7 CFR 3430.608 - Review criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

...) Evaluation criteria. NIFA shall evaluate project proposals according to the following factors: (1) Relevancy.... (5) The adequacy of plans for the participatory evaluation process, outcome-based reporting, and the communication of findings and results beyond the immediate target audience. (6) Other appropriate factors, as...

7 CFR 3430.608 - Review criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

...) Evaluation criteria. NIFA shall evaluate project proposals according to the following factors: (1) Relevancy.... (5) The adequacy of plans for the participatory evaluation process, outcome-based reporting, and the communication of findings and results beyond the immediate target audience. (6) Other appropriate factors, as...

Evaluating and Comparing the Effects of Group Contingencies on Mathematics Accuracy in a First-Grade Classroom: Class Average Criteria versus Unknown Small-Group Average Criteria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Katelyn C.; Skinner, Christopher H.; Moore, Tara C.; McCurdy, Merilee; Ciancio, Dennis; Cihak, David F.

2017-01-01

An adapted alternating treatments design was used to evaluate and compare the effects of two group contingency interventions on mathematics assignment accuracy in an intact first-grade classroom. Both an interdependent contingency with class-average criteria (16 students) and a dependent contingency with criteria based on the average of a smaller,…

Optimal Contractor Selection in Construction Industry: The Fuzzy Way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishna Rao, M. V.; Kumar, V. S. S.; Rathish Kumar, P.

2018-02-01

A purely price-based approach to contractor selection has been identified as the root cause for many serious project delivery problems. Therefore, the capability of the contractor to execute the project should be evaluated using a multiple set of selection criteria including reputation, past performance, performance potential, financial soundness and other project specific criteria. An industry-wide questionnaire survey was conducted with the objective of identifying the important criteria for adoption in the selection process. In this work, a fuzzy set based model was developed for contractor prequalification/evaluation, by using effective criteria obtained from the percept of construction professionals, taking subjective judgments of decision makers also into consideration. A case study consisting of four alternatives (contractors in the present case) solicited from a public works department of Pondicherry in India, is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The final selection of contractor is made based on the integrated score or Overall Evaluation Score of the decision alternative in prequalification as well as bid evaluation stages.

An integrated approach of AHP and DEMATEL methods in evaluating the criteria of auto spare parts industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Hsin-Hung; Tsai, Ya-Ning

2012-11-01

This study uses both analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) methods to evaluate the criteria in auto spare parts industry in Taiwan. Traditionally, AHP does not consider indirect effects for each criterion and assumes that criteria are independent without further addressing the interdependence between or among the criteria. Thus, the importance computed by AHP can be viewed as short-term improvement opportunity. On the contrary, DEMATEL method not only evaluates the importance of criteria but also depicts the causal relations of criteria. By observing the causal diagrams, the improvement based on cause-oriented criteria might improve the performance effectively and efficiently for the long-term perspective. As a result, the major advantage of integrating AHP and DEMATEL methods is that the decision maker can continuously improve suppliers' performance from both short-term and long-term viewpoints.

A Multi Criteria Group Decision-Making Model for Teacher Evaluation in Higher Education Based on Cloud Model and Decision Tree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Ting-Cheng; Wang, Hui

2016-01-01

This paper proposes a cloud multi-criteria group decision-making model for teacher evaluation in higher education which is involving subjectivity, imprecision and fuzziness. First, selecting the appropriate evaluation index depending on the evaluation objectives, indicating a clear structural relationship between the evaluation index and…

Validity of Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA) at Trial in Free-Narrative Interviews

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roma, Paolo; San Martini, Pietro; Sabatello, Ugo; Tatarelli, Roberto; Ferracuti, Stefano

2011-01-01

Objective: The reliability of child witness testimony in sexual abuse cases is often controversial, and few tools are available. Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA) is a widely used instrument for evaluating psychological credibility in cases of suspected child sexual abuse. Only few studies have evaluated CBCA scores in children suspected of…

Efficacy of doxorubicin-based chemotherapy for non-resectable canine subcutaneous haemangiosarcoma.

PubMed

Wiley, J L; Rook, K A; Clifford, C A; Gregor, T P; Sorenmo, K U

2010-09-01

Eighteen dogs with measurable subcutaneous haemangiosarcoma (SQHSA) were treated with doxorubicin-based chemotherapy. Response assessment was evaluated and compared using World Health Organization (WHO), Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST) and tumour volume criteria. The overall response rate for all dogs was 38.8% using WHO criteria, 38.8% using RECIST criteria and 44% using tumour volume criteria. One dog had a complete response. The median response duration for all dogs was 53 days (range 13-190 days). Four dogs had complete surgical excision after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The median progression-free interval for dogs with complete surgical excision after neoadjuvant chemotherapy was significantly longer than those not having surgical excision (207 days versus 83 days, respectively) (P = 0.003). No significant difference in metastasis-free interval or survival time was found between the groups. Doxorubicin-based chemotherapy appears to be effective for non-resectable canine SQHSA, although the response duration is relatively short.

Criteria for the evaluation of a cloud-based hospital information system outsourcing provider.

PubMed

Low, Chinyao; Hsueh Chen, Ya

2012-12-01

As cloud computing technology has proliferated rapidly worldwide, there has been a trend toward adopting cloud-based hospital information systems (CHISs). This study examines the critical criteria for selecting the CHISs outsourcing provider. The fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) is used to evaluate the primary indicator collected from 188 useable responses at a working hospital in Taiwan. Moreover, the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is employed to calculate the weights of these criteria and establish a fuzzy multi-criteria model of CHISs outsourcing provider selection from 42 experts. The results indicate that the five most critical criteria related to CHISs outsourcing provider selection are (1) system function, (2) service quality, (3) integration, (4) professionalism, and (5) economics. This study may contribute to understanding how cloud-based hospital systems can reinforce content design and offer a way to compete in the field by developing more appropriate systems.

Hierarchical semi-numeric method for pairwise fuzzy group decision making.

PubMed

Marimin, M; Umano, M; Hatono, I; Tamura, H

2002-01-01

Gradual improvements to a single-level semi-numeric method, i.e., linguistic labels preference representation by fuzzy sets computation for pairwise fuzzy group decision making are summarized. The method is extended to solve multiple criteria hierarchical structure pairwise fuzzy group decision-making problems. The problems are hierarchically structured into focus, criteria, and alternatives. Decision makers express their evaluations of criteria and alternatives based on each criterion by using linguistic labels. The labels are converted into and processed in triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs). Evaluations of criteria yield relative criteria weights. Evaluations of the alternatives, based on each criterion, yield a degree of preference for each alternative or a degree of satisfaction for each preference value. By using a neat ordered weighted average (OWA) or a fuzzy weighted average operator, solutions obtained based on each criterion are aggregated into final solutions. The hierarchical semi-numeric method is suitable for solving a larger and more complex pairwise fuzzy group decision-making problem. The proposed method has been verified and applied to solve some real cases and is compared to Saaty's (1996) analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method.

A computational framework for converting textual clinical diagnostic criteria into the quality data model.

PubMed

Hong, Na; Li, Dingcheng; Yu, Yue; Xiu, Qiongying; Liu, Hongfang; Jiang, Guoqian

2016-10-01

Constructing standard and computable clinical diagnostic criteria is an important but challenging research field in the clinical informatics community. The Quality Data Model (QDM) is emerging as a promising information model for standardizing clinical diagnostic criteria. To develop and evaluate automated methods for converting textual clinical diagnostic criteria in a structured format using QDM. We used a clinical Natural Language Processing (NLP) tool known as cTAKES to detect sentences and annotate events in diagnostic criteria. We developed a rule-based approach for assigning the QDM datatype(s) to an individual criterion, whereas we invoked a machine learning algorithm based on the Conditional Random Fields (CRFs) for annotating attributes belonging to each particular QDM datatype. We manually developed an annotated corpus as the gold standard and used standard measures (precision, recall and f-measure) for the performance evaluation. We harvested 267 individual criteria with the datatypes of Symptom and Laboratory Test from 63 textual diagnostic criteria. We manually annotated attributes and values in 142 individual Laboratory Test criteria. The average performance of our rule-based approach was 0.84 of precision, 0.86 of recall, and 0.85 of f-measure; the performance of CRFs-based classification was 0.95 of precision, 0.88 of recall and 0.91 of f-measure. We also implemented a web-based tool that automatically translates textual Laboratory Test criteria into the QDM XML template format. The results indicated that our approaches leveraging cTAKES and CRFs are effective in facilitating diagnostic criteria annotation and classification. Our NLP-based computational framework is a feasible and useful solution in developing diagnostic criteria representation and computerization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Statin Selection in Qatar Based on Multi-indication Pharmacotherapeutic Multi-criteria Scoring Model, and Clinician Preference.

PubMed

Al-Badriyeh, Daoud; Fahey, Michael; Alabbadi, Ibrahim; Al-Khal, Abdullatif; Zaidan, Manal

2015-12-01

Statin selection for the largest hospital formulary in Qatar is not systematic, not comparative, and does not consider the multi-indication nature of statins. There are no reports in the literature of multi-indication-based comparative scoring models of statins or of statin selection criteria weights that are based primarily on local clinicians' preferences and experiences. This study sought to comparatively evaluate statins for first-line therapy in Qatar, and to quantify the economic impact of this. An evidence-based, multi-indication, multi-criteria pharmacotherapeutic model was developed for the scoring of statins from the perspective of the main health care provider in Qatar. The literature and an expert panel informed the selection criteria of statins. Relative weighting of selection criteria was based on the input of the relevant local clinician population. Statins were comparatively scored based on literature evidence, with those exceeding a defined scoring threshold being recommended for use. With 95% CI and 5% margin of error, the scoring model was successfully developed. Selection criteria comprised 28 subcriteria under the following main criteria: clinical efficacy, best publish evidence and experience, adverse effects, drug interaction, dosing time, and fixed dose combination availability. Outcome measures for multiple indications were related to effects on LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and C-reactive protein. Atorvastatin, pravastatin, and rosuvastatin exceeded defined pharmacotherapeutic thresholds. Atorvastatin and pravastatin were recommended as first-line use and rosuvastatin as a nonformulary alternative. It was estimated that this would produce a 17.6% cost savings in statins expenditure. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the evaluation's outcomes against input uncertainties. Incorporating a comparative evaluation of statins in Qatari practices based on a locally developed, transparent, multi-indication, multi-criteria scoring model has the potential to considerably reduce expenditures on statins. Atorvastatin and pravastatin should be the first-line statin therapies in the main Qatari health care provider, with rosuvastatin as an alternative. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrating Multiple Criteria Evaluation and GIS in Ecotourism: a Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohd, Z. H.; Ujang, U.

2016-09-01

The concept of 'Eco-tourism' is increasingly heard in recent decades. Ecotourism is one adventure that environmentally responsible intended to appreciate the nature experiences and cultures. Ecotourism should have low impact on environment and must contribute to the prosperity of local residents. This article reviews the use of Multiple Criteria Evaluation (MCE) and Geographic Information System (GIS) in ecotourism. Multiple criteria evaluation mostly used to land suitability analysis or fulfill specific objectives based on various attributes that exist in the selected area. To support the process of environmental decision making, the application of GIS is used to display and analysis the data through Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Integration between MCE and GIS tool is important to determine the relative weight for the criteria used objectively. With the MCE method, it can resolve the conflict between recreation and conservation which is to minimize the environmental and human impact. Most studies evidences that the GIS-based AHP as a multi criteria evaluation is a strong and effective in tourism planning which can aid in the development of ecotourism industry effectively.

Evaluating Management Information Systems, A Protocol for Automated Peer Review Systems

PubMed Central

Black, Gordon C.

1980-01-01

This paper discusses key issues in evaluating an automated Peer Review System. Included are the conceptual base, design, steps in planning structural components, operation parameters, criteria, costs and a detailed outline or protocol for use in the evaluation. At the heart of the Peer Review System is the criteria utilized for measuring quality. Criteria evaluation should embrace, as a minimum, appropriateness, validity and reliability, and completemess or comprehensiveness of content. Such an evaluation is not complete without determining the impact (clinical outcome) of the service system or the patient and the population served.

An evaluation of the significance of transfers of debris: criteria for association and exclusion.

PubMed

Cwiklik, C

1999-11-01

Several criteria are proposed for making decisions about comparing sets of debris involving the transfer of non-component particles and fibers--those produced from something other than the item itself--using a model based upon rudimentary set theory. Decisions about the significance of an association or an exclusion based upon trace evidence require an evaluation of debris in its context; reference points for such evaluation are presented. Samples of debris from the sites relevant to the event under investigation must be available, as well as debris standards from the usual environments of the people involved, and must be adequate to permit a determination of normal versus foreign debris. Criteria are proposed for establishing contact based upon corresponding sets of particles and fibers, for excluding contact in the absence of corresponding particles or fibers, and for refraining from making either an association or an exclusion. Conditions for reaching qualified conclusions or other types of associations when these criteria are only partially met are also discussed; conclusions may sometimes be reached if potential sources for debris particles and fibers can be found. Decisions about the strength of an association or an exclusion based upon comparisons of non-component debris particles and fibers can be made by reference to the criteria for reaching a conclusion. The criteria can be tested via Bayes' Theorem. The analysis itself is based primarily upon light microscopy, although other methods may be used as well. Case examples are presented.

Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review of economic evaluations.

PubMed

Handels, Ron L H; Wolfs, Claire A G; Aalten, Pauline; Joore, Manuela A; Verhey, Frans R J; Severens, Johan L

2014-03-01

The objective of this study is to systematically review the literature on economic evaluations of interventions for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders and to describe their general and methodological characteristics. We focused on the diagnostic aspects of the decision models to assess the applicability of existing decision models for the evaluation of the recently revised diagnostic research criteria for AD. PubMed and the National Institute for Health Research Economic Evaluation database were searched for English-language publications related to economic evaluations on diagnostic technologies. Trial-based economic evaluations were assessed using the Consensus on Health Economic Criteria list. Modeling studies were assessed using the framework for quality assessment of decision-analytic models. The search retrieved 2109 items, from which eight decision-analytic modeling studies and one trial-based economic evaluation met all eligibility criteria. Diversity among the study objective and characteristics was considerable and, despite considerable methodological quality, several flaws were indicated. Recommendations were focused on diagnostic aspects and the applicability of existing models for the evaluation of recently revised diagnostic research criteria for AD. Copyright © 2014 The Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A fuzzy MCDM framework based on fuzzy measure and fuzzy integral for agile supplier evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dursun, Mehtap

2017-06-01

Supply chains need to be agile in order to response quickly to the changes in today's competitive environment. The success of an agile supply chain depends on the firm's ability to select the most appropriate suppliers. This study proposes a multi-criteria decision making technique for conducting an analysis based on multi-level hierarchical structure and fuzzy logic for the evaluation of agile suppliers. The ideal and anti-ideal solutions are taken into consideration simultaneously in the developed approach. The proposed decision approach enables the decision-makers to use linguistic terms, and thus, reduce their cognitive burden in the evaluation process. Furthermore, a hierarchy of evaluation criteria and their related sub-criteria is employed in the presented approach in order to conduct a more effective analysis.

Evaluation of breastfeeding Web sites for patient education.

PubMed

Dornan, Barbara A; Oermann, Marilyn H

2006-01-01

To evaluate the quality of Web sites on breastfeeding for patient education. Descriptive study of 30 Web sites on breastfeeding for patient education, evaluated based on the Health Information Technology Institute (HITI) criteria, readability, and eight content criteria from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement on breastfeeding. The mean Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level for readability of the 30 sites was 9.2. Seven of the sites included all eight of the content criteria from the AAP, and three sites did not include any of the information recommended by the AAP content criteria. Nurses should be able to recommend best patient education materials for their patients. The five best Web sites for breastfeeding education are identified for patient teaching, and the HITI criteria are explained for nurses to learn how to evaluate Web sites for themselves and their patients.

40 CFR 46.160 - Evaluation of applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... application based on criteria identified in the request for applications or program announcement. Evaluation criteria may include: (a) The relevance of your proposed studies to EPA's mission. (b) Your potential for success, as reflected by your academic record, letters of reference, and any other available information...

40 CFR 46.160 - Evaluation of applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... application based on criteria identified in the request for applications or program announcement. Evaluation criteria may include: (a) The relevance of your proposed studies to EPA's mission. (b) Your potential for success, as reflected by your academic record, letters of reference, and any other available information...

Investigating Criteria That Seventh Graders Use to Evaluate the Quality of Online Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coiro, Julie; Coscarelli, Carla; Maykel, Cheryl; Forzani, Elena

2015-01-01

This article presents qualitative findings from a study that examined the types of criteria that middle school students use to evaluate the quality of online information and sources for a Web-based research assignment. Open-constructed responses from four critical evaluation items were compiled from diverse seventh graders in a representative,…

Can axial-based nodal size criteria be used in other imaging planes to accurately determine "enlarged" head and neck lymph nodes?

PubMed

Bartlett, Eric S; Walters, Thomas D; Yu, Eugene

2013-01-01

Objective. We evaluate if axial-based lymph node size criteria can be applied to coronal and sagittal planes. Methods. Fifty pretreatment computed tomographic (CT) neck exams were evaluated in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCCa) and neck lymphadenopathy. Axial-based size criteria were applied to all 3 imaging planes, measured, and classified as "enlarged" if equal to or exceeding size criteria. Results. 222 lymph nodes were "enlarged" in one imaging plane; however, 53.2% (118/222) of these were "enlarged" in all 3 planes. Classification concordance between axial versus coronal/sagittal planes was poor (kappa = -0.09 and -0.07, resp., P < 0.05). The McNemar test showed systematic misclassification when comparing axial versus coronal (P < 0.001) and axial versus sagittal (P < 0.001) planes. Conclusion. Classification of "enlarged" lymph nodes differs between axial versus coronal/sagittal imaging planes when axial-based nodal size criteria are applied independently to all three imaging planes, and exclusively used without other morphologic nodal data.

Can Axial-Based Nodal Size Criteria Be Used in Other Imaging Planes to Accurately Determine “Enlarged” Head and Neck Lymph Nodes?

PubMed Central

Bartlett, Eric S.; Walters, Thomas D.; Yu, Eugene

2013-01-01

Objective. We evaluate if axial-based lymph node size criteria can be applied to coronal and sagittal planes. Methods. Fifty pretreatment computed tomographic (CT) neck exams were evaluated in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCCa) and neck lymphadenopathy. Axial-based size criteria were applied to all 3 imaging planes, measured, and classified as “enlarged” if equal to or exceeding size criteria. Results. 222 lymph nodes were “enlarged” in one imaging plane; however, 53.2% (118/222) of these were “enlarged” in all 3 planes. Classification concordance between axial versus coronal/sagittal planes was poor (kappa = −0.09 and −0.07, resp., P < 0.05). The McNemar test showed systematic misclassification when comparing axial versus coronal (P < 0.001) and axial versus sagittal (P < 0.001) planes. Conclusion. Classification of “enlarged” lymph nodes differs between axial versus coronal/sagittal imaging planes when axial-based nodal size criteria are applied independently to all three imaging planes, and exclusively used without other morphologic nodal data. PMID:23984099

[Evaluation of digital educational student-technology interaction in neonatal nursing].

PubMed

Castro, Fernanda Salim Ferreira de; Dias, Danielle Monteiro Vilela; Higarashi, Ieda Harumi; Scochi, Carmen Gracinda Silvan; Fonseca, Luciana Mara Monti

2015-02-01

To assess the digital educational technology interface Caring for the sensory environment in the neonatal unit: noise, lighting and handling based on ergonomic criteria. Descriptive study, in which we used the guidelines and ergonomic criteria established by ISO 9241-11 and an online Likert scale instrument to identify problems and interface qualities. The instrument was built based on Ergolist, which follows the criteria of ISO 9141-11. There were 58 undergraduate study participants from the School of Nursing of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, who attended the classes about neonatal nursing content. All items were positively evaluated by more than 70% of the sample. Educational technology is appropriate according to the ergonomic criteria and can be made available for teaching nursing students.

Biokinetic food chain modeling of waterborne selenium pulses into aquatic food chains: Implications for water quality criteria.

PubMed

DeForest, David K; Pargee, Suzanne; Claytor, Carrie; Canton, Steven P; Brix, Kevin V

2016-04-01

We evaluated the use of biokinetic models to predict selenium (Se) bioaccumulation into model food chains after short-term pulses of selenate or selenite into water. Both periphyton- and phytoplankton-based food chains were modeled, with Se trophically transferred to invertebrates and then to fish. Whole-body fish Se concentrations were predicted based on 1) the background waterborne Se concentration, 2) the magnitude of the Se pulse, and 3) the duration of the Se pulse. The models were used to evaluate whether the US Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA's) existing acute Se criteria and their recently proposed intermittent Se criteria would be protective of a whole-body fish Se tissue-based criterion of 8.1 μg g(-1) dry wt. Based on a background waterborne Se concentration of 1 μg L(-1) and pulse durations of 1 d and 4 d, the Se pulse concentrations predicted to result in a whole-body fish Se concentration of 8.1 μg g(-1) dry wt in the most conservative model food chains were 144 and 35 μg L(-1), respectively, for selenate and 57 and 16 μg L(-1), respectively, for selenite. These concentrations fall within the range of various acute Se criteria recommended by the USEPA based on direct waterborne toxicity, suggesting that these criteria may not always be protective against bioaccumulation-based toxicity that could occur after short-term pulses. Regarding the USEPA's draft intermittent Se criteria, the biokinetic modeling indicates that they may be overly protective for selenate pulses but potentially underprotective for selenite pulses. Predictions of whole-body fish Se concentrations were highly dependent on whether the food chain was periphyton- or phytoplankton-based, because the latter had much greater Se uptake rate constants. Overall, biokinetic modeling provides an approach for developing acute Se criteria that are protective against bioaccumulation-based toxicity after trophic transfer, and it is also a useful tool for evaluating averaging periods for chronic Se criteria. © 2015 SETAC.

Assessing the conceptual clarity and evidence base of quality criteria/standards developed for evaluating decision aids

PubMed Central

McDonald, Heather; Charles, Cathy; Gafni, Amiram

2011-01-01

Abstract Context  Promoting patient participation in treatment decision making is of increasing interest to researchers, clinicians and policy makers. Decision aids (DAs) are advocated as one way to help achieve this goal. Despite their proliferation, there has been little agreement on criteria or standards for evaluating these tools. To fill this gap, an international collaboration of researchers and others interested in the development, content and quality of DAs have worked over the past several years to develop a checklist and, based on this checklist, an instrument for determining whether any given DA meets a defined set of quality criteria. Objective/Methods  In this paper, we offer a framework for assessing the conceptual clarity and evidence base used to support the development of quality criteria/standards for evaluating DAs. We then apply this framework to assess the conceptual clarity and evidence base underlying the International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS) checklist criteria for one of the checklist domains: how best to present in DAs probability information to patients on treatment benefits and risks. Conclusion  We found that some of the central concepts underlying the presenting probabilities domain were not defined. We also found gaps in the empirical evidence and theoretical support for this domain and criteria within this domain. Finally, we offer suggestions for steps that should be undertaken for further development and refinement of quality standards for DAs in the future. PMID:22050440

Comparison of international guideline programs to evaluate and update the Dutch program for clinical guideline development in physical therapy

PubMed Central

Van der Wees, Philip J; Hendriks, Erik JM; Custers, Jan WH; Burgers, Jako S; Dekker, Joost; de Bie, Rob A

2007-01-01

Background Clinical guidelines are considered important instruments to improve quality in health care. Since 1998 the Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy (KNGF) produced evidence-based clinical guidelines, based on a standardized program. New developments in the field of guideline research raised the need to evaluate and update the KNGF guideline program. Purpose of this study is to compare different guideline development programs and review the KNGF guideline program for physical therapy in the Netherlands, in order to update the program. Method Six international guideline development programs were selected, and the 23 criteria of the AGREE Instrument were used to evaluate the guideline programs. Information about the programs was retrieved from published handbooks of the organizations. Also, the Dutch program for guideline development in physical therapy was evaluated using the AGREE criteria. Further comparison the six guideline programs was carried out using the following elements of the guideline development processes: Structure and organization; Preparation and initiation; Development; Validation; Dissemination and implementation; Evaluation and update. Results Compliance with the AGREE criteria of the guideline programs was high. Four programs addressed 22 AGREE criteria, and two programs addressed 20 AGREE criteria. The previous Dutch program for guideline development in physical therapy lacked in compliance with the AGREE criteria, meeting only 13 criteria. Further comparison showed that all guideline programs perform systematic literature searches to identify the available evidence. Recommendations are formulated and graded, based on evidence and other relevant factors. It is not clear how decisions in the development process are made. In particular, the process of translating evidence into practice recommendations can be improved. Conclusion As a result of international developments and consensus, the described processes for developing clinical practice guidelines have much in common. The AGREE criteria are common basis for the development of guidelines, although it is not clear how final decisions are made. Detailed comparison of the different guideline programs was used for updating the Dutch program. As a result the updated KNGF program complied with 22 AGREE criteria. International discussion is continuing and will be used for further improvement of the program. PMID:18036215

Comparison of international guideline programs to evaluate and update the Dutch program for clinical guideline development in physical therapy.

PubMed

Van der Wees, Philip J; Hendriks, Erik J M; Custers, Jan W H; Burgers, Jako S; Dekker, Joost; de Bie, Rob A

2007-11-23

Clinical guidelines are considered important instruments to improve quality in health care. Since 1998 the Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy (KNGF) produced evidence-based clinical guidelines, based on a standardized program. New developments in the field of guideline research raised the need to evaluate and update the KNGF guideline program. Purpose of this study is to compare different guideline development programs and review the KNGF guideline program for physical therapy in the Netherlands, in order to update the program. Six international guideline development programs were selected, and the 23 criteria of the AGREE Instrument were used to evaluate the guideline programs. Information about the programs was retrieved from published handbooks of the organizations. Also, the Dutch program for guideline development in physical therapy was evaluated using the AGREE criteria. Further comparison the six guideline programs was carried out using the following elements of the guideline development processes: Structure and organization; Preparation and initiation; Development; Validation; Dissemination and implementation; Evaluation and update. Compliance with the AGREE criteria of the guideline programs was high. Four programs addressed 22 AGREE criteria, and two programs addressed 20 AGREE criteria. The previous Dutch program for guideline development in physical therapy lacked in compliance with the AGREE criteria, meeting only 13 criteria. Further comparison showed that all guideline programs perform systematic literature searches to identify the available evidence. Recommendations are formulated and graded, based on evidence and other relevant factors. It is not clear how decisions in the development process are made. In particular, the process of translating evidence into practice recommendations can be improved. As a result of international developments and consensus, the described processes for developing clinical practice guidelines have much in common. The AGREE criteria are common basis for the development of guidelines, although it is not clear how final decisions are made. Detailed comparison of the different guideline programs was used for updating the Dutch program. As a result the updated KNGF program complied with 22 AGREE criteria. International discussion is continuing and will be used for further improvement of the program.

The Importance of Professional Activity to Personnel Decisions for Medical Technologists in Academia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Sharon; Kimball, Olive M.

Criteria related to merit evaluations of medical technology faculty were evaluated, based on a survey of members of the American Society for Medical Technology's scientific section on education. Questionnaire responses were obtained from 27 academic institutions. Criteria included publications, institutional committee activity, research, clinical…

MEASUREMENT OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS BY THE US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY COMPENDIUM METHOD TO-17 - EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

EPA Science Inventory

An evaluation of performance criteria for US Environmental Protection Agency Compendium Method TO-17 for monitoring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air has been accomplished. The method is a solid adsorbent-based sampling and analytical procedure including performance crit...

Accreditation Standards: Policies, Procedures, and Criteria. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association of Independent Colleges and Schools, Washington, DC.

Statements of policies and procedures and evaluation criteria used by the Accrediting Commission of the Association of Independent Colleges and Schools are presented. The organization and function of the Accrediting Commission, the bases of eligibility for evaluation and accreditation of all types of institutions, and the general classification of…

When Progressive Disease Does Not Mean Treatment Failure: Reconsidering the Criteria for Progression

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Although progression-based endpoints, such as progression-free survival, are often key clinical trial endpoints for anticancer agents, the clinical meaning of “objective progression” is much less certain. As scrutiny of progression-based endpoints in clinical trials increases, it should be remembered that the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) progression criteria were not developed as a surrogate for survival. Now that progression-free survival has come to be an increasingly important trial endpoint, the criteria that define progression deserve critical evaluation to determine whether alternate definitions of progression might facilitate the development of stronger surrogate endpoints and more meaningful trial results. In this commentary, we review the genesis of the criteria for progression, highlight recent data that question their value as a marker of treatment failure, and advocate for several research strategies that could lay the groundwork for a clinically validated definition of disease progression in solid tumor oncology. PMID:22927506

Assessing Graduate Attributes: Building a Criteria-Based Competency Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ipperciel, Donald; ElAtia, Samira

2014-01-01

Graduate attributes (GAs) have become a necessary framework of reference for the 21st century competency-based model of higher education. However, the issue of evaluating and assessing GAs still remains unchartered territory. In this article, we present a criteria-based method of assessment that allows for an institution-wide comparison of the…

Evaluation of a novel waste heat recovery system for the cement industry using multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Yue; Guo, Junshan; Zheng, Wei; Ding, Junqi; Zhu, Lingkai; Che, Yongqiang; Zhang, Yanpeng

2017-12-01

Based on a novel waste heat recovery project established in a cement plant, this paper aims to evaluate the performance of the project using multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach. Economic, environmental, social, and technical perspectives were concerned and analyzed. Different sustainability criteria and indicators related with the project were evaluated through ranking/rating process and pairwise comparison. Results have shown similar outcomes, that ten out of eleven criteria are favorable at a high standard, which reveals the project’s success. Although the project has performed so well in economic, environmental and technical terms, social aspects have some weak points, and measures should be taken to improve social benefit.

Evaluation and selection of 3PL provider using fuzzy AHP and grey TOPSIS in group decision making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garside, Annisa Kesy; Saputro, Thomy Eko

2017-11-01

Selection of a 3PL provider is a problem of multi criteria decision making, where the decision maker has to select several 3PL provider alternatives based on several evaluation criteria. A decision maker will have difficulty to express judgments in exact numerical values due to the fact that information is often incomplete and the decision environment is uncertain. This paper presents an integrated fuzzy AHP and Grey TOPSIS for the evaluation and selection of 3PL provider method. Fuzzy AHP is used to determine the importance weight of evaluation criteria. For final selection, grey TOPSIS is used to evaluate the alternatives and obtain the overall performance which is measured as closeness coefficient. This method is applied to solve the selection of 3PL provider at PT. X. Five criterias and twelve sub-criterias were determined and then the best alternative among four 3PL providers was selected by proposed method.

The Use of Multi-Criteria Evaluation and Network Analysis in the Area Development Planning Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

layouts. The alternative layout scoring process, base in multi-criteria evaluation, returns a quantitative score for each alternative layout and a...The purpose of this research was to develop improvements to the area development planning process. These plans are used to improve operations within...an installation sub-section by altering the physical layout of facilities. One methodology was developed based on apply network analysis concepts to

Hierarchical distance-based fuzzy approach to evaluate urban water supply systems in a semi-arid region.

PubMed

Yekta, Tahereh Sadeghi; Khazaei, Mohammad; Nabizadeh, Ramin; Mahvi, Amir Hossein; Nasseri, Simin; Yari, Ahmad Reza

2015-01-01

Hierarchical distance-based fuzzy multi-criteria group decision making was served as a tool to evaluate the drinking water supply systems of Qom, a semi-arid city located in central part of Iran. A list of aspects consisting of 6 criteria and 35 sub-criteria were evaluated based on a linguistic term set by five decision-makers. Four water supply alternatives including "Public desalinated distribution system", "PET Bottled Drinking Water", "Private desalinated water suppliers" and "Household desalinated water units" were assessed based on criteria and sub-criteria. Data were aggregated and normalized to apply Performance Ratings of Alternatives. Also, the Performance Ratings of Alternatives were aggregated again to achieve the Aggregate Performance Ratings. The weighted distances from ideal solution and anti-ideal solution were calculated after secondary normalization. The proximity of each alternative to the ideal solution was determined as the final step. The alternatives were ranked based on the magnitude of ideal solutions. Results showed that "Public desalinated distribution system" was the most appropriate alternative to supply the drinking needs of Qom population. Also, "PET Bottled Drinking Water" was the second acceptable option. A novel classification of alternatives to satisfy the drinking water requirements was proposed which is applicable for the other cities located in semi-arid regions of Iran. The health issues were considered as independent criterion, distinct from the environmental issues. The constraints of high-tech alternatives were also considered regarding to the level of dependency on overseas.

Critical-Inquiry-Based-Learning: Model of Learning to Promote Critical Thinking Ability of Pre-service Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prayogi, S.; Yuanita, L.; Wasis

2018-01-01

This study aimed to develop Critical-Inquiry-Based-Learning (CIBL) learning model to promote critical thinking (CT) ability of preservice teachers. The CIBL learning model was developed by meeting the criteria of validity, practicality, and effectiveness. Validation of the model involves 4 expert validators through the mechanism of the focus group discussion (FGD). CIBL learning model declared valid to promote CT ability, with the validity level (Va) of 4.20 and reliability (r) of 90,1% (very reliable). The practicality of the model was evaluated when it was implemented that involving 17 of preservice teachers. The CIBL learning model had been declared practice, its measuring from learning feasibility (LF) with very good criteria (LF-score = 4.75). The effectiveness of the model was evaluated from the improvement CT ability after the implementation of the model. CT ability were evaluated using the scoring technique adapted from Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test. The average score of CT ability on pretest is - 1.53 (uncritical criteria), whereas on posttest is 8.76 (critical criteria), with N-gain score of 0.76 (high criteria). Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that developed CIBL learning model is feasible to promote CT ability of preservice teachers.

Valutazione del libri di testo per le lingue straniere (Italiano L2) (Evaluation of Foreign Language Textbooks [Italian as a Second Language]).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sciarone, A. G.

1979-01-01

An approach to language textbooks evaluation based on objective criteria and relying on data easily obtained by means of computers, such as word frequency lists, is proposed. The importance of vocabulary acquisition in language learning is emphasized. Accordingly, word selection and rate of repetition are seen as central evaluation criteria. (MES)

Using Algal Metrics and Biomass to Evaluate Multiple Ways of Defining Concentration-Based Nutrient Criteria in Streams and their Ecological Relevance

EPA Science Inventory

We examined the utility of nutrient criteria derived solely from total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in streams (regression models and percentile distributions) and evaluated their ecological relevance to diatom and algal biomass responses. We used a variety of statistics to cha...

Perceived Risk in College Selection: Differences in Evaluative Criteria Used by Students and Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warwick, Jacquelyn; Mansfield, Phylis M.

2003-01-01

Students and parents base college selection on how well the college will overcome the perceived financial, social, psychological, physical, and functional risks associated with the college experience. Nineteen criteria associated with these risks were evaluated for significant differences between students and parents as well as for their level of…

Operator performance evaluation using multi criteria decision making methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rani, Ruzanita Mat; Ismail, Wan Rosmanira; Razali, Siti Fatihah

2014-06-01

Operator performance evaluation is a very important operation in labor-intensive manufacturing industry because the company's productivity depends on the performance of its operators. The aims of operator performance evaluation are to give feedback to operators on their performance, to increase company's productivity and to identify strengths and weaknesses of each operator. In this paper, six multi criteria decision making methods; Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), fuzzy AHP (FAHP), ELECTRE, PROMETHEE II, Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) are used to evaluate the operators' performance and to rank the operators. The performance evaluation is based on six main criteria; competency, experience and skill, teamwork and time punctuality, personal characteristics, capability and outcome. The study was conducted at one of the SME food manufacturing companies in Selangor. From the study, it is found that AHP and FAHP yielded the "outcome" criteria as the most important criteria. The results of operator performance evaluation showed that the same operator is ranked the first using all six methods.

Comparison of the Hemagglutination Inhibition Test and IgG ELISA in Categorizing Primary and Secondary Dengue Infections Based on the Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test.

PubMed

Lukman, Nurhayati; Salim, Gustiani; Kosasih, Herman; Susanto, Nugroho Harry; Parwati, Ida; Fitri, Silvita; Alisjahbana, Bachti; Widjaja, Susana; Williams, Maya

2016-01-01

Secondary dengue infection by heterotypic serotypes is associated with severe manifestations of disease, that is, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended criteria based on the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test to distinguish between primary and secondary dengue infections. Since the HI test has practical limitations and disadvantages, we evaluated the accuracy of WHO HI criteria and compared it with criteria based on an IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) as the gold standard. Both WHO HI criteria and IgG ELISA criteria performed strongly (16/16) in determining primary infection. However, to determine secondary infection, the IgG ELISA criteria performed better (72/73) compared to the WHO HI criteria (23/73).

Behavior Change Outcomes of Marathon Group Treatment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uhlemann, Max R.; Weigel, Richard G.

1977-01-01

This study evaluated behavior change occurring after a marathon group experience, with a focus on individualized rather than shared behavioral change criteria. The individualization of behavior change criteria is based on the assertion that few, if any, single change criteria are appropriate or realistic for assessing change in all individuals.…

EVALUATING THE RELATIVE ROLES OF ECOLOGICAL REGIONS AND LAND-COVER COMPOSITION FOR GUIDING ESTABLISHMENT OF NUTRIENT CRITERIA

EPA Science Inventory

The continuing expansion of anthropogenic influence across the continental United States has motivated the establishment of nutrient criteria for streams, lakes, and estuaries as a means to promote the protection of aquatic resources. Nutrient criteria have been established base...

[The use of operational criteria for evaluations of mental competency].

PubMed

Kocha, Hiroki

2013-01-01

Today, either the DSM-IV or the ICD-10 is generally used for forensic purposes, especially for evaluations of mental competency. The use of operational criteria, such as the DSM-IV, in forensic settings has some risks. Here, these risks, as well as the advantages of operational criteria and precautions for their use, are discussed. Compared with the DSM-IV, the ICD-10 is preferred because this tool is less likely to complicate evaluations of the mental status of a criminal at the time of the crime when sufficient information is not available to make a diagnosis. The evaluation consists of two steps. The first step, which is based on empirical science, is to provide a psychiatric diagnosis. The second step, which is based on normative science, is to allocate the diagnosis to one of four categories of a forensic frame of reference and to provide useful information for judicial members to make a judgment about the mental competency of the criminal. To standardize evaluations, the use of not only global standard criteria, but also a general rule for the judgment of mental competency within each allocated category is needed.

An Integrated MCDM Model for Conveyor Equipment Evaluation and Selection in an FMC Based on a Fuzzy AHP and Fuzzy ARAS in the Presence of Vagueness.

PubMed

Nguyen, Huu-Tho; Dawal, Siti Zawiah Md; Nukman, Yusoff; Rifai, Achmad P; Aoyama, Hideki

2016-01-01

The conveyor system plays a vital role in improving the performance of flexible manufacturing cells (FMCs). The conveyor selection problem involves the evaluation of a set of potential alternatives based on qualitative and quantitative criteria. This paper presents an integrated multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model of a fuzzy AHP (analytic hierarchy process) and fuzzy ARAS (additive ratio assessment) for conveyor evaluation and selection. In this model, linguistic terms represented as triangular fuzzy numbers are used to quantify experts' uncertain assessments of alternatives with respect to the criteria. The fuzzy set is then integrated into the AHP to determine the weights of the criteria. Finally, a fuzzy ARAS is used to calculate the weights of the alternatives. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model, a case study is performed of a practical example, and the results obtained demonstrate practical potential for the implementation of FMCs.

An Integrated MCDM Model for Conveyor Equipment Evaluation and Selection in an FMC Based on a Fuzzy AHP and Fuzzy ARAS in the Presence of Vagueness

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Huu-Tho; Md Dawal, Siti Zawiah; Nukman, Yusoff; P. Rifai, Achmad; Aoyama, Hideki

2016-01-01

The conveyor system plays a vital role in improving the performance of flexible manufacturing cells (FMCs). The conveyor selection problem involves the evaluation of a set of potential alternatives based on qualitative and quantitative criteria. This paper presents an integrated multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model of a fuzzy AHP (analytic hierarchy process) and fuzzy ARAS (additive ratio assessment) for conveyor evaluation and selection. In this model, linguistic terms represented as triangular fuzzy numbers are used to quantify experts’ uncertain assessments of alternatives with respect to the criteria. The fuzzy set is then integrated into the AHP to determine the weights of the criteria. Finally, a fuzzy ARAS is used to calculate the weights of the alternatives. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model, a case study is performed of a practical example, and the results obtained demonstrate practical potential for the implementation of FMCs. PMID:27070543

[Principles and criteria used by the National Evaluation Committee of Research Activity (CNEAI-Spain) for the assessment of scientific publications: 1989-2009].

PubMed

Ruiz-Pérez, Rafael; Delgado López-Cózar, Emilio; Jiménez-Contreras, Evaristo

2010-11-01

Study of the origins, philosophy and history of the criteria used to assess research activities in Spain by the CNEAI. The assessment criteria and quality evidence of publications is discussed. Results are presented on the temporal development of the criteria used, grouped by publication type (articles and books) and fields of knowledge. Between 1989-1996, assessment was based on the definition and goals set by the Spanish scientific framework and on general criteria. Between 1996-2004, the formulation of indicators began to be almost exclusively based on Journal Citation Reports (JCR). Success rates up to 2004 indicate that the evaluation criteria and publishing behaviour matched the "hard sciences", but not the Social Sciences and Economics. In 2005, the criteria used were further developed and reoriented with an eye to softening the preceding JCR-centrism by taking into consideration other databases and defining the quality criteria to be met by journals, books and conferences not included in JCR. Correspondingly, the success rates for 2007 indicate a dramatic recovery in Economics. In the last 4 years, Humanities and Social Sciences have consolidated the further opening of the criteria used with the addition of new benchmarks and the full integration of books.

An improved hybrid multi-criteria/multidimensional model for strategic industrial location selection: Casablanca industrial zones as a case study.

PubMed

Boutkhoum, Omar; Hanine, Mohamed; Agouti, Tarik; Tikniouine, Abdessadek

2015-01-01

In this paper, we examine the issue of strategic industrial location selection in uncertain decision making environments for implanting new industrial corporation. In fact, the industrial location issue is typically considered as a crucial factor in business research field which is related to many calculations about natural resources, distributors, suppliers, customers, and most other things. Based on the integration of environmental, economic and social decisive elements of sustainable development, this paper presents a hybrid decision making model combining fuzzy multi-criteria analysis with analytical capabilities that OLAP systems can provide for successful and optimal industrial location selection. The proposed model mainly consists in three stages. In the first stage, a decision-making committee has been established to identify the evaluation criteria impacting the location selection process. In the second stage, we develop fuzzy AHP software based on the extent analysis method to assign the importance weights to the selected criteria, which allows us to model the linguistic vagueness, ambiguity, and incomplete knowledge. In the last stage, OLAP analysis integrated with multi-criteria analysis employs these weighted criteria as inputs to evaluate, rank and select the strategic industrial location for implanting new business corporation in the region of Casablanca, Morocco. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the impact of criteria weights and the preferences given by decision makers on the final rankings of strategic industrial locations.

Type-2 fuzzy set extension of DEMATEL method combined with perceptual computing for decision making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseini, Mitra Bokaei; Tarokh, Mohammad Jafar

2013-05-01

Most decision making methods used to evaluate a system or demonstrate the weak and strength points are based on fuzzy sets and evaluate the criteria with words that are modeled with fuzzy sets. The ambiguity and vagueness of the words and different perceptions of a word are not considered in these methods. For this reason, the decision making methods that consider the perceptions of decision makers are desirable. Perceptual computing is a subjective judgment method that considers that words mean different things to different people. This method models words with interval type-2 fuzzy sets that consider the uncertainty of the words. Also, there are interrelations and dependency between the decision making criteria in the real world; therefore, using decision making methods that cannot consider these relations is not feasible in some situations. The Decision-Making Trail and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method considers the interrelations between decision making criteria. The current study used the combination of DEMATEL and perceptual computing in order to improve the decision making methods. For this reason, the fuzzy DEMATEL method was extended into type-2 fuzzy sets in order to obtain the weights of dependent criteria based on the words. The application of the proposed method is presented for knowledge management evaluation criteria.

Testing and refining the Science in Risk Assessment and Policy (SciRAP) web-based platform for evaluating the reliability and relevance of in vivo toxicity studies.

PubMed

Beronius, Anna; Molander, Linda; Zilliacus, Johanna; Rudén, Christina; Hanberg, Annika

2018-05-28

The Science in Risk Assessment and Policy (SciRAP) web-based platform was developed to promote and facilitate structure and transparency in the evaluation of ecotoxicity and toxicity studies for hazard and risk assessment of chemicals. The platform includes sets of criteria and a colour-coding tool for evaluating the reliability and relevance of individual studies. The SciRAP method for evaluating in vivo toxicity studies was first published in 2014 and the aim of the work presented here was to evaluate and develop that method further. Toxicologists and risk assessors from different sectors and geographical areas were invited to test the SciRAP criteria and tool on a specific set of in vivo toxicity studies and to provide feedback concerning the scientific soundness and user-friendliness of the SciRAP approach. The results of this expert assessment were used to refine and improve both the evaluation criteria and the colour-coding tool. It is expected that the SciRAP web-based platform will continue to be developed and enhanced to keep up to date with the needs of end-users. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Management of contaminated marine marketable resources after oil and HNS spills in Europe.

PubMed

Cunha, Isabel; Neuparth, Teresa; Moreira, Susana; Santos, Miguel M; Reis-Henriques, Maria Armanda

2014-03-15

Different risk evaluation approaches have been used to face oil and hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) spills all over the world. To minimize health risks and mitigate economic losses due to a long term ban on the sale of sea products after a spill, it is essential to preemptively set risk evaluation criteria and standard methodologies based on previous experience and appropriate scientifically sound criteria. Standard methodologies are analyzed and proposed in order to improve the definition of criteria for reintegrating previously contaminated marine marketable resources into the commercialization chain in Europe. The criteria used in former spills for the closing of and lifting of bans on fisheries and harvesting are analyzed. European legislation was identified regarding food sampling, food chemical analysis and maximum levels of contaminants allowed in seafood, which ought to be incorporated in the standard methodologies for the evaluation of the decision criteria defined for oil and HNS spills in Europe. A decision flowchart is proposed that opens the current decision criteria to new material that may be incorporated in the decision process. Decision criteria are discussed and compared among countries and incidents. An a priori definition of risk criteria and an elaboration of action plans are proposed to speed up actions that will lead to prompt final decisions. These decisions, based on the best available scientific data and conducing to lift or ban economic activity, will tend to be better understood and respected by citizens. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Economic Evaluation of Text-Messaging and Smartphone-Based Interventions to Improve Medication Adherence in Adolescents with Chronic Health Conditions: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Badawy, Sherif M; Kuhns, Lisa M

2016-10-25

The rate of chronic health conditions (CHCs) in children and adolescents has doubled in the past 20 years, with increased health care costs. Technology-based interventions have demonstrated efficacy to improving medication adherence. However, data to support the cost effectiveness of these interventions are lacking. The objective of this study is to conduct an economic evaluation of text-messaging and smartphone-based interventions that focus on improving medication adherence in adolescents with CHCs. Searches included PubMed MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Inspec. Eligibility criteria included age (12-24 years old), original articles, outcomes for medication adherence, and economic outcomes. Our search identified 1118 unique articles that were independently screened. A total of 156 articles met inclusion criteria and were then examined independently with full-text review. A total of 15 articles met most criteria but lacked economic outcomes such as cost effectiveness or cost-utility data. No articles met all predefined criteria to be included for final review. Only 4 articles (text messaging [n=3], electronic directly observed therapy [n=1]) described interventions with possible future cost-saving but no formal economic evaluation. The evidence to support the cost effectiveness of text-messaging and smartphone-based interventions in improving medication adherence in adolescents with CHCs is insufficient. This lack of research highlights the need for comprehensive economic evaluation of such interventions to better understand their role in cost-savings while improving medication adherence and health outcomes. Economic evaluation of technology-based interventions can contribute to more evidence-based assessment of the scalability, sustainability, and benefits of broader investment of such technology tools in adolescents with CHCs.

Development of a comprehensive list of criteria for evaluating consumer education materials on colorectal cancer screening

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Appropriate patient information materials may support the consumer’s decision to attend or not to attend colorectal cancer (CRC) screening tests (fecal occult blood test and screening colonoscopy). The aim of this study was to develop a list of criteria to assess whether written health information materials on CRC screening provide balanced, unbiased, quantified, understandable, and evidence-based health information (EBHI) about CRC and CRC screening. Methods The list of criteria was developed based on recommendations and assessment tools for health information in the following steps: (1) Systematic literature search in 13 electronic databases (search period: 2000–2010) and completed by an Internet search (2) Extraction of identified criteria (3) Grouping of criteria into categories and domains (4) Compilation of a manual of adequate answers derived from systematic reviews and S3 guidelines (5) Review by external experts (6) Modification (7) Final discussion with external experts. Results Thirty-one publications on health information tools and recommendations were identified. The final list of criteria includes a total of 230 single criteria in three generic domains (formal issues, presentation and understandability, and neutrality and balance) and one CRC-specific domain. A multi-dimensional rating approach was used whenever appropriate (e.g., rating for the presence, correctness, presentation and level of evidence of information). Free text input was allowed to ensure the transparency of assessment. The answer manual proved to be essential to the rating process. Quantitative analyses can be made depending on the level and dimensions of criteria. Conclusions This comprehensive list of criteria clearly has a wider range of evaluation than previous assessment tools. It is not intended as a final quality assessment tool, but as a first step toward thorough evaluation of specific information materials for their adherence to EBHI requirements. This criteria list may also be used to revise leaflets and to develop evidence-based health information on CRC screening. After adjustment for different procedure-specific criteria, the list of criteria can also be applied to other cancer screening procedures. PMID:24028691

Model For Marketing Strategy Decision Based On Multicriteria Decicion Making: A Case Study In Batik Madura Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anna, I. D.; Cahyadi, I.; Yakin, A.

2018-01-01

Selection of marketing strategy is a prominent competitive advantage for small and medium enterprises business development. The selection process is is a multiple criteria decision-making problem, which includes evaluation of various attributes or criteria in a process of strategy formulation. The objective of this paper is to develop a model for the selection of a marketing strategy in Batik Madura industry. The current study proposes an integrated approach based on analytic network process (ANP) and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to determine the best strategy for Batik Madura marketing problems. Based on the results of group decision-making technique, this study selected fourteen criteria, including consistency, cost, trend following, customer loyalty, business volume, uniqueness manpower, customer numbers, promotion, branding, bussiness network, outlet location, credibility and the inovation as Batik Madura marketing strategy evaluation criteria. A survey questionnaire developed from literature review was distributed to a sample frame of Batik Madura SMEs in Pamekasan. In the decision procedure step, expert evaluators were asked to establish the decision matrix by comparing the marketing strategy alternatives under each of the individual criteria. Then, considerations obtained from ANP and TOPSIS methods were applied to build the specific criteria constraints and range of the launch strategy in the model. The model in this study demonstrates that, under current business situation, Straight-focus marketing strategy is the best marketing strategy for Batik Madura SMEs in Pamekasan.

A criteria-based audit of the management of severe pre-eclampsia in Kampala, Uganda.

PubMed

Weeks, A D; Alia, G; Ononge, S; Otolorin, E O; Mirembe, F M

2005-12-01

To improve the quality of clinical care for women with severe pre-eclampsia. A criteria-based audit was conducted in a large government hospital in Uganda. Management practices were evaluated against standards developed by an expert panel by retrospectively evaluating 43 case files. Results of the audit were presented, and recommendations developed and implemented. A re-audit was conducted 6 months later. The initial audit showed that most standards were rarely achieved. Reasons were discussed. Guidelines were produced, additional supplies were purchased following a fundraising effort, labor ward procedures were streamlined, and staffing was increased. In the re-audit there were significant improvements in diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment. Criteria-based audit can improve the quality of maternity care in countries with limited resources.

Sensitivity and Specificity of Polysomnographic Criteria for Defining Insomnia

PubMed Central

Edinger, Jack D.; Ulmer, Christi S.; Means, Melanie K.

2013-01-01

Study Objectives: In recent years, polysomnography-based eligibility criteria have been increasingly used to identify candidates for insomnia research, and this has been particularly true of studies evaluating pharmacologic therapy for primary insomnia. However, the sensitivity and specificity of PSG for identifying individuals with insomnia is unknown, and there is no consensus on the criteria sets which should be used for participant selection. In the current study, an archival data set was used to test the sensitivity and specificity of PSG measures for identifying individuals with primary insomnia in both home and lab settings. We then evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the eligibility criteria employed in a number of recent insomnia trials for identifying primary insomnia sufferers in our sample. Design: Archival data analysis. Settings: Study participants' homes and a clinical sleep laboratory. Participants: Adults: 76 with primary insomnia and 78 non-complaining normal sleepers. Measurements and Results: ROC and cross-tabs analyses were used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of PSG-derived total sleep time, latency to persistent sleep, wake after sleep onset, and sleep efficiency for discriminating adults with primary insomnia from normal sleepers. None of the individual criteria accurately discriminated PI from normal sleepers, and none of the criteria sets used in recent trials demonstrated acceptable sensitivity and specificity for identifying primary insomnia. Conclusions: The use of quantitative PSG-based selection criteria in insomnia research may exclude many who meet current diagnostic criteria for an insomnia disorder. Citation: Edinger JD; Ulmer CS; Means MK. Sensitivity and specificity of polysomnographic criteria for defining insomnia. J Clin Sleep Med 2013;9(5):481-491. PMID:23674940

TTI CM/AQ evaluation model user`s guide and workshop training materials. Interim research report, September 1993-August 1996

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

NONE

1995-08-01

The TTI CM/AQ Evaluation Model evaluates potential projects based on the following criteria: eligibility, travel impacts, emission impacts, and cost-effectiveness. To compare independent projects within a region during the decision process for CM/AQ funding, each project evaluated with this model is given an overall score based on the project`s effects for the criteria listed above. Training workshops were held by TTI in the first quarter of 1995 to teach metropolitan planning organization, state department of transportation, and regional air quality organization staff how to use this model. Basics of sketch-planning applications were also taught. The DRCOG and TTI CM/AQ Evaluationmore » Models represent significant steps toward the development of analytical methodologies for selecting projects for CM/AQ funding. Because the needs of nonattainment and attainment areas change over time, this model is particularly useful as key evaluation criteria can be modified to reflect the changing needs of a metropolitan area.« less

Multi-criteria comparative evaluation of spallation reaction models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrianov, Andrey; Andrianova, Olga; Konobeev, Alexandr; Korovin, Yury; Kuptsov, Ilya

2017-09-01

This paper presents an approach to a comparative evaluation of the predictive ability of spallation reaction models based on widely used, well-proven multiple-criteria decision analysis methods (MAVT/MAUT, AHP, TOPSIS, PROMETHEE) and the results of such a comparison for 17 spallation reaction models in the presence of the interaction of high-energy protons with natPb.

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…

101 Criteria for Appraising Interactive Video. A Futuremedia Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Copeland, Peter

The criteria in this guide for evaluating interactive video instructional programs are based on principles of learning and motivation, and emphasize the design, production, presentation, and usage of interactive video programs. Presented in the format of a rating scale, the criteria are grouped into nine broad categories: (1) information about the…

Meeting the criteria of a nursing diagnosis classification: Evaluation of ICNP, ICF, NANDA and ZEFP.

PubMed

Müller-Staub, Maria; Lavin, Mary Ann; Needham, Ian; van Achterberg, Theo

2007-07-01

Few studies described nursing diagnosis classification criteria and how classifications meet these criteria. The purpose was to identify criteria for nursing diagnosis classifications and to assess how these criteria are met by different classifications. First, a literature review was conducted (N=50) to identify criteria for nursing diagnoses classifications and to evaluate how these criteria are met by the International Classification of Nursing Practice (ICNP), the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the International Nursing Diagnoses Classification (NANDA), and the Nursing Diagnostic System of the Centre for Nursing Development and Research (ZEFP). Using literature review based general and specific criteria, the principal investigator evaluated each classification, applying a matrix. Second, a convenience sample of 20 nursing experts from different Swiss care institutions answered standardized interview forms, querying current national and international classification state and use. The first general criterion is that a diagnosis classification should describe the knowledge base and subject matter for which the nursing profession is responsible. ICNP) and NANDA meet this goal. The second general criterion is that each class fits within a central concept. The ICF and NANDA are the only two classifications built on conceptually driven classes. The third general classification criterion is that each diagnosis possesses a description, diagnostic criteria, and related etiologies. Although ICF and ICNP describe diagnostic terms, only NANDA fulfils this criterion. The analysis indicated that NANDA fulfilled most of the specific classification criteria in the matrix. The nursing experts considered NANDA to be the best-researched and most widely implemented classification in Switzerland and internationally. The international literature and the opinion of Swiss expert nurses indicate that-from the perspective of classifying comprehensive nursing diagnoses-NANDA should be recommended for nursing practice and electronic nursing documentation. Study limitations and future research needs are discussed.

Immunology and Homeopathy. 4. Clinical Studies—Part 1

PubMed Central

Bellavite, Paolo; Ortolani, Riccardo; Pontarollo, Francesco; Piasere, Valeria; Benato, Giovanni; Conforti, Anita

2006-01-01

The evidence-based research of the effectiveness of homeopathic medicines in common immunologic disorders is reviewed. In part 1, we introduce methodological issues of clinical research in homeopathy, and criteria utilized to evaluate the literature. Then 24 studies (12 randomized and 12 non-randomized) on common upper respiratory tract infections and otorhinolaryngologic complaints are described. In part 2, the focus will be on allergic diseases and the effectiveness of homeopathy will be globally evaluated and discussed using the criteria of evidence-based medicine. PMID:16951713

Evaluation in a competency-based educational system.

PubMed

May, B J

1977-01-01

Competency-based curricula have been implemented at the Medical College of Georgia to prepare students to meet entry level competencies as physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. Criteria-referenced evaluations are used to determine if students have achieved the desired competencies. Performance is measured against the criteria and not other students. The process of developing the system currently in use at the Medical College of Georgia is delineated in some detail and some of the advantages of the system for physical therapy education are discussed.

Evaluating Social and National Education Textbooks Based on the Criteria of Knowledge-Based Economy from the Perspectives of Elementary Teachers in Jordan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Edwan, Zaid Suleiman; Hamaidi, Diala Abdul Hadi

2011-01-01

Knowledge-based economy is a new implemented trend in the field of education in Jordan. The ministry of education in Jordan attempts to implement this trend's philosophy in its textbooks. This study examined the extent to which the (1st-3rd grade) social and national textbooks reflect knowledge-based economy criteria from the perspective of…

An evaluation of freshwater mussel toxicity data in the derivation of water quality guidance and standards for copper

USGS Publications Warehouse

March, F.A.; Dwyer, F.J.; Augspurger, T.; Ingersoll, C.G.; Wang, N.; Mebane, C.A.

2007-01-01

The state of Oklahoma has designated several areas as freshwater mussel sanctuaries in an attempt to provide freshwater mussel species a degree of protection and to facilitate their reproduction. We evaluated the protection afforded freshwater mussels by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) hardness-based 1996 ambient copper water quality criteria, the 2007 U.S. EPA water quality criteria based on the biotic ligand model and the 2005 state of Oklahoma copper water quality standards. Both the criterion maximum concentration and criterion continuous concentration were evaluated. Published acute and chronic copper toxicity data that met American Society for Testing and Materials guidance for test acceptability were obtained for exposures conducted with glochidia or juvenile freshwater mussels. We tabulated toxicity data for glochidia and juveniles to calculate 20 species mean acute values for freshwater mussels. Generally, freshwater mussel species mean acute values were similar to those of the more sensitive species included in the U.S. EPA water quality derivation database. When added to the database of genus mean acute values used in deriving 1996 copper water quality criteria, 14 freshwater mussel genus mean acute values included 10 of the lowest 15 genus mean acute values, with three mussel species having the lowest values. Chronic exposure and sublethal effects freshwater mussel data available for four species and acute to chronic ratios were used to evaluate the criterion continuous concentration. On the basis of the freshwater mussel toxicity data used in this assessment, the hardness-based 1996 U.S. EPA water quality criteria, the 2005 Oklahoma water quality standards, and the 2007 U.S. EPA water quality criteria based on the biotic ligand model might need to be revised to afford protection to freshwater mussels. ?? 2007 SETAC.

Configuration evaluation and criteria plan. Volume 2: Evaluation critera plan (preliminary). Space Transportation Main Engine (STME) configuration study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bair, E. K.

1986-01-01

The unbiased selection of the Space Transportation Main Engine (STME) configuration requires that the candidate engines be evaluated against a predetermined set of criteria which must be properly weighted to emphasize critical requirements defined prior to the actual evaluation. The evaluation and selection process involves the following functions: (1) determining if a configuration can satisfy basic STME requirements (yes/no); (2) defining the evaluation criteria; (3) selecting the criteria relative importance or weighting; (4) determining the weighting sensitivities; and (5) establishing a baseline for engine evaluation. The criteria weighting and sensitivities are cost related and are based on mission models and vehicle requirements. The evaluation process is used as a coarse screen to determine the candidate engines for the parametric studies and as a fine screen to determine concept(s) for conceptual design. The criteria used for the coarse and fine screen evaluation process is shown. The coarse screen process involves verifying that the candidate engines can meet the yes/no screening requirements and a semi-subjective quantitative evaluation. The fine screen engines have to meet all of the yes/no screening gates and are then subjected to a detailed evaluation or assessment using the quantitative cost evaluation processes. The option exists for re-cycling a concept through the quantitative portion of the screening and allows for some degree of optimization. The basic vehicle is a two stage LOX/HC, LOX/LH2 parallel burn vehicle capable of placing 150,000 lbs in low Earth orbit (LEO).

Towards a new tool for the evaluation of the quality of ultrasound compressed images.

PubMed

Delgorge, Cécile; Rosenberger, Christophe; Poisson, Gérard; Vieyres, Pierre

2006-11-01

This paper presents a new tool for the evaluation of ultrasound image compression. The goal is to measure the image quality as easily as with a statistical criterion, and with the same reliability as the one provided by the medical assessment. An initial experiment is proposed to medical experts and represents our reference value for the comparison of evaluation criteria. Twenty-one statistical criteria are selected from the literature. A cumulative absolute similarity measure is defined as a distance between the criterion to evaluate and the reference value. A first fusion method based on a linear combination of criteria is proposed to improve the results obtained by each of them separately. The second proposed approach combines different statistical criteria and uses the medical assessment in a training phase with a support vector machine. Some experimental results are given and show the benefit of fusion.

