2011 Critical Success Factors Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina Community College System (NJ1), 2011

2011-01-01

The Critical Success Factors Report is the North Carolina Community College System's major accountability document. This annual performance report serves to inform colleges and the public on the performance of North Carolina's 58 community colleges. In 1993, the State Board of Community Colleges began monitoring performance data on specific…

Critical Success Factors for E-Learning in Developing Countries: A Comparative Analysis between ICT Experts and Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhuasiri, Wannasiri; Xaymoungkhoun, Oudone; Zo, Hangjung; Rho, Jae Jeung; Ciganek, Andrew P.

2012-01-01

This study identifies the critical success factors that influence the acceptance of e-learning systems in developing countries. E-learning is a popular mode of delivering educational materials in higher education by universities throughout the world. This study identifies multiple factors that influence the success of e-learning systems from the…

2012 Critical Success Factors Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina Community College System (NJ1), 2012

2012-01-01

The Critical Success Factors Report is the North Carolina Community College System's major accountability document. This annual performance report is based on data compiled from the previous year and serves to inform colleges and the public on the performance of North Carolina's 58 community colleges. In 1993, the State Board of Community Colleges…

Highly effective cystic fibrosis clinical research teams: critical success factors.

PubMed

Retsch-Bogart, George Z; Van Dalfsen, Jill M; Marshall, Bruce C; George, Cynthia; Pilewski, Joseph M; Nelson, Eugene C; Goss, Christopher H; Ramsey, Bonnie W

2014-08-01

Bringing new therapies to patients with rare diseases depends in part on optimizing clinical trial conduct through efficient study start-up processes and rapid enrollment. Suboptimal execution of clinical trials in academic medical centers not only results in high cost to institutions and sponsors, but also delays the availability of new therapies. Addressing the factors that contribute to poor outcomes requires novel, systematic approaches tailored to the institution and disease under study. To use clinical trial performance metrics data analysis to select high-performing cystic fibrosis (CF) clinical research teams and then identify factors contributing to their success. Mixed-methods research, including semi-structured qualitative interviews of high-performing research teams. CF research teams at nine clinical centers from the CF Foundation Therapeutics Development Network. Survey of site characteristics, direct observation of team meetings and facilities, and semi-structured interviews with clinical research team members and institutional program managers and leaders in clinical research. Critical success factors noted at all nine high-performing centers were: 1) strong leadership, 2) established and effective communication within the research team and with the clinical care team, and 3) adequate staff. Other frequent characteristics included a mature culture of research, customer service orientation in interactions with study participants, shared efficient processes, continuous process improvement activities, and a businesslike approach to clinical research. Clinical research metrics allowed identification of high-performing clinical research teams. Site visits identified several critical factors leading to highly successful teams that may help other clinical research teams improve clinical trial performance.

An Analytic Hierarchy Process-based Method to Rank the Critical Success Factors of Implementing a Pharmacy Barcode System.

PubMed

Alharthi, Hana; Sultana, Nahid; Al-Amoudi, Amjaad; Basudan, Afrah

2015-01-01

Pharmacy barcode scanning is used to reduce errors during the medication dispensing process. However, this technology has rarely been used in hospital pharmacies in Saudi Arabia. This article describes the barriers to successful implementation of a barcode scanning system in Saudi Arabia. A literature review was conducted to identify the relevant critical success factors (CSFs) for a successful dispensing barcode system implementation. Twenty-eight pharmacists from a local hospital in Saudi Arabia were interviewed to obtain their perception of these CSFs. In this study, planning (process flow issues and training requirements), resistance (fear of change, communication issues, and negative perceptions about technology), and technology (software, hardware, and vendor support) were identified as the main barriers. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP), one of the most widely used tools for decision making in the presence of multiple criteria, was used to compare and rank these identified CSFs. The results of this study suggest that resistance barriers have a greater impact than planning and technology barriers. In particular, fear of change is the most critical factor, and training is the least critical factor.

Electronic health records: critical success factors in implementation.

PubMed

Safdari, Reza; Ghazisaeidi, Marjan; Jebraeily, Mohamad

2015-04-01

EHR implementation results in the improved quality of care, customer-orientation and timely access to complete information. Despite the potential benefits of EHR, its implementation is a difficult and complex task whose success depends on many factors. The purpose of this research is indeed to identify the key success factors of EHR. This is a cross-sectional survey conducted with participation of 340 work forces from different types of job from Hospitals of TUMS in 2014. Data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire which was estimated as both reliable and valid. The data were analyzed by SPSS software descriptive statistics and analytical statistics. 58.2% of respondents were female and their mean age and work experience were 37.7 and 11.2 years, respectively and most respondents (52.5%) was bachelor. In terms of job, the maximum rate was related to nursing (33 %) and physician (21 %). the main category of critical success factors in Implementation EHRs, the highest rate related to Project Management (4.62) and lowest related to Organizational factors (3.98). success in implementation EHRs requirement more centralization to project management and human factors. Therefore must be Creating to EHR roadmap implementation, establishment teamwork to participation of end-users and select prepare leadership, users obtains sufficient training to use of system and also prepare support from maintain and promotion system.

Developing Critical Thinking Skills for Information Seeking Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Elise D.; Jefferson, Renee N.

2013-01-01

Critical thinking skills are required to successfully navigate the overwhelming amount of information sources available today. To address the challenge of developing critical thinking skills, this empirical study examines the effectiveness of exercises in developing thinking skills in college freshmen students. The workbook exercises were designed…

Six sigma critical success factors in manufacturing industries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustafa, Zainol; Jamaluddin, Z.

2017-04-01

The success of Six Sigma implementation is known to depend on a number of contributing factors. The purpose of this paper is to explore Six Sigma critical success factors (CSFs) in the context of Malaysian manufacturing organizations. Although Six Sigma success factors have been abundantly researched in the global context, in this paper, a maiden attempt is made to identify, through an extensive literature review, the CSFs for Six Sigma implementation followed by their validation using primary data collection from Malaysian manufacturing companies. A total of 33 indicators have thus been compiled through an extensive literature review which then been grouped into 6 contributing factors. These contributing success factors are then validated through an empirical research of selected Malaysian manufacturing companies at various stages of implementation of the Six Sigma process improvement methodology. There has been an overemphasis on the role and commitment of the management in the success of a Six Sigma program. Though it is undoubted, certain other factors also play an equally important role in ensuring that the Six Sigma programs are successful. The factor analysis of CSFs of the Malaysian manufacturing organizations selected in this study demonstrates that the top factor is a composite factor showing combination of the ability of the project teams to use the process management on quality initiative and a training using a proper analysis in problem solving. The CSFs extracted through the factor analysis could provide a basis for manufacturing organizations embarking on the Six Sigma journey to look beyond just management involvement. Thus, one can develop an integrated framework of other factors as outlined and give them appropriate priority and focus.

A Synthesis and Survey of Critical Success Factors for Computer Technology Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Ross A.

2012-01-01

The author investigated the existence of critical success factors for computer technology projects. Current research literature and a survey of experienced project managers indicate that there are 23 critical success factors (CSFs) that correlate with project success. The survey gathered an assessment of project success and the degree to which…

Alarm guided critical function and success path monitoring

DOEpatents

Scarola, Kenneth; Jamison, David S.; Manazir, Richard M.; Rescorl, Robert L.; Harmon, Daryl L.

1994-01-01

The use of alarm indication on the overview (IPSO) display to initiate diagnosis of challenges to critical functions or unavailability of success paths, and further alarm-based guidance toward ultimate diagnosis.

Tailoring and Critical Thinking - Key Principles for Acquisition Success

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

Defense AT&L: September–October 2015 6 Tailoring and Critical Thinking— Key Principles for Acquisition Success Mike Kotzian, D.M. n Michael Paul...well as program success . 7 Defense AT&L: September–October 2015 The Long Range Anti-Ship Missile Opportunity To ensure DARPA maintains its ability... successful flight demonstra- tions that initially proved the technical approach. Concurrent with these technical accomplishments came two important

Simple Model for Identifying Critical Regions in Atrial Fibrillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, Kim; Manani, Kishan A.; Peters, Nicholas S.

2015-01-01

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common abnormal heart rhythm and the single biggest cause of stroke. Ablation, destroying regions of the atria, is applied largely empirically and can be curative but with a disappointing clinical success rate. We design a simple model of activation wave front propagation on an anisotropic structure mimicking the branching network of heart muscle cells. This integration of phenomenological dynamics and pertinent structure shows how AF emerges spontaneously when the transverse cell-to-cell coupling decreases, as occurs with age, beyond a threshold value. We identify critical regions responsible for the initiation and maintenance of AF, the ablation of which terminates AF. The simplicity of the model allows us to calculate analytically the risk of arrhythmia and express the threshold value of transversal cell-to-cell coupling as a function of the model parameters. This threshold value decreases with increasing refractory period by reducing the number of critical regions which can initiate and sustain microreentrant circuits. These biologically testable predictions might inform ablation therapies and arrhythmic risk assessment.

Using cognitive task analysis to identify critical decisions in the laparoscopic environment.

PubMed

Craig, Curtis; Klein, Martina I; Griswold, John; Gaitonde, Krishnanath; McGill, Thomas; Halldorsson, Ari

2012-12-01

The aim of this study was to identify the critical decisions surgeons need to make regarding laparoscopic surgery, the information these decisions are based on, the strategies employed by surgeons to reach their objectives, and the difficulties experienced by novices. Laparoscopic training focuses on the development of technical skills. However, successful surgical outcomes are also dependent on appropriate decisions made during surgery, which are influenced by critical cues and the use of appropriate strategies. Novices might not be as adept at cue detection and strategy use. Participants were eight attending surgeons. The authors employed task-analytic techniques to identify critical decisions inherent in laparoscopy and the cues, strategies, and novice traps associated with these decisions. The authors used decision requirements tables to organize the data into the key decisions made during the preoperative, operative, and postoperative phases as well as the cues, strategies, and novice traps associated with these decisions. Key decisions identified for the preoperative phase included but were not limited to the decision of performing a laparoscopic versus open surgery, necessity to review the literature, practicing the procedure, and trocar placement. Some key decisions identified for the operative phase included converting to open surgery, performing angiograms, cutting tissue or organs, and reevaluation of the approach. Only one key decision was identified for the postoperative phrase: whether the surgeon's technique needs to be evaluated and revised. The laparoscopic environment requires complex decision making, and novices are prone to errors in their decisions. The information elicited in this study is applicable to laparoscopic training.

Identifying Critical Cross-Cultural School Psychology Competencies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Margaret R.; Lopez, Emilia C.

2002-01-01

Study sought to identify critical cross-cultural competencies for school psychologists. To identify the competencies, an extensive literature search about cross-cultural school psychology competencies was conducted, as well as a questionnaire to ask expert panelists. The 102 competencies identified cover 14 major domains of professional activities…

Prepharmacy predictors of success in pharmacy school: grade point averages, pharmacy college admissions test, communication abilities, and critical thinking skills.

PubMed

Allen, D D; Bond, C A

2001-07-01

Good admissions decisions are essential for identifying successful students and good practitioners. Various parameters have been shown to have predictive power for academic success. Previous academic performance, the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT), and specific prepharmacy courses have been suggested as academic performance indicators. However, critical thinking abilities have not been evaluated. We evaluated the connection between academic success and each of the following predictive parameters: the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) score, PCAT score, interview score, overall academic performance prior to admission at a pharmacy school, and performance in specific prepharmacy courses. We confirmed previous reports but demonstrated intriguing results in predicting practice-based skills. Critical thinking skills predict practice-based course success. Also, the CCTST and PCAT scores (Pearson correlation [pc] = 0.448, p < 0.001) were closely related in our students. The strongest predictors of practice-related courses and clerkship success were PCAT (pc=0.237, p<0.001) and CCTST (pc = 0.201, p < 0.001). These findings and other analyses suggest that PCAT may predict critical thinking skills in pharmacy practice courses and clerkships. Further study is needed to confirm this finding and determine which PCAT components predict critical thinking abilities.

A longitudinal interprofessional simulation curriculum for critical care teams: Exploring successes and challenges.

PubMed

Leclair, Laurie W; Dawson, Mary; Howe, Alison; Hale, Sue; Zelman, Eric; Clouser, Ryan; Garrison, Garth; Allen, Gilman

2018-05-01

Interprofessional care teams are the backbone of intensive care units (ICUs) where severity of illness is high and care requires varied skills and experience. Despite this care model, longitudinal educational programmes for such workplace teams rarely include all professions. In this article, we report findings on the initial assessment and evaluation of an ongoing, longitudinal simulation-based curriculum for interprofessional workplace critical care teams. The study had two independent components, quantitative learner assessment and qualitative curricular evaluation. To assess curriculum effectiveness at meeting learning objectives, participant-reported key learning points identified using a self-assessment tool administered immediately following curricular participation were mapped to session learning objectives. To evaluate the curriculum, we conducted a qualitative study using a phenomenology approach involving purposeful sampling of nine curricular participants undergoing recorded semi-structured interviews. Verbatim transcripts were reviewed by two independent readers to derive themes further subdivided into successes and barriers. Learner self-assessment demonstrated that the majority of learners, across all professions, achieved at least one intended learning objective with senior learners more likely to report team-based objectives and junior learners more likely to report knowledge/practice objectives. Successes identified by curricular evaluation included authentic critical care curricular content, safe learning environment, and team comradery from shared experience. Barriers included unfamiliarity with the simulation environment and clinical coverage for curricular participation. This study suggests that a sustainable interprofessional curriculum for workplace ICU critical care teams can achieve the desired educational impact and effectively deliver authentic simulated work experiences if barriers to educational engagement and participation can be

Critical Components of Successful Inclusion of Students with Severe Disabilities: Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alquraini, Turki; Gut, Dianne

2012-01-01

This paper examines the critical components of successful inclusion for students with severe disabilities. This review sets out to provide an overview of literature regarding effective practices for inclusion with a focus on critical components of successful inclusion that assist in preparing the stakeholders worldwide to work and engage…

User acceptability--a critical success factor for picture archiving and communication system implementation.

PubMed

Crivianu-Gaita, D; Babyn, P; Gilday, D; O'Brien, B; Charkot, E

2000-05-01

The Department of Diagnostic Imaging at the Hospital for Sick Children (HSC), Toronto, implemented a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) during the last year. This report describes our experience from the point of view of user acceptability. Based on objective data, the following key success factors were identified: user involvement in PACS planning, training, technical support, and rollout of pilot projects. Although technical factors are critical and must be addressed, the main conclusion of our study is that other nontechnical factors need to be recognized and resolved. Recognition of the importance of these factors to user acceptance and clear communication and consultation will help reduce negative user attitudes and increase the chance of a successful PACS implementation.

Selecting physician leaders for clinical service lines: critical success factors.

PubMed

Epstein, Andrew L; Bard, Marc A

2008-03-01

Clinical service lines and interdisciplinary centers have emerged as important strategic programs within academic health centers (AHCs). Effective physician leadership is significant to their success, but how these leaders are chosen has not been well studied. The authors conducted a study to identify current models for selecting the physician leaders of clinical service lines, determine critical success factors, and learn how the search process affected service line performance. In 2003 and 2004, the authors interviewed clinical and executive personnel involved in 14 programs to establish, or consider establishing, heart or cancer service lines, at 13 AHCs. The responses were coded to identify and analyze trends and themes. The key findings of the survey were (1) the goals and expectations that AHCs set for their service line leaders vary greatly, depending on both the strategic purpose of the service line in the AHC and the service line's stage of development, (2) the matrix organizational structure employed by most AHCs limits the leader's authority over necessary resources, and calls forth a variety of compensating strategies if the service line is to succeed, (3) the AHCs studied used relatively informal processes to identify, evaluate, and select service line leaders, and (4) the leader's job is vitally shaped by the AHC's strategic, structural, and political context, and selection criteria should be determined accordingly. Institutions should be explicit about the strategic purpose and stage of development of their clinical service lines and be clear about their expectations and requirements in hiring service line leaders.

Electronic problem lists: a thematic analysis of a systematic literature review to identify aspects critical to success.

PubMed

Hodge, Chad M; Narus, Scott P

2018-05-01

Problem list data is a driving force for many beneficial clinical tools, yet these data remain underutilized. We performed a systematic literature review, pulling insights from previous research, aggregating insights into themes, and distilling themes into actionable advice. We sought to learn what changes we could make to existing applications, to the clinical workflow, and to clinicians' perceptions that would improve problem list utilization and increase the prevalence of problems data in the electronic medical record. We followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to systematically curate a corpus of pertinent articles. We performed a thematic analysis, looking for interesting excerpts and ideas. By aggregating excerpts from many authors, we gained broader, more inclusive insights into what makes a good problem list and what factors are conducive to its success. Analysis led to a list of 7 benefits of using the problem list, 15 aspects critical to problem list success, and knowledge to help inform policy development, such as consensus on what belongs on the problem list, who should maintain the problem list, and when. A list of suggestions is made on ways in which the problem list can be improved to increase utilization by clinicians. There is also a need for standard measurements of the problem list, so that lists can be measured, compared, and discussed with rigor and a common vocabulary.

African-Canadian Educators' Perspectives: Critical Factors for Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finlayson, Maureen

2011-01-01

This study investigates the perspectives of African-Canadian educators on critical factors for success in their educational careers. Interviews were conducted and life histories were constructed to analyze the complex and multifaceted nature of the experiences of ten African-Canadian educators. These data indicate that family and community…

Prioritizing critical success factors for reverse logistics implementation using fuzzy-TOPSIS methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrawal, Saurabh; Singh, Rajesh K.; Murtaza, Qasim

2016-03-01

Electronics industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. In India also, there are high turnovers and growing demand of electronics product especially after post liberalization in early nineties. These products generate e-waste which has become big environmental issue. Industries can handle these e-waste and product returns efficiently by developing reverse logistics (RL) system. A thorough study of critical success factors (CSFs) and their ordered implementation is essential for successful RL implementation. The aim of the study is to review the CSFs, and to prioritize them for RL implementation in Indian electronics industry. Twelve CSFs were identified through literature review, and discussion with the experts from the Indian electronics industry. Fuzzy-Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) approach is proposed for prioritizing these CSFs. Perusal of literature indicates that fuzzy-TOPSIS has not been applied earlier for prioritization of CSFs in Indian electronics industry. Five Indian electronics companies were selected for evaluation of this methodology. Results indicate that most of the identified factors are crucial for the RL implementation. Top management awareness, resource management, economic factors, and contracts terms and conditions are top four prioritized factor, and process capabilities and skilled workers is the least prioritized factor. The findings will be useful for successful RL implementation in Indian electronics industry.

Personalized Boutique Service: Critical to Academic Library Success?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tilley, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

An academic library that focuses on delivering a personalized service is examined within the context of the boutique library model. It is suggested that a critical success factor in adopting a personalized, boutique-style service is acquiring knowledge and insight of our users. This, together with appropriate evaluation, will assist with providing…

Information system support as a critical success factor for chronic disease management: Necessary but not sufficient.

PubMed

Green, Carolyn J; Fortin, Patricia; Maclure, Malcolm; Macgregor, Art; Robinson, Sylvia

2006-12-01

Improvement of chronic disease management in primary care entails monitoring indicators of quality over time and across patients and practices. Informatics tools are needed, yet implementing them remains challenging. To identify critical success factors enabling the translation of clinical and operational knowledge about effective and efficient chronic care management into primary care practice. A prospective case study of positive deviants using key informant interviews, process observation, and document review. A chronic disease management (CDM) collaborative of primary care physicians with documented improvement in adherence to clinical practice guidelines using a web-based patient registry system with CDM guideline-based flow sheet. Thirty community-based physician participants using predominantly paper records, plus a project management team including the physician lead, project manager, evaluator and support team. A critical success factor (CSF) analysis of necessary and sufficient pathways to the translation of knowledge into clinical practice. A web-based CDM 'toolkit' was found to be a direct CSF that allowed this group of physicians to improve their practice by tracking patient care processes using evidence-based clinical practice guideline-based flow sheets. Moreover, the information and communication technology 'factor' was sufficient for success only as part of a set of seven direct CSF components including: health delivery system enhancements, organizational partnerships, funding mechanisms, project management, practice models, and formal knowledge translation practices. Indirect factors that orchestrated success through the direct factor components were also identified. A central insight of this analysis is that a comprehensive quality improvement model was the CSF that drew this set of factors into a functional framework for successful knowledge translation. In complex primary care settings environment where physicians have low adoption rates of

Characteristics and critical success factors for implementing problem-based learning in a human resource-constrained country.

PubMed

Giva, Karen R N; Duma, Sinegugu E

2015-08-31

Problem-based learning (PBL) was introduced in Malawi in 2002 in order to improve the nursing education system and respond to the acute nursing human resources shortage. However, its implementation has been very slow throughout the country. The objectives of the study were to explore and describe the goals that were identified by the college to facilitate the implementation of PBL, the resources of the organisation that facilitated the implementation of PBL, the factors related to sources of students that facilitated the implementation of PBL, and the influence of the external system of the organisation on facilitating the implementation of PBL, and to identify critical success factors that could guide the implementation of PBL in nursing education in Malawi. This is an ethnographic, exploratory and descriptive qualitative case study. Purposive sampling was employed to select the nursing college, participants and documents for review.Three data collection methods, including semi-structured interviews, participant observation and document reviews, were used to collect data. The four steps of thematic analysis were used to analyse data from all three sources. Four themes and related subthemes emerged from the triangulated data sources. The first three themes and their subthemes are related to the characteristics related to successful implementation of PBL in a human resource-constrained nursing college, whilst the last theme is related to critical success factors that contribute to successful implementation of PBL in a human resource-constrained country like Malawi. This article shows that implementation of PBL is possible in a human resource-constrained country if there is political commitment and support.

Identifying and Prioritizing Critical Hardwood Resources

Treesearch

Sam C. Doak; Sharon Johnson; Marlyce Myers

1991-01-01

A logical framework is required to provide a focus for the implementation of a variety of landowner incentive techniques in accordance with existing goals to protect and enhance hardwood resources. A system is presented for identifying and prioritizing critical hardwood resources for site specific conservation purposes. Flexibility is built into this system so that...

Charting the pipeline: Identifying the critical elements in the development of successful African American scientists, engineers, and mathematicians

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Brian Anthony

Many educational researchers are concerned with the apparent poor performance of different racial and ethnic groups in the fields of science, engineering, and mathematics in the United States. Despite improvements in the performance of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans in these areas over the past decade, these groups are still less likely to enroll in advanced math and science courses or score at or above the proficient level in mathematics. Furthermore, these groups continue to be underrepresented in the nation's technical and scientific workforce. The purpose of this study was to identify the critical elements related to the success of African Americans in science, engineering, and mathematics. Specifically, this study was designed to answer the following questions as they pertained to African American graduate students: What factors were perceived to have contributed to the students' initial interest in science, engineering, or mathematics? What factors were perceived to have contributed to the students' decisions to continue their studies in their specific areas of interest? What factors, associated with the K--12 schooling experience, were perceived to have contributed to the students' success in science, engineering, or mathematics? The data for the study were acquired from interviews with 32 African American students (16 males and 16 females) who were engaged in graduate work in science, engineering, or mathematics. Four major themes emerged from the analysis of the interview data. The first was that all students were involved in experiences that allowed a significant level of participation in science, engineering, and mathematics. Second, all of the students experienced some form of positive personal intervention by another person. Third, all students possessed perceptions of these fields that involved some sort of positive outcome. Finally, all of the of the students believed they possessed intrinsic qualities that qualified and

Eight critical factors in creating and implementing a successful simulation program.

PubMed

Lazzara, Elizabeth H; Benishek, Lauren E; Dietz, Aaron S; Salas, Eduardo; Adriansen, David J

2014-01-01

Recognizing the need to minimize human error and adverse events, clinicians, researchers, administrators, and educators have strived to enhance clinicians' knowledge, skills, and attitudes through training. Given the risks inherent in learning new skills or advancing underdeveloped skills on actual patients, simulation-based training (SBT) has become an invaluable tool across the medical education spectrum. The large simulation, training, and learning literature was used to provide a synthesized yet innovative and "memorable" heuristic of the important facets of simulation program creation and implementation, as represented by eight critical "S" factors-science, staff, supplies, space, support, systems, success, and sustainability. These critical factors advance earlier work that primarily focused on the science of SBT success, to also include more practical, perhaps even seemingly obvious but significantly challenging components of SBT, such as resources, space, and supplies. SYSTEMS: One of the eight critical factors-systems-refers to the need to match fidelity requirements to training needs and ensure that technological infrastructure is in place. The type of learning objectives that the training is intended to address should determine these requirements. For example, some simulators emphasize physical fidelity to enable clinicians to practice technical and nontechnical skills in a safe environment that mirrors real-world conditions. Such simulators are most appropriate when trainees are learning how to use specific equipment or conduct specific procedures. The eight factors-science, staff, supplies, space, support, systems, success, and sustainability-represent a synthesis of the most critical elements necessary for successful simulation programs. The order of the factors does not represent a deliberate prioritization or sequence, and the factors' relative importance may change as the program evolves.

Perceived critical success factors of electronic health record system implementation in a dental clinic context: An organisational management perspective.

PubMed

Sidek, Yusof Haji; Martins, Jorge Tiago

2017-11-01

Electronic health records (EHR) make health care more efficient. They improve the quality of care by making patients' medical history more accessible. However, little is known about the factors contributing to the successful EHR implementation in dental clinics. This article aims to identify the perceived critical success factors of EHR system implementation in a dental clinic context. We used Grounded Theory to analyse data collected in the context of Brunei's national EHR - the Healthcare Information and Management System (Bru-HIMS). Data analysis followed the stages of open, axial and selective coding. Six perceived critical success factors emerged: usability of the system, emergent behaviours, requirements analysis, training, change management, and project organisation. The study identified a mismatch between end-users and product owner/vendor perspectives. Workflow changes were significant challenges to clinicians' confident use, particularly as the system offered limited modularity and configurability. Recommendations are made for all the parties involved in healthcare information systems implementation to manage the change process by agreeing system goals and functionalities through wider consensual debate, and participated supporting strategies realised through common commitment. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Critical Success Factors for the North Carolina Community College System, 1999. Tenth Annual Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina Community Coll. System, Raleigh.

This report is one of several North Carolina Community College System accountability measures designed to report on critical success factors. Critical success factors are those issues that are instrumental for an institution to prosper and accomplish its goals. The data presented in this report are indicators of the "health" of the…

A Method to Evaluate Critical Factors for Successful Implementation of Clinical Pathways.

PubMed

Dong, W; Huang, Z

2015-01-01

Clinical pathways (CPs) have been viewed as a multidisciplinary tool to improve the quality and efficiency of evidence-based care. Despite widespread enthusiasm for CPs, research has shown that many CP initiatives are unsuccessful. To this end, this study provides a methodology to evaluate critical success factors (CSFs) that can aid healthcare organizations to achieve successful CP implementation. This study presents a new approach to evaluate CP implementation CSFs, with the aims being: (1) to identify CSFs for implementation of CPs through a comprehensive literature review and interviews with collaborative experts; (2) to use a filed study data with a robust fuzzy DEMATEL (the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory) approach to visualize the structure of complicated causal relationships between CSFs and obtain the influence level of these factors. The filed study data is provided by ten clinical experts of a Chinese hospital. 23 identified CSF factors which are initially identified through a review of the literature and interviews with collaborative experts. Then, a number of direct and indirect relationships are derived from the data such that different perceptions can be integrated into a compromised cause and effect model of CP implementation. The results indicate that the proposed approach can systematically evaluate CSFs and realize the importance of each factor such that the most common causes of failure of CP implementation could be eliminated or avoided. Therefore, the tool proposed would help healthcare organizations to manage CP implementation in a more effective and proactive way.

Harnessing Information Technology to Improve the Process of Students' Evaluations of Teaching: An Exploration of Students' Critical Success Factors of Online Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nevo, Dorit; McClean, Ron; Nevo, Saggi

2010-01-01

This paper discusses the relative advantage offered by online Students' Evaluations of Teaching (SET) and describes a study conducted at a Canadian university to identify critical success factors of online evaluations from students' point of view. Factors identified as important by the students include anonymity, ease of use (of both SET survey…

Do scores on three commonly used measures of critical thinking correlate with academic success of health professions trainees? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Ross, David; Loeffler, Kim; Schipper, Shirley; Vandermeer, Ben; Allan, G Michael

2013-05-01

To determine whether the three commonly used measures of critical thinking correlate with academic success of medical professionals in training. The search for English-language articles (from 1980 to 2011) used Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library on Ovid, Proquest Dissertations, Health and Psychosocial Instruments, PsychINFO, and references of included articles. Studies comparing critical thinking with academic success among medical professionals were included. Two authors performed study selection independently, with disagreement resolved by consensus. Two authors independently abstracted data on study characteristics, quality, and outcomes, with disagreement resolved by a third author. Critical thinking tests studied were the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI), and Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. Correlation coefficients were pooled in meta-analysis. The search identified 557 studies: 52 met inclusion for systematic review, 41 of which were meta-analyzed. Critical thinking was positively correlated with academic success, r=0.31 (95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.26, 0.35), with a moderate statistical heterogeneity (I=67%). In subgroup analysis, only student type had statistical significance for correlation, although bias was likely due to low numbers for some student types. In direct comparison, using studies that employed two critical thinking tests, the CCTDI (r=0.23, 95% CI 0.15, 0.30) was significantly inferior (P<.001) to the CCTST (r=0.39, 95% CI 0.33, 0.45). Critical thinking was moderately correlated with academic success of medical professionals in training. The CCTDI was inferior to the CCTST in correlating with academic success.

Implementing system-wide risk stratification approaches: A review of critical success and failure factors.

PubMed

Huckel Schneider, Carmen; Gillespie, James A; Wilson, Andrew

2017-05-01

Risk stratification has become a widely used tool for linking people identified at risk of health deterioration to the most appropriate evidence-based care. This article systematically reviews recent literature to determine key factors that have been identified as critical enablers and/or barriers to successful implementation of risk stratification tools at a system level. A systematic search found 23 articles and four promising protocols for inclusion in the review, covering the use to 20 different risk stratification tools. These articles reported on only a small fraction of the risk stratification tools used in health systems; suggesting that while the development and statistical validation of risk stratification algorithms is widely reported, there has been little published evaluation of how they are implemented in real-world settings. Controlled studies provided some evidence that the use of risk stratification tools in combination with a care management plan offer patient benefits and that the use of a risk stratification tool to determine components of a care management plan may contribute to reductions in hospital readmissions, patient satisfaction and improved patient outcomes. Studies with the strongest focus on implementation used qualitative and case study methods. Among these, the literature converged on four key areas of implementation that were found to be critical for overcoming barriers to success: the engagement of clinicians and safeguarding equity, both of which address barriers of acceptance; the health system context to address administrative, political and system design barriers; and data management and integration to address logistical barriers.

Critical success factors for implementing healthcare e-Learning.

PubMed

Lee, Te-Shu; Kuo, Mu-Hsing; Borycki, Elizabeth M; Yunyong, David

2011-01-01

The use of e-Learning in educational institutes has rapidly increased along with the development of information and communication technology (ICT). In healthcare, more medical educators are using e-Learning to support their curriculum design, delivery and evaluation. However, no systematic work exists on characterizing a collective set of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for implementing e-Learning in the healthcare education institutions. The aim of this paper is to study the CSFs of implementing healthcare e-Learning.

Benefits, challenges and critical factors of success for Zero Waste: A systematic literature review.

PubMed

Pietzsch, Natália; Ribeiro, José Luis Duarte; de Medeiros, Janine Fleith

2017-09-01

Considering the growing concern with solid wastes problems and the pressing need for a holistic approach to their management, this study developed a literature review about the subject "Zero Waste". To that end, a systematic literature review was executed, through which 102 published articles were analyzed with the aim to, initially, comprehend the concept of Zero Waste, and, then, map its benefits, challenges, and critical success factors. The results show that scholars have not reached a consensus regarding the concept of ZW. While some studies fully address this philosophy, other studies are based on just one or on some of its topics. The benefits were grouped and organized into four dimensions: benefits to the community, financial-economic benefits, benefits to the environment and benefits to the industry and stakeholders. As to the challenges, barriers were identified both in the macro environment (mainly political and cultural) and in the meso and micro environments (stakeholders, industries, and municipalities). The analysis of the articles enabled listing critical success factors, supported by a set of activities that must be carried out. Regarding future studies, it is worth noting that more empirical studies about ZW implementation are necessary, particularly with regard to educational practices designed to promote changes in user behavior. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identifying critical success factors for designing selection processes into postgraduate specialty training: the case of UK general practice.

PubMed

Plint, Simon; Patterson, Fiona

2010-06-01

The UK national recruitment process into general practice training has been developed over several years, with incremental introduction of stages which have been piloted and validated. Previously independent processes, which encouraged multiple applications and produced inconsistent outcomes, have been replaced by a robust national process which has high reliability and predictive validity, and is perceived to be fair by candidates and allocates applicants equitably across the country. Best selection practice involves a job analysis which identifies required competencies, then designs reliable assessment methods to measure them, and over the long term ensures that the process has predictive validity against future performance. The general practitioner recruitment process introduced machine markable short listing assessments for the first time in the UK postgraduate recruitment context, and also adopted selection centre workplace simulations. The key success factors have been identified as corporate commitment to the goal of a national process, with gradual convergence maintaining locus of control rather than the imposition of change without perceived legitimate authority.

Assessing the Effectiveness of a Critical Thinking Program to Academic Success of Community College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fields, Jeffery B.

2017-01-01

The relational mixed methods study assesses success of a college-wide critical thinking program to the academic success of community college students. The research compared the pretest and posttest results of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) given to associate degree graduates during their first semester and last semester of…

Critical Success Factors in a High School Healthcare Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thessin, Rebecca A.; Scully-Russ, Ellen; Lieberman, Daina S.

2017-01-01

Research has demonstrated career and technical education (CTE) programs have a strong positive influence on secondary students' behavior, attendance, academic achievement, and college persistence. Critical success factors common to career academies, small schools, and CTE programs include socio-emotional support and community, along with a culture…

Student Satisfaction with Learning Management Systems: A Lens of Critical Success Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naveh, Gali; Tubin, Dorit; Pliskin, Nava

2012-01-01

Institutions of higher education have invested heavily in learning management systems (LMS) for creating course websites. Yet, how to assess LMS effectiveness is not fully agreed upon. Based on institutional theory, this article considers student satisfaction as indicative of LMS success and proposes a lens of critical success factors (CSF) as a…

The critical success factors and impact of prior knowledge to nursing students when transferring nursing knowledge during nursing clinical practise.

PubMed

Tsai, Ming-Tien; Tsai, Ling-Long

2005-11-01

Nursing practise plays an important role in transferring nursing knowledge to nursing students. From the related literature review, prior knowledge will affect how learners gain new knowledge. There has been no direct examination of the prior knowledge interaction effect on students' performance and its influence on nursing students when evaluating the knowledge transfer success factors. This study explores (1) the critical success factors in transferring nursing knowledge, (2) the impact of prior knowledge when evaluating the success factors for transferring nursing knowledge. This research utilizes in-depth interviews to probe the initial success factor phase. A total of 422 valid questionnaires were conducted by the authors. The data were analysed by comparing the mean score and t-test between two groups. Seventeen critical success factors were identified by the two groups of students. Twelve items were selected to examine the diversity in the two groups. Students with prior knowledge were more independent than the other group. They also preferred self-directed learning over students without prior knowledge. Students who did not have prior knowledge were eager to take every opportunity to gain experience and more readily adopted new knowledge.

2010 Critical Success Factors for the North Carolina Community College System. Twenty First Annual Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina Community College System (NJ1), 2010

2010-01-01

First mandated by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1989 (S.L. 1989; C. 752; S. 80), the Critical Success Factors report has evolved into the major accountability document for the North Carolina Community College System. This twenty first annual report on the critical success factors is the result of a process undertaken to streamline and…

A Systematic Investigation on Barriers and Critical Success Factors for Clinical Information Systems in Integrated Care Settings.

PubMed

Hoerbst, A; Schweitzer, M

2015-08-13

Clinical Information Systems (CIS) have ever since the introduction of information technology in healthcare played an important role to support healthcare professionals and the process of treatment. With the rise of the concept of integrated care organizational borders, the sole focus on data aggregation or healthcare professionals as users disappear more and more. The manuscript discusses the concept of CISs and investigates critical success factors for CISs in the context of integrated care and in the course of time. In order to identify critical success factors and barriers for CISs a systematic literature review was conducted based on the results from PubMed and Cochrane, using MaxQDA. Search results were thereby limited to reviews or meta-analysis. We have found 1919 references of which 40 met the inclusion criteria. The analysis of the manuscripts resulted in a comprehensive list of success factors and barriers related to CISs in integrated care settings. Most barriers were user-related whereas for the success factors an even distribution of organizational, technical and user-related factors was observed. The vast majority of publications was focused on healthcare professionals. It is important to incorporate experiences made/ collected over time, as the problems encountered seem to remain almost unvaried. In order to support further systematic investigations on the topic it is necessary to rethink existing concepts and definitions to realign them with the ideas of integrated care.

Parietal lobe critically supports successful paired immediate and single-item delayed memory for targets.

PubMed

Krumm, Sabine; Kivisaari, Sasa L; Monsch, Andreas U; Reinhardt, Julia; Ulmer, Stephan; Stippich, Christoph; Kressig, Reto W; Taylor, Kirsten I

2017-05-01

The parietal lobe is important for successful recognition memory, but its role is not yet fully understood. We investigated the parietal lobes' contribution to immediate paired-associate memory and delayed item-recognition memory separately for hits (targets) and correct rejections (distractors). We compared the behavioral performance of 56 patients with known parietal and medial temporal lobe dysfunction (i.e. early Alzheimer's Disease) to 56 healthy control participants in an immediate paired and delayed single item object memory task. Additionally, we performed voxel-based morphometry analyses to investigate the functional-neuroanatomic relationships between performance and voxel-based estimates of atrophy in whole-brain analyses. Behaviorally, all participants performed better identifying targets than rejecting distractors. The voxel-based morphometry analyses associated atrophy in the right ventral parietal cortex with fewer correct responses to familiar items (i.e. hits) in the immediate and delayed conditions. Additionally, medial temporal lobe integrity correlated with better performance in rejecting distractors, but not in identifying targets, in the immediate paired-associate task. Our findings suggest that the parietal lobe critically supports successful immediate and delayed target recognition memory, and that the ventral aspect of the parietal cortex and the medial temporal lobe may have complementary preferences for identifying targets and rejecting distractors, respectively, during recognition memory. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Critical Success Factors for E-Learning Acceptance: Confirmatory Factor Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Selim, Hassan M.

2007-01-01

E-learning, one of the tools emerged from information technology, has been integrated in many university programs. There are several factors that need to be considered while developing or implementing university curriculums that offer e-learning based courses. This paper is intended to specify e-learning critical success factors (CSFs) as…

Scholars Identify 5 Keys to Urban School Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viadero, Debra

2010-01-01

Offering a counter-narrative to the school improvement prescriptions that dominate national education debates, a new book based on 15 years of data on public elementary schools in Chicago identifies five tried-and-true ingredients that work, in combination with one another, to spur success in urban schools. The authors liken their "essential…

Identifying Noncognitive Skills That Contribute to Dental Students' Success: Dental Faculty Perspectives.

PubMed

Virtue, Shannon Myers; Pendergast, Laura; Tellez, Marisol; Waldron, Elizabeth; Ismail, Amid

2017-03-01

The aims of this study were to identify noncognitive factors that dental faculty members perceived to contribute to dental students' success and to assess dental faculty members' ratings of the relative importance of these factors to academic performance, clinical performance, and overall success. Out of 184 eligible faculty members at one U.S. dental school, 43 respondents (23.3%) completed a survey in 2015-16. The survey asked respondents to rank the importance of seven noncognitive factors to academic performance, clinical performance, and overall success. Descriptive analysis was conducted to determine the ratings on importance of each noncognitive factor. Two additional open-ended questions asked faculty members to 1) think of dental students who performed very well and list the noncognitive factors they believed contributed to those students' success and 2) identify the two most important of those factors that contributed to success. Qualitative analysis was conducted to identify themes in the open-ended responses. The respondents rated professionalism and preparedness highest in importance for overall success. Preparedness was rated highest in importance for academic performance, and communication was highest in importance for clinical performance. Six themes were identified in the open-ended responses: communication/interpersonal skills, approach to learning, personal characteristics, professionalism, diverse experiences, and technical abilities. On both open-ended items, the most frequently cited noncognitive skill was communication/interpersonal skills followed by approach to learning. In this study, dental faculty members perceived communication, preparedness, and professionalism as important skills contributing to dental students' success.

Critical care nurses' experiences of performing successful peripheral intravenous catheterization in difficult situations.

PubMed

Forsberg, Angelica; Engström, Åsa

2018-06-01

The aim of this study is to describe the experiences of critical care nurses (CCNs) when performing successful peripheral intravenous catheterization (PIVC) on adult inpatients in difficult situations. This study uses a descriptive design with a qualitative approach. Semistructured interviews were given to CCNs (n = 22) at a general central county hospital in northern Sweden. The interview text was analyzed with qualitative thematic content analysis. Three themes emerged: "releasing time and creating peace," "feeling self-confidence in the role of expert nurse," and "technical interventions promoting success." CCNs stated that apart from experience, releasing enough time is the most crucial factor for a successful PIVC. They emphasized the importance of identifying the kinds of difficulties that may occur during the procedure, for example, fragile or/and invisible veins. CCNs explained that compared to when they were newly graduated, the difference in their approach nowadays has changed to using their hands more than their eyes and that they feel comfortable with bodily palpations. To further optimize PIVC performing skills, continued possibilities to train and learn in hospital settings are necessary, even after formal education has been completed. Copyright © 2018 Society for Vascular Nursing, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Early postpartum: a critical period in setting the path for breastfeeding success.

PubMed

Gross, Susan M; Resnik, Amy K; Nanda, Joy P; Cross-Barnet, Caitlin; Augustyn, Marycatherine; Kelly, Linda; Paige, David M

2011-12-01

In the United States, most mothers who initiate breastfeeding will either stop or begin supplementing with formula before their infants are 3 months old. Routine breastfeeding education and support following hospital discharge are critical to breastfeeding success. The purpose of this article is to identify this critical period for supporting and reinforcing breastfeeding. We will use data from participants enrolled in the Maryland State Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). This cross-sectional study will explore whether breastfeeding patterns during the period between birth and postnatal WIC certification differ by participation in a local WIC agency that provides breastfeeding peer counselor support (PC) versus two comparison groups, the lactation consultant (LC) and standard care (SC) groups. During 2007, 33,582 infants were enrolled in the Maryland State WIC program. Infant breastfeeding status was categorized as exclusively breastfeeding, partially breastfeeding, or not breastfeeding. At certification, 30.4% of infants were breastfeeding, 25.3% had been breastfed but had stopped before certification in WIC, and 44.3% never breastfed. The breastfeeding initiation rate was higher for the PC group compared with the LC and SC groups (61.6% vs. 54.4% and 47.6%, respectively; p < 0.001). Participants in the PC group were more likely to certify as exclusively and partially breastfeeding compared with the LC and SC groups (36.0% vs. 24.8% and 25.3%, respectively; p < 0.001). Our analysis identifies a window of opportunity during which targeted contact with breastfeeding mothers could enhance longer-term breastfeeding rates.

Using Critical Thinking Teaching Methods to Increase Student Success: An Action Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nold, Herbert

2017-01-01

Numerous studies and United States Department of Education reports indicate that university graduates lack critical thinking and problem solving skills that are needed for success in both the classroom and the modern workplace. Success in the classroom and workplace is a function of many attributes that change with the situation, but the ability…

Reproductive glycogenetics--a critical factor in pregnancy success and species hybridisation.

PubMed

Jones, C J P; Aplin, J D

2009-03-01

Hybridisation occurs rarely in nature and experiments using interspecific transfer of embryos generally result in implantation failure. Here we show that appropriate glycosylation of the apposing surfaces of endometrium and trophoblast probably is an important factor and may play a critical role in pregnancy success. Examination of closely related species shows that each has its own specific pattern of glycosylation, or glycotype, at the fetomaternal interface and that interacting surfaces appear to show complementarity, suggesting the existence of a glycocode. Studies on a camel/llama hybrid show that for successful implantation to occur, a hybrid must have a placental glycosylation pattern similar to that of the host species, suggesting that the glycocode and appropriate glycosylation may be critical factors in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. This new field of reproductive glycogenetics is not only relevant to the development of new species but may also have important implications in the area of human fertility.

A method for identifying EMI critical circuits during development of a large C3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barr, Douglas H.

The circuit analysis methods and process Boeing Aerospace used on a large, ground-based military command, control, and communications (C3) system are described. This analysis was designed to help identify electromagnetic interference (EMI) critical circuits. The methodology used the MIL-E-6051 equipment criticality categories as the basis for defining critical circuits, relational database technology to help sort through and account for all of the approximately 5000 system signal cables, and Macintosh Plus personal computers to predict critical circuits based on safety margin analysis. The EMI circuit analysis process systematically examined all system circuits to identify which ones were likely to be EMI critical. The process used two separate, sequential safety margin analyses to identify critical circuits (conservative safety margin analysis, and detailed safety margin analysis). These analyses used field-to-wire and wire-to-wire coupling models using both worst-case and detailed circuit parameters (physical and electrical) to predict circuit safety margins. This process identified the predicted critical circuits that could then be verified by test.

Transferring disease management and health promotion programs to other countries: critical success factors.

PubMed

Azarmina, Pejman; Prestwich, Graham; Rosenquist, Joel; Singh, Debbie

2008-12-01

Governments and health service providers around the world are under pressure to improve health outcomes while containing rising healthcare costs. In response to such challenges, many regions have implemented services that have been successful in other countries-but 'importing' initiatives has many challenges. This article summarizes factors found to be critical to the success of adapting a US disease management and health promotion programme for use in Italy and the UK. Using three illustrative case studies, it describes how in each region the programme needed to adapt (i) the form and content of the disease management service, (ii) the involvement and integration with local clinicians and services and (iii) the evaluation of programme outcomes. We argue that it is important to implement evidence-based practice by learning lessons from other countries and service initiatives, but that it is equally important to take into consideration the '3Ps' that are critical for successful service implementation: payers, practitioners and patients.

Critical Success Factors: How One Multinational Company Develops Global E-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nathan, Edward Pavel

2011-01-01

This research study examined how a multinational company determined what the critical success factors (CSFs) were for developing global e-learning. The study analyzed how these CSFs were grouped together to make their management more efficient. There were 21 participants in the study who were key stakeholders from the United States, Europe, Latin…

Supporting Educational Success for Aboriginal Students: Identifying Key Influences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitley, Jessica

2014-01-01

The academic difficulties experienced by many Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) students in Canada have been well-documented. Indicators such as school persistence and post-secondary enrollment are typically far lower for Aboriginal students as a group compared to non-Aboriginal students. Identifying facilitators of success is key to…

Critical Success Factors: How One Multinational Company Develops Global E-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nathan, Edward Pavel

2009-01-01

This research study examined how a multinational company determined what the critical success factors (CSFs) were for developing global e-learning. The study analyzed how these CSFs were grouped together in order to make their management more efficient. There were 21 participants in the study who were key stakeholders and came from one of four…

Self-Organizing Feature Maps Identify Proteins Critical to Learning in a Mouse Model of Down Syndrome.

PubMed

Higuera, Clara; Gardiner, Katheleen J; Cios, Krzysztof J

2015-01-01

Down syndrome (DS) is a chromosomal abnormality (trisomy of human chromosome 21) associated with intellectual disability and affecting approximately one in 1000 live births worldwide. The overexpression of genes encoded by the extra copy of a normal chromosome in DS is believed to be sufficient to perturb normal pathways and normal responses to stimulation, causing learning and memory deficits. In this work, we have designed a strategy based on the unsupervised clustering method, Self Organizing Maps (SOM), to identify biologically important differences in protein levels in mice exposed to context fear conditioning (CFC). We analyzed expression levels of 77 proteins obtained from normal genotype control mice and from their trisomic littermates (Ts65Dn) both with and without treatment with the drug memantine. Control mice learn successfully while the trisomic mice fail, unless they are first treated with the drug, which rescues their learning ability. The SOM approach identified reduced subsets of proteins predicted to make the most critical contributions to normal learning, to failed learning and rescued learning, and provides a visual representation of the data that allows the user to extract patterns that may underlie novel biological responses to the different kinds of learning and the response to memantine. Results suggest that the application of SOM to new experimental data sets of complex protein profiles can be used to identify common critical protein responses, which in turn may aid in identifying potentially more effective drug targets.

Self-Organizing Feature Maps Identify Proteins Critical to Learning in a Mouse Model of Down Syndrome

PubMed Central

Higuera, Clara; Gardiner, Katheleen J.; Cios, Krzysztof J.

2015-01-01

Down syndrome (DS) is a chromosomal abnormality (trisomy of human chromosome 21) associated with intellectual disability and affecting approximately one in 1000 live births worldwide. The overexpression of genes encoded by the extra copy of a normal chromosome in DS is believed to be sufficient to perturb normal pathways and normal responses to stimulation, causing learning and memory deficits. In this work, we have designed a strategy based on the unsupervised clustering method, Self Organizing Maps (SOM), to identify biologically important differences in protein levels in mice exposed to context fear conditioning (CFC). We analyzed expression levels of 77 proteins obtained from normal genotype control mice and from their trisomic littermates (Ts65Dn) both with and without treatment with the drug memantine. Control mice learn successfully while the trisomic mice fail, unless they are first treated with the drug, which rescues their learning ability. The SOM approach identified reduced subsets of proteins predicted to make the most critical contributions to normal learning, to failed learning and rescued learning, and provides a visual representation of the data that allows the user to extract patterns that may underlie novel biological responses to the different kinds of learning and the response to memantine. Results suggest that the application of SOM to new experimental data sets of complex protein profiles can be used to identify common critical protein responses, which in turn may aid in identifying potentially more effective drug targets. PMID:26111164

Succession planning for technical experts

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

Kirk, Bernadette Lugue; Cain, Ronald A.; Dewji, Shaheen A.

This report describes a methodology for identifying, evaluating, and mitigating the loss of key technical skills at nuclear operations facilities. The methodology can be adapted for application within regulatory authorities and research and development organizations, and can be directly applied by international engagement partners of the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The resultant product will be of direct benefit to two types of NNSA missions: (1) domestic human capital development programs tasked to provide focused technical expertise to succeed an aging nuclear operations workforce, and (2) international safeguards programs charged with maintaining operational safeguards for developing/existing nuclearmore » power program in nations where minimal available resources must be used effectively. This report considers succession planning and the critical skills necessary to meet an institution’s goals and mission. Closely tied to succession planning are knowledge management and mentorship. In considering succession planning, critical skill sets are identified and are greatly dependent on the subject matter expert in question. This report also provides examples of critical skills that are job specific.« less

Clustering analysis of water distribution systems: identifying critical components and community impacts.

