Sample records for descriptive study setting

  1. A method to integrate descriptive and experimental field studies at the level of data and empirical concepts1

    PubMed Central

    Bijou, Sidney W.; Peterson, Robert F.; Ault, Marion H.

    1968-01-01

    It is the thesis of this paper that data from descriptive and experimental field studies can be interrelated at the level of data and empirical concepts if both sets are derived from frequency-of-occurrence measures. The methodology proposed for a descriptive field study is predicated on three assumptions: (1) The primary data of psychology are the observable interactions of a biological organism and environmental events, past and present. (2) Theoretical concepts and laws are derived from empirical concepts and laws, which in turn are derived from the raw data. (3) Descriptive field studies describe interactions between behavioral and environmental events; experimental field studies provide information on their functional relationships. The ingredients of a descriptive field investigation using frequency measures consist of: (1) specifying in objective terms the situation in which the study is conducted, (2) defining and recording behavioral and environmental events in observable terms, and (3) measuring observer reliability. Field descriptive studies following the procedures suggested here would reveal interesting new relationships in the usual ecological settings and would also provide provocative cues for experimental studies. On the other hand, field-experimental studies using frequency measures would probably yield findings that would suggest the need for describing new interactions in specific natural situations. PMID:16795175

  2. Use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Generic-30 Set for the characterization of outpatients: Italian Society of Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine Residents Section Project.

    PubMed

    Gimigliano, Francesca; De Sire, Alessandro; Gastaldo, Marco; Maghini, Irene; Paoletta, Marco; Pasquini, Andrea; Boldrini, Paolo; Selb, Melissa; Prodinger, Birgit

    2018-06-11

    The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Generic- 30 Set (previously referred to as Rehabilitation Set) is a minimal set of ICF categories for reporting and assessing functioning and disability in clinical populations with different health conditions along the continuum of care. Recently, the Italian Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (SIMFER) developed an Italian modification of the simple and intuitive descriptions (SID) of these categories. This study was the first one to implement the use of the SID in practice. 1) To implement the use of the ICF in clinical practice and research among Italian Residents in PRM. 2) To verify if the SID made the application of ICF Generic 30 Set more user-friendly than the original descriptions. 3) To examine the prevalence of functioning problems of patients accessing Rehabilitation Services to serve as reference for the development of an ICF-based clinical data collection tool. Multicenter cross-sectional study. Italian Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PRM) outpatient rehabilitation services. Patients referring to Italian PRM outpatient rehabilitation services and Italian Residents in PRM. Each School of Specialization involved, randomly, received the ICF Generic-30 Set with the original descriptions or with the SID. Residents collected over a 4-month period (April-July 2016) patients data related to the ICF Generic-30 Set categories. Moreover, the residents self- assessed their difficulty in using the ICF Generic-30 Set with the original descriptions or with the SID, through a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Ninety-three residents collected functioning data of 864 patients (mean aged 57.7±19.3) with ICF Generic-30 Set: 304 with the original descriptions and 560 with SID. The difficulty in using the ICF Generic-30 Set with SID was rated as lower than using the original descriptions (NRS = 2.8±2.5 vs 3.5±3.1; p<0.001). The most common disease was the back pain (9.6%) and the most common altered ICF categories were b280 (76.3%) and b710 (72.9%). This multicenter cross-sectional study shown that the ICF Generic-30 Set is a valuable instrument for reporting and assessing functioning and disability in clinical populations with different health conditions and along the continuum of care and that SID facilitate the understanding of the ICF categories and therefore their use in clinical practice. This National survey, improving the knowledge of ICF among Italian PRM residents, represents an important step towards the system-wide implementation of ICF in the healthcare system.

  3. Quality of Austrian and Dutch Falls-Prevention Information: A Comparative Descriptive Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schoberer, Daniela; Mijnarends, Donja M.; Fliedner, Monica; Halfens, Ruud J. G.; Lohrmann, Christa

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the quality of written patient information material available in Austrian and Dutch hospitals and nursing homes pertaining to falls prevention. Design: Comparative descriptive study design Setting: Hospitals and nursing homes in Austria and the Netherlands. Method: Written patient…

  4. Role strain among male RNs in the critical care setting: Perceptions of an unfriendly workplace.

    PubMed

    Carte, Nicholas S; Williams, Collette

    2017-12-01

    Traditionally, nursing has been a female-dominated profession. Men employed as registered nurses have been in the minority and little is known about the experiences of this demographic. The purpose of this descriptive, quantitative study was to understand the relationship between the variables of demographics and causes of role strain among male nurses in critical care settings. The Sherrod Role Strain Scale assesses role strain within the context of role conflict, role overload, role ambiguity and role incongruity. Data analysis of the results included descriptive and inferential statistics. Inferential statistics involved the use of repeated measures ANOVA testing for significant difference in the causes of role strain between male nurses employed in critical care settings and a post hoc comparison of specific demographic data using multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs). Data from 37 male nurses in critical care settings from the northeast of the United States were used to calculate descriptive statistics standard deviation, mean of the data analysis and results of the repeated ANOVA and the post hoc secondary MANOVA analysis. The descriptive data showed that all participants worked full-time. There was an even split from those participants who worked day shift (46%) vs. night shift (43%), most the participants indicated they had 15 years or more experience as an registered nurse (54%). Significant findings of this study include two causes of role strain in male nurses employed in critical care settings which are: role ambiguity and role overload based on ethnicity. Consistent with previous research findings, the results of this study suggest that male registered nurses employed in critical care settings do experience role strain. The two main causes of role strain in male nurses are role ambiguity and role overload. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  5. Music Research in Inclusive School Settings: 1975 to 2013

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jellison, Judith A.; Draper, Ellary A.

    2015-01-01

    A search for music research in inclusive music school settings (1975-2013) resulted in 22 descriptive and experimental studies that can be classified and coded according to settings, participants, research variables, measures of generalization, and effectiveness of the interventions. Half of the studies reported data from both students with…

  6. Introducing Explorer of Taxon Concepts with a case study on spider measurement matrix building.

    PubMed

    Cui, Hong; Xu, Dongfang; Chong, Steven S; Ramirez, Martin; Rodenhausen, Thomas; Macklin, James A; Ludäscher, Bertram; Morris, Robert A; Soto, Eduardo M; Koch, Nicolás Mongiardino

    2016-11-17

    Taxonomic descriptions are traditionally composed in natural language and published in a format that cannot be directly used by computers. The Exploring Taxon Concepts (ETC) project has been developing a set of web-based software tools that convert morphological descriptions published in telegraphic style to character data that can be reused and repurposed. This paper introduces the first semi-automated pipeline, to our knowledge, that converts morphological descriptions into taxon-character matrices to support systematics and evolutionary biology research. We then demonstrate and evaluate the use of the ETC Input Creation - Text Capture - Matrix Generation pipeline to generate body part measurement matrices from a set of 188 spider morphological descriptions and report the findings. From the given set of spider taxonomic publications, two versions of input (original and normalized) were generated and used by the ETC Text Capture and ETC Matrix Generation tools. The tools produced two corresponding spider body part measurement matrices, and the matrix from the normalized input was found to be much more similar to a gold standard matrix hand-curated by the scientist co-authors. Special conventions utilized in the original descriptions (e.g., the omission of measurement units) were attributed to the lower performance of using the original input. The results show that simple normalization of the description text greatly increased the quality of the machine-generated matrix and reduced edit effort. The machine-generated matrix also helped identify issues in the gold standard matrix. ETC Text Capture and ETC Matrix Generation are low-barrier and effective tools for extracting measurement values from spider taxonomic descriptions and are more effective when the descriptions are self-contained. Special conventions that make the description text less self-contained challenge automated extraction of data from biodiversity descriptions and hinder the automated reuse of the published knowledge. The tools will be updated to support new requirements revealed in this case study.

  7. A Descriptive Analysis of Music Therapists' Perceptions of Delivering Services in Inclusive Settings: A Challenge to the Field.

    PubMed

    Jones; Cardinal

    1999-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of music therapists toward inclusion (providing services within general education settings) and to determine their willingness to provide their services in these settings. A questionnaire was sent to 560 music therapists of which 373 responded (67%). A descriptive analysis indicated that although the vast majority of music therapists are providing their services in a segregated setting, they (a) overwhelmingly know about inclusion, (b) perceive benefits to clients with and without disabilities, and (c) are willing to provide their services within an inclusive setting. Why then do therapists so overwhelmingly provide their services in noninclusive settings? Possible answers to this question as well as the challenge this creates to the field of music therapy are discussed.

  8. Leadership Styles at Middle- and Early-College Programs: A Quantitative Descriptive Correlational Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berksteiner, Earl J.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this quantitative descriptive correlational study was to determine if associations existed between middle- and early-college (MEC) principals' leadership styles, teacher motivation, and teacher satisfaction. MEC programs were programs designed to assist high school students who were not served well in a traditional setting (Middle…

  9. A Set of Descriptive Case Studies of Four Dance Faculty Members' Pedagogical Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sims, Meredith; Erwin, Heather

    2012-01-01

    Dance faculty members come from a variety of backgrounds, which lead to varied knowledge bases and varied teaching practices. More information is needed about the current pedagogical practices of higher education dance faculty. This study sought to provide a description of four faculty members' pedagogical approaches to a dance technique class in…

  10. Coordinated ionospheric and magnetospheric observations from the ISIS 2 satellite by the ISIS 2 experimenters. Volume 2: Auroral optical emissions magnetic field perturbations, and plasma characteristics, measured simultaneously on the same magnetic field line

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shepherd, G. G.

    1980-01-01

    The data set consists of a selected number of passes, each comprising a format combination that is most appropriate for the particular data set. A list of ISIS 2 experimenters, with addresses and telephone numbers is included. A brief description of the ISIS 2 satellite is given, followed by more detailed instrument descriptions, format descriptions, data set descriptions, and the data themselves.

  11. The leadership characteristics of the preceptor in selected clinical practice settings in Botswana.

    PubMed

    Dube, A; Jooste, K

    2006-08-01

    A non-experimental, explorative, descriptive, quantitative study was undertaken. The purpose was to explore and describe the views of preceptors and preceptees regarding the fulfilment of the role of the preceptor in selected clinical nursing practice settings in the Botswana context. The study included 72 preceptors and 200 nursing students/preceptees who voluntary agreed voluntarily to participate in the study. A questionnaire was used to collect data, which was analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of this study indicated that the preceptor lacked leadership characteristics in the accompaniment of the preceptee. These constraints included the lack of desirable characteristics such as intellectual, emotional, physical and other traits that are common to all good leaders. Recommendations were stated for improvements in selecting preceptors with certain leadership skills for the clinical practice settings. The limitations of this study were highlighted.

  12. A geologic atlas of TIMS data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abbott, Elsa

    1986-01-01

    In the three years since the first data were taken, it was well demonstrated that the Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS), properly used, can be a most valuable tool for the geologist. Compilation of the TIMS data into a geological atlas was felt to be useful. Several data sets were extensively studied to establish TIMS as a geologic tool and to explore the optimum enhancement techniques. It was found that a decorrelation stretch of bands 1, 3, and 5 enhance the data to a form that is very useful and this enhancement will be used in the geologic atlas along with an accompanying geologic map and description. Many data sets are well published and familiar to TIMS users, but there are some sets that, for lack of time and funds, were not thoroughly studied or published. A short description of these least studied sets of data is presented. The images presented along with the many previously studied and published TIMS images constitute an enormously useful set of information for the geologist in the 8 to 10 micron range.

  13. Univers: The construction of an internet-wide descriptive naming system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bowman, C. Mic

    1990-01-01

    Descriptive naming systems allow clients to identify a set of objects by description. Described here is the construction of a descriptive naming system, called Univers, based on a model in which clients provide both an object description and some meta-information. The meta-information describes beliefs about the query and the naming system. Specifically, it is an ordering on a set of perfect world approximations, and it describes the preferred methods for accommodating imperfect information. The description is then resolved in a way that respects the preferred approximations.

  14. Development of ICF Core Sets to standardize assessment of functioning and impairment in ADHD: the path ahead.

    PubMed

    Bölte, Sven; de Schipper, Elles; Holtmann, Martin; Karande, Sunil; de Vries, Petrus J; Selb, Melissa; Tannock, Rosemary

    2014-12-01

    In the study of health and quality of life in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it is of paramount importance to include assessment of functioning. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a comprehensive, universally accepted framework for the description of functioning in relation to health conditions. In this paper, the authors outline the process to develop ICF Core Sets for ADHD. ICF Core Sets are subgroups of ICF categories selected to capture the aspects of functioning that are most likely to be affected in specific disorders. The ICF categories that will be included in the ICF Core Sets for ADHD will be determined at an ICF Core Set Consensus Conference, wherein evidence from four preliminary studies (a systematic review, an expert survey, a patient and caregiver qualitative study, and a clinical cross-sectional study) will be integrated. Comprehensive and Brief ICF Core Sets for ADHD will be developed with the goal of providing useful standards for research and clinical practice, and to generate a common language for the description of functioning in ADHD in different areas of life and across the lifespan.

  15. Promoting Social Relationships and Integration for Supported Employees in Work Settings.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chadsey, Janis G.; Shelden, Debra L.

    This monograph discusses findings from a 3-year project that investigated strategies that could be used to promote the social integration and relationships between young adults with and without disabilities in supported employment settings. Four studies were conducted. The first study was a descriptive study that described the nature, development,…

  16. A Tale of 2 Teachers: A Preschool Physical Activity Intervention Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howie, Erin K.; Brewer, Alisa E.; Dowda, Marsha; McIver, Kerry L.; Saunders, Ruth P.; Pate, Russell R.

    2016-01-01

    Background: Preschool settings vary greatly, and research has shown that interventions are more successful when they can be adapted to individual settings. This is a descriptive case study of how 2 teachers successfully adapted and implemented a preschool physical activity intervention. Methods: The Study of Health and Activity in Preschool…

  17. RASSP Benchmark 4 Technical Description.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1998-01-09

    be carried out. Based on results of the study, an implementation of all, or part, of the system described in this benchmark technical description...validate interface and timing constraints. The ISA level of modeling defines the limit of detail expected in the VHDL virtual prototype. It does not...develop a set of candidate architectures and perform an architecture trade-off study. Candidate proces- sor implementations must then be examined for

  18. Exploring Rural High School Learners' Experience of Mathematics Anxiety in Academic Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hlalele, Dipane

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to explore rural high school learners' experience of mathematics anxiety in academic settings. Mathematics anxiety has been found to have an adverse effect on confidence, motivation and achievement. This quantitative study is exploratory and descriptive in nature. The participants were 403 learners doing mathematics in…

  19. Transforming Verbal Counts in Reports of Qualitative Descriptive Studies Into Numbers

    PubMed Central

    Chang, YunKyung; Voils, Corrine I.; Sandelowski, Margarete; Hasselblad, Vic; Crandell, Jamie L.

    2009-01-01

    Reports of qualitative studies typically do not offer much information on the numbers of respondents linked to any one finding. This information may be especially useful in reports of basic, or minimally interpretive, qualitative descriptive studies focused on surveying a range of experiences in a target domain, and its lack may limit the ability to synthesize the results of such studies with quantitative results in systematic reviews. Accordingly, the authors illustrate strategies for deriving plausible ranges of respondents expressing a finding in a set of reports of basic qualitative descriptive studies on antiretroviral adherence and suggest how the results might be used. These strategies have limitations and are never appropriate for use with findings from interpretive qualitative studies. Yet they offer a temporary workaround for preserving and maximizing the value of information from basic qualitative descriptive studies for systematic reviews. They show also why quantitizing is never simply quantitative. PMID:19448052

  20. Data catalog series for space science and applications flight missions. Volume 5A: Descriptions of astronomy, astrophysics, and solar physics spacecraft and investigations. Volume 5B: Descriptions of data sets from astronomy, astrophysics, and solar physics spacecraft and investigations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kim, Sang J. (Editor)

    1988-01-01

    The main purpose of the data catalog series is to provide descriptive references to data generated by space science flight missions. The data sets described include all of the actual holdings of the Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), all data sets for which direct contact information is available, and some data collections held and serviced by foreign investigators, NASA and other U.S. government agencies. This volume contains narrative descriptions of data sets of astronomy, astrophysics, solar physics spacecraft and investigations. The following spacecraft series are included: Mariner, Pioneer, Pioneer Venus, Venera, Viking, Voyager, and Helios. Separate indexes to the planetary and interplanetary missions are also provided.

  1. Interprofessional teamwork in the trauma setting: a scoping review

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Approximately 70 to 80% of healthcare errors are due to poor team communication and understanding. High-risk environments such as the trauma setting (which covers a broad spectrum of departments in acute services) are where the majority of these errors occur. Despite the emphasis on interprofessional collaborative practice and patient safety, interprofessional teamworking in the trauma setting has received little attention. This paper presents the findings of a scoping review designed to identify the extent and nature of this literature in this setting. The MEDLINE (via OVID, using keywords and MeSH in OVID), and PubMed (via NCBI using MeSH), and CINAHL databases were searched from January 2000 to April 2013 for results of interprofessional teamworking in the trauma setting. A hand search was conducted by reviewing the reference lists of relevant articles. In total, 24 published articles were identified for inclusion in the review. Studies could be categorized into three main areas, and within each area were a number of themes: 1) descriptions of the organization of trauma teams (themes included interaction between team members, and leadership); 2) descriptions of team composition and structure (themes included maintaining team stability and core team members); and 3) evaluation of team work interventions (themes included activities in practice and activities in the classroom setting). Descriptive studies highlighted the fluid nature of team processes, the shared mental models, and the need for teamwork and communication. Evaluative studies placed a greater emphasis on specialized roles and individual tasks and activities. This reflects a multiprofessional as opposed to an interprofessional model of teamwork. Some of the characteristics of high-performing interprofessional teams described in this review are also evident in effective teams in the community rehabilitation and intermediate care setting. These characteristics may well be pertinent to other settings, and so provide a useful foundation for future investigations. PMID:24188523

  2. Market niche analysis in the casino gaming industry.

    PubMed

    Dandurand, L

    1990-03-01

    This article discusses the nature of market niche analysis in the casino gaming industry. It presents four approaches for conducting market niche analysis. An an example of one approach, the Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study is used to identify a premium niche in the Las Vegas Slot Target Market. A detailed examination of the premium niche profile provides a description of the typical premium slot player. The description of the typical premium player leads to hypotheses regarding needs (the unique preference set) of the premium player. An analysis of the unique preference set suggests an appropriate enhanced marketing program.

  3. The Play of Children with Special Needs in Mainstream and Special Education Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bray, Paula; Cooper, Rodney

    2007-01-01

    Educators and occupational therapists regard play as a primary occupation of childhood, which in the case of children with special needs has not been well studied. The aim of this descriptive study was to observe the free-play behaviour of children with special needs in both special education and mainstream education settings. The Revised…

  4. Teacher and Paraeducator Perceptions of a Hierarchical to Hierarchical-Collaborative Relationship

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dalley, Anna Maria

    2017-01-01

    This qualitative, descriptive single-case study explored the transition from a hierarchical to a hierarchical-collaborative relationship between special education teachers (SET) and special education paraeducators (SEP). Sixteen participants, including eight veteran SET and eight SEP working in one county located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the…

  5. Numeric promoter description - A comparative view on concepts and general application.

    PubMed

    Beier, Rico; Labudde, Dirk

    2016-01-01

    Nucleic acid molecules play a key role in a variety of biological processes. Starting from storage and transfer tasks, this also comprises the triggering of biological processes, regulatory effects and the active influence gained by target binding. Based on the experimental output (in this case promoter sequences), further in silico analyses aid in gaining new insights into these processes and interactions. The numerical description of nucleic acids thereby constitutes a bridge between the concrete biological issues and the analytical methods. Hence, this study compares 26 descriptor sets obtained by applying well-known numerical description concepts to an established dataset of 38 DNA promoter sequences. The suitability of the description sets was evaluated by computing partial least squares regression models and assessing the model accuracy. We conclude that the major importance regarding the descriptive power is attached to positional information rather than to explicitly incorporated physico-chemical information, since a sufficient amount of implicit physico-chemical information is already encoded in the nucleobase classification. The regression models especially benefited from employing the information that is encoded in the sequential and structural neighborhood of the nucleobases. Thus, the analyses of n-grams (short fragments of length n) suggested that they are valuable descriptors for DNA target interactions. A mixed n-gram descriptor set thereby yielded the best description of the promoter sequences. The corresponding regression model was checked and found to be plausible as it was able to reproduce the characteristic binding motifs of promoter sequences in a reasonable degree. As most functional nucleic acids are based on the principle of molecular recognition, the findings are not restricted to promoter sequences, but can rather be transferred to other kinds of functional nucleic acids. Thus, the concepts presented in this study could provide advantages for future nucleic acid-based technologies, like biosensoring, therapeutics and molecular imaging. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Toward an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health clinical data collection tool: the Italian experience of developing simple, intuitive descriptions of the Rehabilitation Set categories.

    PubMed

    Selb, Melissa; Gimigliano, Francesca; Prodinger, Birgit; Stucki, Gerold; Pestelli, Germano; Iocco, Maurizio; Boldrini, Paolo

    2017-04-01

    As part of international efforts to develop and implement national models including the specification of ICF-based clinical data collection tools, the Italian rehabilitation community initiated a project to develop simple, intuitive descriptions of the ICF Rehabilitation Set, highlighting the core concept of each category in user-friendly language. This paper outlines the Italian experience in developing simple, intuitive descriptions of the ICF Rehabilitation Set as an ICF-based clinical data collection tool for Italy. Consensus process. Expert conference. Multidisciplinary group of rehabilitation professionals. The first of a two-stage consensus process involved developing an initial proposal for simple, intuitive descriptions of each ICF Rehabilitation Set category based on descriptions generated in a similar process in China. Stage two involved a consensus conference. Divided into three working groups, participants discussed and voted (vote A) whether the initially proposed descriptions of each ICF Rehabilitation Set category was simple and intuitive enough for use in daily practice. Afterwards the categories with descriptions considered ambiguous i.e. not simple and intuitive enough, were divided among the working groups, who were asked to propose a new description for the allocated categories. These proposals were then voted (vote B) on in a plenary session. The last step of the consensus conference required each working group to develop a new proposal for each and the same categories with descriptions still considered ambiguous. Participants then voted (final vote) for which of the three proposed descriptions they preferred. Nineteen clinicians from diverse rehabilitation disciplines from various regions of Italy participated in the consensus process. Three ICF categories already achieved consensus in vote A, while 20 ICF categories were accepted in vote B. The remaining 7 categories were decided in the final vote. The findings were discussed in light of current efforts toward developing strategies for ICF implementation, specifically for the application of an ICF-based clinical data collection tool, not only for Italy but also for the rest of Europe. Promising as minimal standards for monitoring the impact of interventions and for standardized reporting of functioning as a relevant outcome in rehabilitation.

  7. Data catalog series for space science and applications flight missions. Volume 4B: Descriptions of data sets from meteorological and terrestrial applications spacecraft and investigations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ng, Carolyn; Stonesifer, G. Richard

    1989-01-01

    The main purpose of the data catalog series is to provide descriptive references to data generated by space science flight missions. The data sets described include all of the actual holdings of the Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), all data sets for which direct contact information is available, and some data collections held and serviced by foreign investigators, NASA and other U.S. government agencies. This volume contains narrative descriptions of data sets from meteorological and terrestrial applications spacecraft and investigations. The following spacecraft series are included: Mariner, Pioneer, Pioneer Venus, Venera, Viking, Voyager, and Helios. Separate indexes to the planetary and interplanetary missions are also provided.

  8. Data Catalog Series for Space Science and Applications Flight Missions. Volume 2B; Descriptions of Data Sets from Geostationary and High-Altitude Scientific Spacecraft and Investigations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schofield, Norman J. (Editor); Parthasarathy, R. (Editor); Hills, H. Kent (Editor)

    1988-01-01

    The main purpose of the data catalog series is to provide descriptive references to data generated by space science flight missions. The data sets described include all of the actual holdings of the Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), all data sets for which direct contact information is available, and some data collections held and serviced by foreign investigators, NASA and other U.S. government agencies. This volume contains narrative descriptions of data sets from geostationary and high altitude scientific spacecraft and investigations. The following spacecraft series are included: Mariner, Pioneer, Pioneer Venus, Venera, Viking, Voyager, and Helios. Separate indexes to the planetary and interplanetary missions are also provided.

  9. Data catalog series for space science and applications flight missions. Volume 3B: Descriptions of data sets from low- and medium-altitude scientific spacecraft and investigations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jackson, John E. (Editor); Horowitz, Richard (Editor)

    1986-01-01

    The main purpose of the data catalog series is to provide descriptive references to data generated by space science flight missions. The data sets described include all of the actual holdings of the Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), all data sets for which direct contact information is available, and some data collections held and serviced by foreign investigators, NASA and other U.S. government agencies. This volume contains narrative descriptions of data sets from low and medium altitude scientific spacecraft and investigations. The following spacecraft series are included: Mariner, Pioneer, Pioneer Venus, Venera, Viking, Voyager, and Helios. Separate indexes to the planetary and interplanetary missions are also provided.

  10. Assessing Student Perceptions of Positive and Negative Social Interactions in Specific School Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zumbrunn, Sharon; Doll, Beth; Dooley, Kadie; LeClair, Courtney; Wimmer, Courtney

    2013-01-01

    This study explored the use of student-marked school maps, a practitioner-friendly method for assessing student perceptions of positive and negative peer interactions in specific school settings. Two hundred eighty-two third- through fifth-grade students from a Midwestern U.S. elementary school participated. Descriptive analyses were used to…

  11. Improving Written Communication Through Minimal Feedback

    PubMed Central

    Traxler, Matthew J.; Gernsbacher, Morton Ann

    2014-01-01

    We propose that writers must form accurate representations of how their readers will interpret their texts to convey their ideas successfully. In two experiments, we investigated whether getting feedback from their readers helps writers form better representations of how their texts are interpreted. In our first experiment, one group of subjects (writers) wrote descriptions of a set of geometric figures; another group of subjects (readers) read those descriptions and used them to select the figures from sets of similar looking distractor figures. Half the writers received feedback on how well their readers selected the figures, and half the writers did not receive this feedback. Those writers who received feedback improved their descriptions more than those writers who did not receive feedback. In our second experiment, half the writers received two treatments of feedback on their descriptions of one set of figures, whereas the other half of the writers did not receive feedback. Then, all the writers described a new set of figures. Those writers who had previously received feedback wrote better new descriptions than did those writers who had never received feedback. We concluded that feedback – even this minimal form of feedback – helps writers to envision how readers interpret their texts. PMID:25520535

  12. Is EQ-5D-5L Better Than EQ-5D-3L? A Head-to-Head Comparison of Descriptive Systems and Value Sets from Seven Countries.

    PubMed

    Janssen, Mathieu F; Bonsel, Gouke J; Luo, Nan

    2018-06-01

    This study describes the first empirical head-to-head comparison of EQ-5D-3L (3L) and EQ-5D-5L (5L) value sets for multiple countries. A large multinational dataset, including 3L and 5L data for eight patient groups and a student cohort, was used to compare 3L versus 5L value sets for Canada, China, England/UK (5L/3L, respectively), Japan, The Netherlands, South Korea and Spain. We used distributional analyses and two methods exploring discriminatory power: relative efficiency as assessed by the F statistic, and an area under the curve for the receiver-operating characteristics approach. Differences in outcomes were explored by separating descriptive system effects from valuation effects, and by exploring distributional location effects. In terms of distributional evenness, efficiency of scale use and the face validity of the resulting distributions, 5L was superior, leading to an increase in sensitivity and precision in health status measurement. When compared with 5L, 3L systematically overestimated health problems and consequently underestimated utilities. This led to bias, i.e. over- or underestimations of discriminatory power. We conclude that 5L provides more precise measurement at individual and group levels, both in terms of descriptive system data and utilities. The increased sensitivity and precision of 5L is likely to be generalisable to longitudinal studies, such as in intervention designs. Hence, we recommend the use of the 5L across applications, including economic evaluation, clinical and public health studies. The evaluative framework proved to be useful in assessing preference-based instruments and might be useful for future work in the development of descriptive systems or health classifications.

  13. Scientific Set of Instruments "Solar Cosmic Rays"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuznetsov, S. N.; Bogomolov, A. V.; Galkin, V. I.; Denisov, Yu. I.; Podorolsky, A. N.; Ryumin, S. P.; Kudela, K.; Rojko, J.

    A set of scientific instruments SCR (Solar Cosmic Rays) was developed by the scientists of SINP MSU and IEP SAS in order to study relations between the radiation conditions in the near-Earth space and solar activity. This set of instruments was installed on board the satellites CORONAS-I and CORONAS-F launched to the orbit on March 2, 1994, and July 30, 2001, respectively. Detailed description of the instruments is presented.

  14. PubMed Central

    Leduc, Y.; Cauchon, M.; Emond, J. G.; Ouellet, J.

    1995-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To develop and implement a computerized version of the International Classification of Primary Care. To create a data bank and to conduct a descriptive study of our clinic's clientele. DESIGN: Testing a software program and creating a data bank. SETTING: Family Medicine Unit at Enfant-Jésus Hospital, Quebec City. PARTICIPANTS: All Family Medicine Unit doctors and patients seen between July 1, 1990, and June 30, 1993. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Description of our clientele's health problems using the ICPC. RESULTS: During the study, 48,415 diagnostic codes for 33,033 visits were entered into the bank. For close to 50% of these visits, two or more health problems were coded. There was good correlation between the description of our clientele and descriptions in other studies in the literature. CONCLUSION: This article describes the development of a data bank in a family medicine unit using a software program based on the ICPC. Our 3-year experiment demonstrated that the method works well in family physicians' daily practice. A descriptive study of our clientele is presented, as well as a few examples of the many applications of such a data bank. PMID:7580382

  15. 48 CFR 811.104-71 - Purchase description clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ..., Brand name or equal, and the provision set forth at FAR 52.214-21, Descriptive Literature. The contracting officer must review the requirements at FAR 14.202-5 when using the descriptive literature...

  16. 48 CFR 811.104-71 - Purchase description clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ..., Brand name or equal, and the provision set forth at FAR 52.214-21, Descriptive Literature. The contracting officer must review the requirements at FAR 14.202-5 when using the descriptive literature...

  17. 48 CFR 811.104-71 - Purchase description clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ..., Brand name or equal, and the provision set forth at FAR 52.214-21, Descriptive Literature. The contracting officer must review the requirements at FAR 14.202-5 when using the descriptive literature...

  18. 48 CFR 811.104-71 - Purchase description clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ..., Brand name or equal, and the provision set forth at FAR 52.214-21, Descriptive Literature. The contracting officer must review the requirements at FAR 14.202-5 when using the descriptive literature...

  19. 48 CFR 811.104-71 - Purchase description clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ..., Brand name or equal, and the provision set forth at FAR 52.214-21, Descriptive Literature. The contracting officer must review the requirements at FAR 14.202-5 when using the descriptive literature...

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

    Houdayer, Jérôme; Poitevin, Frédéric

    This paper shows how small-angle scattering (SAS) curves can be decomposed in a simple sum using a set of invariant parameters calledK nwhich are related to the shape of the object of study. TheseK n, together with a radiusR, give a complete theoretical description of the SAS curve. Adding an overall constant, these parameters are easily fitted against experimental data giving a concise comprehensive description of the data. The pair distance distribution function is also entirely described by this invariant set and theD maxparameter can be measured. In addition to the understanding they bring, these invariants can be used tomore » reliably estimate structural moments beyond the radius of gyration, thereby rigorously expanding the actual set of model-free quantities one can extract from experimental SAS data, and possibly paving the way to designing new shape reconstruction strategies.« less

  1. Localized basis sets for unbound electrons in nanoelectronics.

    PubMed

    Soriano, D; Jacob, D; Palacios, J J

    2008-02-21

    It is shown how unbound electron wave functions can be expanded in a suitably chosen localized basis sets for any desired range of energies. In particular, we focus on the use of Gaussian basis sets, commonly used in first-principles codes. The possible usefulness of these basis sets in a first-principles description of field emission or scanning tunneling microscopy at large bias is illustrated by studying a simpler related phenomenon: The lifetime of an electron in a H atom subjected to a strong electric field.

  2. Exploring the Integration of Technology into Jewish Education: Multi-User Virtual Environments and Supplementary School Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sohn, Johannah Eve

    2014-01-01

    This descriptive case study explores the implementation of a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE) in a Jewish supplemental school setting. The research was conducted to present the recollections and reflections of three constituent populations of a new technology exploring constructivist education in the context of supplemental and online…

  3. Observations of Children's Interactions with Teachers, Peers, and Tasks across Preschool Classroom Activity Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Booren, Leslie M.; Downer, Jason T.; Vitiello, Virginia E.

    2012-01-01

    Research Findings: This descriptive study examined classroom activity settings in relation to children's observed behavior during classroom interactions, child gender, and basic teacher behavior within the preschool classroom. A total of 145 children were observed for an average of 80 min during 8 occasions across 2 days using the Individualized…

  4. Variables Affecting University Academic Achievement in a Distance- versus a Conventional Education Setting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Darwazeh, Afnan N.

    The aim of this study was to investigate some of the learner variables that may have an influence on university academic achievement in a distance versus a conventional education setting. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to analyze data by using "Pearson r," and "F-test." Results revealed that the university…

  5. Health information technology adoption: Understanding research protocols and outcome measurements for IT interventions in health care.

    PubMed

    Colicchio, Tiago K; Facelli, Julio C; Del Fiol, Guilherme; Scammon, Debra L; Bowes, Watson A; Narus, Scott P

    2016-10-01

    To classify and characterize the variables commonly used to measure the impact of Information Technology (IT) adoption in health care, as well as settings and IT interventions tested, and to guide future research. We conducted a descriptive study screening a sample of 236 studies from a previous systematic review to identify outcome measures used and the availability of data to calculate these measures. We also developed a taxonomy of commonly used measures and explored setting characteristics and IT interventions. Clinical decision support is the most common intervention tested, primarily in non-hospital-based clinics and large academic hospitals. We identified 15 taxa representing the 79 most commonly used measures. Quality of care was the most common category of these measurements with 62 instances, followed by productivity (11 instances) and patient safety (6 instances). Measures used varied according to type of setting, IT intervention and targeted population. This study provides an inventory and a taxonomy of commonly used measures that will help researchers select measures in future studies as well as identify gaps in their measurement approaches. The classification of the other protocol components such as settings and interventions will also help researchers identify underexplored areas of research on the impact of IT interventions in health care. A more robust and standardized measurement system and more detailed descriptions of interventions and settings are necessary to enable comparison between studies and a better understanding of the impact of IT adoption in health care settings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Academic Advising and Gender Communication

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nemeth, Sean

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this correlational study was to identify whether there are differences in student satisfaction scores in academic advisement gender pairings in an undergraduate university setting. Methodology: This study was a descriptive correlational research study utilizing archival survey data. The collected data consisted of numeric…

  7. Delegation in Long-term Care: Scope of practice or job description?

    PubMed

    Corazzini, Kirsten N; Anderson, Ruth A; Rapp, Carla Gene; Mueller, Christine; McConnell, Eleanor S; Lekan, Deborah

    2010-05-31

    This study is a qualitative, descriptive study of how registered nurses (RNs) (N=33) in leadership roles in institutionalized long-term care settings delegate care, including their strategies and processes for delegating care, and their perceptions of barriers to effective delegation and potential benefits of delegation. Findings indicate two key approaches to delegation, including the "follow the job description" approach, emphasizing adherence to facility-level roles and job descriptions, and the "consider the scope of practice" approach, emphasizing consideration of multiple aspects of scope of practice and licensure, and the context of care. While the former resulted in more clarity and certainty for the RN, the latter facilitated a focus on quality of resident care outcomes as linked to the delegation process. Barriers to effective delegation were comparable among RNs using either approach to delegation, and almost all RNs could describe benefits of delegation for long-term care.

  8. The structure of Turkish trait-descriptive adjectives.

    PubMed

    Somer, O; Goldberg, L R

    1999-03-01

    This description of the Turkish lexical project reports some initial findings on the structure of Turkish personality-related variables. In addition, it provides evidence on the effects of target evaluative homogeneity vs. heterogeneity (e.g., samples of well-liked target individuals vs. samples of both liked and disliked targets) on the resulting factor structures, and thus it provides a first test of the conclusions reached by D. Peabody and L. R. Goldberg (1989) using English trait terms. In 2 separate studies, and in 2 types of data sets, clear versions of the Big Five factor structure were found. And both studies replicated and extended the findings of Peabody and Goldberg; virtually orthogonal factors of relatively equal size were found in the homogeneous samples, and a more highly correlated set of factors with relatively large Agreeableness and Conscientiousness dimensions was found in the heterogeneous samples.

  9. On the no-signaling approach to quantum nonlocality

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

    Méndez, J. M., E-mail: manolo@ifisica.uaslp.mx; Urías, Jesús, E-mail: jurias@ifisica.uaslp.mx

    2015-03-15

    The no-signaling approach to nonlocality deals with separable and inseparable multiparty correlations in the same set of probability states without conflicting causality. The set of half-spaces describing the polytope of no-signaling probability states that are admitted by the most general class of Bell scenarios is formulated in full detail. An algorithm for determining the skeleton that solves the no-signaling description is developed upon a new strategy that is partially pivoting and partially incremental. The algorithm is formulated rigorously and its implementation is shown to be effective to deal with the highly degenerate no-signaling descriptions. Several applications of the algorithm asmore » a tool for the study of quantum nonlocality are mentioned. Applied to a large set of bipartite Bell scenarios, we found that the corresponding no-signaling polytopes have a striking high degeneracy that grows up exponentially with the size of the Bell scenario.« less

  10. Evaluation of differences in quality of experience features for test stimuli of good-only and bad-only overall audiovisual quality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strohmeier, Dominik; Kunze, Kristina; Göbel, Klemens; Liebetrau, Judith

    2013-01-01

    Assessing audiovisual Quality of Experience (QoE) is a key element to ensure quality acceptance of today's multimedia products. The use of descriptive evaluation methods allows evaluating QoE preferences and the underlying QoE features jointly. From our previous evaluations on QoE for mobile 3D video we found that mainly one dimension, video quality, dominates the descriptive models. Large variations of the visual video quality in the tests may be the reason for these findings. A new study was conducted to investigate whether test sets of low QoE are described differently than those of high audiovisual QoE. Reanalysis of previous data sets seems to confirm this hypothesis. Our new study consists of a pre-test and a main test, using the Descriptive Sorted Napping method. Data sets of good-only and bad-only video quality were evaluated separately. The results show that the perception of bad QoE is mainly determined one-dimensionally by visual artifacts, whereas the perception of good quality shows multiple dimensions. Here, mainly semantic-related features of the content and affective descriptors are used by the naïve test participants. The results show that, with increasing QoE of audiovisual systems, content semantics and users' a_ective involvement will become important for assessing QoE differences.

  11. Organization Domain Modeling. Volume 1. Conceptual Foundations, Process and Workproduct Description

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-07-31

    J.A. Hess, W.E. Novak, and A.S. Peterson. Feature-Oriented Domain Analysis ( FODA ) Feasibility Study. Technical Report CMU/SEI-90-TR-21, Software...domain analysis (DA) and modeling, including a structured set of workproducts, a tailorable process model and a set of modeling techniques and guidelines...23 5.3.1 U sability Analysis (Rescoping) ..................................................... 24

  12. This is my neighborhood: comparing United States and Australian Oxford House Neighborhoods.

    PubMed

    Ferrari, Joseph R; Jason, Leonard A; Blake, Ron; Davis, Margaret I; Olson, Bradley D

    2006-01-01

    The number of Oxford Houses, communal-living, mutual help settings for persons in recovery of alcohol and substance abuse, has spread across the United States and recently in and around Melbourne, Australia. In this study 55 US and 6 AU Houses were compared descriptively for their neighborhood characteristics. Across settings, there were greater similarities than significant differences in the locations. Results imply that Australian Oxford Houses are "safe and sober" settings for persons in recovery consistent with the original United States model in physical dwelling settings.

  13. Data catalog series for space science and applications flight missions. Volume 1B: Descriptions of data sets from planetary and heliocentric spacecraft and investigations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Horowitz, Richard (Compiler); Jackson, John E. (Compiler); Cameron, Winifred S. (Compiler)

    1987-01-01

    The main purpose of the data catalog series is to provide descriptive references to data generated by space science flight missions. The data sets described include all of the actual holdings of the Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), all data sets for which direct contact information is available, and some data collections held and serviced by foreign investigators, NASA and other U.S. government agencies. This volume contains narrative descriptions of planetary and heliocentric spacecraft and associated experiments. The following spacecraft series are included: Mariner, Pioneer, Pioneer Venus, Venera, Viking, Voyager, and Helios. Separate indexes to the planetary and interplanetary missions are also provided.

  14. Passing the baton: a grounded practical theory of handoff communication between multidisciplinary providers in two Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient settings.

    PubMed

    Koenig, Christopher J; Maguen, Shira; Daley, Aaron; Cohen, Greg; Seal, Karen H

    2013-01-01

    Handoffs are communication processes that enact the transfer of responsibility between providers across clinical settings. Prior research on handoff communication has focused on inpatient settings between provider teams and has emphasized patient safety. This study examines handoff communication within multidisciplinary provider teams in two outpatient settings. To conduct an exploratory study that describes handoff communication among multidisciplinary providers, to develop a theory-driven descriptive framework for outpatient handoffs, and to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different handoff types. Qualitative, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 31 primary care, mental health, and social work providers in two Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center outpatient clinics. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Grounded Practical Theory to develop a theoretical model of and a descriptive framework for handoff communication among multidisciplinary providers. Multidisciplinary providers reported that handoff decisions across settings were made spontaneously and without clear guidelines. Two situated values, clinic efficiency and patient-centeredness, shaped multidisciplinary providers' handoff decisions. Providers reported three handoff techniques along a continuum: the electronic handoff, which was the most clinically efficient; the provider-to-provider handoff, which balanced clinic efficiency and patient-centeredness; and the collaborative handoff, which was the most patient-centered. Providers described handoff choice as a practical response to manage constituent features of clinic efficiency (time, space, medium of communication) and patient-centeredness (information continuity, management continuity, relational continuity, and social interaction). We present a theoretical and descriptive framework to help providers evaluate differential handoff use, reflect on situated values guiding clinic communication, and guide future research. Handoff communication reflected multidisciplinary providers' efforts to balance clinic efficiency with patient-centeredness within the constraints of day-to-day clinical practice. Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses among alternative handoff options may enhance multidisciplinary provider handoff decision-making and may contribute to increased coordination and continuity of care across outpatient settings.

  15. A study of space station needs, attributes and architectural options. Volume 2: Technical. Book 1: Mission requirements. Appendixes 1 and 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    The space station mission requirements data base consists of 149 attached and free-flying missions each of which is documented by a set of three interrelated documents: (1) NASA LaRC Data Sheets - with three sheets comprising a set for each payload element described. These sheets contain user payload element data necessary to drive Space Station architectural options. (2) GDC-derived operations descriptions that supplement the LaRC payload element data in the operations areas such as further descriptions of crew involvement, EVA, etc. (3) Payload elements synthesis sheets used by GDC to provide requirements traceability to data sources and to provide a narrative describing the basis for formulating the payload element requirements.

  16. De-Grading Developmental Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erickson, Michael E.

    If developmental studies programs are to successfully enhance affective and cognitive development in a non-competitive, supportive setting, they must abandon traditional A to F grading in favor of a descriptive, personalized feedback system that helps the student make intelligent decisions concerning his/her academic future. Indeed, research…

  17. School-based peer-related social competence interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder: a meta-analysis and descriptive review of single case research design studies.

    PubMed

    Whalon, Kelly J; Conroy, Maureen A; Martinez, Jose R; Werch, Brittany L

    2015-06-01

    The purpose of this review was to critically examine and summarize the impact of school-based interventions designed to facilitate the peer-related social competence of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Reviewed studies employed a single-case experimental design, targeted peer-related social competence, included children 3-12 years old with an ASD, and took place in school settings. Articles were analyzed descriptively and using the evaluative method to determine study quality. Additionally, effect size estimates were calculated using nonoverlap of all pairs method and Tau-U. A total of 37 studies including 105 children were reviewed. Overall, ES estimates ranged from weak to strong, but on average, the reviewed interventions produced a moderate to strong effect, and quality ratings were generally in the acceptable to high range. Findings suggest that children with ASD can benefit from social skill interventions implemented with peers in school settings.

  18. Large storms: Airglow and related measurements. VLF observations, volume 4

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1981-01-01

    The data presented show the typical values and range of ionospheric and magnetospheric characteristics, as viewed from 1400 km with the ISIS 2 instruments. The definition of each data set depends partly on geophysical parameters and partly on satellite operating mode. Preceding the data set is a description of the organizational parameters and a review of the objectives and general characteristics of the data set. The data are shown as a selection from 12 different data formats. Each data set has a different selection of formats, but uniformity of a given format selection is preserved throughout each data set. Each data set consists of a selected number of passes, each comprising a format combination that is most appropriae for the particular data set. Description of ISIS 2 instruments are provided.

  19. NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--TECHNICIAN WALKTHROUGH QUESTIONNAIRE DATA

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Technician Walk-through Questionnaire data set updates information about each household from the Descriptive Questionnaire and includes relevant information regarding dwelling arrangements, as well as interior and exterior residential characteristics. The information is from...

  20. Toxicity ForeCaster (ToxCast™) Data

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Data is organized into different data sets and includes descriptions of ToxCast chemicals and assays and files summarizing the screening results, a MySQL database, chemicals screened through Tox21, and available data generated from animal toxicity studies.

  1. The Relationship between Principals' Cultural Intelligence Levels and Their Cultural Leadership Behaviors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Göksoy, Süleyman

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to identify school administrators' views on school administrators' cultural intelligence and cultural leadership behaviors. The study employed relational screening model, a descriptive research method, since it set out to determine the existing situation. "Cultural Intelligence Scale" and "Cultural Leadership…

  2. Inclusion in Early Childhood Education: A Zimbabwean Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Majoko, Tawanda

    2017-01-01

    The current study examined Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers' understanding, attitudes and demographic influences regarding inclusion in ECE. Embedded within inclusive pedagogical philosophy, the present descriptive study draws on a sample of 21 ECE teachers purposively selected from ECE settings in Mashonaland West educational province of…

  3. Vakonomic Constraints in Higher-Order Classical Field Theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Campos, Cédric M.

    2010-07-01

    We propose a differential-geometric setting for the dynamics of a higher-order field theory, based on the Skinner and Rusk formalism for mechanics. This approach incorporates aspects of both, the Lagrangian and the Hamiltonian description, since the field equations are formulated using the Lagrangian on a higher-order jet bundle and the canonical multisymplectic form on its affine dual. The result is that we obtain a unique and global intrinsic description of the dynamics. The case of vakonomic constraints is also studied within this formalism.

  4. Social Media: Portrait of an Emerging Tool in Medical Education.

    PubMed

    Roy, Durga; Taylor, Jacob; Cheston, Christine C; Flickinger, Tabor E; Chisolm, Margaret S

    2016-02-01

    The authors compare the prevalence of challenges and opportunities in commentaries and descriptive accounts versus evaluative studies of social media use in medical education. A previously published report of social media use in medical education provided an in-depth discussion of 14 evaluative studies, a small subset of the total number of 99 articles on this topic. This study used the full set of articles identified by that review, including the 58 commentaries and 27 descriptive accounts which had not been previously reported, to provide a glimpse into how emerging tools in medical education are initially perceived. Each commentary, descriptive account, and evaluative study was identified and compared on various characteristics, including discussion themes regarding the challenges and opportunities of social media use in medical education. Themes related to the challenges of social media use in medical education were more prevalent in commentaries and descriptive accounts than in evaluative studies. The potential of social media to affect medical professionalism adversely was the most commonly discussed challenge in the commentaries (53%) and descriptive accounts (63%) in comparison to technical issues related to implementation in the evaluative studies (50%). Results suggest that the early body of literature on social media use in medical education-like that of previous innovative education tools-comprises primarily commentaries and descriptive accounts that focus more on the challenges of social media than on potential opportunities. These results place social media tools in historical context and lay the groundwork for expanding on this novel approach to medical education.

  5. International Comparative Studies in Education: Descriptions of Selected Large-Scale Assessments and Case Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council, Washington, DC. Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education.

    Since its inception in 1988, the Board on International Comparative Studies in Education (BICSE) has monitored U.S. participation in those cross national comparative studies in education that are funded by its sponsors, the National Science Foundation and the National Center for Education Statistics. This set of international study descriptions…

  6. U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--TECHNICIAN WALKTHROUGH QUESTIONNAIRE DATA

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Technician Walk-through Questionnaire data set updates information about each household from the Descriptive Questionnaire and includes relevant information regarding dwelling arrangements, as well as interior and exterior residential characteristics. The information is from...

  7. Examining Study Habits in Undergraduate STEM Courses from a Situative Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hora, Matthew T.; Oleson, Amanda K.

    2017-01-01

    Background: A growing body of research in cognitive psychology and education research is illuminating which study strategies are effective for optimal learning, but little descriptive research focuses on how undergraduate students in STEM courses actually study in real-world settings. Using a practice-based approach informed by situated cognition…

  8. Nuclear electric propulsion stage requirements and description

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mondt, J. F.; Peelgren, M. L.; Nakashima, A. M.; Nsieh, T. M.; Phillips, W. M.; Kikin, G. M.