Multi criteria evaluation for universal soil loss equation based on geographic information system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwaamijaya, I. M.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this research were to produce(l) a conceptual, functional model designed and implementation for universal soil loss equation (usle), (2) standard operational procedure for multi criteria evaluation of universal soil loss equation (usle) using geographic information system, (3) overlay land cover, slope, soil and rain fall layers to gain universal soil loss equation (usle) using multi criteria evaluation, (4) thematic map of universal soil loss equation (usle) in watershed, (5) attribute table of universal soil loss equation (usle) in watershed. Descriptive and formal correlation methods are used for this research. Cikapundung Watershed, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia was study location. This research was conducted on January 2016 to May 2016. A spatial analysis is used to superimposed land cover, slope, soil and rain layers become universal soil loss equation (usle). Multi criteria evaluation for universal soil loss equation (usle) using geographic information system could be used for conservation program.

Evaluation of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Roadway Drainage Systems.

PubMed

Byrne, Diana M; Grabowski, Marta K; Benitez, Amy C B; Schmidt, Arthur R; Guest, Jeremy S

2017-08-15

Roadway drainage design has traditionally focused on cost-effectively managing water quantity; however, runoff carries pollutants, posing risks to the local environment and public health. Additionally, construction and maintenance incur costs and contribute to global environmental impacts. While life cycle assessment (LCA) can potentially capture local and global environmental impacts of roadway drainage and other stormwater systems, LCA methodology must be evaluated because stormwater systems differ from wastewater and drinking water systems to which LCA is more frequently applied. To this end, this research developed a comprehensive model linking roadway drainage design parameters to LCA and life cycle costing (LCC) under uncertainty. This framework was applied to 10 highway drainage projects to evaluate LCA methodological choices by characterizing environmental and economic impacts of drainage projects and individual components (basin, bioswale, culvert, grass swale, storm sewer, and pipe underdrain). The relative impacts of drainage components varied based on functional unit choice. LCA inventory cutoff criteria evaluation showed the potential for cost-based criteria, which performed better than mass-based criteria. Finally, the local aquatic benefits of grass swales and bioswales offset global environmental impacts for four impact categories, highlighting the need to explicitly consider local impacts (i.e., direct emissions) when evaluating drainage technologies.

The Value of Fidelity of Implementation Criteria to Evaluate School-Based Science Curriculum Innovations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yew-Jin; Chue, Shien

2013-10-01

School-based curriculum innovations, including those in science education, are usually not adequately evaluated, if at all. Furthermore, current procedures and instruments for programme evaluations are often unable to support evidence-based decision-making. We suggest that adopting fidelity of implementation (FOI) criteria from healthcare research can both characterize and narrow the separation between programme intent and actual implementation, which is a mandatory stage of evaluation before determining overall programme value. We demonstrate how such a process could be applied by science educators using data from a secondary school in Singapore that had devised a new curriculum to promote interest, investigative processes, and knowledge in science. Results showed that there were ambivalent student responses to this programme, while there were high levels of science process skill instruction and close alignment with the intended lesson design. The implementation of this programme appeared to have a satisfactory overall level of FOI, but we also detected tensions between programme intent and everyday classroom teaching. If we want to advance science education, then our argument is that applying FOI criteria is necessary when evaluating all curricular innovations, not just those that originate from schools.

QUADAS and STARD: evaluating the quality of diagnostic accuracy studies.

PubMed

Oliveira, Maria Regina Fernandes de; Gomes, Almério de Castro; Toscano, Cristiana Maria

2011-04-01

To compare the performance of two approaches, one based on the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) and another on the Standards for Reporting Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD), in evaluating the quality of studies validating the OptiMal® rapid malaria diagnostic test. Articles validating the rapid test published until 2007 were searched in the Medline/PubMed database. This search retrieved 13 articles. A combination of 12 QUADAS criteria and three STARD criteria were compared with the 12 QUADAS criteria alone. Articles that fulfilled at least 50% of QUADAS criteria were considered as regular to good quality. Of the 13 articles retrieved, 12 fulfilled at least 50% of QUADAS criteria, and only two fulfilled the STARD/QUADAS criteria combined. Considering the two criteria combination (> 6 QUADAS and > 3 STARD), two studies (15.4%) showed good methodological quality. The articles selection using the proposed combination resulted in two to eight articles, depending on the number of items assumed as cutoff point. The STARD/QUADAS combination has the potential to provide greater rigor when evaluating the quality of studies validating malaria diagnostic tests, given that it incorporates relevant information not contemplated in the QUADAS criteria alone.

Evaluation of the WHO criteria for the classification of patients with mastocytosis.

PubMed

Sánchez-Muñoz, Laura; Alvarez-Twose, Ivan; García-Montero, Andrés C; Teodosio, Cristina; Jara-Acevedo, María; Pedreira, Carlos E; Matito, Almudena; Morgado, Jose Mario T; Sánchez, Maria Luz; Mollejo, Manuela; Gonzalez-de-Olano, David; Orfao, Alberto; Escribano, Luis

2011-09-01

Diagnosis and classification of mastocytosis is currently based on the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Here, we evaluate the utility of the WHO criteria for the diagnosis and classification of a large series of mastocytosis patients (n=133), and propose a new algorithm that could be routinely applied for refined diagnosis and classification of the disease. Our results confirm the utility of the WHO criteria and provide evidence for the need of additional information for (1) a more precise diagnosis of mastocytosis, (2) specific identification of new forms of the disease, (3) the differential diagnosis between cutaneous mastocytosis vs systemic mastocytosis, and (4) improved distinction between indolent systemic mastocytosis and aggressive systemic mastocytosis. Based on our results, a new algorithm is proposed for a better diagnostic definition and prognostic classification of mastocytosis, as confirmed prospectively in an independent validation series of 117 mastocytosis patients.

Determining the Evaluative Criteria of an Argumentative Writing Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nimehchisalem, Vahid; Mukundan, Jayakaran

2011-01-01

Even though many writing scales have been developed, instructors, educational administrators or researchers may have to develop new scales to fit their specific testing situation. In so-doing, one of the initial steps to be taken is to determine the evaluative criteria on which the scale is supposed to be based. As a part of a project that was…

Evaluating the relative roles of ecological regions and land-cover composition for guiding establishment of nutrient criteria

Treesearch

James D. Wickham; Kurt H. Riitters; Timothy G. Wade; K. Bruce Jones

2005-01-01

The continuing degradation of United States surface waters by excessive nutrient loads has motivated the establishment of nutrient criteria for streams, lakes, and estuaries as a means to protect aquatic resources. Nutrient criteria have been established based on ecoregional differences, recognizing that geographic variation in climate, topography, geology, and land...

Installation Restoration Program. Phase II Stage I Study McGuire Air Force Base, Burlington County, New Jersey.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-10-01

risk level.derive human health criteria. Most evaluation and synthesis. Scientific SurmyofteJlrc &2criteria are based solely on exposure judg~~nt was...State drinking water and human health standards, criteria, and guidelines applica- ble in the State of New Jersey. On November 28, 1980, the U.S...established recommended maximum concentrations for acute and chronic exposure to these pollutants by both humans and aquatic life. The derivation of these

Integrating multi-criteria decision analysis for a GIS-based hazardous waste landfill sitting in Kurdistan Province, western Iran

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

Sharifi, Mozafar; Hadidi, Mosslem; Vessali, Elahe

2009-10-15

The evaluation of a hazardous waste disposal site is a complicated process because it requires data from diverse social and environmental fields. These data often involve processing of a significant amount of spatial information which can be used by GIS as an important tool for land use suitability analysis. This paper presents a multi-criteria decision analysis alongside with a geospatial analysis for the selection of hazardous waste landfill sites in Kurdistan Province, western Iran. The study employs a two-stage analysis to provide a spatial decision support system for hazardous waste management in a typically under developed region. The purpose ofmore » GIS was to perform an initial screening process to eliminate unsuitable land followed by utilization of a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to identify the most suitable sites using the information provided by the regional experts with reference to new chosen criteria. Using 21 exclusionary criteria, as input layers, masked maps were prepared. Creating various intermediate or analysis map layers a final overlay map was obtained representing areas for hazardous waste landfill sites. In order to evaluate different landfill sites produced by the overlaying a landfill suitability index system was developed representing cumulative effects of relative importance (weights) and suitability values of 14 non-exclusionary criteria including several criteria resulting from field observation. Using this suitability index 15 different sites were visited and based on the numerical evaluation provided by MCDA most suitable sites were determined.« less

Integrating multi-criteria decision analysis for a GIS-based hazardous waste landfill sitting in Kurdistan Province, western Iran.

PubMed

Sharifi, Mozafar; Hadidi, Mosslem; Vessali, Elahe; Mosstafakhani, Parasto; Taheri, Kamal; Shahoie, Saber; Khodamoradpour, Mehran

2009-10-01

The evaluation of a hazardous waste disposal site is a complicated process because it requires data from diverse social and environmental fields. These data often involve processing of a significant amount of spatial information which can be used by GIS as an important tool for land use suitability analysis. This paper presents a multi-criteria decision analysis alongside with a geospatial analysis for the selection of hazardous waste landfill sites in Kurdistan Province, western Iran. The study employs a two-stage analysis to provide a spatial decision support system for hazardous waste management in a typically under developed region. The purpose of GIS was to perform an initial screening process to eliminate unsuitable land followed by utilization of a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to identify the most suitable sites using the information provided by the regional experts with reference to new chosen criteria. Using 21 exclusionary criteria, as input layers, masked maps were prepared. Creating various intermediate or analysis map layers a final overlay map was obtained representing areas for hazardous waste landfill sites. In order to evaluate different landfill sites produced by the overlaying a landfill suitability index system was developed representing cumulative effects of relative importance (weights) and suitability values of 14 non-exclusionary criteria including several criteria resulting from field observation. Using this suitability index 15 different sites were visited and based on the numerical evaluation provided by MCDA most suitable sites were determined.

Features of childhood Sjögren's syndrome in comparison to adult Sjögren's syndrome: considerations in establishing child-specific diagnostic criteria.

PubMed

Yokogawa, Naoto; Lieberman, Scott M; Sherry, David D; Vivino, Frederick B

2016-01-01

To describe the clinical features of childhood Sjögren's syndrome (SS) in comparison to adult SS and to evaluate possible child-specific modifications to existing adult criteria for use in diagnosing childhood SS. We retrospectively identified children (age <18 years) with SS and compared the clinical, laboratory, and histopathological features of these children based on presence or absence of parotitis. We compared these features to adults with SS and evaluated the applicability of existing classification criteria in diagnosing childhood SS. Child-specific modifications to existing criteria were evaluated. Twenty-six children were included in our childhood SS group. Sixteen children had parotitis at or before presentation. Absence of parotitis was associated with greater degree of organ damage based on SS disease damage index. Compared to 413 adult SS patients, childhood SS was more commonly associated with parotitis, positive serologies, neurologic and nephrologic manifestations, and non-specific features (fever, lymphadenopathy) but less commonly associated with dry mouth and dry eyes. Only a minority of these children met previously established criteria for adult SS. Inclusion of child-specific features such as parotitis and the presence of any focal lymphocytic sialadenitis on minor salivary gland biopsy increased the proportion of children meeting these criteria. Childhood SS features may be different than adult SS features necessitating child-specific criteria for better diagnosis of childhood SS, a key step towards better understanding the features, prognosis, and outcomes in this disease.

A GIS-based extended fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation for landslide susceptibility mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feizizadeh, Bakhtiar; Shadman Roodposhti, Majid; Jankowski, Piotr; Blaschke, Thomas

2014-12-01

Landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) is making increasing use of GIS-based spatial analysis in combination with multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) methods. We have developed a new multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method for LSM and applied it to the Izeh River basin in south-western Iran. Our method is based on fuzzy membership functions (FMFs) derived from GIS analysis. It makes use of nine causal landslide factors identified by local landslide experts. Fuzzy set theory was first integrated with an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in order to use pairwise comparisons to compare LSM criteria for ranking purposes. FMFs were then applied in order to determine the criteria weights to be used in the development of a landslide susceptibility map. Finally, a landslide inventory database was used to validate the LSM map by comparing it with known landslides within the study area. Results indicated that the integration of fuzzy set theory with AHP produced significantly improved accuracies and a high level of reliability in the resulting landslide susceptibility map. Approximately 53% of known landslides within our study area fell within zones classified as having "very high susceptibility", with the further 31% falling into zones classified as having "high susceptibility".

A GIS-based extended fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation for landslide susceptibility mapping

PubMed Central

Feizizadeh, Bakhtiar; Shadman Roodposhti, Majid; Jankowski, Piotr; Blaschke, Thomas

2014-01-01

Landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) is making increasing use of GIS-based spatial analysis in combination with multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) methods. We have developed a new multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method for LSM and applied it to the Izeh River basin in south-western Iran. Our method is based on fuzzy membership functions (FMFs) derived from GIS analysis. It makes use of nine causal landslide factors identified by local landslide experts. Fuzzy set theory was first integrated with an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in order to use pairwise comparisons to compare LSM criteria for ranking purposes. FMFs were then applied in order to determine the criteria weights to be used in the development of a landslide susceptibility map. Finally, a landslide inventory database was used to validate the LSM map by comparing it with known landslides within the study area. Results indicated that the integration of fuzzy set theory with AHP produced significantly improved accuracies and a high level of reliability in the resulting landslide susceptibility map. Approximately 53% of known landslides within our study area fell within zones classified as having “very high susceptibility”, with the further 31% falling into zones classified as having “high susceptibility”. PMID:26089577

A GIS-based extended fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation for landslide susceptibility mapping.

PubMed

Feizizadeh, Bakhtiar; Shadman Roodposhti, Majid; Jankowski, Piotr; Blaschke, Thomas

2014-12-01

Landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) is making increasing use of GIS-based spatial analysis in combination with multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) methods. We have developed a new multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method for LSM and applied it to the Izeh River basin in south-western Iran. Our method is based on fuzzy membership functions (FMFs) derived from GIS analysis. It makes use of nine causal landslide factors identified by local landslide experts. Fuzzy set theory was first integrated with an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in order to use pairwise comparisons to compare LSM criteria for ranking purposes. FMFs were then applied in order to determine the criteria weights to be used in the development of a landslide susceptibility map. Finally, a landslide inventory database was used to validate the LSM map by comparing it with known landslides within the study area. Results indicated that the integration of fuzzy set theory with AHP produced significantly improved accuracies and a high level of reliability in the resulting landslide susceptibility map. Approximately 53% of known landslides within our study area fell within zones classified as having "very high susceptibility", with the further 31% falling into zones classified as having "high susceptibility".

Multi-criteria decision-making on assessment of proposed tidal barrage schemes in terms of environmental impacts.

PubMed

Wu, Yunna; Xu, Chuanbo; Ke, Yiming; Chen, Kaifeng; Xu, Hu

2017-12-15

For tidal range power plants to be sustainable, the environmental impacts caused by the implement of various tidal barrage schemes must be assessed before construction. However, several problems exist in the current researches: firstly, evaluation criteria of the tidal barrage schemes environmental impact assessment (EIA) are not adequate; secondly, uncertainty of criteria information fails to be processed properly; thirdly, correlation among criteria is unreasonably measured. Hence the contributions of this paper are as follows: firstly, an evaluation criteria system is established from three dimensions of hydrodynamic, biological and morphological aspects. Secondly, cloud model is applied to describe the uncertainty of criteria information. Thirdly, Choquet integral with respect to λ-fuzzy measure is introduced to measure the correlation among criteria. On the above bases, a multi-criteria decision-making decision framework for tidal barrage scheme EIA is established to select the optimal scheme. Finally, a case study demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed framework. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the green practice of food service supply chain management based on fuzzy DEMATEL-ANP model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaoying; Zhu, Qinghua

2017-01-01

The question on how to evaluate a company's green practice has recently become a key strategic consideration for the food service supply chain management. This paper proposed a novel hybrid model that combines a fuzzy Decision Making Trial And Evaluation Laboratory(DEMATEL) and Analysis Network Process(ANP) methods, which developed the green restaurant criteria and demonstrated the complicated relations among various criteria to help the food service operation to better analyze the real-world situation and determine the different weight value of the criteria .The analysis of the evaluation of green practices will help the food service operation to be clear about the key measures of green practice to improve supply chain management.

The Development Evaluation of Economic Zones in China.

PubMed

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

2018-01-02

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

The Development Evaluation of Economic Zones in China

PubMed Central

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

2018-01-01

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

User and System-Based Quality Criteria for Evaluating Information Resources and Services Available from Federal Websites: Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyman, Steven K.; And Others

This exploratory study establishes analytical tools (based on both technical criteria and user feedback) by which federal Web site administrators may assess the quality of their websites. The study combined qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques to achieve the following objectives: (1) identify and define key issues regarding…

Fully automated treatment planning for head and neck radiotherapy using a voxel-based dose prediction and dose mimicking method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McIntosh, Chris; Welch, Mattea; McNiven, Andrea; Jaffray, David A.; Purdie, Thomas G.

2017-08-01

Recent works in automated radiotherapy treatment planning have used machine learning based on historical treatment plans to infer the spatial dose distribution for a novel patient directly from the planning image. We present a probabilistic, atlas-based approach which predicts the dose for novel patients using a set of automatically selected most similar patients (atlases). The output is a spatial dose objective, which specifies the desired dose-per-voxel, and therefore replaces the need to specify and tune dose-volume objectives. Voxel-based dose mimicking optimization then converts the predicted dose distribution to a complete treatment plan with dose calculation using a collapsed cone convolution dose engine. In this study, we investigated automated planning for right-sided oropharaynx head and neck patients treated with IMRT and VMAT. We compare four versions of our dose prediction pipeline using a database of 54 training and 12 independent testing patients by evaluating 14 clinical dose evaluation criteria. Our preliminary results are promising and demonstrate that automated methods can generate comparable dose distributions to clinical. Overall, automated plans achieved an average of 0.6% higher dose for target coverage evaluation criteria, and 2.4% lower dose at the organs at risk criteria levels evaluated compared with clinical. There was no statistically significant difference detected in high-dose conformity between automated and clinical plans as measured by the conformation number. Automated plans achieved nine more unique criteria than clinical across the 12 patients tested and automated plans scored a significantly higher dose at the evaluation limit for two high-risk target coverage criteria and a significantly lower dose in one critical organ maximum dose. The novel dose prediction method with dose mimicking can generate complete treatment plans in 12-13 min without user interaction. It is a promising approach for fully automated treatment planning and can be readily applied to different treatment sites and modalities.

Fully automated treatment planning for head and neck radiotherapy using a voxel-based dose prediction and dose mimicking method.

PubMed

McIntosh, Chris; Welch, Mattea; McNiven, Andrea; Jaffray, David A; Purdie, Thomas G

2017-07-06

Recent works in automated radiotherapy treatment planning have used machine learning based on historical treatment plans to infer the spatial dose distribution for a novel patient directly from the planning image. We present a probabilistic, atlas-based approach which predicts the dose for novel patients using a set of automatically selected most similar patients (atlases). The output is a spatial dose objective, which specifies the desired dose-per-voxel, and therefore replaces the need to specify and tune dose-volume objectives. Voxel-based dose mimicking optimization then converts the predicted dose distribution to a complete treatment plan with dose calculation using a collapsed cone convolution dose engine. In this study, we investigated automated planning for right-sided oropharaynx head and neck patients treated with IMRT and VMAT. We compare four versions of our dose prediction pipeline using a database of 54 training and 12 independent testing patients by evaluating 14 clinical dose evaluation criteria. Our preliminary results are promising and demonstrate that automated methods can generate comparable dose distributions to clinical. Overall, automated plans achieved an average of 0.6% higher dose for target coverage evaluation criteria, and 2.4% lower dose at the organs at risk criteria levels evaluated compared with clinical. There was no statistically significant difference detected in high-dose conformity between automated and clinical plans as measured by the conformation number. Automated plans achieved nine more unique criteria than clinical across the 12 patients tested and automated plans scored a significantly higher dose at the evaluation limit for two high-risk target coverage criteria and a significantly lower dose in one critical organ maximum dose. The novel dose prediction method with dose mimicking can generate complete treatment plans in 12-13 min without user interaction. It is a promising approach for fully automated treatment planning and can be readily applied to different treatment sites and modalities.

Developing weighted criteria to evaluate lean reverse logistics through analytical network process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zagloel, Teuku Yuri M.; Hakim, Inaki Maulida; Krisnawardhani, Rike Adyartie

2017-11-01

Reverse logistics is a part of supply chain that bring materials from consumers back to manufacturer in order to gain added value or do a proper disposal. Nowadays, most companies are still facing several problems on reverse logistics implementation which leads to high waste along reverse logistics processes. In order to overcome this problem, Madsen [Framework for Reverse Lean Logistics to Enable Green Manufacturing, Eco Design 2009: 6th International Symposium on Environmentally Conscious Design and Inverse Manufacturing, Sapporo, 2009] has developed a lean reverse logistics framework as a step to eliminate waste by implementing lean on reverse logistics. However, the resulted framework sets aside criteria used to evaluate its performance. This research aims to determine weighted criteria that can be used as a base on reverse logistics evaluation by considering lean principles. The resulted criteria will ensure reverse logistics are kept off from waste, thus implemented efficiently. Analytical Network Process (ANP) is used in this research to determine the weighted criteria. The result shows that criteria used for evaluation lean reverse logistics are Innovation and Learning (35%), Economic (30%), Process Flow Management (14%), Customer Relationship Management (13%), Environment (6%), and Social (2%).

Electronic prescribing: criteria for evaluating handheld prescribing systems and an evaluation of a new, handheld, wireless wide area network (WWAN) prescribing system.

PubMed

Goldblum, O M

2001-02-01

The objectives of this study were: 1) to establish criteria for evaluating handheld computerized prescribing systems; and 2) to evaluate out-of-box performance and features of a new, Palm Operating System (OS)-based, handheld, wireless wide area network (WWAN) prescribing system. The system consisted of a Palm Vx handheld organizer, a Novatel Minstrel V wireless modem, OmniSky wireless internet access and ePhysician ePad 1.1, the Palm OS electronic prescribing software program. A dermatologist familiar with healthcare information technology conducted an evaluation of the performance and features of a new, handheld, WWAN electronic prescribing system in an office practice during a three-month period in 2000. System performance, defined as transmission success rate, was determined from data collected during the three-month trial. Evaluation criteria consisted of an analysis of features found in electronic prescribing systems. All prescriptions written for all patients seen during a three-month period (August - November, 2000) were eligible for inclusion. Prescriptions written for patients who intended to fill them at pharmacies without known facsimile receiving capabilities were excluded from the study. The performance of the system was evaluated using data collected during the study. Criteria for evaluating features of electronic prescribing systems were developed and used to analyze the system employed in this study. During this three-month trial, 200 electronic prescriptions were generated for 132 patients included in the study. Of these prescriptions, 92.5 percent were successfully transmitted to pharmacies. Transmission failures resulted from incorrect facsimile numbers and non-functioning facsimile machines. Criteria established for evaluation of electronic prescribing systems included System (Hardware & Software), Costs, System Features, Printing & Transmission, Formulary & Insurance, Customization, Drug Safety and Security. This study is the first effort to establish comprehensive criteria for evaluating handheld prescribing systems and to evaluate the performance and features of a handheld, electronic prescribing system. The results demonstrated that the evaluated system: 1) was simple to install; 2) successfully interfaced with a commonly used practice management system; 3) was user-friendly and easy to operate; 4) offered a robust variety of standard features; and, 5) resulted in a high rate of success for transmitting electronic prescriptions. The criteria established for the evaluation of features of an electronic prescribing system can be used to critically evaluate the performance and features of other handheld and personal computer-based electronic prescribing systems.

75 FR 8854 - Teacher Incentive Fund Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-26

...The Secretary of Education (Secretary) proposes priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria under the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) program. These proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria are designed to be used in two separate and distinct TIF grant competitions: The Main TIF competition, which will provide TIF funding to eligible entities to support their implementation of performance-based compensation systems (PBCSs) in accordance with the priorities, the Main TIF requirements, the definitions, and the selection criteria proposed in this document, and the TIF Evaluation competition, which will provide, in accordance with the priorities, the Main TIF requirements, the definitions, and the selection criteria as well as the Evaluation requirements proposed in this document, TIF funding to help pay for the costs of implementing these eligible entities' PBCS in exchange for an agreement to participate in the national evaluation. The Secretary may use these proposed TIF priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria in fiscal year (FY) 2010 and subsequent years. We intend the proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria to improve student achievement in high-need schools by creating incentives for effective teachers and principals in these schools.

Evaluation of animal models of neurobehavioral disorders

PubMed Central

van der Staay, F Josef; Arndt, Saskia S; Nordquist, Rebecca E

2009-01-01

Animal models play a central role in all areas of biomedical research. The process of animal model building, development and evaluation has rarely been addressed systematically, despite the long history of using animal models in the investigation of neuropsychiatric disorders and behavioral dysfunctions. An iterative, multi-stage trajectory for developing animal models and assessing their quality is proposed. The process starts with defining the purpose(s) of the model, preferentially based on hypotheses about brain-behavior relationships. Then, the model is developed and tested. The evaluation of the model takes scientific and ethical criteria into consideration. Model development requires a multidisciplinary approach. Preclinical and clinical experts should establish a set of scientific criteria, which a model must meet. The scientific evaluation consists of assessing the replicability/reliability, predictive, construct and external validity/generalizability, and relevance of the model. We emphasize the role of (systematic and extended) replications in the course of the validation process. One may apply a multiple-tiered 'replication battery' to estimate the reliability/replicability, validity, and generalizability of result. Compromised welfare is inherent in many deficiency models in animals. Unfortunately, 'animal welfare' is a vaguely defined concept, making it difficult to establish exact evaluation criteria. Weighing the animal's welfare and considerations as to whether action is indicated to reduce the discomfort must accompany the scientific evaluation at any stage of the model building and evaluation process. Animal model building should be discontinued if the model does not meet the preset scientific criteria, or when animal welfare is severely compromised. The application of the evaluation procedure is exemplified using the rat with neonatal hippocampal lesion as a proposed model of schizophrenia. In a manner congruent to that for improving animal models, guided by the procedure expounded upon in this paper, the developmental and evaluation procedure itself may be improved by careful definition of the purpose(s) of a model and by defining better evaluation criteria, based on the proposed use of the model. PMID:19243583

Application fuzzy multi-attribute decision analysis method to prioritize project success criteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phong, Nguyen Thanh; Quyen, Nguyen Le Hoang Thuy To

2017-11-01

Project success is a foundation for project owner to manage and control not only for the current project but also for future potential projects in construction companies. However, identifying the key success criteria for evaluating a particular project in real practice is a challenging task. Normally, it depends on a lot of factors, such as the expectation of the project owner and stakeholders, triple constraints of the project (cost, time, quality), and company's mission, vision, and objectives. Traditional decision-making methods for measuring the project success are usually based on subjective opinions of panel experts, resulting in irrational and inappropriate decisions. Therefore, this paper introduces a multi-attribute decision analysis method (MADAM) for weighting project success criteria by using fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process approach. It is found that this method is useful when dealing with imprecise and uncertain human judgments in evaluating project success criteria. Moreover, this research also suggests that although cost, time, and quality are three project success criteria projects, the satisfaction of project owner and acceptance of project stakeholders with the completed project criteria is the most important criteria for project success evaluation in Vietnam.

Presenting an evaluation model of the trauma registry software.

PubMed

Asadi, Farkhondeh; Paydar, Somayeh

2018-04-01

Trauma is a major cause of 10% death in the worldwide and is considered as a global concern. This problem has made healthcare policy makers and managers to adopt a basic strategy in this context. Trauma registry has an important and basic role in decreasing the mortality and the disabilities due to injuries resulted from trauma. Today, different software are designed for trauma registry. Evaluation of this software improves management, increases efficiency and effectiveness of these systems. Therefore, the aim of this study is to present an evaluation model for trauma registry software. The present study is an applied research. In this study, general and specific criteria of trauma registry software were identified by reviewing literature including books, articles, scientific documents, valid websites and related software in this domain. According to general and specific criteria and related software, a model for evaluating trauma registry software was proposed. Based on the proposed model, a checklist designed and its validity and reliability evaluated. Mentioned model by using of the Delphi technique presented to 12 experts and specialists. To analyze the results, an agreed coefficient of %75 was determined in order to apply changes. Finally, when the model was approved by the experts and professionals, the final version of the evaluation model for the trauma registry software was presented. For evaluating of criteria of trauma registry software, two groups were presented: 1- General criteria, 2- Specific criteria. General criteria of trauma registry software were classified into four main categories including: 1- usability, 2- security, 3- maintainability, and 4-interoperability. Specific criteria were divided into four main categories including: 1- data submission and entry, 2- reporting, 3- quality control, 4- decision and research support. The presented model in this research has introduced important general and specific criteria of trauma registry software and sub criteria related to each main criteria separately. This model was validated by experts in this field. Therefore, this model can be used as a comprehensive model and a standard evaluation tool for measuring efficiency and effectiveness and performance improvement of trauma registry software. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Age-Related Differences in Contribution of Rule-Based Thinking toward Moral Evaluations.

PubMed

Caravita, Simona C S; De Silva, Lindamulage N; Pagani, Vera; Colombo, Barbara; Antonietti, Alessandro

2017-01-01

This study aims to investigate the interplay of different criteria of moral evaluation, related to the type of the rule and context characteristics, in moral reasoning of children, early, and late adolescents. Students attending to fourth, seventh, and tenth grade were asked to evaluate the acceptability of rule breaking actions using ad hoc scenarios. Results suggest that the role of different moral evaluation criteria changes by age. During adolescence a greater integration of the moral criteria emerged. Moreover, adolescents also prioritized the evaluation of moral rule (forbidding to harm others) violations as non-acceptable when the perpetrator harms an innocent victim by applying a direct personal force. The relevance of these findings to increase the understanding of how moral reasoning changes by age for the assessment of impairments in moral reasoning of non-normative groups is also discussed.

Psychophysical relationships characterizing human response to whole-body sinusoidal vertical vibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leatherwood, J. D.; Dempsey, T. K.

1976-01-01

An experimental investigation determined that the psychophysical relationships between subjective discomfort evaluations to vibratory stimuli and subjective evaluations of the intensity of vibratory stimuli can be expressed in a linear fashion. Furthermore, significant differences were found to exist between discomfort and intensity subjective response for several but not all discrete frequencies investigated. The implication of these results is that ride quality criteria based upon subjective evaluation of vibration intensity should be applied cautiously in the development of criteria for human comfort.

An expert-based approach to forest road network planning by combining Delphi and spatial multi-criteria evaluation.

PubMed

Hayati, Elyas; Majnounian, Baris; Abdi, Ehsan; Sessions, John; Makhdoum, Majid

2013-02-01

Changes in forest landscapes resulting from road construction have increased remarkably in the last few years. On the other hand, the sustainable management of forest resources can only be achieved through a well-organized road network. In order to minimize the environmental impacts of forest roads, forest road managers must design the road network efficiently and environmentally as well. Efficient planning methodologies can assist forest road managers in considering the technical, economic, and environmental factors that affect forest road planning. This paper describes a three-stage methodology using the Delphi method for selecting the important criteria, the Analytic Hierarchy Process for obtaining the relative importance of the criteria, and finally, a spatial multi-criteria evaluation in a geographic information system (GIS) environment for identifying the lowest-impact road network alternative. Results of the Delphi method revealed that ground slope, lithology, distance from stream network, distance from faults, landslide susceptibility, erosion susceptibility, geology, and soil texture are the most important criteria for forest road planning in the study area. The suitability map for road planning was then obtained by combining the fuzzy map layers of these criteria with respect to their weights. Nine road network alternatives were designed using PEGGER, an ArcView GIS extension, and finally, their values were extracted from the suitability map. Results showed that the methodology was useful for identifying road that met environmental and cost considerations. Based on this work, we suggest future work in forest road planning using multi-criteria evaluation and decision making be considered in other regions and that the road planning criteria identified in this study may be useful.

13 CFR 119.12 - What criteria will SBA use to evaluate applications for funding under the PRIME program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... based on expertise and ability to fulfill the purposes of the Act. (2) SBA will evaluate organizational... communication capabilities (or potential for same). SBA will also evaluate data collection capabilities... product to the field. (d) Applications for Discretionary Grants will be evaluated based on the goals and...

13 CFR 119.12 - What criteria will SBA use to evaluate applications for funding under the PRIME program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... based on expertise and ability to fulfill the purposes of the Act. (2) SBA will evaluate organizational... communication capabilities (or potential for same). SBA will also evaluate data collection capabilities... product to the field. (d) Applications for Discretionary Grants will be evaluated based on the goals and...

13 CFR 119.12 - What criteria will SBA use to evaluate applications for funding under the PRIME program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... based on expertise and ability to fulfill the purposes of the Act. (2) SBA will evaluate organizational... communication capabilities (or potential for same). SBA will also evaluate data collection capabilities... product to the field. (d) Applications for Discretionary Grants will be evaluated based on the goals and...

13 CFR 119.12 - What criteria will SBA use to evaluate applications for funding under the PRIME program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... based on expertise and ability to fulfill the purposes of the Act. (2) SBA will evaluate organizational... communication capabilities (or potential for same). SBA will also evaluate data collection capabilities... product to the field. (d) Applications for Discretionary Grants will be evaluated based on the goals and...

A green chemistry-based classification model for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles

EPA Science Inventory

The assessment of implementation of green chemistry principles in the synthesis of nanomaterials is a complex decision-making problem that necessitates integration of several evaluation criteria. Multiple Criteria Decision Aiding (MCDA) provides support for such a challenge. One ...

Evaluating terrain based criteria for snow avalanche exposure ratings using GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delparte, Donna; Jamieson, Bruce; Waters, Nigel

2010-05-01

Snow avalanche terrain in backcountry regions of Canada is increasingly being assessed based upon the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES). ATES is a terrain based classification introduced in 2004 by Parks Canada to identify "simple", "challenging" and "complex" backcountry areas. The ATES rating system has been applied to well over 200 backcountry routes, has been used in guidebooks, trailhead signs and maps and is part of the trip planning component of the AVALUATOR™, a simple decision-support tool for backcountry users. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) offers a means to model and visualize terrain based criteria through the use of digital elevation model (DEM) and land cover data. Primary topographic variables such as slope, aspect and curvature are easily derived from a DEM and are compatible with the equivalent evaluation criteria in ATES. Other components of the ATES classification are difficult to extract from a DEM as they are not strictly terrain based. An overview is provided of the terrain variables that can be generated from DEM and land cover data; criteria from ATES which are not clearly terrain based are identified for further study or revision. The second component of this investigation was the development of an algorithm for inputting suitable ATES criteria into a GIS, thereby mimicking the process avalanche experts use when applying the ATES classification to snow avalanche terrain. GIS based classifications were compared to existing expert assessments for validity. The advantage of automating the ATES classification process through GIS is to assist avalanche experts with categorizing and mapping remote backcountry terrain.

Can state-of-the-art HVS-based objective image quality criteria be used for image reconstruction techniques based on ROI analysis?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dostal, P.; Krasula, L.; Klima, M.

2012-06-01

Various image processing techniques in multimedia technology are optimized using visual attention feature of the human visual system. Spatial non-uniformity causes that different locations in an image are of different importance in terms of perception of the image. In other words, the perceived image quality depends mainly on the quality of important locations known as regions of interest. The performance of such techniques is measured by subjective evaluation or objective image quality criteria. Many state-of-the-art objective metrics are based on HVS properties; SSIM, MS-SSIM based on image structural information, VIF based on the information that human brain can ideally gain from the reference image or FSIM utilizing the low-level features to assign the different importance to each location in the image. But still none of these objective metrics utilize the analysis of regions of interest. We solve the question if these objective metrics can be used for effective evaluation of images reconstructed by processing techniques based on ROI analysis utilizing high-level features. In this paper authors show that the state-of-the-art objective metrics do not correlate well with subjective evaluation while the demosaicing based on ROI analysis is used for reconstruction. The ROI were computed from "ground truth" visual attention data. The algorithm combining two known demosaicing techniques on the basis of ROI location is proposed to reconstruct the ROI in fine quality while the rest of image is reconstructed with low quality. The color image reconstructed by this ROI approach was compared with selected demosaicing techniques by objective criteria and subjective testing. The qualitative comparison of the objective and subjective results indicates that the state-of-the-art objective metrics are still not suitable for evaluation image processing techniques based on ROI analysis and new criteria is demanded.

Evaluative criteria for qualitative research in health care: controversies and recommendations.

PubMed

Cohen, Deborah J; Crabtree, Benjamin F

2008-01-01

We wanted to review and synthesize published criteria for good qualitative research and develop a cogent set of evaluative criteria. We identified published journal articles discussing criteria for rigorous research using standard search strategies then examined reference sections of relevant journal articles to identify books and book chapters on this topic. A cross-publication content analysis allowed us to identify criteria and understand the beliefs that shape them. Seven criteria for good qualitative research emerged: (1) carrying out ethical research; (2) importance of the research; (3) clarity and coherence of the research report; (4) use of appropriate and rigorous methods; (5) importance of reflexivity or attending to researcher bias; (6) importance of establishing validity or credibility; and (7) importance of verification or reliability. General agreement was observed across publications on the first 4 quality dimensions. On the last 3, important divergent perspectives were observed in how these criteria should be applied to qualitative research, with differences based on the paradigm embraced by the authors. Qualitative research is not a unified field. Most manuscript and grant reviewers are not qualitative experts and are likely to embrace a generic set of criteria rather than those relevant to the particular qualitative approach proposed or reported. Reviewers and researchers need to be aware of this tendency and educate health care researchers about the criteria appropriate for evaluating qualitative research from within the theoretical and methodological framework from which it emerges.

DRUG EVALUATION AND DECISION MAKING IN CATALONIA: DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK BASED ON MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS (MCDA) FOR ORPHAN DRUGS.

PubMed

Gilabert-Perramon, Antoni; Torrent-Farnell, Josep; Catalan, Arancha; Prat, Alba; Fontanet, Manel; Puig-Peiró, Ruth; Merino-Montero, Sandra; Khoury, Hanane; Goetghebeur, Mireille M; Badia, Xavier

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to adapt and assess the value of a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) framework (EVIDEM) for the evaluation of Orphan drugs in Catalonia (Catalan Health Service). The standard evaluation and decision-making procedures of CatSalut were compared with the EVIDEM methodology and contents. The EVIDEM framework was adapted to the Catalan context, focusing on the evaluation of Orphan drugs (PASFTAC program), during a Workshop with sixteen PASFTAC members. The criteria weighting was done using two different techniques (nonhierarchical and hierarchical). Reliability was assessed by re-test. The EVIDEM framework and methodology was found useful and feasible for Orphan drugs evaluation and decision making in Catalonia. All the criteria considered for the development of the CatSalut Technical Reports and decision making were considered in the framework. Nevertheless, the framework could improve the reporting of some of these criteria (i.e., "unmet needs" or "nonmedical costs"). Some Contextual criteria were removed (i.e., "Mandate and scope of healthcare system", "Environmental impact") or adapted ("population priorities and access") for CatSalut purposes. Independently of the weighting technique considered, the most important evaluation criteria identified for orphan drugs were: "disease severity", "unmet needs" and "comparative effectiveness", while the "size of the population" had the lowest relevance for decision making. Test-retest analysis showed weight consistency among techniques, supporting reliability overtime. MCDA (EVIDEM framework) could be a useful tool to complement the current evaluation methods of CatSalut, contributing to standardization and pragmatism, providing a method to tackle ethical dilemmas and facilitating discussions related to decision making.

How will we know "good" qualitative research when we see it? Beginning the dialogue in health services research.

PubMed

Devers, K J

1999-12-01

To lay the foundation for an explicit review and dialogue concerning the criteria that should be used to evaluate qualitative health services research. Clear criteria are critical for the discipline because they provide a benchmark against which research can be assessed. Existing literature in the social sciences and health services research, particularly in primary care and medicine. Traditional criteria for evaluating qualitative research are rooted in the philosophical perspective (positivism) most closely associated with quantitative research and methods. As a result, qualitative research and methods may not be used as frequently as they can be and research results generated from qualitative studies may not be disseminated as widely as possible. However, alternative criteria for evaluating qualitative research have been proposed that reflect a different philosophical perspective (post-positivism). Moreover, these criteria are tailored to the unique purposes for which qualitative research is used and the research designs traditionally employed. While criteria based on these two different philosophical perspectives have much in common, some important differences exist. The field of health services research must engage in a collective, "qualitative" process to determine which criteria to adopt (positivist or post-positivist), or whether some combination of the two is most appropriate. Greater clarity about the criteria used to evaluate qualitative research will strengthen the discipline by fostering a more appropriate and improved use of qualitative methods, a greater willingness to fund and publish "good" qualitative research, and the development of more informed consumers of qualitative research results.

Impact of UCSF criteria according to pre- and post-OLT tumor features: analysis of 479 patients listed for HCC with a short waiting time.

PubMed

Decaens, Thomas; Roudot-Thoraval, Françoise; Hadni-Bresson, Solange; Meyer, Carole; Gugenheim, Jean; Durand, Francois; Bernard, Pierre-Henri; Boillot, Olivier; Sulpice, Laurent; Calmus, Yvon; Hardwigsen, Jean; Ducerf, Christian; Pageaux, Georges-Philippe; Dharancy, Sebastien; Chazouilleres, Olivier; Cherqui, Daniel; Duvoux, Christophe

2006-12-01

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) indication for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently based on the Milan criteria. The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) recently proposed an expansion of the selection criteria according to tumors characteristics on the explanted liver. This study: 1) assessed the validity of these criteria in an independent large series and 2) tested for the usefulness of these criteria when applied to pre-OLT tumor evaluation. Between 1985 and 1998, 479 patients were listed for liver transplantation (LT) for HCC and 467 were transplanted. According to pre-OLT (imaging at date of listing) or post-OLT (explanted liver) tumor characteristics, patients were retrospectively classified according to both the Milan and UCSF criteria. The 5-yr survival statistics were assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. Pre-OLT UCSF criteria were analyzed according to an intention-to-treat principle. Based on the pre-OLT evaluation, 279 patients were Milan+, 44 patients were UCSF+ but Milan- (subgroup of patients that might benefit from the expansion), and 145 patients were UCSF- and Milan-. With a short median waiting time of 4 months, 5-yr survival was 60.1 +/- 3.0%, 45.6 +/- 7.8%, and 34.7 +/- 4.0%, respectively (P < 0.001). The 5-yr survival was arithmetically lower in UCSF+ Milan- patients compared to Milan+ but this difference was not significant (P = 0.10). Based on pathological features of the explanted liver, 5-yr survival was 70.4 +/- 3.4%, 63.6 +/- 7.8%, and 34.1 +/- 3.1%, in Milan+ patients (n = 184), UCSF+ Milan- patients (n = 39), and UCSF- Milan- patients (n = 238), respectively (P < 0.001). However, the 5-yr survival did not differ between Milan+ and UCSF+ Milan- patients (P = 0.33). In conclusion, these results show that when applied to pre-OLT evaluation, the UCSF criteria are associated with a 5-yr survival below 50%. Their applicability is therefore limited, despite similar survival rates compared to the Milan criteria, when the explanted liver is taken into account.

Developing and using a rubric for evaluating evidence-based medicine point-of-care tools.

PubMed

Shurtz, Suzanne; Foster, Margaret J

2011-07-01

The research sought to establish a rubric for evaluating evidence-based medicine (EBM) point-of-care tools in a health sciences library. The authors searched the literature for EBM tool evaluations and found that most previous reviews were designed to evaluate the ability of an EBM tool to answer a clinical question. The researchers' goal was to develop and complete rubrics for assessing these tools based on criteria for a general evaluation of tools (reviewing content, search options, quality control, and grading) and criteria for an evaluation of clinical summaries (searching tools for treatments of common diagnoses and evaluating summaries for quality control). Differences between EBM tools' options, content coverage, and usability were minimal. However, the products' methods for locating and grading evidence varied widely in transparency and process. As EBM tools are constantly updating and evolving, evaluation of these tools needs to be conducted frequently. Standards for evaluating EBM tools need to be established, with one method being the use of objective rubrics. In addition, EBM tools need to provide more information about authorship, reviewers, methods for evidence collection, and grading system employed.

Developing a modular architecture for creation of rule-based clinical diagnostic criteria.

PubMed

Hong, Na; Pathak, Jyotishman; Chute, Christopher G; Jiang, Guoqian

2016-01-01

With recent advances in computerized patient records system, there is an urgent need for producing computable and standards-based clinical diagnostic criteria. Notably, constructing rule-based clinical diagnosis criteria has become one of the goals in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11 revision. However, few studies have been done in building a unified architecture to support the need for diagnostic criteria computerization. In this study, we present a modular architecture for enabling the creation of rule-based clinical diagnostic criteria leveraging Semantic Web technologies. The architecture consists of two modules: an authoring module that utilizes a standards-based information model and a translation module that leverages Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL). In a prototype implementation, we created a diagnostic criteria upper ontology (DCUO) that integrates ICD-11 content model with the Quality Data Model (QDM). Using the DCUO, we developed a transformation tool that converts QDM-based diagnostic criteria into Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) representation. We evaluated the domain coverage of the upper ontology model using randomly selected diagnostic criteria from broad domains (n = 20). We also tested the transformation algorithms using 6 QDM templates for ontology population and 15 QDM-based criteria data for rule generation. As the results, the first draft of DCUO contains 14 root classes, 21 subclasses, 6 object properties and 1 data property. Investigation Findings, and Signs and Symptoms are the two most commonly used element types. All 6 HQMF templates are successfully parsed and populated into their corresponding domain specific ontologies and 14 rules (93.3 %) passed the rule validation. Our efforts in developing and prototyping a modular architecture provide useful insight into how to build a scalable solution to support diagnostic criteria representation and computerization.

A Portable Computer System for Auditing Quality of Ambulatory Care

PubMed Central

McCoy, J. Michael; Dunn, Earl V.; Borgiel, Alexander E.

1987-01-01

Prior efforts to effectively and efficiently audit quality of ambulatory care based on comprehensive process criteria have been limited largely by the complexity and cost of data abstraction and management. Over the years, several demonstration projects have generated large sets of process criteria and mapping systems for evaluating quality of care, but these paper-based approaches have been impractical to implement on a routine basis. Recognizing that portable microcomputers could solve many of the technical problems in abstracting data from medical records, we built upon previously described criteria and developed a microcomputer-based abstracting system that facilitates reliable and cost-effective data abstraction.

Selenium transport and bioaccumulation in aquatic ecosystems: a proposal for water quality criteria based on hydrological units.

Treesearch

A. Dennis Lemly

1999-01-01

Local water quality criteria for selenium should be based on an assessment of the degree of toxicological hazard to fish and wildlife, which is influenced by the spatial and temporal variation of the selenium cycle at the site under consideration. The physical area from which measurements are taken to evaluate selenium residues and biological effects, i.e., the...

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

Szoka de Valladares, M.R.; Mack, S.

The DOE Hydrogen Program needs to develop criteria as part of a systematic evaluation process for proposal identification, evaluation and selection. The H Scan component of this process provides a framework in which a project proposer can fully describe their candidate technology system and its components. The H Scan complements traditional methods of capturing cost and technical information. It consists of a special set of survey forms designed to elicit information so expert reviewers can assess the proposal relative to DOE specified selection criteria. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) component of the decision process assembles the management defined evaluation andmore » selection criteria into a coherent multi-level decision construct by which projects can be evaluated in pair-wise comparisons. The AHP model will reflect management`s objectives and it will assist in the ranking of individual projects based on the extent to which each contributes to management`s objectives. This paper contains a detailed description of the products and activities associated with the planning and evaluation process: The objectives or criteria; the H Scan; and The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP).« less

Science and pseudoscience in communication disorders: criteria and applications.

PubMed

Finn, Patrick; Bothe, Anne K; Bramlett, Robin E

2005-08-01

The purpose of this tutorial is to describe 10 criteria that may help clinicians distinguish between scientific and pseudoscientific treatment claims. The criteria are illustrated, first for considering whether to use a newly developed treatment and second for attempting to understand arguments about controversial treatments. Pseudoscience refers to claims that appear to be based on the scientific method but are not. Ten criteria for distinguishing between scientific and pseudoscientific treatment claims are described. These criteria are illustrated by using them to assess a current treatment for stuttering, the SpeechEasy device. The authors read the available literature about the device and developed a consensus set of decisions about the 10 criteria. To minimize any bias, a second set of independent judges evaluated a sample of the same literature. The criteria are also illustrated by using them to assess controversies surrounding 2 treatment approaches: Fast ForWord and facilitated communication. Clinicians are increasingly being held responsible for the evidence base that supports their practice. The power of these 10 criteria lies in their ability to help clinicians focus their attention on the credibility of that base and to guide their decisions for recommending or using a treatment.

Potential Impact of DSM-5 Criteria on Autism Spectrum Disorder Prevalence Estimates

PubMed Central

Maenner, Matthew J.; Rice, Catherine E.; Arneson, Carrie L.; Cunniff, Christopher; Schieve, Laura A.; Carpenter, Laura A.; Van Naarden Braun, Kim; Kirby, Russell S.; Bakian, Amanda V.; Durkin, Maureen S.

2014-01-01

IMPORTANCE The DSM-5 contains revised diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from the DSM-IV-TR. Potential impacts of the new criteria on ASD prevalence are unclear. OBJECTIVE To assess potential effects of the DSM-5 ASD criteria on ASD prevalence estimation by retrospectively applying the new criteria to population-based surveillance data collected for previous ASD prevalence estimation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional, population-based ASD surveillance based on clinician review of coded behaviors documented in children’s medical and educational evaluations from 14 geographically defined areas in the United States participating in the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network in 2006 and 2008. This study included 8-year-old children living in ADDM Network study areas in 2006 or 2008, including 644 883 children under surveillance, of whom 6577 met surveillance ASD case status based on the DSM-IV-TR. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Proportion of children meeting ADDM Network ASD criteria based on the DSM-IV-TR who also met DSM-5 criteria; overall prevalence of ASD using DSM-5 criteria. RESULTS Among the 6577 children classified by the ADDM Network as having ASD based on the DSM-IV-TR, 5339 (81.2%) met DSM-5 ASD criteria. This percentage was similar for boys and girls but higher for those with than without intellectual disability (86.6% and 72.5%, respectively; P < .001). A total of 304 children met DSM-5 ASD criteria but not current ADDM Network ASD case status. Based on these findings, ASD prevalence per 1000 for 2008 would have been 10.0 (95% CI, 9.6–10.3) using DSM-5 criteria compared with the reported prevalence based on DSM-IV-TR criteria of 11.3 (95% CI, 11.0–11.7). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates will likely be lower under DSM-5 than under DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria, although this effect could be tempered by future adaptation of diagnostic practices and documentation of behaviors to fit the new criteria. PMID:24452504

Age-Related Differences in Contribution of Rule-Based Thinking toward Moral Evaluations

PubMed Central

Caravita, Simona C. S.; De Silva, Lindamulage N.; Pagani, Vera; Colombo, Barbara; Antonietti, Alessandro

2017-01-01

This study aims to investigate the interplay of different criteria of moral evaluation, related to the type of the rule and context characteristics, in moral reasoning of children, early, and late adolescents. Students attending to fourth, seventh, and tenth grade were asked to evaluate the acceptability of rule breaking actions using ad hoc scenarios. Results suggest that the role of different moral evaluation criteria changes by age. During adolescence a greater integration of the moral criteria emerged. Moreover, adolescents also prioritized the evaluation of moral rule (forbidding to harm others) violations as non-acceptable when the perpetrator harms an innocent victim by applying a direct personal force. The relevance of these findings to increase the understanding of how moral reasoning changes by age for the assessment of impairments in moral reasoning of non-normative groups is also discussed. PMID:28473788

Process evaluation distributed system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moffatt, Christopher L. (Inventor)

2006-01-01

The distributed system includes a database server, an administration module, a process evaluation module, and a data display module. The administration module is in communication with the database server for providing observation criteria information to the database server. The process evaluation module is in communication with the database server for obtaining the observation criteria information from the database server and collecting process data based on the observation criteria information. The process evaluation module utilizes a personal digital assistant (PDA). A data display module in communication with the database server, including a website for viewing collected process data in a desired metrics form, the data display module also for providing desired editing and modification of the collected process data. The connectivity established by the database server to the administration module, the process evaluation module, and the data display module, minimizes the requirement for manual input of the collected process data.

ELICIT: An alternative imprecise weight elicitation technique for use in multi-criteria decision analysis for healthcare.

PubMed

Diaby, Vakaramoko; Sanogo, Vassiki; Moussa, Kouame Richard

2016-01-01

In this paper, the readers are introduced to ELICIT, an imprecise weight elicitation technique for multicriteria decision analysis for healthcare. The application of ELICIT consists of two steps: the rank ordering of evaluation criteria based on decision-makers' (DMs) preferences using the principal component analysis; and the estimation of criteria weights and their descriptive statistics using the variable interdependent analysis and the Monte Carlo method. The application of ELICIT is illustrated with a hypothetical case study involving the elicitation of weights for five criteria used to select the best device for eye surgery. The criteria were ranked from 1-5, based on a strict preference relationship established by the DMs. For each criterion, the deterministic weight was estimated as well as the standard deviation and 95% credibility interval. ELICIT is appropriate in situations where only ordinal DMs' preferences are available to elicit decision criteria weights.

Application of risk-based multiple criteria decision analysis for selection of the best agricultural scenario for effective watershed management.

PubMed

Javidi Sabbaghian, Reza; Zarghami, Mahdi; Nejadhashemi, A Pouyan; Sharifi, Mohammad Bagher; Herman, Matthew R; Daneshvar, Fariborz

2016-03-01

Effective watershed management requires the evaluation of agricultural best management practice (BMP) scenarios which carefully consider the relevant environmental, economic, and social criteria involved. In the Multiple Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) process, scenarios are first evaluated and then ranked to determine the most desirable outcome for the particular watershed. The main challenge of this process is the accurate identification of the best solution for the watershed in question, despite the various risk attitudes presented by the associated decision-makers (DMs). This paper introduces a novel approach for implementation of the MCDM process based on a comparative neutral risk/risk-based decision analysis, which results in the selection of the most desirable scenario for use in the entire watershed. At the sub-basin level, each scenario includes multiple BMPs with scores that have been calculated using the criteria derived from two cases of neutral risk and risk-based decision-making. The simple additive weighting (SAW) operator is applied for use in neutral risk decision-making, while the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) and induced OWA (IOWA) operators are effective for risk-based decision-making. At the watershed level, the BMP scores of the sub-basins are aggregated to calculate each scenarios' combined goodness measurements; the most desirable scenario for the entire watershed is then selected based on the combined goodness measurements. Our final results illustrate the type of operator and risk attitudes needed to satisfy the relevant criteria within the number of sub-basins, and how they ultimately affect the final ranking of the given scenarios. The methodology proposed here has been successfully applied to the Honeyoey Creek-Pine Creek watershed in Michigan, USA to evaluate various BMP scenarios and determine the best solution for both the stakeholders and the overall stream health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantifying the quality of medical x-ray images: An evaluation based on normal anatomy for lumbar spine and chest radiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tingberg, Anders Martin

Optimisation in diagnostic radiology requires accurate methods for determination of patient absorbed dose and clinical image quality. Simple methods for evaluation of clinical image quality are at present scarce and this project aims at developing such methods. Two methods are used and further developed; fulfillment of image criteria (IC) and visual grading analysis (VGA). Clinical image quality descriptors are defined based on these two methods: image criteria score (ICS) and visual grading analysis score (VGAS), respectively. For both methods the basis is the Image Criteria of the ``European Guidelines on Quality Criteria for Diagnostic Radiographic Images''. Both methods have proved to be useful for evaluation of clinical image quality. The two methods complement each other: IC is an absolute method, which means that the quality of images of different patients and produced with different radiographic techniques can be compared with each other. The separating power of IC is, however, weaker than that of VGA. VGA is the best method for comparing images produced with different radiographic techniques and has strong separating power, but the results are relative, since the quality of an image is compared to the quality of a reference image. The usefulness of the two methods has been verified by comparing the results from both of them with results from a generally accepted method for evaluation of clinical image quality, receiver operating characteristics (ROC). The results of the comparison between the two methods based on visibility of anatomical structures and the method based on detection of pathological structures (free-response forced error) indicate that the former two methods can be used for evaluation of clinical image quality as efficiently as the method based on ROC. More studies are, however, needed for us to be able to draw a general conclusion, including studies of other organs, using other radiographic techniques, etc. The results of the experimental evaluation of clinical image quality are compared with physical quantities calculated with a theoretical model based on a voxel phantom, and correlations are found. The results demonstrate that the computer model can be a useful toot in planning further experimental studies.

Implementing AORN recommended practices for product selection.

PubMed

Conrardy, Julie A

2012-06-01

This article focuses on the revised AORN "Recommended practices for product selection in perioperative practice settings." Hospitals and ambulatory surgery facilities should have protocols in place for product evaluation that includes a multidisciplinary team approach. The process for product evaluation and selection includes gathering information; establishing consistent requirements for product evaluation; performing a financial impact analysis; investigating a plan to standardize products; conducting an environmental impact analysis; determining whether to purchase single-use, reposable, or reusable products or reprocess single-use devices; developing an evaluation process based on objective criteria; and developing and implementing a comprehensive plan to introduce and use new products. Use of an evaluation tool that is based on objective criteria is one way to obtain valuable input during product evaluations. Because of varied roles and experiences, the perioperative RN is an integral member of the product selection committee. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Accelerated development and flight evaluation of active controls concepts for subsonic transport aircraft. Volume 2: AFT C.G. simulation and analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Urie, D. M.

1979-01-01

Relaxed static stability and stability augmentation with active controls were investigated for subsonic transport aircraft. Analytical and simulator evaluations were done using a contemporary wide body transport as a baseline. Criteria for augmentation system performance and unaugmented flying qualities were evaluated. Augmentation control laws were defined based on selected frequency response and time history criteria. Flying qualities evaluations were conducted by pilots using a moving base simulator with a transport cab. Static margin and air turbulence intensity were varied in test with and without augmentation. Suitability of a simple pitch control law was verified at neutral static margin in cruise and landing flight tasks. Neutral stability was found to be marginally acceptable in heavy turbulence in both cruise and landing conditions.

Drilling deeper into the core: an analysis of journal evaluation methodologies used to create the "Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials," third edition.

PubMed

Ugaz, Ana G

2011-04-01

The paper analyzes the journal evaluation criteria used to create the third edition of a core list of veterinary serials to determine the impact of each criterion on the final composition of the list in order to assess the value of using multiple criteria in creating a core list. Three additional lists were generated from criteria that were previously combined to prepare the third edition of the "Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials": a list based on journal recommendations from veterinary specialty organizations, another list based on journals selected by veterinary librarians, and a list based on both indexing coverage and scholarly rank. The top fifteen journals in each of the three lists were then compared to reveal potential biases. Subject representation on the full lists generated by each of these methods was also compared. The list based on journal recommendations from veterinary specialty organizations exhibited a focus on clinically relevant titles. The list based on veterinary librarian recommendations resulted in the broadest subject coverage. The list based on indexing and scholarly rank, while emphasizing research titles, produced the largest number of unique titles. A combination approach that includes objective evaluation measures and practical input, whether from librarians or discipline experts, can improve coverage and can result in a list that balances research-based with clinical practice journals.

Teaching mathematical word problem solving: the quality of evidence for strategy instruction priming the problem structure.

PubMed

Jitendra, Asha K; Petersen-Brown, Shawna; Lein, Amy E; Zaslofsky, Anne F; Kunkel, Amy K; Jung, Pyung-Gang; Egan, Andrea M

2015-01-01

This study examined the quality of the research base related to strategy instruction priming the underlying mathematical problem structure for students with learning disabilities and those at risk for mathematics difficulties. We evaluated the quality of methodological rigor of 18 group research studies using the criteria proposed by Gersten et al. and 10 single case design (SCD) research studies using criteria suggested by Horner et al. and the What Works Clearinghouse. Results indicated that 14 group design studies met the criteria for high-quality or acceptable research, whereas SCD studies did not meet the standards for an evidence-based practice. Based on these findings, strategy instruction priming the mathematics problem structure is considered an evidence-based practice using only group design methodological criteria. Implications for future research and for practice are discussed. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2013.

Principes de la conception de tests destines a l'evaluation prealable d'etudiants etrangers venant etudier en Grande-Bretagne (Criteria for the Development of English Proficiency Tests for Foreign Students Enrolling in British Universities).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seaton, Ian

1981-01-01

Describes the criteria behind the development of the English Language Testing Service system, a new language proficiency evaluation instrument developed by the British Council. This system is based on an analysis of foreign students' communication needs in the context of their professional training and academic life. Societe Nouvelle Didier…

The role of home-based information and communications technology interventions in chronic disease management: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Gaikwad, Rekha; Warren, Jim

2009-06-01

This article presents a systematic literature review done to evaluate the feasibility and benefits of home-based information and communications technology enabled interventions for chronic disease management, with emphasis on their impact on health outcomes and costs. Relevant articles were retrieved from PubMed and evaluated using quality worksheets with pre-identified inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of the 256 articles retrieved, 27 were found to concord with the study criteria. Evaluation of the identified articles was conducted irrespective of study design, type of home-based intervention or chronic disease involved. The review demonstrates that HBIs applied to chronic disease management improve functional and cognitive patient outcomes and reduce healthcare spending. However, further research is needed to assess benefit in terms of evidence-based outcome indicators (that can provide a basis for meta-analysis), to confirm sustainable cost benefits, and to systematically collect data on physician satisfaction with patient management.

Development of methods for establishing nutrient criteria in lakes and reservoirs: A review.

