, as well as punishments for the transgressors. However, we wonder if Japanese researchers are receiving different messages that might undermine the purpose of the former messages. First, Japan's policies on science and technology have been created to comprise an integration of merit-based evaluations, principles of competition and a concentrated and unbalanced distribution of research funding, leading to decreases in ordinary research funding for the researchers and an increase in fierce research competition. Second, Japanese government and society as a whole continue to send the researchers messages such as 'Only results matter', 'Be No. 1 as a top priority' and 'All we need now is scientific progress'. Third, cultural peculiarities may explain some of the actions relevant to research misconducts currently noted in Japan. We argue that it is essential to re-examine and improve the governmental policies and evaluation methods for research achievements need to be more multifaceted. In order to have the researchers act according to ethics, it is essential for them to reaffirm their objectives for working in the fields of science and medicine and the importance of balancing their personal profit with the greater cause for entering into this field. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Evaluation of Energy Efficiency Performance of Heated Windows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jammulamadaka, Hari Swarup

The study about the evaluation of the performance of the heated windows was funded by the WVU Research Office as a technical assistance award at the 2014 TransTech Energy Business Development Conference to the Green Heated Glass company/project owned by Frank Dlubak. The award supports a WVU researcher to conduct a project important for commercialization. This project was awarded to the WVU Industrial Assessment Center in 2015. The current study attempted to evaluate the performance of the heated windows by developing an experimental setup to test the window at various temperatures by varying the current input to the window. The heated double pane window was installed in an insulated box. A temperature gradient was developed across the window by cooling one side of the window using gel based ice packs. The other face of the window was heated by passing current at different wattages through the window. The temperature of the inside and outside panes, current and voltage input, room and box temperature were recorded, and used to calculate the apparent R-value of the window when not being heated vs when being heated. It has been concluded from the study that the heated double pane window is more effective in reducing heat losses by as much as 50% than a non-heated double pane window, if the window temperature is maintained close to the room temperature. If the temperature of the window is much higher than the room temperature, the losses through the window appear to increase beyond that of a non-heated counterpart. The issues encountered during the current round of experiments are noted, and recommendations provided for future studies.

Academic research groups: evaluation of their quality and quality of their evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berche, Bertrand; Holovatch, Yuri; Kenna, Ralph; Mryglod, Olesya

2016-02-01

In recent years, evaluation of the quality of academic research has become an increasingly important and influential business. It determines, often to a large extent, the amount of research funding flowing into universities and similar institutes from governmental agencies and it impacts upon academic careers. Policy makers are becoming increasingly reliant upon, and influenced by, the outcomes of such evaluations. In response, university managers are increasingly attracted to simple metrics as guides to the dynamics of the positions of their various institutions in league tables. However, these league tables are invariably drawn up by inexpert bodies such as newspapers and magazines, using arbitrary measures and criteria. Terms such as “critical mass” and “h-index” are bandied about without understanding of what they actually mean. Rather than accepting the rise and fall of universities, departments and individuals on a turbulent sea of arbitrary measures, we suggest it is incumbent upon the scientific community itself to clarify their nature. Here we report on recent attempts to do that by properly defining critical mass and showing how group size influences research quality. We also examine currently predominant metrics and show that these fail as reliable indicators of group research quality.

Current Epidemiology of Genitourinary Trauma

PubMed Central

McGeady, James B.; Breyer, Benjamin N.

2013-01-01

Synopsis This article reviews recent publications evaluating the current epidemiology of urologic trauma. It begins by providing a brief explanation of databases that have been recently used to study this patient population, then proceeds to discuss each genitourinary organ individually, discussing the most relevant and up to date information published for each one. The conclusion of the article briefly discusses possible future research and development areas pertaining to the topic. PMID:23905930

A Review of Alcohol and Other Drug Control Policy Research

PubMed Central

Treno, Andrew J.; Marzell, Miesha; Gruenewald, Paul J.; Holder, Harold

2014-01-01

Objective: This article provides a historical review of alcohol and other drug policy research and its impact on public health over the past 75 years. We begin our summary with the state of the field circa 1940 and trace the development across the subsequent decades. We summarize current thinking and suggest possible future directions the field of alcohol and other drug policy may take. Specific topics discussed include the minimum legal drinking age, pricing and taxation, hours and days of sale, outlet density, and privatization effects. The future of drug policy research is also considered. Method: A comprehensive search of the literature identified empirical studies, reviews, and commentaries of alcohol and other drug policy research published from 1940 to 2013 that contributed to the current state of the field. Results: Our review demonstrates the historical emergence of alcohol problems as a public health issue over the early part of the 20th century, the public health policy response to this issue, subsequent research, and current and future research trends. Conclusions: Alcohol and other drug policy research over the last several decades has made great strides in its empirical and theoretical sophistication of evaluating alcohol policy effects. This history is not only remarkable for its analytic complexity, but also for its conceptual sophistication. PMID:24565316

Researcher and Author Impact Metrics: Variety, Value, and Context.

PubMed

Gasparyan, Armen Yuri; Yessirkepov, Marlen; Duisenova, Akmaral; Trukhachev, Vladimir I; Kostyukova, Elena I; Kitas, George D

2018-04-30

Numerous quantitative indicators are currently available for evaluating research productivity. No single metric is suitable for comprehensive evaluation of the author-level impact. The choice of particular metrics depends on the purpose and context of the evaluation. The aim of this article is to overview some of the widely employed author impact metrics and highlight perspectives of their optimal use. The h -index is one of the most popular metrics for research evaluation, which is easy to calculate and understandable for non-experts. It is automatically displayed on researcher and author profiles on citation databases such as Scopus and Web of Science. Its main advantage relates to the combined approach to the quantification of publication and citation counts. This index is increasingly cited globally. Being an appropriate indicator of publication and citation activity of highly productive and successfully promoted authors, the h -index has been criticized primarily for disadvantaging early career researchers and authors with a few indexed publications. Numerous variants of the index have been proposed to overcome its limitations. Alternative metrics have also emerged to highlight 'societal impact.' However, each of these traditional and alternative metrics has its own drawbacks, necessitating careful analyses of the context of social attention and value of publication and citation sets. Perspectives of the optimal use of researcher and author metrics is dependent on evaluation purposes and compounded by information sourced from various global, national, and specialist bibliographic databases.