    1974-01-01

    The application of a nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) stage in the exploration of near-earth, cometary, and planetary space was discussed. The NEP stage is powered by a liquid-metal-cooled, fast spectrum thermionic reactor capable of providing 120 kWe for 20,000 hours. This power is used to drive a number of mercury ion bombardment thrusters with specific impulse in the range of 4000-5000 seconds. The NEP description, characteristics, and functional requirements are discussed. These requirements are based on a set of five coordinate missions, which are described in detail. These five missions are a representative part of a larger set of missions used as a basic for an advanced propulsion comparison study. Additionally, the NEP stage development plan and test program is outlined and a schedule presented.

  9. Part of the job? Workplace violence in Massachusetts social service agencies.

    PubMed

    Zelnick, Jennifer R; Slayter, Elspeth; Flanzbaum, Beth; Butler, Nanci Ginty; Domingo, Beryl; Perlstein, Judith; Trust, Carol

    2013-05-01

    Workplace violence is a serious and surprisingly understudied occupational hazard in social service settings. The authors of this study conducted an anonymous, Internet-based survey of Massachusetts social service agencies to estimate the incidence of physical assault and verbal threat of violence in social service agencies, understand how social service agencies collect data on workplace violence, and identify disparities in who is at risk in terms of staff education and training level and the work setting. The study gathered general descriptions of each agency and compiled incidence data on workplace violence that were collected by agencies in fiscal year 2009. The key findings of this descriptive study showed high rates of workplace violence against social services providers and a pattern of risk disparity, with significantly more risk for direct care versus clinical staff. These results are based on data routinely collected by social service agencies that typically remain unexamined. A research agenda that is sensitive to potential occupational health disparities and focuses on maximizing workplace safety in social services is needed.

  10. Perceptions of Physical Activity by Older Adults: A Qualitative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jancey, Jonine M.; Clarke, Ann; Howat, Peter; Maycock, Bruce; Lee, Andy H.

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To identify issues and perceptions concerning physical activity in older adults. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Perth, Western Australia. Methods: Sixteen adults aged 65 to 74 years were interviewed in their own homes using a semi-structured interview schedule. Data were analysed using a descriptive qualitative methodology.…

  11. Dialogic Instruction in a Community College Composition Classroom: A Descriptive Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cuthbertson, Mark K.

    2014-01-01

    Research has shown that dialogic instruction is a desirable method of curriculum delivery. Dialogic instruction encourages students to integrate cognitive and behavioral processes, thus leading to a broader transferable skill set. This study presented an overview of dialogic instruction related to various accepted learning theories, an examination…

  12. Parameter Requirements for Description of Alternative LINC Systems. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC. Language Information Network and Clearinghouse System.

    This study was undertaken for the Center for Applied Linguistics to survey and analyze its information system program for the language sciences. The study identifies and defines the generalized sets of parameters required for subsequent quantitative analysis of proposed alternative Language Information Network and Clearinghouse Systems by means of…

  13. Review of disability weight studies: comparison of methodological choices and values

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Introduction The disability-adjusted life year (DALY) is widely used to assess the burden of different health problems and risk factors. The disability weight, a value anchored between 0 (perfect health) and 1 (equivalent to death), is necessary to estimate the disability component (years lived with disability, YLDs) of the DALY. After publication of the ground-breaking Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 1996, alternative sets of disability weights have been developed over the past 16 years, each using different approaches with regards to the panel, health state description, and valuation methods. The objective of this study was to review all studies that developed disability weights and to critically assess the methodological design choices (health state and time description, panel composition, and valuation method). Furthermore, disability weights of eight specific conditions were compared. Methods Disability weights studies (1990¿2012) in international peer-reviewed journals and grey literature were identified with main inclusion criteria being that the study assessed DALY disability weights for several conditions or a specific group of illnesses. Studies were collated by design and methods and evaluation of results. Results Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria of our review. There is considerable variation in methods used to derive disability weights, although most studies used a disease-specific description of the health state, a panel that consisted of medical experts, and nonpreference-based valuation method to assess the values for the majority of the disability weights. Comparisons of disability weights across 15 specific disease and injury groups showed that the subdivision of a disease into separate health states (stages) differed markedly across studies. Additionally, weights for similar health states differed, particularly in the case of mild diseases, for which the disability weight differed by a factor of two or more. Conclusions In terms of comparability of the resulting YLDs, the global use of the same set of disability weights has advantages, though practical constraints and intercultural differences should be taken into account into such a set. PMID:26019690

  14. Development of a New Optical Measuring Set-Up

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miroshnichenko, I. P.; Parinov, I. A.

    2018-06-01

    The paper proposes a description of the developed optical measuring set-up for the contactless recording and processing of measurement results for small spatial (linear and angular) displacements of control surfaces based on the use of laser technologies and optical interference methods. The proposed set-up is designed to solve all the arising measurement tasks in the study of the physical and mechanical properties of new materials and in the process of diagnosing the state of structural materials by acoustic active methods of nondestructive testing. The structure of the set-up, its constituent parts are described, and the features of construction and functioning during measurements are discussed. New technical solutions for the implementation of the components of the set-up under consideration are obtained. The purpose and description of the original specialized software, used to perform a priori analysis of measurement results, are present, while performing measurements, for a posteriori analysis of measurement results. Moreover, the influences of internal and external disturbance effects on the measurement results and correcting measurement results directly in their implementation are determined. The technical solutions, used in the set-up, are protected by the patents of the Russian Federation for inventions, and software is protected by the certificates of state registration of computer programs. The proposed set-up is intended for use in instrumentation, mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, aviation, energy sector, etc.

  15. 48 CFR 2811.104-70 - Brand-name or equal description.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Brand-name or equal... 2811.104-70 Brand-name or equal description. When a brand-name or equal description is used, the clause set forth in 2852.211-70, Brand-name or Equal, shall be inserted into the solicitation. ...

  16. A Phenomenological Study of Middle Grade Female and Male Students' Single-Sex Mathematical Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simpson, Amber; Che, S. Megan

    2016-01-01

    Utilizing a descriptive phenomenological design, this study examines the lived experiences of seven middle grade students, four females and three males, enrolled in a single-sex mathematics classroom within a coeducational school setting. The intent of the study is to understand, from students themselves, about the experience of single-sex…

  17. The Lymphedema and Gynecologic Cancer (LEG) Study: Incidence, Risk Factors, and | Division of Cancer Prevention

    Cancer.gov

    DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed study, Lymphedema and Gynecologic cancer (LEG): Incidence, Risk Factors and Impact, will innovatively utilize the cooperative group setting of the GOG (Gynecologic Oncology Group) to prospectively study 1300 women newly diagnosed with cervical, endometrial, or vulvar cancer to determine the incidence and impact of lower

  18. Intercity bus service study 2014.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-02-01

    Rural transit programs are funded with 5311 funds, named for their description in Section 5311 of United States : Code (49 USC S5311). In Alabama, 15% of 5311 funds are set aside to be spent on improving intercity bus : service through the 5311(f) pr...

  19. Description of the control system design for the SSF PMAD DC testbed

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baez, Anastacio N.; Kimnach, Greg L.

    1991-01-01

    The Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) DC Testbed Control System for Space Station Freedom was developed using a top down approach based on classical control system and conventional terrestrial power utilities design techniques. The design methodology includes the development of a testbed operating concept. This operating concept describes the operation of the testbed under all possible scenarios. A unique set of operating states was identified and a description of each state, along with state transitions, was generated. Each state is represented by a unique set of attributes and constraints, and its description reflects the degree of system security within which the power system is operating. Using the testbed operating states description, a functional design for the control system was developed. This functional design consists of a functional outline, a text description, and a logical flowchart for all the major control system functions. Described here are the control system design techniques, various control system functions, and the status of the design and implementation.

  20. User's manual for two dimensional FDTD version TEA and TMA codes for scattering from frequency-independent dielectic materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beggs, John H.; Luebbers, Raymond J.; Kunz, Karl S.

    1991-01-01

    The Penn State Finite Difference Time Domain Electromagnetic Scattering Code Versions TEA and TMA are two dimensional numerical electromagnetic scattering codes based upon the Finite Difference Time Domain Technique (FDTD) first proposed by Yee in 1966. The supplied version of the codes are two versions of our current two dimensional FDTD code set. This manual provides a description of the codes and corresponding results for the default scattering problem. The manual is organized into eleven sections: introduction, Version TEA and TMA code capabilities, a brief description of the default scattering geometry, a brief description of each subroutine, a description of the include files (TEACOM.FOR TMACOM.FOR), a section briefly discussing scattering width computations, a section discussing the scattering results, a sample problem set section, a new problem checklist, references and figure titles.

  1. Substitutes for School Nurses in Illinois

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vollinger, Linda Jeno; Bergren, Martha Dewey; Belmonte-Mann, Frances

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore utilization of nurse substitutes in the school setting in Illinois. The literature described personnel who staff the school health office in the absence of the school nurse and the barriers to obtaining nurse substitutes. There were no empirical studies conducted on school nurse substitutes in…

  2. Effect of Group versus Individual Assessments on Coursework among Undergraduates in Tanzania: Implications for Continuous Assessments in Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mbalamula, Yazidu Saidi

    2018-01-01

    The study analyzes students' performance scores in formative assessments depicting the individual and group settings. A case study design was adopted using quantitative approach to extract data of 198 undergraduate students. Data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics--means and frequencies; spearman correlations, multiple…

  3. Erosion in radial inflow turbines. Volume 5: Computer programs for tracing particle trajectories

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Clevenger, W. B., Jr.; Tabakoff, W.

    1975-01-01

    Computer programs used to study the trajectories of particles in the radial inflow turbines are presented. The general technique of each program is described. A set of subroutines developed during the study are described. Descriptions, listings, and typical examples of each of the main programs are included.

  4. A Critical Review of Instructional Design Process of Distance Learning System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chaudry, Muhammad Ajmal; ur-Rahman, Fazal

    2010-01-01

    Instructional design refers to planning, development, delivery and evaluation of instructional system. It is an applied field of study aiming at the application of descriptive research outcomes in regular instructional settings. The present study was designed to critically review the process of instructional design at Allama Iqbal Open University…

  5. Competent Children at Risk: Their Parents and Families. 1. Description of Study and Measures.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fisher, Lawrence; And Others

    An investigation was conducted to assess parental and family characteristics of boys who displayed competence when exposed to a set of stressful circumstances expected to impair and/or retard their development. Participating children and families were involved in the University of Rochester Child and Family Study, a prospective developmental…

  6. Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology preliminary requirements for space science and applications platform studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1979-01-01

    Needs and requirements for a free flying space science and applications platform to host groupings of compatible, extended mission experiments in earth orbit are discussed. A payload model which serves to define a typical set of mission requirements in the form of a descriptive data base is presented along with experiment leval and group level data summarizations and flight schedules. The payload descriptions are grouped by technology into the following categories: communications, materials (long term effect upon), materials technology development, power, sensors, and thermal control.

  7. Leading-order classical Lagrangians for the nonminimal standard-model extension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reis, J. A. A. S.; Schreck, M.

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, we derive the general leading-order classical Lagrangian covering all fermion operators of the nonminimal standard-model extension (SME). Such a Lagrangian is considered to be the point-particle analog of the effective field theory description of Lorentz violation that is provided by the SME. At leading order in Lorentz violation, the Lagrangian obtained satisfies the set of five nonlinear equations that govern the map from the field theory to the classical description. This result can be of use for phenomenological studies of classical bodies in gravitational fields.

  8. Metrology in health: a pilot study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ferreira, M.; Matos, A.

    2015-02-01

    The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze some relevant issues which arise when the concept of metrological traceability is applied to health care facilities. Discussion is structured around the results that were obtained through a characterization and comparative description of the practices applied in 45 different Portuguese health entities. Following a qualitative exploratory approach, the information collected was the support for the initial research hypotheses and the development of the questionnaire survey. It was also applied a quantitative methodology that included a descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of the experimental data set.

  9. A DFT and ab initio benchmarking study of metal-alkane interactions and the activation of carbon-hydrogen bonds.

    PubMed

    Flener-Lovitt, Charity; Woon, David E; Dunning, Thom H; Girolami, Gregory S

    2010-02-04

    Density functional theory and ab initio methods have been used to calculate the structures and energies of minima and transition states for the reactions of methane coordinated to a transition metal. The reactions studied are reversible C-H bond activation of the coordinated methane ligand to form a transition metal methyl hydride complex and dissociation of the coordinated methane ligand. The reaction sequence can be summarized as L(x)M(CH(3))H <==> L(x)M(CH(4)) <==> L(x)M + CH(4), where L(x)M is the osmium-containing fragment (C(5)H(5))Os(R(2)PCH(2)PR(2))(+) and R is H or CH(3). Three-center metal-carbon-hydrogen interactions play an important role in this system. Both basis sets and functionals have been benchmarked in this work, including new correlation consistent basis sets for a third transition series element, osmium. Double zeta quality correlation consistent basis sets yield energies close to those from calculations with quadruple-zeta basis sets, with variations that are smaller than the differences between functionals. The energies of important species on the potential energy surface, calculated by using 10 DFT functionals, are compared both to experimental values and to CCSD(T) single point calculations. Kohn-Sham natural bond orbital descriptions are used to understand the differences between functionals. Older functionals favor electrostatic interactions over weak donor-acceptor interactions and, therefore, are not particularly well suited for describing systems--such as sigma-complexes--in which the latter are dominant. Newer kinetic and dispersion-corrected functionals such as MPW1K and M05-2X provide significantly better descriptions of the bonding interactions, as judged by their ability to predict energies closer to CCSD(T) values. Kohn-Sham and natural bond orbitals are used to differentiate between bonding descriptions. Our evaluations of these basis sets and DFT functionals lead us to recommend the use of dispersion corrected functionals in conjunction with double-zeta or larger basis sets with polarization functions for calculations involving weak interactions, such as those found in sigma-complexes with transition metals.

  10. The Effects of Perceived Normative Pressure and Observability of Behavior on Intention to Perform Sun Protection and Nutrition Behaviors on Behalf of Young Children among Parents

    PubMed Central

    Lewis, Nehama

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes research on two normative concepts thought to impact health behaviors: injunctive and descriptive norms. The study tests whether the extent to which the same health behavior is enacted in an observable or non-observable setting will lead to variation in normative influence on parent intention. In on-line experiments conducted in winter 2009, 467 participants were randomized to a behavioral scenario in which the health behavior was described as occurring in an observable or non-observable setting. For sun protection behaviors, observability primed the influence of descriptive norms on intention. For nutrition behaviors, observability primed the influence of injunctive norms on intention. Across both conditions, observability of the behavioral scenario increased the strength of the association between norms and intention. PMID:24610959

  11. Qualified nurses' perceptions of nursing graduates' abilities vary according to specific demographic and clinical characteristics. A descriptive quantitative study.

    PubMed

    Missen, Karen; McKenna, Lisa; Beauchamp, Alison; Larkins, Jo-Ann

    2016-10-01

    Evidence from the literature and anecdotally from clinical settings suggests that newly graduated nurses are not fully prepared to be independent practitioners in healthcare settings. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of qualified nurses in relation to the practice readiness of newly registered nursing graduates and determine whether these views differ according to specific demographic characteristics, clinical settings, and geographical locations. A descriptive quantitative design was used. An online survey tool was used to assess how qualified nurses (n=201) in Victoria, Australia, rated newly graduated nurses' abilities on 51 individual clinical skills/competencies in eight key skill areas. A composite score was calculated for each skill area and a comparative analysis was undertaken on the various cohorts of participants according to their demographic and clinical characteristics using one-way ANOVA and post hoc tests. Newly graduated nurses were found to be lacking competence in two key skill areas and were rated as performing adequately in the remaining six skill areas assessed. Significant differences (p≤0.05) in performance were found according to the age of the nurse, number of years registered, the educational setting in which they undertook their nurse education, their role, and the clinical area in which they worked. There were no significant differences according to whether the nurse worked in the private or public healthcare sector. Few differences were found between nurses working in a metropolitan vs. regional/rural healthcare setting. This is the first study to quantify the scale of this problem. Our findings serve as a reference for both nurse education providers and healthcare settings in better preparing nursing graduates to be competent, safe practitioners in all clinical areas. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Predicting negative drinking consequences: examining descriptive norm perception.

    PubMed

    Benton, Stephen L; Downey, Ronald G; Glider, Peggy S; Benton, Sherry A; Shin, Kanghyun; Newton, Douglas W; Arck, William; Price, Amy

    2006-05-01

    This study explored how much variance in college student negative drinking consequences is explained by descriptive norm perception, beyond that accounted for by student gender and self-reported alcohol use. A derivation sample (N=7565; 54% women) and a replication sample (N=8924; 55.5% women) of undergraduate students completed the Campus Alcohol Survey in classroom settings. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that student gender and average number of drinks when "partying" were significantly related to harmful consequences resulting from drinking. Men reported more consequences than did women, and drinking amounts were positively correlated with consequences. However, descriptive norm perception did not explain any additional variance beyond that attributed to gender and alcohol use. Furthermore, there was no significant three-way interaction among student gender, alcohol use, and descriptive norm perception. Norm perception contributed no significant variance in explaining harmful consequences beyond that explained by college student gender and alcohol use.

  13. The clinical nurse specialist in an Irish hospital.

    PubMed

    Wickham, Sheelagh

    2011-01-01

    This study was set in an acute Irish health care setting and aimed to explore the activity of the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) in this setting. Quantitative methodology, using a valid and reliable questionnaire, provided descriptive statistics that gave accurate data on the total population of CNSs in the health care setting. The study was set in an acute-care 750-bed hospital that had 25 CNSs in practice. The sample consisted of all 25 CNSs who are the total population of CNSs working in the acute health care institution. The findings show the CNS to be active in the roles of researcher, educator, communicator, change agent, leader, and clinical specialist, but the level of activity varies between different roles. There is variety in the activity of CNSs in the various roles and to what extent they enact the role. The findings merit further study on CNS role activity and possible variables that influence role activity.

  14. Findings From a Nursing Care Audit Based on the Nursing Process: A Descriptive Study.

    PubMed

    Poortaghi, Sarieh; Salsali, Mahvash; Ebadi, Abbas; Rahnavard, Zahra; Maleki, Farzaneh

    2015-09-01

    Although using the nursing process improves nursing care quality, few studies have evaluated nursing performance in accordance with nursing process steps either nationally or internationally. This study aimed to audit nursing care based on a nursing process model. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study in which a nursing audit checklist was designed and validated for assessing nurses' compliance with nursing process. A total of 300 nurses from various clinical settings of Tehran university of medical sciences were selected. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including frequencies, Pearson correlation coefficient and independent samples t-tests. The compliance rate of nursing process indicators was 79.71 ± 0.87. Mean compliance scores did not significantly differ by education level and gender. However, overall compliance scores were correlated with nurses' age (r = 0.26, P = 0.001) and work experience (r = 0.273, P = 0.001). Nursing process indicators can be used to audit nursing care. Such audits can be used as quality assurance tools.

  15. The use of occupation-based assessments and intervention in the hand therapy setting - A survey.

    PubMed

    Grice, Kimatha Oxford

    2015-01-01

    Descriptive survey. This study specifically explored the use of occupation-based assessments and intervention in the hand therapy setting, but also more generally, current practice trends about all assessments being utilized in this setting, frequency of their use, and therapists' perceptions about them. An online survey was distributed via email to members of the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT). The survey consisted of ten questions and was administered via Survey Monkey. Responses were received from 22% of those surveyed. A descriptive analysis was completed of the results and indicated that over half use occupation-based assessments on a daily basis; most are related to ADL function and used for the development of goals. The primary reason for not utilizing occupation-based assessments is time limitation. Seventy-nine percent believe these measures are important for the services provided in the hand therapy setting. Occupation-based assessments and intervention are not utilized as much as therapists would like in the hand therapy setting, primarily due to time constraints. While not formally assessed, the majority of those who responded indicated that they do address occupation in their assessments and interventions. Not applicable. Copyright © 2015 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Initial description of primate-specific cystine-knot Prometheus genes and differential gene expansions of D-dopachrome tautomerase genes

    PubMed Central

    Premzl, Marko

    2015-01-01

    Using eutherian comparative genomic analysis protocol and public genomic sequence data sets, the present work attempted to update and revise two gene data sets. The most comprehensive third party annotation gene data sets of eutherian adenohypophysis cystine-knot genes (128 complete coding sequences), and d-dopachrome tautomerases and macrophage migration inhibitory factor genes (30 complete coding sequences) were annotated. For example, the present study first described primate-specific cystine-knot Prometheus genes, as well as differential gene expansions of D-dopachrome tautomerase genes. Furthermore, new frameworks of future experiments of two eutherian gene data sets were proposed. PMID:25941635

  17. Support Vector Data Description Model to Map Specific Land Cover with Optimal Parameters Determined from a Window-Based Validation Set.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jinshui; Yuan, Zhoumiqi; Shuai, Guanyuan; Pan, Yaozhong; Zhu, Xiufang

    2017-04-26

    This paper developed an approach, the window-based validation set for support vector data description (WVS-SVDD), to determine optimal parameters for support vector data description (SVDD) model to map specific land cover by integrating training and window-based validation sets. Compared to the conventional approach where the validation set included target and outlier pixels selected visually and randomly, the validation set derived from WVS-SVDD constructed a tightened hypersphere because of the compact constraint by the outlier pixels which were located neighboring to the target class in the spectral feature space. The overall accuracies for wheat and bare land achieved were as high as 89.25% and 83.65%, respectively. However, target class was underestimated because the validation set covers only a small fraction of the heterogeneous spectra of the target class. The different window sizes were then tested to acquire more wheat pixels for validation set. The results showed that classification accuracy increased with the increasing window size and the overall accuracies were higher than 88% at all window size scales. Moreover, WVS-SVDD showed much less sensitivity to the untrained classes than the multi-class support vector machine (SVM) method. Therefore, the developed method showed its merits using the optimal parameters, tradeoff coefficient ( C ) and kernel width ( s ), in mapping homogeneous specific land cover.

  18. The translation of sports injury prevention and safety promotion knowledge: insights from key intermediary organisations.

    PubMed

    Bekker, Sheree; Paliadelis, Penny; Finch, Caroline F

    2017-03-28

    A recognised research-to-practice gap exists in the health research field of sports injury prevention and safety promotion. There is a need for improved insight into increasing the relevancy, accessibility and legitimacy of injury prevention and safety promotion research knowledge for sport settings. The role of key organisations as intermediaries in the process of health knowledge translation for sports settings remains under-explored, and this paper aims to determine, and describe, the processes of knowledge translation undertaken by a set of key organisations in developing and distributing injury prevention and safety promotion resources. The National Guidance for Australian Football Partnerships and Safety (NoGAPS) project provided the context for this study. Representatives from five key NoGAPS organisations participated in individual face-to-face interviews about organisational processes of knowledge translation. A qualitative descriptive methodology was used to analyse participants' descriptions of knowledge translation activities undertaken at their respective organisations. Several themes emerged around health knowledge translation processes and considerations, including (1) identifying a need for knowledge translation, (2) developing and disseminating resources, and (3) barriers and enablers to knowledge translation. This study provides insight into the processes that key organisations employ when developing and disseminating injury prevention and safety promotion resources within sport settings. The relevancy, accessibility and legitimacy of health research knowledge is foregrounded, with a view to increasing the influence of research on the development of health-related resources suitable for community sport settings.

  19. Systems Operation Studies for Automated Guideway Transit Systems : Representative Application Areas for AGT

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1980-11-01

    The purpose of the Application Area Definition task is to define the travel demands and guideway networks for a set of representative AGT system deployments. These demands and networks, when combined with detailed descriptions of the systems and thei...

  20. A systematic review on the relationship between the nursing shortage and nurses' job satisfaction, stress and burnout levels in oncology/haematology settings.

    PubMed

    Gi, Toh Shir; Devi, Kamala M; Neo Kim, Emily Ang

    2011-01-01

    Nursing shortage is a global issue that which affects oncology nursing. Oncology nurses are more prone to experience job dissatisfaction, stress and burnout when they work in units with poor staffing. There is thus a need for greater understanding of the relationship between the nursing shortage and nursing outcomes in oncology/haematology settings. This review aimed to establish the best available evidence concerning the relationship between the nursing shortage and nurses' job satisfaction, stress and burnout levels in oncology/haematology settings; and to make recommendations for practice and future research. Types of participants: This review considered studies that included oncology registered nurses (RNs) who were more than 18 years of age and worked in either inpatient or outpatient oncology/haematology wards or units for the adult or paediatric patients.Types of intervention: This review considered studies that evaluated the relationship between the nursing shortage and nurses' job satisfaction, stress and burnout levels in oncology/haematology settings.Types of outcomes: This review included studies that measured job satisfaction, stress and burnout levels using different outcomes measures. Job satisfaction was determined by the Measure of Job Satisfaction scale, the Misener Nurse Practitioner Job Satisfaction Scale and the Likert scale, stress by the Pediatric Oncology Nurse Stressor Questionnaire and burnout by the Maslash Burnout Inventory scale.Types of studies: This review included descriptive/descriptive-correlational studies which were published in English. The search strategy sought to identify published and unpublished studies conducted between 1990 and 2010. Using a three-step search strategy, the following databases were accessed: CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, Proquest and Mednar. Two independent reviewers assessed each paper for methodological validity prior to inclusion in the review using standardised critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute-Meta Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI). Disagreements were resolved through discussion, or with a third reviewer. Data were extracted using standardised data extraction tool adapted from the JBI-MAStARI. Data synthesisDue to the heterogeneous nature of the included papers, a meta-analysis was not possible. Hence, a narrative summary was presented for the studies. This review encompassed seven descriptive/descriptive-correlational studies. Findings revealed a positive bidirectional relationship between the nursing shortage and oncology nurses' job dissatisfaction, stress and burnout. In addition, the extent of oncology nurses' job dissatisfaction, stress and burnout, and their perception of staffing inadequacy also differed according to nurses' demography and work settings. The nursing shortage, coupled with an increasing number of patients diagnosed with cancer, entail a pressing need for organisations to ensure sufficient staffing in oncology/haematology settings, in order to provide quality patient care. This then requires interventions that target both the recruitment and retention of nurses. Organisations need to customise their strategies for the recruitment and retention of oncology nurses. The strategies should take into considerations the specific demographic characteristics of oncology nurses or characteristics of work settings that are experiencing staffing inadequacy and negative nursing outcomes. The strategies should also aim to replicate features of other institutions that are attractive to oncology nurses; and also include training that help oncology nurses better manage their emotions. Future research need to examine the relationship between the nursing shortage and oncology nurses' job satisfaction, stress and burnout in bone marrow transplant units, paediatric oncology settings and also Asian oncology settings. Characteristics of oncology nurses or workplaces that are more likely to experience negative nursing outcomes due the nursing shortage should also be identified.

  1. Data catalog series for space science and applications flight missions. Volume 1A: Descriptions of planetary and heliocentric spacecraft and investigations, second edition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cameron, Winifred Sawtell (Editor); Vostreys, Robert W. (Editor)

    1988-01-01

    The main purpose of the data catalog series is to provide descriptive references to data generated by space science flight missions. The data sets described include all of the actual holdings of the Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), all data sets for which direct contact information is available, and some data collections held and serviced by foreign investigators, NASA and other U.S. government agencies. This volume contains narrative descriptions of planetary and heliocentric spacecraft and associated experiments. The following spacecraft series are included: Mariner, Pioneer, Pioneer Venus, Venera, Viking, Voyager, and Helios. Separate indexes to the planetary and interplanetary missions are also included.

  2. Interpretable Decision Sets: A Joint Framework for Description and Prediction

    PubMed Central

    Lakkaraju, Himabindu; Bach, Stephen H.; Jure, Leskovec

    2016-01-01

    One of the most important obstacles to deploying predictive models is the fact that humans do not understand and trust them. Knowing which variables are important in a model’s prediction and how they are combined can be very powerful in helping people understand and trust automatic decision making systems. Here we propose interpretable decision sets, a framework for building predictive models that are highly accurate, yet also highly interpretable. Decision sets are sets of independent if-then rules. Because each rule can be applied independently, decision sets are simple, concise, and easily interpretable. We formalize decision set learning through an objective function that simultaneously optimizes accuracy and interpretability of the rules. In particular, our approach learns short, accurate, and non-overlapping rules that cover the whole feature space and pay attention to small but important classes. Moreover, we prove that our objective is a non-monotone submodular function, which we efficiently optimize to find a near-optimal set of rules. Experiments show that interpretable decision sets are as accurate at classification as state-of-the-art machine learning techniques. They are also three times smaller on average than rule-based models learned by other methods. Finally, results of a user study show that people are able to answer multiple-choice questions about the decision boundaries of interpretable decision sets and write descriptions of classes based on them faster and more accurately than with other rule-based models that were designed for interpretability. Overall, our framework provides a new approach to interpretable machine learning that balances accuracy, interpretability, and computational efficiency. PMID:27853627

  3. Delegation in Long-term Care: Scope of practice or job description?

    PubMed Central

    Corazzini, Kirsten N.; Anderson, Ruth A.; Rapp, Carla Gene; Mueller, Christine; McConnell, Eleanor S.; Lekan, Deborah

    2010-01-01

    This study is a qualitative, descriptive study of how registered nurses (RNs) (N=33) in leadership roles in institutionalized long-term care settings delegate care, including their strategies and processes for delegating care, and their perceptions of barriers to effective delegation and potential benefits of delegation. Findings indicate two key approaches to delegation, including the “follow the job description” approach, emphasizing adherence to facility-level roles and job descriptions, and the “consider the scope of practice” approach, emphasizing consideration of multiple aspects of scope of practice and licensure, and the context of care. While the former resulted in more clarity and certainty for the RN, the latter facilitated a focus on quality of resident care outcomes as linked to the delegation process. Barriers to effective delegation were comparable among RNs using either approach to delegation, and almost all RNs could describe benefits of delegation for long-term care. PMID:25006330

  4. Strategies for human-driven robot comprehension of spatial descriptions by older adults in a robot fetch task.

    PubMed

    Carlson, Laura; Skubic, Marjorie; Miller, Jared; Huo, Zhiyu; Alexenko, Tatiana

    2014-07-01

    This contribution presents a corpus of spatial descriptions and describes the development of a human-driven spatial language robot system for their comprehension. The domain of application is an eldercare setting in which an assistive robot is asked to "fetch" an object for an elderly resident based on a natural language spatial description given by the resident. In Part One, we describe a corpus of naturally occurring descriptions elicited from a group of older adults within a virtual 3D home that simulates the eldercare setting. We contrast descriptions elicited when participants offered descriptions to a human versus robot avatar, and under instructions to tell the addressee how to find the target versus where the target is. We summarize the key features of the spatial descriptions, including their dynamic versus static nature and the perspective adopted by the speaker. In Part Two, we discuss critical cognitive and perceptual processing capabilities necessary for the robot to establish a common ground with the human user and perform the "fetch" task. Based on the collected corpus, we focus here on resolving the perspective ambiguity and recognizing furniture items used as landmarks in the descriptions. Taken together, the work presented here offers the key building blocks of a robust system that takes as input natural spatial language descriptions and produces commands that drive the robot to successfully fetch objects within our eldercare scenario. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  5. Industrial Fuel Gas Demonstration-Plant Program. Volume II. The environment (Deliverable No. 27). [Baseline environmental data

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

    Not Available

    1979-08-01

    The proposed site of the Industrial Fuel Gas Demonstration Plant (IFGDP) is located on a small peninsula extending eastward into Lake McKeller from the south shore. The peninsula is located west-southwest of the City of Memphis near the confluence of Lake McKeller and the Mississippi River. The environmental setting of this site and the region around this site is reported in terms of physical, biological, and human descriptions. Within the physical description, this report divides the environmental setting into sections on physiography, geology, hydrology, water quality, climatology, air quality, and ambient noise. The biological description is divided into sections onmore » aquatic and terrestrial ecology. Finally, the human environment description is reported in sections on land use, demography, socioeconomics, culture, and visual features. This section concludes with a discussion of physical environmental constraints.« less

  6. Prediction of three social cognitive-motivational structure types.

    PubMed

    Malerstein, A J; Ahern, M M; Pulos, S

    2001-10-01

    Previously, using interviews from Baumrind's longitudinal study, three cognitive-motivational structures (CMSs) were predicted in 68 adolescents from caregiving settings and from the CMS types of their mothers, based on the mothers' interviews elicited six years earlier. CMS theory proposes that during Piaget's Concrete Operational Period care-receiving influences the child's adoption of a social cognitive style, which corresponds to one of Piaget's stages of cognitive development. One who is classified as an Operational experiences the caregiving setting as tuned to the child's long-term interests, becomes focused on function and control of function and grasps the distinctions between and gradations of social attributes. One classified as future Intuitive experiences the caregiving as insufficient or unreliable and becomes focused on getting and having, and assesses social situations based on current striking dimensions. A person classified as being future Symbolic experiences the caregiving as out of tune with the self or the world, becomes focused on identity and emotional closeness, and may define self or object by a single attribute. This previous study did not distinguish between the influence of caregiving (including mothers' CMS) on the formation of adolescent CMS type and the possible constancy of CMS type from ages 9 to 15 years. The current study was designed to distinguish between these two possibilities, using data from 67 of the same mothers. Mothers' interviews were purged of descriptions of her child's behavior. Another interview was composed of the purged descriptions of child behavior. This was also done for interviews held when the child was 4 and 15 as well as at 9. From interviews with descriptions of child behavior purged, mother's CMS type at the child's age of 4 and 9 yr. agreed with her adolescent's previously assigned CMS type (p<.05), and caregiving setting at 9 years predicted the adolescent's CMS type (p<.05). From interviews composed of descriptions of only the child's behavior, adolescent CMS type agreed with previously assigned adolescent CMS type (p<.01). Findings were consonant with the idea that CMS type formation is influenced at about Age 9 and sufficiently established to be recognized at Age 15.

  7. Setting an Agenda for a Person-Centered Approach to Personality Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robins, Richard W.; Tracy, Jessica L.

    2003-01-01

    Describes features and benefits of the person-centered approach to studying personality, identifies unanswered questions, and suggests research directions. Benefits noted include focus on intraindividual structure, descriptive efficiency, use of types as moderator variables, predictive validity, and conceptual clarity and intuitive appeal.…

  8. Describing Images: A Case Study of Visual Literacy among Library and Information Science Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beaudoin, Joan E.

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports on a study that examined the development of pedagogical methods for increasing the visual literacy skills of a group of library and information science students. Through a series of three assignments, students were asked to provide descriptive information for a set of historical photographs and record reflections on their…

  9. Life in the Cloud: A WorldShare Management Services Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hartman, Robin R.

    2012-01-01

    A small, private academic library took the risk of moving from a traditional integrated library system to adopting a system "in the cloud." This case study presents the setting, history, and local needs of the library, including staffing challenges, and explains the decision-making rationale and process. A description of the library's transition…

  10. A Qualitative Study to Explore How Parental Expectations and Rules Influence Beverage Choices in Early Adolescence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roth-Yousey, Lori; Chu, Yen Li; Reicks, Marla

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To understand parent beverage expectations for early adolescents (EAs) by eating occasion at home and in various settings. Methods: Descriptive study using focus group interviews and the constant comparative method for qualitative data analysis. Results: Six focus groups were completed, and 2 were conducted in Spanish. Participants (n =…

  11. A Descriptive Study of a Building-Based Team Problem-Solving Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brewer, Alexander B.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to empirically evaluate Building-Based Teams for General Education Intervention or BBT for GEI. BBT for GEI is a team problem-solving process designed to assist schools in conducting research-based interventions in the general education setting. Problem-solving teams are part of general education and provide support…

  12. Determinants of Non-Compliance of Public Procurement Regulations in Kenyan Secondary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Migosi, Joash; Ombuki, Charles; Ombuki, Kennedy N.; Evusa, Zablon

    2013-01-01

    Kenya's public procurement and disposal Act of 2005 sets out clear rules and procedures for public procurement entities to follow; however this does not seem to be the case. This study sought to examine determinants of Non-compliance to the Public Procurement Regulations in Kenyan Secondary Schools. The study adopted a descriptive survey research.…

  13. Reading Jihad: The Identity Enactment and Literacy Practices of Muslim Immigrant Children in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nayan, Rohany

    2012-01-01

    This dissertation manuscript reports on a study that explored the ways in which the focal children in three Muslim immigrant families enacted identity by way of literacy practice. This study set out to construct a better understanding of Muslim American immigrant families by providing a "thick description" of their identity performance…

  14. Report on the Payroll System. MORE: Management Operations Review & Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doody, Robert J.; And Others

    Designed to improve the long-term operational efficiency of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Public Schools (MCPS) payroll system, this study begins with an executive summary, including a set of recommendations and a chapter-by-chapter synopsis. Following an introduction to the study and a general description of the payroll system in chapters 1…

  15. Implementation of Web- Based Distance Education in Nursing Education in Turkey: A Sample Lesson in Patient Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Senyuva, Emine; Tasocak, Gülsün

    2014-01-01

    The research was carried out in 2005-2006 as a descriptive and methodological study. It aimed to obtain students' feedback and to serve as a source for future relevant studies. The setting of the study was Istanbul University Florence Nightingale Nursing College and at Istanbul University Bakirköy Health College. The sample of the study included…

  16. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part J. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: Sales Core Job Description; #36--Sales, Automotive Parts; #37--Sales, Retail; #38--Salesperson, Garden & Housewares; #39--Salesperson, Women's Garments.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This seventh of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Competency Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Salesperson, Automotive Parts; Sales Clerk, Retail; Salesperson, Garden and Housewares; and Salesperson, Women's Garments. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title,…

  17. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part M. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #60--Food Assembler; #61--Injection Molder--Machine Operator; #62--Data Entry Typist; #63--Institutional Cook; Office Core Job Description; #64--Clerk Typist.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This tenth of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Competency Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Food Assembler, Injection Molder-Machine Operator, Data Entry Typist, Institutional Cook, and Clerk Typist. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE…

  18. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part P: ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #77--Secretary; #78--Keypunch Operator; Assembly Worker Core Job Description; #82--Electronics Assembler; #83--Printed Circuit Assembler; #84--Micro Electronics Assembler; #85--Chassis Assembler; #87--Machinist Apprentice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This thirteenth of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Competency Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Secretary, Keypunch Operator, Electronics Assembler, Printed Circuit Assembler, Micro Electronincs Assembler, Chassis Assembler, and Machinist Apprentice. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes…

  19. Knowledge translation studies in paediatric emergency medicine: A systematic review of the literature.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Catherine L; Johnson, David; Oakley, Ed

    2016-02-01

    Systematic review of knowledge translation studies focused on paediatric emergency care to describe and assess the interventions used in emergency department settings. Electronic databases were searched for knowledge translation studies conducted in the emergency department that included the care of children. Two researchers independently reviewed the studies. From 1305 publications identified, 15 studies of varied design were included. Four were cluster-controlled trials, two patient-level randomised controlled trials, two interrupted time series, one descriptive study and six before and after intervention studies. Knowledge translation interventions were predominantly aimed at the treating clinician, with some targeting the organisation. Studies assessed effectiveness of interventions over 6-12 months in before and after studies, and 3-28 months in cluster or patient level controlled trials. Changes in clinical practice were variable, with studies on single disease and single treatments in a single site showing greater improvement. Evidence for effective methods to translate knowledge into practice in paediatric emergency medicine is fairly limited. More optimal study designs with more explicit descriptions of interventions are needed to facilitate other groups to effectively apply these procedures in their own setting. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2016 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

  20. Descriptive Statistics: Reporting the Answers to the 5 Basic Questions of Who, What, Why, When, Where, and a Sixth, So What?

    PubMed

    Vetter, Thomas R

    2017-11-01

    Descriptive statistics are specific methods basically used to calculate, describe, and summarize collected research data in a logical, meaningful, and efficient way. Descriptive statistics are reported numerically in the manuscript text and/or in its tables, or graphically in its figures. This basic statistical tutorial discusses a series of fundamental concepts about descriptive statistics and their reporting. The mean, median, and mode are 3 measures of the center or central tendency of a set of data. In addition to a measure of its central tendency (mean, median, or mode), another important characteristic of a research data set is its variability or dispersion (ie, spread). In simplest terms, variability is how much the individual recorded scores or observed values differ from one another. The range, standard deviation, and interquartile range are 3 measures of variability or dispersion. The standard deviation is typically reported for a mean, and the interquartile range for a median. Testing for statistical significance, along with calculating the observed treatment effect (or the strength of the association between an exposure and an outcome), and generating a corresponding confidence interval are 3 tools commonly used by researchers (and their collaborating biostatistician or epidemiologist) to validly make inferences and more generalized conclusions from their collected data and descriptive statistics. A number of journals, including Anesthesia & Analgesia, strongly encourage or require the reporting of pertinent confidence intervals. A confidence interval can be calculated for virtually any variable or outcome measure in an experimental, quasi-experimental, or observational research study design. Generally speaking, in a clinical trial, the confidence interval is the range of values within which the true treatment effect in the population likely resides. In an observational study, the confidence interval is the range of values within which the true strength of the association between the exposure and the outcome (eg, the risk ratio or odds ratio) in the population likely resides. There are many possible ways to graphically display or illustrate different types of data. While there is often latitude as to the choice of format, ultimately, the simplest and most comprehensible format is preferred. Common examples include a histogram, bar chart, line chart or line graph, pie chart, scatterplot, and box-and-whisker plot. Valid and reliable descriptive statistics can answer basic yet important questions about a research data set, namely: "Who, What, Why, When, Where, How, How Much?"

  1. Hypothetical Case and Scenario Description for International Transportation of Spent Nuclear Fuel.

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

    Williams, Adam David; Osborn, Douglas; Jones, Katherine A.

    To support more rigorous analysis on global security issues at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), there is a need to develop realistic data sets without using "real" data or identifying "real" vulnerabilities, hazards or geopolitically embarrassing shortcomings. In response, an interdisciplinary team led by subject matter experts in SNL's Center for Global Security and Cooperation (CGSC) developed a hypothetical case description. This hypothetical case description assigns various attributes related to international SNF transportation that are representative, illustrative and indicative of "real" characteristics of "real" countries. There is no intent to identify any particular country and any similarity with specific real-world eventsmore » is purely coincidental. To support the goal of this report to provide a case description (and set of scenarios of concern) for international SNF transportation inclusive of as much "real-world" complexity as possible -- without crossing over into politically sensitive or classified information -- this SAND report provides a subject matter expert-validated (and detailed) description of both technical and political influences on the international transportation of spent nuclear fuel. [PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]« less

  2. A climatological description of the Savannah River Site

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

    Hunter, C.H.

    1990-05-22

    This report provides a general climatological description of the Savannah River Site. The description provides both regional and local scale climatology. The regional climatology includes a general regional climatic description and presents information on occurrence frequencies of the severe meteorological phenomena that are important considerations in the design and siting of a facility. These phenomena include tornadoes, thunderstorms, hurricanes, and ice/snow storms. Occurrence probabilities given for extreme tornado and non-tornado winds are based on previous site specific studies. Local climatological conditions that are significant with respect to the impact of facility operations on the environment are described using on-site ormore » near-site meteorological data. Summaries of wind speed, wind direction, and atmospheric stability are primarily based on the most recently generated five-year set of data collected from the onsite meteorological tower network (1982--86). Temperature, humidity, and precipitation summaries include data from SRL's standard meteorological instrument shelter and the Augusta National Weather Service office at Bush Field through 1986. A brief description of the onsite meteorological monitoring program is also provided. 24 refs., 15 figs., 22 tabs.« less

  3. Qualitative Description of College Students' Dinner Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ball, Brita; Brown, Lora Beth

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To discover how college students conduct dinner groups and perceptions of the benefits and difficulties of participation. Design: Qualitative study conducted with 7 focus groups. Setting and Participants: A university campus, with 36 students participating in dinner groups, defined as a group of 3 people or more cooking for one another…

  4. Two Models for Implementing Senior Mentor Programs in Academic Medical Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corwin, Sara J.; Bates, Tovah; Cohan, Mary; Bragg, Dawn S.; Roberts, Ellen

    2007-01-01

    This paper compares two models of undergraduate geriatric medical education utilizing senior mentoring programs. Descriptive, comparative multiple-case study was employed analyzing program documents, archival records, and focus group data. Themes were compared for similarities and differences between the two program models. Findings indicate that…

  5. E.S.T. and the Oracle.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richardson, Ian M.

    1990-01-01

    A possible syllabus for English for Science and Technology is suggested based upon a set of causal relations, arising from a logical description of the presuppositional rhetoric of scientific passages that underlie most semantic functions. An empirical study is reported of the semantic functions present in 52 randomly selected passages.…

  6. An Empirical Taxonomy of Social-Psychological Risk Indicators in Youth Suicide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hyde, Toni; Kirkland, John; Bimler, David; Pechtel, Pia

    2005-01-01

    The current study integrates descriptive (though primarily social-psychological) statements about youth suicide into a coherent, empirically supported taxonomy. Drawing from relevant literature, a set of 107 items characterizing these contributions about youth suicide was created. Seventy-two participants sorted these statements according to their…

  7. Constrained variational calculus for higher order classical field theories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Campos, Cédric M.; de León, Manuel; Martín de Diego, David

    2010-11-01

    We develop an intrinsic geometrical setting for higher order constrained field theories. As a main tool we use an appropriate generalization of the classical Skinner-Rusk formalism. Some examples of applications are studied, in particular to the geometrical description of optimal control theory for partial differential equations.

  8. UK Student Alcohol Consumption: A Cluster Analysis of Drinking Behaviour Typologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Craigs, Cheryl L.; Bewick, Bridgette M.; Gill, Jan; O'May, Fiona; Radley, Duncan

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To assess the extent to which university students are following UK Government advice regarding appropriate consumption of alcohol, and to investigate if students can be placed into distinct clusters based on their drinking behaviour. Design: A descriptive questionnaire study. Setting: One hundred and nineteen undergraduate students from…

  9. Using Literature To Teach Social Skills to Adolescents with LD.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Peggy L.

    2000-01-01

    Description of the social skill literature strategy (SSLS), an instructional approach that involves integrating social skills intervention into the literature curriculum, focuses on its application using the study of Shakespeare to develop the social skills of secondary students with learning disabilities in an inclusive setting. (Contains…

  10. Problem-Based Learning: An Experiential Strategy for English Language Teacher Education in Chile

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muñoz Campos, Diego

    2017-01-01

    The Chilean education system requires English language teachers to be equipped with non-conventional teaching strategies that can foster meaningful learning and assure successful learners' performances in diverse and complex settings. This exploratory, descriptive, research study aimed at discovering the perceptions of 54 pre-service teachers…

  11. Teacher Role Breadth and its Relationship to Student-Reported Teacher Support

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillippo, Kate L.; Stone, Susan

    2013-01-01

    This study capitalizes on a unique, nested data set comprised of students ("n" = 531) and teachers ("n" = 45) in three high schools that explicitly incorporated student support roles into teachers' job descriptions. Drawing from research on student-teacher relationships, teacher effects on student outcomes, and role theory,…

  12. Understanding Teachers' Concerns about Inclusive Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yadav, Monika; Das, Ajay; Sharma, Sushama; Tiwari, Ashwini

    2015-01-01

    This study examined the concerns of regular elementary school teachers in Gurgaon, India, in order to work with students with disabilities in inclusive education settings. A total of 175 teachers responded to a two-part questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The data indicated that the teachers in Gurgaon,…

  13. Law Enforcement Use of Threat Assessments to Predict Violence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wood, Tracey Michelle

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive multiple case study was to explore what process, policies and procedures, or set of empirically supported norms governed law enforcement officers in a selected county in the southwest region of the United States when threat assessments were conducted on potentially violent subjects threatening mass…

  14. Going Beyond, Going Further: Preparative Exercises in General Chemistry.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kauffman, George B.

    1987-01-01

    Proposes that preparative chemistry is an important and integral part of chemistry as a whole, and an excellent way to introduce students to descriptive chemistry. Provides an outline for students to follow for converting and transforming salts. Suggests a set of general guidelines for studying anion and cation transformations. (TW)

  15. Investigating the Problem of Skill Generalization.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haring, Norris; And Others

    The booklet describes the efforts planned by the Washington Research Organization (UWRO) to study ways in which generalization of skills may be facilitated by severely retarded individuals. It is explained that activities of UWRO are organized around four major tasks: descriptive and laboratory research; research in natural educational settings;…

  16. Spatial Strategies in the Description of Complex Configurations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tenbrink, Thora; Coventry, Kenny R.; Andonova, Elena

    2011-01-01

    How people describe complex arrangements of objects in a small-scale setting has not been sufficiently investigated to predict when discourse strategies shift versus remain stable. In a study involving 100 native German participants, we investigated speakers' choices of perspective, as well as location and orientation information, when describing…

  17. On a production system using default reasoning for pattern classification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barry, Matthew R.; Lowe, Carlyle M.

    1990-01-01

    This paper addresses an unconventional application of a production system to a problem involving belief specialization. The production system reduces a large quantity of low-level descriptions into just a few higher-level descriptions that encompass the problem space in a more tractable fashion. This classification process utilizes a set of descriptions generated by combining the component hierarchy of a physical system with the semantics of the terminology employed in its operation. The paper describes an application of this process in a program, constructed in C and CLIPS, that classifies signatures of electromechanical system configurations. The program compares two independent classifications, describing the actual and expected system configurations, in order to generate a set of contradictions between the two.

