Training requirements for railroad dispatchers : objectives, syllabi and test designs

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-11-01

This report presents the results of a study to develop railroad dispatcher training objectives, syllabi for three types of training programs and test designs for the three programs. Information about current railroad dispatching methods and training ...

Relative effectiveness of worker safety and health training methods.

PubMed

Burke, Michael J; Sarpy, Sue Ann; Smith-Crowe, Kristin; Chan-Serafin, Suzanne; Salvador, Rommel O; Islam, Gazi

2006-02-01

We sought to determine the relative effectiveness of different methods of worker safety and health training aimed at improving safety knowledge and performance and reducing negative outcomes (accidents, illnesses, and injuries). Ninety-five quasi-experimental studies (n=20991) were included in the analysis. Three types of intervention methods were distinguished on the basis of learners' participation in the training process: least engaging (lecture, pamphlets, videos), moderately engaging (programmed instruction, feedback interventions), and most engaging (training in behavioral modeling, hands-on training). As training methods became more engaging (i.e., requiring trainees' active participation), workers demonstrated greater knowledge acquisition, and reductions were seen in accidents, illnesses, and injuries. All methods of training produced meaningful behavioral performance improvements. Training involving behavioral modeling, a substantial amount of practice, and dialogue is generally more effective than other methods of safety and health training. The present findings challenge the current emphasis on more passive computer-based and distance training methods within the public health workforce.

Feedback in Videogame-Based Adaptive Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivera, Iris Daliz

2010-01-01

The field of training has been changing rapidly due to advances in technology such as videogame-based adaptive training. Videogame-based adaptive training has provided flexibility and adaptability for training in cost-effective ways. Although this method of training may have many benefits for the trainee, current research has not kept up to pace…

Trends in Psychotherapy Training: A National Survey of Psychiatry Residency Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sudak, Donna M.; Goldberg, David A.

2012-01-01

Objective: The authors sought to determine current trends in residency training of psychiatrists. Method: The authors surveyed U.S. general-psychiatry training directors about the amount of didactic training, supervised clinical experience, and numbers of patients treated in the RRC-mandated models of psychotherapy (psychodynamic,…

The Efficacy of Stuttering Measurement Training: Evaluating Two Training Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bainbridge, Lauren A.; Stavros, Candace; Ebrahimian, Mineh; Wang, Yuedong; Ingham, Roger J.

2015-01-01

Purpose: Two stuttering measurement training programs currently used for training clinicians were evaluated for their efficacy in improving the accuracy of total stuttering event counting. Method: Four groups, each with 12 randomly allocated participants, completed a pretest-posttest design training study. They were evaluated by their counts of…

Training for Trade: A Partnership Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wismer, Jack N.

1994-01-01

Discusses the role of community colleges in providing international trade education and training, highlighting the importance of building partnerships. Describes methods for building partnerships, eight current community college training-for-trade (TFT) programs, and training services and resources. Suggests that TFT programs must become a…

Nontechnical skill training and the use of scenarios in modern surgical education.

PubMed

Brunckhorst, Oliver; Khan, Muhammad S; Dasgupta, Prokar; Ahmed, Kamran

2017-07-01

Nontechnical skills are being increasingly recognized as a core reason of surgical errors. Combined with the changing nature of surgical training, there has therefore been an increase in nontechnical skill research in the literature. This review therefore aims to: define nontechnical skillsets, assess current training methods, explore assessment modalities and suggest future research aims. The literature demonstrates an increasing understanding of the components of nontechnical skills within surgery. This has led to a greater availability of validated training methods for its training, including the use of didactic teaching, e-learning and simulation-based scenarios. In addition, there are now various extensively validated assessment tools for nontechnical skills including NOTSS, the Oxford NOTECHS and OTAS. Finally, there is now more focus on the development of tools which target individual nontechnical skill components and an attempt to understand which of these play a greater role in specific procedures such as laparoscopic or robotic surgery. Current evidence demonstrates various training methods and tools for the training of nontechnical skills. Future research is likely to focus increasingly on individual nontechnical skill components and procedure-specific skills.

Effects of serial and concurrent training on receptive identification tasks: A Systematic replication.

PubMed

Wunderlich, Kara L; Vollmer, Timothy R

2017-07-01

The current study compared the use of serial and concurrent methods to train multiple exemplars when teaching receptive language skills, providing a systematic replication of Wunderlich, Vollmer, Donaldson, and Phillips (2014). Five preschoolers diagnosed with developmental delays or autism spectrum disorders were taught to receptively identify letters or letter sounds. Subjects learned the target stimuli slightly faster in concurrent training and a high degree of generalization was obtained following both methods of training, indicating that both the serial and concurrent methods of training are efficient and effective instructional procedures. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Stable superconducting magnet. [high current levels below critical temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boom, R. W. (Inventor)

1967-01-01

Operation of a superconducting magnet is considered. A method is described for; (1) obtaining a relatively high current in a superconducting magnet positioned in a bath of a gas refrigerant; (2) operating a superconducting magnet at a relatively high current level without training; and (3) operating a superconducting magnet containing a plurality of turns of a niobium zirconium wire at a relatively high current level without training.

The effectiveness of a training method using self-modeling webcam photos for reducing musculoskeletal risk among office workers using computers.

PubMed

Taieb-Maimon, Meirav; Cwikel, Julie; Shapira, Bracha; Orenstein, Ido

2012-03-01

An intervention study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of an innovative self-modeling photo-training method for reducing musculoskeletal risk among office workers using computers. Sixty workers were randomly assigned to either: 1) a control group; 2) an office training group that received personal, ergonomic training and workstation adjustments or 3) a photo-training group that received both office training and an automatic frequent-feedback system that displayed on the computer screen a photo of the worker's current sitting posture together with the correct posture photo taken earlier during office training. Musculoskeletal risk was evaluated using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method before, during and after the six weeks intervention. Both training methods provided effective short-term posture improvement; however, sustained improvement was only attained with the photo-training method. Both interventions had a greater effect on older workers and on workers suffering more musculoskeletal pain. The photo-training method had a greater positive effect on women than on men. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Family Therapy Training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rait, Douglas Samuel

2012-01-01

Objective: This study describes the current state of family therapy training in a sample of child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship programs. Method: Child and adolescent psychiatry fellows (N = 66) from seven training programs completed a questionnaire assessing demographics, family therapy training experiences, common models of treatment and…

Perceptions and experiences of nurse preceptors regarding their training courses: a mixed method study.

PubMed

Chang, Chia-Chi; Lin, Li-Min; Chen, I-Hui; Kang, Chun-Mei; Chang, Wen-Yin

2015-01-01

Although the benefits of preceptor training programs on the performance of nurse preceptors have been reported, research related to nurse preceptors' perceptions of and experiences with preceptor training courses is relatively limited. To explore nurse preceptors' perceptions of preceptor training courses and obtain information on their experiences in working as preceptors. A mixed method design was conducted. Nurse preceptors who currently work at one of eight hospitals in northern Taiwan were recruited to participate in this study. A questionnaire survey and focus group interviews were conducted. A training course perception scale was developed and generated based on the current nurse preceptor training programs offered in eight hospitals. Focus group interviews were conducted to obtain additional information on nurse preceptors' experiences in working as preceptors. The survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Interview data were transcribed and analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach. The results from the surveys of 386 nurse preceptors revealed that most courses included in the current preceptor training programs did not fulfill the learning needs of nurse preceptors and were clinically impractical. The most necessary and clinically useful course was the communication skills course, whereas the least useful course was the adult learning theory and principles course. Three themes were identified as problems based on the three focus group interviews conducted with 36 nurse preceptors: inadequate training was received before nurses were appointed as nurse preceptors, the courses were more theoretical rather than practical, and the preceptors experienced stress from multiple sources. The results revealed that the current preceptor training courses are impractical; therefore, the content of preceptor training courses must be altered to fulfill nurse preceptors' training needs. Furthermore, problems identified through the focus group interviews reinforce the survey results. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Designing optimal stimuli to control neuronal spike timing

PubMed Central

Packer, Adam M.; Yuste, Rafael; Paninski, Liam

2011-01-01

Recent advances in experimental stimulation methods have raised the following important computational question: how can we choose a stimulus that will drive a neuron to output a target spike train with optimal precision, given physiological constraints? Here we adopt an approach based on models that describe how a stimulating agent (such as an injected electrical current or a laser light interacting with caged neurotransmitters or photosensitive ion channels) affects the spiking activity of neurons. Based on these models, we solve the reverse problem of finding the best time-dependent modulation of the input, subject to hardware limitations as well as physiologically inspired safety measures, that causes the neuron to emit a spike train that with highest probability will be close to a target spike train. We adopt fast convex constrained optimization methods to solve this problem. Our methods can potentially be implemented in real time and may also be generalized to the case of many cells, suitable for neural prosthesis applications. With the use of biologically sensible parameters and constraints, our method finds stimulation patterns that generate very precise spike trains in simulated experiments. We also tested the intracellular current injection method on pyramidal cells in mouse cortical slices, quantifying the dependence of spiking reliability and timing precision on constraints imposed on the applied currents. PMID:21511704

Training, Simulation, the Learning Curve, and How to Reduce Complications in Urology.

PubMed

Brunckhorst, Oliver; Volpe, Alessandro; van der Poel, Henk; Mottrie, Alexander; Ahmed, Kamran

2016-04-01

Urology is at the forefront of minimally invasive surgery to a great extent. These procedures produce additional learning challenges and possess a steep initial learning curve. Training and assessment methods in surgical specialties such as urology are known to lack clear structure and often rely on differing operative flow experienced by individuals and institutions. This article aims to assess current urology training modalities, to identify the role of simulation within urology, to define and identify the learning curves for various urologic procedures, and to discuss ways to decrease complications in the context of training. A narrative review of the literature was conducted through December 2015 using the PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. Evidence of the validity of training methods in urology includes observation of a procedure, mentorship and fellowship, e-learning, and simulation-based training. Learning curves for various urologic procedures have been recommended based on the available literature. The importance of structured training pathways is highlighted, with integration of modular training to ensure patient safety. Valid training pathways are available in urology. The aim in urology training should be to combine all of the available evidence to produce procedure-specific curricula that utilise the vast array of training methods available to ensure that we continue to improve patient outcomes and reduce complications. The current evidence for different training methods available in urology, including simulation-based training, was reviewed, and the learning curves for various urologic procedures were critically analysed. Based on the evidence, future pathways for urology curricula have been suggested to ensure that patient safety is improved. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Education and Training in Psychiatry in the U.K.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carney, Stuart; Bhugra, Dinesh K.

2013-01-01

Background/Objective: Recent training and education changes have raised important issues in delivery of psychiatric education at all levels. In this article, the authors describe the current status of mental health education in the training of all doctors and postgraduate training and education in psychiatry in the U.K. Method: The authors explore…

Auditory Training with Multiple Talkers and Passage-Based Semantic Cohesion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casserly, Elizabeth D.; Barney, Erin C.

2017-01-01

Purpose: Current auditory training methods typically result in improvements to speech recognition abilities in quiet, but learner gains may not extend to other domains in speech (e.g., recognition in noise) or self-assessed benefit. This study examined the potential of training involving multiple talkers and training emphasizing discourse-level…

An analysis of the current educational status and future training needs of China's rural doctors in 2011.

PubMed

Li, Xingming; Liu, Juyuan; Huang, Jianshi; Qian, Yunliang; Che, Lu

2013-04-01

To analyse the educational status and future training needs of China's rural doctors and provide a basis to improve their future training. A cross-sectional epidemiological survey was used for the analysis, and 17 954 rural doctors chosen randomly from the eastern, central and western regions of China in 2009-2010 were surveyed to ascertain their average training time and the methods used for and content of their training. In general, 8671/17 778 (48.77%) of respondents received less than 12 days of training in a year. Conference sessions seemed to be the major route of training, with 10 150/17 925 respondents (56.62%). Clinical skills, with a response rate of 14 441/17 926 (80.56%), seemed to be the most popular training content. With regard to the general needs for training time received, 6547/18 255 (35.86%) of respondents hoped the average training time received a year would be less than 12 days; on-site guidance from a senior doctor was the most popular training method with response rate of 10 109/17 976 (56.24%), and clinical skills was what rural doctors wished to study the most, with a positive response of 16 744/17 962 (93.22%). Statistically significant differences existed in the current status and training time, training method and training content needs of China's rural doctors. Our results suggest that the training status and needs of China's rural doctors are still disjointed; measures including the introduction of remote education and clinical further education, extended training time and more clinical skills training should be adopted.

A commercially viable virtual reality knee arthroscopy training system.

PubMed

McCarthy, A D; Hollands, R J

1998-01-01

Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive form of surgery used to inspect joints. It is complex to learn yet current training methods appear inadequate, thus negating the potential benefits to the patient. This paper describes the development and initial assessment of a cost-effective virtual reality based system for training surgeons in arthroscopy of the knee. The system runs on a P.C. Initial assessments by surgeons have been positive and current developments in deformable models are described.

Improved military air traffic controller selection methods as measured by subsequent training performance.

PubMed

Carretta, Thomas R; King, Raymond E

2008-01-01

Over the past decade, the U.S. military has conducted several studies to evaluate determinants of enlisted air traffic controller (ATC) performance. Research has focused on validation of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and has shown it to be a good predictor of training performance. Despite this, enlisted ATC training and post-training attrition is higher than desirable, prompting interest in alternate selection methods to augment current procedures. The current study examined the utility of the FAA Air Traffic Selection and Training (AT-SAT) battery for incrementing the predictiveness of the ASVAB versus several enlisted ATC training criteria. Subjects were 448 USAF enlisted ATC students who were administered the ASVAB and FAA AT-SAT subtests and subsequently graduated or were eliminated from apprentice-level training. Training criteria were a dichotomous graduation/elimination training score, average ATC fundamentals course score, and FAA certified tower operator test score. Results confirmed the predictive validity of the ASVAB and showed that one of the AT-SAT subtests resembling a low-fidelity ATC work sample significantly improved prediction of training performance beyond the ASVAB alone. Results suggested training attrition could be reduced by raising the current ASVAB minimum qualifying score. However, this approach may make it difficult to identify sufficient numbers of trainees and lead to adverse impact. Although the AT-SAT ATC work sample subtest showed incremental validity to the ASVAB, its length (95 min) may be problematic in operational testing. Recommendations are made for additional studies to address issues affecting operational implementation.

Task Training Emphasis for Determining Training Priority.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-08-01

the relative time spent on tasks performed in their current jobs. Supervisors also rated the tasks on several different task factors, including a new... different task factors, including Task Difficulty, Probable Consequences of Inadequate Performance, Task Delay Tolerance, and Recommended Training Emphasis...3 11. APPROACH. .. ..... ..... ...... ..... ..... ...... ...... 4 III. METHOD

Strength Training. Rationale for Current Guidelines for Adult Fitness Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feigenbaum, Matthew S.; Pollock, Michael L.

1997-01-01

Strength training is an effective method of developing musculoskeletal strength and is often prescribed for fitness, health, and for prevention and rehabilitation of orthopedic injuries. This paper describes and presents a rationale for the population-specific strength training guidelines established by major health organizations. (SM)

Microsurgery Training for the Twenty-First Century

PubMed Central

Myers, Simon Richard; Froschauer, Stefan; Akelina, Yelena; Tos, Pierluigi; Kim, Jeong Tae

2013-01-01

Current educational interventions and training courses in microsurgery are often predicated on theories of skill acquisition and development that follow a 'practice makes perfect' model. Given the changing landscape of surgical training and advances in educational theories related to skill development, research is needed to assess current training tools in microsurgery education and devise alternative methods that would enhance training. Simulation is an increasingly important tool for educators because, whilst facilitating improved technical proficiency, it provides a way to reduce risks to both trainees and patients. The International Microsurgery Simulation Society has been founded in 2012 in order to consolidate the global effort in promoting excellence in microsurgical training. The society's aim to achieve standarisation of microsurgical training worldwide could be realised through the development of evidence based educational interventions and sharing best practices. PMID:23898422

Psychiatry Residency Education in Canada: Past, Present and Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saperson, Karen

2013-01-01

Objective: This article provides a brief overview of the history of psychiatry residency training in Canada,and outlines the rationale for the current training requirements, changes to the final certification examination,and factors influencing future trends in psychiatry education and training. Method: The author compiled findings and reports on…

Effects of Computer-Based Training on Procedural Modifications to Standard Functional Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schnell, Lauren K.; Sidener, Tina M.; DeBar, Ruth M.; Vladescu, Jason C.; Kahng, SungWoo

2018-01-01

Few studies have evaluated methods for training decision-making when functional analysis data are undifferentiated. The current study evaluated computer-based training to teach 20 graduate students to arrange functional analysis conditions, analyze functional analysis data, and implement procedural modifications. Participants were exposed to…

Optimizing Word Learning via Links to Perceptual and Motoric Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hald, Lea A.; de Nooijer, Jacqueline; van Gog, Tamara; Bekkering, Harold

2016-01-01

The aim of this review is to consider how current vocabulary training methods could be optimized by considering recent scientific insights in how the brain represents conceptual knowledge. We outline the findings from several methods of vocabulary training. In each case, we consider how taking an embodied cognition perspective could impact word…

The Navy’s Current Ethics Strategy and Potential Methods for Improvement

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

Navy offers annual ethics training for its service members. The researchers further examine whether ethics training is differs between its diverse...Institute OCS Officer Candidate School ODS Officer Development School OTC Officer Training Command SASC Senate Armed Services Committee SCT... training strategy. The researchers offer some strengths, weaknesses, and best practices from other organizations which could inspire positive change

Launch team training system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webb, J. T.

1988-01-01

A new approach to the training, certification, recertification, and proficiency maintenance of the Shuttle launch team is proposed. Previous training approaches are first reviewed. Short term program goals include expanding current training methods, improving the existing simulation capability, and scheduling training exercises with the same priority as hardware tests. Long-term goals include developing user requirements which would take advantage of state-of-the-art tools and techniques. Training requirements for the different groups of people to be trained are identified, and future goals are outlined.

An Instructor's Diagnostic Aid for Feedback in Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Dee H.; Uliano, Kevin C.

1988-01-01

Instructor's Diagnostic Aid for Feedback in Training (IDAFT) is a computer-assisted method based on error analysis, domains of learning, and events of instruction. Its use with Navy team instructors is currently being explored. (JOW)

NASPGHAN Capsule Endoscopy Clinical Report.

PubMed

Friedlander, Joel A; Liu, Quin Y; Sahn, Benjamin; Kooros, Koorosh; Walsh, Catharine M; Kramer, Robert E; Lightdale, Jenifer R; Khlevner, Julie; McOmber, Mark; Kurowski, Jacob; Giefer, Matthew J; Pall, Harpreet; Troendle, David M; Utterson, Elizabeth C; Brill, Herbert; Zacur, George M; Lirio, Richard A; Lerner, Diana G; Reynolds, Carrie; Gibbons, Troy E; Wilsey, Michael; Liacouras, Chris A; Fishman, Douglas S

2017-03-01

Wireless capsule endoscopy (CE) was introduced in 2000 as a less invasive method to visualize the distal small bowel in adults. Because this technology has advanced it has been adapted for use in pediatric gastroenterology. Several studies have described its clinical use, utility, and various training methods but pediatric literature regarding CE is limited. This clinical report developed by the Endoscopic and Procedures Committee of the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition outlines the current literature, and describes the recommended current role, use, training, and future areas of research for CE in pediatrics.

Evaluation of Smartphone Applications for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training in South Korea

PubMed Central

Cho, Yongtak; Song, Yeongtak; Lim, Tae Ho; Kang, Hyunggoo

2016-01-01

Objective. There are many smartphone-based applications (apps) for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. We investigated the conformity and the learnability/usability of these apps for CPR training and real-life supports. Methods. We conducted a mixed-method, sequential explanatory study to assess CPR training apps downloaded on two apps stores in South Korea. Apps were collected with inclusion criteria as follows, Korean-language instruction, training features, and emergency supports for real-life incidents, and analyzed with two tests; 15 medical experts evaluated the apps' contents according to current Basic Life Support guidelines in conformity test, and 15 nonmedical individuals examined the apps using System Usability Scale (SUS) in the learnability/usability test. Results. Out of 79 selected apps, five apps were included and analyzed. For conformity (ICC, 0.95, p < 0.001), means of all apps were greater than 12 of 20 points, indicating that they were well designed according to current guidelines. Three of the five apps yielded acceptable level (greater than 68 of 100 points) for learnability/usability. Conclusion. All the included apps followed current BLS guidelines and a majority offered acceptable learnability/usability for layperson. Current and developmental smartphone-based CPR training apps should include accurate CPR information and be easy to use for laypersons that are potential rescuers in real-life incidents. For Clinical Trials. This is a clinical trial, registered at the Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS, cris.nih.go.kr), number KCT0001840. PMID:27668257

Changing trends in plastic surgery training

PubMed Central

Sharma, Ramesh Kumar

2014-01-01

Background: The currently available training models are being put to scrutiny in India today, both by the residents and the teachers. Plastic surgery specialty was created primarily for reconstructive purposes but the society always perceived it from a cosmetic angle, particularly in the post second world war era. As a result, there is a need to redefine the goals of plastic surgery training in the present times so that the plastic surgeon is “future ready” to meet the needs of society and the market forces. Materials and Methods: The author has reviewed the currently available literature on plastic surgery training from India and the western countries. An attempt has been made to study opinions from the teachers and the trainees. The modules currently available in India and abroad have been analyzed and a suggestion has been made for drafting training programs that would meet the demands of the society as well as prepare the resident both for the aesthetic and reconstructive practice. Conclusions: The plastic surgery training needs to be more vibrant and in tune with the changing times. While maintaining its core nature, the current predominantly reconstructive modules need to incorporate the aesthetic content. The evaluation should be both knowledge and competence based. The teachers need to be educated in the various teaching methods that are more applicable to grown up residents. There is a need to find ways to attract talented people in the academic plastic surgery. PMID:25190909

Teaching alternatives to the standard inferior alveolar nerve block in dental education: outcomes in clinical practice.

PubMed

Johnson, Thomas M; Badovinac, Rachel; Shaefer, Jeffry

2007-09-01

Surveys were sent to Harvard School of Dental Medicine students and graduates from the classes of 2000 through 2006 to determine their current primary means of achieving mandibular anesthesia. Orthodontists and orthodontic residents were excluded. All subjects received clinical training in the conventional inferior alveolar nerve block and two alternative techniques (the Akinosi mandibular block and the Gow-Gates mandibular block) during their predoctoral dental education. This study tests the hypothesis that students and graduates who received training in the conventional inferior alveolar nerve block, the Akinosi mandibular block, and the Gow-Gates mandibular block will report more frequent current utilization of alternatives to the conventional inferior alveolar nerve block than clinicians trained in the conventional technique only. At the 95 percent confidence level, we estimated that between 3.7 percent and 16.1 percent (mean=8.5 percent) of clinicians trained in using the Gow-Gates technique use this injection technique primarily, and between 35.4 percent and 56.3 percent (mean=47.5 percent) of those trained in the Gow-Gates method never use this technique. At the same confidence level, between 0.0 percent and 3.8 percent (mean=0.0 percent) of clinicians trained in using the Akinosi technique use this injection clinical technique primarily, and between 62.2 percent and 81.1 percent (mean=72.3 percent) of those trained in the Akinosi method never use this technique. No control group that was completely untrained in the Gow-Gates or Akinosi techniques was available for comparison. However, we presume that zero percent of clinicians who have not been trained in a given technique will use the technique in clinical practice. The confidence interval for the Gow-Gates method excludes this value, while the confidence interval for the Akinosi technique includes zero percent. We conclude that, in the study population, formal clinical training in the Gow-Gates and Akinosi injection techniques lead to a small but significant increase in current primary utilization of the Gow-Gates technique. No significant increase in current primary utilization of the Akinosi technique was found.

Ethics Training of Law Enforcement Officers: The Optimum Means of Conveyance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redden, Donald L.

2010-01-01

The current research was designed to furnish an unpretentious but rigorous examination of the subject of ethics education, seeking the most commanding and useful method to deliver the curriculum. A review of the literature revealed several methods currently used to teach ethics. The respondents examined the various methods, noted the positive and…

Accurate modeling of switched reluctance machine based on hybrid trained WNN

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

Song, Shoujun, E-mail: sunnyway@nwpu.edu.cn; Ge, Lefei; Ma, Shaojie

2014-04-15

According to the strong nonlinear electromagnetic characteristics of switched reluctance machine (SRM), a novel accurate modeling method is proposed based on hybrid trained wavelet neural network (WNN) which combines improved genetic algorithm (GA) with gradient descent (GD) method to train the network. In the novel method, WNN is trained by GD method based on the initial weights obtained per improved GA optimization, and the global parallel searching capability of stochastic algorithm and local convergence speed of deterministic algorithm are combined to enhance the training accuracy, stability and speed. Based on the measured electromagnetic characteristics of a 3-phase 12/8-pole SRM, themore » nonlinear simulation model is built by hybrid trained WNN in Matlab. The phase current and mechanical characteristics from simulation under different working conditions meet well with those from experiments, which indicates the accuracy of the model for dynamic and static performance evaluation of SRM and verifies the effectiveness of the proposed modeling method.« less

Virtual reality in ophthalmology training.

PubMed

Khalifa, Yousuf M; Bogorad, David; Gibson, Vincent; Peifer, John; Nussbaum, Julian

2006-01-01

Current training models are limited by an unstructured curriculum, financial costs, human costs, and time constraints. With the newly mandated resident surgical competency, training programs are struggling to find viable methods of assessing and documenting the surgical skills of trainees. Virtual-reality technologies have been used for decades in flight simulation to train and assess competency, and there has been a recent push in surgical specialties to incorporate virtual-reality simulation into residency programs. These efforts have culminated in an FDA-approved carotid stenting simulator. What role virtual reality will play in the evolution of ophthalmology surgical curriculum is uncertain. The current apprentice system has served the art of surgery for over 100 years, and we foresee virtual reality working synergistically with our current curriculum modalities to streamline and enhance the resident's learning experience.

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)…

Occupational Outlets for Middle Level Training. What Is the Future of Middle Level Training?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Paul; Cesnich, Janine

This project intended to determine whether a middle-level employment base existed in manufacturing and service industries in South Australia and to examine current trends and future directions of middle-level (paraprofessional) vocational training. The study used the following methods: literature review; labor market analysis; surveys of…

Does Psychiatry Residency Training Reflect the "Real World" of Psychiatry Practice? A Survey of Residency Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersen, Timothy; Fava, Maurizio; Alpert, Jonathan E.; Vorono, Sienna; Sanders, Kathy M.; Mischoulon, David

2007-01-01

Objective: The authors determine whether Massachusetts General Hospital's residency graduates believed their training reflected their current practice activities. Method: The authors surveyed 134 graduates from MGH and MGH-McLean residency classes from 1983 to 2003. Subjects ranked their satisfaction with different components of training on a…

Comparison of cardiothoracic surgery training in usa and germany

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Training of cardiothoracic surgeons in Europe and the United States has expanded to incorporate new operative techniques and requirements. The purpose of this study was to compare the current structure of training programs in the United States and Germany. Methods We thoroughly reviewed the existing literature with particular focus on the curriculum, salary, board certification and quality of life for cardiothoracic trainees. Results The United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany each have different cardiothoracic surgery training programs with specific strengths and weaknesses which are compared and presented in this publication. Conclusions The future of cardiothoracic surgery training will become affected by technological, demographic, economic and supply factors. Given current trends in training programs, creating an efficient training system would allow trainees to compete and grow in this constantly changing environment. PMID:21108853

Training Needs Assessment of Technical Skills in Managers of Tehran Electricity Distribution Company

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koohi, Amir Hasan; Ghandali, Fatemeh; Dehghan, Hasan; Ghandali, Najme

2016-01-01

Current dissertation has been conducted in order to investigate and detect training needs of the mangers (top and middle) in Tehran Electricity Distribution Company. Research method is applied kind based on its purpose. Due to data collection method, this query is descriptive-survey type. Statistical population in this study is all of managers in…

A First Person Shooter/Real Time Strategy Hybrid: Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoup, James R.; Bruce, Olen; Jones, Bobby

2012-01-01

Today's military training bears little resemblance to the methods of previous generations. The Cold War is over and the enemy has changed. Doctrine that was once useful is now woefully out of date. No longer are we confronting a predictable nation but instead a diverse collection of independent fighters spread out over several countries. The enemy has changed, his tactics have changed amI cin.:urnsLance dictates that we must change as well. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have tested virtually all aspects of the military's support infrastructure. After fighting continuously for over a decade, many weaknesses have been revealed by the steady grind of war. Chief among them is the inability of the military to rapidly and adequately train its soldiers in the latest doctrines. In response to the enemy developing new strategies on a near monthly basis, the Joint Training Counter-IED Operations Integration Center (JTCOIC) was first created. Designed to supplement the current training system, it would attempt to address the current training shortfalls. As a result, new methods were devised to streamline training.

Neurology education: current and emerging concepts in residency and fellowship training.

PubMed

Stern, Barney J; Józefowicz, Ralph F; Kissela, Brett; Lewis, Steven L

2010-05-01

This article discusses the current and future state of neurology training. A priority is to attract sufficient numbers of qualified candidates for the existing residency programs. A majority of neurology residents elects additional training in a neurologic subspecialty, and programs will have to be accredited accordingly. Attempts are being made to standardize and strengthen the existing general residency and subspecialty programs through cooperative efforts. Ultimately, residency programs must comply with the increasing requirements and try to adapt these requirements to the unique demands and realities of neurology training. An effort is underway to establish consistent competency-testing methods. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Eddy Current Testing, RQA/M1-5330.17.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Huntsville, AL. George C. Marshall Space Flight Center.

As one in the series of classroom training handbooks, prepared by the U.S. space program, instructional material is presented in this volume concerning familiarization and orientation on eddy current testing. The subject is presented under the following headings: Introduction, Eddy Current Principles, Eddy Current Equipment, Eddy Current Methods,…

Innovating Training through Immersive Environments: Generation Y, Exploratory Learning, and Serious Games

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gendron, Gerald

2012-01-01

Over the next decade, those entering Service and Joint Staff positions within the military will come from a different generation than the current leadership. They will come from Generation Y and have differing preferences for learning. Immersive learning environments like serious games and virtual world initiatives can complement traditional training methods to provide a better overall training program for staffs. Generation Y members desire learning methods which are relevant and interactive, regardless of whether they are delivered over the internet or in person. This paper focuses on a project undertaken to assess alternative training methods to teach special operations staffs. It provides a summary of the needs analysis used to consider alternatives and to better posture the Department of Defense for future training development.

The current practice of mentoring across Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education – International accredited programs in Qatar from faculty and trainees perspectives

PubMed Central

Suliman, Shireen; Al-Mohammed, Ahmed; Al Mohanadi, Dabia; Allen, Margaret; Bylund, Carma L

2018-01-01

Purpose Mentoring plays a vital role in academic productivity, personal development, and career guidance for students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty. A culture of mentoring is spreading across residency and fellowship training programs in Hamad Medical Corporation, the main teaching tertiary care facility in Qatar. However, there is insufficient knowledge about the current practice of mentoring in these programs. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study by surveying all faculty and trainees in all residency and fellowship training programs in Qatar. Each completed a web-based questionnaire that asked about the current experience, self-efficacy and measures of improvement of the current practice of mentoring across training programs. Results A total of 393/650 faculty members (61%), 187/250 fellows (74%), and 405/650 residents (62%) responded to the two surveys. Most (74% of faculty members) reported being current mentors, while 67% of residents and fellows reported that they currently have mentors. Faculty who received training in mentoring and those who had an established formal mentoring program in their departments were more likely to enroll in mentoring than others (86%, P<0.01; 71%, P<0.05%, respectively). Trainees suggested that the two main areas to improve the current mentoring initiative in their departments were to develop a structured mentoring program and to train the mentors. Content analysis revealed participants’ confusion differentiating between the terms mentoring and supervision. Conclusion Based on the current study, many existing mentoring relationships have an evident confusion between supervision and mentoring roles. Developing structured mentoring program and training both faculty and trainees in mentoring is recommended to improve the current practice of mentoring within the training programs. PMID:29416385

Fitting contraceptive diaphragms: can laywomen provide quality training for doctors?

PubMed

Pickard, S; Baraitser, P; Herns, M; Massil, H

2001-07-01

To test the feasibility of training laywomen as professional patients to teach doctors to fit the contraceptive diaphragm. Semi-structured interviews with instructing doctors and questionnaires to DFFP trainees. These documented current teaching practice and the acceptability of professional patients. The Delphi technique was used to establish a curriculum for the professional patients' training programme. The results show that there is currently a lack of standardisation in teaching methods and content with respect to diaphragm fitting. All instructing doctors and DFFP trainees involved had experienced difficulties in recruiting women for training, and the majority would be happy to work with professional patients. After three rounds of the Delphi procedure, consensus was reached and a curriculum developed. Five women were recruited on to a training programme, and four successfully completed it. Lack of standardisation and difficulty recruiting patients are current problems when training doctors to fit diaphragms. Our study shows that the use of professional patients would be acceptable to both DFFP trainees and instructing doctors, and that it is possible to recruit and train women for this purpose.

Equality in the Workplace. An Equal Opportunities Handbook for Trainers. Human Resource Management in Action Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Helen

This workbook, which is intended as a practical guide for human resource managers, trainers, and others concerned with developing and implementing equal opportunities training programs in British workplaces, examines issues in and methods for equal opportunities training. The introduction gives an overview of current training trends and issues.…

Beyond Sensitivity. LGBT Healthcare Training in U.S. Medical Schools: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Utamsingh, Pooja Dushyant; Kenya, Sonjia; Lebron, Cynthia N.; Carrasquillo, Olveen

2017-01-01

Purpose: Training future physicians to address the health needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population can potentially decrease health disparities faced by such individuals. In this literature review, we examine the characteristics and impact of current LGBT healthcare training at U.S. medical schools. Methods: We…

The Effect of Montessori Method Supported by Social Skills Training Program on Turkish Kindergarten Children's Skills of Understanding Feelings and Social Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kayili, Gökhan; Ari, Ramazan

2016-01-01

The current research was conducted with the purpose of analyzing the effect of Montessori method supported by Social Skills Training Program on kindergarten children's skills of understanding feelings and social problem solving. 53 children attending Ihsan Dogramaci Applied Nursery School affiliated to Selcuk University, Faculty of Health Sciences…

Designing Assessments of Microworld Training for Combat Service Support Staff

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

training for distribution management skills as a part of a larger project that entailed making changes to the current structure, content, and methods...of CSS training. Microworld models are small-scale simulations of organizations and operations. They are useful for training distribution management processes...pilot studies using a microworld model for U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) soldiers in Distribution Management Centers. The degree to which trainees learned

Applying instructional design practices to evaluate and improve the roadway characteristics inventory (RCI) training curriculum.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-07-01

The Transportation Statistics Office (TranStat) of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) provides training for district data collection technicians in both office- and field-based Roadway Characteristics Inventory (RCI) methods. The current...

Comparison of midwifery students' satisfaction with direct observation of procedural skills and current methods in evaluation of procedural skills in Mashhad Nursing and Midwifery School.

PubMed

Hoseini, Bibi Leila; Mazloum, Seyed Reza; Jafarnejad, Farzaneh; Foroughipour, Mohsen

2013-03-01

The clinical evaluation, as one of the most important elements in medical education, must measure students' competencies and abilities. The implementation of any assessment tool is basically dependent on the acceptance of students. This study tried to assess midwifery students' satisfaction with Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) and current clinical evaluation methods. This quasi-experimental study was conducted in the university hospitals affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The subjects comprised 67 undergraduate midwifery students selected by convenience sampling and allocated to control and intervention groups according to the training transposition. Current method was performed in the control group, and DOPS was conducted in the intervention group. The applied tools included DOPS rating scales, logbook, and satisfaction questionnaires with clinical evaluation methods. Validity and reliability of these tools were approved. At the end of training, students' satisfaction with the evaluation methods was assessed by the mentioned tools. The data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics. Satisfaction mean scores of midwifery students with DOPS and current methods were 76.7 ± 12.9 and 62.6 ± 14.7 (out of 100), respectively. DOPS students' satisfaction mean score was significantly higher than the score obtained in current method (P < 0.000). The most satisfactory domains in the current method were "consistence with learning objectives" (71.2 ± 14.9) and "objectiveness" in DOPS (87.9 ± 15.0). In contrast, the least satisfactory domains in the current method were "interested in applying the method" (57.8 ± 26.5) and "number of assessments for each skill" (58.8 ± 25.9) in DOPS method. This study showed that DOPS method is associated with greater students' satisfaction. Since the students' satisfaction with the current method was also acceptable, we recommend combining this new clinical evaluation method with the current method, which covers its weaknesses, to promote the students' satisfaction with clinical evaluation methods in a perfect manner.

[Undergraduate psychiatric training in Turkey].

PubMed

Cıngı Başterzi, Ayşe Devrim; Tükel, Raşit; Uluşahin, Aylin; Coşkun, Bülent; Alkın, Tunç; Murat Demet, Mehmet; Konuk, Numan; Taşdelen, Bahar

2010-01-01

The current trend in medical education is to abandon the experience-based traditional model and embrace the competency-based education model (CBE). The basic principle behind CBE is standardization. The first step in standardization is to determine what students must know, what they must accomplish, and what attitude they should display, and the establishment of educational goals. One of the goals of the Psychiatric Association of Turkey, Psychiatric Training Section is to standardize psychiatric training in Turkish medical schools. This study aimed to determine the current state of undergraduate psychiatric training in Turkish medical schools. Questionnaires were sent to the psychiatry department chairs of 41 medical schools. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. Of the 41 department chairs that were sent the questionnaire, 29 (70%) completed and returned them, of which 16 (66.7%) reported that they had already defined goals and educational objectives for their undergraduate psychiatric training programs. The Core Education Program, prepared by the Turkish Medicine and Health Education Council, was predominately used at 9 (37.5%) medical schools. Pre-clinical and clinical training schedules varied between medical schools. In all, 3 of the medical schools did not offer internships in psychiatry. The majority of chairs emphasized the importance of mood disorders (49.9%) and anxiety disorders (40%), suggesting that these disorders should be treated by general practitioners. Computer technology was commonly used for lecturing; however, utilization of interactive and skill-based teaching methods was limited. The most commonly used evaluation methods were written examination (87.5%) during preclinical training and oral examination (91.6%) during clinical training. The most important finding of this study was the lack of a standardized curriculum for psychiatric training in Turkey. Standardization of psychiatric training in Turkish medical schools must be developed.

Training needs for toxicity testing in the 21st century: a survey-informed analysis.

PubMed

Lapenna, Silvia; Gabbert, Silke; Worth, Andrew

2012-12-01

Current training needs on the use of alternative methods in predictive toxicology, including new approaches based on mode-of-action (MoA) and adverse outcome pathway (AOP) concepts, are expected to evolve rapidly. In order to gain insight into stakeholder preferences for training, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) conducted a single-question survey with twelve experts in regulatory agencies, industry, national research organisations, NGOs and consultancies. Stakeholder responses were evaluated by means of theory-based qualitative data analysis. Overall, a set of training topics were identified that relate both to general background information and to guidance for applying alternative testing methods. In particular, for the use of in silico methods, stakeholders emphasised the need for training on data integration and evaluation, in order to increase confidence in applying these methods for regulatory purposes. Although the survey does not claim to offer an exhaustive overview of the training requirements, its findings support the conclusion that the development of well-targeted and tailor-made training opportunities that inform about the usefulness of alternative methods, in particular those that offer practical experience in the application of in silico methods, deserves more attention. This should be complemented by transparent information and guidance on the interpretation of the results generated by these methods and software tools. 2012 FRAME.

Development of a hazard-based method for evaluating the fire safety of passenger trains

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

The fire safety of U.S. passenger rail trains currently is addressed through small-scale flammability and smoke emission tests and performance criteria promulgated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The FRA approach relies heavily on test ...

Surgical simulation in orthopaedic skills training.

PubMed

Atesok, Kivanc; Mabrey, Jay D; Jazrawi, Laith M; Egol, Kenneth A

2012-07-01

Mastering rapidly evolving orthopaedic surgical techniques requires a lengthy period of training. Current work-hour restrictions and cost pressures force trainees to face the challenge of acquiring more complex surgical skills in a shorter amount of time. As a result, alternative methods to improve the surgical skills of orthopaedic trainees outside the operating room have been developed. These methods include hands-on training in a laboratory setting using synthetic bones or cadaver models as well as software tools and computerized simulators that enable trainees to plan and simulate orthopaedic operations in a three-dimensional virtual environment. Laboratory-based training offers potential benefits in the development of basic surgical skills, such as using surgical tools and implants appropriately, achieving competency in procedures that have a steep learning curve, and assessing already acquired skills while minimizing concerns for patient safety, operating room time, and financial constraints. Current evidence supporting the educational advantages of surgical simulation in orthopaedic skills training is limited. Despite this, positive effects on the overall education of orthopaedic residents, and on maintaining the proficiency of practicing orthopaedic surgeons, are anticipated.

Residency Training in Robotic General Surgery: A Survey of Program Directors

PubMed Central

George, Lea C.; O'Neill, Rebecca

2018-01-01

Objective Robotic surgery continues to expand in minimally invasive surgery; however, the literature is insufficient to understand the current training process for general surgery residents. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to identify the current approach to and perspectives on robotic surgery training. Methods An electronic survey was distributed to general surgery program directors identified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education website. Multiple choice and open-ended questions regarding current practices and opinions on robotic surgery training in general surgery residency programs were used. Results 20 program directors were surveyed, a majority being from medium-sized programs (4–7 graduating residents per year). Most respondents (73.68%) had a formal robotic surgery curriculum at their institution, with 63.16% incorporating simulation training. Approximately half of the respondents believe that more time should be dedicated to robotic surgery training (52.63%), with simulation training prior to console use (84.21%). About two-thirds of the respondents (63.16%) believe that a formal robotic surgery curriculum should be established as a part of general surgery residency, with more than half believing that exposure should occur in postgraduate year one (55%). Conclusion A formal robotics curriculum with simulation training and early surgical exposure for general surgery residents should be given consideration in surgical residency training. PMID:29854454

A mixed methods investigation of an online intervention to facilitate student midwives' engagement in effective conversations about weight-related behaviour change with pregnant women.

PubMed

Hart, Jo; Furber, Christine; Chisholm, Anna; Aspinall, Samantha; Lucas, Charlotte; Runswick, Emma; Mann, Karen; Peters, Sarah

2018-05-16

(1) To identify whether an online training intervention could increase midwifery students' knowledge of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and intentions to use them in practice. (2) To identify students' views and current experiences of talking to women about weight-related behaviour change. Mixed methods study involving pre- and post-training assessments, and qualitative interviews with midwifery students. Online training course delivered at a University in the North of England, UK. Midwifery students in the third year of their undergraduate degree during 2015-2016. Online training focused on equipping students with knowledge of theoretically-informed BCTs, and the skills to use them opportunistically in existing practice settings. Likelihood of discussing obesity with women was assessed via a 12-item, 7-point Likert scale assessing students' attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and intentions. A 14-item checklist was used to assess BCT knowledge whereby students selected recognised BCTs (of 7 correct, 7 false). Students' views and experiences of current practice was explored through in-depth, semi-structured one-on-one interviews with a member of the research team. Students' subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and knowledge of BCTs increased post-training but intention and attitudes did not. Interviews revealed three themes accounting for students experiences and views of behaviour change practice: (1) 'How training fits with current encounters with maternal obesity in midwifery training' (2) 'TEnT PEGS prepares students for practice', and (3) 'Value of tailored training'. Online BCT training can improve the midwifery students' confidence, knowledge and beliefs that this is part of their role. They also reported finding the training helpful in better preparing them for this challenging element of their routine practice. Online BCT training can be used to prepare undergraduate midwifery students for practice. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LAHYSTOTRAIN development and evaluation of a complex training system for hysteroscopy.

PubMed

Müller-Wittig, W K; Bisler, A; Bockholt, U; Los Arcos, J L; Oppelt, P; Stähler, J; Voss, G

2001-01-01

Hysteroscopy has already become an irreplaceable method in gynaecoloic diagnosis and therapy. In the diagnostic case the hysteroscope with a 30 degrees optic is insert transvaginally, in the therapeutic case the resectoscope with a 12 degrees optic is used. The endoscopic intervention requires special surgical skills for endoscope handling and remote instrument control. To acquire these skills currently hands-on training in clinical praxis has become standard, which is linked with higher danger for the women. To overcome current drawbacks of traditional training methods the European project LAHYSTOTRAIN was set up, that tries to combine Virtual Reality (VR), Multimedia (MM) technology, and Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) to develop an alternative training system for hysteroscopic interventions. The first prototype of the LAHYSTOTRAIN demonstrator has been shown on several European conferences. An evaluation of the system was performed, with the idea, to collect feedback and impressions, that should be considered in further developments. This paper presents the LAHYSTOTRAIN prototype and the results of these evaluations.

Training of Leadership Skills in Medical Education

PubMed Central

Kiesewetter, Jan; Schmidt-Huber, Marion; Netzel, Janine; Krohn, Alexandra C.; Angstwurm, Matthias; Fischer, Martin R.

2013-01-01

Background: Effective team performance is essential in the delivery of high-quality health-care. Leadership skills therefore are an important part of physicians’ everyday clinical life. To date, the development of leadership skills are underrepresented in medical curricula. Appropriate training methods for equipping doctors with these leadership skills are highly desirable. Objective: The review aims to summarize the findings in the current literature regarding training in leadership skills in medicine and tries to integrate the findings to guide future research and training development. Method: The PubMED, ERIC, and PsycArticles, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX and Academic search complete of EBSCOhost were searched for training of leadership skills in medicine in German and English. Relevant articles were identified and findings were integrated and consolidated regarding the leadership principles, target group of training and number of participants, temporal resources of the training, training content and methods, the evaluation design and trainings effects. Results: Eight studies met all inclusion criteria and no exclusion criteria. The range of training programs is very broad and leadership skill components are diverse. Training designs implied theoretical reflections of leadership phenomena as well as discussions of case studies from practice. The duration of training ranged from several hours to years. Reactions of participants to trainings were positive, yet no behavioral changes through training were examined. Conclusions: More research is needed to understand the factors critical to success in the development of leadership skills in medical education and to adapt goal-oriented training methods. Requirements analysis might help to gain knowledge about the nature of leadership skills in medicine. The authors propose a stronger focus on behavioral training methods like simulation-based training for leadership skills in medical education. PMID:24282452

The Current Status and Factors Associated With Implanon Service Provision by the Health Extension Workers at the Health Post Level, Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

PubMed Central

Desalegn, Ketsela; Loha, Eskindir; Meskele, Mengistu

2017-01-01

Objective: Family Planning is often taken as one of the “Magic Bullet” interventions owing to its high impact and wide reaching nature in achieving multiple goals. This study aimed to assess the current status and the factors associated with health post level Implanon service provision through trained health extension workers in Wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia. Materials and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among trained health extension workers in Wolaita zone in February 2013. A simple random sampling technique was used to identify a total of 285 trained HEWs. First bivariate, then multivariate logistic regression model along with 95% confidence interval was used to see the independent effect of factors associated with current Implanon service provision by the health extension workers. Results: Currently, the number of Implaon providing trained health extension workers in Wolaita was 264(45.8%). Distance of health post from district health offices and health center, turnover of trained health extension workers in the health post, interest of trained health extension workers in providing Implanon and their job satisfaction to serve as a health extension workers and availability of service delivery guidelines and teaching aids were associated with the current provision of Implanon by health extension workers. Conclusion: Implanon provision among trained health extension workers was affected by different factors. Hence, improving the working conditions of trained health extension workers, regular and periodic facilitative supervision, availing service delivery guidelines and improvement of health management information system are recommended. PMID:29114263

Effect of a single session of transcranial direct-current stimulation combined with virtual reality training on the balance of children with cerebral palsy: a randomized, controlled, double-blind trial

PubMed Central

Lazzari, Roberta Delasta; Politti, Fabiano; Santos, Cibele Alimedia; Dumont, Arislander Jonathan Lopes; Rezende, Fernanda Lobo; Grecco, Luanda André Collange; Braun Ferreira, Luiz Alfredo; Oliveira, Claudia Santos

2015-01-01

[Purpose] The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a single session of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with virtual reality training on the balance of children with cerebral palsy. [Subjetcs and Methods] Children with cerebral palsy between four and 12 years of age were randomly allocated to two groups: an experimental group which performed a single session of mobility training with virtual reality combined with active transcranial direct current stimulation; and a control group which performed a single session of mobility training with virtual reality combined with placebo transcranial direct current stimulation. The children were evaluated before and after the training protocols. Static balance (sway area, displacement, velocity and frequency of oscillations of the center of pressure on the anteroposterior and mediolateral axes) was evaluated using a force plate under four conditions (30-second measurements for each condition): feet on the force plate with the eyes open, and with the eyes closed; feet on a foam mat with the eyes open, and with the eyes closed. [Results] An increase in sway velocity was the only significant difference found. [Conclusion] A single session of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation combined with mobility training elicited to lead to an increase in the body sway velocity of children with cerebral palsy. PMID:25931726

Nordic Pharmacy Schools’ Experience in Communication Skills Training

PubMed Central

Björnsdottir, Ingunn; Wallman, Andy; Sporrong, Sofia Kälvemark

2017-01-01

Objective. To assess communication skills training at Nordic pharmacy schools and explore ways for improvement. Methods. E-mail questionnaires were developed and distributed with the aim to explore current practice and course leaders’ opinions regarding teaching of patient communication skills at all the 11 master level Nordic (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) pharmacy schools. The questionnaires contained both closed- and open-ended questions. Results. There was a variation of patient communication skills training among schools. In general, communication skills training was included in one to five courses (mode 1); varied in quantity (6-92 hours); had low use of experiential training methods; and had challenges regarding assessments and acquiring sufficient resources. However, some schools had more focus on such training. Conclusion. The results show room for improvement in patient communication skills training in most Nordic pharmacy schools and give insights into how to enhance communication skill building in pharmacy curricula. Suggestions for improving the training include: early training start, evidence-based frameworks, experiential training, and scaffolding. PMID:29302085

Take-Home Training in Laparoscopy.

PubMed

Thinggaard, Ebbe

2017-04-01

When laparoscopy was first introduced, skills were primarily taught using the apprenticeship model. A limitation of this method when compared to open surgery, was that it requires more time to practise and more frequent learning opportunities in clinical practice. The unique set of skills required in laparoscopy highlighted the need for new training methods that reduce the need for supervision and do not put the patient at risk. Simulation training was developed to meet this need. The overall purpose of this thesis was to explore simulation-based laparoscopic training at home. The thesis consists of five papers: a review, a validation study, a study of methodology, a randomised controlled trial and a mixed-methods study. Our aims were to review the current knowledge on training off-site, to develop and explore validity for a training and assessment system, to investigate the effect of take-home training in a simulation-based laparoscopic training programme, and to explore the use of take-home training. The first paper in this thesis is a scoping review. The aim of the review was to explore the current knowledge on off-site laparoscopic skills training. We found that off-site training was feasible but that changes were required in order for it to become an effective method of training. Furthermore, the select-ed instructional design varied and training programmes were designed using a variety of educational theories. Based on our findings, we recommended that courses and training curricula should follow established education theories such as proficiency-based learning and deliberate practice. Principles of directed self-regulated learning could be used to improve off-site laparoscopic training programmes. In the second study, we set out to develop and explore validity evidence of the TABLT test. The TABLT test was developed for basic laparoscopic skills training in a cross-specialty curriculum. We found validity evidence to support the TABLT test as a summative test in a basic laparoscopic training programme. We also established a credible pass/fail level using the contrasting groups method. We concluded that the TABTL test could be used to assess novice laparoscopic trainees across different specialties and help trainees acquire basic laparoscopic competencies prior to supervised surgery. In the third study, we aimed to explore the consequences of the choice of standard setting method and whether there is a difference in terms of how high a score experienced and novice laparoscopic surgeons expect that novices should achieve during training. We used three different standard setting methods and found that pass/fail levels vary depending on the choice of standard setting method. We also asked experienced and novice laparoscopic surgeons how high a score they expected a novice laparoscopic surgeon should achieve on a test during training. We found a significant difference, with experienced surgeons setting a lower pass/fail level. We concluded that an established standard setting method supported by evidence should be used when setting a pass/fail level. In the first and second papers of this thesis, we found that off-site training is feasible and explored validity for the TABLT test. We used this knowledge in the fourth study to design a randomised controlled trial. The aim of the trial was to investigate the effect of take-home training in a simulation-based laparoscopic course. We hypothesised that training at home could help trainees plan their training according to their own schedule and thereby increase the effect of training. We found that participants had a distributed training pattern; they trained more frequently and in shorter sessions. We also found that participants were able to rate their own performance during unsupervised training and that selfrating was reliable. The fifth and final study of the thesis was a mixed-methods study that aimed to explore the use of take-home training. To meet this aim, we recruited participants from the intervention arm in our randomised controlled trial. All participants had access to the simulation centre and were given a port-able trainer to train on at home. Participants were asked to use a logbook during training. At the end of the course, they were invited to take part in focus group interviews and individual interviews. Based on data from logbooks, a descriptive statistical analysis was conducted and data from interviews were analysed using a content analysis. We found that participants took an individualised approach to training when training at home. They structured their training according to their needs and external requirements. We concluded that mandatory training requirements and testing help determine when and how much participants train. We also found that self-rating can guide unsupervised training by giving clear goals to be reached during training. From the papers included in the thesis, we found that the literature describes training at home as a feasible method of acquiring laparoscopic skills. Nonetheless, changes to current training programmes are needed in order to make this method effective. We then developed and explored validity evidence for the TABLT test. We also established a reasonable pass/fail level and went on to explore the immediate consequences of the pass/fail level. Using our knowledge from the review, we conducted a randomised controlled trial and a mixed-method study. Based on these studies we found that training at home allows for distributed learning, that self-rating guides unsupervised training, and that mandatory training requirements and testing strongly influence training patterns. Access to training, guidance during training, and mandatory training requirements will make take-home training not just feasible but also effective. Articles published in the Danish Medical Journal are “open access”. This means that the articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

Development and implementation of a novel measure for quantifying training loads in rowing: the T2minute method.

PubMed

Tran, Jacqueline; Rice, Anthony J; Main, Luana C; Gastin, Paul B

2014-04-01

The systematic management of training requires accurate training load measurement. However, quantifying the training of elite Australian rowers is challenging because of (a) the multicenter, multistate structure of the national program; (b) the variety of training undertaken; and (c) the limitations of existing methods for quantifying the loads accumulated from varied training formats. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to develop a new measure for quantifying training loads in rowing (the T2minute method). Sport scientists and senior coaches at the National Rowing Center of Excellence collaborated to develop the measure, which incorporates training duration, intensity, and mode to quantify a single index of training load. To account for training at different intensities, the method uses standardized intensity zones (T zones) established at the Australian Institute of Sport. Each zone was assigned a weighting factor according to the curvilinear relationship between power output and blood lactate response. Each training mode was assigned a weighting factor based on whether coaches perceived it to be "harder" or "easier" than on-water rowing. A common measurement unit, the T2minute, was defined to normalize sessions in different modes to a single index of load; one T2minute is equivalent to 1 minute of on-water single scull rowing at T2 intensity (approximately 60-72% VO2max). The T2minute method was successfully implemented to support national training strategies in Australian high performance rowing. By incorporating duration, intensity, and mode, the T2minute method extends the concepts that underpin current load measures, providing 1 consistent system to quantify loads from varied training formats.

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…

Changing Set: Teaching Family Therapy from a Feminist Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leslie, Leigh A.; Clossick, Michelle L.

1992-01-01

Notes that feminist writings in family therapy have critiqued models and offered alternative methods for family interventions. Attempts to expand current application of feminist perspective to family therapy by examining implications for training. Three areas are considered: implications of a feminist perspective for training, strategies for…

Early Career School Counselors' Training Perspectives: Implications for School Counselor Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slaten, Christopher D.; Scalise, Dominick A.; Gutting, Krystle; Baskin, Thomas W.

2013-01-01

The current study examined early career professional school counselors' experiences related to their work as mental health professionals in schools. Nine individuals participated in qualitative interviews that were analyzed using consensual qualitative research methods (Hill, 2012). All individuals were professional school counselors trained in…

Are peer specialists happy on the job?

PubMed

Jenkins, Sarah; Chenneville, Tiffany; Salnaitis, Christina

2018-03-01

This study was designed to examine the impact of role clarity and job training on job satisfaction among peer specialists. A 3-part survey assessing job training, job satisfaction, and role clarity was administered online to 195 peer specialists who are members of the International Association of Peer Specialists. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlational analyses to include multiple linear regressions and analysis of variance. Self-study and online training methods were negatively correlated with job satisfaction while job shadowing was positively correlated with job satisfaction. Role clarity was positively correlated with job satisfaction and job training satisfaction as well as job shadowing and one-on-one training. The use of self-study and online training for peer specialists is contraindicated by current findings, which suggest the need to utilize job shadowing or training methods that allow for personal interaction between peer specialists and their colleagues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

A Study of the Air Force’s Current Method of Training Individuals to Use Contractor Developed Software in Information Management and the Perceived Effectiveness of Training

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-01

and only one Navy study was located. Lt. Cynthia S. Lassnoff (USN) conducted a case analysis of the training requirements of Navy microcomputer users...effectiveness of the training. The study found that greater emphasis must be placed on developing and supporting the use of a standardized training...recommends areas of further research based on the findings of this research. 1-8 II. Background No previous studies were located that evaluated how the Air

Core strength training for patients with chronic low back pain.

PubMed

Chang, Wen-Dien; Lin, Hung-Yu; Lai, Ping-Tung

2015-03-01

[Purpose] Through core strength training, patients with chronic low back pain can strengthen their deep trunk muscles. However, independent training remains challenging, despite the existence of numerous core strength training strategies. Currently, no standardized system has been established analyzing and comparing the results of core strength training and typical resistance training. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of the results of previous studies to explore the effectiveness of various core strength training strategies for patients with chronic low back pain. [Methods] We searched for relevant studies using electronic databases. Subsequently, we evaluated their quality by analyzing the reported data. [Results] We compared four methods of evaluating core strength training: trunk balance, stabilization, segmental stabilization, and motor control exercises. According to the results of various scales and evaluation instruments, core strength training is more effective than typical resistance training for alleviating chronic low back pain. [Conclusion] All of the core strength training strategies examined in this study assist in the alleviation of chronic low back pain; however, we recommend focusing on training the deep trunk muscles to alleviate chronic low back pain.

Business Training and Education Needs of Chiropractors

PubMed Central

Henson, Steve W; Pressley, Milton; Korfmann, Scott

2008-01-01

Objective: This report is an examination of the perceived need for business skills among chiropractors. Methods: An online survey was completed by 64 chiropractors. They assessed the need for business skills and current levels of business skills. Using this information, gaps in business skills are identified. Results: The need for business skills is broad, encompassing all major business functions. Existing business skills are well below needed levels. Conclusion: The chiropractic profession needs significantly greater business and practice management skills. The existing gap between needed business skills and existing skills suggests that current training and education programs are not providing adequate business skills training PMID:19043535

Pilot training: What can surgeons learn from it?

PubMed

Sommer, Kai-Jörg

2014-03-01

To provide healthcare professionals with an insight into training in aviation and its possible transfer into surgery. From research online and into company archives, relevant publications and information were identified. Current airline pilot training consists of two categories, basic training and type-rating. Training methods comprise classroom instruction, computer-based training and practical training, in either the aircraft or a flight-training device, which ranges from a fixed-base flight-training device to a full flight simulator. Pilot training not only includes technical and procedural instruction, but also training in non-technical skills like crisis management, decision-making, leadership and communication. Training syllabuses, training devices and instructors are internationally standardized and these standards are legally binding. Re-qualification and recurrent training are mandatory at all stages of a pilot's and instructor's career. Surgeons and pilots have much in common, i.e., they work in a 'real-time' three-dimensional environment under high physiological and psychological stress, operating expensive equipment, and the ultimate cost for error is measured in human lives. However, their training differs considerably. Transferring these well-tried aviation methods into healthcare will make surgical training more efficient, more effective and ultimately safer.

Training and Development for Transitional Employment in Mature-Aged Manual Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pillay, Hitendra; Kelly, Kathy; Tones, Megan

2010-01-01

Objectives: The purpose of the current article was to explore perceptions of transitional employment and training and development amongst blue collar workers employed in technical, trade, operations or physical and labour-intensive occupations within the local government system. Methods: The responses of manual workers to two national surveys…

Effects of Serial and Concurrent Training on Receptive Identification Tasks: A Systematic Replication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wunderlich, Kara L.; Vollmer, Timothy R.

2017-01-01

The current study compared the use of serial and concurrent methods to train multiple exemplars when teaching receptive language skills, providing a systematic replication of Wunderlich, Vollmer, Donaldson, and Phillips (2014). Five preschoolers diagnosed with developmental delays or autism spectrum disorders were taught to receptively identify…

Humanism and Autonomy in the Neoliberal Reform of Teacher Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kascak, Ondrej; Pupala, Branislav; Petrova, Zuzana

2011-01-01

This article analyses the discursive unities which make possible the current transformation of teacher training and our understanding of teaching as a profession, while focusing particularly on European educational policy and the situation in Slovakia. Using Foucault's archaeological method, we reconstruct the discursive link points between the…

The Effect of a Brief Training in Motivational Interviewing on Trainee Skill Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Tabitha L.; Hagedorn, W. Bryce

2012-01-01

Motivational interviewing (MI) is an empirically based practice that provides counselors with methods for working with resistant and ambivalent clients. Whereas previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of training current clinicians in this evidenced-based practice, no research has investigated the efficacy of teaching MI to…

Veterinarian-Client Communication Skills: Current State, Relevance, and Opportunities for Improvement.

PubMed

McDermott, Michael P; Tischler, Victoria A; Cobb, Malcolm A; Robbé, Iain J; Dean, Rachel S

2015-01-01

Communication is increasingly recognized as a core skill for veterinary practitioners, and in recent years, attention to communication competency and skills training has increased. To gain an up-to-date assessment of the current state of veterinary communication skills and training, we conducted a survey among veterinary practitioners in the United Kingdom and United States in 2012/2013. The questionnaire was used to assess the current state, relevance, and adequacy of veterinary communication skills among veterinary practitioners, to assess interest in further training, and to understand perceived challenges in communicating with clients. There was an overall response rate of 29.6% (1,774 of 6,000 recipients), with a higher response rate for UK-based practitioners (39.7%) than practitioners in the US (19.5%). Ninety-eight percent of respondents agreed that communication skills were as important as or more important than clinical knowledge. Forty-one percent of respondents had received formal veterinary communication skills training during veterinary school, and 47% had received training post-graduation. Thirty-five percent said their veterinary communication skills training during veterinary school prepared them well or very well for communicating with clients about the health of their pets, compared to 61% of those receiving post-graduate training. Forty percent said they would be interested in further veterinary communication skills training, with the preferred methods being simulated consultations and online training. While there has been increased emphasis on communication skills training during and after veterinary school, there is a need for more relevant and accessible training.