PubMed

Diao, K; Farmani, R; Fu, G; Astaraie-Imani, M; Ward, S; Butler, D

2014-01-01

Large water distribution systems (WDSs) are networks with both topological and behavioural complexity. Thereby, it is usually difficult to identify the key features of the properties of the system, and subsequently all the critical components within the system for a given purpose of design or control. One way is, however, to more explicitly visualize the network structure and interactions between components by dividing a WDS into a number of clusters (subsystems). Accordingly, this paper introduces a clustering strategy that decomposes WDSs into clusters with stronger internal connections than external connections. The detected cluster layout is very similar to the community structure of the served urban area. As WDSs may expand along with urban development in a community-by-community manner, the correspondingly formed distribution clusters may reveal some crucial configurations of WDSs. For verification, the method is applied to identify all the critical links during firefighting for the vulnerability analysis of a real-world WDS. Moreover, both the most critical pipes and clusters are addressed, given the consequences of pipe failure. Compared with the enumeration method, the method used in this study identifies the same group of the most critical components, and provides similar criticality prioritizations of them in a more computationally efficient time.

Factors predicting labor induction success: a critical analysis.

PubMed

Crane, Joan M G

2006-09-01

Because of the risk of failed induction of labor, a variety of maternal and fetal factors as well as screening tests have been suggested to predict labor induction success. Certain characteristics of the woman (including parity, age, weight, height and body mass index), and of the fetus (including birth weight and gestational age) are associated with the success of labor induction; with parous, young women who are taller and lower weight having a higher rate of induction success. Fetuses with a lower birth weight or increased gestational age are also associated with increased induction success. The condition of the cervix at the start of induction is an important predictor, with the modified Bishop score being a widely used scoring system. The most important element of the Bishop score is dilatation. Other predictors, including transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) and biochemical markers [including fetal fibronectin (fFN)] have been suggested. Meta-analyses of studies identified from MEDLINE, PubMed, and EMBASE and published from 1990 to October 2005 were performed evaluating the use of TVUS and fFN in predicting labor induction success in women at term with singleton gestations. Both TVUS and Bishop score predicted successful induction [likelihood ratio (LR)=1.82, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.51-2.20 and LR=2.10, 95%CI=1.67-2.64, respectively]. As well, fFN and Bishop score predicted successful induction (LR=1.49, 95%CI=1.20-1.85, and LR=2.62, 95%CI=1.88-3.64, respectively). Although TVUS and fFN predicted successful labor induction, neither has been shown to be superior to Bishop score. Further research is needed to evaluate these potential predictors and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1), another potential biochemical marker.

Validation of an e-Learning 3.0 Critical Success Factors Framework: A Qualitative Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miranda, Paula; Isaias, Pedro; Costa, Carlos J.; Pifano, Sara

2017-01-01

Aim/Purpose: As e-Learning 3.0 evolves from a theoretical construct into an actual solution for online learning, it becomes crucial to accompany this progress by scrutinising the elements that are at the origin of its success. Background: This paper outlines a framework of e-Learning 3.0's critical success factors and its empirical validation.…

Critical success factors in implementing an e-rostering system in a healthcare organisation.

PubMed

Soomro, Zahoor A; Ahmed, Javed; Muhammad, Raza; Hayes, Dawn; Shah, Mahmood H

2017-01-01

Effective and efficient staff scheduling has always been a challenging issue, especially in health service organisations. Both the extremes of staff shortage and overage have an adverse impact on the performance of healthcare organisations. In this case, an electronic and systematic staff scheduling (e-rostering) system is the often seen as the best solution. Unless an organisation has an effective implementation of such a system, possible cost savings, efficiency, and benefits could be minimal. This study is aimed to research key success factors for the successful effective implementation of an electronic rostering system, especially at healthcare organisations. A case study research method was used to evaluate critical success factors for effectively implementing an e-rostering system. The data were collected through interviews and observations. The findings indicate that technical support, an effective policy, leadership, clear goals and objectives, gradual change, evidence of the advantages of the new system, senior management support, and effective communication are the critical success factors in implementing an e-rostering system in healthcare organisations. Prior to this study, no such factors were grounded in the current context, so this research would help in bridging the gap towards effective implementation of an e-rostering system in the healthcare sector. This research also suggests future studies in different cultures and contexts.

The Critical Success Factors Method: Its Application in a Special Library Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borbely, Jack

1981-01-01

Discusses the background and theory of the Critical Success Factors (CSF) management method, as well as its application in an information center or other special library environment. CSF is viewed as a management tool that can enhance the viability of the special library within its parent organization. (FM)

The critical success factor approach to strategic alignment: seeking a trail from a health organization's goals to its management information infrastructure.

PubMed

Tan, J K

1999-11-01

The critical success factor (CSF) approach is a technique that will aid health administrators, planners and managers to identify, specify and sort among the most relevant and critical factors determining an organization's survival and success. Following a top-down management perspective, this paper discusses the CSF methodology as a strategic information management process comprising several important phases: (i) understanding the external factors such as the organization's industry, market and environment; (ii) achieving strong support and championship from top management; (iii) encouraging the proactive involvement of management and staff in generic CSF identification; (iv) educating and directing the participation of staff members in CSF verification and further refinement of generic CSFs into specific CSFs; and (v) aggregating, prioritizing and translating activity-related CSFs into organizational information requirements for the design of the organization's management information infrastructure. The implementation of this CSF approach is illustrated in the context of a British Columbia community hospital, with insights provided into key issues for future health researchers and practitioners.

Computer Software Training and HRD: What Are the Critical Issues?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altemeyer, Brad

2005-01-01

The paper explores critical issues for HRD practice from a parsonian framework across the HRD legs of organizational development, adult learning, and training and development. Insights into the critical issues emerge from this approach. Identifying successful transfer of training to be critical for organizational, group, and individual success.…

The use of a modified pairwise comparison method in evaluating critical success factors for community-based rural homestay programmes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daud, Shahidah Md; Ramli, Razamin; Kasim, Maznah Mat; Kayat, Kalsom; Razak, Rafidah Abd

2014-12-01

Tourism industry has become the highlighted sector which has amazingly increased the national income level. Despite the tourism industry being one of the highest income generating sectors, Homestay Programme as a Community-Based Tourism (CBT) product in Malaysia does not absorbed much of the incoming wealth. Homestay Programme refers to a programme in a community where a tourist stays together with a host family and experiences the everyday way of life of the family in both direct and indirect manner. There are over 100 Homestay Programme currently being registered with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Malaysia which mostly are located in rural areas, but only a few excel and enjoying the fruit of the booming industry. Hence, this article seeks to identify the critical success factors for a Community-Based Rural Homestay Programme in Malaysia. A modified pairwise method is utilized to further evaluate the identified success factors in a more meaningful way. The findings will help Homestay Programme function as a community development tool that manages tourism resources. Thus, help the community in improving local economy and creating job opportunities.

Critical Learning Skills for Business Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jance, Marsha; Morgan, Anita

2013-01-01

A survey addressing critical skills for business students was developed and disseminated. Sixteen critical skills (such as critical thinking and time management) were identified as skills that need to be acquired in order for business students to be successful in their advanced courses and careers. The survey was disseminated and taken by several…

Critical Soft Skills to Achieve Success in the Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meeks, Gloria Amparo

2017-01-01

The focus of this study was a problem identified by human resources directors and managers in a medium sized community in the southeast of the United States. The problem was that some college graduates are not equipped with the necessary soft skills to be successful in the workforce. Executive directors and human resources managers brought this…

How to Identify Success Among Networks That Promote Active Living.

PubMed

Litt, Jill; Varda, Danielle; Reed, Hannah; Retrum, Jessica; Tabak, Rachel; Gustat, Jeanette; O'Hara Tompkins, Nancy

2015-11-01

We evaluated organization- and network-level factors that influence organizations' perceived success. This is important for managing interorganizational networks, which can mobilize communities to address complex health issues such as physical activity, and for achieving change. In 2011, we used structured interview and network survey data from 22 states in the United States to estimate multilevel random-intercept models to understand organization- and network-level factors that explain perceived network success. A total of 53 of 59 "whole networks" met the criteria for inclusion in the analysis (89.8%). Coordinators identified 559 organizations, with 3 to 12 organizations from each network taking the online survey (response rate = 69.7%; range = 33%-100%). Occupying a leadership position (P < .01), the amount of time with the network (P < .05), and support from community leaders (P < .05) emerged as correlates of perceived success. Organizations' perceptions of success can influence decisions about continuing involvement and investment in networks designed to promote environment and policy change for active living. Understanding these factors can help leaders manage complex networks that involve diverse memberships, varied interests, and competing community-level priorities.

How to Identify Success Among Networks That Promote Active Living

PubMed Central

Varda, Danielle; Reed, Hannah; Retrum, Jessica; Tabak, Rachel; Gustat, Jeanette; O'Hara Tompkins, Nancy

2015-01-01

Objectives. We evaluated organization- and network-level factors that influence organizations’ perceived success. This is important for managing interorganizational networks, which can mobilize communities to address complex health issues such as physical activity, and for achieving change. Methods. In 2011, we used structured interview and network survey data from 22 states in the United States to estimate multilevel random-intercept models to understand organization- and network-level factors that explain perceived network success. Results. A total of 53 of 59 “whole networks” met the criteria for inclusion in the analysis (89.8%). Coordinators identified 559 organizations, with 3 to 12 organizations from each network taking the online survey (response rate = 69.7%; range = 33%–100%). Occupying a leadership position (P < .01), the amount of time with the network (P < .05), and support from community leaders (P < .05) emerged as correlates of perceived success. Conclusions. Organizations’ perceptions of success can influence decisions about continuing involvement and investment in networks designed to promote environment and policy change for active living. Understanding these factors can help leaders manage complex networks that involve diverse memberships, varied interests, and competing community-level priorities. PMID:26378863

Analysis on critical success factors for agile manufacturing evaluation in original equipment manufacturing industry-an AHP approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ajay Guru Dev, C.; Senthil Kumar, V. S.

2016-09-01

Manufacturing industries are facing challenges in the implementation of agile manufacturing in their products and processes. Agility is widely accepted as a new competitive concept in the manufacturing sector in fulfilling varying customer demand. Thus, evaluation of agile manufacturing in industries has become a necessity. The success of an organisation depends on its ability to manage finding the critical success factors and give them special and continued attention in order to bring about high performance. This paper proposes a set of critical success factors (CSFs) for evaluating agile manufacturing considered appropriate for the manufacturing sector. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method is applied for prioritizing the success factors, by summarizing the opinions of experts. It is believed that the proposed CSFs enable and assist manufacturing industries to achieve a higher performance in agile manufacturing so as to increase competitiveness.

Critical Success Factors for the North Carolina Community College System. A Background Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Kathryn Baker

In response to legislative mandate, the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges developed a list of Critical Success Factors (CSF) to help define statewide measures of accountability for all community colleges. Developed by staff members of the State Board with input from the state's community college presidents, the CSFs emphasize…

A quantitative metric to identify critical elements within seafood supply networks.

PubMed

Plagányi, Éva E; van Putten, Ingrid; Thébaud, Olivier; Hobday, Alistair J; Innes, James; Lim-Camacho, Lilly; Norman-López, Ana; Bustamante, Rodrigo H; Farmery, Anna; Fleming, Aysha; Frusher, Stewart; Green, Bridget; Hoshino, Eriko; Jennings, Sarah; Pecl, Gretta; Pascoe, Sean; Schrobback, Peggy; Thomas, Linda

2014-01-01

A theoretical basis is required for comparing key features and critical elements in wild fisheries and aquaculture supply chains under a changing climate. Here we develop a new quantitative metric that is analogous to indices used to analyse food-webs and identify key species. The Supply Chain Index (SCI) identifies critical elements as those elements with large throughput rates, as well as greater connectivity. The sum of the scores for a supply chain provides a single metric that roughly captures both the resilience and connectedness of a supply chain. Standardised scores can facilitate cross-comparisons both under current conditions as well as under a changing climate. Identification of key elements along the supply chain may assist in informing adaptation strategies to reduce anticipated future risks posed by climate change. The SCI also provides information on the relative stability of different supply chains based on whether there is a fairly even spread in the individual scores of the top few key elements, compared with a more critical dependence on a few key individual supply chain elements. We use as a case study the Australian southern rock lobster Jasus edwardsii fishery, which is challenged by a number of climate change drivers such as impacts on recruitment and growth due to changes in large-scale and local oceanographic features. The SCI identifies airports, processors and Chinese consumers as the key elements in the lobster supply chain that merit attention to enhance stability and potentially enable growth. We also apply the index to an additional four real-world Australian commercial fishery and two aquaculture industry supply chains to highlight the utility of a systematic method for describing supply chains. Overall, our simple methodological approach to empirically-based supply chain research provides an objective method for comparing the resilience of supply chains and highlighting components that may be critical.

A Quantitative Metric to Identify Critical Elements within Seafood Supply Networks

PubMed Central

Plagányi, Éva E.; van Putten, Ingrid; Thébaud, Olivier; Hobday, Alistair J.; Innes, James; Lim-Camacho, Lilly; Norman-López, Ana; Bustamante, Rodrigo H.; Farmery, Anna; Fleming, Aysha; Frusher, Stewart; Green, Bridget; Hoshino, Eriko; Jennings, Sarah; Pecl, Gretta; Pascoe, Sean; Schrobback, Peggy; Thomas, Linda

2014-01-01

A theoretical basis is required for comparing key features and critical elements in wild fisheries and aquaculture supply chains under a changing climate. Here we develop a new quantitative metric that is analogous to indices used to analyse food-webs and identify key species. The Supply Chain Index (SCI) identifies critical elements as those elements with large throughput rates, as well as greater connectivity. The sum of the scores for a supply chain provides a single metric that roughly captures both the resilience and connectedness of a supply chain. Standardised scores can facilitate cross-comparisons both under current conditions as well as under a changing climate. Identification of key elements along the supply chain may assist in informing adaptation strategies to reduce anticipated future risks posed by climate change. The SCI also provides information on the relative stability of different supply chains based on whether there is a fairly even spread in the individual scores of the top few key elements, compared with a more critical dependence on a few key individual supply chain elements. We use as a case study the Australian southern rock lobster Jasus edwardsii fishery, which is challenged by a number of climate change drivers such as impacts on recruitment and growth due to changes in large-scale and local oceanographic features. The SCI identifies airports, processors and Chinese consumers as the key elements in the lobster supply chain that merit attention to enhance stability and potentially enable growth. We also apply the index to an additional four real-world Australian commercial fishery and two aquaculture industry supply chains to highlight the utility of a systematic method for describing supply chains. Overall, our simple methodological approach to empirically-based supply chain research provides an objective method for comparing the resilience of supply chains and highlighting components that may be critical. PMID:24633147

Critical Success Factors in Crafting Strategic Architecture for E-Learning at HP University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Kunal; Pandit, Pallvi; Pandit, Parul

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to outline the critical success factors for crafting a strategic architecture for e-learning at HP University. Design/methodology/approach: A descriptive survey type of research design was used. An empirical study was conducted on students enrolled with the International Centre for Distance and Open Learning…

Guaifenesin stone matrix proteomics: a protocol for identifying proteins critical to stone formation.

PubMed

Kolbach-Mandel, A M; Mandel, N S; Cohen, S R; Kleinman, J G; Ahmed, F; Mandel, I C; Wesson, J A

2017-04-01

Drug-related kidney stones are a diagnostic problem, since they contain a large matrix (protein) fraction and are frequently incorrectly identified as matrix stones. A urine proteomics study patient produced a guaifenesin stone during her participation, allowing us to both correctly diagnose her disease and identify proteins critical to this drug stone-forming process. The patient provided three random midday urine samples for proteomics studies; one of which contained stone-like sediment with two distinct fractions. These solids were characterized with optical microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Immunoblotting and quantitative mass spectrometry were used to quantitatively identify the proteins in urine and stone matrix. Infrared spectroscopy showed that the sediment was 60 % protein and 40 % guaifenesin and its metabolite guaiacol. Of the 156 distinct proteins identified in the proteomic studies, 49 were identified in the two stone-components with approximately 50 % of those proteins also found in this patient's urine. Many proteins observed in this drug-related stone have also been reported in proteomic matrix studies of uric acid and calcium containing stones. More importantly, nine proteins were highly enriched and highly abundant in the stone matrix and 8 were reciprocally depleted in urine, suggesting a critical role for these proteins in guaifenesin stone formation. Accurate stone analysis is critical to proper diagnosis and treatment of kidney stones. Many matrix proteins were common to all stone types, but likely not related to disease mechanism. This protocol defined a small set of proteins that were likely critical to guaifenesin stone formation based on their high enrichment and high abundance in stone matrix, and it should be applied to all stone types.

Identifying Barriers and Pathways to Success for Renewable Energy Development on American Indian Lands

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

Necefer, Len Edward; Jones, Thomas Elisha

American Indian tribes possess lands rich with renewable energy (RE) resources. Tribes have great potential and need to develop these resources, yet face a host of barriers that continue to impede development. Understanding these challenges as well as the pathways that can be taken to overcome them may facilitate more economic development to meet community needs and better position tribes to play a role in securing a low-carbon energy future for the United States. This paper presents the results of an expert elicitation of 24 tribal energy experts from federal, tribal, academic, and private industry backgrounds to identify barriers andmore » opportunities for federally recognized tribes in the lower 48 states. Experts identified a number of unique challenges facing tribes including financing and funding, infrastructure, tribal leadership and staff, state-level influence, and partnerships. Cultural factors were seen only to be of concern with large-scale development. Tribal sovereignty is a significant motivation for RE development and has yet to be fully realized. Cultural considerations are critical to the success of future projects; smaller residential and community-scale projects may be a better fit. Improving partnerships between tribes and the private sector can increase RE deployment and overcome historical distrust. States can have a double-ended influence on projects within tribal lands through taxation.« less

Modeling Success: Using Preenrollment Data to Identify Academically At-Risk Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gansemer-Topf, Ann M.; Compton, Jonathan; Wohlgemuth, Darin; Forbes, Greg; Ralston, Ekaterina

2015-01-01

Improving student success and degree completion is one of the core principles of strategic enrollment management. To address this principle, institutional data were used to develop a statistical model to identify academically at-risk students. The model employs multiple linear regression techniques to predict students at risk of earning below a…

Identifying Critical Issues and Problems in Technology Education Using a Modified-Delphi Technique.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wicklein, Robert C.

1993-01-01

Critical issues for technology education (TE) identified by a 25-member Delphi panel were identification of the knowledge base, curriculum development approaches, interdisciplinary approaches, and teacher education reform. Problems identified included inadequate marketing/public relations, teacher shortage, lack of content consensus, and…

Theory of sampling: four critical success factors before analysis.

PubMed

Wagner, Claas; Esbensen, Kim H

2015-01-01

Food and feed materials characterization, risk assessment, and safety evaluations can only be ensured if QC measures are based on valid analytical data, stemming from representative samples. The Theory of Sampling (TOS) is the only comprehensive theoretical framework that fully defines all requirements to ensure sampling correctness and representativity, and to provide the guiding principles for sampling in practice. TOS also defines the concept of material heterogeneity and its impact on the sampling process, including the effects from all potential sampling errors. TOS's primary task is to eliminate bias-generating errors and to minimize sampling variability. Quantitative measures are provided to characterize material heterogeneity, on which an optimal sampling strategy should be based. Four critical success factors preceding analysis to ensure a representative sampling process are presented here.

Information needs assessment of medical equipment offices based on Critical Success Factors (CSF) and Business System Planning (BSP) methods.

PubMed

Khorrami, F; Ahmadi, M; Alizadeh, A; Roozbeh, N; Mohseni, S

2015-01-01

Introduction: Given the ever-increasing importance and value of information, providing the management with a reliable information system, which can facilitate decision-making regarding planning, organization and control, is vitally important. This study aimed to analyze and evaluate the information needs of medical equipment offices. Methods: This descriptive applied cross-sectional study was carried out in 2010. The population of the study included the managers of statistic and medical records at the offices of vice-chancellor for treatment in 39 medical universities in Iran. Data were collected by using structured questioners. With regard to different kinds of designing information systems, sampling was done by two methods, BSP (based on processes of job description) and CSF method (based on critical success factors). The data were analyzed by SPSS-16. Results: Our study showed that 41% of information needs were found to be critical success factors of managers of office. The first priority of managers was "the number of bed and bed occupancy in hospitals". Of 29 identified information needs, 62% were initial information needs of managers (from the viewpoints of managers). Of all, 4% of the information needs were obtained through the form, 14% through both the form and database, 11% through the web site, and 71% had no sources (forms, databases, web site). Conclusion: Since 71% of the information needs of medical equipment offices managers had no information sources, the development of information system in these offices seems to be necessary. Despite the important role of users in designing the information systems (identifying 62% of information needs), other scientific methods is also needed to be utilized in designing the information systems.

Information needs assessment of medical equipment offices based on Critical Success Factors (CSF) and Business System Planning (BSP) methods

PubMed Central

Khorrami, F; Ahmadi, M; Alizadeh, A; Roozbeh, N; Mohseni, S

2015-01-01

Introduction: Given the ever-increasing importance and value of information, providing the management with a reliable information system, which can facilitate decision-making regarding planning, organization and control, is vitally important. This study aimed to analyze and evaluate the information needs of medical equipment offices. Methods: This descriptive applied cross-sectional study was carried out in 2010. The population of the study included the managers of statistic and medical records at the offices of vice-chancellor for treatment in 39 medical universities in Iran. Data were collected by using structured questioners. With regard to different kinds of designing information systems, sampling was done by two methods, BSP (based on processes of job description) and CSF method (based on critical success factors). The data were analyzed by SPSS-16. Results: Our study showed that 41% of information needs were found to be critical success factors of managers of office. The first priority of managers was “the number of bed and bed occupancy in hospitals”. Of 29 identified information needs, 62% were initial information needs of managers (from the viewpoints of managers). Of all, 4% of the information needs were obtained through the form, 14% through both the form and database, 11% through the web site, and 71% had no sources (forms, databases, web site). Conclusion: Since 71% of the information needs of medical equipment offices managers had no information sources, the development of information system in these offices seems to be necessary. Despite the important role of users in designing the information systems (identifying 62% of information needs), other scientific methods is also needed to be utilized in designing the information systems. PMID:28255389

Critical Elements for Successful Implementation and Adoption of Authentic Scientific Research Programs: Lessons Learned from NASA's Mars Student Imaging Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klug Boonstra, S.; Swann, J.; Boonstra, D.; Manfredi, L.; Christensen, P. R.

2016-12-01

Recent research identifies the most effective learning as active, engaged learning in which students interact with phenomena, other students, and the teacher/leader to derive meaning and construct understanding of their surroundings. "Similarly, an engaging and effective science education goes well beyond the low-level factual recall that is emphasized in many science classes. It must develop the skills that students need to solve complex problems, work in teams, make and recognize evidence-based arguments, and interpret and communicate complex information" (emphasis added). Authentic science research projects provide active, engaged learning in which students interact with authentic science data in an authentic problem-solving context to derive meaning and construct understanding of the world. In formal (and many informal) settings, the teacher/leader is effectively the gatekeeper who determines the learning experiences in which the students will participate. From our experience of nearly a decade and a half of authentic science programming for 5thgrade through early college students working with NASA Mars data, supporting and enabling the teacher is perhaps the most critical and foundational element for designing a successful authentic research experience. Yet, a major barrier to this type of learning are teacher/leaders who are too often not equipped or who lack confidence to succeed in facilitating authentic research projects. The Mars Student Imaging Project has implemented an iterative process of design, testing, and redesign that has identified and implemented critical teacher/leader-enabling elements that have led to increasingly successful adoptions within formal and informal educational settings - allowing more students to gain the benefits of immersive research experience.

An analysis of narratives to identify critical thinking contexts in psychiatric clinical practice.

PubMed

Mun, Mi Suk

2010-02-01

The development of students' critical thinking abilities is one of the greatest challenges facing contemporary nursing educators. Nursing educators should know about what kind of contents or situations need critical thinking. The research was undertaken to identify the critical thinking contexts that nursing students confront in psychiatric clinical practices. Students were asked to document their everyday experience. The narratives were analysed and interpreted from the philosophical notion of hermeneutics. Four themes emerged as critical thinking contexts: anxiety, conflict, hyper-awareness, dilemmas. Writing narratives appear to provide opportunities for reflection in addition to facilitating critical thinking and communicative skills in students. Also, for the instructor, students' clinical narratives could provide insight to understand how students are thinking and to share student's personal difficulties.

Identifying critical transitions and their leading biomolecular networks in complex diseases.

PubMed

Liu, Rui; Li, Meiyi; Liu, Zhi-Ping; Wu, Jiarui; Chen, Luonan; Aihara, Kazuyuki

2012-01-01

Identifying a critical transition and its leading biomolecular network during the initiation and progression of a complex disease is a challenging task, but holds the key to early diagnosis and further elucidation of the essential mechanisms of disease deterioration at the network level. In this study, we developed a novel computational method for identifying early-warning signals of the critical transition and its leading network during a disease progression, based on high-throughput data using a small number of samples. The leading network makes the first move from the normal state toward the disease state during a transition, and thus is causally related with disease-driving genes or networks. Specifically, we first define a state-transition-based local network entropy (SNE), and prove that SNE can serve as a general early-warning indicator of any imminent transitions, regardless of specific differences among systems. The effectiveness of this method was validated by functional analysis and experimental data.

A Strategy to Identify Critical Appraisal Criteria for Primary Mixed-Method Studies

PubMed Central

Sale, Joanna E. M.; Brazil, Kevin

2015-01-01

The practice of mixed-methods research has increased considerably over the last 10 years. While these studies have been criticized for violating quantitative and qualitative paradigmatic assumptions, the methodological quality of mixed-method studies has not been addressed. The purpose of this paper is to identify criteria to critically appraise the quality of mixed-method studies in the health literature. Criteria for critically appraising quantitative and qualitative studies were generated from a review of the literature. These criteria were organized according to a cross-paradigm framework. We recommend that these criteria be applied to a sample of mixed-method studies which are judged to be exemplary. With the consultation of critical appraisal experts and experienced qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method researchers, further efforts are required to revise and prioritize the criteria according to importance. PMID:26526412

Pathway cross-talk network analysis identifies critical pathways in neonatal sepsis.

PubMed

Meng, Yu-Xiu; Liu, Quan-Hong; Chen, Deng-Hong; Meng, Ying

2017-06-01

Despite advances in neonatal care, sepsis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates worldwide. Pathway cross-talk analysis might contribute to the inference of the driving forces in bacterial sepsis and facilitate a better understanding of underlying pathogenesis of neonatal sepsis. This study aimed to explore the critical pathways associated with the progression of neonatal sepsis by the pathway cross-talk analysis. By integrating neonatal transcriptome data with known pathway data and protein-protein interaction data, we systematically uncovered the disease pathway cross-talks and constructed a disease pathway cross-talk network for neonatal sepsis. Then, attract method was employed to explore the dysregulated pathways associated with neonatal sepsis. To determine the critical pathways in neonatal sepsis, rank product (RP) algorithm, centrality analysis and impact factor (IF) were introduced sequentially, which synthetically considered the differential expression of genes and pathways, pathways cross-talks and pathway parameters in the network. The dysregulated pathways with the highest IF values as well as RP<0.01 were defined as critical pathways in neonatal sepsis. By integrating three kinds of data, only 6919 common genes were included to perform the pathway cross-talk analysis. By statistic analysis, a total of 1249 significant pathway cross-talks were selected to construct the pathway cross-talk network. Moreover, 47 dys-regulated pathways were identified via attract method, 20 pathways were identified under RP<0.01, and the top 10 pathways with the highest IF were also screened from the pathway cross-talk network. Among them, we selected 8 common pathways, i.e. critical pathways. In this study, we systematically tracked 8 critical pathways involved in neonatal sepsis by integrating attract method and pathway cross-talk network. These pathways might be responsible for the host response in infection, and of great value for advancing

The effectiveness of tools used to evaluate successful critical decision making skills for applicants to healthcare graduate educational programs: a systematic review.

PubMed

Benham, Brian; Hawley, Diane

2015-05-15

Students leave healthcare academic programs for a variety of reasons. When they attrite, it is disappointing for the student as well as their faculty. Advanced practice nursing and other healthcare professions require not only extensive academic preparation, but also the ability to critically evaluate patient care situations. The ability to critically evaluate a situation is not innate. Critical decision making skills are high level skills that are difficult to assess. For the purpose of this review, critical decision making and critical thinking skills refer to the same constructs and will be referred to globally as critical decision making skills. The objective of this review was to identify the effectiveness of tools used to evaluate critical decision making skills for applicants to healthcare graduate educational programs. Adult (18 years of age or older) applicants, students enrolled and/or recent graduates (within one year from completion) of healthcare graduate educational programs. Types of interventions: This review considered studies that evaluated the utilization of unique tools as well as standard tools, such as the Graduate Record Exam or grade point average, to evaluate critical decision making skills in graduate healthcare program applicants. Types of studies: Experimental and non-experimental studies were considered for inclusion. Types of outcomes: Successful quantitative evaluations based on specific field of study standards. The search strategy aimed to find both published and unpublished studies. Studies published in English after 1969 were considered for inclusion in this review. Databases that included both published and unpublished (grey) literature were searched. Additionally, reference lists from all articles retrieved were examined for articles for inclusion. Selected papers were assessed by two independent reviewers using standardized critical appraisal instruments from Joanna Briggs Institute. Any disagreement between reviewers was

Motivational Factors of Student Nurse Athletes Attributing to Academic Success.

PubMed

Forst, Kimberly A

Student nurse athletes experience difficulties achieving academic success in nursing programs. The purpose of this study was to identify facilitators, barriers, and motivators of student nurse athletes that attribute to their academic success. Athletes ranked time management and prioritization as critical skills to success in the nursing program. This study reinforced the importance of academic support services for student nurse athletes to assist in their academic success.

Design for Deconstruction (DfD): Critical success factors for diverting end-of-life waste from landfills.

PubMed

Akinade, Olugbenga O; Oyedele, Lukumon O; Ajayi, Saheed O; Bilal, Muhammad; Alaka, Hafiz A; Owolabi, Hakeem A; Bello, Sururah A; Jaiyeoba, Babatunde E; Kadiri, Kabir O

2017-02-01

The aim of this paper is to identify Critical Success Factors (CSF) needed for effective material recovery through Design for Deconstruction (DfD). The research approach employed in this paper is based on a sequential exploratory mixed method strategy. After a thorough review of literature and conducting four Focus Group Discussion (FGDs), 43 DfD factors were identified and put together in a questionnaire survey. Data analyses include Cronbach's alpha reliability analysis, mean testing using significance index, and exploratory factor analysis. The result of the factor analysis reveals that an underlying factor structure of five DfD factors groups that include 'stringent legislation and policy', 'deconstruction design process and competencies', 'design for material recovery', 'design for material reuse', and 'design for building flexibility'. These groups of DfD factor groups show that the requirements for DfD goes beyond technical competencies and that non-technical factors such as stringent legislation and policy and design process and competency for deconstruction are key in designing deconstructable buildings. Paying attention to the factors identified in all of these categories will help to tackle impediments that could hinder the effectiveness of DfD. The results of this study would help design and project managers to understand areas of possible improvement in employing DfD as a strategy for diverting waste from landfills. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Critical Thinking Skills among Elementary School Students: Comparing Identified Gifted and General Education Student Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kettler, Todd

2014-01-01

Education reform efforts, including the current adoption of Common Core State Standards, have increased attention to teaching critical thinking skills to all students. This study investigated the critical thinking skills of fourth-grade students from a school district in Texas, including 45 identified gifted students and 163 general education…

Immigrant Success Stories in ESL Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gulliver, Trevor

2010-01-01

Immigrant success stories found in English as a second language (ESL) textbooks used in government-funded language instruction in Canada imagine Canada as a redeemer of immigrant newcomers. Through a critical discourse analysis of ESL textbooks used in Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada classes in Ontario, I identify two primary…

The Psychology of Groups: Why Quality and Impartial Leadership Is Critical to a Group's Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Richard

Many decisions made by outdoor leaders are critical to the well-being of an entire group. Understanding the psychology of groups is important to successful leadership. This paper presents ways that individuals are motivated in groups, how groups respond, some symptoms of problems, and strategies to divert problems that can overwhelm a group.…

Critical Reflection to Identify Gaps between Espoused Theory and Theory-in-Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savaya, Riki; Gardner, Fiona

2012-01-01

Critical reflection (CR) is a process by which one may identify the assumptions governing one's actions, question them, and develop alternative behaviors. This article presents two cases that demonstrate the use of CR to raise social workers' awareness of gaps between what Schon and Argryis term social workers' "espoused theories" and the…

Limitations of Surface Mapping Technology in Accurately Identifying Critical Errors in Dental Students' Crown Preparations.

PubMed

Furness, Alan R; Callan, Richard S; Mackert, J Rodway; Mollica, Anthony G

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Planmeca Compare software in identifying and quantifying a common critical error in dental students' crown preparations. In 2014-17, a study was conducted at one U.S. dental school that evaluated an ideal crown prep made by a faculty member on a dentoform to modified preps. Two types of preparation errors were created by the addition of flowable composite to the occlusal surface of identical dies of the preparations to represent the underreduction of the distolingual cusp. The error was divided into two classes: the minor class allowed for 1 mm of occlusal clearance, and the major class allowed for no occlusal clearance. The preparations were then digitally evaluated against the ideal preparation using Planmeca Compare. Percent comparison values were obtained from each trial and averaged together. False positives and false negatives were also identified and used to determine the accuracy of the evaluation. Critical errors that did not involve a substantial change in the surface area of the preparation were inconsistently identified. Within the limitations of this study, the authors concluded that the Compare software was unable to consistently identify common critical errors within an acceptable degree of error.

Identifying the most successful dose (MSD) in dose-finding studies in cancer.

PubMed

Zohar, Sarah; O'Quigley, John

2006-01-01

For a dose finding study in cancer, the most successful dose (MSD), among a group of available doses, is that dose at which the overall success rate is the highest. This rate is the product of the rate of seeing non-toxicities together with the rate of tumor response. A successful dose finding trial in this context is one where we manage to identify the MSD in an efficient manner. In practice we may also need to consider algorithms for identifying the MSD which can incorporate certain restrictions, the most common restriction maintaining the estimated toxicity rate alone below some maximum rate. In this case the MSD may correspond to a different level than that for the unconstrained MSD and, in providing a final recommendation, it is important to underline that it is subject to the given constraint. We work with the approach described in O'Quigley et al. [Biometrics 2001; 57(4):1018-1029]. The focus of that work was dose finding in HIV where both information on toxicity and efficacy were almost immediately available. Recent cancer studies are beginning to fall under this same heading where, as before, toxicity can be quickly evaluated and, in addition, we can rely on biological markers or other measures of tumor response. Mindful of the particular context of cancer, our purpose here is to consider the methodology developed by O'Quigley et al. and its practical implementation. We also carry out a study on the doubly under-parameterized model, developed by O'Quigley et al. but not

Identifying the Critical Links in Road Transportation Networks: Centrality-based approach utilizing structural properties

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

Chinthavali, Supriya

Surface transportation road networks share structural properties similar to other complex networks (e.g., social networks, information networks, biological networks, and so on). This research investigates the structural properties of road networks for any possible correlation with the traffic characteristics such as link flows those determined independently. Additionally, we define a criticality index for the links of the road network that identifies the relative importance in the network. We tested our hypotheses with two sample road networks. Results show that, correlation exists between the link flows and centrality measures of a link of the road (dual graph approach is followed) andmore » the criticality index is found to be effective for one test network to identify the vulnerable nodes.« less

Simulation-based assessment to identify critical gaps in safe anesthesia resident performance.

PubMed

Blum, Richard H; Boulet, John R; Cooper, Jeffrey B; Muret-Wagstaff, Sharon L

2014-01-01

Valid methods are needed to identify anesthesia resident performance gaps early in training. However, many assessment tools in medicine have not been properly validated. The authors designed and tested use of a behaviorally anchored scale, as part of a multiscenario simulation-based assessment system, to identify high- and low-performing residents with regard to domains of greatest concern to expert anesthesiology faculty. An expert faculty panel derived five key behavioral domains of interest by using a Delphi process (1) Synthesizes information to formulate a clear anesthetic plan; (2) Implements a plan based on changing conditions; (3) Demonstrates effective interpersonal and communication skills with patients and staff; (4) Identifies ways to improve performance; and (5) Recognizes own limits. Seven simulation scenarios spanning pre-to-postoperative encounters were used to assess performances of 22 first-year residents and 8 fellows from two institutions. Two of 10 trained faculty raters blinded to trainee program and training level scored each performance independently by using a behaviorally anchored rating scale. Residents, fellows, facilitators, and raters completed surveys. Evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the assessment scores was procured, including a high generalizability coefficient (ρ = 0.81) and expected performance differences between first-year resident and fellow participants. A majority of trainees, facilitators, and raters judged the assessment to be useful, realistic, and representative of critical skills required for safe practice. The study provides initial evidence to support the validity of a simulation-based performance assessment system for identifying critical gaps in safe anesthesia resident performance early in training.

Pilot Critical Incident Reports as a Means to Identify Human Factors of Remotely Piloted Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hobbs, Alan; Cardoza, Colleen; Null, Cynthia

2016-01-01

It has been estimated that aviation accidents are typically preceded by numerous minor incidents arising from the same causal factors that ultimately produced the accident. Accident databases provide in-depth information on a relatively small number of occurrences, however incident databases have the potential to provide insights into the human factors of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) operations based on a larger volume of less-detailed reports. Currently, there is a lack of incident data dealing with the human factors of unmanned aircraft systems. An exploratory study is being conducted to examine the feasibility of collecting voluntary critical incident reports from RPAS pilots. Twenty-three experienced RPAS pilots volunteered to participate in focus groups in which they described critical incidents from their own experience. Participants were asked to recall (1) incidents that revealed a system flaw, or (2) highlighted a case where the human operator contributed to system resilience or mission success. Participants were asked to only report incidents that could be included in a public document. During each focus group session, a note taker produced a de-identified written record of the incident narratives. At the end of the session, participants reviewed each written incident report, and made edits and corrections as necessary. The incidents were later analyzed to identify contributing factors, with a focus on design issues that either hindered or assisted the pilot during the events. A total of 90 incidents were reported. Human factor issues included the impact of reduced sensory cues, traffic separation in the absence of an out-the-window view, control latencies, vigilance during monotonous and ultra-long endurance flights, control station design considerations, transfer of control between control stations, the management of lost link procedures, and decision-making during emergencies. Pilots participated willingly and enthusiastically in the study

Succession planning and leadership development: critical business strategies for healthcare organizations.

PubMed

Collins, Sandra K; Collins, Kevin S

2007-01-01

As labor shortages intensify, succession planning and leadership development have become strategic initiatives requiring rigorous consideration. Traditional methods of replacing personnel will not accommodate the vacancies expected to plague healthcare organizations. Managers should focus on identifying potential gaps of key personnel and adapting programs to accommodate organizational need. Attention should be placed on capturing the intellectual capital existent in the organization and developing diverse groups of leadership candidates.

A Novel Method of Evaluating Key Factors for Success in a Multifaceted Critical Care Fellowship Using Data Envelopment Analysis.

PubMed

Tiwari, Vikram; Kumar, Avinash B

2018-01-01

The current system of summative multi-rater evaluations and standardized tests to determine readiness to graduate from critical care fellowships has limitations. We sought to pilot the use of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to assess what aspects of the fellowship program contribute the most to an individual fellow's success. DEA is a nonparametric, operations research technique that uses linear programming to determine the technical efficiency of an entity based on its relative usage of resources in producing the outcome. Retrospective cohort study. Critical care fellows (n = 15) in an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited fellowship at a major academic medical center in the United States. After obtaining institutional review board approval for this retrospective study, we analyzed the data of 15 anesthesiology critical care fellows from academic years 2013-2015. The input-oriented DEA model develops a composite score for each fellow based on multiple inputs and outputs. The inputs included the didactic sessions attended, the ratio of clinical duty works hours to the procedures performed (work intensity index), and the outputs were the Multidisciplinary Critical Care Knowledge Assessment Program (MCCKAP) score and summative evaluations of fellows. A DEA efficiency score that ranged from 0 to 1 was generated for each of the fellows. Five fellows were rated as DEA efficient, and 10 fellows were characterized in the DEA inefficient group. The model was able to forecast the level of effort needed for each inefficient fellow, to achieve similar outputs as their best performing peers. The model also identified the work intensity index as the key element that characterized the best performers in our fellowship. DEA is a feasible method of objectively evaluating peer performance in a critical care fellowship beyond summative evaluations alone and can potentially be a powerful tool to guide individual performance during the fellowship.

Ethical budgets: a critical success factor in implementing new public management accountability in health care.

PubMed

Bosa, Iris M

2010-05-01

New public management accountability is increasingly being introduced into health-care systems throughout the world - albeit with mixed success. This paper examines the successful introduction of new management accounting systems among general practitioners (GPs) as an aspect of reform in the Italian health-care system. In particular, the study examines the critical role played by the novel concept of an 'ethical budget' in engaging the willing cooperation of the medical profession in implementing change. Utilizing a qualitative research design, with in-depth interviews with GPs, hospital doctors and managers, along with archival analysis, the present study finds that management accounting can be successfully implemented among medical professionals provided there is alignment between the management imperative and the ethical framework in which doctors practise their profession. The concept of an 'ethical budget' has been shown to be an innovative and effective tool in achieving this alignment.

Identifying Successful Learners from Interaction Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCuaig, Judi; Baldwin, Julia

2012-01-01

The interaction behaviours of successful, high-achieving learners when using a Learning Management System (LMS) are different than the behaviours of learners who are having more difficulty mastering the course material. This paper explores the idea that conventional Learning Management Systems can exploit data mining techniques to predict the…

Identifying the Critical Time Period for Information Extraction when Recognizing Sequences of Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North, Jamie S.; Williams, A. Mark

2008-01-01

The authors attempted to determine the critical time period for information extraction when recognizing play sequences in soccer. Although efforts have been made to identify the perceptual information underpinning such decisions, no researchers have attempted to determine "when" this information may be extracted from the display. The authors…

Critical Success Factors for Lean Thinking in the Application of Industrialised Building System (IBS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yunus, Riduan; Noor, Siti Rahimah Mohd; Halid Abdullah, Abd; Nagapan, Sasitharan; Hamid, Abdul Rahim Abdul; Tajudin, Saiful Azhar Ahmad; Rohani Mat Jusof, Siti

2017-08-01

Productivity in the manufacturing process of building components can be increased by optimising each advantage that is available in each activity. Identification of critical success factors (CSFs) for lean thinking in the Industrialised Building System (IBS) will be able to minimise cost and reduce time needed to complete a project. The focus of lean thinking in construction is on the production process and the client’s requirement. In developing countries such as Malaysia, the integration of lean thinking in IBS applications is still low and there is a shortage of comprehensive strategies to integrate lean thinking. As key stakeholders, feedback from contractors, manufacturers, developers and the local authority will be able to help the identification of CSFs in integrating lean thinking in IBS applications. The data was collected through a questionnaire survey and analysed quantitatively. There are 31 CSFs for lean thinking in IBS which have been identified in this study. A conceptual model was developed to assist researchers in investigating the influences of CSFs for lean thinking in IBS applications. This study will assist construction players to improvise their manufacturing process in the implementation of IBS to eliminate unnecessary activities and focus instead on significant processes without generating physical and non-physical waste.

Identifying critical issues in recreation planning and management: improving the management-research partnership

Treesearch

John H. Schomaker; David W. Lime

1988-01-01

The "nominal group" process is a proven technique to systematically arrive at a consensus about critical information needs in recreation planning and management. Using this process, 41 managers who attended a 1983 conference on river management identified 114 specific information needs grouped under 11 general questions. Clearly, some concerns of...

Examination of the relationship between project management critical success factors and project success of oil and gas drilling projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alagba, Tonye J.

Oil and gas drilling projects are the primary means by which oil companies recover large volumes of commercially available hydrocarbons from deep reservoirs. These types of projects are complex in nature, involving management of multiple stakeholder interfaces, multidisciplinary personnel, complex contractor relationships, and turbulent environmental and market conditions, necessitating the application of proven project management best practices and critical success factors (CSFs) to achieve success. Although there is some practitioner oriented literature on project management CSFs for drilling projects, none of these is based on empirical evidence, from research. In addition, the literature has reported alarming rates of oil and gas drilling project failure, which is attributable not to technical factors, but to failure of project management. The aim of this quantitative correlational study therefore, was to discover an empirically verified list of project management CSFs, which consistent application leads to successful implementation of oil and gas drilling projects. The study collected survey data online, from a random sample of 127 oil and gas drilling personnel who were members of LinkedIn's online community "Drilling Supervisors, Managers, and Engineers". The results of the study indicated that 10 project management factors are individually related to project success of oil and gas drilling projects. These 10 CSFs are namely; Project mission, Top management support, Project schedule/plan, Client consultation, Personnel, Technical tasks, Client acceptance, Monitoring and feedback, Communication, and Troubleshooting. In addition, the study found that the relationships between the 10 CSFs and drilling project success is unaffected by participant and project demographics---role of project personnel, and project location. The significance of these findings are both practical, and theoretical. Practically, application of an empirically verified CSFs list to oil

Memory destabilization is critical for the success of the reactivation-extinction procedure.

PubMed

Piñeyro, Marcelo E; Ferrer Monti, Roque I; Alfei, Joaquín M; Bueno, Adrián M; Urcelay, Gonzalo P

2013-12-18

It has been suggested that, unlike pure extinction which typically results in the return of the fear response under a variety of circumstances, memory reactivation followed by extinction can attenuate the reemergence of conditioned fear. The reactivation-extinction procedure has attracted the attention of basic and clinical researchers due to its potential clinical value for the treatment of psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety and drug abuse disorders. However, mixed results have been achieved so far in replicating and understanding this paradigm. It has been proposed that memory destabilization could be critical in this sense. Using contextual fear conditioning in rats and midazolam as an amnesic agent, we first determined what reactivation conditions are necessary to destabilize the mnemonic trace. After establishing the conditions for memory destabilization, a series of experiments was conducted to determine if destabilization is critical for the success of the reactivation-extinction procedure. Data confirmed the importance of memory destabilization prior to extinction inside the reconsolidation window to attenuate spontaneous recovery and retard reacquisition of conditioned fear. The present report offers a candidate explanation of the discrepancy in results obtained with the reactivation-extinction procedure by different laboratories.

Memory destabilization is critical for the success of the reactivation–extinction procedure

PubMed Central

Piñeyro, Marcelo E.; Ferrer Monti, Roque I.; Alfei, Joaquín M.; Bueno, Adrián M.; Urcelay, Gonzalo P.

2014-01-01

It has been suggested that, unlike pure extinction which typically results in the return of the fear response under a variety of circumstances, memory reactivation followed by extinction can attenuate the reemergence of conditioned fear. The reactivation–extinction procedure has attracted the attention of basic and clinical researchers due to its potential clinical value for the treatment of psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety and drug abuse disorders. However, mixed results have been achieved so far in replicating and understanding this paradigm. It has been proposed that memory destabilization could be critical in this sense. Using contextual fear conditioning in rats and midazolam as an amnesic agent, we first determined what reactivation conditions are necessary to destabilize the mnemonic trace. After establishing the conditions for memory destabilization, a series of experiments was conducted to determine if destabilization is critical for the success of the reactivation–extinction procedure. Data confirmed the importance of memory destabilization prior to extinction inside the reconsolidation window to attenuate spontaneous recovery and retard reacquisition of conditioned fear. The present report offers a candidate explanation of the discrepancy in results obtained with the reactivation–extinction procedure by different laboratories. PMID:24353292

Periodontal and periimplant maintenance: a critical factor in long-term treatment success.

PubMed

Shumaker, Nicholas D; Metcalf, Brett T; Toscano, Nicholas T; Holtzclaw, Dan J

2009-09-01

Periodontal maintenance (PM) is a critical factor in the long-term success of both periodontal and dental implant therapy. Studies have shown both modern periodontal and dental implant therapies are effective in maintaining natural teeth and replacing lost teeth, respectively. However, without a regular program of clinical reevaluation, plaque control, oral hygiene instruction, and reassessment of biomechanical factors, the benefits of treatment often are lost and inflammatory disease in the form of recurrent periodontitis or periimplantitis may result. This article reviews the goals, types, and appropriate frequency of PM in periodontal and dental implant therapy, as well as the incidence and etiology of periimplant disease and strategies for management when recurrent disease develops during the maintenance phase of treatment.

Content validity of critical success factors for e-Government implementation in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Napitupulu, D.; Syafrullah, M.; Rahim, R.; Amar, A.; Sucahyo, YG

2018-05-01

The purpose of this research is to validate the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of e-Government implementation in Indonesia. The e-Government initiative conducted only to obey the regulation but ignoring the quality. Defining CSFs will help government agencies to avoid failure of e-Government projects. A survey with the questionnaire was used to validate the item of CSF based on expert judgment through two round of Delphi. The result showed from 67 subjects in instrument tested; there are 11 invalid items deleted and remain only 56 items that had good content validity and internal reliability. Therefore, all 56 CSFs should be adopted by government agencies in Indonesia to support e-Government implementation.

Leptospirosis Outbreaks in Nicaragua: Identifying Critical Areas and Exploring Drivers for Evidence-Based Planning

PubMed Central

Schneider, Maria Cristina; Nájera, Patricia; Aldighieri, Sylvain; Bacallao, Jorge; Soto, Aida; Marquiño, Wilmer; Altamirano, Lesbia; Saenz, Carlos; Marin, Jesus; Jimenez, Eduardo; Moynihan, Matthew; Espinal, Marcos

2012-01-01

Leptospirosis is an epidemic-prone zoonotic disease that occurs worldwide. In Central America, leptospirosis outbreaks have been reported in almost all countries; Nicaragua in particular has faced several outbreaks. The objective of this study was to stratify the risk and identify “critical areas” for leptospirosis outbreaks in Nicaragua, and to perform an exploratory analysis of potential “drivers”. This ecological study includes the entire country (153 municipalities). Cases from 2004 to 2010 were obtained from the country’s health information system, demographic and socioeconomic variables from its Census, and environmental data from external sources. Criteria for risk stratification of leptospirosis were defined. Nicaragua reported 1,980 cases of leptospirosis during this period, with the highest percentage of cases (26.36%) in León, followed by Chinandega (15.35%). Among the 153 municipalities, 48 were considered critical areas, 85 were endemic and 20 silent. Using spatial and statistical analysis, the variable presenting the most evident pattern of association with critical areas defined by top quintile of incidence rate is the percentage of municipal surface occupied by the soil combination of cambisol (over pyroclastic and lava bedrock) and andosol (over a volcanic ashes foundation). Precipitation and percentage of rural population are also associated with critical areas. This methodology and findings could be used for Nicaragua’s Leptospirosis Intersectoral Plan, and to identify possible risk areas in other countries with similar drivers. PMID:23202822

Think Like a Nurse: A Critical Thinking Initiative.