  18. Knowledge Management and Law Enforcement: An Examination of Knowledge Management Strategies of the Police Information System (POLNET) in the Turkish National Police

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gultekin, Kubra

    2009-01-01

    This research study explores knowledge management (KM) in law enforcement, focusing on the POLNET system established by the Turkish National Police as a knowledge-sharing tool. This study employs a qualitative case study for exploratory and descriptive purposes. The qualitative data set came from semi-structured face-to-face and telephone…

  19. Socialization to School: A Study of Low-Income and Minority Children in an Early Childhood Setting. Occasional Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwartz, Audrey James

    This study is a description of the initial socialization of low-income children, aged 3 to 6 years, who were recruited by a middle- and upper-income elementary college-laboratory school. Data for this study were obtained through observations of 11 recruited children and their classmates during a 4-year period. These observations were supplemented…

  20. CONTRIBUTORS TO FATIGUE IN PATIENTS RECEIVING MECHANICAL VENTILATORY SUPPORT: A DESCRIPTIVE CORRELATIONAL STUDY

    PubMed Central

    Chlan, Linda L.; Savik, Kay

    2015-01-01

    Objectives To describe levels of fatigue and explore clinical factors that might contribute to fatigue in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Research Methodology/Design Descriptive, correlational design. Sample was a sub-set of patients enrolled in a randomized clinical trial testing patient-directed music for anxiety self-management. Clinical factors included age, gender, length of ICU stay, length of ventilatory support, illness severity (APACHE III), and sedative exposure (sedation intensity and frequency). Descriptive statistics and mixed models were used to address the study objectives. Setting Medical and surgical intensive care units in the Midwestern U.S.A. Main Outcome Measures Fatigue was measured daily via a 100-mm Visual Analog Scale, up to 25 days. Results A sample of 80 patients (50% female) receiving ventilatory support for a median 7.9 days (range 1-46) with a mean age of 61.2 years (SD 14.8) provided daily fatigue ratings. ICU admission APACHE III was 61.5 (SD 19.8). Baseline mean fatigue ratings were 60.7 (SD 27.9), with fluctuations over time indicating a general trend upward. Mixed models analysis implicated illness severity (β(se(β)) = .27(.12)) and sedation frequency (β(se(β)) = 1.2(.52)) as significant contributors to fatigue ratings. Conclusion Illness severity and more frequent sedative administration were related to higher fatigue ratings in these mechanically ventilated patients. PMID:26005034

  1. Use of qualitative and quantitative information in neural networks for assessing agricultural chemical contamination of domestic wells

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mishra, A.; Ray, C.; Kolpin, D.W.

    2004-01-01

    A neural network analysis of agrichemical occurrence in groundwater was conducted using data from a pilot study of 192 small-diameter drilled and driven wells and 115 dug and bored wells in Illinois, a regional reconnaissance network of 303 wells across 12 Midwestern states, and a study of 687 domestic wells across Iowa. Potential factors contributing to well contamination (e.g., depth to aquifer material, well depth, and distance to cropland) were investigated. These contributing factors were available in either numeric (actual or categorical) or descriptive (yes or no) format. A method was devised to use the numeric and descriptive values simultaneously. Training of the network was conducted using a standard backpropagation algorithm. Approximately 15% of the data was used for testing. Analysis indicated that training error was quite low for most data. Testing results indicated that it was possible to predict the contamination potential of a well with pesticides. However, predicting the actual level of contamination was more difficult. For pesticide occurrence in drilled and driven wells, the network predictions were good. The performance of the network was poorer for predicting nitrate occurrence in dug and bored wells. Although the data set for Iowa was large, the prediction ability of the trained network was poor, due to descriptive or categorical input parameters, compared with smaller data sets such as that for Illinois, which contained more numeric information.

  2. A novel way of integrating rule-based knowledge into a web ontology language framework.

    PubMed

    Gamberger, Dragan; Krstaçić, Goran; Jović, Alan

    2013-01-01

    Web ontology language (OWL), used in combination with the Protégé visual interface, is a modern standard for development and maintenance of ontologies and a powerful tool for knowledge presentation. In this work, we describe a novel possibility to use OWL also for the conceptualization of knowledge presented by a set of rules. In this approach, rules are represented as a hierarchy of actionable classes with necessary and sufficient conditions defined by the description logic formalism. The advantages are that: the set of the rules is not an unordered set anymore, the concepts defined in descriptive ontologies can be used directly in the bodies of rules, and Protégé presents an intuitive tool for editing the set of rules. Standard ontology reasoning processes are not applicable in this framework, but experiments conducted on the rule sets have demonstrated that the reasoning problems can be successfully solved.

  3. Geometric representation methods for multi-type self-defining remote sensing data sets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anuta, P. E.

    1980-01-01

    Efficient and convenient representation of remote sensing data is highly important for an effective utilization. The task of merging different data types is currently dealt with by treating each case as an individual problem. A description is provided of work which is carried out to standardize the multidata merging process. The basic concept of the new approach is that of the self-defining data set (SDDS). The creation of a standard is proposed. This standard would be such that data which may be of interest in a large number of earth resources remote sensing applications would be in a format which allows convenient and automatic merging. Attention is given to details regarding the multidata merging problem, a geometric description of multitype data sets, image reconstruction from track-type data, a data set generation system, and an example multitype data set.

  4. A Descriptive Case Study: Effects of a School-Based Intervention Program and Family Involvement to Promote Healthy Lifestyles in Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wall, Joyce E. M.

    2013-01-01

    With an increasing amount of overweight children, especially among racial and ethnic minorities, effective population-level interventions are urgently needed (Wang et al., 2006). The purpose of this study was to provide insight into nutritional and physical activity intervention programs at a Connecticut public school in an urban setting.…

  5. The Relationship between Students' Satisfaction in the LMS "Acadox" and Their Perceptions of Its Usefulness, and Ease of Use

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abdel-Maksoud, Nahed F.

    2018-01-01

    This study examined the relationship between students' satisfaction in the newly developed Learning Management System "Acadox", and their perceptions of its usefulness, and ease of use. The study used a descriptive correlational design to examine the relationships among variables, as they exist in their natural settings. To measure…

  6. A Descriptive Study Comparing GPA, Retention and Graduation of First-Time, Full-Time, Provisionally Admitted First-Generation College Students and Their Peers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lodhavia, Rajalakshmi

    2009-01-01

    This quantitative research study used ex post facto data to analyze possible relationships between a discrete set of independent variables and academic achievement among provisionally admitted students at a public, four-year historically black university located in the mid-Atlantic United States. The independent variables were first-generation…

  7. Behavioral Manifestations and Parental Correlates of Intolerance of Ambiguity in Young Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harrington, David M.; And Others

    The phenomenon of intolerance of ambiguity in young children was investigated in this longitudinal study. Personality data for the total of 120 children in the study were obtained from: (1) descriptions of the children at both 3 and 4 years of age by their teachers, using the California Child Q-set; (2) the children's performance on the Lowenfeld…

  8. A Description of a Blind Student's Science Process Skills through Health Physics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bülbül, M. Sahin

    2013-01-01

    This study describes an approach for blind students thought health physics about how they could set a hypothesis and test it. The participant of the study used some health materials designed for high school blind student and tested her hypothesis with the data she gathered with those materials. It was asked that she should hypothesize which could…

  9. What Is a Watershed? Implications of Student Conceptions for Environmental Science Education and the National Science Education Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shepardson, Daniel P.; Wee, Bryan; Priddy, Michelle; Schellenberger, Lauren; Harbor, Jon

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate students' conceptions about watersheds. Specifically: (1) What are students' conceptions of a watershed? and (2) In what ways might students' conceptions vary by grade level and community setting? This study was descriptive in nature and reflected a cross-age design involving the collection of…

  10. Intellectually Gifted Individuals' Career Choices and Work Satisfaction: A Descriptive Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Persson, Roland S.

    2009-01-01

    This study set out to investigate which career path a group of intellectually gifted individuals chose, if any. How did they actually like their work, and what were the reasons for satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their chosen career? In all, 287 Mensa members (216 men and 71 women) constituted the research group. Their average age was 34.4…

  11. Preschoolers' Causal Reasoning during Shared Picture Book Storytelling: A Cross-Case Comparison Descriptive Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reed, Helen C.; Hurks, Petra P. M.; Kirschner, Paul A.; Jolles, Jelle

    2015-01-01

    This study investigates how shared picture book storytelling within a peer-group setting could stimulate causal reasoning in children aged 4½ to 6 years. Twenty-eight children from preschool classes of three schools were allocated to one of six groups (four to five children per group). Each group participated in six storytelling sessions over a…

  12. Broadening the Knowledge of the LPN Long-Term Care Provider: A Pilot Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Faulk, Debbie; Parker, Francine; Lazenby, Ramona; Morris, Arlene

    2008-01-01

    There are little data regarding Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) roles in long-term care settings and how the roles might be expanded or changed to meet the unique needs of the elderly. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to determine if an increase in knowledge occurred in LPN care providers after implementation of a 32-hour…

  13. A Survey of Faculty Perceptions Regarding Workplace Democracy: A Descriptive Case Study of an Institution of Higher Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dottin, Erskine S.

    A study investigated the attitudes, feelings, and perceptions of faculty members at the University of West Florida toward the larger workplace (the organization) and, in particular, their immediate work setting (climate). The two primary questions to be answered were: (1) do faculty perceive their departments as promoting or restricting workplace…

  14. CONCURRENT WORK-EDUCATION (PROGRAMS IN THE 50 STATES 1965-66). INITIAL DRAFT.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    SCHILL, WILLIAM JOHN

    A DESCRIPTIVE REPORT OF THE CONDUCT OR STATUS OF CONCURRENT WORK-EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN EACH OF THE 50 STATES IS PRESENTED. DATA ARE REPORTED FOR TWO DISTINCT PROGRAMS--(1) COOPERATIVE EDUCATION, A PROGRAM IN WHICH THE STUDENTS WORK PART-TIME AND STUDY IN A FORMAL CLASSROOM SETTING PART-TIME, AND (2) WORK-STUDY, A PROGRAM IN WHICH STUDENTS IN…

  15. A Descriptive Study on the Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation of the NSW (Australia) Healthy School Canteen Strategy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ardzejewska, K.; Tadros, R.; Baxter, D.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: The study investigated the barriers and facilitators to, and the extent of the implementation of, the New South Wales (Australia) "Healthy School Canteen Strategy". Design: A purposeful sample was used and data were collected using a mixed method approach. Setting: Two primary and two secondary government schools from a low…

  16. The impact of social cognitive and personality factors on teachers' reported inclusive behaviour.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Claire; Woolfson, Lisa Marks; Durkin, Kevin; Elliott, Mark A

    2016-09-01

    Inclusive education of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) is intended to maximize their educational experience within the mainstream school setting. While policy mandates inclusion, it is classroom teachers' behaviours that determine its success. This study provided a novel application of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in this setting. It examined the effect of TPB variables and personality on reported inclusive teaching behaviours for learners with ID. The sample comprised 145 primary school teachers (85% female) from mainstream schools across Scotland. Participants completed a TPB questionnaire assessing attitudes (instrumental and affective), subjective norms (injunctive and descriptive norms), perceptions of control (self-efficacy and controllability), and behavioural intentions towards using inclusive strategies. The Big Five Personality Index, measuring extraversion, conscientiousness, openness, neuroticism, and agreeableness, was also completed. Teaching practices were reported 2 weeks later. Instrumental attitudes, descriptive norm, self-efficacy, and neuroticism predicted teachers' intentions to use inclusive strategies. Further, conscientiousness had indirect effects on intentions through TPB variables. These intentions, however, did not predict reported behaviour expected by TPB. Instead, self-efficacy was the only significant predictor of reported behaviour. This study demonstrates the application of TPB to an educational setting and contributes to the understanding of teachers' reported use of inclusive strategies for children with ID. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

  17. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part G. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #22--Refrigerator Mechanic; #24--Motorcycle Repairperson.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This fourth of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Competency Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Refrigerator Mechanic and Motorcycle Repairperson. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE number, career ladder, D.O.T. general educational…

  18. Bayesian classification theory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hanson, Robin; Stutz, John; Cheeseman, Peter

    1991-01-01

    The task of inferring a set of classes and class descriptions most likely to explain a given data set can be placed on a firm theoretical foundation using Bayesian statistics. Within this framework and using various mathematical and algorithmic approximations, the AutoClass system searches for the most probable classifications, automatically choosing the number of classes and complexity of class descriptions. A simpler version of AutoClass has been applied to many large real data sets, has discovered new independently-verified phenomena, and has been released as a robust software package. Recent extensions allow attributes to be selectively correlated within particular classes, and allow classes to inherit or share model parameters though a class hierarchy. We summarize the mathematical foundations of AutoClass.

  19. Findings From a Nursing Care Audit Based on the Nursing Process: A Descriptive Study

    PubMed Central

    Poortaghi, Sarieh; Salsali, Mahvash; Ebadi, Abbas; Rahnavard, Zahra; Maleki, Farzaneh

    2015-01-01

    Background: Although using the nursing process improves nursing care quality, few studies have evaluated nursing performance in accordance with nursing process steps either nationally or internationally. Objectives: This study aimed to audit nursing care based on a nursing process model. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study in which a nursing audit checklist was designed and validated for assessing nurses’ compliance with nursing process. A total of 300 nurses from various clinical settings of Tehran university of medical sciences were selected. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including frequencies, Pearson correlation coefficient and independent samples t-tests. Results: The compliance rate of nursing process indicators was 79.71 ± 0.87. Mean compliance scores did not significantly differ by education level and gender. However, overall compliance scores were correlated with nurses’ age (r = 0.26, P = 0.001) and work experience (r = 0.273, P = 0.001). Conclusions: Nursing process indicators can be used to audit nursing care. Such audits can be used as quality assurance tools. PMID:26576448

  20. An epidemiologic study on anthropometric dimensions of 7-11-year-old Iranian children: considering ethnic differences.

    PubMed

    Mirmohammadi, Seyyed Jalil; Hafezi, Rahmatollah; Mehrparvar, Amir Houshang; Gerdfaramarzi, Raziyeh Soltani; Mostaghaci, Mehrdad; Nodoushan, Reza Jafari; Rezaeian, Bibiseyedeh

    2013-01-01

    Anthropometric data can be used to identify the physical dimensions of equipment, furniture, clothing and workstations. The use of poorly designed furniture that fails to fulfil the users' anthropometric dimensions, has a negative impact on human health. In this study, we measured some anthropometric dimensions of Iranian children from different ethnicities. A total of 12,731 Iranian primary school children aged 7-11 years were included in the study and their static anthropometric dimensions were measured. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation and key percentiles were calculated. All dimensions were compared among different ethnicities and different genders. This study showed significant differences in a set of 22 anthropometric dimensions with regard to gender, age and ethnicity. Turk boys and Arab girls were larger than their contemporaries in different ages. According to the results of this study, difference between genders and among different ethnicities should be taken into account by designers and manufacturers of school furniture. In this study, we measured 22 static anthropometric dimensions of 12,731 Iranian primary school children aged 7-11 years from different ethnicities. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation and key percentiles were measured for each dimension. This study showed significant differences in a set of 22 anthropometric dimensions in different genders, ages and ethnicities.

  1. Computer Simulations of Polytetrafluoroethylene in the Solid State

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holt, D. B.; Farmer, B. L.; Eby, R. K.; Macturk, K. S.

    1996-03-01

    Force field parameters (Set I) for fluoropolymers were previously derived from MOPAC AM1 semiempirical data on model molecules. A second set (Set II) was derived from the AM1 results augmented by ab initio calculations. Both sets yield reasonable helical and phase II packing structures for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) chains. However, Set I and Set II differ in the strength of van der Waals interactions, with Set II having deeper potential wells (order of magnitude). To differentiate which parameter set provides a better description of PTFE behavior, molecular dynamics simulations have been performed with Biosym Discover on clusters of PTFE chains which begin in a phase II packing environment. Added to the model are artificial constraints which allow the simulation of thermal expansion without having to define periodic boundary conditions for each specific temperature of interest. The preliminary dynamics simulations indicate that the intra- and intermolecular interactions provided by Set I are too weak. The degree of helical disorder and chain motion are high even at temperatures well below the phase II-phase IV transition temperature (19 C). Set II appears to yield a better description of PTFE in the solid state.

  2. 47 CFR 1.363 - Introduction of statistical data.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... case of sample surveys, there shall be a clear description of the survey design, including the... evidence in common carrier hearing proceedings, including but not limited to sample surveys, econometric... description of the experimental design shall be set forth, including a specification of the controlled...

  3. 47 CFR 1.363 - Introduction of statistical data.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... case of sample surveys, there shall be a clear description of the survey design, including the... evidence in common carrier hearing proceedings, including but not limited to sample surveys, econometric... description of the experimental design shall be set forth, including a specification of the controlled...

  4. 47 CFR 1.363 - Introduction of statistical data.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... case of sample surveys, there shall be a clear description of the survey design, including the... evidence in common carrier hearing proceedings, including but not limited to sample surveys, econometric... description of the experimental design shall be set forth, including a specification of the controlled...

  5. 47 CFR 1.363 - Introduction of statistical data.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... case of sample surveys, there shall be a clear description of the survey design, including the... evidence in common carrier hearing proceedings, including but not limited to sample surveys, econometric... description of the experimental design shall be set forth, including a specification of the controlled...

  6. 47 CFR 1.363 - Introduction of statistical data.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... case of sample surveys, there shall be a clear description of the survey design, including the... evidence in common carrier hearing proceedings, including but not limited to sample surveys, econometric... description of the experimental design shall be set forth, including a specification of the controlled...

  7. How to describe a new fungal species

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The formal and informal requirements for the publication of descriptions of new fungal species are discussed. This involves following the rules of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature as well as meeting the standards set by the editorial board of the journals in which these descriptions ...

  8. Utilization of a CRT display light pen in the design of feedback control systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thompson, J. G.; Young, K. R.

    1972-01-01

    A hierarchical structure of the interlinked programs was developed to provide a flexible computer-aided design tool. A graphical input technique and a data structure are considered which provide the capability of entering the control system model description into the computer in block diagram form. An information storage and retrieval system was developed to keep track of the system description, and analysis and simulation results, and to provide them to the correct routines for further manipulation or display. Error analysis and diagnostic capabilities are discussed, and a technique was developed to reduce a transfer function to a set of nested integrals suitable for digital simulation. A general, automated block diagram reduction procedure was set up to prepare the system description for the analysis routines.

  9. Shuttle program. MCC Level C formulation requirements: Entry guidance and entry autopilot

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harpold, J. C.; Hill, O.

    1980-01-01

    A set of preliminary entry guidance and autopilot software formulations is presented for use in the Mission Control Center (MCC) entry processor. These software formulations meet all level B requirements. Revision 2 incorporates the modifications required to functionally simulate optimal TAEM targeting capability (OTT). Implementation of this logic in the MCC must be coordinated with flight software OTT implementation and MCC TAEM guidance OTT. The entry guidance logic is based on the Orbiter avionics entry guidance software. This MCC requirements document contains a definition of coordinate systems, a list of parameter definitions for the software formulations, a description of the entry guidance detailed formulation requirements, a description of the detailed autopilot formulation requirements, a description of the targeting routine, and a set of formulation flow charts.

  10. Nursing care of the adoption triad.

    PubMed

    Foli, Karen J

    2012-10-01

    This study describes the practice settings and interventions of nurses who care for members of the adoption triad (AT; birth parents, adoptive parents, child). A 28-item, descriptive, cross-sectional survey was used. Ninety-seven (97) nurses provided complete (65) or partial (32) responses. Most frequently reported practice settings were labor, delivery or postpartum unit, and pediatrics. Assessed needs varied by AT members. However, interventions for all members of the triad included emotional support and therapeutic communication. The unique placement of advanced practice nurses in various clinical settings allows for contact with members of the AT in vulnerable and crisis periods. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Beyond crosswalks: reliability of exposure assessment following automated coding of free-text job descriptions for occupational epidemiology.

    PubMed

    Burstyn, Igor; Slutsky, Anton; Lee, Derrick G; Singer, Alison B; An, Yuan; Michael, Yvonne L

    2014-05-01

    Epidemiologists typically collect narrative descriptions of occupational histories because these are less prone than self-reported exposures to recall bias of exposure to a specific hazard. However, the task of coding these narratives can be daunting and prohibitively time-consuming in some settings. The aim of this manuscript is to evaluate the performance of a computer algorithm to translate the narrative description of occupational codes into standard classification of jobs (2010 Standard Occupational Classification) in an epidemiological context. The fundamental question we address is whether exposure assignment resulting from manual (presumed gold standard) coding of the narratives is materially different from that arising from the application of automated coding. We pursued our work through three motivating examples: assessment of physical demands in Women's Health Initiative observational study, evaluation of predictors of exposure to coal tar pitch volatiles in the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Integrated Management Information System, and assessment of exposure to agents known to cause occupational asthma in a pregnancy cohort. In these diverse settings, we demonstrate that automated coding of occupations results in assignment of exposures that are in reasonable agreement with results that can be obtained through manual coding. The correlation between physical demand scores based on manual and automated job classification schemes was reasonable (r = 0.5). The agreement between predictive probability of exceeding the OSHA's permissible exposure level for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, using coal tar pitch volatiles as a surrogate, based on manual and automated coding of jobs was modest (Kendall rank correlation = 0.29). In the case of binary assignment of exposure to asthmagens, we observed that fair to excellent agreement in classifications can be reached, depending on presence of ambiguity in assigned job classification (κ = 0.5-0.8). Thus, the success of automated coding appears to depend on the setting and type of exposure that is being assessed. Our overall recommendation is that automated translation of short narrative descriptions of jobs for exposure assessment is feasible in some settings and essential for large cohorts, especially if combined with manual coding to both assess reliability of coding and to further refine the coding algorithm.

  12. Leveraging a Sorting Task as a Measure of Knowledge Structure in Bilingual Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tang, Hengtao; Clariana, Roy

    2017-01-01

    This descriptive exploratory study considers whether a simple sorting task can elicit readers' knowledge structure in learners' first and second language. In this investigation, knowledge structure is considered from a symbolic connectionist viewpoint as the fundamental pre-meaningful aspect of knowledge, where structure is the precursor of…

  13. Development of the Online Assessment of Athletic Training Education (OAATE) Instrument

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carr, W. David; Frey, Bruce B.; Swann, Elizabeth

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To establish the validity and reliability of an online assessment instrument's items developed to track educational outcomes over time. Design and Setting: A descriptive study of the validation arguments and reliability testing of the assessment items. The instrument is available to graduating students enrolled in entry-level Athletic…

  14. The Integration of Linguistic Theory: Internal Reconstruction and the Comparative Method in Descriptive Linguistics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bailey, Charles-James N.

    The author aims: (1) to show that generative phonology uses essentially the method of internal reconstruction which has previously been employed only in diachronic studies in setting up synchronic underlying phonological representations; (2) to show why synchronic analysis should add the comparative method to its arsenal, together with whatever…

  15. A Phenomenological Study on International Doctoral Students' Acculturation Experiences at a U.S. University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Throy A.

    2015-01-01

    A phenomenological method was used to analyze ten international doctoral students' description of their lived experiences at a United States (U.S.) university. The analysis was based on the theoretical premise of how students acculturate to their new educational settings. Three broad overlapping themes emerged: (1) participants' past experiences…

  16. Review of "The Policy Framework for Online Charter Schools"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miron, Gary

    2016-01-01

    Relative to earlier research, this study from the Center for Reinventing Public Education provides a more in-depth analysis of policy features across the 27 states that allow online charter schools. It presents a well-organized description of policy features and includes a set of policy recommendations that generally, but not always, follow well…

  17. Coaching with Parents in Early Intervention: An Interdisciplinary Research Synthesis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kemp, Peggy; Turnbull, Ann P.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this article was to synthesize intervention studies using coaching with parents in early intervention with a focus on (a) definitions and descriptions of coaching with parents; (b) characteristics of families and coaches; (c) parameters such as settings, contexts, dosage, and professional development related to coaching; and (d)…

  18. Influences on Children's Human Capital in Rural Malawi: Three Essays

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Appiah-Yeboah, Shirley Afua

    2013-01-01

    The circumstances that characterize poor, rural communities in Malawi suggest that children's health-wealth gradient can vary from other settings. This dissertation begins with a description of the methods used to create a household wealth variable using assets data in the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health project. By using a fixed…

  19. Assessing Needs for Gerontological Education in Urban and Rural Areas of Ohio

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Dussen, Daniel J.; Leson, Suzanne M.; Emerick, Eric S.; Voytek, Joseph A.; Ewen, Heidi H.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose of the Study: This project surveyed health care professionals from both urban and rural care settings in Ohio and examined differences in professionals' needs and interests in continuing gerontological education. Design and Methods: The survey data were analyzed for 766 health care professionals descriptively, using cross-tabulations and…

  20. Mathematical modeling of forest fire initiation in three dimensional setting

    Treesearch

    Valeriy Perminov

    2007-01-01

    In this study, the assignment and theoretical investigations of the problems of forest fire initiation were carried out, including development of a mathematical model for description of heat and mass transfer processes in overterrestrial layer of atmosphere at crown forest fire initiation, taking into account their mutual influence. Mathematical model of forest fire...

  1. Technology-Supported Formative and Summative Assessment of Collaborative Scientific Inquiry.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hickey, Daniel T.; DeCuir, Jessica; Hand, Bryon; Kyser, Brandon; Laprocina, Simona; Mordica, Joy

    This study defined and validated a new set of dimensions, new anchoring descriptions, and a new rubric format for assessing participation in collaboration. One strand of the research explored the use of analog video-technology to conduct summative assessment of collaborative inquiry. The second strand of the research explored the use of video…

  2. A Descriptive Investigation of Dysphagia in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chadwick, Darren D.; Jolliffe, J.

    2009-01-01

    Background: Dysphagia has rarely been investigated in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) despite being a serious condition affecting health and quality of life. Method: This study collected information about 101 adults with ID, living in community settings, referred for an assessment of their eating and drinking. Ninety-nine people were…

  3. Analysis of Student Responses to Peer-Instruction Conceptual Questions Answered Using an Electronic Response System: Trends by Gender and Ethnicity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steer, David; McConnell, David; Gray, Kyle; Kortz, Karen; Liang, Xin

    2009-01-01

    This descriptive study investigated students' answers to geoscience conceptual questions answered using electronic personal response systems. Answer patterns were examined to evaluate the peer-instruction pedagogical approach in a large general education classroom setting. (Contains 3 figures and 2 tables.)

  4. Nursing Faculty Members' Perspectives of Faculty-to-Faculty Workplace Incivility among Nursing Faculty Members

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Amos, Kimberly S.

    2013-01-01

    In recent years, nursing faculty incivility has been a searing topic of research. Nursing research included studies on incivility among nursing students, incivility between nursing students and nursing faculty, and incivility in the clinical setting. However, literature specifically on nursing faculty incivility was limited. This descriptive,…

  5. Using Energy Psychology in Classrooms to Decrease Tension in College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wolf, Jillian

    2012-01-01

    This research explores the impact of student use of energy psychology techniques in the classroom setting. The descriptive design quasi-experimental study also examines how energy psychology techniques used in the classroom are related to age and gender by use of the survey method. Questionnaire packets were administered to seventy-five college…

  6. A Path Model of Smoking Behaviour among Senior High School Students in Taiwan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Yi-Chun; Huang, Hui-Wen; Cheng, Chung-Ping; Hsieh, Hsin-Chin; Huang, Chih-Ling

    2016-01-01

    Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which social smoking expectations mediate the relationship between adolescent smoking behaviour and the smoking behaviour of family and peers. Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional survey. Setting: Taiwan, Republic of China. Method: The participants were 921 senior high school students…

  7. Benchmarking Jiangsu University to Improve Its Academic Ranking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Xinchao; Thige, Joseph Muiruri

    2017-01-01

    This paper collates research on global ranking through U.S.News.com in relation to Jiangsu University's nonappearance in global ranking of higher education institutions. The author critiques the Academic set up of the University in comparison with universities Ranked as World Class. The author navigates the study largely through descriptive and…

  8. Reading and Comprehension Levels in a Sample of Urban, Low-Income Persons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Delgado, Cheryl; Weitzel, Marilyn

    2013-01-01

    Objective: Because health literacy is related to healthcare outcomes, this study looked at reading and comprehension levels in a sample of urban, low-income persons. Design: This was a descriptive exploration of reading comprehension levels, controlled for medical problems that could impact on vision and therefore ability to read. Setting: Ninety…

  9. Discovering the Quantity of Quality: Scoring "Regional Identity" for Quantitative Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Daniel A.

    2008-01-01

    The variationist paradigm in sociolinguistics is at a disadvantage when dealing with variables that are traditionally treated qualitatively, e.g., "identity". This study essays to level the accuracy and descriptive value of qualitative research in a quantitative setting by rendering such a variable quantitatively accessible. To this end,…

  10. Making Teaching Community Property: A Menu for Peer Collaboration and Peer Review. AAHE Teaching Initiative.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hutchings, Pat

    A collection of program descriptions and case studies in college faculty peer collaboration and peer review includes: "Setting a Scholarly Tone: Teaching Circles in the History Department at Kent State University"; "Fostering Collective Responsibility for Student Learning: Teaching Seminars in the University of North Carolina at Charlotte…

  11. A Descriptive Survey of Why Parents Choose Hybrid Homeschools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wearne, Eric

    2016-01-01

    "Hybrid home schools" are schools in which students attend school with other students for 2 or 3 days per week in traditional classroom settings, and are homeschooled the balance of the week. This exploratory study presents self-reported reasons parents choose these schools, using an electronic survey of parents from four such schools…

  12. Oceanic Area System Improvement Study (OASIS). Volume IV. Caribbean Region Air Traffic Services System Description.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-09-01

    OASIS) U Final Report This report i.s one of a set of companion documents which includes the following volumes: Volume I Executive Summary and...Northern Coastal Region of 4 the Directorate of Engineering and Systems (Direccion de Ingenieria y Sistemas ), which is responsible for maintenance of the

  13. Endometrial lesions caused by catheters used for embryo transfers: a preliminary report.

    PubMed

    Marconi, Guillermo; Vilela, Martín; Belló, José; Diradourián, Marco; Quintana, Ramiro; Sueldo, Carlos

    2003-08-01

    To visualize by microhysteroscopy any possible lesions on the endocervix and endometrium made by the catheters commonly used for embryo transfer (ET). Prospective descriptive study. Tertiary fertility center (IFER). Twenty-three infertile patients underwent a mock transfer before a microhysteroscopy during the postovulatory phase (days 2-5 after ovulation) of the cycle with a Tomcat catheter (n = 5), Frydman's catheter (n = 5), Frydman's set (n = 3), or Wallace's catheter (n = 10). Mock ETs and subsequent mycrohysteroscopies.Visualization, description, and documentation of endocervical and endometrial lesions. The lesions in all 23 patients were described and documented (tunnel-like, groove-like, punch-out, crater-like). The Wallace catheter appears to be less traumatic to the endometrium (but it seems that it is important to take care to not pass the internal os with the outer sheath). The Tomcat catheter and the Frydman's set caused the more significant lesions that were observed. In this preliminary study, for the first time endometrial lesions caused by the ET catheters were directly visualized and documented. Some of these observed lesions appear to be capable of compromising the success of ET.

  14. Peering Inside the Black Box of Undergraduate Study Habits: The Centrality of Self-Regulated Learning in a Digitized World. WCER Working Paper No. 2015-3

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hora, Matthew T.; Oleson, Amanda K.

    2015-01-01

    Research suggests which study strategies are effective but little descriptive research focuses on how undergraduate students study in real-world settings. Thus, the mechanisms of students' actual learning remain a black box for the field of higher education, with far more attention paid to inputs and outputs of the learning process. Using a…

  15. Crowd Sourcing Data Collection through Amazon Mechanical Turk

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-09-01

    The first recognition study consisted of a Panel Study using a simple detection protocol, in which participants were presented with vignettes and, for...variability than the crowdsourcing data set, hewing more closely to the year 1 verbs of interest and simple description grammar . The DT:PS data were...Study RT: PS Recognition Task: Panel Study RT: RT Recognition Task: Round Table S3 Amazon Simple Storage Service SVPA Single Verb Present /Absent

  16. 40 CFR 51.111 - Description of control measures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... REQUIREMENTS FOR PREPARATION, ADOPTION, AND SUBMITTAL OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Control Strategy § 51.111 Description of control measures. Each plan must set forth a control strategy which includes the following: (a... designation of agency responsibility for enforcement of implementation. (b) [Reserved] [51 FR 40665, Nov. 7...

  17. A Combinatorial Geometry Computer Description of the MEP-021A Generator Set

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-02-01

    Generator Computer Description Gasoline Generator GIFT MEP-021A 20. ABSTRACT fCbntteu* an rararaa eta* ft namamwaay anal Identify by block number) This... GIFT code is also stored on magnetic tape for future vulnerability analysis. 00,] 󈧚*7,1473 EDITION OF • NOV 65 IS OBSOLETE UNCLASSIFIED SECURITY...the Geometric Information for Targets ( GIFT ) computer code. The GIFT code traces shotlines through a COM-GEOM description from any specified attack

  18. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part D. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #2--Child Care Attendent; #4--Guard; #8--Medical Assistant.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This first of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Child Care Attendent, Guard, and Medical Assistant. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE number, career ladder, D.O.T. general educational developmental…

  19. A preliminary comparison of Cantonese and American-English as taste languages.

    PubMed

    O'Mahony, M; Tsang, T

    1980-05-01

    Groups of monolingual American-English speaking Americans of Chinese descent were compared with Cantonese/American-English bilingual Chinese living in America to examine their taste descriptions for a set of aqueous solutions. Cantonese, unlike other languages, did not appear to differ greatly from American-English in its general taste descriptive strategy and depth of vocabulary, although Cantonese speakers had a tendency to use 'glutamic' as a descriptive term for monosodium glutamate.

  20. Pricing decisions from experience: the roles of information-acquisition and response modes.

    PubMed

    Golan, Hagai; Ert, Eyal

    2015-03-01

    While pricing decisions that are based on experience are quite common, e.g., setting a selling price for a used car, this type of decision has been surprisingly overlooked in psychology and decision research. Previous studies have focused on either choice decisions from experience, or pricing decisions from description. Those studies revealed that pricing involves cognitive mechanisms other than choice, while experience-based decisions involve mechanisms that differ from description-based ones. Thus, the mutual effect of pricing and experience on decision-making remains unclear. To test this effect, we experimentally compared real-money pricing decisions from experience with those from description, and with choices from experience. The results show that the mode of acquiring information affects pricing: the tendency to underprice high-probability prospects and overprice low-probability ones is diminished when pricing is based on experience rather than description. The findings further reveal attenuation of the tendency to underweight rare events, which underlies choices from experience, in pricing decisions from experience. The difference occurs because the response mode affects the search effort and decision strategy in decisions from experience. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. A systematic quality review of high-tech AAC interventions as an evidence-based practice.

    PubMed

    Morin, Kristi L; Ganz, Jennifer B; Gregori, Emily V; Foster, Margaret J; Gerow, Stephanie L; Genç-Tosun, Derya; Hong, Ee Rea

    2018-06-01

    Although high-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is commonly used to teach social-communication skills to people with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities who have complex communication needs, there is a critical need to evaluate the efficacy of this approach. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the quality of single-case experimental design research on the use of high-tech AAC to teach social-communication skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities who have complex communication needs, to determine if this intervention approach meets the criteria for evidence-based practices as outlined by the What Works Clearinghouse. Additionally, information on the following extended methodological standards is reported on all included studies: participant description, description of setting and materials, interventionist description, baseline and intervention description, maintenance, generalization, procedural integrity, and social validity. The results from 18 multiple-baseline or multiple-probe experiments across 17 studies indicate that using high-tech AAC to teach social-communication skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities and complex communication needs can be considered an evidence-based practice, although the review of comparison (i.e., alternating treatment) design studies did not indicate that high-tech AAC is significantly better than low-tech AAC.

  2. Attitude of Academic Community towards Physically Challenged Students in the University of Maiduguri: Implications for Financing Inclusive Education for Sustainable Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bamiteko, Racheal Modupe; Ibi, Mustapha Baba; Bukar, Ibrahim Bulama

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the attitude of academic community towards physically challenged students in the University of Maiduguri as it affect the financing of inclusive education for sustainable development in Nigeria. Four objectives, two research questions and two hypotheses were set and tested for the study. Descriptive survey was adopted as a…

  3. The Descriptive Study of the Head Start Early Learning Mentor Coach Initiative, Volume 1: Final Report. OPRE Report 2014-05a

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howard, Eboni C.; Rankin, Victoria E.; Fishman, Mike; Hawkinson, Laura E.; McGroder, Sharon M.; Helsel, Fiona K.; Farber, Jonathan; Tuchman, Ariana; Wille, Jessica

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to describe the coaching that occurred at Head Start (HS) grantees as a result of the Early Learning Mentor Coach (ELMC) initiative. This provided a unique opportunity to describe the different dimensions of coaching within HS settings from the perspective of multiple stakeholders--administrators, coaches, and staff.…

  4. Do Modification and Interaction Work?--A Critical Review of Literature on the Role of Foreigner Talk in Second Language Acquisition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dela Rosa, John Paul O.; Arguelles, Diana C.

    2016-01-01

    This critical review of literature provides a detailed description of foreigner talk as a simplified register and critically discusses findings entrenched in studies done about this SLA issue. The studies cited are classified as researches concerning foreigner talk that occurs in both natural and classroom settings. Based on the critical review,…

  5. A Descriptive Study of Technology Use in an Urban Setting: Implications for Schools Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teclehaimanot, Berhane

    2008-01-01

    Technology is an integral part of educational goals today. A study of technology use in a large urban Midwestern school district found that teachers have equipment available to them, but it is oftentimes inadequate, inconvenient, or not working. Teachers would like to use technology, but in reality they don't use it. Part of the reason is lack of…

  6. Promoting Peace Education for Behaviourial Changes in Public Secondary Schools in Calabar Municipality Council Area, Cross River State, Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Uko, E. S.; Igbineweka, P. O.; Odigwe, F. N.

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed at investigating the promotion of peace education for behavioural changes in public secondary schools in Calabar Municipal Council Area of Cross River State. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A set of questionnaire items were validated and used for the collection of data involving 310 respondents, selected…

  7. Water Transformation and Storage in the Mountains and at the Coast: Midwest Students' Disconnected Conceptions of the Hydrologic Cycle

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shepardson, Daniel P.; Wee, Bryan; Priddy, Michelle; Schellenberger, Lauren; Harbor, Jon

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to investigate students' conceptions of the hydrologic cycle and to examine whether these conceptions vary by grade level and community setting. This study was descriptive in nature and reflected a cross-age design involving the collection of qualitative data from 1,298 students from the Midwest, USA. These…

  8. Attitudes and perceived barriers influencing incident reporting by nurses and their correlation with reported incidents: A systematic review.

    PubMed

    Fung, Wing Mei; Koh, Serena Siew Lin; Chow, Yeow Leng

    Clinical incident reporting is an integral feature of risk management system in the healthcare sector. By reporting clinical incidents, nurses allow for learning from errors, identification of error patterns and development of error preventive strategies. The need to understand attitudes to reporting, perceived barriers and incident reporting patterns by nurses are the core highlights of this review. INCLUSION CRITERIA: This review considered descriptive quantitative studies that examined nurses' attitudes or perceived barriers towards incident reporting.The participants in this review were nurses working in acute care settings or step-down care settings. Studies that included non-nursing healthcare personnel were excluded.This review considered studies which examined nurses' attitudes towards incident reporting, perceived barriers and incident reporting practices.The outcomes of interest were the attitudes that nurses have towards incident reporting, perceived barriers and the types of reported incidents in correlation with nurses' attitudes and barriers. A three-step search strategy was utilised in this review. An initial limited search of CINAHL and MEDLINE was undertaken. Search strategies were then developed using identified keywords and index terms. Lastly, the reference lists of all identified articles were examined. All searches were limited to studies published in English, between 1991 and 2010. The studies were independently assessed by two reviewers using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Descriptive/ Case Series studies. The reviewers extracted data independently from included studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute Data Extraction Form for Descriptive/ Case Series studies. Due to the descriptive nature of the study designs, statistical pooling was not possible. Therefore, the findings of this systematic review are presented in a narrative summary. Fifty-five papers were identified from the searches based on their titles and abstracts. Nine studies were included in this review. Cultural and demographic factors were the most significant factors in affecting nurses' attitudes towards incident reporting. Major perceived barriers included fear, administrative issues, and the reporting process. Also, nurses were more likely to report incidents that caused direct harm, and if reporting was kept anonymous. This review demonstrated that attitudes of nurses towards incident reporting vary across different study settings, with perceived barriers hindering the reporting process. Using the findings, interventions can be customised to increase reporting rates can be developed to curb the problem of underreporting.A non-punitive culture towards incident reporting has to be cultivated, and nursing authorities should provide frequent positive feedback to staff who reported incidents. Investigating system errors should be the focus rather than individual blame.Further research should target the development and evaluation of strategies to increase rates of incident reporting. Any differences between actual and perceived reporting rates should also be explored.

  9. Randomization Methods in Emergency Setting Trials: A Descriptive Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corbett, Mark Stephen; Moe-Byrne, Thirimon; Oddie, Sam; McGuire, William

    2016-01-01

    Background: Quasi-randomization might expedite recruitment into trials in emergency care settings but may also introduce selection bias. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Library and other databases for systematic reviews of interventions in emergency medicine or urgent care settings. We assessed selection bias (baseline imbalances) in prognostic…

  10. Nursing Activities for Patients With Chronic Disease in Primary Care Settings: A Practice Analysis.

    PubMed

    Poitras, Marie-Eve; Chouinard, Maud-Christine; Gallagher, Frances; Fortin, Martin

    Nurses in primary care organizations play a central role for patients with chronic disease. Lack of clarity in role description may be associated with underutilization of nurse competencies that could benefit the growing population of patients with chronic disease. The purpose of the research was to describe nursing activities in primary care settings with patients with chronic disease. A Web-based survey was sent to nurses practicing in Family Medicine Groups in the Canadian Province of Québec. Participants rated the frequency with which they carried out nursing activities in five domains: (a) global assessment, (b) care and case management, (c) health promotion, (d) nurse-physician collaboration, and (e) planning services for patients with chronic disease. Findings were summarized with descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, and ranges). The survey was completed by 266 of the 322 nurses who received the survey (82.6%). Activities in the health promotion and global assessment of the patient domains were carried out most frequently. Planning services for patients with chronic disease were least frequently performed. This study provides a broad description of nursing activities with patients with chronic disease in primary care. The findings provide a baseline for clinicians and researchers to document and improve nursing activities for optimal practice for patients with chronic disease.

  11. Autoclass: An automatic classification system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stutz, John; Cheeseman, Peter; Hanson, Robin

    1991-01-01

    The task of inferring a set of classes and class descriptions most likely to explain a given data set can be placed on a firm theoretical foundation using Bayesian statistics. Within this framework, and using various mathematical and algorithmic approximations, the AutoClass System searches for the most probable classifications, automatically choosing the number of classes and complexity of class descriptions. A simpler version of AutoClass has been applied to many large real data sets, has discovered new independently-verified phenomena, and has been released as a robust software package. Recent extensions allow attributes to be selectively correlated within particular classes, and allow classes to inherit, or share, model parameters through a class hierarchy. The mathematical foundations of AutoClass are summarized.

  12. A catalog of porosity and permeability from core plugs in siliciclastic rocks

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nelson, Philip H.; Kibler, Joyce E.

    2003-01-01

    Porosity and permeability measurements on cored samples from siliciclastic formations are presented for 70 data sets, taken from published data and descriptions. Data sets generally represent specific formations, usually from a limited number of wells. Each data set is represented by a written summary, a plot of permeability versus porosity, and a digital file of the data. The summaries include a publication reference, the geologic age of the formation, location, well names, depth range, various geologic descriptions, and core measurement conditions. Attributes such as grain size or depositional environment are identified by symbols on the plots. An index lists the authors and date, geologic age, formation name, sandstone classification, location, basin or structural province, and field name.

  13. 48 CFR 1352.271-85 - Documentation of requests for equitable adjustment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... installation of such property shall be indicated. A separate description shall be furnished for design and... design work and production work; (4) A description of any interference or inefficiency encountered in...-referenced to the detailed information required above; and (9) A statement setting forth a comparative...

  14. 48 CFR 1352.271-85 - Documentation of requests for equitable adjustment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... installation of such property shall be indicated. A separate description shall be furnished for design and... design work and production work; (4) A description of any interference or inefficiency encountered in...-referenced to the detailed information required above; and (9) A statement setting forth a comparative...

  15. 48 CFR 1352.271-85 - Documentation of requests for equitable adjustment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... installation of such property shall be indicated. A separate description shall be furnished for design and... design work and production work; (4) A description of any interference or inefficiency encountered in...-referenced to the detailed information required above; and (9) A statement setting forth a comparative...

  16. 48 CFR 1352.271-85 - Documentation of requests for equitable adjustment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... installation of such property shall be indicated. A separate description shall be furnished for design and... design work and production work; (4) A description of any interference or inefficiency encountered in...-referenced to the detailed information required above; and (9) A statement setting forth a comparative...

  17. 48 CFR 1352.271-85 - Documentation of requests for equitable adjustment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... installation of such property shall be indicated. A separate description shall be furnished for design and... design work and production work; (4) A description of any interference or inefficiency encountered in...-referenced to the detailed information required above; and (9) A statement setting forth a comparative...

  18. Plot Description (PD)

    Treesearch

    Robert E. Keane

    2006-01-01

    The Plot Description (PD) form is used to describe general characteristics of the FIREMON macroplot to provide ecological context for data analyses. The PD data characterize the topographical setting, geographic reference point, general plant composition and cover, ground cover, fuels, and soils information. This method provides the general ecological data that can be...

  19. 19 CFR 177.9 - Effect of ruling letters.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... classification of an article under the provisions of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States will be applied only with respect to transactions involving articles identical to the sample submitted with the ruling request or to articles whose description is identical to the description set forth in the ruling...

  20. The Development, Description and Appraisal of an Emergent Multimethod Research Design to Study Workforce Changes in Integrated Care Interventions.

    PubMed

    Busetto, Loraine; Luijkx, Katrien; Calciolari, Stefano; González-Ortiz, Laura G; Vrijhoef, Hubertus J M

    2017-03-08

    In this paper, we provide a detailed and explicit description of the processes and decisions underlying and shaping the emergent multimethod research design of our study on workforce changes in integrated chronic care. The study was originally planned as mixed method research consisting of a preliminary literature review and quantitative check of these findings via a Delphi panel. However, when the findings of the literature review were not appropriate for quantitative confirmation, we chose to continue our qualitative exploration of the topic via qualitative questionnaires and secondary analysis of two best practice case reports. The resulting research design is schematically described as an emergent and interactive multimethod design with multiphase combination timing. In doing so, we provide other researchers with a set of theory- and experience-based options to develop their own multimethod research and provide an example for more detailed and structured reporting of emergent designs. We argue that the terminology developed for the description of mixed methods designs should also be used for multimethod designs such as the one presented here.

  1. Instability of surface electron cyclotron TM-modes influenced by non-monochromatic alternating electric field

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

    Girka, I. O., E-mail: igorgirka@karazin.ua; Girka, V. O.; Sydora, R. D.

    2016-06-15

    The influence of non-monochromaticity of an external alternating electric field on excitation of TM eigenmodes at harmonics of the electron cyclotron frequency is considered here. These TM-modes propagate along the plasma interface in a metal waveguide. An external static constant magnetic field is oriented perpendicularly to the plasma interface. The problem is solved theoretically using the kinetic Vlasov-Boltzmann equation for description of plasma particles motion and the Maxwell equations for description of the electromagnetic mode fields. The external alternating electric field is supposed to be a superposition of two waves, whose amplitudes are different and their frequencies correlate as 2:1.more » An infinite set of equations for electric field harmonics of these modes is derived with the aid of nonlinear boundary conditions. This set is solved using the wave packet approach consisting of the main harmonic frequency and two nearest satellite temporal harmonics. Analytical studies of the obtained set of equations allow one to find two different regimes of parametric instability, namely, enhancement and suppression of the instability. Numerical analysis of the instability is carried out for the three first electron cyclotron harmonics.« less

  2. Speech recognition features for EEG signal description in detection of neonatal seizures.

    PubMed

    Temko, A; Boylan, G; Marnane, W; Lightbody, G

    2010-01-01

    In this work, features which are usually employed in automatic speech recognition (ASR) are used for the detection of neonatal seizures in newborn EEG. Three conventional ASR feature sets are compared to the feature set which has been previously developed for this task. The results indicate that the thoroughly-studied spectral envelope based ASR features perform reasonably well on their own. Additionally, the SVM Recursive Feature Elimination routine is applied to all extracted features pooled together. It is shown that ASR features consistently appear among the top-rank features.

  3. Linking information needs with evaluation: the role of task identification.

    PubMed Central

    Weir, C. R.