Combining multiple positive training sets to generate confidence scores for protein-protein interactions.

PubMed

Yu, Jingkai; Finley, Russell L

2009-01-01

High-throughput experimental and computational methods are generating a wealth of protein-protein interaction data for a variety of organisms. However, data produced by current state-of-the-art methods include many false positives, which can hinder the analyses needed to derive biological insights. One way to address this problem is to assign confidence scores that reflect the reliability and biological significance of each interaction. Most previously described scoring methods use a set of likely true positives to train a model to score all interactions in a dataset. A single positive training set, however, may be biased and not representative of true interaction space. We demonstrate a method to score protein interactions by utilizing multiple independent sets of training positives to reduce the potential bias inherent in using a single training set. We used a set of benchmark yeast protein interactions to show that our approach outperforms other scoring methods. Our approach can also score interactions across data types, which makes it more widely applicable than many previously proposed methods. We applied the method to protein interaction data from both Drosophila melanogaster and Homo sapiens. Independent evaluations show that the resulting confidence scores accurately reflect the biological significance of the interactions.

History and future of human cadaver preservation for surgical training: from formalin to saturated salt solution method.

PubMed

Hayashi, Shogo; Naito, Munekazu; Kawata, Shinichi; Qu, Ning; Hatayama, Naoyuki; Hirai, Shuichi; Itoh, Masahiro

2016-01-01

Traditionally, surgical training meant on-the-job training with live patients in an operating room. However, due to advancing surgical techniques, such as minimally invasive surgery, and increasing safety demands during procedures, human cadavers have been used for surgical training. When considering the use of human cadavers for surgical training, one of the most important factors is their preservation. In this review, we summarize four preservation methods: fresh-frozen cadaver, formalin, Thiel's, and saturated salt solution methods. Fresh-frozen cadaver is currently the model that is closest to reality, but it also presents myriad problems, including the requirement of freezers for storage, limited work time because of rapid putrefaction, and risk of infection. Formalin is still used ubiquitously due to its low cost and wide availability, but it is not ideal because formaldehyde has an adverse health effect and formalin-embalmed cadavers do not exhibit many of the qualities of living organs. Thiel's method results in soft and flexible cadavers with almost natural colors, and Thiel-embalmed cadavers have been appraised widely in various medical disciplines. However, Thiel's method is relatively expensive and technically complicated. In addition, Thiel-embalmed cadavers have a limited dissection time. The saturated salt solution method is simple, carries a low risk of infection, and is relatively low cost. Although more research is needed, this method seems to be sufficiently useful for surgical training and has noteworthy features that expand the capability of clinical training. The saturated salt solution method will contribute to a wider use of cadavers for surgical training.

Training of leadership skills in medical education.

PubMed

Kiesewetter, Jan; Schmidt-Huber, Marion; Netzel, Janine; Krohn, Alexandra C; Angstwurm, Matthias; Fischer, Martin R

2013-01-01

Effective team performance is essential in the delivery of high-quality health-care. Leadership skills therefore are an important part of physicians' everyday clinical life. To date, the development of leadership skills are underrepresented in medical curricula. Appropriate training methods for equipping doctors with these leadership skills are highly desirable. The review aims to summarize the findings in the current literature regarding training in leadership skills in medicine and tries to integrate the findings to guide future research and training development. The PubMED, ERIC, and PsycArticles, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX and Academic search complete of EBSCOhost were searched for training of leadership skills in medicine in German and English. Relevant articles were identified and findings were integrated and consolidated regarding the leadership principles, target group of training and number of participants, temporal resources of the training, training content and methods, the evaluation design and trainings effects. Eight studies met all inclusion criteria and no exclusion criteria. The range of training programs is very broad and leadership skill components are diverse. Training designs implied theoretical reflections of leadership phenomena as well as discussions of case studies from practice. The duration of training ranged from several hours to years. Reactions of participants to trainings were positive, yet no behavioral changes through training were examined. More research is needed to understand the factors critical to success in the development of leadership skills in medical education and to adapt goal-oriented training methods. Requirements analysis might help to gain knowledge about the nature of leadership skills in medicine. The authors propose a stronger focus on behavioral training methods like simulation-based training for leadership skills in medical education.

Virtual reality training in neurosurgery: Review of current status and future applications

PubMed Central

Alaraj, Ali; Lemole, Michael G.; Finkle, Joshua H.; Yudkowsky, Rachel; Wallace, Adam; Luciano, Cristian; Banerjee, P. Pat; Rizzi, Silvio H.; Charbel, Fady T.

2011-01-01

Background: Over years, surgical training is changing and years of tradition are being challenged by legal and ethical concerns for patient safety, work hour restrictions, and the cost of operating room time. Surgical simulation and skill training offer an opportunity to teach and practice advanced techniques before attempting them on patients. Simulation training can be as straightforward as using real instruments and video equipment to manipulate simulated “tissue” in a box trainer. More advanced virtual reality (VR) simulators are now available and ready for widespread use. Early systems have demonstrated their effectiveness and discriminative ability. Newer systems enable the development of comprehensive curricula and full procedural simulations. Methods: A PubMed review of the literature was performed for the MESH words “Virtual reality, “Augmented Reality”, “Simulation”, “Training”, and “Neurosurgery”. Relevant articles were retrieved and reviewed. A review of the literature was performed for the history, current status of VR simulation in neurosurgery. Results: Surgical organizations are calling for methods to ensure the maintenance of skills, advance surgical training, and credential surgeons as technically competent. The number of published literature discussing the application of VR simulation in neurosurgery training has evolved over the last decade from data visualization, including stereoscopic evaluation to more complex augmented reality models. With the revolution of computational analysis abilities, fully immersive VR models are currently available in neurosurgery training. Ventriculostomy catheters insertion, endoscopic and endovascular simulations are used in neurosurgical residency training centers across the world. Recent studies have shown the coloration of proficiency with those simulators and levels of experience in the real world. Conclusion: Fully immersive technology is starting to be applied to the practice of neurosurgery. In the near future, detailed VR neurosurgical modules will evolve to be an essential part of the curriculum of the training of neurosurgeons. PMID:21697968

[Current status on management and needs related to education and training programs set for new employees at the provincial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in China].

PubMed

Ma, J; Meng, X D; Luo, H M; Zhou, H C; Qu, S L; Liu, X T; Dai, Z

2016-06-01

In order to understand the current management status on education/training and needs for training among new employees working at the provincial CDC in China during 2012-2014, so as to provide basis for setting up related programs at the CDC levels. Based on data gathered through questionnaire surveys run by CDCs from 32 provincial and 5 specifically-designated cities, microsoft excel was used to analyze the current status on management of education and training, for new employees. There were 156 management staff members working on education and training programs in 36 CDCs, with 70% of them having received intermediate or higher levels of education. Large differences were seen on equipment of training hardware in different regions. There were 1 214 teaching staff with 66 percent in the fields or related professional areas on public health, in 2014. 5084 new employees conducted pre/post training programs, from 2012 to 2014 with funding as 750 thousand RMB Yuan. 99.5% of the new employees expressed the needs for further training while. 74% of the new staff members expecting a 2-5 day training program to be implemented. 79% of the new staff members claimed that practice as the most appropriate method for training. Institutional programs set for education and training at the CDCs need to be clarified, with management team organized. It is important to provide more financial support on both hardware, software and human resources related to training programs which are set for new stuff members at all levels of CDCs.

Multi-model blending

DOEpatents

Hamann, Hendrik F.; Hwang, Youngdeok; van Kessel, Theodore G.; Khabibrakhmanov, Ildar K.; Muralidhar, Ramachandran

2016-10-18

A method and a system to perform multi-model blending are described. The method includes obtaining one or more sets of predictions of historical conditions, the historical conditions corresponding with a time T that is historical in reference to current time, and the one or more sets of predictions of the historical conditions being output by one or more models. The method also includes obtaining actual historical conditions, the actual historical conditions being measured conditions at the time T, assembling a training data set including designating the two or more set of predictions of historical conditions as predictor variables and the actual historical conditions as response variables, and training a machine learning algorithm based on the training data set. The method further includes obtaining a blended model based on the machine learning algorithm.

A comparison of methods for teaching receptive language to toddlers with autism.

PubMed

Vedora, Joseph; Grandelski, Katrina

2015-01-01

The use of a simple-conditional discrimination training procedure, in which stimuli are initially taught in isolation with no other comparison stimuli, is common in early intensive behavioral intervention programs. Researchers have suggested that this procedure may encourage the development of faulty stimulus control during training. The current study replicated previous work that compared the simple-conditional and the conditional-only methods to teach receptive labeling of pictures to young children with autism spectrum disorder. Both methods were effective, but the conditional-only method required fewer sessions to mastery. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Effectiveness of Interactive Computer-Based Instruction: A Review of Studies Published between 1995 and 2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Douglas A.; Rubin, Sophie

2011-01-01

Computer-based instruction (CBI) has been growing rapidly as a training tool in organizational settings, but close attention to behavioral factors has often been neglected. CBI represents a promising instructional advancement over current training methods. This review article summarizes 12 years of comparative research in interactive…

Marxism: The Relationship to Today's Work and Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Decker, Carol A.

As society becomes more accepting of unfamiliar cultures, Marxism must be reexamined for its relationship to current management styles and its potential worth in training and the work environment. The educational method of Marxism emphasizes discussion over lecture. Marxism proposes that general education is the key to having a classless society.…

Capacity Reviews for Trades Training in BC

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ministry of Advanced Education, 2007

2007-01-01

This report was commissioned in December 2006 to assess the capacity for trades training in the public post-secondary system with the key objectives to identify current levels of utilization for each of the top trades; identify methods of increasing capacity for top trades; and determine future levels of capacity that can be achieved without…

Models and Systems for Structurization of Knowledge in Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pelin, Nicolae; Pelin, Serghei

2007-01-01

In this work the problems of the automated structurization and activation of the knowledge, saved and used by mankind, during the organization and training, and also that knowledge which are generated by experts (including teachers) in the current activity, are analyzed. The purpose--the further perfection of methods and systems of the automated…

The Use of Cognitive Task Analysis to Capture Expertise for Tracheal Extubation Training in Anesthesiology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Embrey, Karen K.

2012-01-01

Cognitive task analysis (CTA) is a knowledge elicitation technique employed for acquiring expertise from domain specialists to support the effective instruction of novices. CTA guided instruction has proven effective in improving surgical skills training for medical students and surgical residents. The standard, current method of teaching clinical…

Drug Information Training and Experience at U.S. Schools of Pharmacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Sharon K.; Krucke, Lynn B.

1994-01-01

A survey of 56 pharmacy schools gathered information on current content of drug information courses and clerkships and plans to change training methods as the Doctor of Pharmacy becomes the sole entry-level degree. Some schools will modify course or clerkship content, by omitting or shifting objectives within the curriculum. (Author/MSE)

Collaborative Academic Training of Psychiatrists and Psychologists in VA and Medical School Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scaturo, Douglas J.; Huszonek, John J.

2009-01-01

Objective: The authors review the background and contemporary strengths of Dean's Committee Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in the collaborative academic training of psychiatrists and psychologists. Methods: The authors discuss the problems and prospects of the current health care environment as it impacts the behavioral health treatment of…

What Do We Teach Psychiatric Residents about Suicide? A National Survey of Chief Residents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melton, Bengi B.; Coverdale, John H.

2009-01-01

Objective: Because of the clinical significance of patient suicide for trainees and current limited information on this essential educational subject, the authors sought to determine what topics involving the care of suicidal patients were taught to residents in psychiatry training programs. Methods: Chief residents of psychiatry training programs…

"Moral Positioning" and Occupational Socialization in the Training of Hairdressers, Secretaries, and Caterers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickinson, Hilary; Erben, Michael

1984-01-01

Examined are the moral consequences of training methods on hairdressers, caterers, and secretaries. It is argued that there is a real possibility that persons can and do become embedded in a social situation to the detriment of their being able to conceptualize ready alternatives to their current social outlook. (RM)

Stretching Your Budget: Notes on Working with Sporting Goods Dealers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, William C.

2009-01-01

Pre-service teachers take many courses in college training programs in order to become teachers and coaches. Teachers have in-service training programs, varied across many school divisions or districts, which help keep them abreast of current methods in teaching and serve as professional development opportunities. However, budgetary planning and…

Changing trends in plastic surgery training.

PubMed

Sharma, Ramesh Kumar

2014-05-01

The currently available training models are being put to scrutiny in India today, both by the residents and the teachers. Plastic surgery specialty was created primarily for reconstructive purposes but the society always perceived it from a cosmetic angle, particularly in the post second world war era. As a result, there is a need to redefine the goals of plastic surgery training in the present times so that the plastic surgeon is "future ready" to meet the needs of society and the market forces. The author has reviewed the currently available literature on plastic surgery training from India and the western countries. An attempt has been made to study opinions from the teachers and the trainees. The modules currently available in India and abroad have been analyzed and a suggestion has been made for drafting training programs that would meet the demands of the society as well as prepare the resident both for the aesthetic and reconstructive practice. The plastic surgery training needs to be more vibrant and in tune with the changing times. While maintaining its core nature, the current predominantly reconstructive modules need to incorporate the aesthetic content. The evaluation should be both knowledge and competence based. The teachers need to be educated in the various teaching methods that are more applicable to grown up residents. There is a need to find ways to attract talented people in the academic plastic surgery.

The current state of resident training in genomic pathology: a comprehensive analysis utilizing the Resident In-Service Exam (RISE)

PubMed Central

Haspel, Richard L.; Rinder, Henry M.; Frank, Karen M.; Wagner, Jay; Ali, Asma M.; Fisher, Patrick B.; Parks, Eric R.

2014-01-01

Objectives To determine the current state of pathology resident training in genomic and molecular pathology. Methods The Training Residents in Genomics (TRIG) Working Group developed survey and knowledge questions for the 2013 Pathology Resident In-Service Examination (RISE). Sixteen demographic questions related to amount of training, current and predicted future use, and perceived ability in molecular pathology vs. genomic medicine were included along with five genomic pathology and 19 molecular pathology knowledge questions. Results A total of 2,506 pathology residents took the 2013 RISE with approximately 600 individuals per post-graduate year (PGY). For genomic medicine, 42% of PGY-4 respondents stated they had no training compared to 7% for molecular pathology (p<0.001). PGY-4 resident perceived ability in genomic medicine, comfort in discussing results, and predicted future use as a practicing pathologist were less than reported for molecular pathology (p<0.001). There was a greater increase by PGY in knowledge question scores for molecular than for genomic pathology. Conclusions The RISE is a powerful tool in assessing the state of resident training in genomic pathology and current results suggest a significant deficit. The results also provide a baseline to assess future initiatives to improve genomics education for pathology residents such as those developed by the TRIG Working Group. PMID:25239410

A situational analysis of training for behaviour change counselling for primary care providers, South Africa

PubMed Central

Mash, Bob; Everett-Murphy, Katherine

2015-01-01

Abstract Background Non-communicable diseases and associated risk factors (smoking, alcohol abuse, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet) are a major contributor to primary care morbidity and the burden of disease. The need for healthcare-provider training in evidence-based lifestyle interventions has been acknowledged by the National Department of Health. However, local studies suggest that counselling on lifestyle modification from healthcare providers is inadequate and this may, in part, be attributable to a lack of training. Aim This study aimed to assess the current training courses for primary healthcare providers in the Western Cape. Setting Stellenbosch University and University of Cape Town. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with six key informants (trainers of primary care nurses and registrars in family medicine) and two focus groups (nine nurses and eight doctors) from both Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town. Results Trainers lack confidence in the effectiveness of behaviour change counselling and in current approaches to training. Current training is limited by time constraints and is not integrated throughout the curriculum – there is a focus on theory rather than modelling and practice, as well as a lack of both formative and summative assessment. Implementation of training is limited by a lack of patient education materials, poor continuity of care and record keeping, conflicting lifestyle messages and an unsupportive organisational culture. Conclusion Revising the approach to current training is necessary in order to improve primary care providers’ behaviour change counselling skills. Primary care facilities need to create a more conducive environment that is supportive of behaviour change counselling. PMID:26245589

Optimization of multiply acquired magnetic flux density B(z) using ICNE-Multiecho train in MREIT.

PubMed

Nam, Hyun Soo; Kwon, Oh In

2010-05-07

The aim of magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MREIT) is to visualize the electrical properties, conductivity or current density of an object by injection of current. Recently, the prolonged data acquisition time when using the injected current nonlinear encoding (ICNE) method has been advantageous for measurement of magnetic flux density data, Bz, for MREIT in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, the ICNE method results in undesirable side artifacts, such as blurring, chemical shift and phase artifacts, due to the long data acquisition under an inhomogeneous static field. In this paper, we apply the ICNE method to a gradient and spin echo (GRASE) multi-echo train pulse sequence in order to provide the multiple k-space lines during a single RF pulse period. We analyze the SNR of the measured multiple B(z) data using the proposed ICNE-Multiecho MR pulse sequence. By determining a weighting factor for B(z) data in each of the echoes, an optimized inversion formula for the magnetic flux density data is proposed for the ICNE-Multiecho MR sequence. Using the ICNE-Multiecho method, the quality of the measured magnetic flux density is considerably increased by the injection of a long current through the echo train length and by optimization of the voxel-by-voxel noise level of the B(z) value. Agarose-gel phantom experiments have demonstrated fewer artifacts and a better SNR using the ICNE-Multiecho method. Experimenting with the brain of an anesthetized dog, we collected valuable echoes by taking into account the noise level of each of the echoes and determined B(z) data by determining optimized weighting factors for the multiply acquired magnetic flux density data.

Vocational Training and Innovative Practices in the Environmental Sector: A Comparison of Ten EU [European Union] Member States with Specimen Cases. Synthesis Report in the Context of the "Observing Innovations in Vocational Training" Project. CEDEFOP Panorama.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loos, Roland

This report provides specialist information and application-oriented recommendations to implement innovative environmental vocational education and training (VET) measures and practices. Chapter 1 explains study method and structure. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the current state of environmental VET in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany,…

Effects of computer-based training on procedural modifications to standard functional analyses.

PubMed

Schnell, Lauren K; Sidener, Tina M; DeBar, Ruth M; Vladescu, Jason C; Kahng, SungWoo

2018-01-01

Few studies have evaluated methods for training decision-making when functional analysis data are undifferentiated. The current study evaluated computer-based training to teach 20 graduate students to arrange functional analysis conditions, analyze functional analysis data, and implement procedural modifications. Participants were exposed to training materials using interactive software during a 1-day session. Following the training, mean scores on the posttest, novel cases probe, and maintenance probe increased for all participants. These results replicate previous findings during a 1-day session and include a measure of participant acceptability of the training. Recommendations for future research on computer-based training and functional analysis are discussed. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Code inspection instructional validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orr, Kay; Stancil, Shirley

1992-01-01

The Shuttle Data Systems Branch (SDSB) of the Flight Data Systems Division (FDSD) at Johnson Space Center contracted with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to validate the effectiveness of an interactive video course on the code inspection process. The purpose of this project was to determine if this course could be effective for teaching NASA analysts the process of code inspection. In addition, NASA was interested in the effectiveness of this unique type of instruction (Digital Video Interactive), for providing training on software processes. This study found the Carnegie Mellon course, 'A Cure for the Common Code', effective for teaching the process of code inspection. In addition, analysts prefer learning with this method of instruction, or this method in combination with other methods. As is, the course is definitely better than no course at all; however, findings indicate changes are needed. Following are conclusions of this study. (1) The course is instructionally effective. (2) The simulation has a positive effect on student's confidence in his ability to apply new knowledge. (3) Analysts like the course and prefer this method of training, or this method in combination with current methods of training in code inspection, over the way training is currently being conducted. (4) Analysts responded favorably to information presented through scenarios incorporating full motion video. (5) Some course content needs to be changed. (6) Some content needs to be added to the course. SwRI believes this study indicates interactive video instruction combined with simulation is effective for teaching software processes. Based on the conclusions of this study, SwRI has outlined seven options for NASA to consider. SwRI recommends the option which involves creation of new source code and data files, but uses much of the existing content and design from the current course. Although this option involves a significant software development effort, SwRI believes this option will produce the most effective results.

Periodization in Team Sport Games - A Review of Current Knowledge and Modern Trends in Competitive Sports

PubMed Central

Lyakh, Vladimir; Bujas, Przemysław; Witkowski, Zbigniew; Zając, Tomasz; Litkowycz, Ryszard; Banyś, Damian

2016-01-01

Abstract The main goal of this study was to present a review of current knowledge and modern trends in periodization of the training process in team sports. The research objectives were: an analysis of various aspects of periodization of the annual training cycle for elite athletes practicing team sport games, an attempt to determine both the examined and unexamined issues related with periodization of training as well as to indicate directions for further research, and finally, presentation of different training loads and competitions in micro-, meso- and macrocycles. The research consisted of the analysis and generalization of the bibliography, methods of monitoring training and competition loads of the Polish national U17 female soccer team in the seasons 2011/2012 and 2012/2013, as well as of the female basketball division one club in the season 2014/2015. Findings of the present study indicate resolved as well as unresolved aspects of annual training cycle periodization in team sport games and provide information on the types of training and competitive workload planning in micro-, meso- and macrocycles.

Advanced training systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savely, Robert T.; Loftin, R. Bowen

1990-01-01

Training is a major endeavor in all modern societies. Common training methods include training manuals, formal classes, procedural computer programs, simulations, and on-the-job training. NASA's training approach has focussed primarily on on-the-job training in a simulation environment for both crew and ground based personnel. NASA must explore new approaches to training for the 1990's and beyond. Specific autonomous training systems are described which are based on artificial intelligence technology for use by NASA astronauts, flight controllers, and ground based support personnel that show an alternative to current training systems. In addition to these specific systems, the evolution of a general architecture for autonomous intelligent training systems that integrates many of the features of traditional training programs with artificial intelligence techniques is presented. These Intelligent Computer Aided Training (ICAT) systems would provide much of the same experience that could be gained from the best on-the-job training.

Robust Brain-Machine Interface Design Using Optimal Feedback Control Modeling and Adaptive Point Process Filtering

PubMed Central

Carmena, Jose M.

2016-01-01

Much progress has been made in brain-machine interfaces (BMI) using decoders such as Kalman filters and finding their parameters with closed-loop decoder adaptation (CLDA). However, current decoders do not model the spikes directly, and hence may limit the processing time-scale of BMI control and adaptation. Moreover, while specialized CLDA techniques for intention estimation and assisted training exist, a unified and systematic CLDA framework that generalizes across different setups is lacking. Here we develop a novel closed-loop BMI training architecture that allows for processing, control, and adaptation using spike events, enables robust control and extends to various tasks. Moreover, we develop a unified control-theoretic CLDA framework within which intention estimation, assisted training, and adaptation are performed. The architecture incorporates an infinite-horizon optimal feedback-control (OFC) model of the brain’s behavior in closed-loop BMI control, and a point process model of spikes. The OFC model infers the user’s motor intention during CLDA—a process termed intention estimation. OFC is also used to design an autonomous and dynamic assisted training technique. The point process model allows for neural processing, control and decoder adaptation with every spike event and at a faster time-scale than current decoders; it also enables dynamic spike-event-based parameter adaptation unlike current CLDA methods that use batch-based adaptation on much slower adaptation time-scales. We conducted closed-loop experiments in a non-human primate over tens of days to dissociate the effects of these novel CLDA components. The OFC intention estimation improved BMI performance compared with current intention estimation techniques. OFC assisted training allowed the subject to consistently achieve proficient control. Spike-event-based adaptation resulted in faster and more consistent performance convergence compared with batch-based methods, and was robust to parameter initialization. Finally, the architecture extended control to tasks beyond those used for CLDA training. These results have significant implications towards the development of clinically-viable neuroprosthetics. PMID:27035820

Simulative and experimental investigation on stator winding turn and unbalanced supply voltage fault diagnosis in induction motors using Artificial Neural Networks.

PubMed

Lashkari, Negin; Poshtan, Javad; Azgomi, Hamid Fekri

2015-11-01

The three-phase shift between line current and phase voltage of induction motors can be used as an efficient fault indicator to detect and locate inter-turn stator short-circuit (ITSC) fault. However, unbalanced supply voltage is one of the contributing factors that inevitably affect stator currents and therefore the three-phase shift. Thus, it is necessary to propose a method that is able to identify whether the unbalance of three currents is caused by ITSC or supply voltage fault. This paper presents a feedforward multilayer-perceptron Neural Network (NN) trained by back propagation, based on monitoring negative sequence voltage and the three-phase shift. The data which are required for training and test NN are generated using simulated model of stator. The experimental results are presented to verify the superior accuracy of the proposed method. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Methods Used by Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy to Prepare Student Pharmacists for Careers in Academia

PubMed Central

Dy-Boarman, Eliza A.; Clifford, Kalin M.; Summa, Maria A.; Willson, Megan N.; Boyle, Jaclyn A.; Peeters, Michael J.

2017-01-01

Objective. To identify the methods used by US colleges and schools of pharmacy to prepare student pharmacists for academic careers. Method. An 18-item survey instrument was developed and distributed to US colleges and schools of pharmacy. Representatives were asked about faculty responsibilities, experiences in academia currently offered to student pharmacists, and representatives’ perception of their student pharmacists’ preparedness for careers in academia, including barriers in current programming. Results. Representatives from 96 colleges/schools responded. The vast majority (96%) provided academia-focused advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs), 40% provided didactic coursework in academia, 28% offered a longitudinal research track, and 42% offered academia-focused independent studies. Teaching methods and creating learning objectives were the most common pedagogical content, while assessment activities were diverse. Time was the most prevalent barrier to providing training for academic careers; however, degree of student pharmacist interest, faculty inexperience, and lack of leadership support were also commonly reported. Conclusions: Colleges and schools of pharmacy vary in the extent to which they prepare student pharmacists for careers in academia. Advanced pharmacy practice experiences were the most common method of training offered. Standardization of training for academia may better promote this career path to student pharmacists. PMID:28289296

Burrowing as a novel voluntary strength training method for mice: A comparison of various voluntary strength or resistance exercise methods.

PubMed

Roemers, P; Mazzola, P N; De Deyn, P P; Bossers, W J; van Heuvelen, M J G; van der Zee, E A

2018-04-15

Voluntary strength training methods for rodents are necessary to investigate the effects of strength training on cognition and the brain. However, few voluntary methods are available. The current study tested functional and muscular effects of two novel voluntary strength training methods, burrowing (digging a substrate out of a tube) and unloaded tower climbing, in male C57Bl6 mice. To compare these two novel methods with existing exercise methods, resistance running and (non-resistance) running were included. Motor coordination, grip strength and muscle fatigue were measured at baseline, halfway through and near the end of a fourteen week exercise intervention. Endurance was measured by an incremental treadmill test after twelve weeks. Both burrowing and resistance running improved forelimb grip strength as compared to controls. Running and resistance running increased endurance in the treadmill test and improved motor skills as measured by the balance beam test. Post-mortem tissue analyses revealed that running and resistance running induced Soleus muscle hypertrophy and reduced epididymal fat mass. Tower climbing elicited no functional or muscular changes. As a voluntary strength exercise method, burrowing avoids the confounding effects of stress and positive reinforcers elicited in forced strength exercise methods. Compared to voluntary resistance running, burrowing likely reduces the contribution of aerobic exercise components. Burrowing qualifies as a suitable voluntary strength training method in mice. Furthermore, resistance running shares features of strength training and endurance (aerobic) exercise and should be considered a multi-modal aerobic-strength exercise method in mice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Is the public being protected? Prevention of suboptimal medical practice through training programs and credentialing examinations.

PubMed

Tamblyn, R

1994-06-01

Governments have traditionally looked to the medical profession for leadership in health planning and have charged the profession with the responsibility of establishing and monitoring standards of medical practice. Training program accreditation and licensure/certification exams have been used as the primary methods of preventing unqualified individuals from entering medical practice. Despite the critical nature of the decision made at the time of licensure/certification, there is no information about the validity of these examinations for predicting subsequent practice and health outcome. In this article, the assumptions implicit in the current use of licensing/certifying examinations are identified, the relevant evidence is reviewed, and the implications of this evidence for current methods of measurement are discussed.

Optimizing Preseason Training Loads in Australian Football.

PubMed

Carey, David L; Crow, Justin; Ong, Kok-Leong; Blanch, Peter; Morris, Meg E; Dascombe, Ben J; Crossley, Kay M

2018-02-01

To investigate whether preseason training plans for Australian football can be computer generated using current training-load guidelines to optimize injury-risk reduction and performance improvement. A constrained optimization problem was defined for daily total and sprint distance, using the preseason schedule of an elite Australian football team as a template. Maximizing total training volume and maximizing Banister-model-projected performance were both considered optimization objectives. Cumulative workload and acute:chronic workload-ratio constraints were placed on training programs to reflect current guidelines on relative and absolute training loads for injury-risk reduction. Optimization software was then used to generate preseason training plans. The optimization framework was able to generate training plans that satisfied relative and absolute workload constraints. Increasing the off-season chronic training loads enabled the optimization algorithm to prescribe higher amounts of "safe" training and attain higher projected performance levels. Simulations showed that using a Banister-model objective led to plans that included a taper in training load prior to competition to minimize fatigue and maximize projected performance. In contrast, when the objective was to maximize total training volume, more frequent training was prescribed to accumulate as much load as possible. Feasible training plans that maximize projected performance and satisfy injury-risk constraints can be automatically generated by an optimization problem for Australian football. The optimization methods allow for individualized training-plan design and the ability to adapt to changing training objectives and different training-load metrics.

Navy Recruit Training Optimization, Post 1980. Phase I: Current Assessment and Concept for the Future.

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-05-01

subjective in nature , -it provides a practical method for analyzing a mass of data, including data which can be utilized to predict probable future... nature and administered when the individual student is unable to maintain acceptable perfornance during the training cycle. Service-wide remedial...are directly related to the curriculum topics of recruit training. Others are of a broader nature related to general Navy problo•is which present a

Exploring Academic Achievement in Males Trained in Self-Assessment Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Betty

2009-01-01

This paper examines academic achievement of males following formal training in self-assessment. It adds to current literature by proposing a tried-and-tested method of improving academic achievement in males at a time when they appear to be marginalised. The sample comprised 515 participants (233 males), representing 25.2% of that high school…

Employee Educational Programs: Implications for Industry and Higher Education. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Research Report No. 7.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morse, Susanne W.

Current types of industry-sponsored educational programs, training facilities, and teaching and evaluation methods are described. The history of education and training within the corporate world and the roles of government and unions are traced. Factors that have limited college and industrial cooperation in employee education are also identified.…

Print Still Matters in an E-Learning World, and Training Companies Need to Properly Manage It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kriesen, Gretchen L.

2011-01-01

This report demonstrates how the application of Behavioral Systems Analysis (BSA) methods assisted in assessing a small training company's Print Production Management (PPM) system. PPM is the process by which printed materials are conceptualized, estimated, released to a commercial printer, proofed, and delivered to the client. The current PPM…

Associations between owner personality and psychological status and the prevalence of canine behavior problems

PubMed Central

Dodman, Nicholas H.; Brown, Dorothy C.

2018-01-01

Behavioral problems are a major source of poor welfare and premature mortality in companion dogs. Previous studies have demonstrated associations between owners’ personality and psychological status and the prevalence and/or severity of their dogs’ behavior problems. However, the mechanisms responsible for these associations are currently unknown. Other studies have detected links between the tendency of dogs to display behavior problems and their owners’ use of aversive or confrontational training methods. This raises the possibility that the effects of owner personality and psychological status on dog behavior are mediated via their influence on the owner’s choice of training methods. We investigated this hypothesis in a self-selected, convenience sample of 1564 current dog owners using an online battery of questionnaires designed to measure, respectively, owner personality, depression, emotion regulation, use of aversive/confrontational training methods, and owner-reported dog behavior. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses identified modest, positive associations between owners’ use of aversive/confrontational training methods and the prevalence/severity of the following dog behavior problems: owner-directed aggression, stranger-directed aggression, separation problems, chasing, persistent barking, and house-soiling (urination and defecation when left alone). The regression models also detected modest associations between owners’ low scores on four of the ‘Big Five’ personality dimensions (Agreeableness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion & Conscientiousness) and their dogs’ tendency to display higher rates of owner-directed aggression, stranger-directed fear, and/or urination when left alone. The study found only weak evidence to support the hypothesis that these relationships between owner personality and dog behavior were mediated via the owners’ use of punitive training methods, but it did detect a more than five-fold increase in the use of aversive/confrontational training techniques among men with moderate depression. Further research is needed to clarify the causal relationship between owner personality and psychological status and the behavioral problems of companion dogs. PMID:29444154

Associations between owner personality and psychological status and the prevalence of canine behavior problems.

PubMed

Dodman, Nicholas H; Brown, Dorothy C; Serpell, James A

2018-01-01

Behavioral problems are a major source of poor welfare and premature mortality in companion dogs. Previous studies have demonstrated associations between owners' personality and psychological status and the prevalence and/or severity of their dogs' behavior problems. However, the mechanisms responsible for these associations are currently unknown. Other studies have detected links between the tendency of dogs to display behavior problems and their owners' use of aversive or confrontational training methods. This raises the possibility that the effects of owner personality and psychological status on dog behavior are mediated via their influence on the owner's choice of training methods. We investigated this hypothesis in a self-selected, convenience sample of 1564 current dog owners using an online battery of questionnaires designed to measure, respectively, owner personality, depression, emotion regulation, use of aversive/confrontational training methods, and owner-reported dog behavior. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses identified modest, positive associations between owners' use of aversive/confrontational training methods and the prevalence/severity of the following dog behavior problems: owner-directed aggression, stranger-directed aggression, separation problems, chasing, persistent barking, and house-soiling (urination and defecation when left alone). The regression models also detected modest associations between owners' low scores on four of the 'Big Five' personality dimensions (Agreeableness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion & Conscientiousness) and their dogs' tendency to display higher rates of owner-directed aggression, stranger-directed fear, and/or urination when left alone. The study found only weak evidence to support the hypothesis that these relationships between owner personality and dog behavior were mediated via the owners' use of punitive training methods, but it did detect a more than five-fold increase in the use of aversive/confrontational training techniques among men with moderate depression. Further research is needed to clarify the causal relationship between owner personality and psychological status and the behavioral problems of companion dogs.

Effect of brief training on reliability and applicability of Global Assessment of functioning scale by Psychiatric clinical officers in Uganda.

PubMed

Abbo, C; Okello, E S; Nakku, J

2013-03-01

The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) is the standard method and an essential tool for representing a clinician's judgment of a patient's overall level of psychological, social and occupational functioning. As such, it is probably the single most widely used method for assessing impairment among the patients with psychiatric illnesses. To assess the effects of one-hour training on application of the GAF by Psychiatric Clinical Officers' in a Ugandan setting. Five Psychiatrists and five Psychiatric Clinical Officers (PCOs) or Assistant Medical Officers who hold a 2 year diploma in Clinical Psychiatry were randomly selected to independently rate a video-recorded psychiatric interview according to the DSM IV-TR. The PCOs were then offered a one-hour training on how to rate the GAF scale and asked to rate the video case interview again. All ratings were assigned on the basis of past one year, at admission and current functioning. Interclass correlations (ICC) were computed using two-way mixed models. The ICC between the psychiatrists and the PCOs before training in the past one year, at admission and current functioning were +0.48, +0.51 and +0.59 respectively. After training, the ICC coefficients were +0.60, +0.82 and +0.83. Brief training given to PCOs improved the applications of their ratings of GAF scale to acceptable levels. There is need for formal training to this cadre of psychiatric practitioners in the use of the GAF.

Rating of Perceived Exertion for Quantification of Training and Combat Loads During Combat Sport-Specific Activities: A Short Review.

PubMed

Slimani, Maamer; Davis, Philip; Franchini, Emerson; Moalla, Wassim

2017-10-01

The aim of this short review was to summarize data pertaining to the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) methods (RPE value and session-RPE) during combat sport-specific activities (i.e., competition and training) based on many factors, including contest type (i.e., official vs. simulated vs. training), combat rounds, age of participants and muscle groups, and their correlation with physiological variables (i.e., blood lactate concentration [La] and heart rate [HR]). The current review shows higher RPE in a match of mixed martial arts (MMAs) than Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing matches and during the competitive period compared with the precompetitive period. This could be explained by the longer duration of bouts, the higher percentage contribution of aerobic metabolism in MMA than other combat sports and contest type differences (simulated vs. official matches). Thus, this review found significant correlations between RPE or session-RPE, [La] and HR. Particularly, there was a stronger correlation between RPE and [La] during official striking (r = 0.81) than grappling combat sports matches (r = 0.53). In addition, a variation of correlation (moderate to large) between session-RPE and HR-based methods has been reported (i.e., Edwards' training load [r ranged between 0.58 and 0.95] and Banister training impulse [r ranged between 0.52 and 0.86]). Specifically, stronger correlation was apparent in combat sport competition that required a much higher percentage contribution of aerobic metabolism (e.g., karate) and in adult athletes than anaerobic-based combat sports (e.g., taekwondo) and young athletes, respectively. Indeed, the current review highlights that the correlations between session-RPE and HR-based methods were higher during official competition than training sessions. Session-RPE was affected by participants' competitive level, the intensity of session (high vs. low), the training modalities (tactical-technical vs. technical-development vs. simulated competition), and the training volume in combat sports athletes. Rating of perceived exertion is a valid tool for quantifying internal training and combat loads during short- and long-term training and simulated and official competitions in novice and elite combat sport athletes. Furthermore, both RPE methods may be a more reliable measure of intensity or effort when both anaerobic and aerobic systems are appreciably activated. Coaches, sports scientists, and athletes can use session-RPE method to quantify short-term training and combat loads in adult athletes during precompetitive period much more than long-term training and in young athletes during the competitive period. They can also use RPE to monitor combat and short- and long-term training loads to better plan and assist training programs and competitions.

Compassion training in healthcare: what are patients' perspectives on training healthcare providers?

PubMed

Sinclair, Shane; Torres, Mia-Bernadine; Raffin-Bouchal, Shelley; Hack, Thomas F; McClement, Susan; Hagen, Neil A; Chochinov, Harvey M

2016-07-11

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate advanced cancer patients' perspectives on the importance, feasibility, teaching methods, and issues associated with training healthcare providers in compassionate care. This study utilized grounded theory, a qualitative research method, to develop an empirical understanding of compassion education rooted in direct patient reports. Audio-recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain an in-depth understanding of compassion training from the perspectives of hospitalized advanced cancer patients (n = 53). Data were analyzed in accordance with grounded theory to determine the key elements of the underlying theory. Three overarching categories and associated themes emerged from the data: compassion aptitude, cultivating compassion, and training methods. Participants spoke of compassion as an innate quality embedded in the character of learners prior to their healthcare training, which could be nurtured through experiential learning and reflective practices. Patients felt that the innate qualities that learners possessed at baseline were further fashioned by personal and practice experiences, and vocational motivators. Participants also provided recommendations for compassion training, including developing an interpersonal relationship with patients, seeing the patient as a person, and developing a human connection. Teaching methods that patients suggested in compassion training included patient-centered communication, self-reflection exercises, and compassionate role modeling. This study provides insight on compassion training for both current and future healthcare providers, from the perspectives of the end recipients of healthcare provider training - patients. Developing a theoretical base for patient centred, evidence-informed, compassion training is a crucial initial step toward the further development of this core healthcare competency.

Building an evidence-base for the training of evidence-based treatments in community settings: Use of an expert-informed approach.

PubMed

Scudder, Ashley; Herschell, Amy D

2015-08-01

In order to make EBTs available to a large number of children and families, developers and expert therapists have used their experience and expertise to train community-based therapists in EBTs. Understanding current training practices of treatment experts may be one method for establishing best practices for training community-based therapists prior to comprehensive empirical examinations of training practices. A qualitative study was conducted using surveys and phone interviews to identify the specific procedures used by treatment experts to train and implement an evidence-based treatment in community settings. Twenty-three doctoral-level, clinical psychologists were identified to participate because of their expertise in conducting and training Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were completed by phone, later transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic coding. The de-identified data were coded by two independent qualitative data researchers and then compared for consistency of interpretation. The themes that emerged following the final coding were used to construct a training protocol to be empirically tested. The goal of this paper is to not only understand the current state of training practices for training therapists in a particular EBT, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, but to illustrate the use of expert opinion as the best available evidence in preparation for empirical evaluation.

Contemporary Initiatives in Social Studies Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Wentworth; Green, Frederick E.

Intended as an innovative methods text to aid teachers in training as well as teachers in practice, 36 essays written by "outstanding contemporary leaders in social studies education" selectively address important areas currently shaping a new, "more mature," social studies. Five essays in chapter I review current attempts to…

Developing computer training programs for blood bankers.

PubMed

Eisenbrey, L

1992-01-01

Two surveys were conducted in July 1991 to gather information about computer training currently performed within American Red Cross Blood Services Regions. One survey was completed by computer trainers from software developer-vendors and regional centers. The second survey was directed to the trainees, to determine their perception of the computer training. The surveys identified the major concepts, length of training, evaluations, and methods of instruction used. Strengths and weaknesses of training programs were highlighted by trainee respondents. Using the survey information and other sources, recommendations (including those concerning which computer skills and tasks should be covered) are made that can be used as guidelines for developing comprehensive computer training programs at any blood bank or blood center.

Educating psychotherapy supervisors.

PubMed

Watkins, C Edward

2012-01-01

What do we know clinically and empirically about the education of psychotherapy supervisors? In this paper, I attempt to address that question by: (1) reviewing briefly current thinking about psychotherapy supervisor training; and (2) examining the available research where supervisor training and supervision have been studied. The importance of such matters as training format and methods, supervision topics for study, supervisor development, and supervisor competencies are considered, and some prototypical, competency-based supervisor training programs that hold educational promise are identified and described. Twenty supervisor training studies are critiqued, and their implications for practice and research are examined. Based on this review of training programs and research, the following conclusions are drawn: (1) the clinical validity of supervisor education appears to be strong, solid, and sound, (2) although research suggests that supervisor training can have value in stimulating the development of supervisor trainees and better preparing them for the supervisory role, any such base of empirical support or validity should be regarded as tentative at best; and (3) the most formidable challenge for psychotherapy supervisor education may well be correcting the imbalance that currently exists between clinical and empirical validity and "raising the bar" on the rigor, relevance, and replicability of future supervisor training research.

A systematic review of basic life support training targeted to family members of high-risk cardiac patients.

PubMed

Cartledge, Susie; Bray, Janet E; Leary, Marion; Stub, Dion; Finn, Judith

2016-08-01

Targeting basic life support (BLS) training to bystanders who are most likely to witness an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is an important public health intervention. We performed a systematic review examining the evidence of the effectiveness of providing BLS training to family members of high-risk cardiac patients. A search of Ovid MEDLINE, CINAL, EMBASE, Informit, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global was conducted. We included all studies training adult family members of high-risk cardiac patients regardless of methods used for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or BLS training. Two reviewers independently extracted data and evaluated the quality of evidence using GRADE (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation). We included 26 of the 1172 studies identified. The majority of studies were non-randomised controlled trials (n=18), of very low to moderate quality. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to indicate a benefit of this intervention for patients; largely because of low numbers of OHCA events and high loss to follow-up. However, the majority of trained individuals were able to competently perform BLS skills, reported a willingness to use these skills and experienced lower anxiety. Whilst there is no current evidence for improvement in patient outcomes from targeted BLS training for family members, this group are willing and capable to learn these skills. Future research may need to examine longer periods of follow-up using alternate methods (e.g. cardiac arrest registries), and examine the effectiveness of training in the modern era. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can the feedback of patient assessments, brief training, or their combination, improve the interpersonal skills of primary care physicians? A systematic review.

PubMed

Cheraghi-Sohi, Sudeh; Bower, Peter

2008-08-21

Improving quality of primary care is a key focus of international health policy. Current quality improvement efforts place a large focus on technical, clinical aspects of quality, but a comprehensive approach to quality improvement should also include interpersonal care. Two methods of improving the quality of interpersonal care in primary care have been proposed. One involves the feedback of patient assessments of interpersonal care to physicians, and the other involves brief training and education programmes. This study therefore reviewed the efficacy of (i) feedback of real patient assessments of interpersonal care skills, (ii) brief training focused on the improvement of interpersonal care (iii) interventions combining both (i) and (ii) Systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Three electronic databases were searched (CENTRAL, Medline and Embase) and augmented by searches of the bibliographies of retrieved articles. The quality of studies was appraised and results summarised in narrative form. Nine studies were included (two patient based feedback studies and seven brief training studies). Of the two feedback studies, one reported a significant positive effect. Only one training study reported a significant positive effect. There is limited evidence concerning the effects of patient based feedback. There is reasonable evidence that brief training as currently delivered is not effective, although the evidence is not definitive, due to the small number of trials and the variation in the training methods and goals. The lack of effectiveness of these methods may reflect a number of issues, such as differences in the effectiveness of the interventions in experienced practitioners and those in training, the lack of theory linking feedback to behaviour change, failure to provide sufficient training or to use a comprehensive range of behaviour change techniques. Further research into both feedback and brief training interventions is required before these interventions are routinely introduced to improve patient satisfaction with interpersonal care in primary care. The interventions to be tested in future research should consider using insights from the wider literature on communication outside primary care, might benefit from a clearer theoretical basis, and should examine the use of combined brief training and feedback.

Human factors considerations for training astronauts to function effectively in multiple environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Malcolm M.

1991-01-01

This paper reviews some of the basic issues involved in training individuals to function appropriately under the several conditions that comprise the aerospace environment. The topic of transfer of training is examined in some detail, and the use of high-fidelity simulators in various training programs is discussed. Both current and classical techniques used to train astronauts are noted, and some relatively new and innovative training techniques and methods are described. Particularly, the paper discusses an important aspect of functioning appropriately in a given environment that is based on how well the operator calibrates his motor activity for that specific environment. The role of motor-sensory feedback for the acquisition of motor skills is discussed in the context of training.

Competency-based education: a new model for teaching orthopaedics.

PubMed

Alman, Benjamin A; Ferguson, Peter; Kraemer, William; Nousiainen, Markku T; Reznick, Richard K

2013-01-01

The current methods used to train residents to become orthopaedic surgeons are based on tradition, not evidence-based models. Educators have only a limited ability to assess trainees for competency using validated tests in various domains. The reduction in resident work hours limits the time available for clinical training, which has resulted in some calls for lengthening the training process. Another approach to address limited training hours is to focus training in a program that allows residents to graduate from a rotation based on demonstrated competency rather than on time on a service. A pilot orthopaedic residency curriculum, which uses a competency-based framework of resident training and maximizes the use of available training hours, has been designed and is being implemented.

Alcohol brief interventions practice following training for multidisciplinary health and social care teams: A qualitative interview study

PubMed Central

Fitzgerald, Niamh; Molloy, Heather; MacDonald, Fiona; McCambridge, Jim

2015-01-01

Introduction and Aims Few studies of the implementation of alcohol brief interventions (ABI) have been conducted in community settings such as mental health, social work and criminal justice teams. This qualitative interview study sought to explore the impact of training on ABI delivery by staff from a variety of such teams. Design and Methods Fifteen semi-structured telephone interviews were carried out with trained practitioners and with managers to explore the use of, perceived need for and approaches to ABI delivery and recording with clients, and compatibility of ABIs with current practice. Interviews were analysed thematically using an inductive approach. Results Very few practitioners reported delivery of any ABIs following training primarily because they felt ABIs to be inappropriate for their clients. According to practitioners, this was either because they drank too much or too little to benefit. Practitioners reported a range of current activities relating to alcohol, and some felt that their knowledge and confidence were improved following training. One practitioner reported ABI delivery and was considered a training success, while expectations of ABIs did not fit with current practice including assessment procedures for the remainder. Discussion and Conclusions Identified barriers to ABI delivery included issues relating to individual practitioners, their teams, current practice and the ABI model. They are likely to be best addressed by strategic team- and setting-specific approaches to implementation, of which training is only one part. [Fitzgerald N, Molloy H, MacDonald F, McCambridge J. Alcohol brief interventions practice following training for multidisciplinary health and social care teams: A qualitative interview study. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;34:185–93] PMID:25196713

Transferable Training Modules: Building Environmental Education Opportunities With and for Mexican Community Health Workers (Promotores de Salud).

PubMed

Ramírez, Denise Moreno; Vea, Lourdes; Field, James A; Baker, Paul B; Gandolfi, A Jay; Maier, Raina M

Community health workers (promotores de salud) have the ability to empower communities to mitigate negative health outcomes. Current training efforts in environmental topics are lacking. This project addressed this gap by developing 4 transferable training modules on environmental health. By applying a series of surveys, interviews, and trainings, we evaluated their relevance. Partners provided favorable feedback for 3 of the 4 modules. It was also learned that the development method could be improved by engaging technically trained promotores de salud in the role of co-creators. This project has implications for environmental justice communities as it can lessen information disparities.

Scalable training of artificial neural networks with adaptive sparse connectivity inspired by network science.

PubMed

Mocanu, Decebal Constantin; Mocanu, Elena; Stone, Peter; Nguyen, Phuong H; Gibescu, Madeleine; Liotta, Antonio

2018-06-19

Through the success of deep learning in various domains, artificial neural networks are currently among the most used artificial intelligence methods. Taking inspiration from the network properties of biological neural networks (e.g. sparsity, scale-freeness), we argue that (contrary to general practice) artificial neural networks, too, should not have fully-connected layers. Here we propose sparse evolutionary training of artificial neural networks, an algorithm which evolves an initial sparse topology (Erdős-Rényi random graph) of two consecutive layers of neurons into a scale-free topology, during learning. Our method replaces artificial neural networks fully-connected layers with sparse ones before training, reducing quadratically the number of parameters, with no decrease in accuracy. We demonstrate our claims on restricted Boltzmann machines, multi-layer perceptrons, and convolutional neural networks for unsupervised and supervised learning on 15 datasets. Our approach has the potential to enable artificial neural networks to scale up beyond what is currently possible.

Sensorless control for permanent magnet synchronous motor using a neural network based adaptive estimator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Chung-Jin; Kim, Sung-Joong; Han, Woo-Young; Min, Won-Kyoung

2005-12-01

The rotor position and speed estimation of permanent-magnet synchronous motor(PMSM) was dealt with. By measuring the phase voltages and currents of the PMSM drive, two diagonally recurrent neural network(DRNN) based observers, a neural current observer and a neural velocity observer were developed. DRNN which has self-feedback of the hidden neurons ensures that the outputs of DRNN contain the whole past information of the system even if the inputs of DRNN are only the present states and inputs of the system. Thus the structure of DRNN may be simpler than that of feedforward and fully recurrent neural networks. If the backpropagation method was used for the training of the DRNN the problem of slow convergence arise. In order to reduce this problem, recursive prediction error(RPE) based learning method for the DRNN was presented. The simulation results show that the proposed approach gives a good estimation of rotor speed and position, and RPE based training has requires a shorter computation time compared to backpropagation based training.

The Current State of Sleep Medicine Education in US Neurology Residency Training Programs: Where Do We Go from Here?

PubMed Central

Avidan, Alon Y.; Vaughn, Bradley V.; Silber, Michael H.

2013-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the current state of sleep medicine educational resources and training offered by US neurology residency programs. Methods: In 2010, a 20-item peer reviewed Sleep Education Survey (SES) was sent to neurology residency program directors surveying them about sleep medicine educational resources used in teaching residents. Pearson product momentum correlation was used to determine correlation of program attributes with resident interest in pursuing a career in sleep medicine. Results: Of the programs completing the survey, 81% listed a formal sleep rotation and 24% included a forum for sleep research. A variety of innovative approaches for teaching sleep medicine were noted. Program directors noted that 5.7% residents entered sleep medicine fellowship training programs in the preceding 5 years. Programs that had a more substantial investment in sleep medicine teaching resources were more likely to report residents entering a sleep medicine training program. Conclusion: This is the first report providing an analysis of the current state of sleep medicine training in US Neurology Residency Programs. Our data provide evidence that investment by the residency program in sleep education may enhance the ultimate decision by the neurology trainee to pursue a career in sleep medicine. Citation: Avidan AY; Vaughn BV; Silber MH. The current state of sleep medicine education in us neurology residency training programs: where do we go from here? J Clin Sleep Med 2013;9(3):281-286. PMID:23493388

Taking OSCE examiner training on the road: reaching the masses.

PubMed

Reid, Katharine; Smallwood, David; Collins, Margo; Sutherland, Ruth; Dodds, Agnes

2016-01-01

Background To ensure the rigour of objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) in assessing medical students, medical school educators must educate examiners with a view to standardising examiner assessment behaviour. Delivering OSCE examiner training is a necessary yet challenging part of the OSCE process. A novel approach to implementing training for current and potential OSCE examiners was trialled by delivering large-group education sessions at major teaching hospitals. Methods The 'OSCE Roadshow' comprised a short training session delivered in the context of teaching hospital 'Grand Rounds' to current and potential OSCE examiners. The training was developed to educate clinicians about OSCE processes, clarify the examiners' role and required behaviours, and to review marking guides and mark allocation in an effort to standardise OSCE processes and encourage consistency in examiner marking behaviour. A short exercise allowed participants to practise marking a mock OSCE to investigate examiner marking behaviour after the training. Results OSCE Roadshows at four metropolitan and one rural teaching hospital were well received and well attended by 171 clinicians across six sessions. Unexpectedly, medical students also attended in large numbers (n=220). After training, participants' average scores for the mock OSCE clustered closely around the ideal score of 28 (out of 40), and the average scores did not differ according to the levels of clinical experience. Conclusion The OSCE Roadshow demonstrated the potential of brief familiarisation training in reaching large numbers of current and potential OSCE examiners in a time and cost-effective manner to promote standardisation of OSCE processes.

Exercise training-enhanced, endothelium-dependent dilation mediated by altered regulation of BKCa channels in collateral-dependent porcine coronary arterioles

PubMed Central

Xie, Wei; Parker, Janet L.; Heaps, Cristine L.

2012-01-01

Objective Test the hypothesis that exercise training increases the contribution of large-conductance, Ca2+-dependent K+ (BKCa) channels to endothelium-mediated dilation in coronary arterioles from collateral-dependent myocardial regions of chronically occluded pig hearts and may function downstream of H2O2. Methods An ameroid constrictor was placed around the proximal left circumflex coronary artery to induce gradual occlusion in Yucatan miniature swine. Eight weeks postoperatively, pigs were randomly assigned to sedentary or exercise training (treadmill; 14 wk) regimens. Results Exercise training significantly enhanced bradykinin-mediated dilation in collateral-dependent arterioles (~125 μm diameter) compared with sedentary pigs. The BKCa-channel blocker, iberiotoxin alone or in combination with the H2O2 scavenger, polyethylene glycol catalase, reversed exercise training-enhanced dilation in collateral-dependent arterioles. Iberiotoxin-sensitive whole-cell K+ currents (i.e., BKCa-channel currents) were not different between smooth muscle cells of nonoccluded and collateral-dependent arterioles of sedentary and exercise trained groups. Conclusions These data provide evidence that BKCa-channel activity contributes to exercise training-enhanced endothelium-dependent dilation in collateral-dependent coronary arterioles despite no change in smooth muscle BKCa-channel current. Taken together, our findings suggest that a component of the bradykinin signaling pathway, which stimulates BKCa channels, is enhanced by exercise training in collateral-dependent arterioles and suggest a potential role for H2O2 as the mediator. PMID:23002811

Dance training intensity at 11–14 years is associated with femoral torsion in classical ballet dancers

PubMed Central

Hamilton, D; Aronsen, P; Løken, J H; Berg, I M; Skotheim, R; Hopper, D; Clarke, A; Briffa, N K

2006-01-01

Objective To examine in a cross sectional study the influence of femoral torsion (FT) and passive hip external rotation (PER) on turnout (TO). Starting age, years of classical ballet training, and current and past dance training intensity were assessed to determine their influence on FT, PER, and TO in pre‐professional female dancers. Methods Sixty four dancers (mean (SD) age 18.16 (1.80) years) were recruited from four different dance training programmes. They completed a dance history questionnaire. FT was measured using a clinical method. PER was measured with the subjects prone, and TO was measured with the subjects standing. Results Mean TO was 136°, mean unilateral PER was 49.4°, and mean FT was 18.4°. A positive correlation was observed between PER combined (PERC) and TO (r  =  0.443, p<0.001). A negative association was found between FT combined (FTC) and PERC (r  =  −0.402, p  =  0.001). No association was found between starting age or years of classical ballet training and FTC, PERC, or TO. Dancers who trained for six hours a week or more during the 11–14 year age range had less FT than those who trained less (mean difference 6°, 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 10.3). Students currently training for longer had higher levels of TO (p<0.001) but comparable PERC and FTC. Conclusion FT is significantly associated with PERC. Dancers who trained for six hours a week or more at 11–14 years of age had significantly less FT. FTC had a significant influence on PERC, but no influence on the execution of TO. PMID:16556782

Lessons learned from implementing a wet laboratory molecular training workshop for beach water quality monitoring.

PubMed

Verhougstraete, Marc Paul; Brothers, Sydney; Litaker, Wayne; Blackwood, A Denene; Noble, Rachel

2015-01-01

Rapid molecular testing methods are poised to replace many of the conventional, culture-based tests currently used in fields such as water quality and food science. Rapid qPCR methods have the benefit of being faster than conventional methods and provide a means to more accurately protect public health. However, many scientists and technicians in water and food quality microbiology laboratories have limited experience using these molecular tests. To ensure that practitioners can use and implement qPCR techniques successfully, we developed a week long workshop to provide hands-on training and exposure to rapid molecular methods for water quality management. This workshop trained academic professors, government employees, private industry representatives, and graduate students in rapid qPCR methods for monitoring recreational water quality. Attendees were immersed in these new methods with hands-on laboratory sessions, lectures, and one-on-one training. Upon completion, the attendees gained sufficient knowledge and practice to teach and share these new molecular techniques with colleagues at their respective laboratories. Key findings from this workshop demonstrated: 1) participants with no prior experience could be effectively trained to conduct highly repeatable qPCR analysis in one week; 2) participants with different desirable outcomes required exposure to a range of different platforms and sample processing approaches; and 3) the collaborative interaction amongst newly trained practitioners, workshop leaders, and members of the water quality community helped foster a cohesive cohort of individuals which can advocate powerful cohort for proper implementation of molecular methods.

Lessons Learned from Implementing a Wet Laboratory Molecular Training Workshop for Beach Water Quality Monitoring

PubMed Central

Verhougstraete, Marc Paul; Brothers, Sydney; Litaker, Wayne; Blackwood, A. Denene; Noble, Rachel

2015-01-01

Rapid molecular testing methods are poised to replace many of the conventional, culture-based tests currently used in fields such as water quality and food science. Rapid qPCR methods have the benefit of being faster than conventional methods and provide a means to more accurately protect public health. However, many scientists and technicians in water and food quality microbiology laboratories have limited experience using these molecular tests. To ensure that practitioners can use and implement qPCR techniques successfully, we developed a week long workshop to provide hands-on training and exposure to rapid molecular methods for water quality management. This workshop trained academic professors, government employees, private industry representatives, and graduate students in rapid qPCR methods for monitoring recreational water quality. Attendees were immersed in these new methods with hands-on laboratory sessions, lectures, and one-on-one training. Upon completion, the attendees gained sufficient knowledge and practice to teach and share these new molecular techniques with colleagues at their respective laboratories. Key findings from this workshop demonstrated: 1) participants with no prior experience could be effectively trained to conduct highly repeatable qPCR analysis in one week; 2) participants with different desirable outcomes required exposure to a range of different platforms and sample processing approaches; and 3) the collaborative interaction amongst newly trained practitioners, workshop leaders, and members of the water quality community helped foster a cohesive cohort of individuals which can advocate powerful cohort for proper implementation of molecular methods. PMID:25822486

Development of Methodologies for IV and V of Neural Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Brian; Darrah, Marjorie

2003-01-01

Non-deterministic systems often rely upon neural network (NN) technology to "lean" to manage flight systems under controlled conditions using carefully chosen training sets. How can these adaptive systems be certified to ensure that they will become increasingly efficient and behave appropriately in real-time situations? The bulk of Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) research of non-deterministic software control systems such as Adaptive Flight Controllers (AFC's) addresses NNs in well-behaved and constrained environments such as simulations and strict process control. However, neither substantive research, nor effective IV&V techniques have been found to address AFC's learning in real-time and adapting to live flight conditions. Adaptive flight control systems offer good extensibility into commercial aviation as well as military aviation and transportation. Consequently, this area of IV&V represents an area of growing interest and urgency. ISR proposes to further the current body of knowledge to meet two objectives: Research the current IV&V methods and assess where these methods may be applied toward a methodology for the V&V of Neural Network; and identify effective methods for IV&V of NNs that learn in real-time, including developing a prototype test bed for IV&V of AFC's. Currently. no practical method exists. lSR will meet these objectives through the tasks identified and described below. First, ISR will conduct a literature review of current IV&V technology. TO do this, ISR will collect the existing body of research on IV&V of non-deterministic systems and neural network. ISR will also develop the framework for disseminating this information through specialized training. This effort will focus on developing NASA's capability to conduct IV&V of neural network systems and to provide training to meet the increasing need for IV&V expertise in such systems.

Decoder calibration with ultra small current sample set for intracortical brain-machine interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Peng; Ma, Xuan; Chen, Luyao; Zhou, Jin; Wang, Changyong; Li, Wei; He, Jiping

2018-04-01

Objective. Intracortical brain-machine interfaces (iBMIs) aim to restore efficient communication and movement ability for paralyzed patients. However, frequent recalibration is required for consistency and reliability, and every recalibration will require relatively large most current sample set. The aim in this study is to develop an effective decoder calibration method that can achieve good performance while minimizing recalibration time. Approach. Two rhesus macaques implanted with intracortical microelectrode arrays were trained separately on movement and sensory paradigm. Neural signals were recorded to decode reaching positions or grasping postures. A novel principal component analysis-based domain adaptation (PDA) method was proposed to recalibrate the decoder with only ultra small current sample set by taking advantage of large historical data, and the decoding performance was compared with other three calibration methods for evaluation. Main results. The PDA method closed the gap between historical and current data effectively, and made it possible to take advantage of large historical data for decoder recalibration in current data decoding. Using only ultra small current sample set (five trials of each category), the decoder calibrated using the PDA method could achieve much better and more robust performance in all sessions than using other three calibration methods in both monkeys. Significance. (1) By this study, transfer learning theory was brought into iBMIs decoder calibration for the first time. (2) Different from most transfer learning studies, the target data in this study were ultra small sample set and were transferred to the source data. (3) By taking advantage of historical data, the PDA method was demonstrated to be effective in reducing recalibration time for both movement paradigm and sensory paradigm, indicating a viable generalization. By reducing the demand for large current training data, this new method may facilitate the application of intracortical brain-machine interfaces in clinical practice.