Evaluating mediation and moderation effects in school psychology: A presentation of methods and review of current practice

PubMed Central

Fairchild, Amanda J.; McQuillin, Samuel D.

2017-01-01

Third variable effects elucidate the relation between two other variables, and can describe why they are related or under what conditions they are related. This article demonstrates methods to analyze two third-variable effects: moderation and mediation. The utility of examining moderation and mediation effects in school psychology is described and current use of the analyses in applied school psychology research is reviewed and evaluated. Proper statistical methods to test the effects are presented, and different effect size measures for the models are provided. Extensions of the basic moderator and mediator models are also described. PMID:20006988

Evaluating mediation and moderation effects in school psychology: a presentation of methods and review of current practice.

PubMed

Fairchild, Amanda J; McQuillin, Samuel D

2010-02-01

Third variable effects elucidate the relation between two other variables, and can describe why they are related or under what conditions they are related. This article demonstrates methods to analyze two third-variable effects: moderation and mediation. The utility of examining moderation and mediation effects in school psychology is described and current use of the analyses in applied school psychology research is reviewed and evaluated. Proper statistical methods to test the effects are presented, and different effect size measures for the models are provided. Extensions of the basic moderator and mediator models are also described.

Evaluation of technology to identify and assess overweight children and adolescents.

PubMed

Gance-Cleveland, Bonnie; Gilbert, Lynn H; Kopanos, Taynin; Gilbert, Kevin C

2010-01-01

The current obesity epidemic has produced a generation of children that may be the first to have a life expectancy shorter than their parents. To address the obesity epidemic, experts have published recommendations for providers. Research suggests the publication of guidelines may not change provider behavior. This study evaluates computer assistance for implementing obesity guidelines in school-based health centers. Significant improvements in identification and assessment of obesity in children with technology support were noted. Computer decision support shows promise for promoting the implementation of current recommendations by supporting providers in identifying, assessing, and providing tailored recommendations for children at risk of obesity.

[Legal medical evaluation of the sequels derived from moderate-serious cranioencephalic traumas].

PubMed

Vilardell Molas, J; Pérez-Bouton, M P; Martí Agustí, G

2007-12-01

Currently, the increasing number of subjects who survive a moderate to severe cranioencephalic traumatism (CET) has led to a greater number of sequels. This has made it necessary to study these sequels more specifically. Thus, we have wanted to manifest which are the most common sequels in the cases of patients who have suffered moderate to severe CET through our professional experience and current research done on this. Furthermore, we indicate the need to become aware of these deficits since these (specifically neuropsychological) are often too specific if we compare them with the generality of the standard used for their evaluation.

Development and applications of nondestructive evaluation at Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitaker, Ann F.

1990-01-01

A brief description of facility design and equipment, facility usage, and typical investigations are presented for the following: Surface Inspection Facility; Advanced Computer Tomography Inspection Station (ACTIS); NDE Data Evaluation Facility; Thermographic Test Development Facility; Radiographic Test Facility; Realtime Radiographic Test Facility; Eddy Current Research Facility; Acoustic Emission Monitoring System; Advanced Ultrasonic Test Station (AUTS); Ultrasonic Test Facility; and Computer Controlled Scanning (CONSCAN) System.

ISSN Exercise & Sport Nutrition Review: Research & Recommendations

PubMed Central

Kreider, Richard B; Almada, Anthony L; Antonio, Jose; Broeder, Craig; Earnest, Conrad; Greenwood, Mike; Incledon, Thomas; Kalman, Douglas S; Kleiner, Susan M; Leutholtz, Brian; Lowery, Lonnie M; Mendel, Ron; Stout, Jeffrey R; Willoughby, Darryn S; Ziegenfuss, Tim N

2004-01-01

Sport nutrition is a constantly evolving field with literally thousands of research papers published annually. For this reason, keeping up to date with the literature is often difficult. This paper presents a well-referenced overview of the current state of the science related to how to optimize training through nutrition. More specifically, this article discusses: 1.) how to evaluate the scientific merit of nutritional supplements; 2.) general nutritional strategies to optimize performance and enhance recovery; and, 3.) our current understanding of the available science behind weight gain, weight loss, and performance enhancement supplements. Our hope is that ISSN members find this review useful in their daily practice and consultation with their clients.

An Elusive Policy Imperative: Data and Methodological Challenges When Using Growth in Student Achievement to Evaluate Teacher Education Programs' "Value-Added"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amrein-Beardsley, Audrey; Lawton, Kerry; Ronan, Katherine

2017-01-01

In this study researchers examined the effectiveness of one of the largest teacher education programs located within the largest research-intensive universities within the US. They did this using a value-added model as per current federal educational policy imperatives to assess the measurable effects of teacher education programs on their teacher…

Decentralisation, Decision Space and Directions for Future Research Comment on "Decentralisation of Health Services in Fiji: A Decision Space Analysis".