    1998-01-01

    Action Identification Theory was used to explore user's subjective constructions of information tasks in a primary care setting. The first part of the study involved collecting clinician's descriptions of their information tasks. These items were collated and then rated by another larger group of clinicians. Results clearly identified 6 major information tasks, including communication, patient assessment, work monitoring, seeking science information, compliance with policies and procedures, and data integration. Results discussed in terms of implications for evaluation and assessing information needs in a clinical setting. PMID:9929232

  4. Collected Data of The Boreal Ecosystem and Atmosphere Study (BOREAS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newcomer, J. (Editor); Landis, D. (Editor); Conrad, S. (Editor); Curd, S. (Editor); Huemmrich, K. (Editor); Knapp, D. (Editor); Morrell, A. (Editor); Nickerson, J. (Editor); Papagno, A. (Editor); Rinker, D. (Editor)

    2000-01-01

    The Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) was a large-scale international interdisciplinary climate-ecosystem interaction experiment in the northern boreal forests of Canada. Its goal was to improve our understanding of the boreal forests -- how they interact with the atmosphere, how much CO2 they can store, and how climate change will affect them. BOREAS wanted to learn to use satellite data to monitor the forests, and to improve computer simulation and weather models so scientists can anticipate the effects of global change. This BOREAS CD-ROM set is a set of 12 CD-ROMs containing the finalized point data sets and compressed image data from the BOREAS Project. All point data are stored in ASCII text files, and all image and GIS products are stored as binary images, compressed using GZip. Additional descriptions of the various data sets on this CD-ROM are available in other documents in the BOREAS series.

  5. Specialized stroke rehabilitation services in seven countries: Preliminary results from nine rehabilitation centers.

    PubMed

    Langhammer, Birgitta; Becker, Frank; Sunnerhagen, Katharina S; Zhang, Tong; Du, Xiaoxia; Bushnik, Tamara; Panchenko, Maria; Keren, Ofer; Banura, Samir; Elessi, Khamis; Luzon, Fuad; Lundgren-Nilsson, Åsa; Li, Xie; Sällström, Susanne; Stanghelle, Johan Kvalvik

    2015-12-01

    There is a lack of defined levels of rehabilitation, indicating possibly random content and access to specialized services. The aim of the study was to perform a multinational descriptive study of specialized rehabilitation in persons with stroke, to elucidate what the different centers define as prerequisites for specialized rehabilitation, and to analyze whether these descriptions map to currently applied standards or constructs of specialized rehabilitation. A secondary aim was to look for similarities and differences between therapies and services for persons with stroke in the sub-acute stage in the different institutions. Descriptive data of the collaborating centers regarding structure and processes of services were recorded and compared with the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine and Specialized Services National Definitions sets. Comparisons of the definitions showed that all centers admitted severely disabled persons with stroke, in need of complex rehabilitation, and provided high levels of physical services, with specialized equipment and facilities. However, funding, size, university affiliation, quality accreditation, staffing levels, specialist training, cognitive and vocational services, coordination of the professional teams, admission procedures, time and type of therapies, estimated length of stay, and follow-up procedures differed between the centers. This multinational study of specialized stroke rehabilitation centers shows that a universal definition of specialized rehabilitation is possible, even in quite different countries and settings, in terms of general principles. There were however differences in structures and procedures, which may influence patients' outcomes, indicating a need for refinement of the definitions to be globally applicable. © 2015 World Stroke Organization.

  6. Patients' perceptions of their roles in goal setting in a spinal cord injury regional rehabilitation program.

    PubMed

    Draaistra, Harriett; Singh, Mina D; Ireland, Sandra; Harper, Theresa

    2012-01-01

    Goal setting is a common practice in rehabilitation, yet there is a paucity of literature exploring patients' perceptions of their roles in this process. This study was conducted using a qualitative descriptive methodology to explore patients' perceptions of their roles in setting goals in a spinal cord injury regional rehabilitation program. Imogene King's theory of goal attainment was used to frame the study. Data were collected through interviews and analyzed using a content analysis. The results revealed four themes: Visioning, Redefining, Brainstorming, and Rebuilding Participants (n = 13) envisioned their roles as setting an overarching priority goal, defining detailed rehabilitation goals, sharing knowledge with the team, and rebuilding skills to attain goals. Implications for nursing practice include the need to understand patients' experiences and perceptions, share knowledge, and support effective communication to promote collaborative goal setting. A need to enhance health professionals' education to fully understand factors influencing patients' abilities to set rehabilitation goals, and future research in methods to promote patients' engagement in goal setting was also clearly indicated.

  7. Format( )MEDIC( )Input

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foster, K.

    1994-09-01

    This document is a description of a computer program called Format( )MEDIC( )Input. The purpose of this program is to allow the user to quickly reformat wind velocity data in the Model Evaluation Database (MEDb) into a reasonable 'first cut' set of MEDIC input files (MEDIC.nml, StnLoc.Met, and Observ.Met). The user is cautioned that these resulting input files must be reviewed for correctness and completeness. This program will not format MEDb data into a Problem Station Library or Problem Metdata File. A description of how the program reformats the data is provided, along with a description of the required and optional user input and a description of the resulting output files. A description of the MEDb is not provided here but can be found in the RAS Division Model Evaluation Database Description document.

  8. A systematic review investigating the behaviour change strategies in interventions to prevent misuse of anabolic steroids.

    PubMed

    Bates, Geoff; Begley, Emma; Tod, David; Jones, Lisa; Leavey, Conan; McVeigh, Jim

    2017-10-01

    We examined intervention effectiveness of strategies to prevent image- and performance-enhancing drug use. Comprehensive searches identified 14 interventions that met review inclusion criteria. Interventions were predominantly educational and delivered within school sport settings, but targeted a wide range of mediating factors. Identification of effective components was limited across studies by brief or imprecise descriptions of intervention content, lack of behavioural outcome measures and short-term follow-up times. However, studies with components in addition to information provision may be more promising. Interventions outside of sport settings are required to reflect the transition of this form of substance use to the general population.

  9. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part R. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #95--Bus Driver; #98--General Loader; #99--Forklift Operator; #100--Material Handler.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This fifteenth of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Competency Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Bus Driver, General Loader, Forklift Operator, and Material Handler. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE number, career ladder, D.O.T.…

  10. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part F. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #20--Body Fender Mechanic; #21--New Car Get-Ready Person.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This third of sixteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Body Fender Mechanic and New Car Get-Ready Person. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE number, career ladder, D.O.T. general educational developmental…

  11. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part H. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #25--Household Appliance Mechanic; #26--Lineworker; #27--Painter Helper, Spray; #28--Painter, Brush; #29--Carpenter Apprentice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This fifth of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Competency Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Household Appliance Mechanic; Lineworker; Painter Helper, Spray; Painter, Brush; and Carpenter Apprentice. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE…

  12. Improving Written Communication Through Perspective-taking

    PubMed Central

    Traxler, Matthew J.; Gernsbacher, Morton Ann

    2014-01-01

    To convey their ideas successfully, writers must envision how readers will interpret their texts. In our previous research (Traxler & Gernsbacher, 1992), we discovered that writers who received feedback from their readers successfully revised descriptions of geometric figures, whereas writers who did not receive feedback did not. We also discovered that writers who received feedback from their readers on one set of descriptions wrote better descriptions of a new set of geometric figures. We concluded that feedback—even a minimal form of feedback—helps writers learn to envision how readers will interpret their texts. In the present research, we investigated another way that writers can learn to envision how readers will interpret their texts. Our treatment placed writers “in their readers’ shoes”. In three experiments, half the writers performed a task that their readers would subsequently perform, and the other half of the writers performed a control task. In our first and second experiments, the writers who gained their readers’ perspective by performing their readers’ task successfully revised their descriptions of geometric figures, whereas writers who performed the control task did not. In our third experiment, we discovered that writers who performed their readers’ task did not improve their descriptions merely because they were exposed to examples of other writers’ descriptions. We concluded that gaining their readers’ perspective helps writers communicate more clearly because perspective-taking helps writers form a mental representation of how readers interpret their texts. PMID:25404785

  13. Denmark. A Study of the Educational System of Denmark and Guide to the Academic Placement of Students in Educational Institutions in the United States. PIER World Education Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woolston, Valerie A.; Dickey, Karlene N.

    This volume offers a full country study of the structure and content of the educational system of Denmark, together with a formal set of placement recommendations for Danish students wishing to study in the United States. Chapter 1 introduces the volume with descriptions of Denmark and its people, government, the government's role in education,…

  14. Implementation of Malaria Dynamic Models in Municipality Level Early Warning Systems in Colombia. Part I: Description of Study Sites

    PubMed Central

    Ruiz, Daniel; Cerón, Viviana; Molina, Adriana M.; Quiñónes, Martha L.; Jiménez, Mónica M.; Ahumada, Martha; Gutiérrez, Patricia; Osorio, Salua; Mantilla, Gilma; Connor, Stephen J.; Thomson, Madeleine C.

    2014-01-01

    As part of the Integrated National Adaptation Pilot project and the Integrated Surveillance and Control System, the Colombian National Institute of Health is working on the design and implementation of a Malaria Early Warning System framework, supported by seasonal climate forecasting capabilities, weather and environmental monitoring, and malaria statistical and dynamic models. In this report, we provide an overview of the local ecoepidemiologic settings where four malaria process-based mathematical models are currently being implemented at a municipal level. The description includes general characteristics, malaria situation (predominant type of infection, malaria-positive cases data, malaria incidence, and seasonality), entomologic conditions (primary and secondary vectors, mosquito densities, and feeding frequencies), climatic conditions (climatology and long-term trends), key drivers of epidemic outbreaks, and non-climatic factors (populations at risk, control campaigns, and socioeconomic conditions). Selected pilot sites exhibit different ecoepidemiologic settings that must be taken into account in the development of the integrated surveillance and control system. PMID:24891460

  15. POWER Web Access Data

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-05-27

    Description:  Obtain Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resource (POWER) data The Prediction of Worldwide Energy ... (POWER) project was initiated to improve upon the current renewable energy data set and to create new data sets from new satellite ...

  16. A model for enhancing Internet medical document retrieval with "medical core metadata".

    PubMed

    Malet, G; Munoz, F; Appleyard, R; Hersh, W

    1999-01-01

    Finding documents on the World Wide Web relevant to a specific medical information need can be difficult. The goal of this work is to define a set of document content description tags, or metadata encodings, that can be used to promote disciplined search access to Internet medical documents. The authors based their approach on a proposed metadata standard, the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set, which has recently been submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force. Their model also incorporates the National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) vocabulary and MEDLINE-type content descriptions. The model defines a medical core metadata set that can be used to describe the metadata for a wide variety of Internet documents. The authors propose that their medical core metadata set be used to assign metadata to medical documents to facilitate document retrieval by Internet search engines.

  17. A Model for Enhancing Internet Medical Document Retrieval with “Medical Core Metadata”

    PubMed Central

    Malet, Gary; Munoz, Felix; Appleyard, Richard; Hersh, William

    1999-01-01

    Objective: Finding documents on the World Wide Web relevant to a specific medical information need can be difficult. The goal of this work is to define a set of document content description tags, or metadata encodings, that can be used to promote disciplined search access to Internet medical documents. Design: The authors based their approach on a proposed metadata standard, the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set, which has recently been submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force. Their model also incorporates the National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) vocabulary and Medline-type content descriptions. Results: The model defines a medical core metadata set that can be used to describe the metadata for a wide variety of Internet documents. Conclusions: The authors propose that their medical core metadata set be used to assign metadata to medical documents to facilitate document retrieval by Internet search engines. PMID:10094069

  18. Writing and Healing: Toward an Informed Practice. Refiguring English Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Charles M., Ed.; MacCurdy, Marian M., Ed.

    This book presents 15 essays composed by and directed toward writing teachers and others who have experienced writing and healing in a variety of settings--from classrooms to substance-abuse treatment centers to AIDS support groups. Essays in the book provide not only descriptions of particular practices but also explorations of areas of theory…

  19. A Study of Minimum Competency Programs. Final Comprehensive Report. Vol. 1. Vol. 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gorth, William Phillip; Perkins, Marcy R.

    The status of minimum competency testing programs, as of June 30, 1979, is given through descriptions of 31 state programs and 20 local district programs. For each program, the following information is provided: legislative and policy history; implementation phase; goals; competencies to be tested; standards and standard setting; target groups and…

  20. Multilocus phylogeny and antifungal susceptibility of Aspergillus section Circumdati from clinical samples and description of A. pseudosclerotiorum sp. nov.

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A multilocus phylogenetic study was carried out to assess the species distribution in a set of 34 clinical isolates of Aspergillus section Circumdati from the USA and their in vitro antifungal susceptibility were determined against eight antifungal drugs. The genetic markers used were ITS, BenA, CaM...

  1. Lexical Richness in Maternal Input and Vocabulary Development of Turkish Preschoolers in the Netherlands

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Demir-Vegter, Serpil; Aarts, Rian; Kurvers, Jeanne

    2014-01-01

    The present study examined lexical richness in maternal input to Turkish preschool children in the Netherlands and the relationship with their vocabulary. Fifteen Turkish mother-child dyads were videotaped at the age of 3 and 4 in three settings: book reading, picture description and block building. Children's vocabulary in Turkish was measured at…

  2. The use of point-of-sale machines in school cafeterias as a method of parental influence over child lunch food choices

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Computerized point-of-sale (POS) machine software that allows parents to place restrictions on their child’s school meal accounts is available. Parents could restrict specific foods (eg, chips), identify specific days the child can purchase extra foods, or set monetary limits. This descriptive study...

  3. Beginning Subbaccalaureate Students' Labor Market Experiences: Six Years Later in 2009. Web Tables. NCES 2012-273

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ifill, Nicole; Radford, Alexandria Walton

    2012-01-01

    This set of Web Tables presents descriptive statistics on the spring 2009 labor market experiences of subbaccalaureate students who first entered postsecondary education in 2003-04. The Web Tables use data from the nationally representative 2004/09 Beginning Post-secondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09), which followed a cohort of…

  4. Diabetes Prevention and Management among Minority Ethnic Groups in Nicaragua: Findings from Phase 2 of a Community-Based Participatory Research Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newlin Lew, Kelley; Mitchell, Emma McKim; Mclean, Yolanda

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: To (1) describe barriers to diabetes prevention and self-management, (2) explore how religious beliefs inform diabetes prevention and self-management and (3) describe community action strategies to address the problem of diabetes locally. Design: Qualitative, descriptive design. Setting: Three Moravian Churches located, respectively,…

  5. Contextualising Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Performance among Rural High School Students in the Philippines

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Causapin, Mark

    2016-01-01

    This paper expands the scope of typical quantitative studies on mathematics self-efficacy by including a short ethnography of the students' daily classroom experiences. It attempts to provide a "thicker description" and a context in which these beliefs could be interpreted. Using both qualitative and quantitative sets of data, it is…

  6. Learning to Assess and Assessing to Learn: A Descriptive Study of a District-Wide Mathematics Assessment Implementation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ringer, Catharina W.

    2013-01-01

    In today's mathematics education, there is an increasing emphasis on students' understanding of the mathematics set forth in standards documents such as the "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000) and, most recently, the "Common Core State Standards for Mathematics"…

  7. Quantitative and Descriptive Comparison of Four Acoustic Analysis Systems: Vowel Measurements

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burris, Carlyn; Vorperian, Houri K.; Fourakis, Marios; Kent, Ray D.; Bolt, Daniel M.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: This study examines accuracy and comparability of 4 trademarked acoustic analysis software packages (AASPs): Praat, WaveSurfer, TF32, and CSL by using synthesized and natural vowels. Features of AASPs are also described. Method: Synthesized and natural vowels were analyzed using each of the AASP's default settings to secure 9…

  8. Diagnostic Labeling in Juvenile Court: How Do Descriptions of Psychopathy and Conduct Disorder Influence Judges?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murrie, Daniel C.; Boccaccini, Marcus T.; McCoy, Wendy; Cornell, Dewey G.

    2007-01-01

    This study examined the influence of diagnostic criteria and diagnostic labels for psychopathy or conduct disorder on judicial decisions. A national sample of judges (N = 326) rendered hypothetical dispositions based on 1 of 12 mock psychological evaluations. The evaluations varied the presence of 2 sets of diagnostic criteria (antisocial…

  9. A Closer Look at Party Hosting Behaviors within Off-Campus College Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jakeman, Rick C.; McClure, Tracae M.; Silver, Blake R.

    2015-01-01

    Colleges and universities have taken a variety of approaches to combat alcohol and other drug misuse among students. This descriptive quantitative study aims to investigate the behaviors of students who host off-campus parties and how these behaviors shape party environments. Undergraduate students (N = 2,146) completed an online survey to capture…

  10. Psychosocial Correlates of AUDIT-C Hazardous Drinking Risk Status: Implications for Screening and Brief Intervention in College Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wahesh, Edward; Lewis, Todd F.

    2015-01-01

    The current study identified psychosocial variables associated with AUDIT-C hazardous drinking risk status for male and female college students. Logistic regression analysis revealed that AUDIT-C risk status was associated with alcohol-related negative consequences, injunctive norms, and descriptive norms for both male and female participants.…

  11. Small Business Apparel Retailing in Jamaica: An Exploratory Investigation into Product Development Processes and Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson-Leslie, Natalie; Gaskill, LuAnn R.

    2006-01-01

    While the process and practices of retail product development in developed countries have been documented, a void exists in descriptive analysis regarding retail product development in an international setting. The primary purpose of this study was to explore small business apparel retailing, and specifically the retail product development process…

  12. Mesa Verde: A Study of Man in an Agricultural Setting. Student Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Community Health Service (DHEW/PHS), Bethesda, MD.

    This student manual contains information and guides to assist the secondary student in functioning as an archeologist. Included are fables, pictures for analysis, a time line and description of the pre-history of Mesa Verde, Colorado. The manual concludes with artifact identification word sheets. A related document is ED 001 722. (AWW)

  13. Rapid Development of Hybrid Courses for Distance Education: A Midwestern University's Pilot Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rust, Jodi

    2011-01-01

    A descriptive case study was used to explore how repurposing and a pedagogical-based instructional design model, the multimodal model (Picciano, 2009), were used to create quality distance education courses in a rapid development setting at a Midwestern land grant university. Data triangulation was used to secure data from faculty member…

  14. Physical Activity, Dietary Practices, and Other Health Behaviors of At-Risk Youth Attending Alternative High Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubik, Martha Y.; Lytle, Leslie; Fulkerson, Jayne A.

    2004-01-01

    This study assessed the interest of alternative high school staff in intervention research on students' eating and physical activity habits and the feasibility of conducting such research in alternative school settings. A two-phase descriptive design incorporated both quantitative and qualitative methods. In fall/winter 2001-2002, alternative high…

  15. Black and White Racism: An Unobtrusive Experimental Assessment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bromley, Stephanie; And Others

    This paper presents the results of a study to assess both interracial and intraracial attitudes in a field setting, using two measures: (1) compliance with a request for help, and (2) juridic judgments. Black and white female college students asked black and white Boston subway passengers to read a description of a (bogus) legal case, involving…

  16. Good IR duals of bad quiver theories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dey, Anindya; Koroteev, Peter

    2018-05-01

    The infrared dynamics of generic 3d N = 4 bad theories (as per the good-bad-ugly classification of Gaiotto and Witten) are poorly understood. Examples of such theories with a single unitary gauge group and fundamental flavors have been studied recently, and the low energy effective theory around some special point in the Coulomb branch was shown to have a description in terms of a good theory and a certain number of free hypermultiplets. A classification of possible infrared fixed points for bad theories by Bashkirov, based on unitarity constraints and superconformal symmetry, suggest a much richer set of possibilities for the IR behavior, although explicit examples were not known. In this note, we present a specific example of a bad quiver gauge theory which admits a good IR description on a sublocus of its Coulomb branch. The good description, in question, consists of two decoupled quiver gauge theories with no free hypermultiplets.

  17. Preliminary findings of an investigation into the relationship between national culture and EQ-5D value sets.

    PubMed

    Bailey, Henry; Kind, Paul

    2010-10-01

    Despite the growing importance of the EQ-5D descriptive system as a basis for the valuation of QALYs in cost-utility analysis, for most countries, there are no EQ-5D value sets. Researchers and policy makers wishing to use the EQ-5D descriptive system in a country for which there is no value set are advised to use one from a nearby or 'similar' population. Factors other than geographic proximity can affect the relative values of EQ-5D states. This study explores the links between national culture and EQ-5D value sets. Rank correlation analysis is used to explore relationships between the relative values of a set of EQ-5D states and dimensions of national culture. The latter are taken from Hofstede's framework which operationalizes national culture in five dimensions. For the data currently available (countries for which EQ-5D value sets and scores on dimensions of culture both exist), moderate and strong correlations were found between the culture dimension of power distance and individualism and the EQ-5D dimensions of pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Moderate correlations were also observed between the cultural dimension of masculinity and the EQ-5D dimensions of self care, usual activities and pain/discomfort. Uncertainty avoidance correlates with the EQ-5D dimension of anxiety/depression. The correlation patterns observed are generally consistent with a priori expectations based on the nature of the dimensions of culture and the EQ-5D model. This analysis demonstrates the potential of national culture in providing insight into the drivers of the relative values of EQ-5D dimensions for different countries and in informing decisions about which EQ-5D value sets to use in situations where one does not exist.

  18. Evolutionary tree reconstruction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cheeseman, Peter; Kanefsky, Bob

    1990-01-01

    It is described how Minimum Description Length (MDL) can be applied to the problem of DNA and protein evolutionary tree reconstruction. If there is a set of mutations that transform a common ancestor into a set of the known sequences, and this description is shorter than the information to encode the known sequences directly, then strong evidence for an evolutionary relationship has been found. A heuristic algorithm is described that searches for the simplest tree (smallest MDL) that finds close to optimal trees on the test data. Various ways of extending the MDL theory to more complex evolutionary relationships are discussed.

  19. Program Reference for SPICE2

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1976-06-14

    3.37 LVliCT 13-3-38 LOCX 13-3-39 LOC ~ 13.4 Laoeled-Cornrnon Variaole Descriptions 13 • 4 · 1 l-1E1..ffi i’ 13·4·2 TA.SINF 13·4·3 MlSCEL 13.4.4...four parameters, described in the following: Qgr,pmeter ANAME ID LOC I FORCE description name of list element number of list to search set by...vrNR to the circuit· For such a case, subroutine FIND sets the ( LOC + 2)th (Properly speaking, the IU~~SAT table should also be used for this purpose

  20. How health professionals regulate their learning in massive open online courses.

    PubMed

    Milligan, Colin; Littlejohn, Allison

    2016-10-01

    Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are typically designed around a self-guided format that assumes learners can regulate their own learning, rather than relying on tutor guidance. However, MOOCs attract a diverse spectrum of learners, who differ in their ability and motivation to manage their own learning. This study addresses the research question ' How do professionals self-regulate their learning in a MOOC?' The study examined the 'Fundamentals of Clinical Trials' MOOC offered by edX, and presents narrative descriptions of learning drawn from interviews with 35 course participants. The descriptions provide an insight into the goal-setting, self-efficacy, learning and task strategies, and help-seeking of professionals choosing to study this MOOC. Gaining an insight into how these self-regulatory processes are or are not enacted highlights potential opportunities for pedagogic and technical design of MOOCs.

  1. A Descriptive Analysis of Students with Disabilities' Experiences in an Inclusive Setting: A Phenomenological Study of Belonging and Self-Esteem

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Konecni-Upton, Gail

    2010-01-01

    A sense of belonging is critical in the development of positive self-worth, the enhancement of social skills, and the definition of one's role in society. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe students with disabilities' perceptions of belonging and self-esteem in an inclusive classroom community by addressing a gap in practice…

  2. Knowledge of Hazards of Self-Medication among Secondary School Students in Ethiopia East Local Government Area of Delta State

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iyeke, Patrick; Dafe, Onoharigho Festus

    2016-01-01

    This study is set out to ascertain the knowledge of hazards of self-medication among Secondary School Students. The descriptive Survey design was adopted for the work. The population of the study is 9,500 students in the public Secondary Schools, in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State. The sample is 300 students randomly selected…

  3. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by african american (AA) and caucasian american (CA) older adults in a rural setting: a descriptive, comparative study

    PubMed Central

    Cuellar, Norma; Aycock, Teresa; Cahill, Bridgett; Ford, Julie

    2003-01-01

    Background The use of CAM is at an all time high. There is very little research that compares the use of CAM in elders by ethnicity in rural settings. The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a difference between African American and Caucasian American rural elders on use of CAM and self-reported satisfaction with CAM. Methods The design was a descriptive, comparative study of 183 elders who reported the number of CAM used and satisfaction with CAM. A convenience sample was recruited through community service organizations in the state of Mississippi. The availability of elders through the support groups, sampling bias, subject effect, and self-report were limitations of the study. Results The commonest examples of CAM used by rural elders were prayer, vitamins, exercise, meditation, herbs, chiropractic medicine, glucosamine, and music therapy. Significant findings on SES and marital status were calculated. Differences on ethnicity and demographic variables were significant for age, education, and the use of glucosamine. Conclusions Health care providers must be aware that elders are using CAM and are satisfied with their use. Identifying different uses of CAM by ethnicity is important for health care practitioners, impacting how health care is provided. PMID:14622445

  4. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by African American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) older adults in a rural setting: a descriptive, comparative study.

    PubMed

    Cuellar, Norma; Aycock, Teresa; Cahill, Bridgett; Ford, Julie

    2003-11-18

    The use of CAM is at an all time high. There is very little research that compares the use of CAM in elders by ethnicity in rural settings. The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a difference between African American and Caucasian American rural elders on use of CAM and self-reported satisfaction with CAM. The design was a descriptive, comparative study of 183 elders who reported the number of CAM used and satisfaction with CAM. A convenience sample was recruited through community service organizations in the state of Mississippi. The availability of elders through the support groups, sampling bias, subject effect, and self-report were limitations of the study. The commonest examples of CAM used by rural elders were prayer, vitamins, exercise, meditation, herbs, chiropractic medicine, glucosamine, and music therapy. Significant findings on SES and marital status were calculated. Differences on ethnicity and demographic variables were significant for age, education, and the use of glucosamine. Health care providers must be aware that elders are using CAM and are satisfied with their use. Identifying different uses of CAM by ethnicity is important for health care practitioners, impacting how health care is provided.

  5. Application of the verona coding definitions of emotional sequences (VR-CoDES) on a pediatric data set.

    PubMed

    Vatne, Torun M; Finset, Arnstein; Ørnes, Knut; Ruland, Cornelia M

    2010-09-01

    Adult patients present concerns as defined in the Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences (VR-CoDES), but we do not know how children express their concerns during medical consultations. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of VR-CoDES to pediatric oncology consultations. Twenty-eight pediatric consultations were coded with the Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences (VR-CoDES), and the material was also qualitatively analyzed for descriptive purposes. Five consultations were randomly selected for reliability testing and descriptive statistics were computed. Perfect inter-rater reliability for concerns and moderate reliability for cues were obtained. Cues and/or concerns were present in over half of the consultations. Cues were more frequent than concerns, with the majority of cues being verbal hints to hidden concerns or non-verbal cues. Intensity of expressions, limitations in vocabulary, commonality of statements, and complexity of the setting complicated the use of VR-CoDES. Child-specific cues; use of the imperative, cues about past experiences, and use of onomatopoeia were observed. Children with cancer express concerns during medical consultations. VR-CoDES is a reliable tool for coding concerns in pediatric data sets. For future applications in pediatric settings an appendix should be developed to incorporate the child-specific traits. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. The Greyhound Strike: Using a Labor Dispute to Teach Descriptive Statistics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shatz, Mark A.

    1985-01-01

    A simulation exercise of a labor-management dispute is used to teach psychology students some of the basics of descriptive statistics. Using comparable data sets generated by the instructor, students work in small groups to develop a statistical presentation that supports their particular position in the dispute. (Author/RM)

  7. A debugger-interpreter with setup facilities for assembly programs

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

    Dolinskii, I.S.; Zisel`man, I.M.; Belotskii, S.L.

    1995-11-01

    In this paper a software program allowing one to introduce and debug the descriptions of the von Nuemann architecture processors and their assemblers, efficiently debug assembly programs, and investigate the instruction sets of the described processors is considered. For a description of the processor sematics and assembler syntax, a metassembly language is suggested.

  8. 26 CFR 25.6019-4 - Description of property listed on return.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ..., amount of principal unpaid, rate of interest and whether simple or compound, and date to which interest..., rate of interest, date or dates on which interest is payable, series number where there is more than... amount of such accrued income shall be separately set forth. Description of the seller's interest in land...

  9. Expanding Preschoolers' Use of Object Descriptions and Comparisons by Teaching "Category-Descriptor" Statements.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weisberg, Paul

    2003-01-01

    Six preschool children, mostly from poverty-level backgrounds, were taught to make descriptive statements about objects. The category-descriptor statements were organized and sequenced into four clusters. As sets of new statements were successively taught and evaluated, the number and diversity of probed category and descriptor terms steadily and…

  10. World Perspective Case Descriptions on Educational Programs for Adults: Portugal.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Soares de Melo, Alvaro; Cristovao, Artur F. A. C.

    The case descriptions of two adult education programs in Portual contained in this document are part of a set that reflects a cooperative effort by adult educators to increase international understanding of various educational programs for adults in their societal context. A face sheet for each program provides this information: name,…

  11. Efficient generation of connectivity in neuronal networks from simulator-independent descriptions

    PubMed Central

    Djurfeldt, Mikael; Davison, Andrew P.; Eppler, Jochen M.

    2014-01-01

    Simulator-independent descriptions of connectivity in neuronal networks promise greater ease of model sharing, improved reproducibility of simulation results, and reduced programming effort for computational neuroscientists. However, until now, enabling the use of such descriptions in a given simulator in a computationally efficient way has entailed considerable work for simulator developers, which must be repeated for each new connectivity-generating library that is developed. We have developed a generic connection generator interface that provides a standard way to connect a connectivity-generating library to a simulator, such that one library can easily be replaced by another, according to the modeler's needs. We have used the connection generator interface to connect C++ and Python implementations of the previously described connection-set algebra to the NEST simulator. We also demonstrate how the simulator-independent modeling framework PyNN can transparently take advantage of this, passing a connection description through to the simulator layer for rapid processing in C++ where a simulator supports the connection generator interface and falling-back to slower iteration in Python otherwise. A set of benchmarks demonstrates the good performance of the interface. PMID:24795620

  12. Analytical and Clinical Performance of Blood Glucose Monitors

    PubMed Central

    Boren, Suzanne Austin; Clarke, William L.

    2010-01-01

    Background The objective of this study was to understand the level of performance of blood glucose monitors as assessed in the published literature. Methods Medline from January 2000 to October 2009 and reference lists of included articles were searched to identify eligible studies. Key information was abstracted from eligible studies: blood glucose meters tested, blood sample, meter operators, setting, sample of people (number, diabetes type, age, sex, and race), duration of diabetes, years using a glucose meter, insulin use, recommendations followed, performance evaluation measures, and specific factors affecting the accuracy evaluation of blood glucose monitors. Results Thirty-one articles were included in this review. Articles were categorized as review articles of blood glucose accuracy (6 articles), original studies that reported the performance of blood glucose meters in laboratory settings (14 articles) or clinical settings (9 articles), and simulation studies (2 articles). A variety of performance evaluation measures were used in the studies. The authors did not identify any studies that demonstrated a difference in clinical outcomes. Examples of analytical tools used in the description of accuracy (e.g., correlation coefficient, linear regression equations, and International Organization for Standardization standards) and how these traditional measures can complicate the achievement of target blood glucose levels for the patient were presented. The benefits of using error grid analysis to quantify the clinical accuracy of patient-determined blood glucose values were discussed. Conclusions When examining blood glucose monitor performance in the real world, it is important to consider if an improvement in analytical accuracy would lead to improved clinical outcomes for patients. There are several examples of how analytical tools used in the description of self-monitoring of blood glucose accuracy could be irrelevant to treatment decisions. PMID:20167171

  13. POWER/SSE Web Access Data

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2018-06-25

    Description:  Obtain Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resource (POWER) data The Prediction of Worldwide Energy ... (POWER) project was initiated to improve upon the current renewable energy data set and to create new data sets from new satellite ...

  14. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part N. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #65--Typist I; #67--Grocery Checker; #68--File Clerk; #69--Receptionist; #70--Bank Teller; #71--Clerk, General Office.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This eleventh of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Competency Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Typist I, Grocery Checker, File Clerk, Receptionist; Bank Teller; and Clerk, General Office. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE number,…

  15. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part O. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #72--Ward Clerk; #73--Account Clerk; #74--Mail Handler (Messenger); #75--Payroll Clerk.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This twelfth of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Ward Clerk, Account Clerk, Mail Handler (Messenger), and Payroll Clerk. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE number, career ladder, D.O.T. general…

  16. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part Q. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #91--Meat Cutter; #92--Shipping Clerk; #93--Long Haul Truck Driver; #94--Truck Driver--Light.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This fourteenth of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Meat Cutter, Shipping Clerk, Long Haul Truck Driver, and Truck Driver--Light. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE number, career ladder, D.O.T.…

  17. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part K. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #40--Salesperson, Automobile; #41--Salesperson, Men's Wear; #42--Waiter/Waitress; #45--Janitor; #46--Porter; #48--Pressing Machine Operator.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This eighth of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Salesperson, Automotive; Salesperson, Men's Wear; Waiter/Waitress; Janitor; Porter; and Pressing Machine Operator. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE…

  18. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part I. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #30--Roofer Apprentice; #31--Pipefitter; #32--Medical Supply Clerk; #33--Stock Clerk; #35--Warehouseman (Laborer, Stores).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This sixth of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Roofer Apprentice, Pipefitter, Medical Supply Clerk, Stock Clerk, and Warehouseperson. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE number, career ladder, D.O.T.…

  19. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part E. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #11--Groundskeeper; #12--Animal Keeper; #15--Tire Repairperson; #16--Muffler Installer; #17--Garage Mechanic.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This second of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Groundskeeper, Animal Keeper, Tire Repairperson, Muffler Installer, and Garage Mechanic. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE number, career ladder, D.O.T.…

  20. Adult Competency Education Kit. Basic Skills in Speaking, Math, and Reading for Employment. Part L. ACE Competency Based Job Descriptions: #52--Maid; #54--Ticket Agent; #55--Cosmetologist; #57--Counterperson; #58--Cook's Helper; #59--Kitchen Helper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City, CA. Career Preparation Centers.

    This ninth of fifteen sets of Adult Competency Education (ACE) Competency Based Job Descriptions in the ACE kit contains job descriptions for Maid, Ticket Agent, Cosmetologist, Counterperson, Cook's Helper, and Kitchen Helper. Each begins with a fact sheet that includes this information: occupational title, D.O.T. code, ACE number, career ladder,…

  1. Inter-rater agreement in evaluation of disability: systematic review of reproducibility studies

    PubMed Central

    Barth, Jürgen; de Boer, Wout E L; Busse, Jason W; Hoving, Jan L; Kedzia, Sarah; Couban, Rachel; Fischer, Katrin; von Allmen, David Y; Spanjer, Jerry

    2017-01-01

    Objectives To explore agreement among healthcare professionals assessing eligibility for work disability benefits. Design Systematic review and narrative synthesis of reproducibility studies. Data sources Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO searched up to 16 March 2016, without language restrictions, and review of bibliographies of included studies. Eligibility criteria Observational studies investigating reproducibility among healthcare professionals performing disability evaluations using a global rating of working capacity and reporting inter-rater reliability by a statistical measure or descriptively. Studies could be conducted in insurance settings, where decisions on ability to work include normative judgments based on legal considerations, or in research settings, where decisions on ability to work disregard normative considerations.Teams of paired reviewers identified eligible studies, appraised their methodological quality and generalisability, and abstracted results with pretested forms. As heterogeneity of research designs and findings impeded a quantitative analysis, a descriptive synthesis stratified by setting (insurance or research) was performed. Results From 4562 references, 101 full text articles were reviewed. Of these, 16 studies conducted in an insurance setting and seven in a research setting, performed in 12 countries, met the inclusion criteria. Studies in the insurance setting were conducted with medical experts assessing claimants who were actual disability claimants or played by actors, hypothetical cases, or short written scenarios. Conditions were mental (n=6, 38%), musculoskeletal (n=4, 25%), or mixed (n=6, 38%). Applicability of findings from studies conducted in an insurance setting to real life evaluations ranged from generalisable (n=7, 44%) and probably generalisable (n=3, 19%) to probably not generalisable (n=6, 37%). Median inter-rater reliability among experts was 0.45 (range intraclass correlation coefficient 0.86 to κ−0.10). Inter-rater reliability was poor in six studies (37%) and excellent in only two (13%). This contrasts with studies conducted in the research setting, where the median inter-rater reliability was 0.76 (range 0.91-0.53), and 71% (5/7) studies achieved excellent inter-rater reliability. Reliability between assessing professionals was higher when the evaluation was guided by a standardised instrument (23 studies, P=0.006). No such association was detected for subjective or chronic health conditions or the studies’ generalisability to real world evaluation of disability (P=0.46, 0.45, and 0.65, respectively). Conclusions Despite their common use and far reaching consequences for workers claiming disabling injury or illness, research on the reliability of medical evaluations of disability for work is limited and indicates high variation in judgments among assessing professionals. Standardising the evaluation process could improve reliability. Development and testing of instruments and structured approaches to improve reliability in evaluation of disability are urgently needed. PMID:28122727

  2. Becoming an A & E nurse.

    PubMed

    Sbaih, L C

    1997-10-01

    This is the first of four papers which examine the work of Accident and Emergency (A & E) nurses. The descriptions in this and the following three papers have emerged from an ethnomethodological study which sought to obtain the views of what A & E nurses believed their work to be. All are rooted in nurses' accounts of the ways in which nursing work is talked about and accomplished within the A & E setting. It should be noted that all four papers describe the ordinary rather than the extraordinary and should hold no surprises for those familiar with A & E nursing work. This first paper explores the ways in which nurses become A & E nurses, however, before descriptions can be put forward, an introduction to the study from which they have emerged needs to be made.

  3. Functional thermo-dynamics: a generalization of dynamic density functional theory to non-isothermal situations.

    PubMed

    Anero, Jesús G; Español, Pep; Tarazona, Pedro

    2013-07-21

    We present a generalization of Density Functional Theory (DFT) to non-equilibrium non-isothermal situations. By using the original approach set forth by Gibbs in his consideration of Macroscopic Thermodynamics (MT), we consider a Functional Thermo-Dynamics (FTD) description based on the density field and the energy density field. A crucial ingredient of the theory is an entropy functional, which is a concave functional. Therefore, there is a one to one connection between the density and energy fields with the conjugate thermodynamic fields. The connection between the three levels of description (MT, DFT, FTD) is clarified through a bridge theorem that relates the entropy of different levels of description and that constitutes a generalization of Mermin's theorem to arbitrary levels of description whose relevant variables are connected linearly. Although the FTD level of description does not provide any new information about averages and correlations at equilibrium, it is a crucial ingredient for the dynamics in non-equilibrium states. We obtain with the technique of projection operators the set of dynamic equations that describe the evolution of the density and energy density fields from an initial non-equilibrium state towards equilibrium. These equations generalize time dependent density functional theory to non-isothermal situations. We also present an explicit model for the entropy functional for hard spheres.

  4. AutoBD: Automated Bi-Level Description for Scalable Fine-Grained Visual Categorization.

    PubMed

    Yao, Hantao; Zhang, Shiliang; Yan, Chenggang; Zhang, Yongdong; Li, Jintao; Tian, Qi

    Compared with traditional image classification, fine-grained visual categorization is a more challenging task, because it targets to classify objects belonging to the same species, e.g. , classify hundreds of birds or cars. In the past several years, researchers have made many achievements on this topic. However, most of them are heavily dependent on the artificial annotations, e.g., bounding boxes, part annotations, and so on . The requirement of artificial annotations largely hinders the scalability and application. Motivated to release such dependence, this paper proposes a robust and discriminative visual description named Automated Bi-level Description (AutoBD). "Bi-level" denotes two complementary part-level and object-level visual descriptions, respectively. AutoBD is "automated," because it only requires the image-level labels of training images and does not need any annotations for testing images. Compared with the part annotations labeled by the human, the image-level labels can be easily acquired, which thus makes AutoBD suitable for large-scale visual categorization. Specifically, the part-level description is extracted by identifying the local region saliently representing the visual distinctiveness. The object-level description is extracted from object bounding boxes generated with a co-localization algorithm. Although only using the image-level labels, AutoBD outperforms the recent studies on two public benchmark, i.e. , classification accuracy achieves 81.6% on CUB-200-2011 and 88.9% on Car-196, respectively. On the large-scale Birdsnap data set, AutoBD achieves the accuracy of 68%, which is currently the best performance to the best of our knowledge.Compared with traditional image classification, fine-grained visual categorization is a more challenging task, because it targets to classify objects belonging to the same species, e.g. , classify hundreds of birds or cars. In the past several years, researchers have made many achievements on this topic. However, most of them are heavily dependent on the artificial annotations, e.g., bounding boxes, part annotations, and so on . The requirement of artificial annotations largely hinders the scalability and application. Motivated to release such dependence, this paper proposes a robust and discriminative visual description named Automated Bi-level Description (AutoBD). "Bi-level" denotes two complementary part-level and object-level visual descriptions, respectively. AutoBD is "automated," because it only requires the image-level labels of training images and does not need any annotations for testing images. Compared with the part annotations labeled by the human, the image-level labels can be easily acquired, which thus makes AutoBD suitable for large-scale visual categorization. Specifically, the part-level description is extracted by identifying the local region saliently representing the visual distinctiveness. The object-level description is extracted from object bounding boxes generated with a co-localization algorithm. Although only using the image-level labels, AutoBD outperforms the recent studies on two public benchmark, i.e. , classification accuracy achieves 81.6% on CUB-200-2011 and 88.9% on Car-196, respectively. On the large-scale Birdsnap data set, AutoBD achieves the accuracy of 68%, which is currently the best performance to the best of our knowledge.

  5. Geometric descriptions of entangled states by auxiliary varieties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holweck, Frédéric; Luque, Jean-Gabriel; Thibon, Jean-Yves

    2012-10-01

    The aim of the paper is to propose geometric descriptions of multipartite entangled states using algebraic geometry. In the context of this paper, geometric means each stratum of the Hilbert space, corresponding to an entangled state, is an open subset of an algebraic variety built by classical geometric constructions (tangent lines, secant lines) from the set of separable states. In this setting, we describe well-known classifications of multipartite entanglement such as 2 × 2 × (n + 1), for n ⩾ 1, quantum systems and a new description with the 2 × 3 × 3 quantum system. Our results complete the approach of Miyake and make stronger connections with recent work of algebraic geometers. Moreover, for the quantum systems detailed in this paper, we propose an algorithm, based on the classical theory of invariants, to decide to which subvariety of the Hilbert space a given state belongs.

  6. Description and analysis of the poultry trading network in the Lake Alaotra region, Madagascar: implications for the surveillance and control of Newcastle disease.

    PubMed

    Rasamoelina-Andriamanivo, H; Duboz, R; Lancelot, R; Maminiaina, O F; Jourdan, M; Rakotondramaro, T M C; Rakotonjanahary, S N; de Almeida, R Servan; Rakotondravao; Durand, B; Chevalier, V

    2014-07-01

    Madagascar's 36.5-million-head poultry industry holds a foremost place in its economy and the livelihood of its people. Unfortunately, regular Newcastle disease outbreaks associated with high mortality causes high losses for smallholders and threatens their livelihood. Therefore, Madagascar is seeking concrete, achievable and sustainable methods for the surveillance and the control of Newcastle disease. In this paper, we present and analyze the results of a field study conducted in Madagascar between December 2009 and December 2010. The study area was the Lac Alaotra region, a landlocked area in the north-eastern part of the country's center. Poultry trading is suspected of playing a major role in the spread of avian diseases, especially in developing countries characterized by many live-bird markets and middlemen. Therefore, the goals of our study were to: (i) describe and analyze smallholders' poultry trading network in the Lake Alaotra region using social network analysis; (ii) assess the role of the network in the spread of Newcastle disease; and (iii) propose the implementation of a targeted disease surveillance based on the characteristics of the poultry trading network. We focused our field study on the harvesting of two data sets. The first is a complete description of the poultry trading network in the landlocked area of Lac Alaotra, including a description of the poultry movements between groups of villages. The second set of data measures the occurrence of outbreaks in the same area by combining a participatory approach with an event-based surveillance method. These data were used to determine the attributes of the network, and to statistically assess the association between the position of nodes and the occurrence of outbreaks. By using social network analysis techniques combined with a classification method and a logistic model, we finally identified 3 nodes (set of villages), of the 387 in the initial network, to focus on for surveillance and control in the Lac Alaotra area. This result is of primary importance in the ongoing efforts to effectively improve the wellbeing of people in the region. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Environmental setting of Maple Creek watershed, Nebraska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fredrick, Brian S.; Linard, Joshua I.; Carpenter, Jennifer L.

    2006-01-01

    The Maple Creek watershed covers a 955-square-kilometer area in eastern Nebraska, which is a region dominated by agricultural land use. The Maple Creek watershed is one of seven areas currently included in a nationwide study of the sources, transport, and fate of water and chemicals in agricultural watersheds. This study, known as the topical study of 'Agricultural Chemicals: Sources, Transport, and Fate' is part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. The Program is designed to describe water-quality conditions and trends based on representative surface- and ground-water resources across the Nation. The objective of the Agricultural Chemicals topical study is to investigate the sources, transport, and fate of selected agricultural chemicals in a variety of agriculturally diverse environmental settings. The Maple Creek watershed was selected for the Agricultural Chemicals topical study because its watershed represents the agricultural setting that characterizes eastern Nebraska. This report describes the environmental setting of the Maple Creek watershed in the context of how agricultural practices, including agricultural chemical applications and irrigation methods, interface with natural settings and hydrologic processes. A description of the environmental setting of a subwatershed within the drainage area of Maple Creek is included to improve the understanding of the variability of hydrologic and chemical cycles at two different scales.

  8. DOE Research Set-Aside Areas of the Savannah River Site

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

    Davis, C.E.; Janecek, L.L.

    1997-08-31

    Designated as the first of seven National Environmental Research Parks (NERPs) by the Atomic Energy Commission (now the Department of Energy), the Savannah River Site (SRS) is an important ecological component of the Southeastern Mixed Forest Ecoregion located along the Savannah River south of Aiken, South Carolina. Integral to the Savannah River Site NERP are the DOE Research Set-Aside Areas. Scattered across the SRS, these thirty tracts of land have been set aside for ecological research and are protected from public access and most routine Site maintenance and forest management activities. Ranging in size from 8.5 acres (3.44 ha) tomore » 7,364 acres (2,980 ha), the thirty Set-Aside Areas total 14,005 acres (5,668 ha) and comprise approximately 7% of the Site`s total area. This system of Set-Aside Areas originally was established to represent the major plant communities and habitat types indigenous to the SRS (old-fields, sandhills, upland hardwood, mixed pine/hardwood, bottomland forests, swamp forests, Carolina bays, and fresh water streams and impoundments), as well as to preserve habitats for endangered, threatened, or rare plant and animal populations. Many long-term ecological studies are conducted in the Set-Asides, which also serve as control areas in evaluations of the potential impacts of SRS operations on other regions of the Site. The purpose of this document is to give an historical account of the SRS Set-Aside Program and to provide a descriptive profile of each of the Set-Aside Areas. These descriptions include a narrative for each Area, information on the plant communities and soil types found there, lists of sensitive plants and animals documented from each Area, an account of the ecological research conducted in each Area, locator and resource composition maps, and a list of Site-Use permits and publications associated with each Set-Aside.« less

  9. Descriptive figures for differences in parenting and infant night-time distress in the first three months of age.

    PubMed

    St James-Roberts, Ian; Roberts, Marion; Hovish, Kimberly; Owen, Charlie

    2016-11-01

    Aim To provide descriptive figures for infant distress and associated parenting at night in normal London home environments during the first three months of age. Most western infants develop long night-time sleep periods by four months of age. However, 30% of infants in many countries sleep for short periods and cry out on waking in the night: the most common type of infant sleep behaviour problem. Preventive interventions may help families and improve services. There is evidence that 'limit-setting' parenting, which is common in western cultures, supports the development of settled infant night-time behaviour. However, a recent review has challenged this and argued that this form of parenting risks distressing infants. This study describes limit-setting parenting as practiced in London, compares it with 'infant-cued' parenting and measures the associated infant distress. Longitudinal infrared video, diary and questionnaire observations comparing a General-Community (n=101) group and subgroups with a Bed-Sharing (n=19) group on measures of infant and parenting behaviours at night. Findings General-Community parents took longer to detect and respond to infant waking and signalling, and to begin feeding, compared with the highly infant-cued care provided by Bed-Sharing parents. The average latency in General-Community parents' responding to infant night-time waking was 3.5 min, during which infants fuss/cried for around 1 min. Compared with Bed-Sharing parenting, General-Community parenting was associated with increased infant distress of around 30 min/night at two weeks, reducing to 12 min/night by three months of age. However, differences in infant distress between General-Community subgroups adopting limit-setting versus infant-cued parenting were not large or statistically significant at any age. The figures provide descriptive evidence about limit-setting parenting which may counter some doubts about this form of parenting and help parents and professionals to make choices.