Is the current level of training in the use of equipment for prehospital radio communication sufficient? A cross-sectional study among prehospital physicians in Denmark

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background Physicians working in prehospital care are expected to handle radio communication both within their own sector as well as with other divisions of the National Emergency Services. To date, no study has been conducted on the level of training received by physicians in the use of the equipment provided or on the level of competency acquired by physicians. Methods In order to investigate the self-assessed skill level acquired in the use of the TETRA (TErrestrial Trunked RAdio) authority radio for communication in a prehospital setting, a cross-sectional study was conducted by questionnaire circulated to all 454 physicians working in the Danish Emergency Medical Services. Results A lack of training was found among physicians working in prehospital care in Denmark in relation to the proper use of essential communication equipment. Prior to starting their first shift in a prehospital setting 38% of physicians reported having received no training in the use of the equipment, while 80% of physicians reported having received one1 hour of training or less. Among the majority of physicians their current level of training was sufficient for their everyday needs for prehospital communication but for 28% of physicians their current level of training was insufficient as they were unable to handle communication at this level. Conclusion As the first study in its field, this study investigated the training received in the use of essential communication equipment among physicians working in prehospital care in Denmark. The study found that competency does not appear to have been prioritised as highly as other technical skills needed to function in these settings. For the majority of physicians their current level of training was sufficient for everyday use but for a substantial minority further training is required, especially if the redundancy of the prehospital system is to be preserved. PMID:28667210

Evaluating an education/training module to foster knowledge of cockpit weather technology.

PubMed

Cobbett, Erin A; Blickensderfer, Elizabeth L; Lanicci, John

2014-10-01

Previous research has indicated that general aviation (GA) pilots may use the sophisticated meteorological information available to them via a variety of Next-Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) based weather products in a manner that actually decreases flight safety. The current study examined an education/training method designed to enable GA pilots to use NEXRAD-based products effectively in convective weather situations. The training method was lecture combined with paper-based scenario exercises. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed that subjects in the training condition performed significantly better than did subjects in the control condition on several knowledge and attitude measures. Subjects in the training condition improved from a mean score of 66% to 80% on the radar-knowledge test and from 62% to 75% on the scenario-knowledge test. Although additional research is needed, these results demonstrated that pilots can benefit from a well-designed education/training program involving specific areas of aviation weather-related knowledge.

The Relationship between Self-Appraisal, Professional Training, and Diversity Awareness among Forensic Psychology Students: A Pilot Formative Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chandler, Donald S., Jr.; Chandler, Michele D.; Clark, Quelanda C.

2009-01-01

Currently, there is a growing need for formal training in forensic psychology. This pilot study examines the relational-behavior model (RBM) as a method of intrinsic motivational instruction, perceived academic competence, and program competency among a sample of forensic psychology students. In theory, the RBM suggests that self-appraisal,…

Institutional Staff Training and Management: A Review of the Literature and a Model for Geriatric, Long-Term-Care Facilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgio, Louis D.; Burgio, Kathryn L.

1990-01-01

Asserts that, if long-term care is to progress from custodial model to therapeutic model of rehabilitation, role of nursing assistants must be redesigned. Reviews current methods of institutional staff training and management and proposes model for geriatric, long-term care facilities. Discusses organizational resistance and offers suggestions for…

Generating virtual training samples for sparse representation of face images and face recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Yong; Wang, Yu

2016-03-01

There are many challenges in face recognition. In real-world scenes, images of the same face vary with changing illuminations, different expressions and poses, multiform ornaments, or even altered mental status. Limited available training samples cannot convey these possible changes in the training phase sufficiently, and this has become one of the restrictions to improve the face recognition accuracy. In this article, we view the multiplication of two images of the face as a virtual face image to expand the training set and devise a representation-based method to perform face recognition. The generated virtual samples really reflect some possible appearance and pose variations of the face. By multiplying a training sample with another sample from the same subject, we can strengthen the facial contour feature and greatly suppress the noise. Thus, more human essential information is retained. Also, uncertainty of the training data is simultaneously reduced with the increase of the training samples, which is beneficial for the training phase. The devised representation-based classifier uses both the original and new generated samples to perform the classification. In the classification phase, we first determine K nearest training samples for the current test sample by calculating the Euclidean distances between the test sample and training samples. Then, a linear combination of these selected training samples is used to represent the test sample, and the representation result is used to classify the test sample. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms some state-of-the-art face recognition methods.

A method to assess relative preference for training and environmental enrichment in captive wolves (Canis lupus and Canis lupus arctos).

PubMed

Dorey, Nicole R; Mehrkam, Lindsay R; Tacey, Jay

2015-11-01

It is currently debated as to whether or not positive reinforcement training is enriching to captive animals. Although both husbandry training and environmental enrichment (EE) have been found to benefit animal welfare in captivity, to date, no systematic investigation has compared an animal's preference for performing a trained behavior to engaging freely with a stimuli provided as EE. In the current paper, we used four captive wolves to (1) test the efficacy of a paired-stimulus preference assessment to determine preference for engaging in a trained behavior as a choice; and to (2) use a paired-stimulus preference assessment to determine whether or not individuals prefer to engage in a previously trained behavior versus a previously encountered EE stimuli. Of the four subjects tested, visual inspection of the graphs revealed that two of the subjects preferred trained behavior stimuli and two of the subjects preferred EE stimuli; only one of the wolves had a statically higher preference for an EE stimulus over a trained behavior. We believe that letting the animals choose between these two events is the first step in answering the question of whether or not is training enriching, however more research needs to be done and suggestions for future research is discussed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Teaching Research Methods in Communication Disorders: "A Problem-Based Learning Approach"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenwald, Margaret L.

2006-01-01

A critical professional issue in speech-language pathology and audiology is the current shortage of researchers. In this context, the most effective methods for training graduate students in research must be identified and implemented. This article describes a problem-based approach to teaching research methods. In this approach, the instructor…

Explaining the Effectiveness of the Contrast Culture Method for Managing Interpersonal Interactions across Cultures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiratsuka, Hiroyoshi; Suzuki, Hanako; Pusina, Alexis

2016-01-01

One of the current challenges in the field of intercultural education comes from the limited availability of training efficacy studies. The present study focused on explaining the effectiveness of the Contrast Culture Method (CCM) as an intercultural education method for managing interpersonal interactions across cultures between graduate…

Education and training initiatives for crisis management in the European Union: a web-based analysis of available programs.

PubMed

Ingrassia, Pier Luigi; Foletti, Marco; Djalali, Ahmadreza; Scarone, Piercarlo; Ragazzoni, Luca; Corte, Francesco Della; Kaptan, Kubilay; Lupescu, Olivera; Arculeo, Chris; von Arnim, Gotz; Friedl, Tom; Ashkenazi, Michael; Heselmann, Deike; Hreckovski, Boris; Khorram-Manesh, Amir; Khorrram-Manesh, Amir; Komadina, Radko; Lechner, Kostanze; Patru, Cristina; Burkle, Frederick M; Fisher, Philipp

2014-04-01

Education and training are key elements of disaster management. Despite national and international educational programs in disaster management, there is no standardized curriculum available to guide the European Union (EU) member states. European- based Disaster Training Curriculum (DITAC), a multiple university-based project financially supported by the EU, is charged with developing a holistic and highly-structured curriculum and courses for responders and crisis managers at a strategic and tactical level. The purpose of this study is to qualitatively assess the prevailing preferences and characteristics of disaster management educational and training initiatives (ETIs) at a postgraduate level that currently exist in the EU countries. An Internet-based qualitative search was conducted in 2012 to identify and analyze the current training programs in disaster management. The course characteristics were evaluated for curriculum, teaching methods, modality of delivery, target groups, and funding. The literature search identified 140 ETIs, the majority (78%) located in United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Master level degrees were the primary certificates granted to graduates. Face-to-face education was the most common teaching method (84%). Approximately 80% of the training initiatives offered multi- and cross-disciplinary disaster management content. A competency-based approach to curriculum content was present in 61% of the programs. Emergency responders at the tactical level were the main target group. Almost all programs were self-funded. Although ETIs currently exist, they are not broadly available in all 27 EU countries. Also, the curricula do not cover all key elements of disaster management in a standardized and competency-based structure. This study has identified the need to develop a standardized competency-based educational and training program for all European countries that will ensure the practice and policies that meet both the standards of care and the broader expectations for professionalization of the disaster and crisis workforce.

Scaling of counter-current imbibition recovery curves using artificial neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jafari, Iman; Masihi, Mohsen; Nasiri Zarandi, Masoud

2018-06-01

Scaling imbibition curves are of great importance in the characterization and simulation of oil production from naturally fractured reservoirs. Different parameters such as matrix porosity and permeability, oil and water viscosities, matrix dimensions, and oil/water interfacial tensions have an effective on the imbibition process. Studies on the scaling imbibition curves along with the consideration of different assumptions have resulted in various scaling equations. In this work, using an artificial neural network (ANN) method, a novel technique is presented for scaling imbibition recovery curves, which can be used for scaling the experimental and field-scale imbibition cases. The imbibition recovery curves for training and testing the neural network were gathered through the simulation of different scenarios using a commercial reservoir simulator. In this ANN-based method, six parameters were assumed to have an effect on the imbibition process and were considered as the inputs for training the network. Using the ‘Bayesian regularization’ training algorithm, the network was trained and tested. Training and testing phases showed superior results in comparison with the other scaling methods. It is concluded that using the new technique is useful for scaling imbibition recovery curves, especially for complex cases, for which the common scaling methods are not designed.

Online self-administered training for post-traumatic stress disorder treatment providers: design and methods for a randomized, prospective intervention study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

This paper presents the rationale and methods for a randomized controlled evaluation of web-based training in motivational interviewing, goal setting, and behavioral task assignment. Web-based training may be a practical and cost-effective way to address the need for large-scale mental health training in evidence-based practice; however, there is a dearth of well-controlled outcome studies of these approaches. For the current trial, 168 mental health providers treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were assigned to web-based training plus supervision, web-based training, or training-as-usual (control). A novel standardized patient (SP) assessment was developed and implemented for objective measurement of changes in clinical skills, while on-line self-report measures were used for assessing changes in knowledge, perceived self-efficacy, and practice related to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques. Eligible participants were all actively involved in mental health treatment of veterans with PTSD. Study methodology illustrates ways of developing training content, recruiting participants, and assessing knowledge, perceived self-efficacy, and competency-based outcomes, and demonstrates the feasibility of conducting prospective studies of training efficacy or effectiveness in large healthcare systems. PMID:22583520

Experiments in mixed reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krum, David M.; Sadek, Ramy; Kohli, Luv; Olson, Logan; Bolas, Mark

2010-01-01

As part of the Institute for Creative Technologies and the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, the Mixed Reality lab develops technologies and techniques for presenting realistic immersive training experiences. Such experiences typically place users within a complex ecology of social actors, physical objects, and collections of intents, motivations, relationships, and other psychological constructs. Currently, it remains infeasible to completely synthesize the interactivity and sensory signatures of such ecologies. For this reason, the lab advocates mixed reality methods for training and conducts experiments exploring such methods. Currently, the lab focuses on understanding and exploiting the elasticity of human perception with respect to representational differences between real and virtual environments. This paper presents an overview of three projects: techniques for redirected walking, displays for the representation of virtual humans, and audio processing to increase stress.

System and Method for Outlier Detection via Estimating Clusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iverson, David J. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

An efficient method and system for real-time or offline analysis of multivariate sensor data for use in anomaly detection, fault detection, and system health monitoring is provided. Models automatically derived from training data, typically nominal system data acquired from sensors in normally operating conditions or from detailed simulations, are used to identify unusual, out of family data samples (outliers) that indicate possible system failure or degradation. Outliers are determined through analyzing a degree of deviation of current system behavior from the models formed from the nominal system data. The deviation of current system behavior is presented as an easy to interpret numerical score along with a measure of the relative contribution of each system parameter to any off-nominal deviation. The techniques described herein may also be used to "clean" the training data.

Visuospatial and Technical Ability in the Selection and Assessment of Higher Surgical Trainees in the London Deanery

PubMed Central

Tansley, P; Kakar, S; Withey, S; Butler, P

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTION Despite awareness of the limitations of current selection and competency assessments, there is little consensus and alternatives have not been readily accepted. Essential surgical skills include visuospatial and technical ability. The aim of this study was to survey current methods of higher surgical trainee selection and assessment. We suggest ways to improve the process. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nine surgical training programmes in the London deanery were surveyed through questionnaires to programme directors, existing trainees and examination of deanery publications. RESULTS Testing of visuospatial and technical ability was piloted at selection only in a single general surgical department. Practical skills were assessed in 3/9 (33%) specialties (ENT, plastic and general surgery). Once selected, no specialty tested visuospatial and technical ability. Practical skills were tested in only 1/9 (11%) specialties (plastic surgery). The remaining 8/9 (89%) were ‘assessed’ by interview. CONCLUSIONS Lack of visuospatial and technical ability assessment was identified at selection and during higher surgical training. Airlines have long recognised early identification of these qualities as critical for efficient training. There is a need for more objective methods in this area prior to selection as time to assess surgical trainees during long apprenticeships is no longer available. We advocate a suitably validated competency-based model during and at completion of training. PMID:18201473

Infrared imagery acquisition process supporting simulation and real image training

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Connor, John

2012-05-01

The increasing use of infrared sensors requires development of advanced infrared training and simulation tools to meet current Warfighter needs. In order to prepare the force, a challenge exists for training and simulation images to be both realistic and consistent with each other to be effective and avoid negative training. The US Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate has corrected this deficiency by developing and implementing infrared image collection methods that meet the needs of both real image trainers and real-time simulations. The author presents innovative methods for collection of high-fidelity digital infrared images and the associated equipment and environmental standards. The collected images are the foundation for US Army, and USMC Recognition of Combat Vehicles (ROC-V) real image combat ID training and also support simulations including the Night Vision Image Generator and Synthetic Environment Core. The characteristics, consistency, and quality of these images have contributed to the success of these and other programs. To date, this method has been employed to generate signature sets for over 350 vehicles. The needs of future physics-based simulations will also be met by this data. NVESD's ROC-V image database will support the development of training and simulation capabilities as Warfighter needs evolve.

State of education regarding ultrasound-guided interventions during pain fellowships in Korea: a survey of recent fellows

PubMed Central

Kim, Hyung Tae; Kim, Sae Young; Byun, Gyung Jo; Shin, Byung Chul; Lee, Jin Young; Choi, Eun Joo; Choi, Jong Bum; Hong, Ji Hee; Choi, Seung Won

2017-01-01

Background Recently, the use of ultrasound (US) techniques in regional anesthesia and pain medicine has increased significantly. However, the current extent of training in the use of US-guided pain management procedures in Korea remains unknown. The purpose of the present study was to assess the current state of US training provided during Korean Pain Society (KPS) pain fellowship programs through the comparative analysis between training hospitals. Methods We conducted an anonymous survey of 51 pain physicians who had completed KPS fellowships in 2017. Items pertained to current US practices and education, as well as the types of techniques and amount of experience with US-guided pain management procedures. Responses were compared based on the tier of the training hospital. Results Among the 51 respondents, 14 received training at first- and second-tier hospitals (Group A), while 37 received training at third-tier hospitals (Group B). The mean total duration of pain training during the 1-year fellowship was 7.4 months in Group A and 8.4 months in Group B. Our analysis revealed that 36% and 40% of respondents in Groups A and B received dedicated US training, respectively. Most respondents underwent US training in patient-care settings under the supervision of attending physicians. Cervical root, stellate ganglion, piriformis, and lumbar plexus blocks were more commonly performed by Group B than by Group A (P < 0.05). Conclusions Instruction regarding US-guided pain management interventions varied among fellowship training hospitals, highlighting the need for the development of educational standards that mandate a minimum number of US-guided nerve blocks or injections during fellowships in interventional pain management. PMID:29123624

The application of walking training in the rehabilitation of patients after coronary artery bypass grafting

PubMed Central

Dylewicz, Piotr

2015-01-01

Walking is regarded as one of the most common and utilitarian activities of everyday life. Rehabilitation programs developed on the basis of this form of activity often constitute the primary method of rehabilitating patients after coronary artery bypass grafting. This paper provides a review of literature concerning various forms of walking training, discussing their impact on the parameters of exercise capacity and verifying the training methods with regard to the current guidelines. Attention is drawn to the diversity of the exercise protocols applied during the early and late stages of rehabilitation and pre-rehabilitation programs including: treadmill walking, walking down the corridor, treadmill walking enriched with virtual reality, and walking as an element of training sessions consisting of many different forms of activities. Exercise protocols were also analyzed in terms of their safety, especially in the case of high-intensity interval training. Despite the variety of the available rehabilitation programs, the training methodology requires constant improvement, particularly in terms of load dosage and the supervision of training sessions. PMID:26702291

[How timely are the methods taught in psychotherapy training and practice?].

PubMed

Beutel, Manfred E; Michal, Matthias; Wiltink, Jörg; Subic-Wrana, Claudia

2015-01-01

Even though many psychotherapists consider themselves to be eclectic or integrative, training and reimbursement in the modern healthcare system are clearly oriented toward the model of distinct psychotherapy approaches. Prompted by the proposition to favor general, disorder-oriented psychotherapy, we investigate how timely distinctive methods are that are taught in training and practice. We reviewed the pertinent literature regarding general and specific factors, the effectiveness of integrative and eclectic treatments, orientation toward specific disorders, manualization and psychotherapeutic training. There is a lack of systematic studies on the efficacy of combining therapy methods from different approaches. The first empirical findings reveal that a superiority of combined versus single treatmentmethods has yet to be demonstrated. The development of transnosological manuals shows the limits of disorder-specific treatment.General factors such as therapeutic alliance or education about the model of disease and treatment rationale require specific definitions. Taking reference to a specific treatment approach provides important consistency of theory, training therapy and supervision, though this does not preclude an openness toward other therapy concepts. Current manualized examples show that methods and techniques can indeed be integrated from other approaches. Integrating different methods can also be seen as a developmental task for practitioners and researchers which may be mastered increasingly better with more experience.

Adaptive skin detection based on online training

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ming; Tang, Liang; Zhou, Jie; Rong, Gang

2007-11-01

Skin is a widely used cue for porn image classification. Most conventional methods are off-line training schemes. They usually use a fixed boundary to segment skin regions in the images and are effective only in restricted conditions: e.g. good lightness and unique human race. This paper presents an adaptive online training scheme for skin detection which can handle these tough cases. In our approach, skin detection is considered as a classification problem on Gaussian mixture model. For each image, human face is detected and the face color is used to establish a primary estimation of skin color distribution. Then an adaptive online training algorithm is used to find the real boundary between skin color and background color in current image. Experimental results on 450 images showed that the proposed method is more robust in general situations than the conventional ones.

Smartphone Apps for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training and Real Incident Support: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation Study

PubMed Central

Felzen, Marc; Rossaint, Rolf; Tabuenca, Bernardo; Specht, Marcus; Skorning, Max

2014-01-01

Background No systematic evaluation of smartphone/mobile apps for resuscitation training and real incident support is available to date. To provide medical, usability, and additional quality criteria for the development of apps, we conducted a mixed-methods sequential evaluation combining the perspective of medical experts and end-users. Objective The study aims to assess the quality of current mobile apps for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training and real incident support from expert as well as end-user perspective. Methods Two independent medical experts evaluated the medical content of CPR apps from the Google Play store and the Apple App store. The evaluation was based on pre-defined minimum medical content requirements according to current Basic Life Support (BLS) guidelines. In a second phase, non-medical end-users tested usability and appeal of the apps that had at least met the minimum requirements. Usability was assessed with the System Usability Scale (SUS); appeal was measured with the self-developed ReactionDeck toolkit. Results Out of 61 apps, 46 were included in the experts’ evaluation. A consolidated list of 13 apps resulted for the following layperson evaluation. The interrater reliability was substantial (kappa=.61). Layperson end-users (n=14) had a high interrater reliability (intraclass correlation 1 [ICC1]=.83, P<.001, 95% CI 0.75-0.882 and ICC2=.79, P<.001, 95% CI 0.695-0.869). Their evaluation resulted in a list of 5 recommendable apps. Conclusions Although several apps for resuscitation training and real incident support are available, very few are designed according to current BLS guidelines and offer an acceptable level of usability and hedonic quality for laypersons. The results of this study are intended to optimize the development of CPR mobile apps. The app ranking supports the informed selection of mobile apps for training situations and CPR campaigns as well as for real incident support. PMID:24647361

Current Techniques of Teaching and Learning in Bariatric Surgical Procedures: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Kaijser, Mirjam; van Ramshorst, Gabrielle; van Wagensveld, Bart; Pierie, Jean-Pierre

The gastric sleeve resection and gastric bypass are the 2 most commonly performed bariatric procedures. This article provides an overview of current teaching and learning methods of those techniques in resident and fellow training. A database search was performed on Pubmed, Embase, and the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) to identify the methods used to provide training in bariatric surgery worldwide. After exclusion based on titles and abstracts, full texts of the selected articles were assessed. Included articles were reviewed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. In total, 2442 titles were identified and 14 full text articles met inclusion criteria. Four publications described an ex vivo training course, and 6 focused on at least 1 step of the gastric bypass procedure. Two randomized controlled trials (RCT) provided high-quality evidence on training aspects. Surgical coaching caused significant improvement of Bariatric Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (BOSATS) scores (3.60 vs. 3.90, p = 0.017) and reduction of technical errors (18 vs. 10, p = 0.003). A preoperative warm-up increased global rating scales (GRS) scores on depth perception (p = 0.02), bimanual dexterity (p = 0.01), and efficiency of movements (p = 0.03). Stepwise education, surgical coaching, warming up, Internet-based knowledge modules, and ex vivo training courses are effective in relation to bariatric surgical training of residents and fellows, possibly shortening their learning curves. Copyright © 2018 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Two Validated Ways of Improving the Ability of Decision-Making in Emergencies; Results from a Literature Review

PubMed Central

Khorram-Manesh, Amir; Berlin, Johan; Carlström, Eric

2016-01-01

The aim of the current review wasto study the existing knowledge about decision-making and to identify and describe validated training tools.A comprehensive literature review was conducted by using the following keywords: decision-making, emergencies, disasters, crisis management, training, exercises, simulation, validated, real-time, command and control, communication, collaboration, and multi-disciplinary in combination or as an isolated word. Two validated training systems developed in Sweden, 3 level collaboration (3LC) and MacSim, were identified and studied in light of the literature review in order to identify how decision-making can be trained. The training models fulfilled six of the eight identified characteristics of training for decision-making.Based on the results, these training models contained methods suitable to train for decision-making. PMID:27878123

Evaluating Student Performance and Qualifications in Rehabilitation Counseling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Allison R.; Kline, Katherine M.; Phillips, Brian N.

2017-01-01

Purpose: To determine methods of student learning assessment and clinical training in rehabilitation counseling programs. With many shifts occurring in postsecondary education and in rehabilitation counseling, it is critical to understand these current practices. Method: The authors used an Internet-based survey design to solicit program…

eLearning: Is There a Place in Athletic Training Education?

PubMed Central

Wright, Kenneth E.; Stewart, Jeffrey; Wright, Vivian H.; Barker, Scott

2002-01-01

Objective: To provide an overview of current issue and research literature that discusses the use of eLearning in an academic curriculum. We address several components to be examined before eLearning is incorporated into athletic training education. Data Sources: We searched MEDLINE and Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) from 2000 through 2002 using the key words distance education, online learning, and the individual research studies referenced in this article. Data Synthesis: Educational research studies have confirmed that multiple methods in instruction delivery exist. Within the changing culture of higher education, the use of effective communication tools has been shown to increase student knowledge and skills. Through eLearning, methods of instruction design are designed to be student centered and allow the educator to become a facilitator. Conclusions/Recommendations: Even though the use of eLearning faces many challenges in athletic training education, the research literature does support this method of instructional delivery in selected courses in athletic training education. PMID:12937546

eLearning: Is There a Place in Athletic Training Education?

PubMed

Wright, Kenneth E; Stewart, Jeffrey; Wright, Vivian H; Barker, Scott

2002-12-01

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of current issue and research literature that discusses the use of eLearning in an academic curriculum. We address several components to be examined before eLearning is incorporated into athletic training education. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE and Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) from 2000 through 2002 using the key words distance education, online learning, and the individual research studies referenced in this article. DATA SYNTHESIS: Educational research studies have confirmed that multiple methods in instruction delivery exist. Within the changing culture of higher education, the use of effective communication tools has been shown to increase student knowledge and skills. Through eLearning, methods of instruction design are designed to be student centered and allow the educator to become a facilitator. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS: Even though the use of eLearning faces many challenges in athletic training education, the research literature does support this method of instructional delivery in selected courses in athletic training education.

Current Status of and Recommendations for Nutrition Education in Gastroenterology Fellowship Training in Canada.

PubMed

Hu, Jing; Raman, Maitreyi; Gramlich, Leah

2018-04-01

Knowledge and skill in the area of nutrition are a key competency for the gastroenterologist. However, standards for nutrition education for gastroenterology fellows in Canada do not exist, and gastroenterologists in training and in practice do not feel confident in their knowledge or skill as it relates to nutrition. This study was undertaken to identify the current status of nutrition education in gastroenterology (GI) fellowship training programs in Canada and to provide insight into the development of nutrition educational goals, processes, and evaluation. Using mixed methods, we did a survey of current and recent graduates and program directors of GI fellowship programs in Canada. We undertook a focus group with program directors and fellows to corroborate findings of the survey and to identify strategies to advance nutrition education, knowledge, and skill of trainees. In total, 89.3% of the respondents perceived that the nutrition education was important for GI training, and 82.1% of the respondents perceived nutrition care would be part of their practice. However, only 50% of respondents had a formal rotation in their program, and it was mandatory only 36% of the time. Of the respondents, 95% felt that nutrition education should be standardized within GI fellowship training. Significant gaps in nutrition education exist with GI fellowship programs in Canada. The creation of standards for nutrition education would be valued by training programs, and such a nutrition curriculum for GI fellowship training in Canada is proposed. © 2017 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

Surgical simulators in urological training--views of UK Training Programme Directors.

PubMed

Forster, James A; Browning, Anthony J; Paul, Alan B; Biyani, C Shekhar

2012-09-01

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? The role of surgical simulators is currently being debated in urological and other surgical specialties. Simulators are not presently implemented in the UK urology training curriculum. The availability of simulators and the opinions of Training Programme Directors' (TPD) on their role have not been described. In the present questionnaire-based survey, the trainees of most, but not all, UK TPDs had access to laparoscopic simulators, and that all responding TPDs thought that simulators improved laparoscopic training. We hope that the present study will be a positive step towards making an agreement to formally introduce simulators into the UK urology training curriculum. To discuss the current situation on the use of simulators in surgical training. To determine the views of UK Urology Training Programme Directors (TPDs) on the availability and use of simulators in Urology at present, and to discuss the role that simulators may have in future training. An online-questionnaire survey was distributed to all UK Urology TPDs. In all, 16 of 21 TPDs responded. All 16 thought that laparoscopic simulators improved the quality of laparoscopic training. The trainees of 13 TPDs had access to a laparoscopic simulator (either in their own hospital or another hospital in the deanery). Most TPDs thought that trainees should use simulators in their free time, in quiet time during work hours, or in teaching sessions (rather than incorporated into the weekly timetable). We feel that the current apprentice-style method of training in urological surgery is out-dated. We think that all TPDs and trainees should have access to a simulator, and that a formal competency based simulation training programme should be incorporated into the urology training curriculum, with trainees reaching a minimum proficiency on a simulator before undertaking surgical procedures. © 2012 THE AUTHORS. BJU INTERNATIONAL © 2012 BJU INTERNATIONAL.

Emotion-independent face recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Silva, Liyanage C.; Esther, Kho G. P.

2000-12-01

Current face recognition techniques tend to work well when recognizing faces under small variations in lighting, facial expression and pose, but deteriorate under more extreme conditions. In this paper, a face recognition system to recognize faces of known individuals, despite variations in facial expression due to different emotions, is developed. The eigenface approach is used for feature extraction. Classification methods include Euclidean distance, back propagation neural network and generalized regression neural network. These methods yield 100% recognition accuracy when the training database is representative, containing one image representing the peak expression for each emotion of each person apart from the neutral expression. The feature vectors used for comparison in the Euclidean distance method and for training the neural network must be all the feature vectors of the training set. These results are obtained for a face database consisting of only four persons.

An Annotated Bibliography of Literature Integrating Organizational and Systems Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-09-01

believed to be representative of current thinking on the problem as it is defined in this particular effort. 4. Abstracting For abstracting purposes...individual concept or isolated case which defies mathematical description or classical empirical validation) or nomothetic (pertaining to the abstract ...and to induce change in organizations - laboratory training. Laboratory training is a method used to promote changes in the learning process itself

Characterisation of Best Practices in the Development of Cross-Curricular Competences in Vocational Education and Training: Case Study in the Basque Country

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eizagirre Sagardia, Ana; Imaz Bengoetxea, Jose Inazio; Rekalde Rodríguez, Itziar

2018-01-01

This paper presents the most important results of a research project aimed at gathering empirical evidence on current efforts to foster and develop cross-curricular competences (CCC) in Vocational Education and Training (VET) Centres located in the Basque Country (Spain). The case study research method was used, with data being gathered by means…

Neural network based automatic limit prediction and avoidance system and method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calise, Anthony J. (Inventor); Prasad, Jonnalagadda V. R. (Inventor); Horn, Joseph F. (Inventor)

2001-01-01

A method for performance envelope boundary cueing for a vehicle control system comprises the steps of formulating a prediction system for a neural network and training the neural network to predict values of limited parameters as a function of current control positions and current vehicle operating conditions. The method further comprises the steps of applying the neural network to the control system of the vehicle, where the vehicle has capability for measuring current control positions and current vehicle operating conditions. The neural network generates a map of current control positions and vehicle operating conditions versus the limited parameters in a pre-determined vehicle operating condition. The method estimates critical control deflections from the current control positions required to drive the vehicle to a performance envelope boundary. Finally, the method comprises the steps of communicating the critical control deflection to the vehicle control system; and driving the vehicle control system to provide a tactile cue to an operator of the vehicle as the control positions approach the critical control deflections.

Neural correlates of cognitive intervention in persons at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease

PubMed Central

Hosseini, S. M. Hadi; Kramer, Joel H.; Kesler, Shelli R.

2014-01-01

Cognitive training is an emergent approach that has begun to receive increased attention in recent years as a non-pharmacological, cost-effective intervention for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). There has been increasing behavioral evidence regarding training-related improvement in cognitive performance in early stages of AD. Although these studies provide important insight about the efficacy of cognitive training, neuroimaging studies are crucial to pinpoint changes in brain structure and function associated with training and to examine their overlap with pathology in AD. In this study, we reviewed the existing neuroimaging studies on cognitive training in persons at risk of developing AD to provide an overview of the overlap between neural networks rehabilitated by the current training methods and those affected in AD. The data suggest a consistent training-related increase in brain activity in medial temporal, prefrontal, and posterior default mode networks, as well as increase in gray matter structure in frontoparietal and entorhinal regions. This pattern differs from the observed pattern in healthy older adults that shows a combination of increased and decreased activity in response to training. Detailed investigation of the data suggests that training in persons at risk of developing AD mainly improves compensatory mechanisms and partly restores the affected functions. While current neuroimaging studies are quite helpful in identifying the mechanisms underlying cognitive training, the data calls for future multi-modal neuroimaging studies with focus on multi-domain cognitive training, network level connectivity, and individual differences in response to training. PMID:25206335

State of Adult Trainee Inflammatory Bowel Disease Education in the United States: A National Survey

PubMed Central

Cohen, Benjamin L.; Ha, Christina; Ananthakrishnan, Ashwin N; Rieder, Florian; Bewtra, Meenakshi

2016-01-01

Introduction The fundamentals of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) education begin during gastroenterology (GI) fellowship training. We performed a survey of GI fellowship program directors (PD) and trainees with the aim to further examine the current state of IBD training in the United States. Materials and Methods A 15-question PD survey and 19-question trainee survey was performed using an online platform. Results Surveys were completed by 43/161 (27%) PDs and 160 trainees. All trainee years were equally represented. A significant proportion of trainees was unsure or felt their inpatient (32%) or outpatient (43%) training was inadequate. Only 28% of trainees were satisfied with their current level of IBD exposure during training. Fewer than half the trainees reported comfort in the management of pouch or stoma issues, the pregnant IBD patient, or post-operative management. The proportion of PDs viewing a competency as essential for trainee education strongly correlated with trainee comfort in that area (Pearson’s rho = 0.793, p<0.01). In multivariate logistic regression, monthly IBD didactics was the only variable independently associated with satisfaction with current level of training (OR 4.1, 95% CI 1.9–9.0). Conclusions Over one-third of participating GI trainees did not feel “confident” or “mostly comfortable” with their level of IBD training, with varying comfort regarding different competencies in IBD management. These findings suggest that specific areas of IBD training may require additional focus during training and can provide the basis for the development of an IBD core competency curriculum. PMID:27306068

Effectiveness of Working Memory Training among Subjects Currently on Sick Leave Due to Complex Symptoms.

PubMed

Aasvik, Julie K; Woodhouse, Astrid; Stiles, Tore C; Jacobsen, Henrik B; Landmark, Tormod; Glette, Mari; Borchgrevink, Petter C; Landrø, Nils I

2016-01-01

Introduction: The current study examined if adaptive working memory training (Cogmed QM) has the potential to improve inhibitory control, working memory capacity, and perceptions of memory functioning in a group of patients currently on sick leave due to symptoms of pain, insomnia, fatigue, depression and anxiety. Participants who were referred to a vocational rehabilitation center volunteered to take part in the study. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to either a training condition ( N = 25) or a control condition ( N = 29). Participants in the training condition received working memory training in addition to the clinical intervention offered as part of the rehabilitation program, while participants in the control condition received treatment as usual i.e., the rehabilitation program only. Inhibitory control was measured by The Stop Signal Task, working memory was assessed by the Spatial Working Memory Test, while perceptions of memory functioning were assessed by The Everyday Memory Questionnaire-Revised. Results: Participants in the training group showed a significant improvement on the post-tests of inhibitory control when compared with the comparison group ( p = 0.025). The groups did not differ on the post-tests of working memory. Both groups reported less memory problems at post-testing, but there was no sizeable difference between the two groups. Conclusions: Results indicate that working memory training does not improve general working memory capacity per se . Nor does it seem to give any added effects in terms of targeting and improving self-perceived memory functioning. Results do, however, provide evidence to suggest that inhibitory control is accessible and susceptible to modification by adaptive working memory training.

Current status of core and advanced adult gastrointestinal endoscopy training in Canada: Survey of existing accredited programs

PubMed Central

Xiong, Xin; Barkun, Alan N; Waschke, Kevin; Martel, Myriam

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine the current status of core and advanced adult gastroenterology training in Canada. METHODS: A survey consisting of 20 questions pertaining to core and advanced endoscopy training was circulated to 14 accredited adult gastroenterology residency program directors. For continuous variables, median and range were analyzed; for categorical variables, percentage and associated 95% CIs were analyzed. RESULTS: All 14 programs responded to the survey. The median number of core trainees was six (range four to 16). The median (range) procedural volumes for gastroscopy, colonoscopy, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy and sigmoidoscopy, respectively, were 400 (150 to 1000), 325 (200 to 1500), 15 (zero to 250) and 60 (25 to 300). Eleven of 13 (84.6%) programs used endoscopy simulators in their curriculum. Eight of 14 programs (57%) provided a structured advanced endoscopy training fellowship. The majority (88%) offered training of combined endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasonography. The median number of positions offered yearly for advanced endoscopy fellowship was one (range one to three). The median (range) procedural volumes for ERCP, endoscopic ultrasonography and endoscopic mucosal resection, respectively, were 325 (200 to 750), 250 (80 to 400) and 20 (10 to 63). None of the current programs offered training in endoscopic submucosal dissection or natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery. CONCLUSION: Most accredited adult Canadian gastroenterology programs met the minimal procedural requirements recommended by the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology during core training. However, a more heterogeneous experience has been observed for advanced training. Additional studies would be required to validate and standardize evaluation tools used during gastroenterology curricula. PMID:23712301

Taking OSCE examiner training on the road: reaching the masses

PubMed Central

Reid, Katharine; Smallwood, David; Collins, Margo; Sutherland, Ruth; Dodds, Agnes

2016-01-01

Background To ensure the rigour of objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) in assessing medical students, medical school educators must educate examiners with a view to standardising examiner assessment behaviour. Delivering OSCE examiner training is a necessary yet challenging part of the OSCE process. A novel approach to implementing training for current and potential OSCE examiners was trialled by delivering large-group education sessions at major teaching hospitals. Methods The ‘OSCE Roadshow’ comprised a short training session delivered in the context of teaching hospital ‘Grand Rounds’ to current and potential OSCE examiners. The training was developed to educate clinicians about OSCE processes, clarify the examiners’ role and required behaviours, and to review marking guides and mark allocation in an effort to standardise OSCE processes and encourage consistency in examiner marking behaviour. A short exercise allowed participants to practise marking a mock OSCE to investigate examiner marking behaviour after the training. Results OSCE Roadshows at four metropolitan and one rural teaching hospital were well received and well attended by 171 clinicians across six sessions. Unexpectedly, medical students also attended in large numbers (n=220). After training, participants’ average scores for the mock OSCE clustered closely around the ideal score of 28 (out of 40), and the average scores did not differ according to the levels of clinical experience. Conclusion The OSCE Roadshow demonstrated the potential of brief familiarisation training in reaching large numbers of current and potential OSCE examiners in a time and cost-effective manner to promote standardisation of OSCE processes. PMID:27687287

Ensemble Deep Learning for Biomedical Time Series Classification

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Ensemble learning has been proved to improve the generalization ability effectively in both theory and practice. In this paper, we briefly outline the current status of research on it first. Then, a new deep neural network-based ensemble method that integrates filtering views, local views, distorted views, explicit training, implicit training, subview prediction, and Simple Average is proposed for biomedical time series classification. Finally, we validate its effectiveness on the Chinese Cardiovascular Disease Database containing a large number of electrocardiogram recordings. The experimental results show that the proposed method has certain advantages compared to some well-known ensemble methods, such as Bagging and AdaBoost. PMID:27725828

Use of Collapsible Box Trainer as a Module for Resident Education

PubMed Central

Caban, Angel M.; Guido, Christopher; Silver, Michele; Rossidis, George; Sarosi, George

2013-01-01

Background and Objectives: We sought to determine whether training with a simple collapsible mobile box trainer leads to improved performance of fundamental laparoscopic skills (FLSs) during a 6-month interval versus validated laparoscopic box trainers and virtual-reality trainers, only accessible at a simulation training center. Methods: With institutional review board approval, 20 first- and second-year general surgery residents were randomized to scheduled training sessions in a surgical simulation laboratory or training in the use of a portable, collapsible Train Anywhere Skill Kit (TASKit) (Ethicon Endo-Surgery Cincinnati, OH, USA) trainer. Training was geared toward the FLS set for a skill assessment examination at a 6-month interval. Results: The residents who trained with the TASKit performed the peg-transfer, pattern-cut exercise, Endoloop, and intracorporeal knot-tying FLS tasks statistically more efficiently during their 6-month assessment versus their initial evaluation as compared with the group randomized to the simulation laboratory training. Conclusions: Using a simple collapsible mobile box trainer such as the TASKit can be a cost-effective method of training and preparing residents for FLS tasks considering the current cost associated with virtual and high-definition surgical trainers. This mode of surgical training allows residents to practice in their own time by removing barriers associated with simulation centers. PMID:24018083

Ideas and Approaches for Teaching Undergraduate Research Methods in the Health Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peachey, Andrew A.; Baller, Stephanie L.

2015-01-01

Training in research methodology is becoming more commonly expected within undergraduate curricula designed to prepare students for entry into graduate allied health programs. Little information is currently available about pedagogical strategies to promote undergraduate students' learning of research methods, and less yet is available discussing…

Classification of Parkinson's disease utilizing multi-edit nearest-neighbor and ensemble learning algorithms with speech samples.

PubMed

Zhang, He-Hua; Yang, Liuyang; Liu, Yuchuan; Wang, Pin; Yin, Jun; Li, Yongming; Qiu, Mingguo; Zhu, Xueru; Yan, Fang

2016-11-16

The use of speech based data in the classification of Parkinson disease (PD) has been shown to provide an effect, non-invasive mode of classification in recent years. Thus, there has been an increased interest in speech pattern analysis methods applicable to Parkinsonism for building predictive tele-diagnosis and tele-monitoring models. One of the obstacles in optimizing classifications is to reduce noise within the collected speech samples, thus ensuring better classification accuracy and stability. While the currently used methods are effect, the ability to invoke instance selection has been seldomly examined. In this study, a PD classification algorithm was proposed and examined that combines a multi-edit-nearest-neighbor (MENN) algorithm and an ensemble learning algorithm. First, the MENN algorithm is applied for selecting optimal training speech samples iteratively, thereby obtaining samples with high separability. Next, an ensemble learning algorithm, random forest (RF) or decorrelated neural network ensembles (DNNE), is used to generate trained samples from the collected training samples. Lastly, the trained ensemble learning algorithms are applied to the test samples for PD classification. This proposed method was examined using a more recently deposited public datasets and compared against other currently used algorithms for validation. Experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm obtained the highest degree of improved classification accuracy (29.44%) compared with the other algorithm that was examined. Furthermore, the MENN algorithm alone was found to improve classification accuracy by as much as 45.72%. Moreover, the proposed algorithm was found to exhibit a higher stability, particularly when combining the MENN and RF algorithms. This study showed that the proposed method could improve PD classification when using speech data and can be applied to future studies seeking to improve PD classification methods.

Symposia in undergraduate medical education: tailoring training in competencies to students' needs.

PubMed

Reefman, Karin; Daelmans, Hester E M; Klumpers, Ursula M H; Croiset, Gerda

2017-12-01

In mastering competencies, it is a challenge to create training sessions which acknowledge individual students' needs and are logistically feasible in the medical master's program. Symposia were implemented in the medical master's program to provide knowledge and training of skills in a number of topics, providing a positive contribution to students' competencies and personal development. Each symposium contained a morning and afternoon program, structured around medical and societal themes addressing various competencies and covering current national and international events. Alternating interactive teaching methods were used. Students were asked to rate each daypart program on a 5-point Likert scale in terms of both teaching methods and content, and to comment on the best aspects of the symposium as well as areas for improvement. Scores higher than 3.5 were interpreted as a predominantly favourable outcome. In 2016, 10 symposia were organized with an average of 108 attendees and a response rate of 63% (1,366 completed questionnaires). Mean overall scores on 'teaching methods' and 'usefulness for professional development' were 3.8 and 3.7, respectively. The overall results corresponded with a high level of student appreciation. Symposia offer a podium for training students in subject matter and competencies that is greatly appreciated. Using alternating interactive teaching methods, symposia are structured around medical and societal themes and adjusted to the latest developments and current events in healthcare. By allowing students to select the symposia they would like to participate in, a tailor-made medical master's program in competencies is created.

Preparing tomorrow's behavioral medicine scientists and practitioners: a survey of future directions for education and training.

PubMed

Goldstein, Carly M; Minges, Karl E; Schoffman, Danielle E; Cases, Mallory G

2017-02-01

Behavioral medicine training is due for an overhaul given the rapid evolution of the field, including a tight funding climate, changing job prospects, and new research and industry collaborations. The purpose of the present study was to collect responses from trainee and practicing members of a multidisciplinary professional society about their perceptions of behavioral medicine training and their suggestions for changes to training for future behavioral medicine scientists and practitioners. A total of 162 faculty and 110 students (total n = 272) completed a web-based survey on strengths of their current training programs and ideas for changes. Using a mixed-methods approach, the survey findings are used to highlight seven key areas for improved preparation of the next generation of behavioral medicine scientists and practitioners, which are grant writing, interdisciplinary teamwork, advanced statistics and methods, evolving research program, publishable products from coursework, evolution and use of theory, and non-traditional career paths.

Quality versus Quantity Debate in Swimming: Perceptions and Training Practices of Expert Swimming Coaches.

PubMed

Nugent, Frank J; Comyns, Thomas M; Warrington, Giles D

2017-06-01

The debate over low-volume, high-intensity training versus high-volume, low-intensity training, commonly known as Quality versus Quantity, respectively, is a frequent topic of discussion among swimming coaches and academics. The aim of this study was to explore expert coaches' perceptions of quality and quantity coaching philosophies in competitive swimming and to investigate their current training practices. A purposeful sample of 11 expert swimming coaches was recruited for this study. The study was a mixed methods design and involved each coach participating in 1 semi-structured interview and completing 1 closed-ended questionnaire. The main findings of this study were that coaches felt quality training programmes would lead to short term results for youth swimmers, but were in many cases more appropriate for senior swimmers. The coaches suggested that quantity training programmes built an aerobic base for youth swimmers, promoted technical development through a focus on slower swimming and helped to enhance recovery from training or competition. However, the coaches continuously suggested that quantity training programmes must be performed with good technique and they felt this was a misunderstood element. This study was a critical step towards gaining a richer and broader understanding on the debate over Quality versus Quantity training from an expert swimming coaches' perspective which was not currently available in the research literature.

Quality versus Quantity Debate in Swimming: Perceptions and Training Practices of Expert Swimming Coaches

PubMed Central

Nugent, Frank J; Comyns, Thomas M; Warrington, Giles D

2017-01-01

Abstract The debate over low-volume, high-intensity training versus high-volume, low-intensity training, commonly known as Quality versus Quantity, respectively, is a frequent topic of discussion among swimming coaches and academics. The aim of this study was to explore expert coaches’ perceptions of quality and quantity coaching philosophies in competitive swimming and to investigate their current training practices. A purposeful sample of 11 expert swimming coaches was recruited for this study. The study was a mixed methods design and involved each coach participating in 1 semi-structured interview and completing 1 closed-ended questionnaire. The main findings of this study were that coaches felt quality training programmes would lead to short term results for youth swimmers, but were in many cases more appropriate for senior swimmers. The coaches suggested that quantity training programmes built an aerobic base for youth swimmers, promoted technical development through a focus on slower swimming and helped to enhance recovery from training or competition. However, the coaches continuously suggested that quantity training programmes must be performed with good technique and they felt this was a misunderstood element. This study was a critical step towards gaining a richer and broader understanding on the debate over Quality versus Quantity training from an expert swimming coaches’ perspective which was not currently available in the research literature. PMID:28713467

On-farm euthanasia practices and attitudes of commercial meat rabbit producers.

PubMed

Walsh, Jessica; Percival, Aaron; Tapscott, Brian; Turner, Patricia V

2017-09-16

Appropriate and timely on-farm euthanasia is the responsibility of the producer, working together with their herd veterinarian. Unfortunately, validated methods for euthanasia of commercial meat rabbits are lacking and there are few educational materials available for producer training. Because euthanasia must be performed in a timely fashion to minimise suffering, it is critical to ensure that methods used are aesthetic, humane and effective. We surveyed Canadian meat rabbit producers for current on-farm euthanasia practices as well as attitudes towards the methods they employed and thoughts on novel euthanasia techniques. Surveys were distributed with a response rate of 26 per cent (n=26). Blunt force trauma was the most common euthanasia method used (54 per cent), followed by assisted manual cervical dislocation (31 per cent). Half of producers admitted to not having a euthanasia method in place for all age groups of rabbits, instead electing to let sick and injured rabbits die on their own. While some producers reported feeling highly skilled and satisfied with their current euthanasia method, 58 per cent reported concerns with their current method and 42 per cent desired alternative methods to be developed. Responses to additional questions on training and awareness of euthanasia resources indicated that veterinarians are not part of on-farm euthanasia planning for meat rabbits. © British Veterinary Association (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

A review of bilateral training for upper extremity hemiparesis.

PubMed

Stoykov, Mary Ellen; Corcos, Daniel M

2009-01-01

Upper extremity hemiparesis is the most common post-stroke disability. Longitudinal studies have indicated that 30-66% of stroke survivors do not have full arm function 6 months post-stroke. The current gold standard for treatment of mild post-stroke upper limb impairment is constraint-induced therapy but, because of the inclusion criteria, alternative treatments are needed which target more impaired subjects. Bilateral arm training has been investigated as a potential rehabilitation intervention. Bilateral arm training encompasses a number of methods including: (1) bilateral isokinematic training; (2) mirror therapy using bilateral training; (3) device-driven bilateral training; and (4) bilateral motor priming. Neural mechanisms mediating bilateral training are first reviewed. The key bilateral training studies that have demonstrated evidence of efficacy will then be discussed. Finally, conclusions are drawn concerning clinical implications based on the reviewed literature. (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Training oncoplastic breast surgeons: the Canadian fellowship experience

PubMed Central

Maxwell, J.; Arnaout, A.; Hanrahan, R.; Brackstone, M.

2017-01-01

Background Oncoplastic breast surgery combines traditional oncologic breast conservation with plastic surgery techniques to achieve improved aesthetic and quality-of-life outcomes without sacrificing oncologic safety. Clinical uptake and training remain limited in the Canadian surgical system. In the present article, we detail the current state of oncoplastic surgery (ops) training in Canada, the United States, and worldwide, as well as the experience of a Canadian clinical fellow in ops. Methods The clinical fellow undertook a 9-month audit of breast surgical cases. All cases performed during the fellow’s ops fellowship were included. The fellowship ran from October 2015 to June 2016. Results During the 9 months of the fellowship, 67 mastectomies were completed (30 simple, 17 modified radical, 12 skin-sparing, and 8 nipple-sparing). The fellow participated in 13 breast reconstructions. Of 126 lumpectomies completed, 79 incorporated oncoplastic techniques. Conclusions The experience of the most recent ops clinical fellow suggests that Canadian ops training is feasible and achievable. Commentary on the current state of Canadian ops training suggests areas for improvement. Oncoplastic surgery is an important skill for breast surgical oncologists, and access to training should be improved for Canadian surgeons. PMID:29089810

Teamwork Assessment Tools in Modern Surgical Practice: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Whittaker, George; Abboudi, Hamid; Khan, Muhammed Shamim; Dasgupta, Prokar; Ahmed, Kamran

2015-01-01

Introduction. Deficiencies in teamwork skills have been shown to contribute to the occurrence of adverse events during surgery. Consequently, several teamwork assessment tools have been developed to evaluate trainee nontechnical performance. This paper aims to provide an overview of these instruments and review the validity of each tool. Furthermore, the present paper aims to review the deficiencies surrounding training and propose several recommendations to address these issues. Methods. A systematic literature search was conducted to identify teamwork assessment tools using MEDLINE (1946 to August 2015), EMBASE (1974 to August 2015), and PsycINFO (1806 to August 2015) databases. Results. Eight assessment tools which encompass aspects of teamwork were identified. The Nontechnical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) assessment was found to possess the highest level of validity from a variety of sources; reliability and acceptability have also been established for this tool. Conclusions. Deficits in current surgical training pathways have prompted several recommendations to meet the evolving requirements of surgeons. Recommendations from the current paper include integration of teamwork training and assessment into medical school curricula, standardised formal training of assessors to ensure accurate evaluation of nontechnical skill acquisition, and integration of concurrent technical and nontechnical skills training throughout training. PMID:26425732

"See one, do one, teach one": inadequacies of current methods to train surgeons in hernia repair.

PubMed

Zahiri, H Reza; Park, Adrian E; Pugh, Carla M; Vassiliou, Melina; Voeller, Guy

2015-10-01

Residency/fellowship training in hernia repair is still too widely characterized by the "see one, do one, teach one" model. The goal of this study was to perform a needs assessment focused on surgical training to guide the creation of a curriculum by SAGES intended to improve the care of hernia patients. Using mixed methods (interviews and online survey), the SAGES hernia task force (HTF) conducted a study asking subjects about their perceived deficits in resident training to care for hernia patients, preferred training topics about hernias, ideal learning modalities, and education development. Participants included 18 of 24 HTF members, 27 chief residents and fellows, and 31 surgical residents. HTF members agreed that residency exposes trainees to a wide spectrum of hernia repairs by a variety of surgeons. They cited outdated materials, techniques, and paucity of feedback. Additionally, they identified the "see one, do one, teach one" method of training as prevalent and clearly inadequate. The topics least addressed were system-based approach to hernia care (46 %) and patient outcomes (62 %). Training topics residents considered well covered during residency were: preoperative and intraoperative decision-making (90 %), complications (94 %), and technical approach for repairs (98 %). Instructional methods used in residency include assisted/supervised surgery (96 %), Web-based learning (24 %), and simulation (30 %). Residents' preferred learning methods included simulation (82 %), Web-based training (61 %), hands-on laboratory (54 %), and videos (47 %), in addition to supervised surgery. Trainees reported their most desired training topics as basic techniques for inguinal and ventral hernia repairs (41 %) versus advanced technical training (68 %), which mirrored those reported by attending surgeons, 36 % and 71 %, respectively. There was a consensus among HTF members and surgical trainees that a comprehensive, dynamic, and flexible educational program employing various media to address contemporary key deficits in the care of hernia patients would be welcomed by surgeons.

Cognitive Rehabilitation: ACTION Training for Soldiers with Executive Dysfunction

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO... controlled trial. Aim 1: Finalize ACTION curriculum/ manuals; field test Aim 2: Evaluate ACTION instructional methods (the extent to which SM with...metacognitive strategy instruction (MSI), together called Target Acquisition Practices ( Group 1) by evaluating the extent to which training 1) improves

Aerodynamic design on high-speed trains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, San-San; Li, Qiang; Tian, Ai-Qin; Du, Jian; Liu, Jia-Li

2016-04-01

Compared with the traditional train, the operational speed of the high-speed train has largely improved, and the dynamic environment of the train has changed from one of mechanical domination to one of aerodynamic domination. The aerodynamic problem has become the key technological challenge of high-speed trains and significantly affects the economy, environment, safety, and comfort. In this paper, the relationships among the aerodynamic design principle, aerodynamic performance indexes, and design variables are first studied, and the research methods of train aerodynamics are proposed, including numerical simulation, a reduced-scale test, and a full-scale test. Technological schemes of train aerodynamics involve the optimization design of the streamlined head and the smooth design of the body surface. Optimization design of the streamlined head includes conception design, project design, numerical simulation, and a reduced-scale test. Smooth design of the body surface is mainly used for the key parts, such as electric-current collecting system, wheel truck compartment, and windshield. The aerodynamic design method established in this paper has been successfully applied to various high-speed trains (CRH380A, CRH380AM, CRH6, CRH2G, and the Standard electric multiple unit (EMU)) that have met expected design objectives. The research results can provide an effective guideline for the aerodynamic design of high-speed trains.

Estimating the Information Extracted by a Single Spiking Neuron from a Continuous Input Time Series.

PubMed

Zeldenrust, Fleur; de Knecht, Sicco; Wadman, Wytse J; Denève, Sophie; Gutkin, Boris

2017-01-01

Understanding the relation between (sensory) stimuli and the activity of neurons (i.e., "the neural code") lies at heart of understanding the computational properties of the brain. However, quantifying the information between a stimulus and a spike train has proven to be challenging. We propose a new ( in vitro ) method to measure how much information a single neuron transfers from the input it receives to its output spike train. The input is generated by an artificial neural network that responds to a randomly appearing and disappearing "sensory stimulus": the hidden state. The sum of this network activity is injected as current input into the neuron under investigation. The mutual information between the hidden state on the one hand and spike trains of the artificial network or the recorded spike train on the other hand can easily be estimated due to the binary shape of the hidden state. The characteristics of the input current, such as the time constant as a result of the (dis)appearance rate of the hidden state or the amplitude of the input current (the firing frequency of the neurons in the artificial network), can independently be varied. As an example, we apply this method to pyramidal neurons in the CA1 of mouse hippocampi and compare the recorded spike trains to the optimal response of the "Bayesian neuron" (BN). We conclude that like in the BN, information transfer in hippocampal pyramidal cells is non-linear and amplifying: the information loss between the artificial input and the output spike train is high if the input to the neuron (the firing of the artificial network) is not very informative about the hidden state. If the input to the neuron does contain a lot of information about the hidden state, the information loss is low. Moreover, neurons increase their firing rates in case the (dis)appearance rate is high, so that the (relative) amount of transferred information stays constant.

Clustering redshift distributions for the Dark Energy Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helsby, Jennifer

Accurate determination of photometric redshifts and their errors is critical for large scale structure and weak lensing studies for constraining cosmology from deep, wide imaging surveys. Current photometric redshift methods suffer from bias and scatter due to incomplete training sets. Exploiting the clustering between a sample of galaxies for which we have spectroscopic redshifts and a sample of galaxies for which the redshifts are unknown can allow us to reconstruct the true redshift distribution of the unknown sample. Here we use this method in both simulations and early data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) to determine the true redshift distributions of galaxies in photometric redshift bins. We find that cross-correlating with the spectroscopic samples currently used for training provides a useful test of photometric redshifts and provides reliable estimates of the true redshift distribution in a photometric redshift bin. We discuss the use of the cross-correlation method in validating template- or learning-based approaches to redshift estimation and its future use in Stage IV surveys.

Competency in health care management: a training model in epidemiologic methods for assessing and improving the quality of clinical practice through evidence-based decision making.

PubMed

Hudak, R P; Jacoby, I; Meyer, G S; Potter, A L; Hooper, T I; Krakauer, H

1997-01-01

This article describes a training model that focuses on health care management by applying epidemiologic methods to assess and improve the quality of clinical practice. The model's uniqueness is its focus on integrating clinical evidence-based decision making with fundamental principles of resource management to achieve attainable, cost-effective, high-quality health outcomes. The target students are current and prospective clinical and administrative executives who must optimize decision making at the clinical and managerial levels of health care organizations.

Evaluation of a Novel Disaster Nursing Education Method.

PubMed

Levoy, Kristin; DeBastiani, Summer D; McCabe, Brian E

2018-02-21

A common method of disaster training is needed to improve disaster nursing education and facilitate better communication among interprofessional disaster responders. To inform the development of disaster nursing curricula, a novel disaster nursing education method consistent with Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) framework was developed to improve disaster nursing competencies in a baccalaureate nursing program. In total, 89 undergraduate nursing students participated. Perceived disaster nursing knowledge, confidence, and training/response were assessed with 14 items before and after the education. Exploratory factor analysis showed 3 factors, knowledge, confidence, and training/response, explained 71% of variation in items. Nursing students showed large improvements in perceived disaster nursing knowledge (t=11.95, P<0.001, Cohen's d=1.76), moderate increases in perceived confidence (t=4.54, P<0.001, d=0.67), and no change in disaster training and response (t=0.94, P=0.351, d=0.13). Results show preliminary evidence supporting the effectiveness of disaster nursing education informed by HSEEP. This training has the potential to fill current practice gaps in disaster nursing knowledge and build confidence to use those skills in practice. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;page 1 of 8).

A roadmap for acute care training of frontline Healthcare workers in LMICs.

PubMed

Shah, Nirupa; Bhagwanjee, Satish; Diaz, Janet; Gopalan, P D; Appiah, John Adabie

2017-10-01

This 10-step roadmap outlines explicit procedures for developing, implementing and evaluating short focused training programs for acute care in low and middle income countries (LMICs). A roadmap is necessary to develop resilient training programs that achieve equivalent outcomes despite regional variability in human capacity and infrastructure. Programs based on the roadmap should address shortfalls in human capacity and access to care in the short term and establish the ground work for health systems strengthening in the long term. The primary targets for acute care training are frontline healthcare workers at the clinic level. The programs will differ from others currently available with respect to the timelines, triage method, therapeutic interventions and potential for secondary prevention. The roadmap encompasses multiple iterative cycles of the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework. Core features are integration of frontline trainees with the referral system while promoting research, quality improvement and evaluation from the bottom-up. Training programs must be evidence based, developed along action timelines and use adaptive training methods. A systems approach is essential because training programs that take cognizance of all factors that influence health care delivery have the potential to produce health systems strengthening (HSS). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ROOFN3D: Deep Learning Training Data for 3d Building Reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wichmann, A.; Agoub, A.; Kada, M.

2018-05-01

Machine learning methods have gained in importance through the latest development of artificial intelligence and computer hardware. Particularly approaches based on deep learning have shown that they are able to provide state-of-the-art results for various tasks. However, the direct application of deep learning methods to improve the results of 3D building reconstruction is often not possible due, for example, to the lack of suitable training data. To address this issue, we present RoofN3D which provides a new 3D point cloud training dataset that can be used to train machine learning models for different tasks in the context of 3D building reconstruction. It can be used, among others, to train semantic segmentation networks or to learn the structure of buildings and the geometric model construction. Further details about RoofN3D and the developed data preparation framework, which enables the automatic derivation of training data, are described in this paper. Furthermore, we provide an overview of other available 3D point cloud training data and approaches from current literature in which solutions for the application of deep learning to unstructured and not gridded 3D point cloud data are presented.

Handwriting training in Parkinson’s disease: A trade-off between size, speed and fluency

PubMed Central

Broeder, Sanne; Pereira, Marcelo P.; Swinnen, Stephan P.; Vandenberghe, Wim; Nieuwboer, Alice; Heremans, Elke

2017-01-01

Background In previous work, we found that intensive amplitude training successfully improved micrographia in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Handwriting abnormalities in PD also express themselves in stroke duration and writing fluency. It is currently unknown whether training changes these dysgraphic features. Objective To determine the differential effects of amplitude training on various hallmarks of handwriting abnormalities in PD. Methods We randomized 38 right-handed subjects in early to mid-stage of PD into an experimental group (n = 18), receiving training focused at improving writing size during 30 minutes/day, five days/week for six weeks, and a placebo group (n = 20), receiving stretch and relaxation exercises at equal intensity. Writing skills were assessed using a touch-sensitive tablet pre- and post-training, and after a six-week retention period. Tests encompassed a transfer task, evaluating trained and untrained sequences, and an automatization task, comparing single- and dual-task handwriting. Outcome parameters were stroke duration (s), writing velocity (cm/s) and normalized jerk (i.e. fluency). Results In contrast to the reported positive effects of training on writing size, the current results showed increases in stroke duration and normalized jerk after amplitude training, which were absent in the placebo group. These increases remained after the six-week retention period. In contrast, velocity remained unchanged throughout the study. Conclusion While intensive amplitude training is beneficial to improve writing size in PD, it comes at a cost as fluency and stroke duration deteriorated after training. The findings imply that PD patients can redistribute movement priorities after training within a compromised motor system. PMID:29272301

Contemporary training practices in elite British powerlifters: survey results from an international competition.

PubMed

Swinton, Paul A; Lloyd, Ray; Agouris, Ioannis; Stewart, Arthur

2009-03-01

The primary objective of this study was to investigate current powerlifting training methods in light of anecdotal evidence purporting increased similarity with the explosive training practices of weightlifters. The study also assessed the prevalence of contemporary training practices frequently recommended for powerlifters in the popular literature. A 20-item survey was distributed to 32 elite British powerlifters at an International competition. The subject group included multiple national, international, and commonwealth champions and record holders. Based on 2007 competition results, the average Wilks score of the group was 450.26 +/- 34.7. The response rate for the surveys was 88% (28 of 32). The survey was sectioned into 6 areas of inquiry: a) repetition speed, b) explosive training load, c) resistance materials used, d) adjunct power training methods, e) exercise selection, and f) training organization. The results demonstrate that the majority of powerlifters train with the intention to explosively lift maximal and submaximal loads (79 and 82%, respectively). Results revealed that 39% of the lifters regularly used elastic bands and that 57% incorporated chains in their training. Evidence for convergence of training practices between powerlifters and weightlifters was found when 69% of the subjects reported using the Olympic lifts or their derivatives as part of their powerlifting training. Collectively, the results demonstrate that previous notions of how powerlifters train are outdated. Contemporary powerlifters incorporate a variety of training practices that are focused on developing both explosive and maximal strength.