PubMed

Ward, Terry D; Morris, Tiffany

2016-01-01

Critical thinking is essential in the practice of the nurse generalist, today. Nursing faculty is frequently trying to identify teaching strategies in promoting critical thinking and engaging students in active learning. To close the gap between critical thinking and student success, a school in the south east United States implemented the use of the 'think like a nurse initiative" for incoming junior nursing students. Faculty collaborated to adopt the fundamental and essential nursing concepts for nursing students to support thinking like a nurse.

Identifying Perceptions That Contribute to the Development of Successful Project Lead the Way Pre-Engineering Programs in Utah

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMullin, Keith

2013-01-01

Many secondary schools in Utah have adopted the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) pre-engineering program. Little research has been conducted in Utah to show how successful these programs are or what factors are perceived to contribute to that success. This research is about defining PLTW program success and identifying factors perceived to improve…

Critical Thinking as Miracle Tonic: Selling Snake Oil in Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyslop-Margison, Emery J.

This paper proposes that the current interest in critical thinking is based on important conceptual, epistemological, and procedural confusions. It suggests that the attempt to identify a successful critical thinking construct mirrors the search for miracle tonics often peddled by snake oil salesmen as a medicinal cure-all. It goes to suggest that…

Identifying Successful Advancement Approaches in Four Catholic Universities: The Effectiveness of the Four Advancement Models of Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonglia, Jean-Pierre K.

2010-01-01

The current longitudinal study of the most successful Catholic universities in the United States identifies the prevalence of four advancement models of communication that have contributed to make those institutions successful in their philanthropic efforts. While research by Grunig and Kelly maintained that the two-way symmetrical model of…

Health information exchange implementation: lessons learned and critical success factors from a case study.

PubMed

Feldman, Sue S; Schooley, Benjamin L; Bhavsar, Grishma P

2014-08-15

Much attention has been given to the proposition that the exchange of health information as an act, and health information exchange (HIE), as an entity, are critical components of a framework for health care change, yet little has been studied to understand the value proposition of implementing HIE with a statewide HIE. Such an organization facilitates the exchange of health information across disparate systems, thus following patients as they move across different care settings and encounters, whether or not they share an organizational affiliation. A sociotechnical systems approach and an interorganizational systems framework were used to examine implementation of a health system electronic medical record (EMR) system onto a statewide HIE, under a cooperative agreement with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and its collaborating organizations. The objective of the study was to focus on the implementation of a health system onto a statewide HIE; provide insight into the technical, organizational, and governance aspects of a large private health system and the Virginia statewide HIE (organizations with the shared goal of exchanging health information); and to understand the organizational motivations and value propositions apparent during HIE implementation. We used a formative evaluation methodology to investigate the first implementation of a health system onto the statewide HIE. Qualitative methods (direct observation, 36 hours), informal information gathering, semistructured interviews (N=12), and document analysis were used to gather data between August 12, 2012 and June 24, 2013. Derived from sociotechnical concepts, a Blended Value Collaboration Enactment Framework guided the data gathering and analysis to understand organizational stakeholders' perspectives across technical, organizational, and governance dimensions. Several challenges, successes, and lessons learned during the implementation of a health system to the

Health Information Exchange Implementation: Lessons Learned and Critical Success Factors From a Case Study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Much attention has been given to the proposition that the exchange of health information as an act, and health information exchange (HIE), as an entity, are critical components of a framework for health care change, yet little has been studied to understand the value proposition of implementing HIE with a statewide HIE. Such an organization facilitates the exchange of health information across disparate systems, thus following patients as they move across different care settings and encounters, whether or not they share an organizational affiliation. A sociotechnical systems approach and an interorganizational systems framework were used to examine implementation of a health system electronic medical record (EMR) system onto a statewide HIE, under a cooperative agreement with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and its collaborating organizations. Objective The objective of the study was to focus on the implementation of a health system onto a statewide HIE; provide insight into the technical, organizational, and governance aspects of a large private health system and the Virginia statewide HIE (organizations with the shared goal of exchanging health information); and to understand the organizational motivations and value propositions apparent during HIE implementation. Methods We used a formative evaluation methodology to investigate the first implementation of a health system onto the statewide HIE. Qualitative methods (direct observation, 36 hours), informal information gathering, semistructured interviews (N=12), and document analysis were used to gather data between August 12, 2012 and June 24, 2013. Derived from sociotechnical concepts, a Blended Value Collaboration Enactment Framework guided the data gathering and analysis to understand organizational stakeholders’ perspectives across technical, organizational, and governance dimensions. Results Several challenges, successes, and lessons learned during the

Successful strategies for recruitment of emergency medical volunteers.

PubMed

Hasselmann, Anne Rinchiuso

2013-06-01

A robust medical volunteer program is critical to ensuring a successful response to public health and medical emergencies. The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene created the NYC Medical Reserve Corps in 2003 to build a multidisciplinary team of health professionals who wish to assist NYC with response during large-scale health emergencies. This article reports on the search to determine which recruitment activities have been most successful to date, with the goal of modeling future activities upon those that worked best. A retrospective review of effectiveness of recruitment strategies to identify and register new NYC Medical Reserve Corps volunteers was undertaken. A broad range of recruitment activities have been implemented since the program's inception, with varying degrees of success. Various recruitment modalities were tried, including direct invitations to licensed professionals by the NYC Health Commissioner and announcements through professional organization partners. The direct invitation by the NYC Health Commissioner to health professionals licensed in 1 of the 5 boroughs of NYC has proved to be the most successful recruitment tool to date. The local health commissioner or other trusted community figure is an excellent messenger for recruiting emergency volunteers. It is also critical that recruitment messages reach as many potential volunteers as possible to ensure that the requisite number of volunteers and mix of professional disciplines are identified.

A review of the alpha-1 foundation: its formation, impact, and critical success factors.

PubMed

Walsh, John W; Snider, Gordon L; Stoller, James K

2006-05-01

Patient-advocacy organizations have proliferated because they can be an effective method to advance research and clinical care for those with the index condition, and can produce substantial benefits for the affected community, especially when the condition is uncommon. To clarify critical success factors in organizing a patient-advocacy organization and to provide a blueprint for others, including the respiratory-care advocacy community, this report examines features of one highly successful organization, the Alpha-1 Foundation, which is committed to helping those with the genetic condition alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Features of the Alpha-1 Foundation that underlie its success include: consistently creating partnerships with key stakeholders, including the scientific and clinical communities, government, and pharmaceutical manufacturers; bringing passion to the cause (eg, by assuring that organizational leadership is provided by individuals affected by alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency); and developing strategic business partnerships, as with a company that administers alpha-1 antitrypsin treatment (so-called intravenous augmentation therapy) and employs individuals with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Funds allocated by the company help to underwrite the foundation's research-funding commitment. The foundation also recruits and retains talent, including alpha-1 patients, to leadership roles (eg, on the board of directors) and has a voluntary group of committed scientists and clinicians. We believe that attention to these factors can help assure the success of patient-advocacy groups.

Critical Success Factors for an Effective Security Risk Management Program in an Organization: An Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zafar, Humayun

2010-01-01

This study investigates differences in perception between layers of management (executive, middle, and lower) and staff with regard to the influence of critical success factors (CSFs) on security risk management (SRM) effectiveness. This is an in-depth case study conducted at a Fortune 500 company. Rockart's (1979) CSF method is modified through…

Successful hazard analysis critical control point implementation in the United Kingdom: understanding the barriers through the use of a behavioral adherence model.

PubMed

Gilling, S J; Taylor, E A; Kane, K; Taylor, J Z

2001-05-01

Hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP), a system of risk management designed to control food safety, has emerged over the last decade as the primary approach to securing the safety of the food supply. It is thus an important tool in combatting the worldwide escalation of foodborne disease. Yet despite wide dissemination and scientific support of its principles, successful HACCP implementation has been limited. This report takes a psychological approach to this problem by examining processes and factors that could impede adherence to the internationally accepted HACCP Guidelines and subsequent successful implementation of HACCP. Utilizing knowledge of medical clinical guideline adherence models and practical experience of HACCP implementation problems, the potential advantages of applying a behavioral model to food safety management are highlighted. The models' applicability was investigated using telephone interviews from over 200 businesses in the United Kingdom. Eleven key barriers to HACCP guideline adherence were identified. In-depth narrative interviews with food business proprietors then confirmed these findings and demonstrated the subsequent negative effect(s) on HACCP implementation. A resultant HACCP awareness to adherence model is proposed that demonstrates the complex range of potential knowledge, attitude, and behavior-related barriers involved in failures of HACCP guideline adherence. The model's specificity and detail provide a tool whereby problems can be identified and located and in this way facilitate tailored and constructive intervention. It is suggested that further investigation into the barriers involved and how to overcome them would be of substantial benefit to successful HACCP implementation and thereby contribute to an overall improvement in public health.

Change management and clinical engagement: critical elements for a successful clinical information system implementation.

PubMed

Detwiller, Maureen; Petillion, Wendy

2014-06-01

Moving a large healthcare organization from an old, nonstandardized clinical information system to a new user-friendly, standards-based system was much more than an upgrade to technology. This project to standardize terminology, optimize key processes, and implement a new clinical information system was a large change initiative over 4 years that affected clinicians across the organization. Effective change management and engagement of clinical stakeholders were critical to the success of the initiative. The focus of this article was to outline the strategies and methodologies used and the lessons learned.

Executive Beliefs About the Critical Success Factors In Defining, Designing, Developing and Delivering e-Learning For Adult Professional Development in Corporations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Ann W.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of what e-Learning executives believe are the critical success factors for companies to successfully deliver training and education over the world-wide web. The study was a qualitative, multiple-case study design including in-depth, semi-structured interviews that incorporated verbal critical…

Advanced development and calibration of the network robustness index to identify critical road network links.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-05-31

In this research project, transportation flexibility and reliability concepts are extended and applied : to a new method for identifying the most critical links in a road network. Current transportation : management practices typically utilize locali...

Defining Advancement Career Paths and Succession Plans: Critical Human Capital Retention Strategies for High-Performing Advancement Divisions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Croteau, Jon Derek; Wolk, Holly Gordon

2010-01-01

There are many factors that can influence whether a highly talented staff member will build a career within an institution or use it as a stepping stone. This article defines and explores the notions of developing career paths and succession planning and why they are critical human capital investment strategies in retaining the highest performers…

Identifying Critical Thinking Styles to Enhance Volunteer Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gay, Keegan D.; Terry, Bryan; Lamm, Alexa J.

2015-01-01

Diversity in learning options can increase efficacy of volunteer development systems. The University of Florida Critical Thinking Inventory (UFCTI) is designed to explicate an individual's critical thinking style based upon a continuum from Seeking Information to Engagement. Static and interpretive materials are best used with individuals of a…

Critical Success Factors of Internet Shopping: The Case of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atchariyachanvanich, Kanokwan; Okada, Hitoshi; Sonehara, Noboru

This paper presents the results from a study conducted on the effect of differing factors on a customer's attitude towards using Internet shopping in Japan. The research model used was an extended version of the consumers' acceptance of virtual stores model with the addition of a new factor, need specificity, and a grouping of critical success factors based on their customer-centric and website-centric viewpoints sources. It examines how differences in the individual characteristics of customers affect the actual use of Internet shopping. According to an online questionnaire filled out by 1,215 online customers used to conduct a multiple regression analysis and a structural equation modeling analysis, the participant's gender, education level, innovativeness, net-orientation, and need specificity, which are the factors for the customer-centric viewpoints, have a positive impact on the actual use of Internet shopping. The implication also shows that Japanese online customers do not worry about the quality of service of Internet shopping, a factor in the website-centric viewpoint, as significantly as offline customers do.

The Future of Basic Science in Academic Surgery: Identifying Barriers to Success for Surgeon-scientists.

PubMed

Keswani, Sundeep G; Moles, Chad M; Morowitz, Michael; Zeh, Herbert; Kuo, John S; Levine, Matthew H; Cheng, Lily S; Hackam, David J; Ahuja, Nita; Goldstein, Allan M

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to examine the challenges confronting surgeons performing basic science research in today's academic surgery environment. Multiple studies have identified challenges confronting surgeon-scientists and impacting their ability to be successful. Although these threats have been known for decades, the downward trend in the number of successful surgeon-scientists continues. Clinical demands, funding challenges, and other factors play important roles, but a rigorous analysis of academic surgeons and their experiences regarding these issues has not previously been performed. An online survey was distributed to 2504 members of the Association for Academic Surgery and Society of University Surgeons to determine factors impacting success. Survey results were subjected to statistical analyses. We also reviewed publicly available data regarding funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH data revealed a 27% decline in the proportion of NIH funding to surgical departments relative to total NIH funding from 2007 to 2014. A total of 1033 (41%) members responded to our survey, making this the largest survey of academic surgeons to date. Surgeons most often cited the following factors as major impediments to pursuing basic investigation: pressure to be clinically productive, excessive administrative responsibilities, difficulty obtaining extramural funding, and desire for work-life balance. Surprisingly, a majority (68%) did not believe surgeons can be successful basic scientists in today's environment, including departmental leadership. We have identified important barriers that confront academic surgeons pursuing basic research and a perception that success in basic science may no longer be achievable. These barriers need to be addressed to ensure the continued development of future surgeon-scientists.

Supplement to a Methodology for Succession Planning for Technical Experts

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

Kirk, Bernadette Lugue; Cain, Ronald A.; Agreda, Carla L.

This report complements A Methodology for Succession Planning for Technical Experts (Ron Cain, Shaheen Dewji, Carla Agreda, Bernadette Kirk, July 2017), which describes a draft methodology for identifying and evaluating the loss of key technical skills at nuclear operations facilities. This report targets the methodology for identifying critical skills, and the methodology is tested through interviews with selected subject matter experts.

Examining Critical Thinking Skills in Family Medicine Residents.

PubMed

Ross, David; Schipper, Shirley; Westbury, Chris; Linh Banh, Hoan; Loeffler, Kim; Allan, G Michael; Ross, Shelley

2016-02-01

Our objective was to determine the relationship between critical thinking skills and objective measures of academic success in a family medicine residency program. This prospective observational cohort study was set in a large Canadian family medicine residency program. Intervention was the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), administered at three points in residency: upon entry, at mid-point, and at graduation. Results from the CCTST, Canadian Residency Matching Service file, and interview scores were compared to other measures of academic performance (Medical Colleges Admission Test [MCAT] and College of Family Physicians of Canada [CCFP] certification examination results). For participants (n=60), significant positive correlations were found between critical thinking skills and performance on tests of knowledge. For the MCAT, CCTST scores correlated positively with full scores (n=24, r=0.57) as well as with each section score (verbal reasoning: r=0.59; physical sciences: r=0.64; biological sciences: r=0.54). For CCFP examination, CCTST correlated reliably with both sections (n=49, orals: r=0.34; short answer: r=0.47). Additionally, CCTST was a better predictor of performance on the CCFP exam than was the interview score at selection into the residency program (Fisher's r-to-z test, z=2.25). Success on a critical thinking skills exam was found to predict success on family medicine certification examinations. Given that critical thinking skills appear to be stable throughout residency training, including an assessment of critical thinking in the selection process may help identify applicants more likely to be successful on final certification exam.

Determinants of HMO success: the case of Complete Health.

PubMed

Widra, L S; Fottler, M D

1992-01-01

The health maintenance organization (HMO) industry has experienced a variety of difficulties and criticisms in recent years. Various hybrid models have been proposed to alleviate these problems. This article presents an in-depth case study of factors associated with the success of one such hybrid: an individual practice association (IPA)-model HMO affiliated with an academic health center. The major success factors identified include the plan design/structure, the strategic orientation/practices, and the stakeholder management orientation practices.

Community Engagement for Reentry Success of Youth from Juvenile Justice: Challenges and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathur, Sarup R.; Clark, Heather Griller

2014-01-01

Based on our research over the past ten years, we have identified six evidence-based transition practices that are critical for promoting youth success after release from secure care. Success, however, also relies heavily on the engagement of community partners and stakeholders who receive these youth after release. To further understand the…

Understanding successful and unsuccessful landings of aerial maneuver variations in professional surfing.

PubMed

Forsyth, J R; Riddiford-Harland, D L; Whitting, J W; Sheppard, J M; Steele, J R

2018-05-01

Although performing aerial maneuvers can increase wave score and winning potential in competitive surfing, the critical features underlying successful aerial performance have not been systematically investigated. This study aimed to analyze highly skilled aerial maneuver performance and to identify the critical features associated with successful or unsuccessful landing. Using video recordings of the World Surf League's Championship Tour, every aerial performed during the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final heats from the 11 events in the 2015 season was viewed. From this, 121 aerials were identified with the Frontside Air (n = 15) and Frontside Air Reverse (n = 67) being selected to be qualitatively assessed. Using chi-squared analyses, a series of key critical features, including landing over the center of the surfboard (FS Air χ 2  = 14.00, FS Air Reverse χ 2  = 26.61; P < .001) and landing with the lead ankle in dorsiflexion (FS Air χ 2  = 3.90, FS Air Reverse χ 2  = 13.64; P < .05), were found to be associated with successful landings. These critical features help surfers land in a stable position, while maintaining contact with the surfboard. The results of this study provide coaches with evidence to adjust the technique of their athletes to improve their winning potential. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Success rates in smoking cessation: Psychological preparation plays a critical role and interacts with other factors such as psychoactive substances.

PubMed

Joly, Bertrand; Perriot, Jean; d'Athis, Philippe; Chazard, Emmanuel; Brousse, Georges; Quantin, Catherine

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with the results of smoking cessation attempts. Data were collected in Clermont-Ferrand from a smoking cessation clinic between 1999 and 2009 (1,361 patients). Smoking cessation was considered a success when patients were abstinent 6 months after the beginning of cessation. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate the association between abstinence and different factors. The significant factors were a history of depression (ORadjusted = 0.57, p = 0.003), state of depression at the initial consultation (ORa = 0.64, p = 0.005), other psychoactive substances (ORa = 0.52, p<0.0001), heart, lung and Ear-Nose-Throat diseases (ORa = 0.65, p = 0.005), age (ORa = 1.04, p<0.0001), the Richmond test (p<0.0001; when the patient's motivation went from insufficient to moderate, the frequency of abstinence was twice as high) and the Prochaska algorithm (p<0.0001; when the patient went from the 'pre-contemplation' to the 'contemplation' level, the frequency of success was four times higher). A high score in the Richmond test had a greater impact on success with increasing age (significant interaction: p = 0.01). In exclusive smokers, the contemplation level in the Prochaska algorithm was enough to obtain a satisfactory abstinence rate (65.5%) whereas among consumers of other psychoactive substances, it was necessary to reach the preparation level in the Prochaska algorithm to achieve a success rate greater than 50% (significant interaction: p = 0.02). The psychological preparation of the smoker plays a critical role. The management of smoking cessation must be personalized, especially for consumers of other psychoactive substances and/or smokers with a history of depression.

Survey of Professional Opinion on Critical Transition Skills for Adolescents and Young Adults Who Are Deaf.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bullis, Michael; Reiman, John W.

1989-01-01

Surveyed national sample of 307 professionals in relevant fields to obtain professional opinion on critical competencies necessary for deaf individuals to live and work successfully in the community. Findings identified 12 critical skills in employment and 10 critical skills in independent living. (Author/NB)

Critical factors for a successful astronomical research program in a developing country

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hearnshaw, John B.

I discuss the critical conditions for undertaking a successful research program in a developing country. There are many important factors, all or most of which have to be satisfied: funding, library holdings, computing access, Internet access (e-mail, WWW, ftp, telnet), collaboration with astronomers in developed countries, provision of proper offices for staff, supply of graduate students, access to travel for conferences, ability to publish in international journals, critical mass of researchers, access to a telescope (for observational astronomers), support from and interaction with national electronics, optics and precision engineering industries, a scientific culture backed by a national scientific academy, and lack of inter-institutional rivalry. I make a list of a total of 15 key factors and rank them in order of importance, and discuss the use of an astronomical research index (ARI) suitable for measuring the research potential of a given country or institution. I also discuss whether astronomers in developing countries in principle fare better in a university or in the environment of a government national observatory or research institution, and topics such as the effect of the cost of page charges and journal subscriptions on developing countries. Finally I present some statistics on astronomy in developing countries and relate the numbers of astronomers to the size of the economy and population in each country.

Identifying driving gene clusters in complex diseases through critical transition theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolanyk, Nathaniel; Wang, Xujing; Hessner, Martin; Gao, Shouguo; Chen, Ye; Jia, Shuang

A novel approach of looking at the human body using critical transition theory has yielded positive results: clusters of genes that act in tandem to drive complex disease progression. This cluster of genes can be thought of as the first part of a large genetic force that pushes the body from a curable, but sick, point to an incurable diseased point through a catastrophic bifurcation. The data analyzed is time course microarray blood assay data of 7 high risk individuals for Type 1 Diabetes who progressed into a clinical onset, with an additional larger study requested to be presented at the conference. The normalized data is 25,000 genes strong, which were narrowed down based on statistical metrics, and finally a machine learning algorithm using critical transition metrics found the driving network. This approach was created to be repeatable across multiple complex diseases with only progression time course data needed so that it would be applicable to identifying when an individual is at risk of developing a complex disease. Thusly, preventative measures can be enacted, and in the longer term, offers a possible solution to prevent all Type 1 Diabetes.

Identifying the Strengths, Needs, and Barriers to Student Success for First Generation, Low-Income, First Year College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Linda A.

2013-01-01

This participatory action research needs assessment was to empower the students in a large urban research university to explore and to identify the strengths of the program, to identify the needs, and to identify the barriers to student success during their first year of college. Using qualitative methods of Group Level Interviews (GLA) and…

Critical Success Factor for Implementing Vocational Blended Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewi, K. C.; Ciptayani, P. I.; Surjono, H. D.; Priyanto

2018-01-01

Blended learning provides many benefits to the flexibility of time, place and situation constraints. The research’s objectives was describing the factors that determine the successful implementation of blended learning in vocational higher education. The research used a qualitative approach, data collected through observations and interviews by questionnare based on the CSFs indicators refers to TAM and Kliger. Data analysis was inductive method. The result provided an illustration that the success of vocational blended learning implementation was largely determined by the selection of instructional models that are inline with learning achievement target. The effectiveness of blended learning required the existence of policy support, readiness of IT infrastructure. Changing lecturer’s culture by utilizing ICT can also encourage the accelerated process of successful implementation. It can concluded that determinant factor of successful implementation of blended learning in vocational education is determined by teacher’s ability in mastering the pedagogical knowledge of designing instructional models.

Space tug propulsion system failure mode, effects and criticality analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyd, J. W.; Hardison, E. P.; Heard, C. B.; Orourke, J. C.; Osborne, F.; Wakefield, L. T.

1972-01-01

For purposes of the study, the propulsion system was considered as consisting of the following: (1) main engine system, (2) auxiliary propulsion system, (3) pneumatic system, (4) hydrogen feed, fill, drain and vent system, (5) oxygen feed, fill, drain and vent system, and (6) helium reentry purge system. Each component was critically examined to identify possible failure modes and the subsequent effect on mission success. Each space tug mission consists of three phases: launch to separation from shuttle, separation to redocking, and redocking to landing. The analysis considered the results of failure of a component during each phase of the mission. After the failure modes of each component were tabulated, those components whose failure would result in possible or certain loss of mission or inability to return the Tug to ground were identified as critical components and a criticality number determined for each. The criticality number of a component denotes the number of mission failures in one million missions due to the loss of that component. A total of 68 components were identified as critical with criticality numbers ranging from 1 to 2990.

Critical Thinking and Disposition Toward Critical Thinking Among Physical Therapy Students.

PubMed

Domenech, Manuel A; Watkins, Phillip

2015-01-01

Students who enter a physical therapist (PT) entry-level program with weak critical thinking skills may not be prepared to benefit from the educational training program or successfully engage in the future as a competent healthcare provider. Therefore, assessing PT students' entry-level critical thinking skills and/or disposition toward critical thinking may be beneficial to identifying students with poor, fair, or good critical thinking ability as one of the criteria used in the admissions process into a professional program. First-year students (n=71) from the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center completed the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI), and demographic survey during orientation to the DPT program. Three students were lost from the CCTST (n=68), and none lost from the CCTDI (n=71). Analysis indicated that the majority of students had a positive disposition toward critical thinking, yet the overall CCTST suggested that these students were somewhat below the national average. Also, individuals taking math and science prerequisites at the community-college level tended to have lower overall CCTST scores. The entering DPT class demonstrated moderate or middle range scores in critical thinking and disposition toward critical thinking. This result does not indicate, but might suggest, the potential for learning challenges. Assessing critical thinking skills as part of the admissions process may prove advantageous.

Assessment of Critical Thinking as a Predictor of Success in Completion of an Associate Degree Respiratory Care Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Fiona B.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between assessment of critical thinking as admission criteria as a predictor of success in the completion of an associate degree respiratory care program. The research site was a community college located in the southern United States. The sample included 176 students who completed Health…

Critical Factors Affecting the Success of Cloning, Expression, and Mass Production of Enzymes by Recombinant E. coli.

PubMed

Fakruddin, Md; Mohammad Mazumdar, Reaz; Bin Mannan, Khanjada Shahnewaj; Chowdhury, Abhijit; Hossain, Md Nur

2013-01-01

E. coli is the most frequently used host for production of enzymes and other proteins by recombinant DNA technology. E. coli is preferable for its relative simplicity, inexpensive and fast high-density cultivation, well-known genetics, and large number of compatible molecular tools available. Despite all these advantages, expression and production of recombinant enzymes are not always successful and often result in insoluble and nonfunctional proteins. There are many factors that affect the success of cloning, expression, and mass production of enzymes by recombinant E. coli. In this paper, these critical factors and approaches to overcome these obstacles are summarized focusing controlled expression of target protein/enzyme in an unmodified form at industrial level.

Critical laboratory value notification: a failure mode effects and criticality analysis.

PubMed

Saxena, Sunita; Kempf, Raymond; Wilcox, Susan; Shulman, Ira A; Wong, Louise; Cunningham, Glenn; Vega, Elaine; Hall, Stephanie

2005-09-01

The Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) was applied to improve the timeliness of reporting and the timeliness of receipt by the responsible licensed caregiver of critical laboratory values (CLVs) for outpatients and non-critical care inpatients. Through a risk prioritization process, the most important areas for improvement, including contacting the provider, assisting the provider in contacting the patient, and educating the provider in follow-up options available during off hours, were identified. A variety of systemic improvements were made; for example, the CLV notification process was centralized in the customer service center, with databases to help providers select options and make arrangements for follow-up care and an electronic abstract form to document the CLV notification process. Review of documentation and appropriateness of CLV follow-up care was integrated into the quality monitoring process to detect any variations or problems. The average CLV notification time for the month steadily declined during an eight-month period. Compliance was 100% for the "read-back" requirement and documentation in patient's health record. This proactive risk assessment project successfully modified the CLV notification program from a high- to a low-risk process, identified activities to further improve the process, and helped ensure compliance with a variety of requirements.

Innovative Classroom Strategies That Prepare College Graduates for Workplace Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rateau, Richard J.; Kaufman, Eric K.; Cletzer, D. Adam

2015-01-01

In our increasingly competitive and rapidly changing world, it is critical that college graduates enter the workforce with the requisite skills for lasting success. However, recent studies suggest employers increasingly identify a workforce readiness gap in core applied skills, which must be bridged by company investment. Teaching strategies that…

Evaluation as a critical factor of success in local public health accreditation programs.

PubMed

Tremain, Beverly; Davis, Mary; Joly, Brenda; Edgar, Mark; Kushion, Mary L; Schmidt, Rita

2007-01-01

This article presents the variety of approaches used to conduct evaluations of performance improvement or accreditation systems, while illustrating the complexity of conducting evaluations to inform local public health practice. We, in addition, hope to inform the Exploring Accreditation Program about relevant experiences involving accreditation and performance assessment processes, specifically evaluation, as it debates and discusses a national voluntary model. A background of each state is given. To further explore these issues, interviews were conducted with each state's evaluator to gain more in-depth information on the many different evaluation strategies and approaches used. On the basis of the interviews, the authors provide several overall themes, which suggest that evaluation is a critical tool and success factor for performance assessment or accreditation programs.

An evaluation of the critical care assistant role within an acute NHS Trust Critical Care Unit.

PubMed

McGloin, Sarah; Knowles, Judie

2005-01-01

This study provides an evaluation of a training programme designed for developing six critical care assistants to work alongside registered nurses to care for patients within the critical care environment. The programme was run as a pilot funded from the Department of Health's 'critical care bid'. At 18 months long, the programme incorporated a foundation programme, and National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 3 in care and adapted Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) NVQ units. Six critical care assistants successfully completed the programme; however, they all then left the unit to undertake further study for pre-registration nursing qualifications. Upon evaluation, a number of key issues were identified. Clear definition of the critical care assistants's role is essential as are dedicated practice development staff, who focus purely on developing the critical care assistant role. More importantly, however, with such key changes in the staffing structure within critical care units, appropriate change management techniques should be employed, ensuring that all staff contributing to the training and development are fully involved from the start.

Identifying the critical physical demanding tasks of paramedic work: Towards the development of a physical employment standard.

PubMed

Fischer, Steven L; Sinden, Kathryn E; MacPhee, Renee S

2017-11-01

Public safety related occupations including police, fire and military commonly apply physical employment standard (PES) to facilitate job matching, an approach to evaluate if candidates demonstrate acceptable physical capabilities as required to perform the job safely and effectively. In Canada, paramedics remain as one of the few public safety occupations without an evidence-based, validated PES. The purpose of this study was to document and describe the physical demands of paramedic work and to identify the most physically demanding tasks. These outcomes are essential to inform the design and development of an evidence-based PES for the paramedic sector. Physical demands of paramedic work were documented and described using a direct observation-based task analysis technique. Five paramedic's were trained to document the physical demands of their work, then applied their training to observe more than 90 calls over the course of 20 full 12-h work shifts. Physical demands data were then listed in a survey, administered service-wide, where 155 frontline paramedics identified critically demanding tasks and rank-ordered physical demands from not physically demanding to very strongly demanding. Critically important and physically demanding tasks were identified such as: transferring a patient; loading or unloading a stretcher in to or out of the ambulance; performing CPR; and, raising and lowering a stretcher. It is important that a paramedic-based PES evaluate a candidate's physical capabilities to perform the critical and physically demanding tasks identified in this study. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOCOLS TO IDENTIFY CRITICAL ECOSYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

Healthy, functioning ecosystems are critical to the sustainability of human and natural communities, but the identification of areas of healthy ecosystems in an area as large as Region 5 is difficult due to time and information constraints. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) a...

Multisociety Task Force for Critical Care Research

PubMed Central

Deutschman, Clifford S.; Ahrens, Tom; Cairns, Charles B.; Sessler, Curtis N.

2012-01-01

Background: Research in critical care extends from the bench to the bedside, involving multiple departments, specialties, and funding organizations. Because of this diversity, it has been difficult for all stakeholders to collectively identify challenges and establish priorities. Objective: To define a comprehensive agenda for critical care research using input from a broad range of stakeholders to serve as a blueprint for future initiatives. Methods: The Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC), consisting of the leadership of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), joined the US Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group (USCIITG) in forming a task force to define a comprehensive critical care research agenda. This group of 25 identified experts was divided into subgroups to address basic, translational, clinical, implementation, and educational research. The subgroups met via conference calls, and the entire task force met in person for a 2-day session. The result was a detailed discussion of the research priorities that served as the basis for this report. Results: The task force identified challenges, specific priority areas, and recommendations for process improvements to support critical care research. Additionally, four overarching themes emerged: 1) the traditional “silo-ed” approach to critical care research is counterproductive and should be modified; 2) an approach that more effectively links areas of research (ie, basic and translational research, or clinical research and implementation) should be embraced; 3) future approaches to human research should account for disease complexity and patient heterogeneity; and 4) an enhanced infrastructure for critical care research is essential for future success. Conclusions: This document contains the themes/recommendations developed by a large

The Critical Success Factors for School and Community (Joint Use) Libraries in New Zealand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Vivienne Kaye D.; Calvert, Philip J.

2007-01-01

Joint use libraries in New Zealand are generally found in the form of School and Community Libraries, primarily in rural areas, but there is little information available about their effectiveness or success. Research was undertaken by surveying all identified joint use libraries in New Zealand and then following this with detailed Case Studies of…

Barrier to Success: Community College Students Critical Thinking Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearson, Charlene V.

In 1991, a study was conducted using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (CTA) to determine how well students at Rancho Santiago College (RSC), a large, multicultural community institution in Santa Ana, California, demonstrated critical thinking abilities. Written at the ninth grade reading level, the CTA attempts to assess an…

Critical Success Factors in the Curriculum Alignment Process: The Case of the College of Business at Abu Dhabi University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camba, Pitzel; Krotov, Vlad

2015-01-01

The main goals of this article are to (a) assist business schools in understanding the curriculum alignment process, and (b) uncover critical success factors in curriculum alignment. Based on a case study conducted at the College of Business at Abu Dhabi University, a detailed curriculum alignment process description is provided. The process…

Stakeholders Perspectives on the Success Drivers in Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme - Identifying Policy Translation Issues.

PubMed

Fusheini, Adam; Marnoch, Gordon; Gray, Ann Marie

2016-10-01

Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), established by an Act of Parliament (Act 650), in 2003 and since replaced by Act 852 of 2012 remains, in African terms, unprecedented in terms of growth and coverage. As a result, the scheme has received praise for its associated legal reforms, clinical audit mechanisms and for serving as a hub for knowledge sharing and learning within the context of South-South cooperation. The scheme continues to shape national health insurance thinking in Africa. While the success, especially in coverage and financial access has been highlighted by many authors, insufficient attention has been paid to critical and context-specific factors. This paper seeks to fill that gap. Based on an empirical qualitative case study of stakeholders' views on challenges and success factors in four mutual schemes (district offices) located in two regions of Ghana, the study uses the concept of policy translation to assess whether the Ghana scheme could provide useful lessons to other African and developing countries in their quest to implement social/NHISs. In the study, interviewees referred to both 'hard and soft' elements as driving the "success" of the Ghana scheme. The main 'hard elements' include bureaucratic and legal enforcement capacities; IT; financing; governance, administration and management; regulating membership of the scheme; and service provision and coverage capabilities. The 'soft' elements identified relate to: the background/context of the health insurance scheme; innovative ways of funding the NHIS, the hybrid nature of the Ghana scheme; political will, commitment by government, stakeholders and public cooperation; social structure of Ghana (solidarity); and ownership and participation. Other developing countries can expect to translate rather than re-assemble a national health insurance programme in an incomplete and highly modified form over a period of years, amounting to a process best conceived as germination as opposed

Development of an Instrument to Measure Student Use of Academic Success Skills: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carey, John; Brigman, Greg; Webb, Linda; Villares, Elizabeth; Harrington, Karen

2014-01-01

This article describes the development of the Student Engagement in School Success Skills instrument including item development and exploratory factor analysis. The instrument was developed to measure student use of the skills and strategies identified as most critical for long-term school success that are typically taught by school counselors.

Field Test of the Methodology for Succession Planning for Technical Experts

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

Cain, Ronald A.; Kirk, Bernadette Lugue; Agreda, Carla L.

This report complements A Methodology for Succession Planning for Technical Experts (Ron Cain, Shaheen Dewji, Carla Agreda, Bernadette Kirk, July 2017), which describes a methodology for identifying and evaluating the loss of key technical skills at nuclear operations facilities. This report targets the methodology for identifying critical skills, hereafter referred to as “core competencies”. The methodology has been field tested by interviewing selected retiring subject matter experts (SMEs).

Identifying a breeding habitat of a critically endangered fish, Acheilognathus typus, in a natural river in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakata, Masayuki K.; Maki, Nobutaka; Sugiyama, Hideki; Minamoto, Toshifumi

2017-12-01

Freshwater biodiversity has been severely threatened in recent years, and to conserve endangered species, their distribution and breeding habitats need to be clarified. However, identifying breeding sites in a large area is generally difficult. Here, by combining the emerging environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis with subsequent traditional collection surveys, we successfully identified a breeding habitat for the critically endangered freshwater fish Acheilognathus typus in the mainstream of Omono River in Akita Prefecture, Japan, which is one of the original habitats of this species. Based on DNA cytochrome B sequences of A. typus and closely related species, we developed species-specific primers and a probe that were used in real-time PCR for detecting A. typus eDNA. After verifying the specificity and applicability of the primers and probe on water samples from known artificial habitats, eDNA analysis was applied to water samples collected at 99 sites along Omono River. Two of the samples were positive for A. typus eDNA, and thus, small fixed nets and bottle traps were set out to capture adult fish and verify egg deposition in bivalves (the preferred breeding substrate for A. typus) in the corresponding regions. Mature female and male individuals and bivalves containing laid eggs were collected at one of the eDNA-positive sites. This was the first record of adult A. typus in Omono River in 11 years. This study highlights the value of eDNA analysis to guide conventional monitoring surveys and shows that combining both methods can provide important information on breeding sites that is essential for species' conservation.

Identifying a breeding habitat of a critically endangered fish, Acheilognathus typus, in a natural river in Japan.

PubMed

Sakata, Masayuki K; Maki, Nobutaka; Sugiyama, Hideki; Minamoto, Toshifumi

2017-11-14

Freshwater biodiversity has been severely threatened in recent years, and to conserve endangered species, their distribution and breeding habitats need to be clarified. However, identifying breeding sites in a large area is generally difficult. Here, by combining the emerging environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis with subsequent traditional collection surveys, we successfully identified a breeding habitat for the critically endangered freshwater fish Acheilognathus typus in the mainstream of Omono River in Akita Prefecture, Japan, which is one of the original habitats of this species. Based on DNA cytochrome B sequences of A. typus and closely related species, we developed species-specific primers and a probe that were used in real-time PCR for detecting A. typus eDNA. After verifying the specificity and applicability of the primers and probe on water samples from known artificial habitats, eDNA analysis was applied to water samples collected at 99 sites along Omono River. Two of the samples were positive for A. typus eDNA, and thus, small fixed nets and bottle traps were set out to capture adult fish and verify egg deposition in bivalves (the preferred breeding substrate for A. typus) in the corresponding regions. Mature female and male individuals and bivalves containing laid eggs were collected at one of the eDNA-positive sites. This was the first record of adult A. typus in Omono River in 11 years. This study highlights the value of eDNA analysis to guide conventional monitoring surveys and shows that combining both methods can provide important information on breeding sites that is essential for species' conservation.

Identifying factors associated with perceived success in the transition from hospital to home after brain injury.

PubMed

Nalder, Emily; Fleming, Jennifer; Foster, Michele; Cornwell, Petrea; Shields, Cassandra; Khan, Asad

2012-01-01

: To identify the factors associated with perceived success of the transition from hospital to home after traumatic brain injury (TBI). : Prospective longitudinal cohort design with data collection at discharge and 1, 3, and 6 months postdischarge. : A total of 127 individuals with TBI discharged to the community and 83 significant others. : An analog scale (0-100) of perceived success of the transition from hospital to home rated by individuals and significant others; Sentinel Events Questionnaire; EuroQol Group Quality-of-Life measure visual analog scale; Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Scale; Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory-4; short form of the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales; Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors; and Caregiver Strain Index. : Greater perceived success of transition for individuals with a TBI was associated with higher levels of health-related quality of life, level of community integration, and more severe injury. Among survivors, sentinel events such as returning to work and independent community access and changing living situation were associated with greater perceived success; financial strain and difficulty accessing therapy services were associated with less success. Among significant others, lower ratings of transition success were associated with higher significant other stress levels as well as lower levels of community integration and changes in the living situation of the individual with TBI. : A combination of sentinel events and personal and environmental factors influences the perceptions of individuals and their families regarding the success of the transition from hospital to home.

Successful outcomes of older adolescents and adults with profound biotinidase deficiency identified by newborn screening.

PubMed

Wolf, Barry

2017-04-01

We began screening newborns for biotinidase deficiency disorder in 1984, and now all states in the United States and many countries perform this screening. The purpose of this study was to determine the outcomes of older adolescent and adult individuals with the disorder identified by newborn screening. We located and surveyed, by questionnaire and telephone interviews, 44 individuals with profound biotinidase deficiency identified by newborn screening with a mean age of 23.1 years. All individuals had successfully completed high school, and many were attending or had completed college or graduate school. Compliance in using biotin has been excellent. Several individuals developed a variety of symptoms when they discontinued biotin for days or weeks. These features readily resolved when biotin was resumed. In addition, five treated women had nine uneventful pregnancies and deliveries. Newborn screening for profound biotinidase deficiency and early treatment with biotin result in excellent outcomes for older adolescents and adults with the disorder. In addition, mothers with profound biotinidase deficiency who were treated with biotin had pregnancies with good outcomes. These outcome results indicate that newborn screening for biotinidase deficiency is one of the most successful newborn screening programs.Genet Med 19 4, 396-402.

Pediatric injury prevention programs: Identifying markers for success and sustainability.

PubMed

Chaudhary, Sofia; Pomerantz, Wendy J; Miller, Beverly; Pan, Anqi; Agarwal, Maneesha

2017-11-01

Injury is the leading cause of death in children. Although many pediatric hospitals and trauma centers provide injury prevention (IP) programming, there is no national standard. This study aims to identify characteristics of a sustainable and successful IP program by querying programs affiliated with the Injury Free Coalition for Kids (IFCK). The IFCK sites were sent a 30-question survey via e-mail. Questions focused on demographics, scope of IP activities, self-efficacy, and outcome measures including finances, academic productivity, and legislative advocacy. Counts and frequencies were calculated and compared using χ tests. The survey was completed by 38 (90.4%) of 42 sites. The majority were associated with a freestanding children's hospital (57.9%) and Level I pediatric trauma center (86.8%). Most programs (79%) had at least one dedicated full-time equivalent (FTE) staff. Research was most common on child passenger safety and teen driving. Nearly 30% of programs offered educational curricula to health care providers; these sites were more likely to have FTE support (p = 0.036). Steady sources of funding were identified for 60.5% of programs, with 47.8% citing their hospital as the primary source; 73% of respondents were confident in their program's capacity to sustain activities; these were more likely to be larger programs (p = 0.001) with steady sources of funding (p < 0.001). Despite 73.7% of sites having academic affiliations, 60.5% had 5 or fewer publications over the previous 5 years. In the prior 2 years, 55.3% of programs impacted legislative or policy changes. Funding, size of program, and FTE had no statistical correlation with research productivity or number of legislative/policy contributions. This study characterizes the variation among pediatric IP programs within IFCK sites, while highlighting the association between financial and FTE support from programs' institutions with sustainable IP programming. These results can assist programs in

What Makes Critical Thinking Critical for Adult ESL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miekley, Joshua P.

2014-01-01

Critical-thinking skills help to prepare adult education students for a successful transition to college degree programs and for job advancement. Yet fostering critical thinking poses a challenge to ESL instructors. Brookfield (2012) provides a way forward for adult educators when he explains that the crux of critical thinking is to discover one's…

KM Critical Success Factors: A Comparison of Perceived Importance Versus Implementation in Malaysian ICT Companies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chong, Siong Choy

2006-01-01

Purpose: This research examines the level of perception and implementation of 11 identified knowledge management (KM) success factors and their differences among the information and communication technology (ICT) companies operating in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: The survey data was obtained from a study of 427 middle managers from 194…

The successful journal club.

PubMed

Stapleton, John J

2007-01-01

Journal club is a structured meeting that is required at a residency program, which is designated to train residents in the necessary skills to evaluate and apply scientific literature critically to clinical decision making. A successful journal club is one in which residents develop competency in evaluating the scientific literature for evidence-based answers that can be applied to clinical questions. The objective in establishing a successful journal club is to build a forum for residents to formulate answers to their clinical questions through the development of essential critical appraisal skills. This article discusses the setting, format, content, and purpose of a successful journal club.

Critical Pedagogy's Problem with Changing Teachers' Dispositions towards Critical Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neumann, Jacob W.

2013-01-01

Increasing teachers' dispositions towards critical teaching is a fundamental goal for critical pedagogy. Because critical educational change cannot occur without teachers' "buy-in," developing teachers' inclination to implement critical teaching into their classrooms is a prerequisite for any successful critical pedagogy…

Results from an exploratory study to identify the factors that contribute to success for UK medical device small- and medium-sized enterprises.

PubMed

Hourd, P C; Williams, D J

2008-07-01

This paper reports the results from an exploratory study that sets out to identify and compare the strategic approaches and patterns of business practice employed by 14 UK small- and medium-sized enterprises to achieve success in the medical device sector of the health-care industry. An interview-based survey was used to construct individual case studies of the medical device technology (MDT) companies. A cross-case analysis was performed to search for patterns and themes that cut across these individual cases. Exploratory results revealed the heterogeneity of MDT companies and the distinctive features of the MDT innovation process that emphasize the importance of a strategic approach for achieving milestones in the product development and exploitation process and for creating value for the company and its stakeholders. Recognizing the heterogeneity of MDT companies, these exploratory findings call for further investigation to understand better the influence of components of the MDT innovation process on the commercialization life cycle and value trajectory. This is required to assist start-up or spin-out MDT companies in the UK and worldwide to navigate the critical transitions that determine access to financial and consumer markets and enhance the potential to build a successful business. This will be important not only for bioscience-based companies but also for engineering-based companies aiming to convert their activities into medical devices and the health- and social-care market.

Characteristics Identified for Success by Restorative Dental Science Department Chairpersons.

PubMed

Wee, Alvin G; Weiss, Robert O; Wichman, Christopher S; Sukotjo, Cortino; Brundo, Gerald C

2016-03-01

The primary aim of this study was to determine the characteristics that current chairpersons in restorative dentistry, general dentistry, prosthodontics, and operative dentistry departments in U.S. dental schools feel are most relevant in contributing to their success. The secondary aim was to determine these individuals' rankings of the importance of a listed set of characteristics for them to be successful in their position. All 82 current chairs of the specified departments were invited to respond to an electronic survey. The survey first asked respondents to list the five most essential characteristics to serve as chair of a department and to rank those characteristics based on importance. Participants were next given a list of ten characteristics in the categories of management and leadership and, without being aware of the category of each individual item, asked to rank them in terms of importance for their success. A total of 39 chairpersons completed the survey (47.6% response rate; 83.3% male and 16.2% female). In section one, the respondents reported that leadership, vision, work ethic, integrity, communication, and organization were the most essential characteristics for their success. In section two, the respondents ranked the leadership characteristics as statistically more important than the management characteristics (p<0.0001) for being successful in their positions.

Review of teaching methods and critical thinking skills.

PubMed

Kowalczyk, Nina

2011-01-01

Critical information is needed to inform radiation science educators regarding successful critical thinking educational strategies. From an evidence-based research perspective, systematic reviews are identified as the most current and highest level of evidence. Analysis at this high level is crucial in analyzing those teaching methods most appropriate to the development of critical thinking skills. To conduct a systematic literature review to identify teaching methods that demonstrate a positive effect on the development of students' critical thinking skills and to identify how these teaching strategies can best translate to radiologic science educational programs. A comprehensive literature search was conducted resulting in an assessment of 59 full reports. Nineteen of the 59 reports met inclusion criteria and were reviewed based on the level of evidence presented. Inclusion criteria included studies conducted in the past 10 years on sample sizes of 20 or more individuals demonstrating use of specific teaching interventions for 5 to 36 months in postsecondary health-related educational programs. The majority of the research focused on problem-based learning (PBL) requiring standardized small-group activities. Six of the 19 studies focused on PBL and demonstrated significant differences in student critical thinking scores. PBL, as described in the nursing literature, is an effective teaching method that should be used in radiation science education. ©2011 by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists.

Stakeholders Perspectives on the Success Drivers in Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme – Identifying Policy Translation Issues

PubMed Central

Fusheini, Adam; Marnoch, Gordon; Gray, Ann Marie

2017-01-01

Background: Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), established by an Act of Parliament (Act 650), in 2003 and since replaced by Act 852 of 2012 remains, in African terms, unprecedented in terms of growth and coverage. As a result, the scheme has received praise for its associated legal reforms, clinical audit mechanisms and for serving as a hub for knowledge sharing and learning within the context of South-South cooperation. The scheme continues to shape national health insurance thinking in Africa. While the success, especially in coverage and financial access has been highlighted by many authors, insufficient attention has been paid to critical and context-specific factors. This paper seeks to fill that gap. Methods: Based on an empirical qualitative case study of stakeholders’ views on challenges and success factors in four mutual schemes (district offices) located in two regions of Ghana, the study uses the concept of policy translation to assess whether the Ghana scheme could provide useful lessons to other African and developing countries in their quest to implement social/NHISs. Results: In the study, interviewees referred to both ‘hard and soft’ elements as driving the "success" of the Ghana scheme. The main ‘hard elements’ include bureaucratic and legal enforcement capacities; IT; financing; governance, administration and management; regulating membership of the scheme; and service provision and coverage capabilities. The ‘soft’ elements identified relate to: the background/context of the health insurance scheme; innovative ways of funding the NHIS, the hybrid nature of the Ghana scheme; political will, commitment by government, stakeholders and public cooperation; social structure of Ghana (solidarity); and ownership and participation. Conclusion: Other developing countries can expect to translate rather than re-assemble a national health insurance programme in an incomplete and highly modified form over a period of years

Critical success factor (CSF) service delivery for tahfiz institution teaching & learning environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ridza, B. H.; Jalil, R. A.; Sipan, I.; Nukman, Y.

2017-11-01

The exceptional existence of tahfiz institutions (TI) by a government and the private sector in Malaysia indicates that tahfiz education at par to fill mainstream education. Nevertheless, the level of TI facilities management (FM) provided is unstandardized since its infrastructure and establishment is initiated by the varied background of TI organizer. Thus, the effectiveness of TI education system is immeasurable. The significance of this research is to explore the critical success factor (CSF) of service delivery for TI teaching and learning environment. This research adopts both qualitative and quantitative method through survey instrument in order to review and analyze to achieve the research goal. The findings showed several important criteria for a transformation of TI education teaching and learning environment such top management of TI needs to be more responsible in providing better FM practice to achieve efficiency of manpower in providing a conducive learning environment for students for producing excellent huffaz. Thus, TI education system needs to have clear standard guidelines in operating their activities in producing huffaz that capable implement Islamic knowledge to the development of the country.

Identifying Successful Practices to Overcome Access to Care Challenges in Community Health Centers

PubMed Central

Toscos, Tammy; Carpenter, Maria; Flanagan, Mindy; Kunjan, Kislaya; Doebbeling, Bradley N.