PubMed

Huo, Shouliang; Ma, Chunzi; Xi, Beidou; Zhang, Yali; Wu, Fengchang; Liu, Hongliang

2018-05-01

Nutrient criteria provide a scientific foundation for the comprehensive evaluation, prevention, control and management of water eutrophication. In this review, the literature was examined to systematically evaluate the benefits, drawbacks, and applications of statistical analysis, paleolimnological reconstruction, stressor-response model, and model inference approaches for nutrient criteria determination. The developments and challenges in the determination of nutrient criteria in lakes and reservoirs are presented. Reference lakes can reflect the original states of lakes, but reference sites are often unavailable. Using the paleolimnological reconstruction method, it is often difficult to reconstruct the historical nutrient conditions of shallow lakes in which the sediments are easily disturbed. The model inference approach requires sufficient data to identify the appropriate equations and characterize a waterbody or group of waterbodies, thereby increasing the difficulty of establishing nutrient criteria. The stressor-response model is a potential development direction for nutrient criteria determination, and the mechanisms of stressor-response models should be studied further. Based on studies of the relationships among water ecological criteria, eutrophication, nutrient criteria and plankton, methods for determining nutrient criteria should be closely integrated with water management requirements. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Evaluation Criteria for Competency-Based Syllabi: A Chilean Case Study Applying Mixed Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jerez, Oscar; Valenzuela, Leslier; Pizarro, Veronica; Hasbun, Beatriz; Valenzuela, Gabriela; Orsini, Cesar

2016-01-01

In recent decades, higher education institutions worldwide have been moving from knowledge-based to competence-based curricula. One of the greatest challenges in this transition is the difficulty in changing the knowledge-oriented practices of teachers. This study evaluates the consistency between syllabus design and the requirements imposed by a…

77 FR 43405 - Final Standard Review Plan, Branch Technical Position 7-19 on Guidance for Evaluation of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-24

... Digital Computer-Based Instrumentation and Control Systems.'' This BTP is to be cited as the acceptance criteria for Diversity and Defense-in-Depth in Digital Computer-Based Instrumentation and Control Systems... Evaluation of Diversity and Defense-in-Depth in Digital Computer-Based Instrumentation and Control Systems...

Criteria-based evaluation of group 3 level memory telefacsimile equipment for interlibrary loan.

PubMed Central

Bennett, V M; Wood, M S; Malcom, D L

1990-01-01

The Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery, and Union List Task Force of the Health Sciences Libraries Consortium (HSLC)--with nineteen libraries located in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware--accepted the charge of evaluating and recommending for purchase telefacsimile hardware to further interlibrary loan among HSLC members. To allow a thorough and scientific evaluation of group 3 level telefacsimile equipment, the task force identified ninety-six hardware features, which were grouped into nine broad criteria. These features formed the basis of a weighted analysis that identified three final candidates, with one model recommended to the HSLC board. This article details each of the criteria and discusses features in terms of library applications. The evaluation grid developed in the weighted analysis process should aid librarians charged with the selection of level 3 telefacsimile equipment. PMID:2328361

Technology Enhanced Teacher Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teter, Richard B.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this research and development study was to design and develop an affordable, computer-based, pre-service teacher assessment and reporting system to allow teacher education institutions and supervising teachers to efficiently enter evaluation criteria, record pre-service teacher evaluations, and generate evaluation reports. The…

A pragmatic method for electronic medical record-based observational studies: developing an electronic medical records retrieval system for clinical research

PubMed Central

Yamamoto, Keiichi; Sumi, Eriko; Yamazaki, Toru; Asai, Keita; Yamori, Masashi; Teramukai, Satoshi; Bessho, Kazuhisa; Yokode, Masayuki; Fukushima, Masanori

2012-01-01

Objective The use of electronic medical record (EMR) data is necessary to improve clinical research efficiency. However, it is not easy to identify patients who meet research eligibility criteria and collect the necessary information from EMRs because the data collection process must integrate various techniques, including the development of a data warehouse and translation of eligibility criteria into computable criteria. This research aimed to demonstrate an electronic medical records retrieval system (ERS) and an example of a hospital-based cohort study that identified both patients and exposure with an ERS. We also evaluated the feasibility and usefulness of the method. Design The system was developed and evaluated. Participants In total, 800 000 cases of clinical information stored in EMRs at our hospital were used. Primary and secondary outcome measures The feasibility and usefulness of the ERS, the method to convert text from eligible criteria to computable criteria, and a confirmation method to increase research data accuracy. Results To comprehensively and efficiently collect information from patients participating in clinical research, we developed an ERS. To create the ERS database, we designed a multidimensional data model optimised for patient identification. We also devised practical methods to translate narrative eligibility criteria into computable parameters. We applied the system to an actual hospital-based cohort study performed at our hospital and converted the test results into computable criteria. Based on this information, we identified eligible patients and extracted data necessary for confirmation by our investigators and for statistical analyses with our ERS. Conclusions We propose a pragmatic methodology to identify patients from EMRs who meet clinical research eligibility criteria. Our ERS allowed for the efficient collection of information on the eligibility of a given patient, reduced the labour required from the investigators and improved the reliability of the results. PMID:23117567

Use of a modified Delphi panel to identify and weight criteria for prioritization of zoonotic diseases in Switzerland.

PubMed

Stebler, N; Schuepbach-Regula, G; Braam, P; Falzon, L C

2015-09-01

Zoonotic diseases have a significant impact on public health globally. To prevent or reduce future zoonotic outbreaks, there is a constant need to invest in research and surveillance programs while updating risk management strategies. However, given the limited resources available, disease prioritization based on the need for their control and surveillance is important. This study was performed to identify and weight disease criteria for the prioritization of zoonotic diseases in Switzerland using a semi-quantitative research method based on expert opinion. Twenty-eight criteria relevant for disease control and surveillance, classified under five domains, were selected following a thorough literature review, and these were evaluated and weighted by seven experts from the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office using a modified Delphi panel. The median scores assigned to each criterion were then used to rank 16 notifiable and/or emerging zoonoses in Switzerland. The experts weighted the majority of the criteria similarly, and the top three criteria were Severity of disease in humans, incidence and prevalence of the disease in humans and treatment in humans. Based on these weightings, the three highest ranked diseases were Avian Influenza, Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis, and Bovine Tuberculosis. Overall, this study provided a preliminary list of criteria relevant for disease prioritization in Switzerland. These were further evaluated in a companion study which involved a quantitative prioritization method and multiple stakeholders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Staging Evaluation and Response Criteria Harmonization (SEARCH) for Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Hodgkin Lymphoma (CAYAHL): Methodology statement.

PubMed

Flerlage, Jamie E; Kelly, Kara M; Beishuizen, Auke; Cho, Steve; De Alarcon, Pedro A; Dieckmann, Ute; Drachtman, Richard A; Hoppe, Bradford S; Howard, Scott C; Kaste, Sue C; Kluge, Regine; Kurch, Lars; Landman-Parker, Judith; Lewis, Jocelyn; Link, Michael P; McCarten, Kathleen; Punnett, Angela; Stoevesandt, Dietrich; Voss, Stephan D; Wallace, William Hamish; Mauz-Körholz, Christine; Metzger, Monika L

2017-07-01

International harmonization of staging evaluation and response criteria is needed for childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood Hodgkin lymphoma. Two Hodgkin lymphoma protocols from cooperative trials in Europe and North America were compared for areas in need of harmonization, and an evidence-based approach is currently underway to harmonize staging and response evaluations with a goal to enhance comparisons, expedite identification of effective therapies, and aid in the approval process for new agents by regulatory agencies. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Validity and reliability assessment of a peer evaluation method in team-based learning classes.

PubMed

Yoon, Hyun Bae; Park, Wan Beom; Myung, Sun-Jung; Moon, Sang Hui; Park, Jun-Bean

2018-03-01

Team-based learning (TBL) is increasingly employed in medical education because of its potential to promote active group learning. In TBL, learners are usually asked to assess the contributions of peers within their group to ensure accountability. The purpose of this study is to assess the validity and reliability of a peer evaluation instrument that was used in TBL classes in a single medical school. A total of 141 students were divided into 18 groups in 11 TBL classes. The students were asked to evaluate their peers in the group based on evaluation criteria that were provided to them. We analyzed the comments that were written for the highest and lowest achievers to assess the validity of the peer evaluation instrument. The reliability of the instrument was assessed by examining the agreement among peer ratings within each group of students via intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) analysis. Most of the students provided reasonable and understandable comments for the high and low achievers within their group, and most of those comments were compatible with the evaluation criteria. The average ICC of each group ranged from 0.390 to 0.863, and the overall average was 0.659. There was no significant difference in inter-rater reliability according to the number of members in the group or the timing of the evaluation within the course. The peer evaluation instrument that was used in the TBL classes was valid and reliable. Providing evaluation criteria and rules seemed to improve the validity and reliability of the instrument.

Identification of key factors in consumers' adoption behavior of intelligent medical terminals based on a hybrid modified MADM model for product improvement.

PubMed

Liu, Yupeng; Chen, Yifei; Tzeng, Gwo-Hshiung

2017-09-01

As a new application technology of the Internet of Things (IoT), intelligent medical treatment has attracted the attention of both nations and industries through its promotion of medical informatisation, modernisation, and intelligentisation. Faced with a wide variety of intelligent medical terminals, consumers may be affected by various factors when making purchase decisions. To examine and evaluate the key influential factors (and their interrelationships) of consumer adoption behavior for improving and promoting intelligent medical terminals toward achieving set aspiration level in each dimension and criterion. A hybrid modified Multiple Attribute Decision-Making (MADM) model was used for this study, based on three components: (1) the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique, to build an influential network relationship map (INRM) at both 'dimensions' and 'criteria' levels; (2) the DEMATEL-based analytic network process (DANP) method, to determine the interrelationships and influential weights among the criteria and identify the source-influential factors; and (3) the modified Vlse Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method, to evaluate and improve for reducing the performance gaps to meet the consumers' needs for continuous improvement and sustainable products-development. First, a consensus on the influential factors affecting consumers' adoption of intelligent medical terminals was collected from experts' opinion in practical experience. Next, the interrelationships and influential weights of DANP among dimensions/criteria based on the DEMATEL technique were determined. Finally, two intelligent medicine bottles (AdhereTech, A 1 alternative; and Audio/Visual Alerting Pillbox, A 2 alternative) were reviewed as the terminal devices to verify the accuracy of the MADM model and evaluate its performance on each criterion for improving the total certification gaps by systematics according to the modified VIKOR method based on an INRM. In this paper, the criteria and dimensions used to improve the evaluation framework are validated. The systematic evaluation in index system is constructed on the basis of five dimensions and corresponding ten criteria. Influential weights of all criteria ranges from 0.037 to 0.152, which shows the rank of criteria importance. The evaluative framework were validated synthetically and scientifically. INRM (influential network relation map) was obtained from experts' opinion through DEMATEL technique shows complex interrelationship among factors. At the dimension level, the environmental dimension influences other dimensions the most, whereas the security dimension is most influenced by others. So the improvement order of environmental dimension is prior to security dimension. The newly constructed approach was still further validated by the results of the empirical case, where performance gap improvement strategies were analyzed for decision-makers. The modified VIKOR method was especially validated for solving real-world problems in intelligent medical terminal improvement processes. For this paper, A 1 performs better than A 2 , however, promotion mix, brand factor, and market environment are shortcomings faced by both A 1 and A 2 . In addition, A 2 should be improved in the wireless network technology, and the objective contact with a high degree of gaps. Based on the evaluation index system and the integrated model proposed here, decision-makers in enterprises can identify gaps when promoting intelligent medical terminals, from which they can get valuable advice to improve consumer adoption. Additionally, an INRM and the influential weights of DANP can be combined using the modified VIKOR method as integrated weightings to determine how to reduce gaps and provide the best improvement strategies for reaching set aspiration levels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integrating the Ergonomics Techniques with Multi Criteria Decision Making as a New Approach for Risk Management: An Assessment of Repetitive Tasks -Entropy Case Study.

PubMed

Khandan, Mohammad; Nili, Majid; Koohpaei, Alireza; Mosaferchi, Saeedeh

2016-01-01

Nowadays, the health work decision makers need to analyze a huge amount of data and consider many conflicting evaluation criteria and sub-criteria. Therefore, an ergonomic evaluation in the work environment in order to the control occupational disorders is considered as the Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problem. In this study, the ergonomic risks factors, which may influence health, were evaluated in a manufacturing company in 2014. Then entropy method was applied to prioritize the different risk factors. This study was done with a descriptive-analytical approach and 13 tasks were included from total number of employees who were working in the seven halls of an ark opal manufacturing (240). Required information was gathered by the demographic questionnaire and Assessment of Repetitive Tasks (ART) method for repetitive task assessment. In addition, entropy was used to prioritize the risk factors based on the ergonomic control needs. The total exposure score based on the ART method calculated was equal to 30.07 ±12.43. Data analysis illustrated that 179 cases (74.6% of tasks) were in the high level of risk area and 13.8% were in the medium level of risk. ART- entropy results revealed that based on the weighted factors, higher value belongs to grip factor and the lowest value was related to neck and hand posture and duration. Based on the limited financial resources, it seems that MCDM in many challenging situations such as control procedures and priority approaches could be used successfully. Other MCDM methods for evaluating and prioritizing the ergonomic problems are recommended.

Evidence-based ergonomics. A comparison of Japanese and American office layouts.

PubMed

Noro, Kageyu; Fujimaki, Goroh; Kishi, Shinsuke

2003-01-01

There is a variety of alternatives in office layouts. Yet the theoretical basis and criteria for predicting how well these layouts accommodate employees are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate criteria for selecting office layouts. Intensive computer workers worked in simulated office layouts in a controlled experimental laboratory. Eye movement measures indicate that knowledge work requires both concentration and interaction. Findings pointed to one layout as providing optimum balance between these 2 requirements. Recommendations for establishing a theoretical basis and design criteria for selecting office layouts based on work style are suggested.

Apply for 2018 WasteWise Awards

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Partner and endorser awards are based on data reported in the SMM Data Management System and a narrative description of activities. Partners will be evaluated using a weighted average of evaluation criteria.

Evidence from the field: Findings on issues related to planning, implementing and evaluating gender-based programs.

PubMed

Kowalczyk, Shelly; Randolph, Suzanne; Stokes, Shereitte; Winston, Stefanie

2015-08-01

An Initiative of the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health (OWH), Coalition for a Healthier Community (CHC), supports ten grantees across the U.S. in the implementation of gender-based health interventions targeting women and girls. A national evaluation is assessing whether gender-focused public health systems approaches are sustainable and cost effective in addressing health disparities in women and girls. To inform the evaluation, a systematic examination was conducted of literature in both the public and private sector designed to track, assess, understand, and improve women's health, public health systems approaches, and the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of gender-based programs. A two-person team assured the quality of the results following the review of abstracts and full-text articles. Of 123 articles meeting eligibility criteria (See inclusion criteria described in Section 2.2 below), only 18 met inclusion criteria specific to a focus on a systems approach, cost-effectiveness and/or sustainability. Studies assessing systems approaches suggested their effectiveness in changing perceptions and increasing knowledge within a community; increasing involvement of local decision-makers and other community leaders in women's health issues; and increasing community capacity to address women and girls' health. Further evaluation of the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of gender-based approaches is needed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does Branding Impact Student Recruitment: A Critical Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bock, Dora E.; Poole, Sonja Martin; Joseph, Mathew

2014-01-01

This study focuses on segmentation feasibility within the private college/university market. There is considerable overlap for private and public college/university students with respect to their consideration criteria; however, previous research suggests that there are some criteria that appear to be differentially important based on the type of…

38 CFR 41.525 - Criteria for Federal program risk.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AUDITS OF STATES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Auditors § 41.525 Criteria for Federal program risk. (a) General. The auditor's determination should be based on an overall evaluation of the risk of noncompliance occurring, which could be material to the Federal program. The auditor shall...

Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen – Health Criteria (Final Report, Jul 2008)

EPA Science Inventory

The Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Oxides of Nitrogen – Health Criteria document represents a concise synthesis and evaluation of the most policy-relevant science and will ultimately provide the scientific bases for EPA’s decision regarding whether the current standard f...

Evaluation of participatory planning: Lessons from Hungarian Natura 2000 management planning processes.

PubMed

Kovács, Eszter; Kelemen, Eszter; Kiss, Gabriella; Kalóczkai, Ágnes; Fabók, Veronika; Mihók, Barbara; Megyesi, Boldizsár; Pataki, György; Bodorkós, Barbara; Balázs, Bálint; Bela, Györgyi; Margóczi, Katalin; Roboz, Ágnes; Molnár, Dániel

2017-12-15

Stakeholder participation in nature conservation policies and especially in the management of protected areas has gained importance in the last decades. These changes are underlined by democratic principles and the perceived contribution of stakeholder involvement to the effectiveness of conservation management. Evaluating participatory processes is essential to learn about the past and thus increase the quality of future processes. The evaluation can be useful for the organisations responsible for planning and management, stakeholders and policy makers as well. The present paper shows the results of a systematic evaluation of 25 participatory processes related to the development of management plans for Natura 2000 sites in Hungary between 2007 and 2015. A conceptual framework was developed to evaluate the process and outcome of participatory management planning processes. Criteria were based on the scientific literature on public participation and tailored to conservation-related management planning and stakeholder involvement. Evaluated processes were grouped in three cases based on their time range and financial sources. Overall, the analysed processes scored at a medium level, showing better performance in the process criteria than in the outcome criteria. The best case scored significantly higher in four criteria compared to the other cases: representativeness, resource availability for facilitation, new, creative ideas and impact on the plan. The main factors behind the success were (1) embeddedness of the planning process in a larger project, where the plan was a tool for conservation, (2) carrying out only one process at a time, (3) previous experience of facilitators and planners with participatory planning and (4) the opportunity and capacity to propose a payment scheme as an incentive. But even this case received low scores in some criteria: conflict resolution, early involvement and well defined goals. Based on the results we suggest that more data is needed to evaluate the implementation of the plans and, in many cases, the impact of the process on the plan. Performance can be improved with the assistance of policy makers by further developing guidelines, harmonising payment schemes with the conservation measures of the plans and providing training on conflict resolution. The evaluation framework proved to be suitable for the assessment of a large set of conservation related management planning processes, but it also had some limitations, e.g. concerning the incorporation of stakeholders' views in the evaluation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Criteria for evaluating programme theory diagrams in quality improvement initiatives: a structured method for appraisal.

PubMed

Issen, Laurel; Woodcock, Thomas; McNicholas, Christopher; Lennox, Laura; Reed, Julie E

2018-04-09

Despite criticisms that many quality improvement (QI) initiatives fail due to incomplete programme theory, there is no defined way to evaluate how programme theory has been articulated. The objective of this research was to develop, and assess the usability and reliability of scoring criteria to evaluate programme theory diagrams. Criteria development was informed by published literature and QI experts. Inter-rater reliability was tested between two evaluators. About 63 programme theory diagrams (42 driver diagrams and 21 action-effect diagrams) were reviewed to establish whether the criteria could support comparative analysis of different approaches to constructing diagrams. Components of the scoring criteria include: assessment of overall aim, logical overview, clarity of components, cause-effect relationships, evidence and measurement. Independent reviewers had 78% inter-rater reliability. Scoring enabled direct comparison of different approaches to developing programme theory; action-effect diagrams were found to have had a statistically significant but moderate improvement in programme theory quality over driver diagrams; no significant differences were observed based on the setting in which driver diagrams were developed. The scoring criteria summarise the necessary components of programme theory that are thought to contribute to successful QI projects. The viability of the scoring criteria for practical application was demonstrated. Future uses include assessment of individual programme theory diagrams and comparison of different approaches (e.g. methodological, teaching or other QI support) to produce programme theory. The criteria can be used as a tool to guide the production of better programme theory diagrams, and also highlights where additional support for QI teams could be needed.

How will we know "good" qualitative research when we see it? Beginning the dialogue in health services research.

PubMed Central

Devers, K J

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To lay the foundation for an explicit review and dialogue concerning the criteria that should be used to evaluate qualitative health services research. Clear criteria are critical for the discipline because they provide a benchmark against which research can be assessed. DATA SOURCES: Existing literature in the social sciences and health services research, particularly in primary care and medicine. PRINCIPAL FINDING: Traditional criteria for evaluating qualitative research are rooted in the philosophical perspective (positivism) most closely associated with quantitative research and methods. As a result, qualitative research and methods may not be used as frequently as they can be and research results generated from qualitative studies may not be disseminated as widely as possible. However, alternative criteria for evaluating qualitative research have been proposed that reflect a different philosophical perspective (post-positivism). Moreover, these criteria are tailored to the unique purposes for which qualitative research is used and the research designs traditionally employed. While criteria based on these two different philosophical perspectives have much in common, some important differences exist. CONCLUSION: The field of health services research must engage in a collective, "qualitative" process to determine which criteria to adopt (positivist or post-positivist), or whether some combination of the two is most appropriate. Greater clarity about the criteria used to evaluate qualitative research will strengthen the discipline by fostering a more appropriate and improved use of qualitative methods, a greater willingness to fund and publish "good" qualitative research, and the development of more informed consumers of qualitative research results. Images Figure 1 PMID:10591278

Evaluative Criteria for Qualitative Research in Health Care: Controversies and Recommendations

PubMed Central

Cohen, Deborah J.; Crabtree, Benjamin F.

2008-01-01

PURPOSE We wanted to review and synthesize published criteria for good qualitative research and develop a cogent set of evaluative criteria. METHODS We identified published journal articles discussing criteria for rigorous research using standard search strategies then examined reference sections of relevant journal articles to identify books and book chapters on this topic. A cross-publication content analysis allowed us to identify criteria and understand the beliefs that shape them. RESULTS Seven criteria for good qualitative research emerged: (1) carrying out ethical research; (2) importance of the research; (3) clarity and coherence of the research report; (4) use of appropriate and rigorous methods; (5) importance of reflexivity or attending to researcher bias; (6) importance of establishing validity or credibility; and (7) importance of verification or reliability. General agreement was observed across publications on the first 4 quality dimensions. On the last 3, important divergent perspectives were observed in how these criteria should be applied to qualitative research, with differences based on the paradigm embraced by the authors. CONCLUSION Qualitative research is not a unified field. Most manuscript and grant reviewers are not qualitative experts and are likely to embrace a generic set of criteria rather than those relevant to the particular qualitative approach proposed or reported. Reviewers and researchers need to be aware of this tendency and educate health care researchers about the criteria appropriate for evaluating qualitative research from within the theoretical and methodological framework from which it emerges. PMID:18626033

Determination of criteria weights in solving multi-criteria problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasim, Maznah Mat

2014-12-01

A multi-criteria (MC) problem comprises of units to be analyzed under a set of evaluation criteria. Solving a MC problem is basically the process of finding the overall performance or overall quality of the units of analysis by using certain aggregation method. Based on these overall measures of each unit, a decision can be made whether to sort them, to select the best or to group them according to certain ranges. Prior to solving the MC problems, the weights of the related criteria have to be determined with the assumption that the weights represent the degree of importance or the degree of contribution towards the overall performance of the units. This paper presents two main approaches which are called as subjective and objective approaches, where the first one involves evaluator(s) while the latter approach depends on the intrinsic information contained in each criterion. The subjective and objective weights are defined if the criteria are assumed to be independent with each other, but if they are dependent, there is another type of weight, which is called as monotone measure weight or compound weights which represent degree of interaction among the criteria. The measure of individual weights or compound weights must be addressed in solving multi-criteria problems so that the solutions are more reliable since in the real world, evaluation criteria always come with different degree of importance or are dependent with each other. As the real MC problems have their own uniqueness, it is up to the decision maker(s) to decide which type of weights and which method are the most applicable ones for the problem under study.

Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) for evaluating new medicines in Health Technology Assessment and beyond: The Advance Value Framework.

PubMed

Angelis, Aris; Kanavos, Panos

2017-09-01

Escalating drug prices have catalysed the generation of numerous "value frameworks" with the aim of informing payers, clinicians and patients on the assessment and appraisal process of new medicines for the purpose of coverage and treatment selection decisions. Although this is an important step towards a more inclusive Value Based Assessment (VBA) approach, aspects of these frameworks are based on weak methodologies and could potentially result in misleading recommendations or decisions. In this paper, a Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodological process, based on Multi Attribute Value Theory (MAVT), is adopted for building a multi-criteria evaluation model. A five-stage model-building process is followed, using a top-down "value-focused thinking" approach, involving literature reviews and expert consultations. A generic value tree is structured capturing decision-makers' concerns for assessing the value of new medicines in the context of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and in alignment with decision theory. The resulting value tree (Advance Value Tree) consists of three levels of criteria (top level criteria clusters, mid-level criteria, bottom level sub-criteria or attributes) relating to five key domains that can be explicitly measured and assessed: (a) burden of disease, (b) therapeutic impact, (c) safety profile (d) innovation level and (e) socioeconomic impact. A number of MAVT modelling techniques are introduced for operationalising (i.e. estimating) the model, for scoring the alternative treatment options, assigning relative weights of importance to the criteria, and combining scores and weights. Overall, the combination of these MCDA modelling techniques for the elicitation and construction of value preferences across the generic value tree provides a new value framework (Advance Value Framework) enabling the comprehensive measurement of value in a structured and transparent way. Given its flexibility to meet diverse requirements and become readily adaptable across different settings, the Advance Value Framework could be offered as a decision-support tool for evaluators and payers to aid coverage and reimbursement of new medicines. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Toward an agenda for evaluation of qualitative research.

PubMed

Stige, Brynjulf; Malterud, Kirsti; Midtgarden, Torjus

2009-10-01

Evaluation is essential for research quality and development, but the diversity of traditions that characterize qualitative research suggests that general checklists or shared criteria for evaluation are problematic. We propose an approach to research evaluation that encourages reflexive dialogue through use of an evaluation agenda. In proposing an evaluation agenda we shift attention from rule-based judgment to reflexive dialogue. Unlike criteria, an agenda may embrace pluralism, and does not request consensus on ontological, epistemological, and methodological issues, only consensus on what themes warrant discussion. We suggest an evaluation agenda-EPICURE-with two dimensions communicated through use of two acronyms.The first, EPIC, refers to the challenge of producing rich and substantive accounts based on engagement, processing, interpretation, and (self-)critique. The second-CURE-refers to the challenge of dealing with preconditions and consequences of research, with a focus on (social) critique, usefulness, relevance, and ethics. The seven items of the composite agenda EPICURE are presented and exemplified. Features and implications of the agenda approach to research evaluation are then discussed.

Using health technology assessment to assess the value of new medicines: results of a systematic review and expert consultation across eight European countries.

PubMed

Angelis, Aris; Lange, Ansgar; Kanavos, Panos

2018-01-01

Although health technology assessment (HTA) systems base their decision making process either on economic evaluations or comparative clinical benefit assessment, a central aim of recent approaches to value measurement, including value based assessment and pricing, points towards the incorporation of supplementary evidence and criteria that capture additional dimensions of value. To study the practices, processes and policies of value-assessment for new medicines across eight European countries and the role of HTA beyond economic evaluation and clinical benefit assessment. A systematic (peer review and grey) literature review was conducted using an analytical framework examining: (1) 'Responsibilities and structure of HTA agencies'; (2) 'Evidence and evaluation criteria considered in HTAs'; (3) 'Methods and techniques applied in HTAs'; and (4) 'Outcomes and implementation of HTAs'. Study countries were France, Germany, England, Sweden, Italy, Netherlands, Poland and Spain. Evidence from the literature was validated and updated through two rounds of feedback involving primary data collection from national experts. All countries assess similar types of evidence; however, the specific criteria/endpoints used, their level of provision and requirement, and the way they are incorporated (e.g. explicitly vs. implicitly) varies across countries, with their relative importance remaining generally unknown. Incorporation of additional 'social value judgements' (beyond clinical benefit assessment) and economic evaluation could help explain heterogeneity in coverage recommendations and decision-making. More comprehensive and systematic assessment procedures characterised by increased transparency, in terms of selection of evaluation criteria, their importance and intensity of use, could lead to more rational evidence-based decision-making, possibly improving efficiency in resource allocation, while also raising public confidence and fairness.

An Analysis of the Bases Used By Library Evaluators in the Accrediting Process of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yates, Dudley V.

Seventy-seven of ninety library evaluators of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) responded to a 1973 questionnaire to determine: (1) if evaluative criteria used are based with an authority other than SACS; and (2) if certain methods, procedures, and techniques employed by evaluators could be used to construct an ideal…

Trauma system evaluation in developing countries: applicability of American College of Surgeons/Committee on Trauma (ACS/COT) basic criteria.

PubMed

Latifi, Rifat; Ziemba, Michelle; Leppäniemi, Ari; Dasho, Erion; Dogjani, Agron; Shatri, Zhaneta; Kociraj, Agim; Oldashi, Fatos; Shosha, Lida

2014-08-01

Trauma continues to be a major health problem worldwide, particularly in the developing world, with high mortality and morbidity. Yet most developing countries lack an organized trauma system. Furthermore, developing countries do not have in place any accreditation process for trauma centers; thus, no accepted standard assessment tools exist to evaluate their trauma services. The aims of this study were to evaluate the trauma system in Albania, using the basic trauma criteria of the American College of Surgeons/Committee on Trauma (ACS/COT) as assessment tools, and to provide the Government with a situational analysis relative to these criteria. We used the ACS/COT basic criteria as assessment tools to evaluate the trauma system in Albania. We conducted a series of semi-structured interviews, unstructured interviews, and focus groups with all stakeholders at the Ministry of Health, at the University Trauma Hospital (UTH) based in Tirana (the capital city), and at ten regional hospitals across the country. Albania has a dedicated national trauma center that serves as the only tertiary center, plus ten regional hospitals that provide some trauma care. However, overall, its trauma system is in need of major reforms involving all essential elements in order to meet the basic requirements of a structured trauma system. The ACS/COT basic criteria can be used as assessment tools to evaluate trauma care in developing countries. Further studies are needed in other developing countries to validate the applicability of these criteria.

2016 Classification Criteria for Macrophage Activation Syndrome Complicating Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology/Paediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organisation Collaborative Initiative.

PubMed

Ravelli, Angelo; Minoia, Francesca; Davì, Sergio; Horne, AnnaCarin; Bovis, Francesca; Pistorio, Angela; Aricò, Maurizio; Avcin, Tadej; Behrens, Edward M; De Benedetti, Fabrizio; Filipovic, Lisa; Grom, Alexei A; Henter, Jan-Inge; Ilowite, Norman T; Jordan, Michael B; Khubchandani, Raju; Kitoh, Toshiyuki; Lehmberg, Kai; Lovell, Daniel J; Miettunen, Paivi; Nichols, Kim E; Ozen, Seza; Pachlopnik Schmid, Jana; Ramanan, Athimalaipet V; Russo, Ricardo; Schneider, Rayfel; Sterba, Gary; Uziel, Yosef; Wallace, Carol; Wouters, Carine; Wulffraat, Nico; Demirkaya, Erkan; Brunner, Hermine I; Martini, Alberto; Ruperto, Nicolino; Cron, Randy Q

2016-03-01

To develop criteria for the classification of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) in patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). A multistep process, based on a combination of expert consensus and analysis of real patient data, was conducted. A panel of 28 experts was first asked to classify 428 patient profiles as having or not having MAS, based on clinical and laboratory features at the time of disease onset. The 428 profiles comprised 161 patients with systemic JIA-associated MAS and 267 patients with a condition that could potentially be confused with MAS (active systemic JIA without evidence of MAS, or systemic infection). Next, the ability of candidate criteria to classify individual patients as having MAS or not having MAS was assessed by evaluating the agreement between the classification yielded using the criteria and the consensus classification of the experts. The final criteria were selected in a consensus conference. Experts achieved consensus on the classification of 391 of the 428 patient profiles (91.4%). A total of 982 candidate criteria were tested statistically. The 37 best-performing criteria and 8 criteria obtained from the literature were evaluated at the consensus conference. During the conference, 82% consensus among experts was reached on the final MAS classification criteria. In validation analyses, these criteria had a sensitivity of 0.73 and a specificity of 0.99. Agreement between the classification (MAS or not MAS) obtained using the criteria and the original diagnosis made by the treating physician was high (κ = 0.76). We have developed a set of classification criteria for MAS complicating systemic JIA and provided preliminary evidence of its validity. Use of these criteria will potentially improve understanding of MAS in systemic JIA and enhance efforts to discover effective therapies, by ensuring appropriate patient enrollment in studies. © 2015, American College of Rheumatology.

The Quality of Patient Information Booklets for Cancer Patients-an Evaluation of Free Accessible Material in German Language.

PubMed

Keinki, Christian; Rudolph, Ivonne; Ruetters, Dana; Kuenzel, Ulrike; Lobitz, Jessica; Schaefer, Maike; Hanaya, Hani; Huebner, Jutta

2017-05-04

According to the information-seeking behaviors of patients, booklets which can be downloaded from the Internet for free are an important source of information notably for patients with cancer. This study investigated whether information booklets for patients with cancer available at German websites are in accordance with the formal and content criteria of evidence-based information. We compared and compiled both content and formal criteria by matching different national and international standards for written patient information using a merged instrument. A catalog with a total of 16 items within 4 categories (quality of the publication, quality of information, quality of information representation, and transparency) was created. Patient information booklets for the most frequent tumor types were collected from the Internet. A total of 52 different patient booklets were downloaded and assessed. Overall, no booklet fulfilled all criteria. The quality of the publications was evaluated with an average value of 1.67 while the quality of the information had a mean value of 1.45, and the quality of information presentation had a similar rating (1.39). The transparency criteria were evaluated as lowest with an average of 1.07. In summary, German booklets for cancer patients have some shortcomings concerning formal and content criteria for evidence-based patient information. The applied requirement catalog is suitable for wide use and may help in quality assurance of health information. It may be used as part of an obligatory external evaluation, which could help improving the quality of health information.

Response assessment challenges in clinical trials of gliomas.

PubMed

Wen, Patrick Y; Norden, Andrew D; Drappatz, Jan; Quant, Eudocia

2010-01-01

Accurate, reproducible criteria for determining tumor response and progression after therapy are critical for optimal patient care and effective evaluation of novel therapeutic agents. Currently, the most widely used criteria for determining treatment response in gliomas is based on two-dimensional tumor measurements using neuroimaging studies (Macdonald criteria). In recent years, the limitation of these criteria, which only address the contrast-enhancing component of the tumor, have become increasingly apparent. This review discusses challenges that have emerged in assessing response in patients with gliomas and approaches being introduced to address them.

Developing a HER3 Vaccine to Prevent Resistance to Endocrine Therapy

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-01

linearized using digestion with Pme I, recombined into linearized (E1-,E2b-,E3-) serotype 5 pAd construct in BJ 5183 bacterial recombination-based system...activity Clinical activity was assessed according to Response Evalu- ation Criteria in Solid Tumors ( RECIST 1.0 criteria [22]) using computed tomography...tumors: revised RECIST guideline (version 1.1). Eur J Cancer 45:228–247 23. CTEP Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program. CTCAE and CTC Website (2010) http

Evaluation of the Present-on-Admission Indicator among Hospitalized Fee-for-Service Medicare Patients with a Pressure Ulcer Diagnosis: Coding Patterns and Impact on Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcer Rates.

PubMed

Squitieri, Lee; Waxman, Daniel A; Mangione, Carol M; Saliba, Debra; Ko, Clifford Y; Needleman, Jack; Ganz, David A

2018-01-25

To evaluate national present-on-admission (POA) reporting for hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) and examine the impact of quality measure exclusion criteria on HAPU rates. Medicare inpatient, outpatient, and nursing facility data as well as independent provider claims (2010-2011). Retrospective cross-sectional study. We evaluated acute inpatient hospital admissions among Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries in 2011. Admissions were categorized as follows: (1) no pressure ulcer diagnosis, (2) new pressure ulcer diagnosis, and (3) previously documented pressure ulcer diagnosis. HAPU rates were calculated by varying patient exclusion criteria. Among admissions with a pressure ulcer diagnosis, we observed a large discrepancy in the proportion of admissions with a HAPU based on hospital-reported POA data (5.2 percent) and the proportion with a new pressure ulcer diagnosis based on patient history in billing claims (49.7 percent). Applying quality measure exclusion criteria resulted in removal of 91.2 percent of admissions with a pressure injury diagnosis from HAPU rate calculations. As payers and health care organizations expand the use of quality measures, it is important to consider how the measures are implemented, coding revisions to improve measure validity, and the impact of patient exclusion criteria on provider performance evaluation. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Development by a Large Integrated Health Care System of an Objective Methodology for Evaluation of Medical Oncology Service Sites.

PubMed

Bjegovich-Weidman, Marija; Kahabka, Jill; Bock, Amy; Frick, Jacob; Kowalski, Helga; Mirro, Joseph

2012-03-01

Aurora Health Care (AHC) is the largest health care system in Wisconsin, with 14 acute care hospitals. In early 2010, a group of 18 medical oncologists became affiliated with AHC. This affiliation added 13 medical oncology infusion clinics to our existing 12 sites. In the era of health care reform and declining reimbursement, we need an objective method and criteria to evaluate our 25 outpatient medical oncology sites. We developed financial, clinical, and strategic tools for the evaluation and management of our cancer subservice lines and outpatient sites. The key to our success has been the direct involvement of stakeholders with a vested interest in the services in the selection of the criteria and evaluation process. We developed our objective metrics for evaluation based on strategic, financial, operational, and patient experience criteria. Strategic criteria included: population trends, full-time equivalent (FTE) medical oncologists/primary care physicians, FTE radiation oncologists, FTE oncologic surgeons, new annual cases of patients with cancer, and market share trends. Financial criteria per site included: physician work relative value units, staff FTE by type, staff salaries, and profit and loss. Operational criteria included: facility by type (clinic v hospital based), hours of operation, and facility detail (eg, No. of chairs, No. of procedure and examination rooms, square footage). Patient experience criteria included: nursing model primary/nurse navigators, multidisciplinary support at site, Press Ganey (South Bend, IN; health care performance improvement company) results, and employee engagement score. The outcome of our data analysis has resulted in the development of recommendations for AHC senior leadership and geographic market leadership to consider the consolidation of four sites (phase one, four sites; phase two, two sites) and priority strategic sites to address capacity issues that limit growth. The recommendations if implemented would result in significant cost savings, currently being quantified as a result of consolidation and improved efficiency. A reinvestment of these cost savings would be required to address facility expansion and program enhancement to maximize patient-centered expert care consistently across all of our remaining sites of service.

Evaluation of Stratospheric Transport in New 3D Models Using the Global Modeling Initiative Grading Criteria

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strahan, Susan E.; Douglass, Anne R.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) Team developed objective criteria for model evaluation in order to identify the best representation of the stratosphere. This work created a method to quantitatively and objectively discriminate between different models. In the original GMI study, 3 different meteorological data sets were used to run an offline chemistry and transport model (CTM). Observationally-based grading criteria were derived and applied to these simulations and various aspects of stratospheric transport were evaluated; grades were assigned. Here we report on the application of the GMI evaluation criteria to CTM simulations integrated with a new assimilated wind data set and a new general circulation model (GCM) wind data set. The Finite Volume Community Climate Model (FV-CCM) is a new GCM developed at Goddard which uses the NCAR CCM physics and the Lin and Rood advection scheme. The FV-Data Assimilation System (FV-DAS) is a new data assimilation system which uses the FV-CCM as its core model. One year CTM simulations of 2.5 degrees longitude by 2 degrees latitude resolution were run for each wind data set. We present the evaluation of temperature and annual transport cycles in the lower and middle stratosphere in the two new CTM simulations. We include an evaluation of high latitude transport which was not part of the original GMI criteria. Grades for the new simulations will be compared with those assigned during the original GMT evaluations and areas of improvement will be identified.

Padova Charter on personal injury and damage under civil-tort law : Medico-legal guidelines on methods of ascertainment and criteria of evaluation.

PubMed

Ferrara, Santo Davide; Baccino, Eric; Boscolo-Berto, Rafael; Comandè, Giovanni; Domenici, Ranieri; Hernandez-Cueto, Claudio; Gulmen, Mete Korkut; Mendelson, George; Montisci, Massimo; Norelli, Gian Aristide; Pinchi, Vilma; Ranavaya, Mohammed; Shokry, Dina A; Sterzik, Vera; Vermylen, Yvo; Vieira, Duarte Nuno; Viel, Guido; Zoja, Riccardo

2016-01-01

Compensation for personal damage, defined as any pecuniary or non-pecuniary loss causally related to a personal injury under civil-tort law, is strictly based on the local jurisdiction and therefore varies significantly across the world. This manuscript presents the first "International Guidelines on Medico-Legal Methods of Ascertainment and Criteria of Evaluation of Personal Injury and Damage under Civil-Tort Law". This consensus document, which includes a step-by-step illustrated explanation of flow charts articulated in eight sequential steps and a comprehensive description of the ascertainment methodology and the criteria of evaluation, has been developed by an International Working Group composed of juridical and medico-legal experts and adopted as Guidelines by the International Academy of Legal Medicine (IALM).

Technology selection for ballast water treatment by multi-stakeholders: A multi-attribute decision analysis approach based on the combined weights and extension theory.

PubMed

Ren, Jingzheng

2018-01-01

This objective of this study is to develop a generic multi-attribute decision analysis framework for ranking the technologies for ballast water treatment and determine their grades. An evaluation criteria system consisting of eight criteria in four categories was used to evaluate the technologies for ballast water treatment. The Best-Worst method, which is a subjective weighting method and Criteria importance through inter-criteria correlation method, which is an objective weighting method, were combined to determine the weights of the evaluation criteria. The extension theory was employed to prioritize the technologies for ballast water treatment and determine their grades. An illustrative case including four technologies for ballast water treatment, i.e. Alfa Laval (T 1 ), Hyde (T 2 ), Unitor (T 3 ), and NaOH (T 4 ), were studied by the proposed method, and the Hyde (T 2 ) was recognized as the best technology. Sensitivity analysis was also carried to investigate the effects of the combined coefficients and the weights of the evaluation criteria on the final priority order of the four technologies for ballast water treatment. The sum weighted method and the TOPSIS was also employed to rank the four technologies, and the results determined by these two methods are consistent to that determined by the proposed method in this study. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SU-E-T-60: A Plan Quality Index in IMRT QA That Is Independent of the Acceptance Criteria

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

Kim, D; Kang, S; Kim, T

2015-06-15

Purpose: In IMRT QA, plan quality evaluation is made based on pass rate under preset acceptance criteria, mostly using gamma-values. This method is convenient but, its Result highly depends on what the acceptance criteria are and suffers from the lack of sensitivity in judging how good the plan is. In this study, we introduced a simple but effective plan quality index of IMRT QA based on dose difference only to supplement such shortcomings, and investigated its validity. Methods: The proposed index is a single value which is calculated mainly based on point-by-point comparison between planned and measured dose distributions, andmore » it becomes “1” in an ideal case. A systematic evaluation was performed with one-dimensional test dose distributions. For 3 hypothetical dose profiles, various displacements (in both dose and space) were introduced, the proposed index was calculated for each case, and the behavior of obtained indices was analyzed and compared with that of gamma evaluation. In addition, the feasibility of the index was assessed with clinical IMRT/VMAT/SBRT QA cases for different sites (prostate, head & neck, liver, lung, spine, and abdomen). Results: The proposed index showed more robust correlation with the amount of induced displacement compared to the gamma evaluation method. No matter what the acceptance criteria are (e.g., whether 3%/3mm or 2%/2mm), it was possible to clearly rank every case with the proposed index while it was difficult to do with the gamma evaluation method. Conclusion: IMRT plan quality can be evaluated quantitatively by the proposed index. It is considered that the proposed index would provide useful information for better judging the level of goodness of each plan and its Result is independent of the acceptance criteria. This work was supported by the Radiation Technology R&D program (No. 2013M2A2A7043498) and the Mid-career Researcher Program (2014R1A2A1A10050270) through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT&Future Planning.« less

Evaluation of Portable Multi-Gas Analyzers for use by Safety Personnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lueck, D. E.; Meneghelli, B. J.; Bardel, D. N.

1998-01-01

During confined space entry operations as well as Shuttle-safing operations, United Space Alliance (USA)/National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) safety personnel use a variety of portable instrumentation to monitor for hazardous levels of compounds such as nitrogen dioxide (N%), monomethylhydrazine (NMM), FREON 21, ammonia (NH3), oxygen (O2), and combustibles (as hydrogen (H2)). Except for O2 and H2, each compound is monitored using a single analyzer. In many cases these analyzers are 5 to 10 years old and require frequent maintenance. In addition, they are cumbersome to carry and tend to make the job of personnel monitoring physically taxing. As part of an effort to upgrade the sensor technology background information was requested from a total of 27 manufacturers of portable multi-gas instruments. A set of criteria was established to determine which vendors would be selected for laboratory evaluation. These criteria were based on requests made by USA/NASA Safety personnel in order to meet requirements within their respective areas for confined-space and Shuttle-safing operations. Each of the 27 manufacturers of multi-gas analyzers was sent a copy of the criteria and asked to fill in the appropriate information pertaining to their instrumentation. Based on the results of the sensor criteria worksheets, a total of 9 vendors out of 27 surveyed manufacturers were chosen for evaluation. Each vendor included in the final evaluation process was requested to configure each of two analyzers with NO2, NH3, O2, and combustible sensors. A set of lab tests was designed in order to determine which of the multi-gas instruments under evaluation was best suited for use in both shuttle and confined space operations. These tests included linearity/repeatability, zero/span drift response/recovery, humidity, interference, and maintenance. At the conclusion of lab testing three vendors were selected for additional field testing. Based on the results of both the lab and field evaluations a single vendor was recommended for use by NASA/IJSA Safety personnel. Vendor selection criteria, as well as the results from both laboratory and field testing of the multi-gas analyzers, are presented as part of this paper.

Performance Evaluation of Extension Education Centers in Universities Based on the Balanced Scorecard

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Hung-Yi; Lin, Yi-Kuei; Chang, Chi-Hsiang

2011-01-01

This study aims at developing a set of appropriate performance evaluation indices mainly based on balanced scorecard (BSC) for extension education centers in universities by utilizing multiple criteria decision making (MCDM). Through literature reviews and experts who have real practical experiences in extension education, adequate performance…

COMMUNITY-BASED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT: CREATING A TOOL FOR PROGRAM EVALUATION AND DESIGN

EPA Science Inventory

The criteria will be assembled into a manual to be used by community organizers, academics, managers, or policy makers in evaluating community-based watershed management initiatives and in designing new watershed management programs. The case study will also be added to the b...

Structurally Based Therapeutic Evaluation: A Therapeutic and Practical Approach to Teaching Medicinal Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alsharif, Naser Z.; And Others

1997-01-01

Explains structurally based therapeutic evaluation of drugs, which uses seven therapeutic criteria in translating chemical and structural knowledge into therapeutic decision making in pharmaceutical care. In a Creighton University (Nebraska) medicinal chemistry course, students apply the approach to solve patient-related therapeutic problems in…

Developing and using a rubric for evaluating evidence-based medicine point-of-care tools

PubMed Central

Foster, Margaret J

2011-01-01

Objective: The research sought to establish a rubric for evaluating evidence-based medicine (EBM) point-of-care tools in a health sciences library. Methods: The authors searched the literature for EBM tool evaluations and found that most previous reviews were designed to evaluate the ability of an EBM tool to answer a clinical question. The researchers' goal was to develop and complete rubrics for assessing these tools based on criteria for a general evaluation of tools (reviewing content, search options, quality control, and grading) and criteria for an evaluation of clinical summaries (searching tools for treatments of common diagnoses and evaluating summaries for quality control). Results: Differences between EBM tools' options, content coverage, and usability were minimal. However, the products' methods for locating and grading evidence varied widely in transparency and process. Conclusions: As EBM tools are constantly updating and evolving, evaluation of these tools needs to be conducted frequently. Standards for evaluating EBM tools need to be established, with one method being the use of objective rubrics. In addition, EBM tools need to provide more information about authorship, reviewers, methods for evidence collection, and grading system employed. PMID:21753917

Biological-based and physical-based optimization for biological evaluation of prostate patient's plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukhikh, E.; Sheino, I.; Vertinsky, A.

2017-09-01

Modern modalities of radiation treatment therapy allow irradiation of the tumor to high dose values and irradiation of organs at risk (OARs) to low dose values at the same time. In this paper we study optimal radiation treatment plans made in Monaco system. The first aim of this study was to evaluate dosimetric features of Monaco treatment planning system using biological versus dose-based cost functions for the OARs and irradiation targets (namely tumors) when the full potential of built-in biological cost functions is utilized. The second aim was to develop criteria for the evaluation of radiation dosimetry plans for patients based on the macroscopic radiobiological criteria - TCP/NTCP. In the framework of the study four dosimetric plans were created utilizing the full extent of biological and physical cost functions using dose calculation-based treatment planning for IMRT Step-and-Shoot delivery of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in prostate case (5 fractions per 7 Gy).

15 CFR 2301.16 - Technical evaluation process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... distance learning; and rating by a national advisory panel, composed of representatives of major national... amended by Executive Order 12416. (e) Based upon the evaluation criteria contained in § 2301.17, the PTFP...

15 CFR 2301.16 - Technical evaluation process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... distance learning; and rating by a national advisory panel, composed of representatives of major national... amended by Executive Order 12416. (e) Based upon the evaluation criteria contained in § 2301.17, the PTFP...

Diagnostic criteria, severity classification and guidelines of systemic sclerosis.

PubMed

Asano, Yoshihide; Jinnin, Masatoshi; Kawaguchi, Yasushi; Kuwana, Masataka; Goto, Daisuke; Sato, Shinichi; Takehara, Kazuhiko; Hatano, Masaru; Fujimoto, Manabu; Mugii, Naoki; Ihn, Hironobu

2018-06-01

Several effective drugs have been identified for the treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc). However, in advanced cases, not only their effectiveness is reduced but they may be also harmful due to their side-effects. Therefore, early diagnosis and early treatment is most important for the treatment of SSc. We established diagnostic criteria for SSc in 2003 and early diagnostic criteria for SSc in 2011, for the purpose of developing evaluation of each organ in SSc. Moreover, in November 2013, the American College of Rheumatology and the European Rheumatology Association jointly developed new diagnostic criteria for increasing their sensitivity and specificity, so we revised our diagnostic criteria and severity classification of SSc. Furthermore, we have revised the clinical guideline based on the newest evidence. In particular, the clinical guideline was established by clinical questions based on evidence-based medicine according to the New Minds Clinical Practice Guideline Creation Manual (version 1.0). We aimed to make the guideline easy to use and reliable based on the newest evidence, and to present guidance as specific as possible for various clinical problems in treatment of SSc. © 2018 Japanese Dermatological Association.

An Evidence Framework for Off-Patent Pharmaceutical Review (EFOR) for Health Technology Assessment in Emerging Markets.

PubMed

Brixner, Diana; Kaló, Zoltán; Maniadakis, Nikos; Kim, Kyoo; Wijaya, Kalman

2018-03-29

This article introduces an Evidence Framework for Off-Patent Pharmaceutical Review (EFOR), which establishes value-based criteria in a template that manufacturers use to provide evidence showing how their products meet those criteria. Health authorities in emerging markets can then use the evidence presented in the EFOR to evaluate off-patent pharmaceuticals (OPPs) in a consistent, transparent, and evidence-based manner to support policy decisions, including pricing, reimbursement, formulary listing, and drug procurement. A literature search found no multi-criteria evidence framework for evaluating OPPs in emerging markets. An International Outcomes Research Board (IORB) of academia and industry experts conducted extensive research, meetings, and workshops to define high-priority criteria to incorporate into an evidence-based health technology assessment (HTA) tool using the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) technique. The resulting framework was further tailored for country-specific needs in workshops in three emerging countries (Kazakhstan, Vietnam, and Indonesia). The IORB defined nine criteria four categories (Product, Manufacturing, Service, and Value Assessment), which OPP manufacturers can use to provide evidence for reimbursement and health policy decision making. Then the IORB developed the EFOR as a base case document, which can be adapted and used as a template by health authorities in emerging countries. Emerging countries have a significant need for an HTA tool that balances affordability with accurate evidence showing the value differentiation of OPPs. The value attributes in this setting often are different from those in developed markets, which emphasize new products and have high regulation and manufacturing standards. The EFOR is an easy-to-use, adaptable framework that emerging countries can use to increase the consistency, transparency, and effectiveness of drug decision making. The open source EFOR is available as Supplemental Materials. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Confirmatory factor analysis of Post-Occupancy Evaluation Model (POEM) for sustainable neighborhood development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yaman, R.; Thadaniti, S.; Abdullah, J.; Ahmad, N.; Ishak, N. M.

2018-02-01

The sustainable urban development growth in the ASEAN region has accelerated tremendously. More demand on the sustainable development has led to bigger market driven certified green neighborhood and buildings. However, there is a lack of post-occupancy evaluation study conducted in assessing the end-users perspective on the certified sustainable neighborhood development. This paper aims to investigate the end-users point of view on sustainable dimension pillar (SDP) adaptation based on environment dimension, social dimension and economic dimension using Post-Occupancy Evaluation Model (POEM) framework. The research methodology employed stakeholders-Inclusion Approach survey questionnaires in order to obtained the sustainable dimensional adaptation score. The results show that there is sustainable dimension gap in POEM evaluation, hence, suggested the pre- occupancy criteria did not fulfill the SDP adaptation and pre-occupancy criteria and variables if differ from post-occupancy criteria and variables.

The Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (Dematel) and Analytic Network Process (ANP) for Safety Management System Evaluation Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rolita, Lisa; Surarso, Bayu; Gernowo, Rahmat

2018-02-01

In order to improve airport safety management system (SMS) performance, an evaluation system is required to improve on current shortcomings and maximize safety. This study suggests the integration of the DEMATEL and ANP methods in decision making processes by analyzing causal relations between the relevant criteria and taking effective analysis-based decision. The DEMATEL method builds on the ANP method in identifying the interdependencies between criteria. The input data consists of questionnaire data obtained online and then stored in an online database. Furthermore, the questionnaire data is processed using DEMATEL and ANP methods to obtain the results of determining the relationship between criteria and criteria that need to be evaluated. The study cases on this evaluation system were Adi Sutjipto International Airport, Yogyakarta (JOG); Ahmad Yani International Airport, Semarang (SRG); and Adi Sumarmo International Airport, Surakarta (SOC). The integration grades SMS performance criterion weights in a descending order as follow: safety and destination policy, safety risk management, healthcare, and safety awareness. Sturges' formula classified the results into nine grades. JOG and SMG airports were in grade 8, while SOG airport was in grade 7.

Using a Malcolm Baldrige framework to understand high-performing clinical microsystems.

PubMed

Foster, Tina C; Johnson, Julie K; Nelson, Eugene C; Batalden, Paul B

2007-10-01

BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVES AND METHOD: The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) provides a set of criteria for organisational quality assessment and improvement that has been used by thousands of business, healthcare and educational organisations for more than a decade. The criteria can be used as a tool for self-evaluation, and are widely recognised as a robust framework for design and evaluation of healthcare systems. The clinical microsystem, as an organisational construct, is a systems approach for providing clinical care based on theories from organisational development, leadership and improvement. This study compared the MBNQA criteria for healthcare and the success factors of high-performing clinical microsystems to (1) determine whether microsystem success characteristics cover the same range of issues addressed by the Baldrige criteria and (2) examine whether this comparison might better inform our understanding of either framework. Both Baldrige criteria and microsystem success characteristics cover a wide range of areas crucial to high performance. Those particularly called out by this analysis are organisational leadership, work systems and service processes from a Baldrige standpoint, and leadership, performance results, process improvement, and information and information technology from the microsystem success characteristics view. Although in many cases the relationship between Baldrige criteria and microsystem success characteristics are obvious, in others the analysis points to ways in which the Baldrige criteria might be better understood and worked with by a microsystem through the design of work systems and a deep understanding of processes. Several tools are available for those who wish to engage in self-assessment based on MBNQA criteria and microsystem characteristics.

Using a Malcolm Baldrige framework to understand high‐performing clinical microsystems

PubMed Central

Foster, Tina C; Johnson, Julie K; Nelson, Eugene C; Batalden, Paul B

2007-01-01

Background, objectives and method The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) provides a set of criteria for organisational quality assessment and improvement that has been used by thousands of business, healthcare and educational organisations for more than a decade. The criteria can be used as a tool for self‐evaluation, and are widely recognised as a robust framework for design and evaluation of healthcare systems. The clinical microsystem, as an organisational construct, is a systems approach for providing clinical care based on theories from organisational development, leadership and improvement. This study compared the MBNQA criteria for healthcare and the success factors of high‐performing clinical microsystems to (1) determine whether microsystem success characteristics cover the same range of issues addressed by the Baldrige criteria and (2) examine whether this comparison might better inform our understanding of either framework. Results and conclusions Both Baldrige criteria and microsystem success characteristics cover a wide range of areas crucial to high performance. Those particularly called out by this analysis are organisational leadership, work systems and service processes from a Baldrige standpoint, and leadership, performance results, process improvement, and information and information technology from the microsystem success characteristics view. Although in many cases the relationship between Baldrige criteria and microsystem success characteristics are obvious, in others the analysis points to ways in which the Baldrige criteria might be better understood and worked with by a microsystem through the design of work systems and a deep understanding of processes. Several tools are available for those who wish to engage in self‐assessment based on MBNQA criteria and microsystem characteristics. PMID:17913773

Presentation of Atomic Structure in Turkish General Chemistry Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niaz, Mansoor; Costu, Bayram

2009-01-01

Research in science education has recognized the importance of teaching atomic structure within a history and philosophy of science perspective. The objective of this study is to evaluate general chemistry textbooks published in Turkey based on the eight criteria developed in previous research. Criteria used referred to the atomic models of…

The Issue of Quality in Qualitative Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammersley, Martyn

2007-01-01

This article addresses the perennial issue of the criteria by which qualitative research should be evaluated. At the present time, there is a sharp conflict between demands for explicit criteria, for example in order to serve systematic reviewing and evidence-based practice, and arguments on the part of some qualitative researchers that such…

From Freud to Feminist Personality Theory: Getting Here from There.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lerman, Hannah

1986-01-01

States eight criteria arising out of feminist therapy theory for a woman-based theory of female development and personality. Evaluates Freudian theory, current psychoanalytic theory, and several feminist theories in light of the stated criteria. Concludes that feminists have arrived at some degree of general agreement about personality theory.…

Film-based delivery quality assurance for robotic radiosurgery: Commissioning and validation.

PubMed

Blanck, Oliver; Masi, Laura; Damme, Marie-Christin; Hildebrandt, Guido; Dunst, Jürgen; Siebert, Frank-Andre; Poppinga, Daniela; Poppe, Björn

2015-07-01

Robotic radiosurgery demands comprehensive delivery quality assurance (DQA), but guidelines for commissioning of the DQA method is missing. We investigated the stability and sensitivity of our film-based DQA method with various test scenarios and routine patient plans. We also investigated the applicability of tight distance-to-agreement (DTA) Gamma-Index criteria. We used radiochromic films with multichannel film dosimetry and re-calibration and our analysis was performed in four steps: 1) Film-to-plan registration, 2) Standard Gamma-Index criteria evaluation (local-pixel-dose-difference ≤2%, distance-to-agreement ≤2 mm, pass-rate ≥90%), 3) Dose distribution shift until maximum pass-rate (Maxγ) was found (shift acceptance <1 mm), and 4) Final evaluation with tight DTA criteria (≤1 mm). Test scenarios consisted of purposefully introduced phantom misalignments, dose miscalibrations, and undelivered MU. Initial method evaluation was done on 30 clinical plans. Our method showed similar sensitivity compared to the standard End-2-End-Test and incorporated an estimate of global system offsets in the analysis. The simulated errors (phantom shifts, global robot misalignment, undelivered MU) were detected by our method while standard Gamma-Index criteria often did not reveal these deviations. Dose miscalibration was not detected by film alone, hence simultaneous ion-chamber measurement for film calibration is strongly recommended. 83% of the clinical patient plans were within our tight DTA tolerances. Our presented methods provide additional measurements and quality references for film-based DQA enabling more sensitive error detection. We provided various test scenarios for commissioning of robotic radiosurgery DQA and demonstrated the necessity to use tight DTA criteria. Copyright © 2015 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Feasibility of a Decision Support System for the Determination of Source Selection Evaluation Criteria

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-09-01

is not only difficult and time consuming , but also crucial to the success of the project, the question is whether a decision support system designed...KtI I - uAujvhIMtf IENE In THE FEASIBILITY OF A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR THE DETERMINATION OF SOURCE SELECTION EVALUATION ’CRITERIA THESIS .2...INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio DZM=0N STATEMENT A ,’r !’ILMILSHIM S /8 4 THE FEASIBILITY OF A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR

Evaluation Framework for NASA's Educational Outreach Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Rick; Booker, Angela; Linde, Charlotte; Preston, Connie

1999-01-01

The objective of the proposed work is to develop an evaluation framework for NASA's educational outreach efforts. We focus on public (rather than technical or scientific) dissemination efforts, specifically on Internet-based outreach sites for children.The outcome of this work is to propose both methods and criteria for evaluation, which would enable NASA to do a more analytic evaluation of its outreach efforts. The proposed framework is based on IRL's ethnographic and video-based observational methods, which allow us to analyze how these sites are actually used.

Evaluating sustainable energy harvesting systems for human implantable sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

AL-Oqla, Faris M.; Omar, Amjad A.; Fares, Osama

2018-03-01

Achieving most appropriate energy-harvesting technique for human implantable sensors is still challenging for the industry where keen decisions have to be performed. Moreover, the available polymeric-based composite materials are offering plentiful renewable applications that can help sustainable development as being useful for the energy-harvesting systems such as photovoltaic, piezoelectric, thermoelectric devices as well as other energy storage systems. This work presents an expert-based model capable of better evaluating and examining various available renewable energy-harvesting techniques in urban surroundings subject to various technical and economic, often conflicting, criteria. Wide evaluation criteria have been adopted in the proposed model after examining their suitability as well as ensuring the expediency and reliability of the model by worldwide experts' feedback. The model includes establishing an analytic hierarchy structure with simultaneous 12 conflicting factors to establish a systematic road map for designers to better assess such techniques for human implantable medical sensors. The energy-harvesting techniques considered were limited to Wireless, Thermoelectric, Infrared Radiator, Piezoelectric, Magnetic Induction and Electrostatic Energy Harvesters. Results have demonstrated that the best decision was in favour of wireless-harvesting technology for the medical sensors as it is preferable by most of the considered evaluation criteria in the model.

District Heating Systems Performance Analyses. Heat Energy Tariff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziemele, Jelena; Vigants, Girts; Vitolins, Valdis; Blumberga, Dagnija; Veidenbergs, Ivars

2014-12-01

The paper addresses an important element of the European energy sector: the evaluation of district heating (DH) system operations from the standpoint of increasing energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewable energy resources. This has been done by developing a new methodology for the evaluation of the heat tariff. The paper presents an algorithm of this methodology, which includes not only a data base and calculation equation systems, but also an integrated multi-criteria analysis module using MADM/MCDM (Multi-Attribute Decision Making / Multi-Criteria Decision Making) based on TOPSIS (Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution). The results of the multi-criteria analysis are used to set the tariff benchmarks. The evaluation methodology has been tested for Latvian heat tariffs, and the obtained results show that only half of heating companies reach a benchmark value equal to 0.5 for the efficiency closeness to the ideal solution indicator. This means that the proposed evaluation methodology would not only allow companies to determine how they perform with regard to the proposed benchmark, but also to identify their need to restructure so that they may reach the level of a low-carbon business.