ISS Microgravity Research Payload Training Methodology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlagheck, Ronald; Geveden, Rex (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The NASA Microgravity Research Discipline has multiple categories of science payloads that are being planned and currently under development to operate on various ISS on-orbit increments. The current program includes six subdisciplines; Materials Science, Fluids Physics, Combustion Science, Fundamental Physics, Cellular Biology and Macromolecular Biotechnology. All of these experiment payloads will require the astronaut various degrees of crew interaction and science observation. With the current programs planning to build various facility class science racks, the crew will need to be trained on basic core operations as well as science background. In addition, many disciplines will use the Express Rack and the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) to utilize the accommodations provided by these facilities for smaller and less complex type hardware. The Microgravity disciplines will be responsible to have a training program designed to maximize the experiment and hardware throughput as well as being prepared for various contingencies both with anomalies as well as unexpected experiment observations. The crewmembers will need various levels of training from simple tasks as power on and activate to extensive training on hardware mode change out to observing the cell growth of various types of tissue cultures. Sample replacement will be required for furnaces and combustion type modules. The Fundamental Physics program will need crew EVA support to provide module change out of experiment. Training will take place various research centers and hardware development locations. It is expected that onboard training through various methods and video/digital technology as well as limited telecommunication interaction. Since hardware will be designed to operate from a few weeks to multiple research increments, flexibility must be planned in the training approach and procedure skills to optimize the output as well as the equipment maintainability. Early increment lessons learned will be addressed.

Survey and analysis of the current state of residency training in medical-school-affiliated hospitals in China

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Since the global standards for postgraduate medical education (PGME) were published in January 2003, they have gained worldwide attention. The current state of residency training programs in medical-school-affiliated hospitals throughout China was assessed in this study. Methods Based on the internationally recognized global standards for PGME, residents undergoing residency training at that time and the relevant residency training instructors and management personnel from 15 medical-school-affiliated hospitals throughout China were recruited and surveyed regarding the current state of residency training programs. A total of 938 questionnaire surveys were distributed between June 30, 2006 and July 30, 2006; of 892 surveys collected, 841 were valid. Results For six items, the total proportions of “basically meets standards” and “completely meets standards” were <70% for the basic standards. These items were identified in the fields of “training settings and educational resources”, “evaluation of training process”, and “trainees”. In all fields other than “continuous updates”, the average scores of the western regions were significantly lower than those of the eastern regions for both the basic and target standards. Specifically, the average scores for the basic standards on as many as 25 of the 38 items in the nine fields were significantly lower in the western regions. There were significant differences in the basic standards scores on 13 of the 38 items among trainees, instructors, and managers. Conclusions The residency training programs have achieved satisfactory outcomes in the hospitals affiliated with various medical schools in China. However, overall, the programs remain inadequate in certain areas. For the governments, organizations, and institutions responsible for PGME, such global standards for PGME are a very useful self-assessment tool and can help identify problems, promote reform, and ultimately standardize PGME. PMID:24885865

A national survey of terrorism preparedness training among pediatric, family practice, and emergency medicine programs.

PubMed

Martin, Shelly D; Bush, Anneke C; Lynch, Julia A

2006-09-01

Domestic terrorism is a real threat focusing on a need to engage in effective emergency preparedness planning and training. Front-line physicians are an important component of any emergency preparedness plan. Potential victims of an attack include children who have unique physiologic and psychological vulnerabilities in disasters. Front-line providers need to have adequate training to effectively participate in local planning initiatives and to recognize and treat casualties including children. The goal of the survey was to assess the current state of terrorism preparedness training, including child victims, by emergency medicine, family practice, and pediatric residency programs in the United States and to assess methods of training and barriers to establishing effective training. A survey was e-mailed to a comprehensive list of all US pediatric, family practice, and emergency medicine residency programs 3 times between September 2003 and January 2004. The survey measured the perceived risk of terrorist attack, level of training by type of attack, level of training regarding children, method of training, and barriers to training. Overall, 21% of programs responded (46 of 182 pediatric, 75 of 400 family practice, and 29 of 125 emergency medicine programs). Across all of the event types, emergency medicine programs were more likely to report adequate/comprehensive training. However, < 50% of emergency medicine programs report adequate training for children. Didactic classroom-based lectures were the most commonly used method of training. Emergency medicine programs were more likely to use scenario-based exercises. Among programs that use scenario exercises, 93% report that they never (40%) or only sometimes (53%) incorporate child victims into the scenarios. Time, funding, access to subject matter experts, and availability of training material are the most important barriers to effective training. Children are a precious national resource and a vulnerable population in disasters. Despite the availability of terrorism preparedness funding, these data suggest that we are failing to provide adequate training to front-line providers who may care for children in a catastrophic domestic terrorist event.

Online updating of context-aware landmark detectors for prostate localization in daily treatment CT images

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

Dai, Xiubin; Gao, Yaozong; Shen, Dinggang, E-mail: dgshen@med.unc.edu

2015-05-15

Purpose: In image guided radiation therapy, it is crucial to fast and accurately localize the prostate in the daily treatment images. To this end, the authors propose an online update scheme for landmark-guided prostate segmentation, which can fully exploit valuable patient-specific information contained in the previous treatment images and can achieve improved performance in landmark detection and prostate segmentation. Methods: To localize the prostate in the daily treatment images, the authors first automatically detect six anatomical landmarks on the prostate boundary by adopting a context-aware landmark detection method. Specifically, in this method, a two-layer regression forest is trained as amore » detector for each target landmark. Once all the newly detected landmarks from new treatment images are reviewed or adjusted (if necessary) by clinicians, they are further included into the training pool as new patient-specific information to update all the two-layer regression forests for the next treatment day. As more and more treatment images of the current patient are acquired, the two-layer regression forests can be continually updated by incorporating the patient-specific information into the training procedure. After all target landmarks are detected, a multiatlas random sample consensus (multiatlas RANSAC) method is used to segment the entire prostate by fusing multiple previously segmented prostates of the current patient after they are aligned to the current treatment image. Subsequently, the segmented prostate of the current treatment image is again reviewed (or even adjusted if needed) by clinicians before including it as a new shape example into the prostate shape dataset for helping localize the entire prostate in the next treatment image. Results: The experimental results on 330 images of 24 patients show the effectiveness of the authors’ proposed online update scheme in improving the accuracies of both landmark detection and prostate segmentation. Besides, compared to the other state-of-the-art prostate segmentation methods, the authors’ method achieves the best performance. Conclusions: By appropriate use of valuable patient-specific information contained in the previous treatment images, the authors’ proposed online update scheme can obtain satisfactory results for both landmark detection and prostate segmentation.« less

Nonlinguistic Learning in Individuals with Aphasia: Effects of Training Method and Stimulus Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vallila-Rohter, Sofia; Kiran, Swathi

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to explore nonlinguistic learning ability in individuals with aphasia, examining the impact of stimulus typicality and feedback on success with learning. Method: Eighteen individuals with aphasia and 8 nonaphasic controls participated in this study. All participants completed 4 computerized,…

A Scientific Rationale to Improve Resistance Training Prescription in Exercise Oncology.

PubMed

Fairman, Ciaran M; Zourdos, Michael C; Helms, Eric R; Focht, Brian C

2017-08-01

To date, the prevailing evidence in the field of exercise oncology supports the safety and efficacy of resistance training to attenuate many oncology treatment-related adverse effects, such as risk for cardiovascular disease, increased fatigue, and diminished physical functioning and quality of life. Moreover, findings in the extant literature supporting the benefits of exercise for survivors of and patients with cancer have resulted in the release of exercise guidelines from several international agencies. However, despite research progression and international recognition, current exercise oncology-based exercise prescriptions remain relatively basic and underdeveloped, particularly in regards to resistance training. Recent publications have called for a more precise manipulation of training variables such as volume, intensity, and frequency (i.e., periodization), given the large heterogeneity of a cancer population, to truly optimize clinically relevant patient-reported outcomes. Indeed, increased attention to integrating fundamental principles of exercise physiology into the exercise prescription process could optimize the safety and efficacy of resistance training during cancer care. The purpose of this article is to give an overview of the current state of resistance training prescription and discuss novel methods that can contribute to improving approaches to exercise prescription. We hope this article may facilitate further evaluation of best practice regarding resistance training prescription, monitoring, and modification to ultimately optimize the efficacy of integrating resistance training as a supportive care intervention for survivors or and patients with cancer.

Cognitive learning and its future in urology: surgical skills teaching and assessment.

PubMed

Shafiei, Somayeh B; Hussein, Ahmed A; Guru, Khurshid A

2017-07-01

The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the current status of novel cognitive training approaches in surgery and to investigate the potential role of cognitive training in surgical education. Kinematics of end-effector trajectories, as well as cognitive state features of surgeon trainees and mentors have recently been studied as modalities to objectively evaluate the expertise level of trainees and to shorten the learning process. Virtual reality and haptics also have shown promising in research results in improving the surgical learning process by providing feedback to the trainee. 'Cognitive training' is a novel approach to enhance training and surgical performance. The utility of cognitive training in improving motor skills in other fields, including sports and rehabilitation, is promising enough to justify its utilization to improve surgical performance. However, some surgical procedures, especially ones performed during human-robot interaction in robot-assisted surgery, are much more complicated than sport and rehabilitation. Cognitive training has shown promising results in surgical skills-acquisition in complicated environments such as surgery. However, these methods are mostly developed in research groups using limited individuals. Transferring this research into the clinical applications is a demanding challenge. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current status of these novel cognitive training approaches in surgery and to investigate the potential role of cognitive training in surgical education.

Ongoing training of community health workers in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic scoping review of the literature

PubMed Central

O’Donovan, Charles; Kuhn, Isla; Sachs, Sonia Ehrlich

2018-01-01

Objectives Understanding the current landscape of ongoing training for community health workers (CHWs) in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) is important both for organisations responsible for their training, as well as researchers and policy makers. This scoping review explores this under-researched area by mapping the current delivery implementation and evaluation of ongoing training provision for CHWs in LMICs. Design Systematic scoping review. Data sources MEDLINE, Embase, AMED, Global Health, Web of Science, Scopus, ASSIA, LILACS, BEI and ERIC. Study selection Original studies focusing on the provision of ongoing training for CHWs working in a country defined as low income and middle income according to World Bank Group 2012 classification of economies. Results The scoping review found 35 original studies that met the inclusion criteria. Ongoing training activities for CHWs were described as supervision (n=19), inservice or refresher training (n=13) or a mixture of both (n=3). Although the majority of studies emphasised the importance of providing ongoing training, several studies reported no impact of ongoing training on performance indicators. The majority of ongoing training was delivered inperson; however, four studies reported the use of mobile technologies to support training delivery. The outcomes from ongoing training activities were measured and reported in different ways, including changes in behaviour, attitudes and practice measured in a quantitative manner (n=16), knowledge and skills (n=6), qualitative assessments (n=5) or a mixed methods approach combining one of the aforementioned modalities (n=8). Conclusions This scoping review highlights the diverse range of ongoing training for CHWs in LMICs. Given the expansion of CHW programmes globally, more attention should be given to the design, delivery, monitoring and sustainability of ongoing training from a health systems strengthening perspective. PMID:29705769

Changing Habits of Practice

PubMed Central

Bowen, Judith L; Salerno, Stephen M; Chamberlain, John K; Eckstrom, Elizabeth; Chen, Helen L; Brandenburg, Suzanne

2005-01-01

Purpose The majority of health care, both for acute and chronic conditions, is delivered in the ambulatory setting. Despite repeated proposals for change, the majority of internal medicine residency training still occurs in the inpatient setting. Substantial changes in ambulatory education are needed to correct the current imbalance. To assist educators and policy makers in this process, this paper reviews the literature on ambulatory education and makes recommendations for change. Methods The authors searched the Medline, Psychlit, and ERIC databases from 2000 to 2004 for studies that focused specifically on curriculum, teaching, and evaluation of internal medicine residents in the ambulatory setting to update previous reviews. Studies had to contain primary data and were reviewed for methodological rigor and relevance. Results Fifty-five studies met criteria for review. Thirty-five of the studies focused on specific curricular areas and 11 on ambulatory teaching methods. Five involved evaluating performance and 4 focused on structural issues. No study evaluated the overall effectiveness of ambulatory training or investigated the effects of current resident continuity clinic microsystems on education. Conclusion This updated review continues to identify key deficiencies in ambulatory training curriculum and faculty skills. The authors make several recommendations: (1) Make training in the ambulatory setting a priority. (2) Address systems problems in practice environments. (3) Create learning experiences appropriate to the resident's level of development. (4) Teach and evaluate in the examination room. (5) Expand subspecialty-based training to the ambulatory setting. (6) Make faculty development a priority. (7) Create and fund multiinstitutional educational research consortia. PMID:16423112

Occupational lead poisoning: who should conduct surveillance and training?

PubMed

Keogh, J P; Gordon, J

1994-11-01

This commentary challenges the current employer-controlled model for delivering occupational health services. Problems emanating from traditional employer-based medical surveillance and worker education programs for occupational lead poisoning are identified. A new public health model for delivering these services is proposed. This model utilizes a case-based and hazard-based method for bringing workplaces and employers into the program and features direct delivery of surveillance and training services by public health agencies.

Trainers' Attitudes towards Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Current Care Guidelines, and Training

PubMed Central

Mäkinen, M.; Castrén, M.; Nurmi, J.; Niemi-Murola, L.

2016-01-01

Objectives. Studies have shown that healthcare personnel hesitate to perform defibrillation due to individual or organisational attitudes. We aimed to assess trainers' attitudes towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation (CPR-D), Current Care Guidelines, and associated training. Methods. A questionnaire was distributed to CPR trainers attending seminars in Finland (N = 185) focusing on the updated national Current Care Guidelines 2011. The questions were answered using Likert scale (1 = totally disagree, 7 = totally agree). Factor loading of the questionnaire was made using maximum likelihood analysis and varimax rotation. Seven scales were constructed (Hesitation, Nurse's Role, Nontechnical Skill, Usefulness, Restrictions, Personal, and Organisation). Cronbach's alphas were 0.92–0.51. Statistics were Student's t-test, ANOVA, stepwise regression analysis, and Pearson Correlation. Results. The questionnaire was returned by 124/185, 67% CPR trainers, of whom two-thirds felt that their undergraduate training in CPR-D had not been adequate. Satisfaction with undergraduate defibrillation training correlated with the Nontechnical Skills scale (p < 0.01). Participants scoring high on Hesitation scale (p < 0.01) were less confident about their Nurse's Role (p < 0.01) and Nontechnical Skills (p < 0.01). Conclusion. Quality of undergraduate education affects the work of CPR trainers and some feel uncertain of defibrillation. The train-the-trainers courses and undergraduate medical education should focus more on practical scenarios with defibrillators and nontechnical skills. PMID:27144027

Virtual reality simulators: current status in acquisition and assessment of surgical skills.

PubMed

Cosman, Peter H; Cregan, Patrick C; Martin, Christopher J; Cartmill, John A

2002-01-01

Medical technology is currently evolving so rapidly that its impact cannot be analysed. Robotics and telesurgery loom on the horizon, and the technology used to drive these advances has serendipitous side-effects for the education and training arena. The graphical and haptic interfaces used to provide remote feedback to the operator--by passing control to a computer--may be used to generate simulations of the operative environment that are useful for training candidates in surgical procedures. One additional advantage is that the metrics calculated inherently in the controlling software in order to run the simulation may be used to provide performance feedback to individual trainees and mentors. New interfaces will be required to undergo evaluation of the simulation fidelity before being deemed acceptable. The potential benefits fall into one of two general categories: those benefits related to skill acquisition, and those related to skill assessment. The educational value of the simulation will require assessment, and comparison to currently available methods of training in any given procedure. It is also necessary to determine--by repeated trials--whether a given simulation actually measures the performance parameters it purports to measure. This trains the spotlight on what constitutes good surgical skill, and how it is to be objectively measured. Early results suggest that virtual reality simulators have an important role to play in this aspect of surgical training.

Core Training in Low Back Disorders: Role of the Pilates Method.

PubMed

Joyce, Andrew A; Kotler, Dana H

The Pilates method is a system of exercises developed by Joseph Pilates, which emphasizes recruitment and strengthening of the core muscles, flexibility, and breathing, to promote stability and control of movement. Its focus bears similarity to current evidence-based exercise programs for low back disorders. Spinal stability is a function of three interdependent systems, osseoligamentous, muscular, and neural control; exercise addresses both the muscular and neural function. The "core" typically refers to the muscular control required to maintain functional stability. Prior research has highlighted the importance of muscular strength and recruitment, with debate over the importance of individual muscles in the wider context of core control. Though developed long before the current evidence, the Pilates method is relevant in this setting and clearly relates to current evidence-based exercise interventions. Current literature supports the Pilates method as a treatment for low back disorders, but its benefit when compared with other exercise is less clear.

Identification of the Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills Needed by School Nutrition Assistants in the Current Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nettles, Mary Frances; Carr, Deborah H.; Cater, Jerry B.; Federico, Holly A.

2009-01-01

Purpose/Objectives: Study objectives were to identify the functional areas, competencies, knowledge, and skills needed by effective school nutrition (SN) assistants in the current SN environment, and determine at what point the SN assistant should be able to know/perform the knowledge/skill statement, at time of hire or after training. Methods: In…

Value of training on motivation among health workers in Narok County, Kenya

PubMed Central

Momanyi, George Osoro; Adoyo, Maureen Atieno; Mwangi, Eunice Muthoni; Mokua, Dennis Okari

2016-01-01

Introduction Training, as an additive human resources intervention is decisive to organizational performance. Employees require constant update of formal and informal knowledge alongside positive attitudes that have been defined as necessary in motivation leading to effectiveness in performance hence workplace training is tied to achieving organizational aims and objectives. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of training on motivation among health workers in Narok County, Kenya. Methods A cross-sectional study utilizing a self administered questionnaire, targeting 237 health workers and 21 health managers was used. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 21 using descriptive statistics. Factor analysis was done on the training perception in relation to motivation. Results Majority of the respondents rated their motivation between 7 and 9 in the current health facility (35.4%), Sub-county (33.8%) and County (32.9%) with the median motivation level of 5. Majority of health workers 194 (81.9%) had received a form of training, of whom 191 (98.5%) indicated that on-job training was relevant to their tasks and that it motivated 192 (99.0%) of them to perform better due to coining skills to motivation. Training significantly predicted general motivation (p-value = 0.013), job satisfaction (p-value = .001), intrinsic job satisfaction (p-value = .001) and organisational commitment (p-value <.001). Conclusion The researchers concluded that there is a relationship between training and motivated health workforce in Narok County and recommended strengthening of current training initiatives by ensuring trainings are more regular and involvement of health workers in discussing their career development prospects. PMID:27516826

Anesthesiology training using 3D imaging and virtual reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blezek, Daniel J.; Robb, Richard A.; Camp, Jon J.; Nauss, Lee A.

1996-04-01

Current training for regional nerve block procedures by anesthesiology residents requires expert supervision and the use of cadavers; both of which are relatively expensive commodities in today's cost-conscious medical environment. We are developing methods to augment and eventually replace these training procedures with real-time and realistic computer visualizations and manipulations of the anatomical structures involved in anesthesiology procedures, such as nerve plexus injections (e.g., celiac blocks). The initial work is focused on visualizations: both static images and rotational renderings. From the initial results, a coherent paradigm for virtual patient and scene representation will be developed.

Application of See One, Do One, Teach One Concept in Surgical Training

PubMed Central

Kotsis, Sandra V.; Chung, Kevin C.

2016-01-01

Background The traditional method of teaching in Surgery is known as “See One, Do One, Teach One.” However, many have argued that this method is no longer applicable mainly because of concerns for patient safety. The purpose of this paper is to show that the basis of the traditional teaching method is still valid in surgical training if it is combined with various adult learning principles. Methods We reviewed literature regarding the history of the formation of the surgical residency program, adult learning principles, mentoring, and medical simulation. We provide examples for how these learning techniques can be incorporated into a surgical resident training program. Results The surgical residency program created by Dr. William Halsted remained virtually unchanged until recently with reductions in resident work hours and changes to a competency-based training system. Such changes have reduced the teaching time between attending physicians and residents. Learning principles such as “Experience, Observation, Thinking and Action” as well as deliberate practice can be used to train residents. Mentoring is also an important aspect in teaching surgical technique. We review the different types of simulators: standardized patients, virtual reality applications, and high-fidelity mannequin simulators and the advantages and disadvantages of using them. Conclusions The traditional teaching method of “see one, do one, teach one” in surgical residency programs is simple but still applicable. It needs to evolve with current changes in the medical system to adequately train surgical residents and also provide patients with safe, evidence-based care. PMID:23629100

Interactive Methods for Teaching Action Potentials, an Example of Teaching Innovation from Neuroscience Postdoctoral Fellows in the Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) Program.

PubMed

Keen-Rhinehart, E; Eisen, A; Eaton, D; McCormack, K

2009-01-01

Acquiring a faculty position in academia is extremely competitive and now typically requires more than just solid research skills and knowledge of one's field. Recruiting institutions currently desire new faculty that can teach effectively, but few postdoctoral positions provide any training in teaching methods. Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) is a successful postdoctoral training program funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) providing training in both research and teaching methodology. The FIRST program provides fellows with outstanding interdisciplinary biomedical research training in fields such as neuroscience. The postdoctoral research experience is integrated with a teaching program which includes a How to Teach course, instruction in classroom technology and course development and mentored teaching. During their mentored teaching experiences, fellows are encouraged to explore innovative teaching methodologies and to perform science teaching research to improve classroom learning. FIRST fellows teaching neuroscience to undergraduates have observed that many of these students have difficulty with the topic of neuroscience. Therefore, we investigated the effects of interactive teaching methods for this topic. We tested two interactive teaching methodologies to determine if they would improve learning and retention of this information when compared with standard lectures. The interactive methods for teaching action potentials increased understanding and retention. Therefore, FIRST provides excellent teaching training, partly by enhancing the ability of fellows to integrate innovative teaching methods into their instruction. This training in turn provides fellows that matriculate from this program more of the characteristics that hiring institutions desire in their new faculty.

Interactive Methods for Teaching Action Potentials, an Example of Teaching Innovation from Neuroscience Postdoctoral Fellows in the Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) Program

PubMed Central

Keen-Rhinehart, E.; Eisen, A.; Eaton, D.; McCormack, K.

2009-01-01

Acquiring a faculty position in academia is extremely competitive and now typically requires more than just solid research skills and knowledge of one’s field. Recruiting institutions currently desire new faculty that can teach effectively, but few postdoctoral positions provide any training in teaching methods. Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) is a successful postdoctoral training program funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) providing training in both research and teaching methodology. The FIRST program provides fellows with outstanding interdisciplinary biomedical research training in fields such as neuroscience. The postdoctoral research experience is integrated with a teaching program which includes a How to Teach course, instruction in classroom technology and course development and mentored teaching. During their mentored teaching experiences, fellows are encouraged to explore innovative teaching methodologies and to perform science teaching research to improve classroom learning. FIRST fellows teaching neuroscience to undergraduates have observed that many of these students have difficulty with the topic of neuroscience. Therefore, we investigated the effects of interactive teaching methods for this topic. We tested two interactive teaching methodologies to determine if they would improve learning and retention of this information when compared with standard lectures. The interactive methods for teaching action potentials increased understanding and retention. Therefore, FIRST provides excellent teaching training, partly by enhancing the ability of fellows to integrate innovative teaching methods into their instruction. This training in turn provides fellows that matriculate from this program more of the characteristics that hiring institutions desire in their new faculty. PMID:23493377

Improving public transportation systems with self-organization: A headway-based model and regulation of passenger alighting and boarding.

PubMed

Carreón, Gustavo; Gershenson, Carlos; Pineda, Luis A

2017-01-01

The equal headway instability-the fact that a configuration with regular time intervals between vehicles tends to be volatile-is a common regulation problem in public transportation systems. An unsatisfactory regulation results in low efficiency and possible collapses of the service. Computational simulations have shown that self-organizing methods can regulate the headway adaptively beyond the theoretical optimum. In this work, we develop a computer simulation for metro systems fed with real data from the Mexico City Metro to test the current regulatory method with a novel self-organizing approach. The current model considers overall system's data such as minimum and maximum waiting times at stations, while the self-organizing method regulates the headway in a decentralized manner using local information such as the passenger's inflow and the positions of neighboring trains. The simulation shows that the self-organizing method improves the performance over the current one as it adapts to environmental changes at the timescale they occur. The correlation between the simulation of the current model and empirical observations carried out in the Mexico City Metro provides a base to calculate the expected performance of the self-organizing method in case it is implemented in the real system. We also performed a pilot study at the Balderas station to regulate the alighting and boarding of passengers through guide signs on platforms. The analysis of empirical data shows a delay reduction of the waiting time of trains at stations. Finally, we provide recommendations to improve public transportation systems.

Improving public transportation systems with self-organization: A headway-based model and regulation of passenger alighting and boarding

PubMed Central

Gershenson, Carlos; Pineda, Luis A.

2017-01-01

The equal headway instability—the fact that a configuration with regular time intervals between vehicles tends to be volatile—is a common regulation problem in public transportation systems. An unsatisfactory regulation results in low efficiency and possible collapses of the service. Computational simulations have shown that self-organizing methods can regulate the headway adaptively beyond the theoretical optimum. In this work, we develop a computer simulation for metro systems fed with real data from the Mexico City Metro to test the current regulatory method with a novel self-organizing approach. The current model considers overall system’s data such as minimum and maximum waiting times at stations, while the self-organizing method regulates the headway in a decentralized manner using local information such as the passenger’s inflow and the positions of neighboring trains. The simulation shows that the self-organizing method improves the performance over the current one as it adapts to environmental changes at the timescale they occur. The correlation between the simulation of the current model and empirical observations carried out in the Mexico City Metro provides a base to calculate the expected performance of the self-organizing method in case it is implemented in the real system. We also performed a pilot study at the Balderas station to regulate the alighting and boarding of passengers through guide signs on platforms. The analysis of empirical data shows a delay reduction of the waiting time of trains at stations. Finally, we provide recommendations to improve public transportation systems. PMID:29287120

Optimizing substance detection by integration of canine-human team with machine technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prestrude, Al M.; Ternes, J. W.

1994-02-01

There are several promising methods and technologies for substance detection. The oldest of these methods is the trained detector or `sniffer' dog. We summarize what is known about the capabilities of dogs in substance detection and recommend comparative testing of the canine- human team with current technology to identify the optimum combination of methods to maximize the detection of explosives and contraband.

Application of the "see one, do one, teach one" concept in surgical training.

PubMed

Kotsis, Sandra V; Chung, Kevin C

2013-05-01

The traditional method of teaching in surgery is known as "see one, do one, teach one." However, many have argued that this method is no longer applicable, mainly because of concerns for patient safety. The purpose of this article is to show that the basis of the traditional teaching method is still valid in surgical training if it is combined with various adult learning principles. The authors reviewed literature regarding the history of the formation of the surgical residency program, adult learning principles, mentoring, and medical simulation. The authors provide examples for how these learning techniques can be incorporated into a surgical resident training program. The surgical residency program created by Dr. William Halsted remained virtually unchanged until recently with reductions in resident work hours and changes to a competency-based training system. Such changes have reduced the teaching time between attending physicians and residents. Learning principles such as experience, observation, thinking, and action and deliberate practice can be used to train residents. Mentoring is also an important aspect in teaching surgical technique. The authors review the different types of simulators-standardized patients, virtual reality applications, and high-fidelity mannequin simulators-and the advantages and disadvantages of using them. The traditional teaching method of "see one, do one, teach one" in surgical residency programs is simple but still applicable. It needs to evolve with current changes in the medical system to adequately train surgical residents and also provide patients with safe, evidence-based care.

Tensor-based Dictionary Learning for Spectral CT Reconstruction

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yanbo; Wang, Ge

2016-01-01

Spectral computed tomography (CT) produces an energy-discriminative attenuation map of an object, extending a conventional image volume with a spectral dimension. In spectral CT, an image can be sparsely represented in each of multiple energy channels, and are highly correlated among energy channels. According to this characteristics, we propose a tensor-based dictionary learning method for spectral CT reconstruction. In our method, tensor patches are extracted from an image tensor, which is reconstructed using the filtered backprojection (FBP), to form a training dataset. With the Candecomp/Parafac decomposition, a tensor-based dictionary is trained, in which each atom is a rank-one tensor. Then, the trained dictionary is used to sparsely represent image tensor patches during an iterative reconstruction process, and the alternating minimization scheme is adapted for optimization. The effectiveness of our proposed method is validated with both numerically simulated and real preclinical mouse datasets. The results demonstrate that the proposed tensor-based method generally produces superior image quality, and leads to more accurate material decomposition than the currently popular popular methods. PMID:27541628

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.

Current practices in library/informatics instruction in academic libraries serving medical schools in the western United States: a three-phase action research study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background To conduct a systematic assessment of library and informatics training at accredited Western U.S. medical schools. To provide a structured description of core practices, detect trends through comparisons across institutions, and to identify innovative training approaches at the medical schools. Methods Action research study pursued through three phases. The first phase used inductive analysis on reported library and informatics skills training via publicly-facing websites at accredited medical schools and the academic health sciences libraries serving those medical schools. Phase Two consisted of a survey of the librarians who provide this training to undergraduate medical education students at the Western U.S. medical schools. The survey revealed gaps in forming a complete picture of current practices, thereby generating additional questions that were answered through the Phase Three in-depth interviews. Results Publicly-facing websites reviewed in Phase One offered uneven information about library and informatics training at Western U.S. medical schools. The Phase Two survey resulted in a 77% response rate. The survey produced a clearer picture of current practices of library and informatics training. The survey also determined the readiness of medical students to pass certain aspects of the United States Medical Licensure Exam. Most librarians interacted with medical school curricular leaders through either curricula committees or through individual contacts. Librarians averaged three (3) interventions for training within the four-year curricula with greatest emphasis upon the first and third years. Library/informatics training was integrated fully into the respective curricula in almost all cases. Most training involved active learning approaches, specifically within Problem-Based Learning or Evidence-Based Medicine contexts. The Phase Three interviews revealed that librarians are engaged with the medical schools' curricular leaders, they are respected for their knowledge and teaching skills, and that they need to continually adapt to changes in curricula. Conclusions This study offers a long overdue, systematic view of current practices of library/informatics training at Western U.S. medical schools. Medical educators, particularly curricular leaders, will find opportunities in this study's results for more productive collaborations with the librarians responsible for library and informatics training at their medical schools. PMID:24007301

0 + 5 Vascular Surgery Residents' Operative Experience in General Surgery: An Analysis of Operative Logs from 12 Integrated Programs.

PubMed

Smith, Brigitte K; Kang, P Chulhi; McAninch, Chris; Leverson, Glen; Sullivan, Sarah; Mitchell, Erica L

2016-01-01

Integrated (0 + 5) vascular surgery (VS) residency programs must include 24 months of training in core general surgery. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education currently does not require specific case numbers in general surgery for 0 + 5 trainees; however, program directors have structured this time to optimize operative experience. The aim of this study is to determine the case volume and type of cases that VS residents are exposed to during their core surgery training. Accreditation council for graduate medical education operative logs for current 0 + 5 VS residents were obtained and retrospectively reviewed to determine general surgery case volume and distribution between open and laparoscopic cases performed. Standard statistical methods were applied. A total of 12 integrated VS residency programs provided operative case logs for current residents. A total of 41 integrated VS residents in clinical years 2 through 5. During the postgraduate year-1 training year, residents participated in significantly more open than laparoscopic general surgery cases (p < 0.0001). This difference was consistent over the first 3 years of training. The most frequently logged open general surgery cases are hernia repair (20%), skin and soft tissue (7.4%), and breast (6.3%). Residents in programs with core surgery over 3 years participated in significantly more general surgery operations compared with residents in programs with core surgery spread out over 4 years (p = 0.035). 0 + 5 VS residents perform significantly more open operations than laparoscopic operations during their core surgery training. The majority of these operations are minor, nonabdominal procedures. The 0 + 5 VS residency program general surgery operative training requirements should be reevaluated and case minimums defined. The general surgery training component of 0 + 5 VS residencies may need to be restructured to meet the needs of current and future trainees. Copyright © 2016 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Increasing health worker capacity through distance learning: a comprehensive review of programmes in Tanzania

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Tanzania, like many developing countries, faces a crisis in human resources for health. The government has looked for ways to increase the number and skills of health workers, including using distance learning in their training. In 2008, the authors reviewed and assessed the country's current distance learning programmes for health care workers, as well as those in countries with similar human resource challenges, to determine the feasibility of distance learning to meet the need of an increased and more skilled health workforce. Methods Data were collected from 25 distance learning programmes at health training institutions, universities, and non-governmental organizations throughout the country from May to August 2008. Methods included internet research; desk review; telephone, email and mail-in surveys; on-site observations; interviews with programme managers, instructors, students, information technology specialists, preceptors, health care workers and Ministry of Health and Social Welfare representatives; and a focus group with national HIV/AIDS care and treatment organizations. Results Challenges include lack of guidelines for administrators, instructors and preceptors of distance learning programmes regarding roles and responsibilities; absence of competencies for clinical components of curricula; and technological constraints such as lack of access to computers and to the internet. Insufficient funding resulted in personnel shortages, lack of appropriate training for personnel, and lack of materials for students. Nonetheless, current and prospective students expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for scale-up of distance learning because of the unique financial and social benefits offered by these programs. Participants were retained as employees in their health care facilities, and remained in their communities and supported their families while advancing their careers. Space in health training institutions was freed up for new students entering in-residence pre-service training. Conclusions A blended print-based distance learning model is most feasible at the national level due to current resource and infrastructure constraints. With an increase in staffing; improvement of infrastructure, coordination and curricula; and decentralization to the zonal or district level, distance learning can be an effective method to increase both the skills and the numbers of qualified health care workers capable of meeting the health care needs of the Tanzanian population. PMID:21194417

A Novel Calibration-Minimum Method for Prediction of Mole Fraction in Non-Ideal Mixture.

PubMed

Shibayama, Shojiro; Kaneko, Hiromasa; Funatsu, Kimito

2017-04-01

This article proposes a novel concentration prediction model that requires little training data and is useful for rapid process understanding. Process analytical technology is currently popular, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, for enhancement of process understanding and process control. A calibration-free method, iterative optimization technology (IOT), was proposed to predict pure component concentrations, because calibration methods such as partial least squares, require a large number of training samples, leading to high costs. However, IOT cannot be applied to concentration prediction in non-ideal mixtures because its basic equation is derived from the Beer-Lambert law, which cannot be applied to non-ideal mixtures. We proposed a novel method that realizes prediction of pure component concentrations in mixtures from a small number of training samples, assuming that spectral changes arising from molecular interactions can be expressed as a function of concentration. The proposed method is named IOT with virtual molecular interaction spectra (IOT-VIS) because the method takes spectral change as a virtual spectrum x nonlin,i into account. It was confirmed through the two case studies that the predictive accuracy of IOT-VIS was the highest among existing IOT methods.

[MODERN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY MASTERING PRACTICAL SKILLS OF GENERAL PRACTITIONERS].

PubMed

Kovalchuk, L I; Prokopchuk, Y V; Naydyonova, O V

2015-01-01

The article presents the experience of postgraduate training of general practitioners--family medicine. Identified current trends, forms and methods of pedagogical innovations that enhance the quality of learning and mastering the practical skills of primary professionals providing care.

Finding the optimal shape of the leading-and-trailing car of a high-speed train using design-by-morphing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Sahuck; Jiang, Chung-Hsiang; Jiang, Chiyu; Marcus, Philip S.

2017-10-01

We present a new, general design method, called design-by-morphing for an object whose performance is determined by its shape due to hydrodynamic, aerodynamic, structural, or thermal requirements. To illustrate the method, we design a new leading-and-trailing car of a train by morphing existing, baseline leading-and-trailing cars to minimize the drag. In design-by-morphing, the morphing is done by representing the shapes with polygonal meshes and spectrally with a truncated series of spherical harmonics. The optimal design is found by computing the optimal weights of each of the baseline shapes so that the morphed shape has minimum drag. As a result of optimization, we found that with only two baseline trains that mimic current high-speed trains with low drag that the drag of the optimal train is reduced by 8.04% with respect to the baseline train with the smaller drag. When we repeat the optimization by adding a third baseline train that under-performs compared to the other baseline train, the drag of the new optimal train is reduced by 13.46% . This finding shows that bad examples of design are as useful as good examples in determining an optimal design. We show that design-by-morphing can be extended to many engineering problems in which the performance of an object depends on its shape.

Finding the optimal shape of the leading-and-trailing car of a high-speed train using design-by-morphing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Sahuck; Jiang, Chung-Hsiang; Jiang, Chiyu; Marcus, Philip S.

2018-07-01

We present a new, general design method, called design-by-morphing for an object whose performance is determined by its shape due to hydrodynamic, aerodynamic, structural, or thermal requirements. To illustrate the method, we design a new leading-and-trailing car of a train by morphing existing, baseline leading-and-trailing cars to minimize the drag. In design-by-morphing, the morphing is done by representing the shapes with polygonal meshes and spectrally with a truncated series of spherical harmonics. The optimal design is found by computing the optimal weights of each of the baseline shapes so that the morphed shape has minimum drag. As a result of optimization, we found that with only two baseline trains that mimic current high-speed trains with low drag that the drag of the optimal train is reduced by 8.04% with respect to the baseline train with the smaller drag. When we repeat the optimization by adding a third baseline train that under-performs compared to the other baseline train, the drag of the new optimal train is reduced by 13.46%. This finding shows that bad examples of design are as useful as good examples in determining an optimal design. We show that design-by-morphing can be extended to many engineering problems in which the performance of an object depends on its shape.

NASA/SPoRt: GOES-R Activities in Support of Product Development, Management, and Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuell, Kevin; Jedlovec, Gary; Molthan, Andrew; Stano, Geoffrey

2012-01-01

SPoRT is using current capabilities of MODIS and VIIRS, combined with current GOES (i.e. Hybrid Imagery) to demonstrate mesoscale capabilities of future ABI instrument. SPoRT is transitioning RGBs from EUMETSAT standard "recipes" to demonstrate a method to more efficiently handle the increase channels/frequency of ABI. Challenges for RGB production exist. Internal vs. external production, Bit depth needed, Adding quantitative information, etc. SPoRT forming group to address these issues. SPoRT is leading efforts on the application of total lightning in operations and to educate users of this new capability. Training in many forms is used to support testbed activities and is a key part to the transition process.

First responder training: Supporting commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies

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

Barilo, N. F.; Hamilton, J. J.; Weiner, S. C.

A properly trained first responder community is critical to the successful introduction of hydrogen fuel cell applications and their transformation in how we use energy. Providing resources with accurate information and current knowledge is essential to the delivery of effective hydrogen and fuel cell-related first responder training. Furthermore, the California Fuel Cell Partnership and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have over 15 years of experience in developing and delivering hydrogen safety-related first responder training materials and programs. A National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Emergency Response Training Resource was recently released (http://h2tools.org/fr/nt/). This training resource serves the delivery of a varietymore » of training regimens. Associated materials are adaptable for different training formats, ranging from high-level overview presentations to more comprehensive classroom training. Our paper presents what has been learned from the development and delivery of hydrogen safety-related first responder training programs (online, classroom, hands-on) by the respective organizations. We discussed the collaborative strategy being developed for enhancing training materials and methods for greater accessibility based on stakeholder input.« less

First responder training: Supporting commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies

DOE PAGES

Barilo, N. F.; Hamilton, J. J.; Weiner, S. C.

2017-03-01

A properly trained first responder community is critical to the successful introduction of hydrogen fuel cell applications and their transformation in how we use energy. Providing resources with accurate information and current knowledge is essential to the delivery of effective hydrogen and fuel cell-related first responder training. Furthermore, the California Fuel Cell Partnership and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have over 15 years of experience in developing and delivering hydrogen safety-related first responder training materials and programs. A National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Emergency Response Training Resource was recently released (http://h2tools.org/fr/nt/). This training resource serves the delivery of a varietymore » of training regimens. Associated materials are adaptable for different training formats, ranging from high-level overview presentations to more comprehensive classroom training. Our paper presents what has been learned from the development and delivery of hydrogen safety-related first responder training programs (online, classroom, hands-on) by the respective organizations. We discussed the collaborative strategy being developed for enhancing training materials and methods for greater accessibility based on stakeholder input.« less

Active participation in preventionist professional practices: a specific ergonomics training course.

PubMed

Querelle, Léonard; Duwelz, Michel; Beaujouan, Joffrey; Pignault, Anne

2012-01-01

Currently, the different forms of corporate management methods (quality circles, lean manufacturing, etc.) are usually based on employee mobilisation. Very often, the goal of this type of approach is at best, to ensure that employees embrace corporate projects, or otherwise to impose changes on them without taking into account the real work and difficulties that they face daily. However, do these employee solicitation methods converge with participatory approaches as envisaged by ergonomists and more generally, preventionists? Based on the observation that the activity of institutional preventionists evolves with regulatory constraints and work related to the monitoring of indicators, the implementation and steering of the participatory approach within companies may be a major lever for prevention. After describing the foundations of a participatory approach, this paper will present a training experiment aimed at implementing and promoting employee participation in prevention efforts. The content of this training is then analysed with regard to the balance between methodology and the use of trainees' narratives. The results of the training session are presented from the point of view of the development prospects for pedagogical tools and the organisation of the training.

Development of a training program to support health care professionals to deliver the SPACE for COPD self-management program

PubMed Central

Blackmore, Claire; Johnson-Warrington, Vicki L; Williams, Johanna EA; Apps, Lindsay D; Young, Hannah ML; Bourne, Claire LA; Singh, Sally J

2017-01-01

Background With the growing burden of COPD and associated morbidity and mortality, a need for self-management has been identified. The Self-management Programme of Activity, Coping and Education for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (SPACE for COPD) manual was developed to support self-management in COPD patients. Currently, there is no literature available regarding health care professionals’ training needs when supporting patients with COPD on self-management. Aim This study sought to identify these needs to inform, design and develop a training program for health care professionals being trained to deliver a self-management program in COPD. Methods Fourteen health care professionals from both primary and secondary care COPD services participated in face-to-face semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to produce a framework and identify training needs and views on delivery of the SPACE for COPD self-management program. Components of training were web-based knowledge training, with pre-and posttraining knowledge questionnaires, and a 1-day program to introduce the self-management manual. Feedback was given after training to guide the development of the training program. Results Health care professionals were able to identify areas where they required increased knowledge to support patients. This was overwhelming in aspects of COPD seen to be outside of their current clinical role. Skills in goal setting and behavioral change were not elicited as a training need, suggesting a lack of understanding of components of supporting self-management. An increase in knowledge of COPD was demonstrated following the training program. Conclusion Both knowledge and skill gaps existed in those who would deliver self-management. Analysis of this has enabled a training program to be designed to address these gaps and enable health care professionals to support patients in self-management. PMID:28652720

Teachers' Training and Involvement in School Health Programme in Oyo State, Southwest Nigeria.

PubMed

Adebayo, A M; Makinde, G I; Omode, P K

2018-02-01

School Health Programme (SHP) currently lacks effective implementation in Nigeria. Lack of training/orientation of teachers in the programme may have contributed to this. Developing an appropriate training intervention may require prior situation analysis to know teachers' current level of training and involvement in the programme, as there is paucity of information on such study in Oyo State. Thus, this study was carried out to assess primary school teachers' training and involvement in the SHP in Oyo state, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a 2-stage cluster sampling method to select 2 out of the 33 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Oyo State. A semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on respondents' characteristics and previous training and involvement in the SHP. The major variable for assessing teachers' involvement in the SHP was "ever been involved in health inspection of pupils". Level of involvement was categorized into "never, "once", "occasionally", "frequently", and "very regularly". These options were further re-categorized into "never", "infrequently" (once and occasionally) and "frequently" (frequently and very regularly) for the purpose of inferential statistics. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test at p=0.05. A total of 811 respondents participated in the study. Twenty-eight percent of the respondents reported previous training in the SHP out of whom 44.7% received the training on-the-job. Forty-seven percent were regularly involved in health inspection of pupils. Teachers who taught health education (92.3%) were involved in health inspection of pupils compared with counterparts who did not (74.4%) (p<0.001). Similarly, 85.3% of teachers trained on-the-job were frequently involved in the SHP compared with 73.6% of those trained during undergraduate years (p=0.026). Training and involvement of public primary school teachers in the SHP in Oyo State were suboptimal. Efforts at building the capacity of teachers through on-the-job training in SHP may be necessary to improving the current level of implementation in the State.

One Health training, research, and outreach in North America

PubMed Central

Stroud, Cheryl; Kaplan, Bruce; Logan, Jenae E.

2016-01-01

Background The One Health (OH) concept, formerly referred to as ‘One Medicine’ in the later part of the 20th century, has gained exceptional popularity in the early 21st century, and numerous academic and non-academic institutions have developed One Health programs. Objectives To summarize One Health training, research, and outreach activities originating in North America. Methods We used data from extensive electronic records maintained by the One Health Commission (OHC) (www.onehealthcommission.org/) and the One Health Initiative (www.onehealthinitiative.com/) and from web-based searches, combined with the corporate knowledge of the authors and their professional contacts. Finally, a call was released to members of the OHC's Global One Health Community listserv, asking that they populate a Google document with information on One Health training, research, and outreach activities in North American academic and non-academic institutions. Results A current snapshot of North American One Health training, research, and outreach activities as of August 2016 has evolved. Conclusions It is clear that the One Health concept has gained considerable recognition during the first decade of the 21st century, with numerous current training and research activities carried out among North American academic, non-academic, government, corporate, and non-profit entities. PMID:27906120

Early initiation of post-sternotomy cardiac rehabilitation exercise training (SCAR): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation

PubMed Central

Lobley, Grace; Worrall, Sandra; Powell, Richard; Kimani, Peter K; Banerjee, Prithwish; Barker, Thomas

2018-01-01

Introduction Current guidelines recommend abstinence from supervised cardiac rehabilitation (CR) exercise training for 6 weeks post-sternotomy. This practice is not based on empirical evidence, thus imposing potentially unnecessary activity restrictions. Delayed participation in CR exercise training promotes muscle atrophy, reduces cardiovascular fitness and prolongs recovery. Limited data suggest no detrimental effect of beginning CR exercise training as early as 2 weeks post-surgery, but randomised controlled trials are yet to confirm this. The purpose of this trial is to compare CR exercise training commenced early (2 weeks post-surgery) with current usual care (6 weeks post-surgery) with a view to informing future CR guidelines for patients recovering from sternotomy. Methods and analysis In this assessor-blind randomised controlled trial, 140 cardiac surgery patients, recovering from sternotomy, will be assigned to 8 weeks of twice-weekly supervised CR exercise training commencing at either 2 weeks (early CR) or 6 weeks (usual care CR) post-surgery. Usual care exercise training will adhere to current UK recommendations. Participants in the early CR group will undertake a highly individualised 2–3 week programme of functional mobility, strength and cardiovascular exercise before progressing to a usual care CR programme. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline (inpatient), pre-CR (2 or 6 weeks post-surgery), post-CR (10 or 14 weeks post-surgery) and 12 months. The primary outcome will be change in 6 min walk distance. Secondary outcomes will include measures of functional fitness, quality of life and cost-effectiveness. Ethics and dissemination Recruitment commenced on July 2017 and will complete by December 2019. Results will be disseminated via national governing bodies, scientific meetings and peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number NCT03223558; Pre-results. PMID:29574443

Why do they fail? A qualitative follow up study of 1000 recruits to the British Army Infantry to understand high levels of attrition.

PubMed

Kiernan, Matthew D; Repper, Julie; Arthur, Antony

2015-01-01

The British Army has over 100 career employment groups to which recruits may apply. The Infantry is one of these career employment groups; it accounts for 25% of the overall strength. It is of concern that Infantry recruit attrition within the first 12 weeks of training remains consistently above 30% . Poor selection methods that lead to the enlistment of unsuitable recruits have negative financial and personal consequences, but little is known about the personal experiences of those who fail. The aim of this research was to understand why infantry recruits choose to leave and explore the personal experiences of those that fail. This study draws on qualitative data from the second phase of a larger mixed method study. The foci of this paper are the findings directly related to the responses of recruits in exit interviews and their Commanding Officers' training reports. An exploratory qualitative, inductive method was used to generate insights, explanations and potential solutions to training attrition. What the data describes is a journey of extreme situational demands that the recruits experience throughout their transition from civilian life to service in the British Infantry. It is the cumulative effect of the stressors, combined with the recruit being dislocated from their established support network, which appears to be the catalyst for failure among recruits. There are clearly defined areas where either further research or changes to current practice may provide a better understanding of, and ultimately reduce, the current attrition rates experienced by the Infantry Training Centre.

Determining Successful Approaches for a Total Quality Management Training Program for Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-08-01

Krowinski, W. J. (1990). Measuring and managing Patient satisfaction . Chicago, IL: American Hospital Publishing. Stiffler, R. (1992). Making it work: The...Currently, there is no consensus among the experts on what method to use in executing a TQM training program. There are a wide variety of viewpoints... burnout , reenergize employees, and send a clear message to employees that management considers employees to be a valuable resource (Walton, 1986; Deming

Simulation training for emergency obstetric and neonatal care in Senegal preliminary results.

PubMed

Gueye, M; Moreira, P M; Faye-Dieme, M E; Ndiaye-Gueye, M D; Gassama, O; Kane-Gueye, S M; Diouf, A A; Niang, M M; Diadhiou, M; Diallo, M; Dieng, Y D; Ndiaye, O; Diouf, A; Moreau, J C

2017-06-01

To describe a new training approach for emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) introduced in Senegal to strengthen the skills of healthcare providers. The approach was based on skills training according to the so-called "humanist" method and on "lifesaving skills". Simulated practice took place in the classroom through 13 clinical stations summarizing the clinical skills needed for EmONC. Evaluation took place in all phases, and the results were recorded in a database to document the progress of each learner. This approach was used to train 432 providers in 10 months and to document the increase in each participants' technical achievements. The combination of training with the "learning by doing" model ensured that providers learned and mastered all EmONC skills and reduced the missed learning opportunities observed in former EmONC training sessions. Assessing the impact of training on EmONC indicators and introducing this learning modality in basic training are the two major challenges we currently face.

Is high-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation a suitable tool for muscle performance improvement in both healthy humans and athletes?

PubMed

Gondin, Julien; Cozzone, Patrick J; Bendahan, David

2011-10-01

We aimed at providing an overview of the currently acknowledged benefits and limitations of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) training programs in both healthy individuals and in recreational and competitive athletes regarding muscle performance. Typical NMES resistance exercises are performed under isometric conditions and involve the application of electrical stimuli delivered as intermittent high frequencies trains (>40-50 Hz) through surface electrodes. NMES has been acknowledged as an efficient modality leading to significant improvements in isometric maximal voluntary strength. However, the resulting changes in dynamic strength, motor performance skills and explosive movements (i.e., jump performance, sprint ability) are still ambiguous and could only be obtained when NMES is combined with voluntary dynamic exercise such as plyometrics. Additionally, the effects of NMES on muscle fatigability are still poorly understood and required further investigations. While NMES effectiveness could be partially related to several external adjustable factors such as training intensity, current characteristics (e.g., intensity, pulse duration…) or the design of training protocols (number of contractions per session, number of sessions per week…), anatomical specificities (e.g., morphological organization of the axonal branches within the muscle) appear as the main factor accounting for the differences in NMES response. Overall, NMES cannot be considered as a surrogate training method, but rather as an adjunct to voluntary resistance training. The combination of these two training modalities should optimally improve muscle function.

University education and nuclear criticality safety professionals

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

Wilson, R.E.; Stachowiak, R.V.; Knief, R.A.

1996-12-31

The problem of developing a productive criticality safety specialist at a nuclear fuel facility has long been with us. The normal practice is to hire a recent undergraduate or graduate degree recipient and invest at least a decade in on-the-job training. In the early 1980s, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) developed a model intern program in an attempt to speed up the process. The program involved working at assigned projects for extended periods at a working critical mass laboratory, a methods development group, and a fuel cycle facility. This never gained support as it involved extended time away frommore » the job. At the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, the training method is currently the traditional one involving extensive experience. The flaw is that the criticality safety staff turnover has been such that few individuals continue for the decade some consider necessary for maturity in the discipline. To maintain quality evaluations and controls as well as interpretation decisions, extensive group review is used. This has proved costly to the site and professionally unsatisfying to the current staff. The site contractor has proposed a training program to remedy the basic problem.« less

Sport-Specific Assessment of the Effectiveness of Neuromuscular Training in Young Athletes

PubMed Central

Zemková, Erika; Hamar, Dušan

2018-01-01

Neuromuscular training in young athletes improves performance and decreases the risk of injuries during sports activities. These effects are primarily ascribed to the enhancement of muscle strength and power but also balance, speed and agility. However, most studies have failed to demonstrate significant improvement in these abilities. This is probably due to the fact that traditional tests do not reflect training methods (e.g., plyometric training vs. isometric or isokinetic strength testing, dynamic balance training vs. static balance testing). The protocols utilized in laboratories only partially fulfill the current needs for testing under sport-specific conditions. Moreover, laboratory testing usually requires skilled staff and a well equipped and costly infrastructure. Nevertheless, experience demonstrates that high-technology and expensive testing is not the only way to proceed. A number of physical fitness field tests are available today. However, the low reliability and limited number of parameters retrieved from simple equipment used also limit their application in competitive sports. Thus, there is a need to develop and validate a functional assessment platform based on portable computerized systems. Variables obtained should be directly linked to specific features of particular sports and capture their complexity. This is essential for revealing weak and strong components of athlete performance and design of individually-tailored exercise programs. Therefore, identifying the drawbacks associated with the assessment of athlete performance under sport-specific conditions would provide a basis for the formation of an innovative approach to their long-term systematic testing. This study aims (i) to review the testing methods used for the evaluation of the effect of neuromuscular training on sport-specific performance in young athletes, (ii) to introduce stages within the Sport Longlife Diagnostic Model, and (iii) to propose future research in this topic. Analysis of the literature identified gaps in the current standard testing methods in terms of their low sensitivity in discriminating between athletes of varied ages and performance levels, insufficent tailoring to athlete performance level and individual needs, a lack of specificity to the requirements of particular sports and also in revealing the effect of training. In order to partly fill in these gaps, the Sport Longlife Diagnostic Model was proposed. PMID:29695970

Sport-Specific Assessment of the Effectiveness of Neuromuscular Training in Young Athletes.

PubMed

Zemková, Erika; Hamar, Dušan

2018-01-01

Neuromuscular training in young athletes improves performance and decreases the risk of injuries during sports activities. These effects are primarily ascribed to the enhancement of muscle strength and power but also balance, speed and agility. However, most studies have failed to demonstrate significant improvement in these abilities. This is probably due to the fact that traditional tests do not reflect training methods (e.g., plyometric training vs. isometric or isokinetic strength testing, dynamic balance training vs. static balance testing). The protocols utilized in laboratories only partially fulfill the current needs for testing under sport-specific conditions. Moreover, laboratory testing usually requires skilled staff and a well equipped and costly infrastructure. Nevertheless, experience demonstrates that high-technology and expensive testing is not the only way to proceed. A number of physical fitness field tests are available today. However, the low reliability and limited number of parameters retrieved from simple equipment used also limit their application in competitive sports. Thus, there is a need to develop and validate a functional assessment platform based on portable computerized systems. Variables obtained should be directly linked to specific features of particular sports and capture their complexity. This is essential for revealing weak and strong components of athlete performance and design of individually-tailored exercise programs. Therefore, identifying the drawbacks associated with the assessment of athlete performance under sport-specific conditions would provide a basis for the formation of an innovative approach to their long-term systematic testing. This study aims (i) to review the testing methods used for the evaluation of the effect of neuromuscular training on sport-specific performance in young athletes, (ii) to introduce stages within the Sport Longlife Diagnostic Model, and (iii) to propose future research in this topic. Analysis of the literature identified gaps in the current standard testing methods in terms of their low sensitivity in discriminating between athletes of varied ages and performance levels, insufficent tailoring to athlete performance level and individual needs, a lack of specificity to the requirements of particular sports and also in revealing the effect of training. In order to partly fill in these gaps, the Sport Longlife Diagnostic Model was proposed.

Use of the 'Hall technique' for management of carious primary molars among Scottish general dental practitioners.

PubMed

Dean, A A; Bark, J E; Sherriff, A; Macpherson, L M D; Cairns, A

2011-06-01

To assess the current awareness, usage and opinion of the Hall technique as a restorative option for primary molars in Scottish general dental practice; and to identify preferences for methods of further training, if desired, for those not currently using the technique. A postal questionnaire was sent to a random sample of Scottish general dental practitioners (GDPs) (n= 1207). Half of all GDPs within each health board were mailed. All analyses have been carried out in Minitab (version 15). The study is primarily descriptive and uses frequency distributions and cross-tabulations. Percentages are reported with p5% confidence intervals. Characteristics of the whole sample were reported. However when reporting the use of the Hall technique, only those GDP's reporting to treat children, at least sometimes are considered. Following two mail-shots, the overall response rate was 59% (715/1207). Eighty-six percent (616/715) of respondents were aware of the Hall technique as a method of restoring primary molars and 48 % (n=318) were currently using the Hall technique. Of those GDPs who never used the Hall technique (51% of total respondents; n=340), 46% (n=157) indicated they were either 'very interested' or 'interested' in adopting the Hall technique into their clinical practice. The preferred source for further training was via a section 63 continuing professional development (CPD) course, incorporating a practical element. Of those GDPs in Scotland who responded to the questionnaire, an unexpectedly high number were already using the Hall technique in their practice, and among those not currently using it, there is a demand for training.

Progress in reforming chemical engineering education.

PubMed

Wankat, Phillip C

2013-01-01

Three successful historical reforms of chemical engineering education were the triumph of chemical engineering over industrial chemistry, the engineering science revolution, and Engineering Criteria 2000. Current attempts to change teaching methods have relied heavily on dissemination of the results of engineering-education research that show superior student learning with active learning methods. Although slow dissemination of education research results is probably a contributing cause to the slowness of reform, two other causes are likely much more significant. First, teaching is the primary interest of only approximately one-half of engineering faculty. Second, the vast majority of engineering faculty have no training in teaching, but trained professors are on average better teachers. Significant progress in reform will occur if organizations with leverage-National Science Foundation, through CAREER grants, and the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET-use that leverage to require faculty to be trained in pedagogy.

Information-Technology Based Physics Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J. S.; Lee, K. H.

2001-04-01

Developing countries emphasize expansion of the educated population but demand for quality improvement follows later. Current science education reform is driven in part by post cold war restructuring of the global economy and associated focus on the education of a more scientifically literate society, due to the industrial change from labor-intensive to high-technology type, and the societal change inherent in the present information era. Industry needs employees of broad and flexible background with inter disciplinary training, engineers with better physics training, and well trained physicists. Education researches have proved that active-learning based methods are superior to the traditional methods and the information technology (IT) has lot to offer in this. Use of IT for improving physics education is briefly discussed with prospects for collaboration in the Asia-Pacific region via Asian Physics Education Network (ASPEN), UNESCO University Foundation Course in Physics (UUFCP), etc.

Feasibility of High-Repetition, Task-Specific Training for Individuals With Upper-Extremity Paresis

PubMed Central

Waddell, Kimberly J.; Birkenmeier, Rebecca L.; Moore, Jennifer L.; Hornby, T. George

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE. We investigated the feasibility of delivering an individualized, progressive, high-repetition upper-extremity (UE) task-specific training protocol for people with stroke in the inpatient rehabilitation setting. METHOD. Fifteen patients with UE paresis participated in this study. Task-specific UE training was scheduled for 60 min/day, 4 days/wk, during occupational therapy for the duration of a participant’s inpatient stay. During each session, participants were challenged to complete ≥300 repetitions of various tasks. RESULTS. Participants averaged 289 repetitions/session, spending 47 of 60 min in active training. Participants improved on impairment and activity level outcome measures. CONCLUSION. People with stroke in an inpatient setting can achieve hundreds of repetitions of task-specific training in 1-hr sessions. As expected, all participants improved on functional outcome measures. Future studies are needed to determine whether this high-repetition training program results in better outcomes than current UE interventions. PMID:25005508

Cockpit resource management training at People Express

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bruce, Keith D.; Jensen, Doug

1987-01-01

In January 1986 in a continuing effort to maintain and improve flight safety and solve some Cockpit Resource Management (CRM) problems, People Express implemented a new CRM training program. It is a continuously running program, scheduled over the next three years and includes state-of-the-art full-mission simulation (LOFT), semi-annual seminar workshops and a comprehensive academic program authored by Robert W. Mudge of Cockpit Management Resources Inc. That program is outlined and to maximize its contribution to the workshop's goals, is organized into four topic areas: (1) Program content: the essential elements of resource management training; (2) Training methods: the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches; (3) Implementation: the implementation of CRM training; and (4) Effectiveness: the effectiveness of training. It is confined as much as possible to concise descriptions of the program's basic components. Brief discussions of rationale are included, however no attempt is made to discuss or review popular CRM tenets or the supporting research.

Convolutional networks for vehicle track segmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quach, Tu-Thach

2017-10-01

Existing methods to detect vehicle tracks in coherent change detection images, a product of combining two synthetic aperture radar images taken at different times of the same scene, rely on simple and fast models to label track pixels. These models, however, are unable to capture natural track features, such as continuity and parallelism. More powerful but computationally expensive models can be used in offline settings. We present an approach that uses dilated convolutional networks consisting of a series of 3×3 convolutions to segment vehicle tracks. The design of our networks considers the fact that remote sensing applications tend to operate in low power and have limited training data. As a result, we aim for small and efficient networks that can be trained end-to-end to learn natural track features entirely from limited training data. We demonstrate that our six-layer network, trained on just 90 images, is computationally efficient and improves the F-score on a standard dataset to 0.992, up from 0.959 obtained by the current state-of-the-art method.

No Tunnel Vision Here.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roueche, Suanne D.; Hudgens, A. Gayle

1980-01-01

Discusses the current status of and future projections for the National Institute of Education sponsored Program in Community College Education at the University of Texas at Austin, which was designed to produce a theory and method of literacy training for the culturally different student. (CAM)

Sociocultural Learning Theory in Practice: Implications for Athletic Training Educators

PubMed Central

Peer, Kimberly S.; McClendon, Ronald C.