PubMed

Zahmatkesh, Maryam; Exworthy, Mark

2016-06-18

Decentralisation continues to re-appear in health system reform across the world. Evaluation of these reforms reveals how research on decentralisation continues to evolve. In this paper, we examine the theoretical foundations and empirical references which underpin current approaches to studying decentralisation in health systems. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

A PERSPECTIVE ON MILITARY MEDICAL SERVICE ROLE IN STABILIZATION OPERATIONS: EXPANSION OF AIR FORCE MEDICAL SERVICE CAPABILITIES INMEDICAL DIPLOMACY

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-04-06

commander in bringing stability to the region. This research paper will also evaluate the current capability of the AFMS International Health...education, exercises, materiel, leader, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF) analysis. This research paper is organized to describe the 1) concept...foreign security partners, and selected international organizations by supporting: 1) combined policies, plans, and procedures, including

Evaluation of Experiential Outdoor Research Locations in Asia for a K-12 school in Hong Kong

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibarra, D. L.; Joyce, S.

2016-12-01

A team of faculty and administrators from The Independent Schools Foundation Academy spend the 2015 - 2016 academic year identifying possible locations in Asia for a year-round outdoor education center. ISF Academy currently has over 1500 students its K-12 bilingual school in Hong Kong, China. The outdoor education center is an extension of the built campus in Pokfulam and will provide students opportunities to live in a natural setting, participate in outdoor educational activities and study in an environment significantly different than a classroom. Currently ISF Academy students in grades 4 - 12 are off campus twice during the academic year in an experiential learning environment. These current programs include camping, hiking, kayaking, other adventurous activities and service learning opportunities. The purpose of the dedicated site is to have a "home base" for ISF Academy and the experiential learning programs. This past year we looked specifically at programs and locations that could also be used by students for ecology and earth systems based research in the senior school (grades 9 - 12). We have looked at sites in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan. The ideal site will have marine, terrestrial and mangrove ecosystems and allow students to set up long-term research sites in any of these ecosystems. Creating opportunities for authentic research that allows students spend an extended time in a research setting will help them to gain both skills and independence needed in the future at the tertiary level. The evaluation of these sites included identifying potential research partners, site preparation, logistics in and out of the locations, and the heath/safety management of students living and working in a remote location. In parallel to the site evaluations, the curriculum is being developed for the students that is age and skill appropriate using the frame work of the existing guided discovery curriculum in the primary school, and the MYP and DP curriculum of the IBO for the secondary school. Delivering a curriculum of this complexity will require participation and input from faculty across all disciplines.

Longitudinal construct validity: establishment of clinical meaning in patient evaluative instruments.

PubMed

Liang, M H

2000-09-01

Although widely used and reported in research for the evaluation of groups, measures of health status and health-related quality of life have had little application in clinical practice for the assessment of individual patients. One of the principal barriers is the demonstration that these measures add clinically significant information to measures of function or symptoms alone. Here, we review the methods for evaluation of construct validity in longitudinal studies and make recommendations for nomenclature, reporting of study results, and future research agenda. Analytical review. The terms "sensitivity" and "responsiveness" have been used interchangeably, and there are few studies that evaluate the extent to which health status or health-related quality-of life measures capture clinically important changes ("responsiveness"). Current methods of evaluating responsiveness are not standardized or evaluated. Approaches for the assessment of a clinically significant or meaningful change are described; rather than normative information, however, standardized transition questions are proposed. They would be reported routinely and as separate axes of description to capture individual perceptions. Research in methods to assess the subject's evaluation of the importance and magnitude of a measured change are critical if health status and health-related quality-of-life measures are to have an impact on patient care.

Intrinsic ethics regarding integrated assessment models for climate management.

PubMed

Schienke, Erich W; Baum, Seth D; Tuana, Nancy; Davis, Kenneth J; Keller, Klaus

2011-09-01

In this essay we develop and argue for the adoption of a more comprehensive model of research ethics than is included within current conceptions of responsible conduct of research (RCR). We argue that our model, which we label the ethical dimensions of scientific research (EDSR), is a more comprehensive approach to encouraging ethically responsible scientific research compared to the currently typically adopted approach in RCR training. This essay focuses on developing a pedagogical approach that enables scientists to better understand and appreciate one important component of this model, what we call intrinsic ethics. Intrinsic ethical issues arise when values and ethical assumptions are embedded within scientific findings and analytical methods. Through a close examination of a case study and its application in teaching, namely, evaluation of climate change integrated assessment models, this paper develops a method and case for including intrinsic ethics within research ethics training to provide scientists with a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the critical role of values and ethical choices in the production of research outcomes.

Applied Information Systems Research Program (AISRP). Workshop 2: Meeting Proceedings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The Earth and space science participants were able to see where the current research can be applied in their disciplines and computer science participants could see potential areas for future application of computer and information systems research. The Earth and Space Science research proposals for the High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) program were under evaluation. Therefore, this effort was not discussed at the AISRP Workshop. OSSA's other high priority area in computer science is scientific visualization, with the entire second day of the workshop devoted to it.

On the automatic activation of attitudes: a quarter century of evaluative priming research.

PubMed

Herring, David R; White, Katherine R; Jabeen, Linsa N; Hinojos, Michelle; Terrazas, Gabriela; Reyes, Stephanie M; Taylor, Jennifer H; Crites, Stephen L

2013-09-01

Evaluation is a fundamental concept in psychological science. Limitations of self-report measures of evaluation led to an explosion of research on implicit measures of evaluation. One of the oldest and most frequently used implicit measurement paradigms is the evaluative priming paradigm developed by Fazio, Sanbonmatsu, Powell, and Kardes (1986). This paradigm has received extensive attention in psychology and is used to investigate numerous phenomena ranging from prejudice to depression. The current review provides a meta-analysis of a quarter century of evaluative priming research: 73 studies yielding 125 independent effect sizes from 5,367 participants. Because judgments people make in evaluative priming paradigms can be used to tease apart underlying processes, this meta-analysis examined the impact of different judgments to test the classic encoding and response perspectives of evaluative priming. As expected, evidence for automatic evaluation was found, but the results did not exclusively support either of the classic perspectives. Results suggest that both encoding and response processes likely contribute to evaluative priming but are more nuanced than initially conceptualized by the classic perspectives. Additionally, there were a number of unexpected findings that influenced evaluative priming such as segmenting trials into discrete blocks. We argue that many of the findings of this meta-analysis can be explained with 2 recent evaluative priming perspectives: the attentional sensitization/feature-specific attention allocation and evaluation window perspectives. (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Performance evaluation of chip seals in Idaho.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-08-01

The intent of this research project is to identify a wide variety of parameters that influence the performance of pavements treated via chip seals within the State of Idaho. Chip sealing is currently one of the most popular methods of maintenance for...

Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of illumination as a safety treatment at rural intersections.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-09-01

This research study seeks to improve current understanding of the relationship between rural intersection safety and different illumination levels. It uses three parallel studies: a survey of rural intersection illumination practices among US state d...

Microbial Community Analysis in Water Storage Tank Sediment Exposed to Monochloramine - Portland

EPA Science Inventory

Sediment accumulation in water storage facilities causes water quality degradation, including enhanced biological growth and more rapid disinfectant decay. The current research evaluated the microbial community composition after a drinking water storage facility’s sediment was e...

Polyurethane foam infill for fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bridge deck panels.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

The objective of the proposed research is to develop, test, and evaluate fiber-reinforced, polyurethane foams to replace the costly : honeycomb construction currently used to manufacture FRP bridge deck panels. The effort will focus on developing an ...

Latinos' Perceptions of Interethnic Couples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia, Amber L.; Riggio, Heidi R.; Palavinelu, Subha; Culpepper, Lane Locher

2012-01-01

Numerous survey findings indicate that the majority of White Americans are accepting of interracial romantic relationships. However, relatively few studies have looked at how different American ethnic minority groups view such relationships. The current research examined Latinos' evaluations of intraethnic and interethnic couples. Latino…

Risks to Wildlife Populations from Chemicals and Other Stressors

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation will review the history of risk assessment approaches for evaluating risks to wildlife populations and current research to improve methods for understanding population-level effects. The emphasis will be on issues related to pesticides, but other examples will ...

Infrastructure-friendly vehicles to support Texas economic competitiveness.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-03-01

The researchers reviewed and extended the work done under Project 0-6736, Rider 36 OS/OW Vehicle Fees : Study, and other similar efforts currently underway in Texas and other states and at the federal and international : level to evaluate the effects...

Glass fiber reinforced polymer bars as top mat reinforcement for bridge decks.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-01-01

The objectives of this research were to characterize the material and bond properties of three commercially available GFRP (glass fiber reinforced polymer) reinforcing bars, and evaluate the effects of the material properties and the current ACI desi...

Expanding Metropolitan Highways : Implications for Air Quality and Energy Use

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-01-01

The purpose of this study, which was initiated by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Executive Committee, was to review the current state of knowledge, evaluate the scientific evidence, and narrow the areas of disagreement about the impacts of h...

Evaluation of cost effective protective coatings for ODOT snow & ice equipment.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-04-01

Current estimates suggest that the United States loses over $220 billion dollars due to corrosion each year. The research results from this project further ODOTs effort to implement a corrosion prevention strategy that will increase public safety ...

Microbial Community Analysis in Water Storage Tank Sediment Exposed to Monochloramine

EPA Science Inventory

Sediment accumulation in water storage facilities causes water quality degradation, including enhanced biological growth and more rapid disinfectant decay. The current research evaluated the microbial community composition after a drinking water storage facility’s sediment was e...

Learning about an Undiagosed Condition in an Adult

MedlinePlus

... of the public with current information on clinical research studies. For example, the study entitled "Studies of Children with Metabolic and Other Genetic Diseases" evaluates individuals of all ages (despite its title) with known or suspected genetic diseases. You can ...

Notification: Evaluation of Siting Renewable Energy on Potentially Contaminated Land and Mine Sites

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Project #OPE-FY14-0043, June 27, 2014. The EPA OIG plans to begin preliminary research on the EPA's work related to the siting of renewable energy on currently and formerly contaminated properties across the nation.

Performance evaluation of buried pipe installation : LTRC research project capsule 08-6GT.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-03-01

The Louisiana Department of : Transportation and Development : (LADOTD) is in the process of revising : the current specifications to obtain a : more cost efficient design and : installation of buried pipes for highway : infrastructure. It aims to de...

Summary of Cefic-LRI sponsored workshop: Recent scientific developments in bioaccumulation research

EPA Science Inventory

Current bioaccumulation regulations in most jurisdictions include only the bioconcentration factor (BCF) and the octanol-water partition coefficient (KOW) for screening assessments. Methods for evaluating bioaccumulation continue to evolve and various other metrics have been prop...

Current Awareness in Health Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Disease Control (DHEW/PHS), Atlanta, GA.

Included in this annotated bibliography on health education are journal articles, monographs, and government reports. Topics covered are patient education, community health education, school health education, sex education, lifestyle, general health education, research and evaluation, smoking, self-care, and other miscellaneous areas. It contains…

A Report on the 2007 Outfield Variety Test

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Outfield variety trials, the final testing stage in the Louisiana Variety Development Program, are evaluated cooperatively by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, and American Sugar Cane League. Advanced experimental varieties as well as current co...

ALTERNATE METHODS OF MANURE HANDLING

EPA Science Inventory

The objectives of this research project were to (a) construct an inexpensive storage facility for solid dairy cow manure, (b) evaluate its performance and the extent of pollutants in runoff from storage facilities, and (c) determine current manure handling practices in Vermont an...

A systematic review of studies evaluating diffusion and dissemination of selected cancer control interventions.