ELICIT: An alternative imprecise weight elicitation technique for use in multi-criteria decision analysis for healthcare

PubMed Central

Diaby, Vakaramoko; Sanogo, Vassiki; Moussa, Kouame Richard

2015-01-01

Objective In this paper, the readers are introduced to ELICIT, an imprecise weight elicitation technique for multicriteria decision analysis for healthcare. Methods The application of ELICIT consists of two steps: the rank ordering of evaluation criteria based on decision-makers’ (DMs) preferences using the principal component analysis; and the estimation of criteria weights and their descriptive statistics using the variable interdependent analysis and the Monte Carlo method. The application of ELICIT is illustrated with a hypothetical case study involving the elicitation of weights for five criteria used to select the best device for eye surgery. Results The criteria were ranked from 1–5, based on a strict preference relationship established by the DMs. For each criterion, the deterministic weight was estimated as well as the standard deviation and 95% credibility interval. Conclusions ELICIT is appropriate in situations where only ordinal DMs’ preferences are available to elicit decision criteria weights. PMID:26361235

Evaluation of injury criteria for the prediction of commotio cordis from lacrosse ball impacts.

PubMed

Dau, Nathan; Cavanaugh, John; Bir, Cynthia; Link, Mark

2011-11-01

Commotio Cordis (CC) is the second leading cause of mortality in youth sports. Impacts occurring directly over the left ventricle (LV) during a vulnerable period of the cardiac cycle can cause ventricular fibrillation (VF), which results in CC. In order to better understand the pathophysiology of CC, and develop a mechanical model for CC, appropriate injury criteria need to be developed. This effort consisted of impacts to seventeen juvenile porcine specimens (mass 21-45 kg). Impacts were delivered over the cardiac silhouette during the venerable period of the cardiac cycle. Four impact speeds were used: 13.4, 17.9, 22.4, and 26.8 m/s. The impactor was a lacrosse ball on an aluminum shaft instrumented with an accelerometer (mass 188 g-215 g). The impacts were recorded using high-speed video. LV pressure was measured with a catheter. Univariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the predictive ability of ten injury criteria. A total of 187 impacts were used in the analysis. The criteria were evaluated on their predictive ability based on Somers' D (D) and Goodman-Kruskal gamma (γ). Injury risk functions were created for all criteria using a 2-parameter Weibull distribution using survival analysis. The best criteria for predicting CC were impact force (D=0.52, and γ=0.52) force*compression (D=0.49, and γ=0.49), and impact power (D=0.49, and γ=0.49). All of these criteria proved significant in predicting the probability of CC from projectile impacts in youth sports (p<0.01). Force proved to be the most predictive of the ten criteria evaluated.

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

PubMed

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

2017-01-01

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

An Evaluation of Output Quality of Machine Translation (Padideh Software vs. Google Translate)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azer, Haniyeh Sadeghi; Aghayi, Mohammad Bagher

2015-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the translation quality of two machine translation systems in translating six different text-types, from English to Persian. The evaluation was based on criteria proposed by Van Slype (1979). The proposed model for evaluation is a black-box type, comparative and adequacy-oriented evaluation. To conduct the evaluation, a…

Diagnostic accuracy of criteria for urinary tract infection in a cohort of nursing home residents.

PubMed

Juthani-Mehta, Manisha; Tinetti, Mary; Perrelli, Eleanor; Towle, Virginia; Van Ness, Peter H; Quagliarello, Vincent

2007-07-01

To prospectively evaluate nursing home residents with suspected urinary tract infection (UTI) to determine whether they met the McGeer, Loeb, or revised Loeb consensus-based criteria and whether any set of criteria was associated with laboratory evidence of UTI, namely bacteriuria (>100,000 colony forming units) plus pyuria (>10 white blood cells). Prospective cohort study. Three New Haven-area nursing homes. Of 611 residents screened, 457 were eligible, 362 consented, and 340 enrolled. Participants underwent prospective surveillance from May 2005 to April 2006 for the development of suspected UTI (defined as a participant's physician or nurse clinically suspecting UTI). One hundred participants with suspected UTI and a urinalysis and urine culture performed were included in the analyses. Participants were identified who met the criteria of McGeer, Loeb, revised Loeb, and laboratory evidence of UTI. Using laboratory evidence of UTI as the outcome, the McGeer criteria demonstrated 30% sensitivity, 82% specificity, 57% positive predictive value (PPV), and 61% negative predictive value (NPV); the Loeb criteria showed 19% sensitivity, 89% specificity, 57% PPV, and 59% NPV; and the revised Loeb criteria demonstrated 30% sensitivity, 79% specificity, 52% PPV, and 60% NPV. All of the consensus-based criteria have similar test characteristics. The diagnostic accuracy of UTI criteria in nursing home residents could be improved, and the data suggest that evidence-based clinical criteria associated with laboratory evidence of UTI need to be identified and validated.

Evaluating Standards-Based Assessment Rubrics in a Postgraduate Public Health Subject

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kite, James; Phongsavan, Philayrath

2017-01-01

Standards-based assessment rubrics are recognised as an important tool for ensuring clear criteria in higher education. Most of the available evidence on rubrics comes from studies with face-to-face undergraduate students. Our study evaluated the introduction of rubrics into a postgraduate subject that included both online and face-to-face…

Juvenile Drug Court: Enhancing Outcomes by Integrating Evidence-Based Treatments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henggeler, Scott W.; Halliday-Boykins, Colleen A.; Cunningham, Phillippe B.; Randall, Jeff; Shapiro, Steven B.; Chapman, Jason E.

2006-01-01

Evaluated the effectiveness of juvenile drug court for 161 juvenile offenders meeting diagnostic criteria for substance abuse or dependence and determined whether the integration of evidence-based practices enhanced the outcomes of juvenile drug court. Over a 1-year period, a four-condition randomized design evaluated outcomes for family court…

Genetic improvement in mastitis resistance: comparison of selection criteria from cross-sectional and random regression sire models for somatic cell score.

PubMed

Odegård, J; Klemetsdal, G; Heringstad, B

2005-04-01

Several selection criteria for reducing incidence of mastitis were developed from a random regression sire model for test-day somatic cell score (SCS). For comparison, sire transmitting abilities were also predicted based on a cross-sectional model for lactation mean SCS. Only first-crop daughters were used in genetic evaluation of SCS, and the different selection criteria were compared based on their correlation with incidence of clinical mastitis in second-crop daughters (measured as mean daughter deviations). Selection criteria were predicted based on both complete and reduced first-crop daughter groups (261 or 65 daughters per sire, respectively). For complete daughter groups, predicted transmitting abilities at around 30 d in milk showed the best predictive ability for incidence of clinical mastitis, closely followed by average predicted transmitting abilities over the entire lactation. Both of these criteria were derived from the random regression model. These selection criteria improved accuracy of selection by approximately 2% relative to a cross-sectional model. However, for reduced daughter groups, the cross-sectional model yielded increased predictive ability compared with the selection criteria based on the random regression model. This result may be explained by the cross-sectional model being more robust, i.e., less sensitive to precision of (co)variance components estimates and effects of data structure.

Managing diabetes mellitus using information technology: a systematic review.

PubMed

Riazi, H; Larijani, B; Langarizadeh, M; Shahmoradi, L

2015-01-01

To review published evidences about using information technology interventions in diabetes care and determine their effects on managing diabetes. Systematic review of information technology based interventions. MEDLINE®/PubMed were electronically searched for articles published between 2004/07/01 and 2014/07/01. A comprehensive, electronic search strategy was used to identify eligible articles. Inclusion criteria were defined based on type of study and effect of information technology based intervention in relation to glucose control and other clinical outcomes in diabetic patients. Studies must have used a controlled design to evaluate an information technology based intervention. A total of 3613 articles were identified based on the searches conducted in MEDLINE from PubMed. After excluding duplicates (n = 6), we screened titles and abstracts of 3607 articles based on inclusion criteria. The remaining articles matched with inclusion criteria (n = 277) were reviewed in full text, and 210 articles were excluded based on exclusion criteria. Finally, 67 articles complied with our eligibility criteria and were included in this study. In this study, the effect of various information technology based interventions on clinical outcomes in diabetic patients extracted and measured from selected articles is described and compared to each other. Information technology based interventions combined with the usual care are associated with improved glycemic control with different efficacy on various clinical outcomes in diabetic patients.

[Progress in standard assessment on competency to stand trial of mentally disordered offenders].

PubMed

Chen, Xiao-Bing; Cai, Wei-Xiong

2012-08-01

Competency to stand trial relates directly to legal rights of the appraised individual as well as whether criminal procedure can be carried out smoothly. Foreign scholars have conducted a large number of theoretical researches, and developed a series of standardized evaluation tools. However, the assessment on competency to stand trial has mainly focused on medical criteria in China for a long time, and most cases were judged by forensic psychiatrists' experience. Recently, Chinese scholars have started the initial research on standardized evaluation. This paper reviews the notion of competency to stand trial, the evaluation criteria, and the assessment tools domestically and abroad. The main focus is on foreign assessment tools, which included three categories. First category includes checklist, self-report questionnaires and sentence-completion tasks. Second category is the interview-based instruments without criterion-based scoring. Last category is the interview-based instruments with criterion-based scoring. This literature may be helpful for further research and standardization on assessment tools of competency to stand trial of mentally disordered offenders.

Assessment of flood susceptible areas using spatially explicit, probabilistic multi-criteria decision analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Zhongqian; Zhang, Hua; Yi, Shanzhen; Xiao, Yangfan

2018-03-01

GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is increasingly used to support flood risk assessment. However, conventional GIS-MCDA methods fail to adequately represent spatial variability and are accompanied with considerable uncertainty. It is, thus, important to incorporate spatial variability and uncertainty into GIS-based decision analysis procedures. This research develops a spatially explicit, probabilistic GIS-MCDA approach for the delineation of potentially flood susceptible areas. The approach integrates the probabilistic and the local ordered weighted averaging (OWA) methods via Monte Carlo simulation, to take into account the uncertainty related to criteria weights, spatial heterogeneity of preferences and the risk attitude of the analyst. The approach is applied to a pilot study for the Gucheng County, central China, heavily affected by the hazardous 2012 flood. A GIS database of six geomorphological and hydrometeorological factors for the evaluation of susceptibility was created. Moreover, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis were performed to investigate the robustness of the model. The results indicate that the ensemble method improves the robustness of the model outcomes with respect to variation in criteria weights and identifies which criteria weights are most responsible for the variability of model outcomes. Therefore, the proposed approach is an improvement over the conventional deterministic method and can provides a more rational, objective and unbiased tool for flood susceptibility evaluation.

Retrospective application of Program to Access and Review Trending iNformation and Evaluate coRrelation to Symptoms in patients with Heart Failure criteria for the remote management of patients with cardiac resynchronisation therapy.

PubMed

Brasca, Francesco Ma; Franzetti, Jessica; Rella, Valeria; Malfatto, Gabriella; Brambilla, Roberto; Facchini, Mario; Parati, Gianfranco; Perego, Giovanni B

2017-05-01

Aim The Program to Access and Review Trending iNformation and Evaluate coRrelation to Symptoms in patients with Heart Failure (PARTNERS HF) trial elaborated a multiparametric model for prediction of acute decompensation in advanced heart failure patients, based on periodical in office data download from cardiac resynchronisation devices. In this study, we evaluated the ability of the PARTNERS HF criteria to detect initial decompensation in a population of moderate heart failure patients under remote monitoring. Methods We retrospectively applied the PARTNERS HF criteria to 1860 transmissions from 104 patients (median follow up 21 months; range 1-67 months), who were enrolled in our programme of telemedicine after cardiac resynchronisation therapy. We tested the ability of a score based on these criteria to predict any acute clinical decompensation occurring in the 15 days following a transmission. Results In 441 cases, acute heart failure was diagnosed after the index transmission. The area under the curve (AUC) of the score for the diagnosis of acute decompensation was 0.752 (confidence interval (CI) 95% 0.728-0.777). The best score cut-off was consistent with the results of PARTNERS HF: with a score ≥2, sensitivity was 75% and specificity 68%. The odds ratio for events was 6.24 (CI 95% 4.90-7.95; p < 0.001). Conclusions When retrospectively applied to remote monitoring transmissions and arranged in a score, PARTNERS HF criteria could identify HF patients who subsequently developed acute decompensation. These results warrant prospective studies applying PARTNERS HF criteria to remote monitoring.

Fuzzy MCDM Technique for Planning the Environment Watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yi-Chun; Lien, Hui-Pang; Tzeng, Gwo-Hshiung; Yang, Lung-Shih; Yen, Leon

In the real word, the decision making problems are very vague and uncertain in a number of ways. The most criteria have interdependent and interactive features so they cannot be evaluated by conventional measures method. Such as the feasibility, thus, to approximate the human subjective evaluation process, it would be more suitable to apply a fuzzy method in environment-watershed plan topic. This paper describes the design of a fuzzy decision support system in multi-criteria analysis approach for selecting the best plan alternatives or strategies in environmentwatershed. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) method is used to determine the preference weightings of criteria for decision makers by subjective perception. A questionnaire was used to find out from three related groups comprising fifteen experts. Subjectivity and vagueness analysis is dealt with the criteria and alternatives for selection process and simulation results by using fuzzy numbers with linguistic terms. Incorporated the decision makers’ attitude towards preference, overall performance value of each alternative can be obtained based on the concept of Fuzzy Multiple Criteria Decision Making (FMCDM). This research also gives an example of evaluating consisting of five alternatives, solicited from a environmentwatershed plan works in Taiwan, is illustrated to demonstrate the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed approach.

Using a data base management system for modelling SSME test history data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abernethy, K.

1985-01-01

The usefulness of a data base management system (DBMS) for modelling historical test data for the complete series of static test firings for the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) was assessed. From an analysis of user data base query requirements, it became clear that a relational DMBS which included a relationally complete query language would permit a model satisfying the query requirements. Representative models and sample queries are discussed. A list of environment-particular evaluation criteria for the desired DBMS was constructed; these criteria include requirements in the areas of user-interface complexity, program independence, flexibility, modifiability, and output capability. The evaluation process included the construction of several prototype data bases for user assessement. The systems studied, representing the three major DBMS conceptual models, were: MIRADS, a hierarchical system; DMS-1100, a CODASYL-based network system; ORACLE, a relational system; and DATATRIEVE, a relational-type system.

Lessons from mouse chimaera experiments with a reiterated transgene marker: revised marker criteria and a review of chimaera markers.

PubMed

Keighren, Margaret A; Flockhart, Jean; Hodson, Benjamin A; Shen, Guan-Yi; Birtley, James R; Notarnicola-Harwood, Antonio; West, John D

2015-08-01

Recent reports of a new generation of ubiquitous transgenic chimaera markers prompted us to consider the criteria used to evaluate new chimaera markers and develop more objective assessment methods. To investigate this experimentally we used several series of fetal and adult chimaeras, carrying an older, multi-copy transgenic marker. We used two additional independent markers and objective, quantitative criteria for cell selection and cell mixing to investigate quantitative and spatial aspects of developmental neutrality. We also suggest how the quantitative analysis we used could be simplified for future use with other markers. As a result, we recommend a five-step procedure for investigators to evaluate new chimaera markers based partly on criteria proposed previously but with a greater emphasis on examining the developmental neutrality of prospective new markers. These five steps comprise (1) review of published information, (2) evaluation of marker detection, (3) genetic crosses to check for effects on viability and growth, (4) comparisons of chimaeras with and without the marker and (5) analysis of chimaeras with both cell populations labelled. Finally, we review a number of different chimaera markers and evaluate them using the extended set of criteria. These comparisons indicate that, although the new generation of ubiquitous fluorescent markers are the best of those currently available and fulfil most of the criteria required of a chimaera marker, further work is required to determine whether they are developmentally neutral.

Application of ANP and DEMATEL to evaluate the decision-making of municipal solid waste management in Metro Manila.

PubMed

Tseng, Ming-Lang

2009-09-01

A municipal solid waste management (MSW) expert group was consulted in order to mirror how government officials might reach an effective solution regarding municipal solid waste management in Metro Manila. A critical issue regarding this is how the expert group can better evaluate and select a favorable MSW management solution using a series of criteria. MSW management solution selection is a multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem, which requires the consideration of a large number of complex criteria. A robust MCDM method should consider the interactions among these criteria. The analytic network process (ANP) is a relatively new MCDM method which can deal with all kinds of interactions systematically. The Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) not only can convert the relations between cause and effect of criteria into a structural model, but also can be used as a way to handle the inner dependences within a set of criteria. Hence, this paper applies an effective solution based on a combined ANP and DEMATEL method to assist the expert group evaluating different MSW management solutions. According to the results, the best solution is for each city to have its own type of thermal process technology and resource recovery facility before landfill rather than entering a joint venture with enterprises or going into build-operate-transfer projects in order to be able to construct thermal process technologies and resource recovery facilities.

Infant polysomnography: reliability and validity of infant arousal assessment.

PubMed

Crowell, David H; Kulp, Thomas D; Kapuniai, Linda E; Hunt, Carl E; Brooks, Lee J; Weese-Mayer, Debra E; Silvestri, Jean; Ward, Sally Davidson; Corwin, Michael; Tinsley, Larry; Peucker, Mark

2002-10-01

Infant arousal scoring based on the Atlas Task Force definition of transient EEG arousal was evaluated to determine (1). whether transient arousals can be identified and assessed reliably in infants and (2). whether arousal and no-arousal epochs scored previously by trained raters can be validated reliably by independent sleep experts. Phase I for inter- and intrarater reliability scoring was based on two datasets of sleep epochs selected randomly from nocturnal polysomnograms of healthy full-term, preterm, idiopathic apparent life-threatening event cases, and siblings of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome infants of 35 to 64 weeks postconceptional age. After training, test set 1 reliability was assessed and discrepancies identified. After retraining, test set 2 was scored by the same raters to determine interrater reliability. Later, three raters from the trained group rescored test set 2 to assess inter- and intrarater reliabilities. Interrater and intrarater reliability kappa's, with 95% confidence intervals, ranged from substantial to almost perfect levels of agreement. Interrater reliabilities for spontaneous arousals were initially moderate and then substantial. During the validation phase, 315 previously scored epochs were presented to four sleep experts to rate as containing arousal or no-arousal events. Interrater expert agreements were diverse and considered as noninterpretable. Concordance in sleep experts' agreements, based on identification of the previously sampled arousal and no-arousal epochs, was used as a secondary evaluative technique. Results showed agreement by two or more experts on 86% of the Collaborative Home Infant Monitoring Evaluation Study arousal scored events. Conversely, only 1% of the Collaborative Home Infant Monitoring Evaluation Study-scored no-arousal epochs were rated as an arousal. In summary, this study presents an empirically tested model with procedures and criteria for attaining improved reliability in transient EEG arousal assessments in infants using the modified Atlas Task Force standards. With training based on specific criteria, substantial inter- and intrarater agreement in identifying infant arousals was demonstrated. Corroborative validation results were too disparate for meaningful interpretation. Alternate evaluation based on concordance agreements supports reliance on infant EEG criteria for assessment. Results mandate additional confirmatory validation studies with specific training on infant EEG arousal assessment criteria.

Assessing the Quality of Academic Libraries on the Web: The Development and Testing of Criteria.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chao, Hungyune

2002-01-01

This study develops and tests an instrument useful for evaluating the quality of academic library Web sites. Discusses criteria for print materials and human-computer interfaces; user-based perspectives; the use of factor analysis; a survey of library experts; testing reliability through analysis of variance; and regression models. (Contains 53…

Workshop to Obtain Input on Draft Materials for the Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Sulfur Oxides (SOx): Health Criteria

EPA Science Inventory

As part of the review of the air quality criteria for sulfur oxides (SO_X) and primary (health-based) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for sulfur dioxide (SO₂), EPA is announcing a teleconference workshop to evaluate preliminary draft materials ...

Creating and field-testing diagnostic criteria for partner and child maltreatment.

PubMed

Heyman, Richard E; Smith Slep, Amy M

2006-09-01

An integrated set of diagnostic criteria for partner abuse and child abuse and neglect were developed and tested in 4 studies conducted with a branch of America's largest family maltreatment protection agency (i.e., the U.S. military's Family Advocacy Program). Maltreatment criteria then in force were found to have adequate levels of content validity, but experts' and users' feedback indicated ambiguities and poorly specified criteria that undermined reliable application. Criteria incorporating elements of the best existing civilian and military operationalizations were developed and evaluated in two field trials. The final definitions were found to support very high levels of agreement (92%) between base adjudicating committees and master reviewers. Copyright (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved.

Design criteria for a self-actuated shutdown system to ensure limitation of core damage. [LMFBR

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

Deane, N.A.; Atcheson, D.B.

1981-09-01

Safety-based functional requirements and design criteria for a self-actuated shutdown system (SASS) are derived in accordance with LOA-2 success criteria and reliability goals. The design basis transients have been defined and evaluated for the CDS Phase II design, which is a 2550 MWt mixed oxide heterogeneous core reactor. A partial set of reactor responses for selected transients is provided as a function of SASS characteristics such as reactivity worth, trip points, and insertion times.

Information and complexity measures for hydrologic model evaluation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Hydrological models are commonly evaluated through the residual-based performance measures such as the root-mean square error or efficiency criteria. Such measures, however, do not evaluate the degree of similarity of patterns in simulated and measured time series. The objective of this study was to...

Selecting an Architecture for a Safety-Critical Distributed Computer System with Power, Weight and Cost Considerations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Torres-Pomales, Wilfredo

2014-01-01

This report presents an example of the application of multi-criteria decision analysis to the selection of an architecture for a safety-critical distributed computer system. The design problem includes constraints on minimum system availability and integrity, and the decision is based on the optimal balance of power, weight and cost. The analysis process includes the generation of alternative architectures, evaluation of individual decision criteria, and the selection of an alternative based on overall value. In this example presented here, iterative application of the quantitative evaluation process made it possible to deliberately generate an alternative architecture that is superior to all others regardless of the relative importance of cost.

The method of micro-motion cycle feature extraction based on confidence coefficient evaluation criteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Chuanzi; Ren, Hongmei; Bo, Li; Jing, Huang

2017-11-01

In radar target recognition, the micro motion characteristics of target is one of the characteristics that researchers pay attention to at home and abroad, in which the characteristics of target precession cycle is one of the important characteristics of target movement characteristics. Periodic feature extraction methods have been studied for years, the complex shape of the target and the scattering center stack lead to random fluctuations of the RCS. These random fluctuations also exist certain periodicity, which has a great influence on the target recognition result. In order to solve the problem, this paper proposes a extraction method of micro-motion cycle feature based on confidence coefficient evaluation criteria.

Assessment of health-care waste disposal methods using a VIKOR-based fuzzy multi-criteria decision making method

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

Liu, Hu-Chen; Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8552; Wu, Jing

Highlights: • Propose a VIKOR-based fuzzy MCDM technique for evaluating HCW disposal methods. • Linguistic variables are used to assess the ratings and weights for the criteria. • The OWA operator is utilized to aggregate individual opinions of decision makers. • A case study is given to illustrate the procedure of the proposed framework. - Abstract: Nowadays selection of the appropriate treatment method in health-care waste (HCW) management has become a challenge task for the municipal authorities especially in developing countries. Assessment of HCW disposal alternatives can be regarded as a complicated multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem which requires considerationmore » of multiple alternative solutions and conflicting tangible and intangible criteria. The objective of this paper is to present a new MCDM technique based on fuzzy set theory and VIKOR method for evaluating HCW disposal methods. Linguistic variables are used by decision makers to assess the ratings and weights for the established criteria. The ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator is utilized to aggregate individual opinions of decision makers into a group assessment. The computational procedure of the proposed framework is illustrated through a case study in Shanghai, one of the largest cities of China. The HCW treatment alternatives considered in this study include “incineration”, “steam sterilization”, “microwave” and “landfill”. The results obtained using the proposed approach are analyzed in a comparative way.« less

Coal gasification systems engineering and analysis. Appendix G: Commercial design and technology evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

A technology evaluation of five coal gasifier systems (Koppers-Totzek, Texaco, Babcock and Wilcox, Lurgi and BGC/Lurgi) and procedures and criteria for evaluating competitive commercial coal gasification designs is presented. The technology evaluation is based upon the plant designs and cost estimates developed by the BDM-Mittelhauser team.

Comparison between the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the American College of Sports Medicine/American Heart Association criteria to classify the physical activity profile in adults.

PubMed

de Moraes, Suzana Alves; Suzuki, Cláudio Shigueki; de Freitas, Isabel Cristina Martins

2013-01-01

the study aims to evaluate the reproducibility between the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the American College of Sports Medicine/American Heart Association criteria to classify the physical activity profile in an adult population living in Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. population-based cross-sectional study, including 930 adults of both genders. The reliability was evaluated by Kappa statistics, estimated according to socio-demographic strata. the kappa estimates showed good agreement between the two criteria in all strata. However, higher prevalence of "actives" was found by using the American College of Sports Medicine/American Heart Association. although the estimates have indicated good agreement, the findings suggest caution in choosing the criteria to classify physical activity profile mainly when "walking" is the main modality of physical activity.

Correlation of tumor response on computed tomography with pathological necrosis in hepatocellular carcinoma treated by chemoembolization before liver transplantation.

PubMed

Dioguardi Burgio, Marco; Ronot, Maxime; Bruno, Onorina; Francoz, Claire; Paradis, Valérie; Castera, Laurent; Durand, François; Soubrane, Olivier; Vilgrain, Valérie

2016-11-01

The purpose of this article was to compare the results of Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST), and European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) criteria for the evaluation of tumor necrosis in patients treated with transarterial chemoembolization before liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma. Response to treatment was evaluated on computed tomography scan by 2 independent readers based on RECIST, mRECIST, and EASL criteria, and compared with tumor necrosis assessed by explant pathology. Necrosis was defined as major when >90%. Factors associated with major necrosis were tested by multivariate analysis. Fifty-eight patients (53 males; mean age, 54 years; range, 31-64 years) were included with 88 nodules. Fifty-one (58%) nodules were shown to have major necrosis. Among them readers 1 and 2 identified a complete response (CR) according to RECIST, mRECIST, and EASL criteria in 2 (4%), 47 (92%), and 47 (92%), and 1 (2%), 45 (88%), and 45 (88%) nodules, respectively. However, 12-14 of 59 nodules classified as CR on mRECIST or EASL criteria were found to have intermediate or minor necrosis (overestimation in 20%-24% of the patients). Combining the classification of CR by mRECIST and EASL criteria and complete lipiodol deposition reduced the overestimation to 11%. Among 59 nodules classified with a CR according to mRECIST or EASL, those with complete lipiodol deposition (n = 36, 61%) had a higher rate of necrosis than those with incomplete lipiodol deposition (n = 23, 39%): 95% versus 68% and 95% versus 63% for reader 1 and 2, respectively. In conclusion, CR based on mRECIST/EASL combined with complete lipiodol deposition was better for identification of major tumor necrosis. Even in the presence of CR according to mRECIST/EASL, incomplete lipiodol deposition should be considered indicative of substantial viable tumor remnant. Liver Transplantation 22 1491-1500 2016 AASLD. © 2016 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Multi-Criteria Evaluation of the Web-Based E-Learning System: A Methodology Based on Learner Satisfaction and Its Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shee, Daniel Y.; Wang, Yi-Shun

2008-01-01

The web-based e-learning system (WELS) has emerged as a new means of skill training and knowledge acquisition, encouraging both academia and industry to invest resources in the adoption of this system. Traditionally, most pre- and post-adoption tasks related to evaluation are carried out from the viewpoints of technology. Since users have been…

Design, testing and validation of an innovative web-based instrument to evaluate school meal quality.

PubMed

Patterson, Emma; Quetel, Anna-Karin; Lilja, Karin; Simma, Marit; Olsson, Linnea; Elinder, Liselotte Schäfer

2013-06-01

To develop a feasible, valid, reliable web-based instrument to objectively evaluate school meal quality in Swedish primary schools. The construct 'school meal quality' was operationalized by an expert panel into six domains, one of which was nutritional quality. An instrument was drafted and pilot-tested. Face validity was evaluated by the panel. Feasibility was established via a large national study. Food-based criteria to predict the nutritional adequacy of school meals in terms of fat quality, iron, vitamin D and fibre content were developed. Predictive validity was evaluated by comparing the nutritional adequacy of school menus based on these criteria with the results from a nutritional analysis. Inter-rater reliability was also assessed. The instrument was developed between 2010 and 2012. It is designed for use in all primary schools by school catering and/or management representatives. A pilot-test of eighty schools in Stockholm (autumn 2010) and a further test of feasibility in 191 schools nationally (spring 2011). The four nutrient-specific food-based criteria predicted nutritional adequacy with sensitivity ranging from 0.85 to 1.0, specificity from 0.45 to 1.0 and accuracy from 0.67 to 1.0. The sample in the national study was statistically representative and the majority of users rated the questionnaire positively, suggesting the instrument is feasible. The inter-rater reliability was fair to almost perfect for continuous variables and agreement was ≥ 67 % for categorical variables. An innovative web-based system to comprehensively monitor school meal quality across several domains, with validated questions in the nutritional domain, is available in Sweden for the first time.

2016 Classification Criteria for Macrophage Activation Syndrome Complicating Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology/Paediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organisation Collaborative Initiative.

PubMed

Ravelli, Angelo; Minoia, Francesca; Davì, Sergio; Horne, AnnaCarin; Bovis, Francesca; Pistorio, Angela; Aricò, Maurizio; Avcin, Tadej; Behrens, Edward M; De Benedetti, Fabrizio; Filipovic, Lisa; Grom, Alexei A; Henter, Jan-Inge; Ilowite, Norman T; Jordan, Michael B; Khubchandani, Raju; Kitoh, Toshiyuki; Lehmberg, Kai; Lovell, Daniel J; Miettunen, Paivi; Nichols, Kim E; Ozen, Seza; Pachlopnik Schmid, Jana; Ramanan, Athimalaipet V; Russo, Ricardo; Schneider, Rayfel; Sterba, Gary; Uziel, Yosef; Wallace, Carol; Wouters, Carine; Wulffraat, Nico; Demirkaya, Erkan; Brunner, Hermine I; Martini, Alberto; Ruperto, Nicolino; Cron, Randy Q

2016-03-01

To develop criteria for the classification of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) in patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). A multistep process, based on a combination of expert consensus and analysis of real patient data, was conducted. A panel of 28 experts was first asked to classify 428 patient profiles as having or not having MAS, based on clinical and laboratory features at the time of disease onset. The 428 profiles comprised 161 patients with systemic JIA-associated MAS and 267 patients with a condition that could potentially be confused with MAS (active systemic JIA without evidence of MAS, or systemic infection). Next, the ability of candidate criteria to classify individual patients as having MAS or not having MAS was assessed by evaluating the agreement between the classification yielded using the criteria and the consensus classification of the experts. The final criteria were selected in a consensus conference. Experts achieved consensus on the classification of 391 of the 428 patient profiles (91.4%). A total of 982 candidate criteria were tested statistically. The 37 best-performing criteria and 8 criteria obtained from the literature were evaluated at the consensus conference. During the conference, 82% consensus among experts was reached on the final MAS classification criteria. In validation analyses, these criteria had a sensitivity of 0.73 and a specificity of 0.99. Agreement between the classification (MAS or not MAS) obtained using the criteria and the original diagnosis made by the treating physician was high (κ=0.76). We have developed a set of classification criteria for MAS complicating systemic JIA and provided preliminary evidence of its validity. Use of these criteria will potentially improve understanding of MAS in systemic JIA and enhance efforts to discover effective therapies, by ensuring appropriate patient enrollment in studies. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Neurophysiological localisation of ulnar neuropathy at the elbow: Validation of diagnostic criteria developed by a taskforce of the Danish Society of clinical neurophysiology.

PubMed

Pugdahl, K; Beniczky, S; Wanscher, B; Johnsen, B; Qerama, E; Ballegaard, M; Benedek, K; Juhl, A; Ööpik, M; Selmar, P; Sønderborg, J; Terney, D; Fuglsang-Frederiksen, A

2017-11-01

This study validates consensus criteria for localisation of ulnar neuropathy at elbow (UNE) developed by a taskforce of the Danish Society of Clinical Neurophysiology and compares them to the existing criteria from the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM). The Danish criteria are based on combinations of conduction slowing in the segments of the elbow and forearm expressed in Z-scores, and difference between the segments in m/s. Examining fibres to several muscles and sensory fibres can increase the certainty of the localisation. Diagnostic accuracy for UNE was evaluated on 181 neurophysiological studies of the ulnar nerve from 171 peer-reviewed patients from a mixed patient-group. The diagnostic reference standard was the consensus diagnosis based on all available clinical, laboratory, and electrodiagnostic information reached by a group of experienced Danish neurophysiologists. The Danish criteria had high specificity (98.4%) and positive predictive value (PPV) (95.2%) and fair sensitivity (76.9%). Compared to the AANEM criteria, the Danish criteria had higher specificity (p<0.001) and lower sensitivity (p=0.02). The Danish consensus criteria for UNE are very specific and have high PPV. The Danish criteria for UNE are reliable and well suited for use in different centres as they are based on Z-scores. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multi-objective calibration and uncertainty analysis of hydrologic models; A comparative study between formal and informal methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafii, M.; Tolson, B.; Matott, L. S.

2012-04-01

Hydrologic modeling has benefited from significant developments over the past two decades. This has resulted in building of higher levels of complexity into hydrologic models, which eventually makes the model evaluation process (parameter estimation via calibration and uncertainty analysis) more challenging. In order to avoid unreasonable parameter estimates, many researchers have suggested implementation of multi-criteria calibration schemes. Furthermore, for predictive hydrologic models to be useful, proper consideration of uncertainty is essential. Consequently, recent research has emphasized comprehensive model assessment procedures in which multi-criteria parameter estimation is combined with statistically-based uncertainty analysis routines such as Bayesian inference using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling. Such a procedure relies on the use of formal likelihood functions based on statistical assumptions, and moreover, the Bayesian inference structured on MCMC samplers requires a considerably large number of simulations. Due to these issues, especially in complex non-linear hydrological models, a variety of alternative informal approaches have been proposed for uncertainty analysis in the multi-criteria context. This study aims at exploring a number of such informal uncertainty analysis techniques in multi-criteria calibration of hydrological models. The informal methods addressed in this study are (i) Pareto optimality which quantifies the parameter uncertainty using the Pareto solutions, (ii) DDS-AU which uses the weighted sum of objective functions to derive the prediction limits, and (iii) GLUE which describes the total uncertainty through identification of behavioral solutions. The main objective is to compare such methods with MCMC-based Bayesian inference with respect to factors such as computational burden, and predictive capacity, which are evaluated based on multiple comparative measures. The measures for comparison are calculated both for calibration and evaluation periods. The uncertainty analysis methodologies are applied to a simple 5-parameter rainfall-runoff model, called HYMOD.

Sleep disturbances as an evidence-based suicide risk factor.

PubMed

Bernert, Rebecca A; Kim, Joanne S; Iwata, Naomi G; Perlis, Michael L

2015-03-01

Increasing research indicates that sleep disturbances may confer increased risk for suicidal behaviors, including suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and death by suicide. Despite increased investigation, a number of methodological problems present important limitations to the validity and generalizability of findings in this area, which warrant additional focus. To evaluate and delineate sleep disturbances as an evidence-based suicide risk factor, a systematic review of the extant literature was conducted with methodological considerations as a central focus. The following methodologic criteria were required for inclusion: the report (1) evaluated an index of sleep disturbance; (2) examined an outcome measure for suicidal behavior; (3) adjusted for presence of a depression diagnosis or depression severity, as a covariate; and (4) represented an original investigation as opposed to a chart review. Reports meeting inclusion criteria were further classified and reviewed according to: study design and timeframe; sample type and size; sleep disturbance, suicide risk, and depression covariate assessment measure(s); and presence of positive versus negative findings. Based on keyword search, the following search engines were used: PubMed and PsycINFO. Search criteria generated N = 82 articles representing original investigations focused on sleep disturbances and suicide outcomes. Of these, N = 18 met inclusion criteria for review based on systematic analysis. Of the reports identified, N = 18 evaluated insomnia or poor sleep quality symptoms, whereas N = 8 assessed nightmares in association with suicide risk. Despite considerable differences in study designs, samples, and assessment techniques, the comparison of such reports indicates preliminary, converging evidence for sleep disturbances as an empirical risk factor for suicidal behaviors, while highlighting important, future directions for increased investigation.

Design review of fluid film bearing testers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scharrer, Joseph K.

1993-01-01

The designs of three existing testers (Hybrid Bearing Tester, OTV Bearing Tester, and Long Life Bearing Tester) owned by NASA were reviewed for their capability to serve as a multi-purpose cryogenic fluid film bearing tester. The primary tester function is the validation of analytical predictions for fluid film bearing steady state and dynamic performance. Evaluation criteria were established for test bearing configurations, test fluids, instrumentation, and test objectives. Each tester was evaluated with respect to these criteria. A determination was made of design improvements which would allow the testers to meet the stated criteria. The cost and time required to make the design changes were estimated. A recommendation based on the results of this study was made to proceed with the Hybrid Bearing Tester.

Domain Specifications and Evaluative Criteria for Distributive Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Larry J.; And Others

This paper attempts to provide a model that allows for individual evaluators to frame specific evaluation items based on a common set of beliefs (a philosophy) regarding the secondary school program for marketing and distributive education. It describes Popham's procedure for the development of domain specifications that frame the philosophical…

Evaluating Academic Scientists Collaborating in Team-Based Research: A Proposed Framework.

PubMed

Mazumdar, Madhu; Messinger, Shari; Finkelstein, Dianne M; Goldberg, Judith D; Lindsell, Christopher J; Morton, Sally C; Pollock, Brad H; Rahbar, Mohammad H; Welty, Leah J; Parker, Robert A

2015-10-01

Criteria for evaluating faculty are traditionally based on a triad of scholarship, teaching, and service. Research scholarship is often measured by first or senior authorship on peer-reviewed scientific publications and being principal investigator on extramural grants. Yet scientific innovation increasingly requires collective rather than individual creativity, which traditional measures of achievement were not designed to capture and, thus, devalue. The authors propose a simple, flexible framework for evaluating team scientists that includes both quantitative and qualitative assessments. An approach for documenting contributions of team scientists in team-based scholarship, nontraditional education, and specialized service activities is also outlined. Although biostatisticians are used for illustration, the approach is generalizable to team scientists in other disciplines.The authors offer three key recommendations to members of institutional promotion committees, department chairs, and others evaluating team scientists. First, contributions to team-based scholarship and specialized contributions to education and service need to be assessed and given appropriate and substantial weight. Second, evaluations must be founded on well-articulated criteria for assessing the stature and accomplishments of team scientists. Finally, mechanisms for collecting evaluative data must be developed and implemented at the institutional level. Without these three essentials, contributions of team scientists will continue to be undervalued in the academic environment.

Medical privacy protection based on granular computing.

PubMed

Wang, Da-Wei; Liau, Churn-Jung; Hsu, Tsan-Sheng

2004-10-01

Based on granular computing methodology, we propose two criteria to quantitatively measure privacy invasion. The total cost criterion measures the effort needed for a data recipient to find private information. The average benefit criterion measures the benefit a data recipient obtains when he received the released data. These two criteria remedy the inadequacy of the deterministic privacy formulation proposed in Proceedings of Asia Pacific Medical Informatics Conference, 2000; Int J Med Inform 2003;71:17-23. Granular computing methodology provides a unified framework for these quantitative measurements and previous bin size and logical approaches. These two new criteria are implemented in a prototype system Cellsecu 2.0. Preliminary system performance evaluation is conducted and reviewed.

Evaluation of the Three Gorges Dam project using multi-criteria analysis (MCA) based on a sustainable perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Yue; Zheng, Wei; Guo, Junshan; Ma, Yihe; Ding, Junqi; Zhu, Lingkai; Che, Yongqiang; Zhang, Yanpeng

2018-02-01

Abstract . The Three Gorges dam of China is one of the largest and expensive hydropower projects of the world. The four main purposes of the project are flood control,energy production, improved navigation and fresh water supply. The dam project has been completed and running successfully with the potential benefits. However, this project is still a controversial issue among many environmentalists and socialists due to various impacts. This study focuses on the benefit and the impacts of the project, and also evaluates the performance of the project using multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach from a sustainable perspective. Different sustainability criteria related with the dam project have been identified and used for the ranking and rating process. The final result of MCA comes with this scoring process and pairwise comparison, which evaluates the performance of the project considering different positive and negative aspects.

Applying operational research and data mining to performance based medical personnel motivation system.

PubMed

Niaksu, Olegas; Zaptorius, Jonas

2014-01-01

This paper presents the methodology suitable for creation of a performance related remuneration system in healthcare sector, which would meet requirements for efficiency and sustainable quality of healthcare services. Methodology for performance indicators selection, ranking and a posteriori evaluation has been proposed and discussed. Priority Distribution Method is applied for unbiased performance criteria weighting. Data mining methods are proposed to monitor and evaluate the results of motivation system.We developed a method for healthcare specific criteria selection consisting of 8 steps; proposed and demonstrated application of Priority Distribution Method for the selected criteria weighting. Moreover, a set of data mining methods for evaluation of the motivational system outcomes was proposed. The described methodology for calculating performance related payment needs practical approbation. We plan to develop semi-automated tools for institutional and personal performance indicators monitoring. The final step would be approbation of the methodology in a healthcare facility.

Increasing the applicability of wind power projects via a multi-criteria approach: methodology and case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polatidis, Heracles; Morales, Jan Borràs

2016-11-01

In this paper a methodological framework for increasing the actual applicability of wind farms is developed and applied. The framework is based on multi-criteria decision aid techniques that perform an integrated technical and societal evaluation of a number of potential wind power projects that are a variation of a pre-existing actual proposal that faces implementation difficulties. A number of evaluation criteria are established and assessed via particular related software or are comparatively evaluated among each other on a semi-qualitative basis. The preference of a diverse audience of pertinent stakeholders can be also incorporated in the overall analysis. The result of the process is an identification of a new project that will exhibit increased actual implementation potential compared with the original proposal. The methodology is tested in a case study of a wind farm in the UK and relevant conclusions are drawn.

Evaluation of automobiles with alternative fuels utilizing multicriteria techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brey, J. J.; Contreras, I.; Carazo, A. F.; Brey, R.; Hernández-Díaz, A. G.; Castro, A.

This work applies the non-parametric technique of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to conduct a multicriteria comparison of some existing and under development technologies in the automotive sector. The results indicate that some of the technologies under development, such as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, can be classified as efficient when evaluated in function of environmental and economic criteria, with greater importance being given to the environmental criteria. The article also demonstrates the need to improve the hydrogen-based technology, in comparison with the others, in aspects such as vehicle sale costs and fuel price.

Development of a multi-criteria evaluation system to assess growing pig welfare.

PubMed

Martín, P; Traulsen, I; Buxadé, C; Krieter, J

2017-03-01

The aim of this paper was to present an alternative multi-criteria evaluation model to assess animal welfare on farms based on the Welfare Quality® (WQ) project, using an example of welfare assessment of growing pigs. The WQ assessment protocol follows a three-step aggregation process. Measures are aggregated into criteria, criteria into principles and principles into an overall assessment. This study focussed on the first step of the aggregation. Multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT) was used to produce a value of welfare for each criterion. The utility functions and the aggregation function were constructed in two separated steps. The Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique (MACBETH) method was used for utility function determination and the Choquet Integral (CI) was used as an aggregation operator. The WQ decision-makers' preferences were fitted in order to construct the utility functions and to determine the CI parameters. The methods were tested with generated data sets for farms of growing pigs. Using the MAUT, similar results were obtained to the ones obtained applying the WQ protocol aggregation methods. It can be concluded that due to the use of an interactive approach such as MACBETH, this alternative methodology is more transparent and more flexible than the methodology proposed by WQ, which allows the possibility to modify the model according, for instance, to new scientific knowledge.

10 CFR 420.36 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Evaluation criteria. 420.36 Section 420.36 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION STATE ENERGY PROGRAM Implementation of Special Projects Financial Assistance § 420.36 Evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria, including program activity-specific...

10 CFR 420.36 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Evaluation criteria. 420.36 Section 420.36 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION STATE ENERGY PROGRAM Implementation of Special Projects Financial Assistance § 420.36 Evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria, including program activity-specific...

10 CFR 420.36 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Evaluation criteria. 420.36 Section 420.36 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION STATE ENERGY PROGRAM Implementation of Special Projects Financial Assistance § 420.36 Evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria, including program activity-specific...

10 CFR 420.36 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Evaluation criteria. 420.36 Section 420.36 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION STATE ENERGY PROGRAM Implementation of Special Projects Financial Assistance § 420.36 Evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria, including program activity-specific...

10 CFR 420.36 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Evaluation criteria. 420.36 Section 420.36 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION STATE ENERGY PROGRAM Implementation of Special Projects Financial Assistance § 420.36 Evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria, including program activity-specific...

Statistical approach for selection of biologically informative genes.

PubMed

Das, Samarendra; Rai, Anil; Mishra, D C; Rai, Shesh N

2018-05-20

Selection of informative genes from high dimensional gene expression data has emerged as an important research area in genomics. Many gene selection techniques have been proposed so far are either based on relevancy or redundancy measure. Further, the performance of these techniques has been adjudged through post selection classification accuracy computed through a classifier using the selected genes. This performance metric may be statistically sound but may not be biologically relevant. A statistical approach, i.e. Boot-MRMR, was proposed based on a composite measure of maximum relevance and minimum redundancy, which is both statistically sound and biologically relevant for informative gene selection. For comparative evaluation of the proposed approach, we developed two biological sufficient criteria, i.e. Gene Set Enrichment with QTL (GSEQ) and biological similarity score based on Gene Ontology (GO). Further, a systematic and rigorous evaluation of the proposed technique with 12 existing gene selection techniques was carried out using five gene expression datasets. This evaluation was based on a broad spectrum of statistically sound (e.g. subject classification) and biological relevant (based on QTL and GO) criteria under a multiple criteria decision-making framework. The performance analysis showed that the proposed technique selects informative genes which are more biologically relevant. The proposed technique is also found to be quite competitive with the existing techniques with respect to subject classification and computational time. Our results also showed that under the multiple criteria decision-making setup, the proposed technique is best for informative gene selection over the available alternatives. Based on the proposed approach, an R Package, i.e. BootMRMR has been developed and available at https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/BootMRMR. This study will provide a practical guide to select statistical techniques for selecting informative genes from high dimensional expression data for breeding and system biology studies. Published by Elsevier B.V.

[Reconsidering evaluation criteria regarding health care research: toward an integrative framework of quantitative and qualitative criteria].

PubMed

Miyata, Hiroaki; Kai, Ichiro

2006-05-01

Debate about the relationship between quantitative and qualitative paradigms is often muddled and confused and the clutter of terms and arguments has resulted in the concepts becoming obscure and unrecognizable. It is therefore very important to reconsider evaluation criteria regarding rigor in social science. As Lincoln & Guba have already compared quantitative paradigms (validity, reliability, neutrality, generalizability) with qualitative paradigms (credibility, dependability, confirmability, transferability), we have discuss use of evaluation criteria based on pragmatic perspective. Validity/Credibility is the paradigm concerned to observational framework, while Reliability/Dependability refer to the range of stability in observations, Neutrality/Confirmability reflect influences between observers and subjects, Generalizability/Transferability have epistemological difference in the way findings are applied. Qualitative studies, however, does not always chose the qualitative paradigms. If we assume the stability to some extent, it is better to use the quantitative paradigm (reliability). Moreover as a quantitative study can not always guarantee a perfect observational framework, with stability in all phases of observations, it is useful to use qualitative paradigms to enhance the rigor in the study.

Chromosomes and plant cell division in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krikorian, A. D.

1988-01-01

The objectives were: examination of chromosomal aberrations; development of an experimental system; and engineering design units (EDUs) evaluation. Evaluation criteria are presented. Procedures were developed for shuttle-based investigations which result in the procurement of plant root tips for subsequent cytological examination.

Evaluation of subgrade moduli for flexible pavements in Virginia : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1980-01-01

Advances in pavement design technology in recent years have led to more dependence on mechanistic approaches and less reliance on subjective design criteria. In Virginia, the tendency is toward a pavement design and evaluation methodology based on el...

Systematic review of the cost effectiveness of prophylactic treatments in the prevention of gastropathy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

PubMed Central

van Dieten, H. E M; Bos, I.; van Tulder, M. W; Lems, W.; Dijkmans, B.; Boers, M.

2000-01-01

A systematic review on the cost effectiveness of prophylactic treatments of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) induced gastropathy in patients with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis was conducted. Two reviewers conducted the literature search and the review. Both full and partial economic evaluations published in English, Dutch, or German were included. The criteria list published in the textbook of Drummond was used to determine the quality of the economic evaluations. The methodological quality of three randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in which the economic evaluations obtained probability estimates of NSAID induced gastropathy and adverse events was assessed by a list of internal validity criteria. The conclusions were based on a rating system consisting of four levels of evidence.
  Ten economic evaluations were included; three were based on RCTs. All evaluations studied misoprostol as prophylactic treatment: in one evaluation misoprostol was studied as a fixed component in a combination with diclofenac (Arthrotec). All economic evaluations comprised analytical studies containing a decision tree. The three trials were of high methodological quality. Nine economic evaluations were considered high quality and one economic evaluation was considered of low methodological quality. There is strong evidence (level "A") that the use of misoprostol for the prevention of NSAID induced gastropathy is cost effective, and limited evidence (level "C") that the use of Arthrotec is cost effective. Although the levels of evidence used in this review are arbitrary, it is believed that a qualitative analysis is useful: quantitative analyses in this field are hampered by the heterogeneity of economic evaluations. Existing criteria to evaluate the methodological quality of economic evaluations may need refinement for use in systematic reviews.

 PMID:11005773

Systematic review of the cost effectiveness of prophylactic treatments in the prevention of gastropathy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

PubMed

van Dieten, H E; Korthals-de Bos, I B; van Tulder, M W; Lems, W F; Dijkmans, B A; Boers, M

2000-10-01

A systematic review on the cost effectiveness of prophylactic treatments of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) induced gastropathy in patients with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis was conducted. Two reviewers conducted the literature search and the review. Both full and partial economic evaluations published in English, Dutch, or German were included. The criteria list published in the textbook of Drummond was used to determine the quality of the economic evaluations. The methodological quality of three randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in which the economic evaluations obtained probability estimates of NSAID induced gastropathy and adverse events was assessed by a list of internal validity criteria. The conclusions were based on a rating system consisting of four levels of evidence. Ten economic evaluations were included; three were based on RCTs. All evaluations studied misoprostol as prophylactic treatment: in one evaluation misoprostol was studied as a fixed component in a combination with diclofenac (Arthrotec). All economic evaluations comprised analytical studies containing a decision tree. The three trials were of high methodological quality. Nine economic evaluations were considered high quality and one economic evaluation was considered of low methodological quality. There is strong evidence (level "A") that the use of misoprostol for the prevention of NSAID induced gastropathy is cost effective, and limited evidence (level "C") that the use of Arthrotec is cost effective. Although the levels of evidence used in this review are arbitrary, it is believed that a qualitative analysis is useful: quantitative analyses in this field are hampered by the heterogeneity of economic evaluations. Existing criteria to evaluate the methodological quality of economic evaluations may need refinement for use in systematic reviews.

Taking the U.S. Patent Office Criteria Seriously: A Quantitative Three-Criterion Creativity Definition and Its Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simonton, Dean Keith

2012-01-01

Although creativity has recently attracted considerable theoretical and empirical research, researchers have yet to reach a consensus on how best to define the phenomenon. To help establish a consensus, a definition is proposed that is based on the three criteria used by the United States Patent Office to evaluate applications for patent…

Reporting Standards for Literature Searches and Report Inclusion Criteria: Making Research Syntheses More Transparent and Easy to Replicate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkinson, Kayla M.; Koenka, Alison C.; Sanchez, Carmen E.; Moshontz, Hannah; Cooper, Harris

2015-01-01

A complete description of the literature search, including the criteria used for the inclusion of reports after they have been located, used in a research synthesis or meta-analysis is critical if subsequent researchers are to accurately evaluate and reproduce a synthesis' methods and results. Based on previous guidelines and new suggestions, we…

Evaluation of criteria for sustainability of community-based rural homestay programs via a modified pairwise comparison method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramli, Rohaini; Kasim, Maznah Mat; Ramli, Razamin; Kayat, Kalsom; Razak, Rafidah Abd

2014-12-01

Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia has long introduced homestay programs across the country to enhance the quality of life of people, especially those living in rural areas. This type of program is classified as a community-based tourism (CBT) as it is expected to economically improve livelihood through cultural and community associated activities. It is the aspiration of the ministry to see that the income imbalance between people in the rural and urban areas is reduced, thus would contribute towards creating more developed states of Malaysia. Since 1970s, there are 154 homestay programs registered with the ministry. However, the performance and sustainability of the programs are still not satisfying. There are only a number of homestay programs that perform well and able to sustain. Thus, the aim of this paper is to identify relevant criteria contributing to the sustainability of a homestay program. The criteria are evaluated for their levels of importance via the use of a modified pairwise method and analyzed for other potentials. The findings will help the homestay operators to focus on the necessary criteria and thus, effectively perform as the CBT business initiative.

34 CFR 646.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use to evaluate an application?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... plan for the project on the basis of the extent to which— (1) The applicant's methods for evaluation... changes based upon the results of project evaluation. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget... grant: (a) Need for the project (24 points). The Secretary evaluates the need for a Student Support...

The Norwegian General Practice--Nursing Home criteria (NORGEP-NH) for potentially inappropriate medication use: A web-based Delphi study.

PubMed

Nyborg, Gunhild; Straand, Jørund; Klovning, Atle; Brekke, Mette

2015-06-01

To develop a set of explicit criteria for pharmacologically inappropriate medication use in nursing homes. In an expert panel, a three-round Delphi consensus process was conducted via survey software. Norway. Altogether 80 participants - specialists in geriatrics or clinical pharmacology, physicians in nursing homes and experienced pharmacists - agreed to participate in the survey. Of these, 62 completed the first round, and 49 panellists completed all three rounds (75.4% of those ultimately entering the survey). The authors developed a list of 27 criteria based on the Norwegian General Practice (NORGEP) criteria, literature, and clinical experience. The main outcome measure was the panellists' evaluation of the clinical relevance of each suggested criterion on a digital Likert scale from 1 (no clinical relevance) to 10. In the first round panellists could also suggest new criteria to be included in the process. For each criterion, degree of consensus was based on the average Likert score and corresponding standard deviation (SD). A list of 34 explicit criteria for potentially inappropriate medication use in nursing homes was developed through a three-round web-based Delphi consensus process. Degree of consensus increased with each round. No criterion was voted out. Suggestions from the panel led to the inclusion of seven additional criteria in round two. The NORGEP-NH list may serve as a tool in the prescribing process and in medication list reviews and may also be used in quality assessment and for research purposes.

Diagnostic Distribution of eating disorders: Comparison between DSMIV- TR and DSM-5.

PubMed

Serrano-Troncoso, Eduardo; Cañas, Laura; Carbonell, Xavier; Carulla, Marta; Palma, Carolina; Matalí, Josep; Dolz, Montse

2017-01-01

The fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) includes a significant revision of Eating Disorders (ED). The objective of this study is to compare the distribution of diagnosis of ED in adolescents according to DSM-VI-TR and DSM-5 criteria. A second objective is to study the psychopathological differences between patients with ED (based on DSM-IV-TR) and those whose diagnosis changed by applying DSM-5 criteria. One hundred and one adolescents diagnosed with ED (mean: 14.68 years; SD: 1.46) were evaluated with clinical interviews and scales for eating psychopathology, perfectionism, anxiety, and depression. Applying the DSM-5 criteria led to a significant decrease in the diagnosed cases of Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) (from 34.7% to 23.8%; p<0.001) and to a significant increase in those of anorexia nervosa (AN) (from 58.4% to 66.3%; p<0.001) and of bulimia nervosa (BN) (from 6.9% to 8.9%; p<0.001). No significant psychopathological differences were found between patients diagnosed with AN and BN based on DSM-IV-TR criteria and those newly diagnosed with AN and BN based on DSM-5 criteria. Using DSM-5 criteria for adolescents with ED leads to a significant decrease in the frequency of an EDNOS diagnosis. As similar psychopathological characteristics were observed between ED patients diagnosed based on DSM-IV-TR and those who were switched from EDNOS to AN or BN based on DSM-5, we conclude that the new criteria for ED in DSM-5 are valid for an adolescent population.

Multi-criteria multi-stakeholder decision analysis using a fuzzy-stochastic approach for hydrosystem management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subagadis, Y. H.; Schütze, N.; Grundmann, J.

2014-09-01

The conventional methods used to solve multi-criteria multi-stakeholder problems are less strongly formulated, as they normally incorporate only homogeneous information at a time and suggest aggregating objectives of different decision-makers avoiding water-society interactions. In this contribution, Multi-Criteria Group Decision Analysis (MCGDA) using a fuzzy-stochastic approach has been proposed to rank a set of alternatives in water management decisions incorporating heterogeneous information under uncertainty. The decision making framework takes hydrologically, environmentally, and socio-economically motivated conflicting objectives into consideration. The criteria related to the performance of the physical system are optimized using multi-criteria simulation-based optimization, and fuzzy linguistic quantifiers have been used to evaluate subjective criteria and to assess stakeholders' degree of optimism. The proposed methodology is applied to find effective and robust intervention strategies for the management of a coastal hydrosystem affected by saltwater intrusion due to excessive groundwater extraction for irrigated agriculture and municipal use. Preliminary results show that the MCGDA based on a fuzzy-stochastic approach gives useful support for robust decision-making and is sensitive to the decision makers' degree of optimism.

Rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: criteria-based progression through the return-to-sport phase.

PubMed

Myer, Gregory D; Paterno, Mark V; Ford, Kevin R; Quatman, Carmen E; Hewett, Timothy E

2006-06-01

Rehabilitation following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction has undergone a relatively rapid and global evolution over the past 25 years. However, there is an absence of standardized, objective criteria to accurately assess an athlete's ability to progress through the end stages of rehabilitation and safe return to sport. Return-to-sport rehabilitation, progressed by quantitatively measured functional goals, may improve the athlete's integration back into sport participation. The purpose of the following clinical commentary is to introduce an example of a criteria-driven algorithm for progression through return-to-sport rehabilitation following ACL reconstruction. Our criteria-based protocol incorporates a dynamic assessment of baseline limb strength, patient-reported outcomes, functional knee stability, bilateral limb symmetry with functional tasks, postural control, power, endurance, agility, and technique with sport-specific tasks. Although this algorithm has limitations, it serves as a foundation to expand future evidence-based evaluation and to foster critical investigation into the development of objective measures to accurately determine readiness to safely return to sport following injury.

Evaluation Criteria for the Educational Web-Information System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seok, Soonhwa; Meyen, Edward; Poggio, John C.; Semon, Sarah; Tillberg-Webb, Heather

2008-01-01

This article addresses how evaluation criteria improve educational Web-information system design, and the tangible and intangible benefits of using evaluation criteria, when implemented in an educational Web-information system design. The evaluation criteria were developed by the authors through a content validation study applicable to…

Fuzzy integral-based gaze control architecture incorporated with modified-univector field-based navigation for humanoid robots.

PubMed

Yoo, Jeong-Ki; Kim, Jong-Hwan

2012-02-01

When a humanoid robot moves in a dynamic environment, a simple process of planning and following a path may not guarantee competent performance for dynamic obstacle avoidance because the robot acquires limited information from the environment using a local vision sensor. Thus, it is essential to update its local map as frequently as possible to obtain more information through gaze control while walking. This paper proposes a fuzzy integral-based gaze control architecture incorporated with the modified-univector field-based navigation for humanoid robots. To determine the gaze direction, four criteria based on local map confidence, waypoint, self-localization, and obstacles, are defined along with their corresponding partial evaluation functions. Using the partial evaluation values and the degree of consideration for criteria, fuzzy integral is applied to each candidate gaze direction for global evaluation. For the effective dynamic obstacle avoidance, partial evaluation functions about self-localization error and surrounding obstacles are also used for generating virtual dynamic obstacle for the modified-univector field method which generates the path and velocity of robot toward the next waypoint. The proposed architecture is verified through the comparison with the conventional weighted sum-based approach with the simulations using a developed simulator for HanSaRam-IX (HSR-IX).

Fuzzy Integral-Based Gaze Control of a Robotic Head for Human Robot Interaction.

PubMed

Yoo, Bum-Soo; Kim, Jong-Hwan

2015-09-01

During the last few decades, as a part of effort to enhance natural human robot interaction (HRI), considerable research has been carried out to develop human-like gaze control. However, most studies did not consider hardware implementation, real-time processing, and the real environment, factors that should be taken into account to achieve natural HRI. This paper proposes a fuzzy integral-based gaze control algorithm, operating in real-time and the real environment, for a robotic head. We formulate the gaze control as a multicriteria decision making problem and devise seven human gaze-inspired criteria. Partial evaluations of all candidate gaze directions are carried out with respect to the seven criteria defined from perceived visual, auditory, and internal inputs, and fuzzy measures are assigned to a power set of the criteria to reflect the user defined preference. A fuzzy integral of the partial evaluations with respect to the fuzzy measures is employed to make global evaluations of all candidate gaze directions. The global evaluation values are adjusted by applying inhibition of return and are compared with the global evaluation values of the previous gaze directions to decide the final gaze direction. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated with a robotic head, developed in the Robot Intelligence Technology Laboratory at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, through three interaction scenarios and three comparison scenarios with another algorithm.

Evaluation criteria for the district health management information systems: lessons from the Ministry of Health, Kenya.