2002-01-01

Objective: To discuss cognitive and sociocultural learning theory literature related to athletic training instructional and evaluation strategies while providing support for the application of these practices in the didactic and clinical components of athletic training education programs. Data Sources: We searched Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Education Abstracts from 1975–2001 using the key words social cognitive, sociocultural learning theory, constructivism, and athletic training education. Current literature in the fields of educational psychology and athletic training education provides the foundation for applying theory to practice with specific emphasis on the theoretic framework and application of sociocultural learning theory strategies in athletic training education. Data Synthesis: Athletic training educators must have a strong fundamental knowledge of learning theory and a commitment to incorporate theory into educational practice. We integrate literature from both fields to generate practical strategies for using sociocultural learning theory in athletic training education. Conclusions/Recommendations: Social cognitive and sociocultural learning theory advocates a constructive, self-regulated, and goal-oriented environment with the student at the center of the educational process. Although a shift exists in athletic training education toward more active instructional strategies with the implementation of competency-based education, many educational environments are still dominated by traditional didactic instructional methods promoting student passivity. As athletic training education programs strive to increase accountability, educators in the field must critically analyze teaching and evaluation methods and integrate new material to ensure that learning is maximized. PMID:12937534

77 FR 9664 - Funds for Leadership Training in Pediatric Dentistry's Current Grantees; One-Year Extension

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-17

... Leadership Training in Pediatric Dentistry's Current Grantees; One-Year Extension AGENCY: Health Resources... Funds for Leadership Training in Pediatric Dentistry's (T17) Current Grantees. SUMMARY: The Health... for the Leadership Training in Pediatric Dentistry awards to Columbia University, The Regents of the...

Effectiveness of the ACA (Availability, Current issues and Anticipation) training programme on GP-patient communication in palliative care; a controlled trial

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Communicating effectively with palliative care patients has been acknowledged to be somewhat difficult, but little is known about the effect that training general practitioners (GPs) in specific elements of communication in palliative care might have. We hypothesized that GPs exposed to a new training programme in GP-patient communication in palliative care focusing on availability of the GP for the patient, current issues the GP should discuss with the patient and anticipation by the GP of various scenarios (ACA), would discuss more issues and become more skilled in their communication with palliative care patients. Methods In this controlled trial among GPs who attended a two-year Palliative Care Peer Group Training Course in the Netherlands only intervention GPs received the ACA training programme. To evaluate the effect of the programme a content analysis (Roter Interaction Analysis System) was performed of one videotaped 15-minute consultation of each GP with a simulated palliative care patient conducted at baseline, and one at 12 months follow-up. Both how the GP communicated with the patient (‘availability’) and the number of current and anticipated issues the GP discussed with the patient were measured quantitatively. We used linear mixed models and logistic regression models to evaluate between-group differences over time. Results Sixty-two GPs were assigned to the intervention and 64 to the control group. We found no effect of the ACA training programme on how the GPs communicated with the patient or on the number of issues discussed by GPs with the patient. The total number of issues discussed by the GPs was eight out of 13 before and after the training in both groups. Conclusion The ACA training programme did not influence how the GPs communicated with the simulated palliative care patient or the number of issues discussed by the GPs in this trial. Further research should evaluate whether this training programme is effective for GPs who do not have a special interest in palliative care and whether studies using outcomes at patient level can provide more insight into the effectiveness of the ACA training programme. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN56722368 PMID:23819723

PROJECT HEAVEN: Preoperative Training in Virtual Reality

PubMed Central

Iamsakul, Kiratipath; Pavlovcik, Alexander V.; Calderon, Jesus I.; Sanderson, Lance M.

2017-01-01

A cephalosomatic anastomosis (CSA; also called HEAVEN: head anastomosis venture) has been proposed as an option for patients with neurological impairments, such as spinal cord injury (SCI), and terminal medical illnesses, for which medicine is currently powerless. Protocols to prepare a patient for life after CSA do not currently exist. However, methods used in conventional neurorehabilitation can be used as a reference for developing preparatory training. Studies on virtual reality (VR) technologies have documented VR's ability to enhance rehabilitation and improve the quality of recovery in patients with neurological disabilities. VR-augmented rehabilitation resulted in increased motivation towards performing functional training and improved the biopsychosocial state of patients. In addition, VR experiences coupled with haptic feedback promote neuroplasticity, resulting in the recovery of motor functions in neurologically-impaired individuals. To prepare the recipient psychologically for life after CSA, the development of VR experiences paired with haptic feedback is proposed. This proposal aims to innovate techniques in conventional neurorehabilitation to implement preoperative psychological training for the recipient of HEAVEN. Recipient's familiarity to body movements will prevent unexpected psychological reactions from occurring after the HEAVEN procedure. PMID:28540125

PROJECT HEAVEN: Preoperative Training in Virtual Reality.

PubMed

Iamsakul, Kiratipath; Pavlovcik, Alexander V; Calderon, Jesus I; Sanderson, Lance M

2017-01-01

A cephalosomatic anastomosis (CSA; also called HEAVEN: head anastomosis venture) has been proposed as an option for patients with neurological impairments, such as spinal cord injury (SCI), and terminal medical illnesses, for which medicine is currently powerless. Protocols to prepare a patient for life after CSA do not currently exist. However, methods used in conventional neurorehabilitation can be used as a reference for developing preparatory training. Studies on virtual reality (VR) technologies have documented VR's ability to enhance rehabilitation and improve the quality of recovery in patients with neurological disabilities. VR-augmented rehabilitation resulted in increased motivation towards performing functional training and improved the biopsychosocial state of patients. In addition, VR experiences coupled with haptic feedback promote neuroplasticity, resulting in the recovery of motor functions in neurologically-impaired individuals. To prepare the recipient psychologically for life after CSA, the development of VR experiences paired with haptic feedback is proposed. This proposal aims to innovate techniques in conventional neurorehabilitation to implement preoperative psychological training for the recipient of HEAVEN. Recipient's familiarity to body movements will prevent unexpected psychological reactions from occurring after the HEAVEN procedure.

Inverse problems in eddy current testing using neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusa, N.; Cheng, W.; Miya, K.

2000-05-01

Reconstruction of crack in conductive material is one of the most important issues in the field of eddy current testing. Although many attempts to reconstruct cracks have been made, most of them deal with only artificial cracks machined with electro-discharge. However, in the case of natural cracks like stress corrosion cracking or inter-granular attack, there must be contact region and therefore their conductivity is not necessarily zero. In this study, an attempt to reconstruct natural cracks using neural network is presented. The neural network was trained through numerical simulated data obtained by the fast forward solver that calculated unflawed potential data a priori to save computational time. The solver is based on A-φ method discretized by using FEM-BEM A natural crack was modeled as an area whose conductivity was less than that of a specimen. The distribution of conductivity in that area was reconstructed as well. It took much time to train the network, but the speed of reconstruction was extremely fast after once it was trained. Well-trained network gave good reconstruction result.

Smartphone apps for cardiopulmonary resuscitation training and real incident support: a mixed-methods evaluation study.

PubMed

Kalz, Marco; Lenssen, Niklas; Felzen, Marc; Rossaint, Rolf; Tabuenca, Bernardo; Specht, Marcus; Skorning, Max

2014-03-19

No systematic evaluation of smartphone/mobile apps for resuscitation training and real incident support is available to date. To provide medical, usability, and additional quality criteria for the development of apps, we conducted a mixed-methods sequential evaluation combining the perspective of medical experts and end-users. The study aims to assess the quality of current mobile apps for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training and real incident support from expert as well as end-user perspective. Two independent medical experts evaluated the medical content of CPR apps from the Google Play store and the Apple App store. The evaluation was based on pre-defined minimum medical content requirements according to current Basic Life Support (BLS) guidelines. In a second phase, non-medical end-users tested usability and appeal of the apps that had at least met the minimum requirements. Usability was assessed with the System Usability Scale (SUS); appeal was measured with the self-developed ReactionDeck toolkit. Out of 61 apps, 46 were included in the experts' evaluation. A consolidated list of 13 apps resulted for the following layperson evaluation. The interrater reliability was substantial (kappa=.61). Layperson end-users (n=14) had a high interrater reliability (intraclass correlation 1 [ICC1]=.83, P<.001, 95% CI 0.75-0.882 and ICC2=.79, P<.001, 95% CI 0.695-0.869). Their evaluation resulted in a list of 5 recommendable apps. Although several apps for resuscitation training and real incident support are available, very few are designed according to current BLS guidelines and offer an acceptable level of usability and hedonic quality for laypersons. The results of this study are intended to optimize the development of CPR mobile apps. The app ranking supports the informed selection of mobile apps for training situations and CPR campaigns as well as for real incident support.

The Efficacy of Stuttering Measurement Training: Evaluating Two Training Programs

PubMed Central

Bainbridge, Lauren A.; Stavros, Candace; Ebrahimian, Mineh; Wang, Yuedong

2015-01-01

Purpose Two stuttering measurement training programs currently used for training clinicians were evaluated for their efficacy in improving the accuracy of total stuttering event counting. Method Four groups, each with 12 randomly allocated participants, completed a pretest–posttest design training study. They were evaluated by their counts of stuttering events on eight 3-min audiovisual speech samples from adults and children who stutter. Stuttering judgment training involved use of either the Stuttering Measurement System (SMS), Stuttering Measurement Assessment and Training (SMAAT) programs, or no training. To test for the reliability of any training effect, SMS training was repeated with the 4th group. Results Both SMS-trained groups produced approximately 34% improvement, significantly better than no training or the SMAAT program. The SMAAT program produced a mixed result. Conclusions The SMS program was shown to produce a “medium” effect size improvement in the accuracy of stuttering event counts, and this improvement was almost perfectly replicated in a 2nd group. Half of the SMAAT judges produced a 36% improvement in accuracy, but the other half showed no improvement. Additional studies are needed to demonstrate the durability of the reported improvements, but these positive effects justify the importance of stuttering measurement training. PMID:25629956

Combining physical training with transcranial direct current stimulation to improve gait in Parkinson's disease: a pilot randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Kaski, D; Dominguez, R O; Allum, J H; Islam, A F; Bronstein, A M

2014-11-01

To improve gait and balance in patients with Parkinson's disease by combining anodal transcranial direct current stimulation with physical training. In a double-blind design, one group (physical training; n = 8) underwent gait and balance training during transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS; real/sham). Real stimulation consisted of 15 minutes of 2 mA transcranial direct current stimulation over primary motor and premotor cortex. For sham, the current was switched off after 30 seconds. Patients received the opposite stimulation (sham/real) with physical training one week later; the second group (No physical training; n = 8) received stimulation (real/sham) but no training, and also repeated a sequential transcranial direct current stimulation session one week later (sham/real). Hospital Srio Libanes, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sixteen community-dwelling patients with Parkinson's disease. Transcranial direct current stimulation with and without concomitant physical training. Gait velocity (primary gait outcome), stride length, timed 6-minute walk test, Timed Up and Go Test (secondary outcomes), and performance on the pull test (primary balance outcome). Transcranial direct current stimulation with physical training increased gait velocity (mean = 29.5%, SD = 13; p < 0.01) and improved balance (pull test: mean = 50.9%, SD = 37; p = 0.01) compared with transcranial direct current stimulation alone. There was no isolated benefit of transcranial direct current stimulation alone. Although physical training improved gait velocity (mean = 15.5%, SD = 12.3; p = 0.03), these effects were comparatively less than with combined tDCS + physical therapy (p < 0.025). Greater stimulation-related improvements were seen in patients with more advanced disease. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation during physical training improves gait and balance in patients with Parkinson's disease. Power calculations revealed that 14 patients per treatment arm (α = 0.05; power = 0.8) are required for a definitive trial. © The Author(s) 2014.

Improved adaptive splitting and selection: the hybrid training method of a classifier based on a feature space partitioning.

PubMed

Jackowski, Konrad; Krawczyk, Bartosz; Woźniak, Michał

2014-05-01

Currently, methods of combined classification are the focus of intense research. A properly designed group of combined classifiers exploiting knowledge gathered in a pool of elementary classifiers can successfully outperform a single classifier. There are two essential issues to consider when creating combined classifiers: how to establish the most comprehensive pool and how to design a fusion model that allows for taking full advantage of the collected knowledge. In this work, we address the issues and propose an AdaSS+, training algorithm dedicated for the compound classifier system that effectively exploits local specialization of the elementary classifiers. An effective training procedure consists of two phases. The first phase detects the classifier competencies and adjusts the respective fusion parameters. The second phase boosts classification accuracy by elevating the degree of local specialization. The quality of the proposed algorithms are evaluated on the basis of a wide range of computer experiments that show that AdaSS+ can outperform the original method and several reference classifiers.

Predicting infant cortical surface development using a 4D varifold-based learning framework and local topography-based shape morphing.

PubMed

Rekik, Islem; Li, Gang; Lin, Weili; Shen, Dinggang

2016-02-01

Longitudinal neuroimaging analysis methods have remarkably advanced our understanding of early postnatal brain development. However, learning predictive models to trace forth the evolution trajectories of both normal and abnormal cortical shapes remains broadly absent. To fill this critical gap, we pioneered the first prediction model for longitudinal developing cortical surfaces in infants using a spatiotemporal current-based learning framework solely from the baseline cortical surface. In this paper, we detail this prediction model and even further improve its performance by introducing two key variants. First, we use the varifold metric to overcome the limitations of the current metric for surface registration that was used in our preliminary study. We also extend the conventional varifold-based surface registration model for pairwise registration to a spatiotemporal surface regression model. Second, we propose a morphing process of the baseline surface using its topographic attributes such as normal direction and principal curvature sign. Specifically, our method learns from longitudinal data both the geometric (vertices positions) and dynamic (temporal evolution trajectories) features of the infant cortical surface, comprising a training stage and a prediction stage. In the training stage, we use the proposed varifold-based shape regression model to estimate geodesic cortical shape evolution trajectories for each training subject. We then build an empirical mean spatiotemporal surface atlas. In the prediction stage, given an infant, we select the best learnt features from training subjects to simultaneously predict the cortical surface shapes at all later timepoints, based on similarity metrics between this baseline surface and the learnt baseline population average surface atlas. We used a leave-one-out cross validation method to predict the inner cortical surface shape at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age from the baseline cortical surface shape at birth. Our method attained a higher prediction accuracy and better captured the spatiotemporal dynamic change of the highly folded cortical surface than the previous proposed prediction method. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A comparison of machine learning and Bayesian modelling for molecular serotyping.

PubMed

Newton, Richard; Wernisch, Lorenz

2017-08-11

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a human pathogen that is a major cause of infant mortality. Identifying the pneumococcal serotype is an important step in monitoring the impact of vaccines used to protect against disease. Genomic microarrays provide an effective method for molecular serotyping. Previously we developed an empirical Bayesian model for the classification of serotypes from a molecular serotyping array. With only few samples available, a model driven approach was the only option. In the meanwhile, several thousand samples have been made available to us, providing an opportunity to investigate serotype classification by machine learning methods, which could complement the Bayesian model. We compare the performance of the original Bayesian model with two machine learning algorithms: Gradient Boosting Machines and Random Forests. We present our results as an example of a generic strategy whereby a preliminary probabilistic model is complemented or replaced by a machine learning classifier once enough data are available. Despite the availability of thousands of serotyping arrays, a problem encountered when applying machine learning methods is the lack of training data containing mixtures of serotypes; due to the large number of possible combinations. Most of the available training data comprises samples with only a single serotype. To overcome the lack of training data we implemented an iterative analysis, creating artificial training data of serotype mixtures by combining raw data from single serotype arrays. With the enhanced training set the machine learning algorithms out perform the original Bayesian model. However, for serotypes currently lacking sufficient training data the best performing implementation was a combination of the results of the Bayesian Model and the Gradient Boosting Machine. As well as being an effective method for classifying biological data, machine learning can also be used as an efficient method for revealing subtle biological insights, which we illustrate with an example.

The influence of applying insurance medicine guidelines for depression on disability assessments

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background In the current study we report on the effects of an implementation strategy in the form of a training programme on the assessed work limitations of a client with depression by insurance physicians (IPs) participating in a RCT. These assessed work limitations of a client were in the form of scores on the List of Functional Abilities (LFA). Method We conducted a randomised controlled trial (RCT) for IPs in which we compared the intervention of a specially developed training programme with the usual methods of implementation and training currently used. The outcome was the mean sum score and the inter-rater reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, ICC) of the LFA scores. These LFA scores were scored by the IPs participating in the RCT for the work limitations of the cases presented in different videos, two videos before the training and two after the training of the intervention group. Results At baseline, the intervention group (IG) consisted of 21 IPs and the control group (CG) of 19. For one participant of the IG and for one of the CG the LFAs of the two case reports after training were not available. Before training the sum scores for the first case report did not differ significantly between the groups, while the mean sum score was higher in the IG than in the CG for the second case report. For both case reports after training a higher score was found in the IG than in the CG. The inter-rater reliability measured for the two case reports before training was about the same in the IG and the CG: 0.64 and 0.65, respectively. For the two case reports after training, the ICC was higher in the IG than in the CG: 0.69 and 0.54, respectively. This difference was not significant however. Conclusion It would appear that the implementation of a specially designed training programme on guidelines for depression may lead to greater inter-rater reliability in the assessments by insurance physicians of the work limitations of clients with depression. It is, however, important to note that insurance physicians who receive training may find more work limitations than those who do not. Trial registration Netherlands’ Trial Register NTR1863 PMID:23758690

Train hard, sleep well? Perceived training load, sleep quantity and sleep stage distribution in elite level athletes.

PubMed

Knufinke, Melanie; Nieuwenhuys, Arne; Geurts, Sabine A E; Møst, Els I S; Maase, Kamiel; Moen, Maarten H; Coenen, Anton M L; Kompier, Michiel A J

2018-04-01

Sleep is essential for recovery and performance in elite athletes. While it is generally assumed that exercise benefits sleep, high training load may jeopardize sleep and hence limit adequate recovery. To examine this, the current study assessed objective sleep quantity and sleep stage distributions in elite athletes and calculated their association with perceived training load. Mixed-methods. Perceived training load, actigraphy and one-channel EEG recordings were collected among 98 elite athletes during 7 consecutive days of regular training. Actigraphy revealed total sleep durations of 7:50±1:08h, sleep onset latencies of 13±15min, wake after sleep onset of 33±17min and sleep efficiencies of 88±5%. Distribution of sleep stages indicated 51±9% light sleep, 21±8% deep sleep, and 27±7% REM sleep. On average, perceived training load was 5.40±2.50 (scale 1-10), showing large daily variability. Mixed-effects models revealed no alteration in sleep quantity or sleep stage distributions as a function of day-to-day variation in preceding training load (all p's>.05). Results indicate healthy sleep durations, but elevated wake after sleep onset, suggesting a potential need for sleep optimization. Large proportions of deep sleep potentially reflect an elevated recovery need. With sleep quantity and sleep stage distributions remaining irresponsive to variations in perceived training load, it is questionable whether athletes' current sleep provides sufficient recovery after strenuous exercise. Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Year on the Rock: A Methods Professor Returns to the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burenheide, Bradley J.

2018-01-01

As a Methods Professor in a Research I institution in the Midwest and the largest education program in its respective state, I faced a crisis after ten years in higher education. The concern I faced was whether or not the repertoire I taught my students was appropriate and meaningful in their training. While staying abreast of current research and…

Current Practices in Resident Assistant Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koch, Virginia Albaneso

2016-01-01

Developing resident assistant (RA) training is a challenge for most housing and residence life staff. Grounded in the author's doctoral research on the curricular design of RA training programs, this study summarizes current practices in three types of RA training programs--preservice training, in-service training, and academic courses--and…

Assessing fitness-to-practice of overseas-trained health practitioners by Australian registration & accreditation bodies

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Assessment of fitness-to-practice of health professionals trained overseas and who wish to practice in Australia is undertaken by a range of organisations. These organisations conduct assessments using a range of methods. However there is very little published about how these organisations conduct their assessments. The purpose of the current paper is to investigate the methods of assessment used by these organisations and the issues associated with conducting these assessments. Methods A series of semi-structured interviews was undertaken with a variety of organisations who undertake assessments of overseas-trained health professionals who wish to practice in Australia. Content analysis of the interviews was used to identify themes and patterns. Results Four themes were generated from the content analysis of the interviews: (1) assessing; (2) process; (3) examiners; and (4) cost-efficiency. The themes were interconnected and each theme also had a number of sub-themes. Conclusions The organisations who participated in the present study used a range of assessment methods to assess overseas trained health professionals. These organisations also highlighted a number of issues, particularly related to examiners and process issues, pre- and post-assessment. Organisations demonstrated an appreciation for ongoing review of their assessment processes and incorporating evidence from the literature to inform their processes and assessment development. PMID:23020885

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training Disparities in the United States.

PubMed

Blewer, Audrey L; Ibrahim, Said A; Leary, Marion; Dutwin, David; McNally, Bryan; Anderson, Monique L; Morrison, Laurie J; Aufderheide, Tom P; Daya, Mohamud; Idris, Ahamed H; Callaway, Clifton W; Kudenchuk, Peter J; Vilke, Gary M; Abella, Benjamin S

2017-05-17

Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is associated with increased survival from cardiac arrest, yet bystander CPR rates are low in many communities. The overall prevalence of CPR training in the United States and associated individual-level disparities are unknown. We sought to measure the national prevalence of CPR training and hypothesized that older age and lower socioeconomic status would be independently associated with a lower likelihood of CPR training. We administered a cross-sectional telephone survey to a nationally representative adult sample. We assessed the demographics of individuals trained in CPR within 2 years (currently trained) and those who had been trained in CPR at some point in time (ever trained). The association of CPR training and demographic variables were tested using survey weighted logistic regression. Between September 2015 and November 2015, 9022 individuals completed the survey; 18% reported being currently trained in CPR, and 65% reported training at some point previously. For each year of increased age, the likelihood of being currently CPR trained or ever trained decreased (currently trained: odds ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99; P <0.01; ever trained: OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99; P =0.04). Furthermore, there was a greater then 4-fold difference in odds of being currently CPR trained from the 30-39 to 70-79 year old age groups (95% CI, 0.10-0.23). Factors associated with a lower likelihood of CPR training were lesser educational attainment and lower household income ( P <0.01 for each of these variables). A minority of respondents reported current training in CPR. Older age, lesser education, and lower income were associated with reduced likelihood of CPR training. These findings illustrate important gaps in US CPR education and suggest the need to develop tailored CPR training efforts to address this variability. © 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

Authoring Tools and Methods for Adaptive Training and Education in Support of the US Army Learning Model: Research Outline

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

higher effect sizes than others when comparing any intervention (e.g., computer trainers, human tutors, group learning) to a control . It is difficult... control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) October 2015 2. REPORT TYPE Special Report 3...ABSTRACT While human tutoring and mentoring are common teaching tools, current US Army standards for training and education are group instruction and

Exercise Black Skies 2008: Enhancing Live Training Through Virtual Preparation -- Part Two: An Evaluation of Tools and Techniques

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

visualisation tool. These tools are currently in use at the Surveillance and Control Training Unit (SACTU) in Williamtown, New South Wales, and the School...itself by facilitating the brevity and sharpness of learning points. The playback of video and audio was considered an extremely useful method of...The task assessor’s comments were supported by wall projections and audio replays of relevant mission segments that were controlled by an AAR

Innovation in pediatric surgical education.

PubMed

Clifton, Matthew S; Wulkan, Mark L

2015-06-01

Pediatric surgical training in the United States remained basically unchanged from the model developed by Ladd and Gross in the 1930s until recently. Standardized curriculum and novel evaluation methods are now being implemented. Pediatric Surgical education is currently undergoing a transition to competency-based evaluation and promotion. Unfortunately, there is little data on the efficacy of these changes. This presents an opportunity for further study of how we conduct training, and how we evaluate and promote our trainees. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Problem of the Psychopharmacologist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kontos, Nicholas; Querques, John; Freudenreich, Oliver

2006-01-01

Objective: The psychopharmacologist designation currently pervades and heavily influences the practice, perception, and teaching of clinical psychiatry. The authors hope to make a case and provide the raw material for informed discussion of this role during psychiatric residency training. Method: A definition for the psychopharmacologist is…

Orientation and mobility training for adults with low vision: a new standardized approach

PubMed Central

Ballemans, Judith; Kempen, Gertrudis IJM

2013-01-01

Background: Orientation and mobility training aims to facilitate independent functioning and participation in the community of people with low vision. Objective: (1) To gain insight into current practice regarding orientation and mobility training, and (2) to develop a theory-driven standardized version of this training to teach people with low vision how to orientate and be safe in terms of mobility. Study of current practice: Insight into current practice and its strengths and weaknesses was obtained via reviewing the literature, observing orientation and mobility training sessions (n = 5) and interviewing Dutch mobility trainers (n = 18). Current practice was mainly characterized by an individual, face-to-face orientation and mobility training session concerning three components: crystallizing client’s needs, providing information and training skills. A weakness was the lack of a (structured) protocol based on evidence or theory. New theory-driven training: A new training protocol comprising two face-to-face sessions and one telephone follow-up was developed. Its content is partly based on the components of current practice, yet techniques from theoretical frameworks (e.g. social-cognitive theory and self-management) are incorporated. Discussion: A standardized, tailor-made orientation and mobility training for using the identification cane is available. The new theory-driven standardized training is generally applicable for teaching the use of every low-vision device. Its acceptability and effectiveness are currently being evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. PMID:22734105

Cross State-dependent Learning Interaction Between Scopolamine and Morphine in Mice: The Role of Dorsal Hippocampus

PubMed Central

Maleki, Morteza; Hassanpour-Ezatti, Majid; Navaeian, Majid

2017-01-01

Introduction: The current study aimed at investigating the existence of the cross state-dependent learning between morphine and scopolamine (SCO) in mice by passive avoidance method, pointing to the role of CA1 area. Methods: The effects of pre-training SCO (0.75, 1.5, and 3 μg, Intra-CA1), or morphine (1, 3, and 6 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p.) was evaluated on the retrieval of passive avoidance learning using step-down task in mice (n=10). Then, the effect of pretest administration of morphine (1.5, 3, and 6 mg/kg, i.p.) was examined on passive avoidance retrieval impairment induced by pre-training SCO (3 μg/mice, Intra-CA1). Next, the effect of pretest Intra-CA1 injection of scopolamine (0.75, 1.5, and 3 μg/mice) was evaluated on morphine (6 mg/kg, i.p.) pre-training deficits in this task in mice. Results: The pre-training Intra-CA1 injection of scopolamine (1.5 and 3 μg/mouse), or morphine (3 and 6 mg/kg, i.p.) impaired the avoidance memory retrieval when it was tested 24 hours later. Pretest injection of both drugs improved its pre-training impairing effects on mice memory. Moreover, the amnesia induced by the pre-training injections of scopolamine (3 μg/mice) was restored significantly (P<0.01) by pretest injections of morphine (3 and 6 mg/kg, i.p.). Similarly, pretest injection of scopolamine (3 μg/mice) restored amnesia induced by the pre-training injections of morphine (6 mg/kg, i.p.), significantly (P<0.01). Conclusion: The current study findings indicated a cross state-dependent learning between SCO and morphine at CA1 level. Therefore, it seems that muscarinic and opioid receptors may act reciprocally on modulation of passive avoidance memory retrieval, at the level of dorsal hippocampus, in mice. PMID:28781727

Eddy Current Rail Inspection Using AC Bridge Techniques.

PubMed

Liu, Ze; Koffman, Andrew D; Waltrip, Bryan C; Wang, Yicheng

2013-01-01

AC bridge techniques commonly used for precision impedance measurements have been adapted to develop an eddy current sensor for rail defect detection. By using two detection coils instead of just one as in a conventional sensor, we can balance out the large baseline signals corresponding to a normal rail. We have significantly enhanced the detection sensitivity of the eddy current method by detecting and demodulating the differential signal of the two coils induced by rail defects, using a digital lock-in amplifier algorithm. We have also explored compensating for the lift-off effect of the eddy current sensor due to vibrations by using the summing signal of the detection coils to measure the lift-off distance. The dominant component of the summing signal is a constant resulting from direct coupling from the excitation coil, which can be experimentally determined. The remainder of the summing signal, which decreases as the lift-off distance increases, is induced by the secondary eddy current. This dependence on the lift-off distance is used to calibrate the differential signal, allowing for a more accurate characterization of the defects. Simulated experiments on a sample rail have been performed using a computer controlled X-Y moving table with the X-axis mimicking the train's motion and the Y-axis mimicking the train's vibrational bumping. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the new detection method.

Short-term anomia training and electrical brain stimulation.

PubMed

Flöel, Agnes; Meinzer, Marcus; Kirstein, Robert; Nijhof, Sarah; Deppe, Michael; Knecht, Stefan; Breitenstein, Caterina

2011-07-01

Language training success in chronic aphasia remains only moderate. Electric brain stimulation may be a viable way to enhance treatment efficacy. In a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled crossover trial, we assessed if anodal transcranial direct current stimulation compared to cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation and sham stimulation over the right temporo-parietal cortex would improve the success of short-term high-frequency anomia training. Twelve chronic poststroke aphasia patients were studied. Naming outcome was assessed after training and 2 weeks later. All training conditions led to a significant increase in naming ability, which was retained for at least 2 weeks after the end of the training. Application of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation significantly enhanced the overall training effect compared to sham stimulation. Baseline naming ability significantly predicted anodal transcranial direct current stimulation effects. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation applied over the nonlanguage dominant hemisphere can enhance language training outcome in chronic aphasia. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov/. Unique identifier: NCT00822068.

Ongoing training of community health workers in low-income andmiddle-income countries: a systematic scoping review of the literature.

PubMed

O'Donovan, James; O'Donovan, Charles; Kuhn, Isla; Sachs, Sonia Ehrlich; Winters, Niall

2018-04-28

Understanding the current landscape of ongoing training for community health workers (CHWs) in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) is important both for organisations responsible for their training, as well as researchers and policy makers. This scoping review explores this under-researched area by mapping the current delivery implementation and evaluation of ongoing training provision for CHWs in LMICs. Systematic scoping review. MEDLINE, Embase, AMED, Global Health, Web of Science, Scopus, ASSIA, LILACS, BEI and ERIC. Original studies focusing on the provision of ongoing training for CHWs working in a country defined as low income and middle income according to World Bank Group 2012 classification of economies. The scoping review found 35 original studies that met the inclusion criteria. Ongoing training activities for CHWs were described as supervision (n=19), inservice or refresher training (n=13) or a mixture of both (n=3). Although the majority of studies emphasised the importance of providing ongoing training, several studies reported no impact of ongoing training on performance indicators. The majority of ongoing training was delivered inperson; however, four studies reported the use of mobile technologies to support training delivery. The outcomes from ongoing training activities were measured and reported in different ways, including changes in behaviour, attitudes and practice measured in a quantitative manner (n=16), knowledge and skills (n=6), qualitative assessments (n=5) or a mixed methods approach combining one of the aforementioned modalities (n=8). This scoping review highlights the diverse range of ongoing training for CHWs in LMICs. Given the expansion of CHW programmes globally, more attention should be given to the design, delivery, monitoring and sustainability of ongoing training from a health systems strengthening perspective. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

ISS Training Best Practices and Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barshi, Immanuel; Dempsey, Donna L.

2017-01-01

Training our crew members for long duration exploration-class missions (LDEM) will have to be qualitatively and quantitatively different from current training practices. However, there is much to be learned from the extensive experience NASA has gained in training crew members for missions on board the International Space Station (ISS). Furthermore, the operational experience on board the ISS provides valuable feedback concerning training effectiveness. Keeping in mind the vast differences between current ISS crew training and training for LDEM, the needs of future crew members, and the demands of future missions, this ongoing study seeks to document current training practices and lessons learned. The goal of the study is to provide input to the design of future crew training that takes as much advantage as possible of what has already been learned and avoids as much as possible past inefficiencies. Results from this study will be presented upon its completion. By researching established training principles, examining future needs, and by using current practices in spaceflight training as test beds, this research project is mitigating program risks and generating templates and requirements to meet future training needs.

ISS Training Best Practices and Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dempsey, Donna L.; Barshi, Immanuel

2018-01-01

Training our crew members for long-duration Deep Space Transport (DST) missions will have to be qualitatively and quantitatively different from current training practices. However, there is much to be learned from the extensive experience NASA has gained in training crew members for missions on board the International Space Station (ISS). Furthermore, the operational experience on board the ISS provides valuable feedback concerning training effectiveness. Keeping in mind the vast differences between current ISS crew training and training for DST missions, the needs of future crew members, and the demands of future missions, this ongoing study seeks to document current training practices and lessons learned. The goal of the study is to provide input to the design of future crew training that takes as much advantage as possible of what has already been learned and avoids as much as possible past inefficiencies. Results from this study will be presented upon its completion. By researching established training principles, examining future needs, and by using current practices in spaceflight training as test beds, this research project is mitigating program risks and generating templates and requirements to meet future training needs.

Hybrid simulated annealing and its application to optimization of hidden Markov models for visual speech recognition.

PubMed

Lee, Jong-Seok; Park, Cheol Hoon

2010-08-01

We propose a novel stochastic optimization algorithm, hybrid simulated annealing (SA), to train hidden Markov models (HMMs) for visual speech recognition. In our algorithm, SA is combined with a local optimization operator that substitutes a better solution for the current one to improve the convergence speed and the quality of solutions. We mathematically prove that the sequence of the objective values converges in probability to the global optimum in the algorithm. The algorithm is applied to train HMMs that are used as visual speech recognizers. While the popular training method of HMMs, the expectation-maximization algorithm, achieves only local optima in the parameter space, the proposed method can perform global optimization of the parameters of HMMs and thereby obtain solutions yielding improved recognition performance. The superiority of the proposed algorithm to the conventional ones is demonstrated via isolated word recognition experiments.

Improvement of the System of Training of Specialists by University for Coal Mining Enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikhalchenko, Vadim; Seredkina, Irina

2017-11-01

In the article the ingenious technique of the Quality Function Deployment with reference to the process of training of specialists with higher education by university is considered. The method is based on the step-by-step conversion of customer requirements into specific organizational, meaningful and functional transformations of the technological process of the university. A fully deployed quality function includes four stages of tracking customer requirements while creating a product: product planning and design, process design, production design. The Quality Function Deployment can be considered as one of the methods for optimizing the technological processes of training of specialists with higher education in the current economic conditions. Implemented at the initial stages of the life cycle of the technological process, it ensures not only the high quality of the "product" of graduate school, but also the fullest possible satisfaction of consumer's requests and expectations.

Big data and ergonomics methods: A new paradigm for tackling strategic transport safety risks.

PubMed

Walker, Guy; Strathie, Ailsa

2016-03-01

Big data collected from On-Train Data Recorders (OTDR) has the potential to address the most important strategic risks currently faced by rail operators and authorities worldwide. These risk issues are increasingly orientated around human performance and have proven resistant to existing approaches. This paper presents a number of proof of concept demonstrations to show that long standing ergonomics methods can be driven from big data, and succeed in providing insight into human performance in a novel way. Over 300 ergonomics methods were reviewed and a smaller sub-set selected for proof-of-concept development using real on-train recorder data. From this are derived nine candidate Human Factors Leading Indicators which map on to all of the psychological precursors of the identified risks. This approach has the potential to make use of a significantly underused source of data, and enable rail industry stakeholders to intervene sooner to address human performance issues that, via the methods presented in this paper, are clearly manifest in on-train data recordings. The intersection of psychological knowledge, ergonomics methods and big data creates an important new framework for driving new insights. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

TIER competency-based training course for the first receivers of CBRN casualties: a European perspective.

PubMed

Djalali, Ahmadreza; Della Corte, Francesco; Segond, Frederique; Metzger, Marie-Helene; Gabilly, Laurent; Grieger, Fiene; Larrucea, Xabier; Violi, Christian; Lopez, Cédric; Arnod-Prin, Philippe; Ingrassia, Pier L

2017-10-01

Education and training are key elements of health system preparedness vis-à-vis chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies. Medical respondents need sufficient knowledge and skills to manage the human impact of CBRN events. The current study was designed to determine which competencies are needed by hospital staff when responding to CBRN emergencies, define educational needs to develop these competencies, and implement a suitable delivery method. This study was carried out from September 2014 to February 2015, using a three-step modified Delphi method. On the basis of international experiences, publications, and experts' consensus, core competencies for hospital staff - as CBRN casualty receivers - were determined, and training curricula and delivery methods were defined. The course consists of 10 domains. These are as follows: threat identification; health effects of CBRN agents; planning; hospital incident command system; information management; safety, personal protective equipment and decontamination; medical management; essential resources; psychological support; and ethical considerations. Expected competencies for each domain were defined. A blended approach was chosen. By identifying a set of core competencies, this study aimed to provide the specific knowledge and skills required by medical staff to respond to CRBN emergencies. A blended approach may be a suitable delivery method, allowing medical staff to attend the same training sessions despite different time zones and locations. The study output provides a CBRN training scheme that may be adapted and used at the European Union level.

Addressing research capacity for health equity and the social determinants of health in three African countries: the INTREC programme.

PubMed

Hofman, Karen; Blomstedt, Yulia; Addei, Sheila; Kalage, Rose; Maredza, Mandy; Sankoh, Osman; Bangha, Martin; Kahn, Kathleen; Becher, Heiko; Haafkens, Joke; Kinsman, John

2013-04-03

The importance of tackling economic, social and health-related inequities is increasingly accepted as a core concern for the post-Millennium Development Goal framework. However, there is a global dearth of high-quality, policy-relevant and actionable data on inequities within populations, which means that development solutions seldom focus on the people who need them most. INTREC (INDEPTH Training and Research Centres of Excellence) was established with this concern in mind. It aims to provide training for researchers from the INDEPTH network on associations between health inequities, the social determinants of health (SDH), and health outcomes, and on presenting their findings in a usable form to policy makers. As part of a baseline situation analysis for INTREC, this paper assesses the current status of SDH training in three of the African INTREC countries - Ghana, Tanzania, and South Africa - as well as the gaps, barriers, and opportunities for training. SDH-related courses from the three countries were identified through personal knowledge of the researchers, supplemented by snowballing and online searches. Interviews were also conducted with, among others, academics engaged in SDH and public health training in order to provide context and complementary material. Information regarding access to the Internet, as a possible INTREC teaching medium, was gathered in each country through online searches. SDH-relevant training is available, but 1) the number of places available for students is limited; 2) the training tends to be public-health-oriented rather than inclusive of the broader, multi-sectoral issues associated with SDH; and 3) insufficient funding places limitations on both students and on the training institutions themselves, thereby affecting participation and quality. We also identified rapidly expanding Internet connectivity in all three countries, which opens up opportunities for e-learning on SDH, though the current quality of the Internet services remains mixed. SDH training is currently in short supply, and there is a clear role for INTREC to contribute to the training of a critical mass of African researchers on the topic. This work will be accomplished most effectively by building on pre-existing networks, institutions, and methods.

THE DERIVATION, ANALYSIS, AND CLASSIFICATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

AMMERMAN, HARRY L.; MELCHING, WILLIAM H.

THIS REPORT EXAMINES THE METHODS, TERMS, AND CRITERIA ASSOCIATED WITH THE DETERMINATION OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES. SELECTED EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING RESEARCH LITERATURE WAS REVIEWED TO IDENTIFY PROCEDURES CURRENTLY USED IN DETERMINING INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES. A SURVEY OF EIGHT ARMY SERVICE SCHOOLS WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE PROCEDURES…

Addiction Competencies in the 2009 CACREP Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Tiffany K.; Craig, Stephen E.; Fetherson, Bianca T. L.; Simpson, C. Dennis

2013-01-01

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs developed addiction competencies for clinical mental health counseling students. This article highlights these competencies, provides an overview of current addiction training, and describes methods to integrate addiction education into curricula.

[Team training and assessment in mixed reality-based simulated operating room : Current state of research in the field of simulation in spine surgery exemplified by the ATMEOS project].

PubMed

Stefan, P; Pfandler, M; Wucherer, P; Habert, S; Fürmetz, J; Weidert, S; Euler, E; Eck, U; Lazarovici, M; Weigl, M; Navab, N

2018-04-01

Surgical simulators are being increasingly used as an attractive alternative to clinical training in addition to conventional animal models and human specimens. Typically, surgical simulation technology is designed for the purpose of teaching technical surgical skills (so-called task trainers). Simulator training in surgery is therefore in general limited to the individual training of the surgeon and disregards the participation of the rest of the surgical team. The objective of the project Assessment and Training of Medical Experts based on Objective Standards (ATMEOS) is to develop an immersive simulated operating room environment that enables the training and assessment of multidisciplinary surgical teams under various conditions. Using a mixed reality approach, a synthetic patient model, real surgical instruments and radiation-free virtual X‑ray imaging are combined into a simulation of spinal surgery. In previous research studies, the concept was evaluated in terms of realism, plausibility and immersiveness. In the current research, assessment measurements for technical and non-technical skills are developed and evaluated. The aim is to observe multidisciplinary surgical teams in the simulated operating room during minimally invasive spinal surgery and objectively assess the performance of the individual team members and the entire team. Moreover, the effectiveness of training methods and surgical techniques or success critical factors, e. g. management of crisis situations, can be captured and objectively assessed in the controlled environment.

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.

Disability Diversity Training in the Workplace: Systematic Review and Future Directions.

PubMed

Phillips, Brian N; Deiches, Jon; Morrison, Blaise; Chan, Fong; Bezyak, Jill L

2016-09-01

Purpose Misinformation and negative attitudes toward disability contribute to lower employment rates among people with disabilities. Diversity training is an intervention intended to improve intergroup relations and reduce prejudice. We conducted a systematic review to determine the use and effectiveness of disability diversity training aimed at improving employment outcomes for employees with disabilities. Methods Five databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies of disability diversity training interventions provided within the workplace. Studies identified for inclusion were assessed for quality of methodology. Results Of the total of 1322 articles identified by the search, three studies met the criteria for inclusion. Two of the three articles focused specifically on training to improve outcomes related to workplace injuries among existing employees. The other study provided an initial test of a more general disability diversity training program. Conclusions There is currently a lack of empirically validated diversity training programs that focus specifically on disability. A number of disability diversity trainings and resources exist, but none have been well researched. Related literature on diversity training and disability awareness suggests the possibility for enhancing diversity training practices through training design, content, participant, and outcomes considerations. By integrating best practices in workplace diversity training with existing disability training resources, practitioners and researchers may be able to design effective disability diversity training programs.

A Review of Player Monitoring Approaches in Basketball: Current Trends and Future Directions.

PubMed

Fox, Jordan L; Scanlan, Aaron T; Stanton, Robert

2017-07-01

Fox, JL, Scanlan, AT, and Stanton, R. A review of player monitoring approaches in basketball: current trends and future directions. J Strength Cond Res 31(7): 2021-2029, 2017-Effective monitoring of players in team sports such as basketball requires an understanding of the external demands and internal responses, as they relate to training phases and competition. Monitoring of external demands and internal responses allows coaching staff to determine the dose-response associated with the imposed training load (TL), and subsequently, if players are adequately prepared for competition. This review discusses measures reported in the literature for monitoring the external demands and internal responses of basketball players during training and competition. The external demands of training and competition were primarily monitored using time-motion analysis, with limited use of microtechnology being reported. Internal responses during training were typically measured using hematological markers, heart rate, various TL models, and perceptual responses such as rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Heart rate was the most commonly reported indicator of internal responses during competition with limited reporting of hematological markers or RPE. These findings show a large discrepancy between the reporting of external and internal measures and training and competition demands. Microsensors, however, may be a practical and convenient method of player monitoring in basketball to overcome the limitations associated with current approaches while allowing for external demands and internal responses to be recorded simultaneously. The triaxial accelerometers of microsensors seem well suited for basketball and warrant validation to definitively determine their place in the monitoring of basketball players. Coaching staff should make use of this technology by tracking individual player responses across the annual plan and using real-time monitoring to minimize factors such as fatigue and injury risk.

Robotic Surgical Education: a Collaborative Approach to Training Postgraduate Urologists and Endourology Fellows

PubMed Central

Mirheydar, Hossein; Jones, Marklyn; Koeneman, Kenneth S.

2009-01-01

Objective: Currently, robotic training for inexperienced, practicing surgeons is primarily done vis-à-vis industry and/or society-sponsored day or weekend courses, with limited proctorship opportunities. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of an extended-proctorship program at up to 32 months of follow-up. Methods: An extended-proctorship program for robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy was established at our institution. The curriculum consisted of 3 phases: (1) completing an Intuitive Surgical 2-day robotic training course with company representatives; (2) serving as assistant to a trained proctor on 5 to 6 cases; and (3) performing proctored cases up to 1 year until confidence was achieved. Participants were surveyed and asked to evaluate on a 5-point Likert scale their operative experience in robotics and satisfaction regarding their training Results: Nine of 9 participants are currently performing robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) independently. Graduates of our program have performed 477 RALP cases. The mean number of cases performed within phase 3 was 20.1 (range, 5 to 40) prior to independent practice. The program received a rating of 4.2/5 for effectiveness in teaching robotic surgery skills. Conclusion: Our robotic program, with extended proctoring, has led to an outstanding take-rate for disseminating robotic skills in a metropolitan community. PMID:19793464

Failure of Standard Training Sets in the Analysis of Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry Data.

PubMed

Johnson, Justin A; Rodeberg, Nathan T; Wightman, R Mark

2016-03-16

The use of principal component regression, a multivariate calibration method, in the analysis of in vivo fast-scan cyclic voltammetry data allows for separation of overlapping signal contributions, permitting evaluation of the temporal dynamics of multiple neurotransmitters simultaneously. To accomplish this, the technique relies on information about current-concentration relationships across the scan-potential window gained from analysis of training sets. The ability of the constructed models to resolve analytes depends critically on the quality of these data. Recently, the use of standard training sets obtained under conditions other than those of the experimental data collection (e.g., with different electrodes, animals, or equipment) has been reported. This study evaluates the analyte resolution capabilities of models constructed using this approach from both a theoretical and experimental viewpoint. A detailed discussion of the theory of principal component regression is provided to inform this discussion. The findings demonstrate that the use of standard training sets leads to misassignment of the current-concentration relationships across the scan-potential window. This directly results in poor analyte resolution and, consequently, inaccurate quantitation, which may lead to erroneous conclusions being drawn from experimental data. Thus, it is strongly advocated that training sets be obtained under the experimental conditions to allow for accurate data analysis.

A randomized trial of cardiopulmonary resuscitation training for medical students: voice advisory mannequin compared to guidance provided by an instructor.

PubMed

Díez, Nieves; Rodríguez-Díez, María-Cristina; Nagore, David; Fernández, Secundino; Ferrer, Marta; Beunza, Juan-Jose

2013-08-01

Current European Resuscitation Guidelines 2010 recommend the use of prompt/feedback devices when training for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). We aimed to assess the quality of CPR training among second-year medical students with a voice advisory mannequin (VAM) compared to guidance provided by an instructor. Forty-three students received a theoretical reminder about CPR followed by a 2-minute pretest on CPR (compressions/ventilations cycle) with Resusci Anne SkillReporter (Laerdal Medical). They were then randomized into a control group (n = 22), trained by an instructor for 4 minutes per student, and an intervention group (n = 21) trained individually with VAM CPR mannequin for 4 minutes. After training, the students performed a 2-minute posttest, with the same method as the pretest. Participants in the intervention group (VAM) performed more correct hand position (73% vs. 37%; P = 0.014) and tended to display better compression rate (124 min vs. 135 min; P = 0.089). In a stratified analyses by sex we found that only among women trained with VAM was there a significant improvement in compression depth before and after training (36 mm vs. 46 mm, P = 0.018) and in the percentage of insufficient compressions before and after training (56% vs. 15%; P = 0.021). In comparison to the traditional training method involving an instructor, training medical students in CPR with VAM improves the quality of chest compressions in hand position and in compression rate applied to mannequins. Only among women was VAM shown to be superior in compression depth training. This technology reduces costs in 14% in our setup and might potentially release instructors' time for other activities.

Exploring Education Culture by Employing Hofstede?s Cultural Dimensions to Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Current ERP Training Approach in Thailand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chayakonvikom, Monta; Fuangvut, Parin; Cannell, Stephen

2016-01-01

ERP training is a critical success factor in ERP implementation. The current ERP training was largely ineffective and caused user resistance and ERP implementation failure. The objective of this paper is to investigate whether the current ERP training approach can accommodate the cultural learning behaviors of end-users. Hofstede's cultural…

Graduate admissions in clinical neuropsychology: the importance of undergraduate training.

PubMed

Karazsia, Bryan T; Stavnezer, Amy Jo; Reeves, Jonathan W

2013-11-01

Discussions of and recommendations for the training of clinical neuropsychologists exist at the doctoral, internship, and post-doctoral level. With few exceptions, the literature on undergraduate preparations in clinical neuropsychology is sparse and lacks empirical evidence. In the present study, graduate-level faculty and current trainees completed surveys about graduate school preparations. Faculty expectations of minimum and ideal undergraduate training were highest for research methods, statistics, and assessment. Preferences for "goodness of fit" also emerged as important admissions factors. These results offer evidence for desirable undergraduate preparations for advanced study in clinical neuropsychology. Although undergraduate training in psychology is intentionally broad, results from this study suggest that students who desire advanced study in clinical neuropsychology need to tailor their experiences to be competitive in the application process. The findings have implications for prospective graduate students, faculty who train and mentor undergraduates, and faculty who serve on admissions committees.

Drink refusal training as part of a combined behavioral intervention: Effectiveness and mechanisms of change

PubMed Central

Witkiewitz, Katie; Donovan, Dennis M.; Hartzler, Bryan

2012-01-01

Objective Many trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral interventions for alcohol dependence, yet few studies have examined why particular treatments are effective. This study was designed to evaluate whether drink refusal training was an effective component of a combined behavioral intervention (CBI) and whether change in self-efficacy was a mechanism of change following drink refusal training for individuals with alcohol dependence. Method The current study is a secondary analysis of data from the COMBINE study, a randomized clinical trial that combined pharmacotherapy with behavioral intervention in the treatment of alcohol dependence. The goal of the current study was to examine whether a drink refusal skills training module, administered as part of a 16-week CBI (n=776; 31% female, 23% non-White, average age=44) predicted changes in drinking frequency and self-efficacy during and following the CBI, and whether changes in self-efficacy following drink refusal training predicted changes in drinking frequency up to one year following treatment. Results Participants (n=302) who received drink refusal skills training had significantly fewer drinking days during treatment (d=0.50) and up to one year following treatment (d=0.23). In addition the effect of the drink refusal skills training module on drinking outcomes following treatment was significantly mediated by changes in self-efficacy, even after controlling for changes in drinking outcomes during treatment (proportion mediated = 0.47). Conclusions Drink refusal training is an effective component of CBI and some of the effectiveness may be attributed to changes in client self-efficacy. PMID:22289131

Inverse analysis of turbidites by machine learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naruse, H.; Nakao, K.

2017-12-01

This study aims to propose a method to estimate paleo-hydraulic conditions of turbidity currents from ancient turbidites by using machine-learning technique. In this method, numerical simulation was repeated under various initial conditions, which produces a data set of characteristic features of turbidites. Then, this data set of turbidites is used for supervised training of a deep-learning neural network (NN). Quantities of characteristic features of turbidites in the training data set are given to input nodes of NN, and output nodes are expected to provide the estimates of initial condition of the turbidity current. The optimization of weight coefficients of NN is then conducted to reduce root-mean-square of the difference between the true conditions and the output values of NN. The empirical relationship with numerical results and the initial conditions is explored in this method, and the discovered relationship is used for inversion of turbidity currents. This machine learning can potentially produce NN that estimates paleo-hydraulic conditions from data of ancient turbidites. We produced a preliminary implementation of this methodology. A forward model based on 1D shallow-water equations with a correction of density-stratification effect was employed. This model calculates a behavior of a surge-like turbidity current transporting mixed-size sediment, and outputs spatial distribution of volume per unit area of each grain-size class on the uniform slope. Grain-size distribution was discretized 3 classes. Numerical simulation was repeated 1000 times, and thus 1000 beds of turbidites were used as the training data for NN that has 21000 input nodes and 5 output nodes with two hidden-layers. After the machine learning finished, independent simulations were conducted 200 times in order to evaluate the performance of NN. As a result of this test, the initial conditions of validation data were successfully reconstructed by NN. The estimated values show very small deviation from the true parameters. Comparing to previous inverse modeling of turbidity currents, our methodology is superior especially in the efficiency of computation. Also, our methodology has advantage in extensibility and applicability to various sediment transport processes such as pyroclastic flows or debris flows.

Progress in virtual reality simulators for surgical training and certification.

PubMed

de Visser, Hans; Watson, Marcus O; Salvado, Olivier; Passenger, Joshua D

2011-02-21

There is increasing evidence that educating trainee surgeons by simulation is preferable to traditional operating-room training methods with actual patients. Apart from reducing costs and risks to patients, training by simulation can provide some unique benefits, such as greater control over the training procedure and more easily defined metrics for assessing proficiency. Virtual reality (VR) simulators are now playing an increasing role in surgical training. However, currently available VR simulators lack the fidelity to teach trainees past the novice-to-intermediate skills level. Recent technological developments in other industries using simulation, such as the games and entertainment and aviation industries, suggest that the next generation of VR simulators should be suitable for training, maintenance and certification of advanced surgical skills. To be effective as an advanced surgical training and assessment tool, VR simulation needs to provide adequate and relevant levels of physical realism, case complexity and performance assessment. Proper validation of VR simulators and an increased appreciation of their value by the medical profession are crucial for them to be accepted into surgical training curricula.

Fine-tuning convolutional deep features for MRI based brain tumor classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Kaoutar B.; Hall, Lawrence O.; Goldgof, Dmitry B.; Liu, Renhao; Gatenby, Robert A.

2017-03-01

Prediction of survival time from brain tumor magnetic resonance images (MRI) is not commonly performed and would ordinarily be a time consuming process. However, current cross-sectional imaging techniques, particularly MRI, can be used to generate many features that may provide information on the patient's prognosis, including survival. This information can potentially be used to identify individuals who would benefit from more aggressive therapy. Rather than using pre-defined and hand-engineered features as with current radiomics methods, we investigated the use of deep features extracted from pre-trained convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in predicting survival time. We also provide evidence for the power of domain specific fine-tuning in improving the performance of a pre-trained CNN's, even though our data set is small. We fine-tuned a CNN initially trained on a large natural image recognition dataset (Imagenet ILSVRC) and transferred the learned feature representations to the survival time prediction task, obtaining over 81% accuracy in a leave one out cross validation.

Using Neuroplasticity-Based Auditory Training to Improve Verbal Memory in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Fisher, Melissa; Holland, Christine; Merzenich, Michael M.; Vinogradov, Sophia

2009-01-01

Objective Impaired verbal memory in schizophrenia is a key rate-limiting factor for functional outcome, does not respond to currently available medications, and shows only modest improvement after conventional behavioral remediation. The authors investigated an innovative approach to the remediation of verbal memory in schizophrenia, based on principles derived from the basic neuroscience of learning-induced neuroplasticity. The authors report interim findings in this ongoing study. Method Fifty-five clinically stable schizophrenia subjects were randomly assigned to either 50 hours of computerized auditory training or a control condition using computer games. Those receiving auditory training engaged in daily computerized exercises that placed implicit, increasing demands on auditory perception through progressively more difficult auditory-verbal working memory and verbal learning tasks. Results Relative to the control group, subjects who received active training showed significant gains in global cognition, verbal working memory, and verbal learning and memory. They also showed reliable and significant improvement in auditory psychophysical performance; this improvement was significantly correlated with gains in verbal working memory and global cognition. Conclusions Intensive training in early auditory processes and auditory-verbal learning results in substantial gains in verbal cognitive processes relevant to psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia. These gains may be due to a training method that addresses the early perceptual impairments in the illness, that exploits intact mechanisms of repetitive practice in schizophrenia, and that uses an intensive, adaptive training approach. PMID:19448187

Current trends in stroke rehabilitation. A review with focus on brain plasticity.

PubMed

Johansson, B B

2011-03-01

Current understanding of brain plasticity has lead to new approaches in ischemic stroke rehabilitation. Stroke units that combine good medical and nursing care with task-oriented intense training in an environment that provides confidence, stimulation and motivation significantly improve outcome. Repetitive trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), and trans-cranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are applied in rehabilitation of motor function. The long-term effect, optimal way of stimulation and possibly efficacy in cognitive rehabilitation need evaluation. Methods based on multisensory integration of motor, cognitive, and perceptual processes including action observation, mental training, and virtual reality are being tested. Different approaches of intensive aphasia training are described. Recent data on intensive melodic intonation therapy indicate that even patients with very severe non-fluent aphasia can regain speech through homotopic white matter tract plasticity. Music therapy is applied in motor and cognitive rehabilitation. To avoid the confounding effect of spontaneous improvement, most trials are preformed ≥3 months post stroke. Randomized controlled trials starting earlier after strokes are needed. More attention should be given to stroke heterogeneity, cognitive rehabilitation, and social adjustment and to genetic differences, including the role of BDNF polymorphism in brain plasticity. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Using non-invasive brain stimulation to augment motor training-induced plasticity

PubMed Central

Bolognini, Nadia; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro; Fregni, Felipe

2009-01-01

Therapies for motor recovery after stroke or traumatic brain injury are still not satisfactory. To date the best approach seems to be the intensive physical therapy. However the results are limited and functional gains are often minimal. The goal of motor training is to minimize functional disability and optimize functional motor recovery. This is thought to be achieved by modulation of plastic changes in the brain. Therefore, adjunct interventions that can augment the response of the motor system to the behavioural training might be useful to enhance the therapy-induced recovery in neurological populations. In this context, noninvasive brain stimulation appears to be an interesting option as an add-on intervention to standard physical therapies. Two non-invasive methods of inducing electrical currents into the brain have proved to be promising for inducing long-lasting plastic changes in motor systems: transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). These techniques represent powerful methods for priming cortical excitability for a subsequent motor task, demand, or stimulation. Thus, their mutual use can optimize the plastic changes induced by motor practice, leading to more remarkable and outlasting clinical gains in rehabilitation. In this review we discuss how these techniques can enhance the effects of a behavioural intervention and the clinical evidence to date. PMID:19292910

Tendon neuroplastic training: changing the way we think about tendon rehabilitation: a narrative review

PubMed Central

Rio, Ebonie; Kidgell, Dawson; Moseley, G Lorimer; Docking, Sean; Purdam, Craig; Cook, Jill

2016-01-01

Tendinopathy can be resistant to treatment and often recurs, implying that current treatment approaches are suboptimal. Rehabilitation programmes that have been successful in terms of pain reduction and return to sport outcomes usually include strength training. Muscle activation can induce analgesia, improving self-efficacy associated with reducing one's own pain. Furthermore, strength training is beneficial for tendon matrix structure, muscle properties and limb biomechanics. However, current tendon rehabilitation may not adequately address the corticospinal control of the muscle, which may result in altered control of muscle recruitment and the consequent tendon load, and this may contribute to recalcitrance or symptom recurrence. Outcomes of interest include the effect of strength training on tendon pain, corticospinal excitability and short interval cortical inhibition. The aims of this concept paper are to: (1) review what is known about changes to the primary motor cortex and motor control in tendinopathy, (2) identify the parameters shown to induce neuroplasticity in strength training and (3) align these principles with tendon rehabilitation loading protocols to introduce a combination approach termed as tendon neuroplastic training. Strength training is a powerful modulator of the central nervous system. In particular, corticospinal inputs are essential for motor unit recruitment and activation; however, specific strength training parameters are important for neuroplasticity. Strength training that is externally paced and akin to a skilled movement task has been shown to not only reduce tendon pain, but modulate excitatory and inhibitory control of the muscle and therefore, potentially tendon load. An improved understanding of the methods that maximise the opportunity for neuroplasticity may be an important progression in how we prescribe exercise-based rehabilitation in tendinopathy for pain modulation and potentially restoration of the corticospinal control of the muscle-tendon complex. PMID:26407586

The Future of General Surgery: Evolving to Meet a Changing Practice.

PubMed

Webber, Eric M; Ronson, Ashley R; Gorman, Lisa J; Taber, Sarah A; Harris, Kenneth A

2016-01-01

Similar to other countries, the practice of General Surgery in Canada has undergone significant evolution over the past 30 years without major changes to the training model. There is growing concern that current General Surgery residency training does not provide the skills required to practice the breadth of General Surgery in all Canadian communities and practice settings. Led by a national Task Force on the Future of General Surgery, this project aimed to develop recommendations on the optimal configuration of General Surgery training in Canada. A series of 4 evidence-based sub-studies and a national survey were launched to inform these recommendations. Generalized findings from the multiple methods of the project speak to the complexity of the current practice of General Surgery: (1) General surgeons have very different practice patterns depending on the location of practice; (2) General Surgery training offers strong preparation for overall clinical competence; (3) Subspecialized training is a new reality for today's general surgeons; and (4) Generation of the report and recommendations for the future of General Surgery. A total of 4 key recommendations were developed to optimize General Surgery for the 21st century. This project demonstrated that a high variability of practice dependent on location contrasts with the principles of implementing the same objectives of training for all General Surgery graduates. The overall results of the project have prompted the Royal College to review the training requirements and consider a more "fit for purpose" training scheme, thus ensuring that General Surgery residency training programs would optimally prepare residents for a broad range of practice settings and locations across Canada. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dance training intensity at 11-14 years is associated with femoral torsion in classical ballet dancers.

PubMed

Hamilton, D; Aronsen, P; Løken, J H; Berg, I M; Skotheim, R; Hopper, D; Clarke, A; Briffa, N K

2006-04-01

To examine in a cross sectional study the influence of femoral torsion (FT) and passive hip external rotation (PER) on turnout (TO). Starting age, years of classical ballet training, and current and past dance training intensity were assessed to determine their influence on FT, PER, and TO in pre-professional female dancers. Sixty four dancers (mean (SD) age 18.16 (1.80) years) were recruited from four different dance training programmes. They completed a dance history questionnaire. FT was measured using a clinical method. PER was measured with the subjects prone, and TO was measured with the subjects standing. Mean TO was 136 degrees, mean unilateral PER was 49.4 degrees, and mean FT was 18.4 degrees. A positive correlation was observed between PER combined (PERC) and TO (r = 0.443, p < 0.001). A negative association was found between FT combined (FTC) and PERC (r = -0.402, p = 0.001). No association was found between starting age or years of classical ballet training and FTC, PERC, or TO. Dancers who trained for six hours a week or more during the 11-14 year age range had less FT than those who trained less (mean difference 6 degrees, 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 10.3). Students currently training for longer had higher levels of TO (p < 0.001) but comparable PERC and FTC. FT is significantly associated with PERC. Dancers who trained for six hours a week or more at 11-14 years of age had significantly less FT. FTC had a significant influence on PERC, but no influence on the execution of TO.

A comprehensive mapping of the current capacity for human nutrition training in Cameroon.