  10. A pilot Internet "value of health" panel: recruitment, participation and compliance.

    PubMed

    Stein, Ken; Dyer, Matthew; Crabb, Tania; Milne, Ruairidh; Round, Alison; Ratcliffe, Julie; Brazier, John

    2006-11-27

    To pilot using a panel of members of the public to provide preference data via the Internet A stratified random sample of members of the general public was recruited and familiarized with the standard gamble procedure using an Internet based tool. Health states were periodically presented in "sets" corresponding to different conditions, during the study. The following were described: Recruitment (proportion of people approached who were trained); Participation (a) the proportion of people trained who provided any preferences and (b) the proportion of panel members who contributed to each "set" of values; and Compliance (the proportion, per participant, of preference tasks which were completed). The influence of covariates on these outcomes was investigated using univariate and multivariate analyses. A panel of 112 people was recruited. 23% of those approached (n = 5,320) responded to the invitation, and 24% of respondents (n = 1,215) were willing to participate (net = 5.5%). However, eventual recruitment rates, following training, were low (2.1% of those approached). Recruitment from areas of high socioeconomic deprivation and among ethnic minority communities was low. Eighteen sets of health state descriptions were considered over 14 months. 74% of panel members carried out at least one valuation task. People from areas of higher socioeconomic deprivation and unmarried people were less likely to participate. An average of 41% of panel members expressed preferences on each set of descriptions. Compliance ranged from 3% to 100%. It is feasible to establish a panel of members of the general public to express preferences on a wide range of health state descriptions using the Internet, although differential recruitment and attrition are important challenges. Particular attention to recruitment and retention in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation and among ethnic minority communities is necessary. Nevertheless, the panel approach to preference measurement using the Internet offers the potential to provide specific utility data in a responsive manner for use in economic evaluations and to address some of the outstanding methodological uncertainties in this field.

  11. Exploring an Historical Gaze: A Language of Description for the Practice of School History

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bertram, Carol

    2012-01-01

    This paper brings a sociology of knowledge lens to the practice of school history. It is set against a backdrop of curriculum reform in post-apartheid South Africa, which has embraced a competence curriculum with a strong focus on the generic skills (outcomes) that learners should develop at school. This study argues that history as a discipline…

  12. Effective equations for the quantum pendulum from momentous quantum mechanics

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

    Hernandez, Hector H.; Chacon-Acosta, Guillermo; Departamento de Matematicas Aplicadas y Sistemas, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa, Artificios 40, Mexico D. F. 01120

    In this work we study the quantum pendulum within the framework of momentous quantum mechanics. This description replaces the Schroedinger equation for the quantum evolution of the system with an infinite set of classical equations for expectation values of configuration variables, and quantum dispersions. We solve numerically the effective equations up to the second order, and describe its evolution.

  13. A Descriptive Study of the Pilot Implementation of Student Learning Objectives in Arizona and Utah. REL 2016-102

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Makkonen, Reino; Tejwani, Jaclyn; Rodriguez, Fernando, Jr.

    2015-01-01

    Approximately 30 states are now adopting teacher evaluation policies that include student learning objectives (SLOs), which are classroom-specific student test growth targets set by teachers and approved (and scored) by principals. Today state and district leaders are trying to determine the appropriate level of guidance and oversight to provide…

  14. The Evolution of Foreign Language AP Exam Candidates: A 36-Year Descriptive Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Alan V.; Thompson, Gregory L.

    2016-01-01

    Using a data set exclusively prepared for and licensed to them by the College Board, the authors examined the growth of the Advanced Placement program in foreign languages and overall trends in regard to the number of candidates who sat for the foreign language exams, their gender, their scores, and their ethnicity over the 36-year period covering…

  15. L'ilot du reservoir: etude de voisinage en milieu urbain (The Reservoir Block: A Study of a Neighborhood in an Urban Setting).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rey, Jean-Noel

    1983-01-01

    An analysis of a small neighborhood of Paris looks at its layout and spatial constraints, habitats, symbols, sense of territory, and rhythms and styles of the inhabitants and their roles in the group. The description, including photos, is intended for use in the French language classroom. (MSE)

  16. Technological Change and the Material Conditions of the Literate Practice of Medicine.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dutcher, Violet A.

    A study, to support the need for exploratory research, was designed to elicit a description of the medical chart located in its setting--the chart was looked "through" as a tool (as a means to an end to effect particular medical goals) and looked "at" itself as technology. This could provide a way to understand the relationship…

  17. Digging for the Roots of Language Death in Eastern Indonesia: The Cases of Kayeli and Hukumina.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grimes, Charles E.

    Looking at descriptive, comparative social and historical evidence, this study explored factors contributing to language death for two languages formerly spoken on the Indonesian island of Buru. Field data were gathered from the last remaining speaker of Hukumina and from the last four speakers of Kayeli. A significant historical event that set in…

  18. Studies in Bilingual Evaluation, Work Unit I: Bilingual Prediction Project. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Porcel, Antonio; And Others

    The final report of the Bilingual Prediction Project presents a review of the project from its inception in 1975 through completion in 1979. The main goal was to predict a student's academic ability in English. A prediction index was constructed in two stages. The first stage was a description of the target population and their school setting, as…

  19. Using a Learning Management System to Personalise Learning for Primary School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edmunds, Bronwyn; Hartnett, Maggie

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports on one aspect of a descriptive multiple-case study which set out to explore the role of a learning management system (LMS) in personalising learning for students from the perspective of three teachers in one primary school in New Zealand. The intention was to provide insight into the role the LMS could play in classrooms when…

  20. Priming English Past Tense Verbs: Rules or Statistics?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kielar, A.; Joanisse, Marc F.; Hare, M. L.

    2008-01-01

    A key question in language processing concerns the rule-like nature of many aspects of grammar. Much research on this topic has focused on English past tense morphology, which comprises a regular, rule-like pattern (e.g., bake-baked) and a set of irregular forms that defy a rule-based description (e.g., take-took). Previous studies have used past…

  1. Usage and Design Evaluation by Family Caregivers of aStroke Intervention Website

    PubMed Central

    Pierce, Linda L.; Steiner, Victoria

    2013-01-01

    Background Four out of 5 families are affected by stroke. Many caregivers access the Internet and gather healthcare information from web-based sources. Design The purpose of this descriptive evaluation was to assess the usage and design of the Caring~Web© site, which provides education/support for family caregivers of persons with stroke residing in home settings. Sample and Setting Thirty-six caregivers from two Midwest states accessed this intervention in a 1-year study. The average participant was fifty-four years of age, white, female, and the spouse of the care recipient. Methods In a telephone interview, four website questions were asked twice-/bi-monthly and a 33-item Survey at the conclusion of the study evaluated the website usage and design of its components. Descriptive analysis methods were used and statistics were collected on the number of visits to the website. Results On average, participants logged on to the website one to two hours per week, although usage declined after several months for some participants. Participants positively rated the website’s appearance and usability that included finding the training to be adequate. Conclusion Website designers can replicate this intervention for other health conditions. PMID:24025464

  2. Pain management in home hospice patients: A retrospective descriptive study.

    PubMed

    Campbell, Cathy L; Kelly, Meghan; Rovnyak, Virginia

    2017-09-01

    The development and evaluation of evidence-based, safe, and effective home-based pain management models for caregivers implementation is receiving greater attention in the literature because of international initiatives intended to increase the number of people who receive end-of-life care in home-based settings. The purpose of this "retrospective descriptive design" study was to describe pharmacological pain management and outcomes for 40 cancer and non-cancer patients receiving hospice care at home. While the median pain score was higher at admission in the cancer group than in the hospice care at home group, the difference was not significant at or within 48 hour of admission. Overall, there was a significant decrease in pain from the first measurement to the second. Within the last seven days of life, the majority of participants were not able to provide a pain severity score when asked to evaluate the effectiveness of pain management, thus their caregiver provided a proxy evaluation. Pain management was effective in the home setting. More research is needed on the best methods to teach lay caregivers to assess pain and evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacological modalities to manage pain. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  3. Evaluating the effectiveness of clinical medical librarian programs: a systematic review of the literature*

    PubMed Central

    Wagner, Kay Cimpl; Byrd, Gary D.

    2004-01-01

    Objective: This study was undertaken to determine if a systematic review of the evidence from thirty years of literature evaluating clinical medical librarian (CML) programs could help clarify the effectiveness of this outreach service model. Methods: A descriptive review of the CML literature describes the general characteristics of these services as they have been implemented, primarily in teaching-hospital settings. Comprehensive searches for CML studies using quantitative or qualitative evaluation methods were conducted in the medical, allied health, librarianship, and social sciences literature. Findings: Thirty-five studies published between 1974 and 2001 met the review criteria. Most (30) evaluated single, active programs and used descriptive research methods (e.g., use statistics or surveys/questionnaires). A weighted average of 89% of users in twelve studies found CML services useful and of high quality, and 65% of users in another overlapping, but not identical, twelve studies said these services contributed to improved patient care. Conclusions: The total amount of research evidence for CML program effectiveness is not great and most of it is descriptive rather than comparative or analytically qualitative. Standards are needed to consistently evaluate CML or informationist programs in the future. A carefully structured multiprogram study including three to five of the best current programs is needed to define the true value of these services. PMID:14762460

  4. A descriptive review of qualitative studies in first episode psychosis.

    PubMed

    Boydell, Katherine M; Stasiulis, Elaine; Volpe, Tiziana; Gladstone, Brenda

    2010-02-01

    The aim of this paper is to provide a descriptive review of published qualitative research studies on first episode psychosis (FEP). A review was undertaken to describe the findings of qualitative studies in early psychosis. Keyword searches in Medline, CINAHL, ASSIA, PsychINFO databases, as well as manual searches of other relevant journals and reference lists of primary papers, were conducted. Thirty-one qualitative papers (representing 27 discrete studies) were identified. The majority reported research concerning young people based in community settings. The research studies were organized according to the following generic social processes: (i) achieving identity; (ii) acquiring perspectives; (iii) doing activity; and, (iv) experiencing relationships. The papers reviewed are based on first-person accounts obtained from individuals who have experienced FEP, their family members and service providers. This descriptive review contributes to our understanding of the complex social processes of achieving identity, acquiring perspectives, doing activities and developing relationships as experienced by young people and the significant others in their world. The cumulative findings highlight the contextually rich and detailed information made possible through qualitative studies of FEP. They begin to account for the active engagement of individuals affected by psychosis in making sense of their experience and suggest that this experience should be understood from within young people's own framework of meaning.

  5. Multi-year encoding of daily rainfall and streamflow via the fractal-multifractal method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Puente, C. E.; Maskey, M.; Sivakumar, B.

    2017-12-01

    A deterministic geometric approach, the fractal-multifractal (FM) method, which has been proven to be faithful in encoding daily geophysical sets over a year, is used to describe records over multiple years at a time. Looking for FM parameter trends over longer periods, the present study shows FM descriptions of daily rainfall and streamflow gathered over five consecutive years optimizing deviations on accumulated sets. The results for 100 and 60 sets of five years for rainfall streamflow, respectively, near Sacramento, California illustrate that: (a) encoding of both types of data sets may be accomplished with relatively small errors; and (b) predicting the geometry of both variables appears to be possible, even five years ahead, training neural networks on the respective FM parameters. It is emphasized that the FM approach not only captures the accumulated sets over successive pentades but also preserves other statistical attributes including the overall "texture" of the records.

  6. Setting Us Free? Building Meaningful Models of Progression for a "Post-Levels" World

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ford, Alex

    2014-01-01

    Alex Ford was thrilled by the prospect of freedom offered to history departments in England by the abolition of level descriptions within the National Curriculum. After analysing the range of competing purposes that the level descriptions were previously forced to serve, Ford argues that the three distinct tasks of measuring current attainment,…

  7. Effect of Direct Exposure to Foreign Target Groups on Descriptive Stereotypes Held by American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCrady, Richard E.; McCrady, Jean B.

    1976-01-01

    American college students (N=77) enrolled in a semester-at-sea program rated four target groups before and after exposure in their own national settings, on a rating instrument designed to discriminate between descriptive and evaluative judgments in stereotyping. The greatest change was in the stereotypic profile of the English. (Author)

  8. 76 FR 78022 - Revised Descriptions of Park, Preserve and Wilderness Boundaries, Gates of the Arctic National...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-15

    ..., Preserve and Wilderness Boundaries, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve AGENCY: National Park... revised legal descriptions of the boundaries of an expanded Gates of the Arctic National Park and a revised Gates of the Arctic Wilderness. For the sake of completeness this notice also sets out the...

  9. A Descriptive Study of Military Nurse Practitioners’ Practice Settings and Clinical Practice Activities

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1996-05-01

    experience and/or education, patient appreciation, administrative support and trained co-workers. Prescott (1994) states that there is "substantial evidence...role changing by stating that roles involve more than training a person to follow expectations, that the person takes on an active mode of...he sample had 110 respondents. A significant limitation to the study however, is that the responding NPs received training through continuing

  10. VizieR Online Data Catalog: A catalog of exoplanet physical parameters (Foreman-Mackey+, 2014)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foreman-Mackey, D.; Hogg, D. W.; Morton, T. D.

    2017-05-01

    The first ingredient for any probabilistic inference is a likelihood function, a description of the probability of observing a specific data set given a set of model parameters. In this particular project, the data set is a catalog of exoplanet measurements and the model parameters are the values that set the shape and normalization of the occurrence rate density. (2 data files).

  11. A Validated Set of MIDAS V5 Task Network Model Scenarios to Evaluate Nextgen Closely Spaced Parallel Operations Concepts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gore, Brian Francis; Hooey, Becky Lee; Haan, Nancy; Socash, Connie; Mahlstedt, Eric; Foyle, David C.

    2013-01-01

    The Closely Spaced Parallel Operations (CSPO) scenario is a complex, human performance model scenario that tested alternate operator roles and responsibilities to a series of off-nominal operations on approach and landing (see Gore, Hooey, Mahlstedt, Foyle, 2013). The model links together the procedures, equipment, crewstation, and external environment to produce predictions of operator performance in response to Next Generation system designs, like those expected in the National Airspaces NextGen concepts. The task analysis that is contained in the present report comes from the task analysis window in the MIDAS software. These tasks link definitions and states for equipment components, environmental features as well as operational contexts. The current task analysis culminated in 3300 tasks that included over 1000 Subject Matter Expert (SME)-vetted, re-usable procedural sets for three critical phases of flight; the Descent, Approach, and Land procedural sets (see Gore et al., 2011 for a description of the development of the tasks included in the model; Gore, Hooey, Mahlstedt, Foyle, 2013 for a description of the model, and its results; Hooey, Gore, Mahlstedt, Foyle, 2013 for a description of the guidelines that were generated from the models results; Gore, Hooey, Foyle, 2012 for a description of the models implementation and its settings). The rollout, after landing checks, taxi to gate and arrive at gate illustrated in Figure 1 were not used in the approach and divert scenarios exercised. The other networks in Figure 1 set up appropriate context settings for the flight deck.The current report presents the models task decomposition from the tophighest level and decomposes it to finer-grained levels. The first task that is completed by the model is to set all of the initial settings for the scenario runs included in the model (network 75 in Figure 1). This initialization process also resets the CAD graphic files contained with MIDAS, as well as the embedded operator models that comprise MIDAS. Following the initial settings, the model progresses to begin the first tasks required of the two flight deck operators, the Captain (CA) and the First Officer (FO). The task sets will initialize operator specific settings prior to loading all of the alerts, probes, and other events that occur in the scenario. As a note, the CA and FO were terms used in developing this model but the CA can also be thought of as the Pilot Flying (PF), while the FO can be considered the Pilot-Not-Flying (PNF)or Pilot Monitoring (PM). As such, the document refers to the operators as PFCA and PNFFO respectively.

  12. Content Analysis of Primary and Secondary School Textbooks Regarding Malaria Control: A Multi-Country Study

    PubMed Central

    Nonaka, Daisuke; Jimba, Masamine; Mizoue, Tetsuya; Kobayashi, Jun; Yasuoka, Junko; Ayi, Irene; Jayatilleke, Achini C.; Shrestha, Sabina; Kikuchi, Kimiyo; Haque, Syed E.; Yi, Siyan

    2012-01-01

    Background In tropical settings, malaria education at school is potentially useful, but textbook content related to malaria education has so far received little attention. This study aimed to examine whether school textbooks contain sufficient knowledge and skills to help children in primary and lower secondary schools and their family members to cope with malaria. Methodology/Principal Findings This was a descriptive, cross-country study. We collected textbooks that were used by children in grades one to nine from nine countries endemic for malaria: Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Niger, Benin, and Ghana. Two reviewers per country identified descriptions about malaria by seeking the term “malaria” or a local word that corresponds to malaria in languages other than English. The authors categorized the identified descriptions according to the content of the descriptions. Additionally, the authors examined whether the identified contents addressed life skill messages. Of a total of 474 textbooks collected, 35 contained descriptions about malaria. The most commonly included content was transmission mode/vector (77.1%), followed by preventive measures (60.0%), epidemiology (57.1%), cause/agent (54.3%), signs/symptoms (37.1%) and treatment (22.9%). Treatment-related content was not included in any textbooks from four countries and textbooks failed to recommend the use of insecticide-treated bed nets in five countries. Very few textbooks included content that facilitated prompt treatment, protection of risk groups, and use of recommended therapy. Conclusion/Significance Textbooks rarely included knowledge and skills that are crucial to protect schoolchildren and their families from malaria. This study identified the need for improvement to textbook contents regarding malaria. PMID:22574203

  13. Aspects of Geodesical Motion with Fisher-Rao Metric: Classical and Quantum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ciaglia, Florio M.; Cosmo, Fabio Di; Felice, Domenico; Mancini, Stefano; Marmo, Giuseppe; Pérez-Pardo, Juan M.

    The purpose of this paper is to exploit the geometric structure of quantum mechanics and of statistical manifolds to study the qualitative effect that the quantum properties have in the statistical description of a system. We show that the end points of geodesics in the classical setting coincide with the probability distributions that minimise Shannon’s entropy, i.e. with distributions of zero dispersion. In the quantum setting this happens only for particular initial conditions, which in turn correspond to classical submanifolds. This result can be interpreted as a geometric manifestation of the uncertainty principle.

  14. Environmental settings of streams sampled for mercury in New York and South Carolina, 2005-09

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Scudder Eikenberry, Barbara C.; Riva-Murray, Karen; Smith, Martyn J.; Bradley, Paul M.; Button, Daniel T.; Clark, Jimmy M.; Burns, Douglas A.; Journey, Celeste A.

    2011-01-01

    This report summarizes the environmental settings of streams in New York and South Carolina, where the U.S. Geological Survey completed detailed investigations during 2005-09 into factors contributing to mercury bioaccumulation in top-predator fish and other stream organisms. Descriptions of location, land use/land cover, climate, precipitation, atmospheric deposition, hydrology, water temperature, and other characteristics are provided. Atmospheric deposition is the dominant mercury source in the studied basins where biota, sediment, soil, and water were sampled for mercury and for physical and chemical characteristics believed to be important in mercury methylation and transport.

  15. Towards system-wide implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in routine practice: Developing simple, intuitive descriptions of ICF categories in the ICF Generic and Rehabilitation Set.

    PubMed

    Prodinger, Birgit; Reinhardt, Jan D; Selb, Melissa; Stucki, Gerold; Yan, Tiebin; Zhang, Xia; Li, Jianan

    2016-06-13

    A national, multi-phase, consensus process to develop simple, intuitive descriptions of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) categories contained in the ICF Generic and Rehabilitation Sets, with the aim of enhancing the utility of the ICF in routine clinical practice, is presented in this study. A multi-stage, national, consensus process was conducted. The consensus process involved 3 expert groups and consisted of a preparatory phase, a consensus conference with consecutive working groups and 3 voting rounds (votes A, B and C), followed by an implementation phase. In the consensus conference, participants first voted on whether they agreed that an initially developed proposal for simple, intuitive descriptions of an ICF category was in fact simple and intuitive. The consensus conference was held in August 2014 in mainland China. Twenty-one people with a background in physical medicine and rehabilitation participated in the consensus process. Four ICF categories achieved consensus in vote A, 16 in vote B, and 8 in vote C. This process can be seen as part of a larger effort towards the system-wide implementation of the ICF in routine clinical and rehabilitation practice to allow for the regular and comprehensive evaluation of health outcomes most relevant for the monitoring of quality of care.

  16. Intervening to promote early initiation of breastfeeding in the LDR.

    PubMed

    Komara, Carol; Simpson, Diana; Teasdale, Carla; Whalen, Gaye; Bell, Shay; Giovanetto, Laurie

    2007-01-01

    To evaluate the effectiveness of an interventional protocol for the early initiation of breastfeeding that would remove barriers in the labor, delivery, recovery (LDR) unit. Descriptive design using 100 postpartum mothers who were interviewed before discharge at a large university hospital in the south-central United States. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. The protocol was effective for initiating breastfeeding, and breastfeeding increased from 53% to 66%. When barriers to breastfeeding are reduced in the LDR setting, women will breastfeed. It is possible that reducing hospital barriers to breastfeeding in the LDR can also set the stage for sustained breastfeeding during hospitalization and for less supplementation with formula.

  17. Density-Functional Theory description of transport in the single-electron transistor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zawadzki, Krissia; Oliveira, Luiz N.

    The Kondo effect governs the low-temperature transport properties of the single electron transistor (SET), a quantum dot bridging two electron gases. In the weak coupling limit, for odd dot occupation, the gate-potential profile of the conductance approaches a step, known as the Kondo plateau. The plateau and other SET properties being well understood on the basis of the Anderson model, more realistic (i. e., DFT) descriptions of the device are now desired. This poses a challenge, since the SET is strongly correlated. DFT computations that reproduce the conductance plateau have been reported, e. g., by, which rely on the exact functional provided by the Bethe-Ansatz solution for the Anderson model. Here, sticking to DFT tradition, we employ a functional derived from a homogeneous system: the parametrization of the Lieb-Wu solution for the Hubbard model due to. Our computations reproduce the plateau and yield other results in accurate agreement with the exact diagonalization of the Anderson Hamiltonian. The prospects for extensions to realistic descriptions of two-dimensional nanostructured devices will be discussed. Luiz N. Oliveira thanks CNPq (312658/2013-3) and Krissia Zawadzki thanks CNPq (140703/2014-4) for financial support.

  18. On the emergence of classical gravity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Larjo, Klaus

    In this thesis I will discuss how certain black holes arise as an effective, thermodynamical description from non-singular microstates in string theory. This provides a possible solution to the information paradox, and strengthens the case for treating black holes as thermodynamical objects. I will characterize the data defining a microstate of a black hole in several settings, and demonstrate that most of the data is unmeasurable for a classical observer. I will further show that the data that is measurable is universal for nearly all microstates, making it impossible for a classical observer to distinguish between microstates, thus giving rise to an effective statistical description for the black hole. In the first half of the thesis I will work with two specific systems: the half-BPS sector of [Special characters omitted.] = 4 super Yang-Mills the and the conformal field theory corresponding to the D1/D5 system; in both cases the high degree of symmetry present provides great control over potentially intractable computations. For these systems, I will further specify the conditions a quantum mechanical microstate must satisfy in order to have a classical description in terms of a unique metric, and define a 'metric operator' whose eigenstates correspond to classical geometries. In the second half of the thesis I will consider a much broader setting, general [Special characters omitted.] = I superconformal quiver gauge the= ories and their dual gravity theories, and demonstrate that a similar effective description arises also in this setting.

  19. User's manual for three dimensional FDTD version B code for scattering from frequency-dependent dielectric materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beggs, John H.; Luebbers, Raymond J.; Kunz, Karl S.

    1992-01-01

    The Penn State Finite Difference Time Domain Electromagnetic Code Version B is a three dimensional numerical electromagnetic scattering code based upon the Finite Difference Time Domain Technique (FDTD). The supplied version of the code is one version of our current three dimensional FDTD code set. This manual provides a description of the code and corresponding results for several scattering problems. The manual is organized into 14 sections: introduction, description of the FDTD method, operation, resource requirements, Version B code capabilities, a brief description of the default scattering geometry, a brief description of each subroutine, a description of the include file, a discussion of radar cross section computations, a discussion of some scattering results, a sample problem setup section, a new problem checklist, references and figure titles.

  20. Age-related differences in communication and audience design.

    PubMed

    Horton, William S; Spieler, Daniel H

    2007-06-01

    This article reports an experiment examining the extent to which younger and older speakers engage in audience design, the process of adapting one's speech for particular addresses. Through an initial card-matching task, pairs of younger adults and pairs of older adults established common ground for sets of picture cards. Subsequently, the same individuals worked separately on a computer-based picture-description task that involved a novel partner-cuing paradigm. Younger speakers' descriptions to the familiar partner were shorter and were initiated more quickly than were descriptions to an unfamiliar partner. In addition, younger speakers' descriptions to the familiar partner exhibited a higher proportion of lexical overlap with previous descriptions than did descriptions to an unfamiliar partner. Older speakers showed no equivalent evidence for audience design, which may reflect difficulties with retrieving partner-specific information from memory during conversation. ((c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

  1. A systematic review of titles and abstracts of experimental studies in medical education: many informative elements missing.

    PubMed

    Cook, David A; Beckman, Thomas J; Bordage, Georges

    2007-11-01

    Informative titles and abstracts facilitate reading and searching the literature. To evaluate the quality of titles and abstracts of full-length reports of experimental studies in medical education. We used a random sample of 110 articles (of 185 eligible articles) describing education experiments. Articles were published in 2003 and 2004 in Academic Medicine, Advances in Health Sciences Education, American Journal of Surgery, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Medical Education and Teaching and Learning in Medicine. Titles were categorised as informative, indicative, neither, or both. Abstracts were evaluated for the presence of a rationale, objective, descriptions of study design, setting, participants, study intervention and comparison group, main outcomes, results and conclusions. Of the 105 articles suitable for review, 86 (82%) had an indicative title and 10 (10%) had a title that was both indicative and informative. A rationale was present in 66 abstracts (63%), objectives were present in 84 (80%), descriptions of study design in 20 (19%), setting in 29 (28%), and number and stage of training of participants in 42 (40%). The study intervention was defined in 55 (52%) abstracts. Among the 48 studies with a control or comparison group, this group was defined in 21 abstracts (44%). Study outcomes were defined in 64 abstracts (61%). Data were presented in 48 (46%) abstracts. Conclusions were presented in 97 abstracts (92%). Reports of experimental studies in medical education frequently lack the essential elements of informative titles and abstracts. More informative reporting is needed.

  2. External validity of post-stroke interventional gait rehabilitation studies.

    PubMed

    Kafri, Michal; Dickstein, Ruth

    2017-01-01

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

  3. Preparedness for physiotherapy in private practice: Novices identify key factors in an interpretive description study.

    PubMed

    Atkinson, Robyn; McElroy, Theresa

    2016-04-01

    Physiotherapists in Australia deliver services to a diverse range of clients, across many settings, however little research exists examining graduate preparedness for practice, even in the populous field of private practice. To explore novice physiotherapist perspectives on preparedness for work in private practice. The qualitative approach of interpretive description was used to guide in-depth interviews with 8 novice physiotherapists from 3 universities working in 5 private practices in Melbourne. All interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Four main themes influencing graduate preparedness for work in private practice were identified: 1) non-curricular experiences (e.g. sports training) 2) elective curricular: practicum experiences; 3) curricular: attainment of skills specific to private practice; and 4) the private practice setting: supportive colleagues. This combination of non-curricular, curricular, and practice setting factors offered the necessary scaffolding for the graduates to report feeling prepared for work in private practice. Non-curricular activities, radiological instruction, clinical placements, building supportive colleague relations and professional development in private practice are recommended as potential means of building preparedness in novice therapists. Findings have implications for physiotherapy students, educators and private practice clinics looking to recruit new graduates. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Nurse managers' decision-making in daily unit operation in peri-operative settings: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

    PubMed

    Siirala, Eriikka; Peltonen, Laura-Maria; Lundgrén-Laine, Heljä; Salanterä, Sanna; Junttila, Kristiina

    2016-09-01

    To describe the tactical and the operational decisions made by nurse managers when managing the daily unit operation in peri-operative settings. Management is challenging as situations change rapidly and decisions are constantly made. Understanding decision-making in this complex environment helps to develop decision support systems to support nurse managers' operative and tactical decision-making. Descriptive cross-sectional design. Data were collected from 20 nurse managers with the think-aloud method during the busiest working hours and analysed using thematic content analysis. Nurse managers made over 700 decisions; either ad hoc (n = 289), near future (n = 268) or long-term (n = 187) by nature. Decisions were often made simultaneously with many interruptions. Ad hoc decisions covered staff allocation, ensuring adequate staff, rescheduling surgical procedures, confirmation tangible resources and following-up the daily unit operation. Decisions in the near future were: planning of surgical procedures and tangible resources, and planning staff allocation. Long-term decisions were: human recourses, nursing development, supplies and equipment, and finances in the unit. Decision-making was vulnerable to interruptions, which sometimes complicated the managing tasks. The results can be used when planning decision support systems and when defining the nurse managers' tasks in peri-operative settings. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. The Development, Description and Appraisal of an Emergent Multimethod Research Design to Study Workforce Changes in Integrated Care Interventions

    PubMed Central

    Luijkx, Katrien; Calciolari, Stefano; González-Ortiz, Laura G.

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: In this paper, we provide a detailed and explicit description of the processes and decisions underlying and shaping the emergent multimethod research design of our study on workforce changes in integrated chronic care. Theory and methods: The study was originally planned as mixed method research consisting of a preliminary literature review and quantitative check of these findings via a Delphi panel. However, when the findings of the literature review were not appropriate for quantitative confirmation, we chose to continue our qualitative exploration of the topic via qualitative questionnaires and secondary analysis of two best practice case reports. Results: The resulting research design is schematically described as an emergent and interactive multimethod design with multiphase combination timing. In doing so, we provide other researchers with a set of theory- and experience-based options to develop their own multimethod research and provide an example for more detailed and structured reporting of emergent designs. Conclusion and discussion: We argue that the terminology developed for the description of mixed methods designs should also be used for multimethod designs such as the one presented here. PMID:29042843

  6. Clinical responsibility, accountability, and risk aversion in mental health nursing: a descriptive, qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Manuel, Jenni; Crowe, Marie

    2014-08-01

    A number of recent, highly-publicized, perceived health-care service failures have raised concerns about health professionals' accountabilities. Relevant to these concerns, the present study sought to examine how mental health nurses understood clinical responsibility and its impact on their practice. A descriptive, qualitative design was used, and a convenience sample of 10 mental health nurses was recruited from specialist inpatient and outpatient mental health settings in Canterbury, New Zealand. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, and the transcriptions were analysed using an inductive, descriptive approach. Three major themes were identified: being accountable, fostering patient responsibility, and shifting responsibility. Being accountable involved weighing up patients' therapeutic needs against the potential for blame in an organizational culture of risk management. Fostering patient responsibility described the process of deciding in what situations patients could take responsibility for their behaviour. Shifting responsibility described the culture of defensive practice fostered by the organizational culture of risk aversion. The present study highlighted the challenges mental health nurses experience in relation to clinical responsibility in practice, including the balancing required between the needs of patients, the needs of the organization, and the perceived need for self-protection. © 2014 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

  7. A curricula-based comparison of biomedical and health informatics programs in the USA

    PubMed Central

    Hemminger, Bradley M

    2011-01-01

    Objective The field of Biomedical and Health Informatics (BMHI) continues to define itself, and there are many educational programs offering ‘informatics’ degrees with varied foci. The goal of this study was to develop a scheme for systematic comparison of programs across the entire BMHI spectrum and to identify commonalities among informatics curricula. Design Guided by several published competency sets, a grounded theory approach was used to develop a program/curricula categorization scheme based on the descriptions of 636 courses offered by 73 public health, nursing, health, medical, and bioinformatics programs in the USA. The scheme was then used to compare the programs in the aforementioned five informatics disciplines. Results The authors developed a Course-Based Informatics Program Categorization (CBIPC) scheme that can be used both to classify coursework for any BMHI educational program and to compare programs from the same or related disciplines. The application of CBIPC scheme to the analysis of public health, nursing, health, medical, and bioinformatics programs reveals distinct intradisciplinary curricular patterns and a common core of courses across the entire BMHI education domain. Limitations The study is based on descriptions of courses from the university's webpages. Thus, it is limited to sampling courses at one moment in time, and classification for the coding scheme is based primarily on course titles and course descriptions. Conclusion The CBIPC scheme combines empirical data about educational curricula from diverse informatics programs and several published competency sets. It also provides a foundation for discussion of BMHI education as a whole and can help define subdisciplinary competencies. PMID:21292707

  8. A systematic review of Functional Communication Training (FCT) interventions involving augmentative and alternative communication in school settings.

    PubMed

    Walker, Virginia L; Lyon, Kristin J; Loman, Sheldon L; Sennott, Samuel

    2018-06-01

    The purpose of this meta-analysis was to summarize single-case intervention studies in which Functional Communication Training (FCT) involving augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) was implemented in school settings. Overall, the findings suggest that FCT involving AAC was effective in reducing challenging behaviour and promoting aided or unaided AAC use among participants with disability. FCT was more effective for the participants who engaged in less severe forms of challenging behaviour prior to intervention. Additionally, FCT was more effective when informed by a descriptive functional behaviour assessment and delivered within inclusive school settings. Implications for practice and directions for future research related to FCT for students who use AAC are addressed.

  9. World-Wide Standardized Seismograph Network: a data users guide

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Peterson, Jon R.; Hutt, Charles R.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this report, which is based on an unpublished draft prepared in the 1970s, is to provide seismologists with the information they may need to use the WWSSN data set as it becomes available in a more easily accessible and convenient format on the Internet. The report includes a description of the WWSSN network, station facilities, operations and instrumentation, a derivation of the instrument transfer functions, tables of transfer functions, a description of calibration techniques, and a description of a method used to determine important instrument constants using recorded calibration data.

  10. A Quantitative Review of Functional Analysis Procedures in Public School Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Solnick, Mark D.; Ardoin, Scott P.

    2010-01-01

    Functional behavioral assessments can consist of indirect, descriptive and experimental procedures, such as a functional analysis. Although the research contains numerous examples demonstrating the effectiveness of functional analysis procedures, experimental conditions are often difficult to implement in classroom settings and analog conditions…

  11. Understanding protein evolution: from protein physics to Darwinian selection.

    PubMed

    Zeldovich, Konstantin B; Shakhnovich, Eugene I

    2008-01-01

    Efforts in whole-genome sequencing and structural proteomics start to provide a global view of the protein universe, the set of existing protein structures and sequences. However, approaches based on the selection of individual sequences have not been entirely successful at the quantitative description of the distribution of structures and sequences in the protein universe because evolutionary pressure acts on the entire organism, rather than on a particular molecule. In parallel to this line of study, studies in population genetics and phenomenological molecular evolution established a mathematical framework to describe the changes in genome sequences in populations of organisms over time. Here, we review both microscopic (physics-based) and macroscopic (organism-level) models of protein-sequence evolution and demonstrate that bridging the two scales provides the most complete description of the protein universe starting from clearly defined, testable, and physiologically relevant assumptions.

  12. Aerodynamic characteristics of the Fiat UNO car

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

    Costelli, A.F.

    1984-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to describe the work conducted in the aerodynamic field throughout the 4-year development and engineering time span required by the project of the UNO car. A description is given of all the parametric studies carried out. Through these studies two types of cars at present in production were defined and the characteristics of a possible future sports version laid down. A movable device, to be fitted in the back window, was also set up and patented. When actuated it reduces soiling of back window. A description is also provided of the measurements made inmore » the car flow field and some considerations are outlined about the method applied. This method is still in development phase but it already permits some considerations and in-depth investigations to be made on the vehicle wake.« less

  13. The difficulties experienced by nurses and healthcare staff involved in the process of breaking bad news.

    PubMed

    Warnock, Clare; Buchanan, Jean; Tod, Angela Mary

    2017-07-01

    The aim of this study was to explore the difficulties experienced by nurses and healthcare professionals when engaging in the process of breaking bad news. The challenges faced by staff when breaking bad news have previously been researched in relation to particular settings or participants. This study involved staff from diverse settings and roles to develop broader insights into the range of difficulties experienced in clinical practice. The study used a descriptive survey design involving self-reported written accounts and framework analysis. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire containing a free text section that asked participants to describe a difficult experience they had encountered when involved in the process of breaking bad news. Data were collected from healthcare staff from hospital, community, hospice and care home settings attending training days on breaking bad news between April 2011 and April 2014. Multiple inter-related factors presented challenges to staff engaging in activities associated with breaking bad news. Traditional subjects such as diagnostic and treatment information were described but additional topics were identified such as the impact of illness and care at the end of life. A descriptive framework was developed that summarizes the factors that contribute to creating difficult experiences for staff when breaking bad news. The framework provides insights into the scope of the challenges faced by staff when they engage in the process of breaking bad news. This provides the foundation for developing interventions to support staff that more closely matches their experiences in clinical practice. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Subject Access Points in the MARC Record and Archival Finding Aid: Enough or Too Many?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cox, Elizabeth; Czechowski, Leslie

    2007-01-01

    In this research project, the authors set out to discover the current practice in both the archival and cataloging worlds for usage of access points in descriptive records and to learn how archival descriptive practices fit into long-established library cataloging procedures and practices. A sample of archival finding aids and MARC records at 123…

  15. 76 FR 44390 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-25

    ... liquid asset market risk add-on using VaR, unless a change is approved upon application to the NYSE... writing the following information to NYSE Regulation with its application: (A) A description of the mathematical models to be used to compute its market risk add-on; (B) A description of the requirements as set...

  16. A Proposed Pattern of Enterprise Architecture

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-02-01

    consistent architecture descriptions. UPDM comprises extensions to both OMG’s Unified Modelling Language (UML) and Systems Modelling Language ( SysML ...those who use UML and SysML . These represent significant advancements that enable architecture trade-off analyses, architecture model execution...Language ( SysML ), and thus provides for architectural descriptions that contain a rich set of (formally) connected DoDAF/MoDAF viewpoints expressed

  17. A Military Guide to Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-10-12

    defending against catastrophic terrorism, and emergency preparedness and response.17 A survey of these mission sets aligns easily with functions of...and descriptions present a survey of conventional small arms often used by terrorists. Intelligence summaries provide the basis for this sampling...of hand or shoulder fired weapons. E: Improvised Explosive Devices. Illustrations, photographs, and descriptions present a survey of explosive

  18. Directory interchange format manual, version 4.0

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    The Directory Interchange Format (DIF) is a data structure used to exchange directory-level information about data sets among information systems. In general the format consists of a number of fields that describe the attributes of a directory entry and text blocks that contain a descriptive summary of and references for the directory entry. All fields and the summary are preceded by labels identifying their contents. All values are ASCII character strings. The structure is intended to be flexible, allowing for future changes in the contents of directory entries. The manual is structured as follows: section 1 is a general description of what constitutes a directory entry; section 2 describes the content of the individual fields within the data structure, together with some examples. Also included in the six appendices is a description of the syntax used within the examples; samples of the directory interchange format applied to different data sets; the allowable discipline keywords; a current list of valid location keywords; a list of allowable parameter keywords; a list of acronyns and a glossary of terms used; and a description of the Standard Formatted Data Unit header, which may be added to the front of a DIF file to identify the file as a registered standard format.

  19. Context-based automated defect classification system using multiple morphological masks

    DOEpatents

    Gleason, Shaun S.; Hunt, Martin A.; Sari-Sarraf, Hamed

    2002-01-01

    Automatic detection of defects during the fabrication of semiconductor wafers is largely automated, but the classification of those defects is still performed manually by technicians. This invention includes novel digital image analysis techniques that generate unique feature vector descriptions of semiconductor defects as well as classifiers that use these descriptions to automatically categorize the defects into one of a set of pre-defined classes. Feature extraction techniques based on multiple-focus images, multiple-defect mask images, and segmented semiconductor wafer images are used to create unique feature-based descriptions of the semiconductor defects. These feature-based defect descriptions are subsequently classified by a defect classifier into categories that depend on defect characteristics and defect contextual information, that is, the semiconductor process layer(s) with which the defect comes in contact. At the heart of the system is a knowledge database that stores and distributes historical semiconductor wafer and defect data to guide the feature extraction and classification processes. In summary, this invention takes as its input a set of images containing semiconductor defect information, and generates as its output a classification for the defect that describes not only the defect itself, but also the location of that defect with respect to the semiconductor process layers.

  20. The essential role of social theory in qualitative public health research.

    PubMed

    Willis, Karen; Daly, Jeanne; Kealy, Michelle; Small, Rhonda; Koutroulis, Glenda; Green, Julie; Gibbs, Lisa; Thomas, Samantha

    2007-10-01

    To define the role of social theory and examine how research studies using qualitative methods can use social theory to generalize their results beyond the setting of the study or to other social groups. The assumptions underlying public health research using qualitative methods derive from a range of social theories that include conflict theory, structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism, the sociology of knowledge and feminism. Depending on the research problem, these and other social theories provide conceptual tools and models for constructing a suitable research framework, and for collecting and analysing data. In combination with the substantive health literature, the theoretical literature provides the conceptual bridge that links the conclusions of the study to other social groups and settings. While descriptive studies using qualitative research methods can generate important insights into social experience, the use of social theory in the construction and conduct of research enables researchers to extrapolate their findings to settings and groups broader than the ones in which the research was conducted.

  1. Determinants of Fruit and Vegetable Availability in Hispanic Head Start Families with Preschool-aged Children Living in an Urban Midwestern Area

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shriver, Lenka H.; Hildebrand, Deana; Austin, Heidi

    2010-01-01

    Objective: Determine relationships between self-efficacy, decisional balance, and processes of change and Stages of Change (SOC) related to fruit and vegetable (FV) availability among Hispanic Head Start parents. Design: A 2-phase descriptive study with mixed methodology. Setting: Two Head Start sites in a city in the midwestern United States.…

  2. Mapping Evidence-Based Treatments for Children and Adolescents: Application of the Distillation and Matching Model to 615 Treatments from 322 Randomized Trials

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chorpita, Bruce F.; Daleiden, Eric L.

    2009-01-01

    This study applied the distillation and matching model to 322 randomized clinical trials for child mental health treatments. The model involved initial data reduction of 615 treatment protocol descriptions by means of a set of codes describing discrete clinical strategies, referred to as practice elements. Practice elements were then summarized in…

  3. The Use of Point-of-Sale Machines in School Cafeterias as a Method of Parental Influence over Child Lunch Food Choices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andrepont, Emmy; Cullen, Karen W.; Taylor, Wendell C.

    2011-01-01

    Background: Computerized point-of-sale (POS) machine software that allows parents to place restrictions on their child's school meal accounts is available. Parents could restrict specific foods (e.g., chips), identify specific days the child can purchase extra foods, or set monetary limits. This descriptive study examines the use of parental…

  4. A Native American Community's Involvement and Empowerment to Guide Their Children's Development in the School Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rivera, Hector H.; Tharp, Roland G.

    2006-01-01

    This study provides an empirical description of the dimensions of community values, beliefs, and opinions through a survey conducted in the Pueblo Indian community of Zuni in New Mexico. The sample was composed of 200 randomly chosen community members ranging from 21 to 103 years old. A principal component factor analysis was conducted, as well as…

  5. Web Design Curriculum and Syllabus Based on Web Design Practice and Students' Prior Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krunic, Tanja; Ruzic-Dimitrijevic, Ljiljana; Petrovic, Branka; Farkas, Robert

    2006-01-01

    The Advanced Technical School from Novi Sad set up a completely new study group for web design in 2004. The main goals of the paper are to explain the steps that were taken in starting this group, and to present the educational program based on our own research through the organization of the group and course descriptions. Since there is a…

  6. The Joint Role of Spatial Ability and Imagery Strategy in Sustaining the Learning of Spatial Descriptions under Spatial Interference

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meneghetti, Chiara; De Beni, Rossana; Gyselinck, Valerie; Pazzaglia, Francesca

    2013-01-01

    The present study investigates the joint role of spatial ability, imagery strategy and visuospatial working memory (VSWM) in spatial text processing. A set of 180 participants, half of them trained on the use of imagery strategy (training vs no-training groups), was further divided according to participants' high or low mental rotation ability…

  7. Comparison of Health-Related Measures of Two Groups of Adolescents in a Rural Southeastern County in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sands, Charles D.; Hensarling, Robert W.; Angel, James B.

    2009-01-01

    Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish baseline values on physiological parameters for 7-11 graders (n = 146) in a rural area of Alabama and to examine whether differences existed among the adolescents in the county. Design: Descriptive. Setting: Many adolescents in the southern portion of the United States suffer disproportionately…

  8. A Model for the Description, Analysis, and Perhaps Evaluation of Bilingual Education. Navajo Reading Study Progress Report No. 23.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spolsky, Bernard; And Others

    The model attempts to map all relevant factors onto a single integrated structure and to suggest some of the interaction lines. Based on a hexagonal figure, each side represents a set of factors which may have a bearing on, or be affected by, the bilingual program's operation in a particular situation--psychological, sociological, economic,…

  9. Co-operative Learning for Students with Difficulties in Learning: A Description of Models and Guidelines for Implementation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murphy, Ellen; Grey, Ian M.; Honan, Rita

    2005-01-01

    As part of a larger study regarding the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream classroom settings, Ellen Murphy, of the D Clin Psych programme at NUI Galway, with Ian Grey and Rita Honan, from Trinity College, Dublin, reviewed existing literature on co-operative learning in the classroom. In this article, they identify four models…

  10. Examining the (False) Dichotomy between "Care" and "Education" in Early Childhood Programs: A Descriptive Case Study of Teacher-Child Relationships within a Standardized Curriculum Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ostrove, Randi

    2016-01-01

    Public preschool programs using standardized curriculum models are increasing rapidly, and while research has shown that teacher-child relationships have been used successfully as an intervention and compensatory measure, it is unclear what influence the public preschool setting and the use of a curriculum model have on teacher-child…

  11. A Proposed Perspective for Developing Science Curriculum for the Upper Primary Grades in Accordance to Saudi Arabia's Vision for 2030: An Analytical and Descriptive Study According to Delphi Method

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alhomairi, Abdulqadir Obaidallah A.

    2018-01-01

    Saudi Arabia's Vision for 2030 in development is exceedingly concerned with curriculum development. It believes that the current curriculum does no longer support the students' preparation for both life and work. Therefore, the present study aimed to reach a consensus by a set of educational experts on the importance of providing the science…

  12. Inter-rater agreement in evaluation of disability: systematic review of reproducibility studies.

    PubMed

    Barth, Jürgen; de Boer, Wout E L; Busse, Jason W; Hoving, Jan L; Kedzia, Sarah; Couban, Rachel; Fischer, Katrin; von Allmen, David Y; Spanjer, Jerry; Kunz, Regina

    2017-01-25

     To explore agreement among healthcare professionals assessing eligibility for work disability benefits.  Systematic review and narrative synthesis of reproducibility studies.  Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO searched up to 16 March 2016, without language restrictions, and review of bibliographies of included studies.  Observational studies investigating reproducibility among healthcare professionals performing disability evaluations using a global rating of working capacity and reporting inter-rater reliability by a statistical measure or descriptively. Studies could be conducted in insurance settings, where decisions on ability to work include normative judgments based on legal considerations, or in research settings, where decisions on ability to work disregard normative considerations. : Teams of paired reviewers identified eligible studies, appraised their methodological quality and generalisability, and abstracted results with pretested forms. As heterogeneity of research designs and findings impeded a quantitative analysis, a descriptive synthesis stratified by setting (insurance or research) was performed.  From 4562 references, 101 full text articles were reviewed. Of these, 16 studies conducted in an insurance setting and seven in a research setting, performed in 12 countries, met the inclusion criteria. Studies in the insurance setting were conducted with medical experts assessing claimants who were actual disability claimants or played by actors, hypothetical cases, or short written scenarios. Conditions were mental (n=6, 38%), musculoskeletal (n=4, 25%), or mixed (n=6, 38%). Applicability of findings from studies conducted in an insurance setting to real life evaluations ranged from generalisable (n=7, 44%) and probably generalisable (n=3, 19%) to probably not generalisable (n=6, 37%). Median inter-rater reliability among experts was 0.45 (range intraclass correlation coefficient 0.86 to κ-0.10). Inter-rater reliability was poor in six studies (37%) and excellent in only two (13%). This contrasts with studies conducted in the research setting, where the median inter-rater reliability was 0.76 (range 0.91-0.53), and 71% (5/7) studies achieved excellent inter-rater reliability. Reliability between assessing professionals was higher when the evaluation was guided by a standardised instrument (23 studies, P=0.006). No such association was detected for subjective or chronic health conditions or the studies' generalisability to real world evaluation of disability (P=0.46, 0.45, and 0.65, respectively).  Despite their common use and far reaching consequences for workers claiming disabling injury or illness, research on the reliability of medical evaluations of disability for work is limited and indicates high variation in judgments among assessing professionals. Standardising the evaluation process could improve reliability. Development and testing of instruments and structured approaches to improve reliability in evaluation of disability are urgently needed. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  13. Implementation of malaria dynamic models in municipality level early warning systems in Colombia. Part I: description of study sites.

    PubMed

    Ruiz, Daniel; Cerón, Viviana; Molina, Adriana M; Quiñónes, Martha L; Jiménez, Mónica M; Ahumada, Martha; Gutiérrez, Patricia; Osorio, Salua; Mantilla, Gilma; Connor, Stephen J; Thomson, Madeleine C

    2014-07-01

    As part of the Integrated National Adaptation Pilot project and the Integrated Surveillance and Control System, the Colombian National Institute of Health is working on the design and implementation of a Malaria Early Warning System framework, supported by seasonal climate forecasting capabilities, weather and environmental monitoring, and malaria statistical and dynamic models. In this report, we provide an overview of the local ecoepidemiologic settings where four malaria process-based mathematical models are currently being implemented at a municipal level. The description includes general characteristics, malaria situation (predominant type of infection, malaria-positive cases data, malaria incidence, and seasonality), entomologic conditions (primary and secondary vectors, mosquito densities, and feeding frequencies), climatic conditions (climatology and long-term trends), key drivers of epidemic outbreaks, and non-climatic factors (populations at risk, control campaigns, and socioeconomic conditions). Selected pilot sites exhibit different ecoepidemiologic settings that must be taken into account in the development of the integrated surveillance and control system. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  14. Patient participation as dialogue: setting research agendas

    PubMed Central

    Abma, Tineke A.; Broerse, Jacqueline E. W.