PubMed

Ellis, Peter; Robinson, Paula; Ciliska, Donna; Armour, Tanya; Brouwers, Melissa; O'Brien, Mary Ann; Sussman, Jonathan; Raina, Parminder

2005-09-01

With this review, the authors sought to determine what strategies have been evaluated (including the outcomes assessed) to disseminate cancer control interventions that promote the uptake of behavior change. Five topic areas along the cancer care continuum (smoking cessation, healthy diet, mammography, cervical cancer screening, and control of cancer pain) were selected to be representative. A systematic review was conducted of primary studies evaluating dissemination of a cancer control intervention. Thirty-one studies were identified that evaluated dissemination strategies in the 5 topic areas. No strong evidence currently exists to recommend any one dissemination strategy as effective in promoting the uptake of cancer control interventions. The authors conclude that there is a strong need for more research into dissemination of cancer control interventions. Future research should consider methodological issues such as the most appropriate study design and outcomes to be evaluated. (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved

Integrating Human Factors Engineering and Information Processing Approaches to Facilitate Evaluations in Criminal Justice Technology Research.

PubMed

Salvemini, Anthony V; Piza, Eric L; Carter, Jeremy G; Grommon, Eric L; Merritt, Nancy

2015-06-01

Evaluations are routinely conducted by government agencies and research organizations to assess the effectiveness of technology in criminal justice. Interdisciplinary research methods are salient to this effort. Technology evaluations are faced with a number of challenges including (1) the need to facilitate effective communication between social science researchers, technology specialists, and practitioners, (2) the need to better understand procedural and contextual aspects of a given technology, and (3) the need to generate findings that can be readily used for decision making and policy recommendations. Process and outcome evaluations of technology can be enhanced by integrating concepts from human factors engineering and information processing. This systemic approach, which focuses on the interaction between humans, technology, and information, enables researchers to better assess how a given technology is used in practice. Examples are drawn from complex technologies currently deployed within the criminal justice system where traditional evaluations have primarily focused on outcome metrics. Although this evidence-based approach has significant value, it is vulnerable to fully account for human and structural complexities that compose technology operations. Guiding principles for technology evaluations are described for identifying and defining key study metrics, facilitating communication within an interdisciplinary research team, and for understanding the interaction between users, technology, and information. The approach posited here can also enable researchers to better assess factors that may facilitate or degrade the operational impact of the technology and answer fundamental questions concerning whether the technology works as intended, at what level, and cost. © The Author(s) 2015.

A Systematic Review on the Designs of Clinical Technology: Findings and Recommendations for Future Research

PubMed Central

PhD, Greg Alexander; Staggers, Nancy

2010-01-01

Human factors (HF) studies are increasingly important as technology infuses into clinical settings. No nursing research reviews exist in this area. The authors conducted a systematic review on designs of clinical technology, 34 articles with 50 studies met inclusion criteria. Findings were classified into three categories based on HF research goals. The majority of studies evaluated effectiveness of clinical design; efficiency was fewest. Current research ranges across many interface types examined with no apparent pattern or obvious rationale. Future research should expand types, settings, participants; integrate displays; and expand outcome variables. PMID:19707093

Telepresence master glove controller for dexterous robotic end-effectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, Scott S.

1987-01-01

This paper describes recent research in the Aerospace Human Factors Research Division at NASA's Ames Research Center to develop a glove-like, control and data-recording device (DataGlove) that records and transmits to a host computer in real time, and at appropriate resolution, a numeric data-record of a user's hand/finger shape and dynamics. System configuration and performance specifications are detailed, and current research is discussed investigating its applications in operator control of dexterous robotic end-effectors and for use as a human factors research tool in evaluation of operator hand function requirements and performance in other specialized task environments.

Performance evaluation of candidate space suit elements for the next generation orbital EMU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, Philip R.; Trausch, Stephanie V.

1992-01-01

The AX-5 all metallic, multibearing technologies developed at the Ames Research Center and the Mk III fabric and metallic technologies developed at the Johnson Space Center were evaluated using the current Space Shuttle space suit technologies as a baseline. Manned evaluations were performed in the Weightless Environment Training Facility and KC-135 zero-gravity aircraft. Joint torque, range, cycle life, and environmental protection characteristics were analyzed during unmanned tests. Both numerical results and test subject comments on performance are presented.

Capacity building from the inside out: development and evaluation of a CITI ethics certification training module for American Indian and Alaska Native community researchers.

PubMed

Pearson, Cynthia R; Parker, Myra; Fisher, Celia B; Moreno, Claudia

2014-02-01

Current human subject research training modules fail to capture ethically relevant cultural aspects of research involving American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) community members. Applying a Community Engaged Research (CEnR) approach, we adapted the Collaborative IRB Training Initiative training module "assessing risk and benefits." In a two-arm randomized controlled trial, followed by debriefing interviews, we evaluated module acceptability and understandability (test scores) among 40 reservation-based community members. Participants who took the adapted module, compared to those who took the standard module, reported higher scores on relevance of the material overall satisfaction, module quiz scores, and a trend toward higher self-efficacy. Implications of the efficacy of this approach for enhancing ethics training and community participation in research within AI/AN and other cultural populations within and outside the United States are discussed.

A 5-year scientometric analysis of research centers affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

PubMed

Yazdani, Kamran; Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin; Nedjat, Saharnaz; Ghalichi, Leila; Khalili, Malahat

2015-01-01

Since Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) has the oldest and highest number of research centers among all Iranian medical universities, this study was conducted to evaluate scientific output of research centers affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) using scientometric indices and the affecting factors. Moreover, a number of scientometric indicators were introduced. This cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate a 5-year scientific performance of research centers of TUMS. Data were collected through questionnaires, annual evaluation reports of the Ministry of Health, and also from Scopus database. We used appropriate measures of central tendency and variation for descriptive analyses. Moreover, uni-and multi-variable linear regression were used to evaluate the effect of independent factors on the scientific output of the centers. The medians of the numbers of papers and books during a 5-year period were 150.5 and 2.5 respectively. The median of the "articles per researcher" was 19.1. Based on multiple linear regression, younger age centers (p=0.001), having a separate budget line (p=0.016), and number of research personnel (p<0.001) had a direct significant correlation with the number of articles while real properties had a reverse significant correlation with it (p=0.004). The results can help policy makers and research managers to allocate sufficient resources to improve current situation of the centers. Newly adopted and effective scientometric indices are is suggested to be used to evaluate scientific outputs and functions of these centers.