PubMed

Sodjinou, Roger; Lezama, Ines; Asse, Marie-Louise; Okala, Georges; Bosu, William K; Fanou, Nadia; Mbala, Ludvine; Zagre, Noel Marie; Tchibindat, Félicité

2016-01-01

There is consensus among stakeholders in Cameroon on the need to develop and strengthen human resource capacity for nutrition. This study was conducted to provide a comprehensive mapping of the current capacity for tertiary-level human nutrition training in Cameroon. Participating institutions included university-level institutions offering dedicated nutrition degree programs or other programs in which nutrition courses were taught. A semi-structured questionnaire administered during in-person interviews was used to collect data on existing programs and content of training curricula. Nutrition curricula were reviewed against the following criteria: intended objectives, coverage of nutrition topics, and teaching methods. In total, five nutrition degree programs (four undergraduate programs and one master's program) were identified. Three additional programs were about to be launched at the time of data collection. We did not find any doctorate degree programs in nutrition. All the undergraduate programs only had little focus on public health nutrition whereas the master's program in our sample offered a good coverage of all dimensions of human nutrition including basic and applied nutrition. The predominant teaching method was didactic lecture in all the programs. We did not find any formal documentation outlining the competencies that students were expected to gain upon completion of these programs. Nutrition courses in agricultural and health schools were limited in terms of contact hours and scope. Public health nutrition was not covered in any of the health professional schools surveyed. We found no institution offering in-service nutrition training at the time of the study. Based on our findings, we recommend that nutrition training programs in Cameroon be redesigned to make them more responsive to the public health needs of the country.

A comprehensive mapping of the current capacity for human nutrition training in Cameroon

PubMed Central

Sodjinou, Roger; Lezama, Ines; Asse, Marie-Louise; Okala, Georges; Bosu, William K.; Fanou, Nadia; Mbala, Ludvine; Zagre, Noel Marie; Tchibindat, Félicité

2016-01-01

Background There is consensus among stakeholders in Cameroon on the need to develop and strengthen human resource capacity for nutrition. This study was conducted to provide a comprehensive mapping of the current capacity for tertiary-level human nutrition training in Cameroon. Design Participating institutions included university-level institutions offering dedicated nutrition degree programs or other programs in which nutrition courses were taught. A semi-structured questionnaire administered during in-person interviews was used to collect data on existing programs and content of training curricula. Nutrition curricula were reviewed against the following criteria: intended objectives, coverage of nutrition topics, and teaching methods. Results In total, five nutrition degree programs (four undergraduate programs and one master's program) were identified. Three additional programs were about to be launched at the time of data collection. We did not find any doctorate degree programs in nutrition. All the undergraduate programs only had little focus on public health nutrition whereas the master's program in our sample offered a good coverage of all dimensions of human nutrition including basic and applied nutrition. The predominant teaching method was didactic lecture in all the programs. We did not find any formal documentation outlining the competencies that students were expected to gain upon completion of these programs. Nutrition courses in agricultural and health schools were limited in terms of contact hours and scope. Public health nutrition was not covered in any of the health professional schools surveyed. We found no institution offering in-service nutrition training at the time of the study. Conclusions Based on our findings, we recommend that nutrition training programs in Cameroon be redesigned to make them more responsive to the public health needs of the country. PMID:26818193

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

Cognitive task analysis: Techniques applied to airborne weapons training

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

Terranova, M.; Seamster, T.L.; Snyder, C.E.

1989-01-01

This is an introduction to cognitive task analysis as it may be used in Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) training development. The focus of a cognitive task analysis is human knowledge, and its methods of analysis are those developed by cognitive psychologists. This paper explains the role that cognitive task analysis and presents the findings from a preliminary cognitive task analysis of airborne weapons operators. Cognitive task analysis is a collection of powerful techniques that are quantitative, computational, and rigorous. The techniques are currently not in wide use in the training community, so examples of this methodology are presented alongmore » with the results. 6 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.« less

School Counsellors' Perceptions on Working with Student High-Risk Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Gregory E.; Jeffery, Gary

2010-01-01

The current exploratory-descriptive study used a survey design method to examine guidance counsellors' and educational psychologists' perceptions of their preparation, motivation, and effectiveness in preventing, assessing, and intervening into student high-risk behaviour. The study also explored training associated with addressing high-risk…

Teaching macromolecular modeling.

PubMed Central

Harvey, S C; Tan, R K

1992-01-01

Training newcomers to the field of macromolecular modeling is as difficult as is training beginners in x-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, or other methods in structural biology. In one or two lectures, the most that can be conveyed is a general sense of the relationship between modeling and other structural methods. If a full semester is available, then students can be taught how molecular structures are built, manipulated, refined, and analyzed on a computer. Here we describe a one-semester modeling course that combines lectures, discussions, and a laboratory using a commercial modeling package. In the laboratory, students carry out prescribed exercises that are coordinated to the lectures, and they complete a term project on a modeling problem of their choice. The goal is to give students an understanding of what kinds of problems can be attacked by molecular modeling methods and which problems are beyond the current capabilities of those methods. PMID:1489919

[Training programs for staff at local Infectious Disease Surveillance Centers: the needs and usefulness].

PubMed

Suzuki, Tomoyuki; Kamiya, Nobuyuki; Yahata, Yuichiro; Ozeki, Yukie; Kishimoto, Tsuyoshi; Nadaoka, Yoko; Nakanishi, Yoshiko; Yoshimura, Takesumi; Shimada, Tomoe; Tada, Yuki; Shirabe, Komei; Kozawa, Kunihisa

2013-03-01

The objective of this study was to assess the need for and usefulness of training programs for Local Infectious Disease Surveillance Center (LIDSC) staff. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the needs and usefulness of training programs. The subjects of the survey were participants of a workshop held after an annual conference for the LIDSC staff. Data on demographic information, the necessity of training programs for LIDSC staff, the themes and contents of the training program, self-assessment of knowledge on epidemiology and statistics were covered by the questionnaire. A total of 55 local government officials responded to the questionnaire (response rate: 100%). Among these, 95% of participants believed that the training program for the LIDSC staff was necessary. Basic statistical analysis (85%), descriptive epidemiology (65%), outline of epidemiology (60%), interpretation of surveillance data (65%), background and objectives of national infectious disease surveillance in Japan (60%), methods of field epidemiology (60%), and methods of analysis data (51%) were selected by over half of the respondents as suitable themes for training programs. A total of 34 LIDSC staff answered the self-assessment question on knowledge of epidemiology. A majority of respondents selected "a little" or "none" for all questions about knowledge. Only a few respondents had received education in epidemiology. The results of this study indicate that LIDSC staff have basic demands for fundamental and specialized education to improve their work. Considering the current situation regarding the capacity of LIDSC staff, these training programs should be started immediately.

Advanced Networks in Dental Rich Online MEDiA (ANDROMEDA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elson, Bruce; Reynolds, Patricia; Amini, Ardavan; Burke, Ezra; Chapman, Craig

There is growing demand for dental education and training not only in terms of knowledge but also skills. This demand is driven by continuing professional development requirements in the more developed economies, personnel shortages and skills differences across the European Union (EU) accession states and more generally in the developing world. There is an excellent opportunity for the EU to meet this demand by developing an innovative online flexible learning platform (FLP). Current clinical online systems are restricted to the delivery of general, knowledge-based training with no easy method of personalization or delivery of skill-based training. The PHANTOM project, headed by Kings College London is developing haptic-based virtual reality training systems for clinical dental training. ANDROMEDA seeks to build on this and establish a Flexible Learning Platform that can integrate the haptic and sensor based training with rich media knowledge transfer, whilst using sophisticated technologies such as including service-orientated architecture (SOA), Semantic Web technologies, knowledge-based engineering, business intelligence (BI) and virtual worlds for personalization.

Memory Self-Efficacy Predicts Responsiveness to Inductive Reasoning Training in Older Adults

PubMed Central

Jackson, Joshua J.; Hill, Patrick L.; Gao, Xuefei; Roberts, Brent W.; Stine-Morrow, Elizabeth A. L.

2012-01-01

Objectives. In the current study, we assessed the relationship between memory self-efficacy at pretest and responsiveness to inductive reasoning training in a sample of older adults. Methods. Participants completed a measure of self-efficacy assessing beliefs about memory capacity. Participants were then randomly assigned to a waitlist control group or an inductive reasoning training intervention. Latent change score models were used to examine the moderators of change in inductive reasoning. Results. Inductive reasoning showed clear improvements in the training group compared with the control. Within the training group, initial memory capacity beliefs significantly predicted change in inductive reasoning such that those with higher levels of capacity beliefs showed greater responsiveness to the intervention. Further analyses revealed that self-efficacy had effects on how trainees allocated time to the training materials over the course of the intervention. Discussion. Results indicate that self-referential beliefs about cognitive potential may be an important factor contributing to plasticity in adulthood. PMID:21743037

Using game technologies to improve the safety of construction plant operations.

PubMed

Guo, Hongling; Li, Heng; Chan, Greg; Skitmore, Martin

2012-09-01

Many accidents occur world-wide in the use of construction plant and equipment, and safety training is considered by many to be one of the best approaches to their prevention. However, current safety training methods/tools are unable to provide trainees with the hands-on practice needed. Game technology-based safety training platforms have the potential to overcome this problem in a virtual environment. One such platform is described in this paper - its characteristics are analysed and its possible contribution to safety training identified. This is developed and tested by means of a case study involving three major pieces of construction plant, which successfully demonstrates that the platform can improve the process and performance of the safety training involved in their operation. This research not only presents a new and useful solution to the safety training of construction operations, but illustrates the potential use of advanced technologies in solving construction industry problems in general. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integration of laparoscopic virtual-reality simulation into gynaecology training.

PubMed

Burden, C; Oestergaard, J; Larsen, C R

2011-11-01

Surgery carries the risk of serious harm, as well as benefit, to patients. For healthcare organisations, theatre time is an expensive commodity and litigation costs for surgical specialities are very high. Advanced laparoscopic surgery, now widely used in gynaecology for improved outcomes and reduced length of stay, involves longer operation times and a higher rate of complications for surgeons in training. Virtual-reality (VR) simulation is a relatively new training method that has the potential to promote surgical skill development before advancing to surgery on patients themselves. VR simulators have now been on the market for more than 10 years and, yet, few countries in the world have fully integrated VR simulation training into their gynaecology surgical training programmes. In this review, we aim to summarise the VR simulators currently available together with evidence of their effectiveness in gynaecology, to understand their limitations and to discuss their incorporation into national training curricula. © 2011 The Authors BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2011 RCOG.

Convolutional networks for vehicle track segmentation

DOE PAGES

Quach, Tu-Thach

2017-08-19

Existing methods to detect vehicle tracks in coherent change detection images, a product of combining two synthetic aperture radar images taken at different times of the same scene, rely on simple, fast models to label track pixels. These models, however, are unable to capture natural track features such as continuity and parallelism. More powerful, but computationally expensive models can be used in offline settings. We present an approach that uses dilated convolutional networks consisting of a series of 3-by-3 convolutions to segment vehicle tracks. The design of our networks considers the fact that remote sensing applications tend to operate inmore » low power and have limited training data. As a result, we aim for small, efficient networks that can be trained end-to-end to learn natural track features entirely from limited training data. We demonstrate that our 6-layer network, trained on just 90 images, is computationally efficient and improves the F-score on a standard dataset to 0.992, up from 0.959 obtained by the current state-of-the-art method.« less

Convolutional networks for vehicle track segmentation

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

Quach, Tu-Thach

Existing methods to detect vehicle tracks in coherent change detection images, a product of combining two synthetic aperture radar images taken at different times of the same scene, rely on simple, fast models to label track pixels. These models, however, are unable to capture natural track features such as continuity and parallelism. More powerful, but computationally expensive models can be used in offline settings. We present an approach that uses dilated convolutional networks consisting of a series of 3-by-3 convolutions to segment vehicle tracks. The design of our networks considers the fact that remote sensing applications tend to operate inmore » low power and have limited training data. As a result, we aim for small, efficient networks that can be trained end-to-end to learn natural track features entirely from limited training data. We demonstrate that our 6-layer network, trained on just 90 images, is computationally efficient and improves the F-score on a standard dataset to 0.992, up from 0.959 obtained by the current state-of-the-art method.« less

A comparison of methods for teaching receptive labeling to children with autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Grow, Laura L; Carr, James E; Kodak, Tiffany M; Jostad, Candice M; Kisamore, April N

2011-01-01

Many early intervention curricular manuals recommend teaching auditory-visual conditional discriminations (i.e., receptive labeling) using the simple-conditional method in which component simple discriminations are taught in isolation and in the presence of a distracter stimulus before the learner is required to respond conditionally. Some have argued that this procedure might be susceptible to faulty stimulus control such as stimulus overselectivity (Green, 2001). Consequently, there has been a call for the use of alternative teaching procedures such as the conditional-only method, which involves conditional discrimination training from the onset of intervention. The purpose of the present study was to compare the simple-conditional and conditional-only methods for teaching receptive labeling to 3 young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. The data indicated that the conditional-only method was a more reliable and efficient teaching procedure. In addition, several error patterns emerged during training using the simple-conditional method. The implications of the results with respect to current teaching practices in early intervention programs are discussed.

What makes a hospital manager competent at the middle and senior levels?

PubMed

Liang, Zhanming; Leggat, Sandra G; Howard, Peter F; Koh, Lee

2013-11-01

The purpose of this paper is to confirm the core competencies required for middle to senior level managers in Victorian public hospitals in both metropolitan and regional/rural areas. This exploratory mixed-methods study used a three-step approach which included position description content analysis, focus group discussions and online competency verification and identification survey. The study validated a number of key tasks required for senior and middle level hospital managers (levels II, III and IV) and identified and confirmed the essential competencies for completing these key tasks effectively. As a result, six core competencies have been confirmed as common to the II, III and IV management levels in both the Melbourne metropolitan and regional/rural areas. Six core competencies are required for middle to senior level managers in public hospitals which provide guidance to the further development of the competency-based educational approach for training the current management workforce and preparing future health service managers. With the detailed descriptions of the six core competencies, healthcare organisations and training institutions will be able to assess the competency gaps and managerial training needs of current health service managers and develop training programs accordingly.

The role of virtual reality in surgical training in otorhinolaryngology.

PubMed

Fried, Marvin P; Uribe, José I; Sadoughi, Babak

2007-06-01

This article reviews the rationale, current status and future directions for the development and implementation of virtual reality surgical simulators as training tools. The complexity of modern surgical techniques, which utilize advanced technology, presents a dilemma for surgical training. Hands-on patient experience - the traditional apprenticeship method for teaching operations - may not apply because of the learning curve for skill acquisition and patient safety expectation. The paranasal sinuses and temporal bone have intricate anatomy with a significant amount of vital structures either within the surgical field or in close proximity. The current standard of surgical care in these areas involves the use of endoscopes, cameras and microscopes, requiring additional hand-eye coordination, an accurate command of fine motor skills, and a thorough knowledge of the anatomy under magnified vision. A surgeon's disorientation or loss of perspective can lead to complications, often catastrophic and occasionally lethal. These considerations define the ideal environment for surgical simulation; not surprisingly, significant research and validation of simulators in these areas have occurred. Virtual reality simulators are demonstrating validity as training and skills assessment tools. Future prototypes will find application for routine use in teaching, surgical planning and the development of new instruments and computer-assisted devices.

[Simulation training in surgical education - application of virtual reality laparoscopic simulators in a surgical skills course].

PubMed

Lehmann, K S; Gröne, J; Lauscher, J C; Ritz, J-P; Holmer, C; Pohlen, U; Buhr, H-J

2012-04-01

Training and simulation are gaining importance in surgical education. Today, virtual reality surgery simulators provide sophisticated laparoscopic training scenarios and offer detailed assessment methods. This also makes simulators interesting for the application in surgical skills courses. The aim of the current study was to assess the suitability of a virtual surgery simulator for training and assessment in an established surgical training course. The study was conducted during the annual "Practical Course for Visceral Surgery" (Warnemuende, Germany). 36 of 108 course participants were assigned at random for the study. Training was conducted in 15 sessions over 5 days with 4 identical virtual surgery simulators (LapSim) and 2 standardised training tasks. The simulator measured 16 individual parameters and calculated 2 scores. Questionnaires were used to assess the test persons' laparoscopic experience, their training situation and the acceptance of the simulator training. Data were analysed with non-parametric tests. A subgroup analysis for laparoscopic experience was conducted in order to assess the simulator's construct validity and assessment capabilities. Median age was 32 (27 - 41) years; median professional experience was 3 (1 - 11) years. Typical laparoscopic learning curves with initial significant improvements and a subsequent plateau phase were measured over 5 days. The individual training sessions exhibited a rhythmic variability in the training results. A shorter night's sleep led to a marked drop in performance. The participants' different experience levels could clearly be discriminated ( ≤ 20 vs. > 20 laparoscopic operations; p ≤ 0.001). The questionnaire showed that the majority of the participants had limited training opportunities in their hospitals. The simulator training was very well accepted. However, the participants severely misjudged the real costs of the simulators that were used. The learning curve on the simulator was successfully mastered during the course. Construct validity could be demonstrated within the course setting. The simulator's assessment system can be of value for the assessment of laparoscopic training performance within surgical skills courses. Acceptance of the simulator training is high. However, simulators are currently too expensive to be used within a large training course. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with gait and mobility training on functionality in children with cerebral palsy: study protocol for a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The project proposes three innovative intervention techniques (treadmill training, mobility training with virtual reality and transcranial direct current stimulation that can be safely administered to children with cerebral palsy. The combination of transcranial stimulation and physical therapy resources will provide the training of a specific task with multiple rhythmic repetitions of the phases of the gait cycle, providing rich sensory stimuli with a modified excitability threshold of the primary motor cortex to enhance local synaptic efficacy and potentiate motor learning. Methods/design A prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled, analytical, clinical trial will be carried out.Eligible participants will be children with cerebral palsy classified on levels I, II and III of the Gross Motor Function Classification System between four and ten years of age. The participants will be randomly allocated to four groups: 1) gait training on a treadmill with placebo transcranial stimulation; 2) gait training on a treadmill with active transcranial stimulation; 3) mobility training with virtual reality and placebo transcranial stimulation; 4) mobility training with virtual reality and active transcranial stimulation. Transcranial direct current stimulation will be applied with the anodal electrode positioned in the region of the dominant hemisphere over C3, corresponding to the primary motor cortex, and the cathode positioned in the supraorbital region contralateral to the anode. A 1 mA current will be applied for 20 minutes. Treadmill training and mobility training with virtual reality will be performed in 30-minute sessions five times a week for two weeks (total of 10 sessions). Evaluations will be performed on four occasions: one week prior to the intervention; one week following the intervention; one month after the end of the intervention;and 3 months after the end of the intervention. The evaluations will involve three-dimensional gait analysis, analysis of cortex excitability (motor threshold and motor evoked potential), Six-Minute Walk Test, Timed Up-and-Go Test, Pediatric Evaluation Disability Inventory, Gross Motor Function Measure, Berg Balance Scale, stabilometry, maximum respiratory pressure and an effort test. Discussion This paper offers a detailed description of a prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled, analytical, clinical trial aimed at demonstrating the effect combining transcranial stimulation with treadmill and mobility training on functionality and primary cortex excitability in children with Cerebral Palsy classified on Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I, II and III. The results will be published and will contribute to evidence regarding the use of treadmill training on this population. Trial registration ReBEC RBR-9B5DH7 PMID:24112817

Broadening the interface bandwidth in simulation based training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Somers, Larry E.

1989-01-01

Currently most computer based simulations rely exclusively on computer generated graphics to create the simulation. When training is involved, the method almost exclusively used to display information to the learner is text displayed on the cathode ray tube. MICROEXPERT Systems is concentrating on broadening the communications bandwidth between the computer and user by employing a novel approach to video image storage combined with sound and voice output. An expert system is used to combine and control the presentation of analog video, sound, and voice output with computer based graphics and text. Researchers are currently involved in the development of several graphics based user interfaces for NASA, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy. Here, the focus is on the human factors considerations, software modules, and hardware components being used to develop these interfaces.

Modeling level change in Lake Urmia using hybrid artificial intelligence approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esbati, M.; Ahmadieh Khanesar, M.; Shahzadi, Ali

2017-06-01

The investigation of water level fluctuations in lakes for protecting them regarding the importance of these water complexes in national and regional scales has found a special place among countries in recent years. The importance of the prediction of water level balance in Lake Urmia is necessary due to several-meter fluctuations in the last decade which help the prevention from possible future losses. For this purpose, in this paper, the performance of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) for predicting the lake water level balance has been studied. In addition, for the training of the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system, particle swarm optimization (PSO) and hybrid backpropagation-recursive least square method algorithm have been used. Moreover, a hybrid method based on particle swarm optimization and recursive least square (PSO-RLS) training algorithm for the training of ANFIS structure is introduced. In order to have a more fare comparison, hybrid particle swarm optimization and gradient descent are also applied. The models have been trained, tested, and validated based on lake level data between 1991 and 2014. For performance evaluation, a comparison is made between these methods. Numerical results obtained show that the proposed methods with a reasonable error have a good performance in water level balance prediction. It is also clear that with continuing the current trend, Lake Urmia will experience more drop in the water level balance in the upcoming years.

The Value of Teaching Preparation during Doctoral Studies: An Example of a Teaching Practicum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Jeffrey D.; Powers, Joelle; Thompson, Aaron M.; Rutten-Turner, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

For doctoral students who seek faculty appointments in academic settings upon graduation, it is imperative those students have access to quality mentoring, direct instruction, and experiential opportunities to apply effective teaching methods during their training. Currently, some doctoral programs are beginning to develop teaching practicums…

IMPROVING PARTICULATE MATTER SOURCE APPORTIONMENT FOR HEALTH STUDIES: A TRAINED RECEPTOR MODELING APPROACH WITH SENSITIVITY, UNCERTAINTY AND SPATIAL ANALYSES

EPA Science Inventory

An approach for conducting PM source apportionment will be developed, tested, and applied that directly addresses limitations in current SA methods, in particular variability, biases, and intensive resource requirements. Uncertainties in SA results and sensitivities to SA inpu...

Introduction of Molecular Methods into a Food Microbiology Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pleitner, Aaron M.; Hammons, Susan R.; McKenzie, Emily; Cho, Young-Hee; Oliver, Haley F.

2014-01-01

Maintaining current, relevant curriculum in undergraduate Food Microbiology courses is essential for training future experts in food quality and safety. Having an understanding of the fundamental techniques (for example, polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) that are used in the food industry and regulatory agencies is critical for students entering…

Measuring and Assessing Technical Training Performance in the Army’s Schools and Units: A Survey of Current Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-10-01

Madey and Stenner , 1981) and the Delphi Technique (Dalkey, 1969). These techniques are used by management analysts, industrial-organizational...Personnel Research Laboratory, Aerospace Medical Division, Lackland AFB, TX, May 1963. Madey, D, & Stenner , J. (1980). Policy implications analysis: A

Exemplary Science: Best Practices in Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yager, Robert E.

2005-01-01

This collection of 16 essays is ideal for staff development providers (university faculty, district supervisors, lead teachers, and principals) as well as preservice science methods instructors. Each essay describes a specific program designed to train current or future teachers to carry out the constructivist, inquiry-based approach of the…

2009 Canadian Radiation Oncology Resident Survey

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

Debenham, Brock, E-mail: debenham@ualberta.net; Banerjee, Robyn; Fairchild, Alysa

2012-03-15

Purpose: Statistics from the Canadian post-MD education registry show that numbers of Canadian radiation oncology (RO) trainees have risen from 62 in 1999 to approximately 150 per year between 2003 and 2009, contributing to the current perceived downturn in employment opportunities for radiation oncologists in Canada. When last surveyed in 2003, Canadian RO residents identified job availability as their main concern. Our objective was to survey current Canadian RO residents on their training and career plans. Methods and Materials: Trainees from the 13 Canadian residency programs using the national matching service were sought. Potential respondents were identified through individual programmore » directors or chief resident and were e-mailed a secure link to an online survey. Descriptive statistics were used to report responses. Results: The eligible response rate was 53% (83/156). Similar to the 2003 survey, respondents generally expressed high satisfaction with their programs and specialty. The most frequently expressed perceived weakness in their training differed from 2003, with 46.5% of current respondents feeling unprepared to enter the job market. 72% plan on pursuing a postresidency fellowship. Most respondents intend to practice in Canada. Fewer than 20% of respondents believe that there is a strong demand for radiation oncologists in Canada. Conclusions: Respondents to the current survey expressed significant satisfaction with their career choice and training program. However, differences exist compared with the 2003 survey, including the current perceived lack of demand for radiation oncologists in Canada.« less

Case-oriented selection of investigation methods in direct access: A comparison between physiotherapy trainees at professional colleges and in bachelor's study courses.

PubMed

Konrad, Ralf; Geraedts, Max

2018-01-01

Objective: Direct access to physiotherapy services is currently discussed in Germany. Its introduction would mean that initial diagnoses must be made in physiotherapy practices as well. However, it was not yet investigated whether the current training in physiotherapy is sufficient for this, and whether there are differences between the training systems. This study aims to answer the question of whether trainees at the end of Bachelor's studies (BS) are more reliably able to assess the case-related suitability of examination methods than professional college students (FS). Methodology: Questionnaires were developed to assess the suitability of examination methods for diagnostic inquiries. All professional colleges and bachelor's study courses listed with the German Physiotherapy Association were asked to present the questionnaires to their final classes. Results: In 216 addressed professional colleges and 24 bachelor's study courses, the return rate was 9.26% for professional colleges and 33.33% for study courses. One hundred thirty-eight questionnaires from students in 8 study courses and 368 questionnaires from students at 20 professional colleges were evaluated. The mean of correct decisions in total (of max. 54) was 19.01 (BS) or 15.73 (FS); in structure-related and function-related examination methods (of max. 42), it was 17.22 (BS) and 14.8 (FS); in activity-related methods (of max. 12), it was 1.97 (BS) and 0.89 (FS). Out of a max. of 49 examination methods, 23.45 (BS) and 26.72 (FS) were stated as unknown. Conclusion: The university students made correct decisions on the suitability of examination methods significantly more frequently than the professional college students. However, the determined group difference is low. Overall, the results do not appear sufficient for direct access. Training would have to be adapted for this purpose.

Using transfer learning to detect galaxy mergers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ackermann, Sandro; Schawinksi, Kevin; Zhang, Ce; Weigel, Anna K.; Turp, M. Dennis

2018-05-01

We investigate the use of deep convolutional neural networks (deep CNNs) for automatic visual detection of galaxy mergers. Moreover, we investigate the use of transfer learning in conjunction with CNNs, by retraining networks first trained on pictures of everyday objects. We test the hypothesis that transfer learning is useful for improving classification performance for small training sets. This would make transfer learning useful for finding rare objects in astronomical imaging datasets. We find that these deep learning methods perform significantly better than current state-of-the-art merger detection methods based on nonparametric systems like CAS and GM20. Our method is end-to-end and robust to image noise and distortions; it can be applied directly without image preprocessing. We also find that transfer learning can act as a regulariser in some cases, leading to better overall classification accuracy (p = 0.02). Transfer learning on our full training set leads to a lowered error rate from 0.0381 down to 0.0321, a relative improvement of 15%. Finally, we perform a basic sanity-check by creating a merger sample with our method, and comparing with an already existing, manually created merger catalogue in terms of colour-mass distribution and stellar mass function.

CPR Instruction in U.S. High Schools: What Is the State in the Nation?

PubMed

Brown, Lorrel E; Lynes, Carlos; Carroll, Travis; Halperin, Henry

2017-11-28

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in high schools is required by law in the majority of U.S. states. However, laws differ from state to state, and it is unknown how this legislation is being enacted. The authors sent a cross-sectional, closed survey to educational superintendents in 32 states with CPR laws in June 2016. The authors subsequently performed direct examination and categorization of CPR legislation in 39 states (several states passed legislation as of September 2017). Survey results indicated differing practices with regard to CPR instruction in areas such as course content (63% perform automated external defibrillator training), instructor (47% used CPR-certified teachers/coaches, 30% used other CPR-certified instructors, 11% used noncertified teachers/coaches), and method (7% followed American Red Cross methods, 55% followed American Heart Association methods). CPR laws differ, although almost all (97%) require hands-on training. Although hands-on practice during CPR instruction in high school is required by law in the majority of U.S. states, there is currently no standardized method of implementation. Copyright © 2017 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Heart rate variability and physical exercise. Current status].

PubMed

Hottenrott, Kuno; Hoos, Olaf; Esperer, Hans Dieter

2006-09-01

Heart rate variability (HRV) has long been used in risk stratification for sudden cardiac death and diabetic autonomic neuropathy. In recent years, both time and frequency domain indices of HRV also gained increasing interest in sports and training sciences. In these fields, HRV is currently used for the noninvasive assessment of autonomic changes associated with short-term and long-term endurance exercise training in both leisure sports activity and high-performance training. Furthermore, HRV is being investigated as a diagnostic marker of overreaching and overtraining.A large body of evidence shows that, in healthy subjects and cardiovascular patients of all ages (up to an age of 70 years), regular aerobic training usually results in a significant improvement of overall as well as instantaneous HRV. These changes, which are accompanied by significant reductions in heart rates both at rest and during submaximal exercise, reflect an increase in autonomic efferent activity and a shift in favor of enhanced vagal modulation of the cardiac rhythm. Regular aerobic training of moderate volume and intensity over a minimum period of 3 months seems to be necessary to ensure these effects, which might be associated with a prognostic benefit regarding overall mortality.At present, available data does not allow for final conclusions with respect to the usefulness of traditional HRV indices in assessing an individual's exercise performance and monitoring training load. The discrepant results published so far are due to several factors including insufficient study size and design, and different HRV methods. Large-sized and prospectively designed studies are necessary for clarification. It also remains to be seen, whether the traditional HRV indices prove useful in the diagnosis of overreaching and overtraining. Preliminary results, though promising, need to be confirmed in larger cohorts.A basic problem in HRV analysis is nonstationarity of the heart rate signal, which holds particularly true for exercise conditions. Whether, in these conditions, more robust nonlinear HRV methods offer a benefit has to be established in further work.

Artificial intelligence in sports on the example of weight training.

PubMed

Novatchkov, Hristo; Baca, Arnold

2013-01-01

The overall goal of the present study was to illustrate the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in sports on the example of weight training. The research focused in particular on the implementation of pattern recognition methods for the evaluation of performed exercises on training machines. The data acquisition was carried out using way and cable force sensors attached to various weight machines, thereby enabling the measurement of essential displacement and force determinants during training. On the basis of the gathered data, it was consequently possible to deduce other significant characteristics like time periods or movement velocities. These parameters were applied for the development of intelligent methods adapted from conventional machine learning concepts, allowing an automatic assessment of the exercise technique and providing individuals with appropriate feedback. In practice, the implementation of such techniques could be crucial for the investigation of the quality of the execution, the assistance of athletes but also coaches, the training optimization and for prevention purposes. For the current study, the data was based on measurements from 15 rather inexperienced participants, performing 3-5 sets of 10-12 repetitions on a leg press machine. The initially preprocessed data was used for the extraction of significant features, on which supervised modeling methods were applied. Professional trainers were involved in the assessment and classification processes by analyzing the video recorded executions. The so far obtained modeling results showed good performance and prediction outcomes, indicating the feasibility and potency of AI techniques in assessing performances on weight training equipment automatically and providing sportsmen with prompt advice. Key pointsArtificial intelligence is a promising field for sport-related analysis.Implementations integrating pattern recognition techniques enable the automatic evaluation of data measurements.Artificial neural networks applied for the analysis of weight training data show good performance and high classification rates.

Artificial Intelligence in Sports on the Example of Weight Training

PubMed Central

Novatchkov, Hristo; Baca, Arnold

2013-01-01

The overall goal of the present study was to illustrate the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in sports on the example of weight training. The research focused in particular on the implementation of pattern recognition methods for the evaluation of performed exercises on training machines. The data acquisition was carried out using way and cable force sensors attached to various weight machines, thereby enabling the measurement of essential displacement and force determinants during training. On the basis of the gathered data, it was consequently possible to deduce other significant characteristics like time periods or movement velocities. These parameters were applied for the development of intelligent methods adapted from conventional machine learning concepts, allowing an automatic assessment of the exercise technique and providing individuals with appropriate feedback. In practice, the implementation of such techniques could be crucial for the investigation of the quality of the execution, the assistance of athletes but also coaches, the training optimization and for prevention purposes. For the current study, the data was based on measurements from 15 rather inexperienced participants, performing 3-5 sets of 10-12 repetitions on a leg press machine. The initially preprocessed data was used for the extraction of significant features, on which supervised modeling methods were applied. Professional trainers were involved in the assessment and classification processes by analyzing the video recorded executions. The so far obtained modeling results showed good performance and prediction outcomes, indicating the feasibility and potency of AI techniques in assessing performances on weight training equipment automatically and providing sportsmen with prompt advice. Key points Artificial intelligence is a promising field for sport-related analysis. Implementations integrating pattern recognition techniques enable the automatic evaluation of data measurements. Artificial neural networks applied for the analysis of weight training data show good performance and high classification rates. PMID:24149722

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.

Rapid prototyping model for percutaneous nephrolithotomy training.

PubMed

Bruyère, Franck; Leroux, Cecile; Brunereau, Laurent; Lermusiaux, Patrick

2008-01-01

Rapid prototyping is a technique used for creating computer images in three dimensions more efficiently than classic techniques. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a popular method to remove kidney stones; however, broader use by the urologic community has been hampered by the morbidity associated with needle puncture to gain access to the renal calix (bleeding, pneumothorax, hydrothorax, inadvertent colon injury). A training model to improve technique and understanding of renal anatomy could improve complications related to renal puncture; however, no model currently exists for resident training. We created a training model using the rapid prototyping technique based on abdominal CT images of a patient scheduled to undergo PCNL. This allowed our staff and residents to train on the model before performing the operation. This model allowed anticipation of particular difficulties inherent to the patient's anatomy. After training, the procedure proceeded without complication, and the patient was discharged at postoperative day 1 without problems. We hypothesize that rapid prototyping could be useful for resident education, allowing the creation of numerous models for research and surgical training. In addition, we anticipate that experienced urologists could find this technique helpful in preparation for difficult PCNL operations.

Pre-trained convolutional neural networks as feature extractors for tuberculosis detection.

PubMed

Lopes, U K; Valiati, J F

2017-10-01

It is estimated that in 2015, approximately 1.8 million people infected by tuberculosis died, most of them in developing countries. Many of those deaths could have been prevented if the disease had been detected at an earlier stage, but the most advanced diagnosis methods are still cost prohibitive for mass adoption. One of the most popular tuberculosis diagnosis methods is the analysis of frontal thoracic radiographs; however, the impact of this method is diminished by the need for individual analysis of each radiography by properly trained radiologists. Significant research can be found on automating diagnosis by applying computational techniques to medical images, thereby eliminating the need for individual image analysis and greatly diminishing overall costs. In addition, recent improvements on deep learning accomplished excellent results classifying images on diverse domains, but its application for tuberculosis diagnosis remains limited. Thus, the focus of this work is to produce an investigation that will advance the research in the area, presenting three proposals to the application of pre-trained convolutional neural networks as feature extractors to detect the disease. The proposals presented in this work are implemented and compared to the current literature. The obtained results are competitive with published works demonstrating the potential of pre-trained convolutional networks as medical image feature extractors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Non-linguistic learning in aphasia: Effects of training method and stimulus characteristics

PubMed Central

Vallila-Rohter, Sofia; Kiran, Swathi

2013-01-01

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to explore non-linguistic learning ability in patients with aphasia, examining the impact of stimulus typicality and feedback on success with learning. Method Eighteen patients with aphasia and eight healthy controls participated in this study. All participants completed four computerized, non-linguistic category-learning tasks. We probed learning ability under two methods of instruction: feedback-based (FB) and paired-associate (PA). We also examined the impact of task complexity on learning ability, comparing two stimulus conditions: typical (Typ) and atypical (Atyp). Performance was compared between groups and across conditions. Results Results demonstrated that healthy controls were able to successfully learn categories under all conditions. For our patients with aphasia, two patterns of performance arose. One subgroup of patients was able to maintain learning across task manipulations and conditions. The other subgroup of patients demonstrated a sensitivity to task complexity, learning successfully only in the typical training conditions. Conclusions Results support the hypothesis that impairments of general learning are present in aphasia. Some patients demonstrated the ability to extract category information under complex training conditions, while others learned only under conditions that were simplified and emphasized salient category features. Overall, the typical training condition facilitated learning for all participants. Findings have implications for therapy, which are discussed. PMID:23695914

Intelligent computer-aided training and tutoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loftin, R. Bowen; Savely, Robert T.

1991-01-01

Specific autonomous training systems based on artificial intelligence technology for use by NASA astronauts, flight controllers, and ground-based support personnel that demonstrate an alternative to current training systems are described. In addition to these specific systems, the evolution of a general architecture for autonomous intelligent training systems that integrates many of the features of traditional training programs with artificial intelligence techniques is presented. These Intelligent Computer-Aided Training (ICAT) systems would provide, for the trainee, much of the same experience that could be gained from the best on-the-job training. By integrating domain expertise with a knowledge of appropriate training methods, an ICAT session should duplicate, as closely as possible, the trainee undergoing on-the-job training in the task environment, benefitting from the full attention of a task expert who is also an expert trainer. Thus, the philosophy of the ICAT system is to emulate the behavior of an experienced individual devoting his full time and attention to the training of a novice - proposing challenging training scenarios, monitoring and evaluating the actions of the trainee, providing meaningful comments in response to trainee errors, responding to trainee requests for information, giving hints (if appropriate), and remembering the strengths and weaknesses displayed by the trainee so that appropriate future exercises can be designed.

Introduction strategies raise key questions.

PubMed

Finger, W R; Keller, S

1995-09-01

Key issues that must be considered before a new contraceptive is introduced center on the need for a trained provider to begin or terminate the method, its side effects, duration of use, method's ability to meet users' needs and preferences, and extra training or staff requirements. Logistics and economic issues to consider are identifying a dependable way of effectively supplying commodities, planning extra services needed for the method, and cost of providing the method. Each contraceptive method presents a different side effect pattern and burdens the service delivery setting differently. The strategy developed to introduce or expand the 3-month injectable Depo-Provera (DMPA) can be used for any method. It includes a needs assessment and addresses regulatory issues, service delivery policies and procedures, information and training, evaluation, and other concerns. Viet Nam's needs assessment showed that Norplant should not be introduced until the service delivery system becomes stronger. Any needs assessment for expansion of contraceptive services should cover sexually transmitted disease/HIV issues. A World Health Organization strategy helps officials identify the best method mix for local situations. Introductory strategies must aim to improve the quality of family planning programs and expand choices. Many begin by examining existing data and conducting interviews with policymakers, users, providers, and women's health advocates. Introductory programs for Norplant focus on provider training, adequate counseling and informed consent for users, and ready access to removal. They need a well-prepared service delivery infrastructure. The first phase of the DMPA introductory strategy for the Philippines comprised a social marketing campaign and DMPA introduction at public clinics in 10 pilot areas with strong service delivery. Successful AIDS prevention programs show that people tend to use barrier methods when they are available. USAID is currently studying whether or not women in developing countries will use the female condom.

Education in Disaster Management and Emergencies: Defining a New European Course.

PubMed

Khorram-Manesh, Amir; Ashkenazi, Michael; Djalali, Ahmadreza; Ingrassia, Pier Luigi; Friedl, Tom; von Armin, Gotz; Lupesco, Olivera; Kaptan, Kubilay; Arculeo, Chris; Hreckovski, Boris; Komadina, Radko; Fisher, Philipp; Voigt, Stefan; James, James; Gursky, Elin

2015-06-01

Unremitting natural disasters, deliberate threats, pandemics, and humanitarian suffering resulting from conflict situations necessitate swift and effective response paradigms. The European Union's (EU) increasing visibility as a disaster response enterprise suggests the need not only for financial contribution but also for instituting a coherent disaster response approach and management structure. The DITAC (Disaster Training Curriculum) project identified deficiencies in current responder training approaches and analyzed the characteristics and content required for a new, standardized European course in disaster management and emergencies. Over 35 experts from within and outside the EU representing various organizations and specialties involved in disaster management composed the DITAC Consortium. These experts were also organized into 5 specifically tasked working groups. Extensive literature reviews were conducted to identify requirements and deficiencies and to craft a new training concept based on research trends and lessons learned. A pilot course and program dissemination plan was also developed. The lack of standardization was repeatedly highlighted as a serious deficiency in current disaster training methods, along with gaps in the command, control, and communication levels. A blended and competency-based teaching approach using exercises combined with lectures was recommended to improve intercultural and interdisciplinary integration. The goal of a European disaster management course should be to standardize and enhance intercultural and inter-agency performance across the disaster management cycle. A set of minimal standards and evaluation metrics can be achieved through consensus, education, and training in different units. The core of the training initiative will be a unit that presents a realistic situation "scenario-based training."

A Usability and Learnability Case Study of Glass Flight Deck Interfaces and Pilot Interactions through Scenario-based Training

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Cino, Thomas J., II

In the aviation industry, digitally produced and presented flight, navigation, and aircraft information is commonly referred to as glass flight decks. Glass flight decks are driven by computer-based subsystems and have long been a part of military and commercial aviation sectors. Over the past 15 years, the General Aviation (GA) sector of the aviation industry has become a recent beneficiary of the rapid advancement of computer-based glass flight deck (GFD) systems. While providing the GA pilot considerable enhancements in the quality of information about the status and operations of the aircraft, training pilots on the use of glass flight decks is often delivered with traditional methods (e.g. textbooks, PowerPoint presentations, user manuals, and limited computer-based training modules). These training methods have been reported as less than desirable in learning to use the glass flight deck interface. Difficulties in achieving a complete understanding of functional and operational characteristics of the GFD systems, acquiring a full understanding of the interrelationships of the varied subsystems, and handling the wealth of flight information provided have been reported. Documented pilot concerns of poor user experience and satisfaction, and problems with the learning the complex and sophisticated interface of the GFD are additional issues with current pilot training approaches. A case study was executed to explore ways to improve training using GFD systems at a Midwestern aviation university. The researcher investigated if variations in instructional systems design and training methods for learning glass flight deck technology would affect the perceptions and attitudes of pilots of the learnability (an attribute of usability) of the glass flight deck interface. Specifically, this study investigated the effectiveness of scenario-based training (SBT) methods to potentially improve pilot knowledge and understanding of a GFD system, and overall pilot user experience and satisfaction. Participants overwhelmingly reported positive learning experiences from scenario-based GFD systems flight training, noting that learning and knowledge construction were improved over other training received in the past. In contrast, participants rated the usability and learnability of the GFD training systems low, reporting various problems with the systems' interface, and the learnability (first-time use) of the complex GFD system. However, issues with usability of the GFD training systems did not reduce or change participant attitudes towards learning and mastering GFD systems; to the contrary, all participants requested additional coursework opportunities to train on GFD systems with the scenario-based flight training format.

Training to Provide Psychiatric Genetic Counseling: How Does It Impact Recent Graduates' and Current Students' Readiness to Provide Genetic Counseling for Individuals with Psychiatric Illness and Attitudes towards this Population?

PubMed

Low, Ashley; Dixon, Shannan; Higgs, Amanda; Joines, Jessica; Hippman, Catriona

2018-02-01

Mental illness is extremely common and genetic counselors frequently see patients with mental illness. Genetic counselors report discomfort in providing psychiatric genetic counseling (GC), suggesting the need to look critically at training for psychiatric GC. This study aimed to investigate psychiatric GC training and its impact on perceived preparedness to provide psychiatric GC (preparedness). Current students and recent graduates were invited to complete an anonymous survey evaluating psychiatric GC training and outcomes. Bivariate correlations (p<.10) identified variables for inclusion in a logistic regression model to predict preparedness. Data were checked for assumptions underlying logistic regression. The logistic regression model for the 286 respondents [χ 2 (8)=84.87, p<.001] explained between 37.1% (Cox & Snell R 2 =.371) and 49.7% (Nagelkerke R 2 =.497) of the variance in preparedness scores. More frequent psychiatric GC instruction (OR=5.13), more active methods for practicing risk assessment (OR=4.43), and education on providing resources for mental illness (OR=4.99) made uniquely significant contributions to the model (p<.001). Responses to open-ended questions revealed interest in further psychiatric GC training, particularly enabling "hands on" experience. This exploratory study suggests that enriching GC training through more frequent psychiatric GC instruction and more active opportunities to practice psychiatric GC skills will support students in feeling more prepared to provide psychiatric GC after graduation.

[Current panorama of the teaching of microbiology and parasitology in Spain].

PubMed

Cantón, Rafael; Sánchez-Romero, María Isabel; Gómez-Mampaso, Enrique

2010-10-01

The training program of residents in microbiology and parasitology in Spain includes clinical skills, ranging from the diagnostic approach to the patient and adequate sample collection for diagnosis of infectious diseases to antimicrobial therapy and infection control measures. Training also includes new challenges in clinical microbiology that ensure residents' participation in infection control programs of health-care associated infections, training in the resolution of public health problems, and application of new molecular microbiology methods. Specialization in clinical microbiology may be undertaken by graduates in Medicine, Biology, Biochemistry and Chemistry. The training is performed in accredited microbiology laboratories at different hospitals (n = 61) across the country through 4-year residency programs. In the last few years, there has been a major imbalance between the number of intended residents (0.17 per 100,000 inhabitants) and those graduating as specialists in clinical microbiology (0.13 per 100,000 inhabitants), with wide variations across the country. The current tendency in Europe is to strengthen the role of clinical microbiologists as key figures in the diagnosis of infectious diseases and in public health microbiology. Training programs have been hampered by the practice of sending samples for microbiological tests to external, centralized multipurpose laboratories with few clinical microbiologists and without a core curriculum. Essential elements in the training of specialists in clinical microbiology are a close relationship between the laboratory and the clinical center and collaboration with other specialists. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier España S.L. All rights reserved.

[Assessment of a residency training program in endocrinology and nutrition by physicians: results of a survey].

PubMed

Moreno-Fernández, Jesús; Gutiérrez-Alcántara, Carmen; Palomares-Ortega, Rafael; García-Manzanares, Alvaro; Benito-López, Pedro

2011-12-01

The current training program for resident physicians in endocrinology and nutrition (EN) organizes their medical learning. Program evaluation by physicians was assessed using a survey. The survey asked about demographic variables, EN training methods, working time and center, and opinion on training program contents. Fifty-one members of Sociedad Castellano-Manchega de Endocrinología, Nutrición y Diabetes, and Sociedad Andaluza de Endocrinología y Nutrición completed the survey. Forty-percent of them disagreed with the compulsory nature of internal medicine, cardiology, nephrology and, especially, neurology rotations (60%); a majority (>50%) were against several recommended rotations included in the program. The fourth year of residence was considered by 37.8% of respondents as the optimum time for outpatient and inpatient control and monitoring without direct supervision. The recommended monthly number of on-call duties was 3.8±1.2. We detected a positive opinion about extension of residence duration to 4.4±0.5 years. Doctoral thesis development during the residence period was not considered convenient by 66.7% of physicians. Finally, 97.8% of resident physicians would recommend residency in EN to other colleagues. Endocrinologists surveyed disagreed with different training program aspects such as the rotation system, skill acquisition timing, and on-call duties. Therefore, an adaptation of the current training program in EN would be required. Copyright © 2011 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

A perspective on the role and utility of haptic feedback in laparoscopic skills training.

PubMed

Singapogu, Ravikiran; Burg, Timothy; Burg, Karen J L; Smith, Dane E; Eckenrode, Amanda H

2014-01-01

Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical technique with significant potential benefits to the patient, including shorter recovery time, less scarring, and decreased costs. There is a growing need to teach surgical trainees this emerging surgical technique. Simulators, ranging from simple "box" trainers to complex virtual reality (VR) trainers, have emerged as the most promising method for teaching basic laparoscopic surgical skills. Current box trainers require oversight from an expert surgeon for both training and assessing skills. VR trainers decrease the dependence on expert teachers during training by providing objective, real-time feedback and automatic skills evaluation. However, current VR trainers generally have limited credibility as a means to prepare new surgeons and have often fallen short of educators' expectations. Several researchers have speculated that the missing component in modern VR trainers is haptic feedback, which refers to the range of touch sensations encountered during surgery. These force types and ranges need to be adequately rendered by simulators for a more complete training experience. This article presents a perspective of the role and utility of haptic feedback during laparoscopic surgery and laparoscopic skills training by detailing the ranges and types of haptic sensations felt by the operating surgeon, along with quantitative studies of how this feedback is used. Further, a number of research studies that have documented human performance effects as a result of the presence of haptic feedback are critically reviewed. Finally, key research directions in using haptic feedback for laparoscopy training simulators are identified.

Web-Based Training for Primary Healthcare Workers in Rural China: A Qualitative Exploration of Stakeholders’ Perceptions

PubMed Central

Zhang, Zhixia; Zhan, Xingxin; Li, Yingxue; Hu, Rong; Yan, Weirong

2015-01-01

Background Equitable access to basic public health services is a priority in China. However, primary healthcare workers’ competence to deliver public health services is relatively poor because they lack professional training. Since the availability of web-based training has increased in China, the current study explored stakeholders’ perceptions of a web-based training program on basic public health services to understand their thoughts, experiences, and attitudes about it. Methods Six focus group discussions with primary healthcare workers and three with directors of township hospitals, county-level Health Bureaus, and county-level Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were conducted in Yichang City during 2013. Semi-structured topic guides were used to facilitate qualitative data collection. Audio recordings of the sessions were transcribed verbatim and theme analysis was performed. Results Most of the study’s participants, especially the village doctors, had insufficient knowledge of basic public health services. The existing training program for primary healthcare workers consisted of ineffective traditional face-to-face sessions and often posed accessibility problems for the trainees. Most of the study’s participants had a positive attitude about web-based learning and expressed a strong desire to receive this novel training approach because of its flexibility and convenience. The perceived barriers to utilizing the web-based training method included poor computer literacy, lack of personal interaction, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of time and motivation. The facilitators of this approach included the training content applicability, the user-friendly and interactive learning format, and policy support. Conclusions Web-based training on basic public health services is a promising option in rural China. The findings of the study will contribute knowledge to implementation of web-based training in similar settings. PMID:25961727

Increasing health worker capacity through distance learning: a comprehensive review of programmes in Tanzania.

PubMed

Nartker, Anya J; Stevens, Liz; Shumays, Alyson; Kalowela, Martin; Kisimbo, Daniel; Potter, Katy

2010-12-31

Tanzania, like many developing countries, faces a crisis in human resources for health. The government has looked for ways to increase the number and skills of health workers, including using distance learning in their training. In 2008, the authors reviewed and assessed the country's current distance learning programmes for health care workers, as well as those in countries with similar human resource challenges, to determine the feasibility of distance learning to meet the need of an increased and more skilled health workforce. Data were collected from 25 distance learning programmes at health training institutions, universities, and non-governmental organizations throughout the country from May to August 2008. Methods included internet research; desk review; telephone, email and mail-in surveys; on-site observations; interviews with programme managers, instructors, students, information technology specialists, preceptors, health care workers and Ministry of Health and Social Welfare representatives; and a focus group with national HIV/AIDS care and treatment organizations. Challenges include lack of guidelines for administrators, instructors and preceptors of distance learning programmes regarding roles and responsibilities; absence of competencies for clinical components of curricula; and technological constraints such as lack of access to computers and to the internet. Insufficient funding resulted in personnel shortages, lack of appropriate training for personnel, and lack of materials for students.Nonetheless, current and prospective students expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for scale-up of distance learning because of the unique financial and social benefits offered by these programs. Participants were retained as employees in their health care facilities, and remained in their communities and supported their families while advancing their careers. Space in health training institutions was freed up for new students entering in-residence pre-service training. A blended print-based distance learning model is most feasible at the national level due to current resource and infrastructure constraints. With an increase in staffing; improvement of infrastructure, coordination and curricula; and decentralization to the zonal or district level, distance learning can be an effective method to increase both the skills and the numbers of qualified health care workers capable of meeting the health care needs of the Tanzanian population.

Effects of Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation on Neurosurgical Skill Acquisition: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Ciechanski, Patrick; Cheng, Adam; Lopushinsky, Steven; Hecker, Kent; Gan, Liu Shi; Lang, Stefan; Zareinia, Kourosh; Kirton, Adam

2017-12-01

Recent changes in surgical training environments may have limited opportunities for trainees to gain proficiency in skill. Complex skills such as neurosurgery require extended periods of training. Methods to enhance surgical training are required to overcome duty-hour restrictions, to ensure the acquisition of skill proficiency. Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) can enhance motor skill learning, but is untested in surgical procedural training. We aimed to determine the effects of tDCS on simulation-based neurosurgical skill acquisition. Medical students were trained to acquire tumor resection skills using a virtual reality neurosurgical simulator. The primary outcome of change in tumor resection was scored at baseline, over 8 repetitions, post-training, and again at 6 weeks. Participants received anodal tDCS or sham over the primary motor cortex. Secondary outcomes included changes in brain resected, resection effectiveness, duration of excessive forces (EF) applied, and resection efficiency. Additional outcomes included tDCS tolerability. Twenty-two students consented to participate, with no dropouts over the course of the trial. Participants receiving tDCS intervention increased the amount of tumor resected, increased the effectiveness of resection, reduced the duration of EF applied, and improved resection efficiency. Little or no decay was observed at 6 weeks in both groups. No adverse events were documented, and sensation severity did not differ between stimulation groups. The addition of tDCS to neurosurgical training may enhance skill acquisition in a simulation-based environment. Trials of additional skills in high-skill residents, and translation to nonsimulated performance are needed to determine the potential utility of tDCS in surgical training. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Training on intellectual disability in health sciences: the European perspective

PubMed Central

Salvador-Carulla, Luis; Martínez-Leal, Rafael; Heyler, Carla; Alvarez-Galvez, Javier; Veenstra, Marja Y.; García-Ibáñez, Jose; Carpenter, Sylvia; Bertelli, Marco; Munir, Kerim; Torr, Jennifer; Van Schrojenstein Lantman-de Valk, Henny M. J.

2015-01-01

Background Intellectual disability (ID) has consequences at all stages of life, requires high service provision and leads to high health and societal costs. However, ID is largely disregarded as a health issue by national and international organisations, as are training in ID and in the health aspects of ID at every level of the education system. Specific aim This paper aims to (1) update the current information about availability of training and education in ID and related health issues in Europe with a particular focus in mental health; and (2) to identify opportunities arising from the initial process of educational harmonization in Europe to include ID contents in health sciences curricula and professional training. Method We carried out a systematic search of scientific databases and websites, as well as policy and research reports from the European Commission, European Council and WHO. Furthermore, we contacted key international organisations related to health education and/or ID in Europe, as well as other regional institutions. Results ID modules and contents are minimal in the revised health sciences curricula and publications on ID training in Europe are equally scarce. European countries report few undergraduate and graduate training modules in ID, even in key specialties such as paediatrics. Within the health sector, ID programmes focus mainly on psychiatry and psychology. Conclusion The poor availability of ID training in health sciences is a matter of concern. However, the current European policy on training provides an opportunity to promote ID in the curricula of programmes at all levels. This strategy should address all professionals working in ID and it should increase the focus on ID relative to other developmental disorders at all stages of life. PMID:25705375

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…

Athletic Training Educators' Knowledge, Comfort, and Perceived Importance of Evidence-Based Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch, Cailee E.; Van Lunen, Bonnie L.; Walker, Stacy E.; Manspeaker, Sarah A.; Hankemeier, Dorice A.; Brown, Sara D.; Laursen, R. Mark; Onate, James A.

2011-01-01

Context: Before new strategies and effective techniques for implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) into athletic training curricula can occur, it is crucial to recognize the current knowledge and understanding of EBP concepts among athletic training educators. Objective: To assess athletic training educators' current knowledge, comfort,…

Experience of 16 years and its associated challenges in the Field Epidemiology Training Program in Korea.

PubMed

Lee, Moo-Sik; Kim, Eun-Young; Lee, Sang-Won

2017-01-01

The field epidemiologist system of South Korea, which employs public health doctors who are relatively more readily available, was created in 1999 to ensure a ready supply of experts for epidemiological investigations and enable an effective response for new and reemerging infectious diseases. However, the 2015 outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome revealed limitations in the existing systems of management of field epidemiologists and communicable diseases. The present study aims to evaluate data on current states, administrative reports, and other literature on the field epidemiologist system that has been in place in South Korea for 16 years since 1999 and to suggest appropriate future improvements in this system. By suggesting methods to evaluate the field epidemiologist system and training programs and by suggesting ways for the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct evaluations on its own, the present study provides supporting evidence for improvement of systems for training of experts in epidemiological investigations. Moreover, based on the findings, this study also suggests methods to systematically train experts in communicable diseases management and a sustainable system to establish the basis of and develop strategies for a systematic and phased management of field epidemiologist training programs. The present study suggests the possibility of establishing dedicated training facilities, revising the guidelines on training and improvement of the competency of public health experts, while not limiting the scope of application to communicable diseases.

Education and Training at SNL: Past and Present

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

BOMBER, THOMAS M.; DREWIEN, CELESTE A.

2002-11-01

The purpose of this review was to provide insights and information to Sandia National Laboratories' (SNL) Education Council on the state of technical education and training at SNL in order to address the concern that a change in philosophy surrounding education had occurred. To accomplish this, the status of current and past technical training and education programs were compared, and significant changes at SNL were assessed for their impact on education and training. Major changes in education and training are in the advertisement of course offerings, the course delivery methods, and the funding mechanisms for student and instructor time asmore » well as course costs. The significant changes in SNL which influenced technical training and education are the considerable increase in mandatory or compliance training, a fundamental shift in SNL's management structure from an institutional structure to a more business-like, project-budgeted structure, and the change in SNL's mission at the end of the Cold War. These changes contributed to less time for technical training, reduction of training funds, elimination of some training, and a Service Center approach to paying for training. Most importantly, the overall combined effect has resulted in a shift from a strategic to a tactical training approach. The Corporate Training Department (CTD) has maneuvered to accommodate these changes and keep abreast of constantly changing needs.« less

Joint Labeling Of Multiple Regions of Interest (Rois) By Enhanced Auto Context Models.

PubMed

Kim, Minjeong; Wu, Guorong; Guo, Yanrong; Shen, Dinggang

2015-04-01

Accurate segmentation of a set of regions of interest (ROIs) in the brain images is a key step in many neuroscience studies. Due to the complexity of image patterns, many learning-based segmentation methods have been proposed, including auto context model (ACM) that can capture high-level contextual information for guiding segmentation. However, since current ACM can only handle one ROI at a time, neighboring ROIs have to be labeled separately with different ACMs that are trained independently without communicating each other. To address this, we enhance the current single-ROI learning ACM to multi-ROI learning ACM for joint labeling of multiple neighboring ROIs (called e ACM). First, we extend current independently-trained single-ROI ACMs to a set of jointly-trained cross-ROI ACMs, by simultaneous training of ACMs for all spatially-connected ROIs to let them to share their respective intermediate outputs for coordinated labeling of each image point. Then, the context features in each ACM can capture the cross-ROI dependence information from the outputs of other ACMs that are designed for neighboring ROIs. Second, we upgrade the output labeling map of each ACM with the multi-scale representation, thus both local and global context information can be effectively used to increase the robustness in characterizing geometric relationship among neighboring ROIs. Third, we integrate ACM into a multi-atlases segmentation paradigm, for encompassing high variations among subjects. Experiments on LONI LPBA40 dataset show much better performance by our e ACM, compared to the conventional ACM.

Injury prevention in male youth soccer: Current practices and perceptions of practitioners working at elite English academies.

PubMed

Read, Paul J; Jimenez, Pablo; Oliver, Jon L; Lloyd, Rhodri S

2018-06-01

Forty-one practitioners inclusive of physiotherapists, sports scientists and strength and conditioning coaches from the academies of elite soccer clubs in the United Kingdom completed an on-line questionnaire which examined their: (1) background information; (2) perceptions of injury occurrence and risk factors; (3) screening and return to play; and (4) approach to designing and delivering injury prevention programmes with a response rate of 55% (41/75). Contact injuries were the most common mechanism reported and players between 13-16 years of age were perceived to be at the greatest risk. Pertinent risk factors included: reduced lower limb and eccentric hamstring strength, proprioception, muscle imbalances, and under developed foundational movement skills. Joint range of motion, jump tests, the functional movement screen, overhead and single leg squats were the most utilised screening methods. Training modalities rated in order of importance included: resistance training, flexibility development, agility, plyometrics and balance training. Training frequency was most commonly once or twice per week, during warm-ups, independent sessions or a combination of both. Injury prevention strategies in this cohort appear to be logical; however, the classification of injury occurrence and application of screening tools to identify "at risk" players do not align with existing research. The frequency and type of training used may also be insufficient to elicit an appropriate stimulus to address pertinent risk factors based on current recommendations.

"Now I feel like a true parasitologist" -Concept-based training for early career scientists.

PubMed

Maier, Alexander G

2018-03-15

One of the allures of parasitology is its breadth of aspects spanning everything from molecules to ecosystems. Very few institutions have the capability to cover this breadth in educating parasitologists. As the national professional body, the Australian Society for Parasitology has developed a training course that aims to fill this gap. The course offers a comprehensive overview over the field, highlights the current research foci and introduces key methods. The program equips participants with an appreciation of parasites and with strategies to deal with the complexity of parasitological systems. The course provides an innovative model for training parasitological key concepts with a focus on professional development for early career researchers. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Terminal iterative learning control based station stop control of a train

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Zhongsheng; Wang, Yi; Yin, Chenkun; Tang, Tao

2011-07-01

The terminal iterative learning control (TILC) method is introduced for the first time into the field of train station stop control and three TILC-based algorithms are proposed in this study. The TILC-based train station stop control approach utilises the terminal stop position error in previous braking process to update the current control profile. The initial braking position, or the braking force, or their combination is chosen as the control input, and corresponding learning law is developed. The terminal stop position error of each algorithm is guaranteed to converge to a small region related with the initial offset of braking position with rigorous analysis. The validity of the proposed algorithms is verified by illustrative numerical examples.