2018-01-01

Background: Despite health care access challenges among underserved populations, patients, providers, and staff at community health clinics (CHCs) have developed practices to overcome limited access. These “positive deviant” practices translate into organizational policies to improve health care access and patient experience. Objective: To identify effective practices to improve access to health care for low-income, uninsured or underinsured, and minority adults and their families. Participants: Seven CHC systems, involving over 40 clinics, distributed across one midwestern state in the United States. Methods: Ninety-two key informants, comprised of CHC patients (42%) and clinic staff (53%), participated in semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis to identify patient-centered solutions for managing access challenges to primary care for underserved populations. Transcripts were coded using qualitative analytic software. Results: Practices to improve access to care included addressing illiteracy and low health literacy, identifying cost-effective resources, expanding care offerings, enhancing the patient–provider relationship, and cultivating a culture of teamwork and customer service. Helping patients find the least expensive options for transportation, insurance, and medication was the most compelling patient-centered strategy. Appointment reminders and confirmation of patient plans for transportation to appointments reduced no-show rates. Conclusion: We identified nearly 35 practices for improving health care access. These were all patient-centric, uncovered by both clinic staff and patients who had successfully navigated the health care system to improve access. PMID:29552599

What are the critical success factors for team training in health care?

PubMed

Salas, Eduardo; Almeida, Sandra A; Salisbury, Mary; King, Heidi; Lazzara, Elizabeth H; Lyons, Rebecca; Wilson, Katherine A; Almeida, Paula A; McQuillan, Robert

2009-08-01

Ineffective communication among medical teams is a leading cause of preventable patient harm throughout the health care system. A growing body of literature indicates that medical teamwork improves the quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of health care delivery, and expectations for teamwork in health care have increased. Yet few health care professions' curricula include teamwork training, and few medical practices integrate teamwork principles. Because of this knowledge gap, growing numbers of health care systems are requiring staff to participate in formal teamwork training programs. Seven evidence-based, practical, systematic success factors for preparing, implementing, and sustaining a team training and performance improvement initiative were identified. Each success factor is accompanied by tips for deployment and a real-world example of application. (1) Align team training objectives and safety aims with organizational goals, (2) provide organizational support for the team training initiative, (3) get frontline care leaders on board, (4) prepare the environment and trainees for team training, (5) determine required resources and time commitment and ensure their availability, (6) facilitate application of trained teamwork skills on the job; and (7) measure the effectiveness of the team training program. Although decades of research in other high-risk organizations have clearly demonstrated that properly designed team training programs can improve team performance, success is highly dependent on organizational factors such as leadership support, learning climate, and commitment to data-driven change. Before engaging in a teamwork training initiative, health care organizations should have a clear understanding of these factors and the strategies for their establishment.

The Impact of Self-Concept and College Involvement on the First-Year Success of Medical Students in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Ying-Xue; Ou, Chun-Quan; Zhao, Zhi-Tao; Wan, Cheng-Song; Guo, Cui; Li, Li; Chen, Ping-Yan

2015-01-01

Students' first-year academic success plays a critical role on their overall development in college, which implies the need to concentrate on identifying ways to improve students' first-year academic success. Different from most research on the subject, this study attempted to combine the sociological perspective of college impact with a…

Identifying early-warning signals of critical transitions with strong noise by dynamical network markers

PubMed Central

Liu, Rui; Chen, Pei; Aihara, Kazuyuki; Chen, Luonan

2015-01-01

Identifying early-warning signals of a critical transition for a complex system is difficult, especially when the target system is constantly perturbed by big noise, which makes the traditional methods fail due to the strong fluctuations of the observed data. In this work, we show that the critical transition is not traditional state-transition but probability distribution-transition when the noise is not sufficiently small, which, however, is a ubiquitous case in real systems. We present a model-free computational method to detect the warning signals before such transitions. The key idea behind is a strategy: “making big noise smaller” by a distribution-embedding scheme, which transforms the data from the observed state-variables with big noise to their distribution-variables with small noise, and thus makes the traditional criteria effective because of the significantly reduced fluctuations. Specifically, increasing the dimension of the observed data by moment expansion that changes the system from state-dynamics to probability distribution-dynamics, we derive new data in a higher-dimensional space but with much smaller noise. Then, we develop a criterion based on the dynamical network marker (DNM) to signal the impending critical transition using the transformed higher-dimensional data. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of our method in biological, ecological and financial systems. PMID:26647650

Reimagining Critical Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rexhepi, Jevdet; Torres, Carlos Alberto

2011-01-01

This paper discusses Critical Theory, a model of theorizing in the field of the political sociology of education. We argue for a "reimagined" Critical Theory to herald an empowering, liberatory education that fosters curiosity and critical thinking, and a means for successful bottom-up, top-down political engagement. We present arguments…

Identifying Sociological Factors for the Success of Space Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lundquist, C. A.; Tarter, D.; Coleman, A.

Astrosociology factors relevant to success of future space exploration may best be identified through studies of sociological circumstances of past successful explorations, such as the Apollo-Lunar Missions. These studies benefit from access to primary records of the past programs. The Archives and Special Collections Division of the Salmon Library at the University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH) houses large collections of material from the early periods of the space age. The Huntsville campus of the University of Alabama System had its birth in the mid-1950s at the time when the von Braun rocket team was relocated from Texas to Huntsville. The University, the City of Huntsville and the US Government rocket organizations developed in parallel over subsequent years. As a result, the University has a significant space heritage and focus. This is true not only for the engineering and science disciplines, but also for the social sciences. The life of the University spans the period when Huntsville government and industrial organizations were responsible for producing the rocket vehicles to first take mankind to the Moon. That endeavor was surely as significant sociologically as technologically. In the 1980s, Donald E. Tarter, conducted a series of video interviews with some leading members of the original von Braun team. Although the interviews ranged over many engineering subjects, they also recorded personal features of people involved in the Apollo lunar exploration program and the interactions between these people. Such knowledge was of course an objective. These interviews are now in the collections of the UAH Library Archives, along with extensive documentation from the same period. Under sponsorship of the Archives and the NASA-Marshall Retiree Association, the interview series was restarted in 2006 to obtain comparable oral-history interviews with more than fifty US born members of the rocket team from the 1960s. Again these video interviews are rich with

Critical success factors for achieving superior m-health success.

PubMed

Dwivedi, A; Wickramasinghe, N; Bali, R K; Naguib, R N G

2007-01-01

Recent healthcare trends clearly show significant investment by healthcare institutions into various types of wired and wireless technologies to facilitate and support superior healthcare delivery. This trend has been spurred by the shift in the concept and growing importance of the role of health information and the influence of fields such as bio-informatics, biomedical and genetic engineering. The demand is currently for integrated healthcare information systems; however for such initiatives to be successful it is necessary to adopt a macro model and appropriate methodology with respect to wireless initiatives. The key contribution of this paper is the presentation of one such integrative model for mobile health (m-health) known as the Wi-INET Business Model, along with a detailed Adaptive Mapping to Realisation (AMR) methodology. The AMR methodology details how the Wi-INET Business Model can be implemented. Further validation on the concepts detailed in the Wi-INET Business Model and the AMR methodology is offered via a short vignette on a toolkit based on a leading UK-based healthcare information technology solution.

Genetic variation, multiple paternity, and measures of reproductive success in the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

PubMed

González-Garza, Blanca Idalia; Stow, Adam; Sánchez-Teyer, Lorenzo Felipe; Zapata-Pérez, Omar

2015-12-01

The Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico contains some of the largest breeding groups of the globally distributed and critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). An improved understanding of the breeding system of this species and how its genetic variation is structured among nesting areas is required before the threats to its survival can be properly evaluated. Here, we genotype 1195 hatchlings and 41 nesting females at 12 microsatellite loci to assess levels of multiple paternity, genetic variation and whether individual levels of homozygosity are associated with reproductive success. Of the 50 clutches analyzed, only 6% have multiple paternity. The distribution of pairwise relatedness among nesting localities (rookeries) was not random with elevated within-rookery relatedness, and declining relatedness with geographic distance indicating some natal philopatry. Although there was no strong evidence that particular rookeries had lost allelic variation via drift, younger turtles had significantly lower levels of genetic variation than older turtles, suggesting some loss of genetic variation. At present there is no indication that levels of genetic variation are associated with measures of reproductive success such as clutch size, hatching success, and frequency of infertile eggs.

Identifying and Articulating Library Connections to Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massengale, Lisa; Piotrowski, Pattie; Savage, Devin

2016-01-01

Engaging in ongoing assessment is key to libraries demonstrating their value to their institutions. This study is an initial step in a STEM library's long-term goal of measuring the library's connection to, and impact on, student academic success markers such as retention and persistence. Initial results showed that any library usage was always…

Success factors in technology development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preston, John T.

1995-01-01

Universities in the U.S. have a significant impact on business through the transfer of technology. This paper describes goals and philosophy of the Technology Licensing Office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This paper also relates the critical factors for susscessful technology transfer, particularly relating to new business formation. These critical factors include the quality of the technology, the quality of the management, the quality of the investor, the passion for success, and the image of the company. Descriptions of three different levels of investment are also given and the most successful level of investment for starting a new company is reviewed. Licensing to large companies is also briefly reviewed, as this type of licensing requires some different strategies than that of licensing to start-up companies. High quality critical factors and intelligent investment create rewards for the parties and successful ventures.

An extensible and successful method of identifying collaborators for National Library of Medicine informationist projects.

PubMed

Williams, Jeff D; Rambo, Neil H

2015-07-01

The New York University (NYU) Health Sciences Library used a new method to arrange in-depth discussions with basic science researchers. The objective was to identify collaborators for a new National Library of Medicine administrative supplement. The research took place at the NYU Health Sciences Library. Using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) RePORTER, forty-four researchers were identified and later contacted through individualized emails. Nine researchers responded to the email followed by six in-person or phone discussions. At the conclusion of this process, two researchers submitted applications for supplemental funding, and both of these applications were successful. This method confirmed these users could benefit from the skills and knowledge of health sciences librarians, but they are largely unaware of this.

Critical factors for the success of orthodontic mini-implants: a systematic review.

PubMed

Chen, Yan; Kyung, Hee Moon; Zhao, Wen Ting; Yu, Won Jae

2009-03-01

This systematic review was undertaken to discuss factors that affect mini-implants as direct and indirect orthodontic anchorage. The data were collected from electronic databases (Medline [Entrez PubMed], Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and All Evidence Based Medicine Reviews). Randomized clinical trials, prospective and retrospective clinical studies, and clinical trials concerning the properties, affective factors, and requirements of mini-implants were considered. The titles and abstracts that appeared to fulfill the initial selection criteria were collected by consensus, and the original articles were retrieved and evaluated with a methodologic checklist. A hand search of key orthodontic journals was performed to identify recent unindexed literature. The search strategy resulted in 596 articles. By screening titles and abstracts, 126 articles were identified. After the exclusion criteria were applied, 16 articles remained. The analyzed results of the literature were divided into 2 topics: placement-related and loading-related factors. Mini-implants are effective as anchorage, and their success depends on proper initial mechanical stability and loading quality and quantity.

Usability: a critical success factor for managing change in the clinical info-structure.

PubMed

Kay, S

2005-06-01

There can be no doubt that the clinical info-structure is being significantly enriched with the deployment of new systems throughout the health sector. From a technological perspective, the initial emphasis has been mainly on functionality and only latterly on the usability of these clinical information systems. However, the large scale and rapid pace of the changes being wrought in the health sector will have a major impact on clinicians and patients, not least in how they interact with the technology. Therefore, it is not only hardware and software but people-ware, too, that needs to be actively managed; not simply a one-off functional specification but an ongoing, complex relationship. Usability is the human factor that encompasses the ethical, educational, and evaluative aspects of design. There is also a strong case for regarding usability of clinical information systems as a key critical success factor for the management of change within the health-care domain. In particular, the relationship between usability, and education and training is examined.

Critical success factors for mutual collaboration with suppliers in IT outsourcing industry: a case study of a top IT outsourcing company in Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cha, Kyung-Jin; Kim, Yang Sok

2018-01-01

Nowadays, information technology (IT) outsourcing companies face enduring demands to reduce cost while increasing productivity. This pressure leads many IT outsourcing companies to rely on outsourcing arrangements with IT personnel suppliers. In order to maximise efficiency, outsourcing companies have focused on fostering high-performing suppliers through improved collaboration and mutual relations. However, it is very difficult to advance to a long-term partnership using the existing outsourcing process because of insufficient collaboration between IT outsourcing companies and their suppliers. Based on collaboration perspective of supply chain management (SCM), this study identifies the critical success factors for collaborative strategic partnerships and presents an evaluation framework for assessing and managing suppliers. We have developed an organisational process model for Supplier relationship management (SRM)-based collaboration which includes some of the key constructs from the previous studies and interviews with the IT outsourcing industry people. In this study, we will identify four types of strategic suppliers and suggest approaches for improving collaborative relationship between an IT outsourcing company and its partner companies. In addition, to validate the feasibility of the proposed model, we applied it to a well-known Korean IT outsourcing company 'A'.

Teaching Critical Thinking Using High-Impact Practices: A Quantitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosfeld, Kimberlina

2017-01-01

Many American college students lack the academic skills to be successful. College faculty members struggle to help these disadvantaged students excel in a college environment. There is a need for identified strategies to help college students develop academic skills such as critical thinking. The purpose of this study was to determine if…

The Critical Success Factor Method: Establishing a Foundation for Enterprise Security Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-07-01

importance.                                                                13  SWOT   analysis  is a commonly used strategic planning technique.  It identifies...24  Figure 11:  Relationship Between Enterprise and Operational Unit CSFs ............... 28  Figure 12:  Affinity  Analysis  for Determining...ISRM Scope ....................................... 36  Figure 13:  Affinity  Analysis  for Determining Critical Assets

An extensible and successful method of identifying collaborators for National Library of Medicine informationist projects

PubMed Central

Williams, Jeff D.; Rambo, Neil H.

2015-01-01

Question/Purpose The New York University (NYU) Health Sciences Library used a new method to arrange in-depth discussions with basic science researchers. The objective was to identify collaborators for a new National Library of Medicine administrative supplement. Setting The research took place at the NYU Health Sciences Library. Methods Using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) RePORTER, forty-four researchers were identified and later contacted through individualized emails. Results Nine researchers responded to the email followed by six in-person or phone discussions. At the conclusion of this process, two researchers submitted applications for supplemental funding, and both of these applications were successful. Conclusions This method confirmed these users could benefit from the skills and knowledge of health sciences librarians, but they are largely unaware of this. PMID:26213507

Competency of new graduate nurses: a review of their weaknesses and strategies for success.

PubMed

Theisen, Janelle L; Sandau, Kristin E

2013-09-01

Because of the ongoing nursing shortage and the increasing acuity of patients, new graduate nurses must master both psychomotor and critical thinking skills rapidly. Inadequate orientation leads to high turnover rates for new graduates. Health care leaders must examine the competencies needed for new graduate nurses to succeed in this environment. A critical review of studies (n = 26) was conducted to identify crucial competencies that are needed for new graduate nurses to be successful. Six areas were identified in which new graduates lacked competence: communication, leadership, organization, critical thinking, specific situations, and stress management. Strategies were identified to improve the transition of new graduates. Hospitals should consider implementing nurse residency programs that include strategies for clear communication and conflict management, prioritization skills, and leadership development. Schools of nursing should add communication strategies to their current focus on critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and simulation scenarios and include situation-specific skills such as end-of-life scenarios. Further research should focus on stress management, leadership, clinical reasoning, and evaluation of measurement tools for new graduates. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

A systematic analysis of the PARP protein family identifies new functions critical for cell physiology

PubMed Central

Vyas, Sejal; Chesarone-Cataldo, Melissa; Todorova, Tanya; Huang, Yun-Han; Chang, Paul

2013-01-01

The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) family of proteins use NAD+ as their substrate to modify acceptor proteins with adenosine diphosphate-ribose (ADPr) modifications. The function of most PARPs under physiological conditions is unknown. Here, to better understand this protein family, we systematically analyze the cell cycle localization of each PARP and of poly(ADP-ribose), a product of PARP activity, then identify the knock-down phenotype of each protein and perform secondary assays to elucidate function. We show that most PARPs are cytoplasmic, identify cell cycle differences in the ratio of nuclear to cytoplasmic poly(ADP-ribose), and identify four phenotypic classes of PARP function. These include the regulation of membrane structures, cell viability, cell division, and the actin cytoskeleton. Further analysis of PARP14 shows that it is a component of focal adhesion complexes required for proper cell motility and focal adhesion function. In total, we show that PARP proteins are critical regulators of eukaryotic physiology. PMID:23917125

Life support decision making in critical care: Identifying and appraising the qualitative research evidence.

PubMed

Giacomini, Mita; Cook, Deborah; DeJean, Deirdre

2009-04-01

The objective of this study is to identify and appraise qualitative research evidence on the experience of making life-support decisions in critical care. In six databases and supplementary sources, we sought original research published from January 1990 through June 2008 reporting qualitative empirical studies of the experience of life-support decision making in critical care settings. Fifty-three journal articles and monographs were included. Of these, 25 reported prospective studies and 28 reported retrospective studies. We abstracted methodologic characteristics relevant to the basic critical appraisal of qualitative research (prospective data collection, ethics approval, purposive sampling, iterative data collection and analysis, and any method to corroborate findings). Qualitative research traditions represented include grounded theory (n = 15, 28%), ethnography or naturalistic methods (n = 15, 28%), phenomenology (n = 9, 17%), and other or unspecified approaches (n = 14, 26%). All 53 documents describe the research setting; 97% indicate purposive sampling of participants. Studies vary in their capture of multidisciplinary clinician and family perspectives. Thirty-one (58%) report research ethics board review. Only 49% report iterative data collection and analysis, and eight documents (15%) describe an analytically driven stopping point for data collection. Thirty-two documents (60%) indicated a method for corroborating findings. Qualitative evidence often appears outside of clinical journals, with most research from the United States. Prospective, observation-based studies follow life-support decision making directly. These involve a variety of participants and yield important insights into interactions, communication, and dynamics. Retrospective, interview-based studies lack this direct engagement, but focus on the recollections of fewer types of participants (particularly patients and physicians), and typically address specific issues (communication and

A proposed procedure for expressing the behavior of a full engine cycle by identifying its critical load timings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marius Andrei, Mihalache; Gheorghe, Nagit; Gavril, Musca; Vasile, Merticaru, Jr.; Marius Ionut, Ripanu

2016-11-01

In the present study the authors propose a new algorithm for identifying the right loads that act upon a functional connecting rod during a full engine cycle. The loads are then divided into three categories depending on the results they produce, as static, semi-dynamic and dynamic ones Because an engine cycle extends up to 720°, the authors aim to identify a method of substitution of values that produce the same effect as a previous value of a considered angle did. In other words, the proposed method aims to pin point the critical values that produce an effect different as the one seen before during a full engine cycle. Only those values will then be considered as valid loads that act upon the connecting rod inside FEA analyses. This technique has been applied to each of the three categories mentioned above and did produced different critical values for each one of them. The whole study relies on a theoretical mechanical project which was developed in order to identify the right values that correspond to each degree of the entire engine cycle of a Daewoo Tico automobile.

Pedagogical Engineering in Intercultural Terms: Critical Success Factors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Daniel S.; Vergnaud, Stephanie

1998-01-01

Outlines the elements necessary for successful development and implementation of cross-cultural curricula and related international exchange, drawing on field experience in creating a new international graduate curricula in management. International course development is a resource-intensive activity that must take into consideration the cultural…

Identifying critical factors influencing the disposal of dead pigs by farmers in China.

PubMed

Wu, Linhai; Xu, Guoyan; Wang, Xiaoli

2016-01-01

Disposal of dead pigs by pig farmers may have a direct impact on pork safety, public health, and the ecological environment in China. Drawing on the existing literature, this study analyzed and summarized the main factors that could affect the disposal of dead pigs by pig farmers by conducting a survey of 654 pig farmers in Funing County, Jiangsu Province, China. The purpose of this analysis was to investigate the disposal of dead pigs in China and provide useful regulatory strategies for the government. The interrelationships among dimensions and factors that affect the disposal of dead pigs by farmers were analyzed, and critical factors were identified by a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making method, which is a combination of decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and analytic network process (ANP). Our results demonstrated that production characteristics were the most important dimensions and that costs and profits, scale of farming, pattern of farming, knowledge of relevant laws and regulations, and knowledge of pig disease and prevention were the five most critical factors affecting the disposal of dead pigs by farmers in China at this stage. The significance of this study lies in further discussing some management policies for the Chinese government regarding strengthen regulation of disposing dead pigs.

Movement patterns for a critically endangered species, the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), linked to foraging success and population status.

PubMed

Bailey, Helen; Fossette, Sabrina; Bograd, Steven J; Shillinger, George L; Swithenbank, Alan M; Georges, Jean-Yves; Gaspar, Philippe; Strömberg, K H Patrik; Paladino, Frank V; Spotila, James R; Block, Barbara A; Hays, Graeme C

2012-01-01

Foraging success for pelagic vertebrates may be revealed by horizontal and vertical movement patterns. We show markedly different patterns for leatherback turtles in the North Atlantic versus Eastern Pacific, which feed on gelatinous zooplankton that are only occasionally found in high densities. In the Atlantic, travel speed was characterized by two modes, indicative of high foraging success at low speeds (<15 km d(-1)) and transit at high speeds (20-45 km d(-1)). Only a single mode was evident in the Pacific, which occurred at speeds of 21 km d(-1) indicative of transit. The mean dive depth was more variable in relation to latitude but closer to the mean annual depth of the thermocline and nutricline for North Atlantic than Eastern Pacific turtles. The most parsimonious explanation for these findings is that Eastern Pacific turtles rarely achieve high foraging success. This is the first support for foraging behaviour differences between populations of this critically endangered species and suggests that longer periods searching for prey may be hindering population recovery in the Pacific while aiding population maintenance in the Atlantic.

Identifying Talent and Nurturing Its Success: An Interview with Freeman Hrabowski

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finney, Joni E.

2009-01-01

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, has served as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), since 1992. He is coauthor of "Beating the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Males" (1998) and "Overcoming the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Young Women" (2001). Under Hrabowski's leadership, the…

The formation, elements of success, and challenges in managing a critical care program: Part I.

PubMed

St Andre, Arthur

2015-04-01

Leaders of critical care programs have significant responsibility to develop and maintain a system of intensive care. At inception, those clinician resources necessary to provide and be available for the expected range of patient illness and injury and throughput are determined. Simultaneously, non-ICU clinical responsibilities and other expectations, such as education of trainees and participation in hospital operations, must be understood. To meet these responsibilities, physicians must be recruited, mentored, and retained. The physician leader may have similar responsibilities for nonphysician practitioners. In concert with other critical care leaders, the service adopts a model of care and assembles an ICU team of physicians, nurses, nonphysician providers, respiratory therapists, and others to provide clinical services. Besides clinician resources, leaders must assure that services such as radiology, pharmacy, the laboratory, and information services are positioned to support the complexities of ICU care. Metrics are developed to report success in meeting process and outcomes goals. Leaders evolve the system of care by reassessing and modifying practice patterns to continually improve safety, efficacy, and efficiency. Major emphasis is placed on the importance of continuity, consistency, and communication by expecting practitioners to adopt similar practices and patterns. Services anticipate and adapt to evolving expectations and resource availability. Effective services will result when skilled practitioners support one another and ascribe to a service philosophy of care.

Insights from the design and implementation of a single-entry model of referral for total joint replacement surgery: Critical success factors and unanticipated consequences.

PubMed

Damani, Zaheed; MacKean, Gail; Bohm, Eric; Noseworthy, Tom; Wang, Jenney Meng Han; DeMone, Brie; Wright, Brock; Marshall, Deborah A

2018-02-01

Single-entry models (SEMs) in healthcare allow patients to see the next-available provider and have been shown to improve waiting times, access and patient flow for preference-sensitive, scheduled services. The Winnipeg Central Intake Service (WCIS) for hip and knee replacement surgery was implemented to improve access in the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. This paper describes the system's design/implementation; successes, challenges, and unanticipated consequences. On two occasions, during and following implementation, we interviewed all members of the WCIS project team, including processing engineers, waiting list coordinators, administrators and policy-makers regarding their experiences. We used semi-structured telephone interviews to collect data and qualitative thematic analysis to analyze and interpret the findings. Respondents indicated that the overarching objectives of the WCIS were being met. Benefits included streamlined processes, greater patient access, improved measurement and monitoring of outcomes. Challenges included low awareness, change readiness, and initial participation among stakeholders. Unanticipated consequences included workload increases, confusion around stakeholder expectations and under-reporting of data by surgeons' offices. Critical success factors for implementation included a requirement for clear communication, robust data collection, physician leadership and patience by all, especially implementation teams. Although successfully implemented, key lessons and critical success factors were learned related to change management, which if considered and applied, can reduce unanticipated consequences, improve uptake and benefit new models of care. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Method of evaluating the impact of ERP implementation critical success factors - a case study in oil and gas industries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gajic, Gordana; Stankovski, Stevan; Ostojic, Gordana; Tesic, Zdravko; Miladinovic, Ljubomir

2014-01-01

The so far implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have in many cases failed to meet the requirements regarding the business process control, decrease of business costs and increase of company profit margin. Therefore, there is a real need for an evaluation of the influence of ERP on the company's performance indicators. Proposed in this article is an advanced model for the evaluation of the success of ERP implementation on organisational and operational performance indicators in oil-gas companies. The recommended method establishes a correlation between a process-based method, a scorecard model and ERP critical success factors. The method was verified and tested on two case studies in oil-gas companies using the following procedure: the model was developed, tested and implemented in a pilot gas-oil company, while the results were implemented and verified in another gas-oil company.

Using a Brief Preschool Early Numeracy Skills Screener to Identify Young Children with Mathematics Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purpura, David J.; Reid, Erin E.; Eiland, Michael D.; Baroody, Arthur J.

2015-01-01

A critical component in enhancing academic success is identifying children at risk of later academic difficulties. Although significant efforts have been devoted to design effective assessment processes in elementary school, fewer efforts (particularly for mathematics) have been made for preschool. The focus of this study was to design and…

Identifying Effective Student Success and Engagement Practices among Latino/a Students to Increase Graduation Rates: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Karina

2017-01-01

Latino/as are the fastest growing population in the United States and have the second lowest graduation rate among all demographics. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain a better understanding of the barriers affecting Latino/a success as well as exploring self-identified engagement strategies leading to Latino/a student first…

Multisociety Task Force for Critical Care Research: key issues and recommendations.

PubMed

Deutschman, Clifford S; Ahrens, Tom; Cairns, Charles B; Sessler, Curtis N; Parsons, Polly E

2012-01-01

Research in critical care extends from the bench to the bedside, involving multiple departments, specialties, and funding organizations. Because of this diversity, it has been difficult for all stakeholders to collectively identify challenges and establish priorities. To define a comprehensive agenda for critical care research using input from a broad range of stakeholders to serve as a blueprint for future initiatives. The Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC), consisting of the leadership of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), joined the US Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group (USCIITG) in forming a task force to define a comprehensive critical care research agenda. This group of 25 identified experts was divided into subgroups to address basic, translational, clinical, implementation, and educational research. The subgroups met via conference calls, and the entire task force met in person for a 2-day session. The result was a detailed discussion of the research priorities that served as the basis for this report. The task force identified challenges, specific priority areas, and recommendations for process improvements to support critical care research. Additionally, four overarching themes emerged: 1) the traditional "silo-ed" approach to critical care research is counterproductive and should be modified; 2) an approach that more effectively links areas of research (i.e., basic and translational research, or clinical research and implementation) should be embraced; 3) future approaches to human research should account for disease complexity and patient heterogeneity; and 4) an enhanced infrastructure for critical care research is essential for future success. This document contains the themes/recommendations developed by a large, multiprofessional cross section of critical care scientists

Multisociety task force for critical care research: key issues and recommendations.

PubMed

Deutschman, Clifford S; Ahrens, Tom; Cairns, Charles B; Sessler, Curtis N; Parsons, Polly E

2012-01-01

Research in critical care extends from the bench to the bedside, involving multiple departments, specialties, and funding organizations. Because of this diversity, it has been difficult for all stakeholders to collectively identify challenges and establish priorities. To define a comprehensive agenda for critical care research using input from a broad range of stakeholders to serve as a blueprint for future initiatives. The Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC), consisting of the leadership of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), joined the U.S. Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group (USCIITG) in forming a task force to define a comprehensive critical care research agenda. This group of 25 identified experts was divided into subgroups to address basic, translational, clinical, implementation, and educational research. The subgroups met via conference calls, and the entire task force met in person for a 2-day session. The result was a detailed discussion of the research priorities that served as the basis for this report. The task force identified challenges, specific priority areas, and recommendations for process improvements to support critical care research. Additionally, four overarching themes emerged: (1) the traditional "silo-ed" approach to critical care research is counterproductive and should be modified; (2) an approach that more effectively links areas of research (i.e., basic and translational research, or clinical research and implementation) should be embraced; (3) future approaches to human research should account for disease complexity and patient heterogeneity; and (4) an enhanced infrastructure for critical care research is essential for future success. This document contains the themes/recommendations developed by a large, multiprofessional cross-section of critical care scientists

Multisociety task force for critical care research: key issues and recommendations.

PubMed

Deutschman, Clifford S; Ahrens, Tom; Cairns, Charles B; Sessler, Curtis N; Parsons, Polly E

2012-01-01

Research in critical care extends from the bench to the bedside, involving multiple departments, specialties, and funding organizations. Because of this diversity, it has been difficult for all stakeholders to collectively identify challenges and establish priorities. To define a comprehensive agenda for critical care research using input from a broad range of stakeholders to serve as a blueprint for future initiatives. The Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC), consisting of the leadership of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), joined the US Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group (USCIITG) in forming a task force to define a comprehensive critical care research agenda. This group of 25 identified experts was divided into subgroups to address basic, translational, clinical, implementation, and educational research. The subgroups met via conference calls, and the entire task force met in person for a 2-day session. The result was a detailed discussion of the research priorities that served as the basis for this report. The task force identified challenges, specific priority areas, and recommendations for process improvements to support critical care research. Additionally, four overarching themes emerged: 1) the traditional "silo-ed" approach to critical care research is counterproductive and should be modified; 2) an approach that more effectively links areas of research (ie, basic and translational research, or clinical research and implementation) should be embraced; 3) future approaches to human research should account for disease complexity and patient heterogeneity; and 4) an enhanced infrastructure for critical care research is essential for future success. This document contains the themes/recommendations developed by a large, multiprofessional cross section of critical care scientists

Multisociety Task Force for Critical Care Research: Key Issues and Recommendations

PubMed Central

Deutschman, Clifford S.; Ahrens, Tom; Cairns, Charles B.; Sessler, Curtis N.; Parsons, Polly E.

2012-01-01

Background: Research in critical care extends from the bench to the bedside, involving multiple departments, specialties, and funding organizations. Because of this diversity, it has been difficult for all stakeholders to collectively identify challenges and establish priorities. Objective: To define a comprehensive agenda for critical care research using input from a broad range of stakeholders to serve as a blueprint for future initiatives. Methods: The Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC), consisting of the leadership of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), joined the U.S. Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group (USCIITG) in forming a task force to define a comprehensive critical care research agenda. This group of 25 identified experts was divided into subgroups to address basic, translational, clinical, implementation, and educational research. The subgroups met via conference calls, and the entire task force met in person for a 2-day session. The result was a detailed discussion of the research priorities that served as the basis for this report. Results: The task force identified challenges, specific priority areas, and recommendations for process improvements to support critical care research. Additionally, four overarching themes emerged: (1) the traditional “silo-ed” approach to critical care research is counterproductive and should be modified; (2) an approach that more effectively links areas of research (i.e., basic and translational research, or clinical research and implementation) should be embraced; (3) future approaches to human research should account for disease complexity and patient heterogeneity; and (4) an enhanced infrastructure for critical care research is essential for future success. Conclusions: This document contains the themes/recommendations developed by a large

Critical success factors for physical activity promotion through community partnerships.

PubMed

Lucidarme, Steffie; Marlier, Mathieu; Cardon, Greet; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Willem, Annick

2014-02-01

To define key factors of effective evidence-based policy implementation for physical activity promotion by use of a partnership approach. Using Parent and Harvey's model for sport and physical activity community-based partnerships, we defined determinants of implementation based on 13 face-to-face interviews with network organisations and 39 telephone interviews with partner organisations. Furthermore, two quantitative data-sets (n = 991 and n = 965) were used to measure implementation. In total, nine variables were found to influence implementation. Personal contact was the most powerful variable since its presence contributed to success while its absence led to a negative outcome. Four contributed directly to success: political motive, absence of a metropolis, high commitment and more qualified staff. Four others resulted in a less successful implementation: absence of positive merger effects, exposure motive and governance, and dispersed leadership. Community networks are a promising instrument for the implementation of evidence-based policies. However, determinants of both formation and management of partnerships influence the implementation success. During partnership formation, special attention should be given to partnership motives while social skills are of utmost importance for the management.

An arthroscopic evaluation of the anatomical "critical zone".

PubMed

Naidoo, N; Lazarus, L; Osman, S A; Satyapal, K S

2017-01-01

The "critical zone", a region of speculated vascularity, is situated approximately 10 mm proximal to the insertion of the supraspinatus tendon. Despite its obvious role as an anatomical landmark demarcator, its patho-anatomic nature has been identified as the source of rotator cuff pathology. Although many studies have attempted to evaluate the vascularity of this region, the architecture regarding the exact length, width and shape of the critical zone, remains unreported. This study aimed to determine the shape and morphometry of the "critical zone" arthroscopically. The sample series, which was comprised of 38 cases (n = 38) specific to pathological types, employed an anatomical investigation of the critical zone during routine real-time arthroscopy. Demographic representation: i) sex: 19 males, 19 females; ii) age range: 18-76 years; iii) race: white (n = 29), Indian (n = 7) and coloured (n = 2). The incidence of shape and the mean lengths and widths of the critical zone were determined in accordance with the relevant demographic factors and patient history. Although the cresenteric shape was predominant, hemispheric and sail-shaped critical zones were also identified. The lengths and widths of the critical zone appeared markedly increased in male individuals. While the increase in age may account for the increased incidence of rotator cuff degeneration due to poor end-vascular supply, the additional factors of height and weight presented as major determinants of the increase in size of the critical zone. In addition, the comparisons of length and width with each other and shape yielded levels of significant difference, therefore indicating a directly proportional relationship between the length and width of the critical zone. This detailed understanding of the critical zone may prove beneficial for the success of post-operative rotator cuff healing.

IDENTIFYING PERFORMANCE ASSURANCE CHALLENGES FOR SMART MANUFACTURING.

PubMed

Helu, Moneer; Morris, Katherine; Jung, Kiwook; Lyons, Kevin; Leong, Swee

2015-10-01

Smart manufacturing has the potential to address many of the challenges faced by industry. However, the manufacturing community often needs assistance to leverage available technologies to improve their systems. To assure the performance of these technologies, this paper proposes a shared knowledge base that collects problem areas, solutions, and best practices for manufacturing technology. An Implementation Risk Assessment Framework (IRAF) is also described to identify the primary weaknesses of technologies in specific manufacturing contexts. Such approaches have the potential to stimulate new ideas and drive standardization activities critical to scale up and deploy smart manufacturing technologies successfully and quickly.

IDENTIFYING PERFORMANCE ASSURANCE CHALLENGES FOR SMART MANUFACTURING

PubMed Central

Helu, Moneer; Morris, Katherine; Jung, Kiwook; Lyons, Kevin; Leong, Swee

2015-01-01

Smart manufacturing has the potential to address many of the challenges faced by industry. However, the manufacturing community often needs assistance to leverage available technologies to improve their systems. To assure the performance of these technologies, this paper proposes a shared knowledge base that collects problem areas, solutions, and best practices for manufacturing technology. An Implementation Risk Assessment Framework (IRAF) is also described to identify the primary weaknesses of technologies in specific manufacturing contexts. Such approaches have the potential to stimulate new ideas and drive standardization activities critical to scale up and deploy smart manufacturing technologies successfully and quickly. PMID:26783512

Identifying tropical dry forests extent and succession via the use of machine learning techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wei; Cao, Sen; Campos-Vargas, Carlos; Sanchez-Azofeifa, Arturo

2017-12-01

Information on ecosystem services as a function of the successional stage for secondary tropical dry forests (TDFs) is scarce and limited. Secondary TDFs succession is defined as regrowth following a complete forest clearance for cattle growth or agriculture activities. In the context of large conservation initiatives, the identification of the extent, structure and composition of secondary TDFs can serve as key elements to estimate the effectiveness of such activities. As such, in this study we evaluate the use of a Hyperspectral MAPper (HyMap) dataset and a waveform LIDAR dataset for characterization of different levels of intra-secondary forests stages at the Santa Rosa National Park (SRNP) Environmental Monitoring Super Site located in Costa Rica. Specifically, a multi-task learning based machine learning classifier (MLC-MTL) is employed on the first shortwave infrared (SWIR1) of HyMap in order to identify the variability of aboveground biomass of secondary TDFs along a successional gradient. Our paper recognizes that the process of ecological succession is not deterministic but a combination of transitional forests types along a stochastic path that depends on ecological, edaphic, land use, and micro-meteorological conditions, and our results provide a new way to obtain the spatial distribution of three main types of TDFs successional stages.

Successful early romiplostim use in a case of severe immune thrombocytopenia with critical carotid arterial injury.

PubMed

Watanabe, Reiko; Tabayashi, Takayuki; Tomikawa, Tatsuki; Sagawa, Morihiko; Anan-Nemoto, Tomoe; Kimura, Yuta; Takahashi, Yasuyuki; Tokuhira, Michihide; Otaki, Satoshi; Oi, Hidenori; Sawano, Makoto; Sugiyama, Satoshi; Kizaki, Masahiro

2017-01-01

Thrombopoietin receptor (TPO-R) agonists have been shown to be effective in refractory chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP); however, their efficacy in patients under critical care is not known. We report the case of a female patient with a newly diagnosed ITP who experienced severe bleeding from an external wound. The patient was administered the standard treatments for ITP, which are high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and corticosteroids. However, following failure of these treatments, we administered romiplostim on day 6 after the onset of ITP. On day 6 after the initiation of romiplostim, there was improvement in platelet count and bleeding tendency. We were subsequently able to perform a splenectomy successfully. The efficacy of TPO-R agonists in ITP has been reported in several situations, including before surgery in an ITP patient; however, the use of TPO-R for arterial bleeding with shock has not been reported. To our knowledge, the present article is a rare case report of the use of a TPO-R agonist in a patient with critical artery injury. Our data suggest that the early use of romiplostim is effective in emergency cases of newly diagnosed ITP with life-threatening bleeding, which is refractory to standard treatment.

Identifying process and outcome indicators of successful transitions from child to adult mental health services: protocol for a scoping review

PubMed Central

Cleverley, Kristin; Bennett, Kathryn; Jeffs, Lianne

2016-01-01

Introduction A significant proportion of youth need to transition from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to adult mental health services (AMHS); however, the transition process is not well understood and often experienced poorly by youth. In the effort to design and evaluate standards of practice for transitions, there is a need to identify key elements of a successful transition. The objectives of this scoping review are to: (1) identify definitions of successful transitions from CAMHS to AMHS; and (2) identify indicators that have been used to measure CAMHS–AMHS transition care processes and quality, and outcomes. Methods We will search 8 electronic bibliographic databases from 1980 to 2016 (eg, Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO), professional associations, policy documents, and other grey literature to identify relevant material. We will include experimental, quasi-experimental, observational studies, and non-research studies (guidelines, narrative reviews, policy documents) examining the transition from CAMHS to AMHS. 2 raters will independently screen each retrieved title and abstract for eligibility using the study inclusion criteria (level 1), and then will independently assess full-text articles to determine if these meet the inclusion criteria (level 2). Data extraction will be completed and results will be synthesised both quantitatively and qualitatively. Ethics and dissemination The results of the scoping review will be used to develop a set of indicators that will be prioritised and evaluated in a Delphi consensus study. This will serve as a foundation for the development of the first instrument to assess the quality and success of CAMHS–AMHS transitions. Ethics approval is not required for this scoping study. PMID:27381213

A success paradigm for project managers in the aerospace industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Barry Jon

Within the aerospace industry, project managers traditionally have been selected based on their technical competency. While this may lead to brilliant technical solutions to customer requirements, a lack of management ability can result in failed programs that over-run on cost, are late to critical path schedules, fail to fully utilize the diversity of talent available within the program team, and otherwise disappoint key stakeholders. This research study identifies the key competencies that a project manager should possess in order to successfully lead and manage a project in the aerospace industry. The research attempts to show evidence that within the aerospace industry, it is perceived that management competency is more important to project management success than only technical competence.

DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOCOLS TO STUDY TO IDENTIFY CRITICAL ECOSYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

Healthy, functioning ecosystems are critical to the sustainability of human and natural communities, but the identification of areas of healthy ecosystems in an area as large as Region 5 is difficult due to time and information constraints. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) a...

Betweenness-Based Method to Identify Critical Transmission Sectors for Supply Chain Environmental Pressure Mitigation.

PubMed

Liang, Sai; Qu, Shen; Xu, Ming

2016-02-02

To develop industry-specific policies for mitigating environmental pressures, previous studies primarily focus on identifying sectors that directly generate large amounts of environmental pressures (a.k.a. production-based method) or indirectly drive large amounts of environmental pressures through supply chains (e.g., consumption-based method). In addition to those sectors as important environmental pressure producers or drivers, there exist sectors that are also important to environmental pressure mitigation as transmission centers. Economy-wide environmental pressure mitigation might be achieved by improving production efficiency of these key transmission sectors, that is, using less upstream inputs to produce unitary output. We develop a betweenness-based method to measure the importance of transmission sectors, borrowing the betweenness concept from network analysis. We quantify the betweenness of sectors by examining supply chain paths extracted from structural path analysis that pass through a particular sector. We take China as an example and find that those critical transmission sectors identified by betweenness-based method are not always identifiable by existing methods. This indicates that betweenness-based method can provide additional insights that cannot be obtained with existing methods on the roles individual sectors play in generating economy-wide environmental pressures. Betweenness-based method proposed here can therefore complement existing methods for guiding sector-level environmental pressure mitigation strategies.

Movement Patterns for a Critically Endangered Species, the Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), Linked to Foraging Success and Population Status

PubMed Central

Bailey, Helen; Fossette, Sabrina; Bograd, Steven J.; Shillinger, George L.; Swithenbank, Alan M.; Georges, Jean-Yves; Gaspar, Philippe; Strömberg, K. H. Patrik; Paladino, Frank V.; Spotila, James R.; Block, Barbara A.; Hays, Graeme C.

2012-01-01

Foraging success for pelagic vertebrates may be revealed by horizontal and vertical movement patterns. We show markedly different patterns for leatherback turtles in the North Atlantic versus Eastern Pacific, which feed on gelatinous zooplankton that are only occasionally found in high densities. In the Atlantic, travel speed was characterized by two modes, indicative of high foraging success at low speeds (<15 km d−1) and transit at high speeds (20–45 km d−1). Only a single mode was evident in the Pacific, which occurred at speeds of 21 km d−1 indicative of transit. The mean dive depth was more variable in relation to latitude but closer to the mean annual depth of the thermocline and nutricline for North Atlantic than Eastern Pacific turtles. The most parsimonious explanation for these findings is that Eastern Pacific turtles rarely achieve high foraging success. This is the first support for foraging behaviour differences between populations of this critically endangered species and suggests that longer periods searching for prey may be hindering population recovery in the Pacific while aiding population maintenance in the Atlantic. PMID:22615767

Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Abilities in Critically Identifying and Evaluating the Quality of Online Health Information.

PubMed

Theron, Maggie; Redmond, Anne; Borycki, Elizabeth M

2017-01-01

Both the Internet and social media have become important tools that patients and health professionals, including health professional students, use to obtain information and support their decision-making surrounding health care. Students in the health sciences require increased competence to select, appraise, and use online sources to adequately educate and support patients and advocate for patient needs and best practices. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if second year nursing students have the ability to critically identify and evaluate the quality of online health information through comparisons between student and expert assessments of selected online health information postings using an adapted Trust in Online Health Information scale. Interviews with experts provided understanding of how experts applied the selected criteria and what experts recommend for implementing nursing informatics literacy in curriculums. The difference between student and expert assessments of the quality of the online information is on average close to 40%. Themes from the interviews highlighted several possible factors that may influence informatics competency levels in students, specifically regarding the critical appraisal of the quality of online health information.

Critical Factors for Successful Practice of Disaster-Resilient Community in Urban City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, J. S.; Wu, J. H.

2017-12-01

Due to special geographical environment, Taiwan is a natural disaster-prone area, which often suffers from earthquakes, typhoons and other natural hazards, resulting in heavy casualties and huge property losses. Furthermore, effect of global warming increases extreme climate events and leads to frequent and severe natural disasters. Therefore, disaster prevention and response are not only an important issue of government policy, but also a critical issue of people's life. Rather than over-reliance on government assistance, the spontaneous participation and co-operation by people can complete specific disaster preparedness and reinforce local energy of disaster prevention and response. Although the concept of disaster-resilient community (DRC) has been shaped for a period of time, residents in the community cannot keep up the pace with government, which may decrease the effectiveness of DRC development. Thus, the study of theory and practice of urban DRC becomes an imperative need. This article is a qualitative case study, which uses the participant observation and self-reflection in action research methods to collect relevant information for empirical validation. Particularly, this investigation is supplemented by service work experience in DRC promotion conducted by the researchers. According to the qualitative analyses of case communities during training process of disaster prevention and preparedness, we can identify the critical factors affecting the level of community-based disaster prevention and protection works. Based on the literature and empirical supports, the factors are discussed through three spindle constructs respectively, namely coping strategy, operations management and organizational behavior. Based on the findings of this study, we make conclusions and suggestions for related authority in sustainably promoting DRC.

Stakeholder Engagement to Identify Priorities for Improving the Quality and Value of Critical Care.

PubMed

Stelfox, Henry T; Niven, Daniel J; Clement, Fiona M; Bagshaw, Sean M; Cook, Deborah J; McKenzie, Emily; Potestio, Melissa L; Doig, Christopher J; O'Neill, Barbara; Zygun, David

2015-01-01

Large amounts of scientific evidence are generated, but not implemented into patient care (the 'knowledge-to-care' gap). We identified and prioritized knowledge-to-care gaps in critical care as opportunities to improve the quality and value of healthcare. We used a multi-method community-based participatory research approach to engage a Network of all adult (n = 14) and pediatric (n = 2) medical-surgical intensive care units (ICUs) in a fully integrated geographically defined healthcare system serving 4 million residents. Participants included Network oversight committee members (n = 38) and frontline providers (n = 1,790). Network committee members used a modified RAND/University of California Appropriateness Methodology, to serially propose, rate (validated 9 point scale) and revise potential knowledge-to-care gaps as priorities for improvement. The priorities were sent to frontline providers for evaluation. Results were relayed back to all frontline providers for feedback. Initially, 68 knowledge-to-care gaps were proposed, rated and revised by the committee (n = 32 participants) over 3 rounds of review and resulted in 13 proposed priorities for improvement. Then, 1,103 providers (62% response rate) evaluated the priorities, and rated 9 as 'necessary' (median score 7-9). Several factors were associated with rating priorities as necessary in multivariable logistic regression, related to the provider (experience, teaching status of ICU) and topic (strength of supporting evidence, potential to benefit the patient, potential to improve patient/family experience, potential to decrease costs). A community-based participatory research approach engaged a diverse group of stakeholders to identify 9 priorities for improving the quality and value of critical care. The approach was time and cost efficient and could serve as a model to prioritize areas for research quality improvement across other settings.

Analysis of Critical Success Factors of Online International Learning Exchange of Korean School Pupils with English-Speaking Counterparts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jong-Yeon; Park, Sanghoon

2017-01-01

This study identifies the factors influencing the success of online international learning exchange (ILE) among Korean school pupils who partnered with American and Australian pupils. In particular, it examined the effects of self-efficacy (SE), exchange infrastructure (EI) and quality of exchange activities (QEA) on the students' learning…

A Framework for Achieving e-Business Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, U.; Maheshwari, M.; Kumar, V.

2004-01-01

This paper presents the findings of an empirical study of critical factors associated with e-business success. An a priori model relating the success factors to e-business success is developed. The study uses the "balanced scorecard" methodology to measure the success of e-business organizations, as the authors believe that financial measures are…

Trophic transfer of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems: Identifying critical research needs.

PubMed

Au, Sarah Y; Lee, Cindy M; Weinstein, John E; van den Hurk, Peter; Klaine, Stephen J

2017-05-01

To evaluate the process of trophic transfer of microplastics, it is important to consider various abiotic and biotic factors involved in their ingestion, egestion, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification. Toward this end, a review of the literature on microplastics has been conducted to identify factors influencing their uptake and absorption; their residence times in organisms and bioaccumulation; the physical effects of their aggregation in gastrointestinal tracts; and their potential to act as vectors for the transfer of other contaminants. Limited field evidence from higher trophic level organisms in a variety of habitats suggests that trophic transfer of microplastics may be a common phenomenon and occurs concurrently with direct ingestion. Critical research needs include standardizing methods of field characterization of microplastics, quantifying uptake and depuration rates in organisms at different trophic levels, quantifying the influence that microplastics have on the uptake and/or depuration of environmental contaminants among different trophic levels, and investigating the potential for biomagnification of microplastic-associated chemicals. More integrated approaches involving computational modeling are required to fully assess trophic transfer of microplastics. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:505-509. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

Identifying process and outcome indicators of successful transitions from child to adult mental health services: protocol for a scoping review.