PubMed

Odhiambo-Otieno, George W; Odero, Wilson W O

2005-03-01

The District Health Management Information Systems (DHMISs) were established by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Kenya more than two decades ago. Since then, no comprehensive evaluation has been undertaken. This can partly be attributed to lack of defined criteria for evaluating them. To propose evaluation criteria for assessing the design, implementation and impact of DHMIS in the management of the District Health System (DHS) in Kenya. A descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in three DHSs in Kenya: Bungoma, Murang'a and Uasin Gishu districts. Data was collected through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and documents' review. The respondents, purposely selected from the Ministry of Health headquarters and the three DHS districts, included designers, managers and end-users of the systems. A set of evaluation criteria for DHMISs was identified for each of the three phases of implementation: pre-implementation evaluation criteria (categorised as policy and objectives, technical feasibility, financial viability, political viability and administrative operability) to be applied at the design stage; concurrent implementation evaluation criteria to be applied during implementation of the new system; and post-implementation evaluation criteria (classified as internal - quality of information; external - resources and managerial support; ultimate - systems impact) to be applied after implementation of the system for at least three years. In designing a DHMIS model there is need to have built-in these three sets of evaluation criteria which should be used in a phased manner. Pre-implementation evaluation criteria should be used to evaluate the system's viability before more resources are committed to it; concurrent (operational) - implementation evaluation criteria should be used to monitor the process; and post-implementation evaluation criteria should be applied to assess the system's effectiveness.

A Novel Multiscale Physics Based Progressive Failure Methodology for Laminated Composite Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pineda, Evan J.; Waas, Anthony M.; Bednarcyk, Brett A.; Collier, Craig S.; Yarrington, Phillip W.

2008-01-01

A variable fidelity, multiscale, physics based finite element procedure for predicting progressive damage and failure of laminated continuous fiber reinforced composites is introduced. At every integration point in a finite element model, progressive damage is accounted for at the lamina-level using thermodynamically based Schapery Theory. Separate failure criteria are applied at either the global-scale or the microscale in two different FEM models. A micromechanics model, the Generalized Method of Cells, is used to evaluate failure criteria at the micro-level. The stress-strain behavior and observed failure mechanisms are compared with experimental results for both models.

Development of a quantitative validation method for forensic investigation of human spermatozoa using a commercial fluorescence staining kit (SPERM HY-LITER™ Express).

PubMed

Takamura, Ayari; Watanabe, Ken; Akutsu, Tomoko

2016-11-01

In investigations of sexual assaults, as well as in identifying a suspect, the detection of human sperm is important. Recently, a kit for fluorescent staining of human spermatozoa, SPERM HY-LITER™, has become available. This kit allows for microscopic observation of the heads of human sperm using an antibody tagged with a fluorescent dye. This kit is specific to human sperm and provides easy detection by luminescence. However, criteria need to be established to objectively evaluate the fluorescent signals and to evaluate the staining efficiency of this kit. These criteria will be indispensable for investigation of forensic samples. In the present study, the SPERM HY-LITER™ Express kit, which is an improved version of SPERM HY-LITER™, was evaluated using an image analysis procedure using Laplacian and Gaussian methods. This method could be used to automatically select important regions of fluorescence produced by sperm. The fluorescence staining performance was evaluated and compared under various experimental conditions, such as for aged traces and in combination with other chemical staining methods. The morphological characteristics of human sperm were incorporated into the criteria for objective identification of sperm, based on quantified features of the fluorescent spots. Using the criteria, non-specific or insignificant fluorescent spots were excluded, and the specificity of the kit for human sperm was confirmed. The image analysis method and criteria established in this study are universal and could be applied under any experimental conditions. These criteria will increase the reliability of operator judgment in the analysis of human sperm samples in forensics.

[Evaluation of Web-based software applications for administrating and organising an ophthalmological clinical trial site].

PubMed

Kortüm, K; Reznicek, L; Leicht, S; Ulbig, M; Wolf, A

2013-07-01

The importance and complexity of clinical trials is continuously increasing, especially in innovative specialties like ophthalmology. Therefore an efficient clinical trial site organisational structure is essential. In modern internet times, this can be accomplished by web-based applications. In total, 3 software applications (Vibe on Prem, Sharepoint and open source software) were evaluated in a clinical trial site in ophthalmology. Assessment criteria were set; they were: reliability, easiness of administration, usability, scheduling, task list, knowledge management, operating costs and worldwide availability. Vibe on Prem customised by the local university met the assessment criteria best. Other applications were not as strong. By introducing a web-based application for administrating and organising an ophthalmological trial site, studies can be conducted in a more efficient and reliable manner. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Evaluations of indoor noise criteria systems based on human response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowden, Erica E.; Wang, Lily M.

2005-09-01

The goal of this research is to examine human response to background noise, and relate results to indoor noise criteria. In previous work by the authors, subjects completed perception surveys, typing tasks, and proofreading tasks under typical heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) noise conditions. Results were correlated with commonly used indoor noise criteria systems including noise criteria (NC), room criteria (RC) and others. The findings suggested that the types of tasks used and the length of exposure can impact the results. To examine these two issues, the authors conducted a new study in which each test subject completed 38 total hours of testing over multiple days. Subjects were exposed to several background noise exposures over 20, 40, 80, and 240 minute trials. During the trials, subjects completed a variety of performance tasks and answered questions about their perception of the noise, the thermal environment, and various other factors. Findings from this study were used to determine optimum testing conditions for on-going research examining the effects of tonal or fluctuating background noise on performance, annoyance, and spectral perception. Results are being used to evaluate the effectiveness of commonly used indoor noise criteria systems. [Work supported by INCE and ASHRAE.

Evaluation as a Political Endeavor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clements, Millard

The politics of the behavioral modification approach to educational evaluation are examined in this position paper. In recent years the science of behavior modification has become an established political doctrine in professional education. Behavioral objectives, behavior change, performance criteria, and competency-based instruction are just a…

48 CFR 1352.215-75 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... relative importance among the technical evaluation factors.] Based upon the results of the integrated... as the offeror's planned management of consultants and subcontractors, if applicable. Factor 2... likelihood that that offeror can successfully perform the contract requirements and the degree of the risk of...

Market Competitiveness Evaluation of Mechanical Equipment with a Pairwise Comparisons Hierarchical Model.

PubMed

Hou, Fujun

2016-01-01

This paper provides a description of how market competitiveness evaluations concerning mechanical equipment can be made in the context of multi-criteria decision environments. It is assumed that, when we are evaluating the market competitiveness, there are limited number of candidates with some required qualifications, and the alternatives will be pairwise compared on a ratio scale. The qualifications are depicted as criteria in hierarchical structure. A hierarchical decision model called PCbHDM was used in this study based on an analysis of its desirable traits. Illustration and comparison shows that the PCbHDM provides a convenient and effective tool for evaluating the market competitiveness of mechanical equipment. The researchers and practitioners might use findings of this paper in application of PCbHDM.

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nuhoglu, Hasret

2014-01-01

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

Process evaluation of the implementation of scorecard-based antenatal risk assessment, care pathways and interdisciplinary consultation: the Healthy Pregnancy 4 All study.

PubMed

Vos, A A; van Voorst, S F; Posthumus, A G; Waelput, A J M; Denktaş, S; Steegers, E A P

2017-09-01

To evaluate the implementation of a complex intervention in the antenatal healthcare field in 14 Dutch municipalities. The intervention consisted of the implementation of a systematic scorecard-based risk assessment in pregnancy, subsequent patient-tailored care pathways, and consultations of professionals from different medical and social disciplines. Saunders's seven-step method was used for the development of a programme implementation monitoring plan, with specific attention to the setting and context of the programme. Data were triangulated from multiple sources, and prespecified criteria were applied to examine the evidence for implementation. Six out of 11 municipalities (54%) met the implementation criteria for the entire risk assessment programme, whereas three municipalities (27%) met the criteria if the three components of implementation were analysed separately. A process evaluation of implementation of a complex intervention is possible. The results can be used to improve understanding of the associations between specific programme elements and programme outcomes on effectiveness of the intervention. Additionally, the results are important for formative purposes to assess how future implementation of antenatal risk assessment can be improved in comparable contexts. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

38 CFR 4.96 - Special provisions regarding evaluation of respiratory conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...-6845. (1) Pulmonary function tests (PFT's) are required to evaluate these conditions except: (i) When the results of a maximum exercise capacity test are of record and are 20 ml/kg/min or less. If a maximum exercise capacity test is not of record, evaluate based on alternative criteria. (ii) When...

CDROM User Interface Evaluation: The Appropriateness of GUIs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bosch, Victoria Manglano; Hancock-Beaulieu, Micheline

1995-01-01

Assesses the appropriateness of GUIs (graphical user interfaces), more specifically Windows-based interfaces for CD-ROM. An evaluation model is described that was developed to carry out an expert evaluation of the interfaces of seven CD-ROM products. Results are discussed in light of HCI (human-computer interaction) usability criteria and design…

76 FR 58861 - Notice of Opportunity To Participate, Criteria Requirements and Application Procedure for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-22

... evaluate the conversion needs of the airport in its capital development plan to determine the appropriate... evaluate applications for redesignation primarily in terms of warranted projects fundable only under the... evaluate the need for eligible projects based upon information in the candidate airport's five-year Capital...

78 FR 72142 - Notice of Opportunity To Participate; Criteria and Application Procedures for Participation in...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-02

... evaluate the conversion needs of the airport in its capital development plan to determine the appropriate... evaluate applications for redesignation primarily in terms of warranted projects fundable only under the... designation and MAP funding. The FAA will evaluate the need for eligible projects based upon information in...

Standardizing the evaluation criteria on treatment outcomes of mandibular implant overdentures: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Kim, Ha-Young; Shin, Sang-Wan

2014-01-01

PURPOSE The aim of this review was to analyze the evaluation criteria on mandibular implant overdentures through a systematic review and suggest standardized evaluation criteria. MATERIALS AND METHODS A systematic literature search was conducted by PubMed search strategy and hand-searching of relevant journals from included studies considering inclusion and exclusion criteria. Randomized clinical trials (RCT) and clinical trial studies comparing attachment systems on mandibular implant overdentures until December, 2011 were selected. Twenty nine studies were finally selected and the data about evaluation methods were collected. RESULTS Evaluation criteria could be classified into 4 groups (implant survival, peri-implant tissue evaluation, prosthetic evaluation, and patient satisfaction). Among 29 studies, 21 studies presented implant survival rate, while any studies reporting implant failure did not present cumulative implant survival rate. Seventeen studies evaluating peri-implant tissue status presented following items as evaluation criteria; marginal bone level (14), plaque Index (13), probing depth (8), bleeding index (8), attachment gingiva level (8), gingival index (6), amount of keratinized gingiva (1). Eighteen studies evaluating prosthetic maintenance and complication also presented following items as evaluation criteria; loose matrix (17), female detachment (15), denture fracture (15), denture relining (14), abutment fracture (14), abutment screw loosening (11), and occlusal adjustment (9). Atypical questionnaire (9), Visual analog scales (VAS) (4), and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) (1) were used as the format of criteria to evaluate patients satisfaction in 14 studies. CONCLUSION For evaluation of implant overdenture, it is necessary to include cumulative survival rate for implant evaluation. It is suggested that peri-implant tissue evaluation criteria include marginal bone level, plaque index, bleeding index, probing depth, and attached gingiva level. It is also suggested that prosthetic evaluation criteria include loose matrix, female detachment, denture fracture, denture relining, abutment fracture, abutment screw loosening, and occlusal adjustment. Finally standardized criteria like OHIP-EDENT or VAS are required for patient satisfaction. PMID:25352954

3-D Mixed Mode Delamination Fracture Criteria - An Experimentalist's Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reeder, James R.

2006-01-01

Many delamination failure criteria based on fracture toughness have been suggested over the past few decades, but most only covered the region containing mode I and mode II components of loading because that is where toughness data existed. With new analysis tools, more 3D analyses are being conducted that capture a mode III component of loading. This has increased the need for a fracture criterion that incorporates mode III loading. The introduction of a pure mode III fracture toughness test has also produced data on which to base a full 3D fracture criterion. In this paper, a new framework for visualizing 3D fracture criteria is introduced. The common 2D power law fracture criterion was evaluated to produce unexpected predictions with the introduction of mode III and did not perform well in the critical high mode I region. Another 2D criterion that has been shown to model a wide range of materials well was used as the basis for a new 3D criterion. The new criterion is based on assumptions that the relationship between mode I and mode III toughness is similar to the relation between mode I and mode II and that a linear interpolation can be used between mode II and mode III. Until mixed-mode data exists with a mode III component of loading, 3D fracture criteria cannot be properly evaluated, but these assumptions seem reasonable.

Disappointing performance of literature-derived selective screening criteria for asymptomatic Chlamydia trachomatis infection in an inner-city population.

PubMed

van Valkengoed, I G; Boeke, A J; Morré, S A; van den Brule, A J; Meijer, C J; Devillé, W; Bouter, L M

2000-10-01

In an inner-city population with a low prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection, selective screening may be indicated to increase the efficiency of screening. To evaluate the performance of sets of selective screening criteria for asymptomatic Chlamydia trachomatis infection in an inner-city population. The criteria were derived from reports of studies carried out in various settings. A total of 5714 women age 15 to 40 years living in Amsterdam were invited for a screening based on home-obtained urine specimens. Criteria identified from the literature were applied to the screening population. A calculated area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve (AUC) of greater than 0.75 was considered a good measure of diagnostic accuracy. Of the four sets of criteria, selection based on the following determinants showed the highest diagnostic accuracy: younger than 25 years, being unmarried, number of partners during the previous 6 months, Surinam or Antillean origin (black), and vaginal douching (AUC, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.65-0.69). Selection based on age alone showed an AUC of 0.57 (95% CI, 0.55-0.69). The performance of selective screening criteria for asymptomatic C trachomatis infection in an inner-city population in Amsterdam was insufficient to recommend its implementation in practice.

Self-evaluation of assessment programs: a cross-case analysis.

PubMed

Baartman, Liesbeth K J; Prins, Frans J; Kirschner, Paul A; van der Vleuten, Cees P M

2011-08-01

The goal of this article is to contribute to the validation of a self-evaluation method, which can be used by schools to evaluate the quality of their Competence Assessment Program (CAP). The outcomes of the self-evaluations of two schools are systematically compared: a novice school with little experience in competence-based education and assessment, and an innovative school with extensive experience. The self-evaluation was based on 12 quality criteria for CAPs, including both validity and reliability, and criteria stressing the importance of the formative function of assessment, such as meaningfulness and educational consequences. In each school, teachers, management and examination board participated. Results show that the two schools use different approaches to assure assessment quality. The innovative school seems to be more aware of its own strengths and weaknesses, to have a more positive attitude towards teachers, students, and educational innovations, and to explicitly involve stakeholders (i.e., teachers, students, and the work field) in their assessments. This school also had a more explicit vision of the goal of competence-based education and could design its assessments in accordance with these goals. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subjective evaluation with FAA criteria: A multidimensional scaling approach. [ground track control management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kreifeldt, J. G.; Parkin, L.; Wempe, T. E.; Huff, E. F.

1975-01-01

Perceived orderliness in the ground tracks of five A/C during their simulated flights was studied. Dynamically developing ground tracks for five A/C from 21 separate runs were reproduced from computer storage and displayed on CRTS to professional pilots and controllers for their evaluations and preferences under several criteria. The ground tracks were developed in 20 seconds as opposed to the 5 minutes of simulated flight using speedup techniques for display. Metric and nonmetric multidimensional scaling techniques are being used to analyze the subjective responses in an effort to: (1) determine the meaningfulness of basing decisions on such complex subjective criteria; (2) compare pilot/controller perceptual spaces; (3) determine the dimensionality of the subjects' perceptual spaces; and thereby (4) determine objective measures suitable for comparing alternative traffic management simulations.

Fuzzy decision-making framework for treatment selection based on the combined QUALIFLEX-TODIM method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Pu; Zhang, Hong-yu; Wang, Jian-qiang

2017-10-01

Treatment selection is a multi-criteria decision-making problem of significant concern in the medical field. In this study, a fuzzy decision-making framework is established for treatment selection. The framework mitigates information loss by introducing single-valued trapezoidal neutrosophic numbers to denote evaluation information. Treatment selection has multiple criteria that remarkably exceed the alternatives. In consideration of this characteristic, the framework utilises the idea of the qualitative flexible multiple criteria method. Furthermore, it considers the risk-averse behaviour of a decision maker by employing a concordance index based on TODIM (an acronym in Portuguese of interactive and multi-criteria decision-making) method. A sensitivity analysis is performed to illustrate the robustness of the framework. Finally, a comparative analysis is conducted to compare the framework with several extant methods. Results indicate the advantages of the framework and its better performance compared with the extant methods.

An update of the appraisal of the accuracy and utility of cervical discography in chronic neck pain.

PubMed

Onyewu, Obi; Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Falco, Frank J E; Singh, Vijay; Geffert, Stephanie; Helm, Standiford; Cohen, Steven P; Hirsch, Joshua A

2012-01-01

Chronic neck pain represents a significant public health problem. Despite high prevalence rates, there is a lack of consensus regarding the causes or treatments for this condition. Based on controlled evaluations, the cervical intervertebral discs, facet joints, and atlantoaxial joints have all been implicated as pain generators. Cervical provocation discography, which includes disc stimulation and morphological evaluation, is occasionally used to distinguish a painful disc from other potential sources of pain. Yet in the absence of validation and controlled outcome studies, the procedure remains mired in controversy. A systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of cervical discography. To systematically evaluate and update the diagnostic accuracy of cervical discography. The available literature on cervical discography was reviewed. Methodological quality assessment of included studies was performed using Quality Appraisal of Reliability Studies (QAREL). Only diagnostic accuracy studies meeting at least 50% of the designated inclusion criteria were utilized for analysis. However, studies scoring less than 50% are presented descriptively and analyzed critically. The level of evidence was classified as good, fair, and limited or poor based on the quality of evidence developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).Data sources included relevant literature identified through searches of PubMed and EMBASE from 1966 to June 2012, and manual searches of the bibliographies of known primary and review articles. A total of 41 manuscripts were considered for accuracy and utility of cervical discography in chronic neck pain. There were 23 studies evaluating accuracy of discography. There were 3 studies meeting inclusion criteria for assessing the accuracy and prevalence of discography, with a prevalence of 16% to 53%. Based on modified Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) accuracy evaluation and United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) level of evidence criteria, this systematic review indicates the strength of evidence is limited for the diagnostic accuracy of cervical discography. Limitations include a paucity of literature, poor methodological quality, and very few studies performed utilizing International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) criteria. There is limited evidence for the diagnostic accuracy of cervical discography. Nevertheless, in the absence of any other means to establish a relationship between pathology and symptoms, cervical provocation discography may be an important evaluation tool in certain contexts to identify a subset of patients with chronic neck pain secondary to intervertebral disc disorders. Based on the current systematic review, cervical provocation discography performed according to the IASP criteria with control disc(s), and a minimum provoked pain intensity of 7 of 10, or at least 70% reproduction of worst pain (i.e. worst spontaneous pain of 7 = 7 x 70% = 5), may be a useful tool for evaluating chronic pain and cervical disc abnormalities in a small proportion of patients.

Criteria for Evaluating a Game-Based CALL Platform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ní Chiaráin, Neasa; Ní Chasaide, Ailbhe

2017-01-01

Game-based Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is an area that currently warrants attention, as task-based, interactive, multimodal games increasingly show promise for language learning. This area is inherently multidisciplinary--theories from second language acquisition, games, and psychology must be explored and relevant concepts from…

Economic evaluations of follow-up strategies for cancer survivors: a systematic review and quality appraisal of the literature.

PubMed

Meregaglia, Michela; Cairns, John

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to review and critically assess the health economics literature on post-treatment follow-up for adult cancer survivors. A systematic search was performed using PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards checklist was adopted to assess the quality of the included studies. Thirty-nine articles met the eligibility criteria. Around two thirds of the studies addressed the most common cancers (i.e., breast, colorectal, cervical and lung); 21 were based on a single clinical study, while the rest were modeling papers. All types of economic evaluations were represented other than cost-benefit analysis. The overall quality was generally high with an average proportion of 74% of checklist criteria fulfilled. The cost-effectiveness results supported the current trend towards less intensive, primary care-based and risk-adapted follow-up schemes.

An integrative multi-criteria decision making techniques for supplier evaluation problem with its application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fatrias, D.; Kamil, I.; Meilani, D.

2018-03-01

Coordinating business operation with suppliers becomes increasingly important to survive and prosper under the dynamic business environment. A good partnership with suppliers not only increase efficiency, but also strengthen corporate competitiveness. Associated with such concern, this study aims to develop a practical approach of multi-criteria supplier evaluation using combined methods of Taguchi loss function (TLF), best-worst method (BWM) and VIse Kriterijumska Optimizacija kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR). A new framework of integrative approach adopting these methods is our main contribution for supplier evaluation in literature. In this integrated approach, a compromised supplier ranking list based on the loss score of suppliers is obtained using efficient steps of a pairwise comparison based decision making process. Implemetation to the case problem with real data from crumb rubber industry shows the usefulness of the proposed approach. Finally, a suitable managerial implication is presented.

Validation of the Rome III criteria and alarm symptoms for recurrent abdominal pain in children.

PubMed

Gijsbers, Carolien F M; Benninga, Marc A; Schweizer, Joachim J; Kneepkens, C M Frank; Vergouwe, Yvonne; Büller, Hans A

2014-06-01

Rome criteria were formulated to define functional gastrointestinal disorders (Rome III criteria, 2006) excluding organic diagnoses when alarm symptoms were absent. The aims of the study were to validate the Rome III criteria as to their capacity to differentiate between organic and functional abdominal pain and to assess the role of alarm symptoms in this differentiation. During 2 years all of the patients (ages 4-16 years) presenting with recurrent abdominal pain (Apley criteria) and referred to secondary care were included. Clinical diagnoses were based on protocolized evaluation and intervention with 6-month follow-up. Alarm symptoms were registered. Rome III criteria for functional pain syndromes were assigned independently. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed. In 200 patients (87 boys, mean age 8.8 years), organic (17%), functional (40%), combined organic and functional (9%), spontaneous recovery (27%), and other (8%) clinical diagnoses were established. Alarm symptoms were found in 57.5% (organic causes 56%, functional causes 61%). The evaluation for Rome symptom clusters revealed symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in 27%, functional dyspepsia in 15%, functional abdominal pain in 28%, functional abdominal pain syndrome in 14.5%, and no pain syndrome in 15.5%. Rome diagnoses, based on symptoms and absence of alarm symptoms, predicted functional clinical diagnosis with sensitivity 0.35 (95% confidence interval 0.27-0.43), specificity 0.60 (0.46-0.73), positive predictive value 0.71 (0.61-0.82), and negative predictive value of 0.24 (0.17-0.32). The Rome III criteria for abdominal pain are not specific enough to rule out organic causes. Alarm symptoms do not differentiate between organic and functional abdominal pain.

Alignment of University Information Technology Resources with the Malcolm Baldrige Results Criteria for Performance Excellence in Education: A Balanced Scorecard Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beard, Deborah F.; Humphrey, Roberta L.

2014-01-01

The authors suggest using a balanced scorecard (BSC) approach to evaluate information technology (IT) resources in higher education institutions. The BSC approach illustrated is based on the performance criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in Education. This article suggests areas of potential impact of IT on BSC measures in…

A design procedure and handling quality criteria for lateral directional flight control systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stein, G.; Henke, A. H.

1972-01-01

A practical design procedure for aircraft augmentation systems is described based on quadratic optimal control technology and handling-quality-oriented cost functionals. The procedure is applied to the design of a lateral-directional control system for the F4C aircraft. The design criteria, design procedure, and final control system are validated with a program of formal pilot evaluation experiments.

48 CFR 1352.215-75 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... relative importance among the technical evaluation factors.] Based upon the results of the integrated... and manage the contract and the means that will be used to accomplish the contract requirements. The... non-performance. Factor 3—KEY PERSONNEL. The education, experience, and accomplishments of key...

48 CFR 1352.215-75 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... relative importance among the technical evaluation factors.] Based upon the results of the integrated... and manage the contract and the means that will be used to accomplish the contract requirements. The... non-performance. Factor 3—KEY PERSONNEL. The education, experience, and accomplishments of key...

48 CFR 1352.215-75 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... relative importance among the technical evaluation factors.] Based upon the results of the integrated... and manage the contract and the means that will be used to accomplish the contract requirements. The... non-performance. Factor 3—KEY PERSONNEL. The education, experience, and accomplishments of key...

Digital Rectal Examination and Balloon Expulsion Test in the Study of Defecatory Disorders: Are They Suitable as Screening or Excluding Tests?

PubMed

Caetano, Ana C; Santa-Cruz, André; Rolanda, Carla

2016-01-01

Background . Rome III criteria add physiological criteria to symptom-based criteria of chronic constipation (CC) for the diagnosis of defecatory disorders (DD). However, a gold-standard test is still lacking and physiological examination is expensive and time-consuming. Aim . Evaluate the usefulness of two low-cost tests-digital rectal examination (DRE) and balloon expulsion test (BET)-as screening or excluding tests of DD. Methods . We performed a systematic search in PUBMED and MEDLINE. We selected studies where constipated patients were evaluated by DRE or BET. Heterogeneity was assessed and random effect models were used to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value (NPV) of the DRE and the BET. Results . Thirteen studies evaluating BET and four studies evaluating DRE (2329 patients) were selected. High heterogeneity ( I 2 > 80%) among studies was demonstrated. The studies evaluating the BET showed a sensitivity and specificity of 67% and 80%, respectively. Regarding the DRE, a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 84% were calculated. NPV of 72% for the BET and NPV of 64% for the DRE were estimated. The sensitivity and specificity were similar when we restrict the analysis to studies using Rome criteria to define CC. The BET seems to perform better when a cut-off time of 2 minutes is used and when it is compared with a combination of physiological tests. Considering the DRE, strict criteria seem to improve the sensitivity but not the specificity of the test. Conclusion . Neither of the low-cost tests seems suitable for screening or excluding DD.

Software Quality Evaluation Models Applicable in Health Information and Communications Technologies. A Review of the Literature.

PubMed

Villamor Ordozgoiti, Alberto; Delgado Hito, Pilar; Guix Comellas, Eva María; Fernandez Sanchez, Carlos Manuel; Garcia Hernandez, Milagros; Lluch Canut, Teresa

2016-01-01

Information and Communications Technologies in healthcare has increased the need to consider quality criteria through standardised processes. The aim of this study was to analyse the software quality evaluation models applicable to healthcare from the perspective of ICT-purchasers. Through a systematic literature review with the keywords software, product, quality, evaluation and health, we selected and analysed 20 original research papers published from 2005-2016 in health science and technology databases. The results showed four main topics: non-ISO models, software quality evaluation models based on ISO/IEC standards, studies analysing software quality evaluation models, and studies analysing ISO standards for software quality evaluation. The models provide cost-efficiency criteria for specific software, and improve use outcomes. The ISO/IEC25000 standard is shown as the most suitable for evaluating the quality of ICTs for healthcare use from the perspective of institutional acquisition.

Guidelines for using the Delphi Technique to develop habitat suitability index curves

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crance, Johnie H.

1987-01-01

Habitat Suitability Index (SI) curves are one method of presenting species habitat suitability criteria. The curves are often used with the Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) and are necessary components of the Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM) (Armour et al. 1984). Bovee (1986) described three categories of SI curves or habitat suitability criteria based on the procedures and data used to develop the criteria. Category I curves are based on professional judgment, with 1ittle or no empirical data. Both Category II (utilization criteria) and Category III (preference criteria) curves have as their source data collected at locations where target species are observed or collected. Having Category II and Category III curves for all species of concern would be ideal. In reality, no SI curves are available for many species, and SI curves that require intensive field sampling often cannot be developed under prevailing constraints on time and costs. One alternative under these circumstances is the development and interim use of SI curves based on expert opinion. The Delphi technique (Pill 1971; Delbecq et al. 1975; Linstone and Turoff 1975) is one method used for combining the knowledge and opinions of a group of experts. The purpose of this report is to describe how the Delphi technique may be used to develop expert-opinion-based SI curves.

How is genetic testing evaluated? A systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Pitini, Erica; De Vito, Corrado; Marzuillo, Carolina; D'Andrea, Elvira; Rosso, Annalisa; Federici, Antonio; Di Maria, Emilio; Villari, Paolo

2018-05-01

Given the rapid development of genetic tests, an assessment of their benefits, risks, and limitations is crucial for public health practice. We performed a systematic review aimed at identifying and comparing the existing evaluation frameworks for genetic tests. We searched PUBMED, SCOPUS, ISI Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, Google, and gray literature sources for any documents describing such frameworks. We identified 29 evaluation frameworks published between 2000 and 2017, mostly based on the ACCE Framework (n = 13 models), or on the HTA process (n = 6), or both (n = 2). Others refer to the Wilson and Jungner screening criteria (n = 3) or to a mixture of different criteria (n = 5). Due to the widespread use of the ACCE Framework, the most frequently used evaluation criteria are analytic and clinical validity, clinical utility and ethical, legal and social implications. Less attention is given to the context of implementation. An economic dimension is always considered, but not in great detail. Consideration of delivery models, organizational aspects, and consumer viewpoint is often lacking. A deeper analysis of such context-related evaluation dimensions may strengthen a comprehensive evaluation of genetic tests and support the decision-making process.

EliXR-TIME: A Temporal Knowledge Representation for Clinical Research Eligibility Criteria.

PubMed

Boland, Mary Regina; Tu, Samson W; Carini, Simona; Sim, Ida; Weng, Chunhua

2012-01-01

Effective clinical text processing requires accurate extraction and representation of temporal expressions. Multiple temporal information extraction models were developed but a similar need for extracting temporal expressions in eligibility criteria (e.g., for eligibility determination) remains. We identified the temporal knowledge representation requirements of eligibility criteria by reviewing 100 temporal criteria. We developed EliXR-TIME, a frame-based representation designed to support semantic annotation for temporal expressions in eligibility criteria by reusing applicable classes from well-known clinical temporal knowledge representations. We used EliXR-TIME to analyze a training set of 50 new temporal eligibility criteria. We evaluated EliXR-TIME using an additional random sample of 20 eligibility criteria with temporal expressions that have no overlap with the training data, yielding 92.7% (76 / 82) inter-coder agreement on sentence chunking and 72% (72 / 100) agreement on semantic annotation. We conclude that this knowledge representation can facilitate semantic annotation of the temporal expressions in eligibility criteria.

Small ICBM area narrowing report. Volume 3: Hard silo in patterned array basing mode

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

Not Available

The purpose of this report is to identify those areas that could potentially support deployment of the Small Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) utilizing basing modes presently considered viable: the Hard Mobile Launcher in Random Movement, the Hard Mobile Launcher at Minuteman Facilities, or the Hard Silo in Patterned Array. Specifically, this report describes the process and the rationale supporting the application of Exclusionary and Evaluative Criteria and lists those locations that were eliminated through the application of these criteria. The remaining locations will be the subject of further investigations.

Reliability techniques in the petroleum industry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, H. L.

1971-01-01

Quantitative reliability evaluation methods used in the Apollo Spacecraft Program are translated into petroleum industry requirements with emphasis on offsetting reliability demonstration costs and limited production runs. Described are the qualitative disciplines applicable, the definitions and criteria that accompany the disciplines, and the generic application of these disciplines to the chemical industry. The disciplines are then translated into proposed definitions and criteria for the industry, into a base-line reliability plan that includes these disciplines, and into application notes to aid in adapting the base-line plan to a specific operation.

Recommendations and Justifications To Remove Use Restrictions Established under the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, Revision 0

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

Birney, Cathleen; Krauss, Mark J

This document is part of an effort to reevaluate 37 FFACO and Administrative URs against the current Soils Risk-Based Corrective Action Evaluation Process. After reviewing 37 existing FFACO and Administrative URs, 3 URs addressed in this document have sufficient information to determine that these current URs may be removed, based on the RBCA criteria. This document presents recommendations on modifications to existing URs that will be consistent with the RBCA criteria.

Relative added value: what are the tools to evaluate it?

PubMed

Le Jeunne, Claire; Woronoff-Lemsi, Marie-Christine; David, Nadine; de Sahb, Rima

2008-01-01

The relative added value of a drug is currently evaluated in France by the Transparency Commission (TC) of the National Health Authority (HAS), by assigning a level of Improvement in Actual Benefit (IAB). IAB is based on two parameters, efficacy and safety of the product, in a defined target population, either as compared to one or more other drugs with similar indications, or within therapeutic strategy. The items used for evaluation, including the level of clinical effect, the relevance of the comparator, the choice of comparison criteria and the methodology used (indirect comparison, non-inferiority studies, etc.), have been reviewed by the working group in Giens with regard to an analysis of the opinion on TC issued between 2004 and 2007 in several therapeutic areas First of all, this attempt at rationalisation based on the criteria used to assess the relative added value demonstrated the rareness of direct comparative data, and was followed by a discussion on the possible broadening of the evaluation criteria. The group discussed taking into account the Public Health Impact (PHI), which has now been incorporated into the assessment of Actual Benefit (AB). The group believes that PHI seems to be more related to the notion of IAB than to that of AB. Indeed, it is frequently the relative added value of a new drug that produces an impact in public health. Conversely, considering the comparative evaluation criteria of PHI, which are not systematically taken into account in IMSR (such as improvement in the health of the population, meeting a public health need or impact on the healthcare system), PHI could legitimately be included in the assessment of the relative added value of a drug. Other parameters such as compliance or impact on professional practice have been considered. Thus, the notion of relative added value, evaluated at initial registration, could be based on an expected improvement in medical service. The notion of expected medical service leads to the requirement of producing additional data in real life (post-registration studies), which would support the definitive notion of improvement in actual benefit at the time of renewed registration, while taking into account the place occupied by the drug in the therapeutic strategy.

Convex reformulation of biologically-based multi-criteria intensity-modulated radiation therapy optimization including fractionation effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffmann, Aswin L.; den Hertog, Dick; Siem, Alex Y. D.; Kaanders, Johannes H. A. M.; Huizenga, Henk

2008-11-01

Finding fluence maps for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) can be formulated as a multi-criteria optimization problem for which Pareto optimal treatment plans exist. To account for the dose-per-fraction effect of fractionated IMRT, it is desirable to exploit radiobiological treatment plan evaluation criteria based on the linear-quadratic (LQ) cell survival model as a means to balance the radiation benefits and risks in terms of biologic response. Unfortunately, the LQ-model-based radiobiological criteria are nonconvex functions, which make the optimization problem hard to solve. We apply the framework proposed by Romeijn et al (2004 Phys. Med. Biol. 49 1991-2013) to find transformations of LQ-model-based radiobiological functions and establish conditions under which transformed functions result in equivalent convex criteria that do not change the set of Pareto optimal treatment plans. The functions analysed are: the LQ-Poisson-based model for tumour control probability (TCP) with and without inter-patient heterogeneity in radiation sensitivity, the LQ-Poisson-based relative seriality s-model for normal tissue complication probability (NTCP), the equivalent uniform dose (EUD) under the LQ-Poisson model and the fractionation-corrected Probit-based model for NTCP according to Lyman, Kutcher and Burman. These functions differ from those analysed before in that they cannot be decomposed into elementary EUD or generalized-EUD functions. In addition, we show that applying increasing and concave transformations to the convexified functions is beneficial for the piecewise approximation of the Pareto efficient frontier.

Incorporating ecosystem function concept in environmental planning and decision making by means of multi-criteria evaluation: the case-study of Kalloni, Lesbos, Greece.

PubMed

Oikonomou, Vera; Dimitrakopoulos, Panayiotis G; Troumbis, Andreas Y

2011-01-01

Nature provides life-support services which do not merely constitute the basis for ecosystem integrity but also benefit human societies. The importance of such multiple outputs is often ignored or underestimated in environmental planning and decision making. The economic valuation of ecosystem functions or services has been widely used to make these benefits economically visible and thus address this deficiency. Alternatively, the relative importance of the components of ecosystem value can be identified and compared by means of multi-criteria evaluation. Hereupon, this article proposes a conceptual framework that couples ecosystem function analysis, multi criteria evaluation and social research methodologies for introducing an ecosystem function-based planning and management approach. The framework consists of five steps providing the structure of a participative decision making process which is then tested and ratified, by applying the discrete multi-criteria method NAIADE, in the Kalloni Natura 2000 site, on Lesbos, Greece. Three scenarios were developed and evaluated with regard to their impacts on the different types of ecosystem functions and the social actors' value judgements. A conflict analysis permitted the better elaboration of the different views, outlining the coalitions formed in the local community and shaping the way towards reaching a consensus.

Incorporating Ecosystem Function Concept in Environmental Planning and Decision Making by Means of Multi-Criteria Evaluation: The Case-Study of Kalloni, Lesbos, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oikonomou, Vera; Dimitrakopoulos, Panayiotis G.; Troumbis, Andreas Y.

2011-01-01

Nature provides life-support services which do not merely constitute the basis for ecosystem integrity but also benefit human societies. The importance of such multiple outputs is often ignored or underestimated in environmental planning and decision making. The economic valuation of ecosystem functions or services has been widely used to make these benefits economically visible and thus address this deficiency. Alternatively, the relative importance of the components of ecosystem value can be identified and compared by means of multi-criteria evaluation. Hereupon, this article proposes a conceptual framework that couples ecosystem function analysis, multi criteria evaluation and social research methodologies for introducing an ecosystem function-based planning and management approach. The framework consists of five steps providing the structure of a participative decision making process which is then tested and ratified, by applying the discrete multi-criteria method NAIADE, in the Kalloni Natura 2000 site, on Lesbos, Greece. Three scenarios were developed and evaluated with regard to their impacts on the different types of ecosystem functions and the social actors' value judgements. A conflict analysis permitted the better elaboration of the different views, outlining the coalitions formed in the local community and shaping the way towards reaching a consensus.

Fisk-based criteria to support validation of detection methods for drinking water and air.

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

MacDonell, M.; Bhattacharyya, M.; Finster, M.

2009-02-18

This report was prepared to support the validation of analytical methods for threat contaminants under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) program. It is designed to serve as a resource for certain applications of benchmark and fate information for homeland security threat contaminants. The report identifies risk-based criteria from existing health benchmarks for drinking water and air for potential use as validation targets. The focus is on benchmarks for chronic public exposures. The priority sources are standard EPA concentration limits for drinking water and air, along with oral and inhalation toxicity values. Many contaminantsmore » identified as homeland security threats to drinking water or air would convert to other chemicals within minutes to hours of being released. For this reason, a fate analysis has been performed to identify potential transformation products and removal half-lives in air and water so appropriate forms can be targeted for detection over time. The risk-based criteria presented in this report to frame method validation are expected to be lower than actual operational targets based on realistic exposures following a release. Note that many target criteria provided in this report are taken from available benchmarks without assessing the underlying toxicological details. That is, although the relevance of the chemical form and analogues are evaluated, the toxicological interpretations and extrapolations conducted by the authoring organizations are not. It is also important to emphasize that such targets in the current analysis are not health-based advisory levels to guide homeland security responses. This integrated evaluation of chronic public benchmarks and contaminant fate has identified more than 200 risk-based criteria as method validation targets across numerous contaminants and fate products in drinking water and air combined. The gap in directly applicable values is considerable across the full set of threat contaminants, so preliminary indicators were developed from other well-documented benchmarks to serve as a starting point for validation efforts. By this approach, at least preliminary context is available for water or air, and sometimes both, for all chemicals on the NHSRC list that was provided for this evaluation. This means that a number of concentrations presented in this report represent indirect measures derived from related benchmarks or surrogate chemicals, as described within the many results tables provided in this report.« less

23 CFR 636.205 - Can past performance be used as an evaluation criteria?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Can past performance be used as an evaluation criteria... past performance be used as an evaluation criteria? (a) Yes, past performance information is one... used as an evaluation criteria in either phase-one or phase-two solicitations. If you elect to use past...

Prevalence of constipation: agreement among several criteria and evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of qualifying symptoms and self-reported definition in a population-based survey in Spain.

PubMed

Garrigues, Vicente; Gálvez, Consuelo; Ortiz, Vicente; Ponce, Marta; Nos, Pilar; Ponce, Julio

2004-03-01

The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of chronic constipation and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the symptoms and the self-reported definition of constipation. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the general community in 1999. A questionnaire comprising 21 items was developed and mailed to a random sample of 489 subjects who were aged between 18 and 65 years and who belonged to a Spanish population. In the 349 subjects (71%) responding to the questionnaire, the prevalence of self-reported constipation was 29.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 24.9, 34.3) versus 19.2% (95% CI: 15.1, 23.3) and 14.0% (95% CI: 10.4, 17.7) based on Rome I and Rome II criteria, respectively. Agreement was good between self-reported and Rome I criteria (kappa: 0.68) and between Rome I and Rome II criteria (kappa: 0.71), and it was moderate between self-reported and Rome II criteria (kappa: 0.55). Female gender was identified to be a risk factor for constipation; fiber intake and physical exercise were found to be protective factors. Likelihood ratios were higher for the presence of anal blockage and straining and for the absence of hard stools. Chronic constipation is a highly prevalent problem, especially in women. Different prevalence estimates of constipation were observed using different criteria, although agreement between them was acceptable. Anal blockage, straining, and hard stools show the greatest accuracy for the diagnosis of constipation.

Siting a municipal solid waste disposal facility, part II: the effects of external criteria on the final decision.

PubMed

Korucu, M Kemal; Karademir, Aykan

2014-02-01

The procedure of a multi-criteria decision analysis supported by the geographic information systems was applied to the site selection process of a planning municipal solid waste management practice based on twelve different scenarios. The scenarios included two different decision tree modes and two different weighting models for three different area requirements. The suitability rankings of the suitable sites obtained from the application of the decision procedure for the scenarios were assessed by a factorial experimental design concerning the effect of some external criteria on the final decision of the site selection process. The external criteria used in the factorial experimental design were defined as "Risk perception and approval of stakeholders" and "Visibility". The effects of the presence of these criteria in the decision trees were evaluated in detail. For a quantitative expression of the differentiations observed in the suitability rankings, the ranking data were subjected to ANOVA test after a normalization process. Then the results of these tests were evaluated by Tukey test to measure the effects of external criteria on the final decision. The results of Tukey tests indicated that the involvement of the external criteria into the decision trees produced statistically meaningful differentiations in the suitability rankings. Since the external criteria could cause considerable external costs during the operation of the disposal facilities, the presence of these criteria in the decision tree in addition to the other criteria related to environmental and legislative requisites could prevent subsequent external costs in the first place.

A fuzzy MCDM approach for evaluating school performance based on linguistic information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musani, Suhaina; Jemain, Abdul Aziz

2013-11-01

Decision making is the process of finding the best option among the feasible alternatives. This process should consider a variety of criteria, but this study only focus on academic achievement. The data used is the percentage of candidates who obtained Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM) in Melaka based on school academic achievement for each subject. 57 secondary schools in Melaka as listed by the Ministry of Education involved in this study. Therefore the school ranking can be done using MCDM (Multi Criteria Decision Making) methods. The objective of this study is to develop a rational method for evaluating school performance based on linguistic information. Since the information or level of academic achievement provided in linguistic manner, there is a possible chance of getting incomplete or uncertain problems. So in order to overcome the situation, the information could be provided as fuzzy numbers. Since fuzzy set represents the uncertainty in human perceptions. In this research, VIKOR (Multi Criteria Optimization and Compromise Solution) has been used as a MCDM tool for the school ranking process in fuzzy environment. Results showed that fuzzy set theory can solve the limitations of using MCDM when there is uncertainty problems exist in the data.

Absolute order-of-magnitude reasoning applied to a social multi-criteria evaluation framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afsordegan, A.; Sánchez, M.; Agell, N.; Aguado, J. C.; Gamboa, G.

2016-03-01

A social multi-criteria evaluation framework for solving a real-case problem of selecting a wind farm location in the regions of Urgell and Conca de Barberá in Catalonia (northeast of Spain) is studied. This paper applies a qualitative multi-criteria decision analysis approach based on linguistic labels assessment able to address uncertainty and deal with different levels of precision. This method is based on qualitative reasoning as an artificial intelligence technique for assessing and ranking multi-attribute alternatives with linguistic labels in order to handle uncertainty. This method is suitable for problems in the social framework such as energy planning which require the construction of a dialogue process among many social actors with high level of complexity and uncertainty. The method is compared with an existing approach, which has been applied previously in the wind farm location problem. This approach, consisting of an outranking method, is based on Condorcet's original method. The results obtained by both approaches are analysed and their performance in the selection of the wind farm location is compared in aggregation procedures. Although results show that both methods conduct to similar alternatives rankings, the study highlights both their advantages and drawbacks.

Approximating a DSM-5 Diagnosis of PTSD Using DSM-IV Criteria

PubMed Central

Rosellini, Anthony J.; Stein, Murray B.; Colpe, Lisa J.; Heeringa, Steven G.; Petukhova, Maria V.; Sampson, Nancy A.; Schoenbaum, Michael; Ursano, Robert J.; Kessler, Ronald C.

2015-01-01

Background Diagnostic criteria for DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are in many ways similar to DSM-IV criteria, raising the possibility that it might be possible to closely approximate DSM-5 diagnoses using DSM-IV symptoms. If so, the resulting transformation rules could be used to pool research data based on the two criteria sets. Methods The Pre-Post Deployment Study (PPDS) of the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS) administered a blended 30-day DSM-IV and DSM-5 PTSD symptom assessment based on the civilian PTSD Checklist for DSM-IV (PCL-C) and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). This assessment was completed by 9,193 soldiers from three US Army Brigade Combat Teams approximately three months after returning from Afghanistan. PCL-C items were used to operationalize conservative and broad approximations of DSM-5 PTSD diagnoses. The operating characteristics of these approximations were examined compared to diagnoses based on actual DSM-5 criteria. Results The estimated 30-day prevalence of DSM-5 PTSD based on conservative (4.3%) and broad (4.7%) approximations of DSM-5 criteria using DSM-IV symptom assessments were similar to estimates based on actual DSM-5 criteria (4.6%). Both approximations had excellent sensitivity (92.6-95.5%), specificity (99.6-99.9%), total classification accuracy (99.4-99.6%), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.96-0.98). Conclusions DSM-IV symptoms can be used to approximate DSM-5 diagnoses of PTSD among recently-deployed soldiers, making it possible to recode symptom-level data from earlier DSM-IV studies to draw inferences about DSM-5 PTSD. However, replication is needed in broader trauma-exposed samples to evaluate the external validity of this finding. PMID:25845710

Evaluation criteria for district health management information systems: lessons from the Ministry of Health, Kenya.

PubMed

Odhiambo-Otieno, George W

2005-01-01

There has been no comprehensive evaluation of the district health management information systems (DHMISs) since the establishment of these systems by the Ministry of Health (MoH), in Kenya. This is partly due to lack of defined criteria for evaluating the systems. The objective of this study is to design evaluation criteria for assessing the viability, sustainability and ultimate contribution of DHMIS in the management of the district health system (DHS) in Kenya. This descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken in three DHSs in Kenya. Empirical evidence was collected through interviews, complemented by a comprehensive review of relevant literature, reports and operational manuals of various health information systems in Kenya. A set of evaluation criteria for DHMISs in Kenya was designed for each of the three phases of implementation: phase one-pre-implementation evaluation criteria (categorized as policy and objectives, technical feasibility, financial viability, political viability and administrative operability) to be applied at the design stage; phase two-concurrent (operational) implementation evaluation criteria to be applied during implementation of the new system; phase three-post-implementation evaluation criteria (classified as internal-quality of information; external-resources and managerial support; ultimate-systems impact) to be applied after operating the implemented system for at least 3 years. In designing a DHMIS model there is need to have built-in these three sets of evaluation criteria which should be used in a phased manner. Pre-implementation evaluation criteria should be used to evaluate the system's viability before more resources are committed to its implementation; concurrent (operational) implementation evaluation criteria should be used to ascertain the status of the on-going implementation with the view to either fine-tune or abandon it altogether before more resources are used on it; and post-implementation evaluation criteria should be used to assess its overall effectiveness (if it has achieved its hypothesized benefits) towards the management of DHS.

Integrating multi-criteria evaluation techniques with geographic information systems for landfill site selection: a case study using ordered weighted average.

PubMed

Gorsevski, Pece V; Donevska, Katerina R; Mitrovski, Cvetko D; Frizado, Joseph P

2012-02-01

This paper presents a GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis approach for evaluating the suitability for landfill site selection in the Polog Region, Macedonia. The multi-criteria decision framework considers environmental and economic factors which are standardized by fuzzy membership functions and combined by integration of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and ordered weighted average (OWA) techniques. The AHP is used for the elicitation of attribute weights while the OWA operator function is used to generate a wide range of decision alternatives for addressing uncertainty associated with interaction between multiple criteria. The usefulness of the approach is illustrated by different OWA scenarios that report landfill suitability on a scale between 0 and 1. The OWA scenarios are intended to quantify the level of risk taking (i.e., optimistic, pessimistic, and neutral) and to facilitate a better understanding of patterns that emerge from decision alternatives involved in the decision making process. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Virtual reality exposure therapy for the treatment of anxiety disorders: an evaluation of research quality.

PubMed

McCann, Russell A; Armstrong, Christina M; Skopp, Nancy A; Edwards-Stewart, Amanda; Smolenski, Derek J; June, Jennifer D; Metzger-Abamukong, Melinda; Reger, Greg M

2014-08-01

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) support the effectiveness of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) for anxiety disorders; however, the overall quality of the VRET RCT literature base has yet to be evaluated. This study reviewed 27 VRET RCTs and the degree of adherence to 8 RCT research design criteria derived from existing standards. Adherence to the study quality criteria was generally low as the articles met an average 2.85 criteria (SD=1.56). None of the studies met more than six quality criteria. Study quality did not predict effect size; however, a reduction in effect size magnitude was observed for studies with larger sample sizes when comparing VRET to non-active control groups. VRET may be an effective method of treatment but caution should be exercised in interpreting the existing body of literature supporting VRET relative to existing standards of care. The need for well-designed VRET research is discussed. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Performance evaluation for epileptic electroencephalogram (EEG) detection by using Neyman-Pearson criteria and a support vector machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chun-mei; Zhang, Chong-ming; Zou, Jun-zhong; Zhang, Jian

2012-02-01

The diagnosis of several neurological disorders is based on the detection of typical pathological patterns in electroencephalograms (EEGs). This is a time-consuming task requiring significant training and experience. A lot of effort has been devoted to developing automatic detection techniques which might help not only in accelerating this process but also in avoiding the disagreement among readers of the same record. In this work, Neyman-Pearson criteria and a support vector machine (SVM) are applied for detecting an epileptic EEG. Decision making is performed in two stages: feature extraction by computing the wavelet coefficients and the approximate entropy (ApEn) and detection by using Neyman-Pearson criteria and an SVM. Then the detection performance of the proposed method is evaluated. Simulation results demonstrate that the wavelet coefficients and the ApEn are features that represent the EEG signals well. By comparison with Neyman-Pearson criteria, an SVM applied on these features achieved higher detection accuracies.

Diagnosis of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is enhanced by adding oesophageal histology and excluding epigastric pain.

PubMed

Vakil, N; Vieth, M; Wernersson, B; Wissmar, J; Dent, J

2017-05-01

The diagnosis of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in clinical practice is limited by the sensitivity and specificity of symptoms and diagnostic testing. To determine if adding histology as a criterion and excluding patients with epigastric pain enhances the diagnosis for GERD. Patients with frequent upper gastrointestinal symptoms who had not taken a proton pump inhibitor in the previous 2 months and who had evaluable distal oesophageal biopsies were included (Diamond study: NCT00291746). Epithelial hyperplasia was identified when total epithelial thickness was at least 430 μm. Investigation-based GERD criteria were: presence of erosive oesophagitis, pathological oesophageal acid exposure and/or positive symptom-acid association probability. Symptoms were assessed using the Reflux Disease Questionnaire and a pre-specified checklist. Overall, 127 (55%) of the 231 included patients met investigation-based GERD criteria and 195 (84%) met symptom-based criteria. Epithelial hyperplasia was present in 89 individuals, of whom 61 (69%) met investigation-based criteria and 83 (93%) met symptom-based criteria. Adding epithelial hyperplasia as a criterion increased the number of patients diagnosed with GERD on investigation by 28 [12%; number needed to diagnose (NND): 8], to 155 (67%). The proportion of patients with a symptom-based GERD diagnosis who met investigation-based criteria including epithelial hyperplasia was significantly greater when concomitant epigastric pain was absent than when it was present (P < 0.05; NND: 8). Histology increases diagnosis of GERD and should be performed when clinical suspicion is high and endoscopy is negative. Excluding patients with epigastric pain enhances sensitivity for the diagnosis of GERD. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quality Assessment of Published Articles in Iranian Journals Related to Economic Evaluation in Health Care Programs Based on Drummond's Checklist: A Narrative Review.

PubMed

Rezapour, Aziz; Jafari, Abdosaleh; Mirmasoudi, Kosha; Talebianpour, Hamid

2017-09-01

Health economic evaluation research plays an important role in selecting cost-effective interventions. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of published articles in Iranian journals related to economic evaluation in health care programs based on Drummond's checklist in terms of numbers, features, and quality. In the present review study, published articles (Persian and English) in Iranian journals related to economic evaluation in health care programs were searched using electronic databases. In addition, the methodological quality of articles' structure was analyzed by Drummond's standard checklist. Based on the inclusion criteria, the search of databases resulted in 27 articles that fully covered economic evaluation in health care programs. A review of articles in accordance with Drummond's criteria showed that the majority of studies had flaws. The most common methodological weakness in the articles was in terms of cost calculation and valuation. Considering such methodological faults in these studies, it is anticipated that these studies would not provide an appropriate feedback to policy makers to allocate health care resources correctly and select suitable cost-effective interventions. Therefore, researchers are required to comply with the standard guidelines in order to better execute and report on economic evaluation studies.

Quality Assessment of Published Articles in Iranian Journals Related to Economic Evaluation in Health Care Programs Based on Drummond’s Checklist: A Narrative Review

PubMed Central

Rezapour, Aziz; Jafari, Abdosaleh; Mirmasoudi, Kosha; Talebianpour, Hamid

2017-01-01

Health economic evaluation research plays an important role in selecting cost-effective interventions. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of published articles in Iranian journals related to economic evaluation in health care programs based on Drummond’s checklist in terms of numbers, features, and quality. In the present review study, published articles (Persian and English) in Iranian journals related to economic evaluation in health care programs were searched using electronic databases. In addition, the methodological quality of articles’ structure was analyzed by Drummond’s standard checklist. Based on the inclusion criteria, the search of databases resulted in 27 articles that fully covered economic evaluation in health care programs. A review of articles in accordance with Drummond’s criteria showed that the majority of studies had flaws. The most common methodological weakness in the articles was in terms of cost calculation and valuation. Considering such methodological faults in these studies, it is anticipated that these studies would not provide an appropriate feedback to policy makers to allocate health care resources correctly and select suitable cost-effective interventions. Therefore, researchers are required to comply with the standard guidelines in order to better execute and report on economic evaluation studies. PMID:29234174

Developing European guidelines for training care professionals in mental health promotion.

PubMed

Greacen, Tim; Jouet, Emmanuelle; Ryan, Peter; Cserhati, Zoltan; Grebenc, Vera; Griffiths, Chris; Hansen, Bettina; Leahy, Eithne; da Silva, Ksenija Maravic; Sabić, Amra; De Marco, Angela; Flores, Paz

2012-12-27

Although mental health promotion is a priority mental health action area for all European countries, high level training resources and high quality skills acquisition in mental health promotion are still relatively rare. The aim of the current paper is to present the results of the DG SANCO-funded PROMISE project concerning the development of European guidelines for training social and health care professionals in mental health promotion. The PROMISE project brought together a multidisciplinary scientific committee from eight European sites representing a variety of institutions including universities, mental health service providers and public health organisations. The committee used thematic content analysis to filter and analyse European and international policy documents, scientific literature reviews on mental health promotion and existing mental health promotion programmes with regard to identifying quality criteria for training care professionals on this subject. The resulting PROMISE Guidelines quality criteria were then subjected to an iterative feedback procedure with local steering groups and training professionals at all sites with the aim of developing resource kits and evaluation tools for using the PROMISE Guidelines. Scientific committees also collected information from European, national and local stakeholder groups and professional organisations on existing training programmes, policies and projects. The process identified ten quality criteria for training care professionals in mental health promotion: embracing the principle of positive mental health; empowering community stakeholders; adopting an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach; including people with mental health problems; advocating; consulting the knowledge base; adapting interventions to local contexts; identifying and evaluating risks; using the media; evaluating training, implementation processes and outcomes. The iterative feedback process produced resource kits and evaluation checklists linked with each of these quality criteria in all PROMISE languages. The development of generic guidelines based on key quality criteria for training health and social care professionals in mental health promotion should contribute in a significant way to implementing policy in this important area.

Recommendations for imaging tumor response in neurofibromatosis clinical trials

PubMed Central

Ardern-Holmes, Simone L.; Babovic-Vuksanovic, Dusica; Barker, Fred G.; Connor, Steve; Evans, D. Gareth; Fisher, Michael J.; Goutagny, Stephane; Harris, Gordon J.; Jaramillo, Diego; Karajannis, Matthias A.; Korf, Bruce R.; Mautner, Victor; Plotkin, Scott R.; Poussaint, Tina Y.; Robertson, Kent; Shih, Chie-Schin; Widemann, Brigitte C.

2013-01-01

Objective: Neurofibromatosis (NF)-related benign tumors such as plexiform neurofibromas (PN) and vestibular schwannomas (VS) can cause substantial morbidity. Clinical trials directed at these tumors have become available. Due to differences in disease manifestations and the natural history of NF-related tumors, response criteria used for solid cancers (1-dimensional/RECIST [Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors] and bidimensional/World Health Organization) have limited applicability. No standardized response criteria for benign NF tumors exist. The goal of the Tumor Measurement Working Group of the REiNS (Response Evaluation in Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis) committee is to propose consensus guidelines for the evaluation of imaging response in clinical trials for NF tumors. Methods: Currently used imaging endpoints, designs of NF clinical trials, and knowledge of the natural history of NF-related tumors, in particular PN and VS, were reviewed. Consensus recommendations for response evaluation for future studies were developed based on this review and the expertise of group members. Results: MRI with volumetric analysis is recommended to sensitively and reproducibly evaluate changes in tumor size in clinical trials. Volumetric analysis requires adherence to specific imaging recommendations. A 20% volume change was chosen to indicate a decrease or increase in tumor size. Use of these criteria in future trials will enable meaningful comparison of results across studies. Conclusions: The proposed imaging response evaluation guidelines, along with validated clinical outcome measures, will maximize the ability to identify potentially active agents for patients with NF and benign tumors. PMID:24249804

Recommendations for imaging tumor response in neurofibromatosis clinical trials.

PubMed

Dombi, Eva; Ardern-Holmes, Simone L; Babovic-Vuksanovic, Dusica; Barker, Fred G; Connor, Steve; Evans, D Gareth; Fisher, Michael J; Goutagny, Stephane; Harris, Gordon J; Jaramillo, Diego; Karajannis, Matthias A; Korf, Bruce R; Mautner, Victor; Plotkin, Scott R; Poussaint, Tina Y; Robertson, Kent; Shih, Chie-Schin; Widemann, Brigitte C

2013-11-19

Neurofibromatosis (NF)-related benign tumors such as plexiform neurofibromas (PN) and vestibular schwannomas (VS) can cause substantial morbidity. Clinical trials directed at these tumors have become available. Due to differences in disease manifestations and the natural history of NF-related tumors, response criteria used for solid cancers (1-dimensional/RECIST [Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors] and bidimensional/World Health Organization) have limited applicability. No standardized response criteria for benign NF tumors exist. The goal of the Tumor Measurement Working Group of the REiNS (Response Evaluation in Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis) committee is to propose consensus guidelines for the evaluation of imaging response in clinical trials for NF tumors. Currently used imaging endpoints, designs of NF clinical trials, and knowledge of the natural history of NF-related tumors, in particular PN and VS, were reviewed. Consensus recommendations for response evaluation for future studies were developed based on this review and the expertise of group members. MRI with volumetric analysis is recommended to sensitively and reproducibly evaluate changes in tumor size in clinical trials. Volumetric analysis requires adherence to specific imaging recommendations. A 20% volume change was chosen to indicate a decrease or increase in tumor size. Use of these criteria in future trials will enable meaningful comparison of results across studies. The proposed imaging response evaluation guidelines, along with validated clinical outcome measures, will maximize the ability to identify potentially active agents for patients with NF and benign tumors.

Social Justice and Political Orthodoxy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lukianoff, Greg

2007-01-01

Since 2003, the Teachers College of Columbia University has maintained a policy of evaluating students based on their "commitment to social justice." Before last summer, Columbia could blame the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the main accrediting body for schools of education, for those evaluation criteria. The…

Evaluation of drug interaction microcomputer software: comparative study.

PubMed

Poirier, T I; Giudici, R

1991-01-01

Twelve drug interaction microcomputer software programs were evaluated and compared using general and specific criteria. This article summarizes and compares the features, ratings, advantages, and disadvantages of each program. Features of an ideal drug interaction program are noted. Recommended programs based on three price ranges are suggested.

The need for performance criteria in evaluating the durability of wood products

Treesearch

Stan Lebow; Bessie Woodward; Patricia Lebow; Carol Clausen

2010-01-01

Data generated from wood-product durability evaluations can be difficult to interpret. Standard methods used to evaluate the potential long-term durability of wood products often provide little guidance on interpretation of test results. Decisions on acceptable performance for standardization and code compliance are based on the judgment of reviewers or committees....

Looking for Agreement among Criteria Used to Determine Teacher Effectiveness in Two Different Evaluation Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGair, Charles D.

2012-01-01

Many theories, methods, and practices are utilized to evaluate teachers with the intention of determining teacher effectiveness to better inform decisions about retention, tenure, certification and performance-based pay. In the 21st century there has been a renewed emphasis on teacher evaluation in public schools, largely due to federal "Race…

Empirical Evaluation Indicators in Thai Higher Education: Theory-Based Multidimensional Learners' Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sritanyarat, Dawisa; Russ-Eft, Darlene

2016-01-01

This study proposed empirical indicators which can be validated and adopted in higher education institutions to evaluate quality of teaching and learning, and to serve as an evaluation criteria for human resource management and development of higher institutions in Thailand. The main purpose of this study was to develop empirical indicators of a…

Assessment of ecological passages along road networks within the Mediterranean forest using GIS-based multi criteria evaluation approach.