Navigating the changing learning landscape: perspective from bioinformatics.ca

PubMed Central

Ouellette, B. F. Francis

2013-01-01

With the advent of YouTube channels in bioinformatics, open platforms for problem solving in bioinformatics, active web forums in computing analyses and online resources for learning to code or use a bioinformatics tool, the more traditional continuing education bioinformatics training programs have had to adapt. Bioinformatics training programs that solely rely on traditional didactic methods are being superseded by these newer resources. Yet such face-to-face instruction is still invaluable in the learning continuum. Bioinformatics.ca, which hosts the Canadian Bioinformatics Workshops, has blended more traditional learning styles with current online and social learning styles. Here we share our growing experiences over the past 12 years and look toward what the future holds for bioinformatics training programs. PMID:23515468

Cognitive Flexibility Training: A Large-Scale Multimodal Adaptive Active-Control Intervention Study in Healthy Older Adults

PubMed Central

Buitenweg, Jessika I. V.; van de Ven, Renate M.; Prinssen, Sam; Murre, Jaap M. J.; Ridderinkhof, K. Richard

2017-01-01

As aging is associated with cognitive decline, particularly in the executive functions, it is essential to effectively improve cognition in older adults. Online cognitive training is currently a popular, though controversial method. Although some changes seem possible in older adults through training, far transfer, and longitudinal maintenance are rarely seen. Based on previous literature we created a unique, state-of-the-art intervention study by incorporating frequent sessions and flexible, novel, adaptive training tasks, along with an active control group. We created a program called TAPASS (Training Project Amsterdam Seniors and Stroke), a randomized controlled trial. Healthy older adults (60–80 y.o.) were assigned to a frequent- (FS) or infrequent switching (IS) experimental condition or to the active control group and performed 58 half-hour sessions over the course of 12 weeks. Effects on executive functioning, processing- and psychomotor speed, planning, verbal long term memory, verbal fluency, and reasoning were measured on four time points before, during and after the training. Additionally, we examined the explorative question which individual aspects added to training benefit. Besides improvements on the training, we found significant time effects on multiple transfer tasks in all three groups that likely reflected retest effects. No training-specific improvements were detected, and we did not find evidence of additional benefits of individual characteristics. Judging from these results, the therapeutic value of using commercially available training games to train the aging brain is modest, though any apparent effects should be ascribed more to expectancy and motivation than to the elements in our training protocol. Our results emphasize the importance of using parallel tests as outcome measures for transfer and including both active and passive control conditions. Further investigation into different training methods is advised, including stimulating social interaction and the use of more variable, novel, group-based yet individual-adjusted exercises. PMID:29209183

Cognitive Flexibility Training: A Large-Scale Multimodal Adaptive Active-Control Intervention Study in Healthy Older Adults.

PubMed

Buitenweg, Jessika I V; van de Ven, Renate M; Prinssen, Sam; Murre, Jaap M J; Ridderinkhof, K Richard

2017-01-01

As aging is associated with cognitive decline, particularly in the executive functions, it is essential to effectively improve cognition in older adults. Online cognitive training is currently a popular, though controversial method. Although some changes seem possible in older adults through training, far transfer, and longitudinal maintenance are rarely seen. Based on previous literature we created a unique, state-of-the-art intervention study by incorporating frequent sessions and flexible, novel, adaptive training tasks, along with an active control group. We created a program called TAPASS (Training Project Amsterdam Seniors and Stroke), a randomized controlled trial. Healthy older adults (60-80 y.o.) were assigned to a frequent- (FS) or infrequent switching (IS) experimental condition or to the active control group and performed 58 half-hour sessions over the course of 12 weeks. Effects on executive functioning, processing- and psychomotor speed, planning, verbal long term memory, verbal fluency, and reasoning were measured on four time points before, during and after the training. Additionally, we examined the explorative question which individual aspects added to training benefit. Besides improvements on the training, we found significant time effects on multiple transfer tasks in all three groups that likely reflected retest effects. No training-specific improvements were detected, and we did not find evidence of additional benefits of individual characteristics. Judging from these results, the therapeutic value of using commercially available training games to train the aging brain is modest, though any apparent effects should be ascribed more to expectancy and motivation than to the elements in our training protocol. Our results emphasize the importance of using parallel tests as outcome measures for transfer and including both active and passive control conditions. Further investigation into different training methods is advised, including stimulating social interaction and the use of more variable, novel, group-based yet individual-adjusted exercises.

Burns education: The emerging role of simulation for training healthcare professionals.

PubMed

Sadideen, Hazim; Goutos, Ioannis; Kneebone, Roger

2017-02-01

Burns education appears to be under-represented in UK undergraduate curricula. However current postgraduate courses in burns education provide formal training in resuscitation and management. Simulation has proven to be a powerful modality to advance surgical training in both technical and non-technical skills. We present a literature review that summarises the format of current burns education, and provides detailed insight into historic, current and novel advances in burns simulation for both technical and non-technical skills, that can be used to augment surgical training. Addressing the economic and practical limitations of current immersive surgical simulation is important, and this review proposes future directions for integration of innovative simulation strategies into training curricula. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Education and Training Needs in Radiation Oncology in India: Opportunities for Indo–US Collaborations

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

Grover, Surbhi, E-mail: Surbhi.grover@uphs.upenn.edu; Chadha, Manjeet; Rengan, Ramesh

Purpose: To conduct a survey of radiation oncologists in India, to better understand specific educational needs of radiation oncology in India and define areas of collaboration with US institutions. Methods and Materials: A 20-question survey was distributed to members of the Association of Indian Radiation Oncologists and the Indian Brachytherapy Society between November 2013 and May 2014. Results: We received a total of 132 responses. Over 50% of the physicians treat more than 200 patients per day, use 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional treatment planning techniques, and approximately 50% use image guided techniques. For education needs, most respondents agreed that further education inmore » intensity modulated radiation therapy, image guided radiation therapy, stereotactic radiation therapy, biostatistics, and research methods for medical residents would be useful areas of collaboration with institutions in the United States. Other areas of collaboration include developing a structured training module for nursing, physics training, and developing a second-opinion clinic for difficult cases with faculty in the United States. Conclusion: Various areas of potential collaboration in radiation oncology education were identified through this survey. These include the following: establishing education programs focused on current technology, facilitating exchange programs for trainees in India to the United States, promoting training in research methods, establishing training modules for physicists and oncology nurses, and creating an Indo–US. Tumor Board. It would require collaboration between the Association of Indian Radiation Oncologists and the American Society for Radiation Oncology to develop these educational initiatives.« less

Body weight supported treadmill training versus traditional training in patients dependent on walking assistance after stroke: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Høyer, Ellen; Jahnsen, Reidun; Stanghelle, Johan Kvalvik; Strand, Liv Inger

2012-01-01

Treadmill training with body weight support (TTBWS) for relearning walking ability after brain damage is an approach under current investigation. Efficiency of this method beyond traditional training is lacking evidence, especially in patients needing walking assistance after stroke. The objective of this study was to investigate change in walking and transfer abilities, comparing TTBWS with traditional walking training. A single-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted. Sixty patients referred for multi-disciplinary primary rehabilitation were assigned into one of two intervention groups, one received 30 sessions of TTBWS plus traditional training, the other traditional training alone. Daily training was 1 hr. Outcome measures were Functional Ambulation Categories (FAC), Walking, Functional Independence Measure (FIM); shorter transfer and stairs, 10 m and 6-min walk tests. Substantial improvements in walking and transfer were shown within both groups after 5 and 11 weeks of intervention. Overall no statistical significant differences were found between the groups, but 12 of 17 physical measures tended to show improvements in favour of the treadmill approach. Both training strategies provided significant improvements in the tested activities, suggesting that similar outcomes can be obtained in the two modalities by systematic, intensive and goal directed training.

World's simplest electric train

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Criado, C.; Alamo, N.

2016-01-01

We analyze the physics of the "world's simplest electric train." The "train" consists of a AA battery with a strong magnet on each end that moves through a helical coil of copper wire. The motion of the train results from the interaction between the magnetic field created by the current in the wire and the magnetic field of the magnets. We calculate the force of this interaction and the terminal velocity of the train due to eddy currents and friction. Our calculations provide a good illustration of Faraday's and Lenz's laws, as well as of the concepts of the Lorentz force and eddy currents.

Emergency management training program: Guide to good practice

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

Not Available

1991-07-01

The Emergency Management Training Program Guide to Good Practice is a project of the Training Resources and Data Exchange (TRADE) Emergency Management Issues Special Interest Group (EMI SIG). EMI SIG members expressed interest in a resource to assist in development of a comprehensive emergency management training program. This publication provides guidelines, methods, and materials for EMI SIG members to use, assisting in complete and effective emergency management programs. The purposes of the Emergency Management Training Program Guide to Good Practice are: Provide guidance in the development and management of Emergency Management (EM) training programs; Assist EM trainers to incorporate componentsmore » of the DOE Emergency Management System philosophy of planning, preparedness, readiness assurance, and response into EM training programs; Help EM training managers meet EM training requirements and conditions established by current regulations and policies; Supplement other TRADE EMI SIG documents and complement individual facility training documents. This program is designed for emergency management personnel who are responsible for providing or overseeing EM training but who do not necessarily possess expertise in developing training. It provides good practices from the manager's point of view on how to produce, administer, and document facility EM training programs in the spirit of the DOE EM system philosophy. Basic guidance is also included for personnel who design, develop, deliver, and/or evaluate EM training programs or parts. This guidance includes key points of EM training programs and identifies other documents that contain useful and/or more detailed training information.« less

Emergency management training program: Guide to good practice

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

Not Available

1991-07-01

The Emergency Management Training Program Guide to Good Practice is a project of the Training Resources and Data Exchange (TRADE) Emergency Management Issues Special Interest Group (EMI SIG). EMI SIG members expressed interest in a resource to assist in development of a comprehensive emergency management training program. This publication provides guidelines, methods, and materials for EMI SIG members to use, assisting in complete and effective emergency management programs. The purposes of the Emergency Management Training Program Guide to Good Practice are: Provide guidance in the development and management of Emergency Management (EM) training programs; Assist EM trainers to incorporate componentsmore » of the DOE Emergency Management System philosophy of planning, preparedness, readiness assurance, and response into EM training programs; Help EM training managers meet EM training requirements and conditions established by current regulations and policies; Supplement other TRADE EMI SIG documents and complement individual facility training documents. This program is designed for emergency management personnel who are responsible for providing or overseeing EM training but who do not necessarily possess expertise in developing training. It provides good practices from the manager`s point of view on how to produce, administer, and document facility EM training programs in the spirit of the DOE EM system philosophy. Basic guidance is also included for personnel who design, develop, deliver, and/or evaluate EM training programs or parts. This guidance includes key points of EM training programs and identifies other documents that contain useful and/or more detailed training information.« less

Monitoring the athlete training response: subjective self-reported measures trump commonly used objective measures: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Saw, Anna E; Main, Luana C; Gastin, Paul B

2016-01-01

Background Monitoring athlete well-being is essential to guide training and to detect any progression towards negative health outcomes and associated poor performance. Objective (performance, physiological, biochemical) and subjective measures are all options for athlete monitoring. Objective We systematically reviewed objective and subjective measures of athlete well-being. Objective measures, including those taken at rest (eg, blood markers, heart rate) and during exercise (eg, oxygen consumption, heart rate response), were compared against subjective measures (eg, mood, perceived stress). All measures were also evaluated for their response to acute and chronic training load. Methods The databases Academic search complete, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus and PubMed were searched in May 2014. Fifty-six original studies reported concurrent subjective and objective measures of athlete well-being. The quality and strength of findings of each study were evaluated to determine overall levels of evidence. Results Subjective and objective measures of athlete well-being generally did not correlate. Subjective measures reflected acute and chronic training loads with superior sensitivity and consistency than objective measures. Subjective well-being was typically impaired with an acute increase in training load, and also with chronic training, while an acute decrease in training load improved subjective well-being. Summary This review provides further support for practitioners to use subjective measures to monitor changes in athlete well-being in response to training. Subjective measures may stand alone, or be incorporated into a mixed methods approach to athlete monitoring, as is current practice in many sport settings. PMID:26423706

Review and Evaluation of Current Training Programs Found in Various Mining Environments. Final Report. Volume II, Analysis and Recommendations.

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. Aggregate training and injury data were used to evaluate the overall training effort at 300 mines as well as specific efforts in 12 categories of training course objectives. From such…

Ensemble positive unlabeled learning for disease gene identification.

PubMed

Yang, Peng; Li, Xiaoli; Chua, Hon-Nian; Kwoh, Chee-Keong; Ng, See-Kiong

2014-01-01

An increasing number of genes have been experimentally confirmed in recent years as causative genes to various human diseases. The newly available knowledge can be exploited by machine learning methods to discover additional unknown genes that are likely to be associated with diseases. In particular, positive unlabeled learning (PU learning) methods, which require only a positive training set P (confirmed disease genes) and an unlabeled set U (the unknown candidate genes) instead of a negative training set N, have been shown to be effective in uncovering new disease genes in the current scenario. Using only a single source of data for prediction can be susceptible to bias due to incompleteness and noise in the genomic data and a single machine learning predictor prone to bias caused by inherent limitations of individual methods. In this paper, we propose an effective PU learning framework that integrates multiple biological data sources and an ensemble of powerful machine learning classifiers for disease gene identification. Our proposed method integrates data from multiple biological sources for training PU learning classifiers. A novel ensemble-based PU learning method EPU is then used to integrate multiple PU learning classifiers to achieve accurate and robust disease gene predictions. Our evaluation experiments across six disease groups showed that EPU achieved significantly better results compared with various state-of-the-art prediction methods as well as ensemble learning classifiers. Through integrating multiple biological data sources for training and the outputs of an ensemble of PU learning classifiers for prediction, we are able to minimize the potential bias and errors in individual data sources and machine learning algorithms to achieve more accurate and robust disease gene predictions. In the future, our EPU method provides an effective framework to integrate the additional biological and computational resources for better disease gene predictions.

Orthopaedic Resident Practice Management and Health Policy Education: Evaluation of Experience and Expectations.

PubMed

Stautberg Iii, Eugene F; Romero, Jose; Bender, Sean; DeHart, Marc

2018-04-11

Introduction Practice management and health policy have generally not been considered integral to orthopaedic resident education. Our objective was to evaluate residents' current experience and knowledge, formal training, and desire for further education in practice management and health policy. Methods We developed a 29-question survey that was divided into three sections: practice management, initial employment opportunity, and health policy. Within each section, questions were directed at a resident's current experience and knowledge, formal training, and interest in further education. The survey was distributed at the end of the academic year through an Internet-based survey tool (www.surveymonkey.com) to orthopaedic residents representing multiple programs and all postgraduate years. Results The survey was distributed to 121 residents representing eight residency programs. Of those, 87 residents responded, resulting in a 72% response rate. All postgraduate years were represented. Regarding practice management, 66% had "no confidence" or "some confidence" in coding clinical encounters. When asked if practice models, finance management, and coding should be taught in residency, 95%, 93%, and 97% responded "yes," respectively. When evaluating first employment opportunities, the three most important factors were location, operating room block time, and call. Regarding health policy, 28% were "moderately familiar" or "very familiar" with the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, and 72% were "not familiar" or "somewhat familiar" with bundled payments for arthroplasty. Finally, when asked if yearly lectures in political activities would enhance resident education, 90% responded "yes." Discussion and conclusion Regarding practice management, the survey suggests that current orthopaedic residents are not familiar with basic topics, do not receive formal training, and want further education. The survey suggests that residents also receive minimal training in health policy. Residents feel that health policy will be important in their careers, and they would benefit from formal training in residency.

The cutting-edge training modalities and educational platforms for accredited surgical training: A systematic review

PubMed Central

Forgione, Antonello; Guraya, Salman Y.

2017-01-01

Background: Historically, operating room (OR) has always been considered as a stand-alone trusted platform for surgical education and training. However, concerns about financial constraints, quality control, and patient safety have urged the surgical educators to develop more cost-effective, surgical educational platforms that can be employed outside the OR. Furthermore, trained surgeons need to regularly update their surgical skills to keep abreast with the emerging surgical technologies. This research aimed to explore the value of currently available modern surgical tools that can be used outside the OR and also elaborates the existing laparoscopic surgical training programs in world-class centers across the globe with a view to formulate a blended and unified structured surgical training program. Materials and Methods: Several data sources were searched using MeSH terms “Laparoscopic surgery” and “Surgical training” and “Surgical curriculum” and “fundamentals of endoscopic surgery” and “fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery” and “Telementoring” and “Box trainer.” The eligibility criteria used in data extraction searched for original and review articles and by excluding the editorial articles, short communications, conference proceedings, personal view, and commentaries. Data synthesis and data analysis were done by reviewing the initially retrieved 211 articles. Irrelevant and duplicate and redundant articles were excluded from the study. Results: Finally, 12 articles were selected for this systematic review. Data results showed that a myriad of cutting-edge technical innovations have provided modern surgical training tools such as the simulation-based mechanical and virtual reality simulators, animal and cadaveric labs, telementoring, telerobotic-assisted surgery, and video games. Surgical simulators allow the trainees to acquire surgical skills in a tension-free environment without supervision or time constraints. Conclusion: The existing world-renowned surgical training centers employ various clusters of training tools that essentially endeavor to embed the acquisition of knowledge and technical skills. However, a unified training curriculum that may be accepted worldwide is currently not available. PMID:28567070

76 FR 27656 - Intent To Request Renewal From OMB of One Current Public Collection of Information: Flight Crew...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-12

... From OMB of One Current Public Collection of Information: Flight Crew Self-Defense Training... eligibility to participate in voluntary advanced self-defense training provided by TSA. Eligible training...), TSA is required to develop and provide a voluntary advanced self-defense training program for flight...

Evaluating Reactions and Transfer of Skills from Blackboard Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Florence; Brooks, Robin Freeman; Gayford, Matthew C.; Hall, Herman A., IV; Whitfield, Kimberly Y.

2011-01-01

This article describes the methods that were used to evaluate the "Blackboard Basics" and "Teaching in Blackboard" courses that are currently being offered by the Office of e-Learning at a southeastern university in the United States. This report includes a description of the background of this course, the purpose of the…

A Study on the Training Mode of Electronic Application-Oriented Undergraduate with Industry Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Zhonghua; Cheng, Lifang; Wang, Hao

2017-01-01

Electronic industry is an economic pillar in China. Due to the Moore's Law, the industry requires continuous development and innovation. In order to achieve these goals, the cultivation of electronic application-oriented undergraduate is essential. However, at current, the innovative educational concepts and teaching methods are lagging behind so…

Team Performance Assessment and Measurement: Theory, Methods, and Applications. Series in Applied Psychology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brannick, Michael T., Ed.; Salas, Eduardo, Ed.; Prince, Carolyn, Ed.

This volume presents thoughts on measuring team performance written by experts currently working with teams in fields such as training, evaluation, and process consultation. The chapters are: (1) "An Overview of Team Performance Measurement" (Michael T. Brannick and Carolyn Prince); (2) "A Conceptual Framework for Teamwork Measurement" (Terry L.…

Neurology Didactic Curricula for Psychiatry Residents: A Review of the Literature and a Survey of Program Directors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reardon, Claudia L.; Walaszek, Art

2012-01-01

Objective: Minimal literature exists on neurology didactic instruction offered to psychiatry residents, and there is no model neurology didactic curriculum offered for psychiatry residency programs. The authors sought to describe the current state of neurology didactic training in psychiatry residencies. Methods: The authors electronically…

Mega-Analysis of School Psychology Blueprint for Training and Practice Domains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Matthew K.; Kanive, Rebecca; Zaslofsky, Anne F.; Parker, David C.

2013-01-01

Meta-analytic research is an effective method for synthesizing existing research and for informing practice and policy. Hattie (2009) suggested that meta-analytic procedures could be employed to existing meta-analyses to create a mega-analysis. The current mega-analysis examined a sample of 47 meta-analyses according to the "School…

Perceptions about the Construction of Academic and Professional Competencies in Psychologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arias, Jesus de la Fuente; Justicia, Fernando Justicia; Casanova, Pedro Felix; Trianes, Maria Victoria

2005-01-01

Introduction: Evaluating competencies required for professional practice is a matter of particular current interest. Its importance lies in improvements that can be made in both preparatory and ongoing training and development processes. This paper summarizes results obtained from a recent investigation regarding this issue. Method: A total of 76…

Livestock Judges Training Provides Hands-On Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nash, Scott; Harrison, Steve; Packham, Joel; Sanchez, Dawn; Jensen, Jim; Kaysen, Brett; King, Marc

2016-01-01

The judging of a market animal at a fair is the highlight of a youth-owned livestock project. Livestock judges are hired to evaluate youth projects at fairs. They are critical ambassadors for agriculture and influence countless youths and adults. Judges must be knowledgeable about current animal evaluation methods that support youth development.…

GENERAL REPORT OF MATHEMATICS CONFERENCE AND TWO SPECIFIC REPORTS. (TITLE SUPPLIED).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Educational Services, Inc., Watertown, MA.

THE FIRST PAPER, "REPORT OF MATHEMATICS CONFERENCE," IS A SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS BY 29 PARTICIPANTS IN A CONFERENCE ON CURRENT PROBLEMS IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION RESEARCH. REPORTED ARE (1) RECENT PROGRESS, PROBLEMS, AND PLANS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT GROUPS, (2) GENERAL FORMULATION OF CURRICULUM AND METHODS, (3) TEACHER TRAINING, (4)…

Ye Olde Maile Surveye.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berty, Ernest

This publication is primarily designed for educational practitioners who possess little or no training in conducting mail surveys or have not kept current on the present state of the art of survey methods and techniques. It is also intended to be a checking and comparing aid to ensure that important research considerations are taken into account.…

Exploring College Counselor Spiritual Competency in Relation to Training and Professional Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conley, Abigail Holland

2012-01-01

The purpose of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was to explore factors contributing to college counselors' spiritual competency by obtaining quantitative results from surveying 199 current members of the American College Counseling Association (ACCA) and then following up with 32 purposefully selected respondents based on high…

Undergraduate Public Health Majors: Why They Choose Public Health or Medicine?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hilton, Warren

2013-01-01

This mixed methods study examined the relationship between the motivations for attending college of undergraduate students with a focus on students with a public health major, and their desire to pursue graduate training in public health and subsequently, public health careers. The study highlighted the current public health workforce shortage and…

49 CFR Appendix D to Part 172 - Rail Risk Analysis Factors

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... nature of the rail system, each carrier must select and document the analysis method/model used and identify the routes to be analyzed. D. The safety and security risk analysis must consider current data and... curvature; 7. Presence or absence of signals and train control systems along the route (“dark” versus...

A comparison of two neural network schemes for navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Munro, Paul W.

1989-01-01

Neural networks have been applied to tasks in several areas of artificial intelligence, including vision, speech, and language. Relatively little work has been done in the area of problem solving. Two approaches to path-finding are presented, both using neural network techniques. Both techniques require a training period. Training under the back propagation (BPL) method was accomplished by presenting representations of (current position, goal position) pairs as input and appropriate actions as output. The Hebbian/interactive activation (HIA) method uses the Hebbian rule to associate points that are nearby. A path to a goal is found by activating a representation of the goal in the network and processing until the current position is activated above some threshold level. BPL, using back-propagation learning, failed to learn, except in a very trivial fashion, that is equivalent to table lookup techniques. HIA, performed much better, and required storage of fewer weights. In drawing a comparison, it is important to note that back propagation techniques depend critically upon the forms of representation used, and can be sensitive to parameters in the simulations; hence the BPL technique may yet yield strong results.

A comparison of two neural network schemes for navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Munro, Paul

1990-01-01

Neural networks have been applied to tasks in several areas of artificial intelligence, including vision, speech, and language. Relatively little work has been done in the area of problem solving. Two approaches to path-finding are presented, both using neural network techniques. Both techniques require a training period. Training under the back propagation (BPL) method was accomplished by presenting representations of current position, goal position pairs as input and appropriate actions as output. The Hebbian/interactive activation (HIA) method uses the Hebbian rule to associate points that are nearby. A path to a goal is found by activating a representation of the goal in the network and processing until the current position is activated above some threshold level. BPL, using back-propagation learning, failed to learn, except in a very trivial fashion, that is equivalent to table lookup techniques. HIA, performed much better, and required storage of fewer weights. In drawing a comparison, it is important to note that back propagation techniques depend critically upon the forms of representation used, and can be sensitive to parameters in the simulations; hence the BPL technique may yet yield strong results.

High- and Low-Load Resistance Training: Interpretation and Practical Application of Current Research Findings.

PubMed

Fisher, James; Steele, James; Smith, Dave

2017-03-01

Our current state of knowledge regarding the load (lighter or heavier) lifted in resistance training programmes that will result in 'optimal' strength and hypertrophic adaptations is unclear. Despite this, position stands and recommendations are made based on, we propose, limited evidence to lift heavier weights. Here we discuss the state of evidence on the impact of load and how it, as a single variable, stimulates adaptations to take place and whether evidence for recommending heavier loads is available, well-defined, currently correctly interpreted or has been overlooked. Areas of discussion include electromyography amplitude, in vivo and in vitro methods of measuring hypertrophy, and motor schema and skill acquisition. The present piece clarifies to trainers and trainees the impact of these variables by discussing interpretation of synchronous and sequential motor unit recruitment and revisiting the size principle, poor agreement between whole-muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and biopsy-determined changes in myofibril CSA, and neural adaptations around task specificity. Our opinion is that the practical implications of being able to self-select external load include reducing the need for specific facility memberships, motivating older persons or those who might be less confident using heavy loads, and allowing people to undertake home- or field-based resistance training intervention strategies that might ultimately improve exercise adherence.

Virtual reality and neuropsychology: upgrading the current tools.

PubMed

Schultheis, Maria T; Himelstein, Jessica; Rizzo, Albert A

2002-10-01

Virtual reality (VR) is an evolving technology that has been applied in various aspects of medicine, including the treatment of phobia disorders, pain distraction interventions, surgical training, and medical education. These applications have served to demonstrate the various assets offered through the use of VR. To provide a background and rationale for the application of VR to neuropsychological assessment. A brief introduction to VR technology and a review of current ongoing neuropsychological research that integrates the use of this technology. VR offers numerous assets that may enhance current neuropsychological assessment protocols and address many of the limitations faced by our traditional methods.

Leadership training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in Bulgaria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bairaktarova, Diana; Cox, Monica F.; Evangelou, Demetra

2011-12-01

This synthesis paper explores current leadership training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in Bulgaria. The analysis begins with discussion of global factors influencing the implementation of leadership training in STEM education in general and then presents information about the current status of leadership training in Bulgaria with emphases on the country's economics, politics and geographical location as specific factors influencing leadership education. A short background of Bulgaria is presented with regard to population, gross domestic product, educational system, engineering force and possible need for leaders in industry in Bulgaria and the European Union. The paper provides an overall view about the current status of leadership training in all Bulgarian universities offering STEM education and concentrates specifically on two major universities by examining their currently offered programmes. As part of the discussion, similar training elements in other European countries and the USA are presented.

Dynamic stress effects in technical superconductors and the ''training'' problem of superconducting magnets

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

Pasztor, G.; Schmidt, C.

The behavior of NbTi superconductors under dynamic mechanical stress was investigated. A training effect was found in short-sample tests when the conductor was strained in a magnetic field and with a transport current applied. Possible mechanisms are discussed which were proposed to explain training in short samples and in magnets. A stress-induced microplastic as well as an incomplete pseudoelastic behavior of NbTi was detected by monitoring acoustic emission. The experiments support the hypothesis that microplastic or shape memory effects in NbTi involving dislocation processes are responsible for training. The minimum energy needed to induce a normal transition in short-sample testsmore » is calculated with a computer program, which gives the exact solution of the heat equation. A prestrain treatment of the conductor at room temperature is shown to be a simple method of reducing training of short samples and of magnets. This is a direct proof that the same mechanisms are involved in both cases.« less

Results of Ponseti Brasil Program: Multicentric Study in 1621 Feet: Preliminary Results.

PubMed

Nogueira, Monica P; Queiroz, Ana C D B F; Melanda, Alessandro G; Tedesco, Ana P; Brandão, Antonio L G; Beling, Claudio; Violante, Francisco H; Brandão, Gilberto F; Ferreira, Laura F A; Brambila, Leandro S; Leite, Leopoldina M; Zabeu, Jose L; Kim, Jung H; Fernandes, Kalyana E; Arima, Marcia A S; Aguilar, Maria D P Q; Farias Filho, Orlando C D; Oliveira Filho, Oscar B D A; Pinho, Solange D S; Moulin, Paulo; Volpi, Reinaldo; Fox, Mark; Greenwald, Miles F; Lyle, Brandon; Morcuende, Jose A

The Ponseti method has been shown to be the most effective treatment for congenital clubfoot. The current challenge is to establish sustainable national clubfoot treatment programs that utilize the Ponseti method and integrate it within a nation's governmental health system. The Brazilian Ponseti Program (Programa Ponseti Brasil) has increased awareness of the utility of the Ponseti method and has trained >500 Brazilian orthopaedic surgeons in it. A group of 18 of those surgeons had been able to reproduce the Ponseti clubfoot treatment, and compiled their initial results through structured spreadsheet. The study compiled 1040 patients for a total of 1621 feet. The average follow-up time was 2.3 years with an average correction time of approximately 3 months. Patients required an average of 6.40 casts to achieve correction. This study demonstrates that good initial correction rates are reproducible after training; from 1040 patients only 1.4% required a posteromedial release. Level IV.

The effect of a lignosulphate type additive on the lead—acid battery positive plate reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovuru, S. E.; Harrison, J. A.

The electrochemical formation of lead dioxide has been investigated at a lead electrode in a 5 M sulphuric acid solution, and in the presence of phosphoric acid and lignosulphate-type additive. The formation of lead dioxide from lead sulphate, and the reverse reaction, have been investigated by the linear potential sweep method, by an impedance method in which the impedance was measured at the end of each pulse during a potential pulse train, and by a charging curve method in which the current and charge was measured during a similar potential pulse train. The charge measurements prove that the main effect of the additive is to decrease the accompanying oxygen evolution reaction. The impedance measurements, however, show that the additive has a small but significant effect on the structure of the solid lead sulphate and lead dioxide layers.

Spectral-spatial classification of hyperspectral image using three-dimensional convolution network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Bing; Yu, Xuchu; Zhang, Pengqiang; Tan, Xiong; Wang, Ruirui; Zhi, Lu

2018-01-01

Recently, hyperspectral image (HSI) classification has become a focus of research. However, the complex structure of an HSI makes feature extraction difficult to achieve. Most current methods build classifiers based on complex handcrafted features computed from the raw inputs. The design of an improved 3-D convolutional neural network (3D-CNN) model for HSI classification is described. This model extracts features from both the spectral and spatial dimensions through the application of 3-D convolutions, thereby capturing the important discrimination information encoded in multiple adjacent bands. The designed model views the HSI cube data altogether without relying on any pre- or postprocessing. In addition, the model is trained in an end-to-end fashion without any handcrafted features. The designed model was applied to three widely used HSI datasets. The experimental results demonstrate that the 3D-CNN-based method outperforms conventional methods even with limited labeled training samples.

A diagnostic study of Department of Health training courses for family planning providers.

PubMed

Rood, S; Raquepo, M; Ladia, M A

1993-01-01

A study in the Philippines sought to observe and describe the family planning (FP) training program in two regions. This program trains physicians, nurses, and midwives as a team and includes a Basic/Comprehensive (B/C) course in FP with didactic and practicum elements, training in interpersonal communication skills (ICS) for those who have completed with B/C course, and a Preceptors Course for those who will supervise the practicum phase of the B/C course. The study gathered specific information on 1) trainee absenteeism and drop-out rates, 2) course content and effects, 3) the trainee selection process, 4) the practicum requirement for the B/C course, and 5) service delivery values and quality of care. Data were collected through observations, questionnaires, exit interviews with clients during the practicum phase, interviews with supervisors and public officials (mayors), and focus group discussions with regional trainers. This assessment led to the following recommendations: 1) maintain the current team approach; 2) reserve basic orientation-type subjects for office-based training to allow more time for FP topics in the training programs; 3) use caution in making a switch to "competency-based" training because of the possibility that supervision is inadequate for such a training method; 4) improve scheduling; 5) enforce the prerequisites for participation in the ICS and Preceptors Courses; 6) assign only one trainee to a preceptor area during the practicum and reduce the quota of IUD insertions to reduce pressure to obtain IUD acceptors; 7) create a "model" FP clinic each time a preceptor is trained; 8) pay more attention to natural FP methods; and 9) maintain an emphasis on quality of care.

ISS emergency scenarios and a virtual training simulator for Flight Controllers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uhlig, Thomas; Roshani, Frank-Cyrus; Amodio, Ciro; Rovera, Alessandro; Zekusic, Nikola; Helmholz, Hannes; Fairchild, Matthew

2016-11-01

The current emergency response concept for the International Space Station (ISS) includes the support of the Flight Control Team. Therefore, the team members need to be trained in emergencies and the corresponding crew procedures to ensure a smooth collaboration between crew and ground. In the case where the astronaut and ground personnel training is not collocated it is a challenging endeavor to ensure and maintain proper knowledge and skills for the Flight Control Team. Therefore, a virtual 3D simulator at the Columbus Control Center (Col-CC) is presented, which is used for ground personnel training in the on-board emergency response. The paper briefly introduces the main ISS emergency scenarios and the corresponding response strategy, details the resulting learning objectives for the Flight Controllers and elaborates on the new simulation method, which will be used in the future. The status of the 3D simulator, first experiences and further plans are discussed.

Monitoring and Managing Fatigue in Basketball

PubMed Central

Edwards, Toby; Spiteri, Tania; Piggott, Benjamin; Bonhotal, Joshua; Joyce, Christopher

2018-01-01

The sport of basketball exposes athletes to frequent high intensity movements including sprinting, jumping, accelerations, decelerations and changes of direction during training and competition which can lead to acute and accumulated chronic fatigue. Fatigue may affect the ability of the athlete to perform over the course of a lengthy season. The ability of practitioners to quantify the workload and subsequent fatigue in basketball athletes in order to monitor and manage fatigue levels may be beneficial in maintaining high levels of performance and preventing unfavorable physical and physiological training adaptations. There is currently limited research quantifying training or competition workload outside of time motion analysis in basketball. In addition, systematic research investigating methods to monitor and manage athlete fatigue in basketball throughout a season is scarce. To effectively optimize and maintain peak training and playing performance throughout a basketball season, potential workload and fatigue monitoring strategies need to be discussed. PMID:29910323

Emergency Management Computer-Aided Trainer (EMCAT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, R. C.; Johnson, R. P.

1986-01-01

The Emergency Management Computer-Aided Trainer (EMCAT) developed by Essex Corporation or NASA and the Federal Emergency Management Administration's (FEMA) National Fire Academy (NFA) is described. It is a computer based training system for fire fighting personnel. A prototype EMCAT system was developed by NASA first using video tape images and then video disk images when the technology became available. The EMCAT system is meant to fill the training needs of the fire fighting community with affordable state-of-the-art technologies. An automated real time simulation of the fire situation was needed to replace the outdated manual training methods currently being used. In order to be successful, this simulator had to provide realism, be user friendly, be affordable, and support multiple scenarios. The EMCAT system meets these requirements and therefore represents an innovative training tool, not only for the fire fighting community, but also for the needs of other disciplines.

Beyond Fine Tuning: Adding capacity to leverage few labels

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

Hodas, Nathan O.; Shaffer, Kyle J.; Yankov, Artem

2017-12-09

In this paper we present a technique to train neural network models on small amounts of data. Current methods for training neural networks on small amounts of rich data typically rely on strategies such as fine-tuning a pre-trained neural networks or the use of domain-specific hand-engineered features. Here we take the approach of treating network layers, or entire networks, as modules and combine pre-trained modules with untrained modules, to learn the shift in distributions between data sets. The central impact of using a modular approach comes from adding new representations to a network, as opposed to replacing representations via fine-tuning.more » Using this technique, we are able surpass results using standard fine-tuning transfer learning approaches, and we are also able to significantly increase performance over such approaches when using smaller amounts of data.« less

Energy Requirement Assessment in Japanese Table Tennis Players Using the Doubly Labeled Water Method.

PubMed

Sagayama, Hiroyuki; Hamaguchi, Genki; Toguchi, Makiko; Ichikawa, Mamiko; Yamada, Yosuke; Ebine, Naoyuki; Higaki, Yasuki; Tanaka, Hiroaki

2017-10-01

Total daily energy expenditure (TEE) and physical activity level (PAL) are important for adequate nutritional management in athletes. The PAL of table tennis has been estimated to about 2.0: it is categorized as a moderateactivity sport (4.0 metabolic equivalents [METs]) in the Compendium of Physical Activities. However, modern table tennis makes high physiological demands. The aims of the current study were to examine (1) TEE and PAL of competitive table tennis players and (2) the physiological demands of various types of table tennis practice. In Experiment 1, we measured TEE and PAL in 10 Japanese college competitive table tennis players (aged 19.9 ± 1.1 years) using the doubly labeled water (DLW) method during training and with an exercise training log and self-reported energy intake. TEE was 15.5 ± 1.9 MJ·day -1 (3695 ± 449 kcal·day -1 ); PAL was 2.53 ± 0.25; and the average training duration was 181 ± 38 min·day -1 . In Experiment 2, we measured METs of five different practices in seven college competition players (20.6 ± 1.2 years). Three practices without footwork were 4.5-5.2 METs, and two practices with footwork were 9.5-11.5 METs. Table tennis practices averaged 7.1 ± 3.2 METS demonstrating similarities with other vigorous racket sports. In conclusion the current Compendium of Physical Activities underestimates the physiological demands of table tennis practice for competition; the estimated energy requirement should be based on DLW method data.

The comparison the effect of training by means of simulation and oral method on midwives’ skill in management of shoulder dystocia

PubMed Central

Kordi, Masoumeh; Erfanian, Fatemeh; Fakari, Farzaneh Rashidi; Dastfan, Fatemeh; Nejad, Keivan Shariati

2017-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Shoulder dystocia is one of the obstetric emergencies that are accompanied to serious risks for mother and fetus. It necessitates making the method of training of shoulder dystocia management more efficient, i.e., better management and giving services with higher quality. Thus, this study was carried out to compare the impact of training by simulation and oral technique on the skill of the employed midwives in obstetric clinics at Mashhad city (Iran) in shoulder dystocia management during 2012. METHODS: The current research is a double-group clinical trial that was conducted on 51 members of the employed midwives in the obstetric clinic at Mashhad city in 2012. The questionnaire of personal specification and awareness about shoulder dystocia and practical examination (objective-structured clinical examination) were employed as tools for data collection. The learners were divided into two groups by randomized allocation. Training was done by the presentation of lecture in the oral content group and a short movie was displayed at the end of it. The shoulder dystocia management technique was simulated in another group and through role-playing of instructor application of moulage (station) training was conducted. The period of the training course (4 h) and content of the educational workshop was identical for both groups. The practical examination was held for the learners before and immediately after training course. The given data were analyzed by means of statistical descriptive tests including Mann–Whitney U-test and Wilcoxon test via SPSS software (version 16). The significance level was considered as (P < 0.05) in all cases. RESULTS: The total mean score was significantly increased for the variable of shoulder dystocia management skill after intervention in both groups (P < 0.0001). Similarly, the results of Mann–Whitney U-test statistical tests indicated that total mean score for the variable of shoulder dystocia management skill after the intervention was significantly greater in simulation group than in an oral group (P = 0.040). CONCLUSION: Training in simulated delivery room by means of role-playing is an efficient method for training shoulder dystocia management skill, so it is recommended to use this program in the training of this skill. PMID:28616417

Otolaryngology workforce analysis.

PubMed

Hughes, Charles Anthony; McMenamin, Patrick; Mehta, Vikas; Pillsbury, Harold; Kennedy, David

2016-12-01

The number of trained otolaryngologists available is insufficient to supply current and projected US health care needs. The goal of this study was to assess available databases and present accurate data on the current otolaryngology workforce, examine methods for prediction of future health care needs, and explore potential issues with forecasting methods and policy implementation based on these predictions. Retrospective analysis of research databases, public use files, and claims data. The total number of otolaryngologists and current practices in the United States was tabulated using the databases of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Medical Association, American Board of Otolaryngology, American College of Surgeons, Association of American Medical Colleges, National Center for Health Statistics, and Department of Health and Human Services. Otolaryngologists were identified as surgeons and classified into surgical groups using a combination of AMA primary and secondary self-reported specialties and American Board of Medical Specialties certifications. Data gathered were cross-referenced to rule out duplications to assess total practicing otolaryngologists. Data analyzed included type of practice: 1) academic versus private and 2) general versus specialty; and demographics: 1) urban versus rural, 2) patient age, 3) reason for visit (referral, new, established, surgical follow-up), 4) reason for visit (diagnosis), and 5) payer type. Analysis from the above resources estimates the total number of otolaryngologists practicing in the United States in 2011 to be 12,609, with approximately 10,522 fully trained practicing physicians (9,232-10,654) and 2,087 in training (1,318 residents and 769 fellows/others). Based on 2011 data, workforce projections would place the fully trained and practicing otolaryngology workforce at 11,088 in 2015 and 12,084 in 2025 unless changes in training occur. The AAO-HNS Physicians Resource Committee performed an extensive analysis of collated data from multiple sources in 2014 and identified 10,800 practicing otolaryngologists and 2,087 in training. It is estimated that the current attrition rate is approximately 306 otolaryngologists per year. Percentage distribution of office visits by patient age was found to be 20% <15 years old, 7% 15 to 24 years old, 21% 25 to 44 years old, 32% 45 to 64 years old, 11% 65 to 74 years old, and 10% ≥75 years old. Reason for visit was 34% new, 29% chronic, 17% chronic with exacerbation, and 15% pre- or postsurgical follow-up. The top diagnoses consisted of otitis media, chronic sinusitis, and impacted cerumen. Payer mix consisted of 59% private insurance, 19% Medicare, and 12% Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program. Despite past findings and predictions of 8,000 to 8,500 otolaryngologists practicing in the United States, collated data from above resources places the total at 12,887, with 10,800 fully trained and practicing in 2014. This 30% to 50% underestimation of the otolaryngology workforce has an impact on future predictions and resource utilization analysis. Even when this correction is considered, the available trained otolaryngologists required to serve the otolaryngologic health care needs of the US population are still insufficient and understaffed. The impact of an aging population and the estimated 30 to 47 million newly insured citizens under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are also unprecedented variables that must be considered. Further analysis of differences in physician productivity and geographic population density, and model formation of current otolaryngology workforce utilization, are needed to predict future public health needs. NA Laryngoscope, 126:5-11, 2016. © 2016 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Eight weeks of a combination of high intensity interval training and conventional training reduce visceral adiposity and improve physical fitness: a group-based intervention.

PubMed

Giannaki, Christoforos D; Aphamis, George; Sakkis, Panikos; Hadjicharalambous, Marios

2016-04-01

High intensity interval training (HIIT) has been recently promoted as an effective, low volume and time-efficient training method for improving fitness and health related parameters. The aim of the current study was to examine the effect of a combination of a group-based HIIT and conventional gym training on physical fitness and body composition parameters in healthy adults. Thirty nine healthy adults volunteered to participate in this eight-week intervention study. Twenty three participants performed regular gym training 4 days a week (C group), whereas the remaining 16 participants engaged twice a week in HIIT and twice in regular gym training (HIIT-C group) as the other group. Total body fat and visceral adiposity levels were calculated using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Physical fitness parameters such as cardiorespiratory fitness, speed, lower limb explosiveness, flexibility and isometric arm strength were assessed through a battery of field tests. Both exercise programs were effective in reducing total body fat and visceral adiposity (P<0.05) and improving handgrip strength, sprint time, jumping ability and flexibility (P<0.05) whilst only the combination of HIIT and conventional training improved cardiorespiratory fitness levels (P<0.05). A between of group changes analysis revealed that HIIT-C resulted in significantly greater reduction in both abdominal girth and visceral adiposity compared with conventional training (P<0.05). Eight weeks of combined group-based HIIT and conventional training improve various physical fitness parameters and reduce both total and visceral fat levels. This type of training was also found to be superior compared with conventional exercise training alone in terms of reducing more visceral adiposity levels. Group-based HIIT may consider as a good methods for individuals who exercise in gyms and craving to acquire significant fitness benefits in relatively short period of time.

Shoulder Injuries in Individuals Who Participate in CrossFit Training

PubMed Central

Summitt, Ryan J.; Cotton, Ryan A.; Kays, Adam C.; Slaven, Emily J.

2016-01-01

Background: CrossFit, a sport and fitness program, has become increasingly popular both nationally and internationally. Researchers have recently identified significant improvements in health and wellness due to CrossFit. However, some individuals assert that CrossFit poses an inherent risk of injury, specifically to the shoulder, due to the intensity of training. Currently, there is limited evidence to support this assertion. Hypothesis: Exercises performed during CrossFit do not place the shoulder at greater risk for injury. Injury rates are comparable to other sports of similar intensity. Study Design: Descriptive survey study. Level of Evidence: Level 5. Methods: An electronic survey was developed and dispersed to approximately 980 individuals who trained in CrossFit gyms. The survey identified demographic data, training characteristics, and the prevalence of injury over a 6-month period in individuals who participated in CrossFit training. Results: A total of 187 (19.1%) individuals completed the survey. Forty-four (23.5%) indicated that they had experienced a shoulder injury during CrossFit training over the previous 6 months. Of those who reported injury, 17 (38.6%) stated that this injury was an exacerbation of a previous injury sustained prior to starting CrossFit. There was no significant relationship between several demographic and training variables and shoulder injury. All shoulder injuries occurred at a rate of 1.94 per 1000 hours training, while “new” shoulder injuries occurred at a rate of 1.18 per 1000 hours training. The most commonly attributed causes of injury were improper form (33.3%) and exacerbation of a previous injury (33.3%). Twenty-five (64.1%) of those who experienced injury reported 1 month or less of training reduction due to the injury. Conclusion: Shoulder injury rates during CrossFit training are comparable to other methods of recreational exercise. Clinical Relevance: Clinicians should be aware of training demands of exercises in CrossFit and modifications for these exercises to safely progress their patients back to participation. PMID:27578854

Relating safety, productivity and company type for motor-manual logging operations in the Italian Alps.

PubMed

Montorselli, Niccolò Brachetti; Lombardini, Carolina; Magagnotti, Natascia; Marchi, Enrico; Neri, Francesco; Picchi, Gianni; Spinelli, Raffaele

2010-11-01

The study compared the performance of four different logging crews with respect to productivity, organization and safety. To this purpose, the authors developed a data collection method capable of providing a quantitative analysis of risk-taking behavior. Four crews were tested under the same working conditions, representative of close-to-nature alpine forestry. Motor-manual working methods were applied, since these methods are still prevalent in the specific study area, despite the growing popularity of mechanical processors. Crews from public companies showed a significantly lower frequency of risk-taking behavior. The best safety performance was offered by the only (public) crew that had been administered formal safety training. The study seems to deny the common prejudice that safety practice is inversely proportional to productivity. Instead, productivity is increased by introducing more efficient working methods and equipment. The quantitative analysis of risk-taking behavior developed in this study can be applied to a number of industrial fields besides forestry. Characterizing risk-taking behavior for a given case may eventually lead to the development of custom-made training programmes, which may address problem areas while avoiding that the message is weakened by the inclusion of redundant information. In the specific case of logging crews in the central Alps, the study suggests that current training courses may be weak on ergonomics, and advocates a staged training programme, focusing first on accident reduction and then expanding to the prevention of chronic illness. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design of neural networks for classification of remotely sensed imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chettri, Samir R.; Cromp, Robert F.; Birmingham, Mark

1992-01-01

Classification accuracies of a backpropagation neural network are discussed and compared with a maximum likelihood classifier (MLC) with multivariate normal class models. We have found that, because of its nonparametric nature, the neural network outperforms the MLC in this area. In addition, we discuss techniques for constructing optimal neural nets on parallel hardware like the MasPar MP-1 currently at GSFC. Other important discussions are centered around training and classification times of the two methods, and sensitivity to the training data. Finally, we discuss future work in the area of classification and neural nets.

A Course To Prepare Peer Leaders To Implement a Student-Assisted Learning Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tien, Lydia T.; Roth, Vicki; Kampmeier, J. A.

2004-09-01

This article reports our efforts to develop a two-credit course to train undergraduate students to implement a new pedagogical model, Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL). The leader training course is a collaborative effort of faculty and educational specialists to join pedagogy and chemistry. The syllabus is grounded in the research literature and situated in the context of the specific course in which the peer leaders will work, leading a weekly Workshop. Since the peer leaders take the training course while they are working as leaders, the pedagogical ideas find immediate application. We have taught the course since 1995 to more than 250 undergraduate and graduate students. In practice, our training course is the central mechanism to transform students from Workshop participants to skilled Workshop leaders. In turn, these carefully prepared peer leaders are essential forces for curricular change. In addition to the immediate practical benefits, the training course leads to new working relationships among students, faculty, and educational specialists. As a result, the training course becomes a mechanism to introduce current faculty to a new research literature and to encourage the development of future faculty.

[Current and future use of surgical skills simulation in gynecologic resident education: a French national survey].

PubMed

Crochet, P; Aggarwal, R; Berdah, S; Yaribakht, S; Boubli, L; Gamerre, M; Agostini, A

2014-05-01

Simulation is a promising method to enhance surgical education in gynecology. The purpose of this study was to provide baseline information on the current use of simulators across French academic schools. Two questionnaires were created, one specifically for residents and one for professors. Main issues included the type of simulators used and the kind of use made for training purposes. Opinions and agreement about the use of simulators were also asked. Twenty-six percent of residents (258/998) and 24% of professors (29/122) answered the questionnaire. Sixty-five percent of residents (167/258) had experienced simulators. Laparoscopic pelvic-trainers (84%) and sessions on alive pigs (63%) were most commonly used. Residents reported access to simulators most commonly during introductory sessions (51%) and days of academic workshops (38%). Residents believed simulators very useful for training. Professors agreed that simulators should become a required part of residency training, but were less enthusiastic regarding simulation becoming a part of certification for practice. Surgical skills simulators are already experienced by a majority of French gynecologic residents. However, the use of these educational tools varies among surgical schools and remains occasional for the majority of residents. There was a strong agreement that simulation technology should be a component of training. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Piloting a nationally disseminated, interactive human subjects protection program for community partners: unexpected lessons learned from the field.

PubMed

Solomon, Stephanie; Bullock, Sherita; Calhoun, Karen; Crosby, Lori; Eakin, Brenda; Franco, Zeno; Hardwick, Emily; Holland, Samuel; Leinberger-Jabari, Andrea; Newton, Gail; Odell, Jere; Paberzs, Adam; Spellecy, Ryan

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 of the program and the collaborators who participated in the pilot across the United States describe 10 important lessons learned that align with four major themes: The distribution of the program, the implementation of the program, the involvement of community engagement in the program, and finally lessons regarding the content of the program. These lessons are relevant to anyone who anticipates developing or improving a training program that is developed in a central location and intended for local implementation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Piloting a Nationally Disseminated, Interactive Human Subjects Protection Program for Community Partners: Unexpected Lessons Learned from the Field

PubMed Central

Bullock, Sherita; Calhoun, Karen; Crosby, Lori; Eakin, Brenda; Franco, Zeno; Hardwick, Emily; Leinberger‐Jabari, Andrea; Newton, Gail; Odell, Jere; Paberzs, Adam; Spellecy, Ryan

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 of the program and the collaborators who participated in the pilot across the United States describe 10 important lessons learned that align with four major themes: The distribution of the program, the implementation of the program, the involvement of community engagement in the program, and finally lessons regarding the content of the program. These lessons are relevant to anyone who anticipates developing or improving a training program that is developed in a central location and intended for local implementation. PMID:24720349

Developments in spiritual care education in German - speaking countries

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background This article examines spiritual care training provided to healthcare professionals in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The paper reveals the current extent of available training while defining the target group(s) and teaching aims. In addition to those, we will provide an analysis of delivered competencies, applied teaching and performance assessment methods. Methods In 2013, an anonymous online survey was conducted among the members of the International Society for Health and Spiritual Care. The survey consisted of 10 questions and an open field for best practice advice. SPSS21 was used for statistical data analysis and the MAXQDA2007 for thematic content analysis. Results 33 participants participated in the survey. The main providers of spiritual care training are hospitals (36%, n = 18). 57% (n = 17) of spiritual care training forms part of palliative care education. 43% (n = 13) of spiritual care education is primarily bound to the Christian tradition. 36% (n = 11) of provided trainings have no direct association with any religious conviction. 64% (n = 19) of respondents admitted that they do not use any specific definition for spiritual care. 22% (n = 14) of available spiritual care education leads to some academic degree. 30% (n = 19) of training form part of an education programme leading to a formal qualification. Content analysis revealed that spiritual training for medical students, physicians in paediatrics, and chaplains take place only in the context of palliative care education. Courses provided for multidisciplinary team education may be part of palliative care training. Other themes, such as deep listening, compassionate presence, bedside spirituality or biographical work on the basis of logo-therapy, are discussed within the framework of spiritual care. Conclusions Spiritual care is often approached as an integral part of grief management, communication/interaction training, palliative care, (medical) ethics, psychological or religious counselling or cultural competencies. Respondents point out the importance of competency based spiritual care education, practical training and maintaining the link between spiritual care education and clinical practice. Further elaboration on the specifics of spiritual care core competencies, teaching and performance assessment methods is needed. PMID:24898431

Leadership training design, delivery, and implementation: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Lacerenza, Christina N; Reyes, Denise L; Marlow, Shannon L; Joseph, Dana L; Salas, Eduardo

2017-12-01

Recent estimates suggest that although a majority of funds in organizational training budgets tend to be allocated to leadership training (Ho, 2016; O'Leonard, 2014), only a small minority of organizations believe their leadership training programs are highly effective (Schwartz, Bersin, & Pelster, 2014), calling into question the effectiveness of current leadership development initiatives. To help address this issue, this meta-analysis estimates the extent to which leadership training is effective and identifies the conditions under which these programs are most effective. In doing so, we estimate the effectiveness of leadership training across four criteria (reactions, learning, transfer, and results; Kirkpatrick, 1959) using only employee data and we examine 15 moderators of training design and delivery to determine which elements are associated with the most effective leadership training interventions. Data from 335 independent samples suggest that leadership training is substantially more effective than previously thought, leading to improvements in reactions (δ = .63), learning (δ = .73), transfer (δ = .82), and results (δ = .72), the strength of these effects differs based on various design, delivery, and implementation characteristics. Moderator analyses support the use of needs analysis, feedback, multiple delivery methods (especially practice), spaced training sessions, a location that is on-site, and face-to-face delivery that is not self-administered. Results also suggest that the content of training, attendance policy, and duration influence the effectiveness of the training program. Practical implications for training development and theoretical implications for leadership and training literatures are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Working Memory Training Does Not Improve Performance on Measures of Intelligence or Other Measures of “Far Transfer”

PubMed Central

Melby-Lervåg, Monica; Redick, Thomas S.; Hulme, Charles

2016-01-01

It has been claimed that working memory training programs produce diverse beneficial effects. This article presents a meta-analysis of working memory training studies (with a pretest-posttest design and a control group) that have examined transfer to other measures (nonverbal ability, verbal ability, word decoding, reading comprehension, or arithmetic; 87 publications with 145 experimental comparisons). Immediately following training there were reliable improvements on measures of intermediate transfer (verbal and visuospatial working memory). For measures of far transfer (nonverbal ability, verbal ability, word decoding, reading comprehension, arithmetic) there was no convincing evidence of any reliable improvements when working memory training was compared with a treated control condition. Furthermore, mediation analyses indicated that across studies, the degree of improvement on working memory measures was not related to the magnitude of far-transfer effects found. Finally, analysis of publication bias shows that there is no evidential value from the studies of working memory training using treated controls. The authors conclude that working memory training programs appear to produce short-term, specific training effects that do not generalize to measures of “real-world” cognitive skills. These results seriously question the practical and theoretical importance of current computerized working memory programs as methods of training working memory skills. PMID:27474138

Enhancing Care of Aged and Dying Prisoners: Is e-Learning a Feasible Approach?

PubMed

Loeb, Susan J; Penrod, Janice; Myers, Valerie H; Baney, Brenda L; Strickfaden, Sophia M; Kitt-Lewis, Erin; Wion, Rachel K

Prisons and jails are facing sharply increased demands in caring for aged and dying inmates. Our Toolkit for Enhancing End-of-life Care in Prisons effectively addressed end-of-life (EOL) care; however, geriatric content was limited, and the product was not formatted for broad dissemination. Prior research adapted best practices in EOL care and aging; but, delivery methods lacked emerging technology-focused learning and interactivity. Our purposes were to uncover current training approaches and preferences and to ascertain the technological capacity of correctional settings to deliver computer-based and other e-learning training. An environmental scan was conducted with 11 participants from U.S. prisons and jails to ensure proper fit, in terms of content and technology capacity, between an envisioned computer-based training product and correctional settings. Environmental scan findings focused on content of training, desirable qualities of training, prominence of "homegrown" products, and feasibility of commercial e-learning. This study identified qualities of training programs to adopt and pitfalls to avoid and revealed technology-related issues to be mindful of when designing computer-based training for correctional settings, and participants spontaneously expressed an interest in geriatrics and EOL training using this learning modality as long as training allowed for tailoring of materials.

A Study on the Reliability of Sasang Constitutional Body Trunk Measurement

PubMed Central

Jang, Eunsu; Kim, Jong Yeol; Lee, Haejung; Kim, Honggie; Baek, Younghwa; Lee, Siwoo

2012-01-01

Objective. Body trunk measurement for human plays an important diagnostic role not only in conventional medicine but also in Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM). The Sasang constitutional body trunk measurement (SCBTM) consists of the 5-widths and the 8-circumferences which are standard locations currently employed in the SCM society. This study suggests to what extent a comprehensive training can improve the reliability of the SCBTM. Methods. We recruited 10 male subjects and 5 male observers with no experience of anthropometric measurement. We conducted measurements twice before and after a comprehensive training. Relative technical error of measurement (%TEMs) was produced to assess intra and inter observer reliabilities. Results. Post-training intra-observer %TEMs of the SCBTM were 0.27% to 1.85% reduced from 0.27% to 6.26% in pre-training, respectively. Post-training inter-observer %TEMs of those were 0.56% to 1.66% reduced from 1.00% to 9.60% in pre-training, respectively. Post-training % total TEMs which represent the whole reliability were 0.68% to 2.18% reduced from maximum value of 10.18%. Conclusion. A comprehensive training makes the SCBTM more reliable, hence giving a sufficiently confident diagnostic tool. It is strongly recommended to give a comprehensive training in advance to take the SCBTM. PMID:21822442

Strength training for children and adolescents.

PubMed

Faigenbaum, A D

2000-10-01

The potential benefits of youth strength training extend beyond an increase in muscular strength and may include favorable changes in selected health- and fitness-related measures. If appropriate training guidelines are followed, regular participation in a youth strength-training program has the potential to increase bone mineral density, improve motor performance skills, enhance sports performance, and better prepare our young athletes for the demands of practice and competition. Despite earlier concerns regarding the safety and efficacy of youth strength training, current public health objectives now aim to increase the number of boys and girls age 6 and older who regularly participate in physical activities that enhance and maintain muscular fitness. Parents, teachers, coaches, and healthcare providers should realize that youth strength training is a specialized method of conditioning that can offer enormous benefit but at the same time can result in serious injury if established guidelines are not followed. With qualified instruction, competent supervision, and an appropriate progression of the volume and intensity of training, children and adolescents cannot only learn advanced strength training exercises but can feel good about their performances, and have fun. Additional clinical trails involving children and adolescents are needed to further explore the acute and chronic effects of strength training on a variety of anatomical, physiological, and psychological parameters.

Working memory training in healthy young adults: Support for the null from a randomized comparison to active and passive control groups.

PubMed

Clark, Cameron M; Lawlor-Savage, Linette; Goghari, Vina M

2017-01-01

Training of working memory as a method of increasing working memory capacity and fluid intelligence has received much attention in recent years. This burgeoning field remains highly controversial with empirically-backed disagreements at all levels of evidence, including individual studies, systematic reviews, and even meta-analyses. The current study investigated the effect of a randomized six week online working memory intervention on untrained cognitive abilities in a community-recruited sample of healthy young adults, in relation to both a processing speed training active control condition, as well as a no-contact control condition. Results of traditional null hypothesis significance testing, as well as Bayesian factor analyses, revealed support for the null hypothesis across all cognitive tests administered before and after training. Importantly, all three groups were similar at pre-training for a variety of individual variables purported to moderate transfer of training to fluid intelligence, including personality traits, motivation to train, and expectations of cognitive improvement from training. Because these results are consistent with experimental trials of equal or greater methodological rigor, we suggest that future research re-focus on: 1) other promising interventions known to increase memory performance in healthy young adults, and; 2) examining sub-populations or alternative populations in which working memory training may be efficacious.

Developing Point-of-Decision Prompts to Encourage Airport Walking: The Walk to Fly Study

PubMed Central

Frederick, Ginny M.; Paul, Prabasaj; Watson, Kathleen Bachtel; Dorn, Joan M.; Fulton, Janet

2017-01-01

Background Point-of-decision prompts may be appropriate to promote walking, instead of using a mechanized mode of transport, such as a train, in airports. To our knowledge, no current studies describe the development of messages for prompts in this setting. Methods In-person interviews were conducted with 150 randomly selected airport travelers who rode the train to their departure gate. Travelers reported various reasons for riding the train to their gate. They were asked about messages that would encourage them to walk. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted for reasons for riding the train. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted for messages to encourage walking to the departure gate. Results Travelers reported not knowing walking was an option (23.8%), seeing others riding the train (14.4%), and being afraid of getting lost (9.2%) as reasons for riding the train. Many indicated that directional signs and prompts promoting walking as exercise would encourage them to walk instead of riding the train. Conclusions Some reasons for riding the train in an airport may be modifiable by installing point-of-decision prompts. Providing directional signs to travelers may prompt them to walk to their gate instead of riding the train. Similar prompts may also be considered in other community settings. PMID:26445371

Technology-assisted training of arm-hand skills in stroke: concepts on reacquisition of motor control and therapist guidelines for rehabilitation technology design

PubMed Central

Timmermans, Annick AA; Seelen, Henk AM; Willmann, Richard D; Kingma, Herman

2009-01-01

Background It is the purpose of this article to identify and review criteria that rehabilitation technology should meet in order to offer arm-hand training to stroke patients, based on recent principles of motor learning. Methods A literature search was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE (1997–2007). Results One hundred and eighty seven scientific papers/book references were identified as being relevant. Rehabilitation approaches for upper limb training after stroke show to have shifted in the last decade from being analytical towards being focussed on environmentally contextual skill training (task-oriented training). Training programmes for enhancing motor skills use patient and goal-tailored exercise schedules and individual feedback on exercise performance. Therapist criteria for upper limb rehabilitation technology are suggested which are used to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a number of current technological systems. Conclusion This review shows that technology for supporting upper limb training after stroke needs to align with the evolution in rehabilitation training approaches of the last decade. A major challenge for related technological developments is to provide engaging patient-tailored task oriented arm-hand training in natural environments with patient-tailored feedback to support (re) learning of motor skills. PMID:19154570

Trace DNA analysis: do you know what your neighbour is doing? A multi-jurisdictional survey.