    2010-01-01

    Abstract Background  Collaboration with patients in healthcare and medical research is an emerging development. We aimed to develop a methodology for health research agenda setting processes grounded in the notion of participation as dialogue. Methods  We conducted seven case studies between 2003 and 2007 to develop and validate a Dialogue Model for patient participation in health research agenda setting. The case studies related to spinal cord injury, neuromuscular diseases, renal failure, asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, burns, diabetes and intellectual disabilities. Results  The Dialogue Model is grounded in participatory and interactive approaches and has been adjusted on the basis of pilot work. It has six phases: exploration; consultation; prioritization; integration; programming; and implementation. These phases are discussed and illustrated with a case description of research agenda setting relating to burns. Conclusions  The dialogue model appeared relevant and feasible to structure the process of collaboration between stakeholders in several research agenda setting processes. The phase of consultation enables patients to develop their own voice and agenda, and prepares them for the broader collaboration with other stakeholder groups. Challenges include the stimulation of more permanent changes in research, and institutional transitions. PMID:20536537

  15. Practice-Based Research Networks, Part II: A Descriptive Analysis of the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network in the Secondary School Setting

    PubMed Central

    McLeod, Tamara C. Valovich; Lam, Kenneth C.; Bay, R. Curtis; Sauers, Eric L.; Valier, Alison R. Snyder

    2012-01-01

    Context Analysis of health care service models requires the collection and evaluation of basic practice characterization data. Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) provide a framework for gathering data useful in characterizing clinical practice. Objective To describe preliminary secondary school setting practice data from the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network (AT-PBRN). Design Descriptive study. Setting Secondary school athletic training facilities within the AT-PBRN. Patients or Other Participants Clinicians (n = 22) and their patients (n = 2523) from the AT-PBRN. Main Outcome Measure(s) A Web-based survey was used to obtain data on clinical practice site and clinician characteristics. Patient and practice characteristics were obtained via deidentified electronic medical record data collected between September 1, 2009, and April 1, 2011. Descriptive data regarding the clinician and CPS practice characteristics are reported as percentages and frequencies. Descriptive analysis of patient encounters and practice characteristic data was performed, with the percentages and frequencies of the type of injuries recorded at initial evaluation, type of treatment received at initial evaluation, daily treatment, and daily sign-in procedures. Results The AT-PBRN had secondary school sites in 7 states, and most athletic trainers at those sites (78.2%) had less than 5 years of experience. The secondary school sites within the AT-PBRN documented 2523 patients treated across 3140 encounters. Patients most frequently sought care for a current injury (61.3%), followed by preventive services (24.0%), and new injuries (14.7%). The most common diagnoses were ankle sprain/strain (17.9%), hip sprain/strain (12.5%), concussion (12.0%), and knee pain (2.5%). The most frequent procedures were athletic trainer evaluation (53.9%), hot- or cold-pack application (26.0%), strapping (10.3%), and therapeutic exercise (5.7%). The median number of treatments per injury was 3 (interquartile range = 2, 4; range = 2–19). Conclusions These preliminary data describe services provided by clinicians within the AT-PBRN and demonstrate the usefulness of the PBRN model for obtaining such data. PMID:23068594

  16. The meaning of patient-nurse interaction for older women in healthcare settings: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

    PubMed

    Mize, Darcy

    2018-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of patient-nurse interaction for older women receiving care in healthcare settings. Older women are often overlooked or misunderstood by the nurses caring for them. Some research exists on nurses' perception of their interaction with patients, yet few studies have described the meaning of such interaction from the patients' perspective. This was a pilot study using qualitative description as a methodology. Data were filtered through a lens of critical feminist theory to interpret interactions taking place in healthcare settings that are often characterised by paternalism. Seven women between the ages of 66 and 81 were interviewed using a semi-structured guide. Participants had a distinctive perspective on the experience of caring. Their expressions include stories of being cared for themselves by nurses as well as historical recalls of being the one-caring for family members. In these combined stories, the contrast between the nurses who held caring in primacy and those who were distinctly uncaring sheds light on the importance of cultivating a moral ideal of caring and respect for personhood. A population of older women who potentially face disabling conditions must rely on direct, meaningful, interaction with nurses to successfully navigate the healthcare system. The findings suggest that these women did not have consistent access to such interaction. The gathering and interpretation of new narratives about patient-nurse interaction for older women could lead to a deeper understanding of power and civility as it impacts a caring relationship. Further research using a theoretical lens of critical feminism has implications for improving healthcare delivery for older women worldwide. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Respiratory support in oncology ward setting: a prospective descriptive study.

    PubMed

    Mishra, Seema; Bhatnagar, Sushma; Gupta, Deepak; Goyal, Gaurav Nirvani; Agrawal, Ravi; Jain, Roopesh; Chauhan, Himanshu

    2009-01-01

    Mechanical ventilation in cancer patients is a critical issue The present prospective descriptive study was designed (1) to assess the patient population needing respirator support in ward setting at a premier state-run oncology institute in India, (2) to observe and analyze the course of their disease while on respirator, and (3) to coordinate better quality of life measures in cancer patients at the institute based on the present study's outcomes. Beginning from March 2005 to March 2006, all cancer patients who were connected to respirator in the wards were enrolled in the current study. Our anesthesiology department at the cancer institute also has primary responsibility for airway management and mechanical ventilation in high dependency units of oncology wards. Preventilation variables in cancer patients were assessed to judge the futility of mechanical ventilation in ward setting. Subsequently, patients were observed for disease course while on respirator. Final outcome with its etio-pathogenesis was correlated with predicted futility of mechanical ventilation. Over a period of 1 year, 132 (46 men and 86 women) cancer patients with median age 40 years (range 1-75 years) were connected to respirator in oncology wards. Based on the preventilation variables and indications for respirator support, right prediction of medical futility and hospital discharge was made in 77% of patients. Underestimation and overestimation of survival to hospital discharge was made in 10% cases and 13% cases, respectively. Based on preventilation variables, prediction of outcome in cancer patients needing respirator support can be made in 77% cases. This high probability of prediction can be used to educate patients, and their families and primary physicians, for well-informed and documented advance directives, formulated and regularly revised DNAR policies, and judicious use of respirator support for better quality-of-life outcomes.

  18. Dissolution mechanism of calcium apatites in acids: A review of literature

    PubMed Central

    Dorozhkin, Sergey V

    2012-01-01

    Eight dissolution models of calcium apatites (both fluorapatite and hydroxyapatite) in acids were drawn from the published literature, analyzed and discussed. Major limitations and drawbacks of the models were conversed in details. The models were shown to deal with different aspects of apatite dissolution phenomenon and none of them was able to describe the dissolution process in general. Therefore, an attempt to combine the findings obtained by different researchers was performed which resulted in creation of the general description of apatite dissolution in acids. For this purpose, eight dissolution models were assumed to complement each other and provide the correct description of the specific aspects of apatite dissolution. The general description considers all possible dissolution stages involved and points out to some missing and unclear phenomena to be experimentally studied and verified in future. This creates a new methodological approach to investigate reaction mechanisms based on sets of affine data, obtained by various research groups under dissimilar experimental conditions. PMID:25237611

  19. A Process Algebraic Approach to Software Architecture Design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aldini, Alessandro; Bernardo, Marco; Corradini, Flavio

    Process algebra is a formal tool for the specification and the verification of concurrent and distributed systems. It supports compositional modeling through a set of operators able to express concepts like sequential composition, alternative composition, and parallel composition of action-based descriptions. It also supports mathematical reasoning via a two-level semantics, which formalizes the behavior of a description by means of an abstract machine obtained from the application of structural operational rules and then introduces behavioral equivalences able to relate descriptions that are syntactically different. In this chapter, we present the typical behavioral operators and operational semantic rules for a process calculus in which no notion of time, probability, or priority is associated with actions. Then, we discuss the three most studied approaches to the definition of behavioral equivalences - bisimulation, testing, and trace - and we illustrate their congruence properties, sound and complete axiomatizations, modal logic characterizations, and verification algorithms. Finally, we show how these behavioral equivalences and some of their variants are related to each other on the basis of their discriminating power.

  20. Drilling Students’ Communication Skill through Science, Environment, Technology, and Society (SETS)-Based Learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Al-Farisi, B. L.; Tjandrakirana; Agustini, R.

    2018-01-01

    Student’s communication skill paid less attention in learning activity at school, even though communication skill is needed by students in the 21st century based on the demands of new curriculum in Indonesia (K13). This study focuses on drilling students’ communication skill through science, environment, technology, and society (SETS)-based learning. The research is a pre-experimental design with a one-shot case study model involving 10 students of ninth-grader of SMPN 2 Manyar, Gresik. The research data were collected through observation method using communication observation sheet. The data were analyzed using the descriptive qualitative method. The result showed that students’ communication skill reached the completeness of skills decided both individually and classically in the curriculum. The fundamental result of this research that SETS-based learning can be used to drill students’ communication skill in K13 context.

  1. Extraction of phenotypic traits from taxonomic descriptions for the tree of life using natural language processing.

    PubMed

    Endara, Lorena; Cui, Hong; Burleigh, J Gordon

    2018-03-01

    Phenotypic data sets are necessary to elucidate the genealogy of life, but assembling phenotypic data for taxa across the tree of life can be technically challenging and prohibitively time consuming. We describe a semi-automated protocol to facilitate and expedite the assembly of phenotypic character matrices of plants from formal taxonomic descriptions. This pipeline uses new natural language processing (NLP) techniques and a glossary of over 9000 botanical terms. Our protocol includes the Explorer of Taxon Concepts (ETC), an online application that assembles taxon-by-character matrices from taxonomic descriptions, and MatrixConverter, a Java application that enables users to evaluate and discretize the characters extracted by ETC. We demonstrate this protocol using descriptions from Araucariaceae. The NLP pipeline unlocks the phenotypic data found in taxonomic descriptions and makes them usable for evolutionary analyses.

  2. User's manual for three dimensional FDTD version C code for scattering from frequency-independent dielectric and magnetic materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beggs, John H.; Luebbers, Raymond J.; Kunz, Karl S.

    1991-01-01

    The Penn State Finite Difference Time Domain Electromagnetic Scattering Code Version C is a three dimensional numerical electromagnetic scattering code based upon the Finite Difference Time Domain Technique (FDTD). The supplied version of the code is one version of our current three dimensional FDTD code set. This manual provides a description of the code and corresponding results for several scattering problems. The manual is organized into fourteen sections: introduction, description of the FDTD method, operation, resource requirements, Version C code capabilities, a brief description of the default scattering geometry, a brief description of each subroutine, a description of the include file (COMMONC.FOR), a section briefly discussing Radar Cross Section (RCS) computations, a section discussing some scattering results, a sample problem setup section, a new problem checklist, references and figure titles.

  3. User's manual for three dimensional FDTD version D code for scattering from frequency-dependent dielectric and magnetic materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beggs, John H.; Luebbers, Raymond J.; Kunz, Karl S.

    1991-01-01

    The Penn State Finite Difference Time Domain Electromagnetic Scattering Code Version D is a three dimensional numerical electromagnetic scattering code based upon the Finite Difference Time Domain Technique (FDTD). The supplied version of the code is one version of our current three dimensional FDTD code set. This manual provides a description of the code and corresponding results for several scattering problems. The manual is organized into fourteen sections: introduction, description of the FDTD method, operation, resource requirements, Version D code capabilities, a brief description of the default scattering geometry, a brief description of each subroutine, a description of the include file (COMMOND.FOR), a section briefly discussing Radar Cross Section (RCS) computations, a section discussing some scattering results, a sample problem setup section, a new problem checklist, references and figure titles.

  4. User's manual for three dimensional FDTD version A code for scattering from frequency-independent dielectric materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beggs, John H.; Luebbers, Raymond J.; Kunz, Karl S.

    1992-01-01

    The Penn State Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) Electromagnetic Scattering Code Version A is a three dimensional numerical electromagnetic scattering code based on the Finite Difference Time Domain technique. The supplied version of the code is one version of our current three dimensional FDTD code set. The manual provides a description of the code and the corresponding results for the default scattering problem. The manual is organized into 14 sections: introduction, description of the FDTD method, operation, resource requirements, Version A code capabilities, a brief description of the default scattering geometry, a brief description of each subroutine, a description of the include file (COMMONA.FOR), a section briefly discussing radar cross section (RCS) computations, a section discussing the scattering results, a sample problem setup section, a new problem checklist, references, and figure titles.

  5. User's manual for three dimensional FDTD version C code for scattering from frequency-independent dielectric and magnetic materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beggs, John H.; Luebbers, Raymond J.; Kunz, Karl S.

    1992-01-01

    The Penn State Finite Difference Time Domain Electromagnetic Scattering Code Version C is a three-dimensional numerical electromagnetic scattering code based on the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) technique. The supplied version of the code is one version of our current three-dimensional FDTD code set. The manual given here provides a description of the code and corresponding results for several scattering problems. The manual is organized into 14 sections: introduction, description of the FDTD method, operation, resource requirements, Version C code capabilities, a brief description of the default scattering geometry, a brief description of each subroutine, a description of the include file (COMMONC.FOR), a section briefly discussing radar cross section computations, a section discussing some scattering results, a new problem checklist, references, and figure titles.

  6. User's manual for three dimensional FDTD version B code for scattering from frequency-dependent dielectric materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beggs, John H.; Luebbers, Raymond J.; Kunz, Karl S.

    1991-01-01

    The Penn State Finite Difference Time Domain Electromagnetic Scattering Code Version B is a three dimensional numerical electromagnetic scattering code based upon the Finite Difference Time Domain Technique (FDTD). The supplied version of the code is one version of our current three dimensional FDTD code set. This manual provides a description of the code and corresponding results for several scattering problems. The manual is organized into fourteen sections: introduction, description of the FDTD method, operation, resource requirements, Version B code capabilities, a brief description of the default scattering geometry, a brief description of each subroutine, a description of the include file (COMMONB.FOR), a section briefly discussing Radar Cross Section (RCS) computations, a section discussing some scattering results, a sample problem setup section, a new problem checklist, references and figure titles.

  7. Interaction of cadmium with phosphate on goethite

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

    Venema, P.; Hiemstra, T.; Riemsdijk, W.H. van

    1997-08-01

    Interactions between different ions are of importance in understanding chemical processes in natural systems. In this study simultaneous adsorption of phosphate and cadmium on goethite is studied in detail. The charge distribution (CD)-multisite complexation (MUSIC) model has been successful in describing extended data sets of cadmium adsorption and phosphate adsorption on goethite. In this study, the parameters of this model for these two data sets were combined to describe a new data set of simultaneous adsorption of cadmium and phosphate on goethite. Attention is focused on the surface speciation of cadmium. With the extra information that can be obtained frommore » the interaction experiments, the cadmium adsorption model is refined. For a perfect description of the data, the singly coordinated surface groups at the 110 face of goethite were assumed to form both monodentate and bidentate surface species with cadmium. The CD-MUSIC model is able to describe data sets of both simultaneous and single adsorption of cadmium and phosphate with the same parameters. The model calculations confirmed the idea that only singly coordinated surface groups are reactive for specific ion binding.« less

  8. Teaching Mental Skills for Self-Esteem Enhancement in a Military Healthcare Setting

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-01-01

    Soldiers, and 915 Army Civilians (Sheftick & Holzer, 2007). Self - Esteem Rosenberg (1965) provided a broad and frequently cited description of self ...Teaching Mental Skills for Self - Esteem Enhancement in a Military Healthcare Setting Jon Hammermeister, Michael A. Pickering and LTC Carl J. Ohlson...The need exists for educational methods which can positively influence self - esteem , especially in demanding military healthcare settings. Warrior

  9. Weighted Description Logics Preference Formulas for Multiattribute Negotiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ragone, Azzurra; di Noia, Tommaso; Donini, Francesco M.; di Sciascio, Eugenio; Wellman, Michael P.

    We propose a framework to compute the utility of an agreement w.r.t a preference set in a negotiation process. In particular, we refer to preferences expressed as weighted formulas in a decidable fragment of First-order Logic and agreements expressed as a formula. We ground our framework in Description Logics (DL) endowed with disjunction, to be compliant with Semantic Web technologies. A logic based approach to preference representation allows, when a background knowledge base is exploited, to relax the often unrealistic assumption of additive independence among attributes. We provide suitable definitions of the problem and present algorithms to compute utility in our setting. We also validate our approach through an experimental evaluation.

  10. Matching Navy Recruiting Needs with Social Network Profiles Using Lexical Link Analysis. N1 FY10 Research Project

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-01-01

    recruiting needs and candidate profiles – Link the features in context of dynamic social network environments, learn from on-going market...universities, companies, etc.) • Friends list fandom (fan of) , • Endorsements (supporter of) • Navy Enlisted Rating descriptions – Hard Cards...the samples into a validation and a learning set Set aside . the validation set. Use the learning set to match the recruit ratings with the

  11. Computer Administering of the Psychological Investigations: Set-Relational Representation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yordzhev, Krasimir

    Computer administering of a psychological investigation is the computer representation of the entire procedure of psychological assessments - test construction, test implementation, results evaluation, storage and maintenance of the developed database, its statistical processing, analysis and interpretation. A mathematical description of psychological assessment with the aid of personality tests is discussed in this article. The set theory and the relational algebra are used in this description. A relational model of data, needed to design a computer system for automation of certain psychological assessments is given. Some finite sets and relation on them, which are necessary for creating a personality psychological test, are described. The described model could be used to develop real software for computer administering of any psychological test and there is full automation of the whole process: test construction, test implementation, result evaluation, storage of the developed database, statistical implementation, analysis and interpretation. A software project for computer administering personality psychological tests is suggested.

  12. Hardware/software codesign for embedded RISC core

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Peng

    2001-12-01

    This paper describes hardware/software codesign method of the extendible embedded RISC core VIRGO, which based on MIPS-I instruction set architecture. VIRGO is described by Verilog hardware description language that has five-stage pipeline with shared 32-bit cache/memory interface, and it is controlled by distributed control scheme. Every pipeline stage has one small controller, which controls the pipeline stage status and cooperation among the pipeline phase. Since description use high level language and structure is distributed, VIRGO core has highly extension that can meet the requirements of application. We take look at the high-definition television MPEG2 MPHL decoder chip, constructed the hardware/software codesign virtual prototyping machine that can research on VIRGO core instruction set architecture, and system on chip memory size requirements, and system on chip software, etc. We also can evaluate the system on chip design and RISC instruction set based on the virtual prototyping machine platform.

  13. Geometric descriptions of entangled states by auxiliary varieties

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

    Holweck, Frederic; Luque, Jean-Gabriel; Thibon, Jean-Yves

    2012-10-15

    The aim of the paper is to propose geometric descriptions of multipartite entangled states using algebraic geometry. In the context of this paper, geometric means each stratum of the Hilbert space, corresponding to an entangled state, is an open subset of an algebraic variety built by classical geometric constructions (tangent lines, secant lines) from the set of separable states. In this setting, we describe well-known classifications of multipartite entanglement such as 2 Multiplication-Sign 2 Multiplication-Sign (n+ 1), for n Greater-Than-Or-Slanted-Equal-To 1, quantum systems and a new description with the 2 Multiplication-Sign 3 Multiplication-Sign 3 quantum system. Our results complete themore » approach of Miyake and make stronger connections with recent work of algebraic geometers. Moreover, for the quantum systems detailed in this paper, we propose an algorithm, based on the classical theory of invariants, to decide to which subvariety of the Hilbert space a given state belongs.« less

  14. 40 CFR 51.50 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... organization transmitting the data set, including first name, middle name or initial, and surname. Contact... unit's nameplate by the manufacturer. The data element is reported in megawatts or kilowatts. Method accuracy description (MAD) codes means a set of six codes used to define the accuracy of latitude/longitude...

  15. 40 CFR 51.50 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... organization transmitting the data set, including first name, middle name or initial, and surname. Contact... unit's nameplate by the manufacturer. The data element is reported in megawatts or kilowatts. Method accuracy description (MAD) codes means a set of six codes used to define the accuracy of latitude/longitude...

  16. 40 CFR 51.50 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... organization transmitting the data set, including first name, middle name or initial, and surname. Contact... unit's nameplate by the manufacturer. The data element is reported in megawatts or kilowatts. Method accuracy description (MAD) codes means a set of six codes used to define the accuracy of latitude/longitude...

  17. 40 CFR 51.50 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... organization transmitting the data set, including first name, middle name or initial, and surname. Contact... unit's nameplate by the manufacturer. The data element is reported in megawatts or kilowatts. Method accuracy description (MAD) codes means a set of six codes used to define the accuracy of latitude/longitude...

  18. The Role of Construct Maps in Standard Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kane, Michael T.; Tannenbaum, Richard J.

    2013-01-01

    The authors observe in this commentary that construct maps can help standard-setting panels to make realistic and internally consistent recommendations for performance-level descriptions (PLDs) and cut-scores, but the benefits may not be realized if policymakers do not fully understand the rationale for the recommendations provided by the…

  19. Assessment-Based Antecedent Interventions Used in Natural Settings To Reduce Challenging Behavior: An Analysis of the Literature.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kern, Lee; Choutka, Claire Maher; Sokol, Natalie G.

    2002-01-01

    This article reviews research describing assessment-based antecedent interventions implemented in natural settings. Descriptive information is provided along a number of dimensions pertaining to participant characteristics (n=42), assessment utilized, and intervention attributes. Results indicate the most common interventions targeted aggression,…

  20. Impact of point-of-care ultrasound on clinical decision-making at an urban emergency department in Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Reynolds, Teri Ann; Amato, Stas; Kulola, Irene; Chen, Chuan-Jay Jeffrey; Mfinanga, Juma; Sawe, Hendry Robert

    2018-01-01

    Point of care ultrasound (PoCUS) is an efficient, inexpensive, safe, and portable imaging modality that can be particularly useful in resource-limited settings. However, its impact on clinical decision making in such settings has not been well studied. The objective of this study is to describe the utilization and impact of PoCUS on clinical decision making at an urban emergency department in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This was a prospective descriptive cross-sectional study of patients receiving PoCUS at Muhimbili National Hospital's Emergency Medical Department (MNH EMD). Data on PoCUS studies during a period of 10 months at MNH EMD was collected on consecutive patients during periods when research assistants were available. Data collected included patient age and sex, indications for ultrasound, findings, interpretations, and provider-reported diagnostic impression and disposition plan before and after PoCUS. Descriptive statistics, including medians and interquartile ranges, and counts and percentages, are reported. Pearson chi squared tests and p-values were used to evaluate categorical data for significant differences. PoCUS data was collected for 986 studies performed on 784 patients. Median patient age was 32 years; 56% of patients were male. Top indications for PoCUS included trauma, respiratory presentations, and abdomino-pelvic pain. The most frequent study types performed were eFAST, cardiac, and obstetric or gynaecologic studies. Overall, clinicians reported that the use of PoCUS changed either diagnostic impression or disposition plan in 29% of all cases. Rates of change in diagnostic impression or disposition plan increased to 45% in patients for whom more than one PoCUS study type was performed. In resource-limited emergency care settings, PoCUS can be utilized for a wide range of indications and has substantial impact on clinical decision making, especially when more than one study type is performed.

  1. Water adsorption on a copper formate paddlewheel model of CuBTC: A comparative MP2 and DFT study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Toda, Jordi; Fischer, Michael; Jorge, Miguel; Gomes, José R. B.

    2013-11-01

    Simultaneous adsorption of two water molecules on open metal sites of the HKUST-1 metal-organic framework (MOF), modeled with a Cu2(HCOO)4 cluster, was studied by means of density functional theory (DFT) and second-order Moller-Plesset (MP2) approaches together with correlation consistent basis sets. Experimental geometries and MP2 energetic data extrapolated to the complete basis set limit were used as benchmarks for testing the accuracy of several different exchange-correlation functionals in the correct description of the water-MOF interaction. M06-L and some LC-DFT methods arise as the most appropriate in terms of the quality of geometrical data, energetic data and computational resources needed.

  2. Performance of Language-Coordinated Collective Systems: A Study of Wine Recognition and Description

    PubMed Central

    Zubek, Julian; Denkiewicz, Michał; Dębska, Agnieszka; Radkowska, Alicja; Komorowska-Mach, Joanna; Litwin, Piotr; Stępień, Magdalena; Kucińska, Adrianna; Sitarska, Ewa; Komorowska, Krystyna; Fusaroli, Riccardo; Tylén, Kristian; Rączaszek-Leonardi, Joanna

    2016-01-01

    Most of our perceptions of and engagements with the world are shaped by our immersion in social interactions, cultural traditions, tools and linguistic categories. In this study we experimentally investigate the impact of two types of language-based coordination on the recognition and description of complex sensory stimuli: that of red wine. Participants were asked to taste, remember and successively recognize samples of wines within a larger set in a two-by-two experimental design: (1) either individually or in pairs, and (2) with or without the support of a sommelier card—a cultural linguistic tool designed for wine description. Both effectiveness of recognition and the kinds of errors in the four conditions were analyzed. While our experimental manipulations did not impact recognition accuracy, bias-variance decomposition of error revealed non-trivial differences in how participants solved the task. Pairs generally displayed reduced bias and increased variance compared to individuals, however the variance dropped significantly when they used the sommelier card. The effect of sommelier card reducing the variance was observed only in pairs, individuals did not seem to benefit from the cultural linguistic tool. Analysis of descriptions generated with the aid of sommelier cards shows that pairs were more coherent and discriminative than individuals. The findings are discussed in terms of global properties and dynamics of collective systems when constrained by different types of cultural practices. PMID:27729875

  3. Common Data Model for Neuroscience Data and Data Model Exchange

    PubMed Central

    Gardner, Daniel; Knuth, Kevin H.; Abato, Michael; Erde, Steven M.; White, Thomas; DeBellis, Robert; Gardner, Esther P.

    2001-01-01

    Objective: Generalizing the data models underlying two prototype neurophysiology databases, the authors describe and propose the Common Data Model (CDM) as a framework for federating a broad spectrum of disparate neuroscience information resources. Design: Each component of the CDM derives from one of five superclasses—data, site, method, model, and reference—or from relations defined between them. A hierarchic attribute-value scheme for metadata enables interoperability with variable tree depth to serve specific intra- or broad inter-domain queries. To mediate data exchange between disparate systems, the authors propose a set of XML-derived schema for describing not only data sets but data models. These include biophysical description markup language (BDML), which mediates interoperability between data resources by providing a meta-description for the CDM. Results: The set of superclasses potentially spans data needs of contemporary neuroscience. Data elements abstracted from neurophysiology time series and histogram data represent data sets that differ in dimension and concordance. Site elements transcend neurons to describe subcellular compartments, circuits, regions, or slices; non-neuroanatomic sites include sequences to patients. Methods and models are highly domain-dependent. Conclusions: True federation of data resources requires explicit public description, in a metalanguage, of the contents, query methods, data formats, and data models of each data resource. Any data model that can be derived from the defined superclasses is potentially conformant and interoperability can be enabled by recognition of BDML-described compatibilities. Such metadescriptions can buffer technologic changes. PMID:11141510

  4. Goal setting as a strategy for dietary and physical activity behavior change: a review of the literature.

    PubMed

    Shilts, Mical Kay; Horowitz, Marcel; Townsend, Marilyn S

    2004-01-01

    Estimate effectiveness of goal setting for nutrition and physical activity behavior change, review the effect of goal-setting characteristics on behavior change, and investigate effectiveness of interventions containing goal setting. For this review, a literature search was conducted for the period January 1977 through December 2003 that included a Current Contents, Biosis Previews, Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, and ERIC search of databases and a reference list search. Key words were goal, goal setting, nutrition, diet, dietary, physical activity, exercise, behavior change, interventions, and fitness. The search identified 144 studies, of which 28 met inclusion criteria for being published in a peer reviewed journal and using goal setting in an intervention to modify dietary or physical activity behaviors. Excluded from this review were those studies that (1) evaluated goal setting cross-sectionally without an intervention; (2) used goal setting for behavioral disorders, to improve academic achievement, or in sports performance; (3) were reviews. The articles were categorized by target audience and secondarily by research focus. Data extracted included outcome measure, research rating, purpose, sample, sample description, assignment, findings, and goal-setting support. Thirteen of the 23 adult studies used a goal-setting effectiveness study design and eight produced positive results supporting goal setting. No adolescent or child studies used this design. The results were inconclusive for the studies investigating goal-setting characteristics (n = 7). Four adult and four child intervention evaluation studies showed positive outcomes. No studies reported power calculations, and only 32% of the studies were rated as fully supporting goal setting. Goal setting has shown some promise in promoting dietary and physical activity behavior change among adults, but methodological issues still need to be resolved. The literature with adolescents and children is limited, and the authors are not aware of any published studies with this audience investigating the independent effect of goal setting on dietary or physical activity behavior. Although, goal setting is widely used with children and adolescents in nutrition interventions, its effectiveness has yet to be reported.

  5. Asymmetric scoring functions for proteins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lezon, Timothy; Holter, Neal; Maritan, Amos; Banavar, Jayanth

    2003-03-01

    The protein folding problem entails the prediction of the native state structure of a protein given the sequence of amino acids. In a coarse-grained description of a protein, an important ingredient for attempting this task is the determination of the effective energies of interaction between amino acids. We will discuss a simple approach for determining such interaction potentials from a training set of protein sequences and their experimentally determined native state structures. The key new ingredient in our study is the incorporation of the lack of symmetry in the effective interactions between amino acids. Our results, obtained using a set of 513 proteins, and their implications will be discussed.

  6. Sacred Spaces: Religious and Secular Coping and Family Relationships in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

    PubMed

    Brelsford, Gina M; Ramirez, Joshua; Veneman, Kristin; Doheny, Kim K

    2016-08-01

    Preterm birth is an unanticipated and stressful event for parents. In addition, the unfamiliar setting of the intensive care nursery necessitates strategies for coping. The primary study objective of this descriptive study was to determine whether secular and religious coping strategies were related to family functioning in the neonatal intensive care unit. Fifty-two parents of preterm (25-35 weeks' gestation) infants completed the Brief COPE (secular coping), the Brief RCOPE (religious coping), and the Family Environment Scale within 1 week of their infant's hospital admission. This descriptive study found that parents' religious and secular coping was significant in relation to family relationship functioning. Specifically, negative religious coping (ie, feeling abandoned or angry at God) was related to poorer family cohesion and use of denial. These findings have relevance for interventions focused toward enhancing effective coping for families. Further study of religious and secular coping strategies for neonatal intensive care unit families is warranted in a larger more diverse sample of family members.

  7. Epidemiology as discourse: the politics of development institutions in the Epidemiological Profile of El Salvador

    PubMed Central

    Aviles, L

    2001-01-01

    STUDY OBJECTIVE—To determine the ways in which institutions devoted to international development influence epidemiological studies.
DESIGN—This article takes a descriptive epidemiological study of El Salvador, Epidemiological Profile, conducted in 1994 by the US Agency for International Development, as a case study. The methods include discourse analysis in order to uncover the ideological basis of the report and its characteristics as a discourse of development.
SETTING—El Salvador.
RESULTS—The Epidemiological Profile theoretical basis, the epidemiological transition theory, embodies the ethnocentrism of a "colonizer's model of the world." This report follows the logic of a discourse of development by depoliticising development, creating abnormalities, and relying on the development consulting industry. The epidemiological transition theory serves as an ideology that legitimises and dissimulates the international order.
CONCLUSIONS—Even descriptive epidemiological assessments or epidemiological profiles are imbued with theoretical assumptions shaped by the institutional setting under which epidemiological investigations are conducted.


Keywords: El Salvador; politics PMID:11160170

  8. Basis sets for the calculation of core-electron binding energies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanson-Heine, Magnus W. D.; George, Michael W.; Besley, Nicholas A.

    2018-05-01

    Core-electron binding energies (CEBEs) computed within a Δ self-consistent field approach require large basis sets to achieve convergence with respect to the basis set limit. It is shown that supplementing a basis set with basis functions from the corresponding basis set for the element with the next highest nuclear charge (Z + 1) provides basis sets that give CEBEs close to the basis set limit. This simple procedure provides relatively small basis sets that are well suited for calculations where the description of a core-ionised state is important, such as time-dependent density functional theory calculations of X-ray emission spectroscopy.

  9. A depth-first search algorithm to compute elementary flux modes by linear programming.

    PubMed

    Quek, Lake-Ee; Nielsen, Lars K

    2014-07-30

    The decomposition of complex metabolic networks into elementary flux modes (EFMs) provides a useful framework for exploring reaction interactions systematically. Generating a complete set of EFMs for large-scale models, however, is near impossible. Even for moderately-sized models (<400 reactions), existing approaches based on the Double Description method must iterate through a large number of combinatorial candidates, thus imposing an immense processor and memory demand. Based on an alternative elementarity test, we developed a depth-first search algorithm using linear programming (LP) to enumerate EFMs in an exhaustive fashion. Constraints can be introduced to directly generate a subset of EFMs satisfying the set of constraints. The depth-first search algorithm has a constant memory overhead. Using flux constraints, a large LP problem can be massively divided and parallelized into independent sub-jobs for deployment into computing clusters. Since the sub-jobs do not overlap, the approach scales to utilize all available computing nodes with minimal coordination overhead or memory limitations. The speed of the algorithm was comparable to efmtool, a mainstream Double Description method, when enumerating all EFMs; the attrition power gained from performing flux feasibility tests offsets the increased computational demand of running an LP solver. Unlike the Double Description method, the algorithm enables accelerated enumeration of all EFMs satisfying a set of constraints.

  10. Continuous modeling of a grain boundary in MgO and its disclination induced grain-boundary migration mechanism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cordier, P.; Sun, X.; Taupin, V.; Fressengeas, C.

    2016-12-01

    Grain boundaries (GBs) are thin material layers where the lattice rotates from one orientation to the next one within a few nanometers. Because they treat these layers as infinitely thin interfaces, large-scale polycrystalline representations fail to describe their structure. Conversely, atomistic representations provide a detailed description of the GBs, but their character remains discrete and not prone to coarse-graining procedures. Continuum descriptions based on kinematic and crystal defect fields defined at interatomic scale are appealing because they can provide smooth and thorough descriptions of GBs, recovering in some sense the atomistic description and potentially serving as a basis for coarse-grained polycrystalline representations. In this work, a crossover between atomistic description and continuous representation of a MgO tilt boundary in polycrystals is set-up to model the periodic arrays of structural units by using dislocation and disclination dipole arrays along GBs. The strain, rotation, curvature, disclination and dislocation density fields are determined in the boundary area by using the discrete atomic positions generated by molecular dynamics simulations. Then, this continuous disclination/dislocation model is used as part of the initial conditions in elasto-plastic continuum mechanics simulations to investigate the shear-coupled boundary migration of tilt boundaries. The present study leads to better understanding of the structure and mechanical architecture of grain boundaries.

  11. Analysis of laparoscopic port site complications: A descriptive study

    PubMed Central

    Karthik, Somu; Augustine, Alfred Joseph; Shibumon, Mundunadackal Madhavan; Pai, Manohar Varadaraya

    2013-01-01

    CONTEXT: The rate of port site complications following conventional laparoscopic surgery is about 21 per 100,000 cases. It has shown a proportional rise with increase in the size of the port site incision and trocar. Although rare, complications that occur at the port site include infection, bleeding, and port site hernia. AIMS: To determine the morbidity associated with ports at the site of their insertion in laparoscopic surgery and to identify risk factors for complications. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Prospective descriptive study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present descriptive study, a total of 570 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgeries for various ailments between August 2009 and July 2011 at our institute were observed for port site complications prospectively and the complications were reviewed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Descriptive statistical analysis was carried out in the present study. The statistical software, namely, SPSS 15.0 was used for the analysis of the data. RESULTS: Of the 570 patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery, 17 (3%) had developed complications specifically related to the port site during a minimum follow-up of three months; port site infection (PSI) was the most frequent (n = 10, 1.8%), followed by port site bleeding (n = 4, 0.7%), omentum-related complications (n = 2; 0.35%), and port site metastasis (n = 1, 0.175%). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic surgeries are associated with minimal port site complications. Complications are related to the increased number of ports. Umbilical port involvement is the commonest. Most complications are manageable with minimal morbidity, and can be further minimized with meticulous surgical technique during entry and exit. PMID:23741110

  12. A Correlational and Descriptive Study of Student Writing in Three Aims of Discourse.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-12-01

    develop a new set of assumptions about invention, about the writer’s 4 M 5 purpose, about the relattonship between writer, subject, and audience . But just...triangle: subject, speaker/writer, and audience . 12 The number of aims can vary, from two (Britton) to six (Jakobson), but for the purposes of this study... Audience Oriented) C Klaus and Lloyd-Jones selected this particular model for its simplicity and usefulness; it was "based on the Pur- pose (goal

  13. Low-energy Scattering of Positronium by Atoms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ray, Hasi

    2007-01-01

    The survey reports theoretical studies involving positronium (Ps) - atom scattering. Investigations carried out in last few decades have been briefly reviewed in this article. A brief description of close-coupling approximation (CCA), the first-Born approximation (FBA) and the Born-Oppenheimer approximation (BOA) for Ps-Atom systems are made. The CCA codes of Ray et a1 [1-6] are reinvestigated using very fine mesh-points to search for resonances. The article advocates the need for an extended basis set & a systematic study using CCAs.

  14. Exploring post-fall audit report data in an acute care setting.

    PubMed

    Tzeng, Huey-Ming; Yin, Chang-Yi

    2015-06-01

    This retrospective, descriptive, chart review study was done to demonstrate one strategy for communicating aggregated and actionable fall data to bedside nurses. It was conducted at a nonprofit acute care hospital in the northwestern United States to analyze the quantitative data captured in post-fall audit reports of patient falls (March 1-December 31, 2012, N = 107 falls). Descriptive and binary statistical analyses were used. The quarterly National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators 2011 and 2012 reports showed that implementation of post-fall audit reports can lead to a lower overall fall rate and a lower fall-injury rate. Increased nursing hours could be a confounding factor of the positive impact of conducting post-fall audits in this study. It is concluded that timely and systematic reporting, analysis, and interpretation of fall data in an electronic format can facilitate prevention of falls and fall injuries. © The Author(s) 2014.

  15. Nursing Doctorates in Brazil: research formation and theses production.

    PubMed

    Scochi, Carmen Gracinda Silvan; Gelbcke, Francine Lima; Ferreira, Márcia de Assunção; Lima, Maria Alice Dias da Silva; Padilha, Katia Grillo; Padovani, Nátali Artal; Munari, Denize Bouttelet

    2015-01-01

    to analyze the formation of nursing doctorates in Brazil, from theses production, disciplines and other strategies focusing on research offered by courses. a descriptive and analytical study of the performance of 18 doctoral courses in nursing, running from 1982 to 2010, and defended their theses between 2010-2012. 502 theses were defended in this period, most linked to the online research process of health and nursing care. There are gaps in the knowledge of theoretical and philosophical foundations of care, nursing history and ethics. There are also weaknesses in the methodological design of the theses, with a predominance of descriptive and/or exploratory studies. This was consistent with international standards set with regards to the proposition of research of disciplines and complementary strategies in forming the doctorate. despite the efforts and advances in research formation, it is essential to expand to more robust research designs with a greater impact on production knowledge that is incorporated into practice.

  16. Brief functional analysis and treatment of a vocal tic.

    PubMed

    Watson, T S; Sterling, H E

    1998-01-01

    This study sought to extend functional methodology to the assessment and treatment of habits. After a descriptive assessment indicated that coughing occurred while eating, a brief functional analysis suggested that social attention was the maintaining variable. Results demonstrated that treatment, derived from the assessment and analysis data, rapidly eliminated the cough. We discuss the appropriateness of using functional analysis procedures for deriving treatments for habits in a clinical setting.

  17. Experiencias, Sentido y Significado de la Consejeria en Justicia Social a Nivel Universitario: Estudio de Caso Cualitativo Mediante Tres Narrativas De Consejeros Profesionales en Educacion Superior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Santiago Tosado, Virginia

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to understand and profoundly describe the nature of social justice practice, as is comes up from the experience of three professional counselors whose working settings are the academic arena. Detailed descriptions are presented concerning the meanings and sense of counseling for social justice, as the interviews…

  18. Who cares? A critical discussion of the value of caring from a patient and healthcare professional perspective.

    PubMed

    Flynn, Sandra

    2016-02-01

    This study was undertaken in order to discover and illuminate the essential caring behaviours valued by both patients and staff in an orthopaedic setting within a district general hospital in the United Kingdom. This descriptive study was undertaken in order to acquire a greater understanding of perceptions of caring from both patient and orthopaedic healthcare professional perspectives. A sample of 30 patients and 53 healthcare professionals consisting of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists were asked to complete the Caring Behaviours Inventory (CBI) questionnaire (Wolf et al., 1994). Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed both similarities and differences relating to the importance of positive caring behaviours exhibited during caring interactions. Healthcare professionals working in the orthopaedic setting acknowledged the value of similar positive caring behaviours to those of the patient group but ranked the importance of these differently. Several important insights into perceptions of caring have been gained. These relate to an overall understanding of the caring behaviours that are considered of importance to patients and healthcare professionals; the differences that exist between the caring perceptions of both groups and the factors which influence these perceptions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Identification of Key Odorants in Used Disposable Absorbent Incontinence Products

    PubMed Central

    Hall, Gunnar; Forsgren-Brusk, Ulla

    2017-01-01

    PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify key odorants in used disposable absorbent incontinence products. DESIGN: Descriptive in vitro study SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Samples of used incontinence products were collected from 8 residents with urinary incontinence living in geriatric nursing homes in the Gothenburg area of Sweden. Products were chosen from a larger set of products that had previously been characterized by descriptive odor analysis. METHODS: Pieces of the used incontinence products were cut from the wet area, placed in glass bottles, and kept frozen until dynamic headspace sampling of volatile compounds was completed. Gas chromatography–olfactometry was used to identify which compounds contributed most to the odors in the samples. Compounds were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Twenty-eight volatiles were found to be key odorants in the used incontinence products. Twenty-six were successfully identified. They belonged to the following classes of chemical compounds: aldehydes (6); amines (1); aromatics (3); isothiocyanates (1); heterocyclics (2); ketones (6); sulfur compounds (6); and terpenes (1). CONCLUSION: Nine of the 28 key odorants were considered to be of particular importance to the odor of the used incontinence products: 3-methylbutanal, trimethylamine, cresol, guaiacol, 4,5-dimethylthiazole-S-oxide, diacetyl, dimethyl trisulfide, 5-methylthio-4-penten-2-ol, and an unidentified compound. PMID:28328644

  20. Electrophysiological auditory responses and language development in infants with periventricular leukomalacia.

    PubMed

    Avecilla-Ramírez, G N; Ruiz-Correa, S; Marroquin, J L; Harmony, T; Alba, A; Mendoza-Montoya, O

    2011-12-01

    This study presents evidence suggesting that electrophysiological responses to language-related auditory stimuli recorded at 46weeks postconceptional age (PCA) are associated with language development, particularly in infants with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). In order to investigate this hypothesis, electrophysiological responses to a set of auditory stimuli consisting of series of syllables and tones were recorded from a population of infants with PVL at 46weeks PCA. A communicative development inventory (i.e., parent report) was applied to this population during a follow-up study performed at 14months of age. The results of this later test were analyzed with a statistical clustering procedure, which resulted in two well-defined groups identified as the high-score (HS) and low-score (LS) groups. The event-induced power of the EEG data recorded at 46weeks PCA was analyzed using a dimensionality reduction approach, resulting in a new set of descriptive variables. The LS and HS groups formed well-separated clusters in the space spanned by these descriptive variables, which can therefore be used to predict whether a new subject will belong to either of these groups. A predictive classification rate of 80% was obtained by using a linear classifier that was trained with a leave-one-out cross-validation technique. 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Evidence for the Existing American Nurses Association-Recognized Standardized Nursing Terminologies: A Systematic Review

    PubMed Central

    Tastan, Sevinc; Linch, Graciele C. F.; Keenan, Gail M.; Stifter, Janet; McKinney, Dawn; Fahey, Linda; Dunn Lopez, Karen; Yao, Yingwei; Wilkie, Diana J.

    2014-01-01

    Objective To determine the state of the science for the five standardized nursing terminology sets in terms of level of evidence and study focus. Design Systematic Review. Data sources Keyword search of PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases from 1960s to March 19, 2012 revealed 1,257 publications. Review Methods From abstract review we removed duplicate articles, those not in English or with no identifiable standardized nursing terminology, and those with a low-level of evidence. From full text review of the remaining 312 articles, eight trained raters used a coding system to record standardized nursing terminology names, publication year, country, and study focus. Inter-rater reliability confirmed the level of evidence. We analyzed coded results. Results On average there were 4 studies per year between 1985 and 1995. The yearly number increased to 14 for the decade between 1996–2005, 21 between 2006–2010, and 25 in 2011. Investigators conducted the research in 27 countries. By evidence level for the 312 studies 72.4% were descriptive, 18.9% were observational, and 8.7% were intervention studies. Of the 312 reports, 72.1% focused on North American Nursing Diagnosis-International, Nursing Interventions Classification, Nursing Outcome Classification, or some combination of those three standardized nursing terminologies; 9.6% on Omaha System; 7.1% on International Classification for Nursing Practice; 1.6% on Clinical Care Classification/Home Health Care Classification; 1.6% on Perioperative Nursing Data Set; and 8.0% on two or more standardized nursing terminology sets. There were studies in all 10 foci categories including those focused on concept analysis/classification infrastructure (n = 43), the identification of the standardized nursing terminology concepts applicable to a health setting from registered nurses’ documentation (n = 54), mapping one terminology to another (n = 58), implementation of standardized nursing terminologies into electronic health records (n = 12), and secondary use of electronic health record data (n = 19). Conclusions Findings reveal that the number of standardized nursing terminology publications increased primarily since 2000 with most focusing on North American Nursing Diagnosis-International, Nursing Interventions Classification, and Nursing Outcome Classification. The majority of the studies were descriptive, qualitative, or correlational designs that provide a strong base for understanding the validity and reliability of the concepts underlying the standardized nursing terminologies. There is evidence supporting the successful integration and use in electronic health records for two standardized nursing terminology sets: (1) the North American Nursing Diagnosis-International, Nursing Interventions Classification, and Nursing Outcome Classification set; and (2) the Omaha System set. Researchers, however, should continue to strengthen standardized nursing terminology study designs to promote continuous improvement of the standardized nursing terminologies and use in clinical practice. PMID:24412062

  2. The Objectives of NASA's Living with a Star Space Environment Testbed

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barth, Janet L.; LaBel, Kenneth A.; Brewer, Dana; Kauffman, Billy; Howard, Regan; Griffin, Geoff; Day, John H. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    NASA is planning to fly a series of Space Environment Testbeds (SET) as part of the Living With A Star (LWS) Program. The goal of the testbeds is to improve and develop capabilities to mitigate and/or accommodate the affects of solar variability in spacecraft and avionics design and operation. This will be accomplished by performing technology validation in space to enable routine operations, characterize technology performance in space, and improve and develop models, guidelines and databases. The anticipated result of the LWS/SET program is improved spacecraft performance, design, and operation for survival of the radiation, spacecraft charging, meteoroid, orbital debris and thermosphere/ionosphere environments. The program calls for a series of NASA Research Announcements (NRAs) to be issued to solicit flight validation experiments, improvement in environment effects models and guidelines, and collateral environment measurements. The selected flight experiments may fly on the SET experiment carriers and flights of opportunity on other commercial and technology missions. This paper presents the status of the project so far, including a description of the types of experiments that are intended to fly on SET-1 and a description of the SET-1 carrier parameters.

  3. DMT-TAFM: a data mining tool for technical analysis of futures market

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stepanov, Vladimir; Sathaye, Archana

    2002-03-01

    Technical analysis of financial markets describes many patterns of market behavior. For practical use, all these descriptions need to be adjusted for each particular trading session. In this paper, we develop a data mining tool for technical analysis of the futures markets (DMT-TAFM), which dynamically generates rules based on the notion of the price pattern similarity. The tool consists of three main components. The first component provides visualization of data series on a chart with different ranges, scales, and chart sizes and types. The second component constructs pattern descriptions using sets of polynomials. The third component specifies the training set for mining, defines the similarity notion, and searches for a set of similar patterns. DMT-TAFM is useful to prepare the data, and then reveal and systemize statistical information about similar patterns found in any type of historical price series. We performed experiments with our tool on three decades of trading data fro hundred types of futures. Our results for this data set shows that, we can prove or disprove many well-known patterns based on real data, as well as reveal new ones, and use the set of relatively consistent patterns found during data mining for developing better futures trading strategies.

  4. 17 CFR 240.15c3-1f - Optional market and credit risk requirements for OTC derivatives dealers (Appendix F to 17 CFR...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... observations cannot be less than six months. Historical data sets must be updated at least every three months... quantitative aspects of the model which at a minimum must adhere to the criteria set forth in paragraph (e) of..., a description of how its own theoretical pricing model contains the minimum pricing factors set...

  5. NASA's Global Change Master Directory: Discover and Access Earth Science Data Sets, Related Data Services, and Climate Diagnostics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aleman, A.; Olsen, L. M.; Ritz, S.; Stevens, T.; Morahan, M.; Grebas, S. K.