PubMed

Gülci, Sercan; Akay, Abdullah Emin

2015-12-01

Major roads cause barrier effect and fragmentation on wildlife habitats that are suitable places for feeding, mating, socializing, and hiding. Due to wildlife collisions (Wc), human-wildlife conflicts result in lost lives and loss of biodiversity. Geographical information system (GIS)-based multi criteria evaluation (MCE) methods have been successfully used in short-term planning of road networks considering wild animals. Recently, wildlife passages have been effectively utilized as road engineering structures provide quick and certain solutions for traffic safety and wildlife conservation problems. GIS-based MCE methods provide decision makers with optimum location for ecological passages based on habitat suitability models (HSMs) that classify the areas based on ecological requirements of target species. In this study, ecological passages along Motorway 52 within forested areas in Mediterranean city of Osmaniye in Turkey were evaluated. Firstly, HSM coupled with nine eco-geographic decision variables were developed based on ecological requirements of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) that were chosen as target species. Then specified decision variables were evaluated using GIS-based weighted linear combination (WLC) method to estimate movement corridors and mitigation points along the motorway. In the solution process, two linkage nodes were evaluated for eco-passages which were determined based on the least-cost movement corridor intersecting with the motorway. One of the passages was identified as a natural wildlife overpass while the other was suggested as underpass construction. The results indicated that computer-based models provide accurate and quick solutions for positioning ecological passages to reduce environmental effects of road networks on wild animals.

Stakeholder-based evaluation categories for regional climate services - a case study at the German Baltic Sea coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meinke, Insa

2017-08-01

In this study, categories, dimensions, and criteria for evaluating regional climate services are derived by a participatory approach with potential service users at the German Baltic Sea coast. The development is carried out within nine face-to-face interviews conducted with decision makers, working in climate sensitive sectors at the German Baltic Sea coast. Three main groups of categories were localized which seem to matter most to the considered stakeholders and which seem to be crucial evaluation categories for regional climate services: (1) credibility, (2) relevance, and (3) appropriateness. For each of these evaluation categories several dimensions emerged, indicating certain perspectives of stakeholder demands. When summarizing these evaluation categories and their dimensions, 13 evaluation criteria for regional climate services can be derived (see Table 1). The results show that stakeholders do mainly address components other than those found in the literature (e.g. inputs, process, outputs, outcomes, and impacts). This might indicate that an evaluation, following solely literature-based (non-participative) components, is not sufficient to localize deficiencies or efficiencies within a regional climate service, since it might lead to results which are not relevant for potential users.

Photovoltaic system criteria documents. Volume 3: Environmental issues and evaluation criteria for photovoltaic applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koenig, John C.; Billitti, Joseph W.; Tallon, John M.

1979-01-01

The environmental issues and evaluation criteria relating to the suitability of sites proposed for photovoltaic (PV) system deployment are identified. The important issues are defined, briefly discussed and then developed into evaluation criteria. System designers are provided with information on the environmental sensitivity of PV systems in realistic applications, background material which indicates the applicability of the siting issues identified, and evaluation criteria are defined to facilitate the selection of sites that maximize PV system operation.

Endoscopic Criteria for Evaluating Tumor Stage after Preoperative Chemoradiation Therapy in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

PubMed

Han, Kyung Su; Sohn, Dae Kyung; Kim, Dae Yong; Kim, Byung Chang; Hong, Chang Won; Chang, Hee Jin; Kim, Sun Young; Baek, Ji Yeon; Park, Sung Chan; Kim, Min Ju; Oh, Jae Hwan

2016-04-01

Local excision may be an another option for selected patients with markedly down-staged rectal cancer after preoperative chemoradiation therapy (CRT), and proper evaluation of post-CRT tumor stage (ypT) is essential prior to local excision of these tumors. This study was designed to determine the correlations between endoscopic findings and ypT of rectal cancer. In this study, 481 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent preoperative CRT followed by surgical resection between 2004 and 2013 at a single institution were evaluated retrospectively. Pathological good response (p-GR) was defined as ypT ≤ 1, and pathological minimal or no response (p-MR) as ypT ≥ 2. The patients were randomly classified according to two groups, a testing (n=193) and a validation (n=288) group. Endoscopic criteria were determined from endoscopic findings and ypT in the testing group and used in classifying patients in the validation group as achieving or not achieving p-GR. Based on findings in the testing group, the endoscopic criteria for p-GR included scarring, telangiectasia, and erythema, whereas criteria for p-MR included nodules, ulcers, strictures, and remnant tumors. In the validation group, the kappa statistic was 0.965 (p < 0.001), and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 0.362, 0.963, 0.654, and 0.885, respectively. The endoscopic criteria presented are easily applicable for evaluation of ypT after preoperative CRT for rectal cancer. These criteria may be used for selection of patients for local excision of down-staged rectal tumors, because patients with p-MR could be easily ruled out.

Plan delivery quality assurance for CyberKnife: Statistical process control analysis of 350 film-based patient-specific QAs.

PubMed

Bellec, J; Delaby, N; Jouyaux, F; Perdrieux, M; Bouvier, J; Sorel, S; Henry, O; Lafond, C

2017-07-01

Robotic radiosurgery requires plan delivery quality assurance (DQA) but there has never been a published comprehensive analysis of a patient-specific DQA process in a clinic. We proposed to evaluate 350 consecutive film-based patient-specific DQAs using statistical process control. We evaluated the performance of the process to propose achievable tolerance criteria for DQA validation and we sought to identify suboptimal DQA using control charts. DQAs were performed on a CyberKnife-M6 using Gafchromic-EBT3 films. The signal-to-dose conversion was performed using a multichannel-correction and a scanning protocol that combined measurement and calibration in a single scan. The DQA analysis comprised a gamma-index analysis at 3%/1.5mm and a separate evaluation of spatial and dosimetric accuracy of the plan delivery. Each parameter was plotted on a control chart and control limits were calculated. A capability index (Cpm) was calculated to evaluate the ability of the process to produce results within specifications. The analysis of capability showed that a gamma pass rate of 85% at 3%/1.5mm was highly achievable as acceptance criteria for DQA validation using a film-based protocol (Cpm>1.33). 3.4% of DQA were outside a control limit of 88% for gamma pass-rate. The analysis of the out-of-control DQA helped identify a dosimetric error in our institute for a specific treatment type. We have defined initial tolerance criteria for DQA validations. We have shown that the implementation of a film-based patient-specific DQA protocol with the use of control charts is an effective method to improve patient treatment safety on CyberKnife. Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Visual acuity and central retinal thickness: fulfilment of retreatment criteria for recurrent neovascular AMD in routine clinical care.

PubMed

Reznicek, Lukas; Muhr, Johanna; Ulbig, Michael; Kampik, Anselm; Mayer, Wolfgang J; Haritoglou, Christos; Neubauer, Aljoscha; Wolf, Armin

2014-10-01

To evaluate the fulfillment of retreatment criteria in recurrent neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) for a pro-re-nata treatment regime with ranibizumab in routine clinical care. Data from patients with treatment-naive nAMD were analysed retrospectively. As an 'upload', all patients had received three-monthly intravitreal ranibizumab injections in a university eye hospital and were then seen by ophthalmologists in private practice who referred them back in case of recurrence. Recurrence was defined as a decrease of visual acuity (VA) of one line or more (functional retreatment criteria), a central retinal thickness (CRT) increase of at least 100 µm upon Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) examination (morphological retreatment criteria) or a new macular haemorrhage (clinical retreatment criteria). We included 92 patients (36 men and 56 women). The mean VA before retreatment of a recurrence was -0.63 ± 0.33 logMAR and improved significantly (p<0.001) by 0.10 ± 0.16 logMAR to -0.53 ± 0.28 logMAR thereafter. Mean CRT before retreatment was 278.07 ± 87.56 µm and decreased significantly (p<0.001) by 71.22 ± 106.93 to 206.85 ± 60.30 µm. Evaluation of the fulfillment of retreatment criteria revealed functional retreatment criteria in 82.6% of patients. However, upon re-evaluation of VA using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts in the treatment centre, mean decrease of VA was 10 letters as compared with the end of upload therapy. All patients presented an increased CRT when treated for recurrence of nAMD (mean increase 69.47 µm), but the morphological retreatment criteria (CRT increase of 100 µm or more) were fulfilled in only 44.4% of patients upon Spectral Domain OCT (SD-OCT) evaluation in the treatment centre. In a routine clinical care, evaluation of VA using ETDRS charts seems to be more sensitive than Snellen VA testing. Quantitative OCT-based retreatment criteria (eg, increase of CRT of 100 µm or more) appear to be not sensitive enough in a clinical setting with referring ophthalmologists. 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.

Tackling Complex Emergency Response Solutions Evaluation Problems in Sustainable Development by Fuzzy Group Decision Making Approaches with Considering Decision Hesitancy and Prioritization among Assessing Criteria.

PubMed

Qi, Xiao-Wen; Zhang, Jun-Ling; Zhao, Shu-Ping; Liang, Chang-Yong

2017-10-02

In order to be prepared against potential balance-breaking risks affecting economic development, more and more countries have recognized emergency response solutions evaluation (ERSE) as an indispensable activity in their governance of sustainable development. Traditional multiple criteria group decision making (MCGDM) approaches to ERSE have been facing simultaneous challenging characteristics of decision hesitancy and prioritization relations among assessing criteria, due to the complexity in practical ERSE problems. Therefore, aiming at the special type of ERSE problems that hold the two characteristics, we investigate effective MCGDM approaches by hiring interval-valued dual hesitant fuzzy set (IVDHFS) to comprehensively depict decision hesitancy. To exploit decision information embedded in prioritization relations among criteria, we firstly define an fuzzy entropy measure for IVDHFS so that its derivative decision models can avoid potential information distortion in models based on classic IVDHFS distance measures with subjective supplementing mechanism; further, based on defined entropy measure, we develop two fundamental prioritized operators for IVDHFS by extending Yager's prioritized operators. Furthermore, on the strength of above methods, we construct two hesitant fuzzy MCGDM approaches to tackle complex scenarios with or without known weights for decision makers, respectively. Finally, case studies have been conducted to show effectiveness and practicality of our proposed approaches.

Combining stakeholder analysis and spatial multicriteria evaluation to select and rank inert landfill sites.

PubMed

Geneletti, Davide

2010-02-01

This paper presents a method based on the combination of stakeholder analysis and spatial multicriteria evaluation (SMCE) to first design possible sites for an inert landfill, and then rank them according to their suitability. The method was tested for the siting of an inert landfill in the Sarca's Plain, located in south-western Trentino, an alpine region in northern Italy. Firstly, stakeholder analysis was conducted to identify a set of criteria to be satisfied by new inert landfill sites. SMCE techniques were then applied to combine the criteria, and obtain a suitability map of the study region. Subsequently, the most suitable sites were extracted by taking into account also thresholds based on size and shape. These sites were then compared and ranked according to their visibility, accessibility and dust pollution. All these criteria were assessed through GIS modelling. Sensitivity analyses were performed on the results to assess the stability of the ranking with respect to variations in the input (criterion scores and weights). The study concluded that the three top-ranking sites are located close to each other, in the northernmost sector of the study area. A more general finding was that the use of different criteria in the different stages of the analysis allowed to better differentiate the suitability of the potential landfill sites.

LandScape: a simple method to aggregate p-values and other stochastic variables without a priori grouping.

PubMed

Wiuf, Carsten; Schaumburg-Müller Pallesen, Jonatan; Foldager, Leslie; Grove, Jakob

2016-08-01

In many areas of science it is custom to perform many, potentially millions, of tests simultaneously. To gain statistical power it is common to group tests based on a priori criteria such as predefined regions or by sliding windows. However, it is not straightforward to choose grouping criteria and the results might depend on the chosen criteria. Methods that summarize, or aggregate, test statistics or p-values, without relying on a priori criteria, are therefore desirable. We present a simple method to aggregate a sequence of stochastic variables, such as test statistics or p-values, into fewer variables without assuming a priori defined groups. We provide different ways to evaluate the significance of the aggregated variables based on theoretical considerations and resampling techniques, and show that under certain assumptions the FWER is controlled in the strong sense. Validity of the method was demonstrated using simulations and real data analyses. Our method may be a useful supplement to standard procedures relying on evaluation of test statistics individually. Moreover, by being agnostic and not relying on predefined selected regions, it might be a practical alternative to conventionally used methods of aggregation of p-values over regions. The method is implemented in Python and freely available online (through GitHub, see the Supplementary information).

Criteria for assessing problem solving and decision making in complex environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orasanu, Judith

1993-01-01

Training crews to cope with unanticipated problems in high-risk, high-stress environments requires models of effective problem solving and decision making. Existing decision theories use the criteria of logical consistency and mathematical optimality to evaluate decision quality. While these approaches are useful under some circumstances, the assumptions underlying these models frequently are not met in dynamic time-pressured operational environments. Also, applying formal decision models is both labor and time intensive, a luxury often lacking in operational environments. Alternate approaches and criteria are needed. Given that operational problem solving and decision making are embedded in ongoing tasks, evaluation criteria must address the relation between those activities and satisfaction of broader task goals. Effectiveness and efficiency become relevant for judging reasoning performance in operational environments. New questions must be addressed: What is the relation between the quality of decisions and overall performance by crews engaged in critical high risk tasks? Are different strategies most effective for different types of decisions? How can various decision types be characterized? A preliminary model of decision types found in air transport environments will be described along with a preliminary performance model based on an analysis of 30 flight crews. The performance analysis examined behaviors that distinguish more and less effective crews (based on performance errors). Implications for training and system design will be discussed.

Advances in oncological treatment: limitations of RECIST 1.1 criteria.

PubMed

Grimaldi, Serena; Terroir, Marie; Caramella, Caroline

2018-06-01

RECIST 1.1 criteria are the standard for the response assessment of most solid tumors on computed tomography (CT). Nevertheless, the emergence of new classes of treatment in the lasts decades has brought new challenges in the evaluation of response. A PubMed online database literature search was performed in order to identify papers in English with full text available published up to September 2017. Some oncologic treatments, such as antiangiogenic agents, immunotherapy and local treatments, have proven to be effective despite atypical patterns of response. In patients undergoing these treatments, size-based evaluations, such as RECIST1.1, show some limitations, since they often underestimate the response. Some modified criteria have been proposed to improve the response assessment in several specific settings, such in gastrointestinal stromal tumors treated by antiangiogenic agents, hepatocellular carcinoma treated by local ablation or solid tumors treated by immunotherapy. New techniques of image analysis and imaging modalities other than CT, such as magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, may provide additional information and amend some of the limitations of size-based criteria. The emergence of new treatment paradigms and the increasing trend toward personalizing treatment should be associated with a concomitant evolution of response assessment, in both research and clinical settings.

Tackling Complex Emergency Response Solutions Evaluation Problems in Sustainable Development by Fuzzy Group Decision Making Approaches with Considering Decision Hesitancy and Prioritization among Assessing Criteria

PubMed Central

Qi, Xiao-Wen; Zhang, Jun-Ling; Zhao, Shu-Ping; Liang, Chang-Yong

2017-01-01

In order to be prepared against potential balance-breaking risks affecting economic development, more and more countries have recognized emergency response solutions evaluation (ERSE) as an indispensable activity in their governance of sustainable development. Traditional multiple criteria group decision making (MCGDM) approaches to ERSE have been facing simultaneous challenging characteristics of decision hesitancy and prioritization relations among assessing criteria, due to the complexity in practical ERSE problems. Therefore, aiming at the special type of ERSE problems that hold the two characteristics, we investigate effective MCGDM approaches by hiring interval-valued dual hesitant fuzzy set (IVDHFS) to comprehensively depict decision hesitancy. To exploit decision information embedded in prioritization relations among criteria, we firstly define an fuzzy entropy measure for IVDHFS so that its derivative decision models can avoid potential information distortion in models based on classic IVDHFS distance measures with subjective supplementing mechanism; further, based on defined entropy measure, we develop two fundamental prioritized operators for IVDHFS by extending Yager’s prioritized operators. Furthermore, on the strength of above methods, we construct two hesitant fuzzy MCGDM approaches to tackle complex scenarios with or without known weights for decision makers, respectively. Finally, case studies have been conducted to show effectiveness and practicality of our proposed approaches. PMID:28974045

Development and evaluation of habitat suitability criteria for use in the instream flow incremental methodology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bovee, Ken D.

1986-01-01

The Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM) is a habitat-based tool used to evaluate the environmental consequences of various water and land use practices. As such, knowledge about the conditions that provide favorable habitat for a species, and those that do not, is necessary for successful implementation of the methodology. In the context of IFIM, this knowledge is defined as habitat suitability criteria: characteristic behavioral traits of a species that are established as standards for comparison in the decision-making process. Habitat suitability criteria may be expressed in a variety of types and formats. The type, or category, refers to the procedure used to develop the criteria. Category I criteria are based on professional judgment, with little or no empirical data. Category II criteria have as their source, microhabitat data collected at locations where target organisms are observed or collected. These are called “utilization” functions because they are based on observed locations that were used by the target organism. These functions tend to be biased by the environmental conditions that were available to the fish or invertebrates at the time they were observed. Correction of the utilization function for environmental availability creates category III, or “preference” criteria, which tend to be much less site specific than category II criteria. There are also several ways to express habitat suitability in graphical form. The binary format establishes a suitable range for each variable as it pertains to a life stage of interest, and is presented graphically as a step function. The quality rating for a variable is 1.0 if it falls within the range of the criteria, and 0.0 if it falls outside the range. The univariate curve format established both the usable range and the optimum range for each variable, with conditions of intermediate usability expressed along the portion between the tails and the peak of the curve. Multivariate probability density functions, which can be used to compute suitability for several variables simultaneously, are conveyed as three dimensional figures with suitability on the z-axis, and two independent variables on the x-y plane. These functions are useful for incorporating interactive terms between two or more variable. Such interactions can also be demonstrated using conditional criteria, which are stratified by cover type or substrate size. Conditional criteria may be of any category or format, but are distinguishable by two or more sets of functional relationships for each life stage.

A study of undue pain and surfing: using hierarchical criteria to assess website quality.

PubMed

Lorence, Daniel; Abraham, Joanna

2008-09-01

In studies of web-based consumer health information, scant attention has been paid to the selective development of differential methodologies for website quality evaluation, or to selective grouping and analysis of specific ;domains of uncertainty' in healthcare. Our objective is to introduce a more refined model for website evaluation, and illustrate its application using assessment of websites within an area of ongoing medical uncertainty, back pain. In this exploratory technology assessment, we suggest a model for assessing these ;domains of uncertainty' within healthcare, using qualitative assessment of websites and hierarchical concepts. Using such a hierarchy of quality criteria, we review medical information provided by the most frequently accessed websites related to back pain. Websites are evaluated using standardized criteria, with results rated from the viewpoint of the consumer. Results show that standardization of quality rating across subjective content, and between commercial and niche search results, can provide a consumer-friendly dimension to health information.

Evaluating soil contamination

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beyer, W.N.

1990-01-01

This compilation was designed to help U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contaminant specialists evaluate the degree of contamination of a soil, based on chemical analyses. Included are regulatory criteria, opinions, brief descriptions of scientific articles, and miscellaneous information that might be useful in making risk assessments. The intent was to make hard-to-obtain material readily available to contaminant specialists, but not to critique the material or develop new criteria. The compilation is to be used with its index, which includes about 200 contaminants. There are several entries for a few of the most thoroughly studied contaminants, but for most of them the information available is meager. Entries include soil contaminant criteria from other countries, contaminant guidelines for applying sewage sludge to soil, guidelines for evaluating sediments, background soil concentrations for various elements, citations to scientific articles that may help estimate the potential movement of soil contaminants into wildlife food chains, and a few odds and ends. Articles on earthworms were emphasized because they are a natural bridge between soil and many species of wildlife.

A comparison of representations for discrete multi-criteria decision problems☆

PubMed Central

Gettinger, Johannes; Kiesling, Elmar; Stummer, Christian; Vetschera, Rudolf

2013-01-01

Discrete multi-criteria decision problems with numerous Pareto-efficient solution candidates place a significant cognitive burden on the decision maker. An interactive, aspiration-based search process that iteratively progresses toward the most preferred solution can alleviate this task. In this paper, we study three ways of representing such problems in a DSS, and compare them in a laboratory experiment using subjective and objective measures of the decision process as well as solution quality and problem understanding. In addition to an immediate user evaluation, we performed a re-evaluation several weeks later. Furthermore, we consider several levels of problem complexity and user characteristics. Results indicate that different problem representations have a considerable influence on search behavior, although long-term consistency appears to remain unaffected. We also found interesting discrepancies between subjective evaluations and objective measures. Conclusions from our experiments can help designers of DSS for large multi-criteria decision problems to fit problem representations to the goals of their system and the specific task at hand. PMID:24882912

Optimization of left adrenal vein sampling in primary aldosteronism: Coping with asymmetrical cortisol secretion.

PubMed

Kishino, Mitsuhiro; Yoshimoto, Takanobu; Nakadate, Masashi; Katada, Yoshiaki; Kanda, Eiichiro; Nakaminato, Shuichiro; Saida, Yukihisa; Ogawa, Yoshihiro; Tateishi, Ukihide

2017-03-31

We evaluated the influence of catheter sampling position and size on left adrenal venous sampling (AVS) in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) and analyzed their relationship to cortisol secretion. This retrospective study included 111 patients with a diagnosis of primary aldosteronism who underwent tetracosactide-stimulated AVS. Left AVS was obtained from two catheter positions - the central adrenal vein (CAV) and the common trunk. For common trunk sampling, 5-French catheters were used in 51 patients, and microcatheters were used in 60 patients. Autonomous cortisol secretion was evaluated with a low-dose dexamethasone suppression test in 87 patients. The adrenal/inferior vena cava cortisol concentration ratio [selectivity index (SI)] was significantly lower in samples from the left common trunk than those of the left CAV and right adrenal veins, but this difference was reduced when a microcatheter was used for common trunk sampling. Sample dilution in the common trunk of the left adrenal vein can be decreased by limiting sampling speed with the use of a microcatheter. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in SI between the left CAV and right adrenal veins. Laterality, determined according to aldosterone/cortisol ratio (A/C ratio) based criteria, showed good reproducibility regardless of sampling position, unlike the absolute aldosterone value based criteria. However, in 11 cases with autonomous cortisol co-secretion, the cortisol hypersecreting side tended to be underestimated when using A/C ratio based criteria. Left CAV sampling enables symmetrical sampling, and may be essential when using absolute aldosterone value based criteria in cases where symmetrical cortisol secretion is uncertain.

Evaluation of ERDA-sponsored coal feed system development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phen, R. L.; Luckow, W. K.; Mattson, L.; Otth, D.; Tsou, P.

1977-01-01

Coal feeders were evaluated based upon criteria such as technical feasibility, performance (i.e. ability to meet process requirements), projected life cycle costs, and projected development cost. An initial set of feeders was selected based on the feeders' cost savings potential compared with baseline lockhopper systems. Additional feeders were considered for selection based on: (1) increasing the probability of successful feeder development; (2) application to specific processes; and (3) technical merit. A coal feeder development program is outlined.

[External evaluation of population-based cancer registries: the REDEPICAN Guide for Latin America].

PubMed

Navarro, Carmen; Molina, José Antonio; Barrios, Enrique; Izarzugaza, Isabel; Loria, Dora; Cueva, Patricia; Sánchez, María José; Chirlaque, María Dolores; Fernández, Leticia

2013-11-01

Evaluate the feasibility of the REDEPICAN Guide (Red Iberoamericana de Epidemiología y Sistemas de Información en Cáncer) and its adaptation to the current situation of population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) in Latin America and the Caribbean as a useful tool to improve these registries. Experts in cancer registries and health audits designed the guide and developed seven domains to evaluate in PBCRs. Several criteria were selected for each domain, with corresponding standards, scored according to three levels of compliance. Two training courses for external evaluators and three discussion panels for experts were organized. The guide was tested in six PBCRs in Latin America and Spain. The guide contains 68 criteria, 10 of which are considered essential for a PBCR. Based on its score, a registry is regarded as acceptable (41-199), good (200-299), or excellent (300-350). The registry methods domain accounts for 25% of the score, followed by completeness and validity (19%), dissemination of outcomes (19%), structure (13%), confidentiality and ethical aspects (11%), comparability (9%), and the procedures manual (3%). The pilot project enabled (1) enhancement of criteria and standards, (2) expansion of the quality concept to include client needs, and (3) strengthening the dissemination of outcomes section. Two of the Latin American registries that were evaluated improved their quality, meeting the standards of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Development of the REDEPICAN Guide has taken into account the context of the registries in Latin America and is a useful and innovative tool for improving the quality of PBCRs. Furthermore, it is ready for use in other countries and registries.

Common Criteria related security design patterns--validation on the intelligent sensor example designed for mine environment.

PubMed

Bialas, Andrzej

2010-01-01

The paper discusses the security issues of intelligent sensors that are able to measure and process data and communicate with other information technology (IT) devices or systems. Such sensors are often used in high risk applications. To improve their robustness, the sensor systems should be developed in a restricted way to provide them with assurance. One of assurance creation methodologies is Common Criteria (ISO/IEC 15408), used for IT products and systems. The contribution of the paper is a Common Criteria compliant and pattern-based method for the intelligent sensors security development. The paper concisely presents this method and its evaluation for the sensor detecting methane in a mine, focusing on the security problem of the intelligent sensor definition and solution. The aim of the validation is to evaluate and improve the introduced method.

Diagnostic value of tendon thickness and structure in the sonographic diagnosis of supraspinatus tendinopathy: room for a two-step approach.

PubMed

Arend, Carlos Frederico; Arend, Ana Amalia; da Silva, Tiago Rodrigues

2014-06-01

The aim of our study was to systematically compare different methodologies to establish an evidence-based approach based on tendon thickness and structure for sonographic diagnosis of supraspinatus tendinopathy when compared to MRI. US was obtained from 164 symptomatic patients with supraspinatus tendinopathy detected at MRI and 42 asymptomatic controls with normal MRI. Diagnostic yield was calculated for either maximal supraspinatus tendon thickness (MSTT) and tendon structure as isolated criteria and using different combinations of parallel and sequential testing at US. Chi-squared tests were performed to assess sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of different diagnostic approaches. Mean MSTT was 6.68 mm in symptomatic patients and 5.61 mm in asymptomatic controls (P<.05). When used as an isolated criterion, MSTT>6.0mm provided best results for accuracy (93.7%) when compared to other measurements of tendon thickness. Also as an isolated criterion, abnormal tendon structure (ATS) yielded 93.2% accuracy for diagnosis. The best overall yield was obtained by both parallel and sequential testing using either MSTT>6.0mm or ATS as diagnostic criteria at no particular order, which provided 99.0% accuracy, 100% sensitivity, and 95.2% specificity. Among these parallel and sequential tests that provided best overall yield, additional analysis revealed that sequential testing first evaluating tendon structure required assessment of 258 criteria (vs. 261 for sequential testing first evaluating tendon thickness and 412 for parallel testing) and demanded a mean of 16.1s to assess diagnostic criteria and reach the diagnosis (vs. 43.3s for sequential testing first evaluating tendon thickness and 47.4s for parallel testing). We found that using either MSTT>6.0mm or ATS as diagnostic criteria for both parallel and sequential testing provides the best overall yield for sonographic diagnosis of supraspinatus tendinopathy when compared to MRI. Among these strategies, a two-step sequential approach first assessing tendon structure was advantageous because it required a lower number of criteria to be assessed and demanded less time to assess diagnostic criteria and reach the diagnosis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating Technical Communication Faculty: Some Empirically-Based Criteria and Guidelines. Draft.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, Dwight W.

As technical communication is a young academic discipline, evaluating technical communication faculty for promotion, tenure, and merit purposes requires special awareness and care. To determine reasonable expectations of faculty achievement, a study documented the range, types, and frequency of activities of 12 professors and 12 associate…

EVALUATION OF METRIC PRECISION FOR A RIPARIAN FOREST SURVEY

EPA Science Inventory

This paper evaluates the performance of a protocol to monitor riparian forests in western Oregon based on the quality of the data obtained from a recent field survey. Precision and accuracy are the criteria used to determine the quality of 19 field metrics. The field survey con...

A Four-Step and Four-Criteria Approach for Evaluating Evidence of Dose Addition in Chemical Mixture Toxicity

EPA Science Inventory

Dose addition is the most frequently-used component-based approach for predicting dose response for a mixture of toxicologically-similar chemicals and for statistical evaluation of whether the mixture response is consistent with dose additivity and therefore predictable from the ...

12 CFR 1807.801 - Evaluation of applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... assistance, the CDFI Fund will evaluate the Applicant's likelihood of success in meeting the factors set... CDFI Fund will also consider the Applicant's level of success in meeting its performance goals... selection. The CDFI Fund will select CMF Awardees based on the criteria described in paragraph (b) of this...

Multi-Criteria Decision Making for a Spatial Decision Support System on the Analysis of Changing Risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olyazadeh, Roya; van Westen, Cees; Bakker, Wim H.; Aye, Zar Chi; Jaboyedoff, Michel; Derron, Marc-Henri

2014-05-01

Natural hazard risk management requires decision making in several stages. Decision making on alternatives for risk reduction planning starts with an intelligence phase for recognition of the decision problems and identifying the objectives. Development of the alternatives and assigning the variable by decision makers to each alternative are employed to the design phase. Final phase evaluates the optimal choice by comparing the alternatives, defining indicators, assigning a weight to each and ranking them. This process is referred to as Multi-Criteria Decision Making analysis (MCDM), Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) or Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA). In the framework of the ongoing 7th Framework Program "CHANGES" (2011-2014, Grant Agreement No. 263953) of the European Commission, a Spatial Decision Support System is under development, that has the aim to analyse changes in hydro-meteorological risk and provide support to selecting the best risk reduction alternative. This paper describes the module for Multi-Criteria Decision Making analysis (MCDM) that incorporates monetary and non-monetary criteria in the analysis of the optimal alternative. The MCDM module consists of several components. The first step is to define criteria (or Indicators) which are subdivided into disadvantages (criteria that indicate the difficulty for implementing the risk reduction strategy, also referred to as Costs) and advantages (criteria that indicate the favorability, also referred to as benefits). In the next step the stakeholders can use the developed web-based tool for prioritizing criteria and decision matrix. Public participation plays a role in decision making and this is also planned through the use of a mobile web-version where the general local public can indicate their agreement on the proposed alternatives. The application is being tested through a case study related to risk reduction of a mountainous valley in the Alps affected by flooding. Four alternatives are evaluated in this case study namely: construction of defense structures, relocation, implementation of an early warning system and spatial planning regulations. Some of the criteria are determined partly in other modules of the CHANGES SDSS, such as the costs for implementation, the risk reduction in monetary values, and societal risk. Other criteria, which could be environmental, economic, cultural, perception in nature, are defined by different stakeholders such as local authorities, expert organizations, private sector, and local public. In the next step, the stakeholders weight the importance of the criteria by pairwise comparison and visualize the decision matrix, which is a matrix based on criteria versus alternatives values. Finally alternatives are ranked by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. We expect that this approach will help the decision makers to ease their works and reduce their costs, because the process is more transparent, more accurate and involves a group decision. In that way there will be more confidence in the overall decision making process. Keywords: MCDM, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), SDSS, Natural Hazard Risk Management

Derivative based sensitivity analysis of gamma index

PubMed Central

Sarkar, Biplab; Pradhan, Anirudh; Ganesh, T.

2015-01-01

Originally developed as a tool for patient-specific quality assurance in advanced treatment delivery methods to compare between measured and calculated dose distributions, the gamma index (γ) concept was later extended to compare between any two dose distributions. It takes into effect both the dose difference (DD) and distance-to-agreement (DTA) measurements in the comparison. Its strength lies in its capability to give a quantitative value for the analysis, unlike other methods. For every point on the reference curve, if there is at least one point in the evaluated curve that satisfies the pass criteria (e.g., δDD = 1%, δDTA = 1 mm), the point is included in the quantitative score as “pass.” Gamma analysis does not account for the gradient of the evaluated curve - it looks at only the minimum gamma value, and if it is <1, then the point passes, no matter what the gradient of evaluated curve is. In this work, an attempt has been made to present a derivative-based method for the identification of dose gradient. A mathematically derived reference profile (RP) representing the penumbral region of 6 MV 10 cm × 10 cm field was generated from an error function. A general test profile (GTP) was created from this RP by introducing 1 mm distance error and 1% dose error at each point. This was considered as the first of the two evaluated curves. By its nature, this curve is a smooth curve and would satisfy the pass criteria for all points in it. The second evaluated profile was generated as a sawtooth test profile (STTP) which again would satisfy the pass criteria for every point on the RP. However, being a sawtooth curve, it is not a smooth one and would be obviously poor when compared with the smooth profile. Considering the smooth GTP as an acceptable profile when it passed the gamma pass criteria (1% DD and 1 mm DTA) against the RP, the first and second order derivatives of the DDs (δD’, δD”) between these two curves were derived and used as the boundary values for evaluating the STTP against the RP. Even though the STTP passed the simple gamma pass criteria, it was found failing at many locations when the derivatives were used as the boundary values. The proposed derivative-based method can identify a noisy curve and can prove to be a useful tool for improving the sensitivity of the gamma index. PMID:26865761

Incidence of Radiologically Isolated Syndrome: A Population-Based Study.

PubMed

Forslin, Y; Granberg, T; Jumah, A Antwan; Shams, S; Aspelin, P; Kristoffersen-Wiberg, M; Martola, J; Fredrikson, S

2016-06-01

Incidental MR imaging findings resembling MS in asymptomatic individuals, fulfilling the Okuda criteria, are termed "radiologically isolated syndrome." Those with radiologically isolated syndrome are at high risk of their condition converting to MS. The epidemiology of radiologically isolated syndrome remains largely unknown, and there are no population-based studies, to our knowledge. Our aim was to study the population-based incidence of radiologically isolated syndrome in a high-incidence region for MS and to evaluate the effect on radiologically isolated syndrome incidence when revising the original radiologically isolated syndrome criteria by using the latest radiologic classification for dissemination in space. All 2272 brain MR imaging scans in 1907 persons obtained during 2013 in the Swedish county of Västmanland, with a population of 259,000 inhabitants, were blindly evaluated by a senior radiologist and a senior neuroradiologist. The Okuda criteria for radiologically isolated syndrome were applied by using both the Barkhof and Swanton classifications for dissemination in space. Assessments of clinical data were performed by a radiology resident and a senior neurologist. The cumulative incidence of radiologically isolated syndrome was 2 patients (0.1%), equaling an incidence rate of 0.8 cases per 100,000 person-years, in a region with an incidence rate of MS of 10.2 cases per 100,000 person-years. There was no difference in the radiologically isolated syndrome incidence rate when applying a modified version of the Okuda criteria by using the newer Swanton classification for dissemination in space. Radiologically isolated syndrome is uncommon in a high-incidence region for MS. Adapting the Okuda criteria to use the dissemination in space-Swanton classification may be feasible. Future studies on radiologically isolated syndrome may benefit from a collaborative approach to ensure adequate numbers of participants. © 2016 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

A consensus-based gold standard for the evaluation of mass casualty triage systems.

PubMed

Lerner, E Brooke; McKee, Courtney H; Cady, Charles E; Cone, David C; Colella, M Riccardo; Cooper, Arthur; Coule, Phillip L; Lairet, Julio R; Liu, J Marc; Pirrallo, Ronald G; Sasser, Scott M; Schwartz, Richard; Shepherd, Greene; Swienton, Raymond E

2015-01-01

Accuracy and effectiveness analyses of mass casualty triage systems are limited because there are no gold standard definitions for each of the triage categories. Until there is agreement on which patients should be identified by each triage category, it will be impossible to calculate sensitivity and specificity or to compare accuracy between triage systems. To develop a consensus-based, functional gold standard definition for each mass casualty triage category. National experts were recruited through the lead investigators' contacts and their suggested contacts. Key informant interviews were conducted to develop a list of potential criteria for defining each triage category. Panelists were interviewed in order of their availability until redundancy of themes was achieved. Panelists were blinded to each other's responses during the interviews. A modified Delphi survey was developed with the potential criteria identified during the interview and delivered to all recruited experts. In the early rounds, panelists could add, remove, or modify criteria. In the final rounds edits were made to the criteria until at least 80% agreement was achieved. Thirteen national and local experts were recruited to participate in the project. Six interviews were conducted. Three rounds of voting were performed, with 12 panelists participating in the first round, 12 in the second round, and 13 in the third round. After the first two rounds, the criteria were modified according to respondent suggestions. In the final round, over 90% agreement was achieved for all but one criterion. A single e-mail vote was conducted on edits to the final criterion and consensus was achieved. A consensus-based, functional gold standard definition for each mass casualty triage category was developed. These gold standard definitions can be used to evaluate the accuracy of mass casualty triage systems after an actual incident, during training, or for research.

Using multi-criteria risk ranking methodology to select case studies for a generic risk assessment framework for exotic disease incursion and spread through Europe.

PubMed

Horigan, V; De Nardi, M; Simons, R R L; Bertolini, S; Crescio, M I; Estrada-Peña, A; Léger, A; Maurella, C; Ru, G; Schuppers, M; Stärk, K D C; Adkin, A

2018-05-01

We present a novel approach of using the multi-criteria pathogen prioritisation methodology as a basis for selecting the most appropriate case studies for a generic risk assessment framework. The approach uses selective criteria to rank exotic animal health pathogens according to the likelihood of introduction and the impact of an outbreak if it occurred in the European Union (EU). Pathogens were evaluated based on their impact on production at the EU level and international trade. A subsequent analysis included criteria of relevance to quantitative risk assessment case study selection, such as the availability of data for parameterisation, the need for further research and the desire for the case studies to cover different routes of transmission. The framework demonstrated is flexible with the ability to adjust both the criteria and their weightings to the user's requirements. A web based tool has been developed using the RStudio shiny apps software, to facilitate this. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Possibility-induced simplified neutrosophic aggregation operators and their application to multi-criteria group decision-making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Şahin, Rıdvan; Liu, Peide

2017-07-01

Simplified neutrosophic set (SNS) is an appropriate tool used to express the incompleteness, indeterminacy and uncertainty of the evaluation objects in decision-making process. In this study, we define the concept of possibility SNS including two types of information such as the neutrosophic performance provided from the evaluation objects and its possibility degree using a value ranging from zero to one. Then by extending the existing neutrosophic information, aggregation models for SNSs that cannot be used effectively to fusion the two different information described above, we propose two novel neutrosophic aggregation operators considering possibility, which are named as a possibility-induced simplified neutrosophic weighted arithmetic averaging operator and possibility-induced simplified neutrosophic weighted geometric averaging operator, and discuss their properties. Moreover, we develop a useful method based on the proposed aggregation operators for solving a multi-criteria group decision-making problem with the possibility simplified neutrosophic information, in which the weights of decision-makers and decision criteria are calculated based on entropy measure. Finally, a practical example is utilised to show the practicality and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Post Pareto optimization-A case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popov, Stoyan; Baeva, Silvia; Marinova, Daniela

2017-12-01

Simulation performance may be evaluated according to multiple quality measures that are in competition and their simultaneous consideration poses a conflict. In the current study we propose a practical framework for investigating such simulation performance criteria, exploring the inherent conflicts amongst them and identifying the best available tradeoffs, based upon multi-objective Pareto optimization. This approach necessitates the rigorous derivation of performance criteria to serve as objective functions and undergo vector optimization. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach by applying it with multiple stochastic quality measures. We formulate performance criteria of this use-case, pose an optimization problem, and solve it by means of a simulation-based Pareto approach. Upon attainment of the underlying Pareto Frontier, we analyze it and prescribe preference-dependent configurations for the optimal simulation training.

Evaluation criteria for commercially oriented materials processing in space proposals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, W. F.; Mcdowell, J. R.

1979-01-01

An approach and criteria for evaluating NASA funded experiments and demonstrations which have commercial potential were developed. Methods for insuring quick initial screening of commercial proposals are presented. Recommendations are given for modifying the current evaluation approach. New criteria for evaluating commercially orientated materials processing in space (MPS) proposals are introduced. The process for selection of qualified individuals to evaluate the phases of this approach and criteria is considered and guidelines are set for its implementation.

Evaluating treatment process redesign by applying the EFQM Excellence Model.

PubMed

Nabitz, Udo; Schramade, Mark; Schippers, Gerard

2006-10-01

To evaluate a treatment process redesign programme implementing evidence-based treatment as part of a total quality management in a Dutch addiction treatment centre. Quality management was monitored over a period of more than 10 years in an addiction treatment centre with 550 professionals. Changes are evaluated, comparing the scores on the nine criteria of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model before and after a major redesign of treatment processes and ISO certification. In the course of 10 years, most intake, care, and cure processes were reorganized, the support processes were restructured and ISO certified, 29 evidence-based treatment protocols were developed and implemented, and patient follow-up measuring was established to make clinical outcomes transparent. Comparing the situation before and after the changes shows that the client satisfaction scores are stable, that the evaluation by personnel and society is inconsistent, and that clinical, production, and financial outcomes are positive. The overall EFQM assessment by external assessors in 2004 shows much higher scores on the nine criteria than the assessment in 1994. Evidence-based treatment can successfully be implemented in addiction treatment centres through treatment process redesign as part of a total quality management strategy, but not all results are positive.

Identifying and mitigating errors in satellite telemetry of polar bears

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arthur, Stephen M.; Garner, Gerald W.; Olson, Tamara L.

1998-01-01

Satellite radiotelemetry is a useful method of tracking movements of animals that travel long distances or inhabit remote areas. However, the logistical constraints that encourage the use of satellite telemetry also inhibit efforts to assess accuracy of the resulting data. To investigate effectiveness of methods that might be used to improve the reliability of these data, we compared 3 sets of criteria designed to select the most plausible locations of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) that were tracked using satellite radiotelemetry in the Bering, Chukchi, East Siberian, Laptev, and Kara seas during 1988-93. We also evaluated several indices of location accuracy. Our results suggested that, although indices could provide information useful in evaluating location accuracy, no index or set of criteria was sufficient to identify all the implausible locations. Thus, it was necessary to examine the data and make subjective decisions about which locations to accept or reject. However, by using a formal set of selection criteria, we simplified the task of evaluating locations and ensured that decisions were made consistently. This approach also enabled us to evaluate biases that may be introduced by the criteria used to identify location errors. For our study, the best set of selection criteria comprised: (1) rejecting locations for which the distance to the nearest other point from the same day was >50 km; (2) determining the highest accuracy code (NLOC) for a particular day and rejecting locations from that day with lesser values; and (3) from the remaining locations for each day, selecting the location closest to the location chosen for the previous transmission period. Although our selection criteria seemed unlikely to bias studies of habitat use or geographic distribution, basing selection decisions on distances between points might bias studies of movement rates or distances. It is unlikely that any set of criteria will be best for all situations; to make efficient use of data and minimize bias, these rules must be tailored to specific study objectives.

Un modelo para el control de calidad academica de los textos de instruccion a distancia (A Model for Controlling the Academic Quality of Distance Education Texts).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolanos-Mora, Guiselle; And Others

1992-01-01

In response to the need for a system of control over the academic quality of distance education texts, this article proposes a methodological model based on criteria that evaluate written materials based on their instructional quality, design, and production. A discussion and figures evaluate educational aspects of content, communication,…

Clinical Evaluation of Indirect Particle-Filled Composite Resin CAD/CAM Partial Crowns after 24 Months.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Moritz; Koller, Christina; Reymus, Marcel; Mehl, Albert; Hickel, Reinhard

2017-04-19

Resin-based CAD/CAM compound materials might be promising for single-tooth restorations. Insufficient clinical data are available for this new material class. The purpose of this study was to describe initial clinical in vivo results for indirect particle-filled composite resin CAD/CAM restorations after 24 months. Indirect particle-filled composite resin restorations were fabricated with a CAD/CAM method (CEREC Bluecam intraoral scanner, CEREC MCXL milling unit) by calibrated dental students. Forty-two partial crown restorations were seated adhesively in 30 patients with caries lesions or insufficient restorations (baseline). Strict inclusion criteria were defined for the patient collective. Follow-up evaluation comprised 40 restorations after 12 months and 33 restorations after 24 months. Evaluation criteria were modified FDI criteria with grades (1) to (5). Rating with FDI criteria (5) was defined as clinical failure. Statistical analysis was performed with Wilcoxon-Test (p < 0.05). The success rate of indirect particle-filled composite resin CAD/CAM restorations after 12 months was 95.0% with two debondings observed. The cumulative success rate for indirect particle-filled composite resin CAD/CAM restorations after 24 months was 85.7% with two tooth fractures and one debonding. Statistically significant differences were found for baseline and 24-month follow-up evaluation for anatomic form and marginal adaptation criterion examined in respect to FDI criteria guidelines (Wilcoxon-Test, p < 0.05). This study demonstrates particle-filled composite resin CAD/CAM restorations having a clinical success rate of 85.7% after 24 months. Adhesive bonding procedures need to be ensured carefully. A longer clinical evaluation period is necessary to draw further conclusions. © 2017 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Evaluation of a treatment-based classification algorithm for low back pain: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Stanton, Tasha R; Fritz, Julie M; Hancock, Mark J; Latimer, Jane; Maher, Christopher G; Wand, Benedict M; Parent, Eric C

2011-04-01

Several studies have investigated criteria for classifying patients with low back pain (LBP) into treatment-based subgroups. A comprehensive algorithm was created to translate these criteria into a clinical decision-making guide. This study investigated the translation of the individual subgroup criteria into a comprehensive algorithm by studying the prevalence of patients meeting the criteria for each treatment subgroup and the reliability of the classification. This was a cross-sectional, observational study. Two hundred fifty patients with acute or subacute LBP were recruited from the United States and Australia to participate in the study. Trained physical therapists performed standardized assessments on all participants. The researchers used these findings to classify participants into subgroups. Thirty-one participants were reassessed to determine interrater reliability of the algorithm decision. Based on individual subgroup criteria, 25.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]=19.8%-30.6%) of the participants did not meet the criteria for any subgroup, 49.6% (95% CI=43.4%-55.8%) of the participants met the criteria for only one subgroup, and 25.2% (95% CI=19.8%-30.6%) of the participants met the criteria for more than one subgroup. The most common combination of subgroups was manipulation + specific exercise (68.4% of the participants who met the criteria for 2 subgroups). Reliability of the algorithm decision was moderate (kappa=0.52, 95% CI=0.27-0.77, percentage of agreement=67%). Due to a relatively small patient sample, reliability estimates are somewhat imprecise. These findings provide important clinical data to guide future research and revisions to the algorithm. The finding that 25% of the participants met the criteria for more than one subgroup has important implications for the sequencing of treatments in the algorithm. Likewise, the finding that 25% of the participants did not meet the criteria for any subgroup provides important information regarding potential revisions to the algorithm's bottom table (which guides unclear classifications). Reliability of the algorithm is sufficient for clinical use.

Analysis of German nutrition brochures for pregnant women with evidence-based patient information criteria.

PubMed

Küllenberg de Gaudry, Daniela; Grede, Nina; Motschall, Edith; Lins, Sabine

2015-02-01

To evaluate nutrition brochures for pregnant women in Germany based on evidence-based patient information (EBPI) criteria. Nutrition brochures for pregnant women in Germany were collected. Brochures addressing the risk of salmonellosis, toxoplasmosis or listeriosis were analyzed by two researchers independently. Fifty brochures reporting any information on the risk of infection were analyzed. Most brochures did not include literature citations and only few brochures gave a risk description, predominantly verbally, which usually leads to an overestimation of the actual risk. Advertisement was present in 22% of the brochures. German nutrition brochures for pregnant women should be adapted to comply with evidence-based patient information (EBPI) criteria for achieving a better quality of the disseminated information. The findings highlight the need of high quality nutrition brochures for pregnant women, which are relevant not only for pregnant women, but also to those responsible for creating brochures, and to physicians in charge of patient information. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

DeltaSA tool for source apportionment benchmarking, description and sensitivity analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pernigotti, D.; Belis, C. A.

2018-05-01

DeltaSA is an R-package and a Java on-line tool developed at the EC-Joint Research Centre to assist and benchmark source apportionment applications. Its key functionalities support two critical tasks in this kind of studies: the assignment of a factor to a source in factor analytical models (source identification) and the model performance evaluation. The source identification is based on the similarity between a given factor and source chemical profiles from public databases. The model performance evaluation is based on statistical indicators used to compare model output with reference values generated in intercomparison exercises. The references values are calculated as the ensemble average of the results reported by participants that have passed a set of testing criteria based on chemical profiles and time series similarity. In this study, a sensitivity analysis of the model performance criteria is accomplished using the results of a synthetic dataset where "a priori" references are available. The consensus modulated standard deviation punc gives the best choice for the model performance evaluation when a conservative approach is adopted.

Evaluation systems for clinical governance development: a comparative study.

PubMed

Hooshmand, Elaheh; Tourani, Sogand; Ravaghi, Hamid; Ebrahimipour, Hossein

2014-01-01

Lack of scientific and confirmed researches and expert knowledge about evaluation systems for clinical governance development in Iran have made studies on different evaluation systems for clinical governance development a necessity. These studies must provide applied strategies to design criteria of implementing clinical governance for hospital's accreditation. This is a descriptive and comparative study on development of clinical governance models all over the world. Data have been gathered by reviewing related articles. Models have been studied in comprehensive review method. The evaluated models of clinical governance development were Australian, NHS, SPOCK and OPTIGOV. The final aspects extracted from these models were Responsiveness, Policies and Strategies, Organizational Structure, Allocating Resources, Education and Occupational Development, Performance Evaluation, External Evaluation, Patient Oriented Approach, Risk Management, Personnel's Participation, Information Technology, Human Resources, Research and Development, Evidence Based Medicine, Clinical Audit, Health Technology Assessment and Quality. These results are applicable for completing the present criteria which evaluating clinical governance application and provide practical framework to evaluate country's hospital on the basis of clinical governance elements.

A score system for complete cytoreduction in selected recurrent ovarian cancer patients undergoing secondary cytoreductive surgery: predictors- and nomogram-based analyses.

PubMed

Bogani, Giorgio; Tagliabue, Elena; Signorelli, Mauro; Ditto, Antonino; Martinelli, Fabio; Chiappa, Valentina; Mosca, Lavinia; Sabatucci, Ilaria; Leone Roberti Maggiore, Umberto; Lorusso, Domenica; Raspagliesi, Francesco

2018-05-01

To test the applicability of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie (AGO) and Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) criteria in predicting complete cytoreduction (CC) in patients undergoing secondary cytoreductive surgery (SCS) for recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC). Data of consecutive patients undergoing SCS were reviewed. The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie OVARian cancer study group (AGO-OVAR) and MSK criteria were retrospectively applied. Nomograms, based on AGO criteria, MSK criteria and both AGO and MSK criteria were built in order to assess the probability to achieve CC at SCS. Overall, 194 patients met the inclusion criteria. CC was achieved in 161 (82.9%) patients. According to the AGO-OVAR criteria, we observed that CC was achieved in 87.0% of patients with positive AGO score. However, 45 out of 71 (63.4%) patients who did not fulfilled the AGO score had CC. Similarly, CC was achieved in 87.1%, 61.9% and 66.7% of patients for whom SCS was recommended, had to be considered and was not recommended, respectively. In order to evaluate the predictive value of the AGO-OVAR and MSK criteria we built 2 separate nomograms (c-index: 0.5900 and 0.5989, respectively) to test the probability to achieve CC at SCS. Additionally, we built a nomogram using both the aforementioned criteria (c-index: 0.5857). The AGO and MSK criteria help identifying patients deserving SCS. However, these criteria might be strict, thus prohibiting a beneficial treatment in patients who do not met these criteria. Further studies are needed to clarify factors predicting CC at SCS. Copyright © 2018. Asian Society of Gynecologic Oncology, Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology.

Wind/tornado design criteria, development to achieve required probabilistic performance goals

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

Ng, D.S.

1991-06-01

This paper describes the strategy for developing new design criteria for a critical facility to withstand loading induced by the wind/tornado hazard. The proposed design requirements for resisting wind/tornado loads are based on probabilistic performance goals. The proposed design criteria were prepared by a Working Group consisting of six experts in wind/tornado engineering and meteorology. Utilizing their best technical knowledge and judgment in the wind/tornado field, they met and discussed the methodologies and reviewed available data. A review of the available wind/tornado hazard model for the site, structural response evaluation methods, and conservative acceptance criteria lead to proposed design criteriamore » that has a high probability of achieving the required performance goals.« less

Wind/tornado design criteria, development to achieve required probabilistic performance goals

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

Ng, D.S.

This paper describes the strategy for developing new design criteria for a critical facility to withstand loading induced by the wind/tornado hazard. The proposed design requirements for resisting wind/tornado loads are based on probabilistic performance goals. The proposed design criteria were prepared by a Working Group consisting of six experts in wind/tornado engineering and meteorology. Utilizing their best technical knowledge and judgment in the wind/tornado field, they met and discussed the methodologies and reviewed available data. A review of the available wind/tornado hazard model for the site, structural response evaluation methods, and conservative acceptance criteria lead to proposed design criteriamore » that has a high probability of achieving the required performance goals.« less

7 CFR 4290.370 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Evaluation criteria. 4290.370 Section 4290.370... Evaluation and Selection of RBICs § 4290.370 Evaluation criteria. Of those Applicants whose management team... following criteria— (a) Whether the Applicant's management team has the knowledge, experience, and...

Quantity and Quality of Economic Evaluations in U.S. Nursing Research, 1997-2015: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Cook, Wendy A; Morrison, Megan L; Eaton, Linda H; Theodore, Brian R; Doorenbos, Ardith Z

The United States has a complex healthcare system that is undergoing substantial reformations. There is a need for high-quality, economic evaluations of nursing practice. An updated review of completed economic evaluations relevant to the field of nursing within the U.S. healthcare system is timely and needed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and describe the quantity and quality of economic evaluations in nursing-relevant research performed in the United States between 1997 and 2015. Four databases were searched. Titles, abstracts, and full-text content were reviewed to identify studies that analyzed both costs and outcomes, relevant to nursing, performed in the United States, and used the quality-adjusted life year to measure effectiveness. For included studies, data were extracted from full-text articles using criteria from U.S. Public Health Service's Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine. Twenty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Most (n = 25, 89%) were published in the last decade of the analysis, from 2006 to 2015. Assessment of quality, based on selected items from the panel guidelines, found that the evaluations did not consistently use the recommended societal perspective, use multiple resource utilization categories, use constant dollars, discount future costs and outcomes, use a lifetime horizon, or include an indication of uncertainty in results. The only resource utilization category consistently included across studies was healthcare resources. Only 28 nursing-related studies meeting the inclusion criteria were identified as meeting robust health economic evaluation methodological criteria, and most did not include all important guideline items. Despite increases in absolute numbers of published studies over the past decade, economic evaluation has been underutilized in U.S. nursing-relevant research in the past two decades.

Agile SE Enablers and Quantification Project: Identification, Characterization, and Evaluation Criteria for Systems Engineering Agile Enablers

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-16

Enablers Draft Technical Report SERC -2015-049-1 January 16, 2015 Principal Investigator: Dr. Richard Turner, Stevens Institute of...Hudson, Hoboken, NJ 07030 1 Copyright © 2015 Stevens Institute of Technology The Systems Engineering Research Center ( SERC ) is a federally...inappropriate enablers are not pursued. The identification criteria developed for RT-124 are based on earlier SERC work. [4, 5, 6]: 1 Operated by DAU

Small ICBM area narrowing report. Volume 1. Hard mobile launcher in random movement basing mode

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

Not Available

The purpose of this report is to identify those areas that could potentially support deployment of the Small Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) utilizing basing modes presently considered viable: the Hard Mobile Launcher in Random Movement, the Hard Mobile Launcher at Minuteman Facilities, and the Hard Silo in Patterned Array. Specifically, this report describes the process and the rationale supporting the application of Exclusionary and Evaluative Criteria and lists those locations that were eliminated through the application of these criteria. The remaining locations will be the subject of further investigations.

Small ICBM area narrowing report. Volume 2. Hard mobile launcher at minuteman facilities basing mode

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

Not Available

The purpose of this report is to identify those areas that could potentially support deployment of the Small Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) utilizing basing modes presently considered viable: the Hard Mobile Launcher in Random Movement, the Hard Mobile Launcher at Minuteman Facilities, and the Hard Silo in Patterned Array. Specifically, this report describes the process and the rationale supporting the application of Exclusionary and Evaluative Criteria and lists those locations that were eliminated through the application of these criteria. The remaining locations will be the subject of further investigations.

A method for determining internal noise criteria based on practical speech communication applied to helicopters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sternfeld, H., Jr.; Doyle, L. B.

1978-01-01

The relationship between the internal noise environment of helicopters and the ability of personnel to understand commands and instructions was studied. A test program was conducted to relate speech intelligibility to a standard measurement called Articulation Index. An acoustical simulator was used to provide noise environments typical of Army helicopters. Speech material (command sentences and phonetically balanced word lists) were presented at several voice levels in each helicopter environment. Recommended helicopter internal noise criteria, based on speech communication, were derived and the effectiveness of hearing protection devices were evaluated.

Recommendations and Justifications for Modifications To Downgrade Use Restrictions Established under the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, Revision 1

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

Birney, Cathleen; Krauss, Mark J

This document is part of an effort to reevaluate 37 FFACO and Administrative URs against the current Soils Risk-Based Corrective Action Evaluation Process. After reviewing 37 existing FFACO and Administrative URs, 11 URs addressed in this document have sufficient information to determine that these current URs may be downgraded to Administrative URs based on the RBCA criteria. This document presents recommendations on modifications to existing URs that will be consistent with the RBCA criteria.

Repair of dimethacrylate-based composite restorations by a silorane-based composite: a one-year randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Popoff, D A V; Santa Rosa, T T A; Ferreira, R C; Magalhães, C S; Moreira, A N; Mjör, I A

2012-01-01

To investigate clinical performance of a low-shrinkage silorane-based composite resin when used for repairing conventional dimethacrylate-based composite restorations. Despite the continued development of resin-based materials, polymerization shrinkage and shrinkage stress still require improvement. A silorane-based monomer system was recently made available for dental restorations. This report refers to the use of this material for making repairs and evaluates the clinical performance of this alternative treatment. One operator repaired the defective dimethacrylate-based composite resin restorations that were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: control (n=50) repair with Adper SE Plus (3M/ESPE) and Filtek P60 Posterior Restorative (3M/ESPE), and test (n=50) repair with P90 System Adhesive Self-Etch Primer and Bond (3M/ESPE) and Filtek P90 Low Shrink Posterior Restorative (3M/ESPE). After one week, restorations were finished and polished. Two calibrated examiners (Kw≥0.78) evaluated all repaired restorations, blindly and independently, at baseline and one year. The parameters examined were marginal adaptation, anatomic form, surface roughness, marginal discoloration, postoperative sensitivity, and secondary caries. The restorations were classified as Alpha, Bravo, or Charlie, according to modified US Public Health Service criteria. Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests were used to compare the groups. Of the 100 restorations repaired in this study, 93 were reexamined at baseline. Dropout from baseline to one-year recall was 11%. No statistically significant differences were found between the materials for all clinical criteria, at baseline or at one-year recall (p>0.05). No statistically significant differences were registered (p>0.05) for each material when compared for all clinical criteria at baseline and at one-year recall. The hypothesis tested in this randomized controlled clinical trial was accepted. After the one-year evaluations, the silorane-based composite exhibited a similar performance compared with dimethacrylate-based composite when used to make repairs.

Using the androgen excess-PCOS society criteria to diagnose polycystic ovary syndrome and the risk of metabolic syndrome in adolescents.

PubMed

Roe, Andrea Hsu; Prochaska, Erica; Smith, Matthew; Sammel, Mary; Dokras, Anuja

2013-05-01

To use the Androgen Excess-PCOS Society (AE-PCOS) criteria in adolescents to diagnose polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and identify the prevalence of metabolic risk factors. Retrospective chart review of adolescents (>2 years postmenarche) presenting at a specialty clinic from 2008 through 2010 with complete evaluation for PCOS and metabolic risk were reviewed. Metabolic risk in adolescents with PCOS was compared with those with ≤ 1 AE-PCOS criteria. Of the 205 adolescents evaluated, 66% were found to have PCOS based on the AE-PCOS criteria. The most common presenting symptom was menstrual irregularity, followed by acne, hirsutism, and weight gain. Adolescents with PCOS had a significantly higher prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and low level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Subjects with PCOS had ≥ 1 metabolic risk factor compared with the subjects without PCOS (63.6% vs 33.3%, P = .002). More adolescents with PCOS had ≥ 2 abnormal metabolic risk factors excluding body mass index compared with those without PCOS (P < .02). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (≥ 3 risk factors) was 10.8% in adolescents with PCOS compared with 1.7% in those without PCOS (P < .04). Adolescents diagnosed with PCOS based on the AE-PCOS criteria are at a significantly increased risk of ≥ 1 metabolic abnormality. Our data underscore the need to accurately diagnose PCOS in the adolescent population instead of delaying the diagnosis to adulthood. Further, using similar criteria for the diagnosis of PCOS in adolescents (>2 years postmenarche) and adults will be more convenient for the clinician. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Home birth integration into the health care systems of eleven international jurisdictions.

PubMed

Comeau, Amanda; Hutton, Eileen K; Simioni, Julia; Anvari, Ella; Bowen, Megan; Kruegar, Samantha; Darling, Elizabeth K

2018-02-13

The purpose of this study was to develop assessment criteria that could be used to examine the level of integration of home birth within larger health care systems in developed countries across 11 international jurisdictions. An expert panel developed criteria and a definition to assess home birth integration within health care systems. We selected jurisdictions based on the publications that were eligible for inclusion in our systematic review and meta-analysis on planned place of birth. We sent the authors of the included publications a questionnaire about home birth practitioners and practices in their respective health care system at the time of their studies. We searched published peer-reviewed, non-peer-reviewed, and gray literature, and the websites of professional bodies to document information about home birth integration in each jurisdiction based on our criteria. Where information was lacking, we contacted experts in the field from the relevant jurisdiction. Home birth is well integrated into the health care system in British Columbia (Canada), England, Iceland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Ontario (Canada), and Washington State (USA). Home birth is less well integrated into the health care system in Australia, Japan, Norway, and Sweden. This paper is the first to propose criteria for the evaluation of home birth integration within larger maternity care systems. Application of these criteria across 11 international jurisdictions indicates differences in the recognition and training of home birth practitioners, in access to hospital facilities, and in the supplies and equipment available at home births, which give rise to variation in the level of integration across different settings. Standardized criteria for the evaluation of systems integration are essential for interpreting planned home birth outcomes that emerge from contextual differences. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Organic food processing: a framework for concept, starting definitions and evaluation.