PubMed

Cleverley, Kristin; Bennett, Kathryn; Jeffs, Lianne

2016-07-05

A significant proportion of youth need to transition from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to adult mental health services (AMHS); however, the transition process is not well understood and often experienced poorly by youth. In the effort to design and evaluate standards of practice for transitions, there is a need to identify key elements of a successful transition. The objectives of this scoping review are to: (1) identify definitions of successful transitions from CAMHS to AMHS; and (2) identify indicators that have been used to measure CAMHS-AMHS transition care processes and quality, and outcomes. We will search 8 electronic bibliographic databases from 1980 to 2016 (eg, Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO), professional associations, policy documents, and other grey literature to identify relevant material. We will include experimental, quasi-experimental, observational studies, and non-research studies (guidelines, narrative reviews, policy documents) examining the transition from CAMHS to AMHS. 2 raters will independently screen each retrieved title and abstract for eligibility using the study inclusion criteria (level 1), and then will independently assess full-text articles to determine if these meet the inclusion criteria (level 2). Data extraction will be completed and results will be synthesised both quantitatively and qualitatively. The results of the scoping review will be used to develop a set of indicators that will be prioritised and evaluated in a Delphi consensus study. This will serve as a foundation for the development of the first instrument to assess the quality and success of CAMHS-AMHS transitions. Ethics approval is not required for this scoping study. 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/

Partnering for Learnware: Critical Success Factors in the Use of Learnware by Human Resources Sector Councils and Industry Associations in Canada = Partenariats pour les technologies d'apprentissage: Facteurs critiques de succes dans l'utilisation des technologies d'apprentissage par les conseils sectoriels des ressources humaines et les associations industrielles au Canada.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stahmer, Anna; Green, Lyndsay

The use of learnware by human resources sector councils and industry associations in Canada was examined to identify critical success factors in the use of technology-based training. Eight case studies--four involving sector councils and four involving industry associations that either have national mandates or distribute their products across…

Methods for Detecting Early Warnings of Critical Transitions in Time Series Illustrated Using Simulated Ecological Data

PubMed Central

Dakos, Vasilis; Carpenter, Stephen R.; Brock, William A.; Ellison, Aaron M.; Guttal, Vishwesha; Ives, Anthony R.; Kéfi, Sonia; Livina, Valerie; Seekell, David A.; van Nes, Egbert H.; Scheffer, Marten

2012-01-01

Many dynamical systems, including lakes, organisms, ocean circulation patterns, or financial markets, are now thought to have tipping points where critical transitions to a contrasting state can happen. Because critical transitions can occur unexpectedly and are difficult to manage, there is a need for methods that can be used to identify when a critical transition is approaching. Recent theory shows that we can identify the proximity of a system to a critical transition using a variety of so-called ‘early warning signals’, and successful empirical examples suggest a potential for practical applicability. However, while the range of proposed methods for predicting critical transitions is rapidly expanding, opinions on their practical use differ widely, and there is no comparative study that tests the limitations of the different methods to identify approaching critical transitions using time-series data. Here, we summarize a range of currently available early warning methods and apply them to two simulated time series that are typical of systems undergoing a critical transition. In addition to a methodological guide, our work offers a practical toolbox that may be used in a wide range of fields to help detect early warning signals of critical transitions in time series data. PMID:22815897

Enterprise systems' life cycle in pursuit of resilient smart factory for emerging aircraft industry: a synthesis of Critical Success Factors'(CSFs), theory, knowledge gaps, and implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashid, Asif; Masood, Tariq; Erkoyuncu, John Ahmet; Tjahjono, Benny; Khan, Nawar; Shami, Muiz-ud-din

2018-02-01

The research aims to investigate business value critical success factors (CSFs) of enterprise systems (ES) through their life cycle in pursuit of resilient smart factory for emerging aircraft industry. This article provides an extensive literature analysis of past 22 years based on conscientious criteria of authors: (i) who have published strategic content relevant to CSFs, (ii) received more than 300 citations and (iii) concurrently published two or more papers relevant to ES CSFs. The most cited strategic CSFs were termed as classical CSFs. The 22 CSFs were identified, validated and synthesised for better understanding of success across life cycle by aircraft industry experts. The top 10 empirically verified CSFs have numerous differences with past generic classical CSFs. This article canvases real insights of two distinct views: process and variance approaches of the ES CSFs. The process approach, which is a neglected research area, facilitates the researchers for identification of ES life cycle process coupled with a view of resource deployment when it is needed the most. While the variance approach facilitates practitioners and researchers in finding out which resource (CSF) is relatively more important. The significant findings for ES life cycle can help the practitioners and researchers to make rational decisions throughout the ES life cycle.

The formation, elements of success, and challenges in managing a critical care program: part II.

PubMed

St Andre, Arthur

2015-05-01

Leaders of critical care services require knowledge and skills not typically acquired during their medical education and training. Leaders possess personality characteristics and evolve and adopt behaviors and knowledge in addition to those useful in the care of patients and rounding with an ICU team. Successful leaders have impeccable integrity, possess a service mentality, are decisive, and speak the truth consistently and accurately. Effective leaders are thoughtful listeners, introspective, develop a range of relationships, and nurture others. They understand group psychology, observe, analyze assumptions, decide, and improve the system of care and the performance of their team members. A leader learns to facilely adapt to circumstance, generate new ideas, and be a catalyst of change. Those most successful further their education as a leader and learn when and where to seek mentorship. Leaders understand their organization and its operational complexities. Leaders learn to participate and knowledgeably contribute to the fiscal aspects of income, expense, budget, and contracts from an institutional and department perspective. Clinician compensation must be commensurate with expectations and be written to motivate and make clear duties that are clinical and nonclinical. A leader understands and plans to address the evolving challenges facing healthcare, especially resource constraints, the emotions and requirements of managing the end of life, the complexities of competing demands and motivations, the bureaucracy of healthcare practice, and reimbursement. Responsibilities to manage and evolve must be met with intelligence, sensitivity, and equanimity.

Successful strategies to engage research partners for translating evidence into action in community health: a critical review.

PubMed

Salsberg, Jon; Parry, David; Pluye, Pierre; Macridis, Soultana; Herbert, Carol P; Macaulay, Ann C

2015-01-01

To undertake a critical review describing key strategies supporting development of participatory research (PR) teams to engage partners for creation and translation of action-oriented knowledge. Sources are four leading PR practitioners identified via bibliometric analysis. Authors' publications were identified in January 1995-October 2009 in PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science and CAB databases, and books. Works were limited to those with a process description describing a research project and practitioners were first, second, third, or last author. Adapting and applying the "Reliability Tested Guidelines for Assessing Participatory Research Projects" to retained records identified five key strategies: developing advisory committees of researchers and intended research users; developing research agreements; using formal and informal group facilitation techniques; hiring co-researchers/partners from community; and ensuring frequent communication. Other less frequently mentioned strategies were also identified. This review is the first time these guidelines were used to identify key strategies supporting PR projects. They proved effective at identifying and evaluating engagement strategies as reported by completed research projects. Adapting these guidelines identified gaps where the tool was unable to assess fundamental PR elements of power dynamics, equity of resources, and member turnover. Our resulting template serves as a new tool to measure partnerships.

Successful Strategies to Engage Research Partners for Translating Evidence into Action in Community Health: A Critical Review

PubMed Central

Salsberg, Jon; Parry, David; Pluye, Pierre; Macridis, Soultana; Herbert, Carol P.; Macaulay, Ann C.

2015-01-01

Objectives. To undertake a critical review describing key strategies supporting development of participatory research (PR) teams to engage partners for creation and translation of action-oriented knowledge. Methods. Sources are four leading PR practitioners identified via bibliometric analysis. Authors' publications were identified in January 1995–October 2009 in PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science and CAB databases, and books. Works were limited to those with a process description describing a research project and practitioners were first, second, third, or last author. Results. Adapting and applying the “Reliability Tested Guidelines for Assessing Participatory Research Projects” to retained records identified five key strategies: developing advisory committees of researchers and intended research users; developing research agreements; using formal and informal group facilitation techniques; hiring co-researchers/partners from community; and ensuring frequent communication. Other less frequently mentioned strategies were also identified. Conclusion. This review is the first time these guidelines were used to identify key strategies supporting PR projects. They proved effective at identifying and evaluating engagement strategies as reported by completed research projects. Adapting these guidelines identified gaps where the tool was unable to assess fundamental PR elements of power dynamics, equity of resources, and member turnover. Our resulting template serves as a new tool to measure partnerships. PMID:25815016

Identifying hotspots and management of critical ecosystem services in rapidly urbanizing Yangtze River Delta Region, China.

PubMed

Cai, Wenbo; Gibbs, David; Zhang, Lang; Ferrier, Graham; Cai, Yongli

2017-04-15

Rapid urbanization has altered many ecosystems, causing a decline in many ecosystem services, generating serious ecological crisis. To cope with these challenges, we presented a comprehensive framework comprising five core steps for identifying and managing hotspots of critical ecosystem services in a rapid urbanizing region. This framework was applied in the case study of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) Region. The study showed that there was large spatial heterogeneity in the hotspots of ecosystem services in the region, hotspots of supporting services and regulating services aggregately distributing in the southwest mountainous areas while hotspots of provisioning services mainly in the northeast plain, and hotspots of cultural services widespread in the waterbodies and southwest mountainous areas. The regionalization of the critical ecosystem services was made through the hotspot analysis. This study provided valuable information for environmental planning and management in a rapid urbanizing region and helped improve China's ecological redlines policy at regional scale. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stage-specific integration of maternal and embryonic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta signaling is critical to pregnancy success.

PubMed

Wang, Haibin; Xie, Huirong; Sun, Xiaofei; Tranguch, Susanne; Zhang, Hao; Jia, Xiangxu; Wang, Dingzhi; Das, Sanjoy K; Desvergne, Béatrice; Wahli, Walter; DuBois, Raymond N; Dey, Sudhansu K

2007-12-28

Successful pregnancy depends on well coordinated developmental events involving both maternal and embryonic components. Although a host of signaling pathways participate in implantation, decidualization, and placentation, whether there is a common molecular link that coordinates these processes remains unknown. By exploiting genetic, molecular, pharmacological, and physiological approaches, we show here that the nuclear transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) delta plays a central role at various stages of pregnancy, whereas maternal PPARdelta is critical to implantation and decidualization, and embryonic PPARdelta is vital for placentation. Using trophoblast stem cells, we further elucidate that a reciprocal relationship between PPARdelta-AKT and leukemia inhibitory factor-STAT3 signaling pathways serves as a cell lineage sensor to direct trophoblast cell fates during placentation. This novel finding of stage-specific integration of maternal and embryonic PPARdelta signaling provides evidence that PPARdelta is a molecular link that coordinates implantation, decidualization, and placentation crucial to pregnancy success. This study is clinically relevant because deferral of on time implantation leads to spontaneous pregnancy loss, and defective trophoblast invasion is one cause of preeclampsia in humans.

Identifying Core Competencies to Advance Female Professors' Careers: An Exploratory Study in United States Academia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seo, Ga-eun; Hedayati Mehdiabadi, Amir; Huang, Wenhao

2017-01-01

This exploratory study aims to identify the core competencies necessary to successfully advance the careers of female associate professors in higher education. To ascertain these core career competencies, a critical incident interview technique was employed. One-to-one semi-structured interviews with six female full professors at a major research…

Breaking out of the Box: New Colleges for a New Century. 1996 Critical Issues Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Patricia; Alfred, Richard

In this book, the Consortium for Community College Development's Think Tank (Michigan) identifies four critical and enduring issues for change in community colleges: (1) attracting and recruiting students in an increasingly competitive market; (2) improving student success through innovative approaches to teaching and learning; (3) encouraging…

The Transition Experiences of Successful Chinese Immigrants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amundson, Norman E.; Yeung, Thomas; Sun, Iris; Chan, Keith; Cheng, Johnny

2011-01-01

This article focused on the transition experiences of 20 successful Chinese immigrants, in particular their transition stories and how they accounted for their success (what facilitated and hindered their transition). An enhanced critical incident method was used for data analysis. Four major success categories emerged: having a positive attitude…

Critical thinking in nurse managers.

PubMed

Zori, Susan; Morrison, Barbara

2009-01-01

Formal education and support is needed for nurse managers to effectively function in their role in the current health care environment. Many nurse managers assume their positions based on expertise in a clinical role with little expertise in managerial and leadership skills. Operating as a manager and leader requires ongoing development of critical thinking skills and the inclination to use those skills. Critical thinking can have a powerful influence on the decision making and problem solving that nurse managers are faced with on a daily basis. The skills that typify critical thinking include analysis, evaluation, inference, and deductive and inductive reasoning. It is intuitive that nurse managers require both the skills and the dispositions of critical thinking to be successful in this pivotal role at a time of transformation in health care. Incorporating critical thinking into education and support programs for the nurse manager is necessary to position the nurse manager for success.

Critical factors for optimising skill-grade-mix based on principles of Lean Management - a qualitative substudy

PubMed

Inauen, Alice; Rettke, Horst; Fridrich, Annemarie; Spirig, Rebecca; Bauer, Georg F

2017-01-01

Background: Due to scarce resources in health care, staff deployment has to meet the demands. To optimise skill-grade-mix, a Swiss University Hospital initiated a project based on principles of Lean Management. The project team accompanied each participating nursing department and scientifically evaluated the results of the project. Aim: The aim of this qualitative sub-study was to identify critical success factors of this project. Method: In four focus groups, participants discussed their experience of the project. Recruitment was performed from departments assessing the impact of the project retrospectively either positive or critical. In addition, the degree of direct involvement in the project served as a distinguishing criterion. Results: While the degree of direct involvement in the project was not decisive, conflicting opinions and experiences appeared in the groups with more positive or critical project evaluation. Transparency, context and attitude proved critical for the project’s success. Conclusions: Project managers should ensure transparency of the project’s progress and matching of the project structure with local conditions in order to support participants in their critical or positive attitude towards the project.

Nutritional requirements of the critically ill patient.

PubMed

Chan, Daniel L

2004-02-01

The presence or development of malnutrition during critical illness has been unequivocally associated with increased morbidity and mortality in people. Recognition that malnutrition may similarly affect veterinary patients emphasizes the need to properly address the nutritional requirements of hospitalized dogs and cats. Because of a lack in veterinary studies evaluating the nutritional requirements of critically ill small animals, current recommendations for nutritional support of veterinary patients are based largely on sound clinical judgment and the best information available, including data from experimental animal models and human studies. This, however, should not discourage the veterinary practitioner from implementing nutritional support in critically ill patients. Similar to many supportive measures of critically ill patients, nutritional interventions can have a significant impact on patient morbidity and may even improve survival. The first step of nutritional support is to identify patients most likely to benefit from nutritional intervention. Careful assessment of the patient and appraisal of its nutritional needs provide the basis for a nutritional plan, which includes choosing the optimal route of nutritional support, determining the number of calories to provide, and determining the composition of the diet. Ultimately, the success of the nutritional management of critically ill dogs and cats will depend on close monitoring and frequent reassessment.

Awareness, Analysis, and Action: Curricular Alignment for Student Success in General Chemistry.

PubMed

Jewett, Sarah; Sutphin, Kathy; Gierasch, Tiffany; Hamilton, Pauline; Lilly, Kathleen; Miller, Kristine; Newlin, Donald; Pires, Richard; Sherer, Maureen; LaCourse, William R

2018-02-13

This article examines the ways that a shared faculty experience across five partner institutions led to a deep awareness of the curriculum and pedagogy of general chemistry coursework, and ultimately, to a collaborative action plan for student success. The team identified key differences and similarities in course content and instructional experiences. The comparative analysis yielded many more similarities than differences, and therefore, the team shifted its focus from "gap analysis" to an exploration of common curricular challenges. To address these challenges, the team developed content for targeted instructional resources that promoted the success of all STEM students across institutions. This article contextualizes the interinstitutional collaboration and closely examines the interactive components (awareness, analysis, and action), critical tools, and productive attitudes that undergirded the curricular alignment process of the STEM Transfer Student Success Initiative (t-STEM).

Implementation and evaluation of critical thinking strategies to enhance critical thinking skills in Middle Eastern nurses.

PubMed

Simpson, Elaine; Courtney, Mary

2008-12-01

The purpose of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate critical thinking strategies to enhance critical thinking skills in Middle Eastern nurses. Critical thinking strategies such as questioning, debate, role play and small group activity were developed and used in a professional development programme, which was trialled on a sample of Middle Eastern nurses (n = 20), to promote critical thinking skills, encourage problem solving, development of clinical judgment making and care prioritization in order to improve patient care and outcomes. Classroom learning was transformed from memorization to interaction and active participation. The intervention programme was successful in developing critical thinking skills in both the nurse educators and student nurses in this programme. This programme successfully integrated critical thinking strategies into a Middle Eastern nursing curriculum. Recommendations are as follows: (1) utilize evidence-based practice and stem questions to encourage the formulation of critical thinking questions; (2) support the needs of nurse educators for them to effectively implement teaching strategies to foster critical thinking skills; and (3) adopt creative approaches to (i) transform students into interactive participants and (ii) open students' minds and stimulate higher-level thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Succession planning : phase II.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-06-01

Succession planning is an organizational investment in the future. Institutional : knowledge is a critical ingredient in the culture of an organization, and its intangible : value becomes significant when an organization is faced with the need to pas...

A Correlational Study on Critical Thinking in Nursing as an Outcome Variable for Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Rebecca Jean

2018-01-01

Critical thinking is a required curricular outcome for nursing education; however, the literature shows a gap related to valid and reliable tools to measure critical thinking specific to nursing and relating that critical thinking measurement to meaningful outcomes. This study examined critical thinking scores, as measured by Assessment…

Strategic Planning for Research in Pediatric Critical Care.

PubMed

Tamburro, Robert F; Jenkins, Tammara L; Kochanek, Patrick M

2016-11-01

To summarize the scientific priorities and potential future research directions for pediatric critical care research discussed by a panel of experts at the inaugural Strategic Planning Conference of the Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Expert opinion expressed during the Strategic Planning Conference. Not applicable. Chaired by an experienced expert from the field, issues relevant to the conduct of pediatric critical care research were discussed and debated by the invited participants. Common themes and suggested priorities were identified and coalesced. Of the many pathophysiologic conditions discussed, the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome emerged as a topic in need of more study that is most relevant to the field. Additionally, the experts offered that the interrelationship and impact of critical illness on child development and family functioning are important research priorities. Consequently, long-term outcomes research was encouraged. The expert group also suggested that multidisciplinary conferences are needed to help identify key knowledge gaps to advance and direct research in the field. The Pediatric Critical Care and Trauma Scientist Development National K12 Program and the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network were recognized as successful and important programs supported by the branch. The development of core data resources including biorepositories with robust phenotypic data using common data elements was also suggested to foster data sharing among investigators and to enhance disease diagnosis and discovery. Multicenter clinical trials and innovative study designs to address understudied and poorly understood conditions were considered important for field advancement. Finally, the growth of the pediatric critical care research workforce was offered as a priority that could be spawned in many ways including by expanded

Strategic Planning for Research in Pediatric Critical Care

PubMed Central

Tamburro, Robert F.; Jenkins, Tammara L.; Kochanek, Patrick M.

2016-01-01

Objective To summarize the scientific priorities and potential future research directions for pediatric critical care research discussed by a panel of experts at the inaugural Strategic Planning Conference of the Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Data Sources Expert opinion expressed during the Strategic Planning Conference. Study Selection Not applicable Data Extraction Chaired by an experienced expert from the field, issues relevant to the conduct of pediatric critical care research were discussed and debated by the invited participants. Data Synthesis Common themes and suggested priorities were identified and coalesced. Conclusions Of the many pathophysiological conditions discussed, the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome emerged as a topic in need of more study that is most relevant to the field. Additionally, the experts offered that the inter-relationship and impact of critical illness on child development and family functioning are important research priorities. Consequently, long-term outcomes research was encouraged. The expert group also suggested that multidisciplinary conferences are needed to help identify key knowledge gaps to advance and direct research in the field. The Pediatric Critical Care and Trauma Scientist Development National K12 Program and the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network were recognized as successful and important programs supported by the branch. The development of core data resources including biorepositories with robust phenotypic data using common data elements was also suggested to foster data sharing among investigators and to enhance disease diagnosis and discovery. Multicenter clinical trials and innovative study designs to address understudied and poorly understood conditions were considered important for field advancement. Finally, the growth of the pediatric critical care research workforce was offered

Succession planning: securing the future.

PubMed

Bolton, Julia; Roy, Wendy

2004-12-01

Succession planning is an essential business strategy for healthcare organizations, given the impending retirement of the huge Baby Boomer cohort of experienced nurses. It ensures that there will be qualified candidates when key vacancies occur. The authors describe the critical elements of a succession plan and suggest ways to implement them. The model can be applied to leadership and clinical positions.

PDB2Graph: A toolbox for identifying critical amino acids map in proteins based on graph theory.

PubMed

Niknam, Niloofar; Khakzad, Hamed; Arab, Seyed Shahriar; Naderi-Manesh, Hossein

2016-05-01

The integrative and cooperative nature of protein structure involves the assessment of topological and global features of constituent parts. Network concept takes complete advantage of both of these properties in the analysis concomitantly. High compatibility to structural concepts or physicochemical properties in addition to exploiting a remarkable simplification in the system has made network an ideal tool to explore biological systems. There are numerous examples in which different protein structural and functional characteristics have been clarified by the network approach. Here, we present an interactive and user-friendly Matlab-based toolbox, PDB2Graph, devoted to protein structure network construction, visualization, and analysis. Moreover, PDB2Graph is an appropriate tool for identifying critical nodes involved in protein structural robustness and function based on centrality indices. It maps critical amino acids in protein networks and can greatly aid structural biologists in selecting proper amino acid candidates for manipulating protein structures in a more reasonable and rational manner. To introduce the capability and efficiency of PDB2Graph in detail, the structural modification of Calmodulin through allosteric binding of Ca(2+) is considered. In addition, a mutational analysis for three well-identified model proteins including Phage T4 lysozyme, Barnase and Ribonuclease HI, was performed to inspect the influence of mutating important central residues on protein activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Critical shear stress measurement of cohesive soils in streams: identifying device-dependent variability using an in-situ jet test device and conduit flume

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahalder, B.; Schwartz, J. S.; Palomino, A.; Papanicolaou, T.

2016-12-01

Cohesive soil erodibility and threshold shear stress for stream bed and bank are dependent on both soil physical and geochemical properties in association with the channel vegetative conditions. These properties can be spatially variable therefore making critical shear stress measurement in cohesive soil challenging and leads to a need for a more comprehensive understanding of the erosional processes in streams. Several in-situ and flume-type test devices for estimating critical shear stress have been introduced by different researchers; however reported shear stress estimates per device vary widely in orders of magnitude. Advantages and disadvantages exist between these devices. Development of in-situ test devices leave the bed and/or bank material relatively undisturbed and can capture the variable nature of field soil conditions. However, laboratory flumes provide a means to control environmental conditions that can be quantify and tested. This study was conducted to observe differences in critical shear stress using jet tester and a well-controlled conduit flume. Soil samples were collected from the jet test locations and tested in a pressurized flume following standard operational procedure to calculate the critical shear stress. The results were compared using statistical data analysis (mean-separation ANOVA procedure) to identify possible differences. In addition to the device comparison, the mini jet device was used to measure critical shear stress across geologically diverse regions of Tennessee, USA. Statistical correlation between critical shear stress and the soil physical, and geochemical properties were completed identifying that geological origin plays a significant role in critical shear stress prediction for cohesive soils. Finally, the critical shear stress prediction equations using the jet test data were examined with possible suggestions to modify based on the flume test results.

The Relationship Between the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and Student Learning Outcomes in Baccalaureate Nursing Students.

PubMed

Searing, Lisabeth Meade; Kooken, Wendy Carter

2016-04-01

Critical thinking is the foundation for nurses' decision making. One school of nursing used the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) to document improvement in critical thinking dispositions. A retrospective study of 96 nursing students' records examined the relationships between the CCTDI and learning outcomes. Correlational statistics assessed relationships between CCTDI scores and cumulative grade point averages (GPA) and scores on two Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI) examinations. Ordinal regression assessed predictive relationships between CCTDI scores and science course grades and NCLEX-RN success. First-year CCTDI scores did not predict first-year science grades. Senior-year CCTDI scores did not correlate with cumulative GPA or HESI RN Exit Exam scores, but were weakly correlated with HESI Pharmacology Exam scores. CCTDI scores did not predict NCLEX-RN success. This study did not identify meaningful relationships between critical thinking dispositions, as measured by the CCTDI, and important learning outcomes. The results do not support the efficacy of using the CCTDI in nursing education. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Developing a workbook to support the contextualisation of global health systems guidance: a case study identifying steps and critical factors for success in this process at WHO.

PubMed

Alvarez, Elizabeth; Lavis, John N; Brouwers, Melissa; Schwartz, Lisa

2018-03-02

Global guidance can help countries strengthen their health systems to deliver effective interventions to their populations. However, to have an impact, guidance needs to be contextualised or adapted to local settings; this process includes consideration of health system arrangements and political system factors. To date, methods to support contextualisation do not exist. In response, a workbook was designed to provide specific methods and strategies to enable the contextualisation of WHO's 'Optimizing health worker roles to improve maternal and newborn health' (OptimizeMNH) guidance at the national or subnational level. The objective of this study was to describe the process of developing the workbook and identify key steps of the development process, barriers that arose and facilitators that helped overcome some of these barriers. A qualitative single case study design was carried out. Interviews, documents and a reflexive journal were used. Constant comparison and an edit-style of organisation were used during data analysis to develop concepts, themes, subthemes and relationships among them. Thirteen interviews were conducted and 52 documents were reviewed. Three main steps were identified in the process of developing the workbook for health systems guidance contextualisation, namely (1) determining the need for and gaining approval to develop the workbook, (2) developing the workbook (taking on the task, creating the structure of the workbook, operationalising its components, undergoing approval processes and editing it), and (3) implementing the workbook both at the WHO level and at the national/subnational level. Five barriers and/or facilitators emerged relevant to each step, namely (1) having well-placed and credible champions, (2) creating and capitalising on opportunities, (3) finding the right language to engage various actors and obtain buy-in, (4) obtaining and maintaining meaningful buy-in, and (5) ensuring access to resources. Understanding the key

Nuclear criticality safety: 5-day training course

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

Schlesser, J.A.

1992-11-01

This compilation of notes is presented as a source reference for the criticality safety course. It represents the contributions of many people, particularly Tom McLaughlin, the course's primary instructor. At the completion of this training course, the attendee will: be able to define terms commonly used in nuclear criticality safety; be able to appreciate the fundamentals of nuclear criticality safety; be able to identify factors which affect nuclear criticality safety; be able to identify examples of criticality controls as used at Los Alamos; be able to identify examples of circumstances present during criticality accidents; be able to identify examples ofmore » computer codes used by the nuclear criticality safety specialist; be able to identify examples of safety consciousness required in nuclear criticality safety.« less

Key factors for the implementation of successful, stand-alone village electrification schemes in Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez-Campos, Teodoro

The hypothesis of this work is that there are social, financial, technical, managerial institutional and political key factors that may either support or prevent the success of small stand alone energy systems in rural areas. This research work aims at contributing to the identification of such factors and study their relevance to the performance and sustainability of stand alone energy systems in rural areas; to meet its purpose, a wide range of literature was reviewed including rural electrification programmes and projects, research and development projects on access to electricity in rural areas, impact studies and others, and a field research survey was done the Andes and Upper Jungle regions in Peru. Nineteen possible critical factors were identified, thirteen with relevance at the local context (the community or village), and six with relevance at the national (or wider) context. From literature review it was found that the possible local critical factors were relevant only to four categories of factors instead of the six considered initially (i.e. social, financial, technological and managerial): the other two categories, political and institutional were found to be more relevant to the national context, therefore those were included in the group of possible critical factors of wider context. A series of questionnaires were designed to collect field data information, which was later used to analyse and establish the relation of each identified factor with the success of the systems studied. The survey research was implemented in 14 villages, 7 with small diesel sets and 7 with small hydropower schemes, all spread in the Andes and Upper Jungle of Peru, which were carefully selected to be representative of regions with isolated stand alone systems and with different socioeconomic background. Out of the 13 possible critical factors of local context, it was found that only 3 are really critical, the others are important but not critical; one of them (technical

Setting Strategic Directions Using Critical Success Factors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourne, Bonnie; Gates, Larry; Cofer, James

2000-01-01

Describes implementation of a system-level planning model focused on institutional improvement and effectiveness at the University of Missouri. Details implementation of three phases of the strategic planning model (strategic analysis, strategic thinking/decision-making, and campus outreach/systems administration planning); identifies critical…

Workforce deployment--a critical organizational competency.

PubMed

Harms, Roxanne

2009-01-01

Staff scheduling has historically been embedded within hospital operations, often defined by each new manager of a unit or program, and notably absent from the organization's practice and standards infrastructure and accountabilities of the executive team. Silvestro and Silvestro contend that "there is a need to recognize that hospital performance relies critically on the competence and effectiveness of roster planning activities, and that these activities are therefore of strategic importance." This article highlights the importance of including staff scheduling--or workforce deployment--in health care organizations' long-term strategic solutions to cope with the deepening workforce shortage (which is likely to hit harder than ever as the economy begins to recover). Viewing workforce deployment as a key organizational competency is a critical success factor for health care in the next decade, and the Workforce Deployment Maturity Model is discussed as a framework to enable organizations to measure their current capabilities, identify priorities and set goals for increasing organizational competency using a methodical and deliberate approach.

Honors and the Completion Agenda: Identifying and Duplicating Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trucker, Jay

2014-01-01

Longitudinal studies that track student persistence each semester serve as the primary measurement of an institution's success or failure. These studies take place at the institutional and state-wide levels as well as nationally through grant-based organizations such as Complete College America. At the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC),…

Strategies for success among OPOs: a study of three organ procurement organizations.

PubMed

Shafer, T J; Kappel, D F; Heinrichs, D F

1997-03-01

Productivity among organ procurement organizations varies widely in the US, and the pressure to determine critical success factors increases as the organ pool shrinks and managed care expands. This study compared three successful organ procurement organizations, identified commonalities among them in cost of doing business, and examined direct and indirect expenses, staffing, specialized requestor programs, and professional and public education programs. The three organ procurement organizations were chosen because of their performance in terms of donors per million population, complexity, and size. The following key indicators were compared and analyzed: annual operating budget, size and composition of staff, funds and resources invested in professional education versus public education, tissue recovery operations, results of minority initiatives, and employee compensation programs.

Organizational Factors' Effects on the Success of E-Learning Systems and Organizational Benefits: An Empirical Study in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Ying Chieh; Huang, Yu-An; Lin, Chad

2012-01-01

E-learning development for enterprises is still in its infancy in that scholars are still working on identifying the critical success factors for e-learning in organizational contexts. This study presents a framework considering how organizational factors affect the quality and service of e-learning systems and how these factors influence…

Identifying Critical Ephemeral Streams and Reducing Impacts Associated with Utility-Scale Solar Energy Development in the Southwest United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Connor, B. L.; Carr, A.; Patton, T.; Hamada, Y.

2011-12-01

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Department of Energy are preparing a joint programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) assessing the potential impacts of utility-scale solar energy development on BLM-administered lands in six southwestern states. One of the alternatives considered in the PEIS involves development within identified solar energy zones (SEZs) that individually cover approximately 10 to 1,000 km2, located primarily in desert valleys of the Basin and Range physiographic region. Land-disturbing activities in these alluvium-filled valleys have the potential to adversely affect ephemeral streams with respect to their hydrologic, geomorphic, and ecologic functions. Regulation and management of ephemeral streams typically falls under the spectrum of federal, state, and local programs, but scientifically based guidelines for protecting ephemeral streams with respect to land-development activities are largely nonexistent. The PEIS analysis attempts to identify critical ephemeral streams by evaluating the integral functions of flood conveyance, sediment transport, groundwater recharge, and supporting ecological habitats. The initial approach to classifying critical ephemeral streams involved identifying large, erosional features using available flood hazards mapping, historical peak discharges, and aerial photographs. This approach identified ephemeral features not suitable for development (based primarily on the likelihood of damaging floods and debris flows) to address flood conveyance and sediment transport functions of ephemeral streams. Groundwater recharge and the maintenance of riparian vegetation and wildlife habitats are other functions of ephemeral streams. These functions are typically associated with headwater reaches rather than large-scale erosional features. Recognizing that integral functions of ephemeral streams occur over a range of spatial scales and are driven by varying climatic-hydrologic events, the PEIS analysis

Lessons for public health campaigns from analysing commercial food marketing success factors: a case study.

PubMed

Aschemann-Witzel, Jessica; Perez-Cueto, Federico J A; Niedzwiedzka, Barbara; Verbeke, Wim; Bech-Larsen, Tino

2012-02-21

Commercial food marketing has considerably shaped consumer food choice behaviour. Meanwhile, public health campaigns for healthier eating have had limited impact to date. Social marketing suggests that successful commercial food marketing campaigns can provide useful lessons for public sector activities. The aim of the present study was to empirically identify food marketing success factors that, using the social marketing approach, could help improve public health campaigns to promote healthy eating. In this case-study analysis, 27 recent and successful commercial food and beverage marketing cases were purposively sampled from different European countries. The cases involved different consumer target groups, product categories, company sizes and marketing techniques. The analysis focused on cases of relatively healthy food types, and nutrition and health-related aspects in the communication related to the food. Visual as well as written material was gathered, complemented by semi-structured interviews with 12 food market trend experts and 19 representatives of food companies and advertising agencies. Success factors were identified by a group of experts who reached consensus through discussion structured by a card sorting method. Six clusters of success factors emerged from the analysis and were labelled as "data and knowledge", "emotions", "endorsement", "media", "community" and "why and how". Each cluster subsumes two or three success factors and is illustrated by examples. In total, 16 factors were identified. It is argued that the factors "nutritional evidence", "trend awareness", "vertical endorsement", "simple naturalness" and "common values" are of particular importance in the communication of health with regard to food. The present study identified critical factors for the success of commercial food marketing campaigns related to the issue of nutrition and health, which are possibly transferable to the public health sector. Whether or not a particular

Lessons for public health campaigns from analysing commercial food marketing success factors: a case study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Commercial food marketing has considerably shaped consumer food choice behaviour. Meanwhile, public health campaigns for healthier eating have had limited impact to date. Social marketing suggests that successful commercial food marketing campaigns can provide useful lessons for public sector activities. The aim of the present study was to empirically identify food marketing success factors that, using the social marketing approach, could help improve public health campaigns to promote healthy eating. Methods In this case-study analysis, 27 recent and successful commercial food and beverage marketing cases were purposively sampled from different European countries. The cases involved different consumer target groups, product categories, company sizes and marketing techniques. The analysis focused on cases of relatively healthy food types, and nutrition and health-related aspects in the communication related to the food. Visual as well as written material was gathered, complemented by semi-structured interviews with 12 food market trend experts and 19 representatives of food companies and advertising agencies. Success factors were identified by a group of experts who reached consensus through discussion structured by a card sorting method. Results Six clusters of success factors emerged from the analysis and were labelled as "data and knowledge", "emotions", "endorsement", "media", "community" and "why and how". Each cluster subsumes two or three success factors and is illustrated by examples. In total, 16 factors were identified. It is argued that the factors "nutritional evidence", "trend awareness", "vertical endorsement", "simple naturalness" and "common values" are of particular importance in the communication of health with regard to food. Conclusions The present study identified critical factors for the success of commercial food marketing campaigns related to the issue of nutrition and health, which are possibly transferable to the public health

Awareness, Analysis, and Action: Curricular Alignment for Student Success in General Chemistry

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

This article examines the ways that a shared faculty experience across five partner institutions led to a deep awareness of the curriculum and pedagogy of general chemistry coursework, and ultimately, to a collaborative action plan for student success. The team identified key differences and similarities in course content and instructional experiences. The comparative analysis yielded many more similarities than differences, and therefore, the team shifted its focus from “gap analysis” to an exploration of common curricular challenges. To address these challenges, the team developed content for targeted instructional resources that promoted the success of all STEM students across institutions. This article contextualizes the interinstitutional collaboration and closely examines the interactive components (awareness, analysis, and action), critical tools, and productive attitudes that undergirded the curricular alignment process of the STEM Transfer Student Success Initiative (t-STEM). PMID:29657334

Workplace Factors That Shape Information Technology Project Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Dan Schilling

2013-01-01

Information technology (IT) project success depends on having a project manager with effective decision making, leadership, and project management skills. Project success also depends on completing the project in a given budget, time, and scope. Despite these critical qualities of a successful project manager, little research has explored the…

Diagnostics of Cold-Sprayed Particle Velocities Approaching Critical Deposition Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mauer, G.; Singh, R.; Rauwald, K.-H.; Schrüfer, S.; Wilson, S.; Vaßen, R.

2017-10-01

In cold spraying, the impact particle velocity plays a key role for successful deposition. It is well known that only those particles can achieve successful bonding which have an impact velocity exceeding a particular threshold. This critical velocity depends on the thermomechanical properties of the impacting particles at impacting temperature. The latter depends on the gas temperature in the torch but also on stand-off distance and gas pressure. In the past, some semiempirical approaches have been proposed to estimate particle impact and critical velocities. Besides that, there are a limited number of available studies on particle velocity measurements in cold spraying. In the present work, particle velocity measurements were performed using a cold spray meter, where a laser beam is used to illuminate the particles ensuring sufficiently detectable radiant signal intensities. Measurements were carried out for INCONEL® alloy 718-type powders with different particle sizes. These experimental investigations comprised mainly subcritical spray parameters for this material to have a closer look at the conditions of initial deposition. The critical velocities were identified by evaluating the deposition efficiencies and correlating them to the measured particle velocity distributions. In addition, the experimental results were compared with some values estimated by model calculations.

The challenge of identifying greenhouse gas-induced climatic change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maccracken, Michael C.

1992-01-01

Meeting the challenge of identifying greenhouse gas-induced climatic change involves three steps. First, observations of critical variables must be assembled, evaluated, and analyzed to determine that there has been a statistically significant change. Second, reliable theoretical (model) calculations must be conducted to provide a definitive set of changes for which to search. Third, a quantitative and statistically significant association must be made between the projected and observed changes to exclude the possibility that the changes are due to natural variability or other factors. This paper provides a qualitative overview of scientific progress in successfully fulfilling these three steps.

Central sensitization does not identify patients with carpal tunnel syndrome who are likely to achieve short-term success with physical therapy.

PubMed

Fernández-de-Las-Peñas, César; Cleland, Joshua A; Ortega-Santiago, Ricardo; de-la-Llave-Rincon, Ana Isabel; Martínez-Perez, Almudena; Pareja, Juan A

2010-11-01

The aim of the current study was to identify whether hyperexcitability of the central nervous system is a prognostic factor for individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) likely to experience rapid and clinical self-reported improvement following a physical therapy program including soft tissue mobilization and nerve slider neurodynamic interventions. Women presenting with clinical and electrophysiological findings of CTS were involved in a prospective single-arm trial. Participants underwent a standardized examination and then a physical therapy session. The physical therapy sessions included both soft tissue mobilization directed at the anatomical sites of potential median nerve entrapment and a passive nerve slider neurodynamic technique targeted to the median nerve. Pressure pain thresholds (PPT) over the median, radial and ulnar nerves, C5-C6 zygapophyseal joint, carpal tunnel and tibialis anterior muscle were assessed bilaterally. Additionally, thermal detection and pain thresholds were measured over the carpal tunnel and thenar eminence bilaterally to evaluate central nervous system excitability. Subjects were classified as responders (having achieved a successful outcome) or non-responders based on self-perceived recovery. Variables were entered into a stepwise logistic regression model to determine the most accurate variables for determining prognosis. Data from 72 women were included in the analysis, of which 35 experienced a successful outcome (48.6%). Three variables including PPT over the C5-C6 joint affected side <137 kPa, HPT carpal tunnel affected side <39.6º and general health >66 points were identified. If 2 out of 3 variables were present (LR + 14.8), the likelihood of success increased from 48.6 to 93.3%. We identified 3 factors that may be associated with a rapid clinical response to both soft tissue mobilization and nerve slider neurodynamic techniques targeted to the median nerve in women presenting with CTS. Our results support that

A new approach to hazardous materials transportation risk analysis: decision modeling to identify critical variables.

PubMed

Clark, Renee M; Besterfield-Sacre, Mary E

2009-03-01

We take a novel approach to analyzing hazardous materials transportation risk in this research. Previous studies analyzed this risk from an operations research (OR) or quantitative risk assessment (QRA) perspective by minimizing or calculating risk along a transport route. Further, even though the majority of incidents occur when containers are unloaded, the research has not focused on transportation-related activities, including container loading and unloading. In this work, we developed a decision model of a hazardous materials release during unloading using actual data and an exploratory data modeling approach. Previous studies have had a theoretical perspective in terms of identifying and advancing the key variables related to this risk, and there has not been a focus on probability and statistics-based approaches for doing this. Our decision model empirically identifies the critical variables using an exploratory methodology for a large, highly categorical database involving latent class analysis (LCA), loglinear modeling, and Bayesian networking. Our model identified the most influential variables and countermeasures for two consequences of a hazmat incident, dollar loss and release quantity, and is one of the first models to do this. The most influential variables were found to be related to the failure of the container. In addition to analyzing hazmat risk, our methodology can be used to develop data-driven models for strategic decision making in other domains involving risk.

[Levers in Primary Health Care - Identifying Strategic Success Factors for Improved Primary Care in Upper Austria].

PubMed

Kriegel, J; Rebhandl, E; Reckwitz, N; Hockl, W

2016-12-01

Current and projected general practitioner (GP) and primary care in Austria shows structural and process inadequacies in the quality as well as assurance of healthcare supply. The aim is therefore to develop solution- and patient-oriented measures that take patient-related requirements and medical perspectives into account. Using an effect matrix, subjective expert and user priorities were ascertained, cause and effect relationships were examined, and an expanded circle of success for the optimization of GP and primary care in Upper Austria was developed. Through this, the relevant levers for target-oriented development and optimization of the complex system of GP and primary care in Upper Austria were identified; these are training to become general practitioners, entrepreneurs as well as management and coordination. It is necessary to further adapt the identified levers conceptually and operationally in a targeted approach. This is to be achieved by means of the primary health care (PHC) concept as well as management tools and information and communication technologies (ICT) associated with it. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Effects of people-centred factors on enterprise resource planning implementation project success: empirical evidence from Sri Lanka

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wickramasinghe, Vathsala; Gunawardena, Vathsala

2010-08-01

Extant literature suggests people-centred factors as one of the major areas influencing enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation project success. Yet, to date, few empirical studies attempted to validate the link between people-centred factors and ERP implementation project success. The purpose of this study is to empirically identify people-centred factors that are critical to ERP implementation projects in Sri Lanka. The study develops and empirically validates a framework for people-centred factors that influence the success of ERP implementation projects. Survey research methodology was used and collected data from 74 ERP implementation projects in Sri Lanka. The people-centred factors of 'project team competence', 'rewards' and 'communication and change' were found to predict significantly the ERP implementation project success.

Biofeedback treatment of constipation: a critical review.

PubMed

Heymen, Steve; Jones, Kenneth R; Scarlett, Yolanda; Whitehead, William E

2003-09-01

This review was designed to 1) critically examine the research design used in investigations of biofeedback for pelvic floor dyssynergia, 2) compare the various biofeedback treatment protocols for pelvic floor dyssynergia-type constipation used in this research, 3) identify factors that influence treatment outcome, and 4) identify goals for future biofeedback research for pelvic floor dyssynergia. A comprehensive review of both the pediatric and adult research from 1970 to 2002 on "biofeedback for constipation" was conducted using a Medline search in all languages. Only prospective studies including five or more subjects that described the treatment protocol were included. In addition, a meta-analysis of these studies was performed to compare the outcome of different biofeedback protocols for treating constipation. Thirty-eight studies were reviewed, and sample size, treatment protocol, outcome rates, number of sessions, and etiology are shown in a table. Ten studies using a parallel treatment design were reviewed in detail, including seven that randomized subjects to treatment groups. A meta-analysis (weighted by subjects) was performed to compare the results of two treatment protocols prevalent in the literature. The mean success rate of studies using pressure biofeedback (78 percent) was superior (P = 0.018) to the mean success rate for studies using electromyography biofeedback (70 percent). However, the mean success rates comparing studies using intra-anal electromyography sensors to studies using perianal electromyography sensors were 69 and 72 percent, respectively, indicating no advantages for one type of electromyography protocol over the other (P = 0.428). In addition to the varied protocols and instrumentation used, there also are inconsistencies in the literature regarding the severity and etiology of symptoms, patient selection criteria, and the definition of a successful outcome. Finally, no anatomic, physiologic, or demographic variables were

Identifying Successful Practices to Overcome Access to Care Challenges in Community Health Centers: A "Positive Deviance" Approach.

PubMed

Toscos, Tammy; Carpenter, Maria; Flanagan, Mindy; Kunjan, Kislaya; Doebbeling, Bradley N

2018-01-01

Despite health care access challenges among underserved populations, patients, providers, and staff at community health clinics (CHCs) have developed practices to overcome limited access. These "positive deviant" practices translate into organizational policies to improve health care access and patient experience. To identify effective practices to improve access to health care for low-income, uninsured or underinsured, and minority adults and their families. Seven CHC systems, involving over 40 clinics, distributed across one midwestern state in the United States. Ninety-two key informants, comprised of CHC patients (42%) and clinic staff (53%), participated in semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis to identify patient-centered solutions for managing access challenges to primary care for underserved populations. Transcripts were coded using qualitative analytic software. Practices to improve access to care included addressing illiteracy and low health literacy, identifying cost-effective resources, expanding care offerings, enhancing the patient-provider relationship, and cultivating a culture of teamwork and customer service. Helping patients find the least expensive options for transportation, insurance, and medication was the most compelling patient-centered strategy. Appointment reminders and confirmation of patient plans for transportation to appointments reduced no-show rates. We identified nearly 35 practices for improving health care access. These were all patient-centric, uncovered by both clinic staff and patients who had successfully navigated the health care system to improve access.

Identifying the Factors Leading to Success: How an Innovative Science Curriculum Cultivates Student Motivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scogin, Stephen C.

2016-06-01

PlantingScience is an award-winning program recognized for its innovation and use of computer-supported scientist mentoring. Science learners work on inquiry-based experiments in their classrooms and communicate asynchronously with practicing plant scientist-mentors about the projects. The purpose of this study was to identify specific factors contributing to the program's effectiveness in engaging students. Using multiple data sources, grounded theory (Strauss and Corbin in Basics of qualitative research. Sage, Newbury Park, 1990) was used to develop a conceptual model identifying the central phenomenon, causal conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, contexts, and student outcomes of the project. Student motivation was determined to be the central phenomenon explaining the success of the program, with student empowerment, online mentor interaction, and authenticity of the scientific experiences serving as causal conditions. Teachers contributed to student motivation by giving students more freedom, challenging students to take projects deeper, encouraging, and scaffolding. Scientists contributed to student motivation by providing explanations, asking questions, encouraging, and offering themselves as partners in the inquiry process. Several positive student outcomes of the program were uncovered and included increased positivity, greater willingness to take projects deeper, better understanding of scientific concepts, and greater commitments to collaboration. The findings of this study provide relevant information on how to develop curriculum, use technology, and train practitioners and mentors to utilize strategies and actions that improve learners' motivation to engage in authentic science in the classroom.

A Descriptive Analysis of Selected Community Stakeholder Opinions regarding Potentially Critical Factors in School Bond Referenda Success or Failure in Kansas during the Years 2004-2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraus, Brian W.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze opinions of selected school district stakeholders regarding potentially critical factors in school bond referendum success and failure in Kansas during the years 2004-2007. Of the 72 eligible school districts, one district was randomly selected from each of six groups formed through a stratified random…

Identifying and Promoting Transition Evidence-Based Practices and Predictors of Success: A Position Paper of the Division on Career Development and Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazzotti, Valerie L.; Rowe, Dawn A.; Cameto, Renee; Test, David W.; Morningstar, Mary E.

2013-01-01

This position paper describes the Division of Career Development and Transition's stance and recommendations for identifying and promoting secondary transition evidence-based practices and predictors of postschool success for students with disabilities. Recommendations for experimental research, correlational research, and secondary analysis of…

Critical Care Organizations: Building and Integrating Academic Programs.

PubMed

Moore, Jason E; Oropello, John M; Stoltzfus, Daniel; Masur, Henry; Coopersmith, Craig M; Nates, Joseph; Doig, Christopher; Christman, John; Hite, R Duncan; Angus, Derek C; Pastores, Stephen M; Kvetan, Vladimir

2018-04-01

Academic medical centers in North America are expanding their missions from the traditional triad of patient care, research, and education to include the broader issue of healthcare delivery improvement. In recent years, integrated Critical Care Organizations have developed within academic centers to better meet the challenges of this broadening mission. The goal of this article was to provide interested administrators and intensivists with the proper resources, lines of communication, and organizational approach to accomplish integration and Critical Care Organization formation effectively. The Academic Critical Care Organization Building section workgroup of the taskforce established regular monthly conference calls to reach consensus on the development of a toolkit utilizing methods proven to advance the development of their own academic Critical Care Organizations. Relevant medical literature was reviewed by literature search. Materials from federal agencies and other national organizations were accessed through the Internet. The Society of Critical Care Medicine convened a taskforce entitled "Academic Leaders in Critical Care Medicine" on February 22, 2016 at the 45th Critical Care Congress using the expertise of successful leaders of advanced governance Critical Care Organizations in North America to develop a toolkit for advancing Critical Care Organizations. Key elements of an academic Critical Care Organization are outlined. The vital missions of multidisciplinary patient care, safety, and quality are linked to the research, education, and professional development missions that enhance the value of such organizations. Core features, benefits, barriers, and recommendations for integration of academic programs within Critical Care Organizations are described. Selected readings and resources to successfully implement the recommendations are provided. Communication with medical school and hospital leadership is discussed. We present the rationale for critical

Investigating the Impact of Maternal Residential Mobility on Identifying Critical Windows of Susceptibility to Ambient Air Pollution During Pregnancy.

PubMed

Warren, Joshua L; Son, Ji-Young; Pereira, Gavin; Leaderer, Brian P; Bell, Michelle L

2018-05-01

Identifying periods of increased vulnerability to air pollution during pregnancy with respect to the development of adverse birth outcomes can improve understanding of possible mechanisms of disease development and provide guidelines for protection of the child. Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy is typically based on the mother's residence at delivery, potentially resulting in exposure misclassification and biasing the estimation of critical windows of pregnancy. In this study, we determined the impact of maternal residential mobility during pregnancy on defining weekly exposure to particulate matter less than or equal to 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) and estimating windows of susceptibility to term low birth weight. We utilized data sets from 4 Connecticut birth cohorts (1988-2008) that included information on all residential addresses between conception and delivery for each woman. We designed a simulation study to investigate the impact of increasing levels of mobility on identification of critical windows. Increased PM10 exposure during pregnancy weeks 16-18 was associated with an increased probability of term low birth weight. Ignoring residential mobility when defining weekly exposure had only a minor impact on the identification of critical windows for PM10 and term low birth weight in the data application and simulation study. Identification of critical pregnancy windows was robust to exposure misclassification caused by ignoring residential mobility in these Connecticut birth cohorts.

Novel biomarkers in critical care: utility or futility?

PubMed Central

Ackland, Gareth L; Mythen, Michael G

2007-01-01

One of the holy grails of modern medicine, across a range of clinical sub-specialties, is establishing highly sensitive and specific biomarkers for various diseases. Significant success has been achieved in some of these clinical areas, most notably identifying high-sensitivity C-reactive peptide, troponin I/T and brain natriuretic peptide as significant prognosticators for both the acute outcome and the development of cardiovascular pathology. However, it is highly debatable whether this translates to complex, multi-system pathophysiological insults. Is critical care immune from the application of these novel biomarkers, given the numerous confounding factors interfering with their interpretation? PMID:18001503

Critical thinking traits of top-tier experts and implications for computer science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bushey, Dean E.