Identifying research priorities for effective retention strategies in clinical trials.

PubMed

Kearney, Anna; Daykin, Anne; Shaw, Alison R G; Lane, Athene J; Blazeby, Jane M; Clarke, Mike; Williamson, Paula; Gamble, Carrol

2017-08-31

The failure to retain patients or collect primary-outcome data is a common challenge for trials and reduces the statistical power and potentially introduces bias into the analysis. Identifying strategies to minimise missing data was the second highest methodological research priority in a Delphi survey of the Directors of UK Clinical Trial Units (CTUs) and is important to minimise waste in research. Our aim was to assess the current retention practices within the UK and priorities for future research to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to reduce attrition. Seventy-five chief investigators of NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA)-funded trials starting between 2009 and 2012 were surveyed to elicit their awareness about causes of missing data within their trial and recommended practices for improving retention. Forty-seven CTUs registered within the UKCRC network were surveyed separately to identify approaches and strategies being used to mitigate missing data across trials. Responses from the current practice surveys were used to inform a subsequent two-round Delphi survey with registered CTUs. A consensus list of retention research strategies was produced and ranked by priority. Fifty out of seventy-five (67%) chief investigators and 33/47 (70%) registered CTUs completed the current practice surveys. Seventy-eight percent of trialists were aware of retention challenges and implemented strategies at trial design. Patient-initiated withdrawal was the most common cause of missing data. Registered CTUs routinely used newsletters, timeline of participant visits, and telephone reminders to mitigate missing data. Whilst 36 out of 59 strategies presented had been formally or informally evaluated, some frequently used strategies, such as site initiation training, have had no research to inform practice. Thirty-five registered CTUs (74%) participated in the Delphi survey. Research into the effectiveness of site initiation training, frequency of patient contact during a trial, the use of routinely collected data, the frequency and timing of reminders, triggered site training and the time needed to complete questionnaires was deemed critical. Research into the effectiveness of Christmas cards for site staff was not of critical importance. The surveys of current practices demonstrates that a variety of strategies are being used to mitigate missing data but with little evidence to support their use. Six retention strategies were deemed critically important within the Delphi survey and should be a primary focus of future retention research.

Scientometric trends and knowledge maps of global health systems research.

PubMed

Yao, Qiang; Chen, Kai; Yao, Lan; Lyu, Peng-hui; Yang, Tian-an; Luo, Fei; Chen, Shan-quan; He, Lu-yang; Liu, Zhi-yong

2014-06-05

In the last few decades, health systems research (HSR) has garnered much attention with a rapid increase in the related literature. This study aims to review and evaluate the global progress in HSR and assess the current quantitative trends. Based on data from the Web of Science database, scientometric methods and knowledge visualization techniques were applied to evaluate global scientific production and develop trends of HSR from 1900 to 2012. HSR has increased rapidly over the past 20 years. Currently, there are 28,787 research articles published in 3,674 journals that are listed in 140 Web of Science subject categories. The research in this field has mainly focused on public, environmental and occupational health (6,178, 21.46%), health care sciences and services (5,840, 20.29%), and general and internal medicine (3,783, 13.14%). The top 10 journals had published 2,969 (10.31%) articles and received 5,229 local citations and 40,271 global citations. The top 20 authors together contributed 628 papers, which accounted for a 2.18% share in the cumulative worldwide publications. The most productive author was McKee, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, with 48 articles. In addition, USA and American institutions ranked the first in health system research productivity, with high citation times, followed by the UK and Canada. HSR is an interdisciplinary area. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries showed they are the leading nations in HSR. Meanwhile, American and Canadian institutions and the World Health Organization play a dominant role in the production, collaboration, and citation of high quality articles. Moreover, health policy and analysis research, health systems and sub-systems research, healthcare and services research, health, epidemiology and economics of communicable and non-communicable diseases, primary care research, health economics and health costs, and pharmacy of hospital have been identified as the mainstream topics in HSR fields. These findings will provide evidence of the current status and trends in HSR all over the world, as well as clues to the impact of this popular topic; thus, helping scientific researchers and policy makers understand the panorama of HSR and predict the dynamic directions of research.

An Overview of Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Matthew S.

2017-01-01

This presentation will include my personal research experience and an overview of atmospheric chemistry and air quality modeling to the participants of the NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP 2017). The presentation will also provide examples on ways to apply airborne observations for chemical transport (CTM) and air quality (AQ) model evaluation. CTM and AQ models are important tools in understanding tropospheric-stratospheric composition, atmospheric chemistry processes, meteorology, and air quality. This presentation will focus on how NASA scientist currently apply CTM and AQ models to better understand these topics. Finally, the importance of airborne observation in evaluating these topics and how in situ and remote sensing observations can be used to evaluate and improve CTM and AQ model predictions will be highlighted.

[Current situation and problems in school study of acupuncture and moxibustion].

PubMed

Li, Chen; Liu, Weihong

2015-05-01

By taking the evaluations made by scholars such as Wang Yongyan, et al. on status of TCM academic research as the introduction, various influencing factors in acupuncture school development are separately discussed, and the overall trend and existential state are described in modern acupuncture academic area. By displaying the opinions of acupuncture schools in recent years, the relationship among specific therapy, school and schools is analyzed to explain the similarities and differences of school and schools as well as their respective characteristics. It is proposed that the obstacles that lay before acupuncture school researchers are not the rights and wrongs of school and schools, but the evaluation criterion and development patterns that is appropriate for acupuncture research and development.