PubMed

Kahl, Johannes; Alborzi, Farnaz; Beck, Alexander; Bügel, Susanne; Busscher, Nicolaas; Geier, Uwe; Matt, Darja; Meischner, Tabea; Paoletti, Flavio; Pehme, Sirli; Ploeger, Angelika; Rembiałkowska, Ewa; Schmid, Otto; Strassner, Carola; Taupier-Letage, Bruno; Załęcka, Aneta

2014-10-01

In 2007 EU Regulation (EC) 834/2007 introduced principles and criteria for organic food processing. These regulations have been analysed and discussed in several scientific publications and research project reports. Recently, organic food quality was described by principles, aspects and criteria. These principles from organic agriculture were verified and adapted for organic food processing. Different levels for evaluation were suggested. In another document, underlying paradigms and consumer perception of organic food were reviewed against functional food, resulting in identifying integral product identity as the underlying paradigm and a holistic quality view connected to naturalness as consumers' perception of organic food quality. In a European study, the quality concept was applied to the organic food chain, resulting in a problem, namely that clear principles and related criteria were missing to evaluate processing methods. Therefore the goal of this paper is to describe and discuss the topic of organic food processing to make it operational. A conceptual background for organic food processing is given by verifying the underlying paradigms and principles of organic farming and organic food as well as on organic processing. The proposed definition connects organic processing to related systems such as minimal, sustainable and careful, gentle processing, and describes clear principles and related criteria. Based on food examples, such as milk with different heat treatments, the concept and definitions were verified. Organic processing can be defined by clear paradigms and principles and evaluated according criteria from a multidimensional approach. Further work has to be done on developing indicators and parameters for assessment of organic food quality. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

An integrated multi criteria approach for landfill siting in a conflicting environmental, economical and socio-cultural area.

PubMed

Eskandari, Mahnaz; Homaee, Mehdi; Mahmodi, Shahla

2012-08-01

Landfill site selection is a complicated multi criteria land use planning that should convince all related stakeholders with different insights. This paper addresses an integrating approach for landfill siting based on conflicting opinions among environmental, economical and socio-cultural expertise. In order to gain optimized siting decision, the issue was investigated in different viewpoints. At first step based on opinion sampling and questionnaire results of 35 experts familiar with local situations, the national environmental legislations and international practices, 13 constraints and 15 factors were built in hierarchical structure. Factors divided into three environmental, economical and socio-cultural groups. In the next step, the GIS-database was developed based on the designated criteria. In the third stage, the criteria standardization and criteria weighting were accomplished. The relative importance weights of criteria and subcriteria were estimated, respectively, using analytical hierarchy process and rank ordering methods based on different experts opinions. Thereafter, by using simple additive weighting method, the suitability maps for landfill siting in Marvdasht, Iran, was evaluated in environmental, economical and socio-cultural visions. The importance of each group of criteria in its own vision was assigned to be higher than two other groups. In the fourth stage, the final suitability map was obtained after crossing three resulted maps in different visions and reported in five suitability classes for landfill construction. This map indicated that almost 1224 ha of the study area can be considered as best suitable class for landfill siting considering all visions. In the last stage, a comprehensive field visit was performed to verify the selected site obtained from the proposed model. This field inspection has confirmed the proposed integrating approach for the landfill siting. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating success criteria and project monitoring in river enhancement within an adaptive management framework

USGS Publications Warehouse

O'Donnell, T. K.; Galat, D.L.

2008-01-01

Objective setting, performance measures, and accountability are important components of an adaptive-management approach to river-enhancement programs. Few lessons learned by river-enhancement practitioners in the United States have been documented and disseminated relative to the number of projects implemented. We conducted scripted telephone surveys with river-enhancement project managers and practitioners within the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB) to determine the extent of setting project success criteria, monitoring, evaluation of monitoring data, and data dissemination. Investigation of these elements enabled a determination of those that inhibited adaptive management. Seventy river enhancement projects were surveyed. Only 34% of projects surveyed incorporated a quantified measure of project success. Managers most often relied on geophysical attributes of rivers when setting project success criteria, followed by biological communities. Ninety-one percent of projects that performed monitoring included biologic variables, but the lack of data collection before and after project completion and lack of field-based reference or control sites will make future assessments of ecologic success difficult. Twenty percent of projects that performed monitoring evaluated ???1 variable but did not disseminate their evaluations outside their organization. Results suggest greater incentives may be required to advance the science of river enhancement. Future river-enhancement programs within the UMRB and elsewhere can increase knowledge gained from individual projects by offering better guidance on setting success criteria before project initiation and evaluation through established monitoring protocols. ?? 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

13 CFR 108.360 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Evaluation criteria. 108.360... (âNMVCâ) PROGRAM Evaluation and Selection of NMVC Companies § 108.360 Evaluation criteria. SBA will... criteria— (a) The quality of the Applicant's comprehensive business plan in terms of meeting the objectives...

Fuzzy weighted average based on left and right scores in Malaysia tourism industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamis, Nor Hanimah; Abdullah, Kamilah; Zulkifli, Muhammad Hazim; Sahlan, Shahrazali; Mohd Yunus, Syaizzal

2013-04-01

Tourism is known as an important sector to the Malaysian economy including economic generator, creating business and job offers. It is reported to bring in almost RM30 billion of the national income, thanks to intense worldwide promotion by Tourism Malaysia. One of the well-known attractions in Malaysia is our beautiful islands. The islands continue to be developed into tourist spots and attracting a continuous number of tourists. Chalets, luxury bungalows and resorts quickly develop along the coastlines of popular islands like Tioman, Redang, Pangkor, Perhentian, Sibu and so many others. In this study, we applied Fuzzy Weighted Average (FWA) method based on left and right scores in order to determine the criteria weights and to select the best island in Malaysia. Cost, safety, attractive activities, accommodation and scenery are five main criteria to be considered and five selected islands in Malaysia are taken into accounts as alternatives. The most important criteria that have been considered by the tourist are defined based on criteria weights ranking order and the best island in Malaysia is then determined in terms of FWA values. This pilot study can be used as a reference to evaluate performances or solving any selection problems, where more criteria, alternatives and decision makers will be considered in the future.

Scoping Review and Evaluation of SMS/text Messaging Platforms for mHealth Projects or Clinical Interventions

PubMed Central

Iribarren, Sarah; Brown, William; Giguere, Rebecca; Stone, Patricia; Schnall, Rebecca; Staggers, Nancy; Carballo-Diéguez, Alex

2017-01-01

Objectives Mobile technology supporting text messaging interventions (TMIs) continues to evolve, presenting challenges for researchers and healthcare professionals who need to choose software solutions to best meet their program needs. The objective of this review was to systematically identify and compare text messaging platforms and to summarize their advantages and disadvantages as described in peer-reviewed literature. Methods A scoping review was conducted using four steps: 1) identify currently available platforms through online searches and in mHealth repositories; 2) expand evaluation criteria of an mHealth mobile messaging toolkit and prior user experiences as researchers; 3) evaluate each platform’s functions and features based on the expanded criteria and a vendor survey; and 4) assess the documentation of platform use in the peer-review literature. Platforms meeting inclusion criteria were assessed independently by three reviewers and discussed until consensus was reached. The PRISMA guidelines were followed to report findings. Results Of the 1041 potentially relevant search results, 27 platforms met inclusion criteria. Most were excluded because they were not platforms (e.g., guides, toolkits, reports, or SMS gateways). Of the 27 platforms, only 12 were identified in existing mHealth repositories, 10 from Google searches, while five were found in both. The expanded evaluation criteria included 22 items. Results indicate no uniform presentation of platform features and functions, often making these difficult to discern. Fourteen of the platforms were reported as open source, 10 focused on health care and 16 were tailored to meet needs of low resource settings (not mutually exclusive). Fifteen platforms had do-it-yourself setup (programming not required) while the remainder required coding/programming skills or setups could be built to specification by the vendor. Frequently described features included data security and access to the platform via cloud-based systems. Pay structures and reported targeted end-users varied. Peer-reviewed publications listed only 6 of the 27 platforms across 21 publications. The majority of these articles reported the name of the platform used but did not describe advantages or disadvantages. Conclusions Searching for and comparing mHealth platforms for TMIs remains a challenge. The results of this review can serve as a resource for researchers and healthcare professionals wanting to integrate TMIs into health interventions. Steps to identify, compare and assess advantages and disadvantages are outlined for consideration. Expanded evaluation criteria can be used by future researchers. Continued and more comprehensive platform tools should be integrated into mHealth repositories. Detailed descriptions of platform advantages and disadvantages are needed when mHealth researchers publish findings to expand the body of research on texting-based tools for healthcare. Standardized descriptions and features are recommended for vendor sites. PMID:28347445

Revalidation of description of constipation in terms of recall bias and visual scale analog questionnaire.

PubMed

Pamuk, Omer Nuri; Pamuk, Gulsum Emel; Celik, Aykut Ferhat

2003-12-01

The present study was designed to identify a cut-off value to define subjective and relatively objective criteria of constipation using the visual scale analog questionnaire (VSAQ) in healthy subjects. In addition, the importance of recall bias when evaluating constipation was investigated by repeating the questionnaire and ensuring the subjects maintained diaries. Seven hundred and sixty healthy hospital personnel were questioned by means of a standard questionnaire. Subjects were initially asked if they were constipated (self-reported) and their daily defecation frequencies. Severity of the parameters of constipation, the consistency of defecation in the form of hard stools, straining and incomplete evacuation were also investigated using a VSAQ (0-10). Subjects were asked to complete a standard form about their daily bowel habits in the subsequent 7 days (diary). At the end of this series, the questionnaire forms completed at the beginning were readministered. Using the criteria of functional constipation, the prevalence of self-reported, symptom-based (>/=2 criteria) and diary-based (>/=2 criteria in the diary) were defined. Of the subjects, 48.5% (369/760) completed diaries regarding their bowel habits and completed the questionnaire for the second time (198 female, 171 male; mean age 31.6 +/- 7.1 years). According to only interrogation, 29.8% of subjects reported that they were constipated; however, this number increased to 39.6% when symptom-based constipation (>/=2 criteria) was considered. Significant agreement was observed between the results of self-reported constipation in form I and II, and symptom-based and diary-based constipation (concordance = 77.7-98.6%, k = 0.47-0.97). Furthermore, 98.1% of the subjects who reported that they were not constipated scored 3 on the VSAQ; conversely, 91.8% who accepted being constipated scored >3 for the same question. A total of 76.1% subjects who had symptom-based constipation scored 3 on the VSAQ, 97.3% of those who had <2 criteria scored 3. When asked 'Are you constipated?' 1.2% of subjects with none of the criteria for diary-based constipation, and 10.7% of subjects who had one criteria scored >3 on the VSAQ. Also, 91.8% of those with three criteria and 100% of those with four criteria had a score >3 on the VSAQ for the same question. The prevalence of constipation in the questionnaire form based on self-reported, symptom-based and diary-based criteria were highly compatible with the result obtained on readministration. Recall bias was negligibly low. Also, the present results suggest that the diagnosis of constipation is more accurate when >2 criteria are present. In addition, the VSAQ seems to be sensitive enough to differentiate subjects with constipation from those without, when a score of 3 has been chosen as the cut-off value for discrimination. However, this sensitivity was less in the group who stated they were constipated.

Psychological state is related to the remission of the Boolean-based definition of patient global assessment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Fusama, Mie; Miura, Yasushi; Yukioka, Kumiko; Kuroiwa, Takanori; Yukioka, Chikako; Inoue, Miyako; Nakanishi, Tae; Murata, Norikazu; Takai, Noriko; Higashi, Kayoko; Kuritani, Taro; Maeda, Keiji; Sano, Hajime; Yukioka, Masao; Nakahara, Hideko

2015-09-01

To evaluate whether the psychological state is related to the Boolean-based definition of patient global assessment (PGA) remission in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patients with RA who met the criteria of swollen joint count (SJC) ≤ 1, tender joint count (TJC) ≤ 1 and C-reactive protein (CRP) ≤ 1 were divided into two groups, PGA remission group (PGA ≤ 1 cm) and non-remission group (PGA > 1 cm). Anxiety was evaluated utilizing the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety (HADS-A), while depression was evaluated with HADS-Depression (HADS-D) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Comparison analyses were done between the PGA remission and non-remission groups in HADS-A, HADS-D and CES-D. Seventy-eight patients met the criteria for SJC ≤ 1, TJC ≤ 1 and CRP ≤ 1. There were no significant differences between the PGA remission group (n = 45) and the non-remission group (n = 33) in age, sex, disease duration and Steinbrocker's class and stage. HADS-A, HADS-D and CES-D scores were significantly lower in the PGA remission group. Patients with RA who did not meet the PGA remission criteria despite good disease condition were in a poorer psychological state than those who satisfied the Boolean-based definition of clinical remission. Psychological support might be effective for improvement of PGA, resulting in the attainment of true remission.

An automated process for building reliable and optimal in vitro/in vivo correlation models based on Monte Carlo simulations.

PubMed

Sutton, Steven C; Hu, Mingxiu

2006-05-05

Many mathematical models have been proposed for establishing an in vitro/in vivo correlation (IVIVC). The traditional IVIVC model building process consists of 5 steps: deconvolution, model fitting, convolution, prediction error evaluation, and cross-validation. This is a time-consuming process and typically a few models at most are tested for any given data set. The objectives of this work were to (1) propose a statistical tool to screen models for further development of an IVIVC, (2) evaluate the performance of each model under different circumstances, and (3) investigate the effectiveness of common statistical model selection criteria for choosing IVIVC models. A computer program was developed to explore which model(s) would be most likely to work well with a random variation from the original formulation. The process used Monte Carlo simulation techniques to build IVIVC models. Data-based model selection criteria (Akaike Information Criteria [AIC], R2) and the probability of passing the Food and Drug Administration "prediction error" requirement was calculated. To illustrate this approach, several real data sets representing a broad range of release profiles are used to illustrate the process and to demonstrate the advantages of this automated process over the traditional approach. The Hixson-Crowell and Weibull models were often preferred over the linear. When evaluating whether a Level A IVIVC model was possible, the model selection criteria AIC generally selected the best model. We believe that the approach we proposed may be a rapid tool to determine which IVIVC model (if any) is the most applicable.

Teaching medical students to discern ethical problems in human clinical research studies.

PubMed

Roberts, Laura Weiss; Warner, Teddy D; Green Hammond, Katherine A; Brody, Janet L; Kaminsky, Alexis; Roberts, Brian B

2005-10-01

Investigators and institutional review boards are entrusted with ensuring the conduct of ethically sound human studies. Assessing ethical aspects of research protocols is a key skill in fulfilling this duty, yet no empirically validated method exists for preparing professionals to attain this skill. The authors performed a randomized controlled educational intervention, comparing a criteria-based learning method, a clinical-research- and experience-based learning method, and a control group. All 300 medical students enrolled at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in 2001 were invited to participate. After a single half-hour educational session, a written posttest of ability to detect ethical problems in hypothetical protocol vignettes was administered. The authors analyzed responses to ten protocol vignettes that had been evaluated independently by experts. For each vignette, a global assessment of the perceived significance of ethical problems and the identification of specific ethical problems were evaluated. Eighty-three medical students (27%) volunteered: 50 (60%) were women and 55 (66%) were first- and second-year students. On global assessments, the criteria-focused group perceived ethical problems as more significant than did the other two groups (p < .02). Students in the criteria-focused group were better able than students in the control group (p < .03) to discern specific ethical problems, more closely resembling expert assessments. Unexpectedly, the group focused on clinical research participants identified fewer problems than did the control group (p < .05). The criteria-focused intervention produced enhanced ethical evaluation skills. This work supports the potential value of empirically derived methods for preparing professionals to discern ethical aspects of human studies.

Evaluation of a research diagnostic algorithm for DSM-5 neurocognitive disorders in a population-based cohort of older adults.

PubMed

Eramudugolla, Ranmalee; Mortby, Moyra E; Sachdev, Perminder; Meslin, Chantal; Kumar, Rajeev; Anstey, Kaarin J

2017-03-04

There is little information on the application and impact of revised criteria for diagnosing dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), now termed major and mild neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) in the DSM-5. We evaluate a psychometric algorithm for diagnosing DSM-5 NCDs in a community-dwelling sample, and characterize the neuropsychological and functional profile of expert-diagnosed DSM-5 NCDs relative to DSM-IV dementia and International Working Group criteria for MCI. A population-based sample of 1644 adults aged 72-78 years was assessed. Algorithmic diagnostic criteria used detailed neuropsychological data, medical history, longitudinal cognitive performance, and informant interview. Those meeting all criteria for at least one diagnosis had data reviewed by a neurologist (expert diagnosis) who achieved consensus with a psychiatrist for complex cases. The algorithm accurately classified DSM-5 major NCD (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.92-0.97), DSM-IV dementia (AUC = 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.97), DSM-5 mild NCD (AUC = 0.75, 95% CI 0.70-0.80), and MCI (AUC = 0.76, 95% CI 0.72-0.81) when compared to expert diagnosis. Expert diagnosis of dementia using DSM-5 criteria overlapped with 90% of DSM-IV dementia cases, but resulted in a 127% increase in diagnosis relative to DSM-IV. Additional cases had less severe memory, language impairment, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) impairments compared to cases meeting DSM-IV criteria for dementia. DSM-5 mild NCD overlapped with 83% of MCI cases and resulted in a 19% increase in diagnosis. These additional cases had a subtly different neurocognitive profile to MCI cases, including poorer social cognition. DSM-5 NCD criteria can be operationalized in a psychometric algorithm in a population setting. Expert diagnosis using DSM-5 NCD criteria captured most cases with DSM-IV dementia and MCI in our sample, but included many additional cases suggesting that DSM-5 criteria are broader in their categorization.

7 CFR 1487.6 - What are the criteria for evaluating proposals?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... § 1487.6 What are the criteria for evaluating proposals? (a) Evaluation criteria. FAS will use the... representation. (b) Evaluation process. FAS will review all proposals for eligibility and completeness and will..., and submit the proposals and funding recommendations to appropriate officials within FAS for decision...

7 CFR 1487.6 - What are the criteria for evaluating proposals?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... § 1487.6 What are the criteria for evaluating proposals? (a) Evaluation criteria. FAS will use the... representation. (b) Evaluation process. FAS will review all proposals for eligibility and completeness and will..., and submit the proposals and funding recommendations to appropriate officials within FAS for decision...

7 CFR 1487.6 - What are the criteria for evaluating proposals?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... § 1487.6 What are the criteria for evaluating proposals? (a) Evaluation criteria. FAS will use the... representation. (b) Evaluation process. FAS will review all proposals for eligibility and completeness and will..., and submit the proposals and funding recommendations to appropriate officials within FAS for decision...

34 CFR 636.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use to evaluate an application?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) Agencies of local government. (ii) Public and private elementary and secondary schools. (iii) Business... implementation strategy for each key project component activity is— (i) Comprehensive; (ii) Based on a sound... operation; (5) Describe a time-line chart that relates key evaluation processes and benchmarks to other...

34 CFR 636.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use to evaluate an application?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) Agencies of local government. (ii) Public and private elementary and secondary schools. (iii) Business... implementation strategy for each key project component activity is— (i) Comprehensive; (ii) Based on a sound... operation; (5) Describe a time-line chart that relates key evaluation processes and benchmarks to other...

34 CFR 636.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use to evaluate an application?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) Agencies of local government. (ii) Public and private elementary and secondary schools. (iii) Business... implementation strategy for each key project component activity is— (i) Comprehensive; (ii) Based on a sound... operation; (5) Describe a time-line chart that relates key evaluation processes and benchmarks to other...

34 CFR 636.21 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use to evaluate an application?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) Agencies of local government. (ii) Public and private elementary and secondary schools. (iii) Business... implementation strategy for each key project component activity is— (i) Comprehensive; (ii) Based on a sound... operation; (5) Describe a time-line chart that relates key evaluation processes and benchmarks to other...

DEVELOPMENT OF CRITERIA AND METHODS FOR EVALUATING TRAINER AIRCRAFT EFFECTIVENESS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

KUSEWITT, J.B.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DEVELOP A METHOD FOR DETERMINING OBJECTIVE MEASURES OF TRAINER AIRCRAFT EFFECTIVENESS TO EVALUATE PROGRAM ALTERNATIVES FOR TRAINING PILOTS FOR FLEET FIGHTER AND ATTACK-TYPE AIRCRAFT. THE TRAINING SYLLABUS WAS BASED ON AVERAGE STUDENT ABILITY. THE BASIC PROBLEM WAS TO ESTABLISH QUANTITATIVE TIME-DIFFICULTY…

A Profile of the Multiple Evaluating Environments within a College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hackman, Judith D.; Taber, Thomas D.

The paper demonstrates an approach for describing educational organizations in terms of their multiple evaluating environments. A college profile is drawn based on the diverse criteria that students, faculty, administrators, admissions staff, and athletics staff use to assess the success or failure of undergraduates. The relative values that 377…

Bill Wilkins as a Model for Sensitivity Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Henry C.

This case study is presented as a model for a sensitivity training program planned at Michigan State University. The goals, procedures, and criteria for conducting a program are illustrated. Based on the assumption that empathy is the mainspring of impression formation, and that empathy and evaluation interact, the goal is accurate evaluation.…

The DLESE Evaluation Toolkit Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buhr, S. M.; Barker, L. J.; Marlino, M.

2002-12-01

The Evaluation Toolkit and Community project is a new Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) collection designed to raise awareness of project evaluation within the geoscience education community, and to enable principal investigators, teachers, and evaluators to implement project evaluation more readily. This new resource is grounded in the needs of geoscience educators, and will provide a virtual home for a geoscience education evaluation community. The goals of the project are to 1) provide a robust collection of evaluation resources useful for Earth systems educators, 2) establish a forum and community for evaluation dialogue within DLESE, and 3) disseminate the resources through the DLESE infrastructure and through professional society workshops and proceedings. Collaboration and expertise in education, geoscience and evaluation are necessary if we are to conduct the best possible geoscience education. The Toolkit allows users to engage in evaluation at whichever level best suits their needs, get more evaluation professional development if desired, and access the expertise of other segments of the community. To date, a test web site has been built and populated, initial community feedback from the DLESE and broader community is being garnered, and we have begun to heighten awareness of geoscience education evaluation within our community. The web site contains features that allow users to access professional development about evaluation, search and find evaluation resources, submit resources, find or offer evaluation services, sign up for upcoming workshops, take the user survey, and submit calendar items. The evaluation resource matrix currently contains resources that have met our initial review. The resources are currently organized by type; they will become searchable on multiple dimensions of project type, audience, objectives and evaluation resource type as efforts to develop a collection-specific search engine mature. The peer review criteria and process for ensuring that the site contains robust and useful resources has been drafted and received initial feedback from the project advisory board, which consists of members of every segment of the target audience. The review criteria are based upon DLESE peer review criteria, the MERLOT digital library peer review criteria, digital resource evaluation criteria, and evaluation best practices. In geoscience education, as in most endeavors, improvements are made by asking questions and acting upon information about successes and failures; project evaluation can be thought of as the systematic process of asking these questions and gathering the right information. The Evaluation Toolkit seeks to help principal investigators, teachers, and evaluators use the evaluation process to improve our projects and our field.

Evaluation of an Agricultural Meteorological Disaster Based on Multiple Criterion Decision Making and Evolutionary Algorithm

PubMed Central

Yu, Xiaobing; Yu, Xianrui; Lu, Yiqun

2018-01-01

The evaluation of a meteorological disaster can be regarded as a multiple-criteria decision making problem because it involves many indexes. Firstly, a comprehensive indexing system for an agricultural meteorological disaster is proposed, which includes the disaster rate, the inundated rate, and the complete loss rate. Following this, the relative weights of the three criteria are acquired using a novel proposed evolutionary algorithm. The proposed algorithm consists of a differential evolution algorithm and an evolution strategy. Finally, a novel evaluation model, based on the proposed algorithm and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), is presented to estimate the agricultural meteorological disaster of 2008 in China. The geographic information system (GIS) technique is employed to depict the disaster. The experimental results demonstrated that the agricultural meteorological disaster of 2008 was very serious, especially in Hunan and Hubei provinces. Some useful suggestions are provided to relieve agriculture meteorological disasters. PMID:29597243

A multi-criteria evaluation system for marine litter pollution based on statistical analyses of OSPAR beach litter monitoring time series.

PubMed

Schulz, Marcus; Neumann, Daniel; Fleet, David M; Matthies, Michael

2013-12-01

During the last decades, marine pollution with anthropogenic litter has become a worldwide major environmental concern. Standardized monitoring of litter since 2001 on 78 beaches selected within the framework of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) has been used to identify temporal trends of marine litter. Based on statistical analyses of this dataset a two-part multi-criteria evaluation system for beach litter pollution of the North-East Atlantic and the North Sea is proposed. Canonical correlation analyses, linear regression analyses, and non-parametric analyses of variance were used to identify different temporal trends. A classification of beaches was derived from cluster analyses and served to define different states of beach quality according to abundances of 17 input variables. The evaluation system is easily applicable and relies on the above-mentioned classification and on significant temporal trends implied by significant rank correlations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Common Criteria Related Security Design Patterns—Validation on the Intelligent Sensor Example Designed for Mine Environment

PubMed Central

Bialas, Andrzej

2010-01-01

The paper discusses the security issues of intelligent sensors that are able to measure and process data and communicate with other information technology (IT) devices or systems. Such sensors are often used in high risk applications. To improve their robustness, the sensor systems should be developed in a restricted way to provide them with assurance. One of assurance creation methodologies is Common Criteria (ISO/IEC 15408), used for IT products and systems. The contribution of the paper is a Common Criteria compliant and pattern-based method for the intelligent sensors security development. The paper concisely presents this method and its evaluation for the sensor detecting methane in a mine, focusing on the security problem of the intelligent sensor definition and solution. The aim of the validation is to evaluate and improve the introduced method. PMID:22399888

caBIG compatibility review system: software to support the evaluation of applications using defined interoperability criteria.

PubMed

Freimuth, Robert R; Schauer, Michael W; Lodha, Preeti; Govindrao, Poornima; Nagarajan, Rakesh; Chute, Christopher G

2008-11-06

The caBIG Compatibility Review System (CRS) is a web-based application to support compatibility reviews, which certify that software applications that pass the review meet a specific set of criteria that allow them to interoperate. The CRS contains workflows that support both semantic and syntactic reviews, which are performed by the caBIG Vocabularies and Common Data Elements (VCDE) and Architecture workspaces, respectively. The CRS increases the efficiency of compatibility reviews by reducing administrative overhead and it improves uniformity by ensuring that each review is conducted according to a standard process. The CRS provides metrics that allow the review team to evaluate the level of data element reuse in an application, a first step towards quantifying the extent of harmonization between applications. Finally, functionality is being added that will provide automated validation of checklist criteria, which will further simplify the review process.

Payload/orbiter contamination control requirement study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bareiss, L. E.; Ress, E. B.

1975-01-01

The results of a contamination impact analysis upon the spacelab carrier and the spacelab carrier upon some of its potential payloads are presented. These results are based upon contamination computer modeling techniques developed to predict the induced environment for spacelab and to provide the basis for evaluation of the predicted environment against the current on orbit contamination control criteria as specified for payloads. Those spacelab carrier contamination sources evaluated against the stated contamination control criteria were outgassing/offgassing of the major nonmetallic thermal control coating of the spacelab carriers, spacelab core and experiment module and tunnel cabin atmosphere leakage, avionics bay vent, spacelab condensate vent, random particulate sloughing, and the return flux of the molecular content of these sources from the gas-gas interactions with the ambient orbital environment. It is indicated that the spacelab carrier can meet the intent of the contamination control criteria through incorporating known contamination control practices.

Crew Transportation Technical Standards and Design Evaluation Criteria

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lueders, Kathryn L.; Thomas, Rayelle E. (Compiler)

2015-01-01

Crew Transportation Technical Standards and Design Evaluation Criteria contains descriptions of technical, safety, and crew health medical processes and specifications, and the criteria which will be used to evaluate the acceptability of the Commercial Providers' proposed processes and specifications.

34 CFR 225.11 - What selection criteria does the Secretary use in evaluating an application for a Credit...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What selection criteria does the Secretary use in... Secretary Award a Grant? § 225.11 What selection criteria does the Secretary use in evaluating an... criteria to evaluate an application for a Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities grant: (a...

Performance evaluation of restaurant food waste and biowaste to biogas pilot projects in China and implications for national policy.

PubMed

De Clercq, Djavan; Wen, Zongguo; Fan, Fei

2017-03-15

The objective of this research was to conduct a performance evaluation of three food waste/biowaste-to-biogas pilot projects across 7 scenarios in China based on multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology. The projects ranked included a food waste-biogas project in Beijing, a food waste-biogas project in Suzhou and a co-digestion project producing biomethane in Hainan. The projects were ranked from best to worst based on technical, economic and environmental criteria under the MCDA framework. The results demonstrated that some projects are encountering operational problems. Based on these findings, six national policy recommendations were provided: (1) shift away from capital investment subsidies to performance-based subsidies; (2) re-design feed in tariffs; (3) promote bio-methane and project clustering; (4) improve collection efficiency by incentivizing FW producers to direct waste to biogas projects; (5) incentivize biogas projects to produce multiple outputs; (6) incentivize food waste-based projects to co-digest food waste with other substrates for higher gas output. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distributive Education Competency-Based Curriculum Models by Occupational Clusters. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Rodney E.; Husted, Stewart W.

To meet the needs of distributive education teachers and students, a project was initiated to develop competency-based curriculum models for marketing and distributive education clusters. The models which were developed incorporate competencies, materials and resources, teaching methodologies/learning activities, and evaluative criteria for the…

Consultation-Based Academic Intervention for Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: School Functioning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jitendra, Asha K.; DuPaul, George J.; Volpe, Robert J.; Tresco, Katy E.; Junod, Rosemary E. Vile; Lutz, J. Gary; Cleary, Kristi S.; Flammer-Rivera, Lizette M.; Manella, Mark C.

2007-01-01

This study evaluated the effectiveness of two consultation-based models for designing academic interventions to enhance the educational functioning of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Children (N = 167) meeting "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual" (4th ed.--text revision; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) criteria for…

Internet-Based Treatment for Insomnia: A Controlled Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strom, Lars; Pettersson, Richard; Andersson, Gerhard

2004-01-01

This study investigated the effects of an Internet-based intervention for insomnia. Participants who met criteria for insomnia (N = 109) were randomly assigned to either a cognitive-behavioral self-help treatment or a waiting list control condition. The 5-week intervention mainly consisted of sleep restriction, stimulus control, and cognitive…

Is a Scientific Classification of Educational (Behavioral) Objectives Possible?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stigliano, Tony

Robert M. W. Travers's 1980 essay is the focal point of this paper. He argues that evaluation research requires a scientific taxonomy of human behavior and learning. Such a taxonomy must be experimentally based, mathematically expressed, theoretically sound, and predictive. He bases such criteria on the development of scientifically successful…

Performance-based quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) acceptance procedures for in-place soil testing phase 3.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-01-01

One of the objectives of this study was to evaluate soil testing equipment based on its capability of measuring in-place stiffness or modulus values. : As design criteria transition from empirical to mechanistic-empirical, soil test methods and equip...

ICT-Based Learning Personalization Affordance in the Context of Implementation of Constructionist Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ignatova, Natalija; Dagiene, Valentina; Kubilinskiene, Svetlana

2015-01-01

How to enable students to create a personalized learning environment? What are the criteria of evaluation of the ICT-based learning process personalization affordance? These questions are answered by conducting multiple case study research of the innovative ICT-based learning process in iTEC (Innovative Technologies for Engaging Classrooms)…

Evaluation models and criteria of the quality of hospital websites: a systematic review study

PubMed Central

Jeddi, Fatemeh Rangraz; Gilasi, Hamidreza; Khademi, Sahar

2017-01-01

Introduction Hospital websites are important tools in establishing communication and exchanging information between patients and staff, and thus should enjoy an acceptable level of quality. The aim of this study was to identify proper models and criteria to evaluate the quality of hospital websites. Methods This research was a systematic review study. The international databases such as Science Direct, Google Scholar, PubMed, Proquest, Ovid, Elsevier, Springer, and EBSCO together with regional database such as Magiran, Scientific Information Database, Persian Journal Citation Report (PJCR) and IranMedex were searched. Suitable keywords including website, evaluation, and quality of website were used. Full text papers related to the research were included. The criteria and sub criteria of the evaluation of website quality were extracted and classified. Results To evaluate the quality of the websites, various models and criteria were presented. The WEB-Q-IM, Mile, Minerva, Seruni Luci, and Web-Qual models were the designed models. The criteria of accessibility, content and apparent features of the websites, the design procedure, the graphics applied in the website, and the page’s attractions have been mentioned in the majority of studies. Conclusion The criteria of accessibility, content, design method, security, and confidentiality of personal information are the essential criteria in the evaluation of all websites. It is suggested that the ease of use, graphics, attractiveness and other apparent properties of websites are considered as the user-friendliness sub criteria. Further, the criteria of speed and accessibility of the website should be considered as sub criterion of efficiency. When determining the evaluation criteria of the quality of websites, attention to major differences in the specific features of any website is essential. PMID:28465807

Evaluation models and criteria of the quality of hospital websites: a systematic review study.

PubMed

Jeddi, Fatemeh Rangraz; Gilasi, Hamidreza; Khademi, Sahar

2017-02-01

Hospital websites are important tools in establishing communication and exchanging information between patients and staff, and thus should enjoy an acceptable level of quality. The aim of this study was to identify proper models and criteria to evaluate the quality of hospital websites. This research was a systematic review study. The international databases such as Science Direct, Google Scholar, PubMed, Proquest, Ovid, Elsevier, Springer, and EBSCO together with regional database such as Magiran, Scientific Information Database, Persian Journal Citation Report (PJCR) and IranMedex were searched. Suitable keywords including website, evaluation, and quality of website were used. Full text papers related to the research were included. The criteria and sub criteria of the evaluation of website quality were extracted and classified. To evaluate the quality of the websites, various models and criteria were presented. The WEB-Q-IM, Mile, Minerva, Seruni Luci, and Web-Qual models were the designed models. The criteria of accessibility, content and apparent features of the websites, the design procedure, the graphics applied in the website, and the page's attractions have been mentioned in the majority of studies. The criteria of accessibility, content, design method, security, and confidentiality of personal information are the essential criteria in the evaluation of all websites. It is suggested that the ease of use, graphics, attractiveness and other apparent properties of websites are considered as the user-friendliness sub criteria. Further, the criteria of speed and accessibility of the website should be considered as sub criterion of efficiency. When determining the evaluation criteria of the quality of websites, attention to major differences in the specific features of any website is essential.

Disparity Implications of the Medicare MTM Eligibility Criteria: A Literature Review

PubMed Central

Munshi, Kiraat D.; Shih, Ya-Chen Tina; Brown, Lawrence M.; Dagogo-Jack, Samuel; Wan, Jim Y.; Wang, Junling

2013-01-01

Summary The emphasis on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health care has received national attention, with various policy initiatives addressing this problem and proposing solutions. However, in the current economic era requiring tight monetary constraints, emphasis is increasingly being placed on economic efficiency, which often conflicts with the equality doctrine upon which many policies have been framed. Our review aims to highlight the disparity implications of one such policy provision—the predominantly utilization-based eligibility criteria for medication therapy management (MTM) services under Medicare Part D—by identifying studies that have documented racial and ethnic disparities in health status and the use of and spending on prescription medications. Future design and evaluation of various regulations and legislations employing utilization-based eligibility criteria must use caution in order to strike an equity-efficiency balance. PMID:23570431

An Analysis of Online Courses in Research Ethics in the Fogarty-Sponsored Bioethics Training Programs

PubMed Central

Silverman, Henry; Strosberg, Martin; Luna, Florencia; Philpott, Sean; Hemmerle, Cheryl A.

2014-01-01

Several training programs sponsored by the NIH/Fogarty International Center’s International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Program offer online graduate-level courses in research ethics to participants in low- and middle-income countries. This paper describes the evaluation of four of these online courses and recommendations for improvements to achieve the highest-quality design and delivery. We used an evaluation matrix consisting of 95 criteria based on recommended best practices in eLearning. Our results showed that these courses are developing or meeting nearly 73% of the criteria, while they are not meeting approximately 21% of the criteria. Together, one or more of the courses are developing or meeting 89 of the 95 criteria. These results suggest that the necessary skills and expertise exist in these programs to bring all of the eLearning courses close to 100% proficiency by sharing a common set of best practices. This paper is part of a collection of articles analyzing the Fogarty International Center’s International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Program. PMID:24384517

ChronoMedIt--a computational quality audit framework for better management of patients with chronic conditions.

PubMed

Mabotuwana, Thusitha; Warren, Jim

2010-02-01

Quality audit and feedback to general practice is an important aspect of successful chronic disease management. However, due to the complex temporal relationships associated with the nature of chronic illness, formulating clinically relevant queries within the context of a specific evaluation period is difficult. We abstracted requirements from a set of previously developed criteria to develop a generic criteria model that can be used to formulate queries related to chronic condition management. We implemented and verified the framework, ChronoMedIt, to execute clinical queries within the scope of the criteria model. Our criteria model consists of four broad classes of audit criteria - lapse in indicated therapy, no measurement recording, time to achieve target and measurement contraindicating therapy. Using these criteria classes as a guide, ChronoMedIt has been implemented as an extensible framework. ChronoMedIt can produce criteria reports and has an integrated prescription and measurement timeline visualisation tool. We illustrate the use of the framework by identifying patients on suboptimal therapy based on a range of pre-determined audit criteria using production electronic medical record data from two general medical practices for 607 and 679 patients with hypertension. As the most prominent result, we find that 59% (out of 607) and 34% (out of 679) of patients with hypertension had at least one episode of >30day lapse in their antihypertensive therapy over a 12-month evaluation period. ChronoMedIt can reliably execute a wide range of clinically useful queries to identify patients whose chronic condition management can be improved.

Diagnostic inaccuracy and subject exclusions render placebo and observational studies of acute otitis media inconclusive.

PubMed

Pichichero, Michael E; Casey, Janet R

2008-11-01

Diagnostic accuracy and appropriate inclusion/exclusion criteria representative of children at greatest risk is of paramount importance in trials to evaluate placebo or observation as an option for acute otitis media (AOM) management. Twelve observational studies spanning the time frame 1958-2005 and 13 natural history studies spanning the time frame 1968-2006 were evaluated for the diagnostic criteria, inclusion criteria, and exclusion criteria applied within the study design. Although a bulging or full tympanic membrane (TM) with effusion is the best indication of a diagnosis of bacterial AOM based on tympanocentesis findings, few observational and natural history studies required a bulging TM. Examination of subject inclusion criteria showed that many subjects did not have AOM but rather had no middle ear disease at all or they had otitis media with effusion. Exclusion criteria of subjects were also remarkable. Frequently children <2 years old were excluded; mean age among the studies reflected an older age group, unlike the true epidemiology of AOM. Otitis prone children, those with severe disease, with a bulging TM, with fever, with a definite need for antibiotics, with recent antibiotic treatment, with recent AOM, or with perforation of the TM were often excluded. Guidelines and some authorities have overlooked or discounted the importance of the issues of inaccurate diagnosis on study entry, broad inclusion criteria, and the creation of bias in exclusion criteria among placebo/natural history trials in AOM. The current data favoring observation of children with AOM should be reconsidered until better studies are conducted.

Optimal site selection for sitting a solar park using multi-criteria decision analysis and geographical information systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgiou, Andreas; Skarlatos, Dimitrios

2016-07-01

Among the renewable power sources, solar power is rapidly becoming popular because it is inexhaustible, clean, and dependable. It has also become more efficient since the power conversion efficiency of photovoltaic solar cells has increased. Following these trends, solar power will become more affordable in years to come and considerable investments are to be expected. Despite the size of solar plants, the sitting procedure is a crucial factor for their efficiency and financial viability. Many aspects influence such a decision: legal, environmental, technical, and financial to name a few. This paper describes a general integrated framework to evaluate land suitability for the optimal placement of photovoltaic solar power plants, which is based on a combination of a geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing techniques, and multi-criteria decision-making methods. An application of the proposed framework for the Limassol district in Cyprus is further illustrated. The combination of a GIS and multi-criteria methods produces an excellent analysis tool that creates an extensive database of spatial and non-spatial data, which will be used to simplify problems as well as solve and promote the use of multiple criteria. A set of environmental, economic, social, and technical constrains, based on recent Cypriot legislation, European's Union policies, and expert advice, identifies the potential sites for solar park installation. The pairwise comparison method in the context of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is applied to estimate the criteria weights in order to establish their relative importance in site evaluation. In addition, four different methods to combine information layers and check their sensitivity were used. The first considered all the criteria as being equally important and assigned them equal weight, whereas the others grouped the criteria and graded them according to their objective perceived importance. The overall suitability of the study region for sitting solar parks is appraised through the summation rule. Strict application of the framework depicts 3.0 % of the study region scoring a best-suitability index for solar resource exploitation, hence minimizing the risk in a potential investment. However, using different weighting schemes for criteria, suitable areas may reach up to 83 % of the study region. The suggested methodological framework applied can be easily utilized by potential investors and renewable energy developers, through a front end web-based application with proper GUI for personalized weighting schemes.

The transformation of the tender evaluation process in public procurement in Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plebankiewicz, E.; Kozik, R.

2017-10-01

Procedures regarding the evaluation of tenders have been changed since the public procurement law was enacted (it came into force in January 1, 1995). The contracting authority could apply both the criteria related to the qualities of the contractor and those related to the to the subject - matter of public contract. Two extensive amendments in 2001 and a government project introduced vital regulations and excluded the possibility of applying criteria related to the qualities of the contractor. Act of 29 January 2004 Public Procurement Law allowed to use price as the sole contract award criterion. The changes in the Law in 2014 restricted that possibility to the situation in which the subject matter of a contract is commonly available and has established quality standards. The Act of 22 June 2016 amending the Public Procurement Law Act and some other laws introduced the new criteria list and limited the importance of the price criterion in the certain situations. Instead of price, the cost can also be a criterion for tender evaluation. The cost criterion can be determined using life cycle costing. In the paper, based on contract notices of open tendering published in the Public Procurement Bulletin, the criteria of construction contract selection will be analysed. In particular the effectiveness of changes in the Procurement Law will be researched.

Improving accountability in vaccine decision-making.

PubMed

Timmis, James Kenneth; Black, Steven; Rappuoli, Rino

2017-11-01

Healthcare decisions, in particular those affecting entire populations, should be evidence-based and taken by decision-makers sharing broad alignment with affected stakeholders. However, criteria, priorities and procedures for decision-making are sometimes non-transparent, frequently vary considerably across equivalent decision-bodies, do not always consider the broader benefits of new health-measures, and therefore do not necessarily adequately represent the relevant stakeholder-spectrum. Areas covered: To address these issues in the context of the evaluation of new vaccines, we have proposed a first baseline set of core evaluation criteria, primarily selected by members of the vaccine research community, and suggested their implementation in vaccine evaluation procedures. In this communication, we review the consequences and utility of stakeholder-centered core considerations to increase transparency in and accountability of decision-making procedures, in general, and of the benefits gained by their inclusion in Multi-Criteria-Decision-Analysis tools, exemplified by SMART Vaccines, specifically. Expert commentary: To increase effectiveness and comparability of health decision outcomes, decision procedures should be properly standardized across equivalent (national) decision bodies. To this end, including stakeholder-centered criteria in decision procedures would significantly increase their transparency and accountability, support international capacity building to improve health, and reduce societal costs and inequity resulting from suboptimal health decision-making.

Clinical implications of JUPITER in a contemporary European population: the EPIC-Norfolk prospective population study.

PubMed

Sondermeijer, Brigitte M; Boekholdt, S Matthijs; Rana, Jamal S; Kastelein, John J P; Wareham, Nicholas J; Khaw, Kay-Tee

2013-05-01

Justification for the Use of statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER) has raised several points of debate. We quantified the proportion of individuals meeting the JUPITER criteria, determined their risk profile, and their risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) events during a long-term follow-up in a contemporary European cohort. A total of 25 639 participants aged between 45 and 79 years were followed for 11.4 ± 2.8 years in EPIC-Norfolk population cohort. A total of 8397 individuals with complete data available were considered potentially eligible for primary prevention. A total of 846 (10.1%) individuals fulfilled the JUPITER criteria [low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-C (LDL-C) <3.4 mmol/L/C-reactive protein ≥ 2 mg]. This group had a 10-person-year event rate of 14.6% compared with 7.0% for those with LDL-C <3.4 mmol/L/C-reactive protein <2 mg (P = 0.001); the corresponding adjusted hazard ratio for future CHD was 1.70 (95% CI: 1.31-2.21). The group fulfilling JUPITER criteria had significantly higher CHD risk compared with those with LDL-C ≥ 3.4 mmol/L and C-reactive protein <2 mg/L. Among individuals who did not qualify for statin therapy based on the Society of Cardiology Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) (n = 4652) or ATP III criteria (n = 4466), 18.1 and 18.9%, respectively, would have qualified using the JUPITER criteria. In this European cohort, JUPITER-eligible individuals had significantly higher event rates compared with those with LDL-C <3.4 mmol/L/C-reactive protein <2 mg and LDL-C ≥ 3.4 mmol/L/C-reactive protein <2 mg/L. Application of the JUPITER criteria qualified almost one-fifth of the population for statin therapy that otherwise would not have qualified based on SCORE or ATP III criteria.

Multiple Criteria Evaluation of Quality and Optimisation of e-Learning System Components

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurilovas, Eugenijus; Dagiene, Valentina

2010-01-01

The main research object of the paper is investigation and proposal of the comprehensive Learning Object Repositories (LORs) quality evaluation tool suitable for their multiple criteria decision analysis, evaluation and optimisation. Both LORs "internal quality" and "quality in use" evaluation (decision making) criteria are analysed in the paper.…

People with dementia in nursing home research: a methodological review of the definition and identification of the study population.

PubMed

Palm, Rebecca; Jünger, Saskia; Reuther, Sven; Schwab, Christian G G; Dichter, Martin N; Holle, Bernhard; Halek, Margareta

2016-04-05

There are various definitions and diagnostic criteria for dementia, leading to discrepancies in case ascertainment in both clinical practice and research. We reviewed the different definitions, approaches and measurements used to operationalize dementia in health care studies in German nursing homes with the aim of discussing the implications of different approaches. We conducted a systematic search of the MEDLINE and CINAHL databases to identify pre-2016 studies conducted in German nursing homes that focused on residents with dementia or cognitive impairment. In- or exclusion of studies were consented by all authors; data extraction was independently carried out by 2 authors (RP, SJ). The studies' sampling methods were compared with respect to their inclusion criteria, assessment tools and methods used to identify the study population. We summarized case ascertainment methods from 64 studies. Study participants were identified based on a diagnosis that was evaluated during the study, or a recorded medical dementia diagnosis, or a recorded medical diagnosis either with additional cognitive screenings or using screening tests exclusively. The descriptions of the diagnostics that were applied to assess a diagnosis of dementia were not fully transparent in most of the studies with respect to either a clear reference definition of dementia or applied diagnostic criteria. If reported, various neuropsychological tests were used, mostly without a clear rationale for their selection. Pragmatic considerations often determine the sampling strategy; they also may explain the variances we detected in the different studies. Variations in sampling methods impede the comparability of study results. There is a need to consent case ascertainment strategies in dementia studies in health service research in nursing homes. These strategies should consider resource constraints and ethical issues that are related to the vulnerable population of nursing home residents. Additionally, reporting about dementia studies in nursing homes need to be improved. If a diagnosis cannot be evaluated based on either ICD or DSM criteria, the study population may not be reported as having dementia. If a diagnosis is evaluated based on ICD or DSM criteria within the study, there is a need for more transparency of the diagnostic process.

Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Oxides of Nitrogen ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA is announcing the availability of the First External Review Draft of the Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen – Health Criteria for public comment and independent peer review. This draft document provides EPA’s evaluation and synthesis of the most policy-relevant science related to the health effects of oxides of nitrogen. When final, it will provide a critical part of the scientific foundation for EPA’s decision regarding the adequacy of the current primary (health-based) national ambient air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide. The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires EPA to periodically review and revise, as appropriate, existing air quality criteria and NAAQS. The CAA also requires an independent scientific committee to review the criteria and to advise the Administrator regarding any recommended revisions to the existing criteria and standards, as may be appropriate. The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) of EPA’s Science Advisory Board serves as this independent scientific committee. The ISA is one of the four major elements of the NAAQS review process that will inform the Agency’s final decisions; other components of the process are an integrated plan highlighting the key policy-relevant issues; a risk/exposure assessment if warranted; and an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) reflecting the Agency’s views regarding options to retain or revise the NO2 NAAQS based on the evaluation of key information cont

7 CFR 3430.34 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Evaluation criteria. 3430.34 Section 3430.34 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) COOPERATIVE STATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION... appropriations language. The review criteria are described in the RFA and shall not include criteria concerning...

An Intuitionistic Multiplicative ORESTE Method for Patients’ Prioritization of Hospitalization

PubMed Central

Zhang, Cheng; Wu, Xingli; Wu, Di; Luo, Li; Herrera-Viedma, Enrique

2018-01-01

The tension brought about by sickbeds is a common and intractable issue in public hospitals in China due to the large population. Assigning the order of hospitalization of patients is difficult because of complex patient information such as disease type, emergency degree, and severity. It is critical to rank the patients taking full account of various factors. However, most of the evaluation criteria for hospitalization are qualitative, and the classical ranking method cannot derive the detailed relations between patients based on these criteria. Motivated by this, a comprehensive multiple criteria decision making method named the intuitionistic multiplicative ORESTE (organísation, rangement et Synthèse dedonnées relarionnelles, in French) was proposed to handle the problem. The subjective and objective weights of criteria were considered in the proposed method. To do so, first, considering the vagueness of human perceptions towards the alternatives, an intuitionistic multiplicative preference relation model is applied to represent the experts’ preferences over the pairwise alternatives with respect to the predetermined criteria. Then, a correlation coefficient-based weight determining method is developed to derive the objective weights of criteria. This method can overcome the biased results caused by highly-related criteria. Afterwards, we improved the general ranking method, ORESTE, by introducing a new score function which considers both the subjective and objective weights of criteria. An intuitionistic multiplicative ORESTE method was then developed and further highlighted by a case study concerning the patients’ prioritization. PMID:29673212

Use of Enterococcus faecalis and Bacillus atrophaeus as surrogates to establish and maintain laboratory proficiency for concentration of water samples using ultrafiltration.

PubMed

Mapp, Latisha; Klonicki, Patricia; Takundwa, Prisca; Hill, Vincent R; Schneeberger, Chandra; Knee, Jackie; Raynor, Malik; Hwang, Nina; Chambers, Yildiz; Miller, Kenneth; Pope, Misty

2015-11-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA) currently uses ultrafiltration (UF) for concentration of biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) agents from large volumes (up to 100-L) of drinking water prior to analysis. Most UF procedures require comprehensive training and practice to achieve and maintain proficiency. As a result, there was a critical need to develop quality control (QC) criteria. Because select agents are difficult to work with and pose a significant safety hazard, QC criteria were developed using surrogates, including Enterococcus faecalis and Bacillus atrophaeus. This article presents the results from the QC criteria development study and results from a subsequent demonstration exercise in which E. faecalis was used to evaluate proficiency using UF to concentrate large volume drinking water samples. Based on preliminary testing EPA Method 1600 and Standard Methods 9218, for E. faecalis and B. atrophaeus respectively, were selected for use during the QC criteria development study. The QC criteria established for Method 1600 were used to assess laboratory performance during the demonstration exercise. Based on the results of the QC criteria study E. faecalis and B. atrophaeus can be used effectively to demonstrate and maintain proficiency using ultrafiltration. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Habitat-based PCB environmental quality criteria for the protection of endangered killer whales (Orcinus orca).

PubMed

Alava, Juan José; Ross, Peter S; Lachmuth, Cara; Ford, John K B; Hickie, Brendan E; Gobas, Frank A P C

2012-11-20

The development of an area-based polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) food-web bioaccumulation model enabled a critical evaluation of the efficacy of sediment quality criteria and prey tissue residue guidelines in protecting fish-eating resident killer whales of British Columbia and adjacent waters. Model-predicted and observed PCB concentrations in resident killer whales and Chinook salmon were in good agreement, supporting the model's application for risk assessment and criteria development. Model application shows that PCB concentrations in the sediments from the resident killer whale's Critical Habitats and entire foraging range leads to PCB concentrations in most killer whales that exceed PCB toxicity threshold concentrations reported for marine mammals. Results further indicate that current PCB sediment quality and prey tissue residue criteria for fish-eating wildlife are not protective of killer whales and are not appropriate for assessing risks of PCB-contaminated sediments to high trophic level biota. We present a novel methodology for deriving sediment quality criteria and tissue residue guidelines that protect biota of high trophic levels under various PCB management scenarios. PCB concentrations in sediments and in prey that are deemed protective of resident killer whale health are much lower than current criteria values, underscoring the extreme vulnerability of high trophic level marine mammals to persistent and bioaccumulative contaminants.

The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) to identify infected patients in the emergency room.

PubMed

Jaimes, Fabián; Garcés, Jenny; Cuervo, Jorge; Ramírez, Federico; Ramírez, Jorge; Vargas, Andrea; Quintero, Claudia; Ochoa, Jorge; Tandioy, Fabio; Zapata, Láder; Estrada, Juan; Yepes, Maria; Leal, Hiulber

2003-08-01

Evaluation of the usefulness of criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) compared with the final diagnosis of infection in patients admitted to the emergency room of two university-based hospitals. Longitudinal cohort study. Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paul and Hospital General de Medellín, Medellín, Colombia. PATIENTS. Seven hundred thirty-four patients with suspected infection as main diagnosis for admittance into the emergency room. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and likelihood ratios (LR) of SIRS criteria at admission were determined using, as gold standards, the diagnosis at the time of discharge based on clinical history and evolution, and microbiological confirmation of infection. SIRS criteria were met by 503 patients (68.5%); the discharge diagnosis of infection was found in 657 (89.4%) and 276 (37%) had microbiological confirmation. SIRS criteria exhibited a sensitivity of 69%, specificity of 35%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 90%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 12% and positive LR of 1.06. There were no differences between the two gold standards. The finding of two or more SIRS criteria was of little usefulness for diagnosis of infection. It is necessary to work with new criteria and probably with biological markers, in order to obtain a simple, precise and operative definition of the sepsis phenomenon.

A psychometric evaluation of the DSM-IV borderline personality disorder criteria: age and sex moderation of criterion functioning

PubMed Central

Aggen, S. H.; Neale, M. C.; Røysamb, E.; Reichborn-Kjennerud, T.; Kendler, K. S.

2009-01-01

Background Despite its importance as a paradigmatic personality disorder, little is known about the measurement invariance of the DSM-IV borderline personality disorder (BPD) criteria ; that is, whether the criteria assess the disorder equivalently across different groups. Method BPD criteria were evaluated at interview in 2794 young adult Norwegian twins. Analyses, based on item-response modeling, were conducted to test for differential age and sex moderation of the individual BPD criteria characteristics given factor-level covariate effects. Results Confirmatory factor analytic results supported a unidimensional structure for the nine BPD criteria. Compared to males, females had a higher BPD factor mean, larger factor variance and there was a significant age by sex interaction on the factor mean. Strong differential sex and age by sex interaction effects were found for the ‘ impulsivity ’ criterion factor loading and threshold. Impulsivity related to the BPD factor poorly in young females but improved significantly in older females. Males reported more impulsivity compared to females and this difference increased with age. The ‘ affective instability ’ threshold was also moderated, with males reporting less than expected. Conclusions The results suggest the DSM-IV BPD ‘ impulsivity ’ and ‘ affective instability ’ criteria function differentially with respect to age and sex, with impulsivity being especially problematic. If verified, these findings have important implications for the interpretation of prior research with these criteria. These non-invariant age and sex effects may be identifying criteria-level expression features relevant to BPD nosology and etiology. Criterion functioning assessed using modern psychometric methods should be considered in the development of DSM-V. PMID:19400977

The differences in electrocardiogram interpretation in top-level athletes.

PubMed

Jakubiak, Agnieszka A; Burkhard-Jagodzińska, Krystyna; Król, Wojciech; Konopka, Marcin; Bursa, Dominik; Sitkowski, Dariusz; Kuch, Marek; Braksator, Wojciech

2017-01-01

The Ministry of Health in Poland recommends electrocardiogram (ECG)-based cardiovascular screening in athletes, but so far there has been a lack of guidelines on preparticipation assessment. We compared different criteria of ECG screening assessment in a group of top-level athletes. The aims were to evaluate the prevalence of ECG changes in athletes that necessitate further cardiological work-up according to three criteria in various age groups as well as to identify factors determining the occurrence of changes related and unrelated to the training. 262 high-dynamic, high-static Polish athletes (rowers, cyclists, canoeists) were divided into two age categories: young (≤ 18 years of age; n = 177, mean age 16.9 ± 0.8; 15-18 years) and elite (> 18 years of age; n = 85, mean age 22.9 ± 3.4; 19-34 years). All sports persons had a 12-lead ECG performed and evaluated according to 2010 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recommendations, 2012 Seattle criteria, and 2014 Refined criteria. The Refined criteria reduced (p < 0.001) the number of training-unrelated ECG findings to 8.0% vs. 12.6% (Seattle criteria) and 30.5% (ESC recommendations). All three criteria revealed more training-related changes in the group of older athletes (76.5% vs. 55.9%, p = 0.001). Predictors that significantly (p < 0.005) affected the occurrence of adaptive changes were the age of the athlete, training duration (in years), and male gender. 1. The ESC criteria identified a group of athletes that was unacceptably large, as for the screening test, requiring verification with other methods (every fourth athlete). 2. The use of the Refined criteria helps to significantly reduce the frequency and necessity for additional tests. 3. The dependence of adaptive changes on training duration and athletes' age confirms the benign nature of those ECG findings.

Automated design synthesis of robotic/human workcells for improved manufacturing system design in hazardous environments

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

Williams, Joshua M.

Manufacturing tasks that are deemed too hazardous for workers require the use of automation, robotics, and/or other remote handling tools. The associated hazards may be radiological or nonradiological, and based on the characteristics of the environment and processing, a design may necessitate robotic labor, human labor, or both. There are also other factors such as cost, ergonomics, maintenance, and efficiency that also effect task allocation and other design choices. Handling the tradeoffs of these factors can be complex, and lack of experience can be an issue when trying to determine if and what feasible automation/robotics options exist. To address thismore » problem, we utilize common engineering design approaches adapted more for manufacturing system design in hazardous environments. We limit our scope to the conceptual and embodiment design stages, specifically a computational algorithm for concept generation and early design evaluation. In regard to concept generation, we first develop the functional model or function structure for the process, using the common 'verb-noun' format for describing function. A common language or functional basis for manufacturing was developed and utilized to formalize function descriptions and guide rules for function decomposition. Potential components for embodiment are also grouped in terms of this functional language and are stored in a database. The properties of each component are given as quantitative and qualitative criteria. Operators are also rated for task-relevant criteria which are used to address task compatibility. Through the gathering of process requirements/constraints, construction of the component database, and development of the manufacturing basis and rule set, design knowledge is stored and available for computer use. Thus, once the higher level process functions are defined, the computer can automate the synthesis of new design concepts through alternating steps of embodiment and function structure updates/decomposition. In the process, criteria guide function allocation of components/operators and help ensure compatibility and feasibility. Through multiple function assignment options and varied function structures, multiple design concepts are created. All of the generated designs are then evaluated based on a number of relevant evaluation criteria: cost, dose, ergonomics, hazards, efficiency, etc. These criteria are computed using physical properties/parameters of each system based on the qualities an engineer would use to make evaluations. Nuclear processes such as oxide conversion and electrorefining are utilized to aid algorithm development and provide test cases for the completed program. Through our approach, we capture design knowledge related to manufacturing and other operations in hazardous environments to enable a computational program to automatically generate and evaluate system design concepts.« less

Identification of terms to define unconstrained air transportation demands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacobson, I. D.; Kuhilhau, A. R.

1982-01-01

The factors involved in the evaluation of unconstrained air transportation systems were carefully analyzed. By definition an unconstrained system is taken to be one in which the design can employ innovative and advanced concepts no longer limited by present environmental, social, political or regulatory settings. Four principal evaluation criteria are involved: (1) service utilization, based on the operating performance characteristics as viewed by potential patrons; (2) community impacts, reflecting decisions based on the perceived impacts of the system; (3) technological feasibility, estimating what is required to reduce the system to practice; and (4) financial feasibility, predicting the ability of the concepts to attract financial support. For each of these criteria, a set of terms or descriptors was identified, which should be used in the evaluation to render it complete. It is also demonstrated that these descriptors have the following properties: (a) their interpretation may be made by different groups of evaluators; (b) their interpretations and the way they are used may depend on the stage of development of the system in which they are used; (c) in formulating the problem, all descriptors should be addressed independent of the evaluation technique selected.

Standardizing an approach to the evaluation of implementation science proposals.

PubMed

Crable, Erika L; Biancarelli, Dea; Walkey, Allan J; Allen, Caitlin G; Proctor, Enola K; Drainoni, Mari-Lynn

2018-05-29

The fields of implementation and improvement sciences have experienced rapid growth in recent years. However, research that seeks to inform health care change may have difficulty translating core components of implementation and improvement sciences within the traditional paradigms used to evaluate efficacy and effectiveness research. A review of implementation and improvement sciences grant proposals within an academic medical center using a traditional National Institutes of Health framework highlighted the need for tools that could assist investigators and reviewers in describing and evaluating proposed implementation and improvement sciences research. We operationalized existing recommendations for writing implementation science proposals as the ImplemeNtation and Improvement Science Proposals Evaluation CriTeria (INSPECT) scoring system. The resulting system was applied to pilot grants submitted to a call for implementation and improvement science proposals at an academic medical center. We evaluated the reliability of the INSPECT system using Krippendorff's alpha coefficients and explored the utility of the INSPECT system to characterize common deficiencies in implementation research proposals. We scored 30 research proposals using the INSPECT system. Proposals received a median cumulative score of 7 out of a possible score of 30. Across individual elements of INSPECT, proposals scored highest for criteria rating evidence of a care or quality gap. Proposals generally performed poorly on all other criteria. Most proposals received scores of 0 for criteria identifying an evidence-based practice or treatment (50%), conceptual model and theoretical justification (70%), setting's readiness to adopt new services/treatment/programs (54%), implementation strategy/process (67%), and measurement and analysis (70%). Inter-coder reliability testing showed excellent reliability (Krippendorff's alpha coefficient 0.88) for the application of the scoring system overall and demonstrated reliability scores ranging from 0.77 to 0.99 for individual elements. The INSPECT scoring system presents a new scoring criteria with a high degree of inter-rater reliability and utility for evaluating the quality of implementation and improvement sciences grant proposals.