A documented shortage of technical leadership and top-tier performers in computer science jeopardizes the technological edge, security, and economic well-being of the nation. The 2005 President's Information and Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) Report on competitiveness in computational sciences highlights the major impact of science, technology, and innovation in keeping America competitive in the global marketplace. It stresses the fact that the supply of science, technology, and engineering experts is at the core of America's technological edge, national competitiveness and security. However, recent data shows that both undergraduate and postgraduate production of computer scientists is falling. The decline is "a quiet crisis building in the United States," a crisis that, if allowed to continue unchecked, could endanger America's well-being and preeminence among the world's nations. Past research on expert performance has shown that the cognitive traits of critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving possessed by top-tier performers can be identified, observed and measured. The studies show that the identified attributes are applicable across many domains and disciplines. Companies have begun to realize that cognitive skills are important for high-level performance and are reevaluating the traditional academic standards they have used to predict success for their top-tier performers in computer science. Previous research in the computer science field has focused either on programming skills of its experts or has attempted to predict the academic success of students at the undergraduate level. This study, on the other hand, examines the critical-thinking skills found among experts in the computer science field in order to explore the questions, "What cognitive skills do outstanding performers possess that make them successful?" and "How do currently used measures of academic performance correlate to critical-thinking skills among students?" The results

"Eh! I Felt I Was Sabotaged!": Facilitators' Understandings of Success in a Participatory HIV and IPV Prevention Intervention in Urban South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbs, Andrew; Willan, Samantha; Jama-Shai, Nwabisa; Washington, Laura; Jewkes, Rachel

2015-01-01

Participatory approaches to behaviour change dominate HIV- and intimate partner violence prevention interventions. Research has identified multiple challenges in the delivery of these. In this article, we focus on how facilitators conceptualize successful facilitation and how these understandings may undermine dialogue and critical consciousness,…

Evaluation of an inpatient fall risk screening tool to identify the most critical fall risk factors in inpatients.

PubMed

Hou, Wen-Hsuan; Kang, Chun-Mei; Ho, Mu-Hsing; Kuo, Jessie Ming-Chuan; Chen, Hsiao-Lien; Chang, Wen-Yin

2017-03-01

To evaluate the accuracy of the inpatient fall risk screening tool and to identify the most critical fall risk factors in inpatients. Variations exist in several screening tools applied in acute care hospitals for examining risk factors for falls and identifying high-risk inpatients. Secondary data analysis. A subset of inpatient data for the period from June 2011-June 2014 was extracted from the nursing information system and adverse event reporting system of an 818-bed teaching medical centre in Taipei. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and logistic regression analysis. During the study period, 205 fallers and 37,232 nonfallers were identified. The results revealed that the inpatient fall risk screening tool (cut-off point of ≥3) had a low sensitivity level (60%), satisfactory specificity (87%), a positive predictive value of 2·0% and a negative predictive value of 99%. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0·805 (sensitivity, 71·8%; specificity, 78%). To increase the sensitivity values, the Youden index suggests at least 1·5 points to be the most suitable cut-off point for the inpatient fall risk screening tool. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a considerably increased fall risk in patients with impaired balance and impaired elimination. The fall risk factor was also significantly associated with days of hospital stay and with admission to surgical wards. The findings can raise awareness about the two most critical risk factors for falls among future clinical nurses and other healthcare professionals and thus facilitate the development of fall prevention interventions. This study highlights the needs for redefining the cut-off points of the inpatient fall risk screening tool to effectively identify inpatients at a high risk of falls. Furthermore, inpatients with impaired balance and impaired elimination should be closely

Clinical factors associated with success of proportional assist ventilation in the acute phase of critical illness: pilot study.

PubMed

Delgado, M; Zavala, E; Tomás, R; Fernandez, R

2014-03-01

Proportional assist ventilation plus (PAV+) applies pressure depending on the patient's inspiratory effort, automatically adjusting flow and volume assist to changes in respiratory mechanics. We aimed to assess the clinical factors associated with the success of PAV+ as first-line support in the acute phase of critical illness. A prospective cohort study was carried out. Mechanically ventilated patients>24h were switched from assist-control ventilation to PAV+ as soon as they regained spontaneous breathing activity. PAV+ was set to deliver the highest assistance. We compared patients in whom PAV+ succeeded versus those in whom it failed. PAV+ succeeded in 12 (63%) patients, but failed in 7 (37%) due to tachypnea (n=4), hypercapnia (n=2), and metabolic acidosis (n=1), but without statistical significance. Both groups had similar clinical parameters. On the day of inclusion, total work of breathing per breath was lower in the successful PAV+ group (WOBTOT: 0.95 [0.8-1.35] vs. 1.6 [1.4-1.8] J/L; P<.007). The area under the ROC curve was 0.89 ± 0.08 for WOBTOT. The best cut-off for predicting PAV+ success was WOBTOT<1.4 J/L (sensitivity: 1 [0.7-1], specificity: 0.6 [0.4-0.6], PPV: 0.7 [0.5-0.7], and NPV: 1 [0.6-1]). PAV+ proved feasible as first-line ventilatory support in 63% of the patients, mostly in individuals without extreme derangements in WOBTOT. Tachypnea and hypercapnia were the clinical factors associated with failure, though statistical significance was not reached. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. and SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

The Circle of Courage: Critical Indicators of Successful Life Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brendtro, Larry K.; Mitchell, Martin L.; Jackson, William C.

2014-01-01

In the behavioral science literature, successful childhood socialization is termed Positive Youth Development (PYD). Young people themselves are active agents in charting their own life course (Jackson, in press). However, the responsibility for socialization begins with families and is shared by neighbors, faith communities, educators, youth…

The Relationship between Iranian EFL Teachers' Critical Thinking Ability and Their Professional Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birjandi, Parviz; Bagherkazemi, Marzieh

2010-01-01

In the face of too much incoming information and too many people trying to convince us in today's world, the ability to think critically gains an ever greater saliency as a prime goal of student and teacher education. The present study aimed at substantiating the relationship between EFL teachers' critical thinking ability and their…

Evacuation of the ICU: care of the critically ill and injured during pandemics and disasters: CHEST consensus statement.

PubMed

King, Mary A; Niven, Alexander S; Beninati, William; Fang, Ray; Einav, Sharon; Rubinson, Lewis; Kissoon, Niranjan; Devereaux, Asha V; Christian, Michael D; Grissom, Colin K

2014-10-01

Despite the high risk for patient harm during unanticipated ICU evacuations, critical care providers receive little to no training on how to perform safe and effective ICU evacuations. We reviewed the pertinent published literature and offer suggestions for the critical care provider regarding ICU evacuation. The suggestions in this article are important for all who are involved in pandemics or disasters with multiple critically ill or injured patients, including front-line clinicians, hospital administrators, and public health or government officials. The Evacuation and Mobilization topic panel used the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) Guidelines Oversight Committee's methodology to develop seven key questions for which specific literature searches were conducted to identify studies upon which evidence-based recommendations could be made. No studies of sufficient quality were identified. Therefore, the panel developed expert opinion-based suggestions using a modified Delphi process. Based on current best evidence, we provide 13 suggestions outlining a systematic approach to prepare for and execute an effective ICU evacuation during a disaster. Interhospital and intrahospital collaboration and functional ICU communication are critical for success. Pre-event planning and preparation are required for a no-notice evacuation. A Critical Care Team Leader must be designated within the Hospital Incident Command System. A three-stage ICU Evacuation Timeline, including (1) no immediate threat, (2) evacuation threat, and (3) evacuation implementation, should be used. Detailed suggestions on ICU evacuation, including regional planning, evacuation drills, patient transport preparation and equipment, patient prioritization and distribution for evacuation, patient information and tracking, and federal and international evacuation assistance systems, are also provided. Successful ICU evacuation during a disaster requires active preparation, participation

Adolescent and Adult HIV Providers' Definitions of HIV-Infected Youths' Successful Transition to Adult Care in the United States.

PubMed

Philbin, Morgan M; Tanner, Amanda E; Ma, Alice; Chambers, Brittany D; Ware, Samuella; Kinnard, Elizabeth N; Hussen, Sophia A; Lee, Sonia; Fortenberry, J Dennis

2017-10-01

It is important for both individual- and population-level health that HIV-infected individuals progress through the Care Continuum. However, HIV-infected youth frequently disengage from care during transition from pediatric/adolescent to adult care; only 50% remain in adult care after 1 year. Understanding how providers define and approach a successful healthcare transition can improve the delivery of HIV-related services during critical years of HIV treatment. We conducted 58 staff interviews across 14 Adolescent Trials Network clinics (n = 30) and 20 adult clinics (n = 28). We used the constant comparative method to examine how providers defined and approached youths' successful transition. Providers identified four components critical to successful transition: (1) clinical outcomes (e.g., medication adherence and viral suppression); (2) youth knowing how to complete treatment-related activities (e.g., refilling prescriptions and making appointments); (3) youth taking responsibility for treatment-related activities and their overall health (e.g., "when they stop reaching out to the adolescent [clinic] to solve all their problems."); and (4) youth feeling a connection and trust toward the adult clinic (e.g., "they feel safe here"), with some providers even prioritizing connectedness over clinical outcomes (e.g., "Even if they're not taking meds but are connected [to care], …that's a success."). The identification of key components of successful transition can guide focused interventions and resources to improve youth maintenance in the HIV Care Continuum as they transition to adult care. Identifying what facilitates successful transitions, and the gaps that interventions can target, will help to ensure HIV-infected youth remain healthy across their lifespan.

Successful Implementation of Clinical Information Technology: Seven Key Lessons from CPOE.

PubMed

Gellert, G A; Hill, V; Bruner, K; Maciaz, G; Saucedo, L; Catzoela, L; Ramirez, R; Jacobs, W J; Nguyen, P; Patel, L; Webster, S L

2015-01-01

To identify and describe the most critical strategic and operational contributors to the successful implementation of clinical information technologies, as deployed within a moderate sized system of U.S. community hospitals. CHRISTUS Health is a multi-state system comprised of more than 350 services and 60 hospitals with over 9 000 physicians. The Santa Rosa region of CHRISTUS Health, located in greater San Antonio, Texas is comprised of three adult community hospital facilities and one Children's hospital each with bed capacities of 142-180. Computerized Patient Order Entry (CPOE) was first implemented in 2012 within a complex market environment. The Santa Rosa region has 2 417 credentialed physicians and 263 mid-level allied health professionals. This report focuses on the seven most valuable strategies deployed by the Health Informatics team in a large four hospital CHRISTUS region to achieve strong CPOE adoption and critical success lessons learned. The findings are placed within the context of the literature describing best practices in health information technology implementation. While the elements described involved discrete de novo process generation to support implementation and operations, collectively they represent the creation of a new customer-centric service culture in our Health Informatics team, which has served as a foundation for ensuring strong clinical information technology adoption beyond CPOE. The seven success factors described are not limited in their value to and impact on CPOE adoption, but generalize to - and can advance success in - varied other clinical information technology implementations across diverse hospitals. A number of these factors are supported by reports in the literature of other institutions' successful implementations of CPOE and other clinical information technologies, and while not prescriptive to other settings, may be adapted to yield value elsewhere.

What Matters from Admissions? Identifying Success and Risk Among Canadian Dental Students.

PubMed

Plouffe, Rachel A; Hammond, Robert; Goldberg, Harvey A; Chahine, Saad

2018-05-01

The aims of this study were to determine whether different student profiles would emerge in terms of high and low GPA performance in each year of dental school and to investigate the utility of preadmissions variables in predicting performance and performance stability throughout each year of dental school. Data from 11 graduating cohorts (2004-14) at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, Canada, were collected and analyzed using bivariate correlations, latent profile analysis, and hierarchical generalized linear models (HGLMs). The data analyzed were for 616 students in total (332 males and 284 females). Four models were developed to predict adequate and poor performance throughout each of four dental school years. An additional model was developed to predict student performance stability across time. Two separate student profiles reflecting high and low GPA performance across each year of dental school were identified, and scores on cognitive preadmissions variables differentially predicted the probability of grouping into high and low performance profiles. Students with higher pre-dental GPAs and DAT chemistry were most likely to remain stable in a high-performance group across each year of dental school. Overall, the findings suggest that selection committees should consider pre-dental GPA and DAT chemistry scores as important tools for predicting dental school performance and stability across time. This research is important in determining how to better predict success and failure in various areas of preclinical dentistry courses and to provide low-performing students with adequate academic assistance.

Predicting Mission Success in Small Satellite Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saunders, Mark; Richie, Wayne; Rogers, John; Moore, Arlene

1992-01-01

In our global society with its increasing international competition and tighter financial resources, governments, commercial entities and other organizations are becoming critically aware of the need to ensure that space missions can be achieved on time and within budget. This has become particularly true for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Office of Space Science (OSS) which has developed their Discovery and Explorer programs to meet this need. As technologies advance, space missions are becoming smaller and more capable than their predecessors. The ability to predict the mission success of these small satellite missions is critical to the continued achievement of NASA science mission objectives. The NASA Office of Space Science, in cooperation with the NASA Langley Research Center, has implemented a process to predict the likely success of missions proposed to its Discovery and Explorer Programs. This process is becoming the basis for predicting mission success in many other NASA programs as well. This paper describes the process, methodology, tools and synthesis techniques used to predict mission success for this class of mission.

Predicting Mission Success in Small Satellite Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saunders, Mark; Richie, R. Wayne; Moore, Arlene; Rogers, John

1999-01-01

In our global society with its increasing international competition and tighter financial resources, governments, commercial entities and other organizations are becoming critically aware of the need to ensure that space missions can be achieved on time and within budget. This has become particularly true for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Office of Space Science (OSS) which has developed their Discovery and Explorer programs to meet this need. As technologies advance, space missions are becoming smaller and more capable than their predecessors. The ability to predict the mission success of these small satellite missions is critical to the continued achievement of NASA science mission objectives. The NASA Office of Space Science, in cooperation with the NASA Langley Research Center, has implemented a process to predict the likely success of missions proposed to its Discovery and Explorer Programs. This process is becoming the basis for predicting mission success in many other NASA programs as well. This paper describes the process, methodology, tools and synthesis techniques used to predict mission success for this class of mission.

Beyond health information technology: critical factors necessary for effective diabetes disease management.

PubMed

Ciemins, Elizabeth L; Coon, Patricia J; Fowles, Jinnet Briggs; Min, Sung-joon

2009-05-01

Electronic health records (EHRs) have been implemented throughout the United States with varying degrees of success. Past EHR implementation experiences can inform health systems planning to initiate new or expand existing EHR systems. Key "critical success factors," e.g., use of disease registries, workflow integration, and real-time clinical guideline support, have been identified but not fully tested in practice. A pre/postintervention cohort analysis was conducted on 495 adult patients selected randomly from a diabetes registry and followed for 6 years. Two intervention phases were evaluated: a "low-dose" period targeting primary care provider (PCP) and patient education followed by a "high-dose" EHR diabetes management implementation period, including a diabetes disease registry and office workflow changes, e.g., diabetes patient preidentification to facilitate real-time diabetes preventive care, disease management, and patient education. Across baseline, "low-dose," and "high-dose" postintervention periods, a significantly greater proportion of patients (a) achieved American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines for control of blood pressure (26.9 to 33.1 to 43.9%), glycosylated hemoglobin (48.5 to 57.5 to 66.8%), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (33.1 to 44.4 to 56.6%) and (b) received recommended preventive eye (26.2 to 36.4 to 58%), foot (23.4 to 40.3 to 66.9%), and renal (38.5 to 53.9 to 71%) examinations or screens. Implementation of a fully functional, specialized EHR combined with tailored office workflow process changes was associated with increased adherence to ADA guidelines, including risk factor control, by PCPs and their patients with diabetes. Incorporation of previously identified "critical success factors" potentially contributed to the success of the program, as did use of a two-phase approach. 2009 Diabetes Technology Society.

The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and the ten steps for successful breastfeeding. a critical review of the literature.

PubMed

Gomez-Pomar, Enrique; Blubaugh, Robert

2018-02-07

There is no doubt regarding the multiple benefits of breastfeeding for infants and society in general. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) in a conjoint effort with United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) developed the "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding" in 1992, which became the backbone of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). Following this development, many hospitals and countries intensified their position towards creating a "breastfeeding oriented" practice. Over the past two decades, the interest increased in the BFHI and the Ten Steps. However, alongside the implementation of the initiative, extensive research continues to evaluate the benefits and dangers of the suggested practices. Hence, it is our intention to make a critical evaluation of the current BFHI and the Ten Steps recommendations in consideration of the importance of providing an evidence-based breastfeeding supported environment for our mothers and infants.

Critical Thinking in Nurse Anesthesia Education: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Shari; Mendel, Shaun; Fisher, Rodney; Cooper, Kimball; Fisher, Michael

2013-01-01

Critical thinking is pivotal for student success in health professions education. Knowing the critical thinking ability of the learner helps educators tailor curriculum to enhance critical thinking. A quantitative comparative pilot study assessed critical thinking ability for students at two distinct points in a nurse anesthesia program…

NASA flight controllers - Meeting cultural and leadership challenges on the critical path to mission success

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clement, James L., Jr.; Ritsher, Jennifer Boyd

2006-01-01

As part of its preparation for missions to the Moon and Mars, NASA has identified high priority critical path roadmap (CPR) questions, two of which focus on the performance of mission control personnel. NASA flight controllers have always worked in an incredibly demanding setting, but the International Space Station poses even more challenges than prior missions. We surveyed 14 senior ISS flight controllers and a contrasting sample of 12 more junior controllers about the management and cultural challenges they face and the most effective strategies for addressing them. There was substantial consensus among participants on some issues, such as the importance of building a personal relationship with Russian colleagues. Responses from junior and senior controllers differed in some areas, such as training. We frame the results in terms of two CPR questions. We aim to use our results to improve flight controller training.

Exploring the Requisite Skills and Competencies of Pharmacists Needed for Success in an Evolving Health Care Environment.

PubMed

McLaughlin, Jacqueline E; Bush, Antonio A; Rodgers, Philip T; Scott, Mollie Ashe; Zomorodi, Meg; Pinelli, Nicole R; Roth, Mary T

2017-08-01

Objective. To identify and describe the core competencies and skills considered essential for success of pharmacists in today's rapidly evolving health care environment. Methods. Six breakout groups of 15-20 preceptors, pharmacists, and partners engaged in a facilitated discussion about the qualities and characteristics relevant to the success of a pharmacy graduate. Data were analyzed using qualitative methods. Peer-debriefing, multiple coders, and member-checking were used to promote trustworthiness of findings. Results. Eight overarching themes were identified: critical thinking and problem solving; collaboration across networks and leading by influence; agility and adaptability; initiative and entrepreneurialism; effective oral and written communication; accessing and analyzing information; curiosity and imagination; and self-awareness. Conclusion. This study is an important step toward understanding how to best prepare pharmacy students for the emerging health care needs of society.

Perspectives of physicians and nurses on identifying and treating psychological distress of the critically ill.

PubMed

Karnatovskaia, Lioudmila V; Johnson, Margaret M; Dockter, Travis J; Gajic, Ognjen

2017-02-01

Survivors of critical illness are frequently unable to return to their premorbid level of psychocognitive functioning following discharge. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the burden of psychological trauma experienced by patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) as perceived by clinicians to assess factors that can impede its recognition and treatment in the ICU. Two distinct role-specific Web-based surveys were administered to critical care physicians and nurses in medical and surgical ICUs of 2 academic medical centers. Responses were analyzed in the domains of psychological trauma, exacerbating/mitigating factors, and provider-patient communication. A survey was completed by 43 physicians and 55 nurses with a response rate of 62% and 37%, respectively. Among physicians, 65% consistently consider the psychological state of the patient in decision making; 77% think it is important to introduce a system to document psychological state of ICU patients; 56% would like to have more time to communicate with patients; 77% consistently spend extra time at bedside besides rounds and often hold patient's hand/reassure them. Notably, for the question about the average level of psychological stress experienced by a patient in the ICU (with 0=no stress and 100=worst stress imaginable) during initial treatment stage and by the end of the ICU stay, median assessment by both physicians and nurses was 80 for the initial stress level and 68 for the stress level by the end of the ICU stay. Among nurses, 69% always try to minimize noise and 73% actively promote patient's rest. Physicians and nurses provided multiple specific suggestions for improving ICU environment and communication. Both physicians and nurses acknowledge that they perceive that critically ill patients experience a high level of psychological stress that persists throughout their period of illness. Improved understanding of this phenomenon is needed to design effective therapeutic interventions. Although the lack

The role of relationships in collaborative partnership success: Lessons from the Alaska Fourth R project.

PubMed

Crooks, Claire V; Exner-Cortens, Deinera; Siebold, Wendi; Moore, Kami; Grassgreen, Lori; Owen, Patricia; Rausch, Ann; Rosier, Mollie

2018-04-01

Collaborative partnerships are critical to achieving health equity. As such, it is important to understand what contributes to the success of such partnerships. This paper describes the Alaska Fourth R collaborative, a multisectoral group of agencies (including education, health and human services, the violence against women sector, the governor's council on domestic violence, and an external evaluator) that successfully planned, implemented and evaluated a multi-focus health education program statewide. The purpose of this paper was to explore the ways in which seven pre-identified factors contributed to the successful achievement of the collaborative's goals. This project was grounded in community-based research principles, and collectively, the group chose to use Roussos and Fawcett's (2000) seven-factor model as the basis for the project. Using this model as a guide, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five leaders from the key organizations in the collaborative. In interviews, stakeholders described how each of the seven factors functioned in the Alaska collaborative to contribute to project success, with a particular focus on the critical role of relationships. Three specific relationship facets emerged as cross-cutting themes: flexibility, transparency, and prioritization. In sum, taking the time to build deep and authentic relationships, and then developing a shared vision and mission within the context of relationships that are flexible, transparent and prioritized, provided a strong foundation for future success in this collaborative. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effectiveness and Critical Success Factors of Extensive Reading Lessons, Which We Have Learned during Our Three Years of Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishizawa, Hitoshi; Yoshioka, Takayoshi; Itoh, Kazuaki

Three years of extensive reading lessons have improved engineering students‧ reading and listening skills in English. The average TOEIC score has increased to 441 points, and the relative numbers of students of lower scores than 350 points have decreased to 14% in the third year when the median reading amount of easy-to-read English texts is about a half million words. The critical success factors are the reading amount and the easiness of English texts read especially in the first term. When students read extremely easy English texts with the help of pictures, they can finally avoid the translation into Japanese and grasp the meaning of the texts directly in English

The Dissertation Examination: Identifying Critical Factors in the Success of Indigenous Australian Doctoral Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrison, Neil; Trudgett, Michelle; Page, Susan

2017-01-01

Indigenous Australians represent 2.2% of the working age population, yet account for only 1.4% of all university enrolments. In relation to higher degree research students, Indigenous Australians account for 1.1% of enrolments, but only 0.8% of all higher degree research completions. This paper reports on findings that emerged from an Australian…

Critical Success Factors for Knowledge Transfer Collaborations between University and Industry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schofield, Tatiana

2013-01-01

In a fast moving business environment university-industry collaborations play a critical role in contributing to national economies and furthering a competitive advantage. Knowledge transfer from university to industry is supported by national governments as part of their innovation, national growth and competitiveness agenda. A…

Older Adults’ Perspectives on Successful Aging: Qualitative Interviews

PubMed Central

Reichstadt, Jennifer; Sengupta, Geetika; Depp, Colin A.; Palinkas, Lawrence A.; Jeste, Dilip V.

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVES Lay perceptions of “successful aging” are important for understanding this multifaceted construct and developing ways to assist older adults to age well. The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain older adults’ individual perspectives on what constitutes successful aging, along with their views regarding activities and interventions to enhance its likelihood. METHODS Qualitative interviews were conducted with 22 community-dwelling adults over age 60. Participants were recruited from retirement communities, a low-income senior housing complex, and a continued learning center in San Diego County. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a “Coding Consensus, Co-occurrence, and Comparison” grounded theory framework. RESULTS The mean age of participants was 80 years (range: 64 to 96), with 59% being women. Two primary themes were identified as key to successful aging - i.e., self-acceptance/self-contentment (with sub-themes of realistic self-appraisal, a review of one’s life, and focusing on the present) and engagement with life/self-growth (with sub-themes of novel pursuits, giving to others, social interactions, and positive attitude). A balance between these two constructs appeared critical. A need for interventions that address support systems and personally tailored information to make informed decisions and enhance coping strategies were also emphasized. CONCLUSIONS Older adults viewed successful aging as a balance between self-acceptance and self-contentedness on one hand and engagement with life and self-growth in later life on the other. This perspective supports the concept of wisdom as a major contributor to successful aging. Interventions to enhance successful aging may include those that promote productive and social engagement along with effective coping strategies. PMID:20593536

An Analysis of Factors Affecting Mature Age Students' Academic Success in Undergraduate Nursing Programs: A Critical Literature Review.

PubMed

Hayden, Lisa J; Jeong, Sarah Y; Norton, Carol A

2016-01-01

The population of mature age students entering university nursing programs has steadily increased in both Australia and worldwide. The objective of the literature review was to explore how mature age students perform academically and to analyse the factors associated with their academic performance in nursing programs. A literature search was conducted in the following databases: CINAHL, ProQuest, Medline, Cochrane, Mosby's Index, Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), and Scopus. Twenty-six (26) research papers published between 2000 and 2014 have met the selection criteria of this review. The key themes identified include; 1) ambiguity in definition of mature age and academic success, 2) age and academic success, 3) intrinsic factors (life experiences, emotional intelligence, and motivation and volition), and 4) extrinsic factors (peer, academic and family support; and learning style, components of the modules and mode of delivery). Current literature provides evidence that mature age nursing students perform at a higher level within the methodological issues discussed in this paper. Future research is warranted to advance the understanding of the complex relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic factors of mature age students and their academic success in higher education. Nursing educators will benefit from novel evidence, ideas and opportunities to explore and implement in nursing education.

The Anatomy of Critical Discourse.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenfield, Lawrence W.

1968-01-01

Critical discourse is best understood when its logical features are identified. An examination of the basic elements and modes of rhetorical criticism (a form of critical discourse) produces a finite set of options for the critic, thus enabling him to develop a system of alternatives in his critical efforts. For example, by selecting from among…

Leadership, social capital and incentives promote successful fisheries.

PubMed

Gutiérrez, Nicolás L; Hilborn, Ray; Defeo, Omar

2011-02-17

One billion people depend on seafood as their primary source of protein and 25% of the world's total animal protein comes from fisheries. Yet a third of fish stocks worldwide are overexploited or depleted. Using individual case studies, many have argued that community-based co-management should prevent the tragedy of the commons because cooperative management by fishers, managers and scientists often results in sustainable fisheries. However, general and multidisciplinary evaluations of co-management regimes and the conditions for social, economic and ecological success within such regimes are lacking. Here we examine 130 co-managed fisheries in a wide range of countries with different degrees of development, ecosystems, fishing sectors and type of resources. We identified strong leadership as the most important attribute contributing to success, followed by individual or community quotas, social cohesion and protected areas. Less important conditions included enforcement mechanisms, long-term management policies and life history of the resources. Fisheries were most successful when at least eight co-management attributes were present, showing a strong positive relationship between the number of these attributes and success, owing to redundancy in management regulations. Our results demonstrate the critical importance of prominent community leaders and robust social capital, combined with clear incentives through catch shares and conservation benefits derived from protected areas, for successfully managing aquatic resources and securing the livelihoods of communities depending on them. Our study offers hope that co-management, the only realistic solution for the majority of the world's fisheries, can solve many of the problems facing global fisheries.

Research and Energy Efficiency: Selected Success Stories

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Garland, P. W.; Garland, R. W.

1997-06-26

Energy use and energy technology play critical roles in the U.S. economy and modern society. The Department of Energy (DOE) conducts civilian energy research and development (R&D) programs for the purpose of identifying promising technologies that promote energy security, energy efficiency, and renewable energy use. DOE-sponsored research ranges from basic investigation of phenomena all the way through development of applied technology in partnership with industry. DOE`s research programs are conducted in support of national strategic energy objectives, however austere financial times have dictated that R&D programs be measured in terms of cost vs. benefit. In some cases it is difficult to measure the return on investment for the basic "curiosity-driven" research, however many applied technology development programs have resulted in measurable commercial successes. The DOE has published summaries of their most successful applied technology energy R&D programs. In this paper, we will discuss five examples from the Building Technologies area of the DOE Energy Efficiency program. Each story will describe the technology, discuss the level of federal funding, and discuss the returns in terms of energy savings, cost savings, or national economic impacts.

Maintaining relationships is critical in network's success.

PubMed

Huerta, Timothy

2006-01-01

As the authors of the lead paper recognize, networks have become an increasingly popular form of organizing, both in the delivery of public services and within political arenas. A network is an arrangement of individuals and/or organizations that are linked through connections that range from informal relationships to formally agreed protocols. Networks have proved useful in addressing complex and intractable problems that require a holistic approach to identifying and implementing long-term solutions. They succeed in situations where hierarchies and "silo-based" systems have failed, and are particularly valuable in facilitating the transfer of resources and knowledge across sectoral and organizational boundaries.

New technology planning and approval: critical factors for success.

PubMed

Haselkorn, Ateret; Rosenstein, Alan H; Rao, Anil K; Van Zuiden, Michele; Coye, Molly J

2007-01-01

The steady evolution of technology, with the associated increased costs, is a major factor affecting health care delivery. In the face of limited capital resources, it is important for hospitals to integrate technology management with the strategic plan, mission, and resource availability of the organization. Experiences in technology management have shown that having a well-organized, consistent approach to technology planning, assessment, committee membership, approval, evaluation, implementation, and monitoring are key factors necessary to ensure a successful program. We examined the results of a survey that assessed the structure, processes, and cultural support behind hospital committees for new technology planning and approval.

How Successful Teachers Plan for Success. F.E.A. Research and Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sampson, Pauline M.; Armstrong, Neill F.; Leigh, Melissa M.

2010-01-01

The first week of school is critical to fostering success for the entire year. The beginning of each new school term provides savvy teachers with the chance to create a classroom culture that is grounded in their unique personality, life experiences, and above all, their expectations for the way they want their classroom to look and feel…

Project management practice and its effects on project success in Malaysian construction industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haron, N. A.; Devi, P.; Hassim, S.; Alias, A. H.; Tahir, M. M.; Harun, A. N.

2017-12-01

The rapid economic development has increased the demand for construction of infrastructure and facilities globally. Sustainable development and globalization are the new ‘Zeitgeist’ of the 21st century. In order to implement these projects successfully and to meet the functional aim of the projects within their lifetime, an efficient project management practice is needed. The aim of this study is to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) and the extent of use of project management practice which affects project success, especially during the implementation stage. Data were obtained from self-administered questionnaires with 232 respondents. A mixed method of data collection was adopted using semi-structured interview and questionnaire approach. The result of the analysis of data obtained showed that new and emerging criteria such as customer satisfaction, competency of the project team, and performance of subcontractors/suppliers are becoming measures of success in addition to the classic iron triangle’s view of time, cost and quality. An insight on the extent of use of different project management practice in the industry was also achieved from the study.

Critical Thinking: Art Criticism as a Tool for Analysing and Evaluating Art, Instructional Practice and Social Justice Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broome, Jeffrey; Pereira, Adriane; Anderson, Tom

2018-01-01

Recent educational initiatives have emphasised the importance of fostering critical thinking skills in today's students in order to provide strategies for becoming successful problem solvers throughout life. Other scholars advocate the use of critical thinking skills on the grounds that such tools can be used effectively when considering social…

Beta Atomic Contacts: Identifying Critical Specific Contacts in Protein Binding Interfaces

PubMed Central

Liu, Qian; Kwoh, Chee Keong; Hoi, Steven C. H.

2013-01-01

Specific binding between proteins plays a crucial role in molecular functions and biological processes. Protein binding interfaces and their atomic contacts are typically defined by simple criteria, such as distance-based definitions that only use some threshold of spatial distance in previous studies. These definitions neglect the nearby atomic organization of contact atoms, and thus detect predominant contacts which are interrupted by other atoms. It is questionable whether such kinds of interrupted contacts are as important as other contacts in protein binding. To tackle this challenge, we propose a new definition called beta (β) atomic contacts. Our definition, founded on the β-skeletons in computational geometry, requires that there is no other atom in the contact spheres defined by two contact atoms; this sphere is similar to the van der Waals spheres of atoms. The statistical analysis on a large dataset shows that β contacts are only a small fraction of conventional distance-based contacts. To empirically quantify the importance of β contacts, we design βACV, an SVM classifier with β contacts as input, to classify homodimers from crystal packing. We found that our βACV is able to achieve the state-of-the-art classification performance superior to SVM classifiers with distance-based contacts as input. Our βACV also outperforms several existing methods when being evaluated on several datasets in previous works. The promising empirical performance suggests that β contacts can truly identify critical specific contacts in protein binding interfaces. β contacts thus provide a new model for more precise description of atomic organization in protein quaternary structures than distance-based contacts. PMID:23630569

The critical steps for successful research: The research proposal and scientific writing: (A report on the pre-conference workshop held in conjunction with the 64(th) annual conference of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress-2012).

PubMed

Balakumar, Pitchai; Inamdar, Mohammed Naseeruddin; Jagadeesh, Gowraganahalli

2013-04-01

An interactive workshop on 'The Critical Steps for Successful Research: The Research Proposal and Scientific Writing' was conducted in conjunction with the 64(th) Annual Conference of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress-2012 at Chennai, India. In essence, research is performed to enlighten our understanding of a contemporary issue relevant to the needs of society. To accomplish this, a researcher begins search for a novel topic based on purpose, creativity, critical thinking, and logic. This leads to the fundamental pieces of the research endeavor: Question, objective, hypothesis, experimental tools to test the hypothesis, methodology, and data analysis. When correctly performed, research should produce new knowledge. The four cornerstones of good research are the well-formulated protocol or proposal that is well executed, analyzed, discussed and concluded. This recent workshop educated researchers in the critical steps involved in the development of a scientific idea to its successful execution and eventual publication.

Critical differences between elective and emergency surgery: identifying domains for quality improvement in emergency general surgery.

PubMed

Columbus, Alexandra B; Morris, Megan A; Lilley, Elizabeth J; Harlow, Alyssa F; Haider, Adil H; Salim, Ali; Havens, Joaquim M

2018-04-01

The objective of our study was to characterize providers' impressions of factors contributing to disproportionate rates of morbidity and mortality in emergency general surgery to identify targets for care quality improvement. Emergency general surgery is characterized by a high-cost burden and disproportionate morbidity and mortality. Factors contributing to these observed disparities are not comprehensively understood and targets for quality improvement have not been formally developed. Using a grounded theory approach, emergency general surgery providers were recruited through purposive-criterion-based sampling to participate in semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Participants were asked to identify contributors to emergency general surgery outcomes, to define effective care for EGS patients, and to describe operating room team structure. Interviews were performed to thematic saturation. Transcripts were iteratively coded and analyzed within and across cases to identify emergent themes. Member checking was performed to establish credibility of the findings. A total of 40 participants from 5 academic hospitals participated in either individual interviews (n = 25 [9 anesthesia, 12 surgery, 4 nursing]) or focus groups (n = 2 [15 nursing]). Emergency general surgery was characterized by an exceptionally high level of variability, which can be subcategorized as patient-variability (acute physiology and comorbidities) and system-variability (operating room resources and workforce). Multidisciplinary communication is identified as a modifier to variability in emergency general surgery; however, nursing is often left out of early communication exchanges. Critical variability in emergency general surgery may impact outcomes. Patient-variability and system-variability, with focus on multidisciplinary communication, represent potential domains for quality improvement in this field. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

What’s My Lane? Identifying the State Government Role in Critical Infrastructure Protection

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

lacking. Dr. Bellavita makes an important point that “the initial difference between critical infrastructure and plain vanilla infrastructure seems to...more definitive description of “critical” would help to improve understanding of what infrastructure is critical and help to segregate “ vanilla ” or

Successful Leadership in Urban Schools: Principals and Critical Spirituality, a New Approach to Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dantley, Michael E.

2010-01-01

This article offers an alternative perspective on educational leadership based on the tenets of critical spirituality. It offers an educational leadership grounded in critical theory and African American spirituality. The two coalesce to provide school leaders with a conceptual frame that not only centers on academic achievement but academic…

Success and failure of biological treatment in systemic lupus erythematosus: A critical analysis.

PubMed

Gatto, Mariele; Saccon, Francesca; Zen, Margherita; Bettio, Silvano; Iaccarino, Luca; Punzi, Leonardo; Doria, Andrea

2016-11-01

Patients affected with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) still display increased mortality and decreased quality of life in respect to general population. The major determinant of poor long term prognosis is organ damage, which is predictive of more damage and death. Damage is in turn triggered by uncontrolled disease activity and especially by the long-standing corticosteroid use which often accompanies SLE patients over their disease course, owing both to the need of reaching disease remission and to the habit of keeping patients on a small steroid dose for an indefinite period of time. Hence, the need for new drugs and therapeutic strategies aiming at minimizing damage accrual through a better control of disease activity and a steroid-sparing potential is paramount. So far, however, the therapeutic strategy in SLE requires a multitarget approach which is not devoid of widespread immunesuppression. In fact, several studies have been carried out in recent years targeting both the adaptive and the innate immune system, the majority of which did not achieve their primary endpoint, being often divergent from successful clinical experience and thereby committing physician to off-label use of targeted therapies in face of refractory SLE manifestations. The study designs and the chosen endpoints were often blamed for inadequacy, being at least in part responsible for study failures. In this review, we go over major clinical trials conducted in SLE by analyzing any critical aspects related to study design, predefined endpoints and biological activity of novel compounds that may have hampered study outcome, despite the great effort of providing less toxic drugs within a targeted, pathogenic-based approach. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predictors of successful external cephalic version and assessment of success for vaginal delivery.

PubMed

Salzer, Liat; Nagar, Ran; Melamed, Nir; Wiznitzer, Arnon; Peled, Yoav; Yogev, Yariv

2015-01-01

To identify predictors of successful external cephalic version (ECV) and to compare delivery outcome between women who had a successful ECV and women with spontaneous vertex presentation. A retrospective cohort study of all women who underwent ECV in a single tertiary medical center between 2007 and 2011. Delivery outcome was compared between women who underwent a trial of vaginal delivery following successful ECV with that of a control group in a 2:1 ratio. Multivariate analysis was used to identify predictors of successful ECV. Overall 287 were eligible for the study group. Of these 130 (45.3%) had a successful ECV. Polyhydramnios was the strongest factor associated with successful ECV (OR=3.1, 95%-CI 1.4-7.2), followed by transverse lie (versus breech presentation, OR=2.6, 95%-CI 1.2-6.7) and a posterior placenta (OR=1.7, 95%-CI 1.1-3.9), while nulliparity was associated with a lower likelihood of successful ECV (OR=0.4, 95%-CI 0.2-0.6). Women who had a successful ECV and underwent a trial of labor were more likely to deliver by operative vaginal delivery (OVD) (OR=1.8, 95%-CI 1.2-3.6), mainly due to a higher rate of prolonged 2nd, but were not at an increased risk for CS (OR=0.9, 95%-CI 0.4-2.4). Counselling to women prior to ECV should address the likelihood of success based on the predicting factors described above, as well as the increased risk for OVD in the case of successful ECV.

Sharing Educational Success: A Guide for Adoption/Adaption.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

George Washington Univ., Washington, DC. National Advisory Council on Supplementary Centers and Services.

A critical task facing educators is that of uniting those schools that have need of a successful solution to a specific problem with those schools that already have produced such a solution. This guide suggests how practitioners might pursue the problem of sharing educational success in their State. Included are a brief summary of how…

Implementation of computerized physician order entry in National Guard Hospitals: assessment of critical success factors.

PubMed

Altuwaijri, Majid M; Bahanshal, Abdullah; Almehaid, Mona

2011-09-01

The purpose of this study is to describe the needs, process and experience of implementing a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system in a leading healthcare organization in Saudi Arabia. The National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA) deployed the CPOE in a pilot department, which was the intensive care unit (ICU) in order to assess its benefits and risks and to test the system. After the CPOE was implemented in the ICU area, a survey was sent to the ICU clinicians to assess their perception on the importance of 32 critical success factors (CSFs) that was acquired from the literature. The project team also had several meetings to gather lessons learned from the pilot project in order to utilize them for the expansion of the project to other NGHA clinics and hospitals. The results of the survey indicated that the selected CSFs, even though they were developed with regard to international settings, are very much applicable for the pilot area. The top three CSFs rated by the survey respondents were: The "before go-live training", the adequate clinical resources during implementation, and the ordering time. After the assessment of the survey and the lessons learned from the pilot project, NGHA decided that the potential benefits of the CPOE are expected to be greater the risks expected. The project was then expanded to cover all NGHA clinics and hospitals in a phased approach. Currently, the project is in its final stages and expected to be completed by the end of 2011. The role of CPOE systems is very important in hospitals in order to reduce medication errors and to improve the quality of care. In spite of their great benefits, many studies suggest that a high percentage of these projects fail. In order to increase the chances of success and due to the fact that CPOE is a clinical system, NGHA implemented the system first in a pilot area in order to test the system without putting patients at risk and to learn from mistakes before expanding the system to other

North Country Successes: Case Studies of Successful Entrepreneurs in the ANCA Region.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chugh, Ram L.; Gandhi, Prem P.

This study identifies the characteristics of both successful small businesses and their entrepreneurial owners in a 14-county area of the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA). Of the 100 survey respondents representing successful small businesses, 50% had been in business for less than 14 years; 38% were in manufacturing; 48% employed more…

Forging a critical alliance: Addressing the research needs of the United States critical illness and injury community.

PubMed

Cobb, J Perren; Ognibene, Frederick P; Ingbar, David H; Mann, Henry J; Hoyt, David B; Angus, Derek C; Thomas, Alvin V; Danner, Robert L; Suffredini, Anthony F

2009-12-01

Discuss the research needs of the critical illness and injury communities in the United States. Workshop session held during the 5 National Institutes of Health Symposium on the Functional Genomics of Critical Illness and Injury (November 15, 2007). The current clinical research infrastructure misses opportunities for synergy and does not address many important needs. In addition, it remains challenging to rapidly and properly implement system-wide changes based upon reproducible evidence from clinical research. Author presentations, panel discussion, attendee feedback. The critical illness and injury research communities seek better communication and interaction, both of which will improve the breadth and quality of acute care research. Success in meeting these needs should come from cooperative and strategic actions that favor collaboration, standardization of protocols, and strong leadership. An alliance framed on common goals will foster collaboration among experts to better promote clinical trials within the critically ill or injured patient population. The U.S. Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group was funded to create a clinical research framework that can reduce the barriers to investigation using an investigator-initiated, evidence-driven, inclusive approach that has proven successful elsewhere. This alliance will provide an annual venue for systematic review and strategic planning that will include framing the research agenda, raising awareness for the value of acute care research, gathering and promoting best practices, and bolstering the critical care workforce.

High-Impact Succession Management. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamoureux, Kim; Campbell, Michael; Smith, Roland

2009-01-01

Most companies have an opportunity to improve their succession management programs. The number one challenge for succession management (as identified by both HR leaders and executives) is developing a succession planning strategy. This comprehensive industry study sets out to determine how succession management (when done well) helps improve…

The critical steps for successful research: The research proposal and scientific writing: (A report on the pre-conference workshop held in conjunction with the 64th annual conference of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress-2012)

PubMed Central

Balakumar, Pitchai; Inamdar, Mohammed Naseeruddin; Jagadeesh, Gowraganahalli

2013-01-01

An interactive workshop on ‘The Critical Steps for Successful Research: The Research Proposal and Scientific Writing’ was conducted in conjunction with the 64th Annual Conference of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress-2012 at Chennai, India. In essence, research is performed to enlighten our understanding of a contemporary issue relevant to the needs of society. To accomplish this, a researcher begins search for a novel topic based on purpose, creativity, critical thinking, and logic. This leads to the fundamental pieces of the research endeavor: Question, objective, hypothesis, experimental tools to test the hypothesis, methodology, and data analysis. When correctly performed, research should produce new knowledge. The four cornerstones of good research are the well-formulated protocol or proposal that is well executed, analyzed, discussed and concluded. This recent workshop educated researchers in the critical steps involved in the development of a scientific idea to its successful execution and eventual publication. PMID:23761709

Critical Factors Analysis for Offshore Software Development Success by Structural Equation Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wada, Yoshihisa; Tsuji, Hiroshi

In order to analyze the success/failure factors in offshore software development service by the structural equation modeling, this paper proposes to follow two approaches together; domain knowledge based heuristic analysis and factor analysis based rational analysis. The former works for generating and verifying of hypothesis to find factors and causalities. The latter works for verifying factors introduced by theory to build the model without heuristics. Following the proposed combined approaches for the responses from skilled project managers of the questionnaire, this paper found that the vendor property has high causality for the success compared to software property and project property.

Subject Comprehension and Critical Thinking: An Intervention for Subject Comprehension and Critical Thinking in Mixed-Academic-Ability University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bellaera, Lauren; Debney, Lauren; Baker, Sara T.

2016-01-01

Subject comprehension and critical thinking are both key goals of higher education. However, while the former is, on the whole, successfully cultivated in undergraduate students, the latter is not. Few empirical studies have investigated the relationship between subject comprehension and critical thinking. In the present article we suggest that…

Retired Adults: Perceptions on Successful Retirement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rausch, Suzanne

2013-01-01

This dissertation is an examination of the perceptions offered by adults who self-identify as being successfully retired. The increase in the percentage of the retiring population in the United States in the immediate future alerts us to the need to identify strategies that have been reported by retirees to successfully transition into retirement.…

Turn over folders: a proven tool in succession management planning.

PubMed

Engells, Thomas E

2011-01-01

The dual challenges of succession management and succession management planning are considerable. A tool, the Turn over Folder, was introduced and described in detail as a useful first step in succession management planning. The adoption of that tool will not in itself produce a succession management plan, but it will orientate the organization and its members to the reality of succession management in all important leadership and critical positions. Succession management is an important consideration in all progressive organizations and well worth the effort.

Cluster analysis of the national weight control registry to identify distinct subgroups maintaining successful weight loss.

PubMed

Ogden, Lorraine G; Stroebele, Nanette; Wyatt, Holly R; Catenacci, Victoria A; Peters, John C; Stuht, Jennifer; Wing, Rena R; Hill, James O

2012-10-01

The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) is the largest ongoing study of individuals successful at maintaining weight loss; the registry enrolls individuals maintaining a weight loss of at least 13.6 kg (30 lb) for a minimum of 1 year. The current report uses multivariate latent class cluster analysis to identify unique clusters of individuals within the NWCR that have distinct experiences, strategies, and attitudes with respect to weight loss and weight loss maintenance. The cluster analysis considers weight and health history, weight control behaviors and strategies, effort and satisfaction with maintaining weight, and psychological and demographic characteristics. The analysis includes 2,228 participants enrolled between 1998 and 2002. Cluster 1 (50.5%) represents a weight-stable, healthy, exercise conscious group who are very satisfied with their current weight. Cluster 2 (26.9%) has continuously struggled with weight since childhood; they rely on the greatest number of resources and strategies to lose and maintain weight, and report higher levels of stress and depression. Cluster 3 (12.7%) represents a group successful at weight reduction on the first attempt; they were least likely to be overweight as children, are maintaining the longest duration of weight loss, and report the least difficulty maintaining weight. Cluster 4 (9.9%) represents a group less likely to use exercise to control weight; they tend to be older, eat fewer meals, and report more health problems. Further exploration of the unique characteristics of these clusters could be useful for tailoring future weight loss and weight maintenance programs to the specific characteristics of an individual.

Ranking the Project Management Success Factors for Construction Project in South India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aneesha, K.; Haridharan, M. K.

2017-07-01

In Today’s construction industry, to achieve a greater advantage over the firms, success of each project and efficiency is required. Effective Project Management overcomes these types of challenges. This study identifies the success factors which are important for project management in construction project success. From the literature review, 26 factors were found to be critical. Project managers, construction managers, civil engineers, contractors and site engineers were the respondents. After analyzing the data in SPSS software, the dominant factors from the regression analysis are top management support, competent project team, abilities to solve problems, realistic cost and time estimates, information/communication, competency of the project manager are the 6 factors out of 12 in 26 factors. Effective communication between stakeholders got highest priority and client involvement, good leadership, clarity of project goals got second priority. Informal communication gives better results compared to formal communications like written formats. To remove communication barrier with the stakeholders, informal communication like speaking face-to-face with the language this fits for the stakeholders.

Spatial-temporal modeling of the association between air pollution exposure and preterm birth: identifying critical windows of exposure.

PubMed

Warren, Joshua; Fuentes, Montserrat; Herring, Amy; Langlois, Peter

2012-12-01

Exposure to high levels of air pollution during the pregnancy is associated with increased probability of preterm birth (PTB), a major cause of infant morbidity and mortality. New statistical methodology is required to specifically determine when a particular pollutant impacts the PTB outcome, to determine the role of different pollutants, and to characterize the spatial variability in these results. We develop a new Bayesian spatial model for PTB which identifies susceptible windows throughout the pregnancy jointly for multiple pollutants (PM(2.5) , ozone) while allowing these windows to vary continuously across space and time. We geo-code vital record birth data from Texas (2002-2004) and link them with standard pollution monitoring data and a newly introduced EPA product of calibrated air pollution model output. We apply the fully spatial model to a region of 13 counties in eastern Texas consisting of highly urban as well as rural areas. Our results indicate significant signal in the first two trimesters of pregnancy with different pollutants leading to different critical windows. Introducing the spatial aspect uncovers critical windows previously unidentified when space is ignored. A proper inference procedure is introduced to correctly analyze these windows. © 2012, The International Biometric Society.

What influences success in family medicine maternity care education programs?

PubMed Central

Biringer, Anne; Forte, Milena; Tobin, Anastasia; Shaw, Elizabeth; Tannenbaum, David

2018-01-01

Abstract Objective To ascertain how program leaders in family medicine characterize success in family medicine maternity care education and determine which factors influence the success of training programs. Design Qualitative research using semistructured telephone interviews. Setting Purposive sample of 6 family medicine programs from 5 Canadian provinces. Participants Eighteen departmental leaders and program directors. METHODS Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with program leaders in family medicine maternity care. Departmental leaders identified maternity care programs deemed to be “successful.” Interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. Team members conducted thematic analysis. Main findings Participants considered their education programs to be successful in family medicine maternity care if residents achieved competency in intrapartum care, if graduates planned to include intrapartum care in their practices, and if their education programs were able to recruit and retain family medicine maternity care faculty. Five key factors were deemed to be critical to a program’s success in family medicine maternity care: adequate clinical exposure, the presence of strong family medicine role models, a family medicine–friendly hospital environment, support for the education program from multiple sources, and a dedicated and supportive community of family medicine maternity care providers. Conclusion Training programs wishing to achieve greater success in family medicine maternity care education should employ a multifaceted strategy that considers all 5 of the interdependent factors uncovered in our research. By paying particular attention to the informal processes that connect these factors, program leaders can preserve the possibility that family medicine residents will graduate with the competence and confidence to practise full-scope maternity care. PMID:29760273

Evaluating the fundamental critical care support course in critical care education in Japan: a survey of Japanese fundamental critical care support course experience.