Test Method Designed to Evaluate Cylinder Liner-Piston Ring Coatings for Advanced Heat Engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Radil, Kevin C.

1997-01-01

Research on advanced heat engine concepts, such as the low-heat-rejection engine, have shown the potential for increased thermal efficiency, reduced emissions, lighter weight, simpler design, and longer life in comparison to current diesel engine designs. A major obstacle in the development of a functional advanced heat engine is overcoming the problems caused by the high combustion temperatures at the piston ring/cylinder liner interface, specifically at top ring reversal (TRR). Therefore, advanced cylinder liner and piston ring materials are needed that can survive under these extreme conditions. To address this need, researchers at the NASA Lewis Research Center have designed a tribological test method to help evaluate candidate piston ring and cylinder liner materials for advanced diesel engines.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration fundamental research program. Information utilization and evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estes, J. E.; Eisgruber, L.

1981-01-01

In the second half of the 1980's NASA can expect to face difficult choices among alternative fundamental and applied research, and development projects that could potentially lead to improvements in the information systems used to manage renewable resources. The working group on information utilization and evaluation believes that effective choices cannot be made without a better understanding of the current and prospective problems and opportunities involved in the application of remote sensing to improve renewable research information systems. A renewable resources information system is defined in a broad context to include a flow of data/information from: acquisition through processing, storage, integration with other data, analysis, graphic presentation, decision making, and assessment of the affects of those decisions.

Honorary authorship epidemic in scholarly publications? How the current use of citation-based evaluative metrics make (pseudo)honorary authors from honest contributors of every multi-author article.

PubMed

Kovacs, Jozsef

2013-08-01

The current use of citation-based metrics to evaluate the research output of individual researchers is highly discriminatory because they are uniformly applied to authors of single-author articles as well as contributors of multi-author papers. In the latter case, these quantitative measures are counted, as if each contributor were the single author of the full article. In this way, each and every contributor is assigned the full impact-factor score and all the citations that the article has received. This has a multiplication effect on each contributor's citation-based evaluative metrics of multi-author articles, because the more contributors an article has, the more undeserved credit is assigned to each of them. In this paper, I argue that this unfair system could be made fairer by requesting the contributors of multi-author articles to describe the nature of their contribution, and to assign a numerical value to their degree of relative contribution. In this way, we could create a contribution-specific index of each contributor for each citation metric. This would be a strong disincentive against honorary authorship and publication cartels, because it would transform the current win-win strategy of accepting honorary authors in the byline into a zero-sum game for each contributor.

RIAD visual imaging branch assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beam, Sherilee F.

1993-01-01

Every year the demand to visualize research efforts increases. The visualization provides the means to effectively analyze data and present the results. The technology support for visualization is constantly changing, improving, and being made available to users everywhere. As such, many researchers are entering into the practice of doing their own visualization in house - sometimes successfully, sometimes not. In an effort to keep pace with the visualization needs of researchers, the Visual Imaging Branch of the Research, Information, and Applications Division at NASA Langley Research Center has conducted an investigation into the current status of imaging technology and imaging production throughout the various research branches at the center. This investigation will allow the branch to evaluate its current resources and personnel in an effort to identify future directions for meeting the needs of the researchers at the center. The investigation team, which consisted of the ASEE fellow, the head of the video section, and the head of the photo section, developed an interview format that could be accomplished during a short interview period with researchers, and yet still provide adequate statistics about items such as in-house equipment and usage.

Mapping human dimensions of climate change research in the Canadian Arctic.

PubMed

Ford, James D; Bolton, Kenyon; Shirley, Jamal; Pearce, Tristan; Tremblay, Martin; Westlake, Michael

2012-12-01

This study maps current understanding and research trends on the human dimensions of climate change (HDCC) in the eastern and central Canadian Arctic. Developing a systematic literature review methodology, 117 peer reviewed articles are identified and examined using quantitative and qualitative methods. The research highlights the rapid expansion of HDCC studies over the last decade. Early scholarship was dominated by work documenting Inuit observations of climate change, with research employing vulnerability concepts and terminology now common. Adaptation studies which seek to identify and evaluate opportunities to reduce vulnerability to climate change and take advantage of new opportunities remain in their infancy. Over the last 5 years there has been an increase social science-led research, with many studies employing key principles of community-based research. We currently have baseline understanding of climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability in the region, but key gaps are evident. Future research needs to target significant geographic disparities in understanding, consider risks and opportunities posed by climate change outside of the subsistence hunting sector, complement case study research with regional analyses, and focus on identifying and characterizing sustainable and feasible adaptation interventions.

Prevention of preterm birth: harnessing science to address the global epidemic.

PubMed

Rubens, Craig E; Sadovsky, Yoel; Muglia, Louis; Gravett, Michael G; Lackritz, Eve; Gravett, Courtney

2014-11-12

Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide, but current interventions to prevent prematurity are largely ineffective. Preterm birth is increasingly recognized as an outcome that can result from a variety of pathological processes. Despite current research efforts, the mechanisms underlying these processes remain poorly understood and are influenced by a range of biological and environmental factors. Research with modern techniques is needed to understand the mechanisms responsible for preterm labor and birth and identify targets for diagnostic and therapeutic solutions. This review evaluates the state of reproductive science relevant to understanding the causes of preterm birth, identifies potential targets for prevention, and outlines challenges and opportunities for translating research findings into effective interventions. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Stroop performance, dissociation, and trauma exposure in a community sample of children.