PubMed

Raymond, Jennifer J; van Oorschot, Roland A H; Walsh, Simon J; Roux, Claude

2008-01-01

Since 1997 the analysis of DNA recovered from handled objects, or 'trace' DNA, has become routine and is frequently demanded from crime scene examinations. However, this analysis often produces unpredictable results. The factors affecting the recovery of full profiles are numerous, and include varying methods of collection and analysis. Communication between forensic laboratories in Australia and New Zealand has been limited in the past, due in some part to sheer distance. Because of its relatively small population and low number of forensic jurisdictions this region is in an excellent position to provide a collective approach. However, the protocols, training methods and research of each jurisdiction had not been widely exchanged. A survey was developed to benchmark the current practices involved in trace DNA analysis, aiming to provide information for training programs and research directions, and to identify factors contributing to the success or failure of the analysis. The survey was divided in to three target groups: crime scene officers, DNA laboratory scientists, and managers of these staff. In late 2004 surveys were sent to forensic organisations in every Australian jurisdiction and New Zealand. A total of 169 completed surveys were received with a return rate of 54%. Information was collated regarding sampling, extraction, amplification and analysis methods, contamination prevention, samples collected, success rates, personnel training and education, and concurrent fingerprinting. The data from the survey responses provided an insight into aspects of trace DNA analysis, from crime scene to interpretation and management. Several concerning factors arose from the survey. Results collation is a significant issue being identified as poor and differing widely, preventing inter-jurisdictional comparison and intra-jurisdictional assessment of both the processes and outputs. A second point of note is the widespread lack of refresher training and proficiency testing, with no set standard for initial training courses. A common theme to these and other issues was the need for a collective approach to training and methodology in trace DNA analysis. Trace DNA is a small fraction of the evidence available in current investigations, and parallels to these results and problems will no doubt be found in other forensic disciplines internationally. The significant point to be realised from this study is the need for effective communication lines between forensic organisations to ensure that best practice is followed, ideally with a cohesive pan-jurisdictional approach.

A COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR TEACHING RECEPTIVE LABELING TO CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

PubMed Central

Grow, Laura L; Carr, James E; Kodak, Tiffany M; Jostad, Candice M; Kisamore, April N

2011-01-01

Many early intervention curricular manuals recommend teaching auditory-visual conditional discriminations (i.e., receptive labeling) using the simple-conditional method in which component simple discriminations are taught in isolation and in the presence of a distracter stimulus before the learner is required to respond conditionally. Some have argued that this procedure might be susceptible to faulty stimulus control such as stimulus overselectivity (Green, 2001). Consequently, there has been a call for the use of alternative teaching procedures such as the conditional-only method, which involves conditional discrimination training from the onset of intervention. The purpose of the present study was to compare the simple-conditional and conditional-only methods for teaching receptive labeling to 3 young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. The data indicated that the conditional-only method was a more reliable and efficient teaching procedure. In addition, several error patterns emerged during training using the simple-conditional method. The implications of the results with respect to current teaching practices in early intervention programs are discussed. PMID:21941380

Current status of validation for robotic surgery simulators - a systematic review.

PubMed

Abboudi, Hamid; Khan, Mohammed S; Aboumarzouk, Omar; Guru, Khurshid A; Challacombe, Ben; Dasgupta, Prokar; Ahmed, Kamran

2013-02-01

To analyse studies validating the effectiveness of robotic surgery simulators. The MEDLINE(®), EMBASE(®) and PsycINFO(®) databases were systematically searched until September 2011. References from retrieved articles were reviewed to broaden the search. The simulator name, training tasks, participant level, training duration and evaluation scoring were extracted from each study. We also extracted data on feasibility, validity, cost-effectiveness, reliability and educational impact. We identified 19 studies investigating simulation options in robotic surgery. There are five different robotic surgery simulation platforms available on the market. In all, 11 studies sought opinion and compared performance between two different groups; 'expert' and 'novice'. Experts ranged in experience from 21-2200 robotic cases. The novice groups consisted of participants with no prior experience on a robotic platform and were often medical students or junior doctors. The Mimic dV-Trainer(®), ProMIS(®), SimSurgery Educational Platform(®) (SEP) and Intuitive systems have shown face, content and construct validity. The Robotic Surgical SimulatorTM system has only been face and content validated. All of the simulators except SEP have shown educational impact. Feasibility and cost-effectiveness of simulation systems was not evaluated in any trial. Virtual reality simulators were shown to be effective training tools for junior trainees. Simulation training holds the greatest potential to be used as an adjunct to traditional training methods to equip the next generation of robotic surgeons with the skills required to operate safely. However, current simulation models have only been validated in small studies. There is no evidence to suggest one type of simulator provides more effective training than any other. More research is needed to validate simulated environments further and investigate the effectiveness of animal and cadaveric training in robotic surgery. © 2012 BJU International.

Development of subliminal persuasion system to improve the upper limb posture in laparoscopic training: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Zhang, Di; Sessa, Salvatore; Kong, Weisheng; Cosentino, Sarah; Magistro, Daniele; Ishii, Hiroyuki; Zecca, Massimiliano; Takanishi, Atsuo

2015-11-01

Current training for laparoscopy focuses only on the enhancement of manual skill and does not give advice on improving trainees' posture. However, a poor posture can result in increased static muscle loading, faster fatigue, and impaired psychomotor task performance. In this paper, the authors propose a method, named subliminal persuasion, which gives the trainee real-time advice for correcting the upper limb posture during laparoscopic training like the expert but leads to a lower increment in the workload. A 9-axis inertial measurement unit was used to compute the upper limb posture, and a Detection Reaction Time device was developed and used to measure the workload. A monitor displayed not only images from laparoscope, but also a visual stimulus, a transparent red cross superimposed to the laparoscopic images, when the trainee had incorrect upper limb posture. One group was exposed, when their posture was not correct during training, to a short (about 33 ms) subliminal visual stimulus. The control group instead was exposed to longer (about 660 ms) supraliminal visual stimuli. We found that subliminal visual stimulation is a valid method to improve trainees' upper limb posture during laparoscopic training. Moreover, the additional workload required for subconscious processing of subliminal visual stimuli is less than the one required for supraliminal visual stimuli, which is processed instead at the conscious level. We propose subliminal persuasion as a method to give subconscious real-time stimuli to improve upper limb posture during laparoscopic training. Its effectiveness and efficiency were confirmed against supraliminal stimuli transmitted at the conscious level: Subliminal persuasion improved upper limb posture of trainees, with a smaller increase on the overall workload.

Applying the trigger review method after a brief educational intervention: potential for teaching and improving safety in GP specialty training?

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The Trigger Review Method (TRM) is a structured approach to screening clinical records for undetected patient safety incidents (PSIs) and identifying learning and improvement opportunities. In Scotland, TRM participation can inform GP appraisal and has been included as a core component of the national primary care patient safety programme that was launched in March 2013. However, the clinical workforce needs up-skilled and the potential of TRM in GP training has yet to be tested. Current TRM training utilizes a workplace face-to-face session by a GP expert, which is not feasible. A less costly, more sustainable educational intervention is necessary to build capability at scale. We aimed to determine the feasibility and impact of TRM and a related training intervention in GP training. Methods We recruited 25 west of Scotland GP trainees to attend a 2-hour TRM workshop. Trainees then applied TRM to 25 clinical records and returned findings within 4-weeks. A follow-up feedback workshop was held. Results 21/25 trainees (84%) completed the task. 520 records yielded 80 undetected PSIs (15.4%). 36/80 were judged potentially preventable (45%) with 35/80 classified as causing moderate to severe harm (44%). Trainees described a range of potential learning and improvement plans. Training was positively received and appeared to be successful given these findings. TRM was valued as a safety improvement tool by most participants. Conclusion This small study provides further evidence of TRM utility and how to teach it pragmatically. TRM is of potential value in GP patient safety curriculum delivery and preparing trainees for future safety improvement expectations. PMID:24000946

Maintaining capacity for in-practice teaching and supervision of students and general practice trainees: a cross-sectional study of early career general practitioners.

PubMed

Catzikiris, Nigel; Tapley, Amanda; Morgan, Simon; Holliday, Elizabeth G; Ball, Jean; Henderson, Kim; Elliott, Taryn; Spike, Neil; Regan, Cathy; Magin, Parker

2017-08-10

Objectives Expanding learner cohorts of medical students and general practitioner (GP) vocational trainees and the impending retirement of the 'baby boomer' GP cohort threaten the teaching and supervisory capacity of the Australian GP workforce. Engaging newly qualified GPs is essential to sustaining this workforce training capacity. The aim of the present study was to establish the prevalence and associations of in-practice clinical teaching and supervision in early career GPs. Methods The present study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study of recent (within 5 years) alumni of three of Australia's 17 regional general practice training programs. The outcome factor was whether the alumnus taught or supervised medical students, GP registrars or other learners in their current practice. Logistic regression analysis was used to establish associations of teaching and supervision with independent variables comprising alumnus demographics, current practice characteristics and vocational training experiences. Results In all, 230 alumni returned questionnaires (response rate 37.4%). Of currently practising alumni, 52.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 45.6-59.0%) reported current teaching or supervisory activities. Factors significantly (P<0.05) associated with alumni currently undertaking in-practice clinical teaching and supervision were: Australian medical graduation (odds ratio (OR) for international graduates 0.36; 95% CI 0.14-0.92), working in a regional or remote area (OR 2.75; 95% CI 1.24-6.11) and currently undertaking nursing home visits, home visits or after-hours work (OR 2.01; CI 1.02-3.94). Conclusions Rural-urban and country-of-graduation differences in the engagement of early career GPs in practice-based apprenticeship-like teaching or training should inform strategies to maintain workforce training capacity. What is known about the topic? Projected changes in the demand for and supply of clinical teaching and supervision within Australian general practice will require greater uptake of teaching and supervision by recently qualified GPs to ensure sustainability of this teaching model. Although interest in and undertaking of teaching roles have been documented for GP or family medicine trainees, studies investigating the engagement in these clinical roles by GPs during their early post-training period are lacking. What does this paper add? This paper is the first to document the prevalence of teaching and supervision undertaken by early career GPs as part of their regular clinical practice. We also demonstrate associations of practice rurality, country of medical graduation and undertaking non-practice-based clinical roles with GPs' engagement in teaching and supervisory roles. What are the implications for practitioners? Establishing current teaching patterns of GPs enables appropriate targeting of new strategies to sustain an effective teaching and supervisory capacity within general practice. The findings of the present study suggest that exploring focused strategies to facilitate and support international medical graduates to engage in teaching during their vocational training, aided by focused supervisor support, may be of particular value.

Training Psychologists for Rural Practice: Exploring Opportunities and Constraints.

PubMed

Domino, Marisa Elena; Lin, Ching-Ching Claire; Morrissey, Joseph P; Ellis, Alan R; Fraher, Erin; Richman, Erica L; Thomas, Kathleen C; Prinstein, Mitchell J

2018-04-17

To examine trends in the psychologist workforce and training opportunities, including factors that may influence the decision of clinical psychologists to practice in rural settings. We use a mixed-methods approach to examine the psychologist workforce nationally and in North Carolina (NC), including (1) an analysis of the location of programs awarding doctoral degrees; (2) an analysis of the practice, demographic, and educational characteristics of the psychologist workforce; and (3) interviews with directors of doctoral programs in clinical psychology to understand where current graduates are getting jobs and why they may or may not be choosing to practice in rural communities. Fewer than 1% of programs and institutions awarding doctoral degrees in psychology in the United States are located in rural areas. In NC, approximately 80% of practicing psychologists have out-of-state degrees and about 80% of recent NC graduates are not currently licensed in the state. This juxtaposition undermines the utility of adding more in-state degree programs. While expansion of training programs within rural areas could help alleviate the shortages of mental health providers, adding new degree-granting programs alone will not necessarily increase supply. We discuss complementary recruitment and retention strategies, including greater incentives for rural training and practice as well as training in emerging technologies that don't require providers to be physically located in underserved areas, such as telemedicine. Increasing the supply of psychologists practicing in rural areas will require a thoughtful, multipronged approach to training this critical part of the behavioral health workforce. © 2018 National Rural Health Association.

Temporal Profile of Functional Visual Rehabilitative Outcomes Modulated by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)

PubMed Central

Plow, Ela B.; Obretenova, Souzana N.; Jackson, Mary Lou; Merabet, Lotfi B.

2012-01-01

Objectives We have previously reported that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) delivered to the occipital cortex enhances visual functional recovery when combined with 3 months of computer-based rehabilitative training in patients with hemianopia. The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the temporal sequence of effects of tDCS on visual recovery as they appear over the course of training and across different indicators of visual function. Methods Primary objective outcome measures were i) shifts in visual field border and ii) stimulus detection accuracy within the affected hemifield. These were compared between patients randomized to either vision restoration therapy (VRT) combined with active tDCS or VRT paired with sham tDCS. Training comprised of 2 half hour sessions, 3 times a week for 3 months. Primary outcome measures were collected at baseline (pretest), monthly interim intervals, and at posttest (3 months). As secondary outcome measures, contrast sensitivity and reading performance were collected at pretest and posttest time-points only. Results Active tDCS combined with VRT accelerated the recovery of stimulus detection as between-group differences appeared within the first month of training. In contrast, a shift in the visual field border was only evident at posttest (after 3 months of training). TDCS did not affect contrast sensitivity or reading performance. Conclusions These results suggest that tDCS may differentially affect the magnitude and sequence of visual recovery in a manner that is task- specific to the type of visual rehabilitative training strategy employed. PMID:22376226

Satellite Image Classification of Building Damages Using Airborne and Satellite Image Samples in a Deep Learning Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duarte, D.; Nex, F.; Kerle, N.; Vosselman, G.

2018-05-01

The localization and detailed assessment of damaged buildings after a disastrous event is of utmost importance to guide response operations, recovery tasks or for insurance purposes. Several remote sensing platforms and sensors are currently used for the manual detection of building damages. However, there is an overall interest in the use of automated methods to perform this task, regardless of the used platform. Owing to its synoptic coverage and predictable availability, satellite imagery is currently used as input for the identification of building damages by the International Charter, as well as the Copernicus Emergency Management Service for the production of damage grading and reference maps. Recently proposed methods to perform image classification of building damages rely on convolutional neural networks (CNN). These are usually trained with only satellite image samples in a binary classification problem, however the number of samples derived from these images is often limited, affecting the quality of the classification results. The use of up/down-sampling image samples during the training of a CNN, has demonstrated to improve several image recognition tasks in remote sensing. However, it is currently unclear if this multi resolution information can also be captured from images with different spatial resolutions like satellite and airborne imagery (from both manned and unmanned platforms). In this paper, a CNN framework using residual connections and dilated convolutions is used considering both manned and unmanned aerial image samples to perform the satellite image classification of building damages. Three network configurations, trained with multi-resolution image samples are compared against two benchmark networks where only satellite image samples are used. Combining feature maps generated from airborne and satellite image samples, and refining these using only the satellite image samples, improved nearly 4 % the overall satellite image classification of building damages.

Patch-based Convolutional Neural Network for Whole Slide Tissue Image Classification

PubMed Central

Hou, Le; Samaras, Dimitris; Kurc, Tahsin M.; Gao, Yi; Davis, James E.; Saltz, Joel H.

2016-01-01

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are state-of-the-art models for many image classification tasks. However, to recognize cancer subtypes automatically, training a CNN on gigapixel resolution Whole Slide Tissue Images (WSI) is currently computationally impossible. The differentiation of cancer subtypes is based on cellular-level visual features observed on image patch scale. Therefore, we argue that in this situation, training a patch-level classifier on image patches will perform better than or similar to an image-level classifier. The challenge becomes how to intelligently combine patch-level classification results and model the fact that not all patches will be discriminative. We propose to train a decision fusion model to aggregate patch-level predictions given by patch-level CNNs, which to the best of our knowledge has not been shown before. Furthermore, we formulate a novel Expectation-Maximization (EM) based method that automatically locates discriminative patches robustly by utilizing the spatial relationships of patches. We apply our method to the classification of glioma and non-small-cell lung carcinoma cases into subtypes. The classification accuracy of our method is similar to the inter-observer agreement between pathologists. Although it is impossible to train CNNs on WSIs, we experimentally demonstrate using a comparable non-cancer dataset of smaller images that a patch-based CNN can outperform an image-based CNN. PMID:27795661

The impact of training problem-solving skills on self-esteem and behavioral adjustment in teenage girls who have irresponsible parents or no parents.

PubMed

Shahgholy Ghahfarokhi, F; Moradi, N; Alborzkouh, P; Radmehr, S; Zainali, M

2015-01-01

Proper psychological interventions are of great importance because they help enhancing psychological and public health in adolescents with irresponsible parents or no parents. The current research aimed to examine the impact of training problem-solving experiment on self-esteem and behavioral adjustment in teenage girls with irresponsible parents or no parents. Methodology: The approach of the present research was a semi-test via a post-test-pre-test model and a check team. Hence, in Tehran, 40 girls with irresponsible parents or no parents were chosen by using the Convenience modeling, and they were classified into 2 teams: control and experiment. Both groups were pre-tested by using a demography questionnaire, Rosenberg's self-esteem scale, and a behavioral adjustment questionnaire. Afterwards, both groups were post-tested, and the obtained data were examined by using inferential and descriptive methods through SPSS 21. Findings: Findings indicated that the training problem-solving skills significantly increased the self-esteem and the behavioral adjustment in teenage girls with irresponsible parents or no parents (P < 0/ 001). Conclusion: The conclusion of this research was that training problem-solving methods greatly helps endangered people such as teenage girls with irresponsible parents or no parents, because these methods are highly efficient especially when they are performed in groups, as they are cheap and accepted by different people.

The impact of training problem-solving skills on self-esteem and behavioral adjustment in teenage girls who have irresponsible parents or no parents

PubMed Central

Shahgholy Ghahfarokhi, F; Moradi, N; Alborzkouh, P; Radmehr, S; Zainali, M

2015-01-01

Proper psychological interventions are of great importance because they help enhancing psychological and public health in adolescents with irresponsible parents or no parents. The current research aimed to examine the impact of training problem-solving experiment on self-esteem and behavioral adjustment in teenage girls with irresponsible parents or no parents. Methodology: The approach of the present research was a semi-test via a post-test-pre-test model and a check team. Hence, in Tehran, 40 girls with irresponsible parents or no parents were chosen by using the Convenience modeling, and they were classified into 2 teams: control and experiment. Both groups were pre-tested by using a demography questionnaire, Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale, and a behavioral adjustment questionnaire. Afterwards, both groups were post-tested, and the obtained data were examined by using inferential and descriptive methods through SPSS 21. Findings: Findings indicated that the training problem-solving skills significantly increased the self-esteem and the behavioral adjustment in teenage girls with irresponsible parents or no parents (P < 0/ 001). Conclusion: The conclusion of this research was that training problem-solving methods greatly helps endangered people such as teenage girls with irresponsible parents or no parents, because these methods are highly efficient especially when they are performed in groups, as they are cheap and accepted by different people. PMID:28316718

Efficient robust conditional random fields.

PubMed

Song, Dongjin; Liu, Wei; Zhou, Tianyi; Tao, Dacheng; Meyer, David A

2015-10-01

Conditional random fields (CRFs) are a flexible yet powerful probabilistic approach and have shown advantages for popular applications in various areas, including text analysis, bioinformatics, and computer vision. Traditional CRF models, however, are incapable of selecting relevant features as well as suppressing noise from noisy original features. Moreover, conventional optimization methods often converge slowly in solving the training procedure of CRFs, and will degrade significantly for tasks with a large number of samples and features. In this paper, we propose robust CRFs (RCRFs) to simultaneously select relevant features. An optimal gradient method (OGM) is further designed to train RCRFs efficiently. Specifically, the proposed RCRFs employ the l1 norm of the model parameters to regularize the objective used by traditional CRFs, therefore enabling discovery of the relevant unary features and pairwise features of CRFs. In each iteration of OGM, the gradient direction is determined jointly by the current gradient together with the historical gradients, and the Lipschitz constant is leveraged to specify the proper step size. We show that an OGM can tackle the RCRF model training very efficiently, achieving the optimal convergence rate [Formula: see text] (where k is the number of iterations). This convergence rate is theoretically superior to the convergence rate O(1/k) of previous first-order optimization methods. Extensive experiments performed on three practical image segmentation tasks demonstrate the efficacy of OGM in training our proposed RCRFs.

A Novel Technique for Maximum Power Point Tracking of a Photovoltaic Based on Sensing of Array Current Using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Zoghby, Helmy M.; Bendary, Ahmed F.

2016-10-01

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is now widely used method in increasing the photovoltaic (PV) efficiency. The conventional MPPT methods have many problems concerning the accuracy, flexibility and efficiency. The MPP depends on the PV temperature and solar irradiation that randomly varied. In this paper an artificial intelligence based controller is presented through implementing of an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) to obtain maximum power from PV. The ANFIS inputs are the temperature and cell current, and the output is optimal voltage at maximum power. During operation the trained ANFIS senses the PV current using suitable sensor and also senses the temperature to determine the optimal operating voltage that corresponds to the current at MPP. This voltage is used to control the boost converter duty cycle. The MATLAB simulation results shows the effectiveness of the ANFIS with sensing the PV current in obtaining the MPPT from the PV.

Evaluation of robotic cardiac surgery simulation training: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Valdis, Matthew; Chu, Michael W A; Schlachta, Christopher; Kiaii, Bob

2016-06-01

To compare the currently available simulation training modalities used to teach robotic surgery. Forty surgical trainees completed a standardized robotic 10-cm dissection of the internal thoracic artery and placed 3 sutures of a mitral valve annuloplasty in porcine models and were then randomized to a wet lab, a dry lab, a virtual reality lab, or a control group that received no additional training. All groups trained to a level of proficiency determined by 2 expert robotic cardiac surgeons. All assessments were evaluated using the Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills in a blinded fashion. Wet lab trainees showed the greatest improvement in time-based scoring and the objective scoring tool compared with the experts (mean, 24.9 ± 1.7 vs 24.9 ± 2.6; P = .704). The virtual reality lab improved their scores and met the level of proficiency set by our experts for all primary outcomes (mean, 24.9 ± 1.7 vs 22.8 ± 3.7; P = .103). Only the control group trainees were not able to meet the expert level of proficiency for both time-based scores and the objective scoring tool (mean, 24.9 ± 1.7 vs 11.0 ± 4.5; P < .001). The average duration of training was shortest for the dry lab and longest for the virtual reality simulation (1.6 hours vs 9.3 hours; P < .001). We have completed the first randomized controlled trial to objectively compare the different training modalities of robotic surgery. Our data demonstrate the significant benefits of wet lab and virtual reality robotic simulation training and highlight key differences in current training methods. This study can help guide training programs in investing resources in cost-effective, high-yield simulation exercises. Copyright © 2016 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

Training Needs of Nurses in Public Hospitals in Australia: Review of Current Practices and Future Research Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlisle, Joanna; Bhanugopan, Ramudu; Fish, Alan

2011-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to provide an overview of the concept of training needs analysis (TNA), current practice, models and the impact that training needs analysis currently has on nurses in public hospitals in Australia. Thus, the paper should aid future research in the area of TNA of nurses through helping researchers to clarify the…

North American veterinary pathology residency training programs: an overview of where they are today and where they were five years ago, with an analysis of trends.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, Scott D; Reed, Willie M; Kaneene, John B

2007-01-01

An e-mail/telephone survey of all active North American residency training programs in veterinary pathology was conducted in September 2005. The purpose of this survey was to determine current numbers of trainees, their program length and type, and salaries; to compare current numbers to five years earlier; and, finally, to gauge interest in expanding current programs. All 41 training institutions contacted responded to the survey. Briefly, the survey found that there are currently 235 veterinary pathology residents, for a mean of 5.7 residents per training program. The number of residents currently in training programs and the number of applicants for these programs has increased compared to five years earlier. There is widespread interest in further expanding capacity in these programs, and the coalition of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and the Society of Toxicologic Pathology is a well-known source of possible funding for additional residents. This survey report further documents the numbers of combined residency/PhD programs, average starting salaries for new residents, outside sponsorship effects on pathology training programs, and some of the common concerns regarding veterinary pathology training programs voiced by the respondents. While residency training capacity has expanded in the last five years, and there is widespread desire to further expand these training programs, a shortage of veterinary pathologists for future market needs will need to be addressed by increased funding from as yet unspecified sources.

Pediatric Psychosomatic Medicine: Creating a Template for Training

PubMed Central

Walker, Audrey; Pao, Maryland; Nguyen, Ngoc

2012-01-01

There is a critical public health problem in the United States today, the problem of childhood psychiatric disorders in youngsters with physical illnesses. Currently there is a pressing need for well-trained pediatric psychosomatic medicine practitioners as well as advanced training in the field. Yet, this training does not currently exist. This article will present the innovative Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine (MMC/AECOM) program as a model for a training curriculum, clinical training experience, and clinical research training setting in this important and rapidly expanding area of need in pediatric mental health. PMID:22658325

Consideration of using virtual reality for teaching neonatal resuscitation to midwifery students.

PubMed

Williams, Jessica; Jones, Donovan; Walker, Rohan

2018-05-28

Within the last decade, there has been significant change in the way tertiary midwifery education has been delivered to students. The use of blended teaching methods and the introduction of simulated learning experiences has been observed in the literature to improve students' self-confidence, competence, clinical judgement and decision-making abilities. Simulation is seen to be particularly important when practising skills that may be infrequently encountered in practice, such as clinical emergencies. Neonatal resuscitation is the most common neonatal emergency encountered within midwifery today, with up to 15% of babies requiring some form of resuscitation at birth. Recent research describes the benefits of using a multi-modal approach to teaching neonatal resuscitation, utilising both theory and simulated learning methods. One emerging method of simulation is that of virtual reality (VR), which has been recognised for its enormous educational potential in risk-free clinical skills training. Currently, however, there is limited research looking at the use of VR in emergency skills training. This article examines the literature to highlight the potential benefits that VR simulation could provide for emergency skills training, as well as the potential challenges that should be acknowledged. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Neutral Network based Early Eathquake Warning model in California region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, H.; MacAyeal, D. R.

2016-12-01

Early Earthquake Warning systems could reduce loss of lives and other economic impact resulted from natural disaster or man-made calamity. Current systems could be further enhanced by neutral network method. A 3 layer neural network model combined with onsite method was deployed in this paper to improve the recognition time and detection time for large scale earthquakes.The 3 layer neutral network early earthquake warning model adopted the vector feature design for sample events happened within 150 km radius of the epicenters. Dataset used in this paper contained both destructive events and small scale events. All the data was extracted from IRIS database to properly train the model. In the training process, backpropagation algorithm was used to adjust the weight matrices and bias matrices during each iteration. The information in all three channels of the seismometers served as the source in this model. Through designed tests, it was indicated that this model could identify approximately 90 percent of the events' scale correctly. And the early detection could provide informative evidence for public authorities to make further decisions. This indicated that neutral network model could have the potential to strengthen current early warning system, since the onsite method may greatly reduce the responding time and save more lives in such disasters.

Effects of high-level pulse train stimulation on retinal function.

PubMed

Cohen, Ethan D

2009-06-01

We examined how stimulation of the local retina by high-level current pulse trains affected the light-evoked responses of the retinal ganglion cells. The spikes of retinal ganglion cell axons were recorded extracellularly using an in vitro eyecup preparation of the rabbit retina. Epiretinal electrical stimulation was delivered via a 500 microm inner diameter saline-filled, transparent tube positioned over the retinal surface forming the receptive field center. Spot stimuli were presented periodically to the receptive field center during the experiment. Trains of biphasic 1 ms current pulses were delivered to the retina at 50 Hz for 1 min. Pulse train charge densities of 1.3-442 microC/cm(2)/phase were examined. After pulse train stimulation with currents >or=300 microA (133 microC/cm(2)/phase), the ganglion cell's ability to respond to light was depressed and a significant time was required for recovery of the light-evoked response. During train stimulation, the ganglion cell's ability to spike following each current pulse fatigued. The current levels evoking train-evoked depression were suprathreshold to those evoking action potentials. Train-evoked depression was stronger touching the retinal surface, and in some cases impaired ganglion cell function for up to 30 min. This overstimulation could cause a transient refractory period for electrically stimulated perception in the retinal region below the electrode.

Examining the Relationship Between Mental, Physical, and Organizational Factors Associated With Attrition During Maritime Forces Training.

PubMed

Binsch, Olaf; Banko, Katherine M; Veenstra, Bertil J; Valk, Pierre J L

2015-11-01

For infantry units of the Dutch Ministry of Defence, high attrition rates (varying from 42 to 68%) during initial training are a persisting problem. The reasons for this attrition are diverse. Having better insight into the causes of attrition is a prerequisite for implementing preventive measures. To achieve this, a monitoring assessment system was developed that integrated the effects of physical, mental, and organizational determinants on operational readiness. The aim of this study was to implement the monitoring tools and to establish the set of determinants that best predicted attrition during infantry training of new recruits. Eighty-five recruits were monitored over a 24-week infantry training course. Before the training, recruits were screened for medical, psychological, and physical wellness. During the monitoring phase, mental, physiological, and organizational indicants were obtained using an array of tools such as questionnaires, chest belt monitors (for heart rate, acceleration, and skin temperature measurements), and computerized tests (e.g., vigilance, long-term memory). Survival analyses were used to tease out the determinants of individual and grouped predictors of attrition. Nearly half the recruits (47%) failed the training. Attrition was predicted by both physiological and mental determinants. However, the organizational determinant "trainers' judgment" on the "recruits' military quality" dominated the physiological and mental determinants. It was concluded that the monitoring system was successfully implemented during infantry training, and that the survival analysis method emphasized on single effects and interactions between the different determinants. Based on the current findings, we recommend several steps to successfully implement a monitoring method in settings with high demands.

A Data Augmentation Approach to Short Text Classification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosario, Ryan Robert

2017-01-01

Text classification typically performs best with large training sets, but short texts are very common on the World Wide Web. Can we use resampling and data augmentation to construct larger texts using similar terms? Several current methods exist for working with short text that rely on using external data and contexts, or workarounds. Our focus is…

Designing Graduate-Level Plant Breeding Curriculum: A Delphi Study of Private Sector Stakeholder Opinions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Jane K.; Repinski, Shelby L.; Hayes, Kathryn N.; Bliss, Frederick A.; Trexler, Cary J.

2011-01-01

A broad-based survey using the Delphi method was conducted to garner current information from private sector stakeholders and build consensus opinions supporting key ideas for enhancing plant breeder education and training. This study asked respondents to suggest and rate topics and content they deemed most important to plant breeding graduate…

Concept Learning by Direct Current Design Challenges in Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Breukelen, Dave H. J.; de Vries, Marc J.; Schure, Frank A.

2017-01-01

This paper presents a mixed methods study in which 77 students and 3 teachers took part, that investigated the practice of Learning by Design (LBD). The study is part of a series of studies, funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, that aims to improve student learning, teaching skills and teacher training. LBD uses the…

Consumer Evaluation of Educational Programs: Using Questionnaires Completed by Alumni.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Copeland, H. L.; Hewson, M.; Weiker, G.

This paper describes a method used to evaluate 48 medical residency programs at one institution. It presents the background rationale, logistics, and results obtained by surveying alumni, in the context of their current practice, for relevant data on the value of their training experience. Surveys were sent for 3 years to all alumni of Cleveland…

How to Deal with Emotional Abuse and Neglect--Further Development of a Conceptual Framework (FRAMEA)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glaser, Danya

2011-01-01

Objective: To develop further the understanding of emotional abuse and neglect. Methods: Building on previous work, this paper describes the further development of a conceptual framework for the recognition and management of emotional abuse and neglect. Training in this framework is currently being evaluated. The paper also briefly reviews more…

Using Pamphlets With Disadvantaged Adults. Public Library Training Institutes Library Service Guide Number Three.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Susan K.

Pamphlets are a useful way of presenting alternative sources of information to disadvantaged adults. Pamphlets are easy to handle and to read, inexpensive, and provide current information of various topics of interest. This brief guide lists sources of free or inexpensive pamphlets and describes various methods for their display in the library,…

Assessing Suturing Skills in a Self-Guided Learning Setting: Absolute Symmetry Error

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brydges, Ryan; Carnahan, Heather; Dubrowski, Adam

2009-01-01

Directed self-guidance, whereby trainees independently practice a skill-set in a structured setting, may be an effective technique for novice training. Currently, however, most evaluation methods require an expert to be present during practice. The study aim was to determine if absolute symmetry error, a clinically important measure that can be…

What Motivates Low-Qualified Employees to Participate in Training and Development? A Mixed-Method Study on their Learning Intentions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyndt, Eva; Govaerts, Natalie; Claes, Trees; De La Marche, Jens; Dochy, Filip

2013-01-01

The current research starts from the observation that low-qualified employees hold a vulnerable position on the labour market. It has been argued that learning and development can decrease this vulnerability; unfortunately research has shown that low-qualified employees participate considerably less in learning activities in comparison with…

Expanding the Role of School Psychologists to Support Early Career Teachers: A Mixed-Method Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shernoff, Elisa S.; Frazier, Stacy L.; Maríñez-Lora, Ané M.; Lakind, Davielle; Atkins, Marc S.; Jakobsons, Lara; Hamre, Bridget K.; Bhaumik, Dulal K.; Parker-Katz, Michelle; Neal, Jennifer Watling; Smylie, Mark A.; Patel, Darshan A.

2016-01-01

School psychologists have training and expertise in consultation and evidence-based interventions that position them well to support early career teachers (ECTs). The current study involved iterative development and pilot testing of an intervention to help ECTs become more effective in classroom management and engaging learners, as well as more…

Acute and chronic neuromuscular adaptations to local vibration training.

PubMed

Souron, Robin; Besson, Thibault; Millet, Guillaume Y; Lapole, Thomas

2017-10-01

Vibratory stimuli are thought to have the potential to promote neural and/or muscular (re)conditioning. This has been well described for whole-body vibration (WBV), which is commonly used as a training method to improve strength and/or functional abilities. Yet, this technique may present some limitations, especially in clinical settings where patients are unable to maintain an active position during the vibration exposure. Thus, a local vibration (LV) technique, which consists of applying portable vibrators directly over the tendon or muscle belly without active contribution from the participant, may present an alternative to WBV. The purpose of this narrative review is (1) to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature related to the acute and chronic neuromuscular changes associated with LV, and (2) to show that LV training may be an innovative and efficient alternative method to the 'classic' training programs, including in the context of muscle deconditioning prevention or rehabilitation. An acute LV application (one bout of 20-60 min) may be considered as a significant neuromuscular workload, as demonstrated by an impairment of force generating capacity and LV-induced neural changes. Accordingly, it has been reported that a training period of LV is efficient in improving muscular performance over a wide range of training (duration, number of session) and vibration (frequency, amplitude, site of application) parameters. The functional improvements are principally triggered by adaptations within the central nervous system. A model illustrating the current research on LV-induced adaptations is provided.

What is the impact of multidisciplinary team simulation training on team performance and efficiency of patient care? An integrative review.

PubMed

Murphy, Margaret; Curtis, Kate; McCloughen, Andrea

2016-02-01

In hospital emergencies require a structured team approach to facilitate simultaneous input into immediate resuscitation, stabilisation and prioritisation of care. Efforts to improve teamwork in the health care context include multidisciplinary simulation-based resuscitation team training, yet there is limited evidence demonstrating the value of these programmes.(1) We aimed to determine the current state of knowledge about the key components and impacts of multidisciplinary simulation-based resuscitation team training by conducting an integrative review of the literature. A systematic search using electronic (three databases) and hand searching methods for primary research published between 1980 and 2014 was undertaken; followed by a rigorous screening and quality appraisal process. The included articles were assessed for similarities and differences; the content was grouped and synthesised to form three main categories of findings. Eleven primary research articles representing a variety of simulation-based resuscitation team training were included. Five studies involved trauma teams; two described resuscitation teams in the context of intensive care and operating theatres and one focused on the anaesthetic team. Simulation is an effective method to train resuscitation teams in the management of crisis scenarios and has the potential to improve team performance in the areas of communication, teamwork and leadership. Team training improves the performance of the resuscitation team in simulated emergency scenarios. However, the transferability of educational outcomes to the clinical setting needs to be more clearly demonstrated. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating Hospice and Palliative Medicine Education in Pediatric Training Programs.

PubMed

Singh, Arun L; Klick, Jeffrey C; McCracken, Courtney E; Hebbar, Kiran B

2017-08-01

Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) competencies are of growing importance in training general pediatricians and pediatric sub-specialists. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) emphasized pediatric trainees should understand the "impact of chronic disease, terminal conditions and death on patients and their families." Currently, very little is known regarding pediatric trainee education in HPM. We surveyed all 486 ACGME-accredited pediatric training program directors (PDs) - 200 in general pediatrics (GP), 57 in cardiology (CARD), 64 in critical care medicine (CCM), 69 in hematology-oncology (ONC) and 96 in neonatology (NICU). We collected training program's demographics, PD's attitudes and educational practices regarding HPM. The complete response rate was 30% (148/486). Overall, 45% offer formal HPM curriculum and 39% offer a rotation in HPM for trainees. HPM teaching modalities commonly reported included conferences, consultations and bedside teaching. Eighty-one percent of all respondents felt that HPM curriculum would improve trainees' ability to care for patients. While most groups felt that a HPM rotation would enhance trainees' education [GP (96%), CARD (77%), CCM (82%) and ONC (95%)], NICU PDs were more divided (55%; p < 0.05 for all comparisons vs. NICU). While most programs report perceived benefit from HPM training, there remains a paucity of opportunities for pediatric trainees. Passive teaching methods are frequently utilized in HPM curricula with minimal diversity in methods utilized to teach HPM. Opportunities to further emphasize HPM in general pediatric and pediatric sub-specialty training remains.

Detection of fatigue cracks by nondestructive testing methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, R. T.; Delacy, T. J.; Stewart, R. C.

1973-01-01

The effectiveness was assessed of various NDT methods to detect small tight cracks by randomly introducing fatigue cracks into aluminum sheets. The study included optimizing NDT methods calibrating NDT equipment with fatigue cracked standards, and evaluating a number of cracked specimens by the optimized NDT methods. The evaluations were conducted by highly trained personnel, provided with detailed procedures, in order to minimize the effects of human variability. These personnel performed the NDT on the test specimens without knowledge of the flaw locations and reported on the flaws detected. The performance of these tests was measured by comparing the flaws detected against the flaws present. The principal NDT methods utilized were radiographic, ultrasonic, penetrant, and eddy current. Holographic interferometry, acoustic emission monitoring, and replication methods were also applied on a reduced number of specimens. Generally, the best performance was shown by eddy current, ultrasonic, penetrant and holographic tests. Etching provided no measurable improvement, while proof loading improved flaw detectability. Data are shown that quantify the performances of the NDT methods applied.

The effects of combined repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation on motor function in patients with stroke.

PubMed

Kwon, Tae Gun; Park, Eunhee; Kang, Chung; Chang, Won Hyuk; Kim, Yun-Hee

2016-11-22

Both transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), when provided to stroke patients in combination with motor training, enhance therapeutic efficacy and motor function. However, the majority of previous studies have only examined a single treatment modality. The authors investigated the modulating influence of combination dual-mode brain stimulation upon bihemispheric stimulation with motor training in stroke patients. Twenty stroke patients with hemiparesis underwent five randomly arranged sessions of diverse combinations of rTMS and tDCS. We applied cathodal or anodal tDCS over the contralesional primary motor cortex (cM1) and 10 Hz rTMS over the ipsilesional primary motor cortex (iM1) in a simultaneous or preconditioning method including sham stimulation. Immediately after dual-mode stimulation, sequential hand motor training was performed for 5 minutes. The total pulses of rTMS and the duration of tDCS and motor training were the same for all sessions. Cortical excitability and sequential motor performance were evaluated before and after each session. Motor function and corticomotor excitability following simultaneous stimulation via cathodal tDCS over the cM1 combined with 10 Hz rTMS over the iM1 were significantly increased after the intervention, with significantly greater motor improvement than seen with other treatment conditions (P < 0.05). For the combination of bihemispheric rTMS and tDCS, simultaneous stimulation of cathodal tDCS and 10 Hz rTMS results in better motor performance in stroke patients than other combination methods. This result seemed to be related to effective modulation of interhemispheric imbalance of cortical excitability by dual-mode stimulation.

Factors Associated With the Career Choices of Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellows Trained at Academic Institutions in the United States

PubMed Central

Horn, Leora; Koehler, Elizabeth; Gilbert, Jill; Johnson, David H.

2011-01-01

Purpose Factors that influence hematology-oncology fellows' choice of academic medicine as a career are not well defined. We undertook a survey of hematology-oncology fellows training at cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) to understand the factors fellows consider when making career decisions. Methods Program directors at all NCI and NCCN cancer centers were invited to participate in the study. For the purpose of analysis, fellows were grouped into three groups on the basis of interest in an academic career. Demographic data were tested with the Kruskal-Wallis test and χ2 test, and nondemographic data were tested by using the multiscale bootstrap method. Results Twenty-eight of 56 eligible fellowship programs participated, and 236 fellows at participating institutions responded (62% response rate). Approximately 60% of fellows graduating from academic programs in the last 5 years chose academic career paths. Forty-nine percent of current fellows ranked an academic career as extremely important. Fellows choosing an academic career were more likely to have presented and published their research. Additional factors associated with choosing an academic career included factors related to mentorship, intellect, and practice type. Fellows selecting nonacademic careers prioritized lifestyle in their career decision. Conclusion Recruitment into academic medicine is essential for continued progress in the field. Our data suggest that fewer than half the current fellows training at academic centers believe a career in academic medicine is important. Efforts to improve retention in academics should include focusing on mentorship, research, and career development during fellowship training and improving the image of academic physicians. PMID:21911716

The Top Training Priorities for 2003.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Brandon

2003-01-01

A survey of 222 training professionals identified current training priorities: soft skills training; technical training; enhancing the quality of training; business skills; business alignment, business impact, and return on investment; online learning; sales training; safety and compliance training; performance management; and human…

Changing the formula of residents' work hours in internal medicine: moving from "years in training" to "hours in training".

PubMed

Mansi, Ishak A

2011-03-01

In a recent report, the Institute of Medicine recommended more restrictions on residents' working hours. Several problems exist with a system that places a weekly limit on resident duty hours: (1) it assumes the presence of a linear relationship between hours of work and patient safety; (2) it fails to consider differences in intensity among programs; and (3) it does not address increases in the scientific content of medicine, and it places the burden of enforcing the duty hour limits on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. An innovative method of calculating credit hours for graduate medical education would shift the focus from "years of residency" to "hours of residency." For example, internal medicine residents would be requested to spend 8640 hours of total training hours (assuming 60 hours per week for 48 weeks annually) instead of the traditional 3 years. This method of counting training hours is used by other professions, such as the Intern Development Program of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. The proposed approach would allow residents and program directors to pace training based on individual capabilities. Standards for resident education should include the average number of patients treated in each setting (inpatient or outpatient). A possible set of "multipliers" based on these parameters, and possibly others such as resident evaluation, is devised to calculate the "final adjusted accredited hours" that count toward graduation. Substituting "years of training" with "hours of training" may resolve many of the concerns with the current residency education model, as well as adapt to the demands of residents' personal lives. It also may allow residents to pace their training according to their capabilities and learning styles, and contribute to reflective learning and better quality education.

Reducing the lag of accommodation by auditory biofeedback: A pilot study.

PubMed

Wagner, Sandra; Ohlendorf, Arne; Schaeffel, Frank; Wahl, Siegfried

2016-12-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a reduction of the accommodative lag is possible by training the accuracy of accommodation using auditory biofeedback. Accommodation responses were measured in thirty-one young adults with myopia for dioptric target distances of 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0D using an eccentric infrared photorefractor. For the biofeedback training, subjects were randomly assigned to an experimental (n=15) or a control group (n=16). Subjects of the experimental group were provided with two tones while fixating a target, one tone was related to their accommodative response and the second to the target distance. Their task was to match these tones. The control group did not receive any auditory biofeedback. Two different training methods were applied, a continuous training of 200s, and ten consecutive sessions of 20s each. The training effects on the lag of accommodation (change Δ) were highly variable. Regarding the entire study group, the observed change in the accommodative lag was greater at closer distances, while no difference between the two training methods was revealed. Nevertheless, seven experimental subjects reduced their lag by ⩾0.3D (3.0D target distance: Δ long =-0.29±0.20D, Δ short =-0.24±0.21D). This reduction was also seen in two control subjects. Remeasurement revealed that the average training effect cannot be preserved over a period of 5-7days. The current investigation has shown that the accuracy of accommodation can be trained in some subjects using auditory biofeedback for target distances of 2.5D or closer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of compensatory acceleration training in combination with accommodating resistance on upper body strength in collegiate athletes

PubMed Central

Jones, Margaret T

2014-01-01

Purpose To determine the impact of inclusion of a band or chain compensatory acceleration training (CAT), in a 5-week training phase, on maximal upper body strength during a 14-week off-season strength and conditioning program for collegiate male athletes. Patients and methods Twenty-four National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) collegiate baseball players, who were familiar with the current strength and conditioning program and had a minimum of 1 year of formal collegiate strength and conditioning experience, participated in this off-season training study. None of the men had participated in CAT before. Subjects were matched following a maximal effort (1-repetition maximum [1-RM]) bench press test in week 1, then were randomly assigned into a band-based CAT group or a chain-based CAT group and participated in a 5-week training phase that included bench pressing twice per week. Upper body strength was measured by 1-RM bench press again at week 6. A 2 × 2 mixed factorial (method × time) analysis of variance was calculated to compare differences across groups. The alpha level was set at P<0.05. Results No difference (F1,22=0.04, P=0.84) existed between the band-based CAT and chain-based CAT groups. A significant difference was observed between pre- and posttests of 1-RM bench (F1,22=88.46, P=0.001). Conclusion A 5-week band CAT or chain CAT training program used in conjunction with an off-season strength and conditioning program can increase maximal upper body strength in collegiate baseball athletes. Using band CAT and/or chain CAT as a training modality in the off-season will vary the training stimulus from the traditional and likely help to maintain the athlete’s interest. PMID:25177154

Physician Emigration from Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States: Analysis of the 2011 AMA Physician Masterfile

PubMed Central

Tankwanchi, Akhenaten Benjamin Siankam; Özden, Çağlar; Vermund, Sten H.

2013-01-01

Background The large-scale emigration of physicians from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to high-income nations is a serious development concern. Our objective was to determine current emigration trends of SSA physicians found in the physician workforce of the United States. Methods and Findings We analyzed physician data from the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Health Workforce Statistics along with graduation and residency data from the 2011 American Medical Association Physician Masterfile (AMA-PM) on physicians trained or born in SSA countries who currently practice in the US. We estimated emigration proportions, year of US entry, years of practice before emigration, and length of time in the US. According to the 2011 AMA-PM, 10,819 physicians were born or trained in 28 SSA countries. Sixty-eight percent (n = 7,370) were SSA-trained, 20% (n = 2,126) were US-trained, and 12% (n = 1,323) were trained outside both SSA and the US. We estimated active physicians (age ≤70 years) to represent 96% (n = 10,377) of the total. Migration trends among SSA-trained physicians increased from 2002 to 2011 for all but one principal source country; the exception was South Africa whose physician migration to the US decreased by 8% (−156). The increase in last-decade migration was >50% in Nigeria (+1,113) and Ghana (+243), >100% in Ethiopia (+274), and >200% (+244) in Sudan. Liberia was the most affected by migration to the US with 77% (n = 175) of its estimated physicians in the 2011 AMA-PM. On average, SSA-trained physicians have been in the US for 18 years. They practiced for 6.5 years before US entry, and nearly half emigrated during the implementation years (1984–1999) of the structural adjustment programs. Conclusion Physician emigration from SSA to the US is increasing for most SSA source countries. Unless far-reaching policies are implemented by the US and SSA countries, the current emigration trends will persist, and the US will remain a leading destination for SSA physicians emigrating from the continent of greatest need. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:24068894

Augmenting Outpatient Alcohol Treatment as Usual With Online Alcohol Avoidance Training: Protocol for a Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Bratti-van der Werf, Marleen KJ; Postel, Marloes G; Pieterse, Marcel E; Ben Allouch, Somaya; Wiers, Reinout W; Bohlmeijer, Ernst T; Salemink, Elske

2018-01-01

Background Recent theoretical models emphasize the role of impulsive processes in alcohol addiction, which can be retrained with computerized Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) training. In this study, the focus is on action tendencies that are activated relatively automatically. Objective The aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of online CBM Alcohol Avoidance Training using an adapted Approach-Avoidance Task as a supplement to treatment as usual (TAU) in an outpatient treatment setting. Methods The effectiveness of 8 online sessions of CBM Alcohol Avoidance Training added to TAU is tested in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial with pre- and postassessments, plus follow-up assessments after 3 and 6 months. Participants are adult patients (age 18 years or over) currently following Web-based or face-to-face TAU to reduce or stop drinking. These patients are randomly assigned to a CBM Alcohol Avoidance or a placebo training. The primary outcome measure is a reduction in alcohol consumption. We hypothesize that TAU + CBM will result in up to a 13-percentage point incremental effect in the number of patients reaching the safe drinking guidelines compared to TAU + placebo CBM. Secondary outcome measures include an improvement in health status and a decrease in depression, anxiety, stress, and possible mediation by the change in approach bias. Finally, patients’ adherence, acceptability, and credibility will be examined. Results The trial was funded in 2014 and is currently in the active participant recruitment phase (since May 2015). Enrolment will be completed in 2019. First results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2020. Conclusions The main purpose of this study is to increase our knowledge about the added value of online Alcohol Avoidance Training as a supplement to TAU in an outpatient treatment setting. If the added effectiveness of the training is proven, the next step could be to incorporate the intervention into current treatment. Trial Registration Netherlands Trial Register NTR5087; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=5087 (Archived at WebCite http://www.webcitation.org/6wuS4i1tH) PMID:29496657

Post-Exercise Protein Trial: Interactions between Diet and Exercise (PEPTIDE): study protocol for randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Alghannam, Abdullah F; Tsintzas, Kostas; Thompson, Dylan; Bilzon, James; Betts, James A

2014-11-24

Performing regular exercise is known to manifest a number of health benefits that mainly relate to cardiovascular and muscular adaptations to allow for greater oxygen extraction and utilization. There is increasing evidence that nutrient intake can affect the adaptive response to a single exercise bout, and that protein feeding is important to facilitate this process. Thus, the exercise-nutrient interaction may potentially lead to a greater response to training. The role of post-exercise protein ingestion in enhancing the effects of running-based endurance exercise training relative to energy-matched carbohydrate intervention remains to be established. Additionally, the influence of immediate versus overnight protein ingestion in mediating these training effects is currently unknown. The current protocol aims to establish whether post-exercise nutrient intake and timing would influence the magnitude of improvements during a prescribed endurance training program. The project involves two phases with each involving two treatment arms applied in a randomized investigator-participant double-blind parallel group design. For each treatment, participants will be required to undergo six weeks of running-based endurance training. Immediately post-exercise, participants will be prescribed solutions providing 0.4 grams per kilogram of body mass (g · kg(-1)) of whey protein hydrolysate plus 0.4 g · kg(-1) sucrose, relative to an isocaloric sucrose control (0.8 g · kg(-1); Phase I). In Phase II, identical protein supplements will be provided (0.4 + 0.4 g · kg(-1) · h(-1) of whey protein hydrolysate and sucrose, respectively), with the timing of ingestion manipulated to compare immediate versus overnight recovery feedings. Anthropometric, expired gas, venous blood and muscle biopsy samples will be obtained at baseline and following the six-week training period. By investigating the role of nutrition in enhancing the effects of endurance exercise training, we will provide novel insight regarding nutrient-exercise interactions and the potential to help and develop effective methods to maximize health or performance outcomes in response to regular exercise. Current Controlled Trials registration number: ISRCTN27312291 (date assigned: 4 December 2013). The first participant was randomized on 11 December 2013.

77 FR 29445 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Extension of a Currently Approved Collection; Training...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-17

... model curriculum (``Truck Safety: Information on Driver Training,'' Report of the U.S. General... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration [Docket No. FMCSA-2012-0129] Agency Information Collection Activities; Extension of a Currently Approved Collection; Training...

Perspectives on Current Training Guidelines for Cardiac Imaging and Recommendations for the Future.

PubMed

Arrighi, James A; Kilic, Sena; Haines, Philip G

2018-04-23

To summarize current training guidelines for cardiac imaging and provide recommendations for future guidelines. The current structure of training in cardiac imaging is largely dictated by modality-specific guidelines. While there has been debate on how to define the advanced cardiac imager for over a decade, a uniform consensus has not emerged. We report the perspectives of three key stakeholders in this debate: a senior faculty member-former fellowship program director, a cardiology fellow, and an academic junior faculty imaging expert. The observations of these stakeholders suggest that there is no consensus on the definition of advanced cardiac imaging, leading to ambiguity in training guidelines. This may have negative impact on recruitment of fellows into cardiac imaging careers. Based on the current status of training in cardiac imaging, the authors suggest that the relevant professional groups reconvene to form a consensus in defining advanced cardiac imaging, in order to guide future revisions of training guidelines.

The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy training on improving emotional intelligence and general health of adolescents.

PubMed

Aghel Masjedi, M; Taghavizadeh, M; Azadi, N; Hosseinzadeh, F; Koushkestani, A

2015-01-01

Introduction: The aim of the current research was to examine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBT) training on the general health and improve the emotional intelligence of male adolescents in Tehran city. Methodology: The current research is a semi-trial research with pretest-posttest experimental design and two test and control groups, which were carried out in the 2014-2015 academic year. 40 high school male students were chosen via proper sampling approach and they were stochastically classified into test and control team (each team, n = 20). The students were protested via Baron emotional intelligence and GHQ-28 general health questionnaire. Subsequently, the test group was trained in the cognitive-behavioral group therapy for eight sessions and the control group received no interventions. In the end, both groups were post-tested, and the data were investigated by using a multivariate investigation of covariance method and SPSS-20. Findings: The outcomes demonstrated that there were notable distinctions between the experiment and the checking teams after the implementation of the CBT training (P < 0.001) so that the average score of emotional intelligence and general health increased in test group rather than in the check team. Conclusion: The findings indicated that the CBT practice is useful in improving emotional intelligence and general health in adolescent male students. Thus, one can recommend that appropriate therapy training could be designed to improve their emotional intelligence and general health.

The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy training on improving emotional intelligence and general health of adolescents

PubMed Central

Aghel Masjedi, M; Taghavizadeh, M; Azadi, N; Hosseinzadeh, F; Koushkestani, A

2015-01-01

Introduction: The aim of the current research was to examine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBT) training on the general health and improve the emotional intelligence of male adolescents in Tehran city. Methodology: The current research is a semi-trial research with pretest-posttest experimental design and two test and control groups, which were carried out in the 2014-2015 academic year. 40 high school male students were chosen via proper sampling approach and they were stochastically classified into test and control team (each team, n = 20). The students were protested via Baron emotional intelligence and GHQ-28 general health questionnaire. Subsequently, the test group was trained in the cognitive-behavioral group therapy for eight sessions and the control group received no interventions. In the end, both groups were post-tested, and the data were investigated by using a multivariate investigation of covariance method and SPSS-20. Findings: The outcomes demonstrated that there were notable distinctions between the experiment and the checking teams after the implementation of the CBT training (P < 0.001) so that the average score of emotional intelligence and general health increased in test group rather than in the check team. Conclusion: The findings indicated that the CBT practice is useful in improving emotional intelligence and general health in adolescent male students. Thus, one can recommend that appropriate therapy training could be designed to improve their emotional intelligence and general health. PMID:28316719

Family co-operation programme description.

PubMed

Peine, H A; Terry, T

1990-01-01

Current parenting practices indicate a continuing trend towards less family interaction. Institutional attempts to intervene with parents often fail. The 'Family Co-operation Programme' provides a tangible method for families and schools to work together in preventing alcohol and drug abuse, by utilising the positive influence of the home and strengthening family relationships. The Board of Education for the State of Utah has tested and is currently implementing a unique, low-cost, alternative to impact on the home. Utilising a K-12 alcohol/drug abuse school-based curriculum, the child, based on his/her inclass training, becomes the resource for family co-operation activities. These include training in coping skills, decision-making, resistance to peer persuasion, increased self-esteem and alcohol/drug information. Grade level materials go home with the child, who returns a requested parent evaluation. Data for over one thousand families show the positive impact of the activities.

Skills and Knowledge for Data-Intensive Environmental Research

PubMed Central

Hampton, Stephanie E.; Jones, Matthew B.; Wasser, Leah A.; Schildhauer, Mark P.; Supp, Sarah R.; Brun, Julien; Hernandez, Rebecca R.; Boettiger, Carl; Collins, Scott L.; Gross, Louis J.; Fernández, Denny S.; Budden, Amber; White, Ethan P.; Teal, Tracy K.; Aukema, Juliann E.

2017-01-01

Abstract The scale and magnitude of complex and pressing environmental issues lend urgency to the need for integrative and reproducible analysis and synthesis, facilitated by data-intensive research approaches. However, the recent pace of technological change has been such that appropriate skills to accomplish data-intensive research are lacking among environmental scientists, who more than ever need greater access to training and mentorship in computational skills. Here, we provide a roadmap for raising data competencies of current and next-generation environmental researchers by describing the concepts and skills needed for effectively engaging with the heterogeneous, distributed, and rapidly growing volumes of available data. We articulate five key skills: (1) data management and processing, (2) analysis, (3) software skills for science, (4) visualization, and (5) communication methods for collaboration and dissemination. We provide an overview of the current suite of training initiatives available to environmental scientists and models for closing the skill-transfer gap. PMID:28584342

Skills and Knowledge for Data-Intensive Environmental Research.

PubMed

Hampton, Stephanie E; Jones, Matthew B; Wasser, Leah A; Schildhauer, Mark P; Supp, Sarah R; Brun, Julien; Hernandez, Rebecca R; Boettiger, Carl; Collins, Scott L; Gross, Louis J; Fernández, Denny S; Budden, Amber; White, Ethan P; Teal, Tracy K; Labou, Stephanie G; Aukema, Juliann E

2017-06-01

The scale and magnitude of complex and pressing environmental issues lend urgency to the need for integrative and reproducible analysis and synthesis, facilitated by data-intensive research approaches. However, the recent pace of technological change has been such that appropriate skills to accomplish data-intensive research are lacking among environmental scientists, who more than ever need greater access to training and mentorship in computational skills. Here, we provide a roadmap for raising data competencies of current and next-generation environmental researchers by describing the concepts and skills needed for effectively engaging with the heterogeneous, distributed, and rapidly growing volumes of available data. We articulate five key skills: (1) data management and processing, (2) analysis, (3) software skills for science, (4) visualization, and (5) communication methods for collaboration and dissemination. We provide an overview of the current suite of training initiatives available to environmental scientists and models for closing the skill-transfer gap.

Surgical fellowship training in Canada: What is its current status and is improvement required?

PubMed Central

Nousiainen, Markku T.; Latter, David A.; Backstein, David; Webster, Fiona; Harris, Kenneth A.

2012-01-01

This paper examines current issues concerning surgical fellowship training in Canada. Other than information from a few studies of fellowship training in North America, there are scant data on this subject in the literature. Little is known about the demographic characteristics of those who pursue fellowship training in Canada, what the experiences and expectations are of fellows and their supervisors with respect to the strengths and weaknesses of this level of training, or how this level of education fits in with Canadian undergraduate and postgraduate medical training. We summarize current knowledge about fellowship training in Canada as it pertains to demographic characteristics, finances, work hours, residency training, preparation for clinical and research work and satisfaction with training. Most information on surgical fellowship training comes from the United States. As such, we used information from American studies to supplement the Canadian data. Because a surgical fellowship experience in Canada may be different from that in the United States, we propose that Canadian surgical fellows and their supervisors should be surveyed to gain an understanding of such information. This knowledge could be used to improve surgical fellowship training in Canada. PMID:22269304

Current status of robotic simulators in acquisition of robotic surgical skills.

PubMed

Kumar, Anup; Smith, Roger; Patel, Vipul R

2015-03-01

This article provides an overview of the current status of simulator systems in robotic surgery training curriculum, focusing on available simulators for training, their comparison, new technologies introduced in simulation focusing on concepts of training along with existing challenges and future perspectives of simulator training in robotic surgery. The different virtual reality simulators available in the market like dVSS, dVT, RoSS, ProMIS and SEP have shown face, content and construct validity in robotic skills training for novices outside the operating room. Recently, augmented reality simulators like HoST, Maestro AR and RobotiX Mentor have been introduced in robotic training providing a more realistic operating environment, emphasizing more on procedure-specific robotic training . Further, the Xperience Team Trainer, which provides training to console surgeon and bed-side assistant simultaneously, has been recently introduced to emphasize the importance of teamwork and proper coordination. Simulator training holds an important place in current robotic training curriculum of future robotic surgeons. There is a need for more procedure-specific augmented reality simulator training, utilizing advancements in computing and graphical capabilities for new innovations in simulator technology. Further studies are required to establish its cost-benefit ratio along with concurrent and predictive validity.

Comparison of Plastic Surgery Residency Training in United States and China.

PubMed

Zheng, Jianmin; Zhang, Boheng; Yin, Yiqing; Fang, Taolin; Wei, Ning; Lineaweaver, William C; Zhang, Feng

2015-12-01

Residency training is internationally recognized as the only way for the physicians to be qualified to practice independently. China has instituted a new residency training program for the specialty of plastic surgery. Meanwhile, plastic surgery residency training programs in the United States are presently in a transition because of restricted work hours. The purpose of this study is to compare the current characteristics of plastic surgery residency training in 2 countries. Flow path, structure, curriculum, operative experience, research, and evaluation of training in 2 countries were measured. The number of required cases was compared quantitatively whereas other aspects were compared qualitatively. Plastic surgery residency training programs in 2 countries differ regarding specific characteristics. Requirements to become a plastic surgery resident in the United States are more rigorous. Ownership structure of the regulatory agency for residency training in 2 countries is diverse. Training duration in the United States is more flexible. Clinical and research training is more practical and the method of evaluation of residency training is more reasonable in the United States. The job opportunities after residency differ substantially between 2 countries. Not every resident has a chance to be an independent surgeon and would require much more training time in China than it does in the United States. Plastic surgery residency training programs in the United States and China have their unique characteristics. The training programs in the United States are more standardized. Both the United States and China may complement each other to create training programs that will ultimately provide high-quality care for all people.

A general-purpose development environment for intelligent computer-aided training systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savely, Robert T.

1990-01-01

Space station training will be a major task, requiring the creation of large numbers of simulation-based training systems for crew, flight controllers, and ground-based support personnel. Given the long duration of space station missions and the large number of activities supported by the space station, the extension of space shuttle training methods to space station training may prove to be impractical. The application of artificial intelligence technology to simulation training can provide the ability to deliver individualized training to large numbers of personnel in a distributed workstation environment. The principal objective of this project is the creation of a software development environment which can be used to build intelligent training systems for procedural tasks associated with the operation of the space station. Current NASA Johnson Space Center projects and joint projects with other NASA operational centers will result in specific training systems for existing space shuttle crew, ground support personnel, and flight controller tasks. Concurrently with the creation of these systems, a general-purpose development environment for intelligent computer-aided training systems will be built. Such an environment would permit the rapid production, delivery, and evolution of training systems for space station crew, flight controllers, and other support personnel. The widespread use of such systems will serve to preserve task and training expertise, support the training of many personnel in a distributed manner, and ensure the uniformity and verifiability of training experiences. As a result, significant reductions in training costs can be realized while safety and the probability of mission success can be enhanced.