PubMed

Atagi, Kazuaki; Nishi, Shinichi; Fujitani, Shigeki; Kodama, Takamitsu; Ishikawa, Junya; Shimaoka, Hideki

2013-01-01

The Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS) course has been introduced after minimal adaptation according to Japanese clinical settings. The original course in the USA is often used to prepare residents for rotations in the intensive care unit (ICU). Therefore, the FCCS program can be appropriate for the basic training of critical care in Japan to standardize critical care management. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether Japanese FCCS course is useful and has a possibility to deserve a basis of critical care management in Japan. The course program was provided with the form of lecture and skills stations. Pre- and post-training knowledge was assessed. After completion of the 2-day course, a questionnaire survey was administered to all course participants. Participants were asked to fill out the questions regarding socio-demographic characteristics. Participants were also asked to identify which lectures or skill stations they thought to be useful for clinical practice. Then, they were asked to rate their performance of each field: 'Assessment,' 'Diagnosis,' 'Recognition,' 'Response,' and 'Transfer'. The number of participants increased year after year and reached 1,804 during the past 4 years. Nearly 70% of the participants were physicians. Most of the others were nurses. In the established year, the percentage of physicians who had clinical experience more than 5 years exceeded 50%, however, this percentage gradually decreased. On the contrary, the percentages of residents and nurses increased. Regarding useful sessions, nearly half of the participants thought that mechanical ventilation was the most useful. With regard to the results of pre- and post-tests, the participants had already shown a high average mark (78.8 ± 14.1) at the pre-test. Furthermore, the score at the post-test was significantly improved (82.0 ± 6.6, p < 0.01). The participants' confidence in any field regarding critical care management was almost 4 points (5-point

Critical Components of a Successful Undergraduate Research Experience in the Geosciences for Minority Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liou-Mark, J.; Blake, R.; Chukuigwe, C.

2013-12-01

For the past five years, the New York City College of Technology has administered a successful National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. The program provides rich, substantive, academic and life-transformative STEM educational experiences for students who would otherwise not pursue STEM education altogether or would not pursue STEM education through to the graduate school level. The REU Scholars are provided with an opportunity to conduct intensive satellite and ground-based remote sensing research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center (NOAA-CREST). Candidates for the program are recruited from the City University of New York's twenty-three separate campuses. These students engage in a research experience that spans the summer and the fall and spring semesters. Eighty-four percent (84%) of the program participants are underrepresented minorities in STEM, and they are involved in a plethora of undergraduate research best practice activities that include: training courses in MATLAB programming, Geographic Information Systems, and Remote Sensing; workshops in Research Ethics, Scientific Writing, and Oral and Poster Research Presentations; national, regional, and local conference presentations; graduate school support; and geoscience exposure events at national laboratories, agencies, and research facilities. To enhance their success in the program, the REU Scholars are also provided with a comprehensive series of safety nets that include a multi-tiered mentoring design specifically to address critical issues faced by this diverse population. Since the inception of the REU program in 2008, a total of 61 undergraduate students have finished or are continuing with their research or are pursuing their STEM endeavors. All the REU Scholars conducted individual satellite and ground-based remote sensing research projects that ranged from the study of

Using Social Environment Assets to Identify Intervention Strategies for Promoting School Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Joelle D.; Bowen, Gary L.; Rose, Roderick A.

2005-01-01

Evidence-based practice (EBP) requires that school social workers base their interventions on established empirical links between desired results and the determinants of these results. Using survey results from 10,344 middle and high school students who were administered the School Success Profile (SSP), this study examined the relationship…

Feasibility and safety of virtual-reality-based early neurocognitive stimulation in critically ill patients.

PubMed

Turon, Marc; Fernandez-Gonzalo, Sol; Jodar, Mercè; Gomà, Gemma; Montanya, Jaume; Hernando, David; Bailón, Raquel; de Haro, Candelaria; Gomez-Simon, Victor; Lopez-Aguilar, Josefina; Magrans, Rudys; Martinez-Perez, Melcior; Oliva, Joan Carles; Blanch, Lluís

2017-12-01

Growing evidence suggests that critical illness often results in significant long-term neurocognitive impairments in one-third of survivors. Although these neurocognitive impairments are long-lasting and devastating for survivors, rehabilitation rarely occurs during or after critical illness. Our aim is to describe an early neurocognitive stimulation intervention based on virtual reality for patients who are critically ill and to present the results of a proof-of-concept study testing the feasibility, safety, and suitability of this intervention. Twenty critically ill adult patients undergoing or having undergone mechanical ventilation for ≥24 h received daily 20-min neurocognitive stimulation sessions when awake and alert during their ICU stay. The difficulty of the exercises included in the sessions progressively increased over successive sessions. Physiological data were recorded before, during, and after each session. Safety was assessed through heart rate, peripheral oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate. Heart rate variability analysis, an indirect measure of autonomic activity sensitive to cognitive demands, was used to assess the efficacy of the exercises in stimulating attention and working memory. Patients successfully completed the sessions on most days. No sessions were stopped early for safety concerns, and no adverse events occurred. Heart rate variability analysis showed that the exercises stimulated attention and working memory. Critically ill patients considered the sessions enjoyable and relaxing without being overly fatiguing. The results in this proof-of-concept study suggest that a virtual-reality-based neurocognitive intervention is feasible, safe, and tolerable, stimulating cognitive functions and satisfying critically ill patients. Future studies will evaluate the impact of interventions on neurocognitive outcomes. Trial registration Clinical trials.gov identifier: NCT02078206.

Establishing Decision Trees for Predicting Successful Postpyloric Nasoenteric Tube Placement in Critically Ill Patients.

PubMed

Chen, Weisheng; Sun, Cheng; Wei, Ru; Zhang, Yanlin; Ye, Heng; Chi, Ruibin; Zhang, Yichen; Hu, Bei; Lv, Bo; Chen, Lifang; Zhang, Xiunong; Lan, Huilan; Chen, Chunbo

2016-08-31

Despite the use of prokinetic agents, the overall success rate for postpyloric placement via a self-propelled spiral nasoenteric tube is quite low. This retrospective study was conducted in the intensive care units of 11 university hospitals from 2006 to 2016 among adult patients who underwent self-propelled spiral nasoenteric tube insertion. Success was defined as postpyloric nasoenteric tube placement confirmed by abdominal x-ray scan 24 hours after tube insertion. Chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID), simple classification and regression trees (SimpleCart), and J48 methodologies were used to develop decision tree models, and multiple logistic regression (LR) methodology was used to develop an LR model for predicting successful postpyloric nasoenteric tube placement. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the performance of these models. Successful postpyloric nasoenteric tube placement was confirmed in 427 of 939 patients enrolled. For predicting successful postpyloric nasoenteric tube placement, the performance of the 3 decision trees was similar in terms of the AUCs: 0.715 for the CHAID model, 0.682 for the SimpleCart model, and 0.671 for the J48 model. The AUC of the LR model was 0.729, which outperformed the J48 model. Both the CHAID and LR models achieved an acceptable discrimination for predicting successful postpyloric nasoenteric tube placement and were useful for intensivists in the setting of self-propelled spiral nasoenteric tube insertion. © 2016 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

Establishing Decision Trees for Predicting Successful Postpyloric Nasoenteric Tube Placement in Critically Ill Patients.

PubMed

Chen, Weisheng; Sun, Cheng; Wei, Ru; Zhang, Yanlin; Ye, Heng; Chi, Ruibin; Zhang, Yichen; Hu, Bei; Lv, Bo; Chen, Lifang; Zhang, Xiunong; Lan, Huilan; Chen, Chunbo

2018-01-01

Despite the use of prokinetic agents, the overall success rate for postpyloric placement via a self-propelled spiral nasoenteric tube is quite low. This retrospective study was conducted in the intensive care units of 11 university hospitals from 2006 to 2016 among adult patients who underwent self-propelled spiral nasoenteric tube insertion. Success was defined as postpyloric nasoenteric tube placement confirmed by abdominal x-ray scan 24 hours after tube insertion. Chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID), simple classification and regression trees (SimpleCart), and J48 methodologies were used to develop decision tree models, and multiple logistic regression (LR) methodology was used to develop an LR model for predicting successful postpyloric nasoenteric tube placement. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the performance of these models. Successful postpyloric nasoenteric tube placement was confirmed in 427 of 939 patients enrolled. For predicting successful postpyloric nasoenteric tube placement, the performance of the 3 decision trees was similar in terms of the AUCs: 0.715 for the CHAID model, 0.682 for the SimpleCart model, and 0.671 for the J48 model. The AUC of the LR model was 0.729, which outperformed the J48 model. Both the CHAID and LR models achieved an acceptable discrimination for predicting successful postpyloric nasoenteric tube placement and were useful for intensivists in the setting of self-propelled spiral nasoenteric tube insertion. © 2016 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

Improving Outcomes for Students with Disabilities: Identifying Characteristics of Successful Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeVries, Melissa; Tkatchov, Oran

2017-01-01

The common characteristics among Arizona districts and charters with high academic outcomes for student disabilities were identified in a qualitative study involving site visits and interviews. In 2014, the Arizona Department of Education examined over three years of state testing data to identify districts and charter schools that closed the…

Exploring the Correlation Between Nontraditional Variables and Student Success: A Longitudinal Study.

PubMed

Strickland, Haley Perkins; Cheshire, Michelle Haney

2017-06-01

The purpose of this project was to determine whether a correlation exists between the traditional admission criteria of grade point averages with the potential admission criteria of emotional intelligence (EI) scores or critical thinking (CT) scores to predict upper division student outcomes. A quantitative, longitudinal design was selected to examine the identified variables to predict undergraduate student success. The recruiting sample included a convenience sample drawn from 112 junior-level undergraduate nursing students beginning their first of a five-semester nursing program. EI and HESI ® CT scores did not significantly correlate with main analysis variables. Although EI and CT scores were not significant in this study, it remains vital to incorporate EI and CT activities throughout the curriculum to develop students' ability to think like a nurse and, therefore, be successful in nursing practice. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(6):351-355.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Achieving Successful School-University Collaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borthwick, Arlene C.; Stirling, Terry; Nauman, April D.; Cook, Dale L.

2003-01-01

Investigated essential elements required to establish and maintain successful school-university partnerships as reported by principals, teachers, and university coordinators involved in both voluntary and mandated partnerships. Results identified five factors representing different perspectives on key elements for successful partnerships, with…

Context Matters: A Critical Consideration of Latina/o Student Success Outcomes within Different Institutional Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zerquera, Desiree D.; Gross, Jacob P. K.

2017-01-01

This article examined the effect of elements within Latina/o students' institutional context on Latina/o student success outcomes. Findings highlight the significant role institutional contexts play in Latina/o success. Specifically, it was found that student success was lower for students enrolled at regional campuses and campuses that serve high…

Outstanding School Administrators: Their Keys to Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wendel, Frederick C.; And Others

Project Success was initiated to identify the good things that happen in American public education. One thousand administrators nationwide, identified by their peers as successful were asked to describe their leadership characteristics and beliefs about education. Responses were received from 491 administrators. Chapter 1 presents sample…

Impact of mimicking natural dispersion on breeding success of captive North American Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).

PubMed

Gillman, Sierra J; Ziegler-Meeks, Karen; Eager, Carol; Tenhundfeld, Thomas A; Shaffstall, Wendy; Stearns, Mary Jo; Crosier, Adrienne E

2017-09-01

This paper examines the effects of transfer away from natal facility and littermate presence on cheetah breeding success in the AZA Species Survival Plan (SSP) population. Transfer and breeding history data for captive males and females were gathered from seven and four AZA SSP breeding facilities, respectively, to identify factors influencing breeding success. The results indicate that transfer history (p = 0.032), age at transfer (p = 0.013), and female littermate presence/absence (p = 0.04) was associated with breeding success, with females transferred away from their natal facility before sexual maturity and without littermates present accounting for the highest breeding success. Keeping males at their natal facility and/or removing them from their coalitions did not negatively affect their breeding success. Males appeared to demonstrate the same fecundity regardless of transfer history or coalition status, indicating that dispersal away from natal environment was not as critical for the breeding success of males compared with female cheetahs. These results highlight the significance of moving females away from their natal environment, as would occur in the wild, and separating them from their female littermates for optimization of breeding success in the ex situ population. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Critical Compassionate Pedagogy and the Teacher's Role in First-Generation Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hao, Richie Neil

2011-01-01

Informed by Rosenberg's (2003) concept of nonviolent communication, the author's pedagogical perspective encourages educators to criticize institutional and classroom practices that ideologically place underserved students at disadvantaged positions. At the same time, this perspective urges teachers to be self-reflective of their actions through…

An exploratory review on critical factors of IBS formwork implementation for Malaysian construction stakeholders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baharuddin, Mohd Nurfaisal; Bahardin, Nur Fadhilah; Zaidi, Mohd Azian; Lokman, Ikhwan; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd

2016-08-01

The goals of this paper is to analysed the critical factors of driving or hindering the used of Industrialised Building System (IBS) formwork system in the Malaysian construction industry. Based on the reviews of a previous research and related literature, this paper was identified four (4) critical factor that classified as a difficulties to the success of IBS formwork system application; The issues related to the lack of knowledge and awareness, high cost and financial barriers, lack of incentive and promotion and lack of enforcement for government policy were highlight as a key dimension for the uses of IBS formwork system to success. The objective of this paper is to determine the importance factors in implementing IBS formwork in Malaysia. A preliminary survey which qualitative research approach has been adopted for this study as to validate the factors which found in the literature study. Based on the result analysis, it can be confirmed that the entire factors in literature review are strongly related with challenges in construction industry.

Key elements of successful care process of patients with heart symptoms in an emergency care - could an ERP system help?

PubMed

Kontio, Elina; Korvenranta, Heikki; Lundgren-Laine, Heljä; Salanterä, Sanna

2009-01-01

The aim of the study was to identify key elements of successful care process of patients with heart symptoms from the nursing management viewpoint in an emergency care. Through these descriptions, we aimed at identifying possibilities for using enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to support decision making in emergency care. Hospitals are increasingly moving to process-based workings and at the same time new information system in healthcare are developed and therefore it is essential to understand the strengths and weaknesses of current processes better. A qualitative descriptive design using critical incident technique was employed. Critical Incidents were collected with an open-ended questionnaire. The sample (n=50), 13 head nurses and 37 registered nurses, was purposeful selected from three acute hospitals in southern Finland. The process of patients with heart symptoms in emergency care was described. We identified three competence categories where special focus should be placed to achieve successful process of patients with heart symptoms: process-oriented competencies, personal/management competencies and logistics oriented competencies. Improvement of decision making requires that the care processes are defined and modeled. The research showed that there are several happenings in emergency care where an ERP system could help and support decision making. These happenings can be categorized in two groups: 1) administrative related happenings and 2) patient processes related happenings.

A Quantitative Examination of Critical Success Factors Comparing Agile and Waterfall Project Management Methodologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pedersen, Mitra

2013-01-01

This study investigated the rate of success for IT projects using agile and standard project management methodologies. Any successful project requires use of project methodology. Specifically, large projects require formal project management methodologies or models, which establish a blueprint of processes and project planning activities. This…

Defining the critical hurdles in cancer immunotherapy.

PubMed

Fox, Bernard A; Schendel, Dolores J; Butterfield, Lisa H; Aamdal, Steinar; Allison, James P; Ascierto, Paolo Antonio; Atkins, Michael B; Bartunkova, Jirina; Bergmann, Lothar; Berinstein, Neil; Bonorino, Cristina C; Borden, Ernest; Bramson, Jonathan L; Britten, Cedrik M; Cao, Xuetao; Carson, William E; Chang, Alfred E; Characiejus, Dainius; Choudhury, A Raja; Coukos, George; de Gruijl, Tanja; Dillman, Robert O; Dolstra, Harry; Dranoff, Glenn; Durrant, Lindy G; Finke, James H; Galon, Jerome; Gollob, Jared A; Gouttefangeas, Cécile; Grizzi, Fabio; Guida, Michele; Håkansson, Leif; Hege, Kristen; Herberman, Ronald B; Hodi, F Stephen; Hoos, Axel; Huber, Christoph; Hwu, Patrick; Imai, Kohzoh; Jaffee, Elizabeth M; Janetzki, Sylvia; June, Carl H; Kalinski, Pawel; Kaufman, Howard L; Kawakami, Koji; Kawakami, Yutaka; Keilholtz, Ulrich; Khleif, Samir N; Kiessling, Rolf; Kotlan, Beatrix; Kroemer, Guido; Lapointe, Rejean; Levitsky, Hyam I; Lotze, Michael T; Maccalli, Cristina; Maio, Michele; Marschner, Jens-Peter; Mastrangelo, Michael J; Masucci, Giuseppe; Melero, Ignacio; Melief, Cornelius; Murphy, William J; Nelson, Brad; Nicolini, Andrea; Nishimura, Michael I; Odunsi, Kunle; Ohashi, Pamela S; O'Donnell-Tormey, Jill; Old, Lloyd J; Ottensmeier, Christian; Papamichail, Michael; Parmiani, Giorgio; Pawelec, Graham; Proietti, Enrico; Qin, Shukui; Rees, Robert; Ribas, Antoni; Ridolfi, Ruggero; Ritter, Gerd; Rivoltini, Licia; Romero, Pedro J; Salem, Mohamed L; Scheper, Rik J; Seliger, Barbara; Sharma, Padmanee; Shiku, Hiroshi; Singh-Jasuja, Harpreet; Song, Wenru; Straten, Per Thor; Tahara, Hideaki; Tian, Zhigang; van Der Burg, Sjoerd H; von Hoegen, Paul; Wang, Ena; Welters, Marij Jp; Winter, Hauke; Withington, Tara; Wolchok, Jedd D; Xiao, Weihua; Zitvogel, Laurence; Zwierzina, Heinz; Marincola, Francesco M; Gajewski, Thomas F; Wigginton, Jon M; Disis, Mary L

2011-12-14

Scientific discoveries that provide strong evidence of antitumor effects in preclinical models often encounter significant delays before being tested in patients with cancer. While some of these delays have a scientific basis, others do not. We need to do better. Innovative strategies need to move into early stage clinical trials as quickly as it is safe, and if successful, these therapies should efficiently obtain regulatory approval and widespread clinical application. In late 2009 and 2010 the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), convened an "Immunotherapy Summit" with representatives from immunotherapy organizations representing Europe, Japan, China and North America to discuss collaborations to improve development and delivery of cancer immunotherapy. One of the concepts raised by SITC and defined as critical by all parties was the need to identify hurdles that impede effective translation of cancer immunotherapy. With consensus on these hurdles, international working groups could be developed to make recommendations vetted by the participating organizations. These recommendations could then be considered by regulatory bodies, governmental and private funding agencies, pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions to facilitate changes necessary to accelerate clinical translation of novel immune-based cancer therapies. The critical hurdles identified by representatives of the collaborating organizations, now organized as the World Immunotherapy Council, are presented and discussed in this report. Some of the identified hurdles impede all investigators; others hinder investigators only in certain regions or institutions or are more relevant to specific types of immunotherapy or first-in-humans studies. Each of these hurdles can significantly delay clinical translation of promising advances in immunotherapy yet if overcome, have the potential to improve outcomes of patients with cancer.

Defining the critical hurdles in cancer immunotherapy

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Scientific discoveries that provide strong evidence of antitumor effects in preclinical models often encounter significant delays before being tested in patients with cancer. While some of these delays have a scientific basis, others do not. We need to do better. Innovative strategies need to move into early stage clinical trials as quickly as it is safe, and if successful, these therapies should efficiently obtain regulatory approval and widespread clinical application. In late 2009 and 2010 the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), convened an "Immunotherapy Summit" with representatives from immunotherapy organizations representing Europe, Japan, China and North America to discuss collaborations to improve development and delivery of cancer immunotherapy. One of the concepts raised by SITC and defined as critical by all parties was the need to identify hurdles that impede effective translation of cancer immunotherapy. With consensus on these hurdles, international working groups could be developed to make recommendations vetted by the participating organizations. These recommendations could then be considered by regulatory bodies, governmental and private funding agencies, pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions to facilitate changes necessary to accelerate clinical translation of novel immune-based cancer therapies. The critical hurdles identified by representatives of the collaborating organizations, now organized as the World Immunotherapy Council, are presented and discussed in this report. Some of the identified hurdles impede all investigators; others hinder investigators only in certain regions or institutions or are more relevant to specific types of immunotherapy or first-in-humans studies. Each of these hurdles can significantly delay clinical translation of promising advances in immunotherapy yet if overcome, have the potential to improve outcomes of patients with cancer. PMID:22168571

Successful treatment of severe Clostridium difficile infection by administration of crushed fidaxomicin via a nasogastric tube in a critically ill patient.

PubMed

Arends, Sven; Defosse, Jerome; Diaz, Cori; Wappler, Frank; Sakka, Samir G

2017-02-01

To report the successful use of crushed fidaxomicin via a nasogastric tube for treatment of a severe Clostridium difficile infection in a critically ill patient. Clinical observation of a patient, images of abdominal computed tomography, antimicrobial therapy and course of infection parameters. Relevant information contained in the medical observation of the patient and selection of image and laboratory parameters performed in the patient. We report a case of a 79-year old patient who developed septic shock with an increasing need for norepinephrine and acute renal failure due to a severe Clostridium difficile infection. Antimicrobial therapy with vancomycin via a nasogastric tube and metronidazole i.v. did not lead to improvement, infection parameters further increased, and the clinical condition became increasingly impaired. After 10 days, antimicrobial therapy was changed to fidaxomicin, crushed and administered via nasogastric tube. Within 24hours, infection parameters decreased. Further diarrhoea ceased and stool samples were negative for Clostridium difficile antigen. Our case confirms that administration of fidaxomicin via a nasogastric tube was safe and effective in this patient. Further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of this strategy in critically ill patients systematically. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Empowering Critical Thinking Skills with Computerized Patient Simulators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farrar, Francisca Cisneros; Suggs, Leslie

2010-01-01

Students struggle with the mastery of critical thinking skills which are essential to their academic success. University faculty are challenged to create teaching strategies to help students build critical thinking skills. Nursing faculty at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee looked to research and technology for ways to…

Critical Care Organizations: Business of Critical Care and Value/Performance Building.

PubMed

Leung, Sharon; Gregg, Sara R; Coopersmith, Craig M; Layon, A Joseph; Oropello, John; Brown, Daniel R; Pastores, Stephen M; Kvetan, Vladimir

2018-01-01

New, value-based regulations and reimbursement structures are creating historic care management challenges, thinning the margins and threatening the viability of hospitals and health systems. The Society of Critical Care Medicine convened a taskforce of Academic Leaders in Critical Care Medicine on February 22, 2016, during the 45th Critical Care Congress to develop a toolkit drawing on the experience of successful leaders of critical care organizations in North America for advancing critical care organizations (Appendix 1). The goal of this article was to provide a roadmap and call attention to key factors that adult critical care medicine leadership in both academic and nonacademic setting should consider when planning for value-based care. Relevant medical literature was accessed through a literature search. Material published by federal health agencies and other specialty organizations was also reviewed. Collaboratively and iteratively, taskforce members corresponded by electronic mail and held monthly conference calls to finalize this report. The business and value/performance critical care organization building section comprised of leaders of critical care organizations with expertise in critical care administration, healthcare management, and clinical practice. Two phases of critical care organizations care integration are described: "horizontal," within the system and regionalization of care as an initial phase, and "vertical," with a post-ICU and postacute care continuum as a succeeding phase. The tools required for the clinical and financial transformation are provided, including the essential prerequisites of forming a critical care organization; the manner in which a critical care organization can help manage transformational domains is considered. Lastly, how to achieve organizational health system support for critical care organization implementation is discussed. A critical care organization that incorporates functional clinical horizontal and

Identifying effective pathways in a successful continuous quality improvement programme: the GEDAPS study.

PubMed

Bodicoat, Danielle H; Mundet, Xavier; Gray, Laura J; Cos, Xavier; Davies, Melanie J; Khunti, Kamlesh; Cano, Juan-Franciso

2014-12-01

Continuous quality improvement programmes often target several aspects of care, some of which may be more effective meaning that resources could be focussed on these. The objective was to identify the effective and ineffective aspects of a successful continuous quality improvement programme for individuals with type 2 diabetes in primary care. Data were from a series of cross-sectional studies (GEDAPS) in primary care, Catalonia, Spain, in 55 centres (2239 participants) in 1993, and 92 centres (5819 participants) in 2002. A structural equation modelling approach was used. The intervention was associated with improved microvascular outcomes through microalbuminuria and funduscopy screening, which had a direct effect on microvascular outcomes, and through attending 2-4 nurse visits and having ≥1 blood pressure measurement, which acted through reducing systolic blood pressure. The intervention was associated with improved macrovascular outcomes through blood pressure measurement and attending 2-4 nurse visits (through systolic blood pressure) and having ≥3 education topics, ≥1 HbA1c measurement and adequate medication (through HbA1c). Cholesterol measurement, weight measurement and foot examination did not contribute towards the effectiveness of the intervention. The pathways through which a continuous quality improvement programme appeared to act to reduce microvascular and macrovascular complications were driven by reductions in systolic blood pressure and HbA1c, which were attained through changes in nurse and education visits, measurement and medication. This suggests that these factors are potential areas on which future quality improvement programmes should focus. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A critical assessment of research needs identified by the dietary guidelines committees from 1980 to 2010.

PubMed

Myers, Esther F; Khoo, Chor-San; Murphy, William; Steiber, Alison; Agarwal, Sanjiv

2013-07-01

The Dietary Goals for the United States were introduced in 1977 and have been followed by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) every 5 years from 1980 to 2010. The DGA provide science-based advice to promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases through diet and physical activity. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committees are charged to provide updates of the DGA topics using the best available science. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committees' reports also identified 169 research gaps. To date, these gaps have not been compiled and assessed. We evaluated trends in number, topics, and specificity of research gaps by year by placing them in the following topic categories: general, chronic diseases/conditions, diet/diet pattern, food/ingredient, and nutrient-specific research gaps. Some research topics (eg, sodium and hypertension and appropriate uses of DGA) have been identified consistently across the years, some emerged in later years (eg, increasingly specific research gaps between dietary fatty acids and cardiovascular disease), and others appeared intermittently (eg, relationships between dietary components and cancer). These results are a call to action for all DGA stakeholders to have an immediate dialogue about how the research enterprise can best address critical research needs in a timely way to support public policy. Copyright © 2013 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploring critical pathways for urban water management to identify robust strategies under deep uncertainties.

PubMed

Urich, Christian; Rauch, Wolfgang

2014-12-01

Long-term projections for key drivers needed in urban water infrastructure planning such as climate change, population growth, and socio-economic changes are deeply uncertain. Traditional planning approaches heavily rely on these projections, which, if a projection stays unfulfilled, can lead to problematic infrastructure decisions causing high operational costs and/or lock-in effects. New approaches based on exploratory modelling take a fundamentally different view. Aim of these is, to identify an adaptation strategy that performs well under many future scenarios, instead of optimising a strategy for a handful. However, a modelling tool to support strategic planning to test the implication of adaptation strategies under deeply uncertain conditions for urban water management does not exist yet. This paper presents a first step towards a new generation of such strategic planning tools, by combing innovative modelling tools, which coevolve the urban environment and urban water infrastructure under many different future scenarios, with robust decision making. The developed approach is applied to the city of Innsbruck, Austria, which is spatially explicitly evolved 20 years into the future under 1000 scenarios to test the robustness of different adaptation strategies. Key findings of this paper show that: (1) Such an approach can be used to successfully identify parameter ranges of key drivers in which a desired performance criterion is not fulfilled, which is an important indicator for the robustness of an adaptation strategy; and (2) Analysis of the rich dataset gives new insights into the adaptive responses of agents to key drivers in the urban system by modifying a strategy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sparse Bayesian Learning for Identifying Imaging Biomarkers in AD Prediction

PubMed Central

Shen, Li; Qi, Yuan; Kim, Sungeun; Nho, Kwangsik; Wan, Jing; Risacher, Shannon L.; Saykin, Andrew J.

2010-01-01

We apply sparse Bayesian learning methods, automatic relevance determination (ARD) and predictive ARD (PARD), to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) classification to make accurate prediction and identify critical imaging markers relevant to AD at the same time. ARD is one of the most successful Bayesian feature selection methods. PARD is a powerful Bayesian feature selection method, and provides sparse models that is easy to interpret. PARD selects the model with the best estimate of the predictive performance instead of choosing the one with the largest marginal model likelihood. Comparative study with support vector machine (SVM) shows that ARD/PARD in general outperform SVM in terms of prediction accuracy. Additional comparison with surface-based general linear model (GLM) analysis shows that regions with strongest signals are identified by both GLM and ARD/PARD. While GLM P-map returns significant regions all over the cortex, ARD/PARD provide a small number of relevant and meaningful imaging markers with predictive power, including both cortical and subcortical measures. PMID:20879451

Identifying Critical Manufacturing Technologies Required for Transforming the Army Industrial Base

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

mechanism, 1 = least common mechanism)? ................................................................... 29 Figure 5 – Which Technology “ Test Beds...facilities, produce new designs , and incorporate efficient manufacturing processes. The value and continued success of the Army Industrial Base depends on...in materiel supplies to troops. Specific programs, described in AR 700-09, that are designed to transition manufacturing technology into the Army

Criticism and the Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Paul; Foulke, Robert D.

1964-01-01

A revised English curriculum, based upon different kinds of literary criticism, is counseled in this two-part paper. Part 1 identifies four kinds of criticism--formalist, synoptic, extrinsic, and stylistic. A conventional English Curriculum is briefly outlined. Curricular theories are discussed and positive and negative attempts to define…

Identifying and Overcoming Critical Barriers to Widespread Second Use of PEV Batteries

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

Neubauer, J.; Smith, K.; Wood, E.

2015-02-01

Both the market penetration of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and deployment of grid-connected energy storage systems are presently restricted by the high cost of batteries. Battery second use (B2U) strategies--in which a single battery first serves an automotive application, then is redeployed into a secondary market--could help address both issues by reducing battery costs to the primary (automotive) and secondary (electricity grid) users. This study investigates the feasibility of and major barriers to the second use of lithium-ion PEV batteries by posing and answering the following critical B2U questions: 1. When will used automotive batteries become available, and how healthymore » will they be? 2. What is required to repurpose used automotive batteries, and how much will it cost? 3. How will repurposed automotive batteries be used, how long will they last, and what is their value? Advanced analysis techniques are employed that consider the electrical, thermal, and degradation response of batteries in both the primary (automotive) and secondary service periods. Second use applications are treated in detail, addressing operational requirements, economic value, and market potential. The study concludes that B2U is viable and could provide considerable societal benefits due to the large possible supply of repurposed automotive batteries and substantial remaining battery life following automotive service. However, the only identified secondary market large enough to consume the supply of these batteries (utility peaker plant replacement) is expected to be a low margin market, and thus B2U is not expected to affect the upfront cost of PEVs.« less

Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Academic and/or Professional Success

PubMed Central

Cain, Jeff; Smith, Kelly M.

2006-01-01

The concept of “emotional intelligence” has been extensively popularized in the lay press and corporate world as individuals purport the potential ability of emotional intelligence to predict various markers of success. Emotional intelligence (EI) most commonly incorporates concepts of emotional expression and regulation, self-awareness, and empathy. The concept has been criticized by some for its loose definition and parallels to personality traits. Additionally, several limitations to the instruments used to measure emotional intelligence have been identified. This review examines the foundations of the definitions of emotional intelligence as well as existing educational research involving emotional intelligence, both within the health professions and externally. Recommendations for future research and research potential are discussed. PMID:17136189

Using Standardized Tests to Identify Prior Knowledge Necessary for Success in Algebra: A Predictive Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Jennifer

2014-01-01

This study sought to determine if there is a relationship between students' scores on the eighth-grade Indiana State Test of Education Progress Plus (ISTEP+) exam and success on Indiana's Algebra End-of-Course Assessment (ECA). Additionally, it sought to determine if algebra success could be significantly predicted by the achievement in one or…

Critical Resilience, Schooling Processes, and the Academic Success of Mexican Americans in a Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campa, Blanca

2010-01-01

This qualitative study adds new dimensions to the traditional paradigm of resilience through the lives of five Mexican American community college students. The term "critical resilience" emerges as a result of using ideology from a feminist critical perspective. In-depth interviews, classroom observations, and focus groups were used to learn how…

Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Writing Project (NJ1), 2011

2011-01-01

The concept of "college readiness" is increasingly important in discussions about students' preparation for postsecondary education. This Framework describes the rhetorical and twenty-first-century skills as well as habits of mind and experiences that are critical for college success. Based in current research in writing and writing pedagogy, the…

Hospital readiness for health information exchange: development of metrics associated with successful collaboration for quality improvement.

PubMed

Korst, Lisa M; Aydin, Carolyn E; Signer, Jordana M K; Fink, Arlene

2011-08-01

The development of readiness metrics for organizational participation in health information exchange is critical for monitoring progress toward, and achievement of, successful inter-organizational collaboration. In preparation for the development of a tool to measure readiness for data-sharing, we tested whether organizational capacities known to be related to readiness were associated with successful participation in an American data-sharing collaborative for quality improvement. Cross-sectional design, using an on-line survey of hospitals in a large, mature data-sharing collaborative organized for benchmarking and improvement in nursing care quality. Factor analysis was used to identify salient constructs, and identified factors were analyzed with respect to "successful" participation. "Success" was defined as the incorporation of comparative performance data into the hospital dashboard. The most important factor in predicting success included survey items measuring the strength of organizational leadership in fostering a culture of quality improvement (QI Leadership): (1) presence of a supportive hospital executive; (2) the extent to which a hospital values data; (3) the presence of leaders' vision for how the collaborative advances the hospital's strategic goals; (4) hospital use of the collaborative data to track quality outcomes; and (5) staff recognition of a strong mandate for collaborative participation (α=0.84, correlation with Success 0.68 [P<0.0001]). The data emphasize the importance of hospital QI Leadership in collaboratives that aim to share data for QI or safety purposes. Such metrics should prove useful in the planning and development of this complex form of inter-organizational collaboration. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultrasound-guided lumbar puncture in pediatric patients: technical success and safety.

PubMed

Pierce, David B; Shivaram, Giri; Koo, Kevin S H; Shaw, Dennis W W; Meyer, Kirby F; Monroe, Eric J

2018-06-01

Disadvantages of fluoroscopically guided lumbar puncture include delivery of ionizing radiation and limited resolution of incompletely ossified posterior elements. Ultrasound (US) allows visualization of critical soft tissues and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space without ionizing radiation. To determine the technical success and safety of US-guided lumbar puncture in pediatric patients. A retrospective review identified all patients referred to interventional radiology for lumbar puncture between June 2010 and June 2017. Patients who underwent lumbar puncture with fluoroscopic guidance alone were excluded. For the remaining procedures, technical success and procedural complications were assessed. Two hundred and one image-guided lumbar punctures in 161 patients were included. Eighty patients (43%) had previously failed landmark-based attempts. One hundred ninety-six (97.5%) patients underwent lumbar puncture. Five procedures (2.5%) were not attempted after US assessment, either due to a paucity of CSF or unsafe window for needle placement. Technical success was achieved in 187 (95.4%) of lumbar punctures attempted with US guidance. One hundred seventy-seven (90.3%) were technically successful with US alone (age range: 2 days-15 years, weight range: 1.9-53.1 kg) and an additional 10 (5.1%) were successful with US-guided thecal access and subsequent fluoroscopic confirmation. Three (1.5%) cases were unsuccessful with US guidance but were subsequently successful with fluoroscopic guidance. Of the 80 previously failed landmark-based lumbar punctures, 77 (96.3%) were successful with US guidance alone. There were no reported complications. US guidance is safe and effective for lumbar punctures and has specific advantages over fluoroscopy in pediatric patients.

Evaluating early-warning indicators of critical transitions in natural aquatic ecosystems.

PubMed

Gsell, Alena Sonia; Scharfenberger, Ulrike; Özkundakci, Deniz; Walters, Annika; Hansson, Lars-Anders; Janssen, Annette B G; Nõges, Peeter; Reid, Philip C; Schindler, Daniel E; Van Donk, Ellen; Dakos, Vasilis; Adrian, Rita

2016-12-13

Ecosystems can show sudden and persistent changes in state despite only incremental changes in drivers. Such critical transitions are difficult to predict, because the state of the system often shows little change before the transition. Early-warning indicators (EWIs) are hypothesized to signal the loss of system resilience and have been shown to precede critical transitions in theoretical models, paleo-climate time series, and in laboratory as well as whole lake experiments. The generalizability of EWIs for detecting critical transitions in empirical time series of natural aquatic ecosystems remains largely untested, however. Here we assessed four commonly used EWIs on long-term datasets of five freshwater ecosystems that have experienced sudden, persistent transitions and for which the relevant ecological mechanisms and drivers are well understood. These case studies were categorized by three mechanisms that can generate critical transitions between alternative states: competition, trophic cascade, and intraguild predation. Although EWIs could be detected in most of the case studies, agreement among the four indicators was low. In some cases, EWIs were detected considerably ahead of the transition. Nonetheless, our results show that at present, EWIs do not provide reliable and consistent signals of impending critical transitions despite using some of the best routinely monitored freshwater ecosystems. Our analysis strongly suggests that a priori knowledge of the underlying mechanisms driving ecosystem transitions is necessary to identify relevant state variables for successfully monitoring EWIs.

Evaluating early-warning indicators of critical transitions in natural aquatic ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gsell, Alena Sonia; Scharfenberger, Ulrike; Ozkundakci, Deniz; Walters, Annika W.; Hansson, Lars-Anders; Janssen, Annette B. G.; Noges, Peeter; Reid, Philip; Schindler, Daniel; van Donk, Ellen; Dakos, Vasilis; Adrian, Rita

2016-01-01

Ecosystems can show sudden and persistent changes in state despite only incremental changes in drivers. Such critical transitions are difficult to predict, because the state of the system often shows little change before the transition. Early-warning indicators (EWIs) are hypothesized to signal the loss of system resilience and have been shown to precede critical transitions in theoretical models, paleo-climate time series, and in laboratory as well as whole lake experiments. The generalizability of EWIs for detecting critical transitions in empirical time series of natural aquatic ecosystems remains largely untested, however. Here we assessed four commonly used EWIs on long-term datasets of five freshwater ecosystems that have experienced sudden, persistent transitions and for which the relevant ecological mechanisms and drivers are well understood. These case studies were categorized by three mechanisms that can generate critical transitions between alternative states: competition, trophic cascade, and intraguild predation. Although EWIs could be detected in most of the case studies, agreement among the four indicators was low. In some cases, EWIs were detected considerably ahead of the transition. Nonetheless, our results show that at present, EWIs do not provide reliable and consistent signals of impending critical transitions despite using some of the best routinely monitored freshwater ecosystems. Our analysis strongly suggests that a priori knowledge of the underlying mechanisms driving ecosystem transitions is necessary to identify relevant state variables for successfully monitoring EWIs.

Using the critical incident technique in community-based participatory research: a case study.

PubMed

Belkora, Jeffrey; Stupar, Lauren; O'Donnell, Sara

2011-01-01

Successful community-based participatory research involves the community partner in every step of the research process. The primary study for this paper took place in rural, Northern California. Collaborative partners included an academic researcher and two community based resource centers that provide supportive services to people diagnosed with cancer. This paper describes our use of the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to conduct Community-based Participatory Research. We ask: Did the CIT facilitate or impede the active engagement of the community in all steps of the study process? We identified factors about the Critical Incident Technique that were either barriers or facilitators to involving the community partner in every step of the research process. Facilitators included the CIT's ability to accommodate involvement from a large spectrum of the community, its flexible design, and its personal approach. Barriers to community engagement included training required to conduct interviews, depth of interview probes, and time required. Overall, our academic-community partners felt that our use of the CIT facilitated community involvement in our Community-Based Participatory Research Project, where we used it to formally document the forces promoting and inhibiting successful achievement of community aims.

Identifying and managing radiation damage during in situ transmission x-ray microscopy of Li-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, Johanna; Yang, Yuan; Misra, Sumohan; Andrews, Joy C.; Cui, Yi; Toney, Michael F.

2013-09-01

Radiation damage is a topic typically sidestepped in formal discussions of characterization techniques utilizing ionizing radiation. Nevertheless, such damage is critical to consider when planning and performing experiments requiring large radiation doses or radiation sensitive samples. High resolution, in situ transmission X-ray microscopy of Li-ion batteries involves both large X-ray doses and radiation sensitive samples. To successfully identify changes over time solely due to an applied current, the effects of radiation damage must be identified and avoided. Although radiation damage is often significantly sample and instrument dependent, the general procedure to identify and minimize damage is transferable. Here we outline our method of determining and managing the radiation damage observed in lithium sulfur batteries during in situ X-ray imaging on the transmission X-ray microscope at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource.

Intermediality: Bridge to Critical Media Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pailliotet, Ann Watts; Semali, Ladislaus; Rodenberg, Rita K.; Giles, Jackie K.; Macaul, Sherry L.

2000-01-01

Defines "intermediality" as the ability to critically read and write with and across varied symbol systems. Relates it to critical media literacy. Offers rationales for teaching critical media literacy in general, and intermedial instruction in particular. Identifies seven guiding intermedial elements: theory, texts, processes, contexts,…

Consistent Practices for the Probability of Detection (POD) of Fracture Critical Metallic Components Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughitt, Brian; Generazio, Edward (Principal Investigator); Nichols, Charles; Myers, Mika (Principal Investigator); Spencer, Floyd (Principal Investigator); Waller, Jess (Principal Investigator); Wladyka, Jordan (Principal Investigator); Aldrin, John; Burke, Eric; Cerecerez, Laura;

Critical Thresholds in Earth-System Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rothman, D.

2017-12-01

The history of the Earth system is a story of change. Some changesare gradual and benign, but others, especially those associated withcatastrophic mass extinction, are relatively abrupt and destructive.What sets one group apart from the other? Here I hypothesize thatperturbations of Earth's carbon cycle lead to mass extinction if theyexceed either a critical rate at long time scales or a critical sizeat short time scales. By analyzing 31 carbon-isotopic events duringthe last 542 million years, I identify the critical rate with a limitimposed by mass conservation. Further analysis identifies thecrossover timescale separating fast from slow events with thetimescale of the ocean's homeostatic response to a change in pH. Theproduct of the critical rate and the crossover timescale then yieldsthe critical size. The modern critical size for the marine carboncycle is roughly similar to the mass of carbon that human activitieswill likely have added to the oceans by the year 2100.

How Telephone Interviewers' Responsiveness Impacts Their Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broome, Jessica

2015-01-01

Growing rates of nonresponse to telephone surveys can contribute to nonresponse error, and interviewers contribute differentially to nonresponse. Why do some telephone interviewers have better response rates than others? This study uncovered a critical behavior of successful telephone interviewers over the course of introductions: responsive…

Review of critical factors for SEA implementation

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

Zhang Jie, E-mail: jasmine@plan.aau.dk; Christensen, Per; Kornov, Lone

The implementation process involved in translating Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) intention into action is vital to an effective SEA. Many factors influence implementation and thus the effectiveness of an SEA. Empirical studies have identified and documented some factors influencing the implementation of an SEA. This research is fragmented, however, and it is still not clear what are the most critical factors of effective SEA performance, and how these relate to different stages of the implementation process or other contextual circumstances. The paper takes its point of departure in implementation theory. Firstly, we introduce implementation theory, and then use it inmore » practice to establish a more comprehensive model related to the stages in the implementation process. Secondly, we identify the critical factors in order to see how they are related to the different stages of SEA or are more general in character. Finally we map the different critical factors and how they influence the overall results of an SEA. Based on a literature review, we present a comprehensive picture of the critical factors and where they are found in the process. We conclude that most of the critical factors identified are of a more general character influencing the SEA process as such, while only one out of four of these factors relates to the specific stages of the SEA. Based on this mapping we can sketch a picture of the totality of critical factors. In this study 266 notions of critical factors were identified. Seen at the level of notions of critical factors, only 24% of these relate to specific stages while for 76% the critical factors are of a more general nature. These critical factors interact in complex ways and appear in different combinations in different stages of the implementation process so tracing the cause and effect is difficult. The pervasiveness of contextual and general factors also clearly suggests that there is no single way to put SEA into practice

Does Bedside Sonography Effectively Identify Nasogastric Tube Placements in Pediatric Critical Care Patients?

PubMed

Atalay, Yunus Oktay; Aydin, Ramazan; Ertugrul, Omer; Gul, Selim Baris; Polat, Ahmet Veysel; Paksu, Muhammet Sukru

2016-12-01

A nasogastric tube (NGT) insertion is a common procedure in intensive care units, with some serious complications that result from the malposition of the NGT tip. This pilot study was designed to investigate the efficiency of ultrasound in verifying correct NGT placement and to compare these results with radiographic findings. This was a single-center, double-blind prospective study of patients who had received an NGT in the pediatric critical care unit. Twenty-one patients aged 1 month to 18 years were included in this study. All NGTs were inserted by the same critical care physician. After insertion, the physician first confirmed NGT placement by the auscultation of the epigastrium following the insufflation of air. Confirmation was supplemented with an abdominal radiograph. A radiologist who was unaware of the radiographic findings performed bedside sonography on all patients and verified the location of the NGTs. The findings from these 2 physicians were then compared. NGTs were inserted without any complications, and none of the NGTs were positioned in the respiratory tract in any of the patients. All NGT tips were visualized by radiography and sonography with a sensitivity of 100%. Bedside sonography performed by a radiologist is an effective and sensitive diagnostic procedure for confirming the correct NGT position in patients in the pediatric critical care unit.

Redefining the Federal Role of Public-Funded Environmental Research: Identifying Critical Attributes for Sustainability

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

Boyd, Gerald G.; Sink, CLaire H.; Howes, Walter S.

2000-09-25

For the past fifty years, U.S. science and technology policy has been based on Vannevar Bush s classic report, Science--The Endless Frontier. As the U.S. enters the 21st century, public funding for environmental research and development (R&D) in achieving environmental sustainability is crucial to the nation s economic and overall well being. In domestic environmental remediation, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE EM) is committed to cleaning up DOE sites contaminated with radioactive, chemical, and other hazardous wastes. To best accomplish this mission amid fiscal and regulatory regimes and to promote long-term environmental sustainability requires improvedmore » interdisciplinary collaboration among R&D performers--universities, industry, and federal laboratories--as well as advances in environmental science and technology. Public funding for interdisciplinary long-term environmental R&D is essential as no long-term approach to environmental R&D exists. With increased awareness of the rapidity of global technological change and the impact of this change on humans and the earth s ecosystem, it is timely to identify, evaluate, and establish critical attributes as characteristics of long-term environmental sustainability for facilitating a broad science and technology policy. For environmental R&D, these attributes are functionally grouped into R&D performers, operational aspects, and technology-related aspects. Individually, each attribute addresses a specific need; collectively, they create a strategy to achieve long-term sustainability. Most of the attributes are commonplace in today s R&D community; the uniqueness is their integration into an overall system as suggested. Added value for environmental R&D would address the attributes collectively to provide overall synergy. As the U.S. enters the 21st century and adapts to increased globalization, addressing the consequences of humans and environmental interactions is

Measuring strategic success.

PubMed

Gish, Ryan

2002-08-01

Strategic triggers and metrics help healthcare providers achieve financial success. Metrics help assess progress toward long-term goals. Triggers signal market changes requiring a change in strategy. All metrics may not move in concert. Organizations need to identify indicators, monitor performance.

Jean Baudrillard and the Limits of Critical Media Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kline, Kip

2016-01-01

Marxian education scholars have successfully established critical media literacy as a specific response to concerns about contemporary media's problems and possibilities with regard to youth. This development has made a significant contribution to the intersection of media, critical theory, and pedagogy. Yet, the theoretical foundations of…

Measuring the success of specific health problem consultations in cats and dogs: a systematic review.

PubMed

Corah, Louise; Mossop, Liz; Cobb, Kate; Dean, Rachel

2018-03-15

Consultations are complex interactions, are central to achieving optimal outcomes for all stakeholders, yet what constitutes a successful consultation has not been defined. The aim of this systematic review was to describe the scope of the literature available on specific health problem consultations and appraise their identified success measures. Searches of CAB Abstracts and MEDLINE were performed in May 2016 using species and consultation terms. Systematic sorting of the results allowed identification of consultation 'success factors' cited in peer-reviewed veterinary literature which were appraised using an appropriate critical appraisal tool (AXIS). Searches returned 11 330 results with a total of 17 publications meeting the inclusion criteria, of which four measured consultation success. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association was the most common journal of publication (9 of 17) and the majority of included papers had been published since 2010 (12 of 17). Success factors measured were compliance, client satisfaction and veterinary surgeon satisfaction, and publications primarily used communication analysis tools to measure success. The review highlights the paucity of peer-reviewed literature examining small animal, health problem veterinary consultations. The available evidence is of variable quality and provides weak evidence as to which factors contribute to a successful consultation. © British Veterinary Association (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Success Factors of E-Learning Projects: A Technical Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alhomod, Sami; Shafi, Mohd Mudasir

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to identify the success factors of e learning programs in King Saud University from an engineer and technician's point of view. An extensive study of existing literature was done to determine the 11 success factors of e learning program. The factors identified as success factors are: Sufficient Users Training,…

What Is Successful Writing? An Investigation into the Multiple Ways Writers Can Write Successful Essays

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crossley, Scott A.; Roscoe, Rod; McNamara, Danielle S.

2014-01-01

This study identifies multiple profiles of successful essays via a cluster analysis approach using linguistic features reported by a variety of natural language processing tools. The findings from the study indicate that there are four profiles of successful writers for the samples analyzed. These four profiles are linguistically distinct from one…

Nurse manager succession planning: synthesis of the evidence.

PubMed

Titzer, Jennifer; Phillips, Tracy; Tooley, Stephanie; Hall, Norma; Shirey, Maria

2013-10-01

The literature supporting nurse manager succession planning is reviewed and synthesised to discover best practice for identifying and developing future nurse managers. Healthcare succession planning practices are lacking. Nurse managers are historically selected based on clinical skills and lack formal leadership preparation. A systematic literature search appraises and summarises the current literature supporting nurse manager succession planning. Multiple reviewers were used to increase the reliability and validity of article selection and analysis. New nurse managers require months to adapt to their positions. Deliberate nurse manager succession planning should be integrated in the organisation's strategic plan and provide a proactive method for identifying and developing potential leaders. Organisations that identify and develop internal human capital can improve role transition, reduce nurse manager turnover rates and decrease replacement costs. Despite the clear benefits of succession planning, studies show that resource allocation for proactive, deliberate development of current and future nurse leaders is lacking. Additionally, systematic evaluation of succession planning is limited. Deliberate succession planning efforts and appropriate resource allocation require strategic planning and evaluation methods. Detailed evaluation methods demonstrating a positive return on investment utilising a cost-benefit analysis and empirical outcomes are necessary. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Designing Successful Proteomics Experiments.