PubMed

DePrince, Anne P; Weinzierl, Kristin M; Combs, Melody D

2008-01-01

Extending previous research with adults, the current study examined Stroop task performance under selective and divided attention demands in a community sample of school-age children (N = 97). Stroop interference scores in both attention conditions were calculated. Higher levels of child-reported dissociation were associated with better interference control under divided attention conditions and worse control under selective attention conditions; lower levels of dissociation were associated with the opposite pattern. Both family violence exposure and Stroop interaction scores explained unique variance in dissociation scores. Although research with adults has generally assumed or implied that cognitive correlates of dissociation are a consequence of dissociation, the current findings with school-age children suggest that future research should evaluate executive function performance (in this case, interference control) as a possible risk factor for dissociation.

Women's erotic rape fantasies: an evaluation of theory and research.

PubMed

Critelli, Joseph W; Bivona, Jenny M

2008-01-01

This article is the first systematic review of the research literature on women's rape fantasies. Current research indicates that between 31% and 57% of women have fantasies in which they are forced into sex against their will, and for 9% to 17% of women these are a frequent or favorite fantasy experience. Erotic rape fantasies are paradoxical: they do not appear to make sense. Why would a person have an erotic and pleasurable fantasy about an event that, in real life, would be abhorrent and traumatic? In this article, the major theories of women's rape fantasies are evaluated both rationally and empirically. These theories explain rape fantasies in terms of masochism, sexual blame avoidance, openness to sexuality, sexual desirability, male rape culture, biological predisposition to surrender, sympathetic physiological activation, and adversary transformation. This article evaluates theory and research, makes provisional judgments as to which theories appear to be most viable, and begins the task of theoretical integration to arrive at a more complete and internally consistent explanation for why many women engage in erotic rape fantasies. Methodological critiques and programs for future research are presented throughout.

Spoilt for choice: A critical review on the chemical and biological assessment of current wastewater treatment technologies.

PubMed

Prasse, Carsten; Stalter, Daniel; Schulte-Oehlmann, Ulrike; Oehlmann, Jörg; Ternes, Thomas A

2015-12-15

The knowledge we have gained in recent years on the presence and effects of compounds discharged by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) brings us to a point where we must question the appropriateness of current water quality evaluation methodologies. An increasing number of anthropogenic chemicals is detected in treated wastewater and there is increasing evidence of adverse environmental effects related to WWTP discharges. It has thus become clear that new strategies are needed to assess overall quality of conventional and advanced treated wastewaters. There is an urgent need for multidisciplinary approaches combining expertise from engineering, analytical and environmental chemistry, (eco)toxicology, and microbiology. This review summarizes the current approaches used to assess treated wastewater quality from the chemical and ecotoxicological perspective. Discussed chemical approaches include target, non-target and suspect analysis, sum parameters, identification and monitoring of transformation products, computational modeling as well as effect directed analysis and toxicity identification evaluation. The discussed ecotoxicological methodologies encompass in vitro testing (cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, mutagenicity, endocrine disruption, adaptive stress response activation, toxicogenomics) and in vivo tests (single and multi species, biomonitoring). We critically discuss the benefits and limitations of the different methodologies reviewed. Additionally, we provide an overview of the current state of research regarding the chemical and ecotoxicological evaluation of conventional as well as the most widely used advanced wastewater treatment technologies, i.e., ozonation, advanced oxidation processes, chlorination, activated carbon, and membrane filtration. In particular, possible directions for future research activities in this area are provided. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Towards incorporating epigenetic mechanisms into carcinogen identification and evaluation

PubMed Central

Herceg, Zdenko

2013-01-01

Remarkable progress in the field of epigenetics has turned academic, medical and public attention to the potential applications of these new advances in medicine and various fields of biomedical research. The result is a broader appreciation of epigenetic phenomena in the a etiology of common human diseases, most notably cancer. These advances also represent an exciting opportunity to incorporate epigenetics and epigenomics into carcinogen identification and safety assessment. Current epigenetic studies, including major international sequencing projects, are expected to generate information for establishing the ‘normal’ epigenome of tissues and cell types as well as the physiological variability of the epigenome against which carcinogen exposure can be assessed. Recently, epigenetic events have emerged as key mechanisms in cancer development, and while our search of the Monograph Volume 100 revealed that epigenetics have played a modest role in evaluating human carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs so far, epigenetic data might play a pivotal role in the future. Here, we review (i) the current status of incorporation of epigenetics in carcinogen evaluation in the IARC Monographs Programme, (ii) potential modes of action for epigenetic carcinogens, (iii) current in vivo and in vitro technologies to detect epigenetic carcinogens, (iv) genomic regions and epigenetic modifications and their biological consequences and (v) critical technological and biological issues in assessment of epigenetic carcinogens. We also discuss the issues related to opportunities and challenges in the application of epigenetic testing in carcinogen identification and evaluation. Although the application of epigenetic assays in carcinogen evaluation is still in its infancy, important data are being generated and valuable scientific resources are being established that should catalyse future applications of epigenetic testing. PMID:23749751

Active tectonics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1986-01-01

This study is part of a series of Studies in Geophysics that have been undertaken for the Geophysics Research Forum by the Geophysics Study Committee. One purpose of each study is to provide assessments from the scientific community to aid policymakers in decisions on societal problems that involve geophysics. An important part of such assessments is an evaluation of the adequacy of current geophysical knowledge and the appropriateness of current research programs as a source of information required for those decisions. The study addresses our current scientific understanding of active tectonics --- particularly the patterns and rates of ongoing tectonicmore » processes. Many of these processes cannot be described reasonably using the limited instrumental or historical records; however, most can be described adequately for practical purposes using the geologic record of the past 500,000 years. A program of fundamental research focusing especially on Quaternary tectonic geology and geomorphology, paleoseismology, neotectonics, and geodesy is recommended to better understand ongoing, active tectonic processes. This volume contains 16 papers. Individual papers are indexed separately on the Energy Database.« less