    2011-12-01

    NASA's Global Change Master Directory provides the scientific community with the ability to discover, access, and use Earth science data, data-related services, and climate diagnostics worldwide.The GCMD offers descriptions of Earth science data sets using the Directory Interchange Format (DIF) metadata standard; Earth science related data services are described using the Service Entry Resource Format (SERF); and climate visualizations are described using the Climate Diagnostic (CD) standard. The DIF, SERF and CD standards each capture data attributes used to determine whether a data set, service, or climate visualization is relevant to a user's needs.Metadata fields include: title, summary, science keywords, service keywords, data center, data set citation, personnel, instrument, platform, quality, related URL, temporal and spatial coverage, data resolution and distribution information.In addition, nine valuable sets of controlled vocabularies have been developed to assist users in normalizing the search for data descriptions. An update to the GCMD's search functionality is planned to further capitalize on the controlled vocabularies during database queries.By implementing a dynamic keyword "tree", users will have the ability to search for data sets by combining keywords in new ways.This will allow users to conduct more relevant and efficient database searches to support the free exchange and re-use of Earth science data.

  6. Compact and Hybrid Feature Description for Building Extraction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Z.; Liu, Y.; Hu, Y.; Li, P.; Ding, Y.

    2017-05-01

    Building extraction in aerial orthophotos is crucial for various applications. Currently, deep learning has been shown to be successful in addressing building extraction with high accuracy and high robustness. However, quite a large number of samples is required in training a classifier when using deep learning model. In order to realize accurate and semi-interactive labelling, the performance of feature description is crucial, as it has significant effect on the accuracy of classification. In this paper, we bring forward a compact and hybrid feature description method, in order to guarantees desirable classification accuracy of the corners on the building roof contours. The proposed descriptor is a hybrid description of an image patch constructed from 4 sets of binary intensity tests. Experiments show that benefiting from binary description and making full use of color channels, this descriptor is not only computationally frugal, but also accurate than SURF for building extraction.

  7. The status of the concept of 'phoneme' in psycholinguistics.

    PubMed

    Uppstad, Per Henning; Tønnessen, Finn Egil

    2010-10-01

    The notion of the phoneme counts as a break-through of modern theoretical linguistics in the early twentieth century. It paved the way for descriptions of distinctive features at different levels in linguistics. Although it has since then had a turbulent existence across altering theoretical positions, it remains a powerful concept of a fundamental unit in spoken language. At the same time, its conceptual status remains highly unclear. The present article aims to clarify the status of the concept of 'phoneme' in psycholinguistics, based on the scientific concepts of description, understanding and explanation. Theoretical linguistics has provided mainly descriptions. The ideas underlying this article are, first, that these descriptions may not be directly relevant to psycholinguistics and, second, that psycholinguistics in this sense is not a sub-discipline of theoretical linguistics. Rather, these two disciplines operate with different sets of features and with different orientations when it comes to the scientific concepts of description, understanding and explanation.

  8. Developing a national role description for medical directors in long-term care

    PubMed Central

    Rahim-Jamal, Sherin; Quail, Patrick; Bhaloo, Tajudaullah

    2010-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To develop a national role description for medical directors in long-term care (LTC) based on role functions drawn from the literature and the LTC industry. DESIGN A questionnaire about the role functions identified from the literature was mailed or e-mailed to randomly selected medical directors, directors of care or nursing (DOCs), and administrators in LTC facilities. SETTING Long-term care facilities in Canada randomly selected from regional clusters. PARTICIPANTS Medical directors, DOCs, and administrators in LTC facilities; a national advisory group of medical directors from the Long Term Care Medical Directors Association of Canada; and a volunteer group of medical directors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Respondents were asked to indicate, from the list of identified functions, 1) whether medical directors spent any time on each activity; 2) whether medical directors should spend time on each activity; and 3) if medical directors should spend time on an activity, whether the activity was “essential” or “desirable.” RESULTS An overall response rate of 37% was obtained. At least 80% of the respondents from all 3 groups (medical directors, DOCs, and administrators) highlighted 24 functions they deemed to be “essential” or “desirable,” which were then included in the role description. In addition, the advisory group expanded the role description to include 5 additional responsibilities from the remaining 18 functions originally identified. A volunteer group of medical directors confirmed the resulting role description. CONCLUSION The role description developed as a result of this study brings clarity to the medical director’s role in Canadian LTC facilities; the functions outlined are considered important for medical directors to undertake. The role description could be a useful tool in negotiations pertaining to time commitment and expectations of a medical director and fair compensation for services rendered. PMID:20090058

  9. 29 CFR 29.7 - Apprenticeship agreement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... spent by the apprentice in work on the job in a time-based program; or a description of the skill sets to be attained by completion of a competency-based program, including the on-the-job learning... hours per year. (f) A statement setting forth a schedule of the work processes in the occupation or...

  10. 29 CFR 29.7 - Apprenticeship agreement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... spent by the apprentice in work on the job in a time-based program; or a description of the skill sets to be attained by completion of a competency-based program, including the on-the-job learning... hours per year. (f) A statement setting forth a schedule of the work processes in the occupation or...

  11. 40 CFR 51.50 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... accuracy description (MAD) codes means a set of six codes used to define the accuracy of latitude/longitude data for point sources. The six codes and their definitions are: (1) Coordinate Data Source Code: The... physical piece of or a closely related set of equipment. The EPA's reporting format for a given inventory...

  12. Scheduling Algorithm for Mission Planning and Logistics Evaluation (SAMPLE). Volume 2: Mission payloads subsystem description

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dupnick, E.; Wiggins, D.

    1980-01-01

    The scheduling algorithm for mission planning and logistics evaluation (SAMPLE) is presented. Two major subsystems are included: The mission payloads program; and the set covering program. Formats and parameter definitions for the payload data set (payload model), feasible combination file, and traffic model are documented.

  13. Accessing technical data bases using STDS: A collection of scenarios

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hardgrave, W. T.

    1975-01-01

    A line by line description is given of sessions using the set-theoretic data system (STDS) to interact with technical data bases. The data bases contain data from actual applications at NASA Langley Research Center. The report is meant to be a tutorial document that accompanies set processing in a network environment.

  14. Need States Based on Eating Occasions Experienced by Midlife Women

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vue, Houa; Degeneffe, Dennis; Reicks, Marla

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To identify a comprehensive set of distinct "need states" based on the eating occasions experienced by midlife women. Design: Series of 7 focus group interviews. Setting: Meeting room on a university campus. Participants: A convenience sample of 34 multi-ethnic women (mean age = 46 years). Phenomenon of Interest: Descriptions of eating…

  15. The forest ecosystem of southeast Alaska: 1. The setting.

    Treesearch

    Arland S. Harris; O. Keith Hutchison; William R. Meehan; Douglas N. Swanston; Austin E. Helmers; John C. Hendee; Thomas M. Collins

    1974-01-01

    A description of the discovery and exploration of southeast Alaska sets the scene for a discussion of the physical and biological features of this region. Subjects discussed include geography, climate, vegetation types, geology, minerals, forest products, soils, fish, wildlife, water, recreation, and aesthetic values. This is the first of a series of publications...

  16. 14 CFR 302.1 - Applicability and description of part.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... this part sets forth general rules applicable to all types of proceedings. Each of the other subparts of this part sets forth special rules applicable to the type of proceedings described in the title of... and to the rules in the subpart relating to the particular type of proceeding, if any. In addition...

  17. 49 CFR 232.213 - Extended haul trains.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION BRAKE SYSTEM SAFETY STANDARDS FOR FREIGHT AND OTHER NON-PASSENGER TRAINS AND... extended haul trains will originate and a description of the trains that will be operated as extended haul.... (5) The train shall have no more than one pick-up and one set-out en route, except for the set-out of...

  18. The Effect of Training Data Set Composition on the Performance of a Neural Image Caption Generator

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-09-01

    objects was compared using the Metric for Evaluation of Translation with Explicit Ordering (METEOR) and Consensus-Based Image Description Evaluation...using automated scoring systems. Many such systems exist, including Bilingual Evaluation Understudy (BLEU), Consensus-Based Image Description Evaluation...shown to be essential to automated scoring, which correlates highly with human precision.5 CIDEr uses a system of consensus among the captions and

  19. Method of Characteristic (MOC) Nozzle Flowfield Solver - User’s Guide and Input Manual

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-01-01

    Description: Axi or Planar calculation. Value Description Default 0.0 Planer solution 1.0 Axisymmetric solution * &INPUT: NI Date Type: Integer...angle error !... !... Set Control values !... DELTA = 1.0 !1 axi, 0 planer (Mass flux not working correctly) NI = 81...DELTA = 1.0 !1 axi, 0 planer NI = 71 !NUMBER OF RADIAL POINTS ON INFLOW PLANE (Max 99) NT = 35 !NUMBER OF

  20. Confrontation (A Human Relations Training Unit and Simulation Game for Teacher and Administrators in a Multi-Ethnic Elementary and High School). Description of Teacher Inservice Education Materials.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Education Association, Washington, DC. Project on Utilization of Inservice Education R & D Outcomes.

    The inservice teacher and administrator education program described here is intended to make teachers aware of the problems they may encounter in a multicultural, multiethnic school setting. The inservice topic is human relations, with the subject of black/white confrontation the main focus. This descriptive report provides additional information…

  1. Systematically convergent basis sets for transition metals. I. All-electron correlation consistent basis sets for the 3d elements Sc-Zn

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balabanov, Nikolai B.; Peterson, Kirk A.

    2005-08-01

    Sequences of basis sets that systematically converge towards the complete basis set (CBS) limit have been developed for the first-row transition metal elements Sc-Zn. Two families of basis sets, nonrelativistic and Douglas-Kroll-Hess (-DK) relativistic, are presented that range in quality from triple-ζ to quintuple-ζ. Separate sets are developed for the description of valence (3d4s) electron correlation (cc-pVnZ and cc-pVnZ-DK; n =T,Q, 5) and valence plus outer-core (3s3p3d4s) correlation (cc-pwCVnZ and cc-pwCVnZ-DK; n =T,Q, 5), as well as these sets augmented by additional diffuse functions for the description of negative ions and weak interactions (aug-cc-pVnZ and aug-cc-pVnZ-DK). Extensive benchmark calculations at the coupled cluster level of theory are presented for atomic excitation energies, ionization potentials, and electron affinities, as well as molecular calculations on selected hydrides (TiH, MnH, CuH) and other diatomics (TiF, Cu2). In addition to observing systematic convergence towards the CBS limits, both 3s3p electron correlation and scalar relativity are calculated to strongly impact many of the atomic and molecular properties investigated for these first-row transition metal species.

  2. The national sports safety in secondary schools benchmark (N4SB) study: defining athletic training practice characteristics.

    PubMed

    McLeod, Tamara C Valovich; Bliven, Kellie C Huxel; Lam, Kenneth C; Bay, R Curtis; Valier, Alison R Snyder; Parsons, John T

    2013-01-01

    Increased rates of sport participation and sport-related injury have led to greater emphasis on and attention to medical care of student-athletes in the secondary school setting. Access to athletic training services is seen as a critical factor for delivering adequate injury prevention and medical care to student-athletes. However, few data are available regarding practice characteristics of athletic trainers (ATs) in this setting. To characterize the practices of secondary school athletic trainers (ATs). Descriptive study. Web-based survey. A total of 17 558 ATs with current National Athletic Trainers' Association membership were identified for survey distribution. Of these, 4232 ATs indicated that they practiced in the secondary school setting, and 4045 completed some part of the survey. A Web-based survey was used to obtain demographic information about ATs and their secondary schools and characteristics of athletic training practice. Descriptive data regarding the athletic trainer's personal characteristics, secondary school characteristics, and practice patterns are reported as percentages and frequencies. Most respondents were in the early stages of their careers and relatively new to the secondary school practice setting. Nearly two-thirds (62.4%; n = 2522) of respondents had 10 or fewer years of experience as secondary school ATs, 52% (n = 2132) had been certified for 10 or fewer years, and 53.4% (n = 2164) had 10 or fewer years of experience in any practice setting. The majority of respondents (85%) worked in public schools with enrollment of 1000 to 1999 (35.5%) and with football (95.5%). More than half of respondents were employed directly by their school. Most respondents (50.6%) reported an athletic training budget of less than $4000. The majority of ATs performed evaluations (87.5%) on-site all of the time, with a smaller percentage providing treatments (73.3%) or rehabilitation (47.4%) services all of the time. This is the first study to describe secondary school athletic training that reflects national practice trends. To improve the quality of athletic training care and to support and improve current working conditions, the profession must examine how its members practice on a day-to-day basis.

  3. Primary care physicians’ experiences with electronic medical records

    PubMed Central

    Ludwick, Dave; Manca, Donna; Doucette, John

    2010-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To understand how remuneration and care setting affect the implementation of electronic medical records (EMRs). DESIGN Semistructured interviews were used to illicit descriptions from community-based family physicians (paid on a fee-for-service basis) and from urban, hospital, and academic family physicians (remunerated via alternative payment models or sessional pay for activities pertaining to EMR implementation). SETTING Small suburban community and large urban-, hospital-, and academic-based family medicine clinics in Alberta. All participants were supported by a jurisdictional EMR certification funding mechanism. PARTICIPANTS Physicians who practised in 1 or a combination of the above settings and had experience implementing and using EMRs. METHODS Purposive and maximum variation sampling was used to obtain descriptive data from key informants through individually conducted semistructured interviews. The interview guide, which was developed from key findings of our previous literature review, was used in a previous study of community-based family physicians on this same topic. Field notes were analyzed to generate themes through a comparative immersion approach. MAIN FINDINGS Physicians in urban, hospital, and academic settings leverage professional working relationships to investigate EMRs, a resource not available to community physicians. Physicians in urban, hospital, and academic settings work in larger interdisciplinary teams with a greater need for interdisciplinary care coordination, EMR training, and technical support. These practices were able to support the cost of project management or technical support resources. These physicians followed a planned system rollout approach compared with community physicians who installed their systems quickly and required users to transition to the new system immediately. Electronic medical records did not increase, or decrease, patient throughput. Physicians developed ways of including patients in the note-taking process. CONCLUSION We studied physicians’ procurement approaches under various payment models. Our findings do not suggest that one remuneration approach supports EMR adoption any more than another. Rather, this study suggests that stronger physician professional networks used in information gathering, more complete training, and in-house technical support might be more influential than remuneration in facilitating the EMR adoption experience. PMID:20090083

  4. A Numerical Study of Cirrus Clouds. Part I: Model Description.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Hui-Chun; Wang, Pao K.; Schlesinger, Robert E.

    2003-04-01

    This article, the first of a two-part series, presents a detailed description of a two-dimensional numerical cloud model directed toward elucidating the physical processes governing the evolution of cirrus clouds. The two primary scientific purposes of this work are (a) to determine the evolution and maintenance mechanisms of cirrus clouds and try to explain why some cirrus can persist for a long time; and (b) to investigate the influence of certain physical factors such as radiation, ice crystal habit, latent heat, ventilation effects, and aggregation mechanisms on the evolution of cirrus. The second part will discuss sets of model experiments that were run to address objectives (a) and (b), respectively.As set forth in this paper, the aforementioned two-dimensional numerical model, which comprises the research tool for this study, is organized into three modules that embody dynamics, microphysics, and radiation. The dynamic module develops a set of equations to describe shallow moist convection, also parameterizing turbulence by using a 1.5-order closure scheme. The microphysical module uses a double-moment scheme to simulate the evolution of the size distribution of ice particles. Heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation of haze particles are included, along with other ice crystal processes such as diffusional growth, sedimentation, and aggregation. The radiation module uses a two-stream radiative transfer scheme to determine the radiative fluxes and heating rates, while the cloud optical properties are determined by the modified anomalous diffraction theory (MADT) for ice particles. One of the main advantages of this cirrus model is its explicit formulation of the microphysical and radiative properties as functions of ice crystal habit.

  5. Single, Complete, Probability Spaces Consistent With EPR-Bohm-Bell Experimental Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Avis, David; Fischer, Paul; Hilbert, Astrid; Khrennikov, Andrei

    2009-03-01

    We show that paradoxical consequences of violations of Bell's inequality are induced by the use of an unsuitable probabilistic description for the EPR-Bohm-Bell experiment. The conventional description (due to Bell) is based on a combination of statistical data collected for different settings of polarization beam splitters (PBSs). In fact, such data consists of some conditional probabilities which only partially define a probability space. Ignoring this conditioning leads to apparent contradictions in the classical probabilistic model (due to Kolmogorov). We show how to make a completely consistent probabilistic model by taking into account the probabilities of selecting the settings of the PBSs. Our model matches both the experimental data and is consistent with classical probability theory.

  6. CIRCAL-2 - General-purpose on-line circuit design.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dertouzos, M. L.; Jessel, G. P.; Stinger, J. R.

    1972-01-01

    CIRCAL-2 is a second-generation general-purpose on-line circuit-design program with the following main features: (1) multiple-analysis capability; (2) uniform and general data structures for handling text editing, network representations, and output results, regardless of analysis; (3) special techniques and structures for minimizing and controlling user-program interaction; (4) use of functionals for the description of hysteresis and heat effects; and (5) ability to define optimization procedures that 'replace' the user. The paper discusses the organization of CIRCAL-2, the aforementioned main features, and their consequences, such as a set of network elements and models general enough for most analyses and a set of functions tailored to circuit-design requirements. The presentation is descriptive, concentrating on conceptual rather than on program implementation details.

  7. A pilot Internet "Value of Health" Panel: recruitment, participation and compliance

    PubMed Central

    Stein, Ken; Dyer, Matthew; Crabb, Tania; Milne, Ruairidh; Round, Alison; Ratcliffe, Julie; Brazier, John

    2006-01-01

    Objectives To pilot using a panel of members of the public to provide preference data via the Internet Methods A stratified random sample of members of the general public was recruited and familiarised with the standard gamble procedure using an Internet based tool. Health states were perdiodically presented in "sets" corresponding to different conditions, during the study. The following were described: Recruitment (proportion of people approached who were trained); Participation (a) the proportion of people trained who provided any preferences and (b) the proportion of panel members who contributed to each "set" of values; and Compliance (the proportion, per participant, of preference tasks which were completed). The influence of covariates on these outcomes was investigated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results A panel of 112 people was recruited. 23% of those approached (n = 5,320) responded to the invitation, and 24% of respondents (n = 1,215) were willing to participate (net = 5.5%). However, eventual recruitment rates, following training, were low (2.1% of those approached). Recruitment from areas of high socioeconomic deprivation and among ethnic minority communities was low. Eighteen sets of health state descriptions were considered over 14 months. 74% of panel members carried out at least one valuation task. People from areas of higher socioeconomic deprivation and unmarried people were less likely to participate. An average of 41% of panel members expressed preferences on each set of descriptions. Compliance ranged from 3% to 100%. Conclusion It is feasible to establish a panel of members of the general public to express preferences on a wide range of health state descriptions using the Internet, although differential recruitment and attrition are important challenges. Particular attention to recruitment and retention in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation and among ethnic minority communities is necessary. Nevertheless, the panel approach to preference measurement using the Internet offers the potential to provide specific utility data in a responsive manner for use in economic evaluations and to address some of the outstanding methodological uncertainties in this field. PMID:17129380

  8. Outcomes of gait trainer use in home and school settings for children with motor impairments: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Paleg, Ginny; Livingstone, Roslyn

    2015-11-01

    To summarize and critically appraise evidence regarding use of gait trainers (walkers providing trunk and pelvic support) at home or school with children who are unable to walk independently or with hand-held walkers. Searches were performed in seven electronic databases including EBM Reviews, CINAHL, Medline and EMBASE for publications in English from database inception to November 2014. Included studies involved at least one child with a mobility limitation and measured an outcome related to gait trainer use. Articles were appraised using American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine criteria for group and single-subject designs and quality ratings completed for studies rated levels I-III. The PRISMA statement was followed with inclusion criteria set a priori. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts and full-text articles. Seventeen studies involving 182 children were included. Evidence from one small randomized controlled trial suggests a non-significant trend toward increased walking distance while the other evidence level II study (concurrent multiple baseline design) reports increased number of steps. Two level III studies (non-randomized two-group studies) report statistically significant impact on mobility level with one finding significant impact on bowel function and an association between increased intervention time and bone mineral density. Remaining descriptive level evidence provides support for positive impact on a range of activity outcomes, with some studies reporting impact on affect, motivation and participation with others. Evidence supporting outcomes for children using gait trainers is primarily descriptive and, while mainly positive, is insufficient to draw firm conclusions. © The Author(s) 2015.

  9. The Prehospital Sepsis Project: out-of-hospital physiologic predictors of sepsis outcomes.

    PubMed

    Baez, Amado Alejandro; Hanudel, Priscilla; Wilcox, Susan Renee

    2013-12-01

    Severe sepsis and septic shock are common, expensive and often fatal medical problems. The care of the critically sick and injured often begins in the prehospital setting; there is limited data available related to predictors and interventions specific to sepsis in the prehospital arena. The objective of this study was to assess the predictive effect of physiologic elements commonly reported in the out-of-hospital setting in the outcomes of patients transported with sepsis. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data from the years 2004-2006 were collected. Adult cases (≥18 years of age) transported by Emergency Medical Services to a major academic center with the diagnosis of sepsis as defined by ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes were included. Descriptive statistics and standard deviations were used to present group characteristics. Chi-square was used for statistical significance and odds ratio (OR) to assess strength of association. Statistical significance was set at the .05 level. Physiologic variables studied included mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) and shock index (SI). Sixty-three (63) patients were included. Outcome variables included a mean hospital length of stay (HLOS) of 13.75 days (SD = 9.97), mean ventilator days of 4.93 (SD = 7.87), in-hospital mortality of 22 out of 63 (34.9%), and mean intensive care unit length-of-stay (ICU-LOS) of 7.02 days (SD = 7.98). Although SI and RR were found to predict intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, [OR 5.96 (CI, 1.49-25.78; P = .003) and OR 4.81 (CI, 1.16-21.01; P = .0116), respectively] none of the studied variables were found to predict mortality (MAP <65 mmHg: P = .39; HR >90: P = .60; RR >20 P = .11; SI >0.7 P = .35). This study demonstrated that the out-of-hospital shock index and respiratory rate have high predictability for ICU admission. Further studies should include the development of an out-of-hospital sepsis score.

  10. Problems faced and coping strategies used by adolescents with mentally ill parents in Delhi.

    PubMed

    George, Shoba; Shaiju, Bindu; Sharma, Veena

    2012-01-01

    The present study was conducted to assess the problems faced by adolescents whose parents suffer from major mental illness at selected mental health institutes of Delhi. The objectives also included assessment of the coping strategies of the adolescents in dealing with these problems. The Stuart Stress Adaptation Model of Psychiatric Nursing Care was used as the conceptual framework. A descriptive survey approach with cross-sectional design was used in the study. A structured interview schedule was prepared. Purposive non-probability sampling technique was employed to interview 50 adolescents whose parents suffer from major mental illness. Data gathered was analysed and interpreted using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study showed that majority of the adolescents had moderate problems as a result of their parent's mental illness. Area-wise analysis of the problems revealed that the highest problems faced were in family relationship and support and majority of the adolescents used maladaptive coping strategies. A set of guidelines on effective coping strategies was disseminated to these adolescents.

  11. The Gene Expression Omnibus Database.

    PubMed

    Clough, Emily; Barrett, Tanya

    2016-01-01

    The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database is an international public repository that archives and freely distributes high-throughput gene expression and other functional genomics data sets. Created in 2000 as a worldwide resource for gene expression studies, GEO has evolved with rapidly changing technologies and now accepts high-throughput data for many other data applications, including those that examine genome methylation, chromatin structure, and genome-protein interactions. GEO supports community-derived reporting standards that specify provision of several critical study elements including raw data, processed data, and descriptive metadata. The database not only provides access to data for tens of thousands of studies, but also offers various Web-based tools and strategies that enable users to locate data relevant to their specific interests, as well as to visualize and analyze the data. This chapter includes detailed descriptions of methods to query and download GEO data and use the analysis and visualization tools. The GEO homepage is at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/.

  12. The Gene Expression Omnibus database

    PubMed Central

    Clough, Emily; Barrett, Tanya

    2016-01-01

    The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database is an international public repository that archives and freely distributes high-throughput gene expression and other functional genomics data sets. Created in 2000 as a worldwide resource for gene expression studies, GEO has evolved with rapidly changing technologies and now accepts high-throughput data for many other data applications, including those that examine genome methylation, chromatin structure, and genome–protein interactions. GEO supports community-derived reporting standards that specify provision of several critical study elements including raw data, processed data, and descriptive metadata. The database not only provides access to data for tens of thousands of studies, but also offers various Web-based tools and strategies that enable users to locate data relevant to their specific interests, as well as to visualize and analyze the data. This chapter includes detailed descriptions of methods to query and download GEO data and use the analysis and visualization tools. The GEO homepage is at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/. PMID:27008011

  13. Stressful incidents of physical violence against emergency nurses.

    PubMed

    Gillespie, Gordon Lee; Gates, Donna M; Berry, Peggy

    2013-01-31

    Physical violence against nurses has become an endemic problem affecting nurses in all settings. The purpose of this study was to describe acts of physical violence against emergency nurses perceived as stressful using a qualitative descriptive design with a national sample of emergency nurses. The guiding conceptual model for the study was the Ecological Occupational Health Model of Workplace Assault. Narrative accounts of physical violence were analyzed using a constant comparative analysis method. Key findings included risks related to employee, workplace, and aggressor factors, and descriptions of physical violence. Discussion of the study findings suggests that efforts to prevent violence and promote workplace safety need to focus on designing work environments that allow for the quick egress of employees, establishing and consistently enforcing policies aimed at violence prevention, and maintaining positive working relationships with security officers. While patients with mental health or substance use complaints are deemed most likely to commit physical violence, they are not the only patients to become violent. Risk reduction efforts should target all patients and visitors.

  14. Evaluation of the Clinical Learning Experience of Nursing Students: a Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study.

    PubMed

    Gurková, Elena; Žiaková, Katarína

    2018-05-18

    The purpose of the cross-sectional descriptive study was to explore and compare the students' experiences of the clinical environment and supervision in Slovakia. Students' clinical learning experience were measured by the valid and reliable clinical learning instrument. A higher frequency of successful supervisory experience was found in the universities which provided accredited mentor preparation programmes or courses and individualised supervisory approaches. Frequency of supervision meetings, the occupational title of a supervisor and mainly the supervision model have an association with students 'perceptions of different domains of clinical learning environment. The duration of the placement was not related to students' experience and perceptions of the learning environment. Slovak students reported higher score regarding the quality of nursing care or ward culture than in the supervisory relationships between students, clinical and school staff. Further studies in this field, extended to different Eastern European countries and clinical settings, may help us to understand factors affecting workplace training.

  15. The Legacy of Florence Nightingale's Environmental Theory: Nursing Research Focusing on the Impact of Healthcare Environments.

    PubMed

    Zborowsky, Terri

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to explore nursing research that is focused on the impact of healthcare environments and that has resonance with the aspects of Florence Nightingale's environmental theory. Nurses have a unique ability to apply their observational skills to understand the role of the designed environment to enable healing in their patients. This affords nurses the opportunity to engage in research studies that have immediate impact on the act of nursing. Descriptive statistics were performed on 67 healthcare design-related research articles from 25 nursing journals to discover the topical areas of interest of nursing research today. Data were also analyzed to reveal the research designs, research methods, and research settings. These data are part of an ongoing study. Descriptive statistics reveal that topics and settings most frequently cited are in keeping with the current healthcare foci of patient care quality and safety in acute and intensive care environments. Research designs and methods most frequently cited are in keeping with the early progression of a knowledge area. A few assertions can be made as a result of this study. First, education is important to continue the knowledge development in this area. Second, multiple method research studies should continue to be considered as important to healthcare research. Finally, bedside nurses are in the best position possible to begin to help us all, through research, understand how the design environment impacts patients during the act of nursing. Evidence-based design, literature review, nursing.

  16. Mercury in fish and macroinvertebrates from New York's streams and rivers: A compendium of data sources

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Riva-Murray, Karen; Burns, Douglas A.

    2016-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey has compiled a list of existing data sets, from selected sources, containing mercury (Hg) concentration data in fish and macroinvertebrate samples that were collected from flowing waters of New York State from 1970 through 2014. Data sets selected for inclusion in this report were limited to those that contain fish and (or) macroinvertebrate data that were collected across broad areas, cover relatively long time periods, and (or) were collected as part of a broader-scale (e.g. national) study or program. In addition, all data sets listed were collected, processed, and analyzed with documented methods, and contain critical sample information (e.g. fish species, fish size, Hg species) that is needed to analyze and interpret the reported Hg concentration data. Fourteen data sets, all from state or federal agencies, are listed in this report, along with selected descriptive information regarding each data source and data set contents. Together, these 14 data sets contain Hg and related data for more than 7,000 biological samples collected from more than 700 unique stream and river locations between 1970 and 2014.

  17. Detailed Wave Function Analysis for Multireference Methods: Implementation in the Molcas Program Package and Applications to Tetracene.

    PubMed

    Plasser, Felix; Mewes, Stefanie A; Dreuw, Andreas; González, Leticia

    2017-11-14

    High-level multireference computations on electronically excited and charged states of tetracene are performed, and the results are analyzed using an extensive wave function analysis toolbox that has been newly implemented in the Molcas program package. Aside from verifying the strong effect of dynamic correlation, this study reveals an unexpected critical influence of the atomic orbital basis set. It is shown that different polarized double-ζ basis sets produce significantly different results for energies, densities, and overall wave functions, with the best performance obtained for the atomic natural orbital (ANO) basis set by Pierloot et al. Strikingly, the ANO basis set not only reproduces the energies but also performs exceptionally well in terms of describing the diffuseness of the different states and of their attachment/detachment densities. This study, thus, not only underlines the fact that diffuse basis functions are needed for an accurate description of the electronic wave functions but also shows that, at least for the present example, it is enough to include them implicitly in the contraction scheme.

  18. Student nurses' perceived use of NANDA-I nursing diagnoses in the community setting.

    PubMed

    Ogunfowokan, Adesola A; Oluwatosin, Abimbola O; Olajubu, Aanuoluwapo O; Alao, Olujide A; Faremi, Adenike F

    2013-02-01

    Study explored knowledge and perception of student nurses on the use of NANDA-I nursing diagnoses in the community setting. Study adopted cross-sectional design. Convenient sampling method was used to select 290 nursing students. Data analysis was by descriptive and inferential statistics. A majority (81.3%) of the participants considered NANDA-I nursing diagnoses to be useful in the community. Significant association existed in the perception and level of education of the students (χ(2) = 8.257, d.f. = 1, p= .04). Knowledge and perception of the participants about the use of NANDA-I nursing diagnoses in the community is satisfactory. Use of NANDA-I nursing diagnoses should be encouraged among community health nurses. © 2012, The Authors. International Journal of Nursing Knowledge © 2012, NANDA International.

  19. Retail clinics versus traditional primary care: Employee satisfaction guaranteed?

    PubMed

    Lelli, Vanessa R; Hickman, Ronald L; Savrin, Carol L; Peterson, Rachel A

    2015-09-01

    To examine if differences exist in the levels of autonomy and job satisfaction among primary care nurse practitioners (NPs) employed in retail clinics versus traditional primary care settings. Data were collected from 310 primary care NPs who attended the American Association of NP's 28th Annual Conference in June 2013. Participants completed a demographic form, the Misener NP Job Satisfaction Scale, and the Dempster Practice Behavior Scale. Overall, there were no differences in job satisfaction or autonomy among NPs by practice setting. Retail NPs felt less valued and were less satisfied with social interaction, but more satisfied with benefits compared to NPs in traditional settings. NPs working in retail clinics were less likely to have intentions to leave current position compared to NPs in traditional practice settings. The results of this study enhance our current understanding of the linkages between levels of autonomy, job satisfaction, and practice setting among primary care NPs. The findings of this descriptive study offer valuable insights for stakeholders devoted to the development of the primary care workforce and identify modifiable factors that may influence retention and turnover rates among NPs. ©2015 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

  20. [Transparency and replicability of nursing intervention studies in long-term care: A selective literature review].

    PubMed

    Gspörer, Irene; Schrems, Berta M

    2018-05-01

    The development and evaluation of interventions in long-term care is time-consuming and expensive due to their complexity. To ensure reproducibility and successful implementation, these interventions must be described and published in a comprehensible and qualitative manner. The aim of this study is to analyze intervention studies from the inpatient long-term care setting with regard to their completeness, reporting quality, transparency and thus reproducibility. The completeness and the reporting quality of the interventions described in the publications were examined in the context of a selective literature review by means of intervention studies from the long-term care setting (n=22). To this end, the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist and the Criteria for Reporting the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions in Healthcare 2 (CReDECI2-DE) list were used. Transparency criteria included study registration and access to study protocols. The TIDieR checklist examination revealed that only three studies contained all the information necessary; the CReDECI2 test provided a complete description for only one study. Frequent shortcomings were observed concerning the information on modifications and titrations for the study participants and the location. Protocols were available for eight studies, 14 studies were registered. In terms of science, this means that the reproducibility of scientific findings is limited, which is why they cannot provide secure knowledge. As a result, the practical benefit to be derived from published studies that are accessible to decision-makers is limited as well. As far as publishers are concerned they should pay more attention to the completeness, registration and availability of materials. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  1. Social Norms in the Development of Adolescent Substance Use: A Longitudinal Analysis of the International Youth Development Study

    PubMed Central

    Eisenberg, Marla E.; Toumbourou, John W.; Catalano, Richard F.; Hemphill, Sheryl A.

    2014-01-01

    Identifying specific aspects of peer social norms that influence adolescent substance use may assist international prevention efforts. This study examines two aggregated measures of social norms in the school setting and their predictive association with substance (alcohol, tobacco and marijuana) use 2 years later in a large cross-national population-based cohort of adolescents. The primary hypothesis is that in Grade 7 both “injunctive” school norms (where students associate substance use with “coolness”) and “descriptive” norms (where student substance use is common) will predict Grade 9 substance use. Data come from the International Youth Development Study, including 2,248 students (51.2 % female) in the US and Australia attending 121 schools in Grade 7. Independent variables included injunctive norms (aggregating measures of school-wide coolness ratings of each substance use) and descriptive norms (aggregating the prevalence of school substance use) in Grade 7. Dependent variables included binge drinking and current use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana in Grade 9. Associations between each type of school-wide social norm and substance use behaviors in Grade 9 were tested using multilevel logistic regression, adjusting for covariates. In unadjusted models, both injunctive and descriptive norms each significantly predicted subsequent substance use. In fully adjusted models, injunctive norms were no longer significantly associated with Grade 9 use, but descriptive norms remained significantly associated with tobacco and marijuana use in the expected direction. The findings identify descriptive social norms in the school context as a particularly important area to address in adolescent substance use prevention efforts. PMID:24633850

  2. Creativity and power: a qualitative, exploratory study of student learning acquired in a community nursing setting that is applied in future settings.

    PubMed

    Merritt, Alan; Boogaerts, Marina

    2014-01-01

    Nursing students undertake clinical placements in a wide range of clinical areas as part of their preparation for professional practice, offering students the opportunity to learn about the clinical context and the work that nurses do. This descriptive study explores the implicit learnings that occur for students in a community nursing placement and whether they transfer the knowledge they gain in the community setting into practice in other settings. Participants in this research study described implicit learning from a community nursing context which they were able to utilise in their current practice. Three major themes emerged. Firstly, participants recognised that power relationships manifest differently in a community based setting. This manifest in a recognition of patient autonomy and a creative approach to enhancing the patient's power. The second, related theme involved the enabling of self-determination through collaborative decision making between nurse and the person receiving care. The third theme was the development of an understanding of self-management which manifest in appropriate referrals and what the participants considered high quality discharge planning. This recognition of practice beyond technical, rationalist manifestations suggests that students grasped the unarticulated, implicit dimensions of the community nurse role through their experiences in a community nursing placement.

  3. The Function Biomedical Informatics Research Network Data Repository.

    PubMed

    Keator, David B; van Erp, Theo G M; Turner, Jessica A; Glover, Gary H; Mueller, Bryon A; Liu, Thomas T; Voyvodic, James T; Rasmussen, Jerod; Calhoun, Vince D; Lee, Hyo Jong; Toga, Arthur W; McEwen, Sarah; Ford, Judith M; Mathalon, Daniel H; Diaz, Michele; O'Leary, Daniel S; Jeremy Bockholt, H; Gadde, Syam; Preda, Adrian; Wible, Cynthia G; Stern, Hal S; Belger, Aysenil; McCarthy, Gregory; Ozyurt, Burak; Potkin, Steven G

    2016-01-01

    The Function Biomedical Informatics Research Network (FBIRN) developed methods and tools for conducting multi-scanner functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. Method and tool development were based on two major goals: 1) to assess the major sources of variation in fMRI studies conducted across scanners, including instrumentation, acquisition protocols, challenge tasks, and analysis methods, and 2) to provide a distributed network infrastructure and an associated federated database to host and query large, multi-site, fMRI and clinical data sets. In the process of achieving these goals the FBIRN test bed generated several multi-scanner brain imaging data sets to be shared with the wider scientific community via the BIRN Data Repository (BDR). The FBIRN Phase 1 data set consists of a traveling subject study of 5 healthy subjects, each scanned on 10 different 1.5 to 4 T scanners. The FBIRN Phase 2 and Phase 3 data sets consist of subjects with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder along with healthy comparison subjects scanned at multiple sites. In this paper, we provide concise descriptions of FBIRN's multi-scanner brain imaging data sets and details about the BIRN Data Repository instance of the Human Imaging Database (HID) used to publicly share the data. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. What does it take to set goals for self-management in primary care? A qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Lenzen, Stephanie Anna; van Dongen, Jerôme Jean Jacques; Daniëls, Ramon; van Bokhoven, Marloes Amantia; van der Weijden, Trudy; Beurskens, Anna

    2016-12-01

    There is an increasing number of patients with a chronic illness demanding primary care services. This demands for effective self-management support, including collaborative goal setting. Despite the fact that primary care professionals seem to have difficulties implementing goal setting, little information is available about the factors influencing the complexity of this process in primary care. The aim of this study was to contribute to an understanding of the complexity of self-management goal setting in primary care by exploring experts' and primary care professionals' experiences with self-management goal setting and viewpoints regarding influencing factors. A descriptive qualitative research methodology was adopted. Two focus groups and three individual interviews were conducted (total participants n = 17). Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings were categorized into four main themes with subordinated subthemes. The themes focus around the complexity of setting non-medical goals and around professionals' skills and attitudes to negotiate and decide about goals with patients. Furthermore, patients' skills and attitudes for goal setting and the integration of goal setting in the time available were formulated as themes. Setting self-management goals in primary care, especially in family medicine, might require a shift from a medical perspective to a biopsychosocial perspective, with an increasing role set aside for the professional to coach the patient in expressing his self-management goals and to take responsibility for these goals. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

  5. Feasibility of implementing a cellphone-based reminder/recall strategy to improve childhood routine immunization in a low-resource setting: a descriptive report.

    PubMed

    Brown, Victoria Bolanle; Oluwatosin, O Abimbola

    2017-12-04

    Reminder/recall systems are effective ways to improve immunization rates, but their feasibility in primary health care (PHC) settings in Nigeria has not been adequately evaluated. In this study we describe the acceptability and adaptability of immunization reminder/recall system in an urban setting in southwest Nigeria. This is a descriptive report of a cluster randomized controlled trial. Four local government areas (LGAs) were randomly assigned into a cellphone reminder/recall intervention group or a usual care control group. Within each LGA, PHC centers were purposively selected to participate in the study. In each PHC center, mothers and their infants aged 0-3 months were enrolled into the two groups during the infants' first immunization visit. Mothers (or other contact persons) in the intervention group received cellphone calls reminding them to take their child for scheduled immunizations. Follow-up of all the children lasted till the final scheduled immunization visit for each child. The intervention lasted for 13 months. A total of 595 mothers/infants pairs (295 in the intervention group and 300 in the control group) participated in the study. Almost all mothers (n = 590, 99.2%) had access to their own cellphone or had access to a cellphone belonging to a significant other. Ninety-eight percent (n = 584) of all mothers were willing to receive immunization reminder/recall phone calls. Eighty-seven percent (n = 2023) of all calls (n = 2324) for the reminder/recall intervention went through to the recipients and of these calls, 1948 (96.3%) were received. The mean cost of each call in US Dollars was about 5 cents. Immunization compliance rate (the receipt of required number of doses of routine vaccines at the appropriate age at recommended interval) was 79.2% among the children in intervention group and 46.4% in the control group (p < 0.001). Results demonstrate that cellphone reminder/recall interventions to improve routine childhood immunization are feasible in PHC settings in limited-resource settings with wide cellphone coverage, such as urban areas in Nigeria. Further research to test the potential for scale up in a variety of settings is recommended. PACTR201702002043415 ; Date of registration: 17 February 2017. (Retrospectively registered).

  6. The National Sports Safety in Secondary Schools Benchmark (N4SB) Study: Defining Athletic Training Practice Characteristics

    PubMed Central

    McLeod, Tamara C. Valovich; Bliven, Kellie C. Huxel; Lam, Kenneth C.; Bay, R. Curtis; Valier, Alison R. Snyder; Parsons, John T.

    2013-01-01

    Context: Increased rates of sport participation and sport-related injury have led to greater emphasis on and attention to medical care of student-athletes in the secondary school setting. Access to athletic training services is seen as a critical factor for delivering adequate injury prevention and medical care to student-athletes. However, few data are available regarding practice characteristics of athletic trainers (ATs) in this setting. Objective: To characterize the practices of secondary school athletic trainers (ATs). Design:  Descriptive study. Setting: Web-based survey. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 17 558 ATs with current National Athletic Trainers' Association membership were identified for survey distribution. Of these, 4232 ATs indicated that they practiced in the secondary school setting, and 4045 completed some part of the survey. Main Outcome Measure(s):  A Web-based survey was used to obtain demographic information about ATs and their secondary schools and characteristics of athletic training practice. Descriptive data regarding the athletic trainer's personal characteristics, secondary school characteristics, and practice patterns are reported as percentages and frequencies. Results: Most respondents were in the early stages of their careers and relatively new to the secondary school practice setting. Nearly two-thirds (62.4%; n = 2522) of respondents had 10 or fewer years of experience as secondary school ATs, 52% (n = 2132) had been certified for 10 or fewer years, and 53.4% (n = 2164) had 10 or fewer years of experience in any practice setting. The majority of respondents (85%) worked in public schools with enrollment of 1000 to 1999 (35.5%) and with football (95.5%). More than half of respondents were employed directly by their school. Most respondents (50.6%) reported an athletic training budget of less than $4000. The majority of ATs performed evaluations (87.5%) on-site all of the time, with a smaller percentage providing treatments (73.3%) or rehabilitation (47.4%) services all of the time. Conclusions: This is the first study to describe secondary school athletic training that reflects national practice trends. To improve the quality of athletic training care and to support and improve current working conditions, the profession must examine how its members practice on a day-to-day basis. PMID:23768120

  7. MPEG-7-based description infrastructure for an audiovisual content analysis and retrieval system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bailer, Werner; Schallauer, Peter; Hausenblas, Michael; Thallinger, Georg

    2005-01-01

    We present a case study of establishing a description infrastructure for an audiovisual content-analysis and retrieval system. The description infrastructure consists of an internal metadata model and access tool for using it. Based on an analysis of requirements, we have selected, out of a set of candidates, MPEG-7 as the basis of our metadata model. The openness and generality of MPEG-7 allow using it in broad range of applications, but increase complexity and hinder interoperability. Profiling has been proposed as a solution, with the focus on selecting and constraining description tools. Semantic constraints are currently only described in textual form. Conformance in terms of semantics can thus not be evaluated automatically and mappings between different profiles can only be defined manually. As a solution, we propose an approach to formalize the semantic constraints of an MPEG-7 profile using a formal vocabulary expressed in OWL, which allows automated processing of semantic constraints. We have defined the Detailed Audiovisual Profile as the profile to be used in our metadata model and we show how some of the semantic constraints of this profile can be formulated using ontologies. To work practically with the metadata model, we have implemented a MPEG-7 library and a client/server document access infrastructure.

  8. Yadage and Packtivity - analysis preservation using parametrized workflows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cranmer, Kyle; Heinrich, Lukas

    2017-10-01

    Preserving data analyses produced by the collaborations at LHC in a parametrized fashion is crucial in order to maintain reproducibility and re-usability. We argue for a declarative description in terms of individual processing steps - “packtivities” - linked through a dynamic directed acyclic graph (DAG) and present an initial set of JSON schemas for such a description and an implementation - “yadage” - capable of executing workflows of analysis preserved via Linux containers.

  9. C-statistic fitting routines: User's manual and reference guide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nousek, John A.; Farwana, Vida

    1991-01-01

    The computer program is discussed which can read several input files and provide a best set of values for the functions provided by the user, using either C-statistic or the chi(exp 2) statistic method. The program consists of one main routine and several functions and subroutines. Detail descriptions of each function and subroutine is presented. A brief description of the C-statistic and the reason for its application is also presented.

  10. Cost Estimation of Post Production Software Support in Ground Combat Systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-09-01

    request, year of the request, EINOMEN (a word description of the system), and a PRON (a unique identifier containing the year and weapons system...variance. The fiscal year of request, descriptive name (coded as EINOMEN), unique program identifier ( PRON ), amount funded, and total amount requested...entire data set loses this sophistication. Most of the unique PRONs in the database map to a specific ground combat system, as described in the

  11. 15 CFR 950.3 - National Climatic Center (NCC).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ...; develops analytical and descriptive products to meet user requirements; and provides facilities for the... Meteorological Experiment meteorological data, Global Atmospheric Research Program basic data set, solar...

  12. 15 CFR 950.3 - National Climatic Center (NCC).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ...; develops analytical and descriptive products to meet user requirements; and provides facilities for the... Meteorological Experiment meteorological data, Global Atmospheric Research Program basic data set, solar...

  13. 15 CFR 950.3 - National Climatic Center (NCC).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...; develops analytical and descriptive products to meet user requirements; and provides facilities for the... Meteorological Experiment meteorological data, Global Atmospheric Research Program basic data set, solar...

  14. 15 CFR 950.3 - National Climatic Center (NCC).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ...; develops analytical and descriptive products to meet user requirements; and provides facilities for the... Meteorological Experiment meteorological data, Global Atmospheric Research Program basic data set, solar...

  15. 15 CFR 950.3 - National Climatic Center (NCC).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...; develops analytical and descriptive products to meet user requirements; and provides facilities for the... Meteorological Experiment meteorological data, Global Atmospheric Research Program basic data set, solar...

  16. Seeing Students Squirm: Nursing Students' Experiences of Bullying Behaviors During Clinical Rotations.

    PubMed

    Smith, Carolyn R; Gillespie, Gordon Lee; Brown, Kathryn C; Grubb, Paula L

    2016-09-01

    Bullying remains a troubling problem in the nursing profession. Nursing students may encounter bullying behavior in clinical settings. However, they may not be adequately prepared to recognize and handle bullying behavior when it occurs. This study's purpose was to gain a greater understanding of nursing students' experiences of bullying behaviors in the clinical setting. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, eight focus groups were held with 56 undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students from four college campuses. Focus group data were coded and analyzed for themes. Four categories were identified: Bullying Behaviors, Rationale for Bullying, Response to Bullying, and Recommendations to Address Bullying. Each category and its corresponding themes are presented. Interventions for nurse educators to address the bullying of nursing students in clinical settings are presented. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(9):505-513.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

  17. Seeing Students Squirm: Nursing Students’ Experiences of Bullying Behaviors During Clinical Rotations

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Carolyn R.; Gillespie, Gordon Lee; Brown, Kathryn C.; Grubb, Paula L.

    2016-01-01

    Background Bullying remains a troubling problem in the nursing profession. Nursing students may encounter bullying behavior in clinical settings. However nursing students may not be adequately prepared to recognize and handle bullying behavior when it occurs. The purpose of this study was to gain greater understanding of nursing students’ experiences of bullying behaviors in the clinical setting. Method Using a descriptive qualitative approach, eight focus groups were held with 56 undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students from four college campuses. Focus group data were coded and analyzed for themes. Results Four categories of themes were identified: bullying behaviors, rationale for bullying, response to bullying, and recommendations to address bullying. Each category and its corresponding themes are presented. Conclusion Interventions for nurse educators to address bullying of nursing students in clinical settings are presented. PMID:27560118

  18. PERSONNEL NEUTRON DOSIMETER

    DOEpatents

    Fitzgerald, J.J.; Detwiler, C.G. Jr.

    1960-05-24

    A description is given of a personnel neutron dosimeter capable of indicating the complete spectrum of the neutron dose received as well as the dose for each neutron energy range therein. The device consists of three sets of indium foils supported in an aluminum case. The first set consists of three foils of indium, the second set consists of a similar set of indium foils sandwiched between layers of cadmium, whereas the third set is similar to the second set but is sandwiched between layers of polyethylene. By analysis of all the foils the neutron spectrum and the total dose from neutrons of all energy levels can be ascertained.

  19. Local descriptive norms for overweight/obesity and physical inactivity, features of the built environment, and 10-year change in glycosylated haemoglobin in an Australian population-based biomedical cohort.