PubMed

Ruderman, Daniel

2017-01-01

Because proteomics experiments are so complex they can readily fail, and do so without clear cause. Using standard experimental design techniques and incorporating quality control can greatly increase the chances of success. This chapter introduces the relevant concepts and provides examples specific to proteomic workflows. Applying these notions to design successful proteomics experiments is straightforward. It can help identify failure causes and greatly increase the likelihood of inter-laboratory reproducibility.

Biosphere reserves: Attributes for success.

PubMed

Van Cuong, Chu; Dart, Peter; Hockings, Marc

2017-03-01

Biosphere reserves established under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program aim to harmonise biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Concerns over the extent to which the reserve network was living up to this ideal led to the development of a new strategy in 1995 (the Seville Strategy) to enhance the operation of the network of reserves. An evaluation of effectiveness of management of the biosphere reserve network was called for as part of this strategy. Expert opinion was assembled through a Delphi Process to identify successful and less successful reserves and investigate common factors influencing success or failure. Ninety biosphere reserves including sixty successful and thirty less successful reserves in 42 countries across all five Man and the Biosphere Program regions were identified. Most successful sites are the post-Seville generation while the majority of unsuccessful sites are pre-Seville that are managed as national parks and have not been amended to conform to the characteristics that are meant to define a biosphere reserve. Stakeholder participation and collaboration, governance, finance and resources, management, and awareness and communication are the most influential factors in the success or failure of the biosphere reserves. For success, the biosphere reserve concept needs to be clearly understood and applied through landscape zoning. Designated reserves then need a management system with inclusive good governance, strong participation and collaboration, adequate finance and human resource allocation and stable and responsible management and implementation. All rather obvious but it is difficult to achieve without commitment to the biosphere reserve concept by the governance authorities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceptions of the use of critical thinking teaching methods.

PubMed

Kowalczyk, Nina; Hackworth, Ruth; Case-Smith, Jane

2012-01-01

To identify the perceived level of competence in teaching and assessing critical thinking skills and the difficulties facing radiologic science program directors in implementing student-centered teaching methods. A total of 692 program directors received an invitation to complete an electronic survey soliciting information regarding the importance of critical thinking skills, their confidence in applying teaching methods and assessing student performance, and perceived obstacles. Statistical analysis included descriptive data, correlation coefficients, and ANOVA. Responses were received from 317 participants indicating program directors perceive critical thinking to be an essential element in the education of the student; however, they identified several areas for improvement. A high correlation was identified between the program directors' perceived level of skill and their confidence in critical thinking, and between their perceived level of skill and ability to assess the students' critical thinking. Key barriers to implementing critical thinking teaching strategies were identified. Program directors value the importance of implementing critical thinking teaching methods and perceive a need for professional development in critical thinking educational methods. Regardless of the type of educational institution in which the academic program is located, the level of education held by the program director was a significant factor regarding perceived confidence in the ability to model critical thinking skills and the ability to assess student critical thinking skills.

A recipe for success: ingredients for a successful family planning program.

PubMed

Merrill, J

1992-09-01

The basic elements of a successful family planning (FP) program are variable between countries. Providing better access to modern contraceptives, access to general and reproductive health care, and increasing economic and educational opportunities contribute to reducing fertility rates. Effective distribution is constrained by rural, isolated populations and cultural attitudes. Indonesia has used floating clinics located on boats to reach inaccessible areas; Norplant and hormonal injection availability also contribute to the 53% contraceptive prevalence rate. The Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning has shipped bicycles to developing countries. The result has been improved status among peers and greater program success. Contraceptive social marketing programs (CSM) have been successful in some countries to distribute contraceptives through local channels such as shops and stalls; people seem willing to pay also. CSM has been successful in Egypt in increasing condom sales. IUD use increased from 11% to 42% between 1975-88 with CSM. Multimedia promotion that is carefully researched and targeted is another way to increase contraceptive prevalence (CP) rates. A Brazilian multimedia vasectomy campaign led to an 80% monthly increase in Pro-Pater male health clinics. 240,000 women in Turkey were encouraged through multimedia efforts to switch to modern methods. In Zimbabwe, men have been the target of efforts to educate them about the advantages of small families. Women are recruited to implement FP services in INdia and in poor neighborhoods; an increase from 12% to 61% was achieved. Highly motivated workers with a respect for the community's values is essential to any successful FP program as is government support. China's policy has drawn criticism; China has welcomed a UN program which provides financial motivation. Thailand has been successful due to the commitment between public and private sectors; in 17 years CP rose from 10% to

Avalanche Statistics Identify Intrinsic Stellar Processes near Criticality in KIC 8462852

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheikh, Mohammed A.; Weaver, Richard L.; Dahmen, Karin A.

2016-12-01

The star KIC8462852 (Tabby's star) has shown anomalous drops in light flux. We perform a statistical analysis of the more numerous smaller dimming events by using methods found useful for avalanches in ferromagnetism and plastic flow. Scaling exponents for avalanche statistics and temporal profiles of the flux during the dimming events are close to mean field predictions. Scaling collapses suggest that this star may be near a nonequilibrium critical point. The large events are interpreted as avalanches marked by modified dynamics, limited by the system size, and not within the scaling regime.

Systems Engineering Provides Successful High Temperature Steam Electrolysis Project

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

Charles V. Park; Emmanuel Ohene Opare, Jr.

2011-06-01

This paper describes two Systems Engineering Studies completed at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to support development of the High Temperature Stream Electrolysis (HTSE) process. HTSE produces hydrogen from water using nuclear power and was selected by the Department of Energy (DOE) for integration with the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). The first study was a reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) analysis to identify critical areas for technology development based on available information regarding expected component performance. An HTSE process baseline flowsheet at commercial scale was used as a basis. The NGNP project also established a process and capability tomore » perform future RAM analyses. The analysis identified which components had the greatest impact on HTSE process availability and indicated that the HTSE process could achieve over 90% availability. The second study developed a series of life-cycle cost estimates for the various scale-ups required to demonstrate the HTSE process. Both studies were useful in identifying near- and long-term efforts necessary for successful HTSE process deployment. The size of demonstrations to support scale-up was refined, which is essential to estimate near- and long-term cost and schedule. The life-cycle funding profile, with high-level allocations, was identified as the program transitions from experiment scale R&D to engineering scale demonstration.« less

Key Actions of Successful Summer Research Mentors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raman, D. Raj; Geisinger, Brandi N.; Kemis, Mari R.; de la Mora, Arlene

2016-01-01

Summer research opportunities for undergraduates, such as those supported by the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, can be critical experiences that help persuade students to pursue research through graduate studies. Studies analyzing the key actions of successful mentors are scarce. The goal of…

Factors associated with National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse success.

PubMed

Arathuzik, D; Aber, C

1998-01-01

Identification of factors associated with National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) success is critical at public colleges of nursing with diverse student populations. This issue was the purpose of this research study. A descriptive correlational research design was used. Seventy-nine generic senior students enrolled in an urban public university participated in the study. Several internal and external blocks to success were described by the students, including family responsibilities, emotional distress, fatigue, and financial and work burdens. Significant correlations were found between success in the NCLEX-RN and cumulative undergraduate nursing program grade point average, English as the primary language spoken at home, lack of family responsibilities or demands, lack of emotional distress, and sense of competency in critical thinking. Establishment of a comprehensive data base-including factors associated with success in the NCLEX-RN and programs of advisement, tutoring, and stress management as well as classes in study skills, test taking, and NCLEX preparation-are recommended for public colleges of nursing with diverse student populations.

Daptomycin experience in critical care patients: results from a registry.

PubMed

Brown, Jack E; Fominaya, Cory; Christensen, Keith J; McConnell, Scott A; Lamp, Kenneth C

2012-04-01

Vancomycin is often the drug of choice in critically ill patients with gram-positive infections, although circumstances often prevent its use. In these situations, clinicians are frequently left with limited data regarding alternative agents. To describe patients with reported sepsis receiving daptomycin in a critical care unit. This multicenter, noncomparative, noninterventional study identified patients in critical care units, using the Cubicin Outcomes Registry and Experience (CORE) 2005-2009 registry. A descriptive account of patient characteristics, infectious etiology, outcomes at the end of daptomycin therapy, and 30-day mortality is reported. Nonevaluable patients were excluded from the efficacy analysis but included in the safety analysis. We identified 128 patients, 98 (77%) of whom were evaluable for efficacy. Patient characteristics for the efficacy population were 55 (56%) males, 30 (31%) aged 66 years or older, 38 (39%) had creatinine clearance less than 30 mL/min, and 27 (28%) were on dialysis. Common underlying diseases included acute or chronic renal failure 44 (45%), hypertension 40 (41%), and diabetes 27 (28%). Seventy-two (73%) patients were bacteremic. The most common pathogens found were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (32%), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (21%), and coagulase-negative staphylococci (20%). Prior to daptomycin, antibiotics were used in 84 (86%) patients, most commonly vancomycin (65/84; 77%). The median (range) initial daptomycin dose was 6 mg/kg (3-10) and duration of 10 days (1-58). Overall success rate was 70% (31% cured; 39% improved). Twelve adverse events possibly related to daptomycin were reported in 9 of 128 (7%) patients in the safety population; 4 of these in 4 (3%) patients were serious. The mortality rate within 30 days of completing daptomycin was 42 of 128 (33%) patients. These data provide preliminary results on the use of daptomycin in critically ill patients with complicated conditions

The critical care air transport program.

PubMed

Beninati, William; Meyer, Michael T; Carter, Todd E

2008-07-01

The critical care air transport team program is a component of the U.S. Air Force Aeromedical Evacuation system. A critical care air transport team consists of a critical care physician, critical care nurse, and respiratory therapist along with the supplies and equipment to operate a portable intensive care unit within a cargo aircraft. This capability was developed to support rapidly mobile surgical teams with high capability for damage control resuscitation and limited capacity for postresuscitation care. The critical care air transport team permits rapid evacuation of stabilizing casualties to a higher level of care. The aeromedical environment presents important challenges for the delivery of critical care. All equipment must be tested for safety and effectiveness in this environment before use in flight. The team members must integrate the current standards of care with the limitation imposed by stresses of flight on their patient. The critical care air transport team capability has been used successfully in a range of settings from transport within the United States, to disaster response, to support of casualties in combat.

Parent Genotype and Environmental Factors Influence Introduction Success of the Critically Endangered Savannas Mint (Dicerandra immaculata var. savannarum)

PubMed Central

Peterson, Cheryl L.; Kaufmann, Gregory S.; Vandello, Christopher; Richardson, Matthew L.

2013-01-01

Species previously unknown to science are continually discovered and some of these species already face extinction at the time of their discovery. Conserving new and rare species in these cases becomes a trial-and-error process and conservationists will attempt to manage them by using knowledge of closely related species, or those that fill the same ecological niche, and then adapting the management program as needed. Savannas Mint (Dicerandra immaculata Lakela var. savannarum Huck) is a perennial plant that was discovered in Florida scrub habitat at two locations in 1995, but is nearly extinct at these locations. We tested whether shade, leaf litter, propagation method, parent genotype, parent collection site, planting date, and absorbent granules influenced survival, reproduction, and recruitment of Savannas Mint in a population of 1,614 plants that we introduced between June 2006 and July 2009 into a state protected site. Survival and reproduction of introduced plants, and recruitment of new plants, was higher in microhabitats in full sun and no leaf litter and lower in partially shaded habitats. The two sites from which parent plants were collected differentially influenced survival and reproduction of introduced plants. These differences in survival and reproduction are likely due to underlying genetic differences. Differential survival of progeny from different parent genotypes further supports the idea that underlying genetics is an important consideration when restoring plant populations. The most successful progeny of parent genotypes had survival rates nearly 12 times higher than the least successful progeny. We speculate that many of these environmental and genetic factors are likely to influence allopatric congeners and other critically endangered gap specialists that grow in Florida scrub and our results can be used to guide their conservation. PMID:23593479

Lignin staining ...a limited success in identifying koa growth rings

Treesearch

Herbert L. Wick

1970-01-01

Among the lignin stains tested in trying to identify growth rings in koa (Acacia koa Gray), phloroglucinol was the most effective. The light colored sapwood of mature trees stained readily, with growth rings apparent. But staining failed to emphasize rings in the dark colored heartwood. Growth rings were not apparent on samples from young fast...

A leadership programme for critical care.

PubMed

Crofts, Linda

2006-08-01

This paper describes the genesis, design and implementation of a leadership programme for critical care. This was an initiative funded by the National Health Service (NHS) Nursing Leadership Project and had at the core of its design flexibility to meet the needs of the individual hospitals, which took part in it. Participation was from the multi-disciplinary critical care team. Six NHS hospitals took part in the programme which was of 20 days duration and took place on hospital sites. The programme used the leadership model of as its template and had a number of distinct components; a baseline assessment, personal development, principles of leadership and critical case reviews. The programme was underpinned by three themes; working effectively in multi-professional teams to provide patient focussed care, managing change through effective leadership and developing the virtual critical care service. Each group set objectives pertinent to their own organisation's needs. The programme was evaluated by a self-reporting questionnaire; group feedback and feedback from stakeholders. Programme evaluation was positive from all the hospitals but it was clear that the impact of the programme varied considerably between the groups who took part. It was noted that there was some correlation between the success of the programme and organisational 'buy in' as well as the organisational culture within which the participants operated. A key feature of the programme success was the critical case reviews, which were considered to be a powerful learning tool and medium for group learning and change management.

What influences success in family medicine maternity care education programs? Qualitative exploration.

PubMed

Biringer, Anne; Forte, Milena; Tobin, Anastasia; Shaw, Elizabeth; Tannenbaum, David

2018-05-01

To ascertain how program leaders in family medicine characterize success in family medicine maternity care education and determine which factors influence the success of training programs. Qualitative research using semistructured telephone interviews. Purposive sample of 6 family medicine programs from 5 Canadian provinces. Eighteen departmental leaders and program directors. Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with program leaders in family medicine maternity care. Departmental leaders identified maternity care programs deemed to be "successful." Interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. Team members conducted thematic analysis. Participants considered their education programs to be successful in family medicine maternity care if residents achieved competency in intrapartum care, if graduates planned to include intrapartum care in their practices, and if their education programs were able to recruit and retain family medicine maternity care faculty. Five key factors were deemed to be critical to a program's success in family medicine maternity care: adequate clinical exposure, the presence of strong family medicine role models, a family medicine-friendly hospital environment, support for the education program from multiple sources, and a dedicated and supportive community of family medicine maternity care providers. Training programs wishing to achieve greater success in family medicine maternity care education should employ a multifaceted strategy that considers all 5 of the interdependent factors uncovered in our research. By paying particular attention to the informal processes that connect these factors, program leaders can preserve the possibility that family medicine residents will graduate with the competence and confidence to practise full-scope maternity care. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Maternal health status correlates with nest success of leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) from Florida.

PubMed

Perrault, Justin R; Miller, Debra L; Eads, Erica; Johnson, Chris; Merrill, Anita; Thompson, Larry J; Wyneken, Jeanette

2012-01-01

Of the seven sea turtle species, the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) exhibits the lowest and most variable nest success (i.e., hatching success and emergence success) for reasons that remain largely unknown. In an attempt to identify or rule out causes of low reproductive success in this species, we established the largest sample size (n = 60-70 for most values) of baseline blood parameters (protein electrophoresis, hematology, plasma biochemistry) for this species to date. Hematologic, protein electrophoretic and biochemical values are important tools that can provide information regarding the physiological condition of an individual and population health as a whole. It has been proposed that the health of nesting individuals affects their reproductive output. In order to establish correlations with low reproductive success in leatherback sea turtles from Florida, we compared maternal health indices to hatching success and emergence success of their nests. As expected, hatching success (median = 57.4%) and emergence success (median = 49.1%) in Floridian leatherbacks were low during the study period (2007-2008 nesting seasons), a trend common in most nesting leatherback populations (average global hatching success = ∼50%). One protein electrophoretic value (gamma globulin protein) and one hematologic value (red blood cell count) significantly correlated with hatching success and emergence success. Several maternal biochemical parameters correlated with hatching success and/or emergence success including alkaline phosphatase activity, blood urea nitrogen, calcium, calcium:phosphorus ratio, carbon dioxide, cholesterol, creatinine, and phosphorus. Our results suggest that in leatherbacks, physiological parameters correlate with hatching success and emergence success of their nests. We conclude that long-term and comparative studies are needed to determine if certain individuals produce nests with lower hatching

Maternal Health Status Correlates with Nest Success of Leatherback Sea Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) from Florida

PubMed Central

Perrault, Justin R.; Miller, Debra L.; Eads, Erica; Johnson, Chris; Merrill, Anita; Thompson, Larry J.; Wyneken, Jeanette

2012-01-01

Of the seven sea turtle species, the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) exhibits the lowest and most variable nest success (i.e., hatching success and emergence success) for reasons that remain largely unknown. In an attempt to identify or rule out causes of low reproductive success in this species, we established the largest sample size (n = 60–70 for most values) of baseline blood parameters (protein electrophoresis, hematology, plasma biochemistry) for this species to date. Hematologic, protein electrophoretic and biochemical values are important tools that can provide information regarding the physiological condition of an individual and population health as a whole. It has been proposed that the health of nesting individuals affects their reproductive output. In order to establish correlations with low reproductive success in leatherback sea turtles from Florida, we compared maternal health indices to hatching success and emergence success of their nests. As expected, hatching success (median = 57.4%) and emergence success (median = 49.1%) in Floridian leatherbacks were low during the study period (2007–2008 nesting seasons), a trend common in most nesting leatherback populations (average global hatching success = ∼50%). One protein electrophoretic value (gamma globulin protein) and one hematologic value (red blood cell count) significantly correlated with hatching success and emergence success. Several maternal biochemical parameters correlated with hatching success and/or emergence success including alkaline phosphatase activity, blood urea nitrogen, calcium, calcium∶phosphorus ratio, carbon dioxide, cholesterol, creatinine, and phosphorus. Our results suggest that in leatherbacks, physiological parameters correlate with hatching success and emergence success of their nests. We conclude that long-term and comparative studies are needed to determine if certain individuals produce nests with lower

Characterizing the successful student in general chemistry and physical science classes in terms of Jung's personality types as identified by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riley, Wayne David

1998-11-01

A student's success in a science class can depend upon previous experiences, motivation, and the level of interest in the subject. Since psychological type is intrinsic to a person's whole being, it can be influential upon the student's motivation and interests. Thus, a study of student psychological types versus the level of success in a class, as measured by a percentage, has potential to uncover certain personality characteristics which may be helpful to or which may hinder a student's learning environment. This study was initiated, using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, to evaluate any correlation between a student's personality type and his/her performance in a science class. A total of 1041 students from three classes: Chemistry 121/122, Chemistry 112, Physical Science 100, volunteered for the study. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the levels of significance among sixteen personality types' averages. The results reveal that for the Chemistry 1121/122 course, the average score of the INTJ personality type was 5.1 to 12.6 points higher than every other personality type. The ANOVA identifies 3 personality types with averages significantly below the INTJ at the p < 0.05 significance level. The ANOVA analysis for the Chemistry 112 course identified significances between student scores at p = 0.08. The significance level for the differences among scores for the Physical Science 100 course was determined at a level of p = 0.02. Significance levels for p < 0.05 and <0.01 were identified between several groups in this course. The data suggest, that although personality type may not predict a particular student's success in a science class, students with certain personality traits may be favored in a chemistry class due the structure of the instruction and the presentation of the subject matter.

Identifying and Addressing Stakeholder Interests in Design Science Research: An Analysis Using Critical Systems Heuristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venable, John R.

This paper utilises the Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH) framework developed by Werner Ulrich to critically consider the stakeholders and design goals that should be considered as relevant by researchers conducing Design Science Research (DSR). CSH provides a philosophically and theoretically grounded framework and means for critical consideration of the choices of stakeholders considered to be relevant to any system under design consideration. The paper recommends that legitimately undertaken DSR should include witnesses to represent the interests of the future consumers of the outcomes of DSR, i.e., the future clients, decision makers, professionals, and other non-included stakeholders in the future use of the solution technologies to be invented in DSR. The paper further discusses options for how witnesses might be included, who should be witnessed for and obstacles to implementing the recommendations.

Effective ventilation: The most critical intervention for successful delivery room resuscitation.

PubMed

Foglia, Elizabeth E; Te Pas, Arjan B

2018-04-17

Lung aeration is the critical first step that triggers the transition from fetal to postnatal cardiopulmonary physiology after birth. When an infant is apneic or does not breathe sufficiently, intervention is needed to support this transition. Effective ventilation is therefore the cornerstone of neonatal resuscitation. In this article, we review the physiology of cardiopulmonary transition at birth, with particular attention to factors the caregiver should consider when providing ventilation. We then summarize the available clinical evidence for strategies to monitor and perform positive pressure ventilation in the delivery room setting. © 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Geospatial analysis identifies critical mineral-resource potential in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karl, Susan M.; Labay, Keith A.; Jacques, Katherine; Landowski, Claire

2017-03-03

Alaska consists of more than 663,000 square miles (1,717,000 square kilometers) of land—more than a sixth of the total area of the United States—and large tracts of it have not been systematically studied or sampled for mineral-resource potential. Many regions of the State are known to have significant mineral-resource potential, and there are currently six operating mines in the State along with numerous active mineral exploration projects. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys have developed a new geospatial tool that integrates and analyzes publicly available databases of geologic information and estimates the mineral-resource potential for critical minerals, which was recently used to evaluate Alaska. The results of the analyses highlight areas that have known mineral deposits and also reveal areas that were not previously considered to be prospective for these deposit types. These results will inform land management decisions by Federal, State, and private landholders, and will also help guide future exploration activities and scientific investigations in Alaska.

Breeding biology and success of a reintroduced population of the critically endangered Puaiohi (Myadestes palmeri)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tweed, E.J.; Foster, J.T.; Woodworth, B.L.; Monahan, W.B.; Kellerman, J.L.; Lieberman, A.

2006-01-01

The ultimate success of reintroduction programs for endangered species depends on the ability of reintroduced animals to breed in the wild. We studied the nesting success and breeding biology of a reintroduced population of Puaiohi (Myadestes palmeri) on the island of Kaua'i, Hawaii. Thirty-four captive-bred Puaiohi were released into the Alaka'i Swamp in 1999-2001 and monitored using radiotelemetry. Ten females and two males paired with wild and other released birds, including one polygynous trio. From March to September, 31 nests were built. Mean clutch size was 2.0 eggs, daily nest survival was 0.97 ± 0.01 (mean ± SE) and overall nest success was 0.40 ± 0.02. We confirmed predation, most probably by rats (Rattus spp.), as the greatest cause of nest failure, occurring at 38% of active nests with known fates, and causing the death of two nesting adult females. Ground-based rodent control proved ineffective at protecting nest attempts. Successful nests fledged an average of 1.4 young each (n = 10), and 85% of fledglings survived at least two weeks. Importantly, breeding behavior and success were comparable to those of wild Puaiohi. This is the first record of breeding in the wild from captive-bred endangered Hawaiian passerines. The ability of captive-bred Puaiohi to survive and breed successfully in the wild bodes well for future releases of this and other endangered passerines, but high predation rates on nests and nesting females highlights the importance of maintaining and restoring safe habitat for recovery.

Primary Childhood School Success Scale.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seagraves, Margaret C.

The purpose of this research study was to build and pilot a psychometric instrument, the Primary Childhood School Success Scale (PCSSS), to identify behaviors needed for children to be successful in first grade. Fifty-two teacher responses were collected. The instrument had a reliability coefficient (Alpha) of 0.95, a mean of 13.26, and a variance…

International Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Clayton

2016-01-01

This article, with a focus on North American postsecondary education, identifies international students as a strategic enrollment management institutional priority; presents themes in the international student retention, satisfaction, and success research literature; and describes related best practices. It also presents the findings from an…

Lifelong Learning: Workforce Development and Economic Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Alice

Lifelong learning through a strong, policy-supported information technology (IT) infrastructure is critical to the success of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies. There is a great need to upgrade the quality of skills within the workforce, and there have been unprecedented investments in infrastructure and advanced…

Identifying Strategies for Native American Student Success in Community Colleges: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baxter, Paula Jean

2009-01-01

This qualitative study attempted to analyze the educational goals and achievements of successful present and former Native American students at San Juan College (SJC) in Farmington, NM. It considered a systemic approach to educating Native American students by taking into account their suggestions of how to improve the educational framework to…

Data Quality -- A Key to Successfully Implementing ECSS

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

Inventory inaccuracy and supply chain performance: A simulation study of a retail supply chain. International Journal of Production Economics , 95...Planning (ERP) System Implementations Based on Critical Success Factors (CSFs). International Journal of Production Economics , 98(2), 189- 203. Tersine

Critical Consciousness and the Christian Conscience: Making the Necessary Connections between Faith-Based Learning and Critical Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Heekap; Givens, Ruth

2012-01-01

Critical pedagogy is a by product of postmodernism, which argues that reality is always subjective, and truth is identified through each person's experiences and environment. Can critical pedagogy be applied to faith-based education? The authors claim that it can. First, the theories and practices of critical pedagogy have strengthened faith-based…

Outcome of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Abstracts Presented at North American Academic National Meetings.

PubMed

Basu, Sonali; Pollack, Murray M

2017-05-05

Pediatric critical care medicine abstracts presented at North American national academic meetings have not been followed up to determine their publication outcomes. Our objective was to determine the following: 1) the proportion of these presentations that are published in peer-reviewed journals within 5 years; 2) the impact of trainee status on time to and success of publication; and 3) the quality of the research as reflected in the publishing journal's impact factor. Four years of abstracts (2007-2011) were reviewed from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatric Academic Societies, and Society of Critical Care Medicine national meetings. Pediatric critical care medicine abstracts were delineated by the meeting or identified by keyword search. Data included mode of presentation, trainee status of first author, publication status within 5 years based on a PubMed search, trainee position in the journal of publication authorship list, and the impact factor of journal of publication. We evaluated 267 pediatric critical care medicine abstracts, 85-94 from each meeting. Overall, 41% were published, with the highest rate in Pediatric Academic Societies abstracts (54% Pediatric Academic Societies, 38% Society of Critical Care Medicine, and 33% American Academy of Pediatrics; p = 0.011). Mean time to publication was 22 (± 3) months and did not differ by conference or presentation mode. Journal first authorship was retained in 84%. Journal impact factor was highest in Society of Critical Care Medicine abstracts (3.38 Society of Critical Care Medicine, 2.64 Pediatric Academic Societies, and 1.92 American Academy of Pediatrics; p = 0.006). First author trainee status was not associated with publication rate, time to publication, and impact factor. A total of 100% of trainees but only 79% of nontrainees who published retained first authorship. Less than half of pediatric critical care medicine research abstracts presented at North American national academic meetings

Geographic Hotspots of Critical National Infrastructure.

PubMed

Thacker, Scott; Barr, Stuart; Pant, Raghav; Hall, Jim W; Alderson, David

2017-12-01

Failure of critical national infrastructures can result in major disruptions to society and the economy. Understanding the criticality of individual assets and the geographic areas in which they are located is essential for targeting investments to reduce risks and enhance system resilience. Within this study we provide new insights into the criticality of real-life critical infrastructure networks by integrating high-resolution data on infrastructure location, connectivity, interdependence, and usage. We propose a metric of infrastructure criticality in terms of the number of users who may be directly or indirectly disrupted by the failure of physically interdependent infrastructures. Kernel density estimation is used to integrate spatially discrete criticality values associated with individual infrastructure assets, producing a continuous surface from which statistically significant infrastructure criticality hotspots are identified. We develop a comprehensive and unique national-scale demonstration for England and Wales that utilizes previously unavailable data from the energy, transport, water, waste, and digital communications sectors. The testing of 200,000 failure scenarios identifies that hotspots are typically located around the periphery of urban areas where there are large facilities upon which many users depend or where several critical infrastructures are concentrated in one location. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

Identifying Critical Internal Barriers to Effective Career Decision-Making among College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAuliffe, Garrett J.; And Others

From its earliest origins, career counseling has had as one of its major goals the amelioration of occupational indecision. Despite evidence of the general success of both individual and group career counseling in ameliorating indecision, it is likely that there is a segment of undecided individuals for whom essentially rational,…

Web-based resources for critical care education.

PubMed

Kleinpell, Ruth; Ely, E Wesley; Williams, Ged; Liolios, Antonios; Ward, Nicholas; Tisherman, Samuel A

2011-03-01

To identify, catalog, and critically evaluate Web-based resources for critical care education. A multilevel search strategy was utilized. Literature searches were conducted (from 1996 to September 30, 2010) using OVID-MEDLINE, PubMed, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature with the terms "Web-based learning," "computer-assisted instruction," "e-learning," "critical care," "tutorials," "continuing education," "virtual learning," and "Web-based education." The Web sites of relevant critical care organizations (American College of Chest Physicians, American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Thoracic Society, European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, Society of Critical Care Medicine, World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and World Federation of Critical Care Nurses) were reviewed for the availability of e-learning resources. Finally, Internet searches and e-mail queries to critical care medicine fellowship program directors and members of national and international acute/critical care listserves were conducted to 1) identify the use of and 2) review and critique Web-based resources for critical care education. To ensure credibility of Web site information, Web sites were reviewed by three independent reviewers on the basis of the criteria of authority, objectivity, authenticity, accuracy, timeliness, relevance, and efficiency in conjunction with suggested formats for evaluating Web sites in the medical literature. Literature searches using OVID-MEDLINE, PubMed, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature resulted in >250 citations. Those pertinent to critical care provide examples of the integration of e-learning techniques, the development of specific resources, reports of the use of types of e-learning, including interactive tutorials, case studies, and simulation, and reports of student or learner satisfaction, among other general

Succession planning in state departments of transportation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-07-01

This project examines how state departments of transportation understand and implement : the human resources management practice of succession planning. Past research : examining succession planning in the public sector has identified numerous potent...

Reshaping Computer Literacy Teaching in Higher Education: Identification of Critical Success Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Estelle; Goede, Roelien; Steyn, Tjaart

2011-01-01

Purpose: Acquiring computer skills is more important today than ever before, especially in a developing country. Teaching of computer skills, however, has to adapt to new technology. This paper aims to model factors influencing the success of the learning of computer literacy by means of an e-learning environment. The research question for this…

Simulation of hydrologic influences on wetland ecosystem succession. Master's thesis

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

Pompilio, R.A.

1994-09-01

This research focuses on the development of a simulation model to determine the affects of hydrological influences on a wetland ecosystem. The model allows perturbations to the inputs of various wetland data which in turn, influences the successional development of the ecosystem. This research consisted of converting a grassland ecosystem model to one which simulates wetland conditions. The critical factor in determining the success of wetland creation is the hydrology of the system. There are four of the areas of the original model which are affected by the hydrology. The model measures the health or success of the ecosystem throughmore » the measurement of the systems gross plant production, the respiration and the net primary production of biomass. Altering the auxiliary variables of water level and the rate of flow through the system explicitly details the affects hydrologic influences on those production rates. Ten case tests depicting exogenous perturbations of the hydrology were run to identify these affects. Although the tests dealt with the fluctuation of water through the system, any one of the auxiliary variables in the model could be changed to reflect site specific data. Productivity, Hazardous material management, Hazardous material pharmacy.« less

Integrated genomic analyses identify WEE1 as a critical mediator of cell fate and novel therapeutic target in acute myeloid leukemia

PubMed Central

Porter, Christopher C.; Kim, Jihye; Fosmire, Susan; Gearheart, Christy M.; van Linden, Annemie; Baturin, Dmitry; Zaberezhnyy, Vadym; Patel, Purvi R.; Gao, Dexiang; Tan, Aik Choon; DeGregori, James

2011-01-01

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains a therapeutic challenge despite increasing knowledge about the molecular origins of the disease, as the mechanisms of AML cell escape from chemotherapy remain poorly defined. We hypothesized that AML cells are addicted to molecular pathways in the context of chemotherapy and used complementary approaches to identify these addictions. Using novel molecular and computational approaches, we performed genome-wide shRNA screens to identify proteins that mediate AML cell fate after cytarabine exposure, gene expression profiling of AML cells exposed to cytarabine to identify genes with induced expression in this context, and examination of existing gene expression data from primary patient samples. The integration of these independent analyses strongly implicates cell cycle checkpoint proteins, particularly WEE1, as critical mediators of AML cell survival after cytarabine exposure. Knockdown of WEE1 in a secondary screen confirmed its role in AML cell survival. Pharmacologic inhibition of WEE1 in AML cell lines and primary cells is synergistic with cytarabine. Further experiments demonstrate that inhibition of WEE1 prevents S-phase arrest induced by cytarabine, broadening the functions of WEE1 that may be exploited therapeutically. These data highlight the power of integrating functional and descriptive genomics, and identify WEE1 as potential therapeutic target in AML. PMID:22289989

Explicitly Teaching Critical Thinking Skills in a History Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaughlin, Anne Collins; McGill, Alicia Ebbitt

2017-01-01

Critical thinking skills are often assessed via student beliefs in non-scientific ways of thinking, (e.g, pseudoscience). Courses aimed at reducing such beliefs have been studied in the STEM fields with the most successful focusing on skeptical thinking. However, critical thinking is not unique to the sciences; it is crucial in the humanities and…

A comparison of critical care research funding and the financial burden of critical illness in the United States.

PubMed

Coopersmith, Craig M; Wunsch, Hannah; Fink, Mitchell P; Linde-Zwirble, Walter T; Olsen, Keith M; Sommers, Marilyn S; Anand, Kanwaljeet J S; Tchorz, Kathryn M; Angus, Derek C; Deutschman, Clifford S

2012-04-01

To estimate federal dollars spent on critical care research, the cost of providing critical care, and to determine whether the percentage of federal research dollars spent on critical care research is commensurate with the financial burden of critical care. The National Institutes of Health Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects database was queried to identify funded grants whose title or abstract contained a key word potentially related to critical care. Each grant identified was analyzed by two reviewers (three if the analysis was discordant) to subjectively determine whether it was definitely, possibly, or definitely not related to critical care. Hospital and total costs of critical care were estimated from the Premier Database, state discharge data, and Medicare data. To estimate healthcare expenditures associated with caring for critically ill patients, total costs were calculated as the combination of hospitalization costs that included critical illness as well as additional costs in the year after hospital discharge. Of 19,257 grants funded by the National Institutes of Health, 332 (1.7%) were definitely related to critical care and a maximum of 1212 (6.3%) grants were possibly related to critical care. Between 17.4% and 39.0% of total hospital costs were spent on critical care, and a total of between $121 and $263 billion was estimated to be spent on patients who required intensive care. This represents 5.2% to 11.2%, respectively, of total U.S. healthcare spending. The proportion of research dollars spent on critical care is lower than the percentage of healthcare expenditures related to critical illness.

Critical success factors in awareness of and choice towards low vision rehabilitation.

PubMed

Fraser, Sarah A; Johnson, Aaron P; Wittich, Walter; Overbury, Olga

2015-01-01

The goal of the current study was to examine the critical factors indicative of an individual's choice to access low vision rehabilitation services. Seven hundred and forty-nine visually impaired individuals, from the Montreal Barriers Study, completed a structured interview and questionnaires (on visual function, coping, depression, satisfaction with life). Seventy-five factors from the interview and questionnaires were entered into a data-driven Classification and Regression Tree Analysis in order to determine the best predictors of awareness group: positive personal choice (I knew and I went), negative personal choice (I knew and did not go), and lack of information (Nobody told me, and I did not know). Having a response of moderate to no difficulty on item 6 (reading signs) of the Visual Function Index 14 (VF-14) indicated that the person had made a positive personal choice to seek rehabilitation, whereas reporting a great deal of difficulty on this item was associated with a lack of information on low vision rehabilitation. In addition to this factor, symptom duration of under nine years, moderate difficulty or less on item 5 (seeing steps or curbs) of the VF-14, and an indication of little difficulty or less on item 3 (reading large print) of the VF-14 further identified those who were more likely to have made a positive personal choice. Individuals in the lack of information group also reported greater difficulty on items 3 and 5 of the VF-14 and were more likely to be male. The duration-of-symptoms factor suggests that, even in the positive choice group, it may be best to offer rehabilitation services early. Being male and responding moderate difficulty or greater to the VF-14 questions about far, medium-distance and near situations involving vision was associated with individuals that lack information. Consequently, these individuals may need additional education about the benefits of low vision services in order to make a positive personal choice. © 2014

Analysing Users' Satisfaction with E-Learning Using a Negative Critical Incidents Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Nian-Shing; Lin, Kan-Min; Kinshuk

2008-01-01

One critical success factor for e-learning is learners' satisfaction with it. This is affected by both positive and negative experiences in a learning process. This paper examines the impact of such critical incidents on learners' satisfaction in e-learning. In particular, frequent occurrence of negative critical incidents has significant…

Measuring Success and ROI in Corporate Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, Kent; Mattox, John R., II

2010-01-01

When measuring outcomes in corporate training, the authors recommend that it is essential to introduce a comprehensive plan, especially when resources are limited and the company needs are vast. The authors hone in on five critical components for shaping a measurement plan to determine the success and ROI of training. The plan's components should…

Assessing Terrorist Motivations for Attacking Critical Infrastructure

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

Ackerman, G; Abhayaratne, P; Bale, J

Certain types of infrastructure--critical infrastructure (CI)--play vital roles in underpinning our economy, security and way of life. These complex and often interconnected systems have become so ubiquitous and essential to day-to-day life that they are easily taken for granted. Often it is only when the important services provided by such infrastructure are interrupted--when we lose easy access to electricity, health care, telecommunications, transportation or water, for example--that we are conscious of our great dependence on these networks and of the vulnerabilities that stem from such dependence. Unfortunately, it must be assumed that many terrorists are all too aware that CImore » facilities pose high-value targets that, if successfully attacked, have the potential to dramatically disrupt the normal rhythm of society, cause public fear and intimidation, and generate significant publicity. Indeed, revelations emerging at the time of this writing about Al Qaida's efforts to prepare for possible attacks on major financial facilities in New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia remind us just how real and immediate such threats to CI may be. Simply being aware that our nation's critical infrastructure presents terrorists with a plethora of targets, however, does little to mitigate the dangers of CI attacks. In order to prevent and preempt such terrorist acts, better understanding of the threats and vulnerabilities relating to critical infrastructure is required. The Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) presents this document as both a contribution to the understanding of such threats and an initial effort at ''operationalizing'' its findings for use by analysts who work on issues of critical infrastructure protection. Specifically, this study focuses on a subsidiary aspect of CI threat assessment that has thus far remained largely unaddressed by contemporary terrorism research: the motivations and related factors that determine whether a

Confidence in critical care nursing.

PubMed

Evans, Jeanne; Bell, Jennifer L; Sweeney, Annemarie E; Morgan, Jennifer I; Kelly, Helen M

2010-10-01

The purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of the nursing phenomenon, confidence, from the experience of nurses in the nursing subculture of critical care. Leininger's theory of cultural care diversity and universality guided this qualitative descriptive study. Questions derived from the sunrise model were used to elicit nurses' perspectives about cultural and social structures that exist within the critical care nursing subculture and the influence that these factors have on confidence. Twenty-eight critical care nurses from a large Canadian healthcare organization participated in semistructured interviews about confidence. Five themes arose from the descriptions provided by the participants. The three themes, tenuously navigating initiation rituals, deliberately developing holistic supportive relationships, and assimilating clinical decision-making rules were identified as social and cultural factors related to confidence. The remaining two themes, preserving a sense of security despite barriers and accommodating to diverse challenges, were identified as environmental factors related to confidence. Practice and research implications within the culture of critical care nursing are discussed in relation to each of the themes.

14 CFR 35.16 - Propeller critical parts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Propeller critical parts. 35.16 Section 35... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: PROPELLERS Design and Construction § 35.16 Propeller critical parts. The integrity of each propeller critical part identified by the safety analysis required by § 35.15 must be established...

Health promotion: challenges revealed in successful practices

PubMed Central

Silva, Kênia Lara; de Sena, Roseni Rosângela; Belga, Stephanie Marques Moura Franco; Silva, Paloma Morais; Rodrigues, Andreza Trevenzoli

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE To examine successful practices of health promotion in health, education, culture, welfare and sport, leisure, identifying the elements of success and challenges in the field. METHODS A qualitative study with data obtained from in-depth analysis that included participant observation, interviews with managers, coordinators, professionals and participants from 29 practices reported as successful for promoting health in six municipalities of the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, MG, Southeastern Brazil, in 2011. The variables of the study were concept, dimension, dissemination and ease of access, identified in practices guided by content analysis. RESULTS The results indicate a conceptual and methodological uncertainty about health promotion as evidenced by conflicting objects and contradictory purposes. The practices differ in size, coverage and ease of access, determined by inter-sector coordination and political and financial investment. CONCLUSIONS We identified challenges to health promotion focusing on vulnerable populations, limits to financing and intersectoral partnerships. PMID:24789640

Systematic risk assessment methodology for critical infrastructure elements - Oil and Gas subsectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gheorghiu, A.-D.; Ozunu, A.

2012-04-01

The concern for the protection of critical infrastructure has been rapidly growing in the last few years in Europe. The level of knowledge and preparedness in this field is beginning to develop in a lawfully organized manner, for the identification and designation of critical infrastructure elements of national and European interest. Oil and gas production, refining, treatment, storage and transmission by pipelines facilities, are considered European critical infrastructure sectors, as per Annex I of the Council Directive 2008/114/EC of 8 December 2008 on the identification and designation of European critical infrastructures and the assessment of the need to improve their protection. Besides identifying European and national critical infrastructure elements, member states also need to perform a risk analysis for these infrastructure items, as stated in Annex II of the above mentioned Directive. In the field of risk assessment, there are a series of acknowledged and successfully used methods in the world, but not all hazard identification and assessment methods and techniques are suitable for a given site, situation, or type of hazard. As Theoharidou, M. et al. noted (Theoharidou, M., P. Kotzanikolaou, and D. Gritzalis 2009. Risk-Based Criticality Analysis. In Critical Infrastructure Protection III. Proceedings. Third Annual IFIP WG 11.10 International Conference on Critical Infrastructure Protection. Hanover, New Hampshire, USA, March 23-25, 2009: revised selected papers, edited by C. Palmer and S. Shenoi, 35-49. Berlin: Springer.), despite the wealth of knowledge already created, there is a need for simple, feasible, and standardized criticality analyses. The proposed systematic risk assessment methodology includes three basic steps: the first step (preliminary analysis) includes the identification of hazards (including possible natural hazards) for each installation/section within a given site, followed by a criterial analysis and then a detailed analysis step

Incorporation of spatial interactions in location networks to identify critical geo-referenced routes for assessing disease control measures on a large-scale campus.

PubMed

Wen, Tzai-Hung; Chin, Wei Chien Benny

2015-04-14

Respiratory diseases mainly spread through interpersonal contact. Class suspension is the most direct strategy to prevent the spread of disease through elementary or secondary schools by blocking the contact network. However, as university students usually attend courses in different buildings, the daily contact patterns on a university campus are complicated, and once disease clusters have occurred, suspending classes is far from an efficient strategy to control disease spread. The purpose of this study is to propose a methodological framework for generating campus location networks from a routine administration database, analyzing the community structure of the network, and identifying the critical links and nodes for blocking respiratory disease transmission. The data comes from the student enrollment records of a major comprehensive university in Taiwan. We combined the social network analysis and spatial interaction model to establish a geo-referenced community structure among the classroom buildings. We also identified the critical links among the communities that were acting as contact bridges and explored the changes in the location network after the sequential removal of the high-risk buildings. Instead of conducting a questionnaire survey, the study established a standard procedure for constructing a location network on a large-scale campus from a routine curriculum database. We also present how a location network structure at a campus could function to target the high-risk buildings as the bridges connecting communities for blocking disease transmission.

Pediatric Critical Care Nursing Research Priorities-Initiating International Dialogue.

PubMed

Tume, Lyvonne N; Coetzee, Minette; Dryden-Palmer, Karen; Hickey, Patricia A; Kinney, Sharon; Latour, Jos M; Pedreira, Mavilde L G; Sefton, Gerri R; Sorce, Lauren; Curley, Martha A Q

2015-07-01

To identify and prioritize research questions of concern to the practice of pediatric critical care nursing practice. One-day consensus conference. By using a conceptual framework by Benner et al describing domains of practice in critical care nursing, nine international nurse researchers presented state-of-the-art lectures. Each identified knowledge gaps in their assigned practice domain and then poised three research questions to fill that gap. Then, meeting participants prioritized the proposed research questions using an interactive multivoting process. Seventh World Congress on Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care in Istanbul, Turkey. Pediatric critical care nurses and nurse scientists attending the open consensus meeting. Systematic review, gap analysis, and interactive multivoting. The participants prioritized 27 nursing research questions in nine content domains. The top four research questions were 1) identifying nursing interventions that directly impact the child and family's experience during the withdrawal of life support, 2) evaluating the long-term psychosocial impact of a child's critical illness on family outcomes, 3) articulating core nursing competencies that prevent unstable situations from deteriorating into crises, and 4) describing the level of nursing education and experience in pediatric critical care that has a protective effect on the mortality and morbidity of critically ill children. The consensus meeting was effective in organizing pediatric critical care nursing knowledge, identifying knowledge gaps and in prioritizing nursing research initiatives that could be used to advance nursing science across world regions.

Critical Measurement Issues in Translational Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glasgow, Russell E.

2009-01-01

This article summarizes critical evaluation needs, challenges, and lessons learned in translational research. Evaluation can play a key role in enhancing successful application of research-based programs and tools as well as informing program refinement and future research. Discussion centers on what is unique about evaluating programs and…

Energy Requirements in Critically Ill Patients.

PubMed

Ndahimana, Didace; Kim, Eun-Kyung

2018-04-01

During the management of critical illness, optimal nutritional support is an important key for achieving positive clinical outcomes. Compared to healthy people, critically ill patients have higher energy expenditure, thereby their energy requirements and risk of malnutrition being increased. Assessing individual nutritional requirement is essential for a successful nutritional support, including the adequate energy supply. Methods to assess energy requirements include indirect calorimetry (IC) which is considered as a reference method, and the predictive equations which are commonly used due to the difficulty of using IC in certain conditions. In this study, a literature review was conducted on the energy metabolic changes in critically ill patients, and the implications for the estimation of energy requirements in this population. In addition, the issue of optimal caloric goal during nutrition support is discussed, as well as the accuracy of selected resting energy expenditure predictive equations, commonly used in critically ill patients.

Current practices in the identification of critical habitat for threatened species.

PubMed

Camaclang, Abbey E; Maron, Martine; Martin, Tara G; Possingham, Hugh P

2015-04-01

The term critical habitat is used to describe the subset of habitat that is essential to the survival and recovery of species. Some countries legally require that critical habitat of listed threatened and endangered species be identified and protected. However, there is little evidence to suggest that the identification of critical habitat has had much impact on species recovery. We hypothesized that this may be due at least partly to a mismatch between the intent of critical habitat identification, which is to protect sufficient habitat for species persistence and recovery, and its practice. We used content analysis to systematically review critical habitat documents from the United States, Canada, and Australia. In particular, we identified the major trends in type of information used to identify critical habitat and in occupancy of habitat identified as critical. Information about population viability was used to identify critical habitat for only 1% of the species reviewed, and for most species, designated critical habitat did not include unoccupied habitat. Without reference to population viability, it is difficult to determine how much of a species' occupied and unoccupied habitat will be required for persistence. We therefore conclude that the identification of critical habitat remains inconsistent with the goal of protecting sufficient habitat to support persistence and recovery of the species. Ensuring that critical habitat identification aligns more closely with its intent will improve the accuracy of the designations and may therefore help improve the benefits to species recovery when combined with adequate implementation and enforcement of legal protections. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

Cultural differences in dealing with critical incidents.

PubMed

Leonhardt, Jörg; Vogt, Joachim

2009-01-01

This article discusses the cultural aspects of High Reliability Organizations (HROs), such as air navigation services. HROs must maintain a highly professional safety culture and constantly be prepared to handle crises. The article begins with a general discussion of the concept of organizational culture. The special characteristics of HROs and their safety culture is then described. Finally the article illustrates how Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is becoming an ingrained feature of the organizational culture in air traffic control systems. Critical Incident Stress Management is a prevention program that can successfully guard against the negative effects of critical incidents. The CISM program of DFS (Deutsche Flugsicherung) was recently evaluated by the University of Copenhagen. This evaluation not only confirmed the successful prevention of negative effects at the operation's employee level (especially air traffic controllers), but also showed a sustained improvement of its safety culture and its overall organizational performance. The special aspects of cross-cultural crisis intervention and the challenges it faces, as well as the importance of prevention programs, such as CISM, are illustrated using the examples of two aircraft accidents: the crash landing of a calibration aircraft and the Lake Constance air disaster.

Simulation-based Assessment of the Management of Critical Events by Board-certified Anesthesiologists.

PubMed

Weinger, Matthew B; Banerjee, Arna; Burden, Amanda R; McIvor, William R; Boulet, John; Cooper, Jeffrey B; Steadman, Randolph; Shotwell, Matthew S; Slagle, Jason M; DeMaria, Samuel; Torsher, Laurence; Sinz, Elizabeth; Levine, Adam I; Rask, John; Davis, Fred; Park, Christine; Gaba, David M

2017-09-01

We sought to determine whether mannequin-based simulation can reliably characterize how board-certified anesthesiologists manage simulated medical emergencies. Our primary focus was to identify gaps in performance and to establish psychometric properties of the assessment methods. A total of 263 consenting board-certified anesthesiologists participating in existing simulation-based maintenance of certification courses at one of eight simulation centers were video recorded performing simulated emergency scenarios. Each participated in two 20-min, standardized, high-fidelity simulated medical crisis scenarios, once each as primary anesthesiologist and first responder. Via a Delphi technique, an independent panel of expert anesthesiologists identified critical performance elements for each scenario. Trained, blinded anesthesiologists rated video recordings using standardized rating tools. Measures included the percentage of critical performance elements observed and holistic (one to nine ordinal scale) ratings of participant's technical and nontechnical performance. Raters also judged whether the performance was at a level expected of a board-certified anesthesiologist. Rater reliability for most measures was good. In 284 simulated emergencies, participants were rated as successfully completing 81% (interquartile range, 75 to 90%) of the critical performance elements. The median rating of both technical and nontechnical holistic performance was five, distributed across the nine-point scale. Approximately one-quarter of participants received low holistic ratings (i.e., three or less). Higher-rated performances were associated with younger age but not with previous simulation experience or other individual characteristics. Calling for help was associated with better individual and team performance. Standardized simulation-based assessment identified performance gaps informing opportunities for improvement. If a substantial proportion of experienced anesthesiologists

The development of a successful physician compensation plan.

PubMed

Berkowitz, Steven M

2002-10-01

Physician compensation plans are critical to the success of a physician group or may lead to the demise of the group. Essential components of the development and implementation of a successful physician compensation plan include: strategic planning, physician understanding and buy-in, appropriate incentives, objective performance measurement, and a specific funding source or mechanism. There are two basic philosophies to consider for use: the market-based model and the net economic contribution model. Advantages and disadvantages of each are discussed. Methods of incorporating these multiple aspects into a single plan are described.