An Assessment of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-14

Sayaff Group BAC Bids and Awards Committee BCDA Bases Conversion and Development Authority BEP Bid Evaluation Plan BIR Bureau of Internal Revenue...contractor execute the requirements of the contract with regard to cost, schedule and performance (Sammet and Green 1990, 136) Bid Evaluation Plan or BEP is...adopted in the evaluation and assessment of bidders’ statements and the method and criteria for the evaluation and assessment of bids. The BEP also

Evaluation of an alcohol-based surgical hand disinfectant containing a synergistic combination of farnesol and benzethonium chloride for immediate and persistent activity against resident hand flora of volunteers and with a novel in vitro pig skin model.

PubMed

Shintre, Milind S; Gaonkar, Trupti A; Modak, Shanta M

2007-02-01

To evaluate the immediate, persistent and sustained in vivo activity of an alcohol-based surgical hand disinfectant, consisting of a zinc gel and a preservative system containing a synergistic combination of farnesol and benzethonium chloride (ZBF disinfectant), and to develop a pig skin model for in vitro evaluation of the immediate and persistent efficacy of alcohol-based surgical hand disinfectants against resident hand flora. The in vivo immediate, persistent, and sustained activity of ZBF disinfectant was evaluated using human volunteers and the "glove-juice" method described in the US Food and Drug Administration's Tentative Final Monograph (FDA-TFM) for Healthcare Antiseptic Products. A novel in vitro pig skin model was developed to compare the immediate and persistent activity of alcohol-based surgical hand disinfectants against resident flora using Staphylococcus epidermidis as the test organism. Four alcohol-based surgical hand disinfectants were evaluated using this model. The results for the ZBF disinfectant exceed the FDA-TFM criteria for immediate, persistent, and sustained activity required for surgical hand disinfectants. The reduction factors for the 4 hand disinfectants obtained using the pig skin model show good agreement with the log(10) reductions in concentrations of hand flora obtained using human volunteers to test for immediate and persistent activity. The ZBF disinfectant we evaluated met the FDA-TFM criteria for surgical hand disinfectants. The immediate and persistent efficacy of the surgical hand disinfectants evaluated with the novel pig skin model described in this study shows good agreement with the results obtained in vivo.

Targeted High Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry-based Metabolomics differentiates metabolic syndrome from obesity.

PubMed

Zhong, Fanyi; Xu, Mengyang; Bruno, Richard S; Ballard, Kevin D; Zhu, Jiangjiang

2017-04-01

Both obesity and the metabolic syndrome are risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Identification of novel biomarkers are needed to distinguish metabolic syndrome from equally obese individuals in order to direct them to early interventions that reduce their risk of developing further health problems. We utilized mass spectrometry-based targeted metabolic profiling of 221 metabolites to evaluate the associations between metabolite profiles and established metabolic syndrome criteria (i.e. elevated waist circumference, hypertension, elevated fasting glucose, elevated triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) in plasma samples from obese men ( n = 29; BMI = 35.5 ± 5.2 kg/m 2 ) and women ( n = 40; 34.9 ± 6.7 kg/m 2 ), of which 26 met the criteria for metabolic syndrome (17 men and 9 women). Compared to obese individuals without metabolic syndrome, univariate statistical analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis showed that a specific group of metabolites from multiple metabolic pathways (i.e. purine metabolism, valine, leucine and isoleucine degradation, and tryptophan metabolism) were associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome. Receiver operating characteristic curves generated based on the PLS-DA models showed excellent areas under the curve (0.85 and 0.96, for metabolites only model and enhanced metabolites model, respectively), high specificities (0.86 and 0.93), and good sensitivities (0.71 and 0.91). Moreover, principal component analysis revealed that metabolic profiles can be used to further differentiate metabolic syndrome with 3 versus 4-5 metabolic syndrome criteria. Collectively, these findings support targeted metabolomics approaches to distinguish metabolic syndrome from obesity alone, and to stratify metabolic syndrome status based on the number of criteria met. Impact statement We utilized mass spectrometry-based targeted metabolic profiling of 221 metabolites to evaluate the associations between metabolite profiles and established MetS criteria. To our best knowledge, the findings of this study provide the first evidence that metabolic profiles can be used to differentiate participants with MetS from similarly obese individuals who do not meet established criteria of MetS. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that within MetS participants, their unique metabolic profiles correlated to the number of criteria used for MetS determination. Taken together, this metabolic profiling approach can potentially serve as a novel tool for MetS detection and monitoring, and provide useful metabolic information for future interventions targeting obesity and MetS.

Using the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) criteria to determine the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in patients with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE).

PubMed

Tiao, Janice; Feng, Rui; Carr, Kasey; Okawa, Joyce; Werth, Victoria P

2016-05-01

Approximately 50% of patients with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) meet criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) developed new SLE criteria to improve the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria but the SLICC criteria have not been evaluated in patients with SCLE. We sought to determine how patients with SCLE/SLE meet the ACR and SLICC criteria to compare the 2 sets of criteria. This was a retrospective analysis of 107 patients with SCLE enrolled in a database at the University of Pennsylvania. Patients with SCLE/SLE were more likely than those with only SCLE to have oral ulcers, positive anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies, and positive antinuclear antibody test findings using both sets of criteria. Patients with SCLE/SLE were also more likely to have low complement using the SLICC criteria. There was a statistically insignificant increase in individuals meeting the SLICC criteria. Not all patients received comprehensive laboratory testing. Most patients with SCLE who formally meet criteria for SLE do so based on the laboratory and mucocutaneous criteria. Neither the ACR nor SLICC criteria distinguish patients with SCLE and major internal disease from patients with SCLE without major internal disease. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Governing Academic Medical Center Systems: Evaluating and Choosing Among Alternative Governance Approaches.

PubMed

Chari, Ramya; O'Hanlon, Claire; Chen, Peggy; Leuschner, Kristin; Nelson, Christopher

2018-02-01

The ability of academic medical centers (AMCs) to fulfill their triple mission of patient care, medical education, and research is increasingly being threatened by rising financial pressures and resource constraints. Many AMCs are, therefore, looking to expand into academic medical systems, increasing their scale through consolidation or affiliation with other health care systems. As clinical operations grow, though, the need for effective governance becomes even more critical to ensure that the business of patient care does not compromise the rest of the triple mission. Multi-AMC systems, a model in which multiple AMCs are governed by a single body, pose a particular challenge in balancing unity with the needs of component AMCs, and therefore offer lessons for designing AMC governance approaches. This article describes the development and application of a set of criteria to evaluate governance options for one multi-AMC system-the University of California (UC) and its five AMCs. Based on a literature review and key informant interviews, the authors identified criteria for evaluating governance approaches (structures and processes), assessed current governance approaches using the criteria, identified alternative governance options, and assessed each option using the identified criteria. The assessment aided UC in streamlining governance operations to enhance their ability to respond efficiently to change and to act collectively. Although designed for UC and a multi-AMC model, the criteria may provide a systematic way for any AMC to assess the strengths and weaknesses of its governance approaches.

Multi Criteria Evaluation Module for RiskChanges Spatial Decision Support System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olyazadeh, Roya; Jaboyedoff, Michel; van Westen, Cees; Bakker, Wim

2015-04-01

Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) module is one of the five modules of RiskChanges spatial decision support system. RiskChanges web-based platform aims to analyze changes in hydro-meteorological risk and provides tools for selecting the best risk reduction alternative. It is developed under CHANGES framework (changes-itn.eu) and INCREO project (increo-fp7.eu). MCE tool helps decision makers and spatial planners to evaluate, sort and rank the decision alternatives. The users can choose among different indicators that are defined within the system using Risk and Cost Benefit analysis results besides they can add their own indicators. Subsequently the system standardizes and prioritizes them. Finally, the best decision alternative is selected by using the weighted sum model (WSM). The Application of this work is to facilitate the effect of MCE for analyzing changing risk over the time under different scenarios and future years by adopting a group decision making into practice and comparing the results by numeric and graphical view within the system. We believe that this study helps decision-makers to achieve the best solution by expressing their preferences for strategies under future scenarios. Keywords: Multi-Criteria Evaluation, Spatial Decision Support System, Weighted Sum Model, Natural Hazard Risk Management

Supplier Selection based on the Performance by using PROMETHEE Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinaga, T. S.; Siregar, K.

2017-03-01

Generally, companies faced problem to identify vendors that can provide excellent service in availability raw material and on time delivery. The performance of suppliers in a company have to be monitored to ensure the availability to fulfill the company needs. This research is intended to explain how to assess suppliers to improve manufacturing performance. The criteria that considered in evaluating suppliers is criteria of Dickson. There are four main criteria which further split into seven sub-criteria, namely compliance with accuracy, consistency, on-time delivery, right quantity order, flexibility and negotiation, timely of order confirmation, and responsiveness. This research uses PROMETHEE methodology in assessing the supplier performances and obtaining a selected supplier as the best one that shown from the degree of alternative comparison preference between suppliers.

Natural phenomena hazards design and evaluation criteria for Department of Energy Facilities

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

NONE

1996-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued an Order 420.1 which establishes policy for its facilities in the event of natural phenomena hazards (NPH) along with associated NPH mitigation requirements. This DOE Standard gives design and evaluation criteria for NPH effects as guidance for implementing the NPH mitigation requirements of DOE Order 420.1 and the associated implementation Guides. These are intended to be consistent design and evaluation criteria for protection against natural phenomena hazards at DOE sites throughout the United States. The goal of these criteria is to assure that DOE facilities can withstand the effects of natural phenomena suchmore » as earthquakes, extreme winds, tornadoes, and flooding. These criteria apply to the design of new facilities and the evaluation of existing facilities. They may also be used for modification and upgrading of existing facilities as appropriate. The design and evaluation criteria presented herein control the level of conservatism introduced in the design/evaluation process such that earthquake, wind, and flood hazards are treated on a consistent basis. These criteria also employ a graded approach to ensure that the level of conservatism and rigor in design/evaluation is appropriate for facility characteristics such as importance, hazards to people on and off site, and threat to the environment. For each natural phenomena hazard covered, these criteria consist of the following: Performance Categories and target performance goals as specified in the DOE Order 420.1 NPH Implementation Guide, and DOE-STD-1 021; specified probability levels from which natural phenomena hazard loading on structures, equipment, and systems is developed; and design and evaluation procedures to evaluate response to NPH loads and criteria to assess whether or not computed response is permissible.« less

Evidence-Based Psychosocial Treatments for Adolescents with Disruptive Behavior

PubMed Central

McCart, Michael R.; Sheidow, Ashli J.

2016-01-01

Objective This article updates the earlier reviews of evidence-based psychosocial treatments for disruptive behavior in adolescents (Brestan & Eyberg, 1998; Eyberg, Nelson, & Boggs, 2008), focusing primarily on the treatment literature published from 2007 to 2014. Method Studies were identified through an extensive literature search and evaluated using Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (JCCAP) level of support criteria, which classify studies as well established, probably efficacious, possibly efficacious, experimental, or of questionable efficacy based on existing evidence. The JCCAP criteria have undergone modest changes in recent years. Thus, in addition to evaluating new studies from 2007–2014 for this update, all adolescent-focused articles that had been included in the 1998 and 2008 reviews were re-examined. In total, 86 empirical papers published over a 48-year period and covering 50 unique treatment protocols were identified and coded. Results Two multicomponent treatments that integrate strategies from family, behavioral, and cognitive-behavioral therapy met criteria as well established. Summaries are provided for those treatments, as well as for two additional multicomponent treatments and two cognitive-behavioral treatments that met criteria as probably efficacious. Treatments designated as possibly efficacious, experimental, or of questionable efficacy are listed. Additionally, moderator/mediator research is summarized. Conclusions Results indicate that since the prior reviews, there has been a noteworthy expansion of research on treatments for adolescent disruptive behavior, particularly treatments that are multicomponent in nature. Despite these advances, more research is needed to address key gaps in the field. Implications of the findings for future science and clinical practice are discussed. PMID:27152911

Training pediatric house staff in evidence-based ethics: an exploratory controlled trial.

PubMed

Major-Kincade, T L; Tyson, J E; Kennedy, K A

2001-01-01

To evaluate an educational intervention in evidence-based ethics (emphasizing clinical knowledge, epidemiologic skills, and recognition of ethical issues) administered to house staff before rotating through our neonatal intensive care unit. A controlled trial of 64 pediatric house staff assigned to alternating control and intervention rotations. Questionnaires were administered at the end of the rotation. Some benefits of the intervention were observed. However, a large percentage of intervention and control house staff substantially overestimated (>1.25 correct value) predischarge mortality (23% vs. 55% of house staff; p<0.02), mortality or major morbidity (74% vs. 46% of house staff; p=0.04), and cerebral palsy rates (70% vs. 87%; p=0.12). Neither group cited many methodological criteria for evaluating follow-up studies (3.3 vs. 2.4 criteria; p=0.05) or ethical issues considered in treatment recommendations for extremely premature infants (3.1 vs. 2.8 issues; p=0.35). Improved house staff training in evidence-based ethics is needed.

32 CFR 203.8 - Evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Evaluation criteria. 203.8 Section 203.8 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (CONTINUED... ACTIVITIES § 203.8 Evaluation criteria. The Department of Defense will begin the TAPP procurement process...

Evaluation by Citation: Trends in Publication Behavior, Evaluation Criteria, and the Strive for High Impact Publications.

PubMed

van Wesel, Maarten

2016-02-01

Criteria for the evaluation of most scholars' work have recently received wider attention due to high-profile cases of scientific misconduct which are perceived to be linked to these criteria. However, in the competition for career advancement and funding opportunities almost all scholars are subjected to the same criteria. Therefore these evaluation criteria act as 'switchmen', determining the tracks along which scholarly work is pushed by the dynamic interplay of interests of both scholars and their institutions. Currently one of the most important criteria is the impact of publications. In this research, the extent to which publish or perish, a long standing evaluation criterion, led to scientific misconduct is examined briefly. After this the strive for high impact publications will be examined, firstly by identifying the period in which this became an important evaluation criterion, secondly by looking at variables contributing to the impact of scholarly papers by means of a non-structured literature study, and lastly by combining these data into a quantitative analysis.

Environmental management framework for wind farm siting: methodology and case study.

PubMed

Tegou, Leda-Ioanna; Polatidis, Heracles; Haralambopoulos, Dias A

2010-11-01

This paper develops an integrated framework to evaluate land suitability for wind farm siting that combines multi-criteria analysis (MCA) with geographical information systems (GIS); an application of the proposed framework for the island of Lesvos, Greece, is further illustrated. A set of environmental, economic, social, and technical constraints, based on recent Greek legislation, identifies the potential sites for wind power installation. Furthermore, the area under consideration is evaluated by a variety of criteria, such as wind power potential, land cover type, electricity demand, visual impact, land value, and distance from the electricity grid. The pair-wise comparison method in the context of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is applied to estimate the criteria weights in order to establish their relative importance in site evaluation. The overall suitability of the study region for wind farm siting is appraised through the weighted summation rule. Results showed that only a very small percentage of the total area of Lesvos could be suitable for wind farm installation, although favourable wind potential exists in many more areas of the island. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combining analytical hierarchy process and agglomerative hierarchical clustering in search of expert consensus in green corridors development management.

PubMed

Shapira, Aviad; Shoshany, Maxim; Nir-Goldenberg, Sigal

2013-07-01

Environmental management and planning are instrumental in resolving conflicts arising between societal needs for economic development on the one hand and for open green landscapes on the other hand. Allocating green corridors between fragmented core green areas may provide a partial solution to these conflicts. Decisions regarding green corridor development require the assessment of alternative allocations based on multiple criteria evaluations. Analytical Hierarchy Process provides a methodology for both a structured and consistent extraction of such evaluations and for the search for consensus among experts regarding weights assigned to the different criteria. Implementing this methodology using 15 Israeli experts-landscape architects, regional planners, and geographers-revealed inherent differences in expert opinions in this field beyond professional divisions. The use of Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering allowed to identify clusters representing common decisions regarding criterion weights. Aggregating the evaluations of these clusters revealed an important dichotomy between a pragmatist approach that emphasizes the weight of statutory criteria and an ecological approach that emphasizes the role of the natural conditions in allocating green landscape corridors.

Detection of Abnormal Operation Noise Using CHLAC of Sound Spectrograph and Continuous DP Matching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hattori, Koosuke; Ohmi, Taishi; Taguchi, Ryo; Umezaki, Taizo

It is a general way that the industrial product is tested by individual inspector. If the product involves sound factors, each inspector will evaluate the test product to sort out a strange engine noise from the natural sound. However, it is hard to cover the consistency in evaluation criteria due to the personal equation referred to the idea that every individual had an inherent bias, plus a physical and mental conditions can be a negative effect on his/her evaluation criteria. It would be ideal if the criteria would not be affected by anyone, anywhere, circumstances; accordingly the quality of products must be equated. In this paper, we propose a noise detection method based on Cubic Higher-order Local Auto-Correlation (CHLAC) scheme and DP Matching provided by Cepstrum Analysis to extract the correct solution. This technique is practically used for detecting any human abnormal movements out of a monitored video clip and identifying individual persons by voice. The study results are shown to be highly effective in our proposed method.

Combining Analytical Hierarchy Process and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering in Search of Expert Consensus in Green Corridors Development Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapira, Aviad; Shoshany, Maxim; Nir-Goldenberg, Sigal

2013-07-01

Environmental management and planning are instrumental in resolving conflicts arising between societal needs for economic development on the one hand and for open green landscapes on the other hand. Allocating green corridors between fragmented core green areas may provide a partial solution to these conflicts. Decisions regarding green corridor development require the assessment of alternative allocations based on multiple criteria evaluations. Analytical Hierarchy Process provides a methodology for both a structured and consistent extraction of such evaluations and for the search for consensus among experts regarding weights assigned to the different criteria. Implementing this methodology using 15 Israeli experts—landscape architects, regional planners, and geographers—revealed inherent differences in expert opinions in this field beyond professional divisions. The use of Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering allowed to identify clusters representing common decisions regarding criterion weights. Aggregating the evaluations of these clusters revealed an important dichotomy between a pragmatist approach that emphasizes the weight of statutory criteria and an ecological approach that emphasizes the role of the natural conditions in allocating green landscape corridors.

Rett syndrome: revised diagnostic criteria and nomenclature.

PubMed

Neul, Jeffrey L; Kaufmann, Walter E; Glaze, Daniel G; Christodoulou, John; Clarke, Angus J; Bahi-Buisson, Nadia; Leonard, Helen; Bailey, Mark E S; Schanen, N Carolyn; Zappella, Michele; Renieri, Alessandra; Huppke, Peter; Percy, Alan K

2010-12-01

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurodevelopmental disease that affects approximately 1 in 10,000 live female births and is often caused by mutations in Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2). Despite distinct clinical features, the accumulation of clinical and molecular information in recent years has generated considerable confusion regarding the diagnosis of RTT. The purpose of this work was to revise and clarify 2002 consensus criteria for the diagnosis of RTT in anticipation of treatment trials. RettSearch members, representing the majority of the international clinical RTT specialists, participated in an iterative process to come to a consensus on a revised and simplified clinical diagnostic criteria for RTT. The clinical criteria required for the diagnosis of classic and atypical RTT were clarified and simplified. Guidelines for the diagnosis and molecular evaluation of specific variant forms of RTT were developed. These revised criteria provide clarity regarding the key features required for the diagnosis of RTT and reinforce the concept that RTT is a clinical diagnosis based on distinct clinical criteria, independent of molecular findings. We recommend that these criteria and guidelines be utilized in any proposed clinical research.

Sensitivity and specificity of criteria for classifying body mass index in adolescents.

PubMed

Farias Júnior, José Cazuza de; Konrad, Lisandra Maria; Rabacow, Fabiana Maluf; Grup, Susane; Araújo, Valbério Candido

2009-02-01

To estimate the prevalence of overweight among adolescents using different body mass index (BMI) classification criteria, and to determine sensitivity and specificity values for these criteria. Weight, height, and tricipital and subscapular skinfolds in 934 adolescents (462 males and 472 females) aged 14-18 years (mean age 16.2; SD=1.0) of the city of Florianópolis, Southern Brazil, in 2001. Percent fat estimated based on skinfold measurements (> or =25% in males and > or =30% in females) was used as a gold-standard for determining specificity and sensitivity of BMI classification criteria among adolescents. The different cutoff points used for classifying BMI in general resulted in similar prevalence of overweight (p>0.05). Sensitivity of the evaluated criteria was high for males (85.4% to 91.7%) and low for females (33.8 to 52.8%). Specificity of all criteria was high for both sexes (83.6% to 98.8%). Estimates of prevalence of obesity among adolescents using different BMI classification criteria were similar and highly specific for both sexes, but sensitivity for females was low.

Discriminating sarcopenia in community-dwelling older women with high frequency of overweight/obesity: the São Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH).

PubMed

Domiciano, D S; Figueiredo, C P; Lopes, J B; Caparbo, V F; Takayama, L; Menezes, P R; Bonfa, E; Pereira, R M R

2013-02-01

The criteria most used for the definition of sarcopenia, those based on the ratio between the appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) and the square of the height (h(2)) underestimate prevalence in overweight/obese people whereas another criteria consider ASM adjusted for total fat mass. We have shown that ASM adjusted for fat seems to be more appropriate for sarcopenia diagnosis. Since the prevalence of overweight and obesity is a growing public health issue, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors associated with sarcopenia, based on these two criteria, among older women. Six hundred eleven community-dwelling women were evaluated by specific questionnaire including clinical data. Body composition and bone mineral density were evaluated by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Logistic regression models were used to identify factors independently related to sarcopenia by ASM/h(2) and ASM adjusted for total fat mass criteria. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was high (74.3 %). The frequency of sarcopenia was lower using the criteria of ASM/h(2) (3.7 %) than ASM adjusted for fat (19.9 %) (P < 0.0001). We also note that less than 5 %(1/23) of sarcopenic women, according to ASM/h(2), had overweight/obesity, whereas 60 % (74/122) of sarcopenic women by ASM adjusted for fat had this complication. Using ASM/h(2), the associated factors observed in regression models were femoral neck T-score (OR = 1.90; 95 % CI 1.06-3.41; P = 0.03) and current alcohol intake (OR = 4.13, 95 % CI 1.18-14.45, P = 0.03). In contrast, we have identified that creatinine (OR = 0.21; 95 % CI 0.07-0.63; P = 0.005) and the White race (OR = 1.81; 95 % CI 1.15-2.84; P = 0.01) showed a significant association with sarcopenia using ASM adjusted for fat. In women with overweight/obesity, ASM adjusted for fat seems to be the more appropriate criteria for sarcopenia diagnosis. This finding has relevant public health implications, considering the high prevalence of overweight/obesity in older women.

Refinement of Objective Motion Cueing Criteria Investigation Based on Three Flight Tasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zaal, Petrus M. T.; Schroeder, Jeffery A.; Chung, William W.

2017-01-01

The objective of this paper is to refine objective motion cueing criteria for commercial transport simulators based on pilots' performance in three flying tasks. Actuator hardware and software algorithms determine motion cues. Today, during a simulator qualification, engineers objectively evaluate only the hardware. Pilot inspectors subjectively assess the overall motion cueing system (i.e., hardware plus software); however, it is acknowledged that pinpointing any deficiencies that might arise to either hardware or software is challenging. ICAO 9625 has an Objective Motion Cueing Test (OMCT), which is now a required test in the FAA's part 60 regulations for new devices, evaluating the software and hardware together; however, it lacks accompanying fidelity criteria. Hosman has documented OMCT results for a statistical sample of eight simulators which is useful, but having validated criteria would be an improvement. In a previous experiment, we developed initial objective motion cueing criteria that this paper is trying to refine. Sinacori suggested simple criteria which are in reasonable agreement with much of the literature. These criteria often necessitate motion displacements greater than most training simulators can provide. While some of the previous work has used transport aircraft in their studies, the majority used fighter aircraft or helicopters. Those that used transport aircraft considered degraded flight characteristics. As a result, earlier criteria lean more towards being sufficient, rather than necessary, criteria for typical transport aircraft training applications. Considering the prevalence of 60-inch, six-legged hexapod training simulators, a relevant question is "what are the necessary criteria that can be used with the ICAO 9625 diagnostic?" This study adds to the literature as follows. First, it examines well-behaved transport aircraft characteristics, but in three challenging tasks. The tasks are equivalent to the ones used in our previous experiment, allowing us to directly compare the results and add to the previous data. Second, it uses the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS), the world's largest vertical displacement simulator. This allows inclusion of relatively large motion conditions, much larger than a typical training simulator can provide. Six new motion configurations were used that explore the motion responses between the initial objective motion cueing boundaries found in a previous experiment and what current hexapod simulators typically provide. Finally, a sufficiently large pilot pool added statistical reliability to the results.

Reduction in Thyroid Nodule Biopsies and Improved Accuracy with American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System.

PubMed

Hoang, Jenny K; Middleton, William D; Farjat, Alfredo E; Langer, Jill E; Reading, Carl C; Teefey, Sharlene A; Abinanti, Nicole; Boschini, Fernando J; Bronner, Abraham J; Dahiya, Nirvikar; Hertzberg, Barbara S; Newman, Justin R; Scanga, Daniel; Vogler, Robert C; Tessler, Franklin N

2018-04-01

Purpose To compare the biopsy rate and diagnostic accuracy before and after applying the American College of Radiology (ACR) Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) criteria for thyroid nodule evaluation. Materials and Methods In this retrospective study, eight radiologists with 3-32 years experience in thyroid ultrasonography (US) reviewed US features of 100 thyroid nodules that were cytologically proven, pathologically proven, or both in December 2016. The radiologists evaluated nodule features in five US categories and provided biopsy recommendations based on their own practice patterns without knowledge of ACR TI-RADS criteria. Another three expert radiologists served as the reference standard readers for the imaging findings. ACR TI-RADS criteria were retrospectively applied to the features assigned by the eight radiologists to produce biopsy recommendations. Comparison was made for biopsy rate, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. Results Fifteen of the 100 nodules (15%) were malignant. The mean number of nodules recommended for biopsy by the eight radiologists was 80 ± 16 (standard deviation) (range, 38-95 nodules) based on their own practice patterns and 57 ± 11 (range, 37-73 nodules) with retrospective application of ACR TI-RADS criteria. Without ACR TI-RADS criteria, readers had an overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 95% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 83%, 99%), 20% (95% CI: 16%, 25%), and 28% (95% CI: 21%, 37%), respectively. After applying ACR TI-RADS criteria, overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 92% (95% CI: 68%, 98%), 44% (95% CI: 33%, 56%), and 52% (95% CI: 40%, 63%), respectively. Although fewer malignancies were recommended for biopsy with ACR TI-RADS criteria, the majority met the criteria for follow-up US, with only three of 120 (2.5%) malignancy encounters requiring no follow-up or biopsy. Expert consensus recommended biopsy in 55 of 100 nodules with ACR TI-RADS criteria. Their sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 87% (95% CI: 48%, 98%), 51% (95% CI: 40%, 62%), and 56% (95% CI: 46%, 66%), respectively. Conclusion ACR TI-RADS criteria offer a meaningful reduction in the number of thyroid nodules recommended for biopsy and significantly improve the accuracy of recommendations for nodule management. © RSNA, 2018 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

A multi-criteria index for ecological evaluation of tropical agriculture in southeastern Mexico.

PubMed

Huerta, Esperanza; Kampichler, Christian; Ochoa-Gaona, Susana; De Jong, Ben; Hernandez-Daumas, Salvador; Geissen, Violette

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to generate an easy to use index to evaluate the ecological state of agricultural land from a sustainability perspective. We selected environmental indicators, such as the use of organic soil amendments (green manure) versus chemical fertilizers, plant biodiversity (including crop associations), variables which characterize soil conservation of conventional agricultural systems, pesticide use, method and frequency of tillage. We monitored the ecological state of 52 agricultural plots to test the performance of the index. The variables were hierarchically aggregated with simple mathematical algorithms, if-then rules, and rule-based fuzzy models, yielding the final multi-criteria index with values from 0 (worst) to 1 (best conditions). We validated the model through independent evaluation by experts, and we obtained a linear regression with an r2 = 0.61 (p = 2.4e-06, d.f. = 49) between index output and the experts' evaluation.

A Multi-Criteria Index for Ecological Evaluation of Tropical Agriculture in Southeastern Mexico

PubMed Central

Huerta, Esperanza; Kampichler, Christian; Ochoa-Gaona, Susana; De Jong, Ben; Hernandez-Daumas, Salvador; Geissen, Violette

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to generate an easy to use index to evaluate the ecological state of agricultural land from a sustainability perspective. We selected environmental indicators, such as the use of organic soil amendments (green manure) versus chemical fertilizers, plant biodiversity (including crop associations), variables which characterize soil conservation of conventional agricultural systems, pesticide use, method and frequency of tillage. We monitored the ecological state of 52 agricultural plots to test the performance of the index. The variables were hierarchically aggregated with simple mathematical algorithms, if-then rules, and rule-based fuzzy models, yielding the final multi-criteria index with values from 0 (worst) to 1 (best conditions). We validated the model through independent evaluation by experts, and we obtained a linear regression with an r2 = 0.61 (p = 2.4e-06, d.f. = 49) between index output and the experts’ evaluation. PMID:25405980

An evaluation of recruitment methods utilized for a clinical trial with periodontal and diabetes enrollment criteria: the Diabetes and Periodontal Therapy Trial

PubMed Central

Schoenfeld, Elinor R; Hyman, Leslie; Simpson, Leslie Long; Michalowicz, Bryan; Reddy, Michael; Gelato, Marie; Hou, Wei; Engebretson, Steven P; Hytner, Catherine; Lenton, Pat

2014-01-01

Background Diabetes and its complications are a major United States public health concern. Methods The Diabetes and Periodontal Therapy Trial (DPTT) evaluated whether non-surgical treatment of periodontal disease influenced diabetes management among persons with Type 2 diabetes and periodontitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate DPTT’s many recruitment strategies in terms of enrollment success. Results/Conclusion Targeted recruitment strategies were more effective in identifying individuals who met periodontal and diabetes eligibility criteria. Individuals eligible for a baseline visit/enrollment were more often male, had a younger age at diabetes diagnosis, a longer diabetes duration, more often Hispanic and less often African–American. Tracking and evaluating recruitment sources during study enrollment optimized recruitment methods to enroll a diverse participant population based upon gender, race and ethnicity. PMID:25574373

Problems of Evaluation of Education in a Pluralistic Society: A Discussion Paper. Report Studies S.142.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Churchill, Stacy

The theme of this paper is how the objective of maintaining ethnocultural pluralism and diversity transforms the criteria for evaluating educational policies and reforms. The discussion is based on analysis of recent Canadian educational experience with respect to linguistic and cultural minorities. During the past 25 years, Canadian education has…

Societal and Economic Engagement of Universities in Finland: An Evaluation Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritsila, Jari; Nieminen, Mika; Sotarauta, Markku; Lahtonen, Jukka

2008-01-01

This paper is based on the work of an expert team invited by the Ministry of Education of Finland to develop criteria and an evaluation framework for societal and economic engagement for use in university performance management. The paper maps out possible indicators for the societal and economic engagement of universities in the light of national…

Video Modeling and Observational Learning to Teach Gaming Access to Students with ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spriggs, Amy D.; Gast, David L.; Knight, Victoria F.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate both video modeling and observational learning to teach age-appropriate recreation and leisure skills (i.e., accessing video games) to students with autism spectrum disorder. Effects of video modeling were evaluated via a multiple probe design across participants and criteria for mastery were based on…

Evidence-Based Psychosocial Treatments for Phobic and Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silverman, Wendy K.; Pina, Armando A.; Viswesvaran, Chockalingam

2008-01-01

The article reviews psychosocial treatments for phobic and anxiety disorders in youth. Using criteria from Nathan and Gorman (2002), 32 studies are evaluated along a continuum of methodological rigor. In addition, the treatments evaluated in each of the 32 studies are classified according to Chambless et al.'s (1996) and Chambless and Hollon's…

Study of impacts of different evaluation criteria on gamma pass rates in VMAT QA using MatriXX and EPID

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noufal, Manthala Padannayil; Abdullah, Kallikuzhiyil Kochunny; Niyas, Puzhakkal; Subha, Pallimanhayil Abdul Raheem

2017-12-01

Aim: This study evaluates the impacts of using different evaluation criteria on gamma pass rates in two commercially available QA methods employed for the verification of VMAT plans using different hypothetical planning target volumes (PTVs) and anatomical regions. Introduction: Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is a widely accepted technique to deliver highly conformal treatment in a very efficient manner. As their level of complexity is high in comparison to intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), the implementation of stringent quality assurance (QA) before treatment delivery is of paramount importance. Material and Methods: Two sets of VMAT plans were generated using Eclipse planning systems, one with five different complex hypothetical three-dimensional PTVs and one including three anatomical regions. The verification of these plans was performed using a MatriXX ionization chamber array embedded inside a MultiCube phantom and a Varian EPID dosimetric system attached to a Clinac iX. The plans were evaluated based on the 3%/3 mm, 2%/2 mm, and 1%/1 mm global gamma criteria and with three low-dose threshold values (0%, 10%, and 20%). Results: The gamma pass rates were above 95% in all VMAT plans, when the 3%/3mm gamma criterion was used and no threshold was applied. In both systems, the pass rates decreased as the criteria become stricter. Higher pass rates were observed when no threshold was applied and they tended to decrease for 10% and 20% thresholds. Conclusion: The results confirm the suitability of the equipments used and the validity of the plans. The study also confirmed that the threshold settings greatly affect the gamma pass rates, especially for lower gamma criteria.

Sustainability assessment of alternative end-uses for disused areas based on multi-criteria decision-making method.

PubMed

De Feo, Giovanni; De Gisi, Sabino; De Vita, Sabato; Notarnicola, Michele

2018-08-01

The main aim of this study was to define and apply a multidisciplinary and multi-criteria approach to sustainability in evaluating alternative end-uses for disused areas. Taking into account the three pillars of sustainability (social, economic and environmental dimension) as well as the need for stakeholders to have new practical instruments, the innovative approach consists of four modules stated (i) sociological, (ii) economic, (iii) environmental and (iv) multi-criteria assessment. By means of a case study on a small Municipality in Southern Italy, three end-uses alternatives, representing three essential services for citizens, were selected: Municipal gym; Market area; Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) separate collection centre. The sociological module was useful to select the most socially sound alternative by means of a consultative referendum, simulated with the use of a structured questionnaire administered to a sample of the population. The economic evaluation was conducted defining the bill of quantities with regarding to six main items (soil handling, landfill disposal tax, public services, structure and services, completion work, equipment and furnishings). The environmental evaluation was performed applying the Delphi method with local technicians who were involved in a qualitative-quantitative evaluation of the three alternatives with regarding to eight possible environmental impacts (landscape impact, soil handling, odour, traffic, noise, atmospheric pollution, wastewater, waste). Finally, the Simple Additive Weighting was used as multi-criteria technique to define alternatives priorities. The obtained results showed how the multi-criteria analysis is a useful decision support tool able to identify transparently and efficiently the most sustainable solutions to a complex social problem. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of five different guideline indication criteria for spirometry, including modified GOLD criteria, in order to detect COPD: data from 5,315 subjects in the PLATINO study.

PubMed

Luize, Ana P; Menezes, Ana Maria B; Perez-Padilla, Rogelio; Muiño, Adriana; López, Maria Victorina; Valdivia, Gonzalo; Lisboa, Carmem; Montes de Oca, Maria; Tálamo, Carlos; Celli, Bartolomé; Nascimento, Oliver A; Gazzotti, Mariana R; Jardim, José R

2014-10-30

Spirometry is the gold standard for diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although there are a number of different guideline criteria for deciding who should be selected for spirometric screening, to date it is not known which criteria are the best based on sensitivity and specificity. Firstly, to evaluate the proportion of subjects in the PLATINO Study that would be recommended for spirometry testing according to Global initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD)-modified, American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), National Lung Health Education Program (NLHEP), GOLD and American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) criteria. Secondly, we aimed to compare the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive and negative predictive values, of these five different criteria. Data from the PLATINO study included information on respiratory symptoms, smoking and previous spirometry testing. The GOLD-modified spirometry indication criteria are based on three positive answers out of five questions: the presence of cough, phlegm in the morning, dyspnoea, age over 40 years and smoking status. Data from 5,315 subjects were reviewed. Fewer people had an indication for spirometry (41.3%) according to the GOLD-modified criteria, and more people had an indication for spirometry (80.4%) by the GOLD and ATS/ERS criteria. A low percentage had previously had spirometry performed: GOLD-modified (14.5%); ACCP (13.2%); NLHEP (12.6%); and GOLD and ATS/ERS (12.3%). The GOLD-modified criteria showed the least sensitivity (54.9) and the highest specificity (61.0) for detecting COPD, whereas GOLD and ATS/ERS criteria showed the highest sensitivity (87.9) and the least specificity (20.8). There is a considerable difference in the indication for spirometry according to the five different guideline criteria. The GOLD-modified criteria recruit less people with the greatest sum of sensitivity and specificity.

Assessment of five different guideline indication criteria for spirometry, including modified GOLD criteria, in order to detect COPD: data from 5,315 subjects in the PLATINO study

PubMed Central

Luize, Ana P; Menezes, Ana Maria B; Perez-Padilla, Rogelio; Muiño, Adriana; López, Maria Victorina; Valdivia, Gonzalo; Lisboa, Carmem; Montes de Oca, Maria; Tálamo, Carlos; Celli, Bartolomé; Nascimento, Oliver A; Gazzotti, Mariana R; Jardim, José R

2014-01-01

Background: Spirometry is the gold standard for diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although there are a number of different guideline criteria for deciding who should be selected for spirometric screening, to date it is not known which criteria are the best based on sensitivity and specificity. Aims: Firstly, to evaluate the proportion of subjects in the PLATINO Study that would be recommended for spirometry testing according to Global initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD)-modified, American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), National Lung Health Education Program (NLHEP), GOLD and American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) criteria. Secondly, we aimed to compare the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive and negative predictive values, of these five different criteria. Methods: Data from the PLATINO study included information on respiratory symptoms, smoking and previous spirometry testing. The GOLD-modified spirometry indication criteria are based on three positive answers out of five questions: the presence of cough, phlegm in the morning, dyspnoea, age over 40 years and smoking status. Results: Data from 5,315 subjects were reviewed. Fewer people had an indication for spirometry (41.3%) according to the GOLD-modified criteria, and more people had an indication for spirometry (80.4%) by the GOLD and ATS/ERS criteria. A low percentage had previously had spirometry performed: GOLD-modified (14.5%); ACCP (13.2%); NLHEP (12.6%); and GOLD and ATS/ERS (12.3%). The GOLD-modified criteria showed the least sensitivity (54.9) and the highest specificity (61.0) for detecting COPD, whereas GOLD and ATS/ERS criteria showed the highest sensitivity (87.9) and the least specificity (20.8). Conclusion: There is a considerable difference in the indication for spirometry according to the five different guideline criteria. The GOLD-modified criteria recruit less people with the greatest sum of sensitivity and specificity. PMID:25358021

Model-Based Economic Evaluation of Treatments for Depression: A Systematic Literature Review.

PubMed

Kolovos, Spyros; Bosmans, Judith E; Riper, Heleen; Chevreul, Karine; Coupé, Veerle M H; van Tulder, Maurits W

2017-09-01

An increasing number of model-based studies that evaluate the cost effectiveness of treatments for depression are being published. These studies have different characteristics and use different simulation methods. We aimed to systematically review model-based studies evaluating the cost effectiveness of treatments for depression and examine which modelling technique is most appropriate for simulating the natural course of depression. The literature search was conducted in the databases PubMed, EMBASE and PsycInfo between 1 January 2002 and 1 October 2016. Studies were eligible if they used a health economic model with quality-adjusted life-years or disability-adjusted life-years as an outcome measure. Data related to various methodological characteristics were extracted from the included studies. The available modelling techniques were evaluated based on 11 predefined criteria. This methodological review included 41 model-based studies, of which 21 used decision trees (DTs), 15 used cohort-based state-transition Markov models (CMMs), two used individual-based state-transition models (ISMs), and three used discrete-event simulation (DES) models. Just over half of the studies (54%) evaluated antidepressants compared with a control condition. The data sources, time horizons, cycle lengths, perspectives adopted and number of health states/events all varied widely between the included studies. DTs scored positively in four of the 11 criteria, CMMs in five, ISMs in six, and DES models in seven. There were substantial methodological differences between the studies. Since the individual history of each patient is important for the prognosis of depression, DES and ISM simulation methods may be more appropriate than the others for a pragmatic representation of the course of depression. However, direct comparisons between the available modelling techniques are necessary to yield firm conclusions.

When paradigms collide at the road rail interface: evaluation of a sociotechnical systems theory design toolkit for cognitive work analysis.

PubMed

Read, Gemma J M; Salmon, Paul M; Lenné, Michael G

2016-09-01

The Cognitive Work Analysis Design Toolkit (CWA-DT) is a recently developed approach that provides guidance and tools to assist in applying the outputs of CWA to design processes to incorporate the values and principles of sociotechnical systems theory. In this paper, the CWA-DT is evaluated based on an application to improve safety at rail level crossings. The evaluation considered the extent to which the CWA-DT met pre-defined methodological criteria and aligned with sociotechnical values and principles. Both process and outcome measures were taken based on the ratings of workshop participants and human factors experts. Overall, workshop participants were positive about the process and indicated that it met the methodological criteria and sociotechnical values. However, expert ratings suggested that the CWA-DT achieved only limited success in producing RLX designs that fully aligned with the sociotechnical approach. Discussion about the appropriateness of the sociotechnical approach in a public safety context is provided. Practitioner Summary: Human factors and ergonomics practitioners need evidence of the effectiveness of methods. A design toolkit for cognitive work analysis, incorporating values and principles from sociotechnical systems theory, was applied to create innovative designs for rail level crossings. Evaluation results based on the application are provided and discussed.

78 FR 7967 - Revised Medical Criteria for Evaluating Respiratory System Disorders

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-04

... catheterization to include 40 mm Hg based on a recommendation by the Institute of Medicine in its report... than cardiac catheterization. Thus, the proposed listing would help us to adjudicate some cases more...

Transshipment site selection using the AHP and TOPSIS approaches under fuzzy environment.

PubMed

Onüt, Semih; Soner, Selin

2008-01-01

Site selection is an important issue in waste management. Selection of the appropriate solid waste site requires consideration of multiple alternative solutions and evaluation criteria because of system complexity. Evaluation procedures involve several objectives, and it is often necessary to compromise among possibly conflicting tangible and intangible factors. For these reasons, multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) has been found to be a useful approach to solve this kind of problem. Different MCDM models have been applied to solve this problem. But most of them are basically mathematical and ignore qualitative and often subjective considerations. It is easier for a decision-maker to describe a value for an alternative by using linguistic terms. In the fuzzy-based method, the rating of each alternative is described using linguistic terms, which can also be expressed as triangular fuzzy numbers. Furthermore, there have not been any studies focused on the site selection in waste management using both fuzzy TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution) and AHP (analytical hierarchy process) techniques. In this paper, a fuzzy TOPSIS based methodology is applied to solve the solid waste transshipment site selection problem in Istanbul, Turkey. The criteria weights are calculated by using the AHP.

Solid Waste Landfill Site Selection in the Sense of Environment Sensitive Sustainable Urbanization: Izmir, Turkey Case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

TÜdeş, Şule; Kumlu, Kadriye Burcu Yavuz

2017-10-01

Each stage of the planning process should be based on the natural resource protection, in the sense of environmental sensitive and sustainable urban planning. Values, which are vital for the continuity of the life in the Earth, as soil, water, forest etc. should be protected from the undesired effects of the pollution and the other effects caused by the high urbanization levels. In this context, GIS-MCDM based solid waste landfill site selection is applied for Izmir, Turkey, where is a significant attraction place for tourism. As Multi criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used. In this study, geological, tectonically and hydrological data, as well as agricultural land use, slope, distance to the settlement areas and the highways are used as inputs for AHP analysis. In the analysis stage, those inputs are rated and weighted. The weighted criteria are evaluated via GIS, by using weighted overlay tool. Therefore, an upper-scale analysis is conducted and a map, which shows the alternative places for the solid waste landfill sites, considering the environmental protection and evaluated in the context of environmental and urban criteria, are obtained.

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

Onuet, Semih; Soner, Selin

Site selection is an important issue in waste management. Selection of the appropriate solid waste site requires consideration of multiple alternative solutions and evaluation criteria because of system complexity. Evaluation procedures involve several objectives, and it is often necessary to compromise among possibly conflicting tangible and intangible factors. For these reasons, multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) has been found to be a useful approach to solve this kind of problem. Different MCDM models have been applied to solve this problem. But most of them are basically mathematical and ignore qualitative and often subjective considerations. It is easier for a decision-maker tomore » describe a value for an alternative by using linguistic terms. In the fuzzy-based method, the rating of each alternative is described using linguistic terms, which can also be expressed as triangular fuzzy numbers. Furthermore, there have not been any studies focused on the site selection in waste management using both fuzzy TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution) and AHP (analytical hierarchy process) techniques. In this paper, a fuzzy TOPSIS based methodology is applied to solve the solid waste transshipment site selection problem in Istanbul, Turkey. The criteria weights are calculated by using the AHP.« less

The Problem of Multiple Criteria Selection of the Surface Mining Haul Trucks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodziony, Przemysław; Kasztelewicz, Zbigniew; Sawicki, Piotr

2016-06-01

Vehicle transport is a dominant type of technological processes in rock mines, and its profit ability is strictly dependent on overall cost of its exploitation, especially on diesel oil consumption. Thus, a rational design of transportation system based on haul trucks should result from thorough analysis of technical and economic issues, including both cost of purchase and its further exploitation, having a crucial impact on the cost of minerals extraction. Moreover, off-highway trucks should be selected with respect to all specific exploitation conditions and even the user's preferences and experience. In this paper a development of universal family of evaluation criteria as well as application of evaluation method for haul truck selection process for a specific exploitation conditions in surface mining have been carried out. The methodology presented in the paper is based on the principles of multiple criteria decision aiding (MCDA) using one of the ranking method, i.e. ELECTRE III. The applied methodology has been allowed for ranking of alternative solution (variants), on the considered set of haul trucks. The result of the research is a universal methodology, and it consequently may be applied in other surface mines with similar exploitation parametres.

Seismic verification of nuclear plant equipment anchorage, Revision 1

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

Czarnecki, R M

1991-06-01

Guidelines have been developed to evaluate the seismic adequacy of the anchorage of various classes of electrical and mechanical equipment in nuclear power plants covered by NRC Unresolved Safety Issue A-46. The guidelines consist of anchorage strength capacities as a function of key equipment and installation parameters. The strength criteria for expansion anchor bolts were developed by collecting and analyzing a large quantity of test data. The strength criteria for Cast-in-Place bolts and welds to embedded steel plates and channels were taken from existing nuclear-industry design guidelines. For anchorage used in low strength concrete and in concrete with cracks, appropriatemore » strength reduction factors were developed. Reduction factors for parameters such as edge distance, spacing and embedment depth are also included. Based on the anchorage capacity and equipment configuration, inspection checklists for field verification of anchorage adequacy were developed, and provisions for outliners that can be used to further investigate anchorages that cannot be verified in the field were prepared. The screening tables are based on an analysis of the anchorage forces developed by common equipment types and on strength criteria to quantify the holding power of anchor bolts and welds. A computer code EBAC was developed for the evaluation of the adequacy of the equipment anchorage. Guidelines to evaluate anchorage adequacy for vertical and horizontal tanks and horizontal heat exchangers were also developed.« less

Evaluating national cause-of-death statistics: principles and application to the case of China.

PubMed Central

Rao, Chalapati; Lopez, Alan D.; Yang, Gonghuan; Begg, Stephen; Ma, Jiemin

2005-01-01

Mortality statistics systems provide basic information on the levels and causes of mortality in populations. Only a third of the world's countries have complete civil registration systems that yield adequate cause-specific mortality data for health policy-making and monitoring. This paper describes the development of a set of criteria for evaluating the quality of national mortality statistics and applies them to China as an example. The criteria cover a range of structural, statistical and technical aspects of national mortality data. Little is known about cause-of-death data in China, which is home to roughly one-fifth of the world's population. These criteria were used to evaluate the utility of data from two mortality statistics systems in use in China, namely the Ministry of Health-Vital Registration (MOH-VR) system and the Disease Surveillance Point (DSP) system. We concluded that mortality registration was incomplete in both. No statistics were available for geographical subdivisions of the country to inform resource allocation or for the monitoring of health programmes. Compilation and publication of statistics is irregular in the case of the DSP, and they are not made publicly available at all by the MOH-VR. More research is required to measure the content validity of cause-of-death attribution in the two systems, especially due to the use of verbal autopsy methods in rural areas. This framework of criteria-based evaluation is recommended for the evaluation of national mortality data in developing countries to determine their utility and to guide efforts to improve their value for guiding policy. PMID:16184281

Selection for Surgical Training: An Evidence-Based Review.

PubMed

Schaverien, Mark V

2016-01-01

The predictive relationship between candidate selection criteria for surgical training programs and future performance during and at the completion of training has been investigated for several surgical specialties, however there is no interspecialty agreement regarding which selection criteria should be used. Better understanding the predictive reliability between factors at selection and future performance may help to optimize the process and lead to greater standardization of the surgical selection process. PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE databases were searched. Over 560 potentially relevant publications were identified using the search strategy and screened using the Cochrane Collaboration Data Extraction and Assessment Template. 57 studies met the inclusion criteria. Several selection criteria used in the traditional selection demonstrated inconsistent correlation with subsequent performance during and at the end of surgical training. The following selection criteria, however, demonstrated good predictive relationships with subsequent resident performance: USMLE examination scores, Letters of Recommendation (LOR) including the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE), academic performance during clinical clerkships, the interview process, displaying excellence in extracurricular activities, and the use of unadjusted rank lists. This systematic review supports that the current selection process needs to be further evaluated and improved. Multicenter studies using standardized outcome measures of success are now required to improve the reliability of the selection process to select the best trainees. Published by Elsevier Inc.

[The criteria for the relationship between hearing impairment and professional occupation and the criteria for professional suitability in terms of hearing among the aeronautical personnel engaged in civilian aviation].

PubMed

Pankova, V B

This article describes the main clinical features associated with the development and manifestations of disturbed sound perception in the members of the aeronautical personnel engaged in the Russian civilian aviation. The main expert criteria for the relationship between the diseases of the organs of hearing (as exemplified by chronic sensorineural hearing impairment) and professional occupation have been developed based on the results of the clinical and diagnostic examination with the use of whispered and loud speech acumetry, tonal threshold audiometry, speech audiometry, impedancometry and evoked optoacoustic emission. Civilian aviation sectoral approaches to the evaluation of professional suitability in terms of hearing among the aeronautical personnel are considered in accordance with the criteria adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized UN agency that sets the international standards for the civilian aviation and co-ordinates its development with the purpose of enhancing the safety and effectiveness of flights. The criteria are formulated for the solution of the expert problems arising from the relationship between the professional occupation and the diseases of the organs of hearing and for the evaluation of the professional suitability in terms of hearing among the aeronautical personnel engaged in civilian aviation.

Theory analysis for Pender's health promotion model (HPM) by Barnum's criteria: a critical perspective.

PubMed

Khoshnood, Zohreh; Rayyani, Masoud; Tirgari, Batool

2018-01-13

Background Analysis of nursing theoretical works and its role in knowledge development is presented as an essential process of critical reflection. Health promotion model (HPM) focuses on helping people achieve higher levels of well-being and identifies background factors that influence health behaviors. Objectives This paper aims to evaluate, and critique HPM by Barnum's criteria. Methods The present study reviewed books and articles derived from Proquest, PubMed, Blackwell Databases. The method of evaluation for this model is based on Barnum's criteria for analysis, application and evaluation of nursing theories. The criteria selected by Barnum embrace both internal and external criticism. Internal criticism deals with how theory components fit with each other (internal construction of theory) and external criticism deals with the way in which theory relates to the extended world (which considers theory in its relationships to human beings, nursing, and health). Results The electronic database search yielded over 27,717 titles and abstracts. Following removal of duplicates, 18,963 titles and abstracts were screened using the inclusion criteria and 1278 manuscripts were retrieved. Of these, 80 were specific to HPM and 23 to analysis of any theory in nursing relating to the aim of this article. After final selection using the inclusion criteria for this review, 28 manuscripts were identified as examining the factors contributing to theory analysis. Evaluation of health promotion theory showed that the philosophical claims and their content are consistent and clear. HPM has a logical structure and was applied to diverse age groups from differing cultures with varying health concerns. Conclusion In conclusion, among the strategies for theory critique, the Barnum approach is structured and accurate, considers theory in its relationship to human beings, community psychiatric nursing, and health. While according to Pender, nursing assessment, diagnosis and interventions are utilized to operationalize the HPM through practical application and research.

Selection of response criteria for clinical trials of sarcoma treatment.

PubMed

Schuetze, Scott M; Baker, Laurence H; Benjamin, Robert S; Canetta, Renzo

2008-01-01

Soft tissue sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of malignancies arising from mesenchymal tissues. A large number of new therapies are being evaluated in patients with sarcomas, and consensus criteria defining treatment responses are essential for comparison of results from studies completed by different research groups. The 1979 World Health Organization (WHO) handbook set forth operationally defined criteria for response evaluation in solid tumors that were updated in 2000 with the publication of the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). There have been significant advances in tumor imaging, however, that are not reflected in the RECIST. For example, computed tomography (CT) slice thickness has been reduced from 10 mm to < or =2.5 mm, allowing for more reproducible and accurate measurement of smaller lesions. Combination of imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography with fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG-PET) and CT can provide investigators and clinicians with both anatomical and functional information regarding tumors, and there is now a large body of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of PET/CT and other newer imaging methods for the detection and staging of tumors as well as early determination of responses to therapy. The application of newer imaging methods has the potential to decrease both the sample sizes required for, and duration of, clinical trials by providing an early indication of therapeutic response that is well correlated with clinical outcomes, such as time to tumor progression or overall survival. The results summarized in this review support the conclusion that the RECIST and the WHO criteria for evaluation of response in solid tumors need to be modernized. In addition, there is a current need for prospective trials to compare new response criteria with established endpoints and to validate imaging-based response rates as surrogate endpoints for clinical trials of new agents for sarcoma and other solid tumors.

The frequency of U-shaped dose responses in the toxicological literature.

PubMed

Calabrese, E J; Baldwin, L A

2001-08-01

Hormesis has been defined as a dose-response relationship in which there is a stimulatory response at low doses, but an inhibitory response at high doses, resulting in a U- or inverted U-shaped dose response. To assess the proportion of studies satisfying criteria for evidence of hormesis, a database was created from published toxicological literature using rigorous a priori entry and evaluative criteria. One percent (195 out of 20,285) of the published articles contained 668 dose-response relationships that met the entry criteria. Subsequent application of evaluative criteria revealed that 245 (37% of 668) dose-response relationships from 86 articles (0.4% of 20,285) satisfied requirements for evidence of hormesis. Quantitative evaluation of false-positive and false-negative responses indicated that the data were not very susceptible to such influences. A complementary analysis of all dose responses assessed by hypothesis testing or distributional analyses, where the units of comparison were treatment doses below the NOAEL, revealed that of 1089 doses below the NOAEL, 213 (19.5%) satisfied statistical significance or distributional data evaluative criteria for hormesis, 869 (80%) did not differ from the control, and 7 (0.6%) displayed evidence of false-positive values. The 32.5-fold (19.5% vs 0.6%) greater occurrence of hormetic responses than a response of similar magnitude in the opposite (negative) direction strongly supports the nonrandom nature of hormetic responses. This study, which provides the first documentation of a data-derived frequency of hormetic responses in the toxicologically oriented literature, indicates that when the study design satisfies a priori criteria (i.e., a well-defined NOAEL, > or = 2 doses below the NOAEL, and the end point measured has the capacity to display either stimulatory or inhibitory responses), hormesis is frequently encountered and is broadly represented according to agent, model, and end point. These findings have broad-based implications for study design, risk assessment methods, and the establishment of optimal drug doses and suggest important evolutionarily adaptive strategies for dose-response relationships.

Evaluation of the Hydrolab HL4 water-quality sonde and sensors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Snazelle, Teri T.

2017-12-18

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility evaluated three Hydrolab HL4 multiparameter water-quality sondes by OTT Hydromet. The sondes were equipped with temperature, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and turbidity sensors. The sensors were evaluated for compliance with the USGS National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data (NFM) criteria for continuous water-quality monitors and to verify the validity of the manufacturer’s technical specifications. The conductivity sensors were evaluated for the accuracy of the specific conductance (SC) values (conductance at 25 degrees Celsius [oC]), that were calculated by using the vendor default method, Hydrolab Fresh. The HL4’s communication protocols and operating temperature range along with accuracy of the water-quality sensors were tested in a controlled laboratory setting May 1–19, 2016. To evaluate the sonde’s performance in a surface-water field application, an HL4 equipped with temperature, conductivity, pH, DO, and turbidity sensors was deployed June 20–July 22, 2016, at USGS water-monitoring site 02492620, Pearl River at National Space Technology Laboratories (NSTL) Station, Mississippi, located near Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, and compared to the adjacent well-maintained EXO2 site sonde.The three HL4 sondes met the USGS temperature testing criteria and the manufacturer’s technical specifications for temperature based upon the median room temperature difference between the measured and standard temperatures, but two of the three sondes exceeded the allowable difference criteria at the temperature extremes of approximately 5 and 40 ºC. Two sondes met the USGS criteria for SC. One of the sondes failed the criteria for SC when evaluated in a 100,000-microsiemens-per-centimeter (μS/cm) standard at room temperature, and also failed in a 10,000-μS/cm standard at 5, 15, and 40 ºC. All three sondes met the USGS criteria for pH and DO at room temperature, but one sonde exceeded the allowable difference criteria when tested in pH 5.00 buffer and at 40 ºC. The USGS criteria and the technical specifications for turbidity were met by one sonde in standards ranging from 10 to 3,000 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU). A second sonde met the USGS criteria and the technical specifications except in the 3,000-NTU standard, and the third sonde exceeded the USGS calibration criteria in the 10- and 20-NTU standards and the technical specifications in the 20-NTU standard.Results of the field test showed acceptable performance and revealed that differences in data sample processing between sonde manufacturers may result in variances between the reported measurements when comparing one sonde to another. These variances in data would be more pronounced in dynamic site conditions. The lack of a wiper or other sensor-cleaning device on the DO sensor could prove problematic, and could limit the use of the HL4 to profiling applications or at sites with limited biofouling.

How Do I Review Thee? Let Me Count the Ways: A Comparison of Research Grant Proposal Review Criteria Across US Federal Funding Agencies.

PubMed

Falk-Krzesinski, Holly J; Tobin, Stacey C

While Elizabeth Barrett Browning counted 25 ways in which she loves her husband in her poem, "How Do I Love Thee? Let me Count the Ways," we identified only eight ways to evaluate the potential for success of a federal research grant proposal. This may be surprising, as it seems upon initial glance of the review criteria used by various federal funding agencies that each has its own distinct set of "rules" regarding the review of grant proposals for research and scholarship. Much of the grantsmanship process is dependent upon the review criteria, which represent the funders' desired impact of the research. But since most funders that offer research grants share the overarching goals of supporting research that (1) fits within its mission and (2) will bring a strong return on its financial investment, the review criteria used to evaluate research grant proposals are based on a similar set of fundamental questions. In this article, we compare the review criteria of 10 US federal agencies that support research through grant programs, and demonstrate that there are actually only a small and finite number of ways that a grant proposal can be evaluated. Though each funding agency may use slightly different wording, we found that the majority of the agencies' criteria address eight key questions. Within the highly competitive landscape of research grant funding, new researchers must find support for their research agendas and established investigators and research development offices must consider ways to diversify their funding portfolios, yet all may be discouraged by the apparent myriad of differences in review criteria used by various funding agencies. Guided by research administrators and research development professionals, recognizing that grant proposal review criteria are similar across funding agencies may help lower the barrier to applying for federal funding for new and early career researchers, or facilitate funding portfolio diversification for experienced researchers. Grantmakers are furthermore provided valuable guidance to develop and refine their own proposal review criteria.

How Do I Review Thee? Let Me Count the Ways: A Comparison of Research Grant Proposal Review Criteria Across US Federal Funding Agencies

PubMed Central

Falk-Krzesinski, Holly J.; Tobin, Stacey C.

2016-01-01

While Elizabeth Barrett Browning counted 25 ways in which she loves her husband in her poem, “How Do I Love Thee? Let me Count the Ways,” we identified only eight ways to evaluate the potential for success of a federal research grant proposal. This may be surprising, as it seems upon initial glance of the review criteria used by various federal funding agencies that each has its own distinct set of “rules” regarding the review of grant proposals for research and scholarship. Much of the grantsmanship process is dependent upon the review criteria, which represent the funders’ desired impact of the research. But since most funders that offer research grants share the overarching goals of supporting research that (1) fits within its mission and (2) will bring a strong return on its financial investment, the review criteria used to evaluate research grant proposals are based on a similar set of fundamental questions. In this article, we compare the review criteria of 10 US federal agencies that support research through grant programs, and demonstrate that there are actually only a small and finite number of ways that a grant proposal can be evaluated. Though each funding agency may use slightly different wording, we found that the majority of the agencies’ criteria address eight key questions. Within the highly competitive landscape of research grant funding, new researchers must find support for their research agendas and established investigators and research development offices must consider ways to diversify their funding portfolios, yet all may be discouraged by the apparent myriad of differences in review criteria used by various funding agencies. Guided by research administrators and research development professionals, recognizing that grant proposal review criteria are similar across funding agencies may help lower the barrier to applying for federal funding for new and early career researchers, or facilitate funding portfolio diversification for experienced researchers. Grantmakers are furthermore provided valuable guidance to develop and refine their own proposal review criteria. PMID:27274713

An Evidence-Based Systematic Review on Cognitive Interventions for Individuals with Dementia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopper, Tammy; Bourgeois, Michelle; Pimentel, Jane; Qualls, Constance Dean; Hickey, Ellen; Frymark, Tobi; Schooling, Tracy

2013-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the current state of research evidence related to cognitive interventions for individuals with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias. Method: A systematic search of the literature was conducted across 27 electronic databases based on a set of a priori questions, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and search parameters. Studies…

Dispersed or Clustered Housing for Adults with Intellectual Disability: A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansell, Jim; Beadle-Brown, Julie

2009-01-01

Background: The purpose of this review was to evaluate the available research on the quality and costs of dispersed community-based housing when compared with clustered housing. Methods: Searches against specified criteria yielded 19 papers based on 10 studies presenting data comparing dispersed housing with some kind of clustered housing (village…