    PubMed

    Carroll, Suzanne J; Paquet, Catherine; Howard, Natasha J; Coffee, Neil T; Taylor, Anne W; Niyonsenga, Theo; Daniel, Mark

    2016-10-01

    Descriptive norms vary between places. Spatial variation in health-related descriptive norms may predict individual-level health outcomes. Such relationships have rarely been investigated. This study assessed 10-year change in glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in relation to local descriptive norms for overweight/obesity (n = 1890) and physical inactivity (n = 1906) in models accounting for features of the built environment. HbA1c was measured three times over 10 years for a population-based biomedical cohort of adults in Adelaide, South Australia. Environmental exposures were expressed for cohort participants using 1600 m road-network buffers centred on participants' residential address. Local descriptive norms (prevalence of overweight/obesity [body mass index ≥25 kg/m(2)] and of physical inactivity [<150 min/week]) were aggregated from responses to a separate geocoded population survey. Built environment measures were public open space (POS) availability (proportion of buffer area) and walkability. Separate sets of multilevel models analysed different predictors of 10-year change in HbA1c. Each model featured one local descriptive norm and one built environment variable with area-level education and individual-level covariates (age, sex, employment status, education, marital status, and smoking status). Interactions between local descriptive norms and built environment measures were assessed. HbA1c increased over time. POS availability and local descriptive norms for overweight/obesity and physical inactivity were each associated with greater rates of HbA1c increase. Greater walkability was associated with a reduced rate of HbA1c increase, and reduced the influence of the overweight/obesity norm on the rate of increase in HbA1c. Local descriptive health-related norms and features of the built environment predict 10-year change in HbA1c. The impact of local descriptive norms can vary according to built environment features. Little researched thus far, local descriptive norms may play an important role in the evolution of HbA1c and thus cardiometabolic risk, over time. Further empirical research on local descriptive norms is necessary to understand how residential environments shape chronic disease risk. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Southern Woods-Burners: A Descriptive Analysis

    Treesearch

    M.L. Doolittle; M.L. Lightsey

    1979-01-01

    About 40 percent of the South's nearly 60,000 wildfires yearly are set by woods-burners. A survey of 14 problem areas in four southern States found three distinct sets of woods-burners. Most active woods-burners are young, white males whose activities are supported by their peers. An older but less active group have probably retired from active participation but...

  1. Orders on Intervals Over Partially Ordered Sets: Extending Allen's Algebra and Interval Graph Results

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

    Zapata, Francisco; Kreinovich, Vladik; Joslyn, Cliff A.

    2013-08-01

    To make a decision, we need to compare the values of quantities. In many practical situations, we know the values with interval uncertainty. In such situations, we need to compare intervals. Allen’s algebra describes all possible relations between intervals on the real line, and ordering relations between such intervals are well studied. In this paper, we extend this description to intervals in an arbitrary partially ordered set (poset). In particular, we explicitly describe ordering relations between intervals that generalize relation between points. As auxiliary results, we provide a logical interpretation of the relation between intervals, and extend the results aboutmore » interval graphs to intervals over posets.« less

  2. System theory on group manifolds and coset spaces.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brockett, R. W.

    1972-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to study questions regarding controllability, observability, and realization theory for a particular class of systems for which the state space is a differentiable manifold which is simultaneously a group or, more generally, a coset space. We show that it is possible to give rather explicit expressions for the reachable set and the set of indistinguishable states in the case of autonomous systems. We also establish a type of state space isomorphism theorem. Our objective is to reduce all questions about the system to questions about Lie algebras generated from the coefficient matrices entering in the description of the system and in that way arrive at conditions which are easily visualized and tested.

  3. NASA participation in the 1980 PEPE/NEROS project: Data archive

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brewer, D. A.; Remsberg, E. E.; Loar, G. R.; Bendura, R. J.

    1982-01-01

    Eight experimental air quality measurement systems were investigated during July and August 1980 as part of the EPA PEPE/NEROS fiel measurement program. Data from those efforts have been entered into an archive that may be accessed by other researchers. The data sets consists of airborne measurements of regional mixed layer heights and aerosol and ozone distributions as well as point measurements of meteorological parameters and ozone obtained during diurnal transitions in the planetary boundary layer. This report gives a discussion of each measurement system, a preliminary assessment of data quality, a description of the archive format for each data set, and a summary of several proposed scientific studies which will utilize these data.

  4. Burns in low- and middle-income countries: a review of available literature on descriptive epidemiology, risk factors, treatment, and prevention.

    PubMed

    Forjuoh, S N

    2006-08-01

    Burn prevention requires adequate knowledge of the epidemiological characteristics and associated risk factors. While much has been accomplished in the areas of primary and secondary prevention of fires and burns in many developed or high-income countries (HICs), such as the United States, due to sustained research on the descriptive epidemiology and risk factors, the same cannot be said of developing or low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To move from data to action and assist preventive efforts in LMICs, a review of the available literature was conducted to assess the current status of burn preventive efforts. A MEDLINE search (1974-2003) was conducted on empirical studies published in English on the descriptive epidemiology, risk factors, treatment, and prevention of burns in LMICs. Review of the 117 identified studies revealed basically the same descriptive epidemiological characteristics but slightly different risk factors of burns including the presence of pre-existing impairments in children, lapses in child supervision, storage of flammable substances in the home, low maternal education, and overcrowding as well as several treatment modalities and preventive efforts including immediate application of cool water to a burned area. Continuous evaluation of promising interventions and those with unknown efficacy that have been attempted in LMICs, along with testing interventions that have proven effective in HICs in these LIMC settings, is needed to spearhead the move from data to action in preventing burns in LMICs.

  5. [Evidence based practice of nurses working in university hospitals in the French speaking part of Switzerland: a descriptive and correlational study

    PubMed

    Gentizon, Jenny; Borrero, Patricia; Vincent-Suter, Sonja; Ballabeni, Pierluigi; Morin, Diane; Eicher, Manuela

    2016-12-01

    Introduction : evidence-based practice (EBP) is too scarcely applied in nursing and is a key contemporary challenge for the discipline. Method and objective : This descriptive and correlational study invited 221 nurses working in three different clinical settings of university hospitals in Switzerland. The objective of this study was to describe their level of knowledge, beliefs and implementation of EBP. Results : of the 221 nurses in this study, only 67 were familiar EBP (30%). These demonstrate favorable beliefs and attitudes towards EBP, but indicate a lack of skills and knowledge to implement it. Compared to both internal medicine and geriatric nurses clinical nurse specialists (ISC) were significantly more familiar with EBP and its implementation. Results also indicate that positive nurses’ beliefs and attitudes toward EBP are predictive of better implementation in clinical practice. Discussion and Conclusion : as demonstrated in other studies, our results show that knowledge about EBP is not that widespread and its implementation remains a challenge even in university hospitals. Future work could include testing EBP implementation strategies to overcome the barriers identified.

  6. Initial conditions for cosmological N-body simulations of the scalar sector of theories of Newtonian, Relativistic and Modified Gravity

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

    Valkenburg, Wessel; Hu, Bin, E-mail: valkenburg@lorentz.leidenuniv.nl, E-mail: hu@lorentz.leidenuniv.nl

    2015-09-01

    We present a description for setting initial particle displacements and field values for simulations of arbitrary metric theories of gravity, for perfect and imperfect fluids with arbitrary characteristics. We extend the Zel'dovich Approximation to nontrivial theories of gravity, and show how scale dependence implies curved particle paths, even in the entirely linear regime of perturbations. For a viable choice of Effective Field Theory of Modified Gravity, initial conditions set at high redshifts are affected at the level of up to 5% at Mpc scales, which exemplifies the importance of going beyond Λ-Cold Dark Matter initial conditions for modifications of gravitymore » outside of the quasi-static approximation. In addition, we show initial conditions for a simulation where a scalar modification of gravity is modelled in a Lagrangian particle-like description. Our description paves the way for simulations and mock galaxy catalogs under theories of gravity beyond the standard model, crucial for progress towards precision tests of gravity and cosmology.« less

  7. European Population Genetic Substructure: Further Definition of Ancestry Informative Markers for Distinguishing Among Diverse European Ethnic Groups

    PubMed Central

    Tian, Chao; Kosoy, Roman; Nassir, Rami; Lee, Annette; Villoslada, Pablo; Klareskog, Lars; Hammarström, Lennart; Garchon, Henri-Jean; Pulver, Ann E.; Ransom, Michael; Gregersen, Peter K.; Seldin, Michael F.

    2009-01-01

    The definition of European population genetic substructure and its application to understanding complex phenotypes is becoming increasingly important. In the current study using over 4000 subjects genotyped for 300 thousand SNPs we provide further insight into relationships among European population groups and identify sets of SNP ancestry informative markers (AIMs) for application in genetic studies. In general, the graphical description of these principal components analyses (PCA) of diverse European subjects showed a strong correspondence to the geographical relationships of specific countries or regions of origin. Clearer separation of different ethnic and regional populations was observed when northern and southern European groups were considered separately and the PCA results were influenced by the inclusion or exclusion of different self-identified population groups including Ashkenazi Jewish, Sardinian and Orcadian ethnic groups. SNP AIM sets were identified that could distinguish the regional and ethnic population groups. Moreover, the studies demonstrated that most allele frequency differences between different European groups could be effectively controlled in analyses using these AIM sets. The European substructure AIMs should be widely applicable to ongoing studies to confirm and delineate specific disease susceptibility candidate regions without the necessity to perform additional genome-wide SNP studies in additional subject sets. PMID:19707526

  8. European population genetic substructure: further definition of ancestry informative markers for distinguishing among diverse European ethnic groups.

    PubMed

    Tian, Chao; Kosoy, Roman; Nassir, Rami; Lee, Annette; Villoslada, Pablo; Klareskog, Lars; Hammarström, Lennart; Garchon, Henri-Jean; Pulver, Ann E; Ransom, Michael; Gregersen, Peter K; Seldin, Michael F

    2009-01-01

    The definition of European population genetic substructure and its application to understanding complex phenotypes is becoming increasingly important. In the current study using over 4,000 subjects genotyped for 300,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we provide further insight into relationships among European population groups and identify sets of SNP ancestry informative markers (AIMs) for application in genetic studies. In general, the graphical description of these principal components analyses (PCA) of diverse European subjects showed a strong correspondence to the geographical relationships of specific countries or regions of origin. Clearer separation of different ethnic and regional populations was observed when northern and southern European groups were considered separately and the PCA results were influenced by the inclusion or exclusion of different self-identified population groups including Ashkenazi Jewish, Sardinian, and Orcadian ethnic groups. SNP AIM sets were identified that could distinguish the regional and ethnic population groups. Moreover, the studies demonstrated that most allele frequency differences between different European groups could be controlled effectively in analyses using these AIM sets. The European substructure AIMs should be widely applicable to ongoing studies to confirm and delineate specific disease susceptibility candidate regions without the necessity of performing additional genome-wide SNP studies in additional subject sets.

  9. Document Set Differentiability Analyzer v. 0.1

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

    Osborn, Thor D.

    Software is a JMP Scripting Language (JSL) script designed to evaluate the differentiability of a set of documents that exhibit some conceptual commonalities but are expected to describe substantially different – thus differentiable – categories. The script imports the document set, a subset of which may be partitioned into an additions pool. The bulk of the documents form a basis pool. Text analysis is applied to the basis pool to extract a mathematical representation of its conceptual content, referred to as the document concept space. A bootstrapping approach is applied to that mathematical representation in order to generate a representationmore » of a large population of randomly designed documents that could be written within the concept space, notably without actually writing the text of those documents.The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test is applied to determine whether the basis pool document set exhibits superior differentiation relative to the randomly designed virtual documents produced by bootstrapping. If an additions pool exists, the documents are incrementally added to the basis pool, choosing the best differentiated remaining document at each step. In this manner the impact of additional categories to overall document set differentiability may be assessed.The software was developed to assess the differentiability of job description document sets. Differentiability is key to meaningful categorization. Poor job differentiation may have economic, ethical, and/or legal implications for an organization. Job categories are used in the assignment of market-based salaries; consequently, poor differentiation of job duties may set the stage for legal challenges if very similar jobs pay differently depending on title, a circumstance that also invites economic waste.The software can be applied to ensure job description set differentiability, reducing legal, economic, and ethical risks to an organization and its people. The extraction of the conceptual space to a mathematical representation enables identification of exceedingly similar documents. In the event of redundancy, two jobs may be collapsed into one. If in the judgment of the subject matter experts the jobs are truly different, the conceptual similarities are highlighted, inviting inclusion of appropriate descriptive content to explicitly characterize those differences. When additional job categories may be needed as the organization changes, the software enables evaluation of proposed additions to ensure that the resulting document set remains adequately differentiated.« less

  10. A depth-first search algorithm to compute elementary flux modes by linear programming

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background The decomposition of complex metabolic networks into elementary flux modes (EFMs) provides a useful framework for exploring reaction interactions systematically. Generating a complete set of EFMs for large-scale models, however, is near impossible. Even for moderately-sized models (<400 reactions), existing approaches based on the Double Description method must iterate through a large number of combinatorial candidates, thus imposing an immense processor and memory demand. Results Based on an alternative elementarity test, we developed a depth-first search algorithm using linear programming (LP) to enumerate EFMs in an exhaustive fashion. Constraints can be introduced to directly generate a subset of EFMs satisfying the set of constraints. The depth-first search algorithm has a constant memory overhead. Using flux constraints, a large LP problem can be massively divided and parallelized into independent sub-jobs for deployment into computing clusters. Since the sub-jobs do not overlap, the approach scales to utilize all available computing nodes with minimal coordination overhead or memory limitations. Conclusions The speed of the algorithm was comparable to efmtool, a mainstream Double Description method, when enumerating all EFMs; the attrition power gained from performing flux feasibility tests offsets the increased computational demand of running an LP solver. Unlike the Double Description method, the algorithm enables accelerated enumeration of all EFMs satisfying a set of constraints. PMID:25074068

  11. Multifractal spectrum and lacunarity as measures of complexity of osseointegration.

    PubMed

    de Souza Santos, Daniel; Dos Santos, Leonardo Cavalcanti Bezerra; de Albuquerque Tavares Carvalho, Alessandra; Leão, Jair Carneiro; Delrieux, Claudio; Stosic, Tatijana; Stosic, Borko

    2016-07-01

    The goal of this study is to contribute to a better quantitative description of the early stages of osseointegration, by application of fractal, multifractal, and lacunarity analysis. Fractal, multifractal, and lacunarity analysis are performed on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of titanium implants that were first subjected to different treatment combinations of i) sand blasting, ii) acid etching, and iii) exposition to calcium phosphate, and were then submersed in a simulated body fluid (SBF) for 30 days. All the three numerical techniques are applied to the implant SEM images before and after SBF immersion, in order to provide a comprehensive set of common quantitative descriptors. It is found that implants subjected to different physicochemical treatments before submersion in SBF exhibit a rather similar level of complexity, while the great variety of crystal forms after SBF submersion reveals rather different quantitative measures (reflecting complexity), for different treatments. In particular, it is found that acid treatment, in most combinations with the other considered treatments, leads to a higher fractal dimension (more uniform distribution of crystals), lower lacunarity (lesser variation in gap sizes), and narrowing of the multifractal spectrum (smaller fluctuations on different scales). The current quantitative description has shown the capacity to capture the main features of complex images of implant surfaces, for several different treatments. Such quantitative description should provide a fundamental tool for future large scale systematic studies, considering the large variety of possible implant treatments and their combinations. Quantitative description of early stages of osseointegration on titanium implants with different treatments should help develop a better understanding of this phenomenon, in general, and provide basis for further systematic experimental studies. Clinical practice should benefit from such studies in the long term, by more ready access to implants of higher quality.

  12. Role of Interfacial Water Molecules in Proline-rich Ligand Recognition by the Src Homology 3 Domain of Abl*

    PubMed Central

    Palencia, Andres; Camara-Artigas, Ana; Pisabarro, M. Teresa; Martinez, Jose C.; Luque, Irene

    2010-01-01

    The interaction of Abl-Src homology 3 domain (SH3) with the high affinity peptide p41 is the most notable example of the inconsistency existing between the currently accepted description of SH3 complexes and their binding thermodynamic signature. We had previously hypothesized that the presence of interfacial water molecules is partially responsible for this thermodynamic behavior. We present here a thermodynamic, structural, and molecular dynamics simulation study of the interaction of p41 with Abl-SH3 and a set of mutants designed to alter the water-mediated interaction network. Our results provide a detailed description of the dynamic properties of the interfacial water molecules and a molecular interpretation of the thermodynamic effects elicited by the mutations in terms of the modulation of the water-mediated hydrogen bond network. In the light of these results, a new dual binding mechanism is proposed that provides a better description of proline-rich ligand recognition by Abl-SH3 and that has important implications for rational design. PMID:19906645

  13. Operation and model description of a sequencing batch reactor treating reject water for biological nitrogen removal via nitrite.

    PubMed

    Dosta, J; Galí, A; Benabdallah El-Hadj, T; Macé, S; Mata-Alvarez, J

    2007-08-01

    The aim of this study was the operation and model description of a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) for biological nitrogen removal (BNR) from a reject water (800-900 mg NH(4)(+)-NL(-1)) from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The SBR was operated with three cycles per day, temperature 30 degrees C, SRT 11 days and HRT 1 day. During the operational cycle, three alternating oxic/anoxic periods were performed to avoid alkalinity restrictions. Oxygen supply and working pH range were controlled to achieve the BNR via nitrite, which makes the process more economical. Under steady state conditions, a total nitrogen removal of 0.87 kg N (m(3)day)(-1) was reached. A four-step nitrogen removal model was developed to describe the process. This model enlarges the IWA activated sludge models for a more detailed description of the nitrogen elimination processes and their inhibitions. A closed intermittent-flow respirometer was set up for the estimation of the most relevant model parameters. Once calibrated, model predictions reproduced experimental data accurately.

  14. Role of interfacial water molecules in proline-rich ligand recognition by the Src homology 3 domain of Abl.

    PubMed

    Palencia, Andres; Camara-Artigas, Ana; Pisabarro, M Teresa; Martinez, Jose C; Luque, Irene

    2010-01-22

    The interaction of Abl-Src homology 3 domain (SH3) with the high affinity peptide p41 is the most notable example of the inconsistency existing between the currently accepted description of SH3 complexes and their binding thermodynamic signature. We had previously hypothesized that the presence of interfacial water molecules is partially responsible for this thermodynamic behavior. We present here a thermodynamic, structural, and molecular dynamics simulation study of the interaction of p41 with Abl-SH3 and a set of mutants designed to alter the water-mediated interaction network. Our results provide a detailed description of the dynamic properties of the interfacial water molecules and a molecular interpretation of the thermodynamic effects elicited by the mutations in terms of the modulation of the water-mediated hydrogen bond network. In the light of these results, a new dual binding mechanism is proposed that provides a better description of proline-rich ligand recognition by Abl-SH3 and that has important implications for rational design.

  15. Aerial radiometric and magnetic survey: Aztec National Topographic Map, New Mexico

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

    Not Available

    1979-01-01

    The results of analyses of the airborne gamma radiation and total magnetic field survey flown for the region identified as the Aztec National Topographic Map NJ13-10 are presented. The airborne data gathered are reduced by ground computer facilities to yield profile plots of the basic uranium, thorium and potassium equivalent gamma radiation intensities, ratios of these intensities, aircraft altitude above the earth's surface, total gamma ray and earth's magnetic field intensity, correlated as a function of geologic units. The distribution of data within each geologic unit, for all surveyed map lines and tie lines, has been calculated and is included.more » Two sets of profiled data for each line are included, with one set displaying the above-cited data. The second set includes only flight line magnetic field, temperature, pressure, altitude data plus magnetic field data as measured at a base station. A general description of the area, including descriptions of the various geologic units and the corresponding airborne data, is included also.« less

  16. Aerial radiometric and magnetic survey: Lander National Topographic Map, Wyoming

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

    Not Available

    1979-01-01

    The results of analyses of the airborne gamma radiation and total magnetic field survey flown for the region identified as the Lander National Topographic Map NK12-6 are presented. The airborne data gathered are reduced by ground computer facilities to yield profile plots of the basic uranium, thorium and potassium equivalent gamma radiation intensities, ratios of these intensities, aircraft altitude above the earth's surface, total gamma ray and earth's magnetic field intensity, correlated as a function of geologic units. The distribution of data within each geologic unit, for all surveyed map lines and tie lines, has been calculated and is included.more » Two sets of profiled data for each line are included, with one set displaying the above-cited data. The second set includes only flight line magnetic field, temperature, pressure, altitude data plus magnetic field data as measured at a base station. A general description of the area, including descriptions of the various geologic units and the corresponding airborne data, is included also.« less

  17. Documentation for Three Wake Vortex Model Data Sets from Simulation of Flight 587 Wake Vortex Encounter Accident Case

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Switzer, George F.

    2008-01-01

    This document contains a general description for data sets of a wake vortex system in a turbulent environment. The turbulence and thermal stratification of the environment are representative of the conditions on November 12, 2001 near John F. Kennedy International Airport. The simulation assumes no ambient winds. The full three dimensional simulation of the wake vortex system from a Boeing 747 predicts vortex circulation levels at 80% of their initial value at the time of the proposed vortex encounter. The linked vortex oval orientation showed no twisting, and the oval elevations at the widest point were about 20 meters higher than where the vortex pair joined. Fred Proctor of NASA?s Langley Research Center presented the results from this work at the NTSB public hearing that started 29 October 2002. This document contains a description of each data set including: variables, coordinate system, data format, and sample plots. Also included are instructions on how to read the data.

  18. A wavelet-based approach for a continuous analysis of phonovibrograms.

    PubMed

    Unger, Jakob; Meyer, Tobias; Doellinger, Michael; Hecker, Dietmar J; Schick, Bernhard; Lohscheller, Joerg

    2012-01-01

    Recently, endoscopic high-speed laryngoscopy has been established for commercial use and constitutes a state-of-the-art technique to examine vocal fold dynamics. Despite overcoming many limitations of commonly applied stroboscopy it has not gained widespread clinical application, yet. A major drawback is a missing methodology of extracting valuable features to support visual assessment or computer-aided diagnosis. In this paper a compact and descriptive feature set is presented. The feature extraction routines are based on two-dimensional color graphs called phonovibrograms (PVG). These graphs contain the full spatio-temporal pattern of vocal fold dynamics and are therefore suited to derive features that comprehensively describe the vibration pattern of vocal folds. Within our approach, clinically relevant features such as glottal closure type, symmetry and periodicity are quantified in a set of 10 descriptive features. The suitability for classification tasks is shown using a clinical data set comprising 50 healthy and 50 paralytic subjects. A classification accuracy of 93.2% has been achieved.

  19. Describing Nanomaterials: A Uniform Description System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rumble, John; Freiman, Steve; Teague, Clayton

    2014-03-01

    Products involving nanomaterials are growing rapidly and nanoparticles also occur naturally. Materials, scientists, engineers, health officials, and regulators have realized they need a common description system. Led by CODATA and VAMAS, a Uniform Description System (UDS) for nanomaterials is being developed to meet the requirements of a broad range of scientific and technical disciplines and different user communities. The goal of the CODATA/VAMAS effort is the creation of a complete set of descriptors that can be used by all communities, e.g., materials, physics, chemistry, agricultural, medical, etc., interested in nanomaterials. The description system must be relevant to researchers, manufacturers of nanomaterials, materials selectors, and regulators. The purpose of the UDS for materials on the nanoscale is twofold: Uniqueness and Equivalency. The first step in the development of the UDS has been the creation of a Framework that will be used by the different communities to guide in the selection of descriptors relevant to their needs. This talk is a brief description of the draft of such a Framework, and how the framework will be translated into a robust description system with input from many scientific communities including physics. A contribution from the CODATA/VAMAS Working Group on the Description of Nanomaterials.

  20. Evaluating lineup fairness: Variations across methods and measures.

    PubMed

    Mansour, Jamal K; Beaudry, Jennifer L; Kalmet, Natalie; Bertrand, Michelle I; Lindsay, R C L

    2017-02-01

    Triers of fact sometimes consider lineup fairness when determining the suggestiveness of an identification procedure. Likewise, researchers often consider lineup fairness when comparing results across studies. Despite their importance, lineup fairness measures have received scant empirical attention and researchers inconsistently conduct and report mock-witness tasks and lineup fairness measures. We conducted a large-scale, online experiment (N = 1,010) to examine how lineup fairness measures varied with mock-witness task methodologies as well as to explore the validity and reliability of the measures. In comparison to descriptions compiled from multiple witnesses, when individual descriptions were presented in the mock-witness task, lineup fairness measures indicated a higher number of plausible lineup members but more bias toward the suspect. Target-absent lineups were consistently estimated to be fairer than target-present lineups-which is problematic because it suggests that lineups containing innocent suspects are less likely to be challenged in court than lineups containing guilty suspects. Correlations within lineup size measures and within some lineup bias measures indicated convergent validity and the correlations across the lineup size and lineup bias measures demonstrated discriminant validity. The reliability of lineup fairness measures across different descriptions was low and reliability across different sets of mock witnesses was moderate to high, depending on the measure. Researchers reporting lineup fairness measures should specify the type of description presented, the amount of detail in the description, and whether the mock witnesses viewed target-present and/or -absent lineups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  1. Goal setting in paediatric rehabilitation for children with motor disabilities: a scoping review.

    PubMed

    Pritchard-Wiart, Lesley; Phelan, Shanon K

    2018-02-01

    The three objectives of this scoping review were to (1) identify key conceptual/theoretical frameworks and the extent to which they are used to inform goal setting related to rehabilitation goal setting with children with motor disabilities, (2) describe research that has evaluated goal setting processes and outcomes, and (3) summarize the purposes of goal setting described in paediatric rehabilitation literature. The scoping review process described by Arksey and O'Malley was used to guide article selection and data extraction. A total of 62 articles were included in the final review. While the concept of family-centered care was well represented, theoretical frameworks specific to goal setting (i.e. goal setting theory described by Locke and Latham, mastery motivation, social cognitive, personal construct, and self-determination theories) were rarely addressed. No articles reviewed addressed prominent behavior change theory. With the exception of the description of tools specifically designed for use with children, the role of the child in the goal setting process was generally absent or not well described. Few studies ( n = 6) discussed the linkage between goals and intervention strategies explicitly. Only two studies in the review evaluated outcomes associated with goal setting. The primary purpose for goal setting identified in the literature was to develop goals that are meaningful to families ( n = 49). The results highlight significant gaps in the literature explicating a sound theoretical basis for goal setting in paediatric rehabilitation and research evaluating the effects of goal qualities and goal setting processes on the achievement of meaningful outcomes.

  2. Token Economy: A Systematic Review of Procedural Descriptions.

    PubMed

    Ivy, Jonathan W; Meindl, James N; Overley, Eric; Robson, Kristen M

    2017-09-01

    The token economy is a well-established and widely used behavioral intervention. A token economy is comprised of six procedural components: the target response(s), a token that functions as a conditioned reinforcer, backup reinforcers, and three interconnected schedules of reinforcement. Despite decades of applied research, the extent to which the procedures of a token economy are described in complete and replicable detail has not been evaluated. Given the inherent complexity of a token economy, an analysis of the procedural descriptions may benefit future token economy research and practice. Articles published between 2000 and 2015 that included implementation of a token economy within an applied setting were identified and reviewed with a focus on evaluating the thoroughness of procedural descriptions. The results show that token economy components are regularly omitted or described in vague terms. Of the articles included in this analysis, only 19% (18 of 96 articles reviewed) included replicable and complete descriptions of all primary components. Missing or vague component descriptions could negatively affect future research or applied practice. Recommendations are provided to improve component descriptions.

  3. NASA's Global Change Master Directory: Discover and Access Earth Science Data Sets, Related Data Services, and Climate Diagnostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Aleman, Alicia; Olsen, Lola; Ritz, Scott; Morahan, Michael; Cepero, Laurel; Stevens, Tyler

    2011-01-01

    NASA's Global Change Master Directory provides the scientific community with the ability to discover, access, and use Earth science data, data-related services, and climate diagnostics worldwide. The GCMD offers descriptions of Earth science data sets using the Directory Interchange Format (DIF) metadata standard; Earth science related data services are described using the Service Entry Resource Format (SERF); and climate visualizations are described using the Climate Diagnostic (CD) standard. The DIF, SERF and CD standards each capture data attributes used to determine whether a data set, service, or climate visualization is relevant to a user's needs. Metadata fields include: title, summary, science keywords, service keywords, data center, data set citation, personnel, instrument, platform, quality, related URL, temporal and spatial coverage, data resolution and distribution information. In addition, nine valuable sets of controlled vocabularies have been developed to assist users in normalizing the search for data descriptions. An update to the GCMD's search functionality is planned to further capitalize on the controlled vocabularies during database queries. By implementing a dynamic keyword "tree", users will have the ability to search for data sets by combining keywords in new ways. This will allow users to conduct more relevant and efficient database searches to support the free exchange and re-use of Earth science data. http://gcmd.nasa.gov/

  4. Practice-based research networks, part II: a descriptive analysis of the athletic training practice-based research network in the secondary school setting.

    PubMed

    Valovich McLeod, Tamara C; Lam, Kenneth C; Bay, R Curtis; Sauers, Eric L; Snyder Valier, Alison R

    2012-01-01

    Analysis of health care service models requires the collection and evaluation of basic practice characterization data. Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) provide a framework for gathering data useful in characterizing clinical practice. To describe preliminary secondary school setting practice data from the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network (AT-PBRN). Descriptive study. Secondary school athletic training facilities within the AT-PBRN. Clinicians (n = 22) and their patients (n = 2523) from the AT-PBRN. A Web-based survey was used to obtain data on clinical practice site and clinician characteristics. Patient and practice characteristics were obtained via deidentified electronic medical record data collected between September 1, 2009, and April 1, 2011. Descriptive data regarding the clinician and CPS practice characteristics are reported as percentages and frequencies. Descriptive analysis of patient encounters and practice characteristic data was performed, with the percentages and frequencies of the type of injuries recorded at initial evaluation, type of treatment received at initial evaluation, daily treatment, and daily sign-in procedures. The AT-PBRN had secondary school sites in 7 states, and most athletic trainers at those sites (78.2%) had less than 5 years of experience. The secondary school sites within the AT-PBRN documented 2523 patients treated across 3140 encounters. Patients most frequently sought care for a current injury (61.3%), followed by preventive services (24.0%), and new injuries (14.7%). The most common diagnoses were ankle sprain/strain (17.9%), hip sprain/strain (12.5%), concussion (12.0%), and knee pain (2.5%). The most frequent procedures were athletic trainer evaluation (53.9%), hot- or cold-pack application (26.0%), strapping (10.3%), and therapeutic exercise (5.7%). The median number of treatments per injury was 3 (interquartile range = 2, 4; range = 2-19). These preliminary data describe services provided by clinicians within the AT-PBRN and demonstrate the usefulness of the PBRN model for obtaining such data.

  5. Studies of the physical, yield and failure behavior of aliphatic polyketones

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karttunen, Nicole Renee

    This thesis describes an investigation into the multiaxial yield and failure behavior of an aliphatic polyketone terpolymer. The behavior is studied as a function of: stress state, strain rate, temperature, and sample processing conditions. Results of this work include: elucidation of the behavior of a recently commercialized polymer, increased understanding of the effects listed above, insight into the effects of processing conditions on the morphology of the polyketone, and a description of yield strength of this material as a function of stress state, temperature, and strain rate. The first portion of work focuses on the behavior of a set of samples that are extruded under "common" processing conditions. Following this reference set of tests, the effect of testing this material at different temperatures is studied. A total of four different temperatures are examined. In addition, the effect of altering strain rate is examined. Testing is performed under pseudo-strain rate control at constant nominal octahedral shear strain rate for each failure envelope. A total of three different rates are studied. An extension of the first portion of work involves modeling the yield envelope. This is done by combining two approaches: continuum level and molecular level. The use of both methods allows the description of the yield envelope as a function of stress state, strain rate and temperature. The second portion of work involves the effects of processing conditions. For this work, additional samples are extruded with different shear and thermal histories than the "standard" material. One set of samples is processed with shear rates higher and lower than the standard. A second set is processed at higher and lower cooling rates than the standard. In order to understand the structural cause for changes in behavior with processing conditions, morphological characterization is performed on these samples. In particular, the effect on spherulitic structure is important. Residual stresses are also determined to be important to the behavior of the samples. Finally, an investigation into the crystalline structure of a family of aliphatic polyketones is performed. The effects of side group concentration and size are described.

  6. User's manual for two dimensional FDTD version TEA and TMA codes for scattering from frequency-independent dielectric materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beggs, John H.; Luebbers, Raymond J.; Kunz, Karl S.

    1991-01-01

    The Penn State Finite Difference Time Domain Electromagnetic Scattering Code Versions TEA and TMA are two dimensional electromagnetic scattering codes based on the Finite Difference Time Domain Technique (FDTD) first proposed by Yee in 1966. The supplied version of the codes are two versions of our current FDTD code set. This manual provides a description of the codes and corresponding results for the default scattering problem. The manual is organized into eleven sections: introduction, Version TEA and TMA code capabilities, a brief description of the default scattering geometry, a brief description of each subroutine, a description of the include files (TEACOM.FOR TMACOM.FOR), a section briefly discussing scattering width computations, a section discussing the scattering results, a sample problem setup section, a new problem checklist, references, and figure titles.

  7. Studying the HIT-Complexity Interchange.

    PubMed

    Kuziemsky, Craig E; Borycki, Elizabeth M; Kushniruk, Andre W

    2016-01-01

    The design and implementation of health information technology (HIT) is challenging, particularly when it is being introduced into complex settings. While complex adaptive system (CASs) can be a valuable means of understanding relationships between users, HIT and tasks, much of the existing work using CASs is descriptive in nature. This paper addresses that issue by integrating a model for analyzing task complexity with approaches for HIT evaluation and systems analysis. The resulting framework classifies HIT-user tasks and issues as simple, complicated or complex, and provides insight on how to study them.

  8. Characterization of B-H agostic compounds involved in the dehydrogenation of amine-boranes by group 4 metallocenes.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Jingwen; Zins, Emilie-Laure; Alikhani, Mohammad Esmaïl

    2016-12-01

    For over a decade, amine-borane has been considered as a potential chemical hydrogen vector in the context of a search for cleaner energy sources. When catalyzed by organometallic complexes, the reaction mechanisms currently considered involve the formation of β-BH agostic intermediates. A thorough understanding of these intermediates may constitute a crucial step toward the identification of ideal catalysts. Topological approaches such as QTAIM and ELF revealed to be particularly suitable for the description of β-agostic interactions. When studying model catalysts, accurate theoretical calculations may be carried out. However, for a comparison with experimental data, calculations should also be carried out on large organo-metallic species, often including transition metals belonging to the second or the third row. In such a case, DFT methods are particularly attractive. Unfortunately, triple-ζ all electrons basis sets are not easily available for heavy transition metal elements. Thus, a subtle balance should be reached between the affordable level of calculations and the required accuracy of the electronic description of the systems. Herein we propose the use of B3LYP functional in combination with the LanL2DZ pseudopotential for the metal atom and 6-311++G(2d,2p) basis set for the other atoms, followed by a single point using the DKH2 relativistic Hamiltonian in combination with the B3LYP/DZP-DKH level, as a "minimum level of theory" leading to a consistent topological description of the interaction within the ELF and QTAIM framework, in the context of isolated (gas-phase) group 4 metallocene catalysts.

  9. The CRUTEM4 land-surface air temperature data set: construction, previous versions and dissemination via Google Earth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Osborn, T. J.; Jones, P. D.

    2014-02-01

    The CRUTEM4 (Climatic Research Unit Temperature, version 4) land-surface air temperature data set is one of the most widely used records of the climate system. Here we provide an important additional dissemination route for this data set: online access to monthly, seasonal and annual data values and time series graphs via Google Earth. This is achieved via an interface written in Keyhole Markup Language (KML) and also provides access to the underlying weather station data used to construct the CRUTEM4 data set. A mathematical description of the construction of the CRUTEM4 data set (and its predecessor versions) is also provided, together with an archive of some previous versions and a recommendation for identifying the precise version of the data set used in a particular study. The CRUTEM4 data set used here is available from doi:10.5285/EECBA94F-62F9-4B7C-88D3-482F2C93C468.

  10. Systematic review on the relationship between the nursing shortage and job satisfaction, stress and burnout levels among nurses in oncology/haematology settings.

    PubMed

    Toh, Shir Gi; Ang, Emily; Devi, M Kamala

    2012-06-01

    To establish the best available evidence regarding the relationship between the nursing shortage and nurses' job satisfaction, stress and burnout levels in oncology/haematology settings. Electronic databases (CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, Proquest and Mednar) were searched using a three-step strategy in order to identify published and unpublished studies conducted between 1990 and 2010. Grey literature was excluded in the review. The identified studies were evaluated using standardised critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute-Meta Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI). A total of seven descriptive and descriptive-correlational studies published in English were included and data were presented in a narrative summary. Findings revealed a positive bidirectional relationship between the nursing shortage and oncology registered nurses' (RNs') job dissatisfaction, stress and burnout. The extent of the job dissatisfaction, stress and burnout experienced by the oncology RNs and their perception of staffing inadequacy differed according to their demography and work settings. Particularly, nurses who had higher qualifications and positions, who worked full-time and who worked in inpatient settings and non-Magnet hospitals were more likely to attribute staffing inadequacy as one of the main contributing factors for their job dissatisfaction, stress and burnout. This led to a rise in the number of oncology RNs leaving the speciality. Within the constraints of the study and the few quality papers available, it appears that oncology RNs who worked in substandard staffing units often express job dissatisfaction, stress and burnout, which prompt them to seek new employment out of the oncology specialty. This entails a pressing need for organisations to ensure sufficient staffing in oncology/haematology settings, in order to ensure that quality patient care is provided. Limited studies that examine the relationship between the nursing shortage and oncology RNs' stress and burnout have been conducted. Also, no studies in the Asian context have previously been conducted. Organizations need to customize their strategies for the recruitment and retention of oncology nurses. The strategies should take into consideration the specific demographic characteristics of oncology nurses or those of work settings that are experiencing staffing inadequacy and negative nursing outcomes. The strategies should also aim to replicate features of other institutions that are attractive to oncology nurses, and also include training that help oncology nurses better manage their emotions. Future research needs to examine the relationship between the nursing shortage and oncology nurses' job satisfaction, stress and burnout in bone marrow transplant units, paediatric oncology settings and Asian oncology settings. The characteristics of oncology nurses or workplaces that are more likely to experience negative nursing outcomes due the nursing shortage should also be identified. © 2012 The Authors. International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare © 2012 The Joanna Briggs Institute.

  11. Push hard, push fast, if you’re downtown: a citation review of urban-centrism in American and European basic life support guidelines

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) improves out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival. In settings with prolonged ambulance response times, skilled bystanders may be even more crucial. In 2010, American Heart Association (AHA) and European Resuscitation Council (ERC) introduced compression-only CPR as an alternative to conventional bystander CPR under some circumstances. The purpose of this citation review and document analysis is to determine whether the evidentiary basis for 2010 AHA and ERC guidelines attends to settings with prolonged ambulance response times or no formal ambulance dispatch services. Primary and secondary citations referring to epidemiological research comparing adult OHCA survival based on the type of bystander CPR were included in the analysis. Details extracted from the citations included a study description and primary outcome measure, the geographic location in which the study occurred, EMS response times, the role of dispatchers, and main findings and summary statistics regarding rates of survival among patients receiving no CPR, conventional CPR or compression-only CPR. The inclusion criteria were met by 10 studies. 9 studies took place exclusively in urban settings. Ambulance dispatchers played an integral role in 7 studies. The cited studies suggest either no survival benefit or harm arising from compression-only CPR in settings with extended ambulance response times. The evidentiary basis for 2010 AHA and ERC bystander CPR guidelines does not attend to settings without rapid ambulance response times or dispatch services. Standardized bystander CPR guidelines may require adaptation or reconsideration in these settings. PMID:23601200

  12. The health care and life sciences community profile for dataset descriptions

    PubMed Central

    Alexiev, Vladimir; Ansell, Peter; Bader, Gary; Baran, Joachim; Bolleman, Jerven T.; Callahan, Alison; Cruz-Toledo, José; Gaudet, Pascale; Gombocz, Erich A.; Gonzalez-Beltran, Alejandra N.; Groth, Paul; Haendel, Melissa; Ito, Maori; Jupp, Simon; Juty, Nick; Katayama, Toshiaki; Kobayashi, Norio; Krishnaswami, Kalpana; Laibe, Camille; Le Novère, Nicolas; Lin, Simon; Malone, James; Miller, Michael; Mungall, Christopher J.; Rietveld, Laurens; Wimalaratne, Sarala M.; Yamaguchi, Atsuko

    2016-01-01

    Access to consistent, high-quality metadata is critical to finding, understanding, and reusing scientific data. However, while there are many relevant vocabularies for the annotation of a dataset, none sufficiently captures all the necessary metadata. This prevents uniform indexing and querying of dataset repositories. Towards providing a practical guide for producing a high quality description of biomedical datasets, the W3C Semantic Web for Health Care and the Life Sciences Interest Group (HCLSIG) identified Resource Description Framework (RDF) vocabularies that could be used to specify common metadata elements and their value sets. The resulting guideline covers elements of description, identification, attribution, versioning, provenance, and content summarization. This guideline reuses existing vocabularies, and is intended to meet key functional requirements including indexing, discovery, exchange, query, and retrieval of datasets, thereby enabling the publication of FAIR data. The resulting metadata profile is generic and could be used by other domains with an interest in providing machine readable descriptions of versioned datasets. PMID:27602295

  13. Optimal bit allocation for hybrid scalable/multiple-description video transmission over wireless channels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jubran, Mohammad K.; Bansal, Manu; Kondi, Lisimachos P.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, we consider the problem of optimal bit allocation for wireless video transmission over fading channels. We use a newly developed hybrid scalable/multiple-description codec that combines the functionality of both scalable and multiple-description codecs. It produces a base layer and multiple-description enhancement layers. Any of the enhancement layers can be decoded (in a non-hierarchical manner) with the base layer to improve the reconstructed video quality. Two different channel coding schemes (Rate-Compatible Punctured Convolutional (RCPC)/Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) coding and, product code Reed Solomon (RS)+RCPC/CRC coding) are used for unequal error protection of the layered bitstream. Optimal allocation of the bitrate between source and channel coding is performed for discrete sets of source coding rates and channel coding rates. Experimental results are presented for a wide range of channel conditions. Also, comparisons with classical scalable coding show the effectiveness of using hybrid scalable/multiple-description coding for wireless transmission.

  14. Moving from Descriptive to Causal Analytics: Case Study of the Health Indicators Warehouse

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

    Schryver, Jack C.; Shankar, Mallikarjun; Xu, Songhua

    The KDD community has described a multitude of methods for knowledge discovery on large datasets. We consider some of these methods and integrate them into an analyst s workflow that proceeds from the data-centric descriptive level to the model-centric causal level. Examples of the workflow are shown for the Health Indicators Warehouse, which is a public database for community health information that is a potent resource for conducting data science on a medium scale. We demonstrate the potential of HIW as a source of serious visual analytics efforts by showing correlation matrix visualizations, multivariate outlier analysis, multiple linear regression ofmore » Medicare costs, and scatterplot matrices for a broad set of health indicators. We conclude by sketching the first steps toward a causal dependence hypothesis.« less

  15. Experimental and theoretical assessment of the multi-domain flow behaviour in a waste body during leachate infiltration

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

    Tinet, A-J., E-mail: tinet@ujf-grenoble.fr; Oxarango, L.; Centre for Research in Environmental, Coastal and Hydrological Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Surveying and Construction, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, Durban 4041

    2011-08-15

    The optimisation of landfill operation is a key challenge for the upcoming years. A promising solution to improve municipal solid waste (MSW) management is the bioreactor technology. A meso-scale (around 1 m{sup 3}) experimental set-up was performed to study the effect of moisture control in low density conditions with different leachate injection operations and bioreactor monitoring including the use of a neutron probe. The moisture content distribution evolution demonstrates a multi-domain flow behaviour. A classic van Genuchten-Mualem description of the connected porosity proved insufficient to correctly describe the observed phenomena. A bimodal description of the connected porosity is proposed asmore » solution and a connected/non-connected porosities numerical model was applied to the results. The model explains the experimental results reasonably well.« less

  16. Coordinated ionospheric and magnetospheric observations from the ISIS 2 satellite by the ISIS 2 experimenters. Volume 3: High-latitude charged particle, magnetic field and ionospheric plasma observations during northern summer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1980-01-01

    A list of ISIS 2 experiments and a description of the satellite are presented. Instrumentation of the satellite included an auroral scanning photometer, a red line photometer, a swept frequency sounder, an ion mass spectrometer, and triaxial fluxgate magnetometer. Data format descriptions are provided. Included with the geophysical data set is a list of all passes.

  17. Predictive minimum description length principle approach to inferring gene regulatory networks.

    PubMed

    Chaitankar, Vijender; Zhang, Chaoyang; Ghosh, Preetam; Gong, Ping; Perkins, Edward J; Deng, Youping

    2011-01-01

    Reverse engineering of gene regulatory networks using information theory models has received much attention due to its simplicity, low computational cost, and capability of inferring large networks. One of the major problems with information theory models is to determine the threshold that defines the regulatory relationships between genes. The minimum description length (MDL) principle has been implemented to overcome this problem. The description length of the MDL principle is the sum of model length and data encoding length. A user-specified fine tuning parameter is used as control mechanism between model and data encoding, but it is difficult to find the optimal parameter. In this work, we propose a new inference algorithm that incorporates mutual information (MI), conditional mutual information (CMI), and predictive minimum description length (PMDL) principle to infer gene regulatory networks from DNA microarray data. In this algorithm, the information theoretic quantities MI and CMI determine the regulatory relationships between genes and the PMDL principle method attempts to determine the best MI threshold without the need of a user-specified fine tuning parameter. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated using both synthetic time series data sets and a biological time series data set (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The results show that the proposed algorithm produced fewer false edges and significantly improved the precision when compared to existing MDL algorithm.

  18. A Digital Photographic Measurement Method for Quantifying Foot Posture: Validity, Reliability, and Descriptive Data

    PubMed Central

    Cobb, Stephen C.; James, C. Roger; Hjertstedt, Matthew; Kruk, James

    2011-01-01

    Abstract Context: Although abnormal foot posture long has been associated with lower extremity injury risk, the evidence is equivocal. Poor intertester reliability of traditional foot measures might contribute to the inconsistency. Objectives: To investigate the validity and reliability of a digital photographic measurement method (DPMM) technology, the reliability of DPMM-quantified foot measures, and the concurrent validity of the DPMM with clinical-measurement methods (CMMs) and to report descriptive data for DPMM measures with moderate to high intratester and intertester reliability. Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Setting: Biomechanics research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 159 people participated in 3 groups. Twenty-eight people (11 men, 17 women; age  =  25 ± 5 years, height  =  1.71 ± 0.10 m, mass  =  77.6 ± 17.3 kg) were recruited for investigation of intratester and intertester reliability of the DPMM technology; 20 (10 men, 10 women; age  =  24 ± 2 years, height  =  1.71 ± 0.09 m, mass  =  76 ± 16 kg) for investigation of DPMM and CMM reliability and concurrent validity; and 111 (42 men, 69 women; age  =  22.8 ± 4.7 years, height  =  168.5 ± 10.4 cm, mass  =  69.8 ± 13.3 kg) for development of a descriptive data set of the DPMM foot measurements with moderate to high intratester and intertester reliabilities. Intervention(s): The dimensions of 10 model rectangles and the 28 participants' feet were measured, and DPMM foot posture was measured in the 111 participants. Two clinicians assessed the DPMM and CMM foot measures of the 20 participants. Main Outcome Measure(s): Validity and reliability were evaluated using mean absolute and percentage errors and intraclass correlation coefficients. Descriptive data were computed from the DPMM foot posture measures. Results: The DPMM technology intratester and intertester reliability intraclass correlation coefficients were 1.0 for each tester and variable. Mean absolute errors were equal to or less than 0.2 mm for the bottom and right-side variables and 0.1° for the calculated angle variable. Mean percentage errors between the DPMM and criterion reference values were equal to or less than 0.4%. Intratester and intertester reliabilities of DPMM-computed structural measures of arch and navicular indices were moderate to high (>0.78), and concurrent validity was moderate to strong. Conclusions: The DPMM is a valid and reliable clinical and research tool for quantifying foot structure. The DPMM and the descriptive data might be used to define groups in future studies in which the relationship between foot posture and function or injury risk is investigated. PMID:21214347

  19. Quantitative description and modeling of real networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Capocci, Andrea; Caldarelli, Guido; de Los Rios, Paolo

    2003-10-01

    We present data analysis and modeling of two particular cases of study in the field of growing networks. We analyze World Wide Web data set and authorship collaboration networks in order to check the presence of correlation in the data. The results are reproduced with good agreement through a suitable modification of the standard Albert-Barabási model of network growth. In particular, intrinsic relevance of sites plays a role in determining the future degree of the vertex.

  20. Attitudinal survey component of the study Quantity, quality, and support for research in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: An organizational assessment: Report of methods and frequencies

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Neilson, Jennifer R.; Lamb, Berton Lee; Swann, Earlene M.; Ratz, Joan; Ponds, Phadrea D.; Liverca, Joyce

    2005-01-01

    The findings presented in this report represent the basic results derived from the attitude assessment survey conducted in the last quarter of 2004. The findings set forth in this report are the frequency distributions for each question in the survey instrument for all respondents. The only statistics provided are descriptive in character - namely, means and associated standard deviations.

Top